Coming at you from Memphis, and I have a feeling in my bones that this week’s RAW will be a wild one. First I have to thank everyone who clicked to, listened and subscribed to the BEARcast last week. We have the BEST weekly wrestling podcast and I really appreciate everyone’s support and comments.
Last week, CM Punk rumors were swarming and the Chicago crowd was rabid. It’s going to be hard for this week to top the enormous energy of last week’s audience. The CM Punk rumor mill hasn’t stopped. Next week, Puck is scheduled to be on the after show to Walking Dead, Talking Dead (where you can hear Chris Hardwick talk about himself while falling head over heels for whatever guest the producers can procure), which only leads to more speculation. He’s either going to make an appearance on tonight’s RAW or he’s gone for good or the mystery of CM Punk will continue forever. This will break the complete “radio silence” of Punk since his departure. While he’s a fan of The Walking Dead and comic books, I can’t imagine this show being where we get a definite answer to the Punk question. Although, it will be telling how they introduce Punk. Either “current” or “former” WWE Superstar will tell you all you need to know. Either way, the WWE and Punk will finally show their hand next Sunday. Or of course, maybe not? The beauty of Kayfabe is still alive and well, even in the era of twitter and 24/7 information.
Enough about Punk. We need to focus on the fact that WM30 is just weeks away. These are normally when you get some great RAWs because they need to set up the entire card for WrestleMania. Unlike other PPVs, the WWE can’t have a mystery about who is on the card. For the casual, or financially strapped wrestling fan, this could be the one PPV they buy per year so the WWE needs to have a fully fleshed out card and every match usually means something significant. WM is the end of the WWE’s year and where 90% of all story lines are wrapped up. By the end of WM, no matter how it fleshes out, we’ll have a definite WWE World Heavyweight champion (regardless of how unexcited the WWE Universe is about the current participants) and the next day is the beginning to a new storyline. The same goes for the IC, Tag belts (probably not the US belt because Ambrose might be involved in other Shield situations and rumor has it that during the next year, there will be some sort of unification of the IC and US belt) and all other current story lines which are normally resolved at WM. Everything is SUPPOSED to culminate at WM30. It’s what makes ‘Mania so good and sells so many tickets, PPV buys and now WWE Network subscriptions. The next few weeks is all about getting each storyline to the peak of anticipation so that we’re ready for their conclusion at WM30.
Also, seeing how last week’s crowd in Chicago went crazy for its native son CM Punk, you’ve got to think Jerry “The King” Lawler will have something special to do for the Memphis audience. The King might be seen as more of a goof these days but there was no one bigger than Jerry Lawler in “southern” wrestling. And nowhere was The King bigger than in Memphis. Yet another reminder that it’s a shame that the late great Andy Kaufman is no longer with us.
So with that, let’s get to the rankings as of this week’s RAW on 3/10/2014…
- Daniel Bryan (7) – There you go, we just figured out how they’re going to spice up the Main Event at WM30. I give Bryan a ton credit for being the conductor of “occupy RAW.” It was a great visual and the WWE pulled off the trick of slipping Bryan into the CM Punk slot at WM30. HHH and Bryan should put on one hell of a match and I instantly got excited. Then the WWE and Bryan had to take it to the next step. If he wins at WM vs HHH, he’ll be included later that night in the main event between Batista and RKO. You know that old saying, “Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it?” I think that’s the cast with Bryan. Not only did he get his match against HHH to prove that he’s worthy of…a…um, what was he gaining by fighting HHH? That he deserved a “fair” shot at the title or being the “Face of the WWE” or was he fighting for all the fans? I’m a little lost and the WWE is depending on Bryan’s popularity and maybe not building a strong support system for the Daniel Bryan YES train. They needed to get Bryan into the Batista / RKO main event but was this the best way? I can’t imagine that HHH comes back to action just to simply loose to Bryan in order for him to enter the main event. They had a number of chances to put Bryan into the main event that didn’t consist of HHH jobbing to Bryan. (BTW, when was the last time HHH simply jobbed to anyone?) With a simple win against HHH, Bryan could have legitimized himself and then over the next few months, maybe until Summer Slam or even next year’s WM Bryan could still be chasing the WWE strap with a real chance of winning it. What’d it take Dusty Rhodes to be champ? Seven years? I know we’re in a different time and seven months is equivalent to seven years back then. The WWE probably fears loosing Bryan’s heat and instead, they want WM30 to end with the entire Superdome doing the YES YES YES chant.
- The Shield (4) – ‘Just when I think they’re out, they pull me back in!’ At this point, if the Shield turned to the camera and said, “It’s been nice, but we’re splitting up.” I wouldn’t believe them. I’ve been fooled too many times. Once again, Rollins amazes me with a move I’ve never seen before. His backflip while Cody yanks him out from the corner was amazing. Really, I don’t know how to explain it. You’ve got to watch the show to understand how outstanding Rollins has been each week. Reigns has really gotten down his “samoan leap.” The WWE has managed to let each member of the Shield grow individually while still keeping The Shield together. If we’re lucky, and as some have speculated, The Shield may stay together which makes them versatile in the singles and tag divisions.
- Goldust and Cody Rhodes (N/A) – Goldust continues to amaze, not just because he’s old as dirt but because he more than holds his own against Rollins and Reigns. When Cody joined in on the action by doing a springboard leap off the top turnbuckle while Goldust flips off the ring apron it was a thing of beauty. The Rhodes Brothers vs The Shield was definitely the “match of the night.” It’s a shame that someone had to loose that match and tonight it was the Rhodes that took the fall. Story-wise, The Shield needed the win and it could help the Cody vs Goldust story down the line if need be but there’s no sign that we’re going to get the much anticipated brother vs brother match at WM30. But as I’ve said, just tell me the night prior and I’ll be ready for Cody vs Goldust. Having said that, maybe this isn’t the time we get Brother vs Brother. The WWE could very well stretch that out and include Dusty Rhodes and make whole production out of it. Maybe that’s a big storyline that flows until Summer Slam? I’m OK with that too. The Rhodes boys are really working well no matter the capacity.
- The Usos (5) – Straight up destroyed the human Lunesta duo known as Ryb-Axel. If aliens are watching the feed of RAW in deep space, they might actually think that Ryb-Axel put on a good match. That’s how awesome the Usos are. The Usos proved that they were well deserved to winning the championship straps last week but it’s still a shock that the WWE didn’t wait until WM30 to have them win them. Their feud with the NAO seemingly not over, I hope we get a mega championship defense at WM30. Throw the kitchen sink at the Usos and let them reign supreme. That should make up for the early championship win and give the Usos and their fans a great match and a WM moment.
- The Wyatt Family (6) – Before we get started, a special shout out to WWE production, it’s been a nice touch that they’ve recorded a new intro for each city they’re in the last few weeks. I hope they keep it up, it’s all about the details. For the third week in a row, Bray has killed his promo. I wasn’t particularly excited about a Rowan / Cena match. Out of the three Wyatts, Rowan is the stiffest / least refined wrestler. The match was over quick enough and they were able to move the story forward. I’m starting to get geared up for what should be a good Bray / Cena fight at WM30. I'm a tad bit disappointed because I’d still love to see another Wyatt / Shield match but since it seems that everyone is pulling double and triple duty at WM this year, can I still hold out hope for a super sized Wyatt / Shield match? I won’t hold my breath.
- HHH and Stephanie (1) – Is it possible to give Stephanie an Emmy nomination? At least a daytime enemy, who gives a shit about those? Maybe a Cable ACE or Blockbuster award? Give this woman something because she’s been killing it each week with her promos / shoots. Even Vince, in all his Mr. McMahon strutting glory, never delivered like Stephanie has been. Evil Vince was just mean for the most part. It almost seems like Stephanie cares but then pulls the rug out from underneath you. Stephanie is the kind of character that tells her fat friend, “You have such a pretty face if you’d just loose the weight you’d be gorgeous.” Then, once the friend looses the weight, Stephanie says, “Ooooh, my bad. I guess it wasn’t the weight after all…” The YES movement / occupy RAW was quit the scene that the WWE put together. It’s another example of how we need to remember that WWE creative can change direction on a dime if need be. I’ll get into the Bryan side of things on his section but I worry that the WWE is doubling-down on Bryan. I’ve already stated that the WWE should be careful not to mistake Bryan for CM Punk. Now the powers-that-be feel that it’s necessary to not only place Bryan in Punk’s match against HHH but also give him a push to the championship match as well. As an unabashed HHH fan and who’d love nothing more than HHH to destroy Bryan, it’s more important to fix the Main Event at WM30 so I’ll assume by hook or by crook, Bryan will defeat HHH. This now leaves a ton of conspiracies and fantasy bookings. Wrestling is always better when We, the audience, doesn’t know what’s happening next (which I guess is true in most story telling).
- John Cena (8) – Hey, you gotta give it up to Cena for holding his own against Bray on the mic. Not that Cena has any problems being on mic but he’s usually not going one-on-one with an over the top character such as Bray Wyatt. It’s a thin line to walk when a “real” character in Cena is goofing on aspects of the Bray Wyatt “character.” It might work as a one time pop for Cena but if they’re not careful, they can undercut the Bray mystique. Although we know Bray isn’t really the next embodiment of The Yellow King making home rape movies in Carcosa but the audience has to vaguely believe that Bray is more than just a drunk Parrothead wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt. Luckily for all sides, Bray was able to keep his creepy aura. But enough of promo / shoot theory. It’s official, Bray Wyatt vs John Cena at WM30. I’m surprisingly excited to see if Bray and bring out the best in Cena. They definitely matched up the two characters whose fan bases are very much distinctive. I’ll go out on a limb and say that the same people who boo Cena are very much Bray fans and vice versa. Should be a hot crowd for this matchup.
- Randy Orton (10) – I’m normally not one for the gimmick of teaming up opponents as a tag team but this one with RKO and Batista intrigues me. RKO’s first in-ring work in a few weeks was good to see. He looks ready for a great WM30 performance. Assuming Bryan makes his way into the main event, it’ll be interesting to see RKO have to work with Boo-tista to beat down Bryan because if they don’t find a way to stop Bryan, he’ll squeak out the win for the championship. Listen to what I just said. RKO and Boo-tista are going to need to work together to keep Bryan from winning the WWE title (which is assuming he first defeats HHH, and probably Kane in some fashion as well). From now until WM30 I’ll be praying before I go to bed each night, “Please God, let RKO retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt.” C’mon, say it with me…
- Batista (16) – If you listened to the BEARcast last week (and I don’t know why you haven’t) you’ll hear how Dustin “Tha Doctor” is now on the Batista bandwagon. I may not agree with him, and I haven’t yet had him committed on a 51/50, but I can almost see his point. Assuming the Boo-tista / RKO Main Event is going to be much more interesting with Bryan included, we still need more. Everyone might be expecting a big YES YES YES ending but if Boo-tista can make a big heel turn, take out Bryan before he grabs the win and Boo-tista walks out the champion, which would trump all the negativity leading up to the match, I might have to jump on the Batista bandwagon as well. There’s a lot of “if’s” in this theory but, What If???
- The Undertaker (N/A) – It’s safe to assume ‘Taker is a huge Game of Thrones fan. Just look at his new outfit. It’s a mix of every executioner from each house of Westeros. The protectors of the Great Wall, The Night’s Watch, could only dream about having outfits so cool. Look, we know it’s Brock vs ‘Taker at WM30. It should be a good-to-great match but does anyone really think Lesnar is the one to break Undertaker’s streak?
- Heyman, Brock Lesnar’s advocate (2) – I hate to be flippant about Heyman, especially since he gave a fantastic shoot in Chicago but there was no way he was going to capture the same type of heat like last week’s RAW. I bow to the altar of Paul Heyman but this week was somewhat lacking. It’s impossible to hit a home run each night, especially if Brock isn’t there doing anything.
- Big E (13) – Another week closer to WM30 and another week that we still don’t know what roll Big E is going to have at WM30. The last two weeks, he’s been used more to tell the story of The Real Americans than to further his own storyline. If there isn’t any sort of setup for Big E at WM30, I’d give him a big shot at winning the 30-man Battle Royal.
- Jack Swagger w/ Zeb and Cesaro (12) – This trio seems to be one of the few traditional setups leading to a WM30 fight and conclusion. Members of a tag team at odds with each other and their manager stuck in the middle. Classic. Each week Zeb has to work harder and harder to keep the Real Americans together but it seems inevitable that Swagger and Cesaro will fight at WM30 and Zeb will have to choose a side. If this was real sport, I’d jump on the Cesaro train. That looks like a speeding bullet to the top. If I was a WWE writer, I’d try to keep Swagger with Zeb because Cesaro will probably be fine on his own chasing a championship in 2014. Also, storytelling-wise, the story well is deeper with Zeb and Swagger than with Zeb and Cesaro. Cesaro is so good in the ring, he only needs to be passable on the mic (which he showed he could be against Cena a week or two ago) to get a big push. Let’s put it this way, who says “no” to swapping Cesaro and Batista right now? Anyone? Any-one? I didn’t think so. I’d love to see what RKO vs Cesaro would be like in a Championship match.
- Damien Sandow (N/A) – Yet another case of a deserving wrestler finally gets some airtime on RAW. Here’s the $64,000 question; when you’re belittled and shown to be a fool, does it really help to be on RAW? As the old saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. How about, instead of a Battle Royal, we have a match of buried great wrestlers. Sandow, Ziggler, Kofi and ADR in a fatal 4-way? You know you’d watch that! Besides, the WWE has to fill 4 hours.
- Sheamus vs Christian (19) – First off, we now safely assume the voting is rigged on these online votes. A Memphis street fight? Who wants to see that? Not even the people of Memphis. I’ve been to Memphis and if you want to see a street fight just go down to Beale Street and eventually there’ll be a street fight. The WWE might be a little full of itself with the recent success of the WWE Network because now they think they can sell snow cones to Eskimos. Other than musician, the second most popular profession in Memphis is street fighter (little known fact). Secondly, couldn’t there have been a choice D = Skip this match and let us fast forward to the next segment. Why couldn’t daylight savings happen during the second hour of RAW so we could have missed this bullshit matchup? The worst part is that these guys are really working hard. It’s unfortunate because I don’t care about the characters. I don’t care about the feud. Both gentlemen are obviously putting in great effort, although they’re not putting on a technically superior match which would make up for the lack of the previous items, but I still don’t care. A good technical match can make up for a poor feud. Watch the Cesaro / Sami Zayn match from the NXT PPV and you’ll see that you don’t even need a lead up storyline to have a compelling fight. Jump on the WWE Network and watch half the classic ECW matches. There was no back story or build up. Just good old fashion in-ring storytelling. Tanaka vs Mike Awesome or RVD / Sabu vs Hayabusa / Jinsei Shinzaki or any 3-way-dance with Little Guido / Super Crazy / Tajiri, are all examples of five star matches that I had no idea who the contestants were or the back story (most of the time there wasn’t one).
- The New Age Outlaws (15) – Road Dogg has been a backstage booker for a few years and with all his talent on the mic, I’m surprised that the WWE hasn’t turned him into more of a vocal presence on screen. The NAO sat ringside for commentary during the Usos match and the Road Dogg did most of the speaking, naturally. I’m not sure if I caught who will be fighting the Usos at WM30 but I’ll suspect the NAO will play a big role in that match.
- Korporate Kane (HM) – What are we doing, buddy? I had such high hopes for Kane when he took the mask off and declared himself an instrument of destruction for Stephanie and HHH. Now that he continues to wrestle in his Korporate uniform, it’s taken away the anticipation for the time when the mask goes missing and the Big Red Machine comes in to wreck shop. Currently he’s just Brad Maddox 2.0 with less personnel skills and if my math is correct; Kane, Maddox and I have the same amount of wins over the past few months.
- Big Show (N/A) – Face it, Bryan has become too big (ironically) to be included with Show. I joked the other week that Bryan was Super-Cena Jr. It seemed absurd at the time but now look at the WWE landscape. In all likelihood Bryan is going to go through the seven realms of hell at WM30 and win the championship. If going through HHH, Kane, RKO, Batista and maybe The Hounds of Justice (don’t forget The Shield has done the bidding of The Authority before) wouldn't that make for a pretty super heroic persona? Wasn’t this post supposed to be about the Big Show? Who cares unless maybe Show is someone who helps Bryan down the line. I thought that Kane was going to be the big twist to help Bryan out but that looks less and less likely.
- Ryback and Curtis Axel (N/A) – Oh goody, Ryb-Axel are back. It gives me just enough time to go make a sandwich.
- Divas match : AJ Lee & Tamina vs The Bellas (N/A) – It’s that time again. The WWE has to book to incorporate the Total Divas show cast members. The show is horrible and I’ll give my, now annual, dissertation why it’s so bad another time. But I can’t stop watching it and the second season starts this weekend, so get ready for a long run of subpar Divas matches staring the Total Divas members. Saying this, AJ looks great and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that she can continue her record title run. The hottest she’s been is when she was dropping her own pipe bombs on the Total Divas crew.
Honorable Mentions
Hulk Hogan – Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man and Andre The Giant… These are the WrestleMania matches the Hulkster has been in. Is there any doubt who’s had the greatest impact on wrestling. I wish he was a little less, Hulkamania in his latest return to the WWE but that’s his character. It’s been sad to his silly incarnations on TNA, that is of course if you could ever find TNA. I’m usually searching for porn in the 500 block of DirecTV channels and all of the sudden I’ll find TNA playing. I have a feeling TIVO doesn’t understand the subtle difference between TNA and T’nA.
30-man Andre The Giant memorial over the top Battle Royal – Can we lock down that Cena is wining this no matter what? It does seem odd to throw in a truncated version of the Royal Rumble into WrestleMania. While I’ve debunked my own thoughts that the WWE roster was too thin, it’s certainly not big enough to have a 30 man match AND then have half their Superstars wrestle later than night. I assume this Battle Royal will be the opening match to allow the competitors time to rest before their main matches. This may end up causing so serious issues if wrestlers are double and / or triple booking the show. Cena, who’s supposedly somewhat to totally injured, could be in the ring twice? What if he accidentally gets hurt due this Battle Royal? Maybe for WM, the WWE hits the Bat-signal and wrestlers from all over, old and new, are entering and I’m overacting to this possible over booking of the show.
LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell – LL was just hosting the Grammys and now he’s shilling in the front row of RAW in Memphis for reruns of CSI-NCIS-ISIS-Whatever. Chris O’Donnell, well, he’s just happy to have out lived the stench of nippled-Robin.
Alexander Rusev w/ Lana – I’m telling you, it’s something deep in my DNA but Lana turns me on more and more each week. She’s not even that hot but there’s something in my eastern European roots that draws me too her. You know, like black people to fried chicken or Asians to running laundry mats. I want to be sexually humiliated by a woman with a heavy accent who just finished waiting in line for six hours for a potato to make grain alcohol, a loaf of bread and a roll of toilet paper.
Side Note(s)
Nothing struck me as particularly sticking out for side notes. Oh, expect this fantastic pic from last week when Fred “The Oracle” met Scott Hall!!! From first hand accounts, Hall is doing well, looks great and could possibly make an appearance in TV at some point. Fingers crossed because if you saw him on the ESPN or HBO special not long ago, things were not looking good for Razor Ramon. Great work by Freddy for getting this exclusive.
Until next week…
Shameless plug for www.worldofbear.com and the iTunes link for the BEARcast
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