Rankings (That don’t really matter)
1.) 2-21-11, buzz word date- Is it Sting? Is it The Undertaker? Is it Jericho? Who knows… but it’s been a long while since a date has been the top draw in the business. My guess? Well, since I at first thought the vignette was a preview for True Grit 2: The Grittier, I’m pretty sure the surprise is that “Outlaw” Ron Bass is coming back.
2.) Jerry Lawler, The One True King- King’s main event push could easily have been done wrong as a forced favor to an old legend, but it has happened naturally and been handled smoothly. The fans seem to be very much behind it and, at this point, anything is possible. (Watch yourself, Miz.) Somewhere Bill Dundee is dusting off his boots.
3.) Kevin Nash, Big Daddy Comeback- Holy crap. That worked. That was awesome. That was a great moment. What becomes of it (or Nash for that matter) cannot erase the grand return of Diesel to the WWE from the history books. (Hey, wait, didn’t some WrestleZone columnist talk about a last WWE run for Nash in his debut article? Hmmm….)
4.) Joey Ryan, Hollywood Submission Machine- In a moment unfortunately not seen by the wrestling world at large, the Indy veteran helped eased some tensions at PWG’s WrestleReunion show. Ryan had to take on Hurricane Helms. The 1200 in attendance revelled in reminding Helms that HBK, Helms continued target on Twitter, was way more beloved than him and the heat between Helms and the crowd seemed to boil over at times. When the crowd started turning on the match itself, Ryan grabbed the stick and cut a mid-match promo about how he was “giving (the crowd) a technical masterpiece.” Great promo, better save. The boos turned to “This. Is. Awesome” chants and helped continue the momentum of the event.
5.) David Lagana, Wrasslin’ Writer- The former WWE creative team member turned Ring of Honor flagbearer is starting to get a solid following and good press with his IWantWrestling.com blog. His tales of wrestling fandom with behind the curtain access are insightful and a fun read. Not bad for a guy “future endeavored” by Stephanie herself.
The “Why you should really love Indy Wrestling” award of the week:
At some point during the WrestleReunion weekend I was handed a photocopied flyer for a wrestling promotion in San Pedro, California called Squared Circle Society. Featured on their upcoming card is a wrestler named Flameblazer. That name probably sounded a lot better in your bedroom during your junior high years, but, by golly, there it was in black and white. Flameblazer will be competing for the number one contender’s match against James Johnston… on a Saturday… in San Pedro… at 2 PM.
I’ll go if you drive.
Fast Count…
The way I see it… Mr. Anderson knows how to cut an in-ring promo and Jeff Hardy
and Pope D’Angelo Dinerio need to go to the Team Tazz finishing school. Yeah, it’s not always supposed to be yelling, screaming, and catch phrases (Especially when you lose your smile.), but Hardy’s moody rambling and Dinerio taking way too long to get to anything close to a point are lessons in how to suck the life out of a television show. Anderson comes to the ring to answer Hardy and he’s quick, clear, funny, and convincing… like a world champ should be.
I would totally love it if… Michael Cole versus Jerry Lawler does happen at ‘Mania. For no other reason it would be a perfect opportunity to bring back Jim Ross for one night. I also have to think the heat on Cole would be strong and the chance to see him pummeled by Lawler would be worth at least some of the high pay-per-view price tag.
I gotta think… there has to be someone in the TNA front office that understands that the WWE just swooped in and took away your hope for a ratings bump with Booker T and Nash. No more Main Event Mafia for you!!! And, maybe… just maybe… that person also understands the significance of the fact that Vince turned their main event hopes into two (very well-done) hot shot appearances… simply because he could.
I must confess… I fell for the Hornswoggle-Cena spot in the Rumble. I don’t really know why and I’m slightly ashamed, but there was something entertaining about it. Cena seemed genuinely amused as well. Did it go on for a bit too long? Yes, but the benefit of the additional ten men in the match allowed for a little comedy breather.
Come on, admit it… when the Rumble came down to Del Rio, Barrett, Orton, and Cena you (like me) were pleased that Vince had allowed for the fresh faces to last this long, but were resigned to the fact that Orton or SuperCena would win. This is why Del Rio winning, even with all of the talk of change, is nothing short of a surprising and brave decision by the WWE.
Sure… it was way too short, but CM Punk versus Daniel Bryan to open the Rumble was one of the better matches in the last six months. Give them thirty minutes and a main event spot!!!!
Quick… you have to believe that if Big Bully Busick had theme music he just might have gone a little farther… maybe even a title run.
Ken Napzok is a writer, comedian, and pro wrestling manager living in Los Angeles. He prefers cloudy weather to Sunny weather. He can followed online at twitter.com/kozpan and twitter.com/TexTunney or contacted at wzkennapzok@gmail.com.
