Wow.
If someone asked me to describe Wrestlemania 28 in one word, it would be exactly that. Wow. In every sense of the word.
From the opening joke of a match, to the epic Hell in a Cell, to the somewhat subpar main event, Wow seems to sum it up perfectly.
It had everything. So it seems right to talk about everything.
Lets start with the dark match. I didn't see much of it, but I know that Epico and Primo retained their titles. I guess that's a good thing right?
I have to say, I was quietly very excited about this Wrestlemania. Maybe it was the 3 main events, but I just had this feeling it was going to be one of the best, at least of the last 10 years. For me, my favourite Wrestlemania is 19, probably because it was the first one I saw, but there were so many big feel matches. Angle/Lesnar, McMahon/Hogan, Rock/Austin, Michaels/Jericho. Wrestlemania 28 had the same feel.
And for the most part, it really didn't disappoint. Yes, there were bad parts, which we'll get to when I run through the matches and segments, but the good definitely outweighed the bad.
And from a personal point of view, I picked 7 out of the 8 matches correctly. Not a bad effort.
Ok so let's get down to business and go through the card.
So first up we had the World Heavyweight Title match between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan, with AJ at ringside. And, in less time than it takes for Undertaker to walk out of the entranceway, the match is over.
I literally looked away for 3 seconds, and I missed the finish.
My first reaction, like a lot of people I would imagine, was just .. "what?" And from there, it morphed into a "what the f**k?" .. I mean come on. Apparently the WWE wanted to break the record set by Chavo and Kane back at Wrestlemania 24. And failed. So instead of being able to use the "record" angle as part of the story to soften the blow, we got an 18 second title match. Way to make the World Heavyweight Championship seem about as important as the Tag titles.
It was a joke. Plain and simple. We got commercials for next year's Wrestlemania, a Diva's commercial, a spot promoting deadliest catch that were longer than the first match. Couldn't we have done without the mimed musical performances, and had an actual match instead? It is called WRESTLEmania after all.
However, I don't think it made Daniel Bryan look as bad as most people think. It's the Honky Tonk Man principle. Ultimate Warrior defeated Honky in 30 seconds or so to win the Intercontinental title, and it didn't hurt Honky, because it was a surprise. He could claim he wasn't ready, wasn't prepared etc.
In the same vein, Daniel Bryan can now say that Sheamus took advantage of him while his back was turned. Not 100% true, but as a heel he can get away with bending the truth. So if there's one saving grace, at least the storyline in the next month or so will be a little interesting.
I'm not really sure how to score this match out of 10.. on one hand we got ripped off because we didn't get to see a good match, but for what it was, and what it could be, it's not the worst thing ever.
So, for what it was, i'll give it 7/10, but for what it could have been, it's a 2/10.
After a quick backstage segment with Team Johnny, next up was Randy Orton vs Kane. I really wasn't sure about this match, I felt like it had no reason to be happening, and there wasn't really any reason that I should care about it.
They talked about how Kane was trying to shake of the last of his humanity I guess? And Orton was responsible for some of that humanity? I'm not sure.
It was however, a really solid match. Not amazing, but it definitely didn't suck. I think on first viewing it looked worse than it was, because of what happened with the opening match. People were still shocked. I know I was.
The problem was though, this match lacked any kind of "big fight" feel. It may have had to do with it still being daylight. Seeing wrestling in natural light is still a little strange. But I think really it was just the lack of story behind the match.
We got the usual spots from Orton and Kane, but the finish was at least a little special, with Kane hitting a chokeslam from the ropes.
A decent match, but could have been better with more build up. 5.5/10
Next up was another backstage segment with Santino, Mick Foley, and eventually Ron Simmons. Very funny stuff, especially Mick's pirate voice. Oh and there was some guy from some discovery channel show they were trying to pimp.. I mean advertise. And of course, we got Ron Simmons delivering a perfect "damn".
Following on from that we got the Intercontinental Title match between Cody Rhodes and Big Show.
I had a feeling this might have been one of those "dark horse" matches that could end up being really, really good. And Show and Rhodes did not disappoint.
Great action to start off, and Big Show's chops to the chest sounded extra brutal. In fact, a lot of the impacts sounded more violent tonight. Maybe it was that everyone was working a little stiffer, maybe the WWE used different microphones because it was an outdoor event. Either way it was great.
The only thing was that the match to me was a little short. But it worked.
I originally thought that Show needed to win, but Cody should retain his title. I was going with this line of thinking because I had figured Cody was going to be an IC champion with a long title reign, as in a record setting title reign. That way, Big Show got his revenge, but Cody could still stay champion.
But that wasn't to be. Big Show loaded up his KO punch and nailed Cody, pinning him for the 1, 2, 3, and becoming the new Intercontinental Champion. And also a grand slam champion. Which is an awesome effort.
You could tell that it really did mean something to Big Show. I've always liked that about him, he shows real emotion when he wins titles. It happened for that 45 seconds at TLC when he won the world title, and again at Mania. It makes it feel real, and it shows that he's not just there to be there.
So I've been thinking about what happens to Cody Rhodes now. I would imagine he has a rematch at Extreme Rules, but over the next few months I would expect to see him starting to get into the World Title hunt, whether it be on Smackdown, or RAW.
So overall I think that this match was right up there in the top few of the night, and Big Show deserved the win. 7/10
This tag line that has been used this year.. the "end of an era".. It's not only about the Hell in a Cell match, which i'll get to in just a minute. It feels like that was the overriding theme of the night. Not "Once in a lifetime". That was strictly for The Rock and Cena. (And possibly a TNA contracted wrestler appearing on camera at Wrestlemania as well, but hey.. it's Naitch!).
Think about it. Sheamus decimated Daniel Bryan and became World Heavyweight Champ for the first time. Big Show achieved the honor of becoming a grand slam champion. The fact that he was so emotional.. maybe that was his last Wrestlemania match.
There was the embrace after the Hell in a Cell match, almost like Undertaker, Triple H and Shawn were saying goodbye (I'll get to it in more detail later).
Jericho (the veteran) put Punk over.
Rock one his Once in a Lifetime match. Everything has this "end of an era" feel about it, like RAW tomorrow (or today depending on where you are in the world) is going to be the start of a new day in the WWE, with a lot of the veterans stepping away. I have a feeling we might see Triple H, Undertaker, Big Show on raw, but we might not see them much after that.
I did notice that the first 3 matches were all done and dusted with only 45 minutes of the pay per view gone,
which did seem a bit fast. But we found out at the end that they needed all that time. I think it ended with only a few minutes to spare. So the timing was well done this year. It certainly didn't look like anything had to be cut down. So well done to the WWE for that.
So next up was a 3 or 4 minute video package about all the Divas. .. I don't know what point that served.
And now it's time for the Diva's tag team match. It was better than I expected, but to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. Beth carried the match (as usual), although Kelly Kelly did surprise me (and in a good way too) hitting a Molly Go Round (you know that's what it's called) on Beth.
What I didn't like is that damn finish. Maria Menounos took longer than a world heavyweight title match (Yup, that's going to become a thing) to climb the turnbuckles, selling the fact that she could hardly move. Yet she had the strength to hold Beth down with her entire body (including her apparently injured ribs) for a 3 count? A wrestler I could buy being able to do that, but a celebrity? She shouldn't have sold so hard. And if it was a legitimate injury and she really couldn't move that fast, she could have kept up the selling when going for the school boy(girl). Also, don't wear white pants when wrestling girls with fake tan on.
Overall it wasn't the worst divas match ever, but it was nowhere near as good as a one on one match with Beth and Natalya would have been. 4/10
Next up, somewhat surprisingly at first, is the End of an Era Hell in a Cell match. Undertaker vs Triple H, with Shawn Michaels as the guest referee. So many expectations. Would Shawn screw over one of the combatants? Would the match live up to the hype? And most importantly.. What would Undertaker's hair look like?
Before I get to the match, let me just say it was great to have Jim Ross call this match. Moreover, it was fitting. This match signified the last act of the attitude era. Jim Ross was the voice of the attitude era. In a perfect world, Cole would have left the commentary table for this match, but at least we got JR.
Shawn makes his entrance, and then that thundering open Eb Chord (yes, i know my music) hits, and Triple H makes his entrance, out of some kind of stage prop, that looked very cool, very metal, and very Triple H. He's been taking on this Viking style King of Kings character for his Mania entrances, and this one was right up there.
And then there's Undertaker. As you all know I'm a bit of an Undertaker mark, so his matches are always a special thing for me. As are his entrances. And this year he did not disappoint. That coat... yes it had a little bit of a Super Shredder vibe about it, but it was amazing. Somewhere between that ministry outfit, and his monk-like hooded robe/jacket.
The "hair reveal" almost had as much hype as the match itself. We'd all read the reports that he would be bald, but, in another surprise, Taker removed his hood and revealed a low mohawk. If you can, watch that part again, but watch the faces of the people in shot behind him. It's priceless.
It's certainly a different look for him, but it worked. Jim Ross's commentary once again made this moment so much more epic. Just a simple.. "My god".. Michael Cole really should pay attention to when the greatest of all time is speaking.
I'm not going to go through the match move by move, because let's face it, this is already long, and I've still got 3 more matches after this one to run through. Favourite parts though included the Spinebuster on the steps, which amazed me. Undertaker doesn't need to take bumps like that, but he still does. Amazing.
The brutal chair shots. All of them. Like I said before with Big Show's chops, the impact of the chair shots sounded different, more brutal.
The "DX finisher combo" on Undertaker had me going. No-one has ever kicked out of that combo of moves. Not that I've seen anyway. It's things like that which remind me how much I love pro wrestling. Even though every fibre of my being knows that Undertaker will win, because of the Streak, I still mark out for those near falls.
I liked the finish as well, but it was really the only part of the match that I felt like had been done before. We'd seen it with Shawn a couple of years earlier, only this year there was a sledgehammer. But it worked. It made sense. It was right.
What made this match so good though, was the story. And you can thank Shawn Michaels for making it as good as it was. Even in a refereeing only capacity, he is Mr Wrestlemania. Watch his reactions to the chair shots, the sledgehammer shots, the kickouts.. That was why Shawn was a part of this match. Look at the final Sledge shot from Taker to Triple H. The camera cuts back and it shows that Shawn can't even look. That says so much. And then after the pinfall.. Shawn looked like he genuinely had tears in his eyes.
All in all this was an amazing match, and an amazing finale to this 4 year journey of Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels/Undertaker vs Triple H, and an amazing final act of the Attitude Era. And the way that Undertaker, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels left the arena was.. it was perfect. Sure, people can say that Taker's character would never have done that, but this wasn't Undertaker the character. Since his return he's basically been I would say, as close to himself as he's ever been, without riding to the ring on a motorcycle. These three men have been a part of something that none of us as fans will ever truly understand. They clearly have a bond that goes beyond their gimmicks, and deserve all the accolades they have, and will ever get.
Before I move on from this match, let me posit a theory. Undertaker, and possibly Triple H, will come out on Raw tomorrow, and retire. Undertaker has reached 20-0. He's beaten every big name over the last 22 years. There's nothing else for him to do. 20-0 seems a fitting time to me, and if you watch the final couple of shots of Taker, Shawn and Hunter, it almost looks like a "goodbye" look from them. And I'm just going to go ahead and say it. That was a beautiful moment.
Ok so overall did this match live up to the hype? I think that yes, it did. It gave us everything we wanted (even accidental blood).. and brought to an end this amazing rivalry. 9.5/10
How does anyone follow that? The easy answer is that they don't, which is why a 12 man tag went on afterwards. That way the responsibility wasn't just on one or two people.
Just quickly, Edge choking up when he was announced in the hall of fame segment, same as Big Show, is one of those things that makes this feel even more special, and more real. It's really weird to see him with short hair though.
Heath Slater got slammed into that wall hard. Somebody tell that Flo Rida dude it's meant to be a work!
So next up is Team Johnny vs Team Teddy.
I really don't have a lot to say about this match, I thought it was as good as it could be. Dolph did indeed steal the spotlight as I thought he would. His sell of that monkey flip was insane. Best spot has to go to the Triple front flip rope dive though. Great timing by everyone, and everyone was caught safely.
It was an interesting finish, with Eve showing her true colours (again). But it was good that Miz got the pinfall. Going from main eventing Wrestlemania to being part of a 12 man tag match mustn't have been easy.
A decent match overall, but really nothing all that special. 6/10
Punk and Jericho came next, with the freshly added stipulation that if Punk got DQ'd, he'd lose the title. This was a really good decision, because it made the story of the match so much more intense. Punk had to keep his cool, and Jericho would try to make Punk snap time after time. A really smart booking decision. Well done.
Jericho's jacket now comes with a 2nd colour. But he still can't get it all to flash at once.
I think this match was going to have a hard time just because of it's place on the card. People were still reeling from the Hell in a Cell match. But I think that if people watch this match on replay, once they've already seen Wrestlemania once, they'll realise just how good this match is. It was what they both said it would be. The best wrestling match on the card.
Punk took a really hard fall from that suplex off of the apron, it looked brutal. But having said that, Jericho took a few fairly stiff looking knees from Punk when he said "how's your father?"
Speaking of those barbs, I thought that was a really original, and really well executed idea. Jericho verbally goading Punk into snapping, and letting us hear it through the camera (i'm not sure if it got picked up for the live crowd) was a great touch. And Jericho's facial expressions were perfect too.
What else can I say about this match? It was great. Pure pro wrestling. Back and forth pinfall attemps and submission attempts, reversals, and most importantly, a great story was told. I think it was right that Cm Punk won this match, and it solidifies him as a top guy. He defended the title, at Wrestlemania. That's a big deal.
8.5/10
We got a dance number instead of a world heavyweight title match. But.. plus side is we saw the Dactyl! .. I'm happy for Brodus getting a fairly unique Wrestlemania moment to say the least, but I think the time could have been better used for the opening match.
And last but not least, the main event. The once in a lifetime match. John Cena vs The Rock. Would it live up to the hype? Would The Rock become the best ever? Or would Cena finally shut Rocky up?
First of all, I'm just going to say one thing about the musical "performances". Lip-Syncing. Terrible.
One saving grace, I thought that Machine Gun Kelly guy performed really well. And I liked his little speech too. It seemed like he was really grateful to get the opportunity. Too bad whoever the female "singer" was performed so badly. But the dude was like a heat magnet. Cleveland jersey in Miami, and saying Cena would beat Rock. Well done.
But let's forget about all that, and focus on what's important. Which is the match.
I have to say, I'm a little disappointed with this match. There seemed to be a lack of chemistry and timing between the two. Rock looked like he was half a step slower than Cena, and there were at least 2 times I saw Cena having to wait for Rock to get in the right position for the next move.
And Rock seemed less .. well less like "The Rock".
Also from a Cena fan point of view, I was a little disappointed that he went back to the jean shorts and coloured shirts. The black was a little more aggressive, but maybe with Rocky being associated with wearing the black tights and shirts, they wanted to give a visual indication of how different the two guys are.
The match reminded me a lot of Rock/Hogan from Wrestlemania 18. I mean the difference here is that both guys were still in their prime, but still it had the same feeling. Both guys hitting their big moves only to have the guy kick out at 2.
I'll admit, I was almost sure that Cena was going to win when he finally hit the AA. Rocky kicked out so late it was almost 3 for real. And then Cena kind of changed a little, got a bit of an attitude.. got a little angry, and disrespectful. It was kind of interesting. Trying to hit a people's elbow on The Rock, in Miami, at Wrestlemania. Very ballsy.
Now I've been sure of a Cena heel turn before and it's not happened, so I'm not going to sit here and say "Cena's turning heel on Raw!" But it felt .. interesting. I can't wait to see what happens. Maybe there will be a Rock/Cena II, maybe at Summerslam. If there is Cena has to win that one. But a heel Cena vs a Babyface Rock would make the rematch more appealing, because it would be different.
If you read my Wrestlemania predictions, you'd know that I picked Cena to win. In retrospect, that was .. stupid. It's The Rock's hometown, he talked about wanting to be the best ever, and honestly, it makes sense. And Cena is a stand up guy to be good with that and do the job.
So Rock wins, and it's fitting. It made sense. Overall this match wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be, but it really had a lot of hype to live up to. John Cena and The Rock did a really good job though, and it was a great way to finish the night. 8/10
So overall what did I think of the show? I thought that it was one of the best Wrestlemania's in recent memory. I'm trying to think of what I'd thought the best was before today. Possibly Wrestlmania 23. Undertaker/batista.. Shawn/Cena, That epic MiTB match with both Hardy boys. And the battle of the billionaires. This card had a similar amount of epic matches, and overall, it lived up to the hype.
Yes, the WHC match was ridiculous, but it opens up an interesting storyline moving forward. Yes, the Rock and Cena wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was still great. And we got a better Cell match than I think a lot of people were expecting.
So overall I would give Wrestlemania 28 a 7 out of 10.
So that's all for now, I'll be back in a few days with the next edition of Home Schooling, talking about the fallout from Wrestlemania and Monday Night Raw. Until then, follow me on twitter if you're not already @TheOZMouthpiece and leave me a comment on here or twitter to let me know what you think.
Business concluded.
Showing posts with label Hell In A Cell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hell In A Cell. Show all posts
Monday, 2 April 2012
Sunday, 1 April 2012
The calm before the (grandest) Storm
Hi folks, your friendly neighbourhood Aussie Mouthpiece here, back with a special pre-Wrestlemania post.
What's that you say? I already did a Wrestlemania prediction? Well yes, but I've been thinking about it for the past couple of days, and with Wrestlemania less than a day away now, I thought it would be worth re-thinking, and making a new post with my thoughts and predictions, and that way I could elaborate, in the way I normally do without the post becoming 15 pages long.
Also, it gives me a chance to comment on a couple of the newest rumours and news bites that have come out in the last couple of days.
So let's start with the sightings of ex-WWE stars in Miami. Batista, Lita, and also Brock Lesnar. Well, let's get the easiest (no pun intended) one out of the way, Lita is there for Axxess, and also probably to see Edge get inducted into the Hall of fame. I highly doubt that we'll see her doing any kind of in-ring stuff, maybe something backstage, but I really don't think so.
Batista is a little interesting, but again I have a feeling he might just be there to support Ric Flair and the Horsemen and see them be inducted. Again, I don't really think that we'll see him interfere in any matches or anything, but we may see him in some kind of backstage segment, maybe in reference to Triple H and 'Taker's match, because he's been in a Hell in A Cell against both guys. I doubt he's coming back though, and also on a personal note I'm kind of hoping he doesn't. I was never a big fan of his work, it always looked like he wasn't putting all the effort he could in, and looked quite lazy. But that's just me.
Brock Lesnar.. now this is interesting. There's reports he's been seen in Miami, and even reports that he's signed a new deal with WWE. Now.. it is april 1st remember.. but really, it makes sense for Brock to come back. Enough time has passed that most people will have forgotten the way he left in the first place, and even more people have seen him now because of his MMA career.
The UFC has been kicking WWE's ass in pay per views as we all know, people have been gravitating towards the MMA stuff for a long time now, so if one of the bigger MMA stars now starts wrestling again, surely there will be some Brock Lesnar fans tuning into WWE who wouldn't have before right? Makes sense from a business standpoint, and it's also good for Brock because he can still perform in an athletic way.
So if this is true, and Brock Lesnar is back in the WWE, will we see him tomorrow? I think we shouldn't, but I think we might. My opinion is that it would be better for Brock to re-debut on RAW with no prior announcements, and (depending on how they want him to come back) destroy either Cena, or Rock.
And if the rumour of a Rock/Brock feud is true, then that would make the most sense. But, knowing WWE, they'll announce it or Michael Cole will talk about it and try to get it trending on twitter or something.
What do you think? Will we see Brock at mania? Or RAW? Or not at all because it's a prank?
Ok so with that done, let's talk about the matches.
As I said in my last post, I think that the World Heavyweight Championship match will open the show. I can't really think of anything else that would work. There's no Money in the Bank this year, and even though there is the Intercontinental title match, it doesn't feel like an opening match. Maybe the Team Johnny/Team Teddy match could open it up, but again, it doesn't feel right.
So let's talk about the World Heavyweight Title match.
Daniel Bryan Vs Sheamus
It's been a few years since the Royal Rumble winner actually won the title at Wrestlemania, so I think even for that reason alone it's gotta be Sheamus winning. But there's more to it than that. To me Wrestlemania is about the culmination of storylines, and for the most part, the bad guys to get their just desserts, and for the good guy to finally triumph. Now, the Bryan/Sheamus match isn't the most personal rivalry, but in a general sense Daniel Bryan needs to get what's coming to him. Expect AJ to be involved in the finish somehow, and maybe even finally "realise" that she is being treated badly.
My prediction: Sheamus wins.
Randy Orton vs Kane
This match is basically the result of two big name guys not having a storyline coming into Wrestlemani. I have a feeling they would have both been in the Money in the Bank match, had Wade Barrett not been injured. I'm sure it will be a decent match, but there's just a lack of any real reason to care about the match. I'd like to see Kane win, mainly because since his return, we really haven't seen him win a lot of matches. He's been dominant yes, destructive yes, but when it came to the actual matches, Cena came out on top.
So my prediction, is that Kane wins.
Beth Phoenix & Eve vs Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos
It's sad that you have the two best female wrestlers in the WWE in such bad spots. Well, I mean one in this match, and the other not even being used, and has been given a gimmick where she .. farts a lot? It's just another sign that WWE really doesn't care enough about the Diva's division. Beth vs Natalya would have been a great match for Wrestlemania. But instead we get this tag match where there will be cartwheels and stinkfaces and i'm guessing at least 3 botches.
Having a celebrity in the match basically leaves the result in no doubt. So really no need for a prediction. I will be shocked if the result is different, but as far as I'm concerned, Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos will win this match.
Cody Rhodes vs Big Show (Intercontinental Title)
I've really enjoyed the last few weeks of this feud. Cody has delivered some really great promos, the best of which being last week, talking about Big Show, and how he will be the Biggest fool of all (referencing April Fool's Day). The Big Show vignettes have been a little silly, but helped make the feud what it is. Show is going to come out strong trying to knock Cody's head off, with Cody backing off and slipping away. It should be a really good match, but I really don't see Cody losing his title. I also don't see Cody winning. It's the kind of situation where if Cody does lose his title, it might, and probably will kill a lot of his momentum.
So here's what I see happening. It's simple really. The Big Show wins by either countout or disqualification. OR, on the flipside, Cody incites Big Show so much, that he gets himself disqualified by using a chair/the belt/the ring bell. But I think that second idea would hurt the Big Show rather than keep him at that same level.
So my prediction is that Big Show wins, but Cody retains the Intercontinental Title.
Team Johnny vs Team Teddy
This is a match that I'm a little ambivalent about. I think a 6 man tag match doesn't really give any of the guys in the match any decent amount of time to do anything all that memorable (with the exception of Dolph Ziggler who will be the star of this match).
I'm glad that Booker T is getting a chance to perform at Wrestlemania again though. I don't see it as being a full-time return to the ring, but it's nice that he gets a chance to get back into the ring. Especially on the biggest stage of them all.
So my prediction? Unfortunately, Team Johnny wins and we have to put up with Laurinitis even longer.
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (WWE Title)
The best in the world, versus the best in the world at what he does. Up until a few weeks ago, this rivalry was just so-so to me. But then Jericho brought up CM Punk's family. And this feud got that injection of intensity it needed. It became personal, and much more than just another "who's the best?" kind of deal. Now we know that Punk is invested emotionally, and it's more than just about proving he's the man. It's also shown that Punk can be "gotten to", based on his reactions and promos over the last couple of weeks.
There's no doubt that this match is going to be the best technical wrestling match on the card, and possibly the best match on the card overall. But I think that CM Punk needs to win. It will cement him as one of the top guys, coming into Wrestlemania as champion, and leaving Wrestlemania as champion. If he loses, it will deflate things a little, and at least to me, make the promos he cut over the summer, and that whole storyline that happened during june/july/august mean less. Jericho doesn't need to win, and with the way it's gone over the last couple of weeks with Jericho seemingly getting the upper hand, it's only fitting that Punk wins.
So, not surprisingly, my prediction is that CM Punk retains the title, and therefore wins the match.
Undertaker vs Triple H w/Shawn Michaels as Guest Referee (Hell in A Cell)
The end of an era. 20 - 0. 19-1. So much hype surrounding this match, even though the build has been somewhat lackluster. I think that was just because there's not much left to say between these three guys. We've heard it all already, we know they respect each other, and we know that they want to win. Hell in A Cell is a fitting way to finish this series of matches involving Undertaker, Michaels and Triple H. All three are heavily associated with the Hell in a Cell match, so it makes a lot of sense.
So here's my first predictions. One: There will be no falls off the top of the cell. That really is a bit obvious but I'm sure there are people around who think each Cell match should have big moves off of the top. But come on.. Undertaker's not going to do that, and neither is Triple H.
Two: There WILL be blood. Triple H and Undertaker have shown last year that they have some extra lee-way when it comes to their matches, with the chair shot to the head. I don't think we'll see another one of those this year, but something is going to happen that causes one, or both guys to bleed. Barbed wire maybe, or even just using the walls of the cell. But there will be some kind of blood. If you were paying close attention to the video package shown on RAW, there were shots of both Undertaker and Triple H bloody inside the Cell. ... Just saying..
I'm positive Shawn will involve himself phyiscally in the match, and will be part of the finish. There have been reports saying that the WWE are talking about having Shawn and Triple H wrestle next year at Wrestlemania 29, and that they want to announce the main event for next year, on RAW this week. Shawn and Triple H won't be the main event, but who says that the WWE can't announce 2 matches a year in advance?
So here's how I see the finish, as concise as possible.Throughout the match, there's going to be tension between Shawn and Triple H, because of Taker's comments last week on RAW. So towards the end Shawn goes for a superkick on Undertaker, but Taker moves and he hits Triple H. While Shawn looks on .. "shocked".. Taker hits a tombstone, and covers Triple H. Shawn hesitates, but counts the pin. So obviously my prediction is that Undertaker wins, and the streak goes to 20 and 0.
John Cena vs The Rock.
Once in a lifetime. This match will surely close out the show. It's the main event. The final 3 matches will be Undertaker/Triple H, then the divas tag match so that people can relax after the Cell match, and then Rock/Cena.
This match is a hard one to call. To me it's quite similar to ten years ago, when it was The Rock vs Hulk Hogan. The crowd was divided that night, some cheering Rock, some cheering Hogan. In the end, Hogan put over the current star, The Rock. And that's how I think this should play out as well. John Cena should win this match. He's the full time wrestler. He's the guy who's there every week. However, Cena has also been getting the better of The Rock in the verbal battles they've been having.
I don't see anyone interfering in the match. I really hope that is the case as well. This match is too big to be interefered with. It needs to be a clean finish. So the only way I would even want to see it happen is if whoever it was that ran in, let's say it's Miz for example, Miz runs in, but gets cut off and thrown out of the ring by both Rock and Cena. Something like that where the run-in is unsuccessful.
The way I see it though, this will be a great match. It might not live up to the year long hype, but it will still be a great way to end Wrestlemania.
My prediction is that Cena wins, but then he and Rock earn each other's respect and the show ends with them both posing.
So there you go. That's my revised and updated Wrestlemania predictions. Follow me on twitter if you're not already, i'm @TheOZMouthpiece and leave me a comment to let me know what you think.
I'll be on twitter tomorrow for Wrestlemania like a lot of you, and I'm looking forward to the discussions and reactions to whatever it is that happens tomorrow.
I have a feeling that Wrestlemania 28 is going to be quite special.
But that's just me, and that's just my opinion.
What's that you say? I already did a Wrestlemania prediction? Well yes, but I've been thinking about it for the past couple of days, and with Wrestlemania less than a day away now, I thought it would be worth re-thinking, and making a new post with my thoughts and predictions, and that way I could elaborate, in the way I normally do without the post becoming 15 pages long.
Also, it gives me a chance to comment on a couple of the newest rumours and news bites that have come out in the last couple of days.
So let's start with the sightings of ex-WWE stars in Miami. Batista, Lita, and also Brock Lesnar. Well, let's get the easiest (no pun intended) one out of the way, Lita is there for Axxess, and also probably to see Edge get inducted into the Hall of fame. I highly doubt that we'll see her doing any kind of in-ring stuff, maybe something backstage, but I really don't think so.
Batista is a little interesting, but again I have a feeling he might just be there to support Ric Flair and the Horsemen and see them be inducted. Again, I don't really think that we'll see him interfere in any matches or anything, but we may see him in some kind of backstage segment, maybe in reference to Triple H and 'Taker's match, because he's been in a Hell in A Cell against both guys. I doubt he's coming back though, and also on a personal note I'm kind of hoping he doesn't. I was never a big fan of his work, it always looked like he wasn't putting all the effort he could in, and looked quite lazy. But that's just me.
Brock Lesnar.. now this is interesting. There's reports he's been seen in Miami, and even reports that he's signed a new deal with WWE. Now.. it is april 1st remember.. but really, it makes sense for Brock to come back. Enough time has passed that most people will have forgotten the way he left in the first place, and even more people have seen him now because of his MMA career.
The UFC has been kicking WWE's ass in pay per views as we all know, people have been gravitating towards the MMA stuff for a long time now, so if one of the bigger MMA stars now starts wrestling again, surely there will be some Brock Lesnar fans tuning into WWE who wouldn't have before right? Makes sense from a business standpoint, and it's also good for Brock because he can still perform in an athletic way.
So if this is true, and Brock Lesnar is back in the WWE, will we see him tomorrow? I think we shouldn't, but I think we might. My opinion is that it would be better for Brock to re-debut on RAW with no prior announcements, and (depending on how they want him to come back) destroy either Cena, or Rock.
And if the rumour of a Rock/Brock feud is true, then that would make the most sense. But, knowing WWE, they'll announce it or Michael Cole will talk about it and try to get it trending on twitter or something.
What do you think? Will we see Brock at mania? Or RAW? Or not at all because it's a prank?
Ok so with that done, let's talk about the matches.
As I said in my last post, I think that the World Heavyweight Championship match will open the show. I can't really think of anything else that would work. There's no Money in the Bank this year, and even though there is the Intercontinental title match, it doesn't feel like an opening match. Maybe the Team Johnny/Team Teddy match could open it up, but again, it doesn't feel right.
So let's talk about the World Heavyweight Title match.
Daniel Bryan Vs Sheamus
It's been a few years since the Royal Rumble winner actually won the title at Wrestlemania, so I think even for that reason alone it's gotta be Sheamus winning. But there's more to it than that. To me Wrestlemania is about the culmination of storylines, and for the most part, the bad guys to get their just desserts, and for the good guy to finally triumph. Now, the Bryan/Sheamus match isn't the most personal rivalry, but in a general sense Daniel Bryan needs to get what's coming to him. Expect AJ to be involved in the finish somehow, and maybe even finally "realise" that she is being treated badly.
My prediction: Sheamus wins.
Randy Orton vs Kane
This match is basically the result of two big name guys not having a storyline coming into Wrestlemani. I have a feeling they would have both been in the Money in the Bank match, had Wade Barrett not been injured. I'm sure it will be a decent match, but there's just a lack of any real reason to care about the match. I'd like to see Kane win, mainly because since his return, we really haven't seen him win a lot of matches. He's been dominant yes, destructive yes, but when it came to the actual matches, Cena came out on top.
So my prediction, is that Kane wins.
Beth Phoenix & Eve vs Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos
It's sad that you have the two best female wrestlers in the WWE in such bad spots. Well, I mean one in this match, and the other not even being used, and has been given a gimmick where she .. farts a lot? It's just another sign that WWE really doesn't care enough about the Diva's division. Beth vs Natalya would have been a great match for Wrestlemania. But instead we get this tag match where there will be cartwheels and stinkfaces and i'm guessing at least 3 botches.
Having a celebrity in the match basically leaves the result in no doubt. So really no need for a prediction. I will be shocked if the result is different, but as far as I'm concerned, Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos will win this match.
Cody Rhodes vs Big Show (Intercontinental Title)
I've really enjoyed the last few weeks of this feud. Cody has delivered some really great promos, the best of which being last week, talking about Big Show, and how he will be the Biggest fool of all (referencing April Fool's Day). The Big Show vignettes have been a little silly, but helped make the feud what it is. Show is going to come out strong trying to knock Cody's head off, with Cody backing off and slipping away. It should be a really good match, but I really don't see Cody losing his title. I also don't see Cody winning. It's the kind of situation where if Cody does lose his title, it might, and probably will kill a lot of his momentum.
So here's what I see happening. It's simple really. The Big Show wins by either countout or disqualification. OR, on the flipside, Cody incites Big Show so much, that he gets himself disqualified by using a chair/the belt/the ring bell. But I think that second idea would hurt the Big Show rather than keep him at that same level.
So my prediction is that Big Show wins, but Cody retains the Intercontinental Title.
Team Johnny vs Team Teddy
This is a match that I'm a little ambivalent about. I think a 6 man tag match doesn't really give any of the guys in the match any decent amount of time to do anything all that memorable (with the exception of Dolph Ziggler who will be the star of this match).
I'm glad that Booker T is getting a chance to perform at Wrestlemania again though. I don't see it as being a full-time return to the ring, but it's nice that he gets a chance to get back into the ring. Especially on the biggest stage of them all.
So my prediction? Unfortunately, Team Johnny wins and we have to put up with Laurinitis even longer.
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (WWE Title)
The best in the world, versus the best in the world at what he does. Up until a few weeks ago, this rivalry was just so-so to me. But then Jericho brought up CM Punk's family. And this feud got that injection of intensity it needed. It became personal, and much more than just another "who's the best?" kind of deal. Now we know that Punk is invested emotionally, and it's more than just about proving he's the man. It's also shown that Punk can be "gotten to", based on his reactions and promos over the last couple of weeks.
There's no doubt that this match is going to be the best technical wrestling match on the card, and possibly the best match on the card overall. But I think that CM Punk needs to win. It will cement him as one of the top guys, coming into Wrestlemania as champion, and leaving Wrestlemania as champion. If he loses, it will deflate things a little, and at least to me, make the promos he cut over the summer, and that whole storyline that happened during june/july/august mean less. Jericho doesn't need to win, and with the way it's gone over the last couple of weeks with Jericho seemingly getting the upper hand, it's only fitting that Punk wins.
So, not surprisingly, my prediction is that CM Punk retains the title, and therefore wins the match.
Undertaker vs Triple H w/Shawn Michaels as Guest Referee (Hell in A Cell)
The end of an era. 20 - 0. 19-1. So much hype surrounding this match, even though the build has been somewhat lackluster. I think that was just because there's not much left to say between these three guys. We've heard it all already, we know they respect each other, and we know that they want to win. Hell in A Cell is a fitting way to finish this series of matches involving Undertaker, Michaels and Triple H. All three are heavily associated with the Hell in a Cell match, so it makes a lot of sense.
So here's my first predictions. One: There will be no falls off the top of the cell. That really is a bit obvious but I'm sure there are people around who think each Cell match should have big moves off of the top. But come on.. Undertaker's not going to do that, and neither is Triple H.
Two: There WILL be blood. Triple H and Undertaker have shown last year that they have some extra lee-way when it comes to their matches, with the chair shot to the head. I don't think we'll see another one of those this year, but something is going to happen that causes one, or both guys to bleed. Barbed wire maybe, or even just using the walls of the cell. But there will be some kind of blood. If you were paying close attention to the video package shown on RAW, there were shots of both Undertaker and Triple H bloody inside the Cell. ... Just saying..
I'm positive Shawn will involve himself phyiscally in the match, and will be part of the finish. There have been reports saying that the WWE are talking about having Shawn and Triple H wrestle next year at Wrestlemania 29, and that they want to announce the main event for next year, on RAW this week. Shawn and Triple H won't be the main event, but who says that the WWE can't announce 2 matches a year in advance?
So here's how I see the finish, as concise as possible.Throughout the match, there's going to be tension between Shawn and Triple H, because of Taker's comments last week on RAW. So towards the end Shawn goes for a superkick on Undertaker, but Taker moves and he hits Triple H. While Shawn looks on .. "shocked".. Taker hits a tombstone, and covers Triple H. Shawn hesitates, but counts the pin. So obviously my prediction is that Undertaker wins, and the streak goes to 20 and 0.
John Cena vs The Rock.
Once in a lifetime. This match will surely close out the show. It's the main event. The final 3 matches will be Undertaker/Triple H, then the divas tag match so that people can relax after the Cell match, and then Rock/Cena.
This match is a hard one to call. To me it's quite similar to ten years ago, when it was The Rock vs Hulk Hogan. The crowd was divided that night, some cheering Rock, some cheering Hogan. In the end, Hogan put over the current star, The Rock. And that's how I think this should play out as well. John Cena should win this match. He's the full time wrestler. He's the guy who's there every week. However, Cena has also been getting the better of The Rock in the verbal battles they've been having.
I don't see anyone interfering in the match. I really hope that is the case as well. This match is too big to be interefered with. It needs to be a clean finish. So the only way I would even want to see it happen is if whoever it was that ran in, let's say it's Miz for example, Miz runs in, but gets cut off and thrown out of the ring by both Rock and Cena. Something like that where the run-in is unsuccessful.
The way I see it though, this will be a great match. It might not live up to the year long hype, but it will still be a great way to end Wrestlemania.
My prediction is that Cena wins, but then he and Rock earn each other's respect and the show ends with them both posing.
So there you go. That's my revised and updated Wrestlemania predictions. Follow me on twitter if you're not already, i'm @TheOZMouthpiece and leave me a comment to let me know what you think.
I'll be on twitter tomorrow for Wrestlemania like a lot of you, and I'm looking forward to the discussions and reactions to whatever it is that happens tomorrow.
I have a feeling that Wrestlemania 28 is going to be quite special.
But that's just me, and that's just my opinion.
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Home Schooling No.9
It's that time again, another week has come and gone, another episode of RAW, and that means it's time for another installment of Home Schooling. This week is going to be a little different. The first half of this post will be about Raw, and the second will be my regular "pre pay-per-view" blog, The Calm Before the Storm, which will be my rundown and predictions for the Wrestlemania card. I'll try to keep everything nice and concise so this doesn't turn into a short novel.
So let's get down to business.
I thought this week's RAW was a decent episode, but I was a bit disappointed with it, seeing as though it was the "go home" show for Wrestlemania. To me, this show is meant to be the one that "talks people into the building". I know that with Wrestlemania it's obviously different, because you have people who will be buying it no matter what, and also that most people will have already made up their minds about buying it or not, but still, it lacked that extra something for me.
Maybe it was that Chris Jericho wasn't "live" in the arena. Maybe because we just got a video package for one of the top 3 matches for Wrestlemania. Maybe it was because the last 25 minutes of the show were set aside for Rock and Cena. Probably not that last one. I really enjoyed that whole segment. Especially once Cena came out. But I'll get to that later.
The other thing that bothered me, is that we seem to have lost a lot of that "Pay per view" feel. Take the opening match. Sheamus and Orton vs Daniel Bryan and Kane. I would have thought the way to have this match work, would be to tease Orton and Kane (and Bryan and Sheamus) being in the ring together, not have the two sets of opponents spend a good majority of the match wrestling each other. To me it's now kind of like (especially with Orton and Kane) I've seen a lot of the match I'm going to see at Wrestlemania already, and I didn't have to pay for it. So why do I care about this match now?
One quick thing about Team Johnny/Team Teddy.. Laurinitis can't even deliver a one line promo correctly. That says just about everything that needs to be said about this match.
Part of me thinks that there's a little too much emphasis on the Rock and Cena. Yes, it's a huge match. Yes, it's "once in a lifetime". But the WWE Title should be just as important I think. So why wasn't Chris Jericho wrestling a singles match this week? All we've seen is Jericho talk for the last few weeks. Why is that? Do we not need to see that Jericho is a great wrestler? Something doesn't quite feel right in that sense, and I can't really figure out why they wouldn't have him wrestling, or at least interfering in a match or something.
Unless Jericho is slightly injured. Hopefully that's not the case.
Jericho's promos have been entertaining, and edgy. They have made the feud personal. Now I don't really see that the whole "bastard" thing is a big deal, or why that's a bigger deal than saying things about CM Punk's family. But that's neither here nor there.
Punk taking his anger out on Christian was the right move. It shows us that Punk IS angry about this, and also that Jericho has gotten to him, which in turn adds a little bit of doubt into whether Punk will retain the title. And also, apparently Christian isn't 100%, so it was a good way to write him out of the Tag match.
Incidentally, I really like the way Punk delivers those kicks to the head.
Did anyone else notice that this week's Jericho promo looked exactly the same as last weeks? As in, it was recorded the same time as last weeks? Lazy bit of TV right there.
Now, about this "End of an Era" video package. I understand that Triple H and Undertaker have basically said everything they could possibly say, but I think we, the viewers, and more importantly the people who paid to be at the show deserved to see these guys. Originally I was thinking the way it should have been done, would have been to show the video package last week, and then have the in ring segment from last week, on this week's show. But I've come up with a second theory.
What if this week, Triple H came down to the ring, and called out Shawn? They have some kind of heated words about Shawn's ego, about what Undertaker said, and maybe it gets a little phyiscal, maybe they push each other, get in each other's face? And then, the lights go out. When they come back on, Undertaker is at the top of the stage, looking at the ring, and all he does is smile. I don't know, it just felt like only having a video package detracted from how big this match is.
Cody Rhodes delivered probably the second best moment of the episode for me this week. His promo was great. And the best part, it actually got me interested in the Intercontinental title match. Well done to Cody. Hopefully this continues after Wrestlemania, and we see him getting a shot at the World title/WWE Title soon.
Ok onto The Rock, and John Cena. Rock spends way too much time standing there with a cheesy grin on his face. So let's just get that out of the way right now. Rock talks about all the young starlets throwing themselves at him. That's only a little bit creepy Rocky. But let's move on.
Yes. Rock delivered a great promo. It was the same stuff though. My biggest problem with all this though, is yes, The Rock will be on RAW next week. But after that, he's gone again right? So really, regardless of the result, John Cena will be proven right (at least temporarily if Rock is going to be part of WM 29).
So let's talk about Cena for a minute here. His promo was the best part of the night. He talked about how the fans boo him. He talked about it not bothering him. That was expected. But after a few minutes it got real good, real quick. It got into that weird area of "is this a shoot?" for a little bit there as well. But once again, as has happened in the last few weeks, John Cena basically owned The Rock on the microphone.
He talked about how he's been the only guy who's gotten booed and never turned heel. And then antagonised the booing crowd, saying that he always wins. That part to me was the most interesting, because if you think about it from a non-kayfabe perspective, he's saying "The office knows that I'm the man, and that's why I always win". Very interesting. Of course, kayfabe wise, it was just saying "you can hate me all you want, but i'll still find a way". I think that may have been my favourite part of Cena's promo.
He talked about how The Rock was there when it was "cool" to be a WWE Superstar, but Cena has been the face of the company when it's been going through harder times. This is why Cena has been better than The Rock in these promos. Rock has insulted everything Cena wears, cares about, says, his family, and basically been a schoolyard bully.
Cena, has been saying things that are fact, yet things that show the Rock in a poor light, like the notes on the wrist, like Rock being there when it was "cool". Not insulting what makes the Rock, The Rock.
Ok scratch what I said about my favourite part. Cena calling the Rock a visitor, and then Rock's response. That is my favourite part of the night, and this entire feud. Because Rock delivered his response with passion. Not trying to get things trending, not trying to say new cool catchphrases, just speaking from the heart. Also, Cena's response to Rock's response was just as good. All in all a brilliant final segment, and thinking about it, definitely worth giving them the 20 minutes at the end of RAW.
One last thing about Rock/Cena, I think they should have made a slightly bigger deal about Rock wanting to be the greatest of all time by being the first guy to beat Hogan, Austin and Cena, instead of the ladyparts/transvestite wonder woman/barney's turd crap that we had to put up with. I would have been much more interested, and, now that I think about it, probably have been wanting The Rock to win if it had gone that way. Oh what could have been....
Ok so that's all for this week, I'll be on twitter during Wrestlemania so I'll be joining in with the crazy tweet barrage that happens. Until next week's blog, follow me on twitter if you're not already @TheOZMouthpiece and leave me a comment on here if you like, or dislike, or have something interesting to say.
Business.. is concluded.
So let's get down to business.
I thought this week's RAW was a decent episode, but I was a bit disappointed with it, seeing as though it was the "go home" show for Wrestlemania. To me, this show is meant to be the one that "talks people into the building". I know that with Wrestlemania it's obviously different, because you have people who will be buying it no matter what, and also that most people will have already made up their minds about buying it or not, but still, it lacked that extra something for me.
Maybe it was that Chris Jericho wasn't "live" in the arena. Maybe because we just got a video package for one of the top 3 matches for Wrestlemania. Maybe it was because the last 25 minutes of the show were set aside for Rock and Cena. Probably not that last one. I really enjoyed that whole segment. Especially once Cena came out. But I'll get to that later.
The other thing that bothered me, is that we seem to have lost a lot of that "Pay per view" feel. Take the opening match. Sheamus and Orton vs Daniel Bryan and Kane. I would have thought the way to have this match work, would be to tease Orton and Kane (and Bryan and Sheamus) being in the ring together, not have the two sets of opponents spend a good majority of the match wrestling each other. To me it's now kind of like (especially with Orton and Kane) I've seen a lot of the match I'm going to see at Wrestlemania already, and I didn't have to pay for it. So why do I care about this match now?
One quick thing about Team Johnny/Team Teddy.. Laurinitis can't even deliver a one line promo correctly. That says just about everything that needs to be said about this match.
Part of me thinks that there's a little too much emphasis on the Rock and Cena. Yes, it's a huge match. Yes, it's "once in a lifetime". But the WWE Title should be just as important I think. So why wasn't Chris Jericho wrestling a singles match this week? All we've seen is Jericho talk for the last few weeks. Why is that? Do we not need to see that Jericho is a great wrestler? Something doesn't quite feel right in that sense, and I can't really figure out why they wouldn't have him wrestling, or at least interfering in a match or something.
Unless Jericho is slightly injured. Hopefully that's not the case.
Jericho's promos have been entertaining, and edgy. They have made the feud personal. Now I don't really see that the whole "bastard" thing is a big deal, or why that's a bigger deal than saying things about CM Punk's family. But that's neither here nor there.
Punk taking his anger out on Christian was the right move. It shows us that Punk IS angry about this, and also that Jericho has gotten to him, which in turn adds a little bit of doubt into whether Punk will retain the title. And also, apparently Christian isn't 100%, so it was a good way to write him out of the Tag match.
Incidentally, I really like the way Punk delivers those kicks to the head.
Did anyone else notice that this week's Jericho promo looked exactly the same as last weeks? As in, it was recorded the same time as last weeks? Lazy bit of TV right there.
Now, about this "End of an Era" video package. I understand that Triple H and Undertaker have basically said everything they could possibly say, but I think we, the viewers, and more importantly the people who paid to be at the show deserved to see these guys. Originally I was thinking the way it should have been done, would have been to show the video package last week, and then have the in ring segment from last week, on this week's show. But I've come up with a second theory.
What if this week, Triple H came down to the ring, and called out Shawn? They have some kind of heated words about Shawn's ego, about what Undertaker said, and maybe it gets a little phyiscal, maybe they push each other, get in each other's face? And then, the lights go out. When they come back on, Undertaker is at the top of the stage, looking at the ring, and all he does is smile. I don't know, it just felt like only having a video package detracted from how big this match is.
Cody Rhodes delivered probably the second best moment of the episode for me this week. His promo was great. And the best part, it actually got me interested in the Intercontinental title match. Well done to Cody. Hopefully this continues after Wrestlemania, and we see him getting a shot at the World title/WWE Title soon.
Ok onto The Rock, and John Cena. Rock spends way too much time standing there with a cheesy grin on his face. So let's just get that out of the way right now. Rock talks about all the young starlets throwing themselves at him. That's only a little bit creepy Rocky. But let's move on.
Yes. Rock delivered a great promo. It was the same stuff though. My biggest problem with all this though, is yes, The Rock will be on RAW next week. But after that, he's gone again right? So really, regardless of the result, John Cena will be proven right (at least temporarily if Rock is going to be part of WM 29).
So let's talk about Cena for a minute here. His promo was the best part of the night. He talked about how the fans boo him. He talked about it not bothering him. That was expected. But after a few minutes it got real good, real quick. It got into that weird area of "is this a shoot?" for a little bit there as well. But once again, as has happened in the last few weeks, John Cena basically owned The Rock on the microphone.
He talked about how he's been the only guy who's gotten booed and never turned heel. And then antagonised the booing crowd, saying that he always wins. That part to me was the most interesting, because if you think about it from a non-kayfabe perspective, he's saying "The office knows that I'm the man, and that's why I always win". Very interesting. Of course, kayfabe wise, it was just saying "you can hate me all you want, but i'll still find a way". I think that may have been my favourite part of Cena's promo.
He talked about how The Rock was there when it was "cool" to be a WWE Superstar, but Cena has been the face of the company when it's been going through harder times. This is why Cena has been better than The Rock in these promos. Rock has insulted everything Cena wears, cares about, says, his family, and basically been a schoolyard bully.
Cena, has been saying things that are fact, yet things that show the Rock in a poor light, like the notes on the wrist, like Rock being there when it was "cool". Not insulting what makes the Rock, The Rock.
Ok scratch what I said about my favourite part. Cena calling the Rock a visitor, and then Rock's response. That is my favourite part of the night, and this entire feud. Because Rock delivered his response with passion. Not trying to get things trending, not trying to say new cool catchphrases, just speaking from the heart. Also, Cena's response to Rock's response was just as good. All in all a brilliant final segment, and thinking about it, definitely worth giving them the 20 minutes at the end of RAW.
One last thing about Rock/Cena, I think they should have made a slightly bigger deal about Rock wanting to be the greatest of all time by being the first guy to beat Hogan, Austin and Cena, instead of the ladyparts/transvestite wonder woman/barney's turd crap that we had to put up with. I would have been much more interested, and, now that I think about it, probably have been wanting The Rock to win if it had gone that way. Oh what could have been....
Ok so that's all for this week, I'll be on twitter during Wrestlemania so I'll be joining in with the crazy tweet barrage that happens. Until next week's blog, follow me on twitter if you're not already @TheOZMouthpiece and leave me a comment on here if you like, or dislike, or have something interesting to say.
Business.. is concluded.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Home schooling no.2
And we're back. Installment two of my new weekly blog. A more general look at whats happening in wrestling. This week I want to talk about some older wrestling, how it's different to today, and also shoot interviews. And of course, the big ending to RAW. And there will probably be some mention of Hell in a Cell.
So let's start there shall we?
So at first viewing, I wasn't too thrilled. Anyone who read my blog last week, saw that I wasn't all that thrilled last week either. Unfortunately this week I felt mostly the same.
Now, it wasn't all bad. It was good to see some guys who don't get on tv much getting some airtime. I haven't seen Drew McIntyre for ages. But, what I didn't understand is why they decided to wait until halfway through the show to talk about what was clearly the biggest angle coming off of hell in a cell.
I do like what they're doing with Miz and R-Truth, however... it does kinda feel like a re-hash of the CM Punk fired antics, except that Punk never apologised for anything he did.
Speaking of CM Punk.. where is he? I think it's a safe bet to say that a lot of people got really excited with Punk's promos, or in ring talking segments over the last couple of months.. but the last 2 weeks on RAW, even though he was in the main event of the Pay per view they were building towards (can you call it building towards if it's only 2 weeks?), there were no Punk promos. It made it almost obvious that he wasn't going to win the title. It also made it look like he was an afterthought, and I'm fairly sure that's not what he re-signed for.
Hopefully the reports are accurate and Punk's push is going to continue for a long time to come, because he's basically the most entertaining thing on RAW at the moment.
I should point out I clearly dont mean the jumping the rail at the end of HIAC, just the use of youtube and twitter. It makes less sense with Miz and truth, they're not as controversial as CM Punk.
So the end of Raw was a little hit and miss with me. I read that the wwe decided to keep the top babyfaces in the back to stop them from getting booed. Absolute nonsense. How can you have a full vote of no confidence, if you don't have the entire roster out in the arena? That does not make sense.
I did like Mike Chioda getting to talk. what he said sounded like it was coming from a real place, and that definitely helped make this all seem more real.
Why was JR the last to leave? That seemed a little strange. All I can think of is that he is basically the only guy (besides Lawler) to have been working for the wwe when HHH started...so I guess the whole "long time friend" thing makes a bit of sense...right? Maybe it was because RAW was in his home state, and they thought it would garner a bigger reaction...
But.. wow. Talk about sending a message. I just don't know where this is all heading. I mean, the big payoff clearly is Survivor Series, with the anti-wwe.. or the "laurinitis led team" vs the pro-WWE or "HHH's team" match heading the show. But what happens next week? Is this when we get the return of Vince McMahon? He's going to be the "saviour".. wanting to return the WWE to how it was before CM Punk started all this? Will he get booed like they want? It seems like the general reaction to all of this stuff is fairly mixed. With the exception, of course, of the cheer HHH got when he was left all alone, literally, in the middle of the ring.
One other thing about this walk-off, the cameramen putting the cameras down and leaving ringside was an absolutely brilliant touch. Amazing work.
Hell In A Cell:
I haven't seen the whole show, but I did like what I saw. I'm not going to do anything like I would do had I watched the Pay Per View live, so no match by match review.
I think once again, it was a poor card. 5 matches only announced before the start of the event? I mean, it was a great thing to add the Tag match between Air-Boom (seriously? that was the best name?) and Dolph and Swagger. They all deserved to be on the card.
I think most of the matches had the right finishes. I guess maybe the plan for SinCara and.. SinCara.. is for Mistico to unmask? I mean, the heel SinCara won so Mistico can't be called Sin Cara any more right?
Not a fan of Del Rio winning the title again 2 weeks after losing it. That means, he is already a Two Time World champion. That means, he has won more World titles than Miz. Who headlined Wrestlemania. Short title runs are not good. More importantly, it doesn't really help make the titles seem meaningful. The mid card titles are being used well, especially with Cody Rhodes bringing out the "classic" Intercontinental Title belt. The same belt Shawn, Razor, Bret, Honky Tonk, and Macho man won. Or at least a close resemblance. Much better.
And the same goes with Dolph and the US Title.
And that's basically the problem today. The top titles don't mean anything, because they keep changing hands. There's no building of a champion. I can't really remember the last time anyone was built up in what i think is the best way possible, I think i'd have to go back to 2004 and John Cena, or even 2003, with Randy Orton. You could probably throw Batista into that as well. Batista and Cena both won their first world titles at Wrestlemania 21. But after that, I really don't remember anyone else. Maybe Punk, but he cashed in Money in the bank for his first title.
Maybe that is the problem. The Money in the Bank. It worked great for the first cash in, Edge. That was a great moment. The beaten and bloodied Cena who had just gone through an Elimination Chamber match and retained his title, only to have Edge cash in, take advantage of the situation and become the WWE champion for the first time. But i don't remember the build up for that. Oh well, let's throw Edge into that mix of guys too.
But since then, every "cash in" has gotten less meaningful. Del Rio's wasn't too bad, but he only held the title for a month. It makes the cash in look temporary, and like a means to a different end, as opposed to the object being "Make the guy who cashes the briefcase in a main eventer".
How long did Jack Swagger hold that title for anyway?
Just something to think about...
So one last thing. Shoot Interviews. They're awesome if you want to know some inside stories and knowledge. I especially like Kayfabe Commentaries' Guest Booker series. That side of wrestling always interested me.
Here's a few i'd recommend seeing if you haven't already.
Timeline of the WWE: 1997 w/Jim Cornette
Absolutely brilliant. Jim Cornette always has something to say, and it's always entertaining. Definitely watch this.
Guest Booker with Raven.
Raven books the Outsiders coming into ECW instead of WCW. Awesome. Raven is so smart. Really good , really entertaining.
Guest Booker with Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette re-books the Invasion angle. Do I really need to say anything more?
Ok that should get you started, or something. There's so many more, anything with Jim Cornette or Raven is gold.
So I think i'm done for this week. I'm going to start adding some new things to this weekly blog, maybe different topics like i covered this time, maybe a more detailed review of a shoot dvd. I'm also planning to start reviewing older pay per views. maybe pick a year and review the "big four" events. Also some entries about single wrestlers are planned.
But until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this, leave me a comment and follow my tweets at @TheOZMouthpiece and that's it.. and that's all.
So let's start there shall we?
So at first viewing, I wasn't too thrilled. Anyone who read my blog last week, saw that I wasn't all that thrilled last week either. Unfortunately this week I felt mostly the same.
Now, it wasn't all bad. It was good to see some guys who don't get on tv much getting some airtime. I haven't seen Drew McIntyre for ages. But, what I didn't understand is why they decided to wait until halfway through the show to talk about what was clearly the biggest angle coming off of hell in a cell.
I do like what they're doing with Miz and R-Truth, however... it does kinda feel like a re-hash of the CM Punk fired antics, except that Punk never apologised for anything he did.
Speaking of CM Punk.. where is he? I think it's a safe bet to say that a lot of people got really excited with Punk's promos, or in ring talking segments over the last couple of months.. but the last 2 weeks on RAW, even though he was in the main event of the Pay per view they were building towards (can you call it building towards if it's only 2 weeks?), there were no Punk promos. It made it almost obvious that he wasn't going to win the title. It also made it look like he was an afterthought, and I'm fairly sure that's not what he re-signed for.
Hopefully the reports are accurate and Punk's push is going to continue for a long time to come, because he's basically the most entertaining thing on RAW at the moment.
I should point out I clearly dont mean the jumping the rail at the end of HIAC, just the use of youtube and twitter. It makes less sense with Miz and truth, they're not as controversial as CM Punk.
So the end of Raw was a little hit and miss with me. I read that the wwe decided to keep the top babyfaces in the back to stop them from getting booed. Absolute nonsense. How can you have a full vote of no confidence, if you don't have the entire roster out in the arena? That does not make sense.
I did like Mike Chioda getting to talk. what he said sounded like it was coming from a real place, and that definitely helped make this all seem more real.
Why was JR the last to leave? That seemed a little strange. All I can think of is that he is basically the only guy (besides Lawler) to have been working for the wwe when HHH started...so I guess the whole "long time friend" thing makes a bit of sense...right? Maybe it was because RAW was in his home state, and they thought it would garner a bigger reaction...
But.. wow. Talk about sending a message. I just don't know where this is all heading. I mean, the big payoff clearly is Survivor Series, with the anti-wwe.. or the "laurinitis led team" vs the pro-WWE or "HHH's team" match heading the show. But what happens next week? Is this when we get the return of Vince McMahon? He's going to be the "saviour".. wanting to return the WWE to how it was before CM Punk started all this? Will he get booed like they want? It seems like the general reaction to all of this stuff is fairly mixed. With the exception, of course, of the cheer HHH got when he was left all alone, literally, in the middle of the ring.
One other thing about this walk-off, the cameramen putting the cameras down and leaving ringside was an absolutely brilliant touch. Amazing work.
Hell In A Cell:
I haven't seen the whole show, but I did like what I saw. I'm not going to do anything like I would do had I watched the Pay Per View live, so no match by match review.
I think once again, it was a poor card. 5 matches only announced before the start of the event? I mean, it was a great thing to add the Tag match between Air-Boom (seriously? that was the best name?) and Dolph and Swagger. They all deserved to be on the card.
I think most of the matches had the right finishes. I guess maybe the plan for SinCara and.. SinCara.. is for Mistico to unmask? I mean, the heel SinCara won so Mistico can't be called Sin Cara any more right?
Not a fan of Del Rio winning the title again 2 weeks after losing it. That means, he is already a Two Time World champion. That means, he has won more World titles than Miz. Who headlined Wrestlemania. Short title runs are not good. More importantly, it doesn't really help make the titles seem meaningful. The mid card titles are being used well, especially with Cody Rhodes bringing out the "classic" Intercontinental Title belt. The same belt Shawn, Razor, Bret, Honky Tonk, and Macho man won. Or at least a close resemblance. Much better.
And the same goes with Dolph and the US Title.
And that's basically the problem today. The top titles don't mean anything, because they keep changing hands. There's no building of a champion. I can't really remember the last time anyone was built up in what i think is the best way possible, I think i'd have to go back to 2004 and John Cena, or even 2003, with Randy Orton. You could probably throw Batista into that as well. Batista and Cena both won their first world titles at Wrestlemania 21. But after that, I really don't remember anyone else. Maybe Punk, but he cashed in Money in the bank for his first title.
Maybe that is the problem. The Money in the Bank. It worked great for the first cash in, Edge. That was a great moment. The beaten and bloodied Cena who had just gone through an Elimination Chamber match and retained his title, only to have Edge cash in, take advantage of the situation and become the WWE champion for the first time. But i don't remember the build up for that. Oh well, let's throw Edge into that mix of guys too.
But since then, every "cash in" has gotten less meaningful. Del Rio's wasn't too bad, but he only held the title for a month. It makes the cash in look temporary, and like a means to a different end, as opposed to the object being "Make the guy who cashes the briefcase in a main eventer".
How long did Jack Swagger hold that title for anyway?
Just something to think about...
So one last thing. Shoot Interviews. They're awesome if you want to know some inside stories and knowledge. I especially like Kayfabe Commentaries' Guest Booker series. That side of wrestling always interested me.
Here's a few i'd recommend seeing if you haven't already.
Timeline of the WWE: 1997 w/Jim Cornette
Absolutely brilliant. Jim Cornette always has something to say, and it's always entertaining. Definitely watch this.
Guest Booker with Raven.
Raven books the Outsiders coming into ECW instead of WCW. Awesome. Raven is so smart. Really good , really entertaining.
Guest Booker with Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette re-books the Invasion angle. Do I really need to say anything more?
Ok that should get you started, or something. There's so many more, anything with Jim Cornette or Raven is gold.
So I think i'm done for this week. I'm going to start adding some new things to this weekly blog, maybe different topics like i covered this time, maybe a more detailed review of a shoot dvd. I'm also planning to start reviewing older pay per views. maybe pick a year and review the "big four" events. Also some entries about single wrestlers are planned.
But until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this, leave me a comment and follow my tweets at @TheOZMouthpiece and that's it.. and that's all.
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