1. Ambrose And Rollins Advance Angle Without A Match
Last nights non-match between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins seems to have divided wrestling fans. Some feel that it was a case of bait-and-switch from WWE, not delivering a major match they had advertised. Others believe it was a brilliant piece of storytelling and angle advancement that felt more realistic than any match would have been. If youre watching WWE solely for match after match after match, then the Old School programming on WWE Network is probably better suited for you. The simple truth is that pro wrestling today has plenty of angles (or storylines) that play out on television. A lot of it takes place within the ring, but a good amount happens backstage or in promos. These storyline developments can be death a lack of action between unconvincing characters or too much humor and childish antics will spell the end of fans interest. But with Ambrose and Rollins, you have two guys who have all the goods. They can go in the ring. They can deliver on the mic. And they are presenting a feud that hasnt been seen in WWE for some time. Its reminiscent of the early Rock/Austin feuds over the Intercontinental Championship, when a lot of the action took place in promos or outside the ring (including once on a bridge). Its no wonder that Ambrose is drawing comparisons to an early Steve Austin with his ability to connect with the crowd as a manic brawler who doesnt wait for a bell to ring to begin assaulting his opponent. You can feel the hatred dripping from both men, and thats why Sunday nights backstage brawl, their ringside melee and Ambroses ambush in the parking lot worked so well. Sure, there was no match last night, but Rollins and Ambrose brawled convincingly for nearly 10 minutes. It felt so much more realistic than any match would have, and it made fans want to see them tear each other apart even more. So unless youre a member of the instant gratification society, you will certainly get what you want soon enough. Now click below for four negatives from the show...
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
