Opinion
2018 Was The Year of The Heels
With everything that happened this year, was either side of the face/heel dynamic favored? Carol let’s us know how she saw the year shake out.
As 2018 comes to a close, I began thinking about everything that happened in WWE the past year. There was a lot of moments that sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe. Most of those moments consisted of heel turns.
First, we there was Shinsuke Nakamura who became a villain after he attacked AJ Styles following their WrestleMania 34 match. While Nakamura didn’t win the WWE Championship, he did go on to capture the United States Championship and become a cowardly heel.
Then there was NXT good guy Johnny Gargano, who showed his dark side when it was revealed he was Aleister Black’s attacker. Gargano has fully embraced his new role as a heel now that he’s teamed up with his former partner Tommaso Ciampa.
But today’s post focuses on the three heel turns that sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe.
3. Dean Ambrose’s heel turn was coming, but fans didn’t know when. Original plans called for him to turn during Survivor Series, but after Roman Reigns’ leukemia announcement, WWE decided have Ambrose turn that night.
After winning the tag team titles with Seth Rollins, Ambrose unleashed a vicious attack on his former friend. Footage of the crowd, showed their shock and sadness of the destruction of The Shield.
Ambrose’s heel turn has gotten off to a rough start thanks to silly germophobe skits. But now it looks like those are gone and Dean’s gained a cocky attitude that makes the audience hate him.
2. Daniel Bryan was always WWE’s underdog. After fighting against The Authority, he finally become WWE Champion in a momentous WrestleMania match. However, a series of injuries forced Bryan into early retirement. But that didn’t stop him from his dream of returning to the ring, after undergoing treatments; Bryan was cleared to wrestle.
In March of this year, he had his first match in two years, a moment that had the WWE Universe cheering. Yet, the audience would go on to boo Daniel Bryan when he delivered a low blow to AJ Styles to win the WWE Championship.
Much like he is during his early days in WWE, Bryan is embracing his heel role. He’s already got the audience hating him as he cuts promos admonishing the audience for their fickle behavior.
1.Becky Lynch was made to be a heel, although the star has garnered more babyface reactions since her push. For years, Becky has been the underappreciated star of the women’s division, but this year she proved that she’s a top star.
After her best friend Charlotte Flair stole her spotlight and championship at SummerSlam, Becky attacked her friend. Lynch flourished in her new role as she cut promos declaring how she felt underappreciated and the fans didn’t care about her. Becky become so popular that she impressed WWE officials and won the coveted SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Dean Ambrose, Daniel Bryan, and Becky Lynch definitely delivered shocking moments with their heel turns. They’ve had a big year and if WWE continues to write good material for the stars, they’ll have more success in 2019.
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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