WWE Survivor Series Review

Hey folks.  I just wanted to get on line and share my thoughts on what I thought was a very well executed PPV last night.

 

The 26th annual Survivor Series was under a lot of pressure to deliver after last year's event saw the in-ring return of The Rock.

 

This year however used it's current roster and a bunch of up and coming stars to deliver an extremely entertaining show.

 

Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler delivered a few spots of interest for me.  The first being that the Miz maintained his new face turn.  This could be exactly what he needs to reignite his career.  I have never been a fan of the Awesome one but I am actually very keen to see where he goes from here.  The finish of the match was also a real shocker.  Randy Orton went for his punt on Dolph Ziggler but was countered with a text book super kick by Ziggler to let him make the cover.  In my eyes, this ending really seems to have given Ziggler that extra something that I feel he needs to be a real contender.  A briefcase cash in could be just around the corner.  Also the dark turn by Orton could be a glimpse into what seems to be an inevitable heel turn.

The World Heavyweight Championship match between Sheamus and Big Show was a real surprise for me.  After what was a pretty entertaining match at Hell in a Cell the odds of them repeating the feat seemed pretty long but I have to say they pulled it off.  A good match but it looks like the feud could continue into the next PPV.  I personally don't see Big Show's value anymore.  Shaemus should be champion as he is the future but let's see how it goes.

Finally the triple threat for the WWE title was very strong.  CM Punk, John Cena and Ryback all put in good shifts with Ryback taking a bump through each one of the two commentary tables.  CM Punk made it to 365 days as champion and a number of NXT wrestlers assaulted Ryback.  What a way for a title match to go!!!!  A new angle for Ryback seems the best way to continue his momentum as CM Punk looks more and more likely to be The Rock's Royal Rumble opponent.  A little prediction for you here.  This leaves Cena to win the Rumble and face Rock in a Wrestlemania rematch.

Overall a high quality PPV which I will give a strong 8.5/10

That's all for now!

AP

A look at the WWE today, including John Cena and Ryback

In this edition I am just going to run over a few of the points I have made in previous blogs.  But before that I just want to ask everybody who enjoys reading these blogs to please follow me on Twitter @AngryAndroid83.  If it's good enough for Paul Heyman...

So a few months ago I was running over the woes of WWE's tag team division.  And it would appear that things are on the up.  Since Kane and Daniel Bryan won the tag team titles, a number of teams have come to the fore.  The most exciting of which, in my opinion is the team of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara.  Sin Cara was struggling to establish himself as a singles star and Rey's act seemed to be getting very tired.  By putting them together Rey seems to have a new lease of life and Sin Cara has an experienced mentor to guide him through his early days in the big leagues.  All that and their matches are extremely entertaining.  Along with the other emerging teams, including the charismatic Prime Time Players and Rhodes Scholars the WWE tag team division is quickly turning into one of the high spots of their shows.

 

 

 

Ryback has certainly been on a role since he destroyed the set of Miz TV.  A bigger run than anyone saw coming.  After being dropped into the Hell in a Cell main event due to John Cena's injury, Ryback now finds himself in the top story lines and with another main event slot at Survivor Series as he and Cena challenge CM Punk for his championship.  Only time will tell if Ryback's run at the top will last but it makes for interesting viewing as "Road to Wrestlemania" season is just around the corner.  With a number of big names set to return for this, such as Rock and Lesnar, where will Ryback fit in?  How about Cyborg vs. Dead man?....

 

 

 

I'm still not sure where John Cena is heading.  He is now back in title contention but, for the first time I can remember, it is hard to see him winning it.  Apparently it was Cena who confronted Vince McMahon in front of the rest of the roster backstage and told him how the company had to change.  This doesn't seem to be effecting his place within the company but a return match against The Rock may be the only thing that is saving him from the Chairman's wrath.

 

 

 

Anyway, there does seem to be some transition within the company and as wrestling fans, let's hope its all for the good of the show. 

 

AP

 

 

P.s.  Can anyone tell me what was with the TNA style show opening of Raw this week?  That's them stole two things in as many weeks (AJ affair)!



WCW vs. TNA

Yet another TNA Pay-Per-View passes by and WWE don't even bat an eye lid.  Ten years and counting for TNA and it seems their product has ground to an almighty halt.  That is to say they were even moving in the first place.

A lot of spectators see TNA going the same way that WCW eventually did back in 2001 but to compare the two companies is a big miss match and here's why...

Firstly, to try to compare TNA with WCW, one would have to assume that they were both real competition for WWE, when in fact TNA can only dream of coming close to what WCW achieved in the 90s.  For many years WCW was the equal of the then WWF, and for almost two years were ahead of them in the ratings.  The reason was simple, unlike TNA, WCW was not trying to get away from "Sports Entertainment" or trying to save traditional "wrestling".  They in fact embraced the ideas of Vince McMahon in trying to make the industry into an exciting, entertaining television programme that appealed to mainstream audiences and not just fans of the squared circle.

One thing that WCW had on their side when they first started was heritage.  Unlike TNA, WCW was really just a change of name for the last NWA stronghold, Jim Crockett Promotions (National Wrestling Alliance was the alternative to the New York based World Wrestling Federation).  Therefor when media mogul Ted Turner started WCW he already had a number of well established wrestling stars such as Ric Flair and the Four Horseman, Lex Luger, Sting etc.  Some may argue that TNA has also managed to acquire established names but the difference is that the WCW stars were in their prime and matched WWE's in-ring product if not surpassing it.  TNA started with a number of independent wrestlers, a few WWE rejects and those who didn't manage to survive the acquisition of WCW by Vince McMahon.  So while WCW managed to make a big impact from the start, TNA spent years as a shelter for strays.

TNA also need major investment in their production values.  Everything from the wrestlers' music to the lighting in the Impact Zone needs a complete overhaul.  And speaking of the Impact Zone, TNA need to get that show on the road, literally.  As it stands, the majority of the crowd at Impact tapings are nothing more than a generic studio audience, containing mostly theme park visitors.  In order to reach real wrestling fans, TNA need to tour their product around the country.  Wrestling is a live event show regardless of how much it is promoted through media.  TNA need to make each show  an experience for the fans and that is how they will build brand loyalty.

Ultimately WCW failed but it's legacy lives on.  WCW forced WWE to act and create the Attitude Era in order to combat the growing popularity of the NWO, ultimately changing the wrestling landscape forever.  Many WCW stars such as Booker T, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho went on to have successful WWE careers.  Even now the legacy lives strong as the World Title which can be traced back to WCW is held by the Big Show, a man who made his name in that very company.

It is hard to see TNA leaving any sort of legacy.  WWE could probably buy them over at anytime, just as the did to WCW at the end.  Maybe TNA should be of more concern is that WWE just don't seem to care enough to see them as a threat....

AP

Remebering Macho Man Randy Savage

Last year the wrestling world lost a real legend.  Randy "Macho Man" Savage passed away in May 2011 and the Wrestling Android wants to pay tribute to one of the biggest stars to have stepped inside the squared circle.

When I started watching wrestling in 1994, Randy Savage was mainly a colour commentater for the WWE on Monday Night Raw.  However as a kid in the 90s I already had a good idea who he was.

The first time I saw him in action was in the 1994 Royal Rumble match.  I simply remember this crazy haired, full bearded, wild man in lime green spandex and instantly I was sold.  I got an instant insite into the "Madness" of the Macho Man as he eliminated himself from that very match in order to chase down his foe at the time, Crush.  Even though I had only just started watching WWE I knew straight away how intense this rivalry between these two men was.  And that was Randy's gift; his ability to tell a story and capture the public's imagination.

At Wrestlemania X, that same year, Randy had his last televised match with the WWE.  It was a Falls Count Anywhere match with Crush which ended in a Macho Man victory.  In the late Summer of '94 Randy left for WCW.

So enamoured by my new found love of wrestling, I went back and rented as many WWE videotapes as possible and realised just how good Randy was.  This included his intense fued with Hulk Hogan which lead to their Wrestlemania V match.  As the MegaPowers exploded I found myself wanting Randy to win despite him being the bad guy.  It's now seen as the cool thing to do to cheer the heel but getting a 12 year old kid to cheer for you when you're facing the immortal Hulk Hogan takes some class.   I have also been lucky enough to check out some of his later WCW work on YouTube and found out he was one of the few top guys to still be giving it his all in the ring.

It was only after his death last year though, that I realised just how highly Randy Savage was thought of in the wrestling world.  I viewed the thoughts of Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior and an extremely honest and emotional DDP online. I urge you to check them out.  And current in ring tributes like CM Punk's elbow drop only go to compound his legendary status.  I only hope there will be more like Macho Man in the future.

Check these out:
Diamond Dallas Page's Tribute
Ultimate Warrior: Macho Man Tribute
BRET TALKS ABOUT THE DEATH OF RANDY SAVAGE 

AP

Will WWE's next top guy trump John Cena?

So word on the street is that WWE are set to pick their next big star.  The man that John Cena will pass the torch to.  But this time, can they get it right?

No one can deny the popularity of John Cena amongst kids and families but he has never been that top guy to the wrestling die-hards.  The reasons for that are simple.  It has taken over a decade for the WWE to recover from the hangover of having both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the company at the same time.  It created an era of unparallelled success.

Looking back it has to be said that Austin was the catalyst that sparked the Attitude Era which produced so many larger than life Superstars.  A few years later The Rock would become another break out star.  The best thing that could have happened would have been that Austin would have retired when he did in 2003 and passed the torch onto The Rock, who would have continued to be the top babyface for the next few years until he passed it.  But as we all know this is not what happened.  The Rock left the company months after Austin and so there was no natural follow up.

The WWE was left without the two main talents who had elevated it to such heights.  The WWE simply had to pick someone and run with it.  Inevitably the guy who was chosen to fill those shoes was always going to fall short.  Enter John Cena.  Because he never faced Austin or Rock when they were still in their prime it is impossible to compare them but people do anyway.  So they take the best of Rock and Austin which Cena will never measure up to.  This has dogged John Cena's entire run.

That is what makes this next stage rather intriguing.  The next star that WWE chooses will have a fresh start.  They will not be dogged by the shadow of the Attitude era.  The question is do they have what it takes to go into that top tier of Superstardom? 

There are already some fantastic main eventers who have emerged in the last few years but probably won't be chosen.  Sheamus is already 35 and in fact the same age as Cena so it won't be him.  CM punk is the company's top heel and has already been tried as a face which came close but just didn't have enough gas in the tank.  In my opinion there are currently two men on the roster that could make it.  If the company babyfaced up Dolph Ziggler and gave him a bit more time on the mic, we could be looking at the next HBK.  The other is Daniel Bryan.  His current success seems to be all of his own making but how long can he maintain it?

Now there are a lot of great wrestlers in the second tier such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Rick Flair, Randy Savage etc. but the top is reserved for the best of the best.  Men who transcend the industry and are known all over the world by fans and people who have never seen a wrestling match in their life.  Currently there are only three in this exclusive club.  Austin, Rock and Hulk Hogan.  Will Vince McMahon be able to pick one more before he finally retires?  I sure hope so.

AP

Ryback heading in the right direction

"Goldberg! Goldberg! Goldberg!" 

Those chants echoed around arenas for the first few months of Ryback's career.  The comparisons to start with were undeniable.  The music, the look, the power.  All a reminder of Bill Goldberg, the man who exploded on to the scene in WCW and went on to dominate the company through the late nineties.  With Goldberg being such an iconic figure in the history of the industry, it has been a real struggle for Ryback to shake off those chants but in recent weeks there have been real signs that Ryback is emerging from the shadows.

It has been slight tweaks to Ryback's character, not a complete overhaul that have seen more and more fans accept him as his own man.  Let's start with his entrance theme.  When Ryback first arrived, the music was a generic, heavy bass theme.  This has had lyrics added and a bit more guitar which gives it some real originality.  Also it now starts with Ryback's words "Feed me, feed me more".  The fans have always loved a "singalong" and now everyone has started chanting these words.  This gives Ryback a real connection with the fans, as it has created a catchphrase for him.  This has been a great way of getting over for decades.

We have also heard more from Ryback recently.  Granted, he is no Jericho or Edge when it comes to mic skills but his short pre-recorded promos break down the walls (excuse the pun) that his previous silence had built up between him and the audience.  They are showing that he is not just a powerful machine but a man on a mission, a mission the fans can get behind.  And the hilarious Subway sketch this week on Raw showed him in another positive, human light. Although did anyone else wish he had put Jared through that table?...

Most importantly though it has been the beginning of meaningful feuds.  For a long time Ryback was fed weak, small, indie wrestlers that nobody really cared about.  However what this was doing was steadily building the character's momentum so that the fans would be interested to see if he could do it against established superstars.  And it looks like his first real test is just around the corner.

Miz seems to be the first real top rung Superstar about to embark on a feud with Ryback.  I for one, am keen to see where Ryback goes from here.  A successful feud with Miz could mean an IC title run.  If the momentum continues to build, he could be a real contender for the Royal Rumble, meaning a big match spot at Wrestlemania.

I will leave you with this thought.  Instead of drawing comparisons to Goldberg, Ryback is starting to remind me of another ring "Warrior"...

AP

WWE's Tag Team Woes

Can I have all the people who care about the WWE tag team division please raise their hands?

Hmmm, that doesn't look to promising.

Okay, so I don't actually have a room of people here to poll but what I am gauging is the lack of any sort of reaction for the tag team matches in WWE at the moment.  I say at the moment but this is pretty much the case for the last couple of years and I think I've found the reason why...

When I first got into pro-wrestling in the mid-nineties I just took for granted the amount of strong tag teams in the company.  To me the tag team titles were prestigious and something to aim for, to any Superstar.  I used invest real interest in the tag team matches and found the title matches to be just as enthralling as the singles championship matches.

This was because the company invested just as much interest as I did in these teams, something they don't seem to do today.  My question is; When was the last time an up and coming tag team got any real time on the mic?

See in order for us to care about these teams we need to know who they are.  Do they think that Hulk Hogan would have been as successful if there was no "What ya gonna do..." speech before he took on the bad guys?  Or that The Rock would be the Hollywood movie star he is today without a good ten minutes of promo time every Monday night?

Its the same for the tag teams.  I can still remember the Dudley's arriving in the WWE.  They would gut a promo before every match, giving the crowd an insight into there characters and devloping real personalities.

It is hard to imagine any team today getting as much promo time as Edge and Christian did, with their five second poses and back stage interactions (the ones with Kurt Angle being particularly memorable).  It meant that people care about their TLC matches with the Hardys and the Dudleys because people actually knew who they were cheering for.

The WWE needs to learn from it's on successes and start giving these current teams some real storylines or else it will continue to suffer.  While building these teams up, give some credence to the titles by putting them on some monster talent.  I am aware that both R-Truth and Kofi-Kingston are successful, I mean former world champions like they have in the past.  Take The Rock n' Sock Connection, Undertaker and Big Show or Stone Cold and Triple H.  If you have the belts on guys like these then they will matter.

 

My own favourite would be a team of two men who's interactions of late have probably been the most entertaining on TV over the past few months.  Kane and Daniel Bryan would be the classic odd couple tag team but could probably work successfully in the ring too.  It's just a suggestion but I think it's better than anything the WWE have come up with recently.

How much does John Cena need to be Champ?

Okay, so I am going to have to admit something before I start writing this.  Like most men over the age of fourteen, I am not a fan of John Cena.  Even when he made is debut against the uber heel Kurt Angle as a fresh faced champion of "Ruthless Aggression", I just could not buy into him. 

As I have never been a real fan of Smackdown!,  I never saw Cena's rise through the ranks and, from what I've been told,  his best material.  See I was too busy watching Raw and the rise of Evolution and the developement of a talent that appealed to me more than a white rapper at the time, Randy Orton.

So by the time Cena reached my television in the WWE draft of 2005, he had become the watered down, PG-era, XXXL t-shirt wearing "Champ" we know today.  From the little I had seen of Cena previously I had expected to see a guy with a chain round his neck, a throw-back sports jersey and some controversial lyrics.  What did I get?... A pack of bublegum.

And thats the problem.  We are still getting the same old act.  It is hard to understand how someone who has never evolved as a performer for half a decade is still at the top of the business.  Take the top names in wrestling history and they have all changed their act at some point to stay at the top.  Bret Hart turned anti-American,  Shawn Micheals turned degenerate, Austin started saying "What?" and who could forget the unforgivable betrayal of Randy Savage creating one of the greatest heels ever in Hollywood Hulk Hogan.  All of these men had title runs before and after these changes because the stayed fresh in the eyes of the fans.

There has however been an ever so slight shift in the WWE as of late.  Do you remember when the last championship reign of John Cena was?  Well it finished at last year's Summerslam and he has had very little title action since.  Okay so this is mainly due to his fued with The Rock but that ended five months ago.

So at WWE Night of Champions, Cena gets his first one on one title match on PPV this year.  If he wins then normal service is resumed with Cena no doubt coming out to the ring the next night on Raw and telling us "The Champ is here!"

But what if Cena loses?  As the heel, CM Punk can afford the loss and use it in his continued fight against the world that is doing everything to hold him down.  But what for Cena?  Another fued with the Big Show?  Does Cena turn heel?  Many people feels its too late for that.  Cena had a great chance to turn heel earlier this year but stuck with the Cenation.  The Rock put him in the prime position to change pace but what is the difference between Cena before The Great One's challenge and the Cena we see today?... Nothing.

For so long Cena defined himself by that championship.  Without it and without The Rock what cause does he fight for?  If he doesn't beat Punk in his own home town of Boston then where does he stand in the eyes of the WWE? There is an ever growing queue of  young Superstars waiting to get into that top tier.  Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler are on the edge of greatness with real talent both on the mic and in the ring.  Thay are also still evolving and that's what makes them exciting to watch.  Most of us can pretty much predict a Cena promo before its even started.  Let's not go into his matches. 

Cena is in real danger of being pushed out of the championship picture for good.  Out of all the biggest names in the history of the business only Hogan has lasted longer on the title scene.  Everyone has their time. This may not be the biggest match in John's career but its the biggest he may have for a long time.

AP

Where is pro wrestling in 2012?

So here we are.  One week removed from Summerslam and I am thinking "What is the future of pro wrestling?" and (excuse the pun) I have two words for you.... Daniel Bryan.

Now I know many of you may be thinking that this guy has already been to the top.  After all he has main evented pay-per-views and held the World Heavyweight Championship.  Fair enough but the point I am about to make is not based on his credentials but on what he can do for the industry as a whole.

Now I am about to mention Stone Cold Steve Austin but before I do I want to make sure you all know I am not comparing he and Bryan in terms of look, character or ability. 

When Austin entered the then World Wrestling Federation in 95/96 (forgive me, I can't remember the exact date) as the rather underwhealming Ringmaster no one really took much notice.  And even when Stone Cold was first created the public reaction was not exactly compelling evidence that this would be the man to lead the next revolution in Sports Entertainment.  People were more concerned with there established favourites at the time such as Bret Hart, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.  Much like Bryan finds himself behind Cena, CM Punk and Sheamus today.  I know this beacause I was one of those people who didn't pay much attention to Stone Cold in those early years.  But as Austins character began to grow and become larger the fan reaction became more boyant towards him.  In the end Vince McMahon could no longer ignore the fans reaction to Stone Cold and in turn gave him the ball.  He ran with it. The rest is history.

Ladies and gentleman, I draw your attention to the August 13th edition of Monday Night Raw.  One week before Summerslam where WWE Champion CM Punk would defend the title against Big Show and John Cena.  The opening bout was a match between CM Punk and Show.  A huge match with two of the major players in the title scene.  The match was going well when from nowhere, Daniel Bryan's entrance music hit.  Now this was most unusual because he had nothing to do with this match or storyline.  And this is where it reminded me of Austin.  Rather than get confused the crowd just roled with it, greeting Bryan with a pop as loud as any of The Rock's over the last year.  The reason for his arrival?  Simply to complain about not being in the Summerslam main event.  See, the crowd don't care why he is out there, they just want to see Bryan do his thing. Let him loose on the mic and let the Yes chants continue to flow.  Oh, and the guy aint half bad in the ring either.  D Bryan has the tools and, for a while now, the backing of the crowd.  Yes he is a heel but let's face it, he is probably getting a bigger reaction than most of the faces at the moment.

I was glad to see Bryan pick up the win over an ageless Kane at Summerslam.  The office will have to start listening soon.  Daniel Bryan is waiting for that ball.  Do I think he can run with it?  YES YES YES!!!

AP