April 6, 2015

The Ballad of AJ Lee

Mrs. Best In The World: Officially Longest Reign With That Title, There's Only One AJ...

And so the inevitable day has come:

AJ has retired from active competition in the squared circle.

If you’re looking for a detailed career highlight reel search elsewhere or check out her wiki. This is a simple lean back in your chair and pay homage kind of affair here.

AJ was always viewed as an underdog due to her size but as the fans have proven in this era of wrestling; it’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.

Undoubtedly the hall of fame class of 2025 (hopefully not before) will be blessed by her presence. Title accolades aside, she conquered a lot of challenges and provide some fantastic wow moments, one of which blossomed into real-life romance.

” I dig crazy chicks ” – CM Punk

That immortal line catapulted AJ into another universe and helped her character in the main event scene.

She will always be compared to Divas of the past but there can be no doubt that when it came to the in ring prowess she continuously improved, becoming more and more vicious per match and culminating in her finisher being the almost flawless black widow submission hold.

Out of the ring she will also hold the title of being a true non-conformist and never ever featuring in a single episode of total divas.

AJ has certainly set the winds of change blowing with her two cents added to the Twitter trend #givedivasachance albeit it remains to be seen whether or not it will amount to something fiscal for her peers that have been left behind.

A rebel from start to finish, AJ is a beautiful reminder that history is only truly made by the troublemakers. An upcoming book from AJ is going to be a great seller for sure, and for me personally a must read.

April, thanks for the memories and we’ll all love you no matter what you do.

Until your last breath.

March 18, 2015

Wrestlemania 31 – Predictions/Projections

Showcase of the Immortals: the supershow comes to Sil(ly)icon Valley – who’s going home a winner?

WELCOME TO WRESTLEMANIA!

So who will win? who will lose? and does it have a real point this year? let’s dig in and see:

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Importance? 3/5

Most people who will blog about this contest will probably berate it, give it a lower rating (based on the “out of 5” system) or will out-and-out reject the need for this match. The fact that it is being touted on-air as “the annual tradition” (or something to this effect) doesn’t really boost its profile.

The combatants do their best to make it seem very important but, in this day and age, nobody wants to win tournaments or Battle Royals with no real reward after, even if it is a plastic (and tacky looking I’m afraid) statue.

Last year’s winner is Cesaro, and he’s gone on to be one half of the current tag team champions. whether or not this is precedent for the winners of this “prestigious” match. Obviously from a casual fan perspective, it’s a cool match to see some of those who never made the final cut, battle for a true wrestlemania moment: raising the trophy above their head in victory.

The participants are indeed a mixed bag, but the biggest story going into this match has to be the combustible duo of The Miz/ Mizdow. This match is almost certainly the end of this coupling and Mizdow finally stepping out into the light in one way or another.

with that said, let’s pick a winner.

Winner: Mizdow

Randy Orton Vs. Seth Rollins

Importance: 4/5

This match has some real spice to this one as the recent return of Orton and the masterful way he exacted his revenge upon Rollins at the end of Raw a fortnight ago, really added some fire to this card. The way that Orton methodically beat the living daylights out of Seth at the end of Raw had a real feeling of a father, punishing his son for doing something. It was something about the way Orton said “Did you think i would just forget??” and continually pounded Seth harder and harder that made you both chuckle and cheer for the Viper.

And of course, the crisp and precise delivery of that RKO through the announce table was the exclamation point on a very strong sentence of vengeance against the authority.

The numbers game will undoubtedly be an issue for the viper here – but if he can outsmart the authority and dissect them accordingly before the match, he could clinch the victory here. but he’s gotta do as his twitter hashtag says: he’s got to hit that #RKOouttanowhere.

The numbers however are weighing heavily in the favour of the golden child of the authority, and he has a lot of momentum going into this match as whenever he’s close to a loss, (even when he actually loses) the authority always wins.

Winner: Seth Rollins

WWE United States Championship

John Cena Vs Rusev (c)

Importance: 4/5

Ugh. So here we have Cena playing the usual role of American hero, here to save us from the tyranny of the Russian Super Champ, Rusev who of course, hates America.

The tried and tested method of USA verses (Enter enemy country here) is one that appeals to a certain type of wrestling fan. Of course, this wouldn’t be Wrestlemania without Ol’ John boy being involved somehow. but a match of this stature feels as though it needed a little more back story other than the usual (Enter the enemy country here) Versus America.

Ultimately, I’ve made my feelings about Mr. Cena clear since he stepped into this business and they will stay the same until he leaves. Alas, this match is going to have one ending and it will only be one to pander to that certain type of fan.

Winner: John Cena

WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match:

Bad News Barrett (c) Vs. Luke Harper Vs. R-Truth Vs. Daniel Bryan Vs. Dean Ambrose Vs. Dolph Ziggler Vs. Stardust

Importance: 3/5

Diluted comes to mind thinking of this match. It’s almost as though the creative team filled every spot in the battle royal and then realised the names they had left over and thought “let’s make a ladder match!”

It was extremely rational that Dean Ambrose would make off with Barrett’s title in order to coax a re-match out of him and it seemed as though we were on the way to perhaps a stipulation match, one-on-one. Even though he’s tried and tested in these gimmick matches, it is perhaps more to guard the champion here as Barrett has been injured for the better part of the year. And so we have a bunch of random competitors bundled in for high spots and holy shh… chants from the crowd.

Who deserves to win as to who will actually win is a tough call here but ultimately, I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the champion’s reign even with the firm crowd favourite in this one. Think this’ll be YEStlemania part 2?

I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news…

Winner: Bad News Barrett

Triple H Vs. Sting

Importance: 5/5

This match scores a full 5/5 for one reason and one reason only: this marks the in-ring debut of Sting in a WWE officially sanctioned match. Throughout the build of this match, we’ve been listening to Tripe H complain and state that Sting only seeks vengeance for the closure of WCW 14 years ago. Now its story arcs like this that’ll cause a major divide in the audience and make this match one for the older audience only.

This is based on the current product being angled at kids either at the age of 14 or just below. This means unless they’re fed a 3 minute vid on who Sting was, why he was important to WCW, why WCW closed, why Triple H was instrumental in its closure (was he really?), why it matters Sting is here now… you see already just by reading this list it is far to convoluted to work as a storyline.

Had they leaned on Triple H seeking revenge for Sting’s intrusion at Survivor Series and Sting sticking to his story of wanting the Authority out of power, it would work a lot better. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Again the numbers game could come into play but if anyone can take on numbers and win, it is indeed the man they call Sting. Again, this would need to be expressed in the video package before the match – showing his battles with the NWO.

This could go either way but truly there should be only one winner here: the fans.

Winner: Sting

AJ Lee & Paige Vs. The Bella Twins

Importance: 1/5

#Givedivasachance.

That’s what they’re asking for and unfortunately, the meek response from the powers that be show they have no such intentions of doing that. The story here is, as usual when dealing with the Bellas, WEAK. AJ and Paige teaming together makes as much sense as when the Bellas re-united, despite months of bickering and unfortunately attaining the Diva’s championship.

My head begins to hurt when i think about the “why” factor of this match. let alone the length of the queue for the toilets. Because everyone knows that the Divas still carry the stigma of being “The toilet break”. The Divas need a revolution. they need physicality and actual passion for what they’re doing not just how they’re looking.

Yes, The Bellas have improved but not enough to pull off a PPV quality match. Hell, if the Bellas are so improved, by that marker they would’ve kept Candice Michelle. She was at least SEEN to be trying. For a genuine kick in the ass, they should bring back Maria Kanellis for genuine heat. Like Matt Vs. Edge level.

Who wins here though? being as it has not title implications it’s really not important. and it certainly boosts no-one’s profile. But they seem to be building the Bellas as unbeatable…why?

Winner: The Bella Twins

Bray Wyatt Vs. The Undertaker

Importance: 5/5

Can it ever be Wrestlemania without a showing from the deadman?

Unfortunately, as many are speculating – the answer to this question will soon be yes. The Undertaker is one of the very last names that transcend wrestling and generations know his name. Give it a try – ask anyone about wrestling and they’ll either readily trash the current product or as I find, the conversation will go like this:

“oh yeah, i used to watch wrestling. The Undertaker was my favourite/ when the Undertaker was in it.”

Phenom is very appropriate to describe this mythical wrestling legend.

Enter Bray Wyatt.

From the moment he set foot in NXT and the debut on the main roster, Bray has truly found himself and is finding others along the way to make sure his legacy is a long-lasting one. The new face of fear is certainly a scary one as he is always off centre and sure to mesmerize you with his word play.

Bray is a tough opponent and has very few losses where he hasn’t come out stronger after. to be completely honest, it’s almost as though he draws his power from not only his fireflies (fans to the common man) but his opponents’ fervor and even victories.

The importance of this match is really going to be about the spectacle of seeing the Deadman once again: how is he looking? is he still as powerful as he once was given the streak was defeated last year? will he win?

And that my friends, is the best part of this one: if ‘Taker wins, where does he go from there? if he loses, Where does he go from there? If Wyatt wins, where does he go from there? If Wyatt Loses…well…that’s the thing here folks…Follow…the buzzards…

Winner: Bray Wyatt

WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Brock Lesnar (c) Vs. Roman Reigns

Importance: 4/5

Well here it is, the main event that a lot of people AREN’T clamouring for.

I’ve covered the issues about Roman Reigns before so explicit details aren’t needed regarding the challenger. Roman Reigns has the machine behind him and the outcome of this match is important to a degree, but this match falls shy of getting the full marks for a few reasons.

These reasons fall squarely on the shoulders of the beast incarnate, the reigning – defending – undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion BROCK LESNAR. (you totally did Heymans’ voice in your head, right?)

There is infinite amounts of truth behind what Paul Heyman says, There is no-one that can stop Lesnar. there is no-one that can stop him at all. In terms of credible opponents, realistically, Reigns is the only one that can put up a formidable fight against Lesnar. The fans of course, want Bryan back in the title picture.

But really though? the majority would rather have Bryan in the ring with Brock??

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: there is no soft option with Brock. So if you’d like to see Daniel Bryan being decimated worse than Cena at SummerSlam then be my guest. I for one would like to see a credible fight, even if it doesn’t last as long or if it is longer, at least it wouldn’t be as one-sided as a Lesnar/Bryan contest.

With the constant mic-cuts on Heyman’s promos and the eerie sentence he said last week:

“There is no-one to stop Brock Lesnar if he decides to do what he’s not supposed to do”

and with Brock, you can certainly BELIEVE THAT.

Roman will fight. Roman may even bleed. but will Roman beat the beast?

Reigns you’re bad-ass…unproven…but ultimately…

Winner: Brock Lesnar

February 16, 2015

Moanin’ ’bout Roman

With or without your support, imma be here – believe that.

Quite commonly refered to as the “Roman Reigns Problem” the fact of the matter is, here is a man who spent all of about a month or so in NXT before becoming a part of the most influential faction in pro-wrestling in the past 15 years.

He’s the juggernaut that don’t really say much, but when he does he’s absolutely berated for it.

And of course, people are trying to draw parallels between him and John Cena which is out-and-out foolish.

So, the comparison to Cena is drawn because he is apparently being shoved down our throats, and has a “limited” move set. It is as far as the comparison can go really, as yes – it is notable that he relies on a set of moves which drive him to victory after victory, similar to Cena. But again, this is where the comparison dies.

Cena has the look of an all american boy (sorry for treading on you there, Swaggs) who has worked to be where he is and appeals to “all walks of life”. Reigns has the look of a renegade. Probably not the best adjective but hey. He has the look of a man who will do what he wants, when he wants. Essentially, he was in the perfect role when a part of the shield, literally shielded by his stable-mates as they did the mic work and super flashy spots, whereas he provided that raw animalistic element – that killer instinct, that – FINISH IT (more apologies here – Big Guy) kinda dude.

Cena stepped in at a time where we were just watching the dust settle on what is always heralded as the “greatest period” in wrestling (you know which one I’m talking about, if not, you should probably stop reading now.) so therefore was fresh in the sense of “hey, here’s someone new, let’s see what this kid can do”.

Low and behold, a star was born.

I make it sound so cut and dry but that is essentially what happened. granted there was of course SOME micro-management going on regarding his promo material and general direction of where they were going with Mr. Cena. But hey, they at least knew where they wanted to go with Cena.

Herein lies the issue.

If you were to describe Roman Reigns’ character, where would you begin?

As edge once said during his feud with John Cena, It’s called character development.

comparatively let’s look at his former stable mates:

Seth Rollins is the current holder of the Money In The Bank briefcase holder, has successfully aligned himself with The Authority and in recent internet articles been compared to as the 21st century WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Micheals.

Dean Ambrose is a loose cannon, has had a very well stated feud with the modern-day phenom (coined it folks) Bray Wyatt and prior to this feud, served as one of the longest reigning US Champions in history (if stats are your thing).

Roman Reigns is that guy from The Shield, demolished Kane’s Royal Rumble Elimination record and generally speared the hell outta anything that moves. Kinda like a Goldberg/ Rock (you knew it had to appear at some point) Hybrid with long hair.

So the “problem” with Reigns is not that he “can’t cut a promo”, or that he has “five moves of doom” but the fact that Roman Reigns is essentially everyman.

Look at any of the greats in the business and look at their starting points. From the rocker, to Stunning Steve to Rocky Maivia to Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Everybody started somewhere and evolved from there. The issue here is not simply over managing his promos (believe me, that is definitely an issue, not only with Roman) but rather not being able to answer the question:

Who Is Roman Reigns?

And until we’re given that, we’re stuck with whatever bounces around the creative table and comes off as flavour of the week let alone month.

So in conclusion:

Will the real Roman Reigns, please stand up.

November 17, 2014

WWE Performance Centre – Help Or Hindrance?

Fame Costs: And Right Here Is Where You Start Paying In Clotheslines, Chops And Sunset Flips..

It’s oh-so-easy as a wrestling fan in this era to attack the throw-away nature of the business these days. Moan and grumble for the Attitude Era to come back, The Rock being soo good but yet there are legions that hate on hi for simply being him.

Comparing CM Punk to Stone Cold and so on.

But to anyone like me out there, we know better. it’s simply about the love of the art. Wrestling. Two men (or women) who are adamant for one reason or another that they are better than their opponent, and then having a wrestling match to determine who indeed is the better competitor.

Easy right?

Well if it was that easy, I’m sure some of the IWC’s greatest warriors (on a keyboard of course) would drop everything for an opportunity at glory and of course, headlining the main event at a Wrestlemania.
But the simple fact is this:

It’s not that easy. Nearly 300 days on the road and taking some pretty nasty bumps, night in-night out will have it’s toll on the body eventually. quicker than average if you don’t know how to do it safely.

Enter the WWE Performance centre.

This centre provides those who wish to attain the glory in WWE the chance to hone their skills and grow as performers in the “WWE Style” of wrestling.

The plus here being that when it comes time to pull the trigger on getting fresh talent on TV and creating “Future” stars, they’ll have a seemingly endless pool of talent to select from.

The flip-side of this of course that they then become cookie-cutter wrestlers. All baked from the same mould – all following the same moves that they have seen in countless training tapes and vignettes. Essentially the Performance Centre could be the Simon Cowell of professional wrestling.

How so?

Simon Cowell revolutionized how we heard new artists and essentially created a monster know today as the X factor. a heartless, soulless TV show geared towards those who have big dreams of being famous singers, and then being systematically berated by a panel of judges – then get further judged by the adoring fanbase of the show, determining whether or not they are “worthy” of moving on to the next stage.

Usually with this show, it has more to do with a person’s back story and is spearheaded by a personal tragedy that has ultimately given them the confidence to sing in front of the nation.

Thus, truely independent talent are stifled and barely heard of unless they get even close to an audition.

The wrestling equivalent could indeed be the performance centre.

But the performance centre, much like the X factor, doesn’t spell the end. It just means we the people (pardon the pun) would have to focus that little bit harder on what they’d produce and if it isn’t to our liking, adopt an attitude of self censorship. Don’t like it, turn it off. It’s that simple. instead of jumping on the internet and complaining to anyone that will listen.

The irony is not lost on me here folks let me assure you.

But ultimately, whether we decide that the centre is a good thing or a bad thing one thing is certain – much like Mr. Cowell’s cash-cow – the performance centre is here to stay for the foreseeable future and will find a way to adapt…or perish.

September 17, 2014

Forever Frenemies: Divas Division Storylines

The enemy of my enemy is my Frenemy: Give peace a chance ladies…

AJ Lee and Paige are locked in a relationship that is equally compelling as it is eye-roll same ol’ given the past decade of women’s wrestling in WWE.

Throw into the mix that upon her debut, Paige captured the title from the seemingly undefeatable AJ, who was at the time flanked by her “buddy”guard Tamina (where is she these days huh creative?) And it makes for predictable yet slyly entertaining TV.

AJ has the audience eating out of the palm of her hand at the best of times, even prior to her ‘power’ relationship status she has with **HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED**, Lest we forget after all, she is a former Raw General Manager.

Paige is certainly coming into her own and flowering (slowly) into a mainstay and must see. AJ’s black widow submission manoeuvre is a spectacle and well suited to her, a similar move is Paige’s PTO which again is well suited to her.

Paige has upped her game in ring too, with the addition of viscous headbutts and a series of knees to the midsection whilst her opponent flounders between the ropes. AJ has never been the shy retiring type and has her own venomous assault moves including the ultra effective (and flashy) shining wizard kick.

The question is, once the frenemy train has reached the end of the line, what’s the next move for both women?

WWE seem to have the right idea of adding another competitor to the chase, however the fact it is a Bella is harmful to all the work these stars have put in. Adding either Nikki or Brie is a misstep and should be avoided at all costs.

With up and coming star Rosa Mendes (Total Divas’ latest cast addition) and talent like Emma ( remember her?!) In purgatory or Naomi now she’s shook off the dead funkadactyl weight (just the music to go…) The pool may not be deep but it is certainly filled with women who are exactly the direction the Divas division should be going.

As for the whole angle of “girl you my bestie but i hate you at the same time”, it is one of those classic angles that will never die and (nearly almost) never fail. like the heel authority figures vs. rebels against the system and of course sibling rivilaries.

This of course is excluding the god-awful bella twins.

Sorry (NOT sorry).

But given that women have come leaps and bound forward in most industries throughout the world, it may not be where it should in wrestling, and the prefix of “Diva” gives certain connotations BUT it is getting there. little by little. heck who knows, a PPV in the future may actually have a women’s championship match as the main event…

June 30, 2014

The NXT bubble

The Future: Welcome to the WWE oven where they bake the bread winners of tomorrow...today!

As you know, The WWE are sports-entertainment’s juggernauts, providing hours and hours of live programming via your local cable sports channels (or in the case of smackdown, Syfy) as well as a insurmountable back catalogue of old promotions such as the infamous Dubya see dubya and of course, E See Dub.

Present day WWE has become to wrestling industry what Simon Cowell is to the music industry. Occasionally it will provide genuinely entertaining acts but by and large it is just a money making business above all else.

Come to think of it it’s odd that they haven’t sourced Mr. Cowell to be a guest host.

The genuine article when it comes to pure wrestling and minimal storytelling via promo comes in the form of NXT. There have been a few success stories from the camp, the biggest ones of course being the Wyatt family and the shield.

But then there are those who developed a big fish small pond complex and when entering the ocean that is the main roster, have become lost in the shuffle.

Big E is one such victim. He stormed in as the muscle behind the showoff Dolph Ziggler and later AJ Lee. Now he’s toting the American flag and slowly becoming Pastor E with each promo as he battles in (a losing effort) the ever present threat of the Russian empathizer, Bulgarian Brute Alexander Rusev.

Then there is the wonder from down under, Emma.
She unfortunately has suffered the same fate as many before her: she’s a diva that can actually wrestle.

This leaves an already small class even smaller as WWE tries to tap every vein of social media possible as well as any currently popular show format too. Is it too far fetched to envision a WWE sitcom? Smark answer would be yes given current lack of in depth storylines.

Then there is the (now ex) WWE Divas Champion Paige. She has fallen victim to not only a lack of any direction in her day to day defences of the title, but was subjected to the same treatment that won her the gold (or should it be glitter?) In the first place.

So with a bevy of talent waiting to come up, how will the E proceed from here?

Chances are they’ll stick to what has been getting them paid in recent years, with the ocassional splashing of cash to get a true legend back for one last match.

(The Rock has a rematch clause for the title…just saying.)

With that said: let’s have a moment of silence for Zack Ryder’s career…

June 13, 2014

#RIP3MB

The Day The Music Died: As annoying as they were, 3MB were kinda cool…

Ladies and gentlemen, 3MB have left the building.

There are many stables in WWE history. Some that will leave as legends, some that disband and reform to feud with some up and comers, then there are those that are just comedy jobbers.

3MB won’t be considered legendary by any stretch. Maybe in the IWC but hey.

But they took comedy jobbing to a different level. From their inception by the band leader (and only remaining member) Heath Slater, they were doing fake interview segments promoting an album that Unfortunately never materialized.

In all honesty, in this WWEPG era, if they had mocked up at least one track with preorders on all popular music outlets, they could’ve gauged their mass appeal.

They moved on to invading local bars giving live performances of the non-existent first single. Hilarity of course ensued and subsequently they were ousted from every bar.

In the ring is where their status ultimately will cement them in the history books and unfortunately, the title

achievements also never materialized. Granted, Heath had previous with two other factions (remember the first carnation of Nexus or the even less memorable The Corre?) But this band were never quite a hit in the ring when it came to title opportunities let alone wins.

They were never clasified as heels specifically as when they were on tour (at least for the televised UK branch of the tour) they pandered to the home crowd and came out in the country’s colours which often yielded mixed reactions.

Towards the end they got stuck in an unfortunate loop.

Having match after pointless match with los matadores. And although many have hyped the pre show match between the two teams (you know wee-l-c?) At extreme rules as a show stealer, frankly even if it was good it is a sad sad reflection of how lacking the rest of the roster is in terms of direction.

So what’s next for heath now he’s all alone?

Jobber for life? Perhaps. But either way, he’s sure to be entertaining whatever he does next…who knows maybe he’ll form a tag team with sandow and they’ll become tag champs.

Then again, maybe he’ll revert to the one man band…and go on a fantastic streak to capture the US title.

At this juncture though, Heath has achieved a lot in the 3 stables he has been in and definitely seems to be able to weather the stormy tides that the plummeting stock price and dwindling viewership the E seem to be suffering currently.

Then again, he could be unveiled as a new member of the shield. Turn your nose up at it but…

After all, anything can happen in the WWE right?

May 6, 2014

The British Invasion: WWE’s Championship Scene

Teeth are replaceable: Adrian shows of his new dentures after getting three teeth knocked out by Brodus Clay. Badass.

The universe as we know it is changing. All the heroes of yesterday are today’s launch pads for the NOW.

The current championship scene however is already showing signs of the real change we can believe in. Aside from the massive WWE World Heavyweight Championship win at Wrestlemania XXX by Daniel Bryan, there has been more to rave about.

The current NXT heavyweight champion is from Newcastle and is known as the jumping Geordie, the man gravity forgot, Adrian Neville. He is also a former NXT tag team champion with his partner (who unfortunately got injured and never rose to real prominence again before his recent release) fellow Brit Oliver Grey.

NXT heavyweight champs get main roster calls pretty quickly. With only two former champions, Big E and Bo Dallas, Neville is a cert to get the call up. His only possible hindrance may be his accent. Being a UK native, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the thick accent of our northern dwelling residents. God only knows how his promos translate to some Americans.

In ring his game is impressive. A steady mix of solid (if at times generic) mat wrestling and high flying moves including the always breathtaking red arrow press. Adrian certainly is entertaining to watch but what direction would he go in come the day he hits the main roster?

Then there is the other great Brit – The current WWE Divas Champion, Paige. The spunky 21 year old tagged herself as the anti-diva from day one and is certainly accomplished as a wrestler in the ring. her anti-diva status isn’t just a cute nick-name but a way of life. It’s even in her look as she wears Doc Martins to wrestle in. Alas Paige is of course, dominating the competition that comes across her path.

The problem is, she’s almost wrestling in a ghost division. Certainly she has title defenses and the matches are an absolute joy to watch. The problem however still remains that there are simply not enough female wrestlers. The division indeed has some women that can string together a chain of well rehearsed moves…but other than Nattie and now Emma, there aren’t enough main roster girls that are focused on their craft. this is in part the fault of the successful Reality TV venture, Total Divas.

Unless they start calling up the rest of the great talents they have in Full-Sail University (Bailey, Sasha Banks to name a couple) then Paige will have demolished the division in two months tops. Then we’re back to square one, Strong talent and no competition.

For the first time in Wrestling we do have a steady amount of Brits in the business and not all of them are heels. It is a great time to be a Brit in the WWE.

April 5, 2014

The Return Of Y2J

Y2J? He will come to save us once again…but from who?

It’s no secret that everybody is a Y2J fan in some way shape or form. He is not loved by all but he is respected by all. Chris Jericho has a permanent place in the part-time roster of WWE. Unlike say Batista, who will undoubtedly recieve the “na na na, hey hey hey goodbye” song when his last official match is declared. Unfortunately at this year’s marquee event The ayatollah of rock and rolla will not be gracing us with his presence.

Taking one look at the card chocked full of names such as Triple H, Batista, Hulk Hogan and Brock Lesnar, it’s easy to see why a star the magnitude of Y2J would give this one a miss on an already full card. He’s the best in the world at what he does and should always have a prominent and well built-in place on a PPV card the size of Wrestlemania.

With that said – Chris Jericho was asked in a recent interview who he’d most enjoy facing on the current roster. And he mentioned 3 names that he would love to main event with:

3. Cesaro

A mat wrestling purists’ dream. We know Jericho has no issue with putting over new stars so this would indeed be a great match physically and even verbally. the only drawback here is at this present moment, Cesaro is still in a tag team with Jack Swagger (the Real Americans). Although the end has been teased for these two, there seems to be no definitive direction as to where this team is heading, or when the split does happen, where Zeb will go. would he serve as the mouthpiece for Cesaro or continue on the driftwood career of Jack Swagger?

Until that split happens, it’d be hard to garner genuine excitement or angle of any sort whilst he’s still in the tag team scene.

2. Daniel Bryan

The most over superstar at the moment. This one is very easy to set up, and could even follow the same vein of the infamous “best in the world” feud Jericho had with CM Punk. Obviously, however this one is set up, Jericho would have to be the heel here. However in the afore mentioned interview, Jericho stated that he’d be fine with that and he’d “do things that current heels aren’t doing”. What could that even mean? Lest we forget how dark he got with CM Punk in their feud? bringing up his mother and sister? as well as the smashing of liquor over his head?

The mind boggles of all the possibilities that could happen here but ultimately, there shouldn’t be only one match. Also, he could team with D-Bry to take on the alluring paradox that is…

3. Bray Wyatt

The physicality that could occur is one thing…but the mic work. the back and forth between the eater of worlds and the saviour himself Y2J. The set up again here, is easy. Y2J comes back and proclaims he’s here to save us once again, cue the intro of the Wyatt family. Bray would take obvious offence to him proclaiming himself the saviour – perhaps even calling him a false prophet, stating that he cannot save what is already lost and so on.

Then there would be a few tag matches, creating a situation where Bray would ultimately have to face Jericho one-on-one. Cue match-of-the-year-status wrestling.

So there you have it, the fact that Jericho has named three awesome counterparts he could go against shows that not only is the show not over, but the show is set to roll on so that you’ll never EEEEEEEVER forget his name a-gain.

March 14, 2014

Wrestlemania XXX: Daniel Bryan Vs HHH

NO! or YES! : This is happening. On PPV. Behold the king. the king of kings.

So it has finally been set in ink: The leader of the ‘YES’ movement Daniel Bryan versus the leader of the majorly oppresive regime ‘The Authority’ HHH.

The equivalent noise I’m expressing now would be akin to a sigh. This match serves no actual purpose other than to give HHH another appearance notch under his belt. This is evident because of the stipulation that has been added:

If Bryan is successful he qualifies for the championship match later on that night.

The WWE Universe has been critical of the Authority and their constant disregard of Daniel Bryan and the chants that reign over every segment involving the Authority, Batista or Randy Orton.

And the Authority have been more than forthcoming with their blatant mocking and jeering of the universe and their underdog hero. The lines of reality and kayfabe have been blurred ever since the summmer of punk, but anyone who has heard anything about HHH’s true demeanor would be hard-pressed to believe the open mockery of Daniel Bryan is kayfabe.

The ending to the Elimination Chamber in February symbolized how far the ‘E are willing to go in destroying the organic grown support for Bryan.
The camera shots of the crowd and even the outrage of a hall of famer hasn’t deterred them from their course.

It was ultimately this that has lead to the match at Wrestlemania, With Bryan finally having enough of the months of being oppressed and thwarted at every turn. I suppose thankfully he hasn’t been fed Kane instead, who has physically interjected himself at almost every turn.

This match will give Bryan vengeance and ultimately an uninterrupted and legitimate shot at the title.

Is it a long winded route that could’ve been avoided? absolutely. This is ultimately an ego match that serves only HHH.
Wrestlemania season has been limp at best and this latest match addition is making The showcase of the immortals seem like nothing more than a glorified edition of Monday Night Raw.

The only saving grace here is the stipulation. This will whip up the fans into a frenzy and Bryan too. Bryan has proven he is a wrestling machine time and time again so for him to pull a double duty at ‘mania will be no big deal.

But all in all, this doesn’t feel like a Mania match.

The fallout if Bryan does not win doesn’t even bear thinking about. This is a must win for the ultimate underdog unless the WWE will attempt a record at ‘mania:

Most booed main event of all time.