They’ll never be another person as great as Paul Heyman. Brilliant performance. YES!
Paul Heyman Opens RAW, Brock Lesnar Attacks Mark Henry Raw kicked off with a bang, CM Punk’s music hit and, naturally the crowd went wild. I’m sure most older WWE fans know this drill all too well. WWE loves pushing buttons (now called trolling). I fully expected to hear CM Punk’s entrance music hit at some point during the broadcast, it was inevitable. However after about 30 seconds, it became clear there was no CM Punk, it was Paul Heyman. Paul comes into the ring, goading the crowd to cant their heads off for the voice of the voiceless. Paul then sat Indian style in the center of the ring, and began to talk about CM Punk, and ultimately said that the fans were to blame for his absence. Paul tied it into CM Punk losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29, and moved towards Brock Lesnar taking on The Deadman in New Orleans. Brock then comes out, followed by Mark Henry who eventually gets an awesome F5 into the announce table. I loved this segment, this was exactly how you capture lighting in a bottle. Paul Heyman was simply brilliant. If I have one criticism on this segment, I would have placed it towards the middle of the program. I think the crowd should have been given a bit of time to try to “HijackRaw” with their CM Punk chants, and then WWE would strike back with their response. YES!
WWE Tag-Team Championships The New Age Outlaws (c) vs. The Usos With a crazy night came this tag team match. I was pretty surprised that The USO’s won the contest and became The WWE Tag Team Champions. For some reason I thought we would have to wait till WrestleMania XXX to see The USO’s win the tag team championship, there is still 4 weeks before WrestleMania so as they say anything can happen. I’m happy for The USO’s they deserve the championship. YES!
The Real Americans Hugging it out… For now.
Big E. vs. Cesaro & Big E. vs. Jack Swagger I’ve been seeing Jack Swagger interrupt many Cesaro matches. Earlier in the night Swagger again caused the DQ by attacking Big E during the match. Later Big E pulls double duty taking on Swagger Cesaro returns the favor. Obviously these two are destined for a breakup, but when? And how does Big E’ Factor into this match. I wouldn’t mind seeing the three of them go at it in a triple Threat Match at WrestleMania, where we can see Cesaro finally turn on Jack Swagger. YES!
The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family What an incredible match these 6 young up and coming SuperStars had at The Elimination Chamber PPV, This match was great too, with Seth Rollins proving he is not the weakest link in The Shield. Flying across the ring! I like Rollins walking out of the match to further the breakup of The Shield. I think The Shield vs The Wyatts much like The Rock vs Triple H will go down in history as two matches that should have taken place on the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania. Still an awesome showing and a great way to keep the momentum for Bray Wyatt who got the pinfall. YES!
Renee Young Interviews Batista BOOtista turning full heel on Smackdown! this past Friday night, now on Raw calls the Daniel Bryan #YesMovement the the dumbest thing he’s ever seen in his life. I like heel BOOtista. Well maybe I don’t. I didn’t like WWE trying to keep Batista a face when the crowd would have none of it. There’s your real change! We actually turned him heel. There was no other choice anyway, I don’t want to get my hopes up for the SEVENTH month in a row, but this seems to be heading towards what most of us are hoping to see at WrestleMania XXX.
Santino Marella & Emma vs. Fandango & Summer Rae I’m still not sold on Emma. It must be because of Santino. Or that music just doesn’t feel big enough. Again I get it she was very over in NXT, but that arena holds 500-800 people. (I’ve been to a NXT Taping at Full Sail) Sometimes things don’t play as well on the big stage. I hear that music, and I hear a pin drop. Then again, this might be another Fandango in the making the night after WrestleMania XXX. NO!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78HUkVvnLXg
To much talk, Daniel Bryan should have kneed them both. NO!
Daniel Bryan, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon & Kane Promo So here’s the problem I have with Triple H vs Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXX. I don’t want to see it. I want to see Daniel Bryan vs Batista vs Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I don’t want to see Daniel Bryan face Triple H even for a chance to be in that match. Why? Because I’ve invested wasted seven long months waiting to see the payoff from a story that began at SummerSlam. I attended SummerSlam, Hell-In-A-Cell, Survivor Series, and The Royal Rumble. I don’t want to see Daniel Bryan beat up Triple H the character. Although I might not mind Brian Danielson decking Paul Levesque, for this frustrating half year plus. I’m just not into seeing this match, I’m turned off. 2-4 months ago, I would have been into the idea of this match, and invested in it. Now all I want is for him to win to get put in the championship match at the end of WrestleMania XXX. It’s a shame too, because Triple H vs Daniel Bryan should be a featured marquee match, on it’s own. I just don’t see myself enjoying the match as much as I would if I didn’t have this bad taste in my mouth from the last seven months.
I hate when people compare Daniel Bryan to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Daniel Bryan is mega over right now, but back in the Attitude era Austin, the whole business was over way more. These hijack shows though are starting to offer up more of that attitude era feel, I will say though. The thing is with Stone Cold Steve Austin, he gave his blood his sweat and tears to be WWE Champion. He stopped at nothing and got physical along the way. I was not a fan of Daniel Bryan just standing there, taking abuse from Triple H and Stephanie. I wanted him to beat the crap out of both of them. If I were Daniel Bryan, I’d offer up the stipulation that we all expect to eventually happen. If he can Beat Triple H at WrestleMania, he gets inserted into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match. But I still don’t want to see the match at WrestleMania, too turned off from the last few months. NO!
I’m enjoying this story more and more each week. YES!
John Cena Addresses The Wyatt Family I liked what John Cena had to say to the crowd, the CM Punk chants were beginning to get on my nerves by this point. I’m enjoying Bray Wyatt and what he has to offer, he could be a top Hollywood horror actor. It wouldn’t surprise me if after Mania he stars in a film. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW
Multiple TNA stars have been asked to take less money once their existing contracts expire. In some cases with wrestlers who have time remaining on their current deals, they have been approached about restructuring their contracts for less pay.
One performer in the company noted that when Bruce Prichard was the head of talent relations for TNA, he approached several wrestlers about restructuring their deals for less pay (roughly half in many cases) before their contracts expired.
Apparently the same thing is happening again right now.
“Before you know it, they’ll be charging wrestlers to perform,” said one veteran TNA wrestler.
In what could be considered a sign that Sting has still yet to sign with WWE, he has been announced as Ric Flair’s replacement for the Revolution Pro Wrestling events in the United Kingdom on March 14th and March 15th.
As previously reported, with Flair signing a new deal with WWE, while he is still allowed to take outside bookings, they must be approved by WWE and if they conflict with any of the obligations he has with them, he must cancel those bookings. Flair did cancel, citing “personal reasons,” and as noted, RPW announced Sting as his replacement.
Hulk Hogan Opens Up RAW The big announcement earlier this week was of course the return of the Hulk Hogan, and how he will be The Host of WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans. What can be said about Hulk Hogan? He’s the Babe Ruth of wrestling, and icon and legend. He deserved to be in WWE in come capacity, and why on earth he was in TNA for as long as he was, I’ll never know. Wade Barrett took a verbal shot at hogan at The Elimination Chamber Pay Per Vew, and was no were to be seen on this show, so I can only wonder, if he will fill the role of Hogan’s Punching bag at WrestleMania XXX, time will tell. YES!
Alberto Del Rio vs. BOOtista / Randy Orton Interrupts. WWE is now starting to acknowledge that BOOtista is getting booed out of the building. Well it’s about time! How long can you go jamming someone down the audience’s throats that is clearly not connecting positively with the fans? Let me make myself clear, I don’t hate Batista, I hate the idea that WWE felt they needed Batista to fill some gap at WrestleMania XXX, and injected him into the Main Event, in spite of an organic rise of Daniel Bryan. Clearly a large portion, and not a vocal minority is in agreement with this sentiment. Batista is already starting to
BOOTista is going to WrestleMania XXX #DealWithIT NO!
lean towards heel tendencies, making a crying face, after his entrance, and his #DealWithIt catch phrase, is quite antagonizing. So Big Dave loses to Del Rio after Randy Orton distracts him. Orton acknowledges the recent crowd reception Batista is receiving. Batista responds while sweaty and slobbering all over, that the fans have a choice, and he’s okay with their choice. I’m just turned off to this story. I’d be happier if Batista went full on Heel and Batista Bombed the crap out of Daniel Bryan, get him in this story, because this is boring me, and even if they inject Daniel Bryan into the Main event, I’m not sure I can take 5 weeks of build up to Orton vs Batista. NO!
WWE Intercontinental Championship Big E. (c) vs. Cesaro The match was good, Ceasaro is definitely getting a face turn soon, and rightly so, there is a big drop off on faces, and I would argue to you he already is a face, based on the crowd reaction he’s getting, and his Ceasaro Swing. Looks like Jack Swaggar is going to be Cesaro’s opponent, eventually. YES!
John Cena Injured during his interaction with The Wyatts NO!
John Cena Addresses The Wyatt Family Thirty days after John Cena was screwed out of the WWE Championship at The Royal Rumble, and one night after he was screwed again from The Wyatts, John Cena finally decides to address the situation. He must have had that on his iPhone to-do list and kept forgetting to take care of this task. You know if the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is the most prized possession in sports entertainment, and they were combined because of your challenge to Randy Orton in December, you’d figure John Cena would have had have a bit more fire, than to wait 30 days. Bray Wyatt vs John Cena, has the potential to be a good story, and maybe even a good match, although Erick Rowan, may have changed the whole situation, because Cena appeared to be legitimately injured. Time will tell. I wouldn’t be terribly upset with a plan B of The Shield vs The Wyatts at WrestleMania. YES!
Sheamus with a Brogue Kick to Christian NO!
Christian vs. Sheamus Match was okay, nothing special in my opinion, but I must admit, it was just a match, and I was quite bored from it. Heavy rumor is Heel Sheamus vs Cesaro WrestleMania, I think that would be a good match. NO!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW and our Overall Raw Rating
SEScoops.com reader Ritchie Cates reached out to TNA asking if Sting would be at this year’s TNA Lockdown pay-per-view. They responded:
“Hi Ritch:
Sting is not scheduled to appear at Lockdown 2014 PPV or Fan InterAction, unfortunately Sting is no longer with the company so therefore we have no booked appearances for him at any events in the future, Sorry about that.
Thanks!
TNA Wrestling”
As of this writing, Sting’s profile remains at ImpactWrestling.com.
Posted February 24th, 2014 in News, TNA. Tagged: Sting.
According to one source, there is talk among the WWE creative team of making Hulk Hogan an on-screen authority figure for the company. Apparently there is a possibility that Hogan will become the new “General Manager” of RAW.
At one point, there was talk of Sting becoming the new GM, but apparently he has still not signed with the company, and due to his questionable status, the talk has switched to Hogan possibly becoming the GM.
– As noted earlier this week, WWE.com published an article by Bill Apter about Sting’s legendary career. Titled, “Behind the paint of sports-entertainment icon Sting,” the article states that Sting was “Undeniably the Face of WCW.”
Teasing that his best days may still be yet to come, the article puts him over as a true legend in the sport that can still go in the ring:
“More than 25 years since he became a good guy, Sting is still a presence in the ring, as well as at numerous charity events. He’s a true legend with a constant drive to always be one step better than the day before. His best days may still be yet to come.”
WWE posted the following tweet promoting the article:
The following are highlights from a recent Busted Open Radio Show interview with TNA star Ethan Carter III:
On his transition with Hulk Hogan and Sting leaving TNA: “I’ve been ready for a very long time to either sink or swim with an opportunity and I’ve been given it here in TNA. Transition wise, I’ve said before it’s not so much of a transition because at the end of the day, there’s a red light with millions of people behind it that you are paid to entertain one way or another and something I’ve always loved and something I have the chance to do now, so I’m doing it. Transition regardless, we’re in a ring, there’s a camera on us, and there’s people in the stands… so let’s do it.”
On the biggest driving factor in getting him to TNA: “Honestly I think more people over there watched my stuff on NXT originally and knew I had talent and ability. I had a chance to really shine out on the grand stage. So there’s a couple people who brought me over and I was just looking for the opportunity to prove myself, prove people wrong, take the ball and run with it. Big John Gaburick came over from WWE and brought me over. He put a lot of faith in me and hopefully I’m returning the favor and faith to him.”
On Samoa Joe’s recent speech to the talent: “Samoa Joe is a guy I looked up to while I was an indie guy. He made a strong name for himself in Ring of Honor and then was in TNA and had an incredible undefeated streak going and was at the top of the mountain for a very long time, so that’s a guy we look up to and is a locker room leader who can fire you up because he’s a fiery guy.”
On if he had any hesitation in going from WWE to TNA: “Not one hesitation what so ever because one place has given me a golden opportunity to shine and I’ve taken that as far as I possibly can. It feels good to be in TNA right now because it’s an atmosphere where everyone has their eye on the prize. Everyone’s focused on one goal and that’s to continue to move forwards and to drive and succeed with each other.”
On what happened with NXT and WWE: “I have multiple opinions. I think injury at an inopportune time and the regime change. Like in any business, if you’re not somebody’s guy, then you’re not the guy. That’s fine because I was born to make somebody some money. I’m very happy in TNA. Once I hit the top of the main event, I will never be leaving TNA.”
– The official WWE website is currently featuring a new column by veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter, where Apter looks at the career of Sting. You can check that out at WWE.com.
– WWE Superstar Fandango is featured on the cover of the new DVD, “WWE’s Signature Sounds: The Music of WWE.” The DVD is set for a March 18th release. The following is the official synopsis for the project:
“Music has been integral in WWE history, especially anthems for all the greatest WWE Superstars. Since Sgt. Slaughter first made his entrance to the Marine Corp hymn in the early 80?s music themes have become synonymous with the Superstars themselves. Just hearing the first few notes brings the crowd to their feet. They are the songs that let the WWE Universe know that business is about to pick up.
Now, get behind the music and learn the inside story behind the timeless anthems of WWE and the superstars.”
The following are highlights from a new website Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On his debut “Ross Report” podcast and future guests: “Austin will be back for Ross Report #2 next week followed by Mauro Ranallo, Trish Stratus, and Mick Foley. I’ve got some great guests coming on to shoot the breeze. Thanks for listening.”
On why Ron Simmons was more successful as part of a tag-team in WWE: “Hmmm…he did well in both roles especially being pivotal launching Rock from the Nation. The APA thing with JBL was good too and garnered a great deal of TV time. They were two different presentations that were both executed well.”
On whether or not Sting never working for WWE will prevent him from going into the WWE Hall Of Fame: “Absolutely not. I wold bet a case of JR’s BBQ Sauce that Sting is in the WWE HOF within 2-3 years.”
On if he feels Damien Sandow is being underutilized in WWE: “I’d agree that Sandow could be more of a force. That’s partly WWE’s fault and partly the talents. To be great it takes a partnership between company and talent.”
Check out more from JR’s latest website Q&A update at JRsBarBQ.com.
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (RG3) has been tweeting today about his love for professional wrestling. RG3 spoke about being excited for the new WWE Network, and answered some questions from fans about his favorite wrestlers. Below are some recent RG3 tweets:
Big @WWE fan growing up. Looking forward to checking out @WWENetwork when it launches on Feb 24! #WWENetwork
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently shared his thoughts on the possibility of Hulk Hogan and Sting appearing at WrestleMania XXX. JR recently tweeted:
Think it would be cool for both @HulkHogan & @Sting to appear at WM30. I'd do all I could to make that happen. Endless creative. WM30=EPIC #
– WWE Diva Summer Rae recently commented on her official Twitter account about being the first WWE Diva to be cast in a WWE Studios film project. Summer tweeted the following:
I am so humbled to be the first ever @wwe diva featured in a @WWEStudios production, Marine 4! I cant tell you how excited I am! @FoxHomeEnt
The latest word going around is that Sting has yet to sign a contract with WWE. The feeling is that the delay in the signing is more on WWE’s end, as the company doesn’t consider him a priority. WWE is reportedly in no hurry to sign Sting in time for a match at WrestleMania XXX, although those close to Sting claim he was hoping to have a match on the show, specifically against The Undertaker.
Since Sting lives in the Dallas area, he was apparently willing to meet up with Undertaker and work out the match in advance, something that many of Taker’s past opponents at WrestleMania have done.
There is some concern in the company that Brock Lesnar may not be willing to spend all of that extra time working on the match with Undertaker, as many feel he’s only in the company because it’s a big money deal for a small amount of work.
As previously reported, WWE has launched their first PodcastOne.com podcast with host Renee Young interviewing Shawn Michaels about WrestleMania. Company officials are apparently looking at expanding into more podcasts following the success of Steve Austin and Chris Jericho’s podcasts.
Additionally, following the success of Mick Foley’s live comedy touring act, WWE is looking at possibly doing some touring talk shows in comedy clubs.
Betty White Guest Star Betty White came out with The Big Show to kick of this weeks WWE Monday Night Raw live from Los Angelas. She said a few words and that she’s there to “Kick some Ass!” The Authority come out to start an in-ring segment. Later we see Betty White in a few segments with the New Age Outlaws. They attempt to give Betty White some spiked tea, however Betty turns the tables on Billy Gun and he ends up with the drink. How can I say something bad about Betty White? She’s a legend. It was exactly what you would have expected. The kick some ass line was charming. It was fine. YES!
Even Daniel Bryan couldn’t save this boring segment. NO!
The Authority – Randy Orton – Daniel Bryan Another in-ring segment with The Authority followed by Randy Orton. Orton now wants to be on Kelly and Michael and truly be The Face of the WWE. Daniel Bryan comes out and reminds Randy Orton that he beat him clean last week. Bryan wasn’t happy he was laid out by Kane and Orton after the match, and wanted Kane on Raw. The Authority said that Kane was suspended, and that wouldn’t be possible. I can’t take these segments with Randy Orton and The Authority. Even my beloved Daniel Bryan couldn’t save it in my eyes. Perhaps Bryan goes over at the Elimination Chamber and becomes WWE World Heavyweight Champion. All I know is they need to stop these segments this way, I mean at least mix it up, have Bryan in a fiery rage from his “NO NO NO” days call out The Authority. All these segments are the same, and boring. NO!
Rey Mysterio, Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. The Wyatt Family Amazing match from the Former Tag Team Champions, and Rey and the Wyatts. Bodies flying all over made for a great visual, and the quick hook of the Sister Abigail onto Rey Mysterio was awesome. Bray cuts a promo on The Shield for their upcoming match at The Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View. Probably the match I’m looking forward to the most. Check out the match below YES!
Santino Marella (with Emma) vs. Fandango (with Summer Rae) Another bizarre use of Emma here, backing a losing Santino. Emma did her dance during their entrance to Santino’s Music. I mean I understand Santino is wrestling, but isn’t her dancing gimmick attached to her music from NXT? The debut and usage of Emma is quite confusing to me. NO!
Sheamus and Cesaro getting it on in a great tag match on Raw YES!
Sheamus & Christian vs. The Real Americans Antonio Cesaro is now just called “Cesaro”. Like Prince, or Madonna or Sting, if that means they are going to push him more you can call him Mud for all I care. Cesaro was great in this match, as was Sheamus and a very beat up Christian. Our friend The Solomonster has said on his podcast that his European Uppercut should be his finisher and I agree, after he hit the move in this match, it almost seemed the crowd expected the three count. As did I, it’s a great move. Good Match! YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW and our Overall Raw Rating
New TNA star MVP recently appeared on the v2 Wrestling Podcast. The following are some highlights from the interview:
On his goals in TNA: “WWE is a spectacular company, and their market saturation and visibility is monstrous, but the most prosperous time during the history of wrestling was during the Monday Night Wars when WWF was going head-to-head with WCW. You had 12 million people a week tuning in to watch wrestling, and the fans benefited as well as the wrestlers. TNA is a smaller company and doesn’t have the outreach and audience that WWE does, but I’d like to try, along with some of the other guys, to move the needle a little bit, and try to create something where fans can go ‘Hey, this is really cool, there’s something going on over here that we can watch as well,’ because I firmly believe that there’s room for two big dogs in the yard.”
On the TNA departures of Hulk Hogan and Sting: “While it’s sad to see them go, it’s also tremendously exciting to see that void filled by new stars who are stepping up and working hard to try to become legends in their own right.”
On Chris Benoit: “When I got signed, we travelled together, we trained together, and he was hugely responsible for my success. Of course, you can’t condone what he did, but I tell people all the time, there’s an issue with mental illness. There’s a stigma attached to it. If someone has cancer, we feel sorry for them, but if somebody has a mental breakdown, we don’t feel the same way. All those negative connotations make people sometimes not want to get help if there’s something going wrong. What Chris did was horrible, it was tragic, but I knew him personally, and I knew that he loved his wife and child, and I had been to that home and I had interacted with them personally.”
On WWE airing Benoit footage on the WWE Network: “I think that’s a good thing, because regardless of what happened out of the ring, he is without question one of the best in-ring technicians that ever existed. So, if you’re a fan of wrestling then you have to be a fan of Chris Benoit the wrestler, and maybe not so much Chris Benoit the tragic murderer.”
Check out the complete MVP interview at v2Journal.com.
Several sources have noted recently that the feeling within WWE from those high up in management is that the company does not view Sting as a top priority. There are those that are pushing the idea that he is, but apparently these are people that don’t have a lot of pull.
Even though that is the case, the company does see the potential for a lot of money to be made through Sting with t-shirts, action figures, DVDs and other merchandise opportunities.
The latest word regarding Sting is that he may appear in some fashion at WrestleMania XXX in April, however he likely won’t be wrestling in any matches on the show. The company isn’t looking to put much stock into Sting as a wrestler, with the feeling that if he can pass the physical, he would still only be a special attraction type performer in the ring.
With WrestleMania 31 being held in California next year, and with Sting being a California-based guy, there is a possibility that Sting would be a strong candidate for next year’s WWE Hall Of Fame class.
As of this past weekend, the latest word is that Sting has not yet signed an actual contract with WWE. Those within WWE continue to believe that the deal is very close to being finalized. Right now, it’s believed that Sting and WWE are working on the merchandising portion of the agreement.
The idea, which could obviously change between now and then, is that Sting will not be used at WrestleMania XXX in April, but likely will be used at WrestleMania 31 in California next year.
The following are highlights of a recent SLAM! Wrestling interview with AJ Styles:
On his dream opponent: “Seriously, some (dream matches) for me are with guys that I may never get the opportunity to wrestle. I’d like to wrestle Rey Mysterio, I think he and I could really tear things up. There are definitely some guys in the Fed (WWE) that I think I could have good matches with, that would also be dream matches for the fans as well. But who knows if that ever comes or not.”
On Sting to WWE: “I hope to see Sting wrestle The Undertaker at WrestleMania. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, that may just be wishful thinking. But I can appreciate the (thinking).”
On TNA going out of business: “I’m not saying that they’re going under, but it sure does seem that way. They’re really saving a lot of money in places. If they’re so desperate to save money that they cut loose one of their top guys, the one guy that was known as the TNA guy, they must be hurting pretty bad. Either that or they think that loyalty means absolutely nothing to them, or they think I suck. I don’t know which one of those it is.”
Check out the complete interview online at Slam.Canoe.ca.
Reports of Fans getting kicked out and CM Punk signs being taken away. NO!
CM Punk CM Punk took his ball and went home. The longest reigning WWE champion in the Modern Era, seemingly quit WWE last week after a meeting with Vince McMahon. We are now in the age of the crowd hijack, so as expected chants rang out and signs for CM Punk were all over the place. rang A CM Punk sign was viable with in the first few seconds of the Raw preview. My biggest fear was that this was going to take away from Daniel Bryan, and It did. Omaha isn’t a big market to begin with, and I feel energy was wasted chanting CM Punk’s name. CM Punk may have left for “the right reasons” but I fear that now Daniel Bryan has to share the spotlight with the absence of CM Punk. Time will tell. NO!
The Authority, Randy Orton I’m sick of Randy Orton and The Authority segments. I’m sick of Randy Orton. I’m sick of Triple H, who comes out to a moderate pop because, of course he is a very big star, and when you have Randy Orton out there whining and complaining, anything is better than Randy Orton. Stephanie McMahon saying “I can’t believe I’m saying this, Daniel Bryan might be the new face of the WWE.” Randy Orton will take on Daniel Bryan in a non-title match later tonight. As Triple H throws his hands in the air mimicking the yes chant. Michael Cole saying that he was leading the fans in the chant, nice try Cole. This segment could have been a 2 min promo backstage, it was a waste of time, and I was bored. NO!
Jerry The King Lawler with weaker content than BNB. NO!
Bad News Barrett & Jerry Lawler Wade Barrett, with a useless generic heel post superbowl “you stuffed your faces” corny promo. Yelling and screaming. Out of no where Jerry Lawler is on a mic cutting off Wade Barrett with the weakest retort I’ve ever heard from Jerry, saying “I have some bad news, maybe you won’t be here next week.” Crowd was just as confused as I was. That was it? Terrible NO!
The Shield vs. Rey Mysterio, Big E. Langston & Kofi Kingston Roman Reigns busted open the hard way in this match and required stitches after the fact. He will truely be a big star in the very near future, and it’s exciting to see him work. Dean Ambrose tagged Roman at the last moment to get a pinfall victory on Big E. Langston, after Roman did all the heavy lifting. This will further increase tension amongst The Shield, which is fine, but why does the Intercontinental champion have to take the fall? Can’t Kofi or Rey lay down? WWE continues to make their secondary champions look weak. However since Dean did get a pin-fall victory over Big E. perhaps this could set up a unification between the US and IC Championships, which needs to happen. After the Match The Wyatts cut a promo on the RawTron as the Shield looked on. YES!
Road Dogg should have caught Cody, but the match was a YES!
WWE Tag-Team Titles: New Age Outlaws (c) vs. Goldust & Cody Rhodes (Steel Cage Match) I enjoyed the tag team re-mach in a steel cage. However why in a match that has no disqualification would there be a requirement to tag in an out? #WWELogic I suppose. Cody Rhodes climbed the cage to deliver a moonsault much like The Moonsault he did In Madison Square Garden. However he missed, and I dont’ think he was supposed to, I think Road Dogg botched this move by not getting out in front of him. Billy Gunn would have been there to deliever his finisher if Cody hit the move, and the result would have been the same. I was fully expecting a Golddust beat down in the cage, so kudos to WWE for not being predictable. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW and our Overall Raw Rating
As previously reported, CM Punk held a Q&A session at the Wizard World “Portland Comic Con” event on Friday. Here are the highlights:
– Punk said he doesn’t think Sting should come to WWE because he doesn’t have “anything left in the tank.” He thinks Sting would take another spot away from WWE’s younger superstars who are trying to make it to the main event level.
– Punk said Batista is his friend, but he doesn’t feel the time is right for him to return, for the same reason Sting shouldn’t be brought in. Punk said it’s Daniel Bryan’s time and Bryan should be in the main event of WrestleMania.
– He has been frustrated with WWE’s direction for a while and feels that the writers aren’t in touch with what fans want.
– He has been saving a lot of money and he would be fine if he wasn’t receiving a paycheck from WWE anymore.
– He’s entertained the idea of fighting for UFC, but he doesn’t know if his body could handle it at this time.
– Punk said 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 can’t figure out what’s wrong. He started eating meat again and is starting to feel better, but isn’t close to 100%.
For whatever this is worth, SportsRants.com writer Anthony DiMoro is reporting that Sting has officially signed a deal to debut with World Wrestling Entertainment. As noted previously, RF Video’s Rob Feinstein has also claimed to have knowledge that Sting has signed with WWE.
DiMoro wrote the following about Sting and WWE:
“I have heard it from a good source that Sting and WWE have actually agreed to a deal, including a WWE Hall of Fame induction. The Hall of Fame induction may not come in 2014, but possibly 2015 as WWE may want to feature Sting and get the fanbase familiar with him on WWE Television over the next year so that his induction is even more special. I anticipate a career DVD will also be in the mix later this year as well as a heavy presence of Sting on WWE Network.”
The following are highlights from the latest online Q&A update from WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On CM Punk’s WWE exit and if it will upset viewers if “The Authority” continues to misuse popular talent: “You’re mixing fiction w/ real life which isn’t a compatible combination. No one can make all of today’s fans happy.”
On if the door is open in WWE for Sting to come in to the company: “Door has been open for years. I assume that it still is.”
On Undertaker and his WrestleMania streak: “The Streak is as big an element to WrestleMania as any thing can be. Whoever fights Taker there will be in a key spot. I like the mystery and all the rampant speculation that comes with the topic. Once a decision is made as to who Taker will perform with then the next round of complaining will likely commence.”
On if Steve Austin will ever wrestle again: “This has been addressed dozens of times. I think that it is less than 50/50 Austin ever wrestles again. It’s been over 10 years and he’s moved on to other successful projects such as his podcast.”
On potential talent in WWE that can become a future champion: “Anyone of several talents that are young including Roman Reigns. WWE is seemingly working diligently to facilitate young talents to get over to the next level. It’s an exhausting process and many talents never make it.”
Former WCW, WWE, and TNA star “The Total Package” Lex Luger stepped IN THE ROOM with Brady Hicks for nearly an hour on Tuesday night, January 28, 2014.
Topics included this year’s Royal Rumble and fans’ disappointment, the prospect of a Lex Luger comeback, how “fair” it is for fans to put over The Undertaker at WrestleMania, his health, never winning the WWE title, and his past use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Listen to the Lex Luger interview here. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
On his Royal Rumble “Tie” with Bret Hart in 1994:
What was going through my head? #1 that we could pull it off. #2 that I could go over the top rope, backwards, while holding on to him and that I didn’t crack my skull open in the process. My arms are wrapped around him [and] it’s not the most comfortable feeling. I was concerned for my safety.
Being Backstage in WCW (and WWE):
I was never involved in the decision-making in wrestling. I was never involved in the backroom talk, as far as that goes with the planning of wrestling. I was never a storyline guy at all …
Why Sting Belongs in WWE, and Why He Has Always Avoided It:
[Sting] felt comfortable in WCW and they always took care of him all those years, so really when WCW and WWE were coexisting he never really felt a compelling reason or time in his career where he thought if he went to WWE that there would be a huge positive move for him. I can’t say that I disagree … [With that said] I don’t think anyone could orchestrate the ending part of [Sting’s] career better than WWE could. They’re just so good at that. Whether it’s a Hall of Fame bid or a match with The Undertaker I would LOVE, LOVE LOVE to see that happen personally. I think it would be the cherry on top for his career.
The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak:
I was brought in by Matsuda to always be professional, don’t ever question finishes. If a guy like Undertaker [wanted to beat me at WrestleMania], I wouldn’t have had any problem putting him over, especially at WrestleMania. I understand … that some guys might be frustrated but I don’t understand what they would be frustrated about. It’s one match in a career. If you have confidence in yourself, your career, and the big picture as far as where you’re going, I don’t think it hurts at all to put Undertaker over at WrestleMania.
The WrestleMania X “Drunk” Story and Rumored Changes:
I didn’t know what the plan was as far as what was to be the finish that day. I never got involved in that kind of stuff. There were rumors – crazy stuff – that I knew the finish. My reputation, and sure I deserved a lot of the rumors back then, [was] that I was drunk at a bar and telling people I was going to be champion. Where did they get this stuff from? I’ve done so much crazy stuff in my career. I didn’t have to make stuff up. I was like 100 miles away with my family the night before WrestleMania. I wasn’t anywhere near what they said. It was a crazy kind of rumor. Go figure, wrestling, right?
That Dark Road:
We’re all sad about that. I think it’s getting much better. It’s a much healthier atmosphere in WWE and with pro wrestling. Nothing can ever be 100%. We’d love to see nobody battle with [demons] but stuff happens in people’s lives, you know? We’d love to make it all where it never happened but I think it’s vastly improved now. We also see a lot of cases now of guys who are getting it back together who we were all very concerned about. So it’s not all negative. There are a few stories – we’ve lost a lot of our comrades and good friends way before they should have been with that whole ‘work hard, play hard’ [mindset] of my era and a lot of the mistakes that we made. A lot of us paid dearly for it. NONE of us want that to be the legacy that we left.
Being the Next Hulk Hogan:
To me it’s flattering for anyone to say I’m the next Hulk Hogan. There is only one Hulk Hogan. No one could ever, unless it was an extraordinary circumstance, ever even come close to something like that so. In my career I was very confident in myself and what I had, talent-wise, and I think I had a good career. But to even be mentioned in the same breath as the next Hogan, I was flattered by that. I couldn’t have lived up to that and I don’t know that anyone could.
Frequent Heel/Face Turns:
Behind the scenes, I was kind of the guy … I was proud that I was able to pull that off. A lot of guys might not have been able to. At the time, if one of the top three babyfaces or heels would get injured, people don’t realize that they’d switch me. [They] were like ‘So-and-so got hurt. What are we going to do? Let’s switch Lex.’ And when the first heel went down, they’d switch me back heel … All those changes, it was actually sort of a compliment that I was the type of character that could be either an arrogant bad guy or be a confident good guy and kind of pull it off with some kind of credibility. Would I have been able to sustain it for longer periods of time as a good guy or a bad guy? I guess I’ll never know but I’m not complaining. I was like the utility All Star.
IN THE ROOM with Brady Hicks streams live Tuesday nights, 9PM ET on the VOC Nation IN THE ROOM Radio Network on vocnation.com, as well as thebradyhicks.com
The Raw after the Royal Rumble saw action, matches set up for The Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View and more. Check out The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW Comment below and tell us your thoughts.
The Royal Rumble: Everyone who watched The Royal Rumble, or heard about it, know that the crowd was completely upset that the 10 or so unadvertised spots did not go to Daniel Bryan. Loud Boos directed at Rey Misteryo who was number 30, and Batista (who I will from now on refer to as #Bootista) who won the 2014 Royal Rumble were heard loud and clear. I know this because, I was there. Yes I few out to the 2014 Royal Rumble in frigid Pittsburgh, PA to watch that Pay-Per-View live, and yes Daniel Bryan wasn’t scheduled to be in the Rumble, but not only did everyone want him in the thing, they wanted him to win. Congrats to the live crowd for making their voices heard. Hopefully this will induce change, because I dare the WWE to put on Batista vs Orton in the main event at WrestleMania XXX and not get booed out of the building.
Triple H and Daniel Bryan Face to Face. YES!
The Authority, Daniel Bryan With the largest story out of the Royal Rumble being Daniel Bryan not being in the Royal Rumble, WWE Raw kicked off right away with The Authority, and Daniel Bryan. Daniel talking about the #YesMovement and how he wanted to be in the Royal Rumble but The Authority wouldn’t let him. Daniel Bryan then gets in Triple H’s face and demands to be in the Elimination Chamber Match. Triple H then brings out the shield to beat down Daniel Bryan. Sheamus and John Cena make the save. I would have liked Raw to start with Daniel Bryan calling out The Authority, also I would have liked Daniel Bryan to beat the crap out of Triple H, the second The Sheild’s music hit. But for what it was, it was okay, and at least the segment didn’t end with Daniel Bryan being killed.It doesn’t happen often, but did you see Seth Rollins slip on his entrance?YES!
Bad News Barrett Segment You know it’s funny, I was in Pittsburgh with 13 other insane wrestling fans, some who like me flew in for The Rumble, and one my friends does a great Wade Barrett impression, and he was hilarious. “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.” I heard that BNB used to be a fixture of the JBL & Cole show, and he was hilarious. I’ve come to the realization, that there are three main reasons I HATE Bad News Barrett on WWE Raw. NO!
What happened to this man? NO!
Three Reasons I hate Bad News Barrett
1. Yelling I know he’s in the arena, but I don’t think he needs to yell as much, I think it’s annoying. If he did it more soft spoken, even if it was backstage being shown to the crowd, it would come across better.
2. Podium & Gavel The podium and gavel is just plain silly and stupid. Is he a judge? Is he a preacher?
3. The Material So generic dising a local city, and their sports team. Wade Barrett can cut a great promo, we’ve seen it years ago in The Nexus and The Coree, why is he wasting time with cheap heat? Dumb!
#BOOtista, Orton and Brock Lesnar, on Raw. NO!
In-Ring Segment: Randy Orton, #BOOtista, Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman I said it already once, but I dare WWE to put Randy Orton vs #BOOtista in the Main Event at WrestleMania XXX. Daniel Bryan chants ring though the arena, even though Daniel Bryan is not supposed to be involved with this segment. Brock Lesnar and Heyman come out to challenge Batista or Randy Orton, tonight on raw. But if you think you’re going to get a free Brock Lesnar match on TV, you must also believe the tooth fairy, was the one who gave you the five bucks under your pillow. NO!
Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz The battle of Cleveland as these two are locals, I couldn’t help wondering how WWE was going to screw both of them, being WWE loves to beat guys in their own hometown (See: Jim Ross). Dolph wins it, and maybe his punishment is over? Probably not. YES!
WWE Tag-Team Titles
Brock destroys the Rhodes Brothers. YES!
New Age Outlaws (c) vs. Goldust & Cody Rhodes
Some trash talking from The Road Dogg before this matche gets underway. I’m okay with NAO as the WWE Tag Team Champions. I’m assuming they will defend them at WrestleMania and lose it to a good team like The Usos. Brock Lesnar comes out destroys the Rhode’s brothers, which I was also okay with. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW and our Overall Raw Rating