Barber Shop Window: Coexist & Million Dollar Man Tuxedo

NOW I definitely think it's fair to say to say that I'm addicted.  Over the holidays I decided to nab two more t-shirts, both at the price of $14.99.  One was quite possibly my favorite shirt that Barber Shop Window has released yet -- the Coexist t-shirt.  You've probably all seen those Coexist bumper stickers, with the word spelled out with different religious symbols.  The message being that while we may have different beliefs, we should able to live together in peace.  This shirt follows that same line of thought, but instead of religious symbols, each letter is represented by a different famous wrestling logo.  The "C" comes from WWE's WCW logo.  The "O" comes from the nWo logo.  The "E" from the ECW logo.  The "X" from D-Generation X.  The "I" from Hulkamania, the "S" from SmackDown, and the "T" from TNA.  I love this shirt.  It arrived on Saturday and I wore it on Sunday.  Well worth the wait.

The other shirt was the Million Dollar Man Tuxedo shirt.  Based on the classic tuxedo shirt -- a black t-shirt with a white shirt and bowtie printed on it -- this shirt takes a nice twist with the design of the Million Dollar Man's classic outfit.  I enjoy this shirt a great deal, but I can't help but feel like they're going to continue releasing different colors (they're already offering the green version), and I'm going to like THAT one more.  I actually do prefer the black/gold over the green/silver.....but if they were to offer the gray/purple or white/gold, well, then I'd be in a pickle.

I ordered the t-shirts on Christmas Eve, and received it on January 26.  So, it was just over a month -- which is longer than their anticipated time frame.  But I will give them the benefit of the doubt here, since it was ordered over the holiday season and they probably got a lot orders at the time.  Plus, as I said in my prior post, I really stopped paying attention to how long the shirts take to arrive.

As I always say, the shirts are well worth the wait.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - January 28, 2013

11:10 - I know I've been crapping on this episode all night, but holy hell if that wasn't an awesome closing segment.  Everything about it was pretty damn perfect (except for WWE's Twitter page spoiling Lesnar's return before he actually came out -- what is up with them?)  I LOVED the video reveal that Heyman and Punk have been in cahoots with Maddox and the Shield all along.  Everything about it was great.  There was a logical reason for the camera being there, and it actually had a continuity to it as well (we had seen Maddox with a camera for the past couple of months).  And the filming of it was great as well.  The emergence of the Shield out of the darkness was a thing of beauty.  Just awesome.  And it only got better.  Seeing Paul Heyman absolutely, positively swear -- with a 100% straight face -- that it wasn't him on camera, when it so clearly was, was hilarious without being ridiculous.

And all of it was capped off with Lesnar's appearance. His silent interactions with both Vince and Heyman were great.  And let me also note how much I love how Heyman -- who is known for his various controversies and confrontations -- is the voice of reason with Lesnar and Punk.  He's always in the background telling them not to do something or to think something through.  It's great.

If nothing else, this makes me very eager to see what's going to happen next week.  And after a really lackluster show, that says something.  Unfortunately, though, by attacking Vince....it looks like we're getting that Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar rematch none of us really want to see.

10:57 - With cold and flu season the way it's been, I personally think Vince was just being responsible there.

10:50 - Absolutely well deserved acknowledgement of Trish Stratus' abilities and contribution to the WWE. Trish Stratus is actually one of the great surprises in wrestling history.  When she first debuted, it seemed that she was nothing more than a pretty face with fairly lackluster mic skills.  Even whens he first won the Women's Championship, many (including me) thought it would be another Debra situation.  She was just a trophy holding another trophy.  Instead, she developed into the most consistent, well rounded female competitors that many of us would ever get to watch.  She will likely continue to be the measuring stick for many years to come.

10:46 - There are some people who think that Team Hell No has run its course.  I couldn't disagree more.  I think these two are still great together, and even more important -- them being tag team champions gives the tag team championship a higher profile than its had in years.

10:41 - Interesting that Jericho/Ziggler are wrestling in the face corner, while Team Hell No are on the heel side.

10:34 - So everybody is predicting that the show ends with Brock Lesnar.  My question for you is, will it save this show?  I just don't know.

But seriously, what's different about Chris Jericho's face?  I can't put my finger on it, he just looks different.  I feel like its his eyebrows.  Are his eyebrows different?

Also, Jericho is committing an attire pet peeve of mine:  When somebody wears an old design at a PPV, but then debuts a new design the show after a PPV.

10:30 - Once again, it's not a good sign when the announcers are apologizing for the show.  These Raw Roulette shows have not been good or even entertaining in a long, long time.

10:22 - I love the idea of the Intercontinental Cup, if only because it gets us a #1 Contender WITHOUT that lazy method I hate.

By the way, I'm debating with former WWE writer Court Bauer right now about CM Punk.  He doesn't seem to think Punk can be a heel if it saves his life.  I think he's a great heel.  What are your thoughts?  Someone chime in on my behalf!  :)

10:08 - Geez, everybody seems a bit off tonight.  First John Cena talks about Punk's rematch before it was even announced, and then when Punk finally announces the rematch, he fails to mention the event it'll be at.  What's in the water tonight?

10:02 - You think Punk might get a rematch?

9:54 - Also, I REALLY wish Rock had come out wearing the super expensive shirt, dress pants, and sunglasses.  I miss THAT Rock.

9:53 - I will forgive everything about this show if the Rock unveils a new WWE Championship.  And if it doesn't suck, of course.

9:49 - That was completely pointless.  And when the announcers -- your voice of the company -- are openly stating that the show is terrible, what does that tell you?  THIS is your Road to WrestleMania?  Yikes.

9:43 - Maybe they should rename the World Heavyweight Championship to "A Series of Uninteresting Feuds that Won't End."

9:41 - Next spin the wheel challenge:  Alberto Del Rio unraveling tape vs. Zack Ryder changing a tire.

9:38 - I mean, it's not even as if he can't find the end of the tape and that's why he can't unravel it.  He's not even making an effort.  And what's Big Show's solution?  To tape up the taped up hand even more!  Not to tape up the free hand?

9:36 - Is there a reason why Alberto Del Rio isn't even trying to unravel the tape?  If the purpose was to make him watch and not allow him to escape, why not tape up both arms?

9:28 - Hey, two guys John Cena can easily beat are going to square off.  Hooray!

9:26 - I think we might be seeing a Tensai face turn right now.

9:25 - We've got Tensai in lingerie on Raw.....and Kofi Kingston live tweeting on Twitter.  What's wrong with this picture?

9:10 - I wanted to wait for that segment to end before commenting on it.  Okay, so obviously, the first major eyebrow raiser was the fact that John Cena implied that there would be a Punk/Rock rematch before it was actually announced.  Yes, we all assumed that, but Cena made it sound like a confirmed conclusion, and not something that is simply expected.  So it was completely awkward.  More offensive to me, though, was the complete disrespect he paid to the World Heavyweight Championship.  Again, anybody with half a brain knows that title hasn't been treated with the same prestige as the WWE Championship in years, but there's no reason why the company should acknowledge that.  First season completely blew off the title by ignoring it while discussing whether he'd face Punk or Rock.  And then he took it one step further, and explicitly stated that he would have a better chance of beating the World Heavyweight Championship.  And then to put the nail in the coffin, he made it sound like he was doing the big thing by going against the WWE Champion, while making ti sound like facing the World Heavyweight Champion would be taking the easy way out.  He really made that title seem like a bronze (not even silver) medal.

Just as discouraging, though, was the Shield attack.  Don't get me wrong, I thought it was executed awesomely.  They're doing a great job with Shield....their beatdowns seem so legitimate.  And they do the numbers game great (like how they took down Ryback).  But it was a real missed opportunity.  Chances are neither Rock or Cena will turn heel (although I say they should go for it with Rock), so why not simply tease it?  Somebody on Scott Keith's blog noted that the Shield is yet to attack John Cena, while they HAVE attacked pretty much every other top face (Ryback, Sheamus, Rock, Orton, etc.)  So why not have Shield come down, and NOT attack Cena?  Just give him a nod or something, and then leave.  And then have everybody (announcers, Rock, etc.) bring up the fact that Cena hasn't been attacked.  Maybe you won't turn Cena heel, but creating this mystery around him might add a little much needed complexity.  They really missed out here.

8:58 - Really disappointing to see Cody Rhodes lose so decisively to John Cena.  The mustache thing is so ridiculous, but it has gotten Cody a ton of heat and recognition.  USE THAT!  He deserves better than this.  There was literally no reason why somebody at Cody's level needed to be used in this role.  It just as easily could have been David Otunga.

8:53 - It just occurred to me that the commercials for all of these USA original series look exactly the same.  Same style.  Same music.  Completely interchangeable.

8:50 - This Bo Dallas win would mean a whole lot more if they didn't do this "champion loses a non-title match" thing every single month.  With very single title.

8:48 - Anybody going to mention that Wade Barrett was the original NXT upstart?

8:41 - That Hall of Fame segment was odd.  Why did they show the graphic of Backlund, then quickly jump to the crowd for half a second, and then return to the graphic?  And then they did the exact same thing with Foley.  Odd.

8:38 - I was skeptical when they put Ryback in a comedic situation.  I mean, why spend the past year building up this guy as a monster, just to make people laugh at him?  So having him Shell Shock Matt Striker was a smart move.  It made it seem like he's a guy who's not joking around.

8:19 - Miz filling the role of guest referee is a bit unusual.  Since he's so closely involved with one of the competitors, we're obviously supposed to believe he was selected (otherwise, why not use that Superstar wheel that Vickie had JUST mentioned?)  So why would Vickie pick somebody that favors the face, when she's supposed to be a heel?

8:11 - Great passion from Punk in that opening promo, but what is with WWE and their public job evaluations?  Actually, isn't this about the one year anniversary of when Triple H did that to Johnny Ace?  Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was the Raw after the Royal Rumble.  Wow....it didn't take long to reuse THAT idea.

Also, I REALLY hope this doesn't lead to the firing of Heyman.  He and Punk are golden together.  No need to end that partnership.  Unless, of course, this leads to the return of Brock.

7:39 - Alright, it's the first Raw after the Royal Rumble and the official start to the Road to WrestleMania.  How about a quick Pre-Raw discussion?  I just posted this on Twitter, and thought it was worthy of noting here, and that's that the Rock's victory last night didn't come at the expense of the entire roster.  One big complaint about Rock beating Cena was that it made the entire roster look like a bunch of losers.  Cena is so clearly presented as being a level above everyone else, and the Rock was able to beat him clean.  What does that say about everybody else?

On the other hand, last night the tricks CM Punk has been using to beat guys like Cena and Ryback worked on the Rock as well.  He cheated, and he won.  The only difference was that this time, Vince McMahon intervened and gave Rock another shot.  Who knows what would have happened if he did the same for Ryback or Cena over the past couple of months.  As a result, Rock won....but he didn't make the whole roster look like losers as a result.

Don't get me wrong, there are times that I've argued adamantly that the challenger must win, and he must win cleanly.  Cena vs. JBL at WrestleMania 21 immediately springs to mind.  Like Punk, JBL had built a bit of a legacy due to his long title reign.  During his reign, JBL overcame Undertaker, Booker T, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, the Big Show, and others.  Nobody was able to overcome him.  In order to MAKE John Cena a star, it was incredibly important that he beat JBL cleanly, on his first shot.  It would show that he could do what all those other guys couldn't.  If a new star was going to end Punk's reign, I would take the same stance.  But since it's not only an already established star, but also somebody who is a BIGGER star than the champion, I think this was the right call.  What do you all think?

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LIVE Royal Rumble thoughts - January 27, 2013

10:54 - Quite honestly, I was okay with that booking.  Sure, in a perfect world, Punk woulda retained and we woulda avoided Rock/Cena II, but since that was inevitable this was a fine way to go.  Giving Punk the teased victory made him look like less of a loser in the end.  Rock cutting off McMahon from his announcement that he was going to strip Punk of the title made him look like a hero.  I knew Punk would have to lose the title eventually, and let's not forget that he got to hold the gold for 434 days -- during a period that there were MANY excuses to take the championship off of him.

So no, I am not upset Punk lost the title.  The only thing that upsets me is that after over 400 days as WWE Champion, the title story for WrestleMania is being shifted to Rock/Cena.  It just kinda sucks that he gets relegated to a lesser story, after holding the championship for that long.

10:41 - Wow, I'm legitimately shocked.  Still 20 minutes....swerve?

10:40 - I'm guessing this is a tease.  Rock still wins.

10:37 - Always sucks when an unforeseen catastrophe blows a spot.  Nothing Rock or Punk could have done about the table collapsing.

10:33 - Guarantee you that Bret Hart is backstage talking about how terrible Rock's Sharpshooter is.

10:21 - Punk tidying up the Spanish announce table just after Rock teased using it was a great subtle heel move.  Awesome.

10:20 - We do have some new gear for Punk, which is cool.  Although the white background on the shin pads is curious, when that doesn't appear elsewhere.

10:19 - Punk getting right in Rock's face with the title was great.

10:15 - Wow, surprisingly amateur moment when the camera equipment flew into the shot.

10:14 - IF this is Punk's last night as champion, I'm sad he's not wearing the championship around his waist.  Heyman holding the title works for his promos, but for his matches I prefer when he wears it.

10:01 - So Cena wins....and while I'm okay with that, the ending sequence was extraordinarily underwhelming.  It's like these two were tripping over each other as they ran towards the ropes.  I'm wondering if they should have ended it with Cena and Sheamus or Cena and Orton, though, only because I don't think anybody thought Ryback would be in either title match at WrestleMania.

I am going to change my earlier prediction, though.  I think WWE views Cena's win as a "happy ending."  If they were going to have Punk beat Rock, they would have done that match before the Rumble.  I see Rock winning the WWE Championship tonight.

9:59 - Cool elimination for Sheamus.  Down to Ryback and Cena.  I'm guessing Cena.

9:57 - I'm not dying to see any of these three win, but this is a pretty epic final three.  Cena, Sheamus, Ryback.

9:55 - The final five are just who you'd expect them to be.  A lot of possibilities here.

9:54 - You could tell Jericho was going to get eliminated when he started hitting all of his greatest hits.

9:50 - Sin Cara was a bit of an underwhelming return, only because his music isn't something that strikes an immediate chord.  He would've been a better choice for an earlier appearance.  And hey, look at this Bo Dallas push we're getting.

9:49 - So there's still Ryback.  Is there another "shocker" to come?

9:45 - The stuff with Kane and Daniel Bryan was great.  By the way, is JBL having a stroke or something?  He's making a lot of really strange mistakes.

9:40 - Okay, Antonio Cesaro is now one of my OTHER new favorite wrestlers.  He, too, is debuting a new pair of trunks, different from the ones he wore earlier in the night.

9:37 - Only 10 guys left, and no Daniel Bryan, Kane, Randy Orton, Cesaro, and Ryback yet.  Am I missing anybody else?

9:33 - I kinda love that Godfather's music never stopped playing from his entrance, elimination, and exit.

9:31 - I know there are a lot of traditionalists out there who don't like the Kofi Kingston stuff, but I think it's awesome and fun.  And it was especially good since, after all that work, he ends up getting eliminated anyway.  Question, though:  Why not just slide the chair back to the ring?

9:28 - And there goes my "pick."  Bye Brodus.

9:27 - Okay, one of my guesses are right.  Rey Mysterio with a surprise return.

9:25 - Brodus Clay.  Don't think I'm winning.

9:24 - Alright, who ever draws #13 is my pick to win, according to the contest that WrestleChat is doing.  Let's see who it is.

9:22 - Does not look like Sheamus is wearing new gear.  Which is weak.

9:19 - Goldust trying to eliminate Titus O'Neil.  Perhaps to get back at him for that whole firing thing.

9:17 - Cody doing the drop to the ground uppercut was cool, too.

9:16 - GOLDUST!  I actually considered him as a possibility but didn't mention it.  Would be cool to see him and Cody go at it.

9:13 - Santino bit was pretty funny.  Plus it allows them to finally have an elimination.  These "90 seconds" are flying by, though.

9:10 - The always creative Kofi Kingston comes in wearing some awesome new old school Batman inspired attire.  Love it.

9:08 - Cody Rhodes has immediately become one of my favorite wrestlers because he changed his gear for his two different matches.  Macho Man WrestleMania 4 style, there!

9:07 - Odd that Jericho went his entire career with a tattoo (or a noticeable one, anyway), and upon retirement gets two big ones.

9:05 - Am I wrong, or does Chris Jericho look kinda strange?  Like, are his eyebrows missing or something?

9:04 - For what it's worth, the last time such a big deal was made out of somebody being punished with #1, it was with Chris Benoit....and it resulted in the biggest push of his career.

Oh, and CHRIS F'N JERICHO!!!!!  Awesome sauce.

9:02 - Well that confirms it, the Rumble match is up next.  Slightly disappointing, but that's fine.  Increases the chances of a Rock win, though.

9:00 - Looks like WWE did a fantastic job with the Royal Rumble Fest.  The Shooting Straight Panel looked particularly interesting.  They did a panel on the Montreal Screwjob, one with WCW guys, and another with the DX/Kliq crew.

8:55 - This goes in line with my discussion about how the brand extension is all but dead....but remember how, just a couple years back, Raw and Smackdown each had 15 entrants?  By the way, I'm wondering if they will air the Rumble match before Rock/Punk, since they put on the hype video.

8:50 - Glad to see Team Hell No retain, and thrilled that Daniel Bryan got to secure the win.  Fun match overall.

8:39 - Cody needs to stop wearing this black-with-purple-trim ring jacket with black and (color that isn't purple) attire.  Now, it's black and blue.  It looks like Daniel Bryan has reverted back to his pre-YES era dragon attire.

8:35 - Loved the old school backstage interviews with the Royal Rumble participants.  Reminds me of the old days with Hogan, Demolition, Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, and the rest.

8:33 - Since most of us have never even heard Big E Langston's voice, is anybody else wondering if that's his actual voice?  Or was he just doing some wacky interviewer voice?

8:28 - They stole that spot from Cena/Batista (where most fans bashed Cena for), but I was fine with it.  Del Rio looked tough for surviving the brutal beating that Big Show unleashed, and he managed to get some periods of offense as well.  Plus, since Del Rio is pretty fresh into his babyface run, it's natural for some of those sneaky heel tactics to slip in.

8:24 - It looks like Big Show's got a cut on his elbow.  I'm guessing it was a band aid.

8:22 - That was a NASTY landing that Del Rio took.  Also, what the crap is hanging from Big Show's elbow?

8:20 - You know what makes it even worse that the World Heavyweight Championship match wasn't included in the opening video?  The fact that the Last Man Standing premise fits PERFECTLY with the 10-second countdown theme they were using.

8:08 - Really awkward beginning with the Bret Hart skit after Big Show's entrance.  I have to say, though, that Bret Hart looks a lot better than he has in his prior appearances.  Yeah, he's gone pretty gray, but overall he looks livelier.  I still think it was a terrible decision to take the car away from ADR's entrance, but I'm happy he's got the white scarf on.

8:05 - Oh, and they get curtain jerker duty as well.  Here's hoping they (a) bring the car back into Del Rio's entrance, and (b) Del Rio wears either his red or white scarf.  NO BLACK SCARF!

8:03 - Loved seeing Punk get so much attention in the opening video, but the poor World Heavyweight Championship gets left out in the cold yet again.

7:59 - I've got my first beer open.  And damn, is this Royal Rumble ad TERRIBLE.  WWE usually does a fine enough job, but this is bad.  Made additionally awkward due to Cena's snarky smile at the end, in a restaurant full of people that don't think he'll win.

7:52 - Quite a decisive victory for Cesaro.  About 5 minutes until the show begins.

7:49 - I'm actually just now starting to find it somewhat ironic how Miz/Cesaro is one of the better built midcard championship feuds (it being one of the VERY few that isn't built on the premise of "challenger beats champion in a non-title match), yet it gets relegated to pre-show duty.

7:45 - Wow, Matt Striker is taking an extreme anti-Miz slant on his announcing.  And in a very curious manner, as well.  It's one thing to say that you don't like somebody's personality or actions, but to call them a crappy wrestler?  Who does that benefit?

7:42 - Looks like some new gear for Antonio Cesaro.  Bully for him!  Can't tell if Miz is.

7:32 - The show is officially purchased!  I'm now catching the YouTube Pre-Show, and what I've learned already:  Unfortunately, the Big Show is STILL wearing that god awful camouflage singlet.  It seems like he's now added military stripes to the sides, though.  Doesn't make it any better.

7:05 - We're about an hour away from the Royal Rumble.  I'm enjoying my pizza, getting ready to crack open a beer, and I thought you'd join me in a trip down memory lane by taking a look back at my LIVE Royal Rumble thoughts from LAST YEAR.  Enjoy!
http://acaseoftheblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/live-royal-rumble-thoughts-january-29.html

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-11

I hope everybody has managed to stay healthy and warm over the past week or so.  We’ve experienced some light snow, but there has been A LOT of illness being spread.  At work, we’ve had around 5 or so people out at a time throughout the past two weeks.  It’s been rough.  Keep sanitized and get your flu shots.  And I can’t stress this enough – sneeze and cough into the inside of your elbow, NOT YOUR HANDS!  That is all.

Continue reading "A Case of the....  The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-11"....

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Quick Royal Rumble Predictions

Alright, be sure to check back later tonight for my LIVE thoughts coverage of tonight's Royal Rumble (one of only two PPVs I'll always buy).  I thought I'd give some quick predictions on the show.

I predict that EITHER Rock won't win the WWE Championship OR Cena won't win the Royal Rumble.  One will happen, but the other seems a little obvious.  I also think there's a chance they'll end the show with the WWE Championship match, not the Rumble match.  Although I hope that's not the case.

As far as the Rumble goes, here are some guesses on what will happen:

Dolph Ziggler will get the marathon man treatment and will last longer than anybody else.  But he won't win.  Also, if the title matches are after the Rumble match, I could conceivably see him cash in.  But if that happens before WrestleMania, I see them waiting until Elimination Chamber.

Kane will break HBK's all time elimination record.

Ryback will have the most eliminations out of anybody in this year's match.

I've managed to avoid any and all spoilers regarding surprise entrants (since I want them to be a surprise), but here's who I think could appear:

John Morrison, since he still seems to be on good terms with the company and they do drop his name every now and again.  If he does appear, I see him and Kofi Kingston simultaneously do one of those defying near eliminations.

Bob Backlund

Diamond Dallas Page

Billy Gunn

Ricardo Rodriguez

Rikishi

We'll also see at least one big return. Possibilities:

Christian

Mark Henry

Rey Mysterio

That's all I got right now.  Enjoy the show!!

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Overview

Thank you, one and all, for following this ten day journey known as my Top Ten Cases Year-End Awards.  Now, here's an overview of both my picks and your voting results.  Also, be sure to visit my blog tomorrow for my LIVE Royal Rumble thoughts!

SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR

My pick - CM Punk; Your pick - CM Punk (69%)

BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR

My pick - AJ Lee; Your pick - Daniel Bryan (49%)

SUPERSTAR WITH THE MOST DISAPPOINTING YEAR

My pick - Randy Orton; Your pick - Zack Ryder (31%)

SUPERSTAR MOST POISED FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2013

My pick - Dolph Ziggler; Your pick - Dolph Ziggler (46%)

NEXT SUPERSTAR TO BE A FIRST TIME WORLD CHAMPION

My pick - Ryback; Your pick - Ryback (54%)

MOST SUCCESSFUL TURN OF THE YEAR

My pick - CM Punk turns heel; Your pick - CM Punk turns heel (46%)

MOST SHOCKING STORY OF THE YEAR

My pick - Brock Lesnar returns to WWE; Your pick - Brock Lesnar returns to WWE (44%)

BEST WWE WEB SERIES

My pick - WWE Download; Your pick - Are You Serious? (75%)

WILL THE WWE NETWORK LAUNCH IN 2013?

My pick - No; Your pick - No (87%)

WILL THE WWE UNIFY TITLES AND OFFICIALLY END THE BRAND EXTENSION IN 2013?

My pick - No; Your pick - No (89%)

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Will the WWE Unify Titles and Officially End the Brand Extension?

WILL THE WWE UNIFY TITLES AND OFFICIALLY END THE BRAND EXTENSION IN 2013?

My Pick:  No

My answer is “no,” but I hope I’m wrong.  I have been one of the most ardent defenders of the brand extension.  I honestly believe that guys like Eddie Guerrero and Edge and RVD and Booker T and JBL and Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan and CM Punk never would have gotten the opportunity to succeed that they received without the brand extension.  And plus, at its peak, the brand extension truly did present keep feuds fresh.  But ever since Triple H announced this “SuperShow” era, the brand extension has slowly but surely disintegrated.  And now it’s finally reached the point that keeping it going is doing more harm than good.  The World Heavyweight Championship – a title once proudly held and defended by guys like Edge, Batista, the Undertaker, and Triple H – has been so incredibly devalued that nobody even pretends to act like at its at the same level as the WWE Championship.

A few months ago I said that the brand extension exists in two ways:  Different titles and different General Managers.  Now, there are just different General Managers.  Officially, Raw’s titles are the WWE Championship and the United States Championship.  Smackdown’s titles are the World Heavyweight Championship and the Intercontinental Championship.  They share the Divas and Tag Team Championships.  Yet the current US Championship is a Smackdown guy.  And this year, two Raw guys (Kofi and Miz) held the Intercontinental Championship.  Additionally, last year then-Smackdown guy Daniel Bryan feuded with CM Punk for the WWE Championship.  And current Raw guy Dolph Ziggler has the Money in the Bank briefcase for the World Heavyweight Championship.  Big Show went from feuding for the WWE Championship over the summer, to winning the World Heavyweight Championship in October.  AJ, who was a Smackdown Diva, was named the General Manager of Raw.  A year or two ago you could name a wrestler and everyone would immediately know which brand they’re on.  Now, not so much.  Without looking, which brand is Sin Cara on?  How about Kaitlyn?  How about Primo and Epico?  The Usos?  Brodus Clay?  Zack Ryder?  Everyone appears on both shows and anybody can hold either title.  So why keep this thing going?

With all of that said, why don’t I think it will happen?  Quite simply, there have been more than a few logical ways to end it, and they chose not to do it.  How about when Johnny Ace became the General Manager of both shows?  Or when US Champion Antonio Cesaro began feuding with Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston?  Why not unify the titles then?  It just seems like something that would have happened by now if they had any plans to do it.

What You Said – No

I asked this same question back in my 2010 Year-End Awards, and 87.5% of the voters said “no.”  This year, despite the fact that the brand extension has never been less significant, that number raised slightly, to 89%.  While my rant above suggested that WWE should end the brand extension because it simply doesn’t exist anymore, in WWE’s eyes they probably believe they’re getting the best of both worlds.  In the marketing sense, the brand extension quite literally allows them to extend their brand.  “Raw” and “Smackdown” are more than just TV shows – they’re identities.  They’re able to present and market Smackdown as something more than a show on Friday night – it’s a roster full of Superstars and championships.  You can say “Smackdown” and think of names like Sheamus and Randy Orton.  You can say “Raw” and think of John Cena and CM Punk.  WWE ends the brand extension, and they lose that potentially powerful association.  And yet, with the SuperShow, they have none of the restrictions.  They want to bolster Smackdown’s ratings?  Let’s put CM Punk and the Rock on that show.  They want to get Alberto Del Rio vs. the Big Show more exposure?  Have them open Raw.  In their eyes, I’m sure WWE thinks they have nothing to gain and the potential to lose a lot.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Will the WWE Network Launch in 2013?

WILL THE WWE NETWORK LAUNCH IN 2013?

My Pick:  No

What a difference a year makes.  In last year’s survey, 88% of the voters believed that the WWE Network would be a success, with the implication being that the launch would happen that year.  I, too, predicted the Network would succeed.  This year I decided to pose another question – not so much about whether it’ll be a success (for what it’s worth, I still think it will be), but whether we’d see it arrive at all this coming year.  Personally, I do not think the network will launch in 2013, and that’s not a bad thing.  WWE seems to be showing an admirable amount of restraint when it comes to this endeavor.  They seem to be making sure that everything is right and ready before taking the plunge.  Along with that, WWE is a promotional machine.  If they were remotely close to being able to launch their network (like, if it could happen in the next six months or so), we’d be seeing some level of promotion at this point.  Instead, the WWE Network has pretty much dropped off the radar.  Their Twitter account hasn’t been updated since October 30, and even by that point they only tweeted once every couple of months.  And there’s not much more activity than that on their Facebook page.  And if you do a search for “WWE Network” on WWE.com, a whopping 8 articles (the newest of which is from 10 months ago) come up as a result.  I don’t think they’d be this quiet about the endeavor if they were launching it within the next year.

What You Said – No

As noted above, 88% of voters believed the WWE Network would be a success last year.  This year, 87% believed it wouldn’t even launch in 2013.  Again, the two questions aren’t the same – but there’s certainly something to be said about those results.  I can’t say for sure why all of these voters don’t think the network will become a reality this year, but I’d venture to say that there seem to be conflicting stories regarding the company’s vision.  This probably leads fans to believe that the WWE doesn’t quite know how they want to present their network.  Additionally, there are the skeptics out there who didn’t believe any notable cable provider would pick them up to begin with.  At least, that’s my guess.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Best WWE Web Series

BEST WWE WEB SERIES

My Pick:  WWE Download

This is another category I’ve struggled with, but ultimately I went with Dolph Ziggler’s WWE Download.  There were two things that swayed me:  I’m a huge fan of Tosh.0 – which this show seems to be inspired by (although for all I know, they just caught some episodes of America’s Funniest Home Videos), and it gives Dolph Ziggler an outlet to express himself.  And while everybody equates Zack Ryder’s Z! Long Island Story with a Superstar’s (kinda) rise to superstardom due to his web show, the truth is that John Morrison and The Miz became stars in no small part because of their exceptional work on the Dirt Sheet.  It was that series that showed both the powers that be AND the fans that these two were highly entertaining individuals.  And if you’re to believe Ziggler’s Twitter comments, he not only performs on the show, he writes it as well.  That means, in addition to being great in the ring, he really is the total package.

While I had previously stated that Ziggler is pretty much in the same position on the card that he was a year ago, I do think we have seen an increase in mic time.  Although I don’t know for sure, I’d like to think at least a part of that can be attributed to his witty, well spoken delivery of jokes on WWE Download.  And actually, Ziggler appears to have a great sense of humor – one that would work as a heel or a face (although faces aren’t allowed to be witty.  They just smile).  He’s an arrogant womanizer, but somehow not unlikable.  Sometimes he talks a bit fast and soft, and can be hard to understand, but overall he’s very good.  And it’s a fun show – I’m disappointed that it’s going to end.

What You Said – Are You Serious?

Remember how I said I struggled with my pick?  This was the other show I was trying to decide between.  Are You Serious? is an awesome show and Josh Mathews (one of my favorite commentators) has great commentary with Road Dogg.  Plus, they were smart enough to cool their jets with Puppet H before that routine got really tired.  And who doesn’t love seeing old clips?  And WWE is at their best when they’re making fun of themselves.  It’s also great seeing Road Dogg and Josh get insider-y without being obnoxious or harsh about it.  So I’m not surprised that Are You Serious? won, but I am a little shocked that it won by such a large margin (75%).  I ultimately leaned towards WWE Download because at least that show could benefit an active competitor.

One thing I am happy about, though, is that Z! True Long Island Story didn’t win.  That show stopped being consistently entertaining once Ryder started appearing on Raw on a frequent basis.  At that point, it basically became a Raw clip show.  Then once Ryder’s push went to hell, he seemed so emotionally deflated that he didn’t have the same passion he first began doing the show.  It was definitely time for him to end that show.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Most Shocking Story of the Year

MOST SHOCKING STORY OF THE YEAR

My Pick:  Brock Lesnar returns to WWE

In a company that saw Sable, Hulk Hogan, and Bret Hart return after less-than-cordial departures – and big debuts like Eric Bischoff – it takes a whole lot to consider a return “shocking,” and Brock Lesnar may be the closest thing.  It isn’t even so much because of the messy manner in which Brock left, it’s also the lack of motivation for him to return.  Bret Hart had pride in his legacy.  Hulk Hogan needed to return to the spotlight.  Sable, I would think, desired to remain relevant.  And Eric Bischoff just seemed to enjoy the showmanship of professional wrestling.  Brock Lesnar didn’t seem to possess any of those qualities.  There just didn’t seem like the stars were aligned in regards to a Brock Lesnar return.

Yet ever since Brock Lesnar’s departure in 2004, rumors have constantly swirled that he would return to WWE.  Hell, at one point WWE.com even posted a story about Lesnar coming to Titan Towers, presumably to return to the company (although that went nowhere).  From there, obstacle after obstacle made it seem like a return was unlikely.  First there was his lawsuit against WWE.  Then there was his tenure in UFC, where Dana White made it clear that he would not be wrestling for WWE while under contract.  Then there was his intestinal illness, which made physical competition at all questionable.  The occasional name drop on WWE programming and that random altercation with the Undertaker at a UFC event were mere teases that never developed into anything.

But that changed just before last year’s WrestleMania, where it was announced that Lesnar had signed a deal with WWE that would include a handful of dates and matches.  It seemed like a great deal, and people were legitimately excited to see how the “Next Big Thing” would fit in with this new world.  People were fantasy booking matches against John Cena, Sheamus, and CM Punk, and possible renewed feuds with the Undertaker, the Big Show, and the Rock.  And while the success of the execution of Lesnar’s return is open to debate, you simply cannot argue with the fact that fans WANT to see him back – even after being gone approximately 4 times longer than the span of time he actually competed.

What You Said – Brock Lesnar returns to WWE

One of the “Other” answers that a surveyor provided was Jerry Lawler’s heart attack, and I really regret not thinking of that as a nominee.  I may have even selected it, to be honest (I make my picks before reading any of the votes).  I’m actually a little surprised that John Cena becoming the first person to fail cashing in on the Money in the Bank contract only received one vote (while Triple H getting a haircut earned 9!)  Finally having somebody fail after over 10 winners (with every single person who cashed in the briefcase winning the title), and it being your biggest star, is fairly significant.  However, most of you agreed with my answer, as Brock’s return to the WWE received 44% of the votes.

Brock Lesnar is a pretty interesting case, actually.  While it seemed unlikely he’d ever return – for the reasons I stated above – you can rest assured that every single year, people will be imagining scenarios that lead to his return.  And as I alluded to earlier, he really only competed on television for about two years and has been gone for about eight….and yet fans still exploded when he made his return.  Speculation indicates that Lesnar is going to resign with the company.  Let’s just hope we get a bit more out of WWE’s buck this time around.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - January 21, 2013

11:03 - Wow, let's hope the Rumble match is better than that series of promos.  Enjoyable show overall -- and I'm psyched for the Rumble -- but a rough ending.

Anyway, check back Sunday as I will be providing my LIVE thoughts for the Royal Rumble.  And also continue to check my blog daily as I continue to update my Top Ten Cases:  2012 Year-End Awards!

11:00 - The only two people who are worth listening to -- Daniel Bryan and Kane -- and they forget to turn their mics on?

10:58 - Oh great, the OTHER smiley babyface.

10:54 - Really?  This is the promo they're closing the show with?  They should've ended it with the Heyman/Rock promo, followed by the Shield attack....and then closed with Vince confronting Punk and Heyman backstage and making the stipulation.

10:45 - Bob Backlund is a well deserved member of the Hall of Fame.

10:39 - I still think it's an AWFUL idea to take Alberto Del Rio's car entrance away from him since his face turn.  Why does WWE insist on changing their characters when they turn face?  Also, the black scarf was bad enough when he was wearing black gear, but it looks especially dreadful with his Mexican gear.  The red scarf looked cool, but the white one would work too (and keeps with his class/pure character).

10:34 - Things I loved about that segment:  (a) Paul Heyman muttering "this isn't going to end well" upon seeing Vince McMahon; (b) Punk not letting up about being clever despite the fact that it could hurt his chances at proving that he's got nothing to do with the Shield; and (c) Paul Heyman making the great argument that the Shield has made numerous attacks against people who have no relation to Punk.

10:25 - I haven't a clue what John Cena could say that is so important or explosive that it warrants closing the show.  What can he say other than promising to win the Rumble?

10:21 - I like these Beat the Clock Challenges more than the ones we used to see a few years ago, where the matches were in the 2-4 minute range instead of the 10-15.

10:15 - I loved how Barrett followed Sheamus as he ran towards the rope and just clotheslined him out of the ring.  Brilliant.

10:11 - Only in WWE does a bleeding mouth always equal internal bleeding.

10:09 - I mean absolutely no disrespect to Martin Luther King and his contribution to our society is immense.  But I think it's a little much to say that we might not all be sitting here watching WWE Raw if it weren't for him.

9:56 - How much did Rock pay for that ticket?  You know, that ticket that allows him full backstage access and the playing of his theme as he enters the ringside area?

9:50 - Alicia Fox loses and The Rock isn't allowed in the building.  Not a great Martin Luther King day for WWE's black Superstars.  Also, if I were Punk, I wouldn't trust what Heyman is promising.  He couldn't even deliver on balloons last time.

9:47 - Gotta love Jerry Lawler referring to Kaitlyn winning the Divas Championship as the "little story" while pushing Eve quitting as the "big story."  Which Diva is still with the company?

9:40 - There's something very humorous about the sentence, "Everyone everywhere is going to hug!"

9:33 - While I've been telling Daniel Bryan to get a haircut for months now, I do gegt a kick out of his hair getting parted to the side right now.

9:25 - If Miz is going to use the Figure Four as a finisher, he might want to learn how to apply it.

9:17 - Love AJ's knee high red Converse.  Speaking of which, have you checked out her new graphic on the WWE Superstar page?  HOT!  Also, why haven't we seen an updated CM Punk photo?  In the past week or so they've updated half of the Superstars' graphics -- but not the WWE Champions?  Who looks completely different now that he's shaved his head?  Lame.

9:07 - Awesome promo by CM Punk, and the presence of Paul Heyman is exactly what makes this partnership work.  All he did was stand in the background and hold the microphone up so that Punk could hold the title in his hands throughout his speech.  If only the announcers and everybody responded to Punk this positively during the early days of his heel turn.

8:58 - I understand the desire to build anticipation for Rock's appearance and to make all of his appearances seem special, but at the same time I don't completely understand this mentality of actually getting Rock to come to an arena only to use him so sparingly.  That was one issue people had with the Rock/Cena feud....Rock was barely there.  Now he is here.  I'd plaster him all over the show.

8:54 - Evidently loitering isn't illegal there.

8:47 - Gotta love when they sacrifice guys fans WANT to root for (Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder) for people the company insists we root for (Big Show, Alberto Del Rio).

8:40 - I'm guessing Ryder doesn't last as long as Kofi.

8:30 - As scary as it sounds, Orton arguably needed that win more than Cesaro.  These two have fought a couple of times now, if I'm not mistaken, and each time Cesaro has avoided losing, so I was okay with him losing clean here.  Plus, Cesaro has been so incredibly protected -- even against top stars -- that it's okay for him to take a loss here.

8:17 - So which direction do you see this going in?  Will the winner of Beat the Clock go the obvious route and pick #30, or will they try to make history by picking #1?

8:06 - Loved Heyman referring to Vickie as a helpless widow.  But must we see the Rock concert AGAIN?  Then again, my 63 year old dad (who was watching NCIS) just passed by and said "The Rock is pretty funny."  So what do I know?

Also, did they officially end the narrated introduction videos?  Or did they just pass on it because of the MLK tribute?

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Most Successful Turn of the Year

MOST SUCCESSFUL TURN OF THE YEAR

My Pick:  CM Punk turns heel

CM Punk’s heel turn is a truly unique thing.  Pretty much every single fan out there was perfectly happy cheering for him, so it wasn’t something that people particularly wanted to happen.  And the storyline reason behind his turn was incredibly weak.  As was the resulting feud with Jerry Lawler, and the random lack of respect the announcers showed towards him (suddenly forgetting that he stood up to every challenger and had successfully and honorably defended his championship for over half a year).  Yet, despite all of these shortcomings, CM Punk turning heel ended up being the best thing for him and his position within the company.

As a face, CM Punk was one of the most entertaining and consistently over guys on the entire roster.  He was getting great reactions with his mic work, and fans were emotionally invested in his matches (which were often the best of the night).  However, he was clearly playing second fiddle to John Cena.  While Cena’s feuds were the focal point of Raw (in many cases) and he was ending each PPV, Punk was relegated to the middle of the show.  Hell, his WWE title match against Chris Jericho wasn’t even included in the opening video of WrestleMania.  While the motivation and initial follow up of his heel turn was flimsy, it DID shift Punk from being the #2 face to the #1 heel, which by default was a promotion.  Since his heel turn, Punk has wrestled on four of the past five Pay-Per-Views.  Of those four shows, he’s wrestled in the last match of three of them.  Which is three more than all of the prior events in 2012.

And truth be told, once he found his footing, Punk’s heel turn has been spectacularly entertaining.  There were some moments when he seemed to turn into a stereotypical cowardly heel, but overall his work has been phenomenal.  I especially loved his shtick where he would raise the championship over his head and would slowly sidestep and rotate around the ring for an inordinate amount of time (like doing it over an entire commercial break).  And his partnership with Paul Heyman – which most were skeptical about since they thought it would mean we’d get less promos from Punk – ended up being one of the year’s highlights.  And whether it was by design or default, Punk’s transition to top heel made way for some fresh new babyfaces easing their way into the main event scene.

And if nothing else, turning heel at least got him a much, much better haircut.

What You Said – CM Punk turns heel

We once again agree here, but not overwhelmingly so, as CM Punk turning heel got only 46% of the votes.  Perhaps most surprising for me is the fact that Kane came in second place, with 21% of the votes.  I mean, Big Show’s heel turn and Alberto Del Rio’s face turn each earned them a run with the World Heavyweight Championship, yet they only gained 13% and 2% of the final vote.  Hell, even Eve’s heel turn (4%) won her the Divas Championship.  While Kane’s current “anger management” character is immensely more entertaining than the cartoon “embrace the hate” villain he was playing when he returned wearing a mask, much like Daniel Bryan, I’m not sure I would describe it as a “success.”  It was by no means a failure, but he basically went from main eventing shows against John Cena to working as a comedy character and one half of the tag team champions.  Don’t get me wrong, he’s still sitting mighty pretty with a pretty much guaranteed spot on every PPV, but I’m not sure he’s in a better position than he was before he turned.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Next Superstar to Become a First-Time World Champion

NEXT SUPERSTAR TO BECOME A FIRST-TIME WORLD CHAMPION

My Pick:  Ryback

I really do think Ryback will be the next first time World Champion, but here’s the kicker:  I don’t think it’ll be with the WWE Championship.  I say he wins the World Heavyweight Championship.  Until the very end of 2012, I would have bet with a certain level of confidence that Ryback was going to be the one to unseat the Big Show as World Heavyweight Champion.

WWE is in a unique situation with Ryback, and because of the fact that they’ve been much less restrictive about who they grant World title reigns to – and the titles have changed hands more than they had in the past – it’s one they also haven’t found themselves in for quite a while.  When Batista failed multiple months in a row to grab the World Heavyweight Championship away from Edge, he already had numerous title reigns to his name.  And we knew he’d have a few more, too.  That’s not the case with Ryback.  He’s been put in several featured matches on PPV, and he’s had to lose them all.  They seem invested enough in him that they continue to feature him so strongly and prominently, but they’ve been wise enough not to hot shot a title change.  Since they haven’t taken the Tensai route, where they just give up on the guy and use him as a comedic jobber, I’m inclined to think they’re just going to put him in a situation where he wins the other World Championship in a rather dominant fashion.  Despite coming up short every time he fails to win the WWE Championship, they’ve managed to protect him each and every time.

Interesting thing to note, though:  There was not a single first time World Champion in 2012.  That hasn’t happened in nearly a decade (2003 was the last time).  With Alberto Del Rio currently feuding with Big Show and a rumored Sheamus/Randy Orton World Heavyweight Championship feud on the horizon – and CM Punk, the Rock, and John Cena conceivably dominating the WWE Championship for the foreseeable future – who knows?  We may not even see a first time World Champion AT ALL in 2013.

What You Said – Ryback

Here’s a fun fact for you:  Back in my 2010 Year-End Awards, Wade Barrett was predicted to be the next first time World Champion.  It’s now two years later, and he still hasn’t won the championship.  In that amount of time, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and Alberto Del Rio all beat him to the punch (and Christian and Mark Henry, depending on your perspective on the ECW Championship).  And some major title wins – like Sheamus winning the WWE Championship in 2009 – came completely out of left field.  So this category can be harder to predict than you might expect.  Nonetheless, we’re both in agreement here.

Ryback earned over half of the votes here (54%), with Wade Barrett and Antonio Cesaro coming off strong too (19% and 17%, respectively).  Appropriately, these are your Intercontinental and United States Champions, historically the championship Superstars held before going on to claim the World title.  Surprisingly, Cody Rhodes only received two out of the first 100 votes.  While historically none of us have been particularly good at making this prediction (in 2010, I did a bit better than you guys:  I picked Alberto Del Rio, who did win the championship that year….although Dolph Ziggler edged him out with his two hour title reign), I don’t see a better option than Ryback.  WWE has cut back significantly on their Shock TV title reigns (although Big Show remains a bit of a head scratcher), but Ryback seems to be following a similar model that Sheamus took last year.  Become a dominant babyface who eventually topples the heel champion.  Alberto Del Rio’s current reign may have thrown a bit of a wrench in his path of destruction, but I still see him ultimately nabbing the gold (perhaps from another Big Show reign, or maybe a returning Mark Henry).

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-10

Annnnnd we’re back!  I hope everybody had a safe and happy holiday season and new year.  Since we’ve last discussed The Vampire Diaries, we’ve learned that a spinoff is being developed to focus on Klaus and the original vampires.  I think this could be a good thing, I just hope its more Angel than Joey.  Fingers crossed.

Continue reading "A Case of the....  The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-10"....

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Superstar Poised for the Most Successful 2013

SUPERSTAR MOST POISED FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2013

My Pick:  Dolph Ziggler

While I do believe Dolph Ziggler has the best chance out of all the options, I’m still somewhat skeptical.  Dolph Ziggler was my pick last year (he was yours too, along with Sheamus) for this very category, and quite honestly 2012 was a very lateral year for him.  At the 2011 Royal Rumble, Ziggler battled Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship.  At the 2012 event, he fought CM Punk for the WWE Championship.  At WrestleMania XXVII he participated in a special attraction match (the Snooki mixed tag match).  He appeared in a similar specialty match at WrestleMania XXVIII (the 12 man tag to determine the WWE GM).  Thankfully, things did pick up for Ziggler around the summer following his Money in the Bank victory.  There was still some faltering – 50/50 booking against Chris Jericho, a losing PPV effort against Randy Orton, and being left off Hell in a Cell completely – but things ended on a high with a big victory at Survivor Series (and even being named team captain) and then a high profile feud with John Cena that saw him win in the show closing match.

And as strange as it sounds, the fact that Ziggler’s 2012 was pretty on par with his 2011 is perhaps the most promising thing of all.  Just look at the “Most Disappointing Year” posting – the fact that Ziggler’s year wasn’t terrible shows that they see something special in him.  Unlike Miz and Ryder, he didn’t go on a losing streak (that isn’t to say he didn’t lose a lot of matches).  Unlike Orton, he didn’t become a complete afterthought.  Unlike Tensai and Brodus, the company didn’t seem to completely lose interest in them.  In a twisted, ass backwards kinda way….NOT having a crappy year is showing that they’re protecting you.

Along with that, there’s the whole Money in the Bank thing.  Aside from Edge’s inaugural run with the briefcase, I don’t believe anybody has held onto the contract for as long as Ziggler has.  They’ve had numerous opportunities to have him cash in, and there have been a number of instances where he could have lost it (to Jericho and Cena), but they’ve resisted both possibilities.  That doesn’t necessarily mean anything positive – Edge held onto his briefcase for the longest, and was rewarded with a 3 week reign with the WWE Championship.  Conversely, Kane cashed his in the night he won it, and held onto the gold for 5 months – but it does show that they’re being careful and showing some wise restraint with him.

Ziggler always seems at the cusp of stepping up to that next level.  And while it hasn’t happened over the past year or two – which we’ve all predicted and expected – he also hasn’t taken tumbles down the card and experienced random losing streaks or squashes.  Hopefully this is the year WWE just allows him to take the plunge.

What You Said – Dolph Ziggler

Last year, Ziggler – along with Sheamus – was voted as your pick for the Superstar poised for the most successful 2012.  And while I don’t think we were right about Ziggler, you guys were on target with Sheamus.  So since Ziggler received more than double the amount of votes than anybody else on this list, let’s hope WWE once again trusts your instincts and gives him a shot at the big time.

It’s a tired and somewhat flawed argument (since the two SHOULDN’T be mutually exclusive), but I think Dolph (and many others who are right at the edge of making it to that next level) are hindered by these returning stars from the prior era.  If you look at any wrestling news site, they’ll tell you that they have WrestleMania matches lined up for John Cena, CM Punk, The Rock, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and the Undertaker.  Of that group of six, only TWO are full time performers.  And only ONE is a relative new addition to the main event scene.  When the company seems more concerned with how they’re going to use Brock Lesnar’s 5 matches than they are with how to elevate Ziggler to the main event, there’s a real problem.  Ziggler has all of the tools to be an important face for the company, and the audience reacts to him, all he needs is a change in mentality from above.

Here’s hoping 2013 sees Ziggler get a run with the gold and a proper WrestleMania match.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Superstar with the Most Disappointing Year

SUPERSTAR WITH THE MOST DISAPPOINTING YEAR

My Pick:  Randy Orton

Wanna hear something really depressing?  I struggled immensely even trying to find Superstars other than CM Punk and MAYBE Sheamus to offer as options for my Superstar of the Year survey.  But when it came to picking a wrestler who has had an especially lackluster year, there was no shortage of potential candidates.  Aside from Cena, Punk, Sheamus, and – shockingly – the Big Show, has any full time Superstar been made to look good for any consistent amount of time?  Guys like Christian and the Miz – who were World Champions in 2011 – were relegated to short Intercontinental Championship reigns when they weren’t on losing streaks.  Then there were “newcomers” like Tensai and Brodus Clay, who came in with a roar but ended the year with a whimper.  And then, at a different level, you had somebody like Wade Barrett:  A guy who seemed to have a promising year ahead of him, but an unexpected injury kept him on the sidelines for much of the year.  Ultimately, though, I went with Randy Orton.

Since his debut, WWE has seemed to stuff Randy Orton down our throat.  Consider the following:  Randy Orton held the World Heavyweight Champion twice in 2011, the WWE Championship once in 2010, the WWE Championship three times in 2009, and the WWE Championship two times in 2007 (one of which was a six month reign that went into 2008).  For the better part of five years, Randy Orton has been a fixture in the World Title picture – and yet his 2012 was completely unremarkable.  Think back to the past year.  Can you remember one memorable Randy Orton feud?  While his somewhat equivalent John Cena appeared in the biggest match in WrestleMania history, Orton was in the second match of the show.  In a thrown together feud with Kane.  Which he lost.  Clean.  And while top stars like John Cena, CM Punk, Sheamus, the Big Show, and Ryback were super protected, Orton tapped out to Alberto Del Rio’s arm bar on more than one occasion.  When was the last time a top babyface tapped clean?

And even when Orton did take part in high profile feuds, he was hardly the focus.  In the ONE Pay-Per-View World title match he appeared in all year, the focus was mostly on Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio (Jericho and Orton were seemingly only added because the feud wasn’t gaining any traction).  And in the original imagining of Team Punk vs. Team Foley at Survivor Series, Ryback was clearly portrayed as the star of the team.

Randy Orton’s 2012 wasn’t just disappointing – it was completely forgettable.

What You Said – Zack Ryder

Unlike the Daniel Bryan pick, I don’t disagree with your overall consensus.  When 2011 came to an end, Zack Ryder – and all those that were emotionally invested in his ascension up the ladder – was on top of the world.  He was a self made man.  Somebody who defied the odds and seemingly found himself a relatively high placement on the card.  He went from never appearing on Raw to being one of the most over guys in the company to being the United States Champion.  As 2012 was approaching, Ryder was a central figure on Raw (as one of the few Superstars that directly feuded with Johnny Ace) and was regularly interacting with top stars.  And then 2012 happened.

While certainly not the ideal situation, things didn’t seem all that bad.  For example, his US Title reign was cut short – but he was super protected when he lost (taking Swagger’s finisher numerous times, and the later revelation that he wasn’t even cleared to compete).  And he was the face-in-peril in the featured storyline dealing with the biggest star on the flagship show.  However, Jack Swagger just as quickly dropped the title to Santino Marella (who did get a five month reign with the gold, despite being a similar comedy character) and Ryder went from face-in-peril to damsel-in-distress.  And things only got worse.  While he did get a WrestleMania match, it was in the token “fit everybody on the card” match.  And for storyline purposes, Teddy Long only settled to have him on the team so that he could get the Great Khali.  And he ate the pin.  Against the Miz.  Who was in the midst of a losing streak storyline.  Slowly but surely, Ryder returned to his role as a glorified jobber, decisively losing to anyone from Alberto Del Rio to a debuting Damien Sandow.  He even stopped appearing on Raw on a regular basis, being completely left off of shows that would guarantee a huge reaction.  Sure, there were signs of life (like his July 4^th Smackdown battle royal win, or his Night of Champions pre-show battle royal win and PPV title shot), but overall it was a massively disappointing year for Ryder, when things seemed so promising when the year began.

So why did I go with Orton, then?  Quite simply, I feel like Orton’s drop was further and more significant.  Orton has been in the main event scene for close to a decade.  He’s a nine time World Champion.  And 2012 was honestly the first year that he was a complete and utter afterthought.  And it was the first time since 2007 that he went a calendar year without a World Championship of any sort.  In my view, that’s a lot worse than things not working out as great as you thought they would.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Breakout Star of the Year

BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR

My Pick:  AJ Lee

Despite being a huge AJ Lee fan, I struggled with the decision of who should get this award.  While I did settle on my gut feeling – AJ Lee – strong arguments could be made for Ryback, Antonio Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, and even the Shield.  And, truth be told, the expectations and upside for male Superstars vary greatly from your female Divas.  I mean, it’s difficult to measure AJ’s near year-long placement at the top of the card with Ryback, for example, who spent only a couple months at top – however, they were in highly featured PPV matches for the WWE Championship.  But as 2012 came to a close and you look back at the past 12 months, has any new face been as much of a fixture as AJ Lee? 

When the year began, she was a mere plot device in a relatively underwhelming storyline between Daniel Bryan and the Big Show.  It seemed like she was simply a foil to help progress Bryan’s heel turn.  What ended up happening, however, was the biggest Divas push we’ve seen since the glory days of Trish Stratus and Lita – a level most of us thought would never happen again, in this era of rotating Divas sporadically wrestling in two minute matches.  Her role in Daniel Bryan’s rise to the top is immeasurable, leaving fans angered and confused when they were abruptly broken up following WrestleMania.  However, since then, AJ has taken one story after another and helped make it into a main event storyline.  Her breakup with Daniel Bryan segued into a love triangle with CM Punk (and later square with Kane).  Everybody initially assumed that it would lead to AJ turning on Punk to reunite with Bryan, but instead we got a multi-month WWE Championship feud that focused primarily on each competitor’s relationship with AJ.  That moved onto AJ getting “promoted” to the position of General Manager of Raw (which meant that while she arguably appeared in less segments, the overall presence of her character expanded greatly).  And finally, that progressed to a legitimate main event feud alongside – and then against – the face of the company John Cena.  And there’s no sign of this ship slowing down.

Aside from John Cena and CM Punk, has ANYBODY sustained a longer and more consistent run at the top of the card than AJ Lee?

What You Said – Daniel Bryan

This is our first (but not last) disagreement.  While Daniel Bryan had an awesome year, my issue with giving him this award is that (a) his ascension really happened at the end of 2011, and (b) he was actually higher up on the card a year ago than he is today.  While that second point can be disputed, the fact of the matter is that by the end of 2011, Daniel Bryan was the World Champion who was winning almost all of his matches by nefarious or cheap means.  Now he’s one half of the tag team champions (or THE tag team champions, depending on who you ask) and the one who almost always eats the pin when the team loses.  And while it’s not really focused upon, he does lose nearly every single one of his singles matches.

Having said that, you simply cannot dispute the awesome year that Daniel Bryan had.  This is a guy who made lemonade out of lemons – a guy who VERY EASILY could have taken the same path as Zack Ryder, but forced the company to take notice.  When he dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus at WrestleMania (in an 18 second opening match), it seemed like his tenure in the main event had come to an end, made evident by the fact that they immediately announced that Alberto Del Rio had been named the next challenger to the World Heavyweight Championship.  However, the “YES!” phenomenon forced the company to rethink their plans.  He earned a rematch at Extreme Rules, and was quickly inserted into a multi-month feud for the WWE Championship (a promotion, most would argue).  He’s now a fixture on Raw and Smackdown and pretty much guaranteed a spot on any PPV.  He’s easily become one of the most over and entertaining people on the entire roster.

However, because of the fact that I don’t personally think he’s in a much better position than he was at the end of 2011, I can’t consider him a “breakout” star.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Superstar of the Year

SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR

My Pick:  CM Punk

No surprise here.  The sad thing is, though, that it’s not as if CM Punk even had this phenomenal year.  It’s just that everybody else has had such a forgettable or lackluster one.  So while this was a blowaway victory for Punk, it may have been for all the wrong reasons.   Then again, Punk’s year shouldn’t be sold short.  No matter what the circumstances, holding the WWE Championship a full calendar year – a feat that has not been achieved since 1987 – is an amazing achievement.  And while he may not have main evented a majority of this year’s Pay-Per-Views, his matches were almost assuredly match of the night contenders.  And between Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan, fans were awarded WWE Championship PPV matches that most of us probably never thought we’d get to see.  And unlike Punk’s other World title reigns, he actually go to win his championship matches cleanly and convincingly.  He may not have been treated as THE star, but he most definitely was treated like A star – something that has been sorely missing during his other runs at the top.

And while certain stories weren’t home runs – his heel turn got off to a rough start, and the substance abuse story that centered around his feud with Jericho was a bit off putting – Punk did take part in some of the most enjoyable and memorable stories of the year.  In particular, I am referring to this summer’s Punk/Bryan/AJ/Kane love affair (a story which benefited everybody involved).  And once his heel turn found its footing, Punk let loose and has emerged an even bigger star.  The show focuses on him more than it ever has.  His promos have been top notch.  And there’s a certain level of passion and fire that was missing during the earlier part of 2012.  The fact that CM Punk has been WWE Champion for well over 400 days and fans aren’t desperate for a new champion is a testament to his greatness.

What You Said – CM Punk

Much like last year, CM Punk was my pick AND your pick for Superstar of the year – but he didn’t earn 100% of the vote this time around.  This year, Punk walked away with 69 (HA!) percent of the vote, with Daniel Bryan coming in second with 25 percent.  While Bryan had a much better year than he probably had any right to (more on him later, though), I really don’t think he surpassed Punk.  Both guys had phenomenal matches.  Both guys were put in situations where they were forced to make lemons into lemonade.  And both basically forced the company and its figureheads to take them seriously and give them the attention they deserve.  At the end of the day, though, Punk simply achieved greater success.  While Daniel Bryan is part of an extremely entertaining comedy duo, Punk is being pushed as a dangerous – albeit somewhat cowardly – threat to WWE’s top babyfaces.  He’s had to overcome some political and creative hurdles, but Punk has been presented as one of WWE’s top Superstars – defeating every single challenge that’s come his way.  And the list is pretty hefty – Dolph Ziggler, the Miz, Chris Jericho, Kane, John Cena, Ryback, the Big Show, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Jerry Lawler, Rey Mysterio, and yes, Daniel Bryan.  Main event positioning or not, this year belonged to Punk.

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