Monday Night Open Mic

Howdy Blog O’Doomers!

What a great network special last night eh? It was pretty…blah for the most part although I liked the Bray-Ambrose match (hated the commentary) more than some people.

The story was clearly the last 20 minutes of the show. Dolph Ziggler gets it, he understands that the struggle is what draws the people in. The victory is the great feel good moment that makes us smile but it doesn’t mean anything without the struggle. He gave us the struggle, he gave us the fight. He wasn’t a plucky underdog trying to overcome the odds, he was a guy fighting for his “life” and just surviving long enough to last until the next move. That was what made Shawn Michaels such a great worker — that concern for the details leading up to the outcome. Even when Cena is faced with a real struggle people get behind him. Look at the first Brock match from Extreme Rules 2012. He wasn’t superhero guy, he was a guy getting his ass kicked trying to survive. I loved the whole sequence last night with the minor exception of everyone being laid out too long for the Sting-HHH stuff. Rollins should have tried to attack Sting and eventually take another Zig Zag. But I love the way Dolph sold the victory with the unbridled joy. I love the way he sold the beating with the referee helping him up the ramp. I even like the moment when Cena came out to hug him because it was a nice babyface moment. He wasn’t mugging for the camera, he didn’t do his stupid salute. He was congratulating and thanking his friend. It was one of the rare feel good moments of this rough year for the WWE.

And special props to Steph for actually SELLING the angle. I get that HHH is such an alpha male he has to be stoic and noble regardless of outcome so thank you Steph for having a human reaction and acting like someone that actually lost something they loved. She screamed, she cried, she panicked, she threw a tantrum, she hit every gambit of emotions from anger to shock to disbelief in 60 seconds. She’s definitely willing to act like a fool sometimes for the greater good.

As for TV tonight it’s a packed house.

Two MNF games: Jets-Bills on CBS for New York markets and Sunday ticket for everyone else.
Saints-Ravens on ESPN

Dancing with the Stars season finale

Gotham midseason finale

7 NBA games (Bulls-Jazz, Pacers-Mavericks, Hornets-Clippers look like good ones)

4 NHL games.

Keep it clean!