Friday, December 29, 2017

Pro Wrestling Recap

I won't say my interest in pro wresting is declining, but I will say if I don't actually sit down and watch Monday Night Raw on a Monday, I'm not too shook up about it as I know I can rely on sites like Bleacher Report to provide both a live results feed as well as a recap of the show shortly after it ends. I do enjoy reading articles about professional wrestling. I feel like even though I've watched professional wrestling for many years, there is a lot about it I don't know. I liken it to how I can watch a magic show and have ZERO idea how the tricks I see are being done in front of me while I have no clue as to how they were done. What I like the most about professional wrestling is when I see a good story. I admit I've seen enough of the same story throughout the years. Some very popular storylines are when:
  1. the tag team that doesn't want to work together earns a victory - in 2017, it was Jason Jordan filling in for Dean Ambrose (who will be out of action for ~9 months) winning the tag team titles on 12/25
  2. the unified alliance crumbles - in 2017, it was the collapse of Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens
I honestly look forward to what happens next. Here's my list of some of the things I hope happen in 2018:
  1. Give me a new champion. Current champ Brock Lesnar needs to lose the belt or be seen more frequently on TV. His part-time championship reign feels more like a boxing championship where there aren't a lot of defenses of the title. I think putting the belt on, say, Samoa Joe or Braun Strowman or Finn Balor would be a smart move as they are on TV each week. Yes, I get Lesnar is the "Beast" and I get the way he represents a tough challenge. At the same time the other wrestlers I just mentioned don't have Lesnar's cushy schedule as far as in-ring time. They are doing house shows and going up and down the highways, working their asses off. Lesnar is compelling, but his time is over (as far as I'm concerned).
  2. Give me a compelling reason to care about the Cruiserweight division. I know I've seen some of the same people week after week but I know very little about their characters. Swann? Gentleman Jim (the guy who had the umbrella for a while)? They are interesting characters but shit if I know what motivates them.
  3. Give me a compelling reason to care about the brood of underdogs, whether they are faces or heels.
    • I don't care about Jason Jordan. I don't care for the gimmick of being Kurt Angle's son. It means nothing to me.
    • I DO care about Sheamus & Cesaro because they rarely 'phone in' their matches - they are bruising and talented.
    • I don't care about Bray Wyatt. I don't care about Abigail & his promo style of talking in riddles has grown stale.
    • I DO care about Elias and his singing songs to insult fans - I personally think he is talented on the guitar as well as on the mic. He needs a 'real' feud, not one-off fights.
All that said here are some Bleacher Report articles & some cool wrestling videos:
  1. John Cena, Asuka's Streak, Bray Wyatt and the 2018 WWE Preview Mailbag
  2. John Cena Shifting WWE Role Was One of 2017's Underrated Stories
  3. 5 New Year's Resolutions for the WWE Universe




No comments: