WWE, ECW, WCW, and even ROH were where I watched these comic book style moves, and stories that made you believe, because the orators had such passion, that you felt the anguish of being slammed through a table, you felt the animosity between two rival stars that take a feud to near-illegal bounds. I remember when Stone Cold Steve Austin came out in Albany New York, in the former Pepsi Arena, now the a Times Union Center, and sprayed Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with gallons and gallons of beer from a truck. That was entertainment, that was showmanship, and defiance personified on a grandscale. In those many television moments, they are deeply held, loving memories of how much wrestling mattered to me as a young aspirant to media.
As history is written in the ring, via calls on the fly, or a well-orchestrated script, it still comes down to presentation of the product. The Royal Rumble this year was shocking, and well done by the standards of most other pay-per-views, which now are more video-on-demand, which has it's positive and negative aesthetics. Yet, the entire Pay-Per-View is the beginning of the "Road to Wrestlemania", which is the biggest, most important event in the WWE, if not wrestling. I've found it to be an intriguing event,move seen almost every single Wrestlemania, and now with the WWE Network, anyone can watch almost any pay-per-view in history. I believe that you can even watch old NWA and AWA events on it,mbut being I do not personally own the network (I don't have cable internet where I live because I'm out in the boondocks.) but I've seen enough of it from friends who own it to say that the future of the brand is going to have to be written for a very, very broad audience.
The Royal Rumble was as intriguing a match as any, because it goes to show you that those classic surprises and shocking moments that made the Attitude Era, and the Classical Era so big with the fans, can still be just as shocking, as heart-pounding as ever. With AJ Styles coming into the ring, showcasing his tactical wrestling skils, having been with TNA, now Impact for over ten years, it's apparent that his style will match up well in WWE. I personally want to see a match between him, and Calisto, who is becoming a serious threat to the establishment, and I hope he doesn't become just a gimmick, as his skills are at-the-moment, unparalleled.
The match grew to have even more controversy, since number 30 into the Rumble was none-other than the Cerebral Assassin, one of my favorites, a Triple H. His return to the rings, and quite frankly, where he belongs, was a shock for many, who still believed that it would've been an early recovered Seth Rollins. Although rumors were that Daniel Bryan's return was to be permanent, it feels more like a blatant, and understandable move to gain the applause of the crowd.
So to spoil the ending for the sake of time and relevancy of this article, Triple H eliminated Roman Reigns, then current WWE Hesvyweight champion, and it came down to two: Triple H, and DeannAmbfose, the "brother-in-arms" of Roman Reigns. Triple H won the belt in one of the most important Royal Rumble most he's in history, and so we move on to the newest pay-per-view: Fastlane.
The main event for Fastlane will shape the pantheon of Wrestlemania. A Triple Threat match that will determine the challenger for Triple H's title. A match-up of three very tough contenders: Desn Ambrose, the so-called Lunatic Fringe, his former Shield brethren; and former champion, Roman Reigns. The last man to step into the Triple Threat match is the Beast Incarnate: Brock Lesnar. He is also my favorite to win the Triple Threat, which I believe will open up the floodgates for another Triple Threat match at Wrestlemania, but that is for later speculation. Brock, however is a man thwt does it all: he can put up a fight, send you to the aptly named Suplex City, and he can make you work hard for the money. He's also a genuinely nice guy, who has come back from a life-altering disease, and looks stronger now than he has in years. He also took on the Octagon I the UFC, which showcased his talents for being a genuine prizefighter.
The reason why Brock sells tickets, is because people get him, his story is believable, and he backs up every single thing his spokesman, or advocat Paul Heyman claims he can do. Even she he fails, he. Ames sure that the loss is a great work, it's a show to behold. When Lesnar is fighting, people stop and watch. Though he won his bout with divaticulitus, and returned to the ring, and became champion as a stellar heel, he looks to be turncoat, and looking baby face in the ring against a man who is seen as privileged, a man who has a legacy behind him, and screams millennial, while he has his buddy backing him up as second string in this match. Don't get me wrong, Dean Ambrose is a good wingman for Roman, but I think this only plays well if the story is sold. However, the real reason why Dean gets a shot at headlining Wrestlemania is mostly due to the fact he was the last to go over the ropes in the Royal Rumble. However, Brock Lesnar versus Triple H is what this whole thing is about, it's a showdown for the ages, and in retrospect, Brock hasn't really had a fair opportunity to come back and get a shot at the belt, as with the Undertakerr storyline they played prior to Summerslam.
This is why I find Brock is the best asset to keep the brand fresh, he isn't limited, especially with the talkative position of Paul Heyman. Granted, he too is second string, but they sell a story. Brock can actually hold his own on the mic, but Heyman brings that flair of selling Lesnar like a sideshow attraction, and almost dehumanizes the character, like a great monster that kids only here about in fairy tales. Lesnar is a star attraction, and probably one of the best, most proficient athletes to step inside the squared circle. He was at one point the youngest wrestler to hold the title. He knows what people want from a match, and although many may grow tired of his allegiance with Paul Heyman, he never leaves the audience bored with his ability to describe Lesnar. We here so many other talkers would've moved on to something else, but Heyman is useful in this regards, as though Brock is so good, his actions speak louder than words. This leaves Paul Heyman to speak on behalf of the Beast, and it doesn't stifle the story. That's because Heyman is given freedom to start, tout, and end his speeches however he chooses. He's never fe afraid to push that nefarious PG rating up just to the point of controversy, and this gives Lesnar that much more appeal. Lesnar isn't a PG performance, he's painted, and lives up to the image of sheer brutal ferocity. Herman's words match Lesnar's snarling gator style in the ring. He makes the violence look pretty, or just goes off the cuffs, and has a low-down street fight.
For this "PG-Rated Era" however, it's fair to say that the most brutal action comes from Brock Lesnar, essentially a serious fighter who takes the sport seriously. Sure, many can hate on Paul Heyman, and I'm far from a fan of his myself,he's screwed so many great talents out of money, and swindled a great number of his audience from the ECW days. So I can understand the disdain for the man, especially if you know his history, it still doesn't stop the fact that Brock Lesnar is probably one of the best wrestler of this, and former generation. The youngest (at the time) champion, and he's aptly one of the few wrestlers that can challenge even the likes of the Big Show. He's a beast in the literal sense of the word, and he's a monster technician that comes from a lifetime of always striving to be the best,and whether you want to believe it or not, he's probably one of the best experts inside the ring, and clearly a Hall of Fame inductee in the future.
Although he may have to wait for other inductees. I think Rick Rude is one of many that deserve to be in those hallowed halls of history first. Needless to say, Brock Lesnar is what proper pay to see, more than John Cena, who is pushed so hard that I swear you begin to like him from being brainwashed. Not to take away from his commitment as a performer, but it feels like everyone tries to make him into something greater than he truly is, and there are much better performers out there that deserve the top spot. Vince underestimates his own brand, and sadly he's hurting it. Having Brock Lesnar back, but also fighting on a more constant basis, will be the best for this product, because he's a good measuring stick to see just what the future holds in the ring. Cena, as much as people try to consider him the measure to success in this business, I have to disagree, Brock is the guy that can wean out the men from the boys. Lesnar is best for business, regardless of who gets to Wrestlemania.
I may do wresting-related post in the future, I've tried for years to avoid it, as this isn't a blog dedicated to the subject, and when speaking about wrestling, it truly is an all-or-nothing conversation.
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