Posted in: Doctor's Orders
Doctor's Orders: WWE Month in Review (January 2015) - Addressing the Controversy, Celebrating the Greatness
By The Doc
Jan 27, 2015 - 6:42:26 PM


The Snowman is a genius




QUESTION OF THE DAY: If you believe that WrestleMania 31 will need to be saved, what do you think it will take to, logically, save it?

The following is a case study of WWE’s product for the month of January 2015.


Addressing the Controversy

The biggest topic of the month was the 2015 Royal Rumble match. The crowd, for a second straight year, turned on the match when Daniel Bryan was eliminated. Whether it be in opposition to the eventual victor, to the fact that the extremely popular underdog failed to emerge victorious, or to the WWE machine that is perceived as unwilling to listen to its most vocal sect of the fanbase, the people are once again up in arms after the second biggest PPV of the year.

I did NOT hate that Roman Reigns won the Rumble. I actually feel bad for the guy. Lost amidst all the talk of how ill prepared that he is for this push is how much he has actually improved since debuting at the 2012 Survivor Series. If you've read my columns and listened to my podcasts, then you're aware that I do not feel that his character has been handled well and do not particularly believe him to be fully ready for this monstrous push. However, I would be remiss if I did not point out that which I've been saying on "The Doc Says" for months: if another new star does not emerge as vastly more popular than Reigns, then WWE will likely feel compelled to "make Roman" by putting him over Brock. Even the biggest critic of Sunday night's decision cannot deny that someone has to take advantage of the fact that Brock Lesnar ended the Streak and mauled the top star of the last decade; the "heat transfer," as I've referred to it, simply must take place. Daniel Bryan has already been cemented (see WMXXX). Nobody else emerged with a strong enough case to veer away from Roman's upside. To miss this chance is to miss a golden opportunity.

Granted, you'd be perfectly sane to counter that it's a huge risk to go with Reigns before he is fully ready. I agree. But it's high risk, high reward. It's really all about how well Reigns responds to it all. His opponent at WrestleMania knows a thing or two about this situation. Brock was thrust into the spotlight as a once in a generation athlete when nobody truly knew whether or not he could be a once in a generation pro wrestler. He got the reaction opposite of that expected of him, too. It all worked out in the end. Even if Reigns gets booed out of the building in San Fran, he still holds one of the greatest kayfabe victories in WWE lore – beating the “one” in “21-1.”

I'm not saying that I love the decision, but I'm just saying that it's understandable from a particular point of view. Now, I'll sit back and see what they do with it. They knew this would likely happen. If I called it in a column just prior to Independence Day 2014, then surely they knew full well that this could happen. I'm guessing they've got a plan. This isn't 2014. Roman Reigns is not a guy who just showed up off the Hollywood set for the first time in 4 years veering WWE away from the obvious story of a current roster member that people want to see take down the top heel just to capitalize on momentum for a movie that's not even out for 6 months.

The unexpected in-studio Raw gave us a glimpse at the potential for what, all questions aside, is an undeniably fresh feud featuring a young and hungry new main-eventer. Paul Heyman has two months to shape public perception of this story. Roman Reigns will either sink or swim. If I had to grade the first Lesnar-Reigns interaction, I'd give it an “A.” It felt like a big deal.

Let's just see how it plays out…

Royal Rumble Review

The Royal Rumble PPV was a two match show on paper and in execution. However, like last year's Survivor Series, the event was memorable despite being thin on important happenings in the mid-card. The Royal Rumble match was another solid edition, joining a cast of current decade Rumbles that were worth a watch but little more. Bray Wyatt starred, Bubba Ray Dudley and Diamond Dallas Page were notable returning stars, and WWE tried to tell a story that allowed people to get over Bryan's elimination before Reigns last eliminated two giant turds and the Russian sympathesizer (though it didn't work). The Rock came back to lend credibility to his cousin and help him deal with eliminated giants. The crowd played a huge part in the proceedings just like in 2014. All in all, it was a good match (*** ¼). The undercard was about as bad as any Rumble in history, bar none, but one of the greatest triple threat matches in WWE lore made up for it. Seth Rollins confirmed his ascent to the main-event, putting forth a tremendous effort in defeat. He looked right at home in that environment. If anyone has emerged as the next Shawn Michaels since HBK hung up his boots, surely it's the Architect. Brock Lesnar was amazing. I will surely miss that guy when he's no longer around. The story of the match was excellently told by all involved – you take out the unstoppable monster champ and figure it out from there, only they poked an angry bear and it backfired (**** ½).

Considering all the talking points coming out of it, you’d have to call the Royal Rumble at least somewhat successful.

Match of the Month: Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble

When Samuel 'Plan, co-host of the Right Side of the Pond podcast on LOP Radio, said last week that he thought that the triple threat for the WWE title could be “the greatest triple threat match of all-time,” I rolled my eyes at the hyperbole. Well, silly me. I won't go as far as to say that it was the greatest, but I will easily echo the above sentiment that it was one of the greatest ever. It surely gives us an early Match of the Year candidate. I expect a lot of these types of matches from Seth Rollins when he starts competing in World title matches more frequently. The quality of storytelling and athleticism in his work is untouchable right now. CM Punk, in my opinion, carried on the HBK tradition of superiorly told, in-depth stories told in a WWE ring. Rollins has picked back up where Punk left off, yet he also has taken HBK's previously unmatched athleticism in the modern era to the next level. Then, you've got Brock Lesnar. He really is all of those intangibles that Paul Heyman describes. When WWE gets it right with him, Brock's matches are absolutely fascinating to watch. They bring something to the table that nobody else's matches do. Combining a great Lesnar performance with the determined arrival of Rollins to the next step of his career was a recipe for greatness.

The match was legitimately unpredictable, which aided its cause from the beginning. You can never count out John Cena; Rollins looked poised to take the title; Lesnar is Lesnar. Numerous moments throughout the 25-minute affair had you slowly rising from your seat in anticipation, only to send you exploding into fits of spasm when another false finish occurred. It was marvelously well executed.


Wrestler of the Month: Brock Lesnar

As tempted as I am to give the award to Seth Rollins, I want to make sure that I give credit to Brock. Part of what made the month of January so compelling was, indeed, Rollins being added to the title match at the Rumble. However, it was his interactions with Heyman and Lesnar that took it to the next level of interest. Rollins has been fantastic for the better part of a year. Lesnar is something of a different animal, though. It takes an extraordinary circumstance to engage him in the manner that he appeared to be engaged over the last few weeks. He got on the microphone more than usual, adding the bits of realism that I am so fond of to the proceedings. If I had to pick a word to describe his role this month, it would be “special.” It just felt special. Somewhere along the lines, he has become a very good storyteller, both while hyping his matches and while wrestling them. His body language and expressions are all on point; as if Heyman's words are permeating his thick skin and pushing him to excel that much more. That may be a Doc creation, but it is the impression that I get. In the ring, he holds nothing back. He could, but he doesn't. I appreciate that about him, especially in the days that follow a potentially all-time classic match at such an important event as the Rumble. We toss around the word “legacy” a lot as fans. Brock enhanced his legacy in the month of January 2015 and, as much as Rollins furthered his case as the best thing going today, Lesnar – when at his pro wrestling best – really is an attraction like no other.


February Predictions

The new WWE PPV, Fast Lane, is coming up in a few weeks and two major selling points have already been advertised: Sting and HHH in the same ring for a confrontation and John Cena taking on Rusev. I do not begin to know where the likes of Cena, Rollins, Bryan, Ambrose, Wyatt, and others will be in the month of March, but I can only assume that their roles at Fast Lane will build toward their grander appearances 5 weeks later. I would not be surprised to see the Cena vs. Rusev match be absolutely awesome. I have become a big fan of Rusev. He is a uniquely talented heavyweight. I would not be shocked if their match ended in a no contest or something of that sort, either, allowing the feud to build further to a WrestleMania climax. Bryan's story is not going away, so I will be genuinely curious to see how it is handled. I suspect that a heel will be tasked with drawing the ire of the fan base away from Roman Reigns being in the main-event. Rollins would be the perfect choice, in my opinion. If WWE wants to placate the sect of the fan base that hates the WWE title match, then I hope that they do not change the game plan and, instead, just book Rollins vs. Bryan (or something like it). The Architect blocking Bryan’s plan to work his way back to the top would give us an almost certain classic. They could also let Bryan tie up his loose ends with Sheamus. As much as the vocal minority might hate it, it’s difficult to deny the natural story there. Everyone else is a toss up..


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Wednesday evening at 5PM ET on "The Doc Says..."

The Doc looks back at the last few days - huge days - in WWE, starting with a 5-star Review of the 2015 Royal Rumble. He'll analyze the matches and their respective winners and set the tone for the remaining Road to WrestleMania 31. What matches can we expect? Joining The Doc will be his former co-host, Super Chrisss.

Check Out Wrestling Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with LordsofPain on BlogTalkRadio