With WWE Battleground just days away, which scheduled matches have piqued the interest of the NZPWI Staff?
Sting is the main attraction in this year’s WWE 2K15 video game, but will this lead to life imitating art and see Sting step foot in a real WWE ring?
And, with The Rock’s latest film, Hercules, due out in theatres later this month, the Gimme Five team reflect on their favourite feature films starring wrestlers.
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1. WWE Battleground is live on pay-per-view this Monday. Which match on the card are you most looking forward to?
Stevie:
Ambrose vs. Rollins. They’ll be wanting to cement themselves as singles stars and it could be the sleeper hit of the event. Past that, I’m intrigued to find out who’ll become the new Intercontinental Champion, even though I’m not a fan of the match type. I’m hoping the AJ/Paige match delivers as well.
David:
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins should be an absolute show-stealer. There are plenty of matches that should be deliver in the ring, or have something riding on their outcome, but this is the perfect combination of the two and I doubt anything else will be able to touch it.
Craig:
None of it. It’s a weak pay-per-view sandwiched in between two great pay-per-views in Money in the Bank and SummerSlam. Cena will win the main event pinning Kane (that’s the only reason he’s there) so Reigns and Orton remain strong. They will face each other at SummerSlam while Cena will face Lesnar. It’s so obvious what’s going to happen it’s not even worth booking. Hashtag: Boring.
Blake:
I am sad to say that neither of my most-looking-forward-to matches include Chris Jericho or the main event. The two I am looking forward to most are the Rusev/Swagger patriot match and the Paige/AJ Divas Championship match. If given enough time, this Divas match could prove to be one of the best in recent memory, and Swagger turning face has created quite the buzz which he really needs in his career at this point.
2. Sting will be part of this year’s WWE 2K15 video game – will this deal lead to life imitating art and eventually see Sting inside a real WWE ring?
Stevie:
He’ll definitely appear at some point, they’ll just be trying to work out the best use for both parties. I’m excited to see more Sting-related content in WWE, it’s great news.
David:
Sting’s been very vocal about wanting to wrestle The Undertaker before he finally hangs up his boots. Now the working relationship with WWE is there, we might finally get to see The Icon vs. The Phenom at WrestleMania.
Craig:
If we are going to see him, it’s likely to be only at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. He’s closer to 60 than 50!
Blake:
I hope we do see Sting in WWE at some point, but I really hope it isn’t for a match. For years, the internet wrestling community has been saying he’s too old to wrestle in TNA; while it’s great to finally have him in the WWE, he is still too old.
3. Ric Flair returned to WWE television this week, and was gifted the World Heavyweight Championship belt by John Cena. Is it good for WWE to have the likes of Flair and Hogan around, or are they taking too much of the focus that should be afforded to up-and-coming members of the roster?
Stevie:
WWE has been using them liberally, so that’s good. I think it aids the product having that sense of history around.
David:
As two of the biggest stars or all time, Flair and Hogan have a degree of name-value that will hook more casual or lapsed fans and make them interested in tuning in again, but neither man has been heavily promoted at the expense of the current WWE product. A good job by all involved.
Craig:
It’s vitally important sport and, in this instance, sports entertainment doesn’t lose sight of its history. When sports do that, they lose their soul. The best sports franchises (Real Madrid, Man United, NY Yankees etc.) embrace their past. Hogan and Flair absolutely should be embraced by WWE, but only on special occasions.
Blake:
It’s about give-and-take: Kenta could have just been signed in the background and the Cena/Reigns friendly rivalry probably could have carried itself, but Hogan and Flair and their demand of respect added instant legitimacy to both events.
4. Jeff Hardy challenged Bobby Lashley for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on today’s Impact Wrestling broadcast, leaving behind the Willow persona he has adopted for the past few months. Is returning to Jeff Hardy a good move, or did TNA give up on Willow too soon?
Stevie:
I’m sure this is better for merch sales. It doesn’t really matter what Jeff does any more though, so they might as well use him in his most known form.
David:
TNA should have given up on Willow the moment someone came up with the idea. Jeff Hardy is still a massive star, so being able to promote Hardy as himself should create a bit more interest than normal and get a few more eyes on this week’s Impact.
Craig:
I hate to sound like a broken record but I don’t follow TNA.
Blake:
I think they waited the right amount of time; Willow is still a character who can return when needs be, but Kurt Angle gave a logical reason as to why Jeff Hardy should return. I’m alright with this at the moment.
5. Hercules, starring The Rock, opens in theatres this month, while Batista’s Guardians of the Galaxy is due out later in the year. What is your favourite motion picture featuring a wrestler in a leading role?
Stevie:
Suburban Commando with Hulk Hogan. That movie was great as a kid. And The Undertaker had a squeaky voice!
David:
All I can think about right now is Pain & Gain, another example of The Rock dominating Hollywood. I don’t know if Hercules will make its way into my DVD collection, but if The Rock’s involved in something I’m almost always buying a ticket.
Craig:
Hulk Hogan in Mr Nanny! Seriously though, I love pretty much everything The Rock is in. That said, I won’t be rushing out to see Hercules. It doesn’t interest me in the slightest.
Blake:
It’s certainly not the best out of all of them, but my favourite is the first one I ever saw: The Scorpion King. I’m pretty sure it was also one of the first DVDs I ever owned…
