King of the Ring and 11/29 RAW Reaction

My expectations were high. Coming off a Smackdown show that was heavy on in-ring wrestling, I was hoping the King of the Ring tournament matches would be given the proper time to shine. Instead, they got the usual match times, mostly under five minutes, with the Final getting twelve, which is OK. But RAW was a disappointment overall.

Sheamus winning isn't such a bad thing, although it would have been nice for HHH to show up at the end to start the King of the Ring vs. the King of Kings program. Sheamus has been floating around with not much to do without the Game around. He's lost to Morrison and, of all people, Santino, so he needed to be re-established as a bad ass in our minds because Triple H will be back very soon.

I liked the Lawler vs. Miz match and everything leading up to it. It gave us the direction they are heading with the Miz as Champ. The cowardly heel that needs help or to cheat to win. And that's fine because it can work. Miz can make it work because he's so good on the mic. Combine that with the fact that Vince McMahon loves the publicity Miz has received since becoming the champ and I think he has a shot to hold onto the belt until Wrestlemania. That would be a very nice, long run, by today's standards. Every pay per view he can sneak out of it with the belt, some how, some way, leading up to a Wrestlemania match where he drops it.

The rest of RAW was forgettable. The Cena stuff was no surprise. Thankfully they didn't go with the "Juan" Cena idea. Last night made me think about the "fired" angle. What a waste of time that was. They didn't even let it sit for one week. I was under the impression that Cena was getting some time off to make a movie or maybe just rest. I thought he'd be gone for at least a few weeks.

I mentioned the Miz dropping the belt at Wrestlemania. I hope it's not Cena vs Miz, though, because I'm thinking if Undertaker can go at Mania, Cena would be the best option. Cena/Undertaker would be absolutely huge. It's not a program that has been overdone. I think Cena could make believers out of us all that he can be the guy to end the streak, but in the end he will fall like all the rest.

Cap Allen

KOTR 2010: PREDICTIONS

King of the Ring is here again! In what should be an entertaining 3 hour version of RAW, the first King of the Ring in 2 years will be crowned.

Vince has failed to publish the bracket on the website, denying wrestling smarts and marks alike the chance to fill in the blanks and predict the winner, in doing so, I'm forced to use a little logic and wrestling alchemy to figure this one out.
Of the 8 superstars on tap we have Sheamus, John Morrison, Ezekiel Jackson, Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston, Dashing Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and Alberto Del Rio.
Sheamus:

He would be one of my favourites to win it all. After being stuck in the wrestling doldrums with a questionable feud with Santino Marella, it's time for him to break out and head back towards a main-event storyline. As we well know, a returning HHH is probably the program he's heading into, so the question is, will Sheamus be the King of the Ring and then be fed to the King of Kings, or will Trips , ruin Sheamus' chance to win it all?

John Morrison:

The question is, is the WWE serious about Morrison's push this time? The Sheamus/Morrison feud was not allowed to play out completely, so I figure this feud will culminated with Morrison Sheamus matchup, the winner either winning it or going to the finals. John Morrison has all the tools, the question would be does Vince have the confidence to push this guy, or is he already a main event cusp guy, who doesn't need to be King?

Ezekiel Jackson:

Big boy. Great steroid look, plus He's on a roll. Perfect chance to get a face over with the fans by winning it all. Got a feeling he'll get screwed, leading to a more serious feud.
Daniel Bryan:
The matches have been stellar, he has been a great US champ, but some of the extra-curricular, female valet nonsense, makes me not want to take this guy seriously as KOTR. Don't get me wrong, seeing this guy win this tournament would be great, but I don't see it happening. They've been in a weird habit of building this guy up, then feeding him like chum to the great white. There are greater things for this guy, and a crown and scepter is just not in the cards unfortunately.

Cody Rhodes:

His star has been rising fast lately. His in-ring and promos have gotten better as his new gimmick appears to have been working for him. Is he ready to add another stripe to his "Dashing" gimmick, or ewe about to see the coronation of King Cody? Seriously? No. Not happening.

Drew McIntyre:

One year ago, this guy came out of nowhere and shocked everyone at Survivor Series. Within a few months he was IC Champ, but now his push is all but disappeared. I figure he is in here as a potential darkhorse, but we all know, he is far from it.

Alberto Del Rio:

Since his debut, his in ring work and promo work have been stellar. His supposed lineage coming from Kings, gives us an idea that this King gimmick could be taken a little bit further. In addition, will Alberto's interference against Rey Mysterio, end up costing him the crown?

Kofi Kingston:

Although a great performer, Kofi's push happened in his feud with Randy Orton. I see no reason for another push with this gimmick. It's absurd.

So after a little stirring, drum roll please.......the King will be:


Alberto Del Rio or Sheamus.

I have a feeling Morrison will be used as a launching pad for the HHH/Sheamus Feud II. I have been wrong before. I've been wrong many times. I've been wrong so many times you can hardly call be omniscient. It all depends on how the bracket is formulated.

With 4 heels and 4 faces, there could possibly be 4 smackdown vs RAW match-ups in the first round. If there are RAW vs RAW match-ups, etc, which would be predictable, and no heat for them especially the heel vs heel match-ups, which is why I choose for the former.

Zeke vs Mc Intyre
Bryan vs Del Rio
Morrison vs Cody Rhodes
Kofi vs Sheamus

In this set of pairings, each one achieves the intended result. Zeke Crushes McIntyre continuing his roll and reaffirming his role as the greatest threat in the tournament. Bryan should pair off against Del Rio or Cody Rhodes, providing a high energy first round match. Sheamus will most likely be in a big guy/little guy match, because a match against Zeke is just not interesting. He will eventually destroy Kofi, but not before taking an onslaught high-flying offense and blown spots.Bryan Puzzles me, because, he either wins his first round match only to lose in heart-breaker, or just gets ripped off the tracks of the Del Rio Express. In The semis I see Del Rio Cheating to beat the big man Zeke, placing him in the finals against Morrison, who must win in this bracket to assure a face/heel matchup. In this bracket Morrison must win, but I see HHH rearing his ugly head here, and either being part of the finish, or determining who goes to the finals, or beating up whoever wins the tournament.

There have been many times where the logical choice was swerved in order to produce a unpredictable result. Either way I see a heel coming out as the winner. It all depends on whether the WWE is intent on using this tournament to re-affirm the status-quo, or to push new and up and coming talent.

If Sheamus wins, HHH comes out and ruins the coronation, but what else is new when it comes to the subversion of new talent in order to hit someone with a sledgehammer and blow some water on the audience. Sometimes it can be so predictable. If Alberto Del Rio wins we can predict the promos on Smackdown will just go to another level.

It's 8 o'clock now. Time to see all my predictions blow up in my face, but mostly to watch 3 hours of tournament wrestling intermixed with infantile garbage, and a masked John, err Cena.

TNA version of what's working, what's not.

Last week I gave you a WWE post about what was working in the WWE and what I thought wasn't working. So, for all the TNA fans out there (*ahem*), here's the TNA Impact version...

"Immortals" is working: For the most part, anyway. There is still a strong resemblance of nWo to me here, which is such a tired gimmick and seems to be the only thing Russo and company know how to do. I will give it some more time, but when we get to the 4th, 5th, or 6th week in a row with the show ending with an Immortal beatdown after interfering in the main event, then this will move to the "not working" category. The group has legitimate workers. Hopefully, they will get to actually "work".

Ric Flair is working: The guy has a new intensity that I love right now. His promos are as good as they have ever been.

Jeff Hardy is working: To be honest I'm a little surprised at how well Hardy has been in the heel role. It's fresh and new and the dark character fits him perfectly. We need an "anti-Hardy" face character now to feud with him. But don't expect that belt to move for a while.

EV2 is Not working: It's time to bury these grizzled old veterans. The ECW originals have been brought back every year or so in some form or another, in one company or another, and every time it's worse then the time before. Just let the ECW legend live on in our memories. Do yourself a favor and buy an old, original, ECW pay per view on DVD. Put it in and enjoy what it truly was, not what it's trying to be now.

The TNA Knockouts are working: After really being a great part of Impact every week about 2 years ago, the Knockouts division fell off the map a bit and regressed. With the addition of Tara and Mickie James, as well as the emergence of Madison, the division has been entertaining again. The brawls are physical and they are taking advantage of the WWE PG rating with the sex appeal of the knockouts as well. Can you say T and A?

The "takeover" angle and Dixie Carter are not working: Again, more "takeover", nWo stuff that we all are sick of. This aspect of the Immortals is the part that should go away. Why does every "owner" or person in charge in every wrestling company have to be a character on TV? TNA needs to get passed this soon, but I doubt that will happen.

Quick "working": Motor City Machine Guns, Matt Morgan, Douglas Williams, and Kaz.

Quick "not working": AJ Styles (not his fault, not being used well), team 3D split, The Pope, Abyss, Samoa Joe, and Jeff Jarett's MMA fighting.

TNA is firmly the # 2 promotion in wrestling and there's nothing wrong with that.

WWE Shop Black Friday Deals

Just wanted to post a quick note to let our readers know that WWE has officially joined in on the Black Friday madness with some great deals for anyone needing to stock up on WWE gear for the holidays.  Not only is almost everything in the shop discounted, but they are adding 20% off your entire order with no restrictions.  So no matter how much or how little you order, you get 20% off.  Quite a deal when you see take in mind that just about everything is sale priced to begin with.  There are WWE T-shirts, DVD's, Action figures, hats, and even Smackdown vs. RAW 2011 on sale.  Also featured are exclusive items from John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton, and The Miz. 

To take advantage of the 20% off sale, simply click the link below:

Take 20% Off All Orders, No Restrictions at WWEShop.com! Code: BUSTED

DVD Review: "Hard Knocks" Wrestling Documentary

"Hard Knocks" is a new DVD that documents various aspect of the independent wrestling scene in England.  What's nice for American fans is that many American stars are featured as they work for the promotions in England.  Featured stars are Al Snow, Mick Foley, CM Punk, Raven, D'Lo Brown, Hardcore Holly, BG James, Billy Gunn, and more.  The documentary portion of the DVD shows behind the scenes clips and interviews from various shows, and also hopeful wrestlers training and showing the difficulties of wrestling school.  While the documentary portion is rather short, the extras on the DVD make up for it with lengthy shoot style interviews with Bob "Hardcore" Holly, BG James, Al Snow, and more. 

Also the extras feature highlights from various shows, and some outtakes such as some hilarious clips of very new wrestling school students who are rather lost in what to do.  I haven't had the chance to see much from the English Indy scene, so this DVD was interesting to watch, and I did notice some of the shows had some great crowds that were very into the show which gave the shows a big time feel.  The DVD should be especially interesting to anyone that is aspiring to be a wrestler, as the documentary is very real and holds nothing back as far as how hard it is to make it in the business.  Also the veterans give tips on what it takes to make it in wrestling, which is valuable information coming from guys that have been there and done that.

The film has been nominated at various film festivals, and it is now available for purchase.  Check out the Hard Knocks trailer below, and below that you can purchase your own copy.

TIME TO CHANGE MONEY IN THE BANK?

When I read CAP ALLAN'S post it made me seriously re-visit something that I had pondered many times over the past few years; the future of the money in the bank.

Although the matches themselves are off the chart, the whole idea of a guy blindsiding another guy and stealing his title seems cheap. However, the whole concept of a title shot that could happen at anytime is intriguing. So the question is, would I keep the concept? Absolutely. However, ever since they expanded the MITB to its own PPV, the multiplicity of briefcases floating around has lessened the value of the original briefcase. Very much like the idea of 2 world titles lessens the value of the WWE championship, and essentially the whole value in being champion, period.

The same here applies to the money in the bank. If they intend on keeping the Wrestlemania MITB, and at the same time preserve the idea of a PPV centred around the concept of each brand also having a case, the proliferation of these cases floating around, has the potential to create a maelstrom of chaos.

Some things have to change in order for this 'automatic sure thing' to become more of an unpredictable wildcard.

The Royal Rumble is an interesting analogy. Back in the 90's and early 2000's, the winner of the Rumble was almost assured to be champion. Then about a few years ago, they decided that "maybe everyone that wins shouldn't win the championship".Thusly it makes it less 'predictable'.

We start with 3 years ago where John Cena makes a surprise return at the Rumble, winning it, but then gives up his title shot and loses the match at the next PPV. 2 years ago, Randy Orton wins the rumble but goes on to lose to HHH. Last year, Edge makes a surprise return to win the rumble, only to lose to chris Jericho at Wrestlemania.

I agree with this idea that everyone that wins the case shouldn't go on to win, and that it shouldn't be a simple case of 'not if' but 'when'. Of the 8 winners of the money in the bank briefcase, 7 of them have gone on to cash it in, all except Mr. Kennedy, who won the MITB in 2007. An injury forced him to vacate the case, and it was thusly passed to Edge who went on to cash it in against the Undertaker. The question is, would Mr. Kennedy have been champion if he had never suffered the injury? Would we still be having this conversation if this was the 'case'.

So what has to change?

Firstly, someone has to go on to lose his challenge for this to have any validity, and I was thinking all along that the Miz would be the one to lose. But based on the rise of The Miz over the past year, with his charismatic promos and improving in-ring work, the possibility of him becoming champion was only a matter of time.

Secondly, would it not be cool if there was 2 guys who wanted to cash their title shot in at the same time? The idea of the multiple cases causes an interesting dynamic that should be taken advantage of.

Thirdly, more challenges for possession of the cases.

and lastly, put the MITB on someone who is up and coming, and not use it as a means to an end for a feud whose time has come and passed 10 years ago (and I'm refering to you Kane).

Congrats to the Miz for making this MITB run quite memorable, and based on the events this past monday, Orton looks in line to win the rumble, and take back his title at Wrestlemania.

Time for a change with MITB?

The best RAW in a long, long, time in my opinion. Maybe the best of the year. Everyone's favorite heel, The Miz, cashed in the Money In the Bank and is the new WWE Champion. While the questions are swirling as to where the WWE will go from here with the title, I have to ask a different question, has the MITB anytime, anywhere, format run it's course?

Those in favor are going to say that it adds excitement, and that is a no-brainer. When the briefcase gets cashed in the arena gets a buzz because they know the title is about to change. Last night, I sat right up when I heard the AWESOME! And his music hit. I knew the Miz was cashing in and I was on the edge of my seat. But the way it's being done, after matches, when the champ is beaten to hell, makes me think that maybe we need a little change. Regardless of the excitement, it's usually not even a match. One or two minutes, if that, and boom! New Champ!

The flip side is to not allow the MITB winner to cash in after the champ already had a match. RVD did that years ago at One Night Stand vs. Cena. It worked and he won, with help from Edge, and the atmosphere was amazing for that match. Maybe you like that batter. I personally would rather keep the anytime, anywhere, excitement the MITB creates. But that's just me.

Orton put up one of the better fights before falling victim like all the rest. I like the concept and I don't want to change it on the surface. I think the WWE would be better served if the person cashing in doesn't ALWAYS win. How about he loses? Or he gets DQ'd? Or how about the person he's feuding with interferes, screwing him out of the title and furthering their feud? Something where it doesn't work every single time. Miz cashed and and while it created excitement, everyone knew he would win the title. I would like to think that's something that WWE would want to avoid as well.

I would love to hear some comments on this. What do you think? Should they change the rules to where its just a title match but not after the champ already had a match? Or make a behind the scenes change so that it's not a forgone conclusion that the MITB winner will eventually become champion?

The Miz Cashes In and Wins the WWE Title

Tonight's RAW was one of the best of the year, with the main hype going in being the John Cena Firing angle.  While the Cena firing delivered in my opinion Cena's best performance in years, there was a lot more going down.  Cena was able to deliver a promo that even made all of us that chant "Cena sucks!" sort of like the guy.  He was believable, and acknowledged that his main fan base are kids and women.  He got everyone involved, and brought out emotion in pretty much every fan in the arena, even if it was laughing along with those who say he sucks. 

The other main happening on RAW (which ties in with the Cena angle as well) was the anonymous GM making a Survivor Series rematch of Randy Orton defending the WWE Title against Wade Barrett.  Earlier in the night, the seeds were planted for how things would go down, as Alex Riley appeared claiming Miz had a "panic attack" backstage and would be unable to make his King of the Ring qualifying match against Ezekiel Jackson.  There was a fishy feeling to that one right away, but I believe it was WWE's way of getting everyone interested and thinking The Miz would cash in tonight. 

As Orton made his way to the ring, The Nexus attacked and injured his knee.  Orton made it to the match, and after a Cena run in from the crowd, retained his title after an RKO on Barrett.  After a brief celebration, The Miz's music hit, and right away we were in full on Money in the Bank cash in mode.  After a brief match, The Miz reversed an RKO into the Skull Crushing Finale to win his first WWE Championship.  The win makes perfect sense, as The Miz is the move over heel in WWE right now, and is ready to take that to the next level.

Tonight felt like a night WWE made some good changes, freshened things up, and maybe even gained some long term interest with the new main event picture.  Cena being gone (or the story of his comeback) will be interesting to follow, as well as Orton and the Nexus's reaction to the Miz winning the title.  I have a feeling we will have some sort of mega celebration on RAW next week, put on by Michael Cole of course.  After tonight, the Era of Awesome has arrived, but will things remain as awesome as they were tonight?

WWE: Who's Working, Who's Not

The new guy here at prowrestlingroundup.com is yours truly, CAP Allen. I'll be contributing here on at least a weekly basis, hopefully more. All you need to know is I'm going to keep you up to date with everything going on in WWE, TNA, and ROH. Enough about me. Time for my first post.

So what is working in the WWE right now? What isn't?

WADE BARRETTT is WORKING. His mic work has been great from the start, and he's improving in the ring every time out. The Cena/Barrett angle has been very good, and although Cena was "fired", I'm willing to bet this is not over and Cena will return for a final one on one match with his former "boss". In the meantime, Nexus will have to focus on Otunga, Orton, possibly Miz, and maybe R-Truth to keep going until Cena returns.

Speaking of the Miz, he's WORKING too. Everyone loves him, and don't get me wrong, I do too, but this has been a very slow rise to the top. Overall it has been well done, but I keep waiting for him to cash in the MITB, or for him to start getting clean wins over the top players, and it's just not happening.

MICHAEL COLE is WORKING. Now, before you kill me for saying that let me ask you something. Do you hate Michael Cole? Chances are the answer is yes. And guess what gang...that means he's working. You may not like Cole for the reason WWE wants you to not like him, but it really doesn't matter. There is a lot of speculation on where this is going with him. I agree, that this better be going somewhere because if this is just a heel turn for the announcer and is the way he will be from now on without this being part of any angle, then this won't be working for long. But think of all the possibilities, assuming this is an angle, that this can lead to. Cole s the GM, Cole as a member of nexus, Cole losing his job to JR, the Cole and Miz dynamic is interesting as well. So, while you may not like Michael Cole, what's going on with him is interesting and tonight I will be tuning in partly to see if something happens with him.

DANIEL BRYAN is WORKING. This is the wrestling geek in me speaking right now. I watch WWE to be entertained but I also watch because I like to watch good solid wrestling matches. Sadly, those matches are far and few between these days. He will probably never be a world champ, but the guy gets it done in the ring and that has to count for something.

R-TRUTH is WORKING. He kind of is and isn't. The gimmick is awful and he needs something to happen. Hopefully the backstage conversations he's been having will lead to something, hopefully a heel turn.

SHEAMUS is NOT WORKING. I don't think this will last long. He's a Vince guy and they love him so no real worries here. Hopefully, the rub he gave Morrison at SS will help Morrison, and let Sheamus move on to something more important.

KANE is NOT WORKING. A couple months ago he was doing some of his best work ever, but not anymore. They have to get the title off him soon. Paul Bearer was a nice touch but even that is not helping. Kane got a nice title run as a tip of the cap to a great career. But it's time to move on.

EDGE is NOT WORKING. Pains me to say it, because I like so much of what Edge has done but ever since he came back at the Rumble, he just hasn't done anything that interests me. The feud with Jericho should have been epic, but it was just OK. He's a heel, a face, a heel, a face...ugh. And the crap on Smackdown with Bearer in the wheelchair made me cringe as I watched Edge act like a fool.

ALBERTO DEL RIO is WORKING. They love him, I love him, and if you don't, you should love him. You can see him getting better in the ring and his mic skills are great. Just change the ring gear, man. Really. Tell me he doesn't look a little awkward looking with that speedo. He's a pants guy.

BIG SHOW is WORKING. He could be champ at any time due to his size alone. At a moment's notice the WWE could decide to push him as unbeatable for a month and put him in a championship match at the next pay per view. He's playing the comedic face and the Rey Mysterio sympathizer like Batista used to do. And it's working for me right now.

CODY RHODES is WORKING. The "dashing" gimmick is just OK but he's running with it and showing he can get it done in the ring. He needs a program.

DREW MCINTYRE is NOT WORKING. He's lost all his steam. He can wrestle and talk but it seems like creative can't find something for him to sink his teeth into. Why did they bail on the Rhodes/McIntyre tag team so quickly? They could have been Morrison/Miz, maybe even better.

JACK SWAGGER is NOT WORKING. See above. What happened to this guy? he was pushed to the moon and now he's in the lower mid-card area. And that "mascot"? Really? Thankfully that's over. One side note, have you noticed the lisp? It's pretty much gone.

There are others I can go into, but we will be here all day. There are guys that are doing some good things but WWE creative seems to be putting most of their effort into one or two things at a time now, which leaves everyone else just kind of there. The major angles are Cena/Orton/Nexus on RAW, and Kane/Bearer/Edge/Taker on Smackdown. One is doing well (RAW) and the other isn't. But tonight is a night-after-a pay-per-view edition of RAW so hopefully we'll get some new feuds and some fresh storylines.

That will do it for my first post. Hope you liked it. I will be back to discuss RAW tomorrow.

Old School RAW - For the Win...Until Next Week

The Old School RAW was probably the best RAW of the year, kind of sad in a way since we know that next week we'll be back to the same old crap.  WWE really went all out, bringing back the old ring, attires, sets, legends etc.  It was crazy to see all the old 90's stuff back, and it actually felt really fresh.  The same old crap we see every week has gotten REALLY stale, so seeing the old stuff was like a breath of fresh air.  Some of the old features they used even made me wonder why they don't still use them, such as the picture in picture promos like the one Kofi Kingston did.  This was a staple of the 80's and early 90's, and gives guys a chance to get some talking in and make sense of what they're doing.  Also the old set was nice, with the giant RAW letters and just a few fireworks.  We don't need the exact same stage and effects EVERY SINGLE week.

Another thing that majorly stood out, was Roddy Piper delivering on the mic like he's done many times in the past.  His Piper's Pit with John Cena, Randy Orton, and Wade Barret actually made me care about the angle for the first time.  Piper is gold and knows how to get a story over, which is why he should be in a regular role on the Pit to help get stories over.  Speaking of delivering, Jim Ross returned to the broadcast booth as a guest commentator on the Daniel Bryan vs. Jack Swagger match, and immediately had me thinking how SOMEone had to wake up and get JR back in the permanent position he deserves instead of sitting on the sidelines. 

Not everything worked (Mae Young's segment felt a bit forced, but we can't expect much more from Mae these days) but overall it was a very fun show, proving WWE could still entertain us if they try.  The TV-PG thing was pushed way more than it has in a long time, with various cuss words being used here and there......which is nice for adults who don't want to watch a total kiddie show.  I would've like to have seen a legends battle royal on the show, since guys like Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Tony Atlas, and Tatanka were there and geared up and ready, but only made cameos.

I hate to think of the usual crap RAW's returning next week, but in my opinion, if nothing else tonight proved that the legends can be used to enhance what the new guys are doing and can help keep things interesting rather than the same old RAW is BORE that we normally get.

AN ESSAY: REFORMING THE WWE PPV SYSTEM

I remember back in glory days (and yes I remember them, the 80's), when there was just the big 4; Wrestlemania, Summerslam, survivor series and the Royal Rumble. However, as WCW came into the picture, the number of PPVs started increasing dramatically, to the point when just over 5 years ago, there was 14-15 PPVs. There was a time when these PPVs mattered. There was a time when somebody actually cared. The problem is even though they got the hint, and reduced this number back to 12, we still have a plethora of useless pay-per-views, that all of us can't seem to get enough deep wallets to pay for.

So, about 15 months ago give or take month, the WWE in all its wisdom decided to start changing the names of their PPVs and then adding others, Out were Backlash, judgement Day, Armadeddon, Cyber Sunday (and survivor series), which surprisingly re-appeared (probably after insane backlash from fans, who didn't want a classic PPV slashed) . In was Extreme rules, money in the bank, hell in a cell, TLC, elimination chamber, fatal 4 way, and bragging rights.

I'm all for change. Lack of change causes stagnation (look at the world title picture on RAW for the last year and you'll know what I'm talking about). The problem is the change has to be for the better. There tends to be large emphasis on Gimmick matches or thematic ideas. The problem with this is that some of them work and others do not. Especially when they're pushed to the limit. So I've decided that after doing several Internet vlogs on this subject I thought I'd compile my thoughts on this subject and vent my spleen for all time.

Too many PPVs. Not only do I shell out $39.99 each month and $50 in April, what if I want to go see RAW or Smackdown, or even say, buy merchandise?No wonder Vince is a billionaire. If you want fans to pay their hard earned money, then at least spend the time to make the angles work. 2 weeks between Hell in a Cell and another PPV is is simply obscene. At this rate no wonder their fan base has to emigrated to the UFC (a fact they are in denial of), or streaming it on the Internet. The lack of proper story telling is also feeding this debacle, but that is a story for another time. So because I'm the Antichrist of wisdom, what I suggest is eliminating 2 of
the PPVs and go with a strong 10 PPV system. We start with a strong backbone of the original 4, make these strong and the rest will follow.

SUMMERSLAM
SURVIVOR SERIES
ROYAL RUMBLE
WRESTLEMANIA

We know why Summerslam and Wrestlemania succeed they are big money events and should be booked well in advance, but royal rumble and survivor series are successful for other reasons, mainly because of the purity of the concepts, being original,cool ideas, that you don't get to see very often, and because of what is at stake, the matches are all the more attractive.The Royal Rumble being the one event that even non-wrestling fans will try and catch.

Having said that, I think certain ideas can be tweaked, including the royal rumble. Remember back in WCW that crazy double ring? with 50 men inside?Imagine the rumble was bigger, there was a double ring, it went on for longer and was more intriguing? The chance of this happening is not likely, mainly because the WWE tends to ignore or just out right defecate all over any concept or idea that someone else came up with. Remember Raw Roulette? They have another name for that; it was called the Halloween Havoc pay per view in WCW. And why they even chose to name one of their own PPVs after a WCW pay-per-view (the great american bash), maybe because Vince is a crazy patriot or whatever, but for some reason, that seemed to be a PPV that the WWE could never get right and came to be known playfully as "the Great American Trash", because, no matter what , it sucked year after year. I'm glad it's gone.

SURVIVOR SERIES
I'm glad that they decided to keep Survivor Series, because the idea of elimination style matches is a cool idea, and they should really reserve it for this pay-per-view. All the matches should be elimination style. The Bragging rights idea is cool, but the way it's executed is just garbage. There is no intense rivalry between the two brands because superstars switch shows every 4 months anyway. There is nothing at stake. So why should we care? But with the right
backdrop, such as a Survivor Series elimination style match one brand could be pitted against the other, in an entertaining match for the midcarders, and still captivating if it is booked right. Creating a 7-on-7 elimination match as one of the main matches one month before a PPV who's main theme is elimination style matches, is just poor booking in my opinion.

Another idea would be to eliminate the elimination chamber pay-per-view. Why do you say? Recently the elimination chamber has been used in a messily thrown together shmozes to determine the number one contenders, and out of the blue champions, totally shaking up the title picture for no reason other than they can. The idea of this PPV centered around this concept, so close to wrestlemania is definite overkill for me. However, it made me think of how the elimination chamber match began, and its debut at survivor series. What a match! The idea of 2 brands in there each with their own elimination chamber match, is nothing to be ashamed of, every now and then a little plunder is cathartic, nonetheless. It was a cool match and it's an elimination style match, so the idea of a PPV centered around it is moot. It should return as the centrepiece of survivor series. There's no need for a PPV centered around this idea.

Do I have to site TNA: Lockdown as the reason why the concept of a steel cage centred PPV is wrong? Too much plunder. After the 3rd match, the crowd doesn't care.Do I have to ask why fatal fourway centered pay perviews is not a good idea? We see it all the time. Every week. We see TRIPLE THREATS all the time, why not call a PPV TRIPLE THREAT? sounds cooler than fatal fourway, but woops. You said threat. This is PG product. Can't let that happen. However, there are some ideas that are thematic and have worked well and proven that they sell. They are the following:

MONEY IN THE BANK
NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS

The money in the bank is a huge centrepiece at wrestlemania, and although you're diluting it with its own PPV, the matches are just off the chart, and never fail to disappoint. Keeping it far away from wrestlemania as possible will increase the excitement.

A PPV centered around every champion defending their title is a novel idea, as long as on every PPV every macth isn't for a title. The WWE has been guilty of this over the years.

THE RETURN OF THE KING
One PPV concept that really worked back in the day was THE KING OF THE RING mainly because you rarely got to see tournaments play out, and all the while with something at stake.
However, this time, I think they can tweak it to really mean something. How about the idea that the champions that night have to face 2 other men to keep their title? and when it's all said and done, the tWo champions face each other to be the last man standing, the king of the ring, the undisputed champion. Screw the crown and the throne and the sceptre.Switch it up. Make it cool.

I was a big fan of the extreme rules idea, mainly because you don't see crazy stipulations all the time, especially in the PG rated, post ECW era (or if you simple can't watch TNA). There can be one PPV where there are insane stipulations and high risk matches, like tables ladders chairs, hardcore. This is where TLC belongs, not in its own PPV. The WWE are trying to spread their ideas too thin. Taking every concept they have and trying to push it to the max. Unfortunately, not all of them work. Extreme Rules has the potential to be a great PPV to look forward to if the afforementioned craziness is kept to a minimum leading up to this event.

There are 2 PPVs that i would like to see the WWE bring back, the first is BACKLASH, because I loved the name, and the theme of the PPV was Wrestlemania return matches, and the end of feuds, and the other was NEW YEARS REVOLUTION. I loved the name of this pay-per-view, so appropriate for January, and quite possibly they could use the name as the main theme, where the theme of the pay-per-view revolves or changes year to year. So over the year my PPV schedule would look as follows:

MAY - BACKLASH
JUNE - KING OF THE RING
JULY - EXTREME RULES
AUG - SUMMERSLAM
SPT - NO PPV
OCT - MONEY IN THE BANK
NOV - SURVIVOR SERIES
DEC - NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS
JAN - NEW YEARS REVOLUTION
FEB - ROYAL RUMBLE
MAR - NO PPV
APR - WRESTLEMANIA
　
　
That's it. I'm dry, but I'm always finding new ways to get agitated by the WWE's lack of regard for the fans money, and seemingly the fans lack of regard for their own money. These changes are not likely to be implemented but they sure would go a long way in freshening up the product, but as we all know a good PPV starts with good TV. Good TV starts with good story telling, and stars. STARS. We don't have very many. Don't get me started.Keeping the PPV system exciting is just one gear in the machine, but if the aforementioned isn't addressed, we are going be watching the same thing for a long time to come.