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. 

Oh Yes.. There Will Be Blood

Hello there readers, I'm back again. It's Pay Per View review time. And what an unexpected treat Extreme Rules was. I'll be honest, I ordered this just before I went to bed last night (in Australia we get the PPV's on a monday morning..time differences and what not). But I just had a feeling that the two main events would be worth paying for. And I was not disappointed.

Extreme Rules felt like a WWE pay per view from 2003/2004. I can't quite explain why, maybe the blood, maybe the way the card was set up, but something about it gave it that "ruthless aggression" feel. Brock Lesnar being a big part of the event probably just added to that. To me 2003 was one of the better years in WWE history that I've seen a lot of, so that vibe surrounding the event gave it a really good, solid feeling.

As usual I'm going to break down each of the individual matches, and give my thoughts and opinions.

So let's get down to business.

The show opened with Randy Orton vs Kane, in a Falls Count Anywhere match. This was the first thing that surprised me. I was thinking that Cody and Big Show would start the event off, but once again, I was pleasantly surprised with this.

Randy and Kane put on a solid match at Wrestlemania. Solid, but not great. I wasn't exactly brimming with anticipation for this match, but I think they did a lot better than 'mania. The addition of the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation made it much more of a brawl, which was refreshing. Too often wrestlers get stuck in their patterns and routines, so doing something different, especially the match is taken out of the ring for an extended period of time can be a really good thing. One thing i found quite amusing was the random steel poles just lined up in the same room that the "WWE superstars and personnel are watching Extreme Rules in". Why would there be steel poles standing up in the corner of a room?

Zack Ryder interfering I think was done just so that people would see him on PPV. His push has kind of stalled lately, but hopefully that's just a temporary thing, and we see him in a mid card feud soon.

On a personal note, I've always really enjoyed when wrestlers go backstage and fight. Kane vs Shane McMahon in an Ambulance match from Survivor Series 2003 is a great example of doing that right. As is Big Bossman vs Al Snow in a Hardcore title match from either 1999 or 2000. That match actually ended up in a bar across the street from the arena, with Zakk Wylde making a bit of a cameo.

I think I had picked Kane to win this match, my reason being that he was the monster, and it made more sense. Honestly, I didn't really think that through a lot. Orton winning makes much more sense. Kane won at Wrestlemania, Orton has that crazy side of him, willing to put his body through a lot, and also the smaller guy winning is always fun to see in these types of matches. Unless it's completely unbelievable. Which this wasn't.

My only problem with the finish is the RKO on the chair. Every time I've seen the RKO, Randy's opponent's head is cradled in his arm, and it never looks like he really hits his head on the mat. Using the chair made it even more obvious.

But overall, a really good match, and a great way to start off the pay per view. 7/10.


Brodus Clay vs Dolph Ziggler
The first of two unannounced matches. I really like this match. Brodus has made sure his Funkasaurus character hasn't just become a joke, and Ziggler is the most under-used guy in the WWE, and can work with anyone. My problem is that it feels like Ziggler is kind of stuck in this lower spot, mainly because he's still associated with Swagger and Vickie. I'm not saying they are bad talents or no good, I just mean that Ziggler could be so much greater on his own. Also the crowd was chanting for him like crazy.

There's not really a lot more that I can say about this match. It was entertaining, and the perfect length. My only objection is that Ziggler should win. I feel like Brodus has won a lot, or almost all the time since his debut.

I also don't buy Hornswoggle as a minisaurus. I still remember when he had blonde hair and dirt on his face.

Excellent finish though, and as usual, Dolph's selling was one of the highlights of the night.

7/10


Big Show vs Cody Rhodes (Tables Match)

Now we're getting to one of my favourite parts of the whole event. This match, like the Orton vs Kane match, was another that I wasn't really that excited about. Once I found out the stipulation though, that all changed. Just like Big Show said.. "good luck putting me through a table". I'm really into the psychology of matches, and anything that adds something different to a match makes for a different way to tell essentially the same story. And that is always a good thing.

And Cody is another one of those guys, like Ziggler, that has so much potential, and he's finally starting to get that "it" factor. He was annoying as all hell in legacy, but unlike Ted DiBiase, he didn't become a Randy Orton clone. I think that helped keep him relevant and helped keep him in his spot.

As usual, Big Show gave us a really good showing, and Cody was phenomenal. I liked the use of the table for Cody to hit his "beautiful disaster" kick as well.

And then, the finish. Having watched the WWE for nearly 10 years, there comes a lot of points where you say to yourself "I've seen it all now". But, time and time again, the WWE continues to surprise us. Who would have ever thought a table match would end by someone stepping through a table? This is one of those polarizing events though, people will either love or hate this finish. I thought it was absolute genius. Big Show played it perfectly as well. That look of "I can't believe I did that" mixed with "I'm gonna kill all of you " .. Really well done.

To me it almost seemed like this could be one of those rare double turn things. Show attacking Rhodes after the match, and especially throwing him through that second table is a very Heel-ish move. And Cody, getting to his feet under his own power, and holding the title up, yet not in an arrogant way, was a very subtle babyface kind of a move. And he got a massive cheer for it as well. In that moment, he reminded me of Shawn Michaels for some reason.

All in all I thought it was a really good match once again, but most importantly, it was unique. For that, it gets an 8/10 from me.

Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus (2 out of 3 Falls)

Yes! If there was one thing we could be certain of with this match, it was that it would last more than 18 seconds. And what we got was probably one of the best wrestling matches from the last 6 months. I've always liked the idea of the 2 out of 3 fall matches, like I said earlier, anything that deviates from the norm, can be a nice change of pace. The dueling chants of "Daniel Bryan" and "18 seconds" were pretty cool honestly. And the Yes chants are a great sign that Bryan is over.

 I really liked the way this match went with Daniel Bryan intentionally getting disqualified in the first fall. it's not often that you see wrestlers lose on purpose. But once again, it's that different kind of psychology that make these matches entertaining. The idea that someone would lose the first fall, knowing they'd done enough damage to hopefully get two quick falls on their opponent, very different.

Sheamus retaining wasn't what I'd hoped to see, but I'm not disappointed with it.

8/10


Ryback vs Jobbers
The second of the unannounced matches. Really once again, not a lot to say about this. Loved the Goldberg chants throughout the match, as there is quite a bit of similarity between Ryback and Goldberg. I mean they're both bald.. they're both muscular.. they both run/ran through their opponents.

Basically everything a squash match should be. Short, and brutal. The negative was that the jobbers got mic time. What was the point of that?

4/10

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (Chicago Street Fight)
First off, I really liked the idea of coming out in different attire. You can't really call Jericho's "street clothes" because of the light-up jacket. CM Punk was rocking a Misfits/straight edge t-shirt which was awesome in of itself. But sometimes it's the smaller details that really make a match go from good, to great. The different look from the clothing made it feel much more serious, and really helped elevate the feel of the match.

Punk didn't get quite as huge a reaction as the last PPV match he was part of in Chicago, but it was still a huge pop. The Kendo stick got quite a big pop as well. Actually, now that I think about it, that kendo stick was another thing that reminded me of 2003. It's nothing huge, but I remember the Royal Rumble from 2003, Tommy Dreamer bought kendo sticks to the ring and Jericho got nailed in the face by one, and ended up with a huge knot on his head.

Of course the obvious highlight was CM Punk delivering a huge elbow to Jericho from the top rope, through the spanish announce table. Amazingly he was even forgiven for nearly falling off of the top rope!
 But another highlight, and again mainly for it's originality was the use of the, as Michael Cole called it "announce table hood". We never see them used as a weapon, they're always discarded and thrown away. My favourite use though, was Jericho smashing the broken off half over CM Punk's back, because of how it just broke into 5 or 6 pieces, and looked liked it just shattered on Punk's back.

I think this was the match of the night, really great action, back and forth, and at times it looked like a certainty that Jericho was about to win the title. 9/10


Nikki Bella vs Layla

I think the worst thing that happened to this match was the rumor that it would be Kharma finally making her return and taking out the Bellas. When Layla (or Michelle McCool)'s music started playing, it was a fairly big let down.
The match wasn't bad, however I did think it was a little strange to have Brie be the one beaten for the title. But I guess it at least leaves the door open for some kind of conflict between the twins on Raw this week.

5/10 and also glad to see Layla back. It's always good when someone returns from a bad injury.


John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules match)

Where do I even begin? Lesnar just looks massive. It was cool to see him in his MMA-style gear, it really shows that he is a different guy than he was in 2003/04, and that he has evolved into something different.

There was a lot of talk in the promos about the need to bring back legitimacy to wrestling, and that Brock would be the guy to do it. And, a lot of people have complained for a long time about the lack of blood in matches. I think the problem is we became so used to seeing guys get "busted open" that it lost it's significance and became part of the norm. Having a few years without blood being a prevalent thing in matches has really been a good thing, when you think about it. It's reconditioned us as fans. Now, if we ever do see it accidentally, it adds something.

And in the main event, we found out that when it happens on purpose, it REALLY adds something. I really hope that Lesnar didn't just lose his mind and revert to MMA mode and stiff the crap out of Cena's head. I'm almost sure that it was all planned though. Which says a lot about Cena, because that could have been really dangerous.

Brock being the first guy to really bust someone open in the last 3 or 4 years basically solidified him as the biggest badass in the WWE. The whole match was brutal. Cena not getting any chances to make a comeback was really a key to making this match as intense as it was. Brutal knees, elbows, suplexes and submissions helped as well.

The referee knock downs were a nice touch as well.

Lesnar is a maniac too. That fall over the top rope should have knocked him out, or at least blown out his knee. It looked so brutal, and was a really bad fall because of the rotation he got from basically spinning over the top rope.

I've been trying to work out, since the show ended, what I think about the finish to the match. On one hand, I think it's cool that the WWE have so much faith in Cena that he continues to win these "impossible situation" matches, but on the other hand, what does it say about Lesnar's condition that he can be beaten with what was essentially two moves?

However, Lesnar did completely dominate Cena for bout 20 minutes, so he really didn't lose any momentum or anything by being beaten. I think I would have liked to see it go the other way, just because it would have really just completely solidified Lesnar's spot as an unbeatable machine.

So with the blood, the brutality, and the really different feel for this match, I think it really capped off the night unbelievably well, and was the epitome of the theme of the night, which was "old school" for me.

8.5/10

Just quickly as well, John Cena's cryptic promo after the end of the match were.. well ... cryptic. The boss was going to get rid of him? What did he say or do that was so bad? Say the word Wrestling? Surely that's not it. Maybe he just knew he was injured and was trying to stay in storyline saying that Laurinitis was going to fire him. Maybe the blood wasn't supposed to happen and he thought Vince would be going crazy backstage. Maybe he was half unconscious and didn't know what he was saying? I think we'll probably find out tomorrow on Raw.


Ok that's about it for now, until tomorrow or wednesday, when my weekly recap will be up. Follow me on @TheOZMouthpiece if you're not already, and leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

I'm the Aussie Mouthpiece, and my business is concluded.. for now...

The calm before the storm: Extreme Rules

Hey guys, it's me, The Aussie Mouthpiece, and i'm back with my Extreme Rules predictions and preview.

So let's get right to it shall we?

Big Show vs Cody Rhodes

I'm not really sure what to say about this one. I would imagine that the WWE isn't done pushing Cody Rhodes, but I'm not really too interested in this feud to be perfectly honest. So I really don't have a lot to say about it. But, considering that Big Show won at Wrestlemania, and he's probably in that position these days of pushing younger talent, I'm going to say that Cody Rhodes is going to win this match.

Randy Orton vs Kane (Falls Count Anywhere)

Once again I'm not really sure what to say. Up until this latest episode of Raw I once again wasn't that interested in this feud. I think the writers really don't know what to do with it, even bringing in Bob Orton Jr, and Paul Bearer hasn't managed to make this rivalry much more interesting. Kane is always great when it comes to promos, but Orton is ... well... Orton. His character to me at least, has become stale and boring, and somewhat routine. I'm not really sure where this is going, but hopefully this is the end of this rivalry.

I'm going with Kane to win this one.


Nikki Bella vs Beth Phoenix (Diva's Championship)

I get the feeling there won't be much of a match, because the story here is going to be that Beth is injured. Whether it's a work or for real doesn't really matter, I think the general consensus (which i agree with) is that  Kharma is going to make her return and run through the Bellas, as their contract is up. I would be ok with this. It's beyond about time that some legitimate female competition happened in the WWE. For some reason they don't want the Beth vs Natalya match, but at least we'll get the Beth vs Kharma match. Which will be great.

Nikki Bella wins but gets destroyed by Kharma afterwards.


Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan (2 out of 3 falls)

At least we know this will be longer than 18 seconds. Unless it's three 6 second pinfalls. But surely the WWE won't do that. Right?

I have a feeling this will be a decent match. Daniel Bryan is developing somewhat of a cult following, and the Yes chants are, in a strange way, refreshing. I haven't seen a lot of smackdown recently honestly, but I have a feeling that Sheamus is going to keep the belt for a fair while longer.


CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (Chicago Street Fight)

Now we're getting into the interesting matches. Punk in his hometown defending the WWE championship. Jericho doing some really good heel work. It all adds up to what should be a really great match. Punk and Jericho have a really good chemistry in the ring, but with this being a street fight, it gives them a chance to show a different type of match to us.
My only problem will be that this match should be the main event. CM Punk is the WWE champion, and it's also his hometown. But I get the feeling that Lesnar and Cena will be in the top spot.

I'm not sure about who will win this match. Everything points to CM Punk retaining, with Jericho needing to get his come-uppance, and also because he's only there for a couple more months, but I have a seed of doubt, something saying that they might give Jericho the belt.

However, it's CM Punk's hometown, and they obviously have a lot of time and money invested in Punk. So my pick is that CM Punk wins, and retains the WWE Championship.


John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules)

Ok. This match is interesting purely because it is Brock Lesnar's first match (in the WWE) for over 8 years. It's worth watching just to see if he's still got it, how he's changed his style with the MMA stuff, and if he's worth all the effort the WWE have put into him.

The way I see it, this match can go two or three ways. One is that Brock completely dominates Cena, and basically takes him out. Cena is out for a few months, and comes back just before Summerslam with a massive re-invention of his character.
Two: Cena comes out as a re-invented character, maybe new music, a new look, something. The chain was there in his second appearance on Raw, as opposed to the dog tags, but it's not enough. In this situation, I'm really not sure who would win.
Three: Brock wins, but without taking Cena out.

Either way, I can't see Lesnar not winning, and the final shot of the PPV being Lesnar on the turnbuckles, hands raised. Maybe there will be blood. Doubtful. But maybe.
Cena needs a revamp. I know they've just come out with the new colour of the cena shirt, but really, it's time. Edge said it. The Rock said it for a year. CM Punk has said it. Brock even said something about it.

It's time.

What I hope doesn't happen is John Cena winning. Not because I don't like him, or think he sucks, but it would kill Lesnar's momentum. He comes back as a massive animal, destroying everything in his path, and yet he gets beaten in his first actual match back? Why would I want to pay to see him in any other matches after that?

So, my pick is Brock Lesnar winning. and (hopefully) some kind of change for John Cena.


That's about it really. Oh wait, the pre-show match.
Santino vs The Miz (US Title).

The Miz is on the pre-show?? Wow. Last year he was in the main event. Ok then... Anyway, maybe this is the start of a push for him. He made a great US champion, so I guess lighning could strike twice, but I think Santino will retain for now.

That's it then. Hopefully it should be a decent show. I'll be tweeting along with all of you tomorrow live during the pay per view, so if you're not already, follow me @TheOZMouthpiece

That's about it really, my business is concluded.

Home Schooling No.9

It's that time again, another week has come and gone, another episode of RAW, and that means it's time for another installment of Home Schooling. This week is going to be a little different. The first half of this post will be about Raw, and the second will be my regular "pre pay-per-view" blog, The Calm Before the Storm, which will be my rundown and predictions for the Wrestlemania card. I'll try to keep everything nice and concise so this doesn't turn into a short novel.

So let's get down to business.

I thought this week's RAW was a decent episode, but I was a bit disappointed with it, seeing as though it was the "go home" show for Wrestlemania. To me, this show is meant to be the one that "talks people into the building". I know that with Wrestlemania it's obviously different, because you have people who will be buying it no matter what, and also that most people will have already made up their minds about buying it or not, but still, it lacked that extra something for me.

Maybe it was that Chris Jericho wasn't "live" in the arena. Maybe because we just got a video package for one of the top 3 matches for Wrestlemania. Maybe it was because the last 25 minutes of the show were set aside for Rock and Cena. Probably not that last one. I really enjoyed that whole segment. Especially once Cena came out. But I'll get to that later.


The other thing that bothered me, is that we seem to have lost a lot of that "Pay per view" feel. Take the opening match. Sheamus and Orton vs Daniel Bryan and Kane. I would have thought the way to have this match work, would be to tease Orton and Kane (and Bryan and Sheamus) being in the ring together, not have the two sets of opponents spend a good majority of the match wrestling each other. To me it's now kind of like (especially with Orton and Kane) I've seen a lot of the match I'm going to see at Wrestlemania already, and I didn't have to pay for it. So why do I care about this match now?

One quick thing about Team Johnny/Team Teddy.. Laurinitis can't even deliver a one line promo correctly. That says just about everything that needs to be said about this match.

Part of me thinks that there's a little too much emphasis on the Rock and Cena. Yes, it's a huge match. Yes, it's "once in a lifetime". But the WWE Title should be just as important I think. So why wasn't Chris Jericho wrestling a singles match this week? All we've seen is Jericho talk for the last few weeks. Why is that? Do we not need to see that Jericho is a great wrestler? Something doesn't quite feel right in that sense, and I can't really figure out why they wouldn't have him wrestling, or at least interfering in a match or something.

Unless Jericho is slightly injured. Hopefully that's not the case.

Jericho's promos have been entertaining, and edgy. They have made the feud personal. Now I don't really see that the whole "bastard" thing is a big deal, or why that's a bigger deal than saying things about CM Punk's family. But that's neither here nor there.

Punk taking his anger out on Christian was the right move. It shows us that Punk IS angry about this, and also that Jericho has gotten to him, which in turn adds a little bit of doubt into whether Punk will retain the title. And also, apparently Christian isn't 100%, so it was a good way to write him out of the Tag match.

Incidentally, I really like the way Punk delivers those kicks to the head.

Did anyone else notice that this week's Jericho promo looked exactly the same as last weeks? As in, it was recorded the same time as last weeks? Lazy bit of TV right there.

Now, about this "End of an Era" video package. I understand that Triple H and Undertaker have basically said everything they could possibly say, but I think we, the viewers, and more importantly the people who paid to be at the show deserved to see these guys. Originally I was thinking the way it should have been done, would have been to show the video package last week, and then have the in ring segment from last week, on this week's show. But I've come up with a second theory.

What if this week, Triple H came down to the ring, and called out Shawn? They have some kind of heated words about Shawn's ego, about what Undertaker said, and maybe it gets a little phyiscal, maybe they push each other, get in each other's face? And then, the lights go out. When they come back on, Undertaker is at the top of the stage, looking at the ring, and all he does is smile. I don't know, it just felt like only having a video package detracted from how big this match is.

Cody Rhodes delivered probably the second best moment of the episode for me this week. His promo was great. And the best part, it actually got me interested in the Intercontinental title match. Well done to Cody. Hopefully this continues after Wrestlemania, and we see him getting a shot at the World title/WWE Title soon.

Ok onto The Rock, and John Cena. Rock spends way too much time standing there with a cheesy grin on his face. So let's just get that out of the way right now. Rock talks about all the young starlets throwing themselves at him. That's only a little bit creepy Rocky. But let's move on.
Yes. Rock delivered a great promo. It was the same stuff though. My biggest problem with all this though, is yes, The Rock will be on RAW next week. But after that, he's gone again right? So really, regardless of the result, John Cena will be proven right (at least temporarily if Rock is going to be part of WM 29).

So let's talk about Cena for a minute here. His promo was the best part of the night. He talked about how the fans boo him. He talked about it not bothering him. That was expected. But after a few minutes it got real good, real quick. It got into that weird area of "is this a shoot?" for a little bit there as well. But once again, as has happened in the last few weeks, John Cena basically owned The Rock on the microphone.

He talked about how he's been the only guy who's gotten booed and never turned heel. And then antagonised the booing crowd, saying that he always wins. That part to me was the most interesting, because if you think about it from a non-kayfabe perspective, he's saying "The office knows that I'm the man, and that's why I always win". Very interesting. Of course, kayfabe wise, it was just saying "you can hate me all you want, but i'll still find a way". I think that may have been my favourite part of Cena's promo.

He talked about how The Rock was there when it was "cool" to be a WWE Superstar, but Cena has been the face of the company when it's been going through harder times. This is why Cena has been better than The Rock in these promos. Rock has insulted everything Cena wears, cares about, says, his family, and basically been a schoolyard bully.
Cena, has been saying things that are fact, yet things that show the Rock in a poor light, like the notes on the wrist, like Rock being there when it was "cool". Not insulting what makes the Rock, The Rock.

Ok scratch what I said about my favourite part. Cena calling the Rock a visitor, and then Rock's response. That is my favourite part of the night, and this entire feud. Because Rock delivered his response with passion. Not trying to get things trending, not trying to say new cool catchphrases, just speaking from the heart. Also, Cena's response to Rock's response was just as good. All in all a brilliant final segment, and thinking about it, definitely worth giving them the 20 minutes at the end of RAW.

One last thing about Rock/Cena, I think they should have made a slightly bigger deal about Rock wanting to be the greatest of all time by being the first guy to beat Hogan, Austin and Cena, instead of the ladyparts/transvestite wonder woman/barney's turd crap that we had to put up with. I would have been much more interested, and, now that I think about it, probably have been wanting The Rock to win if it had gone that way. Oh what could have been....



Ok so that's all for this week, I'll be on twitter during Wrestlemania so I'll be joining in with the crazy tweet barrage that happens. Until next week's blog, follow me on twitter if you're not already @TheOZMouthpiece and leave me a comment on here if you like, or dislike, or have something interesting to say.

Business.. is concluded.

The Calm before the storm No. 3

Welcome to another edition of the Aussie Mouthpiece blog. This quick post is the 3rd post in my Calm before the Storm series, which I write the day before Pay per views. Or in this case, hours before Vengeance.

So I'll run down the card and give some thoughts.

I should point out this was a last minute decision to order Vengeance. I just have this feeling that something big is going to happen. And even so, seeing that Dolph Ziggler is wrestling twice, is a big enough deal for me to get it.

So the card.

Sheamus vs Christian.

I'm guessing either this or the Tag Team Titles match will open the show. I'd go with the Tag Team match, with the US title match later in the card, to give Dolph some time to catch his breath.
Anyway, Sheamus is really coming along well as a babyface, it still feels a little strange to me though.

I think that's just because I was watching when he first started, as a heel and working with Triple H. Then I stopped watching for a while, and when I start again, he's a babyface. Strange indeed.

But, Christian is obviously getting over as a heel, because he annoys the hell out of me. Should be a decent match. I'd like to see Sheamus in the title picture soon. Doesn't he have some unfinished business with Mark Henry?

I would like to see Sheamus win, but I won't mind either way.

Airboom vs Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger

I don't have much to say about this match. I guess it's there to try to keep the tag belts relevant, but what's going to happen? Are the newly formed "tag team".. and I use that term loosely.. are they going to drop the titles? What happens to them if they do?

I'll add into this Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder (US Title match). The reason being that my predictions relate to both matches.

I like that Dolph is getting to defend his singles title. It's about time. Ryder getting a title shot is a really good thing too.
I just hope that it's not a once-off. Hopefully this all isn't a ploy by the WWE to get him to stop his youtube show.

I think we're going to see Ryder win the US title, while Ziggler and Swagger get the Tag Team Title belts. AirBoom can be built up more if they are chasing belts, rather than defending belts and barely scraping by.

Diva's title match.

At least it's not Kelly kelly. But.. did she get her re-match? Do diva's contracts not have that stipulation in them?
Ok not much to say. Beth will be great. Eve will look ok, and probably do a moonsault. But if Eve wins, it will kill the angle, kill all the momentum of Beth and Natalya, and basically cement the divas division as a joke.
Beth needs to keep the title, at least until survivor series, maybe even until Kong can return. Because really, there's no other Diva on the WWE roster, other than Natalya, that could give her a great match.

Beth has to win.

Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes

This could steal the show. Because of Cody, and also because of the history between the two guys. They know each other well, both in terms of storylines and I would assume in real life as well.

I see Cody going over in this one. Vengeance on a whole feels like it's supposed to be building everything up, rather than solving problems and finishing feuds. So it would make sense to have Rhodes win. Build him up, make that Intercontinental title mean something.

Mark Henry vs Big Show (WHC)

I haven't watched Smackdown for the past few weeks. It's good to see Big Show back, but, let's face it. Big man vs Big man matches are never "5 star classics", but the last time these two met it was a decent match. Hopefully the same will go for this match.

Henry will win, but maybe not cleanly. Big Show might snap and get a chair and try to get revenge, something like that. Maybe someone interferes and starts an issue with Show.

Del Rio vs Cena (WWE Title)

Last man standing. These matches seem like they must be a lot harder to work out finishes for than they would have been 5 years ago. No chair shots to the head, or much of anything to the head really. Problem there is.. how do you knock someone out if you can't hit them in the head?

But, Cena has been good in these matches in the past. I think this will be a fairly good match. Will be a good test for Del Rio, and will maybe show a slightly different side of his character. Expect some interference, especially for the finish.

I think Alberto Del Rio will win. I hope Del Rio will win. Cena winning makes no sense, that would make 3 title changes in a month. Ridiculous. What does a belt mean if it's so easy to get? Where's the struggle.. the obstacles to get past?.. Del Rio has to retain the title.

CM Punk & Triple H vs Awesome Truth

I agree with whoever said it or wrote it, this has to/will be the main event. I'm seeing a fairly standard kind of a match, but the finish will be something akin to Night of Champions, but hopefully will make more sense.
I see Nash returning to at least try to cost Punk and HHH the match. I see Laurinitis making his presence felt, hopefully by nothing more than appearing at the entrance. Not by talking, that would put everyone to sleep.

I think the right thing to do is have Awesome truth get the pin, but once again definitely not clean. I'd like to see Punk and HHH win, but I think it would build Survivor Series more if they lose.

So that's about it. Will someone else interfere? Will we see Shawn Michaels, or Sean Waltman? BG James maybe? Who knows. But I think if all goes well, Vengeance could be a really decent Pay Per View.

That's about all I have to say, I'll be tweeting tomorrow during Vengeance, so if you read this and aren't following me on Twitter you can do so @TheOZMouthpiece
That's it, and that's all!