Last summer, Mr. Monday Night made his triumphant return to the WWE at Money in the Bank. Since returning, Rob Van Dam has unsuccessfully challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio and will fight Bad News Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship at Payback.
RVD has wrestled a part-time schedule since returning and has been involved in few meaningful feuds. He obviously isn’t getting any younger, and with a part-time schedule and diminishing skill in the ring, is Rob Van Dam really worth keeping around at this point in his career?
The case for RVD: Despite not being as versatile as he once was in the ring, RVD can still perform moves that many superstars could only dream of pulling off (the Van Terminator against Del Rio at Night of Champions is just one example).
It is refreshing to see a Van Terminator in the PG era.
His part-time schedule also means that he is not overexposed. He still gets a decent pop each time he performs, even if he is probably not as popular as in years past, and his limited schedule will ensure that fans do not grow tired of him quickly.
However, his biggest selling point is that he is putting younger guys over. Whereas some part-time superstars demand a large contract and complete creative control over their character, RVD is much like Chris Jericho in that he is willing to work a part-time schedule while largely putting over the younger talent.
Fans saw RVD put over Del Rio this past fall and will likely see him do the same against Bad News Barrett at Payback. His act is still fresh, and as long as he continues to put over the next generation, there is no reason to not have him appear occasionally.
It seemed as if the tag team division had been revitalized last year. However, almost as soon as fans started to become excited about the division again, half of the teams were broken up and it has been largely ignored.
The Usos are the current champions, and I think their pay-per-view exposure shows how confident the WWE is that the Uso brothers will draw. After all, they defended their tag titles on the pre-show at WrestleMania and did not appear in any capacity at Extreme Rules.
With that said, it would not take much effort to get the division back to where it was at the end of last year. Here are five current or potential tag teams that could help make the division relevant again (or at the very least, get it onto the pay-per-view card).
5. Rybaxel – At first, this team seemed like it would go nowhere. They had both just basically flopped while under the tutelage of Paul Heyman, so why would anyone believe that they would fare well without him? Surprisingly, both have improved since leaving Heyman, especially Ryback. He is hilarious on the microphone and can actually be pretty entertaining when he’s allowed to speak. I think the WWE still has plans to push both guys in the future, and a run with the Tag Team Championships could help elevate both superstars.
4. Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler – These guys have adopted similar personality traits in recent weeks, most notably because both guys seem disgruntled, annoyed, and displeased that their talents are not being properly utilized. Sandow and Ziggler would make a great team if paired together, as both are impressive in the ring and on the mic. There were rumors a while back of a possible stable of disgruntled superstars being formed, including Ziggler and the Miz, but a team of Sandow and Ziggler would work even better and could make the tag title picture exciting again.
3. Jack Swagger and Cody Rhodes – It is no secret that Zeb Colter has been trying to recruit a new member to the Real Americans since Cesaro betrayed him a few weeks back. With Cody being the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes, it would make sense for him to become a Real American. Cody and Goldust are definitely going to part ways soon, with Cody likely being the one to turn heel, so it would provide the perfect opportunity for Cody to align with Swagger and Colter afterward.
The undercard singles titles are all chilling across the pond these days, as Bad News Barrett, Sheamus, and Paige all won championships in recent weeks. New champions are a welcome sight in the WWE these days, especially considering how stale the previous champions’ runs had become.
Dean Ambrose’s reign as United States Champion will likely be the forgotten reign in years to come. He held the title for almost a year while only defending it a few times before finally dropping it to Sheamus during a battle royal a few weeks back.
The same holds true for Big E and the Intercontinental Championship. Although he did not hold the title as long as Ambrose held his US Championship, his reign was unmemorable and he engaged in no meaningful feuds during his months with the title. As for AJ Lee, her run with the title seemed fresh at first, but she eventually ran out of challengers and it seemed like the right time to crown a new champion.
Ambrose held the title for almost a year and hardly ever defended it.
With recent undercard title reigns being unmemorable, it leads one to wonder if unification is the answer. One of the primary reasons the titles go undefended is because it is difficult to have too many stories going at once, especially meaningful ones that involve championship contests. This leads to champions holding insignificant titles like the US Championship as a way to legitimize or build up the character, but in reality, the title does little because it goes undefended.
One of the best options would perhaps be to unify the United States and Intercontinental Championships. By unifying the titles into just the Intercontinental Championship, it could make the title seem important again. In the Attitude Era, the title held importance, with fans knowing that most superstars who held the strap were on their way to the main event.
That is not the case anymore, however, as the title is thrown on random superstars in an attempt to build interest, but then creative puts in no further effort. It is a little sad that the most interesting thing to happen involving the Intercontinental Championship in recent months was a tournament to crown a number one contender that did not even involve the champion at all (except for a few clips showing him standing in the back, angrily looking at a monitor).
The Yes! Movement received the worst possible news this week on Raw, as their unlikely hero announced that he will require neck surgery this Thursday and will be out of action for an indefinite amount of time.
Early reports indicate that Bryan has a broken neck and will be out for at least one to two months, with his possible returning coming at SummerSlam. This is terrible news for Bryan, who after a long journey finally captured the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
It appears that he also will not be appearing on television in any capacity for at least a few weeks, as the attack later in the show by Kane was likely a way to write Bryan off of television while he recovers from surgery at home. This leads one to wonder about the future of the WWE Championship, and also if Bryan can maintain momentum while missing at least a month of time.
After finally overcoming the Authority at WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan will miss significant time due to injury.
As of now, it is being reported that Bryan will not be stripped of the title. This could of course change at any moment, especially if the product becomes stale during his absence. If Bryan ends up missing the maximum amount of time, that seems like a very long time to go with essentially no champion.
In my opinion, if it is determined that Bryan will miss any more than one month, the Authority should strip him of the title. This could serve a few purposes. First, it would keep momentum strong by having the Authority still trying to hold Bryan down, especially with Stephanie McMahon being the storyline reason Bryan was injured in the first place after unleashing the demon Kane.
Second, it could allow for someone else to receive a push in Bryan’s absence. Imagine if a tournament were held for the WWE Championship similar to the one just held for an Intercontinental Title match. It could allow for a fresh face to hold the championship for a while and create interesting television over the next few weeks by having qualifying matches on Raw, with the championship match being held at Money in the Bank.
Fans were spared from having to sit through the same John Cena promo that we have all seen a million times last week on Raw. Instead, he was shipped to the WWE Network exclusive program Main Event in an attempt to increase viewership and attract new subscribers.
Since becoming a Network exclusive, Main Event has received a lot more attention. Prior to re-launching online, the program typically featured two matches that were nothing more than garbage, throwaway contests. However, since becoming a Network program, there have been a few title matches and they have at least made an attempt to have top stars appear (Cena and Hogan immediately come to mind).
The company has placed more emphasis on Main Event since making it a Network exclusive in a trend that will likely continue.
Although the immediate goal of placing more emphasis on Network-exclusive programs it to reach one million subscribers, I also believe there is a larger goal involved: the company is testing the waters to see if it can cut all ties with cable providers.
The idea of taking all WWE content to the WWE Network makes sense on one hand. It already appears this is going to happen in the near future with pay-per-views. Cable providers Dish and DirectTV declined to carry this month’s pay-per-view because they were undoubtedly upset that they were losing profits because the WWE chose to circumvent them by starting their own network. It is likely only a matter of time before the others tap out and wrestling fans are forced to subscribe if they hope to (legally) watch the pay-per-view each month.
Taking Raw to the Network would be a bit more challenging, however. Their contract with USA is expiring at the end of this year and a new deal has not yet been reached. If a new deal is not reached, one of the highest rated programs on television will be finding a new home come fall. They would definitely not attempt to move the program to the Network immediately, but if the next deal falls through, it seems hard to imagine that they would not at least consider doing so.
After all, there are already reports that they are going to advance storylines on both the Raw Pre-Show and Backstage Pass programs, essentially meaning that Raw has been extended to four hours, with one hour airing exclusively on the WWE Network.
Whether you prefer to call him the King of Swing, the Swiss Superman, or even his now-forgotten first name of Antonio, it is hard to deny that Cesaro is one of the most impressive athletes in the WWE today. He has shown on countless occasions that he is not only one of the best technical wrestlers in the company, but that he is also arguably the pound-for-pound strongest competitor as well.
Unsurprisingly, it did not take Cesaro long to get over with the crowd, especially after joining the Real Americans last fall. One could argue that he almost single handedly got the entire stable over, which is no small task when considering he was able to convince the crowd to cheer a group of xenophobic border protectors.
Cesaro was over while paired with Jack Swagger, but hasn’t gotten the same reactions since leaving the Real Americans.
However, since leaving the Real Americans, it seems as if his momentum has waned. It appeared that there were big plans for Cesaro, especially after he was inserted into the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match earlier this year. Fans were showing up each week with “Cesaro Section” signs and were cheering the Real Americans even though they were still being booked as heels.
He did not win the WWE Championship of course, and is now paired with Paul Heyman. Despite Heyman’s recent failures with Ryback and Curtis Axel, he has a history of putting guys over the top, and Cesaro becoming a Paul Heyman guy seemed like a great idea. However, it does not seem to be working, in my opinion.
The problem is not Cesaro, but instead Paul Heyman. Instead of promoting Cesaro as the next big thing in the company, he continues to harp on the fact that Brock Lesnar, who is currently absent from television, ended the Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania.
Heyman goading the crowd is a great way to draw himself heat, but unfortunately it does not do much for Cesaro. In fact, it seems like Cesaro is an afterthought during most of their appearances, as Heyman rambles on about Lesnar for a few minutes and then finally says something like, “Oh yeah, and this guy to my right is also pretty decent too.”
Therein lies the problem with Heyman as a manager though. He is great at drawing heat, but is usually more concerned with sucking up the limelight instead of promoting the guy he is representing.
On paper, last night’s card seemed like nothing to write home about. After all, Daniel Bryan was defending his title against a superstar who peaked a decade ago, Bray Wyatt and John Cena were meeting in a rematch from WrestleMania, and other than Evolution vs. the Shield, the rest of the matches seemed like they could turn out to be throwaway contests. The event was basically the furthest thing from a throwaway, however, as it was a well-executed pay-per-view that was filled with worthwhile matches.
The Hounds of Justice stole the show during the match of the night.
Evolution vs. the Shield was the clear highlight of the night, as expected. Each superstar involved in the match put on an excellent show, but the star of the match was without a doubt Seth Rollins. While Triple H, Randy Orton, and Dean Ambrose were battling in the crowd, Rollins dove from the top of the entranceway to take out his Evolution foes, allowing for Roman Reigns to handle Batista in the ring and secure a Shield victory. The match was perfectly executed and is an immediate match of the year contender.
The main event between Daniel Bryan and Kane greatly exceeded expectations. This one seemed like it could be forgettable, as the outcome was never really in doubt and Kane is not exactly a main event superstar anymore. However, both superstars performed well together and the backstage spots were something that resembled contests from the Attitude Era.
In the end, the match even involved a flaming table, although the crew botched this spot a bit by running in with the extinguishers before Kane was even on fire, but hey, what can you do? Overall, it was a great culmination to the night and certainly much better than I was anticipating.
Expect to see an abundance of chairs, tables, and possibly sledgehammers this Sunday, as the WWE gets extreme during its annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view. There are eight matches scheduled in total, with Daniel Bryan making his first title defense against former tag team partner Kane and Evolution vs. the Shield serving as the headlining matches. Without further ado, here are our predictions for this Sunday’s event.
WeeLC Match: El Torito vs. Hornswoggle (Pre-Show)
Michael Hicks: For once there is a match on the pre-show that actually feels like a pre-show match. 3MB finally got their first win in forever last week, so I’m thinking Hornswoggle wins this one after moving out of the way of a diving El Torito, allowing him to crash through a table in a match that should at least be slightly entertaining.
Winner: Hornswoggle
Adrian Fylonenko: Surprisingly, El Torito vs. Hornswoggle in the midget version of a TLC match has promise. This bout is either going to be highly entertaining, or dreadfully awful. There is no room in between. I assume that El Torito and Hornswoggle will be accompanied by their “friends” and I have no doubt that they will be involved in the match in some way shape or form.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see step ladders instead of traditional ladders, and plastic children’s table chairs instead of steel chairs, but when it is all said and done, El Torito, with the help of Los Matadores will stand….tall. I’m guessing this match will be by pin-fall only considering there is no championship on the line.
El Torito wins after hitting a top rope 450 Splash. You watch.
Winner: El Torito
Handicap Match: R-Truth and Xavier Woods vs. Alexander Rusev
Michael: Rusev has been destroying Truth and Woods in recent weeks. There’s absolutely no way he loses this one, as it would only make him look weak, even if it is a handicap match. I’d love to see them give Rusev a few minutes to show what he can do in front of a PPV audience. Unfortunately, I predict that Rusev takes this one in a 3-minute squash match.
Winner: Alexander Rusev
Adrian: This could be a pretty decent handicap match if it’s given enough time. Truth and Woods can be entertaining in the ring, but the WWE Universe hasn’t been able to see their stuff in quite some time – due to the fact that they are generally fed to guys like Bray Wyatt and yes, Rusev. However, in a 2-on-1 situation, there is a lot of room to entertain.
The outcome will always remain the same. Rusev come, Rusev crush, Rusev win, Rusev leave. Alexander Rusev hasn’t wrestled a match on WWE TV that has lasted longer than three minutes, so let’s see what this dude can do in the squared circle.
Winner: Alexander Rusev
Jack Swagger vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro
Michael: This should definitely be one of the more entertaining matches of the night, as there’s a decent build between the three and they should all work well together. This match could have been entertaining with some sort of stipulation, but what can you do? It seemed like Cesaro was going to win the IC Title tournament before losing to RVD in the semifinals and a win here will serve as his consolation prize. I expect Heyman to get involved in this one to possibly to start an ongoing feud between Cesaro and RVD.
Winner: Cesaro
Adrian: With Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena and Evolution vs. Shield on the card, I’m picking this Triple Threat bout to be the (I’m coming atcha like a) dark horse match of the night. We all know it definitely has potential, given the superstars involved and the managers that will be at ring-side. However, I agree with what Chris Jericho said on his most recent podcast. In that it’s very strange to see a Triple Threat match taking place with absolutely nothing on the line except for bragging rights.
Cesaro is the newest Paul Heyman guy and it’s a phenomenal move for both parties. Cesaro is over, getting better on the mic and is one of the more consistently entertaining performers in the ring and Paul Heyman is one of the greatest wrestling managers/characters of all time. The Swiss Superman is the next big thing in WWE and the only way I can see him losing is if Creative wants to continue a Cesaro/Heyman vs. Swagger/Colter feud. If that’s the case then I’d give the win to RVD, so I am a bit hesitant to pick a winner.
But, since I must, I will go with my gut and give the win to Cesaro, who will pin Swagger after hitting the Neutralizer. Cesaro pinning RVD could happen too, but I think that Mr. 420 is in the bout to enhance it. He will neither pin, nor be pinned.
Winner: Cesaro
Intercontinental Championship Match: Big E vs. Bad News Barrett
Michael: Big E’s title run has become a bit stale and Bad News Barrett has gotten a decent push since returning with his new gimmick. Barrett will take this one clean after hitting the Bull Hammer Elbow, which will not only bring a bit of prestige back to the title, but begin his ascent to the main event level of the company.
Winner: Bad News Barrett
Adrian: I don’t know about you, but I love me some Bad News Barrett. I’ve been a big fan of Barrett’s for quite some time and finally, the Brit is connecting with the crowd and getting a big push. In the past three weeks, Barrett has defeated Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus and RVD to earn an Intercontinental Title shot against Big E at Extreme Rules. That has to be Barrett’s most successful month of wrestling in the past three years.
Unfortunately, Big E has been quiet. Too quiet. It seems like fans have forgotten about him and he is the damn IC champion! WWE has a habit of Barrett needs to continue his momentum and win the Intercontinental Title from Big E. He’s had to look and the talent to be great and now he has the fan support. Look out for Bad News Barrett!
This Sunday, the WWE will hold its annual Extreme Rules pay-per-view. However, upon glancing at the card, something immediately stands out: a noticeable lack of extreme.
With the card seemingly set (assuming a Tag Team Championship match between the Usos and Rybaxel isn’t added last minute), only two matches on the entire seven-match card feature stipulations that are even slightly extreme (not counting the inevitable dud between El Torito and Hornswoggle on the pre-show).
Sunday’s contest between Daniel Bryan and Kane is one of only two matches on the card featuring extreme rules.
Those matches are of course the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Kane, which will be fought under no-holds barred rules, and the cage match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt. Even the six-man tag between Evolution and the Shield has not been announced as an extreme rules match, although that could change between now and Sunday.
This Sunday’s card highlights the problem with holding themed pay-per-views. How can the company possibly market an event under the name Extreme Rules and then hold one match that is actually extreme (the WWE Title contest) and one (the cage match) that is billed as extreme, but is in fact usually tamer than the pit at a Justin Bieber concert.
It is especially difficult during the PG Era to hold an event such as this one, as most of the matches that could have been utilized (first blood match, inferno match, casket match, etc.) are now essentially banned, leaving creative with few options other than a typical no-holds barred match and TLC type matches that are already featured on other pay-per-views throughout the year. In short, the event does not offer anything unique.
Last night on Raw, the WWE Universe witnessed one of the eeriest sights in company history, as Bray Wyatt was accompanied to the ring by a choir of children who sang his now-signature tune “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”
The promo, although criticized by some, worked very well, in my opinion. It was something fresh, as opposed to the usual “I’m going to kick your ass/No, I’m going to put a boot in your ass” banter that is typical of many WWE feuds. Instead, it added a new psychological dimension to the Cena/Wyatt feud that was already well built prior to last night, as Cena is hinting at a heel turn and has now been betrayed by his most loyal followers, the children.
The three stooges have applauded Wyatt for his ability to captivate a crowd, but is he as popular as they make him out to be?
I do, however, have one concern regarding the future of Mr. Wyatt and his catchy ditty. What worries me is that the WWE is using it too frequently and that it will become stale and forced in no time. After all, this is a company that is notorious for taking something that develops organically and quickly turning it into a synthetic corporate marketing scheme.
In recent weeks, Wyatt has tried to goad every Raw crowd into singing along. Although he has had moderate success, the crowd last night was basically dead even though there was an entire chorus to sing along with, all while the announcers sat there acting like everyone in attendance was participating. The same was true the past few weeks. In fact, the only crowds that were fully on board were the raucous WrestleMania and post-WrestleMania Raw crowds in New Orleans.
Adapt or perish. That is the message Triple H has been sending to the Shield in recent weeks since reforming Evolution. The concept seems simple enough when applied to professional wrestling: either evolve your character over time or quickly become irrelevant.
However, Triple H should be heeding his own advice, because it appears Evolution is the stable that will need to adapt in the near future in order to survive. With Batista taking some time off after Extreme Rules and Triple H only working a part-time in-ring schedule, Randy Orton will be the only full-time competitor left in Evolution in a few weeks.
The ultimate goal of the entire Evolution/Shield feud is to set up a contest between Triple H and Roman Reigns sometime this fall, most likely at SummerSlam. If Batista takes a significant amount of time off and Triple H only appears to cut promos, it seems like it will be difficult to drag out the program until August.
Batista is taking some time off after Extreme Rules, leaving only one full-time competitor in Evolution.
Ric Flair is scheduled to appear on Raw this week, meaning he could also be inserted into the program for a brief period of time. I highly doubt that Flair will be around for long though, as he was not originally slated to rejoin Evolution, and considering the fact that he hasn’t shown up to a WWE event sober in months, it seems unlikely that too much importance will be placed on the Nature Boy.
Flair’s sobriety, or lack thereof, aside, he is also not someone who is going to compete in the ring, so his involvement seems rather pointless, especially when considering that Triple H is basically playing the same managerial role that Flair occupied during the stable’s original incarnation.
At first glance, Alexander Rusev seems like a rehash of a character WWE fans have seen countless times: the monster foreign superstar who feasts on unworthy foes while being accompanied by a manager who serves as his mouthpiece.
Some have contended that the character is so unoriginal that it was completely lifted from a Rocky movie of all places, as he has drawn comparisons to Rocky IV villain Ivan Drago and his wife Ludmilla.
Despite the fact that many believe he is a recycled, cliché character, Rusev has managed to make his way through the WWE’s NXT division and to the main roster in a relatively short amount of time.
Rusev has been booked as a monster, but do fans actually view him as one?
Since making his debut on the main roster, Rusev made a brief appearance in this year’s Royal Rumble and has been feasting on jobbers ever since. Unlike some of his critics, I believe that Rusev can be successful at the main level, but only if he is booked differently from similar heels in the past.
In recent years, the WWE has chosen to rely upon the tried-and-true formula of debuting a monster heel and serving him a hearty portion of heels (see Ryback for example). They expect that if the heel is shoved down fans’ throats long enough by competing in squash matches, they will eventually realize his dominance and he will be over in no time.
It appears they are attempting to take the same course of action with Rusev, as he has competed against only jobbers and will face R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a handicap match at Extreme Rules. Hell, they even threw Rusev into the coalition of jobbers that worked to beat down the Shield during the 11-on-3 handicap match a few weeks back on Raw.
When the Shield debuted over a year ago, Roman Reigns was like the shadowy muscle of the group. He was the least featured member of the trio. He was given few lines during their promos. Yet he was always there to deliver a devastating spear or triple powerbomb when needed.
With the rich indy wrestling history of both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, it is no surprise that they were expected to carry most of the load during the early days of the stable. After all, Roman Reigns was a former football player and started wrestling in 2010, whereas both Ambrose and Rollins had been wrestling since the early 2000’s.
Reigns does have a rich family history though, as he is a member of the famous Anoa’i family that includes past superstars such as Yokozuna, Rikishi, and The Rock, so it is not like he was a complete stranger to the world of wrestling.
After his dominating performance at last year’s Survivor Series, it seemed obvious that there were big plans for Roman Reigns.
A little over a year ago, it appeared that Dean Ambrose was the member being groomed for a breakout solo career. He was considered the de facto of the group and is the only member of the group to win a solo title while Rollins and Reigns shared the Tag Team Championships.
Something changed last fall, however, and it appeared that Reigns was the one gaining momentum in the Shield after Ambrose seemed enter a lull. Coincidentally enough, it was as soon as Rollins and Reigns lost their championships that his push began. The first hint that he was going to be a breakout star was at last year’s Survivor Series, where he was the sole survivor and dominated the competition, eliminating four opponents during the contest.
Reigns later eliminated the most competitors in Royal Rumble history during the 2014 contest and he has not looked back since. With the Shield now entering into a program with the newly reformed Evolution, there are reports that the ultimate goal of the feud is to set up a matchup between Triple H and Roman Reigns at this year’s SummerSlam. The reports make one wonder: is Roman Reigns ready for a massive solo push?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.