Showing posts with label WWE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWE. Show all posts

Friday, 6 January 2012

Cubed Circle Newsletter Issue #13


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The Cubed Circle Newsletter In 2011

2011 has treated the Cubed Circle Newsletter well, the newsletter has grown quite a lot since issue one and I expect it to grow even more in 2012. I would like to thank all the readers for showing interest in the newsletter and I am confident that you will enjoy the newsletter throughout 2012. To all the new readers I would like to welcome you into the Cubed Circle and I hope that you enjoy your stay.

2011 Year in Review

2011 was an interesting year for professional wrestling on one hand you had the amazing matches, great angles and memorable promos. On the other hand you had terrible TV, bad booking and horrific matches. 2011 gave fans an unbelievable amount of content to watch, in fact it sometimes felt like for every 24 hours that past, 32 hours of wrestling was produced. Among all of this wrestling we got some really great matches from all sides, from Punk vs. Cena to Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito we had a lot of jaw dropping matches this year.

Unfortunately with the good comes the bad and in 2011 there was pretty much as much bad as there was good. From WWE’s failure to capitalize on the CM Punk angle, to the horrendous booking of TNA iMPACT. There seemed to be two very big problems in regards to the major companies in 2011 and that was bad booking and bad TV, which seemed to bring down a lot of talent and matches. In this we review we will cover it all from the good to the bad and of course, the ugly.

WWE

The WWE started off the year strong which is often the case, they had the build to Mania which is always a plus and business wise the first quarter was definitely the most successful. The build to one of the biggest Mania mainevents was also set in effect a year in advance, but as usual after Mania the quality of the product began to slip, peaking with a mainevent program between R-Truth and John Cena. However the WWE got super hot with a specific audience, due to the CM Punk angle, which seemed to set the wrestling world on fire. Unfortunately the Money in the Bank PPV didn’t do as well as anticipated, presumably due to the audiences aversion to purchasing B-Shows. Although the show didn’t do as well as it was expected to do, the buyrate was up from the year before and the Pay-Per View was met with universal acclaim from reviewers. The show was capped off by the match of the year between CM Punk and John Cena and CM Punk’s exit from the show with the championship in hand.

Unfortunately this great string of brilliance did not last and CM Punk was brought back two weeks after he left, in a very short sited and naive move by the WWE. The WWE couldn’t recapture the magic from the angle and the quality of the programming on Raw began to drop, drastically. This resulted in one terrible show after another, this string of bad RAWs even featured arguably one of the worst RAWs in history. The quality of Raw started to recover, but it is still nowhere near were it should be, will it recover in 2012? I am sure it will. The question is can WWE sustain it for a reasonable period of time? With booking and management the way it is I don’t know.

TNA/iMPACT

There is a reason that TNA is not covered in this newsletter and it should be pretty obvious, it just isn’t good. TNA is infamous for it, from the booking to the wrestling it is known for just not being all that great, or even bad. Bruce Prichard was made head booker and things started to turn around towards the end of the year, but that small amount of good couldn’t possibly negate the bad from this year.

Could things turn around next year? Possibly, as specially since Prichard his now head of creative, but if some of the final iMPACTs of the year are any indication, it’s future in terms of quality of the product and business seem uncertain.

ROH

ROH had a very interesting 2011, in fact if you look at the first half and second half of the year, it’s almost like ROH had two completely different years. They had a great first half of the year in terms of quality, ROH put out DVD after DVD and almost every one of them featured at least one very good to great match.

In April ROH’s contract with HDnet expired and they were left without TV, but although they didn’t have TV ROH Best in the World still drew one of ROH’s highest buyrates. And on May 21st in Chicago Ridge at ROH’s Super Card of Honor VI show, it was announced that ROH had been sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group and that they would in fact receive TV on Sinclair.

On September 24th ROH debuted on SBG for the first time, complete with a new logo and look. The show was mainevented by Richards vs. Strong for the ROH championship and the show had far more exposure than HDnet. The show was by far the best American weekly TV show of the year, although it wasn’t without it’s flaws. The need to tape multiple episodes at once, with the need for fans to sit for hours on end was not a good thing and definitely showed. The production also wasn’t up to the standard of HDnet, but it still offers many opportunities for ROH going into 2012.

ROH seemed to halt the production of house show DVDs, towards the second half of the year, which was somewhat of a disappointment, although some shows seem like they are going to be released in the future.

Puro

The world of Puro was really a mixed bag this year, on one hand you had the unbelievable success of Tanahashi’s title reign over in New Japan, but on the other hand you had All Japan and NOAH struggling to stay alive, as specially the former. Then we had Dragon Gate, who put on an incredible TV show, Dragon Gate Infinity.

Tanahashi exemplified what a champion should be this year, remaining a big drawing card, staying over and putting on great matches show after show. He is pretty much the biggest star wrestling has to offer in Japan right now, and to tell you the truth he is doing a good job with what is given to him. New Japan had a pretty good 2011, they drew pretty good numbers and remained popular, Tanahashi is partly responsible for this.

Unfortunately, NOAH and All Japan, weren’t as fortunate, although they still put on good matches through out 2011, both NOAH and All Japan, were troubled business wise. All Japan seemed to be in very rough shape for a lot of the year, but were able to bounce back at points. They put the Triple Crowd on Jun Akiyama which could help them to a point, but for now their future remains uncertain. Keji Muto also stepped down as president of All Japan and appointed Masayuki Uchida as his successor.

NOAH seemed to be in better shape than All Japan this year, they still drew relatively big numbers for the time. Go Shiozaki won the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Takashi Sugiura on July 10th. I expected KENTA to win the GHC championship in November, after all the build, but Shiozaki retained, which was probably for the best in hindsight, since KENTA was injured a few weeks later.

2012 Preview

2012 is looking up to be an interesting year for wrestling, 2011 really wasn’t the best or worst, but it set lots of events up for the coming year. From WWE and it’s network to ROH’s TV deal and beyond, we re going to look into and predict the year ahead.

WWE

The thought that is probably on most people’s mind in regards to the WWE going into 2012, is the Network. First officially announced in September, the Network was met with mixed reactions. And when it was officially announced that the Network would makes it’s debut on WrestleMania weekend, talk over how WWE would be able to pull it off became even stronger.

My personal opinion of the Network is this, the WWE has to hire staff, get infrastructure in place and determine their channel of distribution all by WrestleMania weekend. So I think that one of the main questions that should be raised is, will the WWE be able to launch a fully operational and functional Network in just a few months. I personally don’t think they will be able to, even some of the reality shows advertised, like Legends House (Dull name) need to be filmed and edited by the time that this Network launches on WrestleMania weekend and I don’t think that this will happen.

What I do think will happen, is that the WWE will go ahead and launch a stripped down version of the Network on WrestleMania weekend instead of delaying it. I think that this will result in a loss of interest in the Network and therefore the Network won’t be able to gain a substantial amount of subscriptions, at least early on. We don’t even know what the WWE will use the Network for in the long term. Will they put the B-Shows on their live? Will it just be a network filled with vintage programming, with a few reality shows thrown in, essentially WWE Classics on Demand XL? We simply don’t know, I would assume that they will place something on the Network besides vintage programming and shows like Legends House, since there is only a limited audience for that sought of Network, an audience that isn’t big enough to sustain the costs of the Network.

Moving away from the Network WWE programming will likely be strong during the build to WrestleMania, with this year’s WrestleMania being poised to be the highest grossing WrestleMania of all time. With the return of Jericho, Undertaker, Triple H and The Rock there will be no shortage of star power during the first quarter. The real question is what will become of WWE programming after WrestleMania, will the programming slow back down to a crawl or will the momentum for Mania be carried through to the rest of the year? In all honesty I don’t think that the WWE programming will be at the same level after WrestleMania, if the Rock and Jericho stay after and continue to work, that’s a different story, but as of right now, it seems that unless a big angle is put into place post Mania. Programming after Mania will probably be pretty dry, at least for a couple of months following Mania.

As for what will happen after that, hopefully the WWE gets something hot, they seem to get at least one thing really hot every year i.e. Nexus and Punk. The question is will it run cold? WWE’s track record has a clear answer, but things may turn out differently this year.

TNA

As of right now there are still no plans to cover TNA in 2012, this could change if the quality of the programming picks up for a substantial amount of time, but as of right now there are no plans.

Where do I see TNA  going in 2012? Well I don’t see them going anywhere. That may sound cruel, but it’s just the way it is, week after week month after month year after year. Prichard seemed to be making a difference, but if recent episodes of iMPACT are anything to go by Russo’s booking is back and in full effect.

Will the ratings move by any substantial margin? No. Will the quality of the product change for any long length of time? Possibly. But, as of right now 2012 seems like it is going to be another stagnant year for TNA.

ROH

ROH had an interesting 2011, but 2012 probably going to be one of the most important years that the company has ever had. They are now on Sinclair and they can either fall or they can reach new heights. I have a feeling that they are going to put the championship on Steen, since he is just about the hottest thing in the promotion. This will hopefully build to a CM Punk in Chicago esque match in Canada.

ROH is also looking into a permanent home base, to record their TV show at. The home base of sorts could possibly be in Baltimore, this would improve the production quality of the show dramatically. We should also get a pretty good early depiction of the impact that TV makes on the ROH iPPV buyrate, when the buyrate for Final Battle eventually gets out. I think that people will also be able to look forward to knew and returning talent, if ROH has a home base, since spending will be cut and ROH will have more money for talent. 2012 should be the year that ROH comes into it’s own on Sinclair and hopefully we, the viewer, will get lots of great angles and matches out of it in 2012.

Puro

There is only one prediction I have for Puro going into 2012, actually it isn’t much of a prediction and more of a hope. My hope for 2012 is that Puro continues to do well and recover slivers of it’s former glory and for All Japan to stay a float. Everything else is up in the air.

                               Top Matches Of 2011
     
      1. John Cena  vs. CM Punk  WWE Money in the Bank *****

It is very rare to have a match that is able to capture such unbelievable emotion, anticipation and excitement, this match didn’t just do that, it crystallized it. No matter what you want to say about the way the angle was handled after this match, this match was a classic if there ever was one. Was the match flawless? No. But, it didn’t have to be, in fact it was more than a match, it was an immortal moment that will undoubtedly live forever.

2. Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards ROH Best in the World **** ¾

In any almost any other year, this match would have been the match of the year, from the story to the build to the crowd to the match, this match was nearly flawless. This finish was amazing, the pacing fantastic, a match that could be called one of the greatest ROH matches of all time.

3. Undertaker vs. Triple H WWE WrestleMania 27 **** ½

A match that many people have as their number one and it was undoubtedly a spectacle. Triple H and Undertaker went at it and stole the show and had the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands, when Triple H hit the tombstone there was no one sitting down, this match was match worked by two veterans that will without a shadow of a doubt be remembered as a classic.

4. Christian vs. Randy Orton WWE Over The Limit **** ½
    
      Christian and Orton told a classic tale in this match, a tale of a man that was desperate to reclaim the prize he had worked so hard for but couldn’t. The match was technically sound, the story was great, both men gave it their all and it was built pretty well, why wouldn’t this match be this high on the list.
      
5. Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards Ring Master Challenge ROH Death Before   Dishonor IX **** ½ 

These two men put on a clinic, it might have been higher on the list if the ending was different, but regardless this match felt like it meant something, even though it had little build and practically nothing on the line. People worried when it was announced that Richards, the ROH champion wouldn’t be on the show, but these men more than made up for it with this fantastic match.

6. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito NJPW 2011/10/10 **** ½

This match will be looked upon in the future as the match that made Naito, this match was worked so well that with every near fall you could honestly believe that Naito was going to win the championship from Tanahashi. It was a coming of age in a way for Naito and one of Tanahashi’s best matches this year.

7. Jun Akiyama vs. Suwama AJPW 2011/10/23 **** ½

A grizzled veteran challenging the young champion for the championship he was never able to hold, is a classic tale. This story meant even more by the way it was worked in ring, it was worked in the classic All Japan heavyweight style. The pacing was perfect, the crowd was into it and it was worked so well, this match undoubtedly deserves it’s spot in history.

8. Kotaro Suzuki vs. Eddie Edwards NOAH 2011/01/29 ****  ½
     
      In by far one of the stiffest matches of the year, Eddie Edwards and Kotaro Suzuki, put on an incredible Junior Heavyweight bout, that will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best NOAH matches of the year. Both men went all out and left everything in the ring and it showed.

      9. Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong ROH 2011/01/15 **** ½

This match got almost no attention this year, but it really deserved to, maybe it was because of the amount of DVDs ROH was putting out at the time, maybe it was because of the card or the time it came out, I don’t know why it didn’t get attention, all I know is this was one hell of a match. This match told such a great story from start to finish, Briscoe was beaten down and bloodied, but fought back valiantly towards the end of the match. If you haven’t seen this match yet, I highly recommend you do so.

10. Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards ROH Manhattan Mayhem IV **** ½

This was a coming of age of sorts for Edwards, it brought him into the spot light and pretty much made him this year. The match was great and was pretty much what you would expect from a match between Edwards and Strong in New York, it was stiff, it was fast and for the most part it was well worked.

      11. Randy Orton vs. Christian No Holds Barred SummerSlam **** ¼
      12. Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli  Chikara CFTTS **** ¼
      13. Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kota Ibushi NJPW BOSJ Final 2011/06/10  **** ¼
      14. 1-2-3 Kid vs. El Generico Chikara King of Trios Night 3 **** ¼
15. Kotaro Suzuki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima NOAH 2011/03/05 **** ¼
16. KENTA vs. Yoshihiro Takayama 2011/01/15 **** ¼ 
17. The Kings of Wrestling vs. Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team ROH 2011/01/28 **** ¼
      18. SD Elimination Chamber WWE Elimination Chamber **** ¼
      19. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto NJPW 2011/06/18 **** ¼
      20. YAMATO  vs. Austin Aries DGUSA  Mercury Rising II **** ¼
21. KENTA vs. Takashi Sugiura NOAH 2011/10/10 **** ¼
22. Kyle ‘O Reilly & Adam Cole vs. The American Wolves **** ¼
                     23. Colony vs. F.I.S.T Chikara King of Trios King of Trios Night 3 **** ¼
                     24. SmackDown MITB WWE Money in the Bank **** ¼
25. The Kings of Wrestling vs. WGTT vs. ANX vs. The Briscoe’s ROH Best in the World **** ¼
      26. Chris Hero vs. Eddie Edwards ROH 2011/05/07 **** ¼
27. The Kings of Wrestling vs. Kevin Steen & Akira Tozawa PWG DDT4 2011/03/04 **** ¼ 
                     28. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw vs. the Colony CHIKARA CFTTS ****   
                     29. The Kings of Wrestling vs. The All Night Express ROH 2011/02/26****
      30. Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio WWE Extreme Rules 2011 ****
31. The Briscoes vs. The All Night Express Ladder War Death Before Dishonor IX ****
32. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose 30 minute Iron Man Match FCW 2011/09/18 ****
      33. John Cena vs. CM Punk WWE  Summer Slam ****       
      34. F.I.S.T. vs. Osaka Pro Chikara King of Trios Night 2 ****
      35. Christopher Daniels vs. Eddie Edwards ROH 2011/02/26 ****
      36. Kenny King vs. Eddie Edwards ROH 2011/02/25 ****
37. Kotaro Suzaki vs. Ricky Marvin NOAH 2011/05/08 ****
38. RAW Elimination Chamber WWE Elimination Chamber ****
39. Ronin vs. Blood Warriors DGUSA Mercury Rising II ****
      40. Kings of Wrestling vs. The American Wolves ROH 2011/05/06 ****
      41. Richards & WGTT vs. Roderick Strong & The Kings of Wrestling ROH 2011/02/25 ***
      42. PAC vs. Akira Tozawa DGUSA Mercury Rising II ****
      43. Christopher Daniels vs. El Generico ROH Best in the World ****
44. TJ Perkins vs. Davey Richards ROH 2011/01/28 ****
   45. Mike Quackenbush vs. Ophidian Chikara Demon in his Pocket ****
   46. The American Wolves vs. Roderick Strong & Michael Elgin ROH 2011/07/08
47. Roderick Strong vs. El Generico ROH 2011/05/06 ****
48. Roderick Strong vs. El Generico ROH 2011/01/28 ****
49. Chris Hero vs. Davey Richards ROH  2011/01/15 ****
50. El Generico & Ricochet vs. Nightmare Violence Connection PWG 2011/05/27 ASW Night 1 ****
      51. Mercedes Martinez vs. Angel Orsini WSU Final Chapter ****
52. Roderick Strong vs. El Generico vs. Homicide vs. Jay Briscoe ROH  Defy or Deny *** ¾
53. Champions vs. All Stars  Match ROH 2011/01/14 *** ¾
54. Eddie Kingston vs. El Generico Chikara 2011/01/23 *** ¾
      55. Christopher Daniels vs. Claudio Castagnoli ROH  2011/01/15 *** ¾
      56. RAW Money in the Bank Ladder Match WWE Money in the Bank *** ¾
      57. Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team ROH 2011/02/26 *** ¾
      58. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio WWE Capitol Punishment *** ¾
      59. Go Shiozaki vs. Kotaro Suzuki NOAH 2011/11/05 *** ¾
      60. Eddie Kingston vs. Akira Tozawa Chikara King of Trios Night 3 *** ¾
      61. The Miz vs. John Morrison vs. John Cena WWE Extreme Rules *** ¾
      62. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio WWE Survivor Series *** ¾
      63. John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio Triple Threat Hell in a Cell WWE Hell in a Cell *** ¾
64. The Cutler Brothers vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong PWG ASW Night 1       2011/05/27 *** ¾
65. The Kings of Wrestling vs. Kevin Steen & Akira Tozawa PWG DDT4 2011/03/04  *** ¾
      66. The Young Bucks vs. The American Wolves PWG DDT4 2011/03/04 *** ¾
      67. El Generico & Richochet vs. The Young Bucks PWG CSTCIII 2011/04/09 *** ¾
      68. KENTA & Kanemaru vs. Takaiwa & Namiguchi  NOAH 2011/07/23 *** ¾
      69. Randy Orton vs. CM Punk WWE Extreme Rules  *** ¾
      70. Davey Richards vs. Christopher Daniels ROH Manhattan Mayhem IV *** ¾ 
      71. William Regal vs. Dean Ambrose FCW 2011/11/06 *** ¾
      72. Davey Richards vs. Prince Devitt NJPW 2011/05/26 *** ¾
      73. Randy Orton  vs. Christian WWE Money in the Bank *** ¾
      74. Randy Orton vs. Christian WWE Capitol Punishment *** ¾ 
      75. Davey Richards vs. Low Ki PWG 2011/01/29 *** ¾
      76. Claudio Castagnoli vs. El Generico PWG 2011/01/29
      77. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Davey Richards ROH Defy or Deny *** ¾
      78. Prince Devitt vs. Niomichi Marufuji NJPW 2011/01/30 *** ¾
      79. Six-Man Elimination DGUSA Mercury Rising  *** ¾
      80. Willie Mack vs. Kevin Steen PWG 2011/05/27 PWG ASW Night 1 *** ¾


Final Wrestling Observer Award Ballot

CATEGORY A

1. LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi
2. CM Punk
3. John Cena

2. MMA MOST VALUABLE FIGHTER

1.-
2.-
3.-

3. MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER

1. Davey Richards
2. Eddie Edwards
3. El Generico

4. MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER

1.-
2.-
3.-

5. BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW

1. The Rock
2. George St-Pierre
3. John Cena

6. FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. CM Punk vs. John Cena
2. Kevin Steen vs. ROH
3. Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards

7. TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. The Briscoe Brothers
2. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
3. Bad Intentions (Karl Anderson & A-Train)

8. MOST IMPROVED

1. Dean Ambrose
2. Dolf Ziggler
3. Kyle ‘O Reilly

9. BEST ON INTERVIEWS

1. CM Punk
2. Kevin Steen
3. Chael Sonnen

10. MOST CHARISMATIC

1. CM Punk
2. Kevin Steen
3. Zack Ryder

11. BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER

1. Davey Richards
2. Eddie Edwards
3. Daniel Bryan

12. BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD

1. Kevin Steen
2. Jay Briscoe
3. Rhett Titus

13. BEST FLYING WRESTLER

1. Richochet
2. El Generico
3. Kota Ibushi

14. MOST OVERRATED

1. Triple H
2. Sin Cara
3. Mason Ryan

15. MOST UNDERRATED

1. Daniel Bryan
2. Dolf Ziggler
3. Tyson Kidd

16. PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. Ring of Honor
2. New Japan Pro Wrestling
3. Chikara

17. BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW

1. ROH on Sinclair
2. Dragon Gate Infinity
3.-

18. PRO WRESTLING MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. John Cena vs. CM Punk WWE Money in the Bank, Chicago Illinois July 17th 2011
2. Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards ROH Best in the World, New York New York July 26th 2011
3. Undertaker vs. Triple H WWE WrestleMania 27, Atlanta Georgia April 3rd 2011

19. MMA MATCH OF THE YEAR

1.-
2.-
3.-

20. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1.-
2.-
3.-

21. BEST NON-WRESTLER

1. Ricardo Rodriguez
2. Truth Martini
3. RD Evans

22. BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. Kevin Kelly
2. William Regal
3. Nigel Mcguinness

23. WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. Michael Cole
2. Booker T
3. Jerry Lawler

24. BEST MAJOR SHOW

1. WWE Money in the Bank July 17th 2011, Chicago Illinois
2. ROH Best in the World June 26th 2011, New York New York
3. ROH Final Battle December 18th 2010, New York New York

CATEGORY B

1. WORST MAJOR SHOW OF THE YEAR

TNA Victory Road March 13th  2011 Orlando Florida

2. BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER

Daniel Bryan's LeBell Lock 3

3. MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC

WWE B.A. Star Campaign

4. WORST TELEVISION SHOW

TNA iMPACT

5. WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR

Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole WrestleMania 27 April 3rd 2011 Atlanta Georgia


6. WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR

Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole

7. WORST PROMOTION

TNA/ IMPACT

8. BEST BOOKER

Joe Silva

9. PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

Dana White

10. BEST GIMMICK

Steve Corino - Changed Man

11. WORST GIMMICK

Michael Cole- Self Centered Announcer

12. BEST WRESTLING BOOK
-

13. BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD

Memphis Heat

2012 Preview Cubed Circle Newsletter

I have a lot of things planned for the newsletter this year, including optimization of the PDF version of the newsletter. There is also the possibility of CubedCircle Radio towards the end of the year. There will also be more coverage of Puro from all the promotions this year and I have a feeling that the top matches of 2012 list, will be several times larger than this year’s. If you are interested in all of this and more stay tuned to CubedCircle Wrestling.blogspot.com.

Contact
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Friday, 16 December 2011

Cubed Circle Newsletter Issue # 10


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The Cubed Circle Newsletter

We have another pretty big issue for you this week, including a review of ROH on SBG from this past week and part II of the WON award coverage. For more information on the awards and next weeks awards, check out the award section and next week’s preview. As always you can find a full PDF above and if you haven’t downloaded it already, I urge you to do so. 

Wrestling Observer Awards 2011 Part II

This week we are going to dive into the second part of our WON Awards 2011 ballot, at this time we have covered just about every award in Category A and B. But, next week we are going to go in depth, when it comes to match of the year as well as the top 100 matches of 2011.

Category A

Lou Thesz /Ric Flair Award

3. John Cena
2. CM Punk
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi

This award basically goes to the wrestler in terms of contribution to combined business and match quality. John Cena has been in limbo for the past 5 years, but that seems to be good enough, for the most part he puts on good main event matches and he is obviously the biggest full time drawing that the WWE has right now. CM Punk sparked the interest of an audience, sold a lot of merchandise and could overtake Cena and Orton in the coming years, he puts on better matches than Cena. But, Hiroshi Tanahashi was definitely the biggest star that Japan had to offer this year, not only that but he put on phenomenal matches and carried New Japan practically on his back and for that he is the is the best all round wrestler and draw in wrestling today.


Most Outstanding Wrestler

3. El Generico
2. Eddie Edwards
1. Davey Richards

Workrate is one of the cornerstones of this business, three men displayed extraordinary workrate this year. El Generico put on great matches with the use of flying and great facials, Edwards put on arguably the most four star matches of 2011 through his technical prowess. But, one man stands a cut above, that man is Davey Richards. He is not only the best technical wrestler of 2011 but he is also the best wrestler of 2011 and that is why he is the most outstanding wrestler of 2011.

Best Box Office Draw

3. John Cena
2. George St-Pierre
1. The Rock

Even if you don’t follow MMA you can not deny the drawing power of GSP, so it just wouldn’t make sense to put Cena over him. With that being said the Rock trumped pretty much anyone else this year, he saved WrestleMania and the first quarter for the WWE, he meant the most to the company this year than basically anyone and he stopped the WWE from having a very bad year. He looks to continue this in 2012 and that is why he is the Box Office Draw of 2011.

Feud of the Year

3. Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards
2. Kevin Steen vs. ROH
1. CM Punk vs. John Cena

From two friends battling over the top prize in their promotion, to a man that was forced to leave and declared war on his promotion, 2011 was a year of interesting feuds. But, one feud and pretty much one promo lit the wrestling world on fire and although it fizzled out in a way, no feud in 2011 was able to capture the attention of a group so much than Punk vs. Cena. Not only that, but it also produced the match of the year and for that it is the number one feud of 2011.

Tag Team of the Year

3. The Young Bucks
2. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
1. The Briscoe Brothers

Many people say that tag team wrestling is a lost art in 2011, but three teams exemplified tag team excellence this year and proved that tag team wrestling is not a lost art. The Young Bucks helped to carry the PWG tag team division and they were the hottest heels in the promotion, who constantly put on good matches. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team played the roles of veterans on the ROH roster, holding the championships for a pretty long period of time, while putting on good matches, doing more with less, and filling the void left by the Kings of Wrestling. But the Briscoe Brothers produced some of the most entertaining promos and matches of 2011, turning their somewhat stale characters into very engaging ones. They operated the best as a team in the ring and out and because of that they are the best tag team of 2011.

Best on Interviews

3. Chael Sonnen
2. Kevin Steen
1. CM Punk

Interviews and promos are another important cornerstone of this business, the purpose of a promo is to promote interest in the product and angles, these three men executed their promos the best. Like I mentioned last week we don’t cover MMA, but there is no disputing the fact that Chael Sonnen cuts a great pro wrestling promo, he promoted a lot of interest in his feud with Anderson Silva. The reason he is number three on the list is simply, because he did not cut enough promos and it is not clear if his match with Anderson Silva will even take place. Kevin Steen cut many promos this year both at Ring of Honor events and on the internet, these promos were definitely some of the selling points of iPPVs and they continue to build on one another. Although Steen and Sonnen cut great promos this year, CM Punk stands above them due to the amount of quality promos cut and influence. His original 7 minute long promo in June, captured the heart of an audience. The promos that followed were also great and although the quality of his promos has dropped in recent months, the good out ways the bad and that is why he is the best interview of the year.

Most Charismatic

3. Zack Ryder
2. Kevin Steen
1. CM Punk

With charisma you are able to do more with less, by doing simple things either in the ring or on the mic. Zack Ryder never got much of a push until the end of this year, but he produced a YouTube series entitled “Z True Long Island Story” were he garnered somewhat of a cult following and now as a result he has transitioned into the mainstream audience. Kevin Steen was able to pull off run ins and promos with ease due to his natural charisma that people seem to gravitate to, when he stepped into a building or cut a promo there was not one person in the building who was not paying attention. CM Punk however was able to captivate crowds from his promo in late June and has been getting big reactions from everything he has said and done since, from some of the most minute things like small comments or small movements in the ring, to big promos, matches and entrances and that is why he is the most charismatic wrestler of the year.


Best Flying Wrestler

3. Kota Ibushi
2. El Generico
1. Richochet

Flying in wrestling isn’t just about fancy flips and crazy dives, it’s about the use of high flying maneuvers in the context of a match, to put on the best matches, all three of these men did this. From Ibushi’s great flying in New Japan, to Generico’s unconventional movement and execution, these three men were able to put on great matches through flying. But, Richochet with a move set almost completely based on highflying moves, was able to put on great matches both in Dragon Gate and PWG, by executing innovative and unique maneuvers to put on good matches and for that he is the best flying wrestler of 2011.

Most Overrated

3. Mason Ryan
2. Sin Cara
1. Triple H

Some wrestlers are pushed into a position that they do not deserve, because of politics or maybe because of appearance, or maybe even because of their position in the company, regardless these men should have never been the position they were in. Mason Ryan got relatively big wins over, wrestlers that were better than him in every way possible, because of his gigantic physique, he was not ready for the push and shouldn’t have been put into that position. Sin Cara made mistake after mistake, he even violated the wellness policy, but he was kept in the same position and his vaults were blamed on other people, simply because he was Triple H’s first acquisition, this is no way to decide who to push and who not to push. But, Triple H over shadowed one of the hottest angles in a long time, ruined Raw for weeks and was put into mainevents without any build, there is no way that this would have happened if he wasn’t part of the inner circle and for that he is the most, overrated wrestler of the year.

Promotion of the Year

3. Chikara
2. New Japan Pro Wrestling
1. ROH

Logical booking, quality wrestling and just pure fun, are all things that are missing in major promotions in North America today, but these three promotions proved that these things are still possible in 2011. Chikara showed that pro wrestling can still be fun and characters can still be engrossing. New Japan showed quality booking that could even bypass the language barrier, it also showcased great wrestling and it was at the top of the Japanese wrestling scene this year. But, ROH had the best combination, it had great wrestling, great booking and a great TV show. They showed that wrestling can still be logical in 2011 and they showcased what you look for in a wrestling promotion, wrestling.

Best Non-Wrestler Performer

3. Truth Martini
2. RD Evans
1. Ricardo Rodriguez

Non-Wrestling performers play an important role, this was shown by Martini, Evans and Rodriguez. Martini entertained while offering a new dimension to a faction that wouldn’t be quite the same without him. Evans was arguably one of the most entertaining performers of 2011 both as a wrestler and a manager. But, Ricardo added so much to Del Rio that otherwise wouldn’t have been there and that’s why is the non-wrestler performer of 2011.

Best Major Show

3. ROH Best in the World on June 26th in New York, New York
2. Chikara High Noon on November 13th  in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1. WWE Money in the Bank on July 17th in Rosemont, Illinois

Both Chikara and ROH put on great shows in 2011, but they honestly don’t own a candle to WWE’s Money in the Bank. From the build to the mainevent this show was spectacular, it featured the match of the year and an incredible crowd, a hot angle, and unpredictability. It wasn’t just the best show of 2011, but it was one of the best shows WWE has ever put on and that is why without a shadow of a doubt, it is the best show of 2011.

Category B

Worst Major Show of the Year
TNA Victory Road on March 13th in Orlando Florida

A show that sums up just about everything that TNA was at it’s worst, horrific booking, terrible matches and idiotic decisions from management. This show featured one of the worst matches of the year and had no redeeming qualities, it is the show that put many off TNA, this was Victory Road 2011.

Best Wrestling Maneuver
Daniel Bryan's LeBell Lock

This move is not flashy, it doesn’t feature a man jumping off the top rope and doing a hundred flips, but what it does have going for it is it’s execution. Daniel Bryan executes the move and teases it through out the match in such a way, that makes the move seem like a big deal and when it’s finally executed it is satisfying. This is the way that a professional wrestling maneuver should be executed and that is why it is the best wrestling maneuver of 2011.

Worst Promotion
TNA/ IMPACT

Has TNA improved yes, but for a large portion of the year it was the epitome of bad wrestling, both on PPV and TV. And although the WWE has been bad this year and TNA has been better the past few months, the positives on the side of the WWE for the year outweigh the ones on the side of TNA. Could this change next year, possibly, but for 2011 TNA was the worst promotion.


ROH on SBG 2011/12/03 Review

The show opened with the usual recap, Kelly and Nigel then previewed the main event and then went to a segment with Tommaso Ciampa. They showed him lifting ridiculous weights, swinging hammer and other feats of strength. He came off looking really strong.

1. Shiloh Jonze vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Jonze was featured once again since he is from OVW and he served his purpose well, he got a bit of offence in, in the typical ROH squash. Ciampa hit  big exposed knees in the corner, Jonze sold really well. Ciampa then hit Project Ciampa for the win.
** ½

A recap of the Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team Briscoes brawl was shown, with a short new Briscoes promo hyping Final Battle. ANX was interviewed, they said that they were still being overlooked, King said that they will smack the Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team in the face, in the proving ground match, because his mother said that if someone overlooks you punch them in the face.

Cornette, Nigel, Corino, Kelly and Jacobs were in the ring, they brought out Steen. He came out with music, but it was still presented in an outsider style manner. Cornette, said that Steen is a great wrestler and that the fans can chant for him and that he would love to have him in ROH, the only problem was that he is nuts. He said he has more petty minor issues than anyone in ROH and that he is afraid that he will appear on TMZ with numbers across his chest. Steen replied to this by saying, the only number across his chest will be the date that Cornette dies. They swore it was bleeped out, Cornette said that he is a hypocrite and that he hates Steen because he didn’t kiss up to Cornette and he didn’t need Cornette’s help. He then wanted Cornette’s offer, Cornette said that he wouldn’t do it Corino would. Corino said he started all of it and that he was the one that turned Steen into a monster, Corino said he was the source of the problem and it wasn’t to late. Steen said that it was sad that they (ROH)  cut his ***** off (I assume he was referring to his genitals), he said that Jacobs and Corino are just as pathetic as Cornette. Cornette said that Steen lost people that cared about him and that he was a stupid bastard. Corino said that at Final Battle it would be Steen vs. Corino, if Steen won he could return to ROH. But, he said it wouldn’t be the Corino that is on a losing streak, because he is trying to do the right thing, he said that on December 23rd for one last time Steve Corino will be an evil person. Cornette then said that the referee for the match will be Jimmy Jacobs, Steen said that it would be fine because he wants to see the look on his face when he has to count to three. Steen also said that he wants Cornette at ringside, Cornette agreed. Steen then said that when he wins it will be his ROH and in his ROH there is no room for b****’s like him. He then spat in the face of Cornette and they cut to a commercial.

This segment was executed very well, my only problem with it however was the fact that the crowd was burnt out. At this point of the taping they had sat through hours of segments and so at some points they didn’t react as well as they should have. Also with an angle like this it is difficult for the crowd to suspend their disbelieve, when one episode is taped after another. I understand that this is done out of necessity, but the amount of episodes that were taped in Kentucky was a bit over the top, leading to a burnt out crowd

After the break we had this week’s edition of Inside Ring of Honor, highlighting the TV title match at Final Battle, Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong. The TV title match was changed to a triple threat match due to the interference from Bennett. Another Severn/Edwards sit down interview, he said that in combat sports all great rivalries are trilogies, such as Ali vs. Frazier. Severn said that he could identify with Edwards, because there was no Severn Shamrock III and therefore Shamrock and Severn would never know who the true winner was. He said that if Edwards wins the ROH championship, he will know that he has done his job. Edwards said that he wants to step out of the shadow of Richards and that the only way he can do that is with ROH championship. Richards was then interviewed, there was no camp footage because there was no camera footage allowed into the facility. He said that he doesn’t know who he will be fighting at Final Battle, he said that since Severn came into the picture there is a dark side to Edwards and that he is a changed person, but he said that he hopes that he is still the same man underneath. Edwards delivery was a little dry, but it was fine for the segment.

Roderick Strong was  interviewed again, there were the same women in the background. He said that no one excepted his challenge, he said that he would have to sit in the back and watch Richards and Edwards at Final Battle. He then said that if someone doesn’t die at Final Battle, he will come down to the ring and kick them both in what I can only assume was testicles. Strong came off really strong again, he was entertaining and funny, but still came off tough, I am interested to see where this goes. Another good segment that built well to Final Battle.

The Young Bucks were interviewed, they said that they don’t need to respect the veterans they need to be respected. They said that they don’t want to be seen as opening match level guys and if they did they would wrestle at a retirement home wrestling promotion (TNA). They said that they are in ROH for the competition, but they don’t need to respect anybody. They said that they will only shake hands with people that are their equals and there is nobody that is equal to them. This gimmick is a really good insider gimmick, it’s funny to those who know the story behind it, but it makes sense to those who don’t.

2. Future Shock vs. The Young Bucks

The Young Bucks hit their signature head scissors drop kick combo on O’ Reilly, which sent him to the outside. Once he was back in the ring they worked on O’ Reilly, they cut to a commercial break and when they returned O’ Reilly was still being worked on. O’ Reilly hit a belly to belly suplex on Matt and got the knees up on a dive from Nick. He then got the hot tag to Cole, who ran wild. Matt went for a dive on Cole, but he was caught and driven into the ring apron. O’ Reilly hit the butterfly suplex combo on Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson ran in, but he got butterfly suplexed and double teamed. Future Shock went for Ride the Lightning on Matt Jackson, but he ducked it, Matt then hit two powerbombs and a buckle bomb, but Cole kicked out. The Bucks went for More Bang for Your Buck on Cole, but he moved out of the way and O’ Reilly locked in the front chancery on Matt Jackson. Nick Jackson threw Cole into the ring post, O’ Reilly and Matt Jackson made it to their feet were O’Reilly still had the chancery locked in, he was superkicked by Nick Jackson, but he held on. Nick Jackson was pulled out of the ring by Cole and O’ Reilly brought Matt Jackson back to the ground, but Matt powered out. The Young Bucks then hit More Bang for Your Buck for the win.
*** ¼

Overall Show Thoughts

Overall this was a very good show, with more great, strong build to Final Battle. We had the great Steen segment and a very good TV main event. The only downside of the show was that the crowd was pretty burnt out at this point and it is something that ROH is going to have to change moving forward.

Next Weeks Issue

Next week’s issue will feature the final part of the WON Award 2011 ballot, Top 100 matches of 2011, ROH on SBG and so much more. For more updates check out cubedcirclewrestling.blogspot.com.

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