A Rumble Disaster

The WWE screwed up last night at the Rumble. Big time.

Without the inclusion of Daniel Bryan, THE hottest superstar in the WWE right now, the boos were deafening throughout the arena.

The Universe was awaiting the YES chant, but were forced to chant NO.

And, as Daniel Bryan makes stake to it, the Machine kept him away, once again. No one cares about John Cena and Randy Orton. It's been done way too many times. Nobody cared when Rey Mysterio came out as entry #30. He was emphatically greeted with heat as he came out, and you could even tell he was more than shocked to hear boos instead of "booyakas".

And nobody cared when Batista became the winner of the Royal Rumble. The immense frustration of the crowd (along with several former superstars) distracted from the Rumble. The announcers wer

e distracted; you could even hear it in Jerry Lawler's voice. Sheamus and his surprise entry was blown. And Batista's big return, lackluster as is was on Monday, was blown clear out of the water Sunday. He even was found swearing flipping off the Pittsburgh crowd, and even mocking the YES chants as he removed himself from the ring.

Does the WWE even care about what the Universe wants?

Of course not.

Because even if you claim you will never watch WWE programming again, there are only a handful that will adhere to it and go watch the abysmal programming of Dixie Carter permanently.

And I guarantee that you'll tune in tonight to see what happens with Daniel Bryan. Does the WWE turn a 180 and change things up to suit what the viewer wants? What if this is just pure marketing strategy to shake things up within our homes?

Vinnie Mac has always been a sh*t stirrer.

And could you even imagine Batista's rage when he reached the Gorilla Position? Not the ideal setting of what he was looking for. Honestly, with his returning storyline limping into the barn, WWE should have made him a surprise entrant into the Rumble at the same time Del Rio was in the ring and fought because of the "Twitter War."

All in all, it was a horrible PPV. Worst I've seen in years. And if this is any indication on how the Road to Wrestlemania will end, I think the WWE needs to fire a few writers. And I'm glad that a Diva's match wasn't on the card, but thinking back on it, an AJ Lee match would have been better received than what had transpired.

Usually a winner is an ecstatic one after the PPV, but in this case, Batista was visibly upset.

On a lighter note, the Big Show/Lesnar match was pretty spot on. Just as he's been written, Brock Lesnar needed to showcase being a rough and tumble monster. He took a WMD from a giant like a champ, and delivered an F5! And he should! The past year or two, Lesnar has taken Pedigrees, Attitude Adjustments, and GTS' and still came back for more after the match. The Beast Incarnate. And this leaves an impression burned into everyone's mind that Lesnar has a legitimate chance to shatter the Undertaker's streak.

Further, three superstars emerged as huge topics on interest. Bryan for one. Bray Wyatt for taking out John Cena with Sister Abigail, and Roman Reigns.

I've been saying this for some time. This born-and-raised Anoa'i, along with several of his distant relatives like the Rock, Rikishi, Umaga, Yokuzuna, and the Wild Samoans, will become the next break-out star. He's got the look, the drive, and more importantly, the lineage. And with being second place (although second place isn't a winner), Reigns stood out and stood out strong with breaking records in his first ever Rumble appearance. I was impressed, especially with him going toe-to-toe with Batista. Spear for spear. I wouldn't be hard-pressed to see Reigns win a Money In the Bank contract or a number one contender's match in the near future.

But no matter what anyone says after the Rumble, I will be tuning in tonight. I'm a mark. I'm a fan, and I'm not going to let one PPV screw my views on what continues to entertain me on a weekly basis. Yes, I am disappointed, but there have been many other PPVs that have disappointed me all the same.

Just stick to what you know. Watch the product.

Does the Deadman Arise for Wrestlemania?

The Undertaker
Courtesy of WWE

For a couple of months now, this has been the question posed among many fans and WWE personnel alike--Does The Undertaker make an appearance at Wrestlemania to defend the streak? The Undertaker is the oldest "active" (and I use that term loosely) wrestler on the WWE roster at 47, following Kane at 45. One may say that, "Well, Kane is very active for being 45 and he can definitely make it to Wrestlemania", but there are a lot of differences between both wrestlers' timeline in the WWE. The Undertaker has been in high profile matches, some very hazardous in his career (multiple Hell in a Cell matches, Last Rides, Caskets, etcetera). The Undertaker also began his career in 1984, eight years before Kane stepped foot into the squared circle, and was already main-eventing Wrestlemanias and holding World Championships before Kane made his debut. More so, Kane has allowed Daniel Bryan carry a ton of weight in tag matches to ease aging aches and pains. But this article isn't meant to dwell on the Undertaker's past; it is about the present, and ultimately, the future of the Dead Man.

Will the Undertaker make it this year to Wrestlemania 29?
Only he knows the answer to that.
Courtesy of the WWE

Triple H, Chief Operating Officer of the WWE and part-timer extraordinaire  stated that the WWE Universe has not seen the last of the Undertaker. This was a broad and general statement leaving many possibilities and outcomes open for interpretation. In what capacity will we see the Undertaker return? In a wheelchair? Joking aside, possible opponents thrown Undertaker's way have been Ryback, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, and Triple H (repeat). Ultimately, the decision to face which wrestler is decided by Taker himself, and more importantly, will this wrestler end the streak? Will the streak even be put on the line at this Wrestlemania? And will this wrestler chosen be pushed into the stars and be revered as a legend or a fraud that the IWC will absolutely despise and tune out? Honestly, I don't think the WWE really cares what the IWC thinks, but they are interested in preserving the Undertaker's legacy and keep him around on a Legend's Contract with the best of intentions and keep him out of TNA territory. There has been several ideas as there are doubts of Undertaker's healthy return of having a tag-team match and allow Taker to keep his streak intact; keeping the streak alive by not bringing it into Wrestlemania as a contention; or having him avoid Wrestlemania altogether. It has been nearly thirteen years that the Dead Man has has a Wrestlemania off, since Wrestlemania 2000 (17), and it may be well deserved. On top of that, there hasn't been a build for any type of feud with the Undertaker, and it would be slightly rushed to start a feud with a superstar two months away from April 7th, and even so right after Elimination Chamber. If this is Taker's last ride (no pun intended), it should be big. Monumental. It should tell a story on the (possible) downfall of the Dead Man and pass the torch to a young superstar the correct way and not have it handed off to some main-eventer who is already established.

Mark Callaway, as the Undertaker outside the world of wrestling entertainment, has a healthy life from the ring. Married to former WWE Diva Michelle McCool with a baby girl, he is a real estate investor with business partner Scott Everhart. Taker is well established and with one or two years left in him within the business, Undertaker could retire very comfortably after a handsome payday from Vince and Wrestlemania. But again, the main question is; will he show? Rumor has it, he is training for the big one, but that is another vague statement. I believe that Taker should rest one more year to Wrestlemania 30, and take a Lesnar-esque schedule and pick one wrestler to start a feud with, and run with it all year, psycho-analyzing this rookie and and mentally picking him apart, piece by piece, until the big one where the young defeats the old.

I'm thinking Ziggy.

Stuck Between a Brock and a Hard Place

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. As a Californian, I should be expected to watch the game being as there is a Californian team (for those of you who live under a rock, the San Francisco 49ers), but I would much rather be engrossed in wrestling, because as football goes away for a couple months, wrestling entertainment will always be here, and I can always entertain you fine folks who read!

With that said, Brock Lensar has signed another deal with the WWE, lasting all the way through Wrestlemania 31. Rumor has is that the deal inked is similar to what he is currently signed up for, showing up sporadically throughout the next two years and being paid an exorbitant amount of cash for his appearances.

Just another part-timer.

Brock Lesnar has signed a new contract to last
all through Wrestlemania 31
Courtesy of WWE.

Take this with a grain of salt; sure, the WWE has other "part-timers" like The Rock (current WWE Champion), Chris Jericho, Triple H, and at the current rate, the Undertaker. Yet with the amount of money going out into Brock's pocket and the money going into the WWE on an individual basis, is the contract necessarily worth it? And secondly, with the amount of time Brock has invested in the organization with actually making appearances, is it really effective enough to be engrossed in Brock Lesnar, the character? Lesnar made less appearances than Pay Per Views last year, randomly picking fights with John Cena and then Triple H for not being the corporate "Yes Man" as Laurinaitis was at the time and allowing to let Lesnar run a muck within the WWE. Eventually, Brock broke the Game and "left" as the newly crowned "King of Kings" and Touting to the WWE Universe that he didn't need to be a part of the WWE any longer, and took his leave with Paul Heyman in tow.

However, Paul E. Dangerously came back a few months later in September with a new protege in mind; CM Punk. Heyman's alliance with then then-current WWE Champion propelled CM Punk into a chorus of boos and major heat, as Heyman himself, known over years of wrestling to be "the" bad guy from his days of ECW. Paul Heyman portrays a new level of extraordinary persona of the heel character, and instilled a partial of his own sans-credibility to Punk. CM Punk went on for a record of 434 days as champion, with three of those months with Paul Heyman at his side. Heyman even had newcomer Brad Maddox, and the fresh faced stable "The Shield" work under him to ensure Punk's continual reign as champion... and all these elements could have worked even longer, save for an intervention from Vince McMahon himself. All of these elements ooze heat by Paul Heyman, and he knows exactly how to work the crowd. This writer believes that Heyman himself is one of the better, if not the best, promoter-slash-booker. As Eric Bischoff stated as a title of his biography, "Controversy Creates Cash." Paul Heyman is the embodiment of it. Genius.

Paul Heyman "pleads" with Brock Lesnar last Monday night
to cease his attack on Vince McMahon
Courtesy of the WWE

But now, CM Punk lost the WWE Championship to Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson. What else is there for Punk? And for that matter, where does Heyman go from here? The result? Punk gives The Rock an opportunity for a rematch (what a twist!), and Heyman has been transitioned ever so smoothly from Punk to Brock with a "vicious assault" to Vince. Always known to be a "Paul Heyman" guy, Brock comes back at the right time to restart a feud with Triple H (part-timer extraordinaire, future embedded via Hogan-esqe ability), with the F-5 to the Chairman. And looking deeper into the scheme of things, Vince McMahon "screwed" CM Punk (aligned with Heyman) out the title. Heyman calls upon the Next Big Thing to take care of things with Vince, which will then connect everything down to the Executive Son-in-Law, igniting a repeat of last year's Summerslam for Wrestlemania. Part-timers then go their separate ways and leave the scraps to the active mid-carders.

Granted, this build up (which we haven't seen something this monumental and drawn out for some time) leaves for good storytelling, and there are so many elements and angles brought into this. CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Vince McMahon, The Shield, even possibilities for Cena, the Rock, Triple H, Vince McMahon, and many more. All of these wrestlers are tied in with this story one way or another.

Courtesy of the wrestlingtruth.com; WWE

And stuck in the middle of everything, is Paul Heyman.