CM PUNK - Talented but not needed.

PLEASE BE AWARE THIS POST IS OPINION. I DO NOT AIM TO OFFEND ANYONE AND I DO NOT WISH TO OFFEND ANYONE. I RESPECT PUNK AND I JUST WANT TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS WITH YOU ALL.

27th of January was the day he walked out and the date today is 28th of April. The WWE has proven they just don't need him. It may sound like I'm bashing him but I want to be very clear I'm not. I respect all Punk's work and I understand how hard the business can be on someone so if he left i understand and respect that. He was/is extremely talented and knows how to work a match and the mic but lets face it the machine rolls on. WWE have proven they can continue without him. Sure the first few weeks were a bit clustered while WWE found their footing again but things have really levelled out now. 

While I'm not saying that Punk is responsible for the change in WWE I'm also not ruling it out. I just feel that it should be noted how well WWE have coped without him. Since Punk left we have seen;

• Daniel Bryan become champion at Wrestlemania
• John Cena put on some of his most interesting work in years
• The Shield get put into main event calibre matches
• Bray Wyatt get some much needed attention
• Cesaro and Barrett get pushes

All of these things were topics that fans wanted to see, specifically Bryan. It was rumoured that Bryan took Punks spot and that it could have been Punk who beat HHH clean at Mania. In all honesty I'm glad it wasn't. I think Bryan sold it so well that I wouldn't want it any other way. I mean yes Punk was a huge part of WWE for about 2 years (yes he was around before that but he was spotlighted as a talent since the pipebomb) and he gave some great matches but is it not better to bow out when you can and give others a chance?

It has taken nearly three months for fans to believe that this may not be a work and that he may actually not be coming back. A lot of the CM PUNK chants have died down in arenas and the whole Hijack Raw bullshit basically hung itself when WWE used it against them. This is a good thing. It means fans are ready to move on and accept the product without worrying about when and if he will be back and this can only be a good thing. And no I don't mean its good that they stop talking about him, I mean its good because if no one is talking then imagine the reaction he gets if he returns. Thats a big if by the way.  

In recent years there has been no one as rebellious as CM Punk when it comes to defying the powers that be and its clear that he will be remembered but would you rather be remembered as "the guy who walked away without saying why" or "the guy who worked on his own terms"? CM Punk should be looked at as an inspiration in some ways. He argues for what he believes in, he stands up for himself and he takes a stand when the boss does something wrong. A lot of guys are afraid to do this in case they lose their jobs. Punk wasn't. A lot of guys wouldn't dare to just walk away. Punk did. A lot of guys would be afraid of the repercussions of their actions. Punk wasn't. Like him or hate him you gotta respect a guy who stands for what he believes in. 

As I as saying though, WWE has managed to thrive over the last three months without him. Do they need him back? No they don't and I question why so many people want him back when in fact there is no story line for him right now. Guys like Ziggler, Sandow, Kofi and Sheamus among many others are all floating around without a storyline so why would you bring Punk back unless you have a slot on the roster for him. 
I say let Punk rest and let him have his space and time. If he chooses to come back he will but for the time being we should enjoy the product for what it is and remember those who are on screen as well as remembering those who aren't. 

So what do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment below or sending me a message on twitter @levellerLOW and as always thanks for reading.

Shielded From Evolution

EVOLUTION ARE BACK BUT DONT YOU DARE COMPLAIN! Before anyone goes off on one I want to clear up exactly why this is a good thing. 

The above image shows three guys who all worked their assess off at Wrestlemania. Dave Batista gets a lot of complaints for being out of shape etc. HAVE YOU EVER TRIED WORKING THAT HARD AFTER HAVING A FEW YEARS OFF? You're gonna get rusty. Thats just natural. At mania though he showed he could still hold a strong match. While he may not have been the key component in the match he was very much a strong element of it. And yes he is a heel which leads to my next point.

The Shield took a baby face turn recently and squashed Kane and The Outlaws at WM30 but where did that leave them? They had no heel opponents except The Authority. Once they attacked the authority I think we all knew what was due to happen. We get Evolution back. Now Evolution is comprised of three guys who do all of their best work as heels. And guess what? THEY ARE HEELS NOW. The Shield needed a group to fight with that could keep them in the spotlight and to help cement them as faces for a while. Evolution is perfect for this. HHH has been a great heel over the last few months, Orton can turn whenever he needs to and the fans want to boo Batista so why not let them? Evolution dominated Raw for a good year and a half and thats one of the elements that can keep this feud interesting. We know what they are capable of so we are kept hooked to see what happens.

The Shield are all great workers and they look even better when they have guys who can go just as well as they can. Unlike most people I like Orton, Batista and HHH because i recognise how damn good they are in the ring. Batista's throw down, hard hitting style works as the perfect opposition for Rollins. Orton is just as methodical as Ambrose without looking like a jittering psycho (Ambrose is a favourite of mine im not knocking him) and HHH is a great brawler who can really go toe to toe with Reigns. On that note we can also remember that Reigns is still new but this feud can really teach him some things. HHH has been around for a while and he knows how to help build a guy and how to carry a match, just look up his matches against Cena, Edge or Hardy. All The Shield guys are going to get some well deserved spotlight out of this match up. 

The Shield need that last push as a team before they break them up into singles action. This whole feud was rumoured to be a way to get Roman Reigns into the spotlight and to have a match with HHH at Summerslam one on one. But my query is how long will Evolution last? Its being reported by Wrestlezone.com that Batista is due to take time off after Extreme Rules to promote GOTG. Guess his chances of being triple powerbombed through the announce table just sky rocketed? If this is true then surely Evolution will be a short and quick stint. But while I know The Shield will all get a push from this it leaves me wondering what will happen with Randy Orton. You cant just leave a guy who was the undisputed WWEWHC on the sidelines now can you? I'd have him beat Ambrose for that US title and get some prestige back in it. Prestige via someone actually wanting it. Its not Deans fault that they didnt give him a story. Give some gold to the bad guys and see how long they can hold it.

The fact is The Shield will only benefit from this feud so people need to quit moaning about Evolution being back. Reigns will fight HHH at SummerSlam and one of the others turns heel at some point. Nothing bad there at all. We could get three great solo stars in different story lines or we could get one group who are beginning to run out of believable opposition. What would you rather? Yep I thought so. You want The Shield to split but not just yet. I agree with this because frankly I want to see Evolution vs The Shield because it will be a great match. DEAL WITH IT. 

So whats your thoughts? Leave me a comment below or get me on twitter @LevellerLOW

The Devils Favourite Demon

Mask on. Mask off. Mask on. Mask off. Mask on. No I'm not practising Mr Miyagi's new training regime. This is literally the changes that Kane's character has gone through. While I respect that amount of work it takes to pull off this amount of characterisation I really pray they just let Kane go back to being psychotic ala 2003 or just being a monster circa 1999.

I will be the first to say I got excited at the idea of Corporate Kane especially after seeing his first interview with Michael Cole on WWE.com. But boy was I wrong. While the gimmick was a great idea it got stale. Fast. Very fast. Usain Bolt fast. The prospect of the monster being locked away in the suit was great. Until they forgot about the monster that was tucked away in the linen filled pockets of the suit...... They should have capitalized on the issue much sooner in my opinion or at least had him still be this menace in a suit. He could have easily been a smart psychopath who has others attack who ever he pleases etc.

Kane is first and foremost Undertakers deranged brother. I feel a lot of people forget that. He was meant to be demonic. He was the big mother lover who tore the door off the first ever hell in a cell match! And now he is the guy in slacks and elbow pads. Kane should never have been anything other than that. Even when Kane took the mask off for the first time he remained a monster. Hell he set JR ON FIRE BAH GAWD KING!

Im hoping that tonight we see Kane return in full gear and attack Daniel Bryan. And I dont mean just come out and chokeslam him. I mean mind games. Have Kane attack Brie. Girls used to take a beating in WWE why not now? What better way to throw the champion off his game than by attacking his new bride? A lot of people are aware of the honey moon, well they should be as wwe force fed it to us enough. So why not capitalize on it?

In an ideal world I want Kane to come back in the gear pictured above with his "Slow Chemical" theme. I felt that was the last time he was truly demonic so to speak. Although with his tweet from last week reading, "come home" I wonder if we will get the original Kane back or at least something close to it.
The big question is though, WILL THIS BE HIS LAST RUN? If it is I would love if they treated him with the same respect as Taker but I cant imagine they will. He deserves to go out on a high note. Kane has been one of the best workers and has had over 1000 matches since his debut. If this is his last run let him set a blaze to something. Hell maybe even Brie Bella. 

Thanks for reading. Leave your thoughts below or get me on twitter @levellerlow

Acceptance Is Bitter Sweet

Whats the issue

It has now been 8 days since we witnessed the destruction of the streak. That is 8 full days of thinking, "could it be true?" 8 days to question if the deadman is in fact dead and gone. But these questions aren't what I want to discuss. I feel we should discuss the fans who can't accept what has happened.

The streak is dead. Gone. Finito. No more. Its not going to come back and its not going to be re-written. Sad but true. In the words of the recently returned Batista, "DEAL WITH IT." Brock Lesnar broke the streak and it was Takers decision.
Ok I think we cleared that up now. I personally don't think Brock should have been the one to break the streak but lets look at the positives of this shall we? YES I SAID POSITIVES;

• Lesnar is a legit bad ass - Brock Lesnar has always been booked as a strong guy. An unstoppable guy at times but his recent run has been badly booked and rarely gave him a win. But in the build to this match we were reminded of all of Lesnars accolades. 
• Lesnar is the one guy that looks intimidating beyond belief
• They let the streak go. Undertaker can now be remembered for something other than the streak. He had a career before the streak and most people forget that. 
• They had the one man who could take the heat get the win. 

Some of you may be wondering what I meant by that last point. Lesnar doesn't care about fans or opinions. He gets paid no matter win or lose. In this case its not a bad thing. Lesnar can take the heat and you can see he thrives on the opportunity to look like a monster. It only adds to his persona. 

After all the years that Taker has held this streak and all the wrestlers who have come and gone couldn't do it so WWE booked a fighter, YES A FIGHTER, to break the streak. This only makes the streak more believable. It also leaves a huge opportunity for whoever beats Lesnar now. But Lesnar should not be beaten for a while and I mean a long while. 

By beating the streak Lesnar has put a price on his own head. He is now THE guy to beat and create a bench mark. If Lesnar is beaten too early then it makes the streak pointless. If he is beaten too late then people will forget the streak. So when is the ideal time? There is no such thing in my opinion but thats the hand we are dealt. 

So while we sit and talk/moan about a broken streak we should recognise that people are saying this is Takers last match. While I dont believe that Taker wants a big send off I do believe that he deserves a better send off and I dont think they will put him into the HOF with his last match being a loss, especially if they don't plan on giving him a send off. I expect we get at least one more match out of Taker. It may not be soon but it will happen. Should it be a long match? No. Should it be a tiring match full of spots? No. But we will get that one match. 

There were a few positives that jumped to mind when the streak broke. My first thought was Sting. WWE would not want Sting/Taker for the streak. Its now a flat playing field. There is no way WWE would book Sting for 1 match and then have him in a match where he would obviously lose. So what do they do? You break the streak and make the lay of the land flat and clear. Now IF/WHEN we get Sting vs Taker there will be no predictable ending.

Another point is that we may remember that Taker had great matches before the Streak became an attraction at mania. Taker had some phenomenal matches during his career that many forget about due to the streak. For instance check out Hardy/Taker for the undisputed title on Raw. One of my favourite matches and, in my opinion, one of the greatest matches of the last 20 years. This also gives the opportunity for the focus to be on something other than the streak at mania. Yes it became an attraction but at times it was perceived bigger than the belt. Its not. Fact. Wrestling has been and always will be about being a champion of a company. Its what kids dream to be. "Shawn Michaels has reached his boyhood dream".

So just remember the next time you complain about the death of the streak that there is a golden lining to this big rain cloud that seems to be looming over the wwe landscape. The future is now and the streak needed to be gone in order to progress. 
What do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment below or by getting in touch on twitter @LevellerLOW.  THANKS FOR READING. 

Welcome To The Future

The Post Mania RAW showed us one very clear thing. The future is now. WWE have poised themselves ready to throw the stars of tomorrow at us. We saw Paige, we saw Cesaro as a new Heyman guy, we saw The Shield turn face and we saw how HHH can run things.
Really RAW and Mania were fantastic. In fact I'd go as far as saying this Mania was one of the best of the last decade. I honestly had to take a back seat for a few days and wear off my wrestling hangover and while I was doing so I had a bit of an epiphany.

Backstage Changes

Recently its came out that both HHH and Steph were given a much bigger backstage role than usual on the run up to mania. Maybe this was Vince's way of testing the water to see how ready they were but one things for sure they did a damn good job.
I don't know how many people actually believe HHH will do well in his backstage roles but after this week I think its time to start paying attention because realistically since being put into this role HHH has done a lot;

• Started NXT 
• Pushed hard for the Performance Centre to be built 
• Spent a reported 18 months getting Warrior to sign for the HOF
• Has pushed hard for stars to be able to write their own promos and work off script

Now while these are only four points they are actually four large points. I mean who really thought that the sledgehammer wielding Terra Rizing would be in this position?
I wont go as far as saying that the success of RAW and Mania was entirely down to HHH and Steph because it wasnt. The talent played a huge part. 

The Talent

Guys like Cesaro and Bryan have been fighting for years to get into the position they are in now. They are showing how damn good they can be. Cesaro has been labelled the newest Heyman guy and the "King Of Swing" and Bryan is the biggest organic star of the last decade. There is really no denying this. They have fought. They have trained. They have done the tours. They  lived the indies. They are the ones who we all cheer for no matter what because we see how good they are. Without guys like this wwe would still be using cookie cutter stars.
Of course then we have The Shield who are honestly one of the bigger and better things of the last two years. Reigns is clearly going to be THE guy in a few years time. He has the look, the beginning of a structured move set and he has the charisma of a god. He just glows on screen and you cant not watch him. Ambrose is going to be the perfect heel in time and with his move set and mannerisms in the ring I could see him being in the main event for years. Like many have said he is very Piperesque. He is very good in the ring and as a cult following already, whats not to love? Rollins is as good as they come. We have seen over the last few weeks that he is very talented in most aspects. We are going to see great things from him and I think its clear that all of these men will be around for a while.
Then we have the Anti-Diva, Paige. Paige is someone that we have all been talking about for a while and we have all been talking about seeing her on the main roster. The WWE are clearly invested in her. Why else would they have her win the divas title on Raw. In her debut. While still holding the NXT divas title. The WWE have not been this invested in a diva in a long time. So I think its safe to say that she will be on our screens for a long time. 

Of course we should also take note of the guys we are yet to see such as Bo Dallas, Adam Rose, Sami Zayn, Corey Graves and Mojo Rawley. These guys are all coming up through NXT and they are all going through HHH's performance centre. Expect great things from all of these men.  

The Media

WWE is the global beast it always has been except now its mobile, its hand held, its a full fucking network. There is basically WWETV. Vince has monopolised everything he can with wrestling and he has created so much more. With WWE taking over twitter every Monday, Wednesday and Friday its becoming more and more clear WWE did the correct thing by pushing twitter instead of tout. Another thing to think about is the use of the network. The network is something that every wwe fan dreamed of. When did you ever think that you could go back and watch Hogan vs Andre whenever you chose? The network is one of the greatest things to happen to wwe in a long time. 

Like I have already said, I wont state that HHH is responsible for all the good things happening in WWE just now, its becoming apparent that something is going on. This is the future. This is now. This is forever.

So what do you think? let me know by leaving a comment either down below or get me on twitter (@LevellerLOW)

What If - Wrestlemania 30

With all the rumours flying around I thought I should address a few of them and give you all some food for thought. These are just some of the ideas I have and I felt some of you may enjoy them.

The Snake Lies In Wait

Announced literally about 45 minutes ago, Austin has stated to TMZ that he will be at Mania and refused to answer what his role in the event was. Let me stir the mill for a bit. Austin recently stated on his podcast/radio show that he believes CM Punk will return at Mania and will have came back for a great reason. Now lets just go with the flow. No I dont care that you think, Austin has said he wouldnt get in the ring again. Wrestlers lie. Austin on several occasions on twitter has stated he is in better health now and could easily go if he wanted to but it would take the stars to line up perfectly.
What if hypothetically Austin shows up at mania and announces that he has one match left in him but he only wants it to be with one man. He wants to give the fans what they wanted. He wants CM Punk. This could easily set up a programme where Austin could belittle Punk and explain that when he left he saw the error was his fault and that he wants the Punk that fought back, the wrestler, not the guy who stays home and became a slob. Punk would accept the challenge and they could fight at either mania 31 or summerslam. 

The Second City Saviour Rises Again

So we already know Punk is in New Orleans. Is he there to watch? Is he there to support his new fiance? Or is he there for another reason?
What if CM Punk is there to get involved with something. Austin believes he could be, Hogan believes its possible and for whatever tiny piece of worth it has I believe he will be there. Punk is a smart man. If he really wanted to sell a story I believe he would go this far.
What if CM Punk helps Bryan by taking out HHH and rebelling against The Authority? This would lead to Bryan winning and Punk taking on The Authority for a Summer of Punk as we were told was rumoured to happen. There is also the option of Punk being brought in by Vince. PLEASE BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THIS IS LIKE A BILLION TO ONE CHANCE. 

Its Showtime

Now or never Sting. Now or never. Lets face it a good 90% of fans want the Taker/Sting confrontation. This should be the year it happens. Sting has been announced for an appearance in New Orleans for a limited time only. Now call me stupid if you will but if you were WWE and Sting would you not try and cover your trail? The company Sting is working with has apparently paid for an all round trip according to Sting's agent. This again could be covering trails. It all makes sense and you know it does but much like many of you I wont believe it until I see it.
So what if Sting shows up at Mania. I mean actually at mania and not the raw after it. Taker will undoubtedly win his match so I suggest the following could happen. Taker beats Brock, Taker takes his pose at the end of the match and the usual theatrics happen but after a few seconds of the 22-0 sign on the screens they begin to flicker. The image changes and flashes as Stings eyes with the make up and thunder rolls through the arena. Sting is seen up in the rafters and points down at the Undertaker with the bat, Taker stands up and stares at him angrily and rolls his eyes back and drags his thumb across his throat signifying its on!

So what do you think. Remember this is all just speculation and rumour but who knows? Let me know your thoughts on twitter or down in the comments sections. - @LevellerLOW

Gunning On A New Level - Wrestlemania 30

About this post

On this blog we are doing things slightly differently. Once a month myself and @LoveLostGunfire will be providing you our predictions for the monthly PPV. This month its the big one, the grandest stage of them all or as Triple H calls it "The Burial Ground".

The Kick-Off - Four Way Tag Match for the Tag Team Titles

LLG - "I don't see Rybaxel or Matadores winning this one. Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to see Axel on the winning end of things for a change, but I just don't see it happening. The Real Americans will most likely win, though I personally want to see Usos retain. What I want and what happens rarely lines up, hah."

L - "Why? Why could we not just have Real Americans vs The Usos? Anyway....... I think the Matadores get used as cannon fodder, Rybaxel get a few power moves in but the real juice is gonna be The Real Americans and The Usos. I see the winner of this match being The Usos. Its a good way to keep the crowd happy. Let the baby faces win the first match. Personally I'd love to see either RA or Usos walk away champs."

Kane and The NAO vs The Shield

LLG - "I don't even want to talk about this one, hah. I am almost 100% certain Kane/NAO will win to give The Shield a push towards "The Split". I am not fooled. This "face" turn doesn't mean The Shield won't split...C'mon, they're still going to split, we know this! It most likely will happen at WM30, or later on because of WM30. Sigh."

L - "Part of me feels Shield win this. It just makes sense unless they plan on having Kane and the Outlaws on screen for a while. However, unlike LLG here, I think the Shield could split on the night of Mania. What if Seth and Dean walk out on Roman leaving him high and dry only for Roman to over come everyone and get his first Mania moment?"

Divas Championship Invitational

LLG - "I almost didn't bother having a prediction for this. I feel like AJ is the only well-rounded Diva right now, and I don't hate the belt on her. What I DO hate is the fact WWE has wasted another belt (don't get me started on wasted belts and wasted title reigns...coughcoughUS&ICcoughcough..) With that in mind, the only "real" option is for AJ to lose the belt to someone else, and the only person who has had any level of build-up is Naomi. I see Naomi walking away the winner."

L - "I just wish they had left the entrants a surprise. They could have debuted Paige here or even Charlotte. Nevermind. I think AJ walks out champ. This is because the whole match is going to be one giant cluster****. They have made it look like AJ is gonna lose it but I honestly don't see who they can put it on and make look strong. THE WHOLE DIVAS DIVISION NEED FIXED ASAP"

Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

LLG - "Nope. I couldn't care enough about this to have a prediction. It's not that I don't care about the people in the match, I just don't care for the match itself. Yeah, it's a nice idea, but....ehhh. It does nothing for me. Kudos to whoever walks away the winner."

L - "This match hasn't had the proper build for what it is. They have singled out Big Show too much as the obvious winner. I just can't help but feel that he will actually win it or one of the three unannounced slots will win. I think two of the slots will be Rusev and The Ultimate Warrior."

John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

LLG - "Cena will win this, but...hold on. That's a good thing. Normally, I roll my eyes at a Cena win, but in this case, it would really be a win for Bray Wyatt. I feel like Bray Wyatt's whole point is to prove Cena is just as much a monster as anyone else, and I feel like Bray wants to push Cena into doing things he otherwise wouldn't do, thus forcing Cena to tear down his very own legacy. I believe we already saw a glimpse of that on RAW when Cena donned the sheep mask and attacked The Wyatt Family in the ring."

L - "I wont lie. Im hyped for this match and I never thought of it that way. I know for a fact this puts Wyatt on the map no matter what. He comes out of this match looking brilliant. I think Wyatt wins. I posted saying how the IWC believes Cena goes over cause its mania etc. I think Wyatt gets the better of Cena. They can feud until Summerslam and let Cena get the win then.
Id like to take a minute and suggest an idea I had earlier. What if the family get involved and Hogan and maybe Rock run down to save Cena?"

Daniel Bryan vs HHH

LLG - "Trips will probably win this one but it will be a dirty win...or, there is no clear winner. Either way, both men will be moved forward into the WWE World Heavyweight title match."

L - "I think this match ends in a double count out or DQ. There is also the possibility of Bryan actually winning clean. Yes I said it. If Bryan wins clean you can expect HHH to beat the living shit out of him. Worse than on RAW and Bryan goes on to the main event batter and bruised."

Batista vs Orton vs ?

LLG - "Fatal 4Way time, bitches! Like I said, I fully expect both Bryan and Trips to move into this match through some shady business happening in their own "qualifying" match. With the four of them in the ring, it'll probably end up like this: Orton will job to someone/everyone, Batista will spend as little time as possible actually doing things, Triple H will decimate the crap out of Bryan and we'll all think he's going to win it. But then, Bryan will channel the power of the ....goat? Yes chants? I fully expect to see Bryan walk away the winner, and I think if we don't see this, it's going to be a bad time for the WWE afterwards...Who am I kidding. People will get pissed, sure, but then they'll allow WWE to hijack their feelings via well orchestrated RAW and Smackdown shows (RAW Chicago, anyone?)"

L - "Yeh Im feeling a fatal four way coming as well. Dunno how or care really. The story behind this will be insane. Bryan vs 3/4 of evolution. I suspect Bryan might even come out mid match if the D-Bry/HHH match ends screwy. Enter Vince who puts Bryan into the match, HHH leaves the ring to argue with Vince, Batista gets Rko'd and Bryan hits the Knee Plus on Orton. Bryan pins Batista. This leads to Daniel Bryan winning and Orton can feud with him as he never truly lost the title."
So there we have it. What do you think and who do you predict will win each match? Let us know your thoughts on twitter at - @LoveLostGunfire and @LevellerLOW