2013 had some ups and downs when it comes to professional wrestling and while it would take multiple articles to cover the good, bad, and the ugly for all promotions, including international and the independent scene as a whole, I'm just going to provide my personal wishlist for 2014.
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Daniel Bryan gets the babyface push that he has deserved since WWE Payback 2013
2013 ended with Daniel Bryan joining The Wyatt Family, only for him to revert back to being a babyface last week on Monday Night RAW. While the masses are wondering why WWE scrapped the storyline so soon, they really didn't have a choice at this stage. Daniel Bryan was still insanely over as a babyface, despite the fact that he was dressed as a janitor while posing as one of the Wyatts, and there was nothing WWE could do to convince audiences otherwise. WWE has spent the latter half of 2013 trying to bury Daniel Bryan but he cannot be ignored. WWE just need to give everyone what they want and to give him a strong push in the main event scene that we were denied after WWE Payback.Sadly, with the reports of a concussion received during last Monday's Steel Cage main event, it seems like Daniel Bryan's legendary rise to the top will be postponed yet again.
SEVERAL midcarders need to break the glass ceiling - especially Kofi Kingston, Antonio Cesaro, Damien Sandow, and Dolph Ziggler.
After his wins against both WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and Alexander Rusev this week, it seems that Kofi Kingston is on the rise of a push. It really seems like odd timing for it around WrestleMania season, but I'm sure he's sick of being in the same position he has been in the company for over the last 7 years.Antonio Cesaro has brought his Giant Swing theatrics into WWE over the course of 2013 and has wowed audiences around the WWE Universe with it. If that wasn't enough, he has had Match of the Year caliber matches with Sami Zayn on NXT and has found himself in contendership for the WWE Tag Team Championship with his partner, Jack Swagger, on multiple occasions. Why WWE continues to allow him to never win when it matters is a mystery. Even CM Punk is baffled on why this Superstar hasn't been pushed to the moon.
Damien Sandow looked to win the World Heavyweight Championship from a returning John Cena, but failed to capitalize on his Money in the Bank cash-in. What most of the IWC doesn't realize is that Cena didn't squash him in that loss. Cena clearly put Sandow over as a solid competitor to his championship. Sadly, WWE failed to allow Sandow to bounce back from this loss as he has been suffering the same fate as Dolph Ziggler - losing constantly as he is slowly being brushed underneath the rug.
Dolph Ziggler was on cloud nine for the beginning of 2013 as he feuded with his ex-girlfriend AJ Lee and former bodyguard, Big E Langston. Sadly after halfway into the summer, WWE decided that he wasn't able to draw, despite his continued support from the fans and started burying him left and right with a string of losses. We're already about three weeks into 2014 and Ziggler is already sidelined with another concussion injury that is expected to sideline him and force him to miss the Royal Rumble.
A little less focus on the past, and more focus on the present in terms of generating interest and excitement
Cool, Hulk Hogan and WWE have come to an agreement. If we have learned anything from TNA's dealings with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff is that too many old has-beens in one company doesn't draw ratings, it kills ratings. I'm not against having Legends and former Superstars/Divas returning, but only if they want to help put over the next generation. All of this crap where Legends are trying to come back to relive their glory days should be kept to a minimum. That's why events like Old School RAW have little to no impact behind them because the Legends and former Superstars/Divas are always around anyway so it loses its significance.
AJ Lee loses the Divas Championship
It's the same experiment that needs to happen that proved CM Punk's worth after losing the gold to The Rock last year. Your true measure of success in this business is how popular you are without a title around your waist. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk have proven that without a shadow of a doubt. Will AJ Lee's bandwagon, yet delusional fans still continue to support her when she doesn't have the title or will they move onto the next best thing? It's do or die time, folks. She has already shattered Maryse's record as longest reigning Divas Champion of all-time after doing next to nothing for the last 6+ months. I want to see AJ get pushed to her limits and lose. Losing forces wrestlers to come back stronger and hungrier than before. Right now, it's clear that she's gotten comfortable and lazy with her ringwork.With rumors of Emma and Paige heading to the main roster, it's clear that AJ Lee's days as champion are numbered. If she doesn't get dethroned by one of the Total Divas' cast members (preferably Naomi or Natalya), then it's a guarantee that she will be dethroned by one of those two.
WWE finds a consistent creative direction for BOTH WWE Tag Team and Divas Divisions
Without a shadow of a doubt, the Rhodes Brothers (Cody Rhodes and Goldust) have been pulling on five star matches in almost every contest that they have been involved in, but it's a damn shame that WWE has roughly 6 teams, but you would think they only have 2 with the way that the Rhodes Brothers have been constantly fighting just The Shield and The Real Americans for the last two months. Los Matadores have been almost completely absent shortly after their debut, Primetime Players' push has evaporated completely, The Wyatt Family is more concerned with the same formula that The Shield was doing since their 2012 debut than the tag titles, and The Usos are slowly picking up momentum. I hope The Usos don't lose this momentum after picking up that impressive win against The Wyatt Family last week.I have already expressed my concerns over the reigning Divas Champion above, but the sad part that many WWE Diva fans don't realize is that the reigning champion is a reflection of the division they reign over. So to the people who say the "other" Divas aren't on AJ Lee's level need to think about the following statement. Your beloved AJ Lee is merely a captain of a sinking ship, who is too full of herself to either order the evacuation or order the repairs to keep the ship afloat. WWE had a great storyline with Kaitlyn and AJ Lee last year. Why can't they do angles like this for the WWE Divas on a constant basis that lead to strong matches for everyone of the Divas involved?
Make me give a damn who is holding the Intercontinental and/or United States Championships
The United States Championship is reduced to merely keeping Dean Ambrose's pants up while The Shield's horny fangirls pray for the day when those same pants drop off for them... I know the guy is talented, but it's just a bit odd that he doesn't have to defend this title at all. Either get rid of it or have it unified with the Intercontinental Championship if they aren't going to do anything with it.
Big E Langston has recently won the Intercontinental Championship from Curtis Axel - which was long overdue. Axel fell off the radar almost immediately after Heyman's feud with Punk fizzled out. Big E Langston needs an opponent (or many) to push him to the next level and make people care about this championship again. If I were to suggest anyone, it would easily be Mark Henry, but he is currently sidelined with yet another injury. That's why The Big Show is taking his spot in the upcoming match against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble.
John Cena Challenges The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX and Ends The Streak
I know the bulk of the IWC will fume with rage at this entry on my wishlist.
I don't care about The Undertaker's streak at this point. It has completely taken over what WrestleMania is about over the last 5+ years. Why does everyone want Sting to come back and challenge The Streak at this stage is complete mystery to me as that would be a bigger insult to those who have challenged it in the past, especially those like Kane, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels, who have failed to end it on multiple occasions. If Brock Lesnar challenges The Streak, then you can guarantee without a shadow of a doubt that will be The Undertaker's last match, due to how stiff Lesnar works since his return from his UFC career. The Undertaker losing to a part-timer or returning has-been would be yet another spit in the face of the current generation of WWE Superstars, showing that there's no hope for the future.
On a lot of levels, it HAS to be John Cena who finally puts him down. John Cena is this generation's Hulk Hogan and face of the current WWE product. It would symbolically pass the torch and finally close the book on the "End of an Era" that was supposed to end after Triple H vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVIII.
Sting to induct The Ultimate Warrior into Hall of Fame Class of 2014
It would be more than appropriate to have The Ultimate Warrior's friend that he entered the business with induct him into the Hall of Fame. Much like how Impact Wrestling allowed Ric Flair to come to WWE for a Hall of Fame ceremony while he was still under contract and WWE did the same when Christian returned to TNA to do the same for a segment, it would continue to show the IWC that both WWE and TNA don't have any ill will and wish to pay tribute to the "Creme of the Crop"... Speaking of the creme...
"Macho Man" Randy Savage to be inducted into Hall of Fame Class of 2014
I know that Savage himself didn't want to be inducted unless the Poffo family were inducted into the Hall of Fame together as a group, but if WWE can erase their bad blood with The Ultimate Warrior then now is the time to do with the memory of Randy Savage.
No Celebrity Involved in any Bullshit Matches at WrestleMania XXX
No Maria Menounos, no Snooki, no Floyd "Money" Mayweather... and while we're at it, get a musical guest that people actually like instead of one that's going to be booed out of the building by wrestling fans.All of the remaining WWE Divas are added to the cast of Total Divas
I know this isn't going to happen but it's wishful thinking. My main desire for wanting this to occur is that it would shut up all of the people who act like they don't want to lower themselves to watch reality television. HELLO! YOU ARE WATCHING A WRESTLING SHOW! Get the fuck over yourself. Professional wrestling is just as much as a work as reality TV is. Hell, without wrestling there wouldn't be reality TV. Sheesh, you would think people would understand this by now. Additionally, I would like to see all of the Divas on this show for more exposure. We barely know the current crop of WWE Divas as it is and it would be a great outlet to learn more about the newer Divas on a personal level. If Total Divas hasn't done anything else, it has given that entire cast of girls on that show a personality and character that they were not allowed to share with the WWE Universe otherwise. Excuse me if I don't have time to sit back, study and worship every single one of the WWE roster's interviews on WWE app or follow them on Twitter. If some Divas don't feel like doing a full-time commitment to the show, they can do some on and off appearances and leave the full-time commitments to the bulk of the cast from the original season.
The Divas Championship to be defended at WrestleMania XXX
I know WWE hasn't recovered from that travesty that was Melina vs. Ashley Massaro at WrestleMania XXIII, but it's about time that the Divas Championship be represented in some fashion at the grandest stage of them all. The current crop of WWE Divas deserve a platform to perform after using last year's spot as a work (read: staged drama) for Total Divas.If it were up to me, I would like to see a Divas Champion vs. NXT Women's Champion match between the two reigning champions at the time with all of the WWE Divas and NXT Divas at ringside as lumberjills.
Better Finishers on NXT
I know this is a bit much to ask, but I'm starting to feel like we're in the '70s and '80s of WWF where wrestlers' finishers on NXT are normal moves. For example, take "The Bulgarian Brute" Alexander Rusev's finisher. It's a regular Camel Clutch. I would like to think that WWE has evolved past the point that almost every international heel Superstar has this move as a finisher. Then take Tyler Breeze. His finisher, the Beauty Shot, is a running spinning wheel kick. Candice Michelle used that briefly as a finisher before adopting Christian's Unprettier as her Candy Wrapper finisher. Seeing Breeze face Neville this past week on NXT was a bit underwhelming when he doesn't have a "flashy" finisher to go for. We can't forget CJ Parker who has a freakin' high five to the face, which for the most part I'm guessing is a poor man's Shotei, or Leo Kruger who has the good ol' fashioned Arn Anderson spinebuster that both Robert Roode and Triple H have been using as signatures for the last few years. For a big guy, you would think someone like Alexander Rusev would have something more devastating. That Samoan Drop he did on Kofi Kingston a few weeks back was a good start, but c'mon I would like to see some more imagination go into finishers for people on the NXT roster that sets them apart from the rest of the WWE roster. Hell, even The Great Khali barely pulls out that stupid karate chop and cranium crush as finishers anymore, so that tells you something.Paige had the right idea initially with the Cradle DDT before they changed the RamPaige to the Paige Turner that she currently uses. I don't have a problem with Adrian Neville's Red Arrow as no one else can do that and it definitely sets him apart from the rest of the high flyers in WWE.
Sami Zayn and Leo Kruger to move to the main WWE roster
With talks already buzzing about Paige, Lana, and Alexander Rusev moving to the main roster after Emma's debut in the crowds of both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night Smackdown!, I can't help but wonder how long WWE is going to keep holding these two phenomenal talents on NXT.Sami Zayn could possibly overshadow Daniel Bryan's career if they push him too fast to the main roster, but I fear that they cannot contain him in NXT beyond this year. As for Leo Kruger, I would rather see him as a Heyman Guy than Curtis Axel and Ryback.
Find a direction for the NXT Tag Team Division
As it stands, the tag team division consists only of The Ascension after The Wyatt Family moved to the main roster and the team of Graves and Neville split. You can't even call Camacho and Hunico a tag team when they are on the main roster most of the time. On top of that, everyone and their grandma knows that Hunico is the current Sin Cara (botch free).
TNA signs more women to the Knockouts division
Currently, the Knockouts division has been hit pretty hard with the departures of Mickie James and Tara, while Taryn Terrell is sidelined with her pending pregnancy. Madison Rayne has recently returned in a feud against Gail Kim while Lei'D Tapa has an on and off again rivalry with ODB. Velvet Sky and Brooke Tessmacher are around but aren't doing anything for the division. Velvet Sky is caught up in the middle of Chris Sabin and Austin Aries' feud in the X-Division and that's necessarily not a bad thing. It's good for the time being, but I want to see more faces in this division like it was when it first debuted.There were a lot of welcome additions that would love to see grace the Knockouts division on a regular basis that were featured on the One Night Only PPVs over the past year, such as Ivelisse (who is currently part of SHINE's Valkyrie faction), Santana Garrett (who has had tryouts for both WWE and TNA over the past year, so it's just a matter of time before she is offered a contract), Candice LaRae (who was one of the indy girls who accepted Gail Kim's open challenge), and my personal favorite, Cheerleader Melissa/Alissa Flash (currently RWR Women's Champion and SHIMMER Champion).
Reinvigorate the X-Division
As of this writing, both Chris Sabin and Austin Aries have the spotlight on themselves with no one else seem to be stepping up. Kenny King hasn't been seen for week and it's up in the air if he's still with the company or not. I have heard nothing but good things about Rockstar Spud from my friends in the UK, so I want to see this for myself. I wouldn't mind him working the X-Division part-time when he's not doing Dixie Carter's grunt work.Reinvigorate the TNA Tag Team Division
TNA capitalizing on WWE's mistake and signing the American Wolves from Ring of Honor was a wise decision and a step in the right direction. I really hope TNA doesn't plan on keeping the Tag Team titles on Bro Mans for a long time. You would think Bad Influence would have stepped up to dethrone them by now, seeing that they are the only tag team left at this point, other than Eric Young and Joseph Park.
Push Samoa Joe as a main eventer again
This has been LONG overdue. I don't know why Samoa Joe has been reduced to chicken fodder to the bulk of the roster, but that needs to change in 2014. Fans need a reason to start chanting "Joe's Gonna Kill You" again.End the Joseph Park/Abyss angle
Either bring Abyss back 100% or get the fuck out of here. We are well past the point of a payoff for the sheer stupidity and silliness of this angle. I get that we have to have the comedy relief with Eric Young, but I wouldn't mind seeing him, Abyss, and ODB go full heel and see where it goes.One of TNA's biggest mistakes was completely dropping Eric Young's heel turn prior to Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff joined the company, then immediately reverting him back to a goofball. I think if him and ODB seriously took a heel turn and had the reawakened Abyss underneath their control, that would be a stable to be feared.
If Magnus truly is going to be the future of TNA, then he shouldn't have the entire locker room of Dixie's cronies to bail him out of potentially losing title matches
During the AJ Styles match, I could understand why that happened from a storyline perspective, but on the other hand, it was a bit of overkill. There was so much interference that Magnus wasn't even allowed an opportunity to show off what he could do in the ring or even could show off if he could hang with a talent like AJ Styles. Hell, he didn't even finish Styles off to win. Roode hit the finisher on Styles and laid him out on the canvas like a dinner plate just for Magnus to reap the rewards. TNA, this was the #1 thing people complained about Samoa Joe's title reign - tons of bullshit endings/finishes to title matches and he was rarely given the opportunity to show his worth as a champion outside of the the feud with Kurt Angle.
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