Miz wins WWE United States Championship on Raw

Miz pinned R-Truth in a Fatal Four Way match on Monday’s Raw, winning his second United States Championship.

Truth was pinned after taking both Zack Ryder‘s and John Morrisson‘s finishes before Miz slipped in for the pin.

MOTD: Bryan Danielson vs. Kaval (FCW, 1/4/10)

Is Linda McMahon ruining wrestling?

I’ve never met the woman, but from her outward appearance and presentation, I believe Linda McMahon to be a genuinely good person. I’ve never heard anyone – inside the wrestling business or out – say a bad thing about her.

But damnit, she’s ruining my enjoyment for wrestling! Indirectly, of course.

WWE’s PG push – and what I feel is a major reason behind the firing of Bryan Danielson – is Linda’s run for United States Senate.

WWE is a punching bag for the media and even politicians – people Linda wants to make her peers. Is it deserved? Probably not. It’s really been years since WWE has pushed any angle that’s been “on the edge” or even remotely indecent.

Gone are the days of foul language and sex-filled storylines … Gone is the Attitude Era. But it’s been that way for a while.

Is WWE’s product – as lame and stale as it has been creatively – a casualty of her campaign? She resigned from WWE before starting her campaign but she’s still associated with the company. It wouldn’t look good if her company was even remotely controversial while she’s trying to sell herself to voters.

I hate to say it – because I do honestly feel that Linda is a nice, genuine person – but I really hope she loses this election. I can’t take an entire term of this bogus creative without trying to find new entertainment.

Oh, and bring back Danielson.

Danielson released for breaking “standards and practices”

This is getting scary.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com is reporting that Bryan Danielson was in fact released for choking Justin Roberts with his tie during Monday’s invasion angle, hence breaking WWE’s TV-PG “standards and practices.”

Standards and practices … where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, that’s right! It’s the thing that KILLED WCW!

Johnson reports that WWE has had a mandate since the Chris Benoit murders not to choke anyone with any objects.

Now, I haven’t looked back at the video, but wasn’t John Cena choked with ring ropes during the attack as well? I believe by Heath Slater.

Check out the 8:58 mark of this video:

Is it as graphic as Danielson’s choke on Roberts? No way. But is a choke not a choke?

Part of the cynic in me still wonders if Danielson’s release was simply the company’s way of making a point that if you’re not created in WWE, then you don’t matter.

Bryan Danielson (er, Daniel Bryan) released by WWE

And with the snap of a finger, they managed to screw it up.

Coming off one of the hottest angles WWE has produced on television for some time, the company has fired arguably the second-most important piece of the angle late on Friday night, releasing Daniel Bryan, real name Bryan Danielson.

When I first heard the news, I thought it was a work to further the invasion storyline.

But according to Dave Meltzer, Danielson was released for choking out announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie during the invasion angle on Raw this past Monday. According to Meltzer, WWE deemed the act “too violent.”

This TV-PG crap is really getting old, and fast.

So let’s try to understand this logic … Danielson choking out Roberts with a tie? Too violent. Jerry Lawler getting physically assaulted and a table turned over on him? That’s ok. Steel chairs? Steel steps used as weapons? That’s ok, too.

But choking with a tie? Too violent.

Choking someone with the ring rope? That’s ok. Someone (I can’t recall who) did the exact thing to John Cena during the same angle. But a tie?

I have to assume that there was pressure some USA Network. At least that’s what I’ve been trying to convince myself of. Because if WWE is so out of touch to release Danieson for something so minor, then I question what I’m doing still watching the show.

Especially considering that, from a creative standpoint, Monday’s Raw was brutal. The matches were great when the guys were given time to work, but the creative process was downright awful – there was no logic. The Hart Dynasty segment is a perfect example. WWE obviously tried to sway voting by the choices they put forth for Viewer’s Choice, and what does it say when a team of Great Khali/Hornswoggle beat out The Usos, who have left the Hart Dynasty laying the last two weeks. And the scary thing is that I’m sure the comedy team of Hornswoggle/Khali is who creative wanted to win the voting.

That’s logical.

Wade Barrett won NXT, but I would argue that Danielson was the hottest wrestler coming out of the show. He had an angle with Miz already being played out on Raw and was also feuding with Michael Cole – and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one hoping Danielson would grab a hold of that pip-squeak and choke the life out of him instead of Roberts, even if it’s only a work.

So WWE took it’s hottest star on the NXT side of the invasion, it’s most recognizable, and kicked him to the curb for using a tie. Not to mention that Danielson is without a doubt, had some of the best ring skills of anyone in the entire company.

That, according to Meltzer, was WWE’s reason.

But I guess when it coes to WWE, I shouldn’t expect logic.

Storm’s take on NXT invasion

Lance Storm wrote a terrific commentary on his website on Tuesday, going into his thoughts on the NXT invasion angle on Raw and where he’d go next.

I’ve always appreciated Storm’s work in the ring and his views and opinions outside of it. I’m a regular reader of his site and thought his shoot interviews with RF Video (both of them) were excellent. His philosophies on teaching – he runs Storm Wrestling Academy – are the best I’ve ever heard (he goes into detail in his second RF Video shoot).

I’ve only taken some minor, uneducated bumps at local indy shows – I’m a writer, not a wrestler – but I’ve always wanted to learn and wrestle a match in front of a crowd, be it 500 people or 5 people. If my life ever allows me the time to learn, Storm Wrestling Academy would be the place I’d like to go.

WWE doing their best nWo impression

Wade Barrett won season one of WWE's NXT program.

It lacks the star power, but the recent NXT invasion of Raw and the subsequent storyline advancement at an FCW taping reminds me a lot of the infancy stages of the nWo.

Now, there are obvious differences. NXT doesn’t have the star power of Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, but the actions are strikingly similar. The ambushes and the destruction of WWE property, for example.

WWE is also introducing a shade of gray when it comes to storylines and “kayfabe.” John Cena was getting pummeled by the rookies on Monday, and in came CM Punk for the save.

At the FCW taping, Miz and Christian not only teamed, but got along (with Miz acting babyface) during the entire match.

It seems like they’re very much trying to setup the “us vs. them” storyline. It’s worked in the past.

There is always power in numbers, whether the numbers are rookies or veterans of television. In an 8 vs. 1 situation, the lone wolf will never stand a chance, whether it’s Cena or anyone for that matter.

The real question – creatively speaking – is whether or not the group can legitimize themselves without any “superstar presence” in the group. That’s the biggest challenge facing the rookies.

NXT invasion storyline continues at FCW taping

Florida Championship Wrestling held its TV taping last night with the main event scheduled to be Daniel Bryan/The Miz vs. Christian/Heath Slater.

After some opening promos where Christian confronted Slater about what happened on Raw Monday night, the match was changed to Bryan/Slater vs. Miz/Christian.

During the match, Miz was really playing a babyface role (and doing it quite well).

The finish saw Christian and Miz setting up both rookies for their finishers and then, out came the rest of the rookies from the back and ambushed Christian and Miz, leaving them laying.

So the story continues …

Raw rating dips since Wrestlemania

It’s not an alarming trend, because it’s not a giant drop, but Raw‘s ratings have dipped since the conclusion of Wrestlemania in late March.

Starting with April 5’s program, the show has not cracked a 3.5 cable rating on USA Network and has only been above a 3.2 once. By means of comparison, Raw peaked above a 3.5 rating 10 times in the first four months of the year.

Raw’s average rating from Jan. 4-March 29 was a solid 3.58. Since, the average has dipped to a 3.14; almost half a rating point average drop in an instant, with no real explanation.

It’s not even a trend. The rating dropped 0.51 points from March 29-April 5 and outside of May 17th’s 3.4, has been flirting with dropping below a 3.0 since.

Before April 5, the show was even flirting with hitting 4.0 ratings.

Raw hasn’t slipped below a 3.0 since Nov. 17, 2008.

As for the April 5th show that has started Raw’s considerable dip, that was the show hosted by David Otunga, highlighted by Randy Orton vs. Jack Swagger, who was the newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion at the time, and John Cena and Otunga challenging Big Show and Miz for the Unified Tag Team Championships.

Why the NXT invasion of Raw worked

It was 10:56 p.m. on Monday night. I sat on my couch half-heartedly watching Monday Night Raw but more so paying attention to answering some e-mails and filing a story for my day job.

It was just another wrestling match. CM Punk and John Cena are both headed into PPV main events in the next two weeks, so I knew the match was going to end in a schmoze or some run-in. It wasn’t going to be clean.

I had lost interest.

Then, at 10:56, I put my laptop down and watched for ten minutes while the season one NXT rookies demolished Punk, Cena, Lawler and most of the Raw crew and set (including ripping apart the ring).

I was hooked.

It’s not rocket science, it’s just different. It felt real, it felt spontaneous. It was a surprise. It wasn’t what I had grown accustomed to watching Raw every Monday night. I didn’t predict the outcome.

Now the big question mark in the whole angle is a reason why. If Barrett is the leader of what looks to be an NXT stable – and giving the nod before they attacked Cena, he appears to be – then next week, NXT1 has to open the show with a promo in the ring, with Barrett explaining why these guys did what they did.

Why did they decide to team up in the first place? These guys were just competing with each other less than a week before. Why Cena?

The reason why the angle worked was its unpredictability. Is it rooted in reality? Maybe. We’ll have to wait and see what the explanations are. Could this elevate all eight of these talents? You bet your ass it could. But it could also also by the wayside if they don’t do anything with it. The run-in on Raw is wasted if those talents start jobbing or doing nothing on television the next few weeks.

Then there is the aspect of possibly being forced to push eight new talents, all as heels. Is that really beneficial to the overall talent roster? Who are they going to work with?

This isn’t Tough Enough. All of these guys in NXT have paid dues. If you’re going to run with it and try to get them over, then go for it.