So Many Legends, So Little Impact

The WWE has been bringing in legends on a regular basis this year. Seems to be a monthly thing. You have Hulk Hogan always plugging the WWE Network. You have guys like Ric Flair and Mick Foley coming back for no other reason than to give a promo and prediction for an upcoming PPV match. It usually isn't anything major. Just an isolated appearance.

I like old people. I like Ric Flair and Mick Foley. They are two of my favorites. But I just see this trend as a waste of time. If you are going to incorporate these guys in the show, incorporate them in a more meaningful, long-term manner or don't bother doing it at all. What is the WWE hoping for? A ratings spike? As I have said before, the WWE will not be able to stop the bleeding enough to see Raw's annual ratings average not drop below a 3.0. You can say that these legends come back to give a rub to stars currently being developed. I think the best way of doing that is to have those guys be treated as stars or work with stars you have now in a proper manner. You can talk about it being meant to add more to some of these feuds, like when Hogan, Flair, and Shawn Michaels returned to talk about Cena vs. Lesnar, but that feud already seems to be dragging on. These prediction promos just seem like filler.

What can you be doing with this time? How about giving it to your midcarders? Treat a few more of those lower-midcarders as legitimate midcarders. Tyson Kidd is getting a push now, but it seems like nothing more than filler. Kofi Kingston should be pushed again. R-Truth is still there. You can even use that time to treat other upper-midcarders better. The WWE has done fine in previous years without having these monthly legend visits, so why can't they make things work with guys on the main roster? Even with all the injuries and issues, they have a lot of talent.

Wrestlemania XXX Preview: Assorted Thoughts

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a nice idea. The WWE was going to have some multi-man match to put guys on the card they couldn't build proper feuds for, anyway, so doing it like this makes it seem like more of a big deal. And you would want big deals at Wrestlemania XXX. Battle royals where nothing is on the line just seem so worthless to me. A trophy is on the line. It may seem meaningless, but I like it. I am one of those guys that wouldn't mind seeing King of the Ring make a return. Those kind of things are fun. I want to see something that grants an honor besides a guaranteed title shot. The Royal Rumble is important because the winner gets a title shot at Wrestlemania. The guy that wins Money in the Bank gets a title shot whenever he wants. Those things aren't honors in themselves. Tournaments and battle royals like this can make things more interesting outside of the major title matters. Moreover, it has gotten some good development in the past few weeks.

Who wins? Big Show definitely is a favorite to win. Miz has never been beaten on the Wrestlemania PPV. Then again, he can get tossed out and the WWE can still sell it as him never having been pinned or made to submit. It can be a big push for Rusev to get that big win at Wrestlemania. Sheamus is also a good possibility. Jinder Mahal? No, probably not Jinder Mahal. You might also get some surprise entrants. Out of the people I have named, I think Miz might win it. It would give him back some momentum and give him something to brag about. In case you haven't noticed, he's a heel again.

This multi-diva match for the Diva's Championship is something I don't like. For years now, if they haven't relied on tossing a bunch of divas together, they have relied on celebrities. Or a mixture of that. And this is the first time the title will be defended at the big event. You would hope it would be something special. It will be a special moment for the diva that wins, but I am talking about the build of the match. This match has just been tossed together because of something AJ Lee said about Vickie Guerrero. Vickie Guerrero wasn't even relevant before that! Even though I don't like it, I expected it. People actually thought AJ Lee vs. Naomi was something they would actually develop for Wrestlemania? Not likely. Not only does it not follow the recent trend of what happens to the divas at Wrestlemania, that match just didn't have a big feel to it.

This match they are running with does not even have a big feel to it. AJ Lee? You can call her queen bee. This match is really centered around her. All the other divas are targeting her. Vickie Guerrero is targeting her. Is AJ Lee face or heel?  She continues to be the best-pushed diva of this dark age. She has better creative interest on her than anyone else heading into the match. I would expect her to win. Fans despise Vickie Guerrero more than heel AJ. The classic moment of Vickie raging over AJ Lee overcoming the odds seems likely.

How about Summer Rae? I could talk about Brie Bella, Naomi, Natalya, or any other diva. What does it mean that Summer Rae had a match on Raw and won it? I have said for a while that she is the likely candidate to follow in the line of Sable, Trish Stratus, and Michelle McCool. She seems to be breaking out on her own even more. Putting her on Total Divas is an easy way to give her some creative interest. Of course, that show gets less than half the viewers Raw gets. It would be smarter to develop her on Raw. And they did a little bit of that this week. Not only was there a match, but they aired footage of the Total Divas segment that set up this match. When Total Divas can lead to more depth in the diva division, it's good. But I think this is about more than just adding more to talk about in the diva division. They want to groom their new centerpiece. Are they ready to pull the trigger and give Summer Rae the title? I still think AJ is likely to retain, but Summer Rae winning would not be that shocking. Transfer AJ back into periphery angles by have her feud with Vickie Guerrero.

Let me go back to a question I asked many weeks ago. Over or under? Will Wrestlemania XXX get over or under a million buys? The last three Wrestlemanias all had over a million buys. The last three Wrestlemanias also had The Rock. Before that, Wrestlemania had 885,000 buys in 2010. I got my numbers from here. Can the WWE keep the ball rolling?

It all comes down to how well the WWE has created hype for the event in the last few weeks. No Rock, but Hulk Hogan has been around. You can expect Austin and other top stars of the past to also be there, but there has been no big hype for them. Just looking at the actual feuds, I don't think the WWE has created something epic that can draw in viewers outside of the regular wrestling fan audience. The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is nice, but I don't think it is a big draw. Cena's feud with Bray Wyatt has led to some interesting promos, but it is no big deal. The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar match does not have that big feel to it, in terms of how they have developed it. The Daniel Bryan saga has become epic, but I don't believe it will be enough to draw the interest of casual fans. The other matches are not worth mentioning. And I doubt the possibility of a surprise return from CM Punk will do much. Raw ratings have been pretty mediocre in the last few weeks. That doesn't mean Wrestlemania won't get a lot of buys, but it is one indicator that the WWE has not created great hype to get fans to tune in for Raw. If you can't do that, how much can you expect when trying to get fans to spend money for the biggest PPV of the year?

How will the WWE Network impact things? People that are subscribing to that will automatically get Wrestlemania. But how many people actually have it? From the few polls I have come across, the majority of fans will be watching the event through the WWE Network. Looking at some of those results, you might think a lot of people have subscribed and a lot of people will be watching Wrestlemania. Just keep in mind that these are wrestling fans voting on these polls. They don't represent other types of fans that will really influence how many viewers Wrestlemania gets. But it is obvious that there will be less people spending money to buy the PPV because they can watch it through the WWE Network.

This is Wrestlemania XXX. You would expect great buyrates for it. Wrestlemania 25 got less than a million buys. And I think this year's Wrestlemania will see a decline from last year. Just to allow a little leeway for people watching on the WWE Network, I would say 900,000 PPV buys would still be great. I am not too sure they will even get there. They have not created great hype.

Bray Wyatt Out To End Cena

I just didn't feel like putting up a picture of either Bray Wyatt or John Cena. What does Shakira have to do with anything? Not a thing.

The WWE is really trying to make this feud between John Cena and Bray Wyatt seem like more than it really is. They haven't developed it enough to exactly steal the main-event slot from the title match, but they have tried to make it more worthy of Wrestlemania. And that is not really shocking. They have developed Bray Wyatt to be strong. They tossed in an injury angle, which they have failed to follow up on properly at all. Makes you wonder why they even bothered, if it was an angle. Hulk Hogan was involved slightly one night. But the main build has come from the promos. Both guys have done their usual thing, and it makes for an interesting feud. Bray Wyatt has talked about Cena's plastic girlfriend, Cena's castle, and Cena's entire legacy. It might make you think Cena's entire empire is at stake. That is how Cena has sold it in some of the things he has said. Cena pretty much has to put Bray Wyatt over like that to make this feud seem more interesting. Cena has faced worse than Bray Wyatt and been booked to beat them. Realistically, there is no reason to think Cena will be destroyed by Bray Wyatt.

I wish this feud was about more than just talk. I am not saying they should get rid of Cena. I am just saying that all this promo work is making this feud seem better than it really has been. If only there was a way to really make it seem like Bray Wyatt can do what he is saying. In some ways, Bray Wyatt has really failed to do anything major. His feud with Kane did not lead to him transforming Kane into a Wyatt and it ended without a proper finish. His feud with Miz went nowhere. His feud against CM Punk and Daniel Bryan turned into just a storyline against Daniel Bryan. The way the WWE ended up handling the storyline, Bray Wyatt failed to properly brainwash Daniel Bryan. Bray won the match at the Royal Rumble, but that didn't hurt Daniel Bryan's momentum and booking at all. It has had no impact on Daniel Bryan at all. The worse Bray Wyatt can possibly do is beat John Cena. He has not done anything else to make anyone believe he can truly ruin John Cena. It isn't even likely that he will beat John Cena at Wrestlemania. Cena has not won at the last 3 PPVs. They are really going to make it 4 in a row? And the fourth loss coming at Wrestlemania? Against Bray Wyatt? Is the WWE planning another "Worst Year In John Cena's Career" story? The Rock did not exactly ruin him. Why should I believe Bray Wyatt would? Because he has Thing 1 and Thing 2 by his side? Remember how well Nexus was built up and broken down after Cena was done with them? I can't seem to remember to forget it. Classic centerpiece booking, and it is even worse in recent years. Bray Wyatt will likely end up like that. But just for the sake of making it more exciting, coming up with a way for Bray Wyatt's actions to back up his words would be nice.

Let me change subjects slightly. I mentioned why I don't like John Cena very much a while ago. Let me compare him to another former centerpiece that I just mentioned. Hulk Hogan was in John Cena's shoes back in the day. He was pushed as the top star. As a performer, Hulk Hogan does not annoy me as much as John Cena. I have never seen Hulk Hogan wrestle an amazing match in terms of actual wrestling. His moves have always been basic. Nothing wrong with that. He wrestles like a lot of guys wrestled back then. What makes his matches fun to watch would be the character and psychology he would show. For what he did, he did it well. John Cena sometimes tries to bust out new moves here and there to silence his critics, but when his execution is not that great, that is what makes me not give him credit that some might give him. Whatever style you are going to wrestle, do it well. Do not try to pull off moves you cannot do well and that make you look even more stupid. As for promos, Hogan did not have the "politician" vibe that I sometimes hear with Cena. What kind of politician says "Brother" all the time? And he just talked the way that wrestlers did back then. There was energy in their voice. There is still energy in Cena's voice, but it often comes off as more self-righteous than entertaining. Even when Hogan is giving serious promos, the way he talks does not annoy me as much as the sound of Cena's voice. You can say it is nostalgia, but I am not really that nostalgic for the way wrestling was decades ago. Action inside the ring is definitely more exciting than it was back then. And I think you see more depth in mic skills these says, as well. I am just not a fan of John Cena in either of those two things. I am not a Hogan fan, but he does not annoy me that much, as a wrestler.

Sting Returns In 2013

When it comes to talking about how TNA runs their product, the main theme is rotation. They rotate who the centerpieces of their various divisions are. I don't see that as a good thing. They also rotate something else, their legends.

Sting is returning in 2013. How many times has Sting returned and left during just his TNA years? The same goes with Hulk Hogan. How many times have the two rotated who is running the show? Sting and Hulk Hogan are the two top legends that are a part of this company. It is understandable why they would hype them coming and going, gaining and losing power, and everything else. But it does become old after a while. And lame.

I respect Sting, but what is putting so much on him and Hogan really doing? The ratings for 2012 were sad. While showing so much inconsistency in developing the guys underneath the two legends, going up and down with the two legends has led to nothing. TNA should get a small bump in the ratings for Sting coming back, unless fans have gotten tired of it and it has lost its ability to draw. But how will TNA keep the ball rolling after? That is where they will mess up. What then? Hogan bumps his knee on a trash can, goes away for 2 weeks, then TNA hypes the epic return to battle of Hulk Hogan? 

And now, I am going to talk about something completely unrelated to what I was just talking about. What is the difference between being one of the greats and being one of the greatest? Not just in pro wrestling, but in almost any field. I want to give my take on that with my final post of 2012. To me, the greats go out there and succeed. They reach that pinnacle of success. The greatest do it in interesting ways. They overcome the greatest obstacles. They go above and beyond the call of duty. Whether that manifests itself in reaching that height of success multiple times, beating opponents that everyone thought were unbeatable, or accomplishing something that goes beyond what they set out to do, the greatest go further than the pinnacle.

And with that, best wishes in the new year.

The Summer Of Joker Sting

The last elaborate major storyline TNA had revolved around Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett. That's over. Both men have gone their separate ways. What has taken its place as a major focus of the company? Joker Sting and his issues with Hulk Hogan. It has got a lot of people talking, whether they are fans of the gimmick or not. I decided to briefly give my 2 cents.

I like it. Sting is crazy and intense. You can complain about a feud between Hogan and Sting holding back younger talent from getting that major focus, but I am just talking about the gimmick and storyline itself right now. This is a good example that a heel does not come in one flavor and a face does not come in one flavor either. As someone who watched WCW over a decade ago, I'm used to Sting having this silent, mysterious gimmick. I'm talking about the black and white face paint and his Crow gimmick. I like that he has really reinvented himself. This late in his career, it really does show that he is one of the best. The best have to have that versatility and adaptability. Personally, I think I will enjoy this storyline more than the love triangle that Angle and Jarrett just had.

In case you missed it, Sting does regain the World title. Poor Anderson, but I am sure opportunity will present itself for him again in the future. He won the title twice this year alone. His second reign may have been weak, but his first was slightly bit more respectable. Let me put it this way, Christian's first World title reign on Smackdown makes Anderson's look like a reign of doom you would expect the WWE to give to Cena. All that being said, I don't mind Sting winning back the title that much. He is being pushed as the crusader against Hogan. With Mick Foley, the "Network Representative", out of TNA, what else would Sting have on his side as leverage against Hogan? That has definitely been an idea TNA likes to push. Titles = Power. I don't think I would have liked this storyline so much if they push Sting continuously as the underdog and Hogan and his crew as super strong. Not only does Sting have this intense character, he now has the major title back on his side. That keeps the heels on their feet. I like that.

Had Sting gone to the WWE earlier this year, do you think you would have seen any character like he is portraying now? More than likely, he would have gotten one Wrestlemania match and then not be used again after that feud was over. It would have been hyped as one respectable icon in wrestling taking on some other respectable icon, probably Taker. If that did not happen, Sting would end up like Kevin Nash. Did you forget Nash returned to the WWE? Did he really do anything epic? Not really. Just that Royal Rumble appearance, which was not that huge a use of him. Instead of an overrated use of Sting in the WWE, I think it is good that fans are getting to see a side of Sting they may like. Instead of promotion hype doing the job to make Sting a draw, which would have happened if Sting went to the WWE, Sting actually gets to go out there and work his character himself. And it is entertaining to me. I honestly hope this works out well for TNA.

Bischoff Should Have Stayed Heel

Many people are feeling that TNA is sliding into ruin before it even won a big battle against the WWE. Knockouts division is going down. TNA is giving away great matches on free TV, yet they cannot get great ratings. There are a lot of things I can talk about. All of that aside for now, I want to talk about one of the problems that deal more with storyline.

Flair's group is pretty lame. When was the last time any member won a really big match at a PPV? They get a few mediocre wins on Impact here and there, and sometimes not even enough of that. They are booked poorly. Moreover, how can these guys really compete against Hogan and the rest of management, who are all faces? They faces can try to be fair and all that, but "fair" to heels is usually what is "fair" to them.

They needed leverage. TNA teased having Eric Bischoff be heel and align with Flair months ago. That would have been so great for the group. What happens? Bischoff realigns with Hogan. Was that really necessary? Bischoff does not even come off as that believable a face a lot of the time. Hogan is way more popular than him.

Flair's group still needs that leverage. Can they still get it? Why not? Make this great battle really heat up. Make it seem like it will be more of a war. I think that will draw viewers' interests.

I Like Old People

One constant criticism I see coming up against TNA these days is that they push fossils and overlook the younger talent. I disagree.

Look at what TNA is trying to do. They are actually trying to compete with the WWE. There is nothing wrong with that. Problem is, how should they go about it? Frankly, if all they feature is good wrestling among names that are not very popular in the mainstream, they may never make it at all. Even I, a wrestling fan for so long, would have rather watched WWE over TNA in any given week at one time. Kurt Angle did not draw me. Knockout hype did not actually make me tune in. Mick Foley, one of my first favorite wrestlers, could not break my habit with the WWE. If anything, I would just read spoilers and watch what I wanted on Youtube. I occasionally would watch a segment or two of Impact, but I never stuck around for long.

I fell for the Hogan hype. On the day he was to make his big return, the WWE planned on the return of Bret Hart. Like it or not, fossils still seem to be a draw. But I actually was more interested for Hogan than Bret. I was never a huge fan of Hogan. I never gave him that much thought at all. I prefered Ric Flair. For some reason beyond me, it was still Hogan I was interested in at first, not even Flair. Back on WWE, I knew what to expect from Bret Hart. He was coming back to end what started a decade ago. I did not know what exactly to expect from Hogan and his crew. I only knew they would be sticking around. I actually felt the hype over on TNA. On Raw, what happened that night was a big disappointment for me. No huge swerves. Nothing really exciting. One kick, show's over. I did not like how the rest of the feud was developed, not to mention Bret's matches against Vince McMahon and equipment.

Am I happy that almost every impact seems to end with Hogan now in some way? No. Am I glad that Ric Flair refuses to leave the memories alone. Honestly, I would have respected him more if he did stay out, but I have not lost respect for him since he did return. He may not be exactly what he used to be, but I like to know he is still a part of the show, if he truly feels that is what he wants.

Last time I checked, the fossils have not been winning the TNA title since they came back a few months ago. They are not here for that. And new guys are being built up. I see it. I never knew what to think of AJ Styles, but after seeing Impact for a few weeks, I am liking this guy. I used to think Desmond Wolfe was completely overrated. After seeing him, some people may still overrate him, but I am liking him too. These are guys who never made a name for themselves in WWE and went to TNA. These are guys who made it in TNA. That is what TNA is going for. Draw the casual fans with big names like Hogan and Flair, but push the younger talent in a good way to create the hype in the next generations.

It is not like the WWE lacks fossils as well. Maybe not as old as Hogan and Flair, but the shows are built around the same draws. Cena? Triple H? Rey Mysterio attracts the Hispanic audience. And I am not even liking how they are pushing the younger talent in the WWE. They seem so generic so often. Many times, they just do not seem built properly. But the idea is still the same. The idea behind NXT was that top guys like Jericho and Christian would be involved, so the fans can think some star power would be there. You tune in for the draws, but also fall in love with the rookies. Last time I checked, NXT is not doing so well.

Impact may not be doing so well either, but the WWE had a huge head start over them. Will they ever catch up? I do not know. Whether they do or not, I do not latch on to the flavor of the week. I am a fan of what I enjoy. I am enjoying TNA. I will still watch parts of Raw out of habit. I am going to ignore Smackdown entirely from now on. No draw there for me. I can just read spoilers. Nevertheless, I am still waiting on something more refreshing. I think it is possible.