Punk'd

"I'M GOING HOME"

These are the words CM Punk said to Vince McMahon during RAW on Monday night. Punk then allegedly got on a plane to Chicago. Since this event Punk has been removed from all future live shows, however, with this being said Punk is still advertised for Elimination Chamber. So is this reality of kayfabe?

The story is being told that Punk has been unhappy with his position for the last year and has wanted to be the top guy but realises he can't while John Cena is around. Its also a well known fact that CM Punk's contract was up in July and most people within WWE did not expect him to resign. Its also reported that Punk was very unhappy with creative having no plans to put Bryan in the Rumble and then having no plans to actually change his Wrestlemania match either. It should be noted that Punk wasn't on RAW this week and there was no mention of his Rumble exit or his feud with Kane. While the original plan for wrestlemania was Punk vs HHH it seems as though that has been nixed and that Daniel Bryan could fill his space. 

With The Authority being both an on screen and off screen situation its left me questioning how much did they piss punk off? Punk is a guy who is very vocal when he gets upset and likes to be heard. This is the opposite to Daniel Bryan who has a history of being a laid back nice guy. Could Punk have been standing up for Bryan? 

The whole situation is unclear as to what made Punk leave but friends of Punk have said that he has been wise with his money and could survive without WWE if he chose to. 

MY THOUGHTS

There are a few ways to look at this. Punk could honestly just be fed up and has legitimately quit WWE. Punk could be taking a stand for guys who work their asses off instead of being handed things *cough* BATISTA *cough*. Or it could be the storyline they have been discussing. 

Personally I think if Punk is happy we should all just respect that. If he has left then yes it was very anti-climactic but he has bowed out healthily and that is something a lot of guys don't do. If its a work we should all just wait and see what happens instead of trying to annoy Punk and WWE with questions. I honestly think if Punk has officially left to take time off or for the long term that it has to do with the way creative have been and the ways that WWE have been giving part time guys spots over those on the current roster. Punk lost to Rock who didn't promote the new title as he said he would and now Batista comes back and he takes what could have rightfully been Bryan's spot. It makes sense for Punk to be annoyed. All we can do is wait and see. 

IF ITS A WORK 

There are a few ways I would book it. First lets just make this clear. Both of these result with Punk being a major anti hero and Bryan being the lead baby face. Also I am of the belief that Bryan doesn't need the title but it would add legitimacy and interest to the titles. 

Situation one - Punk leaves now and goes home for two weeks only to come back and screw Bryan out of a win in the chamber. Punk cuts a promo the next night on RAW explaining how he became jealous of Bryan because he never got the admiration and that he felt he deserved. This leads to Punk vs Bryan at mania. Bryan would win and go over after The Authority tries to interfere in the match and Bryan overcomes the odds. 
Situation two - Bryan and HHH have their match at mania and Punk costs Bryan the match. He explains the next night that he finally gets it. He finally gets how to be the guy. He says sorry to Bryan but its time to open his eyes. He tells Bryan he will just never be the best of the best and that he is there to run the show as the BITW. Essentially Punk will turn on the fans and turn on his morals and let his jealousy and anger take over. 

Situation three - Punk comes back the night after mania and attacks the current champion. He explains that enough is enough and that he is taking a stand. He begins to blur the lines again as he tells of his frustration of part timers and that its time for change. He stands tall in the centre of the ring and demands that Bryan join him. Bryan comes to the ring and tells Punk that he will stand by him and together they will stop the authority. 

So what do you think? Let me know at;

Twitter - @LevellerLOW

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LevelsOfWrestlingLOW

Now What? - Royal Rumble Review

This past Sunday we saw the Royal Rumble event. This Rumble was really highly anticipated by a lot of people and I think its safe to say most people came out of Sunday's event disappointed. Even Mick Foley had some bad words to say which is rare to see. So lets take a look and see what went on (please be aware of spoilers from here on out) ;

The tag title match

This match was on the pre-show and probably shouldn't have been as it was better than Big Show/Lesnar. The match went back and forth and we saw The Rhodes get the better of The Outlaws several times. Cody Rhodes continues to improve in the ring especially with his new springboard to the outside. Goldust is still going strong and both Outlaws proved they can still go (more so Billy Gunn but Road Dogg was good to). The end of the match seemed rather strange but we saw The Outlaws pick up the win. The ending itself was fine but Im unsure of the reasoning behind it. Why should a team who haven't had that much TV time in the last 13 years suddenly get a title shot and then win? I mean are WWE trying to make the titles more prestigious by giving them to an older, experienced team? Are they doing it as part of a storyline? We all know they are friends of Triple H. Hopefully this leads to Rhodes and Goldust feuding. I like Goldust but I think its about time he went behind the scenes again personally. 

Bryan vs Bray

This for me was match of the night. Both guys maximised their on screen time and gave a damn good performance. With the crowd strongly behind Bryan I thought it would be a no brainer for WWE to make him win. Apparently not. Both Harper and Rowan were sent to the back for interfering leaving it in a clean one on one. Both guys hit some good spots but the highlight for me was watching Bray use Sister Abigail into the barricade at  ringside. It looked good, sounded good and came off well executed. Bray picks up the win and most fans complain. I understand why they complain but at the same time Im not angry. Both guys had solid arguments for winning this match. This will give Bray a big rub going into his new programme. Bryan will be over no matter what. At this point I would say that Bryan is possibly past needing the belt to look a serious competitor. We shall just need to wait and see. 

Lesnar vs Big Show

This should not even be allowed to be called a match. It was down right awful. I knew that WWE would mess it up in some way. Yes its negative but get over it. The "match" didn't start for a good 5 minutes after they were in the ring. Big Show took a beating from Lesnar and then hit the KO punch to knock Lesnar down. Lesnar gets up and after a further 5 mins of time wasting Lesnar hits the F5 which looked more like an AA. Lesnar gets the win. Big Show was a problem for me in this match. He as beaten down by chair after chair and when the match ended all he did was slowly walk to the back holding his arm. If WWE wanted Brock to look scary then they should have had a medic crew out to check on Big Show. 

The WWEWHC match

To be honest I was not excited for this match at all. We have seen it 100 times. We know each guys has specific moves and we know they know each other. The match itself wasn't terrible.by that I mean it was better than TLC. Both guys got their share of offence in and both guys took their share of beatings. It was clear the crowd wasn't into the match. Like painfully clear. Orton taunted fans to get them angry and it probably just added fuel to the fire.   

The match ended after both guys stole each others finishers and Orton got the win. I will admit I was hoping he would make Cena tap with the STFU. 

The match ends and Bray Wyatt and The Family attack Cena. Thank god something interesting happened.

The Royal Rumble Match

Both of the above men deserve serious pushes for being two of the only people who kept last nights rumble match interesting. Roman Reigns spent the whole match being a machine and showing he can be the next big guy to succeed. The Shield only argued once which was surprising after Ambrose tried to eliminate Reigns.
Alexander Rusev also made his debut last night. He as damn impressive and moves very quick for a big guy. His super kick to Cody looked beautiful. Kevin Nash made his appearance and did his usual (sigh). Goldust Eliminates Cody by mistake. Sheamus returns. Thats the match in a nut shell.
Kofi Kingston got nearly eliminated twice. Once when Punk through him out onto Rusev who planted him on the barrier only for Kofi to make the huge leap back to the ring and the second time came when he held on literally by his shoe laces. Both saves looked great. DEAR WWE DO NOT FORGET THAT YOU ARE MEANT TO PUSH HIM NOW.

Sadly I will now discuss the winner. The animal Batista won. This is not good for business. The crowd were clearly annoyed as was I. He has been gone for four years and now gets a shot the title. Makes zero sense when guys like Ziggler, Bryan, Kofi, Reigns and even Big E could all just about step up.

Batista got booed out of the ring. That is not a good sign. How could WWE not see that happening?

Overall I give the PPV a 7/10. It had its moments and it was clear that WWE didnt listen to the fans. WWE now need to go back to the board and listen to their damn fans cause like I said even Mick Foley got annoyed which is saying something. PLEASE FOLLOW UP WWE. Bring out the big guns and take a chance. I know that WWE want Wrestlemania for the money but that doesn't mean that they have to use past stars that were big. It worked with Rock, it worked with Undertaker and it worked with HHH. DO NOT LEAVE OUT STARS THAT NEED TO BE MADE.

Let me know your thoughts at;

Twitter - @LevellerLOW

My Predictions for the Royal Rumble 2014

With the Royal Rumble less than 6 hours away I just wanted to give you my predictions for tonight's PPV and why I believe that each person will win.

The Brotherhood vs The New Age Outlaws for the WWE Tag Team Titles

I believe that The Brotherhood will lose here. They have been a strong face team for a long time now and they need to have believable competition. Who better than the NAO? They are great on the mic and can still go in the ring. The Brotherhood will lose and I believe it will lead 2 ways. They either A) lose the match and then feud with the outlaws for the titles so that they have a match at Mania with the faces winning or B) They lose and that causes Cody and Goldust to begin arguing and causing a break up and brother/brother match at Mania. That would leave the title match open for someone like The Usos or Real Americans.

I think the B option is more likely as WWE weren't originally going to have Goldust working part time. It could be a good way to make Cody a heel again and to get Goldust back to working behind the scenes. 

Brock Lesnar vs Big Show

In what I believe will be a surprisingly good match I think we see Brock Lesnar get the win. He has been beaten badly and has been man handled by the Big Show over the last few weeks so he needs the win to look strong if the WWE plan on him facing The Undertaker at Mania this year . No doubt we will see some interference by Heyman during the match. I can't imagine we get a ring breaking situation again so don't get your hopes up.
The alternative is that if Big Show wins Brock feels he has to redeem himself and enters the Elimination Chamber. 

Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt

Over the last few weeks we have seen Bray and Bryan go at it. Bray has been cutting some fantastic promos and Bryan's in ring work looks great. Out of the two I see Bryan winning. I think the match will be very physical but at the same time very safe. Bryan has recently suffered a concussion so WWE are not going to want to have him injured going into the biggest time of the year for them. I believe Bryan wins but there is a possibility that The Family could attack Bryan to make it look like Bray could get the win. I believe we could also see Bray and the Family in the rumble match as well.

 

Randy Orton vs John Cena for the WWEWHC title match

While we see this match for the 1000th time we can only assume that WWE has something big planned out. If they don't, im very disappointed. Its possible we see a DQ finish which would be a horrible ending in my opinion. Brock could interfere with the match to show dominance, Batista could interfere to show that he is serious about the title. There are a lot of ways this could go. I believe we see Orton win though. With Brock named as the number one contender for the title behind Cena it would give us a fresh match to see at Elimination Chamber. 

The Royal Rumble Match

There are three men that I believe are within a 75% chance of winning tonight. Batista, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Batista because WWE wouldn't push his return so hard only to make him lose on his return match? CM Punk because the odds are stacked against him. The authority "want" punk in the main event of WM (if punk doesnt win its because he is crewed by the authority). Funny that the rumoured match is with HHH and they talk about Punk being the Main event. 

Daniel Bryan because WWE have been so insistent that he wont be involved in the Rumble.
I think Bryan will win and be surprise entry number 30 much like how Cena was in 2008. The pop would be huge and the crowd would go nuts as he wins. I would have said Batista wins but I believe he gets screwed by Del Rio and they continue feuding when they are both in the Elimination Chamber. 

I also believe that we see The Shield dominate a lot of the rumble match. 

Where does WWE go from here?

The Elimination Chamber. Lets say if and only if my predictions are correct I see the Elimination Chamber being exclusively Ex-WH and Ex-WWE champs who will have to spend the next few weeks fighting for a spot in the chamber. I believe those spots come down to Del Rio, Batista, Cena, Sheamus, Big Show and Punk. 

The second chamber match should be for the US or IC title. 

What do you think? Let me know at;

Twitter - @LevellerLOW

What makes a true wrestling fan?

So what defines a true fan? Is it someone who can tell you the history of pro-wrestling? Is it someone who knows the difference between a Diamond Cutter and an RKO? Or is it someone who knows all the theme songs and has all the merchandise?

To me to be a true fan of wrestling means that you need understand a few things. You should be like the man above (@BrockLesnarGuy) and appreciate wrestling for what it is. It's fun. Or at least it should be. Wrestling first and foremost is something that was created to entertain the Romans and now it has been developed so that people can watch it and that's why we add story lines. You need to be able to understand that some things will not be realistic and that some things won't be legal but they happen in the wrestling world, in kayfabe land. To me Brock Lesnar Guy is the perfect example of a guy who just enjoys the product. During Lesnars return he clearly loved it (even though he probably knew it was going to happen.)
For me to be a fan you have to mark out on occasions and not be ashamed. Your favourite guy returned? MARK OUT. Wow something amazing happened? MARK OUT. You get given a high five by Rey Mysterio or whoever? MARK OUT. Just lose yourself to the product and let it be your mind numbing euphoria for the time its on. 

Another thing that makes you a true fan is standing by your own thoughts. These men here clearly dislike Cena so they found a way to show it. WWE cant stop them and they know it. They stuck by their morals and showed what they felt unlike a lot of "fans" who just jump on the bandwagon. IM LOOKING AT THE PEOPLE WHO SUDDENLY WANTED ZIGGLER TO CASH IN EVEN THOUGH THEY BOOED HIM THE NIGHT BEFORE. 

A fan should also be aware of the history. I don't mean the history of the sport but maybe just a brief history of past story lines. It means you can experience the product with an understanding as to why certain people feud or never feud. The best example is the Hardyz. They were constantly fighting with each other when they weren't in teams and if you missed two months of programming like I did at one point you forget what happened or what changed. 

A true fan should respect wrestlers at live events especially legends who have given their all to provide you with a top product and some of the best matches of the last 20 years. This is obvious. YOU DO NOT GIVE UNDERTAKER A WHAT CHANT DAMMIT! AND SURE AS HELL YOU DON'T TELL HIM HE SUCKS. (watch from 3.03 and listen out for the idiots.)

Most importantly for me you accept wrestling for what it is. Wrestling is an art. Its a story book being told in physical form. The typical story is - Hero vs Bad guy and you want the hero to win. Its as straight as that. No one ever should want a bad guy to win unless he is your guy. Wrestling is an art and should be appreciated as that. Some people will love it and some people will hate it. Look at the whole situation with a lot of WWE fans hating on TNA. While I understand a lot of people don't like both maybe you could give the company you didn't like another go? Maybe you could try and understand what it is that people actually like about the product and look at that? The fact is you should appreciate all forms of wrestling. TNA ROH WWE ECW IWC SWE what ever company you like you should stand by. Don't just throw hate at the ones you don't like. Try and see why people do like them.
Of course its not always about the violence. It takes a keen eye to realise the beauty of facial movements in someone's character like Bray Wyatt or Dean Ambrose.

SO HERE'S THE CHALLENGE. TRY WATCH ANOTHER WRESTLING PROMOTION THIS WEEK. ONE YOU WOULDN'T USUALLY WATCH AND FIND SOMETHING YOU LIKE ABOUT IT.

As per usual let me know what you think;

Twitter - @LevellerLOW
And as always thanks for keeping on the level

Crowds - PLEASE DO YOUR JOB!

Remember back to the last event you watched that you thought the crowd as amazing. Have a good think. I mean really think. When was it? Last weeks RAW? Money In The Bank 2011? Maybe it was even when Ziggler cashed in?
Because for me that should be the crowd we get every single week. Not just once every 3 months or maybe even 3 years depending how picky you are. The fact is THE WRESTLERS CAN PUT ON AN AWESOME SHOW BUT THEY REACT TO THE CROWD.  Last week Daniel Bryan had the crowd eating out of his hand and he ran with the ball and kicked it straight out the park. Thats what the crowd should be like every week. Get absorbed into the show.Get involved with the show. Take example from the British and Chicago crowds and make up your own chants. Hell even look at the night after mania for example;

The other thing is signs. Fan signs used to be inventive and they didn't even need to be crude or insulting. I remember seeing just seas of crowd signs and while I'm aware that WWE remove some fans signs due to the content of them that doesn't mean that you cant make tv appropriate ones.

The fans complain about a product. The WWE change the product. Fans still complain. They say a show is boring because the crowd didn't seem into it so it must have been boring. Well I say to you that if you want the show to be better and you want the crowds to be better make the change yourself. I realise that shows cost money to go to but really with all the money you have saved illegally streaming things you must have saved a penny or two to go to a show for a product you love so much? 

Follow me on twitter - @LevellerLOW 

And if you have a booking you would like to see me try and book let me know. 

The Streak - Should it ever be laid to rest?

Its that time of year again and we have all began speculating if/when the Undertaker returns who will face him to try and beat the streak. While it remains an unbelievable win/loss record even for a scripted set of matches its becoming more and more clear that The Undertaker is not unbreakable. Each year in order to try and make his opponents look more menacing and challenging they have to make sure that Mark Calaway takes a rough beating. Admittedly the streak matches always get me hyped but they are clearly taking their toll on Mr.Calaway and there is evidence to back that up. Just look at how often he performs now. So my question is, "Should the streak ever be laid to rest?"

The Man/The Myth

By now we are all clear that Undertaker is a legend. Any one who argues has no idea bout wrestling. He is one of the greatest "Big Men" in the ring. From his zombie like debut to his Ministry of Darkness, right up to The American Bad Ass and beyond he is a legend through and through. The Undertaker was consistently putting on good matches for years and has always stayed true to his gimmicks. How often do you actually see Mark Calaway out of character? He doesn't even attend the HOF ceremony. That is commitment if I ever saw it. But however immortal The Undertaker character may be it becomes more clear that Mark Calaway is not. With a list of injuries that include a torn pectoral muscle (2000. This is why he missed wrestlemania,) hip surgery and shoulder surgeries we can see that this gimmick can not last. It became clear that Mr.McMahon knew this as he only makes Mark Calaway work if he chooses to. 

And who can blame him right? I mean Undertaker has had some brutal matches. Look at his matches with Lesnar. His matches with HHH and his matches with HBK were brutal in a stamina draining kinda way and of course most recently his matches with Punk must have been emotionally draining due to the death of Paul Bearer. So where does this leave Undertaker for this years Wrestlemania? This is the biggest Wrestlemania of the last ten years and we have been told possibly the biggest ever so would Mark Calaway miss out on the chance to entertain? 

Wrestlemania or bust

So will we see Undertaker retire this year? That is the big question. Mark Calaway has been vocal before about he feels that when he retires he wants to give "the passing of the torch" so to say. But he has also said that he wants to pass it on to someone who is worthy to brag for years. Someone who will do him justice in some way. 

He has every right to want that in my opinion. He gets to retire happy and he puts someone over at the same time. But would Vince ever let someone beat one of his biggest stars? Can Vince produce someone that he knows won't leave? There are a lot of problems with having the streak broken. You have to be sure the person who beats it will be huge, you have to be sure they will make profit for the company and most of all you have to be sure they can live up to the matches of the deadman.
That brings me to the point of this years mania. Who does he face? Brock? D-Bry? Wyatt? Cena? Kane? Sting? I just dunno.

Conclusion

In my honest opinion I don't believe that this will be the year that the streak ends. I can honestly see Taker going three more years at most. But this will not be the year that he is beaten. Off the top of my head I can think of three people right now who should have matches with him before he retires. Cena in a I quit match. Bryan as he is the biggest guy in the company just now and Roman Reigns because he going to be the bench mark (you can hold me to that.) I would say not to look for the streak to be done this year.

For me there is one situation that would sort my dreams out;

Undertaker vs Kane. Undertaker challenges Kane because he has become a corporate stooge. One more brutal match between brothers. Undertaker coaxes the monster back out of Kane and the fight at mania with Undertaker winning and Kane thanking him. Both of them would retire that night and wouldn't be seen again after. Of course the druids would carry both of them away in caskets because it would have to be a spectacle.

Of course he could retire this year. He could also face Sting this year. Who knows right?

Let me know your thoughts; Twitter @LevellerLOW
                                           Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/LevelsOfWrestlingLOW

Yes! YES? No! NO?

Those of you who watched RAW this week will have seen possibly the biggest pop since "The Summer Of Punk." For those of you unaware Daniel Bryan turned on the Wyatt family and attacked Bray in the cage. 

(skip to 2 hours 13 mins)

While obviously this was a phenomenal moment I want to ask, WAS THIS TO SOON FOR DANIEL BRYAN TO TURN BACK?

Now most people will argue and say "no it was great. look at the pop he got." but I'm saying WHAT ABOUT THE STORY LINE? While its all well and good to say that's what Daniel Bryan had planned all along this would suggest he was still in line with Kane who set up the cage match. This of course wouldn't make sense unless Daniel Bryan was working with the authority which also doesn't make sense.
Now don't get me wrong. I loved the ending at the time. I thought it was amazing to see that crowd reaction. But WWE better have something incredible to follow this or its all going to be a waste.

Daniel Bryan is a hot card right now. He is on fire and there is no denying that but he needs some kind of pay off. Where does it go from here. Originally I had thought Daniel might turn at Elimination Chamber and set up a match between himself and Bray for Mania but now Im not sure.

The situation 

Currently the situation stands that Brock Lesnar is the number one contender to the winner of the Cena/Orton match at the Royal Rumble. This means that Brock Lesnar can have a match at any point. Raw. Elimination Chamber. Mania. WHO KNOWS. So this logically means that Brock could be WWE champion by Mania. But where does that leave the Lesnar vs Taker rumours? 

But with Daniel Bryan probably ending his rivalry with Wyatt at the Rumble (which in my opinion is far too soon) where does that leave Bryan. Will he get in to the Rumble match as well? How could WWE capitalize on Bryan in any other way. Surely they would be stupid not to put the belt on Daniel Bryan at Mania?

The other problem I see is that now there is only one Championship, what happens with the Elimination Chamber? If they make the Chamber a number one contenders match it makes winning the Royal Rumble pointless. 

So my questions to you are;

• Where does D-Bry go from here?
• What happens with Brock/Cena/Orton?
• What does Bray Wyatt do now?
• WHATS GOING ON WITH THE CHAMBER?

Give me your responses and thoughts at;

Twitter - @LevellerLOW

Pull the trigger

Here comes the boom

Now is the time. Now is the time to let the controlled frenzy off the leash. Kofi Kingston (in my opinion) is untapped potential. We saw it back in 2009 and now is the time to show it all. Let it all go and let him run with the ball. I personally am sick of seeing him misused. He puts in more work than Miz backstage and he does more media appearances to and yet Kofi is held in the same spot for years. The kids get behind him and I believe adults will as well with a few tweaks.

As Wrestlezone.com reported WWE have had Kofi marked as a priority in creative meetings and have discussed character changes and theme song changes. I think this is a great move if they are going to treat him properly. There are loads of options that WWE can give to the master of the boom drop so I want to give my thoughts on it. So with that in mind lets first look at character.

Character

Back in 2009 we got a glimmer of what Kofi can be when he is given the right feud. We saw an angry and powerful Kofi who wouldn't back down. We got this;

This Kofi could be fantastic. He could be that guy who never backs down. And now I know a lot of you will go, "But Cena does that and we hate him!" Well the difference is Kofi would do it logically. Kofi has shown before he isn't stupid. So I say give Kofi the Jeff Hardy push. Hardy came back to WWE in low profile feuds to begin with and then feuded over the IC title much like Kofi. So why not give Kofi a few more dangerous moments? Maybe a high ladder spot here or there. This kind of thing would get Kofi across as actually being able to take a bump and be involved in a violent storyline rather than just typical matches on Raw.

Alternatively, turn him heel or at least let him have depth to his character. They hinted at it with his latest set of matches with Miz. Kofi reacted to being bitch slapped and he clearly didn't like just being slapped. It was logical. When you get hit, you get pissed. Even little things like that could really add to him. Maybe have him explain he is so sick of getting no where and that he will go through who ever he needs to to get to the gold. Have his first opponent be a returning Evan Bourne and have Bourne get "injured" so WWE can get rid of him and make Kofi look dangerous.

My favourite option is to have him as a complete bad ass loner. Have him put in tag matches where he refuses to tag in his partner. Let him show his resiliency and his urge to win. Have Kofi show that he isn't going down easy. Have him talk about how he needs no one, no help and no easy way out because he is there to be the best. Let him explain how he has just been happy to be sub par but now he wants to show the best side of himself.
He could call out Mark Henry to begin with and challenge him to a match only for Henry to laugh at him and not take him serious. Kofi explains that he needs to earn everyones respect. 

Music

Kofi has had the same music since his debut I believe so this would be the first thing I would change. His song would have to represent his character so I would use the following if he was an aggressive face;

It has that angry push to it and still focuses on the boom. He could keep it and just liven up his moveset. The music has that typical beat behind it but at the same time the vocals highlight the tone and keep it balanced for his character. 

If Kofi was to look for respect I would have him come out to this;

This song explains exactly how I would love his character to be. "Im not going down that easy. It takes more than that just to break me" That line alone shows the character. Its much like Christians theme in that its catchy and could be based around the intro and the chorus. Its powerful enough that it can be used in promo videos for him as well. Its also a much more adult friendly song than his current theme. 

First Feud

I would have Kofi feud with the big guys. Some one that the crowd expects to destroy him and just have Kofi get back to his feet. The feud would end in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules to really cement that Kofi can hold his own. This would show that he has the never say die attitude and it would also show that he can hold his own in a lengthy match.

Possible opponents - Kane, Big Show, Mark Henry, (wait a while) Roman Reigns, Orton.or Lesnar is they could get him to do it. 

All these guys have that vicious side to them that would make Kofi look fantastic if he went over them. Much like the Jeff Hardy vs Undertaker match for the undisputed title or when Rey beat Big Show. I also believe that Kofi works better when he is in a long term feud so if he could build it from Elimination Chamber onward then it would be great. 

So what do you think? Let me know and give me your feedback. 

Twitter - @LevellerLOW 

Viva La Raza! - Guest Post

This month's guest post is by a good friend of mine, Marc McPherson. Be nice to him and he may come back for some more. 

Warning: A new blogger is approaching.

Good evening guys! Marc here, bringing you my first blog here on LevelsOfWrestling! WWE is my main talking point, although I have been known to dabble in a little TNA...


Enough about me, let's talk about wrestling. Let me take you back in time. Almost 10 years in fact!
No Way Out, February 2004. In the main event, we saw my all time favourite wrestler, Eddie Guerrero (Rest in Peace amigo), win his first WWE Title against Brock Lesnar. Having been only 10 at the time, watching my idol win the title, followed by the complete wave of emotion which took over The Cow Palace in the moments after his victory, I was overwhelmed. The image of Guerrero hoisting the WWE Title atop the entrance ramp has stuck with me ever since. On that night, Guerrero gave hope to underdogs all over the world. Truly mesmerizing. 

(I'd give anything for him to be back!)

The Undertaker has also always been a firm favourite of mine, having beaten pretty much everyone there is to beat (except one Mr Bray Wyatt...get it booked!). The sheer extravagance of his entrance, his phenomenal work ethic, and his ability, even in with his ageing and ailing body, is a spectacle that is, personally, unmatchable.

( Chills. Every time.)

In my next post, I'll look to talk about current hot potatoes (Roman Reigns, The Wyatts etc.), whilst also bringing you all back to some of the great classics that have made the wrestling industry what it is today.

Until next time!


Marc.

You can follow Marc on twitter at @TheBlue_Print

I've got some bad news....

And I've got some good news

In the WWE we have a huge roster. Its massive in all honesty. There is a huge selection of superstars and divas and of course there is a huge demand for a great product. SO WHY OH WHY DO WE GET THE SAME TALENT OVER AND OVER?

Its simple. WWE knows who brings in money. They wish to appeal to the masses. But now with todays blurred lines its hard to tell who is misused and who is just being "buried." So in this article I am going to look at the superstars that I feel are under utilized and I will explain as to why I like them. You may agree and you may disagree. If you can think of any others stars do not hesitate to let me know at @LevellerLOW on twitter. 

First off lets look at the favourite misused stars.

Dolph Ziggler is the IWC's baby. He is golden in the eyes of the internet gods but not in those of the WWE bookers and management. It's often being said that Dolph is getting backstage heat for being out of character during interviews and has often stepped out of line when voicing his concerns over his on screen roles but should that mean he is held back? No of course not. But with that in mind even HHH had to pay the price for the Kliq incident in MSG.
Dolph has potential. He is great at selling and no one can deny it. If anything, he over sells at times. Dolph is a former WHC and a former US and Intercontinental champ so why doesn't he get more TV time? Its a shame but I could see bigger things for Dolph so long as he keeps his mouth shut behind the scenes. Let him have a proper feud and let it go on for a while. He could do with the spotlight and the story to help build him. 

"I've got some bad news." Wade is very misused but this gimmick is good believe it or not. He is getting TV time and he has personality. He can maybe mould the character to what he likes. Guys like The Rock, Batista, HHH and even Stone Cold all had a bad gimmick at some point in their careers but Barrett has been badly misused. He started so strong. He was the leader of the Nexus and then The Corre and then he had his fighter gimmick and now well... we all know what he has now.
Wade is a good talent in the ring and is damn good on the mic but the WWE can never seem to pull the trigger. He had some nice work with Orton. Their matches showed that he can be ruthless and can still put on a show. Eventually though WWE will have to put Bad News Barrett in the ring so it will be interesting to see what feud they give him. I personally would have him beat down Big E for the IC title and then challenge someone every week. 

Slaters gonna slate baybay! Heath Slater is one of the most under-rated talents on the roster. People cringe when they see him on screen, kids boo him and adults laugh when he is beat up. HE IS DOING HIS JOB PERFECTLY. He is a cocky heel character who is getting heat from the crowd. Seems to be doing his job. Heath Slater asked to work with the Legends on the build up to Raw 1000. Clever move. Yes he got beat up every week but he got TV time every week and he got to work with some big names. I'd also like to make you think for just a second, Heath Slater has more title wins than Ryback and yet Ryback gets the main event spots. I would love to see Heath Slater get a more serious role but in all honesty he doesn't need it.
I put Heath in this list because I feel that he is misused 50% of the time because if he was built up I believe he could be a really hateable heel in the upper midcard. Imagine a feud between Heath Slater and say an upper midcarder where Heath interferes in all the matches to annoy them just because he can. He would get so much heat and the crowd would instantly pull for the other guy.

Santino is one of my favorite guys on the roster. He is a fantastic worker. He can cut a promo. He can put on a great match. When Santino debuted I thought he could be a great heel. He has some phenomenal moments when he used to work with Beth Phoenix. He began to work as a comedy jobber and he was getting booed almost as loud as Vickie at one point but now where is he? He is working with Khali.....

During his one appearance in the Elimination Chamber match Santino got the biggest pop of he night. Santino had almost the whole crowd behind him. And what came of it? Nothing. WWE missed the ball. They just act like it never happened. (skip to 40.00 mins)

 

I believe that he could be shelved by someone (maybe Orton who would be doing it to show he is just as violent as ever or after he just loses a quick match) and then I would have eerie promos of a slow methodical sounding Santino talking about his anger and how Orton opened a door he had shut. Id have Santino come back and ruin Ortons rematch for the title and then they could have a programme with a more serious Santino who would have the crowd behind him. 

Lets be honest

If WWE didn't have these guys in these positions things could be more interesting but we would still find some reason to complain. And really at least these men are on TV unlike other talents such as Gabriel and Kidd. The WWE needs to have jobbers. They need to have people that are there to make the other guy look good. Not all the time but some of the time. Like when Ryback debuted they used random jobbers. They could have used Mahal, Tensai or even Miz.
And at least they weren't buried like guys such as Ryder, Otunga, Sandow and Matt Morgan during his stint in WWE.

Honorable mentions go to - Kidd, Gabriel, Brodus Clay, Alex Riley, The Miz, Khali. 

As always thanks for reading. If you have any topics, comments or suggestions you want me to hear then you can contact me at;

Twitter - @LevellerLOW

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LevelsOfWrestlingLOW