bpapa

Posted on 7/1/08 1:01 AM

I think CM Punk has certainly had his fair share of detractors since he came to the WWE. And to be honest, I've been one of them. I loved watching Punk in Ring of Honor, in fact one of the big reasons I don't bother with ROH anymore is because guys like Punk are no longer around. "The Summer of Punk" angles was one of my favorite in recent years. When he first came to the WWE, I was so excited, because to me Punk combined entertainment value and in-ring ability that I hadn't seen in an up-and-comer since Chris Jericho. Finally, a year later he debuted on ECW, and I quickly was disappointed. Part of this was because of the way he was being booked, without much of a character to speak of. But then, in his matches, everything fell flat. Obviously WWE puts restrictions on the way that guys work, but to me Punk wasn't able to overcome that and get the crowd on his side. Sure, in some arenas he would get decent pops, and stuff like his ECW title win got a huge reaction, but for the most part I felt that Punk was creeping into overrated territory.

So tonight the crowd reaction for Punk's win wasn't THAT great, but to be honest they were only going to react so much to Punk. I'm sure some people probably think that if Punk had earned more wins since WrestleMania he would have gotten a better reaction here, but please, wins over Chuck Palumbo and even Edge on ECW and Smackdown weren't going to make Punk into some fan darling. Punk has very rarely gotten GREAT reactions during his entire WWE run, and he certainly didn't get one at WrestleMania, so to have expected anything better just a couple of months later is silly.

I do think though they could have done a better job of creating an atmosphere for Punk to get the win here. It was so sudden and out of nowhere and honestly made Punk seem kind of bitch when he's a babyface. Sure, Edge gets his MITB comeuppance but was the point to embarrass Edge or to make Punk the new champ?

I don't know if this would have created for a better environment or not but - say Edge comes out not only with The EDGE GUYS but Chavo and Bam as well, and maybe even Umaga. He cuts the same promo, and when he runs down Cena, HBK, Rey, and Dave, 3 of those 4 come out one by one to get the crowd pops. They each cut a little promo on Edge and say that he's right, they don't have the chance, but there is one guy who could bring the belt to RAW, and then they all make way for Punk on his way out to the ring. So now you've got a similar dynamic to when Foley beat Rock for the title and DX and the Corporation were at ringside. Of course, Punk now is nowheres near as loved as Foley was then but at least the dynamic is similar, so who knows what the reaction would have been.

Maybe the finish for the match is even something like, the faces are brawling with La Familia on the floor, Edge is about to put down Punk with a spear, but then the lights go out and you get a gong. When they come back on Edge is freaking out, and there's no Taker, but Punk gets him up for a GTS for the win. It's more or less the same ending as Foley/Rock had, although in that case Austin actually came out (and I don't know about you guys, but to me this was the biggest pop that I have EVER seen in the history of pro wrestling) whereas in this one Taker doesn't come out to the ring, but his presence is there.

Then you have Dave, Cena, and Rey putting Punk on their shoulders and putting him over for bringing a World title back to RAW.

8 comments Permalink

Posted on 6/25/08 7:20 PM

OK, next time you are posting a blog, and it's based off of some news you read somewhere, and you start typing and you realize your blog is only one sentence long...

IT PROBABLY BELONGS IN THE NEWS SECTION.

The news section is based on putting up links to some wrestling-related content on the internet. It can be breaking WWE news, a cool new wrestling site you found, a podcast, or whatever. If you want to discuss the link, YOU CAN, because there is a comments section.

The blog section isn't for reporting news or even really REACTING to news. If you have a long piece you want to write, for example a Draft Report Card or something, that's more appropriate for a blog, but if it's one or two sentences long PUT IT IN THE NEWS SECTION AND LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS IN A COMMENT.

Thanks.

0 comments Permalink

Posted on 6/18/08 1:35 AM

Alright, so I first promised this close to a year ago. But then, other features got in the way. Then, I promised it a few months back... and FINALLY, it's here. The "Rate Matches" section has been completely revamped. Before, you could just go by "newest" and "classic" and you had to turn the pages back and really dig for old stuff. NO MORE. Now, everything is broken down by Promotion, and for the bigger promotions such as WWE and TNA, it's broken down further by brand.

Not only is it easier to find, but it's now easier to see what is the highest rated. We compile the top matches and shows of the year, and even stuff like top matches on the week - all of these different categories are applied by promotion, brand, and also to all matches. Want to know the highest rated ROH show? The best Backlash match? The most-liked match of the year? It's all there.

If anybody has any comments on how else I can make the Match Rating section better, let me know here in the comments. Also, next on the agenda is improving the blogs functionality, so if anybody has any ideas there, put them HERE.

2 comments Permalink

Posted on 6/1/08 3:05 PM

Edge/Undertaker TLC - For me, this is most anticipated match on the card. A few weeks ago it was reported that the reason why Taker dropped the World title was b/c of a perceived lack of heel contenders on Smackdown. So you would think that Taker would lose here. But, with the draft imminent, the lack of SD heels is no longer a problem. I'm betting on Undertaker winning here and eventually defending against Big Show at Summerslam.

Triple H vs. Randy Orton Last Man Standing - You would think that the SummerSlam plan is HHH vs. Cena, but with the draft on the table and ratings doing so poorly anything can happen. HHH is my pick to win, but I'm not going to be super shocked if he drops the belt.

Cena vs. JBL - One thing about this one is that they can have Cena lose without being pinned or submitted, and then JBL can go on to be HHH's next challenger. I think that'll happen, so my pick is JBL.

HBK vs. Batista - Probably the hardest one to pick. My gut says to go with Batista.

Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga - Probably the easiest to pick. I suppose there is a chance that this is an opportunity to get the ball rolling on an Umaga push vs. the Undertaker, but Jeff Hardy's popularity can not be denied. He'll win it here.

ECW #1 Contender Match - Big Show is the obvious choice, but there is always the opportunity for a swerve. At the same time though - CM Punk's already got a title shot, and what are the chances of seeing Kane vs. Chavo for the millionth time? What are the chances of Kane vs. Dreamer? And Morrison has enough on his plate with the tag division. I think I'll go with Big Show, but I'm not necessarily sure he'll win the ECW title (especially if my prediction is right and he faces Undertaker at SummerSlam).

Melina vs. Beth Phoenix - Beth, no doubt about it. She's the monster here, how could she quit?

1 comments Permalink

Posted on 5/27/08 12:10 AM

AT THIS VERY MOMENT I'm feeling creative. So, here's a proposed fantasy lineup for the Pay Per View to follow One Night Stand - the new Night of Champions. Following the model of last year, every match is a title match and all titles are defended.

WWE Title Iron Man Match - Randy Orton(c) vs. Triple H. At ONS, Orton pulls out the victory in the Last Man Standing match. HHH proposes an alternative to finally bring an end to the war that they've waged: since obviously, either Orton or HHH can beat the other on any given night, why not just see who can do it the most? A 60 man Iron Man match, the final time that Orton and HHH will do battle over the title.

World Title - Undertaker(c) vs. MVP. After finally dispatching Edge in the TLC, a new challenger arises - MVP.

Intercontinental Title - Chris Jericho(c) vs. Mr. Kennedy. On RAW, Y2J's guest on the Highlight Reel is Mr. Kennedy, to talk about his win the previous week over Paul Burchill. During the interview, Kennedy challenges Jericho for his IC belt. Leading up to the match, they can continue this whole will he/won't he turn angle with Jericho.

US Title - Matt Hardy(c) vs. Mark Henry. Henry gets a crack at the US title match (hey, some of these matches are going to have to be pretty short if there is an hour-long Iron Man match on the card!).

ECW Title - Kane(c) vs. Big Show - Big Show challenges Kane after winning at One Night Stand.

World Tag Titles - Ted DiBiasse Jr. and Umaga(c) w/ The Million Dollar Man vs. John Cena and Jeff Hardy. Next week on RAW, the Million Dollar Man makes good on his promise to see his son as a champion, "buying" Umaga as the tag team partner for Jr. Meanwhile, Umaga's issues with John Cena and Jeff Hardy continue to boil, leading to this dream team getting a chance at the tag straps (the proposed finish is that a third member of DiBiasse's new Million Dollar Corporation comes out to help the heels get the win).

WWE Tag Titles - The Miz and John Morrison(c) vs. Batista and CM Punk. Batista has problems with the tag champs on Smackdown, and Punk does on ECW. They team up to face the tag champs and get a non-title win. At the same time, there is some tension as Batista seems interested in challenging Punk for his Money in the Bank opportunity, as he's sure that the Edge/Vickie Guerrero regime will never grant him another title shot.

Women's Title - Mickie James(c) vs. Katie Lea. To follow up on their backstage segment from last week.

2 comments Permalink