EXTREME RULES 2012 - TAKING A CHANCE

It’s Pay Per View time again and not even a month after Wrestlemania 28, WWE brings us Extreme Rules 2012. Just before we look down the card, I’d like to send our thoughts out to Marcus Bagwell, who is currently in intensive care after a horrific car crash. I know I speak for you all when I say, get well soon Buff.

Extreme Rules Match

Brock Lesnar vs John Cena

Knowing how big this match is (their faces are now the new Extreme Rules 2012 poster), not just for Pay Per View numbers and the rest of the year, but also for the storylines leading into SummerSlam, it’s hard to believe WWE are going to do anything but book a John Cena victory. At present time John Cena has been having his worst month yet. April has seen him lose the Wrestlemania 28 Main Event to The Rock and then next night on Raw get absolutely brutalized by the returning Brock Lesnar. He’s lost on Raw and been booked to look like he’s losing his faith in himself.

Now this could be a clever plot by WWE, all leading to a John Cena heel turn if he should lose a second big main event in four weeks. Knowing though, how WWE likes to do business, all this is going to be a waste of our time, and is likely booked as a John Cena restoration storyline, along the lines of the hero loses his belief and defeats the big, bad opponent in the end – think Rocky Balboa but with significantly less talent.

I wish WWE would stop thinking about their bulging bank accounts and about us, the people who have made that account so big. For years there has been a public outcry for John Cena to turn heel and I can think of no finer story than if he were to join John Laurientis’ team and feud with C.M Punk. Then it could be turned into a better version of WWE’s shambolic Invasion angle (and boy did they miss a trick thee?). That though, won’t happen!

Can you envisage John Cena teaming with Laurientis and Lesnar? They’d act him off of the screen. WWE thinks it’s far more sporting to let him make a dick of himself each week, prancing around the ring pretending the fans all love him, despite the chants and boos. When will someone see the light? Still until then we can expect Cena to pull off the same old cartoon faces and the superman come backs (you know then ones where he takes a big move and then gets up and pretends it never happened?) and the absolute same moves week after week.

But this isn’t about Cena, it’s about a main event that could be great, if Lesnar can shake off the UFC style of fighting and step back into our business and look like he hasn’t been away, and John Cena can pull out another Wrestlemania performance, then Extreme Rules may not be a total wash out. Of course with the added stipulation of an Extreme Rules match, then we could be looking at a really good match.

John Cena has form in these type of matches. Ok so his Ambulance match with Kane at Elimination Chamber 2012 was the pits, but if he can recreate the classic Royal Rumble 2007 match with the late Umaga or something that comes close, then it might go a long way to turning the fans around in his favour. He’s already started to turn fans opinions by allowing his character to look weak in past weeks, now by putting on a decent match with an opponent that hasn’t wrestled since 2004, well who knows what could happen?

The other thing about these types of matches are that WWE books them to cover up Cena’s floors. Let’s be honest people, anyone can make a match where you hit each other with chairs and tables and god knows what else look interesting. Even John Cena, can’t he?

The main focus has to be where both men go after Extreme Rules. The feud will presumably carry on, and if it is to carry on then I don’t believe anyone will be thinking Lesnar can beat Cena if JC goes over at Extreme Rules. If Lesnar were to beat Cena and then leave him lying in a pool of blood, your stage is set for a dramatic storyline for the next three months.

In my opinion, the best thing WWE can do with Lesnar to make him the monster again is re-hire Paul Heyman. The guy was a genius and it’s no secret that he’s been helping Lesnar recently with his promos backstage. WWE haven’t hired him back I have to say, which they should do as soon as possible. TNA missed a trick not booking him as head of their writing department (going with Hogan instead), so WWE need to wake up and snap up the King of Extreme as soon as they can.

I’m hoping Brock Lesnar goes over on 29^th April, but I really can’t see Cena losing a second main event in a row. Still, if he does then we have a great summer ahead, if his ego gets the better of him yet again then we have a summer that will be full of predictable confrontations and outcomes – again! Although the way John Cena treat Lesnar on the Raw the night after Mania, applauding him with a cocky smirk on his face, should worry us slightly. If Cena can’t even be asked to take the angle seriously for one night, how is going to be bothered to sustain the seriousness for a whole three months?

I’ve said this before: I want WWE to prove they can still shock an old veteran fan like me. In reality, I don’t believe they possess the balls to take a huge chance that could ultimately profit themselves down the line.

Winners Prediction: Brock Lesnar

WWE Championship Match

Chicago Street Fight

C.M. Punk (Champion) vs Chris Jericho

I was curious where this feud was going. Chris Jericho was a returning legend who could still go with the best of them. C.M Punk was a wrestler reaching the pinnacle of his career as WWE Champion, having a storm of a feud with Raw and Smackdown GM John Laurientis and entering a phase of his career which loosely resembled the Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon Feud of 1998 and 1999.

Their Wrestlemania match was a good if not stunning and now they have to go into a Chicago Street Fight and steal the show away from Brock Lesnar and John Cena. They both have the talent to do it, they both have the know how to do it, now WWE, to enhance the feud have to take a leap of faith and do something I said last month would be wrong to do. They have to take the title from Punk and put it on Jericho. The skill there comes, in doing so in a way that doesn’t damage Punk’s image.

The perfect answer would of course to be have old Johnny cost Punk the title. There are no rules so WWE don’t have to worry about ref bumps or breaching the disqualification rule without explanation. They can eve have a six on one beat down on Punk to make it look like he was hijacked for the title. It doesn’t matter if Jericho looks weak winning the title, like he couldn’t do it without help, because that’s the character he’s playing. The whole point of this feud is to push Punk on into SummerSlam and there’s no better way to do that than giving him the image and role of the vengeful ex champion who was robbed of the belt and out for vengeance. That is what WWE needs to do. Anything but a loss for Punk at Extreme Rules would kill off any momentum he has. It sounds like it contradicts itself but it doesn’t.

Consider this. If Punk defeats Jericho again, then where does he go? A feud with Mark Henry or Alberto Del Rio would flop like Henry’s gut! A feud with someone outside the Laurientis stable would take the spotlight off of the feud of the year. It’s a tricky situation that WWE has to handle with care. I know they’re usually like a bull in a china shop with feuds and don’t like to plan for the future, they want the results now. But they have to look at the past few years and understand that results now do not provide long term success. You must drag out a good thing and build up the tension and those involved, this was proven in Batista’s face turn in 2004 / 2005.

Vince must give C.M. Punk momentum going into SummerSlam otherwise whatever the Championship match is on the card, no one will care. Handled right and delicately, WWE could be onto something red hot. Just think of the heat on Laurientis and Jericho should they repeat their Royal Rumble 1994 casket match ending for this one.

Winners Prediction: Chris Jericho

World Heavyweight Championship Match

2 Out of 3 Falls Match

Sheamus (Champion) vs Daniel Bryan

The match that was relegated to undercard at Wrestlemania 27 and given just seconds at Wrestlemania 28, may just be the match that steals the show at Extreme Rules 2012. To ensure the watching public know this one will be a slog and a real match this time around, WWE have sensibly added the stipulation of 2 out of 3 falls. Both Bryan and Sheamus have what it takes to match a match like this watchable, it will all come to nothing though, should WWE decide to give them just fifteen minutes to execute it all in.

No doubt Bryan will take the first fall to give him the hell edge going in. If you’re expecting a Daniel Bryan victory and second reign as champion then you’re going to be disappointed. WWE have no plans to take the title off of Sheamus, which really renders this match pointless. We know Bryan isn’t going to win, we know Sheamus will retain the title, and now WWE have booked themselves into a corner. Because this match need never happen! It is in fact a waste of our time! We’re expected to believe that Bryan can defeat Sheamus when he lost to him in seconds at Mania. I don’t believe anyone thinks Bryan will be victorious. And to suddenly except us to take a match seriously that was cut just so WWE could have a new Wrestlemania record, isn’t just calling us stupid but spits on the legacy of the World Title.

WWE conveniently forgets all of that and carries on with their little world anyway.

Winners Prediction: Sheamus

Falls Count Anywhere Match

Randy Orton vs Kane

The fact that WWE originally put Kane’s face on the Extreme Rules 2012 poster (before replacing it with Cena and Lesnar), should tell us that the company are seriously investing in this feud and that it won’t end at Extreme Rules. I have no idea why. It’s going nowhere, Randy Orton looks bored with it and Kane is treating it as just another stepping stone. If the giant bore could put some effort into it, then maybe he’d realize that this feud isn’t just a filler while the creative team think up something else for him to do, but a genuine chance to put himself back on the map.

After their lousy match at Wrestlemania 28, WWE have seen sense to book this under Falls Count Anywhere. If this ends anywhere but the backstage area or parking lot with an RKO from the top of a production truck, then we all have the right to be disappointed. Kane and Cena couldn’t get through an Ambulance match – a match which is designed to have no actual wrestling in it at all – now Kane has the chance to rectify this with a much more skilled opponent.

Randy Orton will no doubt come out on top in this one. If WWE are insisting on taking this feud further, which I believe they are, then Orton must defeat Kane at Extreme Rules. If the Viper loses, then there will be no momentum going into the future. The feud will be deadlocked in Kane’s favour! Orton must go over to level out the feud at a draw and then going into match number three (which Orton will win to provide him with a launch pad to take on a heel Sheamus going into SummerSlam) WWE have to book the final match under another stipulation. We’ve seen how dire Kane is under just normal rules. WWE has to do itself a favour and book the final instalment, which will presumably be at Over the Limit under something like Steel Cage rules.

Of course this could all be a platform for Kane to be springboarded into the main event picture. Watching his awful matches since January, I cannot believe the WWE are even considering giving the Big Red Bore yet another WWE Championship reign. Then we have to consider that Randy Orton is due a sabbatical to go away and film the Marine 3 (which will bomb more than Pearl Harbour). The problem I’m having though, is imagining the damage that will be done to Orton should he lose the feud as a whole to Kane. Does WWE believe that we can invest emotionally in a man, even one as talented as Orton, who would lose to Kane and then suddenly be catapulted into the Main Event? The answer is yes, WWE would expect us to believe that, because that’s what WWE does. It expects us to forget whatever happened in the past and just concentrate on the future. The company and the people running that are that shallow.

The only other question I would ask is if Kane is going to look at the lights at Extreme Rules, then why did WWE bothered to put him on the poster before taking him off? Usually the pay per view posters are used to promote the big talent or upcoming talent. Yet just because Kane is meant to be this big, undefeatable monster then they thought he’d be a good choice for the Extreme Rules poster – ludicrous isn’t it? There was a time when WWE wouldn’t have even made such decisions. Cast your mind back to 1996, when Shawn Michaels was the companies golden boy. Can you imagine WWE putting Savio Vega, a minor under card wrestler on a Pay Per View poster instead of Shawn Michaels, the top dog at the time? No, so I wonder why they insist on doing it now?

Whatever the answer may be, it doesn’t change the fact that both men have a lot of work to do to rectify their awful Wrestlemania match. After the event, Kane needs to take a long hard look at himself and see that he can no longer go at the required pace needed for current WWE. He neither has the health or the youth on his side. His body is ravaged by injury and his health is taking a turn for the worst. Can you see the weight beginning to pile back on? As for Randy Orton, after he’s finished filming the Marine 3, WWE need to turn him heel and pit him against a face Sheamus (if they’re insisting on keeping him as a good guy). Orton can do much more for an opponent as a heel than he can as a face.

Winners Prediction: Randy Orton

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match

Big Show (Champion) vs Cody Rhodes

On a pay per view where every match is supposedly to be fought under a stipulation, this match and the match for the U.S title seems to have slipped the net stipulation wise. No ladder, no cage, no kendo stick, no tables. Any reason? It could be because Big Show’s broken body can’t take punishment like that. It could be because Cody Rhodes is working with injuries, or more likely, it could just be because WWE can’t think of anything that Big Show can pull of safely. If that is the reason then why book him at all?

So, expect this match to be a re-run of their Wrestlemania match, which I’m hoping will have a different outcome. I see no sense in building Cody Rhodes up all this time to cut him down now. His loss against Big Show at Mania did him no good at all. A loss here would put him back to where he was when he was in legacy! Rhodes has to win here to put him back on track. There’s no way Rhodes can be taken seriously if he loses this one as well. I’m aware that to be put in the main event picture Rhodes will have to lose to someone along the way, but not Big Show. At least make it someone who can make Rhodes look good whilst beating him.

I’ve been critical of Show, with good reason. He’s rotten in the ring. He can’t move! He can’t wrestle! So why put the third most important title on him? Because they have nothing else to do with the lump! I’d like to sit down and have a chat with the moron that thought it would be a good idea to ambush Rhodes’ career to give a stale one in the shape of the Big Show’s another boost which has failed. Who makes these decisions? Who sits down with Vince and says ‘We’re going to stop Cody Rhodes’ push, ruin his image and career in favour of ramming Big Show down the audiences throats yet again, with a meaningless push that can get him nowhere!’? It’s ridiculous.

This will just go to show you how committed WWE are to the future of their business. If Show wins then every young wrestler in the locker room has a right to hang their heads and worry. If Rhodes wins, then there is a future after all.

Winners Prediction: Cody Rhodes

WWE United States Championship Match

Santino Marella (Champion) vs The Miz

In an era of stop start pushes, I worry for the Miz. Buried under heaps of crap for months, the guy gets his career back on track with the pinfall victory in the twelve man tag team match at Wrestlemania. And then in their infinite wisdom, WWE decides to book him against the one man comedy relief, Santino Marella. A guy WWE have ruined for years. They might as well dress him up as Doink and send him out to the ring! It can’t be any worse than putting him in a dress and wig and saying he’s name is Santina, Santino’s twin sister. What a rancid little angle that was.

I can only shudder to think what a loss to Santino would do to the Miz and his career. It would make him a laughing stock. WWE needs to terminate Santino’s U.S Title reign which has been so unforgettable I wouldn’t even bother putting it in the history books. However a Miz U.S Title reign would do wonders for his career. There are no other candidates to hold the title at present, so a nice long run with the strap would be great for Miz’s image. WWE can’t put him back in the main event for a long time, so let him have a Ric Flair type run with the U.S Title. If they don’t there’s no other place for the Miz to go.

Winners Prediction: The Miz

WWE now has the chance to prove it can still shock us. To prove that it hasn’t lost the magic and still has the balls to take chances to better the future of their business. I can think of a no better Pay Per View event than one named Extreme Rules, for WWE to throw theirs out of the window and take an Extreme view on their product. Let Cena lose and appear the underdog! Let the Miz flourish! Let Cody Rhodes try his hand at being successful! Give us something to watch for!!! Otherwise how much longer is it going to be Vince, before people start realizing there’re better things to waste their life on?

Looking up and down the Extreme Rules 2012 card, I see a re-run of Wrestlemania, with the exception of the main event of course. What I don’t see is new talent coming through. Once again the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, R – Truth and the majority of the participants in the 12 Man Tag Team Match at Wrestlemania 28, the future of this company, have been left to rot on Superstars. Already Jack Swagger and R – Truth have been shoved back on Superstars, Dolph Ziggler hasn’t had a sniff of a main event match since Elimination Chamber in February, Kofi Kingston is treading water waiting for WWE to capitalize on the Wrestlemania match. This simply isn’t good enough people. And even if WWE decide to throw some of these talent on as a time filler, then that is still saying to the public that these wrestlers aren’t good enough in WWE’S eyes to carry the company. So how the hell are we meant to believe they are the headliners of tomorrow? Just throwing them on as an afterthought is pissing in all of our faces! Vince needs to take his money out of his failing and bloody awful film division (which loses millions per year because the films are trash) and invest it in getting your younger talent over! The talent of tomorrow is being passed over for yet another John Cena main event. For yet another meaningless World Heavyweight Championship Match! For yet another feud (Orton vs Kane) that is predictable and worthless and for a U.S Champion (Santino) who is nothing more than comic relief!

Now that says something about Vince’s vision for the future of this business.

Onwards and Upwards...

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

I haven't been around in the last week, so you good people will get a proper blog sometimes in the coming 7 days.

Here's a thought for you to ponder on. Chris Jericho uncovered footage of the supposedly clean C.M Punk exiting a pub in England. Now if WWE are so keen to tarnish Punk's image after building him so heavily and pushing him down our throats as the 'Straight Edged Superstar', then how can we be expected to believe in anyone WWE feeds us as 'the next generation' of superstar if the company itself is so willing to tarnish them before they've even had a chance to make waves?

Onwards and Upwards...

LET'S GET EXTREME ! ! !

Just a few notes before we get going: you now should be able to leave me comments in the comments box below each post, whoever you are. So give it a try. And it looks like I'm gathering quite the following around the world, from right here in the United Kingdom to America, and even Russia. Of course they're just a few countries in a long list of many. I love America and one day plan to move there. If you haven't been to Russia then you have to go, it's a beautiful place. If you are from a different country and wondering what England is like, then you can probably never visit and live happily the rest of your life - you're not missing anything unless you have the sudden urge to visit a country that has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the world. I'm obviously building a fan base, so if you know anyone who loves wrestling and is bored of all the usual bollocks the other websites tell you, then point them in my direction. I also must add that I'd love to write in Russian for all you who are over there but unfortunatley I don't know any. Sorry.

So just a week after Wrestlemania and WWE have gone full throttle with the Lesnar vs Cena plans. For me, it's way too soon and should have been put on ice for a pay per view that mattered. Extreme Rules, not even a month after Mania and less than four weeks after Lesnar attacked Cena on the post Wrestlemania Raw is throwing away yet another great opportunity.

How great would it have been, if Lesnar had carried on attacking Cena, even costing him the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules, and then declined Cena's demnads for a match until say...SummerSlam? If WWE had been a little wiser, then Cena Vs Lesnar at SummerSlam could have been one of the biggest SummerSlam main events ever. Cena has the drawing power (god knows why) and Brock Lesnar has the mystery factor on his side (will he still be any good after 8 years? Can he still wrestle?). If WWE hadn't have been in such a hurry to plug the feud inside the ring and kept it out then they'd have had major PPV numbers on their hands for what they bill as the biggest event of the summer.

I don't believe that a John Cena vs Brock Lesnar feud that has been fought on pay per view several times leading to SummerSlam, will ever have as much drawing power as one that has yet to be fought after the bell rings. And if WWE think it does then they need their bloody heads testing. The only way WWE can now retain high numbers for SummerSlam is if Brock Lesnar beats John Cena at Extreme Rules and whatever other PPV WWE has booked them at. That was going into the final match at SummerSlam, John Cena could defeat Brock Lesnar and WWE would have a really good finish to an event that has dropped more viewers than it is acceptable to in recent years. WWE must portray John Cena as the underdog in this feud, if they push him as the strongest man who beats Lesnar at Extreme Rules, then they've lost half a year's worth of storyline.

Do i believe WWE will book Brock Lesnar to defeat John Cena at Extreme Rules? Of course not. If they do then it will show they've taken a step foward and are willing to allow John Cena to look weak in a feud, to then reap the rewards later down the line. This being WWE, the land of wasted chances, they have a great reputation for being hard headed and pushing something that could bring them great things in the future, too soon. Vince doesn't like to think about the long term, which is why WWE Pay Per View events are dropping heafty numbers each month. It's not rocket science people, it's simple logic. You plan now for the future. Lesnar defeats Cena for three months on pay per view and then you get massive numbers for SummerSlam when people buy the event to see John Cena finally get his own back on the former 'Next Big Thing'. Who is using the WWE brain cell at the minute?

Saying that, do any of us really believe that WWE will book John Cena to lose to another big star, not even a month after he lost to The Rock at Wrestlemania? I didn't think so. It seem though that WWE have relaxed their policy on blood. Triple H bled at Wrestlemania, John Cena bled on the April 9th Raw, so maybe we're seeing the days of the claret mask returning to the ring - that's until Vince does a deal with another toy company who insists they won't have anything to do with blood on television and then it'll dissapear from television faster than a Divas match does from our memory. With the Lesnar vs Cena feud I want WWE to surprise me! I expect WWE to repeat history.

It looks like two of the WWE's divas are on their way out on April 30th when their contract expires. Which two wonderful wrestlers? I hear you asking. Brace yourself people...The Bella Twins!!! (Add sarcastic voice here) Not the Bella Twins! How will WWE cope without them? Easily! I'm pretty sure Vince won't have trouble finding two more brain dead, anorexic, talentless divas. The Divas division is full of them. What did they add to the compnay anyway? I mean they don't even look that pretty, they can't wrestle and if they think that by leaving WWE they're going to rake in money from being former WWE superstars then they're about to be sorely dissapointed.

It didn't work for Tori Wilson (remeber her? Didn't think so) and it won't happen for the Bella's. The only good thing to come from their departure is that the fans won't have to sit through the dire angles and matches which WWE insists inflicting upon us. The WWE Divas' division is pointless, the title means nothing, the matches are usualy too poor to stomach sitting through or aren't given enough time to care about and Vince himself has sabotaged the division so much, that no one can take it seriously for a very long time to come. Gone are the days of Trish Stratus vs Lita, instead we have one of WWE's brightest divas in Natayla pretending she has terrible flatulance (farting for the less educated).

Very few wrestlers and Divas have ever made it big after leaving WWE. Tori Wilson, Batista (making any movie he's offered nowadays), Maryse (who is the real life girlfriend of The Miz) so excpect her to resurface on WWE T.V when Miz hits the big time again (WWE will literally do anything to keep their big stars happy). The truth is, they either fade from the public view or join TNA. There's a very limited avenue to go down when you're an ex wrestler looking to make it big in the outside world. Mainly because this great sport is frowned upon. We're the like the family member no one talks about in the world.

The other reason why former wrestlers hardly ever make it outside the squared circle, is because they're setting their sights too high. Most want to go into acting. That's fine, only they don't realize they're not good enough and that L.A has over half a million unknown actors just looking for a break. Will Batists make it as an actor? Maybe, he's not got off to a bad start. Will Tori Wilson make it as anything? No! She's not talented enough. The biggest wrestlers to have made it outside this industry are the Rock, Jesse Ventura and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The odds for the rest aren't good. Just having a nice smile and a big pair of tits only gets you so far.

However I am gald to see that Stacey Kiebler is the exception to this. When she left WWE years ago no one expected to see anymore of her. Which is a shame because Stacey does have talent. She popped up in some American televison and kept her name out there respectably - in other words she didn't just get her hooters out for playboy. Stacey today can be seen on the arm of George Clooney. I don't know if they're an item or just friends, whatever the relationship is there I'm glad to see one of WWE's own making a name for herself and getting on with her life outside the ring.

Good job Stacey!

Onwards and Upwards.

GOODBYE AND THANK YOU

You can have your Wrestlemania's and you big events, but nothing brings the wrestling family together, no matter who you support and who you don't, like a death. And just over a month since we lost Doug Furnis, the wrestling world mourns the passing of a true legend.

Chief Jay Strongbow, real name, Jay Scarpa, passed away on Tuesday April 3rd aged 83. A four time tag team champion, Strongbow who made his ring debut in 1947 was a solid worker and true professional. His later career included a brief stint as the the manager / advisor of former WWE Superstar Tatanka, a job working in WWE'S front office and a rightful inclusion into the WWE Hall of Fame, class of 1994.

Those who witnessed Strongbow in action, will be able to attest to his star power inside the squared circle, his ability was before its time and head and shoulders above the rest, as he did battle with many a legened, including tag teams as distinguised in wrestling royalty as 'The Wild Samoans'.

It's a sad time when we lose a wrestler, whether he's part of a main company or an indie promotion. The fact that we knew these people put their lives on the line every night for our entertainment, lends a strong aura of guilt to the fact that they're now gone. Though a pssing in the wrestling world is not to be mourned, but to be looked back on as a carrer that gave happiness to millions around the world.

Terry Funk made a poignent speech in his Hall of Fame induction a few years ago. Stating that the friends he'd lost and those who were unfortunatley to come next were not gone, just up above us in that wrestling ring in the sky. All of them battling it out in a never ending Battle Royal, where they were most happy and in the one place they loved the most.

So now we have to let the Cheif go, because if you listen carefully you can just about hear the announcement as the buzzer goes and those who have already passed on and are battling it out, such as Andre the Giant, Chris Benoit, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Yokozuna, Public Enemy, Chris Kanyon, Mike Awesome, Test and Bam Bam Bigelow to name a few, look to the curtain with interest and a great deal of sadness to see which of their brothers and which of our heroes is the next entrant...

'Ladies and Gentlemen, be upstanding. The next wrestler into the eternal Battle Royal - Chief Jay Strongbow!'

And it is with great sadness that we pass over Jay Scarpa. For those of us who love the sport and the business. Then don't feel too sad. Becuase when our time comes, we're going to have a front seat, to the greatest match in history.

Goodbye Cheif.

Chief Jay Strongbow
1928 - 2012



WRESTLEMANIA 28 AND BEYOND: HERE COMES THE PAIN!

It came, it went, and now we’re left to deal with the aftermath. I think it’s pretty fair to say that we were left a tad disappointed when the copyright logo came up on April 1^st. Wrestlemania 28 wasn’t all that it was hyped to be, but then again this WWE and dashing hopes is there business. Which explains why they took such a hefty loss in the forth quarter of 2011 (just over $8 Million if you want to know). Maybe we have no one else to blame but ourselves. Did we put too much faith in the seemingly strong match card? Did we expect too much from the biggest event of the year? No! We didn’t! It’s our job to expect the very best of each and every wrestling pay per view, no matter how many times we’ve been disappointed in the past. Still Wrestlemania 28 did yield some fine moments even if it did just about kill off as many careers as it made.

WWE seem to have a knack of taking one step forward and twenty eight miles back. And when we’re told why the World Heavyweight Championship Match was over in seconds, you’ll wonder why they even bothered to book it. Anyway, the big even is over and now we must endure another three hundred and sixty five days until number twenty nine. Just before we examine what’s in store for the rest of the year, I would like it noted that I did predict six out of eight of the winners correctly. Now eye spy with my little eye...

The Rock Defeated John Cena

                       

Now, I’ve said a lot of this in my Wrestlemania predictions. As it’s the end now, I will just add a little more and then be done with it completely.

This match meant so much to me personally. More than any match has. Because I have been a Rock fan since he first debuted in 1996. To me he is an icon and to many others as well. He has the whole package and I was amazed how good he looked when he came back at Survivor Series and at Wrestlemania 28. The Brahma Bull had lost nothing in the ring or on the mic.

It was interesting to see just how many people disliked the Rock in the run up to Wrestlemania. People writing on message boards how they were looking forward to seeing John Cena whip the Rock’s arse and beat him. Even though us, the people who know more than those who dress up in shirts endorsed by the merchandise man, knew all along that in the ring and on the mic, the Rock was ten times better than John Cena was.

In the run in to Mania, John Cena did come alive, and for that I will give him credit. What the ‘Cenation’, whose members are mostly made up of children who know no different, ‘hormonally imbalanced’ women along with just the odd smattering of ‘desperate to believe in something’ men. Usually I can not discern between John Cena and let’s say...a Cyberman when the artist formally known as the ‘Doctor of Thuganomics’ (those were the days, before he became a poster boy for pricks) delivers his promos. They’re either filled with lines that would sound cheesy in the playground or expressions straight from a Looney Tunes comic. Opposed with the Rock though, Cena, on occasion pulled it out of the bag. When Cena stripped the Rock down with a few harsh words which the Rock sold wonderfully, it finally looked like we were getting the old John Cena back. Sadly though that lasted just seven days.

One week later, Cena, the moron that he is, decided that instead of putting more heat on the feud when the Rock came out to tear him to shreds with words, he’d instead ignore the respect the Rock showed him a week earlier and not sell the insults and put downs as the Rock did for him. In my eyes, and the eyes of every wrestling professional that was the height of disrespect. As the Rock tore into John Cena and told him; “John! I see fear in your eyes!” John Cena thought it would be far more amusing to smirk like a jobber, pull faces that would go down well on CBBC and interact with his wife and father who were at ringside. It was totally unbelievable how a man who is meant to be the poster boy for the company showed no respect for someone who had come before him (can you imagine Cena getting away with something like that with Undertaker?). Sadly this was no angle. Cena just refused to show the Rock the proper amount of respect and anyone who says different deserves to be checked into the Smackdown hotel – morons. The Rock should have thrown the script out of the window and gone into business for himself, nailing Cena with a mighty slap and demanding that the stupid little disrespectful idiot, wipe the smirk off of his face. For someone of Cena’s standing in the business, this was unforgivable.

What makes it even more infuriating is that WWE and Vince McMahon didn’t reprimand Cena for going into business for himself, like they would anyone else, they didn’t even say one word to him. That’s not only disrespectful to the people who pay to see WWE, but also to the Rock who WWE seem to enjoy spitting in the face of. In 2004 WWE refused to renew the Rock’s contract and didn’t bother to let him know. A man that had given eight years of his life to Vince McMahon, and he was treated like the shit on Vince’s shoe because he did the one thing no one else had the bottle or guts to do. Make it on his own! Vince saw it as a sign of disrespect that the Rock, instead of beating his body up every night for little money, decided to venture into pastures new and step into Hollywood. The last laugh was with the Rock however, who makes more money from one film than anyone in WWE does in one year.

The point I’m trying to get at is that WWE are so scared of doing something new with Cena, because the money from his merchandise will plummet, that they’re willing to let him do as he pleases even if means disrespecting other talent. They’re harming Cena so much that it’s a miracle he has any fans left. For example: in the run up to Wrestlemania, John Cena waxed lyrical on the Rock, the only problem was that everything he accused the Rock of being, Cena is himself. Do people not bother to read what they’ve written in WWE? John Cena came out and accused the Rock of the following: ‘being a self centred, see through son of a bitch, that didn’t give a rat’s ass if the company closed its doors tomorrow’. That’s is ridiculous and a complete lie. Why, my good people? Because of that’s how the Rock really felt (and who could blame him after everything WWE has done to him), then Vince McMahon would never have been able to lure the Rock and put his reputation on line against a far inferior opponent. If the Rock didn’t care then he wouldn’t have given up four weeks of his time to promote the match and appear on WWE television in the run in to Mania. The Rock doesn’t need WWE anymore, WWE need the Rock. Who else would they have gotten to fight Cena in what was billed as a ‘Once in a lifetime’ match? No one would have come close. The Rock cares about WWE, his legacy and his fans, if he didn’t he wouldn’t have bothered – he had other offers from much larger films. Cena sees all three as an easy way of making money. Not many people know this, but Cena’s heart isn’t in wrestling, it’s in bodybuilding. That’s where Cena’s interests lie. Those who like him or know better appreciate that he appears in WWE when he can. And Every WWE performer including C.M. Punk should also appreciate it too, because they paid a cut of what revenue the Rock bring in, on a sliding percentage basis.

So Cena was talking bullshit – again. Only it wasn’t the first time. Other things Cena threw at the Rock were that; ‘The Rock hires someone to write is material for him’ (All of John Cena’s material is written for him by WWE)’; he accused the Rock of ‘leaving WWE for Hollywood’ (Cena’s dream was to be an actor but he never made it because he’s as bad at that as he is wrestling – if Hollywood had have offered Cena a job he’d have been gone quicker than a Bushwhacker from a Royal Rumble Match); then an accusation that ‘The Rock returned in 2011 to promote ‘Fast Five’ and his twitter account (when John Cena returned to WWE from filming those awful WWE Films, he did so just to promote them and I’ve lost count of the times Cena has promoted his own social network site account); after all of that, Cena stared the Rock out and said “I’ll see you next week movie star!” Now what’s that tangy scent I can smell? Oh yes, sour grapes. The truth is Cena is jealous of the Rock. Of everything the Rock has accomplished and that is just pathetic. Though the blame can’t fall squarely on Cena’s shoulders, because those who hate the Rock, do so for the same reasons, because he had the nerve to do something they never could have. And you are one of those people, then just get over it. There are far bigger things in this world than jealousy. How the ‘Cenation’ can stand by and support this rubbish is baffling to me.

The problem with John Cena is that he knows he’s crap. He’s admitted it himself. There are wrestlers that could have great matches with broom handles. You give it to John Cena and the fans will cheer for the stick made of wood. John Cena couldn’t even have a great match with Kane at Elimination Chamber 2012, even when there was no wrestling involved and they could have filled the match with stunts and props. But no, the merchandise machine couldn’t even do that – and as the top line star in that match, he should have led from the front. Then again that’s always been Cena’s downfall. If he doesn’t have an opponent who is superior to him then the match falls apart. His Wrestlemania matches against Shawn Michaels and Triple H only succeeded because both opponents were ring generals that could dictate the match and carry Cena. Look at all the matches that could have been great if Cena had bothered to learn anything else about his craft. Yet the lazy sod doesn’t care. Which is why he’s destroyed so many careers beyond repair! Give undercard talent to anyone else, Michaels, Undertaker, Orton, Triple H and they can make that person shine and look like a star. Give them to John Cena and he makes them look like a bag of shit. And you’re probably thinking that it’s not Cena’s job to make them look good – you’re wrong. As a headline star and the WWE’s top man, it is Cena’s job to elevate talent below him, he jus lacks the ability.

Cases in point are Wade Barrett and Nexus and the Miz. In 2010 John Cena had the chance to play a huge part in one of the hottest storylines in a decade. To an extent he did a little to help it along, the problem was he did even more to extinguish it. After WWE had spent months building up Barrett and Nexus, it was down to Cena to elevate them to the next level at SummerSlam 2010. After a so-so match, Barrett and Gabriel delivered a devastating DDT to the concrete on Cena. Not thirty seconds later Cena was back up on his feet, not selling the move and had dispatched both men in under a minute. Tell me ‘Cenation’, where’s the respect there? Cena made them look like jobbers. Because he can’t sell moves. If he could sell moves the way he sells merchandise then we wouldn’t be complaining. The Miz suffered at the hands of the selfish side of Cena who simply refused to let the Miz have the spotlight, even though it wouldn’t have hurt Cena’s career any at all. But no, because he’s a selfish man with very little talent, he ran through Miz and afterwards, no one could take him seriously. Fortunately for Barrett, he had Randy Orton to kick start his career again as where a year later from the ‘Cena treatment’, The Miz is only just getting his career back on track. He has a lot more work to do before he can be taken seriously as a World Champion again.

On top of all of this, Cena is clumsy. His hip tosses make us wince, his punches look like they’re being thrown by a girl (Beth Phoenix throws better punches), his ring attire is awful and he has hurt more wrestlers than he ever should have been allowed to. Mark Henry just at the end of last year received a ripped groin muscle because Cena messed up a move. And this is professionalism? Pathetic.

On the plus side, and there is one, The Rock has made John Cena look like a million dollars. Every angle, the Rock has forced Cena to up his game. No doubt it will drop again after Wrestlemania though, but that’s something for Cena to work on I suppose. When a wrestler / actor comes in and outshine your top star in every segment they’re together, then the warning bells should be ringing. For Vince, the only bells that are ringing are those of the cash register. I will give WWE this though. It was a very clever move to bring in a man with more heat than Cena to face him in the main event of Wrestlemania. Very clever! It’s also worth mentioning that John Cena deserves a lot of credit for putting on a decent match with the Rock at Wrestlemania 28, but you’ll never convince me that he’s anything more than a walking, talking, merchandise selling (his latest shirt is obviously inspired by Starbucks), overgrown schoolboy, who could couldn’t beat Stephen Hawkings with both hands tied behind his back.

I once had a very heated argument with someone about Cena, which I just thought I’d mention to show you how shallow the ‘Cenation’ are. I mentioned the fact that Cena was only where he is because of the money he puts in Vince’s pocket, which by the way is true. That he was an awful wrestler blah, blah, blah. And the person who we shall simple know as ‘Numnuts’, and if you are reading then you’ll know it’s you, tried to argue that Cena is at the top because he is a superior wrestler that has been voted ‘Best Wrestler of the Year’ in some polls. They neglected to think about (or maybe the short sighted bigot just didn’t want to admit he was wrong) all the polls he came last in or in fact the numerous polls that vote his ‘Worst wrester of the year’ and ‘Worst Match of the Year’ for which there are exceedingly more of. If you want to argue the toss with me that Cena isn’t bad, then I’ll argue with you. Just bare in mind you won’t win.

Of course, the die hard WWE fan – the ones WWE likes to label marks or even smarks (smart marks), knew that the Rock had won before he even stepped foot into Wrestlemania. In the end he won, so no harm was done. If he had have lost then he would have been credited for putting over a tired and lacklustre career and injecting it with some va-va-voom.

So now I’ve had my moan, onto the future.

After that vicious Rock Bottom that put Cena down for the three, there is only one place for Cena to go and that’s over to the dark side, if WWE are serious about doing something different. It worked for the Rock when he joined nation of domination and it will work for Cena. In his not so distance future Cena is set to tangle with Brock Lesnar (who returned and F5’d Cena on April 2^nd raw) which you can be sure will be hyped and planned to final detail, and it should be decent. The feud should take him up to SummerSlam with the returning Matt Bloom who you’ll know better as Albert or A-Train or now Lord Tensai. The man has been in NJPW for years and let me tell you, if WWE don’t put the clamps on what he can do now, then Albert could take the main event scene to the next level. He’s gotten better, if a little larger. The perfect opponent for John Cena, the David versus goliath story! Only this time goliath should win. If WWE play on Cena’s ‘Once in a lifetime’ loss to the Rock, keep mentioning it, put Cena on a losing streak (which won’t harm his career one bit), have talent tease him, push him to the limit, then using the loss WWE can turn Cena heel off of it. That’s if they’re serious about changing the WWE for the better. If not then you can expect a soulless run with Albert and Henry until he finally regains the WWE Championship sometime around August or October. At least the feud with the Rock has kept Cena out of the title picture so he couldn’t devalue the name of the title anymore (need proof: look at that awful belt after he got his hands on it).

Can Cena succeed without superior opposition on the other side of the ring? That’s up to John Cena to prove to us. And even after nearly 10 years, he still has a lot to prove and learn. With a little push and a point in the right direction, then maybe 2012 will be the year John Cena finally shines. Just don’t hold your hopes out too much.

For the Rock? He’ll go back to Hollywood, to make more box office smashes (Journey 2: grossed just over $300 Million) including Fast and the Furious Six and Seven, and the upcoming Hercules movie which I’m looking forward to immensely. We’ll see the Rock again, possibly at SummerSlam, and almost certainly at Wrestlemania 29. Although, just a thought. After his win at Mania 28, the Rock doesn’t actually need to return. ‘The Great one’ has had his storybook ending, beating the most obnoxious wrestler since Hulk Hogan, on the grandest stage of them all (where he has now beaten all three of the men credited for revolutionizing the wrestling business: Hulk Hogan – Wrestlemania 18: Stone Cold Steve Austin – Wrestlemania 19 and John Cena – Wrestlemania 28), in front of his hometown – should he make this his final match. It doesn’t get much better than that. I don’t think any return could ever eclipse an ending as fitting as that.  Of course the Rock disagrees. And on April 2^nd Raw, vowed to be WWE Champion again.

Hell in a Cell Match

Special Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels

The Undertaker Defeated Triple H

Let’s be honest now. This match was always going to be the show stealer of the night. It was last year and it was this year. It comes then as no small coincidence that it’s the match we never need to see again. At any event, on any house show at any pay per view. Triple H and the Undertaker have given us more than enough to justify twenty Wrestlemania events.

It was a foregone conclusion that the Undertaker (who, as I predicted, came out bald on the night) was always going to leave the winner. His streak is too heavily protected for anything else to conceivably happen. So the emphasis was on Triple H’s struggle to end the streak and prove that he was the best. Which of course we could never take seriously since The Undertaker now beaten Triple H at Wrestlemania 17, Wrestlemania 27 and Wrestlemania 28. The mach was exceptional and WWE even broke their own rule and allowed Triple H to bleed.

It surprised me that Shawn Michaels played a minor role, since he was booked so heavily going in as well. I guess the Triple H vs Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania 29 plans are off the table. Because WWE have found a better alternative.

Now to the future: Triple H will take a back sat once again, concentrating his time on the running’s of WWE backstage, appearing on television in his authority role as John Laurientis predictably gets too big for his boots. Triple H is at least wise enough to know that his body is too injured and beaten to compete in today’s current scene. And if we’re being honest, we’d rather see C.M Punk and the stars of today than a selfish Triple H taking all of the spotlight for himself, like he’s done on so many occasions. It won’t be the last we see of ‘The Game’ in the ring though, expect him to step up again at SummerSlam and possibly Survivor Series. As much as he’s taken a back seat to the other talent, even Triple H knows that the four main shows of the year (Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series) are too steeped in grandeur for him not to be on them somehow.

Shawn Michaels will no doubt be back in some capacity. He’s promised us his wrestling days are over, so if he’s looking to come back in a non wrestling capacity then maybe a replacement for old Johnny L somewhere down the line. Of course he could stick the yearly appearance at Wrestlemania and be done with it, but I seriously doubt that will ever happen. Shawn Michaels was always too good to stand in the shadow while a truly groundbreaking storyline passed him by. By his own admission HBK was a greatly selfish man when it came it giving the spotlight to someone else (as he proved in 1998, when after Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated him for the WWE Championship – HBK barged into the press room and started shouting and yelling, throwing furniture about. For those who think everything in WWE is a worked angle – this wasn’t. Michaels was off his nut on painkillers and somas and god knows what else. He truly felt that Austin shouldn’t have beat him for the title), Bret Hart felt the true force of that ego in 1997.

As for the Undertaker, well don’t expect to see him until next year. The man is beaten up, he need operations on his limbs and joints to allow him to walk properly. This will not stop him coming back next year, and as Brock Lesnar has just signed a one year deal with WWE, I think that’s next years big main event sorted. Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29 anybody? It will be a big money draw no doubt, whether the crowd will pay to see Lesnar (who left WWE abruptly in 2004, after it had plugged millions into his push making him a star, to pursue his dream of playing football) after he sold out in their eyes and ended up in UFC, that’s another matter. And I would be asking questions, weather a broken down Undertaker can even perform with a man in the peak of fitness like Lesnar. I just can’t it happening. Should it happen though, then this could have serious ‘Streak ending potential’. Should Brock Lesnar be granted the ultimate favour and end Undertakers streak, then it would make history. The man who sold WWE out in 2004 to great hatred from fans, who joined a rival sport, who then comes back and ends a streak that is so cherished! That could be big.

WWE Championship Match

C.M Punk (Champion) Defeated Chris Jericho

The major problem we faced going into this match was the ego of both men, which is sizable, inside the ring and out. The match was billed around both men’s belief that they are the best in world right now. C.M. Punk and Chris Jericho both believe this outside the ring and will argue with anyone who disagrees. Punk may have a  case, his wrestling is exceptional and he’s as near flawless as he can get right now. Jericho on the other hand isn’t anymore. Maybe he might have been at one point in time, now, Chris should step out of the leather trousers and into the real world. No doubt he looks great physically and he’s lost nothing in the squared circle, but come on Chris, the best? Not by a long shot.

I was impressed by the way both men approached this match, vowing to make it the show stealer, and it may have been good, but it certainly wasn’t anything that would have made me sit and look up at twice. And as I mentioned in my Mania preview, Chris Jericho’s curse of having disappointing Wrestlemania matches was only halted by the skill of Punk. Others believe Jericho should have won this to extend the feud, I believe different. There’s no way fans were going to be as enthusiastic for another Jericho world title win, after his last one was so uneventful.

For Chris Jericho, the feud is far from over. Jericho and Punk will clash at ‘Extreme Rules’ and ‘Over the Limit’, providing both matches have other rules added, such as ‘Last Man Standing’ or ‘Steel Cage’ then on both pay per views, the match should steel the show. Both have a great reputation for performing better on the smaller shows than the larger ones. After ‘Over the Limit’, Jericho should join John Laurientis and his motley crew to prolong the feud and maybe walk away with the WWE Championship sometime after SummerSlam. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to se Chris Jericho disappear again to concentrate on his band and personal life.

C.M. Punk, at this moment in time, has one of the brightest futures in WWE. The guy is on a lengthily WWE Championship run which looks set to continue until at least SummerSlam, when he’ll either lose it to Jericho or another of Johnny L’s stable mates (as long as its not Mark Henry we’ll be fine) to prolong the feud between Punk and Johnny L, which could be just huge if WWE do it correctly, and we all know they have the ability. Of course the other alternative is to have Punk drop the belt to Brock Lesnar in what will be a cracking encounter should it happen. Apart from Lesnar and Cena (please god no), I can think of no other superstar ready to dethrone Punk before August. If he hasn’t lost the belt by then, it will probably go to the winner of the next Money in the Bank Ladder Match (scheduled for SummerSlam: Money in the Bank pay per view has been cancel this year and replaced with ‘No Way Out’) which will be won by a returning Wade Barrett.

World Heavyweight Championship Match

Sheamus Defeated Daniel Bryan (Champion)

I was expecting great things from this match. A hotly contested matchup which would put both men on track! And what did we get for the weeks of build up? A match that not only went on first, but lasted no longer than five seconds! Nice, Vince! I guess we can add this match to the growing list of cock-ups and blown chances.

I could understand if both men were working with injury. Or even if one of them had come down with a serious illness before the event went live. Did WWE give us a five second, blink you’ll miss it match because of that? Bollocks did it. WWE’s reason for cutting one of the most important matches in both men’s career short were because it wanted to create a new record for shortest Championship Match at Wrestlemania (and it seems quickest career nose dive in history). Kane vs Chavo Guerrero held the title when Kane defeated Chavo for the ECW Championship in what was a blessing of a short encounter due to decreasing interest in the belt and brand. This though was a slap in the face, especially after their U.S Title match last year was relegated to the pre-show.

As Bryan was kissing A.J on the ring apron, Sheamus nailed him with a Brogue Kick when he turned around and made the cover. Are the WWE dumb? I’m seriously starting to wonder. This match should have gone at least twenty minutes. Both men have the ability to do that. Daniel Bryan must have wondered what happened to his big push and title reign that was starting to actually register with the fans. Although when Bryan started to become a whipping boy Big Show, the bells should have sounded for him them. To end the match for such a dumb reason was simply idiotic, a slap to our face and the talents face. How are we meant to take Bryan seriously as a contender to the gold now? I do think it’s worth pointing out that WWE should have scheduled this match for later on in the show, when the light had faded, and not when Sheamus’ skin blended in with the background.

Daniel Bryan’s future looks bleak. He’ll continue to feud with Sheamus at least until ‘Over the Limit’ and then WWE are going to have to find a new opponent for Sheamus. I don’t believe that anyone can take Bryan seriously as a contender or even a champion again. After his demeaning loss it looks like the under card is calling. Turning face again would be a good idea, atoning for his sins as champion – blaming it on the pressure of the title brings would be a great excuse. Saying that fans couldn’t totally trust Bryan should WWE award him with another title run, which is unlikely! If Daniel Bryan hasn’t done anything of note by SummerSlam, then I seriously worry if he ever will again. All the success has come at one for Bryan, who is a much better wrestler than most on the roster, and that could be damaging. I’d give it until August and if WWE hasn’t done anything of note with him by then, I’d be asking for my contract release and return to Ring of Honor or got to Japan where they love him and respect his talent.

Sheamus has caught the break of his life. He looks to have a lengthily title reign that will stretch to SummerSlam and possibly beyond. This is partly because he is the apple of Triple H’s eye (in a wrestling way). After his feud with Bryan, Sheamus should turn heel and begin a feud with someone who he would look great against. I don’t see a Sheamus / Wade Barrett feud lighting up the WWE any time soon, so Sheamus may be lumbered with Cena again – but then do we really need to them in another feud? My ideal candidate for a main even run with Sheamus would be Cody Rhodes. But when have WWE ever listened to what’s best for them?

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Big Show Defeated Cody Rhodes (Champion)

In the words of Victor Meldrew “I don’t believe it!” WWE actually gave the I.C title to a galumphing great vat of no talent. The third most important championship in the company and they take it off of the one man who was actually flourishing with it (the first for years) and in the blink of an eye make it unimportant again. You know, sometimes I wonder why we bother watching this crap.

What can Big Show possibly do that’s going to be classed as ‘Must watch’ television? His knees are shot, they hardly work anymore. He can take a few bumps which look awful and his offense is made up almost completely of a slam, a head but, choke slam and a punch. It would have been a better match id Rhodes had have been matched up with the announcers table. The only reason WWE took the title from Rhodes, give me strength, was to make history and end the Big Show’s Wrestlemania loss. Hang on...didn’t Big Show come out victorious at Wrestlemania 26? Ah, so Cody Rhodes lost the title for nothing. And a spectacular return to form for WWE.

Cody Rhodes can only go from strength to strength, hopefully. I doubt this is the end of the Big Show feud, and if its note then WWE need get that belt back onto him as soon as possible. Another loss to Big Show and it could set his career back even further. Winning the title back would be a great reason for Rhodes to challenge Sheamus for the WWE Championship in a Champion vs Champion series (not a champion vs champion series where both men are holding the same title: Note: John Cena and C.M Punk did this in 2011 – as Punk was the official WWE Champion, John Cena’s reign with the fake WWE Championship is not recognized). Rhodes has no where left to go in the mid card. He needs to be pushed into the main event as soon as possible and maybe even credited for putting Big Show out with an injury. If Cody Rhodes hasn’t been WWE or World Champion by Wrestlemania 29, I’ll eat my hat.

Big Show should retire. He’s too broken and beat up to continue. The Intercontinental Championship demands a hefty schedule, house shows, appearances and so on. Big Show is in no shape to fulfil these obligations and should be stripped of the I.C title as soon as possible – Extreme Rules would be ideal. After that, if I were Vince McMahon I’d demand Big Show go home for six months, smarten himself up, lose that weight (he’s done it before), rehabilitate the injuries and if he still wants to wrestle after that, then find him a non punishing schedule that will be easy on his legs and health. Apart from that, there’s no way Big Show can do anything with the I.C Title.

12 Man Tag Team Match

Team Johnny: David Otunga (Captain), The Miz, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Drew McIntyre Defeated Team Teddy: Santino Marella (Captain), Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, The Great Khali and Booker T.

I’m glad to see WWE saw sense and allocated this match at least enough time, make most look half decent. There’s not much more I can say about this match. The result was correct and it was the right move to allow the Miz to collect the pin and victory. Now Johnny L rules both Smackdown and Raw and the J.L feud with C.M Punk can go full throttle!

David Otunga: it has come to this. David Otunga, by virtue of being selected captain is seen as one of WWE hottest prospects. Remember at the beginning of this I mentioned the one step forward and twenty eight miles back? Otunga is the best case I can think of. After a poor start to his career, Otunga showed no skill, talent or personality at all. WWE shelved him and then bring him back to try again – guess what guys? It didn’t work. This is all because Otunga is married to a celebrity and WWE has an unnatural obsession with American celebrities. Otunga is going nowhere fast. He’s got a U.S Championship series coming his way and WWE sees he can’t get through that, they’ll shelf him once again.

Mark Henry: just the sound of his name sends me to sleep. Like Big Show, Henry is going nowhere. He’s talentless and lacks a personality. The guy has been given 16 years to do something of note and failed at every turn. His world title reign was dull, his matches are awful and yet because of his size WWE continue to try to get him over. Henry even had the cheek to complain that WWE had asked him to do too much when he was champion. Too much? You were the champion Henry, who was getting paid a six figure sum! It’s your god damn job you moron!!! Henry is thinking of leaving WWE when his contract comes up. Shall we have whip around for his bus fair, anyone?

Drew McIntyre: it’s hard to believe that Drew was Vince’s pick to head a new generation a few years ago. Given every opportunity, including an Intercontinental Championship reign which was lifeless, Drew has failed like Henry, to ignite that spark. Fans are unresponsive and all we can expect from the Scotsman this year is for a swift exit from the company.

Jack Swagger: since WWE hijacked what could have been a terrific World Heavyweight title run in 2010, Swagger has been unable to get his career back on track. Being relegated to ‘Superstars’ for most of 2011, Swagger’s career seemed doomed! In 2012, Jack needs a meaty feud with someone like Kofi Kingston to reaffirm himself and after Cody Rhodes has finished with it an Intercontinental Championship reign that is memorable like Rhodes has been. Personally, I’d give Swagger Orton again and let them make magic. Otherwise Jack Swagger could be the first name to be ‘Future Endeavoured’ in WWE’s annual cutbacks.

Dolph Ziggler: one of the brightest stars in this match and in WWE itself is Dolph Ziggler. Today’s Mr. Perfect has all the tools to go straight to the top, which is where he’s heading in the months after Wrestlemania 28. It looks like Dolph will reaffirm his feud with C.M Punk or even challenge Sheamus after both men’s feuds have subsided. Until then Ziggler needs something great and I can think no better of a feud with Kofi Kingston to build him back up to the top. You can expect Ziggler to come out of his next World Title feud as champion.

The Miz: finally! The Miz’s career is back on track and instead of being labelled this generations King Kong Bundy (career wise at least), he can finally get back into the main picture. Many people hate the Miz but they cannot deny he is a great talent. Keep him away from John Cena and he can be great. For the Miz to climb back onto the wagon a feud with Booker T would do him wonders and maybe an Intercontinental title reign. WWE can’t give the belt to everyone if they want a meaningful reign, so the Miz would be the ideal candidate. He’s not ready yet to be WWE Champion again after his awful treatment at the hand of Cena Career killer, so seeing out the year as I.C Champ would be ideal – as long as WWE has the wrestlers to pit him against.

Zack Ryder: it’s looking bleak isn’t it? Betrayed by his best friend (John Cena), lost the United States Championship, almost supposedly disabled by Kane and then turned on by his girlfriend, Eve which cost him the match at Wrestlemania, and then pinned to end the match – Zack Ryder is a victim of WWE’s hatred for anyone who tries to get themselves over with the audience without WWE’s assistance. If only the bigwigs could see that they’ve not got the plans to get Ryder over and the way Ryder went about doing their job for them was a touch of genius. Still WWE don’t see things like that: spiteful bastards! Ryder’s 2012 can go one of two ways. Either he can redeem himself in a feud with Eve and some other male talent and recapture the U.S Title, or he’ll be relegated to ‘Superstars’ and then ‘Future Endeavoured’. Seeing as he is a real life pal of John Cena, then I have faith that WWE will push him once again. What Cena wants, Cena gets.

The Great Khali: retire!!!

Santino Marella: the comedy act is growing old now. Really WWE, do something different. Santino really does have the skills to wrestle, its a shame WWE don’t utilise them. Santino is a real life hard man (as hard as it to believe), he once punched JBL out on a WWE flight from Afghanistan to America. Still WWE prefer to make him look like the biggest dickhead in the world. In fact they’re trying to say that Italians are all stupid. They’re not! Santino needs to lose the U.S title and then turn heel. The fact that WWE doesn’t have anything planned for him in 2012, tells you all you need to know about their faith in undercard wrestlers. Next please!!!

Booker T: I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Booker T in the ring since his return. He hasn’t lost a beat and is much better than he was in TNA. WWE need to bring Booker T out from behind the announce table and stick him with the Miz in the ring in 2012.

R – Truth: after being pushed in the main event of Capitol Punishment 2011 against Cena, R Truth has showed me nothing to suggest he deserves a swift return there. His chance was at Wrestlemania, perform well, show a different side. He didn’t. In 2012 R-Truth will tread water in the undercard until he finally realizes that he’s not going to make it in WWE.

Kofi Kingston: the brightest prospect on Team Teddy. WWE could have and should have booked The Miz to pin either Kingston or Booker T, so to initialize a feud. They missed a trick there. Still I have high hopes for Kingston, and if WWE can resist another stop start push then Kingston in 2012 should have a great feud with Dolph Ziggler, a heel Evan Bourne (when he returns) and finally end the year with a WWE Championship win against his buddy C.M. Punk.

Kane Defeated Randy Orton

I didn’t see Kane beating Orton coming. Still in WWE, I’ve given up trying to guess what comes next. As Orton is working injured, then maybe it was the best result if WWE insist on extending the feud (which they do). Why they’ve Randy Orton, Kane is anyone’s guess. Secretly Vince is still hoping after 16 years that Kane can do something of note. I think that ship sailed a long time ago Vinny Mac.

Kane can only ponder in 2012: after a feud with Orton which we can only hope will be mercifully short, I expect Kane to be pushed into the main event spot, which is the wrong choice. Kane is not good enough to hold the marquee on a PPV anymore. Considering his face is on the Extreme Rules poster, then expect he and Orton to contest a huge match (possibly Last Man Standing) at Extreme Rules. I don’t see where Kane can go, except challenge Punk – do we really to see Kane in the main event again?

Randy Orton has had his future bandied about more than anyone. Hit hard with an injury he cannot keep working on, Orton’s best bet would be to take a hiatus to recover and then come back as a heel.

Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos Defeated Beth Phoenix and Eve

This was a pointless little encounter. That’s all I’ll add. Kelly Kelly will be Women’s champion again in 2012 and Eve will feud with Ryder. Beth Phoneix should feud with Kharma when she returns and Maria will return to her celeb life. That's really all there is to say on this one.

So that was Wrestlemania: the night after held some surprises and disappointments. Brock Lesnar returning to start a feud with John Cena (guess who’ll win), Lord Tensai after the build up got to defeat Alex Riley (that must have been disappointing for him). The Rock vowed to be WWE Champion again (maybe it will happen, even though he would need to be in WWE for at least a year non stop to build a feud, win the title, defend it and then lose it or retire champion).

So let’s see how many opportunities WWE can squander this year. For once, I’d like to be pleasantly surprised. Just to finish off, because all the Cena heads wouldn’t let us forget if Cena had beaten the Rock. Listen ‘Cenation’, you finally smelt what we were cooking. Here comes the pain!

To the future...

Onwards and Upwards...