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Welcome back to the "Excellence in Column Writing" by Mr. Tito exclusively here at LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com. Some of you asked me what I meant by "column's series finale" in my last column. Well, I was getting fed up watching WWE programming when I wrote that column with the pending MEGA PUSH of Roman Reigns, my review of Royal Rumble 2015 looked like a nice stopping point for writing columns specifically on WWE programming. There is only so many spoonfuls of WWE booking bullshit that I can choke down. I'm still upset what happened to CM Punk to cause him to walk out, the destructive booking of Daniel Bryan during 2013-2014 (he lost to Bray Wyatt AGAIN tonight on RAW), the depushing of Cesaro, and now the cooling down of Dean Ambrose to weaken him so that Roman Reigns could possibly get over. I've had it with the WWE! Weeks ago, the WWE appeared to be ready to push an inexperienced Roman Reigns to be the Top Guy through a probable win at Royal Rumble and then possibly beating Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31. Aside from his look, Reigns doesn't have much to offer at this juncture in his wrestling career. Maybe in a few years, he could be that Main Eventer that the WWE seeks to replace John Cena, but as of right now, he hasn't impressed with singles matches, struggles on the microphone, and is currently void of charisma or personality to carry the company as WWE Champion. That's my opinion and his cold receptions during his matches and even negative chants backs that up. I just don't see Reigns as a WWE Title holder that could draw and the same WWE Management (Vince McMahon, Triple H, & Kevin Dunn) who brought us blunders like Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Miz, and Sheamus are the ones backing up Reigns to be the next top guy. I just don't see it and I believe that fans will reject Reigns so early. Many might not realize this, but I write for FREE here at LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com and have always written for FREE. That's right... The many hours of writing columns and answering to your sometimes negative feedback has been 100% voluntary. Being honest here, the main reason why I suffer through 3 hours of RAW each week and still follow the WWE product is to write columns. It's becoming a chore to not only watch WWE programming but to force myself to write columns on it as well. I do NOT want to write negatively on the WWE. I love pro wrestling and I love interacting with you, the readers, which is why I have done it for 16+ years for FREE. But if the WWE doesn't want me as a fan, then I don't have to watch. If I don't watch, it's hard to justify being a columnist at the moment. I'm currently cheering on New Japan Pro Wrestling and Lucha Underground to become more accessible during 2015. In fact, I'm VERY happy for Alberto Del Rio joining Lucha Underground because he can show the legitimate in-ring talent that he actually has and not suffer from horrible heel/face flip flops and overpushes from WWE booking. I want to watch GOOD wrestling but the WWE isn't delivering. However - I'll have to admit that the thought of Seth Rollins being added to the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar Royal Rumble match has caused me to think... Maybe the WWE is rethinking Wrestlemania 31 for the better and NOT deciding to book the disaster known as Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns. Reigns just has no credibility to be believed for beating Brock Lesnar. Furthermore, Daniel Bryan is back... If the WWE avoids the Brock vs. Reigns disaster, they could have a better year ahead. If not, the WWE will set themselves back a few years due to pushing the WRONG GUY too fast. I'd argue that Reigns is the 3rd best former Shield member and that Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins should be pushed first and then Reigns. Reigns needs legitimate work as a singles wrestler and what better way to prove that then by drawing as an Intercontinental and US Title holder? Worked for Rock, Steve Austin, and John Cena... Why not Reigns? I'm watching the results of Royal Rumble 2015 and Wrestlemania 31 closely and will decide whether or not WWE is worth my time. I have so much stuff on Netflix, HBO, and Starz to watch, it's ridiculous. Many video games to play, too... Watching RAW for 3 hours and then spending 2 hours writing a column could be spent in better places. My free time is valuable with how hard I work along with spending time with family. The last thing I want is to be unhappy as a WWE fan and keep forcing myself to be Mr. Tito. For as much time as it takes to be Tito and for it being 100% voluntary, it's not worth the drama that it brings. I'll be watching what happens at Rumble closely and decide from there... With the way that the WWE has treated me as a fan, especially burning CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, and now Dean Ambrose, I will continue my self-imposed WWE Network boycott. Besides my time, which I can cut off, the WWE has only received money from me on 2 things for the past year (besides purchasing Royal Rumble 2014 on Pay Per View): Paul Heyman DVD and Macho Man Randy Savage DVD. Otherwise, WWE doesn't deserve my money until it can show me results. Push the right wrestlers, you know, the ones that the fans actually are rooting for and maybe I'll start to care more. Otherwise, I have better things to do, watch, or play. I strongly encourage WWE fans to speak with their wallets and their time or else suffer from the same old poorly booked product. Your choice. Please impress me at the Royal Rumble, WWE. Actual quotes from RAW tonight: "What kind of show are you running here?", said Kevin Nash. Triple H replied: "I'm so ashamed!" For the record, I marked out bigtime for STING when he suddenly appeared on Monday Night RAW for the first time. Blows my mind to see him finally appear on RAW. Brock Lesnar was excellent tonight and it was nice to see him take charge of his character. And holy shit, he gave back-to-back F5 slams on Kane and Big Show! Interesting change of character tonight as Lesnar was leaning babyface tonight. --------------------- Mr. Tito's PHAT ROYAL RUMBLE 2015 PREDICTIONS In the WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN format. The "WHO SHOULD" is my opinion, if I were in charge, while the "WHO WILL" is my official Royal Rumble prediction. ---------------------------------------------------- Pre-Rumble Match - Elimination Tag: Adam Rose/Cesaro/Tyson Kidd vs. the New Day I really don't care on this one. Cesaro is stuck in midcard hell and the New Day can't be taken seriously unless they flip the heel switch sometime soon. I'll be throwing down pizza during this match as I get ready to write my Royal Rumble review. WHO SHOULD WIN: Rose/Cesaro/Kidd, which Cesaro dominating. WHO WILL WIN: The New Day. Cesaro will probably get pinned first. ---------------------------------------------------- Natalya/Paige vs. the Bella Twins SMELL THE BUYRATES AND WWE NETWORK SUBSCRIPTIONS on this match. Wow... Talk about a piss break match for this big show. Let me reiterate how hilarious it was to see the WWE quickly give up on the Bella Twins breaking up. Their main selling point is that they are freakin' twins, even with Nikki surgically enhanced. WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN: Bella Twins. Not seeing too much in Natalya other than enhancement talent for the Divas Division, thus I'll go with the heels winning. ---------------------------------------------------- New Age Outlaws vs. the Ascension This match is actually happening! On RAW, the Ascension cut one of the worst promos ever on the New World Order (Nash, Hall, and Waltman) which prompted the APA and New Age Outlaws to join the segment and maul the Ascension. New Age Outlaws fired the first shot and with the help of JBL, helped to easily dispose of the Ascension. Now, we get a tag match. WHO SHOULD WIN: Didn't the New Age Outlaws win the Tag Titles recently? Seems like they still have the talent to succeed in tag team matches? WHO WILL WIN: The Ascension. That segment was pretty brutal towards the Ascension and the only way they could redeem themselves is with a win. We'll see... ---------------------------------------------------- WWE Tag Titles: Usos (c) vs. The Miz/Damien Sandow Pretty evident to me that the Miz and Damien Sandow will be breaking up here or at least lose in controversial fashion to cause an extended break-up. Through this stuntman gimmick, the WWE discovered that Sandow is full of personality and he easily overshadowed Miz. WWE has to realize that Miz is a midcarder at best no matter how many attempts they try to push him. Seriously, in this past year, they tried to see if he could stick as an Intercontinental Title contender, then as a US Title contender, and finally as a Tag Team wrestler. Guess what? Miz more opportunities to shine than most and yet he's not improving as a wrestler. However, Sandow was given a goofy stuntman gimmick and actually got over. WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN: The Usos. This will possibly set up a feud with the Ascension, I guess. Although if tonight's WWE Legends beatdown was any indicator for the Ascension, their WWE run might be short lived. Yikes. ---------------------------------------------------- WWE Title: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. John Cena I'll have to admit... I crapped all over the Seth Rollins addition to this match. Why? Well, John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar by itself is a draw and with the match series as 1-1-1, we need to see a definitive winner between Lesnar and Cena. However, their last 2 matches have been marginal at best. While SummerSlam had AWFUL BOOKING that made John Cena look incredibly bad, their follow-up match offered bad chemistry. Furthermore, Seth Rollins adds so many possibilities to this match that could change some momentum heading into Wrestlemania. Thus, I have to give WWE Creative Team some credit for changing things up. Everybody was expecting for the winner to simply go onto face Roman Reigns. Now, however, this match could create several Wrestlemania possibilities. WHO SHOULD WIN / WHO WILL WIN: I believe that John Cena wins this match. Why? I don't believe that the WWE, with Brock Lesnar about to rejoin UFC again, will let Lesnar have the edge over their top star. What I believe will happen is follows... (a) Referee gets knocked out. Rusev attacks John Cena and attempts to cost him the WWE Title, for whatever reason. This sets up Rusev vs. John Cena at Wrestlemania 31. (b) This causes Daniel Bryan to make the save, notably stopping Brock Lesnar from winning the match. In fact, Bryan hits the flying knee on Brock Lesnar and helps John Cena win the match! LATER, Brock Lesnar gets revenge and enters the Rumble match illegally to attack and eliminate Daniel Bryan. This sets up Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31. (c) John Cena wins the WWE Title but is attacked immediately by Brock Lesnar. Multiple F5 finishers hit. Seth Rollins then cashes in the Money in the Bank to easily become WWE Champion. This will then set up Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns and possibly Dean Ambrose to be added later. My prediction is that John Cena wins the match but Seth Rollins also cashes in the Money in the Bank briefcase to become WWE Champion. ---------------------------------------------------- The Rumble Match - 30 Wrestler Elimination Style Battle Royal Regardless of the year, the Rumble match is always a treat to watch. It's the most unique gimmick match ever created not just for the "sense of urgency" created by the prize of winning the Rumble (#1 Contendership for WWE Title at Wrestlemania), but because each of the 30 wrestlers arrive into the match at different random times. The countdown to each wrestler entrance creates amazing anticipation and allows the match to be fresh always. In addition, there are great stories to tell based on the order of the wrestler entrances. Furthermore, the Rumble lets many upper midcarders get brief moments with main eventers and allows them to shine. Not only does the winner of the Rumble get the prize, but the runners-up get noticed as well. Lots of backstage politics involving the winner of the Rumble this year. WWE Management (Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Kevin Dunn) reportedly want Roman Reigns to become the next WWE megastar. Fan reactions, particularly when Roman Reigns actually wrestles, have been lukewarm. However, the McMahon family runs the shows and they get who they want. Just see the recent years of Sheamus and Batista winning the Rumbles. It seems to me that the 3 choices to win are (a) Roman Reigns, (b) Dean Ambrose, (c) Rusev, or (d) Daniel Bryan. With Rusev, it depends on if John Cena walks out of the 3 way match with Rollins/Lesnar as WWE champion. However, I don't think this will happen... Dean Ambrose is a possibility to set-up the Rollins vs. Ambrose match we've been denied, but Ambrose has been damaged by WWE Creative. Thus, it's up to Reigns and Bryan to win it. Both could face Brock Lesnar but I believe that Roman Reigns is more logical to face Rollins, Cena, or Lesnar whereas Bryan's best match-up is Brock Lesnar. WHO SHOULD WIN: Who "should" win all depends on who wins between Seth Rollins, John Cena, and Brock Lesnar. If Rollins wins and/or cashes in the Money in the Bank briefcase, then the logical case can be made that either Shield member should win. If John Cena wins then, in my opinion, Roman Reigns is a strong candidate because I see him growing as a babyface with adult fans if he defeats John Cena. But if Brock Lesnar is WWE Champion at Wrestlemania, in my opinion, Roman Reigns is a DISASTER as an opponent for Lesnar. I would rather go with Daniel Bryan as the opponent but I don't think WWE would let Daniel Bryan win back-to-back Wrestlemanias to become WWE Champion. If Lesnar retains the WWE Title, IN MY OPINION, the absolute best match-up for Brock Lesnar is Randy Orton. Orton has the best and most credible offense to make it appear that he could actually defeat Brock Lesnar (RKO, DDT through the rope, and the punt kick). Bryan sets up "David vs. Goliath", but I'm sorry, I can never believe that a man of Bryan's size could ever defeat Brock Lesnar in a real fight. WHO WILL WIN: I believe that WWE sticks with their plan of Roman Reigns winning the Rumble to set up a Shield Triple Threat at Wrestlemania 31. Rollins will cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase, I believe, to allow Rollins to be WWE Champion heading into Wrestlemania 31 and Reigns beating his former Shield partner for the WWE Title is far more logical than defeating Brock Lesnar. Daniel Bryan will get eliminated when Brock Lesnar invades the match and attacks him! ---------------------------------------------------- Thus, Wrestlemania 31 will shape up nicely to look like: - John Cena vs. Rusev - Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE Title: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose - Undertaker (if healthy) vs. Bray Wyatt - Triple H vs. Sting As long as we don't get Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar, Wrestlemania 31 has the makings of a great show! Still, pushing Roman Reigns to become a top guy in 2015 worries me about the long-term health of the WWE. SO JUST CHILL... 'TIL THE NEXT EPISODE! Comments and feedback are welcome. Follow and Tweet me @titowrestling or login in below to post comments. © Mr. Tito and LordsofPain.net/WrestlingHeadlines.com - 1998-2015
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