WrestleMania 29 is upon us and as you may know, some of us aren’t into it this year. However for the amount of people not interested, there is at least 10 wrestling fans more whom are! So without further do, here are 29 things YOU want to see happen at WrestleMania 29.
I’d like to see Cena turn heel, Ziggler cash in the MITB and have Swagger win. @DrewDeftones
Cena beats Rock in a hard-fought battle. SHIELD comes out, demolishes Cena. Ziggler cashes in MITB, 1-2-3 Champ! @TheKFV
I would like to see ziggler win the tag champs and then cash in the MITB briefcase and be a double champ by the end of the night. @Jef_GFC
I want some surprises at WrestleMania maybe a heel turn nobody expects or a wrestler coming back who has been gone for a while. @RandySavage9988
I’d like to see some actual wrestling, not a performance by a “rapper” who hasn’t been relevant since Notorious B.I.G died. @MarleyCardona23
CM Punk to end the The Undertaker’s undefeated streak. @PasteyNate
Old school blood match with Lesnar vs. HHH. Lesnar beats down everyone and wins. @SimonSplash
Shawn Michaels costs Triple H the match against Lesnar, and they have a match at WrestleMania 30. @JHF0410
A possible heel turn for Cena is the main subplot of the whole event. @SimonSplash
let’s see some good wrestling matches no gimmicks don’t want to see Ziggler walk out as champ,makes title fight pointless. @Andrewlvey87
Cena beats rock wins the WWE championship. The next night on raw Batista returns and kicks cenas ass. @Dylan_Mooney.
I would like to see Randy Orton turn heel, betray Sheamus and Big Show, and become the leader of The Shield. @Harvest_S
Shawn Michaels will be reveal as a Paul Heyman’s Guy. @TheMikeMP
While everyone is expecting a Cena or Randy heel turn, I want Sheamus to turn heel. That’ll be a nice twist for us. @XtremeStyles_
I want to see the Taker vs Punk match as intense as, if not more brutal, than HHH vs Taker match. @Kkat26
I want A.J. Lee to end up winning the Divas Title at WM in her home state. @BizarroDoom
What if Jack Swagger have been brain-washed by “Uncle Zebeckia” ? @TheMikeP
Rock beating Cena for the second time and watching how it will play out. @AmIOverYet
Cena Cheats to beat The Rock and turns heel. Orton to cost his team the match and turn heel. Undertaker to bury Punk in a casket. @ChrisMcCabe
Antonio Cessaro and Corey Graves to appear. @BKelley81
I’m guessing a Randy Orton heel turn to become the leader of the Shield has been said already? @TheAussieViper
Bring back Batista and make him in charge of the shield sounds crazy nobody will expect it WWE needs a Wild storyline. @RandySavage9988
I wanna see a sequel to Zack Ryder’s ”Friday” skit, but maybe I’m alone in that feeling. @PowerToTheSmarks
Little Jimmy making his first in-ring appearance. @ItsPopsigirl
Jericho assault Ziggler backstage steals the briefcase and cashes it in and wins the world heavyweight title. @ScouseWrestling
During the punk and taker match de lights go off and BOOM! Out cums STING and ends up Knocking taker out and taker looses. @Dylan_Mooney
Motorhead playing out Hunter again. @King12String
I want to be surprised. To see WrestleMania 29 fade to black having made my jaw drop. I want something I’m not expecting. @TheAdamDavies
I want to see 70,000 Modern Era fans give Bruno a massive standing ovation & “BRUNO, BRUNO” chant. @WrestleChatNet
Some very creative tweets and some not-so creative. I think Randy Orton turning heel and forming an alliance with The Shield is an epic way to end their match. It’s a cool swerve and the match needs something like that. The Shield have something cool going here and having this happen can only make them stronger. John Cena turning heel is a popular scenario. I doubt it is going to happen just yet. WWE gave him a bit of ‘edge’ in his promos the past few weeks but that doesn’t mean they’re setting him up to turn his back on his beloved fans. I don’t see HBK turning on Triple H. I have said it would be an EPIC moment and it would be. But as of this writing, I can’t see HBK wrestling again. Batista returning? YES. This needs to happen. Will it happen at WrestleMania? Hopefully but I doubt it. If he does, it’ll most probably be a Raw show. Batista in charge of The Shield, that would be an insanely epic moment and would indeed be a wild storyline the WWE needs.
What do I want to see happen? I want The Undertaker and CM Punk to have an epic 25 minute match. Have Undertaker win, BUT, at the end Taker picks up Punk from the mat and bows his head. A sign of RESPECT (What CM Punk has been looking for). Then, Punk leaves the ring, Taker gets a standing ovation. Punk, in return, gives back RESPECT. Something he hasn’t done (kayfabe wise) in a long time.
Thanks for reading wrestling fans. This will be my final column until after WrestleMania. A lot of opinions have been shared in this column and I want to thank everyone who participated. Please give me your opinion below. I will be happy to have a discussion with you on any topic.
I will not be ordering WrestleMania this year. Want to know why? Then read HERE.
I have been a fan of professional wrestling for many years. I will be a fan of the sport for many years to come. My love for wrestling is evident, the creation of wrestling rambles is proof of that. Over the years that I’ve been a fan, wrestling as a whole has been through some great eras. Also some very poor eras. Today’s era is an era, to me, that is mediocre. It certainly isn’t the greatest era nor is it the worst era. However, it could be much better and I think you’ll agree with me on that statement. There is a reason that we continue to watch. In fact, there’s at least 4 reasons.
Here are 4 reasons why you are willing to watch a dry/drained out product.
1. Fear of missing something
There is a certain fear in every wrestling fans’ mind that if we skip a show, whether it be WWE or Impact, we’ll miss something that will leave you thinking, why didn’t I tune in? Examples include CM Punk’s epic pipebomb from 2 years ago, the Aces and Eights taking over the Impact Wrestling with their epic heel Bully Ray being revealed as the mastermind behind it all. I think TNA is a better example to use. The wrestling itself is good, but WWE and TNA are all about the stories. For months I watched TNA and nothing good ever came from it until Bobby Roode became their world champion. This lead to him losing to Austin Aries, who lost it to Jeff Hardy who lost it to Bully Ray. The fear of missing something is definitely on the mind of wrestling fans! I hate when it happens to me for sure.
2. Anticipation
At times when you are bored of watching the same shit every week, there is nearly always at least one story or one upcoming match that interests you. The anticipation builds up inside you. It makes you wonder what is going to happen. There is proof of that. A one-year long build for The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania 27 got every wrestling fan talking. Websites like Wrestle Chat and Wrestling Rambles broke their all time visitors record because fans were trying to find out inside information or read fun ramblings written by writers to see what was on their mind. It gets you talking to other fans and it pumps you up for it. It keeps the interest floating around inside you.
3. The little kid inside you
Your love and admiration for the sport will more than likely always be there. The little kid inside you remembers when Hulk Hogan body slammed Andre The Giant or when Stone Cold Steve Austin refused to give up to the sharpshooter against Bret Hart. Everyone loves remembering past memories and it makes you feel good, so there is that incentive to keep you wanting to watch, even if what you’re watching is shit storytelling or bad matches. It gives you hope I guess.
4. Following a certain Wrestler A lot of you reading this are fans of CM Punk. He truly is the Best in the World. He is better than The Rock, better than Cena, better than Daniel Bryan. CM Punk means more to a lot of people than what Sheamus or John Cena does to certain audiences for a set number of years. CM Punk was the guy who wasn’t suppose to make it to WWE. He proved every critic/know it all creative team member wrong that he had the potential to be a huge breakout star. CM Punk conquered the Indy scene and eventually signed for TNA and a little later down the line for WWE. He went on to become the longest reigning WWE champion of the modern era, headlined two Pay-Per-Views with The Rock and will be facing Undertaker for his dominant streak at WrestleMania 29. So what I’m saying is, following the career of a wrestler keeps you watching! Being a fan of someone encourages you to watch.
This was a topic I found myself interested in to write. Every day I come online at some point and I read about fans complaining from sunrise to sunset over the same thing everyday for the entire week. It just confused me, like why do they keep watching it? So I said to myself, ”Well, why do I watch it when I’m not enjoying it as much as other times I have been a fan?”. That lead to me writing this column and here we are. I am intrigued to read your feedback. What is it that keeps you watching? I would love to know so let me know (Hey! That rhymes!). All newcomers are welcome to comment, don’t be shy! :)
Check out my website for more ramblings - http://wrestlingrambles.com/ and continue to visit WrestleChat for non stop updates in the world of wrestling.
Last night at the Royal Rumble we witnessed a new WWE champion being crowed. None other than the the jabroni beating, pie eating, trail blazing, eye brow raising, the best in the present, future and past, and if y’all don’t like me you can kiss the people’s ass! You guessed it, it’s The Rock. CM Punk had an amazing title run. Perhaps the best we’ve seen in 25 years. A great 25-30 minute match. With great spots, great wrestling and great selling, wrestling fans are still complaining. Apparently the people’s elbow is not the finish fans were anticipating. I agree it’s not the strongest booked finish they could have used, but, fighting each other for 30 minutes, after having surgery a month before the match, receiving a Rock bottom on the outside of the ring, it shouldn’t take THAT much to finish off a wrestler. You got to remember he isn’t invincible. If the fight was ‘real’ there is no way any of those men would be standing after the bout. Therefore, an elbow didn’t seem like a ‘soft’ move.
Fans are also complaining that Rock is the WWE champion. Look at it from WWE’s point of view. They are a business and like every business, they will do what is best for business. We’re nearing WrestleMania, last year’s WrestleMania with Rock in the main event was the HIGHEST selling WrestleMania of all time. The WWE will benefit more having The Rock as WWE champion than the other way around. Every time The Rock is mentioned in the media, he will be addressed as ‘the WWE champion’. This gives WWE media attention and exposure. Besides, the majority of you who complained will love The Rock, again, after tonight’s Raw. I also guarantee tonight’s Raw will be the HIGHEST rated Raw in weeks.
And one last point. There is more to come from CM Punk. Much more. Sometimes when a champion loses his title, the story becomes more interesting as this time he’s chasing the title. His character might take a new approach to changing surroundings, he’ll be more in-depth. There might be more of a buzz to him. He might be more exciting to watch. He could be the Undertaker’s next opponent. My point is, losing the title doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.
Chris Jericho is back
Oh man. After coming home from a long day at work, I cook my dinner, sit down in my living room to watch the Royal Rumble. I get to the royal rumble match. Excited to see who number two will be. Never did I image it would be none other than the ayatollah of rock and rolla! I marked out worse than Nick Hogan’s tires! That was the moment of the night for me. And I mean I LITERALLY marked the fuck out! Why? Because I WASN’T EXPECTING IT. That’s why I never read any rumble rumors, I like to be surprised. Though, I do believe Jericho also worked the fans thinking he was attending a music conference which is great too. Jericho loves pro wrestling as much as anyone. He respects the business and knows the show is better when you’re surprised. Better yet, he’ll be staying until at least after WrestleMania. There’s talks within WWE that he will be in program with Ryback, I’ll guess we’ll have to wait and see. If he can’t have a decent match with Jericho, there won’t be much more for him to do in WWE. We won’t be seeing Ryback long term is what I’m saying.
This is my first column in weeks. I haven’t wrote about wrestling for a couple of reasons. I have been extremely busy as of late and simply didn’t have the time to write. I also wasn’t that motivated to write as not much was really happening in the crazy world of professional wrestling. Now that we’re coming into WrestleMania season, as there’s more to actually talk about, I expect to write at least once a week on here. I encourage to check daily on WrestleChat. It’s the most useful source for WrestleMania news. Last year this was my second most viewed wrestling site! (After my own site because, well, I own it).
I thank you for taking the time to read my column and I would love to read your thoughts and feedback. Stay classy, chatters!
Check out my website for more ramblings - http://wrestlingrambles.com/ and continue to visit WrestleChat for non stop updates in the world of wrestling.
1Posted by Brett Clendaniel on October 1, 2012 at 5:40 pm
This is the fourth, and final, column for Terri Bey on WrestleChat.net. She has done a few guest columns over the last month and may do more in the future. Feel free to follow Terri (the biggest Edge fan in the world) on Twitter, @GioPontiFan.
Where Have All the WWE Divas Gone?
I would like to make a formal apology to the WrestleChat.net staff and to you readers for the long wait for my final guest blog. I had to take care of some health and other personal issues, so I ask for forgiveness. It was a situation that could not have been helped.
That being said, I would like to thank Brett Clendaniel, Jr. for allowing me to write these four guest blogs. He is not only a great reporter and webmaster, he is a great friend of mine. It’s an honor to write for him.
Now that I got that out of the way, I will start my final guest blog.
The majority of people have heard the classic song, “Where Have All The Flowers Gone,” by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Pete Seeger. The song is a very famous anti-war song talking about how war eliminates the flowers, and eventually the soldiers (a generation) from the earth. There is the famous line, “When will they ever learn?” “When will they ever learn.”
Well with the news of now former WWE Diva Kelly Kelly’s departure from WWE, and former Diva’s and Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix on the way out, it looks to me that the Divas division is going to be full of just models trying to wrestle. Let’s face it, after Phoenix leaves at the end of October, the only diva left that can work a match is going to be Natalya.
Where HAVE all the Divas gone anyway?
I have watched professional wrestling closely for 14 years. Of course, I am learning more about the “old” days, and I still have a lot to learn, and I realize that. However, WWE has had great women wrestling stars like Wendi Richter, the Fabulous Moolah, and Mae Young as wrestlers in its company.
Since I started watching, I saw the rise of two great women wrestlers. One is Lita, and the other is Trish Stratus. I remember when Trish Stratus started out as a valet as part of “T & A.” I am obviously talking about Test (RIP) and Albert (now Tensai). Stratus was not great when she started, but she worked hard and became a top wrestler, and won the Women’s belt 7 times.
Lita was with the Hardy Boyz as Team Extreme. What Lita (4 Time Women’s Champ)brought to the table was her high flying moves. I always found Lita to be a very excited wrestler in the ring. She also after the “Love Triangle” incident became a valet for eventual WWE Hall of Famer Edge later in her career.
Through the last 14 years that I have watched, I have seen WWE hit and miss on WWE Divas. They had the good such as Mickie James, Victoria, and Ivory. They also had the bad such as Ashley Massaro, Candice Michelle, Amy Weber, and Christy Hemme. I am not going to comment on Chyna. Let’s say she fell off the deep end.
With that being said, this bunch of Divas would be better than what is passing for a “Diva Division” right now in the WWE. As the song says, “When will they ever learn?”
According to rumor, Triple H wants less emphasis on the Diva division. I’d like to know why he’d want to do that, if true. I don’t know if Hunter who was not a big fan of John Laurinaitis, is mad because Laurinaitis hired a bunch of models for WWE, including Kelly Kelly. I think WWE could have benefited from having the two women that could work a match, Beth and Natalya actually feud.
While Beth was in the midst of her Diva Title reign, WWE did nothing with her. They didn’t even have her feud with Natalya. Now that Beth is on the way out, they FINALLY gave her a match with Natalya, and let Beth win in her own hometown of Buffalo. It did not make sense.
One other thing that didn’t make sense was when Michelle McCool was in WWE, Vince/Creative let McCool dominate. I mean, I liked McCool, but at times I wished that her partner Layla got a chance to show what she could do. After all, they were LayCool. I also thought that McCool was too protected, and she/Creative could have let whichever babyface she was working with get one over on her. When do they ever learn?
I think WWE can have a Diva division if they get women who can work. Fans like ACTUAL WRESTLING. Speaking for myself, I like GOOD WRESTLING and I don’t care about the gender of the wrestler. There is no excuse for WWE not to have wrestlers doing one minute matches because they know the wrestlers (male or female) can’t wrestle out of a paper bag.
I have heard about Sara Del Rey’s signing and Edge’s protege Leah Von Dutch’s tryout with WWE. This does give me some hope.
It also appears that with the departure of the Bella Twins, Kharma, Kelly Kelly, and soon, Beth Phoenix, WWE may not be the ultimate career. The Bellas evidently want to do stuff outside of WWE. Kelly Kelly evidently wanted to do stuff outside of WWE. I don’t know Beth’s plans. I know her boyfriend Edge is going to have neck surgery in November as he said in recent interviews, so I am sure she is going to be tending to him for 3 or 4 months.
We are left with, and I am not including the women wrestlers in FCW, Eve, Layla, Alicia Fox, Natalya, Beth Phoenix (til the end of October), Aksana, A.J., and a couple of others. Some division.
Perhaps the Division should disappear for a time and the remaining divas should be valets until some fresh blood comes in. That is what I would do instead of letting the division rot on the vine.
When will WWE ever learn? When will they ever learn?
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on August 30, 2012 at 6:40 pm
This is the third column for Terri Bey on WrestleChat.net. She will be doing a few guest columns over the coming month. Feel free to follow Terri (the biggest Edge fan in the world) on Twitter, @GioPontiFan.
For those who missed this past Monday’s Raw, after being manhandled, and beaten by Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam two weeks ago, WWE, and WWE stars were speculating (manufactured, of course) on the future of the Game, Triple H. After all, not only did HHH lose, he had his arm “re-broken” at the hands of Lesnar at the PPV. Workers were wondering whether he would “retire,” or return to the ring.
The week prior, they had Shawn Michaels, arm in a sling from his “broken” arm due to Lesnar, fueling the retirement fire. On Raw, they showed HHH videos , and such. Finally on Raw, Triple H, arm in a brace, comes out, and the crowd eventually built up to a cheer. In an attempt at a tearful promo, which was very good, HHH pretty much said he was pretty much done. The crowd, even though they eventually chanted “Thank You Hunter,” seemed a bit dead. I think it is because, like me, they are tired of “retirement angles,” which is the subject of this blog.
I am going to start this off with one of the most famous Aesop Fables, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” The story starts with this boy who is bored while watching the flock of sheep on a hill. He decides to have a little fun, so he yells, “WOLF!! WOLF!!” “The wolf is chasing the sheep.” Of course, the people in the village come to help the kid, and the kid laughs saying he was joking. The people were mad, but the boy got a kick out of it. A little while later, the boy pulls the same stunt, and yells, “Wolf. Wolf!” The people in the village come running again, only to discover they have been fooled again. They get mad, and the boy is laughing.
A little while later, a REAL WOLF DOES COME, and the boy is screaming for his life, “WOLF!! WOLF!!” Lo and Behold, no one comes, and the flock of sheep were destroyed. When people wondered why the boy didn’t return the sheep, he told them the wolf did come, and he yelled for help, and no one came. He was told that no one believes a liar, even when he is telling the truth.
The reason I start with this famous fable is because that is how I feel about retirement angles. I mean, they have been done so many times in wrestling that fans like myself have a hard time suspending our belief. I mean, how many “retirement matches” has the great Terry Funk done, only to go right back, and wrestle again? Let’s take this Triple H “retirement.” Let’s get real. Do fans REALLY think he is going to “retire?” I mean, Lesnar “broke” Hunter’s arm twice. Lesnar defeated Hunter on a major PPV. Do fans REALLY think HHH is not going to get his win back? The fans in the stands weren’t buying it. Knowledgeable fans on my twitter page were not buying it. I cried a little, but deep down, I was not even buying it.
Retirement angles are very similar to the story of the “Boy who cried wolf,” because these angles are done so much that when fans see a REAL , LEGIT retirement, they THINK it is an angle. Take Ric Flair’s retirement for instance, I attended WM24. I attended the Hall of Fame Ceremony, and everything. That man got a sendoff fit for a king. I mean, I thought it was for real, but something was bugging me. I had a sick feeling he was going to come back, and wrestle, and he did, for TNA.
HBK’s sendoff was pretty cool. Now, some of the writers for the big sites, like F4WOnline, etc say that if HBK takes a couple of bumps like he did with Lesnar, and at WM28 (I think he took a “ref bump.”), he is not retired. I think that is nitpicking. HBK has said repeatedly that he won’t wrestle a match anymore. He is retired from ring action as far as I am concerned.
The two retirements I mentioned have not been that damaged by the retirement angles’ effect, but one certainly has. It is the retirement of none other than Edge. When he went on Raw on April 11, 2011, and made the sad announcement, there were people who thought at first it was an angle when he started the speech. People expected Alberto Del RIo to run in. However, as it progressed, it was all too real. Edge was done. Over the following months, not only did I have to fight my sadness over the retirement, but I had to deal with fans that , let’s say didn’t quite get it. I mean, if these people could be on my time line on twitter driving me nuts, they could get on WWE.com, and see the article talking about why Edge had to retire. This was the proverbial “real wolf” that showed up. Edge even said in interviews soon after that he go annoyed being asked when he was going to go back to WWE , and wrestle.
In conclusion, retirement angles are just overdone, and outdated. I also think they are very lazy ways of finishing angles. I am sure WWE creative could have done other things to make this Lesnar/HHH feud more interesting. Also, WWE looks like a liar, even when at times, like with Edge, they are telling the truth.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on August 24, 2012 at 7:43 pm
This is the second column for Terri Bey on WrestleChat.net. She will be doing a few guest columns over the coming month. Feel free to follow Terri (the biggest Edge fan in the world) on Twitter, @GioPontiFan.
As most wrestling fans know by now, at Summerslam 2012, Brock Lesnar with his manager Paul Heyman at ringside defeated Triple H with his Kimura lock. In doing so, Lesnar once again “broke” Triple H’s previously “broken” arm, and there is a question as to whether Triple H will step in the ring again. On Monday Night Raw, before mysteriously “quitting” via Tout, Lesnar was deemed “The King of Kings” by Paul Heyman, and Triple H’s storyline, and real life best friend Shawn Michaels (who was supposed to be in Hunter’s corner at the PPV, but had his arm “broken” at the go home Raw) appeared on screen with his arm in a sling, and cut an awesome promo implying that this may be the end for the Game. Of course, there are rumors that Brock and HHH will lock up again in the future, maybe as soon as Survivor Series.
At the end of the Summerslam match, as Triple H said he was sorry, and did that slow walk up the ramp, fans in attendance chanted “You tapped out.” I am sure Hunter, who was playing the baby face role, was not expecting it. I certainly did not expect it either. I know there are a lot of fans who think it is the “in thing” to cheer for the heel, but I just found it odd. I also saw quite a bit of snarky remarks on my twitter time line. People were saying, “It’s about time Triple H put over someone.” “Triple H should retire for good.” “Triple H finally did the right thing.” I saw quite a bit of this smart*** stuff.
Well, my premise of this week’s guest blog for Wrestlechat is that it appears to me that Hunter Hearst Helmsley, The Cerebral Assassin, The Game, HHH, Triple H, whatever you want to call him can not win for losing with fans, be them casual fans who may hear stuff, or the IWC, especially the IWC. From the Madison Square Garden incident, to “burying” people, to his relationship with Stephanie, to his backstage politics, and to his work in the ring. I will say that the man is NOT, I repeat, NOT perfect by any means. However, I never understood why people can’t give him credit for the talent he is without the snarky remarks.
Fans like to say on message boards, Facebook, etc, that the only reason he got 13 World/WWE Titles is because of his relationship (includes dating, and marriage) to Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWE Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon. There are also some who have implied that he doesn’t really love her, and just married her for power. Well, I can not comment on their marriage, because it is not polite, and others should be either. I will say though that Triple H for all the years he has been involved with Stephanie, he has put on excellent matches for the most part. The man is a member of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame which is run by David Meltzer’s F4Wonline.com. People who vote on that HOF are wrestlers, writers, and promoters, and such. Yes, people in the business think the man is worthy. I mean, I hardly think the man’s talent, and desire disappeared when he married Stephanie. Has he slowed down due to age and injuries? Yes, of course he has, but he still is an amazing performer in the ring. He has a great mind for the business, and I think he is going to do well as an executive.
Now, I am going to discuss Triple H, the politician. Is he a politician? YES. I do not doubt it. Here is a little secret though: Just about ALL of the top guys in the business, or guys who have been top guys are politicians to one degree or another. Fans act like Triple H invented “playing politics,” or something. Has he refused jobs, and such. Sure he has. However, I don’t remember him walking out of the company like the “Texas Rattlesnake” did when said Rattlesnake didn’t want to job to Lesnar in 2002. Fans to this day, still love the Hulkster, who is, in my opinion trashing his legacy in TNA. Well, if people want to talk about wrestling politician, Mr. “Take your vitamins, and say your prayers” is the definition of wrestling politicians. I could go on and on. Besides, ultimately Vince McMahon calls the shots. What is very annoying is that fans blame Triple H for just about EVERYTHING in WWE. If their favorite is not getting pushed, it has to be Triple H’s doing. If someone they like jobs a lot, it has to be because of Triple H. If someone gets a push, it has to be because they are “Triple H’s” friend.
Now, I do not doubt that Triple H had power when he was a wrestler, and as a top guy. I do not doubt he has power now as an executive. However, what I am not buying is that he has all the power that fans think he has. Again, Vince is the Chairman of WWE. Nothing appears in that ring, or in a backstage skit without the approval of Vince. Even NFL executives don’t have the power that the OWNER has. Has Triple H helped his friends? Sure. Hulk Hogan would not put over Bret Hart on the way out in 1993, but he put over his FRIEND Yokozuma. Hogan would always work with his friends. However, in the eyes of fans, it is OK because it is Hogan. I am also pretty sure that Undertaker has refused to do jobs, and played a little politics John Cena I am sure has refused to job also. However, it is OK, because they are not Triple H. I mean, how did Kofi Kingston lose his push, and has become now another promising talent is in tag team limbo? Oh , I forgot. Triple H didn’t do this. It was Randy Orton, another “saint,” in the eyes of fans. Professional wrestling has existed since the late 1880′s. I am sure there were politics played back then, and throughout history. HHH was not the first to play politics, and won’t be the last.
The last item I will discuss is the idea that HHH does not put over anyone. Well, this is another subject that annoys me. Didn’t Hunter just put over Brock Lesnar at Summerslam this year? It appeared to me that he did. Lesnar was seen as an unstoppable monster in this match, especially when he counted HHH’s Pedigree, and got Hunter’s arm in the Kimura, and Hunter tapped out quickly. I mean, HHH didn’t show up on Raw the next night, and let Lesnar have his day in the sun, so to speak. At Wrestlemania 20, he put over Chris Benoitt when he tapped out to that person’s finish, and at Wrestlemania 21, he put over Batista. Actually, he put over Batista twice. He put him over at Mania, and also at Vengeance 2005. Yeah, Batista is friends with Hunter. This isn’t new in wrestling. Triple H also stayed out of the title picture for awhile as John Cena was developing into a top guy, with his runs with the title. HHH, with his friend Shawn Michaels were in the spotlight as DX, but they had a good feud with Rated RKO (Orton and Edge).
In conclusion, it just seems to me that no matter what Triple H does, fans will just complain. I don’t think fans (myself guilty as well) are ever completely happy with the product, so they complain about this, and that. However, it seems to me that if Hunter Hearst Helmsley is the whipping boy for everything that is wrong in WWE, even if he does something good. I remember people complaining about the rematch with Taker at WM28. The match was going to be fantastic, which, in my opinion it was. I was there live, and it was just awesome. I could not understand why people would not want to see the rematch. The original match was also excellent, but the rematch was even better. I guess people were thinking Triple H was on an ego trip, and wanted to end Taker’s streak. Well, anyone with a brain knows that the streak was not going to be ended, and likely never will. I am just tired of the whining and complaining about Hunter’s power, and such. He just can’t win for losing. It is darned if he does, and darned if he doesn’t.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on August 16, 2012 at 6:45 pm
This is the first column for Terri Bey on WrestleChat.net. She will be doing a few guest columns over the coming month. Feel free to follow Terri (the biggest Edge fan in the world) on Twitter, @GioPontiFan.
I would like to start off by introducing myself. My name is Terri Bey. I am a devoted reader of WrestleChat.net, and Brett, and the crew do a great job reporting wresting news, and proving fans podcasts with stars of the industry. I am a blogger for Camelclutchblog.com, and I have been a devoted pro wrestling fan for 15 years through watching WWE, and WCW, and through tapes. I am a huge fan of Randy Savage, the British Bulldogs,Ric Flair, HBK, HHH, and especially the now retired, Rated R Superstar, Edge. I also have written guest pieces for F4Wonline.com on occasion. I am doing a few guest blogs here , so I hope you enjoy them.
My first topic is the recent controversy over former WWE wrestler, James Harris, also known as Kamala. As most wrestling fans who have been following the story, Harris made a video accusing two promoters of not sending him money to him to help him with medical bills. One particular one, Wrestler’s Rescue which is run by former WWE/ECW Diva Dawn Marie , which has come under fire before, really got into it with Kamala through videos, etc. This is just a generalized depiction as Wrestlechat.net has a great recap on several stories on their site.
The story is very bizarre, and sad, but I think some good can come out of the whole situation, but there has to be some cooperation. What I am going to talk about is a pretty hot button issue amongst the wrestling industry, including fans. I know I am not the only one who will be writing about this because I have seen blogs/articles about this issue on F4WOnline, PWInsider, etc. What I think the whole industry could be looking at is better care of wrestlers after their careers are over, and even giving them time off while they are wrestling. I don’t care if they are wrestling for Independents, Ring of Honor, TNA, or WWE.
The men, and women who go out there in the ring for our entertainment (the majority of them) pay their own transportation, food, etc. They drive hundreds of miles to get where they are going, and then have to get in a ring, and take painful bumps, and then do it all again. Edge said in one of his interviews, that he didn’t miss much at all, with the exception of being in front of the fans. He said that he didn’t miss the traveling, especially. These wrestlers need time off during their careers. Their bodies take a lot of pounding, and then have to do all that traveling, and such. The human body just can not take that kind of pounding, on 3 days rest, using WWE as an example. I am not even including personal appearance.
Wrestling companies, and I know it would hard for the smaller ones, but they should give their wrestlers time off to heal up small injuries, spend time with their families, or even go on vacation. Racing thoroughbred trainers, and owners even give their horses time off to recover from minor nicks, or if they’re not training well, or just a break from a hard campaign. I think pro wrestlers should be given the same. It should up to the company how much time off, but I think 6 weeks off is a good idea. Taking WWE as an example, it would be a good idea. It would help storylines, and different people would get pushed. The six weeks do NOT have to be all at once either. After someone has finished their title reign, they could take off whatever, etc. The time off, may even extend careers. I mean, do fans want to see their stars miss 6 weeks, or 6 months?
Like Kamala, wrestlers have suffered horrible injuries. I think another good idea is to have some sort of retirement fund set up by all the promoters. I think this is paramount. Of course, a good idea would be if the talent got into a class of some sort to learn how to manage their money while they are working, but my point is that no way should someone like Kamala have to beg for money to help him in his condition after all those years in the ring. There has to be some way to take care of them such as have the fund pay for their surgeries, and such. Edge may still have to undergo that neck surgery, and I hope WWE will pay for it. Edge has the money, but the injury still happened under WWE’s watch while he was wrestling for them. I just think promoters need to chip in for a retirement plan.
In closing, I think these men and women such as Kamala, even though they knew what they signed up for, are humans, not animals where promoters can just use them till they are worn out, and discarded. Wrestlers need their time off, and need to do “regular” stuff like “normal” people do. In fact, they are “normal” people that are given a God given talent. I love watching the wrestlers, but I just feel that they are giving so much of their lives, maybe too much just to entertain me.
I hope the Kamala controversy will be a wake up call.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on August 12, 2012 at 8:09 pm
The following was sent to us by our good friend Ray from WrestlingRambles.com. Tony Kegger, a contributor for the site, attended the Chicago Wizard World Comic-Con. At the event, CM Punk took part in a public Q&A session where he answered tons of current hot button issues. Tony took some great notes and put together the following highlights. Some of these are extremely interesting.
CM Punk said his match against Daniel Bryan at Over The Limit was probably his favorite match of 2012.
Someone asked Punk what he thought about facing Bryan in a submission match and Punk said he would love for that to happen.
On the Kevin Nash controversy about smaller wrestlers winning the title: Punk said that it is Nash’s opinion and you can’t hate someone’s opinion just because you don’t agree with it.
On JTG’s twitter rant: CM Punk said if JTG had a problem with something, he should have talked to Vince McMahon or someone backstage instead of ranting about it on Twitter. Punk said that although his original pipebomb promo was a public rant just like JTG, everything Punk said during the promo were the same things he had been saying to Vince for months.
Someone asked Punk if he still feels the same way about the things he said in his original pipebomb promo a year ago and Punk said it’s different now because he is a lot less pissed off than he was back then.
Punk was asked if he would rather face The Rock or John Cena at WrestleMania, and Punk said he wants to face The Rock so he could try to have a better match with Rock than Cena did and then be able to tell Cena that Punk’s match was better. Punk made it sound like Rock and Cena are the top two possible opponents for WrestleMania next year.
CM Punk said it’s unlikely he will face Stone Cold anytime soon because Stone Cold just had knee surgery. Punk said the match will only happen if Stone Cold wants it to happen.
CM Punk talked about how Eddie Guerrero offered to help CM Punk and Punk would talk to Eddie many times.
CM Punk revealed that his new DVD will be shown to the public at a theater in Chicago two days before it is released. Punk said that one of the extras on the DVD is Kofi Kingston and him playing a Street Fighter video game and Punk said it’s funny.
CM Punk said he doesn’t really know if Colt Cabana wants to be in the WWE because when they talk to each other, they don’t talk about wrestling.
CM Punk said that he was originally going to get the lead role in The Marine 3. He would have worked on WWE TV shows and have been off house shows, but the shooting schedule conflicted with the WWE European tour. Punk said that the role went to someone in the WWE that fans wouldn’t care so much if he was gone for a little bit. Punk was referring to The Miz.
Punk was asked if he could work with anyone, who would it be and Punk said Samoa Joe. Punk was also asked which wrestler from an independent company he would like to see in the WWE. Punk said Samoa Joe again. The fan said that Samoa Joe works for TNA and Punk said something like, “I know. You said indy didn’t you?”
Someone asked when we would see Punk perform the Pepsi Plunge again and Punk said that it isn’t used because he doesn’t think he needs to use it. Punk said the move isn’t banned and no one has told him he can’t use that move.
The Overexcited Brock Lesnar Fan was in line to ask a question and before his question, Punk invited him to the stage. Punk said something like, “Does anyone know who this is? It’s the Brock Lesnar Guy!” Punk talked about that the guy is shown in every Lesnar video package because of when he copied Lesnar’s entrance thing when Lesnar returned on RAW in April. Punk made the fan do the same thing he did on RAW. I think Punk said that the guys in the back enjoy seeing it whenever it is replayed.
CM Punk talked about retiring from wrestling. He said that he will be 34 in a few months and that is too old to be able to perform at a high level in professional wrestling. Punk said he won’t be another HHH or Undertaker. Those two guys are currently older than 40 and still performing in the ring. Punk said when he does retire, he will leave the wrestling business for at least two years. I think he said if he does return to wrestling, he won’t make a return to the ring. His retirement will not be like a Terry Funk retirement. Punk said he feels good now and he wants to stay healthy after he is retired. Punk said he has had one surgery and he never wants another surgery ever again. Punk said that he doesn’t want to say when he might retire because the answer would “depress the hell” out of everyone.
CM Punk said he is running out of goals to accomplish and wants to retire soon because he has never had a break. I think Punk said that other than a two month break after he fractured his skull, he has never taken a break since 1997. Punk mentioned that he was supposed to get a break after Money in the Bank 2011, but that didn’t happen.
CM Punk said “CM” means whatever fans want it to mean.
CM Punk was asked what was his biggest challenge becoming a WWE Superstar. Punk said, “I think the challenge was becoming a WWE Superstar and there was just so much that was challenging about it. I don’t really know what the hardest thing was.”
CM Punk talked about a new design for the WWE Championship title. I think he said it’s coming soon and it will be something he helped create. He teased that it could happen at SummerSlam or maybe at the next Pay-Per-View after SummerSlam which is in Boston, John Cena’s hometown.
CM Punk said Tout and Twitter are the future of the WWE so get used to it. Punk said he thinks it is good for the WWE, but he doesn’t want to see Tout on RAW every ten minutes.
CM Punk said WrestleMania is going to cities that give WWE the most money and he compared the process to cities bidding for the Olympics.
CM Punk said he doesn’t like getting hit with weapons, especially Kendo Sticks. Punk said Kendo Sticks are very painful and told the fans not to hit people with Kendo Sticks.
Punk was asked what is his favorite fighting video game and he said he likes Mortal Kombat.
Slapshot is Punk’s favorite movie.
CM Punk was asked about the possibility of a CM Punk comic book and Punk said he doesn’t want to see it. Punk did say that he might be currently working on creating a comic book.
Punk was asked about his favorite Batman villain and he said it is probably The Joker. Punk was also asked about which fictional character he would like to wrestle and Punk said he would fight Catwoman.
The problem with professional wrestling is the fact WWE are a monopoly. Let’s face it, the only promotion in the world close to WWE is TNA, and they’re light-years away from being on WWE’s level. There is no competition, which is the real problem. WWE can use this as good or for evil. Why? Well who is going to stop them? Nobody.
WWE can take advantage of wrestling fans and more importantly; wrestlers. Look at AW being released as an example. He made one lousy joke about Kobe Bryant and he gets released, yet Vince McMahon can publicly mock JR on LIVE television. Who can do something about this? Nobody.
Pro Wrestling is not like a sport. It is a business. Sure wrestlers are athletes in their own respect, but all in all it is a business. WWE own all the big ‘players’, the greater amount of them.
WWE own everything. They own copyrights to every memorable moment in the history of the business. These memories can’t be seeing on TV without WWE getting compensated for it, unless it’s on WWE TV.
The WWE Network will eventually be available, and it will feature wrestling clips from the 60′s to now. Why? Because they OWN them. It’s all copyrighted to WWE. No other show can feature this. So basically, WWE owns wrestling’s history, present and future.
WWE are a global phenomenon, just like they say on their shows; and they’re 100% correct. Why? Because of us. The fans. We complain about it often enough, yet we still watch it. Why? Because we’re hooked and there isn’t many alternatives to watch wrestling.
WWE is a ‘castle’ with an unstoppable amount of protection. Nobody can touch them. It will stand the test of time, just like Coca Cola will.
But WHY are WWE a monopoly? Because of Vince McMahon and his business sense. He’s very smart. He could be a lot richer if he had better business people surrounding him IMO. Vince bought his competition and nobody could do anything about it. Which is very sickening.
These men in tights are business men. No matter what way you look at it. Take Rey Mysterio – Their Mexican hero, they now have a huge market in Mexico. John Cena – Their young audiences’ superman. Before him; Hulk Hogan. The Great Khali – The Indian superman. Santino Marella – The Milan miracle, which is exactly what he is. Hornswoggle – Do I need to explain?? Then there is guys like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton who make the shows interesting. Then guys like Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Undertaker who are star power and you will buy PPV’s because of their star power. They are larger than life characters.
Because of all this, it leads to the disadvantages to us, the fans.
WWE are being less innovative, creative etc.. why? Because they own the business. There is nobody there to force them to be better.
Inefficiency. Because WWE own the business, they can afford to be inefficient. How? By raising the price up of their tickets, travel packages etc.. Nobody is forcing them to drop the prices. Because there is NO COMPETITION.
We wrestling fans really haven’t got a choice, do we? That’s the fucking problem.
The only wrestling show I can get without hassle in my living room is WWE. I can get TNA but 3 days after it airs in the US. It’s hard to watch Indy promotions online without paying for them. Which I don’t blame. I know you can get free stuff but I just like to watch wrestling on my full HD television. It’s comfort and it doesn’t ware out your eyes.
And do you want to know why WWE doesn’t advertise on TV as much anymore? BECAUSE THEY DON’T FUCKING HAVE TO. But WWE are using this to their disadvantage. What they should be doing with their savings is giving us lower PPV prices, but do they? NOPE. They use it as their advantage because they can. They own the business. There is nobody there to force prices down.
And guys, that is the truth.
That’s all I have to say. If you got thoughts, let me know. Thanks for reading.
Check out my website for more ramblings - http://wrestlingrambles.com/ and continue to visit WrestleChat for non stop updates in the world of wrestling.
1Posted by Brett Clendaniel on August 2, 2012 at 7:28 pm
We all have the fantasy booker in us. We sit down and watch our favorite shows and wonder why a certain guy isn’t getting a bigger push or why a certain guy keeps getting pushed. We all wish we could put certain people together and form a great tag team that could help revitalize the tag team divisions in wrestling. And all of us have tried to think of what our favorite super group would be and who would be in it. Recently, Kevin Nash went on Twitter to plead with fans to start bringing out their old NWO shirts and signs and let WWE know that we want the NWO back. At first, this may sound like the desperate pleas of a man with no place to go in the wrestling business. A man who is hoping to cash in one more time before calling it a career. But Nash didn’t say he wanted to be in control of the group. He wants C.M. Punk to be in charge of the group and take it into the future. This brings up some interesting queries. Do we want the NWO to return and who would fit into this group going into the next 5 years.
The NWO help change wrestling into what it is today. There were supergroups before and since but none have helped carry wrestling into what it is now more than the NWO. They made it cool to be the villain. The highly coveted 18-34 demographic loved them and bought all their merchandise. In many ways, the NWO brought a sense of reality to wrestling that had not been seen before. We were used to te corny gimmicks and the face always rising to conquer but the NWO wasn’t really beaten by WCW. The group crumbled because of their own infighting and jealousy. The NWO struck at the right time. The same reason Stone Cold Steve Austin climbed to unprecedented heights was the same reason the NWO succeeded. They all capitalized on a time when the American population was angry and wanted to see change in the world. We are in a similar climate now, so maybe it is time to get the brand back out there.
I think it is a forgone conclusion that with a return of the NWO that C.M. Punk should be the leader. The reason that the original NWO group was so successful and that the other incarnations failed was because of who they had fronting the group. For all his detractors out there, Hulk Hogan can still garner attention. For so many fans, he is the reason we all began to watch wrestling. When the later groups formed, they didn’t have that focal point drawing attention to that group. The guys like Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner just don’t have the charisma or the gravitas that a Hulk Hogan has. That’s why they could never recapture the spark that the original had. With C.M. Punk, you have the guy that can be the focal point again and has the ability to ge everyone to take notice of the group. Even though his run with Nexus was lackluster, Punk’s run with the Straight Edge Society showed he could be the frontman even with a group of slightly marginal talent backing him up. Just imagine if WWE actually gave him free reign to promo when he wanted to or interrupt when he wanted to much like the NWO did back in the mid to late 90′s.
So, if Punk is in charge, then who joins in the group. Do we go with the obvious choices or do we go ahead and think outside the box? Here are a few choices on my short list:
#1- Big Show– The last active competitor in the WWE who was actually in the NWO. He was the first person to join after the original 3. He would give NWO2K12 a legitimate big man who basically allows the group to overpower just about anyone in the company. Plus we all know he is better as a heel than as a face. Having him back up Punk’s comments is reminiscent of when Shawn Michaels had Diesel backing him up.
#2- The Miz- I know, I know, really…….really…….really. Yes, I am still a fan of the Miz. I think he’s good on the mic and not nearly as bland in the ring as some people claim him to be. Pairing him with Punk would allow Miz to take on more of Punk’s verbal skills. We have already seen him do it before after being paired with Jericho briefly. Miz is one of those guys who may never be the number 1 guy in the company again but can always be a solid number 2. (No poop jokes guys and gals).
#3 Cody Rhodes– Rhodes’s Dad, Dusty< was briefly a part of the NWO. Cody hasn’t mastered the verbal skills needed to become a main eventer yet but he definitely has the look and the in-ring skills to shine. Cody could take up the Scott Steiner mantra of being the overly cocky good looking guy in the group. It also sets up Cody to be the one guy in the group to eventually turn on the NWO and become a top face in the company.
#4 and 5 Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. Now this may be a bit outside the box, but last year we saw how incredible R-Truth can be playing the crazy heel character. He is a tremendous talent and has the ability to become the Randy Savage of the group. R-Truth as the loose cannon who does what he wants, much to the chagrin of the leaders, would make for great TV. Kofi is the one who many of you may be questioning. Kofi is one of those talents we have seen that we want to elevate to that main event level and has never gotten the shot. But what many of you may not know is that when Kofi was in FCW and other indies, he was a tremendous heel. He can play the angry foreigner well and also just light someone up verbally when given the chance. If Cody doesn’t become the guy to break away from the group and become a star, then Kofi could become that person.
#6 Daniel Bryan– Any group with Punk and Bryan would be destined for greatness. The matches these two could put on against the top face stars in the WWE would be incredible. Bryan could either be the enforcer of the group, using his submission skills to take out the top guys or he could go over the top and be the Scott Hall of the group asking the crowd if they came to see WWE? (Chants of No No No) or did the come to see the NWO (Chants of Yes Yes Yes.)
#7 Eve– Now for the better part of 2 years I bashed Eve for being very vanilla and plain. She seemed like the kind of random character the computer would give you as a default create-a-wrestler in a WWE video game. But since she turned on Zack Ryder, her character has grown by leaps and bounds. She has shown that evil, maniacal side that would fit the group perfectly and a battle between her and AJ Lee would allow a stagnant diva division to grow.
Now you may be wondering why I left off a few names. Ill point out just a couple names and tell you why. Alberto Del Rio as a heel has grown stagnant again. In a battle against the NWo, Del Rio turning face could really give his character another shot in the arm and a chance to resurrect a character many have grown tired of. The other obvious name is Dolph Ziggler. I think in this battle, Dolph becomes the DDP of the group. A sought after wrestler who stays neutral for a while before turning on the NWO and siding with the other stars of the WWE. This giving him the chance to showcase his athleticism and his verbal skills and allowing the fans to actually sheer for him for a change, something they havent done since he entered the WWE back in 2006. There are many other people that could fill out this roster depending on how big you want the NWO2K12 to be. We could have a Raw side and a Smackdown side being kept separate for the most part with occasional cross over appearances for big moments. I would love to hear your feedback and comments about who you would like to see in NWO 2K12 or even if the brand should return.
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Until Next Time, It’s Been Obvious Captain Obvious Trey Dent
WWE Raw this past Monday was a great show overall. They have good things going for them and they have us captivated by us wanting to know ‘what happens next?!’. They have finally given the ball to CM Punk and he seems to be running with it quite well thus far. The AJ Lee and Daniel Bryan storyline is also a storyline we can look forward to each week. WWE are using their third hour well, but it could be better. Here are four problems with it that I would like to address.
Lack of Wrestling
For a 3 hour wrestling show there were just 56 minutes of wrestling this week on Raw. Now that is not enough. With the extra hour I think WWE should have at least 90 minutes of wrestling. This has got to be most important part of the show and it doesn’t feel like wrestling matters at all with WWE anymore. WWE would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for quality wrestling matches, so they really should feature more or longer matches. The matches they had this week were good and I was really in to them but felt they ended too sudden. They should give us at least two fifteen minute matches and two ten minute matches then work around the rest.
48 minutes of Commercials
This bothers and it doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t bother me as 80% of the time I watch Raw is through my DVR so all I have to do is skip the commercials. It bothers me as it’s practically one third of Raw. It’s sad, one third of a 3 hour ‘sports’ show is dedicated to commercials. I do not know what way commercials work across seas but I know in the UK when a LIVE sport is on it takes up only around one fifth of the show. This has got to stop, it must really piss off paying fans in the arena to wait around that long when nothing is happening. Now I know WWE wouldn’t be on the air if it wasn’t for commercials but if they had less, maybe more people would watch it LIVE.
Recall Promos
There is too many recall promos, or recap promos. I’m going to call them recall promos. Sounds better IMO. Two Brock/HHH recall promos aired twice last Monday, each being about 4-5 minutes long. Is that necessary? I know WWE want to make sure we are hyped up for it and all that but come on, no need to shove in down our throats. All I can say is; thank God for Sky+ (DVR).
Diva’s division
Quite frankly, I don’t really care for it at all at the moment. I’m not a smark or anything but ever since Trish left WWE, the whole division began to get less and less interesting to me. Trish was a huge void that was never filled with the Diva’s division. They had Mickie James, Gael Kim, Kharma but WWE really dropped the ball with them. They now have Beth, Natalya and more who are good but refuse to use them. But my biggest problem is I have no desire to watch them and that’s probably because I don’t know who their characters are. To me, they’re just a bunch or barbie dolls. I know they are more than that but I am not connected with them. All WWE Diva’s are the same, there is nothing different from one to another. AJ lee and Eve are an exception because they’re in storylines with the likes of Cena and Punk which automatically makes them interesting.
I just want you all to know I’m not annoyed or disappointed with Raw this week, I just think WWE need to apply some changes so the extra hour doesn’t get stale or unbearable in the near future. I think you all can agree with me on that.
I cannot say more about the third hour of Raw as it’s really only been one show with the regulars. However I can comment on what I loved about this weeks Raw. The AJ/Bryan storyline has really caught my interest and I look forward to seeing what will happen next week. Bringing Kane in was interesting and perhaps he’ll fight Bryan at SummerSlam on behalf of Sheen with Sheen in his corner? Who knows, we’ll have to find out in the upcoming weeks. CM Punk/Cena/Show all featured well and I’m glad Show is involved with the WWE title at SummerSlam, the chances of Punk retaining are greater as it’s not only Cena that has to lose. I love the way WWE are slowly turning Punk heel, or are they? That’s the question on everyone’s mind and we can ramble all we want about it, but we will not find out unless we tune in to Raw every week. There is a new buzz about Raw which I really like.
That’s all she wrote for this column so please let me know your thoughts! Also follow me on twitter @RayTheRamblerand check out my website for more rambles - http://wrestlingrambles.com/. Keep checking back right here on WC for non-stop updates on all news around the wrestling world!
I’m going to get straight down to. I’m just going to ramble on what I want to see happen at the historic thousandth episode of Monday Night Raw. Let’s get right to it!
Stephanie McMahon to be announced GM
We have known for quite some time now that the WWE will announce a permanent General Manager at their historic 1000th show of Monday Night Raw. For the past number of weeks, WWE have assigned GM’s such as Vickie Guerrero, Teddy Long and Mick Foley all in contention to be permanent GM. However, I do not expect any of those to be announced as the new GM. Why? Well Raw 1000th is going to be an epic show, it almost has a WrestleMania fell-like to it. The WWE will want EVERY segment to draw ratings and they want big stars involved in every segment. Therefore, I expect the new GM to be unexpected and someone who will get a huge pop. Someone like… Stephanie McMahon. Think of that from our point of view, Justin Roberts or Vince McMahon (whoever will announce the GM) will announce… ”and the new permanent General Manager of Monday Night Raw”…then this song plays…
Wouldn’t that be epic?
Two ex-legends I want to see most Stone Cold Steve Austin. If WWE had to pick just one legend to appear on Raw 1000th, it would undoubtedly be Stone Cold. I really do not need to write a long paragraph explaining why. Who knows, he could be the GM either!
Batista. Now I know if he came back it wouldn’t be a full time deal. But he could come out and cut a five minute program and set the roots for a feud to come even if it’s a few months time, it’s still something to keep us watching Raw. It’s something for us to look forward to. It would bring back that ”Anything Can Happen on MNR” feeling. Batista was an awesome heel before he left in 2010. I would love to see him at least appear at Raw 1000th.
What I want The Rock to announce
I know The Rock has plenty of movie projects going on throughout the summer and mostly through fall. I know that the Rock will very unlikely be wrestling this summer as he cannot get hurt, not even take that risk. I doubt he’ll be apart of SummerSlam, WWE have enough starpower with Lesnar and Cena for SummerSlam anyway. Therefore, his announcement has gotta be something to do with 2013 and I have a strong feeling he’ll announce he will be apart of the 2013 Royal Rumble. He could win it, lose it and feud with the person that eliminates him. There is so much that can come from him being in the Rumble, when he enters it, all the attention will be on him anyway. So much can come from him being in the Rumble!
Interruption Between DB and AJ wedding
These two aren’t going to come out and just get married. Someone will interrupt. But I ask, why only ONE person? You could have multiple people come out and make a really entertaining segment! You could have some say Bryan doesn’t deserve AJ and have someone like Eve say AJ doesn’t deserve Bryan. It would be a great way to feature multiple talent in a jam packed show. A feud can easily evolve from this as well. Whether it’s people from The Miz or Dean Ambrose, something new, this really has potential to be awesome! Oh, Billy and Chuck should come out too! haha.
Punk/Cena match Ah, the part of the show I am most looking forward to. WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Cena. This is going to be an epic match. Will John Cena become the new WWE champion? NO. I am 100% sure CM Punk will win. I also said The Rock would beat John Cena at WrestleMania 28 when 95% of people said Cena would win. Why would Cena lose? Firstly, everyone is expecting him to win. Secondly, it will more than likely be the very last match on the show, not everyone will be Cena fans, therefore will attract boos if Cena won. The last thing WWE will want is to end 1000 shows for the champion to get booed and not even be a heel. If Punk wins, EVERYONE will cheer. With the talent WWE have booked, I suspect the location it’s at will be a loud crowd and a lot very anti-Cena, with the crowd being mature. I don’t think Punk will win cleanly, though. I suspect someone will get involved whether it will be Orton as I’ve stated earlier or even The Rock. Not to cause confusion, what I said about The Rock earlier is what I want him to do at Raw 1000th, but now I’m just writing out possibilities for this match. That sets up a match for The Rock vs CM Punk for the WWE title, or vice versa as he interfered in the match. Hell, even the Undertaker could get involved. Have a feud or match at SummerSlam with either Punk or Cena. With any of these wrestler’s interfering, the match outcome could end with Cena winning, Punk winning or best of all just DQ and Punk still retains the title. WWE are pushing for longer title reigns. There is so much more WWE can do with Punk as WWE champion, I don’t see why the title should be taken away him now. And lastly and most importantly, it is a unique opportunity to embrace Punk as a ”big star”. I’m telling you guys, CM Punk is the one can gain from this, Cena has NOTHING to gain out of this. The winner — CM Punk. 100% sure.
Please let me know what YOU think. You’re a wrestling fan, we’re wrestling fans, you love wrestling….we love wrestling so let’s share this wonderful same interest in fashion by having good old rambles down in that discussion box! And follow me on twitter @RayTheRambler and follow @WrestleChatNet on twitter too! You can contact me via email RayTheRambler@Gmail.com. Check out my website which is a proud affiliate of WC… http://wrestlingrambles.com/ Thanks!
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on July 5, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Raw 7-2
Episode #997
I hope everybody had a safe and happy 4th of July.
Teddy Long is tonight’s Raw GM.
John Cena enters the ring, followed by Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and then Chris Jericho. Jericho rips on Bryan saying he has no catch phrases and runs through his. Out comes Kane and then Show. Donniebrook breaks out and Show stands tall.
Match #1: 8 Man tag Team Match
Prime Time Players, Cody Rhodes, and David Otunga vs. Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Christian, and Santino Marello
There was just something about an 8 man tag match that excited me. Good back and forth match. PTP bail out on the match, followed by Cody Rhodes which brings out Brodus Clay. Santino hits Otunga with The Cobra following Clay’s distraction. All the faces dance with some kids.
Match #2: Alberto DelRio vs. Sin Cara
Alberto destroys Cara before the match starts.
Paul Heyman live via satellite.
Paul announces Brock will answer Triple H’s challenge for SummerSlam at the 1,000th episode of Raw in 3 weeks.
Match #3: Sheamus & AJ vs. Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero
AJ pins Vickie with the Shining Wizard. I liked that Guerrero took the fall here as it still keeps Dolph strong. He should be challenging for the championship.
Match #4: Heath Slater vs. Doink The Clown
Slater pins the clown and gets one over on the legends and then *BANG* out comes Diamond Dallas Page. Page hits Slater with the Diamond Cutter. I’m actually really enjoying these segments and am wondering who will be in the spot next week.
Match #5: Big Show vs. Kane in a No DQ match
Show chokeslams Kane on a chair for the win. Does this make Kane a face or will he be a heel next week?
Match #6: Tyson Kidd vs. Tensai
Kidd rolls up Tensai for the victory. I have to be honest, the result of this match actually shocked me. I think Kidd is grossly underused. Unfortunately, the win doesn’t mean anything as he hasn’t been on Raw in forever and was laid out five minutes later.
Match #7: John Cena & CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan & Chris Jericho
Good match and then AJ comes down the ramp. She kisses Punk and shoves him off the turnbuckle into Bryan and that’s the end of the match. I know AJ is apparently being pushed to the moon, but I’m just not really a fan. I’d rather watch these four guys “just wrestle”.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on July 2, 2012 at 6:00 am
I was at the Ring of Honor show at the Rostraver Ice Garden on June 30th, unlike Mark Madden. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, Madden, who wasn’t there, enraged fans of ROH, the day after by writing a blog and tweeting his thoughts on ROH. Not only did he enrage fans, he got the attention of Mike Mondo, who appeared on the show in Pittsburgh. Also Jim Cornette tweeted that if anyone asked him about Madden, they would be blocked, while adding his endearing thoughts of Madden. For those of you asking who Mark Madden is, he’s a Pittsburgh disc jockey who once worked in wrestling, and a man who rubs a few people the wrong way, most of the time. He also does the service of retweeting porn stars and stripper nude pic tweets so you don’t have to explain to your wife or girlfriend why you’re following pornstars and strippers.
Madden put over the work of ROH talent and the concept of the product. But said that ROH will go out of business in the future and Cornette’s future in the business wouldn’t be bright if it happened. Madden is not reporting facts from sources, he is just reading the writing on the wall. He can read that writing because he’s seen it before on a grand scale with the death of WCW. He wasn’t in the Ice Garden to see the actual crowd or those “finally died out fans” of Bruno’s. Oh yeah, I’m not dead, Mark, not yet anyway. I was there. I saw it all. I saw the fan jump the rail to get Charlie Haas. I saw the “bush league” indoor football players and their segment with Truth Martini, who “makes Johnny Fairplay look like Freddie Blassie”. I saw the Main Event with “the champion that looks like a fan that won a contest”, Kevin Steen. But Madden did back down a bit and added that Steen did look different from the other talent that all looked the same. I was in that building, Mark.
And you know what, I agree with Mark Madden. And you know what else, I actually like him.
Ok, now that my heel turn is complete, allow me to tell my side. I have not worked in the wrestling business, like Madden, who wasn’t there, I am a 30 year fan, who was there and considers Bruno Sammartino a god. The Bruno thing I want to disagree with Mark, but unfortunately I can’t. The kid next to me could’ve cared less when Bruno’s ceremony took place, even though all the talent, including Maria, was at ringside. The guy behind me made the comment, if I need Bruno’s autograph, I’ll just go to Primanti’s. Dick.
I finally knew I would be able to make this show the day before it happened. I went on ROH’s website to get a ticket, but the page was removed. I thought, the show is sold out. How awesome is that? I was proud. This area has a good fan base. WWE always sells out. People you don’t think watch wrestling, watch wrestling, admit it or not. So I was happy for ROH.
The day of the show, I called the Ice Garden to see if the show was sold out. When I asked that question to the guy on the phone, he laughed and said, you’ll have no problem getting a ticket. I was happy I could get in, but wasn’t enthused that the mention of a sellout got laughter.
Not only did I get a ticket, I got 2nd row ringside. I was happy. But, scoring that seat the day of the show, at the door, didn’t seem right. Half the arena was taped off for no seating with only four to five rows on each side of the ring. At belltime, most of the seats were filled, except the ones behind me. Aside for a handful of people and a funny drunk chick, the rows behind me were completely empty. Again, I’m in the second row. I don’t know the official attendance, but 500 seems more than fair.
As for the action, it was ROH action. I was expecting house show stuff with nothing much standing out. Aside from a few flaws, this house show action exceeded my expectations. Only one “You Fucked Up!” chant, and it wasn’t really needed. It never really is needed, by the way. Bottom line, both my hands smacked the top of my head at the same time on a few different occasions during the night’s matches. That’s a good thing from me. Here’s where I have a problem though, the guys that stood out, weren’t ROH guys. ROH guys did have similar looks, good matches, but it’s what you expect. The fans gave reaction to Jay Lethal, Rhino, and of course, Charlie Haas. Mike Bennett was my Heel MVP, until Haas came out.
Heres my eyewitness account of the fan coming after Charlie. Charlie came out first and went to the opposite side and began staring down fans and talking trash. He got to the side opposite the entranceway which was just around the corner, 10 seats from me. There a fan got in his face and had a heated exchange. The fan seemed to be a smart fan, not some drunk who got caught up in the moment. The fan was wearing a Kevin Steen shirt. Charlie moved on and I was looking down to tweet about it when I heard a loud Whoa! from several people. I look up to see Charlie jawing with the tattooed Colt Cabana looking kid in front of me just as the previous fan jumped the rail and was coming at Charlie. One security guy intervened and Charlie turned around. He didn’t back down. Charlie actually got nose to nose and backed the fan to the rail. The fan was ushered back over the rail and Charlie entered the ring. Charlie actually went back to the floor to be distracted by the fan so Rhett Titus could attack from behind. Much to my surprise, the fan was not ejected and Charlie continued to focus on him throughout the match. Not only did the fan not get thrown out, Kevin Kelly declared him his hero. Kelly also didn’t break kayfabe when a fan asked what was up with Charlie. Kelly answered, he and I used to be very tight, now I don’t know anymore. Needless to say, Charlie Haas was my Heel MVP of the night. But, he’s not an ROH guy.
One thing that did stand out to me about the in ring work of the young ROH guys is, they were very curious as to who was banging the signs on the guardrails, starting chants, and booing them. They would take a second from their offense to seek out who was making noise. I thought it was a bad thing, until a kid lost it when he made eye contact with, I believe, Adam Cole. That kid will come back.
Back to why I agree with Madden. On the ride home, I thought about it. I had a ball. It was a great time and I highly recommend ROH shows. But, I didn’t feel like I was at a show put on by the 3rd most recognizable company in the business. A company who has been in existence for 10 plus years, the same as TNA. When asked, fans bury TNA and put over ROH. But, honestly, look at the two products. One has a national television deal and pay per views on cable that people have no problems seeing, even when they stream illegally. And that company is not ROH.
It doesn’t make any sense. Fans want to see ROH. ROH fans are passionate, from what I saw from the multi-show die hards, they are extremely passionate. I know there was an iPPV that was put on by Evolve(?) that night also, but the local die hards would surely catch the replay and go to an actual show instead, right? Yeah, even I can’t be confident in saying yes to that answer. Oh, speaking of yes, the Yes! chant was very popular, if that tells you anything.
Personally, I liked ROH. It was the alternative when the Monday night wars ended. But, as time went by, all the guys I followed moved on to better things. I just dont get that, why build stars, just to let them go without getting all you can get out of them. If the stars want big money, but you own them, start making big money, grow the product. Seriously, remember when a talent in ECW signed to go to WCW? That reaction should be happening when ROH guys go to TNA. I say this because I understood why fans were happy for Jay Lethal going to ROH because he got screwed, but I was confused when fans were happy that guys like Austin Aries and Christopher Daniels returned to TNA after leaving ROH. The Aries thing is telling, believing that to make more money and get more exposure for his gimmick, he had to return to where Austin Starr was born rather than stay with ROH. Also, from what I’ve seen, Aries doesn’t have a good outlook for ROH either. The fact ROH didn’t move past TNA during the Russo era is inexplicable.
Again, to summarize, that is if you’re still with me, I had fun at the ROH show. I like the ROH product and their concept. I honestly like the freedom of the show and the small venues. The atmosphere is great. I even liked that there was no air conditioning. As a fan you let loose, sit on the edge of your seat, and enjoy some great in-ring work. But when barely 500 show up to your event in one of your select television markets, with a god of wrestling at a table meeting and greeting and signing, I don’t like your chances of survival, either. I wasn’t at an Indy show. I was at the 3rd biggest company’s live event. I’m sorry ROH fans. Something isn’t right in your world. You have passion, but not enough numbers. You can only do so much. The company needs to get you more troops, but they aren’t. I don’t have the answers. I’m not an insider, I’m just a fan. A fan who is tired of death in wrestling that isn’t natural. What’s happening to ROH isn’t natural.
Agree, disagree, or just want to cuss me out: Twitter.com/thejimijames
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on June 28, 2012 at 1:44 am
As I checked my Twitter timeline today, I came across a Deadspin article that was made up of emails from people talking about their interactions with wrestlers and the funny stories that go with them. The article started out with a funny story about Raven being denied his Buffy the Vampire Slayer fix at Blockbuster. So, I got the idea to write about my interactions with wrestlers. Now, as a disclaimer, I will say this, those of you reading this probably have far better stories than mine. Actually, my stories might suck, but since I’ve never had a forum to put them all down in one place, I’m making a blog out of it.
Most of my stories revolve around hanging around in the parking lot of arenas after shows to watch wrestlers come out. As a wrestling fan, I can say that the most entertaining part of a wrestling show, happens after the show, in the parking lot. Why do I say that? Well, because it’s in the parking lot where you find out what the wrestlers are really like. Some maintain the lost art of kayfabe, while some just give you who they really are. I do have some stories that take place away from the lot, but the lot stories are better with the exception of one.
My Rock Story:
I took my ex-fiancée, What’s Her Face, to her first WWF show. The timeframe of this show was just before Hall and Nash went to WCW. Diesel was still in WWF. I know this because that’s who What’s Her Face wanted to see because she had a big crush on Big Daddy Cool. After the show, we went to the back of the arena to watch the wrestlers come out. We stayed out there forever because I wanted to see The Rock leave. We waited forever for the chance. It seemed like all the wrestlers had left. The crowd started to disperse and leave. Now, in the back of our local arena is a huge garage door for the Zamboni and Monster Trucks to have easy access. As we walked to our car, I was standing right in front of this huge garage door. No sooner did I turn to What’s Her Face and say, Man, I wanted to see The Rock leave, the door began to open. The door fully opened, and behind it was a black Lincoln Towncar started up and ready to go. The driver was The Rock, by himself. I stood in front of the car unable to move because there he was, the one guy I wanted to see. I stood there for what seemed like an hour staring directly at Rocky behind the wheel. It was 11pm and this dude was wearing sunglasses while driving. All of a sudden he must’ve been ready to go because he laid on the horn for what seemed like another hour. This was a mistake. Blaring the horn brought most of the crowd back. I moved over to the driver’s side to let him pass. He slowly began to leave the arena. When he got right next to me, he pulled down the shades and flashed a quick People’s Eyebrow at me. I had no idea what to do, so I gave him a bullfighter motion as if he were the bull and I was the matador. This got me a smile from The Rock and later a bunch of “enough about The Rock already” from What’s Her Face because I wouldn’t shut up about how cool that was. I was such a mark.
My Undertaker Story:
Now this story is one that I’m proud of but probably won’t translate very well in writing as I have to act it out for you to appreciate it. But, I’ll try my best. Again this happens out in the parking lot. This time I took a few friends of mine who were into wrestling because it was cool. This was during the height of the Monday Night Wars when everyone was watching, whether they admitted it or not. My friends were all tripping out seeing the boys come out and talk to fans. All I wanted to see was the Undertaker. I was worried I wouldn’t see him because during the show, he did a 5 second appearance during a match. Lights went off and came back on, and Taker appeared and disappeared. Because of this, I thought maybe Taker was already gone and in some bar killing Red Stripes and Tequila. As we stood with the crowd, lined up looking at the back door of the arena watching wrestlers come out, I heard a door shut directly behind me. I turned around and separating me from the Undertaker was the driver’s side window. As soon as I saw who it was, I screamed, Holy Shit! It’s the Undertaker! Huge mistake on my part. This is where you need to see me act this out, because the face Taker made when he looked at me, can not be justified with words. Needless to say, I scared the crap out of the Undertaker. He literally jumped back when he saw me screaming. After I screamed, his car was mobbed. I couldn’t see who was in the backseat, but I did see Kane for the first time without a mask at that moment. Fans gave me high fives for pointing out the Undertaker, because had I not screamed, he would’ve escaped like a ninja. But, honestly, I felt bad. It was at that moment I kinda stopped being a full blown, lose your shit, mark. But, I still use the, I scared the Undertaker line, as a claim to fame to start conversation. Sorry, Taker.
My Owen Hart Story:
This is my last parking lot story. This one is the oldest lot story, but so much happened it is my best one. I told my Owen story on Twitter on his birthday this year. This forum gives me opportunity, to give more detail because it’s not just about Owen. This story takes place the week following the Stone Cold/Mike Tyson pull apart on Raw. This Raw actually was filmed the Tuesday after the Tyson appearance, as Raw was taped then instead of being live. So people actually thought Mike Tyson would be in our little podunk town, yea right. Anyway, as soon as we got around to the back of the building, people were going absolutely bananas. When we looked down into the lot, we could see a bald head literally fighting through the crowd and getting in a grey Ford Taurus. The bald head belonged to Stone Cold Steve Austin. He got behind the wheel revved the engine and peeled out through the parking lot, going over every parking block in the lot. That rental car did not come back the same way it left, guaranteed.
We proceeded to go down to the lot and see the rest of the wrestlers leave. Val Venis and Test made no friends leaving as they didn’t break kayfabe and had fans ready to fight them on their way out, my friends included. All I could do was laugh at how awesome it was. Little did I know how awesome it would get.
During this Raw, Owen messed up his ankle really bad on a fall from the apron to the floor. As we stood outside, the backdoor opened and here came Owen. He was being helped by the WWF head of security. This guy was the jacked up guy who had a long black ponytail and black leather Kangol hat. He used to be seen at every event. If anyone knows his name, let me know, because I’d like to give him the credit he deserves in this story. Anyway, Owen and security guy made their way through the crowd and were right in front of me. At that moment a woman, who I will describe as the female Earthquake(because Earthquake debuted in my hometown), busted through the crowd. She kept screaming for Owen, wanting to give him a bearhug. The security dude saw that no one would be able to stop this woman from achieving her goal, so he let go of Owen to stop her. When he did that, Owen lost his balance and fell right into me. I put both hands on Owen’s shoulder and kept him from going down and held him up until security guy turned around and saw me. As soon as his eyes hit me, he yelled, GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HIM! He proceeded to rip me with a profanity laced tirade. I just looked at him like a deer in headlights and held on to Owen. When he finished yelling, I said very softly, I just didn’t want him to fall, sorry. Security guy grabbed Owen and got to his car. When I looked around everyone in the crowd was looking at me with a “holy shit” look on their faces. I proceeded to bust out in laughter and said, that was fucking awesome! Now, as I propped up Owen and got lit up by security guy, at no time did Owen look at me or say a word. But, he didn’t have to. Needless to say after that, when Owen left us, I didn’t handle it well.
Wrestlers at my Casino:
This story isnt that great, but I did see something I’ll never forget and talked to the 1st Intercontinental champion. WWE was in for a house show and stayed at the hotel in the casino where I work. I was bartending at the time and got screwed by a call off so I had to be there all night. But I was cool with it because I was told the WWE would be arriving some time during my shift. Unfortunately, mostly all of them went to the rooms and stayed away from the casino floor. I started getting word from cocktail waitresses that a few were on the floor playing slots. At first, the girls were drooling over Sylvan Grenier and Rob Conway, meh. I didn’t care. One waitress came back to get drinks and said that is the biggest man I’ve ever seen in my life. I said, is it the guy from the Longest Yard? She answered, Oh my god, that is him exactly. It was the Great Khali. I had to see this. I went on the floor to go see him. When I rounded a row of slot machines, I saw something I’ll never forget. Khali sitting next to Hornswoggle playing Wheel of Fortune slots. Just picture that. A giant who a stool is too small for next to a little person who’s feet are nowhere near the floor. I just stood and laughed and wished I could get a picture without getting fired. Sorry, no picture, just memory.
As I worked the bar, a few guys in WWE shirts sat down and drank a few. One guy was name dropping and saying he rode with Dean Malenko. I was thinking they were just marks in town for the show, when all of a sudden Pat Patterson sat down next to them. They weren’t marks, they were on the crew and drinking with the first IC champ. So in 2 seconds, I analyzed how exactly I would handle this. I didn’t mark out. Mr. Patterson ordered a Stoli and soda with lemon. Disregarding our strict policies on liquor, I gave him a double and only charged him for a single. Yes, I charged him for the drink. Why? Well, I wanted to buy a drink for the 1st IC champ ever, but, knowing what side of the fence he stands on, I didn’t want him to think I was flirting. Yea, I know. Sounds stupid now, but I didn’t want Mr. Patterson to get the wrong idea because I don’t stand over on that side of the fence. I’m not homophobic, it was just how my mind handled the situation. The only conversation I had with Mr. Patterson was to tell him it was an honor to have the 1st IC champ at my bar and a pleasure to have them stay in our casino. It was the right thing to do because they seemed to be talking business and didn’t need me marking out. Mr. Patterson appreciated the space I gave and told me thanks and did tip me.
My Virgil Story:
Virgil played craps at the casino where I work, and no one cared. Seriously, after I pointed out that it was Virgil, the popular response was, Who? Oh, I remember that guy.
My Shane Douglas Story:
This is my oldest story. It didn’t take place in a parking lot or my place of business. I was a little kid and with my parents. We weren’t at a wrestling event. We were in my hometown having dinner at a Pizza Inn. We were sitting in a booth having our dinner when for some reason I looked behind me. All I could see was a blonde mullet, and I immediately knew it was one of the Dynamic Dudes. I was sitting back to back with Shane Douglas. I leaned into the table and quietly marked out to my parents. My idiot stepdad said aloud, Who is Shane Douglas? I immediately shushed him and told him exactly who Shane was. My mom told me to turn around and say something. This shy little kid was absolutely not gonna do that. I kept turning around to sneak a peek. The guy Shane was with was someone I didn’t recognize but he smiled everytime he saw me turn around. Shane and his buddy finished before we did. When he got up, he walked away from table a little ways. He looked over at us and said, Hey kid, you were right, that’s me. And your mom was right, too, you should’ve said something, and he and his friend left. I didn’t feel disappointed. I actually felt better than if I got an autograph or a photo op. As I grew older, I was proud of myself for not interrupting his dinner. But I couldn’t imagine what he was thinking because I know he heard everything we were talking about him in the next booth over. Oh, the reason Shane was there is because he’s from Pittsburgh and went to college close to my hometown, so he has ties here.
Well, there you have it. My personal wrestler stories. Now again, I’m sure most of you reading this have far better stories than I do. But, I cherish my stories as I know everyone else does with theirs. Writing these stories out in words does not do them justice, but I’m glad I had a place to put them all down at once. I’m sure in the future I will have more stories to tell when they happen. But at the stage of life I’m at now, they might not be as fun to tell. If you would like to share a story with me or if you know the name of the WWF security guy, hit me up at Twitter.com/thejimijames. Thanks for reading.
Ah, the part of the show I am most looking forward to. WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Cena. This is going to be an epic match. Will John Cena become the new WWE champion? NO. I am 100% sure CM Punk will win. I also said The Rock would beat John Cena at WrestleMania 28 when 95% of people said Cena would win. Why would Cena lose? Firstly, everyone is expecting him to win. Secondly, it will more than likely be the very last match on the show, not everyone will be Cena fans, therefore will attract boos if Cena won. The last thing WWE will want is to end 1000 shows for the champion to get booed and not even be a heel. If Punk wins, EVERYONE will cheer. With the talent WWE have booked, I suspect the location it’s at will be a loud crowd and a lot very anti-Cena, with the crowd being mature. I don’t think Punk will win cleanly, though. I suspect someone will get involved whether it will be Orton as I’ve stated earlier or even The Rock. Not to cause confusion, what I said about The Rock earlier is what I want him to do at Raw 1000th, but now I’m just writing out possibilities for this match. That sets up a match for The Rock vs CM Punk for the WWE title, or vice versa as he interfered in the match. Hell, even the Undertaker could get involved. Have a feud or match at SummerSlam with either Punk or Cena. With any of these wrestler’s interfering, the match outcome could end with Cena winning, Punk winning or best of all just DQ and Punk still retains the title. WWE are pushing for longer title reigns. There is so much more WWE can do with Punk as WWE champion, I don’t see why the title should be taken away him now. And lastly and most importantly, it is a unique opportunity to embrace Punk as a ”big star”. I’m telling you guys, CM Punk is the one can gain from this, Cena has NOTHING to gain out of this. The winner — CM Punk. 100% sure.
