Thanksgiving Day
noun
A national holiday celebrated as a day of feasting and giving thanks for divine favors or goodness, observed on the fourth Thursday of November in the U.S. and in Canada on the second Monday of October.
As we digest the large quantities of turkey and stuffing we consumed on Thursday and reflect on the things we claimed to be thankful for in our lives, it seems like an appropriate time to take a look at the things we are thankful for in World Wrestling Entertainment these days.
Pro wrestling is arguably in one of its’ lull periods, creatively speaking. The business side of things are doing well, but from an entertainment aspect, there is much to be desired at the moment. Instead of focusing on the many negatives, as is often a popular topic in editorials, with the Thanksgiving spirit still looming in the air, it feels like as good a time as any to take a look at some of the things that are positive in the current wrestling landscape.
Let’s take a look at “What I’m Thankful For In WWE Right Now.”
WrestleMania Season
As noted, pro wrestling is arguably in a lull period these days. No matter how bad things may get at different times, the one time of year WWE always puts its’ best foot forward is “WrestleMania season.” Technically speaking, WrestleMania season doesn’t begin until around the Royal Rumble show in January, but that is from the storyline perspective. Anyone who follows the news has noticed that major negotiations have begun for WWE’s largest annual event, which is scheduled to take place on April 6, 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Negotiations continue with Bill Goldberg, as well as Hulk Hogan. We continue to hear rumblings about WWE possibly signing Sting for a high-profile match on the card. WrestleMania season is an exciting time to be a wrestling fan, as you basically get a sense of the best wrestling has to offer.
I’m thankful for WrestleMania season.
WWE Pushing New Superstars
The one key reason WWE survived, and later thrived, during the infamous “Monday Night Wars” with WCW is their ability to continue to create new top Superstars. While it may seem like they haven’t created any major Superstars in quite a while, the last year has done a solid job of grooming guys to fill these positions as time goes on. Two great factions with a ton of potential have emerged in the last year or so, such as The Shield and The Wyatt Family. We continue to read reports about WWE’s major plans for guys like Roman Reigns and Big E. Langston. Daniel Bryan reached a new level this year, even if it was in spite of WWE and not so much because of them. We are finally starting to see some guys lined up for bigger and better things as we head into another new generation of pro wrestling, and it’s going to be exciting to see how things eventually pan out.
I’m thankful for WWE pushing new Superstars.
The Return Of Goldust
Often times when WWE will bring back a popular gimmick wrestler from the past, such as Goldust, they will use them sporadically and in a second-rate role. They’ll be used in various (and usually pointless) backstage comedy segments, or for a quick pop as a surprise in a match like the Royal Rumble. WWE gave Goldust another run this year, and to my surprise, actually let him have another legitimate run. You can look back at the matches that has involved Goldust since his return and without any exceptions, all of them have been entertaining from bell-to-bell. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find a show that Goldust wrestled on and his match wasn’t the best match on the card. He gets to share the run with his younger brother, wear Championship gold in the middle of a transition phase where the goal is to revitalize the tag-team division. We’ll likely get to see the split of Goldust and Cody Rhodes leading into a brother vs. brother storyline heading into WrestleMania XXX. Those are almost always entertaining because the most effective angles in wrestling are the ones that are universally relatable. Everyone can relate to having problems within your family, especially sibling rivalries. While it may seem like a small thing to be praising, Goldust’s return has been a really fun part of WWE in 2013.
I’m thankful for the return of Goldust.
Diamond Dallas Page
Many times I’ve written that two of my favorite wrestlers growing up, albeit at different times in my life, were Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Scott Hall. Due to the business I’m in I’ve had to write article after article about one-or-both of these guys getting arrested, falling off the wagon, going to court or entering rehab due to drug and/or alcohol-related issues. Outside of the Indiegogo fiasco, which in my opinion was overblown a bit (even though I was asked, and agreed, to investigate the Indiegogo system and write what I learned) the last year or so has been a great time to write about Roberts and Hall. Nine-out-of-ten articles related to these two guys were positive, and it was refreshing to see them finally try and get their lives back on track. It was refreshing to get to break out the keyboard and type away about how these guys were finally getting drugs out of their lives and attempting to get healthy and change their futures for the better. While these two had to do the hard work, the heavy-lifting if you will, on their own, one guy that deserves a lot of credit for their amazing turnaround is Diamond Dallas Page. “Positively Page” is not just a gimmick, the guy really seems to be a positive person who inspires change — for the better. He’s the Tony Robbins of wrestling, and I only say that because calling him the Richard Simmons of wrestling feels like a backhanded compliment. DDP is definitely one guy who deserves a “self-high-five” this year. While Roberts, Hall and DDP are no longer on the WWE roster, all of those guys have passed through the promotion a time-or-two, and well, I just wanted an excuse to include them in this article.
I’m thankful for Diamond Dallas Page.
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NOTE: The above item is an eWrestlingNews.com opinionated editorial, and should not be confused as a factual news item. Readers can contact the author of the above editorial, Matt Boone, via Twitter @MBoone420 or by posting your immediate feedback in the “Comments” section below.
