http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/blog.php?12273-Aaron-Gratton Wrestling News and Discussion - eWrestlingNews.com Community en Wed, 22 May 2013 22:20:35 GMT vBulletin 10 http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/blog.php?12273-Aaron-Gratton http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?44108-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-FINALLY! Wed, 21 Nov 2012 15:44:54 GMT It happened! My god it actually happened! Dean Ambrose FINALLY made his debut on the main roster! Just when you think Ambrose’s debut is still a... It happened! My god it actually happened! Dean Ambrose FINALLY made his debut on the main roster!

Just when you think Ambrose’s debut is still a little way off – BAM! He comes from out of nowhere, along with NXT champion Seth Rollins (another internet favourite) and Roman Reigns, and puts Ryback through a table at Survivor Series. Personally, I’ve never been happier to see a perfectly good WWE Championship match ‘ruined’ by interference.

The IWC inevitably creamed themselves at the first sighting of Ambrose on main WWE programming, but hold on, wait a moment - even though they gave us the debut that we’ve all been waiting for, news from the back says that creative are *still* looking for the right opponent for Ambrose.

So, what’s going to happen? WWE held off, and then held off some more, on debuting Ambrose until they had the right programme for him – as recently as last week a WWE insider told not to expect Ambrose and Rollins any time soon (admittedly, this could have been said to throw people off – but why throw people off expecting two guys who haven’t been seen on main shows yet?). Now, Ambrose has made his long awaited debut, and it still sounds as if creative has nothing for you, Dean (tip of the hat to Colt Cabana).

Obviously, plans are for the three to carry on ‘invading’ and pounding on random guys – not just Ryback, they also beat down both Santino Marella and Tyson Kidd during their match on Main Event. You can tell the crowd was gutted to see that ‘classic’ end in a no contest...

Also, it will be interesting to see how much longer Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns will be linked with CM Punk and Paul Heyman – even if it’s just having them appear while Punk and Heyman are involved. Would it make sense having them involved together? Who would be the leader, Punk or Heyman? And not forgetting Brad Maddox, will he somehow be involved with the rogue NXT superstars? After all, WWE made sure to keep reference to Maddox during Raw.

If Maddox is thrown into it then, for the love of wrestling, don’t include him as an in-ring performer – having him alongside Punk, Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns would be the same as casting Adam Sandler in The King’s Speech.

Other Talking Points

Coming away from the overdue debut – WWE has given us other talking points, one of such being the continued push of Dolph Ziggler.
The sole survivor in his Survivor Series match against Team Foley, beating Randy Orton to seal the win for his team and looks set for a match with John Cena at TLC.

Ziggler always looks impressive, always.

At a recent live event in Nottingham, as part of the WWE’s world tour, Ziggler faced Cena in what was easily match of the night. Ziggler lost to Cena that night - maybe it’s time to stop making Dolph look good in defeat and make him look great in victory against the real big names. Yes, he beat Orton at Survivor Series, but in singles matches, rarely does Ziggler get put over.

That could soon change, and against Cena, no less, with a worked injury possibly opening the door for a clean win for the ‘Show Off’ over the face of the company. Why should Cena need an injury for Ziggler to be put over though? It’s plain to see that Ziggler is one of the best in the business right now, both in the ring and on the microphone – he’s money.

It’s interesting that Ziggler still hasn’t cashed in the briefcase yet though, maybe it’s because WWE holds the same opinion as me?

Dolph Ziggler has already outgrown the World Heavyweight Championship.

Think about it, what would he gain from winning it? Ziggler appears higher up the order than the title and regularly features on both shows. If anything, giving him the belt limits him.

If he was the world champion, Ziggler would appear on Raw in the same capacity as Big Show and Sheamus – then he would be condemned to having to play out his storylines on Smackdown in the midst of countless Raw replays instead of his current capacity where he’ll just turn up and work a match and the odd promo.

The WWE finds themselves between a rock and a hard place, as they wouldn’t want Ziggler to fail to successfully cash in, surely? The answer is no. So, that leaves us with the conclusion that you can’t give the belt to Ziggler, but at the same time you can’t afford not to.

Possible solutions to this predicament could be for Ziggler simply not to cash it in, thus letting the 12-month contract expire, or given the opportunity to trade his ‘anytime, anywhere’ world title shot for a booked WWE Championship match.

Both would render him winning the Money in the Bank pointless, but no more so than what the World Heavyweight Championship is now.

Aaron Gratton (@ABGratton24)

Visit aarongratton.com for more of my work ]]> Aaron Gratton http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?44108-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-FINALLY! http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?44076-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-WWE-Hmm Fri, 16 Nov 2012 03:02:49 GMT Raw, Smackdown and PPV’s – no matter the WWE programme at the moment, I find myself going into a state of ‘hmm...’ As a Brit, I religiously record... Raw, Smackdown and PPV’s – no matter the WWE programme at the moment, I find myself going into a state of ‘hmm...’

As a Brit, I religiously record my weekly wrestling fix of Raw and Smackdown (and PPV’s every month) because they’re on when we across the pond are soundly tucked up in bed. Usually, I can’t wait to enjoy the feast that’s been recorded the night before – I attempt to avoid social media (or use it as sparingly as possible) so as not to find out what happened.

That’s usually the case. However, lately, things are a little different. There isn’t really much happening that’s giving me much of a reason to put myself out to press the play button. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but when I’m watching I find myself thinking about how much I can fast-forward (not including the mind-numbing amount of adverts) in order to get through it as quick as possible.

Raw is three-hours, and it has been for a little while now – enough for creative to have got a grasp of the new schedule. Have they? Well, I think we all know the answer to that one. It’s far too long. It feels as though we’re watching a poor PPV every week with Raw being the same length (apart from Wrestlemania).

As a result of Raw becoming three-hours, this sees Smackdown wrestlers (not that separate rosters really exist anymore) get more TV time, even involving all blue-brand promos and matches on Monday nights. This wouldn’t be so bad if when it comes to Smackdown that literally half of the show wasn’t used for showing what happened on Raw. I don’t mind a quick recap, that’s fine, but replaying of whole segments? No. It’s boring, it’s unneeded and it’s time that could be used for something far more productive.

I’ll come back to Smackdown a little later in the post, for now I’ll carry on with Raw. Currently, the two main storylines are John Cena and AJ’s ‘are they screwing or not?’ programme and the WWE title picture between Punk with Heyman, Ryback and (again) Cena.

Does anyone care if AJ and Cena did get it on? The only thing amusing about this is seeing how the two continue to dispute whatever evidence is thrown at them. I was convinced that after the hotel video evidence, Vickie Guerrero could have played a clip of Cena fingering AJ and Cena would have passed it off as a mere itch that his friend couldn’t reach.

Seriously, this storyline doesn’t have any relevance, because what happens if either is proved? If Cena and AJ are clean, will AJ be reinstated? Nope. If they’re found out, will AJ be fired from the company where Triple H is COO because he screwed the boss’s daughter? No. My guess is that the story will go on that nothing was happening while AJ was GM and they get/got it on later.

It’s probably a good job it’s PG, could you imagine the IWC discussing Cena in the sack? John Cena in the bedroom would be; has five moves, lets the other person do all the work and eventually finishes on top.

Let that thought sink in for a bit.

Right, let’s move onto Smackdown.

I have always been a Smackdown guy. Over the years since the split, even though the blue-brand has never played out the high-profile stories, it’s where talent has been used to showcase what they can do - solid matches and, to be fair, solid writing.

But now, I watch a two-hour episode in little more than 45-minutes after skipping all unnecessary segments. Adverts on their own can shorten the viewing time by a good 20-minutes, then replays from Raw are a sizeable chunk and most weeks, for some darn reason, there is a section called ‘From The Vault’ where a ‘classic’ match is shown in near-entirety. Years this has annoyed me, YEARS! What’s the point of it? If you want to watch old matches then go to WWE on demand or watch WWE Vintage, but don’t use precious time on what was the better show that could so easily be used to build up one of the many unused talents hidden away in dark matches (DEAN AMBROSE).

When I’m skipping more than half the show, I find myself asking why I even bother anymore, why am I continuing to watch? And you know what; I’m struggling to answer it. Why am I watching Smackdown? Nothing happens. Yeah, Orton and Del Rio had a bit of a scrap, but it was shown on Raw (in a short bite-sized clip, might I add), so I wouldn’t miss it.

It’s a good job that Kane and Bryan are still gold, other than them, the only other guys worth watching (that regularly appear on both shows) are Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow, The Miz and Wade Barrett. That’s six people. Some may argue that Sheamus and Big Show deserve a mention – well, there’s their mention. When you’re going to only give me six guys worth watching on a programme that can easily be cut down to a 45-minute show due to Raw overkill, especially when I can see them on Raw anyway, don’t be surprised if I’m not too upset if I miss the odd week here and there.
As for Raw, the answer is simple – go back to two-hours. Oh, and need a new writer? HEYMAN’S RIGHT THERE.

‘Till next time.

Aaron Gratton (@ABGratton24) ]]> Aaron Gratton http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?44076-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-WWE-Hmm http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?43823-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-The-Best-Thing-Right-Now Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:02:05 GMT Everyone loves to criticise and make their voices heard about what they hate – yet, they come back for more. So, there must be something that... Everyone loves to criticise and make their voices heard about what they hate – yet, they come back for more.

So, there must be something that people like, right?

Well, let me tell you what is (by far) the best thing in wrestling right now – Daniel Bryan and Kane, otherwise now known as Team Hell No. Okay, so I admit, I’m not really feeling the name too much, but I can look past that. Why are Kane and Bryan so damn good? It’s easy, because it was a mistake.

WWE creative never meant to turn them into a team; instead, wanting to continue their feud together. It was only because of how well they worked as a unit, the chemistry showed and the crowd reaction that gave us, the fans, this spectacular gift that keeps on giving.

Avid dirt sheet readers will already know that Bryan and Kane as a tag team was a mistake – and were supposed to face each other at Night of Champions. This helps make up three reasons why this is easily the best thing in wrestling, which is proof that fan power (or, if your name’s John Laurinaitis, people power) actually works! Yes, Vince does take note, you guys.

Second reason; this has been the boost the tag division has craved for so many years. Now, we actually care about those horrible bronze belts. The only downside, however, is that now WWE are trying to force teams together and hope for another Bryan/Kane moment of brilliance. Not going to happen. I have two examples of this – Rey Mysterio/Sin Cara and Cody Rhodes/Damien Sandow. I have nothing against any of those names mentioned, but what makes Bryan and Kane work so well, what makes them so utterly brilliant to watch, is that they are complete opposites.

Oh, and the third reason that makes them the best thing right now is that I genuinely come close to wetting myself with prolonged periods of laughter. Please see Kane’s “I’m going to Disneyland” moment if you haven’t already – I challenge you not to laugh until it hurts.

Where do Daniel Bryan and Kane go from here?

Simple, dominate the tag team division, win all other championships (including the divas championship, just so we can hear them argue about who is the divas champion) and eventually begin a love triangle with Santina Marella.

Okay, probably not. But you can guarantee that whatever happens next for Team Hell No (still looking past the name) will easily be the highlight of Raw and Smackdown.

What I would like to see, though, with AJ Lee being placed on probation with concerns over her own mental health, is Kane and Bryan given the Raw GM job for a few weeks on account of their tremendous improvement in anger management. Could you imagine the possibilities? And you thought things got crazy when the set caught fire.

What happens next is anyone’s guess, but for the sake of making my television viewing that bit more enjoyable, Bryan and Kane need as much TV time as is humanly possible.

Keep calm and hug it out.

Aaron Gratton – Follow me on Twitter: @ABGratton24 ]]> Aaron Gratton http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?43823-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-The-Best-Thing-Right-Now http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?43681-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-Underused-Talent-II Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:20:19 GMT Following such a positive response to the first GWoW blog post, I felt I should continue to examine underused talent – and further more, get fans... Following such a positive response to the first GWoW blog post, I felt I should continue to examine underused talent – and further more, get fans opinion on my picks.

In the first post, you will have found out that I’m a big fan of Drew McIntyre. If you haven’t read that post, I suggest you follow this link and have a read.

Now, believe or not, McIntyre is used a lot more than my next pick of underused talent. ‘How is that possible?’ I hear you say. Well, because this guy has never actually been used on WWE television… well, not the main shows, anyway. He has been hidden away in WWE’s developmental territory, FCW. Most recently, you have seen Damien Sandow debut and become a huge hit – I saw this guy take on Sandow back in his FCW days. I have also seen him wrestle some of the best matches I’ve seen against William Regal and CM Punk.
The guy I’m talking about is Dean Ambrose.

Who’s he? Well, let me enlighten you. Dean Ambrose (real name John Moxley) is the best thing you haven’t seen. I first came across him when I found his match with CM Punk at an FCW event on YouTube (link here) where he goes toe-to-toe with wrestling’s main guy in a solid 10 – 15-minute match. The video starts with Ambrose delivering a promo about CM Punk (Punk was there for an autograph signing) and how he is the best in the world, not CM Punk. Rarely do you see a young talent deliver as well as Ambrose does here – heck, I can think of 75% of the main roster that could take lessons from Ambrose.

The next I saw of Dean Ambrose was a match with one of the best technical wrestlers of all time, William Regal. Again, another solid 15-minute match. Regal gets the win, but not without putting over the talent of the young Ambrose. Regal gives a lesson in technical wrestling, and Dean Ambrose is there with him every step of the way. Watch the match, and see how well Ambrose ‘sells it’ – particularly a shoulder injury.

Right then, so now you know that hidden away in WWE developmental is a guy who can keep up with the likes of CM Punk and William Regal at their best, can talk on the mic and has a unique character, different from anything we can see right now (and plays it brilliantly). But could he do it in front of the big crowds?
The answer to that is yes. Yes because he’s featured in a host of dark matches on Raw and Smackdown and appeared on various live event shows.

Here is a video of him facing Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) in December 2011 at a Smackdown live event. Again, showing that Ambrose can hang with the most talented of wrestlers, this time in front of a big crowd. Yes, the crowd could have been better, but forgive their ignorance as there are just some crowds that won’t get into a match, no matter how good it is, if they aren’t household names (just watch TNA and the fans in the ‘Impact Zone’).

So why hasn’t Dean Ambrose been put onto the main roster?

For a year or so now, Ambrose has been the guy many hardcore wrestling fans have been waiting to break through. Teased with his appearances at events and dark matches on Raw and Smackdown. The truth is that Ambrose was meant to have been used by now.

A program was set up between him and Mick Foley. The two exchanged words with each other and used social-media as a means of keeping the program relevant, without having to use any television time to cover it – so as their would still be those fans who didn’t know who he was, thus giving Ambrose the chance to cut a promo to introduce himself to the fans in a way that only he could. One day we’ll see that, and it will be television gold.

But Ambrose crossed a line that not even Mick Foley (the guy who’s fallen off a cell, landed on tacks and gone through flaming tables) was comfortable with – he brought his family into it. Some may rise their eyebrows at Foley having a line (I was shocked too), but even to a stuntman like Foley, family is a no go. So, unfortunately, Dean Ambrose joining the main roster was put back.

When will he be used? Not sure – but surely it must be sooner than later, after all, he and the fans have waited long enough.

Aaron Gratton ]]> Aaron Gratton http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?43681-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-Underused-Talent-II http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?43680-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-Underused-Talent Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:17:39 GMT To kick off this new blog, I thought it would be appropriate to start with one of the IWC’s (Internet Wrestling Community) favourite subjects –... To kick off this new blog, I thought it would be appropriate to start with one of the IWC’s (Internet Wrestling Community) favourite subjects – underused talent.

Hands down, the absolute number one underused talent in the whole of wrestling right now is a Scotsman by the name of Andrew Galloway – more commonly known as Drew McIntyre. McIntyre has it all; the look, in-ring ability, mic skills, charisma, awesome entrance music and all the potential in the world.

It was just February 2011 when Drew McIntyre was a part of the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match, alongside the likes of Edge, Rey Mysterio, Wade Barrett, Kane and Big Show. Two months later, McIntyre was moved to Raw – via the supplemental draft (where all the wrestlers that aren’t deemed important enough to draft on the main show are switched around) and sightings of ‘The Chosen One’ on television have been few and far between. He’s not even been named on the WWE ’13 video game roster – the biggest roster ever on a WWE video game.

If you believe the dirt sheets (which are right more than Vince McMahon would care to admit) then you can put Drew’s fall from grace down to the break-up of his marriage with former WWE Dive Tiffany and what some believe was the wrong attitude. If the break-up of his marriage did have a part to play, then the WWE does have form – Tiffany was soon released, and look what happened to The Miz after Maryse (his real-life girlfriend) was released. Exactly.

Why Should McIntyre be Used More?

There are a ton of reasons why. Firstly, because the fans (or, as ‘they’ prefer to say, the ‘WWE Universe’) haven’t forgotten about him. You can regularly see fans on Twitter (including yours truly) pleading for creative to find something for the Scot. Secondly, because he’s that damn good. For a lot of the time, McIntyre has been used on Superstars where he has churned out high-quality matches. As recent as a few months ago, McIntyre faced veteran Christian – a solid 10-or-so minute match that saw Drew on the offensive for much of the match before eventually putting Christian over. You can view that match on YouTube here.

Guys that can ‘hang’ with top end players like Christian don’t come around very often – especially with the charisma (possibly the wrong word to use when describing a guy facing Christian) that McIntyre has. McIntyre has enough charisma to consistently evoke one of the biggest pops of the night at WWE live events despite not featuring on Raw or Smackdown – name anyone else on the current roster than can do that, I dare you.

Another reason, more from a business point-of-view, is that he’s Scottish. Dipping into the international market is something the WWE has always done (it’s also the only reason why Khali has a job!). British wrestlers have always been around – but there has only really been ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper from Scotland (The Highlanders don’t count), and there’s nothing quite like when a Brit comes home to his homeland. And for any non-British folk reading this, no, McIntyre making an appearance in London or Manchester is not him coming home. The Scottish come from Scotland (duh) and that is where Drew McIntyre could fly the flag for. Better yet, have Piper manage McIntyre for a while (there was rumours about this a while ago). It would instantly make McIntyre relevant again, even better if he was kept heel – then we could see Piper’s real magic on the mic.

There may be hope of McIntyre returning to prominence could be more likely to happen than one would first think, with the Scotsman taking to Twitter during his short lay-off (recently undergone wrist surgery) and tweeting:

“Sometimes in life, you got to step back and realize no matter what you have accomplished or you feel the world owes you. In reality, you’re damn lucky to even be involved in WWE. I know you’re all calling for a revolution… it’s not time yet”

A teaser for what’s to come? Hopefully!

So there is my reasoning for the return of Drew McIntyre to our television screens. Bring him back into my living room, put him back into the main event and give him a title, that’s an order! ]]> Aaron Gratton http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?43680-Gratton’s-World-of-Wrestling-Underused-Talent