WWE SummerSlam 2020 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE SummerSlam 2020. 

Shots Fired

All Elite Wrestling recently announced that it will air a two hour television show every Wednesday on TNT. While not the start of a new Monday Night War, it is definitely the beginning of a new battle for wrestling viewership. 

World Wrestling Entertainment has long dominated the wrestling indusrtry ever since World Championship Wrestling closed its doors in 2001. Total Nonstop

Action Wrestling was once seen as a potential competitor but has since fallen into near obscurity and airs on Twitch. Ring of Honor is on television via syndication, and New Japan Pro Wrestling is on tape delay on Axs TV. What has truly halted these promotions from becoming legitimate WWE competitors is exposure. That is what separates AEW from the rest of the pack.

The promotion made headlines with its signings and first ever pay-per-view, and has seemingly shaken the wrestling industry to its core with it newly announced television deal. Starting on October 2, 2019, AEW will air love on TNT from 8-10pm from the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. This is massive. AEW's roster depth, which features stats such as the Young Bucks, Cody, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, and Jon Moxley, was already considered to be a massive strength of the new Wrestling promotion. A live weekly television deal on a nationally broadcasted cable network will only bolster its popularity and attract more fans.

For the first time since 2001, WWE has real competition and that is fantastic for wrestling fans. Competition brings out the best in people. The Monday Night Wars featured the highest ratings for wrestling television shows in history. With AEW set to make its television debut in October, WWE will be forced to step up their game. A few shots have been fired by AEW in this new wrestling television war. Let's see how WWE responds.

SummerSlam 2019 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE SummerSlam 2019.

"Thoughts on Wrestling" Update

As you may have noticed, my last "Thoughts on wrestling" video was posted on Tuesday as opposed to late Sunday night or very early Monday morning. That is because I have decided to no longer make those videos immediately after the wrestling event goes off the air.

A few months after I started Cincy Fan Zone, I started posting wrestling review videos immediately after pay-per-views. After about five years of following this schedule, I have decided to post my "Thoughts on Wrestling" videos on Tuesdays like all my other videos.  The reason for this is the lack of sleep I get that night is beginning to take it's toll. Factor in the amount of views that each "Thoughts on Wrestling" video receives, and it becomes pretty apparent that the effort that goes into publishing these videos as quick as possible is not worth it.

In conclusion, the "Thoughts on Wrestling" Videos" should be published every Tuesday like all the other videos on my channel. Also, there might be more wrestling videos now that All Elite Wrestling has burst onto the scene. There should be a "Thoughts on Wrestling" video after every AEW event, however I might also make combo videos reviewing both WWE and AEW events should they happen in the same week. If you are one of the few people who watch these videos, thank you for your support and for continuing to watch them.

The Hounds Are Back

The Monday Night Raw after SummerSlam 2018 was one of the best episodes of Raw in recent memory. The show kicked off with a bang when Finn Balor accepted Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship challenge and the momentum seemingly carried throughout the show. Ronda Rousey nearly ripped out Stephanie McMahon’s arm, Elias avoided ending Curt Hawkins’ losing streak, and Dean Ambrose had his first match back from injury in a very entertaining bout against Dolph Ziggler. All were great moments, but all paled in comparison to the return of one of wrestling’s most dominant factions: the Shield.

After a thrilling main event that saw Reigns successfully defend his title against Finn Balor, the stage appeared to be set for Braun Strowman to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. He delivered a big boot to the Universal Champ, handed his briefcase to the referee, and the ring announcer proclaimed that “Monster Among Men” was cashing in for a Universal Title shot. Before the bell could ring, a familiar tune echoed throughout the Barclay’s Center. The crowd erupted when Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins stormed down to the ring in their traditional black gear as the Shield theme music played over the speakers. 

Reigns stood up in the ring as Ambrose and Rollins climbed onto the apron. Strowman looked around at the Hounds of Justice and, despite knowing he was outnumbered, went on the attack. It was a futile attempt as the numbers game proved to be too much for the monster to overcome as the Shield easily handled Strowman and capped off their reunion by triple powerbombing him through the announce table. It was a fantastic ending to what had been a great episode of Monday Night Raw. 

So is the Shield heel? That remains to be seen. While Strowman is one of the biggest faces on the roster, so is the Shield. WWE could be setting up for a face versus face rivalry, but imagine how much more fun it would be to see a heel Shield run roughshod over WWE similar to what they did when they burst on the scene nearly six year ago. Only time will tell if the Shield is face or heel, but there is one thing that we do know and that is to always believe in the Shield.

SummerSlam 2018 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE SummerSlam 2018.

Boos for Braun?

There are a few certainties in life. Death, taxes, and Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman will always win cleanly no matter the odds. Almost every time I watch WWE programming, both Reigns and Strowman are usually having their hands raised in victory. The only difference between the two is that Reigns is booked to look like an underdog despite his "Big Dog" moniker. Strowman on the other hand is billed as the "Monster Among Men" and is booked like one most of the time. The two have crossed paths before with Reigns playing the hated face and Strowman taking on the role of beloved heel. However, Strowman has since left the dark side of the wrestling world and has been booked to win almost every match he has. Could this cause Strowman's crowd reactions to mimic that of Reigns?

I think it might. Despite being booked as a monster, WWE made Strowman appear as a bit of an underdog at Money in the Bank. Every wrestler in that match teamed together to eliminate Strowman by attempting to bury the monster underneath a pile of ladders. That was not enough to stop him though as he soon emerged from the rubble like Godzilla rising out of the sea and proceeded to destroy everybody in sight in route to winning the Money in the Bank briefcase. There are only a handful of guys I can think of who can overcome odds like that and win: Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and Roman Reigns. All have previously been booked as unstoppable underdogs and all have previously been booed out of the building. If WWE is not careful, Strowman might be grouped in this category.

Let's look at some of Strowman's accomplishments so far this year. At Wrestlemania 34, he easily defeated the Bar with a kid name Nicholas to win the Raw Tag Team Championships. He then won the Greatest Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia. He overcame the odds at Money in the Bank, and even though his team lost the next night on Raw, it was Balor, not Strowman, who ate the pin. In terms of professional wrestling, that is an incredible year so far and we are only in the month of June. There are still six months left in 2018 for Strowman to be booked as invincible.

WWE crowds turn on wrestlers they think are overexposed or never lose. While Strowman is not there yet, he's getting awfully close. A lot of people did not like the decision to have Strowman win the Money in the Bank briefcase as they feel like he is already over enough with the crowd. Despite that sentiment, WWE still booked the monster to win and he has already called out Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Everybody thinks Strowman will cash in and finally be the one to defeat the beast. I'm thinking that Reigns and Lesnar clash at SummerSlam with Reigns finally taking the belt from the beast only for Strowman to cash in and take the title from Reigns. This sends the crowd home happy and keeps Strowman on the crowd's good side as he will be feuding with Reigns again. But what about when the Reigns feud is finished? We'll have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully WWE handles Strowman better than they have Reigns so that monster does not feel the wrath of the fans.

The True World Championship

What is the true world championship in WWE? Raw and SmackDown are now separate brands under the WWE banner and each has their owner world championship. The WWE Championship is the biggest prize on SmackDown while the Universal Championship is the top title on Raw. Which is one is the true world championship though? Let’s dive into the details.

The WWE Championship has a long and historic lineage that dates back to “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. Legends such as Bruno Samamrtino, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock have all been crowned as WWE Champion. It was unified with the World Heavyweight Championship twice and has been fought for at every Wrestlemania event except for Wrestlemania 1. It has a classy design that truly illustrates what a championship title should look like. It has been the centerpiece of some of the biggest matches in history such as Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 12 and the SummerSlam 2000 main event between Triple H, Kurt Angle, and the Rock. It has long been considered not only the biggest championship in WWE but the entire professional wrestling industry.

The Universal Championship has been around for about a year and a half. Finn Balor was crowned as the inaugural Universal Champion when he defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016. Since then, the title has been held by Kevin Owens, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar at the time that this post was written. The design could definitely use an overhaul. While it is a near mirror image of the WWE Championship, the all red strap makes it look more like a toy as opposed to an actual championship. The Universal Championship has also been contested for in some of the biggest matches in WWE history. Brock Lesnar and Goldberg battled for it at Wrestlemania 33 and Kevin Owens won a very exciting fatal four-way elimination match to become the Universal Champion on an episode of Raw.

So which title is the true world championship? I am going to have to side with the WWE Championship. Its lineage, its design, and the fact that it is considered the top title in the entire professional wrestling industry make this one an easy decision. I am not saying that the Universal Championship cannot reach similar heights, but odds are WWE will keep the WWE Championship around should a unification match take place.

Plight of the Cruiserweights

When WWE announced that they were bringing back the cruiserweight division, I was excited. The Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Networks was producing unbelievable matches, and it was arguably the best cruiserweight action on television since the days of WCW Monday Nitro. The cruiserweight division that WCW had during the Monday Night Wars featured some of the finest wrestling on television at the time and helped propel guys like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Dean Malenko, and Chris Jericho into superstardom. The bouts were often fast paced and filled with high flying action. People were tuning into WCW for the big name wrestlers and New World Order storyline, but they were staying because of the action that the cruiserweights brought to the ring.

I thought a similar style would be replicated on WWE television. I was wrong. The cruiserweight division is struggling. Instead of being presented as an athletic showcase for wrestlers who meet the 205 pound weight limit, the division barely gets any television time on Monday Night Raw, and the 205 Live show on the WWE network generally features two matches with an in ring segment in between. The action is not as quick or as dazzling despite the fact that many of the cruiserweights are some of the most athletically gifted on the roster. Cedric Alexander is a perfect example of this. He is arguably the most athletic wrestler in the division but was involved in a horrendous storyline with Noam Dar and Alicia Fox and really has no direction that enables him to show off his wrestling skill.

If WWE stripped the division down, gave the wrestlers more television time, and focused more on the actual wrestling, I think it would improve. The Cruiserweight Classic proved that fans were invested in matches because of the action in the ring. Short video packages highlighted each wrestler before the match, but the wrestlers did not cut promos or have an in ring segment to get over with the fans. They let their abilities do the talking, and it spoke volumes. If WWE can make the cruiserweight division more like the cruiserweight classic, I think the plight of the cruiserweights will finally come to an end.

SummerSlam 2017 Thoughts

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

Who Will Walk Out as Champ?

SummerSlam 2017 will boast a huge main event as Brock Lesnar will defend his WWE Universal Championship in a Fatal 4 Way match against Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, and Roman Reigns. The match should be a war as four of WWE’s most over wrestlers battle it out to determine who is the top guy on Monday Night Raw. So will a new champ be crowned?

Nope. Not at SummerSlam 2017 at least. I predict Brock Lesnar will walk into SummerSlam as champion and walk out as champion. That is not to say he won’t have a tough match ahead of him. Strowman has become the resident monster for the red brand, Samoa Joe was seconds away from choking out the landlord of Suplex City at Great Balls of Fire, and Reigns is the only other guy aside from Lesnar to defeat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.

Despite the threat that each of the challengers pose to the champ, they will not take the Universal Championship for themselves. I think that Lesnar will win and hold onto the title until Wrestlemania 34 before dropping the belt to Reigns. The seeds for that match will be planted at SummerSlam as Lesnar successfully retains his title.

WWE GBOF 2017 Thoughts

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

Return of the King

Every wrestling fans knows about WWE’s “big four” pay-per-views. Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble are WWE’s four crown jewels in terms of pay-per-view programming as they generally have the biggest buildup and a plethora of marquee matches. However, the “big four” used to be the “big five” as the King of the Ring pay-per-view was once viewed as another of WWE’s signature events. With WWE using the WWE Network to increase the amount of pay-per-views it produces, why not bring back the King of the Ring? In this post, I will explain what the King of the Ring is, why they should bring it back, and how I would organize the new tournament.

The King of the Ring was a single elimination tournament in which wrestlers competed for the prestigious title of “King of the Ring.” Tournament matches were held on Raw and SmackDown with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals taking place at the King of the Ring pay-per-view. The winner of the tournament was perceived to be the next big breakout star in the WWE, and history backs up that perception. Previous winners included Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Edge, and Kurt Angle. All these wrestlers went on to hold world championship gold and became staples in the main even scene. The tournament was kind of like a summer version of the Royal Rumble match and was easily one of the most anticipated wrestling events of the year.

Despite the event having such a rich history, the King of the Ring pay-per-view was last held in 2002. The King of the Ring tournament has been held sporadically since 2002 having taken place in 2006, 2008, 2010, and most recently in 2015. The tournament matches were usually held on Raw or SmackDown with the finals being held at a pay-per-view. The lone exception is the 2015 edition that had its finals take place on a Tuesday night WWE Network special.

It has been 15 years since WWE last held a King of the Ring pay-per-view, and I think that it is time that WWE brought it back. With WWE reviving the brand split to try and create new stars, the King of the Ring tournament and pay-per-view could be a tremendous boost to WWE’s efforts. Rivalries could stem from tournament matches allowing for more airtime for wrestlers as well as intriguing storylines that would have a logical beginning. It would also enable WWE to load its programming with less filler content. WWE fans generally complain about the amount of filler that is featured on SmackDown and especially Raw. The King of the Ring tournament would easily give WWE more content to air on Raw and SmackDown in place of filler.

So how would the new King of the Ring tournament work? If I were in charge, I would have the tournament take place in the summer and split the tournament bracket into a Raw division and a SmackDown division with 8 wrestlers per division. There would then be qualifying matches to determine what wrestlers would participate in the tournament. Once the qualification process is complete, the tournament matches would take place on Raw and SmackDown until the semifinal round. The semifinals and finals would take place at the King of the Ring pay-per-view with the finals consisting of the winner of the Raw division taking on the winner of the SmackDown division with the King of the Ring crown on the line. The victor of the match will not only be the new “King of the Ring” but also earn either a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match or a WWE Universal Championship match at SummerSlam depending on their brand.

In conclusion, the King of the Ring was a fun wrestling tournament that generally saw the elevation of wrestlers from the mid card to the main event scene. Bringing it back would be beneficial for both the participating wrestlers and the WWE as a whole as it would allow for more ample storytelling from the WWE and more screen time for wrestlers on the roster. My format would allow both brands to have competing wrestlers as well as grant the winner a world title bout in addition to being crowned as the new King of the Ring. Hopefully WWE brings the tournament back and utilizes the overabundance of talent it currently has on its roster.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

I am a die heard professional wrestling fan. I was hooked on the violent form of sports entertainment ever since I was a kid when guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock were the top stars of the industry. In fact, the professional wrestling industry was at the height of its popularity as World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling were battling for television ratings and the title of the top professional wrestling company in the world. WCW was eventually bought out by WWE leaving Vince McMahon’s wrestling empire as the undisputed champion of sports entertainment. WWE has since gone on to launch the WWE Network, and the amount of weekly programming WWE produces has increased drastically. While more programming sounds good on paper, is it a good idea in all actuality?

I do not think it is. During the height of professional wrestling’s popularity, WWE’s weekly programming consisted of two hours of Monday Night Raw, two hours of SmackDown on Thursday, and a three hour pay-per-view one Sunday a month. Let’s compare that to the current amount of WWE programming.

Monday Night Raw has since expanded to three hours with a 30-minute kickoff show, which is streamed, on YouTube and the WWE Network, that precedes each episode. SmackDown is still two hours long, but it too has a 30-minute kick off show that streams on YouTube and the WWE Network as well as a post show called Talking Smack that runs about 20-30 minutes on the WWE Network. WWE recently launched 205 Live to showcase its cruiserweight division. The show airs on the WWE Network after SmackDown, and the debut episode was about 50 minutes long. NXT, a show featuring WWE’s developmental system, airs for an hour every Wednesday. Pay-per-views have since increased to about two a month that run an average of three hours long. There is also a one-hour kickoff show for each pay-per-view unless the pay-per-view is the Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, or Survivor Series in which case the kickoff show is two hours long.

That is a massive amount of weekly WWE programming to watch each week. For hardcore fans, watching that much wrestling a week is not a big deal. However WWE often tries to attract non-viewers and casual fans to its product, and I think this much programming in one week can be overwhelming. I consider myself a hardcore wrestling fan, and I have trouble keeping up with all the weekly wrestling shows WWE produces. I can only imagine what a casual fan must go through when trying to understand the storylines playing out on WWE programming.

I think WWE should consider cutting back on the amount of programming it produces. Perhaps reducing Raw back to two hours or eliminating the kickoff shows could help the situation by eliminating the feeling of being overwhelmed. Back when WWE had its highest ratings, it had only a few hours of programming a week. Maybe WWE could reflect on what made it so popular and try to expand upon that instead of its amount of weekly television shows.

Goldberg vs. Lesnar II: Survivor Series or Wrestlemania?

For months, rumors had been swirling that WWE was in negotiations with Goldberg for a return bout against Brock Lesnar, and a recent ESPN interview all but confirmed that the man who had compiled a record of 173-0 in World Championship Wrestling was indeed set to make his return. WWE hyped up the interview on its social media outlets and on its weekly television programs before Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, issued the challenge to Goldberg. The next week, Goldberg made his return to Monday Night Raw after a 12 year absence and declared that Lesnar was “next.” WWE then announced that Goldberg and Lesnar would square off at Survivor Series in November.

For Lesnar, it is a chance to right the lone blemish on his list of wrestlers that he has been able to conquer throughout his WWE career. For Goldberg, it is an opportunity to prove that he can still hang with the best that the wrestling world has to offer. A match of this magnitude should be reserved for the grandest of stages. Survivor Series is one of WWE’s biggest shows of the year, but is it big enough for Goldberg vs. Lesnar II?

Personally, I don’t think it is. Survivor Series is regarded as the smallest of WWE’s “Big Four” pay-per-view events behind the Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and Wrestlemania and is known for its traditional five on five elimination tag team matches. Wrestlemania on the other hand is known for its marquee bouts that often feature wrestling legends. Goldberg vs. Lesnar II is a marquee match that should be saved for Wrestlemania. This would allow WWE to slowly build up the story with the payoff match being at its biggest event of the year. They could continue to build up Lesnar as “the beast” by having him steamroll opponents, and they could also build Goldberg up by having him start a new winning streak before putting it on the line against Lesnar.

The slow build would entice fans and help make the anticipation for the match reach a fever pitch. The Wrestlemania setting would also play a natural role in the story as Goldberg defeated Lesnar in their first encounter at Wrestlemania 20. WWE could bill this as a Wrestlemania rematch 13 years in the making, and it would easily increase the amount of buys and hype for the pay-per-view. That is not to say that it would not affect Survivor Series in a similar fashion, but WWE prides itself on having Wrestlemania being the one event of the year that shatters records. Goldberg vs. Lesnar II would no doubt help WWE do that.

That is why I think WWE should save Goldberg vs. Lesnar II for Wrestlemania 33. Survivor Series is a big show, but Wrestlemania is bigger and having the bout take place there would be more beneficial for both the match and WWE. The story could build slowly which would heighten anticipation, the Wrestlemania setting would play right into the buildup of the match, and the bout between Goldberg and Lesnar is defiantly worthy of being contested at the “Showcase of the Immortals.”

SummerSlam 2016 Thoughts

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

SummerSlam 2015 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone share his thoughts on WWE SummerSlam 2015.

Sting's SummerSlam Surprise

SummerSlam is WWE’s biggest event of the summer and its second biggest event of the year behind Wrestlemania. With this year’s edition being extended to four hours, one has to expect it be at the same level if not better than Wrestlemania. The card is shaping up nicely with matches that should be entertaining to watch but one match stands out from the rest. That bout, of course, is the Wrestlemania 30 rematch between the beast and the phenom.

Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker are set to square off in the main event of SummerSlam and while it looks great on paper, I can’t help but worry that this match will drag like their bout at Wrestlemania 30 did. The only thing memorable about their encounter at the 2014 edition of the showcase of the immortals was the jaw dropping finish in which Lesnar ended the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. So how can WWE salvage the match that is going to headline their second biggest event of the year? Enter Sting.

The vigilante has not been seen since Wrestlemania 31 after he was defeated by Triple H. What better way to reintroduce Sting to the WWE universe by having him interfere in the SummerSlam main event and cost the dead man the match? This is how I would book the ending of the bout.

After a grueling battle between the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, the phenom has gained the upper hand and is about to tombstone the beast and claim the retribution that he has been so desperately craving since Wrestlemania 30. The Undertaker picks up Lesnar and slams his skull into the mat. As the dead man crosses the arms of the beast in rest in piece fashion for the pin, the lights go out as the cry of a crow echoes throughout the arena.

When the lights turn back on, the Undertaker is standing across the ring from the baseball bat-wielding vigilante. The crowd is roaring in shock and excitement as two of the biggest names in wrestling share the same ring for the first time in history. Then Sting makes his move. He swings for the fences and misses, allowing the phenom to pick up the vigilante in preparation for the tombstone. Before he can deliver the blow though, Sting manages to reverse the signature move of the dead man into a scorpion death drop. The vigilante connects and stands up and surveys the carnage in the ring. The lights go out and the cry of the crow echoes throughout the arena as Sting disappears.

When the lights turn back on, Lesnar, having recovered from the tombstone, staggers over to the Undertaker, picks up the limp body of the phenom, and delivers an F5 to the dead man for the pin and the win. This makes the Undertaker look strong in defeat, allows Lesnar to still remain undefeated since 2013, and more importantly, it sets up the long awaited dream match between Sting and the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32.

That is how I would book the ending to the SummerSlam main event. It has shock value, violence, and it tells an intriguing story that will culminate in the biggest dream match in wrestling history. Hopefully this prediction I have for SummerSlam is correct and proves to be more than fantasy booking on my part!