The WWE World Heavyweight Title Scene

The WWE World Heavyweight Title Scene

This month I will be discussing the World Heavyweight title scene and who is in line for the title shot, who will get it and who deserves to get it. Currently, the Elimination Chamber match includes Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Kane and Jack Swagger. Of these men, each one could conceivably challenge for the title at Wrestlemania 29 and produce a decent to fantastic match.

Mark Henry

Mark Henry is the man that I most want to see challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. Since returning to action a few weeks ago, he has shown why he still has a lot to offer, even if his mic work may be lacking slightly, he’s convincingly ploughed through most superstars and looks in good shape. I would certainly prefer to see him fighting for the WHC than the Big Show, who is circulating around the title at the moment, Show looks tired, slow and incapable of producing his best stuff and there are many people who deserve a push ahead of him who are nowhere near the title at the moment (Cody Rhodes springs instantly to mind).

Chris Jericho

Much like the Rock, Jericho seems to jump in and out of the WWE, although to his credit he has wrestled more matches since his return at the Royal Rumble, Rock in comparison has wrestled precisely 0 matches since winning the title, i wonder if a comparison can be made with how many times CM Punk wrestled in between PPVs during his title reign. Jericho has looked skinnier certainly than he was during his previous stint with the company, but that is not a bad thing, he looks more in shape as a result. His cardiovascular conditioning is clearly excellent, as we saw during the Rumble, wherein he matched Dolph Ziggler pace for pace. Having said that, a part of me thinks that he should surely step aside and allow guys like Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler to challenge for the World Heavyweight Title instead.

Randy Orton

All talk of Randy Orton lately has been of a proposed heel turn, which would be welcomed, Orton is a natural heel and it is where he is best placed, as a face he is crowd pleasing but never really seems to enjoy the role. If he does turn at Elimination Chamber, or even better at Wrestlemania it could launch him onto much greater things. In terms of the likelihood of him winning the title shot at the Chamber match i can’t see it happening, he has been anonymous since his return, compared to the likes of Damien Sandow who seems to relish his current role, he is definitely not at his current best.

Kane

Kane’s inclusion seems to smack of a filler role, he is just filling a space, admittedly since re-donning his mask he has been re-invigorated, but team Hell No has too much of a good thing going to split them up now. Kane has been a vital cog in the WWE machine for several years and no-one admires his loyalty as much as me and it seems there is nothing bad to be said about him, but much like Jericho his role has to diminish to allow others to come through. 

Jack Swagger

Completely anonymous in his absence, whilst I admire Swagger’s amateur wrestling ability and want to see him do well, he just doesn’t have it, that star quality that the likes of Michaels or Austin had in abundance, I am rarely excited to see him wrestle and his teaming with Zeb Coulter is a tad too nationalistic and xenophobic for my taste. However at least he isn’t languishing as Michael Cole’s bodyguard anymore and has the chance to showcase his mat-based ability. I don’t think he will win the Chamber match, but I expect he may win at least one title this year, a feud with Antonio Cesaro may be good for his development.

And Finally...

My favourite in the WWE at the moment is the criminally under-used Dolph Ziggler, he most definitely has the it factor that Swagger lacks, alongside terrific wrestling ability his mic skills are better than most and improving. Ziggler still has the Money in the Bank briefcase and bizarrely has yet to cash it in, it is most definite that the World Heavyweight Title will be his at some point in the future and it should hopefully give him the push into the main event title picture. Although wrestling ability is no indication of that, after all The Miz has main-evented more Wrestlemania’s than CM Punk has despite having the tiniest fraction of his in ring talent.  

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.

The Future for Bully Ray in Impact Wrestling

The Future for Bully Ray in Impact Wrestling

Hi bloggoverse, as this is my first blog please don’t hesitate to leave some feedback or ideas on how I can improve in the future. Those of you familiar with Impact Wrestling will be aware of the surprising rise of the former Bubba Ray to the now familiar role of ‘The Bully’ and it’s the future of this character that I would like to discuss in my first blog. In recent months Ray has been taking a turn towards the light, teaming with Sting, pledging his support of Joseph Park in his feud with the Aces ‘N Eights, but whether such a staunchly heel character can function as a face is an interesting debate. 

It seems that his character has changed personalities, changing from the classic bully, a man who is at his heart cowardly, he attacks the weaker members of the herd, which meant that the storylines between Bully and Aries and Styles were even more compelling to watch as underdog stories. Now it seems that the word bully has taken on a different meaning, his character is now a smash-mouth, aggressive man. It seems that everything that was making him a bad guy has been removed, he no longer spends the first 10 minutes of a match ducking in between the ropes and running away when the odds are no longer in his favour, but instead seems to relish a fight against worser odds, as seen by his involvement in challenging the Aces ‘N Eights. This has been an undoubted success for TNAs creative department; they have avoided a total re-brand of the character and a stand out face turn (aside from his desire to team with Sting) did not materialise. But this is just another success story for their creative department, since the departure of Vince Russo, things have vastly improved in the Impact Zone, implausible alliances (Such as Kurt Angle teaming with Immortal just months after wanting them out, never mind that Immortal contained within its ranks a certain Jeff Jarrett who had previously spent what seemed like an eternity feuding with Angle) have been reduced. The Roode push was a bold move, putting the title on a man who at the time could be viewed as a glorified tag team wrestler, for such a long period of time in an industry whose audience has a notoriously short attention span in recent years, but their faith was repaid and this led to the rise of Roode, a man who, in my opinion is, along with Austin Aries, the best TNA has to offer.

But back to the matter of Bully Ray, he seems to play the role of the anti-hero well, with the introduction of Devon as a major figure within the heel faction Ray has an instant desire to run them out of the Impact Zone, and a personal reason for involvement. I’m not going to deny that I am a fan of Bully Ray, even going so far as to cheer for him against Jeff Hardy in the main event of No Surrender and feeling a sense of severe injustice when he didn’t win the title shot, and subsequently cheering for him in every one of his matches. In the past he has had several excellent singles matches against Austin Aries (at Sacrifice) and Abyss (at Genesis) and a phenomenal (pun intended) last man standing match against A.J Styles (at Slammiversary) and I would recommend each match if you need convincing of the Bully’s ability. There has been some talk of limited ability of Bully Ray outside of the tag team scene, some stating he only really has two moves (the Bully bomb and the Bully cutter), and it is an issue that concerns me too. Personality and character can sometimes hide ability in the ring, Mr. Anderson and James Storm being extreme examples, and Bully is very capable of telling a story well within the ropes, his match with Aries last year attests to that. But it is his work on the microphone where he really excels, I long for that moment when he steps in the ring and utters, in that strong New York accent ‘do you know who I am?’, which he has been doing far less of lately. Following his heated discussion with Hulk Hogan on the December 13^th edition of Impact, (which you can find here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtyWDqI00Xo ) incidentally a fantastic bit of promo work, I am even more convinced of his ability as a talker. 

But what of the over-arching storyline between the Bully and Hulk Hogan? Where will it lead for the former 30 time tag team champion? Allegations came forth from the aforementioned Aries of a romance developing between Hulk’s daughter Brooke and Ray, which was copied from WWE’s angle between Cena, A.J Lee and Vickie Guerrero, which was in turn stolen from the A.J Styles, Claire Lynch, Daniels storyline (Honestly are there no original storylines in wrestling anymore?). As to my personal opinions of this developing story I can’t say I’m too excited by the prospect, (less talking, more action I say) but I am in favour of anything that brings Ray closer to the attention of the audience and the wrestling world more generally. Do I see him with the World Heavyweight championship? I would like to see him given the same chance that Roode had, but I feel that TNA would come into massive criticism if they chose to give him the strap because of his age. TNA has in the past been criticized for employing older wrestlers, (or so-called has-beens), Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Sting come to mind. It would be an interesting prospect, but I cannot see Bully main eventing the majority of Pay per Views. One possible way to advance would be to have Austin Aries win back the title at Genesis (given that he refused a match for the title on free tv recently) and Ray to continue his feud and challenge Aries at either Victory Road or possibly Lockdown (the prospect of which makes my mouth water instantly). It seems the Bully is at his best when providing a stepping stone for other wrestlers to advance to the title as he did with Jeff Hardy in the Bound For Glory Series, so whether he could be the one who gets the push and convincingly hold the title is still up for debate, but I’ll close by saying that I would love to see him get a chance to play a higher role in the company and his feud with general manager Hulk Hogan would provide a perfect platform to the World Heavyweight Title.