I've been criticized by some readers here for being overly critical and negative toward WWE. I think that’s absurd, as I am always more than happy to heap praise on WWE writers and talent for a job well done. However, I am proud to call WWE, and any wrestling promotion, out when poor decisions are made.
But, for the sake of balance against posts dealing with all that is wrong with WWE, I thought I’d dedicate some space to some of what WWE is very much doing right.
1. Mark Henry: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his work since becoming ECW champion. Mark seems to be having a lot of fun in his bully character, and it is infectious. I’m happy to see him mow down ECW’s babyfaces for the foreseeable future. Even Tony Atlas has played his role well.
2. C.M. Punk: While I may not be thrilled with every booking decision made along the way, the fact is WWE has put one of its two top titles around the waist of a young, up-and-comer who was legitimately a couple years away from earning a world title run. I don’t have a problem with him struggling in some of his matches, as the storyline is that he somewhat lucked into his title win. He may not have the size or seasoning to beat all his opponents, but he’s got the heart to hold his own against them. WWE seems to recognize that.
3. MVP: Here’s a guy who WWE saw something in before a lot of us did. MVP is fantastic on the mic, credible in the ring, and a student of the sport. He should have a world title in his future.
4. Brian Kendrick: He’s still green on the mic, but it’s good to see WWE invest some creative energy and TV time in one of its smallest wrestlers. He’s doing a nice job as a mix between Brian Pillman and a young Shawn Michaels. If only they did the same for his old partner Paul London.
5. ECW: With Teddy Long’s “new talent initiative,” ECW is quickly becoming what many of us had been recommending for a while – a showcase for developmental talent. Some might flounder, but it’s encouraging to see WWE using its C-brand to invest in its future.
6. Edge: Everything he does is gold.
7. Vickie Guerrero: A year ago, many fans thought WWE was exploiting a widow with their casting of Vickie as an obnoxious villainess. Today, she’s one of the most consistently entertaining characters on TV.
8. Batista: He knows his character well, and plays “cool” better than anyone. His tweener tendencies as of late have stirred a lot of interest among fans.
9. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase: Athletic, confident, and good on the mic. They’re everything WWE could hope for in its young talent. And their push has been handled well so far.
10. Mike Adamle: Closely scripted, and kept far away from an announce table, he’s done an OK job as Raw’s GM.
11. The return of the Undertaker: He’s a legend, and more than that, he’s a hell of a worker.
12. The new announce teams: The new pairings on all three shows have freshened up the WWE product as a whole. Even Todd Grisham and Matt Stryker have done a nice job.
13. Noticing ROH: Punk is wearing the world title. Colt Cabana debuted with a promo last week. Evan Bourne is kicking butt in ECW. And Bryan Danielson and Takeshi Morishima both received dark match victories on Raw in recent months. Somebody in WWE has been ordering DVD’s online.
14. Kofi Kingston: His offense is unlike anything WWE fans have seen before. And behind the announce table on Raw Monday night, he showed hints of some untapped charisma.
15. “Glamarella”: Santino could go down as one of the best comedy acts WWE has ever seen, and his pairing with Beth Phoenix has been a lot of fun so far.
16. R-Truth Hype: I’m not sold on the former Ron Killings as a top act, but it’s nice to see WWE invest some time in building up a new character before his debut.
17. Shelton Benjamin: He’s long been one of WWE most athletically gifted, yet underutilized, stars. It’s good to see him wearing a major singles title, and apparently in line for a meaningful feud with Jeff Hardy.
18. The Smackdown Divas: Natalya, Michelle McCool and a few others have made the blue brand a new destination for quality women’s wrestling.
19. The WWE cuts: Not to take joy in anybody losing their job, but WWE wisely dropped some dead weight with its cuts last week.
20. Kane: I’m not entirely sure where they’re going, but it’s good to see the Big Red Machine get some of his edge back.
21. Triple H: He’s been willing to take a backseat to Edge, Taker and other top acts in WWE, while still delivering quality work in the ring.
22. JBL’s promos: He can’t do what he used to in the ring, but can still deliver on the mic.
23. Jamie Noble: After years of being a bit player on Smackdown, he’s got one of the most developed characters in WWE, and is getting plenty of TV time on Raw.
24. Explaining the presence of WWE cameras backstage: They’re still not being completely consistent, but in between Adamle directing a camera to catch the Batista-Cena confrontation, and Cole grabbing Shawn Michaels for an interview after SummerSlam, WWE may finally be addressing one of my biggest pet peeves on the product.
25. Jeff Hardy: WWE could have buried him upon his return from a drug suspension. Instead, they rightly gave him another chance, and appreciated his value in the company.
26. The Great Khali: Giants have been around wrestling since the beginning of time, and Khali is doing an exceptional job in his role.
27. Smackdown!: Long gone are the days of Smackdown being the red headed stepchild of WWE. It's got stars, quality wrestling, and hot storylines.
28. Pay Per Views: We haven't had an all-out dud of a pay per view all year. Combining the brands for the monthly shows has paid off with loaded cards, and good action.
29. Matt Hardy: Matt's done an admirable job earning the sympathy of fans in his quest to win ECW's top prize for the seemingly unbeatable Mark Henry.
30. And finally… Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. Quite simply the most compelling and well written wrestling storyline in recent history, being performed by two masters of their craft.
Comments (15)
"18. The Smackdown Divas: Natalya, Candice Michelle and a few others have made the blue brand a new destination for quality women’s wrestling."
Um... has Candace even made an appearance on Smackdown?
I think it was just a mistake between Candice Michelle and Michelle McCool. But he does have a point, the diva matches on Smackdown have been much better then I expected they would be.
No mention at all of Cena? Can we infer from that that you're not happy with what he's doing these days?
I actually think you guys are being too kind towards WWE, because about half the stuff you have on the list I think sucks. I wouldn't let the folks complaining when you point out what's wrong with WWE get you down. I hope these WWE stooges are getting paid because there's nothing sadder than a raving fanboy who gets nothing back from the company whose ass he is kissing in return.
"I hope these WWE stooges are getting paid because there's nothing sadder than a raving fanboy who gets nothing back from the company whose ass he is kissing in return."
(paraphrasing from an old WWE pay-per-view)
Jim Ross: "King, stop kissing Mr. McMahon's backside."
Jerry Lawler: "JR, it's not butt kissing if you actually mean it."
Well I agree with Kendricks push. They even have him main eventing the next ppv with HHH,MVP,Hardy and Shelton in a WWE Championship Scramble Match. So thats a good start.
FWIW - I actually think this is the best, most balanced, mature, non self indulgent blog/column about pro wrestling on the net. And I read a lot.
I'm surprised you didn't mention anything positive about Cena - specifically all the wrestlers he's put over (cleanly) since his return yet he's still their biggest star. If only other wrestlers were that secure.
Yeah the Cena hate is so odd to me. As a 20+ year wrestling fan, I have seen far worse champions or "top guys" than Cena. He gets that heat for 2 reasons I believe. One, some people actually hate the guy, and thats cool, its your opinion. But then there are people who just hate, because it is the cool thing to do. Cena bust his ass night in and night out. The guy is not selfish, I mean he has lost the last 3 ppvs to HHH, JBL and Batista. I am not some Cena mark, who thinks he is the greatest thing since sliced bread #2, but he does his job well.
Sells merchandise, sells tickets and gives 110% in the ring every night.
my problem with cena is that they brought him in under the marky-mark gimmick which was awesome when he got to cut his own promos and be a "gangsta rappa", but ever since he beat jbl at wrestlemania they made him some sat. morning cartoon charecter, i mean come on jbl is poopy
I have a lot of respect for Cena and appreciate his value as WWE's top star, but his character is as stale as its been in a long time, and he's lost all the momentum that he built up from 2005-2007. He gets too cutesy for his good (remember the "poopy" nonsense) and it's set him back a lot.
"30. And finally… Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. Quite simply the most compelling and well written wrestling storyline in recent history, being performed by two masters of their craft."
This is easily the storyline of the year.
""30. And finally… Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. Quite simply the most compelling and well written wrestling storyline in recent history, being performed by two masters of their craft."
This is easily the storyline of the year."
Indeed. The whole saga from Flair-Michaels (which brought us a great Mania match), through Batista-Michaels, into Jericho-Michaels (with a side serving of Cade) has been absolutely terrific.
Indeed. The whole saga from Flair-Michaels (which brought us a great Mania match), through Batista-Michaels, into Jericho-Michaels (with a side serving of Cade) has been absolutely terrific.
And they've still never closed the loop on the three men as a group either. With all three on RAW, there's still opportunity down the road to weave Batista back into the mix.
The thing that is great about this storyline is that not a lot of it has been told in the ring, which means that it leaves so much to the imagination of the fans, and gives the performers a great deal of room to build.
I also love that the storyline has folded in the past history of the performers. It's been great.
Here's a question? Why no push for the Big Show? He's been an essential after thought since his return. Brian Kendrick even gets over him in the scramble match on Smackdown this week.