WWE Fastlane To Wrestlemania Re-Matches

WWE Fastlane seemed more like it was in the bicycle lane when all was said and done last night. There are so many challenges to trying to book a show sandwiched between the Rumble and Wrestlemania. It still is not an excuse for what we saw last night. It really was a show lacking any kind of real buzz to it. The way the card was booked was a mistake from the start in my opinion. We started with the new job squad as I have dubbed them Ziggler, Rowan and Ryback going against Kane, Big Show and Seth Rollins. This match meant little in grand scheme of things. It was based all about what happened at the end of the match with the return of Randy Orton. The match went to long and had the heels going over winning the match.

Orton’s return was fairly muted as it really was so expected to happen. Fans had been aware Orton had been back for a while working house shows but being kept off television. Orton is never really great as a baby face and the timing of his leaving to do a movie was unfortunate because fans at that time were ready to embrace Orton as a face. Now the moment has somewhat passed and we still have 35 more days to Wrestlemania. This feud was hot when Seth laid out Orton but they have waited to long and the buzz for it needs to be recreated.

The Goldust against Stardust match bombed on pretty much every level. The problem was obvious and crowd in the pre-show gave you the answer in how they reacted to Mizdow. Fans are hot to see the payoff for the Mizdow and Miz feud. The brothers Rhodes feud has been teased for a number of years and people have just lost interest. It was just the idea of having two programs with a similar storyline of a tag-team break-up that was an issue. Stardust and Goldust match was not received well and the finish the ref botched the three-count making the ending very anti-climatic on top of everything.

If you’re looking for a nugget for the hardcore internet fan base, they were given Tyson Kidd and Csearo won the tag belts against the Usos. It was a good match and was at list a minor surprise in the finish. Maybe it gets Kidd and Csearo on the pre-show in re-match with the Usos on the Mania Pre-Show.

The Bellas flat out suck and are killing the Divas division one program at a time. They can’t act and while people praise there improvement in the ring it is far less than people make it out to be. Nikki Bella was not able to sell pulling of the tights that I am not certain but likely is part of your first week in being a wrestling villain class. I suppose this sets table for yet another Wrestlemania re-match with Paige and Nikki if they choose to go there. As bad as build with Bellas was to this match, I am not sure I could survive another 5 weeks of it.

Dean Ambrose talked about as we wrote awhile back about the idea of him restoring the luster of the I-C title in the pre-show. He has his match resulting in getting a cheap disqualification and ends up stealing the title at the end of the match. Yet another re-match set up for Wrestlemania. The log for Wrestlemania 31 should have a rewind button of fast forward button instead of play. On paper, this is shaping up as the Wrestlemania of re-matches.

Another re-match which most everyone expected coming in will be John Cena taking on Rusev who cheated by low blowing Cena and having him pass out in his version of the Camel Clutch. It all builds to the big Wrestlemania Re-Match with Rusev. Like with Bray Wyatt it seems Cena will get the win at Wrestlemania where it means the most.

Speaking of Bray Wyatt, he made his intentions crystal clear on his Wrestlemania direction as he came out faking an entire Undertaker entrance. Crowd wasn’t happy to see Bray in the casket. A match with an aging Taker really is a no win situation. Fans don’t want to see Taker lose a second year in a row. While Wyatt really can’t afford to lose another big time as he did last year with Cena. The other unknown is what Taker has left in his tank. What is forgotten by the result of Lesnar winning is how horrible the match was between the two prior to the historic result.

The main event was exactly what I thought it would be. Daniel Bryan gave Roman Reigns a great match but Roman wins the match clean and keeps his main event spot with Lesnar for Wrestlemania. People might hate it but after caving to fan pressure last year, they really can’t afford to do it again this year. While fans might dictate what becomes of Roman Reigns in terms of being a heel or a face they can’t dictate his match as well. They have to draw a line in sand at some point that puts fans in their proper place. It is chaos if fans are allowed to control to much of the booking and direction of the show.

In the end if this is what Fastlane will be for the future I don’t see it having a long history and just is the latest failed new WWE special event name. It was a show that lived up to it’s free price tag as it offered nothing much worth paying to see it. Another example of where NXT did more to sell me on the WWE Network than the main roster product in a month of free programming.

Oh and in case your brain dead Sting is fighting Triple H. Over something that happened over 15 years ago that we are now suppose to care about? WCW vs WWE the Invasion 15 years to late how thrilling. In the end this is Wrestlemania that may offer more groans than cheers.

No Austin For Mania 31....Past Stars Can't Continue To Be The Answer.

Shocking the wrestling media took something said by someone, made some assumptions, and got it wrong. Stone Cold Steve Austin says he is not training for any kind of return to the ring as you may have read on a zillion wrestling websites this one included. This is not some post about our lack of skill in reporting as wrestling journalists. Maybe someday we should write one of those as I often see things that make my skin crawl done by a lot of various sites. This is more about the WWE and their still counting on former stars to be headliners but that well is starting to run dry.

Look around at all the guys the WWE tends to count on and they are getting to old or have other interests that are a bigger priority for them than the WWE. Austin and Shawn Michaels have been the two guys that have not gone back on their wrestling retirements. Michaels has done some guest ref appearances as has Austin but that is a bout it. Michaels has made it clear to anyone that will listen he has zero desire or intention to get back in the ring for a match. Austin has been vaguer about it, in suggesting at times if he was not opposed to it, he could do a match for the right thing. WWE even went as far as planting the seeds for a CM Punk against Austin match.

Punk is not talking to the WWE and is barely talking at all these days. He was on Colt Cabana’s podcast for the first time in along time in the intro. He had little to say on himself, other than to lash out at the person that took his picture at an apple store when purchasing an I-Phone 6.

As far as Austin goes, the only other opponent that has been kicked around is Brock Lesnar. Something that Paul Heyman in two separate appearances on Austin’s podcast seemed to be trying to pitch to the rattlesnake. Austin does not seem sold on the idea but doesn’t dismiss it entirely.

Lesnar of course ended the vaunted streak of the Undertaker. We have seen a much more mortal Undertaker since taking photos with people and ending up on his wife’s instagram. He has not officially decided on if he is retired but based on his life these days he looks like someone who is. At this point, retired or not he is without question a shadow of what he once was. While people clamor for a match with him and Sting it is something that would not be all that good the time it got around to having a match. Taker had great performers like HBK, Triple H and C.M Punk hide the fact he was aging over the years. The Lesnar match exposed things and Taker got concussion early into the match. Still Taker was not the same and time has ultimately taken its toll along with decades in the ring.

Lesnar now the WWE Champion seems like he may want to return to the UFC with his health issues behind him. His contract comes due after this upcoming Wrestlemania. Many feel he might opt for a return to the UFC. Clearly, the door to that avenue for Lesnar is closing faster than a career in wrestling.

The Rock recently teased a match with Triple H at a Wrestlemania in the future with no real determination to which number it will be.

In any case, the point to all of this is that WWE is running out of stars they can count on to help carry the load. The time has come to build new stars and have them as the focus of Wrestlemania; it is past due in many ways. Still with Cowboys Stadium, the rumored home for Wrestlemania 32 it is unlikely the youth movement is going to be able to pull off that show on their own. The fact that aging stars are still considered viable options in 2014 is just insane.

At least everyone not named Hulk Hogan is on board about not wanting to see him wrestle again. Truth is that list should be growing as the years go on. WWE can’t keep turning back the clock and hoping that will help their future. It does not help build stars it just pushes them further down the card.

Believe in Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt and the other stars you have and allow them to take the spots they have earned. At some point you are going to have to do it and better you do it by choice than be forced too because you can’t convince past stars to return for a big payday that likely isn’t as big as it use to be with the transition to the network. Wrestlemania did make a Forbes Magazine list of top sporting events but to keep that going it is going to need new stars to help it reach 40, 50 and beyond.

5 Good Reasons For Brock Lesnar To Be Champion

There has been buzz for many months that Brock Lesnar is going to compete for the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The majority of those people feeling that Lesnar would win the title coming off his defeating of the Undertaker’s Streak at Wrestlemania 30. Almost for as long since news of Daniel Bryan’s injury being worse than expected (as he confirmed the other day) that it would be Cena and Lesnar. It has been talked about and been leaked on several occasions making the WWE’s Battleground next to irrelevant. Almost no one expects Cena to win this match. He had a win over Brock when he first returned from the UFC and many to this day point to it as major mistake made by the company. Coming of defeating the Undertaker many would feel losing to Cena would be an even bigger blunder.

So here is a list of 5 reasons why Brock as WWE World Heavyweight Champion makes sense. If you want to use the Triple H line why Brock is “Best for Business” go ahead. 

5. Brock Gets Attention: Even to this day Brock Lesnar captures the attention of people in general and specifically UFC/MMA fans as well as wrestling fans. He has been the most successful crossover superstar between the two worlds. The fact he beat the Undertaker’s streak was huge news around the world in main stream media and Brock was a secondary figure but made the story even more interesting to main stream non-wrestling media. WWE has very few stars in the company currently that have main stream stroke that they are known outside of the wrestling bubble. That is something the WWE has always valued as a way to pull in new fans to the product potentially.  

4. Paul Heyman: Given Brock’s contract the idea of putting the Championship on him would not be possible without Paul Heyman. The work Heyman has done at even the expense of Cesaro in keeping Brock and his defeating the Undertaker’s Streak alive. Assuming the obvious is going to happen and Lesnar wins the title Heyman would be counted on to represent the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He would basically cut the promos to represent Brock and the title and if the plan plays out as some see it he would do this for close to 6 months with only a couple of defences by Brock in that time and appearances. If not for Heyman it would not even be able to be considered. Just look at the situation for Daniel Bryan as proof of that. WWE could not afford to be without the WWE World Heavyweight Championship being represented. It shows the faith the WWE has in Paul if this does indeed happen and last until Wrestlemania 31 with Brock as the Champion.

3. Legitimacy: When Brock Lesnar carries your Championship suddenly that belt becomes very legitimate. Go have someone tell Brock Lesnar what he is doing is fake and his belts don’t mean anything. He makes that line blur from what is not real and what is real. His success in MMA legitimized the fact he was a legit monster that could kick ass. Some may say why should this matter and that wrestling have moved past this to some extent. Daniel Bryan even taking down criminals in Phoenix does not look the part. As much as I love CM Punk to just look at him the same is true. Brock love him or hate him has a presence and a legitimacy that is unlike anyone in the history of wrestling to a point.

2. WWE Network/Return on Investment:  When Brock originally came back he was brought back to pop some big numbers on pay-per-view. Now the whole game as changed but what hasn’t changed is the high salary for very limited appearances that Brock Lesnar receives has not.  The truth is with pay-per-view basically dead for the WWE and Network struggling Brock is a massive expense. What the WWE is hoping to do in putting the belt on Brock and basically have him pass the torch to a selected superstar (likely Roman Reigns) is the WWE’s attempt to get value out of Brock by using him to make a new mega superstar from the man that beats him at Wrestlemania 31. Anyone suggesting Brock will work more dates is just leaving in a dream world. Brock is at the end of the day a mercenary in terms of business. WWE is already massively overpaying him for the return he can provide them in their current set-up. So the next best thing is to use Brock to create the “NEXT BIG THING” as he was billed when he first entered the WWE.

1. If Not Brock Who?: The WWE really has few options otherwise to but in this spot. People will throw lots of names including Reigns as guys ready to hold the Title. In reality he isn’t and no one else of the new up and coming fan favourites is. You only need to look at a career of someone like Jack Swagger as an example of what can happen if you give someone a title to soon. Even more important with title unified you need to be sure someone is ready. Fans have had their fill of all the established options to but the belt on at this point. They are craving changing and tempting the WWE to move more quickly than they would like with various talents. While there is the challenge of not having the WWE World Heavyweight Champion on house shows and on television it is a risk worth taking if it leads to more buys for WWE Network and a new star to carry the company. There have been rumors of Cena taking more time to make movies and eventually stepping aside makes this vital for the future of the company. Brock has not been as much of a problem as he was in past in WWE. It is fairly simple now as he has a schedule he likes and is being paid extremely well. Lesnar is the guy that makes the most sense as fans seem to be willing to accept him as champion and having him paired with Cena will guarantee a positive reaction to him winning the Championship.

This is all assuming the WWE will be patient with everything. If they really were fearful and panicked and put the belt on Roman Reigns at Night of Champions that would be a major mistake. Sticking to the plan will be interesting given all the challenges with the Network and how the company will react to those expected bumps in the road. It is going to be a very interesting march to Wrestlemania 31 and will that even be on the Network next year? All questions we still don’t know the answer too. It will be interesting if WWE chooses to ride all of this time with Brock as the Champion and barely on programming. It is a major risk but on the WWE seems more and more likely to take. Originally the plan was to have Daniel Bryan come back and take the title at Night of Champions it was rumored but now it seems like Brock and Paul Heyman could be carrying the ball till Wrestlemania 31. After that promo on Monday it is hard not to feel safe that Heyman and Brock combined might just be up to the task. 

 

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Blame The WWE For Batista's Failed Return To The Company

Everyone can agree the Dave Batista’s return can only be classed as a major failure. If you didn’t see this coming you really should have. In the build to his return he was made to seem a much bigger deal than he actually was. There was talk that WWE had planned his return as more of a surprise and not how they ended up doing it. Regardless of that fact, it was doomed to fail based on a couple of factors.

First and foremost was the WWE over estimated the level of star Batista was. He was always a guy in my opinion that was carried more often than not by the people he worked with. WWE viewed him as an “A” level star and he clearly wasn’t.

His debut was weak and being friends with the biggest heel in Triple H was not exactly the way to make a top babyface talent. WWE fans already had picked their top babyface and it wasn’t Batista and it wasn’t John Cena. It was of course Daniel Bryan who had been the chosen one for quite sometime.

WWE unwillingness to put Bryan over and forcing Batista down the throats of the audience came to a head at the WWE Royal Rumble. It caused the WWE to change course and the plan for Bautista was dead and eventually so was his ill fated babyface run.

His in ring work was terrible when he first returned. He would limp his way to Wrestlemania 30 as part of the now three-way match that ended up being Daniel Bryan along with Randy Orton. He would be the man to take the fall to Daniel Bryan.

He would move on to the reformation of Evolution and would like in the past be carried by five superior talents to create two solid three on three match-ups and than it was over.  It was one of the worst return runs in terms of the dollars spent to return that was gotten from it in WWE history.

I don’t put a lot of blame on Batista and in fact think if he doesn’t come back, I wouldn’t blame him in the slightest. He is off to promote his movie "Guardians of the Galaxy" as was always planned. In the end the WWE screwed this up and they made one of their most typical mistakes at the core of this.

They saw a former star that was going to be in a main stream motion picture for big movies franchise like Marvel Comics and so this as a way to gain mainstream attention. They promised him the moon and the stars to come back. At the time they figured the Daniel Bryan fad would eventually die off and they could make Dave the champion and parade around with their championship getting that "oh so important" main stream attention.

They also saw him as mentioned as a higher level star than he really was and fans did not embrace him as such. He was not the big draw that he was expected to be.

I would like to think the WWE has learned from this experience but I will sit on the sidelines and wait to see if they actually have. The days of going to the well and being bailed out are coming to a close. The well has all but dried up at this point for them. Brock Lesnar is perhaps the lone exception to that, but even given the salary he is paid for the amount of dates he performs I am not sure how cost effective it is.

The time has come to create this era’s stars and count on them to build and grow the brand back to a level closer to the glory days. I am not saying having returning stars isn’t something they can do but in the right context. The way that Wrestlemania 30 started with that iconic moment with Austin, Rock and Hulk Hogan sharing a ring was fantastic. It was however just a moment and did not involve anyone being involved in matches or storylines. It was just that nice nod to the past of this great company.

There is only one match with a legend vs. a current star that I see as possible at this point and it would be CM Punk against Steve Austin. I would say not only is it possible it may be required for Wrestlemania 32 if they plan on heading to the Dallas Cowboys stadium and filling it.

This currently seems so unlikely with Punk himself declaring himself retired and Austin seeming to have little interest in an in ring return. But to suggest a Goldberg, Sting or any other old dinosaur you care to bring back from the dead would draw I see it as being out of touch with things. The match with the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar was a harsh look at what happens when you go past your expiry date in the ring. The Undertaker is one of the most respected people in the history of this company but to watch him stumble his way through that match with as we learned a severe concussion was sad to watch. His streak ending overshadowed the fact that he had no business being in the ring in his condition at that stage.

It is so hard to accept when sports legends skills lose the battle with father time. Even harder when wrestlers who have tricks,smoke and mirrors suddenly are exposed as normal humans like you and me.

WWE has spend a lot of money in all of their developmental aspects and it is time to have faith in that money spent and create a new generation of stars and let them shine. That should be the lesson for the WWE coming off the whole failed Batista run they have learned.

Why am I not confident that they have learned much of anything from it? History, which they constantly seem to try to go back too with diminishing results of success as their go to answer to problems as this magical fix.  You want to use history for something WWE, how about for promoting your network. That is the place to do it not in the ring with the current roster today.

If anything has been made clear by the WWE audience in the last 2-3 years they want change. They want change yesterday and they still haven’t got it. CM Punk and his rise to stardom was all about a man that wanted change and an audience that embraced that man and said so do we. Punk is gone and the audience remains with that same desire for change.

IWC Podcast with Guest Jason Agnew from The Law

It is our pleasure to welcome another great guest to the program this week. Jason Agnew has been one of the Co-Host's of The Law for well over a decade. You can hear The Law on TSN 1050 every Sunday night at 11pm. We talk about the two big stories of the week the end of the Undertaker's Streak and the death of  the Ultimate Warrior after having just been on WWE programming for first time in a long time. A great thrill to talk with Jason and be on Title Bout Trivia on The Law this weekend. Chris and myself offer our takes on Mania and the night after Raw.


You can catch Jason talking about the latest NXT on his podcast over on The Law website on the Fight Network. It was great to have Jason come on board and hope to have him back as well as perhaps some other members from The Law family.

Wrestlemania 30: Historic For Many Reasons But For A One Most of ALL

It will go down as one of the historic Wrestlemanias and the number 30 will not be the reason for it. It will be for a number of iconic moments that will live on forever and some that have the potential to be. Going into Wrestlemania 30 it was all about what would happen to Daniel Bryan. After things are over the talk is all about the end of the Undertaker’s Streak surprisingly.

After 5 years of legitimate threats to the Undertaker’s streak with matches with HBK and HHH Twice and CM Punk last year no one gave Brock Lesnar a hope in hell. The match itself was not all that good as I kind of foreshadowed as a possibility. Lot of MMA stuff in the match but it was slow and lethargic. Brock would hit a couple F-5’s on the Undertaker and no one believed he had a chance of winning off them. He would hit a third and a stunning three count would go down and the world would collectively be in total disbelief.

The Streak was dead and 21-1 flashed on the board and people still shocked moved on to confusion. Taker looked terrible and tired and like his age and magic of the streak was gone. The crowd eventual cheered him but still was trying to process what they just saw. Just like after the last Rock vs.Austin match, it was implied but not stated that we may have seen the last of the Undertaker it was a sad end to something that all fans, but Undertaker fans most of all held with such hi regard.

In a touch of irony Jimmy Korderas on our Podcast previewing Mania he talked about the wrong guy beating that streak. Most feel for a lot of reason’s Brock is that wrong guy. First being he is a part time wrestler and never really gains as much as someone else could from beating this historic streak. Let’s face it though Taker is the one that wanted this to end and Brock never wins if Taker wasn’t on board with it. In fact when this match was originally thought of Taker had reported wanted this match to end his streak years earlier.

This will be something that love it or hate it will be one of those moments you will remember for a lifetime and where you were and who you were with.

This was another moment like that in a much different way to kick off the show for both live and PPV audience.  Hulk Hogan came out as The Rock did back at Wrestlemania 27 when he hosted Wrestlemania. Hogan had some instant Botch-A-Mania material when he called the Superdome instead the Silverdome. Hogan would be interrupted by Stone Cold Steve Austin who teased Hogan about his flub and than asked the crowd if they wanted him to Stunner Hogan. Most seemed, all for that but given the state of Hogan’s health that was never happening. Instead Austin would but over Hogan and than the two would be interrupted by The Rock who would come out and talk about his iconic matches with both. Eventually Austin would call for the beers and the three would have a toast in the middle of the ring.

It was a cool moment that fit perfectly with an iconic number for a Wrestlemania. The reaction both live and on social media was very positive for this moment to kick off the show.

There was a lot of debate on when we would see the HHH and Daniel Bryan Match would take place. There were basically two schools of thought on this. One seeing this mimic what happened at Wrestlemania 10 with Bret Hart facing his brother Owen to kick off the show and return to face Yokozuna to win the title. Others felt this match would go back to back with the 3-way Championship match.

In the end they went the historic route and just like in that Mania 10 angle Bryan would have an injury story line that would progress throughout the night. Bryan was selling the beat down of a few weeks early when he was handcuffed and beating down. He came out with a wrapped up shoulder that would be a focal point of the match.

Triple H and Bryan delivered in the ring as many expected them too. Triple H would have Steph out at ringside with him and she was brilliant in her role as basically heel manager. In the end this match told a story of Triple H trying to work the injury to Bryan’s shoulder. He would hit a Pedigree on Bryan and he would kick out. The finish of the match would be Bryan landing his knee out of no where and getting the pinfall. HHH was furious as was Stephanie after the match and it lead to a violent chair shot to injured shoulder against the poll leaving Bryan injured and questionable to make it to the main event.  

If you blinked you missed The Shield beating Kane and Outlaws. Roman Reigns looked pretty good in this short squash match. Also in Canada if you were being good little boy or girl you were not able to see the pre-show match. It was for the tag-team title match which turned out to be an elimination tag match. Los Madators would be the first to exit followed by Ryback and Axel and we would be left with Usos and  Real Americans. In the end the Usos would retain and Real Americans would break apart. Csearo would go baby face and as things would turn out would end up on the main card in Battle Royal.

So why not go there next as the Andre Battle Royal went down. Not as shocking as streak ending the internet pick to win this match never was even in it. Rusev did not even participate in the match as it turned out. The match would come down to Dolph Ziggler, Csearo and Big Show the storyline favourite. There was one other person I think Del Rio in the final four. In fact it was Del Rio as he eliminated Ziggler I believe. In the end we got Csearo and Big Show.

How it would end was the early in the night mind blowing event. Cesaro would slam Big Show to the floor over the top rope in an amazing strength spot that was a throw back to Hogan slamming Andre. Show would in end shake hands with Cesaro and Cesaro would lift the Giant trophy of the Giant in the air in celebration.

Bray Wyatt and John Cena match was a story telling match but didn’t seem to jive with live audience as it did for me at home. If you remember the Cena Feud with Kane where Kane was trying to get John Cena to embrace the hate this took a similar vain.

By mentioning that feud I feel I have given Bray Wyatt not enough credit cause he did a much better job than Kane. He started the match on his knees begging Cena to hit him Cena would not go for it. Later in the match Wyatt was going to hit Cena with steal steps and Cena avoided it. Cena would pick up the steps and thought about hitting Wyatt with them but refused to do it. Later the same with a chair and even the ref had to encourage John not to use the chair. In the end the story of this match was great as Cena. In addition to battling with in himself he was always mindful of Wyatt’s family on the outside which would led to his demise and some near falls for Bray the best of which on a power bomb off Cena attempting his leg drop from the top.

In the end Cena got his finisher and the crowd through out this match was pretty flat to this match that had the best build heading into Wrestlemania. I am not sure if Bray based or failed in this match with Cena overall. He clearly didn’t have the crowd into it.  He may have had the whole world in his hand but it didn’t include the 70,000 or so in the Superdome.

The Divas got stuck following the Undertaker match and in the end they worked hard but no one cared and the matched ended with the expected finish if your smart to the game or unexpected result if you are not A.J Lee would get the win via her crazy submission hold on one of the Funkadactyls.

On to the Main Event and the crowd still have stunned tried to get into Bryan but were far less exited based on Taker outcome and fact they were just burned out at this point in general, As in the opening match both Orton and Batista would target the injured shoulder. Orton giving Bryan a Garvin Stomp to the shoulder.

The big spot of this match was Batista power bombing Bryan into a reverse RKO through a table. Orton would smash his back on a monitor and get legit cut. Bryan on the other hand looked dead and you could almost believe he may have been legit injured. They put a neck brace on Bryan and wheeled him off but he would rise off the stretcher.

HHH would make an appearance pulling out the ref and he brought along Steph and Ref Brad Armstrong. Remember him costing Bryan the title in one of those angles since Summerslam. He would count a fall against Bryan for only two. HHH would get in his ear as would Stephanie. Bryan would take a suicide dive and take out all three. Triple H would bring out the Sledge Hammer and end up on wrong end of it from Daniel Bryan.

A lot of false finishes would eventually lead to Daniel Bryan getting the tap out  win over Batista. His long 8 month journey would come to an end with him finally having his moment in the sun.

This was a really excellent Mania in my view despite the end of the streak I thought the show aside from that match it was a pretty good show bordering on great. Some great story telling in a lot of matches on this card. I really felt like this was a pretty well done Wrestlemania that matched and played to the history of the moment being number 30. But it will be most remembered for 21-1 at the end of day.

IWC Podcast: Wrestlemania Preview w/ Special Guest Jimmy Korderas

Wrestlemania 30 is just days away and we have a special guest on the program long time WWF/E Official Jimmy Korderas and currently part of Aftermath on Sportsnet 360. I speak with Jimmy about the roles of refs in wrestling, preview Wrestlemania 30, some exciting news for Aftermath viewers and a cool Randy Savage story. That and a whole lot more as we discuss the future of wrestling and where the WWE is heading. Chris Walder is also on the show my regular co-host as we make our Wrestlemania picks and talk some news from the week leading into Wrestlemania.


Thanks to Jimmy for joining us and here is a link to the article he wrote on Undertaker's Streak. For all the stuff on WWE at Sportsnet you can check it out here. Also if you have not a got a copy of Jimmy's Book: The Three Count: My Life in Stripes as a WWE Referee here is link to order it on Amazon.ca. Thanks so much to Jimmy for taking the time out to talk some wrestling with us it was much appreciated.

For folks that might have just found us please give us a like on Facebook to keep up to date with all the is going on in the Condo on The Moon. All that being said enjoy Wrestlemania and all the great events and content that is provides for wrestling fans.

Raw Notebook: Wrestmania Here We Come

It is human nature to complain about things, especially when it comes to something as subjective as wrestling but let’s give WWE some credit for the final segment of Raw prior to Wrestlemania 30. The final match featured Batista vs.Randy Orton which was suppose to be your Wrestlemania main event once upon a time. Out at ringside were both Triple H and Steph.

After over 6 months of Daniel Bryan being left for dead after countless pay-per views and Raw’s he finally got the upper hand prior to the biggest show of the year. Bryan would attack Triple H from out of no where beating him down. He would turn his focus to the ring and go after Batista and Orton. The show ends with Daniel Bryan leading the crowd in a “Yes! Yes! Yes!” chant.

It has been a rocky and winding road to this Wrestlemania but we got the ending that we deserved at the end of it all. It seems fairly safe to say Mania itself will have the final ending we all desire as well. So in the end there might not be a CM Punk match to look forward too but had there been one safe to say we are not getting this moment.

If CM Punk does make his way back to WWE at some point you have a great angle to bring him back as a monster heel.

Another person who seldom gets credit is John Cena from most wrestling fans over the age of nine. A stumble out of the gate but since the build to his match with Bray Wyatt has been tremendous. The climax to this build saw John Cena dressed plain with a sheep mask and sneaked up from behind and attacked the Wyatt family.

I still question if the result of this match, will end up being good.  It seems unlikely John Cena would lose this match. If that is true can Bray Wyatt really elevates himself? Let’s have a little faith and say he can given the great job they have done with this build you can tell a lot of care is being taken with his character to this point.

The show last night started with a very predictable Brock Lesnar F-5 to the Undertaker. I am so out of caring about this match as the build has been boring and predictable from the start. All I hope for is the Undertaker survives from this match in the reality of things. Lesnar is not the safest worker for himself or anyone in the ring with him or even fans at ringside.

Despite a rather strange and crazy road to Wrestlemania we have got to the destination that fans have wanted and really that is all the WWE can do at the end of the day.

Will have the IWC pod cast with a preview of Wrestlemania and fingers crossed a special guest later this week as well. So stay tuned to the Condo on the Moon and help us build are awareness with wrestling fans. I have really been enjoying interacting with people on all levels in wrestling world.

Lots of great stuff is sure to be found all over the internet in the build up to Wrestlemania. It is always a great time of year to be a wrestling fan be it attending the event itself or just enjoying all the content it provides.

IWC Podcast Episode 4 The Rocky Road to Wrestlemania

We are back for another week with the normal cast of character myself and Chris Walder. We talk about the build or lack of build to Wrestlemania 30. Some thoughts on that as well as some thoughts on what ROH is doing right that TNA and WWE are not. Also some pretty cool booking ideas that I spitball for Mania and beyond.




Thanks for listening and please spread the word about the IWC podcast and the Condo on the Moon Blog.

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Wrestlemania Is Suppose To Be A Privilege Not A Right

I have some serious concerns with what the WWE has done with Wrestlemania and the card this year. What the hell happened to "Ruthless Aggression" and the idea of being on the biggest show of the year being a privilege and not some entitlement by simply being on the roster? Between the Andre The Giant Battle Royal and the Diva’s Invitational, I am left to think if you are not on this Wrestlemania card you should just quit now or accept you are never going to be on T.V again.

Yes wrestling is not a true sport and it doesn’t have playoffs or keep track of your win/lose record over a time period, but Wrestlemania is billed as the showcase of the immortals. Sorry to break the news that Zack Ryder, Rosa Mendez and a list of other jobber level talents are not immortals. They have no business at all being on the biggest show of the year.

The logic as to why they are is it allows people to get Wrestlemania Payoffs as a reward for the year of service. Which by the way has yet to be explained how those will work and likely is a reason that Zack Ryder is in Wrestlemania and C.M Punk is not? That issue aside Wrestlemania is suppose to be a show that you earn the right to be a part of. The plot line of Total Divas that saw the Bellas match get bumped showed how crushing it can be for a performer to be left off the show. You can debate if that was a real or scripted moment but it did drive home the fact that Wrestlemania is special and unlike all the other PPVS in a year.

The WWE has become PG and geared at kids and this idea of everyone getting on Wrestlemania is like every kid getting a trophy in a sports league. What kind of a world have we become honestly? This is a professional business and it isn’t about making everyone feel all warm and fuzzy, it is about putting on the best show possible regardless of the number of people that takes. If I get to see HHH and Daniel Bryan wrestle 10 more minutes and am not able to see a battle royal that means nothing I am all for that. If Bray Wyatt gets 5 more minutes with John Cena and the Divas Title match has to go on the pre-show that is the way it goes.

When exactly was the point the WWE lost it’s grapefruits about booking Wrestlemania 30 the way it should be? If you book it like this is there any motivation for talent to strive to make it to that next level? Just by giving them some manufactured meaningless moment is that suppose to be some carrot to drive them to want to be in bigger more meaningful matches?

Just because you do bust your ass is no guarantee of anything and history shows that. C.M Punk has never made it to the main event. He has surly earned it through his work over the years but he has been upstaged by former stars and even The Miz taking that spot from him. Aside from Daniel Bryan who initially was not going to be in the main event the guys that have had the best year in the WWE you can argue have been The Shield. Their reward for that is another 6 man tag match with lesser stars than the year prior. Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus are a step above a match with Kane and New Age Outlaws that have not been in a mania in like over a decade.

Is the Undertaker in a match with someone who is a regular on the roster that can benefit from challenging the streak….5 out of the last 6 years the answer has been no. Granted it has produced classic matches and the Undertaker at the end of the day has to sign off on his opponent but still can we not find someone worthy on this roster of that honor?

Wrestlemania is a brand that has been established for having the very best compete in matches that are meant to have a chance to stand the test of time. The more that concept is watered down the more the brand of Wrestlemania suffers for it. Maybe not next year or the year after but if you continue down this path eventually it stops being the showcase of the immortals, it stops being different from every other WWE PPV and in the end it stops being special.

This is the one show a year that draws even some of the most casual and past fans of the product to it. If your goal is to win those people back shouldn’t you be giving them the very best of what you have to offer? Isn’t that the point of a show like this?

Wrestlemania is starting to lose its magic and just like the age of the Undertaker the warts are starting to show through. Wrestlemania has now reached the number 30 and if it is to keep on rolling to 50 and higher numbers this can’t be the type of attitude that is going to take it there. At some point these new young stars need to take ownership of this event and make it into what it is suppose to be which is not a right but a privilege to be a part of. Signing a contract to be in the WWE should not be a ticket to being on the biggest show of the year. It should be an opportunity to earn the right to be on it.

Hell the Scooby Doo Movie that just came out was harder to be a part of than Wrestlemania. Making the WWE Video Game was harder too. According to the Bauer and Pollock show no less than 63 performers are booked for this Wrestlemania. That is insane and not necessary in any way shape or form. NXT Arrival was harder for the NXT Roster to get on than it was to be on Wrestlemania how screwed up is that logic?

If you want to call wrestling a sport it would never work like that. If you want to call it entertainment how many people are left out of movies and T.V shows on casting calls?

Wrestling is all about establishing some sense of credibility with its audience. Things like this make it hard to take any of this seriously in the slightest. The reason we love the C.M Punk’s and Daniel Bryan’s of this world is their long struggles to make it to this big stage but not just because they made it to the WWE. Once they got there they didn’t stop earning it, they progressed and became two of the biggest stars in the company.

Being handed things like appearances in Wrestlemania for whatever people say it does for moral of the roster is over shadowed by the damage it does to the credibility of the card and the special nature that Wrestlemania has come to represent. Kids that dream of getting into this business dream of being on this show and one day being in its main event. The boyhood dream of Shawn Micheals is as real as wrestling can get. Now you are starting to spit on what that represents by allowing talent that isn’t even good enough to be on Raw be allowed to be a part of the biggest show of the year.

It is just NOT what is BEST FOR BUSINESS in a REAL and significant way.

Wins, Loses and Titles and If They Matter For Wrestlemania?

Coming from a pro sports background everything in that world is about wins and loses at the end of the day. Yet in pro sports today there is so many stats and the focus on those wins and loses seems to be to a lesser extent. While in the world of wrestling where outcomes are pre-determined we all seem to be obsessed with wins and losses some times. This includes the talent at times not wanting to put this guy over and lose a match.

Which leads to the obvious question do wins and loses actually matter in wrestling? The answer is not as black and white as it would seem. Obviously once have established yourself to a certain level the wins and loses don’t really matter as much as the match itself. Unlike in pro sports there is a story that goes along with the event or match. Sure sports can have stories too sometimes made by the media and sometimes just naturally happen. Wrestling is not like that it is a story that is already laid out to some extent.

Wins mean more for people that are trying to establish themselves with a wrestling crowd. Take the Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena match coming up at Wrestlemania 30. It seems fairly obvious who benefits more from a win between these two. John Cena gets a win it is a minor notch on his belt that would mean very little in comparison to his career. Bray Wyatt is a guy on his second gimmick and starting to build a huge buzz for himself. This is first big moment at Wrestlemania in a high profile match simply based on who stands across the ring from him.

It leads to this great debate on does Bray Wyatt simply need a good performance and wrestle a match that makes him seem on the same level with Cena?  If wins and loses truly doesn’t matter, the answer is obvious, but it does matter here based on people involved and where they are in their careers.

Another example of this is Daniel Bryan and his long and winding journey to Wrestlemania 30. There is no way to justify anything other than two wins for Daniel Bryan. It is all about building what the WWE has liked to coin “Wrestlemania Moments”: and Bryan is due for his this year in New Orleans. He has come full circle from a loss a few years ago with an 18 seconds loss to Sheamus.

In a strange sort of way this was the reverse of logic where a loss started all of where we find ourselves today. Fans were so upset that Bryan had been booked in the opening match and losing in such quick fashion that they rallied behind him and the Yes! Chant was made and got over to this day.

Perhaps the best example of wins and loses and what they mean especially at Wrestlemania comes down to what we all know as simply “The Streak” and it has a life of it’s own. That zero in the loss column for the Undertaker has become the biggest angle in the history of Wrestlemania.

The Streak for many should never come to an end. Others think it should one day end at some point. What we all believe though is that likelihood it ever ends becomes harder to imagine as the years go by. Still we all have that moment of doubt in a match for the streak. Going in we all know deep down it isn’t going to end but still there is that moment when something happens and you question yourself. The last 5 years of Undertaker matches involving HBK, HHH and last year C.M Punk have been some of the best matches in the history of this event.

So maybe just maybe wins and loses do matter at least on the biggest stage of the year at Wrestlemania. What has seemed to have lost its meaning and mattering at Wrestlemania at times have been the titles themselves.

In the early years of Wrestlemania the title matches for both the WWE and I-C titles were very important matches and so were the titles themselves. Long before the Rock won a title at Royal Rumble and lost it at Wrestlemania did the value of titles seem to lose their importance. In fact another example of The Rock against Hulk Hogan being booked as the Main Event at Wrestlemania 18 took the shine away from a HHH vs. Jericho match for the same Undisputed title we have today. Go back further to Wrestlemania 9 in Las Vegas where Hulk Hogan not even booked in a World Title match would walk away with the title after Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart. Year prior at Wrestlemania 8 the Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair match did not close the show it was Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice (Vicious) instead.

That just touches on the World/WWE Title there is no comparison to how far the Intercontinental Title and Tag-Team Titles have fallen.  Randy Savage against Ricky Steamboat has stood the test of time as one of the greatest matches not just in Mania history but in Wrestling history. This Wrestlemania the I-C Champ is in a battle royal. The Tag Titles had huge matches like the British Bulldogs defeating The Dream Team of Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and Brutus Beefcake. This year we may see the Jimmy and Jay Uso defend there titles against two guys that were having mania matches over 14 years ago. At least we think so but we are just weeks from the event and at this moment the Tag-Team titles are not even booked on the show as far as public know. Would it shock anyone to see this match on a pre-show?

I step out of the WWE and look over to ROH and what they do at their big show Final Battle and how they treat their titles. ROH makes Final Battle what Wrestlemania use to be as the conclusion to the unofficial wrestling year for a company. They have big feuds climax at that event. It always ends with what matters the most the Ring of Honor World Title.

It is a company where the focus of pretty much everyone on the roster is about getting to a level to win that World Title or one of the other two championships in the company.

No one is going to say filling a place in New York City that holds 2000-3000 people at most is the same as filling a football stadium. WWE no matter what path they take will always be number one and Wrestlemania is so established the name of the event sells it now more than any match they make or do not make.

A lesson can still be learned though about making the titles mean something and making a big show for your company mean something as well. Adam Cole will be defending his ROH Title in Ladder War 5 down in New Orleans against Jay Briscoe. It will not be seen by 70,000 people but it will be a hell of a match because the belt Adam Cole wears is not just a prop it matters. Just like if Daniel Bryan doesn’t win that title it will matter for fans. The champion that holds that belt doesn’t matter at the moment in WWE.

Even when Punk had historic title run the belt he held was not treated like the most important thing. John Cena was and that is flawed logic. The title in any wrestling company always outlasts the people that hold it. When a title isn’t strong than you have a problem that needs to be solved or addressed at some point to make it matter. Now you’re not relying on a belt that never gets injured your relying on a person or people to carry your show. If done correctly, that marriage of people and title can carry a company on to greatness. 

So really wins, loses and titles all do matter to some extent. If they didn’t why bother even declaring a winner and having a belt.