DVD Review: The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro

On June 5, 2011 the WWE released the DVD set "The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro", it was the third WCW DVD set released by the WWE. And after watching this DVD set I was left a little more satisfied than with the first two releases.

The first two DVD sets released by the WWE was "The Rise and Fall of WCW" and "Starrcade: The Essential Collection". Both of those releases were well done but sadly had alot of WWE bias in the commentary by Jim Ross and other current WWE employees. But on "The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro" the bias was gone as all the commentary was provided by the 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page. And although DDP is currently under contract with the WWE, he still an honest recap about what happened on WCW Monday Nitro.

So, I highly recommend that you go pickup "The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro", it doesn't matter if you're a WCW fan or just a pro wrestling fan period.

Brodus Clay's "Funkasaurus" Debut: Superstar or Superfail?

One of the most unexpected and most talked about stories of the week is the re-debut of Brodus Clay as a dancing, fun loving, "Funkasaurus."  For weeks there has been build up and hype for Clay who was being pushed as getting angrier and angrier every week that John Laurinaitis held off his debut.  There was even rumor that Clay would be the guy to come out in the Royal Rumble this year and clear the ring, making a huge impact.  When Clay finally debuted this past Monday, he was the exact opposite of everything that was expected.

As soon as the name "Funkasaurus" was announced and the music hit (which was the same music used by Ernest "The Cat" Miller in WWE for anyone that didn't catch that) it was clear that this new character was going to get some strong reactions.  In Run DMC-esque gear, smiling, dancing, it was an all new Brodus Clay.  My first thought was....."Wow, they have totally ruined this monster and given him a corny goofy character."  But after talking to some of our other writers and seeing the reaction its garnered, maybe a crazy over the top gimmick is a change that WWE needs.  As one of my fellow writers put it: "What else was he going to be?  Another Mark Henry?"

He's "funky," he's got dancers, he's got some Dusty Rhodes like lingo, but he's still a big man that can move in the ring.  Should Clay have been a monster that destroyed everyone?  Or is this crazy Funkasaurus gimmick going to make him a hugely popular star?  It's really to early to tell, but it seems WWE is happy with all the reactions it has brought so far.  What are your opinions on the new and funky Brodus Clay?

Chris Jericho Returns to WWE...and Says Nothing

Well the big "1-2-12" promos had sparked some interest the past few weeks, but most everyone was predicting either the return of Chris Jericho or The Undertaker.  If you saw RAW, you know that the promos were for the return of Chris Jericho.  As the final promo played with the little girl and the little boy, I was trying to figure out what it could all mean and what the significance of the girl was....but little did I know that the promos with the kids were only the BEGINNING of the night's confusion.

As the final promo ended, the screen started to shake and the lights went out, which definitely felt like The Undertaker was on his way out.  The crowd started a "Y2J" chant, and sure enough there was Jericho in his trademark pose while wearing an LED lit jacket.  The place went crazy and it looked like the over the top good guy Jericho was back.  He got in the ring smiling, and seemed to be ecstatic to be in front of the WWE Universe again.  The celebration continued, as Jericho got out of the ring and made the rounds high fiving fans.  Jericho got back in the ring, grabbed the mic, but then decided to work the crowd even more and keep the celebration going.  I think it was about 5 minutes into this when I started to feel like Jericho might be overdoing it, and he needed to go ahead and say whatever he was going to say....but that didn't happen.

When Jericho finally did grab the mic and ALMOST started to talk.......he dropped the mic in the ring, and for a second i expected a complete heel turn on the crowd as if he suckered them all in.  But then, Jericho started smiling and celebrating all over, and things just got more and more odd.  Jericho then proceeded to hop out of the ring, slap some more hands, and then he left.  The crowd didn't know what to think, but some boos could be heard and there was a definite vibe that there was more to this story.  We were expecting a "I'm back and I'm entering the Royal Rumble" type of promo, but it was almost like Jericho was making a mockery of wrestling returns. 

As odd as all of this was, I can at least say it was different.  The idea of Jericho returning didn't really interest me all that much since it doesn't feel like he's been gone all that long.  The way things were handled at least got people talking because it was so odd and different, but it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.  I have a feeling it was Jericho himself that came up with this, since he's talked in the past about reinventing himself and keeping things interesting.  One thing is for sure, Chris Jericho is back even though we don't know why or where he stands.  What did you think of Chris Jericho's return?  Was it stupid?  Or did it make you wonder where this story is going?

Randy Orton Injured...or is he?

Randy Orton was injured at last friday night's Smackdown taping in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was in a Falls count anywhere match against Wade Barrett, where the finish of the match saw Orton thrown down a flight of stairs. Randy Orton's Twitter account posted a message last friday night that said "Randy was injured at tonight's Smackdown event and more details to follow on WWE.com as they become available."

Now the next question has to be "Is he really injured?" So often when WWE superstars get injured it's just so they can have some time off to spend with their family or so the WWE can workout the storyline. In Orton's case it's probably so the WWE can tweak the storyline a little bit. The World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan will be defending his newly won title against the Big Show. Once the Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show storyline is over you will probably see Orton make his return and be the new challenger for the title. So if you're a Randy Orton fan, don't worry, I'm sure that he's just fine. This "injury" is just so the WWE can do some creative work and so that Orton can take a break and spend some time with his family.

Skip Sheffield returns to the WWE

Skip Sheffield returned to action for World Wrestling Entertainment November 3, 2011 at the Raw house show at the Bank Atlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was his first appearance since he broke his ankle at a WWE house in Hawaii in August of 2010. His appearance was a big surprise because last week he was removed from the official WWE roster page on WWE.com. While it is not known who he was introduced as, he told a fan last week that he was going to be re-introduced in the WWE as "Ryback", and the WWE recently trademarked the name. The name change was due to the fact that the WWE wants to push him as a "Babyface" character, so the injury may have been a good thing. It enables Sheffield to distance himself from the "Heel" character that he was when he was a member of the "Nexxus" and now he can reappear in the WWE as "Ryback". So now the question is "Will Skip Sheffield be able take his new persona and become one of the top "Babyface" characters in the WWE?" Well, I guess we will just have to wait and see if "Ryback" really is going to be a big part of the future in the WWE.