http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/blog.php?15368-Derahk Wrestling News and Discussion - eWrestlingNews.com Community en Sat, 25 May 2013 01:57:37 GMT vBulletin 10 http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/blog.php?15368-Derahk http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?45368-Placing-Your-Bets-On-The-Shield Thu, 02 May 2013 04:10:46 GMT The Shield are the best thing in wrestling at the moment. After arriving in the WWE last year, they made waves with their invasion style gimmick.... The Shield are the best thing in wrestling at the moment. After arriving in the WWE last year, they made waves with their invasion style gimmick. It’s an easy gimmick because it’s not hard to get over. The challenge of it is keeping it over. You need to keep it fresh and its success really relies on its participants.

Their first match didn’t happen until months after their debut. A lot was riding on their abilities in the ring and they did not disappoint. It was easily the match of the year. After over six months in the WWE, they are still undefeated. They’re not quite stagnant but they do need something extra to the gimmick.

With that being said, a lot of conversation has been given to whom the breakout star of the group will be. This is my attempt to analyze each individual member.

Seth Rollins is even money but has the biggest mountain to climb. He is very talented but his talent is shared by many other superstars. His ceiling is being the next Shawn Michaels. A superb technical wrestler while being a decent talker. He would really need a hot gimmick like a D-X to give him longevity. I don’t see this being likely as Shawn is considered one of the greatest of all time. Most likely his ceiling is being the next CM Punk. Which is, to say, even if the WWE fully got behind him, he would only be met with moderate success. I’d like to comment that he actually looks a lot like Punk, which is to his detriment.

If you’re a chalk player, then Roman Reigns is your man. He has the look that Vince goes gaga over. He’s big, good looking and charisma to boot. His ceiling would be Batista. I wouldn’t doubt that his destiny will not be much different. From a very successful stable to World Champion to being a solid hand and then finally segueing to movies. Is it me or does Reigns look like Jason Momoa?

Finally we have Dean Ambrose. Ambrose is for the dog players, a real wild card. The odds are against him but you could win big if he finishes. He has no ceiling. He has that ‘it’ factor. When he talks, you listen. He could end up being the next Stone Cold Steve Austin or Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts or plunge into obscurity like Brian Pillman, Raven or Shane Douglas. I picked those specific wrestlers on purpose. He has that anti-establishment feel about him, which is why the Shield gimmick works for him so much. All the aforementioned superstars have amazing psychology. Unfortunately, all of them except for Stone Cold were sidelined for drugs and/or politics. Something I eerily feel could lead to the downfall of Ambrose.

So there is the breakdown, I won’t be presumptuous enough to pick a for-sure winner. I hope all of them lead to very successful careers. Though I would be lying if I said I didn’t have my eye on Ambrose. I think he can really give us something special.

]]> Derahk http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?45368-Placing-Your-Bets-On-The-Shield http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?45223-Derahk-s-Wrestlemania-Predictions Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:17:15 GMT * Here it is again, prediction time. This time it’s for the granddaddy of them all, Wrestlemania. Here we go! *Pre-Show* *Intercontinental... Here it is again, prediction time. This time it’s for the granddaddy of them all, Wrestlemania. Here we go!

Pre-Show
Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz (Challenger) vs Wade Barrett (Champion)

I hate to think of the Miz with a loss here. The Miz made a stellar return last year, showing much improved pacing in the ring. Aligning with Ric Flair helped him return to form later only to brought down again by Cesaro. A win here is needed but he already beat Barrett on Raw and what would happen to Barrett?

Winner: Painfully Wade Barrett

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Jack Swagger (Challenger) vs Alberto Del Rio (Champion)

Despite the extreme amount of hype and push surrounding Jack Swagger, I don’t see him emerging as the victor in this match. The obvious reason is the possession charges that are looming for the superstar but there are a few other reasons. Triple H is trying to beef up the importance of the titles by not having them change as often and I believe it is working, a Swagger win would only hurt the title and Del Rio and do very little for Swagger. Finally, the initial excitement around the Swagger angle has faded and what is left is a very effective mouthpiece in the form of Zeb Coulter and an average performer in Swagger. The best business decision here is for Zeb to shed himself of Swagger and pick up a more effective protege.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Chris Jericho vs Fahndahngoh

It’s hard to recall a bigger debut with higher expectations than Fandango. The video packages for Mr. Dango started as early as December and since he has pulled, ironically, a 2012 Chris Jericho refusing, instead of speaking, performing in the ring. I hope all goes well for the dancer, his leg drop two weeks ago was absolutely marvellous. Hulk Hogan and I hope for his sake that it isn’t his finisher given Hogan’s many spinal surgeries.

Winner: FAHNDAHNGOH

Tag Team Championship Match
Zigs ‘N Bigs (Challengers) vs Team Hell No (Champions)

I expect a lot of Ziggler in-ring time especially against ole DB. Kane gets the hot tag from Bryan and then Bigs gets the hot tag from Ziggy for a big man clash. This one is a hard prediction because I believe that creative had no plan for this. They needed to do something with Ziggler and stuck him in this situation. I feel a Hell No split is coming and a six week build for their rivalry would be great but I don’t think it’s necessary for them to lose the belts for the build, at least at this time. This would help Zigglers current stagnation but that is not a new situation for the Show Off and he’ll be ok in the end.

Winner: Team Hell No

No Holds Barred
Triple H (with Shawn Michaels) vs Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman)

This is the ‘so predictable it’s not predictable’ Wrestlemania match of this year, the title usually relegated to the Taker streak match. From a business standpoint, this should be Brock grabbing Triple H’s shovel and burying superstars left and right but Trips himself is in the match so that ain’t happenin’. I would have Shawn, seeing the beating Brock has given and about to give Triple H further, leaps into the ring and superkicks Brock. HHH recuperates, realizes what Michaels has done, gives him the ‘WTF I didn’t want to win this way’ and have Brock take advantage for the win. This sets up a Michaels/HHH bout at WM30 they want with both men being babyfaces.

Winner: Bork Lazer

Hall of Fame Introductions

Piss break #1

Ryback vs Mark Henry

A showcase for Ryback to shell shock Henry.

Winner: Ryback

Six Man Tag
The Shield vs Randy Orton, Sheamus & Big Show

The Shield has had a lot going for them as far as momentum but the angle is getting stale. Their leader WILL be revealed at Wrestlemania. The most likely to be crowned is Randy Orton. He has been chomping at the bit for nearly a year to make his return as the ‘Apex Bro Douchebag Affliction-Shirt-Wearing Predator.’ That isn’t a knock, I LOVE me some 2007 Randy Orton and would welcome his return. There also is the possibility of Cena but don’t count on it. The WWE is known to make some surprise swerves, I could also see Sheamus making the turn as well.

Winner: The Shield via Randy Orton heel turn

The Streak Match
CM Punk vs The Undertaker

This is the first streak match that actually have people guessing. The first reason is coming from the fans saying that the Undertaker is ‘getting too old for this shit.’ I don’t think he is and I would like to see his final appearance to be at Wrestlemania 30. The biggest reason is from the CM Punk angle, he is the reigning IWC champion, is coming off from the longest WWE title reign in the last 25 years and has had three high profile losses in the last few months. However, the nail in the coffin *wink* is the rumor of his time off post Mania. Not only would the story fit for him to take time off with a loss, but the meaning of a win here would be diminished if he did also. CM Punk is already over and needs no other significant milestone in his career. It would be more effective to give to someone who isn’t over but has major potential like an El Generico. Sorry, not this year.

Winner: 21-0

Diddy Performance

Piss break #2

WWE Championship Match
John Cena (Challenger) vs The Rock (Champion)

A dull match with Cena getting the clean win. This will happen and you will feel robbed, disappointed and questioning why you still watch wrestling just like you felt after the Royal Rumble.

Winner: John Cena

WWE Championship Match In A Dream World
John Cena (Challenger) vs The Rock (Champion)

The Royal Rumble disappointment was all just a planned set up for the finish of this match all along and everything you’ve been waiting and hoping for will come true. The Rock will be cheered and Cena booed out of the stadium. These men will bring everything they have and produce one hell of a match. It will be aggressive, and visceral. John Cena will get the upper hand early with Rock making a triumphant comeback. John Cena will take an absolute beating but will not succumb to the power of the Rock. John will make, what the audience will think, his predictable comeback only to be thwarted again by the Rock. The Rock gets the 1, 2, 3. Out of sheer frustration and anger, Cena attacks the Rock, beating him with his own belt then several FUs. The refs come out to break it up. Cena picks up the belt, looks at the camera, points at the fallen Rock and mouths to the camera ‘The Champ is Here’’ and drops the belt on the Rock. Fade to black. You feel better than you have in years, you make love to your SO for hours, go to work or school, talk to your friends about it, it’s all over the news, people love wrestling again, Raw starts with a big TV14 plastered on the screen, after the being the best Raw in years you switch to the Powerball numbers being drawn and you’ve won 300 million dollars. When that came happen, then and only then will John Cena turn heel. ]]> Derahk http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?45223-Derahk-s-Wrestlemania-Predictions http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?44893-Goodbye-PG-Welcome-to-the-New-Era-in-WWE Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:49:08 GMT To many wrestling fans, the Attitude Era is the greatest era in professional wrestling history. It is the benchmark in which all characters and... To many wrestling fans, the Attitude Era is the greatest era in professional wrestling history. It is the benchmark in which all characters and angles since have been judged. Whether unfair or not, it is unquestionable about its impact.

The WWE made a transition from its Attitude Era to the era we have now deemed the ‘PG era.’ Obviously because the WWE went from being a ‘hard TV14’ in which boundaries were pushed to going to the saccharine kid friendly environment we have today. Though there is nothing wrong with family entertainment, you must overcome that obstacle with great storytelling.

New eras are already brewing before they come to fruition but there are landmarks that solidify themselves. The first WrestleMania issued the beginning of the Hogan era while Hogan’s departure signified the ‘New Generation.’ There are many dates that people point to with the arrival of the Attitude era. Some point to Austin’s epic match with Bret at WrestleMania 13, others to Mike Tyson’s debut in accordance with Austin’s WWF title win at WrestleMania 14, but to me, it was Austin’s coronation at the 1997 King of the Ring tournament. Finally, the Attitude’s death could be attributed to the acquiring of WCW or when they dropped the F and became a publicly traded company. Any of the dates could be debatable but there is no mistaking this new era’s birth.

This new era is making the fans even increasingly frustrated mainly because I believe they don’t realize we have transition to the next one. This is compounded with the fact that an awful era is followed by an equally awesome one, but it is hard to outdo the zealotry of the wrestling fan. They are willing to accept a lot of punishment for the sins of the WWE so they can experience paradise. They know that wrestling is cyclical and that eras have a certain lifespan.

The next era was suppose to save us, give the wrestling fans a reason to watch, to get excited, bask in the fact that we waited out the dregs of the PG era, our thank you for watching all these years. The transition of a new era comes with a fresh face with new ideals, a figurehead that the company builds its whole show and feel to, with Hogan, then Bret, then Stone Cold, then John Cena.

However, the figurehead of this new era is not someone we can build a show around. This is not a fresh face. This is someone we already know. Cena can’t pass the torch to this idol because he already is one. Though we all love the bastion of this new era, he is keeping us from moving on. He is championing the cause of this new era, in fact, he is the champion, the WWE Champion, the People’s Champion, the Rock. The eras landmark was his return in 2011 and our new era should be called, ‘The Part-Time Era.’

The hardcore wrestling fan doesn’t even realize it’s been ushered in. They feel we’re still in the ‘PG’ era, waiting for our exodus. The frustration of the wrestling fan has reached insanity levels, climaxing with this year’s Royal Rumble and its following Raw. We see the future, we see the inevitability of our next WrestleMania, that The Rock is our new WWE Champion in the number one match, Brock Lesnar returns in our number two, the Undertaker will most likely return to to be in our number three, and Chris Jericho to be our fourth. It is this that got me to realize this eras inception. It is here wrestling fans, so calm down and try to enjoy this new era while it lasts, it should only be another five years.

Like Derahk on Facebook, follow @youfacederahk on twitter and read me on derahk.com ]]> Derahk http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?44893-Goodbye-PG-Welcome-to-the-New-Era-in-WWE http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?44847-Derahk-s-Royal-Rumble-Predictions Sun, 27 Jan 2013 05:09:23 GMT *If WrestleMania is the biggest night in sports entertainment, the Royal Rumble is certainly the most exciting. It’s the night that anything can... If WrestleMania is the biggest night in sports entertainment, the Royal Rumble is certainly the most exciting. It’s the night that anything can happen, anyone can be a star and gives the fans an idea on where they’re going creatively towards WrestleMania. I am going to share with you what I think will happen and also what I hope for as well.

Pre-Show: U.S. Championship Match

The Miz (Challenger) vs Antonio Cesaro (Champion)

With Flair ‘passing the torch’ recently to the Miz, it seems as though they are giving Miz a push which would lead to a victory here, but I don’t think so on this one. I think Miz’s push is going to be ok and intact if he loses this one. It’s compounded by the fact that this is a pre-show and not as many people will be watching. The only reason, at that point, then would be to get the pre-show over and get people excited about them so they won’t miss anything.

Winner: Antonio Cesaro

The Royal Rumble

World Heavyweight Championship Match

The Big Show (Challenger) vs Alberto Del Rio (Champion)

I predict the WHC to open the show. I don’t see much going on here. I see ADR trying really hard to get himself over as a bubblegum baby face and as the curtain jerker, trying even harder to have a good match with the Big Show. Paul Wight, having been there-done that, will try to get Del Rio to slow down and have a good match. I don’t think that will happen. I predict a kick-out from Show’s finisher for a clean victory by Mr. Rio.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

Team Rhodes Scholars (Challengers) vs Team Hell No (Champions)

I expect an upset here. the Rhodes Scholars momentum has peaked, if not fallen a little, and it’s time for a new level. I am predicting a Bryan vs Kane feud to start here. I see the ‘bond’ of the champions starting to crack here with them losing the titles, a rematch at the Elimination Chamber and then a match at Mania.

Winner: New Champions, The Rhodes Scholars

WWE Divas Championship Match
Tamina Snuka (Challenger) vs Kaitlyn (Champion)

Tamina has an affinity to making her competitors look good which she doesn’t get in return. This match is merely for the piss break and for Tamina to Kaitlyn over.

Winner: Kaitlyn

WWE Championship Match

The Rock (Challenger) vs CM Punk (Champion)

This has schmoz written all over it. For the uninformed, a schmoz is basically when the finish is a cluster fuck. The match is also tainted with the babyface promise. If a babyface makes a promise, he always sticks to his promise. The Rock has promised a victory.
This is what I think will happen. Punk/Rock will have a decent match for about 20 minutes. The Rock will make his comeback, probably going for the People’s Elbow, the lights will go out, the ref will be knocked out either before or after, Shield appears, beats up Rock, Ryback comes out, saves Rock with the Rock getting the win.
What I HOPE will happen is, all that I mentioned before, Ryback saves the Rock, fighting the Shield to the back, then cue Brock Lesnar. Brock finishes the Rock, helping Punk retain the title, for an inevitable Brock/Rock match WrestleMania.

Predictions: Winner and new Champion The Rock

30 Man Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble is always a hard one to predict, but this years is exponentially harder. There is a handful of contenders with varying degrees of probability. I will attempt to dissect each one individually starting with the most probable and what it would mean for WrestleMania.

John Cena: John Cena is the most likely winner, if not anything else, for the reason that he promised a victory. Cena, while mostly staying on top, didn’t have many landmarks last year. A pyrrhic victory with Brock Lesnar and the Money in the Bank winner were his highlights. But Lesnar seemed to have lost the battle, won the war and Cena became the first to not capture the title with the MitB briefcase. The win here would be good for Cena’s stock and would inevitably lead to Cena/Rock II at WrestleMania.

Brock Lesnar: A guaranteed surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble. I expect him, whatever his number is, to clean house. If he enters midway, I expect an elimination, most likely coming from his WrestleMania opponent. If he enters post number 25, I would call it a certain victory leading to a match with champion The Rock.

Ryback: Ryback is on a role. A Rumble win would continue him on his big push. It is also very safe creatively. They could go anywhere with Ryback winning, which makes him such a strong contender for a win. A win here would most likely see him going after Big Show for the title at Mania, which obviously would mean Show would have to best Del Rio at some point. We could also see him chasing Punk, Rock, Del Rio or Ziggler. On the flipside, I could see him losing and fighting Show in a non-title match at Mania or getting his revenge on the Shield.

The Miz: The Miz is still a possibility here. He’s hot off his Flair push, and a Cesaro loss wouldn’t affect anything. It would give that WrestleMania X feel when Bret lost to Owen in the first match, only to win the title in the last match. This would mostly likely lead to a Ziggler or Punk match.

Randy Orton: Orton is in that surprise/fringe area. If he’s in the final four, his victory will be possible in the back of your mind but will be quickly be discounted. Watch out for a victory here, then to chase Del Rio or Ziggler for the WHC title.

The Undertaker: There has been talk of a Streak vs Streak match at Mania between Punk and the Dead Man. Those rumors have died down as of late. An appearance is almost certain, but a win is slight.

Dolph Ziggler: Ole Zig Zag is a huge underdog here and everyone loves an underdog. A win here would be huge for Mr. Platinum Doo. I would be most excited for him winning the Rumble. Creatively this would be a gem also. The most likely course being him cashing the MitB briefcase to win the WHC and chasing Punk for the WWE titles at Mania to unify the titles. This is highly unlikely, if anything else, because this would be putting a huge amount of stock in Ziggler, which would be insane for a pseudo-heel that Ziggler is. Insanity that I would love.

Zack Ryder: I know you’re scratching your heads here. His story is an odd one. He was immensely over at the start of 2012 and then fizzled into oblivion by the end of it. It may have been deliberate. They could be retooling him. His name is also not listed as one of the participants, but there are a few slots open. A win would be ‘Where in the world did that come from?’ zone but not unfounded. It’s highly unlikely but it’s there in the back of my mind. A win would most likely see him chasing Ziggler, which was a match they’ve wanted for a year now.

Prediction: Ryback

I hope you enjoyed my predictions. We’ll see happens. I’ll catch you guys after the Rumble.

Edit: I've been informed that the Del Rio/Big Show match has a Last Man Standing stipulation. I have the same prediction as before, but more specifically, Del Rio recovering from the KO by Show to make the 10 count. This would put over Rio as having a never-say-die attitude. It also makes it even more likely for Ziggler to cash in his briefcase, since both participants should be decimated after the bout.

Also, I didn't remember that the Shield cannot interfere with the WWE Title match because CM Punk would be stripped of the Championship. That will lead to two possible outcomes. First, is my previous hope of Brock interfering in the match, possibly costing Rock of the title, leading to a Mania match. The second is the Shield STILL interfering, costing Punk the title. I would then lead this to an angle with CM Punk trying to figure out who is the man pulling the strings of the Shield. I am actually going to write a whole blog dedicated to an angle that there is a leader of the Shield and who it would be, at a later time, unless, of course, that is revealed at the Rumble.

Lastly, I hope there is some good testing 'spots' in the Rumble to get crowd reaction. I would LOVE to see a Ryback and Lesnar showdown. This would make a lot of sense. If they were to be face-to-face, and crickets chirping, I would question Ryback's star power, but if there was a pop, with no Goldberg chants, I would anticipate a possible Summerslam showdown between the two.

*Surprise entrant spoilers ahead*
If you've ever seen him in a Rumble or MitB situation, you know that Shelton Benjamin can do some amazing acrobatics in these types of events. It will be hard to top Morrison's Spider-Man impression from a few years ago, but it will be great to see Benjamin try. I'm hoping for a spot with him and Ziggler. If they run a program with the two, they could rewrite history.

One last prediction I failed to mention the first time.

Stone Cold Steve Austin: This would make sense if the Championship goes on last. The long gestating Austin/Punk feud would culminate but Austin/Rock IV would also be possible and would add more suspense to the match. I know the overall feeling is that they will wait for Austin/Punk for WM30, but as of right now, win or lose, Punk doesn't have a strong opponent, in my mind, for WrestleMania (I know Taker has been batted around). ]]> Derahk http://www.ewrestlingnews.com/community/entry.php?44847-Derahk-s-Royal-Rumble-Predictions