2013 Year in Review/2014 Year in Preview: WWE

The Passion of The Bryan
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Promotion: World Wrestling Entertainment (and NXT too!)

What Happened in 2013: WrestleMania is technically WWE's new year, so the first quarter of the year was a continuation of the theme from last year, while everything that followed built towards a different end, a different and strange new world. John Cena's crappy year which really wasn't so crappy after all, began to hit an upswing when he won the Royal Rumble, putting himself on a collision course with the Champion at Mania. While CM Punk began the year as Champion, Cena's destiny was to face someone different at Mania. The Rock cashed in on his title opportunity at the Rumble, ending Punk's 434-day run with the WWE Championship.

Punk would turn his attentions to the Undertaker for Mania. Using the real life death of Paul Bearer as a heat source, Punk antagonized Taker in an attempt to put him off his game and end The Streak. His attempt failed, and Undertaker won. Cena finally rectified his bad year by taking the WWE Championship from The Rock.

The night after WrestleMania in Newark provided one of the most surreal atmospheres in RAW history, but it kicked the main narrative for the year off with a bang. Undertaker came to the ring to hold court, but The Shield came out to usurp his yard and stake the claim for the Hounds of Justice. Taker looked like he would be beaten back into his coffin until next Mania, but his brother and his tag partner came out to save the day. With that action of salvation, Daniel Bryan and Kane engaged in a battle with The Shield that would continue to rage for months.

The Royal Rumble by (Entry) Numbers: 5

The only winner from No. 5 (and he was illegitimate)
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Winners: Steve Austin, 1997
Final four: Edge (3rd, 2007)
Multiple draws: Bob Holly (1996, 2008), Edge (1999, 2003, 2007) Great Khali (2009, 2010)
Longest: Austin (1997), 45:07
Shortest: JBL (2004): 0:38.
Most eliminations: 10 — Austin (1997)

On paper, Steve Austin’s performance in the 1997 Royal Rumble is arguably the greatest of all time. He’s the only man to enter at No. 5 and win a Rumble, and though his 45:07 is only the sixth-longest stay for a Rumble winner (and 20th-best all time), he eliminated 10 men, the most of any winner and one shy of the single-match record. But there are two points of note: One, this was a match where entrants came roughly every 90 seconds, and Rumble purists prefer the two-minute intervals. And two, Austin didn’t actually win the match.

Anyone who actually watched the event knows Bret Hart eliminated Stone Cold, only the officials didn’t see his feet hit the floor because they were busy breaking up a Mankind-Terry Funk scrum. Austin re-entered the match and eliminated Undertaker and Vader before eventually ousting the Hitman. We’re willing to let a lot of this slide because it set up a great “four the hard way” (copyright Dre of the Old School Wrestling Podcast) match at the February In Your House as well as the Hart-Austin WrestleMania 13 match, considered by many the greatest match in WrestleMania history, and by a subset as the greatest in WWF/WWE history, and yet another subset as simply the greatest match period.

The Wrestling Blog Presents: The 2013 Bloggie Awards

Welcome to the 2013 Bloggie Awards, presented to the best in the wrestling industry for the last calendar year. Announced within are the winners of these awards, but before we begin, here's what the Bloggies are and aren't:

• The Bloggies are NOT a measure of who drew money or drove business. Look to the Observer for that scope.
• The Bloggies are NOT a measure of kayfabe accomplishment. Pro Wrestling Illustrated has that covered like a boss.
• The Bloggies are NOT crowd-sourced or openly voted upon. They're chosen by me and me alone, so if anyone has a problem, take it up with me.
• The Bloggies ARE a measure of who did the most to advance the ART of wrestling. Who told the best stories? Who talked with the silverest of tongues? Who wrestled the best matches? Who had the biggest emotional impact? These are the questions that these awards have set out to answer.

Now, without further ado...

Wrestler of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Chuck Taylor
• Daniel Bryan
• Randy Orton
• Sami Zayn
• The Shield

Photo Credit: WWE.com

And the winner is... The Shield!
I understand the weirdness associated with giving an individual award to three guys. However, the group was very much a WWE equivalent of the Magus Sisters. Alone, each single wrestler is effective to varying degrees, but as a group, they had such a unique aura. Together, they were one complete wrestler, and they were so important to the fabric of so many stories, whether as ancillary actors or main focuses. Plus, they were basically asked to define a style of match in WWE that they had used sparingly as a regular trope in its history, and they did so excellently. I don't care if this is a cop out, or if it's hokey. The Shield, as a singular collective, was the best thing in WWE and wrestling on the whole this year, and I think their impact was greater than just as a stable.

Oh, Okay *Kicks A Rock*

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Daniel Bryan is a broken man. Joining the Wyatt Family is the logical nadir for his character, and now the possibilities seem to be plentiful if not endless. Will WWE follow through on it? Well, I've spent a lot of time agonizing over whether they would or not, but to be honest, do what Brandon Stroud says. Enjoy the good stuff when it happens so that you have memories of it when WWE drops the ball.

Also, shout out to Luke Harper for getting the perfect lobotomized look on his face as he outstretched his hand for Bryan to join them. He may not break out as a singles star, but he could be an awesome minion for his entire career.

Instant Feedback: I Like to Keep My Issues Drawn

Please, get up Mark, please, I'm begging you
Photo Credit: WWE.com

One noble warrior came to answer the call of the closest thing WWE has ever had to a legitimate leviathan. His broad shoulders and barrel-frame stomped down the aisle. His attack was doomed from the start. The most physically intimidating man in WWE history, a man who should never have to fight dirty, hit the World's Strongest Man while his eyes were staring down the apron. The Beast Incarnate showed a cerebral tendency for trolling, putting his victim through a guard barrier, similar to how his own Hall of Pain began. Then, a F5 on the floor. Mark Henry, it seemed, had been vanquished.

Later, a folk hero with the support of nearly every paying customer in any arena around the world, wanted to finish his year by rolling through a cadre of backwater Golems, led by a demon too evil and too logical to be considered human. The Real Best in the World had been through a trying year. He lost a best friend, was the victim of machinations of those who thought he couldn't benefit them in fiduciary terms, and now was being targeted by these cultists. The wild-eyed elseworlds truck driver was the first tree to fall, even if the man had to use every axe in his repertory and his entire first aid kit. The goat-masked fire-beard was next, falling to guile in shorter order, the only chance the Dragon had of surviving.

The Wrestling Blog's OFFICIAL Best in the World Rankings, December 30

SOMEBODY GON ORDER DEEP DISH
Photo via @RealLisaMarie

Welcome to a feature I like to call "Best in the World" rankings. They're not traditional power rankings per se, but they're rankings to see who is really the best in the world, a term bandied about like it's bottled water or something else really common. They're rankings decided by me, and don't you dare call them arbitrary lest I smack the taste out of your mouth. Without further ado, here's this week's list:

1. Rachel Summerlyn (Last Week: 2) - This week, I found out she's got a movie credit with Ryan Gosling. RYAN GOSLING. Dreamy.

2. AJ Lee (Last Week: 1) - I don't remember much of RAW and didn't watch Smackdown, so I'm assuming she was still pretty awesome doing what she was doing. This week has been brutal.

3. Daniel Bryan (Last Week: 4) - Bryan's year has been so great that even network producers are taking notice. After the Cowboys, led by a quarterback named Orton, failed to convert what would have been a game-tying two point conversion, the NBC producer dude played "The Final Countdown" as bumper music going to commercial. Coincidence? I THINK NOT.

The Royal Rumble by (Entry) Numbers: 4

Cody Rhodes doin' work in the 2012 Rumble out of the #4 spot
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Winners: None
Final four: The Rock (2nd, 1998)
Multiple draws: None
Longest: The Rock (1998), 51:32
Shortest: JTG (2010): 0:25.
Most eliminations: Six — Cody Rhodes (2012)

No one who entered the Royal Rumble at No. 4 has gone on to win the match. Though the same is true about 13 other entry spots (not counting outlier spots 31-40), it’s least surprising for this one closest to the start. That’s why it’s no shock only one No. 4 has made it to the end of a Rumble — The Rock in 1998, going 51:32, logging three eliminations along the way before being ousted by archrival Steve Austin.

This was a classic case of a strong Rumble performance ushering a rising star onto the main stage. Rock earlier in the night defended his Intercontinental Championship in a 10-minute match against Ken Shamrock, but the final showdown between he and Austin proved that although Stone Cold was already strapped to a rocket targeted for the stratosphere, Rock would not be far behind.

2013 Year in Review/2014 Year in Preview: Impact Wrestling

Bond villainy at its finest
Photo Credit: ImpactWrestling.com

Promotion: TNA/Impact Wrestling

What Happened in 2013: The year started out with the Aces and Eights saga in full swing. The mysterious President was calling the shots, trying to get all his pieces in place for a run at the company. Hulk Hogan was at his wit's end, dealing not only with people like Taz turning on him and joining the group, but with Bully Ray courting his daughter Brooke. The two got married, and Hogan felt he could trust Bully enough to not only look after his daughter but his company as well.

Little did he know that Bully was using him to further his cause. He snagged a title shot against Jeff Hardy at Lockdown, which is where he revealed his master plan, that he was the President of Aces and Eights all along. Using the help of the group, Bully won the World Championship and reigned terror on TNA, especially his now reluctant bride Brooke Hogan and her father. Brooke Hogan ended up leaving the company, at which point Bully replaced her with another Brooke in Tessmacher, while the Hulkster would end up having to step aside to let another group come to the aid of the company.

The Main Event Mafia reformed with Sting, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Magnus, and *sigh* Rampage Jackson in an attempt to fight Aces and Eights. Their efforts really didn't do much damage, as the group imploded from within after Jackson was pulled from TNA by Bellator, Angle went to rehab, and Magnus of all people started getting too big for his britches and clashed with the other members of the group.

The Royal Rumble by (Entry) Numbers: 3

Flair took his licks, but he won the richest pot in Rumble history
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Winners: Ric Flair, 1992
Final four: None
Multiple draws: None
Longest: Flair, 59:26
Shortest: Tom Brandi (1998): 0:12.
Most eliminations: Five — Flair, CM Punk (2010)

This post could be two words long: Ric Flair. But of course it warrants a bit more, if only to shower praise on arguably the single greatest Royal Rumble performance of all time.

Let’s start with the obvious: the WWF title was on the line for the first, last and only (so far) time in Rumble history. Massive stakes. There were only 28 men to beat (No. 2 Ted DiBiase was eliminated shortly before Flair entered), but it took nearly an hour to do so. At the time it was the longest tenure in Rumble history; it now ranks fifth. Only two men have lasted longer in Rumble victories, and only ten men have logged more eliminations in a win than Flair’s five (tied with Hulk Hogan in 1990). The list of competitors is littered with former world champions and future hall-of-famers.

The Royal Rumble by (Entry) Numbers: 2

The tiniest Iron Man
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Winners: Vince McMahon, 1999; Rey Mysterio, 2006
Final four: Davey Boy Smith (2nd, 1995); Bob Backlund (3rd, 1993)
Multiple draws: Chris Jericho (2003, 2013)
Longest: Mysterio, 1:02:12
Shortest: Alex Riley (2012): 1:15.
Most eliminations: Six — Jericho (2003), Mysterio (2006)

As noted in yesterday’s post on Number 1, there have been just as many winners from the Rumble’s second spot as its penultimate. But entering at 29 is not the same as 30 — coming in at No. 2 is functionally the same as No. 1 since both positions put the contestant in the ring with all zeroes on the clock.

Yet a quick glance at the overall performance of wrestlers coming to the ring second shows a significant dropoff from those entering first. There have indeed been two winners — the less said about Vince McMahon winning the 1999 Rumble the better — and two others who made it to the final four, but chances are if you’re coming out second, you’re not held in nearly as high esteem as the guy waiting for you to hit the ring.

Twitter Request Line, Vol. 59

Kozlov! Russia! Da!
Photo Credit: WWE.com

It's Twitter Request Line time, everyone! I take to Twitter to get questions about issues in wrestling, past and present, and answer them on here because 140 characters can't restrain me, fool! If you don't know already, follow me @tholzerman, especially around Friday night after Smackdown, and wait for the call. Anyway, time to go!

@PureGristle kicks off the Tweet-bag this week by suggesting that Vladimir Kozlov wasn't that bad now, was he?

I was a huge fan of his tag team run with Santino Marella. I think he was the best possible Steve Blackman they've had, and that statement is coming from the foremost historical fan of Head Cheese one might find. However, I get the feeling that tag team was pretty widely loved. I could be wrong though. However, I dug his pre-turn run as the neo-Soviet automaton. I've always been a fan of the Russian invader archetype. He wasn't the best guy in the ring, but I thought he was an able foil for guys like Jeff Hardy. I wouldn't mind seeing him come back, but at the same time, I'm not sure where he'd fit on the roster today. But yeah, Kozlov was cool with me.

The Royal Rumble by (Entry) Numbers: 1

Mr. No. 1 (the other guy has been expunged from the record books) with Pamela Anderson
Photo Credit: WWE.com

In a personal never-ending quest to find new ways to think about my single favorite annual wrestling event, the Royal Rumble, today we begin a look at the history of the match by analyzing each entry position. Over the next 30 days, we’ll break down the men (and women) (and Bastion Booger) who have entered the match from No. 1 through No. 30. And yes, that does immediately raise a flag.

The first Rumble, the 1988 USA made-for-TV special, featured just 20 entrants, and the 2011 behemoth boasted 40. So entering at 20 in 1988 was kind of like 30 every other year, plus there’s those outliers of 31-40, including winner Alberto Del Rio, who came in at 38. Those years, as well as the 1995 Rumble (when competitors entered every 60 seconds instead of 90 or 120) make comparing performances kind of like looking at Macintosh to Red Delicious. Still apples, but in no way identical.

And in the name of logic, we’re going to do this sequentially. That means starting out with Number One.

Impactful Feedback: Back on Track

Jeff Hardy in the process of losing his Technicolor smile
Photo Credit: ImpactWrestling.com

The good news is that I can now say that I have successfully completed my first Christmas season as a store manager. It was long and arduous, but in the end, I feel confident with the job I was able to do throughout the season, and the store didn't burn down in the process. The bad news is that I was so far behind on my Impact watching that my DVR hadn't recorded the previous two weeks worth of shows. When I finally tried to turn on last night's episode to catch up, I realized that I had nothing recorded to go back on due to the pile-up, so I was only able to catch up to the main event.

The match itself was nothing to write a whole article about. It was as simple as it could be while trying to keep Ethan Carter III out of the ring with Sting. The rest of his team leaving much to be desired for me. Basically, the contest came down to Jeff Hardy taking the heat so he could hit the hot tag to Sting, only for Carter to sneak in and get the roll-up for the win.

Best Coast Bias: A Shade Of Gray

A perfect gift for any wrestling fan (screencap courtesy of NXT Means Business Tumblr)

It ended the way we all knew it was going to end, because the only thing worse than a doomed hero is one who knows he is going in.

It ended the way we all knew it was going to end, with William Regal upside down and at the complete (lack of) mercy at one of his numerous proteges, this one Antonio Cesaro; seconds away from Neutralization.

And then it ended the way we all knew it was going to end... and then it didn't.

Yes, NXT spent 2013 garnering accolades and making main event roster stars the way acne multiplies on a ninth-grader. Sure, the Christmas episode of the show featured all the different tentacles that came out of Full Sail's grasp in a myriad of packages: quick-hitter promos from the Shield, Bo Dallas, and Bray Wyatt, Paige talking about becoming the first and so far only Women's Champion and the moment moving her to tears, the birthing of the Performance Center, the litany of now WWE stars that got their starts in Full Sail and everybody who's probably going to be next up the ladder. But in a world where they might've put on the Match of the Year by any WWE standard, let alone NXT's, it was the man who beat Sami Zayn 2-1 in it that was on center stage for the show's lone match.

2CW's Next Show to Feature the Young Bucks vs. Some Extreme Nostalgia...

Coming to 2CW in April
Photo via 2CW Facebook

Living on the Edge 9 Event Page

Squared Circle Wrestling of Upstate New York is on a well-deserved hiatus after the year they had (end of their last Internet pay-per-view notwithstanding), but they're already back to the drawing board planning their return for 2014. They announced the Young Bucks earlier on this month, which is a big enough get with which to start. Today, their opponents were named...

Mikey Whipwreck and Yoshihiro Tajiri

The underdog standbys from ECW will reunite to take on the best tag team in America (if not the world) on April 19. Tajiri has been wrestling and promoting various promotions in Japan, most notably the defunct SMASH Wrestling, where Kana threatened to castrate him. Whipwreck has remained in the New York City area, training wrestlers out of the New York Wrestling Connection camp and staying active in that promotion. Both guys are still in fighting shape from what I hear. As long as they can still go, this dream match could turn out to be a reality, one that will play out in Watertown, NY.

The Most Interesting People in Wrestling of 2013

The WWE's most improbable success story
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Barbara Walters does, or at least she used to do, her "Most Fascinating People of [insert year here]" list around this time every year. I think that's a pretty neat feature for me to unequivocally rip off borrow, as there have been plenty of interesting personalities in pro wrestling. Here are my Most Interesting People in Wrestling of 2013.

AJ Lee - For as much pub as Total Divas has gotten from the promotional machine of WWE, I find it curious and satisfying that the only woman, aside from Vickie Guerrero, who continues to get consistent, vociferous reaction from the crowd is Lee. Her repayment is bullying backstage, humiliation on screen (in the form of getting that vomit dropped on her... Be A Star, Cena!), and status as a jump-starter to get those reality TV stars over. Regardless, Lee works hard in every scene she's in, and despite being cast as a heel, is more of a positive role model to the young girls watching at home than anyone else on the roster. Her realness is not a fit for WWE, but that's more the company's fault than hers.

Billy Corgan - Corgan's been dabbling in wrestling for over a year now. His money and name have been lent to the Baron Bros. Chicago wrestling outfit, Resistance Pro, and to be quite honest, they weren't doing him any favors by their showing at National Pro Wrestling Day. I guess that reason is why he'd be so linked to buying yet another company that deals in misogyny every day, right? I found Corgan being Impact Wrestling's savior to be a bit hilarious given that he's only involved in R-Pro on the figurehead level. Still, the frenzy that he whipped the fans up just by leaking his intentions to buy TNA was a testament to how godawful that company is in the hands of the Carters.

Year End Sorting Bins, 2013: I Will Follow Them, Follow Them Wherever They May Go

Here we are, the highest level, the pantheon, so to speak. These are the wrestlers and personalities for whom I have rabid and some would say irrational level of adoration for. They're the folks that really stoke the flames of my wrestling fandom.

Screen grab via Impact Wrestling.com

Joseph Park - If one person could keep me watching Impact, he would be Joseph Park. I can't explain how one guy could be so illuminatingly awesome in one role and dreadful in another, but Abyss' alter ego is causing this dichotomy in character. He's warm, innocent, eminently likeable, and his secondary occupation is that of a lawyer, the most evil wrestling character that usually exists. I wish I could just rescue him from TNA and put him into a company that would better appreciate his talents like Chika... oh wait.

The Past is Prologue: The GLOW Documentary

Mountain Fiji: Larger than life, both in her career and in the tragedy after it ended
Photo via Pro Wrestling Wikia

While Total Divas enjoys its vacation from nonstop reality television coverage, we'll toil away at the fruits of wrestling-related work on Netflix. A majority of these works are WWE fluff, but we've found a few gems inside that deserve discussion. The top of these is arguably the 2012 documentary on GLOW, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, a great companion piece to another doc we'll talk about soon, the 2004 women's wrestling-centric Lipstick and Dynamite.

It's hard not to feel this weird fondness about campy things. We're fans of professional wrestling, something patently absurd on description anyway, and yet something like GLOW is beyond even that level of camp. It's hard to even define what GLOW is on the grander scale of pro wrestling history. Despite being one of the few showcases with exclusively women wrestling, no one discusses GLOW as a feminist or progressive movement (because, if anything, it was kind of the opposite in both cases). Even as the documentary pointed out that TV ratings were solid, neither of the big two (WWF and NWA/WCW) attempted to even approach a semi-serious women's division until years after the company's demise. So what the hell does it mean?

Your Midweek Links: Merry Christmas!

Showing off, interview style
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Hump day is on Christmas, so here are some links to get you through the rest of the week a day early:

Wrestling Links:

- The Wrestling Podcast, Episode 124: Dylan Hales [Auld Lang Spynebuster]

- Exclusive interview with former WWE World Champion Dolph Ziggler [Washington Times Communities]

- The High Spot: AJ Lee, Michelle Beadle, and the top stories of the week [Place to Be Nation]

- Here's Brock Lesnar posing with Jimmy John's in grandpa pants [With Leather]

- Fact: The Shield are the highlight of 2013 [The Only Way Is Suplex]

- Why Randy Orton is the Champion we now need [Grantland]

The Best Moves Ever: The Zack Attack

Zack Ryder may be a bit pudgy from the underuse, but his finisher before he started using the leg lariat. Maybe the move, which is a spinning neckbreaker using his leg, doesn't seem like a match-ender, but I still think it's way cool.

The Wrestling Blog's OFFICIAL Best in the World Rankings, December 23

Merry Christmas from Down Under!
Photo Credit: Emma

Welcome to a feature I like to call "Best in the World" rankings. They're not traditional power rankings per se, but they're rankings to see who is really the best in the world, a term bandied about like it's bottled water or something else really common. They're rankings decided by me, and don't you dare call them arbitrary lest I smack the taste out of your mouth. Without further ado, here's this week's list:

1. AJ Lee (Last Week: 1) - Oh man, her turn on commentary Friday night on Smackdown was ether. STRAIGHT ETHER. Tell me again why she's not one of the faces of WWE - not just the Divas, but the entire WWE - again?

2. Rachel Summerlyn (Last Week: 2) - I had really good Texas-style brisket on Saturday night. I know the link between Texan cuisine and Summerlyn is tenuous at best. I just had to tell you guys that.

3. George Costanza (Last Week: Not Ranked) - In honor of the holiday season, I have made a GENEROUS donation in your name to the Human Fund. The Human Fund - it's money for people. Happy Festivus, everyone!

The Airing of Grievances: Burn the Strawmen

Ah , fictional character played by Jerry Stiller, your holiday is awesome

"I got a lot of problems with you people." -- Frank Costanza

Today is Festivus, a holiday for, as the above-quoted fictional character intended, the rest of us. The Festivus pole is set up with care down by Florida State Capitol (fuck you, Gretchen Carlson), the Feats of Strength are lined up for RAW tonight (or maybe they aren't, I haven't read spoilers). However, I have grievances, and I feel the need to air them. Today is the perfect time in which to give them life.

Normally, during this time of year, families head outside to build snowmen, but all year long, I see folks within the wrestling community building effigies using a different building material. The strawman is as old as verbal discourse itself, a key tool for the purveyors of rhetoric to aim their rage with efficacy in terms of riling people up. However, when making accord or accurately describing what someone is actually feeling about a certain subject, all a strawman accomplishes is providing tinder for destructive flame wars, mainly because those strawmen are set up as groups of fans.

Whenever WWE especially does something polarizing, I see terms like "smark" and "IWC" bandied about in regards to the fan reactions to them, always in a negative connotation. I've been aware of both of those terms for as long as I've had an awareness of a wrestling fandom deeper than simply watching it, but I've never really been able to pin down a meaningful definition for either. The word "smark" seems to be a wrestling fan who isn't a "mark" but who isn't in the business, but that includes an entire cross-section of people. "Internet Wrestling Community" literally means everyone who is on the Internet who likes wrestling.

2013 Year in Review/2014 Year in Preview: Ring of Honor

The start of something devious...
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Promotion: Ring of Honor

What Happened in 2013: The year started with Kevin Steen as Champion with the backing of the SCUM stable. The group moved on from feuding with Jim Cornette to various challengers to Steen's title. Along the way, the group picked up a number of malcontents and also-rans, including but not limited to Matt Hardy, Rhyno, Cliff Compton, and Rhett Titus. The group was cruising along until Supercard of Honor during WrestleMania weekend. Jay Briscoe was getting his long-overdue traditional title shot against Steen. He wasn't expected to win, as he'd challenged nearly every other Champ in the past unsuccessfully. This time, however, he actually got the job done.

The loss sent a shockwave through SCUM, shaking the renegade group at its core. Steen and Hardy got at each other's throats even before the title loss, but after it, the group decided that the former WWE and TNA standout was more of an asset to their cause than the newly deposed Champion. They booted Steen, but their survival was short-lived without him. They would go on to lose a cage match for their primacy in the company, even though some of the remnants of the group would stay on.

As for Briscoe, his title reign would last through Best in the World in June after a match against his brother Mark. Both brothers' contracts ended, so injury angles were cooked up. Jay Briscoe was stripped of the title, and a tournament was set up (curiously enough, Mark Briscoe was the 16th entrant announced for it). The final four would be Adam Cole, Michael Elgin, Tomasso Ciampa, and Steen, with the semifinals and finals playing out at Death before Dishonor in Philadelphia. Briscoe the elder returned to the company, and was there on hand to surrender the ROH World Championship in person. In a hard-fought final, Cole triumphed cleanly over Elgin.

Best Coast Bias: I Am Tyler's Smirking Revenge

BOO THIS MAN (no, seriously)
Screen Grab via Predadora the Explora Tumblr

Let us now add an entry to the NXTPedia (which, bee tee dubs, Totally Needs To Be A Thing) in commemoration of the 200th episode, shall we?

Chekov's selfie is a dramatic principle requiring that every element in a major Championship match centered around Tyler Breeze be necessary and irreplaceable to the finish; i.e., if you focus on Neville slapping Breeze going to the commercial break when he's trying to do his job as the one notable lumberjack in the match, then Breeze should bail out Bo Dallas from the Red Arrow and cost him the Championship in the process.

You could almost feel it in the air the entirety of the match even before that ending. The crowd was happy to see Neville, per usual, but they were more about "somebody for the love of Crom please beat Bo Dallas" than throatily in The Man Gravity Forgot's corner like they would be for, say, Sami Zayn. But this is all part of the plan, as is having a bunch of seemingly random unnamed roster talents around the ring except for the sole solitary case of the King of Vain. While Bo showed a fear of the lumberjacks keeping him from losing by countout again, or being restricted from perhaps loosening another turnbuckle, Neville went about his normal aerial defiance of logic including a sweet leg lariat out of a handspring. But when he slapped Tyler, the gun went from being on the mantlepiece to on the table.

Outside of two blink-and-you'd-miss-them shots before the ending, Breeze wasn't seen again. This allowed the focus to be on the title match, and moreso on Adrian's offense. When he wasn't tuning up the hamstring with some kicks, he was unfurling standing Shooting Star Presses and monster Owenzuigiris. When Bo got hemmed up by the nameless horde when it looked like he was trying to leave the ring, Neville cut the middleman out and tope con hiloed the entire lot of them. (Bo's look of terror into impending doom really should've been the jpg, and yet no one had it!) Thus having removed every obstacle to the big X in his mind, the Englishman brought the fight back to the ring, and then Chekov's selfie snapped. That's not the only thing it did, however.

Twitter Request Line, Vol. 58

Jessicka Havok is among those selling gear to fans of questionable motive
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

It's Twitter Request Line time, everyone! I take to Twitter to get questions about issues in wrestling, past and present, and answer them on here because 140 characters can't restrain me, fool! If you don't know already, follow me @tholzerman, especially around Friday night after Smackdown, and wait for the call. Anyway, time to go!

First up, @HummerX asks if the market for ring-worn gear from women wrestlers exists, or should he feel good that they're able to make an extra buck?

Real talk, women in wrestling, much like in any other field, shouldn't have to do gross stuff to help make ends meet because the pay gap is wide. Granted, in many fields, the money earned for either gender has been converging over the years, but society hasn't arrived to a point of acceptable relative equality. So yeah, wrestlers feel the need to auction off their gear, any number of women work the customs circuit, and yeah, they have Amazon Wish Lists. None of the above are necessarily wrong, and if anything, I don't blame the supply-side, because they wouldn't be offering these things if a demand didn't exist.

But why does the demand exist? I will touch on this in my ROH Year in Review, but a lot of indie companies cater to a pretty skeezy crowd, a vocal minority of fans who will react to all the base tropes and whose vociferous reactions end up keeping otherwise decent people away after they sample a show once, especially in a market where those regulars are ingrained. I am not speaking in generalities or making assumptions. I've been to shows and I've seen the people who act this way. Green Lantern Fan is probably the most notable among them, and he's the only one who has any kind of identity. I don't know if he's one of the ones buying these things, and if he is, I don't know the reason. But while I don't want to play psychoanalyst for people I don't know, I will say that the demand side of this equation feels very creepy.

Are the women who participate on the supply side exploitative? To a degree, they may be, but let's be honest here. Wrestlers are the most exploited people in the business. The promoters use them and the fans may or may not appreciate what they do. Women especially are by and large treated like absolute scum, so if they can get some of it back, more power to them.

Year End Sorting Bins, 2013: Heck Yeah, I'll Buy Your T-Shirt

Missin' u, Tozawa
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Once again, this is going to be a big one. Twenty-five will get writeups, and the rest will be listed after the jump. I like being positive. SO WHAT? Here are the creme de la creme of wrestlers, the guys who are awesome, more than worthy of praise. These are my favorite wrestlers.

Akira Tozawa - Absence makes the heart grow fonder, y'know. I haven't seen Tozawa at all this year, and unless Gabe Sapolsky either takes the ridiculous rental limit off his VODs or actually starts releasing DVDs, I probably won't get to see him. None of those reasons diminish how awesome Tozawa-san is, though.

Kevin Steen - Steen is the old reliable of the indies for me. No matter the card's providence is, if Steen is booked for a match, that show is going to have one redeeming quality. He's also, by far, the best interaction on Twitter among indie wrestlers.

Tommy Dreamer - I've always had a soft spot for Tommy Dreamer, going all the way back to 1996. I don't know if he's gotten better with age, but he seems to bring the right mixture of nostalgia and bona fides to back his nostalgia up. I guess he gets points for being the one guy who hangs onto his ECW legacy but isn't doing it embarrasingly.

Brock Lesnar - I am serious. I will start a Tumblr page dedicated to shipping Lesnar and Jimmy John's sandwiches. Also, "SAY SOMETHIN' STUPID, PAUL."

Frightmare - Of all the wrestlers I watch, Frightmare most resembles a pinball. While his reckless style of bumping makes me fear for his well-being, I admit that it's very fun to watch.

Any Shows This Weekend? Christmas Chaos!

The Bucks will be front and center this weekend during a double shot of PWG shows
Photo Credit: Devin Chen

'Twas the weekend before Christmas, and all through the land, all the wrestlers were stirring with shows, oh so grand! Just because the calendar has reached single digits between the current date and Christmas doesn't mean that wrestling will have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. Check Pro Wrestling Events for the full slate of shows, but for the marquee slates this weekend, well, I've got you covered.

FRIDAY

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is the main event of the weekend with All-Star Weekend X. Head to the American Legion, Post #308 in Reseda, CA for an 8 PM bell time. Chris Hero returns to PWG, and he gets to cut to the front of the line to face Adam Cole for his title. The rest of Mount Rushmore - the Young Bucks and Kevin Steen - will be in action against AR Fox, Ricochet, and Rich Swann. Davey Richards indie farewell continues against Johnny Gargano, while his American Wolves partner Eddie Edwards teams with his Dojo Bros. partner Roderick Strong against Chuck Taylor and Trent?, otherwise known as the Best Friends. ACH will attempt to topple the power pack known as Michael Elgin, while Tomasso Ciampa battles Drake Younger. Candice LeRae and Joey Ryan tackle the RockNES Monsters, while Brian Cage and Anthony Nese will tangle to round out night one.

The 2013 Bloggie Award Nominations: Moment, Wrestler, Promotion

Henry had me fooled
Photo Credit: WWE.com

I was going to do these nomination posts separately, but I've just been so goddamn busy this week...

Moment of the Year

This award is for the point on a show that provided emotional impact, memorability, and contribution of overall quality to the show.

Prior Winners:
2009 - Jeff Hardy gives CM Punk a Swanton Bomb from the top of a ladder in the ring to the announce table
2010 - The Nexus debuts
2011 - CM Punk exits Chicago with the WWE Championship held hostage
2012 - Matthew Palmer leaps from the balcony at the Mohawk and takes Rachel Summerlyn with him

And the nominees are...
Bully Ray Reveals He Is Aces and Eights President - Sometimes, even a blind squirrel finds a nut, and sometimes, TNA can stumble into a coherent, well-done story with a sensible swerve. The Aces and Eights angle may have died with a whimper, but Bully Ray working the Hogan family and then making the reveal at Lockdown was a rare stroke of brilliance that stood with the best things to happen in any company all year.

Damien Sandow Double-Crosses Cody Rhodes and Wins the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Match - Sandow coming out of the shadows to sucker his then-partner was one of those "Holy shit!" happenings that not only worked within the moment but set in motion the rest of the year in WWE. However, putting aside the aftermath of the actual turn, Sandow coming out of nowhere and Rhodes bumping off the ladder made this an excellent moment on execution alone.

Mark Henry Suckers John Cena into Believing He'd Retire and Attacks Him - Henry wasn't just believable and earnest in a wrestling sense. If he wasn't sending tapes of his tearful retirement speech-turned-assault on the WWE Champion to the Emmys and Golden Globes for consideration, then he wasn't being ambitions enough. Henry showed that execution was absolutely vital towards pulling off a successful swerve, and dammit, he even had me believing he was really hanging 'em up.

The Wrestling Podcast, Episode 124: Dylan Hales

Orton is one subject reviewed with a fine-tooth comb
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Episode 124: Auld Lang Spynebuster

Dylan Hales of the Wrestling Culture podcast is back on the show this week to discuss the year in review. We go through some of the best in-ring guys first, and agree that that consensus top three are Daniel Bryan, Antonio Cesaro, and Sami Zayn. We get into the weird case of The Shield from an in-ring standpoint, and wrestlers like Kevin Steen, Athena, and Goldust, who also have stood out at various points during the year. We discuss WWE in detail, including a comparison of Bryan and Randy Orton. Dylan thinks that Bryan gets the benefit of the doubt from a lot of fans, but that ultimately, he will be fine as a main event guy. He also floats the theory that Bryan got as big as he's gotten because WWE hasn't gotten behind him like they did Orton. We talk about what needs to be done to help TNA get out of its doldrums, and Dylan gives a quick and dirty review of the year on lucha libre. We finish up by looking ahead to where wrestling will be in the coming year.

Direct link for your downloading pleasure

Pro Wrestling Only

Throwback Thursday: "What Do You Mean He Bought Santa Claus?"

Xanta Klaus is widely regarded as one of the worst characters in WWF/E history. I'm not sure if he was meant to be a character with staying power or just a device to show how much of a scrooge Ted DiBiase could be. However, regardless of who the character Balls Mahoney was supposed to be in WWE after that segment, the actual swerve and attack was pretty brilliantly done. Of course, Jerry Lawler drops some casual, ignorant racism towards Savio Vega's way, but his general crappiness was cancelled out by Vince McMahon's general cheese. God, I miss that Vinny Mac.

2013 Year in Review/2014 Year in Preview: Pro Wrestling Guerrilla

All the feels
Photo Credit: Devin Chen

Promotion: Pro Wrestling Guerrilla

What Happened in 2013: PWG said farewell to three mainstays in 2013, two who made their splashes more recently, and a third who has been a staple of the company forever and a day. El Generico, the ebullient masked marvel who made PWG his main home away from home in Quebec… err I mean Mexico, said goodbye to the indies at the first event of the year, the annual DDT4 tag team tournament. He teamed with longtime rival and longertime friend Kevin Steen and made it to the finals before losing to the Young Bucks. After the match, Steen and Generico finally buried their hatchet and embraced. Many feels were had by those watching, whether live in attendance or months after on DVD. Yes, I shed a few tears. Shut up.

The other two who left were Sami Callihan and Samuray del Sol, both of whom were signed to WWE developmental contracts like the aforementioned Generico. Callihan was in prime position to end Adam Cole's reign as PWG World Champion, but in light of his signing, his best of three series for number one contendership for the title was won by Drake Younger instead. He was unsuccessful. Callihan would get one last crack at Cole, whose feud spanned across an entire country and over two promotions at least. They clashed one last time in a 60 minute Iron Man match, which Cole won.

Best Coast Bias: They Came To Sleigh

'Tis the season to be Foley claw claw claw claw claw claw claw claw claw
Photo Credit: WWE.com

'Twas the week before Christmas, and on Ion TV
Was the final Main Event of 2013
It started off with an ex-Cactus dressed in red and white
Set to bring toys to the good boys and girls tonight

A reference point was searched for, but then I had to pause
As the chyron informed me it was straight up Foley Claus
But before a cheap pop he could elicit from his lips
Here came AxelBack to inform him he'd eaten too many chips

Suddenly, the Miz appeared singing mocking tunes
To put in their places these churlish goons
(Is he a face or heel?  It's hard to say
I suppose it depends on the situation, or even the day.)

Help Bring Armchair Booking to iOS

Graphics Credit: Geoff Munn

Kickstarter for Ringmaster

One thing I've learned about human beings through my now 32 complete years of existence is that when they're truly passionate about something, they tend to want to have some modicum of control over it. Professional wrestling is one medium of entertainment where fans want to exert that control, but the business itself seems super-restrictive for entry. Games like EWR and TEW have scratched those itches over the years, and now Brian Papa is looking to bring that experience to iOS with Ringmaster. He needs help, however. To develop his app, which will allow you to play fantasy booker in a cathartic and entertaining fashion, he needs financial backing. That area is where you will come in.

He's set up several different backing options with perks, obviously. Give as much as you want or as little as you can afford to help get this interesting and fun concept off the ground. You'll be supporting a cool app with original illustrations. Nothing not to love about that.

Your Midweek Links: TLC for You and Me

Get all your hot TLC takes here
Photo Credit: WWE.com

It's hump day, so here are some links to get you through the rest of the week:

Wrestling Links:

- John Cena, Ring Boy: WWE TLC 2013 Review [The Wrestling Blog]

- The Best and Worst of TLC 2013 [With Leather]

- Bang for Your Buck PPV Review: WWE TLC 2013 [Juice Make Sugar]

- WWE got crazy on the eve of TLC, and it was glorious [Grantland]

- The Best and Worst of RAW: Selfies, Maggle [With Leather]

- Is there anybody out there? [International Object]

- An interview with Ophidian and Hayley Jane [Explorations in Pro Wrestling]

- On the road again [Irresistible vs. Immovable]

- The worst back tattoos in wrestling [Wrestling on Earth]

- Ten things you didn't know about the WWE Performance Center [International Object]

The Best Moves Ever: Cross Rhodes

Hey, do you like Cody Rhodes? Do you like seeing him do his finisher? Well, have I got news for you. Below is a video of him doing the Cross Rhodes 20 times! Enjoy.

The Past is Prologue: Total Divas Season 1 Finale (for real, this time)

So cute!
Photo Credit: WWE.com

It is that time to admit that Total Divas is now away from our lives for a few months, leaving us a world without people that say things like "girl bye." And chances are, if you're reading this column, that's a lesser world to live in. Or something. I don't know why you read this. Anyway, after the sort of odd treading of water that seems to have occupied a network-mandated "we gotta do seven more of these episodes, gang" policy, there were at least some of the more wonderful heartwarming things I've wanted from the show since say Nattie and TJ's wedding. Let's list this.

1. Daniel Bryan

OMG HAS THERE BEEN A MORE WONDERFUL MAN AT EXPRESSING HIS LOVE IN THE BEST OF WAYS THAN DANIEL FREAKIN BRYAN? HAS THERE? THERE HASN'T. I KEPT THIS AT CAPS LOCK BECAUSE THIS IS LEGITIMATELY HOW I FELT. I SHOOK WHEN HE MADE THE TYPE OF PROCLAMATION THAT COULD BE CHEESY AS HELL, BUT BECAUSE HE'S DANIEL BRYAN, HE MEANS IT SO MUCH. THANK YOU, BRYAN.

Year End Sorting Bins, 2013: Oh This Guy/Gal Is on TV? Cool!

Who knew Orton would be a major WWE player?
Photo Credit: WWE.com

This one's by far the biggest list of the five. What can I say? I'm full of like, and I want to enjoy what I watch. NOVEL CONCEPT, AMIRITE GUISE? These are the folks that I enjoyed and continue to enjoy to the point where I like their presence on camera and want to see them generally do well. Twenty-five will get write-ups, the rest will be list-o-mania'd.

Randy Orton - I would be lying if I said I was a stone cold Randy Orton fan right now. However, I have to give him his props. He's worked really hard in the ring, and his character right now is my favorite on the show. I always have the creeping fear that he'll return to the malaise-inducing snorefest persona that plagued him, but for now, I'm digging him.

Paul Heyman - We'll always have the volcano meltdown promo, Paul.

Leo Kruger - I was sour on Kruger until I saw he got a real character, which basically was Kraven from the Spider-man comics. I'm warm on him now.

Insane Clown Posse - Look, I'm not gonna go out and get their back catalog right away. I still don't think they make great music, but as wrestling entrepreneurs, I respect them. They're fans. Who cares if they also happen to drink Faygo and have dreadlocks?

MASADA - I still have a little trepidation seeing him jam skewers into people's heads, but the man is entertaining when he's not inducing cringes.

This Week In Sid History: The Steiner Starrcade

This column/feature will be a chance to highlight some of the great moments in the career of one Psycho Sid or Sid Justice.

We start this first edition of This Week in Sid History with this moment:

December 17, 2000

It was on this date in 2000 that Sid Vicious lost to Scott Steiner in a WCW World Heavyweight Championship match.

This match was the main event for Starrcade, which at one point in time was considered WCW’s version of WrestleMania. In other words, yes, Sid Vicious and Scott Steiner were the headliners for WCW’s version of WrestleMania. But to be fair, Sid did main event Wrestlemania 13 versus the Undertaker and Wrestlemania 8 versus Hulk Hogan.

The final Starrcade in the history of WCW took place at the MCI Center (now known as the Verizon Center) in Washington D.C.

The Starrcade card featured such matches Mike Awesome vs. Bam Bam Bigelow in an ambulance match, Shane Douglas versus General Rection and Goldberg vs. Lex Luger.

But What About Sweet T?

Photo Credit: WWE.com

In Vince McMahon's America, all the black people wanna do is dance, even if their friend is out in the elements dying. Okay, so maybe Tensai wasn't actually in the cold on his way to expiring, but the whole scene after Brodus Clay's final heel turn was emblematic of everything still wrong with WWE's portrayal of black people. People can have thoughts and feelings that aren't grossly stereotyped, but on a show where the announcers would rather take selfies than pay attention to the match, I guess this is a piddling concern in the grand scheme of things.

Instant Feedback: Togetherness

The knave situated between the two allies
Photo Credit: WWE.com

The theme of RAW tonight was heavy emphasis on tag teams and multi-man matches. With the tag scene burgeoning to the point of attaining a near critical mass, one might come to expect that one of these shows would feature nothing but twofers and stable battles. Excepting the excellent Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton main event at the show's close, the entire show was built around teams and their battles.

I don't think the timing of this week's show was all too curious, however. Christmas is a little over one week away. All the mythological trappings of the holiday, whether religious or secular, point to one unifying theme - togetherness. The holidays aren't really about the birth of Jesus inasmuch as the Church wanting its patrons to get together to do it. Worshipping by oneself is creepy; doing it communally breeds community. In the same breath, receiving gifts is greed, but exchanging gifts promotes warm feelings.

The Wrestling Blog's OFFICIAL Best in the World Rankings, December 16

Way better than you, regardless of what puerile reports come out
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Welcome to a feature I like to call "Best in the World" rankings. They're not traditional power rankings per se, but they're rankings to see who is really the best in the world, a term bandied about like it's bottled water or something else really common. They're rankings decided by me, and don't you dare call them arbitrary lest I smack the taste out of your mouth. Without further ado, here's this week's list:

1. AJ Lee (Last Week: 6) - Honestly, all this grade school bullshit happening in WWE around Lee only reinforces my idea that the company is absolutely toxic if you've got the wrong set of genitalia. Regardless of what happened at Tribute to the Troops, if I saw my boyfriend talking to someone who openly pines for him in Twitter, I might have blown a gasket too. Remember, CM Punk's the women's wrestling world's bicycle. Everyone's had a ride. Then again, since he's not a woman, that's okay? Fuck that. Oh yeah, Lee actually got a decent match out of Nattie Neidhart last night, the first time that's probably happened since she was in SHIMMER (that match with Paige in NXT notwithstanding).

2. Rachel Summerlyn (Last Week: 3) - I don't know why my go-to for Rachel Summerlyn entries always falls back to Texas football. Maybe that program needs a literal kick in the ass, and no one could do it better than Summerlyn.

3. Daniel Bryan (Last Week: 2) - I would have ranked Bryan higher, say, on Tuesday morning. He took that closing segment by the horns and rustled it to the ground. As of right now, I'm not sure if the Wyatts dragged him backstage after TLC last night and let their alligator draw phalluses on his face, so I can't rank him too much higher.

2013 Year in Review/2014 Year in Preview: Women's Promotions in America

Melissa sent Danger out unceremoniously
Photo Credit: Gregory Davis/DDS

Promotions: SHIMMER Women's Athletes, Women's Superstars Uncensored, AIW Girls' Night Out, SHINE Wrestling, nCw Femmes Fatale

What Happened in 2013: This year was quite the interesting year for women in independent wrestling. Absolute Intense Wrestling expanded their Girls' Night Out series to be more like SHIMMER's taping schedule, SHIMMER ventured away from the Eagles Club for a special WrestleCon appearance, WSU partnered with CZW, and SHINE continued building upon its debut year. Organizers within the promotions created the "Female Fight Season" as a way to capitalize on having a cluster of the best women wrestlers in the world converging for a series of cards around the country.

Unfortunately, the other theme of 2013 has been injuries. Kalamity, whose star had been rising, suddenly went on leave after the Fight Season in the spring. Athena suffered an injury at a secret show before she was to wrestle Jessicka Havok in a best two out of three falls match for the WSU Championship. Courtney Rush's year was derailed by injury as well. LuFisto took an errant dive at WrestleCon and missed the entire rest of the spring and most of the summer. In perhaps the most crushing blow, both Ayumi Kurihara and Allison Danger had to retire due to nagging injuries. Kurihara's injuries were chronic in nature, but Danger, who founded SHIMMER and has been one of the pioneers of women in wrestling in the last decade, fell victim to a series of strokes.

From the Archives: John Cena vs. CM Punk, SummerSlam 2011

Remember the Summer of Punk? The second one, in WWE, that inexplicably paid off with a Triple H/Kevin Nash match in 2011? Yeah, if the whole thing had ended with the finish of the Punk/John Cena match at SummerSlam, the whole thing would've been nice. But no, Triple H reminds everyone why WWE fans can't have nice things. Ah well, at least this SummerSlam match was pretty swanky.

The 2013 Bloggie Award Nominations: Indie, Talker, Steamboat

Jack Swagger looks on at two Bloggie nominated personalities
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Getting into some of the bigger nominations!

Independent Wrestler of the Year - For the wrestler who excelled the most outside the confines of the corporate environment, thus promoting the critical and artistic growth of wrestling

Prior Winners:
2009 – Austin Aries
2010 – Claudio Castagnoli
2011 – Sara del Rey
2012 – Rachel Summerlyn

And the nominees are...
Biff Busick (Frank O'Rourke) - I would argue no one has been more important to the success of one company in 2013 than Busick was to Beyond Wrestling. Any company worth its salt builds around one native or "homegrown" guy, and Beyond's voyage into the upper tier of indie companies has been tied to Busick and his feud with Eddie Edwards. Plus, as O'Rourke, he stormed the Wrestling Is... universe and made his mark there.

Cheerleader Melissa - Of all the midseason heel turns by Champions, Melissa's held the most impact. She turned on a retiring Allison Danger and set the stage for the rest of the year in women's wrestling. She started the "Female Fight Year" with a hot cage match against Saraya Knight, and established herself as THE big bad within SHIMMER by the end of the year.

Chuck Taylor - Taylor's been all over in 2013 - Chikara, DGUSA, CZW - but his biggest impact has come over Instagram video with the 24/7 Championship. He's always a favorite because of his comedic stylings and unpredictability in the ring, but the entrepreneurial spirit puts him over the top this year.

John Cena, Ring Boy: WWE TLC '13 Review

John Cena, ring crew extraordinaire
Photo Credit: WWE.com

In the TH style, always.

Highlights:

• Kofi Kingston took umbrage with The Miz shit-talking him during the pre-show, invaded the set, and instigated a fracas that took Miz off the panel.
• Fandango shoved Dolph Ziggler off the top after a Summer Rae distraction and won with the guillotine leg drop.
• CM Punk took advantage of miscommunication among The Shield and pinned Dean Ambrose after Roman Reigns speared him.
• AJ Lee reversed a Sharpshooter into an inside cradle to retain her Divas Championship against Nattie Neidhart.
• Big E Langston retained the Intercontinental Championship with a Big Ending on Damien Sandow.
• Cody Rhodes and Goldust survived the four-team elimination match for the Tag Team Championships as Rhodes countered a Rey Mysterio casadora into CrossRhodes for the win.
• Brodus Clay was abandoned by both Sweet T and the Funkadactyls, en route to losing to R-Truth via a gamengiri and roll up.
• Kofi Kingston used an exposed turnbuckle and the Trouble in Paradise to defeat The Miz.
• Daniel Bryan's best efforts to take out the Family came up just short, as he fell to Sister Abigail's Kiss from Bray Wyatt.
• Randy Orton sent John Cena crashing from the ladder into a table before ascending, grabbing both titles, and becoming WWE Unified Champion.

Twitter Request Line, Vol. 57

Rock/Lesnar can still happen this year, but it also could never happen again. SCHRODINGER'S WRESTLEMANIA
Photo Credit: WWE.com

It's Twitter Request Line time, everyone! I take to Twitter to get questions about issues in wrestling, past and present, and answer them on here because 140 characters can't restrain me, fool! If you don't know already, follow me @tholzerman, especially around Friday night after Smackdown, and wait for the call. Anyway, time to go!

First up, Rich Thomas of the Sad Salvation podcast asks what matches he'll be seeing at WrestleMania XXXI at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.

Truth be told, I have no idea what the WrestleMania XXX card is going to look like, and that one is only three months away. This year has been one of the most volatile, unpredictable ones in recent memory, because they could go in any one of several directions to construct this card. For one, what if The Rock decides last minute that he wants a piece of the action? Does WWE dare to promote a match Thrice in a Lifetime? Or would they stick him against Brock Lesnar, who's a far better fit for a return match against CM Punk, but is heavily rumored to be Undertaker's Streak opponent this coming year.

So, with that much uncertainty shrouding XXX, XXXI sounds like a much harder gambit to forecast. However, uncertainty has never stopped me before, so my crack at fantasy booking this thing follows:

The Streak
John Cena vs. The Undertaker - While I feel like this year is the year to put Cena against 'Taker, I get the sinking feeling that Lesnar will be the Dead Man's opponent. Cena is the last guy who HAS to face the Undertaker (anyone who says "BUT STING! STING! STEEEEEEEENG!" can line up to get fired into the goddamn Sun), and next year is probably the last year WWE can count on Taker to wrestle at least once.

Undisputed Championship Match
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Daniel Bryan - Lesnar is reportedly done after next year's Mania (although 15 months is a ghastly long time in pro wrestling), so why not have him go out with a title run spanning from the Rumble to Mania and putting over the future of WWE in the process. If you don't think Bryan's the future, well, then you aren't paying attention, or you're stubborn. And if you're Triple H or Vince McMahon and are stubborn, well fuck you if you don't push this dude. His "YES!" chant was heard prominently at a college football game this weekend, a fairly prominent one at that (insofar as the FCS Playoffs are prominent).