Christian goes blow-for-blow with Sheamus.
Christian lands a hurricanrana on Sheamus.
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Category Archives: WWE
Vengeance 2011 in Pictures: Eve Torres vs Beth Phoenix, Divas Championship
Phoenix grounds Eve with a body-scissors.
Amazingly, even the Divas bout between champion Beth Phoenix and challenger Eve Torres was solid.
Vengeance 2011 in Pictures: Dolph Ziggler’s Championship Quest
Welcome to San Antonio, Texas, for Vengeance 2011.
US Champ Dolph Ziggler pulled double duty, wrestling in the two openers.
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John Cena, the Rock, CM Punk, & Triple H: The road to Survivor Series & Beyond
Let the speculation and fantasy-booking begin.
One night after Night of Champions, and we’re already speculating about Survivor Series. Well, I am, at least. The rest of the wrestling world is probably drooling over Hell in a Cell 2011 and how that will go down, however illogical a gimmick pay-per view may be.
Last night we saw John Cena capture his hundredth WWE Championship (or something like that) and Triple H pin CM Punk after a barrage of run-ins on both participants of the match. Peter Gabriel would be proud, as we saw a return of the sledgehammer, as Kevin Nash was laid out by Triple H. It’s sad that I have to stop and think who had something to do with wrestling most recently, Peter Gabriel or a sledgehammer, but I do assume Triple H utilized the weapon more recently than “Big Time” WrestleMania 22.
Anywho, back to business. I don’t see Alberto Del Rio in a Hell in a Cell match. It would make absolutely zero sense and he’d be out of his element. I really don’t know what they’re going to do with Cena, unless they go the tag match route, but that wouldn’t make much sense either. I just don’t logically see a WWE Championship Hell in a Cell match this year.
Triple H and CM Punk WILL however do battle in the massive cage, mark my words. The point of a cage is no escape, and protection from interference, which would make perfect sense for Punk & Triple H. “Awesome Truth” and Kevin Nash can’t interfere if the match takes place in the confines of a Hell in a Cell cage. Given the number of Hell in a Cell matches that have spilled outside of the cage, though, (I mean hell, it’s an annual feature in WWE video games) I think it defeats the purpose and we’d see interference anyway. As far as booking the match, goes, it would work, though. (more…)
Night of Champions 2011: CM Punk, Triple H, John Cena, Alberto Del Rio…Fresh?
"Are you ready?" -CM Punk with Triple H in 2006
I haven’t been following WWE that closely in recent weeks. I probably could have capitalized on the CM Punk craze by blogging about his classic-of-tomorrow feud with John Cena. However, life happens, and blogging did not happen, so there is some catching up to be done.
Even the most casual fans had to have heard about this red-hot feud. CM Punk wins the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011 at the peak of the hottest feud of the year. He then ‘leaves’ with the title, leaving WWE belt-less. Cue McMahon. John Cena wins a new championship from tournament winner Rey Mysterio, in more of ‘the same’ nonsense. That same night, CM Punk returns, with new entrance music in tow. Somewhere along the way, Triple H returns to inform Mr. McMahon that he is reliving him of his duties, and that Helmsley would be the new acting COO. McHunter books Punk vs Cena at SummerSlam, Kevin Nash returns, and Alberto Del Rio cashes in. Punk is angry, but not at Del Rio; Punk doesn’t trust Triple H or old crony Nash, which brings us to today.
At Night of Champions, CM Punk faces Triple H. If Triple H loses, he steps down from his position. Now, for me, this is a little disappointing, as I think it gives away the ending of the match. Triple H wins after interference from Kevin Nash. At least we’d have an inkling of hope or chance that Triple H would lay down for CM Punk if that stipulation wasn’t present. That aside, this match-up is fresh. Triple H hasn’t wrestled since April, so it could be hit-or-miss. Regardless, it’s a match that should generate a decent amount of buzz, despite Triple H’s bland rambling promo work. (more…)
Kelly Kelly vs Beth Phoenix: A look at WWE’s Divas division
Kelly could have learned a thing or two from Roddy Piper, one of--if not THE--greatest talker in the history of the wrestling business.
These days, it seems that women’s wrestling has really fallen by the wayside. Gone are the days of Trish or Sable, who were arguably just as big special attractions to the WWF as a lot of the guys. Sure, they were eye-candy, but they could kick some butt in the ring. Well, Stratus could, and Sable was booked AS IF she could, but that’s another story. Always-solid performers Mickie James and Victoria have parted ways and headed south to TNA, leaving WWE with very few ‘wrestlers’ in the Diva division.
Fortunately, there’s hope; light at the end of the tunnel in the form of Beth Phoenix and Natalya Neidhart. One of WWE’s biggest mistakes for the women’s division was to get rid of the actual WWE Women’s Championship in favor of a new WWE Divas Championship. Originally having two womens’ divisions, they decided to merge than and unify the titles. It’s disappointing to see women’s wrestling represented by that. It’s very tacky, and in my eyes it’s even worse than the ‘Spinner Belt.’ However, I have to keep reminding myself that it’s a merchandising ploy, good for business, and at the end of the day, ‘it’s just wrestling.’
What would be good for business is a greater emphasis on quality wrestling, however. Good, compelling writing and characters are just as much a draw to fans as visual appeal. It’s the same logic applicable to male wrestlers. A wrestler doesn’t have to be jacked to sell tickets. A ‘Diva’ doesn’t have to be a one-hundred-pound blonde bombshell to be a success, either.
It's clear that sexuality is a powerful marketing detail here, too, but at least Beth can back it up in-ring and on the mic.
I’m not knocking Kelly Kelly, as she’s improved so much since her ‘Extreme Exposé’ days. It’s clear, though, that she’s no Trish Stratus, and she’s not even a Sable. I wouldn’t dare compare her to Sunny, either. Sunny may not have been a wrestler, but she could TALK. I can’t say the same for Kelly Kelly, though. Everyone defends Kelly Kelly by saying she’s ‘improved so much,’ and I will too, because it’s the best I can come up with to play devil’s advocate here. But does improvement matter all that much when you go from horrible to less-horrible? In the realm of bikini-models-turned-wrestlers, though, she’s good for what she is and is relatively over. It’s pretty clear to me, though, that Sunday marks the end of her run as Divas Champion.
On to Beth Phoenix. Beth turned heel on Kelly after winning a #1 Contender’s Battle Royal on Raw. Kelly hugged Phoenix, which made very little sense. Phoenix clubbed her like the She-Bear she is and told her her days as the ‘perky Barbie champion are over,’ or something like that. Basically, the ‘model’ is getting her butt handed to her by a powerhouse female wrestler. Finally.
TNA is currently running a similar angle which has Knockouts ODB & Jackie as the tough-as-nails wrestling components versus the eye-candy team of Tracy and Velvet Sky. For a while, TNA’s best thing going was their women’s division, but they fell into the ‘sex-sells’ habit as well. Hopefully this marks the beginning of a departure from that, and hopefully WWE will be on a similar course.
Not only do I predict that Beth Phoenix will win at SummerSlam, but I see her holding the title for a while as part of a monster push. WrestleMania will be potentially ‘wrestler-heavy’ this year (finally) and we may finally get to see one of my WrestleMania dream matches: Natalya versus Beth Phoenix. Yes, I said ‘dream match.’ My theory is that Beth is the quick replacement for Kharma, who had to leave due her pregnancy. Whether she will return or not only she knows, but I think that they may use some ideas meant for her in Phoenix’s title run.
Wrestling icon Randy Savage dead at 58
When I graduated from high school in 2006, I couldn’t help but think of Randy Savage as I walked down the aisle. The same thoughts went through my mind when I walked to get my degree from Westfield State College in May of last year. Attending this year’s ceremonies is no different; as a long-time wrestling fan, upon hearing “Pomp and Circumstance” I immediately am reminded of the Macho Man shilling Slim Jims and dropping elbows. The one thing that will be different about hearing the song tomorrow, however, is it will not be a happy reminder.
This morning around 10 AM, Ralph Poffo suffered a heart attack while driving his Jeep with his wife. After crashing into a median, the retired wrestler was killed. Poffo’s wife suffered minor injuries, thankfully, but wrestling fans around the world now must mourn the lost of another hero: “Macho Man” Randy Savage has been added to the ‘list.’
Unfortunately, he has not been yet added to WWE’s Hall of Fame list, and fans have been pretty much dying for that to happen. Wrestling has been absolutely crazy in recent years: we’ve seen Bret Hart make amends with Shawn Michaels, a concept that even a year later gives me goosebumps just thinking about. We even saw Bret Hart come back to become United States Champion in a triumphant victory for a stroke survivor, even if it was a bad match. We’ve seen Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Sean Waltman, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash reunite for another angle. In fact, that was head-to-head with the Bret & Shawn moment. We’ve seen The Rock come back after eight years to a thunderous ovation, and announce a blockbuster match one year in advance. After all of this, we all thought we’d finally see Randy Savage in a WWE ring again, even for one interview. With a DVD set and action figure out, it had to happen, right? I mean if the proverbial hell can freeze over with Bret Hart in the ring again, Savage could happen. (more…)
Royal Rumble 2011 a success–but you already knew that.
NASH!!!111oneoneone
After 24 years of pretty much the same thing, WWE did something not too drastic, although they would like you to think it’s a drastic change: adding ten men to the traditional thirty-man match. To compensate, the increments between timed entrances were reduced from two minutes to ninety seconds. This resulted in roughly the same total minimum match length, but helped showcase ten more aspiring stars and offering ten more pay-per-view payout bonuses.
This year’s extravaganza had something for everyone. The ‘smarky’ Boston crowd really ate up the opening sequences, as it featured WWE’s best pure wrestlers in the ring together: CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and William Regal, with Zack Ryder & Justin Gabriel as ‘buffers’ serving as elimination fodder for the three. The three traded stiff shots and showed the crowd a thing or two: Punk & Bryan will one day tear the house down if given the chance, and William Regal is one tough man.
Last week’s Raw: Dolph-Orton, Cena-Punk, Royal Rumble build
I’ve been really ‘uninspired’ lately with the current state of pro wrestling-entertainment. However, any fan knows that the Royal Rumble is the beginning of the ‘Road to WrestleMania,’ and the programming will get a lot better for at least a few months. I decided to get back into the swing of things by catching up on Raw, starting with last week’s episode. I haven’t watched it in months, and I think that helped me actually enjoy it a lot more.
John Cena vs Nexus
The show opens with John Cena cutting a promo on the Nexus. Apparently it’s being led by CM Punk now, which is great news. The Miz and Alex Riley interrupt, to inject the green WWE Champion into different main event situations, and keep the doors open for a Cena-Miz feud.
It's nice to see a champion dress with class instead of wearing jorts.
Pros:
- Punk leading Nexus is more entertaining than Barrett, and it ensures that Punk won’t be buried anytime soon. It makes Nexus seem a lot more ‘sinister.’
- Miz & Riley dress like champions. It’s good to see a heel champion come out in a suit. It’s more likely to bring class to the belt than a pair of jorts.
- Cena: “Cole has about as much street cred as the Jonas Brothers.”
- Cena makes a reference to having to keep it PG, which I thought was a neat comment aimed towards the older fans.
Cons:
- Cena’s comedy comments undermines The Miz as a worthy champion. He does have a point, though, as Miz’s delivery sometimes leaves a bit to be desired. Cena also puts ‘Cena vs Orton’ over as an iconic WrestleMania match-up, implying that Miz doesn’t belong in the main event. I think people would rather see someone new headline the show rather than see Cena vs Orton for the 80th time.
- Cole: “[John Cena] is the Ricky Gervais of WWE.” I’d like to hear an explanation for this one. I fail to see what Ricky Gervais has in common with John Cena. I guess the joke’s on me.
- ‘Poopy’ jokes.
OOOH YEAH: my thoughts on ‘TV-PG,’ the ‘attitude era,’ and…Randy Savage?
I’ve been trying to hype this site little by little, by taking part in discussions in the comment fields of the posts on popular WWE Facebook pages. It hasn’t been too successful, and I think I may have lost some intelligence as a result. A lot of WWE fans seem to be hell-bent on reliving the so-called glory days of the ‘attitude era,’ a term used to describe the view years of trash-TV many of us grew up on in the late 90s to early 00s.
You know, the same era that brought the McMahons $50 million they blew on their failed attempt at a spot in the US Senate. The same era that made them even more than that $50 million, and made them enough money to even be able to be prosperous after failing to get an alternative football league off the ground past a single season. The same era that the McMahons seem to be ashamed of being associated with; an era that bridged the gap between WWF, the pro-wrestling company and WWE the multimedia juggernaut, specializing in ‘sports entertainment.’
Gone are the days of ‘bra and panties matches’ and beer baths on weekly television broadcasts, and the fans are up in arms about it. I for one am glad.
Randy Savage: the perfect example of why TV-14, blood, and T&A are not the 'solution.'
Now, let me first tell you that I became a fan of professional wrestling in the late 90s. 1998, to be exact. I used to rush home from school every Tuesday to watch taped episodes of WCW Monday Nitro from the night before. Sometimes, I’d be lucky enough to watch it live, and one of my fondest memories to this day, still, is Bill Goldberg pinning Hulk Hogan for the world title, live on Nitro in Atlanta, Georgia. I followed WWF, too, but not as closely. A lot of the programming either bored me or was too off the wall for me to enjoy, and it didn’t have as much appeal as WCW. At least in my opinion at the time.
Slowly, that changed, however. All of my favorites began to ‘jump ship’ and show up on WWF’s programming. This was an exciting time, as a kid, because it truly felt like anything could happen. This was a time of disgruntled employees leaving to hopefully seek better opportunity in the rival promotion, but I didn’t realize that at the time. I loved WCW, but I loved following my favorites even more.
This being said, I’ll also say that I never got a pay-per-view. I can’t recall ever being amped up for a WWF event, but there were a few WCW shows I was really excited to see on VHS, thanks to a friend with a “hotbox.” I do recall seeing WrestleMania 2000 through that method, though, and it did feel like a big deal.
I think the reason WCW appealed to me more was that I liked WRESTLING. I knew from day one it was ‘fake,’ and I was OK with that. If anything, I liked it because I knew these guys could make it believable without really getting hurt–for the most part. I never liked the hardcore stuff, and I was more likely to cringe than cheer when I’d see a hard chairshot to the head. A part of me knew that that was more real than fake. People asked me why I liked ‘that fake stuff,’ and I’d always say, ‘well why would I want to see someone beat someone up for real? That would be pretty sick.’ Given the slang of today, I should point out that I didn’t mean ‘awesome’ when I said ‘sick.’
I followed WWF straight through its transition to WWE, because it was all that was left to watch after WCW closed. Eventually, I got bored. Life happened, high school happened, and I outgrew wrestling without realizing it. A few years later, I felt nostalgic and decided to get back into it. Two thousand bootleg DVDs later (I kid you not) I was a bigger fan than ever before, and a walking tome of wrestling knowledge of past and present.
My interest slowed down again, however, as the ‘PG’ era began. I initially thought that the problem was a lack of middle fingers and profanity, but it isn’t that simple. I recently watched WWE’s Randy Savage collection, and had an epiphany. (more…)