WWE Monday Night Raw Results 1/16/12
The show begins with the introduction of WWE legend Mick Foley. Mick immediately goes for the cheap pop “right here in Anaheim, California.” He talks about his bad segments lately, including him being Santa Claus and doing “Cena this is your life.” Foley brings up that he once headlined Wrestlemania in the exact building they are in. He says two of his sons were there. He says his other two sons were too young to see him wrestle in a WWE ring, which is why he is officially announcing his entry into the Royal Rumble match. Well that’s a cool idea. I’m for it. Vickie Guerrero comes out with Dolph Ziggler shouting “excuse me.” Ziggler says there are thirty precious spots into the Royal Rumble and that Foley is snubbing aside a superstar who deserves it. Dolph says that he’s watched Foley do stand up comedy and that he understands if this is one of his bits. Then Ziggler does an imitation of Foley’s kids where he say’s “yay look at daddy in the Royal Rumble….oh no he’s over the top rope. Well now it’s back off to school so we can get beat up, I hope dad didn’t eat our lunches again.” Good stuff.
It’s time for me to comment for the 40th consecutive week that I love Ziggler’s mic skills and that he is the most improved superstar over the last year. And I’ll say it 40 more weeks, because he deserves it. Mick Foley is officially trending worldwide on Twitter. Ziggler tells Foley that it’s all over and that he needs to go away. CM Punk’s music hits and he makes his way down the aisle. Let’s hope that we get to see Punk more than just one time this week. Because the champion should be featured more than one time. But instead we will probably have to sit through 14 terrible B-movie Kane segments. CM Punk steals Foley’s cheap pop line. Ziggler says Punk and Foley both get their clothes from the same homeless man. Boooooo. I boo bad jokes.
Should I go back and delete my Ziggler praise? Nah, I’ll let that one pass. Punk say’s Dolph hides behind a woman. Then he makes fun of Dolph and Laurinaitis. Punk says that after he beats Ziggler at Royal Rumble it would be damn cool to face Foley at Wrestlemania. Vickie starts to shout, but Punk cuts her off, and then Laurinaitis comes out to cut him off. I have no idea what any of them were saying. Laurinaitis says he will be a fair special guest referee in the Punk vs. Ziggler match. Then he tells Foley that no, he cannot be in the Royal Rumble. Vickie laughs in Foley’s face. That ends the segment. Mediocre segment that really didn’t progress the Punk vs. Ziggler feud any. At least it started a Foley storyline. I’m assuming that Mick will be forced to win a match or two to get into the Rumble.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match- Epico and Primo w/ Rosa Mendes vs. Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourn- We first see exclusive footage from a house show where Epico and Primo became the new WWE Tag Team Champions. This is a great concept. It’s been a long time since a title change has happened on a non-televised house show. I think it’s a bit early to make these guys the tag champs but regardless I like the title change. Let’s hope Kofi and Bourn split soon. I feel that their whole reign as tag champions was a disaster. Evan Bourn is a great heel. Please turn him. Epico and Bourn start the match. Bourn rolls down his back for a near fall, followed by a flying head scissors. In comes Primo. Bourn hits a springboard cross body, but is caught by both guys and overhead slammed. More quick tags from the tag champs as they double team Bourn. Evan hits the spot of the night by leaping to the top rope and using a hurricanrana on Epico that throws him into Primo. Very sweet spot. Kofi Kingston is tagged in. He hits some clotheslines, and then the Boom Drop. Trouble in Paradise on Epico. He tags Evan Bourn who goes to the top rope. Primo pops up from the outside and takes out Kofi. Evan is distracted by this as Epico knocks him off the ropes. Backstabber to Bourn as Epico picks up the win. The new champs have retained their titles.
In the back John Laurinaitis is talking to David Otunga. Somebody walks up but it doesn’t show who. Laurinaitis says the main event is Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, and David Otunga vs. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and you. The camera pans as Chris Jericho is seen. He doesn’t say anything and just smiles. Then he turns off the lights and poses with his light-up jacket. First of all will somebody pinch me? Punk, Bryan, and Jericho teaming up? The best three wrestlers in the company? Three of my favorite wrestlers of all time? Plus two of them, Bryan and Jericho, are amidst a heel turn? What else can you ask for. And it’s Jericho’s first match in over a year and a half. A total dick move by the way from Jericho. He flipped off the lights to show off his jacket! Hilarious. Who does that? What a jerk/genius. Primo & Epico and Airboom are both trending on Twitter.
In the back we see Zack Ryder standing with Eve. Ryder has his ribs taped up. Eve says there is no way Ryder can defend his championship tonight. Ryder says he’s going to the ring and won’t forfeit his title. Eve says she’s going with him. Following this we get a video package showing Kane and Zack Ryder over the last few weeks. Why did they have to remind me? “The tire’s flat, the tire’s flat!!!” Riveting television.
United States Championship- Zack Ryder w/ Eve Torres vs. Jack Swagger w/ Vickie Guerrero- Swagger immediately targets Ryder’s injured back. He clubs him in the side and then uses a side slam. The crowd chants “let’s go Ryder woo woo woo.” Swagger charges Ryder in the corner, but gets knees to the face. Ryder jumps off the rope, but is caught in a back breaker. Swagger does the Swagger-bomb to Ryder’s back. Gutwrench powerbomb for a near fall. Then Swagger uses a second gutwrench powerbomb for a second near fall. Swagger continues to drop elbows across Ryder’s back. He hits a third gutwrench powerbomb for the win. Jack Swagger is the new United States Champion. I know a lot of people are extremely angry right now. And a lot of people will be shocked when I say this….but I’m okay with this. The whole fun of Zack Ryder was his chase towards the title. It was fun back when Ryder wasn’t being used correctly and was barely on tv. It was fun to root to see him every week and then be shocked when he actually showed up on Raw. It was fun to watch him try to get a US title match. I was frustrated many weeks waiting for Ryder to get his chance. But frustration is good. It’s a great reaction to get from a fan. That shows that the writers are doing their jobs and were really picking up heat against Ryder. The chase was great. When Ryder finally got his title shot everyone was excited. I was there in Baltimore when Ryder won the US Championship and the entire crowd went crazy. From there it was cool to see him defend it for a little bit. But then came the terrible Kane storyline that absolutely destroyed his title reign. Now Ryder has been “screwed” out of the title by being forced to fight injured. So the chase begins again. Now they can move him away from Kane and restart his journey that should lead him to Wrestlemania. It will make Ryder fresh again. It’s going to be exciting to see him again. And it really isn’t his fault that he was caught in an awful storyline over the last month. I can’t wait for the next championship chase. How come they decided to change two championships this week by the way? And they didn’t even wait until the pay-per-view to do it. That’s odd.
After commercial we see Ryder in the back with the doctors. Laurinaitis comes in and says he just got the doctor’s report that says Ryder wasn’t cleared to wrestle. Eve blows up on Laurinaitis and he tells her to shut her mouth.
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton comes out to be the special guest ring announcer. He is booed by the crowd pretty loudly. He introduces Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox. Then he announces The Bella Twins. They plug Hilton’s blog, where apparently the diva’s do a special article each week. I can’t wait to not read it.
Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox vs. The Bella Twins- Nikki Bella slams Kelly Kelly and tosses her into the corner. She stomps, then charges and misses. Kelly hits a bulldog. The Bella’s do the switch as Brie takes Nikki’s spot. Perez Hilton grabs Brie’s legs and pulls her out of the ring. Kelly uses a roll-up on Nikki for the win. The Bella’s push Perez. He throws up fisticuffs. The Bella’s shove him down into the mat. Kelly Kelly and Alicia take up for him and the Bella’s flee. Yaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnnn. Why didn’t Alicia Fox get to do a single move. She is miles and miles better than Miss fake-hair-weave Kelly Kelly. What a waste of time. Perez Hilton is trending on Twitter.
1992 Royal Rumble flash back. “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair wins it. So weird to see them putting over a guy that is signed by TNA and works for the competition. He goes into the Hall of Fame for the second time in April. Yes, the second time. He already went in by himself, and now his group The 4 Horsemen are being inducted.
R-Truth comes down to the ring. He picks up the mic, but before he can speak Wade Barrett’s music plays. He says “pardon the interruption R-Truth, if that is your real name.” Ha! British humor! Gotta love it. Barrett says that he will win the Royal Rumble. He says the old “git” Mick Foley won’t. What is a git? He say’s R-Truth should be in a straight jacket. R-Truth says “Ello Govanah” and says that Barrett talks funny. Truth says that they are close to Disney Land and that he went there this morning. He shows a slide show on the big screen. He is standing with Mickey and Minnie. Then he shows a picture beside Donald Duck. Next there is a pic of him with Pinocchio. Pinocchio said that Barrett would win the Royal Rumble. Then his nose grew. Truth says he’s not sure if that’s even PG. The Miz attacks R-Truth from behind. Miz and Barrett double team Truth. Sheamus’ music hits as he runs in for the save. Every time we get a terrible run in storyline that ends in a match we always get Teddy Long. Hence Teddy Long’s music hitting. Teddy makes a four man over the top rope challenge. The Bella’s are officially trending on Twitter.
Over the top rope challenge- R-Truth vs. Wade Barrett vs. The Miz vs. Sheamus- Lot’s of brawling with Miz vs. Truth and Sheamus vs. Barrett. There’s some punching. There’s some kicking. There’s some stomping. Typical battle royal. Wade Barrett is thrown over the top rope by all 3 guys at once. Jerry Lawler comments on Michael Cole never participating in a Royal Rumble, which just gave it away to me that Cole would be in this year’s Rumble. Bank on it. It will be like those times that Jonathan Coachman entered the Rumble. I bet it will be a surprise, but Cole will be in it this year. Mark my words. Sheamus uses his over the rope chest pounds on The Miz. He beats his chest and yells “Brogue.” Nah, he doesn’t need to do that. It sounds stupid. Sheamus misses a Brogue Kick and lands on the ropes. Miz tries to dump him over, but Sheamus fights him off. R-Truth runs over to the ropes and dumps both guys to the floor. R-Truth is the winner. He celebrates, dances, and does a split. On the outside Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick on The Miz. Sheamus will win the 2012 Royal Rumble by the way. Also bank on that. Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus at Wrestlemania. Bryan is excellent against larger men with a European style. Go watch his Ring of Honor matches vs. Nigel Mcguinness. They are amazing.
In the back John Cena comes barging into Laurinaitis’ office angry. He says he screwed Ryder out of the title. Laurinaitis says to put his concern on Kane because he will face him at Royal Rumble. He also says that Cena will face the new United States Champion Jack Swagger next. During commercial I literally see the 3rd different commercial with Hulk Hogan in it. You’d think TNA would be doing better in the ratings with all these free Hogan and Flair promotions. I guess their ratings are bad because their shows are terrible. They have good wrestlers but they have the worst writing team on the planet. I see better scripted material on Jersey Shore.
John Cena vs. United States Champion Jack Swagger- Cena runs straight to the ring and attacks Swagger. Lot’s of punches, splash in the corner, hard clothesline. Swagger is tossed to the outside, into the turnbuckle, and off the announce table. He hits a stiff knee to Swagger’s face, pushes his hand up against his face, and hits hard kicks to the back. This might be a little example of what Cena the heel would be like. He throws Swagger into the steel steps. Then he separates the steps and bounces Swagger’s head off the base multiple times. Cena lays Swagger’s head against the steps and picks up the top as if he is going to smash Swagger’s head. Before he can do it we get an explosion. Kane is on the big screen and tells Cena that he will continue to embrace the hate. Then another explosion. It looks like Kane is forcing Cena to be more aggressive. I still believe that this is all a heel turn tease. Cena is not going to turn heel. But they are going to push it and tease it as if he will. In the end it will make those who hate him, hate him even more. Which in turn makes him a stronger heel to only those he needs to be a heel to. He will still be a super baby face to the women and children, because that’s his character. It doesn’t make sense for him to turn on the entire “WWE Universe.” Hopefully that’s all we have to see of Kane tonight. John Cena and Jack Swagger are officially trending on Twitter.
Here comes the Funkasaurus Brodus Clay. Somebody call his mama! His dancers announce him tonight. Apparently he is the only living and breathing Funkasaurus on the planet. I was not aware of that. That is fascinating. He dances his way down to the ring in a red jumpsuit. They cut to his opponent JTG, who is magically a heel tonight. JTG is doing the Kenny Powers sarcastic psssh laugh. Probably not purposefully.
The Funkasaurus Brodus Clay vs. JTG- Clay dances into a tie up. Once in the tie up he runs his hands up and down JTG’s body. JTG grabs his legs but he starts to shake. Clay points to the crowd, JTG looks, and Clay punches him in the side of the head. Running headbutt by Clay. Clay uses an overhead slam. He yells “my bad.” The crowd yells “my bad.” That’s called being over. Then he uses his finisher called “Ah Funk It.” It’s the running crossbody combo from last week. That’s the match. Clay wins. Clay and the dancers celebrate by dancing.
Flashback from Smackdown. So Daniel Bryan used his girlfriend AJ to get in the way of the Big Show to get his match called off. The 500 pound Big Show collided with the 95 pound AJ. The storyline is that Daniel Bryan acts as if The Big Show did it on purpose. The crowd is smart enough to understand his sarcasm and boos Bryan when he comes out. I love it. Bryan is a great heel. He cuts a promo talking about how it was The Big Show’s fault and how Big Show shouldn’t show his face on Smackdown again. He talks about his World Championship match on Smackdown this week against Mark Henry. He dedicates his match to AJ. I love how they are going to put Bryan over on both Big Show and Mark Henry. There is no better way to make his title reign legit than to have him survive two giants. After he makes his way to the ring the lights go off. A blue light up jacket is seen at the top of the ramp. Jericho makes his way down the ramp screaming. He grabs a-hold of the camera once again. He circles the outside and celebrates with more fans. As we go to commercial he grabs a fan’s digital camera and takes a picture of the fan with his girlfriend. Absolutely hilarious. I seriously laughed out loud. Again, who does that? Genius. That’s the only adjective I can think of to describe Jericho. Genius. #somebodycallmymama is trending on Twitter. That is also funny. Wrestling is funny. People who don’t watch it need to…because it’s funny. Much funnier than all those terrible network sitcoms that air every week. Chris Jericho or Two and a Half Men? I’ll take Chris Jericho any day of the week. CM Punk or 30 Rock? Don’t even get me started. When we come back from commercial everyone is already in the ring, but Chris Jericho is still running around the ring. Lawler and Cole said that he already made at least 4 trips around the ring! That gets a big “lol.” Jericho or Mike and Molly? Are you kidding me?
Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, and David Otunga w/ Vickie Guerrero- CM Punk starts the match with Dolph Ziggler. They chain wrestle before Punk hits a scoop slam and stomps Ziggler’s head. Punk hits a hard chop and vertical suplex. Daniel Bryan is tagged in. Immediate uppercuts from Bryan. Bryan tries to leapfrog Ziggler, but he trips and hits the mat. Ziggler smartly attacks the leg that Bryan tripped with. That makes me seriously wonder if Bryan was supposed to trip. Which means that these brilliant wrestlers did a great job covering that spot. Daniel Bryan is officially the #1 trend worldwide on Twitter. Otunga and Ziggler continue to work Bryan’s leg. Half crab by Ziggler, but Bryan makes it to the ropes. Ziggler misses a splash in the corner which helps Bryan dive to CM Punk. Otunga is also tagged in. The fans chant “you can’t wrestle” at Otunga while Punk works a chin lock on him. Otunga counters an Irish Whip with a kick to the face, and he tags Ziggler in for the third time. Ziggler uses an impressive neck breaker on Punk, then taunts the crowd. Side headlock by Ziggler, countered into a CM Punk back breaker. Jericho jumps up and down on the apron and the crowd goes crazy. Punk does not make it to Jericho as Otunga cuts him off. Otunga goes for a superplex, but Punk knocks him off with headbutts. Diving Macho Man elbow drop. Hot tag to Jericho. The crowd goes crazy. Jericho jumps up and down and points to each side of the ring. The crowd cheers every time Jericho points to them. The crowd is literally louder than they have been all night. Just as Otunga makes his way to his feet, Jericho tags Daniel Bryan. The crowd starts to boo loudly. Jericho jumps off the apron and walks to the back. I literally laughed my ass off. That is by far the funniest thing I’ve ever seen inside a wrestling ring. I saw it coming too, which made it even better. Again, Jericho got the crowd all riled up, and gave them nothing in return. He continues to suck the life out of the crowd with no payoff. Jericho walks to the back still excited saying “yea!” Back from commercial Bryan hits a hot tag to Punk. Punk comes in with clotheslines, a swinging neck breaker, high knee in the corner, and a running bulldog. Springboard clothesline by Punk. Then comes Mark Henry to mess everything up. He takes out Punk then picks up Bryan. Bryan gets out of the World’s Strongest Slam and punches Henry in the face. Bryan hobbles to the outside as Henry follows him. Mark tosses Bryan across the ramp and to the back. Mick Foley’s music hits. Foley runs down the ramp and grabs the tag rope. Punk can’t quite make it to Foley and is caught with a Fame Asser by Ziggler. Near fall. #JeriTroll is trending on Twitter again. Two swinging neck breakers by Ziggler for another near fall. Punk hits an enzuguri and makes the hot tag to Foley. Foley pounds away on Otunga in the corner and yells “bang bang.” The crowd is on fire. Foley with the running knee in the corner followed by the double-arm DDT. Foley pulls out Mr. Socko and uses the Mandable Claw on Otunga. Otunga passes out as the match ends. CM Punk and Mick Foley win the match. John Laurinaitis comes down the aisle and says he never told Foley he could be in the match. Laurinaitis overturns the decision and announces the heels as the winners. Punk grabs the mic from him. He says Laurinaitis will do nothing about him grabbing things from him. He tells Laurinaitis to shut up, man up, and take his balls out of his purse. He tells Laurinaitis that it killed him to watch his brother Road Warrior Animal be in a successful tag team while he did nothing with his career. Punk says that he’s accomplished more in the last year than Laurinaitis has in his entire life. (The screen goes black. Either something happened with my cable company, or Punk said something that had to be completely censored.) Punk continues to rant on Laurinaitis, jukes him out, and calls him pathetic. A lot of emotion there from Punk. Very good promo. Foley is still in the ring and is giving thumbs up to Laurinaitis. John grabs the mic and introduces himself to the crowd. He says he is not pathetic and will not be intimidated. Foley says that Laurinaitis needs to admit that he plans to screw Punk at the Royal Rumble and that he is a kiss ass. Laurinaitis asks Foley who the hell he thinks he is. He says that he will screw Punk at the Rumble. He says he’s sick and tired of being bullied. He goes on a rant saying he won’t take it anymore. Laurinaitis suddenly nails Foley across the head with the microphone and walks out of the ring. Foley stumbles to his feet as we go off the air. Raw dominated Twitter as it went off the air. #JeriTroll, Mr. Socko, CM Punk, Johnny Ace (Laurinaitis’ backstage nickname), and Mick Foley are all trending.
I thought Raw was extremely good tonight. One of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. The progression of the Chris Jericho storyline was epic. The emotion shown by Punk and Laurinaitis was incredible. The heat to Daniel Bryan was great. The hurricanrana spot by Evan Bourn was amazing. Cena’s aggression was awesome. The Foley match build and nostalgia were very smart. The sudden US Title Change made so much sense and leaves me anticipating. Overall, great job. I was highly entertained tonight. Hopefully this is a prelude to how great every Road to Wrestlemania Raw will be over the next few months. I can’t wait for next week. As Zack Ryder would say “Follow me on Twitter.” Spread my articles, leave comments, and ask me questions. Thanks for reading. I’ve been receiving some amazing feedback.
Follow Mark Brown on Twitter @FantasyGodmb.
Ill be the first to comment. I was impressed with Raw just as you were, but I am starting to wonder how this John Laurnitus thing is going to play out. I am dreading the thought of him being in the ring again. I think the Jericho thing is becoming a bit enlaungated but I think hes going to be the winner of the rumble. Bryan was pure entertainment I think his match will be epic Friday. They need Mr. Belding on Raw.
I would not be surprised if they are building Laurinaitis vs. Foley at Wrestlemania. I also hope that doesn’t happen. It seems like a waste of a spot to me. I totally disagree with the Jericho comment. I think it needs to go on for at least another month. The first time he speaks it should be very serious as he cuts a promo on Punk. Jericho is my second choice to win the Rumble. It’s really a toss up between him and Sheamus. Regardless, the two title matches will be Punk vs. Jericho and Bryan vs. Sheamus. I hope Bryan’s match on Smackdown is epic. Mr. Belding would be entertaining for one night…but not as the permanent GM like he wants to be.
[...] …WWE News: WWE.com Article Lists Potential Reasons Why We Might Hate John CenaBleacher ReportWWE Raw Results 1/16 Jericho and Foley Compete, New ChampionBaltimore SportsReport.comWWE Monday Night RAW SuperShow January 16, 2012 ResultsWrestling [...]
[...] WWE Raw Results 1/16 Jericho and Foley Compete, New ChampionBaltimore SportsReport.comBy Mark Brown, on January 16th, 2012 The show begins with the introduction of WWE legend Mick Foley. Mick immediately goes for the cheap pop “right here in Anaheim, California.” He talks about his bad segments lately, including him being Santa Claus …WWE: 10 Reasons Monday Night RAW Has Become StaleBleacher ReportWWE Monday Night RAW SuperShow January 16, 2012 ResultsWrestling 101WWE RAW Results: January 16, 201224WrestlingHeadlinePlanet.com -Wrestling-Edge.com -ProWrestling.netall 66 news articles » [...]
Interesting and very insightful read as ususal. I immensely enjoyed Raw. just about every segment kept me very entertained. Question for you, Mark….if Sheamus wins the Rumble, how do you see Jericho beginning his feud with with Punk? If Y2J wins the Rumble, its easy to see how they would run into each other. Laurinaitis already admitted we will try and screw Punk at the Rumble, so do you think its possible he will use Jericho to do so?? B/c this will be a nice way to fully turn Jericho heel. Curious about your thoughts.
I think Jericho is turning himself heel. Every single week the new crowd cheers him, then they boo him upon his exit. Eventually all fans will begin to boo him. It really is a toss up whether Jericho or Sheamus wins the Rumble. I could certainly see them being the final two. I do not see Punk losing the title at Rumble. However Laurinaitis tries to screw him it will backfire. At this point I’m thinking that the WWE Board will assign Foley to be a second referee or an enforcer. After Laurinaitis bumps at the PPV Foley will run in to count the 3. Because they have already made it apparent that Laurinaitis will try to screw Punk, Laurinaitis definitely will not be able to screw Punk. As for Jericho interacting with Punk….it would be easy to have Jericho continue doing what he’s doing for the next month or so. One night Jericho can be doing his normal routine while Punk is present. Then Jericho can simply do a brutal attack on Punk. From there he can pick up the mic and finally speak. The complete change of character can happen over CM Punk. Then Jericho will find a way to tie everything he’s done thus far into an angle with Punk. Or Jericho could win the Rumble. It’s highly possible.
I agree with everything you said. That certainly is well thought-out. However, I cannot see Jericho finishing anything less than first in the Rumble. I think having him actually get eliminated at any point would sorta kill his momentum and heat. He has been absolutely owning the fans the last 3 weeks, and I cannot see him having to explain anything he did wrong, especially if one of those “wrongs” is being eliminated in the rumble. I agree that Punk will retain at the Rumble, mostly b/c I have no idea who Ziggler would feud with at WM28. And if Punk retains, I cant see Jericho interfering in that match b/c he would have to fail then. I either see Jericho winning the Rumble, or not competing in it alltogether. I dunno. Either way, I cannot wait to see what happens next week or at the Rumble!
What if Jericho enters #30, comes down to the ring with everyone inside bumped on the mat, points to the crowd, cheers, picks up a guy, grabs him by the head, runs towards the ropes, drops the guy, jumps over the top, and walks to the back? Can you see Jericho entering and not winning in that situation?
I can see him doing something of that nature, sure. I just cant see him actually being eliminated by anyone else. That would ruin everything he’s done the last 3 weeks. He would need to take himself out like he did in Monday’s tag match. That would definitely get people to boo him.
last night’s episode of raw actually surprised me. A couple unexpected twists, and situations that sort-of changed my perspective on a few people. I feel the need to get a couple things off my chest…a few things i need to admit, based on last night’s show….
- I agree Jericho’s act is genius…not sure how much longer it’ll last but when he finally poops on the wwe universe it’s going to be epic. Jericho as a heel is Jericho at the top of his game. I honestly dont think anyone does it better right now.
- I ADMIT…..wasnt too impressed with Dolph this week. Flashes of brilliance, moments of cornyness…his delivery is impeccable though. I still see championship gold in his near future. he’s too talented and charismatic.
- I ADMIT….brodus clay’s starting to grow on me. the entrance song is actually pretty catchy…and he’s quite entertaining in the ring…i compared him to the godfather and rikishi last week…but now i’m thinking more dusty rhodes / bam bam bigelow. that running headbut is really something.
- interesting development with John Cena finally losing his cool and decimating swaggert. i was shocked and a little disturbed. if that is the Cena we’ll get as a heel, then God help his opponents. brutal, powerful, ruthless, unrelenting. i admit…i want more!
- perhaps the most difficult thing for me to admit….R-Truth actually made me laugh last night…out loud and often. “ello govnah” had me in stitches, as did the pinnochio bit and the “pg” comment. i’ll take it day by day with this guy.
- Last year, i sucessfully picked Del Rio to win the royal rumble an hour before the actual match and a years worth of bragging rights ensued. Well, i’m going to attempt to do so again this year. here it is…my official pick to win the rumble match this year…drumroll please….not shaemus, not mark henry, not kane or cena…ladies and gentlemen….WADE BARRET takes it. the barret barrage culminates at the rumble, folks. mark my words.
- one last thought….my favorite 3 minutes of the show was actually the royal rumble flashback to the most star-studded, amazing rumble match in the history of pro wrestling. i remember watching it when i was 11 years old, in absolute awe of the magnitude of the event. flair’s backstage interview after the match is abstolutely electrifying. you-tube that interview people. nature boy at his absolute finest.
peace!
This weekly article is definitely the right place to get things off your chest each week. It’s an interactive area! Of course I completely agree on Jericho. I feel that Dolph Ziggler was really overlooked this week. Looking back on my article that’s the first thing I thought about. Actually Dolph took the bulk of that 6 man tag match and was the mold that held all the story lines together. He was able to insert himself into each situation and help gel everything that was going on. I was highly impressed with him in the main event match. His mic skills were what was corny this week. Brodus is funny and entertaining, but I wonder how long it can go on. What happens when he is in legit matches against top talent? The gimmick won’t work as well in a longer format. He will have to be completely serious, and have no fun against someone like The Miz. Because psychologically it doesn’t make sense for him not to. Miz would eat him alive. I like the Dusty Rhodes comparison. Bam Bam was a serious guy who could move well and fly for a big man. Cena was fun to watch this week. It’s not often you get something new from him. He’s done it all already. I’m surprised that you found it odd that Truth actually made you laugh. Why wouldn’t he make you laugh every week? I have a very “rated R” sense of humor (south park, will ferrell etc..) but I find Truth hilarious every week. He always makes me laugh. I get annoyed at stupid humor from Santino Marella, Teddy Long, and Hornswoggle, but I love R-Truth. I was also all over the Del Rio winning the Royal Rumble thing last year. I saw it coming in December. Barrett is an interesting pick. If Barrett were to win it then Daniel Bryan would have to drop his title at Elimination Chamber. Perhaps Orton or Sheamus would win the title at that event. Here is why I don’t think Barrett has a chance….Orton returns at Royal Rumble. He will either be a surprise entrant into the Royal Rumble, or it will be a run in attack on Barrett. Regardless, that isn’t good news for Barrett’s chances. I think the Orton vs. Barrett match at Wrestlemania will be the only payoff feud match. Which means it will be the only match in which the feud ends. All the other matches are typically the first encounters between guys (Jericho vs. Punk, Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan). In the case of Orton vs. Barrett the feud will end. Which means that match can be stipulated. So we could get a street fight, Hell in a Cell, or something unique to Wrestlemania that we haven’t seen before. I’m personally more of a fan of Royal Rumble 1998. The Austin win with Tyson watching was epic. Foley entering as all 3 of his faces and hardcore battling with Terry Funk was great. Owen Hart getting attacked by both Jeff Jarrett and Triple H in the same match was pretty unique too. Thanks for the comments. Bring more next week!
Great job,Mark with your analysis. I strongly feel that Jericho will win the Royal Rumble and then address the WWE Universe for the first time since his return.He wil snub the fans and announce that he will challenge for the WWE title at Wrestlemania 28.Jericho’s masterful psychology is really coming to the forefront here in his return.As always , he will emerge as a major player in the title picture in 2012.
I believe that John Cena will remain a face.Creative had him pummel and destroy Swagger on last evening to tease us into believing that he will turn heel. I have heard rumblings from the back that Cena is totally against turning his character.You ask the boys yourself and they will tell you likewise.For all the Cena haters out there, I can honestly say that John is true to his word as it relates to giving back to the fans.He grants more wishes for the Make A Wish Foundation annually than any other athlete or entertainer.His passion for the troops and persons serving in the Armed forces is both honourable and admirable.Considering his rots as the ‘Doctor of Thuganomics’, he has come a long way.
Jericho winning the Royal Rumble can definitely happen. Right now I say there is a 50% chance Sheamus wins, a 49% chance Jericho wins, and a 1% chance Michael Cole wins. I could definitely change my mind depending how the story line plays out in the next two weeks. What if Jericho were to win the Royal and then snub the fans and announce he were going to face the champion from Smackdown? That would really be a dick move since everyone wants him and Punk. For now I’m sticking with Sheamus. I completely agree with you on John Cena. You reinforced what I said about him not turning heel, and everything else you said is a fact.
Mark…..Outstanding report as always I loved the”I boo bad jokes”thing
anyways I always count on your prediction as your not throwing bones and calling a name
.I saw del rio winning last year too I think it was a bit too obvious
but here is my question:do you think Randy Orrin can make a surprise return and ruin the rumble for Wade Barret??I mean we’ve seen people recovering from broken ribs and coming back the next day in wwe.
2nd Q is there even a slightest chance of Jericho pulling a “no show”
on the rumble or maybe his music will hit but he won’t show up that would be great for his heel character?
And finally my most important question:DO YOU AGREE THAT WADE NEEDS HIS CAPE BACK ON????
lol no really my final question is can you see del rio making an apearance and getting eliminated by Wade as the last two men???
Randy Orton will definitely be at the Royal Rumble in his home town. I actually just responded to a comment (somewhere above) about how Orton will be the reason that Wade Barrett does not win the Rumble. Either Orton will be a surprise entrant or he will just run in and take Barrett out.
I’m not really sure if it fits Jericho’s character to not come out. If anything he should just eliminate himself, or just circle the ring and never get in. If he does win it, I hope he does so by doing nothing. I hope the other people around him eliminate each other and he wins by default. He definitely can’t do any physical work at this point…unless they change that on next week’s Raw.
I love Wade’s cape. He’s been wearing it the last few weeks. Giving him ring attire actually adds something to his character.
I’m really not sure how long Del Rio is supposed to be out. My gut says that he won’t be there and doesn’t really need to be. With Orton already being a surprise injured guy, I think they would be overdoing it by putting Del Rio in too. However, as the defending champion i would love to see him in it.
Mark: I think I’ll revisit Rumble 1998 tonight. Havent seen it in ages.
I’m still sticking to Wade as my rumble pick. I say Orton attacks him while he’s celebrating and rumble goes off the air with Orton’s arms raised.
Back-up pick is Shaemus.
I have said it before and I will say it again, just because John Cena is booed does NOT make him a heel to those who boo him! A heel is someone who does “bad” things like cheat to win and things of that nature. So, Cena is NOT a heel! I like what Jericho is doing but I don’t think they can make a character out of this. he can do this for about a month or a month in a half but not any longer because people will get sick of it and him. So I say keep it up till the Rumble, win, then finally cut a promo on Punk. Or, if he doesn’t win the rumble, then have him attack Punk one night and then cut a promo on him.
Thanks for the comment. The reason why I consider Cena a heel to those who boo him is because of the way that the writers book him. Over the last few months Cena has wrestled plenty of faces, including CM Punk and Zack Ryder. The intent of these matches were to get the other guys over as faces. Which means Cena was supposed to take all heat. So he was booked as a tweener heel to those that typically boo him. You are absolutely right to the face that Cena does not act as if he is a heel. But because he is booked as one, I consider him a heel to those who needs to be a heel to. The idea with Jericho is to make people sick of him. Right now people are still cheering. So until everyone boos, the storyline isn’t old yet. But leading into Wrestlemania I agree that Jericho needs to be speaking and hyping his feud with Punk. However, I really like Jericho’s current character and would love to see him continue it for a few months longer than it actually will.