Sigh....I had no intention of writing about this but in a bit of breaking news it would appear that CM Punk is no longer the World champion. It's not so much that I mind the Undertaker winning the belt, I'm a huge Taker fan and have been calling for a lengthy reign from the Deadman for some time, but I've also been calling for a lengthy reign for the World title in general.
As of this writing the PPV hasn't ended, in fact the match opened the event which leads me to think that some sort of shady tactics may come into play before the night is over, but what does that accomplish. If by some miracle Punk does manage to get the belt back before night's end that just adds to the devaluing of the belt.
While Punk has been exceptional as of late, bouncing the title on and off of him so much puts him in the same predicament that Edge was in not so long ago. He will forever be branded as a transitional champion. Which how can you argue against that statement? He has simply replaced Edge as the ultimate opportunist and has unfortunately been blessed with the same curses that Edge couldn't break free from.
I can understand not wanting to have all three cell matches in a row but the WWE has in one match managed to already take all the steam out of the show. For many, Punk/Undertaker was the freshest feud going and the main reason to watch tonight. Now you've given them a reason to go to be early.
Not only that, but going into tonight a title has never changed hands inside a Hell in a Cell, and like I mentioned previously you had to figure tonight was the night that would change. Yet, rather than waiting the WWE blew their wad early on that one too.
Here's hoping that Taker brings some prestige back to the belt, but with his current health I don't see him doing a ton with the strap. So to reiterate tonight's title change is nothing but yet another setback for a title that badly needs to regain it's credibility.
Day 65
So apparently CM Punk is in the proverbial "doghouse" again. Does anybody else find it funny that every year this rumor of Punk being in the doghouse seems to rear it's ugly head. Never mind the fact that the guy has won almost every belt the company has to offer as well as an unprecedented two money in the bank titles. Yet somehow I'm supposed to believe that the guy is constantly in the bad graces of the WWE.
Let's pretend this story has some legitimacy behind it, and Punk was indeed stripped because of a dispute over dress code. First though I'm going to tell a little story that happened to me over the weekend. My work enforces a dress code, which honestly I don't mind one bit because wearing a uniform keeps me from getting my clothes trashed at work. Point being, as supervisor I'm supposed to send my guys home if they show up not wearing their uniform. Well this weekend we were playing catchup and due to being stuck at a hospital the night before, one of my workers showed up minus their work shirt. Rather than send them home I let them work, which kind of ruffled the feathers of some of the other departments.
My logic is if you need the help and a worker shows up willing to work; why send them home due to something so petty. The same can be applied here. So what, Punk supposedly wasn't dressed up. The point being is he always does his job when it counts. Who honestly is going to see the wrestlers after a show and say "damn that CM Punk seemed like a cool guy but I thought it was a little unprofessional that he was in a shirt and jeans." They are wrestlers, not businessmen no matter how you dress them up. I'd never in a million years expect to run into a wrestler on the street and see them in a three piece suit, just seems really silly to me.
I guess that's neither here nor there though as I don't honestly buy the whole "dog house" rumor this time anymore than I bought it the previous two. At the very most, the altercation went down but I don't see it impacting the title match. I think the outcome of that bout had more to do with WWE's weird logic of "bouncing the belt back and forth equals good feud." I wouldn't be surprised to see the belt on Punk again sooner rather than later, and if that's what being in the alleged "dog house" gets you then woof, woof.
Day 66
So I got an email from a reader that very much intrigued me so I thought I'd share it with you.
I like what you had to say about CM Punk's loss. I may be just be spit-balling but, do you think the WWE will put Orton over Cena at Bragging Rights sending Cena back to Smackdown? At first thought I said absolutely NO but then I thought about Wrestlemania 26. If indeed Undertaker's knees are causing him great pain, as rumored, and he is considering retiring after this WM who better for him to face than superface Cena. By moving Cena now Raw only loses his presence for around half a year because the WWE could have him drafted back to Raw. I know that is a match I would like to see before Taker retires.
What do you think?
Personally I love the idea, and this is coming from a Cena fan. Obviously I couldn't see the move as being permanent but Raw could cope with the loss for a few months especially with DX still running strong. Not saying we should move towards HHH/Orton again but why not a solid HBK/Orton World title feud? You could also have the built in story of Hunter's jealously rearing it's ugly head as he has to sit back and watch Shawn go for the gold. It brings up memories of being Shawn's "lackey" years ago and we have a whole separate dynamic to work with.
The most important thing though would to not turn HHH heel. I think what could make the story intriguing is the thought that it's going to happen. Even set things up in such a way that Hunter inadvertently costs Shawn some matches and with their checkered past Michaels starts having trouble trusting Hunter. I think you could get a solid couple of months out of a story like that with the proper execution.
As well you could even ignore Jericho's move to Smackdown and have him and Big Show stay on Raw even after losing the tag belts, which would also add more star power to the Raw roster if you felt that losing Cena would damage things too much.
In terms of the proposed Undertaker/Cena Wrestlemania bout I would have to say it's one of only two guys off the top of my head that Undertaker could have a big money match with. The other being Jericho, which I wouldn't complain about either.
While Cena and Undertaker have certainly feuded before, Cena has obviously progressed quite a bit since that time. This also could be a great "final" feud if Undertaker does indeed decide to hang up the tights after next year's Mania.
He must remain undefeated though at Mania as that's his biggest claim to fame. Instead I'd have Undertaker go over in a very close bout at Wrestlemania only to have Cena win a rematch at Backlash. This sets up a major win for Cena, allows Undertaker to bow out without appearing weak, and then lets Cena get drafted back to Raw immediately following.
Cena and Undertaker wouldn't be the only two effected though, as a win for Orton in the ironman match would be huge for the momentum of arguably the biggest heel in the company right now. With that win he would have won three out of four of the bouts with Cena during this feud, giving him a very decisive win in a high profile feud. It also will hopefully nip in the bud this recent trend that the WWE has followed of bouncing the two world titles around so much.
I can't say I'd expect the WWE to go this route, but that's another reason it's so good. Not only does it drastically change the scenery on Raw but I'd imagine not many people would see this one coming. Of course I understand that not all surprises are necessarily good, I think this one would be. In essence before all is said and done you allowed both Orton and Cena to get major wins while at the same time not really taking a huge dent in talent on either show.
I think we may just be on to something here...
Day 67
What the fuck have we become, the Weekly World News of wrestling? If it isn't a headline about Punk being in some imaginary doghouse, then it's a false rumor about Roddy Piper's health. Or if it isn't some complete fabrication about a supposed Victoria/Benoit love affair then we are reading about Sunny's myspace page.
The whole thing seems silly to me and more than anything it begins to take away from the credibility of the sites who post such things. What ever happened to good old fashioned sources? It seems nowadays on any given slow news day any Joe Schmo can produce some random story without any source listed and get it posted on a wrestling site.
I fully understand that news stories aren't as easy to come by with the lack of the big three that were around during the boom of the IWC; but that doesn't give "reporters" the right to flat out lie. You may have noticed that I included quotes around the word reporters, and it's simply because most of these guys and gals aren't reporters. As I mentioned earlier, more times than not these stories lack any type of source material which would indicate that the news being reported is not news at all but rather speculation. Thus people who only "report" speculation and nothing else aren't reporters at all.
I'll admit that I get caught up in a juicy rumor from time to time, no different than a real life scandal might grab my attention. The bottom line though, is that when I go to the front page of a wrestling news site I want to read just that; news. What I do on a daily basis is speculate. There isn't any exact basis for my theories outside of my own personal opinions. The influx of opinion based speculation, is tarnishing the image of sites that wish to remain trust worthy.
That being said, I think as readers you need to take a stand against this type of misguided "journalism." Stories such as this insane Piper story that has since been pulled from numerous sites should never see the light of day. As visitors to these sites and ultimately the very thing that keeps them running you need to notify the webmasters of these sites and let your voice be heard. Tell them, that this kind of crap shouldn't be tolerated and voice your displeasure. Only when people make it known that they won't tolerate it, will anybody make a change.
Day 68
At what point does rooting for the underdog transcend into new territory and become "jeering the same old shit?" What the hell am I going on about? Well allow me explain myself.
Remember when Sean Waltman was a jobber who couldn't even keep a name on a weekly basis? Yet for some strange reason, week in and week out we found ourselves rooting for him. Knowing that he stood next to no chance at all didn't change our feelings either. Why would we become so emotionally invested? Perhaps it's simply because in this crazy predetermined sport that we all love; we simply want to feel like anything is possible.
Sure on the surface a guy like the "Lighting Kid" should never be believable as someone who could be a legitimate threat to the top guys, but looks are meant to be deceiving. So on that special night years ago when the "Lighting Kid" defeated Razor Ramon and became the "1-2-3 Kid" it seemed as if our diligence finally paid off. Yet as time went by and as the 1-2-3 kid won more and even captured titles, our opinion as fans began to sour.
Never mind when Waltman as X-Pac joined Degeneration X in the "it" stable for WWE. So what has happened that took us from diehard fans to bitter critics? Noting than can actually be blamed on Waltman, it simply felt like the magic was gone. What I mean is that whereas before it seemed as if every night Sean didn't stand a chance to win; now there were times where it seemed all but a lock he would win. No longer was he an underdog, nor could the fans as closely relate to him.
As much as we may say we clamor for established stars the truth is we grow tired of things at a much faster pace nowadays. The reasoning is of a wide variety but more times than not is simple over exposure. While it's natural to root for an underdog, once they move to that established star stature things change. It becomes harder to root for someone week in and week out when it doesn't seem likely that they'll lose anyway, that emotional investment I spoke of earlier begins to disappear.
With as much as I never cared for Hogan look at how he was booked. For starters, even as the companies' top star he hardly wrestled. That's not a knock but more meant to praise the booking as they kept from over exposing him in wrestling matches. The same praise can be said about the way the booking of his actual matches were handled as well. Even though he won a good portion of his matches, he was always booked in such a way that you believed that he may not be able to overcome the odds. Somehow they found a way to book their top face, a man whom always overcame the odds in a way that it seemed every time as if he was the underdog. That's why the fans still do this day mark out for Hogan.
Remember when everyone marked out for the underdog who almost beat Kurt Angle on Smackdown years ago? I believe his name was John Cena....
Day 69
First let me say, work has been kicking my ass this week. I've been trying to suck it up and keep on trucking along but working on little sleep 6-7 days a week and then coming home and taking care of three kids can get a little crazy. Still I'm here and apparently you are too so thank you.
About a month or so ago I got this email from a reader that really put things into perspective for me. It was a reader who said they had no internet access in their home yet recently had bought a cell phone that had internet access. They explained their love for wrestling and Lords of Pain in general. Then they mentioned that everyday they check out my blog. To me that just really spoke volumes about the dedication people have, that they'd actually go to the extent of reading something I write everyday on a phone.
It pretty much makes it worth it to drag my tired ass online and give you guys my thoughts. I can honestly say if the feedback wasn't there that I wouldn't have even made it two weeks much less almost 70 days now.
I'd have to imagine that's how wrestlers feel. Obviously to a much larger extent but the idea of getting a reaction from hundreds or even thousands of fans has to be very gratifying. I can't really think of any other profession that garners that kind of instant reaction. Whether is heel heat or the desired face pop, there can't be anything like it.
I know today I'm simply stating what may seem like the obvious but much like a wrestler will drag their bruised body into the ring to put on a match just for the fans, I try and do the same. I also kind of wanted to make a point today to simply say that if you are out there reading, drop a line. I know sometimes you might feel like you got nothing to say but speaking from experience sometimes a simply "awesome" or "this sucked" is enough to motivate the writer. After all much like a wrestler's reaction from the crowd sometimes it's best to at least hear something, than nothing at all.
Day 70
Thank God I'm off tomorrow and finally get to rest my body after what has been one of the most draining weeks mentally and physically that I've had in quite some time. Just one of those weeks when giving it all you had isn't quite enough and you got to dig into the old reserve tank. That being said, I want to thank those of you who dropped me a line after yesterday's column it really helped me stay focused.
The thing about my job that takes it out of me has a lot to do with me. You see I am one of those people who possibly care too much. When we start to get overwhelmed by our volume and start to fall behind I can't take the "who cares" approach. I have to always keep a gameplan in the back of my mind and relying on others isn't an option. I've even worked on things for my job at home off the clock simply because I want to come in the next day on the right track.
That's what wrestlers have to apply to their craft. If you are one of those guys who simply want to take the "pin me, pay me attitude" then your work ethic is going to stand out for all the wrong reasons. You should care about getting the crowd into your match, nobody should simply go through the motions without a care. Not only are you putting yourself at risk but your opponent as well.
Not to mention the burden you place on the shoulders of the following performer. Just like following an excellent match can be tough for a wrestler due to the high bar set before the same can be said about following a poor performance. It can be very hard to get a bored or "cooled" crowd back into the wrestling.
Look at Wrestlemania 25 for instance, it took quite a while for the crowd to get back into the event following the Kid Rock and Diva Battle Royal segments. Thankfully Ricky Steamboat showed he still had some fuel in the tank and was able to win the crowd back over. I'm not necessarily trying to say that most of the Divas phoned in their performance at Wrestlemania.....okay well yeah I am.
The bottom line is that anything worth doing is worth doing right. You need to apply yourself to your craft no matter what it is and even if you aren't the best aim to be the best you can possibly be. It's such a simple thought, but one that is so often ignored.
As always I am the Monkey and you've just seen the world through my eyes.
Feel free to send all feedback to monkeyweasel9821@yahoo.com
