The Wrasslin’ Countdown: 02.09.11: The Return of the Kings?

Greetings guys and gals, and welcome to The Wrasslin’ Countdown! It’s been a fantastic week of professional wrestling and there are hot rumors about lots of people out there right now. We’ve got rumored Wrestlemania participants, injuries, Super Bowl champion appearances and other things. I wasn’t able to get a column here last week but today’s column is jam-packed with all the news you desire. So let’s get to it.

February 2nd – After much was made over the potential of Kimbo Slice‘s wrestling debut (mostly by me), it was reported on this day that Slice was going to pull out from his February 5th wrestling debut. This is a legitimate shame as I think there is tons of money to be made on Kimbo Slice. Sure, he’s a joke in MMA circles but he used to be a pretty big deal. I hope to see him re-schedule his debut and make an attempt at pro wrestling.

February 3rd – TNA turning AJ Styles heel to give Ric Flair a meaningful role (or hoping some of Naitch’s Naitchness rubbed off on Styles) was fun for a few weeks or so but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t working. Styles should have never been placed into that position by the people behind the scenes. It was a helluva plan but Styles is supposed to be TNA’s homegrown own. That’s the best role for him. He does it perfectly and TNA needed a guy like that. What fun is newbies like Rob Van Dam fighting the evil outsiders? None.

Fortune‘s appearance as the New They wasn’t that much of a shock but TNA doesn’t need shock moments every week. This was good TV and it should lead to more good TV down the line. By the way, Impact was very good last Thursday.

February 4th – Booker T‘s debut as a Smackdown color commentator was a welcome surprise to me. I had heard via Twitter and other wrestling forums that Bookerman was going to be filling that role but had no idea it was going to start last Friday. He wasn’t the greatest and there were times where his words were muddled but it was his first night on the job. Tons of people who get fired or released from the WWE stop watching their program. How do we know Book wasn’t one of those men? Smackdown has undergone a pretty drastic change from this time last year and there are a lot of new parts. Booker did a very good job getting people over and telling us what was going on in the ring.

Just a shame we didn’t get Black Snow.

February 5th – ABC’s weekly program What Would You Do? has been a fixture of my web-watching ever since it was introduced to me by a psychology professor a few years ago. I was away from the interwebs due to a family member being hospitalized and missed all the DIRTSHEET reports about former WWE’er Gene Snitsky appearing on the show. So it was a pleasant surprise when I opened up the website and saw Snitsky acting as a felon biker. It was sweet. Good for Snitsky getting a gig on a fun television show. I wonder if anyone recognized him. Probably not since he is scheduled to return to the program later this month.

February 6th – Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair. All of these guys have been interviewed for the Super Bowl. Aaron Rodgers’ belt taunt thing has been reminding everyone that professional wrestling exists. I find it kind of odd that ESPN and other sports outlets are getting these wrestlers to talk about Rodgers’ taunt when he’s said in countless interviews that he doesn’t even watch anymore. I guess it’s a nice story but it got annoying because if any wide receiver or running back did the taunt, they’d be KILLED by fans and media. I don’t get why Rodgers got such a huge pass from everyone.

It’s always nice to see wrestling get recognized, I guess.

February 7th – I wasn’t too excited for Monday Night Raw before an announcement from the WWE’s official Twitter page that said the Chairman, Mr. Vince McMahon was going to appear on the show. How exciting is that? The BIG CHEESE and definitely the most entertaining WWE character in the last decade or so when he’s on TV (and not hogging all the television time) returning on the Road to Wrestlemania! You can’t mess that up.

Until the WWE messed it up. How disappointing must it have been for the folks in Green Bay Milwaukee to see Mr. McMahon come out and announce that an announcement is being made next week? They didn’t even get THE POWER STRUT! That’s a huge letdown. Hopefully, since the tweet was sent out Monday afternoon, the fans didn’t have high expectations for that.

February 8th – How did this not make TV? Sure, John Cena breathes new life into the awful CM Sucks deal but it was entertaining as heck.

So we’ll kick off this portion of the column with news on Sting. Everyone (that cares about Sting) is wondering where the hell this guy is going to be for the next year or so.

>Sting has been removed from the roster page on the TNA website.
Personally, I wouldn’t look into this AT ALL. Why in the world, if you’re TNA, would you tell the whole world right now that you’ve got Sting under your sleeve? His name is getting play all over the wrestling world. The WWE Universe, Twitter and even TNA fans are wondering what the Stinger’s next step is going to be. I don’t think Dixie Carter and company have a clue what’s on Sting’s mind. Surely if they knew he was under contract for them, they’d be hyping up a potential return at the next PPV. Maybe even one of those MYSTERY RETURN type things.

>Eric Bischoff doesn’t think Sting is going to the WWE but in the same interview alludes to Sting when discussing the WWE going back to older wrestlers. (PWInsider)
In the same interview, Bischoff claims to not have any hand in TNA’s talent department, which is odd since I don’t think (or at least hope) anybody that actually analyzes talent for TNA wouldn’t have supported TNA’s signing of Scott Hall, Syxx-Pac, the Nasty Boys and so on. Anyways, I don’t know whether or not Eric Bischoff is right but he has worked with Sting for most of his professional career. We have to take what he says seriously in this matter.

Of course, he isn’t going to come out and say “I KNOW STING IS GOING TO THE WWE!” Why advertise that? I know they did it with Christian but that was before the Hogan/Bischoff regime. These guys are smarter than that.

>A new 2.21.11 video was released on Monday Night Raw.

So you’ve probably seen this video dissected somewhere already. Of course, the main thing that’s come out of this is the Johnny Cash lyrics possibly referring to the Nexus’ burial of the Undertaker. Hell, Taker even trended on Twitter after this was played. I’ve seen two theories for the inclusion of the song. The first one claims the WWE put the song in to limit anyone from getting too excited over Sting. Which would prevent fans from experiencing a letdown when/if the Undertaker makes his return. I think this is silly. Why in the world would a wrestling company not capitalize on hype? I understand if they miss capitalizing but to choose not to take advantage of the hype? That’s ridiculous. The other theory, which I subscribe to, believes this song was included to lead the WWE Universe to expect the Undertaker. Anybody else will be a huge shock.

On Monday Night Raw, Vince McMahon announced that this year’s Wrestlemania would have a huge guest host. (WWE)

This year’s Wrestlemania isn’t going to break any records. It’s still going to be the WWE’s biggest event of the year but there really isn’t a unique feel to the show. Lots of people will order the pay-per-view no matter what. There will be people who don’t watch any other wrestling show all year that order this thing and they’ll probably feel okay when the show is over. Will a Guest Host cause an increase in buyrates? I doubt it but let’s examine some of the potential hosts. No names have been thrown out there so this is purely speculation.

SHAWN MICHAELS – Like when he was announced as the first inductee into the Hall of Fame, I would probably feel sort of disappointed if Michaels is found to be the super guest host. Sure, that disappointment would eventually fizzle out because Shawn Michaels is awesome but we’ve seen him before. Is he worthy of the hype McMahon gave him?
THE ROCK – Now we’re talking. I think Rocky would move the hype meter for Wrestlemania 2011. He hasn’t been on WWE TV since that one time on Smackdown and he hasn’t personally been in the WWE in forever. Years. I’m not sure what his schedule is but we heard rumblings about his eventual return all of last year. I believe the biggest thing was a summer stint as the GM for Raw so this isn’t too unbelievable if you bought into that earlier report. I’m pretty sure one night and a ton of money is more than enough to get the Rock to come over.
STEVE AUSTIN – I think this is the most likely scenario. He’s still a big name in the mind of the WWE Universe and he’s going to do Tough Enough, which starts the night after. He’s probably the perfect candidate to guest host Wrestlemania. Will he have any effect on the show? The buyrates? I don’t think so but it’d be a nice little nostalgia trip, even though it wasn’t that long ago he was wrestling. Plus, he really hasn’t been in the WWE since he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He acted like that was the end of his WWE career but Tough Enough showed that he’s still in touch and willing.
SOMEONE ELSE? – What wrestlers could get fans hyped up as the previous three mentioned? Sting has had his name thrown around tons but doesn’t have the charisma the others have and hasn’t even been on WWE TV. There aren’t any Hulk Hogans available to do this thing. The fans are probably burnt out on him anyways. What about a celebrity? I’ve heard mentions of Justin Bieber thrown around but that’d go over as well as a lead balloon. Who else is mega-popular and good with wrestling fans?

The Green Bay Packers accepted the WWE’s offer to attend Tuesday’s Smackdown tapings. WWE was obviously excited when Aaron Rodgers wore the World Title belt during the post Super Bowl festivities, and had extended the invitation. Attending will be Donald Driver, Graham Harrell, Donald Lee, Brandon Jackson, Scott Wells, Chris Campbell, Tom Crabtree and Curtis Young. The players and their families will be set up with a special meet and greet with the superstars, and they will all receive replica title belts. (TMZ)

First of all, the turnout for this is way better than expected. You’ve got some actual names attending the show. The Donalds, Lee and Driver have been good players for a long time. Graham Harrell and Brandon Jackson were actually decent to very good in college so surely someone will recognize them. I have no clue who the rest of the guys are (because I don’t really like the Packers) but I expected maybe one name Packer and the rest to be backup linemen and long snappers. I hope nobody expected Aaron Rodgers. I mentioned earlier how he’s said in many interviews that he hasn’t watched in a while. Did you see him on Letterman with the WWE Spinner Belt? He looked like he had never even seen it before.

I think this is a win-win for the WWE. You get the touchy-feely crap in Green Bay and you could even gain some momentum for one of your Royal Rumble matches. Hell, have Alberto Del Rio come out and bash football and the Packers and then have Kofi Kingston come out for the save. BOOM. Royal Rumble hype. Everybody wins. Packers get on TV. The WWE gets some publicity and hypes their show.

Kurt Angle tweeted, “My production co. Is talking to TNA to make TNA Films. It feels like a wonderful bond between TNA and NS productions. Great movies. Dixie Carter and Dean Brodhead, thank you for your support. I am proud to be a TNA wrestler. GOD bless, Kurt Angle.” (Twitter)

I try to be positive when it comes to things like this but the possibility of this being a disaster is too great. The “actors” TNA currently possesses are pretty awful. We’ve seen Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle and AJ Styles all do commercials and things of the like and they all come off as forced. The commercials for things like TNA’s version of the Shopzone are awful. This is a bad thing for the WWE and hasn’t really done anything but provide solid DVD sales. How can this work with TNA? They’ve already admitted they are a smaller company than the WWE and need to try different things. The E has lost money on films so why does TNA expect this to work out any differently for them? It’s like throwing money away.

This also means that Kurt Angle probably isn’t going anywhere, which is a disappointment to those that hoped for a return to the WWE someday for the Olympic Gold medalist. His contract reportedly runs out in August and he’s tweeted some ambiguous things but if North Shore Productions and TNA get in bed together, Angle will probably retire with TNA.

WWE Magazine’s new cover alludes to Triple H and the Undertaker’s return. (WWE)

“Undertaker’s Opponent?”
“Triple H Comes Back Swinging!”
I don’t know what message we can get from the Triple H quote but the Undertaker question, along with his advertised return for the February 22nd version of Smackdown and the 2.21.11 clues probably guarantees Taker’s return. Why else would it be on the cover?

To sell copies, probably. Which brings me to my skepticism over Triple H’s supposed return. Despite H appearing on the magazine breaking the Wrestlemania logo with his sledgehammer, there is nothing on the mag that guarantees H’s return. In addition to the “comes back swinging” quote is a little blue circle that lets the reader know this is Triple H’s first interview in three years. That’s worth a buy for WWE Universe members that dig H, right? I could be wrong and it could be the other way around. Maybe the Taker thing is just a tease and H is returning. You never know with the WWE. My first instinct upon seeing the cover was that it’s a fake but all the SHEETS are reporting it as legitimate so there’s that.

CM Punk broke his nose on Monday Night Raw.

So this is a rather light piece of news since CM Punk worked a match later in the show and was all over Raw Monday but it’s still worth a mention. CM Punk showed no signs of weakness or peril during the main event match against John Cena and actually put on a pretty decent show (which isn’t unexpected of Punk). Hopefully this thing won’t have any effect on his, or Randy Orton‘s Road to Wrestlemania, since both are capable of doing some great things at the show.

• The Road to Wrestlemania also means 411’s Wrestler of the Week is coming to a close. Who is on top with just a few months to go?
• The Contentious Ten takes a look at the Undertaker’s streak and determines who should have been a victim of the Deadman.
• And finally, Ryan Byers keeps on taking us Into the Indies.

And we’ll end halftime of the column with a TWITTER PLUG.
@411mania
@411Wrestling
@411Movies/TV
@411Music
@411Games
@411MMA
@411Boxing
You can find me @steamedhams

1. Mason Ryan – In his first match on WWE television, Mason Ryan looked dominant over Elimination Chamber participant, R-Truth. I’m not sure how well it went over with the crowd since Truth basically buried himself when he called Milwaukee Green Bay but he looked strong to me. He worked the leg on the ropes, which is good because that may mean he has something other than the generic monster power moveset and the Brock Lock looked sweet. You could question Ryan’s solid “victory” over an EC participant but we all know Truth has zero chance at winning in two weeks.

2. Hulk Hogan – He scored an endorsement with a cleaner called Pummagic, he had a very sexy appearance in the new WWE All-Stars trailer, he’s still the G.O.A.T, his company, TNA, had a very good week of television and is on a ratings tear…and he’s coming back soon. Sounds like a very good week for the Hulkster. I’m really glad to see Hogan’s luck seemingly change from awful to good and I hope it lasts throughout 2011. I cannot wait for him to return to TNA television, which is sometime in March if I remember correctly. It’s been a good week for Hogan.

3. Kelly Kelly – In a very solid week of wrestling, Kelly Kelly defending (SUCCESSFULLY!) Edge‘s World Heavyweight Championship was probably the most amusing thing that happened. I was pretty flat when I heard Vickie Guerrero claim she was going to do something that had never been done before and later announce that the 3 on 2 was that never-seen-before thing but it turned out okay. Now Edge (and any face in the future) gets to make jokes to Dolph Ziggler about how he had a chance to win the title from Kelly Kelly and failed. Sure, she was “fired” by Vickie but she’ll probably be back soon on Raw or something.

If the popular ESPN program “Pardon the Interruption” taught us anything, it’s that there’s always time to get happy. This segment is dedicated to birthdays, anniversaries, departures and the like.

Happy Birthday, Shelly Martinez! – The former Ariel, former Salinas turns 31 today. I’ve known of a few people that were absolutely gaga for Martinez and what she brought to the table. I never really cared. I guess you could justify her WWE run since she wasn’t hurting anyone and looked different than most of the Divas at the time. Her TNA run looked like it had potential but it ended pretty quietly, which is a shame because I really dug LAX. She recently “broke up” with wrestling so who knows what her future holds. Probably movies? Probably autograph appearances every now and then? Modeling? Maybe she’ll go down the Lita route and start making music. Who knows?

Happy Anniversary, Bill Goldberg and William Regal! – This controversial match took place on this day in 1998. Bill Goldberg was on his huge undefeated streak and William Regal was just there. It was supposed to be a squash match but Regal put in actual wrestling and made it look like a challenge for Goldberg. I actually don’t remember this being that big of a deal when it happened but it ended up in Regal being gone from WCW and in WWE June of that year. I’ll keep this short and sweet and just let the video do the talking.

William Regal – TWITTER

It’s a William Regal kind of day here at The Wrasslin’ Countdown. I guess I’ve been looking into some of his wrestling suggestions made on Twitter and actually enjoying them. I never found myself caring for the European wrestling he suggests but watching them creates a different opinion.

Like everyone I mention in this segment, his Twitter page is wildly entertaining. Despite his lengthy career, he actually seems like a very down to earth kind of guy. Nothing like the guy you see on TV (despite that guy being totally awesome). I can’t recall the last thing Regal did that I found boring. He’s had matches on Superstars with people nobody finds exciting but he makes it work. He’s had some crummy things to work with (the Burchill saga) and he made gold out of that but he’s also been granted opportunity (his 2008 run) and came out without a thing.

He hinted at retirement late last year so it’s coming sooner rather than later. Regardless of what happens, the WWE is lucky to have a guy like William Regal to tutor younger Superstars and sharpen established wrestlers.

It’s an exciting time for yours truly. Football ended months ago for me as the Dallas Cowboys were pathetic down the stretch so I’ve had little to look forward to when it comes to entertainment. Luckily, the Super Bowl is done and Pitchers and Catchers report for Spring Training in less than a week. Combine that with the Road to Wrestlemania and you have yourself a recipe for AWESOMENESS.

Unless you’re of the mindset that doesn’t care about baseball. That’s cool. I’ll return next week with more news, maybe some new graphics. I’ve been meaning to update those things but haven’t really had the time. Have a great week and thanks for the read.