Daniel Bryan, and the new Corporation

Hi folks!

Wow, it's been a long time between drinks. But, I, David J James (The Aussie Mouthpiece), am back once again! Hopefully for good this time! I'm talking to some other wrestling websites, and I will potentially be writing for one, or more very soon, but for now I figured why not put this article up here, on my own blog? Sounds good right?

I should point out, I wrote this a week ago (with the exception of the *edit* paragraph), and already, even only one episode of Raw later, things have progressed again. But, enough of that, enjoy the article!

Since Summerslam, things have changed in the WWE. Randy Orton has finally turned heel after what seems like far too long, and in what most people I'm sure would call a bit of a swerve, Triple H and Stephanie also aligned themselves with Vince McMahon, turning heel as well. I'm sure most people, including myself, thought that Vince was going to be the heel and Triple H would be the guy trying to keep Vince from running rampant over the company once more. 

Now I understand that because this is quite a big change, the WWE really have to show Triple H and Stephanie as being absolutely in control and make us believe that things are different and that they run everything, but for the last 3 episodes of Raw, the final image has essentially been the same. Daniel Bryan, beaten, lying in the ring, with Randy Orton posing with the WWE title, and Triple H (and sometimes Stephanie) smiling with a group of wrestlers watching on from the stage. A little repetitive, don't you think?

Isn't the best part of any storyline the back and forth? Sometimes the bad guy gets the upper hand, but sometimes, isn't the good guy supposed to have a little bit of a win? Even if it's just that he escapes from the clutches of said bad guy? If it's all totally one sided, it becomes predictable and boring. When Austin was champion, McMahon still got the best of him from time to time. You have to keep it fresh, otherwise the audience will get bored, and eventually, if you keep beating down Daniel Bryan, it's going to seem like he really can't win. 

Spoilers follow if you haven't seen this week's Raw (2nd of September 2013)

As it stands right now, they haven't crossed that line intro repetitive-ness just yet. I don't mind that things have ended essentially the same way, because there have been slight differences. Like this week's episode, with the addition of The Big Show's presence, and his struggle with choosing whether to do the right thing for his family versus what he knows is right. It does bother me that they're kind of rehashing a storyline that JBL and HBK had in 2009, where Shawn was broke and having to do things he didn't want to do just to feed his family, and that I think only about a year ago they had Show crying when his job was on the line, but still, it's an interesting addition to the story.

As I was watching the final moments of this week's Raw however, a thought occured to me. Earlier in the show, Dolph Ziggler was basically destroyed by Ryback after Dean Ambrose had attacked him, and Cody Rhodes was fired after losing a match to Randy Orton. I'm sure that moments like this will probably happen more in the coming weeks, however of course in Cody's case, if he's getting married, it's a great way to write him off of TV for a little while. 

But what if a couple more guys get fired, or, if not fired, targeted by this new corporation that seems to be emerging? Maybe this happens over the course of a couple of months, as we near Survivor Series. Who knows, maybe the CM Punk/Heyman storyline gets entangled in the Corporate storyline? There was a little tease of that this week with Triple H speaking to Heyman. Regardless of that, so far, we have Daniel Bryan, The Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, and Cody Rhodes. 

That sounds like a pretty good faction to me. ESPECIALLY if you added in CM Punk at some point. 

An anti Corporation faction. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk as the leader(/s) and the guys going after the title and Triple H, The Big Show as the enforcer and the veteran, and, along with Dolph and Cody as well, maybe as a tag team, the guys who go after The Shield. 

Now maybe this is just because lately I've been watching WCW Monday Nitro from 1996, but imagine if they write Ziggler off of TV for a few weeks, and then he and Cody just start showing up, totally unannounced and they hit the ring, beat up someone (not necessarily The Shield) and then run out through the crowd. Or just turn up, somehow get a microphone (or a bullhorn, like CM Punk did the first week after he was suspended) and give a Scott Hall-esque promo, like the first night he showed up on Nitro. "You want a war? You got one!" Or even just have Cody show up. Why not just re do the beginnings of the NWO angle? People see highlights but, being that it happened now 17 years ago, a lot of people will have forgotten every single thing that happened. And I don't mean right up to when Hogan was shown to be the third guy, of course that wouldn't work in this situation... I just mean in the sense that you show these guys as total outsiders, they're not part of the WWE anymore. 

They could even bring Dusty Rhodes out one night.. eventually he could become a manager type figure for the group even.

But this could continue, maybe CM Punk could be the big reveal a-la Hogan NWO, except of course that this group is definitely not a heel stable. It just feels like what they are trying to do with the story at the moment is basically overwhelm us with how much power Triple H has, and really make it seem impossible that no one man can overcome it. It feels like there needs to be a group.

Here's a far out idea.... Steve Austin. Austin is most identified with the Attitude era, and his main rivalry in that time was with Vince McMahon, standing up to a tyrannical boss, fighting seemingly insurmountable odds at times, yet always finding a way. What if Austin came back as a spokesperson for this new group? It could even lead into the much talked about "one more match" people have been begging to see from him. 

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think the whole group should comprise of guys who have been fired.. it wouldn't work well. You have to keep some believability, and I don't think anyone in this day and age of wrestling would believe 4 guys could sneak into a wrestling event to the point that they could get in the ring without security catching them. But I can definitely believe a couple of guys who have been fired, being let in and snuck into the back, by someone else who still has a job... couldn't you?

So this would go on, just with Cody initially, but then after a few weeks, you bring in Dolph. Dolph and Cody grab a cameraman backstage and promo, saying that they're bringing the fight back to Triple H, they're not going to stand for it, they won't go down without a fight etc, and that their friends are with them and that soon, everyone will know who's on what side. Maybe the next week on Raw, Triple H tightens security so much that there's no way for them to get in, or so it seems, and the final moments of the show are a camera rushing around in the back, only to be led to one or more members of the shield knocked out, leaving questions as to who could've done it, if Cody and Dolph aren't in the building. 

Remember at this point, there would have been no mention of Daniel Bryan being associated with them, or the Big Show. Big Show I think will become the sort of unwilling muscle for Triple H, doing his bidding so that his family doesn't suffer, and Daniel Bryan will be trying to get the WWE Title. And, IF CM Punk is to be involved, there would be no mention of his association either. Cody and Dolph would appear to be acting on their own. I would even go so far as to say they could have Dolph use his real name. I mean, if he's fired from the WWE, why would he still continue to use his WWE name? If it's going to be believeable, especially today with everything that's happened, it has to be, and feel real. Dolph coming out and saying "WWE called me Dolph, but you can just call me Nick" Or something much better than that, would feel real. Saying that he's glad to be rid of the shackles of being stuck with a name like Dolph Ziggler, and that now he can be himself. I'd even have him cut his hair, or dye it or something, really put over the whole idea that Dolph Ziggler was an image that he never wanted, and he did it because the higher-ups made him do it. 

Maybe they could involve the Prime Time Players in some way as well. They're in the spotlight somewhat at the moment and seem to be getting a push, so maybe they could be a part of the faction, especially if CM Punk wasn't a part of it. You'd need more guys to help get it over if you didn't have the presence of an established main eventer. Not that Daniel Bryan isn't one, he's just new onto the WWE Championship scene. To me though, CM Punk makes sense. Look at 2011, he was trying to make change, he was battling against the bosses, and even against Triple H. 

But I digress. So as we get closer to Survivor Series, the other members of this faction reveal themselves, and reveal that it was them that let Cody and Dolph (or Nick) into the buildings. Firstly Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, because it seems like the most obvious fit, and the ones that the fans would pick. To me at this point, Big Show would have all but turned heel, like, we know he doesn't want to be doing what he's doing, but he's getting more comfortable with it, knowing that he's protecting his future. Or at least it seems that way, because the week before Survivor Series (or two weeks before so there could be a slightly bigger build), in a match between Daniel Bryan and the Big Show, with Randy Orton (still WWE Champion) as the special guest referee, the match ends when Big Show knocks out Randy Orton. He then gets on the mic, and reveals himself to be the 5th member of whatever this faction is called, and challenges Triple H to a match at survivor Series. The other 4 members could then go into a 4 vs 4 traditional Survivor Series Match.. The Shield and Randy Orton vs CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Ziggler and Rhodes.

And the rebel faction wins.

So now we have a sort of reverse NWO angle happening, where the invading faction starts as babyfaces, not anti-heroes.

Triple H has to up the ante after the loss at Survivor Series, so what does he do? He turns to an old friend... No, not Kevin Nash. We're not talking about the Kliq here, we're talking Evolution. We're talking about The Animal.. Batista. So with Randy Orton, Batista, and The Shield as the main cast in the new corporation, and Punk, Bryan, Big Show, Ziggler and Cody Rhodes, and Austin as the Manager type figure who can sit there and argue with Vince and occasionally hit a stunner, you've got clear conflicts and what I think would be a great, refreshing storyline.

Now I said Austin's involvement could lead to a match at Wrestlemania. Most people think this match should (and will) be Austin vs CM Punk, and to me it seems pretty logical. They don't even have to turn either of them heel. Just have them disagree with each other a few times and have it cost Punk a couple of matches, maybe one for the title, and then have Punk challenge Austin. If anyone can push Austin's buttons to make him accept, it's CM Punk on the mic. 

Now the other storyline that's been thrown around is that at Wrestlemania next year, we're going to have some kind of match involving Vince McMahon vs Triple H, with Triple H being the heel.

My theory on that, is that Vince is going to be inducted into the hall of fame next year, and that wouldn't really work if he was a bad guy. The match, so the story goes, is going to have "the control of the WWE" at stake, so maybe it's going to be Vince's "retirement" match. But what I've seen is that Vince wouldn't actually wrestle. So my idea would be that it would end up being Big Show, wrestling for Vince, who at some point during this whole thing, sided with the rebels, maybe after realising Triple H is drunk with power or something like that. So he selects The Big Show, and Triple H would either wrestle himself, or have Batista, or maybe Dean Ambrose wrestle in his place. Either way, he wins with the help of The Shield and Batista, and Vince has to leave. 

Then you've got Cody and Dolph, maybe they wrestle for the Tag team Titles, and that leaves Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton for the title. And if it was me, I would have it so that Bryan has come close at other Pay per views, but has been screwed each time. The thing with having CM Punk in the faction is that they can have Punk go after the title so it doesn't get so stale that today's wrestling fans get bored. I would think then, Daniel Bryan could win the Rumble, and then finally at Wrestlemania, just as it was with Shawn Michaels, he finally wins the belt at Wrestlemania 30. 

Now the only thing I haven't added in to this idea is that Cena will be back at some point, and they would probably want him to be involved. Well here's an idea that will never happen, Cena returns, and he sides with Triple H. Maybe instead of Batista or Dean Ambrose, It's John Cena that wrestles with Triple H in his corner. More likely in this scenario, Cena would return and wrestle in Vince's place against Batista, and then you could have Big Show vs Dean Ambrose for the US title. That would also work, and seems like it would fit more with WWE's style, never wanting to touch Cena's character. 

So that's my big idea, that's what I've been thinking about all afternoon since seeing Raw. I'm sure there are tons of holes in my theory that I havne't even thought of, but as I said, I thought this all up in one afternoon.

*edit*

After seeing this week's Raw, and seeing Dolph lose to Bray Wyatt and Goldust's return, I'm thinking Dolph may be moved away from the main storyline. I can't actually remember the last time I saw him win a match which is interesting, but regardless, I did start thinking that maybe what would be good, would be if instead of Dolph, you have Dustin Rhodes (not Goldust), join Cody in the sneak attacks I mentioned earlier, and they, as a duo are the rebels that start this whole crazy story that I came up with.

Of course though, as we know, the WWE powers that be most likely have it all figured out already and it'll be nothing like what I am thinking. This is just me putting my fantasy booking hat on.

Let me know what you think.. would a faction like this work in today's WWE? Could the WWE sustain this storyline for the next 6 months without the fans getting bored? Would the fans believe it? Because after all, that is the most important thing. Let me know by tweeting me at @david_j_james (formerly known as The Aussie Mouthpiece)

And remember.. David J James is where the power lies. 

RIP Paul Bearer (originally posted March 2013 on my other blog)

Hello folks, it's me, it's me, it's ... Dave. Also known as the Aussie Mouthpiece, and I'm back with a special post.

As we all now know, William unfortunately passed away today, at only 58. This news seemed so shocking to me, and completely out of the blue. I found out probably the same as most people, through a status update on facebook. It really is the age of social media.

So I thought today that I would write about what Paul Bearer meant to me, and some of my favourite memories involving him, both on, and off TV.


When I first started watching WWE wrestling, it was 2003. Undertaker was coming to the ring on a bike, and had short hair. Regardless, something drew me to his character, and I started renting old VHS tapes from my local video store. I remember clearly, the first one that I rented was Wrestlemania XII. Undertaker vs Diesel. (Incidentally I was drawn to Wrestlemania XII because of Kevin Nash being a part of it, and me being a big WCW fan when I was a kid).

This was the first time I'd seen the "Deadman" Undertaker, and of course, his manager Paul Bearer. And what a match it was. And, what a pair they made. Over the next few years, as I completely fell in love with pro wrestling, I started watching as much as I could, and more specifically, learned all I could about the history of The Undertaker. I read all about Paul Bearer and Undertaker, from Ted DiBiase introducing Paul as Undertaker's manager after Brother Love wasn't working out, through to the Undertaker vs Undertaker, and of course, Paul Bearer betraying Undertaker and aligning himself with Mankind, and Vader among others.

And of course, how could I forget, Kane.

So fast forward a few months, and it's March 2004. It's Wrestlemania XX. The Undertaker is returning, and more importantly, The "Deadman" is returning.

Now, this was before I had Cable TV. I had to read about the results of Wrestlemania 20, but I do definitely remember downloading two very small, very bad quality clips of Undertaker's match. One being his entrance, and the other being the finish of the match. (I also remember them taking forever to download.. ahh, the days of dial up internet). But the first video began with Paul Bearer holding his urn up, and that familiar tolling of the bell. I must have watched them at least 50 times.

In the ensuing years, I picked up a lot of dvds, including the Wrestlemania and Royal Rumble Anthologies, so I got to see a lot of Undertaker matches, along with the Undertaker dvds that were released by the WWE.

I think the thing that drew me to The Undertaker and Paul Bearer was that they were completely unique characters. Everything about them was totally different to everything else going on in the WWF, even after the introduction of Kane. They were much darker, a great contrast to the over the top, cartoon like characters, and the Hulk Hogans and Ultimate Warriors of the early 90's. Paul Bearer's eerie voice, cutting through all the yelling and over the top shouting most characters would do, became iconic to me. And it complemented Undertaker's seemingly "death rattle" like voice, when he chose to utter a sentence or two.

I think something that we need to remember though, is that William Moody has been involved in wrestling for a lot longer than the Paul Bearer character has been in existence for. Before coming to the WWF in 1991, William was known as Percy Pringle III, and worked in the NWA territories, managing Rick Rude, Steve Austin, and even a certain wrestler who later on became The Undertaker. Also prior to arriving in the WWF, he did in fact complete a degree in mortuary science, and was certified as a funeral director and embalmer, something which would be instrumental in devising the Paul Bearer character. So, while a lot of us younger fans may know this man simply as Paul Bearer, we have to remember that William Moody put 44 years of his life into wrestling, and he should be remembered as such.


Now let's fast forward to June 2011, which is when I started writing my first wrestling blogs. I also started using twitter around the same time. After getting used to how things work on twitter and gaining a few followers, I decided to try my luck and tweet Paul Bearer. And to my delight, I got a reply back. This was, at least in recent years, my favourite thing about him. Just about every single time I would send him a tweet, be it something as simple as "have a nice day" or a specific question about some match I was watching at the time, or a general question, he always took the time to reply to me. Now I know that it really only takes a couple of seconds to reply to a tweet, but it's something I will never forget, and am greatly appreciative of.

It reminds me of a quote from Rob Zombie (which I will completely paraphrase). He was telling a story about people asking for autographs, and he said basically that he, as the celebrity won't remember the kid asking for him to sign something a week later, but that kid will remember the time he met Rob Zombie forever. So if he was a jerk, the kid would never forget that. And in the end it takes no time really to be a nice guy, and sign something.

And it's the same with tweeting. Every time I've ever gotten a tweet back from someone I look up to, or even just a favourite or a re-tweet, it makes me feel amazing, as I'm sure it does you too. I feel lucky that some of my favourite wrestlers have given a little piece of their time to respond to something I had to say. Wrestlers like Raven, and Road Dogg, even Dolph Ziggler. But my favourite replies always came from Paul Bearer. Like the one time I told him watching his shoot interview DVD's had really made me want to be a wrestling manager, and he replied with a witty "all that glitters, is not always gold". Or the time I said that the Undertaker/Kane program in 1998 would not have had the same impact if Paul wasn't a part of it, and he replied with a very humble "I disagree, but thank you", the man always took the time.

And Paul, I have to disagree with your "disagree", you sir, did make that program what it was. After now having watched the episodes of raw in their entirety, and seeing all the promos Paul cut after the burn incident, I can say that without a shadow of a doubt, it was Paul Bearer that made that story amazing, and epic, and wonderful to watch.

Now, one last thing. I've already seen some talk today on the interwebs about whether WWE will, should, or can incorporate this tragic news into the current story with Undertaker and CM Punk.

My thoughts are this: Firstly, Undertaker would have to sign off, and I'm sure he wouldn't go near it without Paul Bearer's family's permission. Secondly, if anyone can do it, it's CM Punk. Look at how well he did with the touchy subject of Jerry Lawler's heart attack. It could push the storyline into something a little more epic, but I do think it would completely 100% guarantee an Undertaker win (not that it's not already guaranteed, but still).

However... I don't know that it's the right way to go, but having said that, I'd like to think Paul Bearer would be ok with it if they do go down that road.

My theory on what should happen, and I really hope this is the way they go, or at least something like this. They should let The Undertaker come out to the ring next week on Raw, and talk. He doesn't necessarily need to break character, but at this point it really doesn't matter if he does. I feel like he should be given the opportunity, and Paul Bearer should be given the respect he deserves, and a proper send off.

Maybe they do that and then Punk interrupts (think of the heat!). Maybe they just let Undertaker speak, maybe even a tribute video. I think Paul Bearer should be acknowledged, and time should be allocated to give him a small, public goodbye.

Whatever happens, this Wrestlemania will be just a little less bright, knowing that Paul Bearer isn't around to see it.

So thank you Paul, thank you for all the memories, for all the amazing promos, for taking the time to reply to a no-name wrestling blogger, and for giving us so many years of your life, just to entertain us. Thank you for everything. You will be missed.

RIP.