June 27, 2011, was a phenomenal date for WWE and us the fans watching it. Before that date, we were watching a drained out ‘same old shit’ product for three years prior to that. It was our savior CM Punk who brought fun back on our TV screens each week for a couple of weeks. We were all excited and were left wondering, ‘what will happen next?’. We saw the one of the wrestling matches of the decade with CM Punk vs. John Cena at the Money in the Bank PPV. We were still left wondering, ‘what will happen next?’. But, as of the last few months, the whole product seems to be all over the place, haywire or completely clustered fucked. How did it go all so wrong and downhill from there?
For that short period of time; we were watching WWE being exciting again. CM Punk gave us an unimaginable promo, he spoke his mind and didn’t care what the consequences would be after. Punk gave a voice to every wrestling fan that doesn’t chant ‘lets go Cena’ and gave that voice to the fans who says ‘Cena Sucks’, nothing against Cena, just using that as an example. Us, as IWC members, would’ve felt more emotion than the younger fans, so we admired CM Punk for saying what he said. We had the Summer of Punk. But, why was it so short? I see Punk in the same way as I would look at Stone Cold, they are pretty alike. Stone Cold despised his boss, so he kicked his ass. CM Punk was sick of being not promoted or even being treated unfairly so he spoke his mind when he was given the chance too.
I’ll talk more about Money in the Bank. Punk and Cena went at it in a high profile match in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois. When I say high profile, I mean it was a high profile match. The WWE Championship was up for grabs, then, the WWE title actually meant something. It was worth fighting for if you won it. I’m sure as a IWC member, you will know who Dave Meltzer, Dave gave the match a five star rating. In his twenty years of pro wrestling journalism, only fifteen matches were rated as five stars. That’s how good that match was. This was the match that made WWE fans proud to be fans. They got their money’s worth, praised them liked hell and loved it. That match couldn’t of played out better when you think about it. When you have 20,000 fans creating a huge pop for Punk when he got the win, you know WWE did the job to perfection.
All this was all well and good, but after Punk walked out of Chicago WWE Champion, this is when it started to go downhill. We all knew Punk was still employed to WWE as Punk appeared at Comic Con with WWE property, aka the WWE Championship, also he posted a picture on his twitter with the WWE title in his fridge. We all knew he was going to come back to WWE, but just a week after Triple H announced Vince was relieved of his duties, it was far too soon. When his new theme music hit, I was just hoping it wouldn’t be Punk walking out. They really should of teased us at least with the music, like I mean that by playing it for a couple of live shows then Punk could walk out and get a bigger pop.
We fast forward around five months and we finish watch a horrible Monday Night RAW. RAW this week was simply horrific. I see it as the WWE have ran out of ideas to do with their wrestlers and their storylines. We may as well watch the same episode each week, it’s like a re-run. The same matches each week. If WWE can’t figure out what matches to put on, they just throw 12 wrestlers together in a tag team match. I do like watching them, but it’s not leading in any direction or going anywhere, it’s just a take up time. Since Money in the Bank, pretty much all the PPV’s have been a drag and boring. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t felt since Money in the Bank, that iv’e got my moneys worth for the PPV. (It’s a lot cheaper in UK so that’s why I don’t complain about money so much). The matches on PPV’s are repetitive and easily should really just be RAW or Smackdown main event matches.
Also, what the hell was with the no confidence skit? This must of been one of the most stupidest segments in the last few years. I didn’t feel as if I was watching a wrestling show, it was like a bunch of actors surrounding the ring and not caring about fighting for the belts and matches. The thing that bugged me most, was most of the wrestlers out there had nothing to actually complain about, so why would they go out there in the first place then walk out? Doesn’t make sense. I see this as WWE is completely soft. Wrestling in the 90’s/early 2000’s was way more of a ‘unsafe working environment’ than now in WWE. They had Stone Cold raising hell on his boss, NWO doing whatever the hell they wanted etc. Also, WHY THE HELL WAS MARK HENRY OUT THERE? Henry was the biggest offender, for fuck sake like, Henry being out there just made no sense what so ever.
I’m left wondering, what is going to happen next? And I don’t mean that as in the anxious sort of way, I mean that in the what the hell are WWE planning sort of way. They have plotholes among plotholes but seem to be going nowhere with them. Another one is the now RAW GM, what happened to the Anonymous GM? Why was HHH sacked from being the RAW GM when he was never RAW GM but still COO of the WWE? Why did Kofi and Evan say they;d still perform on Smackdown when Triple H made many appearances on Smackdown, okay he is not a regular but often there. Do you get my pint? Where the hell are WWE going with this?
It’s so frustrating. What are your thoughts on all this?
Send me an email raytherambler@gmail.com
Follow Wrestling Rambles on twitter @WrestlinRambles
Follow myself on twitter @RayTheRambler
You can friend Wrestling Rambles on Facebook
Ringsidehustle.com 
I don’t know about S.O.S.
1. Despite what the IWC says, most fans don’t think it’s been “shit” to begin with.
2. Henry is champion. Del Rio is champion. Cody and Ziggler are having consistantly good matches.
3. We’re getting The Muppets.
4. We still don’t know where it’s all going to end up.
5. Foley’s suposed to be coming in.
6. There are all these different groupings forming. (Cena/Del Rio/HHH/Punk/John L./etc.)(Vicky’s group) (Otunga’s new law stable.)
LikeLike
I have to call ya out on #1.
If the majority don’t think the product has been bad, why have ratings been in decline for 6 years now, buyrates sinking, etc etc?
As for Foley coming in, if he’s used in a good role, cool, however, I’m tired of WWE relying on older stars.
@Ray- When the focus shifted from Punk to HHH is when the product went back to S.O.S. Then the storyline had all the issues I detailed in my last article.
LikeLike
As far as No. 1 goes, there are more options to watch. One major problem is that Impact has never really been that much of a viable alternative. I still remember switching back and forth constantly during the Monday Night Wars era. It’s not so much that WWE’S popularity has gone, but more of wrestling in general. It’s one of those things that goes “boom” and “bust’ from time to time.
As for Foley, he’d be credible as a G.M. The fans to like him, so he wouldn’t get on your nerves the way John L. does.
LikeLike
@J Yea, that is true. I just don’t see WWE going anywhere with this.
LikeLike
I just feel WWE are building excitement up in storylines then just disappoint us. Even as J said about the ratings, look at previous RAW ratings, the first hour of the show actually scored higher and second hour they loss I think 500,000 viewers or something like that, so IMO people are losing interest and fed up.
The muppets, a fucking joke, probably won’t watch it, okay I will, i’ll just probably criticize it lol
Sure we don’t know what is going to happen next, but still, not sure if that’s in a good way, what if in the end everything turned out horrible, like the walk out storyline?
I LOVE Foley, but WWE should not have to depend on former talent/legends to get viewers interested etc, I would like to see WWE use the talent they have, but made 55 of them look week while the dominant ones were in the ring.
Otunga’s stable I don’t like, like it’s meant to be a wrestling show, this is proving wrestling has gone soft, WWE should made their talent look strong, not weak ass lawyers.
But still, I will watch it every week without fail! lol
LikeLike
I’m actually looking foward to the Puppets RAW…
I think we’ll get some interesting segments, and who can hate the Puppets?
LikeLike
The stars in the back are super excited about The Muppets. So much potential.
Miss Piggy as The Hamazon
Kermit and Punk getting into an argument.
Statler and Waldorf announcing.
HHH and Gonzo in a “biggest nose” contest.
Super-Cena and Super-Grover.
The list goes on and on.
LikeLike
CM Punk is worthless talent who shouldn’t even be in the WWE quite frankly. And I’m actually loving the current WWE since Vince got rid of Hunter the same way Hunter got rid of Vince especially with the epic and Legendary Sir Laurinaitis taking that idiots place. But I do agree on one thing, this whole brand extension shit is annoying with RAW superstars on SD and SD superstars on RAW. It’s pointless.
LikeLike
This is the thing, HHH is still the COO, just not the RAW GM, when he was never the RAW GM to begin with! Everything is clustered fucked!
LikeLike
Who fucks clusters?
LikeLike
J – I don’t hate them lol I always watched them when I was younger, but on RAW i’d rather see moments like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lurAemW4_YY instead of The Muppets on RAW.
LikeLike
I don’t know. This would rock…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY
LikeLike
I’m already bored with WWE again. Punk needs to go heel again becuase he’s acting like Triple H’s little buddy these days.
Things should pick up when The Rock comes back.
LikeLike
Punk and HHH character developement.
LikeLike
Speaking of Dave Meltzer, he has given a five star rating to only five WWF/E matches:
– 3/20/94 Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Ladder Match, WrestleMania X)
– 8/29/94 Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Cage Match, SummerSlam 1994)
– 3/23/97 Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (I Quit Match, WrestleMania 13)
– 10/5/97 Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker (Hell in a Cell Match, In Your House: Badd Blood)
– 7/17/11 CM Punk vs. John Cena (Money in the Bank 2011)
Three of those five matches were in Chicago…that’s a weird coincidence.
By the way, there weren’t 20,000 fans at Money in the Bank. It was 14,815.
LikeLike
hmm that is interesting Tony, I thought with 15 matches, more than five would of been for WWE. Thanks for sharing that!
LikeLike
No…surprisingly there is not many WWE matches. The last five star match in North America other than Cena-Punk was HBK-Undertaker in 1997!
LikeLike
Damn, ya think the biggest wrestling promotion in the world could pull off more than five, five star matches!
LikeLike
But that’s only one opinion. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t other match worthy. It’s like with the Oscars, just because they vote that a certain movies wins best picture doesn’t mean it really is and that fans of other movies have to change their own view.
LikeLike