Those who know me well understand my liking of professional wrestling. Instead of watching other dramas on my Monday nights, I watch WWE RAW. I cheer like I was a kid again for my favorite wrestlers. I get elated when the theme song plays and my guy is up on the ramp showing off and/or talking smack. I enjoy watching the pay-per-views on the WWE Network for only $9.99 a month.
Ever since I was a kid, I have enjoyed the sport of wrestling. I wrestled in amateur athletics in middle school and was a 4 year varsity letter-man in high school, serving as the co-captain of my teammates my junior and senior year of high school. I remember the Monday Night Wars between the WWE and WCW. I've attended many live tapings of matches, house shows, and I was fortunate enough to live the moments of Wrestlemania 21 with much excitement in person. I saw the Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, HHH, Shawn Michaels "the heartbreak kid, Kurt Angle, JBL, Batista, and John Cena won his first ever out of whom now is a 15 time World Heavyweight Champion.
Now I have been watching professional wrestling for over 30 years. I've seen a lot of different dudes be the champ. The modern fans seem to like whomever they like regardless of if the wrestler is a face or a heel. The fans like Daniel Bryan, for reasons I cannot fathom, however I respect his talent and his dedication to the business. Some wrestling injuries take men out for the rest of their careers, so kudos to him for trying to make a speedy recovery.
Moving on, "The Authority" made such a big deal about Daniel Bryan being a mid-card, B+ wrestler, at best. Since then not only has the "Authority" mismanage talented stars on the roster like Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, and Randy Orton, but they also lost their power. So, Daniel Bryan may not have been the best wrestler on the roster, but until his injury he was one thing and one thing only: consistent. The dude showed up every night and do anything in his power to excite the crowd, at whatever venue on that particular night. The Authority also mismanaged the handling of an open heavyweight championship belt after Daniel Bryan's injury and subsequent surgeries. John Cena was the obvious choice to be the interim champion and won a well executed ladder match. After that, the WWE continued to mismanage as they hired the mercenary thug preceded by the one and only Paul Heyman still fresh off a win at Wrestlemania. Brock Lesnar was an obvious choice for the Authority, we are led to believe. HHH and Stephanie talked all down on the B+ wrestler and even planned retribution against John Cena's refusal to join the dark side with the Authority like their little suck-up Seth Rollins.
Brock Lesnar, the thug mercenary was happy to oblige in taking out John Cena. The two have never been friends, in fact I don't think Brock Lesnar probably has many friends in the wrestling business. Brock was meant to fill the void left by Daniel Bryan's injury. ALL of the John Cena matches including Summerslam were meant to be those of Bryan, whom they thought would return much sooner. There was supposed to be a "Fighting Champion" as proclaimed by Triple H who ridiculed both Bryan and Cena, tormenting them both equally. The fighting champion moniker was not claimed by Brock Lesnar, even though the championship belt hadn't been the only thing that was SOLD OUT. NO, Brock Lesnar didn't become a fighting champion like Bryan or Cena had been before him. Many good wrestlers lost out on this non-fighting champion's reign. Good wrestlers like Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro would have loved a shot at pleasing the crowd with the title belt around his waist. Wasted talent, poor PPV's, and a waning show on both RAW and Smackdown have led to decreased viewership and support of the WWE Network. Fans are tired of seeing Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and John Cena be the only people contending for the title belt. Even though he's a kiss-ass, I'd even like to see Seth Rollins get a genuine title shot at this point, even though I know that Dolph Ziggler could shine bright like a Rock or Shawn Michaels.
Brock Lesnar's less than impressive reign as champion, with no shows and lack of title defense have been a thorn in the side of the WWE. If they are going to have John Cena carry the show month after month, then make him a 16 time champion. Maybe they should invest the time to boost some of the mid-cards up to being headline material instead of hiring thugs and mercenaries or sell-outs.
TLC PPV is set to be a good match with Cena vs. Rollins. Another no-show with Lesnar will hurt PPV sales and ultimately that hurts EVERYONE in the WWE locker room. Oh, and I know what you are probably thinking and I'm gonna say NO... Ryback is NOT the solution to the problems with the WWE. I'll continue to be a fan, but I'm disappointed with the brand at the moment.
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