Ryan's Reaction: A look back on the previous week in wrestling, and what the next week should bring


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Kester Editorials


Ryan's Reaction: A look back on the previous week in wrestling, and what the next week should bring
Jul 30, 2011 - 06:20 PM


By Ryan Kester

Welcome to the first in a series of weekly blogs focusing on my various thoughts throughout the previous week in wrestling. I will quickly run through what I like and what I didn't, and then what I want to see in the coming week. Without further ado, let's get started.

What went right:

- TNA did an excellent job of making the Bound For Glory Series seem important this week. They finally returned to their video packages from house shows and live events that had an impact on the series, and that short video makes all the difference. Matt Morgan's passionate speech about how he had to withdraw from the series due to injury and the various replays of the BFGS matches helped get the series back on track for this viewer.

- Daniel Bryan displayed a comfort on the stick we have yet to see from him in the past week. Perhaps the thing that has been missing for him since his debut has been the lack of a true rival. He's shown some fire when paired with Michael Cole and the Miz in the past, and some of that returned when he got in the ring with Barrett this week. I just wish we didn't have to hear Cole talking over the segment on commentary.

- Jim Ross is back on my television on Monday nights. He made his presence felt instantly when he joined the booth, and Ross took the main event from good to great with his commentary. Raw is already a better product just for having Ross's presence on the program.

- Mark Henry proved why he deserves the push he's getting. Henry is taking an approach backstage where he says very little and lets his body language do the talking for him. Once in the ring, he absolutely lets loose and comes off as a legitimately threatening figure. I enjoy the announce team taking off whenever he gets to that level of intensity as that sells the fact that he's threatening better than anything they could come up with to say.

- Sheamus turned babyface on Smackdown, and I couldn't be happier. He came off as a real white knight when he offered to face Henry when no one else wants to. The crowd was completely behind him, and I think this turn will do wonders for his career. Smackdown needs all the babyfaces it can get, especially when their top babyface is more heelish than their top heel.

What went wrong:

- TNA's main event on Thursday night was completely overbooked, and that alone could land it a spot on my list, but the part that bothered me the most is when TNA made us miss the beginning of the match to see a backstage segment between Sting and Eric Bischoff. TNA claims that wrestling matters, but they continuously prove that that is just a PR move when they pull stunts like this.

- John Morrison made another uninspiring return Monday night on Raw, and went on to compete and lose a match on Smackdown. Morrison continues to flounder since he split with the Miz when their team fell apart. He really needs to either turn heel and become a cocky bastard like he once was, or he needs to get his babyface character established. As it stands, he's a glorified spot monkey, and that will only ever get you a spot as enhancement talent in WWE.

- For the second week in a row, Christian walked out holding the World Heavyweight Championship and I felt like he was carrying someone else's title. That speaks volumes to how little WWE gave him when they had him win the title in the manner that he did. I hold no faith in the chance that Christian will go over at Summerslam, and that's not how I should feel about a guy that's been in the main event of every PPV since Wrestlemania.

- C.M. Punk returned to Raw at the end of the show. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled they resigned the guy and I can understand the need to strike while the iron is hot, but I can't help but get the feeling that they could have stretched this feud well into the autumn months. This feels like a wasted opportunity to have some creative fun with a white hot angle.

- Randy Orton made me feel sorry for R-Truth on Smackdown. That is absolutely the last thing that needs to be happening with the brand's top babyface. Randy Orton showed such promise when he transferred to Friday nights, but the return of the anger management storyline will only do damage to the show as a whole. It worked when he was the jerk going after the McMahons, but he's supposed to be the guy that I bloody cheer for and he's making that impossible.

What needs to happen next week:

- TNA needs to keep rolling with their focus on the Bound For Glory Series. If they allow themselves to become complacent about the angle, as they did in the few weeks prior, then no one will care when it comes time for the pay off.

- John Morrison needs to get some time on one of the shows to either establish a babyface character that isn't built around cornball jokes, or he needs to be given a reason to turn heel and return to a character he's comfortable with. Otherwise, he will end up being delegated to the role of enhancement talent, and that's a nigh impossible spot to get out of in WWE.

- Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett should have a competitive match on Smackdown. I'm not saying they need to give a PPV experience away, and they don't even need to have their match end in a clean finish, but WWE needs to wet our appetites with this feud.

- Sting needs to take a bit of his focus off of Immortal. I've more or less given up screaming at the wall over his terrible gimmick, but there is little time until hardcore Justice, and we need to see Sting treat Kurt Angle as a credible threat to his championship.

- Christian does not feel like a credible champion at this point. If WWE plans to sell Summerslam, even in part, on the possibility that Christian can retain his championship, then they need to have him go over a credible threat clean.

There you have it, chaps, my first Reaction to the previous week in professional wrestling. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, criticism, or would just like to talk about the world of wrestling, then feel free to shoot me an email at ryan.kester@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter at @TheRyanKester. Have a great week.

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