Now on to my picks for MITB this Sunday. I’m making these picks prior to reading spoilers for SmackDown so the picks are subject to change.

Tag team title match: Kofi Kingston and R-truth vs. Hunico and Camacho Really? This is the WWE taking tag team wrestling seriously again? Kofi and R-Truth are good, but not great as a tag team. I personally think Kofi is being wasted in tag team Purgatory. Hunico and Camacho are nothing special as well. I personally would have preferred to see Darren Young and Titus O’Neil in this match. I enjoy that team, very old school tag wrestling.

Winner: Kofi and Truth and I’ll predict a 2.5 out of 5 star match.

Raw MITB Match: John Cena, Big slow(Show), Kane, and Jericho Now last week lamented my disdain for this years Raw MITB match and it’s poorly chosen contestants. However, I’m still going to be fair in my analysis. Okay no I’m not this match will probably suck out loud. I predict a whole lot of Chris Jericho taking awesome bumps for the bigger guys and big show being the biggest liability in the match. He’s a downer, literally in this match. At this point in his career he doesn’t belong on ladder matches; especially one like this. MITB was made famous by risk takers like Shelton Benjamin and Jeff Hardy. Sorry Show this one isn’t for you.

Winner: John Cena and I’ll predict a 2 out of 5 star match. For the record I’ve never seen a MITB match that wasn’t at least 3.5 out of 5.

SmackDown MITB: Santino Marella, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Sin Cara, Tyson Kidd, Tensia, Damien Sandow, and Dolph Ziggler

Now this is a MITB lineup we’ve grown accustom to seeing. Tyson Kidd is my pick for “will do something insane to get noticed” Shelton Benjamin Award. Kidd has the talent and seems desperate to finally break out. He won’t win but we’ll be talking about him after the match. The rest of the lineup has the right blend of flyers, workers and veterans to make it great. The only weak link is Santino who will undoubtedly be annoying at some point in the match. Rhodes and Christian have a great in ring chemistry and I see those two being the final two on the ladder at the end reaching up for the briefcase. Winner: Cody Rhodes I predict a 4 out of 5 star match

World Heavyweight Title Match: Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio This match will be a physical one. Del Rio has found his inner mean streak needed to become a very good heel. Del Rio has been a bit of a let down for the WWE. He was expected to be the top heel by now and bring in more Latino viewers. Well through no fault his own he hasn’t been able to stay healthy long enough to become a top star. Every time he catches on and is making headway with the WWE Universe, he gets injured. Concussions, shoulder problems and other ailments have all hindered his assent. It’s tough to say whether the WWE wants to give him another run considering his past. It looks like they really want to give him the title and see what he can do with it for an extended run. The question is do they do it now, or do they wait a few injury free months? Also, do you take the belt off Sheamus who is making great strides as a baby face? These are the tough decisions that need to be made by WWE’s creative team. Tough one but Sheamus will win and retains title. Seeing it as a 3 out of 5 star match.

WWE World Title Match: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan with AJ as a special guest referee.

Here it is the crowing jewel of nerd wrestling fans…again. Last, one on one match did not disappoint and I don’t expect this one to disappoint either. AJ has been fun to watch as she slips or skips if you will further into her own crazy screwed up world. I appreciate the work done by all three involved in the angle. Punk and Bryan will beat the holy hell out of each other and ultimately we’ll get a great match. The interesting twist will be AJ who I honestly can’t predict and outcome for. I think she’ll betray Punk but the character is just crazy enough that a winner might not be declared. This could easily drag into SummerSlam if she did something like that. I just don’t know how it’ll go down and that’s a very good thing. I have to make a pick though so…. Daniel Bryan wins with the help of AJ but don’t think I feel confident about this pick. It’ll be a 4.5 out of 5 star match

All right, that is all for this week folks, thank for reading. You can reach me to complain, praise, or whatever either via email at jjg672@hotmail.com or twitter via @JaredGebhardt. Sincerely, The Wrestling Genius: Jared Gebhardt

Not just because it was Punks biggest moment, the one that marked his real arrival as “the guy”, but that certainly made it better. The MITB matches themselves were entertaining as hell as they always seem to be. Something about the formula just works and why wouldn’t it? Tons of ladders, young stars looking for a chance to make a name for themselves, bodies flying around the ring like knives at an Amazing Jonathan show. Side note went to his show in Vegas last week and I couldn’t recommend it more if you enjoy corny jokes, watching people in the audience get made fun of and mediocre but funny as hell magic it’s your show. Side note to the side note a happy belated birthday to my fellow drunk Vegas buddy I know is reading this. Aaron your birthday gift was getting to watch me scream like a girl on the Fremont Street zip line, you are welcome. Okay, back to the here and now. The MITB PPV is now on my short list of “PPV I have to buy”. (Who are we kidding I get all of them but I actually pay close attention to this one)

So, naturally the WWE changed the formula for the Raw MITB. Instead of getting to see guys like Ziggler, an up and comer who puts everything on the line in big moments. Ziggler has “it” and acts like every match is Wrestlemania. You know when he’s in there he’s giving 100% and you are getting a great show, especially in a MITB match. No, instead the WWE in their infinite wisdom decided to screw with it. I picture the meeting went as follows.

Writer 1: Hey, you guys know how the fans love MITB?

Writer 2: yeah what about it and make this quick I’m writing another terrible Funkasaurus segment.

Writer 1: well I was thinking fans love the high risk and high flying. So, what do you say to taking all that away for the Raw MITB? We put Big Show, Kane, and Cena together. That eliminates any chance of it being awesome.

Writer 2: Perfect, oh wait Vince says to put Jericho somewhere in the show now that he’s done “touring”. Let’s add him to the match.

Writer 1: All right, but he’ll probably screw up my plan by doing some entertaining moves off the ladder.

Boom a WWE writing session in a nutshell. I can’t believe they changed the formula, oh wait yes I can. The WWE loves to take things we love and like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy they “stroke it, massage it, but it’s a naughty pet yes it’s naughty, then oh my God I killed it”. They just seem to hate anything we have grown to love and enjoy. Sure they took a risk by making it its own PPV, so many fans said “should have kept it on Wrestlemania” I was among them. Then it grew on me and I’ve become a huge fan of it. The SmackDown MITB match looks to be great. At least they gave us that.

This would be like the creative minds behind The Avengers deciding to recast Iron Man with Jeremy Piven. Sure, he’s a capable actor, or at least a little passable, okay he’s terrible. This would have ruined The Avengers; it still would have made money in spite of its self. It still would have made hundreds of millions but it would have been an inferior product. Instead of making the best movie possible, they would have made a good movie that made oodles of cash. Is that where we are now in the WWE? Sure, MITB will make oodles of money in spite of the fact that they screwed up one of the two ladder matches? I want greatness; it’s why I’m spending $49.99.

To put Cena and Big Show in MITB matches with just two other guys, one of which has won a MITB match but usually isn’t that good in them is a travesty. MITB shouldn’t be for former champions, it should be a match for young up and comers to get their first real shot. Guys like Edge who were teetering on the edge of obscurity won it and become The Rated R superstar over night. CM Punk won it, chased it in, and become a top tier guy. Time and time again, the winners were young guys looking for their first real shot at the top. The WWE has changed this for the Raw MITB and I’m very disappointed. Of course, I’ll still buy it, and they’ll make money of it even though they made a mistake. It is what it is; we are getting The Avengers with Jeremy Piven instead of Robert Downey Jr..

Now on to cheerier things. My good friend and Indy star Darin Corbin has started a very entertaining, unbelievably funny and irreverent YouTube show that I know all wrestling fans will enjoy. If you like Colt Cabanas comedy segments from “Creative Has Nothing for You,” then you’ll really enjoy Corbin’s show. Not convinced yet? Well if you don’t watch then a zombie high on bath salts will come looking for you. Check out his first video where he explains what exactly it is he does.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll pee a little, and it’s all for charity…what’s that? No? Okay well it’s just for fun but I promise it’s a good time.

All right, that is all for this week folks, thank for reading. Also, if you enjoy my wrestling column then you should check out my new column at filmonair.com. You can reach me to complain, praise, or whatever either via email at jjg672@hotmail.com or twitter via @JaredGebhardt.

Sincerely,
The Wrestling Genius: Jared Gebhardt

2nd Round Raw Bracket

1) Dolph Ziggler vs. 5) Lord Tensai

Interesting matchup of conflicting styles. Tensai had a breeze in round one while Dolph had a little trouble with Dean Ambrose. Both should still be fresh for the round 2 matchup. We know Dolph has faced guys like Tensai before and has had some success. Dolph is the more talented pure wrestler of the two, but it’s hard to look past Tensai’s size and power. That type of size just wears you down over time. Tensai is a very dangerous wrestler, but Dolph is the smarter of the two. Dolph is just too physically gifted to not find a way to take this series but the matchup is taking a lot out of him, and it leaves me worried about him the rest of the playoffs.

1) Dolph Ziggler over 5) Lord Tensai
4-3 tough decision could honestly go either way

3) R-Truth vs. 7) Brodus Clay

Once again size is a huge factor in this round two matchup. With Clay fresh off his upset of the 2 seed Kingston is flying high into this round. However, R-Truth had a breeze in round one and is the far more athletic of the two. This should be interesting from a “who can make a bigger ass of himself before and after the matches”. With that said Clay has continued to show just how ungodly physical he can be in the ring and his size is just too much for R-Truth. It looks like the hip hop dancing dinosaur is making a huge impact in the playoffs.

7)Brodus Clay over 3)R-Truth
4-2 R-Truth takes two, but probably just one if Clay shows up for every match

Round 2 SmackDown Bracket

1)Cody Rhodes vs. 4)Ezekiel Jackson

Neither of these guys had an easy first round with Rhodes going 6 matches and Jackson going 7. Rhodes has a knack for beating bigger opponents and I honestly don’t see how big Zeke finds a way to beat the faster more conniving Rhodes.  Big Zeke’s size will help him win one or two but ultimately Rhodes is just better. Talent wins out in the playoffs.

1) Rhodes over 4) Jackson
4-1 Rhodes too fast, too smart, and too talented

2) Wade Barrett vs. 3) Ryback

A matchup of two former Nexus members and our most evenly matched Round 2 matchup. Wade Barrett is the more gifted wrestler of the two and the smartest. However, Ryback unlike Big Zeke isn’t just big he’s fast. Not a lot of matchups will have Barrett this over powered and physically out gunned. Barrett has big match experience and has faced better talent than Ryback has. Can Ryback handle being punched in the mouth for the first time? Tough for young teams to win in the NBA playoffs and same goes here. Great physical matchup but Barrett has been here before, Ryback hasn’t.

2) Barrett over 3) Ryback
4-3 Very confident Barrett wins in 6 or 7

Raw championship Round

1)Dolph Ziggler vs. 7) Brodus Clay

Clay has run smoothly through the playoffs so far while Ziggler has had a few physical matchups. How much did facing Tensai 7 times take out of Ziggler? Ziggler is in the best shape of anyone in the WWE so I don’t worry about fatigue but I certainly worry about him going up against yet another huge opponent. Brodus Clay is ungodly big and physical. Clay has beaten Ziggler before but Ziggler has big match experience. Experience wins generally come playoff time. Ziggler knows what can happen and when properly motivated can do anything asked of him. Clay in the end is just too big of an exhausted Ziggler however. You can’t expect Ziggler to beat Clay and Tensai 8 times in one playoff.

7) Brodus Clay over 1) Dolph Ziggler
4-3 Very entertaining matchup and I wouldn’t be shocked if Ziggler won

SmackDown Championship Round

1)Cody Rhodes vs. 2) Wade Barrett

Unlike Raw SmackDown didn’t have a single big name go down. It went exactly as according to plan. With that said Rhodes has had the easier route to the SD championship round. How much did 7 immensely physical matches take out of Barrett? Barrett is stronger than Rhodes and Rhodes is faster. In pure wrestling talent it’s hard to give either a real edge. This is the type of match up wrestling fans love to see and neither would disappoint. Such a great evenly matched series has me flipping a coin in match 7.

2) Wade Barrett over Cody Rhodes
4-3 Another could go either way but Barrett wins out because of size and power

The Championship Round

Raw’s 7) Brodus Clay vs. SD’s 2) Wade Barrett

Back to back 7 match series has Barrett staggering into the championship round. However, Clay just went to war with Ziggler and is clearly not in as good a shape as Barrett. Barrett has had to face different styles in these playoffs and that experience will help him against Clay. Clay hasn’t seen the mix of power and smarts the caliber of Barrett. Barrett needs to dig deep to overcome a giant like Clay but I think he has the talent and the testicular fortitude to pull it off. It won’t be easy but in the end like in almost all cases with all things equal talent wins.

The Winner and Champion of our playoffs is Wade Barrett.

So there you have it a completely overdone and roundabout way of ranking non-world champions on Raw and SmackDown. Got to admit even I was stunned at how far Brodus Clay made it. Hang the Raw Championship banner next to your disco ball with pride Clay. As for Barrett, in a just world this championship would net you a real world title. I guess you’ll have to live with this fake one for a while.
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

However, before I get into that I’d like to talk about the announcement that Raw will be going to 3 hours permanently. What does it say about the WWE? I’m not sure it says a whole lot other than USA doesn’t like the ratings Law and Order SVU leading into Raw. Raw does very good numbers, and I don’t think another hour will add or lose a significant audience. The opportunity is there now though for them to showcase younger talent, which is something HHH has been harping on for a year now. We’ve seen it on SmackDown, and now hopefully we’ll see it on Raw. Hopefully this new hour won’t be the same old same old. My hope is that it will open the door for guys like Seth Rollins. I’ve been on his bandwagon and beating the drum for him for years. I think if anyone in FCW has the talent to be the next CM Punk, Daniel Bryan it’s him. WWE has an opportunity here not just to expand the storylines, but show more actual wrestling on Raw. There is a novel concept wrestling on a wrestling show, oh sorry right sports entertainment. I see this as a good thing not a bad thing, but then again I’m a glass half full kind of guy.
How it works: Any current Wrestler that has never held the WWE or World Heavyweight Title. (Can include FCW superstars) I’ll seed them between 1-8 for both Raw and SmackDown with 1 “at large” FCW pick in each brands bracket.

Raw Bracket:

8:Dean Ambrose (at large FCW)
7:Brodus Clay
6:Zack Ryder
5:Lord Tensai
4:Santino
3:R-Truth
2:Kofi Kingston
1:Dolph Ziggler (was handed title, but we can overlook that, was never “really” champion

SD Bracket:(a lot of projecting here)

8: Seth Rollins (at large FCW)
7:Drew McIntyre
6: Ted Dibiase
5: Antonio Cesaro
4: Ezekiel Jackson
3: Ryback
2: Wade Barrett
1: Cody Rhodes

Raw Bracket looks very good, and very deep. A few upsets seem possible. However, SmackDown is really thin and really young, who makes it very top heavy.

Round one best of 7

1) Dolph Ziggler vs. 8) Dean Ambrose

Good matchup between two very similar in ring styles that seem capable of putting on some compelling matches. Dolph is considered by many to be the best in ring product without a title in the WWE. Ambrose is best known as the guy that apparently blew a big angle with Mick Foley. With that said he’s young, he’s extremely talented and this is no cake walk for #1 Ziggler. No size discrepancy for either superstar and both are very good on the mic with the slight edge going to the 8 seeded Ambrose. What a great first round matchup but Ziggler has the experience factor and has been very close to the mountain top.

1) Ziggler Over 8) Dean Ambrose 4-2 but very entertaining.

2)Kofi Kingston vs. 7)Brodus Clay

Wow talk about two very different styles and sizes. Kofi is more experienced and is all around a better in ring product than Clay. With that said Clay is freakishly big and agile. No one in the WWE seems to possess the pure athletic prowess that Kofi does. He can leap higher, jump farther, and kick about as well as anyone in the WWE. Can his speed and veteran prowess overcome the size of Clay? It’s tough to see how on earth anyone can beat Clay when he’s on his game. If Kofi had a true mean streak he’d win, but both are nice guys with big smiles. Clay is just too big.

7)Brodus Clay Over 2) Kofi Kingston 4-3 this could go either way to be honest

3)R-Truth vs. Zack Ryder

Just proof that it’s all about seeding. Poor Kofi was one seed away from avoiding the juggernaut Clay. Instead it’s R-Truth who gets the former US Champion. Truth has been around a long time and has never been to the mountain top but possesses the talent to be there. Ryder is a wildly inconsistent young wrestler. Both have shall we say “unique” personalities. From athleticism stand point both possess a lot of raw athletic skill. R-Truth at this stage in both their careers is the smarter and better wrestler. Not a real close set of matches.

3) R-Truth over Zack Ryder
4-0 Ryder might be able to sneak one out but not more than one

4)Santino vs. 5)Lord Tensai

Poor Santino has to take on a physical, meaner than a junk yard dog, world beater in Tensai. Once again bad seeding has doomed a veteran wrestler. Santino just doesn’t have the talent or the attitude to take on a pissed off 300 pounder in Tensai. Not a real tough matchup for Tensai.

5) Lord Tensai over 4) Santino
4-1 about as boring a first round matchup we have

SmackDown Bracket
1) Cody Rhodes vs. 8) Seth Rollins

Boy both those young at large bids were tough matchups for the 1 seeds. Rollins is freakishly athletic and a wrestling talent on par with a young CM Punk. Cody Rhodes has the pedigree of a champion and can do almost anything asked of him in the ring. Great round one matchup of the future of the WWE. Rhodes has been there done that in the WWE and has the veteran where with all to withstand the young and hungry Rollins.

1)Cody Rhodes over 8)Seth Rollins
4-2 physical first round match, could go 5, could go 7

2)Wade Barrett vs. 7)Drew McIntyre

Drew is good but he’s not on the same level as the Barrett Barrage. Barrett is currently injured but in our playoffs he’s not going to pull a Chris Bosh. He’ll be there for all four wins and they should be easy wins at that. McIntyre just doesn’t have the talent to even take one from Barrett.

2)Wade Barrett over 7)Drew McIntyre 4-0 confident this would be a clean sweep

3)Ryback vs. 6)Ted Dibiase

Doing a lot of projecting here to put Ryback at 3. It’s hard to not like his size and all around ass kicking nature though so we seed him pretty high. He is still young and rough around the edges and isn’t even close to a finished product though. Dibiase is a polished in ring performer and like Rhodes has a good pedigree. With that said Ryback is a one man wrecking crew. While Ryack hasn’t faced anyone the caliber of Dibiase I got to think his power is too much for Dibiase.

3)Ryback over 6)Ted Dibiase
4-2 another lop sided SmackDown matchup, doubt it would go 6, but giving Ted the benefit of the doubt

4)Ezekiel Jackson vs. 5)Antonio Cesaro

Again projecting a lot here for Cesaro but he has a lot of talent. He has a unique wrestling style that makes for entertaining matches. Even with a crappy gimmick he seems to be getting over as a heel. Jackson is a powerhouse and little else. With that said he is a serviceable big man who can pull off some impressive things in the ring. This is the only SD round one matchup to go 7 and I have to take the veteran because if I know anything its veterans DO NOT LOSE GAME 7s in the NBA and the same goes for the WWE.

4)Jackson over Cesaro
4-3 it goes 7 but just doesn’t seem like it would be all that entertaining

I will finish up the rest of the playoffs next week all the way through the title round.

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 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.

Follow @OneCountKickout
Like The OneCountKickout on Facebook!

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.

Follow The One Count Kickout on Twitter @OneCountKickout
Like the One Count Kickout on Facebook