WGR's Survivor Series Postshow Podcast

Survivor Series has come and gone. We have a new World Heavyweight Champion. Its SHEAMUS! Roman Reigns won the tournament against Dean Ambrose, but Sheamus was waiting for a cash in. Charlotte faces Paige for the Divas title. And we have a few traditional Survivor Series matches to go over as well. Lastly, we get into a HUGE debate about how the Undertaker/Wyatt feud went. Its a half hour review. Click it!



WGR's Survivor Series Postshow Podcast

Wrestling Goons Radio - Chris "The Hype" Henry Interview

In this special edition of Wrestling Goons Radio, we bring to you the first interview with CHRIS "THE HYPE" HENRY! Chris is getting his feet wet on the indy circuit in the Southeast, and he shares everything from what he did before wrestling to how he got into the business, all the way into his future goals. At the end, he answers questions from his own fans. This is one you dont wanna miss. Support local wrestling and click it!

Wrestling Goons Radio - Chris "The Hype" Henry Interview

If You Can't Live With Roman Reigns As The Man By Now, You Never Will

Roman Reigns is destined to be the champion eventually

    It must be something in the Pennsylvania air. In 2014 at the Royal Rumble in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fans left the arena rioting that night, going as far as blocking wrestlers cars from leaving the arena in the parking lot. What caused such a ruckus? Batista had won the Royal Rumble and earned a spot in the main event at Wrestlemania 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The crowd wanted their hero, The Yes Man, Daniel Bryan to win the Royal Rumble. But, alas, he was not even in the match. As Rey Mysterio entered as the final competitor at number 30, the crowd would spend the remainder of the night booing profusely directly at Batista. It came down to the final two men. The man who opposed him? Roman Reigns. That night, the crowd was ready for anything but Batista, and Roman Reigns would gladly be accepted as that guy on that night. Batista ended up winning that match and moving on. We all know by now the rest of the story. CM Punk quits. Daniel Bryan has two matches in one night to steal the show and the spotlight and the crowd goes home happy two months later to right a wrong from a few months back.

The Rock celebrates with Roman Reigns after winning the Rumble

       Fast forward one year.  Up the road in Philadelphia, the Wells Fargo Arena was rocking as Daniel Bryan's music hit. This year he was in the Royal Rumble and the crowd was amped. However, a few moments later, Daniel Bryan was casually clothes-lined over the top rope and left much more quietly than he arrived. Once again, the crowd erupted into a mad frenzy. They realized at that moment what was destined to happen. Roman Reigns was winning the Royal Rumble. The crowd reverted back to their Pittsburgh foe and chose anyone that opposed Reigns until the very end, with Rusev being their final hope. It failed and Reigns stood victorious in the ring amidst a shower of boos. The WWE sent The Rock in the ring for damage control (either that or they were clueless that the crowd was not being supportive of Roman at the time) and he looked just as stunned as creative appeared to be. Thankfully for the WWE, RAW was cancelled the next night due to a snow storm and they were able to do segments from the studio where a live audience couldn't react immediate. This could've been the biggest blessing in disguise for the WWE. A late Christmas gift from Mother Nature. Over the next two months, the WWE continued to tease Roman losing his spot. At Fast Lane following the Rumble, they gave Daniel Bryan the chance to take Roman's spot. This split the crowd and in the end Reigns got the win, adding more heat to his doubters that he was being given something he didn't deserve more so than Bryan.
       Wrestlemania 31 from Santa Clara, California would be the final culmination of Roman Reigns ascension to the top. It had been no secret since he was signed in FCW that Roman Reigns was the future in the WWE brass' eyes. He's the cousin of The Rock and part of the Anoa'i family tree. He has everything that's promotable in a superstar. Why just one year before did the same WWE crowds cheer crazily for Reigns to get the spot, and just one year later rebel against it? Its a question that remains unanswered but has several theories. Regardless, as WWE has to do for Wrestlemanias, they had to find a way to send the crowd home happy. Enter Seth Rollins.

Seth Rollins becomes The Man

As Reigns and Lesnar slugged it out back and forth, with a defiant Reigns laughing from a bloody lip refusing to lose, the music of Seth Rollins hits mid match and he runs down in a heated sprint with briefcase in hand and inserts himself into the main event. The rest is history with a few curb stomps later. Once again, Roman Reigns was THAT close. So it begs the question to the WWE Universe. Why can't you just be satisfied with what you're watching? What would make you happy? Last year, nobody had an issue with Roman Reigns winning as long as it wasn't Batista. This year, everybody has a problem with Roman Reigns winning. The same reasons are given when the topic comes up. "He doesn't deserve it". That stems from the fact that he didn't spend a decade working the indies or training since he was a teenager. He was a football player turned wrestler and in certain fans' eyes, that does not garner the respect needed to be the top guy. Other reasons are his promo skills are lacking, his move sets are limited, and he can just be flat out boring at times.
       The words "wrestler" and "entertainer" should go hand in hand, but between the WWE brass and the WWE Universe, the roles are seen very differently. It would seem the IWC wants their top guy to be a great in ring performer. Anything else is secondary. The WWE believes wrestling is secondary to entertainment. There's no doubt Roman Reigns is entertaining. The crowd is split in half when he comes out much like John Cena. You either love him or you don't. To the notion that Roman doesn't deserve it though, I will say this. The man works 300+ days a year on top of doing all the promotional stuff outside of the ring and the charity events. Its a very high demand on top of the physical strain 5 nights a week getting beat up. Back in the day, wrestlers may have worked 3 times a week on a full schedule. Its completely unfair to base who "deserves it" against the standards of wrestling in the territory days. Roman has put in the work as much as anyone else on the roster. His move sets may be limited, but everyone is if you really stop and analyze it. Whether it be Daniel Bryan's kicks, or Cesaro's uppercuts, everybody has a series of moves they do to get themselves over. Roman is no different.

Roman Reigns and John Cena are the faces of the WWE

      Going back to the Royal Rumble with The Rock standing in the ring raising Roman Reigns' hand, it was almost a flashback looking at the garbage being tossed in the ring to Rocky Maivia and "Die Rocky Die" chants. Just 18 years previously, Dwayne Johnson had been hated by the crowd after being pushed as the future. The crowd did not buy into his persona. This is how Rocky Maivia died and The Rock was born. Is this a route they should take with Roman? He still wears his Shield gear and comes through the crowd. Nothing has changed with his gimmick. Logic would say he has to change something eventually, whether it be his entrance, attire, music, moves, something. Roman Reigns is also being groomed for Public Relations as well. For years, John Cena has been the front man for the Susan G Komen Cancer partnership with WWE. But, this year, Roman Reigns stood beside him in the ring. It appears more and more that WWE already has their next man picked out to build their empire around. But will the WWE Universe buy into it?
        A famous nature boy once said "Whether you like it, or you don't like it, you better learn to love it.". That's where the WWE Universe is at right now. They've spent a decade either loving John Cena or hating John Cena to the core. Roman Reigns is on that same path. So, you can either get on board and enjoy the ride, or spend the next decade plus sucking on sour lemons and striking your keyboards angrily being internet warriors week after week complaining about how Roman Reigns doesn't deserve it, yet he's the guy the show will be built around. As long as Roman Reigns keeps his work ethic at top notch and he wants to be, The Roman Empire will reign over WWE for many years to come. Believe That!



Anthony Hammett is the Senior Editor of Wrestling Goons Radio
     

WGR's Hell In A Cell Postshow Podcast

WWE's Hell In A Cell had several shockers and a few yawn moments along the way. #WGRClub has you covered with everything that went down from Staples Center in Los Angeles. Alberto Del Rio is back in WWE! Mark isn't happy about his match with Cena. Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns had a hellacious match that we all felt stole the show. Seth Rollins squared off with Kane with Kane's job on the line if he lost. We discuss that along with the main event between Undertaker and Brock Lesnar along with the fallout afterwards from The Eater Of Worlds. Its 45 minutes to recap 3 full hours. You know you want to. Click it!

WGR's WWE Hell In A Cell Postshow Podcast

WGR's Hell In A Cell Preview and Predictions According To Anthony

                           

    This Sunday, live on the WWE Network (or $54.95 on PPV if you are into throwing money away) from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, WWE Presents Hell In A Cell. For what is typically a B grade PPV, the WWE has thrown several superstars into the buildup old and new. It will be an interesting night to say the least. Why don't we get started with the preshow and work our way down?

Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, and Neville vs King Barrett, Rusev, and Sheamus

    Does it feel like a repeat from RAW? Oh, because it is. I'm guessing they are going to build three man teams all around. Does this mean we get a trios title eventually? I was really wanting Dolph Ziggler to turn heel amidst this Lana debacle, but that doesn't appear to be the case. To me, this is the feud of a bunch of people going nowhere fast. The match itself has six solid workers in it. It's just very hard for me to get into six man tag matches that have nothing to fight for. King Barrett being called a King is an insult to the King gimmick. He's been buried since receiving the crown and its getting worse by the week. They need the win here more than the babyfaces, so Im picking the Money In The Bank Brogue Kick to Neville for the victory for Team Middle East.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Kevin Owens vs Ryback

     Anyone who has listened to the podcast by now or knows me personally knows I'm a Kevin Owens mark. I marked out the first time he eye poked Ryback because of how heelish and cheap it came off. I felt content a second time because hey, I can believe Ryback would fall for the same trick twice. But three times? 

Kevin Owens is not impressed by Ryback

Come on now, Big Guy. After seeing Owens powerbomb Mark Henry on Monday Night, watching him powerbomb Ryback should look effortless. Apparently Ryback has a powerbomb now too, so does that make this the battle of powerbombs? I just hope Kevin Owens can win without an eye poke. Do a nut punch. Do a foreign object. We haven't seen brass knucks in ages! But I do see Kevin Owens winning. Whats next for Ryback?

The Dudley Boyz vs The New Day    New Day Rocks! Unfortunately, they will not be victorious on Sunday. I can see the writing on the wall. Time and time again,

Xavier feels the wrath of the 3D again

The New Day has escaped with cheap wins over The Dudleyz, and in the world of wrestling that can only mean that the opposite happens on the PPV. However, look for the rematch to be a "Tables Match", and don't expect The Dudleyz to win their specialty match. New Day will rise again! Now WWE, please don't ignore Bubba Ray's ability to be good or bad. He's learned to cut damn good promos since he's been gone in that "Indy Promotion" you referred to on NXT this past week.

WWE Divas Championship: Charlotte vs Nikki Bella

    I am 99.99% certain Charlotte wins here. It just makes no sense to take the title off of her so early just to give it back to the former champ after her longest reign. However, I said that with AJ and Paige and we saw how that went. I don't expect Charlotte to have a long title reign. Sasha Banks is who the crowd wants and eventually that's who they will get. For now, Charlotte will do fine. The match itself should be good for its spot on the card. Nikki Bella can be hated and that's fine, but people who refuse to give her in ring work credit (especially since the NXT callups) isn't being impartial.

WWE Title: Kane vs Seth Rollins (if Kane loses, he is no longer Director of Operations)

    I could not be happier that this stipulation has been added for the title match with Rollins and Kane. Its ironic that I have always pushed for Kane to have a bigger role and always been a fan of him, but I just cannot get behind this Corporate role and Demon role that intertwine at the same time. You can look at Finn Balor and see it done properly as there is a morphism happening so to speak. Kane's comes off as completely unbelievable and in a way it takes away from the demon aspect to me because you realize he's just a demented man rather than this evil cryptic monster.

Kane sends a message to Seth Rollins

As for the actual match, I expect Kane to lose. If he wins, you'd basically have the GM booking the show around himself as the champion. Granted that sounds like a HHH coming from the Authority, BUT, I think a vindictive monster only Kane coming after the Authority is.......wait for it.........Best For Business

John Cena Open Challenge
   Its the million dollar question we get every single week. Who will it be? We have all heard the rumors by now. Wrestling Goons Radio and yours truly has been saying for weeks now that THIS is John Cena's final match for two months. He's not being promoted for any shows until December 26th, I won't mention who he is facing on that card as it may be a spoiler, but for now I will say this could be anyone and I literally mean anyone. At first, I thought maybe it could be Dolph Ziggler with that superkick from RAW.

Who will accept John Cena's open challenge? 

Then Tyler Breeze debuted on Smackdown as Summer Rae's new boo, and blew that heel turn theory out of the water. So could it be Tyler Breeze? That seems to be an IWC consensus. I am not so convinced. Its so early that while Kevin Owens did beat John Cena in his debut, I can't see Tyler Breeze doing the same. Whoever that leaves, they need to win this title if Cena is going away for two months. With that said, could it be Sheamus? He has a six man tag match on the preshow, but he could definitely face Cena later in the night. A wild card for me that I haven't heard anyone mention is Daniel Bryan. Yes, I am aware WWE isn't allowing him to wrestle. With Cena being gone, that could change. For now, Anthony will say with my final pick.......Dolph Ziggler still. Give it to him and Tyler can chase that.

Roman Reigns Vs Bray Wyatt (Hell In A Cell)

    I've tried very hard to invest myself in this storyline and I just can't. I love Bray Wyatt and I don't mind Roman Reigns as much as some others may, but the story has just been.....bad. I still need to know Michael Cole......WHERE IS LUKE HARPER?!?!?! I'm glad Rowan is back but good grief. Connect some dots here when you give me something new on screen. The Wyatts supposedly won't matter anyway with Hell In A Cell (because we've never seen any magic tricks before or someone climb over the top). They say this is the be all end all (although Bray has said numerous times wherever Roman goes he will be there. Forever). I surely hope this is their last encounter. I expect Roman to win and continue making Bray look like crap. Its getting harder feud after feud to believe Bray Wyatt as a serious individual rather than a hokey fat man with delusional thoughts and false propaganda. WWE had something special with The Wyatt Family, and I'm unsure if they will ever rekindle it. I'm anxious to see the future of Braun Strowman mostly. Not so much for his ability, but just what direction they can do with the behemoth.

The Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar (Hell In A Cell)

  This feud began a decade ago. The Undertaker has never beaten Brock Lesnar (cleanly). Their last encounter saw Brock Lesnar lose technically to a choke out, but that came at the controversy of a quick triggered time keeper, a low blow, a blind ref, and sheer luck. This Sunday is the be all to end all in this feud as well. Lesnar has 

Where it all began at UFC 121

vowed to take everything left from The Undertaker at Hell In A Cell, and Taker says you can't take anything from a man who has nothing left. He's lost the streak, his pride, and now Sunday he has a chance to lose the final match in an illustrious feud with his signature match being his downfall. The irony of a storied career begs the question that so many want to know for two years now. Why Brock Lesnar? For twelve years, The Undertaker has been doing favors for Brock Lesnar. He obviously saw something in him years ago that he still sees today. Regardless of the outcome, I must give credit to The Deadman for this run of matches in 2015. He has shown that he does still got it. However, at Hell In A Cell, The Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar will remain supreme and last man standing

Final Thoughts
  For a B Grade PPV, this is a pretty solid card. Every title is defended, and we have several unknowns along the way. My hope is that many of these feuds (Dudleyz/New Day, Roman/Bray, Kane/Seth, Taker/Brock) all wrap themselves up and we can move on to something else. Stay tuned here for the Post Show Podcast to follow WWE Hell In A Cell and The RAW Reaction for all of the fallout that awaits us.

Anthony Hammett is the Senior Editor of Wrestling Goons Radio