I have had enough Edition

No banners today. No greeting. I am stepping right into my thoughts last night on the Royal Rumble. Or more like my thoughts on the people bitching about the Royal Rumble.

I understand having your favorite superstar and getting upset over him not winning a big match like the Royal Rumble but come on people. #CancelWWENetwork was trending last night on Twitter for hours because people are belly aching.

And it all seems to stem from the fact that Daniel Bryan didn't win last night. There are reports that Mr. McMahon was asked to put him in the main event of Wrestlemania 31 and he said no. GOOD! I like Daniel Bryan. I do. But you know what? Storylines were re-written for him last year. He has had his Wrestlemania moment.

It is a shame he got injured last year. But injuries are a part of professional wrestling. We all know it. There is not a single wrestler who has never had to take time off due to an injury.

It just bothers me that so called fans have done nothing but bitch and moan. Maybe Roman Reigns isn't the best on microphone. I personally don't think Randy Orton is, but no one seems to mind his long boring promos. Reigns is good. But he is green. I admit that. But there is no way better to learn then trial by fire.

How many times in the last few months have we seen Cena vs Rollins in one form or another? Usos vs Miz/Mizdow? How many times over the past few years have we had Cena vs Orton? The number one complaint I have heard is they aren't pushing anyone new. Guess what? They are pushing someone new. And still people complain.

Here's the other thing to consider. Daniel Bryan went out early in the Rumble. What if he was the last one eliminated? Would that have stopped people from complaining? I think it personally would have made it worse.

Daniel Bryan will be just fine at Wrestlemania. He will not get left off the card. Sure, it's not the confetti falling from the roof moment people want. You want that? Watch Wrestlemania XXX when he overcame every odds stacked against him. Like he was some kind of super hero.... like John Cena. But we boo Cena when he does it.

I think Mark Henry put it best.... Y'all a bunch of puppets.

37

The CM Punk Edition

That's right. I am back! After a long hiatus, I decided to once again revive my blogs. Once again I want to give a shout out to my business partners at Club Kayfabe Podcast

A lot has happened in the world of professional wrestling. We have seen the Wyatt Family raise up very quickly. We have seen both the longest reigning Diva's Champion and United States Champion. We have seen the founding of the Authority and crowned a unified champion for the first time since 2001. We have seen the rise of the Yes Movement. We saw the return of the Animal, Batista. Oh. Yeah, there is the little thing of the debut of WWE Network as well. But that's a topic for another day. On the other side (TNA) we have seen a new investor and the dismantling of Aces and 8's. But there is only one thing that could bring me back to the world of blogging. You know what it is. I will give you a hint. It's Blogging Time!

The day after the Royal Rumble this year, CM Punk "took his ball and went home". He showed up at Raw like he was supposed to, but then decided that he had enough. He told Vince McMahon that he was going home. We haven't seen him since. It took a week, but they removed him from the "Then, Now, Forever" intro video and from the Raw and Smackdown opening videos as well. He has been removed from any scheduled appearances for house shows or TV tapings as well. But as of right now, he is still listed under the superstars section of the app and also the website. His merch is still at regular price on the website as well. In fact, his name is the second name on the list. I take that as his is the second most popular superstar behind some guy named John Cena

So what are my thoughts on this? People that know me as a wrestling fan know I am a big CM Punk fan. Even when he was a heel, I cheered for him. But I think that what he has done is wrong. I can understand his frustration. Rumor (and of course, that is all it is since he has been silent on Twitter since then) is that he is not happy with his place in the WrestleMania card. Understandable, I guess. Everyone wants the top spot. If you don't want to headline WrestleMania XXX, you are probably in the wrong business. Hell, I want to main event 'Mania and I am not even in the business. His contract is up in June which is why they are holding the 2nd annual Pay Per View Payback in his hometown. He was rumored to be facing Triple H at WrestleMania. Is that a bad match to have? I don't think so. But again, this is coming from a fan's perspective and not that of a performer.

I also heard one of his biggest issues was the fact that Batista won the Royal Rumble and will go on to Main Event WrestleMania this year. And with that, I agree with Punk. This will be the 3rd year in a row a part timer will be in the main event, the last two being the Rock. From his POV, I completely agree with it. WrestleMania is the biggest event of the year. This time the spotlight has been given to a man that has been away from the business for years now. A man that had bashed the business decision to go to a PG rating. Yet, given a huge payday he is okay with it now? Batista just is the wrong choice to have won the Royal Rumble from the fans views. I am not going to say who should be in. That is a matter of everyone's opinion. But I think most people will agree that it should be a full timer. Someone that has busted their butts over the last 365 days to put on the best show that they can for roughly 280-320 days out of the year. I have met Batista. Let's just say I lost a lot of respect for him when I met him days before his WrestleMania XXIV match versus Umaga. Many would say he doesn't respect the business that made him famous. Would he be in movies with Russell Crowe or the new Marvel Guardians Of The Galaxy movie if it wasn't for his time in the WWE? I think it's safe to say that he would not be. The night he won the Royal Rumble, how did he celebrate? By mocking fans and flipping them off. Considering he is supposed to be a face, that doesn't exactly sound like someone I want to give a major push to.

So while I can understand why he did it, I still don't think it was a wise decision. Is this the first time a superstar "took his ball and went home"? No. Just ask Stone Cold Steve Austin. But it still doesn't make it right. He turned his back on his fans. Fans that chant for him on a nightly basis when he is not there. Fans that show up in arenas wearing their CM Punk shirts or holding a CM Punk sign (Or a Phil Brooks sign either). I hope that we see Punk one day and he explains why. His fans at least deserve that.

WWE finally capitalized on the moment. Unfortunately it didn't air on TV, but it did on the APP. In the middle of the Dean Ambrose Versus Mark Henry match, the fans chanted for Punk. Seth Rollins grabbed the microphone and said "CM who? That's Dean Ambrose right there, that's the United States champion! That's the man you all wish you could be, and that's the man all your ladies want to be with tonight!" At one point this video was available on the WWE website, but when I went to post a link to it now it says I don't have access to the video. Take that however way you would like to.

I guess time will tell if this was all staged. I hope that it was, but I have a feeling that this was the actions of a man fed up with the business

Special thanks as always to my wonderful amazing fiancée/Editor for all her work on my blogs

#26

Step Up Edition

Welcome to another edition of Inside The Wrestling Ring. As always, head over to our partner Clubkayfabe's podcast as well.

Of course the biggest news coming out of Raw this week is that John Cena is indeed not a super-man. Cena had surgery to repair a torn tricep, keeping him out of action for 4-6 months. My thoughts about Cena are well known. As a performer, he is the best on microphone (right now) but as a wrestler, to me, he leaves a lot to be desired. But no one has given more to the world of wrestling than he has. From his charity work to his promotions for the company, no one does more. And for that he will be missed over that time.

It would take the average person four to six months to recover from the surgery that he had, but let's face it. Cena is not normal. Back in 2007 he was injured in October and was supposed to miss about six months of action. Instead he appeared in the Royal Rumble of 2008 and won it. All I am trying to say is I would be surprised if he takes the full four to six months to recover from this injury as well.

With both John Cena and Sheamus out, there need to be some wrestlers who step up in the absence. So I thought I would take this opportunity to list who I think should step up and why.

Daniel Bryan is, of course, on top of that list. He is already on the verge (once again) of being that top tier main event status. He has the crowd behind him and is a great mat-based wrestler. Plus, while I would never consider him an aerial wrestler, he does fly a little bit.

Dolph Ziggler has now been on the cusp of being a main eventer twice in the last few years and this is a perfect time for him to shine. We know he is athletic and takes crazy bumps. He has everything it takes to be a main eventer with the company for years to come, plus the fans are behind him as well. With the three-on-one match he had on Raw this past week, I think it's safe to say he will be looked at to help carry the load in Cena's absence.

Another person who had a three-on-one match this week is Big Show. He has the experience of being a main eventer. He is just returning from injury himself, so I think that helps him as well.

There are two other guys that have been on the verge of main eventing before that I think can fill in for Cena as well. Cody Rhodes and Kofi Kingston are both capable of great matches with practically anyone on the roster. I have been a fan of both of them pretty much since their debuts, so this would be the chance if the WWE wanted to push them to do so. Rhodes is in a feud right now with Damien Sandow but Kofi hasn't done anything since his return. I would love to see him step up against Ryback for injuring him. Both Kingston and Rhodes are young guys with a lot of future ahead of them.

I would include Christian and Rob Van Dam in this, however, both would be temporary fixes. Both are getting up there in age (as is Big Show, I know). They are both talented wrestlers who have been around the business for decades and could help teach the younger guys a thing or two.

Maybe throw in an NXT guy or two like Adrian Neville or Kassius Ohno. I also would like to see Xavier Woods called up. He may not have experience in the WWE, but he was almost a main eventer at TNA for awhile and has plenty to offer the WWE as well.

You hate to see any injury, regardless of your feeling for any superstar or diva. Hopefully it gives guys a chance to "reach for that brass ring" and climb the ladder that they would not normally get a chance to do.

Special thanks to my wonderful editor who also doubles as my lovely fiancée!