Truths And Lies 01.28.14: WWE/TNA Week In Review

One more week.

Next Sunday night is the NFL Super Bowl. Over 100 million viewers will tune in and watch a football game. It is really amazing when you think about what transpires. Just ONE event brings the United States together all year, and it is a sporting event. My pre-season prediction of Broncos over 49ers may have been ruined last week, but I am perfectly content with a Broncos vs. Seahawks showdown. My ultimate winner remains the same though: Broncos.

Moving over to wrestling, the Royal Rumble is in the books. Wow, what a night that was. Since Raw has just gone off the air, we are all officially on the Road to WrestleMania XXX. That also means we are on the Road to Network! Okay, that does not have the same ring to it, but the statement stands. Get ready for all those WWE Network plugs. Speaking of…

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Comments

Okay, here we go! A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about the WWE Network launch and promised to give some reader feedback. Since today will have no TNA Impact Wrestling review, there is some room to fill. Thus, let me roll back the clock a bit and respond to some comments. First up is one that caused a little controversy…

Note: Be warned now! If you do not like reading this kind of thing, please skip ahead. I picked out A LOT of comments. This column is going to be very long.

oldmansmartphone: “but do you really think the older demographic own cell phones?” yes

Ask your grandma if she owns a cell phone. Ask your mother if she owns a cell phone. Ask your aunt, uncle, or grandpa if they own a cell phone. Now do the same for friends or co-workers who fit the older demographic. After that, move to a Roku system or Xbox. Some will own them. Most will not. Then ask them if they are WWE fans and would plunk down $10 a month for a 24/7 wrestling network. When you do that, get back to me. I do not quote Kevin Nash often, but he also spoke on this potential problem. Check the backlog of headlines for his exact comments. Kids, teenagers and us in our 20’s are all over the online experience and Netflix generation. WWE knows that…but still has to keep an eye out for every single portion of their audience. That problem only becomes worse should DirecTV and other cable companies dump WWE pay-per-views.

Ace Rimmer: Watry, Really well put together article dude. Seriously. Thank you. Credit where credit is due that really broke it down in a clear concise manner. Good job.

Thank you. I write this for all of YOU out there. My ego may be big, but if I only cared about myself, I would simply write a daily journal in a notebook (which I do not). I need an audience for feedback and/or props to be given.

RavenTazECW: Success or bust? It doesn’t even release for a month in a half from now. It’s impossible to determine until the product comes out, goes through initial problems and testing, and begins to grow a couple months after. That’s when the question of success or bust can be answered. As great as the service may sound, technical problems are still unknown, and if there are less subscribers than WWE hopes, it may turn out to be a bust of a strong concept. So this question shouldn’t even be asked for months from now.

Fair point. You are right. So many things could go great…or bad for WWE here. I went back and forth on writing the piece. However, it was such a major deal that I gave in. Plus, it puts me out on front street. If the thing bombs or succeeds, my column will be seen BEFORE the end result is known. Right or wrong, we can all look back in 2-3 years and see what was written.

AO: I’m expecting success because I know for a fact I’m going to watch the heck out of this channel!

Hahaha, perfect! Again though, WWE is not going for the internet fans only. Of course, you and I will watch. If that is their goal here, the company is flushing $50 million down the drain and more each year. The WWE Network can not work with such a limited paying fan base. ECW and ROH will tell you how far the internet fans will move business. They want to convince casual fans – the WrestleMani crowd – that this is worth the price. Now that will be a HECK of a thing to see.

ToNy: Should be a slam dunk buy for most hardcore fans

Agreed, should be. Problem is the hardcore fans will not make up one million subscribers – not even close. If WWE can grab a portion of the 4-5 million who watch Raw or 2.5-3 million viewers who watch Smackdown each week, it will be big business. Until then, they are climbing uphill.

Sean Garner: I do use Hulu and you are correct. Sometimes they cut one or two small little things out of SmackDown, but it doesn’t happen every week. RAW is the only WWE show that gets down severely on Hulu. All the one hour shows (Main Event, Superstars, and NXT) are shown in full with no cuts.

This was about whether shows would air in full or “just the best parts” like Raw on Hulu. Thanks for the input sir!

Michael L: This is a very well-thought out piece that covers a lot of potential questions about the WWE Network. Did someone hack Watry’s account?

On a serious note, there is one VERY important element to whether this network succeeds or fails, and that is the quality of the live PPV streams, which will be the main source of interest for many fans–especially those who thought that PPV prices were too much once they crossed the $30 mark. Many will try this idea out largely because of the access to WM30, and the WWE will need to have everything run as smoothly as possible, which has not been a guarantee for new endeavors that involve technology. Many independent feds have had problems with their live PPV’s streams, despite a relatively small fan base. So, will the WWE be able to handle the demands of almost a million people streaming WM 30 at the same time? Whether they succeed or fail in that endeavor will go along way in determining whether this model works. If people are frustrated in not being able to access WM, they may have a bad view of the product and thus not renew it when their subscription expires.

Yep. I assume that is why WWE went to MLB for the best streams/technology available online. You are correct though. If the WrestleMania XXX stream bombs out, it is going to be a disaster. Refunds. Subscriptions cancelled after six months. Outrage. Disappointment. This is not just some random pay-per-view or weekly NXT episode. This is WRESTLEMANIA! You can not deliver a ‘page is loading, please wait’ screen for four hours on the biggest night of the year.

Coconut Crusher: Sounds like it could be a huge success. Now I realize why WWE has been pushing the WWE App on all their shows. The App has what, 10 million users now? And every one of those 10 million apps now functions as a commercial for the WWE Network, so a million subscribers at start should be easy. And if you thought the WWE App plugs were too much, wait till Raw when Cole will be plugging the Network every segment on every show till launch, more likely for all times.

It could be even more successful once they start raising the price over the years like pretty much every subscription I know of does. Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s $15 next year, $20 the year after that . . one day, you’ll probably be paying the same amount per month as you would per PPV today. Which was probably the plan all along. 😛

One million subscribers will NOT be easy to start with at all. That is why I would already be taking orders. When the network was announced, I would be accepting subscriptions the very next morning. All that buzz. All that hype. You could have grabbed a couple hundred thousand in the beginning of January alone. Maybe once overseas are introduced, they can get one million but NOT right away. The WWE App is free and open to the world, not just the United States. There is a massive difference between an easy, free download app compared to paying $10 a month for a network. WWE is reaching for one million subscribers. It will NOT be easy. As for the price hikes, I am with you. By next year, it will be $15 or with extra costs to add special programming. If you really think it will stay at $10 per month forever, you are kidding yourself.

Balboni: WWE=WalMart…WWE network finally deals the deathblow for indy wrestling….

I do not think this does much to TNA Impact Wrestling, one way or another. Does anybody buy their pay-per-views? Has anyone bought them in recent years? Will they suddenly start to after the WWE Network launch? No, no, and no. Nothing will change there. ROH and the indy scene may have a tougher battle with their i-PPV buys, but their status should stay about the same. This does A TON for WWE and their business model. Everyone will carry on normally.

APinOz: I’d say the TV-MA rating will cover some of the ECW PPVs where the F-bomb was dropped with some frequency.

Probably. Apparently, this stuff will all be uncensored and uncut. That is what WWE is saying. I just recently watched the Rise and Fall of WCW again (my favorite DVD), and there were quite a few cuss words used. With the TV-MA rating, it will likely be that way for lots of ECW content. Plus, it was noted in the comments that some of the WWE divas lost their clothes every now and then.

RJ: Wow, so they finally did it. How long have they been teasing the arrival of the network now? Like 18 months?

Anyway I think it will be a success. I mean, for one, you got a lot of video libraries to peruse, whatever your liking is. Old ECW, WCW, AWA, the WWF Golden days, Attitude Era, etc. So that’s a plus. And now, for roughly ten dollars a month, you’ll get access to the PPV shows which were, what, 40 dollars a pop? And WM30 would have been 65? For that reason alone it’s a steal and, quite frankly, WWE cannot afford to let this fail. Should they let this network fail then I fear they’ll suffer a permanent black eye.

Not permanent but pretty close. This is the XFL all over again. If it bombs, WWE will lose a ton of money and faith with their stock holders. Notice the stock has sky rocketed the past few weeks? Yeah, the public is watching closely. Should this be a huge success, it will be a game changer. It it fails, WWE will have a hard time gaining fan’s trust back and recouping all that lost cash.

*sighs*

Are you all still reading? I told you it was going to be a long column. Now, let us all continue with a few comments from last week that contained NO cuss words or insults…

RJ: “3. Sting needs to call WWE headquarters and never look back.”

Boy, you aren’t kidding. That was a trash ending to Genesis. When I saw that I first thought of Victory Road 11, in the infamous “Sting has to hold Hardy down to keep him pinned” segment along with the stalling from Easy E. Only this time around EC3 wasn’t on drugs, or roofies, or whatever like Jeff was. At least, we’ll assume he wasn’t. The stipulation of the contract vs title is a poor way to write him out even if he does come back, then it looks even more pathetic. WWE has to be salivating over the chance to bring in the Icon, even for a couple months over WM30 season.

BTW, thank you for the kind words about the SB pick! I just hope Denver beats Seattle, if in fact Peyton is retiring I want him to ride out high like Ray Lewis did.

Well said. I can not really add much. Peyton Manning is the face. Richard Sherman is the heel. Bring it on!

Emmataining: Interviewing Jay Bradley is NOT something to brag about, junior

Emmataining? Hmmm. Let me guess – that is your real name. No? Oh yeah, a fictional online username…and you have interviewed…? Right. I am very proud of my past interviews and will conduct even more in 2014.

Peachmeister: I don’t find you as grating as some people might (Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I actually like the idea of the ask yourself section) but why is this down as a “NEWS” piece every Tuesday? It’s not news. Its an opinion column.

You must be new around here. This topic has been covered numerous times already. I have nothing to do with the title. I have nothing to do with the teasers. I have nothing to with the headlines on the main page. I just write the column. That is it! If you have a problem with all that other junk, you are barking up the wrong tree. I am unable to help you out. Sorry.

AG Awesome: I actually enjoyed Rey vs Alberto this Monday and I also thought that Big Show and Lesnar have done a pretty good with build up for their match.

Agreed with Batista’s return though. Way too random and disinterested in the Rumble. I cant stand the face/heel dynamic of “the authority” either. They shouldnt be doing a shades of gray booking style with them, or at least not do it the way they have been going about it. They act like heels all the time with Bryan and Punk, then bring Batista in as a face and be buddy buddy with him?

This really didnt feel like a “go home” show for the Rumble.

Good stuff. One of my biggest issues with WWE the past few months has been The Authority and their characters. If they are going to run down CM Punk and Daniel Bryan every week, fine. If they are going to play the corporate faces and hype up the WWE Network, fine. However, the weekly back and forth has been tiresome. Hopefully, Triple H goes FULL heel in the lead up to WrestleMania. One week, HHH and Stephanie McMahon are begging for cheers. The next is the opposite. That was okay last summer when the duo first started appearing. Now? It is time to move on. Again, just pick a direction and go with it.

Jason Andreas: Who would you pick as the ” #2 announce team” Justin?

Let’s say that we can confine JBL, King and Cole to Raw (please?). I think a Smackdown booth of William Regal and Road Dogg could be interesting. If you need a third face, Cole could join in, but I prefer the two man teams.

Also, as a curio, who do you think in the current roster (or recently retired) would make for a good presence at the booth? I think Jericho would be superb in that role, as would Punk (he and his sport coat did it before, after all). Christian might be an outside bet, too, as I always felt that while Edge had the better star power, Christian was the better talker of the two.

Well, I think JBL is the bestest bestest commentator ever! Ever! He is great in every way! That WRESTLING GOD should appear on every single WWE television show! In all seriousness, I really like the idea of having a former (semi-current) wrestler on Smackdown. Tazz worked a decade ago with Michael Cole. If Christian is getting hurt every few months, maybe it is best he stays out of the ring but continues to use his great mic skills at ringside. Chris Jericho likely would not hit the road every week for that role. Same with CM Punk. Road Dogg (and William Regal) is at the arena regardless, so that could be an option. Alex Riley and Tensai are actually doing some commentary work right now in NXT. Perhaps that will lead somewhere? I can not give a specific answer, but the thought of a former wrestler giving insight each week on Smackdown while the other guys work Raw is okay in my book. As long as it is not Matt Striker…

Truths: TNA Impact Wrestling (1/23/14)

If anybody cared about the episode, please feel free to discuss in the comment section.

Truths: WWE Smackdown (1/24/14)

1. Curtis Axel won a match. – Why?

2. Naomi tried to pin AJ Lee after the match! – I am a Naomi fan, so this pains me…but it has to be said. After AJ Lee defeated Cameron, Naomi got involved. Pretty basic stuff. After hitting a few cool looking moves, Naomi actually covered AJ as if to go for a cover. Unreal. I may be wrong, but AJ Lee was seemingly laughing at this all. Good luck to all of these Divas, but thankfully Emma is coming to the main roster. I do not watch NXT, but any kind of “new” is welcome at this point.

3. CM Punk delivered a passionate promo. – Bravo sir. This is what Raw needed to have more of. Somebody grabbing a microphone and telling the audience why they will win the Rumble. So simple. So simple. The KISS Method is so easy to follow and be great. Being the number one entrant against all the odds or not, Punk made a case to his fan base for ordering the pay-per-view. Great job here.

4. I enjoyed the opening and closing tag bouts. – Hey, a wrestling show starting with a match! Big Show and Rey Mysterio vs. The Real Americans was nothing special. However, it put over Show as a giant as well as gave us a quality Paul Heyman promo afterwards. Since the Royal Rumble PPV is on Sunday, that was the right call. To close things, we had a huge 10 man tag match. The Shield and New Age Outlaws taking on The Usos, Big E Langston, Cody Rhodes, and Goldust was also well done. There was not a real finish, but that was expected because…

5. Your annual BRAWL took place! – Now this is the time bust out a brawl with the entire roster. I do not have any concrete information on this, but it seems this happens every January. Good teaser for the WWE Universe and hopefully a tasty appetizer to entice you to plunk down $50 come Sunday night.

Lie: John Cena and Randy Orton showed up. – I would have liked to see John Cena speak. I would have liked to see Randy Orton beat Kofi Kingston in convincing fashion. One or the other. Something! WWE gave us a video package to recap their WWE World Title feud. Two days before the second (or third?) biggest event of the year, that is all we get? Meh.

*Tons of filler. The opening was good. The CM Punk promo at the top of the hour was good. The ending junk was good. Everything else – go ahead and skip. The Royal Rumble sells itself, but Smackdown did not even bother adding anything relevant on Friday night. Too bad. Oh yeah, and Bad News Barrett is officially just bad. I gave it a chance, and it flunked out.. Time to try some new material.*

Truths: WWE Royal Rumble (1/26/14)

1. You have to pay to play. – Well, since fans are all in an uproar, how about we all start with the obvious? Did YOU pay for the event legally? If so, have at it. Go complain, whine, and shoot on your Youtube videos until the day is done. If you illegally streamed it, go sit in the corner. Crying over commercials? Upset your favorite lost? Not happy with the main event? Tough! You give away your right to an opinion when you steal the product. Vince McMahon cares about his PAYING customers, not the internet bunch who never contribute a dime.

2. I am fine with The New Age Outlaws winning… – …if it is only temporary. We are in WrestleMania season, so you know the part-timers are coming. If the two veterans drop the belts to The Usos or another face team soon, then it will be a nice little moment. If this is going nowhere, then it was pointless. For now, I am fine with the title change because I want to see Cody Rhodes vs. Goldust at WrestleMania XXX.

3. Brock Lesnar demolished Big Show. – Good. Short match with a beatdown before AND after the match. Nothing else was needed here.

4. Bray Wyatt is feuding with John Cena. – As I already wrote for another column, I have no issues admitting when I am wrong. Bray Wyatt beat Daniel Bryan in a great opener and cost John Cena the WWE World Title match. Should Bray and Cena actually wrestle come WrestleMania XXX, I will admit I was wrong. Wrong as wrong can be about their long rumored battle. Right now, that seems to be the direction BUT with plenty of time to spare. We will see if the two feud for a month…or two months leading to a WM showdown.

5. Randy Orton is STILL WWE World Champion. – Right call. If John Cena was going to be the champ, he would have won at TLC. He did not. Thus, WWE obviously felt it was best to enter 2014 with Mr. RKO as the title holder. I am still not sold on him entering WMXXX as champion, but that is the beauty of Mania. The big title match does not even have to close the show. In some cases, it is best for a non-title dream match end the evening. Thus, even though Orton may not have a ton of steam right now, he can easily be in the second or third hour of Mania with not much of a difference seen.

Lie: WWE will definitely change direction due to the negative response of Batista winning the Rumble. – Do not flatter yourself. Batista said on Raw in front of 5 million viewers he was back to win the Royal Rumble. Did CM Punk? Did Daniel Bryan? Did any other top face? No. Batista told the world he was winning and straight to Randy Orton’s face…and he did win. John Cena did the same last year. Yet, everybody dipped into the ‘fantasy booking’ ONCE AGAIN and was upset by their own expectations. Folks, WWE did not even advertise Bryan to be in the Rumble. I am not sure what else had to be said. Bryan was NOT in the Rumble! They TOLD YOU what was happening. Now, does that mean everything is locked in for Mania? Maybe, maybe not. That is what Elimination Chamber is for. If, if, if, if WWE really wanted to switch things up, they can do so. I just do not think that will happen.

*Good show. Without beating a dead horse, predictability is not a bad thing. WWE followed through on their plans and had a sold out crowd on hand. Kevin Nash was a nice surprise even though someone in the know (will not be named) spoiled it for me earlier in the day on Facebook. Roman Reigns looked like a beast and had a wonderful Rumble that will go in the record books. Rusev made a decent debut. JBL was funny. Kofi Kingston had his usual spot. Sheamus is back. Kane cost CM Punk his chance late. Again predictable BUT okay if it makes sense! All in all, I feel bad for Batista and Rey Mysterio who were scapegoats in the whole “Push Daniel Bryan Or Else..We Do Nothing!” mess. I do. They had nothing to do with the decision making. No reason to take it out on them. This will certainly be a pay-per-view for the ages. If anything, Bryan fans should feel even MORE confident that his time will come. Who says Batista is not turning heel and feuds with Bryan for the title soon? He did hug Stephanie McMahon and Triple H on Raw. Extreme Rules is in Washington, right? Who says WWE did not know the Rumble outrage was coming and will add to a story line on Raw? Bryan is not tweeting against the company for no reason folks. That is a part of everything. Trust me, when he does win the strap (and he will), all the anger, frustration, and negativity will result in a MONSTROUS crowd reaction.*

Truths: WWE Raw (1/27/14)

1. That was a great opening segment. – There was so much to like here. First, Triple H trolling the fans over their Daniel Bryan pouting (yes, it has reached the levels of a spoiled brat during a timeout) was gold. Just gold. I wish he stayed in this heel mode full-time, instead of going back and forth all the time. Stay heel! Secondly, lots of major players were involved with John Cena, Sheamus, and DANIEL BRYAN! Interesting. Somebody that is supposedly “burying” is still in main events every week and in major story lines! Must be a grand burial. Finally, The Shield are still together. Even if Roman Reigns is ready to be on his own, let that build some more with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. The Survivor Series win was good, as was the Royal Rumble dominance. Now keep that tension up a little bit longer. Very entertaining start to Raw.

2. The WWE World Title picture is far from secure. – Most assume Randy Orton will simply walk into WrestleMania XXX as champion. Not so fast. The Elimination Chamber pay-per-view is there for a reason. If WWE sees fit to add a little flavor to the mix, that is the point. Batista still contends that he will walk out of Mania with the title. Brock Lesnar is now throwing his name into the hat. The Chamber does take place from Minnesota, right? All the while, you had a six person tag team main event with The Shield, John Cena, Sheamus, and Daniel Bryan all vying for a PPV title match. Things are getting interesting. Watch out Mr. RKO!

3. Brock Lesnar should not be wrestling on free television. – Tease. Bait and switch. Hook for viewers. Cheap ratings trick. Call it whatever you choose. The BEAST should wrestle on PAY-per-view, and PAY-per-view only.

4. Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. New Age Outlaws felt off. – Was it supposed to move in slow motion? All four men can still ‘go’ in the ring. They proved it on Sunday night. Was this entire segment meant to focus on Jerry Lawler’s commentary skills? It sure got a ton of attention. I am fine with Brock Lesnar disrupting things, but the previous 20 minutes felt like a giant waste of time. Could have been given a good back and forth tag team title match instead. Shame…

5. That was a fun main event. – I think the match went just as expected, but that is a positive. The Shield in six man tag matches will never get tiring. Sheamus is a good ‘welcome back’ gift to WWE fans. John Cena will always come through, and Daniel Bryan is Daniel Bryan. No real winner though. Disappointing. I guess the faces qualify for the Chamber by disqualification? Eh, weak ending. It does create tension between The Shield and The Wyatts. Perhaps they are on a collision course again? Perhaps.

Lie: The Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts will cause problems at the Hall of Fame ceremony. – I am going to give both the benefit of the doubt. Regardless of any ‘heat’ between them, they have to be on their best behavior. WWE is putting trust into Roberts. Hopefully, he holds up his end of the bargain. Congrats to The Snake for getting this opportunity!

*Enjoyable episode of Raw. Definitely dragged through the final hour though. No CM Punk. No Kane. Did I miss their segments or something? Strange. A lot was teased for Elimination Chamber with just enough room to breathe before WrestleMania XXX. Either things will stay in line or WWE will call an audible at their next PPV event. All of this leads to their network launch and then Mania…*

Ask Yourself

The next time you read an online report, ask yourself if the story actually makes sense…or is your typical gossip with no truth whatsoever. Just from the past week or so, let’s take a look:

Plans for Hulk Hogan returning to WWE are finalized, and he will not wrestle. – Will we find out about those plans? Or just blankly state that plans are finalized without any details whatsoever. I can do that too! Plans for Batista through Summerslam are finalized. There. No proof. No facts. Nothing. Just a blank statement that seems believable.

TNA and OVW are no longer working together. – Say it with me folks: What a waste. Chalk it up as yet another big opportunity flushed down the toilet. Apparently, TNA has their own training facility coming, but I am not holding my breath.

Bill Goldberg says ‘there’ve been no negotiations’ with WWE. – Of course. Keep those updates coming on Goldberg! It has only been 9 years since his last WWE match. Keep those rumor mills turning.

Daniel Bryan is not planned for the Royal Rumble match. – Smart by WWE. If he does not appear, he will have never have been advertised. If he makes a surprise appearance, it is at least somewhat ‘shocking’ to fans.

Edit: Well, no appearance. Hate to say it, but WWE never, ever advertised him for the Rumble match. Sorry folks, this is a case of people looking for surprises, shocking entrants, and hoping against hope Bryan would win.

The REAL reason why Dolph Ziggler was depushed?!?! – Uh oh. The REAL reason! Yeah.

The TNA contracts of Kaz and Daniels expire in a few months. – Kaz went to WWE already and crapped out quickly. I doubt he would get another shot. Daniels is almost 44 years old and does not have ANY bargaining/negotiating power with anybody. Sorry, but their options are limited. Accept a pay cut in TNA or leave (again). Just the harsh, harsh reality.

The 1/24/14 edition of Smackdown scored over 3 million viewers. – BOOM! I only post this because two weeks ago I said Smackdown could hit 3 million viewers by promoting a New Age Outlaws appearance. It took them a couple of attempts, but they got there.

WWE officials have believed for months that Sting is coming in. – As noted last week, I DO put stock into the rumors this year. However, it still does not change the fact that this nonsense pops up every January. Put him in the WWE Hall of Fame (with Ultimate Warrior in the same class would be fitting). Then maybe, MAYBE a Mania match next year.

Original plans called for Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards to debut and win the tag titles from Bro Mans but was changed because Dave Lagana thinks they have gotten Bro Mans over as a tag team. – Bro Mans are not over, never have been over and never will be over. I do not watch ROH, but any kind of TNA debut for Davey/Eddie would be better than an awkward backstage segment with Dixie Carter. Just saying.

The first hour of Raw last week had 5.249 million viewers. The second hour had 4.995 million viewers. The third hour had 4.363 million viewers. – Great promotion by WWE for the return of Batista, as well as the momentum from Daniel Bryan ending Raw the previous week. This was the most watched Raw since March 2013. As for the huge decrease? Predictable. Not to gloat, but here is a quote from myself last Monday night: Raw viewership usually slowly decreases as the show happens. This week should follow that path with a Randy Orton/Kofi Kingston main event. Yawn!

Roddy Piper continues teasing something for WMXXX – Just have a Piper’s Pit segment. They did it in 2005 with Stone Cold. Have Hulk Hogan be the guest to commemorate the original WrestleMania. Keep the physicality to a minimum and include a few current wrestlers. Good idea?

Jimmy Yang and 2 Cold Scorpio are rumored to be in the Rumble match. – Would not mind seeing Jimmy make a cameo. Scorpio? Not my cup of tea. Whether these two actually show up remains to be seen. The ‘dirt sheets’ do NOT have a good track record when reporting Rumble surprise entrants.

Edit: As suspected, neither man was in the Rumble. Or the other dozen names speculated on.

The ‘planned’ WrestleMania XXX card! – Oh boy. Just for kicks, here is a Daniel Bryan time line. We started off with a Shawn Michaels vs. Daniel Bryan match, which turned into Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan, then John Cena, Hulk Hogan, and Daniel Bryan teaming up, which turned to Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan, and now we are at the reported Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan bout. Yep! All were said to be “set in stone” at one point, which really meant “here is our monthly guess.”

Vince Russo working with TNA again? – Take a look at the recent evidence: Girl in a cage at ringside. X-Division title changes with no reason. Overbooked garbage main events. Long talking segments with no focus on actual wrestling. Multiple cage matches on free television. All the while, a small increase in the ratings. Yep, that is Russo! Welcome back.

Backstage heat on Batista? – The words ‘backstage’ and ‘heat’ were used. Therefore I do not buy it. Maybe he is turning heel? Who knows? It needs repeating one more time: Daniel Bryan was NEVER advertised for the Rumble match folks. Goodness gracious…

The Raw script is changing due to last night’s Rumble crowd. – Hahaha, raise your hand if you KNEW this report was coming. True or not, I thought the Raw script changes every Monday afternoon. Nothing big here.

Christian returns on Smackdown this Friday night! – I hope he is healthy. The guy can never seem to catch a break with his injuries always piling up. Also props to WWE on promoting something for Smackdown. It only takes few seconds to get fans pumped up. Quick video. Instant buzz. Simple.

WWE stock went up (again) on Monday. – Well, so much for all this imaginary backlash that was coming to their bottom line after the Royal Rumble finish. It reminds me of last year when Rocky and Cena had their rematch at Mania. All this anger, all this whining, all this blah, blah, blah. Means nothing folks.

Have any more examples? Please share them below in the comment section. Until then, just remember the next time you click on an article to ask yourself first how much will be truth and how much will be fiction.

Self-Promoting Finale

Finally, let’s get some “ME!” plugs out there for all of you!

Just Google my name.

The Layfield Report Columns
Year End Awards: Feud Of 2013
WWE Promo Of 2013?
WWE Diva Of 2013 Is…
WWE Tag Team Of 2013 Award
WWE Event Of 2013
2013 Match Of The Year Revealed!
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Before the column ends, I hope people really understand how they look/sound after last night’s Royal Rumble…