Friday, October 26, 2018

So ... what should main event WWE Evolution?

I have a bit of an unusual way to end WWE's Evolution event.

I'm still not happy about the Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella match, but it's obviously happening, so may as well make the most of it right?

I also mentioned the fact that Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch may not have been the best route to go, simply because they've faced each other so many times in the past couple of months.

But that match is also happening.

Again, I may as well accept it.

The question becomes: how do you end Evolution?

Many people suggest that Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair is the way to go.

Others point to Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella being the most logical choice to close the show due to their name value.

I agree on both points.

Becky and Charlotte deserve to close the show more so than Rousey and Bella, but they don't have the name value to the casual fans.

I think there's a way to have the best of both worlds, though.

Becky and Charlotte will compete in the first (actually second if you're counting NXT) Last Woman Standing match at Evolution.

It should be a hard-hitting fight.

What if we somewhat combine their match with Rousey and Bella?

Here's my idea:

Give Charlotte and Becky a good 12-15 minutes to fight all the ringside area before they brawl into the crowd and towards the backstage area. 
The cameras are rushing to follow them, but Nikki Bella's music hits.
She grabs the microphone in the ring. 
Being the conceited heel that she is, she tells the crowd that doesn't want to wait for 
Becky and Charlotte to wrap up their little match.  She's tired of waiting.  She wants her opportunity at Ronda Rousey and the Raw Women's Title right now. 
Rousey, having just been called out and certainly not one to back down from a fight, makes her way to the ring. 
She obliges Bella's request.  A confused referee comes to the ring and calls for the bell.
Rousey and Bella isn't likely to be a masterpiece, so they don't need 20 minutes of ring time. 
They fight it out for about 5 minutes with Rousey getting the best of Bella.
Rousey is toying with Bella, but that plan backfires as Nikki Bella capitalizes (maybe due to interference from her sister Brie). 
Then, Becky and Charlotte return to the ringside area, still brawling.
At this point Nikki Bella is getting the best of Rousey. 
Charlotte has a misfire (maybe she rams herself into the electronic board at ringside) and Becky capitalizes, hitting a big move on her opponent. 
Charlotte doesn't make it to her feet before their referee counts to 10.
Becky Lynch's music hits.  She gets in the ring to celebrate. 
Nikki Bella and Ronda Rousey are still wrestling at this point.  Bella confronts Becky about interrupting their match. 
Becky kind of shrugs her off and pushes her out of her way. 
Rousey takes advantage and applies her armbar on Bella.  She taps out.
Rousey's music replaces Lynch's music. 
Charlotte rolls into the ring, still recovering from her loss.
Brie is consoling Nikki on tapping out. 
Becky and Rousey have a little stare down in the middle of the ring with their championships. 
Becky backs out of the ring, with a smug smile on her face.  She raises her title as she backs her way up the ramp. 
Rousey celebrates in the ring. 
WWE goes to their post-show coverage.


I think that'd be a good way to get Becky and Charlotte a spot in the 'main event,' a way to add a little more excitement to the Rousey / Nikki Bella beatdown, do something different with a Last Man/Woman Standing match and a good way to foreshadow a future Champion vs. Champion showdown at the Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble.

Maybe (hopefully) WWE has a grand plan that will be even better  than this, but that's how I'd like to see it play out.

I think now is the time to run with Becky vs. Ronda.

Let Charlotte chase the title and give her a Rumble victory, setting up Charlotte vs. Ronda for Wrestlemania next year.

But they need to interact a little bit before that.  This gets them in the same ring before that.  Survivor Series is another chance for that to happen.

If Becky vs. Ronda does happen, Charlotte would undoubtedly play a role (maybe as a commentator) there too.

We'll see what happens though ....



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Mistakes the media makes in a tense political climate and how they can fix them

As a former journalist, I watched the entire saga of suspicious packages unfold on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.  Time for a quick sidebar from the superhero and TV blogs I typically post.

It is a scary time to be a journalist, for sure.

I think there's plenty of blame to go around --- both sides of the aisle, both media and non-media.

First of all, President Trump.  He talks about fake news all the time.  I've received viewer phone calls from Democrats who, upset with story coverage they received, told me, 'I don't like Trump, but now I know what he means when he talks about fake news!'

It should be made clear from the top down that violence is NOT the answer and is NOT OK.  Make your memes and throw your critiques out on YouTube comments and on Twitter, but don't incite violence, poke fun at it or accept it as normal behavior.

Unfortunately we've had instances on both sides of the political spectrum where politicians have indicated that it's 'OK' to do that.


  • President Trump --- there are various examples ... take your pick.
  • Hillary Clinton --- she told CNN: "You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about ... That's why I believe, if we are fortunate enough to win back the House and or the Senate, that's when civility can start again. But until then, the only thing that the Republicans seem to recognize and respect is strength."
  • Eric Holder --- he said at a campaign rally a week or two ago: "When they go low, we kick 'em. That’s what this new Democratic Party is about."

That list could go on and on.


People are passionate.  People are angry.  That's OK.  Passion drives people to the polls and gets them involved in a political process that would otherwise go unchecked.

Michelle Obama was right, though.  Regardless of what party you identify with, "When they go low, we go high."  It's a quote that people remember for years.  It was powerful and it's true.

You can't take things into your own hands and go around screaming in the face of senators, imposing your physical will on anyone or encouraging physical attacks --- on politicians, on voters you disagree with or on the media.

If you resort to that, it takes focus away from whatever point you're trying to prove.


Now, I'm not a politician, but I can speak to the media and some issues that they bring on themselves.

The media has been losing trust for a long while, before President Trump took office.

They consistently rank up there with used car salesmen, politicians and lawyers in terms of the least trustworthy professions.

Take a look at the Gallup poll statistics in the infographic here.

They've gone up and down a bit, but since 2002, it's been (mostly) a consistent downfall.

Gallup began asking the question about media in 1972 and on a yearly basis since 1997.

In 1976, the poll indicated 72% of those who took it widely trusted journalism.  The Gallup poll results break down the age demographic that trusts media the least and the voting party that trusts them the least.

Why the distrust?

After spending 10 years in journalism, I've got a few theories.