The Silver Report: April 8-14

A week removed from WrestleMania 28, things seemed to have settled down quite a bit in the WWE.  Programs are gearing up for what should be a crazy Extreme Rules PPV in Chicago.  The Chicago crowd should be up to their usual amazing selves, which should add a lot to the PPV.  Raw was solid while Smackdown was horrible.  Honestly, there has to a curse on every Super Smackdown as everyone WWE has done in the past year has absolutely sucked.  Around this time last year, Smackdown was much better show than Raw, but now things seem to slipping on the blue brand.  Smackdown’s slip from glory is a topic for another day.  Right now, let’s look at the biggest news from the World of Wrestling this past week.

Cena vs. Brock, Extreme Rules

Brock Lesnar’s return at the end of last week’s Monday Night Raw will most likely go down as the greatest moment in the WWE for this year.  There was no doubt that all eyes were set on this week’s Raw to see if the fallout to live up to that legendary return.  In short, it was not as good as Brock’s return, but it was great set-up for their match at Extreme Rules.  Raw started with a bang as Brock and Cena came to blows, which saw the entire roster come out to break them up and Cena busted open.  That confrontation was not it as “People Power” Johnny Laurinaitus set the Leader of the Cenation to face his stooge David Otunga in the main event.  While the match between Cena and Otunga was nothing to run home about, it was not that bad either.  After the match, Brock made his way into the ring and hit another devastating F-5 to end the show.  Did I just have a déjà vu?  Yes, this past Raw ended the exact same way as the week before, but I did not mind it as much because WWE is trying to put over how dominant of a force Lesnar is.  We got two more weeks to go until Extreme Rules, but speculation is already flying on John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules.  Personally, I can see the match going one of two ways.  Either Brock outright beats Cena or the two fight to some sort of no contest, double count-out or double DQ in order to set-up a second match at Over the Limit.  No matter what happens it should be good.

Is Jericho in Punk’s Head?

Before WrestleMania, CM Punk seemed to be able to handle Chris Jericho’s attempts to get in his head.  Jericho’s attack from the previous week looks like it finally broke Punk’s composure as he was a complete mess on Raw this week.  Set to defend his WWE Title against Mark Henry for the second week in a row, CM Punk took it upon himself to make an example of the World’s Strongest Man as he immediately hit Henry with punches to kicks to even a TV monitor, which got Punk disqualified.  Punk was on his way to sending a message when Chris Jericho’s music distracted Punk for just a moment.  A moment was all Henry needed as the World’s Strongest Man laid out the WWE Champion for the second week in a row.  Jericho was not done as he brought down two cases of beer to share with Punk after laying the Champion out with the Codebreaker.  So after the events of this past Raw, is Chris Jericho really in the head of CM Punk?  This writer certainly thinks so, but this writer thinks by getting into Punk’s head, Jericho has released a whole other crazy can of worms that will not stop until Y2J rightfully atones for his sins.  We might even get a preview of crazy Punk as he faces off with Mark Henry for the WWE Championship in No DQ, No Count-Out Match tomorrow on Raw.

Sheamus, Bryan, 2 out of 3 Falls

Out of the three major feuds going on in WWE right now, Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan feels the least interesting.  That is not the fault of Bryan and Sheamus as they have been trying to make the best with the little they are given.  It is WWE’s fault for first giving them only 18 seconds at WrestleMania and now placing the two in different storylines that seem to have no connection with their feud.  Sheamus seems to be starting a feud with the returning Alberto Del Rio and Bryan is busy with his break-up with AJ.  The fact that they have had little to no interaction with each other these past weeks makes their rematch at Extreme Rules seem out of place to say the least.  Not to say, I am not excited to see this 2 out of 3 Falls Match.  It should be much better showcase of what these two wrestlers can do together than their WrestleMania match was.  At the very least, this 2 out of 3 Falls Match ensures the match will last longer than 18 seconds this time around.

The Silver Report: April 1-7

Welcome to the Silverdome debut of the Silver Report.  Originally made up for my short stint contributing to the Tribal Wrestling website (where you can find all past Silver Reports), the Silver Report is where I will look at the biggest news in the wide World of Wrestling from the past week and give my two cents on each.  I have always wanted to bring the Silver Report to the Silverdome, but the timing did not feel right as there was always something big going on be it a big match, a big promo or for the last month the Road to WrestleMania 28 series.  With all the craziness WrestleMania season brings out of the way, it seemed that this week was the perfect week to bring the Silver Report to the Silverdome.  So from now on you will see the Silver Report posted each weekend except when there is a PPV to preview or a wrestling DVD/PPV to review.  Without any further delay, let us jump on into the crazy aftermath of WrestleMania 28.

Cena Gets Brocked!!

After all the year-long build, the Rock got the better of John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania, a surprising decision by WWE as you would think they would rather put over the current poster boy of the company than the guy who is not a full-time wrestler, but I personally am reserving judgment until I see things play out in the coming months.  Come Monday night for Raw, all eyes were glued to the screen as the WWE Universe waited to see John Cena’s reactions to his huge loss in possible the biggest match of his career.  Would John finally turn heel?  Would he get so desperate that he would immediately challenge Rock to a rematch?  Would he even call it quits?  All these questions and more swirled in the heads of every wrestling fan watching.  Everybody had their theory, but no one expected what Cena actually did.  The Face of the WWE came down to the ring and stayed true to his bland generic character.  Cena again rose above the hate and was humble in defeat to the point he asked Rock to come down to the ring for him to show the Great One some respect.  Well that did not happen as a familiar tune rang through the speakers and a familiar entrance video popped up on the Titantron.  The pain finally returned to the WWE and the crowd in Miami and fans around the world went nuts when Brock Lesnar walked on stage.  Brock made his ring to the ring and put out his arm to shake Cena’s hand.  Being the classy good guy, Cena went to shake Brock’s hand only to eat an F-5 from the Next Big Thing.  What started out as another run-of-the-mill promo from John Cena turned into an epic ending for what was an incredible episode of Monday Night Raw.  Even with the Rock, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Undertaker all leaving for the time being, this budding feud between the returning Brock Lesnar and John Cena should keep people glued to Raw for the next couple of months.

YES!  YES!  YES!

The opening match of WrestleMania 28 saw Daniel Bryan lose the World Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus in a whopping 18 seconds.  While WWE finally made winning the Royal Rumble mean something again, but at the expense of squandering what could have been an incredible main event level match and also snubbing Bryan and Sheamus for the second year in a row.  Daniel Bryan’s 18 second loss drew the ire of the hardcore wrestling fans as for the three matches preceding the opener and for the entirety of Raw they chanted Daniel Bryan along with dueling Yes/No chants.  Wrestling fans made their voices heard literally through these amazing chants.  Personally I am hoping these chants catch on with other crowds around the world as I want to hear them every single Raw, Smackdown and PPV.  Maybe with Daniel dumping AJ this past week on Smackdown see Bryan a more intense heel much like he was during his heel run in Ring of Honor.

CM Punk Meet Jack Daniels

CM Punk bested Chris Jericho on the big stage in Miami last Sunday night with the Anaconda Vice, but that was not the end of this personal feud.  After Punk lost to Mark Henry via count-out in a great TV WWE Title match, Jericho took advantage of a hurt Punk.  Chris Jericho grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured it over the defenseless Punk trying to the Straight-Edge Superstar.  Drenched in booze, Punk came to only to get beaten down by Chris Jericho.  Jericho then took another bottle of Jack Daniels and bashed it against the back of Punk’s skull with a wince-inducing impact.  While Punk may have proved he was the Best in the World at WrestleMania, Jericho’s attack on Punk proved that this feud is long from over.  With things quickly escalating between Punk and Jericho, we should a big No Holds Barred WWE Title Match announced for Extreme Rules, which is being held in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, in the coming weeks and it should be good.

The Road to WrestleMania 28 Part 6: Once in a Lifetime

Well WrestleMania 28 is here.  Actually it’s happening right now as I write this quick preview.  Would have loved to do a whole in-depth preview today, but life happened and I got stuck at work much longer than I expected.  I will not be watching WrestleMania live this year as March has been an expensive month for me.  Just see my video game blog (silvergamebit.blogspot.ca) and you will know why.  I will be bringing you a short preview of WrestleMania 28 as the final part of The Road to WrestleMania 28 series.

WrestleMania comes once a year and no matter all the build, all the hype or lack thereof, you always get excited come WrestleMania Sunday.  WrestleMania is an event like no other and no other wrestling PPV or sporting event can compare to the majesty, the grandeur.  No matter if you like the product WWE offers or not, it pulls you in.  It consumes all us wrestling fans to the point that even if we are not watching we are frequently checking WWE.com or other wrestling websites for updates.  This year’s event is no different.  The card may not be as stacked as other years; the build has not been as great as in previous years.  The fact remains that we are all still excited to watch WrestleMania 28 for one sole reason, The Rock vs. John Cena.  The fact that we are mere hours away from this dream match becoming reality will give any wrestling fan goose bumps.  There are also three other main event caliber matches happening on the same card that will certainly rock the huge crowd in Miami and the millions watching at home.  The rest of the card does not look that great, but being WrestleMania WWE could pull out some big surprises for us fans.

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Big Show for the Intercontinental Championship

Prediction:  Cody Rhodes retains

Randy Orton vs. Kane

Prediction:  Randy Orton wins

Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs. Beth Phoenix & Eve

Prediction:  Beth Phoenix & Eve win

Team Johnny (David Otunga, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre & the Miz) vs. Team Teddy (Santino Marella, R-Truth, Booker T, Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston & Great Khali) to determine the General Manager of both Raw and Smackdown

Prediction:  Team Johnny wins and John Laurinaitus becomes GM of both Raw and Smackdown

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship

Prediction:  Sheamus wins the World Heavyweight Championship

CM Punk (c) vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship

Prediction:  CM Punk retains

Undertaker vs. Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee

Prediction:  Undertaker wins

The Rock vs. John Cena

Prediction:  John Cena wins

All-in-all, WrestleMania 28 should be an exciting show no matter the outcomes.  Hope everyone who is watching right now enjoys.  I will watch it when it comes out on DVD.

The Road to WrestleMania 28 Part 5: Top 5 WrestleMania Moments

Each and every year, WWE comes out with a special WrestleMania magazine.  This year the magazine had 75 WWE Superstars, Divas and Hall of Famers recounting their personal WrestleMania moments, which made for a great read.  It got me thinking as a fan, what my top WrestleMania moments were.  Out of the 12 WrestleManias I have watched and also own, I have been emotionally involved in the build-up for 8 WrestleManias considering I only started watching wrestling in late 2003.  So the moments that stick out in my head are predominantly from WrestleMania 20 and up.  These moments listed below are what sticks out in my head when I think of WrestleMania. Some are entire matches, some are spectacular spots, some are emotional moments of amazement and awe and some are heartfelt moments that just make you want to tear up.  These are my WrestleMania moments. 

5.  “Tap Out!  You hear me Michaels… TAP OUT!”- WrestleMania 21

Those were the last few words Kurt Angle got to say before eating some Sweet Chin Music.  An incredible encounter led down to one moment that has gone on to define this match for many fans.  Michaels’ superkick from out of nowhere made me and many others jump out of their seats in utter shock.  Shawn looked like he was out of the match, but he pulled out that superkick and the Staples Center exploded as it looked like he still had a chance to beat Kurt Angle.  While Kurt Angle would eventually make Michaels tap out to one of the most grueling Ankle Locks in wrestling history, this one superkick lives on in many wrestling fans hearts as the moment that launched Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle into stealing the show at WrestleMania 21.

4.  “I’m Sorry.  I Love You.”- WrestleMania 24

Already an extremely emotional match, Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels ended with possibly the most beautiful moment in wrestling history.  As Ric Flair stumbles to his feet after taking a thunderous superkick from Michaels, Shawn goes to put down the Nature Boy.  Conflicted by being the one to end Ric Flair’s illustrious career, Michaels mouths the words, “I’m Sorry.  I Love You.”, before hitting Flair with one last Sweet Chin Music for the win.  What an excellent way to end a career and an excellent moment that could only happen at WrestleMania.

3.  “I just had an Out-of-Body experience!”- WrestleMania 25

That pretty much sums up everybody’s reaction to this incredible spot.  After being sent over the ropes, Shawn Michaels goes to skin the cat, but Undertaker is there to grab HBK into an impactful Tombstone Piledriver that made me and many others believe that there was no way Shawn would kick.  Well he did and the reaction from the crowd, the announcers, mainly Jim Ross, Undertaker and I was a collective gasp at what happened.

2.  Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero Celebrate- WrestleMania 20

In all honesty, nowadays it is hard for me to watch this celebration without breaking into tears.  Call me whatever you want, but when I first started out watching wrestling Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit (the wrestler, not the murderer) were my heroes.  Seeing them celebrate at the very end of WrestleMania 20 both holding the top titles for their respective brand is just a beautiful moment that makes me miss these great wrestlers.

1.  Streak vs. Career- WrestleMania 26

Nothing can compare to this match.  No title match, no dream match, not even Rock vs. Cena or the supposed End of an Era can compare to Undertaker’s unprecedented undefeated streak vs. Shawn Michaels’ illustrious career.  From the opening bell to the awe-inspiring Leaping Tombstone Piledriver to end it, this match is everything you want in a match.  Emotion, suspense, story and phenomenal wrestling are all key components of Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels II.  It had everyone on the edge of their seat for one 24 minute moment that lives on in my heart as the greatest WrestleMania moment of all-time and the greatest match of all-time.

The Road to WrestleMania 28 Part 4: The Best in the World

While WWE is focusing a lot on Rock vs. Cena and Triple H vs. Undertaker, the major heavyweight championships seem to be lost in the shuffle.  One feud in particular that is sadly getting little attention is CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho, self-proclaimed Best in the World vs. self-proclaimed Best in the World.  Things started out a bit rocky between Punk and Jericho, but they have consistently put on the best segments on Raw for the last month.  Their segments rival those between Shawn Michaels, Undertaker and Triple H and sure as hell beat Cena and Rock’s segments on Raw each week.  Today, we will be looking at both CM Punk and Chris Jericho and which one is the Best in the World.

 He has been wrestling for 20 years, has won over 30 championships and achieved many things few wrestlers even dream of such as beating the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night to become the first WWE Undisputed Champion or winning the Intercontinental Championship a record nine times.  He has reinvented himself time and time again.  Going from Y2J to an egotistical hypocrite-hating heel to now a cocky veteran wrestler who believes everyone from the wrestlers in the back to the people in the crowd want to be him (Jericlones as he calls them).  He is a trend setter in the WWE and all of wrestling.  Just look at all the clean-dressed suit wearing heels in the WWE and other promotions since he made it popular back in 2008.  From the world of wrestling to music to television to even dancing, he has been the best at anything he does in and outside of the ring.  He is the challenger to the WWE Championship and the title of “Best in the World” in a couple weeks at WrestleMania.  His name is Chris Jericho and he is the best in the world at whatever he sets his mind.

He is the Voice of the Voiceless, the Cult of Personality and the current WWE Champion.  He has been considered upon one of the elite wrestlers in the world from his days in the Indies all the way to being a squandered talent in the WWE.  He has enough personality and charisma to play any character from a crazed cult leader to an outspoken punk.  He even turned his career in the WWE around with a microphone.  Now he is the new top dog in the WWE and he is not afraid to speak his mind about whomever.  He has lead two factions, the Straight-Edge Society and the New Nexus.  He is the fastest wrestler to become a Triple Crown Champion.  He is the only wrestler to win tow Money in the Bank Ladder matches and two in a row no less.  His name is CM Punk, the WWE Champion and currently the top dog in the WWE.

Considering that I am a big fan of both CM Punk and Chris Jericho, deciding which one is the Best in the World.  Chris Jericho has had a much longer career than CM Punk and has proved that he can do anything he sets his mind to and be the best at it.  CM Punk has been wrestling just over a decade and is now at the top of his game.  While Punk might not a multimedia superstar, this debate is about the Best Wrestler in World, not who is the Best Superstar of the World.  By a slim margin, it has to go to CM Punk.  He is the current WWE Champion, the top dog in the WWE and clearly puts on the best match and/or promo every time he is in the ring.  Also with CM Punk being much younger than Jericho, he has more potential to get better.  While Chris Jericho is a bone-fide first ballot WWE Hall of Famer right here, right now, CM Punk is in my opinion the Best in the World.

This week saw Jericho make things personal as he attacked Punk and his alcoholic father.  While some think it was not needed, I personally think it added a great new dynamic to this feud in the last couple weeks leading to WrestleMania.  If you have not been paying attention to this feud, you better start now because you will be in for a surprise come WrestleMania when Punk and Jericho steal the show.  Make sure to come back next weekend for the next installment in The Road to WrestleMania 28 series.  Next week will be my personal Top 10 WrestleMania Moments.

The Road to WrestleMania 28 Part 3: John Cena

As we continue on the long road to Miami, the Road to WrestleMania 28 series continues.  This week I pick up right where we left off.  I gave my opinions on the Great One, the People’s Champ, the Rock.  Here today will be the leader of the Cenation’s turn to run through my analysis.  As today, I will be discussing my opinions on the most polarizing person in WWE history.

Way back when I started following professional wrestling, I was a John Cena fan.  I enjoyed his charisma, his in-ring ability and his rapper gimmick.  It was fresh and for a 12 year-old boy, a character that he really seen before.  Also as a 12 year-old boy first starting to follow wrestling, I tended to side with all the faces.  At that time, if you were a heel, I hated you and if you were a face, I liked you.  It is kind of how everybody starts out.  Eventually as I got older and more mature, I started to care more who was the better wrestler and who entertained me more.  With that realization, I started cheering for superstars in the WWE that could actually wrestle no matter if they were face or heel.  After a while, I realized that John Cena was not that good of a wrestler and he did not entertain unless he was put with a guy like CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Edge or Shawn Michaels that could carry him to a great feud.  With the torch of Face of the WWE passed directly to him, John Cena reverted from the interesting rapper gimmick he started out as to a generic Superman gimmick.  Cena had no real character, no real charisma (shouting loudly and cracking lame jokes do not count as charisma) and severely lacking wrestling ability.  He did the same old crap every single night with little to no variation and many wrestling fans including myself got sick of it very fast.  But as the Face of the WWE, the Hulk Hogan of this era, WWE shoved Cena down our collective throats, giving him the WWE or World Title time and time again when it did nothing for him and nothing for the titles and having him squash new talent like he is the new Triple H.  While I do not like John Cena, I do respect the hard-working company man he is.  I am just sick and tired of his inconsistent character that jumps between burying his opponents by not taking them serious and making lame jokes that make more people roll their eyes than laugh, which I hate with a passion, and actually taking things seriously and even getting angry, which I actually enjoy.  I am sick and tired of his generic Superman gimmick, which means Cena can get hit by lightning, run over by a truck and take other amounts of pain no human can actually withstand then shrug it off like nothing really happened and still win the match.  Cena has been doing these things for the last seven years and I am just exhausted of it all.  Something needs to change in his character and soon or there might not be a way to redeem Cena in the eyes of hardcore wrestling fans.  Turn him heel, make him more serious, just WWE please do something with John Cena that is actually interesting and worthwhile or history will just continue repeating itself over and over again once this whole feud with Rock is over. 

While I did complain more about John Cena than the Rock, I will say Cena is bringing it these last few weeks.  For once in I don’t know how many years, Cena is actually taking an opponent seriously and it really shows.  Cena has upstaged the Rock these last few weeks and looks to be under the Great One’s skin.  Like I mentioned before that I don’t think that Cena will stay serious once WrestleMania has come and gone, but one can only hope.  Out of the two, I prefer Rock over John Cena any day of the week, but I see the current Face of the WWE walking out of Miami with his hand raised high in victory.  With WrestleMania 28 only a few weeks away, come back next weekend for the next installment of the Road to WrestleMania 28 series.  Next week I will be looking at Best in the World vs. Best in the World, CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho.

The Road to WrestleMania 28 Part 2: The Rock

Set almost one year ago, The Rock vs. John Cena is a dream match that many have waited for a long time.  Comparable to the Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8, the main event of WrestleMania 28 will see one of the Faces of the WWE during the Attitude Era go up against the current Face of the WWE in an epic clash that should be nothing short of magical.  Ever since Rock made his first shots at Cena over a year ago on Raw, fans and also other wrestlers have split into Team Rock and Team Cena.  While neither Rock nor Cena are among my favourite wrestlers, I want to put my opinions on these seemingly polarizing characters in anticipation for their upcoming main event match at WrestleMania.  Considering that is a lot to talk about here, I will be breaking this article into two parts.  As you can see from the title, this article will be all about the People’s Champ, The Rock and next week’s article will be all about John Cena.

I did not start watching WWE until late 2003, early 2004, so all I knew of the Rock at the time was what my friends who heavily followed wrestling said about him.  As my passion for professional wrestling grew, I started collecting wrestling pay-per views and other DVDs and a handful featuring many of the Rock’s great matches and promos.  I learned quickly what an amazing wrestler and entertainer the Rock was and still is.  Some of my favourite WrestleMania matches feature the People’s Champ.  I also believe the Rock is one of the best talkers to ever grace the squared circle.  When you talk about the Rock, the biggest elephant in the room seems to be that he supposedly “abandoned” the WWE for the glitz and glam of Hollywood.  This point has been repeatedly been brought to the forefront lately as it is a key part of Cena’s argument why he is better than Rock.  For all those who think Rock abandoned the WWE, I will be blunt, get your head out of your behind and face reality.  We are no longer in the day that will see wrestlers stay in the business for years upon years, decades upon decades.  You will never see a career as long as Ric Flair or Hulk Hogan ever again because professional wrestling is incredibly taxing on the body and mind.  These guys and gals cannot do this job forever.  They either succumb to nagging injuries or get out before they have to.  Just look at Edge, Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin who all forced to retire from the ring because of injuries.  Also look at Undertaker who can only wrestle one match a year now due because his body cannot take anymore than that one match.   Back in 2003, Rock figured out that the Attitude Era was over and the WWE did not need The Rock anymore.  So instead of over staying his welcome, Rocky stepped aside for others like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Edge and John Cena, yes, John Cena to get their time to shine in the main event.  While he did leave WWE, he did not turn his back on it.  Rock came back again and again to do promos when it did not conflict with his other commitments.  Eventually when things calmed down, he came back to the WWE to help bring in fans and put over others in this transitional period in the WWE.  The Rock may not be able to be with the WWE ever single show, but he is giving back to the company that made him the star you see today.  While I do have a lot good things to say about Rocky, his promos as of late have not come close to his return promo from last year or his promos when he was a full time employee of the WWE.  Maybe Rocky has been scripting his promos out way too much instead of letting his creative juices flow and his mouth just go.  Hopefully as we get closer to WrestleMania, the Great One will go back to what made him great in the first place and stop making notes on his wrist.  You are a great wrestler and an amazing talker Rocky, but at the moment your promos are not up to standard you set for yourself.

Love or hate either the Rock or John Cena, you have to at least respect them and their contributions to the WWE and wrestling industry.  The second part of this article will be on my opinions of possibly the most polarizing WWE superstar of all-time and the current Face of the WWE, the one the only John Cena as the Road to WrestleMania 28 series will return next weekend.