What's Old is New

In the middle of the 90s the then-WWF launched their In Your House line of pay-per-views. The idea was that in the seven months of the year during which one of their Big Five pay-per-views (WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and King of the Ring) wasn’t broadcast they would air a shorter, cheaper show featuring matches that would help advance storylines for the bigger events and capitalise on the success of Monday Night RAW.

As the promotion was only just beginning to get to grips with producing a monthly pay-per-view the cards were of unpredictable quality but something that stands out when you look back now is the variety of men who were thrown into prominent spots in order to fill up the show. This happened, of course, because the WWF was struggling to create top line talent.

Sounds familiar yes?

The In Your House product of the 90s is similar to WWE’s pay-per-view product today. IYH shows usually guaranteed matches featuring the WWF champion and the Intercontinental champion while today we can usually expect bouts starring the WWE champ and the World Heavyweight champ. In a way the WHC has become WWE’s second tier title, replacing the once meaningful Intercontinental title.

WWE could learn something from its mid-90s approach to pay-per-view booking but the logo is best left in the past

In Your House cards generally featured a lot of random filler matches tossed together to fill time, also like WWE’s modern pay-per-view product. Let’s take the recent Over The Limit show as an example. While it was an enjoyable show four of its nine matches weren’t even advertised beforehand. If WWE is going to take this approach to its product I think they should really embrace the move and take some genuine risks when it comes to these filler bouts.

If shows are going to be built around two or three key matches then there’s no harm tinkering with the undercard is there? Give men like Ezekiel Jackson and Drew McIntyre feuds with established upper mid-card talent like The Miz or Dolph Ziggler, or even headliners like Randy Orton and Chris Jericho. Let Cody Rhodes wrestle the satisfying technical matches so many people are sure he’s capable of producing against the Yoshi Tatsus, Tyson Kidds and and Justin Gabriels of the roster.

Give this guy a pay-per-view match with Randy Orton and see if he can get over

The approach to the big matches featuring established stars shouldn’t change. They are what sells the shows. But there’s no harm in trying out different things and giving underutilised wrestlers a chance to succeed and make an impression. The regular pay-per-view roster could be thinned out a little in order to allow more young guys a chance to flourish. WWE’s buy rates for the secondary PPVs have been falling for years now. At this point they should be looking to the past and embracing their old approach rather than sticking with what has gotten them to this undesirable point in the first place.

Chris Jericho's Brazilian Adventure

WWE has suspended Chris Jericho for thirty days. For once this is nothing to do with a Wellness Policy violation…

On Thursday 24^th May WWE held its first live event in Brazil. That’s a country WWE has been wanting to break into for a while thanks to its status as a growing economic power. As such the company wanted to make a good first impression and ensured that it booked quality bouts in the top spots. One of those matches was John Cena (the company’s biggest star) against Dolph Ziggler (a bumping machine talented enough to make a bore like Cena look good). The other was WWE champion CM Punk defending against Chris Jericho.

During the early going in that match ‘Y2J’ grabbed a Brazilian flag and threw it to the ground. That act has been a standard heel tactic for decades (perhaps doing something so unoriginal is why Jericho is “the best in the world at what he does”) but not in Brazil, where it is illegal to disrespect the flag.

Police arrived at ringside and demanded ‘The Ayatollah of Rock-and-Rollah’ apologise for his actions or be arrested. Jericho, suddenly taken from the entertainment world of WWE to a very real situation with very real repercussions, did so. That was the sensible thing to do.

Chris Jericho parades around the ring with the Brazilian flag, looking decidedly un-heelish

When Jericho kicked the flag he had no idea it was an illegal act. He was playing the part of a television villain (as it’s Jericho the term pantomime villain is more accurate) and antagonist. His job in that role is to make people hate him. He did that but broke the law along the way. He did the right thing and apologised for the act but has still been suspended. Why?

Well, in 2012 WWE markets itself very successfully as family entertainment. It cannot be seen to let one of its employees go unpunished for an illegal act on one of its shows, no matter what extenuating circumstances are involved. Shawn Michaels did something similar but went much farther in Montreal at Survivor Series ’97 when he humped the Quebec flag, but that was a different country and a different era both in WWE and the wrestling industry in general. More importantly it was not an illegal act in Quebec.

CM Punk's interaction with the Brazilian flag was received more positively

WWE’s hand was forced by the legal aspect introduced by the incident taking place in Brazil. The suspension is not popular but it is understandable. WWE wants to return to Brazil in the future and there is a greater chance of that happening if the man that broke the law on their debut show in the country was punished for his actions.

Times may have changed in the wrestling business but there is still a place for flags to be used to produce heel heat in 2012 (I realise how odd a statement that is). Not in WWE though. Unfortunately for Chris Jericho he has found that out the hard way. Taking into account his upcoming tour dates with Fozzy, his thirty day suspension form WWE and the gaps in his announced wrestling schedule it’s possible we won’t be seeing the former ‘Paragon of Virtue’ for a while. That may not be a bad thing. It will allow this embarrassing debacle to blow over and give Jericho the chance to come back with a renewed focus and make the impact he should have made in January.

#OtungaforUSchamp

On Wednesday something astonishing happened: David Otunga got “#OtungaforUSchamp” trending on Twitter.

I’ve been a fan of David Otunga for a while now. Not because he’s a great wrestler or because he’s someone who will clearly make it to the top of WWE because he’s not a great wrestler and is not ever going to rise above the mid-card in WWE. No, I’m a fan of David Otunga because he’s such a great character.

The ever-present coffee; the crisp, eloquent delivery of his lines; his use of the #Otungalaw hashtag on Twitter; the ridiculous poses he pulls before, during and after his matches; and, most importantly, his wonderful tendency to botch practically everything he does. These are the reasons I am a fan of David Otunga. Not everyone has to be a great wrestler.

Watch any match involving the former Nexus member and you are almost guaranteed to see him do something wrong. The best part is that it’s often something basic, such as on the April 16^th RAW from London where Otunga faced Santino and somehow managed to botch going for a pin. How can any wrestling fan not love the inadvertent hilarity of a wrestler who cannot master a pinning position?

This picture needs no words

Otunga is someone who’s found his niche on the card and performs it very well. He’s clearly an intelligent man (law degrees from Harvard don’t come easy) and has made the intelligent move of weaving his real life background into his wrestling gimmick. That’s always a smart direction to go in as it makes it easier to portray the character with conviction. It’s helped him gain a regular spot on RAW alongside his on- and 0ff-screen boss John Laurinaitis. See? Smart.

So, “#OtungaforUSchamp”? I’d agree with that. The belt has been worthless ever since Zack Ryder was senselessly booked to lose it to Jack Swagger on January 16^th. ‘Long Island Iced Z’ and Dolph Ziggler had done fine work making the belt mean something to fans in the latter months of 2011 and WWE has carelessly frittered that effort away. If it has to be on a comedy worker it should at least be on a comedy worker who will do something entertaining with the opportunity being a champion represents. That man is not Santino Marella.

That man is David Otunga.

Awesome No More?

It was around this time last year when The Miz’s main event career ended. Having captured the WWE championship (historically by far the more important of WWE’s two designated world championships) from Randy Orton at the end of the post-Survivor Series 2010 RAW the former reality TV star had been at the top of the company for almost half a year. During that time he had been awarded further victories over Orton and, at WrestleMania, John Cena. Although he was never able to beat either man clean (he invariably obtained those wins after interference from Alex Riley or via other underhand tactics) that he was booked to beat the promotion’s two top babyfaces under any circumstances was a clear sign that WWE wanted the man to succeed at the top.

At Extreme Rules 2011 Miz lost the WWE championship to John Cena in a steel cage match (also involving John Morrison). He was unable to regain the belt the next evening on RAW or at Over The Limit three weeks later. It was after that loss to Cena that Miz’s position on the card changed significantly.

Instead of continuing his feud with champion Cena ‘The Awesome One’ instead took issue with his apprentice Alex Riley. Blamed for Miz’s loss of the WWE title A-Ry found himself fired on the post-Over The Limit RAW. The two men clashed in a singles match at Capitol Punishment and then came to blows at Money in the Bank, where they both participated in one of the titular ladder bouts.

At the time it seemed that WWE was using Miz as a star-builder, someone who would help Riley establish as a featured babyface. Despite expectations Riley actually flourished in the role and gained a lot of support from fans for standing up to his bullying ex-mentor. It seemed like a mild comedown for Miz after being involved in the headline picture (to great acclaim) for several months, but most assumed it would just be a temporary arrangement designed to slow down his career and stop him becoming burned out and overexposed.

The epitome of awesome

Unfortunately for ‘The Cleveland Screamer’ he was kept waiting for something new to do for far longer than expected. Once the Riley rivalry was over and done with Miz was left treading water until he formed Awesome Truth alongside fellow ex-headline heel experiment R-Truth. Miz sunk his teeth into that opportunity with characteristic gusto. Awesome Truth was one of the highlights of WWE television in the latter months of last year thanks to their clashes with Air Boom and their memorable worked shoot firing at the hands of Triple H.

The peak of the team’s tenure came when they clashed with John Cena and The Rock at Survivor Series. Held in Madison Square Garden and being ‘The Great One’s’ first match in over seven years it was a match of huge significance in the careers of all four men. Being booked to lose didn’t deter Miz from entering a strong performance and showing why he’d been selected to topple Orton for the gold one year before.

The next night Awesome Truth were abruptly split (thanks to a violation of the Wellness Policy by Truth) which originally seemed like a waste and a setback for the Miz. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him as it freed him up for inclusion in the triple threat Tables Ladders and Chairs match for the WWE championship at TLC on December 18^th.

That would turn out to be the final match of any great significance that ‘The Most Must See WWE Superstar in History’ would have for a while. Since then Miz has been treading water again, given no real storylines and almost finding himself left off of WrestleMania (he was the final addition to the Team Johnny v Team Teddy bout). Miz is no longer guaranteed to appear on RAW each week and when he does there’s a fair chance he’ll be staring at the lights for someone higher on WWE’s list of priorities.

The recent news that he will be starring in WWE Studios’ latest venture, The Marine: Homefront, could be a blessing in disguise for the underutilised star. The project will require him to be off of WWE TV for a couple of months which will provide the opportunity to reintroduce him with a renewed purpose and accompanying push. If I were WWE’s head booker I’d have Miz suffer another standard loss on an edition of RAW then take a microphone and unleash a vicious promo about being overlooked and forgotten before storming out of the arena.

Once filming on Homefront was completed Miz could return to TV by interfering in a WWE or World title match on pay-per-view, setting him up as an opponent for Sheamus or CM Punk. He could potentially be booked to beat either man and have another run at the main event level. Punk has held the WWE title since last year’s Survivor Series and Sheamus has had the World belt since WrestleMania. By the time Miz returns to TV they’d both have lengthy title reigns notched up and a switch would freshen the company up.

I’d be inclined to go with Miz taking the belt from Sheamus: it’s a fresher match and would allow Miz to be moved to the Friday night show where he’d be given more room to breathe as a performer and could concentrate on re-establishing himself. It would also set up a feud with a heel Daniel Bryan, whose “Yes!” catchphrase (is one word a catchphrase?) could be used to counteract Miz’s sardonic “Really?” promos (is one word a promo?). Live audiences would have great fun with warring phrase chants there and the feud could be used to gradually turn Miz face (or Bryan for that matter).

Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin has all the tools to be a regular at the top of WWE cards. He has the look the company likes, is a proficient wrestler, has tremendous promo skills, is famously dedicated to improving himself, isn’t afraid of the promotion’s gruelling travel schedule (he makes the second most public appearances for WWE behind John Cena), and has a nice stash of phrases that fans like joining in with. He’s been to the top once. If given the chance I think he could get back there again.

Limit Exceeded

This is not intended as a play-by-play recap of last Sunday's Over The Limit pay-per-view. There are plenty of those online already and I have no interest in transcribing matches. This is more about my reaction to the show.
 
WWE did a great job with their booking of Over The Limit. The undeniable highlight was the WWE title match between champion CM Punk and challenger Daniel Bryan. The two men were given the time to put together a Match of the Year contender worthy of their considerable reputations. The match was timed perfectly, featured plenty of memorable spots and was believable. That's a rare combination for wrestling matches these days (and not just in WWE).

CM Punk taunts Daniel Bryan before their excellent WWE title match

 
Towards the end of the match I found myself thinking that it would be a good choice of bout to show to non-fans as an example of how good wrestling can be. There aren't many higher accolades a match can get than that. Punk and Bryan deserve credit for producing such a compelling and memorable encounter and WWE deserve credit for giving them enough time to do so. It was by no means guaranteed that that would be the case.
 
The finish of the match saw 'The Straight Edge Superhero' reverse the Yes Lock into a pinning position, get the win, and then start tapping. It was slightly bizarre but it wasn't as bad as many people have made out. It was clearly done to setup a rematch. That's a good thing. Bryan and Punk will have plenty more encounters in the future which will have clean finishes. The finish does nothing to spoil the fine bout that preceded it.
 
On any other show the fatal four way match for the World Heavyweight championship would have stood out as the best thing on the card. It's the bad luck of combatants Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio that they found themselves competing with such a well-received Punk v Bryan match.
 
The four men constructed what was possibly the best four-way clash I've ever seen. Avoiding the regular WWE route of basic wrestling and brawling they constructed a match built around the well-timed execution of signature moves and finishers, giving us a match that rocketed along stuffed with near falls and false finishes. Something of a novelty by WWE standards, that formula worked so well because the men had so many moves at their disposal that fans have been conditioned to accept as match-finishers.
 
Elsewhere we had an entertaining tag title clash between champions R-Truth and Kofi Kingston and challengers Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. Over the last year 'The Show Off' and 'The All American American' have clashed with Kofi several times (alongside Truth as well as his Air Boom partner Evan Bourne). They never produce a bad match but the repetition does illustrate that WWE could do with investing in some duos. Titus O'Neil and Darren Young are not the shining stars the company’s tag ranks need.
 
On a side note WWE's website has recently been asking fans to vote for a team name for the tag champions (sadly Legion of Boom, one of the options for Kingston's team with Evan Bourne, didn't hasn’t been an option). Had WWE gotten their act together they could have been ready with a new team name for the pay-per-view. Isn't that exactly the sort of touch that PPV customers deserve? That's a minor quibble though: the tag match itself was excellent.
 
The show-opening battle royal was a forgettable affair, but then all such matches are. I was heartened when William Regal's elimination was met with boos from the audience: it's nice knowing that such a great wrestler is appreciated.
 
It was nice to finally see Christian back on WWE television too. The right decision has been made in turning him face as he has more opponents as a good guy and is one of WWE's most popular acts. Seeing him win his fourth Intercontinental title was nice for someone who's been a 'Captain Charisma' fan since the late nineties but I can't help thinking an opportunity was missed. Had an underutilised performer such as Tyson Kidd won the battle royal and been the man selected to topple Cody Rhodes later in the evening a new mid-card star would have been made in one night. 'The Instant Classic' was going to receive a warm welcome whenever he returned, he didn't need the IC title. A mid-carder would've benefited from the win far more.
 
Even the John Cena v John Laurinaitis match was booked well. The bout was sensibly played for laughs with Cena kicking Laurinaitis around ringside for the majority of the match. It wasn’t anything close to the best match on the show but it provided fans with a sight they’ve wanted to see for months: John Laurinaitis taking a beating.

The finish, which saw Big Show swerve turn on Cena, was utterly predictable but didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the evening. A surprise return in Show’s place would have been better but that was never going to be.

Why, Big Show? Why?

With Over The Limit WWE gave us their third consecutive pay-per-view worth watching. At a time when they are lambasted for having a shallow talent pool or not booking things properly (and I’m well aware I make those accusations on a regular basis myself) it’s pleasing to see that WWE can still turn out shows that, in and of themselves, are highly enjoyable. I want more of the same at No Way Out.

Blueprint Examination

If I were Matt Morgan I would give a return to WWE some serious consideration.

That’s not a random statement from nowhere, Morgan’s contract status with the Orlando outfit expires this year and he’s stated in numerous interviews that he hasn’t yet ruled out a return to his former employer. He will either be a free agent in October, when his contract officially runs out, or he is one right now, having fulfilled the number of dates specified in the document. Whatever the case ‘The DNA of TNA’ will soon find himself in a position where he has to make an important career decision. Notably, Morgan has stated that WWE have made it clear they would be interested in signing him.

The truth is that the big man should have achieved far more than he has in TNA. He has all the tools a pro wrestler needs to succeed. He’s eloquent, has a good physique, a tall frame, knows how to wrestle and can provoke a reaction from fans. Yet the most he’s ever done in TNA is capturing the tag team title (with no-hopers Hernandez and Crimson). Had TNA ever been serious about creating its own name talent Matt Morgan would have been an ideal candidate.

How long will TNA retain its DNA?

Morgan has played every role possible in the company. He’s been both a face and a heel. He’s been the independent thinker and the heel stable’s insurance policy. He’s been the tag team guy and the singles star. He’s wrestled everyone there is to wrestle. The only thing he’s not done is capture TNA’s world championship and that’s unlikely to ever happen because the promotion has locked itself into a stale pattern of promoting the same guys in the same top spots. Bobby Roode and James Storm may have made it to the top but it took both a very long time to do it and a storyline (of sorts) was planned out for them both before they went to the top.

The recent return to WWE of Matt ‘Lord Tensai’ Bloom shows that John Laurinaitis is prepared to re-sign former stars who were not draws during their original runs with the organisation if they have improved in their time away from the company. Bloom travelled to Japan and turned himself into a standout worker.

Morgan has done the same while in TNA. He wasn’t bad during his time in WWE, but he was rough around the edges. He has become polished and reliable in TNA, thanks to the greater freedom the promotion affords its talent. Morgan could do a lot to improve the WWE product and would benefit from a roster of almost completely fresh match-ups. If WWE had a mind too they could turn him into a big star. That’s true of anyone really, considering how much money the company has at its disposal and the systems they’ve established for themselves over the years, but with Morgan significantly less work would be required.

It’s possible Morgan will stay in TNA. That’s his comfort zone. He knows he’s going to get a paycheque, wrestle on TV most weeks and get to wrestle the top names (even if he does usually lose to them). A return to WWE would be a gamble as he could very well end up failing in whatever new role he was given, leaving him to head back to Orlando with his tail between his legs.

I think ‘The Blueprint’ should take the risk. He could potentially gain a lot from a second stint in WWE, easily enough to outweigh the potential embarrassment of failing.

Year of the Wolf

I’m not Davey Richards’ biggest fan but I was fully expecting him to hold onto the ROH world championship for at least a few more months. That he lost the belt to Kevin Steen came as a huge shock to me. It may have seemed obvious to some that ‘Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare’ was going to walk out of Border Wars victorious but I was convinced that Richards would retain the gold and drop it Steen in a few months’ time. He seemed the first candidate in a long time to enjoy a title reign that would equal those enjoyed by celebrated champions Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness or Bryan Danielson.

I thought this for a couple of reasons. First of all it seemed too early in the Steen-Richards feud for a title change. I assumed Steen would lose and then somehow obtain a rematch (this is wrestling, stipulations such as “this will be your only title match” are overturned all the time) and leave as champion then. It’s uncharacteristic of Ring of Honor to put the title on a wrestler at the peak of their popularity, they usually procrastinate and end up putting the title on popular stars months too late.

That was originally the case with Richards himself. Following his unsuccessful challenge against Tyler Black (who himself was kept waiting too long to win the ROH title) on June 24^th 2010 everyone knew it was just a matter of time until he became champion. That “matter of time” ended up lasting a full year, by which point Richards, while still undeniably popular, was not as over as he had been a year before. The fans were not as desperate to see him as the company figurehead because ROH had waited too long.

My point is that it is far more like ROH to keep a wrestler as the popular challenger for just a little too long and it was surprising that they deviated from this annoying habit with Steen. It’s the right move and one I’m personally happy with (I much prefer Kevin Steen to Davey Richards) but it’s still surprising.

We're not going to be seeing this sight for a while. Some may say that's a good thing...

The second reason is that ‘The American Wolf’ was only just beginning to hit his stride as champion. He’d had the belt for eleven months and the first half of his reign was completely forgettable. During his first four months he defended the title only three times, once against non-ROH competitor Tommy End, once against entertaining non-threat Colt Cabana, and once against Roderick Strong. This was not Richards’ fault, ROH had scaled down the number of shows they running during this period in preparation for their 2012 relaunch. But the point still stands: Richards was not being given the best opponents possible.

Another problem was that much of Richards’ reign was characterised with matches against Roderick Strong and Eddie Edwards. All three are great wrestlers and they never produced any matches that disappointed but there are only so many times you can see three men clash with one another. It was a lack of variety that damaged the majority of the Davey Richards ROH title reign.

What’s frustrating is that he was just beginning to defend the belt against a wider variety of opponents. By all accounts Richards’ matches against Jay Lethal and Adam Cole were impressive and his main event match with Michael Elgin at Showdown in the Sun was an astonishing display. More defences like that against different names plucked from all levels of the roster could have really helped Richards make more of his time as champion. Had Richards been facing those sort of guys from the start of his reign (rather than the small cadre of main event talent at Ring of Honor’s disposal) I think we’d be looking back on a far more impressive reign.