I am starting out with this statement: I am a fan of Bryan Danielson. Daniel Bryan. Whatever you wish to call him. I am also a fan of wrestling. I also firmly believe is common sense and doing the right thing.
Since Daniel Bryan gave up the Intercontinental Championship, I have read some insane rants on the internet. I have seen the word Kayfabe being used improperly to describe his speech.
I often feel the need to remind readers, there was another superstar who opted to retire out of the fear of being injured to the point of causing permanent damage to his body. I refer to Edge. Adam Copeland. Just a week after WrestleMania 27, Edge vacated the World Championship due to his most recent injury. Keep in mind it was not one injury, but many injuries which added up to one undeniable truth, continue to put your body through hell, and he would go through the rest of his life feeling like he was already there.
Our resident Yes-Man is at that same stage. I saw a post on a Transformers Website, because somehow Transformers and Wrestling go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly, but someone went on a rant stating WWE ruined Daniel Bryan. Right. Okay. Sure. What did WWE do? Have someone hit him over the head with a shovel? This is the nature of the business. High impact means high risk. Big leaps mean big falls. You get hurt in wrestling. There is no fake. What Bryan said on Monday night was all too true. He loves to wrestle, this is his life. But, you have to respect his decision not wind up in a wheelchair, the very same thing Edge said during his retirement speech.
Giving up your livelihood or dream job is no easy feat. This is no script here, the guy is hurt, and he does not want to die. Sorry to sound so serious, but I think wrestling fans, mostly the crazy internet dwellers often forget you do not need to go jump onto a dirtsheet to comprehend when someone is hurt to the point of considering retirement.
Yes, there is always the Shawn Michaels story. He was out of action for years, with an occasional reappearance, and then suddenly he was back in action like he never missed a step. It was great. Perhaps one day Edge or Bryan may have similar returns, or perhaps they may opt to live the less painful road.
I would not blame them.
Onto something a bit more comical… I need to make sure everyone sees this. Not only does it completely make fun of everything I grew up with, but we are looking at the not-so-bright futures of Curtis Axel and Damien Sandow. I love the gimmick, it might last a few months, perhaps a year tops with a short Tag Team Title reign, because at some point, the “Meta Powers” will have to explode. My generation will understand that. You young kids will have to go on Wikipedia.
Damien Sandow has enjoyed a lot of success as being the more entertaining aspect of The Miz’s new heel gimmick, and thanks to his incredible mic talent and ability to be both serious and funny. Admitting that just a few weeks ago in what I believe was an actual heartfelt promo, he talked about how his initial gimmick of being the “Intellectual Savior of the Masses” wound up being a flop, then completely losing steam due to bad booking, resulting in taking the comedy route to keep himself relevant. It was there the right formula was found, and while almost taking on a CM Punk-styled “pipe bomb promo” gimmick, instead opted for the Miz’s shadow, which turned out to be the greatest thing ever.
Curtis Axel, sadly could not be saved even with Paul Heyman in his corner, and awkwardly being paired with Ryback as a team did nothing. His non-elimination from the Royal Rumble was a perfect segue into showcasing his AxelMania gimmick, however the trend did not seem to kick in.
Now, Sandow, embracing his ability to impersonate anyone, taking on the persona of Macho Mandow, teaming up with AxelMania as the Meta Powers, will get to entertain us all as they take on The Ascension at tonight’s Payback. No one wants to see the Ascension, however if this Axel/Mandow gimmick is not going anywhere, expect a loss. However, a short tag team title run would be fun to watch, and then relive an old WrestleMania V moment where the tag line was “The Mega Powers Explode” so we could see by SummerSlam, “The Meta Powers Explode.”
Watch this insanity.
