Brock Is Back So Now What?

Brock Lesnar kicked off Wrestlemania week with a bombshell going on ESPN to announce he is retired from MMA and had re-signed the night before with WWE. He stated that Vince McMahon made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Some interesting things he stated were that he had been training for MMA for the last two months. He claimed his appearance at the Rousey fight in L.A was to be back in the UFC environment.  He also said he has been struggling with this decision for about a year. He had a bad taste in his mouth, in regards to how his career ended in MMA with UFC as a fighter. He went out on a losing streak and was dealing with recovering from diverticulitis. In the end, he felt that returning to the WWE and retiring from MMA was the best choice to make for his family.

Brock still hates to travel and by his comments it appears he has resigned for the same or similar part-time schedule. He also stated that he is the only one that gets to work part-time hours for full-time pay.  Which makes you wonder how wise this was for WWE given their new finically reality with the WWE Network.

While Brock claimed ignorance to angling for this deal with WWE that seems hard to believe. In fact, you can go back far before his latest moves with showing up at UFC to him playing the UFC and WWE against one another. I recall Paul Heyman doing an interview with Ariel Helwani noted MMA journalist that Brock would still watch UFC fights and tell Heyman that he could beat this guy and that guy. The subtle seeds had been planted about Brock having interest in returning. Heyman is back in the WWE based completely on his friendship with Lesnar. He would never say anything without the blessing of Brock in such a public setting. Heyman would never speak about C.M Punk’s issues prior to Punk making his reasons for leaving public. Punk also is close with Heyman and the loyalty Heyman shows has been shown in this situation as well.

While having Brock back will be seen as the big story in reality the fact this will almost guarantee Heyman’s presence on television is an even bigger deal for WWE. He has been an MVP for this company in the last year with his tremendous promos in selling angles and matches tied to Lesnar and others in the last year. He single handedly sold the Lesnar vs. Taker match a year ago. He was the driving force in selling the Lesnar against John Cena match at Summerslam and the re-match between the two.

In the end, Brock can say what he likes. He played this situation perfectly to be paid. He claims to enjoy wrestling in the ring and his just not a fan of travel. This is consistent to why he left originally to try out for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. Still to me, he will always be a mercenary that is out to be paid and is not necessarily a fan of the business. He is when it is convent to be and isn’t when it is not in his best interest to be. Bottom line Brock Lesnar is not a mark for the business he is a mark for himself at whatever he does.

The biggest loser in all of this likely will be Roman Reigns, as he now likely seems to be the odd man out. The chosen one to take the title from Lesnar now likely will not. Most felt that if Lesnar would be under contract prior to Sunday he likely will retain his title. This of course remains to be seen but seems highly likely and ultimately turn Lesnar officially babyface and have him continue his run with the title.

Even worse, a program he could have had, as a heel champion with The Rock likely now becomes The Rock against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 32 in AT&T Stadium. A program with Roman against his more famous cousin would have been a great thing for Reigns getting to another level as an attraction.

WWE can now breathe easy and can do what is BEST FOR BUSINESS if they want too. It isn’t to say they will mind you, as Lesnar in reality doesn’t care if he wins or loses on Sunday as much as he does that the check clears the bank for showing up.

Rocky Rumble Makes You Concerned For WWE's Future?

After the WWE Royal Rumble happened, I was struck with the line Richard Sherman said to Tom Brady “Are You Mad Bro,” ringing in my head. The answer was as obvious as the booking of the rumble itself. The show as a whole beyond the WWE Heavyweight Title match was some of the worst stuff I have seen on a Rumble ever. This was as "mail it in" as the WWE can get for one of its biggest events of the year.

The thing is if you consider yourself an informed fan nothing that happened should have been a surprise and part of the massive out pouring of anger was in a sense fans being mad at themselves for expecting something different. The plan for Roman Reigns to win this Rumble has been widely reported and speculated on since months after the last Wrestlemania. Why fans held out hope the WWE would run with Daniel Bryan again was at best wishful thinking. WWE never wanted to go with him last year so why would they do it this year. Daniel Bryan has been injured for the majority of the year and honestly can’t be considered being a top guy for practical reasons. He has comeback with little change to his style that concerns me for his long-term future as a human being forget if he ever gets another title match or Wrestlemaina Main event.

Roman Reigns was being cheered against the WWE’s pick to win last year in Dave Bautista. Now a year later has the WWE’s chosen one he is booed as loudly as Bautista was perhaps louder given it was in Philadelphia this year. Not even an appearance by The Rock could change this. Fans wanted no part of this, and they were not going to be tricked into being compliant to it with the use of the Rock.

Beyond Bryan’s early exit, many of the WWE’s fan favorites were unceremoniously thrown out of the rumble. The bigger thing that angers me is how the WWE can seriously consider closing a match of the Rumble’s importance with Kane and Big Show. These dinosaurs of the roster have no ones interest. If Kane and Big Show went on Raw tonight and said the retired the general consensus of wrestling fans would be it is about damn time. Both have far over stayed there welcome in the wrestling business. This does not make them unique in any way. Still the fact they are booked as top heels in this company suggests the real problems this company has in depending on its younger talent.

Show and Kane could take a cue from Road Dogg and Billy Gunn who show up often but know when to get in and get out and still have a positive response from the fans.

When you look at this logically, which sometimes in times like this is lacking on all sides this is a simple matter of the WWE failing to connect with the fan base. While in the 80’s it was easy to tell fans who they are suppose to like and they would in mass that no longer is the case in 2015. Fans have become to demanding and almost to the point of entitled and spoiled about it.

This speaks as well to the failure of the WWE Network, how fans have used that network as a means to end to express their displeasure. After the Royal Rumble, fans crashed the cancellation page for the WWE Network. The WWE has made many mistakes in the almost year the WWE Network has existed but perhaps the most massive mistake was recently making it easy to cancel the service on simply a whim. Imagine if cell phone providers took a similar approach. How often to people become unsatisfied with their service? This is why most cell companies lock their clients into a contract. It avoids having to deal with knee jerk reactions of people not being satisfied with service.

WWE has created a huge problem for the company and it will be very interesting to see how they handle things going forward. Last year they caved to the pressure fans put on them to alter their plans for Wrestlemania. I don’t foresee them doing this for a second year in a row. Evidence of that fact was The Rock’s involvement last night. It was a failed attempt to help get Roman Reigns over.

I need to make this clear Roman Reigns isn’t the problem here it is how he is being presented. Reigns may not be completely ready for this moment and he may still have a lot of growing to do. He has been handcuffed in his growth and development by some of the worst creative for a top WWE Star perhaps in years and that is the issue. He isn’t the problem it is the system and creative element of this company that has grown so out of touch with their core audience it is easily evident every single work in the WWE. Which if they were growing the audience outside of its core it wouldn’t be a problem. The fact is they are not building much beyond the core. Things like Total Divas are not translating to a new audience for WWE. It is just creating an audience for a different branch of the WWE that does not seem compelled to watch the core product. Evidence of that fact is Total Divas often runs in direct competition with WWE Special Events like last night’s Royal Rumble.

The core wrestling audience for WWE is shrinking and being driven to alternative programming like ROH and NJPW to get what they are looking for. While the new fans they are creating is not enough to offset this erosion of their core audience that grows smaller gradually over time.

WWE has grand plans of filling AT&T Stadium in Dallas for Wrestlemania 32 in about 14 months. How this Wrestlemania comes off may well determine the fate of if such grand dreams are possible to achieve. WWE has some serious issues without question.

The WWE has in a lot of ways painted themselves into a corner and perhaps have build the business to big to match the level of interest that is lacking from the peak of wrestling during the Monday Night Wars. Their choice to be more family friendly entertainment has not worked to the extent they have hoped. You can say whatever you want about John Cena and his appeal to children it pails in comparison to the appeal a Stone Cold Steve Austin had to a rebellious teenage and older fan base. Regardless of the letter grade, you present the WWE product in; they have to find a way to connect with what their audience in demanding.

The success of NXT is a good example of what fans truly crave right now. They want a product that is more traditionally wrestling based that has guys who can be entertaining but can do it first and foremost in the ring itself.

Vince McMahon may think he is producing sports entertainment but the Wrestling Fans still want wrestling. Ultimately, Vince’s age and lack of knowledge of this new more active and socially aware audience is likely his core of the WWE’s issues. I refuse to believe an entire creative team is this out of touch and stupid on mass. This comes down to one man trying to flex his muscles and still show he is ultimately the final decider. He has lost his Midas touch and everyone seems to know it other than him.

If you’re simply pissed off your guy Daniel Bryan didn’t win last night my advice is grow up. However if you see the larger picture and how disjointed and massively screwed up this company has become I share your concern.

It is rapidly becoming a case of does Wrestlemania and WWE survive to see Wrestlemania 40, 50 and beyond. Sounds crazy to suggest but this company is in some serious trouble if you understand all the impact of the changes they have made and how badly the Network is floundering. If the WWE can not be profitable, it can’t really sustain itself.  We are not close to that point right now but lacking a serious change in direction; we could be their sooner than people think.

It was not a good night for anyone that cares about the WWE product and its future.

For a preview of the Fall out of the Rumble on Raw from Hartford check out what Josh Lopez has to say with 5 things to expect from Raw. Booing will be likely one of them. 

Why Do We Still Watch Professional Wrestling?

As I'm typing this piece from my house in the greatest wrestling city in the world Chicago. I'm at a crossroad with my passion and love for professional wrestling. Now I know what you're thinking, "Oh here we go again here's another fan who hostes a pro wrestling talk show and talks about losing his passion because the terrible product of the WWE", but that can be the furthest thing from the truth. I'm at a crossroad with my passion for wrestling because in today's era of wrestling I can't enjoy wrestling anymore without somebody going out of their way to tell me that I'm a WWE defender or this or that. To be brtutally honest with you, I personally feel that I'm the only true wrestling fan out there. For those who think I just watch WWE programming each week and I think it's the greatest on the earth, well you obviously don't know who I am.

Over the last couple weeks I've seen more negativity towards the world of professional wrestling than I've ever seen in my entire life and it truly breaks my heart. When it comes to wrestling and goes hand and hand with because if there's a wrestling ring no matter what company supplys that ring I'll support it and I will be it's bigger supporter because I'm a massive wrestling fan and I'm not ashamed of it. I don't associate myself with the internet wrestling community and their mindset that everything has to be like it was during the Attitude Era. I'm sorry I'm honest I'm not going to change who I am for a certain type of fanbase that doesn't give this generation of wrestling a chance. To be honest with you I'm going to say alot of stuff in this piece and it may offend you, but the truth hurts. Tell me your answer to this question. Why do we still watch professional wrestling?

One thing that totally irks me off with today's wrestling fanbase is the idea that you can bring back a era. Don't tell me that you never said that because you're just lying to yourself. I mention that I started watching wrestling during in the Attitude Era which may be the greatest era of professional wrestling. What's the one constant complaint about WWE programming? Is it because it's PG? Is it because is not TV 14? Is it because all the guys in this picture above can't be part of the active roster? I don't know what it is, but there's this hysteria that if WWE goes back to the Attitude Era ALL THE PROBLES ARE FIX! YOU'RE WRONG! How many times during a Monday Night Raw and you go on social media and you see people talk about how WWE is complacent and they don't put any effort into their shows and mind you I do agree with some of the complaints that are associated with this era of the WWE. I understand the last three months of television screams going through the motions, but at the same time we as fans as failing to realize that one second were talking about the WWE never giving young guys a chance where at Hell in a Cell, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose main evented a PPV and the month after that you see Dolph Ziggler winning probably the biggest in his career and you guys are saying that they don't give young guys a chance? You've have got to be kidding me. And some of the fans expectations for these guys that come up from NXT and are expected to be in the WWE title picture a month after being brought up is absolutely hysterical. If you're going out of your way every single Monday night on social media bitching and moaning about wanting change I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT THE ATTITUDE ERA! It's was an era for reason, it was 16 years ago MOVE ON GET OVER IT! You want to see the Attitude Era go on the WWE Network and watch the Monday Night War Show.

Tonight is the 4th WWE NXT special on the WWE Network dub WWE NXT Takeover R Evolution. Tonight's show is showcasing the best young performers in the WWE developmental system. When people talk about change and they want the WWE product to evolve you should look at NXT as what they could and should be when WWE programming is concern. I'll tell you this there's a potential that the major stars on this special on the Network will be on the main roster at the end of next year or after WrestleMania 32. You have outstanding talents down there in the performance center like Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, The Ascension, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, The Vaudevillans, Charlotte, Sasha Banks and the Kevin Owens. These 11 men and women plus a bevy of upcoming talents in the developmental system are the talents you should be supporting and clamoring for. I don't know how going back to the Attitude Era or using the same formula that happen in the NWA or Mid-South lets todays product evolve. Watching tonight's WWE NXT Takeover R Evolution will give us as fans a little taste as to what the future of the WWE will be and I honestly believe that.

  I think the most prevalent thing that I notice about today's wrestling fanbase is the word hypocrpisy. I'm going to give you alot of examples of hypocrpisy in alot of the things the wrestling fanbase wants. We have already the obvious complaint about wanting the WWE product to get better and evolve, but their resolution is reverting to the past and not looking at the big picture because going to an era that happen 15-20 years ago is the way to fix a sports entertainment show. Secondly is the part-time discussion because during WrestleMania season you usually see the returns of Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Triple H etc and this leads to the complaint of "Why are these part timers back?" "Why bring back the part-timers when you can focus on the main roster talents?" Well heading into WrestleMania 31 this year the four main events everybody is predicting to see involves part-timers plus this new rumor coming about The Undertaker taking on Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 31. The third example i'm going to use here is going to going to upset alot of people and this comes from the biggest CM Punk fan in the world, but here we go "OH MY GOD NXT IS AWESOME, IT'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN RAW, WHY CAN'T TRIPLE H RUN THE SHOW?" Day after CM Punk podcast comes out "How does it feel for being the reason for CM Punk not being part of the WWE you egotistical manaic" You go and praise Triple H for the great work he does in NXT, but you go out of your way and agree with every single thing that CM Punk said in that podcast and it's a complete 180 on Triple H. Maybe some of the things Punk said about Triple H may be true, but I don't understand how you can tell Triple H to go screw himself and that at the same time give him so much glowing praise for tonight's NXT Takeover R Evolution show. Hypocrites make up your mind people what do you want?

 If you're going to let the dirtsheets, social media, or a wrestling podcast/radio show effect the way you view professional wrestling, are you a real fan? Make up your own mind, like whatever you want to watch if you want to be a WWE fan own up to it and don't be embarrass about it.  Now if you're just watching the WWE to crap on it and judge it stop watching it because you're not getting anything out of it, but giving the WWE another rating or Network subscription. It's the simple truth and plus it goes with the whole entire point of this article. I watch wrestling because I'm a wrestling fan and even through the good and bad times I always supported all wrestling companies because I'm a true and loyal fan. I also think if you watch Raw each week and you want to bang your head against the wall, and you hate the WWE so much stop watching it. That doesn't mean your not a wrestling fan if you don't like the WWE move on from it don't mention on social media find a new company to support like Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, Global Force Wrestling, or you local independent shows there's other ways to enjoy wrestling. You don't have to be a WWE fan, but at the same time if you're not going to be a WWE fan and your still watching the show and you go on social media making threats that you'll stop watching the product while already admitting that you hate the WWE you're a hypocrite sorry but it's the truth. Do we watch wrestling to be angry? Do we watch wrestling to nip pick it? Do we watch wrestling for what it is? Why do we still watch professional wrestling if it's so bad? That's the question I have for all of you great folks. 

Condo On Moon Podcast #40: Final Battle Preview & State of WWE

Condo On The Moon Podcast continues down the road to Final Battle this Sunday with a full preview of the card. In addition we talk with ROH wrestler Adam Page as he takes on Roderick Strong in a one on one battle. The show is headlined by Adam Cole taking on champion Jay Briscoe for the Ring of Honor Title in a fight with out honor. In addition to our guest and full preview of Final Battle we look into the state of the WWE. Specifically reacting to the Vince McMahon podcast with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Vince talked about a variety of topics including C.M Punk who was back on Colt Cabana's podcast. It was not as eventful as his first appearance that has still been the talk of wrestling world. What isn't being talked about is the WWE product of late that has been really poor over the last few weeks and the debut of Sting in WWE has been lost in the process. What is the future for Wrestlemania given the state of things in WWE moving forward? We discuss it all and examine the complex individual that is Vince McMahon. It is a jam packed podcast from start to finish
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I want to thank ROH for their help in bringing us some great guests in this build to Final Battle. It is always great working with Ring of Honor where they still are in the wrestling business. So are we at Condo on the Moon and encourage you to check out Ring of Honor this Sunday. It is a great wrestling product that is growing through 2014.

If you are unable to listen to the podcast on the site or wish to listen via I-Tunes head over and listen at Podomatic. 

Keep up to date with us on Twitter @Condoonthmoon

The WWE Wrestlers Union Will It Ever Happen?

One of spin-offs out of the C.M Punk interview and Vince McMahon interview is this idea of a union in pro wrestling. It may seem like a new topic but it really is a topic that dates back to the 80’s and Jessie Ventura. In the 80’s Ventura attempted to start a union but Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan killed it. Therefore, this isn’t really a new topic. It has just been brought to light again based on all Punk had to say in terms of the business of the WWE and health and medical issues for talent like Punk.

WWE has coined this term of independent contractor for their wrestling talents. How really independent are they though let’s face it they really are not independent. It also is a way to be without the responsibility for caring for their wrestlers medical expenses. They control what talent is able to do and not do which also flies in the face of being independent contractors. Any performer that leaves the company is not a free agent so to speak unless they sacrifice money owed to them.

No one of rational thinking can deny the need for a union in pro wrestling as the talent is in bad need of it. Not even in terms of financial concerns but more to what the core of why unions were formed in the first place. To protect the job security and health of these employees that creates the revenue that drives this company. The WWE doesn’t have a product without their talent.

The sad reality is the same rational thinking people hold out little hope of this ever happening. It becomes to hard to get these group of individuals that are competing for real estate and cash within the WWE to come together and be united for the cause. The pay differences make it very difficult to imagine it happening. It would take the top stars and the top star in John Cena being a part of any such attempt. What exactly would be the motivation for a Cena to do so? He is disliked by a large portion of the audience for being a corporate puppet. It seems hard to imagine this happening in any degree.

If there was some public out cry from outside interests to create such a union in the company. That seems highly unlikely when you consider that wrestlers were literally dropping dead at an alarming rate in the 90’s. This came with little public out cry in society as a whole. Even the circus that became the tragic situation involving Chris Benoit taking his own life and his family did not really have a significant impact on wrestling. It did bring to light the idea of concussions being a serious issue in pro wrestling in the aftermath.  In light of the C.M Punk interview, you question really how much progress was made in that regard. Is it more of a case of a public relations move that really a lack any real teeth to it. Much like Punk suggested about the WWE’s wellness policy as relates to drug use and steroids.

WWE lives in a magical bubble that they are not held to same standards as professional sports. Vince McMahon reminded us all in case we forgot he doesn’t even consider the product he produces as pro wrestling it is one of the other terms he coined sports entertainment. It is treated in a different light and sadly, as much as fans love it the society we live in does not treat pro wrestling with the respect it has earned.

Despite WWE’s efforts to become this corporate empire wrestling still is not judged in the light that even the UFC is by society. You only need to look at the T.V deal in which the WWE claimed they were hoping to double or even triple their rights fees falling far short of that. Keep in mind the NBA recently signed a 25 billion dollar T.V deal. Even lesser sports like MLS soccer and NASCAR have signed much more significant T.V deals. Add in how TNA had to go on a network that many had never heard of until signing with them with a deal for far less than they had with Spike-TV. Destination America was to say the least it is not the most ideal destination for them. Wrestling is unfortunately not treated the same as over live event programming that is in high demand in the television industry right now.

Advertising is also something that has always been a challenge to get the same type of advertisers that you can see in pro sports and even in comparison to UFC.

This is all evidence that wrestling operates in its own strange world in which Vince McMahon for more or less holds a monopoly on the wrestling business. It is not say companies like TNA, ROH, and NJPW are not ways for wrestlers to earn a decent living.  WWE is just on a different level in terms of money you can earn and exposure you are given that can not be matched.
It is unfortunate this is the harsh reality of things in terms of wrestling. I don’t consider myself someone who is a pro union person but I recognize the glaring need for one in this unique world that is pro wrestling. I value the performers that take real risks for my entertainment and enjoyment. I am at the end of the day a supporter of them and want what is for lack of a better term what is best for the boys (and girls) that bring the product to life.

For people that truly love wrestling there has been many things to reflect on in light of the podcasts that have dominated the wrestling news in recent days. It makes you consider all aspects of wrestling moving forward into for its future.

WWE once had a faction called The Union but will the real thing ever exist in WWE? It seems highly unlikely even though the need for one is evident.

Steve Austin Gets A Hell Of An Interview Out Of Vince McMahon

Perhaps the thing that is most disturbing for wrestling fans is the 3-hour show they watched prior to the Vince McMahon interview with Steve Austin: Vince thought it was good. If he truly believes that boy is this company in serious trouble at this point. The hour and fifteen minutes after Raw trumped anything on this show. It was billed as a no holds bar interview with Austin and McMahon and it lived up to the hype.

He would not only address Punk situation but went into subjects like Randy Savage not being in the Hall of Fame and Jim Ross being let go from the company. There was not a lot of substance to what was said but the fact they were even subjects was fascinating in its own right.

I have always found Vince McMahon to be a fascinating individual and it is rare we get him in a situation such as this. He clearly doesn’t think the same as your average person and that may seem fairly obvious but it is still worth mentioning. If you love or hate Vince McMahon, what you have to admit is he has always had guts and been willing to take chances. Even though, he tried to paint the WWE Network in a positive light, it hasn’t been the success it was suppose to be. Dana White of the UFC has made some comments about what Vince has done has being somewhat reckless and it devalued the WWE product. I think he is right and there likely isn’t a way to go back now with the relationships WWE has burned with cable providers by taking their core product in pay-per-views to the Network. The WWE events have been devalued, to be of a lesser value and likely can’t be turned back. UFC with their fight pass targeted only their hardcore audience and have events that are for mostly foreign markets to expand their brand globally. They still remain on pay-per-view and are not having their top stars appear on Fight Pass. WWE has all its stars on their network, having given up on pay per view before it has died as a business. Perhaps WWE has made this move to soon and is suffering in the short term. There have been many valid criticisms of the network and it seems WWE just continues to make mistake after mistake with it. 

McMahon’s apology to Punk was clearly unexpected but his explanation to why Punk was fired in effect on his wedding day seems highly unlikely to be the case. When you consider the history of Vince McMahon, it doesn’t pass the sniff test of availability. What he did, in what he said about the Punk matter, is left the door open and put the pressure on why Punk is no longer in the WWE back on him or at least that was the attempt. While I do believe, Punk and McMahon have a strange sort of love and hate relationship I do not think Punk has any sort of relationship with Triple H and Stephanie. Which will always be the problem if anyone thinks these sides would ever come together again. McMahon really never addressed any of Punk’s grievances saying he would not air the “dirty laundry” in public. More to the point, the allegations Punk made can’t really be addressed in public without the WWE looking very bad. What you have is two very brilliant individuals trying to compete for the minds of two groups of people. Two gorups of people, that are C.M Punk fans and the larger extent fans of WWE overall. Punk will always win with his fans who are people that share his opinion of the WWE and its lack of direction. They are the people that want change and feel Punk was the type of guy that understands what they want. WWE fans are far more willing to be convinced that Punk is just a bitter disgruntled ex-employee. Vince did a good job of trying to paint Punk as that and make Vince look like the good guy willing to do business in the future.

Vince seemed determined to convince folks that he listens to is audience and is not out of touch. In all seriousness, he failed in convincing most of that fact in this interview. When asked what was wrong with his roster he tried to characterize them as unwilling to take risks and to afraid to fail. That this generation of wrestlers was not as motivated to grab the brass ring a favorite analogy of Vince’s that we have heard before. He says John Cena was the last to achieve this. This was an indirect shot at C.M Punk to suggest that Punk never had that desire to be the very best was absolutely silly especially in the light of what we now know Punk was fighting through during his time in the company. It makes you understand why Vince is so tied to the idea that John Cena is the be all and end all to this company having success.

He did mention hope for guys like the three members of The Shield and Bray Wyatt as guys possibly able to reach for those brass rings in the future. C.M Punk claimed in his famous promo to have grabbed many of Vince’s as he called them imaginary brass rings. To suggest he was not motivated to be the best wrestler in this company would be wrong. The thing is to Vince McMahon as he stated early on in his interview he is not in pro wrestling that is what his father did. Even if you class C.M Punk under the form of sports entertainment, he still for many is one of the best at that. His promos were on another level and he was always focused on the path of his character to get to the next big challenge in front of him.

Vince McMahon in his evaluation of Cesaro kind of showed that he is not exactly the guy with all the answers and that he might not really understand what his audience wants as much as he thinks. He claims Cesaro is not a good enough talker, hasn’t built that connection with the audience. Maybe the fact he was Swiss or too European was an issue. This comes from the guy that took wrestling to a global stage.

Here is one thing about the WWE that has always been true to some extent, it is very much booked to appeal to only one nation and that is the United States of America. At times, they have thrown people in Canada and the U.K a bone with various superstars but they book with a United States focus. They clearly don’t see what Non-Americans see when they look at Rusev. Who is a patriotic guy but unfortunately happens to be for the wrong country in the eyes of America. He is booked like a baby face more than he is a heel. WWE claims to be this global brand, but has screwed Canada with a lesser version of their Network and Vince after making an apology to people in U.K once again claimed that the Network could in fact launch in U.K by start of 2015. Reality is most have turned to alternate methods to get the network by this point in both countries for simple fact they have not been treated well by the company and in effect are second class fans based on the actions of the company.

Randy Savage for the better part of 15 years has been kept out of the WWE Hall of Fame. Vince stated that he will in fact be inducted at some point if not this year than likely soon. No explanation as to why it has never happened until now. The WWE Hall of Fame has become a version of the Vince McMahon kiss my ass club and only when pressured to do so will the company attempt to bring outsiders into it. C.M Punk is likely never going into any WWE Hall of Fame unless he decides to come fix things with Vince McMahon. He will be the Randy Savage for this generation but the difference will be we will no why he isn’t being put in the Hall of Fame. There is no board or voting for the WWE Hall of Fame. You can argue that the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame is more valid. Vince would never acknowledge that though as he claims to not listen to critics.

How can you listen to fans and not to critics? Can fans not be critics as well, in what they do? In addition, the people who end up covering this business our for the most part some of the most hardcore fans of the business and product that we have.

In the end both the Punk and McMahon, interviews were very interesting. It comes down to who comes off as more credible at the end of the day at that is really C.M Punk. Vince is still fascinating and interesting but at his core is a promoter and is just by nature prone to exaggerate or out and out lie. Every Wrestlemania is the biggest one ever. Every big event is some can’t miss one of a kind attraction. At the end of all of this while, there have been lots of surprises and bombshells over the last few weeks nothing has really changed my opinion on the core issues. I always felt Punk was justified in leaving and he only strengthened that belief in what he had to say. I have always believed Vince McMahon is losing touch with his audience and that was clearly on display in this interview.

Punk and Vince are likely never to get back together as McMahon leaves open to possibility. Punk is different from all of the other people that McMahon listed it off he has reconciled with. He is at his core a very disciplined individual with a moral set of values that he believes in strongly. He also seems not to be worried about scoring some kind of payday. McMahon has the one carrot that C.M Punk never got of a true Wrestlemania main event but even at this point, I think Punk wants no part of that.

What has also been made clear is the behind the scenes world of wrestling and we are not talking the crap on Total Divas has been far more compelling than the actual product.

Ball Is In WWE's Court On Punk Situation

The ball is clearly in the WWE’s court in terms of the C.M Punk comments made on the Art of Wrestling Podcast. WWE really finds the company in a position having advertised Vince McMahon in a no holds barred interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin on the network.

It really leaves the WWE in a difficult spot and a real no win situation. If they address the Punk situation, they are opening a Pandora’s Box that they want no part of that could damage the company in many ways. Most of all the issues Punk expressed on the medical issues in his time with the company. 

However if they fail to address the situation it will be seen as ducking the topic and adds validity to all of Punk’s claims. Therefore, the WWE has painted itself into a corner with this one to a great extent.

The most likely out come is the topic will be addressed and Vince McMahon will make a very corporate and generic statement. This seems the most likely outcome as the WWE was quick to release a very corporate statement in response to a Yahoo Sports article on the subject.

Punk is scheduled to appear on the Art of Wrestling again to be made to the public on Thursday. It is scheduled to be fan questions for Punk but you have to assume if the WWE comments on this story tonight, Punk will have some kind of reaction to it.

Some have already been sucked into this story by being talked about in the interview and have made responses to it. Ryback made some comments via twitter and suggested Punk’s claims of a confrontation between the two were false. He also made a bold claim that the truth would eventually come out and even alluded to slander on the part of Punk about himself. Call me crazy but given the steroid allegations Punk made I don’t see Ryback wanting to get in a legal battle in which his use or non-use of steroids would be in question. The WWE themselves would want no part of Ryback being involved in such a matter and it would be career suicide to some degree if Ryback got involved in litigation on this matter.

Chris Jericho defended himself saying that while he did want to have Punk on his pod cast Talk is Jericho all of those requests were prior to Punk leaving the company. He claims that Punk declined to appear and even they had a date booked in the December prior to him leaving that Punk backed out of according to Jericho. He says he did text Punk since leaving the company but never once brought up why Punk left the WWE or made any requests as relates to his podcast. He claims that he still considers Punk a friend even though they have not spoken since he left the company and is glad he was able to get stuff of his chest about him leaving the company.

Road Dogg as we mentioned on the podcast we at Condo on the Moon did on this C.M Punk topic engaged with fans about the Punk interview. A few other WWE Superstars made mention of the interview through social media but nothing of any great significance.

The question of A.J Lee’s future, how she will be dealt with in the fallout of all this is another topic to wonder about. Her desire to remain in the company through all of this really must make for a difficult situation for all. Punk’s firing on their wedding day has to have had a negative impact on her as well one could only conclude logically. This may have nothing to do with anything but Nikki Bella’s promo on Smackdown was edited and who knows if that had anything to do with Punk situation. A.J‘s line about talent being sexual transmitted in reference to Bella’s was not. It seemed a direct shot at their off-screen relationships with two of the company’s top stars.

All in all with a WWE Network that is struggling and a road to Wrestlemania that seems has uncertain as it was last year the WWE really didn’t need all of this to deal with.

What remains the biggest question is if this story will remain inside the wrestling bubble or if others outside of it will notice it. Punk may have no desire to push the story on his end but he does have that option and it could make the WWE look very bad if chose to do so.

It is far more likely Punk just looks to move on with other projects and leave his wrestling career and life in the past for the time being. He has signed on to write comics for Marvel and has the ability to work on or do any projects he desires. This seemed much more like an act of closure for Punk and something he wanted to offer to his true fans.

Punk opened a story on Pro Wrestling Tee’s on Monday and traffic for the site seemed to be in high volume. The other issue for the WWE will be how there audience reacts to all of this. Who have been chanting Punk’s name off and on for the entire year since he left. WWE has been accused of taking signs from fans involving Punk and doing their best to control their audiences without complete success at times.

Safe to say Punk Chants will make a return and he is likely not to make one perhaps ever in the WWE. This is becoming a messy divorce like situation with WWE the ones with everything to lose and Punk with very little to lose in the matter.

Fans that tune into the Stone Cold Podcast tonight expecting a grand response to this matter from Vince McMahon likely will be disappointed. It certainly will create a new interest for it though that likely wasn’t as strong as it is now.

It is pretty clear the WWE’s behind the scenes story has become far more interesting than the product they are producing in the ring of late. The issue is they have no real way that I can see to turn this behind the scenes story into a success on screen at this point.

Punk clearly changed public perception among wrestling fans on his departure from the company now that he has told his side of the story. The WWE seems fairly handcuffed and limited in how they can respond to this matter. Yet if they bury their heads in the sand and hope it goes away that is likely not going to work either.

It is your move Vince McMahon.

For what to expect from Raw. Check out Josh Lopez's preview of Monday Night Raw. For all the latest on WWE and Wrestling in general follow us on @condoonthemoon to stay update on the latest from us.

WWE Monday Night Raw Preview

Tonight is going to be one of the most interesting nights in sports entertainment since the night after the Montreal Screwjob. With former WWE Superstar CM Punk coming out and speaking about his depature from the WWE, there's alot of interested in the live "Stone Cold" Steve Austin podcast with Vince McMahon. WWE didn't follow up the debut of Sting on last week's Raw, and with WWE TLC coming up in two weeks, What new matches will be announced for the annual gimmick PPV? Here's five things that I think people should look out for tonights show.

1.) The next step for John Cena and Seth Rollins 

Coming off last week's Raw, I think it's pretty obvious that Cena will be taking on Seth Rollins at TLC. Brock Lesnar is advertised for the 2014 Slammy Awards next week which is the go-home show for WWE TLC. I don't think that Lesnar will be competing at TLC, so where does John Cena and Seth Rollins go? I heard some people throw out this idea where Dolph Ziggler takes on Seth Rollins with Rollins Money in the Bank breifcase on the line. I think that would be a cool match especially for this type of PPV, but I don't see that happening. With tonight's show we may see something where it's John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and Ryback vs. Seth Rollins, Kane and Luke Harper in the main event or John Cena will take on J&J Security in a handicap match. Now are these matches that I want to see, I don't know, but being a pretty good observer of WWE programming I wouldn't be surprised if either of these matches happen. Cena vs. Rollins is the logical step with the Royal Rumble coming up. Despite Rollins taking a loss to Cena, I think to make a "statement" to Brock Lesnar, Cena defeats the top heel in the company at WWE TLC.

2.) The Anonymous Raw General Manager

Like you guys, I used to DESPISE the Anonymous Raw General Manager in 2010-2011. Now these days as I got more in tuned with the product and wrestling in general, I've come to appreciate the Anonymous Raw General Manager. I'll tell you why? Well, maybe the main reason why the Anonymous Raw General Manager doesn't bother me anymore is because it's gives people "HEAT" aka Michael Cole. Every time we here "May I have your attention please?" people cringe and boo and you don't really see alot of people these days on the WWE Roster get the type of "Real Heat" like Cole does when he reads those emails "And I Quote!" I'm just going to get a good laugh out of it because yea it may not be the best on thing on the show, but anything to get the crowd to boo the worst announce team in the history of wrestling is a pretty good day for yours truly. I can of hope that maybe since he's going to be there in Tulsa, Oklahoma, would WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin make a LIVE appearance on Raw and mess the computer and Michael Cole up? I think that would be fantastic.

3.) Ambrose/Wyatt Program 

I'll tell you what guys, I think more than anything on this show tonigth, I'm looking forward to see what they do with Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose the most. Bro (Vince Russo), I think what they've been doing with Wyatt/Ambrose is great because this feud is turning into war and it was supposed to be like that since the beginning of this feud. Will we get a in-ring Wyatt promo I think so, but Wyatt will have to bring up something different in his promo instead of continuing to bring up Ambrose's daddy issues. Wyatt has been getting the better of Ambrose since this feud has started. I think Ambrose will be in a match with Cesaro or Mark Henry and than after the match he will stack Tables, Ladders and Chairs on either man. Wyatt will come up and try to attack Dean again, but this time Ambrose gets some revenge as Wyatt escpaes and runs up the ramp. I think it would be nice to see Bray Wyatt compete in the match, but who do you have him go against? With two weeks away to TLC I think WWE needs to bring their A game tonight when it comes to this feud.

4.) A New Day Is Here 

I was really happy to see Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E debut their "New Day" gimmick on SmackDown this past Friday Night. I'm happy for them because they're trying something different and at the same time entertain the WWE audience. Yes the music and pomps and circumstances of this gimmick will reminds you of Flash Funks, The Oddities, The Tons of Funks of the world, but I think we got something here with this new gimmick and it will sure add some vareity in this stagnant WWE Tag Team division. Give it a chance people, maybe it will grown on you, maybe it won't if you're a natural cynical person. A New Day is Here and as far as tonight is concern, I think we maybe seeing a run-in between with The New Day and The Dust Brothers. I wonder if they do come out with all Red thought for Monday Night Raw as opposed to SmackDown where they came out with the powder blue. Either way this a fun gimmick there's too many heels on this roster as it is, let's have some fun and enjoy a new stable on WWE television.

5.) WWE TLC's Mid-Card 

Here's the thing, if you haven't seen my previous column where I predicted the entire match card for WWE TLC, I advise you to check it out it's really cool and I think you may like it. I think tonight with the Raw Anonymouys General Manager we'll get some matches announced for TLC. With the feud between AJ Lee/Nikki Bella I WANT TO SEE A IN-RING BACK AND FORTH PROMO BETWEEN THESE TWO LADIES. Give me a reason to care about this match, I enjoyed what little of a promo Nikki had on SmackDown and I enjoyed the attempt of CM Punk AJ displayed on last week's Raw. Let them talk gives us a reason as to why this match matters. I think we'll Big Show vs. Erick Rowan tonight on Raw, but ultimately this will lead to their upcoming match at TLC. I think we'll already have the announced Ryback/Kane match, I will like to see if they announce Rusev vs Swagger at TLC, also possibly Ziggler/Harper for the IC Title would be nice and that's that for now. I think what's going to make WWE TLC a success is the mid-card for this show.

*With the live "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Podcast with Mr. McMahon, I don't think he should ask Vince about CM Punk. Don't bring more attention to somebody that continues to bring the company down in a negative light. I think it would be more important for Austin to grill McMahon about the direction of the company, maybe ask a couple of school questions like "Who came up with the idea to have Austin job to Lesnar on Raw in 2002?" stuff like that. This will be in my opinion the biggest interview in the WWE this year. DON'T MISS OUT AND WHAT CAN BE SOMETHING VERY VERY SPECIAL.

I hope you guys enjoy Raw tonight, try not to be like a Roger Ebert/Dave Meltzer wannabe and be so nit picky and try to enjoy the show as fan. That's the advise I give to people before watching Raw. I hope you guys enjoyed this preview. Let me know what you think about this article? And what would you guys like to see happen on Raw tonight?

Follow Me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

CM Punk Speaks On Everything Finally

C.M Punk has broken his silence and done it in true C.M Punk fashion appearing on his friend Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling Podcast. Before we get into all that was said it should be noted that C.M Punk could have earned a ton of money giving this exclusive interview to anyone. It is the most sought after wrestling interview in the last decade and possibly ever. He did it with his long time friend Colt Cabana for nothing and is going to address his fans and haters a like, taking questions next week on the same podcast. On this fact alone, it is commendable of Punk and kind of serves as proof that this is not about Punk profiting from his story. The things he does say while some are what many have speculated for months as reasons for his leaving have been validated. Some other things that have not seen the light of day until now are truly shocking. It is stated among these revelations the fact that Punk never really quit the company. The truth is he was suspended not long after he walked out the night after the Royal Rumble; he was eventually fired on what was his wedding day to WWE Diva A.J Lee.

To cover everything that was said in this interview would take far to long to write out and likely will be the most reported on interview in wrestling in decades. You really need to seek it out and listen to it yourself to hear it in context. It is almost two hours in length and is truly fascinating to hear how much C.M Punk was going through physically during his time since re-signing to join the company until now. Among them wrestling with concussions, that Punk claims the WWE was in full knowledge of him having. He wrestled in all forms of pain beyond that, from bad knees, to broken ribs among them.

The most shocking of all was Punk had develop a deposit on his back that he brought to the attention of WWE medical staff. He was told it was some form of calcium deposit, which was nothing to worry about moving forward. Despite Punk’s insistence to have it removed, the WWE doctor deemed it unnecessary and instead gave him antibiotics. Punk was asked if the deformity on his back hurt, when he claimed it did not they gave him this medication. It reached a point where it did begin to hurt months later and on the encouragement of his wife, Punk would see her doctor in Florida. This doctor quickly diagnosed that Punk had been walking around with a staph infection for months. This according to the doctor could have been fatal. It was removed and Punk who it should be noted in his life had a fractured skull and had tattoos done on many parts of his body called it worst pain he had ever experienced.

Punk also made it clear that he had been questioning the WWE about the Network based on how it would affect not just his income, but in addition all the other wresters, with no real answers given to him. He claims that he never was given one to the point that he left. This is consistent with an interview he gave to Ariel Helwani just days before his departure from the company. While Punk did have complaints about payoffs for Wrestlemania and other events, it was about simply being paid to the level of other stars that appeared on the shows on his level. He claims John Cena, The Rock, Undertaker, Triple H, and Brock Lesnar all made significantly more than he did on the last Wrestlemania he appeared on Wrestlemania 29.

There was a ton of stuff about booking that was brought up as well including Punk’s desire to make the Mania 29 main event a three-way match with himself, John Cena and The Rock. He also claims that The Shield was in fact his idea to build a faction around him when he was not granted that match and had conceded and agreed to face the Undertaker. Punk’s version of the Shield he pitched include Rollins Ambrose and Chris Hero who he had worked with a ton on independents long before coming to WWE. The WWE was not down with having Hero and wanted Roman Reigns to be the third to which Punk conceded. The plan was for Punk to work programs with each of the Shield coming out of his lose to the Undertaker. WWE changed directions and killed the idea of the Shield being paired with Punk. WWE wanted the Shield to be originally the Big Show, Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins. Something Punk was not in agreement with and countered with the three names mentioned above.

There is many other stories including how Ryback injured Punk both times working with him. In the TLC match where a Punk and Ryback program was thrown together, he had his ribs broken from a kick from Ryback. When the two would later feud in the build up to Lesnar and Punk he would injury his hip on a table bump in which Ryback threw Punk missing the table entirely and hit the cement floor. Punk suggests that he feels both were deliberate on the part of Ryback and after the second injury, he confronted him and Ryback claimed stupidity rather than it being a deliberate attempt to injury him. 

This only scratches the surface of all that was told. Punk goes into detail on the infamous meeting that night in Cleveland when he walked out where as it had been reported only he, Vince McMahon and Triple H were in the room.

It is without a doubt the most spell binding 90 minutes plus you likely will have heard about his relationship with WWE. This is obviously his version of the story but there is a real truth to it when you go back and piece together what was going on at the various times.

WWE had tried to come to a settlement with Punk on money he was owed to restrict either side from talking about it. Punk denied this based on how he had already being characterized on WWE programming. He did in fact get all the money that he was entitled too and the matter has been settled.

Punk claims based on the way he was fired on his actual wedding day was the final straw on him ever working for the company again. After listening to all the Punk has to say it is hard to imagine why he would ever want to do so. Even if you only consider half of the things Punk claims as facts, it would be enough for many to never desire to work with WWE again. In a wrestling world that is so much based on never say never about people returning this might be the most compelling case to say something is never ever going to happen.

It seems that Punk really wanted to give his true fans an explanation for all that has gone on in the last year and beyond as to why he is gone from the company. If you ever considered yourself a C.M Punk fan and still do not understand why after all he laid out I would personal question if you ever cared about him at all or just loved the wrestling character he played.

The scary thing is there is a real sense of truth to everything that he said and it paints the WWE although he claims it was not his intention in a very negative light. It also casts a very scary picture of the inner workings of the company and makes you wonder if anyone will ever be able to succeed without the WWE’s backing. It puts a great deal of things into prospective.

Punk also briefly talks about the need for a union in wrestling to stand up for the talent something that Vince McMahon has fought long and hard against even dating back to the 80’s. Jessie Ventura at the time had attempted to create one only to be foiled by Hulk Hogan and Vince. Punk’s story is a tale that really cries out for the need for one. Maybe you’re not a C.M Punk fan and think he is a jerk. Still the things that happened to Punk could just as easily happen to your favorite superstar or diva. Which is what makes this story so compelling.

It was the most eye-opening interview I have listened to in 30 plus years of being a wrestling fan. Short of when you come to the realization that wrestling is not real this cuts almost as deep into the ugly business side of this company at the top of the wrestling world.

C.M Punk had the balls to tell the story because he feels he can afford to and doesn’t have to worry about money for the rest of his life. Love him or hate him C.M Punk has always been a guy both in and out of character to speak his mind. On Thanksgiving 2014 in the United States, he did just that.

As I have said consistently the thing I am most happy about is Punk seems truly content and happy with his life and as a fan of this guy that entertained me for years I am happy about that. To listen to all he endured physically and mentally to entertain me makes me love him even more.

So, thank you C.M Punk for everything and allowing your true fans to hear your side of the story. This is not to say that we were owed anything, but so we can now understand it and have some closure to it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers. Best wishes from our family to yours.

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: Vince McMahon Makes A Rare Appearence on Raw

A long Raw was made a little longer with a U.S title match on the Network. Thankfully, it was one of the better shows we have seen in some time. We got to see Vince McMahon on T.V for the first time in pretty much a year. There was no John Cena on this show as well and no real explanation was given, not that I am complaining about that. While Randy Orton goes out with a bang as he is off to film a movie. All of this and of course ton of promotion for the Network that you can’t get in 80% Canada and the network was earlier in the day delayed in the U.K indefinitely.

1. Vince is back: It was yet another surprise for Raw that have been norm of late with The Rock and Mick Foley recently making surprise appearances on Raw. Vince did the expected with promoting that the WWE Network and Survivor Series are free on the network. However, he was also going to drop a bombshell about the main event for Survivor Series. He declared to the surprise of Triple H and Stephanie that the match with the Authority’s Team vs. Team John Cena would have a stipulation. If team Cena wins, it would mean the end of the authority. This would lead to Triple H and Stephanie scrambling the rest of the night to build a strong team because of Vince’s announcement. It gave the show as a whole an underlying theme for the night. This concluded with a match between Rollins and Orton to clear the air between the two.

2. Dean Ambrose Shakes Hands With Vince: I do not think anything Vince McMahon ever does is by accident, as the authority left Dean Ambrose came out for his opening match and shook hands with Vince McMahon. This is a clear sign that Dean has moved up the food chain to interact with Vince McMahon. He was the only wrestler on the show that did, as Vince would drive off after a backstage segment with Triple H and Stephanie. It may all mean nothing, but it certainly was a moment that people will remember from this show even if it happened early on. It almost meant more than a match he had with Cesaro that was sent to commercial rather abruptly due to a cut suffered by Cesaro in the match. It was the first but not the last bleeding wrestler we would see on the night. Wyatt came out to watch the match and then would disappear but it all paled in comparison to Ambrose getting a golden handshake from Vince McMahon.

3. New Gimmicks for People Debut: We saw three different repacking moments for Luke Harper, Xavier Woods and Eric Rowan. Harper has a vignette with his eyes multiplying and it was very creepy and much in line with his Wyatt persona except he is doing his own talking.  Eric Rowan appeared still in sheep mask and approached an unsuspecting Renee Young. He would lift his mask and feel Renee’s hair and say pretty to which Renee said thank you and would make a fast exit. It was almost George “The Animal” Steele like but more menacing in nature. Xavier Woods last we saw him was looking like a black militant Malcolm X type character. He would be in a vignette playing a very James Brown or in wrestling Earnest Miller like character. The vignette ended saying a new day was coming. After watching it, I would prefer that day never came. It remains unclear if the idea of teaming Woods with Kofi and Big E has been scraped altogether, as they were not involved in this segment at all.

4.Dolph Ziggler given a “Big Spot” on the show:  Dolph Ziggler has been a victim of bad luck combined with being buried in the WWE’s doghouse for so long it is hard to believe this company is ever getting behind him. Still he is coming off a strong win over Cesaro at the Hell in a Cell, as Cesaro seems to be that guy in the doghouse these days. Last week an interaction with God himself in the form of John Cena. Now the authority recruits Dolph. Triple H himself in a long promo would put over Dolph Ziggler and his talent in the ring. This was part of convincing him not to join Team Cena and to come join Team Authority. Ziggler would be offered whatever he wanted to join them. He said what he wanted was the authority gone and that he is joining up with Cena it would appear. This resulted in an Intercontinental Title match with Seth Rollins that was, as you would expect a great match. Randy Orton would interfere taking out Rollins and leading to the DQ but Ziggler remains the I-C Champ. The last time Dolph felt like this big a deal he was cashing in his Money in the Bank case on Alberto Del Rio. While being a John Cena friend can have its pitfalls, for now, Ziggler is being booked as a big deal for the first time in a long time, which should make fans happy. 

5.Randy Orton Goes Out with a Bang: Randy Orton was the focus of the night with Triple H and Stephanie at odds on if he should be included on their team given his feelings and actions towards Seth Rollins. After he took out Rollins in the match with Ziggler, he would get a match with Rollins that was the main event of the show. Triple H said this was to get all of this tension between him and Rollins out of his system. Orton would lose the match clean as Rollins got a roll up for the win. Randy would be frustrated but appeared as if he would bury his beef and shook hands with all of the authority but would eventually snap when he got to Rollins. It would lead to him being beaten down to the dismay of Triple H. He would be split open legitimately on the announce table. Triple H would call off the dogs and Stephanie demanded they finish what they started. Triple H did not seem to want to go along with it but would agree. An already bloody Orton would get curb stomped with Rollins jumping off the table and stomping Orton into steel steps.

Orton is off to tape a movie and his status for Survivor Series is up in the air as he was pulled from advertising prior to tonight. It is in his hometown of St Louis so it seems likely he still might show up. He is off to film the movie “The Condemned 2,” which starred Steve Austin in the original.      

Other notes from Raw: it appears that A.J Lee finally has a new feud with Nikki Bella, who became the number one contender on Smackdown. Nikki would order Brie to slap A.J who was on commentary for her match. Brie would be dropped and Nikki would escape. Tyson Kidd showed up on Raw again getting a count out win over Sheamus using his wife Nattie as a shield to get Sheamus counted out. It would be the first of two loses for Sheamus on the night as he lost to Rusev in the network exclusive U.S Title match. Therefore, Rusev is your new United States Champion. Overall, this was a show with lots of good matches. The exception to that rule was Big Show and Mark Henry that was an 8-minute waste of time. Henry did have an impressive rampage after getting DQed giving the World’s Strongest Slam to Big Show on the steel steps. Ryback was booked in another squash match with Titus O’Neil. The Buffalo crowd who was not into much was into him.

All in all this was one of the better Raw episodes in recent memory and did add some interest to Survivor Series. John Cena not being on this show was not even a thought for me. It should be noted the Buffalo crowd were offered refunds right before the show started as it was announced that Cena would not be appearing. The kids might have missed him but I did not in the slightest.

It was a step in the right direction overall from a creative standpoint. Time will tell if they can keep this build to Survivor Series interesting on a card that will be really a one-match show with the main event requiring 10 top superstars. Aside from an Ambrose and Wyatt match that will be separate from the main event can’t think of anything to compelling they could put together for this show.

Raw Expected to be 3 hour Commerical For WWE Network?

Are you ready for a month long commercial for the WWE Network? That is what you can suspect for all of November with the network being given away for free. What it means for Survivor Series is now unclear based on the back the show is being given away for free. It leads to speculation on what it will mean for Survivor Series. Some feel WWE will attempt to put on an over the top show.  I however feel they can’t afford a Brock Lesnar return at Survivor Series. Perhaps you get a Roman Reigns return as he is expected to be ready for next even in December. In any case the dynamic and importance of Survivor Series has changed.

In terms of Raw tonight expect a ton of advertising for the WWE Network. In addition, we should see some advancement on Team Cena vs. Team Authority. Perhaps we get some confirmation on which side Randy Orton will fall in this feud if at all. Orton has been pulled from advertising for the show in his hometown of St Louis. Orton has been cast in a sequel to the movie The Condemned that starred Steve Austin in the original. Orton is expected to miss some time to shoot that movie and apparently, that will include Survivor Series.

WWE had a similar situation with Ambrose getting hot and having to leave for a movie. It clearly never hurt him as he came back even stronger but in his absence, Raw had some of its worst shows of the year. Speaking of Ambrose his feud with Bray Wyatt seems to be moving in slow motion so far perhaps we pick up the pace tonight on Monday Night Raw.

Smackdown for the first time in a long time introduced an angle that a lot have speculated on happening. Rusev is challenging Sheamus to get his hands on the United States title. Seems like a good side feud to continue building Rusev moving forward. Not sure why they waited until Smackdown to introduce this feud instead of last Monday or this Monday. It is nice for fans of Smackdown to see some storyline advancement on that show.

The main event on that show was also pretty cool with a Halloween themed street fight with Cesaro and Dean Ambrose. These two put on a heck of an entertaining match and along the way killed many pumpkins. Cesaro according to reports is being punished for comments he made in an interview prior to the Randy Orton vs. John Cena match being less than supportive of that match. It was a match that many fans weren’t looking forward to given the amount of times we have seen this match-up. Cesaro is just an amazing talent and the lack of what they have done with him since his push at Wrestlemania 30 is a crime.

Another prominent figure from Wrestlemania 30 is of course Daniel Bryan. Bryan has been forced to have a second surgery and is out from Wrestlemania 31 for sure. A time line of 6-8 months has been given but some question if his career as a whole is potentially over. It has been a really sad story for Daniel Bryan in 2014. After winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and married Brie Bella, things took a horrible turn in the other direction. He lost his father who passed away soon after his marriage and than was put on the injured list with an injury to his neck.

We will be seeing Brie most likely in segments with Sister Nikki playing up the angle from their match at Hell in a Cell in which Brie is the assistant for Nikki for 30 days based on losing their match.

So get ready to hear 9.99 and free a lot on this coming episode of Raw. At least all the pink is done for another year. All for raising money for breast cancer but we do not need a month of programming to do so.

WWE Needs To Get More Bang For Their Rock

The appearance of The Rock did create a buzz no one is going to deny that. He stands out whenever he decides he wants to come back home and play wrestler for a night or a few months. It has got to the point of the odd night here and the odd night there.  His feud and basis for John Cena to be against him was his lack of a presence on WWE programming. Which at one point we are told created a legitimate beef between the two. The issue when the Rock comes back is not that he isn’t sticking around as much as it he reminds us how good he is in comparison to the current crop of WWE stars including John Cena himself.

When you have these rare chances to have the Rock on the show I would suggest that the WWE tends to blow it with him and miscast him more often than not. Take this recent visit from the Rock was this the best use of him at this time? I would venture to say it wasn’t and while the interaction with Rusev will help Rusev and Lana to some extent, this really isn’t who needed The Rock’s help.

Roman Reigns his relative needed the Rock far more. So why not have The Rock stop Rusev from attacking an injured Reigns or better yet The Authority. The Rock could cut this promo about how Roman is his family and he will always have his back. He could talk about how he is going to help him through his rehabilitation and make him an even bigger bad ass. Providing validation of the fact, that Roman is carrying on the great legacy of The Rock’s family in this company.  A real passing of the torch moment that whenever the Rock does pop in and out you can utilize. It even makes a great build to a heel turn for Reigns way down the line where he no longer wants or needs The Rock’s help. It may not help in the short term but WWE needs to figure out ways to build for the long term when guys like The Rock drop in.

Rumors are getting louder that Stone Cold Steve Austin is thinking of making a comeback. While the obvious people pairing Austin with seem to be C.M Punk, Brock Lesnar or even John Cena that is a short-term one-event match. Punk and Austin would be great if Punk was even on speaking terms with the company. Still isn’t it better to see Austin tied to some younger star than one that is on the back nine of their WWE career while Austin is coming down the eighteenth fairway of his for a second time for some cheers and applause.

WWE seems to fall to much in love with their past just like many of the fans.  Fans can cheer the Rock, Austin or Hogan, remember the past, and have a great moment. That isn’t going to help invest them in the current product. Perhaps that gets to another issue for the WWE. They seem like they are in quicksand trying to promote their past but in doing so it shed light on how badly their present doesn’t measure up to their great history.

The legacy and history of the WWE and really all of wrestling on any major scale in North America is owned by the WWE. This should be a tremendous asset for this company yet they have still not found a way to have their history help their future on many occasions. It shouldn’t be that difficult to come up with ideas to allow interactions with your past and the present to help build your future. There are moments the WWE does get it right but they are rare.

A recent example happened on one of the NXT specials this year when Charlotte Flair won the NXT Women’s Championship with her father Ric in her corner and Bret Hart in the corner of Natalya. Past and present mixed magically together to create a really special and emotional moment that you could feel. Even this I think they missed a moment in the aftermath. Heading into the match, Charlotte was booked as a heel. Coming out of it, I maintained at the time she should have been turned into a babyface. It was the right moment to do it but instead WWE has waited until months later to start a slow turn with Charlotte when they had the moment to do it handed to them in their lap.

WWE needs to come up with some simple and effective ideas to market both their past and present in harmony. If they do not find a way to do that, both the current product and WWE Network will suffer for it as a result.  Ideally, you want the Network to lure back old fans and get them invested in the current product and win them back as fans again. That clearly isn’t happening right now on any level.

When the WWE figures out a way to do this that will be a moment when things start to move in a positive direction.

Sometime I feel the WWE has been so bogged down in corporate business that they try to take simple things and make them into rocket science. Vince McMahon built this empire based on going with his gut a lot of time and taking chances. It seems this company is in a very different place from that these days. They are afraid to take almost any risk at all and as a result, the product, ratings, and network subscriptions are all heading in the wrong direction.

There really isn’t a lot of excuses in the sense you have perhaps one of the most talented rosters top to bottom you have had since the glory days of the "Attitude Era." It just goes to show talent can only be talented when given the environment and ability to be so. Not enough freedom is being given to these people that play these roles every Monday Night and most of the rest of the week.

What is left of wrestling fans will always cheer The Great One and all the other legends like him. They key is making new guys to be those legends for the next generation and to this point that isn’t happening enough. What happens when the WWE runs out of break glass in case of emergency old stars from the past?

It is a real problem and the WWE has used up almost all their nostalgia-based matches that people will still be excited about. The WWE seems to be very short sighted as relates to these kinds of matches.  What is the pay off for a Sting match as an example 5 years from now? Next to nothing, really it just becomes a historical moment added to hundreds that already exist.

They need to start building a future and they acknowledge that with the money they have spent on the performance center and the amount of work that has gone into the NXT and developmental as a whole. Nevertheless, that just gives you the talent you still have to make them into stars. Something the WWE has historically been very good at but seems to be lacking in over the last few years. Instead focusing primarily on the one guy they have built in John Cena. You need more than one guy to make this company go.

In any case, it is always nice to see The Rock; I just wish WWE used their time with him more wisely.

Keep up to date on with us on Twitter @condoonthemoon

Condo on the Moon Podcast #30

It might not have the history of Wrestlemania 30, but we are on Podcast number 30 here at Condo on the Moon. We have had many Randy Savage impressions some great guests like Jimmy Korderas, Adam Cole and many others. Along with countless hours of myself James Borbath and Chris Walder trying to offer are opinions and views on professional wrestling. It has been a lot of fun and we hope to keep this thing going and thanks to all of you who have listened over our 30 shows. If you enjoy the show we encourage you to help spread the word out of what we like to think is the best wrestling podcast a lot of people haven't heard of. Will look to change that in the next 30 episodes and hopefully with your help we can do it.

So this week we have an extensive talk about NXT and the direction of things with the shows taped last night at Full Sail. We offer a rather male oriented opinion on this whole concept of wrestlers names changing. We talk the struggles of Raw as well and the WWE power struggle behind the scenes that is rumoured. Also get into the PWI 500 list with the top 10 guys on that list including one of our former guests here on Condo on the Moon. In addition how I almost got ripped off for a new webcam and Walder having a meltdown about parking prices in Toronto. This and so much more this week on the show.


If you have an issue listening here on the site head over to Podomatic were you can listen there or via I-tunes.

Hangin on the Moon is coming back next week with are first ever 3 way video podcast as Walder and Lopez join me for a wrestling free for all. In addition the Roman Reigns piece I referenced is in fact out over on Between the Ropes so go check that out.

Keep up to date with everything Condo on the Moon related on Twitter and Facebook.

Once again thanks for all the support and we really enjoy bringing this to you each and every week. It has been a lot of fun making the transition from covering the NBA to covering the world of pro wrestling.