DEAD CROWD MAKES FOR A DEAD SHOW

Wrestling fans. It’s been a strange couple of weeks, hasn’t it? Last week was Wrestlemania, but the next night was probably the best Monday Night Raw ever aired in quite some time. I mean the crowd was bananas. I even tweeted that the crowd made the night feel like an original ECW show. Why? Think about back when the crowd would chant for RVD all throughout the show. Now let’s get to last Monday, who was the star of the show? Not John Cena. Not The Rock. Not CM Punk. Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan was the star of the show, and I loved it. It was a magical night for him, for the WWE, and for professional wrestling as a whole. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a crowd that hot for a WWE show.  I feel that if a crowd is that hot for a WWE show, since WWE is the number one promotion, then things are good for the business as a whole. All night you heard the chants of Daniel Byran. All night you heard chants of, “Yes!” Nobody could deny how hot that Miami, FL crowd was. Then you had Brock Lesnar comeback. When I say, I was jumping up and down in the living room? I was that excited. It was a night to remember. After that show, I felt proud to be a WWE fan. After that show, I felt proud to be a professional wrestling fan. And then…

Then you go to one week later. Monday Night Raw is in capital of the USA, Washington D.C. Because of the show last week, this show had all the buildup it needed to be magical. The show starts off with Johnny Ace in the ring with Mr. Jennifer Hudson aka David Otunga. Johnny Ace brings out Brock Lesnar, which leads to John Cena coming out, and the brawl of the year happens. We even saw some color, that’s wrestling talk for blood, for a change on PG WWE programming when Cena got his mouth busted. The opening was epic! And then…

Then the rest of the show happened. First of all they had the stars of the new Three Stooges movie guest host Raw as the characters. Here’s the thing. Moe, Larry, and Curly were real people. They’re dead. Trying to put over a comedy act from the 30s, 40s, and 50s to a crowd in 2012 is not the brightest move anyway. Let’s get to why the “Three Stooges” were there in the first place. To promote the movie? Yes, but let’s remember one important piece of information. David Otunga is married to the beautiful Jennifer Hudson. Jennifer Hudson is in the movie “Three Stooges.” David Otunga is a major part of the WWE Show, or at least he’s being advertised that way. His wife is in an upcoming movie. I guess WWE figured, why not! Probably asked the question, “What could go wrong?” If you watched the show, you know the answer to that question. The Stooges were about as over as John Cena in the Hammerstein Ballroom. I mean it was horrible. And this is coming from a fan of the original Three Stooges. This is coming from a guy that was actually looking forward to seeing the new movie. But after Monday night…not so much.

Let’s talk about the crowd shall we? To quote Stephen A. Smith, that crowd was “so disrespectful!” I mean it was like night and day from Miami to DC. Miami was like ECW 1997. DC was like ECW WWECW. The crowd was dead the whole show. CM Punk cut a tremendous promo, but it went over the crowd’s head like a Three Stooges joke in 2012. Interesting…

All through the night I was tweeting along with others that WWE should’ve hired that Miami crowd and bring them everywhere they go. Miami is what we want to see very week we watch wrestling. When we tune in to wrestling, we not only want the crowd to be hot, we need the crowd to be hot so we can be into the show. When the crowd is dead, it makes the show seem boring. If I was handling WWE’s booking, I wouldn’t go back to DC for at least a year or two.

Now next week, the show is going to be in England. England is always hot. They’re always into the show. So next week should be a good show, but considering how bad DC made the show, how can I be positive about England?

I talked earlier about CM Punk. I for one am loving the CM Punk/ Chris Jericho storyline. It’s compelling, and you know classic matches are coming out of it. The Daniel Bryan storyline is good because the crowd is behind him. Daniel Bryan is going to be a bigger star this year in 2012, mark my words, because the crowd is going to make him so. Zack Ryder should be one of the bigger stars right now, but WWE has flushed him down the toilet so much that he’s become watered down. And instead they push…Eve. And that should tell you all you need to know about WWE management.

Sorry for the long wait. I know it’s been too long since I’ve posted about wrestling, but hopefully I’ll be back doing these things more often. Feel free to share this around with all the wrestling fans you know and let’s get talking about this great sport. Follow me on Twitter @Big_Dusty and friend me on FaceBook at Facebook.com/bigdusty

Stay Saved,

Big Dusty aka Daniel Richerson

My thoughts on CM Punk vs Chris Brown

So the biggest major story in wrestling right now has nothing to do with the product of either company. It’s about the beef between CM Punk and Chris Brown. A twitter beef. Of course WWE being a business company, it’s going to milk this for all it’s worth. The little I know about it, you got Chris Brown accusing CM Punk of using steroids and then of course we all know Chris Brown’s violent history if you will, and CM Punk has been running with that. Even got people talking about #TeamChrisBrown or #TeamCMPunk. Even got the IWC, Internet Wrestling Community, talking about a potential match between CM Punk and Chris Brown. WWE is on the verge of their biggest PPV of the year with Triple H vs Undertaker in Hell In A Cell, John Cena vs The Rock, CM Punk vs Chris Jericho…and yet the big story is about CM Punk and Chris Brown.

Now I could easily go in on Chris Brown and Rhianna and how stupid that whole thing is, but this is my wrestling blog. So I shall stick to wrestling. CM Punk is one of if not the best talkers working in the wrestling business today. On my top list, he’s right under Shawn Michaels, who proved that he even when he doesn’t watch the product, he can come back for one night and still hold the crowd in the palm of his hand on the mic. Chris Brown, I mean he can rap a little bit, but is he seriously trying to out talk CM Punk? Why not pick somebody easy like a diva? I mean none of them are good on the mic. You can run with that one however you want. I think Chris Brown is under the impression that CM Punk is just another “fake wrestler.” I believe that CM Punk is bred from the old school of wrestling. Old School being they’ll fight you in a bar as quickly as they’ll fight you in the ring.

I also believe that Chris Brown is under the impression that all wrestlers use steroids. Well CM Punk could be under the impression that all R&B singers dye their hair blonde, beat up women that come running back to you, and throw chairs at windows. Not fair to put everyone in one category because of the stupidity of a couple of people, am I right or wrong? In one way I think this whole thing is good for wrestling due to the fact that Chris Brown still has millions of fans despite of his issues. Let’s say Chris Brown appears on WWE programming. That’s more viewers for the WWE so it’s a win. In another way, I think this whole thing is taking away from Wrestlemania coverage. Just my opinion.

So I watched Impact Wrestling recently for the first time in I don’t know how long, and after watching it, I was wishing I didn’t. I didn’t watch the whole episode, but I wasn’t impressed with what I saw. First thing I remember is Hogan and Eric Bischoff once again being in the spotlight. I guess you can say that at least they’re not in the main event. Yes, true but Hogan vs Bischoff is 90s written all over it, and I’m sorry, but that was 20 years ago.  Impact Wrestling needs to make an impact. ECW was such a thorn in WWE’s side that WWE started taking what ECW was doing as their own. TNA is not even a thorn in the side of ROH. Impact Wrestling has the talent to do it, it just has to be done. Maybe it’s the not the talent, but the brains behind it. I admit I don’t watch Impact Wrestling much, but I’m going to start watching when I can. One because believe it or not, I do want Impact Wrestling to work so wrestling as a whole can be fun again. Two, to actually have an opinion of the product, I have to at least watch and keep up with the product, right?

I know it’s been a while since the last blog. I hope this blog makes up for it. Share your thoughts below, on Twitter, or Facebook. Share this around with other wrestling fans. I hope to be back sooner rather than later. Until then…

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty

My thoughts on the Pinup Strong movement

I was reading this article on WWE.com, some time ago, where they had a list of potential past and current divas who would or could join up with Beth and Natalya in there run to change the divas division. The last one on the list was Eve Torres. Really? Eve Torres for change in the divas division? When she fits the mold of a WWE Diva? Eve came in as a former dancer, and her start in the business was the WWE divas search. WWE is supposed to be the big time in the wrestling business. Eve came in the big time with no, again I say no, ring experience, and yet she became champion over divas that actually came in with experience like Gail Kim, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, etc. Yet you add Eve to a list to join a force that wants to change the divas division? I’m confused. Beth and Natalya actually came in to the big time with ring experience. Yet they can’t get a legitimate run as a champ? Or at least they couldn’t for a while. So for what I understand, the way to make it as a diva in the WWE is to come in with no experience, embarrass yourself and women wrestlers everywhere on national TV every week, and within a month you’ll have title shot.

Now I, along with a lot of others, am not a fan of John Cena’s in ring work. Yet can I really say that Cena didn’t do enough to get where he is? He was discovered working at an independent wrestling show in California by Jim Ross. Jim Ross got him to OVW which at the time was a development territory for the WWE. So, even though Cena’s offensive maneuvers are limited, the dude came in the right way.

With most everything, there are some exceptions. Trish Stratus came in with no experience. Yet she became a very good worker in the ring. Stephanie McMahon. Y’all may think I’m crazy, but y’all got to admit, she wasn’t that bad in the ring. These divas now though? The Bella Twins, Eve, Kelly Kelly...yes I give you, they look good, but their work in ring is not up to par.

Now who I think could add to the movement for change? Again, y’all may think I’m crazy, but Alicia Foxx would be a great addition. She got the skills to be good, she just needs them tuned. What better tuners can you get than Beth Phoenix and Natalya? That new diva AJ would also be a good addition for change. She actually came in with ring experience, and she can work. Why not?

Reading the dirt sheets recently I hear that WWE is gonna have Kaitlyn turn heel on AJ and join Beth Phoenix and Natayla. What kind of sense does that make? Here I was thinking this was about skill. No it seems like this is about being too thick to be a victoria secret model. Give me a break.

Thanks for reading. Be sure to follow me on this blog. Leave your comments below sharing your opinions. Read the last blog. Follow my other blog. Friend me on FaceBook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Dailybooth. Follow me on Tumblr. And I’m out.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty

12/05/2011 Raw review plus other thoughts

This is LONG overdue, and I do apologize for that. I hope this blog makes up for it.

Before getting into this week’s Raw, let me talk a little about last week. How epic was the Hot Rod? The man still got it. I hope young wrestlers in and out of the WWE watched and learned from that exchange with Cena. Let me say this, this thing with Cena and the fans, what took the WWE so long? Does anybody agree that this should’ve been done at least a couple of years ago? I say as far back as 2006 after his now infamous appearance at WWECW One Night Stand 2006. Anyway, on to this week’s Raw…

The show starts out with Cena coming to the ring. The usual kids and women screaming and the real wrestling fans booing him. Cena sucking up to the fans. It’s barf material. I’m begging Cena to go heel already. Seems like they’re teasing Cena going for the title again. Three words WWE: Just Say No! Alberto Del Rio has potential to be a better heel, but when Vickie Guerrero gets more boos than you do? Enough said. I would love to see Dolph get a title shot against Punk. Y’all see that match they had a couple of weeks ago? I saw someone online compare Punk to Bret Hart and Ziggler to Mr. Perfect. I can’t argue with that. That match was an instant classic. Why oh why did Johnny Ace become an on air character? I’m begging the fans to start chanting boring when this tool comes out. The first segment felt longer than 20 minutes. Good things that happened: Zack Ryder mention…that’s about it. Yes, I am a Zack Ryder guy. The fact that they even teased Cena getting another title shot had me screaming NO to the television set.

Randy Orton vs Miz ends in a countout. Not like the match was that good anyway. The Miz is a good heel, I give him that. Every time I think about the Miz, I think about his time on the Real World. Miz’s dream came true. WWE had turned him into a major player. Personally, I think Miz still got a little ways to go, but he’s getting better every week.

Michael Cole. WWE took the fact that everybody hated Cole, to turn Cole heel. Even when Cole was the “face” commentator, people hated him. Not because he was a heel or face, but it was because he was and still is terrible at his job. Cole still has his job, and JR has been fired many times. I don’t get the logic to tell you the truth.

All this promotion for the WWE Network, I hope it doesn’t go out like the XFL. Remember the promotion for the XFL? Yeah…

Of course I got to talk about Mr. David Hudson…ahem, Otunga…ok that’s done.

Big Kev, Big Sexy, Kevin Nash. I will admit. I am a fan. I am a mark if you will. I’m a mark for the Kliq as a whole. I don’t think a day goes by when I’m not holding up the wolf pac sign. I’m not kidding. I am also a fan of the Kevin Nash and Triple H storyline. You got two professionals that know what they can do and can’t do in the ring, and they make it work.

I can’t wait for Bryan Danielson to get his just do in the WWE. The man can work in the ring, and yet gets treated like a second class nobody on television. Plus he’s a verbal punching bag for the verbal diaretic known as Michael Cole. So Bryan getting the title has now turned into nothing more than proving Cole wrong which is not what it’s supposed to be about. Have Bryan kick Cole’s teeth down his throat, turn Cole into a manager, and bring JR back. Turning Cole manager may seem like a crappy idea, but look at it this way, we would hear and see him less. Cole is trying to be what Jerry Lawler was during the Attitude Era, and for some odd reason, WWE seems to think it’s working.

Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres get no reaction what so ever. The Divas ask for more time. They beg for more air time. Get a reaction from the crowd for a change, and you might get more time. Personally, I think WWE is sleeping on Alicia Foxx, as wrong as that reads. Blog on the divas coming later this week.

This “Social Experiment” thing on Raw has Vince McMahon written all over it. It’s that stupid. I said before I’m a Zack Ryder guy, but are we the fans supposed to believe Zack has a legitimate shot against Cena? If WWE would’ve had Cena lay down and let Ryder get the win, I wouldn’t have been mad. But WWE had to stick to the same old stuff. Using what would actually work? Seems farfetched, I know...

Zack Ryder is nothing but a money maker for the WWE that gets no respect. Zack had everyone in Madison Square Garden chanting his name. And how does the WWE repay him? Having him face not only John Cena, but Mark Henry. Remember, this is the same Vince McMahon running the show that said on tape, “The crowd loves DX, so I was going to love DX.” Now it seems to be, “The crowd loves Zack Ryder, so I’m going to screw Zack Ryder.” It’s not right. It’s not good business.

Noted after I typed the paragraph above, Zack Ryder gets the win the help of Cena. I guess I’m supposed to be satisfied, but it seems to me WWE has a tendency to wait until the fans are ready to riot to finally give them what they want.

The classic nWo theme plays over the speakers, and Kevin Nash walks to the ring with the sledge hammer. Yes I did hold the wolf pac sign as it happened.

Santino Marella. The only question I got is why? Why is he still around? What is he good for?

If Kevin would’ve hit Cole with the sledge hammer—never mind.

Dolph is money in that ring. No doubt in my mind that Dolph will be in WWE or World title hunt very soon.

Did Brodus Clay show up on Raw? I must’ve missed it if he did.

Did Johnny Ace just say that he’s mister excitement? Excite…what?!?

Miz is trying way too hard to be psycho. I see what he’s trying to do. I sorta like it, but he’s trying too hard. Let it come natural. Brian Pillman—by the way, the fact that he’s not in the Hall of Fame is ridiculous—loose cannon character was real. It looked and felt real. Miz on the other hand looks and sounds phony.

CM Punk, as always, was money on the mic. I love the fact that Punk comes out and shoots.  When Punk says he’s the voice of the voiceless, he’s right.

So this week's, December 5, 2011, edition of Raw was average at best. Was nothing spectacular in my opinion. I mean the vignette with the kid and the desk and that whole thing, is interesting. Kane coming back in the mask in what I’m assuming is one last run, is cool. Cena helping Ryder get his deserved and WAY past due US Title shot was cool as well. I am interested to see where this Cena and the fans thing is going.

Thanks for reading. Be sure to follow me on this blog. Leave your comments below sharing your thoughts and opinions. Share this with all the wrestling fans, dirtsheets, independent wrestling companies, etc that you’re connected with.  Read the last blog. Follow my other blog. Friend me on FaceBook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Dailybooth. Follow me on Tumblr. Subscribe to me on YouTube.  And I’m out.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson aka Big Dusty

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