SEScoops

Category: Editorials and Features

  • WWE Survivor Series 2014: Predicting the Undercard

    Survivor Series is less than two weeks away, and while three matches on the card are essentially set, much of the program is still unannounced. So, will the WWE work to build a pay-per-view that is solid from top to bottom, or are they simply throwing in the towel because this is a “free” event? Here is the card is expect to see on November 23rd in St. Louis.

    Adam Rose vs. The Bunny

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    After attacking the Bunny last week on Raw, it appears these two legends of the squared circle will square off sooner rather than later. This pairing has kickoff show written all over it, as the company tries to get the crowd going with a “humorous” contest.

    Gold & Stardust (Tag Team Champions) vs. The Miz & Damien Mizdow vs. Los Matadores vs. The Usos

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    Los Matadores have picked up a few victories over Gold & Stardust over the past few weeks, and the Miz and his stunt double have also feuded with the champs. Throw in the Usos to make an even number of teams, and you’ve got yourself an elimination tag team match for the straps.

  • SEScoops’ WWE Power Rankings (Week Of 11/10)

    Momentum is everything in the WWE, as even a main event superstar is only a few bad losses away from being relegated to the midcard. Inspired by pound-for-pound boxing rankings, we will track the biggest winners and losers each week in the WWE. Here are this week’s power rankings.

    10. Ryback

    The Big Guy is back in a big way. Since returning to action, Ryback has squashed his competition. He took out Titus O’Neil on Raw and Cesaro on SmackDown to secure his spot in the top ten. It will be interesting to see how his matchup with John Cena plays out tonight on Raw.

    9. Damien Mizdow

    The crowd continues to eat up Sandow’s work on a weekly basis. He helped the Miz pick up a win on Raw against Jimmy Uso as his stock continues to rise.

  • 5 Potential Hell in a Cell Shockers

    Fans are only days away from the annual Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Emanating from Dallas, TX, this year’s event will feature a total of eight matches, including a WWE World Heavyweight Championship-less double main event.

    With the title being noticeably absent, the company will hopefully try to pull out something to make this a memorable pay-per-view. Here are five potential Hell in a Cell shockers.

  • One Year Ago: WWE Hell in a Cell

    We are less than one week away from the WWE’s latest pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell. At last year’s event, Shawn Michaels betrayed Daniel Bryan in a championship match against Randy Orton.

    A lot has changed over the past year, evidenced by the fact that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will be headlining half of the double main event. The shelf life of a WWE superstar can be short, so it’s always important for superstars to make the most of their time in the ring, especially at pay-per-views. Here is a look at the superstars who have progressed, regressed, or remained stagnant over the past year.

    Progression:

    1. Dean Ambrose

    Ambrose 2

    Nobody had made more progress since last year than Dean Ambrose. At last year’s event, Ambrose was an invisible US Champion and lost his undercard contest to Big E by countout.

    This year, he will be headlining the event in a Hell in a Cell match with Seth Rollins. He continues to receive as much airtime as anyone on Raw each week and has been getting great reactions from the crowds. What a difference a year makes.

     2. Seth Rollins

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    Although Dean Ambrose has progressed the most over the past year, his former partner Seth Rollins is a close second. Rollins will be joining Ambrose inside of a Hell in a Cell for half of the main event, and also holds the Money in the Bank briefcase.

    Over the past year, Rollins has improved every aspect of his game. He is stronger on the mic, he developed a convincing and unique finisher, and has adopted a heel personality that has gotten over with the fans. Rollins is a star on the rise and without a doubt a future world champion.

  • Damien Sandow: Deserving of a Push

    Every Hollywood star needs a stunt double at some point (unless your name is The Rock, apparently). But what happens when the stunt double becomes more popular than the main attraction? This is could be the case with the WWE’s Hollywood A-lister, The Miz, and his stunt double, Damien Mizdow.

    It seemed like the WWE had big plans last year for Damien Sandow. He had just recently won the Money in the Bank briefcase, was featured prominently on most of the company’s programs, and ultimately represented the future of the company.

    Sandow has shined since adopting his new Damien "Mizdow" gimmick.
    Sandow has shined since adopting his new Damien “Mizdow” gimmick.

    However, in a move that was nothing more than a cheap attempt to increase ratings, Sandow was forced to unsuccessfully cash in his briefcase last fall against John Cena. Since that night, Sandow has been relegated to comedic duty, where he was squashed nearly every night while putting up with awful gimmicks.

    However, despite the awfulness of the gimmicks, Sandow made the most of it and was actually entertaining, much like he has done in his current role with The Miz.

    In fact, it’s easy to see that Sandow is now more over than The Miz, evidenced this week on Raw, where the crowd was chanting, “We want Sandow” during The Miz’s contest. As most fans have already figured out, Damien Sandow is too entertaining to be stuck as a midcarder’s sidekick, and he is without a doubt deserving of a push.

    The fans have really been eating up Sandow’s shtick of imitating the action going on in the ring, often leading to the former Intellectual Savior of the Masses lying on the floor, seemingly applying a headlock to a ghost.

  • Pros and Cons: The Hell in a Cell Double Main Event

    The Seth Rollins/John Cena/Dean Ambrose hate triangle continued last night on Raw, with Dean Ambrose prevailing over John Cena to secure his spot in the main event at Hell in a Cell.

    It was also announced that John Cena would square off against Randy Orton in the other half of the double main event. However, did the company make the right call by going with Ambrose over Cena? Here are the pros and cons of each main event, allowing for you to make the decision.

    John Cena vs. Randy Orton

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    Pros: These guys have faced each other too many times to count, including a multi-month program earlier in the year, so the two veterans should have excellent chemistry together.

    Adding the Hell in a Cell stipulation should also help spice up the contest, as fans grew tired during their last meeting at the Royal Rumble. In all, by having two Hell in a Cell contests, it should perfectly juxtapose the talent of yesterday (Cena and Orton) with the talent of tomorrow (Rollins and Ambrose).

    Cons: As previously mentioned, fans practically booed Cena and Orton out of the building in January. It seems like this has the chance of being a filler main event, as there is essentially no build to the matchup and fans have already seen the two square off more times than they can remember. Additionally, a double main event that features two Hell in a Cell matches could be a bit overkill.

  • WWE Raw Reaction (10/13/2014): Highlights, Lowlights & Random Thoughts

    Last night’s episode of Raw took place at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and featured a total of seven matches. Randy Orton took on Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins went one-on-one with Jack Swagger and Big Show went to war with Rusev. Also, by the end of the show the co-main event matches for the Hell in a Cell PPV were determined.

    Instead of waiting for Hell in a Cell, Triple H made an announcement early on in the show and booked a massive main event match between John Cena and Dean Ambrose. The two competed in a Contract on a Pole match – with the winner taking on Seth Rollins at the upcoming PPV.

    Last week’s episode saw improvement as the WWE Universe witnessed a month’s worth of underwhelming programming. Could Raw step up its game once again and deliver two decent shows in a row? Here are my overall highs, lows and random thoughts on the 10/13/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:

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    BEST MATCH: Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler was the Best Match of the night. We’ve seen Orton and Ziggler compete against one another on multiple occasions, but they never fail to disappoint. The chemistry between both superstars is incredible and that finish was really something else. We always give credit to guys like Ziggler, but regardless of how long he’s been on our TV screens, the Apex Predator is still one of the very best in the world of professional wrestling. Seth Rollins vs. Jack Swagger was a close runner-up for Best Match of the night.

    WORST MATCH: AJ Lee & Layla vs. Paige & Alicia Fox was the Worst Match of the night. It was your typical Divas tag team match and nothing cool or spectacular happened. This wasn’t the worst match I’ve ever seen, but compared to the other bouts that took place on Raw – it was definitely the weakest.

    BEST PROMO: Since their feud first started, the promo work between Dean Ambrose and John Cena has been both compelling and entertaining. With the absence of Paul Heyman, Ambrose and Cena have delivered top notch promos and it looks like they are having one hell of a time working with one another. There is definitely some chemistry there.

    MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: There weren’t any real shocking moments, returns or surprises on Raw, but I have to admit that I didn’t expect Dean Ambrose to defeat John Cena in their main event Contract on a Pole match. Yes there was interference and Ambrose didn’t necessarily defeat Cena cleanly, but the fact of the matter is that Dean Ambrose beat John Cena in a main event match on Raw – which is a big deal.

  • Brock Lesnar: The Worst Title Reign Ever?

    Since capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Brock Lesnar has been virtually invisible. Aside from a few pre-taped interviews, Lesnar has yet to appear since retaining his title last month at Night of Champions.

    The latest reports indicate that Lesnar will continue to wear his invisibility cloak, as he is not scheduled to appear again on television until January, meaning the title will likely not be defended for the next three pay-per-views.

    It appears that Lesnar and Heyman will not return to television until next year.
    It appears that Lesnar and Heyman will not return to television until next year.

    With an absent champion and a highly dissatisfied fan base, my question is simple: Is Brock Lesnar’s title run the worst of all-time? In my opinion, it has all the ingredients to take home the honor.

    Not only has Lesnar’s title run not been memorable thus far, it doesn’t make sense from either a business or storyline perspective.

    On the business front, Raw has gone off a cliff over the past few months. Fans have expressed their displeasure online, crowds are chanting “This is stupid,” and the rating for last week’s episode of Raw was the lowest since 2012.

    Although the company wasn’t exactly serving up filet mignon over the summer, there’s no denying that it was a bit tastier than the rump roast they’ve been dishing out over the past few weeks. I also think it is no coincidence that the downturn in the quality of Raw directly coincided with Brock Lesnar becoming champion.

  • Ranking Every Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View

    Once an occasional treat for the WWE Universe, the Hell in a Cell match has become a yearly event since the introduction of the eponymous pay-per-view in 2009. Since its inception, the company has yet to truly knock it out of the park with Hell in a Cell, although fans have witnessed some memorable moments.

    This year, it will be either John Cena or Dean Ambrose headlining the event against Seth Rollins inside the most ominous structure in sports entertainment. As the company builds up its next pay-per-view, here is a look back at the first five Hell in a Cell events.

    5. 2012

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    This event really didn’t have a pay-per-view feel to it. The undercard was primarily filled with forgettable matches that had little impact on future storylines. The main event was also lacking due to injury.

    It was clear that the company had no idea what to do after John Cena went down to injury, leading to Ryback receiving a premature main event push. From top to bottom, this event was lacking and easily locks up the honor of being the worst Hell in a Cell pay-per-view to date.

    Main Event: CM Punk vs. Ryback (Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship)

    Best Match: Big Show vs. Sheamus

    Worst Match: Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players

  • WWE Raw Reaction (10/6/2014): Highlights, Lowlights & Random Thoughts

    Last night’s episode of Raw took place at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York and featured a total of eight matches. John Cena, Seth Rollins and of course, Dean Ambrose were heavily promoted throughout the show and all three superstars competed in the main event.

    The Today Show’s Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford “cohosted” Raw and helped promote WWE’s partnership with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Not only were the ring ropes white and (CM) pink, but there were quite a few surprise appearances throughout the show as well.

    After enduring a month’s worth of underwhelming and uninspiring programming, could the WWE finally change things up and deliver a high quality show? Here are my overall highs, lows and random thoughts on the 8/6/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:

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    *Right off the bat I’d like to apologize in advance because WWE has only uploaded three or four videos from last night’s Raw. Usually they have every single segment recap and match highlight(s) uploaded, but this week they do not. My guess is that WWE didn’t want to upload any videos that would be negative towards the product – and by negative I mean the crowd and what they were chanting during some of the matches. Hopefully this issue gets resolved soon.

    BEST MATCH: WWE was packed with surprises and entertaining moments, however, there weren’t very many great matches. In fact, there was only one match that is worth mentioning and that’s the six-man tag between the team of The Usos & Dolph Ziggler vs. Gold/Stardust & Cesaro. It was the first match of the night and all six competitors performed exceptionally. The Usos are highly underrated, the Brothers Dust are unique and original and I think we can all agree that Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro are two of the best workers and entertainers in the business today.

    WORST MATCH: There were two horrible matches on Raw tonight. The absolute Worst Match of the night was El Torito vs. Mini-Gator – and you can read more about that in “FAIL OF THE NIGHT” CATEGORY”. The second worst match of the night was Brie Bella vs. Summer Rae. Brie Bella had her hand tied behind her back and was still able to beat Summer Rae in about three minutes. Ridiculous gimmick matches like this must put a big smile on Vince McMahon’s face.

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    MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: Without a doubt, The Rock returning to Raw and confronting Rusev and Lana was the Most Shocking Moment of the night. When the Great One’s music hit, the Brooklyn crowd went absolutely insane, and rightfully so. I don’t think very many people knew that the People’s Champ was going to make an appearance. The return seemed very random considering Rocky didn’t promote a movie, TV show or the WWE Network. Perhaps he was just at the right place at the right time? Regardless, after a lackluster month of WWE programming, a one-night Rock cameo can only help the product as a whole, right?

    BEST PROMO: Even though Seth Rollins, who continues to drastically improve on the mic each week, John Cena and Dean Ambrose cut fantastic promos, The Rock wins the Best Promo of the night award after laying waste to both Rusev and Lana in the middle of the ring. Of course, the Brahma Bull did his usual shtick and the promo wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but the crowd was extremely hot from start to finish and it was definitely one of the more entertaining promos/segments of the show. Also, I’d like to add that it was very intriguing to see Rusev and The Rock stand face-to-face.

  • 5 Potential Opponents for Steve Austin

    5 Potential Opponents for Steve Austin

    Over the past few weeks, the WWE has gone all out in promoting Stone Cold Steve Austin. The company has promoted Austin’s podcast on a weekly basis, and reports indicate that the company is ramping up production on all Stone Cold merchandise.

    When coupled with recent statements from Austin claiming he still has a final run left and reports alleging that he has been training for one final match, it seems like the Texas Rattlesnake will soon make his return to the squared circle. The only problem, however, would be choosing Austin’s opponent. Here are five potential opponents for Stone Cold Steve Austin if he decides to make his return.

    5. Brock Lesnar

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    It appears that Lesnar is being saved for WrestleMania, where he will undoubtedly be fed to Roman Reigns. However, there is always a chance for a setback in Roman’s recovery. Most believe that it will be at least another month or two before Reigns returns, so the slightest setback could derail the company’s WrestleMania plans.

    This could open the door for Austin to come in and challenge Lesnar. There is a decent story in place if the company decides to discuss Austin walking out in the early 2000s because he was not on board with putting Lesnar over. In all, this could be a blockbuster main event between two of the biggest stars in WWE history.

  • Rollins Needs to Defend Briefcase at Hell in a Cell

    This week on Raw, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and John Cena continued their three-way feud, as Seth Rollins ended the night by retrieving his briefcase and decimating his two foes.

    Earlier in the evening, Cena and Ambrose once again hinted that there was tension between the two, with both claiming that they deserve the right to exact revenge from Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins.

    Ambrose embarrassed his former partner earlier in the night, but Rollins got the last laugh.
    Ambrose embarrassed his former partner earlier in the night, but Rollins got the last laugh.

    Based on this week’s episode, it seems apparent that the reports released earlier in the week were true. In case you missed the news, the current plan seems to be that Dean Ambrose and John Cena will face one another at Hell in a Cell. The winner will be given the opportunity to face Rollins later in the evening, while the loser will be relegated to squaring off with Randy Orton.

    The company is obviously hoping to develop a storyline that will reel viewers in for next month’s pay-per-view, and with Brock Lesnar apparently missing the event, it will take a lot more than a few singles matches to attract viewers, especially with the quality of Raw over the past few weeks. With that said, last night’s episode was admittedly a considerable upgrade over the previous few weeks.

    So, how does the company attract viewers with no championship match and a card filled with contests that fans have seen over the past few months? The answer is clearly the briefcase.

    Seth Rollins has become a main event player since winning the Money in the Bank briefcase back in June. He has teased cash-ins on multiple occasions, and attempted to slay the Beast at Night of Champions following the main event between John Cena and Brock Lesnar.

  • WWE Raw Reaction (9/29/2014): Highlights, Lowlights & Random Thoughts

    Last night’s episode of Raw took place at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois and featured a total of eight matches. For the second straight week the feud between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose took center stage as the WWWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar failed to appear on the show.

    John Cena and Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton & Kane was the main event and no, CM Punk was not in the building. However, the Chicago faithful chanted his name virtually all night, but the Authority didn’t seem to mind as they addressed the situation.

    After a month of extremely lackluster and disappointing episodes of Raw, could WWE finally turn things around? With that being said, here are my overall highs, lows and random thoughts on the 9/29/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:

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    BEST MATCH: The opening Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat match between Dolph Ziggler (c), Cesaro and the Miz was the Best Match of the night. WWE can always rely on Ziggler and Cesaro to put forth outstanding matches, but the Miz did an excellent job here too. There were plenty of innovative maneuvers and it looked like the hostile Chicago crowd was on their feet from start to finish. The chemistry between these three superstars is outstanding and I hope to see a Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro feud in the near future.

    WORST MATCH: Slater Gator vs. Los Matadores was the Worst Match of the night. After securing a much needed victory, Heath Salter and Titus O’Neil deserved a celebratory drink or perhaps a small “hey, we finally got a win” type meeting in the ring, however, Adam Rose and the Bunny viciously attacked both members of Slater Gator. The segment ended with the Bunny hitting a top-rope splash onto Heath Slater, who continued to be misused and embarrassed each and every week by freaking person in a rabbit costume.

    BEST PROMO: The Authority kicked off Raw and during that opening segment, Stephanie McMahon gave the Best Promo of the night. Stephanie acknowledged the “CM Punk” chanting fans and asked them why they all cheer for a quitter? Of course, Stephanie answered her own question and said that the fans in Chicago can relate because they are all quitters as well. After addressing the elephant in the room, the Billion Dollar Princess brilliantly transitioned back into WWE “reality”, talked about Dean Ambrose and continued to promote the rest of the show. It’s worth noting that neither Triple H nor Stephanie actually mentioned CM Punk’s name. Of course, that part of the promo isn’t available on video, but here is the rest of the great segment featuring Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman.

    MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: Even though it was fairly predictable, Seth Rollins getting slimed by Dean Ambrose was the Most Shocking Moment of the night. I wouldn’t say that Raw was uneventful, but there were no real surprises throughout the show. It was clear to see that Ambrose did something to Rollins’ briefcase, but I will admit, I didn’t think he was going to get slimed.

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  • The Authority: Adapt or Perish

    For the past year, the Authority has dominated WWE storylines. They have been involved in every WWE World Heavyweight Championship feud along the way, often influencing the outcomes of important matches.

    Along the way, Triple H started using the phrase, “Adapt or Perish” to describe his stable Evolution. However, over the past few months, it appears that the Game should apply that same philosophy to the Authority.

    Rollins has been one of the bright spots in the Authority storyline over the past few months.
    Rollins has been one of the bright spots in the Authority storyline over the past few months.

    Indeed, it has been much of the same as of late with the Authority. Other than adding Seth Rollins as a member a few months ago, the group has done literally nothing to change over the past year. This has resulted in too much Corporate Kane, a reliance on six-man tag matches nearly every week on Raw, and an almost identical storyline for any face attempting to challenge the Authority’s, well, authority.

    In my opinion, the Authority has gone stale and needs to do something quickly in order to minimize the risk of losing fan interest. One possible solution would be to add new members. This could easily be accomplished by having one of the current members defect from the stable.

    The most logical option would be Randy Orton, as they have teased tension between Orton and the Authority, and he’s a far more marketable star than Kane, the other stooge doing the group’s bidding. By having Orton leave the Authority, it could open the door for another young star as well.

    Seth Rollins has benefited immensely since joining forces with Triple H and company. He captured the Money in the Bank briefcase, seems to be more confident on the mic with each passing week, and is way over with the fans. The stable could add another future star (perhaps someone from NXT) in an attempt to inject more life into the program.

    In all, adding new talent to the Authority could only help, as the current storyline is extremely repetitive and formulaic, with most programs ending after Kane interferes in a match and the Authority beats down an opponent.

  • 2014 Third Quarter Matches of the Year

    Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view marked the end of the third quarter of the WWE calendar. With only three pay-per-views left in 2014, fans have almost reached the end of another exciting year of rasslin’.

    With that said, it is now time to review the top matches from the third quarter. Feel free to compare these contests with the best matches from the first and second quarters:

    2014 First Quarter Matches of the Year

    2014 Second Quarter Matches of the Year

    Without further ado, here are the top five matches from the third quarter of 2014.

    5. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Night of Champions)

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    Some might disagree with this choice, but I feel that it warrants inclusion. The contest perfectly juxtaposed the first contest between Cena and Lesnar at SummerSlam. Instead of Lesnar dominating from the opening bell, it was Cena who quickly hit an Attitude Adjustment and controlled the pace throughout much of the contest. The match was booked well enough that the outcome seemed in doubt, and the no-finish ending was the perfect way to keep the title on Lesnar, not make Cena look too weak, and inject Seth Rollins into the storyline.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpcBR75c5WY

  • WWE Raw Reaction (9/22/2014): Highlights, Lowlights & Random Thoughts

    Last night’s episode of Raw took place in Memphis, Tennessee and featured a total of nine matches. Dean Ambrose vs. Kane and John Cena vs. Randy Orton was announced at the start of the show and the Miz put his Intercontinental Championship on the line in a Night of Champions rematch against Dolph Ziggler.

    Both John Cena and Dean Ambrose were the center of attention throughout Raw. After both men exchanged some heated words with one another, cooler heads prevailed as they tried their best to hunt down the man who screwed both of them over – Seth Rollins.

    After an outstanding Night of Champions PPV, could WWE roll into Bluff City and finally produce a high-quality show? Here are my overall highs, lows and random thoughts of the 9/22/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:

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    BEST MATCH: The Intercontinental Championship rematch between Dolph Ziggler and the Miz was the Best Match of the night. Despite a noticeable botch, it’s clear to see that the Ohio natives have great chemistry with one another and Ziggler’s work-rate, along with his selling, is really helping Miz look like a legitimate threat to virtually everybody on the WWE roster. I love Miz’s gimmick and the stuff with Damien Sandow is hilarious, so it’s refreshing to see Miz continue to improve inside the squared circle. The match told a logical story and the finish was well executed – which was Ziggler getting the win by stealing the title back in the exact same fashion Miz did at Night of Champions (grabbing the tights). I’m not a fan of so many title changes, but the match was superb.

    WORST MATCH: I’m going to make this short and sweet by saying that Adam Rose & the Bunny vs. Heath Slater & Titus O’Neil was probably one of the stupidest things I have ever seen on WWE TV. For some reason, I felt like this was more stupid and pointless than that one time Vince McMahon pulled stuff out of Jim Ross’ ass for an hour. I think WWE has just given up when it comes to comedy…and they’re starting to insult our intelligence.

    BEST PROMO: Less than 24 hours after retaining the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, neither Brock Lesnar nor Paul Heyman showed up on Raw. I understand the Lesnar situation and how he’s bound by limited dates, but I believe it is vital for Heyman to at least show his face and cut a promo in order to keep the biggest, most important storyline in WWE going. Paul Heyman holds the record for winning the most “Best Promo” awards in this Raw Reaction piece, and without the Beast’s advocate, none other than Dean Ambrose picked up the slack by cutting an entertaining promo, which of course started off the show. Seeing Ambrose and Cena have tension inside the ring made sense and was fun to watch. It was also pretty cool to see that they were nonchalantly working together to get rid of the cancer in WWE – Seth Rollins.

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    MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: Dolph Ziggler winning the Intercontinental Championship back from the Miz was the Most Shocking Moment of the night. Dean Ambrose hiding inside the box and sneak-attacking Seth Rollins, Randy Orton and Corporate Kane was awesome to watch, but come on, we all knew Ambrose was in there! I was very surprised to see Ziggler beat the Miz so soon after losing the title, therefore, I believe it was the Most Shocking Moment of the night.

  • 5 Superstars Who Made the Most of Night of Champions

    On paper, WWE Night of Champions didn’t look like anything special. It was mostly a card packed with rematches, and what would have likely been the best match of the night was cancelled a few days before the event.

    With that said, it was hard to come away from last night’s event without feeling satisfied. The action was solid, the booking was logical, and the pay-per-view as a whole was entertaining. Throughout the night, some superstars squandered their time on camera, while others excelled. Here are the 5 superstars who made the most of their time at Night of Champions.

    5. Gold and Stardust

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    The Dust Brothers are finally champions once again. After several months with the Usos at the top of the tag division, it is nice to see a new team carrying the straps. Both Gold and Stardust worked very well during their contest, and it served as an excellent way to start the evening.

    It will be interesting to see where the brothers go from here, as they are already teasing a feud with former NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension and there are few teams on the main roster worthy of a title shot. .

    4. Chris Jericho

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    This was Y2J’s final match of his current run with the company. Although his program with Bray Wyatt fell a bit flat, it is always great to see Jericho back in a WWE ring.

    He did not disappoint last night either, as Jericho and Orton put on a show for the Nashville crowd. The contest ended after a memorable spot that featured Orton hitting an RKO on Jericho after he dove from the top rope. Although he came out on the losing end last night, Jericho did everything he could to put Orton and the match over, and it served as an excellent conclusion to his current run.

    3. Cesaro

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    From a wrestling perspective, the match of the night was easily Sheamus against Cesaro. The two worked incredibly well together, with a number of memorable spots and counters. Much like Jericho before him, Cesaro did not come out on top last night, but he showed why he is one of the best workers in the business.

    Another United States Title run likely wouldn’t have done much to advance Cesaro’s career, so the loss isn’t really damaging, but it would be nice to see the Swiss Superman sporting a bit of gold in the near future (perhaps the Intercontinental Championship). Cesaro made the most of every second he was given, illustrating why he should be pushed as one of the future stars of the company.

  • WWE Night of Champions Reaction: Highlights, Lowlights & Random Thoughts

    Night of Champions 2014 took place in Nashville, Tennessee and featured a total of seven matches. Every championship was up for grabs at the eighth annual PPV, which was highlighted by the WWE World Heavyweight Championship rematch between Brock Lesnar and John Cena.

    The Usos battled Gold & Stardust for the WWE Tag Team Titles, the Celtic Warrior Sheamus put his United States Championship on the line against the Swiss Superman Cesaro, the Miz took on Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship and Paige looked to defend her Divas Title against both AJ Lee and Nikki Bella in a Triple Threat match.

    But wait, there’s more – in his last match before leaving to go on tour with Fozzy, professional wrestling legend-turned Rockstar Chris Jericho took on the Viper Randy Orton, and Mark Henry put the United States of America on his back in his attempt to crush Rusev – the virtually unbeatable powerhouse who proudly supports Russia.

    With an exciting card from top to bottom, did the event live up to the hype? Here are my overall highs, lows and random thoughts of WWE Night of Champions 2014:

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    BEST MATCH: Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena are valid candidates for the Best Match of the night award, but I have to give the prestigious honor to Sheamus vs. Cesaro, who stole the show and had the crowd on their feet from start to finish. Sheamus and Cesaro have dynamic chemistry with one another and each superstar thrives off the other. The match was hard-hitting, fast paced and more importantly – entertaining. Lesnar vs Cena had the loudest and most consistent crowd response, but Sheamus and Cesaro delivered the best overall action inside the squared circle.

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    WORST MATCH: Rusev vs. Mark Henry was the Worst Match of the night. The two behemoths worked hard and put forth a fairly decent match, but compared to the rest of the card, it was the weakest. Also, it didn’t help that the Nashville crowd was dead. Perhaps the fans lost their voices after cheering for Dean Ambrose, who made a surprise appearance only minutes before the match. I’ve been very impressed with Rusev and his in-ring work resembles the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga, but the match as a whole was way too slow and uneventful. There was no real excitement from start to finish and quite honestly, I expected a bit more from both Rusev and Henry.

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    BEST PROMO: Seth Rollins cut the Best Promo of the night on Roman Reigns, who was at the hospital recovering from emergency hernia surgery. The promo was highly effective and the Nashville crowd was clearly disgruntled with all of the negative things he was saying. I have to say, Rollins has continued to improve his mic skills each and every time he picks up the microphone. The “Architect of the Shield” looked very comfortable when speaking and once his mic skills measure up to his in-ring ability – the man will be unstoppable.

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    MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: Even though it wasn’t received very well both at the arena and on Twitter, Seth Rollins attacking John Cena and then hitting Brock Lesnar with a Curb Stomp was Most Shocking Moment of the night. You can make an argument that Dean Ambrose returning and decimating Rollins earlier in the night was the Most Shocking Moment, but deep down, I think we all knew the Lunatic Fringe was going to show up. I was absolutely stunned when Rollins hit the Beast with his finisher. Less than two years ago the former Shield member was in NXT trying to make it into the big leagues, now he’s beating down John Cena and Brock Lesnar. The dude must be ecstatic.

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  • WWE Diva Emma Has Much More Opportunity in NXT

    WWE Diva Emma got her start in the company in its’ developmental system known as NXT, however she was the first new generation female to debut on the main roster. Less than a year and one arrest later, Emma is back on NXT programming. This may seem like a step down for her, but NXT provides Emma with greater opportunities.

    Emma made her main roster debut in January of 2014 and quickly developed a friendship with fellow comedic superstar Santino Marella. Unfortunately, Marella had a career ending injury and officially announced his retirement at a house show in July. That same month, Emma was arrested, released and then reinstated after an incident involving shoplifting. It was not a great month for Emma.

    After her arrest, Emma was being used less and less on WWE programming. And without Santino around, WWE didn’t seem to have much to do for Emma.

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    If you look at the current state of the Divas Championship in WWE, it’s pretty crowded. AJ Lee was the top diva for 343 days until another new generation diva was promoted to the main roster. Paige and AJ have become the modern day Trish and Lita. They are levels above the rest of the girls. However, with the heel turn of Total Diva Nikki Bella, another contender has entered the title picture. This has left Emma at the bottom of the list of divas on the main roster.

    Now thinking about the Womens’ title over in NXT, Emma would make a great and logical choice for the next number one contender. Emma and Paige squared off for the NXT Women’s title at the brand’s first special event, NXT ArRIVAL but the Aussie came up short. This could be attributed to the fact that Emma had already debuted on the main roster, while Paige was solely on NXT.

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    Since NXT ArRIVAL, the Womens’ title has been held by Ric Flair’s daughter, Charlotte. While the Nature Boy’s daughter continues to improve, she may have been more lucky than talented. Emma was on the main roster and thus, not considered to become the new champion when Paige vacated the Womens’ title. Summer Rae is also an NXT diva who spends most of her time on the main roster shows.

    Who is left on NXT? Charlotte, Bayley and Sasha Banks are the top dogs in the womens’ division. WWE hasn’t promoted Banks as a leader. She developed a partnership with both Charlotte and Summer Rae known as the BFFs, but Banks was clearly the sidekick of the group. Then, there is Bayley. She has a super sweet gimmick of what appears to be a teeny bopper type of girl. She seems great, but not necessarily strong enough to be the champion.

    The womens’ division in NXT could use Emma. Charlotte, Bayley and Sasha Banks are holding their own, but fans need another strong babyface. With the ladder too tall to climb on the main roster, Emma would benefit from the stoop she needs to climb in NXT. She is already proven there and the opportunities down in Tampa are endless for the Aussie.

    What are your thoughts on Emma as the next number one contender for the NXT Womens’ title? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • WWE Night of Champions 2014 Preview and Predictions

    Night of Champions is only a few days away. Even though the WWE has been serving up plates of garbage on Raw for weeks now, many still have high hopes for this pay-per-view, as every title in the company will be defended.

    With that said, here are my predictions for this Sunday’s Night of Champions pay-per-view, which in case you haven’t heard, can be viewed on the WWE Network for only $9.99 (or $12.99 if you’re afraid of commitment).

    Nikki Bella vs. Paige (WWE Divas Champion) vs. AJ Lee

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    I don’t expect it to be a terrible contest, as two of the three competitors are great workers and Nikki isn’t the worst Diva fans have ever seen. In the end, I believe Nikki will capture the title with help from her sister, reuniting the Bella Twins and putting an end to their horrible feud.

    Winner: Nikki Bella by pinfall

    Sheamus (United States Champion) vs. Cesaro

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    This should be one of the more exciting contests of the night, but I unfortunately don’t see it being given a ton of time. Although Cesaro will put up a hell of a fight, Sheamus will retain after hitting a Brogue Kick, possibly setting up a feud with Rusev for the United States Championship in the near future.

    Winner: Sheamus by pinfall

  • Sin Cara Finally Finds Success as WWE NXT Tag Team Champion

    In March 2011 the Sin Cara character debuted in WWE, but it wasn’t until recently that the company’s investment paid off. Originally portrayed by Mexican star Luis Urive, aka Mistico, the Sin Cara character seemed to be a failure. Years later, the man formerly known as Hunico took over the character and now Sin Cara is a champion.

    Urive failed as Sin Cara due to injuries, suspensions and the inability to adjust to the WWE and American wrestling lifestyle. The company wanted the Sin Cara character to succeed. With Rey Mysterio at the end of his career, the new luchadore would make a fine replacement for the Hispanic population. Also, surely WWE wanted to take advantage of the merchandising sales for the masks.

    Hunico was spending time both on the main roster and in NXT when he took over full time as the Sin Cara character. So it wasn’t surprising to see Sin Cara wrestle mainly on NXT, though he occasionally would compete on the main roster – usually in a losing effort.
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    WWE and specially Triple H has done an outstanding job of building up NXT. It is among the best shows to watch on the WWE Network and often times is more enjoyable than Raw and Smackdown. Both NXT and the WWE Performance Center have been created in such a way to help up and coming superstars prepare for the big time. It makes sense for Sin Cara to continue honing his skills down in Florida.

    As Sin Cara continues to improve, he has found success as the partner of another luchadore. Kalisto is making waves down in NXT with his impressive high flying skills for such a small guy. Talk about replacing Rey Mysterio, Kalisto is the more likely candidate due to his size resembling Mr. 619 so much.

    Kalisto had been teaming in NXT with Ricardo Rodriguez’s alter ego, El Local. The two faced off against the Ascension at the first NXT Takeover event in May, but were unsuccessful. It was clear from the beginning that WWE was not interesting in pushing El Local very far. With Rodriguez’s release, WWE took the opportunity to place Sin Cara in the tag team with Kalisto and dub them the Lucha Dragons.

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    It’s a win win situation for Sin Cara, Kalisto and WWE. The Lucha Dragons finally find success and win the NXT tag team champions. WWE wins with their marketable tag team who should eventually make their way to the main roster.

    It’s a great story for the Sin Cara character and the man formerly known as Hunico. WWE wanted Sin Cara to succeed and finally put the right guy under the mask. Sin Cara should continue to succeed in NXT alongside Kalisto as the young stars rise as the new ultimate underdogs in WWE.

    What are your thoughts on the newly found success of the Sin Cara character? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

    Seth Guttenplan is a math and computer technology teacher for special education students in New Jersey. In his free time, Seth writes about wrestling. Follow Seth on twitter @sethgutt

  • The Wyatt Family: Losing Relevance

    Since bursting on the scene last fall, Bray Wyatt has been one of the most diabolical and confusing characters on the WWE roster. Fans are likely to find him delivering a soliloquy in a dark room one minute, while serenading an audience the next.

    Along the way, Wyatt has taken out a number of superstars, including Kane, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena. However, it seems as if Wyatt has lost momentum in recent weeks.

    Wyatt has lost momentum since his feud with John Cena.
    Wyatt has lost momentum since his feud with John Cena.

    Everything seemed to be going fine for Wyatt and his Family during his program with John Cena. Wyatt was able to defeat Cena during one of the three matches, and although he wasn’t able to win the series, he looked strong at times and amassed more followers. At the same time, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were challenging for the Tag Team Championships and it seemed like only a matter of time before they would capture gold.

    However, the stable has seemed lost since the Cena program. Wyatt feuded with Chris Jericho in a program that was underwhelming and did little to advance either superstar. As for Harper and Rowan, they could never overcome the Usos and it now appears that they are out of the title picture for the time being. The current Wyatt Family situation begs the question: Is the stable quickly losing relevance?

    In recent weeks, Wyatt has been fed to a number of superstars as they attempt to build up Night of Champions. Nowhere was this more evident than a few weeks ago when John Cena tore through the entire three-man stable just one week after being destroyed by Brock Lesnar.

    This week on Raw was no different, as the Big Show delivered a double chokeslam to Harper and Rowan, once again sending the Wyatt Family running for the hills with their tails between their legs.

    Feeding the Wyatt Family to the Big Show makes little sense. After all, it is not like the Big Show has a match at Night of Champions, so unlike the Cena situation, the company isn’t really building for the pay-per-view by burying the future of the company. Instead, it was just another pointless beating and loss for the Wyatt Family.

  • WWE Raw Reaction (9/15/2014): Highlights, Lowlights & Random Thoughts

    Last night’s episode of Raw took place at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana and featured a total of seven matches. John Cena was scheduled to face Paul Heyman if Brock Lesnar didn’t make it to the building on time and Seth Rollins went one-on-one with former Shield brethren Roman Reigns.

    All three females involved in the WWE Divas Title match at Night of Champions, as well as Brie Bella, competed in tag team action while Mark Henry and Rusev’s rivalry unexpectedly closed out the show.

    After a rough month of WWE programming, could WWE throw a curveball and change it up a bit last night? Without further ado, here are my overall highs, lows and random thoughts on the 9/15/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw.

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    BEST MATCH: Without a doubt, Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns was the Best Match of the night. Seth Rollins is always a pleasure to watch inside the squared circle and I continue to see improvement from Roman Reigns each and every night. Well, at least every other week. Both Rollins and Reigns are future stars and you can tell that these two have outstanding chemistry in the ring. It looks like both men try to one-up one another and seem to be performing better than ever. I can’t wait to see what happens at Night of Champions.

    WORST MATCH: Considering who was involved, the Worst Match of the night goes to Big Show vs. Bray Wyatt, who showcased and extremely slow and uneventful match. Bray Wyatt has been turned into a very weak superstar who always loses thanks to his henchman. It seems to me that Bray Wyatt has lost more matches via disqualification than he’s won – and that’s disappointing. The second worst match of the night was Naomi vs. Cameron, which in hind-sight, was probably the worst match of the night. However, like I said earlier, I expected more out of Big Show and Wyatt.

     

    BEST PROMO: It’s epidemic; once again, Paul Heyman cut the Best Promo of the night. Last week, Cena went toe-to-toe with Heyman on the mic, but that wasn’t the case this time around. Heyman is always so brilliant and enthralling on the mic and he delivered two great promos – at the start of Raw and at “half-time”.

    MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: There weren’t any real shocking moments on Raw. However, the closest thing to “shocking” was probably how dominant Cena looked in his brawl with Brock Lesnar. Cena was dominated, decimated and victimized by Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and needed a strong showing the last Monday Night Raw before Night of Champions. Cena did exactly that, but it didn’t look that believable considering how massive and polarizing Brock Lesnar is. Oh well, it was still one of the better highlights of Raw.

  • 5 Potential Night of Champions Shockers

    We are one week away from the WWE’s next pay-per-view, Night of Champions. The card is essentially set and will feature a total of eight matches, with a rematch between John Cena and Brock Lesnar headlining the event.

    With every title on the line, the card should provide fans with an exciting event that features a few surprises. Here are five potential Night of Champions shockers.

  • WWE Raw Reaction (9/8/2014): Highlights, Lowlights & Random Thoughts

    Tonight’s “new season” of Raw took place in Baltimore, Maryland and featured a total of seven matches. Chris Jericho took on Bray Wyatt in a Steel Cage match, Jerry Springer tried his best to help out the Bella Twins and Roman Reigns went one-on-one with the Viper Randy Orton in the main event.

    After two weeks of lackluster programming, Raw promoted this show as the first episode of the “new season” of WWE. Not really sure how that applies and how many seasons Raw has had – but quite frankly, I don’t think anybody cares.

    Throughout tonight’s broadcast, Michael Cole said “season premiere” more than “$9.99”. So with that being said, here are my overall highs, lows and random thoughts on the 9/8/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:

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    BEST MATCH: Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns was the best match of the night. Orton and Reigns told a great story in the ring, with Randy reversing virtually every move Roman threw at him. Orton is one of the most underrated workers and performers in WWE today and it’s nice to see him elevating a future star. I usually don’t do this, but I was very impressed with Reigns, who mixed up his move-set a bit and was a pleasure to watch. He hit a Suplex and a back-body drop, which is a drastic improvement. Also, I didn’t really mind the finish to the match. I thought it was quite clever.

    WORST MATCH: Adam Rose vs. Titus O’Neil was the worst match of the night. Titus and Heath Slater are looking like fools right about now and Adam Rose has done nothing to impress me since coming to the main roster. I really like Titus and I’m actually a big fan of Heath Slater, hopefully they will get some sort of push in the near future.

    BEST PROMO: Paul Heyman and John Cena delivered the Best Promo(s) of the night. Heyman is a genius and absolutely brilliant on the microphone and when John Cena is serious, he can match Heyman word for word as well as anybody else on the WWE roster. Cena and Heyman were entertaining and the both of them delivered a promo to be remembered for some time.

    MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: I’ll play the role of a casual fan and say that the Most Shocking Moment of the night was the Authority and ring crew coming down to the ring in order to trap Roman Reigns inside of a steel cage. Seth Rollins climbed to the top of the cage and hit a beautiful cross body right onto Reigns, which was just the start of his burial. Reigns took a chorus of chair shots from Orton and even Citizen Kane joined in on the fun.