Knee-Jerk Reaction (RAW 02/17/2014)

Tonight's RAW is live from Denver, CO. You know, that Denver. Home of the Superbowl losing Denver Broncos. I wonder who will be the first heel to take advantage of that cheap heat. And it's an interesting question of rather or not the Denver fans will cheer for Daniel Bryan. He's from Washington state, after all. And he tweeted his jubilence after the Seattle Seahawks won the Superbowl. A tweet that WWE displayed on RAW. There might be some Denver fans who might hold that against him.

Road to Wrestlemania XXX, Part Two

This is part two of my weekly blog series, where I attempt to predict the final card for Wrestlemania XXX based on the events portrayed on WWE television over the past few weeks.

Knee-Jerk Reaction (RAW 02/10/2014)

Both of the special attractions tonight (i.e. Betty White as guest star, Mark Henry's return) fall outside of the parameters of what I want to see. Don't get me wrong, I like Betty White but this is not her venue. Not unless she coming out to say she's a long-lost cousin of Moolah & Mae Young. Holy crap, that's the reason she's here and Mark Henry is back! They're gonna have a custody battle over the hand.

Road to Wrestlemania XXX, Part One

Wrestlemania XXX is rapidly approaching and we smarks generally think we know what WWE creative is going to give us to watch on the PPV. Everybody is guessing and prognosticating and predicting what Wrestlemania will look like, so I might as well throw my hat in the ring as well. In this weekly blog series, I attempt to predict the final card for Wrestlemania XXX based on the events portrayed on WWE television over the past few weeks.

Knee-Jerk Reaction (RAW 02/03/2014)

Tonight should be interesting. There's already unrest within the WWE Universe about Daniel Bryan not getting his fair shot. And tonight is the first live program since CM Punk left the company. Omaha, Nebraska might not be known as the most raucous city in the world, but I imagine we'll hear plenty of 'Daniel Bryan' and 'CM Punk' chants tonight. I can't wait. Is that a cage I see hanging above the ring?

CM Punk Has Left The Building

Over the course of the last week it’s been revealed that CM Punk has walked out of WWE. The most commonly cited reasons are that he wasn’t pleased with the direction of his character, that he was burnt out (wrestling speak for exhausted), and that he wasn’t happy with his planned WrestleMania match (most commonly cited as being against Triple H). Reasons one and three are similar but distinct. The former pertains to the use he’s seen over the last few months, things that have happened. The latter pertains to the biggest show of the year and something that can still, theoretically, be changed.

The first thing that should be addressed when discussing this subject is whether or not it’s a work (that is, something fabricated by WWE as part of storylines but presented as being legitimate1). That this even needs mentioning does not reflect well on WWE’s current product. Wrestling fans are always going to have an interest in what’s going on behind the scenes, but right now that’s the primary focus for many people following WWE. Punk and the perceived burial of Daniel Bryan are of more interest than the supposed lead plot that is the return of Batista. WWE have been getting a lot of things right for the last year or so but presenting compelling lead storylines has not always been among them.

Personally I think the Punk situation is real. It could be a plot but then you’d have to ask who would benefit from it. And the answer to that would be nobody. Punk’s character is already well established as someone who’ll speak his mind and stand up for what he believes in. Pretending he’s walked out would do nothing to enhance that. In fact he noted (when he returned from his mishandled worked walkout in 2011) that he couldn’t change WWE from his couch. Storyline Punk is someone who wants to be a part of the show because he wants to make a difference.

WWE wouldn’t benefit from the worked shoot approach either. It’s not a question of having done it before: repetition never stops them doing anything. It’s more the fact that the period between January and late March-early April is the time of year at which they enjoy they’re highest viewing figures thanks to WrestleMania. A storyline walkout is something that would generally be held off for a quieter time of year when it could be more of a talking point on TV with more time dedicated to it. The addition of Batista and Brock Lesnar to RAW, and the imminent return of The Undertaker and possibly Hulk Hogan, will make RAW a packed weekly show and there won’t be the time to present the story of a man quitting in the way it needs to be to have the desired impact.

So, yeah, I think it’s real. Which makes the next question how will WWE address Punk’s absence? To get an answer to that we could try looking to ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin’s walkout in 2002 because on the surface it’s a similar situation. WWE’s response was to have The Rock cut a scathing promo about Austin “taking his ball” and going home. That could indicate that WWE will have someone acknowledge Punk’s absence in a promo. The frontrunners there would probably be Triple H, as lead antagonist, Kane, as the man who was seemingly going to face Punk at Elimination Chamber, and Batista, if WWE decided to do what could be considered the sensible thing and turn him into a bad guy, aligning him with the crowd’s reactions to him. Randy Orton is said to have made a comment along the lines of “If at first you don’t succeed… quit” over the last week so perhaps he’ll do the honours. That would seem unlikely though. The preference has been to present ‘The Viper’ as generally ineffective over the last several months.

In actuality I don’t think the Punk and Austin situations are that similar. Austin had a very specific reason for going home: he didn’t want to lose a match to Brock Lesnar on RAW with no build-up to it (a stance I completely understand). If we are to believe the rumours Punk has no such gripe, he’s just generally fed up. There’s also WrestleMania on the horizon now, something which was around ten months away when Austin left. As troublesome and irritating to deal with as he probably is CM Punk is one of the biggest names WWE has under contract. Those in charge would want to work out differences with him to ensure he appears on the card. They may not have planned to have him wrestle in a top match, but that’s how WWE, and wrestling in general operates. There are only so many slots available on even the biggest of events and not everyone can be in a huge match. Having all the big names on the bill and omitting lesser regulars creates the feeling that a show’s special, and that’s something WWE are always very keen to do with ‘Mania.

If I had to guess (which I don’t, but I will) I’d say Punk’s absence will be acknowledged on RAW before Elimination Chamber, because it would be strange for a major name to simply stop appearing. I’d expect some generally heelish, snarky remarks, especially if it’s Triple H delivering the “news”, but an undisguised burial of Punk would surprise me. If they want to re-sign him to a contract in the summer, and they absolutely will want that, and have him appear at WrestleMania they won’t be able to trash him. That would risk making the situation worse and, in theory, devalue him. Why do that to someone you’re hoping to rely on to attract viewers to an important, landmark event?

If the situation is genuine and Punk doesn’t return I don’t think we’ll see him wrestle elsewhere. He’s stated in interviews that he’s financially secure and the rumour that he’s claimed to be burnt out would indicate that he wants to step away from the grind of working matches for a while. Should this prove incorrect I think matches in New Japan, the second biggest wrestling company in the world, or EVOLVE, where his old boss Gabe Sapolsky works are likeliest (and even EVOLVE seems far-fetched). Ring of Honor’s a possibility but there have been a lot of changes in the nine years since Punk last worked there. Anyone saying that Punk wants to leave WWE to go to TNA has been smoking funny cigarettes.

For the most part I agree with Punk’s walkout, assuming the rumoured reasons for it are true. But I say this as much because I’ve been bored with his character since last summer as for anything else. Although that’s not to say he’s earned time off, because he has. Punk hasn’t been used well since his programme with Undertaker ended (his stuff with Heyman didn’t reach its full potential in my view) and the best thing the Punk character, and Punk the man, can do is take an extended break, returning when there are new people for him to face. His absence at WrestleMania would be noticeable but his participation isn’t necessary for the show’s success. There will be enough big names on offer with or without his involvement. He absolutely deserves to wrestle on the show, but WWE aren’t denying him that chance. He’s denying it to himself, and for reasons I can understand. But his absence will give WWE and other wrestlers the chance to raise some statuses. If I had the choice of that action being taken or watching CM Punk wrestle I’d pick the new names every single time. WWE’s future requires new marketable stars, not nicely wrestled matches featuring CM Punk.

***

1 It would be more accurate to say “worked shoot” but, honestly, who cares?

Written By Dave Hatton of That Wrestling Blog

The Referendum on Daniel Bryan Is Centered around the Wrong Person

LOL, people think this guy's a genius? Get a grip.
Photo Credit: WWE.com

So, fans and wrestling writers have decided to have a referendum on Daniel Bryan thanks to his non-appearance in the Royal Rumble and subsequent "damage control" on RAW. I've seen charts myopically citing average segment gains not being as high as John Cena or The Rock as reason without doing any of the hard contextual research needed to make that jibe as "evidence." I've seen pieces written calling Bryan's omission in the Rumble disgraceful and others that sanely point out that he was never advertised for the match in the first place. People have debated whether this whole thing was a work, or whether Creative and Vince McMahon had to "furiously rewrite" RAW to account for their "new" star. I've even seen people say unironically that Bryan's lack of merchandise sales on the levels of Cena or CM Punk as concrete proof that he's "not a draw," ignoring things like aesthetic quality, availability, or the fact that Bryan's shit is selling at a healthy clip and just because he's not moving product on the same level as the FRANCHISE OF THE COMPANY FOR THE LAST DECADE that it means anything substantive.

Knee-Jerk Reaction (RAW 01/27/14)

Let's see how WWE responds to the fans and online outcry after last night's controversial Royal Rumble. I would like to think that there will be some mea culpa's all around, but knowing Vince McMahon, I expect a giant middle finger to us all.

Knee-Jerk Reaction (Royal Rumble 2014)

It sucks that my favorite PPV has to come at the start of the year. I absolutely love the Royal Rumble match. No matter who wins, it's always so much fun to watch. Unfortunately, it's usually all downhill from there. If the past two Wrestlemanias are any indication, I better enjoy the start of the journey because the destination is going to be disappointing. I am psyched for tonight, though. Let's get it on!

Royal Rumble - The Ultimate Preview(s)!

The 2014 Royal Rumble is a little over 24 hours away and the 2014 WWE PPV League has already opened for predictions over on the forum! As the second biggest show of the year (and most peoples favorite) a massive amount of previews and analysis have been written about the show. Being the kind and generous sole I am, here's a list of the very best from around the Wrestling Media Nation (and also The Place To Be!)

First up, our very own Derek X gives his odds on potential Rumble winners with Royal Rumble 2014: The Betting Lines.

Steven Graham of PlaceToBeNation.com gives his Top 25 Matches In Rumble History.

Owner of That Wrestling Blog and member of The Wrestling Media Nation; Dave Hatton gives his written preview of the 2014 show

Tom Holzerman, owner of the Legendary; The Wrestling Blog gives us: The Unbearable Weight of Uncertain Expectation: 2014 Royal Rumble Preview

The PlaceToBeNation staff give their opinions on the Top Royal Rumble Performers

In quite the most in depth piece of statistical breakdown I've read in quite some time, Star Of Savage makes a guest appearance on The Wrestling Blog to give us The Royal Rumble By (Entry) Numbers

Co-Founder of PlaceToBeNation, co-host of the Place To Be podcast and Triple H lover Scott Criscuolo gives his written preview over on placetobenation.com

Over on Wrestlings Last Hope, Damien Green gives us his Rumble Memories & Predictions

And finally, Matt Saye of The Wrestling Journal tells us: The Royal Rumble: It's All About The Stories

I've no doubt you're going to enjoy reading those, but why stop there? Why not give us your predictions for the show in both our PPV LEAGUE and our JUST FOR FUN thread over on the forum?

Dave Hattons Royal Rumble Preview

This year's Royal Rumble is being sponsored by Jackson Hewitt. That’s a tax company. This has nothing to do with the show but I think it's something that should be brought to people's attention. WWE pay-per-views are being sponsored by tax companies now. It's a long way from Castrol GTX. 

The show also feels a long way from last year's version. Headlined by CM Punk defending the WWE championship against The Rock it was clear in advance that the 2013 edition of the Rumble would be a financial success. It ended up being watched by 498,000 homes. While lower than the expected 500,000 it was still the most financially successful Rumble since 2002. This year's event will probably exceed the 400,000 mark, because it's WWE's second biggest annual show these days, but it's not likely to crack the half million barrier.

The reason for this is the absence of The Rock. Without him it's just another Rumble with no reasons to tune in beside the obvious. Brock Lesnar has a certain appeal and carries a big fight feel on to any show he appears on but he's not The Rock. He attracts a different sort of crowd, one not as large as the Attitude Era faithful that tune in to see 'The Great One'.

Knee-Jerk Reaction (RAW 01/20/2014)

I don't expect to be doing any marking out over the return of Batista tonight. I was never a big fan. I LIKED him when he was in Evolution and I enjoyed the storyline when he was ousted from the stable, but I was never a fan. He was always just another untalented BIG MAN that WWE pushed over the smaller, more talented superstars. I am happy to see him back, though. I expect to see plenty of familiar faces popping up over the next few months as the Road to Wrestlemania XXX kicks into high gear. Batista isn't my favorite face of the past, but he isn't the least favorite either.

Royal Rumble 2014: The Betting Lines

Each year I do this blog, predicting the Royal Rumble winner and each year I get pretty damn close to being correct. 3 years ago, I predicted that Alberto Del Rio had one of the highest chances of winning amongst non-main-eventers and he did. Two years ago, I predicted Sheamus as the outright winner and he won. Last year, while I didn't pick John Cena as the winner, I did surmise that the winner would be a SUPERFACE who had won it before. Only I thought that SUPERFACE would be Randy Orton. And to be fair, I gave Cena the second-highest chance at winning, so I knew he was a possibility.

This year, I am flummoxed. I can't imagine who might win or who is the favorite. I can barely even think of the rules for the year. Here's what I can tell. First, it will not be a SUPERFACE. Cena & Orton are mixing it up in the WWE World Championship rematch. Neither of them will be in the Royal Rumble. Sheamus is out of action. There's a chance he might return at the Rumble, but not to win it. WWE can't continue that cliche'. Plus, I think they lost some confidence in Sheamus last year.

If you believe, as I do, that Randy Orton will hold the WWE World Title through Wrestlemania XXX, then the winner of the Royal Rumble match has to be a babyface. That leaves two viable candidates in my mind to win, but I've been wrong before.

Fantasy Booker: WrestleMania Season 2014

Wondering how I’d book WrestleMania XXX if I wound up in charge of WWE tomorrow? Of course you are. You’re only human. As a special treat I’m going to detail exactly what I’d do. Within reason, of course. I’m not going to detail every episode of RAW, for example. Because life’s too short, isn’t it?

I’ll start with Royal Rumble. With that show still a few weeks away I obviously have to make some assumptions about who’ll be feuding with who. Brock Lesnar will be clashing with Big Show at the show, while Batista will be gunning for Alberto Del Rio. I’ll ignore the former match because it’s boring. The Rumble’s a starting point, both for this post and in reality.

There are a lot of maybes and possiblys below. That’s because WWE is set up to have input from various backstage minds. I wouldn’t want to ignore those guys, so anytime there’s a maybe or a half-thought assume that it’s because it’s a detail that I’d ask for input on. What I’m detailing is a outline, not minutia.

W6P: Interesting Live-Tweet Options for When WWE Network Launches

The six pack has returned, mainly because holy crap, the WWE Network has been announced and it sounds fantastic. In addition to the original programming, television replays, pre- and post-shows, and all WWE's pay-per-view events, the video on demand library will contain every single PPV event ever aired by WWE, WCW, and ECW. This richness in archive presents a goldmine of inspiration for a writer such as myself, but aside from content for the blog, it also provides a different opportunity.

More and more, auteurs out there are organizing synchronized live-tweets of old events, usually found on YouTube. With WWE Network making events available in the best quality and without fear of disappearing due to copyright infringement, not only will other people do more of these live-tweets, but I might partake as well. The following lists the six events I think I would consider organizing a live-tweet for the most. The shows aren't the marquee WrestleManias or the Bashes at the Beach '96 of the lot. However, they hold certain curiosity value for me, and those are the shows I feel are most interesting to revisit.

Knee-Jerk Reaction (RAW 01/13/2014)

Tonight is the first live show since the announcement of the WWE Network has been met with overwhelming approval. I expect for them to bask in the glow of this positive media attention, as well they should. I LOVE the prospect of this network and I was skeptical before. This once, I will give WWE their due credit. They hit a home run with this venture. The only thing bad about it is that I have to wait a month and a half before I can sign up for it.

Back On Track

Last year produced mixed results for Ring of Honor. The first six months were generally very enjoyable. The SCUM invasion storyline was something different (for ROH if not wrestling in general), the tease of the Adam Cole heel turn began, the American Wolves were sensibly placed back together, and there was new talent present on a string of very enjoyable events. The second half of the year was characterised by the mostly poor world title tournament, a lack of new talent (Homicide and Eddie Kingston didn’t count for two reasons: they’d been around before and nobody cared when they showed back up), and Michael Elgin becoming just another member of the roster.

Knee-Jerk Reaction (RAW 01/06/2014)

I'm always a bit torn on these 'Old School' shows. On one hand, I really don't want to see the legends wasted in stupid backstage vignettes or in-ring promos. But on the other hand, aside from a very select few, I don't want to see them wrestle either. Not everyone 'still has it.' But I LIKE these shows for the reason I'm supposed to, for the nostalgia. And of course, this is WWE's way of saluting us long-time viewers, while also introducing some of the younger kids to a bit of their own history. Gotta LOVE that.

The Wrestling Media Nation Awards

Welcome to The Wrestling Media Nation Awards! Over the course of this piece we will be looking at the good and the great from the year of 2013 in professional wrestling.

Unlike other awards of this type ALL of our voting, from our nominees to our deciding of the winners themselves is fan voted. During this article you'll be reading my opinions on YOUR choices.

All of this years voting took place on The Wrestling Forum, home of all of the discussion on and about Pro Wrestling Planet. If you're not already a member head on over and claim your free sign up!

And now... it's time to start the show with our....

TWF50: The Ten Best Wrestlers Of 2013

Our countdown of the Top 50 Wrestlers of 2013 has reached it's climax. You are about to read about the people YOU voted for as the ten best wrestlers in the world across the previous twelve months. Before you do though, be sure to check out the rest of our countdown using these links: #50-41 - #40-31 - #30-21 - #20-11

The Best Female Wrestler In The World

10. AJ Lee