No Way Out review

Dear readers,
I recently signed up as a WWE feature writer for thecultden.com
I am excited to be say that my review has been published today - The Cult Den - No Way Out Review
Please take the time to head over and check it out.
Thanks go to Brad for allowing me to write for him. Here's to the future.

No Way Out Predictions

So here are my thoughts and predictions on No Way Out which is on Sky Box Office tomorrow night.

YOUTUBE PRE SHOW Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga
Brodus by pinfall

John Cena vs. Big Show Steel cage match.
If Big Show loses, John Laurinaitis will be fired. If John Cena loses, he will be fired
... Gah this is such a fucking stupid stipulation. Cena to win by escape

Sheamus (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus by DQ

CM Punk (c) vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship
CM Punk to retain BUT I think AJ will be involved on Daniel Bryan's behalf. Punk pins Kane

Christian (c) vs. Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship
Christian by pin fall

Layla (c) vs. Beth Phoenix for the Divas Championship
Layla by pinfall

Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez Tuxedo match
Santino

This show has the chance to be amazing. Dolph (as I predicted earlier this week) has the opportunity to show how good he can be. I DON'T see him chasing the main event in to Summerslam, mostly because Alberto will be back. What I DO see happening is Vickie and Swagger getting involved, thus turning Ziggler face and setting up a feud between Dolph and Swagger for the summer. There is Money in the Bank to consider, maybe Dolph will be in the frame for winning? Although if Wade is back there's him to consider.

As for John Cena getting fired....AGAIN?? This stipulation gets thrown around so much. I hate it. I can't see them firing Cena. Even though I pick him to win I don't realistically see them firing Big Johnny either. Gah. I don't know. Will Big Show throw Cena through the cage? Does Vinnie Mac get involved somehow? Last month I would happily have allowed Cena to be off TV for a little while, because as a fan of his and of wrestling I understand that wrestlers burn out. Now I don't want him off TV because there will be NO ONE to watch. OK Punk and Bryan with AJ are great to watch but they alone can not sustain a 3 hour broadcast. The roster has to be strengthend somehow.

Talking of AJ. She is wonderful BUT why isn't she taking part in any Diva's matches? She's going to be a wonderful talent but they need to be using her better as an individual not as a crazy "groupie". Her involvement is likely to be a swerve...I think her and Bryan will be aligned but it ill cost him the win not Punk.

As for the rest... Christian and Cody should build in to something really good if they get given a decent amount of time. Beth and Layla.. I'd almost forgotten the Diva's even existed. We need Kharma.  Santino.....well it'll be funny at least.

So there we have it. No Way out is back and it could be brilliant or it could be the worst ppv this year. What do you think?

Alberto Del Rio out of No Way Out

I hear via twitter that Del Rio is OUT of the World Heavyweight Championship match on Sunday night's No Way Out pay per view.
Reports suggest that Del Rio suffered a concussion during Smackdown last week. His replacement will be announced during tonights 3 hour Raw Supershow.
So just who will it be? In a roster that is already stretched to the limits in my eyes there can only be one of two stars fitting the bill.
1. Cody Rhodes.
Cody is a good choice. But I assume he's going to still be working a programme with Christian for at least this ppv. Maybe it's a little too soon to expect him to jump in to the top match straight away.
2. Dolph Ziggler.
Having had a few matches with Sheamus on tv recently I think Ziggler minus Vickie is a viable option. The matches have been steady and since I don't see Sheamus loding the belt this could be a good replacement and can lead to Ziggler feuding with Swagger (I shall elaborate on this thought later in the week).
I can't see anyone else fitting in, but would love to hear what you think.

Thoughts on Randy Orton

So Randy got busted under the wellness policy. Now all I hear is "WWE should just sack him".

Really?

Maybe his gimmick has got stale. Maybe he isn't worth the price of his contract.

Or maybe Vince and creative completely dropped the ball. Remember when Orton punted the entire Mcmahon family in the head? Remember when Orton had "anger problems" or when he was the youngest World Heavyweight champion? Yeah.

When Legacy broke up it made Randy a face. To me, that was a stupid ass move. Steve Austin was never really a face, fans just cheered for him because they liked what he did. Orton could have done exactly the same.

People slam Orton and say he isn't talented and has no personality. To them I give a huge middle finger. I have enjoyed every incarnation of Randy's character. Maybe I'm the exception to the rule. If Orton wasn't talented he would have been future endevoured a long time ago. He works hard and tries putting people over. Maybe he was a dickhead and a prick to work with, but now he's got his life together and seems happier.

I believe the fault lies at Creatives door. If they can not write continuing storylines then perhaps some future endevours need to be handed out.

Vince, if you're hiring, I need a job.

Smackdown thoughts

So just watched Smackdown and have a few thoughts. They're not particularly indepth.

I really really love Damien Sandow. His character is unique and he really is good on the mic.

There is a lot of slack to be picked up now that Randy Orton is suspended. It feels like thete's a big void that needs filling. This is perfect for Cody Rhodes or Dolph Ziggler to get their s**t together and step up. Which also means Cody getting more than 2 minutes of airtime.

Ryback is a monster. I was unsure what I thought of all the squash matches but it kinda makes sense. He needs to move on to recognisable "jobbers" though.

Sin Cara's back. I reserve judgement until I see him again.

This Big Show thing is annoying me already.

I don't understand why Kane has to be involved in the Punk Bryan feud in the manner he has been. I'd rather see him beat both men up and make their match a double countout at No Way Out leading to another match rather than being a participant.  AJ is another factor and there's just too much going on.

Overall Smackdown was good which is better than can be said for Raw

Thoughts and ponderings.

So yeah..blogging...sorry.....A million and one things have happened while I have been AWOL....but this post is mostly about
1. Brock Lesnar
2. "People Power"
3. The Brazil incident

So Brock was back and it was ok. Then he lost to Cena, which for the record I think was the right result, then he pussied out again because he couldn't get his own way.
Now I'm aware a it is a "Work" but seriously this contract is more than it's worth, but that's just my opinion. I rarely read the dirtsheets but apparently Lesnar is back in Ufc's bed.
My answer......... once a quitter always a quitter. l could care less if Brock ever came back. I would rather see the money spent on developmental talents.

People power Sucks, which clearly means that Johnny Ace is doing a fine job as a heel. l should point out that I'm a Cena fan so maybe that's why its working for me. l will of course be happy to see it finished sooner rather than later. The whole Big Show turn was too obvious.. I don't think anyone failed to work it out.

Finally......Brazil. What the Actual F**k. I assume readers are familiar with the incident I refer to.
Chris Jericho is the reason I am a wrestling fan. I am well aware that he's coming to London this weekend so would be Off TV for a short while but now he'll miss No Way Out. My initial thought was it is a work, a PR decision to avoid bad press. Now I'm unsure, but I hope that Chris is back where he belongs...

So. yeah. This was waffly. But I feel happy to be blogging and sharing my thoughts with you guys, and to get the frustrations out of my head.

Oh, before I leave, here is a picture of my delivery from the States.

Oops :/

So life kinda got in the way of blogging....not having the internet kinda sucked for a long time. But I'm hoping to make this year a consistant one. So lets kick off with predictions for tonights Royal Rumble!

Card:
30-Man Royal Rumble Match
CM Punk (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship with John Laurinaitis as special guest referee
John Cena vs. Kane
Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Mark Henry vs. Big Show in a Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Background:

• Kane has destroyed Zack Ryder in order to get to Cena and make Cena "embrace the hate"
• Chris Jericho has returned (Fan Girl moment!! *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE* ) and has only said that "Sunday will be the end of the world as you know it"
• Daniel Bryan has turned heel and is playing Mark Henry and Big Show against each other - Show knocked over AJ on Smackdown two weeks ago and now claims "to not know his own strength".
• Laurinaitis has cost CM Punk to lose against Dolph Ziggler over the last 4 weeks and admited to Mick Foley that he will try and screw Punk out of the championship
• Brodus Clay is the Funkasaurus

Predictions

Rumble - Chris Jericho or Wade Barret to win

CM Punk vs Dolph Ziggler - CM Punk by submission - I figure that its the only way that he can get around Laurinaitis being the ref....unless we see the early return of Triple H (he's due on Raw tomorrow to review the GM position)

John Cena vs. Kane - No contest - Kane will take the beating that Cena gives while preaching at him to "embrace the hate"

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Mark Henry vs. Big Show in a Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship - Even though he's been a pussy heel, running away from matches I think Daniel Bryan to retain via escape of some sort - Big Show throwing him through the cage maybe? (a la JBL & Big Show No Way out 2005)

Other points to consider -
I think Sheamus and Miz will have a god run, Miz being dealt the number one spot after losing a match to R Truth last week. Rumor has it that Brodus Clay is getting his full entrance, so I get the feeling he'll be eliminated pretty soon after. As its the 25th anniversary I wouldn't be surprised to see some legend entrants, specifically Hacksaw Jim Duggan who won the first ever rumble. But who knows??

Hope y'all enjoy the rumble and I'll be back here with my review and reaction later in the week.

Something to say? Disagree with my prediction? Hit that comment button and let me know!