Friday, September 30, 2011

Looking for That Breakout Star

There are a few years that, when you look back, were pretty much owned by certain Superstars, 2000 was Triple H, 2001 Austin, 2008 Jericho, 2009 was Orton. But who's stepped up this year?

When the year started, it looks like it was going to be great for the new guys. The Miz was WWE Champion, Dolph Ziggler was having some amazing matched for the World Heavyweight Championship, Alberto Del Rio was in line to fulfill his 'destiny', then it all kind of fell apart.

The Miz lost the Championship right after Wrestlamania, and pretty much dropped off the radar, losing to his protege over and over again. I understand how it pushes Riley, but Miz was just coming up himself, he never really had that great match that defined him as Champion.

In what was probably the laziest, most uninspired writing I've ever seen, the World Heavyweight Title is stripped from Edge, handed to Ziggler, stripped from Ziggler, then awarded back to Edge, all within about an hour. The worst part is that this happened only a week before the Elimination Chamber PPV. How much better would it have been if the title was vacant and the Chamber match would determine the Champion.

Despite this horrible ending to what was a great feud between Ziggler and Edge, Dolph has still shinned throughout the year, when ever he's booked he's great on the mic and solid in ring.

Del Rio seems to be stuck in purgatory with WWE. Every time he gets close to the top, they slide him down a few notches. He wins the Royal Rumble, but doesn't win at Wrestlemania. Gets another shot at the now vacant title, loses to Christian and drops from the title picture altogether. Wins MITB, cashes it in, is WWE Champion, until Cena comes along and wins his 12th World Championship. Del Rio needs work on the mic, I'll give you that, but performance wise, he's been excellent.

Jack Swagger is so close to greatness, he just needs a slightly better gimmick and an opportunity. He's a big guy, but he can move, he's a legitimate athlete, who's good on the mic, but he's been booked as a joke as of late.

Cody Rhodes has done nothing but shine this past having great matches with everyone he's stepped into the ring with. Many people are predicting he'll main event before the end of the year, and I for one can't wait for it.

Ted DiBiase is one of these guys who gets lost in the shuffle. Playing the younger version of his father didn't work out to well for him last year, but he looks good as a face. I really hope these DiBiase Posse Parties help him get over with the fans and he has an opportunity to shine in the ring.

CM Punk has had a banner year, although a lot of it has been under hyped. He had a great series with Randy Orton at Wrestlemania and Extreme Rules, had the Match of the Night at Capital Punishment, but no one really took notice until Money in the Bank. If he can keep up this momentum who know where it could take him.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Top 5 Superstars Who Should Have Won The WWE Championship

This was actually a pretty easy list to come up with a fill, the tough part is ranking who should have gone where, so if your favorite didn't make #1, I'm sorry. This is just my opinion of the guy who should been at the top.

5. Ricky Steamboat.
 Having a total of 26 titles reigns, including 1 as NWA World Heavyweight Champion and 1 WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricky is one of the best to ever step foot in the ring. His match with Macho Man Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 3 was the undisputed match of the year and one of the greatest matches of all time.

4. Curt Hennig.
  Despite bringing the importance of Intercontinental Championship to the level of the WWE Championship, Hennig never won the big one, although he did challenge for it several times throughout the big three organizations.

3. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
 A multiple time United States Champion, 1 time Intercontinental Champion, Piper is considered one of the best heels, ever. He's also known as one of the best talkers ever, his Hall of Fame career wouldn't have been what is was without Piper's Pitt.

2. Ted DiBiase.
 The First WWF North American Heavyweight Champion (which combined with the South American Heavyweight Championship formed The Intercontinental Championship), Often cited as one of the best in ring technicians of all time, DiBiase came closer then anyone else on the list to holding the WWE Championship, purchasing it from Andre The Giant after he defeated Hulk Hogan on Feb 5, 1988. However the WWE does not recognize this reign since the WWE Championship cannot be handed to someone.

1. Owen Hart.
 The only person on this list who has not yet been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Owen won the Intercontinental Championship twice, European Championship once, the Tag Team Championship 4 times and unofficially won the WWE Championship from his brother Bret Hart during a lumberjack match (The match was ordered to continue and Bret won, retaining his title.) Owen died on May 23rd 1999 in one of the worst in-ring accidents in the history of wrestling, falling 78 feet from a harness in the rafters to the ring.

Honorable Mention
 I would like to throw out a few names that didn't make it to my Top 5, but do deserve recognition.
British Bulldog, Don Muraco, Dusty Rhodes, Hardcore Holly. 


Who are in your Top 5?

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Update

Ok everyone, after a crazy week of work, hauling a couch, two birthdays and a weekend out of town I'm back and things should be more regular from here on in. a few quick notes, I've decided to change from a scale of 5 to a scale of 10, that allows for more accurate ratings. Also, at the end of each year I will be ranking the Pay Per Views by their mean match score. So without further a due here is the updated Night of Champions score.

Air-Boom def The Awesome Truth via DQ 4/10
Cody Rhodes def Ted DiBiase via Pin 5/10
Dolph Ziggler wins Fatal Four Way 7/10
Mark Henry def Randy Orton via Pin 5/10
Kelly Kelly def Beth Phoenix via Pin 3/10
John Cena def Alberto Del Rio via Pin 4/10
HHH def CM Punk via Pin 8/10


Night of Champions: 5.1/10


Also, from here on out, EVERY Sunday I will be reviewing a PPV. If there isn't one live, I'll take a look at an old one, and every time I finish a year of PPV's I'll rank them in order by score, and when I have enough years done, I'll start ranking the years by average PPV score. It's gonna be a hoot.

Every Friday I'll be doing a weekly wrap up, all my thoughts on Raw, NXT (yes that show is still going on) and Smackdown, ( And Superstars if they decide to post it on the website.) as well as any news, or rumors buzzing around.

Last but not least, every Wednesday I'll do a Top 5 list, anything from Top 5 ppv matches from a certain year to Top 5 heels with three or more elements in their name, e.i. Rowdy Roddy Piper or John Bradshaw Layfield. There is a ton of material there, and if you have any list suggestions, please comment, or if you have anything to add, please comment, or if you love the blog, or if you hate the blog, please comment. It lets me know where I stand and how I can make it better.

Till next time, Head for the Hills!!!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

A Little Bit About Me.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to do a quick post for those of you who don't know me, my history with wrestling, and why I wanted to start this blog.

Fist off, I'm 30 years old, live in the future site of the WWE Hall of Fame, and headquarters to WWE's developmental organization FCW, Tampa, FL. with my girlfriend. I manage a few apartment buildings by day, and I write by night. I've written several screenplays, a few of which are in different stages of development by an independent film studio out here. Oh yeah one more thing, I LOVE Pro Wrestling!

I first got into wrestling in October 1999. The first episode of Raw I watched was the night after the No Mercy ppv, Triple H was the WWE Champion, The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian had just had arguably the best ladder match in history, and Chyna had just become the first ever female Intercontinental Champion. I was hooked.

I couldn't get enough, I would start watching WCW Nitro at 8, switch over to the good show at 9, then back for the second half of the Nitro replay at 11. 2000 was probably one of my top 5 favorite years in wrestling, oh yes, that's a future blog right there. At a certain point, I decided that this was something I wanted to do, so I packed up everything I owned and moved up to North Carolina where I had an old friend who needed a roommate. We both loved wrestling, and at one point I think we were both going to train, join the WWE as a Tag Team, but, despite some awesome matches we had in the living room of our apartment, nothing ever happened.

I moved back and forth from NC to Tampa a few times, fell in an out of wrestling during that time, till 2007 when I reconnected with previously mentioned friend, and we started watching wrestling and PPVs again. And I was hooked, again. Triple H had just returned, Jericho was coming back, Randy Orton was Champion, wrestling was good again. 2008 was probably my favorite year in wrestling so far.

I've been watching every week ever since, I've been collecting ppvs on dvd, even the ones they never released I've had to make myself, but I have almost all of them. I've met a few superstars, Flair, Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, Sheamus, All of which will be on future posts.

I write this blog because I love wrestling, and I was to share that with everyone who wants to read it. I have very strong opinions about the way things are being done, and maybe, just maybe my voice will be heard, I know it's a slim chance, but it's better then doing nothing at all.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Night of Champions Results

I'm not going to give a move by move break down of the nights matches, just the results, my rating and my thoughts.

Air Boom def. The Awesome Truth via DQ
2/5 The match was solid, with a few missteps by Truth and Bourne, until the end. First of all, Air Boom are the good guys, and faking a tag a move for the Heels. Second I'm never a fan of bad officiating dictating the result of a match.

Cody Rhodes def Ted DiBiase via Pin
3/5  I would have liked to see DiBiase a little more aggressive but a solid effort from both men. I look forward to these two having a great series together.

Dolph Ziggler def Alex Riley, Jack Swagger & John Morrison via Pin
4/5  Exciting match, everyone looked really good. Jack Swagger was dominating, like an athlete his caliber should be, and John Morrison was amazing. Highlight of the match for me was JoMo drop kicking Ziggler to the outside and turning it into a moonsault landing on Swagger.

Mark Henry def Randy Orton via Pin
3/5  Match started slow, picking up a little bit when Orton got on the offensive. I wasn't really impressed with Henry's win, yes he was dominant, yes he got the job done, it just wasn't exciting to watch. Hopefully Henry and Sheamus will reignite at Hell in a Cell, I would love to see them going at it in Hell in a Cell, but with it being so close I'm expecting a rematch with Orton.

Kelly Kelly def Beth Phoenix via Pin
2/5  I'm being a little generous with that score because I really like Beth Phoenix, and the fact that she's gone against Kelly Kelly twice and lost both times is a shame.

John Cena def Alberto Del Rio via Submission
3/5  Del Rio's lighting quick strikes were the only thing that saved this match from being the same old John Cena Standard. I understand using Del Rio as a transitional champion, you want to get CM Punk over at Summer Slam, yet you want Cena to be Champion, so you have Del Rio cash in MITB, get extra heat, and screw him over at the next PPV so John Cena can win the WWE Championship for the third time this year. What's really sad is Del Rio actually impressed me both times he defended the title, the Story line leading into NOC was paper thin, but that's only because he was working with Cena and his story lines never have much depth to them and Del Rio was missing from TV for a whole week of his four week run as Champion.

Triple H def CM Punk via Pin
4/5  This was by far the most anticipated match of the night, and in my opinion, it was a bit of a let down. CM Punk is better in the ring then outside, which is where most of the match took place. Once it got into the ring interference by Miz and R-Truth ruined what could have been a classic. Further interference by Kevin Nash did keep me on the edge of my seat, because the story coming into it was set up so well, we knew what was on the line if Triple H lost. So it wasn't the match I was expecting, but it was the most entertaining match of the night.

Overall PPV Score: 3/5
Worth watching and of course I will be adding it to my collection of every WWE PPV ever, which btw currently stands at 153.

Top 5 Tag Teams I'd Like To See

As I sit here counting down till Night of Champions begins, I was thinking about how WWE is trying to make the Tag Team Championship relevant again and I'm reminded of some of the best tag teams ever, The Hardys, The Dudleys, Edge & Christian, DX. Here is a short list of Tag Teams I'd like to see using only current and developmental talent.

5. Brodus Clay & Mark Henry. A team similar to The Natural Disasters, Henry & Clay would make a great heel team that can come into an situation and dominate a team. They would hold the belts for a long time, and when a team is finally able to take them down, it would get them over big time.

4. Ezekiel Jackson & Kofi Kingston. Similar to Two Dudes With Attitudes, their conflicting styles are what would make them a great team. Jackson would dominate almost anyone as the powerhouse while Kofi flies around the ring. Defiantly a face team, Kofi could finally get Jackson over as they both have a great attitude and energy with the crowd.

3. Johnny Curtis & Derrick Bateman. These guys are former FCW Tag Team Champions together, they have similar styles, great chemistry and would make an impact in the current tag team division.

2. Richie Steamboat & Seth Rollins. These two have had some amazing FCW 15 matches together, and even held the FCW Tag Team Championship for a brief stint, there is no denying their in ring chemistry.

1. Leo Kruger & Justin Gabriel. The grew up together, they trained together (both men were trained by Gabriel's father), and teamed together in South Africa. These men know each other so well, the only thing better then them teaming together will be the matches they have after they break up.

Well, that's all for now, be sure to check back tonight for full results of Night of Champions, as well as something I've been requested to do, match ratings. Until next time, don't let it get to your head.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Will Triple H Turn Heel at Night of Champions?

I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. With reports that Kevin Nash is still booked for Night of Champions, and WWE's use of outside media to further story lines as of late (CM Punk stating on twitter he had decided to leave a few months back, then showing up at the WWE/Mattel panel at SDCC with the WWE Championship.) was Kevin Nash's tweet about he and WWE not being able to come to 'financial terms' a hoax? If all this is true and Nash does show up at Night of Champions, it's not outside the realm of possibility that it would be in order to help Triple H keep his position, and with the crowd already putting CM Punk over, Nash's interference would push Triple H to the place he goes better then anyone, Heel territory.

Speaking of Night of Champions, one of the matches I'm looking forward to most is Ted DiBiase vs Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship. DiBiase must has really pissed someone off back in 2009, that's the only reason I can understand the way he was booked for almost two years after such a promising start with Priceless and Legacy, then going into singles and feuding with Goldust, who is pretty much a star maker, only to end up jobbing for Hornswoggle for several months. But with this story line it looks like he has weathered the shit storm, just like Triple H in '96, he kept his head down, did as he was booked, and now he looks to be getting over with the crowd and on his way to big things.

Other predictions for Night of Champions. Look for Air-Boom (worst tag team name since The Moondogs) to put away The Awesome Truth (best team name since Showmiz). It's not that Miz and Truth aren't capable of winning, but WWE seem to be pushing a Tag division revival, and it's too soon for Air-Boom to drop the straps. The United State Championship Fatal 4 Way match is another I'm looking forward to, although picking a horse is one tough call. I'm going to say that Swagger causes Ziggler to lose the title to Alex Riley, thus pushing Riley, and continuing the feud between Swagger and Ziggles, and keeping JoMo at a distance, which seems to be WWE's long term plan with him, keep him involved in the big matches, like the fans want, but don't let him win anything important. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not a fan of the Divas division, with the exception of Beth Phoenix and Natalya, who I desperately want to see fight at next years Wrestlemania. They have put the two of them close to a big match every year, but it never pans out. I'm hoping this is the story line that brings that dream match home.

As for the World and WWE Championships. I'm going to say that Orton will defeat Henry on this occasion, but at the next encounter, probably next months Hell in a Cell, Henry will get the win and the belt. They seem to be pushing Mark Henry very hard, and as much as I dislike him, I have to admit he's been impressive as of late. At this point a World Title run seems inevitable. On to the last, and in my opinion the least anticipated match of the night Cena vs Del Rio for the WWE Championship. Look for Del Rio to get the win, but it won't be clean. Del Rio hasn't really impressed me since becoming Champ, a win of Cena will get him over, but doing it dirty will ensure a rematch at Hell in a Cell where he will get another win, and hopefully show a more aggressive attitude.

Well that's it for today, be sure to check back here Sunday night to see the results, will I gloat? Will I eat crow? find out next time.

P.S. I'm looking for a good sign off tag, please comment with your suggestion, Thanks.