The CM Punk Situation

I'm a huge CM Punk fan. He's one of my all time favorites with Triple H and Edge. I like his look, his in ring style and of course, his epic mic skills. When he suddenly left after the Royal Rumble this year, I was pretty bummed. Regardless of what and how, Punk was one of the top guys in the company and one of my favorites. I was upset by his departure because it was right around Wrestlemania season and I was really looking forward to Punk finally beating Triple H on the grandstage of Wrestlemania and getting the win he should have got at Night of Champions in 2011. Alas, the match never happened and of course, Bryan went onto to Wrestlemania to have one of the biggest nights in Wrestlemania history, defeating Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton all in one night. That's a pretty impressive feat. I haven't really had a chance to really talk about this because I really didn't have a reason why Punk left but now that I've taken the time to listen to his podcast and his side of the story, I just wanted to weigh in on some things he said during it.

The first big thing I want to focus on is the fact that Punk said he came up with the idea for The Shield. They were suppose to be a group that helped him out and such and that he was going to feud with individually AFTER Wrestlemania 29 so Punk would have some type of direction. In The Shield, he wanted Ambrose, Rollins, and Chris Hero, or, Kassius Ohno. The WWE machine wanted Reigns apart of the group and Punk went with it because he understood the group needed a pretty boy as he said. Let's just take a moment to process all of that. Could you imagine the group under the wings of CM Punk? The group would've been even better than they turned out to be. And it would have led us to some amazing PPV matches between Punk and the members. Punk says for whatever reason, it didn't happen like that though and we all see what's happening with the members of The Shield now. I believe that everything does happen for a reason but I would've like to see Punk with The Shield. I originally thought they were going in that direction when they kept helping Punk out in title matches but whatever.

Punk also talked about the move many wrestling fans didn't like in 2013; The Rock ending the 434 day title reign. Punk talked about how he tried to tell management that it was the wrong move and to at least have Punk involved in the WM29 match between Cena/Rock or have him face Taker with the belt on the line in the main event, which would have worked PERFECTLY by the way but the powers at be didn't want any parts of that and shot him down. The Punk/Cena/Rock Triple Threat main event really wrote itself. They all faced each other during this time period and it would have been a much fresher main event than the one we got. I understand Rock had to get the championship during his run, but come on! It was a perfect Mania match up. Even better than that was Undertaker VS CM Punk; Title VS The Streak. Those kind of matches always worked for Taker in the past. His 23 match with Batista was great and my love for the Edge/Taker main event match at 24 is known. Undertaker is one of the biggest names in WWE history. As a big name, I believe you deserve to get one last title reign. All they had to do was to have Taker beat Punk and then Taker could've dropped it the next night in some type of shady fashion to Punk. Cheap, but the fans would've loved it. And it's another match that wrote itself but alas, we got Punk/Taker in a meaningless but fantastic one-on-one match, which led to more and more frustration from Punk who was tired of losing to part timers.

After hearing everything Punk had to say, I feel bad for the guy. All the people who are harassing him because he 'quit' make me sick. The guy is human, he's prone to things like pain, feelings, etc. He's not some robot or sideshow freak for everyone's entertainment. At the end of the day, he made a decision that he felt was best for him and his wife. There's life AFTER wrestling everybody and Punk was looking at that. And with WWE, there wasn't a future for him. Do I miss Punk? Hell yes, especially since apparently, WWE is now focusing on the future stars more and more. Guys like Reigns, Wyatt, Ambrose, Cesaro, and Rollins are leading the charge followed by the NXT 5. All of those guys could have used someone like CM Punk to learn from and to have fantastic matches with. It really sucks as a true wrestling fan to see that.

Other than that, I wish Punk the best in his life. Hopefully, he'll do something else besides stay at home, like movies or TV shows because I generally like the guy as an entertainer. As a fan, I finally have closure. I didn't deserve it and Punk didn't have to tell us but I'm glad I got it. Now, it's time to look to the future of the company. A future that shines brighter because Punk had the balls to speak his mind and I like to believe that SOMEONE in the powers to be realized Punk wasn't as crazy as they thought, though they'll never admit it. Long live CM Punk

Survivor Series 2014 predictions

This is it. The last big PPV of the year and for the first time in 9 years, we have a main event 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series elimination match! These type of matches and the Royal Rumble are two of my favorite reoccurrences in the WWE. I just like all the possible ways this could go. Let's start breaking it down!

First and foremost, why why WHY isn't WWE using this opportunity to showcase the talent of NXT? They could've used those guys in a SS match as well. Imagine, Neville, Zayn, Itami Balor, and Corbin teaming up to face Kidd, Gabriel, The Ascension and Breeze? That way, not only do you push the next NXT live event, you give these guys exposure on the big stage! It could still happen, maybe as a last minute type of thing but I don't think it's likely. Even if they didn't do that, they could have Neville defend his title against Kidd, Breeze, and/or Zayn. Obviously, Neville would win but he's the next guy who will be getting a call-up so, I'd use this time to make him look good before being fed to Cena. Anyway, NXT needs a presence of a big PPV like this.

The Divas are getting a SS elimination match so why NOT NXT? Heel Divas win with Paige being the sole survivor.

A Fatal Four Way for the Tag Team Titles! I'm pretty bored with the tag title picture right now. How did they go from the exhilarating matches of the Wyatts and The Usos to this? They were on a roll and now, it's back to vintage WWE. I'm not blaming Gold and Stardust but, once they won the belts, it started getting bad. Never fear, because Miz, who's competing in his 3rd consecutive different championship match at a PPV, and Damien Mizdow are here to resurrect the division! The best gimmick going is the stunt double antics of Mizdow. It's one of the greatest things WWE has done this year. They should obviously give these guys the belts or back to The Usos. With Balor and Itami taking on the Ascension in December, it should only be a matter of time before they get a call-up and wreck havoc on the division. For now though, it's all about Miz and Mizdow. They get the much deserved win.

It seems that completely out of nowhere, there are rumors flying around that AJ Lee will be leaving WWE. This would be the biggest blow to this division, especially seeing how we just got Paige on the main roster and Charlotte coming in 2015. Not to mention Bliss, Bayley, Lynch and my current NXT crush, Sasha Banks. The division is full of life and if AJ, who is the top Diva in the division leaves, well, it would be horrible. Hopefully, they are just rumors. AJ will face Nikki for the belt. Now, if the rumor is true, then I guess Nikki will win the belt, but what about the unspoken rule by Vince that none of the total Diva girls can win the Divas Title? Nikki is the star of the show! I'm definitely not against a Nikki title reign after her match with Brie at HIAC but I'd prefer Paige be on top. Despite the rumors, I really think Nikki will win the title with the help of her sister. Why else turn her heel in the first place? Nikki wins.

Bray Wyatt VS Dean Ambrose. This is what I'm talking about. THIS is a future type of match up here! Ambrose and Wyatt have similar gimmick traits, that being, they are both out of their freaking minds, so this is a match made in heaven. It won't be the most technical match of the year, like I'm expecting Zayn and Neville to be in December but it will definitely be a war between the two stars. Hopefully the match gets plenty of time and this should be another MOTY of the contender. With Wyatt returning just a couple of weeks ago, I don't see a loss for him here. Wyatt has been one of the most consistent guys on the roster when it comes to good big PPV matches so I expect him to definitely deliver here and to win the first match in this feud. This has the potential to be a fantastic feud, here's hoping the match delivers.

The main event features the biggest Survivor Series match in 10 years. With the major implications in this match, it could change the long term future of the WWE. Team Authority, which consists of Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins, Mark Henry, Kane, United States Champion Rusev and NEW IC Champion Luke Harper. This is a bomb squad of heels, ranging from the past, present and future of this company. Rollins, Harper and Rusev will all be facing each other and carrying the company for the years to come. Henry and Kane are proven heels already and add the monster factor to the team, not to discount Harper or Rusev though. Their opponents are John Cena, Dolph Ziggler. Big Show, Ryback and....ERIC ROWAN? Are you kidding me? Rowan is an absolute shocker and I'm looking forward to seeing what type of element he'll bring to Team Cena. Both teams are very similar, both have 4 physically imposing guys and one smaller guy, both are composed of some of the top stars of the company,etc. With the stipulation that The Authority will be out of power if they lose, this is a really big time match up. It looks like with the added stipulation that if Team Cena loses, everyone but Cena will be fired, that a Team Cena victory is all but inevitable. I'm kind of leaning towards that realization. Come on, the whole team will fired? That's kind of drastic and unrealistic if you ask me. Triple H would fire Big Show, Rowan, Ziggler and Ryback? I was all on board for a Team Authority win until that stipulation was added. It should be a nice and long match but the result looks to be the obvious one. That's why I'm NOT picking Team Cena to win. It's Survivor Series! Screwjobs are ALWAYS happening at this event. I'm not sure what will happen, but Team Authority will find a way to win, that is unless Orton or Reigns has something to say about it.

With this PPV being FREE to anyone who has the Internet, all eyes will be on WWE. They have to succeed on this PPV to get people to subscribe to network and satisfy those who are currently subscribing. It should be an interesting night to say the least.

Best of 2014 - Prologue

It's November, which means it's just about time to start looking at the best of my interests in 2014! It's been a hectic year for me and this year was easily the least amount of time I gave both my interests, video games and wrestling. I'll be on vacation in December but I wanted to use this post as an introduction to what's to come in the posts ahead. First, video games!

2013 was one of the best years for gaming in recent history. From a big blockbuster games like GTA5, to the fantastic reboot of Tomb Raider, to the amazing new IP Last of Us and with the mind blowing GOTY that was Bioshock Infinite, it was certainly a stellar time to be a video game fan. 2014 has been met with some great games, sequels and new IPs, but a lot has been delayed. Evolve, the next gen game from the people who brought you Left 4 Dead, was pushed back to 2015. The last game in the critically acclaimed Arkham series was pushed from October ALL THE WAY to June 2015. It's not many but those were two big releases for the new generation and now, they make 2015 even bigger. That's not to say that 2014 hasn't been met with some really unique and amazing titles.

Dark Souls II is currently my favorite for Game of the Year. It wasn't anything new or groundbreaking, but sometimes, that's fine. It was more of the strategic, soul crushing gameplay that I love so much. The length was a little less than Dark Souls 1 but eh, that's cool. Or maybe I just got so good that I ran though it. Yeah, that definitely wasn't it. I remember the first area of the game killing me for 3 hours before I finally got to the boss of that section. The feeling of defeating each boss in this game is such a gratifying experience. Seeing The Purser fall before me after killing me about 10 times felt real good. It's obviously a great game and formula, just ask Lords of the Fallen, which is just Dark Souls on next gen. That's not a bad thing, but it's just not distinct enough.

Danganronpa is another game sitting VERY high on my list for this year. Many will say it's not really a game but it really did it for me. The story with all its turns and the Phoenix Wright contradiction style gameplay, it was a great match. I'm really into the visual novel type of games nowadays and it was just on such a high level that I couldn't put it down. I played it every chance I got in August and obviously beat it in a week, right before 2 was released. Still haven't played 2 just yet but if it's anything like one, it's going to be a treat. I think I put 20 hours into the first one. It's the best time I've had with my Vita, besides the nostalgia of Persona 4. I'll hopefully be playing 2 before the year's end and I seriously can't wait.

Super Smash Bros 3DS. Man, I wasn't expecting this. I didn't even have the 3DS version preordered until I got Hyrule Warriors. I just thought that my hype for the Wii U version would go down if I played it. It's the exact opposite actually. I'm even more hype for the Wii U version now! Single player wise, like any fighting game, Smash Bros is obviously played best when you have people with you but I've been having PLENTY of fun just smashing it up alone. Shulk and Little Mac are my two standout new characters. Mega Man was hard to get used to but I love him as well. With all the new modes announced for the Wii U version, I'm very glad to have played the 3DS version. It was like Smash Bros lite, without really even being lite. There's over 30 stages, close to 50 characters, how would this game be considered lite? Just wait until the 21st. Anyway, I'm sure Smash Bros Wii U will play just the same but I'm looking forward to the challenges and the Master Hand/Crazy Orders mode. And it comes out on Survivor Series weekend! Double win!

South Park: The Stick of Truth was awesome. It was short, but those 10 hours were well worth the wait for the game. It's crazy that South Park may have had the best RPG this year but it's reality. It's basically like playing one super long South Park episode with RPG elements. It has the South Park humor but Obsidian's RPG mastery. It's really the best of both worlds. If you haven't tried it, please do. It's one of the better RPGs of the year.

Last games I want to name drop are two I've been playing actively on my new Xbox One. They are The Evil Within and Sunset Overdrive. The Evil Within reminds me so much of Resident Evil 4 and that's no shock as the guy who made RE4 made this game. That being said, it's an amazing terrifying experience. It has a genuinely creepy atmosphere and is true survival horror. I never feel overpowered in the game and there's even certain terror in just the basic enemies of the game. And the bosses. THE BOSSES. All of them are downright strange and highly scary. From their unpredictable movesets to their appearances, these guys are downright nasty. Only real problem with the game is the crazy story. I'm in Chapter 13 and I'm still not 100% sure I know what's going on, but I'll hold my final judgment until I beat it.

Sunset Overdrive is easily the most FUN game this year. Games take themselves too serious sometimes and while I enjoy the seriousness of Last of Us and Tomb Raider, I love even more the offbeat humor and laughs I get from games like Saints Row. SO is basically Jet Set meets Saints Row III. You can grind on basically anything, bounce on anything and even air dash, all while shooting infected humans called OD, who all drank a new energy drink and are now mutated disgusting creatures. It's awesome. I'm not that far in due to work and me just jumping around and doing side missions but it's pretty awesome. There have been plenty of good games but this is one of the rare FUN games to play this year, along with Binding of Issac and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call. It's such a great experience and I'm glad I was able to get a XONE to play it. Best exclusive yet.

The year isn't over yet. There are still other top titles that are out that I haven't played yet, like Bayonetta 2, Danganronpa 2, Bravely Default just to name a few. And there are still some other titles coming out like Smash for Wii U and of course, a game I have NO DOUBT will sit along my Top 3 games this year, Far Cry 4. It should be interesting to see what happens once I get to play them all.

Big predictions for 2015 include:
- RPG fans will get to play Final Fantasy XV, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Persona next year. Full releases, not just the 3 hour demo. XBCX will release in May, Persona in August, Final Fantasy in November. Kingdom Hearts III will NOT release. Sorry
- Zelda? Pushed back until 2016.
- They'll announce a new Metroid entry on either 3DS or Wii U. And Castlevania on 3DS.
- Bayonetta, will be a DLC character for Smash Bros.
- Crackdown will get a solid release at E3, most likely a holiday 2015 release.
- Watch Dogs 2 will be announced
- A new Mario RPG will be released for Wii U, mainly to help the wait for the pushed back Zelda

Most of these are just hopes, others, just common sense. I'm craving a console Mario RPG release. We haven't had one in over 10 years! Same with a portable Castlevania. Common sense tells you KH3 won't be released anytime soon just because of the people behind it.

Next up, wrestling!

It's been a crazy year in WWE. From the whole Batista situation to Undertaker's streak ending to Punk walking out, it's definitely been some year for the company. There have also been a lot of good moments as well. The WWE Network launched! That announcement made me mark out so hard. It was a long time coming. With the WWE Network came more opportunity to showcase more of WWE and with that, NXT live specials starting happening and let me tell you, if you haven't watched one yet, please watch the one coming up on December 11th. It's easily the best thing WWE has going and it's only going to get better. This year, they've signed some top guys to get their WWE careers started down there, including former Ring of Honor World Champion Kevin Steen, the former leader of The Bullet Club from NJPW Prince Devitt and the international sensation KENTA. With Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville, NXT is home to some of the greatest wrestlers in the world today. And it's only going to get better.

This year shifted a focus to the new superstars to come. Obviously, John Cena and Randy Orton were still relevant for most of the year, as well as Kane for whatever reason, but WrestleMania XXX showed that change was coming. From The Shield's dominance over the Attitude Era, Cesaro's impressive feat of strength, Wyatt giving Cena a fight, Taker's streak ending and Daniel Bryan's triumphant win, it's like they hit reset. Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns were all in big profile matches in the months to come with each superstar being in a main event of a PPV. Along with Cesaro and Rusev, these guys are the next top guys in the company. Reigns is very close to being the first breakout star as there are rumors aplenty going around that he will in fact main event WrestleMania 31 against the Beast to win his first title. I'm all for that. And of course Rollings will be champion as well since he's carrying around the briefcase. It's not a matter of if, it's just when will WWE pull the trigger on all of these guys. If you mix these guys with the NXT 5, Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey, you have a bright future for the company. You have powerhouses in Corbin, Dempsey, and Rusev, high fliers in Zayn, Neville, and Rollings, technical tacticians in Devitt, Cesaro and Kenta, and guys who have the complete packages like Wyatt, Ambrose and Reigns. It's a fantastic time to be a wrestling fan.

There have been some amazing match-ups this year. Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan from the Royal Rumble really opened my eyes to what an amazing competitor Wyatt is. It was a great first match at the first PPV of the year. Who could forget the first war between The Wyatt Family and The Shield, which was met with a 'This is Awesome" chant before they even started the match? A match that surpassed the hype that surrounded it and made all 6 guys household names for the remainder of the year. Harper and Rowan VS The Usos in the 2/3 Falls match is the best tag match since DX/Legacy a few years back. Both of the Ambrose/Rollins meetings on PPV were amazing and Cena and Cesaro had a great Raw match that showcased Cesaro as a future star of the company. Did I mention anything from NXT? Man, they had some year as well. Adrian Neville VS Tyson Kidd from the first Takeover is probably the best one on one technical match of the year. I know that's crazy to say, but seriously, it's up there with some of the best. The Fatal Four Way from the 2nd Takeover was the best multi-man match of its kind since...well, I don't know. It definitely was better than the F4W from Battleground! I feel like the top match will either go to the first meeting between the Wyatts/Shield, Wyatt/Bryan or the Fatal Four Way. All kept me on the edge of my seat and were filled with memorable moments. And we still have two potentials crazy matches in Bray Wyatt/Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn/Adrian Neville, so it's still up to decision!

As I said before, WWE did a lot right, but there was a lot wrong done as well. Undertaker's streak ending was a tough pill to swallow for A LOT of people, mainly because they had a part timer like Brock Lesnar end it. I'm indifferent on it right now and I will be until WrestleMania 31. If Reigns does end up taking the title from Lesnar, then it was worth the streak. I've said it plenty of times, whoever WWE wants to deem as the next guy, they need to defeat Undertaker at WrestleMania. Well, why not beat the guy who not only beat Taker, but conquered John Cena? And with this win, Reigns will be 3-0 at Mania. Nothing to the amazing accomplishment of 21-0 but it's a start.

Although WWE has plenty of youth, when the opportunity strikes, they don't pull the trigger enough for my tastes. When Daniel Bryan was stripped of the titles and they had to crown a new World Champion, why not give it to someone different? They had Cesaro, Wyatt and Reigns all in the match and they could have all walked out with the championship? Who did they end up giving it to? John Cena, mainly because they had to have a big match draw at SummerSlam. Whatever happened to the Cesaro/Lesnar match-up? Why was that canned? While not a bigger draw than Cena/Lesnar, it would have definitely been an entertaining match. I understand they wanted to complete Lesnar's dominant year, but man, this was a golden opportunity to give someone else new the ball and see them run with it. Next year will be the year though.

2015 should be an amazing year for WWE. With Reigns slated to win his 1st World championship, that will open the floodgates for the rest of the future. You still have the NXT 5, who will all definitely be awaiting call-ups in the new year. I hope the Rumble is the rumored 40 man version this year because the NXT stars definitely deserve a spot over many of the main roster guys. Once Reigns wins, Rollings will probably be next and then hopefully Wyatt, which will probably lead Cena to winning his 16th title and maybe the mega match-up of Reigns/Cena at WrestleMania 32 in 2016. I mean, that's the ultimate goal in all of this right? Also, a main event triple threat between Rollings/Ambrose/Reigns could headline a PPV, maybe SummerSlam or a future WrestleMania. And all the countless combinations between; including Wyatt/Steen, Rollins/Neville, Devitt/Ambrose, Zayn/Steen, Kenta/Bryan, I mean, the options are really limitless. These guys are the future and I'm sure Cena will beat each and every one of them but I'm looking forward to seeing him try. I mean, we all know his record against indy guys in big matches with titles on the line. Just saying...Could we ever see Zayn beat Cena in a main event match in a PPV in Canada? Or even Steen?

Big predictions I'm making for 2015:
- Roman Reigns VS Bray Wyatt will main event a PPV. To me, it has all the makings of a big SummerSlam match but I could see them doing it at a lesser event first just to try it out.
- Neville will get a call up first, while Zayn reigns as NXT Champion. We'll probably see Zayn/Steen main event a NXT Takeover in May.
- Devitt will turn on Itami because, hey, all of the NXT 5 can't be face. Plus, I think Devitt's in ring style most closely matches Kenta's and that could make for some interesting matches. Sorry, Balor. Gotta get used to using that name.
- John Cena will get his 16th World Title. It's inevitable and wrestling purists should prepare themselves.
- Triple H will compete in a few matches next year, either against Cena or Orton.
- Reigns, Wyatt, Rollings, and Ambrose will be the final four in the 2015 Royal Rumble. The future
- Daniel Bryan won't be back in time for Wrestlemania 31. Maybe by the spring months but no, not Mania.
- NXT will move to Wednesdays with Smackdown's planned move to Thursday.
- Tyson Kidd will win a singles title this year, most likely the IC Title. If Harper doesn't beat Ziggler, Kidd surely will.
- Surprise entrants in Rumble this year? RVD and maybe Sting...

So, there you go, just a little preview of what's in store next month. I don't know the exact date I'll be posting both posts, but expect them around the holidays. Once I get through most of the games, I'll have that up ASAP. Just have to finish Sunset Overdrive and play Far Cry 4, Danganronpa 2, Bayonetta 2 and I think I'll have my final verdict. Like I said, if the year ended right now, the top 3 are definitely Dark Souls II, Sunset Overdrive and Danganronpa. For wrestling, superstars of the year include Roman Reigns, John Cena and Seth Rollins. Honorable mentions include Bryan and Lesnar put both have been around basically the same amount of time this year, which isn't long.

Stay tuned!!!