SEScoops

Category: Editorials and Features

  • Best Original WWE Network Programming

    Since the launch of the WWE Network, over 600,000 fans have subscribed to the service. While it’s a bit below the one million subscribers they were hoping for, it’s still an admirable number for a service that is still only available in the United States.

    With live access to every pay-per-view and a vault containing every special event in WWE, WCW, and ECW history, it is safe to assume that most fans signed up in order to gain access to the special events, and at the reduced price of only $9.99 per month, who can blame them?

    There is a lot more to the WWE Network than just a vault of old events and live access to each month’s pay-per-view, however. There is also a boatload of original content. Here is a list of some of the must-see original content on the Network.

    5. Legends of Wrestling: Families – Watching a bunch of old-timers talk about the good old days is usually about as exciting as watching paint dry, but some of these are actually pretty entertaining. One of the best round-table discussions includes a panel consisting of Sergeant Slaughter, Jim Ross, Ted DiBiase, and James J. Dillon. The group discusses the importance and prevalence of families in the WWE. It is interesting to hear DiBiase discuss how having a father in the business influenced him to become a professional wrestler.

    Daniel Bryan's journey to WrestleMania is something most fans will be able to enjoy.
    Daniel Bryan’s journey to WrestleMania is something most fans will be able to enjoy.

    4. Journey to WrestleMania: Daniel Bryan – This is obviously one of the newest pieces of original content on the Network. It follows Daniel Bryan on his week leading up to this year’s WrestleMania and provides a number of exclusive interviews leading up to the event. It also discusses his rise to the top after initially being terminated from the company, with commentary from William Regal and Pat Patterson discussing how the company made a mistake in his firing. The most interesting parts of this documentary are the backstage scenes and hearing his fellow wrestlers praise him for his accomplishments.

  • Kane vs. Bryan: Main Event Worthy?

    The Big Red Monster is back, and it appears he is on a collision course with Daniel Bryan. After reclaiming his mask last week on Raw, Kane vowed to take care of the WWE Champion and send him to the depths of hell.

    In true WWE storytelling fashion, they had a Kane video package queued up and ready to go about five minutes later, leading me to believe that he will be featured prominently in the storyline in the coming weeks.

    With Evolution set to take on the Shield at Extreme Rules and seemingly no other contenders in line, it appears that Daniel Bryan’s first pay-per-view title defense will be against his former tag team partner.

    Kane has temporarily retired his suit in favor of his signature mask in an attempt to exact revenge.
    Kane has temporarily retired his suit in favor of his signature mask in an attempt to exact revenge.

    The thought of Kane headlining a pay-per-view in 2014 and competing for the WWE Championship could leave some fans scratching their heads, but I believe it could work well if planned appropriately. With other storylines, particularly the Shield/Evolution program, eating up a good portion of the main event roster, creative was left with few options for Bryan’s matchup at Extreme Rules.

    Randy Orton still holds a rematch clause but is fighting with Evolution, not to mention that Orton/Bryan headlined three pay-per-views last year and most fans would like something fresh. I think Brock Lesnar is being built up to eventually challenge Bryan for the title, but it would be too soon and neither superstar could afford a loss immediately following WrestleMania. Lesnar needs to continue winning to validate his win against the Undertaker and Bryan cannot lose the title just one month after finally winning it. A no contest would also leave the crowd unsatisfied with the outcome.

    Therefore, I think Bryan and Lesnar will both be built up over the coming months to set up a blockbuster showdown at SummerSlam. Bryan’s first victim will almost assuredly be Kane. It is no secret that Kane is past his prime, but he can still put on a decent match if paired with the right opponent.

    At the very least, the two have been involved with one another in the storyline over the past several months and creative can rely on that to tell a decent story. It certainly works a little better than randomly choosing someone like Sheamus or Alberto Del Rio to challenge for the title.

  • Looking Back At Ultimate Warrior’s 5 Greatest Matches

    On Tuesday, April 8, 2014, the professional wrestling world lost another one of the greats. The Ultimate Warrior, who for millions of fans who jumped on the pro wrestling bandwagon during the late 1980s boom period, was among the biggest and most recognizable Superstars in history. Today, we are going to look back at five matches that helped establish Warrior as the undeniable legend that he became.

    It’s no secret that Ultimate Warrior wasn’t what one would call a “catch-as-catch-can” classic type of in-ring performer, but if you look back at his career from an unbiased point of view, there were certainly some diamonds in the rough. He had some great moments in the ring, and at times was absolutely more than just “a cool ring entrance.”

    WWE SummerSlam 1988 (vs. The Honky Tonk Man)

    On August 29, 1988 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, The Ultimate Warrior captured his first WWE Championship. In just 31 seconds, Warrior ended The Honky Tonk Man’s legendary 454-day reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion.

    Going into the show, which was actually the inaugural edition of what became WWE’s annual summer tradition, Honky Tonk Man was originally supposed to square-off with Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. Beefcake ended up on the sidelines, however, and it was announced, live during the show, that Honky Tonk Man would still have an opponent and would still be defending his title.

    To make a long story short, the infamous guitar riff hit the big speakers, thousands of fans in MSG exploded, and 31 seconds later, Warrior’s first WWE title reign began. History was made.

    WWE SummerSlam 1989 (vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude)

    Nearly a year later to the day, Ultimate Warrior found himself capturing WWE Intercontinental gold once again at WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. Several months prior, Warrior suffered his first official defeat in WWE at the hands of “Ravishing” Rick Rude, who was arguably Warrior’s best in-ring opponent.

    This was the rematch.

    The bout took place on August 28, 1989 at The Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the second annual WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event.

    In what turned out to be a pretty good little contest, Warrior prevailed and in the end, managed to get his hand raised and once again become the WWE Intercontinental Champion.

  • WWE Tag Team Division: On the Back Burner

    Near the end of last year, it appeared the WWE would once again focus on promoting its tag team division. After the championships were practically ignored and bounced around between random teams that were comprised of young talent for over a year, Team Hell No helped legitimize the titles once again.

    Kane and Bryan held the titles for nearly a year before eventually dropping the straps to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. The division picked up even more after the Shield got their hands on the titles and was straight up stacked for months. At one point the company was even relying a lot on six-man tag matches just to get as many guys as possible on the broadcast.

    Team Hell No helped spark fan interest after a dull period in the tag division.
    Team Hell No helped spark fan interest after a dull period in the tag division.

    Near the end of last year, the Rhodes Brothers, the Shield (Rollins and Reigns), the Wyatt Family (Harper and Rowan), the Real Americans, the Usos, the Prime Time Players, and the New Age Outlaws were all in contention for the Tag Team titles at some point.

    Since then, nearly every one of those teams has fallen off the face of the Earth, save the Usos who are now the champions. The Rhodes Brothers are barely competing together, the Shield is beyond competing for the championships at this point, the Wyatt Family has been involved in other affairs, both the Real Americans and Prime Time Players have split, and it appears the New Age Outlaws do not want to exercise that rematch clause after all.

    The dissolution and promotion of various teams has resulted in the tag team division entering into a transitional state where the company needs to develop new teams or promote others from NXT. Think about the current teams on the roster. We have the Usos who are obviously champions, but who are their challengers? The only other teams even on the roster are Los Matadores, Ryback and Axel, and 3MB, unless I am forgetting someone.

  • 2014 First Quarter Matches of the Year

    We are a little over a quarter of the way through the year. With WrestleMania behind us, the WWE will now begin its summer programs and hope to build toward its second biggest pay-per-view of the year, SummerSlam.

    With that said, I felt it would be interesting to look at the top five matches from the first quarter of 2014. I included full match videos and highlights where possible, but WWE licensing restrictions made it difficult at times. (I also apologize for the terrible music in a few of the videos.)

    5. John Cena vs. Cesaro (February 17 Raw) – Say what you will about John Cena’s in-ring ability, but he has put on some great matches so far this year, with none better than this matchup with Cesaro. There were a number of amazing spots during the contest, with Cesaro’s counter of the AA certainly ranking near the top. It appears the WWE is going to push Cesaro hard, and this was the week where his push began after he defeated Randy Orton and pushed Cena to the limit.

    4. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania) – After weeks of begging for a match with Triple H, Daniel Bryan finally got his wish at WrestleMania. He took full advantage of it during the opening contest of the night. Both superstars really shined during the match and it was, in my opinion, the highlight of the show. It also ranks as quite possibly the best opening match in WrestleMania history, with only Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X giving it a run for its money.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzEetf0xlsU

  • CM Punk & WWE: Who’s Wrong, Who’s Right, Who Cares?

    I miss the pipe bombs.

    I miss “The Best in the World.”

    I miss CM Punk.

    A few months ago, CM Punk walked out on WWE. That’s the catchy, grabby headline, anyway. In reality, he walked out on his fans. WWE will be fine without him. They have seen the best of all-time come and go and they continue to be a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.

    When Punk first left, most of the attention was on the behind-the-scenes happenings of a business arrangement gone wrong. Everyone was focused on the story behind what led to his departure. As a fan, which I remain first and foremost, my initial reaction was more along the lines of, “damn, that sucks.” No more CM Punk pipe bombs? No more “Best in the World” in-ring performances?

    When the “Chicago Made” Superstar first delivered his infamous “pipe bomb” promo in June of 2011, I fell back in love with the sport I have had a passion for since childhood. At the time, I was growing sweet on this new love of mine known as mixed-martial-arts. Pro wrestling became too PG. It was too geared for children.

    CM Punk changed all of that.

    After hearing of his promo, I checked it out on YouTube. From then on, my television was tuned into the USA Network every single Monday night. The key segment I looked forward to each week was one that featured Punk with a microphone in his hand. He never failed to deliver the type of entertainment that I had missed for so many years.

    Eventually everyone in the pro wrestling business gets burned out. As of right now, I hold out hope that Punk will regain his passion for the business in the same way that he helped me regain mine. I fully expect to hear Living Colour’s “Cult Of Personality” again one day.

    But what if I don’t?

    After all of the focus on the answer to the question, “what happened?” died down, the attention now seems to be on ole’ Phil Brooks himself. After all of of those who cried “work” realized as the Chicago RAW came and went, the big WrestleMania XXX event came and went, and we still haven’t seen “The Best in the World” on our television sets, it seems like the reality is finally setting in.

    He isn’t coming back. Not anytime soon, at least.

    So what does this tell us as fans? Punk couldn’t work out an arrangement that would see him remain as an active WWE performer? In a time where many top-level Superstars are managing to secure special part-time contracts with limited dates and tons of dough, you mean to tell me that both sides couldn’t figure something out?

    The job of a promoter is to deliver the matches and performers that people want to see. Clearly people want to see CM Punk in WWE. Having said that, how is it possible that Vince McMahon couldn’t come to some kind of arrangement to deliver Punk in Chicago, or in New Orleans?

    Something isn’t right here.

    I obviously don’t know Vince McMahon on a personal level, but I think it’s safe to say that his reputation as a guy who will bury the hatchet with people is well known. His reputation as a guy who delivers what people want to see is at the least above average. Knowing that, you would have to assume that he made every effort possible to get Punk back in the mix.

    It didn’t happen.

    The question now becomes, what is it that CM Punk wants? Based on behind-the-scenes rumblings, it seemed that Punk wanted a guaranteed spot in the main event of WrestleMania. Since he walked out, it seems as though anything short of that wasn’t good enough.

    WWE doesn’t suffer, it’s the fans that suffer. Especially CM Punk fans. WWE fans will still find something to enjoy on Monday and Friday nights. WWE will be just fine. CM Punk fans, however, are screwed.

    Unless you’re a fan of Mike Maron or Talking Dead, you’re not going to have the chance to see your favorite performer on television.

    After reading a lot of feedback across a variety of platforms, I am noticing a trend. No longer are fans saying “screw WWE for not giving Punk what he wants.” The mood seems to be more along the lines of “what the hell, Punk, why aren’t you coming back?”

    Listen, we don’t know what happens behind closed doors. It’s unfair to say with any kind of real certainty that the blame lies on this person or that person. But the bottom line is this: they need to figure out something that appeases both sides. The bottom line is WWE needs to deliver CM Punk. At the same time, CM Punk needs to figure out a way to get back in the mix. If he’s burnt out, that’s one thing. Take some time off, rest up, heal up, and get back in there. If he’s done, he’s done. But from all accounts, that’s not what happened. What happened, as best I can tell, is Punk didn’t get his way, so he up and left.

    If Punk does come back, and shoots directly into the main event picture, does that make him a hypocrite? Isn’t that exactly what bothered Punk in the first place? Guys coming in and walking directly into main event spots? How is coming back and getting direct access to the top spot any different than what The Rock did? Or Brock Lesnar? Or Batista?

    It’s not.

    I’m an enormous CM Punk fan. For selfish reasons, I don’t care what happened. I don’t care what it takes to get him back. I just want it to happen. It’s up to WWE and Phil Brooks to find out a way to make that happen. Everything else is irrelevant.

    I spoke about catchy, grabby headlines. I look forward to the day I can put a headline on an article that reads, “CM Punk Returns To WWE.”

    I look forward to more pipe bombs.

    I look forward to seeing more of “The Best in the World.”

    I look forward to seeing CM Punk.

  • Remembering The Ultimate Warrior

    After one of the most exciting, memorable weekends in recent years, the wrestling world was rocked on Tuesday night with the tragic news of The Ultimate Warrior’s death. I wanted to take a few days to let the news sink in before writing a memorial article about the loss of another one of my childhood heroes. The initial shock is beginning to subside and now we’re left with shattered pieces to make sense of.

    Warrior was a very controversial figure – in and out of the wrestling business. When he first burst onto the national wrestling scene in the late 80’s, Warrior stood out like a sore thumb. Admist the landscape of muscled-up, bombastic WWF superstars of the day, never before had we seen anything like him. The face paint, the freakishly muscular physique, the unprecedented intensity in the ring, the otherworldly promos. He was a real life super hero that captured the imaginations and inspired millions of people around the globe.

    In the ring, Warrior was no master technician. He’d get ‘blown up’ after his sprint to the ring and rope shaking (like you wouldn’t?). His move set was limited. He required technically superior opponents to carry him to great matches. That said, his WrestleMania matches with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage are amongst the greatest in WrestleMania history and Warrior is the only man to hold pinfall victories over both men on WWE’s grandest stage.

    Warrior got a lot of heat for being a loner backstage. Much the Road Warriors, his a meteoric rise required a lot of top talent to step aside and get obliterated by this colorful force of nature. He spent the majority of the 1990’s embroiled in a bitter legal battles with Vince McMahon and WWE over the rights to his character and likeness.

    After his in ring career, he became a public speaker and had some very conservative political views, making very unpleasant comments about homosexuals and Arabs. He tweeted some pretty ugly stuff about late actors Heath Ledger and Philip Seymour Hoffman, both of whom died from drug overdoses. He also had bitter feuds via social media with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase and Jake Roberts.

    Warrior finally made peace with WWE over the past 18 months. He returned to the WWE Universe last weekend for the first time in nearly two decades. After years of being trashed by the company and his peers at every turn, Warrior came back to have his legacy portrayed in a positive light and to be celebrated for the legend he was.

    When he brought his two young daughters out with him on stage at the Hall of Fame ceremony and greeted his wife and mother in the crowd, it was a side of him few people ever saw. He told his daughters in the audience that as incredible as his Ultimate Warrior character was, the greatest thing he’ll ever do. Touching stuff that humanized him for the first time in front of his audience.

    His appearance on RAW is absolutely haunting in light of his death the following day – but there was a common theme to his Hall of Fame speech and RAW promo: humility. Warrior profusely thanked his fans and the WWE employees behind the scenes for making his character what it grew to be. He talked about the talent of the current locker room and encouraged the WWE Universe to get behind today’s top stars so that one day they would become legends themselves.

    Had Warrior died 2 weeks ago or 2 years ago, the impact of the loss would simply not be as profound. It is truly a blessing that he to got to return the spotlight one last time, make peace with estranged friends and cement his legacy his way. Since his passing, there has been a tremendous outpour of grief and love for Warrior from his colleagues, many of whom he had long standing beef with (Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon in particular).

    It’s a sad reality of life that we simply do not appreciate things enough until they are gone. There is a lesson to be learned here.

    For all of his flaws and quirks, Warrior was a MAN. He possessed an unbelievable belief in his abilities and potential, as well as a passion for life that we should all strive for. 

    The Ultimate Warrior character has been immortalized and will be celebrated by fans around the world for decades to come.

    Goodbye, Warrior. Rest in Peace and thank you for the memories.

    Always Believe.

    a438d440bfa511e39b5e0002c99c486e_8

  • WWE’s Changing Of The Guard

    This past week’s RAW could end up being a turning point in WWE history. Gone could be the days where the company relies upon the same tried-and-true superstars to draw money, instead turning to a new generation of up-and-comers. Indeed, this week’s episode felt more like a changing of the guard ceremony than a typical edition of the longest-running weekly episodic television program, as Michael Cole likes to affectionately refer to it as.

    It was evident from the moment the program started, which was basically a coronation ceremony for Daniel Bryan. The place was simply electric, with nearly every fan in attendance participating in his signature “Yes!” chant.

    What was interesting as the night progressed was that the WWE Universe turned on nearly every “old guard” superstar in favor of younger talent, whether heel or face. This was first seen during the Wyatt Family vs. John Cena, Sheamus, and Big E contest.

    The WWE Universe has decided to follow the buzzards in recent weeks.
    The WWE Universe has decided to follow the buzzards in recent weeks.

    Cena was ripped a new one during his entrance and performance, as it seemed like not a single person in the crowd was cheering him. There is usually at least a vocal minority of supporters in even the most anti-Cena crowd, but the New Orleans crowd was completely against him, even singing, “John Cena sucks” to the tune of Cena’s theme song.

    The Wyatt Family, on the other hand, were overwhelming crowd favorites even though they have been booked as nothing but heels since debuting. The crowd was singing Wyatt’s now-signature, “He’s got the whole world in his hands” while swaying back and forth. These guys are truly over and it was completely obvious which side the crowd was supporting during the Wyatt’s decimation of Team Cena.

    A similar incident occurred later in the night during the Rey Mysterio/Bad News Barrett contest. Barrett has been booked as a heel in recent months, and unlike the Wyatt Family, he has not received any support from the fans. During his contest with Mysterio, however, Barrett had complete fan support and was even celebrating with the fans while Mysterio seemed a bit perplexed at times while he was mercilessly booed. It seemed obvious that the fans are in favor of change instead of the superstars of old.

    The King of Swing is the newest Paul Heyman guy, much to the delight of the crowd.
    The King of Swing is the newest Paul Heyman guy, much to the delight of the crowd.

    You know things are a bit off when even Paul Heyman is cheered at one point in the broadcast. Cesaro announced his departure from the Real Americans and shocked everyone by claiming he is now a Paul Heyman guy, a move that set the place on fire. It set up an ironic situation where Heyman was practically booed out of building during his earlier promo with Lesnar but was later cheered after it was announced that he would now manage Cesaro.

    The move highlights the popularity of Cesaro, as the crowd does not care who he is paired with as long as he is receiving a push, and the WWE does not usually pair Heyman with guys they are not planning to push. If you can get the crowd to cheer Paul Heyman, you must but doing something right, but after all, Cesaro is the guy who made a stable of immigrant-hating Tea Partiers popular with the crowd. In recent weeks, the crowd has even been chanting, “We the people.”

  • WrestleMania XXX: Illogical Booking

    Words cannot even begin to describe what fans witnessed last night at WrestleMania. I will instead allow for the screencap below to perfectly encapsulate the moment. That face was not unique either, as basically every face in the crowd featured the same shocked expression.

    This of course occurred after the Undertaker finally lost at WrestleMania, ending his perfect 21-0 streak at the biggest wrestling event of the year. In my opinion, ending the streak against Brock Lesnar was the definition of illogical booking.

    This image perfectly sums up the crowd's reaction to Lesnar's victory.
    This image perfectly sums up the crowd’s reaction to Lesnar’s victory.

    It makes little, if any, sense to end the most vaunted streak in sports entertainment against a part-time superstar who is way past his prime. That should have instead been reserved for an up-and-coming superstar such as Roman Reigns or Bray Wyatt.

    Following the event, fans were even speculating whether the loss was a shoot, that’s how unbelievable it seemed that the WWE would allow Lesnar to end the streak. It was indeed the plan all along, but it still makes one question why Lesnar was the chosen one.

    The most logical reason is that Lesnar was hand-picked by Taker to end the streak. At this point in his career, the Undertaker has complete creative control over his character and there is no doubt that he would have to approve any loss. He is also a noted fan of MMA, so he probably thought Lesnar would serve as the perfect man to end his undefeated run.

    The Undertaker seemed gassed during much of the match and was taken to a hospital following the contest.
    The Undertaker seemed gassed during much of the match and was taken to a hospital following the contest.

    Another option is that WWE simply wanted a cheap ratings pop. Following the match last night, it was the most talked about topic on Twitter and fans will undoubtedly tune in to RAW tonight to see the aftermath, but that seems harmful to the company. It is moronic to trade in an accomplishment like the streak that could have propelled a rising star to superstardom in favor of a slight boost in ratings.

    Not only did the decision not make sense from a business standpoint, it also killed the crowd. They were completely disinterested during the Divas contest and it seemed like they did not become completely invested in the main event until about halfway through. The Undertaker’s loss definitely killed the momentum of the show for the next 20 or 30 minutes, as fans were in a state that was a mixture of shock, disbelief, and anger.

    Ultimately, having Lesnar end the streak was a very poor booking decision. That was likely the last time fans will ever see the Undertaker compete in the ring. They will now remember his final match as an anti-climactic botch-fest against an uncommitted part-timer that ended in defeat. The worst was that some disrespectful fans in the audience were actually brazen enough to shout, “You suck!” to one of the most accomplished and respected superstars in WWE history.

  • The Diminished Value of WWE Titles

    Upon glancing at this year’s WrestleMania card, fans may notice a glaring omission: championship title matches. After unifying the titles at last year’s TLC, there are a total of five championships in the WWE. Of the five, only two are being defended on the actual telecast and the tag team titles will be relegated to the pre-show.

    Ignoring championship titles is nothing new in the WWE, as it has become pretty much standard in recent years, especially at WrestleMania. The previous two WrestleManias featured three championship matches on the actual telecast, and the twenty-seventh edition was even worse, with only two championship matches on the entire four-hour program.

    This is a far cry from a decade ago at WrestleMania XX, where there were a whopping seven title matches and the belts were used to build up superstars and did not simply remain stagnant for months at a time.

    Steve Austin and The Rock were both elevated to the main event scene after battling for the Intercontinental Title.
    Steve Austin and The Rock were both elevated to the main event scene after battling for the Intercontinental Title.

    The perfect example of the diminished value of titles is the United States Championship. A decade ago at WrestleMania XX, John Cena won his first championship by defeating Big Show for the United States Championship. His win helped launch Cena into the main event by putting gold around his waist and making the title seem important.

    Fast forward a decade and the United States Championship is completely irrelevant, with Dean Ambrose only defending the title a handful of times since October of last year.

    The same holds true for the Intercontinental Title as well. During the Attitude Era, the Intercontinental Title was one of the most important ways to elevate a superstar from the midcard to the main event, with Steve Austin and The Rock’s epic battles for the IC strap serving as an illustration of how to use a midcard title to put an up-and-coming superstar over with the crowd.

    Now the title is thrown around the waist of whichever flavor of the week the WWE is trying to make seem important. It was Curtis Axel for a while after he was repacked and paired with Paul Heyman. After they realized he was not getting over with the crowd, they decided to give the belt to Big E and he has done next to nothing.

  • The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar: A Subpar Build

    On the go-home episode of RAW last night, the Beast Incarnate finally got the upper hand on the Dead Man with a little help from his advocate, blasting the Undertaker with a devastating F-5 after Heyman provided the distraction.

    Thus far, there has been little physical contact between the few, with the only instances being the Undertaker chokeslamming Lesnar through a table during their contract signing and Taker hitting Lesnar with a few punches after popping out of a casket.

    To say that this feud has not been fully fleshed out would be a serious understatement. In fact, I would not even hesitate to call it a complete disappointment.

    Unlike Undertaker’s feuds the past few years, this one seems rushed together with no backstory, made even worse by the fact that both superstars are part-timers who have rarely appeared on television together.

    The CM Punk/Undertaker program was an epic feud that truly felt personal.
    The CM Punk/Undertaker program was an epic feud that truly felt personal.

    Last year’s feud with CM Punk was a masterful build, with a compelling backstory (Punk stealing the urn and mocking Paul Bearer), a weekly confrontation between the two leading up to WrestleMania, and action that actually made the feud feel personal (Punk dumping the contents of the urn on Taker).

    This year has been the polar opposite. The two are fighting simply because Lesnar said he has accomplished everything in WWE except conquering the streak. I get that breaking the streak is a valid reason for a feud. After all, it was the reason CM Punk originally wanted to fight the Undertaker in the first place.

    However, the difference between last year and this year is that last year’s feud was actually escalated throughout the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, while the Lesnar/Taker feud is literally in the exact same place as it was on the night of the contract signing weeks ago.

    It is a shame too, because it is not like creative did not have material to work with. They could have mentioned the infamous confrontation between Lesnar and Taker after Lesnar’s UFC fight a few years back, or their previous feud back in 2002. Instead, it almost seems like the Undertaker has no stake in fighting other than defending the streak, and Lesnar seems disinterested as well. There were elements in place to make the feud seem personal but creative has failed to do so.

  • WWE WrestleMania XXX Predictions & In-Depth Preview

    wrestlemania-xxx

    The wait is almost over, with WWE WrestleMania XXX just days away. It’s been a long, bumpy road en route to WWE’s biggest show of the year, with CM Punk’s departure, the universal rejection of Batista and the groundswell under Daniel Bryan all playing huge parts in shaping the the lineup that WWE ultimately settled on.

    The Showcase of the Immortals will be appropriately hosted by the Immortal one himself, Hulk Hogan. The big story headed into WrestleMania is whether Daniel Bryan will be able to get past Triple H and then Randy Orton and Batista to stand tall at the end of the show as the new WWE World Heavyweight champion. John Cena will have his hands full against Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt Family, while The Undertaker puts his legendary streak on the line against his toughest opponent to date, Brock Lesnar. Throw in the Andre The Giant Battle Royal and appearances from WWE Hall of Famers The Ultimate Warrior, Jake Roberts and Razor Ramon and you’ve got yourself one hell of a memorable show. 

    As always, SEScoops.com will be doing Live Coverage of WrestleMania Weekend. We’ll be in New Orleans for all of the festivities, including Axxess, the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony, WrestleMania XXX and RAW the night after WrestleMania. We’ll have Live Coverage of the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony, WrestleMania and RAW – and the SEScoops Chat Room will be live for all 3 events. It’s going to be a crazy week here at SEScoops and we hope you join us for our unmatched coverage.

    Without further adieu, here are our official WWE WrestleMania XXX Predictions – courtesy of SEScoops writer Adrian Fylonenko. He’s got some controversial picks, so make sure to comment below and share your reactions as well as your own predictions. Hit up Page 2 for the first batch of predictions:

  • The Importance of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

    A few weeks back, Hulk Hogan announced the first-ever Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. At first it seemed like it would be a one-off gimmick simply designed to get more guys onto the WrestleMania card.

    Since then, it was announced that it would be a yearly event where the winner would carry around the trophy until the next year’s contest. As of now, there are only four open spots remaining, with some of the most notable entrants including Big Show, Goldust, Sheamus Alberto Del Rio, Big E, and the Miz.

    With the field all but set, I thought it would be interesting to look at which superstars could benefit the most from winning the battle royal and sporting the shiny new Andre the Giant trophy for the next 365 days.

    Titus O’Neil

    Titus O'Neil
    Titus O’Neil

    Following the breakup of the Prime Time Players, O’Neil turned heel and it seemed like they would finally give him the push many believe he deserves. That hasn’t really been the case, however, as he has pretty much jobbed since parting with Darren Young. Putting O’Neil over at WrestleMania and having him carry around the trophy for the next year could be the push he needs to solidify his spot in the middle of the card.

    Damien Sandow

    Damien Sandow
    Damien Sandow

    It seemed like Sandow was finally going somewhere after winning the Money in the Bank briefcase last year. Any hopes were quickly gone though after he lost pretty much every match while holding the briefcase and unsuccessfully cashed in against Cena as the WWE attempted to gain a few points in the ratings while going up against the World Series. Sandow would be the perfect guy to hold the trophy, as he would certainly talk himself up (think Owen Hart with his Slammy Awards) while occasionally expressing contempt toward the trophy.

  • Daniel Bryan: The Art of the Slow Burn

    After hitting John Cena with a running knee that came from out of nowhere (no Michael Cole/RKO pun intended), Daniel Bryan pinned the champ and the crowd erupted into a deafening “YES!” chant. Many believed that the Bryan era had begun in the WWE, until Orton’s music hit seconds later and basically everyone knew where it was going from there.

    Since then, Bryan has been involved in a long, occasionally meandering feud with the Authority. Along the way, Bryan defeated Orton at Night of Champions to regain the title before having it stripped away the following night, battled Orton to a no contest at Battleground, got screwed out of the title by Shawn Michaels at Hell in a Cell, and has been involved in countless minor storylines along the way.

    Some have complained that Bryan’s Authority program has been too drawn out and that there should have been some sort of payoff months ago. I admit that I was once in this camp. The night following Hell in a Cell, the Wyatt Family attacked Bryan, pulling him away from the main event scene for multiple months while allowing for the Big Show and John Cena to feud with Orton.

    Bryan took a vicious beating on RAW this past week. Can he overcome the Authority at WrestleMania?
    Bryan took a vicious beating on RAW this past week. Can he overcome the Authority at WrestleMania?

    It seemed impossible to think that Bryan could maintain momentum and stay relevant without directly battling the man holding the strap. In fact, the WWE’s WrestleMania plan originally did not even include having Bryan anywhere near the main event, as it was originally rumored that he would battle Sheamus. And then Pittsburgh happened.

    With the WWE banking on Batista returning and being one of the top faces of the company, the Pittsburgh crowd chewed him up and spit him out like a piece of cheap, undercooked steak. Had the crowd cheered Batista that night, there is little doubt that he would be headlining WrestleMania with Orton alone. Instead, they rejected the garbage product they were being served and could have potentially altered WWE history.

  • Is Triple H The Right WM30 Opponent For Daniel Bryan?

    Daniel Bryan Will Have To Beat Some Respect Into Triple H
    Daniel Bryan Will Have To Beat Some Respect Out Of Triple H

    Without a doubt, Daniel Bryan is the most over superstar in WWE today and deserves to be in the main event of WrestleMania 30. He’s gotten a lot more comfortable on the mic and continues to put forth consistent performances night in and night out. Hell, WWE even relies on him to pull double duty, which is incredibly rare these days, but that just shows you how much faith they truly have in him. I like to think that Triple H sees Bryan’s true potential and his rhetoric of Daniel Bryan being a “B+ troll” is leading to a satisfying payoff.

    This Triple H Daniel Bryan feud has been boiling hot, but the question still remains: will Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H satisfy WWE fans at WrestleMania? Or will fans expect nothing less than Bryan competing in the main event and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title?

    Whether you’re a Dragon fan or not, it’s clear to see that he’s been screwed out of winning the World Title multiple times since defeating John Cena cleanly at SummerSlam 2013. After the emotional and historic victory, special guest referee Triple H hit a Pedigree on Bryan, allowing Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and steal the championship.  One month later at Night of Champions, Bryan would have defeated Orton cleanly, but referee Scott Armstrong purposely gave a fast count (he hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since), which resulted in Bryan relinquishing the Title to Triple H the next night on Raw.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpObiQvi2EI

    After watching the last two weeks of Raw, it’s looking more inevitable that Bryan vs. Triple H will happen at WrestleMania 30. Bryan challenged him to a match and the Game just laughed it off – bringing up the assumption that Bryan is not an A+ player. Also last week, Bryan attacked Triple H, but of course, the King of Kings got the last laugh and ended the show by giving him a Pedigree.

    Overall, Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H makes sense. It is definitely a high-profile match-up and even though a lot of fans want to see Bryan compete in the main event of Mania, this (Authority) Triple H vs. Bryan storyline has dominated the last six months of WWE programming.  Honestly, it’s been pretty compelling stuff. Sure, Bryan getting beat down and screwed out of the Title virtually every week has ran its course, but once Bryan hits his Busaiku Knee finisher and applies the Yes Lock – making Triple H tap out – then, finally, he will get his revenge.

    Some may think that the ultimate way to get back at Triple H and the Authority is to win the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 30, which may still be a possibility, but I don’t see it playing out that way. Trust me, I’d love to see Bryan pull double duty and have a WrestleMania moment, but we can’t forget the man he’s going to be wrestling. Triple H.

    There is no denying that planted within Triple H’s brain is a very egotistical trait. Everybody jokes and/or is serious about Triple H and his burying shovel, right? A good reflection of this is CM Punk. Punk was the hottest thing since last week’s Playboy and Triple H beat him, with multiple interferences and an appearance from Kevin Nash at Night of Champions 2011. Sure, Punk kicked out of a Pedigree, but in the end, Triple H overcame both Nash and Punk.

    I’m scared to say that there is a possibility of Triple H defeating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30, which indeed would be shocking and highly illogical, but I firmly believe that Bryan will get the victory. That’s my biggest question mark about Bryan pulling double duty. Do you really think that Triple H will be okay with putting Bryan over, then going on to compete in the main event and perhaps even winning the Title? That makes Triple H look extremely weak. Therefore, I can see Bryan defeating Triple H (via submission), but cannot see Bryan competing in the main event.

    The Game Has A Solid WrestleMania Legacy
    The Game Has A Solid WrestleMania Legacy

    With all the bad things people say about Triple H, we must remember that this is a guy who has also put over a lot of talent, especially at WrestleMania. Triple H has an 8-9 record at Super Bowl of wrestling and has put over guys like Chris Benoit (submission), Batista (pin-fall) and John Cena (submission). When you look at his WrestleMania stats, there is really no distinct connection between wins and losses. He’s put over Batista, Cena and Benoit but has defeated hot, up and coming talents like Chris Jericho, Booker T, Randy Orton and Sheamus.

    Daniel Bryan, on the other hand, has not yet recorded a singles victory at the Showcase of the Immortals. At WrestleMania 28, Bryan lost the World Heavyweight Title to Sheamus in 18 seconds and last year, he and Kane retained the WWE Tag Team Titles. A singles victory over Triple H may not be the final icing on the cake, but it would still be one hell of an achievement.

    One has to wonder what would have happened if CM Punk stayed with the company until his contract officially ran out. Original WrestleMania plans revealed CM Punk to take on Triple H, Batista to square off against Randy Orton and for Daniel Bryan to wrestle Sheamus, but with Punk’s departure things have changed drastically. Now, fans are most likely going to witness Sheamus vs. Christian, Bryan vs. Triple H and the originally scheduled main event between Randy Orton and Batista.

    To WWE, the main event looked good on paper, but the recent fan backlash towards Batista forced the Creative Team to turn The Animal heel, and having two heels face off in the main event of WrestleMania for the WWE World Heavyweight Title is much like Johnny Cochran’s Chewbacca Defense – it doesn’t make sense.

    Naturally, WrestleMania should showcase the best babyface taking on the biggest heel. Daniel Bryan is undoubtedly the best babyface and honestly, Batista is the biggest heel in WWE today. However, neither of them are the WWE World Heavyweight champion.

    h4
    Can These Guys Really Carry The WM30 Main Event?

    Even though they’ve had a great series of matches, fans have seen Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan far too many times and Batista must be included in the main event, so a Triple Threat match makes sense. Fans need a fresh main event match and it will be very interesting and intriguing to see what and if WWE changes things up to incorporate Bryan or another superstar in the main event. Including Bryan in the main event would be easy to do too. He has a clean non-title victory over Orton and Hulk Hogan is the special guest host, which means he can have a say in what goes on at the event.

    Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H has all the ingredients to make for a great match. The two have been involved in an intense storyline for months and Triple H is the sole reason why Bryan isn’t the current WWE World Heavyweight champion. I can see these two larger-than-life superstars competing in an instant classic.

    WrestleMania 30 is going to be the biggest event in WWE history and the card has not been finalized just yet. There are just so many questions that have been left unanswered and I can guarantee that the next 2-3 weeks of WWE programming will be relentless and entertaining.

    What is your take on Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H? Is the WWE making the right call by leaving Daniel Bryan out of the main event? Will Randy Orton vs. Batista be one of the worst WrestleMania main events in history? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

  • 7 Least Impressive Finishing Moves in WWE Today

    Throughout WWE’s 50+ year history, the WWE Universe has witnessed some truly awful, and sometimes illogical, finishing moves. In the past, larger than life superstars have used regular leg drops, splashes and clotheslines as finishers, which has helped them defeat their opponents.

    Clearly, times have changed and we are starting to see more and more impressive, high-impact finishing maneuvers. This list is dedicated to those finishing moves that make wrestling fans shake their heads in disapproval.

    Of course, everybody has their own preference and/or opinion about which finishers are cool and uncool, but this list takes a look at the least impressive and unrealistic finishing moves performed by superstars on WWE TV today.

    7. PERFECT PLEX: CURTIS AXEL

    Cena kicks out!

    The great Mr. Perfect used the Perfect Plex to dismantle and defeat his opponents and the way he executed the move was, well, perfect. Axel has done a good job picking up the finisher from his father and he continues to perform the move better and better each and every time we see it. However, my problem isn’t the way Axel is performing the Perfect Plex, the problem is the move itself.

    Goldberg switched up a standard Suplex and turned it into the Jackhammer, a powerful finisher that looked painful to the audience because it looked like he put all of his muscle behind it. However, the Perfect Plex is nothing more than a standard Fisherman’s Suplex. I understand that the wrestler performing the move has leverage and hooks his opponent’s leg, but there is just something about it that doesn’t impress me, and I’m not a harsh judge. No Simon Cowell or Piers Morgan over here. The Perfect Plex doesn’t have that high-impact, holy shit explosive force to it and I’m still not sold on the maneuver being a top notch finisher.

    6. ZIG-ZAG: DOLPH ZIGGLER

    Big Show kicks out! (Couldn’t find the video of Cena kicking out)

    Dolph Ziggler is great. He is arguably the greatest athlete on the current WWE roster and his career can be defined as an endless rollercoaster ride. Ziggler is damn impressive in that ring, but his finishing move is not. Just imagine anybody else on the WWE roster using the Zig-Zag as a finisher. Better yet, think of Daniel Bryan hitting the Zig-Zag on Kofi Kingston…not so impressive, right?

    Because of his leaping ability and wrestling style, upon first glance, the Zig-Zag doesn’t look too bad. But, that’s because Ziggler is performing it. If you really watch the move, all Ziggler is doing is jumping high in the air, grabbing his opponent’s shoulders and/or neck and then slamming them down onto the mat. Performing the Zig-Zag off the top turnbuckle would be awesome and devastating, but considering the length of the fall is how tall Ziggler’s opponent is, sometimes, the move just doesn’t look all that painful.

    Don’t get me wrong, any maneuver that injures an opponent’s head is impactful, but from what I’ve seen, it’s too obvious that the “bad guys” are landing on their backs, which makes the move less impressive. I would love to see Ziggler use the Zig-Zag as a signature move and replace it with the Fame Asser.

    5. WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM: MARK HENRY

    Couldn’t find the video of Cena kicking out

    You would think that the World’s Strongest Slam would be showcased in the “Most Devastating Finishing Moves” list, but the way Henry executes the maneuver is underwhelming. You have a man that can pull two semi-trucks on his back, and his finisher is one of the simplest and unoriginal moves in wrestling – a Falling Power Slam. Henry performs a mightily impressive Running Power Slam from time to time and even that maneuver looks more devastating than the World’s Strongest Slam.

    Maybe I’m in the minority, but I’m just not a big fan of this finisher. Mark Henry is dubbed as the World’s Strongest Man and realistically, any power move that he hits on his opponents would probably kill them. However, we’re talking about professional wrestling here. The World’s Strongest Slam makes the list for unoriginality and the way the slam is performed. I’d like to see him put in a lot more force when executing this move, but who knows; maybe he lays off on the power (a bit too much) in order to prevent crushing his opponents.

    4. WMD: BIG SHOW

    Sheamus kicks out!

    Big Show’s WMD is a regular punch to the face – something that we see in e every single match. However, this particular punch looks devastating because Big Show cocks his hand back, screams out loud, cries and drools a little bit before laying the smack down. The reason why I find this move unimpressive is because it looks uninspiring. If wrestling was “real”, every punch Big Show throws would knock his opponents out cold. Show will be throwing punches throughout the entire match that barely affects his opponents, only to hit virtually the same punch and pick up a victory. Big Show’s WMD is not very impressive.

  • 7 Most Devastating Finishing Moves in WWE Today

    Throughout WWE’s 50+ year history, there have been countless superstars who have used finishing/signature moves in order to win matches and wow audiences across the globe. Some finishers build anticipation and take a few seconds to set up, while others can be executed in less than a second and performed at any moment. Although some finisher’s don’t always get the job done the first time around, there is no arguing that these maneuvers get the WWE Universe on their feet and adds drama two each and every match.

    Every professional wrestling fan has a favorite superstar and finishing move, so, we’ll be taking a look at the top seven most devastating finishers in WWE today. Of course, everybody has a different opinion or preference, but with this list I have tried my very best to be as unbiased as possible.

    Please keep in mind that this article isn’t listing the best or most popular finishing moves, but instead, the most devastating and realistic looking finishers on WWE TV today.

    7. SISTER ABIGAIL: BRAY WYATT

    http://youtu.be/9opYIQnlTKo

    So vicious!

    Fandango used it for a couple of weeks, but now Bray Wyatt is the only superstar on the WWE roster using a Swinging Revere STO, or, better known as Sister Abigail as a finishing maneuver. I’d imagine that the ever so gentle kiss on the head confuses and disorientates his opponents and just as they realize what’s going on…BAM! In the face, in the faacceee!

    Slamming your opponents face into the mat has never looked so vicious.

    6. BROGUE KICK: SHEAMUS

    Thank you Dolph

    Isn’t it great to see Sheamus back in the WWE? I know he could get pretty annoying before he suffered that injury, but his return has freshened things up a bit and judging from what I’ve seen, the Great White hasn’t missed a beat.

    I feel that the Brogue Kick is an underrated finisher. Sure, it can be viewed as a simple kick to the face, but the force and power that the Irishman puts into it is undeniable. The only person we’ve seen kick out of the Brogue Kick is Big Show and, well, he’s a giant. It’s a beautiful sight, when Sheamus call for the kick, lines up in the corner and nails a squiggly legged Dolph Ziggler in the head.

    5. NEUTRALIZER: ANTONIO CESARO

    See ya later Khali

    Let’s face it; Antonio Cesaro has an awesome move-set and an excellent signature and finishing maneuver. Cesaro can hit the Neutralizer on just about anybody, including 400lbs. monsters like Brodus Clay.

    The Neutralizer looks extremely painful and I sometimes cringe whenever I see Cesaro perform the maneuver. This finisher is very similar to Triple H’s Pedigree, but looks a hell of a lot more devastating considering Cesaro is putting all of his weight onto his opponent’s back, crushing their face and belly into the mat with no remorse.

    4. BUSAIKU KNEE: DANIEL BRYAN

    Goodnight Cena

    At SummerSlam 2013, Daniel Bryan debuted his Busaiku Knee finishing maneuver by hitting the running knee onto John Cena and winning his first WWE Championship. Ever since, the crowd anticipates that vital moment when Bryan points his fingers up in the air and when the YES chants start ringing, you know its game over.

    The Busaiku Knee fits Daniel Bryan’s personality and move-set and it is a move that fans have rarely seen in the WWE. Aside from Triple H selling the finisher terribly at Hell in a Cell 2013, the running (sprinting, really) knee looks legitimately painful and extremely realistic, which is a rarity in today’s WWE.

     3. RKO: RANDY ORTON

    http://youtu.be/GXf4Xe2unpI

    High stakes, high rewards

    The magic behind the RKO is that Randy Orton can execute the move from virtually, cue Michael Cole, out of nowhere! There have been a lot of RKO’s performed by the Viper throughout his WWE career and every single one looks hellacious. Well, except for this one.

    For the most part, Orton flawlessly jumps in the air towards his opponent, grabs their head in a three-quarter face lock while parallel to the ground and then slams their face into the mat. To me, the most vicious and brutal looking finishers involve injuring the head/face/neck area and that’s why you are seeing many of them on this list.

    2 GTS: CM PUNK

    http://youtu.be/RwmcWvNW338

    Double GTS!

    If I could sum up CM Punk’s GTS (Go to Sleep) in one word, that word would be beautiful. There is such elegance about the GTS and it’s very hard to describe into words how great it looks. It’s unique and the move was never done in the WWE before Punk was signed.

    “Borrowed” from Kenta Kobayashi, the GTS is a Fireman’s Carry dropped into a knee lift where Punk’s knee viciously connects with his opponents head. The only problem I have with the maneuver is that Punk isn’t able to perform it on everybody and he has quite a bit of trouble performing the move on bigger superstars like Kane or The Undertaker. Regardless, the GTS is one of the best finishing moves in WWE today.

    1. TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER: The Undertaker

    R.I.P

    The Tombstone Piledriver is arguably the greatest finishing move in professional wrestling history. Just like the Deadman’s entrance, time seems to stop when Taker is in position to execute the move. It is, without a doubt, in the “greatest of all time” category with the likes of the Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Stunner and Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music

    A few years ago, the WWE banned chair shots to the head and Piledrivers. Both of those actions are extremely dangerous to perform and have caused severe injuries to unfortunate superstars. However,  like The Undertaker, the Tombstone Piledriver is one of a kind and is a maneuver that we may never see again once the Phenom has retired.

    Agree or disagree with my picks? Feel free to make like Tom and Cruise to the comments section. Let me know your thoughts on the most devastating finishing moves in WWE today.

  • Analyzing CM Punk’s WWE Departure

    Well now, it’s been one hell of a week The WWE held all-day Creative meetings on Thursday and Friday, Sting may have actually signed a contract with the world’s number one wrestling promotion, Jimmy Snuka may be in big, big trouble and most importantly, Summer Rae is going to be on the new season of Total Divas!

    If I could be serious for a moment, the biggest and most shocking bit of news that has been floating around the internet is that CM Punk has officially quit WWE, and there are no clear signs of the Straight-Edge superstar returning anytime soon.

    However, there has been signs of Punk being openly frustrated with the WWE product and the direction that the company has been going in for a few years now. Punk is famous for being rebellious. Whether it’s dropping Pipe Bombs, disrespecting authority figures or punching fans in the face – when this guy is in the news, wrestling fans tend to take the time and read about what the hell is going on with the longest reigning WWE champion this generation has ever seen.

    CM Punk announcing his demands to Vinny Mac
    CM Punk announcing his demands to Vinny Mac

    I’m no expert, Punk’s WWE contract expires this July and if he really quit the company, he would be breaching his contract and would owe a lot of money. Although Punk is well-off financially and has saved enough in order to retire, it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for him to quit and lose the cash. He’s a smart guy and loves wrestling too much. Don’t you think he could endure another five-six months of shitty booking, have one or two great matches, let his contract run out and ride off into the sunset?

    There are many speculative reasons as to why Punk has left the company and so far, there have been no definitive answers. There have been theories, but no cold hard concrete answers. Is Punk sick of the WWE’s creative direction? Is he tired of part-timers coming in and being rewarded with guaranteed success? Is he so damn sick of being so damn sick? Or, perhaps, Punk and Vince McMahon are holding in a big secret and this is just an elaborate work? Let’s take a look at this compelling news and try to get to the bottom of this mystery.

    PART-TIMERS STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT

    In multiple interviews, Punk has expressed his annoyance when it comes to part-timers coming back to the WWE. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Punk was asked to give his thoughts on Batista returning to the WWE. He said that he had a big gripe with The Rock coming back just to headline WrestleMania and that the Batista situation is different since he signed a two-year contract and is going to be a full-time guy. Punk also stated that he doesn’t like part-time superstars (lifers) coming back for one or two matches because there is the possibility of those part-timers taking a full-timers spot – after those current crop of WWE superstars have spent years of hard work and dedication to get where they are today.

    The face/heel Batista!
    The face/heel of WWE…Batista!

    Punk seemed cool about Batista in the interview, but I’m sure, at that point in time, he had no idea that the Animal was booked to win the Royal Rumble and headline WrestleMania over “more deserving superstars” such as Daniel Bryan. Right? Do you think top superstars know the outcomes of matches they aren’t a part of? I’m interested to know because I figure guys like Cena and Punk get the scoop on everything that is going on in the WWE world.

    Also, last week at a Q&A session that took place at the Wizard World Portland Comic Con event, Punk said that he doesn’t think Sting should come to WWE because he doesn’t have anything left in the tank and that he would take another spot away from WWE’s younger superstars who are trying to make it to the main event level.

    Part-time superstars who come back to the WWE and take younger wrestlers’ spot is just one of the many things that grinds CM Punk’s gears.

    CREATIVE’S LACK OF DIRECTION

    From what I’ve read and and learned from watching the CM Punk: Best in the World DVD, Punk is a guy who is in love with the professional wrestling business and wants the industry to be competitive, entertaining and successful for a very long time. He’s pitched plenty of ideas to WWE’s Creative Team and will tell WWE officials exactly what he thinks if they have a storyline idea that he doesn’t like.

    In his documentary and in interviews, Punk has vocalized his thoughts on The Miz headlining WrestleMania 27 against John Cena instead of him. Punk stated that Cena was the best good guy and that he was the best bad guy and it didn’t make sense for Miz to headline the event.

    The Pipe Bomb heard around the world
    The Pipe Bomb heard around the world

    Recently, at the Wizard World Comic Con event, Punk said that he has been frustrated with WWE’s direction for quite a while and feels that the writers aren’t in touch with what the fans want. This is clearly evident from the reaction Batista received from the Pittsburgh crowd during and after last Sunday’s Royal Rumble PPV event. Punk also gave his opinion that last year was his year to main event Mania and now things have changed. He said that this is Daniel Bryan’s year and he wishes that he could see Daniel Bryan main event the biggest show of the year.

    Word on the street is that Punk walked out on Vince McMahon and said that he was going home last Monday night on Raw after a backstage dispute. ESPN Cleveland reported Casey Kulas said that he heard from sources backstage that Punk was involved in a heated argument because WWE wanted Punk to work a promo telling fans that he was taking time off due to a concussion, even though the Second City Saint hadn’t suffered one. Punk refused, said that he wasn’t going to tell the fans that bullshit and got on a plane back to Chicago.

    CM PUNK QUTTING IS HALF WORK HALF TRUTH

    While it’s clear that Punk is frustrated with what’s going on in WWE, perhaps he just needs some time off to rest and recover from lingering injuries. At the Comic Con event, Punk said that his health has been bad for months, especially September through November of last year. At that time, he was getting weekly MRI’s and blood work done, but doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He is starting to feel better, but still isn’t close to being 100%. Punk was given two months off after his match with the Undertaker at WrestleMania 29 and said that that was nowhere near enough time to recover.

    CM Punk taunting the Deadman
    CM Punk taunting the Deadman

    Punk is currently 35 years old and has performed in three of the best matches of 2013:

    Each match received a 4.5 match star rating from Dave Meltzer, which is no easy task. The Best in the World also performed in a perfect, five star rated match when he brilliantly wrestled John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 in his hometown of Chicago. The last five star rated WWE match before MITB 2011 was at the WWF In Your House 18: Badd Blood PPV which pitted Shawn Michaels against The Undertaker in the very first Hell in a Cell match.

    Punk is incredibly consistent in the ring and on the microphone and is a invaluable asset to WWE. Sure, he can be whiny every now and then when he doesn’t get his way, but I truly believe that Punk wants what is best for the WWE and its Universe and right now, things seem to be too chaotic and unsettling for him. He is taking a rightful and vengeful stand.

    I’m sure we will all find out more about the CM Punk situation in the next few days. To me, Punk is very tired, restless, irritable, unhappy and wants to get away from the world for a while. Phil Brooks has given his heart and soul to the WWE for nearly a decade. His main goal is to headline WrestleMania and last year, he was the longest reigning WWE champion since the 80’sstill took a backseat to The Rock and John Cena. I mean come on, he went into Mania as the WWE champion and still wasn’t involved in the main event. What else does this guy have to do besides being incredibly over and having fantastic matches each and every night?

    From what we’ve learned, CM Punk is a goal-oriented individual that has accomplished every goal in his professional wrestling career, except for one – headline WrestleMania. Perhaps knowing that he wasn’t going to be in the main event of Mania 31 made his choice to leave the company that much simpler?

    What are your thoughts on the CM Punk situation? Do you believe that Punk is gone for good or is this just a work in order for him to take some well-deserved time off? Do you think Punk owes the WWE Universe an explanation? Also, remember, CM Punk is still scheduled to compete at the Elimination Chamber PPV. Sound off in the comments section below.

  • 7 Things TNA Must Do To Survive 2014

    There is no question that 2014 is a make or break year for TNA. With Jeff Jarrett and AJ Styles departing, major budget issues, their Spike TV Contract renewal coming up, a lot of questions need to be answered as to how the company will survive. It’s not unrealistic that TNA will cease to exist in its current form this year. Without a doubt, TNA has some talented wrestlers that can put on consistent performances night in and night out, but a lack of talent isn’t the only problem that needs fixing.

    We here at SEScoops like TNA and want them to succeed. It’s refreshing that there is an alternative wrestling company on network television aside from WWE, but unfortunately, it looks like they’re going off a cliff and they need to make drastic changes in order to survive. Here are five suggestions that may help TNA Impact Wrestling make it through 2014:

    Please get off my TV. Please??
    Please get off my TV. Please??

    1. Get Dixie Carter off Television

    Dixie Carter is no Vince McMahon circa 1999 and the heel “Authority” angle has run its course in professional wrestling. The WWE is currently guilty of bringing back a similar angle with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon wreaking havoc on the babyface superstars on the WWE roster and TNA can be different by distancing themselves from similar storylines. Just because Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff aren’t with the company anymore doesn’t mean you have to turn Dixie Carter into a heel authority figure. We’ve already seen this sort of thing multiple times in TNA and it’s just not working this time around.

    Obviously, Dixie’s mic work does not compare to Vince’s and with AJ Styles actually gone from TNA for the first time in 10+ years, there is no true Stone Cold Steve Austin-esque hero to take down the big bad boss. Perhaps TNA has figured this all out already, having Jeff Hardy return from his hiatus to exact vengeance on the boss and her henchman, but will fans really pay attention, and more importantly, pay extra cash to see Hardy fight the odds? Don’t get me wrong, Hardy is one of the company’s top assets and an extremely talented superstar, but we’ve seen this too many times before.

    Dixie Carter should be removed from television as soon as possible if TNA wants to start 2014 off on the right foot. Sure, she can still be showcased every once and a while in backstage segments like she used to be, but she is definitely being overexposed. A good start in resolving this situation is to stop having the boss open the show with an underwhelming/uneventful promo each and every week on Impact.

    It's been a good run. But you're too expensive.
    It’s been a good run. But you’re too expensive.

    2. Release Sting and Kurt Angle

    Due to TNA’s money/budget issues, releasing Sting and Kurt Angle would be a smart move by the company. This suggestion may be a bit of a shocker to some of you, but their big-money contracts may in fact be hurting the company as a whole.

    What’s left for ‘The Icon” Sting to do in TNA Impact Wrestling? He’s 54 years old, put over the current TNA champion Magnus last year at Bound for Glory, played a key role in exterminating the Aces & Eights and can never wrestle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship again. Much like Hulk Hogan, Sting’s contract with TNA is costing them more than it is helping them.

    Kurt Angle will go down as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, but in my opinion, Angle is inching ever so closer to the end of his career, and it seems as if he wants to eventually bring his talents back to the place that helped make him who he is today, the WWE. In a recent interview, Angle said that his TNA contract expires in eight months and that he can’t say that he’ll never return to the World’s number one wrestling promotion.

    Sting and Angle are two of the most famous names on the current TNA roster, but both superstars have paid their dues, won numerous championships and have helped put over younger talent. It’s time to move on.

    Ready for Prime Time
    Kevin Steen: Ready for Prime Time

    3. Sign Top Independent Stars

    TNA has some impressive home-grown talent – Bobby Roode, James Storm, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels, Fankie Kazarian, etc. Now, by “home-grown”, I mean non-WWE talent. TNA should keep up the tradition of signing Ring of Honor and other independent talent because the roster right now seems very thin. While there are plenty of independent guys that deserve a chance to have the spotlight shine on them, here are some wrestlers that I think would be a great addition to TNA:

    Kevin Steen: “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen is one of those athletes that loves the professional wrestling business and has never been showcased on WWE or TNA television. Steen is a decent talker and a phenomenal worker that can get under the crowds skin in an instant. Steen is a born heel and has received high praises from the Texas Rattlesnake Stone Cold Steve Austin. Bringing Steen to Impact Wrestling would be a wise choice and would bring a section of new hardcore wrestling fans to the promotion.

    Chris Hero: Chris Hero is an Indy sensation and a current free agent that would bring more viewers to TNA if signed to a contract. Hero was recently released by WWE and never made it onto the main roster despite being one of the more talented superstars on the NXT roster. Hero has the look to be a major star and his in-ring skills have been finely tuned by the WWE to be a sports entertainer.

    The Young Bucks: The Young Bucks, known as Generation Me in TNA, put forth entertaining and consistent performances ever since their run in TNA from 2009-2011. They had some great matches with the Motor City Machine Guns, but due to poor booking decisions and monetary issues, the brothers left the company. The duo would be realistic signings because it seems that they are on good terms with the TNA promotion. Despite being eliminated in the first round, the Bucks competed in a TNA One Night Only PPV just last year. These two are in the prime of their careers and signing them to a TNA contract would undoubtedly help TNA’s now-struggling tag team division.

    Sonjay Dutt: Sonjay Dutt is an easy choice because he is a world-renown athlete and continues to be showcased on Impact Wrestling time and time again. Dutt made his debut with TNA in 2003 and wrestled for the promotion until 2009. Recently, he’s made a few special appearances, but isn’t signed to a contract with the company. As Mike Tenay has said in the past, Dutt is the most talented wrestler to never win the coveted X-Division Championship. While he may not be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin, Dutt is a reliable worker that is energetically entertaining and would most definitely help the X-Division reclaim its glory days.

    Michael Elgin: I’m not an avid follower of Michael Elgin, but from what I’ve seen and read, the dude can put on top-notch performances that will make your jaw drop. Last year in ROH, Elgin had a must-watch, five star rated match with Davey Richards. If you want to help your wrestling promotion, it’d be smart to hire someone that can wrestle a five star match, right?

    Of course, there are other independent stars that I didn’t list that would fit into TNA’s landscape and help them become a better promotion. Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards are two names that come to mind, but word on the street is that they are in talks with WWE at the moment, so I left them off of the list.

    Which independent wrestlers would you like to see TNA sign in 2014? Why do you think they would help the promotion? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

  • 5 Reasons Why the WWE Network Is A Must Have

    WWE has changed the game once again. The world’s premiere sports entertainment company has been a pioneer with technology since the first WrestleMania: closed-circuit television, pay-per-view, an online presence since the mid 90’s, social media – and now a groundbreaking network that truly is “Way Over The Top.” 

    Last night at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, Vince McMahon along with other notable WWE superstars and personalities officially announced the launch of the WWE Network.

    The specific details of the Network have been rumored for months, but with the irresistible force (the inclusion of all 12 WWE pay-per-views – including WrestleMania) meeting the immovable object (the “No way, Seriously??” price point), shit just got real. The 24/7 Network + Video on Demand service is the first of its kind.

    After listening to the highly entertaining and informative press conference, it is clear that the WWE Network is a monumental step on how wrestling fans will consume content.

    Here are five reasons why the WWE Network is a must have for any wrestling fan around the world:

    1: 24/7 Live Feed

    WWE.com
    How will you watch the WWE Network?

    A 24/7 network that is strictly wrestling. It’s a wrestling fan’s dream come true. You’ll feel the same adrenaline-pumping emotion when you watched Hulk Hogan body Slam Andre the Giant for the first time in front of 93,000 screaming fans.

    No more NCIS before RAW or Sharknado (it’s not the worst movie in the world) before SmackDown. The WWE Network will have wrestling related content streaming all day every day, not to mention pre-shows, post-shows, behind the scenes action and interviews from superstars at RAW and SmackDown every week. Never before has there been so much content available to the WWE Universe.

    2. WWE, WCW & ECW Libraries

    WWE.com
    Every WWE, WCW & ECW PPV ever? Yes, please.

    Get ready for more 80’s, 90’s & 2000’s wrestling action than you can handle. The WWE Network will have over 100,000 hours (4,166 days) of WWE, WCW and ECW footage, including every WWE, WCW & ECW PPV in history – as well as every single episode of RAW, SmackDown that has ever aired.

    It would take you 11 years to watch all the footage the WWE Network has to offer – and that’s just what will be available at launch. 

    The WWE Universe will also have access to replays of RAW, SmackDown, Main Event, Superstars and NXT each and every week with just the simple click of a button.

    3. Original Series

    WWE.com
    Finally, Legends House sees the light of day.

    Not a fan of Total Divas? Have no fear; there is no doubt that the WWE Network will have at least one exclusive series tailored just for you. Here is a brief run-down of each series announced at the press conference:

    Legends House: A spin-off of MTV’s Real World – 8 former WWE superstars and personalities such as Roddy Piper, Mean Gene Okerlund and Pat Patterson will be living under one roof.  Of course, a camera crew is there to catch all of the hilarious, emotional and heart-stopping moments that these Legends endure in their everyday lives.

    WrestleMania Rewind: With WrestleMania Rewind, the WWE Universe will get never-before-seen interviews and reactions from past and present superstars that have performed at the “Showcase of the Immortals”. Superstars such as Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton talk about their all-time favorite WrestleMania moments, Shawn Michaels talks about “the perfect match” he had with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25 and Andre the Giant has a sit-down interview after his match with Big John Studd at WrestleMania 1. These are just some of the things that will be showcased on this series.

    WWE Countdown: WWE Countdown is a one hour long series that will feature the top…well, whatever you can think of really. The very best matches, factions, catchphrases, villains, entrances, finishing moves, couples, managers, tag teams, divas and moments are just some of the categories highlighted at the press conference.

    Monday Night War: Ah, of course, the Monday Night War. Everything you want and need to know about the battle between WWE and WCW will be featured in this series. Get exclusive reactions from superstars such as The Undertaker, Triple H and Shawn Michaels as they witnessed the fight right in front of their eyes. Did they honestly think they were going to go out of business? Find out by tuning in!

    NXT: What better way to scout future talent and get behind a new favorite superstar than by watching WWE’s extremely popular developmental program NXT? Finally, wrestling fans will have an easily accessible, hassle-free way to watch the young superstars of tomorrow showcase their talents and try to make a name for themselves as they climb the ladder for a spot on the main roster.

    4. All 12 Monthly Pay-Per-Views Included

    WWE.com

    One of the main reasons why the WWE has sold me into subscribing to the WWE Network is their dedication and vision when it comes to showcasing past and present PPVs. With the WWE Network, not only are you going to get all 12 monthly PPVs, but you will have the chance to relive every single WWE, WCW and ECW PPV in history.

    In the mood to watch some old Mania’s before WrestleMania 30 airs? Just type “WrestleMania” in the search box and you will see a list of all 29 events. The same goes for any other PPV your heart desires.  That’s right, no more typing in “watch Royal Rumble 2002 for free” into the Google search engine.

    Oh, what’s that? I haven’t convinced you into buying the WWE Network yet? The next category might change your mind.

    5. Price

    This one is the proverbial Stone Cold Stunner that seals the deal and wins you your first WWE Championship in front of 90,000 screaming fans – with your 22 year old yoga instructor girlfriend eagerly waiting for you backstage.

    For just $9.99 per month, this is what you’re getting if you subscribe to the WWE Network:

    • A 24/7 live stream of WWE programming
    • Over 100,000 hours of archives and exclusive footage
    • New series such as Legends House, WrestleMania Rewind, WWE Countdown and the Monday Night War(s)
    • All 12 monthly PPV’s
    • Every single WWE, WCW and ECW PPV in history.
    • Every episode of RAW and SmackDown in WWE history

    It is astonishing how cheap the WWE Network is going to cost considering all of the content that will be displayed on a 24/7 basis.  Instead of paying over $600 a month for PPVs every year, you’re paying just $9.99, and that’s one hell of a bargain if you ask me. The WWE could have charged $20-$25 a month and Twitter still would have blown up. Come on, this is a no brainer for wrestling fans.

    At launch, the WWE Network will be available on virtually any platform, including WWE.com, iOS, Android & Kindle devices (via the WWE App), Playstation 3 & 4, XBOX 360. Support for XBOX One and Smart TVs is coming this summer. All you have to do is sign up at WWE.com, follow the simple instructions and you’re all set. It really couldn’t be easier.

    20140102_EPLIGHT_Network_Announcement_C
    Cue the Chris Jericho countdown clock

    As John Cena announced out at the press conference, the WWE Network will officially launch on February 24, 2013 at 11:05pm directly after Monday Night RAW has concluded. The WWE has struck gold with this idea and the network will truly be a one of a kind experience and will change the entire landscape of the professional wrestling industry.

    Discussion: What are your thoughts on the WWE Network? What features are you most excited about? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

    Are You On Reddit? Check Out This WWE Network Subreddit

  • Top 5 Superstars To Look Out For In 2014

    In pro wrestling, the mindset of a fan is: “what’s next?” A great match or moment happens at a pay-per-view and immediately afterwards the question becomes, “how do they follow this up on RAW tomorrow?” So while 2013 had its’ share of good moments and bad, as we near the end of the year, the question inevitably becomes, “what’s next?”

    If you read the headlines here on the website on a regular basis, when it comes to WWE, it appears as if 2014 will be a year where some new blood breaks through at the top level. Where guys who are just getting started in WWE break through to that next level and become legitimate WWE Superstars. Where guys who aren’t quite there just yet, but are so close, finally reach that level. They become main event players. Who will these people be? Well, in WWE, you never really know, but let’s take a look at five guys who seem to be well on their way.

    As Santa Claus fills up the gas tank in his mighty sleigh, as the New Year looms right around the corner, we’re going to take a look at three Superstars currently in WWE that will likely come into their own and reach the top of the profession within the year. It’s time to take a look at the “Top 5 Superstars To Look Out For In 2014.”

    #5. Damien Sandow

    WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross wrote about this guy recently. WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley talks about him on a regular basis. WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has said if this guy shows a little bit more of a mean streak, he’ll be well on his way, and Damien Sandow has been doing exactly that in recent weeks. He’s a talented performer who is stuck in a pretty lame gimmick, yet he somehow makes it work. He’s entertaining, period. If the guy gets some real opportunities in 2014, which I feel he will, he could legitimately break through to the next level. Will he become the face of WWE in 2014? Doubtful. Will he ever be the face of WWE? Probably not. But will he be stuck on pay-per-view Kickoff Show matches that serve little to no purpose? I don’t think so. I think by this time next year, Damien Sandow will be a legitimate Superstar. He may not headline many shows, but I think this is one of the few guys on the current WWE roster with the talent and potential to perform at a higher level than that in which he currently resides. I think Damien Sandow is somebody to look out for in 2014.

    #4. Big E. Langston

    Big E. Langston is a different situation altogether. While he may not shock and awe wrestling fans with his match quality, or his promo ability for that matter, he has that certain something that WWE looks for. I wouldn’t necessarily call it an “it factor” as much as I would the ability to lift a lot of heavy weights. Vince McMahon, and to a lesser extent Triple H, both of whom have a strong passion for bodybuilding, (remember the WBF, everybody?) seem to have set their sights on Langston as a future Superstar in WWE. There may be a whole heap of performers on the current WWE roster that are more deserving of some big opportunities, but from all accounts, it appears as if 2014 will be a big year for the muscled-up Tampa native. Big E. Langston is somebody to look out for in 2014.

  • 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

  • EDITORIAL: Why Is It So Damn Difficult To Book Pro Wrestling?

    Summerslam 93

    Why Is It So Hard To Book Pro Wrestling?

    LOOKING BACK AT SUMMERSLAM 18 YEARS AGO TODAY
    by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
    Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

    Whenever Vince McMahon likens WWE to a movie or TV show rather than sports, some fans tend to get up in arms. After all, are wrestlers not athletes? Do they not put their bodies on the line year-round and suffer serious injuries? Of course they do. But the more you stop and think about it, the man has a point. One key element pro wrestling has over sports like baseball, football and MMA is the ability to book its own finishes. Just like in any Hollywood film, the director (or promoter in this case) can script out a finale that both makes sense and satisfies the audience’s expectations. The “game” can’t be called due to bad weather. The “fight” won’t end on a swift, 10-second knockout. They have the power to give the people their money’s worth.

    So why then is it seemingly so difficult for pro wrestling to get it right?

    Visit any news site or discussion forum and you’re likely to drown in a sea of negativity. Welcome to the internet, folks. But when it comes to wrestling, this seems especially prevalent. ‘Oh great, so-and-so lost his match so he’s obviously being buried,’ or ‘man, what a crappy show that was. I’m never watching again!’ (as if). We’re all guilty of it in some form or fashion, so let’s just get that out of the way. Got it? Good. Now the flip side. Truth be told, we’ve seen our fair share of bad TV shows in the last couple of years. We’ve seen some horrendous booking decisions and godawful main event finishes that have nearly made our heads explode. But enough about Vince Russo… the fact is this. You can’t ALWAYS give fans what they want to see. Not every match is going to have a perfectly logical conclusion. Often times, injuries and suspensions can spoil whatever long-term plans a promoter may have mapped out, and for that, I sympathize. And while you can argue that CM Punk has cooled off a bit since his title win over John Cena in Chicago, that PPV was a great example of what happens when wrestling gets it right.

    Still, why do these people make such dumb decisions? Why must the hometown hero lose in their hometown 95% of the time? Why must someone who is getting over with the crowd be booked on a losing streak, thus killing whatever momentum they may have? I bring all of this up because A) it’s a relevant question to ask, and B) I wanted to use it as a segue to talk about one of the all-time great blunders in PPV finishes that occurred 18 years ago today. A finish, mind you, that Vince McMahon, a man that some people credit as being a genius, actually thought was a good idea.

    August 30, 1993. The site was the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was WWE’s second biggest event of the year, Summerslam, and it boasted an impressive lineup for that time. Shawn Michaels and Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental title was like a wet dream for fans of technical wrestling. Bret Hart and Jerry “The King” Lawler were set to finally lock horns after Bret had been viciously attacked following his KOTR victory. And in the main event, Yokozuna, the evil foreigner, would defend his championship against the newly-minted All-American hero, Lex Luger. Now before I go any further, I must point out that the original booking plan for the show had Hulk Hogan putting over Bret Hart for the title, which would have cemented Bret as a main event player much sooner. However, Hogan balked at the idea and decided he would rather drop the title to Yokozuna and flee the company than put over teeny-tiny Bret Hart, forcing a change in plans. That said, there’s still no excuse for their Plan B.

    When Hogan left, it left a void at top babyface for the company. They tried Bret Hart in that role already and he didn’t exactly light their business on fire, so he wasn’t the answer. So they decided to turn Luger, who had been a heel since his debut about six months earlier, and transform him into a modern day version of Hogan (only better, you see, because he had a steel plate in his arm!). To their credit, they went all the way with it. The Fourth of July chopper landing on the Intrepid when Luger slammed Yokozuna was a great piece of marketing. Then they had Luger travel cross-country on a bus called “The Lex Express” straight through to Summerslam. I mean, you would have thought the guy was running for political office the way he spent over a month on that bus, shaking hands and kissing babies. To cap it off, Jim Cornette, serving as the champ’s American spokesperson, forced Luger to agree to the stipulation that if he didn’t win the title at the PPV, he would never get another title shot. The stage had been set for an epic championship victory for Luger and the United States, right? Right? Well, not exactly.

    Lex Luger would not have been my first choice to lead the company if I had the book. But I didn’t. Hell, I wasn’t even old enough to vote at the time. But you know what? Vince McMahon had a vision and you can tell he was hell-bent on seeing it through. At least he wasn’t half-assing it with the guy. Summerslam arrived and the arena was decked out in red, white and blue. They paraded country singer Aaron Neville out there to sing the national anthem. Out comes Luger to a pretty good response from the crowd (and a new haircut) and we’re off to the races. I’m not going to spend time breaking down this match other than to say it was every American vs. foreigner WWE main event you’ve ever seen, including the dreaded NERVE HOLD OF DOOM. Luger rallies from certain defeat, Cornette tries to interfere, Mr. Fuji tries to interfere, all to no avail. Then comes the big climax – Luger fires off the ropes and clobbers Yokozuna with his loaded forearm, knocking the big guy out to the floor in a heap. The Palace is going crazy. As a fan watching at home on TV, I can recall thinking to myself, ‘boy, he better get Yoko back inside before the referee counts to ten.’ I waited and waited until I saw something rather odd. Luger was making no attempt whatsoever to bring him back inside and seemed perfectly content to leave him laying. In fact, it appeared he was COUNTING ALONG with the referee!

    ‘Is this guy a moron?’ I wondered. ‘You can’t win the title on a count out. Get him back inside! What’s wrong with you?!’

    He never did bring him back inside. The referee counted to ten and called for the bell. And with that, Lex Luger would forever become the poster-child for ignorant, dumb babyfaces. Yet, there was Vince McMahon on commentary going orgasmic over what we had just witnessed. Out came other equally dumb babyfaces like Randy Savage, Tatanka and the Steiner Brothers to celebrate and hoist Luger up onto their shoulders as balloons and confetti rained down from the ceiling. These days, Vince loves to have his announcers throw the term “Bizzaroland” around whenever the Canadian fans cheer for the heels and boo the faces, but back at that very moment, I thought I was living in “Bizzaroland” myself. You spent all of that time and effort to get Luger over to the masses, only to have him fail the fans and make him look stupid? I didn’t get it 18 years ago, and all these years later, it’s just as mind-boggling.

    Luger was never the same after that. He was still positioned as the top babyface and got nice reactions, but by the Royal Rumble, it was obvious the fans wanted Bret Hart in that role. Perhaps if they had gone all the way with him at Summerslam, things might have turned out differently. It’s been said the reason for the finish is that at the last minute, Vince McMahon decided that he wanted Luger to win the title at WrestleMania X instead. Of course, that never happened. Instead, at WM11 the following year, Luger was curtain-jerking in a tag match against the Blu Brothers. Talk about a fall from grace.

    Pro wrestling shouldn’t be this hard. You control your own destiny. How an intelligent person like Vince McMahon could have thought it was a wise move to book that main event finish, we may never know for sure. But on this day 18 years ago, it wasn’t the first time and damn sure would not be the last time we would see a promoter do such a thing and it begs the question, why is it so hard to book pro wrestling?

    The answer is, it’s not. It’s just easier to screw it all up.

    thesolomonster@gmail.com

  • SPECIAL: Does Winning King of the Ring Really Help Your Career?

    Looking Back At WWE’s King of the Ring

    WHO WAS REALLY HELPED BY WEARING THE CROWN?
    by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
    Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

    This Monday’s 3-hour edition of Raw from Philadelphia will mark the 19th installment of WWE’s King of the Ring tournament. The event actually began as a house show attraction all the way back in 1985, and it wasn’t until 1993 that it was promoted to pay-per-view status. In 2003, the company decided to abandon the tournament altogether due to declining PPV buys, but has resurrected it a few times since to boost TV ratings.

    The purpose of this editorial is to evaluate each of the KOTR winners from 1993 onward and where their career took them subsequent to their winning the crown. Did they move on to bigger and better things? Did they disappear off the face of the earth? Moreover, if they did move on to legendary status, can that be attributed to their victory in this tournament? Of course, there’s no way of knowing for sure, but it makes for an interesting look back as we prepare to crown a new king and is sure to spark some debate in the comments section below.

    Before we jump into things, let us not forget the notable names who donned the crown, wore the royal robe and carried the mighty scepter from 1985-1991 (there was no tournament held in ’90 or ’92). These names, in order, include Don Muraco, Harley Race, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, Tito Santana and Bret Hart. Some heavy hitters and Hall of Famers in this list, but I doubt anyone is going to attribute their victories here to their later success. Let’s begin!

    Bret “The Hitman” Hart

    1993 King of the Ring (Dayton, Ohio)

    In many ways, this was designed as a consolation gift to Bret after losing the WWF Title in ridiculous fashion a few months earlier at WrestleMania IX. After dropping the title to Yokozuna in the main event off interference by Mr. Fuji, Hulk Hogan ran down to check on the Hitman’s well-being (as if) and a few minutes later, was dropping the leg on the giant Samoan to claim his 5th World championship. It was a creative, yet ludicrous way to get the strap off one babyface and onto another in quick fashion and marginalized Hart as a main eventer. Instead of building towards a Hogan/Hart showdown at Summerslam for the title, Hulk put the kibosh on that and decided to drop the belt back to Yokozuna on this show. As such, Bret was put over strongly in this tournament, having good to great matches with Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow all in one night. The match with Hennig may actually be better than their Summerslam encounter a few years earlier, and the match with Bigelow is HIGHLY underrated. Of course, we all know that during Hart’s coronation, he was interrupted and assaulted by Jerry “The King” Lawler, igniting a feud that would last the better part of two years.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    Bret went on to feud with Jerry Lawler for several months before co-winning the Royal Rumble with Lex Luger. He regained the WWF Title from Yokozuna at WrestleMania 10 and would win several more championships before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. A fine career, for sure, but did winning this tournament really have much to do with it? After all, he had already won his first World title (as well as the Intercontinental and Tag belts) before capturing the crown. Verdict: No.

    FUN FACT: Hart is still the only person to technically win this tournament twice, if you include his first non-televised victory in 1991 (defeating IRS in the Finals).

    Owen Hart

    1994 King of the Ring (Baltimore, Maryland)

    “The Rocket” had always played second fiddle to big brother Bret and was ready to step out of The Hitman’s shadow. So began a memorable sibling rivalry with Owen defeating Bret at WrestleMania 10 in shocking (clean) fashion. Later that same evening, pulling double duty, Bret won the WWF Title, which put Owen in an interesting position having beaten the new champion only a few hours earlier. He entered the KOTR tournament a few months later, running through Tatanka, 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon en route to the crown. In the Finals, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who had returned as a surprise guest in Bret’s corner for his earlier title defense against Diesel, returned to ringside and turned heel, attacking Ramon and assisting Owen. This led to a memorable coronation where Owen first referred to himself as the “King of Harts”, a name that would stay with him for many years afterwards.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    Owen earned himself a shot at the WWF Title against brother Bret inside a Steel Cage at Summerslam only two months later, though that likely had more to do with his WrestleMania win in March. While he fell short in his bid for the belt, he did go on to hold multiple Tag Team titles and the Intercontinental championship. Owen’s untimely death in May 1999 leaves open the question of whether he would have one day won a World title, making his KOTR win one of the more prolific victories of his entire career. If nothing else, it gave rise to the “King of Harts” nickname. Verdict: Yes.

    FUN FACT: Retired football star Art Donovan, a local celebrity of sorts, was a guest announcer for the pay-per-view alongside Gorilla Monsoon and Randy Savage. He was atrocious. I mean, he makes Michael Cole sound like Gordon Solie in comparison. Even Monsoon and Savage began ignoring his incessant questions mid-way through the show. He would constantly ask, “How much does ‘dis guy weigh?” everytime a wrestler would appear, without fail. If you should see this man in public (yes, he’s still alive), avoid conversation at all costs.

    Mabel (of Men on a Mission)

    1995 King of the Ring (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

    Let’s not beat around the bush here. 1995 was not a kind year to WWE and this show completely sucked. There was not a single good match, not in the tournament itself, nor in any of the other pay-per-view matches, which featured Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler in a “Kiss My Foot” match and a tag team main event of Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sid and Tatanka. Maybe it’s appropriate then that Mabel, the 568 pound baggy pajama-wearing half of the Men on a Mission tag team, would win this year’s King of the Ring. I mean, when Shawn Michaels is eliminated from the First Round, it’s really only downhill from there. Defeating both The Undertaker and Savio Vega (he received a bye in the Semi-Finals), Mabel took his place on the royal throne as his partner, now billed as Sir Mo, read a royal proclamation from a scroll, all the while being pelted by garbage from an angry crowd (well, it is Philly after all, what do you expect). What a waste this entire thing was.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    King Mabel was such a stupid character, it’s hard to imagine what Vince McMahon was thinking when he conceived of him as being the top heel in his company. As a result of winning KOTR, Mabel did earn himself a crack at Diesel’s WWF Title at Summerslam, so in that respect, he benefited from winning. However, he lost to Diesel and would never sniff the main event again in his career, later returning as Viscera, a member of Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and, later, a love machine decked out in a Hugh Hefner robe. Thankfully, this was the highlight of his career. Verdict: Fuck no.

    FUN FACT: WWE actually had a custom King of the Ring title belt made for Mabel which is still in existence, though I don’t believe he ever wore it on television. To see pictures of the belt, designed by the great Reggie Parks, click here and here.

    “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

    1996 King of the Ring (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

    This was the first KOTR where only the Semi-Finals and Finals were shown on PPV, which eliminated the emotion of watching someone potentially having to wrestle three times in one night. Just one month after losing his manager, Ted DiBiase, Steve Austin was given a chance to shine on his own, engaging in a terrific battle with “Wildman” Marc Mero that saw him accidentally bust open Austin’s lip. After winning the match, Austin received 16 stitches backstage and returned later to defeat Jake “The Snake” Roberts in short order to take the crown. Then came… the interview. This was the first real opportunity Austin had to speak on his own since his debut on the Brother Love Show months earlier and he made it a memorable occasion. As the “born again” Jake Roberts was being carried out by officials, Austin spoke of John 3:16 and how “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!”, sparking a marketing movement the likes of which WWE had not seen since the days of Hulkamania. A star was born on this night.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    Stone Cold actually floundered after winning this tournament, defeating Yokozuna in a match on the Summerslam pre-show after the two previous winners had gone on to battle for the World title on that show the last two years. But then came a career-making feud with Bret Hart and eventually the first of several World Titles. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Would he have become a big star without the “Austin 3:16” speech? Most likely. But that phrase came to define the Attitude Era and absolutely benefited Austin for the rest of his career. Verdict: Hell yeah.

    FUN FACT: Triple H had been pegged to win the tournament this year, that is until the infamous “Curtain Call” incident took place at MSG a month earlier and Hunter was made to be the scapegoat. Austin got the nod instead and the rest, as they say, is history.

    Hunter Hearst Helmsley

    1997 King of the Ring (Providence, Rhode Island)

    For the record, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels had a MUCH better singles match on this show than they did at WrestleMania 14. I mean, it’s not even close. People like to talk about how gutsy Michaels was at Mania, doing that match with a broken back, but that doesn’t mean it was a good match. Anyway, it may have been delayed by a year, but Triple H finally got his big KOTR win here, defeating Ahmed Johnson and Mankind. In fact, Hunter had actually LOST to Ahmed via DQ in their Quarter-Final match on TV weeks prior, but complained he was not properly instructed by WWF officials prior to the bout and threatened to sue unless he was given a second chance. He took the place of an injured Vader in a match with Crush and advanced to face Ahmed in a rematch in the Semi-Finals, which he won. So I guess we can trace his political maneuvering all the way back to this tournament.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    The only thing of note that came out of this tournament for Hunter was the start of a feud with Mankind, who he would feud with in various incarnations for years afterward. He lost to Foley in a Steel Cage match at Summerslam after this show, so much like Austin, he too did not get a crack at the WWF Title right away. It would actually be more than two years before he would win his first. He and Michaels would go on to form D-Generation X a few months later, but largely, his victory here meant little to his career. Verdict: Not really.

    FUN FACT: This was actually the fifth King of the Ring to emanate from the Providence Civic Center, with the first four held between 1987-91, giving them the honor of hosting the greatest number of tournaments.

    Ken Shamrock

    1998 King of the Ring (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

    This event is notable for two reasons, neither of which include Ken Shamrock’s tournament victory. Kane won his first WWF Title from Steve Austin in a “First Blood” Match while The Undertaker nearly killed Mankind in the most famous “Hell in a Cell” match to this day. Meanwhile, Shamrock defeated Jeff Jarrett and The Rock on this night to take the crown, and his match with The Rock was actually REALLY good. The two men had great chemistry stemming from their feud over the Intercontinental title earlier in the year and it showed here. Behind 1993, this is probably my favorite King of the Ring from top to bottom as it was a very noteworthy show with some great action.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    I never thought Shamrock realized his full potential in the WWF. He could have had a run with the World title, but the closest he ever came was a PPV man event with Shawn Michaels the year prior. Following this tournament, he went on to win the Intercontinental title and became a Tag Team champion with Big Bossman after joining Vince McMahon’s corporate faction. By 2000, he was back doing MMA, though he did become NWA Champion in the early days of Total Nonstop Action. Verdict: No.

    FUN FACT: Mick Foley can talk about how that second bump in the “Hell in a Cell” match was not scripted, but he’s full of shit. Do you really think they would climb back up on top of the cage without having another big fall planned? Plus, look at the light manner in which Undertaker chokeslams him (more like shoves him) and we’re supposed to believe he wasn’t meant to fall through? Puh-leeze.

    ”Badass” Billy Gunn

    1999 King of the Ring (Greensboro, North Carolina)

    Right in the thick of the boom period, and coming just one month after Raw scored its highest ratings EVER, the WWF decided to use this tournament for the right reasons, to help get one of their mid-card performers over. Unfortunately, they chose Billy Gunn. The guy had a great look and was a decent in-ring performer, but he wasn’t really a good promo and his work never really improved. I give credit to the company for trying, but much like Mabel, this was a wasted opportunity to spotlight someone with real talent. Gunn defeated Ken Shamrock, Kane ad X-Pac in a series of 5-minute matches to win the crown. Elsewhere on the card, Steve Austin lost to Vince & Shane McMahon in a Ladder Match for control of the company and Undertaker retained his WWF Title over The Rock. In a dark match, Meat (Sean Stasiak) defeated Kurt Angle a full five months before losing to Angle in Kurt’s TV debut at Survivor Series. One year later, he would be king. When Kurt is inducted into the Hall of Fame, let’s hope they make no mention of the fact he once lost to a man named Meat. Fuck you, Vince Russo.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    Mr. Ass (who did have some catchy theme music) never did get a crack at the World title and the highest profile PPV match he had after this show was his singles bout with The Rock at Summerslam, which did more to bring Rock down a notch than it did to bring Billy up at all. That will forever be remembered as one of Jim Ross’s greatest calls as he exclaimed, “The Rock just put Billy Gunn’s face in that large woman’s ass!” Don’t ask. Verdict: Hahaha.

    FUN FACT: The next night on Raw, Steve Austin defeated Undertaker to win back the WWF Title. This would mark the second consecutive year that Austin won the World title the night after KOTR after having beaten Taker’s little brother Kane to do the same thing the year prior.

    Kurt Angle

    2000 King of the Ring (Boston, Massachusetts)

    Less than a year earlier, Angle made his WWF debut. In that time, he had captured both the European and Intercontinental titles. Here, he ran through Chris Jericho, Crash Holly and Rikishi on the same night to become King of the Ring. His star was solidly on the rise and this tournament was a mere stepping stone to greater things. Elsewhere on the card, The Rock won the WWF Title by pinning Vince McMahon in a 6-Man Tag (the third title change in as many months) and Pat Patterson fought Gerald Brisco in a Hardcore Evening Gown match. I can’t even blame Russo for this absurdity as he was already out of the company by this time.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    Angle’s landmark first year would continue as he defeated The Rock to win the WWF Title just four months later at No Mercy. Before that, he was square in the middle of a love triangle storyline that also included Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Angle would win many more titles and wrestle 4-5 star matches with the likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and others. The crown was incidental in his later success, but it’s still a fine accomplishment to have on his Hall of Fame resume. Verdict: Maybe a little.

    FUN FACT: Val Venis defeated both Jeff Hardy and Eddie Guerrero during this tournament. A few weeks later, he defeated Rikishi for the Intercontinental title on Smackdown. I just felt like pointing this out to illustrate that the last big push Val Venis got was 10 years ago. I feel old.

    Edge

    2001 King of the Ring (East Rutherford, New Jersey)

    Before he was the “Rated-R Superstar” with 10 World titles under his belt, Edge was a lowly tag team wrestler. Admittedly, he had a certain look to him that made me think big things were in his future, and I like to still take credit for saying way back in 1998 that he would one day be the heavyweight champion. On this night, Team RECK (Rhyno, Edge, Christian and Kurt Angle) was divided amongst itself as they competed against each other in a pair of Semi-Final matches. In the end, Edge defeated Angle after Kurt had not only wrestled Christian, but also defeated Shane McMahon in a brutal 26 minute streetfight. The man is a freaking machine. In other action, Steve Austin retained his WWF Title in a Triple Threat Match against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. This was the match where Benoit didn’t really injure his neck as per the storyline (he already knew he would need surgery), but I’m sure this didn’t make it feel any better.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    Instead of being propelled into contention for the World title, Edge continued teaming with Christian before his “brother” turned on him and they closed out the year feuding over the Intercontinental title. It would be 4½ years before Edge would win his first WWE Title, so I cannot credit this tournament with having anything at all to do with his later success. In retrospect, his Money in the Bank victory was bigger than this. Verdict: No.

    FUN FACT: Booker T made his WWE debut on this show as part of the WCW invasion storyline, attacking Steve Austin during the main event and planting him through the Spanish announce table. He also injured Austin legit on the move, which is not the greatest first impression to make.

    Brock Lesnar

    2002 King of the Ring (Columbus, Ohio)

    Has anyone ever had as successful a first year as Brock Lesnar? Kurt Angle comes close, but even he can’t match what Lesnar was able to accomplish since his April debut – winning KOTR, becoming Undisputed WWE champion, winning the Royal Rumble and main eventing WrestleMania (defeating Angle for his second title). With Paul Heyman acting as his agent, Lesnar steamrolled through Test and Rob Van Dam on the PPV to become king. In other action, Kurt Angle became the first man in memory to make a babyface Hulk Hogan cleanly tap out in the middle of the ring, while Undertaker and Triple H had one of the WORST title matches in company history. Omigod.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    How can you say he didn’t? I know I said earlier that Kurt Angle benefited “only a little” from winning the crown, but he had already won titles beforehand. This was Brock’s first major accomplishment in WWE and two months later, he was killing Hulk Hogan on TV and pinning The Rock at Summerslam to win the Undisputed belt. Verdict: Yes.

    FUN FACT: This was the show where Steve Austin was to have faced Eddie Guerrero, but Ric Flair took his spot after Austin walked out on the company over a week earlier. Ironically, this all stemmed from a dispute between Austin and WWE where Vince McMahon wanted Austin to lose to the future King Lesnar in a KOTR Qualifier on Raw. Not wanting to give such a big match away for free on TV with no build, Austin refused and the two sides could not reach an agreement.

    Booker T

    2006 King of the Ring (Phoenix, Arizona)

    This was the first televised KOTR tournament not to air on pay-per-view. Matches were held over a one month period, culminating in Booker T defeating Bobby Lashley at Judgment Day. From that point forward, until the end of his WWE career, he used the name “King Booker” with an annoying British accent and formed his own “Court” which included Queen Sharmell, William Regal and Finlay. Two months later, he would win the World title from Rey Mysterio. This was largely a forgettable tournament designed as a gimmick for Booker.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    As I mentioned, Booker went on to win the World title two months later, his last in WWE before departing for TNA later the following year. Much of his success had already come and gone before this tournament, but it was clearly designed to help get over the “King Booker” character. In that respect, it was a success and did wonders to freshen up his already stale character before it got over-the-top aggravating. Verdict: Yes, and we suffered for it.

    FUN FACT: This was the first and, to date, only King of the Ring tournament exclusive to the Smackdown brand.

    William Regal

    2008 King of the Ring (Greenville, South Carolina)

    After an absence the year prior, the KOTR tournament was resurrected on Raw in 2008, though unlike last time, it was open to stars from Raw, Smackdown and ECW. It was among the worst tournaments the company has ever hosted, with William Regal defeating Hornswoggle in under 20 seconds in the opening round. After a KO victory over Finlay in a short match, he went on to defeat CM Punk in the Finals in a disappointing four minute match. At the time, Regal was serving as Raw General Manager (remember when they weren’t anonymous?), enjoying a great amount of TV time and thriving in the role. After winning the crown, one would think even bigger things were in his future, perhaps even a run with the title. Think again.

    Did Thou Benefit From Wearing The Crown?

    Regal was a hit in the role of Raw GM and was garnering heat the likes of which would not be seen until Vickie Guerrero started getting over in that same role on Smackdown. After winning KOTR, as hot as he was, it’s not out of the realm of possibility WWE could have given him a run with the Raw title. Unfortunately, he promptly failed his second Wellness exam, resulting in a 60-day suspension from which he never fully recovered. I can’t blame WWE for not pushing Regal upon his return, he really has no one to blame but himself. Verdict: Never had the chance.

    FUN FACT: On this same edition of Raw, “Barack Obama” battled “Hilary Clinton” to a no contest. Sports entertainment at its finest, folks.

    AND THE 2010 KING WILL BE…

    [WARNING: Spoilers for Friday’s show are included.]
    The latest installment of the King of the Ring returns to Philly this Monday and will include an even spread of four stars each from Raw and Smackdown. Representing Raw will be Sheamus, John Morrison, Daniel Bryan and Ezekiel Jackson, while Smackdown gives us Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston. Without the benefit of knowing what the brackets will be, it’s tough to make a prediction. Despite the fact that Raw will once again have THREE HOURS to fill, I’m positive we’ll end up with a bunch of 3-minute matches, which is a shame as there is some great talent here that can really go. If I had to pick one name from each brand, I’d go with Sheamus and Del Rio. There have been a disproportionate number of heel winners dating back to 1994 (in contrast to the Royal Rumble, which shows the opposite pattern), so while not an indicator of anything definite, it’s always safer to go with a heel pick. If I had to narrow it down, I’d say Sheamus wins the entire thing even though I acknowledge they could very well bring back Triple H to cost him the tournament.

    Do you agree or disagree with Solomonster’s analysis? Who do YOU think will win the 2010 King of the Ring this Monday? Let your voices be heard in the comments section below!

    thesolomonster@gmail.com

  • SPECIAL: SEScoops’ Survivor Series “Pick One and Be Done!”

    SEScoops’ Official Survivor Series “Pick One and Be Done!”

    by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
    Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

    This Sunday marks the 24th annual WWE Survivor Series from Miami, Florida. While I thought about doing another preview and predictions-style editorial, it’s not a card that has inspired much in the way of excitement. In fact, before Raw this week, we knew all of three matches on the show. It feels slapped together like most other WWE pay-per-views these days and it’s hard to believe that once upon a time, Survivor Series was considered one of the “Big Four” annual shows. That may no longer be true, but I figured it would be fun to celebrate its history by choosing one match (and only one!) from each of the last 23 shows to highlight, right here on SEScoops!

    As for the criteria, I’m not necessarily picking the “best” match on each show. This is all very subjective, of course, but I’ve chosen to go with matches that stand out to me the most either because they were simply GREAT or are often unfairly overlooked for other classic matches. Let’s pick one and be done!

    1987

    Strike Force, Fabulous Rougeaus, Killer Bees, Young Stallions and British Bulldogs
    vs.
    The Islanders, Hart Foundation, Demolition, Bolsheviks and New Dream Team

    These early shows were completely made up of Survivor Series elimination matches. Much like a newlywed couple, they were entirely faithful to the concept before getting bored and cheating with regular singles and tag bouts a few years later. What makes this so unique is that each team is comprised of five actual tag teams (you know, when WWE actually had more than just the Hart Dynasty and Usos), so this match is quite the monstrosity with 20 men out there. But it’s easily the best thing on the show.

    1988

    The Rockers, Powers of Pain, British Bulldogs, Hart Foundation and Young Stallions
    vs.
    Demolition, The Brain Busters, Bolsheviks, Fabulous Rougeaus and The Conquistadors

    Much like the year prior, they’ve taken ten tag teams and lumped them together into one Survivors match. And much like the year prior, it’s easily the best thing on the show. One thing that really strikes you is the sheer number of managers that WWE had in its employ at one time. In this match alone, you’ve got teams managed by Bobby Heenan (who I’m fairly certain managed 48 guys at once), Mr. Fuji, Jimmy Hart and Slick. Anyway, I had completely forgotten that The Conquistadors were called Uno and Dos, which is so incredibly awesome, how could you go wrong picking this?

    1989

    The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts and Demolition)
    vs.
    The Million $ Team (Ted DiBiase, Zeus and The Powers of Pain)

    The thing I loved about these early Survivors matches was that you had team names. I mean, regular tag teams in WWE these days (the ones that are left, anyway) don’t even have real team names. This is where I’ll give TNA credit, at least they have teams like the Motor City Machine Guns and Beer Money. What was the last cool team name in WWE? Anyway, this show was full of great team names (Roddy’s Rowdies, The Enforcers, The King’s Court), but this is the match I remember vividly. They got rid of Zeus real quick here because, well, he was fairly limited in what he could do. In fact, all he really did was choke people and that’s sort of illegal. He had Hogan flat on his back about 3 minutes into this and was choking the life out of him, prompting a hilarious scene that saw referee Earl Hebner violently wrench back on Zeus’s head, trying mightily to pry him off the Hulkster to no avail. When Zeus shoved him away, that was enough for the disqualification. The rest of this was fairly standard stuff, but I always enjoyed seeing Hogan in there with DiBiase because when you really stop and think about it, we never got to see them square off much on TV. They never had a big PPV singles match together.

    1990

    The Million $ Team (Ted DiBiase, The Undertaker, The Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine)
    vs.
    The Dream Team (Dusty Rhodes, Koko B. Ware, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart)

    Yes, this was the show with the giant egg. But it’s also remembered for being the first appearance of The Undertaker, managed by Brother Love. He didn’t last as long as you might think in this match and was counted out after beating the blubber out of Dusty Rhodes, but he looked impressive in delivering his first Tombstone to poor Koko B. Ware. Bret Hart was the real star of the show here as he went all the way to the end with DiBiase and had the crowd buying into all of his near falls. Bret had dedicated the match to his brother Dean, who passed away just 24 hours earlier from kidney failure. Not sure if he requested off this show in light of his brother dying, but if he did, he was obviously turned down. Not to worry, Bret. You did good here. Dean would be proud.

    1991

    The Gravest Challenge
    Hulk Hogan (c) vs. The Undertaker, WWF Championship

    This is the night WWF got a rude awakening from its fans. It was obvious that Hogan was not nearly as beloved as he once was and fans were getting tired of his shtick. Undertaker received a fair share of cheers, especially at the end when he scored the three count. The match itself was horrible and largely consisted of Undertaker choking Hogan in different positions for extended periods of time (I was going to make a joke about Zeus and Undertaker forming a team called The Chokers, but the Dallas Cowboys already have that name, so I won’t do it). The best part of all this was the fan dressed as Hogan in the front row. You see, this man was a rather unlucky charm for the Hulkster as, not only did he appear here when Hogan lost his title to Undertaker, but he was also front and center when Hulk lost the title to Yokozuna at the King of the Ring in 1993 and was squashed right out of the WWF. In fact, the only lasting mental image I have of this guy is of him leaning over the guardrail with a sad look on his face like his dog was first shot, then backed over by a Jeep. I’m convinced he was hiding somewhere in the Skydome, too, when Hogan lost to The Rock at WrestleMania 18.

    1992

    Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels, WWF Championship

    I used to hate this show with a passion because it was the first time they abandoned the concept of elimination matches (well, they had one) and basically adopted the format they use today. But it has since grown on me and this match is a big reason why. In fact, it may be my favorite Bret vs. Shawn match as it had the perfect length to it (unlike the Iron Man match), a clean submission finish (unlike Montreal) and was very well worked. It was unique for two reasons: one, it was a CHAMPION vs. CHAMPION match with only Bret’s WWF Title on the line, and two, it was never supposed to be that way, let alone the MAIN EVENT of the show. I mean, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, two guys who were wrestling tag matches less than 2 years earlier, in the final match of a WWF pay-per-view? That was unheard of back then. But you see, when you start cracking down on steroids, shit happens. Bret shockingly won the title from Ric Flair about a month or so earlier because Vince wanted the belt on someone who didn’t look like a gassed up monster, and Shawn won the Intercontinental belt from the British Bulldog on “Saturday Night’s Main Event” just a few weeks before the show after Davey Boy was fired for drug-related reasons. I still remember WWF Magazine’s own preview for this show listing Bret vs. Shawn as an undercard match for no titles, while Bulldog was to defend his belt against The Mountie. Sucks to be The Mountie, but not the fans as we were treated to one hell of a main event. Plus, Bret celebrated with Santa to close the show!

    1993

    The Hart Family (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Bruce Hart and Keith Hart)
    vs.
    Shawn Michaels and his Knights (The Red Knight, The Blue Knight and The Black Knight)

    If you’re wondering why HBK would have his own team of medieval knights, allow me to explain. Jerry Lawler was to be the captain of that team as he had been feuding with Bret for months, but he went and got himself in some legal trouble. Michaels, who was still on suspension from what is believed to have been a steroid failure, was reinstated and this was his first match back. Family Feud host Ray Combs did the intros to this match and was quite annoying. It’s also marks the first and only time in his WWE career that Bret Hart wore a singlet with no pants. The match itself was very good and, most importantly, was the starting point of the Bret/Owen sibling rivalry. Leave it to Shawn Michaels to stir up shit with the Hart family.

    1994

    Chuck Norris. Enough said.

    1995

    The BodyDonnas (Skip, Rad Radford, Tom Prichard, and The 1-2-3 Kid)
    vs.
    The Underdogs (Marty Jannetty, Hakushi, Barry Horowitz, and Bob Holly)

    I’ve always been a fan of the Wildcard Match concept used on this show, and Bret Hart certainly carried Kevin Nash to a very good main event (and a noteworthy one with Diesel’s infamous f-bomb and heel turn), but I was going to go with the all-women’s elimination bout featuring Alundra Blaze, Aja Kong, Tomoko Watanabe and others as I remember it being a great match. However, after seeing the match again recently, that match was fucking horrible. Blown spots galore, which shocked me considering the talents involved, and many moments where the girls just looked totally lost in there. Instead, we’ll go with the opening match, or as I like to call it, Rise of the Curtain Jerkers. This was a really fun match that saw the crowd go crazy whenever Hakushi was in the ring (not nearly enough) and start up a “BARRY!” chant for Horowitz, which just goes to show that you CAN truly get anyone over if you try hard enough. I also chuckled everytime Mr. Perfect would refer to him as “Horriblewitz”. Good stuff here.

    1996

    Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Sycho Sid, WWF Championship

    Oh Madison Square Garden, how I love thee. If you take this match and put it in any other building, I don’t think it would have HALF the heat this match had, and Shawn Michaels likely would have received a warmer welcome. But, as it was, New York hated the dancing babyface and booed him out of the building, while openly embracing the challenger. I know Bret Hart and Steve Austin had a much better match, but this is a spectacle that I never get tired of watching. HBK carries Sid to one of the best matches of his career and loses the title, ending the “Boyhood Dream” and, in my opinion, marking the unofficial start to what would become the Attitude Era. This was during the period where Michaels had Jose Lothario following him around wherever he went, so when Sid grabbed a TV camera and SMASHED Jose in the chest with it (he didn’t belong up on the apron!), that was quite the shocking moment. Jose fakes the best heart attack ever on the floor and as Michaels tends to him, Sid takes that same camera and smashes it over the back of Shawn’s head, muttering an audible “Fuck you!” not once, but twice! One powerbomb later and Sid is your champion. Take note of wrestling superfan Vladimir in the front row (where else would he be?) who looks like he could not be happier to see an old man murdered as he high-fives and hugs the new champion on his way out. If you’ve never seen this match before, it’s worth going out of your way to watch if for no other reason than to see what wrestling crowds were once like.

    1997

    Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels, WWF Championship

    I seriously had to rack my brain to remember a single match other than the main event of this show. Well, that’s not really true. I do vividly remember Kane wrestling Dude Love in the darkness with that stupid red light, but I can’t choose that match because it wasn’t particularly good. Truth is, it’s a damn shame this match ended the way it did because Hart and Michaels were well on their way to having one of the better matches the two of them have ever had together. So, we’ll go with this one because, quite frankly, I don’t think the finish of this match has been debated NEARLY enough in the last 13 years.

    1998

    Steve Austin vs. Mankind, Deadly Game Semi-Finals

    It was the first (and only) single elimination tournament for the WWF Title since WrestleMania 4 a decade earlier. I look back fondly on the “Deadly Game” motif, including the awesome theme song, and that gigantic skull entranceway. That being said, there’s not a single match from this tournament that I would rate above 2 ½ stars, which means I’m going to have to go with Steve Austin vs. Mankind in the Semi-Finals by default. This is the match where Shane McMahon turned heel for the first time and flipped Austin the double bird after refusing to count the fall. It’s also the match where Mankind’s pants fell down around his ankles as he was Stunnered by Stone Cold. Foley would make it to the Finals before being “screwed” and Rock began his first of many runs with the gold. It’s also the only Survivor Series to this day to not feature a single, traditional elimination match. Let’s hope it stays that way.

    1999

    Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Stasiak

    It’s the in-ring debut of our Olympic Hero! I can’t get over how much smaller Kurt looked in this match as compared to one of his matches, say, in 2003. Fans in Detroit have the audacity to start a boring chant not long after this match starts, which I totally agree with – Shawn Stasiak was a fucking boring wrestler. The best part of this was Kurt basically stopping the match to get on the mic outside and berate the crowd, an instant recipe for heel heat. Match was nothing, but for historical purposes, this is the one that stands out the most on this show. Had Triple H not had Rikishi run over Stone Cold, that Triple Threat main event would have been one hell of a battle. I just want to vent real quick and deliver a hearty “Fuck you!” to WWE for the blatant bait-and-switch they pulled with that. That’s no way to treat your audience.

    2000

    Kurt Angle (c) vs. Undertaker’s Pants, WWF Championship

    Could it be? Our Olympic Hero makes the list for the second straight show? Oh, it’s true! You don’t need me to tell you how awesome Kurt Angle is, but after just one full year on TV, it’s scary how good he already was. Hell, he was the WWF champion! This was billed as Undertaker’s 10th anniversary, but he wore the most RIDICULOUS pants I think I’ve ever seen. They were either snakeskin leather or something he ran over on the way to the show. I could barely concentrate on the match without being fixated on those ugly pants. How Kurt Angle was able to keep a straight face throughout this bout, I’ll never know. But it was a pretty good match with an incredibly clever finish. You see, Kurt has a brother named Eric who, from a certain distance, looks very much like his sibling. They pull the ‘ol switcheroo at one point and Undertaker delivers a Last Ride Powerbomb on who we THINK is Kurt before going for the cover. Referee Earl Hebner counts two before halting his count and the crowd has no idea what’s going on. Some people see Earl and automatically think “screwjob” all over again. But Earl saw Eric’s face and was smart enough to realize you can’t count a fall on someone if they aren’t even in the match. Kurt sneaks up behind Undertaker and rolls him up for the pin before high-tailing it out of the arena in hilarious fashion. Speaking of fashion, let us not speak of those pants ever again.

    2001

    Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and The Big Show)
    vs.
    The Alliance (Steve Austin, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Shane McMahon)

    There is something inherently wrong with the parting image of what began as a WWF vs. WCW “war” being The Rock pinning Steve Austin. So goes the famously botched “invasion” of 2001, which culminated in this match at Survivor Series where the losing group would die off forever. Kurt Angle, who had defected to The Alliance weeks earlier, was a mole all along as he assisted Team WWF to victory. Best match on the show, but leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I think of what might have been. Sigh.

    2002

    Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Big Show, WWE Championship

    The very first “Elimination Chamber” match was on this show and was great for two reasons: (1) Shawn Michaels got one last run with the title, and (2) RVD nearly killed Triple H with a Frog Splash. Of course, RVD was eating burgers at WWE’s Times Square restaurant the following month during the next PPV, so maybe it wasn’t so great for him, but I digress. This right here was my favorite match. It was mostly comprised of Brock Lesnar (still a heel, mind you) tossing the 500-pound Big Show all over the ring at will and getting cheered at MSG like the biggest babyface since Hulk Hogan. He actually delivered a German Suplex and a Belly-to-Belly OVERHEAD Suplex to Big Show. Take a moment and let that sink in. This was also the first time Lesnar ever hoisted up Big Show to deliver his signature F5 slam, which was one of those moments where time seemed to stand still. It should still be on every WWE highlight reel for the next 50 years. If he would have pinned Show right there, it would have been the perfect finish. Of course, they had to go and fuck it up by having Paul Heyman turn on Brock and align with Big Show, who goes down as the man to hand Lesnar his very first defeat. Dumb finish aside, it wasn’t very long, but this was fantastic stuff.

    2003

    Team Bischoff (Chris Jericho, Christian, Randy Orton, Scott Steiner, and Mark Henry)
    vs.
    Team Austin (HBK, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley)

    This won’t be the only time in this list where I talk about how great Shawn Michaels was at wrestling psychology. That was on full display here, and as good as many of the other players in this match were, none were better than Michaels. The stipulation was that if Steve Austin’s team lost the match, he would leave WWE. So when it all came down to HBK, with Michaels wearing one of his best crimson masks, it was mesmerizing how he had the fans hanging on his every move. In the end, he could not overcome the odds (take notes Mr. Cena) and as a result, Steve Austin was forced to leave WWE forever! I guess forever in WWE time is 4 months since he was back as a referee at WrestleMania. This may have been the last, truly great Survivor Series elimination match.

    2004

    Shelton Benjamin (c) vs. Christian, Intercontinental Title

    Here are two of the most under-utilized performers in WWE history. They went out there and had the best match on the show. What a surprise. They even gave them some decent time as this match went about 13 minutes or so. Keep that in mind when you consider they gave an Undertaker vs. Heidenreich match almost 16 minutes on the same show.

    2005

    Triple H vs. Ric Flair, Last Man Standing

    This is perhaps the best battle I’ve seen these two men have. The Greensboro match on Raw had more emotion, but this was simply a bloodbath. In fact, I’m pretty sure Ric Flair lost all of the blood in his body, which makes it all the more remarkable that he was able to function when this was over. Flair survived three Pedigrees, but the sledgehammer was too much and the King of Kings reigned supreme. You don’t see matches like this in WWE anymore, so if you’re a newer fan or simply a fan of the old school, check this out.

    2006

    Mr. Kennedy vs. The Undertaker, First Blood Match

    The amount of blood here pales in comparison (see what I did there) to how much we saw the year prior, but nothing compares to the absolutely SICK chairshot delivered by Undertaker to Kennedy after the match to get his heat back. It was difficult to watch back then, let alone now with everyone on concussion-watch 24/7. Ironically, as I write this, Ken Anderson is at home recovering from a severe concussion caused by an errant chairshot to the back of the head.

    2007

    Randy Orton (c) vs. Shawn Michaels, WWE Championship

    This was a one-man show starring Shawn Michaels. I suppose I’m not giving sufficient credit to Orton here, but the psychology in this one was masterful and it’s all because of HBK. Per the rules of the match, Michaels was not allowed to use his signature Superkick, yet he still went out there and had the match of the night. He took us on an emotional rollercoaster with his mannerisms, his pained facial expressions, the near falls, everything was done to perfection. There’s a reason Michaels himself has stated that this is one of his favorite matches of his entire career, and it’s a prime example of why the wrestling ring is a darker place for no longer having him in it.

    2008

    Team HBK (Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Cryme Tyme and The Great Khali)
    vs.
    Team JBL (John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Kane, MVP, John Morrison and The Miz)

    Nothing overly special about this match, but from top to bottom, it was a really well-worked Survivors match. If you’re into shock value, you probably liked Edge winning the WWE Title in the Triple Threat with Kozlov (really) and Triple H. If you’re a loyal resident of the CeNation, you likely enjoyed John Cena’s return title victory over Chris Jericho. Each irritated me in their own way, so they basically negated one another.

    2009

    John Cena (c) v. Shawn Michaels v. Triple H, WWE Championship

    Shameful. In a word, that describes this match. Not the match itself, which was actually really good, but the buildup to it. You may recall it involved a little, green midget and a shitload of comedy. Yes, because what better way to promote your PPV main event with three of your biggest stars than with JOKES. Sure enough, this show was such box office poison, it nearly resulted in the end of the Survivor Series name altogether. Best moment was easily HBK superkicking Triple H out of the ring at the very start, which caught pretty much everyone off guard. From there, it was your standard WWE Triple Threat formula, which is more like condensing three mini-matches into one, but what we did see was great stuff.

    EPILOGUE…

    I must confess, after about Survivor Series 2002, my brain began to malfunction while trying to come up with worthy matches from the remaining 7 shows. For many of them, YouTube was a great refresher for me, but really, it’s indicative of a larger problem. For one thing, Survivor Series as a pay-per-view has lost much of its luster from the days in which it was conceived. The elimination tag bouts were something unique and became an annual tradition that people would look forward to. Now, WWE might toss one out there for nostalgia like they’re doing again this year, but the show has essentially become just another last minute, haphazardly-assembled PPV offering. Add to that, we’ve already seen multi-man elimination tag bouts at Summerslam and Bragging Rights this year. Secondly, there are so many hours of weekly WWE programming on TV these days that shows like Survivor Series, by design, cannot possibly mean as much as they once did. It’s simply the nature of the business now. When people think of the traditional “Big Four PPV’s”, if you had to pick one show that truly did not belong anymore, this would be the one. I’m happy Vince McMahon changed his mind and decided to stick with the Survivor Series moniker, for its rich history if nothing else, but when I take a step back, I can fully understand why he would have made the decision to axe it. When he said this show was obsolete, in many ways, he was right.

    So what do you think of this list? What are YOUR favorite Survivor Series matches and moments? Let your voices be heard in the comments section below!

    thesolomonster@gmail.com