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So last Monday, the WWE decided to pull the trigger and announce John Cena will face The Rock at Wrestlemania 28. To me, this move is asinine. I hold out hope that WWE has actually gone back to the old days or reverse engineering the wrestling year to lead to Wrestlemania. Unfortunately, I believe that this was a last second switch after the poor reception they received the night before and the need to draw some sort of resolution to the Cena-Rock conflict. To paraphrase, they shot first and will start answering questions later with explanations they are surely making ...

No, wrestling fans, the sky is not falling. All of the shock and horror that is surely to occur upon reading the news that WWE is re-branding itself and expanding its “entertainment” products beyond wrestling is inevitable, but not the end of the pseudo-sport we all love as we know it. Buried deep in the official press release sent out today is the slice most critical to our fanbase.  “In addition to focusing on the expansion of the company, the company will bolster its core business with the launch of a new talent development department headed by Paul "Triple H" Levesque. The ...

This time last year, we all sat at our keyboards, typing feverishly about how WrestleMania XXVI was going to be the greatest of all time. It was Jericho’s return to the WM main event. Cena and Batista was hailed as this era’s Rock vs. Austin. Then of course there was Shawn Michaels’ retirement match. But overall, while WM 26 was an excellent show, the comparisons to the vaunted WrestleMania X-7 fell short. Fans’ hopes were so high that they were inevitably going to be disappointed. It’s backlash of having 13 annual PPVs that are expected to be better than the ...

Unofficially, the wrestling calendar runs Wrestlemania to Wrestlemania. Much as the holiday season begins at Thanksgiving and runs through New Year’s Eve, the pro wrestling equivalent is Wrestlemania season beginning with the build to the Royal Rumble and carrying through the Grand Daddy of Them All. With this understanding, it’s a fair time to look back at “this year” in wrestling. It’s been a pivotal 12 months that has seen significant departures, rises and returns. We’ll use those three terms as we breakdown what has transpired since Wrestlemania XXVI   Departures  The most significant wrestler to have left the WWE traveling ...

A month ago, I would never have thought it possible that the Miz could walk out of Wrestlemania with the world title still around his waist. While I believe he has been significantly elevated during his inaugural title run, I couldn’t imagine the kid-friendly WWE writing staff sending John Cena home without the WWE Title. My expectation of the show ending with a Cena-Rock warm embrace and a highlight reel “Wrestlemania Moment” went out the window Monday night. It began a week or so ago when the rumor mills started churning out reports that Vince McMahon instructed key members of his ...

For decades, it's been a running joke that the WWE only pushes bodybuilders to the main event. From Hulk Hogan, to Lex Luger, to John Cena, it's been a procession of larger than life individuals that WWE has shoved down our throats (some with more success than others). That's not to say that all big men are untalented. Cena is one of the hardest-working, underrated ring workers of his generation, but his physique certainly helped his cause in being made the face of the company.  If you aren't a muscle-bound gym rat though, you need to be related to somebody of wrestling fame to ...

The hot topic throughout the IWC today is clearly the stature of the Miz throughout the WWE Universe. Obviously, he is the WWE Champion, which should put him on top if this were a real sport, but we all know that there is a pecking order in the WWE that supersedes the belt. The moment the Rock walked down the ramp, he was back at the top. That was until HHH and The Undertaker made their simultaneous returns, at which time they back the biggest storyline in the company.  Fear that the Miz would be lost in the Wrestlemania hoopla, ...

From top to bottom, TNA may have produced the worst full-roster PPV in the last 20 years of professional wrestling. Victory Road was nothing but a miserable failure across the board. Considering the backlash from its fanbase against Dixie Carter on her Twitter feed when they ripped off the Sting return video, I cannot imagine what is going to take place following this absolute joke of a show. Here are a few highlights from Twitter tonight: @TNADixie I usually defend TNA when I can and get mocked for it, but I can't here. That was atrocious and a joke. Thanks for stealing our ...

Before getting started, I want to reference a very good column written by RIZE a few weeks ago that finally pushed me to write this column that I’ve been mulling over for some time now. Titled, "Time is Now: Is it Time to Alter CM Punk’s Character?", RIZE wrote toward the conclusion of his column:  “I ask that you don’t take my words as if I’m labeling CM Punk as the next Stone Cold Steve Austin.”  I won’t put words in his mouth. I’ll say it myself. CM Punk, if properly booked, is the next Stone Cold Steve Austin. It isn’t Orton. It ...

It’s been about 48 hours since The Rock made his return just before the 11 p.m. hour of Monday Night Raw. That should be sufficient time for our Brahma Bull hangover to have run its course. Some of us may still be a bit tipsy from the significant buzz The Rock creates, but we should try to get our heads on straight and look at what has happened with some perspective. Dwayne Johnson has many nicknames in professional wrestling. While we know him as The Great One, the greatest gift he could provide during his latest run (no matter how ...