Obama Lays The Smackdown On Birther Issue

If you want to see another side of Washington DC, then watch this video. The opening video package includes a classic wrestling theme and President Obama's birth certificate repeatedly flashes up on the screen in between shots of incredibly cheesy and typically American images, such as the bald eagle and even clips of Hulk Hogan and Rocky Balboa. The entire video is well worth watching: 

You're Either Nexus Or Against Us

On June 7th we were greeted to the terrifying image of Michael Tarver in a mask at ringside, just before he and the other NXT rookies stormed the ring as a Cena-CM Punk match was reaching its climax on Monday night Raw. Lead by Season 1 winner Wade Barrett, the eight-man group lay waste to everything in sight -- the wrestlers, the announcers, the timekeeper, the ring and Justin Roberts' necktie. . .

No one could believe their eyes at what had just transpired. It was the must-see segment of the week for wrestling fans (in what was an otherwise dour episode of Raw).

Unfortunately, everyone's eyes were turned to a different story over the coming days as news of Daniel Bryan's (Bryan Danielson) release filtered through. Danielson was fired after the aforementioned necktie incident (which you can read more about on The Unfinished Article in the post titled The Bryan Danielson Saga). In my opinion, getting fired is not such a bad thing for the American Dragon. Firstly, he will be rehired sometime in the near future once this whole thing blows off, he's too good not to be. Secondly, he's far better off without the Nexus. Apart from Wade Barrett, all of the members are jobbers and need this storyline to elevate them to a certain degree. Danielson on the other hand does not.

Now, back to the Nexus.

On the following week's Raw, Wade Barrett explained that his newly-formed faction were seeking contracts to join the main roster. But why was Wade leading them in their search for WWE stardom? He had already secured a contract and a guaranteed title shot after all. The answer is simple: loyalty, apparently. They had all previously made a pact to stick together no matter who won.

There was a lot of speculation among smarks on who was the driver at the end of that clip, but it seems inconsequential now several weeks later. The Nexus would continue these beat downs routinely, including this one on Vince McMahon of all people:

This kind of scene repeated itself at the PPV Fatal 4-Way. The Nexus interrupted the main event, a WWE Championship match between John Cena, Sheamus, Randy Orton and Edge, which allowed the Celtic Warrior to cheekily take the title for a second time.

The Nexus were at it again at Money At The Bank, when it was all but a given that they would intrude upon the apparently impenetrable steel cage match between Sheamus and Cena. So, not only was it no surprise that they interfered with yet another main event on a PPV, but it also led to a very crappy finish. The Rookies, if you can still call them that, prevented Cena from climbing down off the cage before the Irishman could in what was a very frustrating end to the best WWE PPV in a long time.

It's hard to see where The Nexus are going at this point. In truth, a lot of their angles and promos have been the best thing on WWE television in quite a while, especially in the absence of the likes of Triple H, The Undertaker and the recently retired Shawn Michaels, but at the same time some of those angles and promos haven't been so good (I'm perhaps being a tad unfair in that regard -- you can say the same thing about any wrestler after all). We are continually reminded on-screen about Nexus' "bigger picture," but you get the feeling that that's just codeword for "Creative haven't written that part of the script yet."

I think I speak for everyone when I say that we all want to see Nexus achieve something tangible, not something forgettable. The faction already has a natural born winner and main eventer in the shape of Wade Barrett as it's leader, and it's also acted as a vehicle for successfully moving the NXT jobbers onto the main roster. WWE now needs to let the group push on, but can it do that when they put them in overbooked matches like that at the upcoming Summerslam? (If you haven't the booking yet, it's a seven-on-seven match between The Nexus versus John Cena's team, which includes The Great Khali and Bret Hart. . .)

With any luck, Summerslam will be another stepping stone for this band of youngsters. If not, it could mean a continuation of  the low ratings and PPV buys that we've seen of late.

AJ Styles is looking well these days...

This is just a photo my brother Chris took when we attended a TNA house show, while the company was on tour in Europe ages ago. Thought it was a photo more than deserving a place in the blog.

The Bryan Danielson Saga

Considering how much time and space I've dedicated to NXT, and the part that Daniel Bryan has played in it, on The Unfinished Article, it would be amiss of me not to comment on the story at the very least.

OK, so where do you start with a story that has caused more controversy and anger among wrestling fans than any other firing of a low-card performer in WWE history? It's arguable to say in history perhaps, but definitely in my lifetime, and considering the ultra-advanced information age I've grown up in, it's been a source of considerable gossip for marks all over the Internet.

But of course, when it comes to getting the marks out here to talk, WWE have been on their A-game ever since the inception of NXT. First, there was the repackaging of Danielson as Daniel Bryan, a Rookie in season one of the show, and his subsequent pairing with WWE Pro The Miz, which had the fans going crazy. You could not put two more polar opposites together.

 Then, on the opening night, Danielson faced Chris Jericho in the main event, which I'm sure no one ever imagined seeing. Notwithstanding that, he was allowed to look very competitive against Y2J, which he would not be able to do on Smackdown or Raw. He also took some tremendous bumps in that match to put Jericho over, which reminded me a lot of Shawn Michaels (on his latest DVD, Michaels openly says that when he first came into WWE, himself and Marty Janetti would throw themselves all over the place in order to make their opponents look good). Fans were also sent into an online-frenzy when WWE paired Kaval, known to ROH fans as Low Ki, with. . . LayCool (Michelle McCool and Layla). Oh my. It certainly got us talking anyway.

This time, however, it was unintentional. Or, at least we think so. Following the most exciting ending to Raw in years, Daniel Bryan was released, after he choked ring announcer Justin Roberts with a tie. Someone complained and that was that. WWE do have a policy on choking after the Chris Benoit double-murder suicide, so they had to set an example, especially with Linda McMahon's election coming up. Now, I don't want to dwell on this, but I did read one blogger who was so enraged with the firing that he referred back to the Benoit thing and called him a coward and so on, which I totally disagree with altogether. I don't see the point in blaming this whole saga on something that happened nearly three years ago, especially something so tragic. I could go on for hours about the toll the business takes on one's body and mind.

Getting back to the story at hand, many have speculated that this is a fake firing, that it's an elaborate work that WWE have devised. In my opinion, that's pure bull. It's very much legit. His Twitter, the username of which he changed from DanielBryanNXT to bryandanielson, says as much really. On June 13th, he tweeted "Biding my time, waiting for the right moment to speak"; three days later, he said "Still not the right time, other than to say this: I am now available for independent bookings"; and most recently on Friday 18th, he wrote "Looks like my return to the independents will be next Saturday for @chikarapro in Detroit, MI. I'm stoked to be working with Chikara again!" That confirms it so. In one week's time, he will return to the indie scene with CHIKARA Pro Wrestling, and is also expected to perform at Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW) that same weekend, while he's also rumoured to make an appearance at Dragon Gate (DGUSA) and Ring Of Honor (ROH) in the next few weeks (although the latter is unlikely as he will be unable to feature on TV or PPV). He has definitely severed ties with WWE. For now.

While some would feel that this is the end of Daniel Bryan and his career in the E, I'm inclined to think otherwise. This whole incident will blow over, and once the heat subsides (and Linda loses her election), Danielson will be resigned and start again. Hopefully. For pessimistic fans of the American Dragon's chances of a return, I offer this reminder, and another comparison with Shawn Michaels. The Rockers (HBK and Janetti) were impressive when they started out in the WWF/E, but had to leave the company after an incident in a bar. The two men returned a year later, and while Janetti could never make an impact as a singles competitor, Michaels went on to become arguably the greatest performer and entertainer of his generation. It would be outlandish to suggest that Danielson will replicate that, but it is important to remember that example when considering this firing. For now, let's just enjoy watching AmDrag getting back to doing what he does best on the indie circuit.

Here are a list of web pages and links, Facebook or otherwise, about Bryan Danielson:

• 
  
  Bryan "American Dragon" Danielson FB fan page.
• 
  
  Daniel Bryan FB page.
• 
  
  Wear A Tie For Bryan Danielson FB page.
• 
  
  Reinstate Bryan Danielson Petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/.
• 
  
  Facebook Group Petition To Rehire Daniel Bryan.
• 
  
  Dragon Undone: The End of Bryan Danielson in WWE (For Now) article at 411mania.com.
• 
  
  Whatever happened to The Final Countdown Tour? at prowrestlingponderings.com
• 
  
  DGUSA Enter The Dragon PPV featuring Bryan Danielson!

Now That You've Gotten My Attention..

Simply put, this was one of the best, possibly the most captivating, angle in a long time.

Watch the clips, they say it all. . .

So, on the eve of Season 2 of NXT, all of the participants of NXT Season 1 invade Raw, beat the holy hell out of John Cena, CM Punk, the Straight-Edge Society (SES), the announcers and other randomers, as well tearing the ring to shreds and leaving the place in a heap. . . Wow. All I can say is, thank God WWE have finally moved out of their comfort zone and done something innovative to recapture the fan's attention and imagination. More of the same, please.

OMG, WTF? and NXT.

The decline in quality that we've witnessed in NXT over the past two months has been fairly
painful. That is, if you've been watching the show at all. And considering the ratings of late, that's very likely indeed. The show has become a bit bland and it's format was never going to keep viewers consistently interested for longer than a month or so.

Nonetheless, one of the highlights of NXT since the opening show was Daniel Bryan, or better known to the indie scene as The Greatest Wrestler In The World, Bryan Danielson. From then on, he went on a losing streak before being eliminated from the competition on last week's episode. However, Bryan cut this very intriguing promo afterwards:

For some reason, the cameraman starts shaking like mad towards the end of the segment, as if this promo hasn't gone according to plan. But I think this was a work. Why else would they break "kayfabe," so to speak, and have him say his real name on tv? They wouldn't, so it has to be part of a proper storyline, and not just a shoot. Daniel Bryan then shot another promo the following week on NXT, and this probably confirms that Danialeson has a future on the main roster:

There are so many things to love about this promo. Firstly, his mic skills are astonishing. Secondly, he doesn't hold back on anything. I'm pretty sure he's the first wrestler to talk about muscular guys being pushed ahead of others on WWE television. When he claims that he's better than the Miz, you can clearly see that both William Regal and CM Punk nod in wholehearted agreement. Priceless. If you listen closely, you can also hear Regal saying "Miz, he is better than you." And it just keeps getting better. Next, he turns to commentator Michael Cole, and verbally tears him to shreds, before physically pummeling him too. Thus completing Cole's heel turn I would assume.

I am not exaggerating when I say this: this was quite possibly the greatest promo I have ever seen. I mean, I used to be a big fan of The Rock and I could watch his promos from noon till night. But the raw emotion and passion that Danielson revealed here was truly mesmerising. It could be the biggest talent-related mistake WWE have ever made if they let him go.

Some Catching Up To Do..

OK, so it's a been a while. . .

I know I still haven't posted a review on WrestleMania 26, it's still unfinished in my drafts (fail to see the irony?), cause I haven't had the time to write a full-length one, what with school work and study and all.

So I'll try and post as much as possible between now and the summer holidays, and may even get that WM entry in, but no promises. In the meantime, I'll be posting my thoughts on recent happenings in WWE and so on. Right now, I'll be concentrating on NXT and the Draft, and other things related to that.

I know I said previously that NXT was a great show in the beginning, but I have to admit that it's gone slightly stale in the past couple of weeks. Probably because nothing happens on the show! I did see Heath Slater beating Chris Jericho on last week's show though, so he's the first and only Rookie to defeat a Pro so far. Michael Cole continues to confuse me with his heelish commentary and constant bashing of Daniel Bryan (which he's obviously been told to do so by Vince McMahon through his headset). In an odd way however, it works! It's just different, I couldn't see Cole and Josh Matthews working together as well as they do here on a normal commentary format. David Otunga has certainly been one of the most impressive on-screen personas and I expect him to beat a Pro soon as well. Wade Barrett is also right up there in terms of charisma and talent. You could put this guy on either Smackdown or Raw tomorrow and he'd fit right in, he's that good in my opinion. Along with Daniel Bryan, these three are the standout performers.

I thought that this year's annual Draft was fairly solid as far as these things go. There have been shambolic ones in the past. The biggest moves of the night were Edge and Chris Jericho to Raw, who I imagine are being rewarded for the brilliant work they've done on Smackdown over the past year. Especially Jericho, who really made that main-event spot his own after Edge suffered a torn achilles tendon last year.

During the show itself, Edge was involved in a segment that made little sense, when he cost Randy Orton a title shot in his triple threat match with Sheamus and Batista. Is Edge reverting to a heel turn already? This might be for the best, considering he's not quite as good a face.

In other news from the Raw Draft show:

• 
  
  
  R-Truth and John Morrison also moved to the red brand, a transfer the Shaman of Sexy really needs to take advantage of at this point of his career. While he's still young, and has plenty more years in him, I think he must make the headline breakthrough sooner rather than later. 
• 
  
  
  The Hart Dynasty (Tyson Kidd & David Hart Smith) df. Show-Miz for the Unified Tag Team Titles in a superb match. I'm becoming increasingly impressed with THD, after it seemed for ages that Creative had nothing for them to do. The win was also the catalyst for Big Show and The Miz splitting up, the former was later drafted to the blue brand, making the split complete.
• 
  
  
  Christian, who was languishing in the now defunct ECW for the past year, finally made the move to one of the top brands and I expect him to flourish on SD. Knowing WWE though, I could very easily be wrong about that.
• 
  
  
  MVP, Kofi Kingston, Kelly Kelly and Rosa Mendes were drafted to SD. A good move for all of the aforementioned people.
• 
  
  
  A final note on Jack Swagger: I have been pleasantly surprised with the All-American American's title run so far. In fact, that doesn't begin to describe how impressed I am with his in-ring performances. Since being elevated to the top spot, we've been able to see his great strength and charisma.

In the next entry, I'll probably be discussing the silly themed pay-per-views that WWE are persisting with and how they can utilise the moves in the Draft to improve their product, which has been lagging of late. I may also divulge into the general dreadfulness of TNA and the Monday Night Massacre.

See you then. . .

Elimination Chamber

Elimination Chamber took place on 21 February, in St.Louis, Missouri.

Formerly known as No Way Out, this pay-per-view has always been the midpoint in the transition from the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. Wedged in between the two biggest events on the wrestling calender, it will never break any PPV-buy records or hearts. It'll never be a complete PPV, there's usually plenty of filler in order to produce three hours of television.

It can, however, create fleeting moments worthy of our adoration. For instance, when Eddie Guerrero upset all odds to defeat Brock Lesnar to pick up his first and only WWE Title back at No Way Out 2004. Or even just last year, when Edge attacked Kofi Kingston as he was entering the chamber, and assumed his place to win the WWE Title in controversial circumstances. These moments are intrical on the Road To Wrestlemania, ensuring that feuds and storylines are not only maintained, but expanded upon as well. There were two such moments on this particular night, with which the WWE intended to 'shock' it's audience.

The Raw Elimination Chamber, in which the entrants are contesting for the WWE Title, opened up the show. Sheamus and Kofi started it off, but there were no eliminations until all the other combatants - Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase, Triple H and John Cena - had entered. When that elimination did come, it essentially resulted in the dismantling of Legacy. Cody Rhodes came down to the ring to slip a lead pipe to Orton, but it was used instead by DiBiase to gain the pinfall over his former mentor. DiBiase would then be eliminated by Kofi, before he was pinned by Sheamus. The reigning champion, who has been the recipient of a fantastic push of late, was finally brought back down to earth when HHH hit him with the Pedigree. The Game, however, would lose out to John Cena, as he tapped out to the STF. That wasn't the end of the drama, however...
Vince McMahon would make his way out with his enforcer Batista, and inform the newly-crowned champ that he would have to defend the title against The Animal immediately. Cena, clearly in no shape to defend himself, dropped the title to Batista.

(To see the final moments of the WWE Title Chamber, click here)

The Smackdown chamber would provide even more drama! Although The Undertaker was defending his World Heavyweight Championship against five other men - John Morrison, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Chris Jericho - he was still expected to retain the title prior to entering the steel structure. Unfortunately for Taker, this was a night for surprises. CM Punk, firstly, was able to pin R-Truth after hitting him with the GTS (oddly enough, wwe.com referred to him as the Second City Saint -- a reference to the tag-team he formed with Colt Cobana back in his days in Ring Of Honor, who were known as the Second City Saints). Rey Mysterio subsequently hit Punk with the Splash to pin the Straight-Edge Superstar, but he too was eliminated after receiving Starship Pain from Morrison. The Tuesday Night Delight would hold his own when Taker and Jericho entered the fray, impressing against the two established main-eventers. After he received a chokeslam on the steel courtesy of the Deadman, it was between Y2J and Taker. The cowardly look on Jericho's made you fully believe that he was gonna lose this match, he was that convincing. But just when we thought that Taker was about to pick up the victory, up popped Shawn Michaels from under the steel to deliver a Super Kick to the Phenom. Jericho promptly went for the cover to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Elsewhere on the card:

• 
  
  
  The Miz retained his United States Title against MVP, but only after his fellow tag-team champion The Big Show had delivered a knockout blow to the challenger.
• 
  
  
  Michelle McCool & Layla defeated Gail Kim & Maryse in a tag-team match, after which Maryse attacked Gail.
• 
  
  
  Drew McIntyre successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship against Kane, in a match that succeeded in doing nothing more than fill airtime.

(For more Elimination Chamber news, click here)

Happenings Since EC:

• Edge chose to face Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 26 - which yours truly had predicted in a previous entry - after Y2J had cut a killer promo on his performance the night beforehand. This should be an epic WM main event.

• 
  
  
  The Undertaker finally agreed to face Shawn Michaels for the second year running at 'Mania. It will be a Streak vs. Career match. Although I have my own opinions about how the match will go and what'll happen to the careers of the respective men involved, I still haven't a clue which way this will do.

(The Obsessed Promo that was aired on Raw last week was one of the best I've ever seen. Proof that WWE are top-class at promoting their product and matches -- when they want to.)

• 
  
  
  Batista will face John Cena at WM as well. Despite the fact that there are some fans who don't have the appetite for such a contest, I actually can't wait for these two to face off. Batista has improved starkly since his heel turn and I no longer cringe when I see him on the mic or cutting promos (easily the weakest part of his game).

• 
  
  
  Bryan Danielson, former ROH World Champion, finally hit our television screens as Daniel Bryan, on the new WWE programme NXT. The American Dragon cut promos with his mentor The Miz and was impressive in his match with Chris Jericho. At one point in the match, he performed a suicide dive to the outside and collided with the announcer's table (see below). What was immediately noticeable while I was watching was the big size difference between Bryan and the other contenders. He is certainly not made in the mold of your typical WWE headliner. However, those of you who know him from his early days know that Danielson has the talent. He is one of my favourite wrestlers to watch and is compelling on camera at times, so let's hope WWE continue to push him further.

Royal Rumble 2010

This year's Royal Rumble took place on January 31, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Are there many events in the course of a year that conjure up more nostalgia than the long-running Royal Rumble? One can only confidently answer Wrestlemania, but in the grand scheme of things, 'Mania is the showpiece -- it is WWE's proverbial jewel in the crown. The Rumble, nonetheless, plays such an intricate role in the lead up to "The Grandest Stage of Them All."

In case your wrestling knowledge is amiss, 30 superstars enter the Royal Rumble match, each contestant vying for an opportunity to face the World Champion at 'Mania, but only one will earn that spot.

That man was none other than. . .

EDGE

Edge entered the match at number 29, supposedly as a "surprise" entrant (see previous post). Upon making his arrival back to the squared circle, he speared everyone in sight, eliminating his foe Chris Jericho in the process. Edge then threw John Cena over the top rope to be crowned the victor. The win was sweet redemtion for the former nine-time champion, who was making his return from injury after a nine-month layoff.

Aside from that stunning moment, there were other sublime performances in the 30-man contest. I personally thought that CM Punk was incredible, and set the ball rolling perfectly. His super-heelish persona is quite possibly the best thing in wrestling since The Rock, in terms of entertainment value. Beth Phoenix became only the second woman ever to enter the Rumble, eliminating The Great Khali along the way. Triple H, who made quick work of Punk, was later super-kicked to the floor by his D-Generation X partner Shawn Michaels. Every man for himself, as they say.

Michaels himself was eliminated by Batista, ending his hopes of a rematch with The Undertaker at WM. This was preceded by Edge dumping out his former tag-team partner, Jericho, leaving only Batista, Cena and Edge in the ring. The Animal was tossed to the outside by Cena, leaving the Rated-R Superstar to seize the opportunity.

In other highlights of the night:

• 
  
  Christian defeated Ezekial Jackson to retain the ECW Championship in a fair scrap to open the show. Captain Charisma was able to secure the win with the Killswitch.

• 
  
  The Miz was able to hold onto his United States belt, but was hit with a Playmaker afterwards by challenger MVP.

• 
  
  Mickie James earned the Women's Title and some revenge when she pinned Michelle McCool.

• 
  
  The Undertaker recovered from two straight 619s to deliver the Last Ride to Rey Mysterio and remain as World Heavyweight Champion.

• 
  
  Randy Orton let loose on Cody Rhodes, after he was disqualified in his match with WWE Champion Sheamus for interference. The Viper also unloaded on Ted DiBiase, but only before the Celtic Curse got the last word in with a Scissors Kick. Sheamus Post-Match Interview (Watch this for some priceless Séamus quotes).

Overall, this was the best pay-per-view the WWE have rolled out in while now. The Rumble match itself was one of the most engaging and enthalling matches I've probably ever seen! I shall be waiting for the DVD in anticipation, as should you.

Royal Rumble News

Jericho confronts Edge
Edge on who he'll face at WM

Edge's New (Unused) Comeback Theme

YouTube - Edge's return theme royal rumble 2010

Edge is rumoured to be making his return tonight at the Royal Rumble, with this as his new entrance music.
The song is immense and I'm anticipating his return all the more now.

It's called Coming Home by Alter Bridge, so it's pretty fitting for his comeback from injury to the WWE.

Edge would certainly be my bet for the Rumble, and he'll certainly face Chris Jericho in the near future: they'll definitely come face to face in the Rumble match itself, and then face off at either Elimination Chamber or Wrestlemania 26.
Edge FTW.