Pro Wrestling Review: What Cesaro is missing is good booking

If you haven't seen Stone Cold Steve Austin's interview with Vince McMahon that aired about a month ago on the Wwe Network, I strongly suggest you check it out. It's a very intriguing inside look at McMahon along with some interesting stories. However, while I thoroughly enjoyed the interview, there were many things said in it that I feel are inaccurate.

One of these statements was related to Cesaro, Stone Cold questioned McMahon on Cesaro and why he's not higher up on the card by now. Vince responded saying that Cesaro is missing something but he doesn't know what it is. He went on to cite a lack of it factor, lack charisma, and the fact that he's Swiss as possible reasons why Cesaro is not connecting with fans. He also spoke about the millennial's lack of ambition and went on to say that you can give wrestlers all the tools but it's ultimately up to the fans whether or not they get over. The fans, whom he also said, he listens to.

When you look at what Cesaro has done in 2014 it's strikingly obvious, at least to me, that what Cesaro is missing is not ambition or charisma but good booking and good writing.

At the start of 2014, Cesaro had begun to gain popularity which culminated at Wrestlemania 30 when the fans got completely behind him. During the show he broke up with Jack Swagger and went on to win the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal, receiving a huge baby face pop. That, was good booking, Cesaro got a great mania moment that appeared to be a launching point for a major baby face run.

However, the following night wwe surprisingly paired him with Paul Heyman, who was coming off of his client Brock Lesner beating the Undertaker's streak the night before. Now in theory this could have elevated Cesaro by having him managed by someone with as much success and importance as Heyman. On the other hand though, it was obvious by his Wrestlemania reaction that people were behind Cesaro and wanted to cheer him, so aligning him with one of the most hated guys in the company perhaps wasn't the best idea.

At the time though it seemed wwe had an endgame in mind and this was just the prolonging of a face turn. It would allow for a war of managers, Zeb Coulter's guy vs Paul Heyman's. Then they could decide whether Cesaro was working as a heel, in which case they'd keep him with Heyman and go from there. Or they'd decide the face turn was best and start process of splitting them apart. Then perhaps they'd start building toward a match with Lesner, which would put Cesaro over in a huge way, even if he lost. If Lesner was busy then maybe they'd give Heyman a new client and have Cesaro fight him. At the very least they'd break up Cesaro and Heyman in a big way that would launch Cesaro into a major babyface run. At least, that's what I thought.

Unfortunately Cesaro received none of that, what he got was a mediocre feud with Swagger that didn't even result in a one on one ppv match between the two. Next it seemed Cesaro was headed toward a feud with Rob Van Dam, which could have been good for him as the match quality likely would have spotlighted him. Unfortunately, yet again he never got a one on one ppv match with Van Dam, and the feud fizzled out. Then after a somewhat forgettable program Sheamus and some great spots in the MITB match, wwe split up Cesaro and Heyman. Instead of the big launching point type break up one may have hoped for, he got a forgettable split that came out of nowhere.

Furthermore the break up didn't even result in a face turn for Cesaro. So basically he left the partnership worse off than when he'd entered. After that Cesaro fell into irrelevancy, being taken off ppvs and now jobbing anytime he appears on raw.

So with the booking of Cesaro throughout 2014, I find it ridiculous to hear Vince McMahon say that he hopes Cesaro gets over soon. That statement is similar to me saying "I hope my car starts" when I'm not turning the key. How is Cesaro supposed to get over when he is off ppvs, jobbing whenever he's on raw, has a heel character with no depth, and is the complete opposite of what fans want him to be. It is very unlikely Cesaro will ever get over if wwe doesn't book him properly, much like my car won't start unless I turn the key.

I also find it somewhat ridiculous to hear McMahon act as if he's given Cesaro all of the tools, and that it was up to Cesaro and the fans whether or not he'd get over. How is putting someone who fans want to cheer with Paul Heyman, then giving him mediocre feuds and eventually splitting him off in an irrelevant way, considered giving him all the tools.

The fact is Cesaro had managed to get over organically and wwe took the reigns and completely screwed it up. I don't see how you can blame any of that on lack of mic skills, lack of charisma, or lack of ambition.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not disputing the fact that Cesaro has some problems. It is true that he's lacking in the talking department, and isn't oozing with charisma. However, that doesn't mean he can't be successful in the wwe. Look at a guy like Ryback, someone who also lacks mic skills and charisma but still managed to rise to the upper midcard and even the main event at one time. Cesaro wouldn't have be the next Rock, his in ring skills would get him over with fans much like they did at Wrestlemania 30.

I also find it ridiculous for McMahon to say that he listens to the fans when he still hasn't tried turning Cesaro face. The most Cesaro has ever connected with fans was as a face earlier this year, however wwe insists on keeping him heel. Once again how can you blame Cesaro for not being booked properly.

Now some would say that he should take control of his career and demand to be turned face. However in the same interview, when questioned about the locker room feeling like they're walking on egg shells, Vince simply said "don't piss anyone off." So Cesaro is supposed to go to wwe and tell them they are  booking him wrong, but yet he's not supposed to piss anyone off.

Vince McMahon's answer regarding Cesaro seemed like a blatant attempt to pass the blame of the wwe's poor booking decisions onto Cesaro.

If Vince McMahon truly believes that he gave Cesaro every tool to succeed and that he listened to the fans then maybe he is in fact, out of touch.

Be sure to let me know your thoughts on Cesaro and the rest of the interview in the comments below. Merry Christmas and thanks for reading.

Pro Wrestling Review: Top 10 Finishers of all Time

Pro Wrestling Review is back from hiatus and kicking things off with the top 10 finishers of all time. First lets make it clear, I'm considering anything someone uses regularly to win matches as a finisher, so submissions are allowed.

10: Powerbomb

The powerbomb has always been the perfect way to showcase the power and strength of a talent while being visually astounding at the same time. Made famous by many hall of famers over the years; it's invention is said to have came in the 1950s when Lou Thesz apparently botched a piledriver and created the powerbomb. It's not the only move created by accident, the ddt and flying head butt among others both came to be the same way. Whether you prefer it as the Jackhammer, the Last Ride, or my favorite utilization, the Batista bomb it's definitely earned a place on the list.

9: Tombstone

The Tombstone is without a doubt the perfect finisher for the Undertaker, the way he leads up to it, executes, and then finishes off with the famous tongue out, hands on chest pin is absolutely perfect. Even the name fits it right. Basically an intervened version of the piledriver, it's won the undertaker countless matches over the years.

8: 450 Splash

As a fan of the cruiserweight division I wanted to put a high flying move on the list, the question was which one. I narrowed it down to five, the 450, Starship Pain, the Swontan, the Frog Splash, and AirBourne. Ultimately I chose the 450 but feel free to tell me your favorite high flying finisher in the comments or on twitter/facebook. 

 Variations of it used by many over the years, it was apparently banned for a time in wwe starting in 2005 until Justin Gabriel added it to his arsenal in 2010.  The move epitomizes a cruizerweight's talent and is perhaps the most visually awesome finisher in the wwe today, it'd just be nice to see it every week on Raw instead of only on NXT and Superstars. 

7: The Cutter/RKO/Twist of Fate

 Originally utilized by Johnny Ace AKA John Laurinaitis, variations of the cutter have been passed down from generation to generation being used as the Diamond cutter by DDP, and the Twist of Fate by the Hardys and Lita. Currently it's utilized in my favorite variation as the RKO by Randy Orton. 

 One thing that's important for most finishers is the ability to be hit out of nowhere; the cutter definitely has that which makes it the perfect finisher for someone dubbed the Viper.

6: Crossface

 Like the powerbomb is for a heavyweight and the 450 is for a cruiserweight, the crossface is the perfect finisher for a technical wrestler. The great thing about it is it's ability to be applied almost out of nowhere which makes it a perfect finisher. Back in the day Chris Beniot could lock it on nearly as a fast a superkick. 

Utilized by many main eventers over the years it currently belong to two of my favorites Bobby Roode and Daniel Bryan.

5: Chokeslam

Used by many over the years, no one's ever done it better than the Undertaker, the way he sets up and then viciously snatches his opponent with the crazy look in his eyes, is brilliant.

 The chokeslam has etched it's place into wrestling history and I have a feeling it will stay the industry for a long time to come.

4: F-5

The F-5 is one of the most exciting and visually appealing moves in wwe history. It's the perfect finisher for Brock Lesner as it encapsulates his brute force and and power. Also named accurately it's the perfect way to truly establish Lesner as the beast incarnate. 

 Another component it posses is the excitement factor that gets you pumped up everytime you see it done. Taking that all into account I'm sure Lesner won't be the last powerhouse to own the F-5

3: Spear

  I've always loved the spear, it's an awesome looking move that can be perfect for big powerhouses like Goldberg and Roman Reigns or average size guys like Edge. Over the years it's had many unique spins added to it, I always liked Edge's variation where he would wait in the corner getting you pumped up for the move.

 Like many of the finishers on this list the spear has been passed down through the generations, used by names such as Goldberg, Edge, Rhino and now Roman Reigns. Reigns is a great edition to the list as the move fits him perfectly and I see him doing great things with it.

2: Stunner

  No finisher ever had the level of anticipation and excitement as the stunner. Sometimes classified as a version of a cutter; I gave it a separate place on the list because of the massive impact it's had. Brilliantly used by Stone Cold Steve Austin; it could be hit out nowhere and was part of some of the biggest moments of the attitude era.

 Though it will always be known as the stone cold stunner I expect it will eventually be passed down when the right person comes along.

1: Superkick

 Throughout the years there have been many great finishers but for me nothing has ever beaten the superkick. Most famously used by my favorite wrestler of all time Shawn Micheals. It has everything a great wrestling move needs, anticipation, excitement, and the ability to be hit out of nowhere. It's currently used by many such as the Usos, The Youngbucks, and the Cowboy James Storm. 

 The superkick is a move that will probably stay in wrestling forever and it's only fitting that in my opinion the greatest finisher of all time will forever be synonyms with the greatest superstar of all time.

 Be sure to tell me your favorite finishers in the comments below or on twitter: @ENC_98 or on facebook: Enc Wwe. Thanks for reading.

Pro Wrestling Review: Elimination Chamber 2014 Preview

Welcome back to Pro Wrestling Review, it's been a little while since I've said that but I'm now back with my Elimination Chamber preview.

Pre Show: Cody Rhodes/Goldust vs The New Age Owtlaws

 Uhh...have these teams had anything resembling build up...not that I can think of. The last time I saw the Rhodes they were in the back playing with action figures. This match was basically just thrown on to give them something to do until they start they're Wrestlemania feud. What I would've done is a rematch between them and the New Age Owtlaws, an in it maybe break them up or at least further plant the seeds of a break up. That way the Usos could face the New Age Owtlaws at WM and win the titles on the grandest stage if them all.

 With the match we're going to end up having, wwe had the opportunity to build up Rybaxel by having them in a feud with the the Rhodes. The Brotherhood have been a very high profile team and being in a feud with them would rub off on Rybaxel. With all of their top teams splitting up wwe needs to move some new teams to the top of the division. It would've at the very least made the joke team of Rybaxel seem more important. Not to mention it would've made the Rhodes seem important as well because they wouldn't be sitting in the back playing with action figures.

 Wwe missed the opportunity by announcing the match not even a week before the event and giving it no build up at all. I could maybe see them giving Ryback and Axel the win  to make them look good and further the breakup of the Rhodes but because of  the absence of build no one's gonna care about this match so it wouldn't look very good for the Rhodes if they lost on the pre show. I do expect to see some tension between Goldust and Cody. 

 This match could be descent but it's also completely irrelevant so I doubt I'll end up me to seeing it.

Pick: Cody Rhodes and Goldust

The New Age Owtlaws vs The Usos

 Like I said before I'd have done the Owtlaws vs the Rhodes in a rematch, reason being this match needs to happen at Wrestlemania. I don't see why you'd have the Usos get their four years in the making championship win at Elimination Chamber and not Wrestlemania.

 The only way I'd be ok with it is if they did a tag team ladder match or a multi team match at wrestlemania where a lot of attention is placed on the division. With them splitting up so many teams recently they'd have a hard time putting that together. I guess you could do The Usos vs Los Matadores vs Luke Harper and Eric Rowen vs Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, assuming Bray's facing John Cena and Reigns is facing a big name like Undertaker or Brock). I don't know if they'd have time on Wrestlemania to do a match like that because you'd have to give it some time, as well as they might have other things planned for The Shield and the Wyatt family. 

 I'm guessing one of two things will happen tonight, A: The New Age Outlaws win using underhanded tactics which angers the Usos leading into a feud for WM or B: The Usos win the belts and at Wrestlemania we have the match I suggested earlier. If I had to guess I'd say the first one.

 The build up for this has been pretty mediocre, there were some good points like last week's raw but then there was the whole deal with Betty White and the Outlaws which was stupid and took away from the match the Usos were having.

 This should be a decent match and I'm picking the champions to retain.

Pick: The New Age Owtlaws

Titus O'Neil vs Darren Young

  I don't know why Wwe felt the need to split this team up, especially at a time when all the other top teams r splitting, The Shield, The Rhodes, and The Real Americans. After Wrestlemania the tag team division will need new center pieces in order for it to succeed, just the Usos won't cut it. This would've been the perfect time to feature the Prime Time Players as a serious team and eventually given them a run with the belts. They've been together for a long time but we never saw them reach their potential as a team.

 After mania wwe will be desperate for serious teams, what I would suggest is putting together stars that are being under utilized in the midcard such as Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, The Miz, Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd. Especially the last two, I've been wanting those two as a team since 2012 when wwe started to do it but then backed off. I'm a fan of both guys and they could easily get over with the crowd and become an excellent  team.

 Onto the match, we've had a decent feud with some good promo work by Titus O'Neil, I think he's the most talented of the two and could become a good upper midcarder. I see him as a face but he can work as a heel for the time being. The match should be decent and I'm guessing Titus will win to build him up, then maybe on raw Darren Young can get a win against him.

Pick: Titus O'Neil

IC Title: Big E Langston vs Jack Swagger

 This match basically had a one week of build up, the one week though was pretty good. On raw  Zeb Coulter verbally harassed Big E on the mic during his match, I found the segment to be very entertaining and it was a good way to build up a match in so little time. Also Zeb Coulter is amazing on the mic, everything he says is entertaining, he makes a great heel manager. 

 Both guys are good in the ring so it should be a pretty good match, I want to be a big fan of Big E but so far he hasn't really done anything. On one hand I want him to keep the title so he can do something with it but on the other guys like Wade Barrett and Curtis Axel have held on to the title and slid further and further down the card so it might be best to get it off him before too much damage is done. Then maybe put him into a tag team. 

 The real problem here is Wwe just needs to put him in a storyline, not a one week feud but a real storyline. What I would do is put him in a Wrestlemania feud with his former partner Mark Henry. Henry could do a lot to cement him as a serious star and it'd be great to see Mark as a heel again. Hopefully that's what they'll do.

Pick: Big E

Batista vs Alberto Del Rio 

 Wwe had the opportunity to showcase Alberto Del Rio as a serious main eventer by putting him in a feud with a huge star in Batista. Unfortunately the feud has been completely one sided and besides one promo Del Rio's looked like a complete punk. Every single confrontation they've had Batista's clearly won and the final build for the match was him pushing a neck brace confined Del Rio. Wow I sure wonder if Batista can possibly take him down now!

 They're just using him as a road block for Batista without putting any thought into how he'll look coming out of the feud and what he could gain from being in an angle with a big name star. I'm not very interested in this match and I'm sure Batista will end up winning.

Pick: Batista.

The Shield vs The Wyatt Family

 This is by far the most anticipated match for me so far this year. I've been a huge fan of these two teams and I can't wait to see them collide. The build up has been perfect with great promos from Bray Wyatt as usual and the interactions on Raw that teased a collision. It was cool to get a small taste of that at the end of Raw and it left you wanting more.

 Roman Reigns has risen to the ranks of number two on my fave five right behind Daniel Bryan, every week he gets better and he looked like a huge star leading the Shield against the Wyatts on Raw.

 I really really really hope they put this match in the elimination chamber, you could start out with Luke Harper and Seth Rollins who are best in ringwise of the groups. Elimination Chamber is the perfect atmosphere for the showdown and since there's not gonna be a world title match, not to mention the shows called Elimination Chamber it would be perfect

 I'm thinking Dean Ambrose might turn on Reigns and let the Wyatts win the match. Whether the break up happens or not the Wyatts are definitely walking out the victors since they have the most to gain from the win.

Pick: The Wyatt Family

Wwe Title Elimination Chamber Match: Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan vs John Cena vs Sheamus vs Antonio Cesaro vs Christian

 This should be a very good match, I'm expecting Randy Orton to win but because of the recent outcry from the fans about the main event of him and Batista and not to mention that his character is terrible right now wwe might decide to go a different direction. I'm still gonna pick him to win because I can't really envision anyone else walking out with the belt.

 It should be very entertaining and I'm expecting Daniel Bryan and Cesaro to have extremely dominant showings.

Pick: Randy Orton

 This is a pretty strong card especially with the two main events I'm definitely looking forward to the show.

Be sure to tell me your thoughts on the ppv in the comments section or on twitter: @ENC_98 or @PWReview. Thanks for reading.

Pro Wrestling Review: Old School Raw Review 1/6/14

The show starts off with Ric Flair but he's quickly interrupted by Randy Orton, they have a nice little confrontation and it eventually seems they're going to come to blows but John Cena comes out to make the save. He basically tells Orton that if he want's to fight, he can fight him, Orton doesn't engage Cena though and he leaves the ring.

 This was a nice segment to start off the show, I liked how they played off of Orton and Flair's history and I really liked Orton's promo. They could've gone the route of doing something between Flair and Triple H but what we got was still pretty good.

 If this was a normal ppv Cena vs Orton again wouldn't be enough but since the main attraction is the royal rumble match itself, I guess it's alright. I would've preferred Daniel Bryan in it though to make it seem like a new match and not just Cena and Orton for the 50'th time. They could've pushed back him joining the Wyatt family until after the rumble or even put him in it as he is now. 

 Hopefully this match is given some sort of stimulation, maybe a last man standing because I don't think they've ever had that before. Overall I'm not outraged about having the match again but I wish they would've done a different variation. 

The Usos vs The Wyatt Family (Harper, Rowen, and Daniel Bryan)

 Daniel Bryan's first match as part of the Wyatt family! It was cool seeing Bryan come out with them and we saw his new costume (even though most of us already saw the pictures of it online) The match was good while it lasted but it seemed pretty quick, it ended when there was a miscommunication between Harper and Bryan on who got the tag, Harper ended up going in but was pinned by a roll up.

 So it seems that even though Bray Wyatt is very happy with Bryan joining, the other members, at least Luke Harper might not be, I'm interested to see where this goes but I don't think it'll lead to anything too major like Harper being kicked out, maybe a match between the two though. I'm expecting at least something to come of it because otherwise why would you have them lose their first match with Bryan on the team?

 In my review of last week's show I talked about all the different things they could do with Bryan joining and his character. It seems they're going with him being brainwashed just like Harper and Rowen are and so far I'm liking it. The cynical part of me wants to say they turned him heel because they didn't want to give him a real wwe title reign and because of that they were tired of the chants he was getting but if I'm being honest, as big of a fan of him as I am, his character was getting pretty bland. Now I can go on forever about how if wwe had handled his storyline with the authority properly he might not be in that position but the fact is, that's in the past and it can't be changed. While I don't believe his character was beyond hope,something had to change and this heel turn can help him a lot. 

 Bryan's always been great at playing in depth characters so this is the perfect fit for him. What some may not remember is that in 2012 as a heel he was just as good if not better than he was this summer. The only reason I would get upset over this turn is if he's treated as just henchmen for Bray Wyatt Bryan has already moved past that stage in his career, hopefully they can find a way to focus on everyone in the group. Bray not wrestling much helps with that because since Bryan, Harper, and Rowen are usually the ones in the ring it puts the spotlight on them. I just don't want to see him become a stooge for Bray Wyatt like Legacy was for Randy Orton, I think he's above that.

 I'm very interested to see what his in ring work will be like because you may know I'm a huge fan of the fast paced action he had as a face. From what we saw on raw it looks like he'll be keeping that fast paced style but just in more of a heelish fashion. Instead of doing it in a way to awe the fans he'll be super intense on his opponents and to quote JR "beat them like a government mule". That definitely sounds good to me and I really liked what I saw from him on Raw. 

 There's so many different ways they can go from here, for instance Bryan could possibly get the Wwe championship in this character with Bray Wyatt as a manager of sorts. Or he could also turn on them at some point and give the face character another shot coming off of a potentially great break up storyline with Bray. I'm definitely very exited to see what they do next.

 For fans that aren't as exited and see it as a burial, I say give it a chance. If it does turn into that I'll be right here to call it out but it has the possibility to take him farther than his face character ever could.

Big E Langston vs Curtis Axel

 Somewhat quick match here with Ryback on commentary which wasn't as bad as it could've been but still wasn't that good either. I've been saying they need to give Big E a feud but I did not mean one with Ryback, ever since he came out the feud with John Cena I just haven't a fan of him. Pairing him with Curtis Axel was a good idea since both of their singles career's were going nowhere but if they are planning to have him feud with Langston I would rather just have him written off tv and brought back in a few months with a repackaged character.

 Overall somewhat filler match that we've seen many times before, Big E wins with the big ending.

Alberto vs Sin Cara for 50000 time

 Seriously how many matches can these two have together I mean whenever hear Sin Cara's music hits you know Del Rio is not far behind. They have a really quick match and Del Rio actually wins clean then he gets on the mic and starts talking trash about Batista and saying that he's going to win the Royal Rumble. I doubt this will go much farther than a confrontation in the rumble and maybe a few follow up matches on raw, I would be very surprised if it turned into a wrestlemania feud.

 What I would do with Del Rio is put him in a tag team, maybe pair him with Wade Barrett who's not  doing much at the moment. Same thing for Sin Cara, put him with a high flyer like Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, or Even Bourne (if he ever returns).

The Great Kali vs Damien Sandow

 Since their first match so good we get to have another, they tried to make the a little more interesting by Sgt. Slaughter as the ref. We got some chops from Kali and some offence from Sandow but that was about it. It looks like this is going to continue because Slaughter counted Sandow when his foot was on the rope. Just like before, I've been saying Sandow needs a feud but I did not mean one with The Great Kali. Is it really too much to ask for to give a someone who's supposed to be a world champion a feud with someone who's also on that level?

 After the match Sandow gets into it with Slaughter and the Sarg. puts the cobra clutch on him.

The Rhodes Bros. vs The Real Americans

 Decent match here with the Rhodes picking up the win, I would've preferred the Real Americans winning because I think they're next in line for the tag titles and lately they haven't been handled very well. They've been losing matches left and right so I'd like to see wwe start building them up with wins.

Brock Lesner segment with Mark Henry and The Big Show

 I really liked Brock Lesner's return last week but this week things didn't go as well, Lesner and Heyman come out and Heyman cut a good promo about how Lesner is old school, meaning he is dominant like Bruno Samartino, Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold. Mark Henry comes out and Lesner destroys him even quicker than last week with an F5 and then breaks his arm with the kamera lock. Then the Big Show comes out and he stares down Lesner, after a distraction from Heyman Lesner trys to attack Show but he throws Lesner all the way across the ring. It ends with a stare down and a match between them was announced for the Royal Rumble.

 I wish they would've done Lesner vs Mark Henry at the rumble, that's the match I want to see. For one we've seen Show vs Lesner before and two Henry and Brock's gimmicks are much more similar. When Henry was heel he had nearly the exact same gimmick as Brock. The top heel tough guy vs the top face tough guy, this would've been a dream match for me. They could've switched roles and had Henry be the one to come out for save or just built off of last week. Also the fact that Big Show was dressed as the New Years baby a few weeks ago doesn't help matters.

 This is basically filler until mania but with Henry it would've felt like more than that, with Big Show I guess it's exiting because Brock Lesners back but that's about it.

Rikishi, Scotty 2 Hotty, and Grand Master Sexay vs 3MB

 Pretty much what you would expect here, quick match with the legends getting the win and dancing afterwards.

Piper's Pit with the Shield

 This was a very entertaining segment, Dean Ambrose cut a good promo on Roddy Piper and it was cool to see them go back and forth. Roman Reigns stayed quiet most of the time but when Piper started pinching him on the cheek and trying to stir up trouble between him the other members he spoke and with great intensity. He said that he would beat CM Punk tonight and if Piper ever touched him again he would break him in half. Great line by Reigns, I've been wondering how he would do on the mic and this was a pretty good indication. They're definitely been shielding him from it and for now the one liners are fine but if he does enter the main event down the road he will have to cut some full legnth promos and I just hope he's able to do it. It might not be a bad idea to give him practice now by transitioning him over longer ones.

 After that it looked like the shield was moving in to take out Piper but out comes CM Punk with a calvery of the New Age outlaws, a brawl ensues and they eventually fight off the the shield. The segment ends with them standing tall next to Piper.

 Overall very good segment here.

Roman Reigns vs CM Punk

 This was a huge match for Roman Reigns and a huge main event because of how important he's becoming as well as we needed to find out he would do in a singles match. The beginning and middle parts of it were pretty slow but it picked up in the last quarter and they even got a "this is awesome" chant. Reigns was great in the fast paced action and power moves but after that where he would've usually tagged out you could tell he needed a little work. Once the match slowed down though near the middle Reigns stuck to mostly head locks and a very slow pace. There's definitely room for improvement but the fast paced ending mostly made up for it.

 The match ended when Roman Reigns speared Punk off a distraction from Dean Ambrose, I would've rather had Reigns win completely clean but it still worked.

 

 At this point it was going great but then we hear the music of Jake the Snake Roberts who brings along a friend. Meanwhile in the ring Punk and the New Age Owtlaws reengage the shield, they throw everyone out of the ring except for Ambrose and Jake puts put his Damien the snake on top of him. 

 Let me preface this with saying that I really enjoyed Jake returning and huge props to DDP for everything he's done for him. It was a good way to end off a legends show and I also love Jake's theme song. 

 Since we have that established, I can say, this wasn't the main event for Jake Roberts to return in. This was one of the biggest main events we've had on raw in while because of how big Reigns is becoming and for the first time in years we might actually get a successful push to the top. This was an extremely important part of his journey to there and even though he won, the image coming out of raw was Roberts' return. On most other episodes of raw the return would've worked but just not this one, it was simply bad booking by wwe. I would've moved everything forward a week, Punk and Reigns to next week and for this episode the Rollins vs Punk match maineventing. Then this ending would've worked fine because there was no big image you needed people to grasp onto coming out of the show. Instead they did it with a match that had something extremely important to hold onto: Roman Reigns actually just beat the number 2 guy the company, he might be the real deal. It was one of the biggest and most important matches of his carrer and it was built up so well but the moment was  downsized by Robert's return, there was so much going on with him coming out, Punk and the new age outlaws beating up the shield and Reigns' win was the farthest thing your mind.

 I had been loving the shield's breakup, but they've hit some speed bumps along the road. They've also lost almost all of their matches even on smackdown. I understand they're gonna lose more than usual because they're breaking up but it's starting to make them seem less important. I mean CM Punk beat all three of them at TLC, they've lost nearly everything on smackdown, everything on raw, got beat up by Punk and the New Age Outlaws twice and the one match Roman Reigns won they screwed up. It's becoming a bit much, I'd like to see them win one every now and then, you can even have them arguing afterward but give them a win once in a while.

 I'm still enjoying the storyline and I'm looking forward to see where it goes but there are a few things they can change.

 Big props to Jake the snake and even though it came at the wrong time, this will still be a historic moment in raw history.

 This was a pretty solid show, not great but solid, with two hours it would've been worked fine but the three hours as usual stretched it out too much.

 

Be sure to give me your thoughts on Raw in the comments section or twitter: @ENC98 or @PWReview, Thanks for reading and happy new year.

Pro Wrestling Review: Raw Review 12/30/13: Lesner Returns, Bryan Joins The Wyatt Family

 Whats up everybody, happy new year and welcome back to Pro Wrestling Review. This is going to be my Raw review for the 12/30/13 episode of Raw, I'll be talking about all the major things that happened on the show.

 A lot of people were expecting the New Years episode to be lackluster just like Christmas one had been the week before but it actually turned out to be a great show. 

 CM Punk vs Seth Rollins

The show starts out with CM Punk hitting the ring and calling out the shield, he says that he wants to face the best member, Dean Ambrose quickly steps up and said something like "if you wanna do this again then this I'm not gonna leave without taking a piece of you with me." It was a good promo by Ambrose but Punk says that he's already defeated Ambrose so he doesn't need to face him again. The crowd was chanting for Roman Reigns but Seth Rollins says that he wants to have the match and Reigns ends up letting him. 

 There were some botches in it and CM Punk even said on twitter that it was garbage, I still found it to be very entertaining and I'm hoping that at some point down the road wwe lets these two go at it again because I think they have the potential to have a great match the quality of the one Rollins had with John Cena on smackdown the week before. Speaking of that, if you haven't seen Cena vs Seth Rollins from smackdown, definitely make sure you check it out, on the last episode of smackdown in 2013 these two put on a match of the year candidate. 

 If I'm not mistaken, tonight on raw it will be CM Punk vs Roman Reigns, I'm very exited for this match because one, I'm a big fan of Roman Reigns but mainly because I want to see how he does in a 15 or 20 minute singles match. He's great as part of the shield but we haven't seen very much him on his own. The only match that I can really think of was one he against Daniel Bryan but anyone can have good match against Bryan, that guy could have a good match with a broom stick, like literally he probably could. Now I know that CM Punk is another person that's great in the ring but I still think this is a step in the right direction for Reigns and I'm really looking forward to the match.

IC Title: Big E Langston vs Fandango

 Fandango won the #1 contendership match on pole or whatever it's called against Dolph Ziggler on the Christmas episode of Raw and the thing that I really liked about that match was Dolph Ziggler's selling. The way that he sold it when Fandango pushed him off the top onto the floor was great, he's a very underutilized superstar and I think he's a lot better than just having pre show matches on ppvs. Hopefully in 2014 wwe will handle him better

 But back to topic at hand, Big E vs Fandango, this was actually a really good match. It was much better than I was expecting and I'm starting to see why people are talking about how great Fandango is in the ring, Big E was also very good in it and he ended up winning with the big ending. I also strangely enough have to give props to the announcers as well, at the end of the match Micheal Cole was saying that this is why wwe's future in 2014 is so bright, because of stars like Langston and Fandango.

 One of my main goals for wwe in 2014 is for them to do what they did with the tag team division to the midcard division. Since we're obviously not going to get two world title chamber matches at the Elimination Chamber this year and if they end up doing Brock Lesner vs the winner of the Wwe title match at the Royal Rumble we won't have any world title chamber matches, why not do one the Intercontinental championship. I think this would be a great way for wwe to make the title feel more important and then they might unify the belts at Wrestlemania. Although we ran into somewhat of a problem in the tag team with them kind of needing another title, there's's lot's of teams that aren't really doing anything right now because they're not involved in the title picture. I think the same could happen in the midcard so if I were them I'd keep both belts.

 Either way though what they need to do for Big E is put him in a big feud, it's been great having him in the ring with big names such as John Cena, Mark Henry, CM Punk, and The Shield but now he needs something of his own. I wouldn't have minded if they had continued his feud with Damien Sandow but it looks like that's not going to happen. I'd like to see him continue with Fandango now, their match definitely deserves a rematch and it would give both guys the feud they need.

Damien Sandow vs The Great Kali

 I was really surprised when they said that Kali won the app vote, I mean no disrespect to him but he's just not in a position on card to be facing someone who's supposed to be a world champion. Sandow did pretty good with the match and it was better than I though it would be but Kali just wasn't a good opponent for him. I'm a huge fan of Sandow and I think he has tons of talent, hopefully in 2014 he will be used better and put into a big a big storyline.

The Return of Brock Lesner

 Triple H comes out and announces that Brock Lesner was returning, Brock and Paul Heyman come out and they reluctantly shake hands with Triple H after Heyman said "he's the guys that pays the bills" or something like that. I liked this because it showed that Triple H doesn't care about all the stuff that Heyman and Lesner did to him in 2013 he just wants what's best for business. They had broken his best friends arm and made fun of his wife but in the end if it got him more money he'd still shake their hands. I thought it fit his character well because it showed how much of a greedy business man he is and that all he cares about is money.

 Without mentioning his name, Heyman talks about how Brock is not concerned with CM Punk because he's already beaten him. He then goes onto say that Lesner is now the self proclaimed #1 contender to the Wwe championship. Usually I don't like when they just give people the #1 contenders spot without them winning any match but in case it worked perfectly. I really liked how they said that Brock's just taking it and if anyone has problem with they come out. It fit Lesner's character very well.

 Apparently someone did have a problem with it though because Mark Henry came out and got into an awesome fight with Lesner. I was really exited for this because I'm a huge fan of both guys and they have very similar gimmicks, they're both just these nearly indestructible monsters. At least Henry had more of that when he was a heel, now he still kind of has it as face, which he shouldn't be but I'm gonna stop myself before I go into another 20 minute rant on why he should still be a heel.

 Anyway they have this epic brawl and Henry picks up Brock and throws him over the security barricade but once he climbed over Lesner spears him right through the barricade and then F5s him. This was a really awesome fight and it brought Brock Lesner back with a bang. I'm a big fan of him because like Mark Henry was, he's been built up as an unstoppable heel. 

 After seeing Micheal Cole's interview with Paul Heyman that's probably on the app, wait why am I advertising the app? In that interview though they teased a feud with the returning Batista. What ever they do with Lesner I'm looking forward it and as long as he doesn't miss a lot of weeks like the Rock did, I'm fine if he becomes Wwe champion.

Main Event Gauntlet Match: Daniel Bryan vs Luke Harper, Eric Rowen and Bray Wyatt (Bryan joins the Wyatt Family) 

 Earlier in the night Bryan cut  a pretty good promo on the Authority saying something like he's not leaving until he gets his hands on Bray Wyatt. So they put him in the gauntlet match. 

 The first match with Luke Harper was very very good and the one with Rowen was entertaining while it lasted. Bray Wyatt was as usual really good on the mic but unfortunately we didn't even get to see him and Daniel Bryan wrestle, the other Wyatts just attacked Bryan. Then as Bray was about be finished with Bryan he got on the mic and said that Bray was right all along, that it doesn't matter how much the fans cheer for him the machine will never let him succeed. Then Bray hit him with the sister Abigail as some sort of initiation and then they left the arena with him.

 I really liked the way they did this, they started it off with having Bryan in a great gauntlet match and they gave it plenty of time so you would keep thinking he wasn't actually going to do it but then he did. I wish they would've had the match with Bray Wyatt though because I really wanted to see how he would do in the ring with Bryan. Other than that though the execution was perfect and it makes a ton of sense because Bryan has been screwed over the machine or the authority so many times in 2013 and now he's in a feud with a group that says they also want to take down the machine so why wouldn't he team up with them because of their common enemy. 

 There's a lot of different ways they can go with this, they could have Bryan be a full fledged heel which would make sense because as he said the fans cheering for him did him no good, also if you saw that picture floating around the internet of Bryan at a house show wearing Wyatt family type gear it seems like he's kind of getting brain washed like Rowen and Harper are. They could also have Bryan be somewhat of a tweener and he's just teeming with them to fight a common enemy and this just adds more of an edge to his character. Or of course he could be doing this still with the interest of taking the Wyatts down and he's just trying to get them to put their guard down and he's actually trying to destroy them from the inside. Also Bryan and the Wyatts could be turning face or at least tweener to take down the authority.

 Wherever they end up going with it it's definitely very entertaining and captivating so far and it has me really wanting to see where it goes. 

 This was a great last show of 2013 and it was a great way to move forward and show people what 2014 will hold for wwe will glimpses of a good midcard, Brock Lesner and the road to wrestlemania and most of all Daniel Bryan in Wyatt Family. It was a great way to get people to want to tune in 2014. I'm definitely looking forward to see where it all goes tonight on Raw and I'll be right back here soon to tell you my thoughts on it.

 Be sure to tell me your thoughts on Raw in the comments or on twitter: @ENC98 or @PWReview. Thanks for reading and happy new year.