By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Congrats WWE on developing some great new talent and putting them in front of the camera! Right now, there are so many great storylines, some excellent news and terrific gimmicks going on in WWE right now. The Hardy Boyz and the continued path towards Broken Matt and Brother Nero is the best thing in the world. Matt Hardy’s twitter feed is as interesting as his WWE appearances.
Now, I was out of the WWE loop for a while. I was watching IMPACT until it totally screwed the Hardy Boyz over and started watching WWE upon their return. The powers-that-be at IMPACT don’t seem to realize, you can’t break what is already broken and the Hardy Boyz are more popular than ever now – can’t say the same for their little show though.
Finn Balor is another talent I’ve grown to adore. He’s amazingly athletic, I love his entrance and he is just heavenly to look at. I’m pretty sure that body was carved by God himself.
Though I am mostly talking about RAW, I have to mention Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Mike Bennett’s fantastic entrance! It was a long time coming and I loved every minute of it. I really want them to team up with The Miz and Maryse. WWE send them to RAW!
Then there’s Braun Strowman, who is just hilarious! When he wouldn’t leave the studio and then said, “I’m leaving and taking him with me…” dragging out Kalisto with him. Strowman brings back the old-school wrestling feeling that everyone enjoys. That said, it doesn’t explain how unfair the audience is to Roman Reigns.
As for the WWE, I’m not sure why everyone seems to dislike Reigns – I guess it’s his familial link to The Rock and the fact that he got a super-push toward stardom, but who cares. He’s good, he’s got great mic skills and I love the Superman Punch so I’m thinking that the fans are just dicks. Still, I do love the reaction Strowman gets when he beats Reigns up so maybe I’m a dick too.
The heel-turn of Elias Samson and his pairing with Cesaro and Sheamus was hilarious. Cesaro and Sheamus are such an amazing tag team and the rivalry with the Hardy Boyz is magic!
That’s not even mentioning the women’s division, which has never been better! Alexa Bliss is just so much fun to watch! She’s kick-ass and silly at the same time. She doesn’t mind making fun of herself and when she insults others it cracks me up.
Her recent rivalry with Bayley seems to be done. I’m not sure why Bayley is getting back-burner status, but I hope that changes as she’s got great energy and a sweet vibe that fits as a nice contradiction to the other female forces. For example, Mickie James, Nia Jax and Sasha Banks are all terrific assets, formidable opponents that make every match enjoyable!
Not that everything is great. I’m not big on Samoa Joe. He lacks personality and I’ve always hated the whole UFC angle. I like Brock because he looks like the kid who always got picked on in school and then drank his milk and now can kick ass – I just wish he had a better opponent (and valet). Paul Heyman, Paul Heyman, Paul Heyman; when did you become Alfred Hitchcock? I’d really like you if you embraced the look and came out every night and said “GOOD EVENING…” but you don’t. You just sweat, yell and remind me how great the film PSYCHO is.
Enzo pisses me off. I know he has a fan-base, but he just reminds me of every jerk who loves the film SCARFACE, but doesn’t get that Al Pacino portrayed a villain who died like the dog he was. I don’t get the appeal.
Lastly, Bray Wyatt’s character sucks. I don’t know if it’s really popular or if people just like to light up their phones. I hope it’s the latter. I couldn’t believe he was IRS’s son. Why can’t he be Irwin R. Shyster Jr. Remember when Mike Rotunda stole Tatanka’s head-dress because he didn’t pay the gift tax. HILARIOUS! Bray Wyatt is just really boring. I’ll admit the EXORCIST walk is cool. He has me on that one, but otherwise I just yawn when he comes on TV. How boring was the match where Wyatt and Orton fought in the scary house? It felt like it was 3 hours. He needs a good shave, a suit and to start collecting taxes!
Despite WWE not being perfect it still has a great roster, awesome athletes and compelling rivalries. Speaking of compelling rivalries, one of the saddest is something off camera. Jim Cornette and Vince Russo just won’t stop.
These men have been feuding for year and it culminated with a restraining order a few weeks ago. Russo put one out on Cornette and unfortunately the arguing is still going on. For the record, I grew up loving Cornette. I’m a huge fan of his. He did so much for professional wrestling and up-and-coming talent. He’s not a perfect man. He has some anger issues and nothing brings his anger out more than Vince Russo.
To be clear, I’m not a Russo fan. I don’t have the absolute hatred for him that some wrestling fans do. For example, people voted him worse than Jose Gonzalez who stabbed Bruiser Brody and killed him. Russo made some bad choices, but he doesn’t even belong on a list with Gonzalez. Scumbag New Jack does! How does he still get gigs? After slicing up Mass Transit and then stabbing a guy 9 times, he should be in jail, destitute and away from the rest of society. Fuck New Jack!
Back to Russo – Russo is responsible for some of the worst storylines ever to be shown on wrestling. Beaver Cleavage in WWE was his prize. He gave himself the WCW belt. He grew bitter towards wrestling and hated everyone for a while, but then became a Christian and softened a bit. He was even man enough to apologize to Jim Ross for making a character called Oklahoma that made fun of both Ross and the fact that he had Bell’s Palsy. It was the right thing to do and he did it.
Cornette and others have blamed him for Owen Hart’s death and though I wish they never did the drop from the rafters, nobody does. Russo couldn’t know the future any more than Hart or anyone else on that night. I was watching the PPV live and I remember how broken Deborah was and I remember when they announced he passed away; it was something I wish I hadn’t watched. I wish I missed that PPV and found out the next day because processing the whole thing as it happened, just as a devoted fan, was horrific. I can’t imagine how anyone involved with Hart felt, including Russo.
So, Cornette and Russo have had some bad dealings and real heat seemed to develop during TNA, but why has it lasted this long? Both men are acting like children. Russo’s “apology” to Cornette felt like a work; and I wish Cornette’s outburst were works but sadly they’re not. He wholeheartedly HATES Russo and that’s not healthy.
Russo is poking the lion and Cornette is ready to bite. Russo went as far as getting a restraining order which Cornette agreed to abide by but also poked fun of by being sarcastic.
These two need a real intervention and I think I knew who could do it – not that he would. Eric Bischoff is a sensible, honest, say-it-like-it-is guy. I know he wants nothing to do with Russo and I know Russo just put out a dickish apology to Bischoff too; but I see him as the only rational one who can end this insanity.
We need a no-bullshit guy who doesn’t want to deal with irrational insanity that either man is spewing. My plea to Bischoff, who I’ve adored for years, is PLEASE end this rivalry. Cornette has his friend egging him on and Russo is running off at the mouth on his own. Bischoff has a calm authoritative tone and speaks sensibly. Get Russo to drop the restraining order. Have Cornette and Russo to sit down with Bischoff as the moderator. Let them clear the air without violence with Bischoff as the voice of reason. I know Russo exaggerates the truth and tries to maximize his role in popular storylines and minimize his role in bad ones. I get it; but maybe, just maybe Bischoff can end this insanity once and for all.
