BREAKING NEWS

The Undertaker HOSPITALIZED After First Loss At WWE's WrestleMania


For more info go here.

http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/07/undertaker-wwe-hospitalized-wrestlemania-streak-concussion/

- Ultimate Warrior passes away

WWE is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of the most iconic WWE Superstars ever, The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior began his WWE career in 1987 and quickly went on to become one of the biggest stars in WWE history. Warrior became WWE Champion at WrestleMania VI, defeating Hulk Hogan in an epic encounter. We are grateful that just days ago, Warrior had the opportunity to take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame and was also able to appear at WrestleMania 30 and Monday Night Raw to address his legions of fans. WWE sends its sincere condolences to Warrior’s family, friends and fans. Warrior was 54 and is survived by his wife Dana and his two daughters.

What the crap?!

I just read about it on Twitter from Triple H. What in the blue hell? Man, it's just eerie. We watched him on Raw last night and bid he's just... gone. He was one of my favorites when I was a kid. He'll be missed.

Intercontinental Championship contender tournament starts tonight! Woo!

Wait...

they just broke up the Real Americans and they aren't doing a slap dash feud?

I don't know how slap dash it would've been. It seemed more abrupt that they stuck together for Mania, the way they did. The build for the split and feud was good enough (at least in 2014) for a solid April undercard bout. Still could be, if we don't assume this is all leading to a Cesaro win. An RVD win could certainly be a good opportunity to further Cesaro/Swagger with some old fashioned, grudge fuelled interference (by Swagger). It'd be a shame to pass over the opportunity for a solid one-on-one match.

Love to see a tournament, especially to try to jump start some life in the sorely neglected IC chase. Much as it reflects the inevitable step down forced by the loss of the separate World Heavyweight alternate belt, I like seeing SHAMOUS and Alberto Del Rio mixing it up at this level. I think the benefit of an IC reign could be a two-way street for both the wrestler and the belt. I probably favour Del Rio for tone, but either way is nice.

Actually, the tournament really helped make for a solid episode of RAW. One of the best I've seen in a while. I'm almost inclined to start buying into this 'new era' notion, but y'know. Fool me once... We'll see how things unfold. Executing on the promising scenarios they create is always the missing piece of the puzzle.

Oh snap!

- On WWE: Will Daniel Bryan sustain his momentum?

I saw this via Jim Ross, and it really pissed me off. Not because the sentiments of concern are mistaken or unwarranted, but because the perception of the problem to be solved is inside out and back to front.

The pickle they're in happens when you're shuffling the deck. They've built a marquee match out of their top heels in Evolution vs The Shield and that's left them short on options for the recently elevated champion. The obvious free hand is Kane -- who would diminish the concept of the 6-man if he were to intrude upon the Evolution gimmick. The logical solution has been to try to restore intrigue in Kane as a character -- by restoring the mask that should've been there all along -- and throwing him into an abrupt match.

I agree that Bryan Danielson as WWE Heavyweight Champion needs and deserves the legitimacy of going on last. Fortunately, he's earned it from a performance perspective, and has the appeal to make it work. Sometimes the best thing you can do for a marquee intrigue match like the 6-man is let it go on third to last, or somewhere in the middle. That's fine and can be used to slingshot those elements into the next big picture -- a natural graduation.

The proposed solution by this article -- and several so-called experts -- is to merge the two priority matches into an 8-man team match. Bryan Danielson & The Shield versus Evolution & their Authority ally: Kane.

Why?

By their own admission, it's still an undesirable situation. A sensible thought. Less sensible is the presumption that, without it, Danielson can only logically appear in an undercard title match. Bull. Wrong. No. That is the solution of the same thinking that creates the modern day problems in the first place.

Use the situation. Make the best of it. Accept its shortcomings and exacerbate the strengths. Wrestling, wrestling, wrestling. If you cannot make a Kane/Bryan Danielson Championship main event the A1 match people want to see going into Extreme Rules -- you damn sure can make it the match they want to remember coming out of it. A concept that applies to any of the standard serial, forward building production that is wrestling & WWE. A logic that only applies ten-fold now that there's a network to facilitate and cash-in on any interest the match generates after-the-fact.

Okay, sure. It's easy to say "book a five-star match" without any of the work that has to go into it, but come on. This fundamental logic of building through a strong match -- creating something from an unlikely situation -- hasn't even entered the ideaspace. Even though it's elementary. The thought everyone should be having straight away!

The Kane character still has its appeal and certainly its fans. Restored and embellished the man and character is more than capable of being in that main event. There's enough history between the pair that you can pick and choose your build. I vote for shedding the jokes and using what you've got for some red-tinted, fire laden promos from Hell. Use Kane's resurrection to fuel any anticipation for this match you can. And then tell them to have a barn burner. Tell them to hold nothing back. Tell them to shoot for the stars and make sure nobody forgets the night Kane and Bryan Danielson finally went to war.

Make the most of it. Move forward. Book the damn match.

Haven't logged on MKO in YEARS,lol it feels real good to see this thread still active.

Still following any of the major feds? What's your take on things in 2014?

Extreme Rules is this weekend. So, what's the score, jabronis? I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'll throw a few chops at predictions:

- Bryan Danielson
- The Shield
- Bray Wyatt
- Bad News Barrett
- Paige (Divas Champ)
- Rob Van Dam
- Alexander Rusev
- El Torito
- The Usos?

Hoping Bryan Danielson gets a solid defense here. I'd kinda like to see him do what's necessary to really assert himself physically over Kane, but I feel like this is destined to be another underdog, hard earned win. Which might be the theme of Bryan Danielson's reign.

I really want to say Evolution are going to win, but do you really pull a Brock Lesnar for Batista, who's heavily rumoured to be heading for a hiatus. The perfect solution would be a triple powerbomb to send him packing with a goal to come back to. It would be nice for The Shield to get a win in conjunction with that, but I can't help but wonder if they won't want Evolution to get some steam for future reference.

The situation of the Cena/Wyatt match is interesting, but I don't really expect it to go any way we haven't seen before. If Cena actually turns, that'll be great. It's hard to imagine - but so was an Undertaker Mania loss.

Seems tempting to keep the momentum behind Barrett with a win here. It's an Extreme Rules event, but a straight shooting match. Could be an outlet for a DQ win. Loved the tournament. Lost interest in Big E. Never really had a great deal of interest in Big E. Can't help but wonder if Barrett's online cult as "Linear Champion" hasn't been picked up by someone internally and given him a boost as a result. Playing up the gimmick.

Paige is a no brainer. Keep that going hot.

Still got a hankering for a proper Cesaro/Swagger singles match. Don't feel like Rob Van Dam has much business being in the match. Don't want it, don't need it. Feels like they didn't have anything for him and wanted a way to get Cesaro & Swagger out of the tournament without losing heat. Would've preferred their methods keep it feud focused. RVD might as well take the win here to keep the feud going, and allow him to eject out of it. Cesaro a logical winner, too.

Alexander Rusev seems like another no brainer. I don't like seeing Xavier Woods in this role. I was a fan of him as Consequences Creed and have long held the belief that's a character who could inject some interest into the US Championship. Maybe that's where Rusev is heading. Much as he has the machine behind him - I don't see a future for Rusev. If WWE were going to indulge a bizarrely proportioned fighter, I wish this could've been someone like Samoa Joe. I was more interested in Vlad Kozlov than Rusev.

Thank goodness the Minis are on the Pre-Show. I can embrace that. El Torito has been a lot of fun. I hope he gets a nice comedy win here. Hope it doesn't distract from getting Los Matadores involved in the action. They've been sorely neglected, as far as I'm concerned. Enjoyed seeing them on TV. Hope they can earn their way up the chain to the "special event".

Not sure where The Usos are in all of this. If they show up, I certainly hope they'll retain. Ryback & Curtis Axel aren't doing a whole lot for me. Would like to see Goldust & Cody Rhodes back in action. Feels like the tag division has been given a little bit more heft, but they're still iffy about keeping the plates spinning. I'd like to see an old fashioned 2-on-2 tag match somewhere on this card. The 6-man and Handicap aren't addressing that.

Hey bro how u been?I haven't been following too close in awhile,I really thought TNA was going to make a impact(no pun intended) but it seems as if it's just WCW-lite.And don't get me started on the PG Era in WWE.It just further proves my point without all the gimmicks or over the top shit WWE character development is lacking.

Real sad over the Ultimate Warrior's passing,also Paul Bearer.I heard Jeff Jarret is supposed to start a new wrestling company.Im not even looking foward to it lol,Wrestling world needs new blood imo

That PPV was great

Extreme Rules was really good. I was surprised how good Bryan vs. Kane was as well. I'm kind of looking forward to their next match though. Bryan's next opponent needs to be someone legit. I'm thinking a match against Cena where he goes over 100% clean against a 100% healthy Cena.

Didn't see the show, but the Extreme Rules results looked mostly palatable.
It sounds like Danielson/Kane might have been a better spectacle than I would've expected. Glad it went on last. I hope there's no question in future. Dig the Cesaro win to open. Barrett seems like a good jolt to the IC belt. Sounds like the minis match was a lot of fun and well placed on the pre-show.

Meanwhile -- I was wondering where SHAMOUS was during all of this. Interesting answer on RAW! Back at Mania, I really warmed to the idea of SHAMOUS as Intercontinental Champion. In a world where there's only one top title, the prestige of the IC lineage conceivably starts to have a place in the world. I thought he was a good fit for that. Any new US Champion is a good thing. Will be very interesting to see where it goes. Does Cesaro take it from him? Somebody else? Hopefully future "special events" will see all the belts get more action.

I was surprised Sheamus won the US Title. Still not sure how to feel about it. On one hand he is above that belt, but on the other I'm excited to see it regain some relevance.

I kinda want to see Rollins win the title off of Sheamus or someone down the road. It'd be neat to see how that could play out with Ambrose.

- WWE News: World title situation update



Well... The way it was presented, I really thought the Bryan Danielson neck surgery deal was just going to be an angle. Most of the sites seem to be treating it as totally legit. If it is - I like that it's been incorporated into what's going on. It's a worst case scenario for the Danielson championship, though.

I have a tough time even thinking of who steps in at this point. The obvious alternates are all otherwise indisposed. Orton, Batista & Triple H seem to be tied in to the Evolution/Shield feud. John Cena is locked in to Bray Wyatt. SHAMOUS has just picked up the US title. There's bound to be a push for some of the up-and-coming second tier guys to take the strap, but I really don't think this is the time or way to get that done.

I'm guessing it's an unpopular opinion, but with the dominoes stacked the way they are, I think I'd actually like to see Kane finally hold the WWE title for more than a night. He can stabilize things while they reshuffle to get the next guy in order. He's been on enough of an upward arc that he can probably also make the most of a second-tier contender. I think Kane winning it in a tournament or replacement champion situation could actually elevate the feud with Danielson. That's just me.

I'm wondering where Alberto Del Rio is in all of this. If he'd been kept warm he could've been a handy guy to have right about now. Cesaro could at least be an interesting challenger for the likes of Kane. Rob Van Dam is another guy who would make a solid fly-by-night challenger, but could also get a bit of an overdue title reign, if they want a fall back. RVD/Kane doesn't excite right away, but Van Dam seems to have goodwill, is a face who could insert himself into things and play up his own Danielson-esque history with Kane, and could also bridge Cesaro into the mix. Cesaro's failure could facilitate the expected rise of PHG Kingpin: Brock Lesnar, too.

The joy of the Evolution/Cena feuds has been their position in the mid-card, but I'm sure they can transition them into the title picture easy enough. You could certainly use those feuds to stabilize things. Neither Wyatt nor any of The Shield are at a championship level yet, so that has its challenges. Much as I don't relish Cena having another reign, you could probably endure a Wyatt loss a bit easier than, say, Roman Reigns, who might just inspired another ill conceived fan movement.

It's not a great position to be in, but they've certainly got options.

What do we think? Is the neck legit? Where do you think they should/will go?

Sheamus would have been an option to hold the title for now, but I want him to keep the US Title a bit longer. I think a good option would be for the WWE to keep the title on Bryan if possible. That may hurt their next PPV a little bit, but the Evolution/Shield rivalry is the best thing going on in the WWE anyways, so they could main event that rather easily.

After Payback I believe MITB is next, which can easily main event any PPV.

If Bryan won't be back for a long period of time then I think Kane should take the belt. It'd be a good way to make Kane/Bryan feud even better.

- Stephanie McMahon demanded Daniel Bryan surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Well, he's still got the championship for now. Seems like Payback might come and go without a title change, but you could never rule it out. In another era, you could easily wonder if the six-men in the Evolution/Shield main event could leave the PPV ("special event") with the title come Sunday.

I don't really like them imposing too many rules with long term implications on titles, but this might be one of those times you think about looking at a 30 day defense claim. That would give them another week to not even need to worry about doing anything. (Danielson last defended the title May 4th).

So, anybody watching Payback? Almost forgot about it with all the MK hype!

Match predictions:
- Evolution
- Bray Wyatt
- Bad News Barrett
- SHAMOUS
- Paige
- Rusev
- El Torito
[- RybAxel (over Rhodes Bros) -- just added on the pre-show]

With Danielson probably staying on the injured list for a little while, I reason they might need to extend the life of the Evolution/Shield angle. Even if Batista gets taken out (as has been rumoured for a while now), it would give the team their payback and set things up for continuation. Getting some winning heat on Triple H, Orton (& Batista) would be good for building up the title picture, too. Gives them value - win, or draw.

I want to say John Cena in a last man standing match, but after everything we've been through and the trajectory they're trying to build, I'm not sure they would really snub Bray Wyatt right now. He's arguably the much more interesting of the two. He's already engaging a growing fanbase and that means he doesn't really need the win. He's a guy who can graduate to add something new to the title picture and such, so I think he gets the win, even if it's through devious means.

RVD could've been used much better for his come back. No point putting the IC belt on him. Everything in my bones says Cesaro should get the win over SHAMOUS, but do you really want to limit him to the US title? If Danielson stays out of the picture, Cesaro would be a more comparable guy to have in the mix than SHAMOUS.

Would be pretty hideous to see Alicia Fox stop Paige's title momentum. Hoping Big E vs Rusev can exceed expectations. Rusev seems to be the guy with the rocket, but I don't buy it. I don't think that rocket has enough fuel to take him as far as Big E. Maybe the winner can get their second name back. El Torito vs Hornsoggle works for the pre-show.

I'd like to see a Tag title match here. Bit disappointed it isn't officially booked ahead of time. I gather there are some teams in the mix. Rybaxel? I dunno.

What you guys got? Bit of a wacky old show.

Damn...what happened to Big E's push. Poof! Gone! Just that quick.

RVD putting over Barrett makes sense I suppose. The guys just so damn likeable that you really don't wanna see him get beat.

I'd love to see Wyatt continue with his momentum, man. He's more or less one of my main reasons for watching these days and I think the win in the rubber match with Cena would put a huge exclamation point on his viability as a long term superstar. Sadly this is Cena were talking about...and by God, Cena does it for DA kidz!.

Shield...Shield Shield Shield Shield and...Shield.

I predict fella goes over Cesaro tonight due to shenanigans. Money in the Bank is right around the corner...that's the one Cesaro should win.

- Raw results: The Shield shatters and Wyatts rebound as Money in the Bank takes shape



Well, it finally happened. The Shield hit the splits on RAW this week when Seth Rollins was revealed to be Triple H's "Plan B". An evolution of Evolution with the departure of Batista! Where we go from here should be pretty interesting!

So, where all the Wrestlemaniacs at? What do we think?


I'm of two minds about this, but I like the productivity of this logic! Wasn't thinking about MITB at all and that's a solid landmark for Cesaro to rise through.

Of course, I loathe the entire MITB concept. I think it's a terrible way to put a guy over. More often than not it cheapens their ability and skill. It's the bottom tier hardcore 24/7 rule applied to a top title. I'm especially put-off because I think the strength of Cesaro is putting him over on ability. Wrestling, wrestling, wrestling. Maybe if he uses it to book himself a title match, that'll alleviate my complaints.

As long as MITB is on the table, I think that's a solid logic, though. Of course, we don't know what MITB means in a world where the champion is on the shelf. Hardcore 24/7 style train robbery of a wounded champ? Two ladder matches on the PPV: one for the briefcase, one for the belt? Interesting.

I defiantly speak for myself when it comes to this. Damien Sandow's little Lance Stephenson stunt was a really bad idea.

Man, Seth Rollins is so damn BASED!