Blog Archives
Carmella Is Officially The First Ever Ms. Money In The Bank #WWE #SmackdownLive
10 days ago, Carmella won the first ever women’s money in the bank ladder match. Not only was it a crappy match that seemed to end right when things were starting to happen, but Carmella only won when her sidekick/lackey James Ellsworth climbed the ladder for her, pulled down the briefcase and dropped it into her lap. Pro wrestling should not be the medium we gravitate towards when we’re looking for progressive storylines featuring their female wrestlers, and while times have changed, this is still the same company that had women wrestling in their underwear, or in pillow fights, or in kiddie pools full of pudding.
That still doesn’t excuse the fact that the WWE promoted this match every chance they got as a historic ‘first ever’ match for the five women involved, and that good, bad or indifferent, people would be talking about this match for a long time. When Ellsworth casually climbed the ladder and pulled down the briefcase, it was a slap in the face to every women on the roster and to all the fans. In what should’ve been a defining moment for Carmella, all anyone could talk about was how bogus it was that Ellsworth had to climb the ladder and get the briefcase for her. That wasn’t the right time to drag out a storyline; it was the time to back up all their ‘historic’ talk and let the women go out and make actual history.
WWE righted the ship a bit last night, but I’ll never understand why this wasn’t the finish booked for the first match. James Ellsworth climbed the ladder, almost had the briefcase, but Becky Lynch saved the day and pushed him off the ladder, crotch chopping himself on the top rope. That allowed Carmella enough time to knock Becky off the ladder, hit her a few times with a chair, and grab the briefcase. Storyline wise, that’s a smart heel using the match stipulations to her advantage to pickup a win. Reality wise, a woman is the one at the top of the ladder grabbing the briefcase, which is a mind boggling thing to have to be specific about in your inaugural women’s money in the bank match. I’m glad that Carmella still won, because that saves us from the ‘I’m the REAL money in the bank winner’ storyline between her and whoever else could’ve won last night, but this should’ve been the finish from the get go. Either way, congrats to Carmella, the first ever Ms. Money in the Bank.
-Ryan
#WWE Has Announced It’s First Ever Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match #SmackdownLive
The SmackDown LIVE Women’s division is once again about to prove just how ground-breaking it can be. At WWE Money in the Bank, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Tamina and Carmella will compete in the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. – WWE
Photo: WWE
The Women’s Revolution has been an uneven ride so far. While there have certainly been highs (WrestleMania 32 triple threat) there have also been lows (Bayley’s ‘This is Your Life’ segment from RAW) and the storytelling has been inconsistent at best. There’s no doubt that these current crop of women are talented, but if the creative direction could catch up with their skill level they’d really have something special. While the Women’s division have main evented a pay per view and fought inside Hell in a Cell over the last year, the next logical step was a MITB ladder match.
I’m not overly excited to watch Tamina Snuka slowly climb a ladder, but there’s a ton of talent in this match that I’m hopeful are given some creative spots to steal the show. While Charlotte and Becky will be the favorites, this could be the best time to give Natalya her long overdue spotlight. She’s far and away the veteran of the Women’s division, and winning the first ever Women’s MITB match would be a great tip of the cap to her.
-Ryan
Dean Ambrose Spoke To The Crowd After His Loss To Seth Rollins at #WWE Money In The Bank
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins main evented another WWE pay per view, and they delivered in every aspect of the word. It was a great, hard fought match that Rollins ended up winning. This most likely sets up a returning Lesnar feud over the summer for Rollins, but where does Ambrose go from here? He’s clearly one of the more popular guys on the roster, but he’s starting to develop a knack of losing big time matches. Rollins continues to best him when the stakes are high, so maybe it’s time for Dean to take a step back and figure out how to reach that next step. Ambrose addresses the disappointment of losing the match and where he’s going from here in an emotional post MITB promo. Thankfully WWE.com has already posted it, and if you like heartfelt promos, this one is for you.
– Ryan
WWE Paid Tribute To Dusty Rhodes With An Incredible Video Of His Career
If you didn’t get goose bumps watching that video, then I don’t know what to tell you. Everything that can be said about the man and the entertainer that Dusty Rhodes was has already been said, but WWE is better than just about everybody at making these kinds of videos, and they knocked it out of the park once again. Perfect song, perfect video clips, perfect video. Kudos to WWE.
– Ryan
5 Stars From Last Night’s #RAW
The Raw after Elimination Chamber aired last night from San Antonio, and it was pretty good. The Raw’s after pay per views are usually some of the best ones, and luckily for us, WWE seems to be putting on pay per views every couple of weeks now. We have a new IC champion, Twin Magic returned & John Cena yelled things. Let’s get to the 5 stars from last night’s Raw.
1. Roman Reigns
At this point, I don’t understand anyone who hates on Roman Reigns. If you wanted to hate on him for his John Cena-esque rise to the main event at WrestleMania, fine. If you wanted to hate on him for winning the Royal Rumble over YOUR favorite wrestler, that’s dumb, but fine. But at this point, all the guy has done is work his ass off on the microphone and in the ring, so you’re petty hate is unwarranted. During last night’s show opening promo, Reigns looked as comfortable as I’ve ever seen him on the microphone, and it was the first time that I can remember him speaking without sounding like he was reading a script. He got right to the point, and actually made a lot of sense, and bonus points for getting his best buddy a title match at MITB. After the talking was over and Reigns sufficiently pissed off the Authority, he was put in 3 separate matches, all of which came with the stipulation that if he lost, he’d be out of the MITB ladder match. He won all 3, beating King Barrett, Mark Henry & Bray Wyatt. His match with Wyatt was the main event and my favorite match of the 3, but Reigns just looked great all around last night. At this point, I’d have to assume he’s going to be the frontrunner to win the MITB ladder match, and then we’ll have a 3 way feud for the title with Lesnar and Rollins heading into Summerslam.
2. Kevin Owens
Let’s have a little talk about Kevin Owens. He’s the best character in the WWE right now and he’s fresh off a couple month span where he won the NXT title and beat John Cena clean with a power bomb in his main roster debut. He wrestled a hell of a match against Cena at Elimination Chamber, easily the match of the night, and followed it up with a short but great promo on Raw. Owens is slowly breaking down the John Cena façade, and even though Cena followed it up with a promo inexplicably calling Owens “less than a man”, KO came off looking better than Cena once again. As a side point, if Owens is less than a man, and he beat Cena fair and square last night, what does that make Cena? The tricky thing with Cena is that we’ve been programmed to believe that Cena always wins in the end. You might beat him initially, like Rusev and Bray Wyatt before him, but he will come out on top so decisively that the initial loss doesn’t end up mattering. I think Owens is different. He’s not a character. He’s a guy with a wife and a son. His son, much like other kids, loves John Cena, and instead of asking him how daddy was feeling after his match Sunday night, his son asked how John Cena was doing. If that’s not the best motivation to beat somebody up then I don’t know what is. I hate that they announced the rematch for MITB right after Owens won Sunday night, but for the first time in a long time, I’m not worried about a guy in a John Cena feud.
3. Titus O’Neil
During the 6 man tag match, Titus O’Neil got the hot tag and just started catching and tossing guys around like rag dolls. WWE has decided to push the PTP, and that 2 minute stretch during the tag match last night shows how easy it is for fans to get behind a person or team. Titus O’Neil is bigger and scarier than most of the guys on the roster, so put him in matches where he can be big and scary. I was amped up watching him toss guys around and scream like an animal, and I bet other fans were too. The tag team division is so boring at times because WWE is afraid to let teams show some emotion and get fired up. The talent is there, just like it’s always been, but the match quality has to be there too if the division is ever going to get back on track. Putting teams like Cesaro/Kidd, PTP & New Day together is a step in the right direction.
4. Neville
As much as I love Bo Dallas, this was great. Neville beat Bo clean Sunday night at Elimination Chamber, and now Bo is done with the inspirational talk and just wants to hurt Neville. 2 minutes later Bo is flat on his back and Neville is twisting through the air like a god damn gymnast on his way to another win. Neville might not win MITB, but I can’t think of anyone else in the match I’m more excited to watch.
5. Bray Wyatt
This is more a pity star, as one guy (Reigns) was in half the matches on the show. When Bray Wyatt is on my TV I’m happy, and since he wasn’t on the card for Elimination Chamber and is in limbo again, I was just happy to see him. Now let’s put the Wyatt family back together and have him win some important matches.
– Ryan
Seth Rollins & The Future Of The WWE
As a soon to be twenty six year old, avid wrestling fan that is a constant reader of the Internet Wrestling Community, this is my blog in which I explore the impatience of this community as it waits for the page to turn to the next generation of WWE superstars.
On June 29, 2014 I was a witness to the dawn of a new age of wrestling. Seth Rollins ascended to the top of the ladder in the TD Garden of Boston, MA and grabbed the golden ticket that is the Money In The Bank briefcase; a guaranteed shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, anytime, anywhere. Although he received his share of help from Kane & the Authority, don’t be fooled, Seth Rollins will lead the WWE locker room in a post John Cena/Randy Orton world. I wanted to take the time and examine the flaws pointed out by the IWC and give my thoughts on why, as a heel or face, Seth Rollins can be the next face that runs the place.
Survivor Series 2012, the debut of the Shield, was completely unexpected by all, but it will forever be remembered as the emergence of three superstars poised to take over the WWE. Many knew the name Dean Ambrose due to his work on the independent wrestling scene and brief internet feud with Mick Foley. Roman Reigns was possibly the superstar fans were least familiar with. However, with the family resume and support he’s received from Hall of Famers and Legends alike, it was difficult to imagine he’d go unnoticed. Then there was Seth Rollins, formerly known as Tyler Black in Ring of Honor, where his in ring skills and athleticism were undoubtedly his stepping stone to the WWE. However, it was on this night the picture began to be painted by the IWC on why he would be the least successful member of the Shield.
Seth Rollins looks like CM Punk. This is the first, and possibly most ridiculous thing I read about why Seth Rollins won’t make it. They both have black hair. That is where the similarities end. When it comes down to it, Seth Rollins’ ring gear, wrestling style, hair, and body type could not be further away from that of CM Punk; and while I’m a fan of both superstars, looking back to that debut in November 2012 the IWC was really grasping at straws on that one.
Seth Rollins doesn’t have a finishing move to be a top WWE superstar. I’ll admit that at first, I wasn’t a huge fan of the flying knee from the top rope and compared to Dirty Deeds and the spear he had the weakest finisher of the three members of the Shield. As time passed, he proved that he has by far the most exciting in ring move set within the Shield and the night he triggered the destruction of the faction he separated himself from the pack with the Curb Stomp. The Curb Stomp isn’t just an effective finisher because it looks like it hurts. The key to having a good finisher is being able to perform it on anyone in the locker room no matter how big or small their opponent is. The Curb Stomp gives Seth Rollins that universal finisher that not only puts down the biggest animals in the WWE jungle, but it adds to his heel persona because it is seen as an action of disrespect.
Seth Rollins isn’t “a good talker”. How many of you have gotten in front of thousands of people on a nightly basis and spoke for 5-15 minutes? Superstars like Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose that have incredible microphone skills do not come around too often, but as time has progressed, Rollins has proven himself to be an effective heel and engaging speaker with his backstage and in-ring promos.
