The Wrestling News Experience: 11.28.11

Posted by Stephen Randle on 11.28.2011

News and thoughts on Kurt Angle's 2012 Olympics progress, WWE finally figuring out how to make social media work, Sin Cara's revealing T-shirt design, Hell in a Cell tanking, a preview for tonight's Raw and more!

Monday, November 28th, 2011

From 411Mania's Canadian offices in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, this is The Wrestling News Experience, with Stephen Randle!


A Very Manly Muppet

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Experience. I am Stephen Randle, telling you to run, don't walk, and go see The Muppets. Especially if, like me, you're old enough to have watched to older Muppet movies. No, Muppets in Space is not old. You will laugh, you may cry, and then there's more laughing, and also, if you like some actor or actress, they are in this movie. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some DVDs to buy.

Oh, right. Column. Moving on.



Last week, in a shocking twist that nobody who didn't have early access to Wellness testing could have seen, The Awesome Truth were destroyed by a simple comment from John Cena that left R-Truth laying, the victim of an attack by The Miz. If only John Cena could use his powers to turn people against each other for good. Instead, Cena will be appearing on Piper's Pit this week, presumably because he has nothing better to do until facing The Rock at WrestleMania.

Also, after CM Punk defeated him for the WWE Title at Survivor Series, Alberto Del Rio will receive his contractually guaranteed rematch tonight! Can the Second City Saint maintain his hold on the title he promised to defend for a very long time?

And as Zack Ryder continues to gain signatures on his petition and victories over Dolph Ziggler, how long can Johnny Ace continue to ignore Ryder's deserved request for a United States title match?

Plus, maybe something will happen involving Kevin Nash and Triple H that doesn't just involve Nash ranting at the fans. Wait, that might mean he wrestles. Never mind.

And if we've got time, Brodus Clay might debut, plus we may get to see the Jonah Hill guest segments from last week. Who knows, they probably haven't even finished the script for tonight yet! You have to tune in, because nobody knows what's going to happen next, least of all the writers! Tonight, on Raw!



Not Paying-Per-View

The buyrate news is in for October's two PPVs, and the shows did roughly 300,000 buys. No, not "each", the word you're looking for is "combined". Turns out that there really is a limit to the number of PPVs you can sucker people into buying, or at least you have to give them more lag time in order to forget how much the last one sucked.

The really sad commentary, which we revisit every year, is the fact that WWE has undeniably killed, buried, and urinated on the gravesite of the Hell in a Cell match gimmick, which used to be strong enough that (with a couple exceptions), nearly every one was considered at worst, a high quality match, and a best, a MOTYC. Now, Hell in a Cell is a glorified steel cage match with none of the brutality and passion of the earlier versions, no longer used for long-running blood feuds but instead as a gimmick for the top matches of a specific PPV. So, from the illustrious beginnings with Shawn Michaels battling the Undertaker in a ***** classic and Mankind making himself famous by getting himself thrown off it in every conceivable fashion, we come to this, where the matches are forgettable and almost nobody will pay to see one. Congratulations, WWE, you really screwed the pooch there.

The "Special Olympics" Jokes Write Themselves

Just in case you'd forgotten, Kurt Angle is totally, 100% super-serious about competing at the London Olympics, which are coming up this summer. And if you had forgotten, Kurt is here to remind you, by posting the following on Twitter:

"I'm Already Qualified for final Olympic trials In June. But I Will Official Enter Olympic trial Qualifier Tourney in April in Iowa! I'm Ready"

Not sure how he qualified since he spent most of last year being TNA Champion and the rest of it sitting in cars on the side of the road, but hey, I guess his Olympic dream lives, and it seems like we might see Kurt on the Olympic team in 2012. Of course, I'm pretty sure he's going to get destroyed by people nearly a decade younger than him who haven't spent the last ten years breaking every bone in their body including his spine, and who have been doing serious amateur wrestling longer for years leading up to London. I don't know much about Olympic training, but I'm pretty sure it isn't like riding a bicycle. And there's a reason the only people over thirty in the Olympics are either in team sports or horse jumping, you know. But hey, maybe he'll shock me. He's been doing that for years, at least.

#TrendingonTwitter

So, apparently, WWE has heard everyone complaining that the constant shilling for Twitter on Raw, and their response is…interesting. Turns out, they know the whole thing is annoying, but they're overcompensating early in order to raise interest in social media in a way to increase WWE's popularity. Which I guess is fair, even though I have to question how that's going to work when you're talking about Twitter to people who are already watching the show and are getting annoyed because you're talking about Twitter instead of paying attention to the show itself.

But even if Michael Cole yammering about Twitter makes you want to pop your eardrums with the nearest sharp instrument, there has to be someone in WWE who knows what they're doing with this whole Internet thing. Because amidst all the "Trending On Twitter" chyrons, we got this:



And with that video, WWE utilized social media the most perfect way they could have, in a way that five thousand mentions of what is trending on Twitter "worldwide" because they have no idea how meaningless that statement is, comparing who has the most Facebook friends between John Cena and The Rock, and shilling for WWE.com, could never hope to achieve. A mysterious link, a strange video, and a promised date of someone's return, and suddenly everyone is paying attention. It is literally just that easy.

Oh, and it's entirely Jericho.



- There's an image of a new Sin Cara shirt going around that was inadvertently designed to look like his penis was exposed. Go ahead and look at it here. And even if it never hits shelves once someone clues in WWE, it'll still be more popular than the Johnny Ace t-shirt.

- Speaking of an earlier topic, a potential reason why Smackdown is considered an better show might be the fact that they can't talk about what's trending on Twitter. With that said, I'd expect this week's live Smackdown to be considered the worst episode of 2011.

- WWE is part of a personal injury lawsuit filed by a subcontracted worker who was injured while working a WWE show in Seattle in 2009. The man is seeking damages due to personal injuries, physical and mental pain for suffering, costs of medical care, loss of income, loss of earning capacity and other damages, and then after he finished watching the WWE show a heavy object fell on him.

- Former WWE and WCW wrestler Sean O'Haire was arrested for battery last week in Georgia. It turns out the devil on his shoulder was actually Matt Hardy.

1. Daniel Bryan

Out of nowhere, he's on everyone's mind. He was nearly World Champion on Smackdown, and he'll be main-eventing the live show tomorrow for a real shot at the belt, in a steel cage. The only shame is, if he wins, he'll probably have to shave the beard.

2. Zack Ryder

Apparently there's heat on Zack for dying his hair blonde without getting clearance to modify his appearance. The good news is, the people in charge are actually paying attention to what Zack Ryder is doing.

3. Dolph Ziggler

At this point, everything this man does is gold. Sure, word is Vince isn't too happy about #HEEL, but I'm sure they'll distract him with something shiny before he can meddle too much. The Mr. Perfect comparisons look more apt every day, which is hilarious when you also consider that Joe Hennig is still on the roster.

4. The Miz

Apparently there was a chance of tag team gold for Awesome Truth, but with R-Truth out, it looks like Miz may be back in the title picture, perhaps as early as the Rumble.

5. Ted DiBiase

Don't look now, but Ted's getting another push, thanks to his idea to have tailgate parties with the fans before live events, which isn't the worst idea in the world. For the worst idea in the world, check out Teddie's Movember "moustache". Ted, your dad grows a better moustache in his sleep.

6. Chris Jericho

Whether it's him or not, he's getting more attention as a result, and when you give Chris Jericho attention, you know exactly what you're going to get: Chris Jericho screwing with people on Twitter.

7. Eric Young

I'm unsure why people agree to go through with a match where you gain nothing by winning and have to wear a turkey suit if you lose, but Eric Young has to be the closest thing I've seen to the master of that particular gimmick match. Hey, it's not like traditions ever make sense anyway.

8. Hunico

He may turn out to be the only real winner in the whole Sin Cara debacle, as he ends up with a roster spot and a push, but you really just have to look at the man he pinned on Friday (Justin Gabriel) to see how short-lived that push can be.

9. Kane

It was less vague than the other video, but once again, they've managed to get us interested in the fact that Kane will be returning…maybe with the mask. Or maybe not. They have done this to us before, you know.

10. John Morrison

Well, if you're going to go out, go out in style. And nothing says "style" like "recycling the ‘getting blown up in a limo' spot on the latest episode of Z: True Long Island Story. Adios, Johnny, it could have been so much better for you.

Inactive List as of 11.21.11

WWE Raw

- Chris Jericho, out indefinitely as of September 27th, 2010 (punt-related injury)
- Evan Bourne, out 30 days as of November 1st (Wellness)
- Goldust, out indefinitely (torn rotator cuff)
- Husky Harris, out indefinitely as of January 31st (punt-related injury)
- Kharma, out 9 months as of May 23rd (pregnancy)
- Rey Mysterio, out indefinitely as of August 23rd (knee surgeries)
- Skip Sheffield, out indefinitely as of August 20th, 2010 (broken ankle)

WWE SmackDown

- Christian, out 6-8 weeks as of November 13th (ankle)
- Kane, out 3 months as of July 22nd (broken leg)
- Heath Slater, out 30 days as of October 18th (Wellness)
- Layla El, out indefinitely as of May 23rd (ACL/MCL surgery)
- Sin Cara, out 6-9 months as of November 20th (ruptured patella)

TNA

- Chris Sabin, out indefinitely
- Ric Flair, out 4-6 months as of September 14th (tricep)

Transactions

- Heath Slater, SD!, returned to action on November 25th Smackdown

- John Morrison, RAW, contract expired, will not re-new

- R-Truth, RAW, out 30 days as of November 22nd (Wellness)



WWE

WWE Champion: CM Punk
- 8 day reign, defeated Alberto Del Rio on November 20th (Survivor Series PPV)
- Next title defense: vs Alberto Del Rio, November 28th Raw

World Heavyweight Champion: Mark Henry
- 64 day reign, defeated Randy Orton on September 18th (Night of Champions PPV)
- Next title defense: vs Daniel Bryan, Steel Cage Match, November 29th Smackdown

WWE Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes
- 101 day reign, defeated Ezekiel Jackson on August 12th (Smackdown)

WWE United States Champion: Dolph Ziggler
- 155 day reign, defeated Kofi Kingston on June 19th (Capitol Punishment PPV)

WWE Tag Team Champions: Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne
- 91 day reign, defeated David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty on August 22nd (Raw)

WWE Divas' Champion: Beth Phoenix
- 50 day reign, defeated Kelly Kelly on October 2nd (Hell in a Cell PPV)

TNA

TNA Heavyweight Champion: Robert Roode
- 25 day reign, defeated James Storm on November 3rd (Impact)
- Next title defense: vs AJ Styles, Iron Man Match, Final Resolution PPV

TNA Tag Team Champions: Crimson and Matt Morgan
- 11 day reign, defeated Mexican America on November 17th (Impact)

TNA X-Division Champion: Austin Aries
- 71 day reign, defeated Brian Kendrick on September 11th (No Surrender PPV)

TNA Knockouts Champion: Gail Kim
- 15 day reign, defeated Velvet Sky on November 13th (Turning Point PPV)
- Next title defense: vs Mickie James

TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions: Gail Kim and Madison Rayne
- 25 day reign, defeated Miss Tessmacher and Tara on November 3rd (Impact)

TNA Television Champion: Robbie E
- 15 day reign, defeated Eric Young on November 13th (Turning Point PPV)



DeMarco has The 5&1.

Reid has Hot or Not.

Terra has The Hot Stuff.

Kirk has The Wrestling Sandwich.

Ari has Column of Honor.



411 will have live coverage of Raw tonight starting at 9 pm EST.

I am also contractually obligated to inform you that 411 Podcasts are back, and a new one goes live tonight at about 10:00 pm EDT.

From our promotional department, I've been informed that if you really do like 411Mania and all it provides, or even just me (and really, who doesn't like me), don't forget to bookmark the site in your browser or make 411 your homepage, and tell all your friends about how awesome 411 is.

And don't forget, you can follow all of the everyday goings on in 411 on Twitter.

Stephen's Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/411mania
http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling
http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv
http://www.twitter.com/411music
http://www.twitter.com/411games
http://www.twitter.com/411mma

That's our show, That Damned Cook is in tomorrow, I will be back next week. Plus, don't forget to look for me this Tuesday in the Games Zone for Four Player Co-op.

Here it is, your Moment of Buddy



Buddy Is Not on Twitter. Buddy Only Uses LiveJournal.


Have a good one, and always be a fan.