Sandbag Swagger? Pfft, NBD

Swagger going BEEF MOE
Photo Credit: WWE.com

If you're reading this blog for something other than the first time, and you've been on the Internet reading message boards and interacting with "smart" fans, then I shouldn't need to tell you that in order for most wrestling moves to work, they take cooperation between the guy giving the move and the guy taking it. If you're reading for the first time, and this is your first time seeing such blasphemy openly saying that wrestling may not be on the up-and-up, hello, welcome to The Internet. I'm happy you chose my blog as your first foray into "advanced" Internet fandom, and I hope that you stay away from most other blogs or news/newz sites because they're exceedingly negative for the sake of being negative and suck. Stick with me and Fair to Flair and all our ancillary blogs, With Leather's Brandon Stroud, Grantland's David "Masked Man" Shoemaker, the Camel Clutch Blog and generally anyone who writes within the umbrella and is on my sidebar. So yeah, you may not know that moves take cooperation but they do. Get it. Got it? Good.

Anyway, what happens when someone taking the move just dead-weights a guy and doesn't cooperate? Or if they don't know how to take the move, or if there's a miscommunication or a mistake on taking it? Well, then you get an incident on RAW where Alex Riley sandbagged Jack Swagger during the execution of the SWAGGAH BOMB~! Swagger had trouble wrestling Riley up to the peak to bring the move to completion. It looked awkward as fuck for the first part of the move, but then a funny thing happened. Through last minute coordination from Riley or from sheer BEAST MODE-style strength from Swagger, the All-American American American American American American American American American American American got Riley up and delivered the signature gutwrench powerbomb to its full motion. In short, it made Swagger look like a complete badass.

I've made no bones about the introduction of "struggle" into move execution in the past. I love the scraps that Daniel Bryan would have with various opponents in trying to wrangle each other into their various submission holds. The Ikuto Hidaka/Chris Hero match from EVOLVE 2 was amazing because it had that rough edge to it. Both men didn't go in hitting their spots cleanly all the time; there was an illusion that yeah, maybe they really were fighting instead of just going through a choreographed routine. I don't pretend to say that the clean and crisp execution of a move is bad, because I like that too. I like all styles of wrestling, to tell you the truth. But there is something raw and visceral and satisfying when every once in awhile, you get guys giving in and saying "Fuck it, let's look like we're really scrapping."

That being said, what happened Monday was probably the furthest thing from a cooperative effort to look like the two guys were really beating the shit out of each other as possible. Riley fucked up, plain and simple. He sandbagged Swagger, and in turn, he fucked the sequence up. I don't know if it was intentional or whether Riley is still super, super green, but let's not rush to give him credit here. The guy we should be lauding though is Swagger. Whether it was sheer will, anger, frustration or adrenaline, he took Riley over and executed a move that would have looked awful if he didn't overcome the Varsity Villain's inertia.

There's taking lemons and turning them into lemonade, and then there's taking lemons, smashing them into curd and making them into delicious tarts. With the effort that Swagger put out Monday night, I'd say he deserves credit enough for the more laborious task. He made a bad situation into a visual spectacle. I'd say that earned him a round of applause, or at least it should have.

Instant Feedback: OMG Kevin Nash WTF I Thought He Was Dead LOL

After Kevin Nash cost CM Punk the Undisputed WWE Championship last night, I know I was looking forward to the promo confrontation tonight. It had to happen. Nash was one of the savviest talkers in this sort of environment, and Punk, well, Punk's been proving it every week save one for the last two months. So yeah, I was a bit disappointed with the way Nash didn't show up. Punk ran circles around him, which is okay given that Punk makes everything alright, y'know?

That being said, I liked the way the segment played out. While Nash's delivery was rusty and his "shooty" material felt the most Russo-ish of the insider stuff, I thought nearly everything else surrounding it was interesting. Johnny Ace and Nash as cohorts was a wrinkle that I saw coming, but still welcomed. Stephanie's continued existence is troubling a bit, since I'm still unsure whether she can keep her raging ego in check, but it makes sense.

However, the undisputed star of this show was Alberto del Rio. His promo at the beginning (after shooing Triple H from the ring after a record low seven minutes of promo time) was amazing. People like to knock him for being one-dimensional or "comedic" or whatever, but he's a swarthy, cocky dickhead who just fulfilled his destiny. That gave his promo so much weight, and it was mollified by his awesome facial expressions and body language. One-dimensional? If he's like this in August 2012 or '13, maybe, but right now, he's still technically in his rookie year. It's his first act, and what a first act it's been.

His match with Rey Mysterio was great too. Man, those two don't have bad matches with each other. They really played up Mysterio's title history, and it really put an air of uncertainty on the match. Mysterio took a big bump across the guardrail, and then del Rio said "Heeeeeyy, I can do better!" and leaped out of the ring on a spill of his own. The finish was utter brilliance too. Mysterio landed a 619, making everyone think he was going to win, and then the counter to the Tadpole Splash (lol, love that call) was just the best way to end the match. Seriously, anyone who says WWE doesn't give you wrestling is full of shit.

The post-match stuff worked for me too. John Cena, although many could say that he was hypocritically (although could that be the point?), spat fire, and it was intense and effective.

Of course, RAW wasn't all peaches and cream. Specifically, the Riley/Swagger match segment was dreadful. Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler bickering didn't click for me (although I appreciated where it was going). Dumping on JR was lame. The match sucked, and yeah, Riley clearly sandbagged Swagger at the end. Credit to Swagger for handling it like a pro and still coming out looking all beast mode, but still, Riley is either a dick (not likely) or just showing how green he is still (more likely). I will say this; the finish of that match made me appreciate that they're maybe going for a Swagger/Ziggler feud in the near future with Swagger moving in on Vickie in the next segment.

All in all, a solid if unspectacular show. They still kept me interested, and the main event was boss though, so yeah, it was more win than loss for me.

Future Endeavors 7/7 Power Poll: Cena Is Beloved by the Net, Down Is Now Up

Was I the only guy to vote for McMahon?
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Welcome to yet another edition of the Future Endeavors Power Poll, a poll ranking wrestlers on a weekly basis based on how awesomely they performed or were portrayed on a Tuesday-to-Monday cycle. It is voted by a who's-who of wrestling bloggers, including my blogging Bilbro Baggins, PizzaBodySlam. I will list the top ten, and then post and comment on my ballot. Here goes:

1. John Cena (Last Week: 8)
2. CM Punk (1)
3. Randy Orton (4)
4. Alberto Del Rio (7)
5. Sheamus (NR)
6. Christian (9)
7. Mark Henry (2)
8. R-Truth (5)
9. Alex Riley (NR)
10. Zack Ryder (NR)

And now, my ballot:

1. John Cena
2. Vince McMahon - I'm not sure that final segment works the way it does if one of these two guys is missing. They totally made up for Punk not being on the telecast "live", and it was great TV, especially from Cena.

3. Daniel Bryan - Guys, I think they really believe in Daniel Bryan. The next person who says they don't emphasize him despite the fact he's in a prominent feud is getting my e-foot up their cyber-ass.

4. Sheamus - He ruined a contract signing and turned it into a fellabration by putting his real boot up the corporeal asses of both Randy Orton and Christian. This gets four thumbs up from Wrestling Fan Goro.

5. Alex Riley - BACKSLIDE~!

6. Christian - I'd say being the first guy to beat Sin Cara is worthy of getting on my ballot.

7. The Miz - He basically teabagged Riley after their match was over. Is there anyone better in WWE at doing the post-match beatdown than Miz right now?

8. Alberto del Rio - He got a big win on RAW that meant nothing in the long run. But hey, a clean win over Rey Mysterio with the cross armbreaker is no joke.

9. R-Truth - He saved 15% on his car insurance by switching to Geico despite the fact he was talking to Flo the whole time. That's impressive!

10. Zack Ryder - Yeah, I voted for him just for coming out and fist-pumping for a minute. So what, want to fight about it?

Instant Feedback: John Cena, a Real American Hero

Usually, whenever they tape two RAWs at the same time, the second show is flat, the crowd sucks and nothing really ever happens. Reading some of the spoilers for this show, my hopes weren't high. But that's the thing about spoilers; usually, they only tell part of the story. Verily, tonight's RAW was awesome from top to bottom. How fitting that in this year of upside-down and inside-out that the show that was taped after one two-hour show was among the best of the year, eh?

A lot of that comes from John Cena. He is counted on as WWE's workhorse and their top star, but sometimes, he can come off as trite or insincere. When he does, it makes for bad television. Tonight, he sounded sincere. His promo to kick the show off was about as good as I remember him being. When he's out there, standing up for Hustle, Loyalty and Respect, he is a tremendous, must-see character. Him standing up for his rival, for free speech and for the integrity of the match was riveting and the perfect way to kick off RAW. Even more stunning was his faceoff with Vince McMahon at the end of the show. Let's not get it twisted. McMahon was good in that segment, but Cena carried it. So much forceful emotion... when he feels genuine, I see why he's the top guy in WWE. IT didn't matter to me that they teased another firing, even if they teased and followed through with it to rushed results (even if I thought the story they told with him and Nexus/Wade Barrett was good in theory). The tension of the segment would have sold me on the PPV if I wasn't already sold on it before any match was announced.

And the bookends weren't the only things that sold this show on me. The wrestling was good, even if it wasn't spectacular. The segment with Evan Bourne, Sgt. Slaughter and Jack SWAGGAH~! was epic, especially with Swagger bringing up Sarge's early '90s defection to Iraq. R-Truth on the phone with Flo and plugging the wrong insurance company was epic. Alex Riley winning with a backslide and then Miz doing everything but teabagging him was fitting. Hell, even the Divas got time and had a decent match, which for them was akin to Savage/Steamboat from WM III.

And hey... ZACK RYDER SIGHTING! Here's hoping he and Curt Hawkins, or Chris Masters, or even his father get a shot at the Tag Pennies and more exposure on my RAW program.

For whatever reason, RAW clicked tonight, all 125 minutes of it. Looks like summer is heating up for WWE.

Wrestling Oddsmakers: RAW's Money in the Bank Match

Will del Rio accessorize his cars with a briefcase?
Photo Credit: WWE.com

It's that time of the year again, wrestling fans! Money in the Bank is a scant two-and-a-half weeks away, and the lineup for the RAW match was announced this past Monday. Here it is, as follows:

• Alberto del Rio
• Alex Riley
• Evan Bourne
• Jack SWAGGAH~!
• Kofi Kingston
• The Miz
• R-Truth
• Rey Mysterio

That's a very interesting lineup, one that will provide some MitB experience, some fresh faces, a gallery of guys who, with the exception of Miz and maybe Mysterio, would feel fresh in the title scene and with Bourne, Kingston and Rey, guys who know how to bring fireworks to a match like this. While I have little doubt this match will deliver, I'm not sure who's going to win. There are a few good choices, but rather than just singling those guys out, why not give odds for everyone, starting with the longest shot and going down to the favorite? Here goes:

Alex Riley
Odds: 500-1

I think WWE likes A-Ry. I really do. He wouldn't be getting this full-faith push if they didn't. I like him too. I think he's got great character chops and if he gets a polish on his ring work, he'll be a good fit for the main event. However, I'll be utterly shocked if he walks away with the briefcase here. It's too soon, and I think they realize it too. Yeah, they're giving him a lot of heat in his feud with Miz, but at the same time, that kind of thing can be a red herring. I mean, look at Kofi after his feud where we all thought he was "made" against Randy Orton. Again, Riley's awesome right now, and he'll get his time in the sun. That time just isn't now.

Evan Bourne
Odds: 250-1

This match is why Bourne is on the roster and probably will remain on the roster. He'll always get prominently featured in it, thanks mostly to the urging of his friends in WWE like John Cena and Randy Orton, but once it's over, management goes back to having him bump for big guys and do his Air Bourne on Superstars. It's a shame, because much like Mysterio, Bourne is fucking exciting to watch, man. While I'll be rooting my hardest for him to win this match, I think those cries will end up being in vain.

Kofi Kingston
Odds: 75-1

If this Money in the Bank were held in December of 2009, then I'd be all-in on Kofi winning. But much like I mentioned before, he's lost his mojo and hasn't really gotten it back, unless being in a perpetual feud with Dolph Ziggler that seems to be personal hell of one Brandon Stroud counts as mojo (hint: it doesn't). Then again, what other face on the RAW side than Cena and Mysterio get the kind of pops that Kofi even still gets? Not John Morrison, he's hurt anyway. I mean, I don't see him winning, but at the same time, I thought that Swagger didn't have a chance in hell in the last WM MitB match, did I?

Jack Swagger
Odds: 40-1

Speaking of SWAGGAH BOMBU~!, this is his first MitB match since that aforementioned briefcase snagging at WrestleMania XXVI. That led to him not being in Smackdown's match last year because he was trying to regain the World Championship from Rey Mysterio. I'm hesitant to say he has a great shot because he's been jobbing to Bourne a lot lately, but then again, they seem to like to break guys down before giving them the briefcase, don't they? Plus, he still has that broken association with Michael Cole going for him, which would segue nice into an angle. He's middling at best, but I give him a better than 50-1 chance because hey, I've been burned once before.

R-Truth
Odds: 25-1

You would think that Truth would be a favorite for this match, given that he's fresh off a WWE Championship opportunity, right? Well no, I'm not sure if that's the case, given that WWE and I seem to be on a similar wavelength as to how to keep Truf fresh and interesting. Sure, Money in the Bank would be a great way to circumvent a conspiracy theory against him, but at the same time, why not have circumstance "screw" Truth here like it did at Capitol Punishment, when he done got got by Little Jimmy? At the same time though, he is a prior contender with a beef with Cena, so he's still more viable than the bottom half of the odds sheet.

Rey Mysterio
Odds: 10-1

Mysterio is always hurt, begging for vacation or if you believe the nebulous sources within WWE, is ready to either retire or take a break. So why give him these kinds of odds? Well, he's probably the most over guy in the match, face or heel, for one. Two, him winning gives them the option of realistically having a cash-in be predetermined because hey, he's an honorable face... stop snickering! Faces still act honor... okay, you win. Still, any match where he's in, he's gotta be a favorite to win.

The Miz
Odds: 5-1

It would be old hat, but in a way, it's a propos, right? Miz has the preeminent experience given his big win last year with a better field (or at least one that had Orton in it), plus WWE is known to do a repeat result. They did it with CM Punk directly, and with Edge, I'm sure they were wishing they'd have had him win two briefcases in a row in the MitB match rather than having to beat Mr. Glass Kennedy for his second one. Also, it sets up an intriguing story where Miz is the first to fail at cashing in, be it clean or through A-Ry-generated shenanigans.

Alberto del Rio
Odds: Even Money

It's his DESTINY. Well, we all thought it was his destiny after winning the Royal Rumble, but he was struck by a Smooth Criminal Rated R Superstar in what turned out to be his last match ever. Such is life. However, you don't get to win the Royal Rumble and not be high on their list, so an ADR title reign is inevitable, right? Plus, he's got Cena at SummerSlam, or at least that's the plan according to an interview he did. There are many different ways this could be set up, but I'm thinking a rematch clause after del Rio takes out Cena, who would have just taken out CM Punk, at that very show, would be the most logical one...

...baaaaht... chu already knew that. *wink*

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Bad Timing: Why I'm Disappointed That Alex Riley Dodged a DUI

I like A-Ry; that's why I wanted the book thrown at him, for his own good
Photo Credit: WWE.com

At 3 AM, Eastern Daylight Time, Ryan Dunn of Jackass fame died in a car accident. He had left the bar after drinking and was driving on US 322 north of West Chester, PA, where he was reputedly texting while driving shortly before he lost control of his vehicle.

What does this have to do with wrestling? Well, nothing topically, except for a court case being thrown out this weekend involving a wrestler. Last year, Alex Riley, then just a second to The Miz and right now the hottest babyface act in the company, got pulled over for a DUI in Hillsborough County, FL. Well, this past weekend, he got that DUI conviction thrown out, mainly because the arresting officers didn't have probable cause to pull him over. That's funny, because I never knew they needed probable cause to pull someone over for DUI. I mean, if that's the case, then how do they get away with sobriety checkpoints? Can anyone check the legality on that for me?

Anyway, I'm all for civil liberties, and yeah, I don't think cops should be pulling people over willy-nilly. That's police-state shit right there. However, there's a part of me that wishes that Riley's lawyers didn't find that loophole in the law that allowed the case to get thrown out. I feel like the stance on drunk driving in this country, while better than it was even 20 years ago, is still way too lax for my liking. Too many people, innocent or otherwise, lose their lives, limbs, movement or what have you, because they don't know how to drink responsibly. Riley, even as a WWE n00b, probably makes enough money to the point where he could have called a cab. Dunn probably made enough money from his Jackass work where he could have a personal DD pick him up and drop him off at whatever bars he wanted to go to. People know the dangers of impaired driving, and yet they willingly ignore those dangers in the name of convenience. Meanwhile, the legal penalties for killing someone while drunk in a car remain unbelievably lax, so there's no real deterrence factor. Oh, wow, you get your license revoked for a year or so. Big whoop.

So the cycle continues, and now, another person gets stupid and pays with his life, taking a passenger with him. This isn't to minimize Dunn's life or his death. I'm not saying you shouldn't feel bad for his family and friends or be bummed because you were a fan of his and didn't want to see him die this young. I just want people to realize the inherent stupidity here; they're not mutually exclusive feelings. The fact that he didn't kill anyone outside his own vehicle is irrelevant. He could have, and at that point, we'd be talking about truly innocent victims being killed by negligence. To me, that's unacceptable.

Which is why I feel disappointed that Riley was able to find that loophole to get his DUI thrown out. I'm not he, so I can't say whether or not he learned a lesson here. At the same time, I have to think that him skating on this charge makes him less likely to take in the gravity of what could have happened if an obstacle came up that he was slow to react to on his way home. He drove impaired and skated on charges. How does that teach anything? My only hope is that maybe he got news of how Dunn died (and let's face it, the fact that he was drunk and reputedly was on the phone is a double-whammy, but even if he wasn't on the phone? It's still terrible) and realized that wow, maybe he got away with one when his case got thrown out. Regardless, the last thing I want to see is Riley hurt himself or an innocent bystander because he was stupid enough to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking one too many.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Weekend Wrap-Up: There Was a Payoff to the Obama Dream Sequences

Jesus Christ, no
Photo Credit: WWE.com

- Capitol Punishment was last night, and it was actually a pretty eventful PPV. Both secondary titles changed hands (Ziggler and Zeke, your new US and IC Champions respectively!), CM Punk beat Rey Mysterio cleanly(-ish) and Evan Bourne and Jack Swagger had a PPV match. None of that was enough to make the consensus positive for the show though. Both John Cena and Randy Orton retained their titles, which for some reason shocked and appalled some of the more hardcore smarks on the web. For one, Cena winning should have been a foregone conclusion, and really, Truf shouldn't be Champ just yet (although when he does win, I expect theatrics and histrionics the level we haven't seen since... errr, King Joffrey's reign of terror in the last four episodes of Game of Thrones this season... seriously, go back and watch this before HBO takes it off On Demand... expect a review of the season for TWIOT).

Orton winning though? Well, I'm ambivalent to it anymore, mainly because I didn't watch the event. However, the way it played out sounded a bit cheap to me. That being said, I don't think Christian is really going anywhere, so settle your tea kettles₁. If you really want to get up in arms about something, do it over the Obama impersonator. That shit wasn't funny when it was Clinton, or for the millisecond that it was Bush. It's so cheap and cheesy. It's the kind of thing... hell, it's one of the ONLY things that makes me ashamed to be a wrestling fan. Ugh.

- Alex Riley got his DUI charges dismissed. Good news for him, I suppose, but hopefully, he doesn't see this as license to continue to drive intoxicated.

- There was an indie show this weekend, out in Berwyn, IL at the Eagles Club. AAW ran Day of Defiance. In the main event, Rhino defeated Silas Young. Also on the card, Jimmy Jacobs tapped Christian Hayme to win a multi-man scramble match that also included Sami Callihan, Samuray del Sol and Alex Colon, and the Awesome Threesome became new AAW Tag Champs by defeating Zero Gravity.

1 - Nattie Neidhart's greatest non-in-ring contribution to the wrestling tapestry.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Future Endeavors 6/11 Power Poll: Tough Enough to the Top

TE winner and top of the power poll
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Welcome to yet another edition of the Future Endeavors Power Poll, a poll ranking wrestlers on a weekly basis based on how awesomely they performed or were portrayed on a Tuesday-to-Monday cycle. It is voted by a who's-who of wrestling bloggers, including my blogging Bro Rocca, PizzaBodySlam. I will list the top ten, and then post and comment on my ballot. Here goes:

1. Andy Leavine (Last week: NR)
2. R-Truth (1)
3. Christian (5)
4. Randy Orton (3)
5. Alex Riley (2)
6. John Cena (NR)
7. Booker T (NR)
8. The Miz (NR)
9. Daniel Bryan (6)
10. Sin Cara (8)

And now, my ballot:

1. Andy Leavine - I know I didn't watch Tough Enough, but hey, this is as good a consolation prize for him getting slapped and Stunnered in his first action as an official WWE wrestler.

2. Christian - He finally turned heel, keeping Sheamus from winning the World Championship and walloping Randy Orton with it after the match. Big waves for a guy who's been the focus of Smackdown for the better part of two months now.

3. YAMATO - He made it out of the weekend as the Open the Freedom Gate Champion, which given how infrequent title switches happen in DGUSA may not be impressive, but then again, he did defeat the English Jumping Bean PAC.

4. R-Truth - Despite the inappropriate wardrobe choice, he was again on fire Monday. My favorite was when he accused Obama of wanting to throw him off a boat. Must be stumping for Republican support.

5. Booker T - NOSTALGIA!

6. Alex Riley - Three weeks, and his push isn't derailed. They just might be serious about him.

7. John Cena - Stock John Ce... wait, wrong wrestler for a stock ranking. Okay.

8. The Miz - Yes, I did vote for all the members in the main event tag match on RAW. Why do you ask?

9. Johnny Gargano - He traded wins with Austin Aries, getting the win in the stable war over him. Also, he's the whole shebang.

10. Evan Bourne - DIRECT BENEFICIARY OF NOSTALGIA!

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Future Endeavors 6/5 Power Poll: The Truth Has Set Us Free

Truf giving those Cena plants fans the what for
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Welcome to yet another edition of the Future Endeavors Power Poll, a poll ranking wrestlers on a weekly basis based on how awesomely they performed or were portrayed on a Tuesday-to-Monday cycle. It is voted by a who's-who of wrestling bloggers, including my blogging Khal Brogo, PizzaBodySlam. I will list the top ten, and then post and comment on my ballot. Here goes:

1. R-Truth (Last Week: 4)
2. Alex Riley (3)
3. Randy Orton (1)
4. Sheamus (8)
5. Christian (2)
6. Daniel Bryan (NR)
7. CM Punk (7)
8. Sin Cara (9)
9. Ezekiel Jackson (10)
10. Evan Bourne (NR)

And now, my ballot!

1. R-Truth - Little Jimmy got chided. Big Jimmy got a face full of soda. And John Cena got trolled hardcore into a WWE Championship match at Capitol Punishment... of course, if Truth apologizes. I'm sure he'll find a way around it. I'm finally on the Truf-Train now, mainly because he was so awesome on RAW last week.

2. Claudio Castagnoli - Two successful PWG title defenses last weekend get the Very European superstar here. His first title defense even came against his oldest friend and rival Chris Hero despite the fact that the top rope on the ring broke a third of the way into the match. That takes steely resolve.

3. Alex Riley - Another week, another step forward for Miz's former lackey. If WWE's not careful, they may have a budding superstar on their hands.

4. Alex Shelley - He was the bringer of fanservice last weekend, promising both a MCMG/American Wolves match and putting his name on the bottom line for a Generation Next reunion against the Young Bucks and a hired hand of their choice. Oh yeah, he also wrestled in two tremendous matches.

5. Daniel Bryan - Stock Daniel Bry... wait, what do you mean he won a match against Cody Rhodes last week on Smackdown? YAY!

6. Evan Bourne - SURPRISE win against Jack SWAGGAH~! on RAW and because, according to reader Dorian, I have a mancrush on him. Well, I will neither confirm nor deny that.

7. CM Punk - I think if you get a clean win over Rey Mysterio, you get a spot on this list. I love the Tajiri Kick as a new alternate finisher as well.

8. The Young Bucks - Survived the weekend as PWG Tag Champions, including against the reformed team of Austin Aries and Roderick Strong.

9. Akira Tozawa - Ended his whirlwind run in PWG for the time being with three standout performances, including an emotional, action-packed affair against Chris Hero. Tozawa is the man, folks.

10. Sheamus - For earning a title shot, fella.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Hey, They Still Like Alex Riley!

You the man, A-Ry
Photo Credit: WWE.com

So, it looks like WWE thinks highly of Alex Riley. How do I know this? They didn't job him out to Miz this past week on RAW to close the book on his insolence and ping-pong him back to Smackdown (although that would be an entertaining storyline for some wrestler some day, keep switching brands until that becomes their gimmick, but I digress). Rather, they continued to build him up by having him wrangle Michael Cole and then chase Miz out of the arena this time. Looks like they're saving the bullshit parity immediate storyline reprisals for Superstars these days. I'm not complaining though.

I think that this faith in A-Ry is well-warranted. Since NXT Season 2 began, I thought he was the most polished of his class on the mic and had a great, brash charisma that could buy him a long career with the big company. The guy held his own on the mic when he was trading it with The Miz, who himself was polished and had become one of the best promos in the company. Big things for this guy, I thought, but I also guessed he'd bust out big as a heel on Smackdown. Imagine that, he's on the A-show as a babyface going up against his former mentor. It remains to be seen if that panache on the mic will work in larger bursts as a face, but for now, let's savor what we have.

Whether you live in the moment or worry about his future or anywhere in between, one thing is for certain. The WWE HAS to follow up on this in a way that makes Riley memorable. Does he have to pin Miz cleanly? I think it'd be nice, but no, as long as when he's done this mini-feud, he's a fixture in the midcard and taking up time on the big show rather than being delegated to the Superstars zone.

The WWE stumbled onto something special here, actually two things special. One is that they were able to create a rising star in Riley. Two, they found out that Miz really is a guy who makes people more over than they already were by associating with him. That's a huge, huge thing, I think. Still, whether they do or not, it's refreshing to see hope and faith in a guy get validated. The WWE fans agree with me. Here's hoping for the best for A-Ry.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Instant Feedback: Memorable Memorial Day

If you excuse the technical difficulties and the uncharacteristic clunkiness of the Ziggler/Kofi match, this might have been a pitch-perfect RAW. Just amazing how much of what they did right. I mean, I'm buying more and more of R-Truth as a clinically insane guy one felony away from Arkham Asylum each week, and John Cena this week was a perfect canvas to play off of. Seriously, the main event and overrun were amazing television. Imagine that, Cena gets outsmarted and bothered, and it's great TV. Hmm....

The thing with RAW is that whenever the wrestling is good, the show tends to be better. Let's ignore the US non-title match to start; again, everyone has an off-night, even Dolph Ziggler. The Divas are a non-starter anymore, so I won't even bitch about them here (Although I will later in the week). They gave us a good bit of good wrestling this week. Punk vs. Rey? Awesome. Bourne vs. Swagger? Awesome x 2. Cena vs. Truf? Okay although with a VERY clever finish.

But it wasn't just the wrestling that was good this week. They continued building Alex Riley to the point where I think they may have a burgeoning star on their hands with him. I mean, they are playing the right strings with him, very reminiscent of the Flair/Perfect/Heenan turn saga in 1992. They're actually building an honest-to-God wrestling feud sub-the main event with Evan Bourne and Jack Swagger. They had a match with a clean finish last week, extracurriculars afterwards and then a clean, traded upset win this week? And then the finish to the main event, with Truf doing perhaps the best thing he's ever done and ever will do in WWE, throwing the soda into the face of the fan he was taunting at the top of the show? Holy shit, so good.

But the capper was Kharma's segment. First off, warmest congratulations to Kia Stevens, the person, for her pregnancy. As an expecting father, it's the best feeling in the world to be bringing life into the world. Second, it was amazing they let Kharma, the character, go out there and cut a heartfelt promo. Did it ruin Kharma's mystique? Yeah, it might have. Would it have been better to have her cold-cock Michael Cole or do something else that would have elicited a suspension? Maybe. Were the obviously baiting bully comments by the Bellas over the top? Given that they were the heels in the situation, no. Was it stupid for Lawler to come to Kharma's defense when he was doing the same thing to Vickie Guerrero even earlier in the show? Definitely.

That being said, I thought the segment worked and it was way better than I had expected it to be. It also gives them an earnest babyface that connected with the crowd to bring back in the future. Just the cap on a RAW that was unusually awesome tonight.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Future Endeavors 5/27 Power Poll: Punk Rulz Guys

1-2 in the polls, but where would they be on my ballot?
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Welcome to yet another edition of the Future Endeavors Power Poll, a poll ranking wrestlers on a weekly basis based on how awesomely they performed or were portrayed on a Tuesday-to-Monday cycle. It is voted by a who's-who of wrestling bloggers, including my blogging Bro-Magnon Man, PizzaBodySlam. I will list the top ten, and then post and comment on my ballot. Here goes:

1. Randy Orton (Last week: 3)
2. Christian (4)
3. Alex Riley (NR)
4. R-Truth (5)
5. Rey Mysterio (NR)
6. John Cena (2)
7. CM Punk (9)
8. Sheamus (NR)
9. Sin Cara (6)
10. Ezekiel Jackson (NR)

And now, my ballot:

1. CM Punk - If just for his RAW performance, paying tribute to Randy Savage and trolling the shit out of Bret Hart in the main event tag match, Punk deserves to get all ten votes on my poll. Alas, I don't think Don would appreciate it that much. Anyway, a true money performer who showed what he could do when given a big stage.

2. Alex Riley - HE's a star, at least for this week he is.

3. John Cena - Never give up, never surrender and all that happy horseshit. Maybe it's because I didn't see him as SuperCena at Over the Limit, but I also don't have the same bias against voting for Cena that I do against Orton.

4. Daniel Bryan - For once, no "Stock Daniel Bryan Ranking" explanation here. He had a great match against Chavo on Smackdown, and yeah, if I can have any excuse to vote for Bryan, I'll take it!

5. Cody Rhodes - Just make him emperor of Smackdown and have put paper bags over Orton's head each week. That would be the best feud ever.

6. Eddie Edwards - A successful title defense and a final "shit or get off the pot" moment of him actually taking the initiative and laying down the challenge to his tag partner Davey Richards gets him on my ballot. The more I observe, the more of a fan I'm becoming of Edwards' title reign.

7. Hallowicked - He arguably got the biggest win of the Chikara weekend by snagging a one-on-one pinfall victory over Lighting Mike Quackenbush in the 12 Large Summit tournament. Getting a pin over Quack is kinda like pinning Hogan in 1988. Y'know, if Hogan were a cool, laid-back awesome wrestler instead of a politicking jerk. So maybe it's NOT at all like getting a win over Hogan. Damn, I failed again :(

8. Vin Gerard - The other winner in last weekend's 12 Large opening matches, he scored somewhat of an upset win over Brodie Lee. Sure, he can't tag with STIGMA anymore, but that may be a plus for both men.

9. Christian - F the haters, Christian is awesome and gets this vote sheerly because of the lengths he goes to to make Smackdown work, even if he doesn't get the kayfabe plaudits to go along with it.

10. Rey Mysterio - He did some serious work in that main event tag match. Punk brought the theatrics and trolling, but Rey's face comeback work was a big reason why it was an enjoyable main event.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Card Position and Enjoyment

So what if Miz isn't programmed against Orton all the time?
Photo Credit: WWE.com

I saw this on the Wrestling Theory blog the other day:

if a wrestler gets “demoted” to the midcard, then the shit’s okay. It’s okay. That guy will still be on your television. He will still wrestle. It’s fine, for god’s sake.

Pretty bold words for a guy on the Internet. For the longest time, many folks on the Web live and died by how high up on the card their favorite guys are. The thing is, how warranted is the concern? Again, it's well-established that what we as fans care about and what wrestlers care about sometimes are far different. We cry for CM Punk and Chris Jericho, but in those situations where we lament, they're celebrating because hey, they went out and did their jobs excellently.

The latest example, which is probably what elicited this post from WT, is The Miz's latest issue with his pupil, Alex Riley. Many people celebrated it as an entertaining segment, but there are those who are bemoaning this as a "demotion" for Miz, where he now will not be in the main event. Okay, while that may be the case, why should I care? The only reason is if it leads to Miz not being on camera, and I'm not talking "on camera as much as he was during the Cena feud", but I'm talking more a TNA-style "here one week, gone the next two" style of building an angle. If a demotion in card position means I get deprived of Miz, then I'm pissed.

However, what makes anyone think that the WWE is going to suddenly not have Miz on camera? I mean, does Miz being on screen, cutting promos and wrestling matches really matter if he's doing against Cena or Riley? The answer is no, really, unless it bothers you on a metaphysical level that he's not in the tippy-top feud. If that's the case, then again, I wonder why you're a fan. Wrestling is supposed to be an escape from the every day trappings of BS politics and such. It's one thing to hate on a segment because it's unentertaining, but if is enjoyable, then why look for a reason to hate it?

The truth is, The Miz, as well as CM Punk, as well as Jericho all have major job security and they're all locks to be on camera (in Jericho's case, if/when he returns), doing entertaining things. If it's against Cena and it's entertaining, then great. If it's against Riley, great again. Evan Bourne, Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase... hell, even if it's against the Great fucking Khali and they somehow manage to get an entertaining segment out of him, then it's gravy too.

If a wrestler getting "demoted" means you see less of him, then there's a reason to get up in arms, but clearly, after a 180+ day title reign, countless pimping and exposure (to the point of overexposure to some), The Miz is not getting knocked down the card to the point where you're lucky if you see him on Superstars. He's a part of the big show, and will be for as long as the WWE will have him and vice versa.

Besides, with the way Miz has been booked against Cena, why would anyone want to see that kind of program continue? Then again, that's another post for another... oh wait, I already wrote about that this week. Seriously, I bet if you asked Miz what he thought about the last six or seven months he's had, he won't tell you that he's pissed because of the way he's been booked. He won't tell you he's mad at WWE for demoting him to possibly feuding with Alex Riley. No, and you know why? Because he's happy to be part of the WWE, have tons of airtime to go out there and perform and be the best he can be.

So yeah, in closing, I'd have to echo what WT said, and just be cool about everything. Unless Miz's knocking back means he's not going to be on TV, then it's nothing to get pissed off about. Not everyone can have the top program on the brand. Once you start doing that, you end up with TNA, where every program is pushed as the main event, making nothing feel all that important. Just take in the program as a show, and leave the politics to the guys backstage, okay?

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

You're a Star, Alex Riley!

You go, A-Ry!
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Watching NXT Season 2, there were a few things that were certain. One of them undoubtedly was that Alex Riley could talk. If getting by with a voice and a knack for cutting a promo was one of the requisites for making it, then Riley had that in spades. If he even learned to be passable in the ring, he'd eventually become one of the biggest stars in the company. It was just a matter of when he'd get that star-making moment.

I'd say what happened Monday on RAW qualifies, right?

When Miz fired Riley from his "personal services" contract after several incidences of screwing up in his task of assuring Miz kept his WWE Championship, I thought it'd end with Riley getting his ass beaten and shipped off to FCW. I mean, that's what happens with these NXT alums not named Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, Heath Slater or Justin Gabriel, right? What happened next was amazing. It's not that Riley fought back, it was how well it played out. He looked natural in the brawl with his former mentor, so natural that I'm convinced that he has the physical abilities to be a future star in WWE. The even more surprising thing was the crowd reaction. I don't know whether it was a fluke crowd, whether fans found something in him that made them want to cheer him, or whether it was just a reaction to how much they liked seeing Miz get his, but Riley got an honest-to-God pop when he popped Miz.

In a perfect world, that's where we'd all remember where A-Ry was made. I mean, it was the perfect storm, with everything coming together to create a memorable performance. Sadly, there have been a ton of those moments in WWE that have led to guys going nowhere. Couple that with the fact that neither RAW nor Smackdown have a fully-formed midcard that means anything, and the prospects for a follow-up aren't promising.

However, for a second, let's pretend the WWE has consistently followed up on big moments in the last few years instead of delivering on one out of five or so. If they can put a buzz behind Riley that lasts, I think it pays off. Right now, in this moment, Riley is already a star, and he's a guy that I personally want to see on my TV screen. If the moment is too fleeting then at least we have the moment now, and for that moment, Alex Riley was the brightest new star in WWE.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Whither The Miz (Hint: He's Gonna Be Just Fine)

He's AWESOME and will be just fine
Photo Credit: WWE.com

So, as with anytime someone not named Randy Orton, Undertaker or Triple H loses to John Cena at a PPV, the outcry begins anew. Oh, so-and-so got buried! Why can't Cena put anyone over! That's it for what's-his-face's heat! While this whining has been proven wrong more than once, it was out in full force again after The Miz lost to Cena at Over the Limit. Granted, the way in which he lost - easily to a couple of John Cena's signature moves after Miz spent the first 20 minutes of the match uncomfortably destroying him with Alex Riley's help - sounds pretty lopsided and heat crushing. On the surface, it makes Miz sound and look like a chump, but a lot of results make the losers sound and look like chumps. It's wrestling; not everyone can look 100% strong all the time.

Honestly, you can point to a fundamental flaw in the structure of how the WWE books main events involving Cena (or at this point Orton or any main event babyface... oh wait, I just named the only two they have) and I'd agree with you. They need to overhaul how they book those kinds of matches. It's been a broken record with me for years now, and I imagine it'll continue to be a broken record until something drastic happens in the front office. That being said, I'm over complaining specifically about people being buried. Why? Because they're not being buried in most cases.

It's true that bad booking can sink some wrestlers. The Miz is not "some wrestler". He's a heat generator. He could keep warm in the middle of deep space with the heat he can produce. He's over and got himself into the main event scene for a reason, and it wasn't just because McMahon wanted him to be there. The front office wanted more than a few people to get there, and if you notice, they don't really have all that great a success rate. That's why I'm not worried about Miz, nor should you be.

It's all about the follow up and the stage that Miz will get in the future. He got promo time on RAW, a good chunk of it. The peanut gallery cried "DEMOTION! HE'S WORKING WITH RILEY!", but I saw it more as a fresh start for A-Ry and a close to a story. In fact, the reason why the segment was done was probably to help Riley get a rub himself from how much the crowds HATED The Miz. Judging from the reactions that he got in kicking his former mentor's ass all around the ringside area, it was a great success.

I guess the main thing I'm saying is that yes, the WWE handles booking of heels as ham-handledly as you can get sometimes. That being said, there are guys you need to worry about and guys you don't need to worry about. Miz is one of the guys you don't need to worry about. As long as they give him a microphone and a chunk of time to talk, he'll be over, regardless of how "weak" he's made to look.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Instant Feedback: Macho Forever

This was a very schizoid RAW. The good stuff was good, and when RAW is good, usually it has some good wrestling on it. That was the case tonight. The main event tag match was good (stupid finish aside), as was the three minute Evan Bourne/Jack Swagger match and the United States Championship match too. I also dug the opening segment. You know, R-Truth has been hit or miss since turning heel, but at the same time it's surreal, and in a way, I can dig surreal. "I WANT MY SON BACK" was just the weirdest thing I've heard, but in a way, it worked.

The best thing that happened in terms of storyline advancement though was the break-up between Alex Riley and The Miz. Seriously, it came out of nowhere as how awesome it was. Miz was in rare form tearing Riley a new one, but then what happened when it came to blows was just epic. If they actually knew how to follow up on anyone's initial moment, they would have created a new midcard face attraction to set loose on Smackdown, but I have my doubts. That being said, WOW, the intensity on that beatdown was AMAZING. Riley proved to me that he's got more than just a knack for the promo tonight.

That being said, the misses were pretty bad. For one, do we need to see another hit-and-run angle? Big Show getting struck by a car was bad, but what was worse was how they dragged the segment out. Also, the Kharma stuff... again, this is where I'd say I'd give them the benefit of the doubt on following up a disappointing segment that made a U-turn in the narrative, but does WWE Creative really deserve that benefit? I felt like the people in the Simpson household felt when they saw the debut of Poochie. They could have gone to the fireworks factory! Dammit! Again, this could be good, but at the same time, yeah, I don't have much faith.

But yeah, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Macho Man tribute, and it was so well done. Bravo, the WWE video and production department did it again. I'm not the biggest Coldplay fan, but the song was definitely the perfect fit for the montage. Macho Forever. I'm glad that they finally gave him the treatment, even if it took them until he died to get that.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!