Randy Orton Sparks the Great Indy Wrestling Debate

Randy Orton knows how to cause drama of the off-screen variety. In fact, he’s something of an artist at it. Last weekend, Orton retweeted a message from his original trainer in OVW, Rip Rogers, that criticized the current style of independent wrestling.

“Every Indy match now: handshake, drawn out move exchange, this is awesome chant, strike exchange, dive, no sell Indy strongstyle, dive, more strikes, no sells, dive, flippy floppy sequence, dive, hit everyone with each other’s finisher, then Humpty Dumpty, we all fall down. Fight forever chant, rinse and repeat until every move is useless and means nothing, dive, take unsafe shot that looks like shit and hurts like hell then roll-up finish. Handshake and hug after match. Everyone’s hand raised. All these guys chant. Go home and type on social media thanking your opponent and company for the match and telling others they should book these guys…dive.”

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Jinder Mahal is the #1 Contender for the WWE Title???

Jinder Mahal is the number one contender for the WWE Championship…There is no punch line here.

Mahal, who hasn’t won a match on television since September 12 of last year, will face Randy Orton for the title on Sunday, May 21 in the main event of Backlash. For the uninitiated, Mahal is pretty much the Glass Joe (Punch-Out) of WWE. Continue reading “Jinder Mahal is the #1 Contender for the WWE Title???” →

Styles vs. Orton: A Wrestling Lesson

I apologize for being late to the party with one, but I watched a really, really good wrestling match last week. It won’t go down as an instant classic or awarded five stars among journalists, however, the wrestlers took their time telling a fun and engaging story.

Whatever do I mean? Well…

Wrestling is an art form like any other creative and entertaining means of expression. Sometimes, in a particular space, certain nuances fall by the wayside, looking to be picked up again. In wrestling matches, it’s the little things that can make all the difference.

Over the last few years in WWE, punches, kicks, submission holds, and selling has been devoid of any real intensity and effort. Also, the action in the ring is too fast and does not leave enough time for anything to properly marinate with the audience.

Instead, back-and-forth matches, where the wrestlers take turns delivering big moves, appear to be a substitute for an arbitrary application of the smaller moves that support the assembly of a match.

Now, I know I sound like that older guy that emphatically claims it was better in my day, but stay with me. Continue reading “Styles vs. Orton: A Wrestling Lesson” →

Wrestling Soapbox: SmackDown Review and Fastlane Predictions

Randy Orton burns down the Wyatt Family compound, AJ Styles is going to WrestleMania, Kevin Owens defends the Universal Title against Goldberg and so much more!

This week on the Wrestling Soapbox, Atlee Greene and Adam Kohn review all of the goodness that was SmackDown and gives their preview and predictions for WWE Fastlane.

2017 WWE Royal Rumble Review

Another WWE Royal Rumble is in the books as fans were treated to four great title matches and a Rumble that was entertaining but didn’t live up to the hype. Atlee Greene reviews all of the happenings that occurred inside San Antonio’s Alamodome.

Seth Rollins is a Poor Man’s Randy Orton

I’m going to get some static for this one, but it is my opinion that the WWE world heavyweight championship reign of Seth Rollins, so far, has been flat, dull, and a repetitive loop of the same old song and dance we’ve already seen. Continue reading “Seth Rollins is a Poor Man’s Randy Orton” →

Money in the Bank: Cashing in on Old Faithful

The WWE Network era produced another solid pay-per-view offering with Money in the Bank that gave us a firm direction of where we are heading this summer. There were some hits and misses throughout the evening, but John Cena winning his 15^th world title left some fans disillusioned citing, “Same old #&$@*.”.

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WWE Elimination Chamber 2014: Shield/Wyatts Steal the Show

The Elimination Chamber was the last major stop on the road to WrestleMania and it left a mixed bag of results with the good heavily outweighing the mediocre. This also marks the end of the traditional PPV era as future shows will air on the WWE Network. I think it’s fitting that it went out with a good main event and great hope for the future. Continue reading “WWE Elimination Chamber 2014: Shield/Wyatts Steal the Show” →

Chris Jericho’s Undisputed Renaissance

The main event of this Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view is scheduled to unify Randy Orton’s WWE title and John Cena’s World Heavyweight title. While one unified champion may emerge, they will not be the first. Twelve years earlier, Chris Jericho became the first undisputed champion at WWF’s year end event. There is a stark contrast, however, between Orton and Cena’s current status on the card and that of Jericho’s in 2001.

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An Inconvenient Truth: John Cena and Randy Orton

There is an inconvenient truth when it comes wrestlers in the WWE. It doesn’t matter how good their matches are, how hard they work, how loud the audience cheers for them, how good they make the company look in the media, or how much merchandise they sell. In the end, it’s all about John Cena and Randy Orton. It’s always been about them and until a new era is ushered in, nothing will ever change that. For the last eight years, no one has been booked stronger or protected more than Cena and Orton. They are the two performers that the company has put their faith in to lead them to the promised land because more than anyone else on the roster, they embody what it means to be a sports entertainer and not a professional wrestler.

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