Guest Article: The Next Big Thing (Sean Taylor-Richardson)

Sean Taylor-Richardson presents the first of his new monthly guest article series. This month Sean considers who could step up to fill John Cena's shoes over the next few years.

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As John Cena prepares to vacate his spot as the WWE’s top dog, who will Vince choose to be the man in the Fed?

John Cena’s rather unfairly maligned run as WWE’s franchise player is coming to an end. As consistent a performer as he’s been and as exciting as his US title exploits have been this year, there are too many miles on the clock for John to continue to be positioned as the long term headline act of the company. Couple that with his impressive turn in Trainwreck and the subsequent lure of Hollywood, and it seems likely that as committed as he is to WWE, he may soon adopt a reduced role. Sure, he’ll at least tie Flair’s World title record in the coming year but I’d wager that will be a short run before dropping the belt to the next big thing. But who will that be? Cena has been Vince’s man for a decade: just who would he trust to fill these very big shoes? Let’s look at the contenders.

Roman Reigns will get a World title run; we all know that. He, more than anyone, has the look and that means a lot. Indeed the smart money is that he wins the strap at next year’s Wrestlemania but then wasn’t that the vibe last year? Fans rejected his previous push as it felt too premature whilst the return of sentimental favourite Daniel Bryan further enhanced the notion of Reigns as undeserving of the ultimate accolade. Will things be different next year? Reign’s in-ring work is reliable, even underrated, as borne out by his collection of good to great matches with Big Show, Bryan and Brock Lesnar this year. Furthermore he has paid some dues, undoubtedly putting in impressive shifts each week, doubling up on Raw and Smackdown and working lengthy, competitive TV matches away from the glare of main events. Certain crowds still turn on him (see Brooklyn at Summerslam) but such responses are less frequent than they were at the turn of the year. Indeed Reigns now headlines house shows tours opposite Cena and has on occasion comfortably outdrawn him. Is this a sign that people are ready to grant Roman the chance to prove himself? Clearly Vince will afford him that opportunity and it’s a given that Reigns will work hard when he gets the chance. But with the crowd more vocal than ever, will that be enough?

Ambrose is a very good wrestler and an even better talker. He always gets good pops and sells a fair bit of merchandise. And yet it still seems that he has yet to really fulfil his potential in the biggest way. Whilst he is a reliable babyface (and one who has headlined 5 PPVs in the last year), one can’t help but feel that it will be when he embraces his inner heel that he will truly excel. His promos could take a darker tone and he could add layers of complexity to his character. In this sense, I would foresee Ambrose as being the foil for WWE’s next top guy. Indeed, Roman vs Dean could be a long term feud, and if you watch the product closely enough , it seems that seeds are already being planted for this match up. When two guys emphasise their close bond in wrestling, you just know they’re going to fight.

Here’s the thing: whilst Ambrose would make a great heel, Rollins (who is admittedly a fine villain in his own right) has all the makings of a top babyface. Arguably his 2015 World Title run has started to legitimise him as a star: whilst some have suggested that the reign has been too dependent on cheap finishes, the reality is fans have grown used to him mixing it up in big time main events with the likes of Cena, Sting and Lesnar. His upcoming war against Triple H will likely garner him much sympathy as well as providing opportunity to bust out that snazzy white bodysuit from Summerslam. His ring work is thrilling: breath-taking high spots and aerials set him apart from past champions. Expect Rollins to experience World Title Runs akin to those enjoyed by HBK: that is high praise indeed.

Bray is another guy who just hasn’t quite taken off yet but it’s the unrealised potential that makes him remain so exciting. With The Undertaker nearing retirement, there is room for a supernatural monster to rise up the roster and take that trademarked spot. Indeed there are so many comparisons between Bray and Taker: from the unique entrances, the potential for iconic and creepy managers (Sister Abigail is coming and she will be his Paul Bearer) to their athletic big man style. However, these comparisons could also stand against Wyatt making it as the man: legend though he may be, multiple times World Champion aside, Undertaker was never really presented as the franchise player. Some gimmicks are too unique, too leftfield to serve as face of the company and that is probably true of Bray Wyatt.

This one might surprise people but Big E has a shot. He was super over as champion in NXT, has one of the best spots in wrestling right now (his spear to the outside of the ring is incredible) and skips and claps like a real pro. The New Day are so entertaining that he will soon have enough credit with fans that a push would be well received. In terms of having the look, only he challenges Reigns. And I’ll bet Big E dances better.

Who’s next?

So there we have it: a range of varied contenders. If I were a betting man, I’d play it safe with Reigns but I have a sneaky suspicion Rollins will forge a hell of a run in the coming years. Whatever the direction McMahon selects, it will be fascinating to see the reshaping of the landscape. After Cena’s lengthy run, someone else’s time is now.

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TML (TML) will return on 14th October. Next week's guest article will be another edition of Over the Border from Billy Strachan.

Retro Review: NWA Bunkhouse Stampede

Get your retro hats and your old-school slippers on and settle in for Retro Review!


In this week's edition we travel back to 24th January 1988 for NWA's one and only Bunkhouse Stampede PPV. WWF just so happened to hold the inaugral Royal Rumble on the same day, Mats Wilander was defeating Pat Cash in the final's of the Australian Open Tennis and Belinda Carlise was rocking the UK charts with Heaven is Place on Earth. 


The PPV focused around the eponymous Bunkhouse Stampede match, an eight man battle royal with a Steel cage around the ring. Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Ivan Koloff, Lex Luger, Road Warrior Animal, The Barbarian, The Warlord and Tully Blanchard are all on hand to take part it that one, whilst Ric Flair, Road Warrior Hawk, Bobby Eaton, Barry Windham, Nikita Koloff and more appear on the undercard.


Before the show kicked off the Nassau Colliseam was treated to a dark match that saw Sting & Jimmy Garvin go over The Sheepherders by disqualification in 11 minutes and 45 seconds.

 Match 1 - NWA World Television Championship - 

Nikita Koloff (C)

 vs. 

Bobby Eaton with Jim Cornette

I can't get my head around the opening match of a PPV going to a 20 minute time limit draw. I mean, maybe if it's a balls to the wall kind of bout with loads of near falls, fought at a fast past that leaves both men exhausted, then perhaps it might just about work, lifting the crowd for the rest of the show. But this is completely the opposite. Despite the commentary team of Jim Ross and Bob Caudle putting over the idea that Eaton should be using his pace to get the better of the stronger Koloff, he decides to do the complete opposite and we get Eaton slapping on a hammerlock at every given opportunity. One of them lasts for four minutes. Four minutes of Nikita Koloff in a hammerlock. Take my monies, NWA. 


There's a few moments that manage to stop this one being a complete dud, like a sweet missile dropkick from Eaton and Jim Cornette running his mouth at ringside (although he's pretty redundant in the story of the bout), but that's maybe a minute worth of stuff in a 20 minute bout. I found myself willing the time to go quicker, with the ring announcer letting us know how long was left in the bout, and anyone with a brain knowing exactly what was going to happen when the pair refused to up the pace for the entirety of the bout. If someone offer you the opportunity of watching this match or placing your testicles in deep fat fryer, take up the latter option. 


Winner - NO ONE via time-limit draw in 20 minutes *STILL CHAMPION*


Next PPV - Koloff would be in action at NWA's next PPV The Great American Bash in July, teaming with Sting to challenge for Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard's WORLD tag team titles in ANOTHER time limit draw! Eaton would also be in tag team action, with Midnight Express partner Stan Lane, winning the UNITED STATES tag titles from The Fantastics.

Match 2 - UWF Western States Heritage Championship

Barry Windham (C)

vs.

Larry Zybszko with Baby Doll

There is absolutely no need for this one to go almost 20 minutes, after the previous bout had gone to a time limit draw. The three (including Baby Doll as she plays a big part in the bout, well it's conclusion, at least) clearly didn't have 20 minutes worth of ideas and therefore this bout is full of stalling and rest holds. Although, I'm not sure I'd call a heel hook a rest hold, but that's how it's treated here. I found it hard to suspend my disbelief that Windham would either be able to take the pain for the length of time he spent in the hold, or it the hold wasn't hurting that much that he would just quickly get out of it. Windham sold the leg well for a while, but quickly forgot about towards the end. The one big spot that the injury lead to, the looked like Zybszko was supposed to rotate out of a vertical suplex to get a cover, was completely botched and ended up in a some kind of weird brain buster situation. 


That being said, this a much better bout than the opening contest, with the duo at least trying to put together some decent sequences of action, with the pace really building in the last five minutes or so. I thought that the finish was perhaps trying to be a bit too clever, with the ref getting bumped and Windham believing he won the match with a small package because, according to Jim Ross, Baby Doll was counting the pinfall at ringside. Of course, the cameras completely missed this and Windham celebrated like the stupid babyface he is with the referee clearly down in the corner. Baby would hand Zybszko hear shoe, which would lead to "The Living Legend" winning the title when the ref miraculously recovered.


Winner - Zbyszko via pinfall in 19 minutes and 16 seconds


Next PPV - Barry Windham would defend his newly won United States Heavyweight Championship against Dusty Rhodes at The Great American Bash. Zybszko wouldn't be seen again on PPV until February 1991's WrestleWar where he'd team with Barry Windham, Ric Flair and Sid Vicious to defeat Flyin' Brian, Sting and The Steiner Brothers in the main event War Games match.

Match 3 - NWA World Heavyweight Championship - 

Ric Flair (C) with JJ Dillon

vs.

Road Warrior Hawk with Paul Ellering

With the majority of NWA's World title calibre talent in the main event, Road Warrior Hawk got World title shot, because why not? This is the strongest match on the card, but it featured Ric Flair so you should have known that already. Flair leads Hawk to an enjoyable 21 minutes (yes another, long ass match, but this one probably deserved the time most) that tells a solid story of Flair being unable to match Hawk's power, so resorting to a number of cheap tricks (low blows, eye rakes etc.) to take control of proceedings. The prototypical chicken shit heel, it was cool to see all the Flair trademarks present here, including working the leg after Hawk injures his knee doing a fist drop (Figure that one out!)

It's a real shame that this match has such a terrible finish. Flair just twats Hawk with a chair in front of the referee and get's disqualified. Like what the fuck Flair? You're more clever than that. Get Dillon to distract the ref then hit Hawk in the knee with the chair and slap on the Figure Four. Was it that hard? This is babyface levels of stupidity. This finish may have been acceptable if we'd gone less than ten mintues, but heading past the 21 minute mark and pulling this shit is not cool. I was invested in the action and wanted a conclusive finish. Damn you, Dusty Rhodes and you're stupid booking.

Winner - Hawk via disqualification in 21 minutes, 39 seconds. *STILL CHAMPION*

Next PPV - At The Great American Bash, Flair succesfully defended his title against Lex Luger in the main event. Road Warrior Hawk would slip down the card to compete in the Tower of Doom match, teaming with Jimmy Garvin, Ronnie Garvin, Steve Williams and Road Warrior Animal to defeat Al Perez, Ivan Koloff, Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotunda and The Russian Assassin

.

There's a lovely bit of stalling before the main event, as Ross and Caudle scramble to cover time as the steel cage is put up. Highlights include Caudle running down the behind the scenes staff who have put the show together, the pair trying to make sense of the finish of the Windham vs. Zbyszko bout and covering the previous Bunkhouse Stampede bouts. It's at a point like this that WWE would throw to a backstage segment today.

Match 4 - Steel Cage Bunkhouse Stampede

Arn Anderson

vs.

Dusty Rhodes

vs.

Ivan Koloff

vs.

Lex Luger

vs. 

Road Warrior Animal

vs.

The Barbarian

vs. 

The Warlord

vs. 

Tully Blanchard

This gimmick is just stupid. It really is. Think about it, it's a battle royal, so to be eliminated your feet need to touch the floor, but the ring is surrounded by a steel cage. So how on earth is someone going to make your feet touch the floor, if you don't want them to? Stay on the ground and stay away from the door and you'll perfectly fine, right? Nah, guys are climbing onto the top rope and rolling around by the open door and all sorts. This makes it ridiculously hard to suspend your disbelief for the entirety of the bout.  I get the idea that the cage is there to make things harder and to make a wrestler look stronger for eliminating everyone, but in practice it just doesn't work. 

The first elimination is Warlord and Barbarian getting Koloff over the top after SIXTEEN minutes. SIXTEEN minutes for the first elimination. What happened in those first sixteen minutes? Absolutely nothing. There's some brawling and some more brawling and then a little bit more brawling. With eight men in there, all going at for themselves, this is pretty boring. The other eliminations come through the door and involved multiple people falling out the door, with Warlord and Animal both tumbling out at around the 18 minutes mark, before Anderson, Luger and Blanchard awkwardly exit the cage about four minutes later. None of these eliminations make anyone look good and neither do they make me want to see a fight between any of the competitors in the near future.

In fact, no one comes out of this one looking like a star, because there is really no attempt to tell a story and what you get is eight guys wandering around hitting each other for 26 minutes. Even the winner Dusty Rhodes doesn't look as good as I'm sure he was hoping he would have when he booked himself to win his FOURTH Bunkhouse Stampede in a row, as despite being a little bloodied, he only manages to eliminate Barbarian and does very little else all match. On the strength of this shit alone, Rhodes deserved to get fired from his job as booker, if you look at the booking at the booking for the rest of the PPV it's surprising that he ever got given the book again.

Winner - Dusty Rhodes in 26 minutes, 21 seconds

Next PPV - At The Great American Bash, Dusty Rhodes would get a shot at Barry Windham's NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard would team up to defend the NWA World Tag Team titles in a time limit draw with Nikita Koloff & Sting, Lex Luger would challenge for Ric Flair's NWA World Heavyweight championship and Road Warrior Animal and Ivan Koloff would be on opposite sides of a Tower of Doom match. The Barbarian and The Warlord would jump to the WWF, becoming the Powers of Pain, defeating The Bolsheviks at SummerSlam in August.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 3.5/10

This is a piss-poor PPV, avoid it in it's full form at all costs. Ric Flair, at least, manages to pull an entertaining bout out of Road Warrior Hawk, that is worth a watch if you get the chance, but even that is hampered with some stupid, stupid booking. The opener and the main event are just terrible, with the opener being one of the most boring bouts that I've ever seen. 

This PPV deserves it's place on the ATPW Scale (for the time being, at least) of dead last!

NEXT TIME - WCW Halloween Havoc 1998

Diamond Dallas Page challenges Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, Sting, Scott Hall and Raven are also on the card. Oh...and the infamous rematch between Hollywood Hogan and The (Ultimate) Warrior.

Blu-Ray Review: WWE Battleground 2015

WWE Battleground 2015 is out on DVD and Blu-Ray on Monday (14th September 2015) in the UK. You can pre-order here at WWEDVD.co.uk and all other reputable DVD stockists. Broadcast live on PPV (and on the WWE Network) from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, USA on 19th July 2015. The show features Seth Rollins defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Brock Lesnar as the main event. There's also six other matches featuring the likes of Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt and Charlotte in action. TheWWE Tag Team and United States Championships are also up for grabs. The disc includes over an hour of special features, including three further matches. Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and John "Bradshaw" Layfield provide the commentary.

You can find our full PPV review here...

The opening bout is physical encounter between Sheamus and Randy Orton, which plays out to a lively and receptive crowd. The best singles match the pair have had, there's an argument to suggest the contest goes a little too long, but it's still a well-structure and enjoyable opener. A Tag Team Championship clash between The Prime Time Players and Big E & Kofi Kingston of The New Day (with Xavier Woods at ringside) is a decent affair, with New Day bringing their signature blend of annoyance and entertainment. 


Roman Reigns locks horns with Bray Wyatt for a tremendous back and forth bout, with a high level of brutality for a regular singles match. The crowd not being behind Reigns hurts it slightly, with no man able to garner a great amount of crowd support either, a louder crowd could have pushed this big clash to the next level. A three-way women's bout between Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Brie Bella is a fine slice of action, that cleverly allows Sasha and Charlotte to become the back bone of the match.

Whilst Kevin Owens and John Cena's United States Championship match can't quite live up to their two previous bout, this is still superb encounter, that is undoubtedly the best match on offer here. Fitting the mould of the previous two collisions, there's plenty of to and fro, with both men hitting big moves throughout the bout, this is a very easy watch for sure. The Miz and The Big Show's segment is a complete waste of time, I'd get the fast-forward button ready for that one.


The entrance for the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship seem to promise a big fight, between two of WWE's most popular acts, with Seth Rollins in particular putting on a great performance pre-bout. Unfortunately, Rollins' match with Brock Lesnar fails to provide on the expectations, as it's weird structure and diminutive run-time leave a sour taste in the mouth, the action is perfectly acceptable it just doesn't go anywhere. The surprise return at the end of the bout will have you sitting bolt up right if you haven't seen it before, as WWE uses the show to springboard toward SummerSlam.

Special Features

The special features kick off with an okay match between King Barrett and R-Truth ("King What's Up") from Battleground Kick-Off, in which the action is satisfactory but never threatens to become a must-see bout. John Cena and Kevin Owens segment (Monday Night RAW, June 2015) is a home-run with Cena at his best and Owens matching him every step of the way. An eight man tag bout putting The New Day and Bo Dallas against The Prime Time Players and The Lucha Dragons (Friday Night Smackdown, June 2015) is a fun bout, with a cool opportunity to see Dallas and New Day together, but comes in a little too short to showcase all eight men properly. 

Dean Ambrose makes it onto the disc, teaming with Roman Reigns opposite Seth Rollins and Kane (with J&J Security) (Monday Night RAW, June 2015) in what is another decent encounter, under No Disqualification rules. The aftermath goes a little too long for my liking, but does include one cool spot which is worth checking out. Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar's contract signing (Monday Night RAW, June 2015) is a lengthy epic of a segment, taking a number of twist and turns before it's conclusion. Like many of these special features, if you weren't keeping track of WWE at the time, it's worth checking these out before watching the main feature to give you a better understanding of the various feuds heading in.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.75


This an above average show, with plenty of enjoyable action throughout. Kevin Owens and John Cena's bout stands out as the match of the night, although it doesn't top their previosu outings at Elimination Chamber and Money in the Bank. Elsewhere Randy Orton vs. Sheamus and Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns are also worth checking out, if you've yet to see them.

There isn't anything on the show (with perhaps the exception of Big Show and The Miz's segment) that is straight-up bad, but outside the the three mentioned matches, the rest of the show is distinctly average. The main event is a huge disappointment also.

The special features here provide nothing that makes the Blu-Ray stand out, opposed to the DVD set, but with only  a £1 difference in price on wwedvd.co.uk, there's certainly enough to justify paying that extra £1, with Kevin Owens and John Cena's segment standing out as the strongest extra provided.

If you're looking for a disc to bridge the gap between WrestleMania and SummerSlam, then I'd recommend Money in the Bank or Payback ahead of this release.


This release is available from WWEDVD, Amazon, Base, Zavvi, ebay and Blackwell online.

Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: September 2014 Week 2

Firstly we must apologise to Across The Pond Wrestling and readers of these articles for the lateness of this week's edition. Solely due to real life getting in the way. However, let's move on to wrestling life and get Ready For The Weekend!

Kicking off the weekend on Friday night, Target Wrestling are back at The Venue in Carlisle, Cumbria. The event will feature international star, 'The Hurricane' Shane Helms teaming with, the always impressive, Mark Coffey to face the duo of T-Bone & Bubblegum. Helms has won numerous championships during his career and Mark Coffey in a bona-fide world class athlete in his own right, whilst their opponents are no strangers to each other and have been partners on numerous occasions. This should be a great action filled match for all to see. The Target Wrestling Heavyweight Championship is also on the line on September 11th when Joe Coffey defends against a surprise opponent. Originally scheduled to face Kris Travis who unfortunately had to withdraw due to a stomach injury, Coffey now faces the unknown but the 'Iron Man' has never been scared of a fight and shall welcome the challenge. For months, Alexander Henry has caused chaos in Target Wrestling with his cohorts. Now aligned with Jason Prime and Rampage Brown, they are set to face a group who live to cause chaos, The New Age Kliq's Stevie Xavier, BT Gunn & Wolfgang. These groups have a real dislike for each other and Carlisle may not be able to withstand the inevitable war that is coming this Friday.

Moving on to Saturday and Tidal Championship Wrestling host their final event at The Dolphin Centre in Darlington, County Durham, Last Dance. One match of interest at the event is Martin Kirby vs. HT Drake. Now Kirby is considered one of the best wrestlers in the UK and rightfully so, HT Drake on the other hand is a great up and coming talent from the North East of England. This will be great test for the young HT Drake against such an experienced opponent. At Spring Storm Dan James and Dan Evans were tag team partners. Move on a few months and these two are now no longer partners or even friends. They have their differences and the only way to resolve them is to fight it out on September 12th. In the main event, Liam Lazarus puts the TCW Championship on the line against the first ever champion, 'The Mexican Sensation' El Ligero. These men have faced each other in TCW twice before with both holding a victory over the other. Now it's time for the rubber match with the gold up for grabs.

On Sunday, PROGRESS Wrestling are back with another edition of their ENDVR franchise which is now holding it's 12th show, at the Garage in Islington, London. A place in the Natural Progression Series will be up for grabs when the very unique Jack Sexsmith faces Australia's Josh Shooter. Shooter is a world-travelled athlete and Sexsmith has become a a real fan favourite in the ENDVR ranks. This is a big test for Sexsmith but one he'll want to overcome to gain entry to the Electric Ballroom in the near future. At PTNTL:2, Jinny demanded that she be given a tougher challenge in her next match. PROGRESS being a company that listens went and found Jinny a bigger challenge in the shape of Toni Storm. Jinny and Storm have crossed paths before when Jinny interfered in a match between Toni and Elizabeth, Jinny's PA. Now the woman the fans have christened the "Primark Princess" gets the chance to face a tougher challenge and Toni Storm gets a chance to gain some revenge. In possibly the strangest combination of characters in wrestling, Pastor William Eaver & Chuck Mambo are back in tag team action against one of the most decorated tag teams in British Wrestling today, The London Riots. Sweet Jesus have scored some big wins during their tag team career. The London Riots would be a huge team to defeat but it won't come easy.


That wraps up this week's preview of the weekend's wrestling schedule. Of course, there are many more events taking place over the three days. To find out more about the shows we've highlighted here as well as all the others, check us out at www.wrestleropesuk.wordpress.com for the latest show and match announcements, British Wrestling event list and more.