Gunning On The Level - Money In The Bank

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 time to count up all your loose change, gather every penny and place your bets because its time to cash in for Money In The Bank.

Summer Rae vs Layla - Who Will Fandango Tango With?

LLG - Seeing as Layla is "old news" (NO, this is not a jab at her age. I actually dig the chick) I don't see how Summer Rae wouldn't walk out the winner Sunday night. Maybe 'Dango will double cross Layla and realize Summer was always his gal. Who knows. Either way, Summer Rae takes this because she's the one who needs building, not Layla. Sorry, Layla.

L - I think it's gonna be a hell of a dull match if I'm honest. The build has had potential but I feel this has gone on far too long. Honestly, I see Fandango leaving with neither diva. He doesn't need them and he can be a much better worker solo and the divas division can focus on two extra divas who can actually work then. In the end I see Summer Rae going over clean and Fandango walking out on Layla. 

Rusev vs Big E (AGAIN)

LLG - It's pretty damn obvious WWE has a hard-on for Rusev right now. They're intentionally portraying him as an unstoppable beast. Big E, so far, has been Rusev's toughest opponent, but I don't think the "feud" has reached the point where Rusev can realistically lose to Big E. I don't even like this "feud". I think it feels random and almost pointless. Where is it going? I honestly can't even remember why this feud started! Will Rusev lose? Nope.

L - Rusev wins but god damn I hope we get more than 10 moves from him. He is getting the Umaga push and will go undefeated until either faces Cena or you get my fantasy booking. WWE resigns Kurt Angle in October when his TNA contract is up. He enters the Royal Rumble, gets eliminated by Rusev. This sets up Angle vs Rusev, USA vs USSR, Medal vs Medal at WM31. America wins and the crowd get a great match.

Stardust & Goldust vs RybAxel

LLG - This will be a win for the Rhodes boys. If I even have to explain that, you haven't been paying attention to the loving The E has been giving Stardust. FINE, I'll explain it. The Rhodes boys just recently went through an awful losing streak. It seemed the magic had dwindled, died out. And then: Stardust happened and it looks like the boys found their groove again. It's too early for Stardust to lose momentum.

L - I think that The Rhodes win but Stardust will get the pin. Stardust is the one that needs to be showcased here. He is fresh just like LLG said. He needs to keep the momentum flowing. If I had my way Stardust would win this match without Goldust. He shouldn't tag him in at all. 

Paige vs Naomi - Divas Championship Match

LLG - Cameron is going to come out and ruin it for Naomi, got it? I mean, seriously. With all the bickering between the two Funkawhatnows, I don't see how Naomi could possibly snag a clean loss, never mind a clean win, Hahaha! IF Naomi somehow manages to win (and I don't know how the hell that could even be a possibility) it would be because Cameron saw a priest and had a total change of heart and decided to help her friend out. The only reason I say this is because of the recent focus on Naomi/Cameron. I'm not saying Naomi isn't capable of winning on her own, because she is. But due to the way this has been developing, Naomi will lose and Paige will retain. Trust me. I just hope Paige manages to look strong before Cameron interferes.

L - Naomi wins by DQ due to Cameron attacking Paige. I would love to think that WWE would be more creative and let Naomi get the win and then have Cameron attack her due to jealousy. Paige could then help fend off Cameron and shake hands with Naomi who promises Paige a rematch. Paige could lose and still look strong this way which is much better than the predictable toilet break of a match. But this won't happen. We will get ten minutes of Paige being beaten until she screams, snaps and locks in the PTO. Match done. NEXT!

The Usos vs Harper and Rowan - Tag Team Championship Match

LLG - Oh, I'm going to get some flack for this, but what the hell. The Tag Team division isn't what it was a while ago. Not long ago, the Tag Division was the hottest shit in the company, but now... Well, you get it. None of that is the fault of the Usos, don't get me wrong. I like them, but it is unfortunate for them The E doesn't know how to book
successful title reigns (Ask Ambrose. Hell, The E can't even book successful briefcase holding, just ask Sandow). I see things changing at MITB for the sake of changing. Rather than trying to actually be creative and script something that would help The Usos, WWE will most likely script a title change. Get ready, the swamp will be seeing gold....Okay, in case you didn't catch that: Wyatts for the win.

L - While I agree with this I think that The Wyatts win because The Usos, much like The Hardyz, are much better at chasing titles. Harper and Rowan are getting real heel heat in a lot of towns by just being themselves and this is great. The Usos have shown a lot of personality recently and the crowd has really got behind them so logic dictates that the heels have to win the titles. This gets the heels extra heat and the crowd will get even more behind The Usos. 

The MITB Contract Match

LLG - It's going to be a fuckfest, that's for sure. No, I don't mean there will be a sexual man-on-man orgy. I just mean to say these dudes are going to fuck each other up. It's going to be ugly, hectic, confusing at times (probably) and just generally chaotic. There's seven dudes in this, and two of those are involved in one super hot feud right now: Rollins and Ambrose. The other contestants don't really register on the radar, in terms of who will emerge victorious. Everyone knows WWE keeps flirting with Ziggler, but they won't make a move and commit. BNB might be injured, but he already has a belt anyway, so why let him win? Kofi was recently manhandled by Rusev and Swagger
can't even deal with a grown-ass man who likes lollipops and giant rabbits. Oh, RVD? Shut up, are you serious? Don't get distracted here. The point is Rollins and Ambrose. While I desperately wish The Shield would reunite at MITB, I know it won't happen. I want Ambrose to win, but I highly doubt WWE will let me have that either. Therefore, not having any other options left, Seth Rollins will win this match. He needs to win anyway, so he can justify his atrocious behavior ;)

L - Can you say "holy shit"? Because you will most likely end up saying it a few times during the course of this match. You have Kofi, who like LLG said has been man handled recently but will still put on an awesome showing and will tease that he could win. RVD who we all know won't win but hey it's great to have an established name in there right? Ziggler who we all desperately want to see succeed and we all know he will sell damn well in this match especially with guys like Swagger. Swagger is the powerhouse in the match who could dominate the match while the other guys pull the spots. Rollins and Ambrose have their own feud going on right now and IMO neither of them need this contract to succeed in the next year. They will both end up being in top stories and as we have seen recently you don't need the title to be in the best story. Bad News Barrett is injured so he couldn't win this match. OR COULD HE? I predict that we still see Barrett in this match. He should enter the match late and literally just take the contract down. Either cut a "bad news" promo before or after he does so. It will be a great moment and will set him up for big things this year. 

The MITB WWEWHC Match

LLG - I've been saying it since Cena was made an entrant, "The Champ is here....Again, DAMMIT" I don't see how anyone other than Cena can win this thing. It's in his home state. He's WWE's golden boy. WWE loves him and trusts him. Not to get too entrenched in insider politics, but Orton right now isn't in the best light to win a championship. I'm not
going to get into it, but I'd be surprised if WWE went with Orton. ADR isn't hot enough, neither is Cesaro (though some would argue he is, but I actually think he's lost some steam since pairing with Heyman), and Sheamus already has the US Title right now. Bray Wyatt would be a bold choice, one I don't think WWE is prepared to make, and the same goes for Roman Reigns. Both face the same argument, "It's too soon". Besides, Roman needs to kick Trips back into the cubicle Trips crawled out from. That leaves Kane and Cena. Kane could be an option, if only to set something up for Daniel Bryan. However, correct me if I'm wrong, Daniel Bryan is one huge question mark right now. Things are too up in the air, and if Kane were to walk away victorious, where would it go from there? Cena is annoyingly able to stick his nose into literally any storyline. If Cena wins, it's a safe placeholder for WWE and they can shove him anywhere they please (pun intended). Plus, it might actually let us see the end game between Cena and Bray. I don't know about you guys, but I'm willing to suffer through yet another Cena title reign, if only to see the end of this weird feud between him and Bray. I'm ready for Bray to move on. I NEED Bray to move on. For that to happen, Cena needs to
have his ego stroked by the two belts. Sadly, it's just the way it is. Plus, I hear Lesnar would have words for Cena ;)

L - Lets jump straight to it. Orton or Cena win. It's too soon for Reigns (he is also rumored to face HHH at either SS or NoC).Wyatt doesn't need these belts to show how good he is but the image of The Wyatt Family all in gold sure looks good I will admit. Cesaro was my favourite until it was rumored that the winner will face Lesnar at SS which would mean Cesaro would need to be a face without Heyman and there is no time to establish that in time. Does anyone really think that Del Rio or Sheamus will win this? Good I didn't think so. WWE would be brave to put it on Sheamus. Kane could be a great option if they plan to let him go rogue. This would mean that he could win and the authority could hire Lesnar to take him out at SS.
Realistically though Orton would be great against Lesnar because it would be fresh and they have never feuded properly on the main roster. Psycho heel vs The Beast sounds great on paper. However, the money match for Summerslam IS your winner John Cena vs Lesnar. The biggest company name vs the guy who broke the streak. INSTANT CASH. People will pay to see the same kind of violence as Extreme Rules so lets up the stakes and put them in HELL IN A CELL. Condition is, whoever Lesnar faces has to take the loss. 

Well there you have it. What do you think? Leave a comment below or get us on twitter;

LLG - @LoveLostGunfire
L - @LevellerLOW

There's A Beast Waiting

I want to try and explain to people logically who could and couldn't win the MITB title match. 

All of these situations are based on the idea that Brock Lesnar will face the wwewhc at Summerslam. These are not my predictions for MITB but reasons as to why each person winning has different consequences. So let's get started;

Roman Reigns

ITS TOO SOON and the sooner people realize this the better. WWE want to push Reigns as THAT guy but if they have him win his first ever WWEWHC title now then they miss out on a huge moment at wrestlemania. Both Lesnar/Reigns and Rock/Reigns have been rumoured for this years WM and the chances are the matches could be for the title. Wouldn't it be better to see a rising star get a rub and his first title win on the grandest stage of them all?
Now the obvious part, lets say Reigns does win, he gets fed to Lesnar in a title match at SS. I honestly see no way in which Lesnar loses that match if it happens. They can't have Lesnar lose clean after his last match was beating Taker for the streak. If they have him lose it devalues the streak. Reigns will get screwed and end up facing HHH at Summerslam instead and get the push there.

Cesaro

Lots of people pandering for a Lesnar/Cesaro match. That's cool, it can happen, just not yet. If that match happens then Cesaro will end up being the face but right now Cesaro isn't ready to be the face. When was the last time a face had someone do all his speaking for him? Lesnar would obviously be the heel due to his history now and Cesaro is primed to be a breakout star but he can't do this as this tweener/heel with Paul Heyman. While Cesaro's brute strength and in ring prowess have got him this far, in order to progress he needs to improve on the mic. In short if Cesaro wins the titles and Lesnar challenges him at Summerslam they have just over 1 month to get Cesaro comfortable on the mic in order to sell the PPV. The only way I see Cesaro winning is if Daniel Bryan is ready to return to the ring by Summerslam and this would mean there is no need for Lesnar in the title picture. 

Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt is the star who has the most to lose if he wins this match in my opinion. Wyatt is not ready to fight Lesnar. Wyatt is great in the ring, he is great on the mic and he is great as a gimmick persona but he has no need for the WWEWHC. Yes Bray would look amazing draped in gold sitting in the rocking chair but I don't feel that Wyatt could hold his own against Lesnar. In time, if he progresses the way he has been, Wyatt will quickly become one of the best character workers the WWE has ever seen but right now I don't think he needs to be holding the belt. Can WWE really sell their Summerslam main event as Lesnar vs Wyatt? Wyatt isn't a household name yet. He isn't established enough to be able to sell a whole PPV without Lesnar being there to help build to the show. Again the only way I see Bray winning this is if Bryan is ready to return by SS. Bryan will be coming back as a face, a huge face so he needs a heel to feud with. 

Sheamus

I find it sad that Sheamus is yet to be taken seriously. WWE have a great brawler and he could do great things with Brock. In fact i'm willing to say that Brock could make Sheamus look serious again but as a contender in this mach it's safe to say that he is as likely as Del Rio to win. He is the current US champ and I don't think WWE are willing to put all the eggs in one basket. Lesnar and Sheamus could do lots if Sheamus winning was the out come but it wouldn't be at Summerslam. Sorry Fella. 

Del Rio

Do we really think WWE will put Del Rio in the ring with Lesnar? The fact is they tried making Del Rio a face and it was more bland than Big Johnny and Heidenrich rolled into one. If Del Rio was going to face Lesnar he would also have to be able to carry the feud without Lesnar being there. It's not happening. I'm actually confused as to why he is in this match other than the fact Vince likes to make sure the mexican fans have a reason to cheer. 

Randy Orton

In my eyes he is quite possibly the only other person on this list that can feud with Lesnar and take a loss. Orton has already got a big legacy cemented and losing to a man he has never feuded with before will not hurt him in the long run. Could Orton vs Lesnar be a main event at some point? I'd say so but again he would need to fight for himself and not the authority and he would need to be face for Summerslam to work. Orton, unlike Cena isn't a recognizable name to those who don't watch wrestling. Unless Bryan is back at SS then we get Orton vs Bryan for the titles. Bryan gets a face pop and he is the underdog again so people have a reason to continue cheering him. 

John Cena

If WWE want to sell their 2nd biggest PPV of the year then they will be aiming at external markets and not just your typical fan base. The way to do this is by putting the two most recognizable names in your company in one match. Lesnar is a huge UFC star and legit ass kicker. John Cena is your company poster boy. There is only logic here. Yes from the view of a fan who watches every show and every PPV it seems dull because we all expect Cena to win but to the outside viewer who rarely or never watches it will seem interesting. If you put guys like Wyatt, Reigns and Cesaro on the main event people will question who they are and will have to research. In order to sell a PPV you have to use recognizable, household names. And before anyone says "but what about wwes existing fans? Don't we matter?" You tell me. Vince has all your money wrapped up in the network so you are watching the PPV for free anyway He is aiming to get people signed up to the network and to buy his PPV in the countries that don't have the network yet. The fans who watch every week without fail will not stop watching because Cena/Lesnar ends up the PPV main event.
However, If Bryan returns by SS, Cena can lose clean to Bryan and still look strong.  

Now this is all assuming that Bryan won't be back by Summerslam. If Bryan is back by Summerslam they need to ensure a Heel is holding the title so that he can come back to a huge babyface pop and look like the underdog. 

So what do you think? Leave a comment below or let us know on twitter at @LevellerLOW

Booking On A New Level - Ashes And Dust

This post is just creative ideas stormed up by myself. These ideas are all my own and I aim to not offend anyone in the process of writing this. Those of you who have read my other "Booking On A New Level" posts will know how this goes but just in case;

Family. It's the one thing that most of us would die for. The bond between a family is unbreakable but they say that anything with cracks can be shattered and some might say that jealousy is a crack that can never be fixed. Jealousy can lead man to do terrible things and jealousy can do destructive things in the hands of a man who believes his own hype. 

Over the past few weeks we have seen Goldust be paired with many a partner and come up with a lose but when his brother Stardust (formerly Cody Rhodes) stepped up there was a victory. But it wasn't Goldust who got the pin or even did most of the work. It was the newly improved Cody. Over the next few weeks I would have this pattern continue and have Stardust win every match on his own. He should never tag Goldust into matches.

The week after MITB Goldust and Stardust are poised to have an interview with Michael Cole in the ring. The brothers dust stand in the ring with Goldust forever smiling thinking his luck has changed. Stardust stands with that creepy grin. Cole gets in the ring and asks a series of questions and Goldust proceeds to answer them all. Michael then proceeds to ask Stardust/Cody if he is ok considering the change we have seen in him in recent weeks. Stardust smiles and moves in close to Cole and states that he's "Never been better". Goldust pats him on the back and smiles. Cody smiles back and kisses him on the forehead. Goldust looks shocked but shrugs it off. RAW cuts to an advert and when we get back Cole, JBL and King are discussing how strange it was seeing Cody like that. The same week on Smackdown after the Rhodes win the number one contenders match for Battleground Goldust is seen talking to Stardust and he points out that he has never tagged him and that he wants him to promise him more of the action. Stardust just smiles and says "Sure no problem" and gives a big grin. 

Over the weeks building up to Battleground the Rhodes and the Usos will fight each other in singles matches and then Usos would face RybAxel with Rhodes on commentary but Cody says nothing except that "Everyone needs to smile more". The matches go on and Cody/Stardust wins his match with no problems, Jimmy Uso gets in next to no offence and Goldust cheers Cody on from the apron. But then when Goldust faces Jay Uso he gets beaten in seconds. Goldust looks upset and Cody just shrugs its off and tells him to smile.
The last Smackdown before Battleground comes around and Goldust is seen apologizing to Cody about the loss but still feels confident about the tag match. Cody tells him its fine and that he should just smile like him and laugh about it. Goldust laughs and walks it off, the camera shows Stardust smiling. 

Battleground comes around and Goldust reminds Cody that he promised to let him see more of the action. Cody nods and just says its gonna be a laugh and they head off to the ring.
The match happens and Cody and Jay Uso go to start the match but Cody/Stardust tags straight out and Goldust thanks him. The match goes on for 5-10 mins and Goldust keeps getting beaten down until he suddenly hits an atomic drop followed by his upper cut. Goldust begins to crawl to the corner to tag in Stardust. The crowd are going wild as Stardust gets them hyped. He begins running up and down the apron trying to get the crowd to cheer. He starts stopping his feet and does the Goldust sniffing thing as Goldust reaches the corner. Goldust reaches up for the tag and Stardust grins and pulls his hand away slowly. Goldust looks confused as Jimmy Usos grabs him from behind and drops him with a super kick. He tags in Jay and Jay gets the splash and then the pin. The Usos celebrate and then leave as Stardust gets in to the ring with a bottle of water. He pours the water over Goldust laughing the whole time and he wipes the paint off of Goldusts face. 

The next night on RAW Stardust heads out to the ring and grabs a mic and says;

"Dustin, for weeks I thought I was the problem. I thought I was the anchor stopping this boat from setting sail. I was wrong *big grin*. For the last little while everyone has been saying "wow look at Goldust! He's still going strong. He should be a champion by now. He's great." Even Dad kept saying  "damn Cody when you're Dustin's age I hope to god you can be just as good as he is." And you know what? I tried to something. I tried to impressive Dad. Hell I tried to impress everyone. Every week I'm out here showing my skills and I'm showing my A game and still people talk about Goldust. And then it hit's me. The problem isn't me, it's you. I'm better than you. You know it. They know it and most importantly I know it. and now I've proved it. 

I had to show you. I had to show YOU Dustin and in order to do that I had to beat you at what you do best. Be a freak. You know the sad part? I'm a better you than you are. Everyone is talking Stardust now. No more Goldust. No he's old news now. That's right Dustin. YOU'RE OLD NOW. And last night when I washed off that mess that you call paint and showed everyone what you really look like. You looked pathetic. Tired. Beaten up. Broken down. But most of all you're a god damn disappointment. But don't worry I sent Dad a message letting him know he still has one son to be proud of. And here's the best part Dustin all you need to do is smile and go home. Let Stardust shine bright and take that old tarnished Gold home."

Later on in the night Goldust is seen shown leaving the arena. Justin Roberts tries to stop him and ask him what he feels but he just walks on. 

The following week on RAW Goldusts music hits and the crowd pop for him. Out comes this figure in the wig and the big feathered coat that he wore. The hair from the wig covers the face until he does the sniff pose and then Stardust is seen grinning large under the wig. He gets into the ring an tears off the wig and the throws the coat to the floor. He gets on the mic and lets the crowd know that Goldust went home last week and that they can focus on the real star of the Rhodes family now. He tells the crowd that they just need to smile and laugh it off because they can see how happy their star is.
All of a sudden he gets cut off as Dustin Rhodes sprints to ring with no make up and no gloves. The crowd pops huge for him and he pins Stardust to the floor and beats him over and over again and he begins rubbing the paint off his face. Stardust pulls himself out of the ring and heads up the ramp. Dustin starts yelling "fraud" as Stardust covers up his now paint smeared face almost ashamed of how he looks without it. 

Dustin cuts a promo on the app during the ad break and he tells Stardust that if he wants him he just needs to come and find him. Dustin gets jumped from behind and Stardust pins him down and begins rubbing a big black paint smile all over Dustins face saying "you should be happy for me. I'm a star now Dustin and all because of you."

Next week on RAW Dustin and Dusty Rhodes are in the ring. They try and call out Stardust. Nothing happens for a minute or two until all of a sudden a car shows up on screen. Its the same car from the parking lot brawl between Goldust and Piper. Codys voice can be heard he and asks them both if they remember that car. They reply yes and Dusty asks what does that have to do with anything. Cody replies that's when he knew he wanted to be just like his big brother. Thats when he knew he wanted to be a star. To be THE star.
Dusty begins questioning what he means and why this is happening when all of a sudden Stardust wearing the gold wig again levels Dustin and he throws him out of the ring. He then turns his attention to Dusty, he goes in for a hug but Dusty just pushes him away so Stardust takes off the wig and begins to choke him out with it. Stardust begins yelling and crying saying that Dusty should be proud because at least one Rhodes isn't a comedy act and that he should be smiling for him. Dusty now unconscious lies on the mat as Stardust smears on the big black smile before he leaves laughing and crying at the same time. 

The following week on RAW Dustin interferes in Stardusts match and they brawl. Dustin tries to rub off Stardusts paint again but he runs up the ramp. Dustin grabs a mic and says,

"ENOUGH. This is stupid. You wanted to prove you were better. Fine. You wanted to be a star fine. But you don't do it at the expense of family. I said I'd never fight my brother again and that I would keep my family honour alive. I guess that makes me a damn liar as well as a fraud eh "stardust"? Well guess what? This "fraud", this "liar" aint afraid of a fight and he sure as hell isn't afraid of a little boy in paint. So in two weeks time at Summerslam, I'm gonna kick your ass."

Stardust replies in a more serious tone than he has been using previously,

"Aww Dustin I didn't know you cared. Well seeing as you want a match how about we face the facts. As long as we are both here the real Rhodes star can't shine can it? So what you say we make this interesting? Loser leaves WWE for good!"

The match is set for Summerslam and the stipulation set. Personally I'd have Stardust go over and when he wins he would snap and laugh maniacally. He would then proceed to stay in that gimmick "to prove who that the real Rhodes star can do it better."

So what do you think? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below or get in touch on twitter at @LevellerLOW.

So You've Been Future Endeavored?

WWE have released a list of 8 superstars, a former GM and a referee within what seems like a blink of an eye.They made funkasaurus's extinct, they hindered Jinder, Drew was a chosen one....to leave, Aksana well ok we saw that happening, Evan Bourne was ready to return only to be shown the door and JTG was found due to many of us questioning how he was still hired. Many people are seeing this as a bad thing and rightfully so. It's never a pleasant experience being made redundant or fired but these procedures need to happen for business to develop. Think of it this way;

"If the fruit is rotten don't eat it"

I can almost hear the complaints from followers already, "my guy was let go. OMG hate WWE." Funny how you will continue to watch RAW next week though huh? The fact is though you should probably be happy if your guy was one of the wrestlers that were released (we'll get to this in a bit). All 8 of these wrestlers were in a situation where they were rarely used on television and probably weren't receiving all that much in the way of royalty checks

Most WWE contracts have what we know as a standard salary, in that each wrestler will be told they will receive X amount of money per year plus extra money for any PPV matches and TV work. However, most superstars pay their own travel and their own accommodation and it's not until you become main event caliber stars that WWE does this for you. Also most superstars receive very little in the way of merchandise money as this goes back into the company. These are the type of contracts given to WWE stars that aren't in the top caliber. Hell even the legends deal that was offered to Sting was allegedly only £10,000 for a year plus any appearances he did. So with this in mind can it's safe to assume these 8 superstars weren't receiving too high an income from these roster spots.

Now on the indies, wrestlers will more often than not get to keep 100% of their merchandise sales, they get to be booked for more than one company (this helps to build fan base and reputation), they get to choose where they work, they can show off a bit more as they aren't limited to a strict WWE move set. They also get paid on a show to show basis and can sometimes barter how much they want for their fee. Travel is often paid for as well depending on the caliber of star the promoter has booked. Brodus Clay (who's last contract was for $85,000 or £50,280 per year without any bonuses) for example might not get his travel paid for in the indies but a guy like Teddy Long might. 

The indies are a thriving work place in the wrestling world. There are too many good, hard working companies to count on your pudgy digits and there are a lot of good bookers out there. Guys like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe all made a name for themselves in the indies before being picked up by larger companies. The fans base that these stars can now reach is pretty much endless. Think of the opportunities a guy like Matt Sydal/Evan Bourne will receive being a high flyer or the chances Curt Hawkins (who is already signed with PWS by the way) could get from companies such as GFW and ROH. 

Companies like Global Force Wrestling are going to be opening soon and people have seen how well Jeff Jarrett can run a company. This could be a big step up for a lot of these released stars. Jeff Jarrett already made it clear on twitter that "the talent pool just got much much deeper". So there are plenty of opportunities for these stars. Ring Of Honor is another company where people thrive and while a lot of WWE fans will shun it TNA is also another good company. Tell me you can't imagine Teddy Long showing up their and taking over on screen authority roles playa? 

The fact is WWE DID let a lot of talent go but at the end of the day this opens up more space for developmental talent and can scare the life into some of the roster so that they work harder to put on a better show. The situation is awkward for these future endeavored stars but they can either cry in a corner and moan about it or let this light a fire under their ass to work harder. This could be a big reset for guys like Brodus who can go and shoot about how much he disliked the funkasaurus gimmick to begin with. Hawkins can work on his wrestling school, Aksana can take time to improve her in ring work and JTG can work out another plan to infiltrate WWE and stay hired for a further 7 years. Watch out for all these stars on the indies and hell some of them may make it to GFW. I fully expect to see Drew Mcintyre their (HOPE YOU ARE READING JARRETT).

"All endings are beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."

So what do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment below and be sure to get in touch on twitter at @LevellerLOW

Right To Censor?

I often stand up for a lot of WWEs problems and defend them when I can but recently I have taken a "turn" so to say.

WWE often talks about how it's fans are the life and soul of the product. This is very true but the fans don't do everything because if they did WWE wouldn't continuously remove signs from paying patrons or edit out chants from certain events such as Smackdown. I find it a very unusual situation that WWE are trying their best to almost censor fans in specific ways. Its almost perverse. 

They tell the fans on a weekly basis;
"THE WWE UNIVERSE SPEAKS ITS MIND AND WE PROVIDE THE ENTERTAINMENT." Now don't get me wrong I understand the idea behind this but where in the small print does it say,

"ok but only when we decide you can and we reserve the right to remove any signs that may look bad on television"?

WWE need to understand that the more they try and mute fans the more they will end up with people trying to "Hijack" shows. Remember the early 2000s where if you didnt bring a sign it was weird? I sometimes look at the crowd and wonder how many signs would be there if WWE didn't remove them.

And the crowd chants, yes we know we chant some profound things but that doesn't mean that if the show is pre-recorded they should be edited out. For example, WWE recently cut out a loud CM Punk chant from the London Raw taping. While it should be noted that these chants are annoying WWE shoudl not feel the need to remove them from broadcast. Seeing Stephanie McMahon 3 times in a night is annoying. Do they remove her from TV?

The problem WWE currently have is that they have lead the fans to believe that they have so much influence on the product. The fans, however, do not realize that while they are influential on the product the stock holders and the corporate sponsors are the ones with the real power. WWE removes signs from fans in fear that stock holders or sponsors may find specific signs bad for business. Some examples of this might be signs involving Chris Benoit or more recently CM Punk. While signs can have crude messages or sometimes hilarious images would it not be better let the fans say what they think and give the stock holders an idea as to how the fan mind works?

Another issue WWE have is that they have left John Cena at the top for so long that they are running out of people to stand by him. With all the main event caliber talent being involved with non-title feuds and Bryan on the injured list WWE will see Cena as the escape route. However this leads to larger issues. Fans no longer want to see Cena holding a belt. They want new, edgy products and characters who haven't grown stale. This is no fault of Cena's might I add, this is completely down to WWE not taking the chance on other stars to let them shine. If guys such as Ziggler, Punk, Cesaro and Barrett had all been pushed at the right time they could have all grown organically within the fan base and been main eventing along side Cena. 

WWE need to see that there is time for change and that time is now. Use NXT to build stars, create gripping rivalries that we can connect with, stop taking fans signs from them and most of all if you claim that the fans build the product don't try and hush them when they argue with what you say. 

Best Friends Has 11 Letters, So Does Backstabber

Well WWE you've gone done it again. Ruined another one of my booking posts. Thanks. So I think it's only fair that I get to have my say on things now. 

Seth Rollins turned his back on fellow Shield member this week on RAW. No one saw this coming so soon and if anyone did I'm calling you a liar right now. Everyone had guesses as to how Reigns and Ambrose would turn but I don't think anyone suspected Seth turning. So with Batista's departure can Rollins really hold that place? Will Rollins be able to play the bad ass heel? Or is he an inside man like so many have suggested?

Personally I was blown away by this and I want this to be a full blown split. No inside man. No mind games. Just a split and heel turn. This will lead to three great singles stars in the main event to challenge for titles which is a great thing. 

I never expected it and I was shocked for the first time since Wrestlemania. This is a good thing. WWE managed to shock people again and kept one of their main focal points trending on social media for well over 24 hours. Now lot's of people are sending hate mail to Seth. Let me be the first to say this is wrong but it means one thing. WWE MANAGED TO CREATE GENUINE HATE. Could Seth really be the first properly hated heel in a while? I think so. 

The fact that WWE shocked me was great and it was great that they shocked others but others need to realize a few things. SPOILERS its storyline. Yes that's right. Wrestling, as much as we like to believe it doesn't, follows a script. Seth did not legit turn on his friends. Get over it fan girls. Well done for showing fan support though.

Seth Rollins now has one hell of a job ahead of him though. Much like Jeff Hardy, Seth has a very high octane move set and this makes it very hard for him to not be liked. Look at The Shield matches between their debut up until they fought the Wyatts. Mostly all of the focus was on Reigns and Ambrose. When they began fighting Wyatt and his family that is when Seth began to shine because he got the chance to use his high flyer style move set. Hopefully WWE realize that this could play into it and they don't let Seth just become another "cool guy" heel that fans cheer for anyway. Push Seth to the boundaries that no heel has touched in a long time. 

So what now? Part of me wonders if Ambrose could turn on Reigns at MITB and leave him high and dry. This sets up the HHH/Reigns feud heading towards Summerslam. After speaking to @wrencis and @EddieMichaelsJr about future matches I think its safe to say we will see all three members of The Shield face off. Maybe near Survivor Series time. 
Does this mean Shield is dead forever? Hell no. If history is anything to go by then its's safe to assume The Shield will reform in the future. Look at D-Generation X for example they broke up more than meringue under a sledgehammer but always pulled it back together for the odd match.

Lets just enjoy the ride while we can. Hopefully WWE will take this momentum and create a good RAW for next week. They need to start pulling up their socks and developing better programming. I realize I'm usually pro WWE but this weeks Raw was a 6/10 at most and that was only due to one or two matches plus the ending. 

Thanks for reading and remember Best Friends Has 11 Letters, So Does Backstabber.

Feel like getting in touch to give us food for thought then why not leave a message below in the comments or get in touch on twitter at @LevellerLOW