The Rock | The Johnson Transcript

Apr 29 2013

Site News

Site News 4/29/13

by Daniel Johnson

Hey boys and girls! It’s been a while since the site has been updated daily, but that will resume…in time. This site should have new posts featured daily at some point ranging from either a few weeks to a few months. In the meantime there will at minimum be some sporadic updates each month. After all the world of wrestling keep trudging on no matter what. Of course, since early March not a lot has actually happened. Just the same old, same old as some guy returned, another guy or two got injured and some obscure event took place. Admittedly, there has been at least one sweet new champion crowned.

For the updates over the next few weeks (or months) look for mostly new posts to pop up in the Wrestling Clips section. However, when the daily updates comeback just about every section should build up a wealth of new material including the Wrestling Interviews, Wrestling Lists, Wrestling Reviews sections and even some odd bits in the Smooth Runs section. Also, the poll for The Crown J will finally take place…sometime before the end of 2013. There may be a shortage of independent wrestling, stuff from Japan and of course the occasional reference or two to WWE and TNA around here for a bit, but only for a bit.

Tagged Japan, John Cena, NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Rob Conway, smooth runs, The Crown J, The Rock, The Undertaker, TNA, wrestling clips, wrestling interviews, wrestling lists, wrestling reviews, WWE, WWE Wrestlemania XXIX

Feb 17 2013

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Wrestling Clips

WWE Pay-Per-View Roundtable: Elimation Chamber (2013)

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers and Bad Booking

Brodus Clay and Tensai (with Cameron and Naomi) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars

Daniel Johnson: Team Rhodes Scholars should get the win here after Tensai does something to goof up. It is a shame that Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow are stuck in this bout. Both should be in the main event scene within a year, but if they start getting booked regularly on the pre-show then their potentially may be wasted for a long time to come.

Kyle Childers: Pass.

Bad Booking: Despite the goofy lingerie and hip hop, the newly-formed tag team of monsters could very well be a threat. As much as I’m rooting for Rhodes and Sandow, I would love to see what WWE has in store for two giant monsters who are easily convincing crushing machines. I say Brodus/Tensai for the win just because of WWE’s tendency to push monsters.

The Miz vs. Antonio Cesaro (c) for the WWE United States Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Johnson: Antonio Cesaro should retain in what will be a pointless rematch. Hopefully, from here Cesaro will feud with more worthwhile opponents. Since he has moved down the card anyway and Team Hell No can’t last forever I would love Daniel Bryan to feud with the Swiss technician.

Kyle Childers: Cesaro’s been on a major roll since winning the United States title in 2012 beating such big name contenders as, um, R-Truth, Tyson Kidd and the Funkasaurus but this is his first chance to shine on pay-per-view against a former WWE champion and lucky for Antonio, his opponent is The Miz. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a knock on The Miz by any means, unlike most other writers in this field I think he’s a solid, entertaining worker but now isn’t his time. Cesaro keeps his momentum going with a win over the Cleveland Screamer.

Bad Booking: Waste of time, as both men can easily be put into bigger and better things. I’ll take Cesaro for the win.

Tamina Snuka vs. Kaitlyn (c) for the WWE Divas Championship

Daniel Johnson: Here is bathroom break number one. Still, at least Kaitlyn is an improvement over the previous face of the women’s division, Kelly Kelly. I find it hard to believe that WWE would do anything to slow down Kaitlyn’s momentum since they seem so high on her. Tamina should go down unless she is given a brief run with the title and loses it back to Kaitlyn.

Kyle Childers: Finally the Diva’s title is getting a little bit of television time and some real angles to work with, if they’re committed to the idea of rebuilding the diva division then the smart idea would be to keep the title on Kaitlyn.

Bad Booking: The yo-yo push of Tamina part 624. She is pushed strong for three weeks, then the momentum is halted suddenly. Kaitlyn will win, and Snuka won’t have the chance to squash her adversary from the top of a Chamber pod.

The Shield vs. John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus

Daniel Johnson: I can’t see this match topping the one that The Shield had in December. I’d love to be proven wrong though. Just like The Shied proved me wrong by so far not becoming a more serious version of The Spirit Squad. With that said I think The Shield will score a massive upset.

Kyle Childers: The chances of the Shield winning this match are lower than the tops of Hornswoggle’s socks but that’s okay. With Cena likely facing The Rock at Wrestlemania, the Ryback win streak continuing and Sheamus being Irish John Cena it makes perfect sense for the odds to overcome the Shield especially with the booking possibility of rehabbing their loss at Wrestlemania. The only real prediction to make here is how foolish the Three CenAmigos make Heyman’s hitmen look in the process.

Bad Booking: It is 100 percent imperative that The Shield wins. Three promising up and comers need the rub and subsequent push more than the three guys whose solid foundation can afford a loss or two. I can see The Shield continuing their thing with Ryback all the way to Wrestlemania in an even more epic tag match. However, it needs to be said: This son of a bitch needs the Chamber, WARGAMES STYLE! It would put over The Shield as a bad-ass team who can make a super-strong babyface say I quit.

Jack Swagger vs. Chris Jericho vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton in an Elimination Chamber match

Daniel Johnson: This is perhaps the toughest match on the card to predict. I would love Daniel Bryan to win, but I just don’t see that happening. Since Alberto Del Rio will most likely beat The Big Show a heel needs to win. I’ll pick Mark Henry. Unless Jericho wins and Dolph Ziggler cashes in on Del Rio. Yeah, on second though that makes way more sense than a Henry win.

Kyle Childers: With so many possible victors it’s hard to pick just one…okay maybe not, I don’t think many would argue in favor of Team Hell No in this one and his recent time in the midcard makes it a smart bet that Randy Orton won’t be going to Wrestlemania for a title shot but with the Hall of Pain open for business again, the seemingly obvious potential match-up of Swagger vs. Del Rio, or even the incredible outlier of Ziggler winning the title and continuing the 2012 mini-feud he had with Jericho on the grandest stage of them all. If Del Rio retains then Jack Swagger will win, if my bold prediction of Ziggler as champion comes true then Y2J will be victorious.

Bad Booking: It depends where it falls on the card. Although I think the dissension between Kane and Daniel Bryan will continue.

The Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio (c) (with Ricardo Rodriguez) for the World Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Johnson: Alberto Del Rio cannot lose this one. However, The Big Show won’t be the only one disappointed. This was by far the least interesting match at last month’s pay-per-view and it will drag down the card yet again. Let’s just hope Del Rio/Show ends here and doesn’t drag on like Del Rio/Sheamus from last year.

Kyle Childers: This is a match that I’m way more excited about than I feel I have any right to be. So far, Berto and the Big Show have had great chemistry in their matches with Del Rio playing a more engaging face than he ever even approached as a heel. The obvious pick is Alberto Del Rio but maybe not for obvious reasons; one direction we could see from here has plucky babyface Del Rio against survivalist Swagger (comes with beard and kung-fu ankle lock. Zeb Colter sold separately), but with the looming possibility of Dolph Ziggler cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and this being the last big event before Wrestlemania, it’s entirely possible that Dolph Ziggler will leave New Orleans with the title.

Bad Booking: I’m not telling who is going to win as much as that where this match is placed will be 100 percent crucial for the rest of the card. If this is placed early, that means Ziggler is cashing in and Jericho wins the Elimination Chamber. If it is placed later in the card, then expect ADR to win and have a heel like Mark Henry win the Chamber.

CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) vs. The Rock (c) for the WWE Championship

Daniel Johnson: The stipulation that if The Rock gets disqualified or counted out he loses the title makes things a bit interesting. I can’t see The Rock losing going into Wrestlemania. I think that The Rock will win after doing something that he should have been disqualified for. This will make room for Cena/Rock II to be turned into a three way with Punk.

Kyle Childers: I almost don’t want to write about this match but journalistic integrity prevents me from abstaining. Last month, I went out on a limb and picked CM Punk to retain over The Rock and technically, I was right but to be entirely honest, I wish I had been wrong. It’s hard to question that, even with the extra stipulations added, this is just WWE’s way of making The Rock look even stronger than a milk ad before the twice in a lifetime rematch with Cena in New York. Even with Punk’s historic title reign, the business potential of a second Cena/Rock showdown is too alluring to stray away from so, unfortunately, I expect the Rock to leave Elimination Chamber still the WWE champion.

Bad Booking: The Rock will retain the championship. No way he is heading into Wrestlemania without the belt, plus the publicity he could give the title would be huge as many movies are opening up soon. Did I mention the pay-per-view is sponsored by the new GI Joe movie that got pushed back from prime-time summertime so Rock can benefit from the PR? Anyhow, I think a swerve could happen in something NO ONE could expect: Brock Lesnar screws CM Punk, and establishes Paul Heyman as a guy whose primary mission is to only serve himself. Wise words from Hall of Famer (cheap pop) MICK FOLEY! Brock/Punk would be a great curve ball to Wrestlemania. Let HHH and Undertaker sit on the sidelines, because they have bigger things to accomplish.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1-7: en.wikipedia.org

Tagged Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Bad Booking, Brock Lesnar, Brodus Clay, Cameron, Chris Jericho, Cleveland, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Elimination Chamber, GI Joe, HHH, Hornswoggle, Jack Swagger, John Cena, Kaitlyn, Kane, Kelly Kelly, Kyle Childers, Lord Tensai, Mark Henry, Money in the Bank briefcase, Naomi, New Orleans, New York, Paul Heyman, R-Truth, Randy Orton, Ricardo Rodriguez, Roman Reigns, Ryback, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Tamina Snuka, Team Hell No, Team Rhodes Scholars, Tensai, The Big Show, The Miz, The Rock, The Shield, The Spirit Squad, The Undertaker, Tyson Kidd, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Divas Championship, WWE Elimination Chamber, WWE Elimination Chamber (2013), WWE United States Championship, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania XXIX, Zeb Colter

Feb 15 2013

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Wrestling Clips

A Colin Delaney Sighting

by Daniel Johnson

Colin Delaney vs. Ethan Page

In the tradition of lovable losers like Barry Horowitz, Mikey Whipwreck and Spike Dudley, Colin Delaney debuted in WWE in 2007 as a jobber. From there he was taken under the wing of Tommy Dreamer then turned on Dreamer for no apparent reason and then was fired.

For those who were left wondering whatever happened to him, well this clip is for you. The AIW commentators play up Delaney’s past alcohol abuse in this match a ton. Likewise, the match itself is filled with spots akin to those seen in the CM Punk/Chris Jericho feud last year. As for how Colin is holding up physically, he displays numerous impressive high-flying moves as the bout unfolds. These spots include a suicide dive (where he is caught) and a sweet stunner variation off of the ropes. Colin also manages to get a good reaction from the crowd and his lovable loser persona is still intact. This is made clear when a “*expletive* him up Colin” chant breaks out while Colin is the one actually getting pounded.

Throughout the match, Page’s valet, Seleziya Sparx attempts to distract Colin with a bottle of champagne. When this proves to be less than fruitful she throws it in his face and Page capitalizes onthe distraction by hitting a variation of the Rock bottom.

Tagged AIW, Barry Horowitz, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Colin Delaney, Ethan Page, Mikey Whipwreck, Seleziya Sparx, Spike Dudley, The Rock, Tommy Dreamer, WWE

Jan 27 2013

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Smooth Runs

WWE Pay-Per-View Roundtable: Royal Rumble (2013)

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers, Jeremy Cundiff and Bad Booking

The Miz vs. Antonio Cesaro (c) for the WWE United States Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Johnson: It is a crime that Antonio Cesaro is not featured on the main Royal Rumble show apart from the Rumble match itself. What would be more of a crime would be if The Miz defeated him for the WWE United States Championship. I just don’t see The Miz coming out with the victory in this one. WWE has done too good of a job pushing Cesaro to botch his title run with a loss on a pay-per-view pre-show. It is also worth mentioning that The Miz really doesn’t need a run with that championship now and if he did get it, it would probably fade into the background again.

Kyle Childers: The WWE is doing something rare with this Cesaro run, they’re actually giving him time to get over while holding the title. While he had issues early on, Cesaro has finally found a foothold with the crowd in his United States of Antonio gimmick. For this reason I see them keeping the momentum going and the title on Cesaro.

Jeremy Cundiff: I would love to see Cesaro win and set up a Miz/Cesaro program, more because I am a fan of Cesaro and want to see him over than because I’d like to see Miz catch on again. But I’m tossing up my prediction and leaning with Cesaro, even though my gut is telling me they might go ahead and put it on Miz. Either way, this one will be a solid one, or at least it should be.

Bad Booking: Cesaro gets the win and moves on to bigger and better things. Miz needs that figure four to go away!

Team Rhodes Scholars vs. Team Hell No (c) for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Daniel Johnson: I’m going to be optimistic about this one and say Team Rhodes Scholars defeats Team Hell No. Bryan needs to get away from Kane and start shining as a singles competitor. Yet, all in all it is worth mentioning that none of these wrestlers needs to be in a tag team and could all do better as singles competitors (apart from Kane who would probably just play psycho for the umpteenth time). WWE is letting their tag team division slip again anyway so Bryan, Rhodes and Sandow need to be let loose.

Kyle Childers: While I’m a fan of both teams, the graduation segment sort of brought some finality to Team Hell No. It was like a band doing their farewell concert and performing all the hits before that last encore. As much as I’d like to see Sandow and Rhodes find singles success, it’s hard to argue against them winning the titles at the Rumble.

Jeremy Cundiff: Hmm…this one’s up in the air, too. I say the champs retain, and then we wait for some more tag teams to step up…otherwise we could be heading into another tag team drought. Shame, because that shit was just starting to pick up.

Bad Booking: If there is any time to pull the trigger on the inevitable break-up of Hell No, better start here. Replay the whole Harts/Quebecers scenario, but Kane is Bret Hart to Bryan’s Owen Hart. Don’t worry about Bryan though, he’ll still be popular/over as hell.

The Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) (c) in a last man standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Johnson: Talk about a dull match to balance out Rock/Punk with. Alberto Del Rio will most likely win this bout that will surely serve as a bathroom break for many. I really hope they prove me wrong, but I don’t see that happening.

Kyle Childers: Didn’t we see this match already? I swear that we did, I mean, I watch a lot of wrestling but I know I didn’t imagine it. Same match, same result. WWE seems very high on Del Rio as a face but there’s always the wild card of Ziggler and his Money in the Bank.

Jeremy Cundiff: Oh God, no…I’m covering my eyes as I type this out, but Del Rio. They’re really going to try and make him a likeable face…for the love of Eddie Gilbert, just get Ricardo off on his own and out in the ring already!

Bad Booking: The most redundant match on the whole card. I wouldn’t be so surprised to see both men knocked out which allows Ziggler to cash the briefcase.

The Rock vs. CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) for the WWE Championship

Daniel Johnson: The Rock will reclaim the title and it may even close out the show. Punk has had a great run despite some hiccups here and there. There is no shame in Punk dropping it now and if the WWE wants to go with another WWE Championship run for the The Rock they probably won’t get a better time to do it than this year’s Wrestlemania season.

Kyle Childers: This one seems like a foregone conclusion to most, it’s Wrestlemania season and all signs point to the once in a lifetime rematch of Cena vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania with the WWE Championship on the line but I’m an optimist. I’m also Team Knees 2 Faces in the encounter, however foolish that may be.

Jeremy Cundiff: This is the moneymaking match for Wrestlemania. Or so I thought. I hate to say it, but I think I know where this one is going to go. The Rock beats Punk, going on to face John Cena in a rematch at Wrestlemania where Cena gets the belt back from Rock. And I don’t like it one damn bit.

Bad Booking: The Rock is going to win sadly. WWE has invested too much money in him, and not winning the title is not in the cards. Don’t worry for Punk though. He can still enter the Rumble, and enter Wrestlemania as the one who is about to end the streak!

2013 Royal Rumble Match

Daniel Johnson: I’m banking on Dolph Ziggler to pull out the victory here. Speaking of banking since Ziggler already has a Money in the Bank briefcase itcould be either great or garbage if he wins the Rumble. With the brand split over the unification of the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship should be inevitable. If Ziggler wins he could win both titles and restore them. Yet, it could be garbage as that might just be getting fans’ hopes up for something special. Plus,with all the people WWE pushes as main event players a title unification would really throw the main event scene out of whack. Apart from that as I’ve mentioned elsewhere I’d love to see El Generico appear in the Rumble even if it is just a one time appearance and that character never appears in WWE again. With there being no chance of that happening WWE better deliver as far as surprise entrants go. Also, if Rock and Punk don’t close out the show the chances of one of them winning the Rumble is through the roof.

Kyle Childers: As sad as it is, over the last few years the Rumble winner has started to matter less and less. 2008 saw John Cena use his shot at No Way Out instead of Wrestlemania, lose and then lose his rematch in a triple threat at Wrestlemania XXIV. Randy Orton, Edge, and Alberto Del Rio all won the Rumble and then lost their title challenges while the sole Rumble winner/champion got his shot in an opening match that lasted 18 seconds. This year seems to be the year that WWE brings some significance back to the Royal Rumble and that burden looks like it will fall on John Cena.

Jeremy Cundiff: I see Cena and Ziggler are both in this match, and I see two potential outcomes. One is John Cena winning, and going on to face The Rock in a Wrestlemania rematch for the WWE Championship. That is the predictable one that I’ve seen coming since last year, and one they’ve probably had booked for a while. The other is the one that the fans are seemingly demanding, the one that goes against all logic. That one is Dolph Ziggler winning the Rumble, thus being the only guy to ever have two guaranteed title shots at the same time…and that’s all I’ve got to say about that. As for miscellaneous stuff…screw Wrestlemania, THIS is the one pay-per-view a year I will spend the cake on. And the Royal Rumble match is the reason why. It is the big shock event of the year, seemingly, where you can see guys returning for just one night, or coming back to blaze a new career path. You can see strange pairings, amazing match-ups, and moments where shit just stops making sense. I LOVE the Rumble, and where WWE has spent 2012 to be firing on all cylinders, I can only hope they’ve saved something for 2013. Tonight should be worth the delinquent cable bill, my friends.

Bad Booking: Dolph Ziggler or John Cena are the really obvious answers to me. Ziggler for the heel heat, and Cena to set up Wrestlemania with The Rock. That being said, don’t be surprised if Brock Lesnar and HHH brawl to start their Wrestlemania program. Also, I think Mark Henry returning to destroy The Shield would be an awesome sight too. Ryback most likely will have the most eliminations, because he needs to be fed!

Photo Credits:

Photos 1, 3-5: en.wikipedia.org

Photo 2: dropkickradio.com

Tagged Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Bad Booking, Bret Hart, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Eddie Gilbert, Edge, El Generico, Heath Slater, HHH, Jeremy Cundiff, John Cena, Kane, Knees 2 Faces, Kyle Childers, Last Man Standing Match, Madman Szalinski, Mark Henry, Money in the Bank briefcase, Owen Hart, Paul Heyman, Randy Orton, Rhodes Scholars, Ricardo Rodriguez, Ryback, Team Hell No, Team Knees 2 Faces, Team Rhodes Scholars, The Big Show, The Miz, The Quebecers, The Rock, The Shield, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Now Way Out 2008, WWE Royal Rumble, WWE Royal Rumble 2008, WWE Royal Rumble 2013, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE United States Championship, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania XXIV

Jan 26 2013

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Smooth Runs

Random Roundtable: Looking Back at 2012 and Forward to 2013

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers, Jeremy Cundiff and Bad Booking

What wrestler do you think deserves to be called Mr. 2012 or Ms./Mrs. 2012?

Daniel Johnson: CM Punk deserves the title of Mr. 2012 beyond a shadow of a doubt. He held the WWE Championship for the entirety of the year and had some good to great matches with the likes of Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, John Cena and others. While not nearly as well known in the United States Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada have also been tearing the scene up in NJPW and perhaps deserve some honorable mentions. As for female performers, AJ Lee hogs enough time each week that regardless of quality she almost has to be the choice for Ms. 2012.

Kyle Childers: Mr. 2012 is, without question, CM Punk. Was there anyone that could outclass him in 2012? He started the year as WWE champion, had a great series of title defenses against the likes of Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan and John Cena. Some people may say the character has gotten stagnant or that the heel turn shouldn’t have happened but even after the turn and the Heyman team up Punk was one of, if not the, most interesting characters in the WWE. Without question, 2012 was the year of the Punk. The question of Ms. 2012 is a bit harder for me since I’m a wrestling fan that exists in this odd sort of WWE, BJW, DDT bubble which really aren’t the best promotions for women. Based on my viewing habits, I’ll give the title of Ms. 2012 to Paige. She’s still very new on the American scene and hasn’t made it to either of the main shows yet but her in-ring talent shined in NXT this year as she put on some of the most enjoyable women’s matches the WWE has produced in a long time.

Jeremy Cundiff: CM Punk. Everyone else who’s been on top this year was already on top. Punk is now elevated to that level. They got behind him, and it’s paid off. Cementing yourself in the upper echelon and only needing one full year to do it? You earned that, Punk.

Bad Booking: Mr. 2012: CM PUNK! The man’s been the champion for the whole year, a feat that hasn’t been matched since Hulk Hogan in 1987. He has had a great variety of title defenses against many different characters. He can virtually work with anyone, anywhere, any time. He may very well be the best overall WWE Champion since Shawn Michaels in 1996-1998. The late addition of Paul Heyman only adds to the intrigue. Both heel and face, amongst the best and freshest things WWE has had going in the last little while. Ms. 2012: AJ Lee. I’m only writing this because she is the best overall woman in the WWE. That was a sad but true sentence to write. WWE has pretty much told us sports entertainment fans that women just don’t matter unless they have a vague presence of authority. At least with AJ, we have an unstable skippy who makes everything unpredictable and fun. That’s more than I can think of for anyone else eligible.

Who was 2012 the worst year ever for?

Daniel Johnson: Two names come to mind as far as 2012 being the worst year for them ever. Christian is the first to come to mind. With more injuries and lack of a serious push when he was healthy it solidified that he would never be at the level of World Heavyweight Champion again even if he is tremendously talented. Speaking of the World Heavyweight Championship Jack Swagger would be my second choice. With how little he did in 2012 it is tough to imagine he once carried that strap.

Kyle Childers: The TNA fans. I know I said I exist in a bubble of fandom and that’s true but there was a time earlier this year when Impact Wrestling was among my weekly watch-list and that was before Aces & 8s. That’s not to say the whole angle was terrible, it wasn’t, the starting few months were pretty good TV but then Devon was revealed as not the leader and things all went to hell. After months of rampant speculation, very little development, no resolution, and the rumor that TNA creative plans to extend the feud at least until Lockdown, possibly to Bound for Glory, 2012 was a bad year to be a TNA fan.

Jeremy Cundiff: Zack Ryder, easily. He started 2012 as being one of the few, if not the only, guys in WWE to get himself over WITHOUT the company pushing him in any way, shape or form. The fans got behind him moreso than anybody they’ve been forcefed in the last decade. WWE repaid this man’s extra effort by promptly burying the ever-loving piss out of him, letting every single wrestler in the industry know that you’re never going to make it in this business unless WWE SAYS YOU ARE. Zack Ryder not only had the worst year ever, but to me, that killed the dreams of every youngster in the indies. How could I expect to bust my ass knowing that even if the fans do like me, I’ll just get buried if I’m not what corporate wants?

Bad Booking: This is a tough one. WWE hasn’t really had a bad year in terms of Raw, Smackdown, or any of the other shows. However, there are two downsides to their current programming mantra: One, there is too much of WWE’s product on television. Three hours of Raw, two hours of Smackdown, one hour of Main Event and countless other online shows done on the WWE site. That’s at least six hours a week of original programming, not including specials and pay-per-views. OVERKILL! In turn, there is a big hint of indifference towards the product. Raw has pretty much been labelled the “must see” show. The effect of this is that all the other shows not named Raw have significant amounts of time devoted to recapping major angles on the flagship show. Geez, isn’t that what the Internet is there for?

What is the one match that you want to see for Wrestlemania this year?

Daniel Johnson: I love dream matches and WWE having The Rock, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, HHH, John Cena, CM Punk and others has a ton of potential. Yet, I’d rather see a match between two full-time wrestlers with proven chemistry on the biggest show of the year. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania XXIX would be a match people could still talk about positively 20 years later. They nearly had a 5 star match on a B pay-per-view. Imagine what they could do at Wrestlemania?

Kyle Childers: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker in a street fight. Lots of speculation points to Lesnar taking on HHH again at Wrestlemania and while I’m sure the creative team thinks that’s awesome and HHH is itching to get his win back, it’s not what the fans want. Give Taker and Lesnar 20-25 minutes to just beat the hell out of each other, no end of an era, no overly dramatic stipulations, just two dudes attempting to punch each other into comas on the grandest stage of them all.

Jeremy Cundiff: The Rock vs. CM Punk. Only feud going on right now that might convince people to pay for the show. Everyone else is doing well, but they ain’t doing well enough to sell Wrestlemania. The Rock is guaranteed to have that show built completely around him, and since he’s already put John Cena down I believe they have no choice but to feed Punk to The Rock. Punk will at least make The Rock’s vacation in the WWE entertaining. And there’s always a chance that Punk will win, as opposed to anybody else they throw at Dwayne.

Bad Booking: The match I want to see for Wrestlemania this year is Undertaker/John Cena. Although these two have had run-ins here and there, their last major feud occurred in 2003 as completely different entities. Think of how these two men have evolved since then. Undertaker is an outlaw elder statesman, capable of getting a great match from anyone. John Cena is in a point of his career where not only does he still draw like gangbusters, but just his name recognition gets main event status. Undertaker’s career is coming to a close, and there is no better time than now to have the face of the WWE versus a man who is practically WWE.

In the WWE by the end of 2013 what wrestlers will have held the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, respectively?

Daniel Johnson: For the WWE Championship CM Punk, The Rock and John Cena will have all held it. I see The Rock beating CM Punk at the Royal Rumble and Cena getting his win back at Wrestlemania. Perhaps someone could beat Cena later in the year as well, but if that happens I just see it going back to Punk. Sheamus will win back the World Heavyweight Championship either from Alberto Del Rio or possibly from The Big Show if he gets it back.

Kyle Childers: By the end of 2013, most of the people will be old faces and I’m okay with that. The WWE Championship is the top tier prize in the company to be given to whoever is established enough for WWE to promote him as THE face of the company (barring Sheamus and The Miz) so 2013′s WWE title holders will likely consist of CM Punk, The Rock and John Cena. There’s an off chance that Bryan or Ziggler will get a run with it but it seems more likely Ziggler willl get a World Heavyweight Championship reign along with Damien Sandow. I’m still holding out hope that Wade Barrett sees a title run soon.

Jeremy Cundiff: I see Sheamus holding one of the titles for sure. The other is a total blank to me. It’s a tie between Cena and Punk, although if there was ever a year to pull a Tommy Rich and shock people, this year would be it. I’d love to see Ziggler get at least a chance, but as I said once before—until Dolph turns face, he’s not going to get that big win. He just can’t. It’s the Shawn Michaels effect—the cocky heel who sells so good he can’t help but turn face. The turn has to be done right—gradually and logically. If that turn does not happen in 2013, then expect the same old guard until the next level is ready.

Bad Booking: WWE Championship: CM Punk and John Cena. World Heavyweight Championship: Big Show, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton and Damien Sandow.

By the end of 2013 what wrestlers will have held the top titles in TNA, ROH and the NWA, respectively?

Daniel Johnson: Jeff Hardy will drop the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Christopher Daniels if TNA is smart (meaning we may never get a Daniels run). If TNA does go with Daniels don’t expect him to have it for long as he will likely transition it to another face. My money is on James Storm since he was on fire in the last few months of 2012. For the ROH World Heavyweight Championship it is tough to see anyone defeating Kevin Steen at the moment. Still, Steen will probably drop it sometime before the end of the year. Possibly Davey Richards or Adam Cole could upset him. Lastly, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship will be around “The Tokyo Monster” Kahagas’ waist for some time. I see NWA eventually deciding to give it to a more well-known indie wrestler though. For some reason I’m thinking Steve Corino.

Kyle Childers: TNA: If Christopher Daniels or Bully Ray haven’t been champion by the end of the year, TNA hates their fans. ROH: I would answer this question but I don’t follow ROH well enough to have the slightest idea. I couldn’t even tell you who their champion is currently. NWA: The highest bidder for the belt.

Jeremy Cundiff: Austin Aries will get a second run with the TNA belt. Count on it. In ROH, I’d expect El Generico to finally get his run at the top, if Kevin Steen still isn’t. As for the NWA, I can’t even begin to tell you anymore. I’m shocked there’s still an NWA to begin with, and the only two guys I knew who were in the NWA World title picture (Colt Cabana and Adam Pearce) just walked out on them.

Bad Booking: I can really only answer for TNA mainly because I don’t follow the other two.TNA: Austin Aries, Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy.

What independent star will make it big in 2013?

Daniel Johnson: El Generico would be a predictable answer since he just got signed to WWE, but I see WWE botching his push. This is perhaps cheating a little, but I think Steen will make it big (or bigger). WWE or TNA (the latter of which I find more likely) may sign him at some point and give him a decent push. I could definitely see Steen being put in the Aces & 8s’ angle. Whether he could survive that angles’ inherent goofiness is tougher to say.

Kyle Childers: 2013 will be the year I keep the dream of Kenny Omega finally making it in the U.S. alive.

Jeremy Cundiff: I don’t see anyone catching fire really. If Joey Ryan couldn’t do it in TNA this year, I don’t know who will this year.

Bad Booking: Either Tony Nese or Sami Callihan. Both are great talents who don’t need any developmental work.

By the end of 2013 what will be the most impressive use of foreign talent by WWE/TNA?

Daniel Johnson: This one is really tough especially since WWE’s plan to sign Kazuchika Okada just fell through (if it ever actually existed). I’m reaching here a bit, but I wouldn’t be shocked if WWE finally unlocked some of Sin Cara’s true potential. Maybe he’ll just have a little more success with Rey Mysterio or actually be pushed in the upper midcard for a bit. Alternatively, Del Rio is a safer bet, but is pushing him down people’s throats really a sign of success? As for TNA they would be crazy not to do more with Magnus (which again may be a good sign that they won’t).

Kyle Childers: I think 2013 will be a big year for Antonio Cesaro, he’s got all the right tools and he’s finally starting to get a foothold in popularity. Hopefully the WWE gets behind him as a legitimate star in the next year.

Jeremy Cundiff: Alberto Del Rio actually gets over.

Bad Booking: Foreign talent…hmm…I just really hope WWE and TNA can promote talent for their talent and not predictable stereotypes.

What wrestler do you think will be Mr. or Ms./Mrs. 2013?

Daniel Johnson: I could see Bryan breaking away from Kane to become Mr. 2013. The guy is more phenomenal in the ring than AJ Styles and while I don’t care for a lot of his mic work all those people chanting “yes” or “no” seem to disagree with me. As for Ms. 2013 I’ll say Kaitlyn. Like AJ Lee, WWE love her. Unlike AJ Lee, WWE are actually willing to showcase her in-ring skills.

Kyle Childers: I really hope that when I write my portion of this next year I can spend most of my time talking about what a great year Dolph Ziggler had.

Jeremy Cundiff: Anybody but Garett Bischoff.

Bad Booking: Mr. 2013: Dolph Ziggler sounds like a damn good bet. He’s catching fire just as we go to Wrestlemania season. He looks really good right now. Ms./Mrs. 2013: Kaitlyn will be promoted as a big-time women’s player. Too bad we’ve all come to expect piss breaks for diva matches/sketches.

Any other thoughts on what will be in 2013?

Daniel Johnson: 2013 has the potential to be an incredible year. Wrestlemania in particular looks exciting with all of the aforementioned dream match potential. On a different note NXT has also been working to turn out a fine crop of talent. As for non-WWE related stuff NJPW can do no wrong with Okada and if his upward momentum continues he has a shot at succeeding Hiroshi Tanahashi as the true face of the company. TNA while not having the dream match potential of the WWE will continue to put out quality programming (as mistake heavy as it may be). Finally, the indies as always are unpredictable and I look forward to seeing what talent debuts and what talent steps up.

Kyle Childers: With NXT running strong with a deep talent roster of varied superstars, 2013 and will be looked at much in the same light as 2002 was in terms of introducing us to the next line of talent that will be the focus of the company for the next ten years.

Jeremy Cundiff: This is the year the fan will not be ignored.

Bad Booking: WWE and TNA need to prove they can rejuvenate an audience and promote new talent. Especially on WWE’s side, the main event scene needs a little shuffling with the midcard looking ready to cross over big time. 2013 could be a fruitful year if the chess pieces are placed properly.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1-6, 8-9: en.wikipedia.org

Photo 7: tribalwrestling.com

Tagged "The Tokyo Monster" Kahagas, Aces & 8s, Adam Cole, Adam Pearce, AJ Lee, AJ Styles, Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Austin Aries, Bad Booking, Brock Lesnar, Bully Ray, Chris Jericho, Christian, Christopher Daniels, CM Punk, Colt Cabana, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Davey Richards, Devon, Dolph Ziggler, El Generico, Garett Bischoff, HHH, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hulk Hogan, Impact Wrestling, James Storm, Jeff Hardy, Jeremy Cundiff, Joey Ryan, John Cena, Kahagas, Kaitlyn, Kane, Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Kevin Steen, Kyle Childers, Madman Szalinski, Magnus, NWA, NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Paige, Paul Heyman, Random Roundtable, Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr, ROH, ROH World Championship, Sami Callihan, Shawn Michaels, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Steve Corino, Street Fight, The Big Show, The Miz, The Rock, The Tokyo Monster, The Undertaker, TNA, TNA Bound for Glory, TNA Bound for Glory 2013, TNA Lockdown, TNA Lockdown 2013, TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Tommy Rich, Tony Nese, Wade Barrett, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Main Event, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE NXT, WWE Royal Rumble, WWE Royal Rumble 2013, WWE SmackDown, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania XXIX, Zack Ryder

Jan 19 2013

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Smooth Runs

The Case for John Cena vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania XXIX

by Bad Booking

Wrestlemania has always been treated as a time of year where special matches can happen.

We’ve had a litany of ladder encounters, most of which had special stipulations added on.

Legends like Shawn Michaels have faced off against legends like The Undertaker.

We’ve also seen current full-time talent like John Cena face off against special attraction signings like The Rock.

For all the possible main event match-ups coming onto the horizon for Wrestlemania XXIX emanating from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, there is one match I am surprised the WWE isn’t pulling the trigger on.

The Undertaker vs. John Cena.

One man has represented the WWE in the best of times and the worst of times. His character receives more changes than Joan Rivers does plastic surgery. He’s a big, lean, MMA-fighting machine who has defied time and only has gotten better over the years.

The other man is the full embodiment of the WWE right now. A full-tme wrestler on the roster, more or less has been the main event for the last eight or nine years. He has done it all. Faced them all. Beaten them all.

With one notable exception.

Now you can say that these two men feuded briefly in 2003. This was back in the day where Cena was “WORD LIFE” rappin’, complete with throwback jerseys and gold chains. He had an attitude problem but was gaining popularity with the fans. Yes, he was actually, A HEEL?!?!?!?

This was also back in the day when Undertaker was a mortal human being. He rode a motorcycle, wore stinky leather, and was Big Evil American Badass. He was a veteran seeking respect but was also willing to give respect to where it was due. He was definitely a face then, face now, face grand majority of his career.

Sure the two swapped victories in 2003 with Undertaker winning at the Vengeance pay-per-view and John Cena on an episode of Smackdown.

That’s history however.

This is now.

John Cena is the face of the company. He traded rapper chains for a chain gang, and has a main event spot to prove it. For approximately the last decade he has been the one standing in attention on the roster. Multiple superman pushes left him in a spot all to himself on the card. His drawing power is so large that a meaningless match with Johnny Ace legitimately main evented a pay-per-view you spent $50 to watch! Sure he faced The Rock at Wrestlemania last year, and WWE most likely wants him to get his win back this year. That all feels stale and rehashed though.

Undertaker, who is an undead outlaw now, seems to be legitimately on his last legs. With news reports suggesting his body is hanging on by a thread, it would be behoove of the WWE to let the two biggest current superstars clash. Undertaker has had epic clashes with men like Shawn Michaels, Kane, Batista, Randy Orton, HHH, Edge and even Mark Henry in the last ten years. John Cena only seems like a natural opponent, given the accolades and acclaim deserved.

Like a Vince Russo fan fiction, both men can portray multiple shades of grey. There doesn’t have to be good, evil, benevolence or malevolence. Just two men who want to kick each others’ asses.

These two mythic icons of WWE lore can have at it with no creative restrictions. The crowd would eat that first stare-down before the bell rings as a definitive Wrestlemania moment.

For Undertaker, it would be the last pin on top of a definitive cap. Starting with Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, who inspired 2013 Hall of Famer Mick Foley to have a wrestling career, and ending with Cena, the seemingly indestructible superhero.

21-0 with perhaps his last win being the biggest, no offense to either HBK or The Game.

Come on WWE, PULL THE TRIGGER AND FIRE UP THE MONEY MAKER!

Tagged Bad Booking, Batista, East Rutherford, Edge, HHH, Jimmy Snuka, Joan Rivers, John Cena, John Laurinaitis, Johnny Ace, Kane, Mark Henry, MetLife Stadium, Mick Foley, MMA, New Jersey, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, The Tome of Bad Booking, The Undertaker, Vince Russo, WWE, WWE SmackDown, WWE Vengeance, WWE Vengeance 2003', WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania XXIX

Dec 14 2012

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Smooth Runs

WWE Pay-Per-View Roundtable: TLC—Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2012)

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers, Jeremy Cundiff and Bad Booking

Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio vs. Team Rhodes Scholars in a tables match

Daniel Johnson: It would be nice if WWE got behind Sin Cara, but even if his team did win I still don’t see that happening. Sin Cara will probably take the loss in this match and Cody’s mustache will get one of the biggest pops of the night. Team Rhodes Scholars might even win clean. This will set up another Team Hell No/Team Rhodes Scholars match. Ideally, this time around Team Rhodes Scholars will walk away with the titles and Bryan can get showcased more as a singles competitor.

Kyle Childers: This match is one of the bigger toss-ups of the evening, both teams could easily win and challenge Team Hell No (since THN reside on the “Kane” end of the “Face-Tweener-Heel-Kane” scale of alignment) but it makes slightly more sense to see Rhodes Scholars pick up the win here because they have a ton of momentum in the growing tag division. I’ll admit to bias though as I love to see Team Hell No and Rhodes Scholars’ segments and anyone that finds fault in that has no soul. Regardless of who wins, this match has the potential to be one of the best of the night, especially with the added tables gimmick.

Jeremy Cundiff: The WWE booking has been working here lately because it’s been returning to a classic formula: faces win the big showdown, end of story. I see no reason for this to be any different (unless that long-rumored Rey/Cara match at Wrestlemania is really going to go down, in which case this is the perfect time to break out the setup for that). I would love to see Rhodes and Sandow get a cheap win, just to keep their momentum going. Maybe this match will exceed expectations and actually elevate some people, instead of just being some more Botchamania footage brought to you by the tables, Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio’s knee surgeon.

Bad Booking: I hope Cody and Damien get the win, while the first chink in the 619/Cara armor starts to show. Seriously, this is a really good time for the tag division. The last few years have had a dearth of great moments, but the current crop of teams can make something memorable happen. Expect some crazy bumps for sure!

Wade Barrett vs. Kofi Kingston (c) for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Daniel Johnson: Kofi Kingston is beyond stale at this point and desperately needs his gimmick tweaked. In case you haven’t noticed it isn’t just us smarks that think this anymore. Even the crowds in cities with a lot of casual fans seem to be reacting less to him. I’d like to see Barrett completely brutalize Kofi and start a feud with some face that comes out to save him. The most likely candidate would be R-Truth. From there WWE could retool Kofi’s gimmick and breathe some life into it. Depending on where WWE is in their yo-yo pushing of Barrett at least part of that just might happen. I’ll stay positive for this prediction and say Barrett wins…but I doubt anything will be fixed for Kofi.

Kyle Childers: This match both has potential to be the undercard match of the night and biggest disappointment. I’m not saying that it’s not going to be at the very least good match, but I can’t help but have the selfish wish that they had made this a TLC match. With the WWE Title stipulation out of the main event, it makes sense to put the TLC stipulation to good use here but I digress. There hasn’t been a whole lot by way of story to base this prediction on so purely by preference I pick Wade Barrett, WWE’s favorite male prostitute.

Jeremy Cundiff: Pass.

Bad Booking: I think Kofi will barely pull this one out. Expect the match to be mainly based around Wade keeping the ever-flying Kofi grounded. I wouldn’t be too surprised if a fluke roll-up was used to win it. At the same time, there will almost assuredly be the rematch on Raw the next night, and expect Wade to win the title then.

R-Truth vs. Antonio Cesaro (c) for the WWE United States Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Johnson: I don’t care what his detractors say. I love Antonio Cesaro to death. The guy manages to bring it every time he is on pay-per-view even though WWE never gives him more than eight minutes. Seriously, look it up! R-Truth is also a capable hand in the ring especially when he has a good person to work with such as Antonio Cesaro. This will be another contest under eight minutes, but those eight minutes will entertain anyone who gives it a chance. I’m hoping Cesaro has a much longer run with the WWE United States Championship, possibly one that breaks the record for longest champion with that title in it’s current incarnation. From there Cesaro could be moved up to the main event and capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Of course being a European heel he would think that the rest of the world is worthless so he changes the title to be the WWE European Championship. To kill two flies with one Cesaro he could then win back the WWE United States Championship and throw it away as a worthless belt. That way the company would be back to having just the right amount of belts and eventually the WWE Intercontinental Championship would work its way to being more prestigious than the WWE European Championship and all would be right in the world. Anyway, I’m getting way ahead of myself here.

Kyle Childers: Let me take a second to rip the Band-Aid off for a certain segment of those reading this, the R-Truth push is over. It died a long time ago when he started dancing with Little Jimmy. Remember when R-Truth was awesome and crazy? Those were great times but they were also at least one kid friendly t-shirt ago. Now, for the rest of the people reading this I ask, how does Cesaro vary his uppercut before scoring the victory?

Jeremy Cundiff: Pass.

Bad Booking: Expect Antonio to retain in a hotly contested, but predictable match. R-Truth can probably use that Little Jimmy gimmick to some extent, but in the end, it’ll be Claudio with his Swiss demeanor getting the best out of the former K-Kwik.

Sheamus vs. The Big Show (c) for the World Heavyweight Championship in a chairs match

Daniel Johnson: I’m not a fan of how Sheamus has been booked for…well the past year or so really. I’m not going to say he should turn heel, but this jokey face Sheamus reminds me of face Batista when he started to get really lame. If WWE wants to add any realism to his character he should lose this match and then go on a journey to find the true Sheamus and bring back the monster that crushed Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds. Yes, I know the Sheamus who won at Wrestlemania was still the same lame jokey Sheamus, but factors like that never stopped WWE revisionism before. As you may have guessed I am a bit pessimistic here and expect fun loving Sheamus to stick around because WWE loves to hock that merchandise and few sell it better than a smiling face. Still, I just don’t see him winning. Show needs to have a longer reign so that he can elevate whoever gets the World Heavyweight Championship off of him. Hopefully, it is someone who hasn’t had a belt that significant before.

Kyle Childers: Does anyone win in this match? Yes, that’s a snarky question but it’s all I can muster. I’m not really excited by this feud that peaked when Big Show broke that podium during the verbal debate and has been on a fast decline since the first couple of times Sheamus was on the receiving end of a solid face-punching. Throw in the bizarre chairs stipulation and you have a match on par with a Jim Belushi one man show in terms of entertainment value. I’ll pick Sheamus out of hopes that Ziggler retains and the WWE is more likely to book a heel cash in on a face.

Jeremy Cundiff: One is a veteran enjoying what is likely to be his last run at the top. The other is the one of the few homegrown WWE talents that has not been overexposed. Unless they don’t have someone to go up against Sheamus at Wrestlemania in mind yet, I’m going with Sheamus. He’s going to be around for a while, and he’s still got a lot of upside left to explore. Big Show is a placeholder, but at least he’s a decent one who you can believe stands a chance against The Plaid Iced Gingerbread Man. This match is one I see going either way, but the nod in the long run goes to Sheamus.

Bad Booking: This is going to be brutal. Both men are known for slug outs and this is no exception. This could provide happy nostalgia for Sheamus as three years ago on this event he won the WWE Championship from John Cena. For Big Show, this could also be deja vu as last year he won and lost the World Heavyweight Championship in an ironic chairs contest. I think Sheamus is going to pull this one out on a desperation brogue kick to Big Show. Only there will be a chair involved in that as well.

John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler for a World Heavyweight Championship contract in a ladder match

Daniel Johnson: I’d love for WWE to do something crazy with this match. Like have Ziggler sneak attack Big Show early in the night and win the World Heavyweight Championship requiring two of the top matches to get a last minute change. Still, even that could backfire and lead to Ziggler getting his second incredibly short run with the World Heavyweight Championship after he is still forced to wrestle Cena. However, I don’t see WWE doing anything that whacky. I expect Ziggler to win the ladder match through underhanded tactics. Perhaps, someone will interfere so Cena could start his next feud?

Kyle Childers: This match is what wrestling is all about, emotion. I know sometimes my opinions come across as a bit obsessed with logic, booking and ring work, but I value entertainment and emotional investment as much as those other things. With that out of the way, I’ll say that my emotions regarding this match are based solely on the fear that my personal favorite performer in the WWE currently may lose his World Heavyweight Championship shot. With Ziggler getting wins over Randy Orton (yet still eating brogue kicks, can I take back my Sheamus prediction?) and his history as a performer the company seems willing to push it seems possible that he could win but with Cena’s history of being John Cena we could very well see Ziggler lose his Money in the Bank briefcase. I’ll go with my bias and pick Dolph Ziggler but the bigger question here isn’t who wins but what role does AJ Lee play?

Jeremy Cundiff: On YouTube, I saw a clip from a Terry Funk roast where Scott Hall, sitting in the back with beer in hand, said the following: “You told me this a long time ago, Terry, and I’ll never forget it…you told me ‘don’t get too good at doin’ jobs, kid. That’s all you’ll ever do.’ ” Touche. I see this as nothing more than a vehicle for Cena to miraculously appear back in the World Heavyweight Championship picture just seconds before The Rock makes his three-month vacation stop in the WWE. Yeah, I’m a little salty about this one. But truth be told, this is the way it’s got to go. Ziggler is too good at losing to ever be taken seriously as a winner. That’s going to pay off for him one day, but only as a face. Hopefully this match won’t ruin that.

Bad Booking: Dolph has to win. No ifs, ands, or buts. Ziggler may have been a world titlist before, but this is his time to be the man in the WWE. If WWE was smart, they’d make The Shield run in and take out Cena. They could also allege Vickie Guerrero was in on The Shield the whole time. It would make a lot of things make sense, but it would also potentially compromise the heat these guys have. The only thing I can guarantee is that win or lose, Ziggler will look like a million bucks. Even if it kills him. Then there are some fantasy booking options. For instance, take the World Heavyweight Championship match, and place it third in the lineup. Sheamus wins and is also very groggy. Dolph runs in, cashes in the briefcase. Dolph wins the title and he thinks he’s all good for the night. Now Vince McMahon shows up and forces Dolph to defend that title in the originally scheduled Ladder Match with Cena. Now take that ladder contest, leave in The Shield interference, and we got ourselves a bumpy ride for the future. Cena/Orton/Ryback/Bryan/Kane vs. Seth Rollins/ Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose/Ziggler/CM Punk as a potential main event? I’d bite! And with how Orton is supposed to turn heel, that would be the right time to pull the trigger.

Team Hell No and Ryback vs. The Shield in a TLC match

Daniel Johnson: I really wanted to go with The Shield on this one even if it would have meant that I predicted a card of straight heel wins. It at least would keep the wind in their sails which they desperately need because if you strip them of everything else they are basically three guys who have never been on national TV long term and that casual fans could give or take. Still, I just don’t see them winning especially with WWE’s recent tendency to have newcomers lose even when they desperately need to win. For evidence of this look no further than Ryback in the very same match. Yes, I see Ryback giving his shell shocked finisher to one or two members of The Shield through a table for the victory. The Shield will then go on to be a more serious version of The Spirit Squad before being disbanded. Hopefully, they are sent packing in a more dignified manner than being put in a crate and shipped to developmental.

Kyle Childers: The likely main event of the evening really deserves the spot but once again I have to question what the point of the TLC stipulation is here. Are they going to climb a ladder to retrieve Paul Heyman because if so, take all of my money six months ago you magnificent bastards, if not and this match is a pinfall TLC then it’s got to be an indication that management doesn’t have faith in Ryback to work for extended periods even with five better performers working around him without a gimmick involved. Nonsensical stipulation aside, any match with this combination of guys is sure to be entertaining and I don’t see why this won’t be either. Storyline-wise, a Shield victory would help establish them as a legitimate threat after weeks of ambush attacks and a Team RyNo win would certainly lend a bit more credibility to the tag titles just because the champions won and would keep the Ryback momentum. Conventional wisdom would see The Shield win and continue wrecking things for weeks to come so that means Team RyNo will win.

Jeremy Cundiff: Oh boy. The best thing to do would be to give The Shield the win at this point. These guys have got to be pushed strong, as they have been. That means getting it done in the ring too, not just outside of it. It’s obvious that the Ryback = title contender thing isn’t working out, and nobody is going to stop cheering for Kane and Bryan if they lose this match. I predict The Shield because WWE cannot be that stupid, and if they are going to put the heels over in just one match it better be these guys. Remember that Nexus came in and sent shockwaves all over, but within six months half the group was either injured, released or back in developmental. It’s how you handle the ball once it’s started rolling.

Bad Booking: Team Hell No/Ryback vs. The Shield in a cluster fuck: I’m sorry guys for my language, but that is exactly what it is. Six men full of war. Tables. Ladders. Chairs. One fall to a finish? If I got my notes correctly, this is the first time the WWE has done a one-fall ladder contest (I have seen ECW matches with this though). I fully expect Ryback to destroy The Shield, and Kane/Bryan to get weakened up for the title defense the next night on Raw.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1, 3-6: en.wikipedia.org

Photo 2: onlineworldofwrestling.com

Tagged AJ Lee, Antonio Cesaro, Bad Booking, Batista, Botchamania, chairs match, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, ECW, Jeremy Cundiff, Jim Belushi, John Cena, K-Kwik, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Kyle Childers, ladder match, Little Jimmy, Madman Szalinski, Money in the Bank briefcase, Nexus, Paul Heyman, R-Truth, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr, Roman Reigns, Ryback, Scott Hall, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Sin Cara, tables match, Team Hell No, Team Rhodes Scholars, Team RyNo, Terry Funk, The Big Show, The Plaid Iced Gingerbread Man, The Rock, The Shield, The Spirit Squad, tlc match, Vickie Guerrero, Vince McMahon, Wade Barrett, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE European Championship, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE Pay-Per-View Roundtable, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE TLC: Tables Ladders & Chairs, WWE TLC: Tables Ladders & Chairs (2012), WWE United States Championship, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII, YouTube

Dec 11 2012

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Smooth Runs

Burning the Bandwagon: How WWE Booking Kills Midcard Stars

by Kyle Childers

In the real world, success and ability are, more often than not, directly related; if you’re good at your job then you can expect to see a reward for it while if you’re bad at it then you could be awoken from your early afternoon nap to the unpleasant sight of your boss telling you that the marshmallow you attempted to eat in your dream was company property.

…and that’s the story of why I no longer work in an office.

The WWE has the uncanny distinction of being one of the few professional arenas where this correlation doesn’t apply. In the WWE Universe, successes and failures are often determined by one’s ability to connect with the crowd.

Usually.

Therein lays a distinct advantage the WWE holds over most other workplaces in that their entire business model is designed for them to decide who gets to the top of the card and who gets sacrificed to the Great Funkasaurus. Over the years, there have been plenty of examples of the WWE taking a talent from a no-name to a guaranteed box office draw just through sheer force of will and crowd manipulation.

You’ll cheer him sooner or later damn it!

The Rock, John Cena and Randy Orton all started out as homegrown blue-chippers with negative crowd reactions (not meaning boos, meaning the crowd somehow made less than no noise) to three of the highest pay-per-view draws of the last 15 years. But for every sustained push that makes a star, there are at least three pushes that failed simply because the WWE gave up on them. WWE’s track record of aborted pushes went from few but logical to abundant in just over the last five years with a few notable examples.

Really dodged a bullet on that one.

We could look at MVP who came in with a ton of momentum and a solid push as “the most valuable free agent in sports entertainment” and went on to become one of the longest reigning WWE United States Champions in history and held the distinction of having the longest televised loss streak in 2008. Of course, that losing streak did build to him defeating The Big Show in a last man standing match and then…nothing. Things turned out well for Mr. Porter in the end.

Gaijin ballin’.

Or we could look at Jack Swagger who came in strong with a title push on the ECW brand before he got switched to Raw where his push turned cold. This isn’t the end of Swagger’s tale though as WWE still saw potential in the guy they booked to hold the ECW World Heavyweight Championship for 104 days as they made him Mr. Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania XXVI and World Heavyweight Champion two days later. His reign saw him defeat the likes of Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Edge and drag Rey Mysterio around an arena by the ankle. It also saw Jack look like a total goof against guys like Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and The Big Show before losing the title three months later to Rey Mysterio. Since then, he’s had a forgettable run as the WWE United States Champion and was last seen on TV letting everyone know he was going home because he kept losing.

At least we’ll always have the memories.

Of course, no discussion of abandoned pushes is ever complete without Kofi Kingston. Kofi is another talent that came in with a fair amount of momentum only to see it squandered by WWE creative. I previously talked about his feud with Randy Orton where he pinned two former WWE Champions cleanly only to come out of the feud hot for a return to the WWE Intercontinental Championship, a territory where he’s mostly stayed since early 2010. Kofi is probably the best example of WWE yo-yo booking at work because he’s a person that fans desperately want to see move up the card but instead they’re treated to countless lesser title runs and a seemingly reserved spot in the yearly Money in the Bank matches.

This all sounds so familiar…

But what about the third option? We’ve had some examples of guys that WWE got behind and pushed to the moon, we’ve had examples of pushes being dropped either before the worker could gain momentum, dropped because that was the easy booking path, and dropped because the top of the card was full but what about times WWE seemed intent to push someone against the wishes of the fans? 2011 and 2012 were both big years for this as 2011 saw the start of Alberto Del Rio’s rise to the top of the card to great apathy all around and 2012 saw the debut of Prince Tensai Albert, The Hip Hop Hippo of Japan or something. WWE seemed okay with quietly de-pushing the initially unstoppable Tensai but Alberto Del Rio is still going “strong.”

His face tattoos translate to “Goodyear.”

Then there’s the very unique case of Zack Ryder, one of the only instances where WWE seemed to push someone specifically to fail. While Alberto Del Rio was arm-humping his way to the WWE Title, Ryder was using YouTube to build on the fanbase he had started to accumulate during his ECW run from a few dozen people nationally (rough estimate) to nearly a million followers on Twitter. Knowing better than to miss out on striking while the iron is hot, WWE decided to push Zack Ryder from Internet denizen to United States Champion in one of the top feel good moments of 2011 then it all went off a cliff…or off the stage.

All it took was a best friend, a trifling hussy and a masked maniac to move Ryder from future superstar main eventer to current WWE Superstars main eventer as Ryder was beaten, battered and betrayed for months in an angle where his role almost seemed designed to kill any good feelings the audience had for him.

“You were supposed to be mah friend!”

I’m sure you’re sitting there wondering why WWE would do this, why start to create to stars only to bust them back even farther down the card than when they started? I really don’t have an answer. That seems like the biggest copout conclusion this could possibly reach but it’s true. What would motivate a multimillion dollar company whose existence is based on their ability to make new superstars that will keep the cycle of ticket sales, pay-per-views sold and t-shirts printed moving into the next decade? I’ll leave that up to you in the comments section below because there’s not a single explanation that makes sense to me.

Photo Credits:

Photo 1: usdailyreview.com

Photo 2: dropkickradio.com

Photo 3: tribalwrestling.com

Photos 4-5: bleacherreport.com

Photo 6: .jasonrivera.com

Photos 7-8: en.wikipedia.org

Photo 9: blogspot.com

Tagged Albert, Alberto Del Rio, Batista, Brodus Clay, Chris Jericho, ECW, ECW World Heavyweight Championship, Edge, Hawkeye's Hangout, Jack Swagger, Japan, John Cena, Kizarny, Kofi Kingston, Kyle Childers, Last Man Standing Match, Lord Tensai, Money in the Bank briefcase, Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP, Prince Albert, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr, Shelton Benjamin, Tensai, The Big Show, The Hip Hop Hippo, The Rock, Twitter, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE Money in the Bank, WWE Superstars, WWE United States Championship, WWE Universe, WWE Wrestlemania XXVI, YouTube, Zack Ryder

Dec 02 2012

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Wrestling Lists

6 Great Matches You’ve Never Seen: Part II

by Jeremy Cundiff

2. Taka Michinoku vs. The Great Sasuke from WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede (1997)

Thank you for your bandwidth. Last week, you asked me for a great match you had never seen and I gave you Sid vs. Vader. For those of you who didn’t run screaming, this week I’ll be rewarding you for your loyalty. And if you’re just tuning in, this is the second of six installments where I dig up classic matches that nobody remembers seeing. Today, we go from 1996 in the WWF to 1997, and it’s going to look like a whole new world. For those of you who don’t remember…the first image is the WWF in 1996.

WWF entryway and ring from 1996

Then came 1997…

WWF entryway and ring from 1997

This was only a nine month period, by the way. Within another nine month period, we would have practically a new company, as everything from the Raw theme to the WWF logo itself would change drastically. I got to say that to a young kid like me who spent his entire childhood watching the old red, white and blue roped product, only to hit junior high and see the WWF grow up with you, turning from a family-friendly cartoon into a cutting-edge rock music video…I really don’t care how badly I am butchering English grammar. The WWF was fucking unrecognizible from one side of the transition to the other, and I got to have a front row seat for the greatest time to be a wrestling fan. It really was another Golden Era.

But not everything was a resounding success back then. For every Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind and D-Generation X…you have Brawl For Alls, Billy Gunn King Of The Rings and you have WWF Light Heavyweight Championships. Not all of it worked. One day I’ll rip the Brawl For All out of its own rectum in a separate article, and I know someone else will already have the ‘biggest disappointments of all time’ covered somewhere down the road. But out of all of those things I just mentioned, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship should have not only worked…it should have flourished. It was the hardest of the three to fuck up.

In the summer of 1997, the WWF and WCW were on a hot streak that was so hot, we’re still finding pieces of molten metal to this day from the trail that the business left during that period. Every time we see Ryback squash somebody, a piece of history flies off into the crowd. One of WCW’s biggest draws was one of its smallest…its cruiserweight division. Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero are the two who acheived the most success outside of WCW, but it’s not like they had a bunch of scrubs to work with: Chris Jericho, Ultimo Dragon, Psychosis, Juventud Guerrera, Alex Wright, any Mexican luchador you can think of who wasn’t signed long-term to AAA or CMLL, and many more. And while two 240-pound men can put on a mat wrestling clinic, and pack it with tons of drama and action…let’s face it. There are things a smaller wrestler can do that the big boys just got to give up and go home on. And these men would follow up such high-flying offense with a power move to equal. Chris Jericho would powerbomb your ass, pick you up off the ground, powerbomb you again, then bounce off the ropes and hit you with a springboard moonsault. You know…I think Kurt Angle is one of the best of all-time, but I don’t see him pulling off a springboard anything. (Well, given his track record wth the 450, I predict that if Kurt Angle tries to springboard anything, he will just headbutt his opponent so hard they shit themselves.)

Naturally, when your competitor is doing something different and making money at it…you have to do the obvious and copy the bastard, or come as close as you can to copying him without breaking the law. So Vince McMahon did the smart thing, and introduced the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Vince then did the dumb thing and booked the worst fucking tournament ever to crown the inaugural champ. This tournament was the worst of all time. At least until Survivor Series 1998. Want proof? Let me give you the first round brackets. Aguila, known better as Essa Rios, defeats Super Crazy in a botchtastic clusterfuck of a match I remember watching live on Monday Night Raw while Jim Cornette, on commentary, blasted the fuck out of it because both guys were sloppy as piss. While some people like to call him an old fogey set in his ways, you couldn’t argue with him watching this match. It was pretty bad. The rest of this thing? Eric Shelley over Scott Taylor, Brian Christopher and Flash Flanagan. Jerry Lynn was advertised to be in one of the opening matches, but something tells me the weed wore off right before the pen in his hand touched the paper because he never did show up for that first round match. Way to add prestige to your brand new title by having one of the best talents in the division ditch your tournament before the first round.

Oh, and Devon Storm lost to the eventual winner, Taka Michinoku. Taka Michinoku…now there is a man with some talents and abilities. A man that, honestly, you could watch walk into a new company in a foreign country, win a belt, and not question it because let’s face it, the guy can wrestle. But nobody in the WWF knew that. Only one of those guys had ever stepped foot in a WWF ring before this tournament in Scott Taylor, and he was perennial enhancement talent up to this point.

Well, I take that back. Two of them. Because in July, Taka Michinoku made his WWF Debut against…THE GREAT FUCKING SASUKE. That’s right. Pick the brick up that just fell from under your chair. Taka Michinoku wrestled Great Sasuke on a WWF pay-per-view. In 1997. But wrestled isn’t the word for it, more like kit-foo’d.

Kit-foo means “kicked the fuck out of.”

And that was this match. Kicks, kicks, flying kicks, flying moves, grappling, holy shit slap, kick, slap…and then they stopped playing around, and began to really tear into one another. At one point I wondered if maybe one of them owed the other money, or if Taka ate the last piece of sushi at lunch, possibly Sasuke screwed his sister and this was a precursor to the Val Venis pee pee angle…I don’t know, I just want to know why these two got in the ring, worked for two minutes, then mutually agreed that they would begin to stiff and shoot until either they died or the FBI sent riot troops to protect the crowd from the shockwaves when these guys hit each other. I thought I saw the ring ropes themselves cower in fear at some of the kicks Sasuke was landing.

Look this match up. I won’t post .gifs or stillshots of this match (other than the one above) because they won’t do it justice. No matter how high the quality or the framerate, I cannot articulate this match to you with neither words nor pictures. Stiff, stiff, stiff. No restholds necessary for these two, despite going fifteen minutes. Plenty of dives to the floor. Taka does a springboard plancha to the outside and gets so much airtime on his jump, I thought he was going to check a faulty lightbulb while he was up there. He had to have died a minimum of three times in this match, and still kicked out on rigor mortis alone. After it’s all over, Taka eventually does the job to Sasuke…who poses briefly, and then it’s back to the locker room and back to reality for the WWF fans.

Daniel pointed out to me that yes, these two did have a second match on Raw the next night after this match. Strangely enough, Taka lost yet again making me wonder who was supposed to win that belt in the first place. If it was Taka, making him lose his first two matches really hurt the credibility of the title in my opinion, particularly in such good matches. Taka needed to have a match of this caliber where he WON. They just needed to pay Sasuke whatever they needed to pay him to job this match. If they had, perhaps the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship would have been so much more prestigious that instead of the afterthought that the title had become (in less than two years, Gillberg would be your damn LHC) it might have gotten the dignity it deserved. This match should have been the showpiece for the WWF’s Light Heavyweight Division. If you had told the 12 year old me watching this match that there was an entire division with titles just for guys this small who did this stuff, I’d swear to never watch a heavyweight match again until the next week on Raw.

So…why don’t people remember this match? Because it was Calgary Stampede, a throwaway show with only one match: the ten-man tag featuring The Hart Foundation versus the makeshuft tandem of The Legion of Doom, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and Steve Austin. The only reason this shit even sold tickets and pay-per-view buys was the fact that it took place in Calgary and the place went apeshit for the Harts. They also went apeshit for this match as well. I think this match was a treat for the smart fans of Canada, and possibly the smart fans in America as well. If this pay-per-view had taken place in, say, Pittsburgh or Kansas City…I highly doubt we would have gotten such a good match. This pay-per-view was meant to put the Harts over and make everybody a ton of money for going black and pink for a day. A lot of stuff got overlooked, including the WWF Championship itself.

A smart man would have paid The Great Sasuke whatever he asked for to do the job to Taka. I don’t know if the plan was for Taka to become the first LHC all along, but if it was, they did a shitty job of making us think he was a credible champion right out of the gate with this match. He made us believe he was a tremendous wrestler and he would never give up, that he had a fighting spirit and was somebody we all should rally behind. But those are qualities of a championship CONTENDER. Those aren’t qualities of somebody you want to put the belt on initially. If this was the route they wanted to go, they needed to put the belt on the only other person they seemed to give a shit about pushing in the Light Heavyweight division…Brian Christopher. Problem was, he was a half-ass worker from Memphis who, quite honestly, couldn’t hang with the Japanese or Mexican workers or even the American high flyers. If you don’t remember, he was Jerry Lawler’s son, and they all but told you this on TV because fuck it, had to get him over somehow.

So this thing was kind of doomed from the start, as they had to make everyone look like a credible contender all at once, and there’s only one belt you can give to a guy. Nobody knew who these guys were, and all they knew is they were good, but when we saw them the first time they got beat. Some more effort into pushing who you had, or at least going out and paying the money for a little bit more, could have went a long way. Oh well, at least we got to see a kick ass cruiserweight puro match in the WWF. And that’s awesome with me.

Next week…I’m not sure what you’re going to get, but whatever it is, rest assured it’ll be awesome. It’s a surprise. Hey, maybe you could leave comments and suggestions to me as well. I like to incorporate other people’s opinions into my work, it’s how you become a better critic. I’m also curious to see what people think of my work so far. So please drop me a line. We have a comment button for a reason. I’m Madman Szalinski, and in the words of Jim Cornette…”if you wanna know what a guy looks like with bald hair, tell me first so I can book him in a hair match and sell some tickets, k? Thank you, fuck you, bye.”

See the match for yourself by forking over $94.99 to Amazon for a VHS tape because YouTube hates us.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1-3: youtube.com

Tagged "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, AAA, Aguila, Alex Wright, Billy Gunn, Brawl For All, Brian Christopher, Calgary, Chris Jericho, CMLL, D-Generation X, Devon Storm, Eddie Guerrero, Eric Shelley, Essa Rios, Flash Flanigan, Gillberg, Goldust, Japan, Jeremy Cundiff, Jerry Lawler, Jerry Lynn, Jim Cornette, Juventud Guerrera, Kansas City, Ken Shamrock, Kurt Angle, Legion of Doom, Madman Szalinski, Mankind, Memphis, Mexico, Pittsburgh, Psychosis, Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr, Ryback, Scott Taylor, Sid, Steve Austin, Super Crazy, Sycho Sid, TAKA Michinoku, The Great Sasuke, The Hart Foundation, The Rock, Ultimo Dragon, Vader, Val Venis, Vince McMahon, WCW, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWF, WWF Championship, WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, WWF King of the Ring, WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, WWF Survivor Series 1998

Nov 29 2012

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Smooth Runs

Bad Booking, Or How I Stopped Worrying and Dropped the Bomb

by Bad Booking

A lot of things can change in a decade.

As a matter of fact, that’s how long I’ve been a wrestling fan for.

Professional wrestling has always been a stable where I live. Whether it was WCW Monday Nitro, or later with WWE Raw, there was always the sound of “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor”.

I had caught bits and pieces of SmackDown in the early summer days of 2002, but they were scattered and too far in between.

It was when I saw Raw for the first time in its entirety which got me hooked through the nose.

July 22, 2002 was the date. It was the night after Vengeance. The Rock had just become the undisputed WWE champion, Eric Bischoff was running the joint, and his newest acquisition was one HHH.

After some friendly persuasion from Shawn Michaels, HHH decided that the only way to compete in the WWE was to rekindle some of the fire left behind in the Attitude Era.

Only it would be short lived.

A thunderous pedigree during a D-Generation X reunion left a friendship shattered, and a four-year blood feud ensued.

It was the camaraderie of that, Eddie Guerrero talking trash with The Rock, amongst a host of others that finally embraced me into the wacky world of sports entertainment.

While there were times the WWE would test my patience, I always came back to it. Some of it is habit while some of it is like feeling like you’re seeing a best friend again.

Some of my favorite wrestling memories also includes:

*My brother got a tape of Wrestlemania 13 one year for Christmas. This was the first time I have watched Wrestlemania from bell to bell. I will say this: Through the horrible video and audio, that Steve Austin and Bret Hart left a lasting impression on me. Both men beat the hell out of each other while the passion they showed in their craft was more enduring. Austin, bleeding like insanity, finally passed out in Bret’s patented sharpshooter. The only thing I didn’t know at the time was that this was the most masterful double turn in the company’s history. Probably even professional wrestling too while I’m at it.

*For Wrestlemania XX at the house, it was quite the affair. A good parade of people was there with no shortage of refreshments and possibilities. One of my brother’s friends during the three way main event asked, “When will someone bleed?” A couple of minutes later, Shawn Michaels catapulted himself into the post and bled a nine on The Muta Scale. This was mere minutes after a gaggle of people, including myself, imitated Paul Bearer before the real one came out!

*June 7, 2010. That Raw was a piece of shit. Three hours long and nothing happened at all. John Cena seemingly had CM Punk disposed of. However, off in the distance, laid Wade Barrett and his steely eyes. Michael Tarver, who may have had a baby for dinner, jumped the barricade. Wait, all the NXT guys are jumping the ring! Cena got his ass whooped! “I’m not better than you,” as Daniel Bryan would kick John Cena’s fucking head in. The ring imploded, the desks were destroyed, and it left a lasting impression. For three hours of suck-ass television before it, those 15 minutes were amongst the best things in the last decade.

I hope some of you may identify with these moments, and perhaps even chuckled slightly. You’ll be enjoying more of The Tome of Bad Booking shortly.

Tagged "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Bad Booking, Bret Hart, CM Punk, D-Generation X, Daniel Bryan, Drowning Pool, Eddie Guerrero, Eric Bischoff, HHH, John Cena, Let the Bodies Hit the Floor, Michael Tarver, NXT, Paul Bearer, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Muta Scale, The Rock, The Tome of Bad Booking, Wade Barrett, WCW, WCW Monday Nitro, WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE NXT, WWE SmackDown, WWE Vengeance, WWE Vengeance 2002, WWE Wrestlemania XX, WWF Wrestlemania 13

The Johnson Transcript

Devourer of Wrestling

Tag Archives: The Rock

Site News 4/29/13

by Daniel Johnson

WWE Pay-Per-View Roundtable: Elimation Chamber (2013)

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers and Bad Booking

A Colin Delaney Sighting

by Daniel Johnson

WWE Pay-Per-View Roundtable: Royal Rumble (2013)

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers, Jeremy Cundiff and Bad Booking

Random Roundtable: Looking Back at 2012 and Forward to 2013

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers, Jeremy Cundiff and Bad Booking

The Case for John Cena vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania XXIX

by Bad Booking

WWE Pay-Per-View Roundtable: TLC—Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2012)

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers, Jeremy Cundiff and Bad Booking

Burning the Bandwagon: How WWE Booking Kills Midcard Stars

by Kyle Childers

6 Great Matches You’ve Never Seen: Part II

by Jeremy Cundiff

2. Taka Michinoku vs. The Great Sasuke from WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede (1997)

Bad Booking, Or How I Stopped Worrying and Dropped the Bomb

by Bad Booking

Follow “The Johnson Transcript”