I'm now an engaged man. Yes me, The Modern Marvel. If you read my first 2011 in review post, you know that I've been dating the lovely Robyn Renae Taylor for the last 4 months. Well tonight, I proposed said girl and we're getting married. The wedding probably won't be for a while but I just wanted to get things on the right track. I know she's the right woman for me as she makes me want to be a better man. It's really crazy, I would have NEVER thought last year that I would be proposing to the woman of my dream tonight. I remember reading a quote from the great Vincent Kennedy McMahon and he said "I don't give a damn what the fans think cause quite frankly I know what the fans want better than they do." Me, being a believer of God, have to put that in a higher perspective. Let's say God is Vince. God doesn't care what we want because He KNOWS what we need. God knew that I needed a strong woman in my life, so he brought Robyn to me 2 years ago. She wasn't ready and I wasn't ready but He just laid the foundation down for His master plan which was for Robyn and I to spend the rest of our lives together. I'm crazy happy, excited for the future, and relieved she said yes.
ANYWAY, BIG Raw tomorrow night ladies and gentlemen! I may be engaged but I'm still a junkie for pro wrestling. In what will be a hard match for anyone else to top for the rest of 2012, The Showoff Dolph Ziggler will get his first ever WWE Championship match against the Best in the World CM Punk. They had a champion vs champion match in late 2011 and they stole the show with just 15 minutes. Could you imagine what they would do if they had 20-25? It should be an AMAZING contest if they actually wrestle and get enough time.
January 2nd is also the day an unknown force will return to WWE. Who will it be? Chris Jericho? The Undertaker? Brodus Clay? Brock Lesnar? It really could be anyone. I'm hoping for Jericho so we can get Punk/Jericho at Mania but as long as the return is crazy and unexpected, I'll be happy.
So yeah, I'm engaged, I can't wait for Punk/Ziggler, and I can't wait to see who these 1/2/12 promos are for. See you guys soon!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 year in review Part 3: WWE
Here it is, my pride and joy, my thoughts of WWE in 2011. WARNING, I didn't spell check this as I got this done at about 5 on New Year's Eve and I got some plans tonight so I don't really have time to spellcheck and grammar check so please forgive. What is there though, is pretty good.
Best things WWE did in 2011
5. Better PPVs - While WWE had some seriously bad PPVs this year, they had some really great ones too. Royal Rumble was FANTASTIC, Elimination Chamber, while predictable, very enjoyable, Extreme Rules was very surprising and even turned out to be better than Wrestlemania, and MITB and SummerSlam were two of the greatest PPVs in the PG era. WWE did it right with certain PPVs this year.
4. Annoucement of Rock/Cena - When The Rock returned in February, the dream match between these two mega stars slowly started to become reality. After the Raw before Mania, and Wrestlemania itself, Rock and Cena was all but confirmed. Then it was finally made official, but at NEXT year's Wrestlemania. The dream match that everyone wants to see will finally happen in a few short months. I still remember when the match was made and it's a moment I'll never forget. Thanks WWE for finally putting this dream match into motion.
3. Push of Mark Henry - Mark Henry's dominance in the 2nd half of 2011 was amazing to see. It came from out of nowhere, but it was much deserved. After taking out Big Show and Kane and having a surprisingly good match with Sheamus at SummerSlam, Henry won a battle royal to get a shot at the World Title. I'm not going to lie, I was one of the doubters because he was facing the almighty Randy Orton, but not only did he win, he dominated Orton at Night of Champions AND HIAC and kept his title for longer than 14 days. Henry is one of the true success stories of 2011.
2. Summer months - June 20th was the start of an amazing summer for WWE. On that day, Punk became #1 contender for the WWE Title and WWE was never the same. The next week, Punk did his amazing shoot promo that let everybody know that he should be a household name. Orton and Christian continued their amazing feud. Both MITB matches were great and the Punk/Cena match was the best match of the year. Then, SummerSlam rolled around, and WWE had a show that was great from top to bottom. During this summer, WWE proved 1 thing; they can have interesting feuds and amazing matches in this PG era of their company.
1. Push of the young talent continues - The Year of the Newcomer Part 2! The young talent continued to get opportunity to shine in the WWE. Ziggler and The Miz were apart of their brand's respective World Title matches at the Royal Rumble, Alberto Del Rio, who was in the WWE for only 5 months WON the biggest Rumble of all time, Cody Rhodes and Miz won their Wrestlemania matches, Del Rio and Daniel Bryan won MITB for their brands, Del Rio FINALLY won a World Title, Miz not only faced Cena at Mania, but faced Rock at Survivor Series, Barrett and Rhodes were the sole survivors on their team this year, Zack Ryder started getting the push of his lifetime and I know I already mentioned this, but MIZ BEAT CENA at Wrestlemania. No one else can say they beat the Superman John Cena in a one-on-one match at Mania except for Miz. The young talent continues to get opportunity to shine and they are shining bright. What does 2012 have in store for guys like Miz, Del Rio, Barrett, Rhodes, and Ziggler? I'll talk more about that later.
Best matches of 2011
5. Taker/HHH Wrestlemania - Undertaker's only match this year was a good one, not on par with his two classics with Shawn Michaels, but not horrible either. Both guys gave it their all and the No Holds Barred stipulation made the match that much better. The 3 pedigrees and Tombstone Piledriver was overkill and that kind of killed the match for me, but HHH pushed Taker to the limit and it lived up to the hype, which is everything we all wanted.
4. Barrett/Bryan SummerSlam - I knew when this match was first announced that it had potential to be a show stealer. The two still had left over beef from Nexus and they never had a BIG one-on-one match to settle it, until SummerSlam rolled around. The two put on one hell of a show. They really have some nice chemistry together. This match shows that if WWE just puts more faith in their young talent, they will be able to carry the company. Such a fantastic match between two of the top young talent in the WWE.
3. Ziggler/Edge Royal Rumble - It would be a crime if I didn't include the hardest working performer in the WWE today, Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler was thrown right into the main event scene in the start of 2011 and his first match there tore the roof off the place. This is the definition of a wrestling match. A lot of mat wrestling, good reversals, and in ring chemistry made this match special. The ending was genius for Edge's character but I would've preferred a clean finish. Regardless of the finish, this was still a fantastic match and it really set the pace for World Title matches to come in 2011. Ziggler's amazing year started with this match.
2. Orton/Christian feud in general - Orton and Christian had about 7 matches in 2011 from PPVs and Smackdowns. They didn't have ONE bad match. There were two matches that stood out from the rest though. The first one was their 2nd match from Over the Limit, which was the only saving grace from that PPV. The second was their epic 5th encounter from SummerSlam. The first match was more of a wrestling contest, but their SummerSlam encounter was a perfect feud ending match. Christian actually ended up making Orton a better wrestler and now he's one of the top performers in WWE. Thanks Christian. Anyway, it's hard for me to pick between the two because they're both great matches for different reasons, so I'm just going to say the whole feud for this one.
1. Punk VS Cena MITB - Was there ever any doubt? This match was the match of the PG Era. And it's also my match of the year. Why? Why not? The chemistry between Punk and Cena was UNCANNY. They knew each other so well, which made for many greats counters between the two, like when Punk hit Cena with a Cross Body, only to get into an AA, which Punk would reverse into the GTS, which Cena would THEN reverse into a STF. They had a match filled with so much drama, thanks to Punk's shoot promo and the crazy awesoem Chicago crowd. And most importantly, they brought out the best in each other. Punk forced Cena to step his game up and Cena used EVERY move in his arsenal. The Shoulder Blocks, the Side Slam, the Five Knuckle Shuffle, a Gutwrench, a Pump Handle Slam, a Cena Legdrop, the STF, AND The Attitude Adjustment. He made Super Cena look human. And Cena made Punk look like a worthy WWE Title challenger. It was a great match that started change in the WWE and it's easily my match of the year and is the match to beat this decade. Sorry HBK/Taker 2.
Biggest disappointments
5. Bouncing the WWE Title around - WWE started the year off right with the WWE Title. Miz and Cena were the only two to hold it for the first seven months. After Punk won it though, all hell broke loose. Punk won it, then it was vacated, then Mysterio won it, then Cena won it, then Punk returned and became sole champion, then Del Rio won it, then Cena won it AGAIN, then Del Rio AGAIN, and then finally Punk. Why did they need to bounce it around so much? What should of happened, was Miz/Mysterio should've still had an opportunity, but they should've made it a triple threat with Punk. Punk should've won then Cena should have gotten his rematch at SummerSlam, Del Rio cashes in, holds the title to Survivor Series then Punk wins it back. That way, there's only 4 title changes throughout all 2011. I don't like Mysterio one bit, but it is really messed up that he only had a 2 hour title reign. What the hell was the point you know? Hopefully, we'll get a long reign sometime in 2012, but with Cena, Punk, Miz, Ziggler, and Del Rio all gunning for the WWE Title, I don't see it.
4. Edge's Retirement - Edge is probably my favorite wrestler of all time. I loved him as a part of Edge and Christian and I loved watching his rise as a singles wrestler. I'll never forget when he won his 1st WWE Title and how HARD I marked out. It was a great moment to witness and even though it didn't last long, it was still amazing. Now, 6 years later, he's forced to retire. I can't believe it. One of my favortie wrestlers of all time, probably MY FAVORITE, had to retire. Edge was always one of the top performers in the WWE and he was just getting started pushing the young talent in WWE. I'm going to miss Edge because he was one of my favorite superstars, he always had good matches, and he always did something interesting. Most of Edge's World Title wins were surprising. His cash in on The Undertaker, his return at Survivor Series and winning the WWE Title, and of course, turning the WWE Title into the World Heavyweight Title at Elimination Chamber. It seems like every year we lose a big WWE superstar. And with 2012 looming, I wonder who's next.
3. Del Rio - Alberto Del Rio should easily be the Superstar of the Year. Look at his 2011 accomplishments. He won the BIGGEST Royal Rumble of all time, won Raw's Money in the Bank, and held the WWE Title on two seperate occasions. So why is he on this list? Because of how he was booked. Del Rio had SO MUCH momentum going into Wrestlemania but then he LOST in the first match of the night. I understand that it was probably because they knew it would be Edge's last WM match, but still, it killed his momentum. THEN, he lost at Extreme Rules, but again, it was due to Edge's retirement and to finally give Christian his moment. Del Rio was then shuffled to Raw where he didn't become important until he cashed in the MITB. What should have been a 3 month reign, turned into two short horrible reigns as champion. People just got tired of Del Rio in 2011 because WWE didn't capitalize on him when they had the chance. Or was it because they pushed him too hard? We've seen the same things happen to Sheamus and Swagger. Maybe 2012 will be a better year booking wise for Del Rio, as his 2011 accomplishment wise is pretty hard to beat.
2. Rock's return/Wrestlemania - Though seeing The Rock come back to Raw was amazing, his return was one of the most flawed returns of all time. When The Rock was announced as host, I knew they were going to immediately tease Cena/Rock, which meant the WWE Championship and said champion would be forgotten and that's exactly what happened. Everyone forgot about The Miz in the whole Rock/Cena feud and he ended up winning at the biggest stage of them all. That was the only good thing about it. He also ruined Wrestlemania for me as well. He COMPLETELY STOLE the first 15 minutes of Wrestlemania, which could've been given to Del Rio/Edge, Rhodes/Mysterio, or the main event. The fact that he also said he would never leave again also killed me. He only made ONE apperance for his huge ring return back in November. One apperance for his first match in 7 years was unacceptable. Don't buy into Dwayne Johnson. He's not coming back. After Cena makes him tap out in Miami, he'll go back to making crappy movies, watch.
1. Conspiracy storyline - How did WWE drop the ball with this one? They had SO MANY power players involved here from Punk, Cena, HHH, McMahon, Miz, Truth, and Nash that there is no possible way that this should have failed. I still think The Rock should've had something to do with this and the storyline should've ended at Survivor Series, but alas, neither happened. After the tag match at Vengeance, everything just collapsed. We never got an answer as to who lowered the cell for Miz and Truth at HIAC. We never found out who Ace keeps texting. We never found out WHO was behind all of the conspiracies. Maybe WWE still has plans for this storyline down the road, but for now, it's easily the worst thing WWE did this year.
Best Moments
10. Bryan wins MITB/Cashes in - I like Daniel Bryan. I've been a fan of his since he defeated Miz at NOC in 2010. I always heard about him, how Bryan Danielson was such a fantastic wrestler but I never saw any of his matches outside of WWE. So imagine my surprise when he climbed that ladder at MITB and won the match. I was shocked, but in a good way because that's what the MITB match is all about, an opportunity and here's a guy that probably wouldn't get a title match any other way. THEN, he finally cashes it in and finally makes SD's World Title picture interesting again. It was a fantastic moment to witness and I'm happy for Bryan. Smackdown's World Title scene in 2012 is going to be fantastic!
9. Ziggler wins World Title for 11 minutes - Ziggler was thrown right into the main event in the beginning of the year and had some fantastic matches with the Rated R Superstar Edge. After using the banned Spear in their match, Edge was stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship and it was awarded to Dolph Ziggler. When I read the results for this, I went NUTS! I've liked Ziggler since he started feuding with Mysterio back in 09, so I was all ready for a Ziggler main event push. Though his reign only lasted 11 minutes or so, this was a sign of things to come as Ziggler had an amazing 2011. Ziggler's 2012 looks to start just as well as his 2011 did, as he'll be facing Punk for the title on the 1st Raw of the year. Here's hoping they steal the show...
8. Turns of certain wrestlers - I couldn't pick just one, so I put them all together but MAN was this a good year for heel and face turns! Christian, Truth, Henry, and Sheamus all turned this year and benefited because of it. R-Truth was a generic horrible face with no direction at all. Then, he attacked John Morrison, beat Mysterio CLEAN at Over the Limit, and main evented Capitol Punishment. Sounds like a successful turn to me. Henry was the same as Truth, just stumbling around with no direction. He got drafted to Smackdown and the Hall of Pain begun. He took out Kane, Big Show, and destroyed Sheamus. Finally, he beat Orton CLEAN at Night of Champions and captured the World Title in the process. Another successful turn. Christian won his World Title as a face, thanks to Edge's retirement, After losing the title to Orton and the rematch at OTL, Christian finally snapped and turned heel, which lead to another World Title reign. Short, but longer than his first. Success. With Edge's retirement and Big Show and Kane both out, Smackdown needed a big face. Who would have thought that Sheamus fit that bill? I was a doubter at first, but the fans really seem to have warmed up to him. I don't see why they didn't do a Henry/Sheamus feud but alas, Sheamus had a successful face turn. Hopefully we'll see more great turns in the coming year. John Cena anybody?
7. Ryder Revolution - I remember watching the 2011 Royal Rumble and seeing Zack Ryder come out at #4. He was eliminated fairly fast. Then, in December of the same year, he won his first singles title in the company. What the hell happened? Ryder, tired of not being used, created his own show on Youtube, became a freaking hit and WWE had no choice but to push him. We Want Ryder chants would fill the arenas, but we would get no Ryder. Then, ever since they showed that video package of him on Raw back in September/October, things were never the same. That's when I first noticed him and decided to check out his show. I became a fan in an instant. His show didn't just help him, it also helped Ziggler, as he would appear once in a while and cut some amazing promos, which Ziggler had trouble on in the past. Ryder is one of the best stories in 2011 because he wasn't made by WWE technically. They were resistant to push him, so he got his name out there on his own and looked what has happened because of it. Woo Woo Woo, you know it!
6. Del Rio wins Rumble - What a shocker! I remember calling Del Rio my #2 guy to win the Rumble but it was still shocking to see him actually do it. Del Rio only started in the company in August of 2010 and I was a fan since Day 1. Anyone who can beat Mysterio in their first match on Smackdown in ok with me so I hopped on the Del Rio bandwagon. When he tossed Santino over the top rope, I knew the WWE were finally serious about pushing the youth. It was great WWE try something new by having this guy win easily one of the biggest matches of the year. Maybe WWE will continue this trend for years to come.
5. Rhodes' amazing year - Quick, how many wrestlers can you name that have done 3 different gimmicks in one year and have made them work? I don't know how many did it, but Rhodes certainly made it look easy. Though he never reached main event status, Rhodes was always featured this year. He didn't have a lot of down time like some wrestlers did this year. He started the year feuding with Mysterio and ended up winning their match at Wrestlemania, which is still Rhodes top victory to date in my opinion. After that, he started having weekly matches with Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan before finally winning the IC Title in August. After that, he feuded with DiBiase and FINALLY got into a big feud with Orton, Though he came up on the losing end of the feud, he changed his gimmick to what it is now and has started feuding with another great, Booker T. If Rhodes can keep this up, he's sure to be World Champion in 2012. I always thought DiBiase would be where Rhodes is but I guess Vince is right. We really DON'T know what we want.
4. Cena's AA to Rock on Raw before Mania - It was the Attitude Adjustment heard all around the world. It was the move that gave away the ending of Wrestlemania. It was John Cena's Attitude Adjustment to The Rock. Something I wanted to see for YEARS. When it happened, all I could do was stand up and CLAP. Clap for a couple of reasons. One, Rock wasn't going to let that fly, meaning Cena wasn't walking out of Mania as champion. Two, Rock and Cena are going to clash at some point, which is the dream match we ALL want to see. And three, it was awesome. Cena hit the first of many Attitude Adjustments that are sure to come. It was amazing.
3. Resurrection of Barrett - Last year, I thought Barrett would have already been to the top of the mountain and back. I thought he was going to have a good performance against The Undertaker at Mania and eventually become Smackdown's World Champion, but neither of those thing happened this year. After being in the Final Four of the Royal Rumble, Barrett's career just went downhill. He was featured in the filler match for Mania and didn't have any direction. He DID however, win his first singles title in the WWE, which was the IC Title, but he didn't hold it for long and his reign was boring to be honest. Finally, I guess someone on the writing team watched his SS match with Bryan and asked why the HELL aren't we pushing him and the Barrett Barrage started. He pinned Sheamus AND ORTON in back to back weeks and THEN led his team to victory at Survivor Series in Madison Square Garden. Are you kidding me? If Barrett is NOT World Champion in 2012, I'll quit watching WWE. Seriously, this guy has ALL the tools to be the next great heel on Smackdown and with Henry injured, Rhodes and Barrett need to step it up. Come on Barrett, I hope your victory over Orton on Smackdown makes you the #1 contender somehow.
2. Punk sets WWE on fire - First and foremost, I like to say that I've been a CM Punk fan since he joined ECW all those years ago. I loved when he cashed in MITB, I loved when he turned heel, and I LOVED when he erdicated that charmastic enabler Jeff Hardy from the WWE. I picked Punk to win the Rumble this year and even before his promo, I picked Punk to beat Cena at MITB. Then, Punk dropped the biggest pipebomb of the year amd everyone jumped on his bandwagon. The reason I put this on this particular list isn't to insult anybody who didn't notice CM Punk until now. I put it on this list because of how many people started to pay attention to WWE again BECAUSE of what Punk said. One of my best friends said to me the reason he started watching Raw again was because Punk made WWE interesting and cool again. That should tell you something. Punk main evented 4 PPVs in a freaking row, had the match of the year, and will enter 2012 as the WWE Champion. CM Punk single handedly started the change we currently see in WWE and it's a beautiful thing. Thanks CM Punk.
1. Miz beats Cena at Mania - Wrestlemania was a big disappointment this year. Thanks Rock, but for me, WWE made up for it when I proved EVERYBODY wrong and they had The Miz pin Super Cena at Wrestlemania. If you want to see how excited I was, go back to my Wrestlemania reaction post. I think I typed Miz Beats Cena like over 100 times. I was marking out hard and that's why it's my favorite moment of the year. Sure, I loved when Punk beat Cena or when Barrett started his rise back up the WWE food chain, but Miz's victory outshines them for one reason; no one thought he could do it. It's my favorite moment of the year and I still bring it up to rub in my friends faces to this day.
Breakout star of the year
3. Zack Ryder - The kid was a nobody in the beginning of the year but became a household name by the end of it. He worked hard, got a strong Internet following, and started to make his dreams come true. When he won the title at TLC, I teared up a little bit. To see the guy work so hard and to finally see a little result, it was fantastic. Let's see what WWE does with him in 2012.
2. Dolph Ziggler - Ziggler was easily the biggest workhorse in WWe in 2011. He worked amazing matches with top WWE superstars, including Edge, Orton, Cena (I think that was in 2010 though) and CM Punk. He held 3 different singles titles this year and helped Zack Ryder to household name status. As the hardest working person in WWE today, I'm sure an actual longer than 11 minute reign as World Champion will be coming in 2012.
1. Cody Rhodes - Rhodes worked hard and never became irrevleant in 2011. He fought midcarders all the way up to Super Orton and Booker T. He's going to enter 2012 as IC Champion and the future sure is bright for the son of the American Dream. If Rhodes is pushed right, he can become the top heel over on Smackdown.
PPV of the year
3. Extreme Rules - What a surprise this PPV turned out to be. There was only one bad match on the card and this featured a lot of great feud enders, like Punk/Orton, Rhodes/Mysterio, and Christian/Del Rio. It also marked the end of the longest WWE Title reign this year. Overall though, it was a fantastic event that ended up being better than the show of shows.
2. SummerSlam - Not one bad match on the card. The surprise 6 man tag was entertaining, Henry/Sheamus put on a good big man match, Kelly and Phoenix had an impressive women's match, Bryan and Barrett had a hard hitting back and forth that was probably Barrett's finest performance in his career, Orton and Christian WOW, just completely stole the show with their No Hold Barred match, and Punk and Cena had another fantastic one on one match. SummerSlam is a card you really can't beat and proves that WWE can have consistently good PPVs, if they try hard enough.
1. MITB - What else can be said that hasn't been said already? This PPV was amazing but it's #1 on this list for a certain reason. This PPV marked change in WWE. Daniel Bryan, one of the Internet's commuinty's heroes, won the MITB contract. As we all know, every time MITB has been cashed in, we have had a new World Champion, so imagine everyone's excitement over that. Christian, using dirty tactics, took the World Title from Orton. And we ALL know what happened at the end of the show. We saw a truly epic match that has defined this current era of wrestling we're in. Punk and Cena brought their A games at this PPV and I haven't been the same since. WWE's best PPV performance in 2011.
Worst PPV of the year
3. Hell in a Cell - I don't even remember the card for this PPV. The only match I remember was the exceptional main event. Wasn't this the PPV that had Sin Cara VS Sin Cara? Crap match. The HIAC between Henry and Orton? Forgettable. This PPV was horrible, it just didn't continue the string of great PPVs that started at MITB and that's why I put this on the list.
2. Capitol Punishment - Another PPV I had to go to Wikipedia for and check the card. I remember the Ziggler/Kingston and Punk/Mysterio matches being good but we've seen this matches like A THOUSAND TIMES already! The main event really killed this event for me. Truth dominated and what happened, Super Cena comes in and defeats Truth easily. It was amazing! Psych. This PPV is just forgettable for me and was one of the worst mistakes I made this year.
1. Over the Limit - This PPV has ONE and I mean JUST ONE redeeming quality and that was the fact we got a fantastic match between Orton and Christian. Everything else though, UGH. The Kiss My Foot match, STUPID, and went WAY TOO LONG. The throwaway tag match, pointless. The Sin Cara/Guerrero match, a tradegy. Seriously, what was WWE thinking? This event also didn't feature Rhodes or Del Rio, who were BOTH featured on the last two PPVs in high profile matches. Maybe that's why this event failed. It was just horrible to watch and I just put my hands in my face when I saw the main event. Miz kicked Cena's ASS FOR 20 MINUTES! Then, out of nowhere, Super Cena and Miz quits in 30 seconds. Stupid, pointless, a waste of a Sunday night. Over the Limit was THE WORST PPV of the year. Kill it with fire!
Next couple I didn't really go into due to timing and other stuff like that. I'll discuss it in the video though.
Underrated Wrestlers
5. Tyler Reks - The kid is big, has a nice finisher and has just a good look about him. I would get him away from Hawkins and see if he can make it on his own.
4. Tyson Kidd - Why isn't this kid getting pushed? He's the last survivor of the heart family dungeon, that's a gimmick in his own. Plus, he pushed current World Heavyweight Champion to his limit earlier this year. Kidd may be a little on the small size, but he's amazing in the ring. I hope WWE does something with him, Gabriel, Slater, DiBiase, and that IC Title whenever Rhodes drops it.
3. Michael McGillicutty - He's the son of the great Mr. Perfect. WHY isn't WWE letting him use that to his advantage? I'm sure he's picked up some moves from his daddy so why not give him Junior Perfect gimmick? Now that Ryder's the US Champion, it's a PERFECT time for a reboot!
2. Ted DiBiase - Be honest, when Legacy was first formed, you thought that DiBiase was going to be the breakout star of the two? Don't worry, I did too. DiBiase still has a chance, thanks to this DiBiase Posse thing now. He still has the fact that his father was the most hated heel in wrestling. I think the future's bright for him if WWE decides to use him right.
1. Drew McIntyre - The chosen one, Mr. McMahon's hand picked choice. What happened? He was on such a roll on Smackdown, becoming IC Champ and beating everyone in his path but then, out of nowhere, it just stopped. Thanks Tiffany! Anyway though, he just has the look to succeed in WWE. And he's the only guy on the list who's won a singles title, so of course he's #1! Drew was on the last Smackdown of the year, let's hope this means something.
Best Champion
5. Randy Orton - Orton carried Smackdown this year, becoming its top face. His 1st reign as World Champion was great, as he won the belt as SOON as he got to Smackdown and he held it for 3 months. During his 2nd reign, he pushed the monster Mark Henry and look what he did! Orton was a good champ this year.
4. John Cena - Cena won the WWE Title 3 TIMES this year. His first reign this year was the longest, 3 months and he lost in the match of the PG era. Cena also broke his OWN record for most WWE Championship won and stands alone with 10. That makes him a great champion ALONE.
3. Mark Henry - Henry's only reign is still enough to get him on this list because of how long it took for him to get it. AND he was pretty dominant during his reign. He beat Orton CLEAN at back-to-back PPVs. I mean, come on, what more do I have to say? A 3 month reign was much deserved for Henry.
2. Dolph Ziggler - Ziggler held the US Title for 6 months. 6 MONTHS! It's the 2nd time he's held a singles title for that length. That's amazing! He also became World Champion for 11 minutes, but 2012 is looking good for him. If he can hold the midcard belt for so long, I wonder how long he can keep the main title? 11 minutes apparently....
1. The Miz - Miz held the WWE Title the LONGEST this year AND he retained over John Cena at Wrestlemania, in the main event, and became only the 2nd heel to close the show doing so. ENOUGH SAID.
Best Heel
5. Cody Rhodes - I loved how he talked down to the crowd and tried to put paper bags on their heads. Priceless.
4. Christian - ONE MORE MATCH!
3. CM Punk - Punk just knows how to control a crowd when he picks up a mic and his first half of 2011 as a heel was great. He talked bad about Cena, WWE management, and the McMahons. How much more do you need?
2. The Miz - People just hate Miz. Why? Because he's COCKY and he's good and he knows it. So he throws it in your face and you boo him. Well, not me because I love the guy, but some of you do!
1. Mark Henry - The most dominant heel is the #1 heel. Come on, this isn't rocket science. He took out Big Show and Kane. He drove Sheamus through the barricade. He held the World Title on Smackdown for 3 months and destroyed everyone who came in his path. Henry had a fantastic year as a heel.
Best Face
5. Zack Ryder - The crowd is getting behind Ryder thanks to his Youtube show and his pops get bigger and bigger each week. Won't be long before he becomes the next Cena....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
4. CM Punk - Punk's one guy who I think the heel lifestyle was made for but that doesn't mean he's not an acceptable face. He's just better as a heel, but the people have jumped on the Punk bandwagon, and I was a witness to it myself. EVERYONE around me loves Punk now, but couldn't stand when he main evented SummerSlam in 09. Hmmmm. Whatever, Punk, once again, is a master on the mic, so when he talks, the crowd listens and he can control them. Just what you need to be a good face.
3. Sheamus - He's a big white unstoppable guy and people love him for some reason. I've liked him since Day 1 but since he stood up to Henry, people started to flock towards him. I hope he gets some direction because he could really be a top face in WWE.
2. John Cena - Either you hate Cena or you love Cena. He doesn't care either way. He's not going to give into the hate just because we adult male fanst don't like him and that's what a true face would do.
1. Randy Orton - Unlike Cena, everyone loves Orton. His pop in Philly was deafening. I don't know how, but he's taken Cena's place as #1 face in the company.
Best Feud
5. Rhodes VS Mysterio - Rhodes' first big chance to shine and boy did he. Mysterio, though I really don't like him, puts on good matches and he had some absolute great matches with Rhodes. The highlight of the feud was Rhodes pinning Mysterio at Mania. It was Rhodes career defining moment thus far and it why he's so high on my list for 2012.
4. Orton VS Punk - I love both of these guys and this was an awesome feud for me as a wrestling fan. Orton/Punk told a good story of revenge and they didn't have one bad match. Highlight of the feud was Orton sweeping Punk. Why? Because I don't think Punk would be getting swept NOW. Now that's he's the best in the world.
3. Rock VS Cena - A feud that finally came to fruition this year. Rock FINALLY came back and this match was finally set. The match we've all waited for is going to happen. The highlight of this feud will happen April 1st, 2012, I'm sure.
2. Christian VS Orton - What a long and glorious feud this two had. 7 matches I believe these two had in the course of their feud and not ONE BAD MATCH. How the hell do two guys do that? Even if it did get a little stale after a while, they still put on solid matches at each PPV they were apart of. Highlight of the feud; Christian winning the title at MITB. What an awesome way to win the title by spitting in someone's face!
1. Punk VS The WWE - Come on, it's was what kept WWE interesting in the summer. It led to the classinc at MITB, the fantastic rematch at SummerSlam, the failed but still interesting conspiracy storyline, Punk's rise to WWE, how can this NOT be feud of the year? Highlight was obviously MITB. The atmosphere, the match, and the ending made it fantastic. It won't be duplicated.
Worst Feud
5. Del Rio VS Big Show - WHY? Del Rio was on such a momentum roll and he feuded with Show? Pointless.
4. Cara VS Guerrero - I know they were trying to help Sin Cara get used to American wrestling, but they failed horribly.
3. Jackson VS Barrett - Had potential but I just wasn't feeling it. Barrett should been main eventing, not playing around with Jackson.
2. Miz VS Riley - This is on the list because THIS DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE! A-Ry isn't even feature regularly on TV. At least when he was Miz's lackey, he'd get a TV match once in a while. This feud didn't have the same push effect it did for Bryan, so that's why it's on the list.
1. Cole VS Lawler - No explanation needed!
Star to look out for in 2012
5. Daniel Bryan - Bryan is going to walk into 2012 as the World Heavyweight Champion. You gotta look what this kid does in 2012! As World Champion, we should start seeing some amazing feuds, like another Bryan/Barrett feud, a very interesting Christian/Bryan feud, and the feud that will be 2012's Christian/Orton, Orton/Bryan. Bryan as World Champion opens up a lot of doors for Smackdown's title picture. The future is bright on the blue brand.
4. Zack Ryder - Woo Woo Woo! He's entering 2012 as the US Champion. Wouldn't have thunk it, but it happened. After hearing he's being depushed due to the low ratings of the main event of Raw in Philly, I don't know what 2012 will hold for Ryder. If it's anything like his 2011 though, sky's the limit for this superstar. I don't know if he'll ever get a WWE Title push or anything like that but maybe some big time feuds in 2012. Maybe even against his broski John Cena? We'll see but Ryder could have a great 2012.
3. Dolph Ziggler - The ShowOff had an amazing 2011 and he's starting 2012 off right, jumping right into the WWE Title picture on the first Raw of 2012. That's where Ziggler belongs to be honest. His mic skills improved a lot in 2011, something he's had trouble with in the past and what has held him down. Now with that past him, it's time for a World Title reign longer than 11 minutes. If Ziggler does win the WWE Title on Raw, I can't wait to see his matches with Cena. Ziggler's going to become World Champion in 2012. It HAS to happen.
2. Wade Barrett - Barrett should have became World Champion in 2011. I don't know why WWE didn't put gold on Barrett. He has everything needed to succeed in WWE. In ring ablitiy, natural talking skills, and the look. WHY does he have to wait to become World Champion? Hopefully, we won't have to wait much longer as the Barrett Barrage just ran through Orton. Is a future World Title match in Barrett's future? Barrett is another one who will become World Champion in 2012, I just don't know when.
1. Cody Rhodes - 3 gimmicks, one year. Amazing. 2011 was just the start for Cody Rhodes. A win over Mysterio at Mania, finally winning a single titles, and feuding with the top face on Smackdown made Rhodes a household name in 2011. I'll never forget the reaction he got in Madison Square Garden. The people KNOW he's the future. He's got the business in his blood and has some great talent in the ring. It's just something about him that screams future World Champion. I don't know if a World Championship is in Rhodes' future for 2012, but I think he's going to keep rising through the ranks and actually work for his 1st World title reign, like Randy Orton did. I sure hope 2012 is that year though.
What to look forward to in 2012
10. A new faction? - Maybe I'm still trying to remember the glory days of Nexus, but I think WWE should try to do a new faction. This time though, use stars everyone already knows. They were on the right track earlier with Christian, Rhodes, Ziggler, and Swagger. That's a good heel stable that could really help the three younger guys. What I'm basically looking for is a new group to help push some of these young guys. And I mean a dominant group, not the crappy Corre. Maybe we'll see one, maybe we won't.
9. Tag division getting rebuilt? - WWE tried to do this in 2011 but it didn't go exactly as planned. With 2012 looming, I'm sure WWE can try again. They have The Usos, Reks and Hawkins, and Primo and Epico. Why aren't they focusing more on these tag teams? Air Boom works so well because you have two guys whose styles match each other. You telling me WWE can't do that again? Get guys who aren't doing anything like Tyson Kidd, McIntyre, William Regal. I know this is from WWE 12 but I really like the team of McIntyre and Regal. WWE has said they want to put more emphasis on the tag division and I think 2012 is the year we see them try their hardest.
8. Better PPVs? - 2011 proved to me that WWE can put on strong consistant great PPVs in this PG era. So, why not try to continue this trend? Have matches that actually matter. I don't need to see 3 unannounced matches added to the card, here's looking at you TLC. Especially if it's a match not for a title. Anyway, from MITB - NOC, WWE put on their best efforts, especially SummerSlam, which featured a solid card from top to bottom. WWE doesn't need to continue to put on crappy PPVs and they just need to work harder. I think 2012 will be a year when at least more than half of the PPVs will be good. Not decent, not acceptable, GOOD. All the Big 4 will come through this year, especially Mania, and we'll have a great Elimination Chamber and another fantastic MITB. The others, I'm not too sure, but I'm sure WWE can put on at least 6 exceptional PPVs in 2012.
7. The WWE Network? - Come on! A whole network for professional wrestling? I'm in! I'm interested in the line-up AND I'm WAY interested in saving money on PPVs. 13 PPVs I bought this year. 13! That's almost 800 smackers! Anyway, there's not much else I can say. If I can save money on PPVs, I'm all for it.
6. More pushing of the young talent? - 2010 and 2011 showed that WWE is willing to push the new young talent. People like Sheamus, Miz, Barrett, Rhodes, and Ziggler all got to shine in those years. Will it happen again in 2012? Will we see guys like Slater, Gabriel, and Kidd come into their own? Maybe Tyler Reks finally gets that push he deserves or Brodus Clay FINALLY debuts. Maybe McIntyre will come back and get himself into a World Title feud. Time will tell if another Year of the Newcomer is in the works.
5. Potential huge feuds? - 2012 is coming and that means the draft is soon upon which also means NEW FEUDS! Thank you God! There's so many possible great feuds to come in the year like Ziggler/Punk, Cena/Ziggler, Bryan and everyone on Smackdown just to name a few. Not to mention if Jericho comes back, we get Punk/Jericho. There's talk that Bryan will be facing Cena in the next year, which could be a really awesome and eventful feud. Ziggler facing anybody who can keep up with him if fine as well. My dream feud, besides Punk/Jericho, is a feud between the two current World Champions. I think WWE is holding off on this one and is going to see how Bryan hangs with Orton and Cena, but a match between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan for a World Title would show how much WWE has changed in the past couple of years. Anyway, 2012 is going to be a huge year for feuds.
4. Returns of WWE alumni? - January 2nd someone is returning. A possible WWE alumni even? With Wrestlemania season beginning, expect some huge returns in the coming months. It's always nice to see some of the bigger names in WWE comeback. Also, with Lesnar surprise retirement after his last UFC fight, is there a chance that the former 3 time WWE Champion is headed back to the WWE? Time will tell...
3. World Title matches for the young ones? - After the year Ziggler, Rhodes, and Barrett had, World Title matches have to be in their futures. Ziggler is getting his on the 2nd day of the year so he's starting off strong. Barrett just took out Orton so I'm sure WWE will push him straight into the title picture. Rhodes continues to impress and looks to compete in his first title match. These guys are the future of the company so it's only right that thest guys are put into the main event picture.
2. Last runs of former WWE stars? - Next year will probably be the last year you see some of the biggest names in wrestling hang up their boots. Guys like Kane, Henry, Big Show, and even Triple H might finally quit wrestling. While I'm talking about everybody, I'm really dedicating this one to The Deadman, The Undertaker. Taker only wrestled one match in 2011 and while it was good, it's a sign that he can't go like he used to. Wrestlemania XXVIII will probably be the last time you see Taker in the ring and it's a sad thing. Jericho may be looking for one last run as well. 2012 is a year where WWE fans are going to learn to finally move on.
1. Cena heel turn? - Cena will probably never turn heel but that doesn't stop me from thinking it. With Foley, Piper, and Kane all attacking Cena's current character, is a heel turn in the making for WWE's top draw? Cena has the biggest match in the last 10 years against The Rock in his hometown of Miami at Wrestlemania. There is no way that that crowd will be split down the middle for these two. They are going to cheer Rock and boo Cena and it's going to look really bad for him. I know he's gotta rise above hate, but come on! We all want to see a Cena heel turn, even if it's only for a little while. WWE has plans for this storyline, but I don't know if a heel Cena is the plan. I can dream...
Superstar of the year
10. Daniel Bryan - Bryan had a horrible losing streak this year BUT he did win the Money in the Bank match for Smackdown, which was easily the most surprising MITB win ever. THEN, he cashed in just two weeks ago. If he was featured weekly and involved in big storylines, Bryan could be Superstar of the Year in 2012, but for now, he's my #10. Still the best around wrestler they have in WWE.
9. Cody Rhodes - I think you are all tired of me singing the praises of Cody Rhodes but come on, the kid has had a fantastic 2011 as compared to some of the top superstars. He beat Mysterio at Mania, won his first singles title, got into his big feud with Orton, survived with Barrett at Survivor Series, and changed his gimmick TWICE. Rhodes' 2012 will be career defining, bank on it.
8. Dolph Ziggler - Perfection turned into a showoff by the end of 2011 and what a year he had. He held three different singles title, became one of the best performers in the WWE, pushed Zack Ryder to the upper level, and got right back to where he belongs, the title picture. The best thing that happened for him this year was Zack Ryder. Ziggler was given a chance on the Internet to improve his mic skills and get an actual character and look what that has done; he's facing Punk on the first Raw of 2012. The Showoff is getting him some World Title gold in 2012.
7. Christian - Christian won the big one in 2011. I'll never forget seeing him hold that World Title high while Edge was looking at him proud. Christian was also featured in one of the top feuds of the year AND had a solid heel turn as well. Christian will be champion again in 2012 but I think he'll be a face again as well, unless he gets drafted to Raw and becomes the show's top heel as WWE for whatever reason doesn't have faith in The Miz. Anyway, Christian's 2012 will be great.
6. Randy Orton - Orton took over the blue brand in 2011 and won the World Title twice. He also swept Punk in their feud, beat Christian in their's, emaculated Rhodes in their's, and got injured in Barrett's. Orton became the guy who pushed people this year. Rhodes, Henry, Barrett, and Christian all benefited from feuding with the Apex Predator and I see 2012 being more of the same. A feud with Bryan will do the same. Orton also became one of the top peformers in the company along with Ziggler, Punk, and Bryan and his matches with the first two prove that. Orton had a good 2011 due to his ability to push the young talent and his dominance over the blue brand.
5. The Miz - The Miz's 2011 was fantastic. He held the WWE Championship the longest this year, beat Morrison, Orton, and Lawler in the first two months of 2011, main evented his 1st Wrestlemania and beat a guy who never lost in a one-on-one match and had a successful reign as WWE Champion. Miz held the title before they switched it every week. He also formed a successful duo with Truth, was involved in the biggest match of his life at Survivor Series, and went right back to the main event afterwards. 2012 will see Miz winning his 2nd WWE Title, no question.
4. Mark Henry - 15 YEARS! Henry's Hall of Pain was AMAZING! After having a lackluster first half of 2011, Henry exploded onto Smackdown, took out Show and Kane, and won his first ever World Heavyweight Championship. Not only did he win, but he had TWO impressive performances against Randy Orton AKA the Cena of Smackdown. How did this happen? Henry lost the title 90 days after winning it, but that doesn't hold down his amazing year or 2nd half of it I guess.
3. John Cena - Cena did a lot in 2011. He won the WWE Championship THREE DIFFERENT TIMES. He broke his own record for most WWE Titles won, agreed to be apart of the dream match of a lifetime, put on show stealing matches with CM Punk, and finally began to tease a character change. I want Cena to turn heel SO badly and I'm glad WWE is at least teasing it. Cena main evented almost every PPV he was apart of and even though he didn't wrestle at TLC, he STILL gets credit for letting guys like Ryder, Bryan, and Punk shine. That shows class. 2012 probably sees Cena get close to 15 World Championships as I don't see them keeping him away from the World Title picture.
2. Alberto Del Rio - Del Rio had a crazy accomplishment year. He won the biggest Rumble ever, won the MITB match for Raw, and held the WWE Championship on two different occasions. That's Superstar of the Year quality right there. The only thing keeping Del Rio from the top slot is how they booked him. He should've won the title at Mania, should've stayed on Smackdown, should've kept his first WWE Title until Survivor Series, etc. Even though I complain, Del Rio still had a successful 2011. I hope he doesn't get the Sheamus/Swagger treatment as his push goes down and Ziggler's goes up. I hope he gets drafted back to Smackdown and maybe feuds with Bryan, but if he continues to impress, I'm sure Del Rio will stay in the spotlight.
1. CM Punk - Was there ever any doubt? I mean come on, the guy basically ushered in a new era of professional wrestling. He blurred the lines between reality and scripted television and we all LOVED IT! He held the WWE Title twice this year, had the best wrestling match of the PG era and envoked change in the WWE. Because of him, Ryder's the US Champion and Bryan's the World Champion. You think WWE would have taken a chance on them without Mr. Best in the World? You're crazy if you think that. Punk helped WWE become interesting again in the PG Era and that alone makes him Superstar of the Year.
Well that's it. 2012 will soon be here and I couldn't be happier. Expect more from me in 2012 but until then, thanks for reading and God Bless. Happy New Year everyone!
Best things WWE did in 2011
5. Better PPVs - While WWE had some seriously bad PPVs this year, they had some really great ones too. Royal Rumble was FANTASTIC, Elimination Chamber, while predictable, very enjoyable, Extreme Rules was very surprising and even turned out to be better than Wrestlemania, and MITB and SummerSlam were two of the greatest PPVs in the PG era. WWE did it right with certain PPVs this year.
4. Annoucement of Rock/Cena - When The Rock returned in February, the dream match between these two mega stars slowly started to become reality. After the Raw before Mania, and Wrestlemania itself, Rock and Cena was all but confirmed. Then it was finally made official, but at NEXT year's Wrestlemania. The dream match that everyone wants to see will finally happen in a few short months. I still remember when the match was made and it's a moment I'll never forget. Thanks WWE for finally putting this dream match into motion.
3. Push of Mark Henry - Mark Henry's dominance in the 2nd half of 2011 was amazing to see. It came from out of nowhere, but it was much deserved. After taking out Big Show and Kane and having a surprisingly good match with Sheamus at SummerSlam, Henry won a battle royal to get a shot at the World Title. I'm not going to lie, I was one of the doubters because he was facing the almighty Randy Orton, but not only did he win, he dominated Orton at Night of Champions AND HIAC and kept his title for longer than 14 days. Henry is one of the true success stories of 2011.
2. Summer months - June 20th was the start of an amazing summer for WWE. On that day, Punk became #1 contender for the WWE Title and WWE was never the same. The next week, Punk did his amazing shoot promo that let everybody know that he should be a household name. Orton and Christian continued their amazing feud. Both MITB matches were great and the Punk/Cena match was the best match of the year. Then, SummerSlam rolled around, and WWE had a show that was great from top to bottom. During this summer, WWE proved 1 thing; they can have interesting feuds and amazing matches in this PG era of their company.
1. Push of the young talent continues - The Year of the Newcomer Part 2! The young talent continued to get opportunity to shine in the WWE. Ziggler and The Miz were apart of their brand's respective World Title matches at the Royal Rumble, Alberto Del Rio, who was in the WWE for only 5 months WON the biggest Rumble of all time, Cody Rhodes and Miz won their Wrestlemania matches, Del Rio and Daniel Bryan won MITB for their brands, Del Rio FINALLY won a World Title, Miz not only faced Cena at Mania, but faced Rock at Survivor Series, Barrett and Rhodes were the sole survivors on their team this year, Zack Ryder started getting the push of his lifetime and I know I already mentioned this, but MIZ BEAT CENA at Wrestlemania. No one else can say they beat the Superman John Cena in a one-on-one match at Mania except for Miz. The young talent continues to get opportunity to shine and they are shining bright. What does 2012 have in store for guys like Miz, Del Rio, Barrett, Rhodes, and Ziggler? I'll talk more about that later.
Best matches of 2011
5. Taker/HHH Wrestlemania - Undertaker's only match this year was a good one, not on par with his two classics with Shawn Michaels, but not horrible either. Both guys gave it their all and the No Holds Barred stipulation made the match that much better. The 3 pedigrees and Tombstone Piledriver was overkill and that kind of killed the match for me, but HHH pushed Taker to the limit and it lived up to the hype, which is everything we all wanted.
4. Barrett/Bryan SummerSlam - I knew when this match was first announced that it had potential to be a show stealer. The two still had left over beef from Nexus and they never had a BIG one-on-one match to settle it, until SummerSlam rolled around. The two put on one hell of a show. They really have some nice chemistry together. This match shows that if WWE just puts more faith in their young talent, they will be able to carry the company. Such a fantastic match between two of the top young talent in the WWE.
3. Ziggler/Edge Royal Rumble - It would be a crime if I didn't include the hardest working performer in the WWE today, Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler was thrown right into the main event scene in the start of 2011 and his first match there tore the roof off the place. This is the definition of a wrestling match. A lot of mat wrestling, good reversals, and in ring chemistry made this match special. The ending was genius for Edge's character but I would've preferred a clean finish. Regardless of the finish, this was still a fantastic match and it really set the pace for World Title matches to come in 2011. Ziggler's amazing year started with this match.
2. Orton/Christian feud in general - Orton and Christian had about 7 matches in 2011 from PPVs and Smackdowns. They didn't have ONE bad match. There were two matches that stood out from the rest though. The first one was their 2nd match from Over the Limit, which was the only saving grace from that PPV. The second was their epic 5th encounter from SummerSlam. The first match was more of a wrestling contest, but their SummerSlam encounter was a perfect feud ending match. Christian actually ended up making Orton a better wrestler and now he's one of the top performers in WWE. Thanks Christian. Anyway, it's hard for me to pick between the two because they're both great matches for different reasons, so I'm just going to say the whole feud for this one.
1. Punk VS Cena MITB - Was there ever any doubt? This match was the match of the PG Era. And it's also my match of the year. Why? Why not? The chemistry between Punk and Cena was UNCANNY. They knew each other so well, which made for many greats counters between the two, like when Punk hit Cena with a Cross Body, only to get into an AA, which Punk would reverse into the GTS, which Cena would THEN reverse into a STF. They had a match filled with so much drama, thanks to Punk's shoot promo and the crazy awesoem Chicago crowd. And most importantly, they brought out the best in each other. Punk forced Cena to step his game up and Cena used EVERY move in his arsenal. The Shoulder Blocks, the Side Slam, the Five Knuckle Shuffle, a Gutwrench, a Pump Handle Slam, a Cena Legdrop, the STF, AND The Attitude Adjustment. He made Super Cena look human. And Cena made Punk look like a worthy WWE Title challenger. It was a great match that started change in the WWE and it's easily my match of the year and is the match to beat this decade. Sorry HBK/Taker 2.
Biggest disappointments
5. Bouncing the WWE Title around - WWE started the year off right with the WWE Title. Miz and Cena were the only two to hold it for the first seven months. After Punk won it though, all hell broke loose. Punk won it, then it was vacated, then Mysterio won it, then Cena won it, then Punk returned and became sole champion, then Del Rio won it, then Cena won it AGAIN, then Del Rio AGAIN, and then finally Punk. Why did they need to bounce it around so much? What should of happened, was Miz/Mysterio should've still had an opportunity, but they should've made it a triple threat with Punk. Punk should've won then Cena should have gotten his rematch at SummerSlam, Del Rio cashes in, holds the title to Survivor Series then Punk wins it back. That way, there's only 4 title changes throughout all 2011. I don't like Mysterio one bit, but it is really messed up that he only had a 2 hour title reign. What the hell was the point you know? Hopefully, we'll get a long reign sometime in 2012, but with Cena, Punk, Miz, Ziggler, and Del Rio all gunning for the WWE Title, I don't see it.
4. Edge's Retirement - Edge is probably my favorite wrestler of all time. I loved him as a part of Edge and Christian and I loved watching his rise as a singles wrestler. I'll never forget when he won his 1st WWE Title and how HARD I marked out. It was a great moment to witness and even though it didn't last long, it was still amazing. Now, 6 years later, he's forced to retire. I can't believe it. One of my favortie wrestlers of all time, probably MY FAVORITE, had to retire. Edge was always one of the top performers in the WWE and he was just getting started pushing the young talent in WWE. I'm going to miss Edge because he was one of my favorite superstars, he always had good matches, and he always did something interesting. Most of Edge's World Title wins were surprising. His cash in on The Undertaker, his return at Survivor Series and winning the WWE Title, and of course, turning the WWE Title into the World Heavyweight Title at Elimination Chamber. It seems like every year we lose a big WWE superstar. And with 2012 looming, I wonder who's next.
3. Del Rio - Alberto Del Rio should easily be the Superstar of the Year. Look at his 2011 accomplishments. He won the BIGGEST Royal Rumble of all time, won Raw's Money in the Bank, and held the WWE Title on two seperate occasions. So why is he on this list? Because of how he was booked. Del Rio had SO MUCH momentum going into Wrestlemania but then he LOST in the first match of the night. I understand that it was probably because they knew it would be Edge's last WM match, but still, it killed his momentum. THEN, he lost at Extreme Rules, but again, it was due to Edge's retirement and to finally give Christian his moment. Del Rio was then shuffled to Raw where he didn't become important until he cashed in the MITB. What should have been a 3 month reign, turned into two short horrible reigns as champion. People just got tired of Del Rio in 2011 because WWE didn't capitalize on him when they had the chance. Or was it because they pushed him too hard? We've seen the same things happen to Sheamus and Swagger. Maybe 2012 will be a better year booking wise for Del Rio, as his 2011 accomplishment wise is pretty hard to beat.
2. Rock's return/Wrestlemania - Though seeing The Rock come back to Raw was amazing, his return was one of the most flawed returns of all time. When The Rock was announced as host, I knew they were going to immediately tease Cena/Rock, which meant the WWE Championship and said champion would be forgotten and that's exactly what happened. Everyone forgot about The Miz in the whole Rock/Cena feud and he ended up winning at the biggest stage of them all. That was the only good thing about it. He also ruined Wrestlemania for me as well. He COMPLETELY STOLE the first 15 minutes of Wrestlemania, which could've been given to Del Rio/Edge, Rhodes/Mysterio, or the main event. The fact that he also said he would never leave again also killed me. He only made ONE apperance for his huge ring return back in November. One apperance for his first match in 7 years was unacceptable. Don't buy into Dwayne Johnson. He's not coming back. After Cena makes him tap out in Miami, he'll go back to making crappy movies, watch.
1. Conspiracy storyline - How did WWE drop the ball with this one? They had SO MANY power players involved here from Punk, Cena, HHH, McMahon, Miz, Truth, and Nash that there is no possible way that this should have failed. I still think The Rock should've had something to do with this and the storyline should've ended at Survivor Series, but alas, neither happened. After the tag match at Vengeance, everything just collapsed. We never got an answer as to who lowered the cell for Miz and Truth at HIAC. We never found out who Ace keeps texting. We never found out WHO was behind all of the conspiracies. Maybe WWE still has plans for this storyline down the road, but for now, it's easily the worst thing WWE did this year.
Best Moments
10. Bryan wins MITB/Cashes in - I like Daniel Bryan. I've been a fan of his since he defeated Miz at NOC in 2010. I always heard about him, how Bryan Danielson was such a fantastic wrestler but I never saw any of his matches outside of WWE. So imagine my surprise when he climbed that ladder at MITB and won the match. I was shocked, but in a good way because that's what the MITB match is all about, an opportunity and here's a guy that probably wouldn't get a title match any other way. THEN, he finally cashes it in and finally makes SD's World Title picture interesting again. It was a fantastic moment to witness and I'm happy for Bryan. Smackdown's World Title scene in 2012 is going to be fantastic!
9. Ziggler wins World Title for 11 minutes - Ziggler was thrown right into the main event in the beginning of the year and had some fantastic matches with the Rated R Superstar Edge. After using the banned Spear in their match, Edge was stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship and it was awarded to Dolph Ziggler. When I read the results for this, I went NUTS! I've liked Ziggler since he started feuding with Mysterio back in 09, so I was all ready for a Ziggler main event push. Though his reign only lasted 11 minutes or so, this was a sign of things to come as Ziggler had an amazing 2011. Ziggler's 2012 looks to start just as well as his 2011 did, as he'll be facing Punk for the title on the 1st Raw of the year. Here's hoping they steal the show...
8. Turns of certain wrestlers - I couldn't pick just one, so I put them all together but MAN was this a good year for heel and face turns! Christian, Truth, Henry, and Sheamus all turned this year and benefited because of it. R-Truth was a generic horrible face with no direction at all. Then, he attacked John Morrison, beat Mysterio CLEAN at Over the Limit, and main evented Capitol Punishment. Sounds like a successful turn to me. Henry was the same as Truth, just stumbling around with no direction. He got drafted to Smackdown and the Hall of Pain begun. He took out Kane, Big Show, and destroyed Sheamus. Finally, he beat Orton CLEAN at Night of Champions and captured the World Title in the process. Another successful turn. Christian won his World Title as a face, thanks to Edge's retirement, After losing the title to Orton and the rematch at OTL, Christian finally snapped and turned heel, which lead to another World Title reign. Short, but longer than his first. Success. With Edge's retirement and Big Show and Kane both out, Smackdown needed a big face. Who would have thought that Sheamus fit that bill? I was a doubter at first, but the fans really seem to have warmed up to him. I don't see why they didn't do a Henry/Sheamus feud but alas, Sheamus had a successful face turn. Hopefully we'll see more great turns in the coming year. John Cena anybody?
7. Ryder Revolution - I remember watching the 2011 Royal Rumble and seeing Zack Ryder come out at #4. He was eliminated fairly fast. Then, in December of the same year, he won his first singles title in the company. What the hell happened? Ryder, tired of not being used, created his own show on Youtube, became a freaking hit and WWE had no choice but to push him. We Want Ryder chants would fill the arenas, but we would get no Ryder. Then, ever since they showed that video package of him on Raw back in September/October, things were never the same. That's when I first noticed him and decided to check out his show. I became a fan in an instant. His show didn't just help him, it also helped Ziggler, as he would appear once in a while and cut some amazing promos, which Ziggler had trouble on in the past. Ryder is one of the best stories in 2011 because he wasn't made by WWE technically. They were resistant to push him, so he got his name out there on his own and looked what has happened because of it. Woo Woo Woo, you know it!
6. Del Rio wins Rumble - What a shocker! I remember calling Del Rio my #2 guy to win the Rumble but it was still shocking to see him actually do it. Del Rio only started in the company in August of 2010 and I was a fan since Day 1. Anyone who can beat Mysterio in their first match on Smackdown in ok with me so I hopped on the Del Rio bandwagon. When he tossed Santino over the top rope, I knew the WWE were finally serious about pushing the youth. It was great WWE try something new by having this guy win easily one of the biggest matches of the year. Maybe WWE will continue this trend for years to come.
5. Rhodes' amazing year - Quick, how many wrestlers can you name that have done 3 different gimmicks in one year and have made them work? I don't know how many did it, but Rhodes certainly made it look easy. Though he never reached main event status, Rhodes was always featured this year. He didn't have a lot of down time like some wrestlers did this year. He started the year feuding with Mysterio and ended up winning their match at Wrestlemania, which is still Rhodes top victory to date in my opinion. After that, he started having weekly matches with Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan before finally winning the IC Title in August. After that, he feuded with DiBiase and FINALLY got into a big feud with Orton, Though he came up on the losing end of the feud, he changed his gimmick to what it is now and has started feuding with another great, Booker T. If Rhodes can keep this up, he's sure to be World Champion in 2012. I always thought DiBiase would be where Rhodes is but I guess Vince is right. We really DON'T know what we want.
4. Cena's AA to Rock on Raw before Mania - It was the Attitude Adjustment heard all around the world. It was the move that gave away the ending of Wrestlemania. It was John Cena's Attitude Adjustment to The Rock. Something I wanted to see for YEARS. When it happened, all I could do was stand up and CLAP. Clap for a couple of reasons. One, Rock wasn't going to let that fly, meaning Cena wasn't walking out of Mania as champion. Two, Rock and Cena are going to clash at some point, which is the dream match we ALL want to see. And three, it was awesome. Cena hit the first of many Attitude Adjustments that are sure to come. It was amazing.
3. Resurrection of Barrett - Last year, I thought Barrett would have already been to the top of the mountain and back. I thought he was going to have a good performance against The Undertaker at Mania and eventually become Smackdown's World Champion, but neither of those thing happened this year. After being in the Final Four of the Royal Rumble, Barrett's career just went downhill. He was featured in the filler match for Mania and didn't have any direction. He DID however, win his first singles title in the WWE, which was the IC Title, but he didn't hold it for long and his reign was boring to be honest. Finally, I guess someone on the writing team watched his SS match with Bryan and asked why the HELL aren't we pushing him and the Barrett Barrage started. He pinned Sheamus AND ORTON in back to back weeks and THEN led his team to victory at Survivor Series in Madison Square Garden. Are you kidding me? If Barrett is NOT World Champion in 2012, I'll quit watching WWE. Seriously, this guy has ALL the tools to be the next great heel on Smackdown and with Henry injured, Rhodes and Barrett need to step it up. Come on Barrett, I hope your victory over Orton on Smackdown makes you the #1 contender somehow.
2. Punk sets WWE on fire - First and foremost, I like to say that I've been a CM Punk fan since he joined ECW all those years ago. I loved when he cashed in MITB, I loved when he turned heel, and I LOVED when he erdicated that charmastic enabler Jeff Hardy from the WWE. I picked Punk to win the Rumble this year and even before his promo, I picked Punk to beat Cena at MITB. Then, Punk dropped the biggest pipebomb of the year amd everyone jumped on his bandwagon. The reason I put this on this particular list isn't to insult anybody who didn't notice CM Punk until now. I put it on this list because of how many people started to pay attention to WWE again BECAUSE of what Punk said. One of my best friends said to me the reason he started watching Raw again was because Punk made WWE interesting and cool again. That should tell you something. Punk main evented 4 PPVs in a freaking row, had the match of the year, and will enter 2012 as the WWE Champion. CM Punk single handedly started the change we currently see in WWE and it's a beautiful thing. Thanks CM Punk.
1. Miz beats Cena at Mania - Wrestlemania was a big disappointment this year. Thanks Rock, but for me, WWE made up for it when I proved EVERYBODY wrong and they had The Miz pin Super Cena at Wrestlemania. If you want to see how excited I was, go back to my Wrestlemania reaction post. I think I typed Miz Beats Cena like over 100 times. I was marking out hard and that's why it's my favorite moment of the year. Sure, I loved when Punk beat Cena or when Barrett started his rise back up the WWE food chain, but Miz's victory outshines them for one reason; no one thought he could do it. It's my favorite moment of the year and I still bring it up to rub in my friends faces to this day.
Breakout star of the year
3. Zack Ryder - The kid was a nobody in the beginning of the year but became a household name by the end of it. He worked hard, got a strong Internet following, and started to make his dreams come true. When he won the title at TLC, I teared up a little bit. To see the guy work so hard and to finally see a little result, it was fantastic. Let's see what WWE does with him in 2012.
2. Dolph Ziggler - Ziggler was easily the biggest workhorse in WWe in 2011. He worked amazing matches with top WWE superstars, including Edge, Orton, Cena (I think that was in 2010 though) and CM Punk. He held 3 different singles titles this year and helped Zack Ryder to household name status. As the hardest working person in WWE today, I'm sure an actual longer than 11 minute reign as World Champion will be coming in 2012.
1. Cody Rhodes - Rhodes worked hard and never became irrevleant in 2011. He fought midcarders all the way up to Super Orton and Booker T. He's going to enter 2012 as IC Champion and the future sure is bright for the son of the American Dream. If Rhodes is pushed right, he can become the top heel over on Smackdown.
PPV of the year
3. Extreme Rules - What a surprise this PPV turned out to be. There was only one bad match on the card and this featured a lot of great feud enders, like Punk/Orton, Rhodes/Mysterio, and Christian/Del Rio. It also marked the end of the longest WWE Title reign this year. Overall though, it was a fantastic event that ended up being better than the show of shows.
2. SummerSlam - Not one bad match on the card. The surprise 6 man tag was entertaining, Henry/Sheamus put on a good big man match, Kelly and Phoenix had an impressive women's match, Bryan and Barrett had a hard hitting back and forth that was probably Barrett's finest performance in his career, Orton and Christian WOW, just completely stole the show with their No Hold Barred match, and Punk and Cena had another fantastic one on one match. SummerSlam is a card you really can't beat and proves that WWE can have consistently good PPVs, if they try hard enough.
1. MITB - What else can be said that hasn't been said already? This PPV was amazing but it's #1 on this list for a certain reason. This PPV marked change in WWE. Daniel Bryan, one of the Internet's commuinty's heroes, won the MITB contract. As we all know, every time MITB has been cashed in, we have had a new World Champion, so imagine everyone's excitement over that. Christian, using dirty tactics, took the World Title from Orton. And we ALL know what happened at the end of the show. We saw a truly epic match that has defined this current era of wrestling we're in. Punk and Cena brought their A games at this PPV and I haven't been the same since. WWE's best PPV performance in 2011.
Worst PPV of the year
3. Hell in a Cell - I don't even remember the card for this PPV. The only match I remember was the exceptional main event. Wasn't this the PPV that had Sin Cara VS Sin Cara? Crap match. The HIAC between Henry and Orton? Forgettable. This PPV was horrible, it just didn't continue the string of great PPVs that started at MITB and that's why I put this on the list.
2. Capitol Punishment - Another PPV I had to go to Wikipedia for and check the card. I remember the Ziggler/Kingston and Punk/Mysterio matches being good but we've seen this matches like A THOUSAND TIMES already! The main event really killed this event for me. Truth dominated and what happened, Super Cena comes in and defeats Truth easily. It was amazing! Psych. This PPV is just forgettable for me and was one of the worst mistakes I made this year.
1. Over the Limit - This PPV has ONE and I mean JUST ONE redeeming quality and that was the fact we got a fantastic match between Orton and Christian. Everything else though, UGH. The Kiss My Foot match, STUPID, and went WAY TOO LONG. The throwaway tag match, pointless. The Sin Cara/Guerrero match, a tradegy. Seriously, what was WWE thinking? This event also didn't feature Rhodes or Del Rio, who were BOTH featured on the last two PPVs in high profile matches. Maybe that's why this event failed. It was just horrible to watch and I just put my hands in my face when I saw the main event. Miz kicked Cena's ASS FOR 20 MINUTES! Then, out of nowhere, Super Cena and Miz quits in 30 seconds. Stupid, pointless, a waste of a Sunday night. Over the Limit was THE WORST PPV of the year. Kill it with fire!
Next couple I didn't really go into due to timing and other stuff like that. I'll discuss it in the video though.
Underrated Wrestlers
5. Tyler Reks - The kid is big, has a nice finisher and has just a good look about him. I would get him away from Hawkins and see if he can make it on his own.
4. Tyson Kidd - Why isn't this kid getting pushed? He's the last survivor of the heart family dungeon, that's a gimmick in his own. Plus, he pushed current World Heavyweight Champion to his limit earlier this year. Kidd may be a little on the small size, but he's amazing in the ring. I hope WWE does something with him, Gabriel, Slater, DiBiase, and that IC Title whenever Rhodes drops it.
3. Michael McGillicutty - He's the son of the great Mr. Perfect. WHY isn't WWE letting him use that to his advantage? I'm sure he's picked up some moves from his daddy so why not give him Junior Perfect gimmick? Now that Ryder's the US Champion, it's a PERFECT time for a reboot!
2. Ted DiBiase - Be honest, when Legacy was first formed, you thought that DiBiase was going to be the breakout star of the two? Don't worry, I did too. DiBiase still has a chance, thanks to this DiBiase Posse thing now. He still has the fact that his father was the most hated heel in wrestling. I think the future's bright for him if WWE decides to use him right.
1. Drew McIntyre - The chosen one, Mr. McMahon's hand picked choice. What happened? He was on such a roll on Smackdown, becoming IC Champ and beating everyone in his path but then, out of nowhere, it just stopped. Thanks Tiffany! Anyway though, he just has the look to succeed in WWE. And he's the only guy on the list who's won a singles title, so of course he's #1! Drew was on the last Smackdown of the year, let's hope this means something.
Best Champion
5. Randy Orton - Orton carried Smackdown this year, becoming its top face. His 1st reign as World Champion was great, as he won the belt as SOON as he got to Smackdown and he held it for 3 months. During his 2nd reign, he pushed the monster Mark Henry and look what he did! Orton was a good champ this year.
4. John Cena - Cena won the WWE Title 3 TIMES this year. His first reign this year was the longest, 3 months and he lost in the match of the PG era. Cena also broke his OWN record for most WWE Championship won and stands alone with 10. That makes him a great champion ALONE.
3. Mark Henry - Henry's only reign is still enough to get him on this list because of how long it took for him to get it. AND he was pretty dominant during his reign. He beat Orton CLEAN at back-to-back PPVs. I mean, come on, what more do I have to say? A 3 month reign was much deserved for Henry.
2. Dolph Ziggler - Ziggler held the US Title for 6 months. 6 MONTHS! It's the 2nd time he's held a singles title for that length. That's amazing! He also became World Champion for 11 minutes, but 2012 is looking good for him. If he can hold the midcard belt for so long, I wonder how long he can keep the main title? 11 minutes apparently....
1. The Miz - Miz held the WWE Title the LONGEST this year AND he retained over John Cena at Wrestlemania, in the main event, and became only the 2nd heel to close the show doing so. ENOUGH SAID.
Best Heel
5. Cody Rhodes - I loved how he talked down to the crowd and tried to put paper bags on their heads. Priceless.
4. Christian - ONE MORE MATCH!
3. CM Punk - Punk just knows how to control a crowd when he picks up a mic and his first half of 2011 as a heel was great. He talked bad about Cena, WWE management, and the McMahons. How much more do you need?
2. The Miz - People just hate Miz. Why? Because he's COCKY and he's good and he knows it. So he throws it in your face and you boo him. Well, not me because I love the guy, but some of you do!
1. Mark Henry - The most dominant heel is the #1 heel. Come on, this isn't rocket science. He took out Big Show and Kane. He drove Sheamus through the barricade. He held the World Title on Smackdown for 3 months and destroyed everyone who came in his path. Henry had a fantastic year as a heel.
Best Face
5. Zack Ryder - The crowd is getting behind Ryder thanks to his Youtube show and his pops get bigger and bigger each week. Won't be long before he becomes the next Cena....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
4. CM Punk - Punk's one guy who I think the heel lifestyle was made for but that doesn't mean he's not an acceptable face. He's just better as a heel, but the people have jumped on the Punk bandwagon, and I was a witness to it myself. EVERYONE around me loves Punk now, but couldn't stand when he main evented SummerSlam in 09. Hmmmm. Whatever, Punk, once again, is a master on the mic, so when he talks, the crowd listens and he can control them. Just what you need to be a good face.
3. Sheamus - He's a big white unstoppable guy and people love him for some reason. I've liked him since Day 1 but since he stood up to Henry, people started to flock towards him. I hope he gets some direction because he could really be a top face in WWE.
2. John Cena - Either you hate Cena or you love Cena. He doesn't care either way. He's not going to give into the hate just because we adult male fanst don't like him and that's what a true face would do.
1. Randy Orton - Unlike Cena, everyone loves Orton. His pop in Philly was deafening. I don't know how, but he's taken Cena's place as #1 face in the company.
Best Feud
5. Rhodes VS Mysterio - Rhodes' first big chance to shine and boy did he. Mysterio, though I really don't like him, puts on good matches and he had some absolute great matches with Rhodes. The highlight of the feud was Rhodes pinning Mysterio at Mania. It was Rhodes career defining moment thus far and it why he's so high on my list for 2012.
4. Orton VS Punk - I love both of these guys and this was an awesome feud for me as a wrestling fan. Orton/Punk told a good story of revenge and they didn't have one bad match. Highlight of the feud was Orton sweeping Punk. Why? Because I don't think Punk would be getting swept NOW. Now that's he's the best in the world.
3. Rock VS Cena - A feud that finally came to fruition this year. Rock FINALLY came back and this match was finally set. The match we've all waited for is going to happen. The highlight of this feud will happen April 1st, 2012, I'm sure.
2. Christian VS Orton - What a long and glorious feud this two had. 7 matches I believe these two had in the course of their feud and not ONE BAD MATCH. How the hell do two guys do that? Even if it did get a little stale after a while, they still put on solid matches at each PPV they were apart of. Highlight of the feud; Christian winning the title at MITB. What an awesome way to win the title by spitting in someone's face!
1. Punk VS The WWE - Come on, it's was what kept WWE interesting in the summer. It led to the classinc at MITB, the fantastic rematch at SummerSlam, the failed but still interesting conspiracy storyline, Punk's rise to WWE, how can this NOT be feud of the year? Highlight was obviously MITB. The atmosphere, the match, and the ending made it fantastic. It won't be duplicated.
Worst Feud
5. Del Rio VS Big Show - WHY? Del Rio was on such a momentum roll and he feuded with Show? Pointless.
4. Cara VS Guerrero - I know they were trying to help Sin Cara get used to American wrestling, but they failed horribly.
3. Jackson VS Barrett - Had potential but I just wasn't feeling it. Barrett should been main eventing, not playing around with Jackson.
2. Miz VS Riley - This is on the list because THIS DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE! A-Ry isn't even feature regularly on TV. At least when he was Miz's lackey, he'd get a TV match once in a while. This feud didn't have the same push effect it did for Bryan, so that's why it's on the list.
1. Cole VS Lawler - No explanation needed!
Star to look out for in 2012
5. Daniel Bryan - Bryan is going to walk into 2012 as the World Heavyweight Champion. You gotta look what this kid does in 2012! As World Champion, we should start seeing some amazing feuds, like another Bryan/Barrett feud, a very interesting Christian/Bryan feud, and the feud that will be 2012's Christian/Orton, Orton/Bryan. Bryan as World Champion opens up a lot of doors for Smackdown's title picture. The future is bright on the blue brand.
4. Zack Ryder - Woo Woo Woo! He's entering 2012 as the US Champion. Wouldn't have thunk it, but it happened. After hearing he's being depushed due to the low ratings of the main event of Raw in Philly, I don't know what 2012 will hold for Ryder. If it's anything like his 2011 though, sky's the limit for this superstar. I don't know if he'll ever get a WWE Title push or anything like that but maybe some big time feuds in 2012. Maybe even against his broski John Cena? We'll see but Ryder could have a great 2012.
3. Dolph Ziggler - The ShowOff had an amazing 2011 and he's starting 2012 off right, jumping right into the WWE Title picture on the first Raw of 2012. That's where Ziggler belongs to be honest. His mic skills improved a lot in 2011, something he's had trouble with in the past and what has held him down. Now with that past him, it's time for a World Title reign longer than 11 minutes. If Ziggler does win the WWE Title on Raw, I can't wait to see his matches with Cena. Ziggler's going to become World Champion in 2012. It HAS to happen.
2. Wade Barrett - Barrett should have became World Champion in 2011. I don't know why WWE didn't put gold on Barrett. He has everything needed to succeed in WWE. In ring ablitiy, natural talking skills, and the look. WHY does he have to wait to become World Champion? Hopefully, we won't have to wait much longer as the Barrett Barrage just ran through Orton. Is a future World Title match in Barrett's future? Barrett is another one who will become World Champion in 2012, I just don't know when.
1. Cody Rhodes - 3 gimmicks, one year. Amazing. 2011 was just the start for Cody Rhodes. A win over Mysterio at Mania, finally winning a single titles, and feuding with the top face on Smackdown made Rhodes a household name in 2011. I'll never forget the reaction he got in Madison Square Garden. The people KNOW he's the future. He's got the business in his blood and has some great talent in the ring. It's just something about him that screams future World Champion. I don't know if a World Championship is in Rhodes' future for 2012, but I think he's going to keep rising through the ranks and actually work for his 1st World title reign, like Randy Orton did. I sure hope 2012 is that year though.
What to look forward to in 2012
10. A new faction? - Maybe I'm still trying to remember the glory days of Nexus, but I think WWE should try to do a new faction. This time though, use stars everyone already knows. They were on the right track earlier with Christian, Rhodes, Ziggler, and Swagger. That's a good heel stable that could really help the three younger guys. What I'm basically looking for is a new group to help push some of these young guys. And I mean a dominant group, not the crappy Corre. Maybe we'll see one, maybe we won't.
9. Tag division getting rebuilt? - WWE tried to do this in 2011 but it didn't go exactly as planned. With 2012 looming, I'm sure WWE can try again. They have The Usos, Reks and Hawkins, and Primo and Epico. Why aren't they focusing more on these tag teams? Air Boom works so well because you have two guys whose styles match each other. You telling me WWE can't do that again? Get guys who aren't doing anything like Tyson Kidd, McIntyre, William Regal. I know this is from WWE 12 but I really like the team of McIntyre and Regal. WWE has said they want to put more emphasis on the tag division and I think 2012 is the year we see them try their hardest.
8. Better PPVs? - 2011 proved to me that WWE can put on strong consistant great PPVs in this PG era. So, why not try to continue this trend? Have matches that actually matter. I don't need to see 3 unannounced matches added to the card, here's looking at you TLC. Especially if it's a match not for a title. Anyway, from MITB - NOC, WWE put on their best efforts, especially SummerSlam, which featured a solid card from top to bottom. WWE doesn't need to continue to put on crappy PPVs and they just need to work harder. I think 2012 will be a year when at least more than half of the PPVs will be good. Not decent, not acceptable, GOOD. All the Big 4 will come through this year, especially Mania, and we'll have a great Elimination Chamber and another fantastic MITB. The others, I'm not too sure, but I'm sure WWE can put on at least 6 exceptional PPVs in 2012.
7. The WWE Network? - Come on! A whole network for professional wrestling? I'm in! I'm interested in the line-up AND I'm WAY interested in saving money on PPVs. 13 PPVs I bought this year. 13! That's almost 800 smackers! Anyway, there's not much else I can say. If I can save money on PPVs, I'm all for it.
6. More pushing of the young talent? - 2010 and 2011 showed that WWE is willing to push the new young talent. People like Sheamus, Miz, Barrett, Rhodes, and Ziggler all got to shine in those years. Will it happen again in 2012? Will we see guys like Slater, Gabriel, and Kidd come into their own? Maybe Tyler Reks finally gets that push he deserves or Brodus Clay FINALLY debuts. Maybe McIntyre will come back and get himself into a World Title feud. Time will tell if another Year of the Newcomer is in the works.
5. Potential huge feuds? - 2012 is coming and that means the draft is soon upon which also means NEW FEUDS! Thank you God! There's so many possible great feuds to come in the year like Ziggler/Punk, Cena/Ziggler, Bryan and everyone on Smackdown just to name a few. Not to mention if Jericho comes back, we get Punk/Jericho. There's talk that Bryan will be facing Cena in the next year, which could be a really awesome and eventful feud. Ziggler facing anybody who can keep up with him if fine as well. My dream feud, besides Punk/Jericho, is a feud between the two current World Champions. I think WWE is holding off on this one and is going to see how Bryan hangs with Orton and Cena, but a match between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan for a World Title would show how much WWE has changed in the past couple of years. Anyway, 2012 is going to be a huge year for feuds.
4. Returns of WWE alumni? - January 2nd someone is returning. A possible WWE alumni even? With Wrestlemania season beginning, expect some huge returns in the coming months. It's always nice to see some of the bigger names in WWE comeback. Also, with Lesnar surprise retirement after his last UFC fight, is there a chance that the former 3 time WWE Champion is headed back to the WWE? Time will tell...
3. World Title matches for the young ones? - After the year Ziggler, Rhodes, and Barrett had, World Title matches have to be in their futures. Ziggler is getting his on the 2nd day of the year so he's starting off strong. Barrett just took out Orton so I'm sure WWE will push him straight into the title picture. Rhodes continues to impress and looks to compete in his first title match. These guys are the future of the company so it's only right that thest guys are put into the main event picture.
2. Last runs of former WWE stars? - Next year will probably be the last year you see some of the biggest names in wrestling hang up their boots. Guys like Kane, Henry, Big Show, and even Triple H might finally quit wrestling. While I'm talking about everybody, I'm really dedicating this one to The Deadman, The Undertaker. Taker only wrestled one match in 2011 and while it was good, it's a sign that he can't go like he used to. Wrestlemania XXVIII will probably be the last time you see Taker in the ring and it's a sad thing. Jericho may be looking for one last run as well. 2012 is a year where WWE fans are going to learn to finally move on.
1. Cena heel turn? - Cena will probably never turn heel but that doesn't stop me from thinking it. With Foley, Piper, and Kane all attacking Cena's current character, is a heel turn in the making for WWE's top draw? Cena has the biggest match in the last 10 years against The Rock in his hometown of Miami at Wrestlemania. There is no way that that crowd will be split down the middle for these two. They are going to cheer Rock and boo Cena and it's going to look really bad for him. I know he's gotta rise above hate, but come on! We all want to see a Cena heel turn, even if it's only for a little while. WWE has plans for this storyline, but I don't know if a heel Cena is the plan. I can dream...
Superstar of the year
10. Daniel Bryan - Bryan had a horrible losing streak this year BUT he did win the Money in the Bank match for Smackdown, which was easily the most surprising MITB win ever. THEN, he cashed in just two weeks ago. If he was featured weekly and involved in big storylines, Bryan could be Superstar of the Year in 2012, but for now, he's my #10. Still the best around wrestler they have in WWE.
9. Cody Rhodes - I think you are all tired of me singing the praises of Cody Rhodes but come on, the kid has had a fantastic 2011 as compared to some of the top superstars. He beat Mysterio at Mania, won his first singles title, got into his big feud with Orton, survived with Barrett at Survivor Series, and changed his gimmick TWICE. Rhodes' 2012 will be career defining, bank on it.
8. Dolph Ziggler - Perfection turned into a showoff by the end of 2011 and what a year he had. He held three different singles title, became one of the best performers in the WWE, pushed Zack Ryder to the upper level, and got right back to where he belongs, the title picture. The best thing that happened for him this year was Zack Ryder. Ziggler was given a chance on the Internet to improve his mic skills and get an actual character and look what that has done; he's facing Punk on the first Raw of 2012. The Showoff is getting him some World Title gold in 2012.
7. Christian - Christian won the big one in 2011. I'll never forget seeing him hold that World Title high while Edge was looking at him proud. Christian was also featured in one of the top feuds of the year AND had a solid heel turn as well. Christian will be champion again in 2012 but I think he'll be a face again as well, unless he gets drafted to Raw and becomes the show's top heel as WWE for whatever reason doesn't have faith in The Miz. Anyway, Christian's 2012 will be great.
6. Randy Orton - Orton took over the blue brand in 2011 and won the World Title twice. He also swept Punk in their feud, beat Christian in their's, emaculated Rhodes in their's, and got injured in Barrett's. Orton became the guy who pushed people this year. Rhodes, Henry, Barrett, and Christian all benefited from feuding with the Apex Predator and I see 2012 being more of the same. A feud with Bryan will do the same. Orton also became one of the top peformers in the company along with Ziggler, Punk, and Bryan and his matches with the first two prove that. Orton had a good 2011 due to his ability to push the young talent and his dominance over the blue brand.
5. The Miz - The Miz's 2011 was fantastic. He held the WWE Championship the longest this year, beat Morrison, Orton, and Lawler in the first two months of 2011, main evented his 1st Wrestlemania and beat a guy who never lost in a one-on-one match and had a successful reign as WWE Champion. Miz held the title before they switched it every week. He also formed a successful duo with Truth, was involved in the biggest match of his life at Survivor Series, and went right back to the main event afterwards. 2012 will see Miz winning his 2nd WWE Title, no question.
4. Mark Henry - 15 YEARS! Henry's Hall of Pain was AMAZING! After having a lackluster first half of 2011, Henry exploded onto Smackdown, took out Show and Kane, and won his first ever World Heavyweight Championship. Not only did he win, but he had TWO impressive performances against Randy Orton AKA the Cena of Smackdown. How did this happen? Henry lost the title 90 days after winning it, but that doesn't hold down his amazing year or 2nd half of it I guess.
3. John Cena - Cena did a lot in 2011. He won the WWE Championship THREE DIFFERENT TIMES. He broke his own record for most WWE Titles won, agreed to be apart of the dream match of a lifetime, put on show stealing matches with CM Punk, and finally began to tease a character change. I want Cena to turn heel SO badly and I'm glad WWE is at least teasing it. Cena main evented almost every PPV he was apart of and even though he didn't wrestle at TLC, he STILL gets credit for letting guys like Ryder, Bryan, and Punk shine. That shows class. 2012 probably sees Cena get close to 15 World Championships as I don't see them keeping him away from the World Title picture.
2. Alberto Del Rio - Del Rio had a crazy accomplishment year. He won the biggest Rumble ever, won the MITB match for Raw, and held the WWE Championship on two different occasions. That's Superstar of the Year quality right there. The only thing keeping Del Rio from the top slot is how they booked him. He should've won the title at Mania, should've stayed on Smackdown, should've kept his first WWE Title until Survivor Series, etc. Even though I complain, Del Rio still had a successful 2011. I hope he doesn't get the Sheamus/Swagger treatment as his push goes down and Ziggler's goes up. I hope he gets drafted back to Smackdown and maybe feuds with Bryan, but if he continues to impress, I'm sure Del Rio will stay in the spotlight.
1. CM Punk - Was there ever any doubt? I mean come on, the guy basically ushered in a new era of professional wrestling. He blurred the lines between reality and scripted television and we all LOVED IT! He held the WWE Title twice this year, had the best wrestling match of the PG era and envoked change in the WWE. Because of him, Ryder's the US Champion and Bryan's the World Champion. You think WWE would have taken a chance on them without Mr. Best in the World? You're crazy if you think that. Punk helped WWE become interesting again in the PG Era and that alone makes him Superstar of the Year.
Well that's it. 2012 will soon be here and I couldn't be happier. Expect more from me in 2012 but until then, thanks for reading and God Bless. Happy New Year everyone!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
2011 in review Part 2: Video games
Welcome to part 2 of my 2011 in review. The first part was a personal walk-through of my life this year but this post is all about one of my biggest addictions, video games. I'll give you my top 10 games I played this year, what I'm looking forward to in 2012, and also what my favorite moment from gaming was this year. Pretty simple right? Next week though, is the MEGA POST on WWE and their 2011. Will I have good things to say about it or will I tear WWE a new one? Find out next week! Anyway, onto the topic of this post, 2011 in video games!
2011 was certainly a fantastic year for gamers. Uncharted 3, Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3, Portal 2, Battlefield 3, just to name a few of the big releases of this year. Thing is, I didn't play ANY of those games and I still had a fantastic gaming year. I'm not really into the big releases. I'm more of an under the radar kind of guy and that's how I like it. Before I get into what I think were the ten best games and I played this year and why, let's look into what is to come in 2012! Here's my top ten of games that I hope I play in 2012.
10. South Park The Game - When I first heard about a South Park RPG, I immediately put this on the list. I'm a casual fan of South Park but a hardcore gamer. Add the fact that Obsidian is taking on this game and you got a game I'm really looking forward to playing.
9. Street Fighter X Tekken - My love for fighting games can be described as casual at best. I love mashing buttons and they are great to have around when friends are over but other than that, I could care less about them, especially ones with deep stories. This though, is on my must play list. I've played MANY MANY Tekken and Street Fighter games over the years, with Tekken 3 and Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha being my favorites from both series, but when they announced the crossover, I knew the world was coming to an end. This game is going to be sick and I can't wait to play this with my boys on the hours leading up to Wrestlemania next year.
8. Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I haven't finished the first Final Fantasy 13. Why? I don't know. I tend to do that lately where I just pick up a game, get to the end, and never complete it. It's a huge problem but I still want to try this game out. I'm a sucker for JRPGs and when we only get like 3-8 of them in America, you take what you can get. FF13-2 may be the fix I need for JRPGs but time will tell.
7. Asura's Wrath - What exactly is this game? I haven't done much research but if the trailers are any indication, it looks to be an over the top action game which is RIGHT up my alley. I don't know if it's 60 dollars worth just yet but I can't wait to try it.
6. Anarchy Reigns - Platinum Games is one of my favorite developers. MadWorld, Bayonetta, and my favorite, VANQUISH, are all fantastic games. So it only makes sense that I look forward to their next crazy game. That only thing I'm skeptical about is the online play and I hope they aren't focusing too heavily on it. If all goes right, this could be an interesting release come July.
5. Soulcalibur V - I've been a fan of this fighting series since I bought Soul Calibur II on Gamecube. At the time, the only reason I bought it was because of the inclusion of Link. Namco made a smart move because now I'm fan for life. It's just something about this series that makes it my favorite fighting game series. Is it the weapons, the crazy characters, or the fact that Namco tries to get guest characters? I don't know but I can't wait to play as Ezio when this releases at the end of January.
4. The Last Guardian - I wasn't a fan of ICO. I didn't like dragging around some dumb girl or the combat. I LOVED everything about Shadow of the Colossus. It's mix of action and puzzle elements, it's atmosphere, and the story was awesome as well. So Team ICO are 1 for 1 with me. How will The Last Guardian fare with me? Only time will tell, but I'm hoping for a solid game when this hopefully releases in 2012.
3. Mass Effect 3 - Ah, the ending of a great trilogy. Mass Effect 2 remains one of my favorite Xbox 360 games of all time and I can't wait to see how they attack this one. Again, this is another single player game that is now adding multiplayer and I don't know how it's going to work in the end for the campaign, but here's hoping they don't mess up. I can't wait to see how it all ends.
2. Lollipop Chainsaw - I'm a huge Suda51 guy. Killer7 was one of the most unique experiences I had with a video game. No More Heroes is easily my favorite series to come from the Wii. Shadows of the Damned is on my top 10 list for 2011, so it only makes sense that Lollipop Chainsaw is this high up on the list. I'm hoping for all the Suda51 goodness, blood and gore, sex, and stupid immature jokes that I can't help but laugh at. I hope we don't have to wait all year for this truly unique experience, but if we do, I can't wait!
1. Tales of Graces F - Easily my most anticipated game of this generation. Yeah I said it. I looked forward to No More Heroes 2 and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but here's a game I didn't think would EVER get released from Japan. They announced it was coming over here back in FEBRUARY. FEBRUARY and that was it! No release window, no English gameplay, NOTHING! But now, we finally have a release date and I couldn't be happier. In a time where JRPGs are slowly dying, Tales of Graces F is the light at the end of the tunnel. I've been a fan of Tales games since Symphonia and my favorite was Vesperia, so it's only natural this would be my most anticipated game of 2012. I'll be saying goodbye to what social life I have March 13th.
Well, 2012 looks fantastic for games. Now, let's get into my top 10 games of 2011! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!
10. WWE All Stars - Starting off the list is one of the best wrestling/fighting games I've ever played. All Stars is simple, it combines wrestlers from different generations and puts them in a ring. You got greats like Hogan, Savage, Rock, and Austin from one generation and you have Cena, Orton, Punk, and Sheamus from another. All Stars highlight is the video packages in the Fantasy Warfare mode. In this mode, the game pits fantasy match-ups, like Punk/Austin, Cena/Hogan, and Miz/Perfect. The video promos are FANTASTIC, they really hype you up for the match. The gameplay is over the top. This isn't WWE 12, it's a true arcade experience. It's a blast to play with friends and my favorite fighting game of 2011.
9. Batman: Arkham City - Arkham City didn't capture like Arkham Asylum did. I still haven't even beaten the game, so I can't say much about it. What I can say is it's Batman in his own sandbox. It's a great game, but not much has changed from Asylum. And the fact that I can play as different characters doesn't do much for me. It's a BATMAN game, not Batman and friends game. I only want to play as Batman's lackeys if it's a beat em up game. Despite my gripes, everything that made Asylum a hit is back in City so if you're a fan of the original, you'll love the sequel.
8. L.A. Noire - The best cinematic experience of the year, L.A. Noire is this year's Heavy Rain for me. It's not better than it though, in my opinion. L.A. Noire does do a lot of things right though, like completely capturing the time period. I was literally sucked into this world. The voice acting is also superb, something we've come to expect from Rockstar games. The best thing about the game, which is a complete game changer when it comes to video games, is the technology it uses. The facial animations are UNREAL. It's the reason why this game has gotten so much exposure, Sure, the gameplay, what is there, is great. I loved walking around looking for clues and interrogating suspects, but with little action, I'm sure many people overlooked this game. Anyway, L.A. Noire shows that the future of video games is indeed bright. Combine the technology of this game with a lengthy experience, and you have an all around good game.
7. El Shaddai - El Shaddai would be much higher if it wasn't SO DAMN SHORT! The game is only 7-10 hours long. That's unacceptable for it being a 60 dollar game, but those are a fantastic 7-10 hours. The story is great, all the different environments looked fantastic and unique, and the combat was very satisfying. I played through the game 3 different times, each time trying one of the game's 3 different weapons. My favorite was The Veil, which was the fist type weapon of the game. I loved the controls as well. It was all about timing your buttons presses and countering your opponent, it was really awesome seeing what each weapon could do. This is another game that doesn't have too much replay value, but you can do the levels over and get different costumes along the way, one which makes you completely invincible, which obviously makes the game a cake walk. Overall, El Shaddai is a fantastic little action game that I'm sure no one even played. If you can find it for 20-40 dollars, you should definitely give it a try.
6. Dead Space 2 - The 2nd game in this horror series is fantastic. Not better than the first, but still a great experience. Where this game shines is the visions Issac has. You see, Issac was affected by the Marker from the 1st game, so he sees some seriously crazy things through this experience. Another thing that makes this game amazing is the death animations and the amount of gross out moments. Go to Youtube to check some of the deaths out. I promise you, they're worth it. They will make you cringe, trust me. I like gore in games and movies as much as the next guy but this game gets really crazy. The gameplay is the same as the first and there a lot of reasons to go back and play this game again. DS2 is on this because it's a fantastic sequel with tight controls, solid gameplay, and A LOT of gross out and shocking moments. Can't wait for the 3rd one.
5. Shadows of the Damned - Shadows of the Damned is best described as Resident Evil 4 meets Vanquish. Add a little demons and Suda51 humor in there and you have this game. SOTD was originally my GOTY in June. That alone should tell you how fantastic the game is. Those familiar to RE4 will have no problems picking this game up and playing it. It's fun, wacky, and a blast to play. It doesn't take itself seriously and there are a lot of penis jokes, but other than that, it's a really stand out game. Go pick this game up if you haven't already. My only gripes are the length and no real replay value. If I'm spending 60 bucks on the game, I better be getting some things to do afterward, just saying.
4. Saints Row the Third - This game is fricking insane. What were the people making this smoking? Whatever it was, they need to keep smoking it because Saints Row The Third is probably the best game in the series. With it's over the top insane gameplay to its fun side missions, SR3 was great. I still haven't completed the game but what I did play was great. This is what I want from video games. SR3 isn't deep like Catherine or hard like Dark Souls, but it's definitely more FUN than both of them. The ability to do what I want in the game alone makes this one of my top games. It won't win any awards for GOTY, but SR3 is a solid sandbox experience that anyone who's crazy or just likes having a good time while gaming should pick up.
3. Catherine - Catherine is the best story driven game I've played all year. It was also the only game to make me think about my actual life. It gave me a lot of metaphors for the year. Anyway, Catherine's story is easily it's strong point. A guy named Vincent is in a relationship with his girlfriend Katherine, she wants commitment, he's not sure, he has a one night stand with the bewitching Catherine and then the story goes through so many twist and turns from there. The game also has so many different endings and it really challenges not only your morals but your skills as a gamer as well. Catherine is the 2nd hardest game I beat this year. I didn't think the puzzle gameplay would hook me at first, but as soon as I beat the first tower, I couldn't stop playing. Not only do you get the actual Catherine game, there's also an arcade game in Catherine that represents the nightmares that Vincent goes through. It's a game within a game that has over 100 stages. Catherine also had fantastic music and even has music from other stellar Atlus games, such as Persona and Digital Devil Saga. All in all, Catherine is an experience that isn't for everyone. Seriously, don't play this game if you don't want your morals tested. I played this thinking that it wouldn't challenge me and it did. I started questioning if my life was just like Vincent's. That I was cheating God of His time by playing Catherine. That I was cheating God by watching wrestling, the list goes on. It also helped with my decision to pursue my now girlfriend. At the time I was deciding between two girls and Robyn was more like Katherine, where she would force me to grow up and become a man. This game in short, changed my life. Maybe I'm just crazy and reading too much into a game but who knows? Maybe God put this game into my life for a certain reason? Regardless, Catherine is another Atlus experience that I won't soon forget.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - WHAT? Zelda is #2? Shock and awe? Skyward Sword is easily the best Wii game released. EVER. The story of Skyward Sword is typical Zelda lore and it's a traditional Zelda experience, which is WHY it's #2. Sure, it was an amazing experience but I felt like I played this game before and techincally, I have. The controls are different, characters different, but the gameplay is the same. You have to get three of something, then another three of something, then you're fully equipped to face the last boss. Rinse, lather, repeat. The best thing done in Skyward Sword didn't happen until you defeated the final boss. Skyward Sword's ending is why this game is so high on my list. Like I said, it was a traditional Zelda experience and it was super fun, but when it was revealed that Demise put on a curse on Link and Zelda, it was such a great feeling. To finally find out why Zelda and Link's children were put through so much the last 25 years, it was amazing. They finally revealed how Ganon came to be and that was amazing all in itself. Throw in a huge 35 hour quest, great boss fights, amazing motion controls, and just about everything you want in a Zelda game and you have my #2 game of the year. I hope they can somehow change the classic Zelda formula in the next game because to be honest, though fun, is getting a little stale.
1. Dark Souls - In a year with blockbuster titles, Dark Souls stands tall as my favorite. Why though? After waiting SO LONG for Skyward Sword, how did this game beat it? I'll tell you why. After the credits rolled for both games, Dark Souls was the game that I immediately felt accomplishment with. I never EVER had to work so hard with a game before. When I first got Dark Souls, I got murdered. HARD. There were times I just wandered around, run, and die. Then, I started getting a feel for it and would make progress, beating 1-3 bosses in a single play-through session. Then, Dark Souls would kick my ass again and I would feel helpless. The cycle would continue until I defeated Gwyn and the credits FINALLY rolled. I sighed in relief knowing that I beat the hardest game to be released in 2011. And then it challenged me to do it again, with the enemies ALL being stronger. Fool me once Dark Souls... Anyway, Dark Souls is my Game of the Year for many reasons. The gameplay was fantastic, controls solid, the environments felt very dark and medieval as I would sometimes lose myself in them, it didn't feel like Demon's Souls which was a very good thing for me and lastly it was just plain fun! Though I died a lot, it was fun dying, fun learning from my mistakes, fun finally conquering a boss after 2 hours of attempting to defeat it. It gave me a lot of moments where I would just scream FINALLY I BEAT THE BOSS or found out where to go. I would mark out when defeating bosses, finding secrets, or just from finding save spots. This is truly why I play games. Dark Souls is my FAVORITE game from 2011. Thanks for the memories...
As a bonus, here are some of my favorite gaming moments from 2011!
- Demise reveals curse put on Zelda and Link
- Catherine's reveal of being a succubus
- First meeting with certain bosses in Dark Souls (Gaping Dragon, Ceaseless Discharge, and Ornstein and Smough)
- Saints Row The Third's missions. INSANE.
- Completing Catherine (15 hours) and Dark Souls (50 HOURS!)
Well, 2011 was a great year in gaming. 2012 looks to be another good year, but to be honest, gaming is going to take a back seat for a while. I'm not going to game hard until Tales of Graces F comes out. I need to put some things first in my life and gaming isn't it. Anyway, one more post left and it's the big one. Expect a LONG read everybody!
2011 was certainly a fantastic year for gamers. Uncharted 3, Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3, Portal 2, Battlefield 3, just to name a few of the big releases of this year. Thing is, I didn't play ANY of those games and I still had a fantastic gaming year. I'm not really into the big releases. I'm more of an under the radar kind of guy and that's how I like it. Before I get into what I think were the ten best games and I played this year and why, let's look into what is to come in 2012! Here's my top ten of games that I hope I play in 2012.
10. South Park The Game - When I first heard about a South Park RPG, I immediately put this on the list. I'm a casual fan of South Park but a hardcore gamer. Add the fact that Obsidian is taking on this game and you got a game I'm really looking forward to playing.
9. Street Fighter X Tekken - My love for fighting games can be described as casual at best. I love mashing buttons and they are great to have around when friends are over but other than that, I could care less about them, especially ones with deep stories. This though, is on my must play list. I've played MANY MANY Tekken and Street Fighter games over the years, with Tekken 3 and Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha being my favorites from both series, but when they announced the crossover, I knew the world was coming to an end. This game is going to be sick and I can't wait to play this with my boys on the hours leading up to Wrestlemania next year.
8. Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I haven't finished the first Final Fantasy 13. Why? I don't know. I tend to do that lately where I just pick up a game, get to the end, and never complete it. It's a huge problem but I still want to try this game out. I'm a sucker for JRPGs and when we only get like 3-8 of them in America, you take what you can get. FF13-2 may be the fix I need for JRPGs but time will tell.
7. Asura's Wrath - What exactly is this game? I haven't done much research but if the trailers are any indication, it looks to be an over the top action game which is RIGHT up my alley. I don't know if it's 60 dollars worth just yet but I can't wait to try it.
6. Anarchy Reigns - Platinum Games is one of my favorite developers. MadWorld, Bayonetta, and my favorite, VANQUISH, are all fantastic games. So it only makes sense that I look forward to their next crazy game. That only thing I'm skeptical about is the online play and I hope they aren't focusing too heavily on it. If all goes right, this could be an interesting release come July.
5. Soulcalibur V - I've been a fan of this fighting series since I bought Soul Calibur II on Gamecube. At the time, the only reason I bought it was because of the inclusion of Link. Namco made a smart move because now I'm fan for life. It's just something about this series that makes it my favorite fighting game series. Is it the weapons, the crazy characters, or the fact that Namco tries to get guest characters? I don't know but I can't wait to play as Ezio when this releases at the end of January.
4. The Last Guardian - I wasn't a fan of ICO. I didn't like dragging around some dumb girl or the combat. I LOVED everything about Shadow of the Colossus. It's mix of action and puzzle elements, it's atmosphere, and the story was awesome as well. So Team ICO are 1 for 1 with me. How will The Last Guardian fare with me? Only time will tell, but I'm hoping for a solid game when this hopefully releases in 2012.
3. Mass Effect 3 - Ah, the ending of a great trilogy. Mass Effect 2 remains one of my favorite Xbox 360 games of all time and I can't wait to see how they attack this one. Again, this is another single player game that is now adding multiplayer and I don't know how it's going to work in the end for the campaign, but here's hoping they don't mess up. I can't wait to see how it all ends.
2. Lollipop Chainsaw - I'm a huge Suda51 guy. Killer7 was one of the most unique experiences I had with a video game. No More Heroes is easily my favorite series to come from the Wii. Shadows of the Damned is on my top 10 list for 2011, so it only makes sense that Lollipop Chainsaw is this high up on the list. I'm hoping for all the Suda51 goodness, blood and gore, sex, and stupid immature jokes that I can't help but laugh at. I hope we don't have to wait all year for this truly unique experience, but if we do, I can't wait!
1. Tales of Graces F - Easily my most anticipated game of this generation. Yeah I said it. I looked forward to No More Heroes 2 and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but here's a game I didn't think would EVER get released from Japan. They announced it was coming over here back in FEBRUARY. FEBRUARY and that was it! No release window, no English gameplay, NOTHING! But now, we finally have a release date and I couldn't be happier. In a time where JRPGs are slowly dying, Tales of Graces F is the light at the end of the tunnel. I've been a fan of Tales games since Symphonia and my favorite was Vesperia, so it's only natural this would be my most anticipated game of 2012. I'll be saying goodbye to what social life I have March 13th.
Well, 2012 looks fantastic for games. Now, let's get into my top 10 games of 2011! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!
10. WWE All Stars - Starting off the list is one of the best wrestling/fighting games I've ever played. All Stars is simple, it combines wrestlers from different generations and puts them in a ring. You got greats like Hogan, Savage, Rock, and Austin from one generation and you have Cena, Orton, Punk, and Sheamus from another. All Stars highlight is the video packages in the Fantasy Warfare mode. In this mode, the game pits fantasy match-ups, like Punk/Austin, Cena/Hogan, and Miz/Perfect. The video promos are FANTASTIC, they really hype you up for the match. The gameplay is over the top. This isn't WWE 12, it's a true arcade experience. It's a blast to play with friends and my favorite fighting game of 2011.
9. Batman: Arkham City - Arkham City didn't capture like Arkham Asylum did. I still haven't even beaten the game, so I can't say much about it. What I can say is it's Batman in his own sandbox. It's a great game, but not much has changed from Asylum. And the fact that I can play as different characters doesn't do much for me. It's a BATMAN game, not Batman and friends game. I only want to play as Batman's lackeys if it's a beat em up game. Despite my gripes, everything that made Asylum a hit is back in City so if you're a fan of the original, you'll love the sequel.
8. L.A. Noire - The best cinematic experience of the year, L.A. Noire is this year's Heavy Rain for me. It's not better than it though, in my opinion. L.A. Noire does do a lot of things right though, like completely capturing the time period. I was literally sucked into this world. The voice acting is also superb, something we've come to expect from Rockstar games. The best thing about the game, which is a complete game changer when it comes to video games, is the technology it uses. The facial animations are UNREAL. It's the reason why this game has gotten so much exposure, Sure, the gameplay, what is there, is great. I loved walking around looking for clues and interrogating suspects, but with little action, I'm sure many people overlooked this game. Anyway, L.A. Noire shows that the future of video games is indeed bright. Combine the technology of this game with a lengthy experience, and you have an all around good game.
7. El Shaddai - El Shaddai would be much higher if it wasn't SO DAMN SHORT! The game is only 7-10 hours long. That's unacceptable for it being a 60 dollar game, but those are a fantastic 7-10 hours. The story is great, all the different environments looked fantastic and unique, and the combat was very satisfying. I played through the game 3 different times, each time trying one of the game's 3 different weapons. My favorite was The Veil, which was the fist type weapon of the game. I loved the controls as well. It was all about timing your buttons presses and countering your opponent, it was really awesome seeing what each weapon could do. This is another game that doesn't have too much replay value, but you can do the levels over and get different costumes along the way, one which makes you completely invincible, which obviously makes the game a cake walk. Overall, El Shaddai is a fantastic little action game that I'm sure no one even played. If you can find it for 20-40 dollars, you should definitely give it a try.
6. Dead Space 2 - The 2nd game in this horror series is fantastic. Not better than the first, but still a great experience. Where this game shines is the visions Issac has. You see, Issac was affected by the Marker from the 1st game, so he sees some seriously crazy things through this experience. Another thing that makes this game amazing is the death animations and the amount of gross out moments. Go to Youtube to check some of the deaths out. I promise you, they're worth it. They will make you cringe, trust me. I like gore in games and movies as much as the next guy but this game gets really crazy. The gameplay is the same as the first and there a lot of reasons to go back and play this game again. DS2 is on this because it's a fantastic sequel with tight controls, solid gameplay, and A LOT of gross out and shocking moments. Can't wait for the 3rd one.
5. Shadows of the Damned - Shadows of the Damned is best described as Resident Evil 4 meets Vanquish. Add a little demons and Suda51 humor in there and you have this game. SOTD was originally my GOTY in June. That alone should tell you how fantastic the game is. Those familiar to RE4 will have no problems picking this game up and playing it. It's fun, wacky, and a blast to play. It doesn't take itself seriously and there are a lot of penis jokes, but other than that, it's a really stand out game. Go pick this game up if you haven't already. My only gripes are the length and no real replay value. If I'm spending 60 bucks on the game, I better be getting some things to do afterward, just saying.
4. Saints Row the Third - This game is fricking insane. What were the people making this smoking? Whatever it was, they need to keep smoking it because Saints Row The Third is probably the best game in the series. With it's over the top insane gameplay to its fun side missions, SR3 was great. I still haven't completed the game but what I did play was great. This is what I want from video games. SR3 isn't deep like Catherine or hard like Dark Souls, but it's definitely more FUN than both of them. The ability to do what I want in the game alone makes this one of my top games. It won't win any awards for GOTY, but SR3 is a solid sandbox experience that anyone who's crazy or just likes having a good time while gaming should pick up.
3. Catherine - Catherine is the best story driven game I've played all year. It was also the only game to make me think about my actual life. It gave me a lot of metaphors for the year. Anyway, Catherine's story is easily it's strong point. A guy named Vincent is in a relationship with his girlfriend Katherine, she wants commitment, he's not sure, he has a one night stand with the bewitching Catherine and then the story goes through so many twist and turns from there. The game also has so many different endings and it really challenges not only your morals but your skills as a gamer as well. Catherine is the 2nd hardest game I beat this year. I didn't think the puzzle gameplay would hook me at first, but as soon as I beat the first tower, I couldn't stop playing. Not only do you get the actual Catherine game, there's also an arcade game in Catherine that represents the nightmares that Vincent goes through. It's a game within a game that has over 100 stages. Catherine also had fantastic music and even has music from other stellar Atlus games, such as Persona and Digital Devil Saga. All in all, Catherine is an experience that isn't for everyone. Seriously, don't play this game if you don't want your morals tested. I played this thinking that it wouldn't challenge me and it did. I started questioning if my life was just like Vincent's. That I was cheating God of His time by playing Catherine. That I was cheating God by watching wrestling, the list goes on. It also helped with my decision to pursue my now girlfriend. At the time I was deciding between two girls and Robyn was more like Katherine, where she would force me to grow up and become a man. This game in short, changed my life. Maybe I'm just crazy and reading too much into a game but who knows? Maybe God put this game into my life for a certain reason? Regardless, Catherine is another Atlus experience that I won't soon forget.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - WHAT? Zelda is #2? Shock and awe? Skyward Sword is easily the best Wii game released. EVER. The story of Skyward Sword is typical Zelda lore and it's a traditional Zelda experience, which is WHY it's #2. Sure, it was an amazing experience but I felt like I played this game before and techincally, I have. The controls are different, characters different, but the gameplay is the same. You have to get three of something, then another three of something, then you're fully equipped to face the last boss. Rinse, lather, repeat. The best thing done in Skyward Sword didn't happen until you defeated the final boss. Skyward Sword's ending is why this game is so high on my list. Like I said, it was a traditional Zelda experience and it was super fun, but when it was revealed that Demise put on a curse on Link and Zelda, it was such a great feeling. To finally find out why Zelda and Link's children were put through so much the last 25 years, it was amazing. They finally revealed how Ganon came to be and that was amazing all in itself. Throw in a huge 35 hour quest, great boss fights, amazing motion controls, and just about everything you want in a Zelda game and you have my #2 game of the year. I hope they can somehow change the classic Zelda formula in the next game because to be honest, though fun, is getting a little stale.
1. Dark Souls - In a year with blockbuster titles, Dark Souls stands tall as my favorite. Why though? After waiting SO LONG for Skyward Sword, how did this game beat it? I'll tell you why. After the credits rolled for both games, Dark Souls was the game that I immediately felt accomplishment with. I never EVER had to work so hard with a game before. When I first got Dark Souls, I got murdered. HARD. There were times I just wandered around, run, and die. Then, I started getting a feel for it and would make progress, beating 1-3 bosses in a single play-through session. Then, Dark Souls would kick my ass again and I would feel helpless. The cycle would continue until I defeated Gwyn and the credits FINALLY rolled. I sighed in relief knowing that I beat the hardest game to be released in 2011. And then it challenged me to do it again, with the enemies ALL being stronger. Fool me once Dark Souls... Anyway, Dark Souls is my Game of the Year for many reasons. The gameplay was fantastic, controls solid, the environments felt very dark and medieval as I would sometimes lose myself in them, it didn't feel like Demon's Souls which was a very good thing for me and lastly it was just plain fun! Though I died a lot, it was fun dying, fun learning from my mistakes, fun finally conquering a boss after 2 hours of attempting to defeat it. It gave me a lot of moments where I would just scream FINALLY I BEAT THE BOSS or found out where to go. I would mark out when defeating bosses, finding secrets, or just from finding save spots. This is truly why I play games. Dark Souls is my FAVORITE game from 2011. Thanks for the memories...
As a bonus, here are some of my favorite gaming moments from 2011!
- Demise reveals curse put on Zelda and Link
- Catherine's reveal of being a succubus
- First meeting with certain bosses in Dark Souls (Gaping Dragon, Ceaseless Discharge, and Ornstein and Smough)
- Saints Row The Third's missions. INSANE.
- Completing Catherine (15 hours) and Dark Souls (50 HOURS!)
Well, 2011 was a great year in gaming. 2012 looks to be another good year, but to be honest, gaming is going to take a back seat for a while. I'm not going to game hard until Tales of Graces F comes out. I need to put some things first in my life and gaming isn't it. Anyway, one more post left and it's the big one. Expect a LONG read everybody!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Ryder and Bryan are champions!
WWE TLC won't be remembered for being the best WWE PPV. The slow Ladder match, the pointless Divas and Sheamus/Swagger match, and the VERY short World Title match all held this PPV down, BUT there were some pretty awesome moments. The TLC match was pretty solid, the surprise tag match was alright, Rhodes/Booker was alright, and Barrett/Orton did their thing. The two reasons everyone will remember this PPV are simple; we got TWO new young champions in the WWE. First, Zack Ryder FINALLY achieved what he set out to do, he won the United States Championship in a good opening match. I thought the ending was a little anti-climatic but I'm really happy for Ryder. He worked hard, he made his own gimmick, and he got the WWE Universe to recognize him and it paid off. Congratulations Zack Ryder, the future is bright for you. Now it's time for Ziggler to move up the card and start contending for the WWE Title.
The 2nd reason is because Daniel Bryan FINALLY cashed in his MITB contract and became the NEW World Heavyweight Champion! God heard my prayer! Friday on Twitter, I asked God to make Bryan/Barrett for the World Title at the Royal Rumble and the first step has been taken! Anyway, it's good to see Bryan finally win the title and he deserved it. Bryan is the breath of fresh air needed on Smackdown. We can now see Bryan/Rhodes, Bryan/Barrett, and my favorite, a Wrestlemania caliber match, Orton/Bryan. God, I can't wait!
I'm going to Raw tomorrow as it's in Philadelphia! Look out for me, I'll be the fat black guy wearing the best in the world t-shirt! Once again, congrats to Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan on winning championship gold! The future is bright for the WWE. Wait, Daniel Bryan AND CM Punk are both World Championship in the WWE. The Internet must be going INSANE!
The 2nd reason is because Daniel Bryan FINALLY cashed in his MITB contract and became the NEW World Heavyweight Champion! God heard my prayer! Friday on Twitter, I asked God to make Bryan/Barrett for the World Title at the Royal Rumble and the first step has been taken! Anyway, it's good to see Bryan finally win the title and he deserved it. Bryan is the breath of fresh air needed on Smackdown. We can now see Bryan/Rhodes, Bryan/Barrett, and my favorite, a Wrestlemania caliber match, Orton/Bryan. God, I can't wait!
I'm going to Raw tomorrow as it's in Philadelphia! Look out for me, I'll be the fat black guy wearing the best in the world t-shirt! Once again, congrats to Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan on winning championship gold! The future is bright for the WWE. Wait, Daniel Bryan AND CM Punk are both World Championship in the WWE. The Internet must be going INSANE!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
TLC Predictions
Wow, the final PPV of 2011 is here. Will it be a dud like HIAC or a surprise like Extreme Rules? 6 matches are announced with another likely, like a tag title or Divas's Title match. Maybe something involving Cena? Well, let me go right in it.
Opening match is a real toss up at this PPV. I'm going to say Booker T VS Rhodes is going to open the show up. This is one of the matches I can't wait to see on Sunday. This has show stealer written all over it. Rhodes is one of the better performers in WWE and when put with a former 6 time World Champion, a good match is bound to happen. Rhodes is definitely going to get a lot of exposure from this match. I don't see the match ending clean and I don't see Booker T winning the belt, why would he need it? I'm going with Booker T winning by DQ or count-out. If Rhodes was to beat Booker by pinfall, I'd be surprised, but I'd mark out HARD.
The ladder match between Hunter and Nash is going to be one of the two matches that I don't care about. Why are they putting these two together in a ladder match and why did they wait so long? No one cares about this feud anymore! Nash can't wrestle anymore! Snoozefest 2011 right here. Triple H wins, building momentum to the inevitable Taker/HHH 3 at Mania.
The Barrett Barrage is just getting started, but for it to continue, Barrett has to beat Orton at TLC. Orton has been on the losing end in the fall PPVs, only beating Rhodes at Vengeance. With it being a Tables match, Orton doesn't have to take the pinfall in this match AND he lost in a Tables match last year. Will that fact matter on Sunday? Probably not, but I'm going with Wade Barrett defeating Randy Orton at TLC. Barrett is one of my top names to win the Royal Rumble this year.
Mark Henry VS The Big Show, the fourth time they wrestled on PPV. It's a chair match, so there will be a legit finish on Sunday. I don't care for this match, but I do want to see what OMG moment this two will create this time around. At Vengeance, the ring broke. At Survivor Series, Big Show hit an elbow off the top rope. What will happen at TLC? I'm going with Mark Henry retaining his World Title this Sunday in Baltimore. Don't sleep on my boy D Bry though! I think Bryan's going to cash in before Mania and somehow, someway, we're getting a World Title match involving Sheamus, Barrett, Bryan, or Orton at Wrestlemania. Time will tell though.
Ryder's big chance. Probably his LAST chance. Sunday, Ziggler defends against Ryder for third time this year. Ryder had strong performances in both matches, but came up on the losing end both times. Will Sunday be different? I sure hope so. Since becoming the Show Off, Ziggler has worked matches with both Randy Orton and CM Punk, stealing the show with both of them. He's had the US Title for 6 months, he's become the hardest working superstar in the business, and has found his own on the mic. Why is he still the US Champion? He should be in the WWE Title picture! After Sunday, I'm sure he will be. Ryder and Ziggler will have their best match together come Sunday and Ryder will finally get the singles title he's been looking for. I'm going with Zack Ryder to defeat Dolph Ziggler to win the United States championship. Can't wait to see the match.
The thrown together main event. A Triple threat TLC for the WWE Championship. Del Rio will be a mid carder for a while after this match so he's not winning. Miz won't be winning just yet as I think he'll be getting his one-on-one match soon. Punk won't be losing the title one month after losing it (this time at least) so I'm going with Punk. Will a 4th person be added to this contest, say John Cena, who the first time in a while, isn't featured on a PPV? Who knows, but it would definitely make the match that much more interesting. Regardless, we're not getting a new WWE Champion just yet. Punk retains in what could be a really great main event.
The main reason I'm buying TLC is because of Rhodes, Barrett, the TLC main event, and the potential of Ryder winning the US Title. I'm hoping for a good PPV, but I'm expecting a dud. Come back Sunday night for my reaction post.
Opening match is a real toss up at this PPV. I'm going to say Booker T VS Rhodes is going to open the show up. This is one of the matches I can't wait to see on Sunday. This has show stealer written all over it. Rhodes is one of the better performers in WWE and when put with a former 6 time World Champion, a good match is bound to happen. Rhodes is definitely going to get a lot of exposure from this match. I don't see the match ending clean and I don't see Booker T winning the belt, why would he need it? I'm going with Booker T winning by DQ or count-out. If Rhodes was to beat Booker by pinfall, I'd be surprised, but I'd mark out HARD.
The ladder match between Hunter and Nash is going to be one of the two matches that I don't care about. Why are they putting these two together in a ladder match and why did they wait so long? No one cares about this feud anymore! Nash can't wrestle anymore! Snoozefest 2011 right here. Triple H wins, building momentum to the inevitable Taker/HHH 3 at Mania.
The Barrett Barrage is just getting started, but for it to continue, Barrett has to beat Orton at TLC. Orton has been on the losing end in the fall PPVs, only beating Rhodes at Vengeance. With it being a Tables match, Orton doesn't have to take the pinfall in this match AND he lost in a Tables match last year. Will that fact matter on Sunday? Probably not, but I'm going with Wade Barrett defeating Randy Orton at TLC. Barrett is one of my top names to win the Royal Rumble this year.
Mark Henry VS The Big Show, the fourth time they wrestled on PPV. It's a chair match, so there will be a legit finish on Sunday. I don't care for this match, but I do want to see what OMG moment this two will create this time around. At Vengeance, the ring broke. At Survivor Series, Big Show hit an elbow off the top rope. What will happen at TLC? I'm going with Mark Henry retaining his World Title this Sunday in Baltimore. Don't sleep on my boy D Bry though! I think Bryan's going to cash in before Mania and somehow, someway, we're getting a World Title match involving Sheamus, Barrett, Bryan, or Orton at Wrestlemania. Time will tell though.
Ryder's big chance. Probably his LAST chance. Sunday, Ziggler defends against Ryder for third time this year. Ryder had strong performances in both matches, but came up on the losing end both times. Will Sunday be different? I sure hope so. Since becoming the Show Off, Ziggler has worked matches with both Randy Orton and CM Punk, stealing the show with both of them. He's had the US Title for 6 months, he's become the hardest working superstar in the business, and has found his own on the mic. Why is he still the US Champion? He should be in the WWE Title picture! After Sunday, I'm sure he will be. Ryder and Ziggler will have their best match together come Sunday and Ryder will finally get the singles title he's been looking for. I'm going with Zack Ryder to defeat Dolph Ziggler to win the United States championship. Can't wait to see the match.
The thrown together main event. A Triple threat TLC for the WWE Championship. Del Rio will be a mid carder for a while after this match so he's not winning. Miz won't be winning just yet as I think he'll be getting his one-on-one match soon. Punk won't be losing the title one month after losing it (this time at least) so I'm going with Punk. Will a 4th person be added to this contest, say John Cena, who the first time in a while, isn't featured on a PPV? Who knows, but it would definitely make the match that much more interesting. Regardless, we're not getting a new WWE Champion just yet. Punk retains in what could be a really great main event.
The main reason I'm buying TLC is because of Rhodes, Barrett, the TLC main event, and the potential of Ryder winning the US Title. I'm hoping for a good PPV, but I'm expecting a dud. Come back Sunday night for my reaction post.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
2011 in review Part 1: My Life
Well, with it being the middle of December already, I can start reviewing my 2011 and sharing it with the few people who read this crazy blog. If you are a dedicated reader of this blog, I can't thank you enough for spending 5-10 minutes of your day for reading the insane things I talk about. 2011 saw some HUGE numbers for my blog, well, at least huge for me, as I passed the 3000 and 4000 total page views marks. I didn't even know I had 2000 views until July to be honest, but anyway, thanks for reading.
Let me break down my year end posts for you. There is going to be three parts. The 1st one is going to be about my life in general. It's going to be a bit personal so fair warning. The 2nd one is going to be my top 10 video games of 2011. I'll also talk about what I'm looking forward to in 2012, stuff like that. That will be up sometime next week probably. The 3rd and final post will be my HUGE wrestling review, where I'll tell you what I think WWE did right AND wrong this year. There will also be a video with Jamal and I about the same subject. That should be up after Christmas but BEFORE New Year's, I hope.
This 1st post is about how my year went. I'll talk briefly about games and wrestling, but this post is centered around me and what I did this year. It's going to be a boring read for the people who don't actually know me, hell, it's going to be boring for the people who DO know me. Just read at your own risk OK?
2011 was easily the best year of my existence. Yeah, I said it. Let me talk about the cons first though. First and foremost, if you don't know, I'm a Christian, believer, follower of the way. My dad is the pastor of my church and I'm not going to lie, there's A LOT of pressure on me. In 2011, I didn't give God the time He deserved. I didn't read scripture when given the opportunity, I usually just played games. That's something I want to change in 2012. I'm also still working at McDonalds and not attending any kind of school. Basically, I'm still a bum. Working at McDonalds isn't really the problem, it's just that I don't see me EVER moving up there nor do I see them doing that either. WWE and my job are exactly alike but I'll get more into that later. I didn't really play the good friend role that well this year. You see, I have about 6 guys that I call my true friends. Sure, I have co-workers who I talk to and call my confidants but that's the only time I talk to them. I basically treated those 6 guys like there were nothing this year. The only time we would hang out (4 of them at least) was when a PPV was on or for a brief period after church when we would make a wrestling video. That's another change that has to happen in 2012. I don't want to lose those guys as friends, especially since 5 of the guys I've known since the 90s. I want to be a friend that talks to them more than one day of the week. So, in 2012, I want to be a stronger man of God, get a steady job and/or get into some kind of school, and be a better friend.
OK, now to what I did right. This year, I lost A TON of weight. I don't know how or if I can really put this under things I did right, but it's good in the long run. I didn't even start noticing it until October, when everyone around me started to ask what I was doing or if I was on crack lol. Anyway, while I'm glad I lost weight, it's also a sad thing too. I've been FatmanStephens since 6th grade. Everything I have online is UNDER FatmanStephens. Youtube, Twitter, Xbox, Playstation, EVERYTHING! I know it's a stupid reason, but FMS had become my identity, I would justify what I would do by saying if it was or wasn't the Fatman way. I can't say that anymore. Maybe I'm just crazy but I see it as a good and bad thing. Good for my health but bad for my identity.
June was the month I told myself that I had enough of McDonalds and that I was going to leave on the last day of the pay period, which was the 15th. Everyone asked why I was leaving and what I was going to do afterwards blah blah blah. So, I left and had easily one of the best months of my life. On June 16th, I RELAXED. Something I haven't really been able to fully do in two years. Also during that time, I moved from my neighborhood of 14 years. I moved that weekend and MAN, did I work hard, that's probably one of the reasons I lost weight now that I think about it. The next week was me just house sitting, waiting for things to come. When we moved into the new house, we bought a new TV, surround sound, and some other stuff. Both my parents worked during the day so it was up to ole Marcus to wait for things and hook them up. After that, I decided that two weeks later I would return to my old position at McDonalds. Those two weeks were just me relaxing, sitting on my couch, sweating, and watching Victorious and iCarly. It really was a great time. During that time, CM Punk was becoming the new face of WWE and the time off made it easier to wait for Raw and other things in my life. I got to play Shadows of the Damned during that time too and that was one of the better games I played this year. I finally returned July 19th and it was just like Punk returning with the WWE Championship two weeks after he won it. I got a raise and they finally started talking about moving me up the ladder, but, just like with Punk, my push fell off as well. My favorite manager was fired, like McMahon was and then all chaos broke loose. I'm currently where Punk was when he lost to Triple H at Night of Champions, no direction and all. Well, the morale of this story is, sometimes, you just need a damn break from it all, which is what I got from June 16th to July 18th.
There were a lot of great dates this year, like January 30th, where Del Rio won the Rumble match. April 3rd, when everyone at my house thought I was crazy for picking The Miz to beat Cena, but then it actually happened. May 22nd, a day where I finally got people on my own to come to church AND a day where my friends and I would wrestle our last match ever. The match also symbolizes the ending of an era because I was moving just a month later and I was the last remaining one of my close friends to leave the neighborhood. June 15th was the day I CM Punked McDonalds BEFORE Punk made the term famous. It may seem like nothing, but the 15th of June has been very good to me in the last couple of years. In 2009, I graduated on the 15th and in 2010, I got a PS3 on the 15th. In 2012, the 15th is going to be on a Friday and my girlfriend's birthday is the 18th. Maybe another good memory will be made on that day? June 18th was the day I finally moved. It was sad to leave Sharon Hill but I'm loving my new hood! July 17th marked the first PPV I watched at my new house and WHAT a PPV that was. July 26th was the day I bought Catherine. GOD, I loved that game. I was skeptical at first because I didn't think the gameplay would hold me over, but boy was I wrong. You'll be hearing more about Catherine in my next post, believe me. I'm skipping over a couple dates because I want to talk about that in its own section. October 4th began my gaming nirvana, with the fantastic game that was Dark Souls. Spoiler alert, Dark Souls is in my top 3 games of the year and I already mentioned the other game in it as well and there's only one left. If you've been following me on Twitter, I'm sure you know what it is. Anyway, Dark Souls was an amazing trip into a truly hard experience. October 12th I turned 21. 21, legal for everything age. I honestly didn't think I would make it to 21, don't ask me why, but I thank God that I did. November 20th marked the day my last big game for a while came out, which was The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. It's definitely one of my favorite Zelda games of all time and the controls are AMAZING. Nintendo did it right. I won't be gaming like this until Mass Effect 3 and TALES OF GRACES F COME OUT! March 13th, 2012 is one of my most anticipated dates for 2012. Now, let me talk about what was easily the highlight of my year. STORY TIME!!!
Robyn Renae Taylor is a woman who I liked for a about a year. We always flirted at work and we were even going to hang out at one point in 2010, but with no confirmation between either one of us, it never happened. After we both starting giving mixed signals, I originally gave up and just realized that I would never ever have a chance to go out with her, so I put my attention on another girl. Robyn and I became bro and sis during this period but we still flirted occasionally. After I left McDonalds in June, Robyn said she was going to come to my church. I originally wasn't on board with the idea because I believed she was just coming to see me. Turns out, I pre judged her and she ended up making a decision to leave her old church and to join mine. Long story short, my feelings for Robyn came back up and my dad would GRILL me every freaking week if I liked her or not. I would tell him no just so he would get off my back but one week, he asked me the question, but he said if I was to shake his hand, I could never date her while living with him. I looked to the ground and he knew he got me. He told me I should go for it and he gave this whole elaborate plan on what to do and how to do it. I said alright and put the plan into motion. After a while though, I felt like I needed to do this on my own. I mean, I'm 20 years old at the time for Christ's sakes!
So, I came to work August 31st, 2011 and I was early. The godly bus that is the 107 got me to work a half hour before I had to clock in. Robyn was in one of her moods and wanted me to clock in early so she could leave. I said no and was trying to purposively piss her off, something I was known to do. She was getting mad and I decided to clock in at 3:54, 6 minutes early. I asked for the headset and she just threw it at me and walked away. I looked at my manager and I asked what the hell her problem was and she told me it was my fault. So, I went back there to try and cheer her up between orders. I know, it was contradictory to my original plan. After making some faces and staring her down, she cracked that beautiful smile of hers. She gave me a huge hug, like she usually did, turned her face, and asked if she could have a kiss. Me, being a smart guy, asked if she wanted a kiss on the cheek or on the lips, knowing she wanted it on the cheek but would take one on the lips. She raised her eyebrows, basically saying, you know what I want. So, I turned her cheek and kissed her. She squealed and ran up front, hugged my manager, and left. I came up front and my co-worked asked what happened and I told him. He, a Mr. Shane Walls, was a Marcus/Robyn shipper from day one so I have to also thank him for boosting my confidence a bit. I remember that day while I was praying before I went into work, I told myself that I was going to make a move today and I did.
She sent me a text at 10:56 that night, which was the EXACT time I got to the bus stop so I could get home. I found that very weird. I mean, she knew I was off at 11, but it was like she KNEW I was already off. Whatever, so she said what's up, all that jazz. I asked why was she still up and texting me, since she had work at 8 in the morning. She said she couldn't sleep and asked why did I kiss her. For me, I thought that was the DUMBEST question I heard all year. I even asked if that was a serious question. She was dead serious though. So, I told her I liked her a while now and she said the same thing. We basically talked about how long we liked each other, you know, that stuff until she fell asleep. The next day, she kissed me because I thought my dad was going to destroy me for not doing things according to his plan. That night, she asked me what was going to happen between us and I told her I wanted her to be my girlfriend and our relationship was born! I told my dad the next day and my whole church that Sunday, two of the harder things I had to do. Not because I'm ashamed of her or anything, but because I'm not a person with a lot of confidence to begin with.
A lot of my co-workers were shocked to see Robyn and I together. I have no idea why. I mean, we always flirted with each other and were always kissing and hugging each other. My one manager, Nancy AKA my favorite manager, was the one person who I thought wouldn't be surprised, but turns out she didn't know either. I guess I'm better at keeping a secret than I thought. I'll never forget coming to work the next couple of days after I kissed Robyn. Most of the girls were either shocked or infuriated that I didn't tell them I liked Robyn. Nancy was one of them. See, I work up front and at my McDonalds, they usually only put girls up front and guys in the kitchen making food. I'm one of those exceptions so I mostly talk to females all day. I guess it's because everyone there sees me as an innocent kind of guy who follows the Lord and never messes up. That's a lie from the pit of Hell. I'm in no way innocent BUT I do follow the Lord. I'm still human as well so I'm prone to making mistakes. Anyway, point is, I still don't know why this shocked people. Maybe it was because of our contrasting lifestyles? Robyn was more worldly than I so maybe that's the reason. I don't know.
So, long story short, August 31 - September 4th was a monumental part of my year and my life in general. It was the greatest period of time in my year. It was like winning the lottery or some kind of exquisite contest. It signaled a changing of the guard in my life. It was like when Nintendo released Skyward Sword or when Punk delivered his shoot promo to the WWE universe. It was the beginning of a new era in my life. It told me that I finally needed to grow up and be a man. I posted this on Twitter, but I remember my dad said basically told me to clean myself up because I was becoming a man. Now, three and a half months later, I want to marry this girl. I understand that that's a short period of time to have those types of plans, but I know that Robyn is the woman God has put on this Earth for me. And if I love her, why wait? Why deny the inevitable? I love her with all my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She definitely the quintessential girlfriend. Quintessential, just in case you didn't know but want to know but are too lazy to look it up, means representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class. She's dedicated to the Lord, driven and focused on what she wants to do in life, gets along with my parents, (much bigger deal for a 21 year old than you think) sweet, has an awesome personality, can cook, and is drop dead gorgeous. She's the love of my life. She made my 2011 the best year of my life. I thank God every day for her because without him, I wouldn't have her. It was GOD that finally instilled the confidence that day on August 31st to kiss her. Alright, enough of the sappiness!
So that was my life in a nutshell in 2011. After typing this, I feel so blessed. I didn't have one bad day in 2011. I had bad moments, but never whole bad day. As far as games and wrestling go, it was a pretty good year, but those will get their time to shine. My life in 2012 is going to be epic. I can't reveal all my plans, but it will be amazing to say the least. I'm going to be a Show Off trust me. Anyway, feels good to get all that off my chest and thanks for reading if you read this long and boring post. 2011 video game post is coming next!
Let me break down my year end posts for you. There is going to be three parts. The 1st one is going to be about my life in general. It's going to be a bit personal so fair warning. The 2nd one is going to be my top 10 video games of 2011. I'll also talk about what I'm looking forward to in 2012, stuff like that. That will be up sometime next week probably. The 3rd and final post will be my HUGE wrestling review, where I'll tell you what I think WWE did right AND wrong this year. There will also be a video with Jamal and I about the same subject. That should be up after Christmas but BEFORE New Year's, I hope.
This 1st post is about how my year went. I'll talk briefly about games and wrestling, but this post is centered around me and what I did this year. It's going to be a boring read for the people who don't actually know me, hell, it's going to be boring for the people who DO know me. Just read at your own risk OK?
2011 was easily the best year of my existence. Yeah, I said it. Let me talk about the cons first though. First and foremost, if you don't know, I'm a Christian, believer, follower of the way. My dad is the pastor of my church and I'm not going to lie, there's A LOT of pressure on me. In 2011, I didn't give God the time He deserved. I didn't read scripture when given the opportunity, I usually just played games. That's something I want to change in 2012. I'm also still working at McDonalds and not attending any kind of school. Basically, I'm still a bum. Working at McDonalds isn't really the problem, it's just that I don't see me EVER moving up there nor do I see them doing that either. WWE and my job are exactly alike but I'll get more into that later. I didn't really play the good friend role that well this year. You see, I have about 6 guys that I call my true friends. Sure, I have co-workers who I talk to and call my confidants but that's the only time I talk to them. I basically treated those 6 guys like there were nothing this year. The only time we would hang out (4 of them at least) was when a PPV was on or for a brief period after church when we would make a wrestling video. That's another change that has to happen in 2012. I don't want to lose those guys as friends, especially since 5 of the guys I've known since the 90s. I want to be a friend that talks to them more than one day of the week. So, in 2012, I want to be a stronger man of God, get a steady job and/or get into some kind of school, and be a better friend.
OK, now to what I did right. This year, I lost A TON of weight. I don't know how or if I can really put this under things I did right, but it's good in the long run. I didn't even start noticing it until October, when everyone around me started to ask what I was doing or if I was on crack lol. Anyway, while I'm glad I lost weight, it's also a sad thing too. I've been FatmanStephens since 6th grade. Everything I have online is UNDER FatmanStephens. Youtube, Twitter, Xbox, Playstation, EVERYTHING! I know it's a stupid reason, but FMS had become my identity, I would justify what I would do by saying if it was or wasn't the Fatman way. I can't say that anymore. Maybe I'm just crazy but I see it as a good and bad thing. Good for my health but bad for my identity.
June was the month I told myself that I had enough of McDonalds and that I was going to leave on the last day of the pay period, which was the 15th. Everyone asked why I was leaving and what I was going to do afterwards blah blah blah. So, I left and had easily one of the best months of my life. On June 16th, I RELAXED. Something I haven't really been able to fully do in two years. Also during that time, I moved from my neighborhood of 14 years. I moved that weekend and MAN, did I work hard, that's probably one of the reasons I lost weight now that I think about it. The next week was me just house sitting, waiting for things to come. When we moved into the new house, we bought a new TV, surround sound, and some other stuff. Both my parents worked during the day so it was up to ole Marcus to wait for things and hook them up. After that, I decided that two weeks later I would return to my old position at McDonalds. Those two weeks were just me relaxing, sitting on my couch, sweating, and watching Victorious and iCarly. It really was a great time. During that time, CM Punk was becoming the new face of WWE and the time off made it easier to wait for Raw and other things in my life. I got to play Shadows of the Damned during that time too and that was one of the better games I played this year. I finally returned July 19th and it was just like Punk returning with the WWE Championship two weeks after he won it. I got a raise and they finally started talking about moving me up the ladder, but, just like with Punk, my push fell off as well. My favorite manager was fired, like McMahon was and then all chaos broke loose. I'm currently where Punk was when he lost to Triple H at Night of Champions, no direction and all. Well, the morale of this story is, sometimes, you just need a damn break from it all, which is what I got from June 16th to July 18th.
There were a lot of great dates this year, like January 30th, where Del Rio won the Rumble match. April 3rd, when everyone at my house thought I was crazy for picking The Miz to beat Cena, but then it actually happened. May 22nd, a day where I finally got people on my own to come to church AND a day where my friends and I would wrestle our last match ever. The match also symbolizes the ending of an era because I was moving just a month later and I was the last remaining one of my close friends to leave the neighborhood. June 15th was the day I CM Punked McDonalds BEFORE Punk made the term famous. It may seem like nothing, but the 15th of June has been very good to me in the last couple of years. In 2009, I graduated on the 15th and in 2010, I got a PS3 on the 15th. In 2012, the 15th is going to be on a Friday and my girlfriend's birthday is the 18th. Maybe another good memory will be made on that day? June 18th was the day I finally moved. It was sad to leave Sharon Hill but I'm loving my new hood! July 17th marked the first PPV I watched at my new house and WHAT a PPV that was. July 26th was the day I bought Catherine. GOD, I loved that game. I was skeptical at first because I didn't think the gameplay would hold me over, but boy was I wrong. You'll be hearing more about Catherine in my next post, believe me. I'm skipping over a couple dates because I want to talk about that in its own section. October 4th began my gaming nirvana, with the fantastic game that was Dark Souls. Spoiler alert, Dark Souls is in my top 3 games of the year and I already mentioned the other game in it as well and there's only one left. If you've been following me on Twitter, I'm sure you know what it is. Anyway, Dark Souls was an amazing trip into a truly hard experience. October 12th I turned 21. 21, legal for everything age. I honestly didn't think I would make it to 21, don't ask me why, but I thank God that I did. November 20th marked the day my last big game for a while came out, which was The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. It's definitely one of my favorite Zelda games of all time and the controls are AMAZING. Nintendo did it right. I won't be gaming like this until Mass Effect 3 and TALES OF GRACES F COME OUT! March 13th, 2012 is one of my most anticipated dates for 2012. Now, let me talk about what was easily the highlight of my year. STORY TIME!!!
Robyn Renae Taylor is a woman who I liked for a about a year. We always flirted at work and we were even going to hang out at one point in 2010, but with no confirmation between either one of us, it never happened. After we both starting giving mixed signals, I originally gave up and just realized that I would never ever have a chance to go out with her, so I put my attention on another girl. Robyn and I became bro and sis during this period but we still flirted occasionally. After I left McDonalds in June, Robyn said she was going to come to my church. I originally wasn't on board with the idea because I believed she was just coming to see me. Turns out, I pre judged her and she ended up making a decision to leave her old church and to join mine. Long story short, my feelings for Robyn came back up and my dad would GRILL me every freaking week if I liked her or not. I would tell him no just so he would get off my back but one week, he asked me the question, but he said if I was to shake his hand, I could never date her while living with him. I looked to the ground and he knew he got me. He told me I should go for it and he gave this whole elaborate plan on what to do and how to do it. I said alright and put the plan into motion. After a while though, I felt like I needed to do this on my own. I mean, I'm 20 years old at the time for Christ's sakes!
So, I came to work August 31st, 2011 and I was early. The godly bus that is the 107 got me to work a half hour before I had to clock in. Robyn was in one of her moods and wanted me to clock in early so she could leave. I said no and was trying to purposively piss her off, something I was known to do. She was getting mad and I decided to clock in at 3:54, 6 minutes early. I asked for the headset and she just threw it at me and walked away. I looked at my manager and I asked what the hell her problem was and she told me it was my fault. So, I went back there to try and cheer her up between orders. I know, it was contradictory to my original plan. After making some faces and staring her down, she cracked that beautiful smile of hers. She gave me a huge hug, like she usually did, turned her face, and asked if she could have a kiss. Me, being a smart guy, asked if she wanted a kiss on the cheek or on the lips, knowing she wanted it on the cheek but would take one on the lips. She raised her eyebrows, basically saying, you know what I want. So, I turned her cheek and kissed her. She squealed and ran up front, hugged my manager, and left. I came up front and my co-worked asked what happened and I told him. He, a Mr. Shane Walls, was a Marcus/Robyn shipper from day one so I have to also thank him for boosting my confidence a bit. I remember that day while I was praying before I went into work, I told myself that I was going to make a move today and I did.
She sent me a text at 10:56 that night, which was the EXACT time I got to the bus stop so I could get home. I found that very weird. I mean, she knew I was off at 11, but it was like she KNEW I was already off. Whatever, so she said what's up, all that jazz. I asked why was she still up and texting me, since she had work at 8 in the morning. She said she couldn't sleep and asked why did I kiss her. For me, I thought that was the DUMBEST question I heard all year. I even asked if that was a serious question. She was dead serious though. So, I told her I liked her a while now and she said the same thing. We basically talked about how long we liked each other, you know, that stuff until she fell asleep. The next day, she kissed me because I thought my dad was going to destroy me for not doing things according to his plan. That night, she asked me what was going to happen between us and I told her I wanted her to be my girlfriend and our relationship was born! I told my dad the next day and my whole church that Sunday, two of the harder things I had to do. Not because I'm ashamed of her or anything, but because I'm not a person with a lot of confidence to begin with.
A lot of my co-workers were shocked to see Robyn and I together. I have no idea why. I mean, we always flirted with each other and were always kissing and hugging each other. My one manager, Nancy AKA my favorite manager, was the one person who I thought wouldn't be surprised, but turns out she didn't know either. I guess I'm better at keeping a secret than I thought. I'll never forget coming to work the next couple of days after I kissed Robyn. Most of the girls were either shocked or infuriated that I didn't tell them I liked Robyn. Nancy was one of them. See, I work up front and at my McDonalds, they usually only put girls up front and guys in the kitchen making food. I'm one of those exceptions so I mostly talk to females all day. I guess it's because everyone there sees me as an innocent kind of guy who follows the Lord and never messes up. That's a lie from the pit of Hell. I'm in no way innocent BUT I do follow the Lord. I'm still human as well so I'm prone to making mistakes. Anyway, point is, I still don't know why this shocked people. Maybe it was because of our contrasting lifestyles? Robyn was more worldly than I so maybe that's the reason. I don't know.
So, long story short, August 31 - September 4th was a monumental part of my year and my life in general. It was the greatest period of time in my year. It was like winning the lottery or some kind of exquisite contest. It signaled a changing of the guard in my life. It was like when Nintendo released Skyward Sword or when Punk delivered his shoot promo to the WWE universe. It was the beginning of a new era in my life. It told me that I finally needed to grow up and be a man. I posted this on Twitter, but I remember my dad said basically told me to clean myself up because I was becoming a man. Now, three and a half months later, I want to marry this girl. I understand that that's a short period of time to have those types of plans, but I know that Robyn is the woman God has put on this Earth for me. And if I love her, why wait? Why deny the inevitable? I love her with all my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She definitely the quintessential girlfriend. Quintessential, just in case you didn't know but want to know but are too lazy to look it up, means representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class. She's dedicated to the Lord, driven and focused on what she wants to do in life, gets along with my parents, (much bigger deal for a 21 year old than you think) sweet, has an awesome personality, can cook, and is drop dead gorgeous. She's the love of my life. She made my 2011 the best year of my life. I thank God every day for her because without him, I wouldn't have her. It was GOD that finally instilled the confidence that day on August 31st to kiss her. Alright, enough of the sappiness!
So that was my life in a nutshell in 2011. After typing this, I feel so blessed. I didn't have one bad day in 2011. I had bad moments, but never whole bad day. As far as games and wrestling go, it was a pretty good year, but those will get their time to shine. My life in 2012 is going to be epic. I can't reveal all my plans, but it will be amazing to say the least. I'm going to be a Show Off trust me. Anyway, feels good to get all that off my chest and thanks for reading if you read this long and boring post. 2011 video game post is coming next!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Masked Kane returns! HHH/Taker 3?
Well, the Slammys were underwhelming AGAIN this year, but we got a crazy awesome Fatal 4 Way between Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Zack Ryder, and Dolph Ziggler. The match got a lot of time and the young guns gave it their all. Ziggler got the victory but all the guys deserve credit for putting on such a fantastic contest.
Masked Kane returning was HUGE, especially because I didn't expect him back so soon and him attacking Cena was a surprise as well. Guess he's going back to the monster Kane we all knew and loved back in the day. Not a Kane fan but it's good to see some familiar faces back in the company.
So, word going around the InterWeb is that WWE has set on 3 main events for Wrestlemania this year. Obviously, we have the dream match of John Cena facing The Rock. WWE has also apparently penciled in CM Punk facing Chris Jericho, a match I wanted to see since Punk started calling himself the Best in the World. That's a Wrestlemania quality match and it would certainly be a show stealer. The 3rd match isn't something I want to see AGAIN at Wrestlemania. The report also states that Triple H will try AGAIN to end the streak of The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 28. Really? REALLY? The man kicked out of 3 Pedigrees and a Tombstone! Triple H, I beg of you, PLEASE don't make us sit through ANOTHER match between you and Taker. Yes, it probably would be good but we've seen it at Mania already! Why can't someone like Miz, Sheamus, or Barrett try to take on the streak? If they're going to do a rematch, I would like to see Randy Orton try again. Taker has yet to face this version of Randy Orton and I think as far as star power, Orton's the only guy who everyone would want to see face Taker. I guess the World Title match will be taking the backseat AGAIN in 2012's Show of Shows?
Am I crazy? Do you people want to see The Undertaker face Triple H AGAIN at Wrestlemania 28? Or is there a better opponent for him like Randy Orton or Mark Henry?
TLC predictions coming Saturday! Let's go Ryder, Rhodes, and Barrett!
Masked Kane returning was HUGE, especially because I didn't expect him back so soon and him attacking Cena was a surprise as well. Guess he's going back to the monster Kane we all knew and loved back in the day. Not a Kane fan but it's good to see some familiar faces back in the company.
So, word going around the InterWeb is that WWE has set on 3 main events for Wrestlemania this year. Obviously, we have the dream match of John Cena facing The Rock. WWE has also apparently penciled in CM Punk facing Chris Jericho, a match I wanted to see since Punk started calling himself the Best in the World. That's a Wrestlemania quality match and it would certainly be a show stealer. The 3rd match isn't something I want to see AGAIN at Wrestlemania. The report also states that Triple H will try AGAIN to end the streak of The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 28. Really? REALLY? The man kicked out of 3 Pedigrees and a Tombstone! Triple H, I beg of you, PLEASE don't make us sit through ANOTHER match between you and Taker. Yes, it probably would be good but we've seen it at Mania already! Why can't someone like Miz, Sheamus, or Barrett try to take on the streak? If they're going to do a rematch, I would like to see Randy Orton try again. Taker has yet to face this version of Randy Orton and I think as far as star power, Orton's the only guy who everyone would want to see face Taker. I guess the World Title match will be taking the backseat AGAIN in 2012's Show of Shows?
Am I crazy? Do you people want to see The Undertaker face Triple H AGAIN at Wrestlemania 28? Or is there a better opponent for him like Randy Orton or Mark Henry?
TLC predictions coming Saturday! Let's go Ryder, Rhodes, and Barrett!
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