WWE! Shake Things Up

After a few months of some abysmal Monday Night Raws, full of lackluster matches, illogical segments, characters fans were tried of and plenty more. Amid harsh criticisms from fans and sagging ratings, Vince McMahon and family decided to return to TV this past Monday to shake things up. Promising new stars, new match ups, and that fans were the authority they promised they heard the fans and things were going to change.

For now it looks like their sticking to truly making a change. I just finished a Fan Council survey from the WWE on changes I would like to see on the programming. For the most part they did the right things on Raw and Smackdown this week, we'll see if they stay true to their word going forward. For now here are three things I think could help the product and switch things up.

1. It's been the main crying point of fans for a few years now, make Brock Lesnar defend the damn universal championship. The Universal Championship only being defended 4 or 5 times a year severely devalues the championship and the wrestlers purpose of fighting for the top spot. If in the eyes of the McMahons Brock is a "special" attraction, and their willing to pay him millions of dollars to work a handful of times a year that's fine. However instead of making him the champion and letting the title disappear for months at a time. Use his special attraction status to build up some superstars who could use a rub from working with him. Much like many guys of the attitude era begin to move to the side for the ruthless aggression era guys, it's time Brock pays it forward and does the same. If he doesn't agree he can always make fighting in the UFC a full time job again.

2. The McMahons should really limit the amount of time they are on screen. We know their the owners of the WWE and they have been fixtures of WWE television for 20 years now, every one of them have flipped between face and heel authority figures and that path has been beaten to death now. In fact and this is not just limited to the WWE but authority figures in wrestling period really need to take a backseat. That character has been done to death and many times especially with the McMahons as authority figures they overshadow the superstars. Create one General Manager/Commissioner  type figure who works as a liaison of the McMahons who oversees both brands. Their sole purpose is to make appearance for special announcements and restore order when things seem to get out of hand.

3. I often try to avoid comparing the product today to the attitude era, they were two different time periods with different rosters and agendas. The attitude era was great for many reasons, and one often overlooked reason that the current era could really benefit from. Is during the attitude era if you were on TV, Raw, Smackdown, Sunday Night Heat it was for a purpose. There were the main angles featuring the likes of Stone Cold, The Rock, D-X etc. Then there were smaller angles that were just as important Jeff Jarrett berating women until Chyna came to the rescue, X-Pac humanizing Kane. Val Venis tryna keep his willy intact after sleeping with the wrong woman. They all served their purposes no matter how outlandish some of the stories were. People cared about the entire roster from top to bottom. With a influx of talent and the brand split there isn't much reason fans should not care somewhat about every single wrestler on the roster during Raw and Smackdown.

I'm just a fan offering my two cents on how WWE can improve their product. These are a few things I feel would make the product better. I'll continue to watch and suffer through some rough times and wait for the tide to turn. In the meantime maybe WWE will hire me, a guy can dream.

Read More

WWE Hall OF Fame

   It’s that time again where the WWE selects their hall of fame class. While not a physical hall of fame, and some question the authenticity of it, year in and year out there is still consistent debate about who hasn’t been inducted that should. While the WWE has began to announce their inductees for this year, I’m listing my top 5 who need to be inducted sooner rather than later.
   First up Arn Anderson “The Enforcer”, it can be difficult to really shine when your standing next to Ric Flair. Which I believe is a major reason Arn Anderson was so underrated, he wasn’t as charismatic as Naitch but he had enough charisma. He got the job done in the ring, and was responsible for naming the Four Horseman. His spinebuster finisher always looked devastating, and he was a master of the tag team game with Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard. His work behind the scenes with younger talent shouldn’t go unnoticed either. While a Hall Of Fame member via the Four Horseman, it’s time he’s inducted as a individual.
   The “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith should be inducted as well. In all honesty he should have been WWEs first UK born world champion. Big, strong, and quite agile, he wasn’t the most technical, but had brute strength and enough charisma to keep folks engaged in his presence . His Summerslam match against Bret Hart for the Intercontinental championship is a classic. Sadly drug abuse held him back, but he was consistent if not spectacular and left a mark on the world of wrestling.
   Paul Heyman...the manager of the Dangerous Alliance, the advisor to the Beast Incarnate, the founder of ECW! One of the greatest talkers in the game, one of the best minds for the business, and a eye for talent Paul Heyman is one of a kind. ECW pretty much was the inspiration for WWEs attitude era, he brought several “smaller” guys like Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey mystero to ECW before WCW swiped them. Along with Brock Lesnar he advocated for and helped groom Stone Cold Steve Austin,Tazz, RVD, and CM Punk among others. When he was the head writer of Smackdown during the first brand spilt, it was consistently better than Raw. His financial management skills of ECW was his biggest downfall, but it’s a crime he hasn’t been honored yet.
    Vince McMahon’s biggest competitor is next on the list, Mr. Eric Bischoff. The guy who challenged McMahon head on and started Monday Night Nitro to go head to head with Monday Night Raw. He turned WCW from a afterthought to the premiere wrestling company in the world at one time. The guy who bought luchador style wrestling to the mainstream. The man who created the NWO and nearly put Vince McMahon out of business. Eric Bischoff deserves a spot in the Hall Of Fame, if for nothing else simply off the intense competition between him and McMahon during the Monday Night Wars. Sadly his letting the inmates run the asylum mentality was his downfall, and lighting could not strike twice when he tried to turn TNA around. However he contributed a great deal to some of the most iconic moments in wrestling history and should be rewarded for that.
    With the divas revolution, the first woman’s hell in the cell, and the first woman’s Royal Rumble, one woman initially broke that ceiling CHYNA. The fact she has not been inducted yet is beyond a crime, and I think it was more of a personal issue than anything else. Chyna evolved from a brooding mute bodyguard of Triple H and DX to a superstar in her own right, making the cover of playboy and a few acting gigs outside of wrestling. Winning the Intercontinental title, being the first female in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring tournament , she also was a number one contender for the WWF championship where people legit believed she could be the first World Champion. While most of the woman superstars of today credit Lita and Trish Stratus as their inspiration, Chyna really set the standard for Woman being talented wrestlers paving the way for them to be taken seriously. One of a kind, it’s time WWE grows up and gives Chyna her rightful place in the hall.

Read More