While the WWE tries to get itself out of sinkhole it has created in the last year with poor planning, bad script writing, injuries (which are unavoidable) and lack of creativity, there are a few steps the company could take to assure itself of moving in the right direction.

To get to the future, maybe the company needs to take a step back and try ideas from the past.

It may sound like a cliche, but the WWE is in a semi-desperate situation. The script writing of late has been weak. Injuries to CM Punk, Mark Henry, Fandango and Kofi Kingston have led to what appears to be “on the fly”decision making – some good, some very bad. In the end, all we are seeing on television is a bunch 180-degree turns which leave us wonder what the hell is going on.

Here is how to invigorate the WWE and make wrestling matter again (yes, I stole this from TNA).

The one thing Eric Bischoff did in WCW and in the AWA was write a story in such a way that he started from the end result and worked his way back. In the beginning, it worked masterfully. Jumping the Shark a bit, he got way ahead of himself and sunk WCW and almost destroyed TNA.

There needs to be more “forward” thinking on the part of the creative team. It is hard for me to think that with all the “talent” behind closed doors and the fact former script writers and bookers like Dusty Rhodes and Kevin Sullivan are on hand, there cannot be a decent program or angle written.

The WWE could also take a page from its former self and bring back the “essence” of what wrestling used to be. Colorful characters, more emphasis on the tag teams (which is happening) and a greater presence of managers in the company would serve the wrestling world well.

Managers, more than anything, may help establish true battle lines and create subplots the company has failed to create in recent months.

The basic goal of a manager is to give his or her wrestlers a push never changes, how they go about it will depend on several factors, especially alignment. A heel manager, for example, may have their wrestler constantly duck tougher opponents while cheating to help them win when they do actually wrestle. A face manager, however, may spend the majority of their interview time talking about how tough their wrestler is and going out of their way to find bigger and better opponents to challenge, as proof.

Paul Heyman and Zeb Colter have proven to be great advocates for their clients and have become almost more important to the storyline than the wrestler. Vickie Guerrero was perfect for that role as well and AJ Lee has found some success. But what happened to the droves of managers in the business? The Lou Albano’s, Mr. Fuji, Jimmy Hart? There needs to be new blood, new excitement. A new energy.

Vince McMahon may have won the war by purchasing WCW, but since then, the product has suffered with the owner of the WWE competing against himself. No one wins in that situation. Bringing back managers, subplots, new scripts, the growth of younger talent (like The Shield and Bo Dallas) —- they all help make the product better.

While the idea of Vince McMahon bringing back “Mr.McMahon” to the WWE and feuding with Triple H is great because it is built on a concept from the past, the fact it has to be written into shows in the first place shows us that there is a missing creative spot in this company. Maybe bringing back ideas that work outside the ring could lead to success in the ring.

Anything, anything would be worth a try.

David is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and can be read here. Follow David on Twitter @davidlevin71

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According to a recent report says that there are big WWE changes on the horizon. A new report suggests that there are several creative changes on the table and the heels and faces you see today will look may look a lot different by the end of the summer.

Dave Meltzer breaks down the big story in the latest edition of his Wrestling Observer newsletter. Meltzer reports that there are all kinds of ideas being tossed around regarding potential babyface and heel turns on the WWE roster. Recent ratings and house shows may dictate how this all goes down by the time we get to SummerSlam.

One of the big changes would be a babyface turn by CM Punk. I blogged about this right after Paul Heyman agreed to the Punk vs. Chris Jericho Payback match. I thought the whole segment looked like the start of a babyface turn for Punk. Meltzer supports that theory with the idea that Punk would become the number two babyface. Punk and Cena would then become the two house show headliners which would seem to indicate that Punk would headline the SmackDown brand while Cena would headline the RAW shows.

The biggest change or addition in this case would be a return of the McMahons to weekly television. Meltzer reports that an idea is on the table which would see Vince and Stephanie McMahon as lead heels along with…Triple H. Meltzer just casually throws Hunter’s name into the report but I think that is a huge deal. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a heel Hunter. The angle would make sense with Hunter as the muscle behind the group building towards matchups with Cena and Punk.

Quite frankly and this isn’t mentioned in his report, it would be a great way to build heat towards a Cena vs. Hunter WrestleMania 30 match. Other than The Undertaker who do you have at this point for Cena? The bar has already been set high so fans will expect a big Cena match at the 30th anniversary show. Cena vs. Triple H could deliver and like him or not, I think Hunter could drive home this match with some fantastic promos during the build. I love The Undertaker vs. Cena match with streak vs. streak (Cena would have to remain champion) but I think this one has more potential to draw on emotion.

The only issue I have with Hunter as a heel is that he is such a good heel that he generally did more to bury the babyfaces when he was on top than help. At his age he really should be nothing more than a setup guy to get some guys like Daniel Bryan to the next level. Just watch his promos back when he was building up his WrestleMania match with Cena and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Randy Orton’s turn also appears to be inevitable. Some SmackDown spoilers suggest that Orton actually does turn this week but that hasn’t been confirmed. Orton’s turn has been in the works for awhile. The biggest hold up is that Vince McMahon feels they need a top babyface to anchor the SmackDown shows and while Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio were both groomed for it, neither have been able to successfully make that transition.

Keep in mind that the WWE brass seems to change their minds by the week when it comes to planning so all or none of these ideas could come to fruition. If they do, SummerSlam could look a whole lot different than Payback and Extreme Rules.

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Not since the inception of the New World Order in World Championship Wrestling and the edgy attitude era of then the World Wrestling Federation (WWE) headlined by DeGeneration-X have we seen any major storylines or angles in pro wrestling that has really grabbed the attention of viewers and made people talk again and tune in for long periods of time.

Ever since WCW was purchased by WWE in 2002, Monday Nights have been basically un-eventful and exciting to watch. Sure we had a brief period of time a few years back when Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) Wrestling attempted to ensue another Monday Night War with its Impact show starting an hour earlier than Raw, just like Nitro did back in the mid 1990’s. However, Dixie and company got spanked in the ratings enough over a short period of time, Spike TV quickly moved the show back to Thursday nights in its original timeslot citing that TNA fans expected to see the show on Thursday’s rather than Monday’s.

Let’s say for a moment, that Monday night of March 8, 2010 TNA did something crazy and big enough just before Raw when on the air live, would we still have a new Monday Night War today? Hard to say, however, never say never, right? The question remains.

Because Vince McMahon doesn’t really have any competition on Monday Nights, his product has been more of the same old same old rather than new an innovative. Yes, after years of a stale attitude era, Vince made the right move by shifting back to a PG format. However, he still needs to do that next big thing that will get people talking if the company wants to see ratings increase above the 4-5 million (sometimes less) on Monday Nights’.

Raw is supposed to be the flagship show, but now with Main Event, which is showing signs of improvement from when it first debuted last October on ION Television, Superstars, SmackDown and now Saturday Morning Slam, the creative team has to be exhausted from writing what seems to be an over-abundance of WWE television. As much as l have enjoyed and not enjoyed Main Event, WWE should stick with Raw and SmackDown and focus more on innovative angles and storylines that will get people talking again.

When TNA debuted in 2002, it was promoted as an alternative to WWE, a place where talent could go after the demise of WCW. Since TNA’s debut they have struggled to really find their own identity. When they first began, they looked like what many referred to as a lighter version of the WWF Attitude Era, then shifted to family friendly, then back to the more adult oriented format, which to me is worn.

Now don’t get me wrong, TNA has great potential. I have been to three house shows in my market, and if it’s one thing TNA does well beside put on a great fan friendly atmosphere is an action packed house show. The problem is TNA is too busy trying to worry about what is going on in WWE. Eric Bischoff was smart in the beginning before Nitro. He focused on improving the product in great detail and being different from WWE before introducing a new show that almost put Vince out of business.

TNA really isn’t doing anything different. Yes, they have former WWE and WCW talent, some have come and gone (Christian, Booker T, Scott Steiner), but really aren’t making waves other than going on the road live every other week, which was a great move for the company.

The more reality based format that touted at the next big thing in TNA was interesting at first but with no increase in ratings, that format quickly was erased and forgotten about. While their television production looks great in one aspect, for the most part, they still have that look and feel of WCW 1999. I don’t know how much longer Spike TV will put up with a 1.2 average before telling TNA they can find a new network.

Until something huge happens in both companies that doesn’t include trying re-create big angles and storylines with imitation like NWO factions that have proved to be failures such as Nexus, The Core, such Main Event Mafia, Aces and Eights, and possibly The Shield, no matter how big of talent you have, until you do something different that will get people talking again, the return of the wrestling boom will be a memory re-lived on DVD from many years ago.

By Jerome Wilen (www.prowrestlingringside.blogspot.com)

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One of the biggest questions leading into WWE WrestleMania 29 was whether The Undertaker would defend the streak. The Dead Man’s status will not be a question going into New Orleans as a report suggests that The Undertaker is ready to go and is already deliberating on an opponent for WrestleMania XXX.

This is great news, especially with all of the questions regarding the status of The Undertaker just weeks before WrestleMania 29. A new report on Wrestlezone.com indicates that the streak will be on the line and Undertaker is already talking possible opponents with Vince McMahon.

“Taker would like to work with either John Cena or Brock Lesnar,” a writing team member told WrestleZone exclusively. “Taker also has some ideas regarding The Shield. The whole scenario on Smackdown played out great, and Taker sees big money in those three.”

I never had a doubt that Taker would miss something as big as the 30th event but you always have to wonder when it comes to his health. Taker has taken some beatings the last few years and is noticeably slowing down in the ring. The story also reports that he will be undergoing surgeries on his right shoulder and left hip, although neither should prevent him from lacing up the boots.

Now that we know he is set to go, the big question now is who will get the chance at ending his streak. The story reports that Taker would like Brock Lesnar or John Cena to oppose him in New Orleans. Both are great choices and provide for high drama.

John Cena to me is the top choice here. I think the WWE badly missed the boat going into WrestleMania 29 on a Punk’s WWE title streak vs. Undertaker WM streak. That boat is docked and could sail again if the WWE can make the commitment to keep the WWE championship on Undertaker. The match would be huge and an appropriate main-event for something as monumental as a 30th anniversary event.

Brock Lesnar would probably be the ideal backup plan here if Cena is penciled in elsewhere. The realism here is what will make this one big. Most fans remember the confrontation between Brock and Taker at a UFC event and for those that don’t, there is plenty of time to tell that story. That real factor is something you won’t get between Undertaker and Cena. If The Rock really isn’t coming back and Brock is free, the match makes a lot of sense.

Speaking of The Rock, what about The Rock vs. Undertaker? It’s a curveball but why not? It doesn’t have the same luster as any of the other matches but it certainly has its appeal. The only problem here is that I don’t think there is anyone who would buy The Rock being the man to end the streak.

Finally what about one of The Shield members? Dean Ambrose is the immediate Shield member that comes to mind. They had an excellent match on SmackDown so you know it would be good. As far as an investment goes, you can’t get a better one here than using this match to elevate one of the younger stars of the future. I don’t know if anyone would truly buy Ambrose ending the streak but you have plenty of time to get him there if that’s the direction they want to go.

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I know I have written about this subject before but unfortunately for all wrestling fans, myself included, this topic always seems to rear its ugly head nearly every year.

But I believe wrestling fans we can finally find closure on this subject and find our inner peace. Join me in permanently burying the subject or the notion that current WWE Champion John Cena will ever turn heel for the rest of his career.

For years we have “flirted” with the subject in hopes of it actually taking place because many wrestling fans, once again myself included, saw major dollar signs in the eyes of the WWE should they ever decide to pull the trigger. Reason for that is because many “older” wrestling fans, like myself, remember Hulk Hogan turning heel famously in 1996 and forming the nWo. The heel turn added years to the life of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and nearly killed the then World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

Hogan’s heel turn was something many wrestling fans wanted to see at that time as the Hulk Hogan “gimmick” of “saying your prayers and eating your vitamins” basically had run its course in the wrestling world. The same can be and is said about John Cena’s current gimmick which naturally leads many of us to hope that a heel turn would eventually take place. The move would not only “freshen up” the character of John Cena but quite honestly the entire wrestling landscape of the WWE as well.

In 2010 we hoped that John Cena would turn heel during the midst of the “Nexus” angle and it never took place.

In 2011 we wanted to see John Cena turn heel as CM Punk was on his meteoric climb to the upper echelon of professional wrestling and it never took place.

The most recent hope came weeks ago at WrestleMania 29 as rumors swirled that John Cena would turn heel at the event, ala Stone Cold Steve Austin from WrestleMania 17, and reveal he was the one behind “The Shield” the entire time.

As we know now, that never took place either.

One of the most frequent questions asked of John Cena in interviews is that of the proposed fan’s hope of him turning heel. Cena always has the same answer that it isn’t worth him turning heel based off of all the outside good he does for the WWE and various other charities or groups (Make-A-Wish, connections with the military, etc.). Many of us look at that as just a way to dismiss the idea and try to “swerve” the wrestling fans hopes of it actually taking place, but clearly Cena is telling the truth in every single one of those interviews.

It wasn’t that fans thought John Cena was lying, but more of the fact that in the world of wrestling you can’t take everything a wrestler says as “fact.” It’s still professional wrestling and the aura/allure it can hold onto from yesteryears where a “face” couldn’t hangout with a “heel” is still important to the business.

At this point of John Cena’s career if it hasn’t happened now then it’ll never happen. His feud with The Rock slightly opened the door for John Cena to turn “heel” but now that the feud is all but done (maybe one more WrestleMania or SummerSlam match left) I would say the idea of John Cena being a heel is too.

Let’s face it, Cena is at the downside of his career and may not be an “everyday” active wrestler 5 years from now when he’s in his 40s. I think it’s time that we all as wrestling fans close the door on the idea and end our flirtation with the subject of him ever becoming a heel (again).

It was fun while it lasted but John Cena was right this entire time. Very rarely wrestlers are meant to be a certain character their entire career, John Cena is the exception.

For more on this topic join us for the Thursday April 25^th edition of “The Still Real to Us Show” and download the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com or www.wrestlechat.net.

You can listen to Jeff on “The Bower Show” every Monday – Friday from 3pm – 7pm ET on 97.9 ESPN in Hartford, CT. You can listen online at www.979espn.com

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As the old saying goes, there are plenty of us that wish we were a fly on the wall when Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon met together prior to the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Fortunately for us Bruno is a very honest man and when asked about the meeting was happy to reveal all of the details of their now infamous meeting.

Getting Bruno Sammartino to agree to go into the WWE Hall of Fame is one thing. Having him sit down and have a chat with Vince McMahon is another. As part of the WWE’s attempt to mend broken fences with Bruno, it was important for Vince and Bruno to get together before the live event. Bruno recently gave details of the meeting and his recollection of the sit down was interesting to say the least.

Bruno was asked about the meeting on a recent edition of The NB Show. Here is what the Living Legend and new member of the Hall of Fame told the show.

“The private meeting that took place was at MSG that evening,” Bruno said. “His son-in-law Triple H and Stephanie came to my dressing room, I had my own dressing room, and they asked me, you know, Vince is waiting in his dressing room down the hall and if I minded going over there. I went. Stephanie opened the door and I went in and she shut the door so Vince and I were alone.

“He was standing toward the back of the room. And as I came in I was waiting for him to make the first move to see what he was going to say before I responded. And actually as I walked in he looked at me and he smiled and said ‘Bruno, welcome home’ just like that. And I said ‘Well Vince I’m glad to be home, but we both know the situation and what brought me back home. I have been very critical of you.’ I told him right to his face, ‘You know I have been very critical of you, but I also will recognize the fact that you have made drastic changes and for that I applaud you. But for all these years, I did not like what happened to the business that I spent 25 years in and the turns it took; drugs, nudity, etc.’ Vince said, ‘Well Bruno, I know you were always very outspoken about what you believed, I hope now you are satisfied of the changes. They are in the past, we want to go forward and we want to do a better and better product. And we are very happy that you are back.’

“He did say this to me which I appreciate, ‘When it was the World Wide Wrestling Federation you were the main reason for this organization to become as big as it did. So we want this to happen and we’re thrilled that it has happened.’ And that was it. So I said, ‘Thank you. As long as things stay that way and keep moving forward with improving the product. At this stage of my life there is not much I can do to contribute, but if there is something, especially with young talent, I’d be willing to do that. As long as the product gets better and better.’ And that was it basically.”

It sounded like Vince did the right thing and gave Bruno his proper due. It wasn’t too long ago where Vince had Bruno taken out of a project on the history of pro wrestling. In talking with Bruno over the years I think that is one of the things that has hurt Bruno most. Bruno is a very humble man but I think it really hurt him that his contributions to the company were never acknowledged the way they recognize other legends like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock.

I have talked to Bruno numerous times on and off of my radio show and I have to admit that I was stunned to see the hug that ended the Hall of Fame ceremony. Vince’s track record regarding the treatment of his legends tells me that this is not going to end well. Let’s face it. Vince appears to get some kind of enjoyment out of bringing his legends back to humiliate them or portray them as goofy old men. I can guarantee you that Bruno won’t take part in anything like that so if that kind of script gets in Bruno’s hands, this relationship could be trouble.

Bruno isn’t planning to go anywhere. There are plans to bring him into video games as well as use him for sporadic appearances. In other words he has moved back into his old home.

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Bret Hart is doing a fantastic job lately of trying to burn any bridges that have been repaired with the WWE over the last few years. Hart did a Q & A recently and in addition to slamming Triple H once again, took a shot at the current product that may have been the final straw.

Arda Ocal recently sat down with Bret Hart and did a lengthy interview with him on a variety of different subjects. Triple H was of course brought up but so was Hart’s take on the current WWE product. While Hart is certainly entitled to his own opinions, I can’t imagine that these are the kinds of things that the WWE wants someone affiliated with the company saying about them.

Interestingly enough it should be noted that Ocal has since removed the video from YouTube. He changed the settings to private. I have no idea why or if this is something he will change but unfortunately it is not available for viewing. Fortunately for us, enough people including yours truly have seen it to get the word out.

Bret took his usual shots at Triple H, which have become comedic at this point. Hart said that he has no relationship with Hunter other than a casual hello. Bret also gave Hunter’s match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 29 a 4 out of 10, which is what is making the headlines. Let’s be honest. The match wasn’t great but I’d certainly give it more than 4/10.

“I was really disappointed with the last two (WM matches) – well, Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H. To me, it was everything I imagined in my head before I watched it. There was nothing new or creative,” Hart said. “Whereas Punk and Taker stole the show. The way the story flows and a match goes – some of the other matches could have been much better. I know Rock and Cena worked hard, but I think they were missing a little Bret Hart in their matches.”

Bret has backtracked from this remark and clarified his response on his Twitter account.

“My comments to Arda about Trip H Lezner match being 4 out of 10, was in reference to a sign someone held up on Raw. In truth, I thought they had the second best match of the night, and both worked very hard. Hope that (clarifies) things.”

In all fairness to Bret, I do remember seeing that sign on RAW.

But to me, it was what Bret said about the current WWE product that was my biggest takeaway.

“I think there are a lot of people in charge of the wrestling who have no business being in charge…I think it’s turned into a little bit of WCW. They’ve hired a lot of guys who, to me, are not more skilled than the wrestlers they’re talking to…The way they control them (characters) in wrestling now, there’s no room for ‘Bret Hart’ anymore with my own look from my head…Today in wrestling, it’s ‘You’re going to be a dancer. We’re going to give you six weeks of dancing lessons and send you out to the ring.’ Kudos to Fandango for making it work.”

While I am sure the response will get Bret some heat with the company I don’t think he is off the mark at all. As a matter of a fact this is one of the few things I do agree with Bret on. The promos all come across as superficial and phony compared to the raw emotion I saw from guys as a kid and teenager. On the other hand there are writers on the team like Dusty Rhodes, Michael Hayes, and Triple H that have been in the ring and understand it. Unfortunately Vince McMahon is the one who sees his product different from people like myself and in this instance Bret.

What is funny about this is that Hulk Hogan was recently interviewed about TNA Wrestling. Hogan compared to TNA Wrestling to WCW, but used it as a positive. Here you have Bret comparing the WWE to WCW as a negative example. It tells you everything you need to know about how differently WCW is viewed between Hogan and just about every other wrestler who ever worked for both the WWE and WCW.

Let’s hope the video goes back online because it is a fantastic interview with Bret, regardless of whether you agree with what he says or not.

Thanks to PWTorch.com for the transcription.

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