So John Cena beat CM Punk last night and is solidly entrenched in the Wrestlemania main event for good. Get over it, emo fans. Although I wasn't sure what would happen going in to last night, which was a good thing, the chances of Punk going over weren't too great. But it is a credit to him that both this match and the main event at the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View did not feel like foregone conclusions when the participants hit the ring. But now we're on to what was probably penciled in a year ago, a rematch between the Rock and John Cena. Which is making the emo fans out there want to guzzle a gallon of antifreeze, I'm sure. They were all good with the Rock coming back last year because it gave them hope of seeing their favorite whipping boy Cena going down to defeat. But now, they're resigned to the fact that the Rock is a part timer and a short timer, coming back to do the run up to Wrestlemania and the big show itself, then going back to Hollywood. And it just doesn't sit well with them. Well I got news for you emo fans; the WWE is a business and the Rock brings in money. A lot of people like me got back into WWE a year ago when the Rock came back, and we've stuck around. I'm even ordering Pay Per Views again, every one since Summerslam, so the Rock coming back has made Vince over $300 off of me alone. Imagine what that means when you multiply me by 1000, which isn't out of the question. That's almost half a million dollars in either new or replacement money. So yeah, it's worth it having the Rock come back for a three match stint every Spring as long as he's willing and able. If the Undertaker is able to go for the big event, then I'm sure that will get some more buyers. Without the business there is no show.
So where does CM Punk go from here? Hard to say. A three way dance in the 'Mania main event, which is what some people were hoping for, obviously isn't going to happen. A match against the Undertaker? Maybe, although I'd question the logic of feeding Punk to the Undertaker at this juncture. The World title match is set, so forget that. Maybe a blowoff match against Ryback, but he's not done with the Shield just yet. We'll see. Where he goes after WrestleMania is a big question mark also. Assuming Cena wins the title back, then we could get a series of matches with Cena as champ and Punk as challenger, a reversal from last year. Or maybe something starts at 'Mania and goes on through the Spring. I'd love to see more Pay Per View work between him and Chris Jericho. We'll see what happens, but he's definitely at a crossroads right now. As is Dolph Ziggler; Ziggler has been jobbing left and right as of late. He put over Ryback last night, Alberto Del Rio a week ago, and never got a win over Cena after TLC. He's still got his Money in the Bank briefcase so the question is when, not if, he cashes it in. He's got until July, so whenever Del Rio is done with Jack Swagger, I figure he's likely to get his chance to be a champion again. I have no idea where the Swagger/Del Rio thing ends up. Swagger was likely to win the World title until his DUI bust; now the booking committee has to be deliberating over whether this was a blip on the radar or a sign that he can't be trusted to have any kind of prominent role.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Dwight Howard Sucks
Yeah, you read that right. OK, he's not Sam Bowie, but he's not somebody the Lakers should pin their future hopes to. He's very limited offensively, and his attitude is terrible. He is not a franchise player. On my 5 point scale he's a 4, which is All-Star. The scale is:
With Howard as the focal point you must have a top notch point guard in his prime (not Steve Nash) to get him the ball in the right places, shooters who can knock down open looks, a guard or wing player who can create their own shot and score 20, and a big man who can come in for him and hit foul shots when it's time for the other team to start fouling him. Hack-a-Shaq did not work because Shaq would get 30 points despite going 5-for-10 from the foul line. Howard can't do that; you will have to pull him in crunch time (contrary to popular belief, you didn't have to do that with Shaq).
- 5 - Franchise Player
- 4 - All Star
- 3 - Starter
- 2- Rotation guy
- 1 - Roster guy
- 0- D-leaguer
With Howard as the focal point you must have a top notch point guard in his prime (not Steve Nash) to get him the ball in the right places, shooters who can knock down open looks, a guard or wing player who can create their own shot and score 20, and a big man who can come in for him and hit foul shots when it's time for the other team to start fouling him. Hack-a-Shaq did not work because Shaq would get 30 points despite going 5-for-10 from the foul line. Howard can't do that; you will have to pull him in crunch time (contrary to popular belief, you didn't have to do that with Shaq).
WWE Musings
OK, so the Elimination Chamber is done and now it's on to Wrestlemania. All in all I thought it was a good show. I thought the matches were all good or better, and even the Divas match wasn't terrible. I wasn't sure what direction they were going to go with the Chamber match; Jack Swagger's return and big push made him winning a definite possibility, but Mark Henry has been getting the same good treatment since his comeback so he was safe pick as well. The other four guys (Kane, Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho, and Randy Orton) were obviously there to for purposes of showing well and putting those two over. Once Henry went out it was a done deal. So now we get Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio at Wrestlemania to go along with the Rock vs. John Cena in the main event.
The six man tag team match really surprised me. That one had the look of a blowoff match where the heels would get their comeuppance. In the week leading up to the show, it was looking like the Shield had met their match and wouldn't be as dominant when the odds were even. Them coming out victorious is a clear indicator that they won't be going the way of the Nexus or the Corre, the last two outsider factions that got some run in the WWE. I think that shifting them from indomitable outsiders to hired guns who are regulars on the roster is better for them in the long run. The whole 'these guys don't work here! Oh my God!' angle needs to be left on the shelf for the forseeable future. Since 1996 we've had the NWO, the Alliance, the Nexus, and the Corre. We don't need another invasion/takeover storyline for a while.
As for the main event, I wasn't totally sold on the foregone conclusion of the Rock retaining the title but once the match was over I was like 'well, duh!' Unless they were thinking Triple Threat for Wrestlemania, which they aren't, there was no reason to not go with the ending that they gave us. Now we get Rock-Cena II at Wrestlemania, and it should be a good one. Yes, the smart money is on Cena getting a win in return for last year's loss and the title to boot. I know the Cena haters want to puke at the mere thought of that but they just need to get over it. The man has been without the title for over a year now, and has put over plenty of people during that time. The larger question is who he'll take on afterward. I'd vote for Sheamus, with Cena doing the honors and dropping the title to him at Summerslam. But hey, that's just me.
The six man tag team match really surprised me. That one had the look of a blowoff match where the heels would get their comeuppance. In the week leading up to the show, it was looking like the Shield had met their match and wouldn't be as dominant when the odds were even. Them coming out victorious is a clear indicator that they won't be going the way of the Nexus or the Corre, the last two outsider factions that got some run in the WWE. I think that shifting them from indomitable outsiders to hired guns who are regulars on the roster is better for them in the long run. The whole 'these guys don't work here! Oh my God!' angle needs to be left on the shelf for the forseeable future. Since 1996 we've had the NWO, the Alliance, the Nexus, and the Corre. We don't need another invasion/takeover storyline for a while.
As for the main event, I wasn't totally sold on the foregone conclusion of the Rock retaining the title but once the match was over I was like 'well, duh!' Unless they were thinking Triple Threat for Wrestlemania, which they aren't, there was no reason to not go with the ending that they gave us. Now we get Rock-Cena II at Wrestlemania, and it should be a good one. Yes, the smart money is on Cena getting a win in return for last year's loss and the title to boot. I know the Cena haters want to puke at the mere thought of that but they just need to get over it. The man has been without the title for over a year now, and has put over plenty of people during that time. The larger question is who he'll take on afterward. I'd vote for Sheamus, with Cena doing the honors and dropping the title to him at Summerslam. But hey, that's just me.
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