Welcome to your Weekly Wednesday Wrestling Stop for all things WWE, The O’Really Report!  I am your host, Rhett Davis and this week shall be fantastic as I have a fantastic cohort working with me on this project.  This week my partner in crime is none other than CB himself!
Thanks for having me Rhett! It’s nice to see you outside of those Rasslin’ Roundtables when M.C. Brown attends and lines his pockets with leftovers. Dude’s got a Napoleon Dynamite Complex if I ever saw one!
That dirty, rotten, stinking M.C. stealing all of the leftovers.  It’s great to have you CB and this week I’m chock full of questions.  First off the grill is the hottest of the storylines going today… CM Punk and his impending departure.  Do you think that CM Punk is actually disappearing from the WWE scene post Money In The Bank?
You know, much has been bandied about over the Interweb these past few days about where this angle is headed and what will actually happen to CM Punk following MITB. Before I give you my answer on that, let me just quickly react to the Punk Promo Heard Round The World:
1. This was a ‘worked shoot’, period. A perfectly executed worked shoot, but a worked shoot nonetheless.
2. The goal here for WWE is to make money, and with Punk’s promo they definitely made MITB a must-see event (coupled with two MITB matches, of course.)
3. I personally HATE the new stipulation that Cena would be fired if he lost to Punk, why? Because now we’re either going to get the Super Cena overcomes the odds and wins storyline, or the John Cena is fake fired storyline, which we just got last year during the Nexus angle.
4. However, with that said, let me answer your original question. CM Punk will win the match at Money In The Bank, and he will leave WWE with the title, as part of a storyline, NOT for real. But this time, because Cena will then have been ‘fired’ (again), Cena will then have the freedom to chase Punk and the belt wherever Punk goes, and just imagine the buzz that would be created if Punk went to ROH with the WWE title, and then Cena followed him there.
At the very least, that would be a new and interesting twist on something we’ve seen in the past.
The other lingering thought I have is this: What if Punk is playing Vince the way Pillman played Bischoff 15 years ago? I don’t think that’s the case, but if it is, that would be nothing short of brave and brilliant on Punk’s end.
All that’s next is for him to use the Pepsi Plunge on the next live Raw!
To take a look at your points…
1. Â It HAD to be a worked shoot. Â No way would Vince had let Punk ramble on Ring of Honor, Paul Heyman, and Brock Lesnar without his consent.
2.  I usually don’t buy any of the events with the exception of WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam, but this year I bought Extreme Rules and it looks like I’m buying Money In The Bank as well so bravo WWE for having me purchase 5 PPVs this year. (Of course I only bought Extreme Rules because I had some pocket change but anyways…)
3.  I agree with you on the Cena getting fired if he loses stipulation.  To me it just isn’t interesting.  Like you said it wasn’t even 6 months ago that he last ran that angle and he didn’t disappear from TV for even one week.  Of course with the lack of faces on Raw, he really doesn’t need to disappear.
4.  I read a comment somewhere on Inside Pulse about Punk winning and taking the belt all over the world which would be an interesting idea, but overall I can’t see WWE having that much ‘faith’ in Punk nor letting him advertise for other companies so much.  Although they did let ECW invade during the 90s when they were still their own company.  Anythings possible!
The next question I have for you CB is what are your thoughts on what Randy Orton said pertaining to Miss Kelly Kelly?
Ah, yes, good old Randy Orton letting us transition from discussing a perfectly executed worked shoot to the topic of a poorly orchestrated real-life interview. I think my biggest problem with Randy’s comments on Kelly Kelly is that there was absolutely no need to go there. Kelly is still only 23, she’s the current Divas Champion, she travels the world and works hard, and to disparage her for no reason is really more lame than anything else.
Do I think Orton should be severely punished and be stripped of the title automatically because of this? No.
But should Kelly Kelly forgive and forget? I say no to that too.
I don’t know if it was just me, but Orton just seemed… hateful.  He downed Kelly Kelly for being too promiscuous, Cena for not being a technically sound wrestler, The Rock for using a teleprompter as well as other subjects.  The link to what we’re talking about is here, but the actual radio interview has been taken down from the link.  I think Randy should be punished, but taking his title seems a little rash.  I mean he didn’t get pulled over for smoking marijuana and driving… And Kelly Kelly has a right to be upset about it if she is.  Randy apologized on Twitter so at least he’s taking it on the head for his wrongdoings.  Now if they want to make him lose to Yoshi Tatsu for good measure I’d be okay with that…
Next on our agenda is The Rock vs John Cena at WrestleMania 28.  Is it wrong to have the main event already announced a year ahead and is it wrong to have someone like The Rock headlining when he doesn’t even show up to the weekly shows?
Great question Rhett. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, and now that I have let my thoughts marinate, I have to say that in this case, they could have waited to announce the main event. I understand Miami is Rock’s hometown and that Rock vs. Cena is one of those “can’t-believe-it’s-happening” matches that WWE hasn’t overexposed, BUT…
…to simply slap this on the top of the card as the main event without any real effort since April is simply lazy and inefficient booking.
For example, when Hogan vs. Macho Man was penciled in for WrestleMania V following WrestleMania IV, I liked the fact that we didn’t necessarily know exactly where they were going and I liked that there was actual buildup without WWF announcing it was going to happen the day after WM IV.
With that said, I don’t think it’s unfair to have The Rock headline WrestleMania. He paid his dues already and made the company millions during their most popular years, so anyone who says it’s unfair, I say, who better?
One last note though: I LOVE that CM Punk mentioned this last Monday during his promo. The fact that it makes his heel persona sick to his stomach to see “Duane” in the main event makes perfect sense, and it also gets that segment of the fanbase who loves a rebel all revved up to see if Punk can throw a huge wrench into the WWE wheel to make it stop spinning so smoothly.
After such a lackluster WrestleMania, I think they announced this match to appease the fans that thought the main event was terrible (which it was).  However, in retrospect, it was terrible timing to announce it unless Rock was coming back to interfere in Cena’s matches.  Imagine the buzz if Rock started showing up to Cena’s PPV matches and trying to cost him the belt?  It would make the PPVs must-buy every time.  I mean is it unreasonable to ask Rock to come in for one night every other PPV or so?  That’s like one appearance every six weeks to be cheered through the roof!  Why would Rocky mind that?
I think it would be okay for Rock to headline the biggest show of them all. Â This upcoming year marks the tenth anniversary of Rock v Hogan and it is only fitting that Rock pass the proverbial torch on to John Cena at that show.
I also must agree on your point pertaining to Punk.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if Punk made it his ‘destiny’ to throw a stick in the spokes of the main event next year?  Cena swore to be champ by that time, but what if Punk wins the title and then holds it all the way until Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber?  Cena then proceeds to win it back and move on to fighting Rock at the ‘big show.’  It’d be an awesome storyline and really is anyone going to complain with Punk as WWE Champion for that long?
Next up is a man who has been causing quite a ‘riot’ despite not even being on his show.  What are your thoughts on Raw’s Zack Ryder and does he deserve the push that everyone seems to declare he does?
Seriously Rhett, you are like the Tim Russert (RIP) of Pulse Wrestling with all of these perfectly pointed questions!
Allow me to reiterate what I said last week (Mick Foley cheap plug alert!) in my column about Zack Ryder:
Zack Ryder > John Cena
Why?
Because he’s TRYING to build some semblance of a genuine following, because he’s using the Internet to promote himself in an entertaining fashion, and because Ryder seems like he actually loves interacting with his fans while Cena gives off the vibe that he’s forced to tweet being the company shill that he has become.
Now, let me add to those comments by saying that YES, Long Island Iced Z deserves a push, and at the very least he belongs on the freaking show. After all, he has built a moderate and actually rabid Internet following that has translated to chants of ‘We Want Ryder!’ on live shows, and his YouTube episodes of the Z! True Long Island Story are always funny, entertaining, and dare I say it, brilliant.
Hell, if they let Ryder be one of the choices on the ‘power to the people’ edition of Raw, I bet he would have gotten the votes (you know, as long as he was choice B following the Divas vote for Kelly Kelly, of course. MASON RYAN for life! ;) )
Throw in the fact that Raw’s mid-card is overstacked with heels and there’s no reason Ryder can’t fill in one of the babyface slots.
Woo. Woo. Woo. You know it … don’t you Rhett?
Well no I don’t kno.. *spikes hair, takes care, buys the t-shirt* Woo Woo Woo I Know It Broski! Anyways, I love Z! True Long Island Story and am always awaiting the latest installment.  I rather enjoyed your article on Zack Ryder and actually had my own a month or so back. (ZING, here)
What I don’t understand is what Ryder did to enrage Vince and the WWE at him?  I would’ve figured they would at least have put him on TV in his hometown, but no he just made an appearance on Superstars to a pretty big ovation.  (They even got a shot of The Big O, for those of you who watch Z!TLIS.)
The last time I went to a live event was last summer and the opening match saw Zack Ryder versus Evan Bourne and when I go again in August I hope to see the same match so I can cheer loudly for Zack Ryder and start a Riot in Little Rock.
With so many heels on Raw, it’s shocking to see how desperate they are to keep him and Curt Hawkins heels.  It would’ve been so easy to have them go face in their hometown a few weeks ago and just gone from there.  But no they’d rather keep him a heel so he either A) do nothing whatsoever or B) lose to (insert random face here).
Oh and thanks for the Tim Russert comparison!
Now the next question in line is… regarding the poll of the week.  The poll asks, “What do you miss most?† The choices included Headshots with chairs, strong stables, managers, lightweight or cruiserweight divisions, the Monday Night Wars (actual competition), main event tag teams, steroid-using muscleheads, long title reigns, Thanksgiving night wrestling, and Kayfabe.  Now my question is which do you miss most and why?
I actually answered this poll question and when I did I was torn between managers and long title reigns.
However, with all of the people who now talk on any given show — GMs, announcers, and the wrestlers (ooh, I just broke the fourth wall, Punk style!) themselves — I decided to cast my vote for long title reigns.
With that said, what I really miss is long and MEANINGFUL title reigns. For example, London and Kendrick were tag champs for a pretty long time, and it meant nothing because of the deemphasis of their characters and the tag division as a whole.
The last long title reign that I felt really meant something was JBL as SmackDown! champion, which was an impressive run that really / finally cemented his place as a top heel. I also LOVED Santino’s run as Intercontinental Champion when he used the Honk-O-Meter to measure his own success, and even now I lament over this run because it was cut short back when Santino was portrayed at least slightly more than comedy filler.
So yes, I’ll go with long and MEANINGFUL title reigns as my answer.
That poll actually was hard for me to decide upon because I missed almost all of those things.  Managers are a great way to avoid talking when that superstar just doesn’t have the chops for it so they would be really useful for guys like Swagger, Kofi, Bryan, and others.  Long title reigns are also needed to establish shock whenever they actually do lose the title.  It’s not shocking when it happens every month.  I loved JBL’s title reign!  Sure he cheated at every opportunity, but that’s what was so great about it!  And Santino was comedy gold when he started and now he is slowly fading.  Is he ever going to get that sitcom show they were talking about putting up on WWE.com?
However, I actually went a different route with my choice and said the Cruiserweight and Lightweight Division.  When you’re younger all you really think about are the John Cenas, the Triple Hs, the Undertakers, and the Hulk Hogans, the Rocks, etc, but when you’re a little more mature… you start expecting some decent wrestling.  What better way to ensure that there will be (at least) one good match on the card than to have guys like Christopher Daniels, Daniel Bryan, Low-Ki, Jimmy Yang, Chavo, Sin Cara, and Evan Bourne break the walls down every night in competition for that one title of desire… the Cruiserweight Championship!
Maybe I just miss interesting match-ups…
Next up is a pretty broad category that I ask everyone who shows up to do these Combo Columns, but what would you do to change Impact into a more worthy adversary for WWE?
Ah, yes, Impact. Well, for starters, I would take what you said about the cruiserweights and apply it to the X Division, kind of like what they’re doing with Destination X but more often and in higher profile matches that mean something.
The biggest problem with TNA — and I don’t know if this something they will ever fix with their current structure — is that they had a chance in 2006 and 2007 to build upon two pretty solid years when the main focus was in the right place on the right people. Now, AJ Styles doesn’t even make the Impact intro video, are you f’ing kidding me?
Lastly, instead of keeping their focus and building an actual history of TNA-related storylines, they hot-shot everything and/or revisit WWE-, ECW- and WCW-based angles and arches that people either long forgot about or no longer care to watch.
So, until they overhaul that flawed mentality, TNA can’t do anything to improve, unfortunately.
Yeah TNA is just… I mean… gah… they had such a good thing going when Angle first joined the company and I was sunk up to my neck in interest and now I could care less. Â I actually watched part of this past week just to see Low-Ki and as soon as he was off the screen so was my attention. Â I just cannot find the interest in the show when it involves Immortal, the burning of Fortune, the KO division that once was so fantastic, or the tag division that once was the reason I liked TNA better.
However, if I were in charge, Hulk would be a manager for ONE GUY.  No more and no less.  He would NOT take up half of my show with his crippled self.  He would be promoting a guy like AJ Styles or any other face.  Sting would either be lower in the card or obsolete.  I would use a guy like him to put over a new face or heel and then have him fade into obscurity.  Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, The Pope, RVD, (as much as I hate to admit it) Mr. Anderson, Christopher Daniels, and Robert Roode would be whom I centered my company around.  Forget Crimson who has absolutely no persona, forget Gunnar who came out of frigging nowhere and I for the longest time got confused with Murphy, and forget Mr. Anderson as World Champion.  Yes I would have him in big feuds, but no way would I want that guy representing my company.  Would you want a guy who’s only ability is to rapidly yell A$$hole to be your World Champ?  No.   Eric could stay, but he needs to be the GM or something.  Is it copying WWE?  Yes but that worked and could work here instead of the whole running Immortal and owning the company.
Anyways enough of my rant about TNA Impact.  The final question I have for this week’s edition is if you could pick any one ‘Superstar’ for the WWE to push who would you select and why? (Zack Ryder excluded)
HAHA! Ryder gets screwed again!! Sorry, that was too funny.
So let me think about this for a minute. The three most recent main event pushes have actually been very well-done by WWE, those being Christian, R-Truth, and now CM Punk. Also, I thought The Miz really did a fantastic job with his first big title run, and there’s something to be said about Miz being allowed to retain the E’s most prestigious prize on their biggest event of the year. No one can or should ever take that WrestleMania win away from him. Also, even though he was a heel, I LOVED the pre-match Mania video package that they put together for Miz, which tracked his progression from The Real World all the way to the promised land of headlining WrestleMania as the Champ.
Digressions aside, and this might surprise you, but I really think the next big pushes should go to Evan Bourne on Raw and Justin Gabriel on SmackDown! They both already have patented / exciting finishing moves, and I think they both have potential to really shine as undersized but must-see singles competitors. WWE has been talking forever about finding a replacement for Rey Mysterio when he finally retires, and so why not give us three replacements in Gabriel, Bourne and Sin Cara, who can light up the show too if he cleans up his act on the technical side of things.
My two more obvious picks would be Alberto Del Rio and Alex Riley, but they are already right on the cusp of reaching that next level for themselves.
So I am going to stick with Evan Bourne as my final answer. All they have to do is flesh out his character and add the element of emotional investment to his matches, and then his finisher will be even more of a spectacle we’re dying to see rather than just another great but ultimately hollow spot move.
Evan Bourne is a great choice and one whom I always seem to forget about with his lack of appearance on Raw, but he really is entertaining as long as the boomstick is kept away from him.  In fact, Bourne might do better as a Sin Cara type with a mask that keeps him from talking.  But all joking aside, my choice would have to be… Drew McIntyre.  I really like McIntyre and hate that he’s not being used at all on Raw with the exception of taking a SuperKick last week.  I think he has potential to be a top star with his look and ferocious attitude, but right now he’s just not receiving the push he needs to top the mountain.
Anyways, it’s been a great column this week and do you have any final words CB?
I think you’ve exhausted all of my resources for this week Rhett, but this was a really fun and informative exchange. You really hit the Pulse Wrestling scene clicking on all cylinders, and you keep churning out some great columns for all of us to read.
Keep up the good work and I’ll see you on the Pulse! –CB
Thanks CB and don’t forget to check out CB’s World which publishes every other Monday right here on Inside Pulse. Oh and his live review of TNA Basebrawl!
Oh I almost forgot…
And quite frankly my dear… that’s a wrap!