Well first things first I was glad to hear that Jerry Lawler's condition is improving. I am so happy that there is no brain damage. That serious issue aside lets move on to the topic at hand which is the most underused or misused wrestlers in the WWE today. Let's start at the bottom and work our way to number 1.
10. Alex Riley - I know that Alex Riley is a little green in the ring, but he has the look Vince seems to like and he has shown flashes of some real talent. I thought Riley was headed for big things after his split with the Miz, but any momentum he gained from turning face quickly fizzled as WWE rushed him of off the big 2 shows. I think that Riley has a big future in this business, but he doesn't need to wait for creative to come up with something. Instead he needs to develop his own character, hopefully something with a little edge. He is certainly someone who could benefit from a good manager. He ranks so low simply because he is still so rough around the edges.
9. Jack Swagger - Some people may say this is awfully low on the list for a former World Heavyweight Champion who is simply filling a tv spot these days, but I think not. There are some definite reasons for Jack's fall from grace with possibly the largest being a lack of connection with the fans. Also his title run did not come about because he had worked hard and earned it, but more because WWE was trying to build up some younger talent and probably thought he could be like Kurt Angle. He makes this list simply on account of the fact that while he isn't great he also is far better than the way he has been used for the last 2 years. He really needs to get away from being a cheap Angle knockoff, which hopefully is what is going on with him taking a storyline leave of absence. I think he will come back with a new purpose and a new character.
8. Santino Marella - This one is going to controversial since so many people think Santino is nothing but a comedy wrestler. I think he is completely misused in that role and I actually almost put him much higher on this list, but until recently he was receiving so much TV time it was hard to justify. While comedy can be part of who he is it shouldn't be all he is. Santino is an extremely gifted wrestler with an amazing connection with the fans. He is also very dedicated to the company and willing to do pretty much whatever they ask him to. I think with a few tweaks to his character Santino could easily be used to help return prestige to the secondary titles and even main event sometimes. Look at the performance he put on and the reaction he got at Elimination Chamber. He came across like he belonged there, not as the fish out of water fluke so many tried to say he was.
7. Heath Slater - Now I am not going to lie, when Slater's segments with the Legends started I did not like him at all and I only paid attention to see the Legends. However as the weeks went wn I really came to appreciate Heath's work. He is fairly good at getting heat from the crowd and the only person in the WWE who sells better than him, at least in my eyes, is Dolph Ziggler. His character isn't very well developed, but I think he does a good job with what he is given. His mic work is improving at fairly quick rate as well. He doesn't really stand out in the ring other than his ability to sell, but he can put on a good match and will only get better with more experience. Hell he managed to make that squash match with the reanimated corpse of Sid Vicious look almost believable. I don't know that he will ever be WWE or World Heavyweight Champion, but I also can't say that he never should be. Heath is one of the younger wrestlers that should be in the mix for the 2 secondary titles instead of being fed to Ryback.
6. Drew Mcintyre - I am sure everyone was waiting to see Drew's name on this list and here he is. He might be a little low for many, but I think the people ahead of him are even worse off than him. Drew was once considered the next big thing in the WWE until his ex-wife pissed off Vince and for some reason Drew is still being punished for this. He is hyper-aggressive in the ring and looks like he wants to hurt people. Drew could easily be saved just by a few matches and promos on Smackdown or RAW where he isn't treated like a failure. I believe he should be a huge heel and with the current shortage of good heels he must really be in Vince's doghouse to not get another shot. Drew seems like he has all the tools and it is just a matter of the WWE moving past what his ex-wife did.
5. Natalya - I cannot stand what the WWE is doing to this beautiful, talented performer. I could not believe the fart gimmick she was given and it is just further proof that Vince and his writers rarely know what to do with strong women. Natalya should be one of the cornerstones of the women's division along with Beth Phoenix. She is one of the only Divas(I hate that term) who can actually wrestle or garner a reaction from the crowd and Vince had her farting on national television. Sometimes I think Vince's goal is to actually kill women's wrestling and so far he is getting close.
4. Beth Phoenix - Beth is in the same boat as Natalya. She cannot get a break from the WWE. Here is a woman who is a better in-ring performer than Chyna ever was and is actually attractive to boot and yet Layla is the Diva's champion. I hope that when Beth comes back from dealing with her family's loss she Glam Slams the writers until they put her and Natalya on TV every week destroying the non-wrestling Divas.
3. Tyson Kidd - The guy is electric in the ring, gets a great reaction from the crowd and yet his biggest accomplishment is being used as a spot guy in this year's Money-in-the-Bank match. Tyson is further proof that Vince is more interested in giants than actual talent. Instead of building an amazing cruiserweight division around guys like Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Evan Bourne and Curt Hawkins, Vince only throws Kidd out there in Montreal or in ensemble gimmick matches.
2. Zach Ryder - Everyone knew he was gonna be on this list. No one has done a better job than Zach of garnering fan support and received so little support from management. Every time it seems like they might start listening to the fans and giving him a push they spit in our faces instead. His storyline with Eve was a perfect example of this. Yes I know Zach is a little off in the ring, but he is just so over. Some of the pops he has gotten are just insane. WWE just keeps dropping the ball on him
1. Christian - Sometimes I think Christian is still being punished for heading to TNA. The man brings it every chance he gets, he gets a massive fan reaction and yet WWE just screws him over consistently. Every time he gets a huge face pop I know that he will turn heel soon and become a sniveling bitch or simply disappear from tv. This is a man who should be main eventing as often as possible and instead they won't even keep the Intercontinental title on him.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Jerry "the King" Lawler and RAW 09/10/12
Normally my plan would be to post a review of RAW, but after King went down Monday night I couldn't really concentrate on the action. I will say that Cena's promo was very good, maybe even excellent, but I don't think I can really judge it just yet. Everything else is just a blur overshadowed by Jerry's collapse. I did think that the decision to stop commentary was the right move and I really felt for Michael Cole and the other performers who had to go out there after the King incident. I've heard several people were in tears backstage and that Vince never left Jerry's side, which just goes to demonstrate that despite what some critics say this business does have heart.
Check back later in the week for my thoughts on the most underused or misused WWE wrestlers and Friday for my Smackdown thoughts.
Opening Bell
I have been a wrestling fan since the late 80's, early 90's. I grew up a Hulkamaniac like many men my age and while I have never moved beyond that completely, I no longer worship Hogan as a god. I really started watching whenever I could during the Attitude Era and I got so sucked I even started watching WCW. I caught what little ECW action I could, but granted it wasn't much. I saw both Randy Orton and John Cena wrestle their first tv matches and I was at RAW the night after Goldberg won the title. I drifted away for awhile sometime after Kane lost his mask, but I have been back watching fairly regularly during the last 2 years. I am not going to lie I do not and will not watch TNA although I try to catch the ROH weekly show when the wife let's me (which is rarely). Here at Wrestleville I intend to post my thoughts on each week's WWE offerings as well as reviewing classic wrestling moments and reviewing the current WWE roster.
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