5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 6/29/15

Welcome to this week's WWE Raw preview article brought to you by Condo On The Moon. This week's Raw takes place from the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.! We're just about three weeks away from the WWE Battleground PPV. Also we're 5 days away from the "Beast in the East" Special on the WWE Network from Tokyo, Japan. Last week on Raw we found out three new matches for the Battlgeround Special Event: Ryback vs. Big Show vs. The Miz for the IC Title, New Day vs. Prime Time Players for the Tag Team Championship and Kevin Owens vs. John Cena for the US Championship. 20 days away from this big event will any more matches will be announced in these in between Raw's? Let's take a look at the five things I expect to see on tonight's Monday Night Raw.

1.) The Family is back together

Last week on Raw we saw the Authority comeback together to lay out "The Beast" Brock Lesnar. Rollins went onto SmackDown to signify that he's what he says he is and he defeated Dean Ambrose. It was announced on Saturday that tonight's main event of Raw will be: Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Kane & Seth Rollins. Here's a fun fact for you guys. Since Kane's join the Authority he's been in 48 main events of Raw's, SmackDown's and PPV's. Here's my thing I understand that you need Rollins to focus on someone while Brock will NOT be on tonight's edition of Raw, but why are you bringing back a main event of Raw that happen not only before Payback, but also the Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank? Joey Mercury severed three broken ribs due to the hands of Brock Lesnar we wish him a speedy recovery. Tonight for Raw I'll like to have Rollins stop harping on the Authority side of this angle. It's time for Rollins to put his focus on Brock Lesnar. We got it the family is back together. Rollins you have three weeks to give the WWE Universe a reason to believe that YOU can BEAT Brock Lesnar!!!! Bring up what happen at the Royal Rumble where YOU broke Lesnar's RIBS, Bring up WrestleMania where you stole the title away from Lesnar. Bring up that your are the architect and you Lesnar is playing your game. I believe that Bray Wyatt will disctrat Roman Reigns or even lay him out before the match starts, so I feel that Dean Ambrose will be left for nothing and Rollins takes out Ambrose for good. There's nothing for Ambrose to do here. Lay him out and write him off television for a month. Will Paul Heyman be on the show tonigth? If so talk about a great start to Raw with a in-ring promo segment with Rollins and Heyman.

2.) IC Three Way for Battleground 

I want you guys to check out this interview ^^. On my radio show I close out every single show with the weekly WWE.com interviews that Michael Cole conduct with the bevy of WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends. Reason being the #LittleThings! Alot of wrestling fans talk about lack of effective character development and not paying attention the "IWC" (Which I'm not part of nor can I stand.) Ever since Triple H turn heel at SummerSlam 2013 I've aired every single Michael Cole interviews since because that's where you get the major character development. Please check out this Big Show because towards the end he explains WHY he's still in the company and in high places. I may be in a island, but I love this feud with Ryback and Big Show. It works perfectly for both guys. Ryback is looking to take Big Show's spot and Show is still trying to show that he still matters and has a purpose in the company. Tonight I think we see one or two things. 1.) Big Show takes on Ryback in a match and 2.) Mark Henry vs. Big Show. If Ryback doesn't fight Big Show tonight maybe he competes against a guy like Bad News Barrett. As far as The Miz is concern, I'm not sure he's down in Orlando, Florida helping out with the Tough Enough show, so I don't get his purpose in this match. I'm guessing they can air a pre-tape with The Miz that can air after a Ryback or Big Show match, but he need a solid reason as to why Miz is in this match. Besides that I'm looking forward to what they do with this program tonight.

3.) John Cena vs. Kevin Owens III 

The battle of foregin languages happen last week on Raw! We found out that John Cena will be defending the United States Championship at Battleground against NXT Champion Kevin Owens. I expect both guys to be on the show tonight. One of the mistakes I felt the WWE made with last week's Raw was that neither guy were in a match. I know you don't want to overdue, but at the same time these open challenges and just in general the John Cena or Kevin Owens singles matches have been one of the best parts of Monday Night Raw in the past three months. There's nothing wrong with having the back and forth promos, but you have a three hour shows. There's no reason why these guys can have at least a 10-15 minute TV Match. Tonight I think John Cena gets the best of Kevin Owens. I think we'll see a John Cena US Open Challenge with Cesaro. And for Owens I think we may see a rematch with him and Dolph Ziggler. It's important tonight if Cena's going to do the Mr. USA thing tonight he gets the best of Owens.

4.) The Beast in the East Special on the WWE Network Preview 

Here's the card we know about now when it comes to the upcoming WWE "Beast In The East" Special on the WWE Network on 4th of July.

-NXT Championship Match~ Kevin Owens (c) vs. Finn Balor

-Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston

-John Cena & Dolph Ziggler vs. King Barrett & Kane

-Chris Jericho vs. Neville

-WWE Divas Championship Match~ Nikki Bella (c) vs. Naomi vs. Paige

-Lucha Dragons vs. New Day

I'm interested in seeing if the WWE does any or zero promotion for this event on tonight's show and also who else will be on this show? I'm sure we'll some type of promotional video package, but it would be nice to see Kevin Owens or any talk about the Special this Saturday.

5.) The New Day 

That's it enjoy the comedic nature of this amazing trio.

I hope you enjoy tonight's Raw! Try to sit back and not be a Roger Ebert wannabe. Watch the show for what it is and then make your thoughts be apparent. We effective our "expertise" dictate our moods towards a show. I promise you if you sit back and not OVER THINK every single mi-nute points of the show you'll enjoy it.

Make sure to check me out on my radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT! I will be speaking to former TNA Wrestler Gunner.

Follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 6/22/15

Welcome to this week's WWE Monday Night Raw preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon. The road to WWE Battleground makes a pit stop in Indianapolis, Indiana for Monday Night Raw at the Bankers Life Field House. Last week in WWE programming we found out that Seth Rollins will defend the WWE World Heavyweight Title against Brock Lesnar at Battleground, Kevin Owens destroy MGK, and Bray Wyatt begins the mind games with Roman Reigns. We're just about 4 weeks away from the third annual Battleground PPV in St. Louis, Missiouri. Here's five things you can expect to see on tonight's edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

1.) Is Seth Rollins title reign coming to an end?  

The future of the WWE Seth Rollins, current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, has had a big chip on his shoulder since the disbanding of The Shield. Rollins was "Plan B" for The Authority and now Rollins is on his own. In a promo segment with The Authority last week on Raw, Triple H stated that its time to put the pressure on Rollins and at the upcoming Battleground PPV, Rollins will be putting his world title on the line against a raging "Beast" Brock Lesnar who made his return to WWE Programming last week. As it seems like the entire world is against Seth Rollins. How will Rollins carry himself over these next couple of weeks as he prepares for the biggest match of his career? In the video above you'll see a promo from SmackDown where Rollins states that this is the match he wants. There's no doubt Seth Rollins is a confident World Champion and I encourage that, but how can anybody believe that Rollins can dethrone the Beast? Rollins stole the WWE World Title at WrestleMania and has squeezed out victories over the past three months. It seems like the Authority are in good graces with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar after Stephanie suspended Brock on the Raw after Mania. I think for tonight we'll see the first of a few promo battles between Rollins and Heyman. Rollins will subtly convince the authority to be on his side. If Rollins wrestling tonight I think he has a match with Kane.

2.) Owens vs. Cena III?

I put a question mark next to the title of this point because what would you do with the John Cena and Kevin Owens feud? Owens is on a roll and it doesn't matter what show he's on, Kevin Owens is seemingly un beatable at this point. Owens on Monday destroyed Dolph Ziggler and MGK and declared that he want's a rematch with John Cena and not just any type of rematch, this time he wants the United States Championship on the line. On NXT Owens gets in a massive brawl with Samoa Joe. Owens defeated Cesaro in a good back and forth match on SmackDown. In a couple of weeks Owens will be defending the NXT Championship against Finn Balor on the July 4th Special on the WWE Network from Tokyo, Japan. For tonight's Raw I think we'll see John Cena return after taking a week of television off. I think Owens and Cena will have another promo segment which will lead to Owens laying out Cena to the point he'll won't be able to compete at Battleground or we'll see the Authority suspend Owens for a month due to his actions to not only John Cena, MGK, but maybe Owens lays out an announcer on Raw tonight.

3.) Raw Matches 

I'm going to put out a list of matches that we'll possibly see in this three hour Raw from Indianapolis.

1.) Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro

2.) Ryback vs. The Miz w/Big Show on Commentary

3.) Darren Young w/Titus O'Neil vs. Kofi Kingston w/The New Day

4.) Dolph Ziggler vs. Bo Dallas

5.) Sheamus & Kane vs. Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose

6.) King Barrett vs. Neville w/R-Truth on Commentary

7.) Alicia Fox vs. Paige

8.) Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton


4.) WWE Battleground Mid-Card Feuds 

I think as the weeks go by it would be good to take a big picture aspect approach in setting up the card for Battleground in four weeks. I think we can see Randy Orton and Sheamus pairing up at Battleground. I wouldn't be surprised if Dean Ambrose and Kane will meet at up at the show. Prime Time Players defend their tag team titles against The New Day. Finally in a three way match Ryback defends the IC Championship against Miz and Big Show.


5.) Roman Reigns & Bray Wyatt Feud 

I'll keep this short and sweet because I want this story to play out because it's this feud has the potential to be something we haven't seen in a longtime or ever. I love this pairing of Reigns and Wyatt because we can see major character developments with both characters over the next couple of weeks. I think for tonight we'll continue to play mind games with Reigns and continue to bring up Roman's past and his family. Reigns will be upset and I just can't wait to see what they do with Roman and Bray on Raw tonight.

Hope you guys enjoy this week's Raw preview article.

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR and I'll follow you back just let me know that you seen this piece.

Make sure to check out my wrestling radio show "Pro Wrestling Experience" live every Wednesdays from 10am-1pm CT on "ChicagoLand Sports Radio" on the TuneIn Radio App and simulcast on WLGK Logik Radio on Saturdays at 5pm ET.

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 6/8/15

Let the good times roll! That's right welcome to this week's Raw preview article where we take a look at the week of the WWE and the five things we can expect to see on the flagship Raw. This week's Raw emanates from the home of WrestleMania XXX New Orleans, Louisiana. The Smoothie King Center will be the home to the go-home show to this Sunday's WWE Money in the Bank PPV. In this piece I'll give you four things to expect on the show and then for the fifth point I'll give you guys my predictions for this Sunday's PPV! LET'S ROCK!!!!!!!

1.) The Future is the Present

Seth Rollins is in the cross roads of his WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign. Not only does he have numerous of superstars going after his throat, but not the champ says he doesn't need the Authority anymore. In this clip above you see a great segmenet between Rollins and Ambrose from SmackDown. Take a listen to this and both Ambrose and Rollins made tremendous points. The reason I added this clip to the piece is because Ambrose and Rollins should speak for themselves. Ambrose doesn't need Reigns and Rollins doesn't the Authority. Tonight on Raw I can expect to see Roman Reigns vs. Kane due to the actions from last week's SmackDown and Dean Ambrose will take on Sheamus. For Rollins expect a intervention if you will or some type of segment where the Authority pulls off a "Seth Rollins" appreciation night.

2.) Will the Prime Time Players cash in on those Million of Dollars?

Darren Young and Titus O'Neil have had an interesting journey in their 5-6 years with WWE. Both stars came from the FCW Developmental System and the first couple seasons of NXT. Both Darren and Titus have had their run as rivals and as a entertaining tag team starting in 2012. Prime Time Players have always been one of those tag teams where they stellar on the mic and everybody loves this team whether their faces or heels, but since the inception of this team PTP has never won a WWE Tag Team Championship. PTP defeated Lucha Dragons and The Ascension in a number one contender's match on SmackDown. PTP will take on The New Day at Money in the Bank for the WWF Tag Team Championship. I love this tag team. I also love The New Day, so whether PTP wins on Sunday or not, I just wish that this feud will continue and Darren and Titus will get their moment to shine at the end of the day.

3.) Change in the Divas Division? Bark and No Substance 

We've spent about seven months going on diabtribes and crying on social media about "Give Divas A Chance and NXT this and that", but here's a reality check for all of you guys. Doesn't matter who you bring up from NXT the matter of the fact is this. There's no substance in a division that's never been put in a higher degree. Even when you had the girls from the Ruthless Aggression Era having stellar matches and RARE main event match, but here's my thing. Was those divas doing the stuff the divas were doing in NXT? Sorry but to be honest here Trish and Lita are not the only great iconic women's wrestlers from that generation. It's a miscarage of justice to not mention the work of girls like Victoria, Molly Holly, Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Melina, Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres and Alicia Fox. Paige has seemed to take on the role that AJ protray before she retired and here's the thing. Paige says that she's tired of the Bella Twins and there's a time for a change. I can see Paige vs. Brie Bella for Raw tonight and at Money in the Bank Nikki Bella will defend the Divas Championship against Paige.

4.) Kevin Owens vs. John Cena II and Battle of Epic Promos III 

There's not much that needs to be said about this storyline it really speaks to itself. James and Walder talked about how much this Owens/Cena rivalry is really bringing the reality in the Reality Era. Kevin Owens had his first NXT Championship Open Challenge against Zack Ryder on SmackDown. We know that this feud has became personal between Cena and Owens and they'll be going to war at Money in the Bank. Will this match become a No DQ type of match or do we have the same type of match we saw at Elimination Chamber? For tonight I think we can see another NXT or US Open Challenge. Owens vs. Neville for the NXT Championship or John Cena vs. Luke Harper for the United States Championship. You'll know who will win this match by who's standing tall by the end of Raw tonight.

5.) Money in the Bank 2015 Predictions 

1.) WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Ryback (c) beats Big Show

2.) WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Prime Time Players beats The New Day (c)

3.) WWE Divas Championship Match
Nikki Bella (c) beats Paige

4.) Kevin Owens beats John Cena

5.) WWE World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money in the Bank
Roman Reigns beats Kane, Sheamus, Neville, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton

6.) WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
Seth Rollins (c) beats Dean Ambrose


Hope you guys enjoy this week's Raw preview. I hope you guys enjoy Money in the Bank

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Please check out my radio show the "Pro Wrestling Experience" every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT on "ChicagoLand Sports Radio" on TuneInRadio.

Raw Talking Points Featuring The Debut Of Kevin Owens On Raw

It was just over a year ago I met Kevin Steen and now he is of course Kevin Owens and he showed up on Monday Night Raw! This alone was reason to love this episode on Monday Night Raw but there was lots more reasons to love Raw as it turned out. For the second time in a month, Raw really hit a home run in my opinion. I was not as fond of Payback the event the night before but after this Raw, any thoughts of Payback were a distant memory. So let’s dive in and give you five talking points that made this Raw one of the best of the year. This was headlined by one of the best WWE debuts in perhaps the last 10 years.

Kevin Owens meets John Cena: This was as if some ROH fans dream come to life in the WWE. A year ago that is wear Kevin Steen was facing guys like Adam Cole and Shinsuke Nakamura. Last night he was in the ring face to face with as John Cena calls himself the man that runs the place that is WWE. Kevin Owens got the better of John Cena on the microphone and instead of answering the U.S Challenge like Neville and Zayn before him; he simply laid out John Cena. He stated that he would fight Cena on his own terms.  Holding his NXT title high and stepping on the United States title.

As a Canadian the stepping on the U.S belt was a sign of the fact that Kevin is Canadian and he really has a chance now to be Canada’s big star in WWE like guys like Edge, Chris Jericho and Bret Hart and others have been in the past. Later in the night, Kevin announced that as he promised earlier he would fight John Cena but not on this night instead at the Elimination Chamber event in two weeks. For my money, this was one of the best WWE debuts in a long time. It easily was short of The Shield the best NXT debut we have seen. Kevin Owens is a guy who can deliver. WWE to this point has booked him as the massive star he truly was on the independent scene in North America and in ROH. This is something that never happened for the likes of Daniel Bryan, C.M Punk and others. Kevin is the right man at the right time to make a massive impact on the WWE. People talk about Finn Balor, Sami Zayn as big stars for WWE in the future. To me Owens is the safest bet they have to make a major impact and he showed that tonight.

Stephanie Returns To Raw: People may hate her but let’s be honest Raw is a lot more fun with Stephanie than without her. I just enjoy the hell out of her character and she was involved in to angles throughout the night. She ultimately ended up being forced into booking Dean Ambrose in a WWE World Title match with Seth Rollins. She also continues her feud with Brie Bella and now Nikki Bella by forcing Nikki to go out and defend her title alone. Suggesting that Brie might need some therapy with all she has gone through with her husband Daniel Bryan’s medical issues. No one pulls of fake sincerity like Steph. There are a million little things that Steph does that are truly great.

Lana and Rusev Soap Opera: It has been teased and rumored for a while that the break-up of Lana and Rusev was coming. A legit couple in real life saw their on screen partnership break apart. The final blow was Lana actually being the one to quit on behalf of Rusev at Payback. Rusev would come out with no Lana and eventually she would come out against his wishes. She stated that Rusev quit in his native tongue of Bulgarian. Rusev denied it, called her weak, and sent her to stepping. Later in the night, Lana would return and get in a lip lock with Dolph Ziggler, which would lead to Rusev coming out and getting involved with Dolph. Both will be participants in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacant I-C title. A nice sub-plot to the larger match that will also see Sheamus, Ryback, R-Truth and King Barrett take part in. I would assume Ziggler will Americanize Lana and work a program with Rusev coming out of Elimination Chamber regardless of if either wins. Rumors have been that Sheamus will ultimately win this match. This is based on him being billed as the reigning I-C champion for an upcoming event.

New Day: Continues to Suck Impressively: The New Day got a controversial win as Kofi and Xavier Woods performed “Twin Magic” to win the final fall of their match with Cesaro and Kidd at Payback. They would be forced to defend the titles again with Woods banned from ringside on Raw. It would merely be the set up to the first ever Tag-Team Elimination Chamber Match. Other teams involved beyond the two mentioned include a cast of jobber teams. Los Matadors, The Ascension, The Prime Time Players and Lucha Dragons will all be in this match. Expect New Day to find a way to beat the odds and retain. These there guys have really embraced this role as over the top baby faces that are in reality massive heels. One of the biggest turnarounds of a bad gimmick in wrestling that I can personally recall. New Day Rocks at Sucking and the fans love to hate them.

No Reigns, No Orton, and No Problem: Payback saw both Roman Reigns and Randy Orton in the main event but nowhere to be found on Raw the next night. This left the stage open for Dean Ambrose to swoop in and get his title shot with Seth. Reigns was promoted as returning on Smackdown and there was no mention of Orton at all who took the pin in the fatal-four way match. The show didn’t miss either as it worked out very well without them allowing the Owens’ debut and Ambrose title opportunity to get their shine. What Roman and Randy are doing for Elimination Chamber may not be decided yet or it can get its own stage on Smackdown to announce that. It was the right call to give both the night off.

This was one of those Raw shows that suck you back in as a disgruntled fan. Kevin Owens had one of the best debuts in a long time probably since The Shield arrived and Dean Ambrose got a chance to return to the main event scene. It really seemed like a show that was designed for the hardcore fan base there was a ton of promotion for the NXT Unstoppable card this Wednesday on the Network. It was mentioned a ton in and based around the Owens appearance. No one loved this Raw more though than Owen Steen the son of Kevin who was surprised to find out his dad was fighting John Cena. When Kevin first signed in NXT and had to move his family to Orlando Owen’s question for his dad was when was he going to get to fight John Cena? The answer is May 31st at Elimination Chamber.

Check out his reaction via Kevin’s wife’s instagram if you have not seen this already. Cool stuff!

Condo On The Moon Podcast #59

We get more controversial than these two did on Thursday. Which isn't saying much. We get into all the rest of the week's news in pro wrestling. So sit back and enjoy an hour plus that will include not Chris Jericho butt kissing we guarantee you 100%.



If you are unable to listen or download here head over to Podomatic and you can do it there.

Wrestlemania Review: A Night With Some Surprises

I am not sure what this says for the building to big events given how Wrestlemania turned out. I can honestly say heading into the show, I literally had no interest in who won any match. Yet the show turned out to be a great wrestling event. It wasn’t what some people are saying the greatest Wrestlemania ever. It was very good though for the most part. What this show did have going for it was the unexpected that has been lacking in wrestling for years. Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance with The Rock. The rumor mill had made it clear Rock was going to be there. People also knew Ronda would be there as a fan. In fact, WWE even acknowledged her presence at the show. No one expected her to get in the ring and judo throw Triple H and gently attacked Stephanie’s arm. In a world, that it is hard to keep a secret this had been planned months ago and had the approval of Dana White Ronda’s boss in the UFC.



In addition, the WWE did a pretty good job of booking themselves out of what seemed like a tough situation for their main event. Some had thought that Seth Rollins could have cashed in his Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania. However, no one expected the twist of Seth coming out during the match because it had never happened before. They were able to build Roman Reigns and make him look strong. Brock was not pinned to lose his title. While Seth Rollins the best heel currently on the regular roster, walk away the New World Heavyweight Champion.

If you’re into nostalgia, you were able to see a ton of it in the Sting vs. Triple H match. We had DX and N.W.O get involved in a very over-booked match. Sting got his moment for the people that care about that. He didn’t get the win. In the end, did you really expect Vince McMahon to “put over” the franchise wrestler of the company that tried to run him out of business? Better yet against his own Son-In-Law in Triple H. Even more to the point how many more matches will Triple H have compared to Sting. How much would it mean for Triple H to lose matches to guys like Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose Bray Wyatt or other rising talents. If Triple H loses to a guy in his mid-fifties that by the end of that match looked like it. How would this be for his credibility?

The United States and Intercontinental titles have been elevated coming out of this event. The Tag Team Titles and Diva’s Title look fairly week.

Tag Titles were defended on the pre-show and at least Cesaro and Kidd retained. They did have some cool spots but it having two-jobber team’s involved and half of the Uso’s did the match no favors. While the Diva’s title was not defended and the tag-team match with the Bella’s and Paige and A.J did get some time but fell flat. The girls tried hard but it just didn’t come off but at least the girls that can wrestle won with A.J got the champion Nikki Bella tap out.

The Intercontinental Title ladder match was much hyped but for me was a typical ladder match. Some cool spots and a nasty bump for Dean Ambrose that you hope really didn’t get him injured. In the end, the rumored winner Daniel Bryan was in fact the winner. They tried to make this seem a big deal with a cast of hall of famers that held the title was congratulating Daniel backstage. It is still impossible not to see the contrast in the fact Daniel Bryan winning the world title last year and this lesser title this year. I am just glad Bryan made it out of this match injury free.

The WWE went all out to try to make fans cheer John Cena. It was almost like a propaganda film with the entrances for this match. Lana was back and led Russian army men carrying the Russian flag with the Anthem playing. If all that wasn’t enough we had artillery guns firing on the stage and Rusev came in on top of a tank. John Cena was preceded by Republican based U.S propaganda film complete with clips of Ronald Regan, George W. Bush etc and all kinds of typical American images.

Still by the time Cena entered the crowd was singing along to Cena’s theme telling him he sucks. The result of the match was fairly predictable as spoiler alert John Cena wins. I knew this when rumors of this match first surfaced 6 months ago. The match end came with Rusev knocking Lana off the apron as Cena avoided him. Cena became the first man to defeat Rusev. He defended America even though the crowd was pro Russia amazingly, as that sounds. For all the defenders of John Cena I challenge you to defend how he can’t get over in the most patriotic USA USA angle. In any case, he holding the U.S Title does help continue keeping the title strong as Rusev had begun to do. Rusev and Lana seem to be on the rocks but Lana still has a movie to finish so they might not be done. However if they decide to split them it will hurt both in a major way. Rusev needs Lana as much if not more as Savage in his early years needed Elizabeth.  

Oh maybe this was me trying to block it out but Big Show won the Andre Battle Royal. They did pull the trigger on the Miz and Mizdow break-up. They were the other two in the final three.  Show backed out and let Miz and Mizdow fight, as Mizdow eliminated the Miz. They did give Mizdow a decent little chance to eliminate Big Show but eventually failed to do it. While the Miz and Mizdow feud was featured the tension between Big Show and Kane was forgotten.  Ryback was in the final four and had several people eliminated at his hands. The opening spot of the match was fun as the entire battle royal turned on Curtis Axel and literally, body surfed him out of the ring as the first eliminated.



Bray Wyatt and Undertaker likely were most disappointing. Reports that Wyatt had hurt his ankle prior to match seemed legitimate. While the Undertaker looked more mobile than he has in the past few years. He grew out his hair as well and overall looked in better health and shape. This all being stated the fact he likely retires next year in Dallas is a good thing for him and for us, as he really should have retired before now. He did get the win over Wyatt and that might have been an audible with Bray's injury or it may not have been. The response for this match seemed muted as it followed the Rock and Rousey show with the Authority. Fans were pro Taker and got what they wanted. Bray may miss a week or two with his bum ankle that he fought through like a champion. Give full marks to Wyatt for working at less than 100 percent. 

The crowd hated Roman and they loved Brock, which shocked no one. Brock called the majority if not all of this match until Seth came out. It was a good fight and Brock legitimately getting hurt added to the match. He looked a bloody mess by the end. He still gave a beating to Reigns and to his credit, he took it. I really gained respect for Reigns even if that makes me in the minority so be it. He took his medicine and still worked very hard.

The booking to end things was fairly brilliant to use Rollins and Money in the Bank with a unique never before seen cash in. Earlier in the night, Rollins had a great match with Orton that Randy won. Rollins taking an amazing RKO to close that match which seemed forgotten after his stunning cash in to win the title.

In the end a Wrestlemania that I felt little to no investment, it wound up being a pretty great show. I give credit when things are good and this Wrestlemania was good, was worth my time, and kept my attention throughout.    

Brock Lesnar Holding the Wrestlemania Main Event Hostage At This Point

It has been a wild 48 hours or so in the land of WWE as there may never be a road to Wrestlemania like this one. A fan movement by WWE fans to get more attention and time followed by A.J Lee and Stephanie McMahon engaged in twitter combat. Steph was reacting to something from the Oscars about women’s equality and it led to A.J Lee responding with thoughts on how that equality does not occur in WWE. Lee has been missing from WWE with an apparent neck injury. There is also a ton of baggage tied to her husband C.M Punk. Who recently has been sued by the WWE doctor he called out in his November podcast with Colt Cabana, who is also being sued.  WWE has come out in just support of their doctor who is suing Punk and Cabana for what was originally reported as one million dollars in damages but the figure has risen to two million in later reports in his defamation legal action.

Normally a drama like this would be big news but it is really just a side story after news and rumors that broke yesterday. Stephanie did respond to Lee on twitter thanking her for voicing her opinion.

The opinions on the Wrestlemania 31 main event have been many in the past months with Roman Reigns now locked in it would have appeared to face Brock Lesnar. The kickoff to building that main event should have got rolling in full effect this Monday on Raw. Brock Lesnar attended but apparently walked out and ended up not appearing on the show. There was a rumor going around this surrounded Lesnar not wanting to fight Reigns based on the fact he allegedly had failed a drug test. It seems this was more fiction than fact from what most are saying once this rumor hit the main stream on the internet. What everyone agrees is Brock did walk out and is not happy about something. Lesnar has been widely rumored to be considering a return to MMA once his contract ends after Wrestlemania.

Lesnar is not scheduled to appear on WWE television again until March 9 th and a second appearance on the Monday prior to Wrestlemania. There is now at least some doubt if Lesnar will actually be a part of things. Could the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion be a no show for Wrestlemania?

After all the drama and struggle to keep Roman Reigns in this main event to defeat Lesnar and be crowned the Champion and the unofficial future face of the company it might be Brock that is the biggest problem not Daniel Bryan and his fan base.

If Lesnar were to walk out on the WWE in the same way as C.M Punk did 13 months ago, it would literally turn Wrestlemania upside down with basically a month to go to the show. It would make sense that if Lesnar does not appear on television for the March 9 th appearance it would be huge cause for concern for the Wrestlemania main event and be at a critical stage. How long could the WWE go along without introducing a plan B to explain Lesnar’s being eliminated from the picture and the title he holds most likely being declared vacant.

This would be a last resort and could really put the WWE in a situation they have never faced. In the past big matches for Mania has been placed in state of jeopardy based on injury. Rock vs. Austin the final of the series of three had Austin in hospital the night prior. Kurt Angle was dealing with serious neck issues entering his match with Lesnar for the title when they faced off for the title.

What all of this says or at least implies is that Lesnar is not likely re-signing with the WWE and even if he shows up for Wrestlemania to say he will be easy to work with for an inexperienced Roman Reigns would be a fantasy most likely.

The drama behind the scenes heading into this Wrestlemania is becoming far more interesting than the card itself. This would be a terrible situation if the WWE could not produce the main event they have promised and basically pushed through despite fans not being on board with it. This could all be a great work to ensure Lesnar comes off as a heel in his match with Reigns but that is likely wishful thinking. Is it to late to book Triple H and Stephanie against Punk and A.J Lee as the main event? I joke but what they would have to come up with at this late stage would be far from ideal to say the least.

Finally... Randy Savage Is Where He Belongs In WWE Hall Of Fame

Finally, it has happened Randy Savage is going to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. As a life long Randy Savage fan, you would think this would be a huge moment. It was but not as big a moment as it could and should have been for myself. After all Vince McMahon confirmed Savage would be in the Hall of Fame on the Stone Cold Podcast. TMZ also reported earlier in the day this was going to be announced which the WWE made clear during Raw. This all took away from the moment when Savage was officially put in the Hall of Fame.

That was bad enough, but to hear that Hulk Hogan is presenting Savage for induction made me sick inside. It is no secret that Savage for many points in his life hated this man legitimately. Hulk Hogan claims that Savage had made peace with him for their differences. Hulk Hogan has lied about so many things and we are just supposed to believe him? I personally do not and am sickened that Hogan is trying once again to push his way into Savage’s moment. This is not unlike when Savage won the title at Wrestlemania 4.

The recent Savage DVD promised answers to why Randy was not in the Hall of Fame. The DVD never really gets into other than vague speculation. In addition not one member of the McMahon Family was featured in this DVD.

The urban legend is that Savage had some kind of affair with Stephanie McMahon. Something in interviews Savage’s brother Lanny Poffo when asked about it would not deny it and in fact vaguely confirmed it. If Lanny is behind this whole thing, the fact he has allowed Hogan to be involved in this moment I personally will never forgive him for as Savage Fan. Poffo unlike his brother has always loved Hogan for giving him in his mind his big break as “The Genius” fighting Hogan on a Saturday Night’s Main Event for the title. Which was Lanny’s only shot ever at a title in the WWE that I can recall.

WWE has taken a moment that should be celebrated by all Macho Man fans, and WWE have found a way to take away from what should be a special moment. This moment was long overdue for Randy Savage and should have happened while he was alive. That fact alone was hard enough to deal with forget about adding Hogan to the mix.

In the end, Randy Savage deserved this honor for well over a decade before it actually has happened. WWE has found a way to take a moment that should be celebrated, but have taken away from the joy that should be associated with this for longtime Savage fans.

Savage’s true legacy is how many people Randy actually turned on to wrestling. Many wrestlers that got into this business did in part because of Randy Savage and all he did in this business that is his legacy. C.M Punk was one of those guys and he brought Savage to light for modern fans by doing his elbow drop in WWE as a tribute to Savage. He also wore Savage gear the week after his death on Raw. Jay Lethal is another guy who has taken on the Savage persona as a tribute to Randy as well.

There are many people that would not be wrestlers and millions more that would not be fans of wrestling without Randy being part of professional wrestling.

I celebrate the fact that WWE finally did the right thing by putting Savage in Hall of Fame. The whole process of putting Savage in the Hall of Fame is being ruined for me as a fan of his for years. WWE will no doubt look to cash in on the memory of Savage where ever and whenever they can now.

Randy Savage deserved to live to have this moment in his life. WWE robbed him and us his fans of that moment. Nothing that happens in this induction can make up for that.

Still it is nice that finally Randy Savage is where he has always belonged in the WWE Hall of Fame.

5 Talking Points Coming Out of Raw ( 01/05/15 )

The return of the Authority brought with it a pretty brutal edition of Raw. There were many reasons why this Raw was terrible which came on the heels of at least an interesting Raw to close out 2014. There was a change to Royal Rumble main event, the continuation of terrible booking for Roman Reigns and end of a disappointing Ambrose and Wyatt feud. It really was disappointing and for those who sampled NJPW they had to be scratching their heads. I did not think Wrestle Kingdom was as awesome as others did but in comparison to what we saw on Monday night, it was mind-blowing difference in the products. So let’s dive into it and figure out where this is all heading.

1. Roman Reigns Continues To Be Killed By WWE’s Pushing of Him: People blame Roman Reigns for not getting over but in reality, he has been handcuffed and I am not sure anyone could get over with the crap he has been given. Booking him against the Big Show is the first part of the problem. Name me the last person Big Show actually got over in a feud. The WWE is booking him strong against the guy in Reigns they are trying to push to the moon. Every time Reigns has to sell to Big Show, it kills him a little more.

There could be some debate about that but not much that makes sense. What can’t be debated is terrible writing that has been given to Reigns in terms of promos. People talk about his lack of ability to get over a promo. I suggest to you that you need to have the material to have a chance to get over. The latest Reigns literal Superman promo was the worst yet and trust me you can BELIEVE THAT!

2. Seth Rollins Added to Royal Rumble Main Event: Perhaps the most debatable point in recent months is if Rollins is over as a heel. WWE has booked him into the Royal Rumble Championship match with John Cena and Brock Lesnar. No one really wanted to see Lesnar vs. Cena III straight up for the title. So adding Rollins to the mix is interesting and does make sense based on how the second Cena vs. Lesnar match ended.

Maybe I am in the minority but I have a hard time buying Seth Rollins as a serious threat to become the World Champion. I can’t imagine Rollins as the Champion in the Main Event of Wrestlemania 31. Perhaps putting him in his title match is a step to making folks like me buy Rollins as a legit contender for the WWE World Championship. The Authority returning does not help him though as in their absence at least he was booked as the top heel. In the large shadows of Triple H, Stephanie not to mention Brock and Heyman, he quickly becomes irrelevant.

3. The End of Ambrose vs. Wyatt: When it first was set up even with the wacko hologram, many people myself included, still thought this could be a great feud. In the end, we saw some good to great matches but not a great feud. Tonight’s ambulance match was ok but seemed out of place on this horrible show. It also didn’t stand out from any of the other brawl-based matches they have had. Wyatt got the better of this feud in terms of wins and losses. Ambrose who was very hot coming into this feud comes out of it not nearly as hot. It really failed to deliver what fans had expected going into this feud.

Wyatt seems to be being protected for some big Wrestlemania program. The rumors have been if Taker comes back, he would face Bray Wyatt. Which is a wrong move considering Sting will also be on Wrestlemania as well facing Triple H by all indications. Fans have clamored for a Sting vs. Taker match for over a decade. This will make both matches fall flat. What about Dean what is his future for Wrestlemania? I have no idea other than if Seth is not your Champion perhaps another match with him for the briefcase at Mania would work. In the end, Wyatt and Ambrose the first time around did not set the world on fire.

4. John Cena Attempt To Get Him Over Number 1.734.204 fails: John Cena was once again a focus for the Authority as they attempt to build sympathy for John Cena who that is just not possible to do at this stage. After being forced to bring back the Authority to save Edge, now in the conclusion of Raw former members of Team Cena were fired after being screwed with earlier in the night by the Authority.

Ziggler was booked in I-C title match with Wade Barrett by Triple H. Ziggler would win the match and Barrett would have a vicious attack on his shoulder. Corporate Kane came out and informed us that this was actually a two out of three falls match. Barrett would win quickly in the second fall. Ziggler would put up a good fight but eventually lose. Barrett wins the I-C Title, which in reality is actually nice, as he never lost the title.

Rowan was booked against Harper with special guest refs the Stooges 2.0 Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury. They screwed Rowan and joined in on a three-way beat down with Harper on Rowan. While Ryback originally booked in a one on one match with Seth Rollins ended up being in a handicap match with Kane and Seth. He would fight hard but eventually lose.

They all end up fired and John Cena is made to be held responsible for these people being fired. It is another failed attempt to build sympathy for John Cena. Wrestling fans have seen these firing angles to many times to take them seriously. Cena is just not a sympathetic character at this point. Will see what corny way John Cena saves the jobs of his supposed friends.

5. Bad Gimmicks Continue to Be Bad: The New Day, The Ascension and Adam Rose. They all suck for different reasons but are all proof of the fact the WWE can’t come up with interesting gimmicks in 2015 for mid-card or lower card talents. What all of these gimmicks have in common is they were dead literally a couple weeks after being launched. The latest being the Ascension who have become a joke by their own hand comparing themselves to Demolition and Road Warriors.

Honestly it is so terrible what we have seen lately if you are in NXT you should consider yourself fortunate and not be in any hurry to get up to the main roster.

It’s a new year but Raw is stuck in the same place drowning in it’s own crap at this point. For those hoping for Daniel Bryan to be some savior to all of this it should be noted there was zero reference to his announcement last week that he is returning in the Royal Rumble. That is not a good sign for the Yes movement.

A.J Lee Still In WWE Last We Checked.

Stop me if you heard this before but A.J Lee is once again rumored to be on the way out of WWE. It has been a constant rumor in wrestling websites since Punk left in January. I don’t hate wrestling websites that deal in rumors and behind the scenes news. I find it interesting as a wrestling fan but on this topic, they are all looking like the little boy that cried wolf at this point. Still based on some recent actions of A.J Lee and her husband C.M Punk this time the rumor may final come true of her leaving after TLC. A.J’s speech when she won the Slammy for Diva of the year felt like a good-bye message. Her promos that felt like shoots on the Bella twins were another indicator she might be out the door. A.J mentioned a number of females in the company the majority from NXT and not the Total Divas portion of the roster. Paige is going to be on the new season, but can obviously work in the ring so she doesn’t count. 

While A.J Lee’s departure from the company potentially is sad and a big loss for fans of women that can actual have decent feuds and matched it seemed inevitable to happen. When you consider the story her husband told to the public it is hard to imagine how she has lasted this long in that company. She was in a terrible position you have to figure being stuck between her employer and her husband that left the company for in his and likely her mind just cause. I think personally, when the day comes that A.J leaves that her story is the one I am most interested to hear in wrestling right now. It has to be an incredibly difficult place for her to be.

Nikki Bella made some post on instagram almost whining and complaining at the fact fans seems to like A.J more than her. In addition, saying that A.J was mean and difficult and a few other things. She kept it PG though not saying the B-Word, which was perfectly acceptable for her sister Brie in the feud with Stephanie. In a perfect world the feud that could have made the Diva’s division more relevant than it ever has been would have been Stephanie vs. A.J Lee. I made no secret of my desire to see this match at Wrestlemania 31. In light of the Punk interview, I knew that dream was as good as dead. It would have been the most in-depth feud in WWE history with the back-story of Stephanie hating A.J’s husband legitimately. Sadly, when you hear all that was involved it would have been a near impossible match to have happen.

It would have been a dream match for A.J at one time who has admitted her love for Stephanie in the past and not even being able to talk to her when she first arrived in the WWE. That was a longtime ago though and you have to figure given how their respective husbands have a legitimate dislike to hate for one another that has to have trickled down and influenced their relationship. It only makes logical sense for that to happen.

People seem more concerned with people chanting C.M Punk at the sight of A.J Lee on WWE programming. In addition concerned with when she actually would walk out the door than what she was actually doing in the show. Her rivalry with Paige likely suffered from all that was going on around it. It is a shame we likely never see her have matches with the likes of Charlotte or Bayley in NXT. It feels like the end of the story though for A.J Lee with the WWE.

Her appearing with Punk at his announcement of joining the UFC seemed like a clear sign that she likely isn’t long for sticking around in the WWE. Punk did say that she still works there in his presser for the UFC but you get the impression it won’t be for long. Punk has been doing a serious media blitz after the UFC announcement. He was on Fox Sports One last night and is scheduled to be at ESPN soon as well. He recently was interviewed in Rolling Stone. In every interview, he is asked about if he would ever return to WWE and the answer is a simple never.

I feel like the Punk situation has robbed us of a few good years of A.J Lee’s career and a match that would have been truly epic with Stephanie McMahon. This for A.J at one time would have been living out a fantasy for her by all accounts of her feelings about Stephanie.

I understand the concept of family first though and C.M Punk is A.J’s husband and her family. WWE claims to be a family but that family has become very corporate in the last decade. It is no longer the McMahon family wrestling business, it is a sports entertainment publicly traded company and that is what Vince McMahon has made it.

It rather makes me sick that the last image of A.J Lee in the WWE will likely be her being pinned by Nikki Bella. A.J earned her place where many will question if Nikki has really earned her spot. Talent may not be sexually transmitted but a spot on the card when you date the golden boy of the WWE likely is. It could be worse I suppose she could lose to Brie who makes her sister look like she has some talent in comparison.

Still it is not the fairy tale finish that another great diva Trish Stratus had. She ended her WWE career winning the WWE Women’s Championship on her last night in the company as an active full-time competitor. A.J Lee still can lay claim to the longest reign as Diva’s Champion. There is some irony that she never fit that Diva’s mold.

It maybe good-bye to A.J Lee and you hope and pray that people like Paige Charlotte and others can save this division from becoming a total joke moving forward.

So... thanks for making crazy cool A.J Lee.

Vince McMahon: Still A Genius Or Losing His Marbles?

People claim the line between genius and insanity is a very thin line. Some of the greatest minds in history would also be deemed as eccentric as well. We have all heard stories of both in reference to Vince McMahon. His wrestling persona that he has developed as the evil owner Vincent Kennedy McMahon can certainly be labeled as both.  He once decided to create his own religion that he called McMahonism. He was also the guy who had his own kiss my ass club quite literally. He has had an affair that produced a bastard child named Hornswaggle. We could keep this list going all day long with all the evidence of how crazy Vince McMahon is which would include getting in the ring and challenging top stars like Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and most famously Stone Cold Steve Austin. He even booked himself in a match with his own daughter a week before her legitimate wedding to Paul Lévesque (Triple H) to the dismay of his family.

The real Vince if we actually can tell the difference has a long list of stories that have been just as insane. In many ways, Vince McMahon is similar to comedian Steven Colbert in where the line between the characters both play and the actual real person can become very blurred. Like for example Vince McMahon once had a verbal battle with Bob Costas. It got so heated many felt McMahon might actually get into a fistfight with him on his HBO show years ago. The stories you hear from former WWE staff are legendary. It is widely known that Vince actually sees sneezing as a sign of weakness. He is a noted insomniac that sees sleep as the enemy. He has had legendary screaming matches with Paul Heyman and many others that would have been worthy of pay-per-views when you hear them described by people that were there.

The most recent event happened yesterday where McMahon during a Smackdown taping on of the breaks to insert a commercial into the taped program came out to address the audience. This was not part of the show as would be made pretty clear in his rant. He basically cut a promo on the Liverpool crowd for their lack of enthusiasm claiming his paying audience was sitting on their hands. He made some strange reference about the crowd compared to a skin disease of some sort. In short, Vince pretty much lost it on WWE fans, that in the case of where they were rarely get the chance to see the product live. Add in the fact these same fans have been screwed out of the WWE Network to this point. Having the rug pulled out from under them at the very last possible moment with no info on when they would get the network going forward.

The point this might not have been the people to take your anger and frustration out on. Which given how things have gone with the WWE Network Vince McMahon would not be human if he was not totally frustrated with how things have gone with it. Business wise 2014 will not be going down as a banner year for WWE there is no question about that. Add in the injuries and C.M Punk’s sudden departure at the beginning of the year it just adds to the frustration. 

I guess it was around the time the Performance Center first opened I wondered if Vince McMahon was healthy. His lack of appearance at the opening I found puzzling. This was the first major project of his son-in-law Paul Lévesque’s transition into an executive in the company. Something that McMahon was a driving force in having him take on for years. He even had Paul being part of creative for WWE prior to marrying his daughter Stephanie. I just assumed he wanted to let Paul have his day and allow both him and Stephanie have a more active role in the public eye as executives in the company. The fact he never stepped foot in the Performance Center until months after though caused me to raise my eyebrows.

There is no evidence to suggest that Vince is not of sound mind and body that should be clearly stated. It does make logical sense that he has stepped out of the picture and faded to behind the scenes to allow Stephanie and Paul to be the faces of this company with in storyline and outside of it. In fact, many say at first it took a lot of convincing if you will pardon the pun to get Vince to be an active character in storylines. He clearly enjoyed it, but for years he had been content to just have the audience believe he was simply an announcer and not the owner of the company.

Vince will always be the most compelling character in the WWE. He for whatever good or bad you might have to say about him is always interesting in life or in his WWE Universe. One thing that his detractors and supporters seem to be in full agreement of is that there will never be another Vince McMahon.

While people wonder loudly if he has lost touch with his audience and question if he is truly playing with a full deck at this stage. It goes back to that line we started this article with about that line between genius and insanity being a thin line. Alex Greenfield a former head writer of Smackdown talked about how Vince already was seeing the direction of things moving to online back in around 2007 when Greenfield was part of the company. He was already starting to think about the idea of WWE Network back then. While some would consider Vince McMahon, a guy out of touch with these modern times is that really true. The WWE has been a company at the forefront of embracing social media and this network is honestly considered by many with no connection to wrestling a glimpse into the future of how content will be distributed.

Sure Vince is getting older and he may not understand his audience as well as he once did. He might need to be more accepting of the ideas of the people around him especially his own son-in-law Paul Lévesque. Most would agree the one show WWE is producing every week that is connecting with fans is NXT. This is a show NXT in which Paul has 100% control of and basically plays the role of Vince.  Vince has a lot on his plate and perhaps letting go of the reigns of creative some would be to use the term “Best for Business” in reality.

Wrestling often imitates life and this angle with Vince testing the authority might not be far off the reality of things with WWE behind the scenes. It might be time for Vince McMahon to let his daughter and son-in-law have the actual power to have the final say on story lines every week on WWE television. Lord knows there are many business concerns starting with revitalizing of this network to keep Vince very busy.

Most conclude Vince will never give up control until he is dead or just physically unable to continue. As father time works a program with Vince McMahon, clearly he knows that is not one where Vince McMahon can come out on top. It is Vince, so maybe he thinks he is immortal like the Hulkster who really knows.

Still it is interesting to see what happens as Vince really seemed to enjoy suddenly being back in the mix on T.V at Raw in Buffalo. Did that play any role in his unscheduled rant in Liverpool? On the other hand, is it simply a guy blowing off steam?  Who has been having a rough year business wise at an advanced age? Only one guy knows that answer and it is Vince McMahon.

Raw Talking Points: The Return Of Ryback

Another Raw in the books and WWE survives a rowdy group of U.K fans who were not happy they couldn’t get the WWE Network. John Cena was back with no explanation on where he was last week; Randy Orton was gone with no acknowledgement that he even exists. As much as the WWE attempts to hype up their Survivor Series main event it just is not working to any degree. A.J Lee defending her Diva’s title against Nikki Bella being second match on the under card announced tells you how weak that it will be. So, what are people talking about coming out of this Raw this morning? We take a stab at figuring out your wrestling water cooler talk for a Tuesday.

1. Luke Harper: In a couple of weeks, Luke Harper has invented a new word. Harpering is that word in reference to the creepy promos only showing Harper’s eyes. At the end of the night, we would see all of Harper as he took out Dolph Ziggler, claims to be a team player, and wants to join Team Authority. Harper literally threw a beaten Ziggler at the feet of Triple H and Stephanie kind on like how a cat brings a dead bird to its owner. Insert your grumpy cat joke here I suppose. Harper if he does in fact get booked in this main event it would be a great way to launch his singles career. Guys like the Undertaker and The Rock debuted at this event. While this is not a debut for Harper, it almost feels like one as he rarely spoke as part of Wyatt Family. Now he is cured, according to Bray Wyatt, this remains to be seen.

2. Bray Wyatt Rambles About Dean Ambrose:  Bray Wyatt is treading in dangerous ground with his future. I still enjoy Bray’s work on the microphone, remaining supportive of his work, unlike many others.  Despite that, there is room for improvement with his promos; they need to be tighter and more focused on a message. This feud with Dean Ambrose is a big chance to re-establish Bray as a major player. Ambrose entering this feud was the hottest babyface in this company. Wyatt needs some tweaking if it does not happen he might slide down into the murky and undefined mid-card where no one wants to be these days.

3.  Big Guy Turns Heel and Babyface in the Same Show:  Ryback managed to start the show as good guy turn heel, join the Authority, and by end of the show turn back to being a babyface. Seemed like an unneeded swerve but Ryback is clearly back to where he was a couple of years ago.  It will be interesting to see if they can avoid messing it up like they did a couple years back. We were left to wonder if Ryback would in fact join team Cena as he laid waste to Team Authority to close out Raw. Crowd is 100 percent behind Ryback from Buffalo to Liverpool it does not matter. Fans have slipped right back to where they were in terms of Ryback in 2012. 

4. Stephanie To Bad For The Good Of Everyone Else’s Own Good: It should be stated that I adore Stephanie McMahon and her character on television. I think she is the best female talker in this company by miles and miles. She also gets a reaction that no one can deny. This all stated how Stephanie recruited Rusev and intimidated Lana which I did not like at all. Stephanie also uttered a line that will live forever when she said that "there are no politics in the WWE."Aside from the lack of truth of that statement, I have a problem with how she dominated Lana and Rusev. Stephanie can’t be seen as being weak on communism I guess but she still needs to be evil. I am not sure how that works where you are an American Patriot on one hand and bad evil businesswoman on the other. The Stephanie neutering did not stop there as she called the team that will fight for her job in a sense a bunch of little children. Nothing like taking what you have claimed needs to be the greatest Survivor Series team of all-time and making them look like jokes. Steph sometimes needs to back off a little and share the spotlight with her fellow evil doers.

 5. The New Day Gimmick Promos Add Another: Xavier Woods looked like James Brown last week and we thought was being rebuilt as a solo act. The WWE quickly killed an angle with Wood, Kofi and Big E that resembled a modern re-make of the Nation of Domination. Now we see Kofi appear in the same skit with the choir and all this week. It looks like these three will remain together in a re-branded faction. Will these guys be good or bad seems up in the air at this point. Maybe this is why Big E was trying to sound like a preacher months ago for something to do with this gimmick. Who really knows but this is becoming the longest build to a new faction that I can ever recall. This is all for a group that at best would be upper mid-carders? Seems like a lot of time to waste not having three talents in action that can wrestle when you have injuries piling up.

Other things of note: Adam Rose is turning heel beating up the Bunny. Peta will be notified of this and I am sure protest. Brie Bella continues to be one of the worst babyfaces in history.  This angle with Nikki having control over her has garnered no sympathy from me as a fan for Brie. Zack Ryder can no longer WOO WOO WOO as he has a torn rotator cuff and is on the shelf for 6 months. Sadly, not that anyone will notice he is missing at this point. Zack Ryder is the cautionary tale about what being a John Cena friend will get you. Some faces were missing from Raw last night as they were also running a house show in another party of England that was 4 hours and 30 minutes from Liverpool.

Another Raw in the books and it was a step backwards from last week, which was one of the better Raw’s in recent memory. This is despite having a really hot crowd in Liverpool in comparison. Although WWE likely played with audio, being this show was not shown live here in North America due to the time difference.

Seeds of A John Cena and Rusev Feud Have Begun

The first step to a John Cena vs. Rusev feud has been thrown down on Twitter. Lana in response to a tweet from Hulk Hogan declares that Rusev will crush John Cena.

. @HulkHogan BOO HOO HOO so sad! WE DO NOT CARE! @RusevBUL will #CRUSH your precious @JohnCena & then take your #WWEHWTitle. 🇷🇺
— LANA (@LanaWWE) November 5, 2014

On this past Monday’s Raw prior to Rusev capturing the U.S title, defeating Sheamus was offered a spot on Team Authority to face Team Cena at Survivor Series. Lana and Rusev said they would consider the offer of Stephanie McMahon. This seems to be planting the seeds for the much-expected Cena vs. Rusev feud. Some thought it would be the mania program for John Cena but it seems more likely it will happen sooner than later based on the direction WWE seems to be taking.

Cena would be facing Brock Lesnar it would be assumed for the third time at the Royal Rumble. This at least suggests that Rusev may face Cena as soon as the December special event for the WWE. The involvement of Hogan in all this might see him end up in some kind of manager role for such a match.

A win over the undefeated Russian would be in the WWE’s view the way to establish Cena as strong heading into the third match in a span of 6 months with Brock Lesnar in January.

It is all speculation at this point but it seems John Cena is on a collision course with the big Russian sooner rather than later.

Other News From Day in Condo On The Moon

Randy Orton written off WWE Television. 
Wade Barrett to appear on Canadian T.V This Weekend

Follow us for all the latest @Condoonthemoon

Condo On The Moon #34

We talk everything from president Stephanie McMahon to Hell in a Cell. We talk about a great number of topics including the latest round of NXT taping in Florida. Dixie Carter telling more lies as her company TNA looks on verge of death.



If you can't access our podcast here head over to Podomatic and listen there including on I-Tunes.

So that is it for us this week. Next week the fallout of the show and the WWE 3rd Quarterly Report which means new WWE Network numbers to be disappointed in.

WWE Add Hardline Stance Against Domestic Violence and Child Abuse To Their Morality Clause

WWE bringing in a new policy is showing how times have changed with the company. Now being a more corporate company but this in case in a very positive manner. The NFL as most know was rocked to the core by TMZ video released of Ray Rice former Ravens running back slugging his than girlfriend, now wife in an elevator at a casino. This has sent shock waves to the system in the NFL that initially had only suspended Rice 2 games. Now since the Adrian Peterson case in which he has been accused of child abuse in Texas.

WWE now has a strict policy in place to deal with both matters should they arise.  Many will make note that this policy would have been very interesting had it been in place when Steve Austin had his issues with a domestic violence incident. It is a different day in the world now and burying your head in the sand is not going to be an acceptable answer anymore.

In an article on this topic in the Inquisitr .com the language of this from the WWE is quoted:

“WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated.

``WWE’s ability to fine, suspend or terminate a WWE talent will not be, however, limited or compromised in any manner in the event incontrovertible evidence of such illegal misconduct is presented to WWE. Section 9.13(a) of the WWE booking contract, commonly known as the “morals clause”, provides WWE with broad discretion and authority to act under such circumstances.”

Therefore, it seems that the WWE like all major sports brands has fallen in line and without being prompted or pushed into doing so has taken these steps. Stephanie McMahon being named to be an Eisenhower Fellow may also have something to do with this sudden policy being put into place. Stephanie has been front and center over the years self-promoting her as this strong female business leader and this is a very high honor as outlined in this article from the Miami Herald.

Maybe Stephanie will some day follow her mother Linda’s venture into politics. Could anyone imagine Paul Levesque as the first husband of the United States? Likely never happen, but it is something to consider and may result in a smile on your face.

In any case, WWE is clearly not the company it once was at least on the surface. In fact maybe even deeper than that as it really seems like the WWE is committed to being a good corporate citizen regardless of how wrestling fans may see many of their actions as hypocritical in comparison to the past.

Dean Ambrose Using Raw As His Launching Pad.

 If Dean Ambrose ends up becoming a big star, this might have been a Raw that we point to as the start of his rise. He was all over the 3 hours of Raw on Monday Night. It happened to have been the best show in the last month and a half as well. This is not saying much as Raw and been in a serious slump. Leave it to Chicago to give WWE Creative a good kick in the ass to work harder.

Yes, we had C.M Punk chants, Stephanie McMahon was ready for them as she, and Triple H opened the show with a hostile Chicago crowd to greet them. It kicked off Raw with a long drawn out segment that saw Paul Heyman come out and question what went on at the finish of the Cena/Lesnar match at Night of Champions. Seth Rollins would follow coming out to address Heyman’s concerns saying he acted alone and was just attempting to take an opportunity. Dean Ambrose would come on screen and suggest if Seth and the Authority wanted Seth’s Money in Bank case they should come and get it. They would attempt just that only to be cut off by John Cena who attacked Seth. It would lead to later in the night Cena teaming with Ambrose to face Orton and Kane.

It was a good kick off to the show but went likely 5 minutes longer than it needed too. We had a decent triple threat match for the I-C title with Miz and Cesaro challenging champion Ziggler. Bray Wyatt returned in the way he first arrived with a creepy vignette that people are debating what it means but most feel it is to set up Harper going off as a singles wrestler. In any case, the best way to rehabilitate Bray is going back to the dark promos that everyone loved.

We had a call back to an old classic angle as Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury have taken on the gimmick that Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco had in the Attitude Era as the stooges. Noble and Mercury were sent off to find Ambrose. They never would, as Ambrose would return later.  He claimed he waved at them when he was at the concessions stand. Dean looted that concessions stand and was auction off WWE merchandise. It was quite the scene with Ambrose firing around t-shirts to the audience. Ambrose would be interrupted by Noble and Mercury with Seth Rollins, along with a bunch of security. To which Ambrose questioned their validity as he claims to have seen them in Adam Rose’s Entourage last week. Dean claims to want no trouble and leaves the case in the ring for Seth. It would turn out to be boobie trapped by the titty master himself. HeHe would smirk, as Seth Rollins would be slimed.

Among the bad on this show, we had a horrible Bella segment with a Brie match that was made a handicap match by Nikki with the blessing given by the authority for here to do so. Brie would face Cameron and Eva Maria aka the “We can’t wrestle chicks” and come out on top. Crowd hated it and chanted everything under the sun.

We did see the wife of C.M Punk on the show. A.J would face Paige’s supposed new best friend Alicia Fox in a match. It would turn into a double team but A.J was able to mange to get away before getting a Mountain Dew bath in the middle of the ring.

We had a bull, a gator and a bunny involved in a segment. Hornswaggle was dressed as the gator and this was probably the worst segment of the show. Hulk Hogan was flubbing lines trying to promote that WWE will again be supporting breast cancer for a third straight year.

Overall, it ended up being a decent show, as the rumors seem to be true that we may be getting a Cena vs. Ambrose match that ultimately determines the Hell in the Cell matches. There was no mention of Brock returning for this pay-per-view that according to most insiders, he will not. Instead using one of those extra appearances at Survivor Series seems to be the plan. Once one of the big four WWE pay-per-view but has lost its luster in over time.

In the end episode of Raw was a showcase for Ambrose that gave the show a bit of a rebound after some painfully bad episodes in recent weeks.

Raw Notebook: Another Lost Oppurtunity To Entertain

Another week and another Raw that was not worth a damn would pretty much be my reaction to last night. An opening segment that again was just awful from the start as Chris Jericho hosted a "Highlight Reel," that just never seemed to end. Not just that but it at the end of the day made very little sense with Triple H threatening to call off John Cena and Brock Lesnar’s re-match. Cena countering with the fact he would sue and a bunch of other guys making their claims to be the champion. All of this took close to 18 minutes as well when it probably should have taken more like 8-10.

The amount of cheesy and uncreative plugs for the network within this segment I could do with out as well. Not to mention the Canadian version of the network is 11.99 and as of yet not offered in my area and if it was the Canadian version blows with next to no archived footage at all. In the end these 9.99 jokes and constant references have gone back to being annoying. This marks the week that initial subscribers would be renewing had they signed up on the original week the network launched. Raw offered little for them to be optimistic about the product in the next 6 months.

I will say all of the marketing we see now for the WWE Network is much closer to what I had thought we would have seen from the launch. Maybe had it been at the time I would be less critical of it as annoying as it might be it made sense for a new product. It really feels like the WWE launched this thing and fell asleep for 6 months thinking this network was going to sell itself with little needed on their behalf. Which is so unlike the WWE that over promotes everything yet they under promoted perhaps the most important product they have created in the last 20 years makes no sense at all.

Once again, we seem to have a great divide on the whole Nikki Bella and Brie Bella storyline. I again thought on a show that lacked anything good Nikki Bella was the exception to the rule. Were the Growing up Bella segments just nonsense in general? Sure they were, but Nikki never the less sold them like a champ. It all had a very 90210 feel to it and I could easily see the Bella’s as characters on that show.

It would lead to an in-ring segment in which Nikki would be named the number one contender to the Diva’s Title which makes sense seeing as she helped Steph win. It would lead to the Bella’s yelling at each other, than A.J Lee came out, and this segment rather changed focus for me. A.J pointed out to Stephanie that she was due a re-match thanks to her contract and much like John Cena claimed earlier about his title match. Which is really lacking creativity on part of WWE, but never the less A.J claimed to be the rightful number one contender. Paige would come out into this mess as well and honestly add little to things. Nikki would demand her sister quit the WWE and she refused instead pushing Nikki into Paige and taking off. Leaving A.J to pick up the Diva's Title and skips around right into Stephanie and they have a stare down and Stephanie demand’s A.J give her the belt, which she did. Therefore, it appears the WWE is slowly giving up on the women and combining these stories for one match at Night of Champions. Perhaps the most interesting thing was the teasing of an A.J and Stephanie feud and this has not been the first time. Briefly, the two got involved in A.J’s time as General Manager of Raw that lead to nothing. Maybe the dream match is alive for Wrestlemania with A.J Lee vs. Stephanie and this is the start? I need something to be optimistic about after this terrible show.

Speaking of terrible shows we had a match filled with people on Total Diva’s that was a total train wreck so we have those to look forward to as season three of Total Diva’s debuts on E this coming Sunday. I honestly use to follow the show, but I really am not sure if I will bother this season. Rosa Mendez has been added to the cast and I could care less.

There was for the second week in a row not a match on this show that mattered in the slightest. In that, finding mix between being entertaining and actual wrestling they have went far too heavy on the entertainment side and this is even by the WWE’s standards that slant that way. This was the last Raw prior to Monday Night Football returning next week and maybe that has something to do with promoting they have invited the first openly gay NFL player to Raw next week in Michael Sam. Stephanie  has even written a public letter to Sam inviting him to attend.  I would suggest the WWE try promoting their first openly gay wrestler Darren Young instead that might be an idea. Maybe that is where this bizarre angle is supposed to go. If I am Sam’s agent, I tell him to stay miles and miles from this, if you ever want a chance to play in the NFL in your life. I do not think the league would be happy about a player that is used as a sideshow to make the league look bad on WWE programming. Call it a hunch on my part.

The Miz and his train wreck Hollywood gimmick gets more ridiculous by the week. Rusev and Mark Henry feud is back on track. While Swagger gets Zeb back and appears to be going down the ladder in a feud with Bo Dallas. We are supposed to care in a feud with USO’s and Stardust and Goldust as heels, but I really do not. Adam Rose and Zack Ryder both with matches on the card and there was not two moon’s in the sky. In the Rose match, the Bunny of all people taking out Heath Slater at ringside causing the distraction to have Titus O’Neil be pinned highlighted it. The main event of the show was a drawn out long and quite dull 6-man tag match. All of the folks from the opening segment with Jericho, Reigns and Cena facing the Authority team of Orton Rollins and Kane. It was to long and ultimately boring and to boot made no sense to the storyline they were telling. John Cena was trying to save his title opportunity by proving to Triple H that he is ready for Lesnar tags in Roman Reigns to finish the match. I say, bravo, to yet another awful conclusion to the second week of horrible Raw programming in a row.

I blame myself as much as I do the WWE for expecting them to have a compelling program on a night that they expect numbers to be down because of the Labour Day Weekend holiday. Still, Raw is on quite the pathetic roll when it should be trying to peak with all the concerns with the network. Raw was once again awful.

 

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