Dave's Battle Ax: With just days to go before Wrestlemania 31

With just days to go before Wrestlemania 31, the WWE is finally starting to turn up the heat on its network shows.  I was beginning to wonder if the company even cared to have a build up it’s marquee event this year, given the tepid lead ups to the past 3 PPVs they've attempted.  You see, it’s easy to forget that for all the drama and armchair predictions, that WWE is still just a TV show, with writers and directors and sound guys and grips and trucks out front making it all happen.  Only this year, it hasn’t been a very good show to watch.

Don’t get me wrong, the talent in the back ARE busting their collective asses out there every night, it’s just that the writers have let them down.  You see, every season of WWE has a narrative.  Last year was about the rise of the Shield, the year before that was all about CM Punk.  These crucial storyline elements are what ties the whole show together and somehow has to play out across 2 televised shows and 2 WWE Network shows to be cohesive.

This season, injuries messed up that narrative, big time.  If Daniel Bryan hadn’t been out for 6 months and Roman Reigns 3, the narrative leading up to Wrestlemania this year could have been epic.

Instead it feels cobbled together - and the main reason is that the writers/bookers were winging it, badly.  So what we’ve got to supposedly cap off the narrative is a somewhat muddled march to the biggest night of the year.

I’ve seen other shows go thru injuries, cast changes etc. thru the years and it can either make or break a show going forward.  This year, the WWE ended up broken and it’s going to take more than a Superman punch to set things right.

The reality is that this show has been running for as long as I can remember and has gotten so big, it’s like a leviathan - unable to make sharp turns when it needs to, unable to adapt to the needs of both wrestling fans and WWE fans (there is a difference) in an ever-splintering world of social media distractions and gewgaws to bring everything back home again.

I truly hope that in the year coming up AFTER Wrestlemania 31, WWE TV has a better season. With all these other channels and shows to choose from, more will find other things to watch if it doesn’t.

- Dave Parrish

--
Ensuring a better future, for ALL
http://www.operationsavetheearth.com

The State of Wrestlementary - A Restructuring of the Faction

Listen up wrestling fans, and WWE Fans who are not necessarily wrestling fans, Wrestlementary is back. We had to take some time away to look at the bigger picture, the smaller details and restructure our faction to make things smoother and better.

To that end some things have changed across the board, but our faction is stronger than ever now.

(Sneak peak at the in-the-works new logo)

First off let me announce our members – The fearless leader, Ace Masters (who is I), the cutting edge Dave Parrish, the NXT in line Chris Rose and the Diva guy himself, Wes Kozalla.

We may even have a new member or two in the future.

Speaking of the future, we all know what is in the immediate future, right? What time of the year it is right? RIGHT!? WRESTLEMANIA!

The Road to WrestleMania is going to factor into Wrestlementary in a very big way this month. We are going to have a number of WWE articles with a focus on discussing Mania, breaking down the matches and editorials on what direction WWE needs to go in AT and coming OUT of Mania.

With the massive slide WWE has been on, this WrestleMania is crucial.

Now, about the Changes ‘Mentary is going under.

THE STATE OF DAVE’S BATTLE AX (DBA)

This is going under absolutely no changes. Over the last three months DBA has been the one constant. It will continue on its monthly schedule, on the first Wednesday of each month. Dave will continue his straight to the point, cutting edge pieces, with no fear to ‘go there.’

THE STATE OF DIVA DISH

Every one of us has commitments and projects outside of Wrestlementary, plus we have lives ((). Because of such commitments it had been agreed that Wes’ Diva Dish will now be a monthly article rather than weekly.

We are currently planning for it to be online the second Monday of each month.

Considering how the Divas are used, or underused (#GiveDivasAChance), this will be beneficial. Wes’ pieces tend to be longer than others on Wrestlementary, a monthly schedule gives him more time to break down the Divas.

THE STATE OF CJ’s SIGHT

For the same reasons mentioned above, our NXT coverage by Chris Rose is going to a monthly piece, with possible other articles in between. NXT coverage will now come your way on the last Friday of each month.

THE STATE OF ACE MASTERS COVERAGE

Okay, I used my name here because I cover a little more than the other guys, and even my coverage is going to change a little bit.

TNA COVERAGE

My TNA coverage will probably stay the same, except now on Saturdays or Sunday as Impact is on Fridays. It will still be the IMPACT STRESS TEST.
Expect to see a STATE OF TNA this weekend.

WWE COVERAGE

Here is where I am making a few changes, I am dropping the name Ace’s Answer and branding my coverage differently.

Raw coverage will now be the RAW 500. As I have in the past, I will keep my comments and reviews of RAW to 500 words or less, making it concise to the point and not wasting your time. I will still name the High Points, Low Points and Best/Worst of the show.

Smackdown Coverage will now be the SD Salvo, and will keep to five hundred words as well.

IN GENERAL

In the past I have tried to get my pieces up the day after the shows. That has not always worked. Starting now, expect to see my coverage online within two days. RAW on Tuesday or Wednesday, SMACKDOWN on Friday or Saturday, and TNA on Saturday of Sunday.

Do not expect to see any coverage of WWE or TNA broadcasts from me this week. In their place expect a series of ‘State of’ articles breaking down different aspects of TNA and the WWE.

WEEK IN REVIEW

The Week in Review is going away, as I find it redundant. In its place will be the Wrap Up. The Wrap up will consist of listing the best and worst of the week, and thoughts on the upcoming week.

That is it for the restructuring of Wrestlementary, there may be more coming, and they will be announced as needed.

However this piece is not the official relaunch of Wretlementary.

The official relaunch of Wrestlementary comes in one hour and is courtesy of Dave’s Battle Axe “With just Days to go before WrestleMania 31 . . .”

Dave's Battle Axe - AWF > NXT

Professional wrestling has been popular the world over in one form or another for generations. The bedrock of its popularity is its availability. From traveling shows to the rise of television markets and now, online archives that span decades, wrestling is more ubiquitous than ever.

And it’s not necessarily the mainstream product that everyone knows that’s drawing the most heat in that ubiquity these days. Ever since the launch of the WWE Network, one of the breakout shows has been NXT. All my wrestling friends were constantly telling me about how exciting the young, new talent is that WWE has. Full Sail University’s electric crowds and unique characters do make for a fast and fun show.

The upside of NXT is undeniable just on a talent level. Recent additions like Finn Balor and Hideo Itami raise the bar considerably. But after having watched a number of NXT episodes on Hulu Plus over the past several weeks, I can’t get past this nagging feeling . . .

NXT for all its storyline wishes is still just the proving ground for future WWE superstars. As such, it feels like the Jr., promotion to the bigger show that it is. There’s nothing wrong with that but give me the rough and ready action that the Arizona Wrestling Federation puts on here in Glendale, AZ over that, any day.

For a small, local promotion, AWF has shown me event after event some of the best in-ring and storyline action I’ve seen in a long time. By blending excellent local talent with excellent indie circuit guys and gals, they have put on shows that excel, and the crowds have grown at every event. And why not? Chris Evans and Alex Sinister topped off their recent trio of matches with a no dq, Skittles and Ladders classic that both rivals their epic first match last year and is another early candidate for match of the year (sorry WWE).

With hissable heels like Pali Prince and Jay Garland and kid-friendly baby faces like Los Fox Stars and Alexander Hammerstone, AWF is doing wrestling the right way. There’s titles to exchange, fun to be had and they don’t even cost 9.99 a month! If you want to find out more about what AWF has been doing lately, check out their YouTube channel. You may even catch a glimpse of the Wrestlementary crew on some of the shows!

AWF Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/prowrestlingaz
AWF Website: https://www.arizonawrestlingfederation.com

Dave Parrish

Why Survivor Series Failed and the State of the WWE

If you are astute, you will notice Wrestlementary has been quite lately. That is mostly on my shoulders, with no excuses given. There was no review this past week of any WWE show. Instead of a review of RAW or Smackdown, I am going to take a few words and give my comments on the State of the WWE.

Why Survivor Series Failed

Survivor Series was an Epic event wasn’t?

Remember Sting’s first ever WWE appearance? How great was that?!

Remember Team Cena’s win and vanquishing the Authority?! Wait, you don’t?

Why would you, considering that the two big stories coming out of Survivor Series were completly wiped out.

Unfortunately Sting is involved in this mess and his first and long awaited WWE debut was a waste and means nothing. Oh, yes it was cool, he took out Triple H, helped team Cena win, but then what? He doesn’t appear again for two months, and repeated the exact same thing he did the first time, to help Cena overcome the Authority.

When will his next sighting be, the day AFTER Wrestlemania?

There are three major reasons why Survivor Series Failed.

They went out of their way to hype that this was the event to shape the future and change the WWE forever. Then, only a few weeks later, everything that happened was undone and things return to the pre-suvivor series WWE.

No follow up. They failed to follow up on the ouster of the Authority, or the debut of Sting.

We didn’t see Sting again until this past Monday’s RAW, the Go Home Edition for the Royal Rumble.

There was no follow up on the ouster of the Authority. No, there wasn’t. Continuing a story is not a follow up. For weeks after Survivor Series is was still Team Authority versus Team Cena. A story that was promised to END at Survivor Series.

Seth Rollings turned in a petulant little cry baby begging for mommy and daddy. ‘Nuff said.

At Survivor Series, Sting appeared, helped Team Cena win and the Authority was vanquished. Good won, evil lost and all was well in the WWE Universe.

Until the New Year that is, Edge threatened, Cena brings back the Authority and everything returned to how it was.

That is what is called poor writing, or in wrestling parlance, poor booking.
Also called, Bull Shit Epic Fail.

What is the State of the WWE?

It is going pedal to the metal, full throttle, rubber burning, exhaust flaming, 110 mph straight down-hill.

They have been on the down-hill slide since Summerslam. They seem unable to put together any broadcast (RAW, Smackdown or PPV), have lost any sense of direction and lack vision. If they think what they are delivering to the fans is quality, then perhaps they truly are blind.

The problem is not as simple as some make it out to be. Many people have opined that the return of Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan would stop the bleeding. That hasn’t exactly worked, both are back and RAW and Smackdown are still piss poor broadcasts.

Let’s be honest, the return of Roman Reigns wasn’t going to improve the product. He didn’t improve the product before his injury.

Again, let’s be honest, the return of Daniel Bryan hasn’t improved the project. Many thought Bryan’s return would fix everything. I wonder what wonderland world they live in. Nothing has changed, other than putting his return on the return of Smackdown to Thursdays, they did little to make his return special.

Why not give him the Cena treatment? Have him return at the Rumble and win? All they did was put him straight back into the same place he was in January 2014, rehashing that story again.

What is the single biggest reason for this slide? Easy, Brock Lesnar as WWE Champion. Or, more exactly as the reigning, in absentia World Heavyweight Champion.

We have not had a World Title Match since Night of Champions. Because of that, we have had no ‘Brass Ring’ for anyone to fight for. No feud for the World Title. In fact we have no real feuds going on at all. Follow me for a moment.

What do we get in place of the World Title? The Authority. Everything right now stems from the Authority versus Cena. Instead of a match for the World Title, we get a match against the Authority. Even the Rumble triple threat title match isn’t about the World Title, it’s about the Authority.

How many times can we have screw jobs, four-on-one beat downs, Sting appearances and big time matches (Survivor Series) that mean nothing?

A missing World Title, poor booking and complete mis-management are killing the WWE. Want proof, look at NXT.

NXT is constantly putting out a better product, with a lower budget and only 53 minutes of airtime a week. Also consider the last NXT TAKEOVER event, which was widely considered better than TLC

The WWE is barreling straight down hill and is heading for an ugly crash. The worst part of this is that it seems like all this is planned.

Ace Masters

Dave’s Battle Axe - WWE on Hulu

I recently decided to ‘cut the cable.’ I got a Roku for Xmas and said goodbye once and for all to cable/satellite/rabbit ears television forever. I only watch a handful of shows and most of my content is preferably online anyway. But I was worried about the WWE. Without it, would I be able to watch Raw and Smackdown and to keep up?

As usual, Vince McMahon was way ahead of the curve on that when he announced an affiliation with Hulu Plus in 2012 that put all the major shows on (Raw, Smackdown, Main Event) and added WWE Network content like NXT, Superstars, ECW and other specials that actually far surpass what cable was offering to begin with.

The added content makes me miss the WWE Network ($9.99) a whole lot less too because I never have time to watch the 100s of hours of content there and when it comes to pay-per-views, I much prefer the company of friends so I usually go to a sports bar or friend’s house to enjoy those anyway.

So far it has been fun getting caught up on NXT, watching old ECW matches and still enjoying the weekly flagship shows, especially those mid-card gem matches on Main Event. Added bonus, the bloated 3 hour beast that I always dreaded fast forwarding thru, Monday Night Raw, is just 90 minutes long on Hulu. Between this set up and the WWE app on my mobile, I’m good to go for WWE content.

Now if we could just the writers and match bookers on Monday Night Raw to be as efficient and successful . . .

Wrestlementary Week in Review 1-4-2025 - 1-10-2015

Welcome all, to Wrestlementary’s first commentary of the New Year! 

This will be a triple threat piece commentating on WWE RAW, Smackdown and TNA IMPACT!

This is the first commentary of the New Year, but won’t be the last. As we get settled into 2015, expect things on a regular basis. Also, you can look forward to pieces by Dave Parrish and Chris Rose coming up, as well as a State of Professional Wrestling and State of Wrestlementary this month.

Now, WWE up First.

MONDAY NIGHT RAW

1/5/15

Let’s talk RAW . . . or not. I mean, seriously, this is what they broadcast?

The last RAW of 2014, was easily the best RAW since Summerslam, and they follow it up with tripe. I would say they dropped the ball, but that would have to give them credit that they had their hands on the ball to start with.

Dave Parrish called RAW post Summerslam, the fail of 2014. If this is what we have to look forward to, it’s on its way to a repeat.

This broadcast was nothing but screw jobs, revenge crap and beating all the fans over the head that Stephanie and Hunter are back in charge. From screwing Dolph out of the IC Title, to firing Team Cena and putting Cena on a guilt trip, this was nothing but a rehash of the worst broadcasts of RAW from last year.

There was on bright spot, Seth Rollings added to the Cena versus Brock match at the Royal Rumble. Hopefully it will give the match some life and it will be good. Hopefully Brock gets screwed and we will never have to see him again.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The screw jobs didn’t end with Dolph and boys being fired, it didn’t start there either. The true screw job is being done to the fans.

Low Point of the Night: I want to say The Broadcast, there was something even lower than the Broadcast. The Ascension referring to Road Warrior Hawk as a joke. That is the low point. I hope this comes back to bite them in the ass.

High Point of the Night: Seth Rollings added to the Rumble title match.

Match of the Night: NA

Wrestler of the Night: NA

Impact of the Night: Seth Rollings added to the Rumble title match.

RATING: 4

SMACKDOWN

1/10/15

Don’t forget kiddies, Smackdown returns to Thursday night this week. With an all new announce team!

Smackdown has been, for the better part of the last six months, RAW Recap. This had been toned down, but when 25% of the show is still dedicated to what happened on RAW, how good can it really be?

In term of actual wrestling Smackdown was light-years ahead of RAW and a better show, but not by much.

We didn’t have the Authority on hand, but we did have Kane there making things hard on the roster. That is way above, J&J Security.

Two matches put Smackdown ahead of RAW, the excellent Triple Threat Tag Match that saw the Usos barely retain the titles against Gold/Stardust and Miz/Mizdow. The second match was the shocking loss of Wade Barrett . . . pinned by Sin Cara. 

I know Sin Cara is the co-holder of the NXT Tag Titles, but when is the last time he had a major win on the main roster? Huge moment.

Imagine this, a main event segment that is actually a match! How come they can do this on Smackdown and not RAW? Seth Rollings and Big Show versus Roman Reigns and a partner, if he can find one. Was anyone surprised when Dean Ambrose come out to partner with Reigns? 

FINAL THOUGHT: Better then RAW, but still average at best. Let’s see what they can do next Thursday with Daniel Bryan’s return.

Wrestlers of the Night: The Usos

Impact of the Night: Sin Cara pinned the new IC Champion Wade Barrett.

Low Point of the Night: The Joke of a Tag Team . . . I mean the Ascension. Again will the bashing of the Road Warriors. Losers.

Match of the Night: The Triple Threat Tag Team Championship Match, the Usos versus Gold/Stardust versus Miz/Mizdow.

RATING: 5.5

Now onto TNA IMPACT!

1-7-15

What a return! This changes every in TNA! 

I don’t mean IMPACT’S return. This was bigger than that. Kong is back! AWESOME KONG IN BACK! YES!

Sorry, I had to get that out.

We started the show with a company-wide brawl! Everyone went at it across the board, men, divas, Fans! The brawl happened on all levels of the Manhattan center. It only ended with the arrival of Kurt Angle, who quickly set up a series of Titles matches, placed himself in a match with MVP and resigned his position to return to wrestling full time.

Kurt then whipped MVP and pinned him.

Every title was one the line and TNA went all out to celebrate their return to TV.

Storm and Abyss successfully retain the tag titles defeating The Wolves after interference from Jeff Hardy backfired.

Taryn won a Knockouts Battle Royal to retain the championship, only to be attacked by Havok. Then lights then when out and the ‘Holy Shit’ moment happen, Havok face to face with Awesome Kong! I can’t wait for this feud.

Then, the match of the night saw Aries defeat Low-Ki for the X-Division Championship!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how fun it was to watch JB get his head shaved by EC3 while Spike was forced to watch. EC3 delivers every time.

The main event. World Title Rematch, Bobby Rhoode versus Bobby Lashley. But the real story was MVP and his family. 

During the match, MVP, King and two masked men came to ring. Their identities shocked everyone, Low-Ki and Samoa Joe! EY came out for the save, only to turn on Rhoode!

Lashley is champ again!

I never saw this coming. It pissed me off, but it was designed to.

I am interested to see where this is going to go. Low-Ki is an interesting choice, but not shocking, he had no interaction with MVP and crew. But EY and Joe? They have questions to answer.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This is how you kick off a new year, new channel and hopefully a new lease on life.

My only concern is the ratings. They were very low. While they may be good for Destination America, they were only 1/3 of the Spike era ratings.

Match of the Night: Austin Aries versus Low-Ki. Aries is the new X-Division champion.

Wrestler of the Night: Austin Aries

Impact of the Night: RETURN OF AWESOME KONG!

Low Point of the Night: The Show Ended. :-( 

RATING: 7.5

FINAL THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK: TNA did what they have done for the last six months, schooled the WWE and put out a better broadcast.

WWE is on a major slide creatively. They seem unable to put anything together or to make any good decisions. Not having an active champion also hurts.

Match of the Week: Austin Aries versus Low-Ki. Aries is the new X-Division champion.

Wrestler of the Week: Austin Aries

Broadcast of the Week: TNA IMPACT!

Impact of the Week: RETURN OF AWESOME KONG!

Low Point of the Week: The Ascension

Wrestlementary Awards for 2014

Welcome All To the First Annual Wrestlementary Awards

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Wrestlementary Awards Blogtacular, where the only guests are you.

Wrestlementary celebrates one year of existence as of today, it has been a good, but bumpy ride, sharing our love of Professional Wrestling.

Chris, Dave and I would like to take this first post of the year and hand out our personal awards for the year of 2014.

The awards are: Low Point of the Year, Fail of the Year, Impact of the Year, Breakout Wrestler of the Year, Tag Team of the Year, Female Wrestler of the Year, Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year and Promotion of the Year.

These awards are unique as more than one person can win each award. How? Because Chris, Dave and Ace choose their own winners for each award, and they don’t always agree.

Now Onto the Awards!

Low Point of the Year:
Dave Parrish Awards this to: Monday Night Raw – Post Summerslam!

Chris Rose and Ace Masters Award this to: Chavo Guerrero hitting SexyStar in the head with a Chair on Lucha Underground.

Fail of the Year:
Dave Parrish Awards this to: WWE stripping Daniel Bryan of the World Title
His reasons is that stripping Bryan directly led into Lesnar as champ. If the WWE planned to have an absent World Champion, they might as well have left the title on Bryan.

Chris Rose/Ace Masters Award this to: Lesnar’s run as World Champion.
Reigning and defending World Champion? Someone needs to explain to WWE that defending means ‘to defend.’ Brock has done one title defense. The title is currently meaningless.

Impact of the Year:
Dave Parrish Awards this to: The Racist Slur Incident That Lead to the Firing of Alberto Del Rio

Chris Rose/Ace Masters Award this to: The Ultimate Warrior’s return and induction into the Hall of Fame

Breakout Wrestler of the Year:
Dave Parrish Awards this to: EC3
No one thought EC3 would amount to anything, especially with the ‘Carter’ gimmick. “I disagree,” says Dave.

Chris Rose Awards this to: Dean Ambrose

Ace Masters Awards this to: Rusev
Anti-American BS aside, who has had a better year than Rusev?

Tag Team of the Year:
Dave Parrish Awards this to: Gold & Stardust
Chris Rose and Ace Masters Award this to: The Uso’s

Female Wrestler of the Year:
Dave Parrish Awards this to: Hudson Envy
Hudson Envy is an indy wrestler, with appearances in the AWF. Look her up and discover how good she is.

Chris Rose Awards this to: NXT Champion Charlotte

Ace Masters Awards this to: Havok


Wrestler of the Year:
Dave Parrish Awards this to: Daniel Bryan

Chris Rose Awards this to: NXT Champion Sami Zayn

Ace Masters Awards this to: Rusev

Match of the Year:
Chris Rose: NXT R EVOLUTION Championship Match Adrian Neville versus Sami Zayn

Dave Parrish and Ace Masters: Chris Evan versus Alex Sinister 1, AWF The Elimination
Dave and I have watched hundreds of hours of matches this year, and attending dozens of event, this was the best match.

Promotion of the Year:
Chris Rose: NXT
NXT is part of the WWE, but often presented as a different promotion. In truth it is BETTER than main roster WWE.

Dave Parrish and Ace Masters: The Arizona Wrestling Federation (AWF)
Event in and event out the AWF has killed. No promotion this year, major or indy, has been consistently better.

And there you have the Wrestlementary 2014 awards of the year.

Ace Masters


For Those Who Care, Some Stats

AWARDS BREAKDOWN:
LUCHA UNDERGROUND: 1
TNA: 2
AWF: 3
NXT: 4
WWE: 11

Daniel Bryan, Ruzev and Sami Zayn all won 2 Awards.

Ultimate Warrior and Dean Ambrose won both Slammy’s and Wrestlementary Awards, for the same category!

No one person swept any category.