Strike While the Iron Is Hot, Dammit: Why Punk Coming Back Last Night Was Good

Pictured: The Right Call
Photo Credit: WWE.com

The end to last night's RAW was pretty epic from where I stood. CM Punk, coming out to ruin John Cena's party after winning the WWE Championship from Rey Mysterio in a hastily-announced match (one that quite frankly Mysterio in character should have bitched about like Christian did, although his circumstance was worse), "Cult of Personality" blaring, fans chanting for him once they knew who it was coming out from the Gorilla position. To me, it signaled that the WWE has a burgeoning megastar on their hands, one who could at the very worst help Cena, Mysterio and Randy Orton populate the top of the card as heroes and at best could be their biggest star since The Rock or Steve Austin. The segment itself took a lot of criticism though, but not for execution.

It seems there are a lot of people out there who didn't like the timing of it, that Punk should have been stowed away from view for much longer than the one week he was away. Some of them no doubt were the ones who said RAW sucked last week because there was no Punk, but I do take comfort in seeing that most people criticizing this were different from that crowd. It gives credence to my view that Internet wrestling fans don't share a hive mind and actually have their own individual thoughts and feelings. Still though, I can't help but disagree with that crowd. Why?

Surely, you all know about Seth Rollins, aka Tyler Black. Before he was scooped up by WWE, he was probably the most popular guy in ROH for three years running. His big moment, winning the ROH World Championship, though felt flat, almost anti-climactic. Why? Because he'd spent three years futilely chasing the title, losing at every turn he could have. The iron was hot for him to win in 2008 and 2009. So why wait to strap him until the 2010 Anniversary Show, after he'd already gone to a crowd-deflating time limit draw with Austin Aries at Final Battle 2009 three months prior?

Conversely, look at Kevin Steen. A little over a month ago, he made giant waves getting himself "kicked out" of a ROH show in New York as part of an ongoing angle. This has made him the hottest property in the indies ongoing, and if it weren't for Punk, he'd be the hottest thing in wrestling I'd imagine, at least in my scope, which admittedly is a bit skewed. Regardless, Steen has worked indie crowds into a fever pitch, becoming one of the most in-demand wrestlers for any fed to bring in. So what does PWG do? They put the World Championship on him. They struck when the iron was hot, and now, people are talking about them. Well, they'd be talking about them even more if Punk hadn't shown up in AAW on the same night.

But that's the thing. Punk gets people talking, like Black did in ROH and like Steen is doing now in every promotion but ROH (although under the guise of a ROH angle, if that makes sense). Why wouldn't you want the spotlight to be on him in front of fans that want to see him and want to cheer for him? You could argue that he "hasn't been away" enough, but I argue that every second between his disastrous feud with the Undertaker in late 2009 and his epic promo on 6/27 this year was him being "away" from the limelight. He's been building up this furor among his most ardent supporters, all while just haphazardly being there for the rest of the fans, being a dickish heel (enhancing guys like Big Show, Mysterio and Orton along the way), but also showing flashes of awesomeness like his role as an announcer or his Slammy acceptance speech. When he "returned" so to speak, that was the first catharsis. The second one was winning the title. The third was his return and his promise to continue being the voice of the voiceless that essentially made him a good guy.

This isn't the case of someone who has been overexposed needing to go away to freshen up like Cena at the end of last year (although before they haphazardly sprinted to the finish between his first night "gone" and TLC, I really didn't have a problem with him not missing any time then either in terms of how the story could have been told). This is a guy who just, as many people are saying now, had his "Austin 3:16" moment. He doesn't need to be kept away to be built up more. He needs to be paying off on that buzz before he gets too cold.

Black is the ultimate cautionary tale here. Hell, ROH itself is the cautionary fed. Everyone seems to love ROH, but there's a reason why they don't have widespread TV or big mainstream appeal, and it's not because of the style of wrestling. I seriously do think that more wrestling can get over if presented right. However, in the last few years, it hasn't been presented right. The only feud that they've really hit on all cylinders for was El Generico vs. Kevin Steen. Why? Because it was tense all the way through, and it ended at the right time with Generico giving Steen his comeuppance. Otherwise, they waited too long to put the title on Black. They waited six months too long to put the title on Davey Richards. The fact that they put the title on Jerry Lynn at all (instead of Black or even Roderick Strong, another guy that could be argued was kept too long from the title depending on how you view their fanbase) should tell you that ROH's booking model isn't exactly the best one to emulate.

And believe me, Punk does not deserve the same fate as Black. He needs to have the crowd feeding off him, wanting him to be there and anticipating his matches at SummerSlam rather than at Hell in a Cell, whatever they're replacing Bragging Rights with or at Wrestling Match: The PPV Event. As it stood last night, a SummerSlam main event of Cena and Alberto del Rio or even Mysterio would have been nice, but not something that would be must-see for a lot of fans out there. Now that Punk's involved to continue the story with Cena he began in the build to Money in the Bank? Yeah, you get a lot more people excited.

That's why Punk is back, and more importantly, why he needs to be back. Then again, maybe I'm not the best example since I wanted him to sign his contract extension on top of the Spinner Belt. And yeah, I loved the viral stuff they were starting to do and may even continue to do. Again, we don't exactly know what the circumstances of Punk being there last night were, and for all we know, he might have been "crashing the party" (that video on WWE.com where he says "I'm baaaack!" notwithstanding… then again, if it doesn't happen on camera, does it happen?). But yeah, this is certainly the right call. Again, following up on that is key, but I have a strange feeling that everything's gonna be alright.

John Cena Stars in Do the Right Thing, a CM Punk Joint

I bet there are a few ex-WWEers who wish they were Cena here
Photo Credit: WWE.com

I'm going to tell you something that you already know, only my name isn't Sean O'Haire. CM Punk was pretty much made last night. Everyone is going to write about him at length, as will I at various points this week. He deserves it. But I think writing about Punk glowingly is too easy for most among us. We've been doing it already. I think this basking needs to be done though, because it's cathartic for us, to see a guy who is, for lack of a better term, ours make it.

However, it takes two to tango as the old cliche goes. John Cena proved last night that he was a more than able foil for Punk's star turn. How did he do it? Why was Cena so valuable last night? It's because he did what he does best. He did the right thing, both in character and out of it.

Cena gets a lot of crap for various reasons, but one of the biggest reasons why I admire and respect him is because he embraces the crap and knows when to play the role that works for the situation best. The guy goes out and poses for pictures with his haters. He smiles and laughs when the men chant "Cena sucks! Cena sucks!" He's as aware and accepting of those who hate him as he is appreciative of those who cheer for him. Last night, he could have gone into business for himself. He could have gone out there, played to the crowd, did all his babyface spots with the same vigor and worked the match like the year was 2008 and the opponent was Randy Orton.

But he didn't.

He worked the match with a businesslike grimness, like he knew he was on hostile ground and that he was the villain to a good 85% of the crowd at the very least. He didn't do anything specifically indicative of a rulebreaker, but there was a chip on his shoulder, a chip that is usually found on the bad guy rather than the underdog good guy. If you don't want to praise him for it, and if you want to say he was doing his job, then fine, but I guaran-damn-tee you that if the opposite happened and Cena wasn't so good-humored, those who would poo-poo this would probably also fly into a rage attacking the man.

Of course, that's just the out-of-character trappings. In character, when Cena was called upon to do the right thing, it led directly into the finish of the match. When Cena is the lawful good white knight, he's at his best, at least as a babyface. Last night, letting go of the STF to cut off Johnny Ace, he showed that winning wasn't as important if it was going to be tainted. For as many problems as I've had with Cena doing shit like dropping chairs on Wade Barrett after he had brutally defeated him in a chairs match or cracking wise on the homosexual community, I absolutely think he's a brilliant character when he does the right thing.

And from all standpoints last night, Cena was brilliant because he did the right thing in every situation. Variety of character is a wonderful thing, as I've written a million times. Orton going apeshit on Christian after losing the World Heavyweight Championship on a disqualification worked. Why? Because Orton's brooding antihero, a guy cheered in spite of his bad attitude, someone who works best as a nihilistic wrecking ball who does what he wants, when he wants it. If Cena were the exact same character as Orton, then things would get boring. Orton is Deathstroke. CM Punk is Batman. Cena is Superman.

As long as the characters stay in their defined roles and have the necessary changes come about in meaningful ways that play to their strengths, then things will be good. Cena played to his strengths last night, and as a result, it enhanced the CM Punk Show tenfold. When people look back on this moment in time, they'll definitely be talking about Punk, but they'll also be talking about Cena, how he was the perfect foil for Punk at this moment.

And it's all because he did the right thing.

BEST. PPV. EVER: WWE Money in the Bank 2011 Review

Peace out, Vince
Photo Credit: WWE.com

So, what happens when you order a WWE PPV, and you're basically satisfied with every match? What happens when the opening match gives you your favorite wrestler banking a shot at becoming the top guy on his brand? What happens when giants get their wigs split, seven men jostle for position on top of several ladders, grabbing for a briefcase? What happens when they have the balls to strap a guy who may or may not be leaving the company? What happens when you order a WWE event, and you're left thinking it's their best PPV event ever, better than In Your House: Canadian Stampede, better than WrestleMania X-7?

You get Money in the Bank 2011.

First thing's first, both nominal matches kicked major ass. Let's start with the Smackdown match. I mean, first up, how about the ladder power bomb? Sin Cara showed major cajones taking that move, because man, it looked fucking brutal. I also loved the Road Warrior tribute with Sheamus and Kane doing the Doomsday Device on Daniel Bryan. Bryan took a beating during this match, but I had a feeling that once it was he, Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett on the ladder at the end that he might have a chance. Then, he knocked RED BELLY off the ladder, and boom. He grabbed it, and my house erupted. I hadn't been as excited to see a match result since... well, uh, I don't know, when Bryan beat The Miz for the United State Championship at Night of Champions last year? Maybe I do have a problem.

Then there was the RAW match, which some are saying may be the best MitB match ever. I'd be very hard-pressed to disagree with them. Each contestant lining up to create one massive Mexican standoff with all the ladders was a brilliant way to start. From there, it was spot after spot after spot. It bordered on overload at one point, when Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston jumped from the top to the floor, and then Evan Bourne moments later saw the crowd milling about, was like, "Pfft, nbd" and shooting star pressed as an effective form of riot control. Calling all 5'8" beanpoles who can do flips? You've got jobs in your local police departments. There was a spot in the match where I got legitimately concerned for Miz's health, as when Alberto del Rio knocked him and Bourne off the ladder, Miz was assisted out, limping and hobbling. Keep that in mind.

The spots just kept coming and coming. Kofi bouncing around like a pinball. 619s all around. del Rio trying to be a high-flyer and whiffing. Then, maybe the most magnificent sight I've ever seen in a MitB ladder match ever. The seven remaining men in the match all started to climb ladders. At its apogee, you had all of the men alternately reaching for the briefcase and trying to push the others down. It was a clusterfuck, but it was a breathtaking clusterfuck. One by one, the wrestlers fell like dominoes until no one was left. When the heel crowd roared for Miz's limp-race down to the ring, it sealed the deal for me. This match didn't have to finish to be the best Money match ever. But it did, and Alberto del Rio claimed the briefcase after claiming Mysterio's mask...

...baaaaaht, chu already knew that.

There were two other non-title, non-ladder matches on the card. The Divas match, to me, was inoffensive, which made it the best a match between Kelly Kelly and Brie Bella could be. At least right now. Remember, when Trish Stratus started out, she was kinda terrible too. However, Mark Henry and Big Show? That was a tremendous big man vs. giant brawl. Wigs were split, and we were pleased. I think Henry getting air and dropkicking the steps was my favorite part of the match, just because it was so unexpected. You know, if they had gotten this right with the World's Strongest Man in 1996 instead of just 2011, we'd be talking an all-time great here, but hey, we're getting it now, and I'm happy for the lug. The finishing flurry at the end was a nice touch, like Henry couldn't believe one World's Strongest Slam couldn't finish Show off. So he did it again. And again. And then a couple of Death from Above splashes. He looks just as good decimating a giant as he does tossing around the Christians and Trent Barettas of the world. That's the sign of a good wrestler.

The two World Championship matches had me the most worried about this event, but both delivered in ways that were different but still satisfying. The World Heavyweight Championship match was more a character study than it was a wrestling match. It was basically Christian, right from start, trying to goad Randy Orton into losing his temper. It pretty much redeemed a month of lackluster build in one match, because it was so masterfully crafted. To his credit, Orton did what he had to do and then some. And how about the Viper going all ROH-midcarder with his offensive outburst? I kinda dug it, especially the Canadian backbreaker into the neckbreaker. But the finish, my God, it just showed how much of a master Christian is at match psychology and how well Orton plays (is?) the guy who flies off the handle. The post-match beatdown worked almost too well. I expected Bryan to come down and effectively kill me of wrestling fan euphoria. But then again, he's way too noble to cash in that way.

In a related note, if Friday comes and Bryan announces he's cashing it at WrestleMania, then I will lose my shit.

But all of the above described? That was just the appetizer. A tasty appetizer, but the thing that we all looked forward to most was Punk and Cena. And in a rare moment, one that was a throwback to the old days, when the main event almost always felt like a big deal after the match, not just before it, this match delivered in ways that I can't even describe. There were so many elements at play here. The crowd was so instrumental in creating the atmosphere, and they were hot almost the entire match. Hell, I'll give the kids and skirts credit here too. The ones that audibly chanted "Let's go Cena!"? Yeah, you get a million points from me. Totally provided a light contrast to the vast majority of people there screaming for Cena's blood every time Punk went in for the kill.

And before the elephant overshadows everyone else in the room, yes, I saw more than a few botches in the match. But as I've said before, if it's handled right, it's alright. Here, they handled it better than correctly. And in a way, it was a perfect contrast. You had Punk, who in front of his hometown wrestled with such passion, emotion, a classic babyface. Then there was Cena, whose ring savvy allowed him to be cold, almost emotionless (at least until the end), going about his duty with a business-like attitude that in a way exemplified the "dynastic Yankee" label Punk put on him in Boston. It almost felt ironic in a sense.

Then, despite what the fans chanted, there was the wrestling, brought by both men. I mean really, how could you say Cena couldn't wrestle when he dropped Punk (and himself) on the canvas with that faux-superplex to the outside, RIGHT in front of Punk's mom and his two best friends in Colt Cabana and Ace Steel. Christ, that was such a subtle dick heel move. I loved it. I also loved the segue from the STF into the Anaconda Vice. That submission exchange was probably the best spot of pure chain wrestling that you'll find in the States all year with the exception of what Johnnies Saint and Kidd will provide in a couple of weeks.

Then the finish. Vince McMahon's paranoia, Cena clocking Johnny Ace, the attempt at the Chicago Screwjob, Go to Sleep, New Champion. New Champion. They followed through on CM Punk potentially leaving WWE with the title. And then what was better, McMahon got on the headset and called for del Rio to come out. And there he came, look of steely determination on his face, like he was going to cross armbreaker his way into the heart of his boss, but BOOM. Holy shit, Punk kicked him in the back of the head like it was no big deal. If I were Alberto del Rio? I'd have thrown up my arms when I regained consciousness, said "I ain't even mad" and just applauded because that was maybe the most perfectly executed flash kick I've ever seen. And then the picture, that I have posted above. Punk blowing a kiss goodbye to McMahon and heading through the crowd. Priceless. Absolutely priceless.

It was the perfect end to a perfect pay-per-view. The WWE gets ragged on a lot, but even the coldest, blackest, darkest heart had to have been warmed tonight by what they put on. Their PPV has always been a strong point, but until tonight, they hadn't come close to perfect since maybe the second One Night Stand. This event stands in rarefied air right now. I would be hard pressed to come up with an argument against it being one of the best, if not the best WWE PPV of all-time.

And it's all because they took a chance and let CM Punk escape with the title. Well-played, gentlemen. Well-played.

Into the Great Wide Open: WWE Money in the Bank 2011 Preview

All about the briefcase, two times
Photo Credit: WWE.com

I get a lot of inspiration for blog posts from people saying smart, dumb or otherwise in between things, and me agreeing, disagreeing, replying, retorting, building upon or just plain making fun of those statements. When it's someone like Razor of House Kick-Out!! saying it, you can bet I'm either agreeing with it, or if not, retorting civilly because he's a sharp guy. This is one of the times when I'm in full agreement:

I think MITB is one of the least predictable PPVs in recent memory. I can see every match going either way and the MITBs are wide open.

Think about it for a second. You might jump and say "WELL, I KNOW WHO'S GOING TO WIN! HE'S WRONG!" but then you think, and it's quite possible that the only match on the card that's even close to being easy to predict is Big Show taking on Mark Henry. I mean, Henry's gotta win that match, right? Right?

Well, no, because what if it's the blowoff, and Show gets to give Henry his comeuppance here before both men move onto threats on their respective brands? See what I mean? This has to be the first WWE PPV in a long time with so much mystery surrounding what the matches themselves are going to produce in terms of results.

That's not a bad thing, by the way. In fact, it probably makes this the most appetizing event on the schedule for WWE so far this year. People by and large don't want to tune into foregone conclusions. They want drama, intrigue, suspense and some kind of struggle or conflict to go with their potentially happy ending. The way WWE has built up the top matches for this PPV has been superb, especially for the nominal main event, John Cena defending his title and his job against a potentially exiting CM Punk. For the first time in a long time, the story isn't being framed to make Cena the obvious victor. There is drama, coming from all kinds of outside sources. There's Vince not having faith enough in Cena to get the job done. There's Punk's recent winning streak against The Champ. Everything's so perfectly staged and virtually anything can happen.

I mean, there are also two Money in the Bank matches, spectacles in and of themselves, with no clear favorites going into the frays beforehand. I mean, yeah, I handicapped both matches on here, but let's be real; the whole point behind Money in the Bank, why it exists anyway, is to be able to throw a curveball and have someone who isn't in the picture suddenly get into it. That's why it's ends with a briefcase being taken off a hook by means of climbing a ladder, something fluky and attainable by anyone, whether they were the aggressor or just picking the scraps from a spectacular car wreck, and not a pinfall or submission.

Oh yeah, and Randy Orton and Christian get to wrestle again in what's certain to be a damn good match. This angle has been brushed off to the side in the gigantic wake of Punk/Cena, and rightfully so in a way. Any feud that goes three PPVs in length with this much of a one-sided tilt to it is going to induce groans when it continues. But Christian has done his best to drag great matches out of Orton, and who knows, maybe fourth time is the charm.

But that's the fourth-most intriguing match on the card at best. If you get this event, you're getting it for two car crash ladder matches and to see whether CM Punk is going to walk out of Chicago - and WWE - with the title. And if you're like me, you have no fucking idea where to start forecasting what's going to happen.

If that doesn't give you butterflies - the good kind, that is - then I don't know what would.

If Punk Loses, What Is Acceptable?

Cena could beat Punk clean... will it be greeted with open minds?
Photo Credit: WWE.com

There's a distinct possibility that CM Punk is going to beat John Cena Sunday. Whether he sticks around after, takes the title with him or gets cashed-in on after he wins the title by one (or more) Money in the Bank winner(s). The beauty of the main event is that it could virtually go in any direction. The possibilities are endless.

But with "endless" come the possibilities that Cena actually wins his match. Yes, it would defy logic at this point, given the amount of pomp and build that Punk has received. IT wouldn't make sense to job him out, but WWE Creative has proven they don't make sense from time to time. Is Cena going over Punk out of the realm of possibility? Well no, it's not. But is that a problem? Well, it depends on the way he loses.

I think we can all agree that SUPERCENA rearing his ugly head and dispatching CM Punk to his couch in Chicago would be the worst possible outcome and one that would make everyone collectively lose their shit, right? Well yeah, but how do we know what's SUPERCENA and what's just Cena making a comeback? Can Cena win clean without getting backlash, or at the very least, deserving backlash? I'm not sure about that, at least for the first part.

I mean, if Punk loses clean, we're on the precipice of an Internet meltdown over here. It's not that there are degrees of losing clean in some people's minds. Losing clean is a burial if it's a darling losing to someone monolithic. Always. It's one of the things I hate about the way people react sometimes. There's no perspective, no foresight. However, this time might be different because CM Punk could be leaving, and he's been blisteringly hot lately. I think I'd be pissed off if Cena just blows through Punk like he's a typical Cena PPV opponent.

I don't know. There's so much uncertainty going into Sunday, but I think that disappointment could be on the horizon. I hope not, because I want them to hit a home run here, but at the same time, the WWE hasn't exactly earned our trust in regards to a truly happy ending for anyone other than Cena and lately Randy Orton. That all being said, I have this perversely optimistic feeling that if Punk goes down, he's going down with a fight or even better, to someone other than Cena.

Rehabbing the Monster: Mark Henry's Rebirth

Somebody gon' get they ass kicked
Photo Credit: WWE.com

When you're with WWE for as long as Mark Henry has without really busting through to the main event, it can be easy to claim that he'll never be a big player, he'll never be really over, he'll never get that allure about him. I mean, you'd think that if he hasn't connected with the crowds all this time, what makes anyone think he could be the guy they thought he could be when they signed him 15 years ago? But that's the funny thing about pro wrestling and crowds in general. They don't tend to have long memories. That's why it kills me when people say that "so and so has been ruined forever because of being booked badly for one night!" Unless the performance is so dreadfully bad or the humiliation is so severe that it scars a guy for life, people can come back from most degrees of malaise. When I say that heat is elastic, it's not some trite, anti-smark sentiment that I use to look down on the pessimists. I really do think it's true.

Case in point, look at Henry since Capitol Punishment. He womped on the Big Show. He beat on Kane like he was some sort of hybrid government mule/red-headed stepchild. In two segments, Mark Henry became a monster again, and from the way the crowd reacted, ESPECIALLY that lady with the cell phone, they bought it. It was sublime.

Of course, it's all for naught if they don't follow up on this. If Henry is back threatening to put his stank on the Divas or gets squashed within the next few weeks as recourse, then it's a failure. I don't give the WWE any credit to keep this going until they prove to me they can. I've seen too many instances of bullshit parity booking in the last couple of years to really believe they have a long term star here. However, the initial spark is enough for me to prove that it doesn't matter who you are. If you get a good faith push and you get to destroy peeps, you'll get over, especially if you're talented like Henry is.

Seriously, there's no reason why Mark Henry has had to languish his whole career. Call it a grudge against him from management, call it Vince Russo and those who were scions of his awful style of booking trying to get too fancy with a simple archetype, call it whatever. It's better late than never, but for a guy who's as good a big man worker as he is, a guy whose angry scowl is among the best facial expressions in the business, for a guy who can project anger and rage and fearsomeness as good as some of the best in the business, well, I'm glad that he is getting chance after chance.

Hopefully, the front office will stop dicking around and notice that hey, this is working and hey, maybe he could be used for something better than fodder.

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!

The Economy of Time: Why NWA Hollywood Succeeds Where the Mainstream Fails

The Cutlers taking it to Johnny Goodtime outside the Showcase... a sampling of what you'll find each week
Screen Grab Credit: NWAHollywood.com (pardon the ad!)

One of the big reasons why I continue to go out of my way to watch NWA Hollywood online is because they have so many stories that keep my interest. If it were just wrestling like the ROH on HDNet show was, with very little serial storylines to keep me enthralled from week to week, I might skip it, might being the operative word here. However, not only do I find an outlet for good indie wrestling, they do their best to tell several stories each week.

Their show on KDOC-TV has one hour of runtime each week. Take commercials and other stuff out, and it distills down to between 40 and 45 minutes of "meat" each week, with the term meat referring to matches, promos and angles. In that three-quarters of an hour, NWA Hollywood manages to put over at least four if not more angles. Furthermore, nearly every other story in the company at least warrants a mention throughout the telecast. Contrast that with the other companies.

Impact Wrestling distills down to between 80-90 minutes of meat each week. Most of it is spent on three to four top angles for each show, some of which don't carry over into the next week. Angles are started and dropped with no resolution at times. Guys don't appear on the show for weeks at a time and garner no mention from Mike Tenay and Taz. The WWE is a little better. They have anywhere between 2.5 and 3 hours of meat each week on actual TV, with two web shows that run 40 minutes a piece on average. Those times can be cut into by fluff segments, recaps of stuff that happened barely a half-hour prior or blatant advertising for patently non-wrestling things. Furthermore, many times, their idea of a feud is the face beating the heel cleanly in consecutive weeks with no real rhyme or reason why the story is continuing after the first clean defeat.

With NWA Hollywood, you get the aforementioned 4 angles minimum each week. You also get a sense of purpose for each one, be it through promos, matches or post-match happenings. Often times, it's not anything complex, whether it's Ray Rosas, Rico Dynamite and Peter Avalon cheating to win a match or Candice LaRae walloping Buggy across the head with a chair. Hell, I think the most "complex" thing that happened recently has been the Cutlers and the RockNES Monsters brawling out onto LaBrea Boulevard, with Excalibur noting the next week that no criminal charges would be pursued from the melee. It's all simple pro wrestling stuff, but the rub is that it works. It makes everything make sense.

Now, is the storytelling perfect? No, it's not. Sometimes, circumstance dictates that they have to drop an angle, whether it's Austin Aries signing a one-month or longer deal with Impact that precludes him from coming back to tapings to continue his heat with Scorpio Sky, or Colt Cabana losing his NWA World Championship because the NWA is an antiquated model that doesn't know what's good for it, or because Adam Pearce got hurt and might have to retire. Sometimes, they tell stories that fall flat, but it's not for lack of effort.

It might be trite to talk about effort like this is some grade school exercise, but at the same time, the effort going into making NWA Hollywood what it is right now is certainly appreciated and it makes up for the lack of production values they may have compared to even Impact. Effort doesn't always equal quality, but when that effort is combined with a vision like the one that the folks who run the fed have, it can totally make for a great viewing experience.

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.

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