Hopefully CM Punk returns... No one will ever replace him if not.

Where did this come from?

I could care less if he returns or not. He went without putting anyone over and he's over rated too. Sure he's a decent in ring performer and he's pretty good on the mic but he's nothing special. I think WWE are better focusing their energy on younger prospects such as Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Cesaro etc. If Punk does return at some point then I want to see him putting over the upcoming talent.

I think everything changes when Daniel Bryan goes into surgery today if there more damage to his neck then anyone relises it

I meant to mention Daniel Bryan's surgery. Anyway, CM Punk was the most relatable WWE superstar, provided humourous moments, was completely misused in that whole Paul Heyman storyline and was my favourite in-ring performer. If he'd stayed he should have attacked Bryan at WrestleMania and feuded with him for a bit.

Roman Reigns needs to add more moves to his arsenal if he wants to become a main eventer. Rollins and Ambrose are much better at this point. Cesaro is fantastic and should be pushed to the main event.

If Bryan can't keep the title, bring back King Of The Ring.

I have to disagree with you about Roman Reigns. I think he can work a main event level match just fine. Yeah, maybe he doesn't have the in ring skill of Ambrose or Rollins, but that is not what it's all about and never will be. If you just want to see great in ring work then stream some Ring of Honor.

Roman Reigns has IT. He has that ability to draw you in and make you believe in the big moments. It helps of course that he is being pushed to the moon (see four eliminations at Survivor Series, see records eliminations at Royal Rumble). He also has a great look and offers great finisher type moves. He needs some work on mic but certainly isn't the worst and will only improve. As a heel solo performer he could just have a mouthpiece.

Too many internet fans are obsessive over in ring quality. Did you honestly care when it was Ultimate Warrior or Goldberg coming to the ring making you breathe that bit faster? Those guys were awesome and I loved to see them but they weren't great in the ring, it never mattered and it doesn't today but there's this obsession amongst some fans that the match quality is the be all and end all. Wrong, in ring action doesn't matter a jot unless you have a feud with a good story to it and characters that you can get behind or against.

As for Daniel Bryan, I'm really hoping this operation goes well and that he's back soon. A lot of time and effort has been put into building him up stretching right back to forming Hell No. He gets unanimous reactions from the crowds as a babyface which is great and some of that has to do with his underdog status that has been continued to be well maintained by the authority continually screwing him. I love watching him in ring, I wish they'd let him go more on the mic too because his Yes gimmick might get old soon if it's all he relies on. I think he needs a good run as champion.

I want to know where Wade Barrett was on Mondays show? Why have this tournament featured over the past few weeks to simply not even have the winner on Raw this week! Ridiculous! And it's not just because I love Barrett as he's English.

I'm from Manchester, my family lives in Preston so naturally I'm a big Barrett fan

Sandow is now my favourite wrestler, but he was destroyed by SuperCena, killing all his momentum.

No, he does not. Rollins, and especially Ambrose, are the talent of that group. Reigns, to me, is just another Ryback. He is just another hoss who is being forced too soon. Nah, rather reigns is another Batista. He is as boring as paint drying. The other two have character and believability. Two things Reigns does not have, nor will he ever have. What you see now is what you will get two years from now. Ambrose and Rollins can evolve and adapt.



Warrior? Yeah, I liked him when I was nine. Goldberg? Uh, where is my remote?

Let's talk about internet fans and what the obsess over. The last three internet darlings in the WWE were Punk, Bryan, and Reigns. Two of those know psychology and can put on good to great matches any day of the week. One of them wouldn't know psychology if it bit him in the face. Reigns with his monotone interviews will never be confused with The Rock or Chris Jericho. Get a personality there Roman. Reigns on his own will never be putting on stellar matches. That is what Rollins and Ambrose are there for, to carry him and make him look better. Any other company in the world and Reigns would be the one dropped. McMahon likes them big though, unless you truly have IT like Shawn Michaels.

As far as ring quality goes, how about some questions? Would you rather watch Chris Benoit or Ryback? Would you rather watch a master psychologist like Randy Savage or Jake Roberts or would you settle for Lex Luger? Bam Bam Bigelow or Khali? You could not be more wrong about in-ring action not mattering as much as you say it doesn't. The greats could all tell a story in the ring. That is what matters the most, and Reigns does not have it. Unless you like watching a boring endless franchise like Friday The 13th.

This what happen to Roman Reigns yesterday in Europe against Randy Orton a miscommuncation in the ring

https://twitter.com/WWERomanReigns/status/466748578581729280/photo/1

I was hoping you might reply Anton. I know, I know, I know and I agree with you. I got a bit carried away trying to make my point which was that Roman Reigns can fit into the main event picture. You've helped me there though, you say he's like Batista? Well if he manages to get where Batista got to then he'll have been very successful. Batista was in the main event scene for a few years and that's where I believe Roman Reigns will get to. Again, you don't need all the tools to do it and you don't need all the tools to be entertaining and draw. I still say he has enough to be a main eventer, particularly in today's product.

You also talked about Goldberg and Ryback. Yes they don't measure up to the guys in your final paragraph in an individual sense but as I was trying to say it's not all about that. You can put someone in a top position as an attraction with the right build and story behind it. It should have a finite lifetime because they won't have the ability to make it last or adapt. But there's nothing wrong with that and if you want to get them involved in good matches with guys that utilise good in-ring psychology then you give them dance partners that are capable of that.

I have a feeling we won't agree!

But I do love it when somebody with real talent like Seth Rollins makes it to the top. He's really impressing me, he could make it. If he finds his little niche in terms of being a singles competitor then I think he could have the appeal. Dean Ambrose I see as being the guy who works with the top guy and makes him look good. But only time will tell.

Finally, I would rather watch Macho Man and Jake the Snake than anyone on today's roster. They were incredible. Bam Bam was so good inside the ring that he managed to walk Lawrence Taylor through a main event Wrestlemania match. Chris Benoit... the man nobody talks about, the man who has been erased. So, you liked Warrior when you were 9? Me too, does that mean we're the same age?

Reigns will improve, but he does definitely need to expand his moveset. He's been booked to look like a superhero and at this point it's just: hit the Apron dropkick, Superman punch and the Spear. Maybe add in a few more power moves and suplexes and he's there.

I do agree in a sense that ring work isn't everything. Stone Cold Steve Austin was hardly one of the most technical superstars of all time, but he was damn sure one of the most entertaining. Same goes with The Rock and Triple H (even though HHH definitely adapted his usual style at WM XXX, when he lost to Daniel Bryan).

Hopefully Jericho returns, turns heel and feuds with DB (providing his operation is successful), RVD and (most of all) Cesaro. That would be one hell of a feud. By the way, where's Christian? He disappeared quickly. He's not the best in the ring but he doesn't mind putting over young talent.

I was nine when Warrior beat Hogan. I had never seen Hogan lose up until then. It was a good time for a boy not buying into prayers and vitamins.

I know I am one the few who still talks about Benoit. I don't condone what he did, but I hate that McMahon wants to purge him from history. This is a guy who was the best I ever saw when it came to in-ring skill. I still enjoy his matches from time to time. The clinics he and Angle used to put on are second to none.

Getting back to reigns. The guy is missing the versatility to be the top guy. I forget who is was who said this, but to be the top guy you need two of the following three: the look, the ability, and the personality. Obviously, the top top guys have had all three. Austin did, Rock did, Shawn did, Taker did. Reigns has the look, no doubt. The other two are lacking. I did compare him to Batista for a reason. He needs what Batista had. Guidance. Batista got to sit back and learn from Flair and Hunter. I want to believe that this is why they have not split The Shield yet. The powers that be know that Roman is not ready to go it alone, at least not so they can salvage this push he has received.

There is nothing wrong with a stable being utilized. You mentioned Bam Bam and Taylor. Taylor needed someone who was both able to make him look good and willing to put him over. Bam Bam Bigelow was the perfect guy. Reigns needs a Bigelow, much like in ECW when Shane Douglas was the top guy for a while in Triple Threat with Bam Bam.

No, you don't need all the tools to draw and be entertaining, but you do need all the tools to be the top guy, and that is where Reigns seems to be headed. Maybe I am jaded because I saw true masters of their craft. Guys like Savage, Roberts, Perfect, DiBiase, etc. Ambrose has what they had. Rollins will be a main guy, but will never be a heel. There is a reason why guys like Steamboat and Hardy never get booed. Reigns' time isn't now.

You could put him in the ring with a bunch of wrestlers who understand psychology and use that to get Reigns to the top. But, the problem I see is that the WWE is lacking in that department. To me it seems that their style of wrestling is more of a spot fest than story telling. Off the top of my head, there are only a handful of active WWE wrestlers who understand this aspect of the business, and Hunter is one of them. This is why he switched from Bryan to The Shield. A lot of internet folk, it seems, are angry with Hunter because they feel he is hanging on Roman's spotlight. No, man. Hunter is trying to teach him. HHH hasn't won a feud since he became active again. He lost to Lesnar and he lost to Bryan.

If Roman reigns sits back and learns like Batista did, he will be ready for his main event push. However, he won't be ready for the Cena level until he develops a personality.

Yeah, what you wrote makes a lot of sense to me and parallels much of my own thinking. The only difference being that I rate Reigns as having slightly more personality and ability than you (but of course he is not there yet with either).

Interesting you mention Triple H in the same way I think of him. I think he gets a lot of unfair criticism from fans thinking he's all about putting himself over. That just is not true from my viewpoint. I think he's been really good at what he's done and when he's been asked to put somebody over he did it to the best of his ability. Look at how he put Batista over years ago. Triple H has always had all the tools too.

Benoit, I'm not sure what I'd have done in McMahon's position I'm really not. So I'll withhold judgment though I can understand those who are angry with him for it. He was truly outstanding in the ring. There was a great ladder match at one if the Royal Rumbles between him and Jericho and yes the matches with Angle and many more were incredible. He had that phenomenal intensity that made him seem so legit and he had honed his skill to such a degree that it was unreal.

I was tuning in towards the end of Warriors run so didn't see him topple Hogan at Mania VI. I came ever so slightly after and was therefore a huge Bret Hart fan as a kid. Of course at that age I didn't really appreciate just how good Bret Hart was. Runaway Drive, try to get your hands on Bret Hart vs Austin Wrestlemania 13 (or many other matches Austin was involved in pre-1998) to see Austin working an awesome match. He had to change his style significantly after his neck injury and actually had all his best years after but he had great skill in the ring and even later on could work a crowd like putty in his hands.

If anyone wants to know how good Austin was at the technical part of wrestling, watch his WCW days. Especially his stuff with Steamboat. Just keep in mind, he was never Kurt Angle good. But, he was very good in his own right.

Speaking of Steamboat and WCW, check out anything with him against Rick Rude. Amazing stuff.

Haven't actually seen Bret Hart vs Stone Cold in its entirety, just the blood loss pass out ending. Looking forward to watching all the full matches when WWE Network hits the UK. Hoping they put every Raw and SmackDown as well on there, but then I'd have less of a life than I do now

Forget about the network. Try Youtube. If that doesn't work, try Dailymotion. Why pay when it is free?

Better quality I suppose.

Just got back from WWE Live! A house show right here in my city. Really enjoyed it!

UFC 173 Results May 24th 2014

UFC Batamweight Championship: TJ Dillashaw Beat Renan Barao to win the UFC Batamweight Championship

Light Heavyweight Bout: Daniel Cormier Beat Dan Henderson

Welterweight Bout: Robbie Lawler Beat Jake Ellenberger

Bantamweight Bout: Takeya Mizugaki Beat Francisco Rivera

Lightweight Bout: James Krause Beat Jamie Varner

UFC 174 June 14th 2014

UFC Flyweight Championship: Demetrious Johnson (c) vs Ali Bagautinov

Welterweight Bout: Rory MacDonald vs Tyron Woodley

Light Heavyweight Bout: Ryan Bader vs Rafael Cavalcante

Heavyweight Bout: Andrei Arlovski vs Brendan Schaub

Light Heavyweight Bout: Ryan Jimmo vs Ovince St Preux

WWE Payback Results June 1st 2014

Kickoff Show Mask vs Hair Match: El Torito Beat Hornswoggle

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bad News Barrett(c) Beat Rob Van Dam

WWE United States Championship: Sheamus(c) Beat Cesaro

WWE Divas Championship: Paige(c) Beat Alicia Fox

No Holds Barred Elimination Match: The Shield Beat Evolution

Last Man Standing Match: John Cena Beat Bray Wyatt

Rusev Beat Big E

Rybaxel Beat The Brotherhood

WWE Money In The Bank June 29th 2014


Vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Alberto Del Rio vs Randy Orton vs Sheamus vs Cesaro vs Bray Wyatt vs Roman Reigns vs John Cena vs Kane

WWE Divas Championship: Paige(c) vs Naomi

WWE Tag Team Championship: The Usos(c) vs The Wyatt Family

Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose vs Kofi Kingston vs Dolph Ziggler vs Jack Swagger vs Rob Van Dam

Rybaxel vs Stardust and Goldust

Summer Rae vs Layla

Rollins went heel. I was hoping it would be Ambrose because he has crazy heel written all over him, but Rollins could be entertaining too. However, there is a reason why spot guys like Jeff Hardy have trouble getting booed.

Well the WWE can't help themselves, they want to rush through every angle and storyline. I thought the Shield had a little more legs and I thought it would be more effective if the break up was teased for a while as it was being teased earlier in the year when it didn't happen.

I'm also worried about what this means for a guy like Rollins who is likely to just be a pawn to the bigger storyline and then will not get pushed enough as a heel to get over. And how will he get over anyway when he is likely to be a crowd splitter with his high flying antics (as Anton alluded to).

Trying to look at the positive though, this was a genuine surprise! I too thought Ambrose would turn on the other two at some point. I really like how well Rollins has developed during this Shield run. He is excellent and would be nice to see him successful. He has the talent to work this heel turn but can he shake his natural allure to fans with his high flying style.

By the way, Payback was not a good event.

Last man standing should tell a great story, this one just used the peripheral characters to create a crazy spotfest. Did not like the pacing of the main event either, or the way Evolution collapsed after Rollins big spot (the same spot they used in the first match!). What the heck is going on with Sheamus and Cesaro! Both guys need to turn, it's not doing either any favours as they are.

So that leaves Wade Barrett/RVD, I enjoyed that match.

I have not paid for a PPV since the NWO was still fresh. I always figure why buy it when they give it away free?

But, I did get to see an ECW event for free somehow from my cable provider. It was Taz' last show with them. I still remember him losing and everyone, including me, were shocked. Then the whole locker room came out to show respect while the match stopped. Big thing. Then, I got to see his debut at the Royal Rumble, but I didn't pay for it. I remember two things from that event. His debut and Mae young doing what she did while I was eating. Thanks for ruining a good meal Mae. Appreciate it.