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)

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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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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WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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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.

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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I try not to overreact to WWE booking but this time I can’t help myself. Brock Lesnar losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 29 was a booking move that has single handedly killed one of the biggest drawing cards in the WWE period, end of story!

I don’t think it gets much clearer than that. When John Cena defeated Brock Lesnar last year at Extreme Rules I was one of the few who brushed off the loss. Looking at it from a pro wrestling perspective, a guy who hasn’t wrestled in several years losing to the best WWE performer at the time made sense. The match was even booked to keep Lesnar strong the way he beat up Cena for 20 minutes. But this loss to Triple H is one that even has to have Vince Russo scratching his head.

I shouldn’t be surprised is what a lot of you are probably thinking out there. Did I really think Triple H was going to retire? Yes, I sure did! I thought the retirement stip was a set up. Triple H wrestles once, twice a year anyway, so retiring isn’t such a stretch. Plus at the end of the day Triple H could have came back anyway if he really wanted to. I never for a second thought that Hunter was winning. Even as I tried to look at it from all views, I couldn’t find one reason to do it. So yes I was surprised when Triple H pinned Lesnar.

I have been a Triple H defender for several years as a blogger. While everyone was taking shots at Triple H and his ego, I still had his back. The last couple of years he has been money in the ring and in building up his matches with The Undertaker. He even did the right thing for business when tempted and did the favor two years straight for the Dead Man. But the decision to put him over Lesnar can only be justified by ego.

Brock Lesnar just re-signed with the WWE for two years. He drew a tremendous buyrate with Hunter at SummerSlam and has been a ratings machine since returning to the WWE. By the time he returned last summer, nobody even cared about the Cena loss. He beat Hunter, practically retired him, and was seen by many as one of the last true monster heels in pro wrestling. That run is over and now Lesnar is a man that has gone 1-2 since returning.

I can’t fathom a good reason for the finish. Is Hunter coming back? Unless Triple H is coming back in the next two weeks to challenge John Cena or Alberto Del Rio for championships at Extreme Rules, there is no point in putting him over. Why in the world would you put over the once-a-year office guy at the expense of your second biggest drawing card? There is no good reason period for that finish.

Make no mistake about it. Lesnar is done as the big drawing card. How could this man be seen as a killer when he just lost to a 42 year old part-time wrestler? How could this monster be seen as a legitimate threat when he had the fight taken to him by the aging wrestler? I know that some of you say, “put him back on television, people will still pop.” Yeah they will pop but are they going to be so inclined to buy a pay per view to watch him wrestle? Some will but there will be plenty who won’t.

What do you do next with the guy? No matter who he confronts, attacks, or challenges, fans will remember in the back of their minds that the guy is not only beatable, but he is not even that good. I don’t know where they plan to go with him other than The Rock at WrestleMania, but it is probably best at this point for him to disappear until at least SummerSlam if not Survivor Series.

What is funny is that for years fans and critics have felt that Vince McMahon has lost his touch, me included. Some have even said how they are looking forward to the Triple H era. Is this what you are looking forward to? Say what you will about Vinnie Mac but he never would have booked a finish like that in his younger days. I really find it hard to believe that he sat back, knowing how much money he is paying Brock and allowed that finish to begin with. If the Triple H era of booking is going to be full of illogical finishes like that one, I’ll pass.

It really was a big slap in the face to the new fans that came back because of Brock. Believe me when I tell you, Brock brought new and old fans to the WWE. This man was the biggest drawing card in the history of MMA for a reason. They love him! Those fans have gotten the message loud and clear. Your boy is nothing more than a mid-card jobber in our world. Message received.

I’ll still enjoy watching Brock but it won’t be the same. The illusion, the mystique, the aura is gone. He doesn’t care. He’s still making his money. As a matter of a fact he probably finds it funny. Unfortunately for the fans who have been excited to see him back in the WWE, there is nothing funny about losing to Triple H.

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The wrestling social media world was in a frenzy Monday afternoon after a report that The Rock had no-showed WWE RAW. Hours later the story was that The Rock was injured. Dwayne Johnson later confirmed the injury but a deeper look at the situation is a story that doesn’t add up.

Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer created the firestorm on Monday when he broke a big story late in the afternoon. Meltzer wrote that the WWE were in a panic that The Rock had not shown up to the RAW building.

“There is absolute panic at Raw at this moment as the show was scheduled to build to a segment where Brock Lesnar beat up Rock to set up next year’s WrestleMania main event. However, Rock is not there and the word at the building is he went home.”

Speculation ran wild on the social media channels as to what happened to The Rock. Was he double crossed on the finish of his WrestleMania match? Was he double crossed in the Brock Lesnar angle, expecting something different? Not since Steve Austin walked out of RAW after refusing to job to Lesnar was there this much speculation. Than all of the sudden the story changed.

Meltzer (who by reading his Observer reports over the years would appear to be a friend of The Rock’s) reported a couple of hours later that The Rock was indeed not at RAW but he was not there because he was injured. Meltzer wrote that The Rock was injured in his match with Cena and went home.

And that is when the lie detector went off in my head. Something wasn’t right here. It just didn’t add up. Then the last piece of this messy puzzle to fall into place came at around 8 PM, coincidentally right before Monday Night RAW went on the air when Dwayne Johnson tweeted about his injury.

“In the middle of last nights Wrestlemania match I tore my abdomen & adductor muscles off the bone. Just part of the job. But as we know.. .It’s all about #JustBringIt. WWE Universe THANK YOU for all the love & well wishes. Means everything to me. #LeaveItAllInTheRing” – @TheRock

The RAW announcers brought it up first thing at the start of the show. They acknowledged Rock’s tweet and talked about the injury. The more they talked, the less I believed them. Something is up and this whole injury story seemed stranger to me than the logic of Triple H going over Brock lesnar.

Here is what we know or at least what is reported. Vince McMahon was in a panic because The Rock didn’t show up. Dave Meltzer publishes a story about it and a few hours later it’s an injury, and then minutes before RAW Dwayne Johnson decides to tweet about it.

Something just doesn’t add up!

If The Rock was really injured after the match as he says, you would expect Vince McMahon or someone close to him to know. You would also expect that they would be aware ahead of time that The Rock isn’t coming to RAW. Johnson is a pro and if he is hurt and went home, he’d tell them. If this injury really did occur, why did it take so long for Rock to tweet about it? Why wasn’t WWE.com on top of it with a story? It doesn’t add up.

What do I think really happened? I think there was a dispute over something with Rock and Vince McMahon. I can’t tell you what it was but I could take a few guesses. One may be the idea that he was getting laid out by a guy who just lost the night before. Another may be the fact that he was not expecting to get laid out period and had other ideas presented to him. Maybe he didn’t want to endorse Cena, although I don’t think it was it. I don’t know what it was but my money is on that he had some kind of problem with something that was told to him yesterday or this morning and decided to go home.

I also think that cooler heads prevailed and whatever the impasse was resolved by RAW time or they agreed to disagree and revisit it this week. Nonetheless, the WWE went into full spin control and convinced Rock to send out a tweet, ironically minutes before RAW went on the air. Regardless, something doesn’t add up.

One thing you can probably count on here. The Rock is out for Extreme Rules and is probably out until at least SummerSlam, if not for good. Meltzer is probably the key to revealing this story but he seems to be either on board with the spin or has hit a wall on his sources. The beauty of pro wrestling in 2013 is someone will talk and it may not be today, tomorrow, or next week, but if something is up, it will come out eventually.

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