Who Is Really To Blame For The Divas Revolution Failing? + The Difference Between NXT and RAW

So, something that had the online wrestling community buzzing was the fact that, following a match last week on RAW involving the Divas, several of them went online and posted rather angry tweets at the fans who basically dumped all over the match. They talked about how they didn’t care about the Divas Revolution, how they’re trying to do be stars and no one cares, etc. Now, I know for a fact that at least one of them, Paige, almost immediately took her tweet down. One theory as to why that is is because she realized that antagonizing the fans right back would just encourage that to happen again in the next city they wrestled in. However, I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and suggest that maybe she realized that she was just yelling out of anger and didn’t think what she was writing out all that well when she did it.

If you don’t know what I mean, allow me to explain: RAW last week was filmed from the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York. Why is that relevant? Because that’s where they filmed SummerSlam, and more importantly to this case, NXT TakeOver, and it was the same crowd at all three shows. And, at NXT TakeOver, there was a match between Sasha Banks and Bayley that was arguably one of the best matches all weekend. Personally, I think it was the best in terms of action, drama, build-up, resolution, and so on, but I’m willing to say that others MIGHT be better, but that it was at least in the Top 3 or 5. Regardless, it was built like a Goddamn main event, and the crowd appreciated and responded to it as such. So to say that the crowd doesn’t care for the women in WWE is bullcrap, because they LOVED that match.

So, if that’s the case, why did they seem to not care about the match on RAW? Because it wasn’t very good. The action wasn’t that good, there was little to no build-up, and in the promo that took place beforehand, we were basically told that wins and losses don’t mean anything, so the crowd didn’t care who won. So why would you be surprised that the crowd didn’t care? They weren’t given any reason to care. If they don’t have a reason to care, they’re gonna dump on a match, and especially when you’re in a ruckus crowd like they had in Brooklyn. That’s just how it is.

In the wake of this, it’s been brought up on a number of different wrestling podcasts and news articles that the reason the Divas Revolution is failing on RAW has nothing to do with the women involved, and it has nothing to do with the fans. And frankly, I tend to agree with what they’ve determined based on my own recollections and opinions. The problem is what it’s always been, and with the popularity that NXT has gotten, and a lot of people watching that show and comparing it to RAW, and seeing the same talent appear on both shows and taking note of what’s different with the exact same people on the two different shows, it’s more clear than it’s ever been what the problem is: The problem is Vince McMahon. And I’m aware of the fact that we wouldn’t even have a WWE if it weren’t for Vince, I am not taking anything away from his success, but the man needs to stop. He needs to stop coming to every RAW and personally mandating how it goes every single night. He needs to let Triple H and Stephanie run the show, and honestly, the fact that I can say that and mean it says a lot about how things are different nowadays. lol But regardless, one thing is clear: Triple H and Stephanie know how to run a wrestling show in 2015. Vince McMahon doesn’t. And if you don’t understand how that is, allow me to demonstrate, and remember that Vince has the final say of everything on RAW, and rarely if ever even watches NXT:

• On NXT, women are given actual time to wrestle, are built like athletes, and have their own unique stories that are told. On RAW, the Divas Revolution is the story, not the individuals in it, they aren’t given time to wrestle, they don’t have their own stories, and we’re constantly told how we’re in the middle of a revolution of women in sports, even though women in sports have been awesome for a LONG time now.
• On NXT, titles mean something. They are prizes with an incredible honour attached to them that are not passed around to anyone on the roster from any given point in time. When you win one, it shows you busted your ass to obtain it and have an important role in the brand’s history. On RAW, damned near everyone on the roster has won a title. The championships no longer hold value because they’ve been passed around like a game of hot potato, and in fact, there has existed for a decade now a method of gaining a title shot anytime you want, making the list of people that have won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (and the two belts merged to create it) even larger. And speaking of the titles, the NXT Women’s Title looks like something you’d be proud to display in your living room (although I don’t know why it’s silver. Title belts should really be gold in my opinion), and the WWE Divas’ Title looks like something you’d display in your room as a trophy you won as a child (it’s a frigging BUTTERFLY!!!).
• On NXT, everyone working the show has their own story that’s being told with as much care as can be given. On RAW, the only people that are given any REAL care are John Cena and whoever the next person is to wrestle him. And that’s not even a knock against John Cena. Hell, I actually feel BAD for him sometimes, because he’s the one that gets knocked on for that, when it’s Vince that ultimately decides to keep pushing him as the top guy, whether he has the belt or not. I guess Brock gets some care too, but not nearly as much, which is a shame, because, let’s be honest, for better or worse, he’s the most over guy on RAW right now. Him and Paul Heyman, who seriously needs to be put in the Hall of Fame one of these days.
• This is probably the most bizarre of all, and continues to baffle the frak outta me, but in a way that actually makes me laugh. On RAW, Triple H and Stephanie are the top villains. You would THINK that Seth Rollins is the top villain, because he’s the champion, but because those two are running the show and constantly helping him, all the while talking down all the good guys and saying that they don’t need them to survive, they’re the top heels. On NXT, they could not possibly get more over as good guys. They give the fans what they want, they help build up the big match-ups, Stephanie is always putting over the women on the show, they can pretty much do no wrong.

So, that’s my take on the difference between RAW and NXT, and why the Divas Revolution is failing. Agree or disagree? Lemme know in the comments, and we’ll see if anything changes in the near future. Ja né!

PPV Idea – NXT TakeOver: Wrestlemania

I don’t usually do this, but I had a great idea for a show that NXT should do, and felt like sharing. I have my doubts that WWE will ever do this, but they should really consider it. Picture this: NXT TakeOver: WrestleMania. No, Vince, I don’t mean them actually taking over WrestleMania, don’t throw your pacemaker outta whack. Rather, an NXT special that airs the night before at the same arena, so you’ve got NXT on Saturday, WrestleMania on Sunday, and RAW on Monday. In fact, considering how huge next year’s ‘Mania will be, in terms of attendance, might be the best time for it.

As for matches…well, keep in mind, a lot of this is subject to change based on if these people will all be available, who is holding what belts, and ignoring what potential plans WWE has in mind. It’s just ideas off the top of my head right here and now. Basically, I’d want it to more or less be a big reunion show of everyone that made it big in WWE that came up through NXT. Guys like Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Neville, the Lucha Dragons, the Ascension, Kevin Owens, and so on, and have them wrestle with the top names in NXT right now, like Finn Bálor, The Vaudevillains, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Blake and Murphy, Tyler Breeze, and Hideo Itami. As such, here’s a few ideas for matches they could do (note, some competitors in these matches overlap).

• One Last Time, 2 out of 3 Falls: Cesaro vs Sami Zayn.
• Spear vs Gore: Roman Reigns vs Rhyno
• NXT Tag Team Championship 4-Way Elimination Match: Blake and Murphy (c) vs The Lucha Dragons vs The Ascension vs The Vaudevillains
• #1 Contender Ladder Match: Paige vs Bayley vs Emma vs Dana Brooke vs Eva Marie
• Samoa Joe vs Kevin Owens
• One Time Only Reunion: The Wyatt Family vs The Shield
• Cesaro vs Samoa Joe
• Neville vs Kevin Owens
• Sami Zayn vs Daniel Bryan
• NXT Women’s Championship Ultimate Submission Match: Sasha Banks (c) vs Charlotte
• NXT Championship: Finn Bálor (c) vs Hideo Itami, w/ William Regal as Special Guest Referree

Anyway, that’s all I had in mind. What would you guys like to see for a big WrestleMania-esque NXT show? Lemme know in the comments section below, and we’ll see if WWE takes notice. Ja né!

 

 

 

…Oh, and while I’m making wishes, this should totally be the intro for NXT. XD

My Thoughts On RAW Last Night And The Current Main Event Picture In WWE

Y’know, I haven’t really talked much about wrestling on here in a LONG time, but there’s something I gotta get off my chest about last night’s show, and the WWE main event picture. If you didn’t see last night’s RAW, here’s what happened: It was revealed that Seth Rollins passed along the idea to Triple H to make John Cena vs. Randy Orton (or as Spoony likes to call it, “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”) at Hell In A Cell a #1 Contender Match. In other words, the winner takes on Brock Lesnar, presumably at Survivor Series, for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Of course, the reason is obvious: Rollins wants Lesnar and his opponent to beat the hell outta each other and so he can cash in his Money In The Bank contract and win the belt the easy way.

Regardless, at the end of the night, we had John Cena and Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton, Kane, and Seth Rollins in a Handicap Tag Team Street Fight. I don’t know why there’s tagging in a Street Fight, but whatever. The point is, about two thirds of the way into the match, Kane ordered the Hell In A Cell, which had been hung in the air all night, to be lowered, effectively making it a Handicap Tag Team Hell In A Cell Match. The end result is that these five guys beat the piss outta each other with chairs, tables, and Singapore Canes, and the match ended with Orton hitting the RKO on Ambrose for the win, only to get Curb Stomped by Rollins before he had a chance to celebrate. Hell, he got hit before the announcer could even say his name. And so, the show ended with Rollins on top of the Hell In A Cell celebrating atop the bodies laying in the ring.

So, a couple of thoughts. First off, I’m kinda confused as to why we’re getting two Hell In A Cell matches at the show on Sunday, when we coulda just thrown Brock Lesnar in with these five guys and make it a 6-Man Hell In A Cell Match for the title. Heck, one of those matches scheduled for Sunday is one we’ve already seen before, and is a match including two men that have literally wrestled each other at LEAST a hundred times on live TV (not sure about non-televised shows, so the number could actually be several times that amount). Now, my guess is that Brock’s agreed-upon schedule keeps him from being used every show. And I KNEW that was gonna happen. In fact, it was my one concern with putting the belt on him. Now, I understand that Brock is still not used to a regular schedule, and I of course can accept him not showing up every week on RAW…But when you are the WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World, when you are the face of said company, you have a certain responsibility to represent it at every Pay-Per-View! This is why Daniel Bryan was stripped of the belt: He couldn’t uphold said responsibilities and obligations due to injury, so he had to forfeit the title. And by the way, if this match DOES in fact take place at Survivor Series? Guess how long that is since his last title defense at Night of Champions? Almost exactly two months! So I don’t wanna hear the ’30 day mandatory title defense clause’ EVER brought up again!

…*sighs* Okay, better now. Anyway, the other thought that occurs to me after checking out the aforementioned Spoony One’s Twitter today is…why is John Cena being rewarded with the possibility of becoming #1 Contender, when he lost the Contract On A Pole Match against Ambrose to determine which of them fought Seth Rollins at Hell In A Cell? Why isn’t Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins to determine the #1 Contender? Now, I already gave the in-story explanation, which fits the character Seth Rollins is portraying currently: He’s the clever coward, always looking to take the easy way out of situations. However, the problem is that the audience now needs to sit through Cena vs. Orton Part God-Knows-What to determine who takes on Brock, and that match will either be Brock vs. Cena for the third time this year, or a Hell vs. Heel match for the championship. And unless the plan is to turn Randy Orton face, which has been historically proven to be a bad idea at least twice that I know of, and have him win the belt, only for Rollins to come in and steal it from him, it’s probably gonna be Cena beating Brock to win the title for the 16th time (which means he ties Ric Flair, which should just not happen, but you know they’ll do it), only to have the belt taken from him by Rollins.

Anyway, where does this leave us for the main event picture? Well, we know that Seth Rollins will eventually gain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That’s a given. The question is, where do we go from there? The theory is that Daniel Bryan, body willing, will get his shot to get the belt back at Wrestlemania. And really, Rollins vs. Bryan? AWESOME main event. Otherwise, the other major contenders are Dean Ambrose, John Cena, and Roman Reigns. And my guess is that Brock Lesnar will probably fight one of the men not chosen to fight Seth Rollins, which is another reason why I hope Daniel Bryan is the man to take on the champ, because he’s NOT beating Brock. I’m sorry, I like Daniel Bryan a lot, but look at what both he and Brock bring to the ring. They both have a very similar style, except Brock is a LOT bigger, and Daniel Bryan is maybe a LITTLE faster. Also, I would NOT want to put a guy fresh off a career-threatening-injury against Brock Lesnar first thing, ‘cuz Lesnar might just fucking kill him. O_O

So yeah, those are my thoughts on RAW last night, and the current title picture for the foreseeable future. Leave a comment below what you think about this, as well as your own conclusions, and we’ll see what becomes of the title picture by Survivor Series.

Jyger The Mark – Elimination Chamber Predictions

Well, time for another WWE PPV, which means time for my predictions. Let’s not waste any time and dive into the first match predictions.

World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber Match: Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Wade Barrett vs. Santino Marella vs. The Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes vs. The Great Khali

Well, if you saw my previous Jyger The Mark entry, you know how I feel about SOMEBODY in this match. Since I’ve already had my VERY angry rant about him though, I’ll opt not to talk about that again here. Instead, I’d like to point out, obvious that this is, that this is Daniel Bryan’s biggest challenge to date as far as defending his title. Should he win, he’ll move on to WrestleMania as the champion. And frankly, that’s what I’d like to see happen, for him to win this match and face Sheamus at WrestleMania, especially since the last time they were to fight at ‘Mania, it ended up becoming a Dark Match (non-televised match), which I felt was a slap in the face of all their hard work.

Predicted Winner: Daniel Bryan

Divas Championship: Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Tamina Snuka

Surprisingly enough, I am actually kinda interested in this match. I wanna see how these two match up in a one-on-one match where the belt is on the line. I’m thinking what will happen is that Beth wins, continuing the story wherein she claims there are no legit contenders for the title, which will likely lead to a match between her and Kharma when she comes back from maternity leave.

Predicted Winner: Beth Phoenix

Ambulance Match: Kane vs. John Cena

A love triangle blossoming? Has John Cena embraced the hate? Will Kane emerge victorious, or will his own evil deeds be returned in kind? Has Zack Ryder officially become a Jackass stuntman? And can this scenario become any more like a soap opera?…Okay, seriously though, how much you wanna bet that Eve was in on this the whole time, that she was working with Kane? Wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Anyway, much as I don’t wanna go against Kane, Cena needs momentum going into WrestleMania, so I’m gonna say Cena for the win.

Predicted Winner: John Cena

WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match: CM Punk (c) vs. Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz vs. R-Truth vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

…I find myself in an odd position with this match in that, honestly, I don’t really care so much as how this match goes as how the fallout goes. Basically, regardless of who wins this match, I see four of the six going back to business as usual, while the other two BETTER be having a match at WrestleMania. But since I HAVE to make a prediction, I’m gonna say Chris Jericho to somehow take the belt away from CM Punk, leading to a match between them at WrestleMania. Either way though, if WWE has any sense at all, and I feel that this is what they are going for anyway, they will set up CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, which would in my opinion steal the f-ing show. So why Jericho to win instead of Punk? Well, basically because I think if the belt is involved in their feud, Punk would operate better going into ‘Mania as the hunter, not the hunted.

Predicted Winner: Chris Jericho

Well, that’s all from me. Enjoy the show tonight, and hopefully I’ll be able to cover the results tomorrow. Ja ne!

Jyger The Mark’s Ramblings: The Return of Y2J

Okay, so I was chatting with my friends about a topic that comes up a lot in conversations: Wrestling. And it suddenly occurred to me how strange it was that I had yet to talk about it in my blog, even though I had made it clear I would at some point. Now as many people who know me personally know, I am a huge wrestling fan. However, as with many quote/unquote ‘marks’, I am not above over analysing or complaining about wrestling. Case in point, the return of Chris Jericho. Now don’t misunderstand, I am excited about Chris Jericho coming back to World Wrestling Entertainment, but at the same time the cynic in me can’t help but pick on just how predictable it was that the wrestler returning to WWE this past Monday night was none other than Y2J himself.

For those of you living under a rock for the past month or so and are just rejoining the world, allow me to summarize: For the past few episodes of Monday Night RAW, a mysterious static effect would on occasion cover the Twitter pop-up in the corner of the screen. What’s actually happening is that a link would be displayed and hidden at the same time, but if you managed to catch it, you would see it led to one of several YouTube videos of a little boy in a classroom writing about the end of the world as we know it occurring on the second day of 2012 and how he would return to reclaim what is his.

I think pretty much everyone figured out the videos were advertising the return of a wrestler to WWE pretty quickly, and probably the most obvious candidate was Chris Jericho. Of the many hints and clues leading to such a theory, here are some of my personal favourites.

1) I saw a close up screen shot of one of the little hidden videos and saw that on the notebook the kid was writing in was the name Chris crossed out. That was a pretty obvious clue, but at the same time I also knew in the back of my mind it could have possibly been put there to throw us off.

2) The way Chris denied it like the flipping plague. If you’ve followed him on Twitter, you’ll know he said I don’t know how many times that he was never coming back, that he had better things to do, and was even suggesting other possible names as far as who was coming back. And the more he denied it, the more obvious it became.

And 3) The fact that they were using YouTube videos talking about a return on the 2nd day of January. YouTube, 2nd, January. Y2J. Yeah, it was a bit weak, but coupled with the other hints found, it made all the more sense.

So yeah, no huge surprise that it was Chris Jericho that showed up this past Monday. Now a lot of people were put off that he just kinda showed up, soaked in the VERY loud reaction for his return, and then left without a word, myself included. But the more I analysed it, the more it started to make sense. The guy is proving a point, that he can come in and do NOTHING and we will still want him to show up because he is Y2J. And even by booing him, we are still in the palm of his hand because we will still tune in to see if he does it again or if he will do something else, if he will be in the Royal Rumble, if he plans to challenge for a title, whatever. The man is an evil genius in that sense.

Anyway, I hope the people reading enjoyed my first rant as Jyger The Mark, and I hope to do so again soon. Thanks for reading, and by all means, comment and lemme know what you thought and if there are any topics you’d like me to cover next.