7/11 Wednesday One Shots: The Dot Net staff give their quick thoughts from the previous week in WWE, TNA, MMA and indie wrestling
Jul 11, 2012 - 07:38 PM |
Welcome to the Wednesday One Shot. Each week, we will present a quick "one shot" thought from each staff member about the previous week in each of the following areas: WWE, TNA and Other (MMA, Indies, etc).
WWE
Will Pruett (Twitter - @itswilltime): As much as I try to avoid negativity about wrestling, WWE is not telling compelling stories at this moment. There is no way to get around this. Sure, A.J., Daniel Bryan, and C.M. Punk are entertaining, but the other 100 minutes of each show are almost painful. It's not about talent, which WWE has plenty of. It is about stories, which WWE is short on.
Jake Barnett (Twitter - @barnettjake): RAW had one of its least interesting episodes in quite some time. The Punk/Bryan/AJ saga continues to be entertaining, but other than that not much feels "must see" to me heading into the 1000th episode of Raw. WWE is reaching pretty deep into its bag of part timers and legends again to drum up interest for that show, and I think a lot of their energy is going into preparing for it. I am excited that younger talents seem to be getting spotlighted by the MITB match for the WHC, but they need more storyline help. Using the added attention that will be paid to Raw's 1000th episode would be a great opportunity for WWE to put attention on the rising stars they plan to push long term.
Ryan Kester (Twitter - @TheRyanKester): Another week and I am still impressed with everything AJ does. It has been a real treat seeing her get into her character and she continues to be the most entertaining thing on WWE television.
Chris Shore (Twitter - @TheShoreSlant): The signings came fast and furious this week, with some impressive names picked up. The rumored future signings are also some big indie names. WWE is once again raping the indies for the best talent available. That's great, but only if creative has something interesting for them to do. It seems right now, unless your name is AJ, creative just isn't interested in even caring about you.
TNA
Will Pruett: I can see where people are coming from when they fear that Austin Aries' TNA Championship reign is coming at a time detrimental to Robert Roode and James Storm's impending rivalry. I would argue it was more important for TNA to finally strike with a wrestler that has been built up and is hot the first time. TNA failed to make a moment at Bound for Glory and Lockdown. With Austin Aries, they did not fail again.
Jake Barnett: Kudos to TNA for improving their product immensely since going live. It hasn't be a complete panacea, but the show is steadily improving and they are putting a lot of the focus on their young talent and veteran home grown stars. This is what a lot of people have been asking for, myself included, and I think TNA is seeing immediate benefits. The DirecTV situation is unfortunate, and I hope its gets resolved, as TNA deserves the opportunity to grab those viewers.
Ryan Kester: I'm still riding the high that came from TNA pulling the trigger on an Aries title run. This was the best possible outcome of the PPV as it ended Roode's lackluster reign with plenty of time for him to gain heat for another run, it established the X-Division Championship as the number-two belt in TNA, and it made Aries into a star. All around, this was an excellent move.
Chris Shore: I know I am in the minority of minorities, but I do not like the title change from Destination X. I think Austin Aries is doing the best work of his career right now, but I also think the biggest money TNA had was James Storm taking the title off Bobby Roode at BFG after an almost year long Roode title reign. I realize that is the "obvious" pay off, but look back at most of the babyface making performances in history. With few exceptions, they have been obvious title changes. Obvious does not always equal bad. Yes, TNA can go back to it, but I think they hurt the overall storyline here.
Other (MMA, Indies, Etc)
Will Pruett (DGUSA): I've been watching and reviewing DGUSA's DVDs from their November triple shot. These shows included Johnny Gargano winning the DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate Championship from Yamato and many other spectacular matches and moments. If you're looking for some great wrestling to watch, any of these three shows (Revolt, Bushido: Code of the Warrior, or Freedom Fight) will suffice.
Jake Barnett (ROH): The bizarre response to the Kenny King situation left me confused. Why air your dirty laundry publicly and open the door to further examination of your managerial competence? The end result is ROH getting caught with their pants down, leading to further speculation about the companies long term viability. To be honest, I don't blame people for feeling that way. ROH's recent technical problems, stale booking, and talent management blunders paint a picture of a management group that doesn't have its finger on the pulse of its operations.
Ryan Kester (UFC): UFC 148 was alright, but it was not the card it was hyped up to be. The main event simply felt anticlimactic after the hype that it had received for months. I was expecting Silva and Sonnen to tear each other apart, but instead we got a TKO finish that could be seen in any fight in the UFC.
Chris Shore (ROH): I do everything in my power to keep from proclaiming a promotion "done." I have used the phrase too loosely in the past, and have been rightly called out for it. But when I think about ROH, no other word comes to mind. I get almost no hate mail when I say something negative about ROH anymore, and everywhere I turn, I see people even more down on the product than me. And while I'm not ready to give last rites, it sure does look like ROH is starting to circle the drain.
RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE:
READ OUR INSIDER NEWS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE! BECOME A MEMBER FOR JUST $7.50 A MONTH (or less with a year-long sub) - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO CONTENT, MEMBER MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AND VIEW THE SITE WITHOUT ANY ADVERTISING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO)
RELATED ARTICLES FROM MGID AFFILIATE SITES...
|