Former WWE Head Creative writer Dave Lagana hosts a podcast called “Formerly Creative,” and runs a fun website at IWantWrestling.com. If you’re tweeting, part of the twitter universe, then you’ve probably have come across this hash tag, #IWantWrestling. You can thank Dave for that movement to rally up fans to not be ashamed of being wrestling fans, and (if you didn’t get the message) to let the world know that we want wrestling.
Welcome back to The Wrestling Times. No, this blog is not available as a podcast, and probably never will, because I have too much fun honing my craft as a writer. Even though I may not always write at my best, I am getting my thoughts read, regardless. In the spirit of #IWantWrestling, I wanted to touch upon a few things that occurred this past week in sports entertainment. So you know the drill. Let’s discuss–are you ready?–Wrestling, I Want!
The main event for WWE Raw was a WrestleMania XXVII Rematch: Randy Orton versus C.M. Punk. The match itself was typical of a Monday Night closer. Nothing memorable of the match itself, except that it happened. And how did it end? The same way it did at ‘Mania, with Orton going over. Yet, something that we didn’t get to see at ‘Mania was The New Nexus; they stormed the ring after the match, and manhandled Orton. Mason Ryan (for some reason) wanted to personally put Orton on the shelf. Now, if anyone gets to put the big prey away, it’s going to be the leader of the group. After much threatening on the part of Punk, Mason Ryan backed down from his hit attempt. Despite Orton getting beat down in a 3-on-1 assault, he still managed to get the better of Punk with a split-second RKO. Would it have killed them to put C.M. Punk over?
WWE has a tendency to create chicken-sh-t heels, except Punk doesn’t fit that description. He’s not this hokey heel, who runs at the first sign of danger. He’s a manipulative, conniving liar, whose talents exceeds in the ring and on the mic; yet, they continue to treat him as such. The people want to see heels that are believable, and that can actually prove to be a threat. How is Punk losing to Orton in every possible match supposed to get people to invest in this feud? Aside from the hardcore C.M. Punk fans (including the “internet” fans) that will watch him no matter what, they will continue to do so with a half-grimace.
By the way, how fantastic was Punk’s tantrum after being RKO’d?
Only in TNA could Matt Hardy earn a World Championship opportunity in spite of his brother’s screw up. The main event for TNA Impact! was Sting defending the belt against “Cold Blooded” Matt Hardy. Fans assumed that this championship match would be laden with interferences; which almost came true when Immortal sprawled out to attack Sting down the entrance ramp. But any cavalcade that could have taken place due to Immortal’s run-in was negated by the immediate arrival of Fortune. The match itself was decent. Matt worked Stinger’s leg into a single-Boston Crab, and Sting evaded being thrust into the corner with Snake Eyes into the Scorpion Death Drop.
Matt was given the opportunity to wrestle Sting because of his dominance since arriving in TNA. Which is fine, but why come out wearing Jeff’s Face belt? Has Matt already forgotten that Hulk Hogan not only chucked away the belt, but he also cut a scathing promo burying Jeff? With that said, why is Matt still wrestling for Immortal?
Granted, it makes sense for the elder brother to want to keep the belt around, but what makes it so hokey is that we just saw Eric Young wearing another out-dated TNA belt, pre-Immortal era, just a few scenes ago. Why are there two out-dated versions of the TNA World Championship belt still roaming around? Maybe if Matt cut a more convincing promo about the belt, and why it should be considered the belt that signifies Immortal, then it would have made more sense.
Another senseless act taking place in TNA is Hulk Hogan attempting to recruit the services of Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson. As much as Hogan tries to build Matt Hardy as this great outstanding wrestler, he doesn’t seem to trust him to take over as the head of Immortal. Instead, Hogan would rather RVD or Anderson? The angle sounds like a joke to me.
As for Mr. Anderson dropping both Sting and Matt Hardy with Mic Checks at the end of their match, I liked it. You can simplify Anderson’s actions by calling him a “tweener.” Basically, he’s a character who is portrayed as being morally neutral or ambiguous. But I like to take it a step further by labeling him as a Byronic Hero. The Byronic hero is a rebellious anti-hero who is sympathetic and not that bad despite his rejection of virtue. Mr. Anderson’s actions as of late have definitely fits that description; he’s been rebellious against Hulk Hogan’s authority, while also laying out the good guys. Anderson has a sympathetic cause, he is simply trying to fulfill his own goal of becoming TNA World Champion, and fans will continue to root for him.
That’s it for this post. If you loved the post, please RT on Twitter, share it on Facebook, post a link to Tom, Skype it, tell Dave Lagana, Vince McMahon, or Stephanie McMahon to give it a readski, do whatever must be done to get the word out that The Wrestling Times is here!
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