Category: WWE

WWE Money in the Bank 2011 was the best non-WrestleMania WWE PPV I’ve seen in years. The wrestling was strong and the results were outstanding for Internet marks. For fans that prefer pro-wrestlers that can actually wrestle (sadly, not always the talent pushed by WWE), this was a refreshing and satisfying show. Here are some results and random thoughts.

Daniel Bryan Bryan Danielson Won the SmackDown MitB Match: This was an outstanding match full of high spots, believable near finishes, and a bit of power wrestling thrown in. All the credit goes to the diverse talent that managed to work well together. There were crazy high-flying spots, nice bits of technical wrestling, and tremendous power moves throughout the match. I’m a huge Bryan Danielson fan and was thrilled that he got the nod. The Chicago crowd was into the win too, which wasn’t too surprising since Ring of Honor often has shows in Chicago Ridge and Danielson has loads of fans in the area.

I was actually surprised by the result. Even though I’m a huge fan of Danielson, WWE seems to have cooled on him lately. He’s an outstanding technical wrestler, but he’s also smaller than the guys the writers usually push. The big fear among Danielson fans is that he becomes the first guy to fail miserably when cashing in the MitB title shot.

Some Divas Match Happened: I was completely uninterested in the match so I went to get a drink, pee, and read email. I was really excited about the Divas division when Awesome Kong (Kharma) was in the mix. Now it’s back to the same old pretty girls with limited abilities when it really should be about Beth Phoenix and Nattie Neidhart ruling the division — you know, two women that can actually wrestle.

Mark Henry Beat The Big Show: My expectations for this match were low and I was pleasantly surprised by what these two put together. Henry looked monstrous and Show did a great job of selling. It was hardly a classic, but Henry and Show wrestled an above average big-man match.

Alberto Del Rio Won the Raw MitB Match: This wasn’t nearly as good as the SmackDown MitB match, but I’m still pleased with the result. Del Rio has been lost in the shuffle for more than a month and it’s great to see that he’ll be in the title hunt. He does have a fabricated “issue” since the status of the WWE title is up in the air. (Yes, I just spoiled the main event for you.)

As for the match itself, it was good, but it was hard to follow the excellent SmackDown match. It’s odd that they unmasked Mysterio for a bit. I wonder if the writers will use that for more Del Rio vs. Mysterio matches until the CM Punk situation is resolved. The Miz did a great job heeling it up and keeping the crowd involved. Evan Bourne Matt Sydal probably had the high-spot of the night with his crazy shooting-star press from the ladder. Kofi and Swagger were good, but I was hoping for more out of them since I want them do get pushed. This match didn’t take either to a new level.

Christian Won the World Heavyweight Championship: I love that Christian won the belt, but I hated how he won it. It was good in terms of putting heat on Christian and putting Randy in a position to chase the belt (he’s better chasing than as champion), but it made Christian look kind of lame. He’s a great wrestler and he got to show some of that ability in this match, but he’s capable of more. It’s kind of weird thinking that Christian had better matches in TNA.

CM Punk Beat John Cena for the WWE Championship: Wow. This was just an outstanding match. It had great wrestling, fantastic storytelling and an awesome result. It was definitely the right way to get in terms of storytelling. So many different angles and opportunities are now opened up. Cena put on a good effort, but Punk really carried him to a great match. This was the best WWE main event I’ve seen in years (that didn’t involve Shawn Michaels).

On a side note, it was awesome to see Colt Cabana and Ace Steel in the crowd. Cabana is a close friend of Punk’s and wrestled in WWE as Scotty Goldman. He came up with Punk and they wrestled together in the indies. Steel was one of Punk’s early trainers and they also wrestled together in the indies.

Closing Thoughts: I loved this PPV. The right guys won. The wrestling was mostly great. For Internet marks like me, this was an amazing show. I’m pretty sure Summer Slam 2011 is screwed. Even with The Rock making an appearance, I doubt it will top this show.

GQ.com has posted a brilliant four-page interview with WWE Superstar CM Punk. It’s a long and excellent read that covers all sorts of topics. Obviously Punk has been getting a ton of attention for his current “I’m quitting!” angle, but the interview covers several “real” topics as well. I highly, highly recommend reading the whole thing. For now, here are four of my favorite clips.

On pro-wrestling being one of America’s biggest contributions to the world:

It’s truly, I believe, one of the only art forms that America has actually given to the world, besides jazz and comic books.

On a potential match with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin:

I think the biggest match any wrestling company can do right now is C.M. Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. I’ve thought that since I was 15. I’m straight edge. I don’t drink. I don’t do drugs. I don’t smoke. And that is the perfect protagonist or antagonist to Stone Cold Steve Austin, depending on how you want to spin it. It writes itself. You would have to try really, really hard to fuck that one up.

On underutilized talent in WWE:

There’s plenty of guys and girls in house that are super-talented that we don’t do enough with. A guy like Evan Bourne, who’s a fantastic high-flyer, does the most fantastic stuff on the roster. I could go on: Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Beth Phoenix. There’s Nattie Neidhart, Tyson Kidd. Tyson Kidd is a fantastic wrestler, maybe not the greatest promo. So let’s help him. Let’s teach him to get better instead of signing someone from Europe who failed at Euro football.

On his close friend and former tag-team partner Colt Cabana (Scotty Goldman) getting fired from WWE:

I was really bummed when Cabana got fired. I didn’t feel like it was my fault, but maybe there was something that I could’ve or should’ve done to prevent it. He’s a super-talented guy. I’m brutally honest; he knows that. I can look at him and be like, “Maybe trim up, work out harder, do more cardio.” But when he’s in the ring, he’s the most entertaining guy. A company slogan is “We put smiles on people’s faces.” That’s what that guy does, and he does it with his wrestling style. It’s amazing. I was so bummed when he got fired because I want the best for my friends. If I could somehow trade places with him, I probably would, just so he could experience what I have. He deserves it.

Seriously, go read this interview now (please)!

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I was amazed by CM Punk’s promo on last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw. He expertly blended real-life happenings with his current angle of “leaving” the WWE. Not only was it clearly the best promo of 2011, but it was also one of the best I’ve seen in years. Highlights include:

• Emphasizing the word “wrestling” — a word WWE doesn’t like to use anymore
• Mentioning not having a crappy show on the USA network
• Saying that he’s a Paul Heyman guy, like Brock Lesnar
• Talking about bringing the WWE Championship to Ring of Honor
• Saying hello to his close friend Colt Cabana, a renowned indie wrestler that was horribly misused when he wrestled in the WWE as Scotty Goldman
• Blasting WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis for being a nonsensical yes-man
• Saying that WWE has no future after Vince McMahon dies because the company will be taken over by Vince’s idiotic daughter (Stephanie) and his doofus son-in-law (Triple H)

Punk created a ton of Internet buzz and sold people on his upcoming PPV match against John Cena with a fantastic promo. I know that a few of you are down on Punk because of his size, but he’s a superior technical wrestler and, as he showed last night, magic on the mic. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.

I got a new guest mattress the other day. Naturally, I’ve been giving it flying elbow drops to…you know, test it out. My markdom for Shawn Michaels and the recent death of Randy Savage has me thinking of flying elbow drops. Which wrestler did it better? Kindly vote in today’s poll and discuss!

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ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons posted a lengthy and outstanding tribute to “Macho Man” Randy Savage. It’s pretty much the best Randy Savage article you’ll ever read. In addition to the expected “SportsGuy” humor, Simmons adds some thoughtful observations on Savage’s career. Here’s my favorite funny passage:

Nobody — repeat, nobody — was more fun to imitate. Savage said everything in quick bursts, with his voice dropping low, then turning loud, then low, then loud, and any time he couldn’t figure out how to end a point, he just screamed, “Ooooohhhhhhhhh yeah!” He used “ooooohhhh yeah!” as a noun, verb and adjective. It never stopped being funny. I could never decide whether the Macho Man was in on the joke. I’m also not sure it mattered.

And here’s my favorite insightful passage:

The scope of his career can’t compare to those of Shawn Michaels or Ric Flair, but you won’t find a more meaningful apex: He peaked right as wrestling peaked, ushered in a more athletic era and introduced eye candy (Elizabeth) to a fan base that desperately needed it. We look back at the ’80s ironically now — everything is much funnier now than it was then, whether it’s outfits, haircuts, movie plots, political incorrectness or even a sweeping lack of self-awareness. Savage tapped into those faults better than anyone. He was the ’80s, for better and worse.

It’s just excellent, excellent stuff. I highly recommend giving it a read.

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Here’s a sad statistic for you — according to The Wrestling Observer, over 25 percent of the wrestlers that performed at WrestleMania VII (1991) are dead. The list of deceased WrestleMania VII performers includes legends like Randy Savage, Mr. Perfect, Kerry Von Erich, and Andre the Giant. Take a look at this chart:

That’s completely nuts. Compare that list to the 1991 MLB, NBA, and NFL champions — the vast majority of those guys are still alive. Most of these deaths are drug related — either overdoses of recreational drugs or heart failure accelerated by performance-enhancing drugs.

Thankfully the business is slowly cleaning itself up. Sure, a lot of wrestlers today aren’t as big as the ones in the ’80s or ’90s, but most of them aren’t killing themselves for our entertainment.

Are any of your favorites on this tragic list?

Source via Yahoo!