Monday, November 29, 2010

King Sheamus

WWE really working on keeping Sheamus fresh. Triple H will be back, but seriously? Sheamus? He has been WWE Champion twice already. I am sure the WWE could have found some other way to keep Sheamus strong.

Morrison? Would have been nice if he won, but WWE seems to like heels winning King of the Ring. I would have liked Alberto Del Rio to win it, but WWE insists on still pushing that feud with Rey Mysterio. If that was not there, I would say it was a mistake not to give this man the credibility to be a top heel of Smackdown. Besides, he's entertaining.

I can go through the other names in the tournament, but those I already mentioned are the top ones I feel were worthy. I guess Sheamus was still on the list. In other news, this Morrison/Sheamus thing continues to remind me of Kofi/Orton.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

AWESOME WWE Champion

You would think that with 100% of Money in the Bank winners winning a World title when cashing in, some of the excitement would be lost in these things. Not quite yet. After Wade Barrett once again failed to become WWE Champion, and after I wrote my last entry, Miz cashed it in on Randy Orton and won.

I am glad for Miz. As I said before, the excitement and shock was there. The WWE was doing a great job building him. Miz becomes the first brand new WWE Champion of 2010, among other pieces of history.

As for the future, I am sure the WWE will make a joke of this reign like they do most first-time World Champions. Oh well! Better than nothing. Just hope they do not forget Barrett.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sympathetic Cena

Cena got his grand sympathetic moment on Raw tonight. Randy Orton retained the title at Survivor Series, which means Cena failed Wade Barrett's order to make sure Barrett walked out WWE Champion, and thus Cena is fired. It's kayfabe.

I am disappointed in how the WWE handled the storyline. No, I am not sad that Cena got fired in terms of the soap opera. I wanted to see an actual swerve. I wanted to see something shocking and fresh. Instead, I get honorable John Cena doing the honorable thing. For the last 24 hours, so many fans give him nothing but sympathy. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I did not mind it so much when the fans seemed to feel so bad for Cena when Batista took the WWE Championship from him earlier in this year, even though it was stupid considering it was obvious Cena would still make it to Wrestlemania and get his revenge on Batista eventually. He is the centerpiece. But this current storyline is just too sugary sweet. I am not entertained. I have not been really entertained by this Nexus angle since their random attacks became less and less fresh. Having Cena join the group had so much potential. I feel they dropped the ball.

Then there is Barrett and Orton themselves. All this talk about Cena, it is easy to forget that this was supposed to be their title feud. Randy Orton had been getting the short end of the stick since he won the title. Cena was still trumping him. I do not feel things will be too much better for Orton now. That is another reason it would have been better to have Orton get screwed by Cena. Barrett gets the title, becoming the first, and probably only, brand new WWE Champion of 2010. Jack Swagger was a brand new World's Heavyweight Champion. Sheamus won the WWE Championship last year, although bringing it into 2010. The agenda Nexus has also gets furthered. I do not think putting the title on him now would have been rushing it. He failed twice at PPVs already, before Survivor Series. Besides, he had a better build for the title than Sheamus. Orton and Cena would have then been able to branch into a feud. It might have even culminated at Wrestlemania, if done right. These two have never had a singles match at the big event. It could have been a strong feud.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Devil's Luckiest Demon

The Undertaker getting injured many months ago had a heavy hand in the WWE's decision to end the big push of Jack Swagger and give the World Heavyweight Championship to Kane. More recently, Taker once again getting injured and requiring some time off has benefited Kane once again. Kane retained his title against his brother in three consecutive PPVs, which included two gimmick matches. If you count that Kane even got the better of Taker at Summerslam, where Taker returned, Kane has owned him four PPVs in a row. How many wrestlers can come up and say that?

Obviously, had Taker not been injured again, the story being told right now would be different. Aside from this being the second time this year the WWE has had to write off Taker due to injury, he also took a semi-hiatus after Wrestlemania. The reason I do not say it is a full hiatus is because they did have to call him up at least once when they needed him. This has not been a good year for him when it comes to amount of time being used on TV. As I have said before, this is working for Kane's benefit.

Now Edge is going for the title. I do not want to see Kane's reign end yet. I do not say this because Kane is one of my favorites, but I think they can still do more to make this title reign rich. Kane and Edge can feud for Survivor Series and TLC. Both Kane and Edge have won TLC matches, so there can be a good build there. After that, have him feud with Big Show. Elimination Chamber will come after that. Just pull together a few names. Easy. The WWE can also substitute a midcarder on the rise instead of Big Show. Kofi Kingston? They can also choose Rey Mysterio again. Fact is, after Elimination Chamber, Wrestlemania comes. If Taker is good to go by then, Undertaker vs. Kane III, and for the title and with Paul Bearer there, could be epic. If Taker's recovery hits a snag, the WWE can take the belt from Kane at Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber. I cannot picture anyone else who could take the title from Kane in a great build for Wrestlemania. They can just give Kane a midcard match. I do not feel they should keep the title on Kane for what might be 8 months or more. They screwed Swagger once already. Edge has been the face of Smackdown before and should get it back eventually. They just cannot keep the title on Kane in hopes of having him drop it to Taker. I just feel now is not the time to kill Kane's fun.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Ted DiBiase Moves On

Tonight, Ted DiBiase Jr. seemed to move on from his feud with Goldust completely. Goldust gave the Million $ Championship belt back to Ted Sr., who then tried to give it back to his son, but Ted Jr. had other ideas. He attacked Daniel Bryan later on in the show.

Obviously, if you think back to a few weeks ago, the WWE looked to be starting something with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Punk is injured for a few months. Daniel Bryan has not had a real solid feud since Miz. His series with Ziggler put on great matches, but the story to the feud itself was weak. This new feud with DiBiase may actually get some good development.

As for DiBiase, I feel more could have done for both his feud with Goldust and with the title aspect of his gimmick. Yes, the United States title is a step up, but his dad's belt had a more personal story to the gimmicks both have. Overall, it is a shame that this is all getting blown over, but I will still remember that it did make Goldust look very credible again. It even refreshed Ted a bit after months of staleness. It made two women who are not great wrestlers actually useful in a storyline. Things will continue. Will they cross paths again in the future?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I See Kofi Kingston

When I look at John Morrison on Raw right now, I see Kofi Kingston back one year ago. I am not making any statement based on looks or anything like that. I am talking about how the WWE is pushing them.

One year ago, Kofi Kingston had this huge break in which he feuded with Randy Orton, who had just come off losing the WWE Championship to John Cena. This feud did more for Kofi Kingston than it did for Randy Orton. Orton was an established main-eventer. Kofi Kingston was a midcarder. He had beaten guys like Chris Jericho, but he had never gotten anything like that feud with Orton. It definitely showed a new, focused side of Kofi. If the WWE had continued pushing him up, I believe Kofi Kingston winning a World title earlier this year would have been a credible event.

Right now, John Morrison is getting this storyline with Sheamus. It is true that the main focus so far seems to be this comedy bit between Sheamus and Santino, but that seems to be just a creative way to transition it to Morrison and Sheamus in the coming weeks. Many may remember when we saw a new, focused Morrison months ago as he warmed up for a match against Sheamus on Raw. He even pushed Sheamus, who was still WWE Champion at the time, to a great limit. However, that was only one match. Since then, the WWE has tried to push Morrison steadily to some degree. He has beaten Chris Jericho, among other men who have been World Champion. And now he has this storyline developing with Sheamus? It seems very much like Kofi/Orton 2009 to me. Sheamus is not as established as a main-eventer as Randy Orton was one year ago, but that is a sign of the state the WWE is in now. Aside from Sheamus, how many other main-event heels on Raw have been WWE Champion before to be able to give a midcarder a rub? If you can name one, you can name more than I can. Miz and Barrett have never held a major title yet and both are in the process of being built up to look like credible threats before they get that title reign. Point is, this push is more for the elevation of Morrison than the elevation of Sheamus. What can beating up Santino really do for Sheamus? Or getting a win over Morrison? The comedy bit will help the only aspect of Sheamus that seems to keep him as over as he is.

I am not complaining about the WWE pushing John Morrison now or Kofi Kingston last year. I think they deserve it. I am only explaining what is going on. Now I am going to complain. After all the WWE did with Kofi Kingston, where is he now? Smackdown? But that is not necessarily a bad thing. He won the midcard title there. That is the bad thing. All that momentum just started to go back down from there. He had held the midcard titles before. His push against Orton ended up having more entertainment and excitement worth than long-term worth for Kofi Kingston. Many can say that his further depush since then is due to other faces dropping due to injury or release. WWE needs a credible midcard face jobber, so they call on Kofi.


The question may not be how far Morrison will go with this push. What will eventually screw him out of the push? That is the question. Do these pushes really do something for these guys' overness? Both Kofi and Morrison were popular guys before their respective rubs from main-eventers. I did say that it showcased new sides of them. In the end, it does not matter how over they do get. It does not even matter how much effort they do put in or how loyal they are. That does not decide how far they will go. That is part of the reason Matt Hardy wanted out.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Just Kill The Team!

For way too long now, the WWE has been teasing the split of The Hart Dynasty. That is fine. Tag teams seem to only exist to be split up one day for singles runs in the WWE these days anyway. You can definitely see talent in Tyson Kidd. With the right gimmick and push, he could go far and do well. DH Smith can be used for something too.

What I find annoying is that they are taking way too long with this. Cryme Tyme split up rather suddenly. I understand well that some turns and splits happen out of nowhere and others are developed over time. Usually, however, the people who get, or should get, the drawn out treatment are major players or people the WWE wishes to develop to be that. I do not get that vibe here, not even for Natalya. Signs are pointing to her getting pushed, but I have already mentioned that her push helps Melina's depush. The men, on the other hand, will probably end up just as midcarders. Their jobs may be saved because of their link to Bret Hart, but I doubt they will get super treatment. In the wait, as I said before, they can still put on some good matches and develop their character a bit.

To put it simply, I am fine with the WWE moving past this little stable. Just speed it up a bit, maybe? More time could then be spent on developing some new face team on Raw to feud with Nexus. Then again, with so many wrestlers injured and creativity what it is these days in the WWE, maybe this is what the WWE must do to fill space, not what they would like to do. In any case, it is starting to annoy me.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Orton Still Just A Detail

I would be happy with either Randy Orton or Wade Barrett winning the title match in a few weeks. It would make more sense for Barrett to win it, and possibly be the best option, but none of that is the issue. Orton continues to just be a side issue in John Cena's larger issues with Nexus.

This week on Raw, Cena was simply the ref in the tag match that featured a taste of what will happen at Survivor Series. It was Barrett and Orton competing, so Cena is out of the action, depushed, not pushed as hard, and all that nice stuff people always wanted, right? I do not think so. All the attention is still on Cena and what will become of him after the PPV. Will he be free of fired? I even find it disgusting how the match is named like that. Cena is still the centerpiece. I may have been able to stomach that and Randy Orton still be WWE Champion at the same time, but this whole storyline is just annoying to me. We really need to feel sympathetic to John Cena? I understand that it helps Barrett look like a stronger heel before he eventually gets the title, but this situation just allows that politician side of Cena I hate so much shine. And I do not even get what the face argument from Orton about Cena disrespecting the WWE Championship and all the other men who have held it by screwing Orton really stands on. Many wrestlers have won the title through shade means before, just ask a few heels. I seem to remember right off my head Undertaker winning a World title many years ago thanks to a biased ref. But I do understand that they are pushing anything they can to make it seem like the ethical odds are against John Cena in this. The guy has already FUed Big Show, made main-eventers tap, and led the WWE to already beating Nexus, among other things, so what other odds are there really for this guy? WHAT WILL CENA DO!? That's the draw. I do not find it interesting. I would rather have a surprise heel turn.

In the mean time, Orton is just being moved along with the storyline. Did the WWE get scared when Raw's rating drop coincided with Orton winning the title? They have built everything on one stale face for so many years, it seems some sheep still want more of him. The WWE could have easily have made this feud more about Orton than Cena. They are not. Just go and depush the guy for real. I do not mean out of the title picture alone, I mean out of the main event. They did it when he feuded with Big Show last year. That feud was not the main Raw feud. But Triple H was there. Do I have to wish for his return? Why wait? You have Orton.

Monday, November 1, 2010

The WWE Career Of Mickie James - Conclusion

I have been writing that the WWE did not like Mickie James as much as some people may have assumed since 2008. The evidence goes back even before I started talking about it. If you just ask why Mickie was even brought in to begin with and look at why and how the WWE pushed her after that, it seems clear as well. Her release did not catch me that off guard. I should have even saw it coming better. I was still upset about it. It is like when an elderly relative dies in your family. You know it is going to happen sooner or later, but it still can hurt.

Once again, I only did this little series to offer a response to those who buy what wrestling news sites offer as to why Mickie was released. I see a number of strong flaws in what they are arguing. I do not even feel like going over all of it now. It has been over 2 years and I am still waiting for a credible and neutral source to verify that Mickie James and John Cena actually dated. The evidence I see dirtsheets like to use is that John Cena said in an interview/live chat on WWE.com that he would have liked to continue the relationship with Mickie. First of all, the fact that it is a chat done on the WWE's own site, and combine that with the fact that Cena is a kayfabe supporter, it seems more likely he was talking in kayfabe and about his storyline with Mickie James. Second of all, he is the one expressing regret that the relationship is over, if you want to even take him seriously. So what did he do to Mickie James? The rumors also said that Mickie was being punished by being sent to Smackdown. Is that why she got used in the same vein as when she debuted? She was being used to eventually put a centerpiece over in some way. She even won the title. They never respected Mickie James as anything more than a tool. If she was really guilty of so many things, why would they not release her out of the blue? They released her at the same time as other people they simply didn't need or want around anymore. That was Mickie James.

I am not saying all this just for the sake of Mickie James. I see the same crap going on still. I see the WWE doing the same thing. I see dirtsheets doing the same thing. I see ignorant fans doing the same thing. Look at what the WWE did to Melina. Dirtsheets recently gave a stupid report that she is in the doghouse. Some fans obviously bought it. Melina commented on it herself. Mickie James commented on a certain rumor that came up shortly after her TNA return that tried to bury her. These women and men should not have to live their lives responding to every little rumor. I said before that Melina would be treated like this. I am not surprised some people fall back on the oldest excuse in the book to explain her depush. Smarten up. Melina is not a priority to the WWE. She is just a tool. They last used her as a credible face to allow McCool to unify the titles a few months ago. They didn't want McCool going over some mediocre face like Nikki Bella, or some heel. Once Melina served her purpose, she got depushed. Things are going to get even more interesting after AJ gets promoted to the main roster. Do I think they will release Melina or Beth Phoenix? Unless the WWE is afraid of feeding TNA all these women or these women have strong enough contacts with those high up (is Morrison important enough in the eyes of the WWE to keep Melina around?), they will be released. They have already used Natalya to phase out Melina a bit. Whatever happens, women like Melina and Beth are just meant to be tools in the end of the day. They are not the centerpiece. Who cares? If you are a fan of women who are tools and are complaining about it, I suggest you either start understanding this or shut your mouth.

But it will not be as hard when Melina gets released or becomes a lame duck, which is what happened to Victoria before she decided to leave. She is not that super over. Mickie James was. That is what made them releasing her so shocking for so many. I said before that I should have seen it coming better. I made the mistake of thinking her popularity would keep her around. Her popularity was one of the reasons they had to let her go. How do you explain that a woman so over is only a sidekick to women less over and less credible than her? How do you explain that a woman who was given 6 title reigns in 5 years is suddenly not getting the title at all year after year? There was no place they could push her outside of the title picture where they could properly bury her. I already noted that Mickie James NEVER got one storyline outside of the title picture that saw a proper finish and ended up doing anything real for her. Even a lot of her title feuds between her first and last were not that intricate or developed well. They never treated her in this respect as well as they did Lita. They did not want to add to Mickie's legacy at all. She was just in the way of the women they wanted to get over. That's right. The WWE decides who they want to get that great treatment to become monster over, not you or me. We are just supposed to follow like sheep. But you stand up for that company, right?

I see some people want Mickie James to return one day to the WWE. Unless the WWE changes their ways, I say she would be stupid to want to go back there for anything more than a one-day appearance. Lita returned to Raw tonight. Glad to see her back. And I was laughing. No, I was not laughing at what she did to those other divas. I was laughing at her. Did Lita not comment last year that the huge battle royal they had for the divas was a joke? Did she not say they were like prostitutes or something along those lines? Did dirtsheets botch reporting what she said or quoted from an impostor? Wouldn't be the first time. Assuming Lita actually thought that way about it, I find it hilarious that she would just pop in for a comedy diva segment to knock down some face divas and Mark Henry. Contributing to guest star crap. If she wanted to be a part of THIS diva division so bad, she should have pushed harder to be a part of the prostitutes last year.

Until the future tells what Mickie James and the WWE do, Mickie James still earned her spot in the WWE more than the WWE ever wanted. Let me end it with something I am told Jim Ross once said. He once said that many did not think Mickie James would make it in the WWE. Let me not spin his words around and misquote him, but is it really hard to imagine that many did not WANT Mickie James to make it. Even after she achieved what all pro wrestlers really want to achieve in this business, the WWE still kept looking for someone to replace her. There was no good reason not to continue to run with her for her own sake. They didn't care. They were always counting on something else. More than 6 months later, no one they have been counting on has gotten the job done. They cannot connect with those WWE fans like Mickie James worked to do.