He's Got Spirit

Dolph signing autographs at WWE Axxess (2010)

Dolph Ziggler is making the most of the new year.  Just five years ago he was kicking and jumping and cheering as a member of the Spirit Squad.  Today, he's the number 1 contender to the World Heavyweight championship.

On the same night he lost the Intercontinental title to Kofi Kingston, Dolph won a fatal four way to become Edge's next opponent.

It's an interesting choice.  But a good one I think.  The WWE is in desperate need of fresh blood in the main event, especially on Smackdown!  I personally would have gone with Drew McIntyre if they were looking for a heel to go head to head with Edge.  But I support Dolph.  I think he's come a long way.

Dolph heading to the ring at Wrestlemania 26

His recent matches with Daniel Bryan, Kaval, and John Cena have been good.  He's proving he's more than just a former member of the Spirit Squad.  Who thought he'd be the one still around and now in the World title picture?  I always thought Kenny had the most potential...

My guess is just like John Morrison, Dolph will not be winning the gold belt anytime soon.  While it's good that we're getting fresh world title matches, these recently elevated guys still have a long way to go before the belt goes around their waist.  I hope they don't just hot shot this one like they did the Miz and Morrison last week on Raw.  They could actually do a little buildup here to the Royal Rumble.

Dolph, McIntrye, Cody Rhodes, and Alberto Del Rio are the four heels I see making an impact (pardon the expression) on Smackdown! this year.  Del Rio seems to be the one who's getting a lot of buzz, so don't be surprised to see him in the title hunt or wearing the belt by SummerSlam.

I think now that the E is pushing some guys they haven't before they need to work on developing them and keeping them on the top of the card.  (Insert Jack Swagger memory here)

Who Will Shine in 2011?



I'm hoping 2011 continues to be a good year for some of the guys who seem to be stuck in the land of the mid card status.  2010 a few guys were elevated, the Miz specifically (and I hope that trend continues).  With guys like Shawn Michaels and Batista leaving the WWE and Chris Jericho, the Undertaker, and Triple H all taking time off, there was plenty of room at the top for some fresh blood.



I fully expect Triple H to return to action at some point in the next few weeks.  If you ask me right now, I believe he'll be in the Royal Rumble and may even win the event.  Undertaker's future is a bit more bleak.  He's been off a big portion of 2010, as well as in 2009, I think if he's healthy enough we'll get another good match out of him at Wrestlemania before he heads back into hibernation.  I don't see Chris Jericho coming back anytime soon.  I think he enjoys his music, and quite honestly he needs a break.  All superstars do, really. 



Drew McIntyre vs. Matt Hardy MITB at Wrestlemania 26

Drew McIntyre: The WWE seems to be hot and cold on Drew, most recently cold.  After a less than stellar run as the Intercontinental champion, Drew was put into the failing tag team scene with "Dashing" Cody Rhodes.  Neither man seemed to have much going on for them so they put the tag team titles on them.  They held the belts for a whole 34 days.  Shortly after losing the belts, they split the duo up.  They didn't have a chance.

I hope for big things out of Drew in 2011.  After all, Vince McMahon called him "the chosen one", but more times than not, that's the kiss of death.  I believe Drew has the look and the ability.  I had mentioned earlier maybe teaming him up with William Regal.  I think he could develop and learn more from one of the best.  They have similiar personalities and could actually shake things up in the tag team ranks.  While I wouldn't want to necessarily see Drew saddled with a tag team gimmick, I think it would be a great way to get him moving up the ladder of success.

JoMo vs. Y2J at Wrestlemania 24

John Morrison: Speaking of ladders, John Morrison is climbing it rung by rung too.  I really hope he makes a major move this year.  He is the #1 contender to the WWE title, but I don't think he's going to win the belt anytime soon.  At least not tonight (he's scheduled to face the Miz on Raw on 1/3/11).

Morrison is a guy I've raved about before.  He has the tools inside the ring.  He's not the best talker in the world, but I really hope that's not what's holding him back.

Big wins over former champs like Sheamus and Chris Jericho in 2010 have put him in a good position for the start of the year.  I suspect he'll drop a few rungs on the ladder if he comes up short against the Miz, but I see him being a power player in the next 12 months.  The guy deserves it too. He's toiled in the tag team ranks and the mid card for several years now.  Let 2011 be the year of JoMo.

Daniel Bryan at the 2010 HOF Ceremony

Daniel Bryan: Another no brainer here as far as I'm concerned.  I'm actually quite surprised with the push Bryan has received so far, but I really do believe the dude deserves a heck of a lot more.

When he first came back to the WWE after SummerSlam and they were squashing him week after week on Raw, I figured his days were numbered.  I like that he beat the Miz for the U.S. title.  I hope they keep the WWE title on the Miz because like Morrison, he and Bryan have a great history together.  These could be more stellar matches like we saw in the fall between the two.

Bryan is another guy I don't necessarily see winning the title in the near future, but he should definitely be in the hunt for the biggest prize in the company.  I could also see a switch to Smackdown! in his future and more success there.

Again, I don't have a crystal ball, these are my thoughts on where things should go in the 2011.  Of course, there's a lot of talent on both rosters, I just touched on three of my favorites who should have a success 2011 if they stay healthy.

Writers, the talent is there, now it's time to let it shine!



Long Live the King

Another "king" will be crowned in the WWE Monday night as the 19th tournament is held on a special 3 hour Raw.  Most of us know about the pay per view and Raw tournaments, but back in the mid 80's, there were several kings crowned.

I remember back in 1986, being at a WWF house show in St. Louis that was being touted as a King of the Ring tournament.  Harley Race won that one by pinning Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat in the finals.  Of course, Race was already "the King" as that was his gimmick when he arrived earlier that year.

In 1993, the first ever PPV KOTR was held, with former world champion Bret Hart being crowned.  In the years that followed though, the tournament served as a stepping stone to the title.  In many cases anyway.  Triple H, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and Kurt Angle are just a few who got the royal treatment before winning the world title.  Then we had "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn, Mabel, and Ken Shamrock who never quite achieved world title success.

The most recent King, William Regal, seemed to lose his momentum after being suspended by the WWE shortly after his coronation.  That was about two years ago, now it's time to crown a new king.

I must say, I like the 8 participants in this year's event.  I feel like any one of them is capable of winning this.  In other words, it's hard to pick a winner.  Past tournaments were a little lopsided, especially back in the 80's.  Did anyone really think Boris Zhukov or "Iron" Mike Sharpe would get the crown and scepeter?  Even the qualifying matches for this year's could have gone either way in most cases.  And here's a little fun fact.  In 1988, "the Outlaw" Ron Bass pinned Shawn Michaels in the KOTR tournament.  Wow.

John Morrison in action at Wrestlemania 26

I believe John Morrison has all the tools to win this tournament.  He's been in the WWE for a while now and besides a run as Intercontinental champion, he's not had much of a singles push.  With big wins over Chris Jericho and Sheamus over the last few months, he's proven to me he's ready for the next level.

Winning the King of the Ring would propel him into the title hunt.  I definitely don't think Morrison would "Billy Gunn" this opportunity.  So as of right now, John Morrison is my pick to win the King of the Ring.  However, I know history is not on my side, as most of the time the winner of this tournament is a heel.

Sheamus vs. Triple H at Wrestlemania 26

One other thing I like about this year's tournament is there are no former world champions in it,  except for Sheamus.  I'm not sure if that's good or bad for the Irish man.  My hope is that he will not win it, as I'd like to see someone who hasn't really contended for the world title be in the hunt.


But Sheamus has been doing the job lately to John Morrison and Santino.  Could the crown be his reward?  I could see that happening, and Triple H returning to ruin the coronation.  After all, he's a past KOTR and the "King of Kings" as he taught King Booker a few years back.

Kofi at Wrestlemania 26.

Kofi Kingston has been in a bit of slump lately.  It seems to have all started when he lost the U.S. title to the Miz late last year.

But he put on a helluva show at Wrestlemania 26 though.  Kofi seems to do well in the Money in the Bank matches.  He's a solid worker, dedicated, and over with the fans.

That being said, I'm not sure that he'll win this tournament.  Although I do think he's ready for the main event rub.  I didn't really care for the way they booked him in the Randy Orton feud.  I felt even then he deserved to go over in that program.

Another reason I don't think Kofi will win, he's already got King in his name.  We can't have King Kingston can we?  It just doesn't sound right.

Courtesy: WWE

Initially when I read who was in the tournament, my pick to win it was Ezekiel Jackson.  But after some discussion with a fellow fan and some thinking, I'm taking it back.

Since returning from his injury, Zeke has been unstoppable.  But victories over Zach Ryder, Alex Riley, and The Brooklyn Brawler hardly make you ready for the spotlight.

But the dude has a lot of potential.  I think I liked him better as a monster heel though.  I'm hoping Zeke doesn't get lost in the shuffle.  Being crowned king could be a great springboard for him, and just what he needed since he never really got to enjoy his reign as ECW champion.

Drew McIntyre climbing to new heights at Wrestlemania 26

Of the heels in this tournament, Drew McIntrye is without a doubt my favorite.  I think he's got a lot of potential but is still trying to find his way in the WWE.  A brief run as Intercontinental champion helped him, but his reign was marred with some bad booking.

Then his run with Cody Rhodes as tag team champions was laughable.  Not even sure why the WWE went there with that one.

Drew draws that natural heel heat.  He thinks he's better than everyone else and people hate him for that.  He reminds me a of young Triple H when he had the blueblood gimmick, and when he was crowned KOTR 13 years ago.

Cody Rhodes slugs Mark Henry at a house show.

Cody Rhodes is another guy with a great deal of potential, who seems to be floating around on Smackdown! right now.  But I expect big things for him in the future too.

I must admit, I'm not a big fan of the whole "Dashing" gimmick, but he seems to be making it work.  Since the split from Legacy, I think both he and Ted DiBiase have struggled to carve out a new niche and find their own identities.  Personally, I thought it was too early to split up that group.  He and DiBiase made an excellent tag team.  I would have rather seen them pushed as a duo and have another run as tag team champions.  Cody is good, but I don't think he's good enough to win the KOTR.

Courtesy: WWE

Alberto Del Rio has enjoyed quite the push since arriving in the WWE.  A win over Rey Mysterio on TV.  Hanging with Edge.  And beating the Big Show (albeit by countout) are just a few feathers in his cap so far.  He is also "responsible" for taking Christian out of action.

However, he came up short at the Survivor Series.  Is that an indicator of things to come? Again, this is a hard tournament to pick a decisive winner, and I would not be surprised at all by a Del Rio victory.  My gut tells me though that a Raw guy is going to win, since the tournament is being held on Raw.

Daniel Bryan leaving the Hall of Fame ceremony

I know I picked John Morrison to win in my earlier analysis, however I really like Daniel Bryan to win as well.  The one thing that may prevent that from happening is the U.S. title.

But it would make sense for him to win, especially with the Miz being world champion.  These two have a history and it would seem logical to have them meet again.  However, what's logical doesn't always come to fruition.

That being said, I don't think Daniel Bryan NEEDS the crown to propel him into the world title picture.  He's got the ability to wear the belt one day without having to go through a coronation ceremony.

So as you can see, I'm still going back and forth on who will win this.  I won't be disappointed in any of these guys.  I mentioned how I liked the fact that most of these guys haven't been to the top of the mountain yet.  That's good and bad.  The problem with it is there are no established guys in this tournament to put over any of the young talent.  It would have been nice to see Randy Orton, Big Show, or Edge give the rub to the future main eventers of the company.  No matter what, I don't think this tournament will disappoint, and I can't wait to see who's crowned king.