Current State of WWE (2/8/12) - ExtremeGamer's Blog

ExtremeGamer's Blog

Current State of WWE (2/8/12)

Posted on February 8, 2012 at 10:06 AM.

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As many know, I'm a diehard wrestling fan, it's my biggest passion, even more than pro/college sports. Pro sports especially have just burned me too many times in the past that I look forward to wrestling events to get that "sports" entertainment. And obviously, I know it's fake, and have since I was 5. I think that's part of the allure for me. It's just a spectacle, more so in the past, but to this day it still is. It warms my heart seeing my son beginning to get involved in wanting to watch as I did with my own Mom back when I was 4-5 years old.

So with that backstory out of the way, the current WWE product is in a state of confusion in many ways. Everyone wants to point to the "Attitude Era" as the best time in WWE's history, but I like to think it was the mid-late 80's. Maybe it was because I was a kid and everything was bigger than life, but that's wrestling to me. Big, over the top characters doing things that should be done. King Kong Bundy putting Hulk Hogan in the hospital, Andre the Giant ripping the cross off Hogan's neck, Million Dollar Man hiring a 2nd referee to have facial reconstruction surgery (actually it was just his twin, but doesn't matter).

We're back to current WWE now, it just doesn't seem like anyone has any foresight for the future of the product. John Cena's character feels the most lost. For one, he's been stuck in a terrible angle with The Rock that has no way to pay off a proper finish at Wrestlemania. It's left his character in a state of flux, can't get the title, can't get over on anyone else, and just stuck in the mud. The angle with Kane that's currently running feels forced and is just a mess. To top it off, the WWE is backed in a corner now having to have Cena finish off Kane at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view as the very next PPV is Cena/Rock. I hate situations like this where it feels like the writing was lost and now has to rush a finish.

Moving on to everyone's hot topic, CM Punk/Chris Jericho. Teased for weeks, then Jericho is a mute before finally letting actions do his talking by attacking Punk. Here's where my issues begin. Why didn't Jericho do this right away, including their tag match a few weeks ago? Oh yeah, because the writers had no clue what they wanted to do? So we now have the 2 best talkers in the business going at it in a...silent contest. Sure, Punk coming out Monday and "trolling" Jericho was good, but why? It did get better with Jericho pulling the punk move in the middle of the ring at the end of Raw, but still disappointed. So we're going to have weeks of that? I get it, Wrestlemania is the payoff, but there's better ways to do this feud and get it over. Let these guys do what they do best, verbal jabs back and forth. Build suspense, build a storyline, and give us the big payoff at Wrestlemania. I don't want it rushed, and I'm sure someone is going to say let it play out, I want it to play out, I just want to hear these guys go at it. Maybe I'm just impatient.

What did Dolph Ziggler do to WWE Creative? Guy takes 4 CM Punk finishers (losing every one of them, sans referee) and then takes a finisher from Kharma in the Rumble (hey WWE, remember Khamra?). Now he gets pinned in the Six Pack Challenge on Raw after again taking finishers, and I'm sure he'll be the first eliminated at the PPV. Guy works his butt off, sells moves better than anyone else in the company, and is a great worker...give him a shot, let him ride the company. It worked with The Miz, it'll work with Ziggler.

Finally, Daniel Bryan is my favorite heel in years right now. The guy is playing the perfect heel, he hasn't won a match clean in months. Finds a way to have someone else win for him or weasel his way out. This is straight out of Ric Flair's NWA run's in the 80's. Not comparing Bryan to Flair, but their title runs are very similar. I'm loving it unfold and really hope he escapes the PPV as the champion to set up Bryan/Sheamus. I really think that's the match we'll be talking about the Monday after Wrestlemania as the one that stole the show.

I plan on continuing a series of these, welcome all comments and get some discussion going...or not.

http://www.twitter.com/extremegamer

Comments

# 1 Gramps91 @ Feb 8

Agree with a lot of what you said here.
and yea Ziggler is VERY underused and underrated.
Guy is one of the best in the business right now and it's pathetic what they're doing with him.

# 2 Sausage @ Feb 8

I would like to see this blog series continue. I have been watching on and off for years. Thank you for catching me up.

# 3 ExtremeGamer @ Feb 8

Thanks!! I plan on at least bi-weekly doing a wrap up of what's going on in the WWE.

# 4 DJ @ Feb 8

EG, I'm with you. I finally just stopped watching the product because the frustrations with creative were getting in the way of my enjoyment. WWE really dropped the ball with last summer's CM Punk angle and since then, the whole product just felt disjointed. I kept watching, hoping things would improve, but aside from one or two things, RAW and Smackdown have been all over the place and just not very good to watch. The Michael Cole heel announcer gimmick needs to go, as that does nothing for business.

I grew up in the Hogan-era and agree, that along with the NWA/WCW, was the best period ever for pro wrestling.

WWE has a lot of talented guys, but no one seems to get a sustained push. Look at Miz; he was the champ last year and for the past several months, he's been losing nearly every match. WWE nearly buried Sheamus and Barrett before building them back up.

# 5 psymin1 @ Feb 9

As DJ said, the WWE caught my interest for the first time in years with the CM Punk shoot promo angle, which was fantastic. Unfortunately, it didn't really go anywhere. The match with Punk and Cena at Money in the Bank was one of the best I've seen in a very long time, but then, nothing. After that angle went away, I went away, and haven't been back since.

Actually, now that I think about it, I think the nail in the coffin for me was when The Rock came out and Cena and him set up a match for Wrestlemania...a year away. That just annoyed me. I said I would watch again when that match happened, but not waste my time waiting, and I haven't. I am interested to see how that match pans out, though, and I adore the fact that Daniel Bryan is champ. He's one of my favorites in the business, and I am ecstatic to hear that he's on top.

# 6 spliggybow @ Feb 9

I couldn't agree more with the state of WWE. Their writing is so awful that they're going to all of a sudden jam 'Taker-HHH down our throats again. Neither have wrestled since last year's match (which was awesome...but come on.)

This means that Wrestlemania is going to be headlined by pointless Rock-Cena and overaged Taker-HHH. Awesome. Except Not.

And the 25th Anny of the Rumble??? Awful. Random Sheamus win, pointless other matches with almost zero storyline.

Attitude-Era WWF and the coinciding WCW was the best pro wrestling ever. I wanted to watch the storylines. I'm a grown man. I've always loved pro wrestling for it's "male soap opera" value. Now I wonder IF there are any stories.

This era reminds me of the end of WCW when they had RIDICULOUS talent on hand, and no direction with what to do with ANY of it. That's WWE today. Cena, Punk, Ziggler, Miz, Barret. All good talent. They are wasting Randy Orton. I like Jericho, but is there any real development? Somebody please make Kane stop talking. Make Big Show lose some weight and be a beast. Get rid of Mark Henry. He's a joke.

Daniel Bryan as a champion? Good gravy. At least the angle with Big Show is entertaining.

The old days had myriad intertwining storylines with a multitude of possible twists, but you never really knew what to expect.

I love the Rock. He's one of the absolute best. But I agree...naming a match for WM a YEAR in advance and then develop the heat via...TWITTER?

Come on, WWE. You're losing me.

# 7 ExtremeGamer @ Feb 9

And I totally meant to put HHH/Taker in there, but decided to save that for another topic. Trust me, I have a lot to say on that one, giving it one more Raw to then post my thoughts on it.

# 8 game20ver @ Feb 9

I'm excited for Jericho/Punk, Cena/Rock, but I don't have any interest in HHH/Undertaker 3. Rock/Austin 3 was fresh with Rock as a heel, returning from hollywood for one last shot at Austin but Undertaker challenging HHH is stupid. Undertaker's 2-0 against HHH at Wrestlemania, he owns HHH and has nothing more to prove. It's like Undertaker's cherry picking HHH to pad his record because it's an easy win. At least Undertaker/Michaels rematch had a little suspense since nobody knew for sure if it would be Michaels last match.

# 9 PhiliVanilli @ Feb 9

Nice write and good POV's about those nostalgic era's, but I was hoping this was going to be regarding the atrocious state on Online (CC) functionality for WWE 12'. I was hoping OP would pick up on this and give it the pub it deserves (ala 2k12's servers last year which weren't half as bad). Like I said your critiques are all accurate I just hope OP has one more write-up (at least) planned to discuss the ineptitude of WWE12's servers and recently released patch...

# 10 truintellectplaya @ Feb 10

WWE was never the best pure wrestling league or pure wrestling entertainment league. It was always too much about big egos like Vince McMahon. By the way, the wrestling game is so behind. Get online leagues and sell more units

# 11 spliggybow @ Feb 10

and I swear if they're doing the Taker/HHH angle so HHH can be the one to end the streak, I'm done forever.

# 12 H to the Oza @ Feb 11

I gave up on WWE in 2003, wasnt it still called WWF back then? Between 9 and 14 years of age WWF really grew on me, it awesome to see guys like Masked Kane and Undertaker from Hell, Stone Cold, DX, Hardys and Dudley's in epic TLC matches. Ive tuned in periodically, it doesnt come close to the attitude era.
In terms of 80s wrestling, I wasnt around. Early 90s is when it really took off in my eyes.

# 13 rangerrick012 @ Feb 11

Dolph's still too weak on the mic and still has to prove he can stand on his own without Vickie before I say he's legit as a top star. Right now he's a solid upper midcarder but anyone saying he should get a shot at the title RIGHT NOW is somewhat off. Yes he's good in the ring and he's gotten better on the mic but he's still not a guy I could see as a bonafide champion and top level star.

Punk/Jericho will go at it on the mic eventually but there's still an eternity before WM. I'm sure people would get tired of them just going at each other on the mic, so building to it slowly is good in my opinion. I wouldn't be surprised if Jericho went into Mania as champ to add fuel to the feud.

# 14 rangerrick012 @ Feb 11

EDIT: By shot for Dolph I meant title victory and title run.