#29 - Let Wrestlers Be Wrestlers

I have posted above the 2012 SummerSlam music video that the WWE put together promoting the event which I believe played mostly through social media. I remember watching this last summer and thinking to myself that the video showcased what was good about pro wrestling.

In this video, we have pro wrestlers being pro wrestlers! They are allowing their own personalities to shine (Daniel Bryan is pure gold in this video) which adds so much to their characters. Today, I feel that the creative team has too much control over the product. Why does the creative team have to write promos? Why do the talent be given the ability to add dimensions to their own characters? If a person uses their own ideas, they are much more committed to the task. Let's start letting pro wrestlers be pro wrestlers!

It worked for Dolph Ziggler who wouldn't be near the level he is now without appearing on Zack Ryder's Z True Long Island Story. Without Ryder, Ziggler would be still portrayed as the "new Mr. Perfect" when now we are now comparing his rise to Shawn Michaels

Daniel Bryan was floundering in the mid card until turning heel in early 2012 and being allowed to let his personality to show through the Yes/No chants and Dr. Shelby segments with Kane. The wrestler once known as the American Dragon and for "kicking in fucking heads" is now wanting to be called the Dazzler? Bryan showed that you can be a great wrestler while also entertaining which is something we might not have seen since Ric Flair and his outlandish personality of the '80s

The Ringmaster floundered until he submitted an idea to creative for a cold-hearted ruthless man who showed no emotion. Eventually, we were given Stone Cold Steve Austin who was his personality exaggerated. Steve Austin actually drinks beer, drives a pickup truck, enjoys using colorful language and is a redneck from Texas.

These three examples show that wrestlers being themselves have worked in the past and present so why not allow other wrestlers this chance? Mick Foley has stated that he felt the Attitude Era (arguably the most profitable era in pro wrestling history) started when Vince McMahon gave a speech about wrestlers having to inject more of themselves into their characters. Actually, Foley really can attribute the success of his WWE career largely to his series of interviews with Jim Ross back in June 1997 where he interwove his personal history (Dude Love & his desire for attention as a teenager) into how the Mankind character came to be in his head.

In closing, I have given four good examples of where wrestlers were allowed to be themselves and were successful. The music video included with this post proves that there is a wealth of charisma and untapped comedy in the WWE locker room just looking for the opportunity to be showcased weekly. Why not lighten the workload of the creative team and allow them to focus strictly on story line progression! Let's start seeing wrestlers make the best of their chance and their characters! Lets start letting wrestlers be wrestlers and watch the product we receive every week! I thank you very much for reading!

#28 - The Undertaker @ WM29

I am going to take the current state of WWE story lines and progress them in my own vision, starting with this past Monday's RAW. As we've all heard, the Undertaker's status for this year's WrestleMania is uncertain. The rumor is that he is dealing with injuries that would be better off resting this year. However, I feel we can allow Undertaker to rest but still keep him in a major storyline this year at WrestleMania! Here is my idea of how the Undertaker can be a major part of WrestleMania with minimal in-ring action! ...

Starting at ...
Last Monday - Paul Heyman's Performance Evaluation

• Brock Lesnar attacking Vince McMahon as a favor to his friend/business partner Paul Heyman who was about to be fired by McMahon
• Vince suffers a broken left hip as reported on WWE.com 

My idea is for this storyline to culminate at WrestleMania with ... 

CM Punk and Brock Lesnar vs Triple H and the Undertaker!

Outline:

February 4th

Brock cuts a promo describing himself as the most destructive force in WWE after eliminating Triple H and Mr. McMahon, he makes reference to the ring being his world (a subtle reference to the Undertaker)

Vickie Guerrero comes to the ring and states that she has been asked by WWE Board of Directors to negotiate Brock's return to WWE after quitting last summer. Heyman states that they return to the back for the negotiation. As the show is closing, Heyman returns to the stage to announce that Brock has agreed to a new iron-clad two year deal with WWE! Stephanie McMahon's music hits as she comes out to meet Heyman face to face, stating that she was the one who asked Vickie to sign Brock back and that Triple H would be on the next RAW.

February 11th

• The show opens with Triple H shown backstage waiting for Brock Lesnar's arrival. 
• A limo arrives which Lesnar's Deathclutch license plate on it which is promptly destoryed by Triple H. 
• Paul Heyman is shown getting out of the limo on the opposite side of Triple H. 
• As Heyman is being stalked by Triple H, he is attacked from behind by CM Punk. 
• Triple H and Punk battle for a moment until Lesnar arrives in a truck and the Punk/Lesnar duo leave Triple H lying in need of medical attention. 
• Triple H is placed into an ambulance and taken from the arena
• Punk/Heyman/Lesnar come to the ring for a promo which Heyman highlights how effective these forces could be together with Punk and Lesnar throwing compliments towards each other! Heyman also illustrates how they have battled adversity from the WWE and how similar their battles with management were
• Punk wrestles main event of show with Lesnar in corner! Triple H is shown driving an ambulance back into the arena! Triple H comes from the side of the entrance and as he reaches the ramp, the Rock's music hits! Rock hits the ring to fight Punk (helping to sell their EC Title Match) and HHH battles Lesnar for the show to end

February 18th

• CM Punk, having been defeated by the Rock the night before, opens the show with another promo about not receiving the respect he deserves
• He states there's only one man who has the respect he deserves in WWE and that's the Undertaker
• Punk challenges the Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania
• Triple H cuts a promo stating that he wants Brock and Punk at WrestleMania! 
• Offers to put his role as COO on the line with Heyman receiving the job if his team wins
• He says he can get Punk what he wants and asks the Undertaker to be his tag team partner
• The show closes with the Undertaker's gong going off and the arena going black

February 25th

• The show opens with the gong, the same way RAW closed the week before
• THE RETURN OF THE UNDERTAKER
• The Undertaker cuts a promo describing his love for the WWE but his distrust for Triple H as he spent the last two WrestleMania's trying to end the streak
• Triple H comes to the ring and gives his plea to the Undertaker
• The Undertaker states he will deliberate and give Triple H his answer next week on RAW

March 4th

• The Undertaker comes to the ring and declines Triple H's offer, stating that he cannot afford to allow the Streak to be placed in the hands of the man who tried to end it on three occasions
• Shawn Michaels returns to talk to Undertaker, highlights the respect he earned with Taker after his WrestleMania bouts
• Undertaker tells Shawn he respects him but he can't risk the Streak like this
• As Undertaker gets ready to walk up the stage, Mr. McMahon's music hits
• Vince is now confined to a wheelchair thanks to the broken hip and comes to the stage
• Vince comes out and gives Undertaker a speech about how close him and Taker has been over the years! How Undertaker never left his side when everybody else did (throws a shot in at Hogan) and that he needs him one more time! To defend the honor of WWE against Heyman
• Undertaker agrees to be Triple H's partner for Vince

March 11th

• Triple H challenges CM Punk to a steel cage match on RAW on March 25th (two week buildup to that match) that if Punk wins, he'll receive the first title match after WrestleMania (presumably at Extreme Rules) 
• We have a dual contract signing setup for both the WrestleMania match and the steel cage match! 
• There is an $2 Million Dollar No Contact Clause in the contract that neither group could be physical with each other until the cage match or forfeit their cash

March 18th

• Video packages air throughout the night where the locker room are discussing how important this match will be to the landscape of the WWE

March 25th

• The Steel Cage Match
• Video packages air throughout the show highlighting both Punk's history in steel cages (defeating Ryback and ending Jeff Hardy's career) and Triple H's history (ending Mick Foley's career, defeating Austin at No Way Out 2001, defeating Legacy etc.)
• CM Punk escapes the cage as  Lesnar puts HHH in a chokehold as he's crawling out the door! 

April 1st

• Segments are filmed at WWE Headquarters where Heyman/Lesnar/Punk arrive at Titan Towers where they interrupt a board of directors meeting, which he is discussing the possibility of him becoming the COO of the WWE! 
• They find Stephanie McMahon and with Triple H viewing from the arena and destroy her office with Stephanie watching on! 
• The trio leave the office stating "Hunter, we'll see you this Sunday" 

April 7th

• The tag team match of the century!
  The Streak and COO position of WWE is at stake!
  Punk and Lesnar vs Undertaker and Triple H!
• I feel Punk should take the pin in this match via a Undertaker pinfall thus leaving room for an Punk-Undertaker and/or a Undertaker/Lesnar feud down the road with the seed being what Undertaker cost them! 
• Triple H thanks Undertaker for his help and they shake hands!

I understand my details get less detailed towards the end but I literally wrote this as I typed it! haha I hope you enjoy this blog. It's not perfectly written but this is how I would present the idea to a friend and hope you enjoy it and would love some feedback! Thank you very much! 

#27 - My original idea for Hell In A Cell

I wrote this as a Facebook message to my friends about two weeks before Night of Champions and this was going to be my fantasy story for the Hell In A Cell pay per view. I haven't been as active as I should be on this blog so I figured I should at least share this idea with you and see what you thought of my idea? Comments are welcomed as I would love to debate! Enjoy! Here's to hoping this ends up in front of anyone in the wrestling business and they tell me I might have a good idea! 

The Fallout of Night of Champions ...

CM Punk barely retains the WWE championship against John Cena with some tricks! CM Punk comes out to declare that he is the best in the world ... only to be interrupted by ... KOFI KINGSTON! Kofi comes out to cut a promo to his FRIEND CM PUNK talking about how Punk has changed since RAW 1000. He talks about the Punk DVD having footage of the two hanging out, even playing video games together. Kofi has the last word on Punk which leads to Punk attacking Kofi with the save coming from John Cena. 

AJ Lee announces that the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Title will be determined that night in a singles match between Kofi and John Cena

CM Punk comes out to sit ringside with the fans for this battle ... John Cena has Kofi in the STF when suddenly the bell rings ... Punk is the one who rang the bell ala Brian Pillman during the Austin-Taker Match at IYH15 (May 1997) ... Cena relinquishes the hold thinking he had won only and is distracted. When he notices that it was Punk was the one who rang the bell, he turns back to Kofi who hits him with the trouble in paradise for the WIN! 

The next week, we see Cena cut a in ring promo with Kofi stating that while he don't agree with the way Kofi won, he RESPECTS Kofi more than Punk, puts him over and says that he will be involved in the match at Hell In A Cell! 

Enters AJ Lee announcing that she will not tolerate Cena interfering in the title match which is why it will be contested inside Hell In A Cell, to keep Cena from being involved!

In the weeks leading up to Hell In A Cell, we are shown the clips from Punk's DVD with both Kofi and Punk hanging out (which would help sell the DVD which comes out during this buildup), Kofi attempting to save Punk from being punted by Randy Orton back at Unforgiven 2008 costing Punk a World Title, Kofi and Punk winning the tag titles! etc. We also see Punk attack Kofi at every chance, feeling that Kofi is a serious threat to his record title run! 

Can you imagine what Kofi could do inside the Cell? With his best friend in the business... for the WWE Title? 

From this angle, 

• we get a break from Cena going for the title, keeping things fresh
• a renewed interest in Kofi Kingston as a main eventer
• a reason why the Hell in a Cell is being used in this match
• Punk continuing his heelish ways
• keeps Punk - Cena for Survivor Series if that's the way they are headed

#26 - Giving TNA/Impact Wrestling A Fair Compliment

I have re watched this segment a few times and started to realize something ... TNA has been running the same general story line for almost three years now 

• January 4, 2010 - Hogan and Bischoff come to TNA
• June 2010 - the They story line begins with Abyss
• October 2010 - They are revealed, Jeff Hardy Heel Turn, Hogan and Bischoff turn heel, take control of TNA, forms Immortal
• November 2010 - Dixie Carter puts an injunction on Immortal, Turning Point PPV main event also sees Garrett Bischoff debut as referee Jackson James
• March 2011 - Dixie Carter loses court hearing and Hogan gains full control of TNA, Sting returns to battle Immortal and take back TNA, wins world title
• October 2011 - Hogan vs Sting, Sting gains control of TNA back for Dixie, Hogan turns face to save Sting from Immortal beat down, introduction of Garrett Bischoff
• January 2012 - Hulk returns as the trainer of Garrett Bischoff
• April 2012 - Team Garrett beats Team Eric in lethal lock down to banish Eric Bischoff from TNA
• June 2012 - After Sting is chosen to go into the hall of fame, Aces & Eights debut attacking Sting, targets Hulk Hogan as well
• September 2012 - Garrett Bischoff is told by Hulk Hogan than he is not ready for a TV title match, looks pissed at Hogan
• October 2012 - The promo I have above ... almost a guarantee Bischoff is involved! It could be a swerve but I think the evidence adds up! 

If this is the direction that Impact Wrestling is heading for, I have to be honest and say I will be impressed. Internet fans will dismiss this as a rehash of the same story but I am going to give them credit. When a TV show moves from season to season, the villains usually stay the same or return back into the show's story. I am a Breaking Bad fan and a character example of this theory is Hector Salamanca (the older gentleman who only communicates by using a bell, for those readers who are unaware or unfamiliar with character names). He returns in each season's story in some form ... With Bischoff's obvious television experience and past track record that he treats wrestling like the episodic television it competes with, this story makes sense and has had longevity. As wrestling fans, we are used to short payoffs but this hopefully will pay off eventually. The only issue ... you can't kill someone off in pro wrestling ... what will be the pay off? We may not know for a long time yet ... 

#25 - When Legends Make Bad Decisions ...

... wow! I first heard this on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast (which I should really write a blog about because it's worth the listen!) ... here we have Kamala ... singing a r&b song on his shoot feelings towards the professional wrestling business ... this is odd on so many levels but too good not to share ...

#24 - Why I enjoy Chikara's brand of Pro Wrestling

... because it's good old fashion fun in professional wrestling! It's not meant to be taken 100% serious and you can tell the wrestlers are enjoying it as much as the fans! This video is from the Chikara event "It's How You Play The Game" in March 2012! These two wrestlers here, Chuck Taylor and Archibald Peck are two of my reasons for watching Chikara! I hope you enjoy!

#23 - No Way Out 2012

Well ... it was about this time last year that I wrote a blog outlining what I would want to see done after June's Capitol Punishment PPV. I am looking back at that blog and am happy to see that three of my five suggestions have happened over the last year. While the Punk-Mysterio match at Capitol Punishment wasn't to determine the no.1 contender to the WWE championship, they were involved in a triple threat with Alberto Del Rio within a week to determine the top contender. I predicted Punk would be the title challenger only because I thought that was their way of writing Punk off at Money In The Bank ... well, I was right and wrong on that one! What followed was "the shoot heard around the world" in Las Vegas and the story arc that persisted in the WWE right until December! I suggested that AJ and Kelly Kelly would become the faces of the Diva Division. Predicting Kelly Kelly to be the face of the Divas was as obvious as saying we are getting fog in Newfoundland one day out of a week! But AJ, while she may not have become the face of the divas, she is currently the only diva with a prominent spot on Monday Night RAW and her character has gotten over because of her cuteness which supplements the crazy chick angle they are doing with her. First of all, kudos to WWE for doing the crazy chick angle with AJ! We may have seen a variation of this with Victoria back in 2002 but nothing like this character! It has provided the WWE with great television leading into last night's PPV! I will outline my thoughts for the AJ character later on in this blog. The final suggestion I had was Zack Ryder ... he has been up and down so much over the last year but at least it's something! He hasn't been completely neglected to being Superstar's best kept secret!! Instead of making a top five changes I would like to see, I am going to review last night's PPV and give you my opinion of how I would take each angle.

Triple H is advertised to appear

Triple H's promo last night is the reason why we need Vince back as the highest honor and power in World Wrestling Entertainment! He verbally cut Lesnar for being a quitter and it sounded like he was purposely throwing verbal jabs at Lesnar, showing the legitimate heat between the two. Triple H should be less worried about his personal feelings and be building Lesnar as a threat. He should be talking about Lesnar as a monster, as one of his toughest obstacles, and as a legitimate tough guy! I feel this way because if Triple H is going over at SummerSlam, wouldn't it look better if he beat the monster Brock Lesnar than the quitter Brock Lesnar. The more you build up the opponent ... The more meaning it has when you beat them

John Cena vs. Big Show – Steel Cage Match

I wouldn't have changed anything about this match and angle! I am curious of where the angle leads tonight on RAW. Where does this Big Johnny? Unemployed? Do they publicly acknowledge that Triple H is now taking care of Talent Relations? Where does this leave the Big Show? Where does this leave John Cena? Will Vince McMahon return as the ruler of WWE? ... after watching last week's RAW ... I certainly hope so! His unscripted ride on the scooter was hilarious and made the angle so much better. Why? Because it evoked real emotions and reactions! Sheamus broke character and started to laugh! You could tell he wasn't told how to react, it was Sheamus being Sheamus ... the way all characters should be! Vince needs to be the main guy ... with the so-called "reality era" we have entered in professional wrestling, fans know Vince is in charge and we are not going to accept any other authority! Vince may not like being on TV at his age but he is one of WWE's greatest resources ... All I want to know ... is if we can get him into the WWE Studio to do the voiceover for the SummerSlam intro "IT'S TIME FOR SUMMMERSLAMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler

Alright ... here is what I would have done last night. I would have maintained the same match they had last night because it was good! However, I would have used a dusty finish. Ziggler uses the tights or Vickie pushing Sheamus' leg off the rope so the referee doesn't see it ... something! I would have had Ziggler celebrating with the title right to the Entrance Stage ... Where I would have had Vince McMahon come out and demand Ziggler to return to the ring and the match to restart!!! Sheamus could pick up the win with the Brogue Kick after the restart. Instantly, you do not hurt Sheamus while increasing the stock of Ziggler! We get a shocking moment to start the pay per view AND we re-establish Vince as being the most powerful man in World Wrestling Entertainment! It would have been great!

WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane – Triple Threat Match

As for this match, I really thought we were going to see a title change ... I just read that Bryan was considered again to walk out champion but obviously ... he wasn't! I guess Punk will be receiving the new title belt on the 100th ... I mean 1000th Episode of RAW. That would have been my only change! As for AJ ... I think we need AJ doing double duty in terms of storylines. I would like to see her and Layla fighting over the Diva's championship while maintaining her role in the WWE Title picture! Maybe we can see Layla and Punk talking backstage which leads to AJ being jealous, maybe Bryan hitting on Layla (Once you go Bryan, you stop tryin'!) and AJ getting jealous! There are a couple ways they can mesh the stories! AJ's logic being that if she wins the title, Punk or Bryan will be proud of her and she would bring it to them kind of like a sad dog would bring a bone back to the owner. It's hard using that analogy because AJ is far from a dog but you understand! Instantly, we have a feud that can lead to mixed tags on RAW, fresh character interactions, a renewed interest in the diva's division, and could even add some female equality to the WWE that they can tout! With one or two simple segments, we may have two good stories on Monday Nights for the time of one! ... you can't disagree with that!

Intercontinental Champion Christian vs. Cody Rhodes

Great wrestling ... it's what the Intercontinental Title was built upon ... I don't see any problem seeing these matches more often

Divas Champion Layla vs. Beth Phoenix

See WWE Championship Match ...

United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez – Tuxedo Match

I am not even reviewing this ... shouldn't have been on pay per view ... end of discussion! Not when we have new talents like Damien Sandow who could have benefited from the pay per view time!

Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga

Brodus lost some of his cool ... like we saw in the main event between Cena and Big Show ... could have established his anger early in the night for getting dq'ed against Otunga or Otunga getting dq'ed (Jesus, I am getting hungry for a Ultimate Burger right about now) and Brodus going crazy. This is what needed to be done!

In closing, thank you for taking the time to read this blog! Please comment and let me know your opinions! For my friends, we can discuss it anytime! I'm out!

#22 - When Legends Make Bad Decisions ...

I am sorry if the blog title misleads anybody but this is too funny not to share with everybody. Apparently Terry Funk released an album in Japan back in 1984 after his first retirement. This song does not scream "hardcore" but it does make me want to scream that I will remember it FOREVER! FOREVER! FOREVER! FOREVER!



Perhaps this could be a continuing series on "From The Gorilla Position"?

#21 - 5 Things I'd Like To See Done After Capitol Punishment!

This has nothing that will benefit this blog but I am about to shamelessly plug a WWE DVD. I currently watching the WWE's newest release, the Very Best of WCW Nitro. While I do not have it finished in full, it does seem like a good release. I am currently streaming it before purchasing the DVD and so far, I am happy with the product WWE has produced and would recommend it to others who are fans of this era in professional wrestling!


Now, today's topic for the blog would be 5 things I would like to see the WWE do after this Sunday's Capitol Punishment pay per view!

1. Have the Punk-Mysterio determine the No.1 Contender to the WWE Championship

I really can't complain that these two are having another pay per view match because the quality of matches they have had in the last two years have been outstanding. To my knowledge, this is their fifth singles match on PPV since Armageddon 2008. I think if this match was to determine the No.1 Contender would add to this match. It would make Punk and Mysterio both seem to have a higher position on the card just by their association with the WWE Championship picture as currently the Miz is the only other star that feels like they are in the main event level. R-Truth may be on the rise but this is his first main event and the main event scene needs guys who are credible to take the title at any moment as that is where Wrestling gets its suspense from. This would also allow them to write Punk off in July, which seems like their current plan, at the Money in the Bank PPV in Chicago!

2. Making AJ and Kelly Kelly the faces of the Diva Division!

While Kelly Kelly has been slated to be the face of the division currently, I think that Kelly Kelly doesn't have the skill to lead a division like Trish Stratus did in the early 2000's! I think AJ could be the perfect supplement to Kelly's character and vice versa. Both girls are presented in similar roles right now ... they have cute personalities yet exciting to watch in the ring. As a red-blooded man's man, I will also point out how are incredibly sexy but not in a slutty way! which worked perfect in the new PG era of the WWE. In retrospective, the WWE's Diva division was at it's finest when they had two Diva Stars ... what were their names again? OH Trish Stratus and Lita! I think this would benefit the division right now, having them built to defeat the Bella Twins later this year, only to have a heel Kharma return next year to destroy both AJ and Kelly Kelly! The storylines are simple yet play themselves out!

3. Zack Ryder 

I mentioned to a friend the other day that I believe that the Ryder Revolution is noticed by WWE Creative and they are building towards his ultimate push! How can they not notice it? They booked him on RAW every week other than the week they are in his hometown. Why? It's not because they want him to remain a heel because they paired him with John Cena in all his previous RAW segments. It's not because he's not a good worker as he had a great match with Kofi two weeks ago on RAW. I feel the WWE is just letting the popularity rise and rise, with his "broskis" (which I am a big part of) just loving him more for being the underdog. It's time to let the Ryder Revolution begin ... I don't want to see him go right into the main event or even the U.S. title scene. He doesn't need a title run currently, he just needs the chance to show his personality to the audience without any restrictions and let them decide if Zack Ryder is "the next big thing" in WWE

4. A Summer of Legends 

Wrestling fans love legends! It's a proven fact that we love seeing the stars of yesteryear! We jumped in joy when Michael Hayes came out on SuperStars as Tyson Kidd's manager. We never missed a minute of last Monday's Piper's Pit. What I propose is that the WWE should book legends on the show every week just for the surprise factor, making RAW seem less formulaic. Why not have Superfly show up with Tamina every now again? Why not have Sunny show up one week to referee a Diva's match? The possibilities are endless and will all be received  positively. It would be loved by superstars who get to see their childhood favorites and the legends will love being loved so much. I know that some may feel this takes away from the return of Old School Raw coming up in the fall but I don't think it will, I think it will only "wet the appetite" of the audience for that show.


I am promoting WrestleMania here only because it has the Hall of Fame ceremony from this year, where Sunny became the youngest inductee to the Hall.

5. The Return of Managers

We are in the process of seeing this come about right now, with Tyson Kidd having a different manager every week on SuperStars. I would like to see this emphasis start after this Sunday, perhaps even on Sunday with Ezekiel Jackson debuting a new mouthpiece when he defeats Wade Barrett. Some guys need managers, that has always been proven in pro wrestling. Some of the greatest talents in wrestling had managers. It just adds so much to their characters and their matches. This is one idea I am really excited about!

Conclusion

I am really excited for the WWE's summer programming as it is always filled with excitement leading up until SummerSlam in August. We are pretty much guaranteed one RAW appearance of the Rock to help further the main event of WrestleMania 28. We are almost guaranteed to see a star debut or return to the company and we are guaranteed a great PPV at Money in the Bank. I love the summertime in WWE and hope that these ideas I have posted here will become real on WWE programming