WWE Returns

It has certainly been an interesting few days for the WWE, as we saw a new WWE champion crowned, a few surprise returns, and an indication of the direction of the company, which could provide some intriguing TV in the next week months. John Cena won the title at MITB, which caused some of the usual criticism of Cena and the WWE booking style, but those that criticize doesn't seem to look at the grand scheme of things. Daniel Bryan, who was the most over performer going into the WWE's biggest show of the year, is injured indefinitely and the WWE stock price has tumbled the past few months so it makes sense that John Cena is the champion, Why? John Cena draws money and that's the bottom line for a publicly traded company, especially after the lack luster numbers reported for network subscriptions. Cena is far and away the top merchandise seller for the WWE and on top of that, he's a work horse for the promotion. Opinions on the Cena character can vary, but nobody can doubt his work ethic. Did Cena really need the title? I don't think so and the WWE might be better served if they put some fresh talent in the main event scene, but it's understandable that the WWE put the title on their most marketable star.

The Miz returned to the company after he filmed another movie and it seems as though it will influence his character, as he was somewhat repackaged with a Hollywood gimmick. The Miz, depending on perspective, could be considered a success story, as he was in the main event of Wrestlemania 27, but it's considered one of the lesser Wrestlemania events of the past few years. The Miz is a average at best in ring performer, but he generates a lot of heat from the crowd. However, there's a difference between heel heat and "change the channel heat" so to speak. Despite the criticism of Triple H, he gets the heel heat to help get an angle over with the crowd and it can help draw money for the storyline. The Miz, even as Wrestlemania main event heel, didn't really get the feud with Cena over and he was more of just an addition to help start the Cena/Rock feud. Considering that nobody thought The Miz would be a main event level performer, he did well for being an average talent, but he went from the main event of Wrestlemania 27 to less a prominent spot at the event the following year. Will the new gimmick rejuvenate his career? I doubt it because the initial presentation seems somewhat lame, but depending on what The Miz does storyline wise, it can be a decent gimmick.

Speaking of which, it appeared as though The Miz was set to start a Chris Jericho feud when Jericho made his surprise return to the company, but Bray Wyatt attacked Jericho during the segment. It was great TV because it was an unpredictable swerve, which is something the WWE needs more of, as it gives the show more of an "anything can happen" atmosphere. There's a lot of buzz around a potential Jericho/Wyatt feud and hopefully Jericho is back for a significant amount of time, as there could be some great mic work as well as matches, which could elevate Wyatt. I've said it before and I will say it again, Jericho is such a solid performer because when he returns, he can adapt to the current WWE product and he always makes his opponents look good in the ring. Don't get me wrong, I think Bray Wyatt has elevated his career during the past few months so it's not as though he needs Jericho to cover for him in the ring, but it certainly helps to work with such a great performer, especially if the WWE plans to showcase Wyatt further up the card in the future. Will Jericho put Wyatt over? Probably, but it doesn't do anything to damage his status, as Jericho doesn't have anything left to prove and he can still go in the ring so Wyatt will probably be a bigger star after the feud.

AJ Lee also made a surprise return and defeated Paige to win the Divas title again. In retrospect, Paige's sudden victory the night after Wrestlemania might have been just to let AJ drop the title before she took time off, but the scenario on Raw might actually benefit Paige. The British diva initially received a reaction with the surprising title win, but her character is somewhat bland and the crowd reaction has dwindled recently so a heel turn could freshen up her character. It will be interesting to see a possible AJ/Paige feud because AJ has good mic work and it could help Paige evolve as a competitor, instead of being a flash in the pan so to speak and being sent to NXT. That's the major risk when a competitor wins a title on their debut, if they start at a major spot, there's not really anywhere else for them to go so Paige's character development will be important during the next few weeks if she's going to remain on Raw. It should also be mentioned that the time off actually freshens things up for AJ as well and judging from the crowd reaction, she might not be a heel after the return to the company.

WWE Releases

Last week, there were eleven talents released from the WWE and I wasn't going to discuss them, simply because it's a lot to cover within one column, but to make it possible, I'm going to group a few of the talents in each paragraph. First, it should be noted that this round of releases seems to be a direct result of the WWE stock price dropping and the company losing an estimated $350 million last month. The WWE is a publicly traded company and the releases are as much of a PR move as it's a budget cut, as it shows the stock holders that the WWE is saving money after the stock dropped. Although, you have to wonder would cutting lesser featured talent that probably have a lower downside guarantee really make a dent in the $350 million lost in the stock?

Perhaps the most surprising release and the one with the most potential was Drew McIntyre, who Vince McMahon endorsed as a future champion, but he didn't get further up than the mid card. That being said, I think the WWE missed the boat with McIntyre and he had the potential to become a main event talent, if he was given the chance. He has the skills, mic work, and he has improved in the ring in recent years as well. As much as some people frowned upon his role in 3MB, it actually gave him the opportunity to show he's a versatile performer and it was an entertaining stable the members made work, despite some of the goofy booking. The release could actually be an opportunity for McIntyre to reinvent himself somewhat as he could wrestle on the independent scene and then eventually return to the WWE with a fresh start and get the push he probably should of had a few years ago.

Aksana, Camacho, and Jinder Mahal are somewhat in the same category, as they weren't really doing too much and there are other performers that have similar roles in the company. Aksana was one of the rather nameless Divas, who could be interchangeable with some of the other divas on the roster so there wasn't really anything storyline wise for her. It could have more to do with the booking, but Aksana really didn't do anything to establish herself so it's not really a major release. However, it should be mentioned that Alica Fox has done well with the unstable type gimmick in recent weeks and seems to maximize her time on camera, which helps to get talent over, similar to what AJ Lee did during her initial push. Camacho was decent in the ring, but with several Hispanic stars on the roster, he didn't really bring anything different to the table so again, it's not really a major release. Jinder was entertaining in his role of 3MB, but was the lesser of the three members and after his initial over used gimmick flopped, a comedy role was probably as far up the card that he was going to go. He was average at best in the ring, but as mentioned earlier, the release could give him an opportunity to show different skills.

Curt Hawkins was always solid in the ring and seemed to be a good "utility" worker so to speak, as he seemed to adapt to the role he asked to do at any particular time. Hawkins, who was originally trained in the New York area, recently opened a wrestling school there and he's already booked to appear on the independent scene. He will use his real name, Brian Meyers for his upcoming appearances and his return to the independent circuit seems similar to another NY talent, Trent Baretta, who since his release has been impressive at a variety of shows and in Japan. I think Meyers will have a similar opportunity to reintroduce himself to the wrestling world and show fans what he can do that he didn't get the chance to showcase in the WWE.

Teddy Long was a somewhat surprising release, considering how many years he worked for the company, be he hadn't done too much recently and those type of contracts tend to be included when there are major cuts for the company.

Evan Boure, who wrestled for years for Ring of Honor as Matt Sydal was on the sidelines for two years before being cleared to wrestle, but didn't return to the main roster before his release. It was somewhat surprising when Sydal was signed to the company almost 6 years ago because of his style, but he did well during his initial run for the company. However, he had a few wellness policy violations and he can blame himself for his mistakes. Sydal is already booked for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in a few months and it will be interesting to see if he can still go in the ring because he had some major injuries during his WWE run. Hopefully, Sydal can return at 100% because before some of his own mistakes and various injuries, he was one of the best aerial wrestlers on the roster. In some ways, Sydal might have been the next competitor to get the "Mysterio spot" so to speak, but he obviously didn't reach that level. Don't get me wrong, there will only be one Rey Mysterio, but if there's anyone that could work well in the spot, I think it would be Kalisto, who is wrestling for NXT. Kalisto is a tremendous aerial wrestler and was initially trained in the United States before wrestling in Mexico so he can adapt the lucha style to the WWE product easier than the original Sin Cara, who didn't really make the transition.

Brodus Clay being released wasn't too surprising, as the dancing gimmick was stale and despite his size, he didn't really improve in the ring during his WWE career. Some have said that Brodus has main event potential as a heel, but I doubt it. He was rather limited and his in ring work was sloppy so he probably wouldn't have been a legitimate main event heel. Brodus is an example of a one deminsional gimmick that was stale and then there's not too many options for a competitor storyline wise, which could be a similar path for Adam Rose if the WWE doesn't add to his character.

Yoshi Tatsu was originally a New Japan competitor and despite being under contract for six years, he wasn't really given a push during his WWE career. If nothing else, he probably made decent money while under WWE contract and the WWE exposure will allow him to make good money in Japan if he continues to wrestle there. JTG can also be included in the same category because while he was entertaining  during a tag team run, but rarely made an appearance after that so most people were probably surprised he was still under WWE contract.

The Evolution of the WWE

Nearly three years ago, CM Punk cut a historic "pipe bomb" promo and main stream media outlets took notice of the angle, which is something that hadn't happened in years. It provided something unpredictable that made fans tune in if they wanted to see what would happen next, which is also something that hadn't happened in years. As I've mentioned previously, I think the WWE missed the boat and they could've done a lot more with the angle to potentially start another wrestling boom with CM Punk as the center piece, but he jobbed to Triple H shortly after he returned to the company. Don't get me wrong, the level of popularity the industry reached during the Attitude Era will probably not be replicated and Punk wasn't the next Stone Cold, but he had the main stream talking about wrestling again, which is something the WWE could have used to boost the business. Punk had a good run in WWE with a record setting title run and if he had a legitimate reason to quit the company after the Royal Rumble is another discussion for another time, but the point is, the WWE had an opportunity to put wrestling somewhat into pop culture again, but during the critical few weeks after Punk returned, they didn't really take advantage of it.

Three years later, Punk quit the company and a new group of stars are in the spotlight. Despite the woes of the WWE stock price and the promotion projecting a record loss because of the cost to launch the WWE Network, the company actually has the best roster they've had in a decade so the WWE isn't going anywhere. However, the numbers aren't where the WWE probably wants to see them and if there's going to be a boost, there needs to be an angle that makes fans want to tune in on a weekly basis. The Seth Rollins heel turn shocked fans and the angle generated a lot of buzz among WWE fans on Twitter. Even UFC Women's Bantam Weight champion, "Rowdy" Rhonda Rousey was shocked as Rollins attacked Reigns and Ambrose so it's a credit to the WWE to keep the heel turn from leaking online prior to Raw. While, I don't think Rollins will be the center piece of Raw to boost the numbers, at least not yet, the angle could draw more viewers. The Shield/Evolution angle along with some of the other good segments on Raw, such as Wyatt, Cesaro, etc. could bring better ratings.

Ironically, it seems time for the WWE as a whole to "evolve" so to speak, which is the direction things seem to be going after the booking of the Payback pay-per-view, but as mentioned earlier, there's a time frame for an angle to be taken to a new level to showcase a star or the angle will fall somewhat flat. In my view, the WWE should use the buzz the Rollins heel turn generated to really make the members of The Shield legitimate main stars of the program, not just addition pieces of a storyline. Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns all have the skills to be top stars and they should be a primary focus of Raw to establish themselves as top competitors. If Batista's botched push proves anything, it's that the audience doesn't want to see part time performers monopolize the top spots of the company and while the booking of Batista's return didn't exactly help, the audience didn't want to see him in the title picture. That being said, I think Batista could still be an effective heel and a Bryan/Batista feud for the title could have produced an intriguing storyline.

Speaking of Daniel Bryan, it's extremely disappointing that he's on the sidelines after finally winning the title at Wrestlemania. The argument could be made that the WWE should have put the title on him sooner, but hind sight is always 20/20 so it's a moot point. Regardless, it's an example that the WWE shouldn't waste an opportunity to push a performer when they are over with the audience because injuries can happen at anytime. Hopefully, Bryan can return and get the title run he deserves because he has certainly earned it.

It should also be mentioned that the WWE has a great roster, but in my opinion, they could use some performers more effectively. Adam Rose is currently getting a reaction, but the gimmick is one dimensional and it will probably become stale in a few months. Damien Sandow was once considered to be a possible future champion, but he's reduced to parodies each week on Raw. When you consider the talent on the Raw roster and the potential of NXT competitiors, the WWE has a lot of talent, but if the numbers aren't where the WWE wants to see them, it might help if there was a better presentation. Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to know the answers, but with a roster of great talent, the booking is the key to a successful product. The argument could be made that the wrestling business as a whole is down because of how over exposed the industry has become during the past few years, but again, the talent is there so it might be help to evovle the presentation of the product.

Will Rusev be a star?

Last week on Raw, Rusev attacked WWE Hall of Famer, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan to further the storyline that Rusev is a representative of Russia, which uses the Ukraine conflict to generate heat. More specifically, The storyline is using the  tension between United States and Russia to get heat, which uses Russian President, Putin during promos. Foreign heat is a classic wrestling angle and usually, when wrestling is current, it translates to an angle that gets over with the audience, but could the use of a current conflict actually limit the progress of Rusev?

As mentioned, pro wrestling has represented society in some ways, which usually translates to a better product. For example, the "Rock and Wrestling" era of the 80s was current to MTV at that point and then the "Attitude Era" capitalized on the popularity of entertainment and sports figures of the time such as Howard Stern and Mike Tyson. Basically, throughout the history of the sport, the business has boomed when it represented the pop culture of the era. If there could be another wrestling boom with the current state of the business, especially with WWE as the only major company, is a different matter for another time, but the point is, wrestling being current with society usually translates to a better draw. In this case, the Rusev-Russian angle is actually something that was used many decades ago when WWE Hall of Famer, Bruno Sammartino battled foreign villains in the 1960s as the main event and it draw major crowds. Obviously, the reason it was a draw was the tension of the cold war at the time and when Bruno defeated the foreign villains, the crowd viewed it as a victory for America.

As society evolved and the cold war became less common to main stream news, the foreign heel shift from the main event to more of a mid card role. The transition is one of the most memorable moments in wrestling history as Hulk Hogan defeated the legendary, Iron Sheik to win the WWF title and it would be the start of the "Rock and Wrestling" era. The society evolved to understand that just because someone is Russian, that doesn't mean that they are against America and it was the way the character is presented that made them either a heel or good guy. For example, Nikolai Volkoff was a heel in the 80s and would eventually become a good guy.

As far as Rusev, it seems like he has potential and the presentation of Lana as his manager works well. A side note, Lana and more specifically Paul Heyman as Cesaro's manager have proved that managers can be as effective today as they have been throughout history. In my view, the main reasons that managers aren't used as much today as previously is that they are used to sell angles, not t shirts. As mentioned, Rusev has potential, but I think the Putin storyline might actually limit his progress to establish himself as a star. Hopefully, the Russian conflict gets solved and everyone is safe in Ukraine. Both news reporting and the wrestling business move faster than in years previously so when Putin fades from the headlines, will it decline Rusev's push? It seems like they will have to add something to the character and it should be interesting to see how the character is booked in a few months.

Extreme Rising

Originally, I wasn't going to discuss the Extreme Rising promotion shut down because the unprofessional that surrounded the company made the management seem like a bunch of ECW marks that were trying to revive a nostalgia act that was completely over done. However, the details that have emerged in the past week show the "promoter" of the company is a scum bag so this is to let people know about the situation so that Extreme Rising doesn't rip off any other fans.

First, it's obvious that the "era of extreme" ended over a decade ago and hardcore wrestling is a cliche for the current pro wrestling market. ECW was great and had a lot of great stuff, but it wasn't perfect, despite the divine view that some fans might have of the promotion. The revolution of Extreme Championship Wrestling is a discussion for another time so let's discuss the most recent exploitation of extreme. It was two years ago that Extreme Reunion ran a show at the ECW arena and the show was a disaster. Sabu, who was booked as main event performer on the show, was taken to the hospital just hours before he was scheduled to wrestle and the story made TMZ headlines. Justin Credible arrived at the building in a condition unable to performer and was subsequently unbooked from the card. Thankfully, it's been reported that both competitors have addressed their problems since Extreme Reunion and they are healthy. The talent cancellations were only a few of the mishaps of the initial show, as nonsensical booking and lack luster matches had the crowd chanting "refund" during the main event.

Since the debut show, Extreme Reunion was renamed Extreme Rising and ran a few shows, but they cancelled more shows than they actually ran as planned. They also announced a TV deal, which was delayed and then didn't make the air. There were five shows announced this year and they were all canceled. The most recent cancellations were last week and it seems as though the promotion has shut down. The promoter, Steve O'Neil announced that all events were canceled and that the fans that purchased tickets in advance should contract credit companies directly for refunds. However, they fans that have purchased tickets have said that they can't get refunds so basically, O'Neil ripped them off.

The concept of Extreme Rising could have worked eight years ago when there was a buzz about the relaunch of the promotion with a mixture of ECW originals and top independent talent, but after the WWE version of ECW soured many fans on the brand, who wants to see another cheap rip off of ECW? The lack of a market for another extreme promotion for a current audience was obvious when shows were canceled for low ticket sales, but that's no excuse to rip off the fans. The Extreme Rising social media accounts have been deleted and the promoter hasn't addressed that the fans didn't get a refund for the canceled shows. The bottom line is Steve O'Neil is a scum bag and the fans deserve to get a refund. On a better note, The House of Hardcore promotion has offered a discount for fans that purchased Extreme Rising tickets for an HOH show next month so it's great that Tommy Dreamer is trying to help the fans.

The Ultimate Warrior report

Earlier this week, the wrestling world was shocked when it was reported that The Ultimate Warrior had died just a few days after he was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame and he made an appearance on Raw. Warrior was a controversial performer and while some of his public speaking appearances during the past few years were as ridiculous as his promos, it seemed as though he was mostly on good terms with many of the people that he had disagreements with years previously. Regardless of the prior hostility, it's good to see problems resolved and performers get the credit they deserve for their career. For example, Bret Hart was inducted into the Hall of Fame and he's recognized as a legend on WWE programming. Sadly, Randy Savage didn't get the opportunity to receive the recognition he deserved for his career, which is why it was good to see Warrior return to the WWE.

Warrior's controversial nature inside and outside of the wrestling business is a different matter, but the recent Nancy Grace report about the Warrior's death was one of the most ridiculous "news reports" in the past few years. Diamond Dallas Page was a guest on the show, but didn't get to say much, as Grace cut him off several times to mention the word "steroids" as much as possible during the eight minute report. There was also a list of names that appeared on screen and Grace implied that the deaths were caused from steroids. Some of the names Mike Von Erich, Owen Hart, Mark Curtis, Joey Marella, and Chris Candido appeared on the list, but none of them died from steroids. Obviously, it's inaccurate reporting, but why such erroneous information from a major news network? The answer is simple, it's ratings and despite how incorrect the information might be, the main stream media has and will probably continue to shed a negative light on pro wrestling because it mentions the stereotypical view of pro wrestling.

Don't get me wrong, pro wrestling has had problems with some performers using substances, but the same could be said for almost any sport or form of entertainment. It should also be noted that Warrior was from the 80s era when steroid use was a lot more common than it is today and obviously, the choices Warrior made during the prime of his career effected him years later, but that doesn't represent the current WWE Superstars that work with the WWE Wellness Policy.

It's ironic that Nancy Grace would spin the report as something negative about pro wrestling, but she didn't mention the WWE Wellness policy. She also didn't mention superstars such as CM Punk or Daniel Bryan, which would counter her "argument" or lack there of. There was also no mention of the major amount of charity work that the WWE does and the charity work that John Cena does, which is something Warrior mentioned during his Hall of Fame induction.  Finally, Nancy Grace's condescending tone implied that she looks down upon the wrestling industry and wrestling fans, but she might want to reevaluate the situation. Pro wrestling isn't perfect and obviously, Nancy Grace isn't either because the show can't report simple facts correctly.

Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker

One of the main selling points and one of the highlights of Wrestlemania the past few years has been The Undertaker's undefeated streak at the event. The matches have become tough to follow because there are over two decades of history behind the streak and it's something that won't be done again. The performances have delivered and there's anticipation for who will be the next opponent to challenge the streak. This year Brock Lesnar will challenge The Undertaker, but will the match live up to the hype?

The pivotal point of any match included in the streak is to put the streak in some type of jeopardy and there has to be some point when the audience believes that there's a legitimate chance that the streak might end. If there's not some believability that The Undertaker could lose, there's not really anything to build the match around and there has actually been a lack of built up to the match on Raw. The segment on Raw this past week was critical because it finally put The Undertaker in jeopardy and made Lesnar look strong for the feud. There has only been a few weeks of build up and Lesnar was attacked during most of the segments on Raw so The Undertaker being attacked was needed to sell the possibility that the streak could end.

In reality, Brock Lesnar is getting paid major money to be an enhancement talent and as I've said before, that's what Lesnar should be used for, considering he's there for the money and putting talents over help the WWE get the most for their investment. Don't get me wrong, Lesnar isn't a jobber and delivers great matches, but considering his run the past few years, how many fans actually believe it's possible that he will defeat The Undertaker? It depends on the match and if they can create some doubt about the streak, but it seems like it will be more difficult to get believability for it because Lesnar has done the job for almost every major PPV match during his most recent run in WWE. That being said, the streak probably won't and shouldn't end. As great as the matches that put the streak in jeopardy are, the majority of the fans don't want to see the streak end and there would probably be a major backlash if the streak was actually ended.

The other aspect of the streak is if the matches can still deliver and it seems as though The Undertaker has showed his age during his appearances on Raw. There are some fans that think The Undertaker should retire, but I think he should retire when he decides to hang up the boots. He has earned the right to retire on his terms and he has earned the praise in the wrestling business as a leader that always contributes to the business. As far as the criticism that The Undertaker only appears a few times a year, he doesn't have anything left to prove and it actually makes it more of a special appearance that he rarely wrestles for major events. Basically, until the matches don't live up to the hype, there's no reason for The Undertaker to retire. I doubt The Undertaker vs. Lesnar will get the fans to believe the streak might end at Wrestlemania, but it should be a good match because as mentioned, the streak has been one of the highlights of the show. It should be extremely interesting to see if String debuts on the Raw and if there will be The Undertaker vs. Sting at Wrestlemania.