MagicianCamille

I was underwhelmed, I just can't take Cena seriously.

I can't believe I went a week without reading spoilers. Character building exercise right there.

Finally someone said it about faux hawks.

Did you see the promo?

I thought that was one of the best Smackdowns in a long time. I have to hand it to WWE creative, they're making the most out of a finite talent pool. Mark Henry is being made to look like an out of control behemoth, and I loved the way they sold the audio equipment destruction by not playing themes for that next match. This Smackdown finally had some new and interesting match combinations, aside from Daniel Bryan Vs Ted Dibiase VII, which was actually a fantastic match despite the repetition. Barrett/Kane was a great big man match with both guys showing off some great moves. I was a little surprised to see Kane go over, but it made sense. Barrett got cocky when he had The Corre, and now that he doesn't have them anymore he can't beat people. I still think Barrett wins the SD MITB though. Ezekiel Jackson Vs Cody Rhodes was another good match, and I'm wondering if it's going to lead into a feud. Big Zeke Vs Rhodes would be a very interesting feud IMO, considering the vast difference in size. It could also lead to Rhodes winning his first singles title, and free up Ezekiel to go into the main event at some point. Then Dibiase could turn face and feud with Rhodes for the IC title...if he can make a successful turn. Christian Vs Sin Cara was a great match and I was relieved to see Christian go over clean. I felt like WWE was going a little overboard with Sin Cara, and it's good to see the buck stop right before the main event level. He's just not ready, obviously. Now they need to stop with the special lighting and have him pay his dues. I was really concerned when Sheamus didn't show up last week, but then when he showed up and brogue kicked both Orton and Christian I was blown away. I thought they were just dropping the ball on Sheamus again, I didn't expect this coming at all. I loved the segment, Sheamus came off very strong. I would like to see this lead to a triple threat at MITB. It needs to, after that segment. There's also the fact we've seen Christian/Orton enough times already. Book it!

Those seem like pretty standard qualifications for a company like WWE. I'm actually working toward a BA in Film & Media Studies right now, so that's an interesting coincidence.

I look at the Johnny Curtis vignettes and the way the Nexus angle played out and I don't think it's the superstars themselves that are the problem. Also the fact that MVP and Kaval both left the WWE, that CM Punk is leaving (or was seriously considering it if he has changed his mind), kind of confirms that WWE just doesn't know how to use their talent.

Obviously it was a worked shoot. Who said it wasn't? And no, saying he's the best wrestler in the world isn't a catch phrase. It's his primary beef. He feels he's the best wrestler in the world but the world's top wrestling company doesn't appreciate him, or wrestling ability in general. It's a great angle because there's so much truth to it. The Rock came back in February as the "host" of Wrestlemania and talked about how he was never leaving, then made one or two more brief appearances to build friction with Cena. Then at Mania he was in a bunch of crappy segments that weren't entertaining and took time away from the matches. Then the main event was entirely Rock-centric, ending with a double count-out and him handpicking the winner. Then he comes out the next night on Raw and is immediately booked in next year's Mania main event. Then he gets a birthday celebration episode (lol) which was painful to watch and entirely self-glorifying. Since then...nothing. He's been tweeting John Cena pictures of himself doing non-WWE related things, Cena replies with "sorry, too busy doing WWE live events", The Rock of course never has a response, but that's besides the point. I don't know, you gotta figure for pro wrestlers being in the main event of Wrestlemania is what you dream about and strive for. To see it just handed to The Rock and knowing he isn't going to work house shows, won't be on Smackdown ever god forbid, will make enough Raw appearances to fit on just one hand...and in the meantime will be filming movies in Hollywood. If I was a pro wrestler in WWE I'd be pretty mad, knowing no matter how hard I tried or how over I got, that spot is already reserved for a legend who isn't going to put in any of the work that goes along with it. Plus, we all know the match isn't going to be great from an in-ring standpoint. When's the last time The Rock wrestled? When's the last time Cena has put on a good match? Buzz buzz buzz, see how great that promo was?

He's definitely not on Rock's level. CM Punk's promo wasn't scripted, and didn't rely on catch phrases.

I just thought of how fitting it was that CM Punk was wearing a Stone Cold t-shirt, considering many have already compared his promo with Steve Austin's KOTR victory rant. They're quite different though. Stone Cold established his character with that promo, while CM Punk has already been established for years. That said I think these two promos are probably the two greatest of all time, just taking into account the atmosphere of the WWE when they occurred. When Stone Cold did his 3:16 promo, there was nothing "Attitude" about the WWE, this was way off of the rails of everything else that was going on in WWE at the time. We had Shawn Michaels living his boyhood dream and defeating your typical pre-Attitude wrestling heels like British Bulldog, Van Vader, and feuding with Camp Cornette, which was a really goofy stable. An awesome stable that I loved, but not a real memorable one in terms of making an impact. The 3:16 promo came out of nowhere, and was the first step toward WWE's shift in programming. That said, it was a slow, gradual shift, which would not really become what we know as "WWE Attitude" until after Survivor Series 1997. Meanwhile, for the last few years as WWE has been re-embracing PG and trying to avoid terms like wrestling, and acting as if former employees and other wrestling promotions don't exist (during the Attitude Era WCW got name-dropped all the time, or referred to as "the promotion down south") the product has become incredibly tame and lacking in controversy or anything to buzz about. NOBODY saw this coming. CM Punk's promo broke about every rule WWE has established in the last few years, everything he said was true and has been repeated by former employees, it caught the live audience by surprise, it caught the smarky IWC (thats us) by surprise, and reports have come in that there were guys backstage who were absolutely stunned. I myself remember reading an article about how after Andy Leavine won Tough Enough, John Laurinaitis ripped into him for not properly selling McMahon's punch and Austin's stunner. Then Punk goes out and trashes John Laurinaitis in a passing remark in his legendary rant against everything in the WWE. Eric Bischoff said it best, controversy creates cash. This promo oozed with controversy. If this storyline, and this type of edgy storytelling ends with MITB, I think WWE fans are going to be extremely agitated. I know I will be. WWE, don't mess this up.

Speechless. CM Punk has always been my favorite, he just solidified that tonight. Plus he was wearing a Stone Cold t-shirt! That entire segment, from Cena losing the match, to CM Punk bringing the walls down around the WWE, to the mic cutting out and CM Punk looking like he was going to rush the camera as the feed cut out. Just incredible. I hope this is a shift in a new direction for WWE but I know better. Whatever, as long as this storyline lasts, I'm going to enjoy every second. I'm going to try not to read Raw spoilers for next week's episode which was taped after tonight's live Raw. I have plenty of schoolwork this week so hopefully I can keep busy and avoid wrestling websites. This will be difficult, but well worth it I am sure. Man, great Raw. MITB is shaping up to be the best PPV of the year. Btw my MITB winners are ADR and Wade Barrett.

John Morrison is apparently out until August/September, so I guess he won't be winning MITB.

Another difference between Hogan, Austin, Rock, and Cena is that Cena isn't much of a character. He uses his real name, he doesn't really have a "gimmick". He used to, but then he just kind of became a regular guy. Hulk Hogan was an American icon and was a larger than life character, Stone Cold was a redneck beer-swilling rebel whom was the very embodiment of the Attitude Era, The Rock was The Great One, THe self-proclaimed People's champ (whether he was being booed or cheered), The Rock on the mic was unlike anything else. There was nothing "normal" about him. He was ON all the time. John Cena is quite generic, and doesn't give you much of anything to get excited about. Like has been said, he really needs to change his character, because right now he's lacking much of any character at all.

Maybe they're trying to make up for pranking him a few weeks ago.

So I thought Smackdown tonight was fairly solid. Quite a few matches, some good promos, a handful of feuds. Really all I ask for out of my episodic wrestling shows. Rhodes/Bryan segment and match were just fantastic. Bryan surprisingly cut a very good promo, and showed despite his rather humble "look" he's got some entertainment skills. Rhodes/Dibiase together again makes sense. Rhodes isn't quite ready to be pushed into the main event yet, and Dibiase has got abilities, name value, and potential but just hasn't made it up there yet. This angle is hopefully going to elevate Dibiase when he eventually turns face. Hope it works out for him. Ezekiel/Barrett was more of the same. For some reason whenever Ezekiel makes someone tap out with that sick Torture Rack I blow up laughing. I don't know, something about the way guys tap out on his bald head or his chest just makes me laugh. The ex-Corre segment between Barret, Slater, and Gabriel was amusing as well, and it sounds like Barrett is going to move on from the IC title and get a push upward...maybe. Hopefully. But TBH the main event needs another face right now rather than a heel. Jinder Mahal segment went as per usual. I like Mahal, he's got charisma and I buy into him being of royal blood. He really has a "superior" presence that I think can main event some day. Khali is finally being used the way he should be again too. A big menacing monster. Glad they admitted how ridiculous the kiss cam segments were also. Main event had me a bit puzzled TBH. First Henry gets Christian DQ'd so Teddy Long makes it a tag match to determine the #1 contendership. Why would Henry care about this match? If he wins, if he gets the pinfall (he did), SOMEONE ELSE gets to be the #1 contender and not him. Kind of silly. I'm really surprised by the big push Henry is getting. He's not particularly entertaining or good in the ring. They've had him for 15 years and haven't pushed him this hard before. I guess they're hoping they can get Henry over enough to help carry the Smackdown main event, but I just don't know if its possible.

I'm thinking it's going to be more about the Montreal Screwjob, considering Bret Hart and Michaels didn't really have much of an on-screen feud. They had a couple months after the 1996 Rumble of talking about how much they respect each other, then a minor tiff before WM12, then after Michaels won Bret Hart just disappeared for about 8 months. Didn't feud with Shawn Michaels really at all until right before Survivor Series (with both of them as heels mind you). They had some minor interactions but nothing that constitutes a feud. I'm not too excited about it. I feel like the Screwjob's been covered in Bret Hart's documentaries. Unless Michaels gives some startling revelations (and backtracks on things he's said before), I don't know if we're going to learn anything from this DVD, if it IS about the screwjob.

Sure, but what does that have to do with CM Punk being 4-0 over John Cena this year?

Heels cheat to win, that's what being a heel is. Faces of the company rarely (never?) lose clean. The only way they can be beaten is through illicit means, or when a new star rises to overtake them (Think Hart/Michaels WM12). That's how it needs to be, unless we want WWE's product to be more like a legitimate sporting competition rather than entertainment. Personally, no thanks. Unfortunately for us WWE's current face of the company is boring and repetitive.

Well, kind of. He's actually 4-0 against Cena this year in 1-on-1 matches. Their previous feud didn't really have an end, so it's not like Punk lost a feud with Cena. I don't know, I think if he's actually staying then he will win, and it could even be the reason he's staying, giving him the push he deserves, rather than being a main event whipping boy.

Franchise has a blog post about Cena that pretty much sums it up. And I disagree with your opinion of Killswitch, I think it's an awesome finisher. Wouldn't want to go out with an additional world title under his belt, going over John Cena on his last night? Putting someone NEW over? It'd be a great way to go out. He's not going to win the belt if he's actually leaving, so it's really either that or Cena going over him clean. Boooring. Obviously I am pulling for Morrison to win the Raw MITB and cash in the same night, but I don't know if he'll be healthy in time. If not him then I guess I'll stick to my original pick of Dolph Ziggler (remember?!), though I could see Kofi winning it if they decided to pull the trigger on his main event push.

I'm holding to the opinion that CM Punk will somehow prevail and a face MITB winner from earlier in the night will cash in and win the title. This just seems like too good of an opportunity to put someone new over to pass up. I'm also hoping CM Punk doesn't leave and is just trolling us, but I don't want to let myself believe that or the disappointment if he leaves will be even more devastating.

I actually believe the technical difficulties explanation. Former WWE writers have come out and said these type of shows are legitimate but they stack the deck toward the option they actually want to run, while having contingency plans for any surprises that may happen. I don't think this was some kind of evil plan to give Mason Ryan a match on Raw, or to have a 2 of 3 falls match instead of Vickie banned from ringside, or anything else that happened. They're giving us Sin Cara Vs Evan Bourne next week. Sounds good to me. WWE really had no reason to come out and cite technical difficulties or to give us that match next week. No reason to disbelieve them, unless you're the tinfoil hat type.

Only random if you didn't watch Smackdown last week where Big Show destroyed Mark Henry before their match even started. It was justified revenge on Mark Henry's part. It was a decent PPV. Main event was a stinker but so was OTL's. Hmm, what's the common denominator here? I enjoyed the other matches though. Good US title match, glad Ziggler is a champion again. Pretty good IC title match considering a big power guy like Ezekiel is going to be limited in terms of stellar ringwork. I'm glad he's a champion now, and hopefully Wade can float back up to the main event. I didn't see Riley winning coming, I thought for sure all the times he came out on top on TV would mean a loss at the PPV. CM Punk Vs Rey Mysterio was pretty good, and I believe it was CM Punk's first win on PPV in like a year or something ridiculous. I'm genuinely curious what his announcement will be. I fear the worst, an angle leading to his departure. Orton/Christian 3 was decent. Wasn't as good as the first 2, and I wasn't a fan of the ending. Though one prop to the match is I genuinely thought Christian had it with that spear. Then I remembered Cena and Orton will never lose clean. Cena/Truth wasn't good. A funny ending though I guess. I laughed at the Barack/Santino segment (Santino can be funny sometimes), but thought the segment where "Barack" addressed the crowd was just horrible.

Yeah but in the case of Big Show, I much prefer him as a heel.

Randy Orton Vs Christian John Cena Vs R-Truth The Miz Vs Alex Riley Wade Barrett Vs Ezekiel Jackson Big Show Vs ADR - I think Big Show will get himself DQ'd. They seem to be working an angle where he is losing self-control. Would not be surprised if a Big Show heel turn is in the works actually. CM Punk Vs Rey Mysterio - If WWE has any intelligence. Kofi Kingston Vs Dolph Ziggler - Give Kofi another shot at the main event. We have an abundance of heels but few solid faces. Throwaway PPV where Cena and Orton prevail and the kids are happy. Hoping MITB shakes things up and Summerslam is a good show this year. I might be going, it's like 30 minutes away from me...