Blog Archives

The Godfather, The Wrestling Pimp, Is Going To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

What a time to be alive. The Godfather, the same guy who would offer his ‘hoes’ to other wrestlers like Vader in exchange for a win, is getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. It’s surprising but at the same time not surprising at all. The WWE LOVES the Attitude Era. It’s the reason they’re still a successful company today. I’m surprised every single roster member from that era isn’t already in the Hall of Fame, but I’m assuming that’s coming eventually. As far as The Godfather goes, it’s my second favorite gimmick Charles Wright performed (Papa Shango is #1) and I’m not really someone who should be arguing for or against someone making a fictional Hall of Fame. As long as there’s a ho train at the induction ceremony, I’ll be a happy man.

-Ryan

Shinsuke Nakamura Has Officially Signed With WWE NXT

Lost in all the hoopla and complaining last night was this breaking announcement – Shinsuke Nakamura, the King of Strong Style and one of the most accomplished international wrestlers in the world, is now officially a member of NXT. He already has his first match, which will be against Sami Zayn at Takeover Dallas, but now that he’s officially signed, the sky is truly the limit for this guy. I’m glad he’s going to NXT first, because that is where he has a chance to really thrive at the beginning. From all the videos and articles I’ve seen on this guy, he seems to be as close to a can’t miss megastar as there is today. Jim Ross compared his signing to the signings of Lesnar and Cena, and with WWE in serious need of some international flavor, Nakamura should be a huge boost to their roster.

As far as Fastlane goes, a lot of fans were disappointed, and I think it has a lot to do with how the show flowed. It peaked early with the US/IC title and Divas matches and the crowd died after the New Day/Social Outcasts segments. The main event saved the show and the crowd was hot for it, but then the predictable ending brought everyone back down. If Roman is their guy that’s fine, but they need to figure out a better way for him to connect with the fans or switch up the alignments. Listen to the crowd when Dean Ambrose is doing things in the ring and then listen when Roman is; it’s night and day. Unless WWE’s plan is to have 100,000 people boo the main event of their biggest show, I think they should use the next 42 days to make this a lot more interesting.

-Ryan

WWE Fastlane Preview & Predictions

WWE Fastlane takes place this Sunday live on the WWE Network, and it is the final pay per view before WrestleMania 32 on April 3. Most of the WrestleMania card is still a mystery, but one definite we’ll have after Sunday’s show is the main event. Will Lesnar, Reigns or Ambrose face HHH in the main event of WM32? Let’s find out!

Pre Show : 2 Out of 3 Falls US Title Match: Kalisto (C) vs. Alberto Del Rio

This is a great reason to tune into the pre-show, although I’d much rather have it on the main card. Either way, these two have proven that they have great chemistry, and I think Kalisto needs a really good showing here to prove to the fans and the WWE that he’s the real deal. WWE has been searching for the next Rey Mysterio for a long time, and while there will never be another Mysterio, Kalisto has the ability to fill the spot of the masked fan favorite underdog. Del Rio hasn’t really done much since returning besides winning the US title, but I don’t think putting the belt back on Del Rio is the right call. Kalisto could create so many more opportunities as champion, and I’d like to see some fresh blood inserted into the title picture. This should be a hell of a way to start off the night.

Prediction: Kalisto

Edge & Christian Interview The New Day

Normally I wouldn’t want to see an in ring interview segment eat up time on a pay per view, but Edge, Christian & The New Day are as entertaining as it gets. After the necessary schilling of Edge & Christian’s new WWE Network show, this segment should be a lot of fun. If I’m being honest, I’m actually looking forward to this a lot more than another Uso’s/New Day match. These five have interacted once before in the clip above, and it was wonderful. If you can’t enjoy Big E attempting to eat a kazoo you might not have a soul, and now that Edge and Christian are both pretty much retired, you don’t have to worry about either or them getting physical. In a perfect world, this segment should be the debut of Enzo & Cass to the main roster. They were probably next in line for a tag team title run, but now that Gable and Jordan have lit the world on fire, that’s not coming anytime soon. They’re easily the most ‘main roster ready’ team in NXT, and the WWE tag team picture desperately needs some fresh blood. Who wouldn’t want to see a New Day/Enzo & Cass feud? I’d pay all my money just for the promo’s alone. Make it happen, WWE.

Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch vs Tamina Snuka and Naomi

Hopefully this is the last time that Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch are on a pay per view card that doesn’t involve the Diva’s title, because they’re better than this. I understand you need a blow off Team BAD turning their back on Banks, but WrestleMania 32 needs to be the official changing of the guard in the Diva’s division. Nikki Bella may never wrestle again, Brie Bella is retiring soon and the NXT women are clearly the future. Give me a triple threat at WM with Becky, Sasha and Charlotte that has the ability to tear the house down in front of the biggest possible audience. THAT’S how you change the perception of women’s wrestling on the main roster. As far as this match, the outcome isn’t as important as the character work of Banks and Becky. Becky has really come into her own as an easy to cheer baby face, and Banks is a natural heel, so that should be highlighted in this match. I don’t expect Banks to be a good friend much longer, so look for her to turn either after this match or the next night on Raw.

Prediction: for the sake of predicting an outcome, I’ll go with Becky and Sasha. Just let Tamina stand on the apron until it’s time to kick someone in the face.

Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles

How do you debut a can’t miss talent when the main event picture is already overcrowded? Pair him with Chris Jericho and let them work their magic. AJ Styles is wonderful, and putting him with two guys (Jericho and Miz) who can carry segments on the microphone was a great choice. AJ isn’t terrible on the microphone, but it’s not his strongest attribute, so there’s no reason to turn him into Roman Reigns and force him to give these long winded speeches. Heel Jericho has and always will be the best Jericho, which also brings out the best in AJ. I also like the logical storytelling. WWE loves to have guys wrestle each other a million times, but almost every feud should be decided by a best of 3. If you beat a guy two weeks in a row, where’s the drama of the feud continuing? But if AJ wins the first match and Jericho wins the second, a third match is a logical conclusion to the story. Having it at Fastlane is an interesting move, because it sets up a lot of possibilities for AJ’s first WM match. Styles excels at having big time matches on the big stage, so his first WWE singles match on a pay per view should be great, especially since his dancing partner is Jericho.

Prediction: AJ Styles, preferably with the pay per view debut of the Styles Clash.

6 Man Tag Team Match: Ryback, Kane & The Big Show vs. The Wyatt Family

I don’t know which three Wyatt Family members will be wrestling this match, but if I had to bet I’d say Bray sits outs. I can’t imagine this match is going to be good from any standpoint, and it’s the same problem I highlighted above about WWE having the same guys fight over and over. The Wyatt’s have been feuding with Kane since their debut, and Big Show and Ryback since before the Royal Rumble. If they beat them again, who cares? WWE has already neutered the Wyatt Family so much that the outcome of this match doesn’t even matter. While I have a feeling Bray and company will affect the outcome of the main event, this match does nothing for me.

Prediction: Wyatt Family. If they can’t beat these three guys, they should just go home forever.

WWE Divas Title Match: Charlotte (C) vs. Brie Bella

Regardless of your opinion of Brie Bella, she’s been an important part of the Diva’s division for almost a decade. This is an out of the blue title opportunity for her, and it’s possible they’re throwing her this bone because her sister and her husband are falling apart and she’s retiring soon. Regardless of Brie’s situation, Charlotte needs a dominant win here. As much fun as it is to see crazy old man Ric Flair throwing his jacket at people and trying to kick Alicia Fox in the head, the WWE Diva’s division needs a clear cut leader. WWE did the same thing with Seth Rollins. They gave him the belt, and then went overboard with the ‘needing to cheat to win’ shtick. I understand what they’re going for with Charlotte, and it was necessary for her to transform from bad to good, but now she needs to start kicking ass. On paper, Charlotte vs. Brie is a slaughter. Brie is one of the worst wrestlers on the roster and she couldn’t be less intimidating if she was missing both her legs. Charlotte is the alpha female, and while having Flair as a safety valve in case she gets into trouble is fine, she shouldn’t rely on him every match. Plus, when the title does come off of Charlotte, it should be coming off an unbeatable physical machine, not a grab the tights to win opportunist.

Prediction: Charlotte. And we never saw Brie Bella ever again.

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Kevin Owens (C) vs. Dolph Ziggler

Speaking of guys who wrestle each other all the time…This match will be great, just like all their other ones have been, but I can’t help but think about how much better it would be if they hadn’t already fought each other 25 times. When the New Day fight the Uso’s every week, it’s frustrating but I understand it, because there really aren’t any other decent tag teams. But when it comes to singles titles, there is no excuse for repetitive matches. Just look at the other guys in the IC title match from Raw. Why can’t Stardust or Tyler Breeze get an IC title feud? What about Rusev or Neville? WWE has so much talent, but refuses to use them. I don’t the see the point of having Owens drop the belt six days after winning it, but then again I don’t see the point of a lot of WWE storytelling. Owens should be the champ heading into WM, where we can get another one of those multi-man ladder matches again, except this time the winner won’t have to retire forever.

Prediction: KO

Triple Threat Match : Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose (Winner is #1 Contender)

When Brock Lesnar is involved in any kind of matchup, he’s the automatic favorite. The man has a giant sword tattooed on his chest, so excuse me if I don’t ever pick against him, but this match is his kryptonite (that and getting punched in the dick). If the rules of a match state that you can lose said match without being pinned or submitted, Brock Lesnar is probably going to lose. Honestly, it’s the only match he should lose. It happened at the 2015 Royal Rumble. It happened at WrestleMania 31. It’s probably going to happen Sunday. I like the build up of drama between Reigns and Ambrose, because it hopefully saves us from a match where most of it is spent beating up Brock Lesnar. Whether it makes sense for the story or not, nobody wants to see that. People want to see Brock Lesnar rip off car doors and suplex and F-5 human beings until they can’t move. I suspect we’ll get a lot of that here, but I don’t think Brock will win. The Wyatt’s have been suspiciously MIA around Brock Lesnar since the Royal Rumble, but I believe that changes here. I think Lesnar dominates most of the match, until the Wyatt’s take him out, which leaves us with Reigns and Ambrose. WWE has done a great job recently of turning Ambrose into a motivated, refusing to stay down type of  crazy. Yes he’s a lunatic, but he’s not a wacky, joke spewing lunatic. He’s a guy that will take your best shot but keep getting up, because that’s all he knows. Reigns is Reigns, and whether you love him or hate him, he’s here to stay. It’s just too bad that WWE refuses to give him any semblance of a character, because I do think he can be great. The surprise beat down from the Dudleyz Monday night is also something to keep an eye on, as we still don’t know why they did it. Are they associating with Heyman? The Authority? I wouldn’t be shocked if they come out during this match as well. In the end, it will come down to Reigns and Ambrose, and I think WWE is going to shock us a bit.

Prediction: Dean Ambrose.

-Ryan

 

 

A Back Surgery Will Delay CM Punk’s UFC Even More & Maybe It’s Time To Chalk This Up As A Loss

UFCCM Punk detractors are going to have some more ammunition, as the former WWE Champion will have his UFC debut delayed yet again. He’ll be undergoing back surgery to repair a herniated disc, according to MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani.

Punk told Helwani that his back is something that has always bothered him, and he figured that it was simply professional wrestling injuries. As it turns out, it was.

“It got bad enough to the point where I couldn’t do anything the week before I went to train with the New Jersey Devils last month. One day I could manage, the next day I couldn’t. I’ve been in agony for almost a month. Chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, cryotherapy, nothing worked,” Punk told MMA Fighting.

CM Punk was linked to both July’s UFC 200 and June’s UFC 199 to take on Mickey Gall. Gall defeated Mike Jackson at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 82 to earn the right to take on Punk in his UFC debut.

Reaction GIF: are you kidding me?, CM Punk

CM Punk has been signed with UFC since December of 2014, and yet here we are, 14 months later, and he’s no closer to fighting in the Octagon then he was when he first signed. I understand Punk prides himself on doing things that everyone says he can’t do, but maybe he should take these constant roadblocks as a sign that he’s in way over his head. Personally, I’m still bitter at Punk for the way he left the WWE, but I do still want to see him fight in the UFC. If nothing else, it’d be a spectacle, and it’d make him and the UFC a lot of money. But the facts are real: he’s 37 years old & if he’s constantly getting hurt during training, what’s going to happen to him when he fights a trained fighter for real? I’ve already seen one cult hero retire too early due to concussions, I don’t need to see another one.

-Ryan

 

Daniel Bryan Announced His Retirment & Bid An Emotional Farwell To The WWE Universe Last Night #RAW

Last night was rough. After Daniel Bryan tweeted earlier in the day that he’d be retiring on last night’s Raw, it was tough to comprehend what was happening. Bryan has been out of action for months with concussion issues, but in the crazy world of the WWE, you never really knew what to believe. There was always the false hope it was a ‘work’, similar to the time Mark Henry ‘retired’ in his home state only to body slam John Cena and keep on trucking. But as the night went on and the tributes poured in, it was becoming more and more clear that this was really the end for Daniel Bryan. As a few people put it on Twitter, losing a wrestler, whether it be via retirement or death, is especially painful because of the universe they inhabit. Think of any other athlete you root for. At some point or another, their season ends and you lose them during the offseason. You can’t root for them, you can’t see them play, and in a weird way that makes it a little easier when they’re gone for good. In wrestling, there is no offseason. You watch a guy like Daniel Bryan, day in and day out, and he becomes ‘your guy’. He never leaves though, because the WWE is a 24/7/365 type of company, so you never get the chance to miss him. Even when he got hurt, like after WrestleMania 30, he came back, cut a passionate promo and then won the IC title at WrestleMania 31. Why would we expect anything else to happen this time? As sad as it is to lose a wrestler to retirement, I’m very happy that Raw ended with Daniel Bryan in the ring, kissing his wife, looking healthy, instead of a 10 bell salute at the beginning of Raw because he died too soon. That may seem like an extreme counter situation, but that’s what happens to wrestlers, especially ones that don’t take of themselves. Maybe Daniel Bryan takes a non physical General Manager role, or maybe he rides off into the sunset and we never see him again. Either way, I’m grateful we had any time with him at all.

-Ryan

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart Took To Social Media To Announce He Has Been Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer

The WWE active roster has been hit incredibly hard with the injury bug over the past 6 months, but now a different type of sad wrestling news came to light this morning. Bret Hart took to social media to announce that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he promises to defeat the disease just like he’s defeated foes both inside and outside the ring his entire career. Hart has always had a quite classiness about him, whether he was fighting for the WWE or giving interviews after his career was over, so it’s no surprise that he announced the sad news the way he did. As he mentions in the post, he suffered a stroke in 2002 which he fought to overcome, and he even got one more WrestleMania moment in what I can honestly say is the worst match I’ve ever seen against Mr. McMahon. Best of luck to Bret in his fight against cancer, and we hope to get some positive news from the ‘excellence of execution’ after his surgery.

-Ryan

NXT Takeover Dallas Has Their Top Matches & Good Lord Does It Look Fantastic

NXT “Takeover: Dallas” event during WrestleMania 32 weekend:

WWE NXT Title Match
Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor

WWE NXT Women’s Title Match
Asuka vs. Bayley

WWE NXT Tag Team Title Match
Chad Gable and Jason Jordan vs. Dash and Dawson

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

My favorite thing about NXT is their ability to not only put down four matches like that on paper, but the trust fans have in the product to build up these matches to make them even better. NXT had their final tapings before WrestleMania weekend last night, and these are the four major matches for the April 1st event. The only surprise for me was that Joe and Balor will square off again, and that Zayn will take on Nakamura in his debut. I want to see Zayn vs. Balor badly, but if Balor isn’t turning heel between now and April, it makes sense to put him up against someone like Joe. From everything I’ve seen and read about Nakamura, he is a complete game changer, and I fully expect him and Zayn to tear the house down. Gable and Jordan are my favorite part of NXT, so seeing them get their tag title shot is going to be insane. Asuka vs. Bayley is so wonderful, as they’re two VERY different kind of baby faces, and this will be the ultimate test for Bayley. When you combine this card with the fact that more matches will be added with the likes of Apollo Crews, Corbin, Austin Aries, the women’s division and the tag team division, you have an event that will rival WrestleMania. What a weekend that will be.

-Ryan

Here’s Big E Tweeting That He’ll Never Watch ‘Ballers’ Again, Because Big E & New Day Are The Greatest

 

ICYMI, The Rock returned to Raw last night to get everyone in the world ready for WrestleMania. He was predictably wonderful, but the highlight of the entire segment was his interaction with New Day. The Uso’s and The Rock got the upper hand on New Day, but not before Big E, Kofi and Xavier Woods got some verbal shots in of their own. After Raw, Big E took to Twitter to show just how great he really is, tweeting The Rock’s HBO show ‘Ballers’ & explaining to them that he’ll never watch the show because their lead actor is a dick. If this leads to more Rock/New Day segments, I am 1,000% in.

-Ryan