Coffey

Considering it was just a throwaway match that didn't mean anything on free TV, without any build whatsoever, I liked the Sheamus Vs. Curtis Axel match. Axel worked the shoulder of Sheamus, the commentators put over Sheamus having previous shoulder problems then the guy that's more established won with his finish clean in the middle. Need more matches like that.

What shows are you watching? Dude is a jobber. Just because he tells us he's good doesn't mean that he is. A WWE.com backstage promo where he just yells a lot doesn't make him good. Flying around like Mr. Perfect with springs in his boots doesn't either. He just isn't very good. Not a great promo, not a great worker. Kind of boring to be honest. Hell of an athlete though. He's exactly where he should be on the card, in my opinion. He's more like a Billy Gunn than a Shawn Michaels. Why should WWE use Dolph over say, Cesaro? To me, Dolph is in that category with The Miz, Curtis Axel & Kofi Kingston. The "I don't give a fuck & wish I could fast-forward live TV" category. I would love to see Loss or someone else talk about his punches. Does he have a thread in the Microscope?

Oh man, Punk in NJPW would be so much fun. In order of my mouth watering: 1. C.M. Punk Vs. Katsuyori Shibata 2. C.M. Punk Vs. Minoru Suzuki 3. C.M. Punk Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi 4. C.M. Punk Vs. Kazuchika Okada 5. C.M. Punk Vs. Togi Makabe 6. C.M. Punk Vs. Tomohiro Ishii 7. C.M. Punk Vs. Hirooki Goto 8. C.M. Punk Vs. Tetsuya Naito All of those matches, to me, would be awesome. A Punk run in New Japan would be great.

I agree with this. Inside though, I can't help but feel like he's going to win the U.S. title from Ambrose & no one will give a shit while he takes a backseat to Brock, Batista, Cena, Orton, Undertaker, Triple H, etc. I mean, I don't think anyone really cares about Dean Ambrose in the WWE Universe. I don't think anyone really cares about the U.S. title. I don't think anyone really cares about this title run that Ambrose has had with the U.S. title. I had to actually look up who he even won the damn thing from. So will they care when a guy that doesn't matter with a belt that doesn't matter has his reign that didn't matter ended by a guy that should be Superman? It's not like the U.S. title in 2014 is on equal footing with the Intercontinental Title from 1985, you know? Of course, the same fans that I'm probably undervaluing went crazy when Alex Riley turned on The Miz. I've definitely been wrong before. I do think Ambrose is damn good, I just don't think anyone cares about him in The Shield or on WWE TV because they haven't presenting him as a great guy. Most people that like him, from what I've seen, have been people that liked him from the Indies before he ever even got called up. I actually think he's gotten worse while Reigns has done nothing but improve. A lot of that is booking though. When The Shield were first called up, I think most agreed that in order of good to bad, it was Ambrose, Rollins, Reigns. Now, to me, it feels like Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose. It's not like The Shield haven't had great matches, as they have. But how much do great matches matter to non-internet fans? Are people in the stands going crazy for Goldust's work like they do online? I don't think so... Maybe just have Reigns squash Ambrose to win the U.S. title then go into a unification program with Big E. for 'Mania? I have no idea at this point. I think Reigns needs the rocket strapped to him while Ambrose & Rollins will be fine doing anything else because they're good workers & Ambrose when they let him can be a damn good promo. I feel Reigns kind of needs the machine behind him. If he's not super-protected, he could just be the next Ryback instead of the next Batista.

Crowd-shitting on the match and they worked a side headlock. It was a bad match, not just a match no one wanted to see. Trading finishers and killing all the moves doesn't make it a better match.

This match sucks. I'm glad the crowd is shitting on it.

Regardless of what Mike Johnson or Dave Meltzer says, regardless of Bray Wyatt having a match with Daniel Bryan on the card, I'm not going to believe that someone other than Bryan is winning until I see it. It just doesn't make any sense to me. So I'm still taking a, probably naive, wait-and-see approach. I think Bray beats Bryan & then Bryan enters the Rumble and wins.

I mean, hasn't Daniel Bryan been pretty much this over since the RAW after Wrestlemania when he lost in 18 seconds? His popularity hasn't really waned. He was mega-over during the Kane/Bryan hug it out stuff. He's been over ever sense. I just don't buy the "he got more over than they thought" stuff. Unless they're all deaf & blind. I mean, I'm not even a big Bryan fan and I think he looks odd in the main event, truthfully...but at some point, you gotta stop ignoring your paying audience. Orton Vs. Batista is going to be Goldberg Vs. Lesnar all over again...

This is hot garbage. If WWE really do that card...just wow. How out of touch are they!?

This is interesting to me, actually because now that you mention it, I think I gauge matches differently depending on which promotion they're from. I don't have one all-encompassing scale that I use for every match from every federation from every era, if that makes sense. In example, when I watch Puroresu, especially NJPW lately, I'm going off of ring work alone. I'm usually watching the match or a show in a vacuum, not following along week-to-week & keeping up with the angles. When watching WWE, the commentary can alter my enjoyment of a match. The payoff to an angle can too. The Japanese commentary, I don't understand. So it can't take me out of a match. Also, one thing that I've noticed from watching Lucha is that the referee matters a lot. It's hard for me to get into a match when the ref is really old & slow. Earl Hebner used to be really guilty of that. The super extreme slow count. Used to drive me nuts! That might make a good discussion, or is probably already a discussion somewhere if I used the search feature.

I liked the Powerslam. It's innovative & fun to me. I mean, in a worked business with Irish Whips, are we really going to talk about a move looking too fake or that it wouldn't hurt enough or whatever? As long as suspension of disbelief doesn't go out the window, I think we're OK. I guess it might for some but I don't think it's any worse than say, Bray Wyatt's Sister Abagail finish.

I feel the same way. I was pumped for the Rumble & last night RAW kind of killed my interest. With Daniel Bryan as over as he is, Brock Lesnar back, Batista back & I have to assume Undertaker coming back soon, I barely glanced up at the TV all night long. That's not good on the go-home show for the start of the Road to Wrestlemania. I don't care about John Cena or Randy Orton at all. I don't care about Alberto Del Rio or The Big Show. I'm tired of seeing Cody Rhodes & Goldust. I want something new to finally happen with The Shield. I should care more right now. There's only been three episodes of RAW so far in 2014, last night, last week & "old school" RAW. I think last night was the worst of the three, which seems backwards to me, since it's the show that should have been over-the-top selling the Rumble. Instead we got John Cena brawling with Randy Orton with Orton just getting into a car and leaving. Why would that make me want to watch the Rumble? Am I supposed to want to see Cena get his hands on Orton for the 1,000th time? Or watch Brock throw around Big Show's fat ass again?

I watched the Michael Elgin Vs. Davey Richards match when it happened. Admittedly, I got sucked up into the emotion & story of the match or at least the story that was in my head. I was BEGGING for Elgin to win because I hated Davey Richards SO much. Of course, I hated him because of insider bullshit I read online & was pretty much worked old school style. But yeah, I was buying into all the near falls & everything because I wanted Richards to just lose. It was almost like being a kid again...only not (if that makes sense). The moves, of course, were all ridiculous, none of them really meant shit & they were all killed. There wasn't much psychology, very little selling & the crowd was super smarky. The finish was also pretty anti-climactic. Upon re-watching, I hate it but I was definitely wrapped up in the moment when I saw it the first time, not knowing the outcome or anything. Maybe that was true with Dave too & he rated it as such? Sometimes it's fun to be able to just get wrapped up in wrestling like that still, despite all the stuff we've seen, read or whatever. Davey Richards' character? I can't tell you what it was. But to me, he was the heel because of stuff I read on various message forums & social media websites, about him blasting wrestling & saying he wanted to do "real fights" and all this other stuff. I can't remember if that was before or after all of the stuff with him screwing over promotions and stuff by taking the pay and leaving early. I just remember not liking Davey because I thought he was a business-exposing asshole that didn't "get" wrestling. If that was all planned, then bravo. I'm such a mark.

Yeah, I have no idea what's going on anymore. I never did, I guess. Shows what I know. It would be super lame if Sheamus returned and won it. :-/

I understand that concussions are a serious thing. I know all about the post-Benoit world & the NFL taking injuries more seriously & Junior Seau & all of that stuff. I'm just saying, it will have been about two weeks. If you think Bryan is missing the Rumble in a business that is still a carny business for a concussion, regardless of our more health conscientious society nowadays, you're being naive. Just like the Wellness Policy isn't stopping guys from taking steroids. That can just give Bryan a really high number, like 29. You could have The Undertaker return & win, maybe? Set-up Cena Vs. The Undertaker if Cena beats Orton for the title. That could work.

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Just like Mysterio pissed hot two months later, right?

Daniel Bryan. There's no fucking way a pro-wrestler is missing the Royal Rumble because of a concussion. Some bullshit Wellness Policy or not. Then Cena will beat Orton & Brock will beat Cena. Punk will get screwed by The Authority & 'Taker will come back. Wrestlemania 30: Brock Lesnar Vs. Daniel Bryan Triple H Vs. C.M. Punk John Cena Vs. The Undertaker Then the other guys, Batista, Orton, Del Rio, whomever they can mess around with Hogan & Big Show or whatever. No one really cares.

Warrior going is is cool by me. He was admittedly a big part of my childhood. Would love to see Rick Rude go in as well, he's my biggest omission I think. Jake Roberts & Randy Savage both also deserve it. I would like to see Adrian Adonis go in but I guess that's a long shot at this point. I would have assumed Honky Tonk Man burned his bridge but with Warrior going in, now you never know.

Doing this spot in front of what, a couple hundred fans? And it means less than a good clothesline in a match with psychology. Obviously never. Some people never will. I don't know what's worse, the workers doing that spot, the live fans clamoring for shit like that or the people in charge (assuming there's someone in the back, like a road agent at that Indy or something) allowing them to. How does that even come up? "Let's do a Spike Tombstone/Double Stomp through a table from the apron to the floor. That will get a pop, right!?" I thought the ROH Piledriver on the apron was bad...

Happy New Year, everyone.

You know that you're super protected top guys in WWE when they put you on Wednesday Main Event & you don't even get an entrance~!

Finally got around to watching William Regal Vs. Antonio Cesaro from NXT. It wasn't bad. I do think it was a little overrated online but they told a good story. The match was hurt by multiple commercial breaks & terrible commentary for sure. It was very slow, very plodding, a lot of technical work & had great psychology. The bridges & kip-ups were all really well done. I personally don't feel like it's worth going out of your way to seek out, in all honesty. However, if you're a fan of both guys, you'll probably dig it. It is what you expect those two guys to do together.

I thought Batista was really good when he left, truthfully. He got a lot better. His heel work was a lot of fun. I liked his feud with John Cena a lot.