I’m sure by now we all know the story of Ted DiBiase, from his lackluster and forgettable first run, to his unpredictable career resurgence where he went toe to toe with the likes of The Undertaker on his way to becoming XWL World Champion for the first time. They could make a nice compilation DVD on his career thus far and I’m sure his legions of fans dubbed “The DiBiase Posse” would scramble to buy it and little kids will collapse in store aisles in a fit of tears upon finding that their stock of DiBiase’s Journey (a working title) was sold out as their mothers struggle to sooth them while crying themselves because they wanted a copy too.
But I digress, the whole point was to illustrate that DiBiase is popular amongst the fans and they all (read: mostly) want to see him back in XWL with a real contract. This struggle has frustrated them to the point where they’ve called for the death of Vickie Guerrero and her lackey Shawn Michaels, and they all collectively feel the pain of Ted as he battles to gain his contract back so he can go back to doing what he loves more than everything in the world. I used to be in that same boat, but then I jumped shipped when I realized that I was just blindly agreeing with the masses without taking a moment to think things over for myself. Once I did that I realized one thing: Ted DiBiase can’t come back like this.
Everybody wants to see the Cinderella ending where Ted overcomes the odds and finally wins his contract back. The people will cheer, confetti will fall, Cody will cry in a corner and Ted will play a celebratory game of Monopoly. But that’s not what I want to see, Ted needs to take a step back, think things over for a week or two or even a month or two and then try to get his contract again, and I have two reasons why I believe taking some time away would be the best course right now.
One of the reasons is because for all the fighting that DiBiase has done he doesn’t seem to want things badly enough, or rather he isn’t completely willing to do what it takes. Case in point: him not defeating Vickie Guerrero and instead letting time trickle away until Shawn Michaels came to make the decision for him. Why didn’t he do it? Because of his morals. It would appear that DiBiase forgot the battle he had with security guards when he first showed up to XWL announced. Are there no female security personnel in the world? Did Ted have time to see who had breasts and who didn’t when he was fighting them off? Probably not, but he didn’t seem concerned about that then. In any case Vickie is hardly a fragile woman that he tried to make her out to be to strengthen his point.
Men like Undertake and Triple H have hit their finishers on women before and no one thinks any less of them for doing it, and no one (with sense) was going to argue with Ted for giving Vickie what she had coming to her on the road to getting his contract. Besides, where were his morals when he was letting Maryse do as she pleased just so he could hit that at night?
The other reason Ted shouldn’t come back right now is because he’s become jaded and let all of the the snide remarks, complaints and hate get to him and it’s changed to the not-so-jolly Ted that the people originally fell in love with, to the super serious guy we have now. The people have stuck with him thus far, but only out of habit and they may not see the change he’s gone through until it’s too late and they feel the effects of it. They’re like the people who still watch a show even though it jumped the shark two seasons ago but are unwilling to let go and try something new in the hopes that things will improve, though they rarely do aside from a few flashes of past greatness every now and then. Ted needs to step back and remember who he really is and who he used to be because that’s the guy I want to see back in the company, not the man he’s turning into.
Ted could come back today and I wouldn’t complain, though I can’t say I would like it. He hasn’t shown that he
wants it missing opportunities that he shouldn’t have and then pleading for another, and then there’s the fact that he completely different, and not in the way we’d want.
Who’s been getting on each other’s nerves lately? Eddie Guerrero vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin Eddie wants to be the man who opens up Stone Cold’s eyes to the “true” fans but striking the Rattlesnake with a chair isn’t the best way to get him on your side.
Mankind vs. The RockMankind wants to break The Great One, and he may have done just that by spoiling Rocky’s championship dreams by snatching the championship dangling in the air. Will this be enough to put the Rock away? Or will the Brahma Bull come back with a vengeance?
Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph ZigglerAmbrose took out another man who was trying to get that bounty money, and then the camera man who he thought was after him too. Without even appearing on the show Dolph is slowly getting into Ambrose’s head and driving him closer to the brink of insanity.
Brie Bella vs. KaitlynThanks to a controversial end to their steel cage match, Brie and Kaitlyn are both divas champion, although that won’t last too much longer. Brie boldly defended her ‘title’ against Kelly Kelly and this could be the momentum she needs to defeat the hybrid diva.
Ted DiBiase vs. Shawn MichaelsDiBiase was outside protesting and it’s clear to see how much the people are behind him though it’s going to take a lot more than the support of the fans to get him back into XWL. HBK and Vickie were sent retreating though they won’t always be on the defensive like that.
Carlito vs. MVPMVP shoved an apple down his pants and fed it to Carltio, humiliating him as payback for what went down at X-treme X-mas. MVP still refuses to get into the ring like Carlito wants, and he hinted that the apple was one of his many tricks to come.
Layla vs. Beth PhoenixLayla was feeling pretty good after winning her match while Beth lost, but Beth seemed to have the last laugh after withholding the match that the two will be competing in. What does The Glamazon have in store for Layla?
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Jeff HardyHardy admitted that he needs some “help” to deal with the pain and turned his back on the people in the process. Big Zeke didn’t seem fazed though and is poised to defend his title against The Charismatic Enigma.
John Morrison vs. ChristianChristian wants one more match, with the title on the line, but Morrison wasn’t going to just give that up. He wants Christian to earn his shot, and Christian is going to do whatever he has to in order to win his title back.
[S5]
We give our thoughts, whether they make sense or not, on the segments that graced our televisions this week.Eddie Guerrero Guerrero left tired and beaten and came back a year later bitter and deluded and angry at the world, more specifically the people. He had a realization, an epiphany, that the people were to blame for his lackluster run and he’s going to try to turn Stone Cold the same way he was. Guerrero always lied, cheated and stole, but it’s different when he’s doing it to spite the people instead of entertain them.
LaylaGuerrero wasn’t the only one coming into the New Year feeling a little bitter. Layla, still harboring ill-feelings about the way she was treated by Trish Stratus, made some bold statements including that she is the true legend, though statements like that shouldn’t come as a surprise since Layla’s made a career out of inflating her ego.
MankindI’ve been talking about how crazy Manind is for weeks, so I guess it was only a matter of time before he started seeing things, though oddly enough Dude Love gave some pretty sound advice. Mankind has to play the role of title-block and take away what Rock loves just as much as his fans: The Title, not to mention that Mankind would have some incentive considering that he did lose recently to Triple H.
Dean AmbroseAmbrose has to be feeling a little paranoid these days and it showed when he made a victim out of the cameraman. Dolph has to be laughing to himself about that, though if Ambrose continues to fend off his attackers then Dolph may have to resort to plan C. Then again, Alicia Fox could surprise us all.
Grand Master SexayIt was an okay segment, but I hope that Grand Master puts a little more work in as the weeks go on.
Brie Bella/KaitlynBrie being given her own title? That was quite an interesting development as both divas kind of have a claim to the belt and hopefully this time at Uprising a legitimate winner will be announced. A lot of shots were taking here as this rivalry continues to heat up, and though Brie got what she wanted this week, Kaitlyn is dying to knock her off her high horse.
Ted DiBiase/Shawn MichaelsMaybe security finally tightened up and that’s why DiBiase was stuck outside, though it allowed for an entertaining segment with intriguing promises of Ted almost guaranteeing that he will be in XWL and after failing on numerous occasions, I’m curious to see how he’ll go about it. Shawn Michaels played his role of instigator perfectly and I can’t say that he didn’t deserve to not get pelted with trash.
Chris JerichoNot surprisingly, Jericho hasn’t taken his loss too well but he promises that he’ll bounce back and pick up the pieces of his career. He claims that he’ll be a champion once again, but from the looks of another number one contenders match already being book, the door has already shut on that front. But when it comes to Jericho, he can never really be counted out for too long.
Carlito/MVPThat was pretty disturbing, Carlito may swear off apples forever after the traumatic experience he just went through. Then again, nothing seems to faze him as he continues to ride high on his win streak and the vicious attack on MVP at X-Treme X-mas. His rant was pretty entertaining before MVP came out to spoil the fun and this rivalry looks to be far from over.
lawd gawd more Layla/Beth PhoenixWeird how Layla goes after Beth for losing to the “unknown” Madison Eagles when it was Kana who defeated her for the belt, but then again Layla was never one to dwell on the negatives in her career. The exchange between the two women was excellent and genuinely had me interested to see what kind of match Beth has in store for the “flawless” Layla.
Ezekiel Jackson/Jeff HardyThe segment felt forced at times but when it was engaging it was really hard to look away from the screen. Hardy basically admitted to needed something to ease with the pain, and his attack on Zeke are starting to make him an interesting character to watch because there’s no doubt that his personal life will soon interfere with his wrestling one.
Christian/John MorrisonThere’s been a lot of bitching at the people on this show when all they did was pay for their ticket and show up to the arena. Christian is another name on the growing list of those blaming the people for their downfalls, and he didn’t waste any time putting his name in his hat for a title match, and as Edge has shown us in the past all you really need to do is disappear for a couple of months and you’ll be good to go. Morrison reminded Christian that he lost last week, but it’s going to take more than words to deter Captain Charisma and their altercation and the end may be only just a taste of what’s to come.
Alberto Del RioDel Rio may have just lost but he wasn’t going to let that dampen his spirits. In a solid seg he bragged about how amazing he is and blew off his loss as he hinted at something great soon to come in his future. After being inconsistent for a while, this could be Del Rio’s chance to turn things around.
The MizMiz does have a point, if he is somehow able to beat one of the greatest united states champions in XWL history, then he should be in consideration for the belt, right? But beating HBK is easier said than done, and Michaels has fought off a lot of men who have said that they would use him to take their career to the next level.
Triple HBacked by The Nature Boy, The Game out and showed the world what a true champion looked like. After talking the talk, he walked the walk at X-treme X-mas and won himself the right to stand tall as the sole World Champ in XWL. He then went on to predict that he’d main event Final Stand as champion and with the roll he’s been on that may very well be the case.
Paul HeymanSo CM Punk wants some special demands? With someone like him involved it’s impossible to know how things will play out bound it’s bound to be amazing now that Punk has Heyman in his corner.
Stone ColdIt’s weird how Guerrero and Stone Cold didn’t mention their opponent in detail until the closing portion of their promos. Was it some type of mind game to make the other guy believe that you aren’t really stressing over him? Stone Cold’s little nursery rhyme was also amusing and it’s good to see The Rattlesnake getting back into the swing of things.
[S6]
The top stories being talked about around the water cooler. New PPV in the works? An inside source has leaked the name of a new PPV ‘Dead Man’s Hand.’ Based on the name we can assume that this will be a Halloween themed show set to go down in October. When we asked the company to make a statement on the rumor, XWL refused to comment stating “We refuse to comment.”
Date Night? HBK and Vickie Guerrero were seen arriving in a limo together during DiBiase’s protest and a source has informed us that they were returning from a date night to “discuss” some “business” in the privacy on a two person booth in the corner of a restaurant.
Surprise match? Beth Phoenix announced after her match last week that she had something special I mind for Layla. A person close to the Glamazon has confirmed that the two women will actually competing in an arm wrestling competition!
[S7]
This week we interview the lovely Bella Twins, and while they may look great, their attitudes leave much to be desired. Interviewer Hi Brie, Hi Nikki! Thank you for joining me today!
Brie BellaHi Mr. Interviewer, it's our pleasure to be here today. I think you're going to have a blast interviewing us, I mean, we are the Bella Twins, the most successful twins in wrestling today.
Interviewer Even better than The Basham Brothers?
Nikki Bella Remind me mister, I'll call you Adam, you look an Adam I used to Date. Who are the Basham Brothers?
Brie BellaOh Nikki, they're the two bald guys, they wrestled for Wwe a while back, they accomplished nothing.
Nikki Bella Of course we're better than the Bashams, you've got to be kidding me. Brie has won multiple matches against high profile Divas and so have I.
Brie BellaYeah, Nikki, but no one compares to us.
Interviewer Not even Kaitlyn? She's been giving you some trouble recently, Brie.
Brie BellaYou've got to be kidding me, Kaitlyn. You think she's better than me or Nikki? So she has a few lucky wins here and there over Nikki and I, that doesn't overshadow the fact that she's trash. She's a no-good champ, did you see what she tried to pull at the PPV?
Nikki Bella Yeah Brie, she totally tried to cheat you out of your championship, you clearly won the match and the ref reversed the decision. Thank god for Big Johnny!
Brie BellaI know right, he awarded me with my own championship, it says Brie Bella right on the name plate, it's all mine.
Interviewer What kind of "favors" did you have in order for you to get him to award you those belts?
Nikki Bella So you're trying to get a juicy interview huh?!?
Brie BellaWell, Nikki, if that's what he wants, then he'll get it
*Brie winks* Well, I did go to Johnnys office after the match, I gave him a kiss and let’s just say, I had to do a little convincing…
Nikki Bella Brie, you sl. . .
Brie BellaOf course not, Nikki! I would never do such a thing, I'm happily in a relationship. My name isn't Layla, Kaitlyn, or Kelly Kelly. I would never stoop to such a level, I'm a classy bitch, yeah I’m a bitch, I admit it.
Interviewer So you're a bitch, and you're champion … Are you trying to be the new Layla?
Brie BellaThe new Layla? Do you hear yourself? Me, Brie Bella, one of the Divas Champion, trying to be like Layla? Nikki, I think my ears are deceiving me, are they? (Not at all Brie, he just said you're trying to be like Layla, what a stupid statement) First, of all, I've always been my own person, never ever tried to duplicate, always innovate, that's what I do mister.
Nikki Bella If Brie should be compared to anyone, it would be me, I mean we do look alike, we act alike, we've been around each other for all of our lives.
Interviewer Well actually Nikki you’ve had some issues of your own to deal with. Mind telling us what that whole Lita, Michelle McCool and MsChif thing was all about?
Nikki Bella Well, it all started with Michelle and I. We've had our differences from a long time, I've never liked her to be honest. We had a match where I defeated her and all of a sudden, the lights go out and MsChif appears. She goes to spit mist in my face but I duck and it hits Michelle. Michelle was helpless and call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed every second of it, she was on the ground screaming… for help, I was so tired of her nice girl act. The next week, we call MsChif out, well of course, I had to be the more aggressive one, and out came Lita, did I ask for a washed up diva? No, I asked for MsChif, the one who attempted to attack me and it all came from there.
InterviewerHypothetically speaking, Brie, if you beat Kaitlyn and become the only Divas Champ you would have to face one of those three women. Any concerns?
Brie BellaIf? Let's get this straight, I will beat Kaitlyn and will be the one and only Divas Champion, do you understand me? I said, do you understand me? Looks like you do. Now, I'm not even concerned if I have to face Michelle or Lita. They haven't been seen in the past few months, girls, where are you? I will give MsChif props though, she had a hell of a match with Nikki, it was brutal, and she was the one who sent those two away.
Nikki Bella Are you serious? Giving her props, Brie, how could you?
Brie BellaNikki, I give credit when credit is due, I’m not like the other divas.
Nikki Bella Are you referring to me?
Brie BellaNo, not at all Nikki, not at all. So yeah, MsChif might just stand a chance, just might.
InterviewerThat was a pretty interesting exchange of words you two just had. With you spending so much time around each other, do these little squabbles happen often?
Brie BellaTo be honest, they happen a lot, we are family.
Nikki Bella And family argue a lot, I mean, you are around each other for so long that you kinda get annoyed.
Brie BellaSo yeah, these squabbles happen often, doesnt mean we don't love each other, we clearly do.
Nikki Bella When you see out there in the ring, we're always working together, singles match or not.
Brie BellaWe share a bond that no one can ever have or understand.
InterviewerSpeaking of working together, you two have drawn a lot of heat for your Twin Magic tactics. Do you use that trick because you can't win a match any other way?
Brie BellaExcuse me, excuse me, we proven time after time that we can win without each other. I did win my Divas Championship by myself, Nikki did not help me. Nikki didn't help me climb the cage and get out, I did it on my own.
Nikki Bella Agreed, we don't use it to win, we're fine without it. But we're twins, we can switch places if we want without anyone knowing. If I think she needs a little help or if she sees me in need for help, we'll jump in for each other.
Brie BellaI mean, its entertainment, we make the crowd go mad when we pull Twin Magic. If anyone had a twin, Im sure they'd pull it off when necessary. So again, we don't need to do it, we can do it because well, we're The Bella Twins.
Nikki Bella Don't like it? Oh well, tune in to a next show.
InterviewerWell, the next show is quite a ways off. What do you two do in between when you're not wrestling?
Brie BellaWell, personally, we love love
love to play Soccer.
Nikki Bella Oh my god, yes Brie, we love soccer. We were star players on our high school and college teams, won the regionals, made it to the nationals but lost.
Brie BellaI remember that like it was yesterday. I also love to wine and dine, go shopping, surfing, tanning, getting my hair and nails done.
Nikki Bella You know, the girly things. I also love to go the gym when I’m not working, I always have to stay in shape for my fans.
InterviewerYou have fans?
Nikki Bella Of course I have fans!
Brie BellaWhat do you mean, do I have fans? Each and EVERY single show Nikki and I work, the fans come to see US, yes US. Not John Cena, Undertaker, Joey Ryan, Triple H, Layla, Beth Phoenix…
Nikki Bella Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, John Morrison, although he's quite the charmer, but yeah, Paige, Alicia Fox, NONE of them.
Brie BellaThey come for Brie Bella and Nikki Bella, the Bella Twins.
InterviewerI didn't mean to offend you two, but with your attitudes it's very possible that you have upset a lot of people.
Brie BellaWhats wrong with our attitudes?
Nikki Bella Let us know, please. Brie, I would like to know too, please inform us?
InterviewerWell, you see... That's just about all the time we have for the interview. Thank you two lovely ladies for joining me this afternoon and I hope that you both get everything you want in XWL!
Brie BellaNo, this interview is not over yet. We've answered your question so let us know the answer to our question.
Nikki Bella WHAT'S WRONG WITH OUT ATTITUDES? HUH ADAM?!?
InterviewerDid I mention how beautiful you two look today?
Brie BellaDid I mention how much I don't care for your opinion? Let's go Nikki. Have a nice day you poor soul.
Nikki Bella Glad to know we could brighten up your day, not much people can do that. We'll see you around sometime, if we decide that you're worthy for another interview.
[S8]
Next week’s question: What was your New Year’s resolution? What is your major goal for 2013?
[S9]
Can you identify who said what on yesterday’s show? *Last night, I made all the pain, all the blood loss... worth it. Everything I've been through now has a meaning.
*I mean let me tell you first hand it's not an easy job carrying this company on your shoulders and sometimes the pressure does get to you.
*That champions is mine, it belongs to me, I paid for it with my own money and I should be the one holding it right now
*I think you're begging for this match not because you want the title, but you want me to put you back into relevancy, you want me to put you back on the map.
*I'm not perfect, I don't claim to be perfect, hell, I don't want to be perfect.
*They didn’t want to know, they didn’t want some punk kid who fought his way through the Independent scene, they wanted someone that they have made through their machine.
*Hey, pay attention you nimrods! THE MAN is speaking and you better make sure you're noting down every last word that goes through this megaphone because it's damn well more poignant than anything this idiot has ever said or ever will.
*XWL is known for it's blatant favoritism and plagiarism. I'm always on the receiving end of their conspiracies so why should now be any different?
*If I left this company right now nobody could ever have the most flashy, expensive and most entertaining performances like I have had over the years.
[S10]
Men’s Power 15 1-
(25)
Triple H was able to continue riding off the momentum he received after his big win at X-treme X-mas to remain in the top spot for a second week in a row and he still has a double digit lead over the second ranked superstar. 2-
(15)
Big Zeke was another superstar reaping the benefits of a big pay per view win and a solid promo helps him lock up a spot in the top three though he could still be looking to go higher. 3-
(13)
Carlito flies into the top 3 after picking up right where he left off and continuing his winning streak by defeating Seth Rollins. 4-
(12.5)
Despite the loss, the Heartbreak Kid remains in the type five thanks to his cameo during Ted’s protest. He’ll need to rack up more W’s if he wants to climb up in the ranks. 5-
(11.5)
Despite a nice promo with Christian, JoMo barely squeezes into the top five and our Intercontiental champion can’t be too happy about that. 6-
(9.5)
7-
(8.5)
8-
(8.)
9-
(8.)
10-
(7.5)
11-
(7)
12-
(5)
13-
(5)
14-
(4.5)
15-
(4.5)
Women’s Power 5 1-
(17.5)
Brie defended her championship against Kelly Kelly, successfully proving that she can win matches… just not against the other divas champion Kaitlyn. 2-
(14.5)
Fox defeated Natalya and threatened Dean Ambrose to give herself a nice spot in the rankings this week. 3-
(14.5)
MsChif couldn’t defeat Kana thanks to involvement by The Referee, but her creepy promo keeps her from falling too far down the rankings. 4-
(14)
5-
(13.5)
[S11]
Here we take a closer look at three superstars who did pretty well for themselves and three who probably couldn’t wait for the week to be over. WinnersThe Miz- Miz said he’d do it and by God he done it: He defeat the longest reigning United States and Intercontinental Champion, Shawn Michaels while coming off his big win against former World Title contender Dolph Ziggler. Miz seems to be bouncing back nicely after his disappointing loss against Chris Jericho.
Ted DiBiase- DiBiase finally has something to smile about after protesting XWL and though he didn’t get a contract, he got to watch his two biggest enemies get pelted by trash. DiBiase’s week may not be seen as impressive to many, but this was most likely the best day he’s had in a long time.
MVP- MVP didn’t go for physical revenge, but instead a mental one after tricking Carlito into eating a tainted apple and The Ballin’ Superstar may have turned things around in this rivalry.
Losers John Morrison, Triple H & Ezekiel Jackson- On paper a match between the champions sounded amazing, unfortunately the people were treated to a big fat nothing when the match didn’t happen. You’d expect our champs to put in a bit more effort to get out there and entertain the people, after all that’s why they’re the champions… right?
Shawn Michaels & Vickie Guerrero- After getting the upper hand on Ted DiBiase two pay per views in a row, this duo had karma come back to bite them and were forced to retreat. To make matters worse, HBK couldn’t fend off the surging Miz and lost to top off his week.
The Rock- It’s been a while since The Rock was in possession of Championship gold and this was his week to take a step in the right direction. Unfortunately he couldn’t get the job done and he went home empty handed, losing to his arch-enemy no less.
[S12]
Welcome to a new addition to the newsletter where we’ll ask some members a wide array of questions. Give an honest assessment of our four champions thus far, grading them on a scale from 1-5. Have they pleased or disappointed you? Bang: I think so far Morrison is a great champion, I would of liked to of seen where the SoS was going to go, but unfortunately that came to an untimely end, out of the four champions I'd say Morrison was the most impressive currently. With Zeke it could go either way, he's could be great one week then the next it would be the worst thing on the show, if he finds a level of consistency then I'm sure he'll be a great United States champion. Obviously Brie is the new Diva's champion after this week and I've really liked the Brie/Kaitlyn feud so far, it's been nice seeing those Stay and Vice be the focus of the diva's division as for the vast majority of the time the belt has been on Gaz, David and Red's characters, so it's good to see a story where none of those three are involved. And with Triple H as World champion, I'm not going to lie and say I'm impressed, the build up until X-Treme X-Mas was just bad, next to nonexistent and was pretty much as after thought, which is a shame because I know Gaz and Red could both promo really well if they wanted too. Hopefully Gaz picks up the pace soon, more so now that he's brought in Flair.
E/T: Triple H - Although you'd expect a man in his position to be a bit more interactive with his fans such as addressing them more and speaking more as their World Champion he seems to be getting into the swing of things and always gets it done when he's in the ring, not to mention he just beat a hell of a competitor in Chris Jericho to unify the World titles so that earns a solid 4 from me.
Kaitlyn - The hybrid diva as she's been dubbed never backs down from a challenge, has faced some of the best and is never shy from speaking her mind about anything whether it be her desire to be the longest reigning Divas Champion or her feelings about her rival Brie Bella, she's proven to be dependable and always gives it her all. What more could you ask of the Divas Champion? 5.
John Morrison - The beginning of his reign saw a John Morrison that no one liked, he wasn't himself, he wasn't having fun, he wasn't being the flashy Jomo that so many have grown to be fond of over time....but then in a moment of clarity he ditched Damien Sandow and his big book of fancy smancy words and realized his mistakes reverting back to the fun yet confident man he truly was all along. A successful defense against Christian at X-treme X-mas gave him a huge boost of momentum heading into the New Year, and I feel that deserves a 4.5.
Ezekiel Jackson - The newest of all the champions, and while he's still in his first week as champion big Zeke has not wasted anytime in proving what kind of champion he will be by accepting a challenge from the former champion Jeff Hardy in a match that he couldn't be less comfortable in. He's a big man but he's going to have his first defense be in a ladder match, and with guts like that his reigns gotta start off with a 3.5.
Adam: Undisputed/World Champion Triple H - 3 - I was initially excited when Gaz won the WHC but honestly his feud with Jericho could have been better, but with his promo with Ric Flair and the Undisputed Title has given me high hopes for the future.
Intercontinental Champion John Morrison - 4 - Stay got off to a rough start in his run when RCP decided to be a dickwad and leave but I feel he's starting to regain the momentum that he once had and I hope his reign lasts to be long.
United States Champion Ezekiel Jackson - 3 - I can't really say anything negative about Ben/Chris? as Champion since he won the title in a fair ol' match and then had a decent promo the next week accepting a ladder match, he's doing good.
Divas Champion Kaitlyn - 0 - LOL DIVAS
Gaz: Not going to do this for the World Title, for obvious reasons.
IC TItle - JoMo has gone great recently, first winning and retiring the X-Treme title, and now onto the IC title. IMO, JoMo has a great chance of becoming one of the best IC champs in recent times, due to some very forgettable reigns recently. So far, I'd give Jomo a 4, it's still early in his reign and plenty of time to get better.
US Title- I think it's been a long time coming that Zeke, had a run with a major title, had two runs with the X-Treme Title, and Zeke has improved every week, especially in the mic. Zeke has a challenge of trying to make the US title as prestigious as HBK did after some of the recent reigns,whilst He's a long way of matching HBK, but I think Zeke has what it takes to add the prestige back, still very early though, so hard to score his reign, so will give a 3.
Divas Title- Kaitlyn cashing in her MITB contract to get the divas title for a second time in her XWL Career, she had a pretty successful reign last time, but the question is can she match or do better this time? I believe she can, but there's some tough competition coming up should she keep hold of her title. I'd give her reign so far a 4.
What are some of your favorite wrestling matches of all time? Bang: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels at Summerslam 2002, maybe it was just the moment of HBK's return to the ring, maybe that just added to it, but it was a great match and an amazing story was told that night, that's probably my favourite match. Rock vs. Hogan was a great match as well. I think any match will be made a thousand times better when the crowd into the match, and there's no better than Rock or Hogan at manipulating the crowd into making them think what they want them to think. I loved the hell out of the Rock vs. Austin at Wrestlemania trilogy, there was and maybe still is a great video on youtube on those three storylines, it's amazing how much they both changed in those four years. Any match between Jushin Thunder Liger and Hayabusa was great too, they just had an amazing chemistry, such a shame what happened to Hayabusa. He said a few years ago that he wouldn't close the door on one last match, which would be incredible to see, but considering how long it took for him to just be able to walk unassisted I think I'd rather he didn't. There's so many matches that I've loved, recently it's just been Punk's stuff though, so I'll throw in CM Punk vs. John Cena in Money in the Bank later year just because the storyline was the sole reason I started watching again, not just the "shoot" because I preferred two weeks after in Boston with the contract signing, then the match on top of that was just the icing on the top of the cake. And really I have to put TLC 1 on the list too, because it was the first wrestling PPV I actually saw and that match just blew my mind.
E/T: I'm bad at remembering older matches even if I've seen them so I'll just stick with ones in the last couple years.
CM Punk Vs John Cena - Money in the Bank 2011 the crowd atmosphere was just unreal and although they slipped up a few time you didn't even notice because everyone was just so emotionally invested in it.
The Shield Vs Hell No & Ryback - TLC 2012 I don't think anyone expected this match to be this good or carry on the type of story that it did. You don't expect a multiperson match to be anything other than hard to follow but the way things went down it was just perfect and was no doubt the best possible debut match for The Shield because each and everyone of them came off smelling like a rose when all was said and done.
CM Punk Vs Daniel Bryan - Money in the Bank 2012 two top indy names going at it for the WWE title, doesn't get any better than that and they really put on a hell of a show.
Adam: I'll list a couple WWE ones that came to my head when I thought about this a bit.
The Rock vs Triple H - Judgement Day 2000 60 Minute Iron Man MatchAn amazing match in my opinion, going into a 60 minute iron man with the referee being the man who won that match at WrestleMania 12 was so great. They managed to keep the pace interesting with various falls and the ending is one of my favourite wrestling moments of all time with The Undertaker's redebut.
Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit - Royal Rumble 2001 Intercontinental Title Ladder MatchAn odd choice most likely but when I think of my favourite matches this is always on my mind, it was one of the first matches I recall watching live that I really appreciated the skill of these both men in the match. One of those matches that I can just watch as many times as possible and not get bored.
Jeff Hardy vs The Undertaker - RAW 2002 Undisputed Title Ladder MatchThis match has some of the best story telling I've ever seen, the courageous and young Hardy taking on the baddest of the bad. Fighting tooth and nail for the title which captures another amazing moment as Jeff climbs the ladder and JR cheers him on telling him to achieve his dream. Although it was crushed by The Undertaker, the fact that The Undertaker raised his hand after the match shows how much heart Jeff had.
Mankind vs Shawn Michaels - In Your House: Mindgames 1996 WWF Title MatchThis is a match that shows that Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels are outstanding performers and definitely shuns the talk of Mick being just a stuntman. The storytelling in the match is brilliant which shows a more aggressive HBK which was new then, because being aggressive was the only way he could fight Mankind head on. A great showing by both men as always from them.
The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin - WrestleMania X7 WWF Title MatchI could talk about this match for days, such a classic. The buildup, the setting, the crowd, the ending, and the actual bell to bell match itself was just so interesting. Especially when I was like 7 watching it for the first time I was in awe when Stone Cold aligned with Vince McMahon, the match was an all out brawl but it was such a spectacle at the same time, another match I could watch over and over again.
Gaz: HBK vs Bret Hart at WM 12
Kurt Angle vs HBK at WM 21
Taker vs HBK at WM 25
CEna vs Punk at MITB 11
Many more too.
What are some of your favorite games to play outside of the WWE franchise? Bang: At the moment I'm playing Final Fantasy 9 on my Vita. I love 7, 8 and 9, I was on the fence about 10 and X-2, I never got to play 12 but I've heard it was great, but 13 just pisses me off, it's just bad. Minecraft and Hitman on my 360 at the moment, I can play those two forever. Sometimes Fifa as well. I really like the Uncharted series, if any of you guys have a Vita or PS3 I'd highly recommend getting the, that and Little Big are the best things on PS3 by far. I'm sure I'll forget about everything else when GTA 5 and The last of us come out though. And I’ll be playing the shit out of The Walking Dead game by Activision too. If I had a good enough laptop/PC I’d buy Arma 2 for the Day Z mod, but with the Zombie MMO coming to 360, I might just wait. And I like the Halo series, still have them all, including ODST which was underrated in my opinion and the Gears of War games they're amazing, plus it has the Cole Train baby! Wooooooooooooooooooooo!
E/T: Minecraft, Trials, Monopoly, but what I mainly enjoy is Minecraft. Didn't think I'd like it, but I've been proven wrong.
Adam: Halo 4 mainly, such a fun game to play with friends especially when Krzy is playing so you can chase him with a sword and scare him.
Gaz: Usually FIFA games are the ones i play most other than WWE games. Also play Halo, and others.
[S13]
The draft is taking place right now! Who will put together the winning team? Stay tuned to find out!
[S14]
There’s life outside the wrestling world too let’s see what’s going on in the real-world. New Pokemon Announced
Side note: Pokemon Conquest is a solid alternative to the normal Pokemon formula if you’re willing to give it a shot.
Their announcements didn’t come this week, but in the wake of PSN’s Journey winning IGN’s GOTY, these two XBL arcade games were both mentioned by IGN as games to look out of.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
State of Decay
*I'll add more non-gaming related stories to the next edition. This was just a test run.
[S15]
So above all I’m doing this newsletter for you guys, so if there’s something that you want to see added or changed or tweaked, let me know and I’ll be happy to take a look into doing something about it. If you also ever want to guest write a spotlight article, nominate a winner or loser or a quote, submit an interesting news story, ask to be interviewed, join the roundtable panel or contribute in any way just tell me… or else.
Subject: XWL Newsletter 1/8: A Little Time Away Never Hurt Nobody 
Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:33 pm
