I encourage you to seek out the full unedited moment. Very rarely does a wrestler talk with such honesty and vulnerability in the ring. As you can imagine, we’re all pretty devastated around her in DOOM Towers. D-Bry was a hero to many of us. He was an underdog for so many reasons in WWE and he became both the representation of the crowd’s frustrations and desires but also a champion that people could identify with. His career has too many highlights to list but I’m going to go over a couple key moments outside of his matches that I won’t soon forget. The following are some of the many reasons I’m grateful for Daniel Bryan.

– RAW after Wrestlemania 28

This is when the Yes Movement officially started. This is when crowds really started to derail most of Vince McMahon’s plans. I encourage you to watch the whole episode because it’s just one whole show of an audience dragging RAW to a halt. Nobody could deal with them. The night before, Daniel Bryan lost the title in an under a minute. He didn’t even have a match or appearance on this RAW. That sh** just wasn’t going to fly. In a dark match after RAW’s airing Daniel Bryan got a chance to address the rabid crowd.

He could barely get a t-shirt in the WWE shop at this point. It’s amazing the turn around he had.

-Team Friendship

It would still be a while before the company would trust him with a big singles push and so they landed him in a gimmick that should never, ever have worked but somehow it was the best thing on their TV for nearly a year. The New Day of their time, Team Hell No.

On paper, none of that should have worked. But somehow it really, really did.

– Meeting Connor

We all know of the tragic story surrounding Connor The Crusher but let’s not forget where it all began, and his first meeting with his hero Daniel Bryan.

– People Power

Throughout his tenure in WWE, Daniel was the people’s choice. Time and time again he was being overlooked by Vince’s favourites but the crowds consistently chanted for D-Bry. It many ways, this overwhelming support was to the detriment of Bryan’s career. Vince doesn’t like it when wrestlers get over on their own, he wants to be responsible for “making” them and can get petty about it (see Zack Ryder’s career). This following segment was set up for a Cena/Orton match. But who did the crowd want?

– Thank You, Daniel

There was a tweet last night that I feel sums a lot of my feelings up today.

If you’re a wrestler & you don’t have the passion that @WWEDanielBryan has, hang up the boots & do something else #ThankYouDanielBryan

— WWE Creative Humor (@WWECreative_ish) February 9, 2016

He was one of the greats. Let’s watch him take his victory lap…

For those who might be a bit too young to remember, Lance Storm was a great wrestler for WWE, WCW, and ECW. He’s also a wrestling teacher and is highly respected in the industry. He was more pragmatic about what went wrong and what the fans might be able to do to really sway opinion with the backstage men of WWE.

This is very true. But while we did get exactly what was promoted I think that’s also the problem. Everything about the night was entirely predictable. The beauty in wrestling is when we get something surprising. I often cite CM Punk/Cena from Money In The Bank 2011 as a perfect example of wrestling at it’s finest. The crowd were going crazy and we got a surprise ending that was also extremely satisfying with the story. It was the perfect storm (no pun intended). The Rumble last night had the potential for the same. If Daniel Bryan came out at #30 and won, the crowd would have lost their minds. It would have been a surprise even with the amount of people hoping for it. It goes down as a lost opportunity and I think the mundane, predictable nature of the Rumble in the end reminded people of just how boring and unsatisfying predictability is.

This is very true. Painfully so. Zack Ryder is an excellent comparison. The WWE creative team like to think that they tell us what we like. It has almost always been this way. They want to put a guy over, they don’t care if the wrestler has already done it themselves. They want to control it. When the crowd got behind Ryder, it was the worst thing that could have happened to him. He wasn’t in creative’s plans and so if you’re disrupting the show by chanting for him in other people’s matches the easiest way to fix that is to remove him from the picture, hence why the only time you’ll see Ryder is now Superstars or a house show.

Luckily, I feel Bryan is past that point. I do think WWE value him as a wrestler but they have no plans to make him the champion and that’s because they don’t think he’ll make them enough money. It’s why they made The Rock a champion last year and why Batista is going to challenge for the belt at Wrestlemania. They’re famous outside of the WWE and therefore they think they can make more money from them. We can chant and cheer all we want but they won’t change their plans based on vocal support. Which brings me to Lance’s next point…

And this in the end is the real truth and motivations of the WWE. This is all they care about. Vince used to humiliate himself on TV every week back in the 90s but didn’t care because that’s what the fans were tuning in to see. Until they see a big change in viewing habits, they’re not going to book their shows around the talented guys who the “smart marks” love. Lets face it, the folks who love Bryan are the ones who tune in every week and watch the whole show. Until you turn off, they couldn’t care less.

To a certain extent, even the wrestlers feel this way too. For example:

In the end, it might be our love of Daniel Bryan which is clouding the issue. We want him to be our champion so badly it’s driving us crazy but in the end the titles only mean something to us, not the wrestlers. You’d think the WWE would give the people what they want, that it would be “best for business” but at the end of the day when they look at the cold hard figures of ratings and sales it may not look the same to them as it does to us.

I’ll leave you with this final thought:

DJ and Kasey play WWE2K14.

Hell In A Cell: HB-Gay (very creative DJ) vs. Stone Cold (Kasey knows he missed out on an opportunity for Stone Cold Fox). This should have been posted like 2 months ago, but y’know. Stuff and things.

DJ as Shawn Michaels

Kasey as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

Merry Christmas!

We still just dick around and aren’t actually reviewing the game. We’re professionals.

Interestingly, there is only one wrestler who appears in all three lists of 2011, 2012, and now 2013. I’ll let you know who when we get there, but I doubt the answer will surprise you.

1) Antonio Cesaro

Just missed out in making my 2012 cut but got an honourable mention, Cesaro has been working his socks off since arriving on our screens. He’s not great on the mic so his partnership with Swagger and Zeb Colter has been perfect in letting him shine in the ring instead. Oh and how he shined!

Everyone is going to point to The Cesaro Swing as the big move of the year, but don’t forget he already destoryed Miz against the barricades back in February when he was still a singles competitor. That’s the thing, he keeps inovating. Every couple months Cesaro will do something new, like the leapfrog over Swagger to stomp on the chests of his opponents on the ground.

There are no “5 Moves of Doom” to be found here. More like 500.

Also, check out this Swing from the indie circuit in 2009 when he actually swings his opponent a full 100 times. Bonus points for spotting the clean shaven D-Bry counting along.

2) Daniel Bryan

A common theme on these lists over the years has been me talking about how under-utilised Daniel Bryan is. We can’t really say that this year, can we? Pretty much everything worth watching in WWE went through him and he main-evented multiple Pay-Per-Views this winter.

We, as fans, tend to forget sometimes that despite D-Bry not having the title around his waist, he’s still doing well. We all want to see him as the champ because we like him but he is in prime-position in the company and for the wrestlers that’s the important part.

Hopefully next year will be just as good for the goat. He hasn’t gotten an injury yet and long may his luck continue. For a little highlight, let us all remember the moment when Daniel Bryan pinned John Cena clean in the middle of the ring for the WWE title. Pinned. John Cena. Clean.

And, yeah, Bryan is totally the only guy in the FF all three years.

3) The Shield

The Shield have had a hell of a year. They’ve been central to almost everything. All the big story lines have included them at some point or another. I guess that’s what happens when you’re the random interveners or hired enforcers.

I was tempted to just list Roman Reigns on his own as he has been the clear stand-out in the group but I felt it would be unfair to the group as a whole who have helped him create that little spotlight on him.

But because he is so damned beautiful…

4) Big-E Langston

BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E… I kinda just want to write that for a couple paragraphs but I guess I should write something.

Anyone who follows Big-E online knows he’s a very warm, funny, and charming guy. It helps knowing this because his mic-work needs improving (or, more realistically, he needs a gimmick that doesn’t require him to be the tough serious guy). Everyone seems to like him and that doesn’t hurt when added to his already impressive physique.

He’s the current Intercontinental champion and they’ve partnered him up, in true WWE form, with the other big scary black guy because… sure! But despite him punching AJ in the boob earlier this year, next year should see Big-E hit even bigger heights.

5) AJ

She’s been almost single-handedly holding the Diva’s division together. Her and Kaityln had a great feud earlier in the year, then she ran the gamut of Total Divas. She barely got the same amount of air-time as most mid-card guys but she still managed to make one of the stand-out moments of the year with her pipe-bomb in August.

Long may the reign of Queen AJ continue. The WWE would be a lot worse off without her.

AND COMPETING FOR A PLACE…

I feel a little silly not mentioning some of the other great workers in the game right now. Here are some guys who just missed out of my Fave Five.

Cm Punk: I know it’s kinda ridiculous not to have him on the list, apart from D-Bry up there he has been on all previous ones. But his time off with injury and general relegation to the upper-mid card has hurt him in my eyes. Also, I really wasn’t a fan of the long drawn-out feud with Paul Heyman. REALLY.

Cody Rhodes: Cody continuously just misses out on the list, the poor little guy. It must keep him up at night. He’s got the looks, the talent, and the momentum. Hopefully 2014 is his break-out year.

Goldust: It is 2013 and Goldust is on a list of current great wrestlers within the WWE. Let that soak in. Amazing.

Dolph Ziggler: Remember when Dolph cashed in his briefcase and everyone lost their shit? Remember? It was only a couple months ago. Honest. No, really, it was. Sigh.

HHH has a terrible habit of putting himself into matches where he isn’t needed.

This week on RAW Paul Levesque once again announced himself as the special guest referee for the WWE Championship match at Summerslam. This is the match between WWE-poster-boy John Cena and the-hottest-thing-in-the-business-right-now Daniel Bryan. A match that the fans are ravenous for (especially since John’s current elbow injury gives Bryan a good chance of taking the title), a match that almost sells itself. But now they’ve added the pointless stipulation of HHH being the guest referee. Does this sound familiar at all? Well it should.

Two years ago CM Punk absconded with the WWE Championship after beating John Cena for it. During his absence the WWE crowned a new champion once again in John Cena. When Punk returned, with the title, a decider was created for Summerslam 2011. The match sold itself, right? Punk was the biggest thing in wrestling for years after THAT promo earlier in the year. The buzz after his disappearance with the title was epic. The fans were salivating at the prospect of these two guys meeting in the ring again. The PPV tickets were being snapped up like a Sharknado.

Cue Triple H. Making himself a wrench in the works, Paul decided that this huge match for some reason needed him to make it better. And not a single person understood why. Just watch and tell me why this match needed him.

Now, the intervention of Vince McMahon, that’s something you can make a case for. Vince has put wrestlers over successfully in the past. Nobody needs me to explain the good he did for Steve Austin. The Boss’ dislike for small wrestlers is legendary so the story is an obvious one to use. Bryan, the perennial underdog, being told by the Chairman that he’s just not what they’re looking for is a great way to push Bryan even further into the stratosphere. That sort of angle for an already good match makes sense.

HHH’s feud with Vince recently has been lackluster at best, boring to say the least. I don’t think anyone really gives a damn about whether or not Stephanie is feeling awkward about her husband and father fighting backstage. So to push that terrible storyline into the middle of the Championship match at one of the biggest PPVs of the year? It stinks of ego and nepotism, even in the wrestling business which is built on ego and nepotism.

A perfect example was the big promo between Bryan and Cena at the end of RAW this week. Bryan called Cena a parody of a wrestler, Cena slapped Bryan in the face. I was gripped. I was excited. I was sitting on the edge of my seat. Then HHH’s music hit and I audibly groaned. Such an anti-climax. He came down to the ring and stood there with a smirk on his face and did nothing. A good representation of all he has to offer at this point.

I get that HHH was a big draw back in the day. Hell, I was a fan at one point myself. I hear he does a good job backstage and seems to be part of some positive changes in the company. But these days I think he should stay retired and stay out of the ring, even if he is only wearing stripes.

Winds of change. It’s not just a move by Wade Barrett. This past week has seen a near upheaval of change within the WWE. So many turns, people don’t know their heels from their faces. I thought it an opportune time to do a report of where we are right now.

– Daniel Bryan is carrying the company.

Who would have seen that coming? D-Bry has been stealing the show for a couple months now but WWE have not been subtle with how much they’re relying on him. Every week on both RAW and Smackdown the amount of focus and match time he has been getting has been unparalleled.

The crowd reaction has been insane too. I can’t remember a wrestler getting as big a pop as him since CM Punk dropped his pipe-bomb three years ago and even then it wasn’t as unanimous as the love for Bryan is. He’s got every arena in the palm of his hands and JBL is almost masturbating on mic during his matches.

It’s all incredibly deserved success and I hope it continues. With his match being called short on RAW I think it shows just how valuable the heads backstage think he is. They were more willing to cut a big match short and protect Bryan than risk injuring him. Daniel was clearly happy to carry on and I believe Randy has the experience to be able to look after him out there but backstage panicked and I think that speaks volumes.

It seems we’re all extremely glad he’s OK.

– Returns, Returns, Returns

There had been so many injuries of late, it allowed a lot of the younger talent to get some longer air-time. However, WWE still doesn’t trust (or like) some of its talent enough to give them any matches at all. I’m looking at you, Ryder. It seems they feel they need some bigger, more established names so I’m sure they were thrilled to welcome back Punk, Christian and Mark Henry from injury.

Mark particularly impressed me with his wonderful retirement fake-out. I didn’t know he had those acting chops in him! Pork chops, sure… Anyway, I jumped off my couch when he slammed Cena. Henry is one of my favourite heels and I wasn’t aware that he has never held the WWE title. I don’t think he’ll be able to pry it away from Cena right now but I can’t wait to see him fight for it.

Rob Van Dam is back in the frame too. Much like Punk, we will have to pay to see his return. I wasn’t particularly impressed with his work in TNA so hopefully he isn’t over-the-hill yet. I wonder if he’ll team up with anyone. It wouldn’t hurt to let Heyman manage him but I’d be surprised if they make RVD a heel on his comeback. These are just random thoughts on my behalf, folks.

– Good or bad?

Ok, so here are three major heel/face turns that I can gauge from the past week.

1) Punk is now a face.
2) Ziggler is now a face.
3) Del Rio is now a heel.

Of course, these things happen all the time, but those three particularly pleased me as they were crucial to moving the company forward.

Both Punk and Ziggler were too popular to continue as heels. If someone is going to be the bad guy, half the crowd cheering you on is a problem. This allows for bigger crowd reactions now as they utilize two of their best talents in a more sensible vein.

Del Rio never worked as a face. He was always best as a smug bad guy. Even when he smiles he looks evil. He’s much more enjoyable when he’s cheating than when he’s desperately trying to win over a crowd with terrible promos. I couldn’t be happier about the change.

– Do you believe in The Shield yet?

Much like Daniel Bryan, The Shield have been making the lives of the show writers a hell of a lot easier.

Don’t know what to do with a top wrestler? Feud him with The Shield.
Need a main event? 6 man tag match with 3 random wrestlers against The Shield.
Don’t know how to end a match? Send in The Shield.

They’re the Swiss army knives of the WWE. The bonus is they’re killing it in the ring. Amazing match after amazing match. It hasn’t hurt that D-Bry has been in most of those matches with them, but make no mistake, these guys can carry it on their own too. They’ve been a massive highlight this year, and while we’re only half way through 2013, its theirs as long as the writers don’t mess it up.

There is a weird thing that happens the first RAW after Wrestlemania. All the hardcore fans who save up to go to the biggest show of the year hang around and go to the show the night after. Grown-ups. With jobs. Folks who have been fans all their lives. Folks, who aren’t always happy with what WWE have been doing lately. And the RAW show seems to be where they make their points.

Last year, we saw the “YES!” chant begin. The discontent with how Daniel Bryan was being treated, especially after losing his title in an 18 second match to a man who isn’t exactly universally liked, was being shown in a way that couldn’t be ignored. The whole show was being dominated by “YES!” chants. Now keep in mind, this wasn’t a thing before, this was the very first night we saw it. The fans homed in on something that Daniel did on the way to the ring, embraced it, and it became a rallying cry. It dominated promos from The Rock and also John Cena (to the point where both had to acknowledge it). They started to chant “¡SI!” for Del Rio. Daniel didn’t even perform that night on RAW but they put him in a dark match at the end. Here is what happened at the end of that match.

I like to think those fans changed some of the thinking back-stage. Bryan got a huge push since and is still part of most of the big happenings in the company now. And it’s well deserved, I must add.

Well, this year it was no different. I think there was 1 main moment where I think the amazing New Jersey crowd managed to make a point that I think was important, and one long moment where I think they were just having fun.

1) Dolph Ziggler

By far, THE biggest pop of the night was Dolph fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinally cashing it in.

It’s been a long wait, but hopefully this will once-and-for-all legitimize Dolph as a top drawer talent. For years now, smart fans have been telling anyone who will listen that Dolph Ziggler is one of the best wrestlers in the industry. The guy has had to job for everyone and has been amazing doing it. He has all the skills but just not the opportunity. Fans have been getting ravenous waiting for him to cash in the Money In The Bank contract and when he finally did it he got not only the biggest reception of RAW but of the whole Wrestlemania weekend. Now, all I can do is pray that the boys in the back took notice and acts accordingly.

2) Fandango

You know, I’ve enjoyed Fandango. Before the name change, when he was just Johnny Curtis, he always impressed me on NXT as the guy who deserved a shot. When I found out his shot required a gimmick change, this gimmick change in particular, I thought “well, that’s the end of that guy”. This ballroom dancer schtick had “dead end” written all over it. But somehow he managed to find something fun with it and I’ve genuinely laughed at some of the “Faaaaaaahn-daaaaaahng-goooooo” antics.

Now, was the fans chanting his theme tune through half the show an endorsement of his excellence? No, it was fans just trying to have fun but hopefully it will give the guy a chance with what would have otherwise been a no-hoper. They did more for him in one night than WWE Creative did in 6 months.

—————————————-

Much like last year, the post show promo (this time delivered by John Cena) had to address the crowd and particularly their reactions for both of the guys above.

But what does this mean for the future? It’s hard to tell. Like I said before, I hope this solidifies Ziggler’s place in the company the way it has for Bryan. But I think it emphasizes something else.

The vast majority of the crowd were above the age of 21. Any regular watcher of the WWE product will note that the opposite is the norm. 12 year olds often dominate the RAW and Smackdown crowds. The problem is, the crowds have been dead for far too long. Deathly quiet arenas have stagnated a product long overdue for an overhaul. The PG experiment has been divisive and while I think it’s probably been a positive as a whole they need to get some more grown ups back in to fill some seats and make some noise because wrestling is nothing without the crowd.

If only we could have this crowd every week.

Wow, what a year. I’m not saying it was great but it was definitely a year. So much has changed in the WWE since I did my Fave Five of 2011 but yet not really at the same time. CM Punk is still champion. John Cena is still over used. Most worrying of all, Khali still gets more air time than Zack Ryder.

The real question is; has my Fave Five changed at all?

1) Daniel Bryan

Without a doubt Goat Face is my top performer of the year. He never has a bad match. Always gets big pops when he arrives. Has done amazing things with terrible material. He’s just so, so good.

Think about it. If I told you at the start of the year that pre-taped counceling sessions with Bryan and Kane would be one of the best things on WWE you’d check to see if I had lost it. And considering that a year ago he was exhiled to Smackdown, it’s hard to believe that he went on to have arguably CM Punk’s best matches this year and is now “the Tag Team Champions”.

Most wrestlers on the roster would kill to be as over as Bryan is right now and yet I still feel like there is so much more to come. Somehow, he still feels under-used. But everything is moving in the right direction so lets hope it stays that way.

2) Dolph Ziggler

Despite having a win/loss ratio in minus figures, it still feels like it has been a good year for the Heel. He won Money In The Bank, finally ditched Swagger and Vickie, got a win at a PPV over John Cena, and got to be the 5th guy to kiss AJ (that girl gets around).

Admittedly he still hasn’t cashed that briefcase in but I’ve kinda enjoyed all the near misses with it. The best thing about those near misses is that the crowd always cheers when he runs out. People are getting behind him and in an age where a lot of venues are deathly silent, that is the most valuable thing in WWE.

Over the last couple months we’ve been hearing more and more Ziggler chants, lots of Ziggler signs in the crowd, and a more vocal fan base. All he needs now is the creative team to get as excited about him as the fans are. If he cashes in that case, hopefully 2013 will see the Zig Zag man follow in D-Bry’s footsteps.

3) AJ

Despite being reduced to a “crazy slut” stereotype at this point, AJ has acheived something that very few WWE “Divas” have in the past and that’s bankability. It’s almost a golden rule now that if AJ is involved in the storyline, something good is going to happen.

For a tiny girl in a business of burly men, that is a very impressive feat indeed. Some could successfully argue that the way she’s being treated is a bit… sexist… kinda, sorta, totally, but I will give her props for managing to navigate her way through all this mess with her head held high and a skip in her step. So to speak.

It’s probably important to note that she has wrestled very few matches throughout the year but I think it’s more accurate to look upon her as that old school kind of manager at ringside than a wrestler now. In much the same way as Paul Heyman = Gold, AJ has managed to become invaluable.

4) CM Punk

(Yes this is the same picture as last year, but he’s still champion so what do you expect?)

The self proclaimed Best In The World has managed to do something I really couldn’t predict, be WWE champion for a complete calender year. It’s not that I didn’t think he was worthy of it, I’m just shocked that the notoriously flaky WWE have kept with the same guy for that long (who isn’t Cena, naturally).

Some of his PPV matches have been majestic and the guy is currently having a ball as the bad guy. He even managed to keep the title despite an injury which is traditionally unheard of in wrestling. WWE are definitely playing the long game and eyeing next year’s Rocky tussle by keeping the strap on his shoulder. Thankfully too, as it is the right move long-term.

I haven’t been thrilled over the last couple months with his rivalries but I think that’s due to the lack of big names on the roster (that he hasn’t already fought a dozen times). But no matter how dull the story-line is, Punk still manages to make it interesting. Even if he has to punch a fan to do it.

5) The Prime Time Players

If any of my picks this year are going to cause a reaction it’s these guys. Darren Young and Titus O’Neill are, in my eyes, the best tag-team that the WWE have by far. And the best tag-team they’ve had for years. These guys should and will be champions. ‘Fro pick and all.

The sad state of affairs is, if the tag division was being taken more seriously they’d have some storylines to work with. However, for some strange reason, Creative don’t really give storylines to tag teams. They just compete, nothing more. Which is a shame as I think they have the charisma and the skills to be a dominant force.

Recently they had PTP do some commentary with Cole and Lawler, it was absolutely hilarious and rambled into the proper uses of “wash rags”, of all things. This sparked a bit of debate about the team as D-Young stayed quiet the whole time and people wondered if there was a problem with the group but I think it just showed the dynamic of the team.

Hopefully things go their way in 2013 and they can finally get those MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

AND COMPETING FOR A PLACE…

Much like last time, there are other wrestlers who have impressed me this year for a number of reasons but I just didn’t like them as much as the above. Something makes me hesitant about them and I’ll divulge those niggles with you now.

Ryback: Clearly, Ryback has gotten a huge push from WWE this year. From a guy in a constant rotation of novelty squash matches to WWE title matches. Brodus Clay must be looking on with tears in his eyes. The problem is, despite his size and strength, nothing really inspires me with him. I think he still needs that one really good rivalry. CM Punk’s injury may have robbed him of that opportunity.

The Shield: If they debuted earlier in the year these guys would have definitely made the list. I am ridiculously excited by the 3 men and the TLC PPV sealed my fandom. Hopefully in 2013 we’ll see a lot more of these rising stars.

Antonio Cesaro: United States champion may have a lame gimmick but the dude has the skills inside the ring. When he is allowed to have a long match, he can really show off. Need to get a little more serious if he’s to be considered more than just a midcarder. Like most guys, his future lies in the hands of the writers.

Kofi Kingston: If you dislike Kofi, you officially have no soul. Fact. He’s the eternal baby face. But the guy needs to get more intense on the mic. It’s his big soft spot. We’ve all seen what he can do in the ring when given the chance (handstand at the Rumble, anyone?).

Another Monday, another Pay-Per-View event under our belts. Last night saw the WWE host their Night of Champions event and without giving any spoilers away, it was OK. Nothing spectacular but some good matches and nobody went to hospital (get well soon, Jerry).

As I watched I realised there were a few things I’d like to mention today and they’re just general musings on what the WWE are and could be doing. While these are my random thoughts, they will contain some info on last night’s happenings so if you haven’t watched the show yet, come back after you have!

– Heel Commentators

After Jerry Lawler’s recent heart attack live on air, there has been a massive out-pouring of sympathy… for Michael Cole. Jerry too but it’s most interesting to see that everyone has taken a shine to the usually hated Cole.

Michael gave a professional performance during understandably tough times last week on RAW and has rightly be receiving praise for it. He has appeared on news networks talking about the issue and correctly dropped the heel angle while doing so.

I was unsure whether or not the heel character would return for last night’s show but it seems my answer came in an unexpected form.

Yes, it seems John Layfield (AKA JBL) is going to take over the reins as guest announcer for an unspecified amount of time. It appears WWE can’t go for too long without a cowboy commentary.

He did a good job too as the heel colour commentator. He gave Cole a run for his money on more than one occasion. Cole seems to now be taking back his old role as face announcer and I couldn’t be happier.

I’ve said for a long time that you can’t have a heel as a head announcer for a number of reasons. If your head announcer is the man most constantly in our ear, then he can’t be the contrary voice as the listener will transfer it’s feeling of anger to the commentary on to the product. Heel comments from a second guy can enhance a product as short comments can be thrown away or laughed at but the main voice has to be the voice of reason. Cole is fine at that job and thankfully he might get a chance to do that from here on in.

JBL is scheduled to climb Kilimanjaro soon for charity so we may see a rotating cast of guest announcers until The King’s return. However, I hope they all fit into the mold of JBL.

– Sin Cara Needs A Manager/Friend

Sin Cara took part in what was a slightly sloppy but decent match for the Intercontinental title. And while sloppy is a word that will often follow Sin Cara around in the ring, it’s a word that unfortunately Sin Cara won’t be able to say.

Since joining the show the silent Mexican luchador has been hit and miss (often missing more than just his moves) as far as crowd support is concerned. He has the ability to shine in the ring with some athletic, gymnastic moves so why is he failing to connect with the crowd? I think he needs a voice.

I don’t think Sin Cara needs to talk himself. I kinda like that he just points at things. But the way that WWE works now, you can’t build up heat without cutting a promo so I feel there are only two options to help his WWE career. Either get a manager who can do the talking for him or get a tag-team partner.

I think both are equally likely to work. A luchador tag-team with Mysterio has been hinted at recently and would be a hit in my eyes. A manager could also build up Sin Cara’s mystery and talk about his history in Mexico etc. Either way, we need to hear something from him and soon or he’ll just get lost jobbing forever.

– Team Friendship

Daniel Bryan… D-Bry… Goat face… God damn, I love you.

Pretty much all my favourite things in wrestling this year have revolved around Bryan in some form or another. He has really taken the opportunity he had after Money In The Bank last year and completely transformed his career. The crowd go crazy for him every time he comes to the ring and his promos have been fantastic.

In this new twist, he has been forced into a partnership with Kane. That’s right folks, the guy they had no clue what to do with other than shove him into other people’s matches as a wildcard element. They’ve found love in a hopeless place. Anger management. And now, they’re tag team champs.

I’ll be honest, nothing about this should work. It’s the dumbest idea in years. Yet, it’s absolute gold. Both members are playing it up to full effect and Kane has managed to get a good few giggles out of me. That’s right, Kane, you guys.

This is doomed to fail in a blaze of glory, but while it lasts Team Friendship is going to keep me tuning in.

– Ryder Or Riot

I’ve discussed at length here in the past Zack Ryder’s rather dodgy relationship with the WWE creative team. They either don’t like him or have no clue what to do with him. Possibly both. So Zack’s time on TV has been more than spotty and limited. Hell, the dude never got his USA title rematch. So when I saw him win the battle royal on the pre-show YouTube thingy I got more than a little excited.

Antonio Cesaro is a nothing champion. I’m not trying to diminish Cesaro’s skill as a wrestler, he’s fine, but there is no heat with him. Nobody cares. He became champion from nowhere and has done very little with it. I was fully expecting him to drop the belt to Ryder.

What I didn’t expect was these guys pulling off one of the best matches of the night. I didn’t realise either competitor had as many moves in their arsenal as they do because “damn, girl” they impressed the hell out of me.

It helps when you get given a larger amount of time in the ring to do your thing. I would hazard that last night’s match was longer than their last three or four combined. But on the basis of this last minute, thrown together match-up I hope these two get to start up a long feud because it was great to watch.

Just when I thought I was out… they pulled me back in!

Before the summer began I had grown increasingly frustrated with the WWE, particularly it’s creative department. Their best wrestlers weren’t being utilized and the few that were had some terrible storylines with wrestlers who didn’t deserve the air-time (I’m still looking at you, Khali). I had genuinely decided to quit this column and concentrate on more grown up things, like comic books.

However, recently things have gotten increasingly better. It’s still not great, but there is definite improvement. The recent RAWs have been enjoyable, especially the week Vickie Guerrero was the guest General Manager, and if you can make me enjoy 2 hours with Vickie Guerrero you know it was something special.

CM Punk and D-Bry have been feuding for over a month. They could feud for another 12 months and I’d be happy about that. These guys are pure class.

And WWE have actually been working on their tag-team division. Seriously, I know, right?! These are all great positives.

There has been a lot of injuries and suspensions but the roster has found an equilibrium recently. Besides, the longer Randy Orton stays off my screen the better.

The Divas division is still completely in dissaray but AJ has gotten a chance to do some amazing work this past month or two and she has grabbed the opportunity with her small, crazy hands.

I don’t know if I can pin (roll-up or otherwise) my new found happiness entirely on Big Johnny being gone from our screens, but it has definitely been apart of it. Now if we can just get Cole to shut up…

But on to last night’s Money In The Bank PPV. Warning now, if you haven’t seen it yet do so before reading this because obviously spoilers abound. Although there is only one thing on my mind

… Seriously.

… No peeking.

… Is everyone ready?

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD! THE ZIG ZAG MAN HAS THE BRIEFCASE, SUCKA! CAN YOU DIG THAT?????? *ahem* Sorry. Got a little carried away there. This is what happens after 3 hours of Booker T commentary.

But yes, Dolph Ziggler is Mr Money In The Bank and I could not be more excited. To say that Ziggler has been abused in the WWE might sound a little sensational but the guy has consistently jobbed for every guy the WWE have wanted to push for the past couple of years. And when I say Dolph could wrestle a broom and make it look good, that is no exaggeration. He is exceptional. But they chained him to Vickie G and Jack Swagger while making him lose week in and week out. It was heartbreaking to watch.

The plus side was, he was still young and you had to hope that he was going to get his shot eventually. They love to make you pay your dues in wrestling and Dolph has sold for Zack Ryder AND Santino Marella so he’s paid more than his fair share. Last night, it really felt like it finally paid off. And much like Daniel Bryan winning it last year, hopefully this is the start of him being a headliner for the considerable future.

Hell, the crowd agrees with me. You could hear Dolph chants throughout the match and you could see more signs for him in the crowd than anyone else.

Including John Cena who… I think had a match that night or something.

So yes, in the immortal words of JR; “business has just picked up”.

PS: if there is a certain someone reading this, if you make a “Go Zig Or Go Home” t-shirt, I’ll buy it.