CM Punk; WWE Has Me Hooked Again (2012 Official Pro Wrestling Thread)

[brettac1]

The fantasy booker in me would like to see Daniel Bryan win by escaping over the top of the cage. At some point in the match, A.J. would return and secure the cage door with another chain/padlock. Since the refs wouldn't have the key for that lock, it would force Big Show and Henry to try to climb the cage to win.

 

Going back a few pages, someone mentioned Jim Ross. I first became a fan of Jim Ross while watching Bill Watts' UWF. Channel 4 out of Milwaukee played Watts' syndicated show every Saturday (or maybe it was Sunday) morning in 86-87. My dad would go to his Sheesphead card club at the local bar and take me with. The bar always had the UWF show on the tv. Ross was fantastic. I enjoyed Ross more when he still had his strong Oklahoma accent. The crowd was always red-hot which added to the excitement of the show. It seemed like every show had a cliffhanger ending, with the main event still going on when the credits rolled. You had to tune in the following week to see what happened. According to JR's blog, the WWE has attempted to purchase Watts' video library multiple times, but Watts' son and ex-wife won't sell it. They currently run an online store where you can purchase DVDs of the old Mid-South and UWF shows. http://www.universalwrestling.com/

 

On a somewhat related note, it looks like WWE purchased the Global Wrestling Federation library. More childhood memories, but I remember rushing home from school in the early 90s to catch the daily Global show on ESPN. Perhaps we will finally get a Booker T DVD release.

UWF/Mid-South is such fantastic wrestling. Especially compared to the WWF from that era, which is like 95% garbage, aside from Savage and Steamboat. Bill Watts was a genius booker. The old NWA/Jim Crockett promotions was also really amazing in that era. They had a red hot product in the mid-80's. I'm only 27, but thanks to the internet, I have been able to see hours and hours of that era of wrestling.

 

I also remember Global. Jerry Lynn and Sean Waltman are two personal favorites.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Ziggler will probably still be involved in top storylines. I'm guessing he'll be in the Raw Chamber match, which is good enough for me. Might just go right into a Foley feud after the Rumble, but if not it would for sure be after Elimination Chamber.

[brettac1]

I also hope they keep Jericho away from Punk until Mania if that's the feud. It cheapens Mania when you already have them together. They don't need to be in a gimmick match together.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Well, if Jericho wins the Rumble he won't be in the Chamber match. Punk will be in there defending, but not sure what Jericho will do.

[brettac1]

Yeah, don't know what I was thinking there.

 

I do still hate that there is a February PPV, though. I'm a much bigger fan of the idea of the guy wins the Rumble and then he and the champ feud until Mania. Now, you give five other guys a title shot in front of the actual number one contender. It's backwards to me.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Probably was better when it wasn't Elimination Chamber. I love the PPV itself though. However, it could definitely be at a better time of year. The Chamber match that determines the #1 contender for Mania is usually better than the one for the title. Like if Punk is defending his title, we'll all know he's gonna win. Might be a little more suspenseful if someone from Smackdown wins the Rumble, and the WHC is on the line. Although in that case, Jericho would likely win the Chamber match.

[brwrsfan]

I agree completely. A feud from now to Mania would be great, and that's not possible if the champ loses the belt before it gets there. Especially when a lot of times the champ envokes his madeup "rematch clause". So in the rare event that CM Punk for example loses it at Elimination...normally the rematch is the next PPV, which is Mania. Which then makes absolutely no sense at all, if the RR winner was feuding with him. So as you guys have said...it really cheapens the Elimination Chamber, because it's very very unlikely they would have the title change hands. I think it's one of the cooler matches they have all year, they just have it timed in a horrible, horrible spot in the PPV rotation.

[miggs721]

Rumor is Christian will be returning tonight....ONE MORE MATCH!!!!!

[PrinceEatMeat]

Not sure what you mean by one more match. He'll be back full-time. He was just out for awhile with an injury. I'm glad he'll be back too. Need some good heels. That is an area WWE is sorely lacking in right now.

[brettac1]

Wasn't that one of his catchphrases when he couldn't beat Orton during the summer?

[miggs721]

Exactly Brett

[brettac1]

I hope he can get back into the heel role quickly, because he will of course get a babyface pop just for coming back.

[PrinceEatMeat]

He always wanted one more title shot. Sorry, wasn't really thinking of it as one more match. That makes it sound like he was retired or something and coming back for one more match. Anyways, I'd guess he'll be the Chamber match and then MITB at Mania.

[carniesandrubes]

wow this ppv has been brutally awful so far. i'd hate to have paid for it. hopefully they turn things around next month here for EC.

[miggs721]

brodus clay as a time filler...!%#,

[brettac1]

Yeah, this was awful until Punk vs Ziggler. The crowd was just dead. And even Punk vs Ziggler felt like a Raw match.

[MillerParkSouth]

Really glad they had Punk beat Ziggler about 4 times this match, hope that doesn't mean that they're going to completely bury him, but I wouldn't be surprised. Pretty terrible PPV so far, hopefully the rumble match is good.

[brettac1]

Sweet, that was definitely the end of the world...

[MillerParkSouth]

first PPV I've watched in about 12 years, good to know that they're just as bad now as they were then, haha. what an anti-climactic rumble match. curious to see what happens tomorrow on raw since nothing got resolved and it doesn't seem like anything has really changed either.

[patrickgpe]

shemas winning over jericho makes no sense, not sure how the advances any storyline

[brettac1]

Yeah, this was pretty atrocious. I didn't mind the Rumble match itself all that much, aside from how backloaded it was. It really drove home how few top guys they have when they almost all came in toward the end.

[And That]

That was the worst Rumble that I can recall. When Road Dogg gets the 3rd or 4th biggest pop and it's 2012... you're in trouble.

[patrickgpe]

i thought there was going to be a major plot twist from i read before the rumble, that definitely didn't happen

[PrinceEatMeat]

Well, that was pretty anti-climactic. Nothing came of the Jericho end of the world as you know it thing. Ziggler basically got buried by Punk. The Cena/Kane match was pointless. Also, they weren't even in the Rumble match. The cage match was horrible as expected. I really like Sheamus winning, because he deserves a push, but it just didn't make sense with the storylines going on right now. Guess we'll have to wait and see where things go from here. I hope it's Sheamus/Bryan at Mania though. I'd like to see that match. This PPV really did nothing to set up any feuds heading towards Mania though, which makes no sense at all to me.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Based on tonight my guessed for Mania are Sheamus/Bryan, Jericho/Punk, Orton/Barrett, Cena/Rock, Taker/HHH, possibly Kane/Ryder, and then I'd say Foley/Ziggler No DQ. Then there will be MITB and a divas match, and Show/Shaq is still rumored. That's not a bad card. It has potential. Although things have the potential to completely change with how things were booked at the Rumble.