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

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

Give Daniel Byran his Title and His Money

First let me say that I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I hope your 2014 is going great so far! Also let me say that I enjoyed Old School Raw this past Monday (1/6/2013), especially seeing Jake The Snake Roberts coming out to the ring looking healthy and better than ever. The Pipers Pit and he gave his ode to Punk I thought was epic. And even I have to say that the Bellas have really improved in the ring. And I have been on the record saying that the Bellas suck in the ring, never mind what they do outside the ring, but never the less...

Now, Daniel Byran. They guy that has been the most over guy in the company of the World Wrestling Entertainment. No matter what the machine thinks when they shove John Cena down our throats. I respect John Cena, but he's not the most over guy anymore. In my opinion, Daniel Byran is quickly becoming the face of the WWE. His yes chants are becoming legend. Of course with the crowd reactions he got in every arena, but even outside of wrestling the Yes chants are becoming a part of the culture. Kinda like DX back in the 90s with the crotch chop and the infamous two words.

I saw this video of the Michigan State Spartans doing the Yes chant at the game and the whole arena joined in. To me that was an epic moment in wrestling. It puts wrestling back on the map. Which is a good thing. So with that being said, WWE, what's the problem? End this crap with Bryan and the Wyatts, and put the strap on the guy. No he's not really a heavyweight, but he is the man right now. Give the man a strap and a good run and see where it goes. Yes he's a small guy but I know of another small guy that got a huge push and run...named Shawn Michaels who trained and brought Daniel Byran or Byran Danielson into the business. I can't be the only one seeing this. Daniel Bryan is money right now, so why not bank on it?

That's it for this one. Not that long, this blog but I got my point across. It's Daniel Byran's time now. LETS GO!!

~Daniel Richerson
Facebook.com/bigdusty <---friend me
---->follow me Twitter.com/big_dusty and Instagram.com/big_dusty

WRESTLING IS BACK!

Wrestling hasn't been this fun since the attitude era. I was one of the cats that said TNA needs to step it up because that will make wrestling fun again. I've never been more happy to be wrong. The whole Daniel Bryan storyline is an awesome storyline. Daniel Bryan is on the push to become on an Austin level of professional wrestling. Say what you want about Vince McMahon and Triple H, but I'm begging you to look at the current product and find a long run negative about the storyline with Daniel Bryan and the McMahons. This has the potential to be as big or even possibly bigger than the Austin era. That's pretty strong to say, but I'm saying anyway.

How bout that epic CM Punk promo from last night's raw (8/19/2013)? Going after this innocent fat guy in the crowd for booing him was just old school classic wrestling. I loved it. It was attitude era of the WWE/original ECW. Paul Heyman is as good as he ever was. His balding head and that ponytail is a different story all together, but his genius of pro wrestling and his work on the mic is masterful. I love it.

Let me get this out the way. Darren Young. I used to be that guy that would blast this guy for coming out. But I've grown to learn that what you do in your own privacy is none of my business. Darren Young being gay has nothing to do with his performance in the ring. What I think of the gay lifestyle is not important. I hope this is not a "work" but let's look at it this way. The gay/lesbian thing is a big thing right now. So Darren coming out was good for business as far as getting viewers. I've heard rumors that Darren coming out was a "work," and why would one play with this sensitive issue, I don't know. I don't think it's a work. Again what you do in your own bedroom is none of my business.

WWE is doing great business right now. TNA is--WWE is doing great business right now. I'm of the mindset that, again I hope I'm wrong about this, but I think TNA is at the point of no return. I just think there's no chance for them. It's too late. I mean, I want TNA to work, but I just think it's too late. A lot of people may disagree with me, but remember this is my blog. It's my opinion. I don't get many benefits as a mulatto because society sees me as black. Freedom of speech though...just saying.

I titled this Wrestling is back, because this is the most fun this has been since the attitude era. So as far as WWE goes, wrestling is back and fun again. I hope we all enjoy this ride and I hope it continues past the success of WWF attitude.

Thanks for stopping by,

Daniel Richerson
@Big_Dusty on Twitter and Instagram
Facebook.com/bigdusty

Welcome to my new blog!

Hello wrestling fans! Welcome to my wrestling blog site. For those that came from my other blog, and for those that follow me on Twitter, y’all know how big of a wrestling fan I am. Every time I watch wrestling I flood timelines with my opinion on how the show is going. When I get the means to watch and afford PPV’s, trust I will be doing the same thing. I’ve been a wrestling fan most if not all of my life. I’ve studied the business. I’ve watched and studied shoot interviews, matches, and documentaries on the business. My dad has told me time and time again that he wished there was a way I could get my foot in the door to work backstage in a wrestling company. Hey, I’d be open to it. WWE, ROH, TNA, FCW, etc, if you like what I’m saying during these blogs, hit me up. Give me a chance. I can’t fail at something that I haven’t tried.

So for this first blog, I’m going to go in on the whole CM Punk thing that’s been happening recently in the WWE. As I watch Raw and read the dirt sheets week after week to see this whole thing unfold, it reminds me of a certain WWE Hall of Famer that has his own hunting show now, The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. To me there are a lot of similarities. I heard CM Punk say in an interview that Vince doesn’t know what’s cool anymore. I’ve heard Shawn Michaels say the exact same thing. CM Punk is saying what’s on his mind and getting in trouble. Wasn’t that the main key to the original D-Generation X with Shawn and Hunter? Didn’t they go out to the ring, went off the cuff, come backstage and get chewed? So it is amazing CM Punk is in a story line with HHH. It’s like past meets present.

CM Punk has been money for Raw every show. The whole show can be a dud, but CM Punk can come out and save the show. Recently, on the 9/12/2011 edition of Monday Night Raw, a show that was heading to a PPV, the show was garbage. The build up for the title matches were awful. Yet when CM Punk and Triple H went back and forth in the ring in what I feel was a classic, it saved the show and the PPV in my opinion.

CM Punk is an advocate for change. I feel that since Beth Phoenix and Natalya are going around wanting to “save the divas division” why not have them do the same thing? Why not have Beth and Natalya say that they want change as well? Say something like, “We’re sick of being known as the bathroom break part of the show. We want our chance to show what we can do. We want our chance to show that women can wrestle too. We want change. We want the fans to react to what we do. We want the fans to enjoy and talk about the work we do more than what we’re wearing to the ring.” I’ve said for years that the WWE should have a boot camp for divas like Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, The Bellas, etc. If they’re going to be promoted as champions, they better work as champions. The fans need to believe that Kelly Kelly is a better worker than Beth or Natalya. It’s ridiculous to me that Gail Kim, Melina, Mickie James, Victoria (Tara), got pushed over for divas who’s only highlights occur on Botchamania on YouTube. When Michelle McCool and Layla were co-champions, I thought that was disrespectful to the talent of Gail Kim, Melina, Natalya…women wrestlers that can actually work in the ring and put on a good show for the fans. Don’t give me the mess that, “They’re trying their best.” Well, let’s be honest, they’re best is not even WCW material. You’re watching the same show that we the fans are watching, send them back into training to get better, especially if you’re going to push them as a champion. They have to be crisp in the ring. Mistakes have to be a minimum.

That’s it for this first blog. Hope y’all enjoyed it. Before I go I will say that I do watch TNA on occasion and every time I watch, I don’t like what I see. I’ll comment on TNA in future blogs to come. Thanks for reading. Share this with every wrestling fan you know. Heck share this with the wrestlers you follow. Friend me on FaceBook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on DailyBooth. Subscribe to me on YouTube. Follow my other blog. Follow this blog.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty