The news is all over every site already.  WWE has announced that beginning with it’s 1000th episode of Monday Night Raw, airing on July 23rd, Monday Night Raw will permanently switch to a three hour format.  Yes, Gilligan, a three hour format.

You’ve got to hand it to Vince McMahon.  When demand for his show is slowly sinking, and ratings are mirroring an arythmic heart, he has found the solution:  More is more!  For all that 12-17 demographic whose attention they can’t hold with a two hour show, add in another hour.  If there’s anything people love, it’s three hour television shows.

Facietiousness aside, this could end up being one of the best or one of the worst decisions WWE has made in recent years.  Of course there is the argument that moving to three hours was one of the major factors that led to the downfall of WCW, but WCW seriously lacked the ability to support a three hour show and showed no backstage organization in preparation for it.  Though we often hear about WWE changing plans the day of the show, it’s rare that Raw looks chaotic and confused like Nitro used to.  Ultimately, three hours of Nitro was a drop in the bucket of what was a flooding disaster.

What good could come out of this, you might ask?  Well, for one thing, maybe WWE can finally manifest Divas matches that last more than a minute on Raw.  Doubtful, as they seem to care as much about the Diva division as I care about Hornswoggle.  That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Divas matches get an entire two minutes in the future!  Wouldn’t that be something.  Eight moves instead of four… seriously, though, giving more time to the divas is one thing on a long list of things they should be able to do.

In addition to increasing time for the women, perhaps we could get more wrestling over promos.  These seems like a longshot, as there is a fear they’ll want to get people watching so we’ll get promo heavy moments at the beginning and end of each hour, as we typically do.  Remember when wrestling shows used to open and close with wrestling matches?  Wild idea.

More wrestling, more divas, what more could you want?  More talent, perhaps.  I’m not talking bringing back guys like Kevin Nash (sorry Kev,) but new, young, rising talent.  Something fresh for the WWE.  I wouldn’t be opposed to them bringing in some established guys from TNA either, though I consider that doubtful (outside of Matt Morgan, at the moment.)

Granting themselves another hour could give WWE the time and space to make good choices and build a better show.  Unfortunately, their track record has shown that three hour Raws are usually total disasters where the first hour is essentially useless.  This doesn’t mean it will be like that every week.  Hopefully, they’ve got something better in mind.

An interesting thing to consider is the overall effect on the ratings.  It seems likely that the first hour of the show will be the lowest, as it typically is during three hour Raws.  That being the case, it’s possible that the low rating for hour one could drag down the overall rating for the whole show, which won’t look good for the WWE either.

Ultimately, I find it hard to wrap my head around this one.  With attention faltering, ratings wavering and interest depleting, why make this move?  Usually you supply a demand, you stock up when you’re selling out.  You don’t fill your stock room with more and more of a product that less and less people are buying.  Even Nitro went to three hours when they were commanding a massive audience, not when the people started turning away.

This is the same audience that swelled post-Wrestlemania with the entrance of Brock Lesnar, but returned to normal within a few weeks.  WWE has the ability to pull those people back on occasions like this, they just can’t seem to keep them.  So.. three hours then?

I’d like to see this succeed and I’d like to see a lot of amazing things come out of this.  New talent, more matches, a better quality show and an increased probability of success in WWE’s future.  Unfortunately, I’m not a look at the bright side type of person, especially when it pertains to WWE who have time and again show the prominent ability to take what is prophesied as great and turn it into total garbage.

So, it remains to be seen.  In the end, it comes down to you, the fans, the people who are invested in this business and want to see it improve.  Whether or not three hours of Raw keeps you wanting more, or pushes you away.  At this point, the ratings remaining the same as they have been would be a success for an additional hour every week.  If ratings begin to decrease, however, will WWE stick with it or pull the plug?  Figuring that out is figuring out the mind of Vince McMahon and that takes much longer than three hours.

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Recently the WWE has decided to bring back A-train Albert as Lord Tensai and Nexus injury castoff Skip Sheffield as Goldberg knockoff Ryback. Now rebranding wrestlers is as old as pro wrestling, however in the modern era it is much more difficult. Fans of old would just accept character changes no questions asked. It was common for one guy to have three or four names/gimmicks until one stuck or they gave up on him. Today’s wrestling fans are savvy and in a lot of ways kind of ummm, how do I put this nicely, dickish. They love nothing more than to feel like they know better than Creative. They relish the chance to rub it into Creative’s face by chanting Albert at Lord Tensai and mocking Goldberg chants directed at Ryback. Ryback and Tensai aren’t just throw back character changes but also throw back killing machines. Unfortunately the WWE hasn’t caught on that the WWE Universe no longer wants unbeatable one dimensional character. Watching Ryback (god damn I hate that name) be fed pathetic jobbers as other WWE superstars “watch” and praise him from the back only makes us hate him. In the old days you fed jobbers to these big monsters and the crowd reacted accordingly. They ooed and awed, booed and cheered like they were supposed to. Jobbers have no place in today’s wrestling; seeing someone get destroyed with little effort is boring. Wrestling fans don’t want to waste their time; we have too much other stuff going on. Smart phones, iPads, Wi-Fi, 1000 channels are all working against wrestling ratings. So to put a boring match on to get someone over no longer works, because we’ll just do something else.

The other character who recently was rebranded is Brodus Clay. Now I was on board at first with his hip hop dancing character but now it’s pretty clear that he is just a joke. Teaming him up with Hornswoggle, the “smallest” joke in the WWE only furthered Brodus’ decent into “joke zone”. Joke zone is the WWE equivalent of the “friend zone” in high school. If you aren’t unfortunate enough to have experienced this phenomenon I’ll explain it to you. Friend zone is where you have the hots for a girl so you buddy up to her. However you only have so long to be a buddy before you make your move. If you wait too long to make your move though she’ll never see you as someone she can date. You’ll know too much about her and you become one of “the girls” in her eyes. Brodus has gone from being a viable threat in the WWE to a joke like Hornswoggle. We’ve seen him do too many stupid, dorky things to be a real threat. Brodus can beat Swagger and Ziggler every day but it only hurts those two to be beaten by the joke that is Funkasaurus. I generally try not to snipe at creative because lord knows they have a very tough job. However, whoever came up with Funkasaurus needs their head examined. Brodus is big enough and strong enough though that if he took time off he’d be able to come back as a viable threat.

In the WWE like in life you only get one shot at a first impression. That’s why guys like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are so over now. They have been the same guys for a decade. Neither changed their name (Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan close enough) and both are so good on the mic but more importantly in the ring that they can’t be ignored. The WWE did a great job of letting Punk and Daniel develop their characters organically. It doesn’t matter how good you are in the ring if you are saddled with a shitty gimmick you are going nowhere. Case and point Mike Awesome in WCW. I was a huge ECW Mike Awesome fan, and thought he had everything it took to be huge. Then he got to WCW and they purposely stopped his upward trajectory, like they did so many up and coming stars. They saddled him with a terrible gimmick and he never got over with the WCW crowd. He was wasted and eventually Mike Awesome lost his fastball and couldn’t be counted on to put on good matches. Dolph Ziggler’s gimmick would have had him way over fifteen years ago, but today the cocky yet one dimensional heel struggles. That’s not to say he won’t get over and be a huge star. His in ring product is so much better than 90% of everyone else that I just know he’ll be great. He just needs to find his niche and that probably won’t happen until he parts ways with Vickie and Swagger. My prediction is this; Tensai will never be a world champion in the WWE. He’ll be a good mid card heel, and help some young baby face down the line. Brodus Clay will one day find his niche as a big and very dangerous heel. He has the potential to be a Mark Henry type champion. It won’t be anything to write home about but a good solid career as a heel. Ryback however, it’s hard to look past all that power and a lot of talent. I don’t know if he has the charisma to carry himself into the upper stratosphere, but of the three that have been recently rebranded he has the best shot.

Well that’s all for me this week, thanks again for reading and as always if you want to get a hold of me to call me an idiot, tell me I’m smart, or ask a question you can do so by following me on twitter @JaredGebhardt or via email jjg672@hotmail.com . You can also check out my entertainment column at filmonair.com.

Sincerely,
Jared Gebhardt

People have been wondering where I’ve been.  I’ve been getting emails, tweets and messages on Facebook asking me what I’ve thought about the post-Wrestlemania / Brock Lesnar era taking place on WWE television these days.

I haven’t been answering.  I haven’t been saying much.  I haven’t been too interested in what’s going on.  Frankly, I’ve been finding it hard to watch anything WWE lately.  I haven’t been caring.

I’m well aware that Brock Lesnar has come back, and yes I’ve tuned in enough to see him F5ing Cena, cutting his pretaped promo and doing that awful contract signing segment.  I saw Edge return to tell Cena that he needs to be the Cena he used to be (which I’m fairly certain is the same Cena we’re still watching.)  Ultimately, I haven’t been pulled in.

There is some argument that could be made saying I’ve fallen victim to the infamous Wrestlemania hangover.  I can’t argue against that, but to say I think that is only a small fraction of why I am not enthralled by current WWE programming.

I consider it more logical to chalc it up to several factors.  After watching WWE for years, and seeing the past few where it has been, debatably, bouncing from good to dreadful, it can be difficult to replenish that interest which caused me to tune in in the first place.

Sure, I like Brock Lesnar and I popped just as loud as most people did when he arrived and wiped the floor with John Cena.  Internally, I can’t help but wonder if this is half because of my interest in Lesnar and half because of my hatred for Cena.  I watched Jericho smash a bottle of Punk’s head with as much interest as the next guy, and laughed just as hard when Jericho slipped in the fake liquor.  Still, something is missing here for me as well.

So, what’s the problem?  I’ll tell you.  First and foremost, I just sat through an entire year of John Cena being the main event focus while not in the title chase and I’m simply not interested in watching it happen again.   I don’t care how many times he makes his boo-boo face and puts a ridiculous looking chain around his neck.  I’m tired of Cena and I thought, I hoped, I wished, I pleaded, that after Wrestlemania we’d get to see just a little less of this guy.  Well, we’re seeing more.  I can’t take it.  I can’t take this guy.

I love the Rock, but wasn’t too into the angle because it involved Cena.  I think Brock is awesome, but I’d rather watch him feud with Santino than John Cena.  Cena has the magical ability to disrupt any sense of realism (I know, it’s fake, but you want suspended disbelief) that could exist without his BS.  I can’t torture myself to watch this guy.

The Jericho / Punk thing was certainly interesting.  I thought it was a little unnecessary to involve family members, but I did think it was funny because Jericho is a promo master and he sold it like gold.  I thought Jericho breaking the bottle over Punk’s head was great.  Then they had to do that angle with Punk coming out of the Pub which I found to be stupid.  I thought they couldn’t get much stupider until I saw the retarded sobriety test angle.  I changed channels back to the NHL Playoffs faster than it became clear Punk was only pretending.

These are two talented wrestlers, great promo men and interesting personalities who are trying to sell a match by acting like total goofball morons.  It’s a sad state of affairs when the best way to sell what could be a fantastic match is to have them acting like children.  Jericho comes off like he’s too stupid to see what’s happening, which is fine if you do it after the buildup, and Punk looks like a fool for playing along with it.  Remember when he was all about pipebombs?

The rest of it, I’ll just run through quickly.  If a Bella is Diva’s champion than Kharma better be coming back.. oh it didn’t matter, WWE could care less about the title so why should I?  Orton vs Kane.. again.. really.. don’t do this to me.  The Miz is challenging for the US title against the great champion of…. Santino.  Right.  Usually Santino is telling jokes, but here the joke is on us.  I could go on, but why bother?

So, I’m trying WWE.  I am.  I’m trying to watch and I’m trying to care and I’m trying to fight through this, but they’re certainly not making it easy on me.  Maybe I’m alone, and maybe you guys are loving this right now.  I’m glad for you if you are, but I’m certainly struggling to keep my television tuned in.  Maybe it will get better.

Mick Foley and Dean Ambrose were/are in the middle of a twitter feud that has/had Internet fans buzzing. Dean Ambrose is the second most talented person in FCW; just behind Tyler Black…I mean Seth Rollins. Which side note if you haven’t seen those two fight you need to go to YouTube and watch I’ll wait…..ok, great right? Ambrose is known by many in the “wrestling Internet smark world” as a Roddy Piper type. Very provocative on the mic, and at times says things he probably shouldn’t. Ambrose has all wrestling talent of a Dolph Ziggler and more importantly he has a lot of supporters from high up. Now this battle with Mick Foley started of all places at an event during Wrestlemania Weekend in Miami. Mick was taking time with fans when Ambrose approached him (camera off to the side just happened to be rolling wink wink) and started verbally assaulting Foley. Claiming Foley wrecked a generation of wrestlers by taking too many risks. Foley seemed uncomfortable with the verbal assault and played the “shocked victim” quite well. The whole thing was a setup and it worked to get some Internet buzz going. One thing the WWE has learned is the Internet is a powerful tool to get story lines over in unique ways.

However when the so called battle took to twitter it seems maybe Dean Ambrose crossed a line. This is where the whole thing gets muddled up into the “it’s all a shoot always” and Mick Foley really thinks Ambrose crossed a line talking about his kids. Foley wrote a scathing open letter to his fans and Ambrose himself. It can be found on Mick Foley’s Typepad account found here www.mickfoley.typepad.com
Mick Foley is a great story teller, as a matter of fact I think his biggest asset wasn’t his “hardcore” style but his ability to tell a convincing story in promos. This is the guy that took a “Cane Dewey” sign and made it into one of the all-time great promos. He took Edge to a dark place on SmackDown! just before Edge entered into The Cell with the Undertaker and put him even further over without having a match with him.  Foley has a wit, charm, and humor about him that lulls you into thinking he’s a big goof. However, unlike most goofs I know he can become very intense, very deranged in a hurry. It’s a skill set I’ve only ever seen in HHH. (Great humor in DX but could become the cerebral assassin in a moment’s notice)

So did Dean Ambrose cross a line of trust or is Mick Foley simply playing to his great writing skills while he continues to get ready for one more run? Is Ambrose really a loose cannon who went too far, or is he just a great line crosser in the vein of Rowdy Roddy? This is why I love the story aspect of wrestling almost as much as the in ring stuff. I have no idea, it’s so muddled up at this point we are all forced to see what happens in the coming days, weeks, and months. I hope it is all a work and we get to see Foley vs. Ambrose because they are both great story tellers who will entertain us in every sense of the word.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Has become the new what and I like it. What? is my most hated crowd chants (so much so that at the local NOW shows I practically throw up when I hear it, although my buddies Tom, Aaron and myself did get more Yes chants than what chants so we won the day) I like the Yes! chants because it is/was a giant FU from the fans to creative for an attempted burying of a great wrestler. Daniel Bryan certainly doesn’t need me to blow smoke up his ass, but I will again anyway. He is one of the best and hardest workers in all of wrestling. So when Sheamus beat him the way he did at Wrestlemania the fans revolted against the establishment. They went all tea party on creative’s asses with mass protests. So much so that the WWE told us to put our money where our collective mouths are. They made a Yes! Yes! Yes! shirt, essentially demanding we put up or shut up. It’s now our job to buy the shirt and keep Daniel relevant. I bought one, and if you can afford it and you want Bryan to continue to matter you should to.

Well that’s all for me this week, thanks again for reading and as always if you want to get a hold of me to call me an idiot, tell me I’m smart, or ask a question you can do so by following me on twitter @JaredGebhardt or via email jjg672@hotmail.com . You can also check out my entertainment column at filmonair.com.

Sincerely,
Jared Gebhardt

The last match of the night did the rare, the near impossible, it exceeded the hype. The Rock proved that ring rust can be shaken off quickly. Cena showed great real emotion and put on a very, very good match. Yeah you read that right; John Cena played his role great. I’ve spent countless words lambasting Cena’s lack of wrestling skill. Sunday something in me changed and I realized something. Cena is flawed, but so are a lot of wrestlers we accept. Including the guy who came back Monday, you know, the guy several wrestlers went on record as saying is dangerous in the ring. Brock Lesnar is a great MMA fighter but a pretty mediocre in ring talent. He’s a freak of nature in size and athleticism but like Cena, Lesnar has a limited move set. So, why does Lesnar get a pass and Cena get booed? Lesnar is a cool bad guy and cool bad guys are loved. Cena to so many is Superman and in today’s post-attitude era world Superman sucks. Never mind that there was a time when Stone Cold was Superman. Remember when he stunned the entire WCW/ECW roster? We give him a pass because he was a cool bad guy. The Rock at times was Superman, again cheer a cool bad guy. It’s not cool to cheer for the guy that does the right thing like Cena does because that’s seen as being fake now. Forget that Cena really is a good guy, because that just doesn’t fit into the narrative that Cena is a fraud. No one does more Make-A-Wish events than Cena, and few have given this much of their time to the company for appearances. Cena has never gotten in trouble outside the ring like Stone Cold, Jeff Hardy, and so many more that we cheer. “Jared we hate Cena because he only has 5 moves and doesn’t sell”. Trust me I know that argument because I made that argument. Sunday Cena sold for The Rock, at Money in the Bank and Summerslam he sold for CM Punk. Cena is what everyone hates because we reject the PG era. He’s the face of the PG era and that means by proxy he sucks. I’m not a full blown Cena fan, but he won my respect. Cena lost to The Rock because he was told to, but unlike Shawn Michaels vs. Hogan (don’t take that as a criticism of Shawn Michaels) Cena didn’t show up The Rock. Cena went out and sold the story he was told to, no matter what that story was. He could have no-sold The Rock, or over-sold ala Shawn Michaels/Hogan. Instead he went out and put on a very good match and did what he was told. I appreciate guys like that; guys who are willing to do the job and do it well no matter what. Cena has won my respect, I know he doesn’t care if he has it or not but I care that you guys know.

In my opinion CM Punk and Chris Jericho are both best in the world and their match Sunday proved that to us. They fought like wild men and they didn’t need chairs and tables to do it. They brutalized each other, but they did it with no gimmicks needed. They just put on a great old school wrestling match, minus a few overly dramatic moments when Jericho tried to get Punk disqualified. Those two had false finishes, big bumps, subtle call backs to Steamboat vs. Macho Man, and flawless spots. They are two guys that you could watch wrestle for hours and not get bored. I’m excited that they’ll continue the feud and continue it with even more heat. Jericho and Punk get the psychology of wrestling and feuds better than anyone else in the game today. Jericho has pushed the limits of what’s acceptable in the post-attitude era and Punk for his part has played his part perfectly. Punk could easily say “I’m not comfortable with you attacking my family. I’m not okay with you pouring alcohol on me.” (I don’t know if that was real alcohol or not on Monday) Punk like Cena though is a team player and has let Jericho say and do what he wants to him. Again, I just appreciate a guy who does what’s asked of him, no matter what’s asked. Jericho vs. Punk could go on the rest of the year and I wouldn’t get tired of it. Add in that Funkhauser is coming at Punk now more than ever and we have the potential for a career defining run for Punk this summer.

Well that’s all for me this week, thanks again for reading and as always if you want to get a hold of me to call me an idiot, tell me I’m smart, or ask a question you can do so by following me on twitter @JaredGebhardt or via email jjg672@hotmail.com . You can also check out my entertainment column at filmonair.com.

Sincerely,
Jared Gebhardt

Wrestlemania is almost impossible to put into words.  There is so much to take in.  The spectacle, the matches, the crowd, the atmosphere.  Ultimately, it is WWE hitting the reset button and initiating a new year of programming.

Wrestlemania 27 was not nearly as good as it was made out to be.  There were a lot of fans feeling let down after last years event.  It all felt so half-assed, thrown together and poorly executed minus the Triple H vs Undertaker Match.

Wrestlemania 28 was a thousand percent better.

This isn’t to say that Wrestlemania 28 didn’t have its down times.  Many people are upset about Daniel Bryan and Sheamus.  Despite my sincerest efforts, I simply cannot muster up and explanation.  Hopefully, desperately hopefully, WWE has something in mind and this wasn’t just Vince McMahon giving a giant middle finger to the IWC.

However, I would say, Wrestlemania 28 had greater peaks than it had darker valleys.  Jericho and Punk definitely put on a show.  This match was not the five star classic some had come to expect, but their performance was by no means a letdown.  It was entertaining, back and forth and the closing five minutes of reversals and tapout teases was extraordinarily executed.  I’d have gone with a different finish, had Punk lose and then have him walk into his hometown of Chicago as the challenger next month.

Triple H, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels reminded us that wrestling can be one hell of thing when it is done correctly.  A nearly flawless match that absolutely lived up to whatever hype was drummed up in the past few weeks.  That match has a series of moments (Triple H jumping back when Undertaker sat up, Shawn Michaels pleading with both men, the Superkick / Pedigree combination, blood, spit and eats) that should, and will, live on in the legacy of Wrestlemania.  What this match did leave us with though, is three important questions:  Was this the Undertakers last match?  Is Triple H down for good?  Was this the last gasp of the attitude era?

There were so many questions, doubts, backstage rumors, on screen bombs and chaotic experiences leading up to John Cena vs the Rock.  Did this match payoff?  Absolutely.  Understandably there are some upset John Cena fans, but as someone who dislikes John Cena (his character, not the Make-A-Wish champion) I think this is the absolute best thing that could happen to him.  This will force Cena to go to new places, assuming that he sells this loss and doesn’t come out giggling tonight like he often does after a big loss.  If this is handled properly, John Cena could come out of this shinning.  Also, no one should associate the Rock winning to the Rock not giving John Cena some amazing shine and Legendary rub.

The Rock proved he could still go.  John Cena proved he could hold his own against the greatest superstar of all time.  This is absolutely a win win situation that WWE can make into something even more amazing.  Remember, folks, there’s always the possibility that this is a best of three series.  I certainly hope not, I’d rather this was a one time thing.

Wrestlemania 28 was definitely a great show worth watching and paying attention to.  The challenge for WWE coming out of this, which could be a fantastic thing, is to build new stars so that next years roster is full of young talent rather than returning names and old stalwarts.  It’s time for a changing of the guard, but don’t be surprised if they wait until Wrestlemania 30 to make the switch.  Next year they may want to cash in on that New Jersey, New York attitude with some old names.  We know the Rock will be there, speculation points to Brock Lesnar and don’t forget a beer drinking, ass kicking, mudhole stomping guy from Texas with some gas left in the tank who might want to make a last impression.

Wrestlemania 28, as a whole, did what it was supposed to do.  It reinvigorated, and for the most part, it paid off what it has been hyping.  I rate the event an eight out of a possible ten.  The eighteen second world title match kept this away from being a nine.  Oh, and did I forget to mention, Good ol’ Jim Ross showed why he is, was , and always will be, the best announcer in the business.

Monday Night Raw has all the potential to be absolutely amazing tonight.  Maybe WWE will show us that they don’t just pull out all of the stops for Wrestlemania.

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Here is how I do my picks for those unfamiliar with my process. I place fake money lines Vegas style and tell how I’m betting and why. Not sure what money line is. That’s okay I’ll explain it as best I can.

New York Giants+120
New England Patriots -130

In this instance, the Patriots are the favored team, as signified by the – (minus) written in front of the 130, while the Giants are the underdogs, as designated by the + (plus) in front of the 120.

What these numbers mean is that those wishing to bet on the favorite, the Patriots, will have to risk $130 to win $100, while those wanting to wager on the underdog, the Giants, will risk $100 to win $120. Got it? Good, moving on.

Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show (pick’em)

Wow we start off our betting with a pick’em match between up and coming star Cody Rhodes and WWE mainstay and WrestleMania loser The Big Show. Now normally I and Vegas would probably have picked The Big Show for obvious reasons but as Cody has pointed out for over a month Show just doesn’t show up at WrestleMania. Big Show is the opposite of Shawn Michaels he is Mr.Anti-Wrestlemania. With that said it’s hard to pick against Show, he’s just too big to count out against a very talented but much smaller opponent in Cody. This is a tough one and that is clearly reflected by the fact Vegas made it a pick’em. I have to pick a winner though and I’m going with tradition over my head here and I’m picking Show to choke once again at WrestleMania.

Cody Rhodes over Big Show (confidence level 3/10)

Randy Orton (-200) vs. Kane (+150)

Vegas just isn’t buying the big red machine and he hasn’t really given them a reason to. Sure he’s looked impressive versus lesser opponents but at no time has he shown he can dominate The Viper. Randy is just plain better than Kane in the ring and this match doesn’t play to any of Kane’s strengths. If this was a no holds barred match or some other vicious rules match then Kane would be a huge favorite. However seeing as this is going to be a normal rules match the better wrestler should prevail and the better wrestler is Randy Orton.

Randy Orton over Kane (confidence level 6/10)

Beth Phoenix & Eve (-200) vs. Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos (+150)

This is the “celebrity” match at this year’s WrestleMania. Of course calling Maria Menounos a celebrity is like calling me a world famous Geography Bee contestant because I came in 2nd in my 8th grade Geography Bee (DAMN YOU GUAM!!!). Don’t get me wrong it’s a great thing that there aren’t any Jersey Shore morons or jackass millionaires at this year’s WrestleMania. This will be an amazing match with some great holds….oh wait that’s the opposite of what this will be. Chalk this one up to I don’t give a crap and this will be when I refresh my booze cup and take a trip to the bathroom. I gotta pick a winner or in this case a better polished turd. I’m taking the odds here and the odds are just begging me to bet on Maria and Kelly Kelly.

Maria and Kelly Kelly over Beth Phoenix and Eve (confidence level 5/10)

Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny (pick’em)

Vegas once again can’t seem to give real odds on a match. This is the “we need to give as many people as possible a WrestleMania Bonus” match. This use to be the Money In The Bank match but they screwed with a good thing and now we don’t get that amazing match at WrestleMania. Instead we get a bunch of mid-carders go to war for who is the better GM or something like that. There are two matches on the card that will be designated my bathroom and refill breaks. This is the second of the two. I just honestly don’t care about this match or what the outcome means. This is just boring and a time killer. The rest of the card from here on out is the cream of the crop and worth every penny you’ll have to shell out for it. Again I have to pick a winner and since I don’t care or care enough to care enough about any real analysis I flipped a coin.

Team Johnny over Team Teddy (confidence level who gives a shit)

World Heavyweight Title Match: DANIEL BRYAN (+200) vs. Sheamus (-250)

Not very often does Vegas go against the champion but it has overwhelmingly gone against Mr. Yes Yes Yes. Bryan brings so much to the table, great hold for hold wrestler, smarter than most, and has a knack for walking away with his title no matter the odds. He beat Big Show and Mark Henry in a cage match for crying out loud. Daniel Bryan has held on to the World Heavyweight Title much longer than I thought he would and part of me is screaming “go with the guy who will do anything to retain….I mean anything”. The other part is playing Sheamus and his dominate streak of late over and over again. No one is hotter than Sheamus is right now. It’s hard to bet against the Celtic Warrior and his size and talent. On a personal level I couldn’t be happier for these two. These two were the dark match at last year’s WrestleMania and through hard work and determination they are now one of the headliners. Sort of like when Mötley Crüe opened for Ozzy and then a decade later Ozzy opened for Crüe. I think this will be a great maximize your minutes match and the two will put on a great but kind of short match. So hard to pick a winner, but Sheamus’ trajectory is just too fast and too steep to be stopped.

SHEAMUS wins Heavyweight Title over Daniel Bryan (confidence level 7/10)

WWE Championship Match: CM PUNK (-150) vs. Chris Jericho (+150)

On any other card this is the biggest match by a country mile. These two are the two best pure wrestlers in the world and they will be fighting for that bragging right on Sunday. This will be an amazing match that will set the bar for the night. Look past the mind games Jericho has been playing because those won’t matter once the bell rings. What will matter though is Jericho has pinned Punk three times in the last two months while Punk hasn’t pinned Jericho once in that time frame. This hasn’t deterred Vegas from making Punk the slight favorite but it certainly has me wondering if Punk can beat him one two three in the middle of the ring. These two know each other very well and there will be very little that will surprise either one of them at this point. Punk has the champion’s advantage but there is no way he is going to let Jericho walk away with either a count out or disqualification win. This will be settled in the middle of the ring as it should be. My only criticism of this build up is the lack of real pipe bombs from Punk. Maybe that was the plan all along, to have this be more about Jericho and his mind games. Punk showed us on Monday that he has another gear he can go to. Does Jericho have any idea what Punk has in store for him, or does Jericho think his mind game has Punk off his usual cool self? Will Punk channel his aggression into victory? I think so.

CM PUNK retains WWE title over Jericho (confidence level 6/10)

HHH (+250) vs. Undertaker(-300) Hell in a Cell

The end of an era match is also my guarantee to steal the show. Two old warriors who have very little left to give are going to give what little they have left to us. Side note I have to say this is a dream hell in a cell match for me. These two battle tested old war horses are famous/infamous for their history in the “devil’s playground”. This match will help define the winner’s legacy. If HHH wins he becomes the man who ended the streak. Another side point I’m an unabashed HHH fan. People want to say he buried talent and played politics better than anyone else. However, that is only been said by former disgruntled wrestlers. I’ve only ever heard good things from former creative staff. Everyone says the same thing “HHH only cared about his matches and spent no real time actively putting down talent.” or “say what you want about HHH’s talent but he never went after talent. He was never in Vince’s ear negatively about other talent.”. Okay back to the match this Sunday and what it means for these two; Specifically The Undertaker. What’s at stake for Undertaker? How about the respect of being 20-0 and the only guy ever to go undefeated on the biggest stage in the business? To me being 20-0 at WrestleMania is an even bigger accomplishment than Ric Flair’s 16 world titles or Bruno Sanmartino’s record for longest reining WWE/WWF champion. It’s the 1972 perfect Dolphins or the 72 win 1995-1996 Bulls. Those accomplishments will never be topped just like Taker going 20-0 would never ever be topped. No one will last 20 years in the WWE, let alone last those 20 years and be good enough for Vince to have go undefeated for 20 straight WrestleMania’s. This isn’t just the feather in the cap of his career; it is his career at this point. Just like Hank Aaron was known only for his home run record, despite a great career average and a great defensive mind. Undertaker will be known first and foremost by his streak. If there was one person though who could end it wouldn’t it have to be HHH? Undertaker time and time again in interviews talks about his respect for HHH. If one guy could pull it off it’s have to be HHH and it’d have to be in Hell in a Cell. I don’t like the odds Vegas are giving Undertaker because it makes it hard to bet on him because he’s just too big of a favorite. However, I feel it deep down; no one will end the streak.

Undertaker (20-0) over HHH (confidence level 9-10)

John Cena (-200) vs. The Rock (+150)

Arguably the biggest match in wrestling history. Cena knows a thing or two about going into hostile territory, MITB vs.  CM Punk in Chicago, and ECW ONS vs. RVD in Hammerstein Ballroom. Now he didn’t win either time but he’s been there. He’s had to hear crowds 90% against him like it will be in Miami. The Rock has the home field advantage and all the momentum that comes with that. However, The Rock hasn’t had a one on one match in almost a decade and the rust was obvious at Survivor Series. John Cena is who he is for better or for worse. Cena isn’t rusty and has more to lose by losing than The Rock does. The Rock pointed out that winning means a lot to him. It’ll make him the only guy to beat the Undertaker, Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan, and John Cena. Great accomplishment but he’s not an active wrestler. He isn’t making his living in the ring anymore like Cena is. Cena may be the visitor in Miami but The Rock is the visitor in the ring. This isn’t his domain anymore; it’s Cena’s domain. If Cena loses it means he isn’t as good as the guys from the Attitude Era. It means all his critics were right, that he’s a big dog in a smaller yard. This is Cena’s legacy much like the streak will define the Undertaker; this match will define Cena. If he wins he can say he’s just as good if not better than anyone from any era. If he loses we can all say “see you aren’t Superman, you are a fraud”. No one will think less of The Rock if he loses, but people will hold it against Cena if he loses. With that said, no way The Rock came back to lose.

The Rock over John Cena (confidence level 2/10)
Well that’s all for me this week, thanks again for reading and as always if you want to get a hold of me to call me an idiot, tell me I’m smart, or ask a question you can do so by following me on twitter @JaredGebhardt or via email jjg672@hotmail.com . You can also check out my entertainment column at filmonair.com.

Sincerely,
Jared Gebhardt

Wrestlemania 28 is almost upon us and there are a few burning questions which are only going to scorch that much hotter in the 9 days leading up the event.  There are several matches on this show whose outcomes will define the future of WWE for, at least, the next few months.  There is a rumor that next years Main Event will be announced a year in advance, again, so it is probable that this event could lead to another year of build up (or tear down, based on your perspective) of the Rock, or perhaps, another name from the past.

Regardless of where you stand on the feuds heading into the event, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a few of the questions which will, hopefully, be answered.

Does Kane vs Randy Orton do anything to help either of these guys?
Kane is facing Randy Orton in what could best be described as a last minute, thrown together feud all revolving around Kane randomly attacking Orton.  It should be obvious that this match is being given to these two to assure them a place on the Wrestlemania card, but not to do much more.  I sincerely doubt that the outcome of this match makes any difference whatsoever for either of these men.  It seems highly unlikely this could be a sleeper match that steals the show, and even less likely that it will result in a long standing Orton vs Kane feud, which I’m not sure anyone would want to see anyway.  You can’t get much lower on the card, short of being in a twelve man tag match.  Speaking of which…

Team Teddy vs Team Johnny – Does it Matter?
We all know that Team Teddy will face Team Johnny at Wrestlemania with the winning team winning control of both Monday Night Raw and Smackdown for their respective namesakes.  The question lingering here is, who cares?  Whether Teddy or Johnny are in charge, it isn’t going to make a bit of difference.  They’re going to be the same shows, ultimately.  The only difference is whether or not we have to see Johnny introduce himself randomly or Teddy saying “Hold on playa.”  The result of this match will change absolutely nothing, aside from who you see as the GM from time to time.  Let’s face it, the GM storylines have been played out for years.  Johnny has become a pretty big heat magnet, but I could live without having a GM on either show.

Who truly is the best in the world?
Chris Jericho vs CM Punk was originally billed as the Battle of the Best in the World.  This has recently taken a backseat to being the battle of the straight edge superstar with a family history of drug an alcohol abuse versus the smug, not sure where he stands, he wasn’t talking, but now he is, Chris Jericho.  To both men’s credit, they’ve managed to take a WWE Title match, which should be important but has been almost ignored by WWE, and made it must-see-TV.  This angle has been excellently executed, and last weeks attack from Chris Jericho on CM Punk’s sister was nearly flawless.  It should also come as no surprise that these two are highly capable of tearing the non-existent roof off of Wrestlemania.  One question which lingers is, does CM Punk walk out with the title only to defend it the next month in Chicago, or does he walk into Chicago as the challenger?  Either way, I don’t foresee this match letting anyone down.

Does anyone remember Sheamus is facing Daniel Bryan?
You can’t be faulted if you’ve forgotten, WWE hasn’t exactly gone out of their way to make this match seem like something you can’t live without.  I hear more about AJ than I hear about Sheamus when Daniel Bryan is on my screen.  Regardless of WWE’s severe lack of push for this World Heavyweight Title Match, this could absolutely be that sleeper.  Daniel Bryan and Sheamus were the opening dark match last year and you have to believe they want to show WWE and the world exactly how good they can be.  Keep your eyes open during this one because it may be the show stealer.

Does Big Show’s embarrassment continue?
Cody Rhodes has made it his business over the past few weeks to go out of his way to show recaps of Big Show’s most embarrassing Wrestlemania moments.  From Big Show getting beaten by Floyd Mayweather to hosting a dinner party at the old WWE restaurant in Time Square.  This past Monday, Cody handcuffed Big Show to the ropes and delivered several blows which resulted in the announcers pushing that Big Show was officially pissed.  There is more than meets the eye on the line in this match.  Cody Rhodes has held the Intercontinental Title for quite some time and is giving some credibility back to it.  Should he lose, and the belt goes to Show, does this destroy the small build they’ve been giving that belt?  If Rhodes should win, where does he go from there and could this be a step toward the main event?  This all remains to be seen, and though I have complete confidence in Rhodes abilities, I do question the quality of this match and whether or not it is granted more than seven or eight minutes.

Does Maria Menounos actually qualify a celebrity?
This is highly debatable.  What is not debatable is that WWE continues showing just how unimportant they consider their Divas division to be.  Imagine the awesome matches we could have gotten in place of this tag team debacle;  Beth Phoenix vs Natalya was a match I was truly hoping for.  Two tough, gorgeous, badass women going out there and showing what women’s wrestling can actually be.  Instead we’ve got Beth working with Eve whose claim to fame is being called a whore, Kelly Kelly whose wrestling skill is somewhere on par with a door mat and Maria Menounos who.. hosts a level C show where they talk about celebrities.  Perhaps the burning question here is WHY?!

Does the Undertaker’s streak end?
I’d say there is a good chance the streak stays in tact, but this could be the last harah for the Undertaker.  He’s been through a hell of a lot, and aside from wrestling once a year, I can’t see him doing much more after this.  WWE have gone out of their way to make it debatable as to whether or not Triple H can end the streak and the involvement of Shawn Michaels is pivotal.  The problem is, does anyone truly believe that if there streak were to end it’d be to Triple H?  It seems unlikely they’d have HBK screw the Undertaker, and if he screwed Triple H it seems worthless since he has said he will not wrestle again.  Is it possible he’d come back for Triple H’s last match?  Maybe, but I think it is highly unlikely the Undertaker will lose.  One question I have, though, is can these three live up to the hype and deliver a Hell in a Cell match worthy of the grand stage of Wrestlemania?  We shall see.

Do the Rock and John Cena make it worth our while?
The hype has been insane.  Between personal attacks, cutdowns, verbal assaults, songs, raps and everything in between, we have been told, time and time again, that this is the biggest match in Wrestlemania history.  The ratings for Raw argue that fact, hell the ratings seem to show that this match doesn’t mean a great deal.  Then again, maybe people have stopped watching because they’ve already decided to buy the show and they don’t want to watch these guys behave like children any further.  Suffice it to say, this Monday has the dubious challenge of making this entire years feud come to a head where you can’t live without seeing what happens.  What matters, though?  The match?  Absolutely.  These two who have legit heat have to make a match together that will go down in history as amazing.  What also matters, though, is what comes after.  I’ve been pretty vocal about this, and it remains true today, I have no idea who is going to win this match.  If Cena loses, well then he lost to a guy who is a part timer and hasn’t wrestled a singles match in years.  If the Rock loses, well, actually, does it really matter to him?  Probably not, but it seems likely a Cena victory would ensure Wrestlemania goes off the air to a sea of boos.  I somehow doubt this is where they want to go.  Ultimately though, will this match and the result make the past year worth the while for those of us who have committed to it?  It better.  Also, does the rumor come true and do we see the Miz make an appearance?

So many questions linger about Wrestlemania 28 and we’re only 9 days away from having all of the answers we’ve been seeking.  Truly though, one of the greatest questions is what happens in 17 days.  The Raw a week after the one which follows Mania.  No more Rock, Undertaker, HBK.  More than likely Triple H will be back behind the scenes.  The show will fall back to the default superstars.  Do the ratings continue their steady decline, and if so, what is done to correct it?  This is a much more precarious time, creatively, for WWE than we have seen in a long time.  Ultimately the one question which will remain is:  Where do we go from here?

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Talk about your all-time schizophrenic promo battles.  The Rock and Cena angle has been all over the map in recent weeks.  Keeping up with what exactly is going on here has led to debate on all sides of the wrestling world about work and shoot, professional and unprofessional, selling and no-selling.  All viable arguments, and it’s currently impossible to determine who is right and who is wrong. Ultimately, the answers to all of those questions don’t matter.  There are two extremely important elements here, and they are what matters:  are Cena and the Rock selling Wrestlemania and will both or either of them have been put into a better position when April 2nd comes around?

Things have gotten a little out of alignment here.  This past Monday, John Cena gave his empty arena promo all about how this match at Wrestlemania means everything to him.  He explained how he doesn’t just want to win this match, he has to win this match.  It means everything to him.  Simultaneously, Rock vignettes were airing with him making jokes and tearing down Cena as he always does.  Cut to later in the night, John Cena comes out and begins cutting a silly promo while smirking.  The Rock comes out, super serious, and cuts a promo of his own while Cena no-sells it and acts like the quintessential goofball that he has been for years.

What the hell happened there?  Both guys completely flipped their scripts.  Rock went from funny, silly vignettes to being serious in the ring while Cena went from saying his entire career is riding on Wrestlemania to smirking like a seven year old who is trying to annoy the teacher.  Meanwhile, a lot of people are trying to figure out if this is all a work, a shoot or a mix.  I love a good promo as much as the next guy, but I do have some problems with worked shoots.

Rock has said he will kick Cena’s ass and make him his “bitch.”  Cena has said Rock will have to kill him to beat him.  That’s all fine and good, but when you start mixing together work and shoot and you start trying to make the fans believe everything you’re saying is real… you severely undercut that when you then say you’re going to win a predetermined wrestling match.

This has always been my problem with worked shoots.  You can’t tell me everything is real, but simultaneously try to convince me you’re going to settle it in a wrestling ring.  There is a lack of balance there which has always bothered me.  Ultimately, sell your match by selling your match rather than trying to sell who has the better punchlines.  What does it matter who is funnier or says the more biting comment when no one is going to be holding a microphone in the middle of that match?

Some argument has been made that John Cena has been unprofessional in this feud while the Rock has been attempting to keep things balanced.  No matter which side of that argument you fall on, it does have to be acknowledged that one of the biggest gripes anti-Cena fans have had over the years is John Cena’s failure to sell.  In this promo battle with the Rock, Cena has sold nothing.

Imagine if Stone Cold Steve Austin cut promos on Vince McMahon and Vince just smirked the entire time.  Imagine CM Punk going off on Chris Jericho and Jericho just laughing about it.  You certainly submarine the angle when you fail to show that it actually matters or is important.  It is ironic, because as John Cena has said this match means everything to him but Rock doesn’t care if WWE closes down, he is simultaneously undercutting the angle and doing damage to the business aspect of it.  If you need proof that fans are getting pushed away all you have to do is look at the ratings over the past two weeks which have both involved face to face meetings between Rock and Cena.

Was John Cena pointing out the writing on Rock’s arm unprofessional, or was it planned?  How about this past week where Cena smirked and smiled the entire time the Rock was talking and then began interrupting him while he was just finishing his promo?  Nobody knows, and nobody will know for a while.  Ultimately, none of this is as important as whether or not this program has made you want to see this match more or less.

I am a massive fan of the Rock, and though I dislike John Cena’s character, there have certainly been times where I have enjoyed his work.  Right now the only thing that has me interested in this match is… I don’t know who will win.  That’s it.  The promos, the threats, the jokes, the undercutting has made me less interested.  If I didn’t write columns, there’s a chance I’d just tune out until April 1st because everything between these two is beginning to frustrate me.  Oh, and what are they doing next week?  These two want to kill each other so much that on Monday’s Raw we get to see Rock signing and Cena rapping.  To quote the Miz:  “Really?  Really?  Really? Really?”  That’s your Wrestlemania 28 build up.. musical battling.  Oh boy.

On April 9th, the Rock will be gone.  He will be filming movies until he comes back for the build up to Wrestlemania 29 (in whatever capacity he is participating.)  On April 9th, will John Cena be in a position where he can ride the wave of excitement, bring PPV buyrates up and increase ratings or will we be back to the John Cena that the fans boo and the guy who makes silly “poopy” jokes, acts like Superman and continues to pummel his goodie two shoes personality into our brains?  If John Cena doesn’t come out of this Wrestlemania either glowing and with a rejuvenated fanbase, or edgier and angrier, than this Wrestlemania could go down in history as the year WWE went to the mat for Cena and it didn’t work.

Regardless, if John Cena goes back to being the way he was and interest continues to flag while the Rock is out there signing on to do more and more movies, Rock’s words will prove prophetic and Wrestlemania 28 will be remembered as the time when Rock made Cena his bitch.  You know what should be frightening about that?  The Rock doesn’t even have to win to make Cena look like a bitch.  Just ask post-Wrestlemania 18 Hulk Hogan about that.

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But first I’d like to comment on something that happened last Monday; namely the big announcement that HHH will take on the Undertaker. Now this isn’t a surprise, what is the surprise is that it’ll take place inside Hell in a Cell. This will be a real Hell in a Cell match. Not the watered down version we get at the pay per view that dons the same name. This will be vicious, this will be brutal, and like Undertaker said it’ll be the apocalypse. The end of an era of wrestling so many of us grew up on. A bloody era that is now long gone in the WWE, and has been replaced by a safer more health conscious era. I was convinced that Punk and Jericho would steal the show, but now I think that’ll be impossible. The Undertaker and HHH will go to war inside that cell; both knowing there is a very good chance it’ll be their last match. Two men long past their primes who will lay it all on the line for us; two men, the last of a dying breed of bruisers that’ll never be seen in the WWE again. Not because this new era couldn’t handle it but because the WWE is becoming safer. Ultimately this may be the last truly brutal match we’ll ever see in the WWE. I can’t wait to see it happen.

Okay here it is my pre-modern era wrestling Mount Rushmore.

Bruno  Sammartino: One cannot underestimate how much Bruno meant to WWWF and just how big of a star he was. You think Cena looks unbeatable now go back and watch Bruno. Bruno holds and will forever hold the record for days as WWE champion. In his two reigns as champion he held the title for a total of 11 years. Bruno was a great mat wrestler and a bruiser. He was everything you wanted in a pre-1980 wrestler. Very little personality but could put on a really good technical match with anyone who got in the ring with him. You can’t understate how big of a star he was in New York. There was a time when he was as a big star as Joe Namath.

Lou Thesz: Lou created some of the most iconic moves in wrestling history, German suplex, the STF, and the power bomb just to name a few. He held the NWA title longer than anyone else in the titles iconic history at just over ten total years. He was a lot like Bruno, not a lot of personality but for six decades he put on technical masterpieces. Lou has been called the greatest hold for hold; throw for throw technical wrestler to ever enter the squared circle. He influenced countless wrestlers and lived on in the ring when Stone Cold brought back the Lou Thesz press as part of his move set.

Verne Gagne: Gagne was by far the best behind the scenes personality of this pre-modern era group. He knew who to talk to and who to push away at the right times. Gagne was a talented in ring performer who went on to help create and shape the iconic AWA. Gagne was influential in so many careers that it’s impossible to keep him off the list. The argument against Gagne however was the only reason he had the most days as a world champion in wrestling history is because he booked himself as champion. He’s the only one on the list who got to book himself as champion and he did it…a lot. However, he was a huge draw and a talented wrestler so I couldn’t keep him off the list of pre-modern era stars. He is still a big name in the Midwest, especially Minnesota and North Dakota.

Buddy Rogers: Buddy was ahead of being ahead of his time. When Lou Thesz, Gagne, and Bruno wore their hair short and cared more about their in ring product than their personas; Buddy Rogers wanted to be both a great wrestler and a great villain. He had bleached blond hair that he wore longer than most and slicked it back. He pranced like a ballerina and talked a big game, two things that made him instantly hated by all men and loved by crowds of women. No one in the pre-modern era was hated like Buddy was hated. Buddy was the first ever WWWF champion and held 10 world titles in his illustrious career.

Our second entrant, the first to join Ric Flair on the monument will be a man who lacked the same in ring skill as Flair but doubled down on the persona. No one has had a bigger impact in wrestling than this man. There was no bigger star in the 80′s and most of the 90′s than this man. No one sold more shirts or faced bigger names on bigger stages than this man; ladies and gentleman (cue Real American entrance music) the one the only Hulk Hogan.

Say what you want about his in ring skill, or lack thereof. Hogan made modern wrestling what it is. His merchandise sold better than anyone before him. He was the biggest cross over star in wrestling history. He was on The Tonight Show, in commercials, movies, and TV shows. He was Vince’s way into mainstream America and was the biggest reason the WWF became a national company. Hogan understood the business better than anyone before him and probably better than anyone ever will. He knew how to make every back room deal and knew just who the next big star to challenge him was. He also knew enough that he had the sway to build that person and then crush them at their apex. Now that isn’t exactly being a team player but it made him the most recognizable wrestler in the world. It helped him grow his brand, something no other wrestler ever had. Hulkamania was and still is a bankable brand. Hulkamania was T-shirts, bandanas, hats, and on and on.

He was king of the mega matches in the 80′s and 90′s. He fought Andre the Giant in front of the largest crowd in WWE history. He battled and teamed with fellow merchandising machine Macho Man Randy Savage. While Flair honed his craft and put on 60 minute wars, Hogan was plotting his next huge pay day with the next big star. Hogan and Ultimate Warrior were never going to put on a technical masterpiece, but it will still be one of the most talked about matches in wrestling history. Hogan has kept himself viable by picking his opponents carefully the past decade and a half. His matches against The Rock and Shawn Michaels again weren’t technical marvels but few wrestling fans will forget them. Especially the electricity in the air when Hogan and The Rock traded cheers and jeers. “Let’s go Rocky, Lets go Hogan” was the first time a crowd was that split down the middle like that in WWE history.

Ultimately there were way better wrestlers than Hulk Hogan, but very few knew how to play the game like him. He sold kids on vitamins, America, and hard work. “Remember train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins, be true to yourself, be true to your country, and be a real American.” What kid didn’t get behind that message? He was superman come to life and the world ate it up. He beat foreigners that threatened the American way, or at least in the 80′s we thought they were. He was the best politician in wrestling history and made the WWE the biggest company in the 80s and for part of the 90s he did the same for WCW. We congratulate Hulk Hogan on his entrance into the Mount Rushmore of Wrestling.

Who’s next on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling? Check out the next column to find out. Also give me your thoughts on who should be on the Canadian Mount Rushmore of wrestling. You can do so by emailing @jjg672@hotmail.com or shoot me a tweet @jaredgebhardt. Until next time remember you are only as good as your last match.

Sincerely,

Jared Gebhardt