Author Archive

Sound Off 231: Addressing The Kamala Story & Wrestler’s Rescue

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 231)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Solomonster addresses the Kamala controversy and thinks the truth likely lays somewhere in the middle, but is still disgusted by the comments made by the same people who are supposedly so interested in “helping” him. 231 also features a look at a LONG episode of Raw, including a plea to John Cena and advice for WWE on how to make sure they don’t kill the AJ character so quickly, as well as thoughts on Johnny Ace resigning due to “burnout”, Steve Austin’s reaction to Bruno Sammartino’s harsh words about him and Claire Lynch’s acting on Impact. Seriously, porn stars are more believable than she is.

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Sound Off 230: TNA’s Comical Push of Edd…I mean Chavo

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 230)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 13 minutes

Solomonster has a FULL review of Raw 1000 from last Monday, a show he feels is being criticized a bit too harshly. Looking at CM Punk’s heel turn, Rock getting a Rumble title shot, the reason for Stone Cold’s absence and how he SHOULD have been booked on the show, an AWFUL wedding payoff and a depressing Undertaker story. Plus, a better choice for who TNA could have picked as Impact’s new GM, Chavo Guerrero’s ridiculous push on TV, Velvet Sky’s departure and is Bully Ray on his way out as well?

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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Sound Off 229: Will We See A New Face During Monday’s Wedding?

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 229)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Solomonster has live thoughts from last night’s TNA BaseBrawl show in Brooklyn, including praise for Jeff Hardy, and a somewhat ho-hum edition of Impact with Aces & Eights attacking the world. Plus, thoughts on the MITB PPV and this week’s Raw 1000 show, including ideas for how to book the AJ/Daniel Bryan wedding, Brock Lesnar’s return and the main event finish with John Cena and CM Punk.

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MAILBAG: Will Cena Rank Among The Greats Like Hogan & Austin?

SEScoops Mailbag for July 21st

(please submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: What happened with Jeff Hardy in 2008-09? He was chasing Triple H for the WWE championship on three consecutive PPVs and finally won it at Armageddon and lost it at Royal Rumble only a month later. Same thing in the summer with CM Punk. Was there a suspension when he left the company or did he just want to leave? – Dave M.

A: I think Hardy winning the title at Armageddon was done just as a feel good moment. I was never of the impression that they intended for him to be champion heading into WrestleMania or anything, especially after he burned the company a year earlier by getting suspended right before he was scheduled to win Money in the Bank at WM24. When Hardy left in the summer of 2009, that was because he refused to sign a new contract and wanted out. His contract actually expired in June, but he agreed to sign an extension and wrestle a few extra months to help put Punk over.

Q: I’ve been watching TNA Impact this summer and have to say I’m impressed. I love the way they’ve used Aries, Daniels, Ion and the BFG series just to name a few. However, I think I’ve figured out what they’re up to with Aces and Eights after watching last week’s Impact. Obviously this group brings back recollections of the early nWo days. I think Eric and Hulk are trying to re-create the earlier “Outsider” version of the nWo. Aces and Eights are being built to be a darker and more edgy version of the early nWo, which I think could be great. What do you think? – Bill from Ohio

A: Darker, perhaps. But only because they’re dressed in riot gear and made to look like terrorists. Frankly, I think the original nWo concept was more edgy in that it was made out to be an invasion by a rival promotion, at least until WWE took WCW to court and forced them to stop deceiving their audience into thinking they were actually invading. Ratings were up for Impact this week and this Aces and Eights group was all over the show, so perhaps it will get more people interested.

Q: Do you think with [Raw going] three hours every week that we will see actual Diva matches and not 2 minutes of crap? I remember back in the day when they used to go to commercial during Diva matches! – Cristian Anaya

A: Really? Maybe there were a few Alundra Blaze matches on Raw in the mid-90’s that ran through a commercial break, but I honestly don’t ever remember that happening with too many women’s matches. As much as I’d like to see them give the Divas a chance to actually, you know, wrestle, I still don’t see them giving them much more time, even with three hours. I fear their priority will be more comedy skits, Tout videos and Twitter trends.

Q: I have read multiple stories about why Mr. Kennedy was released by WWE. Do you know what actually happened and what WWE’s official story was? – Malcolm Kelly, London, England

A: There was never any “official” story from WWE beyond them wishing him well in his future endeavors. In reality, many main event performers (allegedly John Cena and Shawn Michaels were among them) that worked with Kennedy complained to management about him being a reckless worker and hurting people. The incident on Raw where he dropped Randy Orton wrong on a suplex and Orton chewed him out in front of everyone backstage was the final straw.

Sound Off 228: Ranking The Top 30 Moments in Raw History!

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 228)

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Est. Runtime: 2 hours, 30 minutes

In honor of Monday Night Raw celebrating its 1000th episode next week, The Solomonster has taken the time to painstakingly rank the top 30 greatest moments in Raw history, dating all the way back to 1993! This was no easy task. For all of the horrible moments we’ve had to endure, there have been far too many great moments to count, from the 1-2-3 Kid’s upset win over Razor Ramon to Brock Lesnar’s triumphant return earlier this year, and all of the Austin/McMahon hijinx in between. Condensing them into a list of just 30 is bound to cause some spirited debate.

With two and a half hours of audio, this GIANT edition of the Solomonster Sounds Off ranks each moment from #30 all the way up to #1, providing some historical context for them along the way. You’ll find many of the moments you expect, several you would not and some that you may have forgotten about. This is NOT a list of greatest matches, even though there may be some matches highlighted here, but rather, moments that include superstar debuts, returns, rants, retirements, invasions and more. All of them are worth going out of your way to see.

Before you enjoy Raw 1000 next Monday, download Sound Off 228 and be reminded of the moments that helped WWE reach such a milestone!

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Sound Off 227: I Wish The Anonymous GM Had Stayed Anonymous

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 227)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 31 minutes

Solomonster previews Money in the Bank and talks Destination X, Austin Aries winning the TNA Title, the DirecTV blackout, Kenny King jumping ship from ROH to TNA, an embarrassing edition of Raw with the Anonymous Raw GM revealed (I wish he had stayed anonymous), Kharma’s WWE status and an announcement about a special Sound Off coming later this week in honor of Raw’s 1000th episode!

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Sound Off 226: Bonus Show With More on Bruno’s HOF Rejection

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 226)

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Est. Runtime: 43 minutes

Solomonster is back with a BONUS show for the Fourth of July! Episode 226 covers “Raw is AJ” from Monday night, who she should end up with and it’s not Punk or Bryan, Zack Ryder’s big night on Super Smackdown, more on Bruno Sammartino turning down WWE’s Hall of Fame invite, his conversation with Triple H and who WWE will likely be turning to as a second choice (if they haven’t called him already).

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Sound Off 225: Is There a Diva Revolt Taking Place in WWE?

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 225)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 31 minutes

Solomonster talks about attending a WWE “Be A Star” rally, John Cena entering Money in the Bank and whether his match will headline the PPV, Psycho Sid’s return, Maxine quits WWE and the Diva revolt that appears to be taking place, Ryback squashes one of our listeners, Bray Wyatt suffers an injury, great X Division action on Impact and thoughts on the greatness of Macho Man vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII!

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JOHN CENA’s TOP 10 MATCHES: The Champ Is (STILL) Here

The Champ Is (Still) Here, 10 Years Later!

LOOKING AT JOHN CENA’S TOP 10 GREATEST MATCHES
by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

On June 27, 2002, a star was born. On that day, a young John Cena made his Smackdown debut, answering Kurt Angle’s open challenge and nearly defeating the Olympic gold medalist in his very first match. Ten years later, there is no performer more popular or valuable to WWE’s bottom line than Cena. From the t-shirts he sells to the endless amount of promotional work he does, to all of the Make-A-Wish kids he finds time to meet with, he is the ideal ambassador for the company. Now, normally, I would follow up a statement like that with something to the effect of, “…in spite of his skills as a pro wrestler.” And while nobody will ever mistake Cena for a modern day Bret Hart or Tiger Mask, when you look back at his body of work, it is almost shockingly impressive.

Is Cena actually underrated as a performer? Or has he just been fortunate enough to find himself in the ring opposite some great workers? I’d say it’s a bit of both. Fact is, more often than not, he delivers on the big stage. Don’t believe me? In honor of Cena’s milestone decade in WWE, I have decided to rank his top 10 best matches. There is no set criteria for this, and of course it is all very subjective, but I think you would be hard pressed to compile a better list of matches that exemplify Cena at his best.

10. Cena vs. Kurt Angle, Smackdown 6/27/02

This was the period where Vince McMahon was touting “Ruthless Aggression” as a way to motivate young talents to get themselves noticed on TV. Kurt Angle, coming off a rare submission victory over Hulk Hogan, came out to issue an open challenge to anyone in the locker room he had never wrestled before. Out came John Cena, or at least someone RESEMBLING John Cena as this man was wearing actual wrestling trunks! And boots! Jorts and sneakers, be damned. Angle proceeded to do something we don’t see enough of these days. In the course of ten minutes, he made Cena look like a worthy opponent and put the young kid over like a million bucks. Cena made a good showing for himself too, busting out moves I don’t think we’ve seen him do since, and though Angle won, he did so barely and looked like he had just been in a war. As far as debuts go, this is one of the stronger ones in WWE history.

Sound Off 224: Impact Takes A Step Back With AWFUL Finale

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 224)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Solomonster talks about two very different anniversaries this week, plus gives thoughts on No Way Out, a suggestion for the MITB main event, the new NXT, Triple H the World’s Worst Executive, Michael Cole’s nasty habit, an AWFUL final segment on Impact and TNA misleading its audience with the latest Gut Check contestant.

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MAILBAG: Aliens Have Landed, What Match Do You Show Them?

SEScoops Mailbag for June 21st

(please submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: The return of Triple H at MSG in 2002, from his first quadriceps injury, is still considered by many is one of the biggest returns. The reaction he got was tremendous, and for a man who was a heel when he was injured, many say that kind of pop was amazing. Do you agree with this? Is that one of the best returns and crowd reactions in WWE/F? Where would you rank it? – Jeff T.

A: It definitely ranks way up there. You know you’ve gotten one hell of a reaction when your music has to loop twice. I still think Hulk Hogan’s return to Smackdown in early 2003 got a better reaction, but these things are subjective. The one thing that always bugs me is when HHH, in interviews, tries to convince us that he was really worried nobody would remember him when he walked through the curtain. That’s quite a stretch.

Q: If WWE ditched the whole Ryback robot cyborg deal and made him a powerhouse and used his real name, do you think he would end up rising to be a main eventer one day? – Kyle Gray

A: Why would WWE ditch the gimmick? Isn’t he already a powerhouse? He throws jobbers through the air and out of view on my TV screen. Using his real name won’t make a difference. If anything, I think we need more one-word gimmick names for pro wrestlers. It worked pretty well for guys like Undertaker, Kane, Vader, Sting and others. I also think someone on the roster needs to step up and challenge this man and refer to him as Ry-bread instead, kind of like how Chris Jericho used to refer to Howard Finkel as “Harold” and Michael Cole as “Mitchell”. Then have Ry-bread destroy that person. This came to me in a vision and must happen.

Q: Do you think by any chance Paul Heyman will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year? – Ravonn from New York

A: No, I don’t see that happening next year. I know it’s in New York, but it’s too early to see them putting him in. He does deserve to be inducted for his work both as a performer and a promoter, but if he’s still an on-air representative of Brock Lesnar heading into WrestleMania, it would make absolutely no sense for Heyman to receive such an honor right now. Hell, he’s got two lawsuits pending against the company!

Sound Off 223: Predictions For No Way Out, TNA Continues To Roll

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 223)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 52 minutes

Solomonster returns with predictions for No Way Out, Vince McMahon’s return (and demise) on Raw, why Monday’s show was an ominous sign for Raw’s move to three hours, thoughts on a very enjoyable TNA Slammiversary PPV, why Sting should never go to WWE, the greatness that is Joseph Park ESQUIRE, why Impact is clicking on all cyclinders right now, Chris Sabin’s injury and more.

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Sound Off 222: A Long Overdue Rant on The State of WWE

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 222)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 16 minutes

This week, Solomonster discusses last night’s boxing atrocity, TNA Slammiversary, another good Impact show and Randy Orton’s career potentially in jeopardy. Then, he loses his cool and unloads on WWE for a week of mass stupidity. He talks about Hunico (yes, Hunico), Hornswoggle mocking JR’s Bells Palsy on Smackdown and what makes it worse than WCW’s Oklahoma angle, the Michael Cole garbage on Raw, even more storyline inconsistencies and a bone to pick with the newest SEScoops Raw reviewer. No time for a mailbag this week, but if you like a good rant, this is the show for you.

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MAILBAG: Which Commentator Deserves a HOF Induction Next?

SEScoops Mailbag for June 10th

(please submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: Just how damaging is it for CM Punk and the WWE Title when an announcer gets to main event RAW, but Punk does not? – Flint in Beijing, China

A: I think Punk said it best on Twitter when he said he’d rather be in the crossover segment at the top of the 10pm hour and tell a good story than be in the main event smearing condiments on another man. It devalues the title more when John Cena is featured in the main event of five straight PPV’s and BOTH World titles are relegated to the undercard. One title would be bad enough, but two? Begs the question of why they even have two in the first place.

Q: Out of all the WrestleMania main events from 1-28, which ones do you think were the best and the worst? – Anonymous

A: For my money, WrestleMania X7 is still, from top to bottom, the best Mania show to date. As for the worst, my vote would be WrestleMania 11. Not a single match above the “good” level on the entire show. Though I must say, as bad as the LT vs. Bam Bam match was (for a Mania main event, as a regular match I’ve seen far worse), I still think Cena vs. Miz at WM27 was worse.

Q: Over the years, there have been many commentators that have been great for the business. Since JR and Lawler are both HOF members, which commentator will go next into the HOF? Also, do you think Joey Styles deserves his place in the HOF? – Eric from CT

A: I don’t particularly care for Styles as an announcer, but do respect the work he did in the original ECW. The minute WWE inducted people like Vince Sr.’s limo driver into the HOF, all bets are offs far as who they can induct. Styles would be as deserving as anyone. Being that Gordon Solie, Gorila Monsoon, Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura are also already in there, I’d argue for a Tony Schiavone induction. Sure, he become something of a parody of himself at the end and was never really in love with the business, but his career spanned close to 20 years, he called many classic matches and was part of WCW’s boom period. Plus, I would take him over Michael Cole any day of the week.

Q: Do you think Vince McMahon will ever buy out another wrestling promotion, and if so, what promotion do you think he would buy out? – Kirk, Fort Worth, TX

A: If he was smart, he would have snatched up Ring of Honor, before Sinclair bought the promotion, and used it as a feeder system for WWE talent. Really, the only other promotion to “buy out” would be TNA when and if the time comes that either Spike TV or Bob Carter pulls the plug. For the sake of wrestling, I hope that doesn’t happen because as the sale of WCW showed, they wouldn’t do much with it besides raiding the tape library for their new network and DVD’s.

Sound Off 221: Impact Wrestling Impresses With Its First Live Show

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 221)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 26 minutes

Solomonster is back from Portland with news on Randy Orton’s latest suspension, when he will return, Don West’s departure from TNA, a full review of Thursday’s live Impact which was a better show than Raw, the greatness of Bully Ray and Joseph Park, the Gut Check challenge, the debut of Brooke Hogan, the Punk vs. Bryan rematch, the awful decision to insert KANE into their match at No Way Out, plus some great mailbag questions. Enjoy the show!

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Sound Off 220: WWE Bears Responsibility For Jericho’s Actions

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Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 220)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 31 minutes

It’s a “Memorial Day Madness” edition of the Sound Off with the latest on Brock Lesnar appearing at last night’s UFC show and possibly returning to MMA, Chris Jericho’s suspension, why it’s too harsh and WWE should bear some responsibility for it, TNA’s lawsuit against WWE, an “Over The Limit” PPV with candidates for both best and worst match of the year, Raw makes no sense, Impact Wrestling impresses, Extreme Rules buyrate disappoints and a GRANDSLAM! What is a grandslam? You’ll have to listen to find out.

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EDITORIAL: Will Three Hours of Raw Be The Downfall of WWE?

LOOKING AT THE REASONS FOR AND AGAINST RAW’S BIG EXPANSION
by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)

On January 26, 1998, WCW Monday Nitro expanded to three hours. Little more than three years later, the company was dead.

Let’s be clear though – adding an extra hour to their flagship program did not, in and of itself, kill WCW. There were many reasons for the company’s demise, two of the biggest factors being its inability to create new stars as more and more talent bailed for WWE, and the horrendous booking decisions made by the never-ending carousel of people in power. No doubt, their need to fill that extra hour was a big blow to a company that had been hot for so long. People grew tired of too much of the same thing and many of them began to turn their attention elsewhere (namely USA Network). So, does this mean that history is about to repeat itself as WWE prepares to permanently expand Monday Night Raw to three hours beginning July 23rd? Not necessarily. I would argue that if handled properly, it could actually be a great benefit to the show. But then I consider WWE’s track record of “doing the right thing” and I begin to worry. Here’s why.

Vince McMahon is taking perhaps his greatest gamble since the first WrestleMania later this year by launching a new 24-hour cable network. That is, if it ever launches. It has already been delayed once and with few, if any, clearances announced, it’s questionable if it will even roll out this fall as is currently scheduled. WWE is pumping many millions of dollars into this network and if it fails, it could be catastrophic for the company. At the same time, WWE and USA are taking a big gamble by expanding Raw to three hours this summer. Sure, if ratings ultimately suffer as a result, they can always go back to the way things were and USA can go back to airing reruns of NCIS in the 8pm hour (which have, at times, actually garnered more viewers than first-run episodes of Raw), but at what cost? Once you start driving viewers away from your product, it is very hard to get those people back. It took TNA some time to get their numbers back to the levels they were at after Impact’s failed move to Monday nights in 2010.

Two big gambles in the course of a year. What if they both fail? Yikes.

There are other things to consider. First, three hours is simply too long for a weekly wrestling show. You want three or four hours for a pay-per-view? No problem, people have been conditioned to expect that and PPV’s only come but once a month (well, most of the time). But three hours of Big Johnny promos, bad comedy and Popeye’s commercials? I shudder to even think about it. Of course, there will be people who read this and complain that if I hate the product so much, why watch? It’s a valid question. I sometimes ask myself that same thing. But then I realize, the only reason I care enough to complain is BECAUSE I am a fan. I want to see the product improve. Adding more television is not the answer. Oversaturation is a big problem when it comes to pro wrestling. Hell, it’s become a huge problem for UFC as well, a product that has arguably been hotter than wrestling for the last several years. Ratings and overall interest in UFC programming has been on the wane, though they still do pop big buyrates for PPV shows that offer compelling fights. If you give people something they want to see, they will tune in. What do you think WWE is going to give its fans with that extra hour of television? According to a press release put out this past week, it will incorporate interactive elements into the show, allowing fans to vote on matches and stipulations they would like to see throughout the broadcast. It is an interesting way to get people invested in the show, but they’ve tried this before with “Taboo Tuesday” and “Cyber Sunday”, both of which failed. It’s probably a better gimmick for free TV anyway, and I don’t have a problem with them trying something new, just like I don’t have a problem with TNA trying new ideas like “Open Fight Night” and the “Gut Check” challenges. But unless WWE changes its booking philosophy, nothing will change and interest in the product is going to continue to dwindle. We’re already starting to see signs of it.

One of the earliest three hour Raw shows I remember was the night they revived the “King of the Ring” tournament concept. William Regal was crowned king that night, but after mowing down Hornswoggle in the opening round and defeating CM Punk in a relatively brief, uneventful match in the finals, I was left disappointed. They had three hours to get those tournament matches over with the audience and failed to do so. It was the same rushed, bland matches they treat us to every week. It didn’t matter that they had all of that extra time. Why use that on in-ring action when we can just script MORE talking! MORE comedy! MORE dance contests! Dolph Ziggler issued a challenge on Twitter this week for an Iron Man match on the 1,000th episode of Raw, which kicks off the new three-hour era. I would love to see him in the ring with a John Cena or CM Punk for 30 minutes in a competitive match, and who knows, maybe we’ll get it. But anyone who doesn’t think things won’t go right back to the way they are now by week four hasn’t been paying attention. It’s going to be more of the same and that is my biggest beef with this move to three hours. It’s to the point now where even bringing back some of the biggest names from the past, men like Brock Lesnar and The Rock, have meant little to ratings. WWE cannot afford more of the same. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

At the risk of sounding all doom and gloom here, there ARE ways to make this work and improve the show overall by adding a third hour. One way of doing this would be to use it as a pre-show to the traditional two hours of Raw. When I say pre-show, I don’t mean Todd Pettengill or Dok Hendrix standing among a mob of fans waving foam fingers counting down until the top of the hour as we anxiously wait to find out if David Otunga’s bowtie will be red or purple this week, I mean a real pre-show. Steal a page from the NFL or NBA and give us studio analysis with the announcers on what we can expect from that evening’s show, an overview of the key storylines, and interviews with the superstars. You can also throw in a few matches, of course, but everything is designed to build to the main two hours and make the show feel special. Of course, WWE hates modeling itself after “real” sports and likely won’t do this. Okay, fine.

I mentioned WCW earlier. Another idea would be to borrow a page from the Nitro playbook and feature cruiserweight talent during the first hour. Again, I know Vince McMahon is not high on the cruiserweights and treated them like a joke for many years, but you cannot argue with the success Eric Bischoff had with them when he put men like Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Juventud Guerrera on TV (one of the few innovative Bischoff ideas) in feature roles. Even better, it would give WWE an opportunity to expose its audience to the smaller talent ahead of their planned cruiserweight show for the new network. That’s right, WWE is planning some sort of program for the channel built around cruiserweights and has already started reaching out to talent for it. It actually makes a lot of sense to try this. What do you have to lose?

Lastly, having an extra 60 minutes (or 40+ not counting commercials) to devote to your program gives you the opportunity to feature longer matches. WWE now has absolutely no excuse to tap into the talent they have on their roster and let them showcase it. Forget those meaningless, three-minute matches that don’t get anyone over. Now, you can let these guys go out there and show what they’re capable of. And while I’m on that subject, it’s a chance for them to show some respect to the Divas division, which is completely useless these days. Have you ever grabbed a stopwatch and timed a typical Divas match on Raw? Well I have and it’s a complete joke. Either do something with the women or scrap the entire division. With an extra hour, there are no more excuses.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Jim Ross and William Regal are the new announce team for NXT. Last time I checked, in this country at least, NXT aired on WWE’s website. Meanwhile, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are responsible for calling the action on Raw. Why not allow JR and Regal to call the 8pm hour of Raw? Both WCW and WWE at various times in their existence have had different announce teams for different hours of a particular show, so why not shake things up a bit and give Ross and Regal a seat (literally) at the table? It might also be a good way of getting people to tune in to NXT, but I don’t get the impression that is a priority of theirs right now. That’s too bad.

Will Raw’s move to three hours on Monday nights spell disaster for wrestling? Sure, long term it could. But as I’ve outlined here, if WWE plays its cards right, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s going to require them to change the way they do things.

Will they? If the past is any indication, I don’t have a great deal of hope.

thesolomonster@gmail.com
@solomonster

Sound Off 219: Raw Moves To Three Hours, Impact Goes Live

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 219)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Raw is expanding to three hours and Solomonster discusses some of the reasons why this could be a good move…and the reasons it likely won’t be. Also, predictions for Over The Limit, a lousy Raw show featuring the most obnoxious John Cena promo of all time, Impact going live for the summer and why it’s a good move, Brooke Hogan joining TNA as head of the Knockouts division, news on the NXT tapings, and remembering Randy Savage one year after his death.

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

MAILBAG: What Happens To WWE When Vince Is Gone?

SEScoops Mailbag for May 18th

(please submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: Why does Triple H never use his “King of Kings” entrance theme? Would it be a good idea to transition to it for his role as an authority figure, yet remain with “The Game” when he competes in matches? – Dustin C.

A: That’s not a bad idea. Actually, I think they should play that theme whenever he walks into Titan Tower.

Q: What do you think is the greatest match we’ve never seen? I think Shawn Michaels vs. The Rock, Bret Hart vs. Kurt Angle, Randy Savage vs. CM Punk, and Mr. Perfect vs. Daniel Bryan are some of them. – Steve from NY

A: There are far too many to name. I had always been partial to a tag match pitting Bret and Owen Hart against Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, but any of your suggestions would have been excellent.

Q: Was anyone else pissed that Brock [Lesnar] completely disrespected the pro wrestling industry at Extreme Rules? We bought the PPV so that we can see him wrestle and put on a decent match and he actually delivered a full blown MMA match. If I wanted to see MMA, I would [watch] UFC, not WWE. Although he shocked us and the match was interesting, the only wrestling move he tried to do he botched, so my question is…is Brock overrated [to the point they’re] willing to change the product they present to us? – Stavros A.

A: This is pro wrestling. Moreover, it’s the heavily scripted WWE of 2012. Do you really think Lesnar went out there, in his MMA gear no less, and without anybody suspecting anything, “shot” all over John Cena? Come on, you’re smarter than that. The match was designed that way and I thought they did an excellent job with it. It was so different than anything else the company has ever done and came at a time when many fans are craving something different. Lesnar’s perceived disrespect of wrestling is a work of fiction, and he obviously has done his job well.

Q: With his [TNA] contract up at the end of the year, do you think next year we will see the match everyone has wanted to see since the end of WCW with Sting vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania? – Brian from Ohio

A: I believe Sting will retire in TNA. I do think he will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame once his affiliation with TNA comes to an end, and will likely get a nice DVD out of it too, but last year was there chance to pull the trigger on a match with Undertaker and they didn’t do it.

Q: I just saw Big Show get fired and I was wondering, why didn’t he just knock Johnny Ace out before he got fired? Remember in 2009 when Vince [McMahon] wanted to fire Randy Orton his comments about Stephanie? Randy slapped and punted poor old Vince and saved his job. Why didn’t Big Show do the same? – Trust S.

A: Storyline continuity has never been WWE’s strong suit. The McMahon/Orton angle really made no sense if you think about it because Vince had already decided to fire Orton and was about to announce it when Randy decided to pummel him. Yet, he never actually left. You’re right, Big Show should have maintained his dignity and knocked out Laurinaitis with a punch. If he returns and goes heel on Sunday, it still makes no sense unless he does so against his will as a way to get his job back, and even then, it’s still a flawed storyline. But I will give the big guy credit, he’s got some acting chops on him.

Q: Vince McMahon mentioned in an interview once that when he finally passes on, WWE would not be left with just one person in charge, but that various people would assume the different roles that Vince himself assumes today. Will that create problems for the future similar to those that WCW suffered? I’ve heard that the bureaucratic nature and lack of a singular leadership within WCW (and to an extent, Time-Warner after the merger) made it difficult, if not impossible, to get anything done because there were so many different people in charge, and that was a factor that helped kill WCW. Would the void left by Vince’s departure create a similar problem for WWE? – Rob

A: Anytime you go from having a central figure of authority to a committee of sorts, you’re going to run into problems. Too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. WCW went through a laundry list of top executives throughout its existence, whereas WWE has been pretty stable with one guy leading the way, that being Vince McMahon. No matter how much influence his daughter or son-in-law may try to wield, the buck still stops with him. Once he’s gone, if you’re left with 5 or 6 different people taking over some of his many responsibilities, it’s going to be a mess because Vince has his hand in everything the company does. If Triple H and Stephanie assert themselves early on and make it clear that all decisions ultimately go through them, that will certainly help. Even with his questionable creative decisions, I do worry about what might happen to the company once he’s gone. But the fact is, they still make enough money to where even if there were problems, as long as they stay on TV, it would be years and years before they would ever be in jeopardy of meeting a fate similar to WCW.

Q: Will WWE ever end this PG era? It’s really boring and annoying. – Mutaher from Pakistan

A: So are these questions about PG. But to answer it anyway, it’s going to be a PG product for many more years to come, so live with it.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

Sound Off 218: Paul Heyman Returns, Did TNA Drop The Ball?

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 218)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 19 minutes

It’s Mother’s Day, so don’t forget to call your momma! Solomonster reviews the last third of ROH’s “Border Wars” iPPV and discusses what a disaster the night was for the promotion, Monday’s Raw with the return of PAUL HEYMAN, what might have been with TNA, the planned Summerslam title match (at least before Monday’s horrible main event), John Cena’s divorce and how this might actually turn the fans in his favor, King Mo signs with Bellator and TNA, a rant on MMA remaining illegal in New York and not even getting a vote, and an interesting wrestling analogy for…The Avengers?

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Sound Off 217: Lesnar Loses To John Cena, Breaks HHH’s Arm

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 217)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Solomonster is back with a HUGE show talking Mayweather vs. Cotto, the Richards/Elgin match from WrestleMania weekend, thoughts on EXTREME RULES with John Cena pinning Bork Laser, giving Cena his props, Lesnar breaking Triple H’s arm and the favorite to win their eventual match, John Laurinaitis wrestling at the next PPV, Hogan’s latest BIG CHANGE that will bring TNA to new heights (again), an old Vince McMahon nemesis uses a racial slur, and we’ll look at WWF becoming WWE ten years ago this weekend. Let’s all celebrate by adopting a panda!

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

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Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

MAILBAG: Who Had The Better Career, Rock or Shawn Michaels?

SEScoops Mailbag for May 3rd

(please submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: Do you think we will ever see a three-city WrestleMania like [we did for WM2]? I guess there would have to be a main event in each city to attract an audience. – Jay

A: There is a reason they haven’t tried this again since 1986. Logistically, it would be something of a nightmare. More importantly, they wouldn’t be able to claim a record crowd in any one stadium, which they often like to do, because by splitting up the roster, there’s no way they would be able to sell out each building. Plus, their talent roster is pretty thin on main eventers these days. Don’t hold your breath.

Q: Do you see it coming too? The Mason Ryan/Brock Lesnar feud? Or maybe Ryback and Ryan, or Ryback and Lesnar! – Ryan B.

A: If the plan is to pay Lesnar millions of dollars to do jobs for all of their guys and make them all look good, then I suppose Ryback vs. Lesnar is as good an idea as any. Hell, maybe that’s what Vince is holding off Kharma’s return for.

Q: Did WWE decide that Michael Cole was being too harsh and [toned him down]? It seems like he’s [no longer a] full heel. – Kyle G.

A: Cole was never a full heel, his character has always been bipolar since this angle began. Supposedly, WrestleMania was to have been the end of that version of the Michael Cole character, so you are correct in that his shtick has been toned down. It only took them a year and a half to figure out the damage he was doing to their product.

Q: With all the financial woes that have been reported lately, and poor viewership numbers [for Impact Wrestling], if Daddy Carter was ever to pull the rug out from Dixie, do you think Vince would buy TNA? Or would he bring in TNA wrestlers and finally do a proper invasion angle without it falling apart? – Tyler H.

A: The numbers for Impact has slipped of late, but we’ll see if that changes once they switch to their new timeslot later this month. The company just signed a new two-year deal with Spike TV, so they should be stable for at least that long. As for what Vince would be, I would think he’d make an offer to buy out the trademarks and tape library, if for no other reason than the fact that they are launching a new network and need content for it. An invasion done correctly could be exciting, particularly with guys like Samoa Joe, Magnus, AJ Styles, Bully Ray, Storm & Roode, etc, but based on their track record, WWE has no idea how to follow through on such an angle. They start out hot and then fizzle quickly because they either don’t know what to do next or, more likely, feel the need to beat the “other guys” to prove their superiority over them. This would be no different.

Q: Do you think we will ever see The Undertaker have another title run? – Shambo from Australia

A: No, I don’t see what the point would be. His character doesn’t need a championship and quite frankly, his WrestleMania Streak is treated with greater value than any title in the company right now. If he’s only going to wrestle once a year, it makes even less sense to put a title on him.

Q: I remember when Kharma was leaving because she was pregnant and what The Bellas did, talking down to her about being pregnant and her being ugly and stuff. Do you think The Bellas feel bad about that now because of what happened to [Kharma’s] baby? – Shane Walker

A: It was all part of a storyline, nothing for them to feel ashamed about. If I were them, I’d be more upset about WWE swerving the fans and not paying off a year-long angle by having Kharma destroy them on their way out, instead opting for having Layla just beat them for no reason.

Q: Who was the bigger star overall in their WWE career, The Rock or Shawn Michaels? – David Jones

A: Talk about a loaded question. If we’re talking strictly their WWE career, Shawn certainly has more years under his belt and more five-star matches, but one can’t deny the popularity of The Rock and the money he made for the company when he was on top. I’ll leave this in the hands of the SEScoops readers in the comments section below. What do you guys think?

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!

TONIGHT: SEScoops Live! Returns at 8pm Before Raw!

SEScoops Live! Returns Tonight at 8pm Before Raw

Be sure to check back later this afternoon for a link to the live stream as
“SEScoops Live!” returns for one night! We will also be posting the
call-in number for those of you wishing to dial in during the show.

Noah Mark and The Solomonster are back to discuss the fallout from last night’s “Extreme Rules” pay-per-view, including Brock Lesnar’s loss to John Cena, and what to expect from tonight’s Monday Night Raw! They will also be taking LIVE CALLS, so be sure to get in on the discussion.

Again, check back later for more details on how to be part of the show.

Sound Off 216: Lesnar Makes His Demands, But Forgets His Lines

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 216)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Solomonster leads off this week’s show with an announcement about something special coming to SEScoops this Monday! Then, we get into predictions for Extreme Rules, thoughts on a lackluster three-hour Raw show with Brock Lesnar forgetting his lines, Rey Mysterio’s latest suspension and what it means, Antonio Cesaro’s debut on Smackdown, a new timeslot for TNA Impact, the latest on Buff Bagwell’s auto accident, and a question about the best and worst wrestling gimmick of all time (lots of choices for the latter). Don’t miss this show!

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Sound Off 215: Laurinaitis is a Bigger Threat To Cena Than Lesnar?

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Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 215)

*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Solomonster is back to talk about Jones vs. Evans at UFC 145, WrestleMania setting records, Raw thoughts from London including an AWESOME Brock Lesnar video package and the one stupid thing they’re doing to build his match with John Cena, the Roode vs. Storm finish at Lockdown, Hulk Hogan announces OPEN FIGHT NIGHT on Impact and a review of Brock Lesnar’s book Death Clutch, including a fascinating chapter about a Miami screwjob in his second match with The Rock! There’s also an epic rant on the death of WCW for those who still think the AOL-Time Warner merger was responsible for it.

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

Friend The Solomonster on Facebook @ facebook.com/thesolomonster

Creative Commons License
Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.