Some days, wrestling just makes me want to cry. There is a guy who by all rights should be a big freaking deal in the business. Except, it is Impact Wrestling. Or TNA. Yet another problem. They did change their name to Impact Wrestling, yet everyone in known galaxy still calls the promotion TNA. Back to the original point, Magnus was TNA Champion. But no one cared, because Dixie Carter is playing the Stephanie McMahon role, horribly, and recruited Magnus to be her corporate champion. Then, AJ Styles starts launching pipe-bombs, wins the TNA title, and then runs away with it as his contract expired with the company. Sound familiar, doesn’t it?
Not only is this terrible booking, but it seems these days TNA/Impact/Dixievision doesn’t even wait six months before ripping off a storyline gimmick from WWE. I have become convinced Dixie Carter was dead serious about not being competition to WWE, because she has made the programming so terrible and unwatchable, there is not even an iota of a chance her company could come close to being recognized as an alternative. Hell, I would watch some mid-west indy promotion over TNA. Bring back NWA Cyberspace for all I care!
I do acknowledge the company has its own pool of young new talent, but with such terrible booking and programming, how on Cybertron’s moons will they ever be recognized?
Onto something entertaining, but at times can be equally confusing, is WWE. Every day on their website, we are smashed in the face with more John Cena and Randy Orton history, as if they have been around for 50 years. The Cena-Orton title unification bout is legitimately exciting, as WWE promised there will be just one main championship in the company… Until they decide to split it again. I doubt I speak for myself, but there could have been a tournament like the first Undisputed Championship won by Chris Jericho. Think about that. They had The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the two top of the top in the wrestling business, and it went to famous antagonist, Chris Jericho. This time, it is between John Cena and Randy Orton, but no “next tier” guys to also vie for it. If only CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Damien Sandow, Alberto del Rio, or Dolph Ziggler could have been in the mix, it would have been more interesting. I do look forward to this new era of one WWE World Championship, but I feel it to be lacking as the concept was rushed together in less than a month, and it is between two guys no one wanted to see have a feud again, Cena and Orton.
Let’s talk about Wade Barrett. This guy is uber talented, and his latest gimmick will once again prove it. Bad News Barrett is hysterical. The humor is geniusly deadpan. His accent makes it even better, and the big stamp at the end of his segment is freaking awesome. It will take some time for the gimmick to take off but once he is back in the ring, I think he will be a solid mid-card performer until ready for the main event again. Keep in mind, Barrett is no rookie. He was the first NXT “winner” when it was a scripted competition show, and instantly main evented for a year afterwards. The guy nearly became WWE Champion. His mic skills are incredible, he can cut any type of promo, and showing his serious-yet-humorous side will only further increase his stock value within WWE. The guy wrestles like William Regal. He is tough and he can move around and on the mat. He possesses all the skills, he just needs the right push.
The undercard for TLC seems to be more exciting. Damien Sandow is back in the title picture, challenging Big E. Langston for the Intercontinental Championship. Perhaps the days of corny mid-card titleholders are over? Please? Langston will likely keep the title, but expect a solid match from them.
Teasers for a break-up of the Shield is starting again. Ambrose flexed his leadership muscle, but earned the ire of his teammates, Rollins and Reigns. Ambrose is the United States Champion, a good one, so it is likely he will split from his partners, leaving R & R to fend for themselves in the tag team division. Speaking of which, notice a lot of big guy/little guy pairings happening? Ryback and Curtis Axel, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins? It’s been done in the past, and many teams saw a decent lifespan in action. The tag team division in WWE is fantastic right now, but as there are a lot of talent, there are a lot of teams, and in any type of roster, players can get lost in the shuffle. Find some balance WWE, you can do it.
Someone who is not balanced is Sin Cara. The guy is an idiot. The old Sin Cara anyway. On RAW, a taller, bulkier Sin Cara defeated Alberto del Rio. If you follow Sin Cara on Twitter, you would have seen a tweet from him saying he was enjoying a restaurant in Mexico.
Wait. How can he be in two places at once? The “Master of the Botch” completely blew it on a level beyond epic proportions. Such a boneheaded move forced WWE to acknowledge the existence of two Sin Cara characters and the released a statement to various dirtsheets stating:
“The original performer behind the Sin Cara mask remains under contract to WWE. WWE will continue to invest in the character and retain it as part of WWE programming.”
Not only that, but Sin Cara accidentally signed with TNA. Idiot.
http://www.kayfabenews.com/sin-cara-signs-with-tna-by-accident/
(the website is humor… a damn funny one too!)
There is more weirdness going on. TLC has not one, but two 3-on-1 handicap matches. Obviously there is a gimmick seeing both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk being bullied by the Authority, but this is getting a little ridiculous here. We could have some good 3-on-3 bouts, which would add the number of wrestlers to the PPV, but instead we’re getting only the main event players for the time being. We still have a week until TLC, so of course, in WWE, anything can change.
All Photos Credit: WWE
