So You're A Wrestling Fan?

If you are a wrestling fan you need to stop laughing about the fact TNA may have to close its doors. Now please believe me when I say I am not the worlds biggest impact fan. Impact much like any other wrestling company has had it's fair shares of ups and downs. In fact most of us acknowledge TNA for what it is. The second best wrestling show in America but that doesn't mean its funny if it has to close down.

I woke up at 5.33am to a barrage of questions in my twitter DMs asking what I thought about the TNA situation. For those of you who don't know, TNA is allegedly being dropped by SPIKE TV due to the fact they are working with Vince Russo again. SPIKE TV and Russo have history and this is apparently one of the many things that broke the camels back. But a long with the barrage of questions I received I was also seeing "wrestling" fans happy that TNA may have to shut down. Let me clear this up. 

A WRESTLING FAN WOULD NEVER BE HAPPY THAT A WRESTLING COMPANY HAS TO SHUT ITS DOORS. 

To think that TNA shutting down is a good thing is idiotic. For a start there are over 50 roster members, countless production staff, management and host who could lose their jobs. Now why would that be a good thing? I mean realistically WWE will not pick up the talent lost from TNA unless they feel they have use. In my eyes I see only Angle and Hardy being picked up. This leaves at least 48 other members without safe jobs. If you are a wrestling fan you should support wrestling in any form. WWE, TNA, ECW, WCW, ICW, PBW, CZW, BJW, NJPW, PWG and a whole bunch more. If you think that TNA shutting down is a good thing you should damn well stop calling yourself a wrestling fan. The people who say "well TNA was s*** anyway" have no idea what they are talking about. People have said that TNA would shut down from day one. 

Wrestling is great because its an art form. Art is a personal subject to everyone as we all portray artistic achievements differently. Some people love Picasso and some people hate it. This idea can be transferred to wrestling. Some people love TNA and some people hate it. But even if you hate Picasso (or TNA in this case) you should make a conscious effort to try and understand why others like it or dislike it. You are free to like and dislike what you choose but you are also free to not be ignorant to other peoples decisions and feelings.
One example I can give personally is that I dont like ROH's story telling. I think every match is very similar and there is never any definition. However I understand that people like to watch ROH because there are a lot of talented workers that go there. 

So why do people hate on TNA? Is it the lack of depth in roster? The lack of talent? The fact that everyone believes TNA steal storylines from WWE? I personally think TNA became cool to hate in much the same way people think its cool to hate bands like Nickelback and Coldplay. TNA provides a great alternative and has really proved recently during their NYC taping that they can put on a great show. SO WHY DO PEOPLE WANT TO SEE IT FAIL? This will not be another WCW style take over where WWE swoop in and snatch up all your favourite talent and showcase them on the stage of the immortals. WWE have already said they have zero interest in 90% of the TNA roster so why would that suddenly change? 

If TNA closes you can expect to see all the names like Aries, Roode, Storm and Anderson on the indies scene again very soon so all you lovely indy darlings who hate on TNA so much can so them in your local shows and praise them like they are the second coming of jesus's left testicle. Just think on that and remember you aren't a wrestling fan if you only support one company. You are a company fan. Much like in baseball. You can't be a baseball fan if you only support the Yankees. You are a Yankees. 

So what do you think? Let us know on twitter and make sure and catch our RAW-Preshow LIVE ON YOUTUBE. @LevellerLOW

Gunning On The Level - Battleground

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 gather up your gear and put your war face on because we are headed to the Battleground.

Cameron vs Naomi in a preshow "bitchfest"

LLG - "Naomi wins. I don't even need to justify this, do I? After sifting through website after website, it has become abundantly clear the WWE could very well hand over the win to Cameron. I disagree wholeheartedly with a decision like that, and I'll explain why: Cameron has the "stronger personality" and I place that between air quotes because her personality is that of dozens of women you could find in non-white collar neighborhoods. I'm not being racist, but it's true, even down to her "Gurl, bye" motto. If you think she made that up or WWE made it up entirely from scratch, you probably grew up in a sheltered and cozy community without access to some of the more urbane television shows riddled with pop-culture references. Naomi, on the other hand, hasn't been given the chance to flourish into a personality of her own (for reasons unknown) but she is the stronger athlete of the two. I still pick Naomi for the winner, but I want you all to see the differences between their characters so that you can better understand why Cameron wins, if indeed she does. WWE often takes the easy route, the route with less risk, and since they've established who they want Cameron to be, it's very possible she'll send Naomi packing.... gurl, bye."

L - "Ok. I'll bite. Naomi loses and Cameron gets the win. Feud continues at Summerslam. Cameron needs to look strong as Naomi is clearly the better of the two but WWE will want to cover that up"

Jack Swagger vs Rusev

LLG - "I can't believe I am wishing Swagger could win this, but let's be realistic. I highly doubt WWE suddenly wants to start building Swagger; therefore, it is by default (it should be obvious) we will see Rusev walk away victorious."

L - "Swagger loses but looks strong in doing so. Maybe we see Swagger be the first person to break the Accolade? I think either way this feud continues on to Summerslam where Rusev needs to get the win but by the skin of his teeth."

20 man Battle Royal for the Intercontinental Championship

LLG - "Considering the fact WWE most likely didn't read my article on why unification is a bad idea, I am willing to bet my post-PPV bagel on Sheamus walking away the proud holder of two belts. I want to see Ziggler win, or Cesaro, but I don't see that happening. I also wish Barrett would make a miraculous recovery and return to reclaim what was previously his just a short time ago, but again, I don't see that happening. The only other surprising possibilities are: Bo Dallas, Miz, and Big E. Seriously though, I'm betting my bagel on Sheamus (much to my chagrin)"

L - "Miz winning is best for business. Let the irish fella tease all he wants but I'm willing to see your bagel bet and raise the steaks. Thats right. Steaks. I wont eat steak for a whole month if Miz loses. Here's the deal;
You got Sheamus teasing to all his pandering fans that he will be IC/US champ and they all love it but why bring back Money maker Miz with no story? Quite simply put THIS is his story. He wins the IC title. Barrett begrudgingly hands over the title to Miz who then spends the next several weeks being threatened by Sheamus who reminds him he will Brogue Kick him in the money maker. This leads to Sheamus vs Miz down at Summerslam and the winner gets the IC title. Sheamus nearly wins until Barrett interrupts causing a DQ and Miz retains. This would mean Barrett was still involved and that they could run a three way match much in the same way that Benoit/Angle/Jericho did at WM16. MIZ WINS"

Paige vs AJ Divas title match

LLG - "I don't think AJ Lee came back to lose so soon. It should still be good, though (as in, better than most matches involving the divas). I'm fairly certain these ladies will put on a good show. AJ Lee will retain."

L - "AJ retains and Paige begins heel turn. This will lead to a personal match at Summerslam and instead of the "show of respect" we get tonight we will get a more violent and more likely better divas match."

Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins

LLG - "This is going to steal the show, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a huge Ambrose mark.
I want Dean Ambrose to be booked to look strong, and I want him to rip Seth to shreds (figuratively) but I would be shocked (beyond shocked) if The Authority did not interfere to prevent Ambrose from winning. My answer, as usual, is two-fold: I want Ambrose to win because I think it would ultimately be more interesting if Rollins lost so soon; it would add a dynamic to the feud which could fuel more interesting segments between Rollins and The Authority, and not to mention, it would give Rollins a bigger chance to continue connecting with the fans in that perfect heel-ish manner he has proven to have. You know, the fans would have the smug satisfaction of calling Rollins out on his BS, and Rollins would need to increasingly become more vile and to prove the fans wrong. However, I see WWE booking Seth as the winner.

*I also wish (in a small, mostly hidden part of my soul) Rollins would end up turning on The Authority, thus revealing his Master Plan and therefore leading to the reemergence of The Shield. Dreams, indeed.

L - "Ends in a no contest. Or at least it should. WWE would be wise not to throw away such a personal feud on a B PPV. This needs to be given a gimmick and happen at Summerslam next month. No swapping the briefcase either. Ambrose should revel in the idea that he can continue tormenting Seth well past their feud if needs be."

Jericho vs Bray Wyatt

LLG - "Because I ultimately foresee Bray getting hugely over thanks to Jericho, I think this first match will go to Jericho. I think Jericho needs to win this now in order for Bray to look absolutely monstrous and majestic later. Jericho for the win! This will be the second best match of the night, probably, after the Ambrose and Rollins duel."

L - "What she said. Expect Summerslam or NOC to have a good gimmick match for these two. Also don't be surprised if we get Jericho and The Usos teaming against the The Wyatt family on the following nights RAW."

The Usos vs The Wyatts

LLG - "A while ago I had predicted The Wyatts would win the titles, and they didn't. I still think they should have won; therefore, I'm siding with them yet again for this PPV. The Usos did a good job as hunters in the chase for gold, but now they're just not as exciting (I can't be the only one who feels it, can I?). The Wyatts would be brutal as Tag Team Champions, and it would (should) be a great opportunity for WWE to revitalize the Tag Team Division. Can you imagine all the teams which would need to rise up in an attempt to dethrone The Wyatts? I want to live in a world where this happen. The Wyatts for the win! 2 out of 3 Falls, damn. Should be good!"
L - "Wyatts win. This is a good opportunity to add fire to the feud so damn well use it. Both teams are great and they need better competition than just each other so put the belts on The Wyatts and have The Usos challenge them to a cage match at Summerslam. The Usos would get to perform the superfly splash just like Superfly and The Wyatts would get the win and look brutal doing so. After Summerslam you can have The Ascension or another rising team challenge."

Fatal Four Way for the WWE WHC

LLG - "Do I actually need to address this? Prior to all the SummerSlam spoilers, this match was already the least exciting on the whole card; now, knowing what we know about SS, it's almost a joke. Seriously. I don't think WWE will risk a swerve; therefore, it's pretty safe to say Mr. Fruity Pebbles (Mr. Super Cena) himself will continue on to win this match and retain his titles. The only thing worth seeing about this match will be Roman Reigns. It'll be interesting to see how he does in this match, and I'm pretty sure he'll give those other boys quite the fight. If this were later on down the road, you know, like if this were 2015, I'd love to say Roman Reigns for the win...but no. Cena for the win, definitely. Heyman's "Plan C" will most likely appear Monday night after the PPV"

L - "Tough call. Very tough call. Cena loses the belts. I'm gonna go there. Cena loses. Yup. Kane or Orton get the win. Quite possibly due to Plan C *cough LESNAR cough*. You get Cena nearly winning. He nearly pins Kane because Orton and Reigns are brawling elsewhere or are out after a spot at the announce table. Lesnar's music hits and he throws Kane out of the ring, attacks Cena and makes sure he can't get up. Lesnar leaves and slithers in to get the final pin as Kane just watches on from the outside. Reigns gets up at the end of the show and spears Kane and stares down Orton as the show closes. This leads to Cena/Lesnar at Summerslam. Orton/Reigns at Summerslam (leads into HHH/Reigns at NOC after Reigns gets screwed over.) and also could lead to Kane/Orton in the future. Or thats how I would book it. But ultimately Cena loses the title tonight one way or another as Lesnar vs Cena doesn't need a title ramification but they could use it if needed."

Well there you have it. What do you think? Let us know on twitter at @LevellerLOW and @Lovelostgunfire

Part Time Titles

THIS POST CONTAINS POSSIBLE SUMMERSLAM SPOILERS. CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN CHOICE.

With lots of speculation of the Summerslam main event going around due to a promo being released by "mistake" I want to clear up why it won't be such a bad thing if that intended match is for the title. 

Now on the assumption that the two superstars in the main event are the ones implied then we can expect to see John Cena and Brock Lesnar going at it again. It's unclear at this time whether this match will be for the WWE title or not but I want to look into what will happen if it is.
Brock needs to win. FACT. This helps to continue the fact he is unstoppable and helps to make sure the defeat of the streak stays valued. If anyone beats Brock within one year of him beating the streak it will completely devalue it. If Brock wins the title it should not be deemed as a bad thing and I'm more than happy for him to have a lengthy title reign. 

If Brock hold the title its safe to say we won't see him on TV every single week. THIS IS A GOOD THING. This means the WWE will have a mainevent champion that isn't over saturated. The current WWE title picture seems to revolve around the champ having a match every single week and they don't need that. They also have the perfect reasoning as to why Brock should stay off TV. "Taker shows once a year and I defeated him. Why should I be any different?" This also means that we don't get too many of Brocks dates used up at once.

By the champ not being on tv you can have it made clear that he will only fight the best of the best at PPVs. This would put all the attention on finding a great number one contender and this would give wrestling a sense of competition as well as story. Also, this gives WWE the option to start pushing younger guys into the main event picture without the worry of them being overly exposed straight away. This could also be seen as a great chance to create main event storylines that didn't revolve around the wwe title in some way. When was the last time two main event stars really feuded for a long time just because it was personal?

Another good reason for your champ not being on tv is that it makes him look special. Imagine Brock Lesnar has Heyman as his advocate and you have Cesaro fighting on behalf of Lesnar. This would be a great way of making it seem like Lesnar has power and could even lead to Cesaro/Lesnar for after Wrestlemania. Brock not being on tv would also give the midcard a chance to thrive. If there was no WWE title on RAW or Smackdown you could have the IC title be the one in the main event or even the US title when they decide to fix it up. NOTE - WWE Should be doing this now but given the fact they are about as useful as a cock flavoured lolly pop we can assume they would only really focus on it if this did happen.

Now I know a lot of you are saying "WHAT ABOUT RATINGS? WHAT ABOUT THE MONEY GUYS?" They will be the guys giving it everything on RAW so they can show why they should be number one contender. They are the ones out there every single week giving the ratings anyway so belt or no belt that wont change.
Providing the WWE stuck with the rematch clause they could have each person face Lesnar twice. So if Lesnar wins the title at Summerslam that would leave 6 ppvs up until Mania. This could give WWE the opportunity to have Cena face him at Summerslam and NOC. Bryan (if he is back) to face him at HIAC and Survivor Series, Randy Orton face him at TLC and Rumble. A month of build going through Elimination Chamber for Reigns to face him at Wrestlemania. 

Provided Lesnar has at least 15 dates on his contract he can do every PPV and the full build up to Wrestlemania. And there is no denying that whoever beats Lesnar at Mania is going to look great and get a huge push. Enter Roman Reigns. 


So what do you think? Still feel that the WWE champ should be on TV every single week or are you ok with Lesnar being a "part timer" and holding the title? Let us know by leaving a comment or getting in touch on twitter at @LevellerLOW

We Have Him! Now What?

EDITORS NOTE - You can now catch Levels Of Wrestling RAW preshows every Monday two hours before RAW and their interactive wrestling talk show LOWdown on Tuesday nights at the same time on youtube. Be sure to subscribe to their page to keep up to date. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr7W3Hi7MztqaJlvnjhq_ag

Lets just take a minute and realise that STINGS APPEARANCE IN WWE WILL NEVER LIVE UP TO PEOPLES EXPECTATIONS if and when it happens. I'm not afraid to say that I wrote a piece back in December about how I felt Sting should have made his debut and now in the back of my mind I will forever believe my way was correct and would have been better than anything WWE could give us. And frankly my idea was great (yup I'm serious). So with that in mind I want to give you all a realistic look at what is most likely going to happen or could happen next week IF Sting does arrive on WWE tv;

The Realistic Option

Sting is more than 99% confirmed as the preorder bonus character in WWE 2K15 and with WWE beginning to promote the game it is safe to say this is why Sting shows up. The fact is they did this same sort of thing with Warrior last year. They will more than likely announce the fact that Sting or Steve Borden is the first inductee to WWE Hall Of Fame class of 2015 and then tell everyone that he is the preorder character. It might not be the way you want it to go down but hell its the most likely so do not get all up on your high horse when it happens. You were warned stingers. Personally i'm ok with this. Yeh it's a little disappointing but remember that WWE is a profit turning company first and foremost and they really do do what's best for business so to say. Guaranteed this will bring back some of the attention from old WCW fans that WWE may have lost and it will also bring in TNA fans who watched Sting while he was there so this really is best for business. 

The Sandow

I suggested it on twitter but just in case you missed it, we could possibly get Damien Stingdow. For the last few weeks we have seen Sandow try and get heel heat from the crowd by dressing as other superstars from that town and mocking them. I realise that Sting is not from RAWs destination next week but with all the hype that happened you can guarantee that Sandow would get some heat if he comes out as Sting. He could have the lights drop and the crow. It would be huge when there has been this much speculation for months. Obviously at some point you have him do this and then Sting attacks him, proclaims it's showtime and disappears for a few weeks while teasing more things on twitter. 

The GM Option

Vicki gone. Maddox gone. A job opening there then. This is just another option that WWE can take. It could be announced that he is here to work for the board of directors as a decision from Vince himself. They can run with the idea that The Authority is out of control and they are abusing power. This would lead to matches at Summerslam such as Brie Bella getting the opportunity to fight for job against Steph, Reigns vs Orton (if Reigns wins he can face HHH at NOC) and Ambrose vs Rollins. Sting is the perfect character to do this because if needs be The Authority angle can go on until WM and guess what? You might get that Sting match. Im not saying it should happen. I'm only saying its an option.

The Tease

Plain and simple just like it sounds. You don't need anything huge. Just have a match go on and then have the lights go black. Hear a crow sound and then when the lights come back up all the guys are on the outside of the ring on the floor and a single bat lies in the middle of the ring.
Alternatively have the same situation but instead of the bat you have the crow/vulture sitting on the ropes and then the lightening flash to finish off RAW. 

The Fan Option

Now this is in no way true or should be believed as that. This is just if I could have my way at this point. So know it won't happen. 

If WWE were sensible they would have put Undertaker as the preorder bonus. Who doesn't want to play as arguably the biggest star of the last 25 years? This ensures that WWE get a set amount of preorder bonuses sold and they make sure people buy the game. This could have been announced on Monday and they could have tried to announce Undertakers HOF spot for the class of 2015. At this point you could have the lights drop and make it seem like Undertaker was going to make his entrance. Lights go up and Sting (who is holding a microphone) is face to face with HHH when the lights go up. Sting tells HHH and Taker that he can't go into the HOF until he has faced him. That he cant go out without letting two legends clash. Lights drop out again before HHH can retort and Sting is gone. They could tease the Sting/Taker match. 

With all this in mind there is one final possibility and that is that Sting can wrestle or at least set up matches that he can wrestle EG Survivor Series, Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. While many think that Sting cant or shouldn't wrestle you can damn well believe that if he feels capable that WWE will utilize him in any way they can. The PPVs will shoot up when people find out that the one man who has never wrestled in WWE is suddenly wrestling. And if they were wise they could easily make his first match Survivor Series (where Taker debuted). 

I honestly believe (and this isn't just the fan talking) that if Taker wants to they will do Sting/Taker next year. They have no streak to limit them any more and as many people keep stating they are getting too old. Yep they are getting old. So its this year or never. Taker looked as bad as he did in that match because he suffered a concussion 3 minutes in to the match. He would not have looked like that had he not sustained a concussion I guarantee that. Roughed up yes but completely bedraggled no. And yes the streak still would have been broken this year before anyone decides to tell me otherwise. IF STING AND TAKER WANT THAT MATCH YOU CAN BE DAMN WELL SURE ITS GOING TO HAPPEN and it will be your money match on the PPV. It will be billed as the last match of two legends. But whatever happens when/if Sting shows up you can bet your bottom dollar it will make WWE history. 

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

 

America Gets Its Swagger On

Well this Monday we saw a few things we didn't expect. A Jericho return. A Miz return. An AJ return. A Khali return (lots of return huh?). Oh and a SWAGGER FACE TURN!

Who in the blue hell expected Swagger would be that over that quickly? I sure as hell didn't. We all knew that the crowd loved chanting "We The People" but who knew they would chant "Lets Go Swagger"?! I mean it was gold. Zeb Colter spoke the perfect promo for that situation and they waited until they got in the ring to talk which made the atmosphere different to what they usually do. It was serious and it had meaning. Swagger stood looking amped and ready to jump on Rusev at any minute. There was even a point where you could see how happy Swagger was to have the crowd roaring his name at him. Rusev backed Lana out of the ring and then Swagger and Rusev went at each other but within two arm drags it was over. 

This was a great segment by WWE and the lack of in ring action was clever. They are teasing this match and just edging everything into place. Big E failed to give the Bulgarian who now hails from Russia his first loss but could Swagger be the guy to do it?
Personally I don't think he will be but I'd love to see Swagger be the guy to break the accolade for the first time. I think if Swagger is going to lose to Rusev (which without a shadow of a doubt he will) then I feel he needs to look strong even in lose because if not he will end up like Lex Luger did. Dead in the water. There needs to be something that Swagger can do so that he can put a feather in his cap even when he loses. Maybe he can be the first person to make Rusev so angry that he doesn't listen to Lana? 

Jack and Zeb have been on a roll recently and I have been one of the first to say that Jack looked sloppy in the ring as of late but this is because we know he can be a fantastic worker. All jokes aside Jack should be high as hell right now because he just got the biggest pop of his career. 
I feel like a face Swagger could be interesting especially since his ex-partner is currently a heel. This means we could see them cross paths again and get some more great matches.
Personally, right now, I'd love to see Swagger vs Rusev in a submission match but I don't see it being much help towards Swagger when he loses then as this would mean his finisher could look weak. Another option would be for them to go for an all out brawl and give Rusev his first gimmick match to work with.

Hopefully this feud gets really heated and really intense because both of these behemoths are just that. Intense. Swagger just drips intensity and times and Rusev pretty much snarls like a pitbull on steroids when he is really going for it. I really hope they don't drop the ball on this because Swagger will either look great or weak as hell.
If WWE really want to push the boat out on this one they should have Swagger and Zeb rally troops for an American revolution. It would get a face pop while still being very close to the knife so to say. I don't mean like the Lex Express but they should put out videos like they did when they first began the Real American gimmick. Imagine going on youtube and seeing Zeb cutting revolution promos or even have them pop up like adverts on the network. 

So will Jack keep his Swagger or will Rusev "Crush"? What do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment below or get me on twitter at @LevellerLOW

Did You Miz Him?

This past Monday night we saw the return of The Miz. This past Monday night we gave very little craps about The Miz returning. This past Monday night was Jericho's night. Yet I hear you cry "Really? Really?! REALLY?!" and to you people I say "yes really". But this is a good thing. We saw Miz cut a promo about how the WWE needs him and that we should be glad he is back. The best thing about this is that he said a lot of very true things and we got to see the return of heel Miz.

WWE knew that anyone who was on the same segment as Y2J would be booed because practically every return to the WWE by a legend gets a face pop. This logic is just what WWE needed to make this work. At first I wasn't fond of this segment as I felt it made people forget that Miz had returned but now I see a different side to it.
Miz got booed. Heavily. This is just what WWE wanted. You are meant to boo the heel. Jericho was a face upon returning. This did two things (for the sake of appearance on TV anyway);

1. Miz looked like a real heel and douche bag again

2. Jericho looked great and came across as a crowd favourite and rightfully so. 

But for this to work in the long run for Miz he needs to endure everything WWEs crowd throws at him and continue to tell the WWE universe that he will stay for them. He needs to be really hated so that the crowd boo him for the correct reasons. Have him continuously act like he is above the WWE and that he feels he HAD to come back because the fans needed him. In short this gimmick is what a heel version of The Rock could have looked like upon returning had they decided he would be an ass. The Miz needs to act like they under-appreciate him in the company but he sticks around because he needs to entertain the fans and prove them all wrong. 

His pompous arrogance was just oozing out of the white, hollywood suit that he wore and he began to feed off the crowd but in order for WWE to capitalize on this they need to make sure Miz looks important. Not main event important. Not yet anyway.
I see Miz winning the IC title at Battleground. I realise a lot of people think Cesaro will win but I feel we will get Sheamus/Cesaro for the US title after Summerslam or at the event itself.

Miz can go and promote every week leading up to the December release date for The M4rine while holding the IC title. This brings attention to one of the champs in the company, it brings attention back to The Miz and it brings attention to the IC title. Don't worry however as Miz will merely be a place holder for the title until Barrett returns. 

If you don't understand the logic behind this I want you to think to yourself;
"Why would WWE bring back a star and not have him look important at least for a month or two? And wouldn't WWE want their movie star to be promoted as a big deal if he is the lead role?"

So what do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment or get me on twitter at @LevellerLOW