World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) | The Johnson Transcript

Feb 23 2013

Replacing Jack Swagger

by Daniel Johnson

Jack Swagger vs. Santino Marella

Unless you are a wrestling fan who has been asleep for the past few days or just blazed up a huge bowl of what was found in Jack Swagger’s car then you know what happened to the real American. While nothing is set 100 percent in stone and Swagger may still challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE’s Wrestlemania XXIX it is quite possible he might not. As such the speculation is well underway on who his replacement will be. Mark Henry? Dolph Ziggler? Racist heel Randy Orton? The possibilities are endless.

So what about Shane Helms? That brings me to:

Shane Helms vs. Lizmark Jr.

Now before anyone blasts me for mentioning Shane Helms, let me just clarify that I am by no means advocating Shane Helms. Instead I offer the argument that if Swagger can randomly be pushed to the moon for a major match at Wrestlemania then virtually anyone with past experience in mainstream American wrestling can.

Take a look in the first clip in this post. Swagger wasn’t doing anything extraordinary in the squared-circle in his return. He just had a unique character in the real American and a interesting manager in Zeb Colter. Drop anyone of seemingly countless possibilities in that spot and WWE should be just fine for Wrestlemania XXIX. Whether it’s Justin Gabriel, Alex Riley or yes, even Shane Helms or as commentator Kevin Kelly refers to him in the above clip, “One of the most well known superstars in history.”

Tagged Alberto Del Rio, Alex Riley, Doplh Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Justin Gabriel, Kevin Kelly, Lizmark Jr., LLUSA, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Shane Helms, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania XXIX, Zeb Colter

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

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

Dec 16 2012

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Wrestling Lists

Counting Down the 5 Worst Title Reigns of 2012

by Daniel Johnson

Even with some hiccups CM Punk is having the best title reign of his life. He could sit out the rest of the year (which he may in fact do) and will still have had one of the best runs with the WWE Championship in a while. WWE title runs in general have mostly been moderately successful, if not stellar. Sure, it turns out that Daniel Bryan’s reign with the World Heavyweight Championship didn’t establish him as a main event player. Yet, it still helped his push and I’m sure he doesn’t mind cashing those fat royalty checks for Team Hell No merchandise. Speaking of Team Hell No, before their reign Kofi Kingston and R-Truth had a decent run and the two teams that preceded them as champions didn’t have train wreck reigns.

Instead the few problems WWE had with their titles this year were in the midcard and one very pointless WWE Divas Champion. Let the countdown begin!

5. Jack Swagger’s reign with the WWE United States Championship

Just look at Swagger in that photograph. It is like he’s thinking, “I can’t believe my reign as ECW Champion is going this well! There is no way the WWE will ever give me another title run like this!” Sadly for Jack he was right. On the surface this seemed like it could be a near perfect midcard title reign. I mean the All-American American holding the United States Championship. That’s as on the nose as a gay Republican group choosing a pink elephant as a mascot (thanks Simpsons). So where did it all go wrong? First, Swagger had already held the World Heavyweight Championship meaning that he was the latest in a long line of wrestlers who WWE didn’t have enough faith in to keep pushing as a top talent. Second, he took the title from Zack Ryder, which was one of many things that helped kill that man’s push. Third, despite being a serious worker who is capable of quality matches he dropped this belt to…Santino Marella. Finally, where did it get him? Not on TV that’s for sure! Swagger left TV in September and only recently returned to the house show circuit.

4. Kofi Kingston’s reign with the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Kept under the glass ceiling much, Kofi? How pointless was Kofi’s title win? Well, pointless enough to take place on WWE Main Event because apparently even someone in WWE creative said, “Do we really need to waste time on Raw or Smackdown with this? I mean its Kofi and he’s not even taking on Dolph Ziggler.” Since Razor Ramon had his record breaking fourth title win many moons ago when it was called the WWF Intercontinental Championship the fourth time holding this title has always been nearly pointless. These reigns exist for one of two reasons. Either 1) The champion has already been in the main event and the company needs something to do with him while he isn’t headlining shows or 2) The office has no plans to push him any higher and never will. Guess which one applies to Kofi?

3. The Miz’s reign with the WWE Intercontinental Championship

The Miz’s reign with the WWE Intercontinental Championship wasn’t so bad for his career. It kept it in the air after it had long been doing a tailspin following his WWE Championship loss. So why am I putting him below Swagger and Kofi? Because instead of messing up his own career his title win solidified the derailment of the Intercontinental Championship division and the title’s prestige took a hit. Let’s look at the title this year up until his reign. The year started off great with Cody Rhodes having a killer reign before losing it to The Big Show at Wrestlemania XXVIII. Yet, Show’s reign wasn’t too bad. It gave him his Wrestlemania moment and he dropped it right back to Cody. Cody then lost it to Christian less than a month later. Of course being a textbook smark Christian can do no wrong in my eyes, but even looking at it objectively the belt was still about as valuable as when Cody had it. Heck, they could have had Cody crush Christian to win it back. You know Christian would have been willing to do that and Cody could have used that extra momentum to further push him to the main event. Instead Miz won it and before you know it, it was back around Kofi’s waist not doing anybody any good, including Kofi.

2. Santino Marella’s reign with the WWE United States Championship

Can we stop giving this guy title runs? WWE had top drawing comedy wrestlers for years that could get over, bring in fans and not waste a title that could be used to get other wrestlers over. Instead of being used to push talent Santino’s reign helped send Swagger on his aforementioned 2012 downward spiral. From there Santino had a 167 day reign that ranged from forgettable to embarrassing. The low light of this run was his tuxedo match at the 2012 edition of WWE No Way Out where he wrestled Ricardo Rodriguez in a tuxedo match. There the belt wasn’t up for grabs, but instead just served as a prop. Santino’s shoulder warmer if you will. The only good part about Santino’s reign came at the end when he lost it to Antonio Cesaro who has went on to have a decent tenure as champion despite never being given over eight minutes for a pay-per-view match.

1. Nikki Bella’s reign with the WWE Divas Championship

Beth Phoenix had a reign that was going along swimmingly until she did an incredible job of selling a kayfabe injury to her knee in a match with Nikki Bella who she then lost the title to. In fact, Phoenix’s worked injury was the best part about Nikki’s reign as it at least showed Beth’s acting ability. Speaking of acting ability Nikki and Brie better hope they develop some. Six days after Nikki’s win, Layla returned and pinned Brie to win the title when they tried to pull the old switcheroo. Right after this Nikki and Brie left the WWE never to be seen again. Actually, maybe that was the best part of the title reign.

Photo Credits:

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

Photo 2: onlineworldofwrestling.com

Tagged Antonio Cesaro, Beth Phoenix, Brie Bella, Christian, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, ECW World Heavyweight Championship, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Layla, Nikki Bella, R-Truth, Razor Ramon, Ricardo Rodriguez, Santino Marella, Team Hell No, The Bella Twins, The Big Show, The Miz, The Simpsons, Tuxedo Match, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Divas Championship, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Main Event, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE No Way Out, WWE No Way Out 2012, WWE SmackDown, WWE United States Championship, WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII, WWF Intercontinental Championship, Zack Ryder

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 13 2012

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Smooth Runs

Rebooking WrestleMania 25: Randy Orton vs. HHH

by Bad Booking

If there was ever an edition of Wrestlemania whose overall success would hinge on its main event, it was the 25^th anniversary of Wrestlemania.

The main event in question was a WWE Championship Match featuring Randy Orton, that year’s Royal Rumble winner, versus WWE Champion HHH, whose family had been assaulted/humiliated at the hands of Orton.

This hot angle leading into Wrestlemania depicted an unstoppable Orton, whom along with Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase) was taking out the juggernaut aka the McMahon family. It started with Vince the week before the Royal Rumble, then Shane McMahon at No Way Out, then just a short time later on Raw, Stephanie McMahon.

All of this carnage brought out newly-crowned champion HHH. Sure Vince was his father-in-law and Shane was his brother-in-law, but Stephanie was his wife. No one ever should raise their hand to another man’s wife, especially in this case.

If that wasn’t bad enough, HHH got beat up leading into Wrestlemania with The Viper even sealing a kiss onto Stephanie’s lips. This match should have been the damnedest slobber knocker that the WWE should have had in years. A perfectly sound main event for Wrestlemania.

Instead, the match was a dull and boring affair. The cause of reason was a “championship changes hands on a disqualification” stipulation. That rule took out any sense of Orton reasonably either walking out champion or losing in a way that would not lose his heat with the fans. No matter the outcome, Randy should have walked out looking like a million dollars, but instead looked like a whiny bitch. To add insult to injury, Batista made a surprise return…THE NEXT NIGHT ON RAW!

In this rebooking, we’ll look at the main event of what should have been a grand Wrestlemania. People would discuss the event as a whole more fondly if the main event had been better, and here’s proof:

The 25^th anniversary of Wrestlemania, April 5^th, 2009: The WWE Universe has just witnessed a triple threat match with John Cena, The Big Show and Edge that defied expectations. With the unenviable task of following Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, this unfortunate triumvirate held the attention of the crowd. Since John Cena is the new World Heavyweight Champion, the throng of over seventy thousand knew there was only one match left: the WWE Championship contest between HHH and Randy Orton, a match whose build-up had been absolute money to this point.

Vickie Guerrero, just the mere mention of her name, draws boos that could drown out a Motorhead concert. Standing on stage in an outfit that must have enticed a breeze, Vickie noted the World Heavyweight Championship match from Smackdown was indeed impressive, but it was not the main event of the show. As General Manager, Vickie declared that the WWE Championship match would now be a no disqualification, no countout match to a huge roar from the crowd. Also, to the knowledge of no one in the arena or in the locker-room (storyline-wise), a superstar has come to return to Wrestlemania, a man whose revenge made him rehab harder than he ever has.

Randy Orton comes out first to mostly indifference from the crowd. He slithers out with a minimum balance of emotion externally but has to have significant butterflies internally.

HHH sledges a CGI glass screen for his champion’s arrival. This would awaken the crowd some, as the jacked up Game looks intense as ever.

Lillian Garcia did the ring introductions. Yes, she did botch: she accidentally called Randy Orton, Randy Dorton. For those who don’t know, Randy Dorton is a real person. Dorton was an engine builder for Rick Hendrick in NASCAR. Dorton’s life tragically came to an end when he and several other Hendrick personnel crashed in Virginia heading to the race in Martinsville. Very few got the message, but the few hybrid NASCAR/WWE fans would tear this apart the next morning.

When the bell rings, the two share a stare colder than Hades.

For the next 20 minutes, they scratch and claw into each other with hatred.

Both announcer tables were destroyed. Orton was struck in the cranium with a chair several times. Hell, HHH even bladed slightly, which would draw the ire of Vincent Kennedy McMahon backstage.

The turning point of the match occurred when HHH hit a spinebuster on Orton. Noting that he has momentum on his side, Hunter goes for a pedigree. He positions Orton, but Orton quickly gives Helmsley a low blow.

Suddenly Orton has control.

Randy set-up HHH for that DDT on the ropes he does so well, and was able to drive it hard into the mat. Like a slithering snake, Orton has either the RKO, or that devastating punt in mind for the win. Instead, he does a hand motion that summons his two thugs to the ring. Rhodes and DiBiase walk slowly for the maximum heel heat reaction, and they go to work on ‘The Game’.

Rhodes hit his Crossrhodes and DiBiase hit Dreamstreets. With both of the younger Legacy members holding Hunter into a corner of the ring, Orton slides out of the ring to grab a sledgehammer. Orton comes back in, sledgie in tow. The referee tries to stop it, but is shoved out of the ring for his efforts. While a mic doesn’t pick it up clearly, Orton does manage to yell, “You’re the last one!” Orton prepares to swing…

…But then a familiar guitar riff hits the Houston air.

IT’S BATISTA!

The Animal is coming down that ramp with a purpose. He had been taken out of action months prior because of an attack by Orton.

Decked in jeans and a shirt that was no doubt made by WWE clothing employees, Batista walks down to an epic reaction. Before Batista can hit the ring though, Orton tells his little boys to go attack Batista.

They were no match for The Animal.

After demolishing them in short order, he then enters the ring and stands in the ring nose to nose with Orton. Orton tries to hit The Animal with the sledgehammer, but Batista grabs the sledge and breaks it in half over his basketball-shaped thigh. A kick to the gut later, Batista made his ultimate presence known with a HUGE Batista bomb!

With Bats shoving the ref back in from the outside, HHH was able to hit the pedigree he looked for several minutes before. With the three count, HHH successfully retained the championship belt. Batista came back in, looked at the title belt, and then gave the champ a congratulatory handshake. Trips stood atop the second turnbuckle with title belt high as the show faded into a recap video package.

Tagged Batista, Cody Rhodes, Edge, Hades, HHH, Houston, John Cena, Legacy, Lillian Garcia, Martinsville, Motorhead, NASCAR, Randy Dorton, Randy Orton, Rick Hendrick, Shane McMahon, Shawn Michaels, Stephanie McMahon, Ted DiBiase, Texas, The Animal, The Big Show, The Game, The Undertaker, The Viper, Vickie Guerrero, Vince McMahon, Virginia, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE Championship, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE Royal Rumble, WWE Royal Rumble 2009, WWE SmackDown, WWE Universe, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania 25

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

Nov 26 2012

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Wrestling Reviews

WWE Survivor Series (2012) Review

by Daniel Johnson

This year’s Survivor Series had a decent main event and two above average traditional Survivor Series matches. The opener placed a bright spotlight on WWE’s growing tag team division. Sure, it didn’t come close to the awesomeness that the tag team Survivor Series’ matches in 1987 and 1988 had behind them, but it was great for what it was. The other elimination match had its moments and gave a nice little rub to Dolph Ziggler. The Big Show/Sheamus bout was an improvement over their last pay-per-view encounter though the lame disqualification ending took away from it. The night ended with an intriguing twist that left fans asking, “what happens next?” Yet, for now let us take a look back at what was.

Brodus Clay, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio (with Cameron and Naomi) defeated Tensai, Primo, Epico, Darren Young and Titus O’Neil (with Rosa Mendes) in a traditional Survivor Series match

There are no quick eliminations in this contest as the bout has a decent amount of back and forth before anyone has to leave up the entrance ramp. The highlight of this early portion of the match has to be the double Asai moonsault that Sin Cara and Mysterio deliver to the outside. The fun has to stop at some point and the first one out is fun loving Brodus Clay after a running senton splash from Tensai. The big man looks dominant, but Gabriel quickly upsets him by sending him to the back with a crucifix pin. Titus O’Neil, everyone’s favorite muscular walrus, soon enters but he is likewise upset by Gabriel’s tag team partner as Kidd flips inside the ring to roll O’Neil up. Gabriel and Kidd are on fire and Epico is sure as heck isn’t going to stop them. He submits after Kidd locks on the sharpshooter and Michael Cole even makes a reference to the 1997 Survivor Series Montreal Screwjob during this. Only Primo and Darren Young are left on the heel team, but in a flash it is down to just Darren Young after Rey comes in and pins Primo with la magistral. Young is all alone and before he gets eliminated he takes a 619 followed by a Sin Cara swanton followed by a top rope lionsault from Gabriel, an elbow drop off the ropes from Kidd and a top rope splash from Rey. Stick a fork in him already!

Rating: 4 stars

Eve (c) defeated Kaitlyn to retain the WWE Divas Championship

Before the match someone in a blonde wig attacks Kaitlyn backstage. This time Kaitlyn catches her and reveals the attacker as…Aksana! Eve approaches Kaitlyn backstage and tries to appear sympathetic only to be pushed on her arse by Kaitlyn. The match is above average especially considering the current WWE diva division. One section of the bout that stands out is Eve wrapping her legs around Kaitlyn’s neck in a submission and actually flipping her over with it. This work on the neck is later revisited in the finish when Eve puts Kaitlyn away with a neckbreaker.

Rating: 3.25 stars

Antonio Cesaro (c) defeated R-Truth to retain the WWE United States Championship

Cesaro cuts a killer heel promo on his way to the ring and references America’s poor economy and soaring obesity rates. It is a shame WWE hasn’t given this guy enough time to work on pay-per-view lately. R-Truth gets a near fall after some clotheslines, but hurts his leg following a kick. Cesaro sees this weakness and goes after it. In less than seven minutes Cesaro pins R-Truth after hitting the neutralizer.

Rating: 3 stars

Sheamus defeated The Big Show (c), but did not win the World Heavyweight Championship

Prior to this match there is an overly long segment featuring AJ Lee and Vickie Guerrero. AJ shows some photoshopped images of Vickie Guerrero in compromising positions with Ricardo Rodriguez, Jim Ross and Brodus Clay. Guerrero then screams at her before AJ points out that neither one of them can attack the other without facing consequences. Tamina Snuka then comes out of nowhere to attack AJ much to the delight of Vickie. Anyway, this championship match showed off the raw power of Sheamus. He hit Show with an electric chair that was followed almost immediately after with white noise. Imagine what Sheamus must lift in the gym? Sheamus is just about to take Show’s head off with a brogue kick when the mammoth pulls a ref in front of him. In the commotion Sheamus gets distracted and Show wallops him with a WMD. Show pins him, but soon after the ref changes the decision and Show is disqualified. Sheamus comes back to his senses for a short time before becoming livid and making Show beg for mercy after a vicious assault involving a chair.

Rating: 3.25 stars

Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow, David Otunga, Wade Barrett and Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) defeated The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Kane, Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton (with Mick Foley) in a traditional Survivor Series match

Unlike the previous elimination match this one is a tad faster with it’s first eliminations. The commentators play up the injury of Damien Sandow’s partner Cody Rhodes and before long Sandow joins Rhodes in no longer being a part of this match. Kane doesn’t send Sandow to Hell, but comes close to it after executing a mighty chokeslam. The dissension among the teams gets highlighted next when Kane is eliminated in short order by Ziggler after Kane gets distracted by arguing with partner Daniel Bryan. Ziggler stays alive in this one, but the same cannot be said for Otunga who soon finds himself tapping to a crossface from Bryan. Bryan tags out and soon Kofi is in. Nearly as quickly Kofi is out after Barrett knocks him down to the mat with a bull hammer. Bryan goes one for one with the next elimination. First he made Otunga tap, but now he finds himself submitting to Del Rio’s cross armbreaker. It is between The Miz and Barrett for who will be sent to the back next. After a decent back and forth fight, Miz reverses Barrett’s wasteland to score the skull crushing finale and the pin. Miz stays in, but not for long as he is sent packing after a dropkick to the back of the head from Del Rio. Orton is all alone, but still manages to take out his foe Del Rio with an RKO. Orton almost wins the whole thing, but gets a surprise when he is about to punt Ziggler. Ziggler turned out to to be playing possum and instead of taking a kick to the face, Ziggler gives one to get the win. Oddly enough there wasn’t much involvement from Foley though he did go after Rodriguez at one point.

Rating: 3.75 stars

CM Punk (c) (with Paul Heyman) defeated John Cena and Ryback to retain the WWE Championship

Earlier in the nigh Heyman gave an interview to hype up Punk and the longevity of his reign. If he retains the title tonight he will officially have a yearlong title reign. Punk looks to be in good shape and it helps him out that the faces are not afraid to tangle with one another. Punk is even the first one to hit his finisher by surprising Cena with a go to sleep. Of course, Cena kicks out and delivers an attitude adjustment to Punk…who also kicks out! It is fitting that Ryback is a former Nexus member because up next the Nexus run-in gets revisited. Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns come into the ring and start manhandling Ryback right after Ryback had planted Cena with his shell shocked finisher. Instead of emerging victorious Ryback gets planted right through an announce table. Meanwhile Cena is still out and Punk takes advantage of the opportunity to retain his title.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Tagged AJ Lee, Aksana, Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Brodus Clay, Cameron, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Epico, Eve, Jim Ross, John Cena, Justin Grabriel, Kaitlyn, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Montreal Screwjob, muscular walrus, Naomi, Nexus, NXT, Paul Heyman, Primo, R-Truth, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Ricardo Rodriguez, Roman Reigns, Rosa Mendes, Ryback, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Tamina Snuka, Team Hell No, Team Rhodes Scholars, Tensai, The Big Show, The Miz, The Prime Time Players, Titus O'Neil, traditional Survivor Series match, Tyson Kidd, Vickie Guerrero, Wade Barrett, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE Championship, WWE Divas Championship, WWE Survivor Series, WWE Survivor Series 2012, WWE United States Championship, WWF Survivor Series 1987, WWF Survivor Series 1988, WWF Survivor Series 1997

Nov 24 2012

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Wrestling Lists

5 WWE Feuds That Accomplished Nothing

by Kyle Childers

Sports entertainment is a product based on feuds. The conflict between performers is what drives the angles at the core of almost every wrestling program produced post 1985. The innovator of the story driven overhaul of the sport of professional wrestling is undoubtedly WWE owner Vince McMahon. If not for McMahon making his product the only game in town in the 1980s while focusing on higher production values and more angle driven direction it’s entirely likely that the wrestling landscape in 2012 would be vastly different from what it is.

Probably not the worst idea I’ve ever heard…

But being the creator of something doesn’t automatically make you the best at it and sometimes even the WWE has a feud or angle that accomplishes far less than intended. This list is five feuds from the last ten years that either did nothing to help the workers involved or didn’t have the intended effects.

5. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (2012)

Brock Lesnar’s return in the Spring of 2012 is easily one of the top stories of the year, sending shockwaves through the wrestling industry and that one guy in the front row into convulsions. Not only was it the first time Lesnar had been in the WWE in eight years, his intial assault of John Cena promised a follow up to an angle that occured in 2003 when young up-and-comer John Cena challenged WWE Champion Brock Lesnar for his title at Backlash 2003. However, this time, Cena was a ten time world champion and Lesnar was returning following his time in the UFC, which included Lesnar having a run with the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Where could they possibly go wrong?

Where They Went Wrong

Spoiler: Cena wins. Some may disagree that having Cena win was a mistake, after all he is the undisputed top draw the WWE has to offer.

Best in the world…at selling t-shirts.

Factor his drawing power against the fact that he just lost what he and the commentators put over as the most important match of his career against The Rock at Wrestlemania XXVIII and it’s easy to see how the creative team and Mr. McMahon would want to have Cena look strong in a high profile match. The only problem is that John Cena didn’t really need the win because he’s John freaking Cena. If watching the WWE over the years has taught me one thing it’s that nothing bothers John Cena. Well, except Wade Barrett, Cena tried to murder him.

Then again, nothing bothers Brock Lesnar either, a man one step below The Terminator in determination after he’s decided to destroy something. The weeks leading up to Extreme Rules saw Lesnar F5 Cena and negotiate his contract to include such clauses as changing the name of Monday Night Raw to reflect his starring role. When the pay-per-view rolled around, Lesnar spent most of the match treating Cena like a meat-filled punching bag, bludgeoning and blooding the former Doctor of Thuganomics for the better part of fifteen minutes (and shaking off a potential knee injury along the way) before a chain assisted right hand and attitude adjustment secured the win for Cena. After the match, Cena cut a promo that alluded to taking time off and then he totally didn’t. No, John showed up on Raw the next night, and most Mondays since, before feuding with John Laurinitis while Lesnar kayfabed time off until SummerSlam. A Lesnar victory would’ve perfectly set up Cena to take the time he probably needs while establishing Lesnar as a big deal to the young audience that has no knowledge of his previous run.

4. Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton (2009)

Remember 2009? That magical, unforgetable time when Jeff Hardy and CM Punk were getting their first shots at being “top guys” and Raw had guest hosts? Okay, I’ll admit that second wasn’t all that magical but it is hard to forget, mostly because the doctor told me that I had to choose between forgetting guest hosts or total liver failure.

Liver failure’s suddenly not sounding too bad…

The guest host thing wasn’t all bad though right? I mean, it did give us the return of Bret Hart, William Shatner “singing” superstar entrance themes, and R-Truth exploding. Unfortunately, of those three bright spots, only The Hitman coming back had long term implications. Another angle that failed to live up to it’s potential in a big way (even bigger than R-Truth not staying blown up somehow), started when Raw was hosted by Kyle Busch and Joey Logano who gave Randy Orton a custom stock car for some reason. Later in the evening, Kofi Kingston took it upon himself to give Orton’s new ride a fresh yellow paint job along with fancy key scratches down the side and a swanky dent from a production trunk. Kofi capped (or is it “kapped?”) it all off with a crowbar beating to the car all while screaming, “I got you Randy” approximately 43,000 times. Despite my aloof description, the segment was actually pretty good and for the first time Kofi Kingston was showing real main event potential.

Where They Went Wrong

Kofi Kingston is Intercontinental Champion in 2012. Some may say that’s a good thing but three years ago at the Survivor Series, Kofi pinned Orton cleanly to be the sole survivor on a team he captained while this year he was the fourth person eliminated from a Survivor Series match while Orton went on to again be the last eliminated.

Not only did Kofi pin Orton at Survivor Series, he also defeated him on a Raw following the event. Not bad for a guy that had been pretending to be Jamaician and representing the midcard most of his WWE career. It all came toppling down for Kofi a few blown spots and Orton victories later as he was vanquished back to the midcard in 2010 while Randy went on to win the WWE Championship for the sixth time in August. Let us take a few minutes to remember those few minutes that Kofi Kingston was a badass.

October 26, 2009—Never Forget.

3. Edge vs Dolph Ziggler (2011)

Dolph Ziggler is, perhaps, the most naturally gifted performer in WWE today. I’m not saying it’s fact, it’s really just my opinion, but watching Ziggler in the ring it’s hard to deny that with the proper push Dolph would easily fit into the WWE main event scene. Unfortunately, January 2011 was not the time for Mr. Ziggler. It’s hard to imagine that a feud between a WWE Hall of Famer/one of the best workers to come out of the WWE in the last fifteen years and a hungry, young, and naturally determined to make the most of his first main event push star would fail, but if I’ve learned two things from watching WWE over the years it’s nothing bothers John Cena and never underestimate the ability of the creative team to disappoint.

Where They Went Wrong

This feud was once again a case of the problem being the face winning. Okay, it’s not so much that the face won as much as it is how the face won, how many times he won and how little effort he put into winning.

Edge actually pinned Dolph twice between the flash and the shutter.

The feud followed the tried and true wrestling formula of a heel authority figure (Vickie Guerrero in this case) favoring a heel who is pursuing a title. When Ziggler dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Kofi Kingston, ending a five month reign, before winning the number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship over Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and The Big Show, it seemed that the 2011 Royal Rumble would be the scene of Dolph’s first World Championship victory. As it turned out, that wouldn’t be the case. Nor would it be the case a few weeks later when Ziggler got a rematch on SmackDown. Ziggler would actually only get to lay hands on the title belt after a violation of a ban on the spear allowed Vickie to hand him the title.

I was going to link to a picture of Ziggler with the belt but this lasted longer.

11 minutes and 43 seconds later, Edge was World Heavyweight Champion again and Ziggler went tumbling back down to the midcard, a position he is only just now starting to claw his way out of. This whole thing is even more tragic when you realize that Dolph once again failed to win the big one with assistance a year later when he faced CM Punk at the Royal Rumble.

2. Booker T. vs. HHH (2003)

What can I say about this feud that hasn’t been said? I could spend this whole entry talking about the racist overtones of the angle or how Booker T. had all of the momentum in the world leading up to their Wrestlemania match and he still somehow lost to the bigoted heel but that’s not where WWE’s blowing of this feud stopped. Somehow a feud between the top heel for the better part of three years and a five time former heavyweight champion seems like a sure thing but…

Where They Went Wrong

At no point in the feud was Booker really treated like a main eventer. Sure, to earn the title shot he went over some of the bigger names in the WWE at the time but once the actual program with HHH started, Booker only had a few moments of strength before Hunter ultimately won. Wrestlemania XIX could’ve been a chance to have a face beat the dominant heel and complete his underdog tale of triumph and redemption. Instead, HHH retained his title and moved on to feud with his old pals Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash while Booker fell down the card and into Intercontinental and Tag reigns.

Then there’s this.

It took Booker T. a complete gimmick overhaul and nearly three and a half years to regain the footing he had in early 2003 while HHH had added another title reign to his list before the end of 2003.

1. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (2005)

Let me start this entry by saying that this feud only earned a spot not because of what it didn’t do but because of what it undid. Eddie and Rey had a long and storied history spanning multiple companies and two decades that produced some of the finest matches ever seen anywhere. Whether it was WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 or Wrestlemania 21, Guerrero and Mysterio always had amazing chemestry. It makes sense too, they were best friends in real life and had worked together repeatedly. When their feud turned from friendly competition to bitter and heated because Eddie couldn’t seem to score a victory, it provided a new slant to a proven formula.

Where They Went Wrong

They had a ladder match for the custody of a child. Let me just get that out of the way right now because that’s what happened and that’s where this is all building. The angle was going just fine until the build to Great American Bash 2005 when Eddie got all creepy and cryptic by promising to reveal a Mysterio family secret while offering to read Rey’s son Dominic a bedtime story. They went with a ladder match because Chris Hansen refused to referee a To Catch a Predator match.

Predictably, Rey won and even more predictably, Eddie reneged on his promise to keep the secret, which Eddie promised to keep if Rey beat him. Eddie revealed that Rey’s son was actually Eddie’s and Rey and his wife had only adopted him as an infant. Eventually, Eddie brought a social worker to back his claim of parental rights and that gave us the ladder match. This angle could’ve possibly been saved if they had to climb the ladder to actually retrieve Dominic but instead they had to grab a briefcase full of custody papers. Granted, it was a pretty good match and it did have Eddie freaking out over Vickie missing her cue but that’s not enough to save this.

Too little, too late, Vickie.

This wasn’t even the end of the angle. Despite Rey winning the right to keep his child in what really should become legal precedent in all custody suits, they still had one more cage match on SmackDown that Eddie won before feuding with Batista just prior to his untimely death. Really though, when it was all said and done, despite the incredible matches, despite Eddie moving into a title program that he potentially could’ve come out on top of, despite Rey eventually winning the World Heavyweight Championship the next year, no one came out of this feud any better than when it started and that can mostly be blamed on the fact that they fought over the possession of a child.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1-2, 5-7, 9-10: en.wikipedia.org

Photo 3-4, 8, 11: onlineworldofwrestling.com

Tagged Batista, Booker T., Bret Hart, Brock Lesnar, Brodus Clay, Cage Match, Chris Hansen, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Doctor of Thuganomics, Dolph Ziggler, Dominic, Drew McIntyre, Eddie Guerrero, Edge, HHH, Hornswoggle, Jeff Hardy, Jeremy Piven, Joey Logano, John Cena, John Laurinitis, Kevin Nash, Kofi Kingston, Kyle Busch, ladder match, MMA, R-Truth, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, The Hitman, The Rock, The Terminator, To Catch a Predator, UFC, UFC Heavyweight Championship, Vickie Guerrero, Vince McMahon, Wade Barrett, WCW, WCW Halloween Havoc, WCW Halloween Havoc 1997, WCW World Heavyweight Championship, William Shatner, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Backlash, WWE Backlash 2003, WWE Championship, WWE Extreme Rules, WWE Extreme Rules 2012, WWE Great American Bash, WWE Great American Bash 2005, WWE Hall of Fame, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE Royal Rumble, WWE Royal Rumble 2011, WWE SmackDown, WWE SummerSlam, WWE SummerSlam 2012, WWE Survivor Series, WWE Survivor Series 2009, WWE Survivor Series 2012, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania 21, WWE Wrestlemania XIX, WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII

The Johnson Transcript

Devourer of Wrestling

Tag Archives: World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)

Replacing Jack Swagger

by Daniel Johnson

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

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers and Bad Booking

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

Counting Down the 5 Worst Title Reigns of 2012

by Daniel Johnson

5. Jack Swagger’s reign with the WWE United States Championship

4. Kofi Kingston’s reign with the WWE Intercontinental Championship

3. The Miz’s reign with the WWE Intercontinental Championship

2. Santino Marella’s reign with the WWE United States Championship

1. Nikki Bella’s reign with the WWE Divas Championship

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

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

Rebooking WrestleMania 25: Randy Orton vs. HHH

by Bad Booking

Burning the Bandwagon: How WWE Booking Kills Midcard Stars

by Kyle Childers

WWE Survivor Series (2012) Review

by Daniel Johnson

5 WWE Feuds That Accomplished Nothing

by Kyle Childers

5. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (2012)

4. Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton (2009)

3. Edge vs Dolph Ziggler (2011)

2. Booker T. vs. HHH (2003)

1. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (2005)

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