CM Punk (problem with GLAAD, Laurinaitis) notes
Translate Request has too much data Parameter name: request Translate Request has too much data Parameter name: request 
My two Centsss - TMZ and GLAAD is receiving from the hands
Parameter name: request
Translate Request has too much data
Parameter name: request
1. Day 327 - They're Going, Going, Gone!
2. Day 328 - "Your Winner, And STILL Internet Champion..."
2. Day 329 - TMZ And GLAAD Are Getting Out Of Hand
In yesterday's column, I discussed a bunch of names that are rumoured to be making a WWE return sometime down the road. In case you missed it, I came to the conclusion that Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, and Chris Jericho would all make a return to the company - one day. But now, I want to look at the other side of the coin. Apparently, Chavo Guerrero's requested WWE release last week has inspired several unidentified superstars to follow in his footsteps and abandon ship on their own terms. Who might those anonymous names be? I'm glad you asked.
Kofi Kingston: I think it's fair to say that since his WWE/ECW debut four years ago, Kofi Kingston has been stuck in the midcard. Now, he's been mighty successful in that role. Winning both the United States and Intercontinental titles on multiple occasions is in less than five years is nothing to be ashamed of, but we're no longer in the 20th Century. Thanks to "inspirational videos" from idiots like Matt Hardy, many wrestlers don't want to pay their dues or hone their craft before getting a main-event push. Many want to win the world title as soon as possible. While I've never heard anything about Kofi being upset or frustrated with his position backstage, you have to imagine that it's not easy for him to sit back and win one midcard championship after another while guys who debuted after him (Alberto Del Rio, Alex Riley, etc.) are already higher up the card than he is. Kofi may not want to spend the rest of his WWE career in "midcard hell" and may be looking into other options.
Yoshi Tatsu: Yoshi is another victim of the death of WWECW. He was pushed strongly on the ECW brand, but once he was sent to RAW, he did practically nothing. I'll admit to not being a fan of his work at first, but he quickly grew on me. He has an easy presence with the audience, his matches are enjoyable to watch, and he's good at selling. That being said, Yoshi is yet to receive any sort of push or be involved in a major angle on RAW or Smackdown!. He just turned 34, which means he only has less than a decade of in-ring action left in him. The thing is, I don't see WWE doing anything serious with him anytime soon, and that's a real shame. If I were Yoshi, I'd take my skills to TNA or New Japan, where he would be treated much better.
Jack Swagger: For some reason, WWE is not capable of consistently booking Swagger in the right way. He started off strong by winning the ECW Championship within four months of his debut, but then he cooled of until he randomly won Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania 26 and became World Champion a few days later. Since then, he was involved with Michael Cole, but has done very little else of note. Despite his lisp, swagger has proven he can deliver an effective promo when needed, and he has all the tools to be a major player in the WWE. Yet, time and time again, when people are discussing the future of the company, it's names like The Miz, Del Rio, and John Morrison that pop up, never Swagger. If he continues to flounder in the RAW midcard, I would not be surprised to see Swagger ask for a premature WWE release and make a splash in TNA.
Melina: The Internet Wrestling Community is no fan of Melina, and it's hard to blame them. According to reports and interviews all over the net, Melina is nothing more than a whore who has no business being with a "good guy" like John Morrison. In fact, she's taken to Twitter constantly in recent months to bitch about WWE misusing her. Considering how unhappy she is in her position, I'm a bit shocked Melina hasn't already given in her two-weeks notice and found another line of work. Frankly, she's a good worker (probably better than most current WWE divas) but she has one of the worst backstage reputations of anyone I've ever heard. I say she should ask for her release before it's eventually handed to her.
Randy Orton: According to Mr. Tito, Randy Orton is very angry about being on Smackdown! and is crying about -
HAHA just kidding! Tito, you're nuts. Just because Orton isn't thrilled about being on the blue brand opposed to Monday Night RAW, there's no way in hell he's looking to "explore other options" or get out of his contract early". No matter how bad things get, Orton (nor Cena) isn't going anywhere.
So once again, Zack Ryder is making headlines. This time, it's not about the latest episode of Z!TLIS, or how he got snubbed from appearing on television for the 393rd time this year. Nope, what everyone's talking about is how Long Island Iced Z made history this past weekend by defending the Internet Championship at live events in Australia. That's right, folks; the "gimmick" belt that Ryder created solely for his YouTube show was actually defended in font of thousands of people, three nights in a row.
This is significant for many reasons. For starters, it wipes clean Zack Ryder's ridiculously long losing streak that seems to occur whenever the RAW brand tours overseas. In the past six months, WWE visited many different countries, and Ryder was always jobbing. Whether it was to Yoshi Tatsu, Ezekiel Jackson, or even Percy Watson, Ryder kept getting his ass handed to him, day in and day out. Well, Australia must be Ryder's lucky continent, because he has defeated Primo (not much of an accomplishment), officially retained his Internet Championship, and is currently on a winning streak.
Another reason the Internet Championship being defended is a good thing is because we may very well see WWE introduce the belt on television in the near future. I'm not saying next week's RAW will see Zack Ryder come out with his title and cut a five-minute promo why the Internet Championship is the most prestigious championship in history or anything, but it may very well happen. With John Cena having a stranglehold on the WWE Championship, and having no shortage of challengers, the rest of the RAW brand is left to chase after the United States Championship. Unfortunately, that title's holder - Dolph Ziggler - seems to be stuck in a never-ending feud with Kofi Kingston. As a result,, a good twenty-something RAW superstars are left competing for anything but championship.
Enter the Internet Championship. Suddenly, the rest of the brand has something they can chase after (because nobody wants to face David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty for the tag team championship). Ryder, presumably as a face, can immediately feud with the likes of Chris Masters, Drew McIntyre, and even Jack Swagger for the title. These matches and feuds could take place exclusively on "Superstars", but it would also make sense for them to compete on RAW, to give them more exposure. Hell, if Ryder is able to establish himself with the Internet Championship, he may even set himself up for bigger feuds down the line with guys like The Miz and Alberto Del Rio.
By the way, I am absolutely loving the apparent decision to turn Ryder face. I've never seen the RAW brand as heel-heavy as it is now, and it would have been difficult for Ryder to make an impact with all the competition. Do you think Ryder would have stood a chance competing against CM Punk, R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, and many more for a spot as one of RAW's top heels? Probably not. However, as a face, Ryder has all the room in the world to move up the card. Rey Mysterio's getting on in age, so is Big Show, Alex Riley is still pretty green, and Kofi Kingston refuses to feud with anyone other than the United States Champion. If Ryder and his internet championship are going to make it, it's going to be as fan favourites, not as villains.
Of course, WWE may decide to not even acknowledge the Internet Championship as an official title belt, and never even mention it on television, which would make today's column a complete waste of time. But I don't think that's the case. WWE has been quietly hyping up Ryder, or at least, their website is. Even though he didn't appear on last Monday's show, Ryder was pictured alongside Cena, Mysterio, Miz, Punk, and other top superstars on the roulette wheel. WWE is also getting ready to launch a new shirt for Long Island Iced Z, as they recently asked fans to vote on Facebook and Twitter for their favourite design (I went with "I'll Fist Pump Your Face!"). Finally, Ryder is currently featured on the homepage of wwe.com, posing with Australian fans.
Am I grasping at straws? Or is WWE slowly getting serious about Zack Ryder? One thing I know for sure is come January 1, 2012, Ryder will still be employed by the WWE, and may be much higher on the card than he is now (take that, Hustle!).
WWE have a serious problem. I'm not talking about declining Pay-Per-View buyrates, superstars wanting to leave, or Smackdown!'s laughable ratings. Instead, they have two bullies up their ass. The first one I'm sure you've heard of, his name is TMZ. TMZ spends all his time stalking celebrities, corporations, big-shots, etc. waiting for any one of them to slip up and expose their "bad side". TMZ doesn't "report". TMZ gossips, and tries to make people look as bad as possible.
Unfortunately for WWE, TMZ have been working overtime to expose their weaknesses. TMZ was dying to bring up another steroid scandal the second they learned Randy Savage had unexpectedly died, but they didn't get the chance to do so. Instead, they went back to spying on WWE and it's employees, and they eventually found gold when CM Punk was caught mouthing off to a fan at a recent live event. They wasted no time in "reporting" the "news" in another attempt to - you guessed it - make WWE look bad.
To make matters worse, another one of Vince McMahon's archenemies stepped in to aid TMZ in their war against wrestling. GLAAD took offense to CM Punk's "homophoic slur" and complained. As a result, WWE ordered Punk to apologize, just as they ordered Michael Cole and John Cena to excuse themselves for "inappropriate remarks" a few months back. Granted, Punk may have crossed the line by saying what he did, but it's hard to consider his comments punishable, especially since they weren't said on television, nor were they recorded on Twitter or another social website.
I think it's time we ask ourselves when is WWE going to man up and stop giving in to these corporate bullies? I understand TMZ is mainstream media, but who cares if they upset some paparazzi? It's not like they're going to air a "Wrestling Is Awesome" special anytime soon. As for GLAAD, I'm aware of the whole sponsorship deal they have with the WWE, and the PG rating is in sync with it, but WWE cannot allow their superstars, divas, and other employees to be ridiculed by some angry, anti-homosexual teasing group. At this rate, we may no longer see divas wear bikinis or swimsuits to the ring because it would be "too revealing" and "disturb the other groups". Get serious, bro.
Look, I have nothing against homosexuals, bisexuals, or the paparazzi in general, but just as WWE's performers should know their limits, it works both ways. If GLAAD wants to complain about John Cena using the word "faggot" or "gay" to describe the WWE Universe or the viewers, that's perfectly fine. But when they make a fuss because Cena called The Miz and Alex Riley a cute couple or something along those lines, that's when you know GLAAD are a bunch of trouble-makers who are grasping at straws. It's like making a deal with the devil; there's always a catch somewhere.
Is it a wise business move for WWE to disassociate themselves from GLAAD? Of course not - they would lose out from profits and sponsorship, as well as giving TMZ more ammunition to use against them. However, WWE must stop giving in to GLAAD's every demand. If the presidents of GLAAD see how easily they can influence WWE's decisions, they may even convince WWE it's wrong for superstars to wrestle without their shirts on. Forget PG, GLAAD could take WWE programming down to the "G" rating.
Vince McMahon, I've never been your biggest fan, but you have to stand up and defend your company, your creation. WWE fans tune into RAW and Smackdown! every week to view your product, not your product under a GLAAD dictatorship. Please Vince, don't let these crybabies force you to make bad decisions. You took down WCW, but you can't put up a fight against these wannabe thugs? Prove me wrong, Vince, and do what's right for the WWE.
*****Song Of The Day:
Interesting. Yesterday I posted (another) Zack Ryder column, and he just happens to make an appearance on RAW following The Nexus's victory over Santino & Vladimir Koslov. Could this be the start of a renewed Ryder push on RAW? Either as a singles push or a tag team one, it doesn't matter, I'll take it!
If there's anything YOU want to share with ME, there's four easy ways to do so:
- Send me an e-mail at captain_charisma16@hotmail.com
- Befriend me or message me on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/Super.Chrisss)
- Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/chrisss16
- Take the lazy way out and leave a comment below.
That's all I have for now. Until next time, keep on Wooing and spiking that hair of yours.
#RyderOrRiot
WWE luggage stolen, WWE attempts to match one to GLAAD, pull over record of low SmackDown rating
-Randy Orton on Twitter noted that more than half the roster had stolen luggage in South Africa. Orton was happy, because his case was not affected.
-On the basis of the CM Punk homophobic slur WWE said GLAAD, CM Punk is legally abandoned.
OpposingViews.com wrote: "WWE officials also GLAAD said this morning, the CM Punk contract will expire in a few weeks, he will not immediately renewed, and he is no longer with WWE of July of 18 as his." A spokesperson told us "This descent is not part of the storyline." He has left the organization. A spokesman for the WWE told us "We this very seriously."
The implication is, of course, that CM Punk is a loose cannon, which will be punished, if in fact WWE work him in this way.
-Last week episode of WWE Friday Night Smackdown pulled a 1.62 evaluation on SyFy. This is a new deep in the network.
GLAAD Not Happy With WWE - Details Inside
"We reached out to WWE Incorporated, which responded swiftly and positively," said the statement. "The incidents were particularly troubling because WWE recently began promoting itself as PG-rated entertainment marketed primarily towards adolescent males," the statement continued. "And there was wrestling superstar John Cena performing what amounted to scripted homophobic bullying of other wrestlers on a nationally broadcast show for kids."
WWE assured GLAAD that such incidents won't happen again and issued an apology. "WWE takes this issue very seriously, and has already spoken with our talent about these incidents. We are taking steps and working with GLAAD to ensure that our fans know that WWE is against bullying or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. We strongly value our fans in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and apologize to them for these incidents."
[ Posting Rules ] blog comments powered by [ Posting Rules ]
WWE Partners With GLAAD On Anti-Bullying, Apologizes For Cena's Recent Promos
WWE Partners with GLAAD on Anti-Bullying Messages
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will be working with GLAAD to create and promote an anti-bullying initiative aimed at their core audience, and has invited us to conduct trainings for their staff of writers and editors.
Our outreach to WWE was prompted by outrage from many LGBT viewers, about a series of homophobic taunts by wrestler John Cena on the USA program WWE Raw in late February. We reached out to WWE Incorporated, which responded swiftly and positively.
GLAAD was first made aware of the incidents by several of its members following the February 21 broadcast of WWE Raw, which featured wrestler John Cena responding to taunts made by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with a rap song making fun of Johnson's film roles. The song included lyrics like "You left us high and dry to play a fairy with a tooth?" and "He wore lipstick in Get Shorty, and rocked a skirt for The Game Plan."
But the real kicker came near the end when he said: "Just don't go racing to Witch Mountain, Rock, cause your mountain is Brokeback."
The next incident occurred on the show a week later (Feb. 28), when Cena was challenging another wrestler known as "The Miz" while in the ring with him, and had the crowd roaring when he joked about the Miz and his wrestling partner secretly being a couple. It began with Cena saying "Do you really want to look back years from now and realize you shared your legacy with another man?! ?.Wait don't answer that." Cena continued:
"Now The Miz and Alex Riley are co-champions and to celebrate it they're going to move in together. They're going to buy one of those tandem bikes and ride to bed bath and beyond to buy some duvets. And every evening they're going to relax with a glass of warm piot noir and watch The Notebook, or reruns of last season's Bachelor. ???.You want to be a mentor and train him? Well, tonight I'm going to train you on how to be a man."
The incidents were particularly troubling because WWE recently began promoting itself as PG-rated entertainment marketed primarily towards adolescent males. Young boys are of course the demographic most likely to experience homophobic bullying or to be bullying themselves. And there was wrestling superstar John Cena performing what amounted to scripted homophobic bullying of other wrestlers on a nationally broadcast show for kids.
GLAAD contacted WWE executives and explained the problem after receiving our first reports. They then spoke to John Cena and the show's writers. We have been assured that not only will such incidents not happen again, WWE intends to reach out to their adolescent audience, with messages aimed making it clear that bullying someone with homophobic taunts or for their perceived sexual orientation is wrong. WWE released the following apology statement to that effect:
"WWE takes this issue very seriously, and has already spoken with our talent about these incidents. We are taking steps and working with GLAAD to ensure that our fans know that WWE is against bullying or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. We strongly value our fans in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and apologize to them for these incidents."
We are very much looking forward to developing our relationship with WWE, and we thank them both for hearing our message loud and clear, and for planning to send an anti-bullying message of their own.
