Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
Fastlane is just around the corner and with WWE truly gearing up for Wrestlemania season it is looking to at the very least, be an interesting show.  Seeds will be planted and more than one of them will sprout come Wrestlemania weekend.  So with all of that in mind, here’s what I think will happen at the last stop before the big one.
The first time I saw Daniel Bryan wrestle was during his iconic feud with Nigel McGuinness. Â I’d heard from the online chit chat that this guy was good, the best in the world according to some, and I was naturally intrigued. Â Yet, when Bryan came out, it was a bit underwhelming. Â Sure, the fans loved him, but to look at him, it was hard to be impressed.
Brock Lesnar is the best thing WWE have. Â While some people (read weirdos) are fed up of watching him destroy things, there is no denying it is over. Â He is the WWE’s Hulk, and part of that appeal has always been that he will turn up every few months, hang around for a few weeks killing stuff, before disappearing again. Â It was perfect. Â Until it wasn’t anymore.
Sunday the 24th of January saw two very different wrestling promotions on opposite sides of the world put on very similar shows. Â ICW held their Square Go, at Glasgow’s famous Barrowlands, while the WWE hosted the Royal Rumble in Orlando. Â Both shows are based around a Rumble style match and I was lucky enough to attend one and to watch the other (although I did have to stay up until 4 am so I don’t know how lucky that was). Â The question is, how did they compare?
It is looking more and more likely that part of The Bullet Club is making their way to the WWE, possibly in order to team up with former leader Finn Balor. Â It also appears that joining them will be Shinsuke Nakamura, no not Celtic’s former freekick taker, that’s Shunsuke. Â Instead, he’s the former NJPW Intercontinental Champion, having been stripped of it because of this very move. Â Put him alongside AJ Styles and the tag team of Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows and you have four incredibly talented and successful wrestlers making their way into the WWE. Â So what do you do with them?
Before I get into this, it’s confession time. Â Wrestle Kingdom 10 was my first experience of New Japan. Â I’ve seen matches here and there and I’m obviously aware of Nakamura, Okada, and Tanahashi while you’d have to be living under a WWE-sized rock to have missed Bullet Club (although even that seems to be changing). Â But until now, I have never sat down and watched a full New Japan show. Â So here’s my thoughts.
The last few weeks I’ve been trying desperately to be positive about WWE. Â Last night’s NXT Takeover show in London was, therefore, a blessed relief. Â Because coming up with something positive to say about that show was easy, it was all good.
TLC is fast approaching and it comes off one of the WWE’s biggest slumps in recent memory. Â The fans are fed up and even jolly old Mick Foley is taking regular pops at the current content. Â However, in line with my determination to only talk about positive things in relation to WWE, I am instead going to tell you exactly why I will once again be watching this WWE event.
I am fed up of moaning about WWE. Â The amount of wrestling I watch on a weekly basis fluctuates wildly and yet the amount of complaining I do about the WWE is consistently high. Â I’ve had enough. Â So from now on I’m not going to bother. Â With ICW and NXT, the two other shows I watch regularly, I have more than enough good things to critique. Â However, that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop talking about WWE. Â I love it too much to do that. Â So instead, it is time to focus on the positives.
As a general rule, I am all for being a bit controversial. Â I like art forms (be it music, wrestling, literature or film) that push the boat out and shock. Â However, I do think there is a line and I think WWE may have crossed it in the final segment on RAW this week.
