Monday Night Rollins

Could it be any more obvious? Seth Rollins has to be THE man in WWE right now. It seems obvious to me. Obvious to the crowd. And obvious to the people watching at home. Unfortunately it does not seem obvious to the boys at WWE creative.

I've done enough bad mouthing of Roman in my blogs so I'm not going down that route again but it seems they are intent on making Seth play second fiddle to him. But just imagine what WWE could have if they put the full marketing juggernaut behind him. They could have another HBK on their hands. Both in popularity and in talent. 

Seth's last few PPV matches have been stonewall show-stealers. His triple threat ladder match with The Miz and Finn Balor at Wrestlemania was the perfect opener to the show and his intercontinental title defence against Miz was the only highlight of an otherwise miserable show.

The same can be said of Shawn Michaels in the mid 90s. If it wasn't for some of his matches the company as a whole could have swept away by WCW. Today WWE doesn't have to worry about competition but they do realise that they still need a top guy. That's why they keep pushing Roman. 

Well the top guy is already here. Seth can work the crowd, cut a promo and sell a t-shirt. Just give him the ball!

Ole Ole Ole Ole

Sami Zayn is quite simply brilliant.  As regular readers will know I usually like to build up to the point of my piece but not in this case.  Kevin Owens is without doubt the best heel in the company today but its always harder to get over as a face and the fact that Sami is outs a big smile on my face.

I'll be honest, before Sami Zayn answered John Cena's US Open Challenge last year I had never actually watched a Sami Zayn match. In fact I didn't even know what he looked like!  I was impressed by the match and the fact that he wrestled the entire thing injured but then he was gone for 6 months and gone from my mind.

In the meantime I became a regular viewer of NXT.  I very much enjoy watching the stars of tomorrow but I always felt that's exactly what they were and I wasn't watching the finished article.  Then Sami Zayn returned...

Very quickly I came to realise that Sami was the real deal. It wasn't just his in-ring style but the way he carried himself.  I remember the exact moment I knew I was watching a star.  I had been watching a regular episode of NXT.  Zayn didn't actually wrestle but appeared in a short backstage interview but for that few minutes I couldn't stop watching.  He has a natural charisma but also something that engages the viewer.   A true x factor.

I had been saying for weeks on my podcast that Sami was the stand out star in NXT and they could put him on Raw the next day.   Now they have and I am more than happy with the results.  I love his ongoing feud with Kevin Owens and it's been a while since we have seen a story with this much history behind it and WWE not blowing their load straight away.

However when watching Raw this past week where Sami faced off against the truly Phenomenal AJ Styles I realized that Sami Zayn  has it all and I saw a Randy Savage quality to him.  The fans reacted like it was a PPV main event and it was half way through Raw.  He may not be THE guy in the company's eyes but when it's all said and done Sami Zayn could certainly go down as an all-time legend.

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Why isn't Roman Over?

At the end of last year WWE finally thought they had cracked the problem of getting Roman Reigns over.  He had just won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in Philadelphia and the crowd were 100% behind him.  This was an example of perfect booking.  Bringing back the tyrannical boss Mr McMahon and using an unpopular heel Champion in Shaemus meant that Roman couldn't fail. However unable to build any substantial momentum after the victory, Roman's star quickly started to fade in the eyes of many of the fans including myself. 

 

A few weeks ago on Raw Roman Reigns returned to Philadelphia for the first time since his championship win but this time the reaction was very different.  In fact it was more reminiscent of his Royal Rumble victory last year in the same city where he was met with a chorus of boos.  

Roman goes into this year's Wrestlemania as challenger to Triple H's World Title.  As Trips has been one of the biggest heels of the last two years as part of the authority one would expect Roman to have the support of the WWE Universe firmly behind him.  However there seems to be some sort of block there with many of the fans refusing to support him.  I actually used to like Roman but have quickly started to resent him but couldn't work out why. But a few nights ago while driving home in the early hours it dawned on my why I can't support him; I don't know who he is!...... And neither does he. 

What does Roman Reigns stand for?  What does he believe in?  What are his values?  I don't know any of this.  I don't hear any passion in his voice and I don't see any in his eyes. 

For years I have slated John Cena but the one thing I can't knock him for his passion and commitment to the business.  I sure know what he stands for, what his values are and what he believes in.  John Cena established his character pretty early in his career and despite fan pressure has been unwavering in his commitment to it ever since.  Roman however has flip-flopped in his personality.  One week he is too cool for school, the next he is a Samoan savage, the next he is telling stories about beanstalks! 

WWE clearly haven't assessed the strengths and weakness of their new prodigy.  If he tries to be funny it fails because of his lack of commitment and if he tries to be sarcastic he just comes across as a dick.  Reigns was over as part of The Shield because he was the powerhouse and left the talking to Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.  After the split Roman's character should have pretty much stayed the same. In my personal opinion they should have gone the Goldberg route.  A character who simply exploded through his opponents with pure domination and without any smart ass quips or cool guy expressions.  Short matches, short promos, maximum impact!

That is my tip to WWE; just make him a straight forward ass kicking machine.  It hopefully isn't to late now but take away his microphone and for the love of God please don't ever let us see him cry again!!!!

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For more check out my weekly podcast with John Shoez on all things WWE - The People's Podcast

Wooooooooooooooo!

So I decided to leave it a few weeks before posting my views on WWE.  The reason for this is the Philadelphia show in which Roman Reigns won the WWE Championship was a real breakout from what we had been used to from Raw shows.  A quickening of the pace and a more intense product had everyone hyped about a possible turn in the tide.

I decided to give the next show a bye as it was the annual Slammy awards show which at best is snail paced and it certainly doesn't sound like I missed much.  But as I said its cool and I awaited the next Raw like I was 16 years old again.

Now this was a tough one as Raw shows between Christmas and New Year traditionally are not the best but this was a pleasant change.  This Raw picked right up from where the Philly show had left off.  I have to give Vince McMahon most of the credit.  Kicking off the show with his arrest worked well and helped set the tone for the rest of the night.  It's amazing what difference an unpredictable start can make to the rest of a show. I enjoyed most of it with stand out moments from Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose.  It's nice to see a feud outside the main event scene that actually matters.

So then we had this week's show which had been built up nicely by last weeks ending in which Vince McMahon named himself as the referee in this weeks main event where Roman Reigns would defend the WWE title against Sheamus.  The show was not as good as the previous week but still enjoyable and I think it's down to the little things.  Wins and losses seem to matter again.  Story-lines actually seem to be getting some traction as there was more with Ambrose and Owens and I am very much enjoying the feud between Charlotte and Becky Lynch.  I was a bit worried about Charlotte as champ but now as a heel she seems every bit the pro and the Flair.  Finally the announcement that the WWE title will be at steak in the 30-man Royal Rumble match throws everyone's theories up in the air.  I'm just going to sit back and enjoy.

And here's why I know I'm enjoying it more.  The little things are making me smile again.  I laugh at what ludicrous outfit the Miz will appear in or Ric Flair dancing to Charlotte's techno theme music which is almost infectious by the way.  Try not tapping your foot or bopping your shoulder next time you watch.  Actually Flair's whole performance at the moment is pro-wrestling at it's absolute bloody best and not an arm-bar in sight. And long may it continue....

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Roman Reigns we hardly knew Ye!

I just realized today that it's been about 2 weeks since I last viewed any wrestling from WWE and to be honest I'm not all that bothered.  I still listen to podcasts and peruse the wrestling news websites so I have a general understanding of whats going on with the current storylines and who is set to fight at TLC this weekend.  Usually if this were the case I'd make sure I had at least watched the go-home Raw before watching a PPV but I'm not going to bother as I don't have time and I will just go ahead and watch TLC anyway.

The reason I don't feel the need to watch the shows before the PPV is because I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.  I know the matches that are on the card and that in 6 months time no one will remember or care what the stories were that got them there.  I'd actually not be surprised if no-one cared this time next month and here is my fear of why that is..... Wrestlemania Season Magul!

So next month sees the Royal Rumble.  This has always been my favourite PPV of the year however the last few years it has left a bitter taste in the mouth.  Now unlike most people I wasn't all that bothered that Daniel Bryan didn't win in 2014 or 2015 but I wasn't a big fan of how either one went down.  Both years the winner was virtually announced before the event even took place in Batista and then Roman Reigns and the reaction of the fans kind of soured the whole thing.  Rather than build the superstars up beforehand WWE now seem intent on using the period between the Rumble and Wrestlemania to sell the legitimacy of their main event.

I can understand why WWE were naive when it came to Batista as he had been in that position before but having been away for 4 years it required a bigger build up.  Roman Reigns was completely untested before winning the Rumble last year and the fans simply resented WWE for assuming they should care.

WWE needs to start using the full twelve months to build superstars' momentum so that by the time the road to Wrestlemania is upon us we are already at full speed.  The company needs to start playing to the best of their ability for the whole season not just holding off 'til the Play-offs.

Thanks for reading!

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This all feels a little familiar

It's been a while since I wrote anything to do with WWE.  I have just looked back at my previous posts and I think the reason for that mainly lies with the fact that I have really struggled to get over the loss of CM Punk and simply can't believe that it is almost 2 years since he walked out on the company.

CM Punk saw the loss of a superstar who knew how to make the most of a microphone and gave a masterclass in how to use it to connect with the fans.  He was REAL.  This is something that seems to be completely lacking from today's crop.

In my opinion the best and most popular superstars were an extension of themselves.  I always felt when Bret Hart, Shawn Micheals and Steve Austin spoke it was coming from deep inside them.  That they had harnessed a part of there own psyche that felt that everything that happened on a Monday night to their character was in fact real.  They lived in the moment which in turn lead the fans to live it with them.

When you go to a theater to watch a play you are asked to be quiet and you comply.  And it's quite easy because you know you are watching actors playing parts.  You can still get swept along with the story but you are not going to stand up in the middle of Macbeth and shout "he did it!" because you know it won't affect the outcome.

In WWE there used to be a belief as a fan that you were interacting with the show.  The superstars were people just like us and we lived their experiences with them.  Now when I watch the show I can see the fans aren't invested in the action because they are sitting watching a play.  It is my belief that the reason that the YES chant was so popular was the fans were just begging for an opportunity to interact with the show and Daniel Bryan was one of the few people who knew how important that was.

A few weeks ago Roman Reigns was asked by Triple H to join the evil Authority.  This would have been the perfect opportunity for Roman to interact with the live crowd and ask them what they though a-la Stone Cold. Instead he stuck to the script and instead he said he was going the hard route but due to a lack of character development it didn't really bother people either way.

Micro management is killing today's product and there are no longer the guys who have the guts to challenge it. I only watch the one hour Raw show now because three hours of pre-written dialogue and hopeless comedy is just a waste of my time.  I really hope for the return of Daniel Bryan but he alone cannot save this ship.  I say let the wrestlers loose like 1997 and see what happens.  You may lose a few along the way but this is the best way to establish some REAL superstars.

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How to play The Game (CM Punk's return)

We are one week removed from CM Punk walking out on WWE.  I could write about my opinion on this but lets face it, it would be one more to add to the millions of opinions and theories that have already been expressed over the last few days. What I want to focus on is the apparent issues that this situation has revealed regarding Triple H as an executive.

I understand that I am working off the rumour mill here but that is the job of pretty much every writer in wrestling.  What seems to apparent from the Punk situation however is that Triple H feels disrespected and this could hinder the eventual return of the "Best in the World".  The thing is as a promoter, Triple H now has to put any issues of pride to the side... for good.

From what is being said Vince McMahon is very keen to get CM Punk back as soon as possible.  This is because Vince know what is (ironically) best for business.  And that is how Vince as always worked.  There is no doubt he has had personal issues with Superstars in the past but if McMahon let pride get in the way, we may have never seen the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan or even Shawn Michaels after their issues with the management.  Vince brought them back into the fold because he knew it would get the interest that the company needed and create the revenue which in the end is what it's all about for the management.

The Game seems to be the of the opposite mind set and seems reluctant to push for a CM Punk return.  Triple H needs to realise that this isn't the mafia.  There is really no such thing as disrespecting the boss in the wrestling world.  Throughout the decades promoters have always been "shat on" but they get over it and if a wrestler is going to make them money then they put their personal feelings aside and book the damn wrestler.

I'm not saying this is how Triple H always does business but it's a dangerous president to set when one of your biggest talents walks out and you shut the door for a return just because you feel disrespected.  The door should always be open for a wrestler to return because WWE is a business and you can't pay the bills with respect.

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@AngryAndroid83