Sting is believed to have either signed with WWE or is very close to doing so. He isn't expected to come on-board as a frequent wrestler, but it's possible we see him in the ring. Naturally everyone is speculating on him facing Taker at WM31. Nothing's set in stone on that end yet. This is a really big deal for both sides and I hope it bears fruit. I think I can live with Sting vs. Taker next year as the special attraction to bring in older fans. It needn't be a "five-star" match as long as it is mostly a passable encounter. Naturally this is assuming Taker has another match left in him, which might be a bit presumptuous at this stage.
Darren Young suffered some sort of knee injury at a recent WWE live event, necessitating a change in his match with Fandango. He was originally supposed to lose via pinfall, but instead lost via countout. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but the PTP breakup doesn't seem to have done much of any good for either man's career. Hopefully this is a blessing in disguise and Young gets a fresh look when he recovers.
Everything else from yesterday is after the break.
Here's a look at WWE's documentary on Daniel Bryan. It sounds really amazing! I hope the new era is continuing. The Yes! movement shouldn't just be about Bryan. It should also mean good things for The Shield, Cesaro, etc.
For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. I think the issue comes down to what Taker wanted and his physical condition. If he doesn't think he's capable of being that level of a performer anymore and wants to go out on his shield, I can't fault him for deciding to finally end the streak. We're in a new era now and it will have new things to get excited about. It made sense for Brock to end it instead of Reigns if they want Reigns to be a babyface going forward. There'd definitely be heat going his way if he was the one to end it, and a lot of pressure to live up to. Brock probably couldn't care less about his reputation as the Streak-ender and living up to "the hype". I would like either Bryan or Reigns (if not both) to get big wins over Brock to elevate their own careers so the Streak's end has a bigger meaning than Taker potentially hanging it up. The short version is: if the Streak had to end, I'd rather it be Taker's call than an angle to get someone over.
2. HHH is a favorite target of Internet fans who think they know more than they do. PWInsider has had their own share of conspiracy theories about Bryan's booking. I suspect at least some sites fan the flames because they know people will keep clicking to see the latest exaggerated or fictional "news" about HHH or Vince or whomever holding someone back. The same goes for negative TNA news. All in all, a lot of people take wrestling WAY too seriously. At any rate, HHH does deserve a lot of props for what he's doing for the future of THIS BUSINESS and I hope he gets credit for it.
3. I really hope so! I also want to see what Paige and Emma can bring to the table on the main roster after the great stuff they've done in NXT.
4. Yeah, I think a lot of the criticism TNA's getting for the title change is pretty warranted. It felt rather out of nowhere and Young doesn't really seem to have been built up in a way that warrants him suddenly becoming champion. My gut instinct is it was done to pop a rating and that was pretty much it. They did get a nice audience boost from it, but will it help them out long term?
5. Did you really think you'd seen the last of Dixie, darlin'? She's the president of TNA and her daddy gave her the money to do what she sees fit with it! But really: I think it was just something to pop a rating and get some heat on Bobby Roode by association. Hopefully they succeeded in the latter goal.
I don't think it was meant to be a long-term thing.
More wrestling tomorrow.
One trend I have noticed in live events is that if a face loses to a heel, many times that means they are definitely a level behind the heel on the totem pole, with live events often seen as a way for the face wrestlers to get a leg-up on the heels. That being said, if Young was booked to lose to Fandango (who has been kind of keeping his head above water in the mid-card level), WWE really isn't thinking much of him at this point. I had held out hope that, for his sake, the "coming out" he had would help him find a niche with the company in being a gay rights ambassador of some sort, but it hasn't panned out all that well for him thus far, and ditto with Titus.
ReplyDeleteThe Sting signing, or speculated Sting singing, is definitely interesting. At this stage in his career, it's definitely not logical to consider him a full-time competitor, which rules out any decent title runs for him. This kind of reminds me of a Lesnar/Van Dam-type signing in that they have some left in the tank, but won't really gain much traction due to either the lengths of the contracts or due to their durability. Being over 50, Sting definitely is more of a question mark compared to Lesnar and Van Dam, so it will be interesting to see what role he plays. If he's signing almost a whole year before the next WrestleMania, it will be very interesting to see his role before then. We'll see what happens.
It's weird. It used to be if someone got buzz for WWE in some capacity (making a WWE movie for instance), it was pretty much guaranteed they'd be featured in some way. Now? Not so much. It certainly won't hurt his standing in the back, but if WWE can't find much of a storyline use for him, he's probably stuck where he is. WWE's now in the important post-Mania season where they're building some new acts, so he'll probably continue to be glossed over for a while. While it's nice for him to have solid employment as a "jobber", obviously he'd probably want a higher spot on the card.
ReplyDeleteA lot of it will depend on how motivated Sting is to compete. I picture him in more of a GM role as rumored, but there's always going to be talk of a match with Undertaker at WM31. A lot of that will depend on Taker's condition going forward. Sting might want that match a lot more than Taker does. I don't know how willing Sting would be to wrestle outside of that big match.
I noticed on Raw that Mysterio was booed pretty heavily, despite obviously still being a face character. This definitely was evident at the Royal Rumble, too. Any clue why? Some of the possible explanations are the wellness violations, the same gimmick/demeanor he's had for years, or maybe just being 39 and fans wanting to see others in his spot? He's always been a pretty big fan favorite, so it's definitely odd to see.
ReplyDeleteI know you and I both think the wellness strikes should definitely play a factor, but many fans may not remember or pay much attention to it, as it often gets disclosed as an "injury" and the company doesn't address the issue directly and honestly. That being said, my best guess is his age combined with the same old routine. It's definitely odd. He is 39 with those wellness strikes, so I don't blame WWE for not wanting to push him too heavily and having him hover around the mid-card level, at best. What is your take on it?
I think the boos at the Royal Rumble were primarily because fans wanted Bryan in that position instead. There does seem to be discontent about Rey, though.
ReplyDeleteFrom a fan standpoint, it feels like we have seen pretty much everything Rey brings to the table. Especially because there've seemingly been so many setbacks due to injuries and Wellness violations. It's a running narrative where he's seen as a part-timer because it's rare we see him able to be part of things for a long stretch of time.
There's talk of Rey's contract coming up soon, possibly as soon as next month. This could be the last we see of him in WWE, as surprising as that is given his longevity. I like Rey, but I think it could be time for him to hang it up due to his history of injuries and surgeries. He's almost tempting fate at this point.
As if things weren't tough enough for this guy, this happens:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2014/0416/574239/how-long-will-darren-young-be-out-of-action/
I think the best way to look at the situation is him getting to make a whole new impression when he returns. Hopefully he'll come back refreshed and will have more for the powers that be to sink their teeth into in order for him to be pushed. He was really spinning his tires, so any kind of gimmick change or retooling when he returns could be beneficial.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely may give him a chance to retool and come back fresh. My only caveat with that is that it may be a bit too long to be on the shelf with so many new up-and-coming guys out there that are hungry for positioning. Being out for a month or so may be an opportunity to retool and come back fresh, but to me, being out up to half of a year may be a tough obstacle in the shark tank that is the WWE. Given, Young wasn't going to be an upper-card guy before his injury, but I personally consider this to be more of a setback than an opportunity to retool. He still is still only 30 and has time to gain traction, but this definitely won't help make that happen.
ReplyDeleteI'll sometimes view the live event results and house show results, but won't see anything about guys like JTG, Hawkins, and Otunga. Putting myself in their shoes, it's definitely a weary situation to be used so rarely, even on shows that aren't main roster like Superstars and Main Event, and wonder about job security with so many guys gaining more television time. I know Ezekiel Jackson just parted ways with the company. You've mentioned your projections for these three before, but do you see any sort of potential silver lining for these guys with the future looking bleak?
It will definitely not be easy, but that's really the only positive way I can spin it. Obviously it was great for Ryback and Bray to have extended time off the main roster. It really might be in his best interest to pretty much disappear from the WWE spotlight for a bit, then come back with something new like Layla did after her knee injury. It's like the goofy Bo Dallas vignette about challenges and changes. Maybe this in a weird way can end up helping him.
ReplyDeleteRealistically, will Young come back and lay down a challenge to a top star that ends up propelling him to superstardom? I wouldn't count on it. But he's got to take this as an opportunity to make a new impression if he doesn't want to stay at the bottom of the card.
I'm under the impression WWE doesn't have any plans to go back to the idea of firing a number of superstars in one fell swoop when "Creative doesn't have anything for them". The (plausible) theory I've heard is those firings lowered morale and resulted in bad press. Notably, Jackson's contract expired rather than WWE cutting him. So from that standpoint, they're safe.
Specifically:
JTG - will probably just be used in the same fashion. It does seem like a lot of people would have wanted to cut bait and try to get a job elsewhere now. I don't know how much name value he'd bring to the indy scene after so many years of being a jobber. He could very well just be staying for the downside guarantee of his contract.
Hawkins - I can see him having something of a steady role in NXT, maybe even behind-the-scenes there. If that doesn't work out, he's got his own wrestling school and hopefully that works better for him. There are always going to be "job guys" under contract I think, but maybe not specifically him.
Otunga - could very well have aspirations outside of WWE. Him not being backstage at the Raw after Mania despite working the night before was rather telling. I'm sure he could do well outside the company if things don't work out. He might want to start thinking in that direction. WWE already has plenty of non-wrestling characters (I think Brad Maddox has Otunga's old role taken to a degree) and outside of WM30, I haven't seen anything about an Otunga match in more than a year. I'm sure they like him as a representative at rallies and such, but it doesn't look like they see much of a future in him beyond that.