Holy shit.
You guys have got to be kidding me. I’ve dealt with a lot of crap in pro wrestling, I’ve dealt with a lot of angry Internet writers, but this week takes the cake! I’ve never seen so many angry articles about the state of pro wrestling since the mid-2000s…and for what, a crappy corporate takeover angle?
First, a disclaimer: I am not siding with WWE Creative on this, nor am I ignoring the absolute ridiculousness of the current path the company seems to be headed in. I fully agree that things are pretty bad right now, but while I normally am pessimistic, I most certainly can see the silver lining. Allow me to discuss some claims made by the IWC in recent weeks. Again, I’m not demanding that you follow my way of thinking, but at least think about where I’m coming from.
1. CM Punk’s push is over. The most obvious statement that has been made regarding the company’s current storyline is that CM Punk is no longer the focal point of the WWE. For the most part, I agree. The angle started with turning Punk into the anti-establishment guy who saves the ‘E from the corporate slime. However, it has quickly turned into what some might call “The Triple H Show.” Last Monday’s Raw and the weeks leading up to Hell in a Cell have been all about Triple H and his struggle to maintain a sense of order as COO. I posit that this is all a necessary part of the storytelling process. When this all started Punk claimed to have returned to save the company from what he perceived to be a stale regime run by a new face. He and Triple H did not see eye to eye and it all came to a head at Night of Champions. Since then, Punk has noted that Triple H is not the problem and has hinted that Johnny Ace is the issue. Since that time, Punk has been relegated to background status because the story demands that Triple H sees and experiences exactly what Punk has been spouting about so that they can be on the same side. Monday’s over-the-top “Vote of Confidence,” while boring and predictable, needed to happen. Until this angle comes to a close, we shouldn’t condemn how the WWE uses Punk because we don’t know how it will all play out. We’ve all been burned in the past, but we should consider waiting before damning it all to hell. Remember when I said Punk was brought back too early and many here at the Pulse (readers and columnists)told me I was wrong for jumping the gun? “You should have a wait-and-see attitude.” Now I’m suggesting the naysayers here do the same. Before you jump to conclusions, let’s wait and see. The end result of this angle could very well be that Punk gets catapulted to the top as the company savior. Or I could be completely wrong, but that’s the nature of this business.
UPDATE: Funny how things work out, eh? I typed the prior paragraph on Tuesday night. By Wednesday afternoon, Pulse was flooded with news reports of Punk’s status in the company and their long-term plans for him. Guess people were being a bit hasty since Monday’s Raw.
2. Mark Henry does not deserve the World Heavyweight Championship. For fifteen years, Mark Henry wasted my time on television. He was uninteresting in the Nation of Domination, I wasn’t a fan of his in ECW, and his tag team with MVP was just fodder for JeriShow. And yet, his complete dominance of Smackdown, and Randy Orton in particular, has me interested in seeing where the ‘E takes his character. He is, without a doubt, a terrible wrestler. The man lumbers around the ring and sweats every time he THINKS, let alone moves. While I would rather have another, more mobile, heel take his place (CHRISTIAN), it’s painfully obvious that the company is doing two things with Henry’s push: giving him a present for being a company man, and setting up Sheamus as the guy to take Henry down. Besides, anything is better than Randy Orton as champ AGAIN. Yes, even a Henry title run.
3. Daniel Bryan is being wasted. Yeah, I hear you. I’m just as disappointed as everyone else is in regards to Bryan’s apparent misuse as Mr. Money in the Bank. Once again I need to stress that as long as he has the briefcase, we can’t say for certain that Bryan’s push is over. The company has SIX MONTHS to make him a legitimate threat. Six friggin’ months. I’m not a fan of his current booking, but I don’t think he’s done just yet.
4. Triple H’s ego is out of control. Unlike what we’ve heard and witnessed for the past ten years, I see no evidence to support this claim. In 2001, I would have jumped right on that bandwagon; now, I just don’t see it. I think it’s just a case of lack of trust from the IWC which is understandable given his past actions.
Finally, I think I need to reiterate that this is WRESTLING we’re talking about. There’s no reason to bitch and moan over things we can’t control. I know I’m guilty of complaining with the best of them, but sometimes you need to sit back and realize that the business is what it is.
Should we settle for crap? No.
Should we pour money into an industry that routinely makes what we consider to be poor choices? No.
Should we hold our tongues and not complain at all? No.
I’m not telling people they shouldn’t complain. I’m telling people to stop and think before making statements that make them sound like petty children. There are some good things to look forward to these days:
1. Robert Roode’s push in TNA
2. Zack Ryder is on television
3. Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes clearly have a future in the main event
4. I don’t ever plan on quitting this job at the Pulse
See? All sorts of awesomeness.
I can just see it now: the comments section flooded with angry people, claiming I’m delusional, or an idiot, or a “cocksucker.” Let me just remind you that I’m not attacking anyone’s viewpoint; I’m just asking you to breathe and let the ride take you to its destination.
Random Thoughts
The crowd was absolutely dead for Sin Cara vs Sin Cara.
Kelly Kelly is supposed to be the underdog in all this, right? Right?! She’s been made to look dominant over Beth Phoenix. Seriously.
Jinder Mahal needs to go away. He’s got “generic foreign heel syndrome.” We tried that with Muhammad Hassan, Drew McIntyre, and Alberto del Rio. Only one was successful, and he’s WWE Champion.
Why weren’t Cena, Orton, Punk, Sheamus, Kelly Kelly, or Eve at ringside at the end of Raw? Kelly and Orton may have been “dragged out of the building” for their actions, but three out of the remaining four were in a match minutes before. Hell, their partners were out there!
Mike Gojira’s Fave Five
1. Mark Henry: Once again Sexual Chocolate was made to look like a monster when he defeated Randy Orton CLEAN at Hell in a Cell. How often can you say that someone beat Orton clean? Twice? As a heel?
2. Cody Rhodes: For rocking the old school Intercontinental Championship. Now all he has to do is hold that title for nearly six months and he’ll bring some prestige back to the midcard.
3. Sheamus: The Great White’s stock has been rising steadily since his face turn. He had a great match with Christian at Hell in a Cell (Blair’s opinion be damned).
4. Christian: Consistently has good matches with his opponents. He’ll be looked upon as a great workhorse for the foreseeable future (not future endeavored, as frequent poster “Michael” would have you believe).
5. AJ Lee: No real reason, since she hasn’t done much but job. I just chose her because Kelly Floyd asked me to. HA.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
