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!

The Curtis Axel Booking

I admit it. I'm a huge Mr. Perfect fan. Always have been. And I guess because of that I have always enjoyed Michael Mcgillicutty. Now he is Curtis Axel. Still a fan. I legit marked out when he was announced as the next Paul Heyman guy. He has a great lineage in the business. He is so respected backstage that when The Rock wanted to get into wrestling shape, he turned to Axel. That says something!

And yet he is being booked horribly. Again. Let's take a look at his matches so far. He beat Triple H technically when he couldn't finish a match. Plus whatever that was on this week's episode of Raw with Vince ending the match before it began. He has two count out victories over John Cena. He beat Chris Jericho because Heyman distracted him with CM Punk's music. Oh, and he has two clean victories over Sin Cara. Yes, he is undefeated. Technically. But if he is to be pushed to main event status, he needs to win. Cleanly. Heel or not. Paul Heyman guy or not. He deserves better.

Ever since the days of Stone Cold Steve Austin there have been a few superstars who walk the fine line between a face and a heel. Randy Orton is a perfect example. He doesn't smile. And that's fine. But there are two people who take being a tweener to a new level. I'm referring to Triple H and one of his protégés Sheamus. For example whenever something doesn't go Sheamus's way, what does he do? Like when he lost to Mark Henry in arm wrestling he sucker punched him, followed by a Brogue Kick. He even Brogue Kicked Damien Sandow's computer cause he couldn't beat a chess challenge. And where did he learn this behavior? Triple H! He kicked Wade Barrett in the junk for no reason a few months ago. And Paul Heyman has gotten his share of pedigrees in the last few months. He is a manager, never really been a competitor of any level. Let's not forget whenever things go bad for Hunter, what does he do? He gets his sledge hammer. That's not very face-y now is it?

I am glad to see that the WWE didn't rush to judgment when it came to Dolph Ziggler's concussion. A lot of wrestling fans were calling for him to be stripped of the World Title due to injury. Instead they gave him all the time he needs to heal up. It was the right decision to make. Now if it lasts another month, that's a different story. Hopefully he will be at full strength for Payback.

Kurt Angle was the second inductee to the TNA hall of fame. While I think it should have been Jeff Jarrett, I accept Angle. I just find humor that both inductees are still active. And that's why Jarrett makes more sense. Though there are more rumblings that Sting is all but done in TNA. He continues to talk to the media about performing at Wrestlemania against the Undertaker. That can't rub anyone in the front office too well. I know if I was Dixie Carter I'd tell him to only talk about their organization if he wants to be a part of it.