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We, as a website, need to stop posting stuff about ratings. It’s fodder for the booger eaters sitting at home channeling their “life sucks” mentality into wrestling sites/forums and spreading the glass is half empty mindset like an aggressive virus. You don’t see Yahoo Sports posting stuff about sports ratings unless there’s a record high. Otherwise, that stuff doesn’t get any pub because it doesn’t matter – it’s not our problem as fans. Yet, there are so many people on the net that act like WWE ratings are such a big deal. Punk fans are frightened it might mean the end of CM’s push. I think the fact that he was the driving force behind a million dollar increase from MITB ’10 to MITB ’11, he’s very over, and he sells a lot of T-shirts will keep him in his spot, guys and gals. Calm down! Night of Champions is this weekend and there’s been a lot of hate on the CM Punk vs. Triple H segments in recent weeks. They’re being called “too insider.” People are saying that CM Punk was undercut. Anyone else think that we’re overanalyzing a little bit when we say that? Perhaps people were expecting that Triple H and Punk would be able to keep up the excellent mic interactions that Punk and Cena had going earlier in the summer. Well, Triple H isn’t nearly as good on the mic as Cena and the scenario is completely different. By and large, people like Trips. He has been removed from the dastardly heel character (him at his best, character-wise) for five years. He’s got that “respect” thing going. Plus, I don’t think that the WWE is really trying to make Punk a heel or a face, but rather just a guy that gets a reaction and does things very differently. He speaks what he believes to be the truth and it is laced with insider talk. It’s real. That’s the type of talk that will get people to stop changing the channel in the long run, mainly because it’s different. As long as the live crowds react to it, then I think we have to look at what’s said as a success. On Monday, the crowd was firmly behind CM Punk during the final segment. I plan on watching the PPV for a few reasons. At the top of my list is the aforementioned Punk-Trips encounter. I’ve had casual fans texting me comparisons to HBK vs. Bret Hart, as they cannot tell how blurry the line is between reality and kayfabe. I like that about Punk. In-ring, Trips vs. Punk should be a great match. I just hope they can accomplish what they need to before what I expect will be a screwy ending, perhaps involving Kevin Nash. Speaking of Big Sexy, I’ve pretty much written him off as a valuable contributor to the modern product. He just seems lost out there. He seemed lost in 2003 when the pressure was on him to deliver, too, and it wasn’t until after that pressure was gone that he settled down and got his mic work under control. I’m a positive guy, but Nash was garbage. I’d like to see a spot like that be given to a newer guy in the future. Dolph Ziggler has got to be right on the brink of getting a big chance in the main-event. That guy is too good not to find a home as a main-event player. On Raw, he would seemingly be a guy that Triple H could handpick to help him with his “Punk problem.” By the way, if Trips plans on rebuilding the tag team division, I hope he also rebuilds the IC and US title divisions while he’s at it. Those belts have meant so little for so long that I’ve almost forgotten what it was like when they meant something. It’s literally been 13 years and counting since the IC title was the focal point of a Big 4 PPV headlining match (Trips-Rock Summerslam). That’s one of those little things that is completely illogical that would drive me nuts if I allowed it. Part of the reason the WWE seems to want to hotshot guys into the main-event to test their skills has got to be because they can’t accurately see what a guy brings to the table in the mid-card anymore…and that little problem comes from ignoring the mid-card and its titles and excluding them from mic time. One of the reasons why Cody Rhodes ought to seamlessly transition into the main-event in the not-too-distant future is the amount of time that they’ve given his character on SD in the last 18 months. He has been allowed to introduce a new character, evolve it, and excel at it….all while he’s been in the mid-card. I’m glad they’ve got the IC title on him because I actually think he’s poised to elevate it to its highest point since Rey Mysterio held it in 2009. This Sunday, I’ll also have my eye on two guys that need to have big performances, regardless of the results: Alberto Del Rio and Mark Henry. John Cena and Randy Orton, respectively, are two of the top three wrestlers in the WWE right now and if ADR and Henry cannot manage the stuff expected of main-event stars on a PPV devoid of many other top matches that could steal their time, then it will cool the momentum of their pushes. I love watching guys in their positions attempt to up their games. I’ve seen Henry fall flat before and I’m hoping he won’t do it again. There are plenty of young guys eager to take that spot. Orton has been on quite a roll and if he can pull a 3-star or better effort out of Henry, then I’d move him clearly ahead of Punk on the Wrestler of the Year list. It has been a pleasure to watch Orton this year. He’s got his work cut out for him. Meanwhile, I’m curious to see how they’ll book Del Rio. I think he’s going to win, but in what fashion intrigues me. A strong win via tap out wouldn’t make sense, so I assume we’ll get something fishy to set-up Hell in a Cell. All the other title matches are TV matches masquerading as PPV matches thanks to the WWE’s lack of emphasis on the mid-card. Awesome Truth is interesting, but Air Boom is not. So, I don’t really care about the tag match. The IC and US title matches could be good matches, but I’m not expecting inspired efforts. I couldn’t care less about the diva match. It’s all going to, thus, come down to the top three matches delivering. I plan on watching this event, so that should tell you that I expect all three to deliver. I’m going to enjoy some wrestling this Sunday. Are you? Feel free to share some thoughts on Night of Champions, whether or not you care about ratings, and if you think the Punk stuff is “too insider”… Also, there’s still a chance to vote for you top 10 for the Wrestling Media Poll. Orton’s looking like he might catch Punk, thus far. Voting is open until 11:59PM Monday.
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