World’s Most Dangerous Column 11.17.13: Did Daniel Bryan Deserve Better?

Thanks for the warm welcome last week! I give it a few weeks before the haters show up. In fact, I can think of at least two things in the column below that might bring them out of their basements!

Before we get there, quick note: I eliminated the Power Rankings this week? Do you miss them? I feel like everyone is doing them right now, here at 411Mania and elsewhere. I figured it’s just best I contribute to our staff weekly rankings.

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You Decide: Could Daniel Bryan Have Had A Better Main Event Run?

So you know what I think—what do you think? Should Daniel Bryan have received a stronger main event run?

Voting is open through Wednesday night, and you can vote once per hour!
Share your comments below!

Too Soon? No, It’s Never Too Soon.

Tons of speculation was reported as alleged news this week (See what I did there?) regarding the build of WrestleMania 30. Seriously, if the rumors are to be believed, 40% of the WrestleMania 30 card (provided we get 10 matches and everyone is in a separate match) will be comprised of matches featuring Brock Lesnar, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Triple H, Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon and (not) The Rock.

Well, that’s why the news is usually bullshit.

I’m not here to tell you not to believe the wrestling newz sites that we get most of our news from. I’m no longer carrying that flag, and those sites do a fine job of their own.

I mean, look at what Meltzer made us do:

Good one, Dave!

Regardless, any longtime readers know that I love to look ahead to WrestleMania, because as the WWE would have you believe, it’s the only show that matters. (Their opinion, not mine!) At this point, we must build a WrestleMania 30 card that can work, that fans can sink their teeth into, and that the WWE would believably do. It’s that last rule that makes this a challenge…

So, without further ado, WrestleMania XXX as it see it, today!

World Heavyweight Championship: John Cena (champion) vs. Chris Jericho
Sound crazy? After you see the rest of the card, you’ll understand why. There’s no one else the WWE would put in the ring against John Cena once everyone else is booked. In fact, both world title matches were booked by default. In facter fact (I know that’s not a word), most of the card just fell into place! Jericho is a draw and a surprise Royal Rumble return (and win) could really spice things up leading to WrestleMania.

WWE Championship: Randy Orton (champion) vs. Sheamus
Sheamus will be back, paler than ever, and will be white hot (pun not actually intended, but left in). Orton is a heat machine when he’s not doing Triple H’s bidding, and he’ll be a great opponent for a more serious Sheamus. Both guys can go when motivated, and I’d expect them to be motivated here.

The Undertaker vs. CM Punk
I know, right? Out of all the rumored Undertaker opponents—Sting, John Cena and Brock Lesnar just to name a few—no one has mentioned CM Punk. But they had a great WrestleMania 29 match, and the four Undertaker WrestleMania appearances preceding their classic encounter have established a bit of a pattern. Match, rematch, match, rematch. It doesn’t take countless hours of watching Team Umizoomi to figure out why I selected Taker-Punk II. Is The Deadman more vulnerable in a rematch? Possibly, but you know one thing for sure—CM Punk will want to steal the show.

The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family
Out of everything I will list here (and things will undoubtedly change over time), this is the one match that most needs to happen at WrestleMania 30. It requires a lot out of the WWE, namely keeping The Shield together, turning them face and waiting another five months to pull the trigger on this feud. Granted, it’s not beyond the WWE to do this on Raw now and then do it at ‘Mania. The fact is, two groups have debuted in the WWE over the past twelve months, both in very different fashion, and both have made some serious waves. I would tease this thing at the Royal Rumble, where The Shield cleans house only to be confronted by The Wyatt Family, leading to all six men (even if all six aren’t entered) being eliminated and a rare empty ring in the middle of the Rumble match.

Like I said, this has to happen!

Ryback vs. Batista
“Wait a second Greg, the one name we haven’t heard during amongst the WrestleMania XXX rumors is Dave!”

I’m aware of that, but Dave makes the most sense. As you likely now, Batista has been cast as Drax The Destroyer in Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, set for a Summer 2014 release. A WWE return then makes sense, no? I think it does, despite what the rumor mill (or Dave himself in interviews) might tell us. And with the movie set to release so far after ‘Mania, Dave can put Ryback over here and pick up another win at Extreme Rules, Money In The Bank, or both.

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
Seriously, you don’t see this one coming? Daniel Bryan and Kane were Team Hell No, even gaining a victory at WrestleMania 29 before eventually dropping their titles to The Shield’s Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns. Daniel Bryan recently found himself on the losing side of a feud with Triple H’s authority, and Kane has since returned as the COO’s Director of Operations. Sorta makes this obvious to me.

Big Show vs. Triple H
The push no one wanted to see, The Big Show circa 2013, versus the figurehead no one wants to see anymore, Triple H. While we still have plenty of time, the current WWE landscape lends itself to this happening. It’s very possible that we could combine Bryan vs. Kane and Show vs. HHH into a tag match, with Vince McMahon accompanying the faces and Stephanie McMahon accompanying the heels. Either way, a McMahon Family War has been brewing for some time now, and the WWE just can’t help itself sometimes.

Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock
Two guys, left out, needing something to do. It just makes sense, and not for the obvious reasons. The Rock is a busy man, and likely can’t be around for much (or any) of the build. Brock Lesnar isn’t a busy man, but he has a contract that likely means he can’t be around for much (or any) of the build. This is a match you can build through an announcement and pretaped videos alone, if needed. The crowd would be hot for it, and nothing is gained or lost in a win or a loss. Yes, they’d be better served putting others over. But this is one of the world’s biggest movie stars versus a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and as we already acknowledged, the WWE can’t help itself.

So you’ve now read the card, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Have a better idea? One that could actually happen? Share it in the comments!

Johnny Gargano Hits Two Years As Open The Freedom Gate Champion

Earlier this week, Johnny Gargano hit two years holding Dragon Gate USA’s top title, The Open The Freedom Gate Championship.

Who the hell cares?!?! He’s defended the title 13 timesin 24 months for a company that rarely runs shows. Nothing to see here, move along!

Don’t Look Now: Impact Wrestling Has Gotten Good Again!

Listen, no wrestling show is prefect. Not even close. But the past two weeks of Impact Wrestling have represented a bit of a reset for the company as they prepare for a return to the Impact Zone at Universal Studios in beautiful Orlando, Florida.

And the reset is working.

Last week’s edition of Impact Wrestling saw The Main Event Mafia break up, amicably, to set their sights on the World Championship (except Sting, who is off to do…whatever he’s doing). Aces & Eights teased a break up, all to fool Mr. Anderson and set-up a no-disqualification match with club president Bully Ray that I am actually excited to see.

We also got the first World Championship tournament match-up, where Jeff Hardy defeated a game X-Division Champion in Chris Sabin in a great Full Metal Mayhem match. The episode also featured a show-spanning story arc between Bobby Roode and Kurt Angle that, if we are to believe the foreshadowing, could lead to an Angle-Roode tournament final (in all reality, it’ll be the semi-main event of Genesis—and there’s nothing wrong with that).

This week we saw Mr. Anderson in action for the first time in a long time, defeating an underrated Knux. Gail Kim successfully defended the Knockouts Championship despite in a good outing with (DeMarcette) Hannah Blossom. We also saw more focus on the World Championship tournament, with a great recap of last week’s Full Metal Mayhem match, and the announcement of next week’s two tournament matches.

Finally, we capped everything off with a great Kurt Angle vs. Austin Aries Submission Match where the only real disappointment (to me) was the winner. Of all of the first round matchups where I want to see an underdog win, it was this one. But given the story between Bobby Roode and Kurt Angle, an Angle win seemed appropriate. Had Aries won, it would have been thanks to “Rooderference.” Yup, I just made up another word.

So while we’re not in the six-sided ring (yet), we’re not focusing on the X-Division (yet) we haven’t revitalized the knockouts (yet), and we don’t have a decent grasp on the tag tem division (yet), we’re headed in the right direction. Hopefully the move to Orlando and the focus on #IMPACT365 leads to some great stuff, and we can have an alternative to the WWE once again.

The Impact Zone at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida

Next week is a big one for Impact Wrestling, as they return to the Impact Zone with the appropriately named Turning Point free-per-view, featuring the following four announced matches:

Joseph Park challenges Abyss
World Championship Tournament Bullrope Match: James Storm vs. Bobby Roode
World Championship Tournament Falls Count Anywhere Match: Samoa Joe vs. Magnus
No Disqualification: Bully Ray vs. Mr. Anderson (if Ray wins, Anderson must leave TNA; if Anderson wins, the Aces & Eights must disband)

I expect a great night of wrestling on next week’s Impact Wrestling, and I think we’re in for a few good ones as we end 2013. Impact Wrestling’s ratings increased over the last two weeks, and things are looking up.

If you’re on the fence, now might be the time to start watching…

Former WWE Superstar Michael Tarver Joins #GDMS Sunday Night!

Don’t miss out as former WWE Superstar Michael Tarver joins Greg DeMarco, Patrick O’Dowd, Heather Lynn, Su Yung, Tony Acero and the entire #GDMS crew this Sunday night at 10 pm eastern!

Listen live: www.vocnation.com
Call in: 855-VOC-Radio
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The Greg DeMarco Show with Patrick O’Dowd, Heather Lynn and Su Yung airs every Sunday night, WORLDWIDE on the VOC Nation! Originally built as an extension of their near daily banter, the pair have grown into some of the most respected wrestling analysts on the ‘net. Add in sexy DeMarcettes Heather Lynn and Su Yung, who bring in their years of experience in and out of the ring—and your ears may not be able to handle this!

The GDMS guest list includes appearances by TNA’s Christopher Daniels, former WWE Superstar Chris “Masters” Mordetzky, ECW/WWF/WCW legend “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, 5-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce and many of today’s top independent talent including former Ring of Honor World Champion Kevin Steen, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion Adam Cole, Dragon Gate USA Open The Freedom Gate Champion Johnny Gargano and independent wrestling’s #1 female star, Shine Champion Rain.

The show also features appearances by The DeMarcettes, the hottest upcoming talent in all of women’s wrestling. Former WWE/NXT and show cohost Su Yung, independent wrestling talent and show cohost Heather Lynn, former WWE/NXT Diva Buggy Nova, Ring of Honor Hoopla Hottie Scarlett Bordeaux, Barbi Hayden, Veda Scott, Terra Calaway, Allie Parker, Cherry Bomb, Jessie Belle, Leah Von Dutch, Nikki St. John, The Blossom Twins (Hannah & Holly) and former TNA Knockout Taeler Hendrix entertain fans on a regular basis during The Greg DeMarco Show!

Just As The Tag Line Says…A Girl!

This past Thursday, DeMarcette Hannah Blossom appeared on Impact Wrestling in a losing effort to Gail Kim. Now she joins twin sister Holly as this week’s DeMarcette(s) Of The Week!

The Blossoms on Facebook: facebook.com/HannahHolly.Blossom
Hannah & Holly on Twitter: twitter.com/TheBlossomTwins

Closing Time…

Plenty of items to discuss in the comments below, but here are a few suggestions:
– Assuming the same result, would you have preferred Daniel Bryan as a transitional WWE Champion?
– Given what you know today, what do you expect to see at WrestleMania XXX?
– Does Johnny Gargano’s 2-year reign mean anything?
– Are you ready to start watching TNA Impact Wrestling again?

About The Author…

Greg DeMarco is a graduate of Virginia Tech (Bachelor’s in Business Management) and Arizona State (Master’s in Higher & Post-Secondary Education). He works in online higher education. Greg started in improv comedy in 2001, making his stand-up debut in 2004.

Greg first appeared as a ring announcer for Rising Phoenix Wrestling in Phoenix Arizona in 2006 and served many promotions in both on-stage and back-stage roles for over six years, most notably Ring of Honor in 2010. He began writing for 411Mania in October 2010, founded The Greg DeMarco Show in May 2011 and joined the VOC Nation in November 2011. Greg’s writing credits include Bleacher Report, Yahoo, Wrestling Inc and Pro Wrestling Powerhouse. Greg returned home to both 411Mania and the VOC Nation in November 2013.

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Until next week…