The Spade of Spades: Real Talk for Pro Wrestling
I have a problem with wrestling fans.
Man, do I have a problem with some wrestling fans.
Following my usual routine of following the action on Twitter while simultaneously following the action on Monday Night Raw (‘cause I’m just good like that), I couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming abundance of “smart marks” dumping their collective poop chutes all over the product, per usual.
Not that #Raw20 last night was extraordinary. On the whole, the 20 year anniversary of Monday Night Raw was fairly average. There were some good wrestling matches, some silly booking fails and the show did its job of building towards the Royal Rumble.
The part that gets me is that everyone was complaining about the fact that the show wasn’t loaded with Attitude Era stars.
Let me get something straight, people: You same pious flapjacks whine and gripe incessantly about how WWE needs to not load their show with older part time stars because it “takes time away from the younger talents who need it.” Then, when WWE has something lined up like an anniversary show/reunion/celebration event, everyone simultaneously cries foul that those same older part time stars that YOU DIDN’T WANT TO SEE aren’t there to fill time on the show.
I actually saw people on Facebook blaming the PG era for this.
Let’s call a spade a spade people (and get to enjoying that phrase, we’re gonna revisit it frequently in this piece) and just admit that:
A. Most of the people reading this (Not all but a fair few) have no concept of what the PG Era actually is and it has become a scapegoat for your dissatisfaction with the product. The PG Era is responsible for wrestling’s decline about as much as the Happy Meals you buy your son three times a day are responsible for him being the size of a dump truck.
B. On ANY OTHER NIGHT, if these guys were making cameo appearances, most people would be on Twitter or Facebook or whatever social media outlet they feel would make them look the most important and they’d be screaming from the rooftops about how WWE doesn’t need to be giving the spotlight to older stars.
I find this funny for a variety of reasons.
One reason the IWC will never be taken seriously by most professional wrestling companies is because the vast majority of them behave foolishly, doing things like whining on Twitter about how bad the show was because THEY could have booked it better. Much like our aforementioned obesity analogy, personal responsibility needs to be taken into account.
Don’t sit on your hands like a bunch of idiots and blame the WWE for things they have no control over. Do some research. ‘Taker didn’t show up because he’s likely to make an unannounced return at the Royal Rumble (Be real people: When does ‘Taker just show up on a show anymore? It’s too early for him to pick a ‘Mania opponent so the Rumble is the logical place to be.)
Austin and Shawn Michaels had prior booking engagements at the SHOT (Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade) Show in Las Vegas last night. Did we expect Triple H to just randomly show up on Raw?
Someone said on Facebook that he should have reformed Evolution to fight the Shield. Honestly, does anyone think before they speak?
Batista is gone. Orton is already fighting the Shield. Flair isn’t about to put on the panties for another match. Use some common sense folks.
Did anyone stop and think that maybe the reason that WWE didn’t advertise the hell out of this show was because they weren’t planning on doing anything extraordinary with it? If none of those special appearances were able to happen then of course they’re not going to promise a huge show. THEY DIDN’T. Everyone who watched with their expectations on Mars expecting Randy Savage (God rest his soul) to come back to life to re-enact his IC Title match with Steamboat was just delusional.
The show was average and did what it needed to do: It built towards Royal Rumble.
Let’s call a spade a spade people. Everyone throwing up memes about how horrible it was, comparing it to WCW’s dying days, get over yourselves. You’re not funny, you’re not witty, you’re not clever and you’re not right.
Once again, blame the WWE for things they have control over. Blame them for stupid booking moves like jobbing Ziggler to Cena for the 3rd straight time, since he clearly needs about 15 wins to make up for one loss.
Blame them for things like that. Things they control. Don’t blame them for global warming, the violence in the Middle East, smart cars and the extinction of Twinkies. Have some self respect for goodness sakes.
________________________________________________________________________________________
While we’re on the subject of calling a spade a spade, let’s talk about TNA for a moment. If you’re a butthurt TNA fan then don’t even bother reading this because I’m going to offer critique and you will not like it because you don’t like anything that doesn’t involve worshipping this company.
The following is straight from one of the many wrestling dirtsheet sites, who copy/pasted it directly from PWInsider.com.
“According to PWInsider.com, backstage morale at TNA Genesis last night was said to be high. Overall, everybody felt the show was solid from top to bottom, with a great main event. Most of the roster feels the company is moving in the right direction at this point.”
Let’s call a spade a spade (Told ya we would revisit this phrase) and dissect this logically.
OH NO, HE’S USING LOGIC! LOCK UP THE WIFE AND KIDS, EARL! I FEAR A TWISTER IS HEADIN‘ FOR KANSAS!
For starters, whoever decided to start using the word “solid” to describe wrestling shows should be drug out back and shot in the trachea. That is the SINGLE most overused word in the world of wrestling analysis. The only word that even comes close is “buried” but we’re not going to use that word here.
For this analysis, we’re going to do something different. I’m going to school some TNA fans on how to build a logical argument. I am going to do something TNA fans can’t do and I’m going to critique this product without mentioning any other company. That IS possible, you know.
Because much like with those weirdos in Connecticut, personal responsibility is our lesson here. Personal responsibility and perspective. We’re not going to blame TNA for things they can’t control. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of their woes stem from things they CAN control.
Back to our point.
Screw the word “solid.” That’s a lazy way of saying that the show didn’t fall to pieces. If you build a car that’s extraordinary, you can imagine it’d go fast, be durable, hold up well in an accident, get good gas milage, come with restraints and mouth gags for kids on road trips (Totally kidding about that last one.)
If you build a car that’s solid, all one can expect from it is: “It goes. Vrrooooom.”
Now that we’ve pointed out the sin of using the word “solid”, let’s delve deeper into this, shall we?
Reading this very vague report, we can sum up that according to “the roster backstage at Genesis”, talents are feeling good about the direction of the product/progress of the company.
Calling a spade a spade again (you will never want to play cards again after reading this), the questions need to be asked.
Just who in the heck was polled?
I could say something along the lines of:
“According to PWInsider.com, backstage morale at JCW was high. Overall, everyone felt the show was solid from top to bottom with a good main event. The roster feels the show is moving in the right direction and hope to transfer to a large front yard with a few more successful shows.”
And that’s just what I came up with off the top of my head.
If morale is really that high, cite examples. Who did you poll? And here’s the interesting part that no one is going to notice because apparently, I’m the only one who dives this deep into this crap.
Are we to assume that you only polled the guys backstage at Genesis? Because that’s a fairly skewed opinion. Of course they’re gonna be happy about the direction of the show. THEY’RE ON THE SHOW!
Did anyone go down to OVW, where talents have been collecting dust like cars in a garage for years and ask them how they feel about the direction of the company? Did anyone ask them how they feel about TNA bringing in random outsiders for Gut Check instead of using their own flipping developmental territory?
Did anyone outside of the usual 17 stars on TV each week get to speak? How about anyone who didn’t get a spot on the show because TNA is bringing in guys for one-off returns and no contracts?
Did anyone ask Bully Ray if he thinks this absurd angle is a good move for the company? We’ll never know because our grandiose report just says “The roster,” and/or “everyone backstage.”
If I went and I polled Jeff Hardy, Austin Aries, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Bobby Roode about TNA, then obviously they’re going to say they’re happy with the direction. They’re getting what they want from it.
TNA doesn’t get off scot-free for being TNA. They make some of the most idiotic decisions I have ever seen but they’re the only ones who get praised for it week in and week out.
Take this PPV change for example. Everyone is jumping TNA’s bones ready to start sucking. Well, maybe not everyone. But it seems like most people just read the headline “TNA to make MAJOR changes to PPV schedule in 2013” and immediately assumed it was good. Does anyone read anymore?
A good example was given on Twitter not that long ago.
After pointing out the fallacy of their tweet, they quickly amended it by reminding everyone that the six sided ring was coming back for ONE NIGHT ONLY.
But no one clicked on the link. People were responding to the headline itself, praising the company for bringing back the beloved six-sided ring.
Fans do the same with the PPV lineup. It’s already going to be talked about on the podcast so I’m not going to go completely off on it here. But facts are fact.
Fact: TNA is only dropping from 12 PPVs a year to 11.
Fact: TNA is only moving seven of these events to Friday night as opposed to Sunday night.
Fact: TNA isn’t really saving any money here. They’re just spending less.
Wake up folks. Stop putting pool floaties on TNA and telling them it’s okay to never learn how to swim. Stop wiping their tears away and telling them that there are no winners and losers. That’s half the problem with society nowadays. Stop babying them.
Throw ‘em in the pool and let them swim you knuckle headed fruit booties.
And remember: Let’s call a spade a spade. (Insert Aces & Eights joke here.)
~Mr. Quinn Gammon
Cena Heel Turn?…What Are You Waiting For?
First, let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed WrestleMania XXVIII! I found myself mostly entertained by the Pay-Per-View. Definitely a step up from last year!
One thing that I pulled from the Taker/HHH match is that the WWE planned the results of WM 28 before WM 27!
The storytelling in the WWE is seemingly taking the (what I like to call) “big picture” or “full circle” method of writing. They are writing stories that take yearly quarters to live out, as well as some storylines that take years to be realized.
Also, the WWE has tapped into the minds of their fans through social media, and internet communication. They are using it to their full advantage!
I categorized this as a Backlash in part because this is a little bit of a response to some of the IWC that are writing about how WrestleMania sucked, and the Rock/Cena match didn’t live up to expectations, and that the WWE should turn John Cena heel.
One article in particular is written by Donald Wood (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1128056-wrestlemania-28-results-john-cenas-loss-to-the-rock-will-spark-heel-turn) of Bleacher Report. He writes,
“After one of the biggest builds in the history of the wrestling business, the main event of WrestleMania 28 between John Cena and The Rock did not live up to the expectations. On top of the weak match, the WWE made the wrong choice by allowing The Rock to go over.”
First off, you already have exposed yourself as just a sore Cena smark (Note: I didn’t say member of the CeNation for a reason) that is mad because WM 28 didn’t get booked/go the way you wanted it!
The IWC needs to learn to differentiate series of events that they don’t like from a poor presentation. Just because YOU didn’t like what happened, doesn’t mean it was bad.
He goes on to say,
“By letting Cena lose, they make it even harder on the fans that try to support the leader of CeNation. Another loss at WrestleMania shows that WWE is trying to set the stage for something huge.
A John Cena heel turn, to be specific.”
He surmises that Cena will be driven mad by the loss to the Rock, and will become one of the most dominant heels in the business. Wood also suggests the idea of a Cena led nWo stable…OK?…
Let me take a page from my dear friend Mr. Ashley Morris, and ask you Mr. Wood, how would the match between Cena and Rock been better? How would you book Cena and Rock at WrestleMania?
If many members of the always disgruntled IWC would stop whining long enough to open their eyes, look around, and think a little critically, they may see a little into the WWE’s thinking.
Now let’s try this “full circle” thing out. This is strictly my opinion, so I may be very wrong at this, but this is what I think.
Earlier, I mentioned that the WWE is taking full advantage of the social media world and is getting into the minds of their fans.
We as fans don’t recognize it because we have never seen it before! There has never been a social media era in the world before the past decade.
So for all those waiting and wanting a Cena heel turn…What Are You Waiting For? He is already there!!!
Welcome to the Reality Era of the WWE!
How is John Cena a heel? I’ll explain.
The classic heel is defined as a wrestler that may exhibit immoral behavior, wrestle a face, and/or exhibits unlikable personality traits.
Immoral behavior:
During his feud with Kane, he was supposed to ‘embrace the hate’, and he refused to. Kane stated that they only way that Cena would beat him, is if he embraced the hate. Some will say that Cena never did, but I remember one incident with Jack Swagger where he just brutalized him for no obviously apparent reason. He found joy in his pain…
Also, Cena is married and Zack Ryder was his “broski”, yet when he and Eve made-out, not only did he NOT push Eve away, he put his arm around the back of her head. Even worse, when they were done, he didn’t exhibit any form of regret or discomfort, he asked, “What was that for?”
Golddigger?…maybe…HOE!?!…NO!!!
When Eve is caught in her plan, Cena calls her a “Skank” a “Hoski” and insinuated that she had a STD when she never even kissed Zack Ryder, let alone slept with anyone. Isn’t that slander?
Wrestling a Babyface Adversary:
brock-lesnar-returns-to-wwe-raw-april-2-2012-26012329
First, The Rock, and now Brock Lesnar? Unless they plan on Brock cutting an awesome rant against the fans of the WWE, he is going to be cheered against Cena by the vast majority.
Exhibiting Unlikeable Traits:
Regardless of how seemingly tired the fans are of him, he refuses to change! Just this past Monday, he made a point to say that even though he lost at Mania, that when he should lash out at the fans and make a “Heel Turn”, as if he was in an “I Quit” match, he said “No!”
How is that a Heel move? He refuses to do for the fans, and continues to do for himself. He will do what it takes to win for himself.
When he and The Rock were verbally going at it, The Rock exclaimed that all that he does is for the entertainment of “The People”. Cena’s response was that he was doing it for all the guys in the back, or the guys that were like him.
Not to mention, that Cena is not relatable. He never backed up against the wall, and has become admittingly cocky. “I never thought about losing,” he proclaimed in response to losing to The Rock at WM 28. Is that not cocky?
The WWE is a business. How do you make Cena a heel while maintaining his image that allows him to do great things for the community, keep a celebrity status, and sell his merchandise? Don’t change Cena, change the audience.
The largest demographic that seems to not like John Cena are Males aged 15 and up, which is also the leading demographic of fans from the “Attitude Era”.
The WWE has marketed many “Attitude Era” fans back into the fold, while sustaining the “PG Era” fans by having this ethical battle between Cena and The Rock. Not to mention their use of the term “Era” with WrestleMania.
Triple H and The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell Match with Shawn Michaels as the Guest Referee?!? (Michaels gets two points for both being Shawn Michaels, and Shawn Michaels being the Guest Referee) There’s more Attitude in that match than a national PMS convention.
Also, did anyone else notice that The Rock, Big Show, and Kane were all victorious at WM 28? In fact, the only Attitude Alumnae in singles competition that wasn’t victorious was Chris Jericho.
Point being, the WWE lured many older males back to the regular fanbase in order to achieve the “Heel” status for Cena without risking him lose fans, or the WWE lose money.
Donald Wood did make one very good point in his piece.
“Rock didn’t need to win at WrestleMania, but the fact that he did proves that there is something much bigger brewing below the surface.”
With that being said, how about you start digging deeper in thought and try to see the bigger picture instead of trying to paint your own. (Lesson I learned from The Scholar)
Thanks for reading
The Right Reverend Showtime
P.S.
For all the Smark IWC Conservationalists out there that are screaming, “SEE! I TOLD YOU THE ATTITUDE ERA NEEDED TO COME BACK!” You are very WRONG! The Attitude Era doesn’t need to come back, and it isn’t back, but it does help to have some of the talent from that era return to both educate and entertain. #TeamBroughtIt
The Miz Can’t Handle the Truth!!!
"Look! He's okay! He's Okay! Please don't cry! Don't tell mama and daddy either!"
Fans all across the internet have been weighing in on this subject and I felt it was far overdue for Mr. Morris to throw his two cents into the fray.
In case you’ve been living under a bridge or “engrossed” in TNA’s product (both highly unlikely, by the way), the current story making its way around the internet is the current status of WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin.
This past Monday on RAW, Miz was involved in a match with several other superstars, including his former kayfabe BFF R-Truth. At one point in the match R-Truth executed a flip dive to the outside of the ring, and as usual with these types of maneuvers the superstar on the outside of the ring is in position to catch the diving superstar…i.e. R-Truth.
Miz was that superstar…and Miz did not catch R-Truth, which resulted in the latter having to be helped to the back after landing hard on his tailbone/lower back (something very few people are mentioning) and bouncing his head off of the lightly padded floor.
Here’s the video from the incident:
When I saw the spot, I immediately pointed an accusatory finger towards The Miz and screamed loudly, “What the hell, James?!?!” At that point I figured that Miz was in a buttload of trouble for not catching Truth, not to mention he looked like a weenie for moving out of the way.
I held my peace on the matter because I didn’t know exactly how to approach the situation. Pro wrestling is a risky business; getting in the ring is hazardous by itself, and accidents are bound to happen occasionally. Therefore this whole incident is, on one hand, just an occupational hazard. Sh*t happens, you know?
But then I started reading what fans were saying about the whole incident, particularly that it was R-Truth’s fault for botching the dive…and that’s when I got pissed…
Watch the damn video again…
CLEARLY R-Truth waited for Miz to acknowledge that he was about to jump over the rope. CLEARLY R-Truth cleared the top rope and didn’t catch his foot, arms, legs or hands on anything during his vault. CLEARLY Miz moved out of the way as Truth made his descent towards the floor.
How in the world is any of that R-Truth’s fault???
Pro wrestling is a dangerous business as I said before, and accidents will happen regardless of how well the men and women protect themselves during the bouts. But when these superstars step in between the ropes, there’s an unwritten code that dictates they will protect each other’s lives as much as possible all the while entertaining the fans.
This means, as I heard it long ago, that when Wrestler A picks up Wrestler B, it’s Wrestler A’s responsibility and duty to put Wrestler B back on the ground safely. The same applies when fools toss themselves over the ropes; you gotta be there to catch them flying bodies!
This is why during the ever so popular Money In the Bank Ladder Match you will see 7/8 of the individuals in the fray inexplicably crowding around each other when the eighth dude starts climbing the turnbuckles or ladder. They’re doing so because they have to be there to catch the guy that’s attempting to pull a high-risk maneuver out of his ass!
Miz did not do that on Monday and thus received the verbal spanking that he earned for failing to not only catch Truth, but also moving out of the damn way when Truth sailed through the air with the greatest of ease!
A few notable wrestling figures also chastized Miz via Twitter for his actions, and word on the street has it that Triple H chewed him out backstage. I got a feeling that conversation went a little like this:
Triple H - "What the hell were you doing out there?!?!? Ron coulda died!!!"
Miz - "I sowwy..."
Here’s the brass tax: I’m in no way, shape, or position to point an accusatory finger at the Miz for what happened should have happened when Truth jumped over the ropes. On the contrary, I am in a comfortable position to call a spade a spade and jump down the throats of those who willingly choose to be stupid…
Accidents will happen as long as superstars continue to wrestle to entertain us. But just like in other professions, some injuries can actually be avoided if the workers take the proper precautions to insure they don’t intentially cause harm to their fellow workers.
Saying it was R-Truth’s fault is like saying he had no business jumping over the top rope. Saying he had no business jumping over the top rope is like saying the match should’ve stayed inside the ring. If the match stayed inside the ring, it would’ve been boring; if the main event was boring, fans start to complain. If the fans complain, then we end up with the same silly and inane dribble that gives Mr. Gammon and the Right Rev. Showtime the cannon fodder that fuels their posts here.
Nobody wants that; one of my favorite phrases comes from the classic Steven Segal movie Marked for Death: “Everybody wan’ go to heaven, nobody wan’ die.” The fact is that if Truth didn’t take that spot, fans would’ve been all over the match for being boring and pointless.
Yet he takes the spot and gets the blame for Miz moving out of the way. We’re supposed to simply accept that as “accidents happen?”
An “accident” killed Owen Hart.
An “accident” paralyzed Darren Drozdov.
An “accident” shortened Stone Cold Steve Austin’s career considerably.
If Miz’s negligence was simply an “accident,” then perhaps he should reconsider his career options and take his sheepish followers with him. Because that, my friends, was the type of accident that could’ve easily been avoided if the man didn’t move out of the way.
For the record, the man in the following video is Sim Snuka. He was out of position too when he was supposed to catch The Undertaker. Just an accident, right?
He was fired from the WWE shortly after that.
Rumblin’ RAW Review: 1-30-12 a.k.a. “BAH GAWD!!!”
Wow…
Seriously…wow…
I’m not sure how YOU felt about Sunday night’s Royal Rumble, but I knew well in advance that something was up when I became more interested in seeing the post-Rumble RAW than I was in watching the Silver Anniversary pay per view spectacle that featured the classic 30 man over-the-top-rope brawl.
And boy was I on the money…
Believe it or not, those thoughts made me more on the money than I usually am (for those of you that know my most notorious pseudonym, the pun was intended).
For example: my good friend DJ Rallo asked me to participate in a roundtable discussion prior to the Rumble for his site, The Sharp Shooter Press (shameless plug). The very first question asked who we felt was the most likely person to win the Rumble. Here, in brief, was my response…
The Royal Rumble is such a HUGE match that I typically never take guesses at who’s the odds on favorite to win, especially seeing as there’s a 1 out of 30 chance that I’ll be “right” and rarely do people ever like to be “wrong.” However in this instance (seeing I was asked), I’ll say that I feel Sheamus has a good chance of being this year’s winner.
But of course that is vastly different from what I said about a week ago in my Talking Points piece about the importance of the Rumble:
Not only that, but this year’s rumble is taking place in Randy Orton’s hometown of St. Louis, MI. Add to that the fact that he’s been out with an “injury,” and all signs seemingly point to [Orton] sliding in later in the match and pulling it off.
For the record, I called the Sheamus thing long ago and that makes me a winner. Wanna fight about it?
All that speculative talk aside, Sheamus is indeed the 2012 Royal Rumble winner and will move forward to face the champion of his choosing at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, Florida. More important is the fact that the Rumble is the beginning of the “Road to WrestleMania,” and while the actual pay per view was mediocre or miss depending on who you’re talking to, last night’s RAW provided the surge of energy needed to make this annual road trip seem like a big effing deal.
Not only did last night’s RAW feature good in-ring wrestling, but also gave fans several reasons to hope and believe that this year’s “Grandaddy of them all” will be far better than that thing they did a year ago in Atlanta…
So as usual, here are the few points that I picked up on and felt were the most important things during the show:
- CM Punk + Daniel Bryan + Chris Jericho = Change of Shorts
- I CALLED THE UNDERTAKER THING…after I realized what was happening
- Triple H is the new…Hulk…Hogan…? ::confused face::
- Dear Kharma: Please Save Us. XOXO, Ash (smiley face)
- Did ANYONE see Epico get eliminated from the Rumble???
When it was announced at the top of the show that CM Punk would be facing Daniel Bryan in a Champion vs. Champion match, my Twitter time line exploded with fans having markgasms about the match; I’m not ashamed to admit I was in that group as well.
Most were worried that the match wouldn’t be given an adequate amount of time, and surprisingly enough it was. Most complained that the match wasn’t the main event, but as indy wrestler Joey Image pointed out, the ever so important second hour of the show (which is just as important as the overrun, but more on that later) featured these two wrestlers going at it.
After that, the only thing some fans had to complain about was the fact that no one referenced the Code of Honor handshake before the match began; William H. Macy, can you guys puhleeeze grow up?
In any case, the bout when well over the average five to seven minute mark, but the ending is what really sold the story line. Daniel Bryan gains the victory via DQ when Chris Jericho runs out, tosses him into the fan barricade, then proceeds to deliver the Codebreaker to CM Punk. Methinks Mr. Quinn Gammon was right.
And we should’ve known this was coming from the start of the episode. CM Punk literally said “Best In the World” at least one time every time he was in whispering distance of a microphone. It’s so beautiful how all of this is starting to come together; think about it:
- CM Punk is the “Best In the World”;
- The “It Begins” viral videos promised us that the “world” as we knew it was coming to an end.
- Chris Jericho returns, will make sure as the “world” that CM Punk is the “best in” will come to an end…
- 2 + 2 = 4
"Smells like Teen Spirit."
Keep in mind that Laurinaitis’ job is still on the fence, and we may see a new GM come into play sometime soon seeing as Triple H is attempting to not allow his personal business to interfere with his work. Is it possible that the infamous “she” could be a returning Stephanie McMahon Helmsley?
Speaking of Triple H, his epic silent stare down with The Undertaker once again left us salivating at our television screens. I wasn’t thrilled about the third installment of Trips and Taker, nor was I pleased with the thought of the possibility of Trips defeating Taker this year.
What made my night was the conversation I had with DiZ before Trips walked up the ramp, paused, and disappeared behind the curtain. For the first time I can remember, The Undertaker was the aggressor in his usual WrestleMania match.
What I’m saying is that usually the WWE superstars come gunning after Taker in order to end the famous streak. Last night, however, Taker entered the ring and issued the challenge to Triple H with his signature throat slash. I’m very positive it has happened before, but can you remember the last time Taker challenged someone for WrestleMania?
From that perspective it was easy to see that Trips wasn’t going to accept Taker’s challenge. The man just spent ten minutes explaining to Johnny Ace how the GM position corrupts good people because they allow personal vendettas to cloud their decision making abilities. Why on earth would this new, reformed Triple H accept any kind of challenge given to him by Taker or any other wrestler in the company?
"I want YOU, Rocky Balboa!!!"
This puts a different spin on Taker’s classic match at WrestleMania. As I put it to DiZ last night, it’s one thing to kick over an anthill and leave yourself vulnerable to ant bites; it’s a completely different thing to open kitchen cabinet to find ants swarming around an open box of Oreo cookies.
The Undertaker has spent most of the streak defending it, but for him to bring the streak to the table himself gives his opponent an advantage that superstars prior never had. Trips took Taker to the limit last year, leaving the Deadman to be carried out by refs and medical assistants. Taker this year has something to prove, the desire to show that he’s stronger than ever and that he’s willing to put the streak on the line to boot.
But pride always comes before the fall, and if Taker attacks Trips with that same fury and wrath, he could easily make one mistake in the heat of the moment, allowing Trips to capitalize and be the first (and perhaps ONLY) superstar to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Interestingly enough, the last time we saw Triple H was at December’s TLC pay per view. You remember his match, the slow motion one against Kevin Nash? I just found it interesting that after disappearing for a month he shows back up to one of the better show’s RAW has had in 2012 and 2011. Even the promos for the show were slightly built around his return to RAW.
Seemed a bit Hogan-like to me, brother. But again, maybe I’m analyzing it a little too deeply. It is a little suspect, though; if Trips accepts the challenge, he’ll be the first man in history to face The Undertaker 3 times at WrestleMania, and he just may be the first and only man to beat him. Hulk Hogan was/is notorious for pulling similar stunts for his own benefit, and Trips is one of the better backstage politicians in sports entertainment today.
I’m just saying…if it happens, you heard it here first from Mr. Ashley Morris.
The ten second Diva match between Beth Phoenix and Eve for the Divas Championship was atrocious even by Divas match standards. Many of the folks in my Twitter time line expected Kharma to return to TV and tan Phoenix’s fanny. Alas that didn’t happen and we were subject to another week of foolishness.
Call me a Diva Division Apologist, but I get why the WWE chooses to parade models around the ring instead of actual women wrestlers. I get it, I understand it, and really don’t agree with it. The thing that irks me is that these women can be used to do what they’re doing now in ways that aren’t as disrespectful as what we’re witnessing now.
My question is this: who in sweet cream on an ice cream sandwich is responsible for the Divas’ training and booking? When Fit Finlay was doing it, this type of s**t wouldn’t go down; too bad they fired Finlay.
I read somewhere in passing (no link provided) that Kharma gave birth to her baby on December 31. If this is true, congratulations to her and her growing family! If she decides to return to pro wrestling, particularly to the WWE, I pray to the wrestling gods (JBL and Ric Flair) that they look favorably upon us and allow her to beat the holy heck back into this dying division. For the love of Verne Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel, and all 17 iterations of the Four Horsemen, PLEAAAASSSEEEE stop the madness with the Divas!
Just in case JBL and Flair are busy at the moment, I would also like to propose this: if ANYBODY from the WWE is reading this post, how about you take the next picture and flash it on the wall whenever you’re booking a show and think about throwing some Divas action in there…
Self Explanatory
And finally, there were three of us (myself, Diz, and Pastah Showtime) that never saw Epico get eliminated from the Rumble. 1) How embarrassing is that for Epico, and 2) are we the only ones that didn’t see him get eliminated?
All in all, last night’s episode of RAW was well done and exciting from top to bottom. Great way to start the Road to WrestleMania.
That’s it for me; what did YOU think of the show?
Likes and Dislikes: Royal Rumble 2012 & The Raw After
I’m going to get right to it. Last night was the twenty fifth anniversary of the WWE Royal Rumble. It was a huge show which put us on the direct path to Wrestlemania. I don’t have a whole lot to say on the matter simply because I have quit analyzing something that I’ve started losing interest in. When it comes to WWE programming these days, I may watch or I may not, but it’s no longer must see TV for me for various reasons I’m not getting into. Marching on…
Likes
- I liked the opening match. Daniel Bryan continues to do his thing though in a way, he’s coming off as very CM Punk circa “The time he was built to run Jeff Hardy out of the WWE-ish” but maybe that’s just me. The match wasn’t very long, but it was a decent way to kick off the show.
- Brodus Clay actually being on the show. I’m sure this little spot helps him gain more followers. I don’t hate his character but it doesn’t exactly appeal to me either. However, I’ve heard more people praise his character; most feeling that he’s a breath of fresh air in a company where “characters” are few and far between.
- Punk versus Mr. Ziggles. Great match overall. It was very entertaining. Both men put on a great match while Mr. Laurinitis being ringside added to the suspense. Punk prevailed and is stil WWE Champion as it should be. No complaints here.
- The Rumble match isn’t something I necessarily judge. I mean you’ve got a bunch of folks trying to toss each other over the ropes so what’s there to judge? Some people argue that there should/should not be more special guests, but I don’t care about any of that. Sheamus won the match and Kingston had a nice little spot, but the fact that Sheamus won and not Santino makes me happy.
- Kharma. I don’t know if she’s back for good or what, but just seeing her face made my night.
- Cena and Kane. Their match served it’s purpose and thus made you wonder if Kane can be stopped, especially after what he did to Eve and Ryder.
- Those video packages about Cena and the Rock, but I’m mainly referring to Cena’s package. It had all of his Make-A-Wish deeds, kids and just many things that made you feel all warm inside. It had fans who loved him and some who say they dislike him, but respect him. Cena says he’ll never change so it adds to the suspense of whether or not he will embrace the hate or rise above it?
Dislikes
- Drew McIntyre. I get that they needed to have Brodus Clay squash somebody but poor Drew. Will he ever win a match again?
- The Divas match but what else is new?
- Michael Cole being in the Rumble. Then again, I guess it was worth it to have Kharma scare the tar out of him.
Again, pretty solid show despite all the complaints I’ve heard from some people. I’m really unsure what folks were expecting. Jericho, while he as never won the Royal Rumble before, he didn’t exactly need to win. Orton’s already a huge star so I was happy for Sheamus. I like the guy and I think he has a long career ahead of him which brings us to Raw.
Likes
- The opening segment featuring Ace, Punk, Bryan and Sheamus. Ace promised a pretty stacked wrestling show as well as announced the participants for the Elimination Chamber pay per view, but the one thing that got everyone’s attention immediately was the announcement of Punk vs Bryan later. Sheamus eventually interrupted the segment to remind everyone that at Wrestlemania he would be facing one of the two. Good segment.
- Punk against Bryan. Excellent match given the time. Both men put on a wrestling clinic as they say though I wish they wouldn’t have cut to commercial in the middle of it. The match ended in a DQ which is cool since it’s a match that I’d like to see at a future pay per view.
- Chris Jericho finally making a move. For weeks he’s been trolling the fans, walking out during matces having never wrestled and just being silly. Tonight he attacked CM Punk in the midst of his match against Bryan. Now we know why Jericho came back. Or at least we might have a general idea. Can’t wait to see where this goes.
- Miz versus Kingston with Truth on commentary. Another solid match that I can’t complain about. Kingston getting the clean win probably doesn’t do much for Miz, but it means Kingston has a fighting chance in the Chamber. Truth was mildly funny on commentary that was pretty distracting all evening.
- Cena/Kane/Eve segment. Nice seeing Cena all happy as he beat the hell out of Kane with mics and steel steps.
- Triple H. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud as Ace put on his chapstick to kiss H’s ass.
- The Taker. I’ve been missing him despite the fact that I loathe his streak. I’m team “The Streak Must Die” but his return is more than welcomed.
Dislikes
- The commentary. Cole with Lawler distract me. They need to fix this. I came close several times turning off my television because it was giving me a headache.
- The 10 second Diva’s match. Granted it served it’s purpose but I still think they ought to give the women a chance to really wrestle, even if its just on Smackdown. I sure hope Kharma isn’t going to be booked so badly.
Overall solid show with an ending that unfortunately makes me want to watch next week. I say this because I haven’t been watching regularly because the product doesn’t appeal to me like it used to but that’s not up for discussion. Until next time… whenever that will be.
- T
