1. I liked how Daniel Bryan’s debut with the Wyatt Family turned out. First of all, they didn’t have him come out in a goat mask! I was deathly afraid that may happen since it was so easy to do to mirror the sheep mask. Secondly, they put Bryan on the opposite side of the ring as Rey Mysterio. Hell, Mysterio has been getting newly turned heels over since 1997 (Not to mention he may be the only person on the roster shorter than Bryan besides Hornswoggle)! And then THEY LOST! You don’t need to win to get progress a story, especially one that seems to be a main focus of the show. I also love the tease of Bryan and Bray Wyatt teaming next week on Raw. That’s what people really want to see so why not give them a taste?
2. I had some things going on during the Piper’s Pit segment which is a shame since I had looked forward to it. I did catch most of it and Piper was absolutely on his game tonight. His back and forth with Dean Ambrose was somewhat predictable but that didn’t make it bad. Ambrose’s promo style has been compared to Piper’s for years now so seeing them in the ring together was a little surreal. Seth Rollins didn’t embarrass himself at all but was clearly outclassed by Piper. And how about the “rub” Rowdy Roddy Piper gave CM Punk? One of the best (if not THE best) promo men in the business, Rowdy Piper, said that the only person that can hold a mic against him is CM Punk. There’s not much higher praise than that.
3. So they’ve finally have a date set to announce what they plan on doing with the WWE Network. This Wednesday, January 8th at 9:30 PM Eastern, a lot of WWE executives & top stars will announce the plan for the long labored WWE Network. Did they get a cable provider to back them? Will they only be an internet streaming service? Or will they become a streaming subscription service similar to the Netflix model (best idea, in my opinion)? One way or another, the mystical WWE Network seemingly is about to see the light of day and I know I’m not the only one curious to find out what happens next.
4. You know what one of the great things about not having to specifically write “10 Thoughts”? I don’t have to complete an article with by filling it with my thoughts on “Sin Hunico”, Sgt. Slaughter dancing or Bad News Barrett.
5. It amazes me that week after week, Cody Rhodes and Goldust are booked across the ring from one of WWE’s 10 or so tag teams and they can put together an exciting, logical and engaging tag team match that always adds something to the show. Cody Rhodes & Goldust are consistently adding to the quality of Raw (although, I’m begging Justin Roberts to begin announcing them as “The Brotherhood”). Read that sentence again. It just amazes me that this half-brother duo is helping to revitalize the WWE tag team division.
6. Brock Lesnar may have been built for MMA but his presence and facial expressions were made for pro-wrestling. But why do we need to see Brock face off with The Big Show? Lesnar and Mark Henry was bad enough but anyone who has been a WWE fan for more than 4 years has seen Brock Lesnar and Big Show feud over and over again. The only difference now: they’re both older and slower.
7. That introduction by the Road Dogg for CM Punk might have been the best of Punk’s career. And the Ribera’s jacket is just perfect. I will say though that the right man won the main event tonight. Roman Reigns not only has that “it factor” but he’s also extremely athletic and talented. The fans WANT to cheer for Reigns, that part is obvious. I’m interested to see what they do with him in the Royal Rumble now that Batista is an entrant. It’s going to be interesting to say the least.
8. Seeing Jake “The Snake” Roberts just felt great. He looked great, he obviously still can captivate the audience and did anyone else catch the grin on Dean Ambrose’s fan as the snake Damien slithered over him. If Jake can make a Rumble appearance or maybe a Hall Of Fame induction, his hard work and determination will have paid off ten-fold. Just a few years ago, everyone was comparing Jake Roberts’ story to that of Randy The Ram’s in “The Wrestler” movie. Now look at “The Snake”. I don’t know if there could ever be a bigger turnaround in wrestling history.
