Damn, it’s good to be back!
If you don’t know me from HTCwrestling.com, I was a writer & senior editor for Inside Pulse from 2007 until January of last year when my day job at the time forced me to resign from Pulse due to a conflict of interest. Now, that day job is no longer an issue, Widro has welcomed me back with open arms. You’ll see me covering RAW, all WWE & NXT special events as well as news posts during the week. I’ve covered pro-wrestling semi-professionally for almost 15 years and I’m excited to be a part of the Inside Pulse team once again.
Now let’s get to it!
- The 10 Thoughts-style column was always one of my favorite articles to read and write. It always spurred the most interaction among readers in the comments section and, usually, the feedback was great. So when I noticed it missing from the Wrestling schedule, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. So join me in the comments here and every week to discuss that week’s RAW.
- Oh God bless Vince McMahon. You know he has NO IDEA why the New Day is over or what the hell they’re doing in the ring but he’s trying. Sure it’s a little sad to hear a 70-year-old man say “booty” but Vince has gotten away with a lot worse.
- I don’t know how many people caught it but WWE aired a slick video package featuring Finn Bálor to promote NXT and the WWE Network. In the 45-second promo, Bálor was introduced, featuring both his wrestling and demon characters, showed him as the NXT champion and asked what he has in store for 2016. It was brief, creatively produced & showcased a WWE star you normally can only see on NXT. I loved it and wish the WWE would pump out more of these as they’re easy to produce & make the talent featured look like a million bucks.
- While there is a rather big hole in the WrestleMania main event plans, having Brock Lesnar in the Royal Rumble match is a great idea. Brock Lesnar has been in one Rumble match in 2003… and he won it. Seeing the new unstoppable, MMA-style Lesnar in a free-for-all type match like the Rumble should be extremely intriguing.
- It was only a matter of time before Sting was inducted into the Hall of Fame but I’m glad it’s this year. From all reports after Sting’s match with Seth Rollins in September, Sting has wrestled his last match so why wait any longer to induct him? He’s a great headliner for a year that doesn’t promise much if The Undertaker isn’t inducted in his home state (which I doubt they would induct Sting and Taker the same year).
- So what am I supposed to think of the Social Outcasts? Am I supposed to feel bad for them because of their positions in the company? Should I root for them because they’re underdogs? Maybe I’m still supposed to boo them because they’re all still technically heels… I’m not sure if any of these questions will ever be answered but if the WWE wants this group to mean anything to the fans, a connection needs to be made with the audience.
- Holy crap that title change came out of the blue! Congrats to Kalisto! I never thought we’d see Alberto Del Rio drop the US championship to some one other than an established main eventer but this was a great decision. Riding high on his TLC performance, Kalisto is the “superhero” WWE was hoping to get in Mystico. And Kalisto can speak English! I’m looking forward to witnessing how the WWE decides to book Kalisto as a champion. Will they fall into the “underdog” trap because he is small? Or will they allow him to showoff a bit and win a few matches with his incredible ability?
- Kevin Owens versus Roman Reigns could be fantastic title feud if given enough time and enough violence leeway. It surprised me when Owens was the first to be entered into the One versus All match but it’s apparent that the pairing of these two was the match that was intended to be the main event.
- While seeing Brock Lesnar back on RAW was fun, where did The Wyatt Family go? THAT’S the standoff I was waiting for! Before the WWE Championship stipulation was added to the Royal Rumble, my dark horse for winning the match was Bray Wyatt. Does he still have a shot? Possibly but not likely. It’s looking more and more like someone unexpected is going to win the Rumble (Seth Rollins?) and then Roman Reigns will challenge them at WrestleMania 32. While the rest of the card is going to be extremely weak, the Rumble match should be very interesting as there’s no true front-runner to actually win the WWE Championship except for Roman Reigns. Here’s hoping WWE comes thru & has a ticket waiting for me at Will Call (*wink, wink*).
- Well there it is! One column down and I’m back in the saddle. RAW was better than what I expect since this is the first time I’ve watched RAW live in months. It moved at a decent pace with good matches and nice storyline development. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments below. Also, if you’d like to follow the week of wrestling along with me, my Twitter is @MattHarrak and my Instagram is TheMattyIrish.
