Playing the Long Game

Playing the Long Game

Recently TNA announced that they would be changing their system with regards to Pay-Per-Views, moving to four per year instead of 12 to allow more time for story lines to develop and this a trend that has been reflected in the wrestling world in general. It is this subject that takes the attention of my blog this month.

Starting with TNA, the Aces ‘N Eights storyline has been under fire from some sections of their fan base for being too time consuming. I’ve had several conversations about the subject and the feedback seems to be broadly similar, although many problems also arise with the booking of the stable as well as the amount of time given to it. Taking a similar situation with the Shield in the WWE, which is clearly being done a lot better, although over a shorter space of time. WWE have succeeded where TNA have failed, the Shield look strong, organised and capable, in comparison the Aces ‘n Eights look like, and in reality are, a group of failed WWE wrestlers who were never really comfortable in the big leagues. They are frequently embarrassed and come across as weak and ultimately still have no real motive. The addition of Mr Anderson make them a potentially more interesting outfit, but more quality is needed, certainly Briscoe and Garrett are not it, Briscoe could be the deal but Garrett has yet to impress me, having been at TNA for a year and only ever doing the same two moves. Returning to the issue at hand however, the longer burning storyline was something that came to the forefront in 2012 and looks set to continue in 2013. I personally prefer a longer burning storyline appeals to me as the payoff is often far more captivating than those shorter angles. 

So, did TNA make the right decision to switch to 4 Pay-Per-Views a year? Given the quality of their last few PPVs it would certainly seem so. Genesis excluded TNA have raised the bar on their offerings lately. A change is as good as a rest as the saying goes, maybe the decision to make the switch is to minimise the amount of possible air time without AJ Styles, as a fan favourite he is a valuable asset and a Jeff Hardy vs.  AJ Styles match could certainly bring in decent numbers, and if done as an ultimate x match at Destination X or a steel cage match at Lockdown, although the latter is unlikely as he is frozen out of the WHC until the Bound For Glory Series, but the stipulation Austin Aries created last year, that being that the owner of the X Division title belt at Destination X can choose to trade it in at Ultimate X for a shot at the World Heavyweight Title. Utilising only 4 Pay-Per-Views a year is a bold strategy, but perhaps it will pay off for TNA.

The greater payoff for the greater time scale rule is not always true though, the Rock announced that he was going to challenge the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble in June of last year at RAW 1000, this gave nearly 6 months for WWE to build to this, however they faced difficulties. They could not sufficiently build up the angle because they could not do so without revealing who would be the Champion at the time of the Rumble. Perhaps then the angle at hand is not CM Punk vs. The Rock, but Punk’s historic 400-odd day reign as WWE champ. The end to Punk’s title reign was massively disappointing for me, there were too many interruptions and twists. I cannot see it as a classic in any way other than the closing scenes where truly, the Champ had returned to, to paraphrase The Lion King, take his rightful place in the circle of life.  

Wrestling Awards 2012

Wrestling Awards 2012

This month I will be giving out my personal awards for Wrestler of the year, Female Wrestler of the year and Match of the Year. I will give two awards for each category, one for the WWE and one for TNA, please take note I don’t watch WWE on a regular basis and so am basing my judgment on those matches that I have seen.  

Wrestler of the Year

Bobby Roode- This year TNA took a huge risk by pushing Bobby Roode and his former Beer Money team mate James Storm into the spotlight. Bobby Roode in particular has excelled during his reign with the World Heavyweight Championship and it seems TNA were right to trust him with the belt over such a long period of time. It is difficult to miss the similarities in his in ring style with Triple H. Both seem to analyse the best ways to hurt their opponent mid-match,  employ psychological warfare in the ring and always seem in control. I think the time is right for Roode to adopt the moniker of the Intellectual Assassin. Although his reign last year seemed to mould into one long match, there were several standout performances. His Ironman match with AJ Styles in particular was a fantastic display of wrestling skill and character, other matches with James Storm at Lockdown and Austin Aries also demonstrates his ability as a wrestler. As a talker Roode has also excelled, delivering passion and reason to everything he says, from his times bemoaning his opponents to his current feud with Austin Aries. It is because of this that Roode manages to get a reaction out of every wrestling fan.

CM Punk- This will come as no surprise, a better all round performer than Punk has not been seen in the industry for years. From his in-ring work to his ability on the microphone, he out-shines whomever happens to get caught in his way, although he has been shunted down the pecking order and out of the main-event spotlight, because of the fact that the WWE seems to prefer choosing matches that would draw more money over those that produce the better wrestling.  We can see this in feuds between John Cena, HHH, The Rock and Brock Lesnar, which took place over more critically acclaimed battles such as Punk and Jericho, Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler amongst others. As WWE champion CM Punk should be main-eventing most pay-per views, though the fact that he’s not may not be an indictment of his ability but of backstage politics and John Cena’s desire to always be in the spotlight. Back to matters involving the man himself though, it is clear to see that Punk has certainly set the wrestling world on fire in the past 12 months, to gain the kind of positive reaction that he has in the months since Raw 1000 despite occupying a heel slot is difficult. Only a handful of wrestlers in history have managed to get over whilst being a bad guy, Eddie Guerrero and Steve Austin are two that come to mind and it’s not a bad company for Punk to find himself in.

Female Wrestler of the Year

Gail Kim- Despite obvious promises that were made to her when she returned to TNA (i.e. the Knockout and Knockout Tag Team titles) she has reminded the wrestling world exactly why she is so good, and why the WWE made a huge mistake in failing to book her correctly. It is difficult, especially in today’s climate to be a female wrestler and be a good technician and Gail Kim does this. It seems more and more looks are preferred to wrestling ability, Miss Tessmacher being an example, promoting modeling contests whilst contracted to TNA. But Gail Kim really is the whole package; alongside Mickie James she is one who has actual talent in the ring and good looks.

I cannot supply a female wrestler from the WWE as I’m not a regular viewer and their divas division does not receive nearly enough coverage for me to judge it even if I did watch consistently.

Match of the Year

Jeff Hardy vs Austin Aries at Turning Point- I have chose this match largely for the insane bumps that each man took. Jeff Hardy is no stranger to ladder matches; after all it is where he gained his fame as one half of the Hardy Boyz. The in-ring story telling was fantastic, Hardy fulfilled his eternal role as the tough, comeback king of professional wrestling and Aries lighted in his heel status. High points included a trademark Twist of Fate from Hardy delivered across a ladder that was balanced across the corner of the ring, Hardy missing a splash a hitting the hinges in the middle of a upturned ladder and Aries amusingly raising the height of the suspended title belt only for Hardy to get a larger ladder out from underneath the ring.

HHH vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXVIII- This match was promoted as an end of an era, perhaps correctly, it was a style that has not really been seen in the WWE of late. Both men took chunks out of each other, using chairs, steel steps and the cell wall and proved that although they rarely have in ring outings they can still produce what made them great in the first place. With Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee excelling in particular, the pain and anguish etched on his face as he watched best friend HHH getting dismantled by the deadman and hit with chairs, piledrivers, schoolboys and hells gates inside the unforgiving Hell in a Cell. The ending was fitting too, with HHH not being able to leave the ring under his own power, a reverse of their Wrestlemania XXVII match up, but this time both Taker and Michaels helped HHH up and carried him up the ramp, thus showing the sense of brotherhood between the three men.