If You Love Tag Team Wrestling....Watch Ring of Honor

This past week I was watching Ring of Honor Wrestling on television and it finally occurred to me that the best tag team wrestling is in Ring of Honor. They have reDRago, The Young Bucks, War Machine, The Decade, The Briscoes, and Ethan Gabriel Owens/Josh Alexander. The tag matches I've been watching as of late have been top notch tag team wrestling matches that the casual fan doesn't witness in WWE or TNA. Both companies have a good tag teams but not a solid tag team division. 

TNA has the Wolves, the BroMans, and then a combination of guys that tag frequently. The Hardys and the Team 3D recently reunited but no one is sure of how long that will last. In WWE they have The Uso's, Harper/Rowan, Goldsut/Stardust, RybAxel, Kofi Kingston/Big E, The Ascension, and the Los Matadores. The only two teams to seem to be doing anything are The Uso's and Harper/Rowan. They don't showcase the the tag teams as much as they should. They put guys together and break them up and so forth. It's been done a lot over the last 10 years. 

The thing I love about Ring of Honor is that they showcase all their tag teams. Some people knock ROH for being not having real legitimate storylines or being not but a spot fest. Whatever your opinion of ROH is you can not deny that they have the best wrestlers on their roster which includes all of the ones in tag teams. Here is a perfect example of some of the tag team action Ring of Honor can produce:

 

This match is the Young Bucks(Matt and Nick Jackson) vs. Kings of Wrestling(Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli). I am using this video because rumors are running rampant that The Young Bucks are headed to WWE and because Castagnoli is now Cesaro and WWE and Hero was Kassius Ohno is NXT. The point that needs to be made is that NXT isn't the breeding ground for the WWE. I strongly believe that Ring of Honor is. Cesaro, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Seth Rollins were all in tag teams in ROH before starting their single careers in ROH and eventually moving on to WWE. 

Tag Team wrestling is still much alive and it's alive in Ring of Honor. Ring of Honor is featured in over 60 markets now which covers a good portion of the country. Check out ROH and all the great wrestling action they put on TV. Two tag matches that are coming up that you should check out are:

8/15/14
ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian

8/23/14

8-Man Team Elimnation Match
The Briscoes, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs The Young Bucks & ROH World Tag Team Champions, reDRagon

The State of Pro Wrestling- July 2014

Results, Review and Recap of 2014 WWE Battleground

The question must be asked and that is how can you prepare for the future if you don't attempt to build the future? Ask yourself, do the results of WWE Battleground show look like something that's gearing for the future? Here are the results from the pay-per-view tonight:

-John Cena won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Fatal 4-Way Match
-The Miz won the Intercontinental Championship Battleground Battle Royal
-Chris Jericho def. Bray Wyatt
-Seth Rollins def. Dean Ambrose by Forfeit
-Rusev def. Jack Swagger by Count-out
-Divas Champion AJ Lee def. Paige
-WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos def. The Wyatt Family in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match
-Cameron def. Naomi in a WWE Battleground Kickoff Match

-Adam Rose def. Fandango in a WWE Battleground Kickoff Match

I can honestly say that my favorite match of the night was Rusev and Swagger. It was very intense and physical and represents everything a good versus evil feud should go in the WWE. I believe that this feud is far from over and I think you will see these two progress into the future. I also enjoyed the Divas title match and the WWE Tag Team title match. However the outcome of the WWE Tag Title Match was the beginning of my disappointment.

They either needed put the title on Harper and Rowan or they need to start bringing up more tag teams into the division. I was disappointed with the majority of the show. The Miz winning the Intercontinental Title was a move that set the company back 5 years ago. Re-creating The Miz is not going to make the fans care about anymore. The Intercontinental Title should have been put on Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro who are the two best performers in WWE right now. Speaking of monumental mistakes of bad business, why is it Chris Jericho has been brought back to elevate CM Punk, Fandango and Dolph Ziggler but then end up going over on Bray Wyatt. Either Wyatt got suddenly injured in the match or the feud will continue to build up to Summerslam.

Speaking of Summerslam and the future of WWE. After watching John Cena retain his WWE Title the inevitable is going to happen. Brock Lesnar will be returning to TV and will probably end up winning the belt at Summerslam. This is all according to reports and if the reports are correct then we are in for a long eight months up to Wrestlemania 31. If I was the creative genuises in WWE I would have made Cena and Lesnar a non title match at Summerslam. No one wants to see another part timer who craps on the business be champion. I would have put the title on Roman Reigns and had his title reign be around The Shield breakup and the feud with The Authority. I think a Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose triple threat for the title would do great business and it's what the fans want.

Overall I was extremely disappointed with tonights events. I think the writers are getting lazy and are too scared to shake things up. It is no wonder why they are losing so much money. Why get the WWE Network for the pay-per-views if the shows are lackluster? I am going to give the show tonight 4 out of 10. Very lackluster, boring and un-epic. I hope on August 17th they produce a hell of a show at Summerslam.

Has Sting Hurt His Legacy by Joining WWE?

A person very close to me once said, "Sting is the greatest wrestler to never be involved with WWE." This past Monday WWE announced that Sting would be a bonus character in WWE 2K15. Two days later Triple H teased an in ring presence between Sting and himself by quoting "never say never." On September 23rd, WWE will be release Sting: The Ultimate Collection to DVD and Blu-Ray.  This same person told me that Sting should never come to WWE so he could have the legacy of being biggest draw to never set foot in WWE. That is just one side and person.

I believe Sting should have came to WWE when WCW closed it's doors. He could have had so many great matches with so many people but there is still time to have a great match or two with the superstars on today's roster. Sting has spent has the 12 years on and off in TNA Impact Wrestling. I don't think being in TNA helped or hurt Sting's legacy. I think it helped the foundation of TNA as a company. It's the reason they were successful in the beginning. I could go on and on about all of Sting's wrestling accomplishments but I will wait until he has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, the only Hall of Fame that matters. 

I personally think Sting is doing what's right for him. He can still go and still put on a great match but he also realizes he can't keep doing it forever. Flair and Michaels went out knowing they could still be decent. The Undertaker went out looking horrible and not being able to carry a match anymore. I think Sting is in the category of a Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. I think Sting's legacy is safe and intact. WWE in one night made Sting look like a million dollars then TNA could the whole time he was there. Sting has always said, "The only that's for sure about Sting is that nothings for sure." Stings legacy and Hall of Fame status is definitely for sure whether he came to WWE or not. Sting is a legend, hall of famer and he is without a doubt the icon. 

Are the Miami Heat Americas Favorite Team without LeBron?

This past week LeBron James announced he was going  back to Cleveland which was not a surprise to me. Chris Bosh has resigned with Miami and Dewayne Wade is still undecided. Over the last four years since "the decision" was made LeBron James became the most hated player and the Miami Heat became the most hated team in all of American professional sport. All these claims of 6 and 7 championships and they only had two. They were out played and out classed by the San Antonio Spurs in this years NBA Finals. 

In this offseason Miami has added Luol Deng but that's it right now. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a young team with full of potential that LeBron can elevate but this isn't the point of what I want to talk about. With LeBron James out of Miami are people rooting for Miami? Are people rooting for Cleveland or are people rooting for both? Do people want to see Miami win multiple titles without LeBron or does the nation of basketball fans want to see a championship in Cleveland?

Basketball fans across the country have been passionate about LeBron, the Miami Heat, the big 3 and even the Cleveland Cavaliers now. Some say the Heat are going to suck and are going to be one of the worst teams in the league. Others say they love the big 3 and will always be LeBron supporters. Those LeBron fans are now supporting the Cavaliers and want to see the championships come to Cleveland.

There are so many questions and I am sure NBA fans will have their answers. Here is something to think about and that would who are you going to root for if it's the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals next year? I personally will be curious to see the reactions from fans regarding both teams and how they are perceived. Cleveland or Miami? LeBron or no LeBron? Who do you side with? 

I'm a Cesaro Guy

The Evolution of the Rhodes Brothers

For as long as I have been a wrestling fan the names Rhodes has been synonymous with pro wrestling. During my younger years I remember Dusty wearing the polka dots in WWE and watching "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes on WCW Saturday Night. Before I was born in 1985 "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes was already a legend but growing up and now into adulthood I spent time watching Goldust and Cody Rhodes.

Goldust broke on to the WWE scene in 1995. He was edgy, controversial and pushed the envelope. I don't think people even realized it was Dustin Rhodes at first. He did spend time in WCW and TNA over the last 20 years but his legacy as Goldust in WWE is what he will be most remembered for. In the modern era Goldust is just a fun loving goofy character who is helping the younger talent learn and bloom. One of those younger talents is his own brother.

Cody Rhodes showed up on WWE television  in 2007 teaming with Hardcore Holly. After a short time he turned heel and teamed with Ted Dibiase Jr. They eventually joined Randy Orton and created Legacy. After his time in Legacy he wore a plastic mask after his nose was broken and called himself "Dashing" Cody Rhodes. His character was obsessed with his looks and put bags over peoples heads. He is credited for bring back the old school Intercontinental Title. Once his Intercontinental Title run was over he grew his mustache out and teamed with Damien Sandow. They called themselves Team Rhodes Scholars and had a lengthy run as a tag team but never won the gold together. 

It was around this time last year Cody turned face and began a different direction. He feuded with "The Authority" which brought Dusty Rhodes and Goldust back to television. They eventually won the WWE Tag Titles and some great matches in the tag team division. In recent weeks Cody Rhodes felt like he was dropping the ball and letting Goldust down. He told Goldust to find a new tag team partner and when Goldust failed with all of his partners Cody came back. 

Cody didn't come back as Cody Rhodes. He made his debut as Stardust which is a spin-off of his brothers character Goldust. As Stardust, Cody Rhodes mannerisms, in ring style and personality has totally changed. He proved he can adapt to any gimmick and add new things to his in ring style. The also can be said for Goldust. Dustin Rhodes as Goldust has added new things to his in ring style since his return. They are proving that teaming together is best for business.

Dusty Rhodes has a lot to be proud of with Dustin and Cody. They have made names for themselves in the pro wrestling business by working hard and not just riding the coattails of their dads legacy. I believe when it is all said and done both Dustin and Cody will be WWE Hall of Famers. They have learned to adapt and evolve and because of that the Rhodes brothers will be remembered for a long time to come.