It's been a while since I've expressed my thoughts on the wrestling business. I've been focusing more on my other blog, and when I do share some thoughts I want to express I usually tweet it out. Yet and still--
I see some people are finally getting the point that complaining about Raw via twitter is not changing a thing. Vince said that he listens to the fans in the arena not the fans on twitter. So since he doesn't listen to twitter. Hit Vince where he does listen, his pocket. He may not listen to Twitter, but I guarantee he listens to the ratings. I haven't watched Raw in weeks, cause I got tired of complaining about it, and I got tired of being disappointed week after week. The only wrestling I watch now is my DVDs I got and Ring Of Honor on Saturday nights. Ring Of Honor has always been consistent great wrestling. Much like what NXT is to some people. But the supposedly "main show" has been quite a disappointment. I still keep up with the dirt sheets for results and stuff hoping the show gets better. But as it's turns out, the show is getting worse. I saw via twitter and other social media outlets that Survivor Series was one of the worse ever.
Which is sad to see because Survivor Series is one of the big shows of year for WWE, or should I say used to be. Don't be deceived to think that Vince doesn't know what's going on. Vince has an idea of what's going on. I'm willing to bet Triple H and other people working backstage are in Vince's ear letting him know how bad the product is getting. In the early 90s, it was the Kliq who let Vince know very bluntly on what was wrong with the product. Before he left the business, CM Punk was another one who let the office know. My question is who is the guy or gal in the back that will let Vince know the truth.
It's not like they don't have the talent to put on a good show. It's just poorly booked. I understand that some people are injured and some are taking a break to do other projects, but they still got Ziggler, Kevin Owens, Dudley Boyz, Usos, Dean Ambrose, Alberto Del Rio, Charlotte, Paige, Sasha Banks, Natalya, Paige, and others that can carry the product until the "main stars" come back. In all honestly it looks like the booking has become lazy. WCW and TNA esq if you will. So, if the company wants to present a lazy product, I suggest that we all change the channel.
History does show that Vince listens to the ratings. Some of us are old enough to remember the Monday Night Wars. When Nitro was kicking the crap out of Raw in the ratings, Vince sucked it up and went all out, and the product got better because of it. May be what's missing is competition.
~Daniel Richerson
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
DIVAS REVOULTION NEEDS SOME MEANING
NXT Take Over gave you two women battling it out for a prize, the NXT Women's Title. I didn't get to watch this match, but from what I read, Sasha Banks and Bayley had a match of the year candidate type match. Then you come to Summer Slam, and we got a tag team elimination match. Then to Raw, another tag team match. We talked about giving the "divas" a chance, when NXT is actually doing it, the "main roster" is still doing the same old stuff just with longer matches. We're supposed to believe Nikki Bella is a champion just because she walks to the ring and holds up the title every week. She hasn't defended the title since before the divas revolution started. If I remember right it was way before the divas revolution started.
Rumor has it the WWE really wants Nikki to break AJ Lee's record reign which is just stupid. Another rumor that has recently come out states that John Cena is pushing for Nikki to keep the title, and if that's true, shame on Cena. Nikki has gotten better as a wrestler in the ring, I'll admit to that, but to say that she's the best, is an asinine thing to even fathom. On the main roster, the WWE can't make up their mind to who is a heel or a face, especially in the divas division. I think they're trying to pass Team Bella off as a face team. I think the only legitimate face team is team PCB.
If they really want this to be a revolution, they need to revolutionize it. Have the matches mean something and not just thrown together. Have the title defended every once in a while. The main thing to revolutionize the "divas" division is call them women, and bring back the women's title again. There's no storyline in the women's division. The wrestling has gotten better, I get that, and that's great, but there's no story. Bayley vs Sasha, there was a story. NXT seems to know how to book the women in a way that the crowd is actually into the match more. Even in the UFC has a story behind the matches. Ronda Rousey's matches has better stories then the women's matches on Raw does right now.
You really want a revolution, make the matches mean something. The only womens feud that means something is Lana and Summer Rae. And they're not even having matches to tell their story.
Other quick notes. The Dudleys are back where they belong in the WWE. What was great about that is that not a lot of people saw it coming. It wasn't reported in a lot of the dirt sheets prior to. It was...wrestling. Also the way Sting showed up on RAW had a real old school wrestling feel to it. The pop from the crowd was a real pop. The promo before from Seth Rollins was like a dry church sermon that had no feel to it.
Do they know what they're doing with Big Show? Big Show is just there right now. It's like there's no value there any more other than his size. La di da on his size to be honest. Some stuff just doesn't impress any more.
~Daniel Richerson
Rumor has it the WWE really wants Nikki to break AJ Lee's record reign which is just stupid. Another rumor that has recently come out states that John Cena is pushing for Nikki to keep the title, and if that's true, shame on Cena. Nikki has gotten better as a wrestler in the ring, I'll admit to that, but to say that she's the best, is an asinine thing to even fathom. On the main roster, the WWE can't make up their mind to who is a heel or a face, especially in the divas division. I think they're trying to pass Team Bella off as a face team. I think the only legitimate face team is team PCB.
If they really want this to be a revolution, they need to revolutionize it. Have the matches mean something and not just thrown together. Have the title defended every once in a while. The main thing to revolutionize the "divas" division is call them women, and bring back the women's title again. There's no storyline in the women's division. The wrestling has gotten better, I get that, and that's great, but there's no story. Bayley vs Sasha, there was a story. NXT seems to know how to book the women in a way that the crowd is actually into the match more. Even in the UFC has a story behind the matches. Ronda Rousey's matches has better stories then the women's matches on Raw does right now.
You really want a revolution, make the matches mean something. The only womens feud that means something is Lana and Summer Rae. And they're not even having matches to tell their story.
Other quick notes. The Dudleys are back where they belong in the WWE. What was great about that is that not a lot of people saw it coming. It wasn't reported in a lot of the dirt sheets prior to. It was...wrestling. Also the way Sting showed up on RAW had a real old school wrestling feel to it. The pop from the crowd was a real pop. The promo before from Seth Rollins was like a dry church sermon that had no feel to it.
Do they know what they're doing with Big Show? Big Show is just there right now. It's like there's no value there any more other than his size. La di da on his size to be honest. Some stuff just doesn't impress any more.
~Daniel Richerson
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Raw Review (08/17/2015): UNDERTAKER GOT BOOED, AND I'M NOT THE BIT SURPRISED
Most of us wrestling fans won't admit this, but we are some fickle people. Fickle meaning changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties, interests, or affection. Some say, Undertaker is one of those characters that shouldn't be booed. I see the point but let's look at the facts. They booked Raw as Brock Lesnar's homecoming. So with that expectation, Brock was going to get a positive reaction from the crowd, and sure enough he did. Paul Heyman cut another classic epic promo, and Undertaker interrupted. He got booed. I will admit, when it first happened I was shocked then I thought about it, it's classic wrestling for that to happen.
Wrestling fans will turn on you in a twinkling of an eye if you will. Just ask John Cena. Cena was a major baby face. He was, as it is said, over with the crowd in a positive way. Then what happened? WWE went to a major wrestling city, and the smarks in the crowd booed him. So fans in other cities that wanted to be labeled cool as well, starting booing Cena as well. When the heels call us sheep, it's not far from the truth. We'll go with what ever the smarks are saying. What ever the dirt sheets are saying we take as bible, so when they don't like somebody, then obviously we aren't supposed to like that somebody.
Now you got the smarks, which I hear the Wrestlers "adore", then you got the fans who don't know what's going on. On Raw, Cena came out and the now normal chant for Cena started, "Let's go Cena! Cena sucks!" And usually it's the kids and women chanting, "Lets go Cena!" and it's the men and smarks chanting, "Cena Sucks!" But there was this poor guy in the crowd the camera caught and he was chanting both. He had no idea what was going on. I don't think many people caught it, but I just knew this guy was just a spectator. It was kinda comical, but at the same time, he just wanted to be part of the show. Which all sports fans in general want. You go to the major sports towns like Detroit, Brooklyn, Philly, Chicago, etc. and they do they're hardest to try and sometimes do take over the show.
Other aspects of the show was ok. 3 hours is just too long of a show if they aren't going to book it right. To what I see, people are loving the Diva Revloution, but are still hating the Bellas. Even though they have gotten better in the ring over the years. Speaking of the Divas, poor Eva Marie got tore to shreds because of bad advertising due to the Total Divas promo. No fault of her own, the promo of Total Divas said, "She was beloved by the audience, and now you're going to find out why the fans hate her." Most of us were trying to figure out when and how Eva was loved by the fans. Eva is perfecting her craft. For that she must be respected, but before getting with Brian Kendrick, she was just like any other diva with no skill just a nice body. She is a representation of everything wrong with women's wrestling in the WWE. These women getting called up to the big show before being ready and stinking up the joint. So Eva was never really loved or respected by the "WWE Universe."
So that promo came on, and the IWC including myself, just tore Eva to shreds. It was no fault of hers, bless her heart, but who ever produced that commercial should be looking for a job today for false advertisement. Now, though, we got Charlotte, Sasha, Becky who has took time to hone their skills before getting called up to the main roster, and are now pioneering the future of women wrestling for the WWE. Which is causing divas like the Bellas, and Alicia Fox and Naomi to step it up. I feel bad for Natayla and Cameron who haven't got ANY TV time since this Diva Revolution started. Poor Layla retired.
Last thing I will say concerning the Divas is sending Eva Marie back to "developmental" is a good idea. A lot of people were saying Layla should have done that just to get better. And hopefully in the near future, Bailey from NXT will get her chance to shine on Raw and Smackdown.
Hopefully after Summer Slam, Cesaro and Kevin Owens will be in better spots. This ROH guys are taking over the WWE and making the TV better. Cesaro and Owens has been knocking it out the park by the week. Owens should be the US champion right now in my opinion, and the rivalry between K.O. and Cesaro should have the US Title in the midst. I'm a big fan of the former ROH guys getting a spot on the main roster of Raw. Hopefully Samoa Joe is next up. But when he get called up, the creative will have something for him.
~Daniel Richerson
Wrestling fans will turn on you in a twinkling of an eye if you will. Just ask John Cena. Cena was a major baby face. He was, as it is said, over with the crowd in a positive way. Then what happened? WWE went to a major wrestling city, and the smarks in the crowd booed him. So fans in other cities that wanted to be labeled cool as well, starting booing Cena as well. When the heels call us sheep, it's not far from the truth. We'll go with what ever the smarks are saying. What ever the dirt sheets are saying we take as bible, so when they don't like somebody, then obviously we aren't supposed to like that somebody.
Now you got the smarks, which I hear the Wrestlers "adore", then you got the fans who don't know what's going on. On Raw, Cena came out and the now normal chant for Cena started, "Let's go Cena! Cena sucks!" And usually it's the kids and women chanting, "Lets go Cena!" and it's the men and smarks chanting, "Cena Sucks!" But there was this poor guy in the crowd the camera caught and he was chanting both. He had no idea what was going on. I don't think many people caught it, but I just knew this guy was just a spectator. It was kinda comical, but at the same time, he just wanted to be part of the show. Which all sports fans in general want. You go to the major sports towns like Detroit, Brooklyn, Philly, Chicago, etc. and they do they're hardest to try and sometimes do take over the show.
Other aspects of the show was ok. 3 hours is just too long of a show if they aren't going to book it right. To what I see, people are loving the Diva Revloution, but are still hating the Bellas. Even though they have gotten better in the ring over the years. Speaking of the Divas, poor Eva Marie got tore to shreds because of bad advertising due to the Total Divas promo. No fault of her own, the promo of Total Divas said, "She was beloved by the audience, and now you're going to find out why the fans hate her." Most of us were trying to figure out when and how Eva was loved by the fans. Eva is perfecting her craft. For that she must be respected, but before getting with Brian Kendrick, she was just like any other diva with no skill just a nice body. She is a representation of everything wrong with women's wrestling in the WWE. These women getting called up to the big show before being ready and stinking up the joint. So Eva was never really loved or respected by the "WWE Universe."
So that promo came on, and the IWC including myself, just tore Eva to shreds. It was no fault of hers, bless her heart, but who ever produced that commercial should be looking for a job today for false advertisement. Now, though, we got Charlotte, Sasha, Becky who has took time to hone their skills before getting called up to the main roster, and are now pioneering the future of women wrestling for the WWE. Which is causing divas like the Bellas, and Alicia Fox and Naomi to step it up. I feel bad for Natayla and Cameron who haven't got ANY TV time since this Diva Revolution started. Poor Layla retired.
Last thing I will say concerning the Divas is sending Eva Marie back to "developmental" is a good idea. A lot of people were saying Layla should have done that just to get better. And hopefully in the near future, Bailey from NXT will get her chance to shine on Raw and Smackdown.
Hopefully after Summer Slam, Cesaro and Kevin Owens will be in better spots. This ROH guys are taking over the WWE and making the TV better. Cesaro and Owens has been knocking it out the park by the week. Owens should be the US champion right now in my opinion, and the rivalry between K.O. and Cesaro should have the US Title in the midst. I'm a big fan of the former ROH guys getting a spot on the main roster of Raw. Hopefully Samoa Joe is next up. But when he get called up, the creative will have something for him.
~Daniel Richerson
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
FOR THE DREAM AND THE HOT ROD
"I've wined and dined with kings and queens - but I've slept in alleys and dined on pork 'n' beans" ~ Dusty Rhodes.
"Just when you think they have the answers, I change the questions" ~ Roddy Piper.
Within less than 2 months we lost two major legends of the wrestling business. I say wrestling because they were wrestling. You think Wrestling, you think Dusty and Piper. Sports Entertainment came later.
Let me blog on Dusty for a second. You gave Dusty a microphone and you would get magic every time. I'm only 28 so my highlights of Dusty is as a commentator on the WCW announce team, and even those memories are good memories. My favorite call he did was during the classic Rey Misterio Jr and Eddie Guerrero match at Halloween Havoc '97 when he said, "What amazing athleticism that was. Know what I mean?" Watching old WCW matches back you can tell they had no governor on them like the WWE commentators do now. Dusty would just say what he wanted and that's what made it enjoyable. The back and forth between Dusty and Bobby was something we'll never get again.
I studied history on Dusty by watching old promos and matches back and to be as big as he was and to have the quality of matches he had was nothing short of epic. Dusty has been honored by Bubba/Brother/Bully Ray and other wrestlers/superstars as they have added some of Dusty's signatures moves in their own move set.
I got to tell this story. In 7th grade, I had an afro. And these two boys in my Home Ec class started randomly calling me Dusty because of my afro and it reminded them of The American Dream. So from 7th grade until now, people call me Dusty. I added Big in front of Dusty to add something "cool" to it, but it all started in 7th grade. Since Dusty's death I have changed my user name on some social media sites because he was who I got that nick name after and I figured why keep it since it was his.
Last thoughts on Dusty is that he was the wrestling business. Prior to his death, he was helping out down in NXT. If I'm not mistaken the Wyatt Family was Dusty's brain child. And we see how big they got and still are. Dusty was a genius, and his stamp will always be on the business for years to come.
From one icon to another. The Hot Rod. The Commissioner. Rowdy Roddy Piper. Another brilliant talker. Who could make you hate him so much that you love him. Again being 28 I really became a big fan of Roddy when he worked in WCW in the later years. I used to love when he came out and talked on the mic. For some reason I knew I was going to hear something epic. Kinda the same feeling I get now when Paul Heyman picks up a microphone. I put Roddy at number 2 on my greatest talkers list, with Dusty at number 1 of course.
I heard stories of what Roddy would do in California in his feud against the Guerrero's. Hearing Roddy tell stories was something magical. Hopefully the podcasts he recorded will stay up online for years to come. My favorite podcast he put out was the one he recorded with Chavo Guerrero Jr because of the stories what were told. How stuff ended with Piper and Podcast one was stupid to me, but I don't know the details.
Listening to Piper through his podcasts though, you could hear what a nice guy his was. His laugh was infectious.
When Roddy came back to do special editions of Piper's Pit it was always must see television for me. I just hated the fact that they tried to script Piper. You can't put a script on genius. But never the less, it was still good TV.
Both deaths completely shocked me. Didn't see either one of them coming at all. Especially Roddy. He was active on Twitter more than you would think a guy his age would be. I knew Dusty was losing weight, but I don't think anybody saw his death coming. Both men put a mark on the business that can't be erased. Both men will be missed. Who better to study how to do a promo than Dusty and Roddy?
Gone too soon.
Daniel Richerson fka Big Dusty
"Just when you think they have the answers, I change the questions" ~ Roddy Piper.
Within less than 2 months we lost two major legends of the wrestling business. I say wrestling because they were wrestling. You think Wrestling, you think Dusty and Piper. Sports Entertainment came later.
Let me blog on Dusty for a second. You gave Dusty a microphone and you would get magic every time. I'm only 28 so my highlights of Dusty is as a commentator on the WCW announce team, and even those memories are good memories. My favorite call he did was during the classic Rey Misterio Jr and Eddie Guerrero match at Halloween Havoc '97 when he said, "What amazing athleticism that was. Know what I mean?" Watching old WCW matches back you can tell they had no governor on them like the WWE commentators do now. Dusty would just say what he wanted and that's what made it enjoyable. The back and forth between Dusty and Bobby was something we'll never get again.
I studied history on Dusty by watching old promos and matches back and to be as big as he was and to have the quality of matches he had was nothing short of epic. Dusty has been honored by Bubba/Brother/Bully Ray and other wrestlers/superstars as they have added some of Dusty's signatures moves in their own move set.
I got to tell this story. In 7th grade, I had an afro. And these two boys in my Home Ec class started randomly calling me Dusty because of my afro and it reminded them of The American Dream. So from 7th grade until now, people call me Dusty. I added Big in front of Dusty to add something "cool" to it, but it all started in 7th grade. Since Dusty's death I have changed my user name on some social media sites because he was who I got that nick name after and I figured why keep it since it was his.
Last thoughts on Dusty is that he was the wrestling business. Prior to his death, he was helping out down in NXT. If I'm not mistaken the Wyatt Family was Dusty's brain child. And we see how big they got and still are. Dusty was a genius, and his stamp will always be on the business for years to come.
From one icon to another. The Hot Rod. The Commissioner. Rowdy Roddy Piper. Another brilliant talker. Who could make you hate him so much that you love him. Again being 28 I really became a big fan of Roddy when he worked in WCW in the later years. I used to love when he came out and talked on the mic. For some reason I knew I was going to hear something epic. Kinda the same feeling I get now when Paul Heyman picks up a microphone. I put Roddy at number 2 on my greatest talkers list, with Dusty at number 1 of course.
I heard stories of what Roddy would do in California in his feud against the Guerrero's. Hearing Roddy tell stories was something magical. Hopefully the podcasts he recorded will stay up online for years to come. My favorite podcast he put out was the one he recorded with Chavo Guerrero Jr because of the stories what were told. How stuff ended with Piper and Podcast one was stupid to me, but I don't know the details.
Listening to Piper through his podcasts though, you could hear what a nice guy his was. His laugh was infectious.
When Roddy came back to do special editions of Piper's Pit it was always must see television for me. I just hated the fact that they tried to script Piper. You can't put a script on genius. But never the less, it was still good TV.
Both deaths completely shocked me. Didn't see either one of them coming at all. Especially Roddy. He was active on Twitter more than you would think a guy his age would be. I knew Dusty was losing weight, but I don't think anybody saw his death coming. Both men put a mark on the business that can't be erased. Both men will be missed. Who better to study how to do a promo than Dusty and Roddy?
Gone too soon.
Daniel Richerson fka Big Dusty
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Give the Divas chance? How about give Women's wrestling a chance?
Can we eliminate the term diva? This stems from what AJ Lee said about Madusa/Alundra Blaze going in the Hall Of Fame, when she said, "She's a woman's wrestler, she's not a diva." The WWE said they "heard" us when we said, "#givedivasachance" Not entirely. Why do i say not entirely? Because the WWE World Heavyweight Championship number one contender was determined through a triple threat match. The "Divas" Championship number one contender will be determined through a battle royal. Which tells me they could care less. That backstage segment made the div--women athletes look more stupid then they already do. Making them satisfied of the status quo the divas division has become.
If you look at the Knockout Division of TNA, they are given time in their matches, and time in the story lines. They make the women look strong. They put them in tough matches. They are given a fair chance to showcase their ability and their skills in the ring. Taryn Tarrell has improved so much in the ring and it's shown. She had a match of the year candidate with Gail Kim not to long ago.
Now the "divas" division has...total divas. *face palm*
Can the women of the WWE have respect again? I believe so, especially if you look at the booking in NXT. If the powers that be take on that kind of mind set for the main roster, the women's division will be just fine. But if they continue down the pathway that made the women's matches bathroom break, that's all they'll continue to be. All due respect to Nikki Bella, but she's not respected as the champion. In my opinion. She's John Cena girlfriend. Not to say she hasn't worked out to improve her skills in the craft, but she's not respected as champion. She first showed up in the divas search. Naomi, Paige, Natayla, and Alicia Fox would make great champions. So besides putting them in a fatal 4 way to determine a number one contender, the powers that be books a cluster muck of a battle royal. Same old stuff different day.
If you going to give them a chance, then give them a chance, don't just make it a hash tag that leads no where.
~Daniel Richerson
If you look at the Knockout Division of TNA, they are given time in their matches, and time in the story lines. They make the women look strong. They put them in tough matches. They are given a fair chance to showcase their ability and their skills in the ring. Taryn Tarrell has improved so much in the ring and it's shown. She had a match of the year candidate with Gail Kim not to long ago.
Now the "divas" division has...total divas. *face palm*
Can the women of the WWE have respect again? I believe so, especially if you look at the booking in NXT. If the powers that be take on that kind of mind set for the main roster, the women's division will be just fine. But if they continue down the pathway that made the women's matches bathroom break, that's all they'll continue to be. All due respect to Nikki Bella, but she's not respected as the champion. In my opinion. She's John Cena girlfriend. Not to say she hasn't worked out to improve her skills in the craft, but she's not respected as champion. She first showed up in the divas search. Naomi, Paige, Natayla, and Alicia Fox would make great champions. So besides putting them in a fatal 4 way to determine a number one contender, the powers that be books a cluster muck of a battle royal. Same old stuff different day.
If you going to give them a chance, then give them a chance, don't just make it a hash tag that leads no where.
~Daniel Richerson
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
DOES VINCE EVEN CARE ANYMORE?
I didn't watch the 2/23/2015 edition of RAW but this is just going off the reviews of the tweets I saw and from what I watched on Fastlane.
It seems to me that Vince is throwing in the towel. Bad booking all the way. Between NXT and the main roster is night and day as far as booking goes. NXT is the wrestling that most of us long to see when we turn into Monday Night Raw or Thursday Night Smackdown. The booking of Roman Reigns getting stuffed down our throats to get him over is not best idea. I saw someone that said that the fans really want to care for Roman but they just don't like the booking. I'm not a fan of bad booking in any fashion. I hate it in reality as well as entertainment.
Thinking it over, I'm going to give the divas the benefit of the doubt. I've complained and complained about the divas for years, but after thinking it over, you have to most of the blame on Vince and the "creative team." The good ole days when you had Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria (Tara), Jazz, Chyna...the divas actually got time. Speaking of Chyna, did y'all see that twerking video? Chyna still on drugs? Anyway, I read that the divas only got 30 seconds on Raw. 30 SECONDS! How can you have employees show off their skill in 30 seconds? Especially in business like wrestling. I do see that the women get time on House Shows or "Live Events", but I'm sure they would want some time in front of the camera other than to be eye candy. I admit, I'm not the biggest Bella Twin fan in the world. I'm a fan of Paige, AJ Lee, Natayla, those who actually had a wrestling past not coming in for a "divas search." Just making a joke of the profession. Granted, search winners like Layla has gained experience over the years, but seriously tho.
Bryan Danielson aka Daniel Bryan seems to have the Shawn Michaels mentality in that he tries to make every match the best it can be. He made Roman look great at FastLane. It was a good match. Everybody knows Reigns has a lot to improve on, but the talent is there in my opinion. Reigns needs to learn had to follow what the crowd is giving each night. He seems to have script and sticks to it, but with a live audience, you have to make tweaks here and there to make it work better. In church we call it, following the flow of the spirit. If the spirit is leading to something that's not according to the program just follow it. If the live crowd is not liking what the product is producing in the ring then the performers should have the mindset to call an audible to follow the flow of the crowd.
How great is Rusev as a heel? He's the kind of heel JR likes. If you listen to the JR podcast, JR has complained about there's no more real heels in the business. Hopefully he's satisfied with Rusev and Lana. Lana has become one of the better valets of this era. I've heard she's wants to actually work in the ring, but I've also heard because of injuries she can't. Though with this role as a manager/valet, she's doing great business.
Sting and HHH is going to be money. They sold that match so well at FastLane. I'm in agreement with a lot of people when they say that the Sting and HHH segment at FastLane was the best of the night. Sting didn't say a word and still made his point. WWE is already booking Sting better than TNA ever did. As a fan of Sting, it's cool for me to see him in a WWE environment and properly used.
Bray Wyatt's undertaker promo at FastLane was so good. Completely had me fooled. That's the kind of stuff I miss as a wrestling fan. The joy of being surprised. Bray Wyatt came out in a coffin and cut a promo from the casket. It was done so well. Can't say enough about how good that was. A lot going around how old Taker looks now. Well, you can't been the clock folks. It was bound to happen. Now he's dyed his hair and is working out. Now who should go over in that match of Bray vs Undertaker? Bray, but that's just me. Bray is the young guy, Taker has had his time. He's still a HOFer so the streak being over doesn't hurt his legacy at all in my opinion.
All in all the yes the product could be better. Not all is bad, but not all is good either. Vince is old. Triple H is going to have the book soon. It seems like Vince is on his way out the door. Vince would deny that, but you watch the product, it seems that way.
~Daniel Richerson
It seems to me that Vince is throwing in the towel. Bad booking all the way. Between NXT and the main roster is night and day as far as booking goes. NXT is the wrestling that most of us long to see when we turn into Monday Night Raw or Thursday Night Smackdown. The booking of Roman Reigns getting stuffed down our throats to get him over is not best idea. I saw someone that said that the fans really want to care for Roman but they just don't like the booking. I'm not a fan of bad booking in any fashion. I hate it in reality as well as entertainment.
Thinking it over, I'm going to give the divas the benefit of the doubt. I've complained and complained about the divas for years, but after thinking it over, you have to most of the blame on Vince and the "creative team." The good ole days when you had Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria (Tara), Jazz, Chyna...the divas actually got time. Speaking of Chyna, did y'all see that twerking video? Chyna still on drugs? Anyway, I read that the divas only got 30 seconds on Raw. 30 SECONDS! How can you have employees show off their skill in 30 seconds? Especially in business like wrestling. I do see that the women get time on House Shows or "Live Events", but I'm sure they would want some time in front of the camera other than to be eye candy. I admit, I'm not the biggest Bella Twin fan in the world. I'm a fan of Paige, AJ Lee, Natayla, those who actually had a wrestling past not coming in for a "divas search." Just making a joke of the profession. Granted, search winners like Layla has gained experience over the years, but seriously tho.
Bryan Danielson aka Daniel Bryan seems to have the Shawn Michaels mentality in that he tries to make every match the best it can be. He made Roman look great at FastLane. It was a good match. Everybody knows Reigns has a lot to improve on, but the talent is there in my opinion. Reigns needs to learn had to follow what the crowd is giving each night. He seems to have script and sticks to it, but with a live audience, you have to make tweaks here and there to make it work better. In church we call it, following the flow of the spirit. If the spirit is leading to something that's not according to the program just follow it. If the live crowd is not liking what the product is producing in the ring then the performers should have the mindset to call an audible to follow the flow of the crowd.
How great is Rusev as a heel? He's the kind of heel JR likes. If you listen to the JR podcast, JR has complained about there's no more real heels in the business. Hopefully he's satisfied with Rusev and Lana. Lana has become one of the better valets of this era. I've heard she's wants to actually work in the ring, but I've also heard because of injuries she can't. Though with this role as a manager/valet, she's doing great business.
Sting and HHH is going to be money. They sold that match so well at FastLane. I'm in agreement with a lot of people when they say that the Sting and HHH segment at FastLane was the best of the night. Sting didn't say a word and still made his point. WWE is already booking Sting better than TNA ever did. As a fan of Sting, it's cool for me to see him in a WWE environment and properly used.
Bray Wyatt's undertaker promo at FastLane was so good. Completely had me fooled. That's the kind of stuff I miss as a wrestling fan. The joy of being surprised. Bray Wyatt came out in a coffin and cut a promo from the casket. It was done so well. Can't say enough about how good that was. A lot going around how old Taker looks now. Well, you can't been the clock folks. It was bound to happen. Now he's dyed his hair and is working out. Now who should go over in that match of Bray vs Undertaker? Bray, but that's just me. Bray is the young guy, Taker has had his time. He's still a HOFer so the streak being over doesn't hurt his legacy at all in my opinion.
All in all the yes the product could be better. Not all is bad, but not all is good either. Vince is old. Triple H is going to have the book soon. It seems like Vince is on his way out the door. Vince would deny that, but you watch the product, it seems that way.
~Daniel Richerson
Thursday, January 29, 2015
SMACKDOWN LIVE...MIGHT AS WELL BEEN TAPED
It's been quite a while since I've blogged on this site, but here we go.
Let me start at the Royal Rumble. Match of the Night was the World title match. I probably won't get much argument on that one. Rollins did his thing. Brock did his thing. Even Cena as much as the IWC loves to hate him, he brought it as well. The spot where Rollins did the elbow of the top rope to the announce table was nicely done. Of course it's a spot we've seen before, but it worked for the match. The sell job from Brock Lesnar after that spot was good as well. I thought they were going to let Rollins get the win for a second. I was hoping that Cena wouldn't get the W. Thank God he didn't. Brock got the win.
I'll get to the Royal Rumble "controversy" in sec, but I want to go another controversy that no one is talking about. The fact that two second generation wrestlers got dominated by two divas. That match made no sense to me. Bellas have gotten better I give them that, but in no way are they good enough to win the way they did at the royal rumble. Paige and Natayla should've put up a better fight than that, but as someone tweeted me, "WWE, where logic doesn't exist." Nikki Bella is the divas champ which I feel is only because she's John Cena's current girlfriend. Like I said, she's improved, but she's no doubt the best on the roster. AJ, Paige, Natalya, Naomi...and they chose Nikki.
Now to what everybody has been talking about. The Royal Rumble match. First let's discuss the good. Bubba Ray was in a WWE ring again. Let that sink in. DDP was a surprise entrant, and actually performed pretty well in his short stint. And that was the good. The rest of the match was poorly booked. That's what I think is the controversy. Roman Reigns winning was not the controversy in my opinion. The real controversy was how Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, and Daniel Byran was eliminated like mid carders. Who thought that work? In Philly no less...
Anyway, that's my thoughts on that, now to Smackdown Live. Smackdown was Live because Raw was snowed out. The show over all was not that good. Started off with a promo from HHH as if he was playing the part of the DX version of his character. Roman Reigns came out to a "mixed" reaction which the commentators constantly reminded us. By the way, Byron Saxton on commentary is a fail. End that yesterday. Triple H got a announcement on Raw that's gonna "shake WWE to the core" which is bound to be a bust considering how 2015 has been going so far. 2015, btw, Vince tweeted that it was going to be "the best year in the history of the WWE." Word? Anyway, the whole show was trying to sell the Casket match between Bryan and Kane. The match was a bore to me. Daniel Bryan got the win, which was the only good thing about the match to me. Hopefully Kane will never come back, unless it's a Hall of Fame bid. He's done his time. I'm sorry Glenn Jacobs, but it's over.
Also Paige vs Nikki Bella is booked for Fastlane for the Divas title. I'm hoping Paige gets the W, but I doubt that'll happen due to the booking at the Royal Rumble. I'm hoping either Paige get's the win or Velvet Sky comes in and joins the Bellas. I'm waiting for Charlotte to come up from NXT to take over the division. Charlotte is one of the best workers not just amongst the divas but of all the workers in NXT. She has "it."
Remember that I'm just another mark expressing his thoughts on the internet like a whole lot of people. I have no affiliates with any dirt sheets website or anything like that. But I love professional wrestling. I've been a fan most of my life, and I have strong opinions on the product and I share them from time to time.
~Daniel Richerson
Let me start at the Royal Rumble. Match of the Night was the World title match. I probably won't get much argument on that one. Rollins did his thing. Brock did his thing. Even Cena as much as the IWC loves to hate him, he brought it as well. The spot where Rollins did the elbow of the top rope to the announce table was nicely done. Of course it's a spot we've seen before, but it worked for the match. The sell job from Brock Lesnar after that spot was good as well. I thought they were going to let Rollins get the win for a second. I was hoping that Cena wouldn't get the W. Thank God he didn't. Brock got the win.
I'll get to the Royal Rumble "controversy" in sec, but I want to go another controversy that no one is talking about. The fact that two second generation wrestlers got dominated by two divas. That match made no sense to me. Bellas have gotten better I give them that, but in no way are they good enough to win the way they did at the royal rumble. Paige and Natayla should've put up a better fight than that, but as someone tweeted me, "WWE, where logic doesn't exist." Nikki Bella is the divas champ which I feel is only because she's John Cena's current girlfriend. Like I said, she's improved, but she's no doubt the best on the roster. AJ, Paige, Natalya, Naomi...and they chose Nikki.
Now to what everybody has been talking about. The Royal Rumble match. First let's discuss the good. Bubba Ray was in a WWE ring again. Let that sink in. DDP was a surprise entrant, and actually performed pretty well in his short stint. And that was the good. The rest of the match was poorly booked. That's what I think is the controversy. Roman Reigns winning was not the controversy in my opinion. The real controversy was how Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, and Daniel Byran was eliminated like mid carders. Who thought that work? In Philly no less...
Anyway, that's my thoughts on that, now to Smackdown Live. Smackdown was Live because Raw was snowed out. The show over all was not that good. Started off with a promo from HHH as if he was playing the part of the DX version of his character. Roman Reigns came out to a "mixed" reaction which the commentators constantly reminded us. By the way, Byron Saxton on commentary is a fail. End that yesterday. Triple H got a announcement on Raw that's gonna "shake WWE to the core" which is bound to be a bust considering how 2015 has been going so far. 2015, btw, Vince tweeted that it was going to be "the best year in the history of the WWE." Word? Anyway, the whole show was trying to sell the Casket match between Bryan and Kane. The match was a bore to me. Daniel Bryan got the win, which was the only good thing about the match to me. Hopefully Kane will never come back, unless it's a Hall of Fame bid. He's done his time. I'm sorry Glenn Jacobs, but it's over.
Also Paige vs Nikki Bella is booked for Fastlane for the Divas title. I'm hoping Paige gets the W, but I doubt that'll happen due to the booking at the Royal Rumble. I'm hoping either Paige get's the win or Velvet Sky comes in and joins the Bellas. I'm waiting for Charlotte to come up from NXT to take over the division. Charlotte is one of the best workers not just amongst the divas but of all the workers in NXT. She has "it."
Remember that I'm just another mark expressing his thoughts on the internet like a whole lot of people. I have no affiliates with any dirt sheets website or anything like that. But I love professional wrestling. I've been a fan most of my life, and I have strong opinions on the product and I share them from time to time.
~Daniel Richerson
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