A Jaded Fan: Ain't Nobody Got No Time For That

It's dawned on me just lately that maybe I'm watching a little too much wrestling. I've said in the past how I watch the majority of WWE programming and also how each show appeals to me. Unfortunately, time constraints and priorities in my life have changed, not to mention my attention span when watching television. I feel a little jaded with the amount that I'm watching. I think that enough is enough and it's time for a change!

Going back a few months, I attempted to watch WWE Raw, Smackdown, Main Event, NXT and ROH's weekly episodes. This lasted about three weeks before something had to give. Despite ROH being something different - especially a fine match between Michael Elgin and Silas Young really hooking me - my strong loyalty to WWE took over and I dropped the lesser-known show in favour of continuing to watch the four offerings of WWE TV that I was already watching.

In the months that followed, the WWE seemed to find a new star. Maybe someone that could take them into a new era? Daniel Bryan emerged from Team Hell No to become the newest breakout star, but with a difference. The fans really wanted this unlike anything I'd seen in years (even more than CM Punk's rise and solidification to bona fide main-eventer a couple of years ago). Unlike the anti-hero that Punk portrayed, Bryan felt more like a traditional babyface; abiding by the rules, smiling, and with a lot less attitude than Punk.

Daniel Bryan: The people's choice

So, with the last few months of WWE television resulting in it being 'must see TV', surely I should be lapping up every minute that I can get? The problem I have is that I can feel my enjoyment of it dipping and decreasing; almost to the point where I'm watching each offering but I'm not taking it in; I'm almost numb and a little distracted while watching my favourite shows from WWE. This has become very apparent to me in the last few weeks.

I used to rave about WWE Main Event, but if I'm honest I haven't watched it for a few weeks now. It doesn't have the same appeal it once had; it's gone from promoting mid-carders/champions (the best example of this was Antonio Cesaro's US title run earlier this year) to having 'Superstars' (TV show) quality competitors like 3MB and Khali. I don't want to see these guys on my screen - especially when the show has just three matches to impress and draw the audience in week-to-week.

I've found that I had to sacrifice Smackdown, too. Despite this being a show I could take or leave, it still feels like the crappy 'B' show; the ginger-haired step-child that the WWE constantly puts down. Admittedly, things have changed since around Summerslam. The appearance of Randy Orton - the then WWE Champion - and his number one adversary Daniel Bryan was something I couldn't remember happening in a very long time.

For what seems like years, Smackdown has been the domain of the World Heavyweight Championship and its contenders. Monday Night Raw has been the WWE Championship's exclusive home since about 2005. Maybe under Triple H's guidance things are slowly changing to give Smackdown more relevance again.

This leaves my WWE viewing down to two shows - the two most important shows in my opinion - Raw and NXT.

Raw is WWE's flagship show and has always taken priority over the years. When the World Heavyweight Championship and champion was on Raw these were the most important factors in the WWE. Now, the WWE Championship has had that claim for over eight years. This show is where all major developments happen (with the odd surprise occurring on Smackdown). As a fan, you can more-than get away with watching Raw and know what is going on in the WWE Universe - it even has recaps of important moments from Smackdown!

NXT is the breeding ground of the future WWE superstars. It's picked up wrestlers from the American indies, the UK and various other countries to bring a breathe of fresh air to WWE programming. It has a different feel to other WWE shows; I read somewhere this week that Raw, Smackdown etc is 'written' whereas NXT is 'booked' and I feel that this is a huge positive in its favour.

On NXT, the faces are likable and the heels are hated as should be the case in all wrestling shows. The gimmicks are fresh and entertaining, too; Tyler Breeze, Enzo Amore and newcomer Aiden English are all talented and make me want to pay attention to their week-to-week progressions.

So, to sum up; I'm optimistic about my future viewing habits. I've trimmed five-and-a-quarter hours of WWE programming down to around three hours (not including commercials). I now feel that I have time and enough attention to commit to Raw and NXT, thus getting my weekly 'fix' of wrestling. If I see or hear that Smackdown has something of worth to see then I'll give it some time, but until then I'm more than happy to limit myself to the two WWE offerings that I have mentioned!

And don't get me started on the amount of British wrestling I'm attending!...

@jimmosangle

WWE 'Invades' NXT: Why?

As I wait for this weeks (4/4) NXT to download, I thought I'd give my view on last weeks abomination of a show. By that I mean it was the complete opposite of what I expect from watching NXT on a weekly basis.

In the last few months, I have started to watch more and more wrestling; most notably the offerings that the WWE give us - Raw, Smackdown, Main Event and NXT. The latter is a show that I found hard to get into to start with as I wasn't too familiar with the roster. As the weeks have gone on it has slowly crept up the list of 'favourites' that I have. This is probably due to it being something fresh and new - it is the breeding ground for future WWE stars. By watching it each week, I'd like to think I can spot the 'next big thing' that is in development. It excites me that I get to see that unfold.

It is also a welcome break away from the crap that is presented to us on the main shows - Raw and Smackdown. For a long time now, we have been fed sloppy, unimaginative feuds and matches, with the occasional five-star match/promo happening every blue moon - Cena vs Punk from a few weeks ago on Raw.

Therefore, NXT is something that I have enjoyed watching as I can turn off my anger and stop shaking my head at god-awful 'filler' segments. Last weeks NXT had me fuming, though...

It started with The Fink announcing. Ok, that's different for starters... why is he there? This was followed by a Diva's Championship match between Kaitlyn (c) and Natalya. This was a great little match as far as Divas bouts go, but why was it on NXT? Why am I to believe that this title will switch on a 'lesser' show such as NXT? Why aren't these two battling it out for the title on Raw/Smackdown/Pay-Per-View??

I was baffled further as the show went on; World Champion Alberto Del Rio had a backstage interview; Brodus Clay defeated El Local (Rodriguez); and the main event was Randy Orton defeating Damien Sandow. About the only NXT guy that I remembered seeing was Kassius Ohno, who attacked William Regal - luckily, Jim Ross was already on commentary so that there was still a two-man commentary team for the rest of the show. What was he even doing there??

This was an awful use of this TV show; and I don't care if it is Wrestlemania season - there is absolutely no reason why the WWE main roster should take over all of NXT. They have SEVEN hours of TV time on their own shows to showcase WWE talent. If they need to show more of the main roster, how about they have main roster guys against NXT guys - surely this gives the WWE guys even more exposure (like they need it!) and it also gives them particular NXT guys a rub against the best.

I've said before that I don't mind the main WWE roster being on NXT but it should be ONE guy making a special appearance every once in a while; maybe getting into a verbal confrontation, or maybe even a match, with a young up-and-comer? That would be good for the NXT guy and for the WWE talent. This situation kind of reminds me of the WWE as a whole just lately: the main show being taken over by part-timers and not benefiting the youngsters trying to make a name for themselves.

If I want to see Randy Orton getting ANOTHER win over the likes of Damien Sandow I'll watch Raw or Smackdown, thanks!

Anyway, I'm going to watch the latest episode of NXT in the hope that normality has been restored...

@jimmosangle

WWE Main Event/NXT: Less is More

For the last couple of months I have really gotten into WWE Main Event - WWE's 'C' show. After Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown - the WWE's two main shows in the last twenty years - Main Event has fast become the next best show. In my opinion it has now become one of the better shows that WWE produces. It is also a very important show in the development of talent.

Main Event debuted in October 2012 and has gone onto showcase various levels of the WWE's talent. Each week seems to focus on whoever may need some TV time that week. In the early shows the 'main event' of the evening would be a bout between the likes of CM Punk and Sheamus, this would then be followed by a match with 'lesser' talent such as a Santino Marella or a Zack Ryder.

As the weeks and months have gone on, the need to 'sell' the show to the audience by having a 'main event' guy such as a Punk or a Cena have passed, and it is now the mid-card that have been heavily focused with the occasional appearance by a top tier talent. It's good to see the focus away from the likes of Cena, Punk, The Rock and, for the majority, the World Champion. Instead, the mid-card champions get a good amount of exposure.

In the last couple of months, whether they have won or lost, Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett and United States Champion Antonio Cesaro have made quite a few appearances. This is very important for both of them, and shows the aim of this show - elevating and nurturing the future main eventers.

Another huge positive of this show is that it has a duration of only one hour - after three hours of Raw and two hours of Smackdown, this is a welcome 'bitesized' show that the WWE brings to us. Within this hour is usually two top class matches, a recap of the developments from Raw that week and the occasional video package highlighting a particular superstar or upcoming event (just lately Wrestlemania has been heavily hyped and advertised). As a result, a great way to describe this show would be 'to the point'.

Another of WWE's offerings that I have also started to watch is the developmental territory; NXT.

This show started out as a reality TV show, where there would be tasks set for the contenders, regular eliminations, and culminating in the winner being elevated to the main WWE roster. Two successful winners from this show are the current Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett (Season one winner) and current Diva's Champion Kaitlyn (Season three winner).

During 2012, the WWE dropped the reality TV/competition aspect and changed the set-up of this show making it much like the current crop of shows that WWE produces. In addition to this they would incorporate members of the defunct FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) roster. Ultimately, they were combining NXT and FCW. Therefore, this show would be full of development talent and 'rookies'. Normal feuds and storylines would happen, but it would be between guys (and girls) that were hoping to become stars of the future.

In the last year, the pace has quickened; new Championships have been introduced and new Champions have then been crowned. Seth Rollins and Big E Langston have been the only two NXT Heavyweight Champions so far. Both men have since been elevated to the main WWE roster now so I can imagine another crowning will be happening in the next few weeks.

A positive that WWE could use with regards to it's main shows is that the NXT's hour long show is wrestling-heavy; there are promos and verbal confrontations where needed, but the majority of the show is devoted to what we all came to see - wrestling.

In conclusion, both of these shows have the same aims and goals; just at different stages in the process of getting to the top of this profession. NXT is the grass roots part of getting to the WWE. It seems that if you're seen as an NXT Champion - or even NXT Tag Team Champion - then the future could be very bright for you. This has been the case for both Seth Rollins and Big E Langston, who have not only been elevated to the main roster, but positioned in very prominent roles very early in their main roster careers.

Similarly, Main Event is where you want to be when you are on your way to the top - take Cesaro or Barrett; these guys will be the future and the exposure and time that they get on Main Event is priceless in showing off their skills and getting them to that point in their career.

Both of these shows are a must see if you don't have the time in your week to struggle through the five-plus hours of Raw and Smackdown. They get to the point (as I have stated in previous articles!) and are very enjoyable; good match lengths as well as seeing the talented future of the WWE.

The stars of the future?

@jimmosangle

WWE Main Event 2/1/2013 & Antonio Cesaro

This week, Main Event again focused on the mid-card heel champions; United States Champion Antonio Cesaro and new Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett.

After last weeks battle royal to determine a new number one contender - Great Khali - the stage was set for Cesaro to defend against his biggest challenger to date. Both had videos highlighting their talents before the match started; showing both Cesaro's lengthy reign and Khali's past and 'worth' to his country - India. There were also several references to his World Title reign a few years ago. I suppose they needed to show that Khali could be a serious threat here.

I was quite glad that after this match they hinted towards putting Miz in a feud with Cesaro. Finally we'll get to see Cesaro defend against someone that has actually done something in their WWE career. This is on the back of Cesaro beating Santino (comedy character) to capture the title, Brodus Clay (comedy character), Zack Ryder (jobber) and R-Truth (I'm not a fan). The only person that has given Cesaro a real run for his money has been Justin Gabriel. This was probably more so to get Gabriel up the ranks. Most of these matches, and especially his pay-per-view matches, haven't even gone 7 minutes each.

A competent challenger hasn't entered the scene yet. This all has made Cesaro look a dominant champion. I'd go as far to say that his title reign is becoming as prestigious and important as CM Punk's. The problem that is arising, as with Punk's situation, is that there is no worthy challengers about (apart from movie stars).

The longer Cesaro squashes everyone along the way, the more apparent the problem becomes that there are no contenders for him to face. This is why they need to get a good run out of a Cesaro vs Miz feud. Miz needs this, too, as since his face turn he has done nothing apart from brown-nose the crowd and talk a hell of a lot (whether it be on MizTV or on commentary on Main Event).

Another potential contender that has been mentioned along the way is a returning, repackaged Jack Swagger. I'm not sure how this would work as he had such a bad run the last time out that he needs a great build, and maybe even a miracle, to get him to be a genuine threat again. The only thing that we can take from Cesaro's promos is that 'no American can beat him for the title' - this surely points towards an American eventually beating him somewhere down the road.

Anyway, as predicted, Cesaro beat Khali in the main event of Main Event. This started with Khali showing dominance before Cesaro worked on the legs. A little more power (from Khali) and leg work (Cesaro) eventually led to a very impressive Neutraliser. Not a bad match considering Khali's size and lack of talent/moves. The positive that can be taken from this is that Cesaro picked up the biggest man in the company (apart from Big Show) for his finisher. Another feather in his cap.

The Wade Barrett/Kofi Kingston feud also continued on Main Event. Kofi coming down for an interview on losing the Intercontinental title. This was interrupted by Barrett who said that to show how dominant he can/will be, he would compete in a gauntlet match against anyone in the back. Now bare in mind that this is Main Event so the talent backstage weren't going to be world beaters...

This was proven as Barrett made short work of Yoshi Tatsu and JTG. His third opponent - Justin Gabriel - caused more of a problem. He lasted longer than Tatsu and JTG combined (and some) before falling victim to the Bullhammer. The forth opponent was none other than Kofi himself, who disposed of Barrett in about a minute and a half. Well it was either going to be him or him messing it up for Barrett?! (NB: Title rematch to happen on Smackdown)

From this feud, I hope we get a decisive Barrett victory that then gives Kofi the chance to go for a World Title. This is a great opportunity for them to go that way; either that or they give him the IC title for the fifth time and solidify him as a permanent fixture in the mid-card. Barrett just needs to bide his time while the World Title picture is taken up by Show, Ziggler, Del Rio(?) and Sheamus. His time will come though.

Two matches announced;

• Punk's knee is 'officially' ok (WWE doctor Touted) so on Raw it will be: WWE Championship - TLC match - CM Punk vs Ryback
• Next week on Main Event: Sheamus vs Dolph Ziggler (w/ AJ & Big E); presumably Big E will give the beating to Sheamus instead of The Shield this time?

WWE Main Event 26/12/2012

Main Event is fast becoming my favourite show that WWE produces. It's easy on the eye (and the watch) and GETS TO THE POINT (as I've said several times before!). It gives the mid-card and below some much needed time to shine - also showing a Raw Rebound to remind us of the goings on on Monday nights. This was an especially important Rebound, as it focused on the Santa/Alberto Del Rio incident from Christmas Eve edition of Raw.

The main event of Main Event was the Battle Royal to determine the number one contender to Antonio Cesaro's United States Championship. This match was full of tag teams that you could pretty much rule out winning this from the get go. Singles wrestlers that you could see winning this included Wade Barrett, Brodus Clay, Santino, the King of the Jobbers Zack Ryder, and, of course, the Great Khali (on the back of his huge wins over David Otunga and Brad Maddox in the last few weeks...)

The winner; Khali, was a bit of a surprise to me as I narrowed it down to Brodus, Santino or Zack for the win. Barrett is a fellow heel and in a program with Kofi over the IC, Santino is far too comedy and not a serious threat and Brodus and Zack have had chances recently and come up short. I suppose the only choice was Khali - a big challenge for Cesaro, but one that will, no doubt, be the 'biggest' achievement Cesaro has completed to date. I look forward to the Neutraliser on Khali as they search for the perfect opponent to dethrone Cesaro.

The last match of the show (but NOT the main event of the evening?) was between 3MB members Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre (accompanied by Heath Slater) against Justin Gabriel/Tyson Kidd. This was set up as the four eliminated each other during the Battle Royal earlier in the show. I predicted this being a Superstars main event, but I suppose this feud is slightly above that show... for now. A good win for Gabriel and Kidd (after a team-Blockbuster); hopefully there will be a tag team turmoil match in the near future as WWE has some bright, young tag teams and a lot of them have shone just lately.

Unfortunately, my prediction of Miz winning the Battle Royal didn't happen. I suppose his commentary and talkshow duties got in the way of actually competing. After Khali becomes Cesaro's next victim I hope they throw Miz into a program with the US Champion. I'm not sure how that would go down though as Miz hasn't been a very convincing face as yet and Cesaro has been on such a roll that I'm not sure that (possibly) losing the belt to Miz would do him any good. It's a possibility though, just to keep both occupied - maybe they could do with these two what they should've done further with Kofi and Miz before pulling the trigger and making Miz a face.

WWE Main Event 19/12/2012

As I've said before; Main Event is really growing on me - it's only on for an hour (forty minutes without commercials) and gets straight to the point. It seems to have an aim each week and a focus on one group of wrestlers - this week was the turn of the tag team division.

The 'main event' of Main Event was the Tag Team Championship match between Kane/Daniel Bryan (Champions) against the number one contenders Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. This match was given about twenty minutes or so and delivered. I could realistically see the titles changing hands on this show as this happened a few months ago when Kofi won the Intercontinental Title. This was almost the case as there was a great sequence where Sandow connected with The Terminus before it was broken up and Rhodes then delivered a Disaster Kick which also got a two-count. Close/exciting stuff.

Ultimately, the champs came out on top when Kane dished out a chokeslam, which was followed up by a diving headbutt from Bryan (nod to Dynamite/Benoit?). This match really helped this feud as it teased a Rhodes Scholars win before the champs got the better of them. I think this is just the beginning (again; after Cody's injury last month) of this feud though, as Rhodes and Sandow have got their names all over them titles. There have been calls for The Shield to have the belts but I think they should be kept in the main parts of Raw, beating on anyone and everyone. Belts aren't needed just yet with them guys.

The second (and final) match of Main Event saw The Prime Time Players taking on Team Co-Job (Santino & Zack Ryder). I was rooting for Titus and Darren as they've lost any momentum that they had a few months ago in the tag division. They're in desperate need of stringing a few wins together and being genuine contenders again. Unfortunately, since Kane, Daniel Bryan, Cody and Damien have all formed teams, the actual tag team of Prime Time Players have had to be patient and take a backseat. Somewhere down the road, when Kane and Bryan eventually split up, they'll undoubtedly get their chance to shine at the top of the pile.

I was slightly worried that they were going to give the comedy pairing of Santino and Zack the win here. Luckily, the right decision was made and the Players got the win after Titus gave Ryder a Sky High for the three-count. Santino and Zack team up as they have nothing better to do at the moment (especially Ryder) so it seems ridiculous to give them wins (especially clean wins) over future contenders of the tag titles.

Overall, a really good show that highlighted the tag division; Raw and Smackdown focus heavily on their respective World Champions and the main players to them. Main Event does a nice job of focusing on the secondary titles and giving them some well deserved, and much needed, spotlight to show that they'll be up in the big leagues somewhere down the line. It also doesn't take three hours to get to the point and give them that spotlight.

The only worry of this show is that Miz is commentating and not competing. This, along with his talkshow begs the question: are they ever going to have a proper run with face Miz? Or are they hoping that he'll get less annoying and more popular, the more he talks in these two roles he now has?

WWE Smackdown 18/12/2012

This is the first time in a long time that I have bothered to watch Smackdown. I thought I'd give it a try as it was commercial free and was on the back of the Raw that debuted another NXTer (NXT Champion, Big E Langston). Also, where it's WWE week, I thought Smackdown would have something about it worth watching.

The main, and pretty much only, story of the show was the Cena/AJ/Dolph situation. At least after the last couple of months of crap love triange (square?) they have had a decent payoff to this all - predictable, but finally gone somewhere!

AJ and Dolph came out (for Miz TV) and kissed on the entrance ramp. Oh, so they are together then? That wasn't clear from their kiss at the Slammys?! Obviously, they were accompanied by Big E Langston. AJ finally explained herself - John Cena broke her heart - join the club AJ; he breaks mine every time he brown-noses all the time and doesn't get pissed about losses... or anything?!

This segment ended with Dolph berating Miz before giving Big E the nod to destroy him. Miz was knocked down before taking the Big Ending finsher. I've looked into this guy and he's a former Powerlifter - Mark Henry v2.0 then.

Teddy Long convinced Booker to give Brad Maddox a tryout (third time's a charm). Later in the night Maddox would face Brodus Clay for another chance at a contract - I suppose after Monday's win over JTG, Clay might be on the way back up, so any chance Maddox had went straight out of the window. Clay would dispose of Maddox and then became another victim of The Shield.

Speaking of The Shield; they continued to add new Superstars to the list that had seemingly caused injustices to fellow heels. This week, Sin Cara felt their wrath - his knee taking a beating, which is kind of fitting that now he can have the time off to sort out that nagging injury. I suppose the injustice is that he should have sorted the injury out sooner?! It was also revealed a little later in the show that Rey (who hadn't accompanied Sin Cara to ringside) had been ambushed before the show and had a 'severe' neck injury to go with Sin Cara's 'severe' knee injury - does that mean they'll both be out for a while then?

If they, or just Sin Cara, are out for a while that might explain The Usos decent showing on Raw last week - when Cody and Damien eventually win the tag titles, they're going to need a credible face team to get wins over until they face Kane/Daniel Bryan again.

The show started and finished the same way; AJ kissing Dolph's face off and Big E looking mean and moody.

The main event was a rematch of Raw from a couple of weeks ago; John Cena and Milky-white Cena (Sheamus) vs Big Show and Dolph Ziggler (now accompanied by AJ & Big E Langston). The end of this match came when Big E got the nod from AJ to get involved and destroy Cena again (same finish as Raw).

Other notes from Smackdown;

• Punk/Heyman out to keep Punk's face on TV. Smart move - he might not be able to wrestle at the moment but he's doing something else that he does best - talk. Quote of the night was when he asked what's more impressive: Winning a title 16 times over a 95 year old career; or winning it once and holding it for nearly 400 days?
• Ryback beat Cesaro clean. I suppose this was always going to happen after the Raw finish to the match. Good offence from Cesaro throughout, but a bit of an easy finish for Ryback. Two bright stars here.
• Kaitlyn and AJ confrontation in the back to show AJ's heel side further.
• Sheamus explaining Father Ted to Cena would have been totally lost on the American audience?! Cena then explained all the gory details of he and AJ to Sheamus (whispering) which was pretty funny due to Sheamus' facial responses to it all... ah you guys! It's like you're made out of the same mould...