No Chance – All Good Things… (Sting, The Miz, Curtis Axel)

Columns, Top Story

It has been an downer couple of weeks hasn’t it? And it can all be traced back to that rumble. Now I’m just as mad at how the whole rumble went down as much as the next guy. It’s been my main point of conversation for the past couple of weeks. But in an effort to bring a little bit of positivity into the wrestling side of my life, this week we’re just focusing on all of the good things that WWE is doing right now.

Everything NXT related: In a very non hyperbolic way, NXT is very close to an example of a perfect wrestling product. Seriously, there’s really not much else that I could ask for in a WWE owned weekly wrestling show. The matches are fantastic, the characters are enjoyable, the divas get ample time to put on truly great matches, the titles are treated in such a way that it’s winning a title feels like a big deal, there’s very little if anything to complain about. It’s gotten to the point where I am hoping that NXT guys aren’t called up to the main roster any time soon, because watching them on NXT is far more enjoyable than the rushed, mid card matches I know that they’re going to get once they eventually make it to Raw or Smackdown.

Sting: We can debate forever about what WWE should do with Sting. You can dig through hundreds of old articles of fantasy booking stretching back years on what WWE should do if Sting ever actually showed up in the company. Well, now he’s here and this is what WWE is doing with him. And while it might not fit the exact fantasy booking you detailed out once upon a time, you gotta admit, it’s not bad. Fake Sting aside, the Triple H and “Sting” segment this past Monday was a highlight of the show. The video and the lights were very well done, and without having to actually shell out the money for a Sting appearance fee, WWE has been able to get the feeling of Sting across to the WWE fan who never really got into WCW crow sting from way back in the day.

Stardust and Goldust: For years I’ve talked about wanting a WrestleMania match between the Rhodes brothers. And the fact that it’s been teased a few times has only made me want it all the more. There was a brief moment that it looked like they were going to compete for the IC title, but that fell through. Then we got a brief moment in a Royal Rumble a few years ago that teased the two brothers fighting but never came to anything more than those few moments in that one match. But now it looks like we might once again be approaching a Rhodes brothers faceoff and to and to it all, this time Cody is the crazy one and Dustin is the sane one. Didn’t see that twist coming.

The Miz (And Mizdow): Every time it looks like the Miz is doomed to a mid card heel life with that one title run destined to be a footnote on his wikipedia page, He comes out and reminds me that he really does have what it takes to be a good old fashioned, smarmy, classic heel. Now it helps that he’s currently berating Mizdow, one of the most unreasonably over characters on the show right now, but Miz is drawing more legitimate (intended) heat than just about anybody else right now save for maybe Rusev. Thinking back on it, it wasn’t so long ago that they really tried to get Miz over as a face, so it’s good to see him back in full on heel mode, right where he belongs.

Mania Main Event: Yes we’re all very upset about how the Rumble went down and that’s the whole reason for this particular feel good column, but if I’m being honest, I still don’t know what the Main Event of WrestleMania is going to be, not for sure. It seems clear that WWE would like for a beloved babyface Roman Reigns to face Brock Lesner at the Main Event but with each passing week it’s starting to look like Reigns can either be a babyface, or challenge Brock for the title but he can’t do both. So while I do have my preferences as to how all this could go down, I am enjoying the ride on the road to WrestleMania, something that I didn’t think would be happening at the end of the Royal Rumble.

Curtis Axel: You know what? The guy was never actually eliminated from the Royal Rumble. In an earlier version of WWE this would just be ignored until we were all expected to forget about it (What was Triple H going to say to Shawn Michaels the night he retired?) But they’ve acknowledged it and at least the guy has something to do. I’m amused. #AxelMania

Joel Leonard reviews the latest movies each week for Inside Pulse. You can follow him @joelgleo on Twitter though he's not promising to ever tweet anything from there. Joel also co-hosts the Classy Ring Attire podcast and writes the No Chance column on Inside Pulse as well.