Trill Co$by
Believes in The Shield!
Around this time last year, I did a thread where I stated that people like The Miz, Wade Barrett, Ted DiBiase, The Young Bucks, and others turned me from non-believers and into full on board fans... In short, they Tim Tebowed the hell out of me... I also talked about guys like Kingston and Ezekiel Jackson who had bright futures, but at that time, had let me down. And of course, I got every one else's opinion...
So now, a year later, I'm back to raise the same questions as before.
Who in pro-wrestling has gone from "bitch to bull" and "bull to bitch"?
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For starters, I will go with the letdowns of 2011. Now bare in mind that I realize that some of these "letdowns" aren't entirely due to the workers themselves as much as it is the creative teams... but at the same time, in my opinion, each worker has their yearly chance at their "breakout" moment where they shine above the mold without anyone's help... and these people didn't exactly do that.
In no particular order of "severity" my "letdowns" of 2011 are: Brodus Clay, Alex Shelley, Samoa Joe, AnX, and Alex Riley.
I know, some of the names on that list may make people go "what the hell?" and instantly bash me/red rep my post, but let me explain my reasoning behind these letdowns.
1. Brodus Clay - The runner up in season 4 of NXT had absolutely the MOST potential out of everybody in that season. He was big, he was fast for his size, he was intimidating, and he seemed like he was willing to learn. Hell, they paired him up with Del Rio in the beginning of 2011... which showed that they had confidence. Because, for those who don't know, Del Rio wasn't as "new" as one may think... he's a well traveled veteran and has years of experience.
But then, when they finally separated him from Del Rio, Brodus Clay began to dwindle away into mere nothing. Okay sure, he did go away to film a movie for WWE, but even before that he didn't DO anything that made me feel the same about him that I did prior to that. WWE's given him the mic plenty of times in 2011, and he's stumbled to make his break through. Now, at the end of 2011, the only thing he's going to be remembered for in this year is the fact that he kept having his re-debut pushed back more and more.
2. Alex Shelley - At the end of 2010, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin were split up in favor of making Shelley a singles competitor in TNA for the first time in years. And in the beginning of that split, he did really good. But as soon as Austin Aries came into TNA, Alex Shelley became pure obscurity. And the thing is, I don't understand why he let it happen. Sure, this can be argued as one of those "TNA dropped the ball" moments, but really when does personal responsibility come into play? Shelley is one of the most athletically gifted workers on the roster, and believe it or not, in TNA that truly means something. But even still, he has not been able to keep up with the new X-Division stars coming in such as Zema Ion.
3. Samoa Joe - TNA could NOT have given Joe any more perfect storyline that would catapult him back into the main event. For starters, having him dominate the tournament would've made it completely predictable and that would've become boring in weeks. However, the moment he didn't find a way to capitalize on his "losing streak" storyline, is the moment I lost faith in him for 2011. Don't get me wrong, I still like Joe. He's my number one all-arounder on the roster, and I do believe that at any moment's notice he could regain his main event spot and it be believable... But even still, Joe should have far more than enough pull and insight knowledge to have gone to a writer and said something like "Hey, let me get a win at the end of the tournament and turn into a monster heel."
In my mind, it would've worked perfectly... but then again, my mind's a little haywire.
4. All Night Express - This one hurts me the most out of all the "letdowns" this year. Sure, they've been number one contenders and have put on some of the best tag team matches with some of the best tag teams in wrestling today... But after failing to get themselves over as faces or heels in 2011, I feel like they've become a lost cause... and that's really disappointing to me because quite frankly, they are without a doubt my number 1 tag team in ALL of wrestling today.
And it's not like the charisma for the two isn't there, not the in ring skill. They are, without a doubt, the most entertaining part of a lot of ROH shows. But even with all that charisma and talent, they've not been able to capitalize. As I said before, this could be one of those bad decisions by the creative team at ROH... but surely, after almost a year and change at trying, there has to be some blame put on them.
5. Alex Riley - After Mania, and his split from The Miz, Alex Riley had without a doubt the second biggest pop when he came out every night... and he even had the brightest future. He had it all, honestly. He had the look, the charisma, the passable mic skills, and the fans... He was the guy that I thought would become the poster boy of the mid-cards... but for some reason, that didn't mean much to him and he went and got himself a DUI. Really, this guy was a bright star with one kick-ass theme song to show for it...
And honestly, I would not be surprised if WWE was on the verge of firing him. Why wouldn't they let him go? He was given a golden opportunity this year, and he blew it completely. I know I said there's no order of severity, but from a business standpoint, if I'm WWE... this would have to be the most annoying one of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Generation Me, Ted DiBiase, HDNet Cancelling ROH-TV, Hernandez
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And now, it's time for the major players of 2011 that made me think twice about their position in the company. If you know me, you'd easily understand my reasoning for these, and that's why I have no doubt that you'd wait to hear me out... And for those that don't, please try to understand that these are my opinions. So for my list of "major players" I pick: Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Bobby Roode, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry.
Like I said with the "letdowns", some of this can be put on Creative Teams... but unlike the former, when push came to shove these guys shoved... and shoved hard.
1. Dolph Ziggler - The longest champion in WWE today, having held it since June, Dolph Ziggler has proved that promising Smackdown stars can in fact become a major player in the WWE on the Raw brand. Since the beginning of 2011, Ziggler has done nothing but put on great matches while also being in high profiled feuds. He won the World Championship in controversial fashion, and is honestly my number one pick to become the Raw MITB winner in 2012... if he doesn't win the Rumble or even EC beforehand.
In the past three months alone; Ziggler has been responsible for putting Ryder on the map as a Mid-Card contender (not solely; but he's helped), been booked for TWO matches in TWO back to back PPVs, been given high stake victories over the likes of Randy Orton and put on quite possibly match of the year with CM Punk a few weeks back on Raw. Many people believe that without Vickie, he'd be no where... but I think it's the complete opposite. Right now, Ziggler is carrying not only Vickie & Swagger but also Zack Ryder in this program and he's doing a fairly great job.
To many, they knew Ziggler could be this successful, but to be completely honest with you, when they shipped Ziggler over to Raw in the early part of the year... my heart skipped a bit because I thought he would be released in no time. However, I was fortunate enough to be proven wrong, and Dolph Ziggler is here to stay.
2. Zack Ryder - An obvious choice for anyone's list, and rightfully so. Here's a guy that I never truly got behind. Sure, I didn't mind him when he was one of Edge's carbon copies last year, but when he was shipped to ECW I didn't see anything too great about him... and quite frankly his Jimmy Jacobs stolen attire didn't quite help him get on my good side... And like anyone else with a brain, I figured that by the Summer of 2011, he would be gone from WWE...
But then, this guy did what I never thought would work. He went out, got himself a cheap camera and a few friends, made a youtube show, gained a following, and now he's a prominent feature every Monday Night on Raw. He's one guy who has gone from WWE Superstar Jobber on Release to WWE Monday night Raw main stay on route for US title.
To be quite honest, I still don't like his in ring abilities... but I respect this guy for everything that he's done to make sure that nobody in the WWE forgot who he was... and for that, he is easily in the list for major players of 2011.
3. Bobby Rhoode - Remember when I said that it's not always up to the creative team to push someone, but up to the person them self? Well you know what, Bobby Rhoode became the perfect example of what I'm talking about for TNA. As a face, I honest didn't think that he'd become a world champion this year... I knew he'd still be in TNA, and I also knew that he'd still put on some exciting matches... but to be honest, I thought that after Bound For Glory was all said and done, he'd be back with Storm winning tag team gold (which wouldn't have been terrible by any means). And then, TNA gave Bobby his chance and the world title... they turned him heel, and with 2011 coming to an end, I can honestly say that Bobby (in my opinion) has become THE highlight of TNA in 2011.
4. Cody Rhodes - In early 2010, I (along with a few others, I'm sure) made a personal hypothesis that in 2011 Rhodes would be on Superstars and Ted DiBiase would be the next big thing. Luckily, Cody Rhodes made sure that shit didn't happen. This second generation star turned out to be 2011's master of gimmicks, and has done all three of his 2011 gimmicks to perfection. Dashing, Grotesque, and now Deranged... three gimmicks that many people couldn't even do one of, and Rhodes has done them all perfectly.
And let's not forget that he's also improved a LOT in terms of in ring ability. Rhodes, in the last year, has been given the ball for a lot of big time gimmicks and storylines... and for the most part, he's run them for touchdowns. He made Ted DiBiase into a solid lower mid-carder once more, he had a stellar WM feud with Rey Mysterio, he's returned the IC title back to it's white strap glory days, he's been in a rivalry against Randy Orton, and in the closing of 2011 he's been given a 6 time World Champion and time tested legend to feud with. Rhodes is Smackdown's answer to Raw's Dolph Ziggler. He's put himself in the limelight well enough to get him over as a heel, and I can easily see him winning the world title.
5. Mark Henry - Who would've ever thought that the biggest monster heel jobber would become the greatest world heavyweight champion in 2011? IMO, his World title win meant way more to me than CM Punk winning the WWE Championship... And throughout his entire heel run, he's put on quite the rivalries and got quite the accolades to show for it. He's beaten the best on the Smackdown roster whenever possible, and he's improved dramatically in the ring and on the mic.
He's feuded with the likes of Big Show and Randy Orton, and he alone has proven that even in the era of slim stars, the big man can still be around. Batista recently said in an interview that watching WWE is horrible and nobody in WWE is believable as a heel... I'm guessing that he hasn't really been watching. I mean, if you're a kid or someone who can get caught up in the drama, Mark Henry is more scary than the Boogeyman will ever be. If Henry isn't deserving as a guy who's made a believer out of people, then I don't know who in wrestling at all can fit the mold.
---
Once more, these two lists are opinion based and I gladly welcome others to suggest other letdowns and major players, as well as to tell me I am wrong.
So now, a year later, I'm back to raise the same questions as before.
Who in pro-wrestling has gone from "bitch to bull" and "bull to bitch"?
---
For starters, I will go with the letdowns of 2011. Now bare in mind that I realize that some of these "letdowns" aren't entirely due to the workers themselves as much as it is the creative teams... but at the same time, in my opinion, each worker has their yearly chance at their "breakout" moment where they shine above the mold without anyone's help... and these people didn't exactly do that.
In no particular order of "severity" my "letdowns" of 2011 are: Brodus Clay, Alex Shelley, Samoa Joe, AnX, and Alex Riley.
I know, some of the names on that list may make people go "what the hell?" and instantly bash me/red rep my post, but let me explain my reasoning behind these letdowns.
1. Brodus Clay - The runner up in season 4 of NXT had absolutely the MOST potential out of everybody in that season. He was big, he was fast for his size, he was intimidating, and he seemed like he was willing to learn. Hell, they paired him up with Del Rio in the beginning of 2011... which showed that they had confidence. Because, for those who don't know, Del Rio wasn't as "new" as one may think... he's a well traveled veteran and has years of experience.
But then, when they finally separated him from Del Rio, Brodus Clay began to dwindle away into mere nothing. Okay sure, he did go away to film a movie for WWE, but even before that he didn't DO anything that made me feel the same about him that I did prior to that. WWE's given him the mic plenty of times in 2011, and he's stumbled to make his break through. Now, at the end of 2011, the only thing he's going to be remembered for in this year is the fact that he kept having his re-debut pushed back more and more.
2. Alex Shelley - At the end of 2010, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin were split up in favor of making Shelley a singles competitor in TNA for the first time in years. And in the beginning of that split, he did really good. But as soon as Austin Aries came into TNA, Alex Shelley became pure obscurity. And the thing is, I don't understand why he let it happen. Sure, this can be argued as one of those "TNA dropped the ball" moments, but really when does personal responsibility come into play? Shelley is one of the most athletically gifted workers on the roster, and believe it or not, in TNA that truly means something. But even still, he has not been able to keep up with the new X-Division stars coming in such as Zema Ion.
3. Samoa Joe - TNA could NOT have given Joe any more perfect storyline that would catapult him back into the main event. For starters, having him dominate the tournament would've made it completely predictable and that would've become boring in weeks. However, the moment he didn't find a way to capitalize on his "losing streak" storyline, is the moment I lost faith in him for 2011. Don't get me wrong, I still like Joe. He's my number one all-arounder on the roster, and I do believe that at any moment's notice he could regain his main event spot and it be believable... But even still, Joe should have far more than enough pull and insight knowledge to have gone to a writer and said something like "Hey, let me get a win at the end of the tournament and turn into a monster heel."
In my mind, it would've worked perfectly... but then again, my mind's a little haywire.
4. All Night Express - This one hurts me the most out of all the "letdowns" this year. Sure, they've been number one contenders and have put on some of the best tag team matches with some of the best tag teams in wrestling today... But after failing to get themselves over as faces or heels in 2011, I feel like they've become a lost cause... and that's really disappointing to me because quite frankly, they are without a doubt my number 1 tag team in ALL of wrestling today.
And it's not like the charisma for the two isn't there, not the in ring skill. They are, without a doubt, the most entertaining part of a lot of ROH shows. But even with all that charisma and talent, they've not been able to capitalize. As I said before, this could be one of those bad decisions by the creative team at ROH... but surely, after almost a year and change at trying, there has to be some blame put on them.
5. Alex Riley - After Mania, and his split from The Miz, Alex Riley had without a doubt the second biggest pop when he came out every night... and he even had the brightest future. He had it all, honestly. He had the look, the charisma, the passable mic skills, and the fans... He was the guy that I thought would become the poster boy of the mid-cards... but for some reason, that didn't mean much to him and he went and got himself a DUI. Really, this guy was a bright star with one kick-ass theme song to show for it...
And honestly, I would not be surprised if WWE was on the verge of firing him. Why wouldn't they let him go? He was given a golden opportunity this year, and he blew it completely. I know I said there's no order of severity, but from a business standpoint, if I'm WWE... this would have to be the most annoying one of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Generation Me, Ted DiBiase, HDNet Cancelling ROH-TV, Hernandez
---
And now, it's time for the major players of 2011 that made me think twice about their position in the company. If you know me, you'd easily understand my reasoning for these, and that's why I have no doubt that you'd wait to hear me out... And for those that don't, please try to understand that these are my opinions. So for my list of "major players" I pick: Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Bobby Roode, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry.
Like I said with the "letdowns", some of this can be put on Creative Teams... but unlike the former, when push came to shove these guys shoved... and shoved hard.
1. Dolph Ziggler - The longest champion in WWE today, having held it since June, Dolph Ziggler has proved that promising Smackdown stars can in fact become a major player in the WWE on the Raw brand. Since the beginning of 2011, Ziggler has done nothing but put on great matches while also being in high profiled feuds. He won the World Championship in controversial fashion, and is honestly my number one pick to become the Raw MITB winner in 2012... if he doesn't win the Rumble or even EC beforehand.
In the past three months alone; Ziggler has been responsible for putting Ryder on the map as a Mid-Card contender (not solely; but he's helped), been booked for TWO matches in TWO back to back PPVs, been given high stake victories over the likes of Randy Orton and put on quite possibly match of the year with CM Punk a few weeks back on Raw. Many people believe that without Vickie, he'd be no where... but I think it's the complete opposite. Right now, Ziggler is carrying not only Vickie & Swagger but also Zack Ryder in this program and he's doing a fairly great job.
To many, they knew Ziggler could be this successful, but to be completely honest with you, when they shipped Ziggler over to Raw in the early part of the year... my heart skipped a bit because I thought he would be released in no time. However, I was fortunate enough to be proven wrong, and Dolph Ziggler is here to stay.
2. Zack Ryder - An obvious choice for anyone's list, and rightfully so. Here's a guy that I never truly got behind. Sure, I didn't mind him when he was one of Edge's carbon copies last year, but when he was shipped to ECW I didn't see anything too great about him... and quite frankly his Jimmy Jacobs stolen attire didn't quite help him get on my good side... And like anyone else with a brain, I figured that by the Summer of 2011, he would be gone from WWE...
But then, this guy did what I never thought would work. He went out, got himself a cheap camera and a few friends, made a youtube show, gained a following, and now he's a prominent feature every Monday Night on Raw. He's one guy who has gone from WWE Superstar Jobber on Release to WWE Monday night Raw main stay on route for US title.
To be quite honest, I still don't like his in ring abilities... but I respect this guy for everything that he's done to make sure that nobody in the WWE forgot who he was... and for that, he is easily in the list for major players of 2011.
3. Bobby Rhoode - Remember when I said that it's not always up to the creative team to push someone, but up to the person them self? Well you know what, Bobby Rhoode became the perfect example of what I'm talking about for TNA. As a face, I honest didn't think that he'd become a world champion this year... I knew he'd still be in TNA, and I also knew that he'd still put on some exciting matches... but to be honest, I thought that after Bound For Glory was all said and done, he'd be back with Storm winning tag team gold (which wouldn't have been terrible by any means). And then, TNA gave Bobby his chance and the world title... they turned him heel, and with 2011 coming to an end, I can honestly say that Bobby (in my opinion) has become THE highlight of TNA in 2011.
4. Cody Rhodes - In early 2010, I (along with a few others, I'm sure) made a personal hypothesis that in 2011 Rhodes would be on Superstars and Ted DiBiase would be the next big thing. Luckily, Cody Rhodes made sure that shit didn't happen. This second generation star turned out to be 2011's master of gimmicks, and has done all three of his 2011 gimmicks to perfection. Dashing, Grotesque, and now Deranged... three gimmicks that many people couldn't even do one of, and Rhodes has done them all perfectly.
And let's not forget that he's also improved a LOT in terms of in ring ability. Rhodes, in the last year, has been given the ball for a lot of big time gimmicks and storylines... and for the most part, he's run them for touchdowns. He made Ted DiBiase into a solid lower mid-carder once more, he had a stellar WM feud with Rey Mysterio, he's returned the IC title back to it's white strap glory days, he's been in a rivalry against Randy Orton, and in the closing of 2011 he's been given a 6 time World Champion and time tested legend to feud with. Rhodes is Smackdown's answer to Raw's Dolph Ziggler. He's put himself in the limelight well enough to get him over as a heel, and I can easily see him winning the world title.
5. Mark Henry - Who would've ever thought that the biggest monster heel jobber would become the greatest world heavyweight champion in 2011? IMO, his World title win meant way more to me than CM Punk winning the WWE Championship... And throughout his entire heel run, he's put on quite the rivalries and got quite the accolades to show for it. He's beaten the best on the Smackdown roster whenever possible, and he's improved dramatically in the ring and on the mic.
He's feuded with the likes of Big Show and Randy Orton, and he alone has proven that even in the era of slim stars, the big man can still be around. Batista recently said in an interview that watching WWE is horrible and nobody in WWE is believable as a heel... I'm guessing that he hasn't really been watching. I mean, if you're a kid or someone who can get caught up in the drama, Mark Henry is more scary than the Boogeyman will ever be. If Henry isn't deserving as a guy who's made a believer out of people, then I don't know who in wrestling at all can fit the mold.
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Once more, these two lists are opinion based and I gladly welcome others to suggest other letdowns and major players, as well as to tell me I am wrong.