6/28/2017 - THE WEEKLY WRESTLER - The Worst Segment in Wrestling History, GLOW, & MORE!!!!!

50% Off Select Tees at shop.wwe.com Valid 6/27

THE WEEKLY WRESTLER


The Worst Segment in Wrestling History
RAW was so bad this past Monday. How bad was it? Not only was the show lackluster and not only did it drag on and on and on and on in what is becoming an increasingly tedious three hours; but, it also featured the worst segment in wrestling history. The WWE was hosting this past Monday's RAW LIVE from the Los Angeles Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers. The powers that be at the WWE thought it would be a good idea to feature newly drafted Los Angeles Laker, Lonzo Ball; but, with Lonzo Ball comes his kooky family, including his strangely overbearing father, former NBA player LaVar Ball. LaVar Ball is --- how shall we say this nicely---- a strange one. He represented his son in the NBA draft turning one team after another off with his self promoting, self centered me-first attitude. How bad is LaVar Ball? He routinely tells anyone within earshot that he could beat Michael Jordan in a game of one on one basketball. While that may be true for the actor Michael B. Jordan, he is referring to Michael Jordan, the greatest athlete in the history of sport. While much of the mainstream world knows that LaVar Ball isn't playing with a full deck, this fact was lost on the WWE when they booked him, his son LaMelo and Lonzo Ball to be guests on Miz TV with a live microphone. What resulted was a laughable, difficult to discern embarrassment where LaVar Ball overacted, ripped his shirt off, and clucked around the ring like a chicken on crack as he cartoonishly chased the Miz in the ring. LaVar Ball has all the acting skills of Paris Hilton and as much respect for professional wrestling as Nancy Grace. To make matters worse, LaVar's 15 year old son, LaMelo dropped the "n" bomb on live television. Yes, that word: the one Hulk Hogan said in private on a sex video that saw him banished from existence in the WWE. This segment was so bad, most of the WWE Universe would have taken Alexa Bliss for a second "This is Your Life" segment. In fact, Bliss' segment, which only several weeks ago was considered to be one of the worst segments in wrestling history was entirely redeemed. For the wrestling fan this was a trip to the dentist with no novacane. Even a seasoned professional like the Miz couldn't redeem this segment, who tried valiantly to get these back on track; but, to no avail. The WWE obviously failed in an attempt to pander to the Los Angeles crowd and in a momentary (we hope) lapse of judgment forgot the millions more watching on national television. Rumors before the show included a "Stone Cold" Steve Austin return, since he lives in Los Angeles. The Rock lives there too and while many complain about part-timers returning, there isn't one wrestling that wouldn't prefer a returning part-timer to this nonsense we all suffered through on Monday. Let's hope the WWE learned from this mistake and repents of its constant need to be relevant and mainstream. We are wrestling fans. We don't need Pitbull or Flo-Rida or Josh Duhamel or anyone in the entire Ball family. It's simple: we want wrestling. So the next time the WWE has the itch to book a special guest, scratch it with a wrestler so we can all go home happy.

Quote of the Week
"With all due respect, you've used those tactics yourself." - Shane McMahon to Randy Orton, who complained about Jinder Mahal attacking his own family

Five Things I Think I Think
1. You must watch GLOW on Netflix. Not only because it's a show about wrestling; but, because it's hilarious and although it is a bizarre show, hits on some very important social issues of both the 1980s and today's era. Plus it features some wrestling cameos including; Carlito, Brodus Clay, and a stellar performance by former WWE Superstar Karma.
2. Bring back the WWE Magazine. I know that print is not necessarily a thing anymore; but, the WWE's Book of Top 10s is comically bad and obviously written by people that do not know wrestling. Leave wrestling writing to wrestling writers and give us a forum to write. We aren't former soap opera writers. We live for and adore wrestling and we won't let you down.
3. Samoa Joe is, week in and week out, the highlight of RAW. His Kokina Clutch on Brock Lesnar would have been the most talked about event on RAW, if not for the Balls. As Lesnar nearly passed out on live television, wrestling fans believed the intensity behind this rivalry. The only question is: will these two deliver on all the violence we expect at Great Balls of Fire? Expectations are high; but, this is Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar: they will exceed them.
4. WWE booking has been so bad in the past that for a moment, I believed Enzo & Cass were actually reuniting. It isn't because they swerved me; but, because that's how little sense some of these booking decisions make. Good thing the WWE stuck to their guns and allowed for Cass' singles push to continue. They have faith in him and believe Cass to be a WrestleMania main event caliber performer.
5. Kudos to Cody Rhodes. He was unhappy with the WWE, so he left. He doesn't seem unhappy anymore now that he is the new Ring of Honor World Champion.
6 (for good measure). Let's hope we can actually SEE this Punjabi Prison Match.

WWE GETS IT RIGHT
As bad as the booking was for the first Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, the WWE got things right with the second one. First, the match was a better overall match. Now that the women had the first match under their belts, their wrestling seemed more fluid, more natural, less tentative and they were able to do more dangerous high spots with the ladder. Yes, the result was the same; but, Carmella was the most intelligent way to go with the briefcase all along. She is a top heel on the SmackDown LIVE brand and her microphone work is stellar and steadily improving. When she cashes in, it will be at the most opportune time. Did Carmella bend the rules when she annihilated Becky Lynch with a chair to win this match? Of course! That's what good heels do. While some would argue that there is no difference between this match and the first since Carmella technically cheated in both, they are dead wrong. Carmella climbed the ladder herself and proved that she didn't need any male to climb into the history books. No woman does and this match validated that fact, redeeming the historicity of the first affair. In the future, WWE should be mindful of its own history, especially when they are the ones hyping it in the first place.

Tweet of the Week

*fat rich slob https://t.co/psWL8Uz4MO

— Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) June 24, 2017

Stat of the Week
Carmella is the first wrestler in history to win the Money in the Bank briefcase twice in the same year

Match of the Week
SmackDown LIVE Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Carmella defeats Charlotte, Tamina, Becky Lynch, & Natalya
                                                               REDEMPTION

The It's Time Rhyme
Celebrity or not, enough with people like the Balls
You will notice, WWE, when all the ratings fall
That its simple, its easy, its matter of fact
Wrestling fans want wrestling, not some B-List hack

Save $10 on your next $50+ purchase now at Books-A-Million! Use code CJMAY5 on www.booksamillion.com and save.