My Renewed Interest in WWE...

I started losing interest with WWE and wrestling as a whole by the time the Austin 3:16 era ended about a decade ago. I tune in and/or check the website only during Wrestlemania season beginning with the Royal Rumble. That's where I usually get my updates on the WWE superstars; outside of Wrestlemania season, I didn't really care.

A few weeks ago though, I just stumbled by a video in YouTube that just got viral, and I just got hooked again:



This single event sparked my interest for WWE once again. I have since then went through the past WWE videos and YouTube for the relevant videos that led up to, as The Masked Man put it, "one of the most powerful moments" in Raw in recent memory.

Firstly, AJ's #CrazyChick persona proved to be, as the weeks passed by, quite unpredictable. Between the jump-on-Kane-and-plant-a-kiss, the "accidental" spill in No Way Out, the Harley Quinn-esque Kane costume, and the timekeeping-incident in the last Kane-Bryan match in Smackdown (22 July), you can't help but wait for the next shows and see what she does next. Unpredictable means fun, and she's just that; she's really entertaining to watch. She just plays the crazy part very well. :))

One thing I really like so far is that her "meddling" timing is just right; she gives "respect" to the other superstars by meddling only at the right time. Case in point: Triple Threat Match for WWE Championship Match at No Way Out (Kane-CM Punk-Daniel Bryan). For most of the match she's nowhere to be found, and the three showcased their top-notch talents much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Without her there, the crowd zeroed-in on the technical finesse of the superstars (impressive showing by the three btw). The crowd knows she'll be there at some point, but until then, we just enjoy the match as we should. Then she appeared out of nowhere, distracts Kane and CM Punk wins as per storyline. Great characters, great display of talent, and a great storyline -- works for me. :)

Second, after backtracking a bit on the videos up to June last year, I've come across CM Punk's pipebomb after interfering in John Cena's table match. I got chills down my spine after hearing that. Never had that feeling since way back in the Attitude Era with Stone Cold Steve Austin. I guess it's appropriate that he was wearing a Stone Cold T-shirt that time.

Third, Kane gets a push again, which he rarely gets, as far as I can remember. No luck yet, but I hope he gets his break anytime soon. He's been a dominant force since his debut years ago but has not been properly used to his fullest potential, in my opinion. WWE has had the stereotypical good babyfaces (like John Cena), anti-hero babyfaces (like Steve Austin), but not a monster babyface. I don't think WWE is or will ever be ready for such a face to carry the company. It's sad but I'm still hoping, although it's pretty dim though, as right now it's obviously CM Punk all the way, Shaemus and Daniel Bryan, possibly Dolph Ziggler in the near future.

Lastly, Daniel Bryan. Great in-ring technician, kinda reminds me a lot of Chris Benoit (yeah, yeah taboo, I know,  whatever). But honestly, for all the work he's done, what I really like about him is his "Yes! Yes! Yes!" chant. Yes, I know I'm not doing the guy much justice, as he's probably the best technical wrestler today (Wrestling Observer's Best Technical Wrestler of the Year from 2005 to 2011.). But his "Yes!" chants are like Stone Cold's "What?" chants, but better, I think. I'm a Stone Cold fan also, but I'm just telling it as I see it. I just feel better shouting Yes! than What? :))

So there you go. My two cents on WWE.

BTW, I like watching their segments and matches (AJ, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Kane) more than John Cena's. No disrespect meant, but I just like their storyline better than his. I kinda skipped over his segments with Big Johnny, Big Show, and whoever else was with them in their script.