Rasslin' Ramblings: When Hulk Hogan Was a Jerk

It was only a couple years back that the fellas over at Superdickery.com launched their fantastic site and shined a solid spotlight on what many had already figured out but never had the heart or fortitude to say out loud: Silver Age Superman was a tremendous jerk. Indeed, whether it was torturing Jimmy Olsen, toying with Lois Lane’s emotions or raising general havoc, the purportedly virtuous Man of Steel spent the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s as more or less a complete tool.

If there’s any comparable figure to Superman in the world of pro wrestling—John Cena aside—certainly it would be Hulk Hogan, and as Marvel editor Bill Rosemann and I realized the other day, The Hulkster paralleled Kal-El not just in strength and stature, but that in his own “Silver Age” of the 80’s and early 90’s, while being promoted as the ultimate good guy, his character—I’m not casting aspersions on the man himself, that’s for others to do or not do and I’ve never met the guy—was actually a pretty terrible fellow.

Again, this isn’t a news flash—Scott Keith alone has been saying it for years—but pretty enlightening and amusing to sit down and pick apart.

To wit…

-Despite holding the World Wrestling Federation championship for three years, Hogan never gives his supposed best friend, the undefeated and dominant Andre The Giant, a title shot. When Andre gets pissed and sides with Bobby Heenan—a tiny little manager the 300+ pound Hogan liked to toss around like a rag doll—Hulk can’t understand why.

-When Hogan and Randy Savage were teaming as the Mega Powers in 1988 and 1989, The Hulkster was all over Macho Man’s lady, Miss Elizabeth, at every available opportunity. When they were wrestling the Twin Towers and Liz got accidentally knocked out, Hogan ditched the match to carry her to the back while Savage got pummeled by Akeem and The Big Bossman. When Hogan returned to try and get the glory, he was again aghast that his buddy was mad at him. Hulk ended up beating Savage to win the WWF title back at WrestleMania V, splitting the Macho Man and Elizabeth in the process. Then when Macho Man got a new chick, the Sensational Sherri, Hogan would beat her up at every opportunity!

-Hogan took WWF newcomer Sid Justice under his wing in 1991. During the 1992 Royal Rumble, with the vacant WWF title on the line, Sid eliminated Hogan fair and square. Rather than graciously applaud his student for becoming the teacher, The Hulkster threw a fit at ringside and grabbed Sid’s arm despite no longer being in the match, allowing the villainous Ric Flair to dump the big man and win the championship. Despite being the clear sore loser and jerk in this scenario, Hogan was still granted shots at Flair and portrayed as being the good guy—and of course was baffled as to why Sid stopped liking him.

-At WrestleMania IX, Hogan got himself and partner Brutus Beefcake disqualified during their World Tag Team title shot at champs Money Inc. by using a foreign object, then still spent a solid five minutes posing in the ring afterward. Following the main event where Bret Hart got gypped out of the World title by Yokozuna and his nefarious manager Mr. Fuji, Hulk came down to make sure The Hitman was ok and then promptly forgot all about him to run in and challenge the new champ, winning due to mistimed outside interference and then posing for another ten minutes while Bret Hart was in the back getting salt scrubbed out of his eyes.

-Upon debuting for World Championship Wrestling in 1994, Hogan went after Flair’s World title, and in the course of winning it, once again beat up poor Sherri, who had gone five years without having a 6’7” dude slam her and give her multiple atomic drops.

-At Halloween Havoc 1995, Hogan faced The Giant in a Monster Truck Sumo Challenge on the roof of Cobo Arena. After The Hulkster won, he celebrated by throwing his opponent off the roof of the building, presumably to his demise (fortunately, he was fine, and they wrestled like 15 minutes later).

-Hulk Hogan made me watch a 24 minute long match where he and Dennis Rodman beat Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone at Bash at the Beach 1998. He also made me watch him choke The Ultimate Warrior with his weightlifting belt for 15 minutes and then accidentally light his eyebrows on fire at Halloween Havoc the same year. Sure he was technically and actual villain by that point, but c’mon, that’s above and beyond.

-Mr. America.

Hey, I may not be a full blown Hulkamaniac—I was a little Tornado as a kid, cheering on Kerry Von Erich, then transitioned to whatever Shawn Michaels called his fans before there was a Clique and I realize I was the only dude chanting the name of the guy in the sequined chaps—but I recognize and appreciate all the man did for the business.

I also recognize and appreciate how there probably wouldn’t be a comic book industry without Superman.

But if those guys hung out in the 80’s, they probably would have just taken turns giving Lois Lane and Sensational Sherri atomic drops before making Jimmy Olsen marry an ape and never letting Paul Orndorff have a title match.

Rasslin' Ramblings: My Five Favorite Macho Matches

Like I said when commemorating him a couple weeks ago, Randy Savage was the complete package not just as a professional wrestler, but as an entertainer flat out. Everything from his look to his voice to his cadence and delivery to the way he moved was refined painstakingly to maximize his innate charisma and create one of the most memorable characters in pop culture.

But as I also said, when it came back to pure athleticism and being able to tell a physical story in the confines of the wrestling ring, well, the Macho Man could do that better than most too.

Here are my personal favorite matches featuring Randy Savage in all his Macho glory.

5. Randy Savage vs Ric Flair (WCW Great American Bash 1995)
Two of wrestling’s greatest performers had an awesome, intense and personal rivalry that spanned two companies and nearly a decade; their clashes both in the ring and on the mic are all worth looking up. But while they had a classic encounter at WrestleMania VIII for the World title and later battled over the WCW World title as well, I most enjoyed this hidden gem where nothing was on the line but pride. With Flair having attacked his elderly father a month prior, Savage comes out a house of fire and basically spends 15 minutes with Flair on the run, desperately searching for the proverbial fire extinguisher. Flair and Savage’s characters meshed very well—the scheming douchebag versus the hero with a hair trigger—and their chemistry made for a great one here.

4. Falls Count Anywhere: Randy Savage vs Crush (WWF WrestleMania X)
In the final high profile match of his World Wrestling Federation career and his swansong on the WrestleMania stage, Randy Savage turns it on and proves that he was anything but past his prime. “Macho Man” not only keeps up with the younger, stronger Crush, he laps the big man, stinging him like a furious gnat and selling the weight of their months-long conflict that drew him out from behind the announce table and into combat with his former friend and protégé. Some might rag on the finish—Savage hogties Crush backstage and escapes back to the ring to claim victory—but I think it just showed another side of Savage, the cerebral veteran who knew how to eke out a win over the unbeatable monster. The best in Savage always seems to come out when he has something to prove, and he certainly had to silence the naysayers with this one.

3. For the WCW World title: Sting vs Randy Savage (WCW Spring Stampede 1998)
The last truly great match of Randy Savage’s career before a knee injury forced him to slow down in his final days as an active competitor. Sting had been more or less sleepwalking since taking a year off and morphing into his Crow gimmick, but here the “Macho Man” slapped him in the face and woke him up in time to start having fun again. Savage shows off his versatility once more here, attacking with fury from the onset and showing he can brawl just as well as he can wrestle when the need arises. The fire in Savage’s eyes is one of a man written off with everything to prove; he convinces you that he not only needs to win here, but that he can overcome the boogeyman who nearly destroyed the entire New World Order, that he really is “the most dangerous man in wrestling.” After 10 minutes of a fight that spills all over the arena, Kevin Nash ultimately gives “Macho Man” the win and World title, but Savage is absolutely the one who earned it.

2. For the WWF Intercontinental title: Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat (WWF WrestleMania III)
From a technical standpoint, this always needs to be in the discussion as far as the great wrestling matches of all time. Nearly 15 minutes of non-stop action where you never for a second have a moment to breath for an extended rest hold or dry double knockout spot; it’s pure energy unleashed in a dual performance as brilliantly choreographed as any ballet. Legend has it they spent months of house shows wrestling one another and taking the best pieces of each encounter to assemble into this masterwork; legend also has it that the meticulous Savage nearly drove Steamboat nuts with his obsessive attention to detail and pre-planning, but hopefully for “The Dragon” the ends ultimately justified the means as it did those of us watching. Both men got every opportunity to show off their athleticism and signature spots, being it Steamboat “skinning the cat” or Savage launching himself from the top turnbuckle. There was just enough story flourishes injected via George Steele and Ms. Elizabeth, but mostly the wrestling was the story, and by the time Steamboat got his fluke rollup for the win, you had been dazzled by so many nearfalls to the point of near exhaustion. These days it’s tough for two wrestlers to capture our imaginations for the length this match did without some kind of gimmick, be it tables, ladders, chairs or simply no disqualification, but Savage and Steamboat did it the old-fashioned way.

1. Career vs Career: Randy Savage vs The Ultimate Warrior (WWF WrestleMania VII)
In all the time prior and the twenty years since, I still don’t think a truly emotional and touching story has ever been told in the medium of professional wrestling that matches up to this one. On the day Randy Savage passed, I saw folks who hadn’t watched in years noting they still remembered this one. I remember Scott Keith writing long ago in regards to this match “And they say it can’t be Shakespeare” or something along those line, and he nailed it. The then “Macho King” came into this having been built as the quintessential villain for two years, having turned his back on best friend Hulk Hogan and true love Ms. Elizabeth and become an over-the-top bad guy complete with outlandish “royal” demands and the shrill Sensational Sherri as his new consort. The Savage-Ultimate Warrior feud consisted of Warrior denying Savage a title shot when he was World champion, “Macho Man” screwing his rival out of the championship, and the two of them having nothing left to gamble but their careers. Two things stood out right from the start to set the tone: Elizabeth being shown in the crowd and Warrior foregoing his usual sprint to the ring, instead walking slowly and underscoring the stakes. Savage bounced around like a pinball for Warrior, and in return, the Ultimate one delivered what I consider to be his best match; both guys perfectly walked the line between the overblown goofy fun that lies at the heart of professional wrestling and the serious business they needed to demonstrate in character. Both men delivered everything they had—including an unprecedented three flying elbow drops from Savage and Warrior hitting all his patented moves—but neither could keep the other down. When Warrior finally got the duke, you believed that Savage had absolutely pushed his body to the limit and beyond. But of course the true beauty beyond what occurred from bell to bell is Sherri turning on her charge, Elizabeth coming to his rescue, Savage realizing what has transpired and doing a complete 180 to go out a hero, reunited with the woman who meant more to him than his very career. The facial expressions on Randy’s face as he pieces together what happened showcase his talent every bit as much as the match and the moment where after five years he finally holds the ropes open for her as opposed to vice versa was just the cherry on top; not just a great match, not just a great wrestling saga, but one of my favorite stories from any medium.

Rasslin' Ramblings: RIP Randy Savage

Many performers in the history of professional wrestling have become stars based on look or charisma and not necessarily needed to work as hard in the ring. Others can go between the ropes but don’t possess the gift of gab. And of course countless hardworking men and women achieve a modicum of success by combining it all, but only go so far. It’s a far shorter list of wrestlers who can talk, wrestle and put it all together to break through to become a cut above merely great.

“Macho Man” Randy Savage was absolutely one of those special few.

Savage was right up there with Hulk Hogan and even The Ultimate Warrior in terms of being able to spin rambling, near-incoherent-at-times promos, but there was a strange seductiveness to his particular brand of unorthodox poetry; if Hogan sometimes made you roll your eyes and Warrior frequently made you laugh, Savage could do both, but usually because that seemed his intention, and more often than not he just mesmerized you.

He had a tremendous look that certainly came in part from gifted genetics, but he accentuated it with the bizarre wardrobe and crazed eyes. There are few people who could make ornate robes, over-the-top sunglasses, seizure-inducing color combos and bedazzled cowboy hats work all at once, but Randy Savage didn’t just pull it together, he made his style awesome as well as iconic.

All that would have been enough to make the Macho Man one of the most memorable characters in the larger-than-life World Wrestling Federation of the 1980’s and carried him through to a successful career, but Randy Savage could also get it done in the ring. His signature top rope flying elbow drop remains a portrait of grace even today when corkscrews and springboards have been added to even the most basic of moves. He could make a bodyslam or a clothesline look like a world beater. His meticulous need to lay out each detail of his every match reportedly drew some opponents nuts, but you can’t argue with the end result.

During over three decades in the business, Randy Savage became one of the all-time legends of professional wrestling, but most folks know he transcended far beyond that. There are few people of my generation whether they watched wrestling or not who don’t know the Macho Man at the very least from his role as the spokesman for Slim Jim; watching him interrupt a performance of Romeo & Juliet with “Art thou bored?! Snap into a Slim Jim!” remains a consistent YouTube guilty pleasure. He also stole the scene as Bonesaw McGraw in the first Spider-Man movie and was fantastic as Space Ghost’s grandfather on Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast and in other various animated roles. He left an imprint on pop culture and there are few people who won’t crack a smile at the mention of his name or when somebody busts out an “Ohhhhhh Yeahhhhh!” People loved the Macho Man.

Randy Savage—whose real name was Randy Poffo—died this past Friday, May 20, 2011, at the far-too-young age of 58. Reportedly, he suffered a heart attack while driving and lost control of his car, hitting a tree.

For somebody who flourishes during the era of professional era Randy Savage did, he had been able to overcome so many of the business’ pitfalls and sad clichés, making his death all the more tragic. While obviously I can’t know for sure what went on in the man’s personal life, all evidence and testimony from those that knew him indicate he did not become a slave to substance abuse problems nor did he mismanage his money as so many members of his generation in wrestling did. He invested wisely and has been able to stay inactive by choice for nearly a decade, never needing to come back for a quick payday and by all accounts wrestling when and where he chose as far back as the mid-90’s.

If any part of Savage’s story seemed tragic, it may have been his romantic life, as his relationship with on-screen manager/off-screen wife Miss Elizabeth ended in divorce—she passed away in 2003 following a drug overdose—but even there he reconnected with and married his high school sweetheart just over a year ago.

It’s a terrible loss first and foremost for Randy Poffo’s family and friends, but also for his countless fans within the world of wrestling and even just anybody who enjoyed him in a Slim Jim commercial or Space Ghost cameo—I’d count myself in both the latter groups.

I’m going to try and throw up a list of some favorite matches and moments later this week, but for now, rest in peace Macho Man--you were one of a kind in a world where that's not easy.

Rasslin' Ramblings: Draft Picks

This Monday night on Raw, it’s time for the 2011 WWE Draft, the annual swapping of stars between Raw and SmackDown—and once upon a time the yearly raping of WWECW—done to “shake things up.” I always love the Draft, and have in all its incarnations, from the mega lottery versions in 2002 and 2004, to the drawn out week-by-week process of 2005 and most especially through the template they’ve used since 2007 wherein representatives from the brands compete in matches with the winners earning picks for their side enacted immediately. For more history of the Draft stuff, I’d kindly direct you to IWantWrestling, where former WWE writer Dave Lagana has been doing some neat retrospective pieces.

Usually the Draft is a three hour long special and meticulously planned, but the buzz this time around is that it’s only the length of a typical episode of Raw and somewhat rushed, in both cases because WWE is scrambling to fill the void left on SmackDown with Edge’s abrupt retirement. Even without that element there are usually some obvious picks with this deal we can see coming a mile away coupled with a few “keep them guessing” wild cards (poor Jim Ross). I’m going to do my best Saturday evening quarterback routine and give 10 picks I think at least make sense whether they go down or not, but first…

A quick word on the brand extension: I am and always have been a fan. It seems like people have been calling for it to be abolished ever since it went into effect nearly a decade ago, but I don’t get that. Is WWE’s adherence to keeping it intact fairly flimsy with people jumping from show to show and appearing on both whenever? Sure, but who cares! Is it a bit strange that guys become crazy loyal to their show around Bragging Rights even if they were on the other brand a month earlier? Of course, but this is friggin’ wrestling—suspend your disbelief!

The fact is the necessity of having to maintain two mini-companies has led to the creation of more stars and work for more wrestlers. Have there been lean years that would have been less so had there been no brand extension? Yeah, for sure, but the tradeoff seems miniscule to me. Without the brand extension, guys like Eddie Guerrero would likely never have gotten a shot to play on the main event level. You wouldn’t have had desperation lead to the creation of a classic character like John Bradshaw Layfield. The dice would never have been rolled on somebody like Sheamus. Heck, we don’t even know if WWE’s top dogs like John Cena, Edge and Randy Orton would have been able to succeed as they have before the brand extension. And you think we’ve seen Cena vs Orton too many times already? Imagine if they were both on two shows a week!

The Draft has also proven a viable way of making stars. Traditionally, you’ll see guys who might not have gotten the time and attention to succeed on the star-crowded landscape of Raw go to SmackDown and flourish; I honestly doubt C.M. Punk would be the main event caliber guy he is today had he not moved to Fridays back in 2009, getting away from the Cenas and Ortons and getting to steal the show with Jeff Hardy for a summer. On the flipside, being put under the bright lights of Raw sometimes brings out the best in guys eager to prove they belong, with current WWE Champion The Miz—who had gone as far as he could on ECW when he got shipped to Raw—being the best example of this. You could further argue that John Cena stepped up huge when he went to Raw in 2005 and that while Edge was already a former champ when he headed to SmackDown in 2007, he became far more dominant there.

Of course, sometimes it doesn’t work. Going to Raw in 2009 more or less stopped MVP’s ascent to stardom dead in its tracks. Any momentum Kofi Kingston had at this time last year had dissipated after spending the last 12 months spinning his wheels on SmackDown. Rey Mysterio was a bust on Raw. Triple H never seemed at home on SmackDown.

We shall see what hits and misses this year’s Draft produces, but here are my picks for moves that could work nicely…

RAW TO SMACKDOWN

RANDY ORTON
From what I’ve read, the consensus seems to be that this will be the big pick of this year’s Draft, with Orton being sent to SmackDown to shore up its star power and become the new top good guy with Edge’s departure. It makes sense as Orton is certainly a big enough deal to carry the brand and he’s only ever going to be Randy Savage to John Cena’s Hulk Hogan over on Raw, despite being arguably more popular. I’d be mildly concerned that Orton lost a step when he last appeared on the show back in 2005-2006, but he’s a far more mature and professional performer these days and I think he’ll be up to the task of helming his own show.

SHEAMUS
In his year and a half on Raw, Sheamus has accomplished pretty much everything he could hope to, and it feels like he’s run out of things to do there, so a move to SmackDown would freshen things up for him. Also, despite a relatively short WWE career, he’s a two-time WWE Champion who has feuded with top stars from John Cena to Triple H and proven himself on their level; he brings another credible A-list talent to SmackDown. Lastly, they seem to like shifting the titles around now and again, and with Sheamus being the current U.S. Champion, I believe he’ll swap places with a fellow champ (more on that later).

DANIEL BRYAN
Assuming WWE still had a fraction of the faith they have in Bryan they had late last year, it would make sense for them to give him a run on Fridays and see what he can do with it much as guys like C.M. Punk, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston and Cody Rhodes have been afforded the opportunity in the past. SmackDown has traditionally been seen as more of the pure wrestling brand versus the entertainment-heavy Raw, so Bryan fits the bill; it’s all about whether WWE wants to give him the shot or are content with him as the guy who makes other guys look good.

TED DIBIASE
After a terrible solo run on Raw during what was supposed to be his breakout year, DiBiase desperately needs a change of scenery of he has any hopes of rebooting his career and making something happen. Since he’s a second generation competitor with such a widely-respected father, I think he’ll get the chance, and hopefully he can do as well as his old Legacy buddy Choy Rhodes has.

MELINA
They always throw in a Diva swap, and moving Melina to SmackDown makes sense on a few levels. First off, Layla seems set to turn babyface and break up Lay-Cool, which means the show is going to need a new female heel so Michelle McCool doesn’t have to go it completely alone. Second, but perhaps more importantly, from a cold business approach, Melina is supposedly killing the rising star of her boyfriend John Morrison, who has all the tools to be a main event guy on Raw if he can clean up his act backstage; separating the two of them may be a bit cruel, but it would also probably be in WWE’s best interests.

SMACKDOWN TO RAW

KANE
I was going to go with the obvious Big Show pick here, as he seems to get swapped between brands every year, but Kane actually isn’t that far behind him in that regard. Joking aside, Raw will need a babyface to fill Orton’s spot and somebody to provide a feud for The Miz aside from Cena and Morrison, so Kane fits the bill. Show seems to have finally found his niche in his current SmackDown role, but Kane has become a weird presence on Friday nights; his babyface turn after months as a sadistic villain came out of left field and it’s odd to have him on the same show as The Undertaker after their bitter feud, so best to get him away from all of that and over to Monday where he can be a solid role player.

WADE BARRETT
The other half of the title switcheroo I discussed when talking about Sheamus, I’d say the Intercontinental Champion heads to Raw. Corre simply hasn’t worked and will be broken up one way or another within the month, so it makes sense to salvage Barrett by moving him away from the fallout and back to the show where he flourished throughout much of 2010. Barrett has a ton of potential, showed far more promise on Raw than he has on SmackDown, and really wasn’t around long enough to burn through all his potential feuds, so both he and the IC title would be welcome back on Monday nights.

JACK SWAGGER
A year ago he was World Champion, but Jack Swagger is arguably more on top of his game today, with his in-ring skills improving all the time and his angle with Michael Cole getting him majorly over as a heel in a way nothing else they tried seemed to do. He deserves another shot at being on Raw, but more than that, he should be moved closer to Cole regardless as he can either continue to leech off that heat as a prime bad guy, or turn babyface in a big way, providing another potential challenger for The Miz down the line.

KOFI KINGSTON
This one is a bit of a hail mary, but Kofi showed such promise on Raw and has gone nowhere on SmackDown, so though a move back to the more crowded roster may seem counterintuitive, he’s got too much talent to waste so really I’d just keep jumping him until you find a comfortable fit. Also, I’ve said this twice already, but again, it’s another babyface challenger for Miz, and when you’ve got a strong heel champ you can never have too many to extend that reign as long as you can before pulling the trigger on the right successor.

BETH PHOENIX
Over on SmackDown, perhaps WWE’s best in-ring Diva is playing second fiddle to Kelly Kelly and will soon be third on the babyface totem pole below Layla as well. Beth belongs on the prime show where she can feud with the likes of Eve and the Bellas until the dream match between her and Awesome Kong can go down.

OTHER NOTES

-They’re going to be tempted to move Cody Rhodes to Raw, but they need to fight that urge; he’s growing into a star at the perfect rate on SmackDown, and he belongs on Fridays until he’s completed the transformation.

-I wouldn’t be shocked to see R-Truth head back to SmackDown as it would seem the better testing ground for his new heel act, but I figure they’ll feud him with John Morrison first, so he probably stays put.

-For a bit I had Drew McIntyre in Swagger’s spot before ultimately going that direction, but I still think he could rise to the occasion if moved to Raw and actually make a decent babyface if they wanted to go that route; ditto Justin Gabriel.

-Conventional wisdom may say that Sin Cara should be moved to SmackDown because it’s taped after blown spots in his first couple matches on Raw, but I think keeping him and Rey Mysterio on separate brands until they’re ready to do something worthwhile with them remains the smart move.

Rasslin' Ramblings: Thank You Edge

There is of course no bigger news in wrestling this week than the retirement of Edge, aka Adam Copeland, at age 37 due to complications from a broken neck suffered nearly nine years ago. An 11-time World champion, Edge notched up a grand total of 31 championships during his 13 years in WWE, more than anybody else in his history, also winning a King of the Ring, a Money in the Bank Ladder match and a Royal Rumble along the way. In short, he’s arguably the most decorated wrestler of all-time, so he certainly leaves the sport not only as the reigning World champion, but also as a guy with really nothing left to prove and a sure bet for the Hall of Fame.

Edge also suffered no shortage of major injuries over his relatively short career, including the aforementioned neck trauma, two torn pectorals, multiple knee problems and most recently a nearly-career ending torn Achilles tendon that he incredibly managed to come back from. He’s spoken in multiple interviews about a desire to hang up his boots before his 40th birthday and has invested his earnings wisely enough to be able to do so. When you couple that desire with all he has already accomplished and the accumulated wear and tear he has put on his body, really Edge’s retirement is more a cause for celebrating a man who gave so much to the business and the fans and managed to somewhat miraculously get out on top with his health intact.

On a personal level, I got to interview Edge/Adam (my first question was what to call him, which he genuinely chuckled at as apparently nobody ever asks him that and he appreciated the gesture) over the phone during my first month at Marvel.com for one of our very first Fightin’ Fanboy pieces (I can’t say he was the first Fightin’ Fanboy as I believe Ryan Penagos had done something with Christopher Daniels before I got there and Arune Singh may also have already talked to Alex Shelley at that point). It remains one of my absolute favorite interviews I have ever conducted of the probably hundreds I have had the pleasure of doing over the past seven years. We probably talked for about an hour and a half despite the allotted time being far shorter than that about wrestling, comics (Edge is a huge geek, and has legitimate credibility as far as knowing his trivia) and other stuff; I genuinely felt like I was just chatting with a buddy as opposed to interviewing a celebrity. He was funny and friendly as well as very courteous and I felt great coming out of the call; without going too over the top, it really helped set a positive tone for my start at Marvel and certainly gave me a shot in the arm as an interviewer that I’ve always been a guy who gets nervous doing stuff over the phone.

Actually though, my first interaction with Edge proceeded that one by almost a decade and I had practically forgotten about it until just this week. When I attended WrestleMania XIV live in Boston, during one of the matches, two big guys with long hair came out and started watching the show from the aisle entrance right next to our seats; one was The Jackyl (who was an absolute jerk to a bunch of kids who asked for his autograph, refusing and then yelling at them to watch the match) and the other guy I sort of recognized from a WWF Magazine piece on the developmental system, but couldn’t quite place. Needless to say, in the next few weeks as promos began airing on Monday Night Raw, I realized I had watched part of WrestleMania sitting next to Edge.

Edge will certainly be missed as a performer, but like I said, it’s certainly far more important he retains his health and gets out go out so strong (WWE put a tremendous career retrospective video package together that Dave Lagana talked about over at his blog).

As my little tribute, here are my five favorite—not “my favorite,” not necessarily “the best”—Edge matches in chronological order.

TLC II: The Dudley Boyz vs Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz (WrestleMania XVII)
I have a personal fondness for the three way Ladder match from WrestleMania XVI over either of the TLC matches, truth be told, as I watched it with my high school buddies and it was so blow away innovative, but from an Edge-centric perspective, this was the best of the trilogy. He and Christian were at the height of their run as a dominant heel tag team, really getting to infuse their characters into the story here, and of course he hit the mid-air spear on Jeff Hardy that still makes highlight reels today.

Hulk Hogan & Edge vs Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo (SmackDown, 2002)
Not the best match from a pure wrestling standpoint, but the energy in this one elevated it tremendously and as viewing experience it holds up to this day (I just re-watched it recently on the Decade of Decadence DVD). You can see in Edge’s every smile and action how much teaming with his childhood idol to win the World Tag Team titles meant to him and you see the passion in great little spots like the stereo leg drops; great post-match celebration of course, also.

Edge vs Eddie Guerrero (SummerSlam 2002)
For my money Edge’s best match from his initial babyface singles run during 2001-2004. These two had awesome chemistry in the ring and could tell a great story on so many levels; they could tie it up on the mat, take to the air or brawl and there was never a lull or down moment. Eddie Guerrero could have a good match with just about anybody, but you could tell when his opponents rose to his level rather than needing to be led, with great results, and that’s what happened here.

Edge, Mick Foley & Lita vs Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer & Beulah McGillicutty (One Night Stand 2006)
No image for me better epitomizes Edge’s peerless run as a sleaze ball heel than his spear and subsequent lewd, utterly offensive cover of Beulah McGillicutty, the beloved poster girl of ECW out of retirement for one night only. Edge showed in his WrestleMania XXII match with Mick Foley that he could work the hardcore style with fearlessness, but I’ve got a personal soft spot for this match with its train wreck pacing and that great finish; Edge came out looking like the ultimate villain and a true star.

Edge vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania XXIV)
The biggest match of Edge’s career as he got to main event at the biggest show of the year against arguably the biggest star in the company, The Undertaker. That’s a lot of pressure to put on anybody, but you wouldn’t have known from watching as this was a great one that absolutely deserved to close WrestleMania. Excitement bell-to-bell and I honestly feel Edge played a major role in kicking off Undertaker’s incredible in-ring resurgence over the past few years, which perhaps more than any of those 31 championships is certainly something to hang his hat on.

Rasslin' Ramblings: WrestleMania XXVII Wrap-Up

WrestleMania XXVII is in the books. My picks fared atrociously with only three of my predictions coming to pass (thank you Cody Rhodes, Undertaker and, well, Snooki). And already WWE has churned furiously forward, not only more or less changing the name of the company (a press release went out mid-week noting they’re no longer World Wrestling Entertainment, now just WWE, an acronym standing for nothing, as they want to de-emphasize “wrestling” and focus more on expanding into general entertainment) but also setting the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII—the event one year away!—as John Cena vs The Rock.

Before we completely move on, however, I do have some thoughts on the big show and what it meant in the larger sense. I went into far more detail with the gang over at the PoP!-Cast Wrestling podcast earlier this week—a fine two hour-plus listen if you’ve got some down time and like to hear guys attempting to make themselves laugh while perhaps providing some insight in the process—but want to repeat or expand on some salient points here…

The thing that jumped out most to me about WrestleMania XXVII in looking up and down the results of the card and what went down—and for full disclosure, I’ve only gotten to watch the final three matches thus far—was that it really seemed to send the message that WWE gave doing something new the old college try in 2010, it didn’t work, and this was them admitting defeat.

2010 was, of course, the year that WWE took more risks than they had in nearly a decade as far as pushing new—and at time untested—stars in an attempt to jumpstart a legitimate youth movement and hopefully find the successors to John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, etc.

Sheamus was a two-time WWE Champion by mid-year and a main event fixture against the A-list players, not to mention seemingly being groomed for a lengthy feud with Triple H at some point. The NXT season one—and some season two—rookies, led by Wade Barrett, dominated Raw for the latter half of the year as the Nexus, and also made it collectively to the main event of SummerSlam. Daniel Bryan came back from a brief release to win the U.S. title and a prominent babyface role on Raw. Alberto Del Rio made an immediate impact on SmackDown, putting Rey Mysterio and Christian out of action. Younger veterans like Jack Swagger, John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler were all pushed near or two the top of the card with The Miz leading the charge by taking the WWE championship from Randy Orton.

Now let’s take a look at how the “WWE Youth Movement” fared at WrestleMania XXVII:

Alberto Del Rio, seemingly a foregone conclusion to go over Edge and win the World title, lost in the opening match. Wade Barrett and his former Nexus cronies in Corre went down to Big Show’s ad hoc team in under two minutes. Sheamus and Daniel Bryan, set to face off for the U.S. title—Sheamus having been edged ceremoniously out of any program with Triple H—got bumped from the card and their dark match morphed into a battle royal won by The Great Khali. I’d argue Morrison and Ziggler actually did just fine as the male portion of a six person mixed tag match involving Snooki given the amount of mainstream exposure both got residually as a result, but neither guy actually tagged in. Swagger also got something of a push as Michael Cole’s trainer for his match against Jerry Lawler and is probably more over as a heel than he has ever been right now, but then read that sentence back.

Only The Miz escaped relatively unscathed, receiving an amazing video package and then managing to upset Cena and retain the WWE title, albeit via interference by The Rock and having to take a People’s Elbow to end the show. Also worth noting on a smaller scale is that Cody Rhodes went over Rey Mysterio in probably the sleeper match of the evening.

The guys who came out of WrestleMania XXVII looking the best? Edge, Randy Orton, Big Show, The Undertaker and The Rock—the usual suspects as well as a guy who hasn’t been a WWE fixture in seven years and, while a tremendous attraction, will likely make sporadic appearances at best over the next year.

Before you get out the pitchforks though, let me say my piece: I don’t necessarily disagree with WWE’s reasoning here.

Do I disagree with certain choices? Certainly. Most glaringly, I think Alberto Del Rio is ready to be World champion, particularly on SmackDown where the pressure is significantly less glaring than on Raw. To a lesser extent, I understand the frustration many are feeling about Rock closing the show and laying out Miz in addition to his main rival, Cena. And yes, in a perfect world Sheamus and Bryan would have made the card, but ultimately, WrestleMania stands out as a show in large part on spectacle, so if you needed to cut something to give time to show some celebrities or the Hall of Fame inductees, yeah, I think that was the logical one to end up on the chopping block. Corre getting decimated? I don’t love it, because I personally like those guys, but I can see why it happened.

At the end of the day, by all reports, 2010 was not the most financially lucrative in terms of pay-per-view buy rates for WWE. Obviously there are likely dozens of factors that contributed to this and I’d be a fool to assume I have any great insight, but I also don’t think it’s completely absurd for the powers that be to come to the conclusion that placing guys like Wade Barrett, Jack Swagger and Sheamus in top draw spots maybe they weren’t ready for and the average fan didn’t embrace hurt their bottom line.

There were times during 2010 when as excited as I got that something new and different was happening, the lack of storyline logic got to me. There’s no better example of this than Nexus. The novelty of seven rookies being in the main event of SummerSlam was neat, but it bugged me that they were up against a team of WWE all-stars and former World champions whose only real disadvantage was “their egos will clash.” It never felt to me like Nexus had a chance because their numbers advantage was negated and they didn’t seem to give themselves an edge. As the fall went on and Wade Barrett was going over guys like Chris Jericho cleanly or Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater were outwitting Randy Orton and Edge en route to disqualification or countout victories, part of me just wasn’t buying it. I have to imagine I wasn’t the only person who felt this way, particularly among the more casual fans.

Wade Barrett is a helluva talker and solid in the ring, but I don’t think he was ready to be working main event matches with Randy Orton and John Cena only a few months after getting called up to the main WWE roster. I do think Sheamus proved he was ready and Alberto Del Rio could do the same, but unfortunately I think at some point not long before WrestleMania the young guys—with the thankful exception of Miz—got lumped together as having fairly or unfairly dropped the ball in 2010, and thus the decision was made to make the biggest show of the year about the proven commodities as well as banking on nostalgia with The Rock, Stone Cold and even Undertaker and Triple H.

I don’t blame WWE for getting gun shy and going back to the well of familiarity after a mediocre 2010. I’ll get frustrated if they fully revert to making Cena, Orton, et al. the only spotlight players as we forge further into 2011, but I don’t think that will be the case. Miz is still firmly entrenched as WWE Champion and a bigger deal than ever after WrestleMania. Alberto Del Rio didn’t win the World title last week, but it does seem only a matter of time. Wade Barrett’s push has been slowed, but he’s Intercontinental champion and has more breathing room to develop naturally. John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler should be in the main event mix sooner rather than later, as should Cody Rhodes. WWE also seems pretty committed to making Sin Cara a star, which I’m excited about. The guys who really seem to have suffered from the collective squelching of the youth movement are Sheamus and Daniel Bryan, but hopefully talent ultimately wins out there.

So yes, WrestleMania XXVII was in many ways a somewhat sad commentary on the seeming failure—at least in WWE’s eyes—of their young stars in 2010, but hopefully this will merely redouble their efforts to trying harder—but perhaps with a slightly more tempered approach—in 2011.

The other overriding thought I had coming out of WrestleMania XXVII was simply how much WrestleMania’s role has changed in terms of being the “season finale” for WWE (and before that WWF). When you go back to the first dozen or more incarnations, WrestleMania was where all the major feuds and angles for the year wrapped up and the following night on Raw or weekend on Superstars, you got set to learn where the promotion was headed for the next several months to a year and who the fresh crop of challengers and main event guys were as SummerSlam and beyond beckoned.

You look at stuff like the explosion of the Megapowers, Shawn Michaels’ pursuit of his first World title or Stone Cold Steve Austin doing the same and those storylines always culminated at WrestleMania. Sure you could argue that as far back as 1987 the Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant feud stretched past WrestleMania III, but at the least that night in the Silver Dome was a major turning point and it would be nearly a year before you saw them in the same ring again. Even the Megapowers issue continued past WrestleMania V on into SummerSlam and beyond, but again, only after diverging in a big way where Hogan vs Randy Savage was hardly even the focal point anymore.

Things changed once pay-per-views became a monthly staple, and most significantly around WrestleMania XV, where while Stone Cold got the WWF title back from The Rock there, they still squared off again almost immediately the next month at Backlash. Every subsequent year since and spreading beyond just the main event, the April pay-per-view has morphed into more or less a replay of WrestleMania, with return matches practically across the board.

Still, perhaps never has a WrestleMania felt more like a road bump than the destination than this year.

Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler is the perfect litmus test. Cole’s transformation from irritating but mild-mannered commentator into one of the best heels on the WWE roster has been built perfectly from just around last year’s WrestleMania through to this one. Over the past few months, he has screwed Jerry Lawler at every turn, from costing him the chance to be WWE Champion to setting him up to be physically assaulted to even verbally desecrating the memory of his parents. All professional wrestling logic—if that’s not too much of an oxymoron—called for Lawler to get his revenge and Cole to get his comeuppance as “The King” should have decimated his rival and scored a feel good win in his very first WrestleMania match.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, while Lawler seemed to get the win initially, the anonymous Raw General Manager reversed the decision and Cole got the last laugh. The heel ultimately went over and the feud therefore must continue. WrestleMania didn’t settle anything, and given that it’s highly unlikely they will drag this out another year, if Lawler does ultimately get the duke, it will be on a low profile show.

You can also look at the World title match, where rather than getting the major rub of winning his first championships on the grandest stage of them all, Alberto Del Rio not only lost cleanly but also had his prized Rolls Royce destroyed by Edge and Christian, ensuring that feud will also continue and ADR’s big win will be achieved on a lesser stage, thus feeling less special.

The main event was of course the ultimate example of how WrestleMania has lost its luster in terms of being the final chapter of the year that was, as Rock attacking Cena turned out not only to be a glorified advertisement to watch Raw the next night, but to stay tuned for the next true installment in 12 months.

If there’s an upside, it does seem like in booking the WrestleMania XVIII main event so far in advance—and I’m sure Vince McMahon’s fingers will be more or less welded crossed for some time to come—even at the expense of this year’s main event, WWE appears to be committing to making that show truly special and a true culmination rather than just a stop along the way. As with the youth movement, the optimist in me hopes that a misstep will represent a lesson learned.

Rasslin' Ramblings: WrestleMania XXVII Picks

You would think with all the writing about wrestling I’ve been doing the last few weeks, I’d get around to posting some WrestleMania XXVII prediction more than the day before (or day of depending on when I pull the trigger on this) the show, right? That would make logical sense, but I’ve certainly never been one for logic, and helping get the Marvel.com coverage of WonderCon set up (cheap plug) has mostly sapped my energy.

However, after a delicious dinner made by myself—bow tie pasta with sautéed spinach, pine nuts, garlic and sausage—and because my wife is in “don’t bother me when I’m studying mode,” now seems the perfect time to finally jot down some picks. Given that most of you probably won’t read this until Monday, the show will be in the books and you can hail me as the visionary or buffoon I’ll have proven to be.

Will try to keep these as quick and dirty as I can to get them up sooner rather than later, but neither has ever been my strong suit. Starting from the top…

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The Miz © vs John Cena

I actually had the pleasure of speaking with The Miz for Marvel.com this past week for our Fightin’ Fanboys series. It was quite the experience as the fella is energy personified. I got him right before he went on Conan later in the evening but after about 20 other interviews and he was still going a mile-a-minute. Definitely a case where he seems like his character isn’t too far from his real personality, with the big exception being of course that he was extremely polite and seemed like a nice guy; still, impossible to get a word in with him—in a good way—as he had lots to say about just about anything I threw at him and was extremely quick-witted. Miz does WWE a great service representing them as their champion.

That aside, this will be a good match. People bust on John Cena for not being able to wrestle, but that’s dumb; Cena may not be Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart, but he has an excellent grasp of the fundamentals, tells great stories and has intensity that’s second to none. Cena also always brings his best stuff to the big events, WrestleMania in particular; I’m convinced Miz can hang with him, so again, good match.

The result? Not much in doubt in my mind as I’d assume Cena wins to presumably send the fans home happy. I say “presumably” since the return of The Rock and his verbal sparring with Cena has turned even more of the fan base than usual against WWE’s would-be top babyface, so a show that ends with the WWE title changing hands does not guarantee a standing ovation by any stretch of the imagination. The intrigue will be in what exactly The Rock does as far as this match, particularly after Cena left him laying at the end of Raw. I don’t think Rock will cost Cena the title—I bet Alex Riley gets his WrestleMania moment by brawling with Rock while the match finishes up in the ring—but I don’t see him pulling a Mike Tyson and raising his rival’s hand to pass the torch. WrestleMania is typically the end of the big storylines, but with Rock booked on Monday’s Raw and clearly open to doing business with WWE more in the future, I have a feeling this is only the beginning, and his face could be the last one we see as the show goes off the air, setting up a dream match down the line.

WINNER: John Cena

NO HOLDS BARRED
The Undertaker vs Triple H

As I told Tom Brennan on Twitter the other day, if the streak ever ends—and I don’t really think it should—it should not be at the hands of Triple H, who really gains nothing much from the win as his legacy is already secured and he’s perpetually over besides. This seems to be the prevailing sentiment of most fans, and I think Triple H is a savvy and intelligent enough individual to share it. Surveying the current landscape of WWE’s youth movement, I’m not sure anybody is currently deserving of the mega bump beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania will provide, but that could change in a year, two years, etc.

I have not been a fan of how this match has been built. The repetitive back and forth promos got old fast. I was annoyed from the start that Sheamus and Kane got shafted out of their roles of having taken out each of the participants months ago. And editing Taker’s win over HHH 10 years ago at WrestleMania XVII from the highlight packages has been just silly. Getting Shawn Michaels involved this Monday and his amazing sales job on how much The Undertaker broke him with the back-to-back losses helped a lot, I must say. I don’t think HBK should have been brought back in earlier, since it would have diminished the appearance, so I don’t know what I would have done differently.

Undertaker vs HHH from WrestleMania XVII is one of my personal favorite overlooked Mania classics; a great match on an amazing show. I’m not sure how this one will hold up to that encounter from a decade ago. Undertaker is that rare performer who has gotten better with age, but injuries have been worse on him than ever lately. Triple H was great then, had some off years, but has also been cooking with gas for years, though I’m not sure what kind of ring rust he’s carrying in. I think both guys are well aware of what a big deal it is for them to face off on this show and how much hype has been given both in and outside of the company, so I fully expect them to rise to the occasion; it won’t be an Undertaker-Shawn Michaels match, but it’s going to likely be the next best thing.

WINNER: The Undertaker

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Edge © vs Alberto Del Rio

It’s insane to me that Christian is not in this match. It’s not such a highly anticipated showdown that doing a three way would have diminished it and Christian is more over now in WWE than he has ever been. They put him over ADR twice in singles matches so he could just stand in Edge’s corner? Seems like a waste of a chance to elevate a guy who has deserved it for years and I think WWE will regret it down the line.

The match will be fine, though truthfully I’m not expecting the star-making performance Del Rio could really use. Edge is as entertaining and charismatic as ever, but he hasn’t been the same in the ring since the Achilles injury and it’s been over a year now. He’s still managed to have really good matches lately with the likes of Dolph Ziggler, but Dolph is far better than a lot of people realized, and though Alberto possesses great talent as well, he won’t be able to carry a WrestleMania main event at this stage in his WWE career (there’s a reason this match will be third from the top at best). I feel like the finish is also more or less telegraphed with Christian causing Edge the title either on purpose or accidentally. I’m hoping for the latter and that they go with an Edge heel turn where he blames his buddy since Christian is on such a hot streak as a babyface right now, but I’m assuming it will be a retread jealousy angle instead that ends with the already established guy going over once again. Prove me wrong, WWE!

WINNER: Alberto Del Rio

Randy Orton vs C.M. Punk

A brilliantly-built feud between two guys who have never met on PPV and one that played on two-year old continuity in the set-up, which a comic book guy like me of course loves. It’s also nice to see two guys who could easily be in World title matches being given something of real consequence to do that bolsters the upper mid-card, a region often neglected at WrestleMania; matches like Orton vs Punk are what tip the scales as far as how this show will ultimately place on the all-time list.

I have a good feeling about how these guys will mesh as far as in-ring style. As far as crowd reaction, both are at the top of their respective games psychologically, so if WWE needs to get the audience revved up, this is the one to use (it honestly wouldn’t be the worst choice for an opener).

Even without anybody to interfere on his behalf, the New Nexus having been elegantly disposed of—I describe it that way as they got them out of the picture early enough to still keep Punk a threat on his own—I predict Punk will weasel a win here and be in WWE title contention for the Spring while this feud continues to simmer on the side.

WINNER: C.M. Punk

Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes

Like Punk-Rhodes, a great addition to the middle of the card, and I really applaud that WWE devoted months to a feud that they’d normally relegate to mere weeks. It may seem very basic and a bit old school, but the motivations here—Cody is a vain bad guy, Rey accidentally injured his face, Cody wants revenge, Rey knows he did nothing wrong—are brilliant in the simplicity of it all; the old ways worked for a reason. Cody Rhodes has also been doing best character work of his career, taking a gimmick that was already nuanced and putting him over in the Dashing persona and twisting it perfectly to create a nice derivation.

This will be a good, fast-paced, pure wrestling match to break up the gimmicks. Cody deserves the win here and I’m inclined to think that Rey will put him over, given that he purportedly handpicked him as his opponent.

WINNER: Cody Rhodes

Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler

Every WrestleMania needs—or should have—a “match” that is all spectacle with no hope of being any good as far as work rate, and this one would be that. Michael Cole may be the best heel in wrestling right now and his gradual turn from sour grapes commentator to full-blown nut job over the past year since he busted out the bad guy chops on NXT has been a sight to behold. He has run circles around Jerry Lawler verbally for much of this feud, though The King brought it in a big way at the buzzer on SmackDown with an awesomely intense promo. Lawler can still go in the ring, as he has proven of late, but that doesn’t really matter here; it is cool to see King finally get a WrestleMania match after nearly two decades of waiting though.

I’m not sure Stone Cold Steve Austin was needed as the ref here, but the idea that he’ll neutralize Jack Swagger—who is getting nice residual heat from this angle—isn’t a bad one, and of course he only adds to the luster of the event. Expect this to be pretty cut, dry and quick with Lawler getting the feel good moment he deserves.

Why the heck did they change The King’s entrance music a week before the show though?

WINNER: Jerry Lawler

John Morrison, Trish Stratus & Snooki vs Dolph Ziggler & LayCool

Purists will bemoan this one and say Morrison and Ziggler should have a one-on-one match here, but again, celebrities and spectacle is a key part of WrestleMania, and while I’m no Jersey Shore fan by any stretch, it’s big right now and this got WWE mondo mainstream buzz. Besides, Morrison and Ziggler get their names out there as well as a chance to show what they can do—they’ll obviously be carrying the match—plus Snooki did a pretty impressive Lou Thesz Press on Raw. If anybody got screwed here, it’s Trish Stratus, who retired with dignity five years ago and whose return should have been a far bigger deal and not made the backburner story to this feud.

A celebrity is involved, so the babyfaces should go over and Vickie Guerrero will probably get her comeuppance.

WINNERS: John Morrison, Trish Stratus & Snooki

The Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs The Corre

With Vladimir Kozlov getting jumped during Axxess by Corre, word is that Kofi Kingston will replace him here, which I’m certainly on board with; no offense to Big Vlad, but Kofi has earned the right to be out there a bit more and will only help the match quality here as well.

My complaint as this match came together was that The Corre should have the clear numbers advantage, so I was hoping it would end up being a handicap match with Show and Kane, or even those two and Diesel; despite all that Wade Barrett and friends have accomplished over the past year, they are still more or less rookies, so having them in there even with just two seven-plus-foot former World champions doesn’t exactly stack the odds in their favor, and heels should generally have the advantages in matches like this. However, the addition of Santino Marella actually provides a perfect weak link and fall guy (as well as giving another guy who deserves it a WrestleMania payday). WWE needs guys like Corre moving up the card, not the other way, right now.

WINNERS: The Corre

UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Sheamus © vs Daniel Bryan

The potential show stealer of the night if they’re given adequate time, and on a four hour show there’s really no reason they shouldn’t be. Fans of good old pure wrestling have to be psyched that Daniel Bryan has a singles match at WrestleMania—I am—but he’s also got quite the capable opponent in Sheamus. It gets lost sometimes in how quick he rocketed to the top of WWE, but Sheamus really deserved his push, as he’s far more solid in the ring than most folks realize. Sheamus can pull good matches out of simply ok opponents, shines against good ones, and has the chance to be great against Daniel Bryan. In their short Raw matches alone, these guys have already displayed tremendous chemistry, so this should be a treat.

It’s really a coin flip as far as who takes home the win. Bryan could certainly benefit from it more as he’s far more likely to get lost in the shuffle without the championship, but on the other hand, Sheamus isn’t too far removed from being buried for several months and he’s too valuable an asset to WWE’s upper echelon to hurt too much. Ultimately I’ll go with Daniel Bryan both because he’s my sentimental pick, but also because it feels like for WWE to go to the trouble of switching the title already on Raw means they’ll move it back to him here.

WINNER: Daniel Bryan