2011 Pro Wrestling Thread

Re: The state of WWE, I think all of the talent and pieces are in place for something special over the next couple years. They have some promising guys in the upper mid and midcard - Daniel Bryan, Wade Barret, Cody Rhodes, R-Truth - that could all be credible champions with the proper booking. That always seems to be the caveat with the WWE though.

And of course, the canard hovering over all of this is "What of Cena?" Ironically, the guy's durability and single-mindedness has probably hurt him more than any other superstar of the past 10 or 20 years. Unlike Hogan or The Rock, he doesn't have a bunch of non-wrestling interests to give him off TV here and there; he's on TV every week. Unlike Savage, he didn't go insane and vanish from wrestling for a few months / years. Unlike HBK or Austin, he hasn't been hurt that much, meaning you always have to find something for him to do from a storyline perspective.

Re: the viral promotion, I don't think it would be for Shane McMahon. Why would you have weird, bizarro promos for the returning owner / GM? If anything, I think if they were going that direction, they'd have something more like the NWO.

 

Very enjoyable RAW. I know some people don't like it for some reason, but I always enjoy the Slammys. It's always a fun show with lots of funny moments. The first segment was awful but the great thing about WWE to me is that even when it's bad it's hilarious. Cole was great throughout and JR was so awkward I just found myself laughing at it.

The rest was all good. Highlights included CM Punk's tribute to Laurinaitis, the incredibly fun Fatal 4 Way between 4 of the best midcarders in some time, and of course, the shocking return of Kane at the end, which was awesome. If I had to criticise I'd say I'd prefer he had the older mask which didn't show any of his face but it's no big deal. Now people have seen him unmasked for years I guess it's not an issue, I was just a mark for his classic look. That said, his new look, as well as the music, was awesome. Can't wait to see what they do with him now.

It looks like Taker/HHH III at Mania after HHH's comments in his promo, which would be pretty dumb considering he's already had two shots and a new guy should benefit from the rub of giving Taker a competitive Mania match, but we've been swerved before and we'll be swerved again so I'm not jumping the gun. The Kane match is definitely possible after this.

Cena's promo on Rock when he talked about him not being there was hilarious. Vintage cheesy Cena comedy + Rock trolling = a good formula.

There was tons of other stuff I enjoyed but there's almost too much to comment on in these 3 hours RAWs. Oh, it was cool to see Road Dogg.

 

I always felt like Pillman was trying too hard. To start out, at least on TV anyway, playing the high-flying babyface and go to what he tried pulling off, I just never fully bought it. Even the gun-toting stuff you spoke of. Punk, even as a face, was always the every-day kinda guy from the moment he broke in on TV. It's not a reach, for me anyway, to see him in the character he is today. Though, he goes over the top sometimes, especially when playing up to the crowd on the turnbuckles with the belt, and that part of him I don't buy. Kind of like when Orton goes full on face. He does much better as a tweener.

 

Dolph Ziggler reminds me of Mr. Perfect, not Pillman. Ziggler is a good wrestler, Perfect was a great wrestler. Ziggler sells his moves really well, Perfect sold his moves really well. The only difference is promo's and microphone skills.

 

Ziggler looks so much like Perfect to me that I think they're doing it intentionally. I think they should just have him dump Vickie and pick up some hot chick as a valet (not a diva), and that would push him over the top more easily than a shrill heel manager. Ziggler should be marketed as being a Perfect / Ric Flair guy, living the high life, as opposed to slumming with some thick 40+ year old.

 

I understand having Vickie with a guy like Swagger who isn't all that great on the mic. But I think Dolph is fine on the mic. He doesn't have much need for Vickie, certainly.

 

Actually, they did that early in Ziggler's run, when he was going around shaking everyone's hand, and he was flirting with the Divas. He also had Maria as a valet for a brief while before Vickie.

If anything, I'm liking the fact that they're treating Vickie like a businesswoman more than any sort of romantic storyline. It allows both of them to be taken more seriously.

The Perfect comparisons have been around for a couple of years, and Ziggler's acknowledged it in interviews, plus he had the "I am Perfection!" in his entrance for a while.

 

I don't think he needs Vicky anymore. Yes, she helps him get heat, but he doesn't need a mouth piece anymore. His microphone skills have improved a lot over the last few months.

None the less, he and Cody Rhodes are the future of the WWE, IMO.

 

Right down to the platinum hair and egocentrism.

I started to think a few months ago about Ziggler as a modern Mr. Perfect, and whether creative or he intended it, he appears to play that role more every show.

It wouldn't surprise me if Nick Nemeth wanted to take the character in that direction. He was 8 and already wrestling in youth programs when Perfect returned to the WWF in 1988, and has said he had wanted to eventually move into professional wrestling for at least several years prior to his graduation from Kent State. Did he grow up a pro wrestling fan? Did he grow up a Perfect fan? Is all this Show Off business an homage? I could buy that.

EDIT: Oh, and I forgot about his entrance music. "I Am Perfection." Duh.

 

I, too, was left wondering at the end of Raw that if the videos aren't for Kane, then who the heck are they for? Jericho? Shane? Stephanie? Undertaker? Somebody totally new? Regardless, WWE has gotten people talking about it and I'll be interested to see who they come up with for the slot.

 

I'd be shocked if it was for someone completely new. They devoted a really plum promo spot - the one right before the last break before the main event - to it. The last time Jericho came back, he got that kind of placement at the end.

 

Gobbledy Gooker