What’s up everyone! Slymm and Streets here with episode 2 of the critically acclaimed “Double Reversal”. As always, any questions you guys want us to mull over concerning the current product in the WWE, throw it out there and maybe we’ll answer it next week. Hope you guys enjoy.
Vicki Guerrero: Good at her job or just annoying?
"I'm good at my job!!!"
Slymm’s Chance:
Let’s face it; I know how everyone on this forum feels about Vicki. I happen to disagree with the popular opinion and actually believe that she is one of the best heels that we have in pro-wrestling today. Vicki became a WWE regular in 2006 at that time she made her first heel turn. Go ahead and YouTube some of her first appearances. She had absolutely no charisma, and could barely recite her lines. Fast forward to 2010-2011 and Vicki is one of the most over heels in all of the WWE. Vicki has even reached a point where the WWE used her to carry a season of NXT in its most prominent storyline. Need to get Dolph Ziggler over as a heel? Pair him with Vicki!
I know people say the crowd just legitimately hates her. Can someone tell me why they would? Most say it’s because she’s annoying. That’s her job. Some would say she only got the job because of her family name. Who hasn’t these days in professional wrestling? When the NWO were on top and getting beers thrown at them they were being top-flight heels. Did anyone try to discredit the job that they did? It’s time that we pay Vicki the same respect.
Street’s Corner:
“Excuse me?!” I said “EXCUSE ME!” Two words. Two words that easily draw the most heat in the WWE (second place award goes to “and I quote”). One would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to see that Vickie Guerrero is the most hated person in the business. So, how could she not be talented as a heel? It’s simple. She’s just really, really annoying and doesn’t really do anything. Compare Vickie to a Michael Cole. First of all, Michael Cole plays the smarmy, “I’m better than you, smarter than you, and I know it” character (that we all love to hate) so perfectly. Then, he pulls out all the heel tactics like trolling for the Miz, dissing Lawler’s mom, pulling out LeBron comments in Cleveland, calling people fools, interrupting a Diva’s match and standing on the table to talk about how it sucks, throwing water in a dude’s face then running, hiding behind his hired muscle, and yes, being really, really annoying.
In the WWE any heat is good heat, and Vickie is naturally hated. This is a great thing because if people didn’t care, she’d be out of a job. People do care and she’s good for business. But, talented? Nah. Her heat doesn’t really translate to the people she’s managing. Aside from smarks and the internet, no one really cares about Dolph Ziggler. Finally, I’ll end on this note... John Cena is booed by half the crowd every night. Is he just a “really good heel?”. No. People over 15 just find him to be incredibly annoying. There are no “heel tactics” that Cena pulls out to evoke that reaction. He’s not super talented when it comes to drawing heat. In fact, he’s trying to draw cheers. As far as Vickie goes, she’s whiney, shrill, ugly, and in a position of power in the WWE. Michael Cole… Vince McMahon… she is not.
Who is most in need of a heel turn?
Slymm’s Chance:
This may surprise some people but I’m going with the Shaman of Sexy, John Morrison. I am probably one of the hugest fans of John Morrison’s ECW title run you will find anywhere. I think that if you look at some of the stuff that he had during his title run and his dirt sheet days, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. He was just a hundred times more natural and had so much more fun with that gimmick back then. Bring back the red carpet entrance with the paparazzi and make him into a L.A. celebrity who believes that he’s better than all the rest of the “fat slobs” sitting at home and in the crowds. It’s heel 101 people. He’s got the look, the talent, and you can tell that he really enjoyed playing the bad guy back then.
"Be Jealous"
Street’s Corner:
John Felix Anthony Cena. That’s right. First, let me handle my detractors before I make my point. Yes, he is the Hogan for this era, and yes he makes the WWE tons of money as their top face. Yes, he brings in the younger demographic. I get all of that, and losing that cash cow is a legitimate risk that the WWE would be taking (though I believe his merch will sell even as a heel). But even the biggest stars in wrestling, Hogan, Rock, Austin, Undertaker, etc. had major heel turns that shook wrestling to its core. Cena could do the same. No… Cena should do the same. He is not above all those other guys.
Unlike a guy like Morrison who has a face moveset, and is cheered universally (I love heels and even I cheer him), the fans want to boo Cena. Right now, there is a real power differential between the top faces and heels on both shows. The faces are icons, established, over… their legacies ensconced in WWE history. Go ahead and run down the list… John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Edge, Randy Orton. These guys are booked dominantly and hardly ever lose. On the other side of the coin we have newer people who snake their way to victories when they win, are young, not established, and have no credibility compared to the faces. We have guys like The Miz, Sheamus, Swagger, Barrett, Ziggler, Del Rio. The most established heel is Punk. The biggest, most threatening heel (Orton) was poached by the faces, and they have been reeling for a long time. Turning Cena not only shakes things up, increases fan interest, creates new feuds, and gives the oh-so-corny Cena character some new life; it gives the faces (young and old) a dominant heel to chase. Back in the day, heels were booked strong and were chased by faces. We had long title reigns as the face kept trying to overcome the odds. Well, Cena is the ultimate odd. Free Cena!
Which “young gun” is most ready for the big time?
Slymm’s Chance:
I can’t even believe that I’m saying it but I’m gonna go with Cody Rhodes. Ever since splitting from Legacy and joining Smackdown Rhodes has turned the dashing gimmick, which I think started just as a gag into something legit. I remember hearing people talk about his mic skills before he got to the main stage and never saw it.
Right now I’d say his feud with Rey Mysterio is the hottest feud going on Smackdown. Hopefully the kid goes over at Wrestlemania and can finish Rey off at whatever PPV took over for Backlash. Then, he can move on to something else. He has the look and definitely has the swagger to be the next Miz in the future.
Street’s Corner:
I’m going off the grid for this one. Woo Woo Woo. You know it! Zack Ryder, while definitely not ready for the main event, is a guy who the company could really benefit from giving a serious push. With the Jersey Shore craze going on right now, Zack Ryder fits right in! The WWE is missing the opportunity to capitalize on this character as he plays the douche you love to hate to a perfect T. If they put some legitimate wins behind him and toned down the cartoonish aspects of his character, Zach Ryder could be a real star in the mid card and could probably be effective there as a face or a heel. He’s talented in the ring, on the mic, and has a good gimmick.
The main event on both shows is pretty stacked, and it’s getting back logged as mid carders are being rushed into the main event on both sides. Zach is the one guy who could move up into a crumbling mid-card and really add some life to it. This man is far too talented to be used in the same manner as Khali, Masters, and Horswoggle. He needs to be pushed beyond “backstage skit wrestler” and is my pick of the week.
With their iconic matchup coming up at Wrestlemania… who needs to retire more, Triple H or the Undertaker?
"One of us has got to go-ahhhh!"
Slymm’s Chance:
I will freely admit that I cannot stand the Undertaker. Never have, and never will. I believe that he should retire. I want him to retire. The Undertaker is classified, in my opinion, as a sideshow. This is how things go for the wrestler known as the Undertaker. He wrestles at Wrestlemania, keeps his streak alive, feuds with someone and disappears during the summer only to appear around Rumble time in order to start the next feud for the streak. Someone please at least name me one wrestler that Taker has put over in the last two years? His feuds are too predictable and boring. At least with HHH there is a possibility of getting younger talent over. Taker basically skates by on reputation. His schtick is still stuck in the 90’s and the freshest thing that they did was the American Badass changeup. HHH at least has a character and some unpredictability.
Street’s Corner:
I won’t argue with anyone who says either one of these two should retire. Still, I’m going with the unpopular opinion and am going to say Triple H, even though Undertaker is my least favorite wrestler, and I actually like Triple H more. Reason being… Triple H is right. He has done it all. There’s nothing left for him to do, and no one left for him to feud with. The Undertaker on the other hand has “the streak”. The streak can still be used as a viable third option for a main event at Wresltemania and increase buyrates. While both guys’ bodies are shot, Taker has also proven he can still “go” when he needs to.
It should be noted that when Triple H wrestles, he wrestles full time. He monopolizes the main event scene and takes large portions of TV time... Pretty. Much. All. Year. Undertaker on the other hand is the lesser of two evils as his returns are seasonal. He’s in and he’s out, surprisingly not shaking up the natural order of things too much. He came in, had a nice feud with Kane putting him over, made Nexus look like a force, and is now coming back to offer a third main event at Mania. Finally, Trips retiring has the added bonus of putting him backstage where we can finally have a wrestler helping with the creative process. He can work with the younger generation in many capacities including in the ring, on the mic, and with character and storyline development. He’s already proven he has a good eye and has made stars of people like Orton, Batista, and Sheamus. Triple H would definitely be addition by subtraction.
Vicki Guerrero: Good at her job or just annoying?
"I'm good at my job!!!"
Slymm’s Chance:
Let’s face it; I know how everyone on this forum feels about Vicki. I happen to disagree with the popular opinion and actually believe that she is one of the best heels that we have in pro-wrestling today. Vicki became a WWE regular in 2006 at that time she made her first heel turn. Go ahead and YouTube some of her first appearances. She had absolutely no charisma, and could barely recite her lines. Fast forward to 2010-2011 and Vicki is one of the most over heels in all of the WWE. Vicki has even reached a point where the WWE used her to carry a season of NXT in its most prominent storyline. Need to get Dolph Ziggler over as a heel? Pair him with Vicki!
I know people say the crowd just legitimately hates her. Can someone tell me why they would? Most say it’s because she’s annoying. That’s her job. Some would say she only got the job because of her family name. Who hasn’t these days in professional wrestling? When the NWO were on top and getting beers thrown at them they were being top-flight heels. Did anyone try to discredit the job that they did? It’s time that we pay Vicki the same respect.
Street’s Corner:
“Excuse me?!” I said “EXCUSE ME!” Two words. Two words that easily draw the most heat in the WWE (second place award goes to “and I quote”). One would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to see that Vickie Guerrero is the most hated person in the business. So, how could she not be talented as a heel? It’s simple. She’s just really, really annoying and doesn’t really do anything. Compare Vickie to a Michael Cole. First of all, Michael Cole plays the smarmy, “I’m better than you, smarter than you, and I know it” character (that we all love to hate) so perfectly. Then, he pulls out all the heel tactics like trolling for the Miz, dissing Lawler’s mom, pulling out LeBron comments in Cleveland, calling people fools, interrupting a Diva’s match and standing on the table to talk about how it sucks, throwing water in a dude’s face then running, hiding behind his hired muscle, and yes, being really, really annoying.
In the WWE any heat is good heat, and Vickie is naturally hated. This is a great thing because if people didn’t care, she’d be out of a job. People do care and she’s good for business. But, talented? Nah. Her heat doesn’t really translate to the people she’s managing. Aside from smarks and the internet, no one really cares about Dolph Ziggler. Finally, I’ll end on this note... John Cena is booed by half the crowd every night. Is he just a “really good heel?”. No. People over 15 just find him to be incredibly annoying. There are no “heel tactics” that Cena pulls out to evoke that reaction. He’s not super talented when it comes to drawing heat. In fact, he’s trying to draw cheers. As far as Vickie goes, she’s whiney, shrill, ugly, and in a position of power in the WWE. Michael Cole… Vince McMahon… she is not.
Who is most in need of a heel turn?
Slymm’s Chance:
This may surprise some people but I’m going with the Shaman of Sexy, John Morrison. I am probably one of the hugest fans of John Morrison’s ECW title run you will find anywhere. I think that if you look at some of the stuff that he had during his title run and his dirt sheet days, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. He was just a hundred times more natural and had so much more fun with that gimmick back then. Bring back the red carpet entrance with the paparazzi and make him into a L.A. celebrity who believes that he’s better than all the rest of the “fat slobs” sitting at home and in the crowds. It’s heel 101 people. He’s got the look, the talent, and you can tell that he really enjoyed playing the bad guy back then.
"Be Jealous"
Street’s Corner:
John Felix Anthony Cena. That’s right. First, let me handle my detractors before I make my point. Yes, he is the Hogan for this era, and yes he makes the WWE tons of money as their top face. Yes, he brings in the younger demographic. I get all of that, and losing that cash cow is a legitimate risk that the WWE would be taking (though I believe his merch will sell even as a heel). But even the biggest stars in wrestling, Hogan, Rock, Austin, Undertaker, etc. had major heel turns that shook wrestling to its core. Cena could do the same. No… Cena should do the same. He is not above all those other guys.
Unlike a guy like Morrison who has a face moveset, and is cheered universally (I love heels and even I cheer him), the fans want to boo Cena. Right now, there is a real power differential between the top faces and heels on both shows. The faces are icons, established, over… their legacies ensconced in WWE history. Go ahead and run down the list… John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Edge, Randy Orton. These guys are booked dominantly and hardly ever lose. On the other side of the coin we have newer people who snake their way to victories when they win, are young, not established, and have no credibility compared to the faces. We have guys like The Miz, Sheamus, Swagger, Barrett, Ziggler, Del Rio. The most established heel is Punk. The biggest, most threatening heel (Orton) was poached by the faces, and they have been reeling for a long time. Turning Cena not only shakes things up, increases fan interest, creates new feuds, and gives the oh-so-corny Cena character some new life; it gives the faces (young and old) a dominant heel to chase. Back in the day, heels were booked strong and were chased by faces. We had long title reigns as the face kept trying to overcome the odds. Well, Cena is the ultimate odd. Free Cena!
Which “young gun” is most ready for the big time?
Slymm’s Chance:
I can’t even believe that I’m saying it but I’m gonna go with Cody Rhodes. Ever since splitting from Legacy and joining Smackdown Rhodes has turned the dashing gimmick, which I think started just as a gag into something legit. I remember hearing people talk about his mic skills before he got to the main stage and never saw it.
Right now I’d say his feud with Rey Mysterio is the hottest feud going on Smackdown. Hopefully the kid goes over at Wrestlemania and can finish Rey off at whatever PPV took over for Backlash. Then, he can move on to something else. He has the look and definitely has the swagger to be the next Miz in the future.
Street’s Corner:
I’m going off the grid for this one. Woo Woo Woo. You know it! Zack Ryder, while definitely not ready for the main event, is a guy who the company could really benefit from giving a serious push. With the Jersey Shore craze going on right now, Zack Ryder fits right in! The WWE is missing the opportunity to capitalize on this character as he plays the douche you love to hate to a perfect T. If they put some legitimate wins behind him and toned down the cartoonish aspects of his character, Zach Ryder could be a real star in the mid card and could probably be effective there as a face or a heel. He’s talented in the ring, on the mic, and has a good gimmick.
The main event on both shows is pretty stacked, and it’s getting back logged as mid carders are being rushed into the main event on both sides. Zach is the one guy who could move up into a crumbling mid-card and really add some life to it. This man is far too talented to be used in the same manner as Khali, Masters, and Horswoggle. He needs to be pushed beyond “backstage skit wrestler” and is my pick of the week.
With their iconic matchup coming up at Wrestlemania… who needs to retire more, Triple H or the Undertaker?
"One of us has got to go-ahhhh!"
Slymm’s Chance:
I will freely admit that I cannot stand the Undertaker. Never have, and never will. I believe that he should retire. I want him to retire. The Undertaker is classified, in my opinion, as a sideshow. This is how things go for the wrestler known as the Undertaker. He wrestles at Wrestlemania, keeps his streak alive, feuds with someone and disappears during the summer only to appear around Rumble time in order to start the next feud for the streak. Someone please at least name me one wrestler that Taker has put over in the last two years? His feuds are too predictable and boring. At least with HHH there is a possibility of getting younger talent over. Taker basically skates by on reputation. His schtick is still stuck in the 90’s and the freshest thing that they did was the American Badass changeup. HHH at least has a character and some unpredictability.
Street’s Corner:
I won’t argue with anyone who says either one of these two should retire. Still, I’m going with the unpopular opinion and am going to say Triple H, even though Undertaker is my least favorite wrestler, and I actually like Triple H more. Reason being… Triple H is right. He has done it all. There’s nothing left for him to do, and no one left for him to feud with. The Undertaker on the other hand has “the streak”. The streak can still be used as a viable third option for a main event at Wresltemania and increase buyrates. While both guys’ bodies are shot, Taker has also proven he can still “go” when he needs to.
It should be noted that when Triple H wrestles, he wrestles full time. He monopolizes the main event scene and takes large portions of TV time... Pretty. Much. All. Year. Undertaker on the other hand is the lesser of two evils as his returns are seasonal. He’s in and he’s out, surprisingly not shaking up the natural order of things too much. He came in, had a nice feud with Kane putting him over, made Nexus look like a force, and is now coming back to offer a third main event at Mania. Finally, Trips retiring has the added bonus of putting him backstage where we can finally have a wrestler helping with the creative process. He can work with the younger generation in many capacities including in the ring, on the mic, and with character and storyline development. He’s already proven he has a good eye and has made stars of people like Orton, Batista, and Sheamus. Triple H would definitely be addition by subtraction.
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