Aaaalright.
I'd just like to make an official statement (although why, I don't know ... probably because I can)
I just wanna let any readers know that this blog will be inactive for the time being. The amount I can be arsed to update right now is so low, that it seems more fitting to announce this, rather than keep my favorite reader hopeful for another entry any time soon.
The general disinterest for pro wrestling is peaking, now that I'm busy fanboying over plenty of other things. I kept my word and didn't buy WWE13 (even though I really want to about now, but then I remember how violated I felt forking out 60 bucks for WWE12 only to get assraped) so there's no cheap review possibility either.
Frankly, there's a good chance I'll be updating this one more often with reviews and the like. This one will probably be defibrillated around 'mania time. Check my twitter feed to find out
Cheers
~D.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
well....
Hi
So, I could make many excuses as to why I haven't consistently updated with a new entry, but the truth is simply that I couldn't be arsed to do it. I thought about doing a storyline review about the invasion angle, but it proved for myself to be a useless effort, again because I couldn't bring myself to do it.
So ... WWE...
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the Kane/Bryan anger management sessions. It was so wonderfully awkward, it made me laugh. Though I could've done without the "When Harry met Sally" reference and the inevitable appearance of Mae Young. Why they have to be tag champions is beyond me, especially. With all the chatter floating around that Triple H is hell bent on rejuvenating the tag division and injecting some prestige back into it, this is quite a moronic way to begin that.
Speaking of tag teams ... I heard that R-Truth and Kofi Kingston are no longer tagging, because Lil' Jimmy is hitting puberty? Not a single fuck was given. Lil Jimmy may go over really well with the kids, but I find it horribly cringeworthy. About as cringeworthy as Brodus Clay to be exact. Glad he's subscribed to jobbing every week nowadays.
Antonio Cesaro is something different. He apparently is on the rise, racking up wins against - inarguably- enhancement tools such as Tyson Kidd, but the dirt sheets are exclaiming the people in charge are high on him... for now. As much as I adore Claudio's impeccable in-ring prowess, I still can't get over the fact that his gimmick is humongously shit. Being able to exclaim random words in 5 languages, two or three of which are native to his country is ... meh at best. I will now recite "failure" in 5 languages:
"Failure":
"Mislukking"
"Misserfolg"
"Échec"
"Vajaatoiminta"
"Fallimento"
Thank you Google Translate, on some of these.
Speaking of failure, Brooke Hogan is still employed by TNA. Food for thought. I still don't watch their programming, and won't for as long as the Hogan name is actively promoted. I'd almost say I'd rather watch a marathon of Eve Torres matches.
Speaking of which, why is Eve Torres on a winning streak of sorts? She's not particularly talented, even. Give me Kaitlyn any day. Sure she's a little butch, but I'd rather wank myself into a coma over her than Eve. On top of that, she can actually act. She can even wrestle, given the right opponent. Especially with AJ not actively wrestling, pushing someone who doesn't flop about the ring like a clueless valley girl is a good move. Especially for a division that has been fledgling since Lita and Trish retired.
I'm probably going to catch a lot of flack for this, but I don't get the whole Punk/Heyman pairing. Sure, Heyman's a great mouthpiece, but so is Punk. It sort of defeats the purpose of a manager. Surely, Heyman is the kind of guy who could put even Chris Benoit over in a group of soccer moms but I haven't actually seen anything that he added to Punk getting over as a massive heel. In fact, Punk's finest moment in his heel run so far was with Mick Foley, which was when Heyman wasn't even there. Call me crazy, but I'd put Heyman with a guy like Drew McIntyre, who is talented enough, but could do with a mouthpiece. Again, food for thought.
And now I'm going to be a total ass and cut this blog off very abruptly
~D.
So, I could make many excuses as to why I haven't consistently updated with a new entry, but the truth is simply that I couldn't be arsed to do it. I thought about doing a storyline review about the invasion angle, but it proved for myself to be a useless effort, again because I couldn't bring myself to do it.
So ... WWE...
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the Kane/Bryan anger management sessions. It was so wonderfully awkward, it made me laugh. Though I could've done without the "When Harry met Sally" reference and the inevitable appearance of Mae Young. Why they have to be tag champions is beyond me, especially. With all the chatter floating around that Triple H is hell bent on rejuvenating the tag division and injecting some prestige back into it, this is quite a moronic way to begin that.
Speaking of tag teams ... I heard that R-Truth and Kofi Kingston are no longer tagging, because Lil' Jimmy is hitting puberty? Not a single fuck was given. Lil Jimmy may go over really well with the kids, but I find it horribly cringeworthy. About as cringeworthy as Brodus Clay to be exact. Glad he's subscribed to jobbing every week nowadays.
Antonio Cesaro is something different. He apparently is on the rise, racking up wins against - inarguably- enhancement tools such as Tyson Kidd, but the dirt sheets are exclaiming the people in charge are high on him... for now. As much as I adore Claudio's impeccable in-ring prowess, I still can't get over the fact that his gimmick is humongously shit. Being able to exclaim random words in 5 languages, two or three of which are native to his country is ... meh at best. I will now recite "failure" in 5 languages:
"Failure":
"Mislukking"
"Misserfolg"
"Échec"
"Vajaatoiminta"
"Fallimento"
Thank you Google Translate, on some of these.
Speaking of failure, Brooke Hogan is still employed by TNA. Food for thought. I still don't watch their programming, and won't for as long as the Hogan name is actively promoted. I'd almost say I'd rather watch a marathon of Eve Torres matches.
Speaking of which, why is Eve Torres on a winning streak of sorts? She's not particularly talented, even. Give me Kaitlyn any day. Sure she's a little butch, but I'd rather wank myself into a coma over her than Eve. On top of that, she can actually act. She can even wrestle, given the right opponent. Especially with AJ not actively wrestling, pushing someone who doesn't flop about the ring like a clueless valley girl is a good move. Especially for a division that has been fledgling since Lita and Trish retired.
I'm probably going to catch a lot of flack for this, but I don't get the whole Punk/Heyman pairing. Sure, Heyman's a great mouthpiece, but so is Punk. It sort of defeats the purpose of a manager. Surely, Heyman is the kind of guy who could put even Chris Benoit over in a group of soccer moms but I haven't actually seen anything that he added to Punk getting over as a massive heel. In fact, Punk's finest moment in his heel run so far was with Mick Foley, which was when Heyman wasn't even there. Call me crazy, but I'd put Heyman with a guy like Drew McIntyre, who is talented enough, but could do with a mouthpiece. Again, food for thought.
And now I'm going to be a total ass and cut this blog off very abruptly
~D.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Milestones and other shit
'lo
It's kind of difficult to ignore, but being a wrestling blogger (a fancy title for my irregular muck) I feel obliged to write about the milestone that RAW is about to reach. One thousand episodes (!). If you didn't know, you haven't watched any WWE produced programming recently as they leave no opportunity to slap it in our faces.
The longest running tv show... well kind of. In terms of episodes: yup. In terms of duration not quite. British programmes such as Doctor Who (1963-1989 and 2005-present) and Last of the Summer Wine (1973-2010) run/ran for longer and so does the soap opera "the bold and the beautiful" which holds another dubious record for being able to singlehandedly suck and blow every episode again. Anyways
It's by no means a small feat to run uninterrupted since 1993 (no off-seasons either) so kudos. If there's one thing that undoubtedly describes Monday Night Raw (is War), it would be "Hit and Miss". Make no mistake, for all those sucking the Attitude Era cock, that's RAW to a T. Many wrestling fans will describe the Attitude Era as an era where nothing went wrong. Yeah, think again. The product has been so different (and thus shit accordingly) that many mistakes made during the AE have been buried in the sand.
I wouldn't recall the Oddities as a particular success. Neither was Right to Censor even though they were over as heels. Naked Mideon springs to mind as well. The combination Mae Young, Mark Henry and greasy hand shouldn't even be considered as possibly successful. It went decidedly downhill afterwards with such gems as the Katie Vick debacle and well, John Cena. John Cena's debut on RAW in 2005 was the beginning of a bad period on the show as every bit of focus was shifted to Triple H, Cena and a little bit of Edge. Others would hardly get any tv time. SmackDown was easily the better show during that time. After Cena's injury and Randy Orton's subsequent reign, it didn't get better. Orton had transformed from a cocky blue chipper and Legend Killer to being a dead boring automaton. That's when I grew to dislike Orton's work.
It's safe to say that during the Attitude Era, RAW was more hit than miss. Since 2006 specifically the balance has shifted to more miss than hit. The CM Punk storyline from last year is a great example. He was getting momentum like a motherfucker until Triple H got himself and Kevin Nash involved. It was like gelatine pudding cracking under the weight of Nash and his clickedy knees. This year sees another interesting storyline happening, once again with Punk. I'm serious the Punk/Bryan/AJ trifecta was interesting (especially when Kane wasn't involved) but I fear that the story is off hunting for sharks to jump over. It seems to be ending at Money in the Bank though.
Now, the same event will probably be John Cena's re-entrance in the title picture which is disappointing. His absence from the WWE title matches and general programming was a breath of fresh air, but alas.
Fortunately, it's not all gloom and doom. If you've been following the news closely, WWE has made some interesting signings. British flipflopper Ben "PAC" Satterly for instance. He's called "The Man that Gravity forgot" and while figuratively spoken, it's not too far off from the truth. If you considered Evan Bourne impressive, PAC will make you jizz all over. Apparently though, he's not the only one. TNA's Alex Shelley and Matt Morgan are rumoured to jump ship as well. Indie star (and I mean STAR) Johnny Gargano is apparently headed there and it's pretty much confirmed that Sara Del Rey has signed a deal to wrestle as well as train the divas. If you haven't heard of Sara, it's your loss. Del Rey is literally the best female wrestler on the American indies and her signing is probably the biggest asset WWE has made in years. Apparently, the Amazingly Awesome Kong-like woman Kharma got her pink slip at the same time. Of course, the timing of her pregnancy (and unfortunate miscarriage) was bad, but she was if anything ready to return.
Talking about under-used talent. The new NXT format is gold. I've always had a slight preference towards NXT, but the way it is presented now, as a showcase for FCW and lower card talent is gold. More wrestling, less bullshit. It made me able to watch some indie guys in the WWE routine. Seth Rollins should be far higher on the roster by now. Here's a tip creative. Bring him up to the top, have him re-adopt God's Last Gift (Small Package Driver for those unfamiliar) and put the intercontinental title on him. Stat!
Chris Hero Kassius Ohno was a little less impressive. Great gimmick, great moveset, far too slow for Chris in my opinion.
One last thing. Can you imagine a brilliant decision being made by TNA? Yeah, me neither. Austin Aries being world champion is one though. I'd almost applaud them if the news didn't float around that Hogan would be wrestling again. Can't win 'em all.
Sigh
~D.
It's kind of difficult to ignore, but being a wrestling blogger (a fancy title for my irregular muck) I feel obliged to write about the milestone that RAW is about to reach. One thousand episodes (!). If you didn't know, you haven't watched any WWE produced programming recently as they leave no opportunity to slap it in our faces.
The longest running tv show... well kind of. In terms of episodes: yup. In terms of duration not quite. British programmes such as Doctor Who (1963-1989 and 2005-present) and Last of the Summer Wine (1973-2010) run/ran for longer and so does the soap opera "the bold and the beautiful" which holds another dubious record for being able to singlehandedly suck and blow every episode again. Anyways
It's by no means a small feat to run uninterrupted since 1993 (no off-seasons either) so kudos. If there's one thing that undoubtedly describes Monday Night Raw (is War), it would be "Hit and Miss". Make no mistake, for all those sucking the Attitude Era cock, that's RAW to a T. Many wrestling fans will describe the Attitude Era as an era where nothing went wrong. Yeah, think again. The product has been so different (and thus shit accordingly) that many mistakes made during the AE have been buried in the sand.
I wouldn't recall the Oddities as a particular success. Neither was Right to Censor even though they were over as heels. Naked Mideon springs to mind as well. The combination Mae Young, Mark Henry and greasy hand shouldn't even be considered as possibly successful. It went decidedly downhill afterwards with such gems as the Katie Vick debacle and well, John Cena. John Cena's debut on RAW in 2005 was the beginning of a bad period on the show as every bit of focus was shifted to Triple H, Cena and a little bit of Edge. Others would hardly get any tv time. SmackDown was easily the better show during that time. After Cena's injury and Randy Orton's subsequent reign, it didn't get better. Orton had transformed from a cocky blue chipper and Legend Killer to being a dead boring automaton. That's when I grew to dislike Orton's work.
It's safe to say that during the Attitude Era, RAW was more hit than miss. Since 2006 specifically the balance has shifted to more miss than hit. The CM Punk storyline from last year is a great example. He was getting momentum like a motherfucker until Triple H got himself and Kevin Nash involved. It was like gelatine pudding cracking under the weight of Nash and his clickedy knees. This year sees another interesting storyline happening, once again with Punk. I'm serious the Punk/Bryan/AJ trifecta was interesting (especially when Kane wasn't involved) but I fear that the story is off hunting for sharks to jump over. It seems to be ending at Money in the Bank though.
Now, the same event will probably be John Cena's re-entrance in the title picture which is disappointing. His absence from the WWE title matches and general programming was a breath of fresh air, but alas.
Fortunately, it's not all gloom and doom. If you've been following the news closely, WWE has made some interesting signings. British flipflopper Ben "PAC" Satterly for instance. He's called "The Man that Gravity forgot" and while figuratively spoken, it's not too far off from the truth. If you considered Evan Bourne impressive, PAC will make you jizz all over. Apparently though, he's not the only one. TNA's Alex Shelley and Matt Morgan are rumoured to jump ship as well. Indie star (and I mean STAR) Johnny Gargano is apparently headed there and it's pretty much confirmed that Sara Del Rey has signed a deal to wrestle as well as train the divas. If you haven't heard of Sara, it's your loss. Del Rey is literally the best female wrestler on the American indies and her signing is probably the biggest asset WWE has made in years. Apparently, the Amazingly Awesome Kong-like woman Kharma got her pink slip at the same time. Of course, the timing of her pregnancy (and unfortunate miscarriage) was bad, but she was if anything ready to return.
Talking about under-used talent. The new NXT format is gold. I've always had a slight preference towards NXT, but the way it is presented now, as a showcase for FCW and lower card talent is gold. More wrestling, less bullshit. It made me able to watch some indie guys in the WWE routine. Seth Rollins should be far higher on the roster by now. Here's a tip creative. Bring him up to the top, have him re-adopt God's Last Gift (Small Package Driver for those unfamiliar) and put the intercontinental title on him. Stat!
One last thing. Can you imagine a brilliant decision being made by TNA? Yeah, me neither. Austin Aries being world champion is one though. I'd almost applaud them if the news didn't float around that Hogan would be wrestling again. Can't win 'em all.
Sigh
~D.
Friday, 29 June 2012
Unstable
Buon Giorno a tutti
It's been a while, no? I've neglected to look at the date of my previous entry. Anyways ...
My busy school period has come to a close, which means more time to do fuck all. Three months to be exact. I have no illusions, I'll probably spend three months watching Doctor Who episodes. Plenty of those to go around.
I'm straying away from the purpose of this here entry.
I've followed the WWE machine off and on for some time and honestly, there's quite a lot of good going on.
First of all, I fucking love AJ Lee. She's a petite little gorgeous piece of woman to begin with but this character she's been putting on has gotten me in stitches more than once. I was a little weary about CM Punk and Kane being included in it, but so far, it has worked remarkably well. Sure as hell comes across more natural than a regular heel character.
Talking about "unstable" I'd like to refer to the stable that really isn't one. See, my entry titles are so multidimensional. I'm a fucking genius. Yeah, prove me wrong, bitches.
Anyways, Titus O'Neill and Darren Young. Both have impressive physique, the in-ring ability of an ape in a straitjacket and charisma not unlike a bowl of fruit. This tag team that really isn't one is being pushed as the top of the tag division. For fucks sake ... I can't for the life of me even remember who the tag champs actually are.
Sad news from the NXT camp that I just read. While the last episodes were awesome in that they were featured in the new format, Maxine has apparently decided to quit because she wasn't having a positive outlook on her future. Can 't blame her. She was the diva that progressed a lot and was actually entertaining as well as generally capable in the ring. Either way, the new format seems nice. The first episode having Regal and JR on commentary was fucking gold. It also seems that Conor O'Brian (the rat guy from NXT) has found a new gimmick. Eh... we'll see.
It seems that there are some new contenders for the world titles. Dolph Ziggles seems to be on the up and up for the world heavyweight title (and he should get it, more so than ADR and Sheamus) on RAW, Baniel Dryan and CM Punk are gonna duke it out for the WWE title (I can smell main event caliber match from several miles away). Sad part is that John Cena, after being out of the title picture so long is going to be put back in the title picture (WHY?). Expect to see Rey Mysterio in the title picture on SmackDown once he returns for a couple of weeks before his next injury/suspension.
In conclusion, the title picture has a few bright spots but a few pitch black ones in the near future as well.
I'm going to end this entry now, mainly because it's nearing 2AM and I'm fucking sleepy. I need to build up the energy for tomorrow to avoid people who want to celebrate my birthday.
~D.
It's been a while, no? I've neglected to look at the date of my previous entry. Anyways ...
My busy school period has come to a close, which means more time to do fuck all. Three months to be exact. I have no illusions, I'll probably spend three months watching Doctor Who episodes. Plenty of those to go around.
I'm straying away from the purpose of this here entry.
I've followed the WWE machine off and on for some time and honestly, there's quite a lot of good going on.
First of all, I fucking love AJ Lee. She's a petite little gorgeous piece of woman to begin with but this character she's been putting on has gotten me in stitches more than once. I was a little weary about CM Punk and Kane being included in it, but so far, it has worked remarkably well. Sure as hell comes across more natural than a regular heel character.
Talking about "unstable" I'd like to refer to the stable that really isn't one. See, my entry titles are so multidimensional. I'm a fucking genius. Yeah, prove me wrong, bitches.
Anyways, Titus O'Neill and Darren Young. Both have impressive physique, the in-ring ability of an ape in a straitjacket and charisma not unlike a bowl of fruit. This tag team that really isn't one is being pushed as the top of the tag division. For fucks sake ... I can't for the life of me even remember who the tag champs actually are.
Sad news from the NXT camp that I just read. While the last episodes were awesome in that they were featured in the new format, Maxine has apparently decided to quit because she wasn't having a positive outlook on her future. Can 't blame her. She was the diva that progressed a lot and was actually entertaining as well as generally capable in the ring. Either way, the new format seems nice. The first episode having Regal and JR on commentary was fucking gold. It also seems that Conor O'Brian (the rat guy from NXT) has found a new gimmick. Eh... we'll see.
It seems that there are some new contenders for the world titles. Dolph Ziggles seems to be on the up and up for the world heavyweight title (and he should get it, more so than ADR and Sheamus) on RAW, Baniel Dryan and CM Punk are gonna duke it out for the WWE title (I can smell main event caliber match from several miles away). Sad part is that John Cena, after being out of the title picture so long is going to be put back in the title picture (WHY?). Expect to see Rey Mysterio in the title picture on SmackDown once he returns for a couple of weeks before his next injury/suspension.
In conclusion, the title picture has a few bright spots but a few pitch black ones in the near future as well.
I'm going to end this entry now, mainly because it's nearing 2AM and I'm fucking sleepy. I need to build up the energy for tomorrow to avoid people who want to celebrate my birthday.
~D.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Gameface OFF
bienvenidas a todos
No beating around the bush today. Last monday night, WWE announced the next installment in their ongoing videogame series. Much like last year, the company has done away with the SvR monniker and labels their next game WWE '13. I realise this videogame entry comes a far lot earlier than it did last year. There is a simple reason for that.
There simply won't be a review of WWE '13 by yours truly. After the gigantic clusterfuck that was WWE '12 (Labelled the best game they ever did, no less) I opted to stay the fuck away from anything that bears the WWE and PS3 logos). No matter how much THQ teases the smarks and idiots alike.
CM Punk is this years coverboy. Good, he deserves that kind of attention. That his face is on what is likely to be an abomination of a game is neglectable. The biggest teaser is the inclusion of an "attitude era". Supposedly 32 (!) Attitude Era superstars have been added to the game, aside from the 38 current stars. Damn you, THQ for making me want it somewhat. No, no, I must be strong. I can't bear to be annually disappointed.
I must admit, THQ's taglines for the game are never false marketing. The game promises the most lifelike experience of sports entertainment. No wonder it blows for the most part.
They do it every year, though. Call it the best game ever and once you get it, you realise they've successfully trolled you for the 8th year in a row. Last years controls were probably the worst I've had to deal with and sure enough, this years controls have been "modified" again. Modified.... I'd read that as "completely overhauled so it'll take you months to figure out". Maybe I'm just slow. The best controls were SmackDown: SYM, which is by far my favorite game THQ has put out along with SmackDown!2: KYR. Good times, great mammaries.
That spelling error was intentional. Oh the big boobies-made-out-of-polygons I've observed during my teenage years...There's still a proper assortment of knockers to be found in the games, but I've reached the point in my life where giant nipplebags no longer outweigh the shitty gameplay. Too bad.
About the Attitude thing. It sucks that they included it, because now people start thinking that WWE is going to take an Attitude Era approach to their weekly product. You know, last year they dumped Brock Lesnar in the game and he signed on with WWE a couple of months later. Don't get your hopes up folks. Even if WWE decides to take that "attitude" approach to their programming again, it still won't be like the olden days. Though it would make me curious.
Ah, dare I say programming hasn't been that awful lately? Christian returning as a face and getting a win streak going. The whole D-Bry/AJ Lee thing now involving Punk. How the fucking fuck is it possible that creative has gotten me interested in a romance angle?! THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!
Also, Skip Sheffield. One of the few big guys I find credible in any way. He's even over for crying out loud. I like him with this new/old Ryback persona. Personally, I like how they kept the best of his OVW/FCW Ryback (the animalistic fuck-people-up-mentality) and dropped the worst (Terminator-gimmick).
I wouldn't say the same for one of my personal favorites. Antonio Cesaro, still better known as Claudio Castagnoli, is stuck in a love triangle (another?!) with Aksana and Teddy Long. Aksana ... I still don't see the benefit of having it around. She speaks very little English and she doesn't actually do anything except walk around and, for lack of a better word, converse.
Also, Ricola Bomb please. This GSN - Gotch Style Neutralizer may be a nice throwback to the legend Karl Gotch, it is far inferior to the Ricola Bomb (or the Alpamare Waterslide, still one of my favorite moves). Ah well, still waiting for Seth Rollins ... and Chris Hero. I still hope the latter will get a different name when he's called up.
~D.
No beating around the bush today. Last monday night, WWE announced the next installment in their ongoing videogame series. Much like last year, the company has done away with the SvR monniker and labels their next game WWE '13. I realise this videogame entry comes a far lot earlier than it did last year. There is a simple reason for that.
There simply won't be a review of WWE '13 by yours truly. After the gigantic clusterfuck that was WWE '12 (Labelled the best game they ever did, no less) I opted to stay the fuck away from anything that bears the WWE and PS3 logos). No matter how much THQ teases the smarks and idiots alike.
CM Punk is this years coverboy. Good, he deserves that kind of attention. That his face is on what is likely to be an abomination of a game is neglectable. The biggest teaser is the inclusion of an "attitude era". Supposedly 32 (!) Attitude Era superstars have been added to the game, aside from the 38 current stars. Damn you, THQ for making me want it somewhat. No, no, I must be strong. I can't bear to be annually disappointed.
I must admit, THQ's taglines for the game are never false marketing. The game promises the most lifelike experience of sports entertainment. No wonder it blows for the most part.
They do it every year, though. Call it the best game ever and once you get it, you realise they've successfully trolled you for the 8th year in a row. Last years controls were probably the worst I've had to deal with and sure enough, this years controls have been "modified" again. Modified.... I'd read that as "completely overhauled so it'll take you months to figure out". Maybe I'm just slow. The best controls were SmackDown: SYM, which is by far my favorite game THQ has put out along with SmackDown!2: KYR. Good times, great mammaries.
That spelling error was intentional. Oh the big boobies-made-out-of-polygons I've observed during my teenage years...There's still a proper assortment of knockers to be found in the games, but I've reached the point in my life where giant nipplebags no longer outweigh the shitty gameplay. Too bad.
About the Attitude thing. It sucks that they included it, because now people start thinking that WWE is going to take an Attitude Era approach to their weekly product. You know, last year they dumped Brock Lesnar in the game and he signed on with WWE a couple of months later. Don't get your hopes up folks. Even if WWE decides to take that "attitude" approach to their programming again, it still won't be like the olden days. Though it would make me curious.
Ah, dare I say programming hasn't been that awful lately? Christian returning as a face and getting a win streak going. The whole D-Bry/AJ Lee thing now involving Punk. How the fucking fuck is it possible that creative has gotten me interested in a romance angle?! THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!
Also, Skip Sheffield. One of the few big guys I find credible in any way. He's even over for crying out loud. I like him with this new/old Ryback persona. Personally, I like how they kept the best of his OVW/FCW Ryback (the animalistic fuck-people-up-mentality) and dropped the worst (Terminator-gimmick).
I wouldn't say the same for one of my personal favorites. Antonio Cesaro, still better known as Claudio Castagnoli, is stuck in a love triangle (another?!) with Aksana and Teddy Long. Aksana ... I still don't see the benefit of having it around. She speaks very little English and she doesn't actually do anything except walk around and, for lack of a better word, converse.
Also, Ricola Bomb please. This GSN - Gotch Style Neutralizer may be a nice throwback to the legend Karl Gotch, it is far inferior to the Ricola Bomb (or the Alpamare Waterslide, still one of my favorite moves). Ah well, still waiting for Seth Rollins ... and Chris Hero. I still hope the latter will get a different name when he's called up.
~D.
Friday, 18 May 2012
Cornette's Impending Heart Attack
Alright, this pretty much leaves me dumbstruck. I have no witty snarl to accompany this obviously amazing piece of information that will take TNA into the next level (down, obviously). I can't help but wonder in what parallel universe this was conceived as a good idea.This will probably be the thing that gives Jim Cornette a heart attack. After all, Jim must now regret being in the annals of a company that so willingly turns itself into a parody of a wrestling company (I'd like to throw the initials WCW around, for good measure). This is the kind of news that makes me wish someone like Jeff Jarrett was still in charge and Vince Russo headed creative. Yes, you read that correctly. I would sit through 5 years of spew originating from the foul mind of Vince Russo than to contemplate what the fuck Brooke Hogan has to do with pro wrestling and how Dixie Carter thinks this is brilliant marketing.
It will have some positive effect though. Maybe this will be the catalyst to make people realise what kind of cancer Hulk Hogan is to TNA, and the wrestling business in general.
Alas, people (the small portion that can be distinguished by their adoration for the red and yellow and total lack of social skills) will blatantly see past this as a great way to see wrestling and fap at the same time. Remember brother ... if you toss off to images of Brooke, I'd like to remind you that she's a spitting image of her beloved daddy.
Fuck this company.
D.
Also, the totally amazing graphic artwork cut sloppily from the TNA website is of course owned by TNA entertainment LLC. They can keep it for all I care.
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
How is it possible?
Evening
You know, I've been a little on the fence about WWE's current storylines. Again, it's hit and miss as usual. Brock Lesnar jobbing to Cena on pay per view was a decision I found odd, to say the least.
It doesn't seem normal how you'd book a legit fighter as dominating in every which way, only to have him job merely one week later. Brock's return -> missed opportunity in my book.
CM Punk vs Jericho seems to have run its course now, and thankfully so. After their encounter at Wrestlemania, the storyline seemed to drag on. While none of the parties involved should be blamed, it seemed as if the writers were completely unable to write up a decent storyline.
The Daniel Bryan/ AJ saga is surprisingly good, and to have the petite nerdy girl turn into a violent psychopathic warbringer was completely out of left field and probably the most original decision possible. Fingers crossed they don't screw it up. This whole storyline also (re-)introduced me to NXT season three winner Kaitlyn. I hadn't really paid attention to her or what she'd been up to. I reckon it has to do with my aversion for diva matches.
It's safe to say now I realised that for a woman with a bodybuilding background, she's smoking hot. Dare I say she even surpasses the "girl so nice they named her twice" Kelly². Of course, in my perennial search for searing hotness in divas, I tracked back and actually found out she's in one heck of a storyline on NXT. Didn't see that one coming, did ya?
Maxine, another NXT alumni is going around being abusive to Johnny Curtis and Derrick Bateman. First, she makes whoopie with Bateman, before moving onto Curtis and then back to Bateman, all the while physically assaulting both of them. In comes Kaitlyn, who establishes an instant bro-mance with Bateman (for lack of a better word). La-dee-da ... doesn't seem interesting you'd say. Well, here's my POV:
Johnny Curtis has an awesome gimmick, being all creepy and weirding people out. Derrick Bateman is probably the most naturally charismatic and comedic character employed by WWE right now. Kaitlyn's ability to act makes it awesome. And then there's Maxine. There's one character that should NEVER be turned face, much like Dolph Ziggler. She just has something vile to her, and basically ... it works, she's believable.
To top it all off, the rosy nipple on the juicy tit of storyline perfection is that both ladies can actually wrestle a match. Not bad for girls whose debut took place within the last 4 years. Something for Kelly² to ponder over.
But wait, there's more! Damien Sandow, being all Jebusy and to be frank, plain cool. I hope to Perkele he'll have a better run this time around. Being one of Michelle McCool's teacher's pets didn't really fly well.
The rosy nipple on the second juicy tit, is Claudio Castagnoli's main show debut (as Antonio Cesaro, obviously)! Regardless of the way he debuted, as a love rival opposite Teddy Long (meh!), it's great to see someone who I've been watching for a loooong time (I'm talking Swiss Money Holding with Ares here) finally make it up there. The only thing I'm really bummed about is his finisher. While the "Gotch Style Neutralizer" is full of smart references, I miss the Ricola Bomb and even the Alpamare Waterslide.
I did see his elevated European Uppercut appear though ... phew. Now, creative team, bring me Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Corey Graves and "Kassius Ohno" and I will love you long time.
Basically, this is it. I can't even believe I'm saying this, but now I'm looking forward to the next episode of NXT. For fuck's sake ... NX - fucking - T! Next thing you know, I'll be watching Nascar, hahahaha
Sayonara, and more juicy tits
~D.
You know, I've been a little on the fence about WWE's current storylines. Again, it's hit and miss as usual. Brock Lesnar jobbing to Cena on pay per view was a decision I found odd, to say the least.
It doesn't seem normal how you'd book a legit fighter as dominating in every which way, only to have him job merely one week later. Brock's return -> missed opportunity in my book.
CM Punk vs Jericho seems to have run its course now, and thankfully so. After their encounter at Wrestlemania, the storyline seemed to drag on. While none of the parties involved should be blamed, it seemed as if the writers were completely unable to write up a decent storyline.
The Daniel Bryan/ AJ saga is surprisingly good, and to have the petite nerdy girl turn into a violent psychopathic warbringer was completely out of left field and probably the most original decision possible. Fingers crossed they don't screw it up. This whole storyline also (re-)introduced me to NXT season three winner Kaitlyn. I hadn't really paid attention to her or what she'd been up to. I reckon it has to do with my aversion for diva matches.
It's safe to say now I realised that for a woman with a bodybuilding background, she's smoking hot. Dare I say she even surpasses the "girl so nice they named her twice" Kelly². Of course, in my perennial search for searing hotness in divas, I tracked back and actually found out she's in one heck of a storyline on NXT. Didn't see that one coming, did ya?
Maxine, another NXT alumni is going around being abusive to Johnny Curtis and Derrick Bateman. First, she makes whoopie with Bateman, before moving onto Curtis and then back to Bateman, all the while physically assaulting both of them. In comes Kaitlyn, who establishes an instant bro-mance with Bateman (for lack of a better word). La-dee-da ... doesn't seem interesting you'd say. Well, here's my POV:
Johnny Curtis has an awesome gimmick, being all creepy and weirding people out. Derrick Bateman is probably the most naturally charismatic and comedic character employed by WWE right now. Kaitlyn's ability to act makes it awesome. And then there's Maxine. There's one character that should NEVER be turned face, much like Dolph Ziggler. She just has something vile to her, and basically ... it works, she's believable.
To top it all off, the rosy nipple on the juicy tit of storyline perfection is that both ladies can actually wrestle a match. Not bad for girls whose debut took place within the last 4 years. Something for Kelly² to ponder over.
But wait, there's more! Damien Sandow, being all Jebusy and to be frank, plain cool. I hope to Perkele he'll have a better run this time around. Being one of Michelle McCool's teacher's pets didn't really fly well.
The rosy nipple on the second juicy tit, is Claudio Castagnoli's main show debut (as Antonio Cesaro, obviously)! Regardless of the way he debuted, as a love rival opposite Teddy Long (meh!), it's great to see someone who I've been watching for a loooong time (I'm talking Swiss Money Holding with Ares here) finally make it up there. The only thing I'm really bummed about is his finisher. While the "Gotch Style Neutralizer" is full of smart references, I miss the Ricola Bomb and even the Alpamare Waterslide.
I did see his elevated European Uppercut appear though ... phew. Now, creative team, bring me Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Corey Graves and "Kassius Ohno" and I will love you long time.
Basically, this is it. I can't even believe I'm saying this, but now I'm looking forward to the next episode of NXT. For fuck's sake ... NX - fucking - T! Next thing you know, I'll be watching Nascar, hahahaha
Sayonara, and more juicy tits
~D.
Friday, 6 April 2012
More weight in the balance - many happy returns
Evening,
Again, a lot has transpired since Wrestlemania took place last Sunday. Of course, the inevitable fallout from the event, along with some exciting new threads being spun for future matches.
The IWC* has been buzzing about the return of the lost son, Brock Lesnar. After he buggered off in 2004 to try a pro "handegg" career and later MMA, many people wished he would come back (as well as many people wishing he'd stay the hell away).
Monday, he makes his triumphant return to proverbially kick John Cena in the ovaries. The pop was humongous (well, the kids know him from his MMA days, too) his return was a dud. I expected him to be rusty, but his F-5 to John Cena looked like the way Big Show did it. Botchy at best, in other words.
Apparently, he isn't slated to make much appearances throughout his deal, which is a shame. Anyone who remembers his run with Angle over the WWE title and the spilled milk incident knows what I mean. He isn't the most charismatic guy, but he can play off of guys who are very nicely. Maybe he even became a better talker now that he's been socked in the mouth a couple of times,
The second return was of Lord Tensai, and WWE went out of their way to acknowledge he is indeed A-Train (to my surprise). His match was unimpressive at best. I've seen his work while he was wrestling in Japan as Giant Bernard, and I know he's capable of so so much more. But I guess everyone has their role to play.
Speaking of roles to play .... and this is SPOILERISH, as it has only aired in Canada by now:
Daniel Bryan's 18 second match may have a positive twist. LOOK AT THIS GUY BEING ALL CHARISMATIC AND SHIT!:
I never credited DB with a lot of charisma, but this was bonerrific. MOAR!
Short entry is short. I was asked to talk about Brock and Albertensai so I did.
~D.
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Wrestlemania 28 - Thoughts, ideas, questionable booking.
Good evening
So I've decided to watch Wrestlemania 28 completely and provide my thoughts. Surprising, considering I haven't watched a full Wrestlemania event since 22 (full still excludes diva matches). This specifically because the card was underwhelming for my taste. A few good matches coupled with numerous pointless ones. You can't win 'em all, I guess.
Anyways, Wrestlemania 28 featured a number of matches I wanted to see so I caved in and watched the event.
I'm now going to run down the card and provide my thoughts on each match that took place.
Triple Threat Tag Team Match for the Tag Team Championships.
Primo & Epico (c) vs Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel vs Uso's
This took place during the pre-show, which was viewable on youtube, the WWE website (which I can't even access without being redirected to the french website. fuck that.) and Facebook, apparently. This was a match I could look forward to regardless. It featured young stars, and it gave 'em the opportunity to shine. Cousins Primo & Epico ended up prevailing but Rikishi's boys Jey and Jimmy Uso stole the match for me. They worked a very solid match with a couple of nice spots here and there.
Why Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel were in that match to begin with is beyond me, but they seemed to be an obsolete factor and the match would've been good without them. The team's highlight was Justin Gabriel's missed spot when he slipped on the top rope while attempting a dive to the outside. It looked ridiculous and it even prompted announcers Josh Matthews and Matt Striker to apologetically blame the sweat and oil that was on the ropes. Yeah, sure. Either way Epico and Primo, who are a very cohesive team, ended up retaining their championships. Let's hope the Uso's will get a bite of the ensuing action. They showed they can tear it up even in a relatively short match.
Relatively short is an understatement for the first match on the main card. It's already baffling that the World Title match is the curtain jerker of the event, but the way it played out left me with the shame the creative team should've felt.
World Title Match - singles
Daniel Bryan (c) vs Sheamus
This is probably the only match I've seen in between blinks. 18 seconds is all it lasted. No fucking excuses for this one, but apparently WWE wanted to break the record of the shortest match ever. A record they hold already. D-Bry turns around and meets with a boot from Sheamus. 1-2-3 and it's over. On top of it all, they didn't even break the record. The smoke from the opening pyrokinetics had barely cleared or match 2 was up. Every fan of Bryan Danielson just got a figurative truckload of manure dropped onto their heads. Fuck you Vince and the people you employ for creativity.
Singles Match
Kane vs Randy Orton
In all honesty, I expected Orton to waltz over Kane. Let's face it, Kane's monster return was stopped abruptly when he got involved with Cena and he's been the same joke character he was for a long time. Just a little more menacing. Imagine my surprise when they actually got ten minutes to work and even worked a very solid even match in which Kane took the victory. It still doesn't erase the horrible booking of the first match.
The third match was again, a step down. It's still WWE programming guys, highs and lows are mandatory.
Singles match for the Intercontinental Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs Big Show.
Five and a half minutes. 5.5 for a match that generally gets 20 mins. Big Show takes the win after Cody mounted some clever offense. I get how it's special for Big Show. It's his first IC title and all, but with everything Cody has accomplished since last year's Mania, it's a bit of a let down.
I can only hope this leads to a proper chance at the World Heavyweight championship for Cody. Otherwise, he gets the undeserved short end of the stick.
Next match, the divas and some trashbag ho who is pretty popular in the States. Didn't care, skipped it in favor of taking a piss.
Now, we're getting somewhere. Triple H vs Undertaker, Part III. The End of an Era as Jerry Lawler frequently reminds us early in the match.
It's funny, when it was first revealed that this match was gonna take place, I wondered why the hell they would go for this. It wasn't until the guys promo'd back and forth (repetitively) that they had my interest. And boy, did they deliver. This match was built up as "One Left Standing", the "End of an Era" apparently, though that didn't get tossed around much. (I sincerely hope you recognised the sarcasm.)
Nobody went into this match expecting a technical bout. Nope, it was all about beating the shit out of each other and they delivered greatly. Even Shawn Michaels as the special referee proved to be a worthwile decision as he played an integral part in elevating this one to the Asgaard of wrestling matches.*
*Where Oden is played by Dave Meltzer with a funny hat
This match should be an obligatory watch for every student of the game trying to "get" ring psychology. Also, Taker -> 20-0. The old dogs really showed the young guys how it's done.
There's no way any match on the card could top that showing, so WWE opts for a little lighthearted breather in between top bouts. Team Johnny vs Team Teddy. Didn't care, only saw the finish.
This whole match was reminiscent of the Team Alliance vs Team WWF match at Survivor Series 2001. Just less "at stake" and less interesting altogether. I was particularly surprised it was even used as a vehicle to further the heel turn of Eve Torres (of all people?!). Very blegh.
Luckily I have something good to look forward to!
Singles Match for the WWE Championship
CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho.
So, who is the best in the world?
This match had a good build up, with CM Punk finally snapping and kicking the shit out of Christian for some reason. This match had a lot at stake. Before the match started, Mr. Excitement himself declared that were Punk to be disqualified, he'd lose the WWE championship. Again, a great display of psychology early on, with both men later on relying on their technical ability to work a really solid match with a couple of false finishes. Great match overall, as expected. It even got over 20 minutes. Not bad.
Punk would benefit the most from winning, because it would elevate his character to the point where he's believable. Luckily, WWE Creative shared my vision and Punk ends up retaining after a very crafty finish.
The last match on the card....
Singles match
The Rock vs John Cena.
The match that had been hyped on and off for a year. I wasn't particularly stoked to see the match taking place and while I did watch, I was reminded why.
The segment started off good, obligatory special entrances and all. They started off generically (neither of these guys are Lou Thesz, after all) and soon enough, the match fell flat on its ass, before picking up near the end when Rock pinned Cena, to my surprise.
Neither of these guys would benefit or find a disadvantage from any result so it was basically good fun to see these guys go back and forth, without really excelling or even putting the previous matches to shame. A good match for the casual fan to close the show and go home happy.
Overall, the event was much better than last year's. There were some awesome matches and there were good matches. There was also a divas match and an appearance of Brodus Clay. Neither of those actually mattered one bit. I hope everyone noticed that Brodus Clay sucks out loud....
Won't stop creative from putting a title on him down the line....
Ah well... it could've been a lot worse.
~D.
So I've decided to watch Wrestlemania 28 completely and provide my thoughts. Surprising, considering I haven't watched a full Wrestlemania event since 22 (full still excludes diva matches). This specifically because the card was underwhelming for my taste. A few good matches coupled with numerous pointless ones. You can't win 'em all, I guess.
Anyways, Wrestlemania 28 featured a number of matches I wanted to see so I caved in and watched the event.
I'm now going to run down the card and provide my thoughts on each match that took place.
Triple Threat Tag Team Match for the Tag Team Championships.
Primo & Epico (c) vs Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel vs Uso's
This took place during the pre-show, which was viewable on youtube, the WWE website (which I can't even access without being redirected to the french website. fuck that.) and Facebook, apparently. This was a match I could look forward to regardless. It featured young stars, and it gave 'em the opportunity to shine. Cousins Primo & Epico ended up prevailing but Rikishi's boys Jey and Jimmy Uso stole the match for me. They worked a very solid match with a couple of nice spots here and there.
Why Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel were in that match to begin with is beyond me, but they seemed to be an obsolete factor and the match would've been good without them. The team's highlight was Justin Gabriel's missed spot when he slipped on the top rope while attempting a dive to the outside. It looked ridiculous and it even prompted announcers Josh Matthews and Matt Striker to apologetically blame the sweat and oil that was on the ropes. Yeah, sure. Either way Epico and Primo, who are a very cohesive team, ended up retaining their championships. Let's hope the Uso's will get a bite of the ensuing action. They showed they can tear it up even in a relatively short match.
Relatively short is an understatement for the first match on the main card. It's already baffling that the World Title match is the curtain jerker of the event, but the way it played out left me with the shame the creative team should've felt.
World Title Match - singles
Daniel Bryan (c) vs Sheamus
This is probably the only match I've seen in between blinks. 18 seconds is all it lasted. No fucking excuses for this one, but apparently WWE wanted to break the record of the shortest match ever. A record they hold already. D-Bry turns around and meets with a boot from Sheamus. 1-2-3 and it's over. On top of it all, they didn't even break the record. The smoke from the opening pyrokinetics had barely cleared or match 2 was up. Every fan of Bryan Danielson just got a figurative truckload of manure dropped onto their heads. Fuck you Vince and the people you employ for creativity.
Singles Match
Kane vs Randy Orton
In all honesty, I expected Orton to waltz over Kane. Let's face it, Kane's monster return was stopped abruptly when he got involved with Cena and he's been the same joke character he was for a long time. Just a little more menacing. Imagine my surprise when they actually got ten minutes to work and even worked a very solid even match in which Kane took the victory. It still doesn't erase the horrible booking of the first match.
The third match was again, a step down. It's still WWE programming guys, highs and lows are mandatory.
Singles match for the Intercontinental Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs Big Show.
Five and a half minutes. 5.5 for a match that generally gets 20 mins. Big Show takes the win after Cody mounted some clever offense. I get how it's special for Big Show. It's his first IC title and all, but with everything Cody has accomplished since last year's Mania, it's a bit of a let down.
I can only hope this leads to a proper chance at the World Heavyweight championship for Cody. Otherwise, he gets the undeserved short end of the stick.
Next match, the divas and some trashbag ho who is pretty popular in the States. Didn't care, skipped it in favor of taking a piss.
Now, we're getting somewhere. Triple H vs Undertaker, Part III. The End of an Era as Jerry Lawler frequently reminds us early in the match.
It's funny, when it was first revealed that this match was gonna take place, I wondered why the hell they would go for this. It wasn't until the guys promo'd back and forth (repetitively) that they had my interest. And boy, did they deliver. This match was built up as "One Left Standing", the "End of an Era" apparently, though that didn't get tossed around much. (I sincerely hope you recognised the sarcasm.)
Nobody went into this match expecting a technical bout. Nope, it was all about beating the shit out of each other and they delivered greatly. Even Shawn Michaels as the special referee proved to be a worthwile decision as he played an integral part in elevating this one to the Asgaard of wrestling matches.*
*Where Oden is played by Dave Meltzer with a funny hat
This match should be an obligatory watch for every student of the game trying to "get" ring psychology. Also, Taker -> 20-0. The old dogs really showed the young guys how it's done.
There's no way any match on the card could top that showing, so WWE opts for a little lighthearted breather in between top bouts. Team Johnny vs Team Teddy. Didn't care, only saw the finish.
This whole match was reminiscent of the Team Alliance vs Team WWF match at Survivor Series 2001. Just less "at stake" and less interesting altogether. I was particularly surprised it was even used as a vehicle to further the heel turn of Eve Torres (of all people?!). Very blegh.
Luckily I have something good to look forward to!
Singles Match for the WWE Championship
CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho.
So, who is the best in the world?
This match had a good build up, with CM Punk finally snapping and kicking the shit out of Christian for some reason. This match had a lot at stake. Before the match started, Mr. Excitement himself declared that were Punk to be disqualified, he'd lose the WWE championship. Again, a great display of psychology early on, with both men later on relying on their technical ability to work a really solid match with a couple of false finishes. Great match overall, as expected. It even got over 20 minutes. Not bad.
Punk would benefit the most from winning, because it would elevate his character to the point where he's believable. Luckily, WWE Creative shared my vision and Punk ends up retaining after a very crafty finish.
The last match on the card....
Singles match
The Rock vs John Cena.
The match that had been hyped on and off for a year. I wasn't particularly stoked to see the match taking place and while I did watch, I was reminded why.
The segment started off good, obligatory special entrances and all. They started off generically (neither of these guys are Lou Thesz, after all) and soon enough, the match fell flat on its ass, before picking up near the end when Rock pinned Cena, to my surprise.
Neither of these guys would benefit or find a disadvantage from any result so it was basically good fun to see these guys go back and forth, without really excelling or even putting the previous matches to shame. A good match for the casual fan to close the show and go home happy.
Overall, the event was much better than last year's. There were some awesome matches and there were good matches. There was also a divas match and an appearance of Brodus Clay. Neither of those actually mattered one bit. I hope everyone noticed that Brodus Clay sucks out loud....
Won't stop creative from putting a title on him down the line....
Ah well... it could've been a lot worse.
~D.
Friday, 16 March 2012
The Hardest Part of Letting Go - Seniority in Wrestling
Hai
I usually delve into the current affairs when it comes to sports entertainment. This is basically why I barely update this blog. I figured it's time to write something on a wrestling - related topic, but outside of my usual business critique. This might be short, as - like always - I write this on the fly, without any clue what I'll end up talking about.
In this entry, I'll be taking a look at everyone's favorites, from 20 years ago.
These days, older wrestling fans still have the choice to watch the idols from their youth wrestle on a weekly basis. But in all seriousness, is this truly what we want to see happening? Is our dependance on nostalgia overpowering our desire to see good wrestling?
On a personal level, I've never cared much as to who is wrestling, as long as it is a good match. Through that very reason, I've managed to discover great wrestlers from all over the world, several of which ended up building their careers on a worldwide level. CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Low Ki etc. you name 'em.
There are however a lot of people who couldn't care less about what constitutes good wrestling, as long as they look charismatic and flashy while trying. This is how many achieved longevity in the business, despite being well past their primes.
Hulk Hogan is probably the prime example of this phenomenon. He was a poor wrestler to begin with, but his typical in-ring shtick endured the rigors of routinous performances and to this day, it makes him a popular fixture in professional wrestling. Why? Because he's recognisable. Say the words "bandana" and "moustache" in one sentence and people will say "Hulk Hogan". What's sad is that Hogan has mistakenly interpreted this as people still being interested in seeing him perform that same shtick for at least a decade after he was served out. Today, Hogan is still involved in wrestling, working for the one company on this planet who shares his philosophy: TNA.
Person at fault here, besides Hogan? Vince McMahon. For all his impactful and successful decisions that made wrestling a global phenomenon, consistently bringing Hogan back to tv wasn't one of them. Not to mention the dealbreakers Vince offered him in the process. Would any old icon say 'no' to a hefty payday and full creative control for as long as the deal lasts? I don't think so. Hogan didn't either, and used his creative control to make sure he'd still be winning matches as much as possible, not caring how many up-and-coming stars he'd bury along the way. I take solace in the fact that Shawn Michaels oversold every single one of his crummy hits during their match in 2006. It was also the first Hogan match that I managed to sit out completely.
Shawn Michaels is another story. The man that managed to dominate from the late 80's to the late 90's until a back injury forced him to retire. Shawn was still around afterwards, in a non-wrestling capacity and rightfully so. Shawn pisses charisma on a daily basis and it still made use of his talents. In 2002, Shawn Michaels felt his back had healed enough to the point where he could return full-time. Was it a bad decision for Vince to put him in the limelight again?
Not one bit, because Shawn was still able to work entertaining matches and get over with the crowd. He did that until he retired for good from in-ring competition in 2010. The return turned out to be a blessing for Vince, because unlike before, Shawn was willing to put other people over. Before his first retirement, Shawn was infamous for refusing to job. From 2002-2010 he has put numerous people over. Something to ponder over, Terry. Instead of frantically attempting to preserve his own star like Hogan did, Shawn attempted to ensure the future of this business, by helping to build up those who would main event the shows of tomorrow. Now, he makes sporadic appearances, usually to help sell a story to the fans. Case in point being the upcoming match between Triple H and the Undertaker.
Onto the next, Ric Flair. Inarguably one of the best professional wrestlers of all time. He was the guy people would go to if they needed someone over. That's what Ric did best, he put over everyone, even the local jobbers but made himself look good in the process. Who hasn't heard the tales of Ric Flair wrestling an hour against a local boy and turn that boy into a superstar, even if for one night?
For years, the star of Ric Flair has been fading. After wrestling well past his prime, with his physique visibly deteriorating, he had one final WWE match in 2008, against the equally legendary Shawn Michaels. For one night only, he pulled out all the stops. While his matches the 5 years before had consisted of little more than chops, woo's and figure 4's .. his final match was a typical Flair match, including the typical shtick that made Ric a star in the 70's and 80's.
He finally retired, his last match being the perfect send-off. That is, until he ruined it all. Deciding he couldn't live on his (I've heard) 500.000$ a year deal with WWE, he went on to the only place that would still put him on the card consistently: TNA. Despite officially retiring, he proceeded to still wrestle in matches that would end up tainting his legacy. To this very day, he is still employed by TNA, who had hoped that having Flair on their roster would bring in the ratings ... which, of course, it hasn't.
TNA featured a lot of performers who were better off not being there for the sake of their own legacy. Mick Foley was one of those guys. Seriously, Foley wasn't the stereotypical wrestler in any way to begin with. He wasn't buff, nor particularly gifted as a wrestler. Nevertheless, Foley had his legitimate share of great matches during his career. This was particularly because of his crazy gimmicks, ability to talk and his ability to take relentless punishment.
The 1998 Hell in a Cell match needs no introduction. This match showed what a tough cookie Foley really is. Having already lost an ear against Vader in 1994, Foley upped the ante in this match, by taking a dive off the cell, through an announcers table (the Spanish one). Despite attempts from medical personnel and Chainsaw Charlie to be wheeled off to the nearest hospital, Foley got back up like a prostitute at happy hour and continued the match, despite his front teeth coming out through his nose. He then proceeded to take a dive through the cell's ceiling before his opponent ended his misery. That's what built Foley's legacy and that's what made TNA decide to put the world title on him mere months after he signed with the company.
Thankfully for him, he wised up fairly quickly and signed a new deal with WWE in 2011, appearing in some capacity, but only sporadically. Foley still has a legacy that's intact, now.
Another one in TNA would be Sting. Steve Borden, currently age 52, still wrestles and has done so for TNA since 2003 with a small break from 2005-2006. Unlike most past stars in TNA, Sting can still put on a good match if he wants to. Now, he's the general manager of TNA's impact wrestling show, which puts him in a good spot. Less wrestling, more involvement otherwise.
There are plenty of people who got the idea. Just retire and make appearances whenever they want you to. This is the way WWE handles most of their legends and it's only right. Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Ted DiBiase sr, Iron Sheik, Shawn Michaels with Kevin Nash narrowly added to that list. They all learned what their involvement in the business should be limited to, and adhere to it.
Of course, some will never learn, will they? Terry? Terry? Mr Funk?
~D.
I usually delve into the current affairs when it comes to sports entertainment. This is basically why I barely update this blog. I figured it's time to write something on a wrestling - related topic, but outside of my usual business critique. This might be short, as - like always - I write this on the fly, without any clue what I'll end up talking about.
In this entry, I'll be taking a look at everyone's favorites, from 20 years ago.
These days, older wrestling fans still have the choice to watch the idols from their youth wrestle on a weekly basis. But in all seriousness, is this truly what we want to see happening? Is our dependance on nostalgia overpowering our desire to see good wrestling?
On a personal level, I've never cared much as to who is wrestling, as long as it is a good match. Through that very reason, I've managed to discover great wrestlers from all over the world, several of which ended up building their careers on a worldwide level. CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Low Ki etc. you name 'em.
There are however a lot of people who couldn't care less about what constitutes good wrestling, as long as they look charismatic and flashy while trying. This is how many achieved longevity in the business, despite being well past their primes.
Hulk Hogan is probably the prime example of this phenomenon. He was a poor wrestler to begin with, but his typical in-ring shtick endured the rigors of routinous performances and to this day, it makes him a popular fixture in professional wrestling. Why? Because he's recognisable. Say the words "bandana" and "moustache" in one sentence and people will say "Hulk Hogan". What's sad is that Hogan has mistakenly interpreted this as people still being interested in seeing him perform that same shtick for at least a decade after he was served out. Today, Hogan is still involved in wrestling, working for the one company on this planet who shares his philosophy: TNA.
Person at fault here, besides Hogan? Vince McMahon. For all his impactful and successful decisions that made wrestling a global phenomenon, consistently bringing Hogan back to tv wasn't one of them. Not to mention the dealbreakers Vince offered him in the process. Would any old icon say 'no' to a hefty payday and full creative control for as long as the deal lasts? I don't think so. Hogan didn't either, and used his creative control to make sure he'd still be winning matches as much as possible, not caring how many up-and-coming stars he'd bury along the way. I take solace in the fact that Shawn Michaels oversold every single one of his crummy hits during their match in 2006. It was also the first Hogan match that I managed to sit out completely.
Shawn Michaels is another story. The man that managed to dominate from the late 80's to the late 90's until a back injury forced him to retire. Shawn was still around afterwards, in a non-wrestling capacity and rightfully so. Shawn pisses charisma on a daily basis and it still made use of his talents. In 2002, Shawn Michaels felt his back had healed enough to the point where he could return full-time. Was it a bad decision for Vince to put him in the limelight again?
Not one bit, because Shawn was still able to work entertaining matches and get over with the crowd. He did that until he retired for good from in-ring competition in 2010. The return turned out to be a blessing for Vince, because unlike before, Shawn was willing to put other people over. Before his first retirement, Shawn was infamous for refusing to job. From 2002-2010 he has put numerous people over. Something to ponder over, Terry. Instead of frantically attempting to preserve his own star like Hogan did, Shawn attempted to ensure the future of this business, by helping to build up those who would main event the shows of tomorrow. Now, he makes sporadic appearances, usually to help sell a story to the fans. Case in point being the upcoming match between Triple H and the Undertaker.
Onto the next, Ric Flair. Inarguably one of the best professional wrestlers of all time. He was the guy people would go to if they needed someone over. That's what Ric did best, he put over everyone, even the local jobbers but made himself look good in the process. Who hasn't heard the tales of Ric Flair wrestling an hour against a local boy and turn that boy into a superstar, even if for one night?
For years, the star of Ric Flair has been fading. After wrestling well past his prime, with his physique visibly deteriorating, he had one final WWE match in 2008, against the equally legendary Shawn Michaels. For one night only, he pulled out all the stops. While his matches the 5 years before had consisted of little more than chops, woo's and figure 4's .. his final match was a typical Flair match, including the typical shtick that made Ric a star in the 70's and 80's.
He finally retired, his last match being the perfect send-off. That is, until he ruined it all. Deciding he couldn't live on his (I've heard) 500.000$ a year deal with WWE, he went on to the only place that would still put him on the card consistently: TNA. Despite officially retiring, he proceeded to still wrestle in matches that would end up tainting his legacy. To this very day, he is still employed by TNA, who had hoped that having Flair on their roster would bring in the ratings ... which, of course, it hasn't.
TNA featured a lot of performers who were better off not being there for the sake of their own legacy. Mick Foley was one of those guys. Seriously, Foley wasn't the stereotypical wrestler in any way to begin with. He wasn't buff, nor particularly gifted as a wrestler. Nevertheless, Foley had his legitimate share of great matches during his career. This was particularly because of his crazy gimmicks, ability to talk and his ability to take relentless punishment.
The 1998 Hell in a Cell match needs no introduction. This match showed what a tough cookie Foley really is. Having already lost an ear against Vader in 1994, Foley upped the ante in this match, by taking a dive off the cell, through an announcers table (the Spanish one). Despite attempts from medical personnel and Chainsaw Charlie to be wheeled off to the nearest hospital, Foley got back up like a prostitute at happy hour and continued the match, despite his front teeth coming out through his nose. He then proceeded to take a dive through the cell's ceiling before his opponent ended his misery. That's what built Foley's legacy and that's what made TNA decide to put the world title on him mere months after he signed with the company.
Thankfully for him, he wised up fairly quickly and signed a new deal with WWE in 2011, appearing in some capacity, but only sporadically. Foley still has a legacy that's intact, now.
Another one in TNA would be Sting. Steve Borden, currently age 52, still wrestles and has done so for TNA since 2003 with a small break from 2005-2006. Unlike most past stars in TNA, Sting can still put on a good match if he wants to. Now, he's the general manager of TNA's impact wrestling show, which puts him in a good spot. Less wrestling, more involvement otherwise.
There are plenty of people who got the idea. Just retire and make appearances whenever they want you to. This is the way WWE handles most of their legends and it's only right. Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Ted DiBiase sr, Iron Sheik, Shawn Michaels with Kevin Nash narrowly added to that list. They all learned what their involvement in the business should be limited to, and adhere to it.
Of course, some will never learn, will they? Terry? Terry? Mr Funk?
~D.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Ye Olde Royal Rumble
Bonjour
Yesterday, the first of WWE's big four PPV's took place. January's staple and the official beginning of the road to Wrestlemania.
The Royal Rumble has always been a vehicle to launch the next main eventer, or establish one as such. This year proved no different, but I'll run down the card, the results and provide my opinion on it. If you want to see the event, but haven't ... this contains spoilers.
I've never really understood why WWE makes a point out of having the world title match as a curtain jerker. D-Bry faced off against Mark Henry and the Big Show in a Cage match. If you'd have asked me before the match happened, I'd have told you this was gonna suck.
You have a scrawny, yet talented guy fight two overweight guys in the confinements of a cage. That results in the two big guys overpowering the scrawny guy, tossing the smaller guy around, with virtually no ring action, because of the cage. It's not a match I'd care to watch. Luckily for all of us, creative played it out much differently, having Bryan go over the both of them without having any of the three look weak. Well played, guys, well played.
The second match of the night was already a piss-break. It's safe to say that this was a poorly executed match , and no surprising winner in the "Divas of Doom" and the Bellas. The only reason these Bella twins still have a job is because they can frequent backstage segments ... in which they are not particularly entertaining. Ah, it could be worse, and it will.
Some Ryder and Eve shtick with "Funkman" in a starring role. Completely obsolete, unless it's their way to keep Ryder in the attention of viewers.
John Cena vs Kane is next, in a rather surprising way. I would think that a match featuring the WWE's poster boy would go right before the main event, but I digress. This was a good match, considering the people involved. Nobody would expect them to go old school on each other, but their match told the story. These guys have been getting at each other for over a month now, and it culminates in a double countout. A poor execution of it too, but I digress.
This is the best way it could end, but it also puts WWE into a pickle of sorts. They strive to continue this rivalry, because there is still potential there. But at the same time, they need to start building up the match between Cena and the Rock at Mania.
Just goes to show that planning ahead a year in advance doesn't always help, especially when you have the competitors formally announce it a year ahead. I expect the rivalries to overlap and that Kane will have some outside involvement in their Mania match.
The next match can only be described as "the intermission sideshow". Brodus Clay defeats jobber in quick fashion. I just don't buy into this guy. You have the guy eat Flash Funk and Norman Smiley with a side of Scotty 2 Hotty and there is his gimmick. He's just not impressive like this, and everyone would've been better off if he hadn't made his re-debut at all. Unless he gets to show what he can do, his career with the big E will wither fast.
Thoroughly surprising that the jobber he defeated has better skill, but lacks the charisma Brodus Clay should have. Drew McIntyre is not on a losing streak, this is getting humiliating. Give the guy a break, come on. He may not be the most impressive worker or the most charismatic superstar SmackDown has, but when you've got Mark Henry in your main event, that's a moot point.
Though, Henry has been somewhat entertaining as a heel.
CM Punk tangles with Dolph Ziggler next. Johnny Ace is ref. I prefer using his ring name, because it'll save me time in spell checking ^_^
Johnny Ace pretty much immediately bans Vickie G from ringside. Face turn what?
This match is as how you would expect it to be. These guys, along with D-Bry and young Rhodes as of late, are probably the most talented guys on the roster, and it shows. Ziggler can sell anything like its a hit and run and just like Punk he brings a much needed variety in matches. Surprisingly, Ace called it down the middle and it left Punk the victor. Definitely want to see these guys have more matches in time.
Then the staple of the event. The Royal Rumble match. Unlike last year, this year's has 30 entrants again, probably due to time constraints. There would be a few guys you could peg as potential winners. Cody Rhodes for example, who has been going strong, but his current rivalry hasn't resolved yet.
The second I'd say was Jericho. Everybody knows that he's going for a program with Punk, with a possible match at Wrestlemania. Winning the Rumble would pretty much solidify that.
It eventually comes down to Jericho and Sheamus. Sheamus eventually manages to eliminate Jericho. Good.
I find Sheamus highly entertaining as a face. As a heel, you could see he had potential, but his heel persona didn't go over with me at all. As a face, it's a different story. I'm glad he won, because I know he can put up a more than decent match with anyone he's facing. If he chooses to face D-Bry (provided he still has the belt come Mania time), this could be the show stealer, after the Money in the Bank match.
If anything Sheamus' victory comes off a lot less icky than last year, when Alberto del Rio won. Sure, Del Rio is talented, but it just seemed a cheap way to have that character go over. He's still a second rate JBL when it comes to that gimmick. Now, ADR's run wasn't that memorable, so I hope Sheamus will change things around. Everybody knows the kids love him these days.
Appropriate mentions: Every match got a proper amount of time dealt to them. Even the divas match ran for 6 minutes. That's not much, especially for a divas match, but with their current standards, 6 minutes is the limit before one tries to swallow his own eyeballs.
A good call for creative was the fact that neither Cena nor Kane, although eligible, participated in the Royal Rumble match.
A bad call was, let's see. The inclusion of Michael Cole, The Great Khali, Jim Duggan and to an extent Road Dogg in the Royal Rumble match. Road Dogg can still go, but other than nostalgia, his participation provided virtually nothing. I don't think I need to explain the other two.
Vince insist on shoving Cole down our throats, though his on-screen persona is about as entertaining as a nightlight in the shape of a cock. Well, I had heard also, that The Great Khali was done with WWE, which made me hopeful. Too bad.
Next year, I hope Wade Barrett is right and The Godfather participates as Papa Shango. Kids will shit their pants for the voodoo man.
Also, Kharma returned in the match and took a few people out. Fun times.
I just feel that mid card talent got robbed of a few spots. Just sayin'.
~D.
Yesterday, the first of WWE's big four PPV's took place. January's staple and the official beginning of the road to Wrestlemania.
The Royal Rumble has always been a vehicle to launch the next main eventer, or establish one as such. This year proved no different, but I'll run down the card, the results and provide my opinion on it. If you want to see the event, but haven't ... this contains spoilers.
I've never really understood why WWE makes a point out of having the world title match as a curtain jerker. D-Bry faced off against Mark Henry and the Big Show in a Cage match. If you'd have asked me before the match happened, I'd have told you this was gonna suck.
You have a scrawny, yet talented guy fight two overweight guys in the confinements of a cage. That results in the two big guys overpowering the scrawny guy, tossing the smaller guy around, with virtually no ring action, because of the cage. It's not a match I'd care to watch. Luckily for all of us, creative played it out much differently, having Bryan go over the both of them without having any of the three look weak. Well played, guys, well played.
The second match of the night was already a piss-break. It's safe to say that this was a poorly executed match , and no surprising winner in the "Divas of Doom" and the Bellas. The only reason these Bella twins still have a job is because they can frequent backstage segments ... in which they are not particularly entertaining. Ah, it could be worse, and it will.
Some Ryder and Eve shtick with "Funkman" in a starring role. Completely obsolete, unless it's their way to keep Ryder in the attention of viewers.
John Cena vs Kane is next, in a rather surprising way. I would think that a match featuring the WWE's poster boy would go right before the main event, but I digress. This was a good match, considering the people involved. Nobody would expect them to go old school on each other, but their match told the story. These guys have been getting at each other for over a month now, and it culminates in a double countout. A poor execution of it too, but I digress.
This is the best way it could end, but it also puts WWE into a pickle of sorts. They strive to continue this rivalry, because there is still potential there. But at the same time, they need to start building up the match between Cena and the Rock at Mania.
Just goes to show that planning ahead a year in advance doesn't always help, especially when you have the competitors formally announce it a year ahead. I expect the rivalries to overlap and that Kane will have some outside involvement in their Mania match.
The next match can only be described as "the intermission sideshow". Brodus Clay defeats jobber in quick fashion. I just don't buy into this guy. You have the guy eat Flash Funk and Norman Smiley with a side of Scotty 2 Hotty and there is his gimmick. He's just not impressive like this, and everyone would've been better off if he hadn't made his re-debut at all. Unless he gets to show what he can do, his career with the big E will wither fast.
Thoroughly surprising that the jobber he defeated has better skill, but lacks the charisma Brodus Clay should have. Drew McIntyre is not on a losing streak, this is getting humiliating. Give the guy a break, come on. He may not be the most impressive worker or the most charismatic superstar SmackDown has, but when you've got Mark Henry in your main event, that's a moot point.
Though, Henry has been somewhat entertaining as a heel.
CM Punk tangles with Dolph Ziggler next. Johnny Ace is ref. I prefer using his ring name, because it'll save me time in spell checking ^_^
Johnny Ace pretty much immediately bans Vickie G from ringside. Face turn what?
This match is as how you would expect it to be. These guys, along with D-Bry and young Rhodes as of late, are probably the most talented guys on the roster, and it shows. Ziggler can sell anything like its a hit and run and just like Punk he brings a much needed variety in matches. Surprisingly, Ace called it down the middle and it left Punk the victor. Definitely want to see these guys have more matches in time.
Then the staple of the event. The Royal Rumble match. Unlike last year, this year's has 30 entrants again, probably due to time constraints. There would be a few guys you could peg as potential winners. Cody Rhodes for example, who has been going strong, but his current rivalry hasn't resolved yet.
The second I'd say was Jericho. Everybody knows that he's going for a program with Punk, with a possible match at Wrestlemania. Winning the Rumble would pretty much solidify that.
It eventually comes down to Jericho and Sheamus. Sheamus eventually manages to eliminate Jericho. Good.
I find Sheamus highly entertaining as a face. As a heel, you could see he had potential, but his heel persona didn't go over with me at all. As a face, it's a different story. I'm glad he won, because I know he can put up a more than decent match with anyone he's facing. If he chooses to face D-Bry (provided he still has the belt come Mania time), this could be the show stealer, after the Money in the Bank match.
If anything Sheamus' victory comes off a lot less icky than last year, when Alberto del Rio won. Sure, Del Rio is talented, but it just seemed a cheap way to have that character go over. He's still a second rate JBL when it comes to that gimmick. Now, ADR's run wasn't that memorable, so I hope Sheamus will change things around. Everybody knows the kids love him these days.
Appropriate mentions: Every match got a proper amount of time dealt to them. Even the divas match ran for 6 minutes. That's not much, especially for a divas match, but with their current standards, 6 minutes is the limit before one tries to swallow his own eyeballs.
A good call for creative was the fact that neither Cena nor Kane, although eligible, participated in the Royal Rumble match.
A bad call was, let's see. The inclusion of Michael Cole, The Great Khali, Jim Duggan and to an extent Road Dogg in the Royal Rumble match. Road Dogg can still go, but other than nostalgia, his participation provided virtually nothing. I don't think I need to explain the other two.
Vince insist on shoving Cole down our throats, though his on-screen persona is about as entertaining as a nightlight in the shape of a cock. Well, I had heard also, that The Great Khali was done with WWE, which made me hopeful. Too bad.
Next year, I hope Wade Barrett is right and The Godfather participates as Papa Shango. Kids will shit their pants for the voodoo man.
Also, Kharma returned in the match and took a few people out. Fun times.
I just feel that mid card talent got robbed of a few spots. Just sayin'.
~D.
Thursday, 5 January 2012
It began! It culminated! It disappointed?
To keep with the overall theme of this entry: HELLO ASSCLOWNS!
Remember those vague promos airing during RAW? Remember how it could've been for both Undertaker and Jericho if a deal with the latter wasn't reached? Anyway, Jericho made his triumphant return last monday to a cheering crowd, who have apparently forgotten how he labeled them as hypocrites. What changed?
In my perception, absolutely nothing changed. As Jericho made his return he gladly accepted the many cheering reactions. The longer Jericho stayed out there, the cheers turned to boos. Think back to his last months before his extended leave. He truthfully spoke of the many fans in attendance as being mindless sheep. He said he could make the audience cheer or boo at will. I guess he proved that. You could regard his return as a joke, or a very clever attempt to make his previous gimmick truthful.
Or I'm just going insanely in depth and he's just happy to be back. Either way, I wouldn't push a silent gimmick on Jericho. He'd lose half of his charm. Let's be honest here. Jericho, whether as heel or face, comedy or serious ... they're golden. He's so much like Piper in that aspect, which I can only applaud.
Regardless of all that. There's a possible storyline with CM Punk on the horizon, which has so much potential, I'd even pay money for it. Both of them have called themselves "the best in the world" and truthfully, both have enough proof to claim it. This can only end up in a kickass match, possibly at Wrestlemania 28. Which will then completely outshine Cena vs Rock, obviously.
The only thing I can hope for is that the creative minds (using that term loosely) don't fuck it up like they did Cena/Punk. I like Del Rio, but adding him to that mix was a horrendous idea. I'm not even gonna start on Johnny Ace and Kevin Nash. I'll eagerly watch it unfold.
Other business, Randy Orton is out with an injury, which was explained on tv by having Wade Barrett "push Orton down the stairs". YAY! Seriously, viewers could use a break from having Orton shoved down their throats. Not to mention his theme music being absolutely shit. The problem that now arises, what everyone with any clue could've predicted is that SmackDown is now facing a slump period, with no one over to carry the brand. Fair game that creative gave the chance to D-Bryanson, but as good as he is, he cannot (yet) carry the SmackDown! brand. Neither can Big Show, neither can Henry. Neither can Wade Barrett or Cody Rhodes.
Who can? Christian. Problem? Christian is out ... with an injury. That injury even happened just outside my door, figuratively speaking. Now, SmackDown!'s creative team has to push some guys like mad to keep people actually watching. Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryanson, Cody Rhodes ...
Cody Rhodes, he's doing fine, even keeping people interested. Booker's involvement notwithstanding ... Cody is doing a fantastic job selling himself and his desire to rise above the family name and become a legend.
D-Bryanson, on the verge of a heel turn it seems (hopefully, he needs some spice in that character) isn't really keeping me interested. Sadly, as I think he's one of the most talented guys on the roster. But you already knew that. His under-the-surface rivalry with Big Show is just being handled meekly. Three weeks on and nobody has made any possible sign of turning. That's the next problem, nobody's actually sure who's gonna turn heel? Could go either way really. Also, smooching AJ Lee? Wouldn't mind being in Bryan's shoes now.
Brodus Clay seems to be on the shitter. Apparently, the plan for him originally was that he would be a serious contender to win the Rumble. Seriously? The guy they fired from Deep South Wrestling in 2006 for performing consistently sub par will now seemingly win the Rumble? I'm sorry, but this is rather pathetic. He's just not any good.
What the fuck is up with Drew McIntyre? First, he was wasted away off tv, and now he's being wasted away and humiliated on tv. He'll even lose to Santino this coming Friday. (har har SPOILER!) I just don't get it. He's being treated like a tampon post PMS.
hehhhhh....
TNA have got it figured out, seemingly. They have set up a promotion in India, featuring both TNA wrestlers, WWE rejects (durrrrr) and indy talent. Of course they have also added Sonjay Dutt to the mix, who obviously deserves better (botchamania reference har har)
Let's take a look.
- Putting wrestling on the map in a growing market? CHECK!
- Pushing talent in a country where the Great Khali is revered as a god? CHECK!
- Pushing people that are well under 50 years of age? CHECK!
their inaugural heavyweight champion? Matt Morgan.
Regardless, it's still better than TNA's most important venture. TNA's Final Resolution pay per view drew 8.000 buys. WWE's worst selling pay per view, December to Dismember, drew 55.000 in 2006. Good job, guys. And that's directed to those 8.000 who had the guts to sit through the event.
~D.
Remember those vague promos airing during RAW? Remember how it could've been for both Undertaker and Jericho if a deal with the latter wasn't reached? Anyway, Jericho made his triumphant return last monday to a cheering crowd, who have apparently forgotten how he labeled them as hypocrites. What changed?
In my perception, absolutely nothing changed. As Jericho made his return he gladly accepted the many cheering reactions. The longer Jericho stayed out there, the cheers turned to boos. Think back to his last months before his extended leave. He truthfully spoke of the many fans in attendance as being mindless sheep. He said he could make the audience cheer or boo at will. I guess he proved that. You could regard his return as a joke, or a very clever attempt to make his previous gimmick truthful.
Or I'm just going insanely in depth and he's just happy to be back. Either way, I wouldn't push a silent gimmick on Jericho. He'd lose half of his charm. Let's be honest here. Jericho, whether as heel or face, comedy or serious ... they're golden. He's so much like Piper in that aspect, which I can only applaud.
Regardless of all that. There's a possible storyline with CM Punk on the horizon, which has so much potential, I'd even pay money for it. Both of them have called themselves "the best in the world" and truthfully, both have enough proof to claim it. This can only end up in a kickass match, possibly at Wrestlemania 28. Which will then completely outshine Cena vs Rock, obviously.
The only thing I can hope for is that the creative minds (using that term loosely) don't fuck it up like they did Cena/Punk. I like Del Rio, but adding him to that mix was a horrendous idea. I'm not even gonna start on Johnny Ace and Kevin Nash. I'll eagerly watch it unfold.
Other business, Randy Orton is out with an injury, which was explained on tv by having Wade Barrett "push Orton down the stairs". YAY! Seriously, viewers could use a break from having Orton shoved down their throats. Not to mention his theme music being absolutely shit. The problem that now arises, what everyone with any clue could've predicted is that SmackDown is now facing a slump period, with no one over to carry the brand. Fair game that creative gave the chance to D-Bryanson, but as good as he is, he cannot (yet) carry the SmackDown! brand. Neither can Big Show, neither can Henry. Neither can Wade Barrett or Cody Rhodes.
Who can? Christian. Problem? Christian is out ... with an injury. That injury even happened just outside my door, figuratively speaking. Now, SmackDown!'s creative team has to push some guys like mad to keep people actually watching. Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryanson, Cody Rhodes ...
Cody Rhodes, he's doing fine, even keeping people interested. Booker's involvement notwithstanding ... Cody is doing a fantastic job selling himself and his desire to rise above the family name and become a legend.
D-Bryanson, on the verge of a heel turn it seems (hopefully, he needs some spice in that character) isn't really keeping me interested. Sadly, as I think he's one of the most talented guys on the roster. But you already knew that. His under-the-surface rivalry with Big Show is just being handled meekly. Three weeks on and nobody has made any possible sign of turning. That's the next problem, nobody's actually sure who's gonna turn heel? Could go either way really. Also, smooching AJ Lee? Wouldn't mind being in Bryan's shoes now.
Brodus Clay seems to be on the shitter. Apparently, the plan for him originally was that he would be a serious contender to win the Rumble. Seriously? The guy they fired from Deep South Wrestling in 2006 for performing consistently sub par will now seemingly win the Rumble? I'm sorry, but this is rather pathetic. He's just not any good.
What the fuck is up with Drew McIntyre? First, he was wasted away off tv, and now he's being wasted away and humiliated on tv. He'll even lose to Santino this coming Friday. (har har SPOILER!) I just don't get it. He's being treated like a tampon post PMS.
hehhhhh....
TNA have got it figured out, seemingly. They have set up a promotion in India, featuring both TNA wrestlers, WWE rejects (durrrrr) and indy talent. Of course they have also added Sonjay Dutt to the mix, who obviously deserves better (botchamania reference har har)
Let's take a look.
- Putting wrestling on the map in a growing market? CHECK!
- Pushing talent in a country where the Great Khali is revered as a god? CHECK!
- Pushing people that are well under 50 years of age? CHECK!
their inaugural heavyweight champion? Matt Morgan.
Regardless, it's still better than TNA's most important venture. TNA's Final Resolution pay per view drew 8.000 buys. WWE's worst selling pay per view, December to Dismember, drew 55.000 in 2006. Good job, guys. And that's directed to those 8.000 who had the guts to sit through the event.
~D.
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