The WWE was coming off a very strong effort last week. I personally wasn't that big of a fan of that show, but it was something different. I feared that because they had buried the roster all year to build around Roman as the only choice they would suffer for it now and they did. This show was a bomb and promptly stopped the WWE's momentum from the prior week dead in it's tracks.
The Good
Seeing Seth Rollins was pretty cool. They did a great job of teasing that he wasn't there and then suddenly he was, which was a relief considering those that were not to receive awards. I thought he played his part well.
The Owens win was a nice bump for him. Since losing the IC title he has been portrayed as stronger. His speech was also pretty good, and probably pretty true. How is he not the break out star of the year?
Announcing the return of Cena next week and booking a match a week off was a good move. Anytime the WWE hypes something that is a good thing. They need to do more of this.
I like the Slammy's as a change of pace show. It gives things a different feel....that being said.
Stephanie going off at the end of the show was pretty cool. It continues her endless push, but at some point they have to blow off this heat on a female star. They could make a huge baby face out of a full timer if it's done right.
The Bad
How could they not have a few more guys there to accept their awards. Why would you have an awards show fully knowing a majority of the winners and not have them there? Especially if you're not going to have HHH and Vince on the show? It was draining and the few people they did have including Seth did not make up for it. The WWE could have had a winner if Cena returned, or Sting or Brock. How about Heyman saying something of substance like Brock is after the belt or is going to enter the Rumble?
We got none of that. Although I was happy with Cena's match announcement, why not have him be there to accept his award and have Del Rio come out to shit on it. Causing Del Rio to get some real heat and stoke the match for next week? It's befuddling to say the least.
Stephanie booked two matches to hurt Roman. First she stacked the deck against the USO's, but they still won beating the New Day, which is awful. Then Ambrose got destroyed by the League of Nations and Reigns didn't come out until the end of the match to sort of make the save. He was also smiley and happy. Well wait how could you be all happy knowing that the USO's just got trashed back stage. Shouldn't you be more vile and pissed off?
It gives Reigns that John Cena feel of never really being there for his friends until it suits him. It's the WWE writing poorly and getting the little things wrong. It's almost like they think nothing through before executing it. It makes for bad TV and mixed emotions by the fans. Reigns should have been featured on the outside the entire match. That probably would have prevented fans from chanting boring mid-match. He should have also been pissed and shown some concern for the USO's. By doing so fans would connect with him more. Instead of him just smiling off everything and getting in his howl.
The Ugly
The WWE suddenly decided to push the League of Nations. They had a bunch of poorly received segments that got them very little heat with the crowd. Yet despite all they did the entire show to get over the WWE squashed it by the finish of the show. So what was the point?
It feels like they were trying to legitimize Sheamus for a rematch at the Rumble with Roman. A match probably no one wants to see in that spot. What was so frustrating was that it seemed like common sense for them to instead book that match for tonight on there live smackdown and just get it over with. If you turn that live smackdown into a big deal you might pop a rating against zero competition on TV tonight and set the tone for the Smackdown move to USA.
All you would have to do is have that rematch, let Roman go over and show Stephanie and Vince not happy with the outcome paving the way for more intrigue next week. This shit is so easy to book, but they just can't get to it and it's mind numbing.
It was also hilarious that in the last 30 seconds of the show they hyped a few good matches for tonight. Why couldn't they do this during the show and have guys cut promos selling those matches for tomorrow? Why is this so hard?
The WWE took a few major steps forward last week, but seemed like they wanted to rest on there laurels this week. I think they figured they could get by on the Slammys, but then had such a lack of turn out of Superstars it wasn't enough. When you add in lack of development of the Reigns angle it felt like a lazy show. I feel that the ratings will be down, but better than they have been lately. I think next week will be ok because that John Cena portion of the audience will have a week to find out they need to tune in next Monday. WWE likely knew all this and decided that it was ok to, put a bunny of a show out there and there in lies the problem. Instead of trying to put out a consistently good product they are constantly relying on parlor tricks to keep people viewing.
The show does need to be shocking at times, and there need to be surprises, but what fans really want is a consistently fun show. That's a show where faces are cutting fun promos and heels are plotting the down fall of those same faces. There should be good match action, and lots of things going on in the back. The commentating should be fun and there should always be that sense of what's going to happen next.
Sting does not have to pop out of a case, or the title doesn't have to change hands, or the Rock does not have to be there. Instead the show just needs to be good because of the regular cast of characters. WWE has so marginalized their roster that the show feels drab.
Let's face it there is a lot wrong with the WWE, and they are an easy target for criticism, but it's annoyingly frustrating to watch them push Roman Reigns to the moon, but never let anyone else really connect to the audience. Dean Ambrose didn't cut a promo last night. His direction with the belt is not clear. They tossed together a triple threat for him tonight that makes very little sense. Why not just give people that? Why not just give people something to be excited about?
I will close basically where I started. The WWE has nowhere to turn for a real foil for Reigns. Sure they can use the Authority to prop up any heel, but at this point that's not doing them any good. John Cena and Roman combined, but mostly Cena, crushed the entire heel roster from Mania on. This is again why it made so much sense for Roman to flip heel. With the pending return of Cena perhaps the WWE will finally gamble and flip him heel allowing him to pay off Roman as the top guy at WM32. It's perplexing to say the least. What is certain is this.
Roman as a face versus Cena as a face is not a big time match at WM32. Roman vs. HHH at WM32 is not a big time match. Roman vs. Brock was done last year and it would be hard for the WWE to get Roman any love in that spot. So with those things being obvious who in the world does face Roman take on a WM32? It's a tough question. WWE really needs to get this one right if they want to spring board Roman to new heights.
I can't honestly tell you what I would do because I don't believe in any of it. I put my scenarios together a few months back and often dumped Roman, Seth, and Dean out of the title picture and into a triple threat. I honestly believe the best match WWE can produce is Cena and Brock for the title. I think a close second is a heel Cena vs. Roman or flip that around. Again though none of that is breaking attendance records.
The WWE's going to have to rely on the depth of the card...yikes...to make this card any good. They have to get a Zayn Owens Match on course and they have to figure out how to get one more match out of the Undertaker. My suggestion stands as this. The night after the Rumble the Undertaker comes out to announce that WM32 will be his last. He has not mountains left to climb and no deserts to cross.
Suddenly the lights go out. Finn's music hits and he makes a slow entrance to the ring and the two have a face off the with Finn painted as a Demon. If Finn Balor wins that match he is a made man and a much needed top star for WWE. That's how you pass the torch.
When you look at HHH and Stephanie you have seen two years of characters that don't know how to do that.
Tonight should be worth a look. Live product is a precious commodity in this business, so when WWE gives it to you take a watch. I'm not sure why Owens has to be in a triple threat to get his title back after he beat Dolph clean last night, but that's typical WWE booking as of late.
Until next time.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Roman Rant and Matches of the Year
I posted a controversial Facebook rant on Roman Reigns a few days back. I was not a big fan of Monday, but I could see why people would like it. What annoyed me was the massive amount of people that took a 180 and starting claiming that the WWE had gotten him over. I was probably a bit annoyed when I wrote it, but I want to set the record straight.
I don't hate Roman Reigns. I just think he's a guy that's not ready for what WWE wants him to be and further more I don't think he ever will be. The WWE could have made him into a Goldberg like guy and he would have done pretty good for a few years, but instead they have tried to turn him into a new John Cena who talks. Let's face it folks. Roman cannot work the mic. He's also an average worker at best at this point. He works a very limited move set and his sell style is a bit annoying.
I will admit that WWE has not put him in the correct position to succeed. They told the Bryan story before the Rumble and had this guy doing promo's that perhaps even the Rock couldn't get over. They put him in corny ring gear, even Cena looks better, and they kept him coming through the crowd. Someone should do a video of the non-pops this guy got all year while coming through the crowd. This was all working against him and was not his fault.
If WWE wanted to make Roman look good they needed to start having him win feud after feud, since his return in December last year. They should have kept him out of the title picture and the last match at WM31. If they would have kept him off the mic as well that would have helped. Just imagine Roman in the background winning feuds and have solid singles matches. It would have been done wonders for him and right now all the angst might not even be on him.
Through this year he didn't improve greatly on promos. He didn't have any epic match ups. He didn't get better ring gear. He just kept being what he was to start the year and they just kept on pushing and pushing. This after I've been watching years and years of other guys get squashed after the WWE believed their push had failed. This after I saw CM Punk hold the title for over a year, but hardly main event anything. The WWE has never pushed someone that the crowd was dead to for so long like they did Roman and it annoyed me to no end.
In the course of doing this they have ruined their roster. I mean who's left? They had Seth be about the worst title holder in the history of their company for a guy that held the belt as long as he did. I've never seen a Champion lose so many matches. His best feud was with a well past his prime Kane!
Other than Cena being Cena the rest of this roster on both sides of the aisle is dead. I think Lesnar is an answer for them, but if WWE had Roman beat Brock after all Brock has done then it would further be giving a guy opportunity that others have never been given. The guy who finally beats Brock clean the next time has to be way hotter.
What I think happened on Monday was this. The TLC ended with everyone wondering hey what are they going to do with Roman now? Where is the title picture shifting too? That's good story telling. That's what gets fans tuning in. Then WWE went right to VKM with that show open which hooked people. When Vince came out and set the match that hooked people even more. Let's also not forget VKM was back! He's the greatest villain in WWE history and he's been destroyed on every message board from here to China for his booking the last few years. So he's got major heat with the fans. Dare I say epic heat.
So, Monday was all about seeing how the WWE was going to get out of the corner they painted themselves into. Fans naturally got more invested with Vince in the picture and Roman winning was not the worst thing the WWE could do, but....then there was that overreaction. Their was an overreaction by many WWE followers yes, but I'll let them have that if they want it. I'm more focused on the overreaction by WWE.
The WWE posted a video of post Raw when the USO's and Ambrose finally came out to help Roman. Roman got the mic and thanked the Philly crowd and said that it had been a hard road since the Rumble, but thank you for tonight. He talked about how he had improved all year and how it got him to this moment.
That statement was crazy stupid. When did Roman improve??? The WWE degenerated down to it's lowest ratings in history. What was Roman doing when all that was going on? A good portion of pundits, including SCSA, were calling for him to turn heel, which is still probably needed. I think this was the WWE and Roman thinking they had won everybody over and it was because of Reigns. I'll bet almost any money that you could have hotshotted about 10 guys in that spot Monday in the same angle they would have gotten the same, if not greater reaction.
And that is where I want to end this. Roman in the end got hotshotted to the WWE title! That's something usually reserved for someone the company has not been pushing or just signed. In any event only time will tell on this situation. If Roman pulls the ratings the WWE needs for the next few months and fills Dallas up to the brim with Roman on top then god bless them. My money is not on either happening.
Matches of the year
When I look back at matches I don't just look at the in ring work, but I consider and give a ton of credit to story, characters, fun factor, and situation. It's pretty unlikely that I'm ever going to rate a match from Raw very highly no matter how great the technically skill. I always feel the best matches are hyped and built too and often the Raw matches are thrown together that night.
I think for a match to be great it has to have a big fight feel on a big show, but you will see with my match of the year that's not always the case. Again I weight all the factors. First let's start with some honorable mentions.
Okada vs. Styles.
Okada wins the title back from Styles with a finish that needs to be seen to be believed.
Bayley Vs. Sasha Iron Man Match
A great in ring match, but the air of knowing that Bayley was winning no matter what kept this off my list. That matters people. Great match otherwise.
Owens and Zayn's 2 matches
If they would have had better endings they make the cut, but very few matches this year inspired as much passion.
Becky Vs. Sasha May Takeover Special
This match was great because it just seemed like it would be Sasha going over Becky and ended up making you believe that Becky could win. Stole the show that night.
Pretty much every Lucha Underground main event this year!
So here's the list in no order other than my favorite being the last match.
Nakamura vs. Ibushi for the IC Belt at WK9
When you combine great story with great in ring work with great characters with great commentating you get this. Ibushi had challenged Nakamura for the belt on NJPW's biggest show as the the second from the last match. The story being told was that Ibushi held a win over Nakamuri and could possibly dethrone him as IC Champ. Jim Ross called this match for NJPW and put Nakamura over as one of the greatest of all time and Ibushi as a guy for the future looking to make a name for himself. I felt like you had to favor Nakamura huge here the way it was all laid out.
What happened in the match was the performers told that story as well, but suddenly out of nowhere they seemed to turn the tide into this being about Ibushi breaking through right down to the very end. That rollercoaster was hard to get off of. It was excellent booking and I thought impossible to top.
Okada vs. Tanahashi for the IWGP Title WK9
The story was again well laid out here. Okada was going to finally dethrone the John Cena of NJPW on their biggest stage. It was clearly Okada's time. He had lost in a similar spot two years ago and Jim Ross put this match over as a passing of the torch. It felt like that. Instead Tanahashi pulled off the win and cemented himself as an all time great.
Jim Ross also put over the Okada drop kick and when Okada hit it the magnitude of it was off the charts. He also put over the Rainmaker clothesline and when Tananashi kicked out of it the drama was only further enhanced.
What made this match so great was that it followed a match of the year candidate on the same show, dispelling the belief that you can't have two great matches back to back. This was all created by HHH as a myth following his WM25 match with Randy Orton where WWE got the booking all wrong.
Brock vs. Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble
Nobody was really excited about seeing Brock and Cena yet again so WWE added in Seth. Many though this was just so that Seth could eat the pin. He did eat the pin, but on the way to doing that Seth stamped himself as a legit main event-er. He arrived that night and all three men contributed to what was an awesome match.
The WWE did not follow this up well with Seth. They really botched his run into WM31. His cash in would have been so much more memorable if he had been protected him off this performance. They were just too focused on Reigns to do that.
Cena vs. Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber
For a minute there the WWE had put on a major push for Kevin Owens. He was a red hot heel and he was getting the booking WWE rarely gave anyone. This match was the first hot match the WWE had had in quite some time. If Owens went over Cena it was going to mean something and could setup a feud that could last a long time.
Owens did go over Cena and beat him clean. He then delivered an awesome in ring promo. You can't get much better than that! A star was born, but the WWE ran to toss cold water on it all as quickly as possible. They had Cena get his win back only 2 weeks later. Owens then had to drop the NXT title and was turned into a whiner leading up to their 3rd match in 45 days, which he lost.
This could have been huge if WWE would have kept Owens in NXT a little longer. Had him lose the title at Brooklyn and then built to a John Cena rematch for later in the year. Owens has slowly recovered, but isn't regarded nearly as well as he should be at this time.
Still this was a great match.
Pentagon Jr. vs. Vampiro Ultimo Lucha
Ultimo Lucha was a pretaped show. Vampiro was retired, and when he was wrestling was never considered all that great. Pentagon was a Mexican star that no one had ever heard of before this show debuted and held no really major wins and during his push lost clean to a woman. So, you ask how did this match make my list? Story people story!
They put Vampiro over as legend. They made Pentagon into a bad ass. Despite his loss to Sexy Star he was pretty well protected. They cut cool vignettes that built the story and added a mystery around who was Pentagon's master and why did he want the head of Vampiro? It didn't even seem likely that Vampiro who had not wrestled on the show at all would actually go back and compete.
They took their time and build this feud over weeks and it paid off in a big way. Vampiro's entrance as an evil Bishop was off the charts. This was not a classic wrestling match, but a violent war. They did a flaming table, spots off the top rope, and light tubes. In the end Pentagon went over and Vampiro revealed to him that he was his master all along and this was all a test. This turned Vampiro into a major heel and elevated Pentagon to new heights.
Great stuff!
Bayley vs. Becky at Brooklyn Takeover for the NXT Women's Title
Many point out that the build up to this match was great selling Bayley as this major underdog who was being left behind by her friends. I didn't see it that way. I thought NXT had waited too long with Bayley and had not really done enough with her to make her feel like the one, but instead it was like she was getting the push by default since the other girls were leaving.
Where I was won over here was the fact that everything that was done here was right, if you can look past the unnecessary Stephanie McMahon promo. Bayley had a great intro and this was the first time she got one on a big stage. That really helped her. She was outdone, by Sasha's Esclade entrance. That was probably the best female entrance of all time. It was also a massive heel entrance. It made Bayley seem like a bigger underdog.
They then went to task telling just an amazing in ring story. You never felt like for a second this was a women's match on par with the garbage Raw had been putting out for years. It felt like a real wrestling match. They had to top Sasha and Becky from the May PPV and they did it. Bayley really upped her game and Sasha delivered as classic heel. This was great stuff. It didn't elevate Women's wrestling, but instead elevated the NXT brand.
Again the follow up match was great, but it was too obvious of a finish. I wouldn't have been surprised if Sasha had won here, but clearly this was Bayley's time to go over. This worked on many levels.
Great match!
Sleeper Match. Emma Vs. Asuka at NXT London
So sometimes expectations can be low, but great things can happen and this was case here. The story for this was just ok. Emma and Dana Brooke are being used to get Asuka over, which is fine. Dana got run over by Asuka in their previous match and this looked like it would be no different, but instead Emma held her own for most of the match. Asuka did not take the entire match and we were treated to some great back and fourth action.
It wasn't technically perfect by any means as their were some botches, but the well thought out ending had me believing that Emma was going to actually win. Emma tried to Eddie Guerrero Asuka by pretending she had been hit with a foreign object, which was great. Dana Brooke was able to cause the ref to not see Emma tapping which lead to Asuka thinking she had won, which in the moment made me think oh wow Emma's going to steal this, but then Asuka still won.
It is so rare these days in the WWE for a performer to lose, but get elevated off it. This was one of those cases. Asuka won, but Emma really established herself here. If NXT decides to push Emma from here I think it's justified. This match stole the entire London show.
Grave Consequences. Fenix Vs. Mil Muertes on a regular episode of Lucha Underground
My match of the year.
This match was not part of the LU finale show. This match was not live. This match was not between two wrestling legends. So, how in the world does it top all the other matches on my list???
The story for this was not the reason. The story did setup of the match, but it wasn't that great of a story. Mil was portrayed as an evil force flanked by his manager Katrina who played a black widow like character. When Katrina got a bit out of line Mil got violent with her. Katrina reacted to this by romancing Fenix. Katrina went to Fenix's side and told him that he must defeat Mil in a casket match in order to truly win her over, or avoid Mil basically killing him, which yes did happen once on this show.
This was yet another example of a match that other company's do that LU did better. They took the casket match concept to an entirely different level. They had a bunch of actors come out with the casket to open the match, which gave the impression that it was really bad to end up in that casket.
This seemed like a setup where Katrina was going to turn on Fenix, but in the end that did not happen. The two these men instead engaged in a war. There was some wrestling, and some really cool moves, but what it will most be remembered for is the violent spots they executed. The casket, which did not look light was actually used a weapon in the ring. The funny part was they used it more than once.
Mil beat Fenix all over the arena. He tore his mask and bloodied him as well. They fought through the crowd more than once as well. In the end Fenix was able to turn the tides and put Mil into the coffin. The action here was what made this so great. Rarely do you see a match that stays a solid pace without going to fast and keeps you engaged. I never expected Fenix to win.
Grave consequences was an amazing effort and kept me watching LU all summer long.
So that's my list.
I don't hate Roman Reigns. I just think he's a guy that's not ready for what WWE wants him to be and further more I don't think he ever will be. The WWE could have made him into a Goldberg like guy and he would have done pretty good for a few years, but instead they have tried to turn him into a new John Cena who talks. Let's face it folks. Roman cannot work the mic. He's also an average worker at best at this point. He works a very limited move set and his sell style is a bit annoying.
I will admit that WWE has not put him in the correct position to succeed. They told the Bryan story before the Rumble and had this guy doing promo's that perhaps even the Rock couldn't get over. They put him in corny ring gear, even Cena looks better, and they kept him coming through the crowd. Someone should do a video of the non-pops this guy got all year while coming through the crowd. This was all working against him and was not his fault.
If WWE wanted to make Roman look good they needed to start having him win feud after feud, since his return in December last year. They should have kept him out of the title picture and the last match at WM31. If they would have kept him off the mic as well that would have helped. Just imagine Roman in the background winning feuds and have solid singles matches. It would have been done wonders for him and right now all the angst might not even be on him.
Through this year he didn't improve greatly on promos. He didn't have any epic match ups. He didn't get better ring gear. He just kept being what he was to start the year and they just kept on pushing and pushing. This after I've been watching years and years of other guys get squashed after the WWE believed their push had failed. This after I saw CM Punk hold the title for over a year, but hardly main event anything. The WWE has never pushed someone that the crowd was dead to for so long like they did Roman and it annoyed me to no end.
In the course of doing this they have ruined their roster. I mean who's left? They had Seth be about the worst title holder in the history of their company for a guy that held the belt as long as he did. I've never seen a Champion lose so many matches. His best feud was with a well past his prime Kane!
Other than Cena being Cena the rest of this roster on both sides of the aisle is dead. I think Lesnar is an answer for them, but if WWE had Roman beat Brock after all Brock has done then it would further be giving a guy opportunity that others have never been given. The guy who finally beats Brock clean the next time has to be way hotter.
What I think happened on Monday was this. The TLC ended with everyone wondering hey what are they going to do with Roman now? Where is the title picture shifting too? That's good story telling. That's what gets fans tuning in. Then WWE went right to VKM with that show open which hooked people. When Vince came out and set the match that hooked people even more. Let's also not forget VKM was back! He's the greatest villain in WWE history and he's been destroyed on every message board from here to China for his booking the last few years. So he's got major heat with the fans. Dare I say epic heat.
So, Monday was all about seeing how the WWE was going to get out of the corner they painted themselves into. Fans naturally got more invested with Vince in the picture and Roman winning was not the worst thing the WWE could do, but....then there was that overreaction. Their was an overreaction by many WWE followers yes, but I'll let them have that if they want it. I'm more focused on the overreaction by WWE.
The WWE posted a video of post Raw when the USO's and Ambrose finally came out to help Roman. Roman got the mic and thanked the Philly crowd and said that it had been a hard road since the Rumble, but thank you for tonight. He talked about how he had improved all year and how it got him to this moment.
That statement was crazy stupid. When did Roman improve??? The WWE degenerated down to it's lowest ratings in history. What was Roman doing when all that was going on? A good portion of pundits, including SCSA, were calling for him to turn heel, which is still probably needed. I think this was the WWE and Roman thinking they had won everybody over and it was because of Reigns. I'll bet almost any money that you could have hotshotted about 10 guys in that spot Monday in the same angle they would have gotten the same, if not greater reaction.
And that is where I want to end this. Roman in the end got hotshotted to the WWE title! That's something usually reserved for someone the company has not been pushing or just signed. In any event only time will tell on this situation. If Roman pulls the ratings the WWE needs for the next few months and fills Dallas up to the brim with Roman on top then god bless them. My money is not on either happening.
Matches of the year
When I look back at matches I don't just look at the in ring work, but I consider and give a ton of credit to story, characters, fun factor, and situation. It's pretty unlikely that I'm ever going to rate a match from Raw very highly no matter how great the technically skill. I always feel the best matches are hyped and built too and often the Raw matches are thrown together that night.
I think for a match to be great it has to have a big fight feel on a big show, but you will see with my match of the year that's not always the case. Again I weight all the factors. First let's start with some honorable mentions.
Okada vs. Styles.
Okada wins the title back from Styles with a finish that needs to be seen to be believed.
Bayley Vs. Sasha Iron Man Match
A great in ring match, but the air of knowing that Bayley was winning no matter what kept this off my list. That matters people. Great match otherwise.
Owens and Zayn's 2 matches
If they would have had better endings they make the cut, but very few matches this year inspired as much passion.
Becky Vs. Sasha May Takeover Special
This match was great because it just seemed like it would be Sasha going over Becky and ended up making you believe that Becky could win. Stole the show that night.
Pretty much every Lucha Underground main event this year!
So here's the list in no order other than my favorite being the last match.
Nakamura vs. Ibushi for the IC Belt at WK9
When you combine great story with great in ring work with great characters with great commentating you get this. Ibushi had challenged Nakamura for the belt on NJPW's biggest show as the the second from the last match. The story being told was that Ibushi held a win over Nakamuri and could possibly dethrone him as IC Champ. Jim Ross called this match for NJPW and put Nakamura over as one of the greatest of all time and Ibushi as a guy for the future looking to make a name for himself. I felt like you had to favor Nakamura huge here the way it was all laid out.
What happened in the match was the performers told that story as well, but suddenly out of nowhere they seemed to turn the tide into this being about Ibushi breaking through right down to the very end. That rollercoaster was hard to get off of. It was excellent booking and I thought impossible to top.
Okada vs. Tanahashi for the IWGP Title WK9
The story was again well laid out here. Okada was going to finally dethrone the John Cena of NJPW on their biggest stage. It was clearly Okada's time. He had lost in a similar spot two years ago and Jim Ross put this match over as a passing of the torch. It felt like that. Instead Tanahashi pulled off the win and cemented himself as an all time great.
Jim Ross also put over the Okada drop kick and when Okada hit it the magnitude of it was off the charts. He also put over the Rainmaker clothesline and when Tananashi kicked out of it the drama was only further enhanced.
What made this match so great was that it followed a match of the year candidate on the same show, dispelling the belief that you can't have two great matches back to back. This was all created by HHH as a myth following his WM25 match with Randy Orton where WWE got the booking all wrong.
Brock vs. Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble
Nobody was really excited about seeing Brock and Cena yet again so WWE added in Seth. Many though this was just so that Seth could eat the pin. He did eat the pin, but on the way to doing that Seth stamped himself as a legit main event-er. He arrived that night and all three men contributed to what was an awesome match.
The WWE did not follow this up well with Seth. They really botched his run into WM31. His cash in would have been so much more memorable if he had been protected him off this performance. They were just too focused on Reigns to do that.
Cena vs. Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber
For a minute there the WWE had put on a major push for Kevin Owens. He was a red hot heel and he was getting the booking WWE rarely gave anyone. This match was the first hot match the WWE had had in quite some time. If Owens went over Cena it was going to mean something and could setup a feud that could last a long time.
Owens did go over Cena and beat him clean. He then delivered an awesome in ring promo. You can't get much better than that! A star was born, but the WWE ran to toss cold water on it all as quickly as possible. They had Cena get his win back only 2 weeks later. Owens then had to drop the NXT title and was turned into a whiner leading up to their 3rd match in 45 days, which he lost.
This could have been huge if WWE would have kept Owens in NXT a little longer. Had him lose the title at Brooklyn and then built to a John Cena rematch for later in the year. Owens has slowly recovered, but isn't regarded nearly as well as he should be at this time.
Still this was a great match.
Pentagon Jr. vs. Vampiro Ultimo Lucha
Ultimo Lucha was a pretaped show. Vampiro was retired, and when he was wrestling was never considered all that great. Pentagon was a Mexican star that no one had ever heard of before this show debuted and held no really major wins and during his push lost clean to a woman. So, you ask how did this match make my list? Story people story!
They put Vampiro over as legend. They made Pentagon into a bad ass. Despite his loss to Sexy Star he was pretty well protected. They cut cool vignettes that built the story and added a mystery around who was Pentagon's master and why did he want the head of Vampiro? It didn't even seem likely that Vampiro who had not wrestled on the show at all would actually go back and compete.
They took their time and build this feud over weeks and it paid off in a big way. Vampiro's entrance as an evil Bishop was off the charts. This was not a classic wrestling match, but a violent war. They did a flaming table, spots off the top rope, and light tubes. In the end Pentagon went over and Vampiro revealed to him that he was his master all along and this was all a test. This turned Vampiro into a major heel and elevated Pentagon to new heights.
Great stuff!
Bayley vs. Becky at Brooklyn Takeover for the NXT Women's Title
Many point out that the build up to this match was great selling Bayley as this major underdog who was being left behind by her friends. I didn't see it that way. I thought NXT had waited too long with Bayley and had not really done enough with her to make her feel like the one, but instead it was like she was getting the push by default since the other girls were leaving.
Where I was won over here was the fact that everything that was done here was right, if you can look past the unnecessary Stephanie McMahon promo. Bayley had a great intro and this was the first time she got one on a big stage. That really helped her. She was outdone, by Sasha's Esclade entrance. That was probably the best female entrance of all time. It was also a massive heel entrance. It made Bayley seem like a bigger underdog.
They then went to task telling just an amazing in ring story. You never felt like for a second this was a women's match on par with the garbage Raw had been putting out for years. It felt like a real wrestling match. They had to top Sasha and Becky from the May PPV and they did it. Bayley really upped her game and Sasha delivered as classic heel. This was great stuff. It didn't elevate Women's wrestling, but instead elevated the NXT brand.
Again the follow up match was great, but it was too obvious of a finish. I wouldn't have been surprised if Sasha had won here, but clearly this was Bayley's time to go over. This worked on many levels.
Great match!
Sleeper Match. Emma Vs. Asuka at NXT London
So sometimes expectations can be low, but great things can happen and this was case here. The story for this was just ok. Emma and Dana Brooke are being used to get Asuka over, which is fine. Dana got run over by Asuka in their previous match and this looked like it would be no different, but instead Emma held her own for most of the match. Asuka did not take the entire match and we were treated to some great back and fourth action.
It wasn't technically perfect by any means as their were some botches, but the well thought out ending had me believing that Emma was going to actually win. Emma tried to Eddie Guerrero Asuka by pretending she had been hit with a foreign object, which was great. Dana Brooke was able to cause the ref to not see Emma tapping which lead to Asuka thinking she had won, which in the moment made me think oh wow Emma's going to steal this, but then Asuka still won.
It is so rare these days in the WWE for a performer to lose, but get elevated off it. This was one of those cases. Asuka won, but Emma really established herself here. If NXT decides to push Emma from here I think it's justified. This match stole the entire London show.
Grave Consequences. Fenix Vs. Mil Muertes on a regular episode of Lucha Underground
My match of the year.
This match was not part of the LU finale show. This match was not live. This match was not between two wrestling legends. So, how in the world does it top all the other matches on my list???
The story for this was not the reason. The story did setup of the match, but it wasn't that great of a story. Mil was portrayed as an evil force flanked by his manager Katrina who played a black widow like character. When Katrina got a bit out of line Mil got violent with her. Katrina reacted to this by romancing Fenix. Katrina went to Fenix's side and told him that he must defeat Mil in a casket match in order to truly win her over, or avoid Mil basically killing him, which yes did happen once on this show.
This was yet another example of a match that other company's do that LU did better. They took the casket match concept to an entirely different level. They had a bunch of actors come out with the casket to open the match, which gave the impression that it was really bad to end up in that casket.
This seemed like a setup where Katrina was going to turn on Fenix, but in the end that did not happen. The two these men instead engaged in a war. There was some wrestling, and some really cool moves, but what it will most be remembered for is the violent spots they executed. The casket, which did not look light was actually used a weapon in the ring. The funny part was they used it more than once.
Mil beat Fenix all over the arena. He tore his mask and bloodied him as well. They fought through the crowd more than once as well. In the end Fenix was able to turn the tides and put Mil into the coffin. The action here was what made this so great. Rarely do you see a match that stays a solid pace without going to fast and keeps you engaged. I never expected Fenix to win.
Grave consequences was an amazing effort and kept me watching LU all summer long.
So that's my list.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Roll Call WWE!
Ok, so I don't know if it's Roll Call or Row Call, but you get the point. I think the key thing that people fail to understand about WWE product is that for it to be good you have to have 9 keys spots filled at all times. When those 9 spots are filled the company is doing well. Now filling those spots all comes down to booking, angles, talent, product presentation, and match quality. There's no doubt, but even when WWE has been bad at some of those they've had enough in these 9 spots to keep the company rolling along.
A look right now reveals that they are basically on life support. So, let's take a look at my key 9 spots. Those spots are broken into three categories. Top 3 Heels, Top 3 Faces and Top 3 Draws. The draws are either part time guys or non-wrestling personalities. This is often managers or guys like Jericho that float in and out of the company from time to time. All this is being judged by whether or not guys can move the needles as far as interest and ratings go. Can they create a positive buzz for the company.
Top 3 Faces
1. Roman Reigns
This is a bad start, but Roman is the #1 needle mover as far as a face goes at this time. The ratings are in the toilet, but I'm still smart enough to know that people are interested to see how the Roman situation plays out. He's basically at the top of this list because WWE has decimated their face roster on purpose so he will be the only option. For the product to get better WWE's going to have to get some people ahead of him in a hurry. Him winning the title isn't going to help anything at all. If he were to do it at TLC then he would become John Cena 2.0, but way worse.
2. Dean Ambrose
Dean is probably getting the biggest face pop, but WWE continues to try to bury the guy to make Roman look better at every turn. The night the League of Nations was formed Dean ate the pin in the main event when teaming with the USO's. The fact that the USO's couldn't eat that pin says something. WWE wants to keep his pop under control. Don't be fooled by his feud with Kevin Owens. Dean was given a bag of popcorn and a coke this week instead of a mic to sell the second biggest feud in the company right now. The fucking show is three hours!!! He lost to Roman in under 10 minutes at Survivor Series and the end came out of the blue like no big deal. That was also done on purpose. That tells you that they just don't want to take any chances of him growing a stronger following. What's worse is he probably loses at TLC because WWE wants to keep him down and Zayn Owens long term for the IC title makes more sense, but where does that leave Dean after TLC? Now realize we are talking about the second guy on the list.
3. Ummmm, Uh, Ummmmm Uh....
It can't be Ziggler because he loses every other week. He lost to Tyler Breeze at Survivor Series, then won against him on Raw a week later. Then he lost this week to Owens. Ryback is a 1980's Superstar lost in the 2010's. Although I'll give him credit for his youtube work. WWE presents him so poorly on TV though. Why would anyone care? I might have put Charlotte here, but they turned her heel. The USO's? They can't even get a straight up match with the New Day. So yes right now I can't even put someone in the third spot and tell you with a straight face they move the needle at all. That's a big problem when you consider the two guys above this spot are struggling.
Honorable Mentions....c'mon really. Here's all I can say. If Daniel Bryan were to come back he would occupy the top three spots on his own. His story now looms very large for WWE, but they don't even mention the guy or use him in any kind of support role. That again would detract from Roman.
Top 3 Heels
1. Sheamus
Ok, so what's sad here is that Sheamus doesn't even rate in the top 3 if he's not Champ. I considered putting him below #1 just because, but the WWE Title carries some weight. Sheamus is a B- wrestler. WWE did a good job repackaging him post WM31, but then as soon as he won that briefcase they got their shovels out and started burying him. So, what did they really expect when they put the strap on him? There's always a difference between hate and heat. Sheamus is narrowly walking that line. When he defends the WWE title it's always going to be a big deal as was proven last week. The title match with Reigns moved the needle a little in these three weeks of hell for WWE. Maybe I should have just started at #2. I think WWE has to have him dump the title to Brock or Cena at the Rumble. Losing it to Roman would only further make things worse, unless they had a plan to turn Roman heel....doubtful.
2. The New Day
I strongly considered the New Day at #1, but they are a bit too much comedy and the only thing they do consistently is hold the belts. They don't strike fear into anyone. That being said they are fun to watch and Big E is owning twitter right now. What I would say is that Big E is a hidden gem. WWE had a decision to make (or at least in their minds they did) two years ago. Vince and HHH were feuding behind the scenes about who to push, Big E or Roman. They ultimately decided on Roman, but I think that Vince was actually right. Big E has proven to have more Charisma by far than Roman and he has major confidence on the mic. His ring work is solid, but too sparse to say it's great. If WWE wanted to flip Big E face and have Xavier manage him they might have something big there. I just don't think they can do it right though.
3. Kevin Owens
Owens should be higher on this list, but since his feud ended with John Cena the WWE has made sure of one thing. Don't give Owens a mic on Raw in the ring. This guy was on fire during the summer in NXT and on Raw cutting promos and having emotionally charged matches that fans were invested in. Since then he's had one in ring mic segment on Raw with Ryback. The WWE must have feared he would become a face by default and would go over Roman, so they have been holding him down. The bottom line is Owens could move up quick if they featured his promos on Raw in the ring and treated him like a bigger deal. He's the last true heel in a lot of ways. If he drops the belt to Ambrose where does that put him? Very far from a match with Brock Lesnar, but in truth the money is in Zayn Owens. They have a year long feud that the NXT audience is invested in and an excuse to make non-NXT fans watch the show to get caught up. Only the brain dead would steer away from a WM32 match between the two.
Honorable Mentions:
Alberto Del Rio looks like a million bucks and got to beat Cena for the US Title, but WWE has acted like that was not a big deal and the pairing with Zeb made no sense. WWE didn't want to make Cena look bad. That's hilarious thinking considering Cena was going away for a time. It would not have hurt John at all to put ADR over a bit more. Tyler Breeze has been doing nothing. The Wyatts just keep losing. C'mon you really can't consider them.
Top 3 Draws
1. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
They are part time and Brock isn't scheduled for TV until the new year from what I hear. Heyman has gotten a little repetitive with his promos and they continually don't do what you think they would do which is destroy the title holder and hold the belt hostage until someone can actually give Brock a real challenge. That's why the fall of 2014 was better with no Champion than the fall of 2015 with Sheamus. Brock means something. He's a big deal despite these short comings, but even he has had trouble moving that ratings needle. It just goes to show that the 50/50 feud with the Taker wasn't what people wanted. They don't want to pick who to root for. That really just put everyone in a bad spot. Lastly, why hasn't Heymen popped up and cut a promo or two? Especially given the ratings situation...because Brock getting more over hurts...Roman Reigns.
2. John Cena
If John Cena ran down to the ring next week beat Sheamus for the title out of the blue there would be a bunch of people really upset and a bunch of people really happy. Ratings would probably recover a little, but no one would think the solution had been found. That's why John floated over from being a face or heel to a draw for me. He's always going to be someone to consider, but since he's hated by the live crowd, but somewhat followed by a good portion of the audience you can't consider him anything other than a draw. WWE botched the second part of Cena's career whether they care to admit it or not. After Roman botched that promo on Monday I think it assured the fact that either Cena or Lesnar will get the title soon. I honestly think WWE needs to go Cena Lesnar for the belt at WM32. It's safe even though it's been done a few times and you can build on it. The problem will be Cena is not a long term fix and Brock will still be very part time.
3. The Authority
They should be off the list for Sting, but since he was hurt by Seth it's hard to put him on the list. If Sting appeared he would pop a better rating and at this point the Authority have worn out their welcome. HHH and Steph probably don't realize how bad this entire angle has really been. People probably forget as well because they still can cut a good promo, but otherwise they NWO Hollywood bad. They flip heel and face all the time and like a bad slot machine they never pay off. They sucked up a ton of heat off guys through the past 2 plus years and decided the only ones they wanted to throw that off on was Ronda Rousey and the Rock, two extremely part time talents. This angle has done nothing for anyone. Bryan was never accepted by management, and Seth was treated worse than heel Bob Backlund as Champion. That being said because they are mouth piece of the WWE they still move the needle slightly.
Honorable Mention:
Sting as noted. The Rock if he came around more, but that seems unlikely. The Undertaker, but after being made to look that bad against Lesnar who he had already elevated what can he really do at this point?
So there it is. I think it's fairly obviously why WWE has a ratings crisis, and eventually will have an attendance crisis and then eventually a stock crisis. It's rough times. What's so funny to me is how much they are doing to help Roman Reigns, but the guy just can't deliver for them. One thing the WWE has always embraced is a guy that stands up for himself. If Roman had a clue he would do that and demand his push be handled differently. Yet, I think he's just going along for the ride and as he is I feel it makes people like him less. Here's a guy that's truly motivated the wrong way.
I truly believe that Roman has never has to earn it. He trained at the fancy performance center and he's always been paid good money to work for WWE. He's never been a middling low level guy. He's always been a bull. That lack of seasoning, or feeling of earning $20 dollars for working a bingo hall is probably what this guy is missing.
A look right now reveals that they are basically on life support. So, let's take a look at my key 9 spots. Those spots are broken into three categories. Top 3 Heels, Top 3 Faces and Top 3 Draws. The draws are either part time guys or non-wrestling personalities. This is often managers or guys like Jericho that float in and out of the company from time to time. All this is being judged by whether or not guys can move the needles as far as interest and ratings go. Can they create a positive buzz for the company.
Top 3 Faces
1. Roman Reigns
This is a bad start, but Roman is the #1 needle mover as far as a face goes at this time. The ratings are in the toilet, but I'm still smart enough to know that people are interested to see how the Roman situation plays out. He's basically at the top of this list because WWE has decimated their face roster on purpose so he will be the only option. For the product to get better WWE's going to have to get some people ahead of him in a hurry. Him winning the title isn't going to help anything at all. If he were to do it at TLC then he would become John Cena 2.0, but way worse.
2. Dean Ambrose
Dean is probably getting the biggest face pop, but WWE continues to try to bury the guy to make Roman look better at every turn. The night the League of Nations was formed Dean ate the pin in the main event when teaming with the USO's. The fact that the USO's couldn't eat that pin says something. WWE wants to keep his pop under control. Don't be fooled by his feud with Kevin Owens. Dean was given a bag of popcorn and a coke this week instead of a mic to sell the second biggest feud in the company right now. The fucking show is three hours!!! He lost to Roman in under 10 minutes at Survivor Series and the end came out of the blue like no big deal. That was also done on purpose. That tells you that they just don't want to take any chances of him growing a stronger following. What's worse is he probably loses at TLC because WWE wants to keep him down and Zayn Owens long term for the IC title makes more sense, but where does that leave Dean after TLC? Now realize we are talking about the second guy on the list.
3. Ummmm, Uh, Ummmmm Uh....
It can't be Ziggler because he loses every other week. He lost to Tyler Breeze at Survivor Series, then won against him on Raw a week later. Then he lost this week to Owens. Ryback is a 1980's Superstar lost in the 2010's. Although I'll give him credit for his youtube work. WWE presents him so poorly on TV though. Why would anyone care? I might have put Charlotte here, but they turned her heel. The USO's? They can't even get a straight up match with the New Day. So yes right now I can't even put someone in the third spot and tell you with a straight face they move the needle at all. That's a big problem when you consider the two guys above this spot are struggling.
Honorable Mentions....c'mon really. Here's all I can say. If Daniel Bryan were to come back he would occupy the top three spots on his own. His story now looms very large for WWE, but they don't even mention the guy or use him in any kind of support role. That again would detract from Roman.
Top 3 Heels
1. Sheamus
Ok, so what's sad here is that Sheamus doesn't even rate in the top 3 if he's not Champ. I considered putting him below #1 just because, but the WWE Title carries some weight. Sheamus is a B- wrestler. WWE did a good job repackaging him post WM31, but then as soon as he won that briefcase they got their shovels out and started burying him. So, what did they really expect when they put the strap on him? There's always a difference between hate and heat. Sheamus is narrowly walking that line. When he defends the WWE title it's always going to be a big deal as was proven last week. The title match with Reigns moved the needle a little in these three weeks of hell for WWE. Maybe I should have just started at #2. I think WWE has to have him dump the title to Brock or Cena at the Rumble. Losing it to Roman would only further make things worse, unless they had a plan to turn Roman heel....doubtful.
2. The New Day
I strongly considered the New Day at #1, but they are a bit too much comedy and the only thing they do consistently is hold the belts. They don't strike fear into anyone. That being said they are fun to watch and Big E is owning twitter right now. What I would say is that Big E is a hidden gem. WWE had a decision to make (or at least in their minds they did) two years ago. Vince and HHH were feuding behind the scenes about who to push, Big E or Roman. They ultimately decided on Roman, but I think that Vince was actually right. Big E has proven to have more Charisma by far than Roman and he has major confidence on the mic. His ring work is solid, but too sparse to say it's great. If WWE wanted to flip Big E face and have Xavier manage him they might have something big there. I just don't think they can do it right though.
3. Kevin Owens
Owens should be higher on this list, but since his feud ended with John Cena the WWE has made sure of one thing. Don't give Owens a mic on Raw in the ring. This guy was on fire during the summer in NXT and on Raw cutting promos and having emotionally charged matches that fans were invested in. Since then he's had one in ring mic segment on Raw with Ryback. The WWE must have feared he would become a face by default and would go over Roman, so they have been holding him down. The bottom line is Owens could move up quick if they featured his promos on Raw in the ring and treated him like a bigger deal. He's the last true heel in a lot of ways. If he drops the belt to Ambrose where does that put him? Very far from a match with Brock Lesnar, but in truth the money is in Zayn Owens. They have a year long feud that the NXT audience is invested in and an excuse to make non-NXT fans watch the show to get caught up. Only the brain dead would steer away from a WM32 match between the two.
Honorable Mentions:
Alberto Del Rio looks like a million bucks and got to beat Cena for the US Title, but WWE has acted like that was not a big deal and the pairing with Zeb made no sense. WWE didn't want to make Cena look bad. That's hilarious thinking considering Cena was going away for a time. It would not have hurt John at all to put ADR over a bit more. Tyler Breeze has been doing nothing. The Wyatts just keep losing. C'mon you really can't consider them.
Top 3 Draws
1. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
They are part time and Brock isn't scheduled for TV until the new year from what I hear. Heyman has gotten a little repetitive with his promos and they continually don't do what you think they would do which is destroy the title holder and hold the belt hostage until someone can actually give Brock a real challenge. That's why the fall of 2014 was better with no Champion than the fall of 2015 with Sheamus. Brock means something. He's a big deal despite these short comings, but even he has had trouble moving that ratings needle. It just goes to show that the 50/50 feud with the Taker wasn't what people wanted. They don't want to pick who to root for. That really just put everyone in a bad spot. Lastly, why hasn't Heymen popped up and cut a promo or two? Especially given the ratings situation...because Brock getting more over hurts...Roman Reigns.
2. John Cena
If John Cena ran down to the ring next week beat Sheamus for the title out of the blue there would be a bunch of people really upset and a bunch of people really happy. Ratings would probably recover a little, but no one would think the solution had been found. That's why John floated over from being a face or heel to a draw for me. He's always going to be someone to consider, but since he's hated by the live crowd, but somewhat followed by a good portion of the audience you can't consider him anything other than a draw. WWE botched the second part of Cena's career whether they care to admit it or not. After Roman botched that promo on Monday I think it assured the fact that either Cena or Lesnar will get the title soon. I honestly think WWE needs to go Cena Lesnar for the belt at WM32. It's safe even though it's been done a few times and you can build on it. The problem will be Cena is not a long term fix and Brock will still be very part time.
3. The Authority
They should be off the list for Sting, but since he was hurt by Seth it's hard to put him on the list. If Sting appeared he would pop a better rating and at this point the Authority have worn out their welcome. HHH and Steph probably don't realize how bad this entire angle has really been. People probably forget as well because they still can cut a good promo, but otherwise they NWO Hollywood bad. They flip heel and face all the time and like a bad slot machine they never pay off. They sucked up a ton of heat off guys through the past 2 plus years and decided the only ones they wanted to throw that off on was Ronda Rousey and the Rock, two extremely part time talents. This angle has done nothing for anyone. Bryan was never accepted by management, and Seth was treated worse than heel Bob Backlund as Champion. That being said because they are mouth piece of the WWE they still move the needle slightly.
Honorable Mention:
Sting as noted. The Rock if he came around more, but that seems unlikely. The Undertaker, but after being made to look that bad against Lesnar who he had already elevated what can he really do at this point?
So there it is. I think it's fairly obviously why WWE has a ratings crisis, and eventually will have an attendance crisis and then eventually a stock crisis. It's rough times. What's so funny to me is how much they are doing to help Roman Reigns, but the guy just can't deliver for them. One thing the WWE has always embraced is a guy that stands up for himself. If Roman had a clue he would do that and demand his push be handled differently. Yet, I think he's just going along for the ride and as he is I feel it makes people like him less. Here's a guy that's truly motivated the wrong way.
I truly believe that Roman has never has to earn it. He trained at the fancy performance center and he's always been paid good money to work for WWE. He's never been a middling low level guy. He's always been a bull. That lack of seasoning, or feeling of earning $20 dollars for working a bingo hall is probably what this guy is missing.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Raw the Morning After 12-1-15
Raw was yet another lack luster effort by WWE last night. They are putting a ton of energy into the Roman Sheamus feud as they should, but they are not finding a creative way to get the feud or the participants anymore over. I really think having that title match last night hurt this feud badly. It just lowers expectations. The League of Nations is probably going to flop, but it's really going to if Sheamus drops the title at TLC.
One good take away was the Charlotte turn. I didn't like the setup, but I loved the match execution of the turn. If I would have told you about it you would say, meh nothing to get excited about, but seeing it happen inspired some emotion, which is why it's so hard to fantasy book.
I still think the turn was poorly timed out. They could have done this after the Paige feud, but WWE is so quick to rush angles it's not a surprise. I think overall this is building towards Charlotte Sasha, which is where the money is.
I had a thought this morning. Daniel Bryan must be done as far as wrestling in WWE is concerned. If he needed clearance and couldn't get it I'm pretty sure he would know by now. By process of elimination I have to assume that he didn't get or can't get cleared. So I guess he's just going to wait out his contract.
I don't believe Bryan is done wrestling, but perhaps he is for WWE. I'm not sure the current term of his contract, but in the right situation Bryan could really help a company like ROH. This is far fetched, but bare with me for a moment.
I don't believe Bryan is done wrestling, but perhaps he is for WWE. I'm not sure the current term of his contract, but in the right situation Bryan could really help a company like ROH. This is far fetched, but bare with me for a moment.
Imagine if DB leaves WWE and goes to ROH. ROH then goes out and gets a TV deal with a legit company like Spike TV. Let's say Samoa Joe bails on WWE and a few TNA guys head over and maybe AJ Styles stays part time with ROH. Then you toss in the wildcard. CM Punk bails on UFC after losing a few matches and debuts in ROH. If ROH could get some investors they could become a successful #2 brand where TNA has failed.
ROH isn't going over the top with their product lately. They aren't overdoing sex or exploiting women, but they are far more rugged then WWE. I think they could become a legit brand if they were to get Bryan and I think a company like Spike would have to seriously consider a good deal if one could be reached. I think ROH needs some outside money to improve their production value though and have the ability to do live TV at least once a month.
At the end of the day I'm convinced that Bryan is probably done wrestling in WWE, but they might work hard to keep him on the sidelines.
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