Play Ball: The Dawn of a Stranger

It’s been roughly 3 years since I last wrote a blog post. Or really anything creative in general. A lot has happened personally in that time, up to and including being perennially busy with professional obligations. A creative jolt can wake up the dormant mind from time to time, and so with that being said...

Here I am!

Since my last blog post, which kind of telepathically predicted Seth Rollins would cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania 31, a lot has changed in the WWE. Yeah sure the product is in a state of flux consistent with ‘The Simpsons’, and sure the product has several ingredients they don’t know what to do with.

We’re also seeing superstars and matches I never would have thought of seeing in the ‘E.

For example: Who in the blue hell would have predicted AJ Styles would not only come into the WWE, but be more or less the premiere driving force in the company? He brings out the largest pops on Smackdown each week, he brings out the best matches, and he’s quite a damn good talker. I’ve seen bits and pieces of him elsewhere, but not in a consistent light like this.

For my money, AJ’s hiring in the WWE is the genesis of an in-ring evolution. It’s a genesis that could go as far back as 2012 when NXT was becoming a baby brand.  Say what you want about Triple H with his in-ring abilities or his supposed ego, but he has a knack for putting his finger on what’s hot in the business. Seth Rollins became the inaugural NXT Champion, and from there the Orlando-based grappling developmental organization has grown quite a lot of prestige.

Look at the names of whom has come up since 2012: Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns (BOOO, sorry had to do it), Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Charlotte, Becky Lunch, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Alexa Bliss, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, Apollo Crews, Asuka, Andrade Cien Almas, The Ascension (hey they try), Authors of Pain, and the list goes on and on.

Many fans might remember guys like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn probably wouldn’t have been a second look if this was something like 2008 or 2010. Never mind the fact they’re from the proverbial island of misfit toys, but the overall consensus was that WWE was only truly interested in home grown talent at that point. Developmental was not as fleshed out either. There wasn’t a dedicated brand where its not just the talent that get to hone their craft, but the writing squads, and other administrative positions within. If it weren’t for this, those poor orphanages in Mexico might not have a representative.

The most ironic part here? For all that was just written, AJ was one of those few world traveler wrestlers who never had to go to NXT. He was 95% ready made for the WWE when he got there. For as crappy as TNA/Impact has been, it has done good in preparing worthy talent for the main stages. This is what NXT strives to be for the not as seasoned.

As fans will also tell you, whenever there is a ‘big PPV’ weekend like the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania, there is an NXT Takeover event that outshines the main card. The shows are between 2-3 hours long and deliver non-stop great stuff from bell to bell. Consider this: the last Takeover, which happened during WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans, was bookended by two literal five-star classics. Those matches in question were a ladder match for the North American Championship, and an emotional Unsanctioned Match between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano (aka Johnny Wrestling). If you have not seen this event, go out of your way to do so. It’s easily the best Takeover I’ve seen, which is not faint praise, and probably the best WWE PPV of this decade.

Admittedly I don’t watch a lot of NXT first-run programming. My heart and soul on Wednesday nights lies with Lucha Underground. It’s a more theatrical presentation of wrestling, as seen through the El Rey network and the production mastermind of Robert Rodriguez. As a whole that channel is amazing with grindhouse flicks, horror flicks, and samurai warrior movies on top of daytime runnings of old 80s action shows.

I digress on shilling El Rey. We’re here for the show that has a mariachi soundtrack, Matt Striker and Vampiro call the action, and the best damn heel authority figure in wrestling since Vince McMahon: Dario Cueto.

This magnificent son of a bitch possesses swagger and a set of bolas to match. Whether in produced vignettes or in front of the audience (aka The Believers), he wheels and deals like the evil underground he runs. There are cops trying to run his organization out of business, and the cops are either murdered or Joey Ryan.

Yes, that Joey Ryan. The one that Jim Cornette despises because he ruins the business like Bruce Prichard does with a botched Goldberg segment. The master of the dong style. His presence would almost make you think Rick Rude was his father, but then you see his wrestling and it cannot be further from the truth.

Over the years, many a wrestler has stepped foot in the Boyle Heights arena, which is affectionately known as ‘The Temple’. This is a sampling of whom has been in this temple: Prince Puma (aka Ricochet in NXT), Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Alberto El Patron (aka Alberto Del Rio), Johnny Mundo (aka John Morrison/Nitro), Pentagon (Dark), Taya, Fenix, Aerostar, Sexy Star (yes, I know the controversy), Mil Muertes w/ Catrina, Metanza Cueto, and that list goes on.

Most matches are quick but smash you in the mouth with their intensity. Some gimmicked matches, like an All Night Long match or the Aztec Warfare match (their version of the Royal Rumble), go the length of a whole episode.

If you're not familiar with LU in general, please click on the link provided here.

To finish this piece off, I’d like to thank all the visitors whom collectively have somehow given this passion project 100K reads. As a result, in addition to making new content, there are blogs with “gaps” in them that should be addressed. Gaps is defined as pictures/videos with broken addresses, such as to Photobucket (or photophuckit as I call it), or another online resource. There are many old blog pieces that have apparently found new audiences over the years, and in some ways the context is gone due to non-existent content. I hope to get those pieces as updated as much as possible. Maybe from here the creative spark comes back and more pieces can be written.

For now, here’s a video of zen: