Watching WWE for so long makes me wonder about the many troubles certain titles have, depending on the storylines that is currently going on. One title that comes into mind is the WWE United States Championship. Now, just to make this clear, the title has a rich history from the NWA days and the WCW days and we are talking about the WWE version of the title.
Reactivated in 2003, the title proved to be the title that every Smackdown superstar at the time wanted to wear proudly, with Eddie Guerrero winning the title and becoming the first WWE United States Champion (having winning the WCW United States Championship when he was in WCW) and we've seen some great matches for the title and it was on par, if not just a bit more over the I.C. Championship. And I can say one time that Booker T won the United States Championship right here in my city of Reno.
But now, in 2013, I wonder what happened to the once great title with such a rich history. I have nothing against Kofi and his current reign but why have him as champion? He was just defeated in a tag team match against the Shield and he's the current champion. Antonio Cesaro held the title since Summerslam of last year and he has that power, that ability to be a great heel champion and it lasted for a long time before losing to Kofi. We haven't seen the U.S. Title held that long since Shelton Benjamin held the title back in 2008 and when MVP won it in 2007. I'm just saying that a title can become much more important when you have the right superstars and have the right amount of feuds into it. While Cesaro won matches, he also lost matches for large amounts of time and that's when you start questioning if the title means anything anymore.
When a title doesn't even have a match on Wrestlemania, you have to wonder what is going on with the title itself and if it's worth the time anymore. I can recall some really good matches in the past and people were loving the title. I even remember when John Cena won it at Wrestlemania XX and that was the first match of the night and people were on their feet. I remember when Carlito debuted and defeated John Cena and became the champion on his first night on Smackdown. We can have great matches and really good feuds if you elevate it towards the level of a true championship. But recently, it's like the title doesn't exist sometimes.
And what about our I.C. Championship? What about Wade Barrett? Nothing against Barrett but again, I questioned what happened after Wrestlemania. Miz won the title before the actual show and then, the next night, lose it back to Barrett. I grew up for thirteen years with the very title Barrett holds right now and yet this is what we are getting? Some great matches for the title was held during my time. Who could forget when Eddie Guerrero came back in 2002 and had a great feud with RVD for the title? We had some great matches for the title and Cody Rhodes brought back the old school white strap title design when he felt that the title didn't mean anything anymore. But is that really the case now?
I can remember a time when the I.C. Title was a sign that a superstar is that good enough to be the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion. Some of the best of the business held the title would go on to at least win one of the major titles. But really, it comes down to who is holding it and how good they make the title. Barrett has the talent but people find him bland to what he promised he would do and again suffered much how Cesaro suffered when he was U.S. Champion in where he would lose his matches as well. Long strands of matches lost. When WWE came to my city back in October, Barrett got a decent reaction and that was before he won the title two months later. A heel needs to win matches, not lose them every show they appear on. What's the point of a champion if you continue to lose the matches your in?
In short, both titles have a great history with some of the greatest matches in WWE history. But now, it seems that both titles need some kick start once again and it takes that right superstar to kick the title back into a place where people will cheer again. While both (currently) Kingston and Barrett are good, you have to have that right person to hold the title and see it become that much better. If we had Cesaro hold on to the title, who knows what could've happened after that. But after what we've seen with Langston and even Ambrose, could we see a change with the title picture for the U.S. Championship? And what about Barrett? Who will step up to face and take down Barrett next to cement their legacy for the title? I just hope that we can save the legacy of both the United States and the Intercontinental Championship.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Thirteen Part I: Censor with Mercy
Now is a good time as ever to really get into wrestling. I've been watching WWE for thirteen years and after some debating, I decided that now is a good chance to really talk more about what I liked growing up now that I'm older. So, there will be thirteen parts to this, talking about every year I've watched wrestling, from the house shows I can remember attending and most of all, my top three matches from that year that really stood out to me. Hop that anyone who reads this can enjoy something that I've been watching for so many years.
I: Censor with Mercy
Age: 8
Year: 2000
Hard to believe that my journey as a wrestling fan started in 2000. Well towards the end of the Attitude Era and close to the demise of WCW, I have no idea as to what is going on right now. Before anything, I did watch some wrestling here and there way before (my dad can always remember Sting for some reason). But to really pinpoint where I started watching wrestling, it would be before No Mercy 2000, where Kurt Angle defeated The Rock to become the WWF Champion. At this time, I was interested and this slowly started to build towards something I would love. Little by little, I started to know who Austin was, who Triple H was, who Angle, Taker, everyone at that time was. This was a time where I was just a interesting fan of this unknown show on television.
This was also around the time I was introduced to my first stable that I hated: The Right to Censor. There was no DX or nWo for me since hell, I started late watching wrestling. But these guys, man, I just hated them (however, while annoying, their theme song went to a nice little beat). At this point, you can see how sad this was for me to start at a time where everything was dying down from the Monday Night Wars that happened way before. But, as I said before, a fan of the sport has to start somewhere. It was also a time where I found out about Eddie Guerrero during Survivor Series of that year.
As the year came to a close, it took one match to really get me into it WWF at the time and this was the start of a ride I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
Top Three Matches of 2000
3. The Rock vs. Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship - No Mercy 2000
This was my first PPV match that I saw ever. This was pretty much what made me like The Rock and hate Angle at this time because of the way Angle won the title. At this point, I can at least know who the faces are and who the heels are and this was a good way for me to at least start my appreciation of wrestling as a whole.
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H - Survivor Series 2000
Now, from what my 8 year old brain could understand at this point is that Triple H was the mastermind behind the attack on Austin that sidelined him the previous year. I liked this match because at the time, it provided me with a chance to think that something from the previous year would come into ahead the next year. This match would be one of the many matches that would lead me to understand that to really like the present, you must look back in the past.
1. Armageddon Hell in the Cell Match for the WWF Championship - Armageddon 2000
This was the match of the small year for me because we had 6 men inside this large cage, trapped inside (not for very long mind you) in the hopes to leave Satan's Playground as the WWF Champion. The moment where Undertaker threw Rikishi off the cage into a truck was the highlight for me for the year. Even after only watching wrestling for such a few months, I felt so amazed at what was going on at the time and I was hooked. By the time 2001 rolled around, I was introduced to even more matches and something I always joke about on The Rant: The InVasion.
I: Censor with Mercy
Age: 8
Year: 2000
Hard to believe that my journey as a wrestling fan started in 2000. Well towards the end of the Attitude Era and close to the demise of WCW, I have no idea as to what is going on right now. Before anything, I did watch some wrestling here and there way before (my dad can always remember Sting for some reason). But to really pinpoint where I started watching wrestling, it would be before No Mercy 2000, where Kurt Angle defeated The Rock to become the WWF Champion. At this time, I was interested and this slowly started to build towards something I would love. Little by little, I started to know who Austin was, who Triple H was, who Angle, Taker, everyone at that time was. This was a time where I was just a interesting fan of this unknown show on television.
This was also around the time I was introduced to my first stable that I hated: The Right to Censor. There was no DX or nWo for me since hell, I started late watching wrestling. But these guys, man, I just hated them (however, while annoying, their theme song went to a nice little beat). At this point, you can see how sad this was for me to start at a time where everything was dying down from the Monday Night Wars that happened way before. But, as I said before, a fan of the sport has to start somewhere. It was also a time where I found out about Eddie Guerrero during Survivor Series of that year.
As the year came to a close, it took one match to really get me into it WWF at the time and this was the start of a ride I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
Top Three Matches of 2000
3. The Rock vs. Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship - No Mercy 2000
This was my first PPV match that I saw ever. This was pretty much what made me like The Rock and hate Angle at this time because of the way Angle won the title. At this point, I can at least know who the faces are and who the heels are and this was a good way for me to at least start my appreciation of wrestling as a whole.
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H - Survivor Series 2000
Now, from what my 8 year old brain could understand at this point is that Triple H was the mastermind behind the attack on Austin that sidelined him the previous year. I liked this match because at the time, it provided me with a chance to think that something from the previous year would come into ahead the next year. This match would be one of the many matches that would lead me to understand that to really like the present, you must look back in the past.
1. Armageddon Hell in the Cell Match for the WWF Championship - Armageddon 2000
This was the match of the small year for me because we had 6 men inside this large cage, trapped inside (not for very long mind you) in the hopes to leave Satan's Playground as the WWF Champion. The moment where Undertaker threw Rikishi off the cage into a truck was the highlight for me for the year. Even after only watching wrestling for such a few months, I felt so amazed at what was going on at the time and I was hooked. By the time 2001 rolled around, I was introduced to even more matches and something I always joke about on The Rant: The InVasion.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The FMW/Y2Jant Origins
The power of both video games and wrestling can go hand in hand. For quite a few years, I've been using Fullmetalwwant and Y2Jant to express who I am, both as a wrestling fan and a gamer. But sometimes, a few people ask me how and why did I create such names in the first place. Just for now, I will share with you how these names came to be and why they have a strong connection with me for all these years.
Depending on who you are, Fullmetalwwant has been my gamer tag since I first created it many years ago when joining Xbox Live. The story behind the name is something anime fans should know (or even from a certain movie). My first taste of anything anime related would be Full Metal Alchemist and one day while thinking of joining Gamespot, I decided to create something based on the anime, thus making the Fullmetal part. The other part was just a young me declaring a war with ants, thus, war with ants, or wwant. Combined the two and Fullmetalwwant was born. Plus, it's funny how the online gaming community try to call me during games.
Y2Jant on the other hand started as something that I didn't knew I was going to be apart of something so big. The year is 2008 and just before Wrestlemania 24, I was on Myspace (I know, I'm old school like that) and Double A was hosting a Wrestlemania 24 show, talking about everything related to the big event that day (plus the infamous caller who said he was friends with John Cena) so it was on that night I had to create a name that at least can be related to wrestling in some shape. I decided on three things that night:
1. The name can be related to Chris Jericho, coming back to the WWE in November of 2007, hence using Y2J in my name.
2. That it should maybe use my name in a way, Antonio so using ant in the name.
3. To show support to Double A in some way.
So, quickly I created Y2Jant, combining Jericho as one of my favorite wrestlers, my name and the support of The Rant. And for 5 years, I've held the name proudly. So there you go, a little inside as to why I created my gaming/wrestling names. Not only for the love of the games and anime I watch, but also for the love of wrestling and the support of a show.
Depending on who you are, Fullmetalwwant has been my gamer tag since I first created it many years ago when joining Xbox Live. The story behind the name is something anime fans should know (or even from a certain movie). My first taste of anything anime related would be Full Metal Alchemist and one day while thinking of joining Gamespot, I decided to create something based on the anime, thus making the Fullmetal part. The other part was just a young me declaring a war with ants, thus, war with ants, or wwant. Combined the two and Fullmetalwwant was born. Plus, it's funny how the online gaming community try to call me during games.
Y2Jant on the other hand started as something that I didn't knew I was going to be apart of something so big. The year is 2008 and just before Wrestlemania 24, I was on Myspace (I know, I'm old school like that) and Double A was hosting a Wrestlemania 24 show, talking about everything related to the big event that day (plus the infamous caller who said he was friends with John Cena) so it was on that night I had to create a name that at least can be related to wrestling in some shape. I decided on three things that night:
1. The name can be related to Chris Jericho, coming back to the WWE in November of 2007, hence using Y2J in my name.
2. That it should maybe use my name in a way, Antonio so using ant in the name.
3. To show support to Double A in some way.
So, quickly I created Y2Jant, combining Jericho as one of my favorite wrestlers, my name and the support of The Rant. And for 5 years, I've held the name proudly. So there you go, a little inside as to why I created my gaming/wrestling names. Not only for the love of the games and anime I watch, but also for the love of wrestling and the support of a show.
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