I know what you're thinking."Shannon? You've been bashing WWE for months now. You've revitalized your blog on the awful experience that is World Wrestling Entertainment. Bash Raw. Bash it good!"
Well, friends, buckle the fuck in, because here it comes! RAW on 7/28 was a...
PRETTY GOOD SHOW!
I know, right? I'm as surprised as you are. I've grown so accustomed to the awful writing and poor storyline development that I almost skipped the show entirely. I did that for the most part last week, and I missed a seldom seen Zack Ryder victory. Truly, anything can happen on Monday nights! If Zack can beat an A lister like Fandango, who would win this week? Can Cena topple the Beast Incarnate? Does Ambrose have Rollin's number? Will Damien Sandow finally overcome his greatest foe, Vince McMahon?
Whoah, easy there Pokey. It has become official that Damien Sandow is seen in less favorable light than Zack Ryder. The only person he has a chance of beating is Justin Gabriel, and that's in a race to the unemployment line.
To my disappointment, there was no Zack Ryder victory on RAW this week. That's the bad news. The good news is that there wasn't a Ryder match at all, which means he didn't lose, either!
Hey, it's a step in the right direction. Baby steps.
So, what did we get? The WWE fans were treated to a pretty damn good show on Monday. Sure, there were problems here and there, but I don't expect perfection. What I do expect is more than they've been throwing to us, like untouchable kings throwing scraps to their desperate peasants.
The strongest segment on the show, in this reporter's humble opinion, was the closer between Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella.
If there were ever a statement I would never expect to make on this blog, it would be exactly that. Well, that and Zack Ryder winning the world title. Sigh. Fucking Zack Ryder.
I've never been a fan of a Bella. I thought they were easy on the eyes, but I was relieved when they disappeared not long ago to pursue interests elsewhere. I thought there were so many better women to push in the diva's division, and that whole twins gimmick could really only go so far. If you don't believe me, ask Jacob and Eli Blu. I didn't think that the Bella's would ever amount to anything more than eye candy, and even though I know that WWE values looks over talent, even they didn't seem too big on Nikki and Brie.
And then they came back, and ever since they returned it feels like they have been one of the main focuses in the entire federation. They hardly ever lost, they were all over TV, and their relationships with Daniel Bryan and John Cena meant they would get pushed to the moon. I was disappointed, and I waved goodbye to my dear Alicia Fox as I was sure she would be sent spiraling into mediocrity.
While that has happened to an extent, I've been pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the Bella's have been as of late. Once I saw that Nikki got breast implants I assumed she would get the major push, but it's been Brie that has taken off like a rocket ship.
That's thanks in part to the fine mic work by Stephanie McMahon, who is another WWE talent that I got sick of so very long ago. It's odd how they've made me truly interested in a feud between two people I never cared about, but can't give me a reason to care about Wyatt and Jericho.Bella and McMahon have built a great rivalry over the past few months, and it really exploded last night when Stephanie accepted Brie's match for Summerslam. The twist with Stephania punking Brie was great, and the crowd was going wild for the brawl. These two have the strongest program going into Summerslam, which is really saying something considering that scheduled main event.
Speaking of which, I find the fans who won't give John Cena any credit to be shameful and not true fans. He gave a very passionate promo last night that really showed some fire, and it gave his match against Lesnar for Summerslam a very epic aura. Heyman was just as good on the mic, and the two had a great segment. I was very hesitant about seeing Lesnar/Cena again, but the past two weeks have me salivating for this rematch. The big rumor is that they're going to put the strap on Brock, but I have serious doubts. I may have to lay a bet down on that Sunday.
The rest of the show was kind of there, but it was all solid. AJ and Paige went a little further, as did Naomi and Cameron. I wish they done something for Ambrose and Rollins, as it seemed odd to completely ignore that feud when it's been so hot. I'm also disappointed that they're continuing to follow the same Bray Wyatt formula of a nonsensical promo, beat down, and surprise Sister Abigail. He is in very serious danger of becoming stale. Hopefully they'll break the trend and have him beat Jericho at Summerslam, because if he loses this one you might as well just send him away and repackage him. If he loses to Jericho, the Bray Wyatt character is dead.
Oh, and we FINALLY got some advancement for Bo Dallas! Thank Christ! It's a little odd to have R Truth break his streak, but it accomplished two things. It gave Dallas a viable reason for losing his composure, and it forwards what seems to be an angle for R Truth where he teams up with Xavier Woods and Big E. I am so scared of how awful and offensive that angle will be.
While we're on the subject of offensive angles, we got more Putin love from Lana. I'm just sick of talking about that, so let's just say that Zeb Coulter is a magic man on that mic. Swagger's stock is rising, and I'm looking forward to Swagger/Rusev 2 at Summerslam.
I'd like to talk about another real American for a moment, and by that I mean former governor and WWE legend Jesse Ventura.
I've been following the court case between Ventura and the estate of the late former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. Kyle was a celebrity of sort, with a both a best selling book about his life and an upcoming movie starring Bradley Cooper and directed by Clint Eastwood. He claims to have knocked Ventura out in his book, after a casual conversation about the military turned into an argument when Ventura allegedly said that more SEAL's should be killed. Ventura sued Kyle over defamation, and although Kyle was killed in 2013 by a marine with PTSD, his widow would face down the former governer in court.Today a jury awarded Ventura 1.845 million, and the internet is just on fire with people condemning Ventura for taking money away from this woman and for dishonoring the memory of such a dedicated soldier.
Well, dedicated soldier or not, if he truly made the event up to make his book sound better, he's a liar. A jury voted 8-2 in favor of Ventura, and in the eyes of the law that means the event never happened. Do I think that Ventura needs another two million at the expense of a military widow? I don't. I feel sorry for the woman, but if someone ruined my name for book sales I would be just as pissed off.
At the end of the day, I don't know who was right because I wasn't there. A jury ruled in favor of Ventura, so it will go down in the record books that Kyle fabricated his story and damaged the former governor's reputation.
I like Jesse Ventura, and I always have. From his service in the military to his time in wrestling and in Hollywood, I've always found him likable. He's also highly intelligent and unafraid to speak his mind. His appearances on the news channels are always memorable, and his show Conspiracy Theory was a favorite of mine.
It's sad that his life has come to this point. Very unfortunate situation for all.
In keeping with the unfortunate side of life, how about the big rumor that Spike TV has stopped all negotiations with TNA and won't be renewing Impact! once the deal expires in October?
It's easy to just laugh about it when you think of the joke that TNA has become. It has always been a bumpy ride for Dixie Carter's promotion, but competition is always healthy for business. TNA might not have been much of a threat, but it was the biggest threat to Vince McMahon and the WWE.
It's awful to think of how many people could possibly lose their jobs if TNA folds. From the agents, to the wrestlers, to the refs and everything in between, there are real people that could lose everything if TNA fails to secure a new deal. Some of the bigger names will go to WWE, and truth be told they could use some new blood there. But there are also a lot of names that either would never go back WWE, or even be wanted back if they went calling.The business of wrestling was at its best when you had the trinity of WWE, WCW, and ECW. The whole sport has grown stale and repetitive since the early 2000's, and while TNA didn't do much to help, at least it was nice to have an alternative. There were some good times had in the Impact! Zone, and I will be sad to see it go, if the rumors are true.
I hope that TNA can work it out with Spike, or maybe even find greener pastures somewhere else. I absolutely do not want the company to be swallowed up by WWE, who would mostly likely give it the WCW/ECW treatment during that awful Invasion angle of days past. I don't care to see Vince stroke his own ego by showing how much more dominant his promotion is than the competition. He's always been a ruthless tactician, but his failure to make the Invasion compelling is one of his biggest mistakes.
I mean, behind the bodybuilding federation.
And the XFL.
And how he treats Zack Ryder. I'm telling you, that guy is MONEY.
Anyway, it certainly has been an interesting week for wrestling. Brie Bella is the queen of the ring, Jesse Ventura is the scum of the earth, and TNA Impact! might go the way of the dodo.
I can't wait to see what happens next week!
That's another thing I never thought I'd say on Blogzilla 1985.
Creepy.
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