Clash of Champions 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Clash of Champions 2017.

My Thoughts on the ROH Rumors

With Wrestlemania 33 just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to write a post that dealt with professional wrestling. I was thinking of doing a post with my match predictions but ultimately decided against it because of the latest wrestling rumor swirling around the internet. It is without question that WWE is the largest professional wrestling company in the world ever since it bought out World Championship Wrestling in 2001. It has been 16 years and not a single professional wrestling company has come close to giving WWE a run for its money like WCW did during the Monday Night Wars.

That is not to say WWE does not have its competitors. Overseas there is New Japan Pro Wrestling, and in the Untied States there are Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor. While these are alternatives to WWE’s product, they still have yet to prove to be viable competition. NJPW is still trying to broaden its global reach to match that of the WWE, and TNA has been barely afloat as a company for the past few years. It was even rumored that WWE was in the process of buying out TNA in the fall of 2016. While the sale ultimately did not happen, the rumor generated a ton of buzz around the wrestling world. Fast forward five months and now the rumor is that WWE might be buying out the other major American wrestling promotion I mentioned earlier: Ring of Honor.

This was very shocking to me. ROH is currently owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group and is aired everywhere a Sinclair station is broadcasting. For example, I can get my ROH fix on either Saturday at 10:30 pm or Monday at 12:30 am on Star 64. While the strange schedule and one hour format of the show does not allow it to compete head to head with WWE, it is still a viable alterative to wrestling fans that prefer in ring action over storylines. It is a formula that works for the company as it has garnered a respectable audience and has been the career launch pad for various wrestlers such as Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and A.J. Styles among others. A lot of former WWE superstars have also wrestled for Ring of Honor such as Alberto Del Rio, Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, the Hardy Boyz and Cody Rhodes. Needless to say, Ring of Honor has made a significant impact on the world of professional wrestling. So what would happen should WWE buy ROH?

ROH is loaded with talent. The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, and Lio Rush make up a small sample of the talented roster that makes up ROH. Should ROH become a WWE property, I would think that a majority of these guys end up in either NXT or on the main roster. While the idea of the Young Bucks taking over the tag team division and potential WWE matchups between Styles and Daniels are enticing, an ROH buyout would not be good for guys like Cody Rhodes who left WWE for greener pastures. WWE would also add the ROH video library to its already massive collection of professional wrestling footage. As a diehard wrestling fan, it would be both awesome and extremely convenient to have the ROH video library available on the WWE Network.

While the possibility of WWE buying ROH is appealing in some ways, I think it would be better for the wrestling industry as a whole if WWE did not buy ROH. Competition is necessary in professional wrestling. It forces creativity and innovation and everybody benefits from it. WCW and WWE competed for ratings and professional wrestling supremacy and it took the industry to new heights. The product was at its best, ratings were at an all-time high, and fans were able to soak in a quality wrestling product for years. That is why I hope ROH does not get bought by WWE. Perhaps the company can rise to a level similar to that of WCW, compete with WWE at a global level, and rejuvenate the professional wrestling industry as a whole.

Are We Being Trolled?

I am by no means a Roman Reigns hater. Despite his shortcomings on the microphone, I find his ring work entertaining. His career in WWE, however, has me asking one question: Are we being trolled? It is no secret that WWE wants to push Roman Reigns as the next top star of the company. WWE has done seemingly everything in their power to position Reigns as the heir apparent to John Cena and lead the company over the next decade. He has been booked as an unstoppable underdog. No matter how high the odds seem to be stacked against him, he usually overcomes them. Whether it be the Authority, the League of Nations, or a WWE wellness policy violation and suspension, Roman Reigns has always come out on top. His booking history is a very clear indicator of WWE’s big plans for the “big dog.”

He debuted as a member of the Shield in 2012 alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, and the trio received a massive push by running over everybody that stood in their way. While the group appeared as a unit of solidarity, Roman Reigns was actually being portrayed as the best of the bunch. At Survivor Series 2013, Reigns was the sole survivor in a traditional Survivor Series 5-on-5 elimination tag team match. During the 2014 Royal Rumble match, Reigns eliminated both of his Shield brethren in route to tossing a record total of 12 people over the top rope while finishing as the bout’s runner-up. When Rollins dismantled the Shield during the summer of 2014, Reigns was immediately thrust into the main event scene and world title contention. He won the 2015 Royal Rumble and earned a main event Wrestlemania 31 WWE World Heavyweight title shot. Although he lost the match, he still managed to win the title by the end of 2015. He lost the title at the 2016 Royal Rumble but regained it in the main event of Wrestlemania 32. He then lost it again at Money in the Bank 2016 and was suspended for a month for violating the WWE wellness policy. However, his first match back from his suspension was a WWE title match and although he lost, he was inserted into the United States Championship picture. He proceeded to win the United States title and was again back in world title contention.

As you can see, Reigns has had arguably the best booking of any WWE wrestler since 2012. However, it has not been well received by fans. Despite being a face, he gets mixed reactions at best as the boos and jeers generally drown out the little amount of cheers he gets in wrestling arenas. Every time he takes on a heel, it is as if the roles are reversed. The heel gets the face reaction while Reigns is the target of the heel reaction. Why is this?

I believe it stems from the booking. With Reigns being positioned as the unstoppable underdog and next big megastar of the company, he rarely loses cleanly which can have negative effects on the other wrestlers on the roster as they generally come out of a match with Reigns looking weaker than they did heading into it. His booking has also prevented other wrestles from reaching the next level of superstardom in the WWE. In 2015, Daniel Bryan was the clear choice of the fans to main event Wrestlemania 31, but instead the nod went to Reigns. In 2016, Dean Ambrose was white hot in terms of popularity and should have been in the main event of Wrestlemania 32 but was cast aside by WWE in favor of Reigns again. Both Bryan and Ambrose were still popular, but Bryan had to retire due to injury and never reached that next level of superstardom, and Ambrose cooled off significantly over the course of the past year.

So here we are in 2017 and Reigns is still being booked the same way and is having the same type of fan reactions. He was the 30^th and final entrant in the 2017 Royal Rumble match and was greeted with a chorus of boos from the Alamodome crowd. Chants of “this is bull sh*t” could also be heard and only grew louder when Reigns eliminated the massively popular and respected Undertaker from the match. It was at this point in time I began to wonder if WWE is using Roman Reigns to mess with the fans. He is one of the most hated wrestlers on the roster, and WWE clearly knows it. They have done everything possible to get Reigns over and have even edited videos of fan reactions to Reigns to make it seem like the fans support him. The lengths WWE is willing to go to protect Reigns is laughable. At the same time, they are still irking fans with how they book him. This is the most stubborn booking by WWE I have ever seen. It is not working at all, but WWE keeps pushing it.

So how do you fix this situation? It is cliché for people to call for a wrestler to have a heel turn in order get over with the crowd. It doesn’t always work, but it could actually be beneficial for Reigns. He already gets a heel reaction so WWE should heavily consider turning the “big dog” heel. It may delay their plans to have Reigns as the next big face of the company, but the boos will at least match the character being portrayed. A potential Wrestlemania feud with the Undertaker could finally lead Reigns to the dark side, but until that happens expect the WWE to continue trolling the fans with the nonsensical booking of Roman Reigns.

Wrestlemania 31 Blu-Ray Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Blu-Ray edition of Wrestlemania 31.

WWE Backlash 2016 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Backlash 2016.

Wrestlemania 30 Two-Disc Blu-Ray Edition Review

Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event of all time. It features high profile matches, celebrity involvement, and showcases World Wrestling Entertainment’s product on a global stage. An event this big only happens once a year, but that does not mean you only have to watch it once every 365 days. WWE has released every Wrestlemania on some sort of home video format whether it be on VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will review the different home video editions of Wrestlemania that I own.

In this week’s post, I will review the 2-disc Blu-ray set of Wrestlemania 30. I have only viewed the Blu-ray version of this Wrestlemania on a 16:9 television screen, so I do not know if the picture crops to fit a 4:3 television screen or how the DVD version is presented.

The action starts on the first disc which contains the entire Wrestlemania 30 event from Hulk Hogan welcoming everybody to the “Silverdome,” (if you do not understand this reference, watch the event), to the triple threat WWE World Heavyweight Championship match that closed out the show. Also on the first disc is the Wrestlemania 30 Pre-Show Fatal 4-Way WWE Tag Team Championship match between The Usos, Los Matadores, the Real Americans, and Rybaxel.

The second disc contains the complete 2014 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony that features some pretty big names from the world of professional wrestling. The late Paul Bearer, Lita, Razor Ramon, and the late Ultimate Warrior among others were all inducted into the hall of fame. The induction of the Ultimate Warrior is a major reason to watch this ceremony as he tragically passed away the night after Wrestlemania 30. The second disc also contains a ton of bonus content including two special features exclusive to the Blu-ray version.

The packaging of Wrestlemania 30 is great. The front of the packaging features a few of the wrestlers from the night’s biggest matches and moments as well as the Wrestlemania 30 logo, and the back of the packaging lists the matches from the event and features a nice collage of some of the wrestlers.

The Blu-ray came in a cardboard sleeve that included a book entitled “Wrestlemania 30: 30 Moments for 30 Years.” The book is small but it contains a lot of cool pictures, match results, storyline recaps, and more from past Wrestlemanias. It is a nice little bonus that really makes this home video version of Wrestlemania stand out above the rest.

In conclusion, the two-disc Blu-ray version of Wrestlemania 30 is an excellent home video version of the showcase of the immortals. The event itself was one of the most memorable and shocking Wrestlemanias of all time, and most of the matches and segments were really good. My favorite parts of the event are when Daniel Bryan wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and when Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock all gather in the ring at the same time to kick off the show. It was a really good show, and I highly recommend picking up the Blu-ray version of Wrestlemania 30 for yourself.

Next is the Wrestlemania 31 two-disc Blu-ray version review!

Thank You, Daniel Bryan

No! No! No! While that was the sentiment of wrestling fans around the world on Monday night, the reality of the matter is that the “American Dragon” has hung up his boots for good. Daniel Bryan, one of the best in ring performers and one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE history confirmed his retirement during the final segment of Monday Night Raw due to medical reasons.

This news shocked me, and I am still stunned that the professional wrestling career of the greatest Cinderella story in WWE history has come to an end. I knew that he had a history of injuries and that he endured a lot of wear and tear during his days on the “Indy” scene, but he was so good in the ring that it looked like the pain had no effect on him at all. He was one of the most skilled in ring performers in WWE, and despite lacking charisma when he first arrived on the scene; he managed to capture the hearts of wrestling fans around the world by popularizing the word “yes” and growing a beard.

Bryan was one of the current crop of wrestlers in WWE that made it fun again. He changed the way people think of what a “WWE Superstar” is supposed to be by establishing one of the most genuine connections with an audience that I have ever seen. While he did not have the build of a stereotypical wrestler, he had that intangible “it” factor that demanded people’s attention. Fans around the world supported him by mimicking his “yes” cheer, booing the roofs off arenas when he was not being featured in certain matches and segments such as in the 2014 and 2015 Royal Rumbles, and by chanting “you deserve it” the night after he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 30.

Bryan is easily one of my most favorite wrestlers of all time. I first came across him in a 2007 issue of “Pro Wrestling Illustrated” that documented his Ring of Honor Championship loss to Homicide. Three years later, I saw him on WWE NXT. While I thought it was strange that WWE made him switch his name from Bryan Danielson to Daniel Bryan, I was still happy to see him in WWE and watched as his popularity skyrocketed during his time with the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet. I was thrilled when he captured the United States Championship, and laughed as he and Kane joined forces to create the highly entertaining Team Hell No. I was one of his supporters during the “Yes Movement” and was ecstatic when he made Batista submit at Wrestlemania 30. I watched as he won an exciting ladder match at Wrestlemania 31 to claim the Intercontinental Championship, and I was at the shocking episode of Monday Night Raw when he vacated the title due to injury. I said that I hoped he would return to the ring soon. Unfortunately that will not be happening.

I am not happy about Bryan’s retirement, but I support it 100 percent. He has a life outside the ring that he needs to live and a family to start. I wish him nothing but the best as he starts a new chapter of his life. Thank you for entertaining me for nine years and taking the wrestling world on an unforgettable ride. Thank you, Daniel Bryan.

Phoning It In?

Before you dive into this post, please let me make one thing clear. I am a diehard fan of World Wrestling Entertainment. I fell in love with the world of professional wrestling when I was kid during the Attitude Era. Guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock ran wild in WWE and factions like the New World Order dominated World Championship Wrestling. It was a great time to be a wrestling fan. As I watch the product now though, I can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed with what WWE has become. The lack of creativity in storytelling by WWE officials is appalling. It sometimes feels as if WWE is phoning it in until Wrestlemania season. In this post I will discuss why I feel WWE is in need of a major shakeup to make it must see television again.

A major shakeup can come very easily in two different ways. Creating better characters is probably the most obvious way of doing that. Guys like Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, and Sheamus are stagnant to me. They are all fine when it comes to in ring ability, but their characters are just too boring. Much like John Cena’s babyface persona is in major need of a heel turn to make him refreshing and add depth to his character, these guys need more character development in order for me to care that they are heels. Personally, I find them pretty boring and until WWE can find a way to make me invest in them and give me a reason to truly despise these heels, I, like much of the WWE universe, will continue to see them as boring.

Another way to shake tings up is with better storylines. Team ECW versus the Wyatt Family was just thrown together, and Tyler Breeze versus Dolph Ziggler has become very bland. These wrestlers are all very talented, but poor storytelling on WWE’s part has made me care very little about them. The stories are repetitive and a bit lazy in the creative department, and WWE needs to fix this immediately.

I am not a WWE hater or a “smark.” I am a fan of WWE and while a lot of WWE programming has been bad as of late, there are some good. Guys like Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, and the New Day have well developed characters and are masters at capturing the attention of the audience. The Dean Ambrose versus Seth Rollins rivalry and the Daniel Bryan versus the Authority feud were two of the best pieces of storytelling that WWE has produced in the past few years. This proves that WWE is capable of producing intriguing stories with captivating characters that make the audience invest in them. Wrestlemania season and the “Attitude Era” are prime examples of that. If WWE could do this on a weekly basis, then perhaps its rating for Raw and Smackdown might reverse its current downward trend.

I really hope WWE smells the coffee and wakes up to the fact that its product is in a state of staleness. Something needs to be done to make it interesting again. Shake things up ,WWE. I am begging you to stop phoning it in until Wrestlemania season. Make wrestling fun again.

Rise of the Roman Empire...Again?

Roman Reigns has become a very interesting character in the professional wrestling world. After his victory on Monday Night Raw in a fatal 4-way match to become the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, it appears that WWE is once again trying to give Reigns another big push. As I said in my WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 Thoughts video, the crowd reaction to Reigns will ultimately decide if this push is fueled or derailed. After a negative reaction to Reigns destroyed WWE’s plans to have Reigns officially become the face of the company at Wrestlemania 31, will this push succeed or once again force WWE to make a last second change? Allow me to explain.

Let’s start with the initial crowd reaction to Reigns when he debuted with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as a member of the Shield in 2012. During his time with the Shield, the faction, which was originally “heel” or villainous, started to get over with the fans, and they began receiving cheers from the crowd that rivaled those of some of the top “faces” or good guys in WWE. Reigns amassed a sizeable fan base as the quiet but deadly force of the Shield, and during the 2014 Royal Rumble match, he was heavily cheered by the Pittsburgh crowd as he and Batista locked horns as the final two combatants before he was eliminated. After the split of the Shield in the summer of 2014, fan reaction toward Reigns began to turn for the worse as small pockets of boos hidden in the WWE crowds turned into a sea of anger and disdain that culminated at the 2015 Royal Rumble.

In what was supposed to be the starting point for Reigns to be the next face of the company, the Philadelphia crowd unmercifully booed Reigns out of the building after he won the match. Not even the Rock, who made an appearance to give a symbolic nod to Reigns, could turn the boos into cheers. At the next pay-per-view, Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan to retain his number one contendership for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship that he earned by winning the Royal Rumble. After the match, Bryan, a wrestler that wrestling crowds love and adore, gave Reigns his stamp of approval, but Reigns continued to receive bad reactions and at Wrestlemania 31, in what had been reported to be a last minute decision by WWE, Seth Rollins entered the main event by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. He then pinned Reigns and walked out of Wrestlemania 31 as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Since then, Reigns has been put on the backburner as WWE seemingly attempted to figure out a way to turn the boos he received into cheers. They had him team up with fan favorite and former Shield member Dean Ambrose over the summer, and they had him do battle with one of WWE’s best heel acts in Bray Wyatt. The Reigns versus Wyatt saga concluded at Hell in a Cell 2015 with Reigns picking up a huge Hell in a Cell match win. That win is apparently another launch point for another Reigns push as he became the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship the following night on Raw. So how will this push be received by fans?

Based on the reaction from the crowd on Monday Night Raw, the crowd has been receptive to the idea of Reigns being the next championship challenger. While there were a few boos directed at Reigns during the match, there were resounding cheers and chants for Reigns during his post match stare down with Rollins. It is still way too early to see if WWE fully commits to its latest push for Reigns, but based on what happened on Raw, I think that the rise of the Roman Empire is coming to fruition. My prediction for the upcoming Survivor Series event next month is that Reigns will defeat Rollins to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Believe that.

How he will win the title is up for debate. Is a heel turn for Reigns out of the question? To see what I think, come back next week as I attempt to book Survivor Series 2015.