On this episode of The Still Real to Us Show: ”The Champ” Jeff Peck & Captain Obvious look back at this past Monday Night RAW SUPERSHOW and break down if the JOHN CENA/JOHNNY ACE segment was one of the worst “go home” moments ever in WWE history! The guys discuss understanding the “JOHN CENA HATE” especially this past Monday on RAW and wonder if this segment is a small instance of the big problem in the WWE! Next we look into whether or not the WWE should pull the trigger on TRIPLE H vs. BROCK LESNAR at NO WAY OUT or if they should wait until SUMMERSLAM 2012! Finally we wrap up this week’s show by discussing KEVIN STEEN winning the ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP and they give their predictions for this Sunday’s WWE OVER THE LIMIT PPV!
0Posted by Justin Henry on May 17, 2012 at 2:34 pm
EVERYBODY SHOULD LOVE A BULLY
By Justin Henry
With all due respect to WWE’s relationship with the well-intentioned Be A Star bullying-awareness group, credit has to be given to professional wrestling’s most colorful ruffian.
On the TNA landscape, you’ll often find disorganization, stunted growth for a number of young performers, valuable television time squandered on artifacts of WCW’s demise, and new concepts that become forgotten concepts in mere weeks.
Among the typical chaos and clutter, there stands an individual who was written off as a relic; a one-trick pony from past eras that had worn out his welcome in the industry. He was overweight, putting on the same matches over and over again. His in-match stalling and wheezing seemed to indicate exactly what he was: a near-forty year old man whose prior reckless work, as well as deteriorating body, had rendered him unable to keep up with the next wave of performer.
Up until a year ago, that’s exactly what he seemed to be. Today, he’s TNA’s greatest overall heel when you combine his ability to talk, his willingness to sell, and the edge and guile he puts into his current gimmick, one custom-made for his personality.
Before, you knew him as Bubba Ray Dudley and Brother Ray. Now, he’s Bully Ray, and he’s one of professional wrestling’s truly great stories of success.
Once his run as one of WWE’s most prolific tag team wrestlers ended in 2005, Bubba, along with partner D-Von Dudley, took their considerable name brand power to TNA, which was soon to bring Impact to Spike TV. In a company populated by a dichotomy of breakthrough independent stars and past-their-prime Attitude Era has-beens (Kevin Nash, The New Age Outlaws, and Raven come to mind), the newly-rechristened Team 3D straddled the line in between with fellow recent WWE castoff Rhino. All three men were still relatively young, and recognizable to two generations of fans.
Team 3D were immediately thrust into the spotlight in TNA upon their arrival, debuting on the first Impact of the Spike era on October 1, 2005. But while there were occasional good matches with the likes of America’s Most Wanted and the Latin American eXchange, the man at this time known Brother Ray was seemingly far removed from his glory years. Pushing his weight past the three hundred pound mark, Brother Ray was content letting Devon carry the bulk of the ring work, waiting to get the hot tag, so that he could waddle in and rely on audience energy to will him through the punch-and-kick comeback sequence.
In matches that weren’t straight up tag team matches, Team 3D hid Ray’s weaknesses with garbage brawls, which allowed for him to save energy by dragging/being dragged by his opponent to the next spot, or by setting up an intricate table spot in lieu of engaging in fast-paced faux-combat.
Teams came and went in TNA, oftentimes splitting up. Team 3D were together for five years in the company, and nearly fourteen years collectively, going back to ECW. The duo finally split up in November 2010 after a loss to the Motor City Machine Guns, it seemed logical that with the team deceased, the individuals would play out their respective strings in singles action before fading to black altogether. After all, at no point in their careers were either man viable as a singles star.
And then, it happened. Brother Ray, after attacking Brother Devon during the team’s post-mortem ceremony, received a new makeover: Bully Ray, a loudmouthed street fighter from Hell’s Kitchen, who carried a chain that had as much bite to it as the venomous words that he’d spew.
Gradually, but very noticeably, Bully Ray removed many of the pretenses from his watered down Dudley Boyz/Team 3D past, and stood out impeccably as a solo act. Every match he had on PPV now, it seemed, had a solid angle behind it, rather than just being a token tag team match.
His well-honed promo skills, sharpened from years of galvanizing ECW crowds into riot-mode by insulting their mothers, girlfriends, and their general sexual tendencies, were put in play in TNA, albeit in terms suitable for basic cable. Any babyface Bully Ray went against got a boost of support from the audience. After all, Bully Ray could go up against Glenn Beck, and if Bully hit his targets accurately on the mic, even a crowd of liberals would cheer Beck popping Bully in the mouth with a chain-wrapped right hand.
Truly, that’s the mark of a great heel.
Oh, and that excess baggage that Brother Ray carried, with a beer gut that would make Dick Murdoch well up with pride? It was gone. The Bully whipped himself into what might be the best shape of his career, almost unheard of for a performer his age. Not only is the abdominal paunch all but gone, the brawler will gladly point out, in every promo these days, just how muscular his calves have gotten. He’s ‘Calvzilla’, you know.
With his verbal machete brandished, and at a new physical peak, Bully Ray has become a treasure to watch on TNA programming, standing out amongst much of the general rubbish. In the past year alone, the former tag team standout has shined particularly in four matches, three of them anything-goes brawls that are right up his alley: a Last Man Standing match AJ Styles at Slammiversary, a Philadelphia Street Fight with Mr. Anderson at Bound For Glory, and a cringe-inducing Monster’s Ball with Abyss at Genesis this past January.
And if you say Bully Ray can’t keep up in a wrestling match, his showdown with Austin Aries from this past Sunday at Sacrifice waves its hand in your face.
I cannot recall the last time I saw a performer that was seemingly too far gone, living on reputation, transform himself into one of the most gifted and unique performers in the business, particularly at a time when things are too close to the status quo.
Bully Ray went from living in the thicket to standing out as one of the industry’s greatest gems, all thanks to his determination and hard work.
For all that we complain that there’s little in wrestling to get behind anymore, now that WWE is out fighting bullies, let’s fight that sentiment.
0Posted by Jamie McCarthy on May 16, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Raw 5-14
HHH is shown walking and sees Laryngitis. Laryngitis says he didn’t know Brock was going to attack him.
HHH heads to the ring. Speaks on how when Brock is faced with a challenge, he quits. Out comes Paul Heyman. Paul serves HHH with a lawsuit. HHH grips up Heyman and says Lesnar will get everything he deserves and walks out. Heyman gets on the stick and says he will sue HHH for assault & battery and will see HHH in court.
Out comes your WWE Champion, CM Punk.
Match #1: CM Punk & Santino Marella vs. Daniel Bryan & IC Champion Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes takes a GTS to give Punk/Marella the victory. Crowd was really into this match and it made it that much better. Good match overall.
Match #2: Alicia Fox vs. Beth Phoenix
Beth Phoenix wins in a squash. Layla comes out and the challenger and champion stare-down. The run-in sets up the match for Sunday.
Say what you want about Cena’s wrestling ability and Super-Cena, but the stuff he does with Make-A-Wish is awesome and he deserves major props for everything he does.
Match #3: Kane vs. The Big Show
Laryngitis demands an apology in the middle of the match, Kane chokeslams Show. Typical big man vs. big man match. Certainly nothing special about this one.
Long-drawn out segment that ends with Laryngitis wishing Show the best in his future endeavors. This segment was beyond dull and was just all-around bad.
Match #4: Brodus Clay and tag team champions R-Truth & Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz, Dolph Zigger, & Jack Swagger
Faces win. Kofi’s SOS is an awesome move
Sheamus comes out for commentary
Match #5: Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton
Decent match. Jericho throws Orton into Sheamus. Sheamus interferes and gets Orton DQ’d. Orton gets upset and wants to have a match with Sheamus, but it’s broken up by the referee staff. I thought it was a smart way to protect both Orton and Jericho and have everybody look strong going into the Fatal Four Way.
John Laryngitis comes out and tells the audience that they and John Cena are all losers. Cena comes out and tells Laryngitis he’s a loser and every time Laryngitis goes to speak, John interrupts and calls him a loser. With such witty banter it’s hard to believe I was getting bored. Although, I did thoroughly enjoy Cena calling John a D-Bag. Eve comes out with a letter from the Board of Directors. The stipulations are named for John vs. John on Sunday. I still have NO idea why Laryngitis went out of his way to make this match. The heel GM wanting a 1 on 1 match just makes no sense.
RANDOM THOUGHTS/RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
How many times did they replay The Big Show’s impersonation of Laryngitis from last week? Like 5 in the first hour?
Did anybody else think we were going to have a John Laryngitis section to the “Kiss My Ass” club?
Can somebody explain the difference between a match that can only be won via pinfall and submission and a no DQ match?
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment and follow on Twitter.
Since Paul Heyman has returned to WWE, his Twitter activity has increased a little bit. Recently, while Paul E was running his Twitter contests and tweeting and retweeting about his return, I decided to check his profile. I’m glad I did. On Paul Heyman’s Twitter profile, his bio reads, The Revolution Will Be Hustle Tweeted. What revolution? It wouldn’t happen to be the revolution that the viral videos popping up on WWE’s website are referring to, would it?
Since last July, when CM Punk laid down “the Promo”, fans have been looking for that big thing to happen in WWE. Fans pegged Punk as the next Stone Cold and possibly the leader of the next Attitude Era. Instead, fans got the return of The Rock as the big happening that set the stage for the biggest Wrestlemania in some time. Although the Rock’s return is nice, it just isn’t the earth shattering event that the “universe” is clamoring for.
When Daniel Bryan became World Heavyweight Champion, the champions in WWE were all Internet darlings. Punk was WWE champion and stated that big things are on the horizon. But, big things didn’t really happen. After Punk cut his famous promo last summer, he won the WWE title two times, signed a new contract and sort of became a quieter, babyface, almost corporate Punk. Instead of going against the WWE grain, Punk embraced the corporate ways. For example, making sure people knew he was carrying a championship title instead of a belt. I’m speaking on Punk from a WWE standpoint, in regular life he is still a magnet for controversy. His WWE character, not so much.
Even though Punk has cooled off a bit, his promo from July has not. At the time, Punk seemed to be venting frustration on his spot in WWE. But, could that promo have been the beginning of what is about to take place? Two names that Punk used in that promo were Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman. At the time of the promo, those names were attention grabbers to tell you that this isn’t your normal Raw ending promo. Now, those names are both a part of WWE.
Brock Lesnar returned to WWE similar to the way CM Punk resigned. Brock’s real deal with WWE is unprecendented. But it is Brock’s interaction with John Laurinatis(I believe that’s the first time I’ve spelled that correctly), that is interesting. Brock held up Johnny Ace with outlandish demands, similar to the way Punk negotiated with Vince before Money In The Bank. When Brock’s demands were rescinded by Triple H, it lead to Brock “quitting”. Heyman guys definitely have similarities, don’t they?
With Brock quitting, Paul Heyman made his return to WWE television. Those of us on Twitter had the Heyman surprise spoiled by none other than, CM Punk. In his return promo, Paul E discussed Brock’s situation and that he quit WWE. But one thing stood out to me, Paul made reference to how WWE has changed since the last time he was in a WWE ring. Paul E stated that WWE is now more corporate than it used to be. So a corporation, watering down something that people in and out of the business are truly passionate for, sounds like something to revolt against, right?
If Paul Heyman is the general of this coming revolution and CM Punk and Brock Lesnar are the foot soldiers, well fans, you now have that big thing you’ve been begging for. If Punk’s promos from the past year are predicting the future, then more surprises could be coming. Punk made reference to Batista, also. In all the returns to WWE, Batista’s name was in the rumors as well. With the way Batista left, and the reason he says he left, he would be a perfect player in this revolution. Batista has promised big news is coming on his Twitter. Could he be a part? I have no idea. I had to put Batista in this so my speculation will be as ridiculous as thinking Sting was signing to work with Undertaker. It sounds cool, would be awesome if it happened, but if it doesn’t, no big deal.
Bottom line, if the revolution that is coming is being spearheaded by Paul Heyman, the new attitude era everyone wants to see could be on the horizon. If I wrote this all for nothing and I’m not even close, well, we will still watch. But, just like the previous viral videos by WWE, we will all speculate on what could’ve happened until the next video. Whether I’m close or completely wrong here, I just have that feeling as a fan, that the payoff of this video will be better than previous videos.
Agree or disagree? Something to add? Twitter.com/thejimijames
On this episode of The Still Real to Us Show: ”The Champ” Jeff Peck & Captain Obvious start off the program by looking at the WWE RETURN of PAUL HEYMAN! The guys breakdown PAUL HEYMAN’s return to the WWE and discuss if they were really surprised that HEYMAN was brought back since LESNAR is under contract! Next we discuss who can be the next “FACE OF THE WWE” now that JOHN CENA has turned 35 years old and if this could be the last time that VINCE MCMAHON handpicks someone to carry the flag of his company! Finally we wrap up this week’s show by looking at the DAVEY RICHARDS VS. KEVIN STEEN match at BORDER WARS and if losing this Saturday may be the best thing for “MR WRESTLING!”
0Posted by Justin Henry on May 10, 2012 at 11:21 am
PATIENCE FOR TENSAI
By Justin Henry
I’ve seen this somewhere before.
Former WWE heavyweight heel leaves the company, goes to Japan, refines his craft to better master his game, comes back to WWE years later with a new, awe-intending persona, is pushed hard as a monster villain that is seemingly impervious to pain, and winds up as a paid heavy for whomever is the evil authority figure du jour.
In one paragraph, that sums up the fate of the former Albert/A-Train, who resurfaced on this continent six weeks ago as Lord TENSAI. In this new guise, the real-life Matt Bloom plays off his dominance in New Japan Pro Wrestling over a six or seven year stretch, contending for the IWGP Championship, while reigning as a Tag Team Champion with Karl Anderson as Bad Intentions, and another occasion with fellow former WWE brute Tyson Tomko.
TENSAI, as he’s now known, is essentially A-Train after extended stay in the landing of the rising sun, where he honed his power and aggression into a finely tuned package, becoming the destructive monster that he always had the potential to be. With intimidating tattoos emblazoned on his skull, and updates to his wrestling repertoire, Matt Bloom is light years beyond the vanilla performer he was just eight years ago. To compliment his rebirth, TENSAI acts as lead henchman for WWE’s resident pencil-pushing baddie, John Laurinaitis. This alone will provide more face time for the goliath from Peabody, Mass.
But fans, sadly, have been less than receptive to his return. When they’re not chanting “AL-BERT” in taunting jibes, they’re groaning at his played-out tactics that are lifted from page 9 of “WRESTLING STEREOTYPING FOR DUMMIES: JAPANESE BAD GUYS EDITION”. None of what made TENSAI interesting as Giant Bernard in Japan is evident in his current act, as right now he’s merely “Albert imitating Great Muta, minus the mind-blowing agility.”
As I stated earlier, I’ve seen this somewhere before.
Think back to 2006. Who else was heavyweight heel that had left WWE, went to Japan to fine-tune his abilities, came back with a brand new persona that was shoved down fans’ throats, one that presented him as an ogrish villain impervious to pain, and became the main resource of defense for a corporate overlord?
One word: Umaga.
When Eddie Fatu was released from WWE in 2003, it was due to his involvement in a drunken barroom fracas. At the time, Fatu was known as “Jamal”, an uninteresting fat guy in retro sports gear who, along with equally hefty cousin Rosey, would roam the tag team ranks as Three Minute Warning. After Fatu’s firing, he, like Bloom, went to Japan. In this case, Fatu found new life in All Japan Pro Wrestling, winning the organization’s tag team championship with Taiyo Kea.
Two and a half years after Fatu was given his “endeavoring”, the younger brother of Tama and Rikishi was called back into the McMahon fold, and was awarded a gimmick that had been considered once for Samoa Joe, had WWE been able to sign him in 2005.
Now with a menacing full-facial tattoo, and old school Samoan Swat Team-inspired tights with no shoes of any kind, Fatu was reborn as “The Samoan Bulldozer” Umaga. At first, fans didn’t exactly take to the gimmick, except for reciting the quotes of his manager, Armando Alejandro Estrada, in unison with him. And yet, Umaga lived up to his moniker, bulldozing after midcarders like Eugene, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and others. He even scored a win over Ric Flair at Backlash in 2006.
And yet, he couldn’t get anything other than annoyed groans from the crowd. In 2006, nobody believed an incoherent savage from the islands was realistic, especially in an era full of reality, where the likes of Edge, John Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon, and Paul Heyman were cutting quality promos.
It was like 1987 showed up and threw an unwanted Umaga onto WWE’s doorstep.
But eventually, Umaga would begin to pay off. Late in 2006, after winning a feud over fellow monster Kane, the Pacific Islander entered a feud with WWE Champion John Cena. After a dull match at New Year’s Revolution in early 2007, the two would be paired up again three weeks later at the Royal Rumble in a Last Man Standing match for the title.
What happened that night was one of the greatest surprises I’ve witnessed in my twenty-three years as a fan of professional wrestling.
For the first time in Cena’s two years of headlining, he had the type of match that would come to suit his talents well: the David vs. Goliath showdown. For over twenty minutes, Cena and Umaga engaged in a blood-filled titanic struggle, which Cena ultimately won by choking the behemoth unconscious in the STF with the dismantled top rope.
After that showing, Umaga had developed a newfound respect from fans that had dismissed him as an antiquated relic of wrestling’s stereotype-heavy past, as well as a lousy performer with respects to memories of Three Minute Warning. In fact, nobody batted an eye when he crushed Jeff Hardy to win the first of two Intercontinental titles, or became Vince McMahon’s warrior in a highly-publicized grudge with Donald Trump and Bobby Lashley.
In time, with a chance to overcome judgment and prejudice, Edward Fatu proved many wrong, just as Matt Bloom can do with the same circumstances.
In a twenty minute match with Cena, Punk, or Orton, you’ll see Lord TENSAI at his best, unencumbered by time restrictions; having to rely on his skill more than generic monster gimmicks. As John Laurinaitis’ new deputy of pain administering, there seems to be faith in Lord TENSAI to have big ticket PPV matches down the line.
I mean, if he’s already beaten Cena and Punk on TV, you’d have to pay it off with such, right?
While he may be “boring” now, it is time, not pre-judging, that will ultimately determine Matt Bloom’s second run in WWE. He may succeed with more chances, or he may live down to the expectations of the many who have already determined his fate.
”When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.”
Anthony J D’Angelo once said that and, that’s exactly what WWE did by bringing back Paul Heyman. What was the problem you’re probably asking? The problem was Brock Lesnar’s acting/talking skills. Without the top class editing, Brock Lesnar was never good at talking on the mic. It’s much easier to make an interview better than talking live. Therefore by bringing back Paul Heyman; it fixed the problem.
Paul Heyman is obviously a tremendous talker. Like the way he said Brock Lesnar on RAW last Monday, you just felt the emotion he put into that. It’s the same feeling when The Rock, Punk, Austin are all talking, raw emotion. When you’re listening to Heyman and others I have mentioned, you want to listen to them and you want them to continue to talk. You’re bought into what they have to say. They’re interesting.
As fans of WWE in particular, you’re really a fan of their storytelling. I’m not saying you don’t like the wrestling matches, I’m just saying if you want to watch just wrestling, then ROH or some other top Indy show is the show for you. That’s why Heyman is the perfect as a role of a representative/manger role to Brock Lesnar.
Not that Lesnar isn’t interesting, like his physical presence he has is just scary! None the less, there’s no way he could further proceed in a storyline and not talk. That’s where Heyman comes in.
Picture this: You’re watching RAW, two months away from WrestleMania 29, Brock is looking for an opponent, a big one at that. Heyman is the one who announces this, in his voice he’ll say something like, ”After eight months of destruction, there is nobody in the WWE worthy of facing Brock Lesnar.” Heyman looks around with that cocky/arrogant smile for a few seconds, the lights go out…..DONG! Undertaker appears. Then it would all evolve like. Apologies if I went off my point there, I was just trying to elaborate how good a storyline can be with Heyman’s talking skills.
It will also be interesting how Laurinaitis and Heyman will interact with each other. Laurinaitis signed Lesnar and you can argue it’s his fault Brock didn’t get the contract perks he was promised, I would love to see Heyman criticize Laurinaitis about that. Wouldn’t you?
I’m super excited Heyman is back with WWE and is working with Lesnar. WWE just got more interesting!
Let me know what you think about this column, leave a comment below and drop me a line if you’re on Twitter to @RayTheRambler. Check out my website http://wrestlingrambles.com/ where I prefer to discuss wrestling (Most convenient for me) and keep checking WrestleChat.net, why? Because it’s where it’s at!
I’ll leave you with his return just in case you were in another planet or something:
Justin Henry of Blue Bar Cage put together this written tribute to Owen Hart, who would have been 47 years old today. To read it, click the link below.
Hogan and Flair: Please get the fuck off TV. When I say TV, I literally mean I don’t want to see them on any show on the planet. That’s how fucking sick I am of seeing their faces. Like I mean, I go out of my way to watch TNA, I watch it for their original talent or their non WCW/WWE talent. I tune in to see guys like Aires, Roode, Storm etc.. I don’t want to see Hogan, we saw him ten years ago and even then we didn’t want to see him. Same with Flair. Hulk Hogan is an asshole and looks out ONLY for himself. In fact, I just now realise if he wasn’t that huge megastar 3 decades ago, someone else would be! That’s a fact. Just think about it, if it wasn’t him, some other guy would come along. That’s life, it happens. There could of been even someone BETTER than him, it’s just Hogan was at the right place, right time etc..
Hulk Hogan is also a hypocrite. He says he cares and loves the wrestling business, he says he loves the fans, but how the fuck does he? If he REALLY loved the wrestling business he would piss off and stop grabbing all the attention and all the fucking spotlight. All he cares about is money because he is a money grabbing whore. He may not be as desperate or as bad as Flair, but Linda kicked his sorry ass in the divorce settlements. And who has Hogan ever put over since joining TNA? Hogan/Bischoff/Flair insult us by bringing Garrett Bischoff to TNA. Just because his father can make it happen. I would be willing to bet my house Garrett would never be in TNA if it wasn’t for his father. Do you disagree? No you don’t. Answer this: As a fan of pro wrestling, would you rather see a guy who worked his ass off in the Indy circuit to wrestle on your TV screen? Rather than Garrett Bischoff.
Moving onto them not putting over talent. When you compare WWE veterans to TNA veterans, you can see how fucking stupid TNA are. Why? Because Hulk Hogan has too much creative control. In WWE, you have guys like Jericho, Foley, BROCK LESNAR who help WWE wrestlers. You can argue if Jericho did/didn”t put over Cena in 2005 when he left WWE for the first time. Foley has put over numerous of guys, including Edge at WrestleMania 23. Although Cena is already over, Lesnar jobbed to him, to make Cena not look weak and pathetic. Hell, Cena has put over a shit load of guys too. The Rock put over The Hurricane in 2003. That’s how WWE capitalize on their well over talent. TNA don’t do that. Instead, they build the fucking show around Hogan. Why? I’d love to know.
Since Hogan went to TNA, their ratings have not even improved. They average what, a 1.0 -1.3 area each and every week? Were they not doing that before? Hogan proves he cannot improve TNA’s ratings. Why? Because there is NOT A BIG DEMAND FOR HIM ANYMORE.
Hogan, we seen you in WWF, WCW. You never show us anything new. The fans who chant for Hogan will only ever be those particular fans. They’re the loyal TNA fans. TNA, you’re not going to attract new fans in with the show being built around Hogan. That’s not a prediction, it’s a fact. Their ratings show that.
When I go to watch TNA, Bobby Roode, James Storm or any of those guys, should be opening the show. I don’t want to see a 15 minute segment starting with Ric Flair asking Hogan to fight with him. I don’t want to see the show end with Eric Bischoff covered in shit. Then again, that shit is probably a metaphor for TNA’s booking and Hulk Hogans creative control.
The guy is so stupid, you can even see him online in a porno. Like seriously, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!
Like people, am I wrong here? Please answer this: Do YOU like Hogan in TNA? Do you want to see him? Do you respect him?
I’m not saying TNA should release him, just get him off the fucking show and give that TV time to newer talent. Hogan can do good for TNA but BEHIND THE SCENES. He has experience obviously. He’s not completely useless.
Let me know your thoughts. Before I stop writing; I’m not a hater of TNA wrestling.
JERICHO-LLABORATION: CHRIS JERICHO’S CURRENT RUN IS NOT A FAILURE
By Justin Henry
There are some rumbling across the net, declaring that Chris Jericho’s current WWE run is a massive failure.
Certainly, if you look at this four-month stretch with the highest of expectations, it certainly would qualify as one. In December, when those spectral vignettes of the prep-school children began airing on Raw, many quickly connected them with rumors of Jericho’s return. Together, Jericho’s comeback, mixed with the vignettes, the final one which concluded with, “THE END BEGINS”, seemed to indicate grandiose plans of destruction on behalf of Y2J.
And so hopes were quite high. After all, Jericho seemed to have a Midas touch as a performer. As a “Paragon of Virtue” or “Y2J” or “Highlight of the Night” or “The Best….in the WORLD”, Chris Jericho adapted a variety of character alterations. He was brilliant both physically and verbally in each role.
On January 2, when Jericho returned, complete with vibrant light-up jacket, many were perplexed by his actions. Instead of offering some sort of doom-saying speech, or wreaking havoc on a specific target with a violent attack, Jericho did nothing. For four straight weeks, Jericho non-verbally toyed with the crowd with aping, out-of-character pantomimes. It wasn’t until the fourth week, at the end of another kooky demonstration, that he finally spoke, promising “the end of the world” at the forthcoming Royal Rumble.
To the fans, this is exactly what they were hoping for. Jericho was merely toying with the world, many thought. He was going to do something at the Royal Rumble that everyone would be talking about.
And talk, the fans would. But it would be about Jericho’s words falling rather short.
It was Sheamus who stood tall at the end of the thirty-man gauntlet, having pump kicked Jericho off the apron in the climax. Immediately, many fans would seethe in public forums, about how Jericho should have won, given the foreshadowing of his vague threat.
But Jericho still would find passage to WrestleMania, if not in the traditional, win-the-Rumble-and-point-at-the-logo, way. After losing out on the WWE Championship inside February’s Elimination Chamber, albeit on a technicality (he was never actually eliminated), Jericho would win a battle royal on Raw the next night to earn a showdown with Punk at the grand spectacle.
By this point, Jericho’s persona, which began with the quirky videos and nonverbal tomfooleries, had shifted first toward accusations of theft (claiming those on Raw had lifted elements of his previous personas), and, most recently, attacking CM Punk’s family for their history of deviance.
None of it ended up mattering, as Punk silenced Jericho, first with a submission victory at WrestleMania, followed by a thrashing in a Chicago street fight four weeks later.
So, in order, here’s a summary of Jericho’s four month run in the main events: return, say nothing for four weeks, finally promise an apocalyptic event, fail to win the Rumble, fail to become WWE Champion at three straight PPVs, end up losing a big feud without a salvageable point.
Seems like the fans that call Jericho’s run a failure have a point, do they not?
The day after Extreme Rules, a few websites reported that Jericho had responded to a tweet from one such fan. The viewer in question stated, verbatim, “Another loss? At this rate ur gonna be the next squash for Brodus or Skip”
Jericho’s retort? “”Ugh. U dont understand anything about wrestling..RT”
It’s a common retort that a wrestler or promoter will make when fans make even valid criticisms about the business, such as a storyline twist or character that seems counterproductive. The fan clearly felt Jericho’s loss-filled run, which didn’t yield a single victory that truly mattered, or even anything close to his end-of-the-world proclamation, was worth the “fail” label.
But I feel it’s Jericho that makes the stronger point.
Chris Jericho is 41 years old. He’s a six-time former World Champion that has headlined more PPVs than most “indy darlings” could ever hope to. He’s had runs with The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and numerous other WWE icons over the last thirteen years.
And that’s exactly why I’m glad his run went the way that it did.
Jericho spent three years in WCW attempting to make heads or tails of just what the company strategy was. The main events were loaded with greedy sloths that offered little passageway to an irritable, yet wholly capable, midcard. The writing was generally weak and disorganized. If Jericho didn’t often have free reign over his own promos and actions, he may have completely lost his passion for the business.
Jericho can sympathize with a Kofi Kingston or a Dolph Ziggler. Both are genuinely gifted performers with natural energy and charisma that just can’t seem to break through. He can also feel the pain of a Tyson Kidd or Justin Gabriel, who constantly get lost in the shuffle when they have the skills to be something more.
Jericho knows the main event scene can be a rigid structure with locked doors. He’s been on the outside looking in, and vice versa, for much of his career. He knows he has the talent to launch new stars into the stratosphere, and that’s what he’s done during this run.
With his creepy videos and grand return, Jericho knew all eyes were on him. Those eyes watched…..a fresh face in Sheamus win the Royal Rumble at his expense. Bam, there’s one big win he gave to a youngster (and those final minutes of the Rumble with the false finishes made Sheamus look great).
Those eyes also watched him decisively get crushed by Punk, who could use a decisive war won to enhance his long reign as champion. Just months ago, Punk was a mindless pawn in the interminable Kevin Nash/Triple H dick-wagging feud. Jericho’s far too giving and understanding to see Punk as anything less than “the guy who needs to stay over”, and so he put him over.
As far as Jericho’s TV wins over Kofi, he needed to beat somebody solid to keep his heat before losing to Punk. At least in those matches, Jericho gave Kingston plenty of offense. Turns out, they were tremendous athletic showcases to boot. Some people may have crushed Kofi in 45 seconds with a Pedigree or a Jackknife, you know.
Lest we forget in 2009 and 2010, Jericho lost cleanly in an ECW Title match with Christian, as well as a one-off PPV match to Evan Bourne.
Jericho gets it. He’s a big enough star, and a well-regarded one, to where fans will take interest in his matches and segments with little prodding. But he’s had his day in the sun, and knows it’s time to give back. He loses to Sheamus, who cares? He loses to Punk, what’s it matter? He keeps his heat no matter who he loses to, because he’s talented enough and respected enough to never see a dip in his credit line.
“The end of the world as you know it,” he said. That got our attention. He’s kept that attention for four months, making the most of his chances to put over the next generation.
I don’t know about you, but I call that a success.
On this episode of The Still Real to Us Show: ”The Champ” Jeff Peck & Captain Obvious open up this week’s program by looking back at WWE EXTREME RULES! The guys breakdown the PPV, discuss if CHRIS JERICHO looks weaker from the feud with CM PUNK, if it’s the right thing for JOHN CENA to go over on BROCK LESNAR and more! We then look at the reports of BROCK LESNAR “flipping out” after EXTREME RULES and if the WWE went about it the wrong way with JOHN CENA’s post-match speech to conclude the show! Next we look at the following night on RAW SUPERSHOW to talk about JOHN CENA’s next feud, BROCK LESNAR & TRIPLE H heading towards SUMMERSLAM and DANIEL BRYAN VS. CM PUNK at WWE OVER THE LIMIT! Finally we wrap up this week’s show by discussing REY MYSTERIO’s suspension, the EXTREME REUNION show and if more INDY PROMOTIONS should do more “SYNERGY” shows together!
0Posted by Justin Henry on May 1, 2012 at 10:47 am
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW 4/30/12: I GUESS NO ONE’S WATCHING, SINCE CENA WON, RIGHT?
By Justin Henry
-So Extreme Rules is in the books, and I have to say that it’s, without question, a thumbs up show (review here:http://bluebarcage.blogspot.com/2012/04/extreme-rules-mini-review.html). The World Title matches were excellent, and the Cena/Lesnar brawl is something that will be remembered for quite some time. Even Kane/Orton was a fun, late-nineties style hardcore match. Add to that the hot Chicago crowd, and it’s easy to see why WWE easily cleared the fences last night. I’ll reserve judgment on Lesnar losing until we see what Chapter Two brings, and if you want to enjoy the story, I’d advise you to do the same. Maybe by this time next month, we’ll say “Oh, THAT’S why they did that!” Or maybe not. Either way, the concept of the unknown is a fun one, methinks.
-Live from Dayton, birthplace of the King of the Ring PPV.
Opening Segment: John Laurinaitis
Ahh, dammit, they changed to his song to something more processional. I miss the faux-John Williams tune already. So Laurinaitis says he revolutionized WWE in the name of People Power, and we should all thank him for giving us Lesnar/Cena. For once, the hyperbole isn’t hyperbole; it was indeed an epic clash. Laurinaitis kisses up to Lesnar in spite of the loss, and brings him out. He’s still able to jog in place in spite of the damage done last night. Guy’s a trooper. Brock begins to brag in spite of losing, and this brings Triple H out. Hunter sure looks fairly svelte now that he’s not wrestling anymore. Less incentive to ‘work out’. Hunter informs Brock that he won’t be holding up WWE anymore for demands, and denies Brock a free flight on the personal WWE jet. HARSH. And the show is no longer starring Brock Lesnar. Man, what a HORRIBLE 24 hours for Lesnar! Apparently, Laurinaitis had no right to approve of Lesnar’s demands. But he’s the talent relations head, right? Indeed, Laurinaitis claims he should have his say, and thinks they should uphold the demands. Hunter disagrees and, after some rambling, we get to the point: Hunter wants to have Lesnar in big matches with Cena, Punk, Orton, and Sheamus. I want Lesnar/Ziggler, just to see Dolph set new standards for absurdly deadly stuntman bumps. After Hunter emphasizes the loss to Cena to raise Brock’s ire, and asks Lesnar if he’s staying with his current contract. Laurinaitis keeps raising objections, which allows Brock to viciously maul the COO. Hunter tries to fight back, but Lesnar hooks the kimura and snaps HHH’s arm. The babyfaces hit the ring, and Brock bails. R-Truth: “WE HAVE TO GO SAVE HUNTER! HE FIRED ME ONCE, BUT SCREW IT, NO ONE REMEMBERS!” Lesnar walks out, presumably fired (but obviously not) as Hunter is helped away.
Segment Rating: 7/10. Took a little while to get to the damn point, but Hunter getting his arm snapped is always good for my happiness. I think Lesnar just got his heat back.
To read the rest of the WWE Monday Night Raw 4/30/12 review in progress, click here
0Posted by Justin Henry on April 28, 2012 at 11:36 am
WEST COAST POPPED
By Justin Henry
Far be it for one to compare the affable, hard-working Rey Mysterio with the surly, bullying Dynamite Kid, but the similarities are glaring. The most notable comparison between both men would be their contributions to the “athletic” side of professional wrestling.
In Dynamite’s heyday, the first half of the 1980’s, he was a death-defying marvel who, in spite of his diminutive frame, stood out on wrestling cards populated by burly brawlers and body-in-a-needle musclemen. Granted, Dynamite had done his share of ‘shooting up’, but compared to the Hogans of the world, he was like Baryshnikov in Union Jack tights.
Mysterio is easily classified along with Dynamite. From the time he burst into ECW in 1995, up until his last active match in the summer of 2011, you can always count on Mysterio to deliver a jaw-dropping, spectacular air show inside, and outside, the squared circle. Despite being barely five and a half feet tall and looking like a child without the many masks he wears, Mysterio has dazzled two or three generations of fans during his 23 year career with flips and dives worthy of a Barnum and Bailey road show.
However, there’s a considerable downside to what Dynamite and Mysterio do to entertain. For his part, Dynamite’s back and knees eroded away with every super hero soar, and subsequent uncomfortable landing. The steroids he used to inflate his body to a presentable level wore away tendons and ligaments. The absurd amount of painkillers he imbibed to mask the pain would, by reading Tom Billington’s and Bret Hart’s testimonials, baffle a share of medics. Dynamite Kid was forced to retire by age 33, and now lives in squalor, in a wheelchair with one leg amputated, in his early fifties. He’s roughly the same age as the likes of Finlay, Bret Hart, and Arn Anderson, and has maybe 1/10th of the quality of life that they enjoy today.
Mysterio, sadly, may be headed down that same path, albeit at a later age. For the second time in under three years, Rey Mysterio was singled out after a failed Wellness test administered by World Wrestling Entertainment. It’s not clear what substance Mysterio had used to “piss black”, but it was enough to earn sixty days on top of his injury vacation. Add to that the ridicule of fans on message boards and social media, and it’s a hard pill for the San Diego flyer to swallow.
Mysterio, through his own words, has stated in WWE’s “don’t try this at home” PSAs that he’s had surgery five times in his left knee. Anyone that’s ever been inside a wrestling ring, or at least pressed their hand into the mat, can tell you that the foam beneath the canvas provides very little comfort for a human body to land on, especially when that foam is layered above reinforced wood and steel.
Rey’s career has been full of landings from considerable height; some graceful and some not-so-much. Every time he lands on his feet from a high dive, his knees feel it. Every diving headbutt will rattle his body, as will every diving legdrop to his posterior. That’s not to mention the fact that each of his opponents is bigger than him, and, since they’re usually heels, will build the heat of the match by flinging Mysterio around like a shot put.
Multiply that reality by the number of years Mysterio has spent as wrestling’s most prominent acrobat, and it’s easy to see why his body is breaking the way that it is.
So when you talk about this unknown substance that Mysterio was popped for, there’s an endless list of what it could be, but really it boils down to two categories: a chemical enhancement meant to inflate his body’s mass, as to provide a “TV-friendly” look, or some form of a painkiller. The former seemed obviously part of Mysterio’s intake since his WWE run started; as Rey was extremely svelte in WCW. By the time of his WWE debut ten years ago, Mysterio had filled out like a blowfish, albeit with sailor-rope muscles that he never seemed to have before.
And when those inflated muscles press your joints and tendons, tears become inevitable. That’s one Hell of an endless circle to live in.
The other possibility is a painkiller, which seems necessary for Mysterio to use. Jesse Ventura once told Chris Jericho, when Y2J was training to be a wrestler, “prepare to live every day in pain”. And this came from Ventura, who rarely took dramatic bumps, if ever. Compare that to Mysterio’s stuntman performances, and one can imagine the searing agony Rey’s left in day after day.
It is utterly amazing that Mysterio is 37 years old, having wrestled this style for over two decades, and can still walk. By this time in Dynamite Kid’s life, he was facing paraplegic immobility, and I think it’s a legitimate concern that Mysterio could be headed down that road.
If Mysterio retires now, would anyone blame him? He may not have the movie resume of El Santo, but it’s a reasonable claim to make that Mysterio is the most successful masked luchador of all time. He made it big in a country where ‘bigger is better’, and Hulk Hogan set the bar for what Vince McMahon seeks in a top draw. Yet, Mysterio has three World Titles to his credit, as well as a resume of incredible wrestling matches that populate DVDs, and are never boring to watch.
If he retires now, he goes out on his terms, although his body will have had its say. He can enjoy quality of life, and spend good times with his wife and kids, knowing that residuals and autograph session appearances will continue to line his considerable bank account even further.
I’d rather see Rey Mysterio happy, relatively healthy, and walking onto the stage to get his Hall of Fame plaque; not miserable, sickly, and with Dominic pushing his wheelchair out in front of his ex-peers, a la Dynamite.
Rey Mysterio is one of the greatest of all time, and it’s not asking much for his aftermath to be as cherished as his legacy.
On this episode of The Still Real to Us Show: ”The Champ” Jeff Peck & Captain Obvious look back at this past week’s MONDAY NIGHT RAW and wonder why it dragged along so poorly with a PPV airing this Sunday! The guys look more into the LESNAR/CENA feud and wonder if the build-up has been better then THE ROCK/JOHN CENA feud leading into WRESTLEMANIA 28! We continue talking about BROCK LESNAR by discussing the reports that PAUL HEYMAN is helping him with his promos and if his former manager should return to the WWE! Finally we wrap up this week’s show by looking at the report of the WWE doing more “INJURY ANGLES” and give our preview & predictions for this Sunday’s WWE EXTREME RULES PPV!
0Posted by Justin Henry on April 23, 2012 at 11:24 pm
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW 4/23/12: I’LL BET THE CONTRACT SIGNING GOES SMOOTHLY
By Justin Henry
-I kinda hope WWE and USA collaborate for another Tough Enough, just so the advertisements can say “Last year’s winner Adam Leavine? Fired before he made it to the main roster! Who will be the NEXT individual that disappoints?”
-Another three hour Raw; another show where the first hour’s rating will suck and thus create flame wars internet-wide (“WWE’s dying!” “Nuh uh!” “Yuh huh!”), and another show with probably enough filler to make school cafeteria hot dogs. Eh well, I’m pretty amped about Lesnar/Cena and Punk/Jericho on Sunday. Hell, I’m even excited about Bryan/Sheamus, just to see a 36 second two/three falls match. Extreme Rules with the Chicago crowd oughta be tight.
-Live from Detroit, where nary a face bore surprise when Metta World Peace clocked James Harden a day ago.
Opening Segment: The Contract Signing
Boy I hope this doesn’t get a crap rating, just because not everyone’s going to remember Raw’s on an hour earlier tonight. Teddy Long is here to moderate, and immediately messes up on listing Cena’s accolades, thus getting us off to a rip-roaring start. Cena wearing a faux-Celtics logo tee in a city where Bird and McHale fought Isiah and Dumars shouldn’t bode well. Crowd boos “UFC” when mentioned by Long, and Lesnar is absent. Instead, we get Laurinaitis to yell at Long that Lesnar isn’t here yet, and that the signing will take place later. They will sign it on “Brock’s terms”, and Ace tells Long to kick Cena out of the ring. We need more WWE Films with Johnny Ace playing lead villain, starting with a remake of Happy Gilmore and Ace as Shooter. Oh, and Edge is here for some reason, not that I’m complaining too much. Edge reveals his contract expires in a few days, and he’s here to talk to Cena. Edge doesn’t know who Cena is anymore, because the Cena he remembers took him to the limit in 2006. Edge seems pretty vehement about this. Edge even points out that Brock doesn’t care about WWE, the way Edge and Cena did as kids. Edge punctuates with “I’m not asking you to beat Brock Lesnar; I’m telling you to!”
Segment Rating: 7/10. Wish the crowd was livelier, but Edge was great as the fallen motivator. It does beg the question as to whether or not Cena will actually alter his persona long-term to fit this direction.
To read the rest of Justin Henry’s Monday Night Raw review, click here
