LIVE Royal Rumble thoughts

10:46 - Well, for the first time since 2006 we have a Royal Rumble winner who has never held the World Championship and has never main evented WrestleMania. Pretty exciting stuff. Well done.

10:42 - FOR THE LOVE OF GOD THANK GOODNESS!!!! I legitimately thought they might actually give Santino the win right there. Interesting booking for the end, though. Hey, so much for those people who said it was obvious that Cena or Triple H would win!

10:40 - Orton, Barrett, Del Rio are left. And, ugh, Santino, right?

10:38 - Orton has quite the shiner. And Del Rio is now in the ring. Somebody please remember about Santino!

10:36 - No Triple H? Fine by me. Will they also forget that Santino was never eliminated?

10:35 - BOTH World title losers entered themselves in the Rumble. Could Triple H be #40? And does Del Rio win because they forgot he never entered the ring?

10:28 - Only four more guys left. Any surprises left? Triple H?

10:26 - Miz is sitting in on commentary, which leads me to believe that a Raw guy is winning. Increases Cena's chances, for sure.

10:23 - Great "Let's Go Diesel!" chant.

10:22 - Surprise entrant #2 - DIESEL! This would have been an AWESOME surprise if PulseWrestling didn't post it on Twitter last night.

10:20 - My prediction comes true. One of the losers in one of the World title matches enters himself into the Rumble. Could we see Orton as well?

10:17 - Hornswoggle now out. Hilarity to cease.

10:14 - Methinks Swagger eliminates Swoggle.

10:12 - Is Kofi Kingston the first person to come out with pyro?

10:08 - Annnnnnd there goes Punk. Sadness.

10:05 - Does Punk survive Cena's onslaught? I say yes. The rest of Nexus? Nope.

10:02 - First surprise entrant -- BOOKER T!!!

9:58 - Matt Striker finally brings up the smartest thing to do - stand outside and wait for the next entrant, and then try to fight off the Nexus.

9:57 - This isn't a bad strategy generally speaking. The #1 and #2 guys agree not to fight, but instead to stand a united front as each person comes in. It's a two on one game, and you individually eliminate each person.

9:55 - They may individually eliminate a few people before either Cena or a surprise entrant (Triple H?) comes out.

9:54 - I'm a bit surprised that Morrison didn't survive the Nexus culling. My guess is that they fully clear the ring and Cena comes out.

9:48 - My bet is either Ezekiel Jackson, Mason Ryan, Sheamus, or Big Show are out next to eliminate Henry.

9:47 - Few Superstars are so consistently humiliated on TV as Chavo, so it was nice to see him get a proud Rumble moment.

9:44 - "If this guy looks like this at 23, imagine what he's going to look like at 60!" Another great line.

9:42 - John Morrison is utterly amazing. The fact that the camera was on him the whole time, and that easily could have gone wrong, is rather impressive. Great stuff.

9:41 - Place exploded for Morrison's entrance. Thank God he didn't slip on the ring apron.

9:40 - I love DiBiase's move of following the person when they run against the ropes.

9:35 - Surprised to see Justin Gabriel eliminated so early and quickly.

9:32 - Well, I was partly right. I said I thought Bryan and Del Rio would be the first two in the ring. Ended up being Punk and Bryan. By the way, I like Punk beginning the Rumble, which was alluded to on Monday.

9:30 - Rather intriguing beginning to the Rumble.

9:27 - It's Rumble time!! Let's see who's #1 and 2!

9:23 - Whoever came up with this "By the Numbers" vignette for the Royal Rumble is brilliant. It's fun, informative, and makes the Rumble sound legitimately special and prestigious. Plus it's easy enough to update each year.

9:21 - Is there any Diva who doesn't know how to slap? Damn!

9:18 - While I think Natalya is probably your best bet for Divas Champ, I think Eve is great and is greatly underutilized. She's a legitimately tough girl through her Judo training, she's incredibly hot, she's got a realistic build that doesn't give young women body issues (but at the same time is tall and fit, satisfying WWE's vision of what a woman should look like), and she is probably the most natural speaker on the Divas roster. Congrats to her.

9:14 - Interesting predicament with Lay-Cool. You have two heels who legitimately like each other and don't want to inflict harm on each other. Good sense of loyalty.

9:11 - Proof that the Anonymous GM is at least somewhat over -- I was on my way to the bathroom, heard the beeping, and came back to the TV room.

9:09 - I don't know what to do. It's the Divas match and the last match before the Rumble, and I don't have to pee yet!

9:07 - Ironically, isn't this fake Cody Rhodes injury what ACTUALLY happened to the Undertaker?

9:03 - I am rather impressed with Alex Riley's vertical leaping ability. The Nexus interference was a bit surprising. And moderately disappointing, as I think a Cena/Punk WrestleMania feud is a lot more entertaining than an Orton/Punk one. But I think this points to Cena facing Miz for the WWE Championship and Orton facing Punk. I think Orton will likely interfere in the Rumble to eliminate Punk later on tonight.

8:53 - "I think sometimes people mistake his kindness for a weakness." C'mon, that was pretty funny.

8:52 - Haha, Striker called Orton "lanky."

8:50 - The announcers are at least a little more on their game this match. Cole and Lawler seem more emotionally invested in this match. It's clear in their performance.

8:40 - I still don't get the briefcase Alex Riley carries around. I understand it's a replacement for the Money in the Bank briefcase, but what's supposed to be inside? And how does it relate to his character? And do they even frequently use it?

8:38 - Come to think of it, wouldn't Kaitlyn have made more sense as the person to beat up Vickie?

8:33 - If they're going with the WWE Championship match next, this has to be the first time they've ever opened a PPV with both World title matches. But, again, this leaves open the possibility that one (or both) of the losers will enter the Rumble. Curious booking, though. I figured they'd go with the Divas match next.

8:29 - The match got off to a slow start, but once things picked up during the final sequence. The fans really got into the portion where Edge hit the Spear, and to his credit Cole did a great job of making sure the viewing audience knew that Edge was acting afterwards (and shame on the camera men for not zooming in on Edge smiling and winking at the audience). And Edge hitting the Unprettier was a nice shout out to Christian (which I'm sure will get people talking). The Kelly appearance is still strange. Did Vickie recently do something to her that I'm forgetting about? Or are they going to pair her with Edge?

8:26 - I really wish they would quit it with the "We've got a new champion!" bit. Even if the match DOES actually end, it still completely takes you out of the moment because you're inclined to believe the opponent will kick out. And I'm wondering where this Kelly thing is going.

8:23 - With his plethora of former finishing moves, Edge has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

8:14 - Almost 15 minutes into the show and the audience finally woke up.

8:07 - On the other hand, with so few undercard matches, there are only so many matches that can start off the show. They probably don't want to open with the Divas match or do two World title matches in a row, so there are only so many options.

8:04 - Starting the night off with the World Heavyweight Championship match. That's surprising, which seems to support my theory that the loser of one of the world title matches will enter himself in the Rumble. By giving so much time between the matches, the loser will have time to recuperate. I do hope and expect Edge to win this. Speaking of Edge, he's wearing SLIGHTLY modified tights (seems to be more black and red) which makes me happy. And the jacket. But no sunglasses and he's mostly clean shaven, so that disappoints me.

Check back shortly for my LIVE Royal Rumble thoughts. Over the weekend I decided to watch the 2009 and 2010 Royal Rumbles, and I came to notice that in both years Triple H made his entrance just after another Superstar eliminated a flurry of people (in 2009 it was Vladmir Kozlov, in 2010 it was CM Punk) and promptly eliminated that person. The H is expected to return tonight -- what are the chances he continues that trend?

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Royal Rumble Predictions

Tomorrow night is one of my favorite PPVs of the year, the Royal Rumble, which I will be ordering (barring some unforeseen catastrophe), so be sure to check my blog for my live thoughts. This year, I honestly have no clue what they’re going to do with the WrestleMania card, making the Rumble itself awfully tough to predict. Will they let Miz continue his reign until WrestleMania? If so, who does he face? They’ve hinted Cena, but he still has issues with CM Punk and the Nexus. After feuding with the faction since the beginning of the summer, blowing it off at a forgettable February PPV seems unlikely. So I really have no clue what direction they’ll go. While I’m not sure I want to predict a winner just yet, here are some general predictions:

• Sheamus gets the nod this year as the Superstar who eliminates the most people. Since there are 10 extra Superstars, I might even go as far as predicting that he breaks Kane’s record.
• Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio get the “marathon men” honor of being the Superstars who last the longest. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they end up being the #1 and #2 entrants.
• John Morrison lasts until the final four.
• At one point, all of the members of the Nexus and the Corre will be in the ring at the same time, resulting in the action stopping so that all of the Superstars could have a stare down before brawling it out.

As far as surprise entrants go, here are some of predictions, some bolder than others:

• Triple H, obviously. He’ll eliminate Sheamus, and perhaps take himself out in the process. The guy has been gone so long and so detached from the World Title scene that to include him in the championship match at WrestleMania would feel cheap and unnatural.
• Some dark horses: Batista, Chris Jericho, and Booker T.
• I also expect at least one competitor that fails to walk away with the World Title (Miz, Edge, Orton, Ziggler) to enter the rumble as a surprise entrant.
• Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Matt Striker will talk about how he won the first Royal Rumble. Michael Cole will point out that twice as many people are in the match now.
• Not my prediction, but I like it: Beth Phoenix enters, but is eliminated by the next entrant: A debuting Awesome Kong.

Regarding the title matches, both champions retain. Edge cleanly, and Miz through shenanigans (perhaps even a DQ). Edge makes it to Mania as champion, but the jury is still out on Miz.

If I have to predict a winner for the Rumble, my safe bet would be Cena. Not because I think he’s going to win (actually, I don’t), but simply because he’s ALWAYS a safe bet. If I wanted to be somewhat riskier, I’d say Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk. A rung below that are Wade Barrett and Triple H. Below that, John Morrison. But hey, based on the booking the past couple of months, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jerry Lawler win the damn thing!

So, yeah, that’s how I see it. What do you think?

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 2-12

After a month and a half hiatus, The Vampire Diaries is finally back. While this is an improvement over last year (where they went from mid-November to late December without any episodes), CW really needs to rethink their schedule. Long breaks like this can really turn away your television audience. But, we’re back, so let’s get to this week’s new episode.

Continue reading "A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 2-12"...

Truthfully, in hindsight, I probably would have used this episode as the one right before the break, instead of the one to air for the show’s big return. After so many weeks away, it was a bit jarring watching an episode that so prominently focused on a short-term character. We barely saw Stefan and Alaric, and Jeremy and Jenna didn’t even appear at all. For that matter, Elena’s presence was a backdrop for Rose’s demise. Of course, some would argue that Rose’s story was merely a tactic to send Damon over the deep end – which is a fair point – but nonetheless an episode had to be “sacrificed” (for lack of a better word) to accomplish that.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy the episode. I just think it would have been better served as the one to send them into their hiatus. Indeed, the ending would have been more enticing, as well, as it featured the return of John and Damon hitting his boiling point. Not to mention the potential return of Isobel. Plus, presumably, we’d return with an episode that centered on the characters we already know and care about.

I will say this, though: For the first half of the episode I wasn’t fully emotionally involved in the story. For one, because of what I stated above. But secondly, you could see the ending coming a mile away. It was obvious that Damon would kill Rose in order to put her out of her misery. But yet, amazingly, when it actually happened, I found myself incredibly moved. It played out pretty much exactly the way I thought it would, but it was just an overall powerful scene. And for whatever reason, I absolutely loved the fact that Damon staked her before she said “three.” That was one thing I didn’t expect. And you could also sense how much it pained him to have to pin all of the vampire murders on her.

And while I was somewhat critical of the fact that an episode had to revolve around an unknown character in order to justify a Damon heel turn, I did enjoy the results. When the girl asked Damon if he was going to hurt her, and he stammered and said, “I don’t know,” the delivery was just perfect. You could really feel that this guy had no clue what the hell he was going to do. You could tell that he wanted to just give up, but at the same time didn’t want to lose hope. He was teetering on the edge, with no idea what he was going to do next.

This scene also did a great job of showing how much Damon’s character has developed over the past two seasons. It was quite shocking to see him murder somebody in cold blood here, yet in the first few episodes he was regularly killing people who had done nothing to him. Although I can’t help but wonder why he didn’t make that werewolf girl his victim (from a writing standpoint, I already know the answer: Killing her wouldn’t have seemed evil or vicious, and that’s the point they wanted to get across to the audience).

The build between Caroline and Tyler continues to interest me. What did you think of her reaction to the two kisses? With Matt, she pulled away immediately. Yet she later claimed to love him (presumably, she’s still pushing him away to protect him). With Tyler, she reciprocated and allowed the kiss to linger before finally pulling away. Perhaps in that case, it was the mystery of the unknown.

I did find Caroline’s “everybody needs to stop kissing me!” line quite humorous, though.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Will the WWE and World Championships Be Unified?

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my thoughts (and yours) on whether the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships will be unified.

My Pick: No
When the Tag Team titles and the Divas and Women Championships were unified, this naturally led to people debating whether the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship would be reunited. Proponents for the unification argued that two championships only resulted in constant title changes and the general devaluation of the title. They believed that there was nothing wrong with having one champion appear on both shows. These arguments are flawed, of course. John Cena held the WWE Championship for over one year, and Batista’s first World Heavyweight Title reign had the potential to last a long, long time were it not for his injury. Further, the Tag Team and Divas Championships should only prove that the powers that be struggle to place the attention anywhere other than Raw. How often do the tag team champions appear on Smackdown (admittedly, Santino and Koslov are better that this than past champions)? Take a look at this past Raw – the build to a feud between the champion and the challenges – who are Smackdown Divas – happened on Raw. And even if they did evenly distribute which brand challenged the champion, the early days of the brand extension shows that both the writers and fans struggle with booking an entire brand without a World Championship storyline carrying it.

But that’s beside the point, really. The question wasn’t whether it’s a good idea to unify the titles, it was about whether they will. And honestly, I don’t think they will, the main reason being that it would be the beginning of the end of the brand extension (and for what it’s worth, I don’t think they ever will unify the titles unless they decide they want to end the brand extension). And for that matter, having two champions right now works on a business perspective – they have two title belts to sell, and two champions to market – and from a writing perspective, it makes things easier – they have a “crutch” to use for at least two main event feuds. Plus, it’s an easy way to pull the trigger on a Superstar on the rise. And, conceivably, there’s double the intrigue with specialty matches like the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and to a lesser extent the Elimination Chamber. To be honest, the only conceivable reason they have for unifying the titles is to add some prestige to the concept of the World Championship – which, truthfully, only hardcore fans seem to notice or care about.

What you said – No
Looks like most people agree with my pick here, as only one person said “yes.” I do firmly believe, though, that if they were to unify the championship it would have to happen at WrestleMania (the only other conceivable idea in my view, believe it or not, is Night of Champions). And the build would have to be epic, with two larger than life characters. That means more than a month build up, and with all due respect to both Superstars (one of which is my favorite wrestler), that means something bigger than Edge vs. The Miz. For what it’s worth, my pick would’ve been John Cena vs. Batista, although that match has lost a significant amount of luster since they fought so many times last year. It actually would have been quite fitting too, as it would have been the first two individuals to truly break out due to the brand extension. But as far as 2011 goes, nope, don’t think it’s going to happen.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Most Entertaining Program

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Most Entertaining WWE Program.

My Pick: Raw
As somebody who has favored the Smackdown brand since the first day of the brand extension, it’s rather significant for me to side with Raw here. But quite simply, Raw owned this year, and despite the flack that WWE consistently receives, they churned out some mighty fine gems this past year.

First and foremost, you had the enthralling Nexus storyline. While the booking was far from perfect, it had people interested and, even more important, viewers were constantly talking about it. Fans were excited when things went well, and they were furious when something counterproductive happened. Considering the fact that Nexus and Wade Barrett dominated pretty much every potential category in this survey shows that this story genuinely caught the attention of the viewing audience.

Along with that, you had the rise of the era of awesomeness with the Miz. Things began modestly enough, with Miz holding the United States Championsihp. He then captured the Tag Team title as well, allowing him to appear on both shows (hell, he had so many championships that he had a belt around his waist and one on each shoulder). And finally, you had his Money in the Bank victory, which appropriately built to his WWE Championship reign by the end of the year. And while most people assumed that Miz would have the dubious distinction of being the first Money in the Bank winner to fail to win the title (I made that very prediction), the fans were legitimately behind the possibility of him winning. Do you remember that immense pop he received after he hit Sheamus with the Skull Crushing Finale on the briefcase? The live audience was ITCHING for him to cash in and win. And considering the fact that Miz repeatedly, convincingly, and cleanly put over the Hart Dynasty, Bret Hart, and Daniel Bryan, it’s a true testament that he was able to climb the ladder the way he did.

And while it only lasted a few weeks, you had CM Punk on commentary, and it was absolute gold!

What you said – Raw & Smackdown (tie)
It was dead even between the red and blue brands, which to me makes sense. While Raw may have had more spectacular moments, it also had some big time lows. It’s also worth noting that some of the most polarizing figures appeared primarily on Raw, such as Michael Cole (I’m aware he announces on Smackdown, but on Raw he’s an on air character as well). There’s also the anonymous GM, which I personally enjoy, but in a lot of ways a laptop issuing orders has become a bit of a punch line. And while the gimmick was scaled back significantly in the latter half of the year, the Guest Star portion of Raw turned off a lot of viewers.

Smackdown, meanwhile, consistently churned out some great matches. The show was also able to properly use a talent like Edge, who for no real reason floundered on Raw as the same heel he had been playing for five years, instead of the face character he had been developing before the Draft. Then again, we did also see the resurrection of the Undertaker/Kane feud, and an unnecessarily LONNNNNG Kane World Title reign.

So, basically, it was a mixed bag for both brands. I also personally really enjoyed NXT Season 3.


Check back tomorrow to find out whether the WWE and World Championships will be unified in 2011.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Superstar Most Likely to Win His First World Championship in 2011

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Superstar Most Likely to win his First World Championship in 2011.

My Pick: Alberto Del Rio
I have to admit that I cheated a bit here. While almost all of these entries were written before the fact (some shortly after the New Year), this one was written “live,” giving me the foresight of how each person on the list is being treated in 2011. And based on what I’ve seen so far, I have to lean towards Alberto Del Rio. While his push wasn’t quite as much in the spotlight as Barrett’s, it wasn’t any less strong. Sure, his PPV appearances were somewhat sporadic, and he typically wasn’t in the main event, but he also didn’t really suffer the speed bumps that Barrett experienced. When he was thrown into a big money match, he typically won. I said this about Kofi Kingston last year and was dead wrong, so who knows, but it just seems like Del Rio’s push is a little more restrained because they have bigger plans for him.

Granted, Barrett’s push is nothing to sneeze at. But for the foreseeable future, his story arc just doesn’t seem to involve the World Championship. He’s currently feuding with the Big Show, with a peripheral feud with Nexus. From there, rumors indicate he’ll be wrestling Undertaker if he’s healthy enough. None of those paths, which could conceivably take him into the summer, leads him directly to a World Championship. Admittedly, Del Rio’s direction isn’t immediately clear either. I honestly don’t know what they have planned for him, but I can tell you this: There are two possibilities I can easily see – a Money in the Bank spot (which he would almost certainly win), and a World title match with Edge.

At this rate, I fully expect both Barrett and Del Rio to hold the gold by the end of 2011. But with both of them currently on the same brand, right now Del Rio seems to be on a more direct path. Obviously, that can change at the drop of a dime, but for now, I’m backing Del Rio.

What you said – Wade Barrett
Barrett won here, but by a very slim margin. Del Rio was just one vote short. I was a bit surprised that they dominated so greatly, though. Not a single vote for John Morrison, who has been pushed VERY strong thus far (and even near the end of 2010). No love for Ziggler, Bryan, or Kingston, either. Having said that, I do believe that Wade Barrett was the smart money as we approached the end of the year. As seen in my prior post, Barrett had a phenomenal rookie year, and even though things have slowed down for him a bit, he’s undeniably still a high priority for the powers that be. And while he doesn’t necessarily win every big match, he’s highly, highly protected and almost always immediately gets his heat back. Barring some unforeseen incident, I’d be shocked if Barrett doesn’t win the title before the end of 2011. I’m just not sure he’s going to beat Del Rio to the finish line.


Check back tomorrow to find out the most entertaining WWE program.

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LIVE Raw thoughts

11:02 - Cena was borderline heelish tonight. Screwing over Punk and Barrett was fine, but weaseling them both out of the Rumble seemed cowardly. As was his complaining when things didn't work out.

11:00 - No way this stands. Methinks the GM interrupts.

10:59 - I hated that Barrett fake pin. Why would Punk ever be down that long following a suplex?

10:58 - I kinda like the way they're having Cena outsmart his enemies. Pushing Punk and slapping Barrett, and then threatening to DQ both if they retaliate. Pretty clever.

10:55 - If that pre-commercial backstage segment was accurate, am I to believe that Cena took off his t-shirt, put on the ref shirt, put the t-shirt back on, just so he could take it off again?

10:52 - By the way, I do plan on ordering the Royal Rumble this Sunday, so maybe I'll do my LIVE thoughts for that show as well.

10:42 - Okay, at least we'll get a Rated RKO reunion on Smackdown.

10:38 - By the way, check back immediately after Raw for my Top Ten Cases pick for the Superstar who will hold a World Championship for the first time.

10:25 - Okay, so we didn't see Edge go over clean, but I guess I can accept that it was implied that he would have won. I'm perhaps a little more miffed that they deprived us of a face, bad ass Rated RKO.

10:00 - No sunglasses, Edge? You disappoint me. But you've got the beard back so I forgive you. Like I said last week, Edge needs to win this. After Orton cleanly beat Ziggler, Smackdown needs a little payback to even the playing field.

9:43 - I was having Bret Hart/Mr. Perfect flashbacks for a moment when Natalya locked in the Sharpshooter. But I'm repeatedly astounded by Melina's flexibility.

9:35 - Ya' know, for the amount of times John Cena has refereed over the past year, I'm shocked they don't have an ACTUAL graphic of him in the striped shirt.

9:24 - I wonder if they'll put Morrison over Del Rio. That would show that they're REALLY behind him.

9:19 - On Twitter, Joey Styles and Dave Lagana both bring up a good point: With 40 slots open, is WWE in any position to remove 5-7 people from the Royal Rumble? Could there be a swerve that sees the Nexus and Corre align themselves to attack Cena? To be honest, this might be a mistake, as it takes away from the whole story of Nexus removing Barrett from the group, and Gabriel and Slater choosing to go with Barrett.

9:16 - So much for that. But I have to admit, I find this development rather intriguing. What happens? My guess is that Punk wins. He's a bigger star than Barrett, and right now he's a more intriguing character as well. Additionally, the idea of the Nexus banding together to help Punk wins is an interesting one, and with a precedent with Orton and Legacy, it's a plot that could work (or so the announcers could push).

9:14 - I like this confrontation between Nexus and Corre. I do hope they avoid a match, though. Save the physical interaction for the Royal Rumble.

9:06 - Jack Swagger always looks like such an idiot when he runs. And since it's the Raw GM, wouldn't it make more sense for him to offer the #40 spot to three Raw guys?

8:59 - Just to warn you, if they do R-Truth vs. Alberto Del Rio again, it's gonna hit the fan. That is all. Stayed tuned for my LIVE Raw thoughts.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Most Shocking Event of 2010

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Most Shocking Event of 2010.

My Pick: NXT season one rookies form Nexus, dominate Raw
While I feel this pick has firmly cemented this designated, it wasn’t a gimme either. This past year has seen some rather unexpected and shocking things, most notably the apparent reconciliation of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Did anybody think that would happen?

Nonetheless, even a moment that surreal paled in comparison to the notion that a group of eight rookies – virtually all of which casual fans had never heard of – would become the focal point of WWE’s flagship brand. These individuals were introduced to the WWE audience through NXT, the least watched program produced by WWE, and a show that didn’t even seem to be well planned out by the powers that be. How would these rookies be eliminated? What did these challenges represent? And were these challenges even tested to see how it would look in front of a live audience (like, for example, did anybody ask if these guys have the ability to chug soda?) And the one guy fans seemed to recognize, Bryan Danielson, was renamed, jobbed out, and promptly eliminated. It seemed like nothing about this show was thought out, and season two seemed like even more of a joke: Less star power from the Pros side (Zack Ryder? Mark Henry? Lay-Cool?) and ridiculous names from legitimate potential Superstars on the Rookies side (Husky Harris? Michael McGillicutty?) It seemed as if NXT may have been a failed experiment, and that only Barrett and Bryan would come out of it with any semblance of success. But for this group to emerge on Raw one night in June and go on to continue to dominate the show in some form or fashion to this day is not something anybody could have foreseen.

Along with that, the debut of the Nexus was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my 20 plus years of watching wrestling. These guys caused utter and complete chaos. They viciously attacked the announcers, cameramen, commentators, and all of the wrestlers regardless of their face/heel affiliation (in fact, the circumstances became so dire that CM Punk actually attempted to come to the rescue of his opponent at the time, John Cena). They then began dismantling the ring by removing the mats outside, the ropes surrounding the ring, and even tore off the ring canvas. Visually, it really felt like something we had never seen before.

Sure, the Nexus storyline hit a few roadblocks (they almost certainly should have won at SummerSlam), but they were constantly being pushed as a focal point on Raw, and they were almost always portrayed as being in the dominant position.

What you said – NXT season one rookies form Nexus, dominate Raw
Like I said, this wasn’t a gimme, per se. This was the overwhelming favorite, but mostly because no two people agreed on any of the other possibilities. As such, Bret Hart shaking HBK’s hand, The Miz winning the WWE Championship, and Michael Cole’s heel turn all received one vote as well. But overall, people were most shocked by the onslaught of the Nexus.


Check back tomorrow to find out the which Superstar is most likely to win the World title for the first time in 2011.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Most Entertaining Announce Team

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Most Entertaining Announce Team.

My Pick: Michael Cole and Josh Matthews (NXT)
Finally, we strongly disagree on something!

Michael Cole has been the definition of a polarizing figure over the past year. There are some, like myself, that like him. There are others – the vast majority, I’d venture to say – that find him absolutely unbearable. Personally, I don’t have a problem with his heelish character. As a straight up play by play man, he was never going to live up to Jim Ross. By playing a character (one that was possibly closer to his actual personality, I don’t know), he was able to differentiate himself, arguably making the comparisons to Ross an “apples and oranges” thing. Further, I never bought into that criticism that the play by play person is supposed to be the voice of reason – the person who is speaking to the audience. When was the last time any of us took an announcer seriously? When Michael Cole (or any other person) touts an event or match as the biggest ever, did we ever truly take their word for it? They’re salespeople, not a trusted friend. If the play by play person sells the story better as a heel, what difference does it make (whether he succeeds is a matter of personal opinion)?

Having said that, I don’t think this “personality” meshes well with Jerry Lawler (who I do find pretty unbearable). Much of the time it feels like these two are having completely separate conversations that have no sense of cohesion. And it really just sounds like they’re trying to get themselves over. “King, that Daniel Bryan is a nerd!” “Oh yeah, well Hornswoggle’s socks are taller than him!” Their interactions can be rather dreadful.

On the other hand, I thought he worked phenomenally one on one with Josh Matthews, particularly during NXT’s third season. Throughout season one, I commended the Pros for refining their personalities because it seemed like the front office wasn’t watching them under a microscope and scripting their every word (especially Chris Jericho and CM Punk). For the third season, this seemed to be true with Cole and Matthews. When they seemingly stopped caring and just started ripping the show apart, it became – in my opinion – probably the most entertaining season yet (it also helped that AJ and Naomi could back it up in the ring). Without the cute girls and Cole’s commentary, I have been unable to watch season four. It has been THAT much of a drop down in quality.

Quite simply, Matthews reacted to Cole in a realistic, logical way. Whereas Lawler would brush off Cole’s comments in order to set up his own joke, Matthews would call Cole out, or maybe even laugh at something that was legitimately funny. They seemed to have a “real” relationship – there was hostility and tension, but not to a cartoonish level. Despite arguing a lot, they seemed like they were actual friends. And quite honestly, that’s not a combination we’ve really seen in WWE. The closest I can recall is JR and Lawler, before the latter officially turned face. These interactions also gave birth to the Michael Cole character we see every week on Raw. And like him or hate him, he plays a pretty critical role.

I think Michael Cole and Josh Matthews have earned this award because they not only made NXT watchable, they made it highly entertaining.

What you said – Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and CM Punk (Raw)
This short-lived three man team was the overwhelming favorite, earning almost 90% of the votes. Don’t get me wrong, I did think this was a great team, but the main reason why I didn’t give it the nod was because it only lasted a few weeks. And Jerry Lawler stuck out like a sore thumb. Nonetheless, CM Punk was absolute gold, and when he retires he’ll ease perfectly into the role that I wish JBL never left. Plus, I thought he and Cole worked together very well, both playing tweener characters (Cole was anti-Daniel Bryan, while CM Punk constantly sang his praises. Yet Cole was pro-Cena, while Punk ironically defended Wade Barrett). Had it lasted longer, I may very well have leaned in a different direction (for what it’s worth, the reason I didn’t include Cole/Matthews/Punk in this list was because it was a one off deal. I think those three had HUGE potential together).


Check back tomorrow to find out the most shocking event of 2010.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Superstar with the Best Debut Year

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Superstar with the Best Debut Year.

My Pick: Wade Barrett
This was basically a three person competition, as you just HAD to pick Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, or Daniel Bryan. I ultimately went with Barrett because not only was his push this year completely unexpected, but it was also very successful. And while there were some rough patches, at no point was the push aborted or even slowed down. Yes, he lost some matches – many of which were critical moments of his various storylines – but despite his losses, he never stopped being the focal point of Raw. And amazingly, Wade Barrett and Nexus helped propel John Cena into an even more over Superstar. The majority of the audience was always crazy about Cena, but after feuding with Nexus for a few months, the entire arena was eating out of the palm of his hand. The place was exploding at the prospect of him taking off and putting on AN ARMBAND.

Since his debut, Wade Barrett has incredibly played a role in the main event of six Pay-Per-View events. Nexus interfered in the WWE Championship Match at Fatal Fourway and Money in the Bank. They main evented the highly anticipated SummerSlam. And Barrett wrestled in the WWE Championship Match at Night of Champions, Bragging Rights, and Survivor Series.

And in the category of “perception is reality” – Barrett just has a presence. The guy looks like he belongs in the main event scene. He’s got a good, unique look, and he just oozes confidence. When he speaks, there’s no sense of trepidation or uncertainty.

Not too shabby for a guy who was referred to as a “rookie” less than a year ago.

What you said – Wade Barrett
Barrett won this, but it was a close race. Alberto Del Rio was short just two votes. I’m not surprised that Barrett won, or that Del Rio came in second, but I was a bit stunned that Daniel Bryan didn’t get a single vote (Barrett and Del Rio were the only ones to receive votes). While it’s a matter of perspective, I think it’s fair that Barrett and Del Rio secured the top two spots, but Bryan had a rather remarkable year as well (much of which was discussed in my prior post). And he was, after all, the only one of the three to capture WWE gold over the past year. Nonetheless, I feel confident in the belief that as far as newcomers go, Wade Barrett owned 2010.


Check back tomorrow to find out which announce team was most entertaining.

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