Ugh

Had an assignment in my sports writing class today where we had to pick an iconic sports photo and discuss the situation surrounding the photo. I chose this:

I still think it was a work. (credit: WWE)

It was really cool getting to lay a little knowledge on my classmates about the Montreal Screwjob, especially because to talk about the Screwjob, you have to give a little background on that feud and a little bit on the sport. What wasn’t so cool was the reaction I got immediately after I pulled up the photo.

“That’s not even a real sport. That’s fake.”

Ugh.

The girl who said that, you know what sport she picked? Running. I’m just gonna throw this out there. Catch it if you want.

With all the performance enhancing drugs in THAT sport these days, one could make an argument that her favorite sport is fake too. At least mine requires more than bitchin’ cardio.

Interview with My Cousin Jason

Jason's FCW promo photo as Aiden Frost. (credit: WWE)

My cousin Jason wrestled with the WWE off and on for about 7 years. He and his brother John worked as a tag team and as singles wrestlers in the OVW and FCW developmental territories.

Jason wrestled in his most recent run as Aiden Frost while John wrestled as Dylan Klein, a character that got pretty over in FCW. I’ll post matches and promos from each at the end of this interview.

Both made it close to the big time a handful of times, but neither was able to stick on the main roster past a squash match or two. In this interview with Jason, he talks about some of those times they almost got called up, a couple of those squash matches, and even mentions some of the guys he liked and didn’t like during his time in FCW.

It’s a pretty good read. I’ll go ahead and tell you, we just talked over Facebook, so there are definitely some grammar and spelling errors. I wanted to leave as much as I could the same so you guys could really get his voice.

John's FCW promo photo as Dylan Klein. (credit: WWE)

Before we get to the interview though, I want to ask you guys to do something for me. Jason is retired from wrestling now, and he’s got a new graphic and video game design company he’s trying to launch called Evil Tree Studios.

He’s already working on an iPhone game that will launch soon, and he’s had some discussions with Sony about doing some work for the Playstation Network.

He’s really starting to make his mark there like he did in wrestling, but he’d like for you all to go like the Evil Tree Studios Facebook page and get familiar with his work.

As a favor to me or simply as a thank you to him for taking the time out to talk to me about this stuff for all your enjoyment, you should do that. I mean, it’s the least we can do, right? Plus, I’ve already liked it, and I know you want to be cool like me.

For those of you who want to go directly to the page, here is the link. Evil Tree Studios

Now, onto the interview:

Me: Let’s start with the first thing. Obviously WWE contacts you, offers a contract, etc…but how do they get you set up in developmental exactly?

Jason: Pretty much anyone who is contracted now a days, unless they are already known like Booker T for example, are ALL sent down to developmental. They set you up with a moving bonus which varies from person to person and they move you down to their current dev. territory. For example John and I got like 2,500 each to move to FL when we were FCW and the to go to Louisville when we were with OVW. You pretty much find your own housing, transportation, ETC. Anything more specific as far as that topic goes, because that is the general with out to much detail.

Me: Nah. I just basically wanted to know how they got you set up at their various territories. What do you do once you get there? Like, do they throw you straight into the ring? Or do you do actual training once you get there?

Jason: That depends. For John and I, yes, for a lot of people, no. For us, we had a two week try out on the road, which The Undertaker got for us. We were welcomed and helped in by the guys that everyone was afraid of i.e. Bob Holly, Kurt Angle, Taker, The Dudley’s (in TNA). All guys who had reputations of stretching the young talent John and I got a long with. I think it was because John and I beat the shit out of each other when we tried out every time.

So any way back to what I was saying. We had a two week tryout on the road with all of the guys. This is the second time we were signed, and we did awesome. I did a few job matches on TV and John and myself wrestled every single day we were there. It was cool because after the first day Viscera/Big Daddy V came to us after, I think it was RAW, and told us that he could tell we weren’t “just some typical indie guys.” And then at the end of our tryout Ric Flair came up to us and said “part of the family now boys.” That kind of turned me into a fan boy lol.

Me: Holy shit. Do you realize what I would have done in your position? If Undertaker got me a tryout and Flair welcomed me into the family? I probably would have shit my pants right then and there. How did that respect feel?

Jason: lol hahaha, it was an awesome feeling. It wasnt even two days after our tryout we flew ourselves down to FCW for another tryout. John and I delivered, and I have never in my life received such praise and excitement from legends like Steamboat, Double A Arn Anderson and Pat Patterson. Long story short, we killed the second try out at FCW, but that is also where I blew out my knew, which lead to my retirement

Me: Ouch.

Jason: I had like a 90 percent tear or rupture of the patella tendon.

Me: Good lord. How did you do that?

Jason: It was the second day of the tryout, day 2 of 5. A guy who had his first shot with WWE was nervous and made a mistake that pretty much ended my wrestling career. My knee cap was literally on the side of my leg. But I still got signed and got paid by WWE for almost a year even though I was injured.

Me: That sucks, man. To hear your mom talk about it, it was a big dream for you. What was it like to have it all taken away?

Jason: During our time with FCW, that’s when John flourished. His Dylan Klien character stood head and shoulders above EVERYONE there. There is a LOT of politics involved with WWE and I don’t politic. That’s the same reason we never made it to the roster the first time we got signed. So by the time I had my knee injury, I was over it honestly. Like I always say, I love pro wrestling, but I hate sports entertainment. But yeah, when we got down there John and I were put right in the ring and right into shows, others it took them a while.

Me: Yeah, the dirtsheets always talk about politics and who plays the game the most, but I guess I never really figured it made its way all the way down to FCW. How did politics hold you guys back? From the way I understand it, John almost got the call to be in Nexus. Well, for the first season of NXT…which eventually led to Nexus, that is.

Jason: You gotta remember John and I earned our spot at WWE. We were working on the indie scene for 5 years before even getting signed the first time in 2004.

As for the politics, yeah if John didn’t quit WWE he would have been a big part of the Nexus. The office LOVED John’s Dylan Klein character. They BEGGED him to stay, even upped his contract 2 or 3 times.

An example of the politics: the second time I got signed I killed it with a Boondock Saints rip off character.
The office, everyone loved it. It’s the reason I got resigned. It wasn’t Dusty’s [Rhodes, FCW booker] idea, so he began to sabotage me.

But when I got down to FCW, first he told me that the office didn’t like the idea whenever Johnny Ace told me he loved it and it was the reason I got resigned. He told me I looked too much like Orton, which at the time I looked nothing like him because he still had hair. So first Dusty took away my entrance attire, then
he took me from short tights like the old ones AJ Styles used to wear and put me in trucks like Orton wears. Then he took away my kickpads and put me in black boots like Orton wears. Then he made me grow my hair out. After that I looked like a complete Randy Orton wannabe which killed what the writers were wanting out of me. Not only that, but I was injured and couldn’t do anything in the ring.

Jason's knee before the surgery. Notice his kneecap off to the right of his knee, left side of the photo.

But I tried to make a comeback regardless of the injury. My scheduled return to sport time was 16 months; I forced myself to come back at 8 and a half to 9 months. But because I wasnt progressing as fast as they thought I should with the rehab, I got talked to. Dr. Tom Prichard pulled me in the office — and I put none of this on Doc because he was awesome — but I got pulled into the office and Doc asked me about my knee and how I was struggling and how he knew I was trying really hard. And he asked me how I was doing. At this point, I was already sick of Dusty, the politics, and the BS. And I straight up asked him, “Do you want the P.C. answer or do you want the truth? Because the PC answer is ‘I’m awesome and ready to go!'”

Me: Please tell me he asked for the truth and you gave it to him.

Jason: And he replied with, “No I want the truth. What’s going on? Are you OK? How are you feeling?” and I replied, “Honestly, I don’t know I don’t even know if I want it anymore.”

I could barely move without being in pain at the time. And I had to have help from the trainer before and after every single match I had. WWE was literally crippling me.

The very next day, we weren’t even done with practice yet, I got a call from Ty Bailey telling me I was let go. “But he said the door is open for the future and I have all of the tools of a main event superstar.” It was that very second I retired from pro wrestling, and I havent set foot in a ring since.

Me: So you’ll never go back? Even though you’re all healed up?

Jason:If I wanted to, I could probably have squeezed another 10 years out of my body and have a tryout tomorrow if I really tried, but at what cost? I hurt every single day I get up, and my knee has never been the same. I think I have pics of my knee before and after the surgery on my FB.

Jason's knee not long after his surgery, complete with several staples.

Me: I’ll have to check that out. Sounds awful.

Jason: I still get the bug to go back all the time, and I still watch my boys who are still on TV. But I’m 32 years old, and I refuse to turn out like the Iron Sheik or Mickey Rourke’s character in The Wrestler.

Me: At least the Iron Sheik tweets funny shit all the time.

Jason: I look at it like this, I set out to accomplish a goal and I did it. Twice. I worked for the top companies in the world in pro wrestling, and John and I were undefeated in TNA lol. Not that it matters lol.

Me: Okay, two more questions, then I promise I’ll let you go get food. Although the third one is a three part one.

1) Was there ever a time besides the NXT deal where you or John were close to coming up to the main roster? And if so, why didn’t it pan out?

Jason: Shoot I’m having fun talkin about it.

Many times. John and I were supposed to be part of the Spirit Squad but our egos messed it up for us lol. We were like, “Cheerleaders. F that.” lol.

Me: That would have been so awesome. I loved the Spirit Squad.

Jason: We were also supposed to be in the spot where Hawkins and Ryder first got their chance. I was told that by Shad Gaspard.

Me: Lol. Could you imagine John as Zack Ryder now?

Jason: And in TNA, we got there the same time that [Kurt] Angle got there, and we were suppose to be the new Team Angle in TNA. We even did vignettes, the whole nine. Kurt even referred to us as “his students.” But the writers scrapped it because we made Angle look to small lol.

Me: Lol. Nice.

Jason: At Genesis, we had to re-shoot a vignette like 7 times because we dwarfed Angle lol.

Me: Did any of these vignettes ever air? I’ve GOT to find them.

Jason: But Kurt was awesome. Like I said, we got a long with all of the guys with bad reps lol. Go figure lol. The Riggs Brothers were undefeated in TNA lol. Take that goldberg lol.

No nothing we did for TNA ever aired but you can read about our TNA stuff on the net…Or at least you used to.

If John didn’t quit he would prob still be on TV. So yeah those are the only times that I know of that we were close.

Me: That really sucks. That’s been my dream my entire life, but I’ve never had the body or work ethic for it…which totally counts me out. I’m so jealous that you guys got to do that for a living, even if only for a while. And for the record, I would have blown every dime I had on Dylan Klein or Aiden Frost mechandise.
Well, one of my dreams. I have several.

BTW, was it Chris Raaber who blew out your knee?

Jason: lol hahaha Thanks. No, that was when I was trying to come back only a few weeks before I left. If you watch the tape, you can see my left knee was heavily wrapped up.

Me: Yeah, I’m watching that match now. It said it was your debut. [Match at the bottom of this interview.]

Jason: Rabaar sucks…bad but he wasn’t careless lol. Yeah, they did a whole pre production interview with me talking about how I was going to be the next WWE champion. It was crazy. It had video bits with John Cena, Triple H, and HBK in it. It was one of the coolest things that I have ever had made for me. But I dont think its on the net.

Me: The only thing I’ve found of you is this match with Raaber. [I found more. It’s also at the bottom of this interview.]

Jason: It was an FCW Spotlight featuring me as Aiden Frost. The promo they had me cut sucked, but it was still cool. My match with Hacksaw and Kofi is on YouTube, I was wrestling under Jason Riggs though during those. I think one was ECW and one was HEAT.

Me: Bitchin’. I’ll have to pull those up. Might even put them in the blog so people know I’m not making stuff up.

Did you train with Regal at all? Those European uppercuts look awfully familiar.

Jason: lol no lol I just like using different STIFF stikes lol. I felt bad during the Rabaar Match because on my come back, when he ducked the clothesline and I caught him with the left clothesline, I actually broke his nose and gave him a concussion.

Me: Alright, last set of questions. This one’s a big one.

Last bit about FCW. Three parts. 1) Tell me some of the things you hated about FCW and/or WWE. 2) Tell me some of the things you loved about FCW and/or WWE. 3) Who are some of the guys (or gals) who worked there while you were there and are either on the main roster now or you expect to come up soon?

Jason: Ok part one! Things I hated about FCW and WWE: The politics and WWE signing guys who were failed athletes who had absolutely no love for wrestling and just came there for a paycheck, like Titus O’Neal and Jack Swagger. There are a lot more but those are the two I don’t like the most. I don’t know Jack, but he was an arrogant ass who doesn’t deserve to be in that company.

Titus, I remember the first day he got to FCW, he almost broke his neck hitting the ropes. One of the funniest things I have ever seen lol. Titus was also very careless. He almost hurt so many people. I remember when he was wrestling Joe Hennig, a good friend of mine, and he dumped Joe on his head. I though Joe broke his neck.

The things a love about WWE: Number 1 above all else is being in that ring. There is NOTHING like being in front of 8,000…10,000…12,000 people. The most intense feelings I have ever encountered. Second is the people, once you get past all of the pricks. Not saying any names, Amish Roadkill *** Cough Cough***, lol. There are a lot of really good people in WWE.

Last is the experience. Wrestling has taken me all over the place, and I have been places and met people I never would’ve met otherwise. So my time wrestling was a priceless experience.

Part 3 the people: John and I know almost EVERYONE on TV. We first started in UPW with John Cena, Nathan Jones, John Hiedenriech, Frankie Kazarian or Kaz, Samoa Joe. A lot of the main roster now, I remember one time I almost beat CM Punk’s ass in OVW…but then again so did a lot of the guys lol.
But over time Punk became humbled, and the last time I saw him in FCW he was really cool, so I’ll give him that.

Me: What did you almost beat Punk’s ass over?

Jason: He was just trying to put himself over in front of all of the boys when he first got to OVW, and rather than get fired for kicking the shit out of him, I walked outside of the Davis Arena in KY, where he soon followed and asked if we had heat. Then he squashed it, and we have been cool ever since.
But at that time man did I want to kick the crap outta that kid lol.

Me: Lol. You should have. That’d be a kick ass story.

Jason: I know lol. I am still friends and keep in touch with a lot of the guys: Shad Gaspard, Johnny Jeter (Johnny from the Spirit Squad), Nick Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler), Heath Slater, Joe Hennig (Micheal McGillicutty), Justin Angel [Justin Gabriel], Drew McIntire, Stu (Wade Barret), Sheamus, Angela Fong (Savanah). The list goes on and on.

Funny story, when we first started in UPW I wrestled Cena. But at the time I had just got signed by WWE, and I didn’t want to lose my job lol. And the promoter told Cena to stretch me (kick my ass), because we were a little on the cocky side, but Cena felt bad, so he didn’t do it. He told me what he was supposed to do and told me when I come back to the locker room just act like I was hurt or got the crap kicked outta me and seem a little mad. lol.

Me: Seems like he’s a pretty good guy. I think he gets a bad rap on the internet. People hate him. I don’t get it.

Jason: He is a really stand up guy and an awesome person. NEVER, not once, did he ever big league us or treat less when he became who he is. Always remembers us even after years of not speaking to one another. He asks about our family, our mom. He’s a real class act. So no matter how much I don’t like to watch him wrestle lol, he will always have my respect.

Me: That’s what I say. The guy isn’t the best wrestler in the world, but he works his ass off and seems like a decent guy. I won’t root against him for that. Although I’m damn sure rooting for him against The Rock.

Jason: lol hahaha that’s the only thing in Wrestlemania that has my attention at all.

Me: Really? Not even Punk/Cena? That’s got the possibility to be one of the best matches in a decade.

Jason: Yeah, I loved that angle, but WWE dropped the ball on it, in my opinion. They could’ve gotten three or four PPV’s out that angle, but you are right, that was the best angle they have had in a long time.

Me: Jericho is my all time favorite. I love anything he does, and this match with Punk is a dream match on par with the one he did with Michaels at Wrestlemania several years back for me. I’m buying the PPV solely for that match.

Jason: That will be interesting. Can’t really go wrong with Jericho.

Me: Never. Out of curiosity, who are some of your all time favorites?

Jason: Before I got into wrestling, Warrior, LOD, DX, heel Rock (Corperate champ). After I got into wrestling, Triple H (one of my major influences), Benoit, Angle, Regal, Bret and Owen Hart, Micheals, Low Ki (another good friend of mine, when we were with WWE that’s who John and I traveled with), AJ Styles and the Dudleys.

Me: I think it’s crazy we like all the same guys for the most part. But anyway, I’ll let you go get something to eat. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, man. I really appreciate it.

Let me just say that it was really cool to get to pick Jason’s brain for a little bit. I’ve always wanted to do something like that, and the journalist and wrestling fan inside me were screaming like little girls when he agreed to talk to me about wrestling, so a big thanks goes out to him for that.

Here are some videos of Jason and John throughout their careers. Because this interview is with Jason, I grabbed four things of his and only one of John’s.  If you guys would like, I’ll gladly post more of John’s stuff later. Just let me know. Enjoy.

Top 5 Most Likely FCW Callups

No, people, FCW isn’t shutting down. Though that was the rumor floating around all week, I continued to tell my friends who brought it to me that it wouldn’t happen, citing WWE’s inability to run their own developmental territories as my reason. Looks like I was right.

What I was wrong about, however, was WWE dealing directly with their most talented developmental stars. It looks like what they’re actually doing is moving a few select talents — those who are close to being called up — to the new production studio in Stamford, CT to work on the few things they need before coming up. Basically, this will be like the elite training ground, likely headed up by Triple H, although that’s only my speculation and in no way confirmed.

Probably a good plan to have Trips in control, though, since developmental is basically his thing. Rumor has it he has some new plans to help guys get over when they come in, too. Apparently he wants to have several weeks worth of a storyline ready for them on top of a decent gimmick, plus he wants to focus only on one or two new talents at a time rather than 5 or 10 as WWE is known to do. Those don’t seem like bad ideas to me. More power to him.

In any event, here are the 5 guys (alright, 4 guys and a gal) I think will next make the jump to the WWE roster and how I think they’ll work out. Despite the fact that I love Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli, neither of them is on this list. WWE will hold them in developmental for at least another year before they come up. That’s a shame.

Let’s get it started at number five:

5. Raquel Diaz (see, I told you there was a lady on the list)

Don't let her name fool you. (credit: WWE)

Diaz may be her name in FCW, but Guerrero is her name at home. Yes, Guerrero. For those of you who still don’t get it, she’s from THAT Guerrero family. In fact, she’s Eddie’s daughter. That kind of lineage simply doesn’t exist for female wrestlers, at least not that I’ve seen.

What this means is that while, yeah, she’s not bad looking, she’s also basically destined to be one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time. Yeah. I’ll make that prediction right now.

I’ll be straight with you, though. She still needs some work. Despite the fact that she’s the reigning FCW Divas champion and the “Queen of FCW,” she’s still only 21 years old, which means she isn’t ready for a call up just yet, if for no other reason than WWE’s new age policy on incoming talent.

Good news for us is, it will give her time to work on her ring skills. When comparing her with current WWE divas, I’d say she’s already at least in the top half in terms of ability, but then again that isn’t really saying much. After all, we’re forced to watch Kelly Kelly vs. Alicia Fox over and over and over until we want to puke. When you’re forced to watch that train wreck every week, who WOULDN’T want to watch a female Guerrero NOT named Vickie get in the ring and have a go? Lord knows I would.

With Beth, Eve, Natalya, and soon Kharma all running strong, WWE has some time until they’ll need to call Diaz up to the main roster. I just hope when they do, she’ll get to use her real last name rather than some shitty gimmick…cough McGillicutty cough…

The one hang up I see with Diaz is that she’s a little thick, and we know how WWE feels about that. If you’re not skinny with big ol’ boobies, you’re not gonna be champion for long, even if you deserve it. Poor Nattie will never get a long reign, even though she’s probably the best female wrestler on the roster. That, and she does the classic female oversell, likely taught to her by the FCW staff. What a bunch of hacks. You’d think Billy Kidman would know better.

Diaz is pretty stiff and incredibly raw, but watching some of her matches in FCW shows that she’s got what it takes to be one of the best. She just needs to hone her craft. She’ll likely get to do that on the main roster rather than too much longer in FCW. I just hope WWE puts her with people like Beth or Nattie who can actually work rather than having her work with someone like Alicia Fox. That will only make her worse.

All it will take with her is time and the right programs, very similar to what Trish Stratus needed once she started becoming a force in the ring.

Here’s the match where she won the FCW divas title. Yeah, that’s a Gory bomb she used as a finish. Not badly executed either.

——————————————–

4. Cory Graves

Look familiar? (credit: WWE)

I’ll admit, this one is a bit of a longshot. Graves is small with a weak gimmick. He also doesn’t wrestle a style that fits perfectly within WWE’s grand scheme, meaning they won’t overlook his size like they’ve done with Punk or Bryan. Speaking of, those of you who watch RoH religiously might recognize his face. On the independent circuit, including RoH and Japan, Graves wrestled under the name Sterling James Keenan. He had quite a following, if memory serves, before signing his developmental contract.

That said, I think Graves fills a void that has recently descended upon WWE. Graves gimmick AND in-ring style remind me of a certain WWE Hall of Fame inductee who retired in 2011. Edge.

The guy wrestles with a predominately strikes-based offense with little to no high impact move set. Not only that, but he plays a heel to perfection.

Edge is a guy who got quite far on a little amount of talent. Don’t get me wrong, I think Edge is one of the all time greats because he understood what a wrestling match was and how to work one, but he wasn’t exactly Ric Flair or Shawn Michaels in terms of technical ability. That doesn’t make him awful. In fact, it makes him an asset in some regards.

I think Graves could be that same kind of asset. Will he be the next Edge? Who knows? But let’s be honest, did any of us think Edge would become what he did when he debuted? I certainly didn’t. But he surprised me. He became something awesome, and I think Graves has it in him to do just that.

I’ve never seen him work as a face, but his heel work alone could be enough to keep him in the WWE for quite some time.

Here’s a match where he loses, but plays a good heel, against Leakee…someone WWE seems to love but doesn’t impress me. Watch this match and tell me he doesn’t remind of you Edge just a little bit:

————————————————–

3. Husky Harris

How did he get his name? Uh...he's Husky. Duh. (credit: WWE)

Alright, this one isn’t exactly a new call up. Husky’s been in the WWE before. You might remember his awful first run as a member of the Nexus, where he was unceremoniously punted back to obscurity by one Randy Orton.

That run was a huge failure, and I think we all know it. However, Husky’s gone back down to FCW and worked on his in-ring skills, and rumor has it WWE has come up with a new gimmick for him to use upon his return to the big time. Let’s just hope it’s not something awful like the Funkasaurus.

Side note: who came up with that piece of trash gimmick, anyway?

Harris, like Diaz, is another second generation superstar. WWE LOVES pushing guys who come from wrestling families, and I think Husky will be no different. The fact that he’s already been on the roster just shows that they’ll be willing and likely to call him back to the main roster.

Just look at Dolph Ziggler. That poor guy got called up and sent down three times before he finally made his mark and got to stick. Harris may be in the same boat, but he’s eventually set up for a pretty decent run as long as he can keep his work ethic high.

WWE doesn’t expect guys like Husky to work 400 nights a year (yes, I know there aren’t 400 nights in a year), but they DO expect them to work well when they work. Husky is rough around the edges. Very rough. But he could be the kind of talent that develops into a Bam Bam Bigelow type of big man. After all, he calls himself the tank with a Ferrari engine. If he can hold true to that moniker, then I’d say he’s pretty close to what Bam Bam was. Except, you know, not dead.

————————————————–

2. Dean Ambrose

CZW? Yeah, I'm better than that. (credit: WWE)

This is a guy you might recognize from CZW. Yeah, THAT CZW…the one everybody in the wrestling world makes fun of. Turns out it’s not entirely trash wrestling. Seems they actually have a talented wrestler or two over there. Who would have thought? Certainly not me.

In an event, Ambrose is a guy who has long had a following on the internet and is just now getting his opportunity in the WWE. He signed his developmental deal in April of last year, so he’s not likely for a call up this week by any means. He’ll likely put in at least a full year before coming to the main roster.

However, he’s been praised lately for his work ethic in the ring and out, specifically his ability to cut promos off the top of his head. In today’s WWE, that’s almost an absolute necessity. Having that will likely someday at least secure him an opportunity at the big time.

Ambrose’s in-ring work needs…well…work. I’ll be the first to admit that. And prior to Wade Barrett’s success, I would have said his physique needs work as well…but he’s built pretty similarly to Barrett. Also like Barrett, he oversells everything. Then again, I would expect that from someone who came from CZW.

Still, Ambrose is great outside the ring, and WWE desperately needs someone besides Punk and Jericho work on the mic. That might be where he gets his foot in the proverbial door, but his in-ring work will need to improve to stay there. I’ve always liked guys who are fundamentally sound like Val Venis, and Ambrose is one of those guys. But as we’ve seen with guys like Venis, that doesn’t get you to the top OR keep you in a job.

The guy can work. Don’t get me wrong. It’s very obvious that he understands his job as a heel, and he can put together a decent match. That’s not the issue.  The issue is that he isn’t one of those talents who works in the ring and makes people take notice. Guys like Punk, Bryan, Triple H, and more have that ability, but Ambrose doesn’t have it. Yet.

Like some of these guys I’ve mentioned, I expect him to find that ability on the road as he starts working real crowds. He needs to figure himself out or at least have someone point it out to him.

He’ll get the call before the end of 2013. Here’s to hoping he gets more time than just a couple months to find his niche and really start working.

Here’s a match between Ambrose and my number one wrestler on the list. Not a bad match, either, although it’s for some stupid title called the FCW 15. Yeah, it’s a medal rather than a belt. Stupid.

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1. Seth Rollins

Seth "Don't Call Me Tyler Black" Rollins (credit: WWE)

He looks a lot like Punk, doesn’t he? That’s really just a side note. It doesn’t have anything to do with who Seth Rollins is.

Or does it?

Punk and Rollins have experienced similar paths, marking their territory predominately in RoH, the company that gave each their first real big break. You might remember Rollins as a former RoH champion. I first got to know Rollins when he was a member of the Age of the Fall stable in RoH, and angle that for some reason basically made my mind explode. I loved it.

But that’s another story for another day.

Rollins is probably the most sound wrestler on the FCW roster. The guy knows how to work a match, and he’s one of the few who can actually carry someone of lesser talent to a decent match. For FCW, he’s a ring general, although I imagine he’d lose that title coming to play with the big boys. That doesn’t mean he won’t still be good, though. I’m sure Punk had to work his way up through the ranks when he debuted too.

Despite the fact that he’s probably the best wrestler in FCW, he’s really not that great on the mic. If you could combine Rollins and Ambrose, they’d basically be the perfect storm. Alas, that kind of genetic engineering isn’t possible just yet…outside of WWE ’12 that is.

Admittedly, Rollins has gotten better on the mic, but he’s still not where WWE would like him to be. However, I think they can book him like they have Daniel Bryan until his skills on the stick get better. Do that, and the kid could have at least a year to develop more.

I don’t think Rollins is the next Punk, although I do expect the two will work a program once he finally gets the call. I don’t think Rollins will have nearly as much success. Unfortunately, I see WWE keeping him in the midcard area his entire career…at least until he’s released. Still it’ll be nice to see some good matches out of that midcard, something we haven’t seen since Santino and Jack Swagger started dominating the scene.

So there you have it. Those are my five wrestlers I expect to get the next call ups to the main roster, all likely within the next year or two. Tomorrow, I’ll post an interview with my cousin John talking about FCW and his experience there. He says some pretty interesting stuff, so you’ll want to check it out.

Update On Storyline Plans For Lord Tensai, Del Rio/Rodriguez – WWE – eWrestlingNews.com

Update On Storyline Plans For Lord Tensai, Del Rio/Rodriguez – WWE – eWrestlingNews.com.

 

Surprise surprise.

Despite the fact that Albert denied the claims that he had resigned with WWE, a vignette aired touting his “debut” this week on Raw. Granted, he’s now called “Lord Tensai.”

What a stupid name, by the way. They DO know this is a fat white guy rather than a fat Japanese guy, right?

Rumor has it, he’s going to go into a top flight feud as soon as he debuts, which is no real surprise. The guy is a good worker…in my opinion one of the most underrated big men of our generation.

My only real issue with this is the fact that, even though the guy can work and has shown so in Japan, he still looks like shit. He USED to be intimidating back in the day, but it seems to me, from what I’ve seen, that the dude has put on some weight since we last saw him in the WWE. I don’t mean that in a good way either.

Still, I’d like to see what they do with him. I don’t expect him to have a long run and win multiple world championships, but a new monster heel is always fun to watch.

Here’s to hoping.

Sheamus’s Place In Royal Rumble History (Part IV, Finale)

Alright, alright. It’s taken me a while. For the three of you who read this regularly, my sincerest apologies. I should have gotten around to doing this quicker, but between school, work, and a pregnant wife, my life is hectic beyond belief. Lucky for you, it’s spring break, which means two of those things have gone away for 11 days.

If you’re not one of the three who normally reads, and you’ve just stumbled upon this bitchin’ blog for the first time, disregard that last message and keep reading. You’re gonna love it. If you don’t, you’re not awesome like me. See: blog title.

In any event, it’s time for the finale of this series about why Sheamus sucks, er, didn’t deserve to win the Royal Rumble. At the end, I’ll wrap it up with details on Sheamus and a short rant about how absolutely awful this has been. For now, we dive in with the winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio.

————————————————–

2006: Rey Mysterio

He's so tiny! (credit: WWE)

Tale of the Tape
20+ year career
AAA Hall of Fame Member
1-time WWE champion
2-time World champion
2-time Intercontinental champion
4-time WWE tag team champion
3-time WCW tag team champion
5-time WCW cruiserweight champion
3-time WWE cruiserweight champion
1-time WCW cruiserweight tag team champion
21st WWE triple crown champion
#56 in the Best of the PWI Years list
Multiple Wrestling Observer awards including Best High Flyer (1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004), Best Move (1995), Match of the Year (2002), Most Outstanding Wrestler (1996), Rookie of the Year (1992), and Hall of Fame (2010)

Rey Mysterio is a tiny man in a big man’s world. At 5’6″ and 175 lbs., he’s far and away the smallest world champion in WWE history.

Let’s be clear, though: Mysterio would have likely never climbed to those heights without the push he got from the death of Eddie Guerrero. Maybe it was wrong to push him like that, but the guy had always deserved it. He works had and, despite the fact that he’s had a reputation as a high flyer, he’s also technically sound, dragging a good match out of just about anyone. Only few can lay claim to that.

Wrestling is a sport where Rey should have never found success outside of Mexico or Japan. All the rules and stereotypes say he never should have been able to rise higher than the midcard. He’s tiny, and he can’t really talk. Dude even wears a mask in an age where nobody does that in American wrestling anymore. Except Delirious…but Delirious is nuts.

Instead of sitting in the midcard and rotting away like so many smaller talents do, Rey somehow found his way to the top, headlining pay-per-view after pay-per-view and becoming one of the biggest draws for Hispanic and children audiences in wrestling history.

His list of accomplishments is almost as long as anyone’s on this list, and that’s what makes him impressive.

Does Rey belong in the conversation with guys like Austin, Michaels, or The Rock? Absolutely not. Nobody said he did. But Mysterio is part of the group of second tier guys who contributed much to the business while gaining the respect of their peers in the process. While maybe 10 guys have a legitimate claim for the greatest of all time, maybe only 50 can claim to be in the position Mysterio has acquired. That would be impressive for any wrestler, let alone one smaller than my wife.

————————————————–

2007: The Undertaker

I choose to remember him like this. (credit: WWE)

Tale of the Tape
Nearly 30-year career
4-time WWE champion
3-time World champion
6-time WWE tag team champion
1-time WCW tag team champion
1-time WWE hardcore champion
7-time Slammy Award winner
Multiple Wrestling Observer awards including a 5-star Match (1997), Best Gimmick (1990-1994), Best Heel (1991), Feud of the Year (2007), Match of the Year (2009, 20010), and Hall of Fame (2004)
Multiple Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards including Feud of the Year (1991), Match of the Year (1998, 2009, 2010), and #21 on the Top 500 of the PWI Years list

Does this guy really need a blurb? I mean, really?

There is nobody, and I mean nobody, who commands more respect in the world of wrestling than The Undertaker. This is a guy who not only has been in the business for about 30 years, but he’s a guy who is regarded as one of the legitimately toughest dudes wrestling has ever seen.

If you work a match in the WWE, you make sure to find The Undertaker and show your respect. I suppose he’s like The Godfather in the regard, and I don’t mean Charles Wright. I mean the ACTUAL godfather…the kind who will put a horse head in your bed if you mess with him.

It’s never really been about titles for The Undertaker, which is evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t won nearly as many as so many others on this list. The Undertaker has been able to be a huge draw his entire career WITHOUT the strap, and that’s something nobody else on this list can claim with the possible exception of Mysterio. His character makes it that way, but the fact that he may be the best the business has ever seen in terms of the psychology of the business is what really made that possible.

Of all the people mentioned on this list, The Undertaker is the best of them, and he didn’t win the Rumble until 2007, well past his prime. Granted, this is all booking and not necessarily an indication of merit, but the fact that WWE looked at him as badass enough to win the Rumble well into his 40s means he’s doing something right.

If you ever want to get into the business, emulate this man. You will go far.

————————————————

2008: John Cena

Yes John. We can, in fact, see you. (credit: WWE)

Tale of the Tape
10-time WWE champion
2-time World champion
2-time World tag team champion
2-time WWE tag team champion
3-time WWE United States champion
4-time Slammy Award winner
Multiple Wrestling Observer awards including Wrestler of the Year (2007, 2010), Best Draw (2007), Best Interview (2007), Feud of the Year (2011), Match of the Year (2011), Most Charismatic (2006-2010), and Most Charismatic of the 2000s
Multiple Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards including Feud of the Year (2006, 2011), Match of the Year (2007, 2011), Most Improved (2003), Most Popular (2004, 2005, 2007), and Wrestler of the Year (2006, 2007)

There are people who will destroy me for saying this, but John Cena is second only to Undertaker in guys who deserve to have won the Royal Rumble. Allow me to explain.

Despite the fact that the internet chastises Cena constantly for using the same set of moves over and over (something I contend Bret Hart did, even though many consider Hart the greatest technician of all time), Cena deserves everything the WWE has given to him.

Cena works harder than anybody on the roster. Period. Say what you want about his wrestling ability. Say what you want about his promos. But the fact of the matter is that the guy works harder than anybody in the business, inside and outside the ring. Inside, he’s probably the only guy on the roster wrestling almost every night of the year. Yes, everyone wrestles in upwards of 200 nights a year, but I’d be willing to bet Cena is pulling closer to 250 or 300. Outside the ring, he’s always the guy doing the media appearances or granting wishes for sick and dying kids.

Side note for those curious: I’m told Cena has granted more wishes than anyone in Make-A-Wish history. Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t, but if it is, that’s pretty damn cool.

Listen, I’m not a huge Cena fan. I much prefer guys like Chris Jericho or Shawn Michaels who do their talking in the ring but can do it on the mic if need be too. Cena can do that, albeit not as well as either of those two. My beef isn’t with Cena, it’s with the internet and their everlasting hate for a man they should champion.

When you think about it, the internet should LOVE John Cena. But they hate him because kids love him, and that must automatically mean he’s not cool. After all, nobody wants to like the same thing an 8 year old kid likes, right?

The internet has long been supporters of guys who bust their asses in the ring, even if they’re not that great…cough Tommy Dreamer cough…yet Cena gets cast out and vilified on a daily basis. Hey internet fans: get over yourselves.

Cena may not be Ric Flair in terms of technical ability, but he exceeds just about everybody in terms of work ethic. If for no other reason, this guy should one day be considered one of the greatest of all time.

—————————————————-

2009: Randy Orton

"You're going to book me to win the Royal Rumble after I shit in that girl's bag!? Awesome!" (credit: WWE)

Tale of the Tape
6-time WWE champion
3-time World champion
1-time World tag team champion
1-time Intercontinental champion
17th WWE Triple Crown champion
Wrestling Observer Most Improved award (2004)
Multiple Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards including Feud of the Year (2009), Most Hated (2007, 2009), Most Improved (2004), Most Popular (2010), Rookie of the Year (2001), #2 on Top 500 of the PWI Years list, and Wrestler of the Year (2009, 2010)

Randy Orton has come a long way. In fact, am I the only one who remembers the RNN news report segments they did several years ago when Orton was preparing to come back from his first broken collarbone? Those. Were. Awesome. In fact, the next time he gets injured (which is really a given because this guy gets injured more than a shaken baby), they should do those again. I’d mark just for the logo.

In any event, Randy Orton used to be the guy who got in trouble all the time. It started when he went AWOL from the military (which he eventually cleared) and shitting in a WWE diva’s travel bag backstage. Yes, he pooped in someone’s bag with all their clothes and everything in it. No, he didn’t poop somewhere else and put it in the bag…he pooped directly in the bag. Who does that?

It seems an event a few years back where Orton overdosed on drugs (prescription pills, by all acounts) and nearly died may have turned his life around. In recent years, Orton has gotten married and started a family in his hometown of St. Louis. Yay Missouri! Boo Norfolk State!

Since then, he’s seemed more stable, even though his gimmick in the ring has gotten more and more unstable. He shows up to wrestle, he doesn’t poop in anyone’s bag, and he’s overall started to gain a lot more respect in the locker room. That’s vital for someone with the label “3rd Generation Superstar” attached to their name. Anyone know who the last 3rd generation star was?

That’s right, kids. His name was The Rock, one of the greatest the WWE has ever seen, and Orton has, despite some setbacks, followed directly in his footsteps of upholding family legacies. Orton, however, likely won’t be going to Hollywood and forgetting his fanbase any time soon.

————————————————

2010: Edge

Yeah, I slept with Lita. I also won a bunch of gold. What'd you do in the last 15 years? (credit: WWE)

Tale of the Tape
Nearly 20-year career
7-time World champion
4-time WWE champion
5-time Intercontinental champion
1-time WCW United States champion
14-time WWE tag team champion
2001 King of the Ring winner
2-time Money in the Bank winner
14th WWE Triple Crown champion
2-time Slammy Award winner
WWE Hall of Fame member (will be inducted in 2012)
Wrestling Observer Match of the Year (2002)
Wrestling Observer Tag Team of the Year (2000)
Multiple Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards including Comeback of the Year (2004), Feud of the Year (2005, 2006), Match of the Year (2000, 2001), Most Hated (2006), and Most Improved (2001)

Edge is a dickhead of massive proportions, and I love him for it. Just look to his adulterous relationship with Lita while she was with Matt Hardy (in a LOOOOOONG relationship) for proof. No, that wasn’t a storyline. Dude really nailed his buddy’s girlfriend. In this kind of business, you gotta love it, even though Triple H supposedly called for Edge to be fired over it.

Edge, in case you didn’t know, has won more titles in WWE history than anybody else. If you combine all his title reigns, he beats out everyone else. Am I the only one who thinks that’s so damn impressive? Thousands of guys have come through those doors, and nobody has been more successful on paper than Edge. Pretty nice.

Admittedly, Edge doesn’t have the legendary prowess of someone like The Undertaker, but like Mysterio, he’s in that second tier of guys right behind the potentials for greatest of all time.

Unfortunately, Edge’s career was cut short due to injuries, and we’ll never get to see if he could have made it into that top tier. Quite frankly, I think he could have. All he needed was that one big thing that he never had. For some guys, it’s a legendary feud. For others, it’s a legendary gimmick. For Edge, I think he needed a legendary match, which aside from tag team competition, he never had.

He needed that legendary singles match to cement him as one of the top guys in the history of the business, and he never got it. He had plenty of good match, but not a single one that, 30 years from now, wrestling fans will point at and say, “Watch this,” as an example of what a wrestling match should be. It’s a shame really.

Still, Edge is still more qualified to headline a Wrestlemania than friggin’ Sheamus.

————————————————–

I’m going to skip Alberto Del Rio’s win in 2011 for two reasons:

1) I’m tired of writing.
2) He’s in the same boat as Sheamus (maybe worse) and doesn’t prove my point. That’s my prerogative. I can do what I wanna do. Bobby Brown.

Del Rio and Sheamus are both characteristic of what has been fundamentally wrong with booking decisions in the last few years: WWE doesn’t know how to make new stars.

The Royal Rumble isn’t the place to create a star. The star should be created long before a wrestler survives a 30-man match to headline the biggest wrestling event of the year. No, the Royal Rumble should only be used to push those stars to the next level, and it should be a reward for guys who have worked their asses off and gotten over.

For example, Dolph Ziggler should have won this year’s Royal Rumble. Admittedly, I was rooting for Jericho, but Ziggler and maybe Cody Rhodes were the only guys who really deserved it. They’re main event caliber talent stuck filling out the midcard because they can’t get the one thing they need to break through the glass ceiling. The Royal Rumble should be used to shatter that glass.

Instead, it’s been used to CREATE stars, a role that used to be reserved for the King of the Ring. I had hoped with King of the Ring making a return this year, that things like that would start being used to create these stars again rather than the two biggest events of the year, the Rumble and Wrestlemania.

Alas, WWE disappointed me with booking Sheamus to be the winner.

And by all indications, it was for nothing. Post-Wrestlemania advertisements show Daniel Bryan defending his title against various opponents (Sheamus included), perhaps hinting that Sheamus won’t be victorious on the grandest stage of them all.

So why was he booked in a way that would make it seem like he had a chance?

Eat shit, WWE. Stop booking this crap.

Albert Making A Return?

Major Update On The A-Train To WWE Rumors – WWE – eWrestlingNews.com.

He’s denying it, but it seems like Albert, of late 90s and early 2000s WWE fame, could soon be making a return to the company.

Albert was released in 2004 after tearing a muscle in his arm. His release came before he was able to return from the injury.

Since 2004, he’s achieved moderate success in Japan, wrestling as Giant Bernard for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Albert says he’ll be working their next tour, which to my understanding means he could still be available to WWE after Wrestlemania, which is what this story claims.

The rumor goes that he’ll appear as a bodyguard for ol’ raspy voice and be pushed to the moon upon his re-debut.

Quite frankly, I’m not opposed to the move. The guy, to me, is one of the most underrated big men in recent memory. I’m just a little stunned as to A) why WWE could be interested in him in the first place and B) if this story isn’t true, why someone would start a rumor about someone who hasn’t been relevant in America in nearly a decade. Very strange situation there.

I guess we’ll have to wait and watch.

Side note: I’ll be updating more regularly. My schedule has cooled off, and I’m hoping to bring you guys several blogs in the near future. Tomorrow, I’ll FINALLY post the last piece of why Sheamus doesn’t deserve to headline Wrestlemania, then I’ve got about 30 ideas for blogs to release over the next month or so.

If you’ve got any blog ideas for me, send them my way. I’ll tackle any subject.

Oklahoma Bans Wrestling

No, seriously. Apparently that happened.

http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/news/3322/breaking-news-oklahoma-bans-pro-wrestling

Listen, I love living in the midwest, but sometimes the people in this area just make me feel like the smartest person in the world. On this particular issue, it’s really two fold.

I feel like people here are stupid because, aside from a few of my friends, I’m constantly running into people who think wrestling is real. Seriously. When I want to that Mid-States Wrestling event in Miami, OKLAHOMA (I capitalized that because it might be one of the last wrestling events the state will ever see), all these people believed all this stuff is real.

I joke that we all know wrestling is scripted by saying, “Yes, we all have high school diplomas.” Turns out having a high school diploma doesn’t qualify you to determine those kinds of things. Then again, it WAS Miami, Oklahoma, so there’s no telling how many people there had actually had those high school diplomas I deemed necessary for decent decision making. I think that was some alliteration. Here’s one for you, which number do you think was lower? The amount of high school graduates at that show? Or the amount of teeth? I’m going with teeth. I think I only saw three all night.

I think it’s funny that Oklahoma is the place where people seem to think wrestling is real. Maybe that’s why they decided to ban it. Or maybe, just maybe, their lawmakers are REALLY stupid.

Who am I kidding? It’s Oklahoma.

Sorry, Daniel.

Benoit

I can’t get this damn podcast to embed. Click the link.

http://nathanmillsent.podomatic.com/entry/2012-03-14T14_50_09-07_00

WWEShop – WWE Wrestling Superstar Merchandise, WWE Clothes, Action Figures & More

WWEShop – WWE Wrestling Superstar Merchandise, WWE Clothes, Action Figures & More.

 

 

Wow. WWE must have an overstock of plain black shirts. That’s got to be the reason for this, because I can’t figure out any other reason a wrestling company would sell a plain black t-shirt that just says “jobber” on the front.

Honestly.

WWE has taken a lot of flak for “exposing the business,” and while this isn’t exactly their more egregious offense, it’s pretty stupid.

I wouldn’t wear one of these, and I actually know what they mean. Why would WWE’s casual audience…kids…want to buy one of these? For that matter, why would someone like me want to buy one?

This will flop. Watch.

MSW and My Birthday

My wife, god bless her, got me wrestling tickets for my birthday. I know she means well, but it’s to an event for a little indy known as Mid-States Wrestling. The main event? Butch Reed vs. Bobby Eaton.

Yes, you read that right, and no, we didn’t go back in time to 1986. That’s really the main event.

Here’s the rest of the “card” for the show:

MStW · Feb 25 2012 · 7:30pm
Miami Civic Center · 129 5th Ave. NW · Miami

Mid-States Wrestling presents its debut show in Oklahoma…
“Smashlahoma”
Tickets: $10

Scheduled to appear:
Hacksaw Butch Reed
Beautiful Bobby Eaton
Heritage Champion Darling Dustin Heritage
Southern Tag Team Champions The Spinebusters (Tim Rockwell & Cast-Iron Cothern)
“Mr. Saturday Night” Michael Barry
“The Space Cowboy” Jason Jones
The Canadian Red Devil
“The NorCal Shooter” Se7en
“Prime Time” Brandon Walker
Mitch Baxter
Dirty Dutch Hagen
Brandon Groom
Mike Iles
and many more!!!

*Card subject to change

Yup. I haven’t heard of any of those people either.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. Michael Barry is a local guy who has wrestled in my area for quite some time, so I’ve heard of him before. Even had a lengthy conversation with him at a bar years ago about how he sucked. I’d never seen him wrestle, but I wanted to make fun of him anyway.

Dude actually isn’t all that bad. Had a WWE developmental deal for all of about 6 months if I remember correctly.

I’m gonna go, and I’m gonna have one hell of a time. Might bring a few friends along, too. Should be fun even though the only people I know on the card are in their 50’s.

I’ll see if I can snag one or two of the guys to ask a couple of quick questions to post here for you guys. Any requests?