Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wrestlemania Pick Blog

The time has come, Wrestlemania is upon us. The WWE fell short for weeks until Monday. Raw did exactly what its purpose was and that is to get me ready for this Sunday. I don't remember a better go home show ever. Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit. Stone Cold did the beer truck promo the Raw before Wrestlemania XV. Still, Monday did its job and I am ready for the biggest wrestling show of the year. I expect some twists, turns and swerves on Sunday. A few I want to see and one I hope doesn't happen. I know it is early to talk about Wrestlemania 28 since I'm just getting to Mania 27 picks. The WWE prepares for next years Mania right after so I thought I would help out.

In the last 3 years, The Undertaker has wrestled HBK twice and HHH this year. Who the hell is left for Taker? I read some reports that Taker was going to wrestle Wade Barrett this year. Of course, then 2-21-11 was going to be Sting and Taker. We know that was all smoke and mirrors now. Maybe Barrett was a lie and the WWE always knew Triple H was going to face Taker. That may never be solved. The real problem is who can take Triple H spot next year and be victim number 20?


The current roster only has two studs and one of them has already faced Undertaker. Randy Orton won't be getting a rematch against Taker anytime soon. They wrestled at Wrestlemania 21 in a phenomenal contest. John Cena on the other hand is a different story. Cena is the only mega star left the WWE has yet to use in the streak. I think it could happen. If WWE really wanted to get Cena heel, have him beat Taker and do it by cheating. WWE would have a riot on their hands. I look at Cena versus Taker the same way as Austin vs. Taker. It's not going to happen. The payoff isn't there. In all the years of the streak, Taker has only faced 2 mega stars, HBK and HHH. Edge, Orton and Batista aren't quite up to that level. Cena is a likely candidate but I don't see it.


Miz might be an option. He's certainly proved he can deliver during this Rock/Cena/Miz triangle mess. Miz has looked, played and acted like a main event player. The build would have to be perfect in order for fans to buy Wrestlemania for that match. Miz could team up with the owner Vincent Kennedy McMahon to help the fans believe he has a shot. Hell, if Vince weren't rising past 60, he could end up being an option. I'm kind of surprised that never happened.


Wade Barrett has a chance for redemption. Again, it's all about the story. The story would have worked this year. Nexus buried Taker and the set up was there. To be able to replicate that for next year may be difficult. Wade would have to "injure" Taker or something to that affect. It seems like the current roster may not have the star. What about the guy hosting this years Wrestlemania?


The People's Champ says he is going to stick around forever. I'm sure forever means a few months after Wrestlemania. He has said he would wrestle again. Okay, take on Cena at Summerslam in August and create some magic with The Deadman. I would love this match and I don't care who the bad guy is. They would be a lot like Triple H and HBK where neither were a heel. The Rock would sell tickets, as he is this year. This is a pipe dream but then again so is this next guy.

My pick on a 'No chance in hell but a fan can dream' vote for The Undertaker's opponent at Wrestlemania 28 is Kurt Angle. What! I said Kurt Angle! I am aware Angle is currently on the TNA roster. I know he has said he is loyal to TNA. He has also said he doesn't want to work full time once his contract ends this summer. The Olympic Gold medalist would be hard pressed to turn down an offer from the WWE if they said we want you to face The Undertaker. That is a huge vote of confidence in Angle. If Angle were to sign a contract in say October, I wouldn't reveal him until the Royal Rumble. Sure it's a hot shot angle (pun intended) but it would work. Kurt would eliminate Taker and brawl it on the outside. Angle would come through the crowd as opposed to be one of the participants. Security gets Angle and Taker separated. The promo begins on Friday Night Smackdown with The Undertaker saying Angle is a dead man. He wanted one more shot at Wrestlemania for the world title. Angle comes to the ring with a huge smile on his face. He starts talking about how all he ever hears about around this time is the streak. The rest writes itself. Angle and The Undertaker would rock. I would love to see it.

The Corre vs. The Freaks er Kozlov, Santino, Kane, Show

This match should be Corre vs. Show, Kane and Kofi. They take the belt off Kofi and keep him off the card. I hate it. Anyway, Corre is wasting away. I like Barrett and Gabriel. The Gabriel Slater tag team has a decent future. I'm not into this match at all. I thought it was funny on Raw with everyone doing the trumpet thing. That's the only thing I remember of this entire story. The Corre win.


Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes

This match has great potential. I loved the build. Dusty Rhodes was involved, Cody has been much darker and Rey always plays his role well. Rey and Cody deserve at least 15 minutes of in ring time. I wouldn't be surprised if the American Dream tries to help his son. I will watch this match with complete focus to see if Rhodes can handle the spotlight and bring a great match. I think he will. In the end, dial it up R-E-Y with the win.


United States Championship Match

Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

The match that should kick off Wrestlemania. The build hasn't been all there. I hated the squash match with Sheamus and Bourne. Both men have a bright future in the WWE. I said it in my Raw blog that these two can provide a spark and get the crowd involved from the start of Wrestlemania. I love this match and the competitors. I hope they give me what I want, a back and forth contest. I think they will and the Irish Ghost steals a victory.


Jerry The King Lawler vs. Michael Cole w/Swagger in his corner and Stone Cold as the ref

This could go one way, which is a beer bash and Lawler beating the crap out of Cole from the bell, or the other way, which is Hart/Vince from last year. I don't think there is much middle ground. Steve hits a stunner or 12 and Lawler wins. The match is better than last years Hart vs. Vince.


Randy Orton vs. CM Punk

A match with show stealing potential. These two have had the best overall story on Raw. WWE actually used the history to add a different flavor. Nexus members have been gone for quite a while, we might see one of them return to help Punk. They may hold that off for Raw. I think the story continues. I'm torn but I'll say Punk gets the victory.


Dolph Ziggler and LayCool vs. John Morrison, Trish Stratus and Jersey Whore

Celebrities don't normally lose. In fact, I'm not sure if they ever have. The only thing I can hope for is a lot of Ziggler Morrison and less the Divas. They are the future and should get a shot to shine. Morrison and crew take down the heels. Although, I will be rooting for Ziggler.


World Heavyweight Championship

Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio

It is Del RRRRRRio's destiny to win the World heavyweight championship at Wrestlemania. I sound like a broken record but don't turn Christian heel. He shouldn't be a heel. I believe this is a sure bet, Del Rio will be the World Heavyweight Champion.


WWE Title Match

Miz (c) vs. John Cena

How does Rock get involved? He is definitely going to be in the match some way, shape or form. WWE has used a lot of time to build him up with Cena and Miz. He has to do something. I just don't know what that is. If he is going wrestle, he could cost Cena the match. Miz would get a major boast if he walks out with the belt. For some reason, the picture of Cena raising the WWE title and then receiving a Rock Bottom is in my mind. That's what I will go with. Cena wins.


The Undertaker vs. Triple H

I do think this match will end Wrestlemania. Raw brought me back into this story. I was drifting away. Shawn Michaels made be in the mix for an appearance during the match. He's done wrestling though so where would the payoff be if he cost Triple H? There isn't one. I've yelled it on ShowStoppers, I've wrote it several times and I am telling you right now, The Streak will never die. Triple H and HBK can do anything in this match but the outcome will remain. I hope I'm wrong because I smell a disappointment in this match. 19-0 will happen on Sunday. Enjoy the festivities with your buddies. No wrestling fan deserves to be alone on Sunday night. Get your ass to a party or create one. This is WRESTLEMANIA!

J Call

Monday, March 28, 2011

Raw 3-28

We are 6 days away from the grand daddy of them all, Wrestlemania. I can't wait. I've been a little disappointed about the Taker/HHH story or lack of story. The rest of the card seems set except perhaps adding Corre vs. Show/Kane/Kofi. Raw is jam packed with some special guests and big time appearances. Smackdown has already announced a street fight between Del Rio and Christian. I don't think we will get anything that good on Raw. I believe tonight will be all about Rock/Cena/Miz. I was pumped all day to witness a Raw full of attitude. The go home Raw has to peak more interest to make sure we are all ready to purchase Wrestlemania.

The Chicago Made Punk (You see CM or it could be Chick Magnet) was likely to get a giant cheer tonight from his fellow Chicagoians or whatever they are called. I've liked the Orton/Punk feud. This is what Punk needed to do, grab a mic and do his thing. He got the fans to turn on him somewhat from the start of the promo. I've heard fans complain that Orton is just playing the roll of Cena. I disagree for a few reasons. One, I like Orton, dislike Cena. The match between Orton and Punk will be much better than anything Cena can do. The added element of an injury is great. Orton is now a wounded animal and if he loses at Wrestlemania, it doesn't look as bad. I wonder if any Nexus member returns.


I was hoping for a 5 second pose. Edge and Christian were scheduled to be in a tag on Smackdown a few weeks ago but never happened. I love both these guys. I think it would be a dumb idea to turn Christian heel at Wrestlemania and cost Edge the WHC. Christian plays the better good guy. Edge's character is a more natural bad guy. I hope it's as simple as keeping both good for now and we get a Triple Threat at the next pay per view, whatever the hell WWE is calling it. Since there will be Smackdown, I expect Edge to get the best of Del Rio then. I love Del Rio's ruthless aggression. They are going to have a great match at Wrestlemania.


Sin Cara wrestled over the weekend against Primo. The match was amazing. In fact, I was nice enough to give you the link by clicking here. I tried to embed it but didn't work. The flip off the top is nuts. I've daydreamed about a Bourne/Sin Cara match already. Wow that might turn some heads.


I guess Kofi won't get on the Wrestlemania card. I'm not saying Santino and Kozlov don't deserve to be on the card. They just haven't even wrestled Corre in weeks. Kofi lost his title on Friday night and won't get an opportunity to win it back. That is lazy writing and typical for WWE. Kofi deserves either a rematch or on the card. I will admit I laughed my ass off for the celebrating dance off. Kane does have a sense of humor. You can add humor to the broadcast in easy ways but they have to be funny. That was simple and funny. People's court was uh the complete opposite.


The Undertaker entrance still gives me chills. The bell tolling as Triple H was going to spit was brilliant. Raw certainly stopped as the real Show stopper came out. It was about damn time HBK got involved in the story. I didn't see HBK calling out Triple H during the segment. That was a nice twist. I hope one day they can write a book on The Undertaker. A complete real book and not some fake in character book. It would be awesome. I've read the 2 Jericho books and just finishing up with the Stone Cold Steve Austin book. The Jericho books are real, out of character must read books. The Austin book is a bit of a letdown. Back to the Raw blog, the whole segment was awesome. They brought me back into the story. The only problem I had with the in ring segment was it brough sympathy to Triple H. It made him look like an underdog. As much as I love HBK, he really did make the focus on him. It was a wonderful segment. But creating HHH as this underdog is something I don't like. They both should be made strong. Still, overall I can't complain to much when 3 of the biggest icons in the wrestling industry were standing in the same ring.


Michael Cole nearly got fired for his racial slur on twitter a few days ago. He should have. My guess is the tweet got a lot of heat on Cole, which lead to a short segment between Lawler and Cole. Even when he doesn't speak, Cole messes up.


The tag match with Sheamus/Ziggler/Morrison/Bryan is a preview of what the future of the WWE could look like. Ziggler and Morrison need a real feud after Wrestlemania. Minus the women, minus all the pub and a simple one on one story. If they were on Smackdown, they would help elevate the IC title and move on in another year or two in the WHC. On Raw, they are nothing more than fillers. Hopefully they get a long feud with the United States title after Wrestlemania.
The Road Warriors were the greatest tag team of all time. Hawk was the talker and Animal was the power. The spiked shoulder pads, the paint and muscle was a perfect combo. They deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. WWE Hall is a joke but at least 2 or 3 guys each year get in that deserve it. LOD ruled plain and simple, WHAT A RUSH!

Glad I went and took a pee break during the whole Shore segment.


It certainly feels special when The Rock is live and in front of a great hot crowd. I didn't figure The Rock would get interupted by a clock tonight. It's hard to put into words the final segment. The moment with Cena and The Rock was breath taking. Miz did have a great aura around him tonight. I thought he held his own with Cena and Rock. The people's elbow was greatness and the AA was perfect ending. The only question is where is the pay off? Unless The Rock is going to actually stick around and beat the piss out of both these guys, then all of this is for nothing. I would be fine if this dragged on and The Rock and Cena went at it one on one next year. If WWE really wanted to throw a giant curveball, they would turn Cena a full fledge heel. The Rock could help that. Otherwise, this is just to hype Mania and The Rock will hose Cena but he doesn't like either man. I don't have my crystal ball out. I can't see into the future for Wrestlemania. I will try and do that on Thursday morning with my Wrestlemania pick blog. A great show and a great ending. I'm ready for Sunday.


Time for some plugs before I walk. ShowStoppers will have a special guest on Wednesday when it hits BBSD. During Raw, you can follow me @bigbadsportsdad or any other time @mccall316 on twitter. As I mentioned, I will be back for my Wrestlemania pick blog on Thursday morning or Wednesday night on blogger.com. Enjoy the hype for Wrestlemania. I know I am. Stunners for Everyone.


J Call

Monday, March 21, 2011

Raw 3-21

The previous week of wrestling was very good in this wrestling blogger's opinion. Hell, even TNA had their moments. Raw may not be as stratusfying as last week, instead it should help build a few other matches for the card at Mania. The new United States Champion Sheamus should get an opponent of either Kofi or Daniel Bryan. Triple H and The Undertaker need to do something as last week didn't help at all. I hate Snooki and her being added to the card. Still, I love Ziggler and him being in a high profile match is good enough. The WWE has only 3 Raws left and time is running out.


I'm ready for the Triple H Taker match at Wrestlemania. I don't think the hype has been as good as I thought it would be. I figured Shawn would make a live appearance and have a few words for Triple H. We've only saw a bunch of videos. It's a little disappointing. Biggest shocker was Ted Dibiase was actually used. Sure, he got the same treatment as Sheamus a few weeks ago. Still, some people may have forgot about Teddy. He had a great match on Smackdown taking on Rey. Teddy is the most underused talent in the WWE. If you don't believe that, I got two words for ya... The whole story feels rushed. Without Triple H or Taker actually beating each other up, it's weak. I want the match but I'm not as excited as I should be to witness it. The video later in the night was pretty sweet. One thing WWE knows how to do, production.

Sheamus is finally winning matches which is good. I would rather see him in a real match against Evan. I guess Evan won't be on Wrestlemania. They have yet to build a real story for Sheamus. As I wrote that, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus is booked for Wrestlemania. I'm really happy about that. Bryan deserves to be on the card and I believe Sheamus and Bryan will open the show. They can create a hot opener. They already had a great Raw match which is difficult with time restraints. WWE should give them about 15 minutes of actual in ring time and it won't disappoint.
The Diva match certainly mattered. Eve's slap was sweet. WWE is making an even bigger sham of the Diva division. Eve is the Diva champion and hardly anyone remember. I know it is Coles' job to be a douchebag. You can do that in ways when it doesn't hurt the rest of the roster. Worst part of all was Cole wasn't even the next segment. What the hell was the point?

Good to see Santino and Kozlov got a rematch about 3 months later. I've never understood Heath Slater and his one man rock band moniker. What's a mean? He must be ultra talented on the guitar, mic and drums. He sure as hell isn't talented in the ring. Big Show and Kane may add Kevin Nash to go up against the Corre. It would make sense. Raw has them blindside Corre and then Smackdown Corre turns the table until the big truck horn hits and Nash walks down the aisle on his giant stilts.

Hmm, Cena is live via satellite. Pretty lame Cena. The crowd sure got a huge 'Cena Sucks' chants. Those are always fun. The interview was stupid and meant zip. WWE says it's entertainment and at this point it wasn't entertaining. Raw was boring up to this point. Cole didn't make it much better.

Cole and Swagger have to get in as many shots as possible. Wrestlemania is going to go a lot like this: Glass breaks and Austin does the BMF walk to the ring. Swagger and Cole follow and then Lawler. Cole starts talking and then Ross comes down to announce the match. Cole gets pissed and starts to whine. Lawler punches Cole to shut him up. Swagger tries to interfere and receives a stunner for his trouble. Lawler continues to beat the crap out of Cole. The crowd is going crazy. Lawler hits the fist drop, 1-2-3. Lawler wins. Austin, Lawler and JR celebrate with some cold ones. Cole gets back up and gets a Stunner. You wait and it will go down very close to this paragraph only it will last 10 minutes to long.

Snooki gives WWE a bunch of pub. That's about it. I can't stand her and haven't like any of the celebrity matches except the LT Bam Bam match and Tyson's involvement. Otherwise, keep them out of the ring. Morrison and Ziggler should be the match, by themselves. I made the notion that Morrison and Ziggler would wrestle for their respective show's number one contender. I know that's too smart. Of course, WWE would change a match in midstream. More awesome writing. I don't want you to read this wrong, I enjoy watching Trish Stratus. I just want the match to begin and end with the same participants. I figured Cole would interrupt their match as well. Vicki getting to pin Morrison was greatness. That may have been the best part of the show so far. Seriously, she is very talented.
I have to say, I'm pretty pumped to see Sin Cara. He's going to be a lot of fun to watch. Then again, WWE won't have a clue how to use him. He will probably sit around the mid card status forever.
I tweeted that Orton was foreshadowing talking about his family earlier. I figured Punk might take the bus or something to that affect. Again, Raw cuts off a match to further a story. Wrestlemania should be loaded with in ring entertainment since Raw hasn't had any real matches for weeks.

I have liked Miz stealing the spotlight but Raw couldn't come up with anything for a main event except for Miz-tory. By the time Miz-tory hit my television screen, I was too bored to care. I had a feeling Cena would be there and was complete in shock that he was there. I couldn't believe it. (Read with lots of sarcasim).
Raw provided nothing of real interest. I was pretty bored by the time Miz-tory rolled around. A typical ending to a standard Raw. The WWE pretty much phoned that in and will wait for next weeks Raw with the return of The Rock. I'm expecting big things. If the WWE gives this crap again, Wrestlemania's road won't make it to Atlanta. Keep your browser locked on BBSD for more wrestling opinions. ShowStoppers have moved to Wednesday which means they have one extra day to slack off before taping. You can always follow me on twitter @mccall316 and or find me on facebook. I'm live on twitter during Raw under the BBSD account @bigbadsportsdad. Stunners for everyone.
J Call

Monday, March 14, 2011

Raw 3-14

I felt Austin's return was downplayed a little bit considering the way The Rock and Triple H returned. However, I still love the fact that Triple H, The Rock and Austin might all be seen at the same time at Wrestlemania in a backstage segment. I expect to be Stratusfied since the lovely Diva of the Decade makes her way to fight the Cougar. The other match announced before the show is Sheamus against Daniel Bryan for the U.S. title and I hope its a long solid match. I will have more on Raw and the matches in a second. I have to hit a few topics that are all over the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC).

I will admit I didn't watch one minute of TNA's Victory Road Sunday. I checked out the results while I was at my day job and was shocked. I couldn't believe all the stories on Jeff Hardy. I've since saw the footage and it's bad. Kids, this is how not to act. Jeff was out of control and Sting was furious. I wonder if Sting regrets not taking WWE money (Shameful Plug Alert: I tweeted the same thing @mccall316). I don't get why TNA didn't throw something together. They didn't give RVD or Anderson the win earlier in the night. Um, if Hardy was in such terrible shape, then change the RVD Anderson finish. Once their match was over, have Hardy attack them only to get beat up in the process. I think pay-per-viewers would have liked to see Anderson take on Sting then the 2 minutes they got. Two years ago, I wrote a Summerslam pick blog and at the end, I wrote a personal letter to Jeff Hardy. You can find it here at the end of the blog. To summarize, I felt Hardy was making a huge mistake and was giving away a golden opportunity. Some may forget how great Hardy's run was in the E. He won the world title and WWE title. He was being pushed as the top face of Smackdown. Then, he walked.

As it turns out, WWE was smart and should be grateful that Jeff walked out. TNA should fire him now. You shouldn't wait any longer or give him another chance. What is the point? Jeff hasn't shown he can be responsible. For crying out loud, in the video he acts like he's perfectly fine. Meanwhile, Sting gave him the death stare. The whole situation makes everyone look bad, even the guys in the TNA locker room that had nothing to do with the thing. The next few days will certainly be interesting for TNA, albeit in mostly negative light. I guess that's not much different than normal.
The Great One succeeds again. The entire segment was hilarious with the kid. Abracadabra Yabba Dabba was brilliant. He may not be live in living color each week but he is still rolling. The Rock's skit was just another way to show off how great the attitude era was and how guys today can still put on funny promos.

Cole is ricockulous. The cage was pretty stupid. Miz gave a good promo as retaliation for The Rock's skit. Miz has proved in the past few weeks he deserves the spotlight. I was begging for Miz to take on Triple H. I know that's a stretch but anything is better than Kahli. The other main event read by Lawler was great. Cena taking on Alberto Del Rio is smart. Del Rio gets exposed even more before Mania.
The match as expected was terrible. I didn't like Riley coming back to help Miz either. I thought it was better if Miz went on his own and Riley did the same. Miz did steal the spotlight and bloodied up Kahli which I liked. Miz and Cena haven't had enough interaction though. I know Miz attacked Cena the last two weeks. I'd like to see one in ring promo between the two with no interruptions. We have 2 Raws left and I bet we see it sometime.

Triple H's video was sick. I got to watch Smackdown this week since my DVR worked. I enjoyed Smackdown except for Taker no showing. Triple H will get to use the dreaded Sledgehammer in the no holds barred. They do need to be in a match before Mania. Smackdown does have a few things going for it. Rhodes and Mysterio have a fantastic story building for a match. The addition of daddy Rhodes made it all the better. The only person I fear is being left behind is Christian. I don't want to see him turn heel. They have enough bad guys on the roster now. Keep Christian face and let him feud with Drew, Rhodes and the world champion Del Rio after Mania.

The Irish Ghost has certainly been on a losing streak. They have lost all the momentum with Sheamus. These two guys could be a great opening contest at Wrestlemania. They have great chemistry and Bryan is a solid performer. He can carry Sheamus to a good 15 minute roller coaster ride to pump up the crowd. I do think Sheamus will end up on Smackdown after Mania. In the meantime, use the 2 time WWE champion. It's common sense. Especially, when one title on Raw doesn't have anything else going for it. Bryan is getting shown in the best capacity which is in the ring. I liked the chick magnet persona but he's better used inside the squared circle. The match and finish was phenomenal. They did a great job with a few near falls and twists. I'm really happy they gave them time. It proved just what I wrote before, they could build a solid opener at the big show. I was pumped after Sheamus won. Damn, great match!

Wow, Grand Master Sexay put the crowd to sleep. Holy crap were they dead. Nobody knew who the hell he was. Brian looks a lot like Mr. Anderson. At least Lawler made the segment somewhat funny. It's true, Brian has had a terrible past. Holy crap, I yelled louder for the return of Jim Ross then I did for anyone else. I respect the hell out of JR. I have an autographed picture of me and Jim Ross thanks to a buddy of mine. The voices of the WWE are wanting Jim Ross to return back to the announcer table. Jim knew fighting 101 and took the tie off. Swagger and Cole got great cheap heat for beating up JR. I loved the whole segment. Why? This practically guarantees Ross will call the match at Wrestlemania. Anytime Ross can call a match, it's a good thing.

The hometown boy, Randall Orton sends Mason Batista down with another punt to a Nexus member. I said it last week and still feel Orton and Punk have been the best story. The tease before the kick was well done. With Mania being 3 weeks away, I wonder if at least 1 Nexus member could return before the show. Orton and Punk have the potential to steal Wrestlemania.
Drew Carey is in the WWE Hall of Fame. I will vomit now. The Hall keeps becoming a bigger joke.
I can't stand any of the Jersey Shore cast members or the dumbass shows. Snooki is a dirty filthy disgusting brutal bottom feeding trash bag hoe. She goes really well with the PG era. If only the entire Jersey Shore would go away. Apparently, I'm just to old to watch crapola on MTV any longer. I couldn't believe the WWE universe started a Snooki chant. What the hell? I have live through more Snooki. Life continues to get better. I'm all for having Stratus team up with Morrison allowing him and Ziggler to have a match. I just don't need more Snooki. Hopefully, she is replaced by Kelly Kelly.
I can't put my finger on why I like Del Rio so much. I just do is all. He's a great character. Cole teased The Rock was there before the final break. The Miz did an awesome job as The Mock. The crowd really bought into it at first. They all believed it was The Rock and I have to say I thought it was when I laid eyes on the entrance way. Mockery is the biggest form of flattery and two weeks in a row, Miz has mocked Rock. I was a skeptic when it came to The Miz for a long time. He has since proved his worth. The overrun went well. The WWE knows how to outshine the lack of competition. Sunday, TNA gives their fans a 1 minute paid main event. Monday, Raw goes over by 10 minutes and provides a great story and moment.

Aside from Snooki (Sorry I dislike her), Raw was a very good show. I liked everything about it. Daniel Bryan and Sheamus provided a fantastic in ring contest. The Rock opened the show with several laughs. Jim Ross showed up to further the Lawler Cole story. Then the Miz steals the show again. This was the time of Raw I expect when we are 3 weeks from Wrestlemania. Finally, the WWE stepped up its game. BBSD is also stepping up our game. Check out the new ShowStoppers every Tuesday afternoon. You can always follow me on twitter.com @mccall316 and also during Raw on BBSD account @bigbadsportsdad. If you don't have twitter.com, email me at jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. I've been slacking on the follow up blogs later in the week. It might be time to break out another blog this week. Stay tuned.
J Call

Monday, March 7, 2011

Raw 3-7

We can forget last week. It never happened. I was unable to watch Smackdown because of my DVR screwing up. This week brings back the greatest WWE superstar of all time, Stone Cold Steve Austin. The glass will shattering and the Dallas crowd is going to tear the roof off the American Airlines Arena. Austin has always been able to excite the crowd even in non-wrestling roles. We forever love and respect the man who nearly was left paralyzed inside the squared circle. The rest of Raw is going to sort itself out. All I want is a big fat 24 pack of whoop-ass to be opened tonight in Dallas.

I'm sure most wrestling fans have seen or heard TNA brought back Sting and had him win the TNA world title from Hardy. If you haven't seen it, search youtube and find it. TNA made themselves look horrible. The Impact (pun intended) was weak at best. Sting returning was a nice moment especially since it wasn't in the puny Impact Zone. The crowd loved it but the return felt stupid compared to Taker/HHH encounter or The Great One being named Mania host. TNA made a fool of themselves when copying the Taker video and somewhat the return. They kept the arena dark and played an ominous video. TNA will always be second rate unless the talent stops mentioning and mocking WWE. I like Anderson and Angle. But they are put in the dumbest situations. I was all for Sting to make his debut with WWE a few weeks ago. Sting could have shocked the world. Instead, returned and won a belt from Mardi Gras. I don't know whether to care or feel sorry for him.

Raw started off with a little shocker as the Deadman was the first to appear. I can't see the negative in Triple H and Taker at this years Mania. Taker mentioning Michaels, followed by the kick ass video, is a great way to remind people about the streak. I don't think Triple H and Taker can match the intensity or story that the previous two Wrestlemania matches have had. The stipulation is a brilliant one. The match at Wrestlemania XVII was similar as they used the arena to their advantage. We might see something the same concept for this years battle. It keeps getting better.
The attention has been on Cena, Miz and The Rock for good reason. However, the best story Raw has developed is Punk/Orton. Randall gained even more sympathy with the fans. He was beaten to a pulp and somehow managed to beat Otunga, RKO Ryan and punt Otunga out of Mania. The new Nexus never got the love the original did. They are about to be dismantled completely by the Viper. If I were a betting man, I'd say the draft will disperse them all to different shows. Smackdown may keep Corre intact for a while longer. I think they have legs and I like Barrett in his role. I can't believe how Cena failed to take out Nexus and Orton has been so successful. Normally, Cena is the guy taking everyone out. Granted he took out Barrett but no one else. I'm relieved by it though since I love Randall and dislike Cena.

I forgot Christian was on Raw. I thought he was making an appearance on Friday night. Brodus is a guy I hadn't seen much. I rarely caught NXT. I had read quite a bit on him and was impressed with his size. He won't wow anyone with his speed or athletic ability. Del Rio and Christian is obviously still going to continue. I hope they have a match on Smackdown. I can't see the ending except if C-squared gets involved in the main event at Mania. Christian could turn on Edge but how would that work after Del Rio injured him. If anyone should be heel, it's Edge. He makes the better heel and that way Christian can chase. The fans always get behind the guy returning from injury at that's Captain Charisma.

You talk about the Attitude Era, you have to bring up Sunny. She was probably the most risque woman WWE has ever had. I don't know about being in the Hall but hell it's a joke anyway. It really doesn't matter.

I can't fully understand why the Bellas got their shot at the title. Gail Kim, Melina and Natalya should get another shot. Well, the WWE really cared a lot about it when Cole started talking. How can anyone ever care about the Divas when they pull crap like Cole shouting on the house mic? Oh, I didn't take them seriously before that. I'm glad I caught the two minutes of the supposed big Diva title match. The WWE continues to make a mockery of their Diva division. I don't ever remember that happening when Trish Stratus was in a match.

I won't even comment on how idiotic having Snooki come in next week. I've seen enough Jersey Shore in TNA. I didn't need WWE to add to the equation. Snooki reminds me of what Jericho use to call Stephanie McMahon, a dirty, filthy, disgusting, brutal, bottom feeding, trash bag hoe.

WWE has really been calling up the Attitude guys. JBL was another one. Wrestlemania is going to have The Rock, Stratus, HBK and Austin. The attitude guys still draw the ratings. I never cared for JBL the wrestler but he was a good color man on Smackdown. You had a feeling or at least I did that this was the moment for Stone Cold. The pop wasn't as big as I thought it would be. JBL won't be at Mania. That was great! Austin and The Rock at Wrestlemania again! Stone Cold may not have had the mic promo that Rock has done. Stone Cold being at Mania is just as big. My favorite superstar of all time didn't disappoint tonight on Raw.
Daniel Bryan got a whole 5 seconds of in ring time. He and Sheamus could have a great feud. The WWE must not believe it. They haven't been given any thought to the story. Sheamus has been buried to Triple H last week and this week loses a count out to Bryan. Meanwhile, Bryan was in a great story with Kim and Bellas. That's now been shut and he has nothing. They could have played off that story and have Bellas flirt with the Irish Ghost to help them get revenge on Bryan. Nope, through it all in the trash. Brilliant writing.

I guess Punk hurting Truth makes him look stronger. He needed something after being made a fool of by Orton. Truth is once again fodder. WWE seems content on not having a MITB match so therefore guys like Morrison, Truth and Bryan are wafting. I want stronger stories and the WWE should be doing that leading to Mania.

One thing I do want to see is Ziggler taking on Morrison. I had read rumors Morrison was going to team up with Stratus and Kelly Kelly to take on Ziggler and LayCool at Mania. I would have liked to see these two wrestle for a lot longer. I hope they give them plenty of time to work off their match and create something unique. I think we are headed down the right road with Vicki taking on Stratus next week.

Cena went for the knockout and fell short. The only thing funny was the t-shirt. I really liked the Miz showing up. He has been forgotten in this whole ordeal. It was a nice treat. You could tell he wanted to smile during the People's Elbow. The past two weeks, Miz has been the other guy. He got the last laugh tonight. The Rock will likely still appear and rebuttal the words of Doctor Thug'a'nomics. We have to have a face off but that is coming at Mania. I'm just happy Miz got the spotlight tonight. No more hiding behind Riley or anyone else, it's all Miz and it's Awesome.

Raw had several good moments. A nice bounce back after a really crappy show last week. Stone Cold being the special guest ref for Cole and Lawler was magic. You had to love that. I mean Rock and Austin will be together again, ten years since their 2nd Mania main event. Trish Stratus is making a return next week. Finally, WWE seems to be on the right path for Wrestlemania.

If you aren't getting enough wrestling information in your brain, then keeping hitting up BBSD. I'm betting my boy John and that other guy will be talking about all wrestling headlines this week on ShowStoppers. If that's not enough, hit me up on twitter @mccall316. I'm live on BBSD's twitter account during Raw every week, taking questions and giving some random @bigbadsportsdad. I'd love to see more followers and seeing you tweeting it up during Raw. I'll catch you next week.

J Call

About Me

Small town guy from Iowa. I went to school in Dallas and graduated. I work for 105.3 KNOD radio station in Harlan Iowa as the news director. I love sports and wrestling. You can catch my thoughts on everything sports and wrestling on bigbadsportsdaddy.com