To Be Determined – Random Musings

Columns, Top Story

I haven’t done this in a while, so it’s time for another random thoughts piece. And no, I’m not just doing this because the deadline is close and I can’t think of an idea for a full column that will not make me look once again like a TNA Hater.

• Just before this column was published, I learned that WWE announced that this year’s Royal Rumble match will have 40 wrestlers in it. And I have to ask WHY WHY WHY? The Rumble is usually the one guaranteed hour of great sports entertainment each year, especially last year’s which was one of the best ever. The way they fiddled with the format last year was perfect, but I think that the decision to add 10 more wrestlers (Does WWE even have enough available guys to have in the match?) is a big mistake. Sure, the test will be in the delivery, but right now I think this is an epic mistake, a WCW or TNA level mistake.

• Speaking of the Royal Rumble, it’s in two weeks away and there’s been absolutely no build for the match so far. Alberto Del Rio cutting a promo that he’s going to win the Rumble does not count. We don’t even have a partial participants list yet, which is pathetic. Sure, we can speculate about the names that will be part of the Rumble and try to guess things based on those speculations, but it’s not enough. Seems like WWE thinks that the Rumble name is all that’s needed to get people interested in the event.

• As for potential winners, there aren’t many that stand out. Despite the promos, I don’t see WWE giving the victory to Del Rio so soon in his career. Cena is probably heading for a WrestleMania match with CM Punk, and Randy Orton is not even in the Rumble. My worst fear, yet most realistic scenario, is that Triple H will make his return in the Rumble match and win it. I’ll admit, I miss him and think he can add to WWE, but he needs to step back. If WWE is serious about the recent push to its next generation of wrestlers, I’d love for them to give the Rumble win to John Morrison and have him face The Miz in the main event. And you know what, I’m optimistic enough to believe that WWE is actually considering this option.

• So now we have two Nexuses? Unless there is some sort of cunning plan that will unfold in a logical way (For example, this is how they plan to take over the entire WWE and not just Raw), I don’t like this. If they plan to have a feud between Nexus Smackdown and Nexus Raw, this will suck. I’m having flashbacks to nWo Hollywood vs. nWo Wolfpack and I don’t like it one bit. My worst fear is that they will have a four on four tag match at WrestleMania and completely waste CM Punk. Please WWE, don’t go there.

• While I’m hesitant about the two Nexuses idea, I absolutely love CM Punk as leader of the Nexus on Raw, and his performance last week proved once again why he’s one of the best speakers in today’s wrestling scene. In 2010 he gave what I thought was the best promo of the year, when he crashed Rey Mysterio’s daughter’s birthday party, and the promo he gave last week on top of the tron and later in the ring was on a similar level. No one can play a creepy cult leader as good as Punk, and I can actually see him playing a similar role in a movie or on TV. He’s that good.

• Over on the TNA side, they finally did the right thing by taking the title away from Jeff Hardy. But trust TNA to do this in the worst possible way, in an unadvertised match. Just look at how TNA treated their title in the last year – AJ Styles as champion played second chair to his manager Ric Flair. Then Rob Van Dam won it in an unadvertised match on free TV, the night after a PPV event. Then Van Dam was stripped of the title because he was “too injured” to compete. TNA went two months without a champion, and in an absurd move, RVD actually returned to action before the tournament to crown a new champion came to a conclusion. Then Jeff Hardy won the title, even though TNA knew full well that he has serious legal issues that might take him away soon. Had they chosen another champion, they could have given him a long, meaningful reign but with Hardy they couldn’t. And finally, they move the title from Hardy to Anderson in an unadvertised match. If Hardy was such a hot heel champion, shouldn’t TNA have built to him losing the title? Even if they waited to the following night and the Impact taping to have that match, they could have advertised this for several days. And WWE proved in the past that even when news of a taped title match is advertised in advance, the ratings don’t suffer. TNA’s championship has been so mishandled in the past year that it’s not even funny anymore. As I’ve said in the past, I’m not a huge Paul Heyman fan, but I think Dixie Carter should give him whatever he asks for, since this promotion needs intensive care.

• And we have another stable coming? Rumors are that the MEM is making a comeback. And last week Scott Steiner made his heroic return to save the day. I don’t think I need to add anything to that.

• But at least we got Beer Money vs. MCMG again. They always deliver and I hope MCMG are not headed for a breakup.

• And finally, John Cena proves once again that he’s the coolest person alive. His responses on Twitter to criticism against his use of the word “ass” on Raw and tweets made by WWE_Creative show that he has the most important trait for someone in his status – he never takes himself too seriously. Combine this with his responses to the fans who boo him every week, and you’ll understand why Cena is sitting on top of the wrestling world and he’s not going anywhere.

In two weeks, expect a very special TBD.