The Wednesday Wrestling Week That Was 09.12.12: Issue #2

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-The story of the week happened during this week’s Monday Night Raw. WWE Hall-of-Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler collapsed whilst commentating a match, shortly after having competed in one himself. King received immediate medical attention and was taken to the back and given CPR. Word later broke that King had suffered a heart attack, and was taken to a local hospital in Montreal.

As I write this, Jerry’s condition has stabilized, he is breathing on his own and his heart is beating on its own. He is far from out of the woods yet, but this is good news all the same. Lawler’s girlfriend is currently flying to Montreal to be with him, and his ex-wife, Stacy “The Kat” Carter, updated everyone on Twitter –

“He had a stint and balloon put in. Right now he is still heavily sedated. Will update when I know more.”

WWE also posted this update –

LATEST UPDATE: 9/11/12, 12:20 p.m.

As of this morning, Jerry “The King” Lawler is in a cardiac care unit and all his vital signs are stable. WWE will provide additional information as it becomes available. We continue to wish Jerry all the best for a full recovery.

Jerry Lawler is a true legend in the world of wrestling, and a bona fide hall-of-famer. The man was a key architect in creating what we know as professional wrestling today, and was later a member of one of the greatest commentary teams of all time, pairing with Jim Ross through the attitude era. Whilst this may have been the last time we see The King compete in the ring, the man is only 62, and hopefully has a good few years of life left in him yet. I can only hope that he continues to recover, and I’m sure everyone reading wishes the same. Get well soon, King.

– WWE are still planning to build a WrestleMania match between Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara, as they intended to do this year before injuries struck. The company is still obsessed with some silly world record about the number of masks worn in a public gathering. Another pointless statistic to hype, go team Vince.

So far so boring, but what piqued my interest is the rumor that Rey may play the heel going into the match. Rey Mysterio has almost never been a heel during his career, so the possibility is intriguing. Think of all the crying children! Think of all the money WWE would lose when the kids stop buying Rey merchandise!…… Hmmm. Suddenly this seems a lot less likely.

Still, if it does happen, it could be pretty awesome.

– News broke last week that Christian was being kept off TV until WWE’s little talent-swap deal with TNA was over. Turns out it was untrue (Unresearched news on the internet? What have we become?) and that Christian asked for some time off as he was not involved in any storylines and he needed more time to rest his injured ankle.

WWE is apparently looking to have Captain Charisma feud with Antonio Cesaro upon his return. Whilst I and many others would love to see another world title reign for Christian, of decent length this time, it doesn’t seem particularly likely. Vince has clearly never seen Christian in the same light as his old partner Edge, and his two very brief title runs last year seemed more like a thank you for years of hard work than anything else. A shame, but there you go.

Still, a Christian/Cesaro feud should have some good matches, even if it’s pretty obvious who is going over in the end.

– TNA No Surrender was pretty good, apparently! Jeff Hardy won the BFG series. Not who I would have picked – I mean, he would have literally been my last choice of the four – but I’m still interested in seeing where they go with it.

– Triple H has shaved his hair off. Copying Undertaker, are we?

– WWE officials have been getting annoyed over the number of DUI arrests involving their talent down in Tampa. Apparently, the company is considering moving its developmental system to Stamford, Connecticut, due it to it being less of a “party city”, hoping that their employees will have less opportunity to get themselves into trouble.

This is ridiculous. Are the wrestlers employed by WWE children? Obviously not, and as such, they should be able to show a little willpower and not do stupid things that will get them fired. If someone is weak enough to be so influenced by their surroundings that they end up drink driving, then allowances shouldn’t be made for them. Drink driving is NEVER okay, and “living in a party city” is no excuse. WWE should not be making allowances for the talent that make fools of themselves, they should be rewarding the ones that don’t.

But enough of me ranting. What does CM Punk think?

Exactly.

– Vince O’ Mac and Triple H have can’t agree on the future direction of Trips’ character. McMahon wants to keep Hunter a babyface, whilst The Game thinks he would be more effective as a heel at this point. Seeing as we have seen both types of Triple H many, many times by now, I don’t find either particularly appealing. What I DO want to see is a Triple H/Puppet H tag-team. That right there is a moneymaker. You’re welcome, WWE.

– In other “I want to be a heel please Vince” news, Randy Orton still wants to work as a bad guy. WWE are not yet comfortable with Sheamus carrying Smackdown as the top face, which is why Orton is still kissing babies and slapping fives. He will turn eventually, I have no doubt, but it may be a little while yet.

Especially seeing as talk this week implied that Dolph Ziggler may cash in his title shot around the time Orton returns from filming whatever crap movie he is going to be in, with the two feuding for the belt. The two can clearly have great matches, and with Orton’s recent indiscretions probably souring the higher-ups view on him a bit, it’s even slightly possible that Ziggles might come out on top! Slightly possible. Very slightly.

– The WWE Network may or may not be on hold, depending on what you last read. Who knows. All I know is it probably isn’t making them much money right about now. For some reason, I always read “WWE Network” as “XFL”. Maybe I need my eyes checked.

– After twelve days of limited release, WWE Studios’ The Day only made $19,222. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

– Matt Hardy is going to be a part of the Ring of Honor iPPV this Saturday. The company apparently has a major program set for him. This doesn’t fill me with confidence for the future of RoH.

– As reported last week, Devon has left TNA and shown interest in returning to WWE. Were he to return, Devon would probably be working as an agent or a trainer in developmental. The omniscient, omnipresent ruler of all, Hulk Hogan, commented on Devon’s departure on Twitter, when asked if he would like Devon to return –

“I’m all over it. Devon is to valuable to ever let him slip away, huge screw up on somebody’s part. HH.”

The feeling seems to be widely held, and many in the company are surprised that Devon was not resigned. With all the hard work he had done with younger talent, Devon was considered one of the most well liked people in the TNA locker room.

Meanwhile, Bully Ray has signed a new deal with TNA, believed to be for two years. This marks the first time since 1996 that Ray and Devon have not been signed to the same company. I’d say this is the right choice for Ray, as he has been on possibly the best run of his career the last couple of years, and would probably not be in the same position were he to return to WWE.

– Batista recently said in an interview that he doesn’t consider his MMA career to be a long-term move (hey, me neither!) and that he is likely to return to WWE once the “PG stuff blows over.” Something tells me Big Dave might fold before the PG stuff does.

– Wade Barrett returned to Smackdown this week, this time sporting a nifty beard and slighty-less-crap entrance music. Being a fellow English person from England, I’m a fan of the guy. Following his promo vids, Barrett seems to playing up his bareknuckle-fighter background, incorporating more strikes into his ring-style. He also debuted what may be a new finisher on Yoshi Tatsu, and man, it looked BRUTAL. There is no way this didn’t hurt –

Whatever your opinion, it’s still better than “official worst finisher of all time” Wasteland.

– In what may have to become a recurring feature, The Rock once again proves he is a huge badass –

On set. FAST 6. Take 1: Rock throws man into table so hard entire ceiling crashes down. #MyBad pic.twitter.com/XAjkHXTf

– Initial plans for Kane and DAT MAH BOY D-BRY going into Night of Champions was to the have two face off in another singles match. WWE officials are reportedly impressed with the chemistry between the two and instead made them the number 1 contenders for the tag belts. The old trope of a team that doesn’t get along may have been done many times before, but when it works, it’s pretty entertaining.

– And to finish, Daniel Bryan continues to be my favorite current wrestler –

Raw was on! I watched it!

Bret Hart!

Man, dem Canadian types sure do love Bret Hart. And rightly so, man is a legend. He does seem to look ten years older every time I see him, however.

CM Punk!

Well, that’s one way to get a heel reaction – put someone up against Bret Hart in Canada. Remember when Punk wore Bret’s colors at Summerslam last month and they had a little respect-fest on Twitter? I guess things deteriorated pretty quick.

I’m not really sure what the point of Punk coming out here was. He didn’t really have anything to say, and it felt kinda forced to have him do heel stuff (interrupt the home-town hero) just because.

Kofi and Truth vs. Miz and Cesaro

Sheamus and Otunga do some law stuff.

Man, WWE is all over the pre-taped comedy segments these last few weeks huh? This one did crack me up a bit, especially the “Lipschitz” line. Say what you will about Sheamus, he’s a funny guy.

Pick Punk’s Poison!

YOU, the WWE Universe, can choose between a comedy midcarder, an announcer, or Randy Orton! This is how you rig a public vote, huh.

some divas against some other divas

Punk vs. Orton

oh hey Orton won the vote what a surprise

Note that as soon as he isn’t up against Bret Hart, CM Punk starts getting chants from the crowd. Go heel turn!

A good match between these two, to be expected I suppose. A shame it had end in a DQ, but it makes sense considering…..

Punk Ziggler vs. Randy “The King” Lawler

Again, good stuff whilst it lasted. I loved Punk and Heyman having a conversation, totally oblivious to Vickie losing her shit next to them. Ziggler eats ANOTHER loss, but at least this one isn’t totally his fault.

Ryback vs. Heath Slater

Two former Nexus members face off! The backstory! The history! The storyli- oh, it’s over?

Which brings us to –

No.

The Prime Time Playas vs. Daniel Bryan and Kane

A “Oui, Oui, Oui” chant from Montreal. Good stuff.

I figured that Bryan and Kane not getting along would lead to the PTPs picking up the sneaky win, but shows what I know! Whilst the selfish D-Bry mark in me hopes he makes his way back to the world title picture soon, this program has been entertaining in a really weird way.

Tyson Kidd vs. Alberto Del Rio.

Hey, remember that time Tyson Kidd won on Raw?

Sheamus vs. Doh’tunga.

More Daniel Bryan/Kane backstage stuff

Holy crap, this team NEEDS to be called “Team Friendship.” Fantastic.

Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio

Cheers for Cody when he dropped Miz! I always like these little 10-second face turns, for some reason.

I’m guessing this leads to a triple threat at Night of Champions?

A big-ass Cena/Punk/Bret promo

Heh, haven’t heard the “you can’t wrestle” chants in a while.

CM PUNK IS BETTER THAN EVERYONE and manages to build feuds with Cena, Rock and Austin at the same time. Smart.

Cena verbally lays into Punk. Ouch.

This was a fantastic promo, and a great go-home segment for Night of Champions. Punk and Cena really do bring out the best in each other, both in wrestling and promo work. It proves that when Cena is serious, he becomes a much more compelling character, and Punk is finally starting to fit into his new heel role. Really good stuff.

BONUS SEGMENT! Let’s do some Night of Champions predictions.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Randy Orton

Normally, Randy Orton on PPV means Randy Orton wins on PPV. However, the fact he is leaving soon to film a movie, as well as the fact that Ziggler is going to be cashing-in before long, makes me think that Ziggles will be the one going over here. Ziggler wins via shenanigans.

Layla vs. Kaitlyn – Divas Championship match
It’s like the tagline of the AvP movie. Whoever wins, we lose. ahahahahahaha

Kofi and Truth vs. Daniel Bryan and Kane – Tag Team Championship match

Kofi and Truth have had a long, uneventful run, and the story potential of having Kane and D-Bry as champions is vast and hilarious. Daniel Bryan and Kane win.

Antonio Cesaro vs. someone – US Championship match

Good job on building all the matches on the card, guys. Anyway, Cesaro wins.

The Miz vs. someone – Intercontinental Championship match

………….Good job on building all the matches on the card, guys. I’m assuming this will be a triple threat between Miz, Cody Rhodes and Mysterio. In which case, I’m not sure. Miz retaining is the smart money, but I can also see Cody getting the belt back after floundering for a few months. Lets go with that. Cody wins.

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio – World Heavyweight Championship match

Sheamus wins. Can this be done now?

CM Punk vs. John Cena – WWE Championship match

Hmmm. There are two ways this could go. It seems clear that we are building up to both a Punk vs. Rock bout as well as a Cena vs. Rock rematch. Punk could hold the title until the Rumble and lose it to the Rock there, leading to Cena/Rock 2 at Wrestlemania. Or, Cena wins, loses to the Rock at the Rumble, and Punk/Rock is the Wrestlemania match. The first seems more likely to me. Also, it makes no sense to derail Punk’s momentum so shortly after he has turned heel. Seeing as Heyman’s relationship with Punk has yet to be fully explained, expect him to have some effect on the outcome. Punk wins.

Some great replies to last week’s question – Who is your favorite wrestler, and why? To start things off, here’s Das be Cannonite –

To answer the question who is my favorite wrestler I’d have to go with Bret Hart. His ring work and more importantly honor and never say die attitude is something that I greatly miss. Bret’s legacy should be the original Hart Foundation, his feud with his brother Owen, putting on show stealing matches with Mr. Perfect and Steve Austin, unfortunately so many look at his legacy as Montreal and the concussion. Doing that is to deny what was a hall of fame career before the three incidents that rocked Bret Hart’s career. Bret gave the WWE a sense of honor, and influenced many wrestlers that are still active to this day.

Agreed. Bret Hart is one of my favorites also, but so is Shawn Michaels – is that allowed? The recent “Greatest Rivalries” DVD of the two is a fantastic watch, lending some closure to the long Montreal fallout.

TNT_Brian –

As far as wrestlers go, my favorite is Chris Jericho. He really knows his craft, he regularly evolves his character and moveset and can really work a crowd. Honorable mentions for Kurt Angle before he went crazy and Bret Hart

Yep. As I said last week, Jericho, Savage and Michaels are always pretty much tied for the spot of my overall favorite. This is still pretty much my favorite promo ever –

ARMBAR

And of course, the sequel.

Jcvme –

Superstar Billy Graham, so much charisma. I didn’t realize at the time how great he was during his initial wwwf runs. His later nwa and wwf stints were depressing.

Andre the Midget wins the best comment award –

I have a tie for my favorite wrestler. It’s a toss up between Melina and Alicia Fox.

Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I’ve been drinking.

Har. I see what you did thar.

Ok, for this week, let’s keep it simple and on the same theme again. Who is your favorite CURRENT wrestler, and why?

As I already mentioned, for me it’s Daniel Bryan. Someone on the internet likes Daniel Bryan! Original, I know. Seeing Bryan rise through the indies to finally make it to WWE was awesome enough. Seeing him develop a boat-load of charisma and become arguably the most over wrestler in the company right now was even better. Everything Daniel Bryan touches right now turns to gold, even his current program with Kane, which would have been a train wreck with most anyone else, is actually pretty entertaining.

So yeah, who is your favorite CURRENT wrestler, and why? Let me know people.

And thus marks the end of this, the second edition of The Wednesday Wrestling Week That Was. As always, if you enjoyed it, leave a comment, if not, leave a comment.