The WWE Should Bring Back The King of the Ring

The WWE Should Bring Back The King of the Ring

June 24, 2014

By Ryan Porzl

The King of the Ring tournament has a rich history in the WWE. For nearly 30 years, the tournament has come and gone but has provided good action, was a stepping stone for future legends, and even revived aging careers. From 1993-2002, the event was not only a pay-per-view but was one of the top 5 for the WWE with the others being Wrestlemania, Summerslam, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series. Since this will be written in the month of June which was the month it was mostly held, I decided to write an article explaining why the WWE should bring back this annual tradition.

The first reason is because it fits the WWE's PPV or WWE Network model. In recent years, PPV events largely focus on a gimmick match like Elimination Chamber in February, Money in the Bank in June/July, Hell in a Cell in October, and TLC in December. Because of this, the King of the Ring makes sense. At the same time, The King of the Ring tournament would look much better than any of those events. The WWE makes those events almost a one match show but the King of the Ring is a nightly tournament that goes all show long. The show comes off valuable if more than one match was relevant. The show also doesn't come off so lazy as the WWE creative team clearly relies on that one match to draw. The KOTR is multiple matches, doesn't come off lazy, and WWE can get away with doing a show based off this concept given it's history and the fact it's not a one match show.

Another reason is it could add instant credibility to a star coming in from another company or revive a career. The former was done with Harley Race. In 1986, Race came into the WWF but the WWF had the problem of how to sell him to the fans. The WWF knew he was a star in the business but they couldn't acknowledge his eight NWA World Titles or other big moments since they were in the NWA while he didn't have any title reigns in the WWF. They needed to have fans see Race as the star he is without mentioning his accomplishments. The answer was the King of the Ring. By winning the tournament and giving him the gimmick of the King, it gave Race instant credibility to the WWF fans and gave the fans a reason to care. Booker T was languishing in the midcard for years but after winning the King of the Ring, Booker saw himself back in the main event and even won the World Heavyweight Championship.

Finally, the biggest reason to bring the King of the Ring back is because it's a proven star maker. Over the last 3 decades, many big names won the King of the Ring and their careers took off. Randy Savage in 1987, Bret Hart in 1991 & 1993, Owen Hart in 1994, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in 1996, Triple H in 1997, Kurt Angle in 2000, Edge in 2001, and Brock Lesnar in 2002. With the exception of Hart, each and everyone of these winners that I mentioned became WWF/E Champion and counting Hart, all became top stars of their generation and were apart of some of the biggest matches/moments of their time. The WWE has many great up and comers who can be future main event caliber stars. By given them a King of the Ring tournament, the company can possibly accelerate their growth and ultimately lead them on the path to superstardom.

So after all this, I think it's safe to say the King of the Ring should make it's return. It has many positives and the WWE get a lot of benefits with it be it a gimmick show that's more than a one match show and the fans can get behind to reviving careers to adding instant credibility to creating a future superstar. It's an event that can help the WWE in many ways, introduce the stars of tomorrow, and give aging ones a second chance.

Alice Cooper - Hard Rock Summer (1986)

UFC on FOX: Lawler vs. Brown Predictions

                                

UFC on FOX 12 Predictions

July 22, 2014

By Ryan Porzl

Bellator 122 Predictions

                                

Bellator 122 Predictions

July 17, 2014

By Ryan Porzl

Kelly Anundson vs. Phelipe Lins

Nickname:                                           Crossface        |      Monstro

Height:                                                    5'11              |         6'2

Age:                                                          29               |          28

MMA Record (BMMA):                    7-2 (2-0)        |      9-0 (2-0)

Arm Length:                                            72 in.           |        79 in.

Team:                                          American Top Team |    Nova Uniao

Weight Class:                                   Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)

Notes: Bellator Summer Series 2014 Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals

Preview: Anundson is riding a five fight win streak. His recent win was over Rodney Wallace by unanimous decision at Bellator 121 (June 6, 2014). Lins is undefeated with nine wins. His recent win was over Austin Heidlage by submission at Bellator 121 (June 6, 2014).

Predictions: Lins. Lins is considered one of Bellator's brightest prospects and not just in the Light Heavyweight division. Anundson has shown great wrestling and submission skills but it may be hard for him to use that against Lins. Lins is a big, strong Light Heavyweight so he could be hard for Anundson to control. He's got a very long reach and if he uses it then he should be able to keep Anundson at bay. He's probably one of, if not, the biggest opponent Anundson has faced. He's a good striker with knockout power and he's got very good jiu-jitsu as he's showed in his Bellator run. He specifically has used the rear-naked choke in both of his Bellator appearances and that could help him here since he has long limbs. In his last fight he also showed patience as he took his time sinking the choke in against Heidlage.

Liam McGeary vs. Egidijus Valavicius

Nickname:                                      None             |            None

Height:                                              6'6               |             6'0

Age:                                                   31               |              35

MMA Record (BMMA):            7-0 (4-0)         |        27-10 (2-0)

Arm Length:                                    81 in.            |            75 in.

Team:                                    Team Renzo Gracie |      Flawless MMA

Weight Class:                               Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)

Notes: Bellator Summer Series 2014 Light Heavyweight Semifinals

Preview: McGeary is undefeated with seven wins. His recent win was over Mike Mucitelli by KO at Bellator 118 (May 2, 2014). Valavicius is riding a three fight win streak. His recent win was over Carlos Eduardo by split decision at Bellator 121 (June 6, 2014).

Predictions: McGeary. Like Lins, McGeary is another one of Bellator's biggest prospects. To date, McGeary hasn't shown many or any weaknesses yet for Valavicius to exploit as he's never lost nor has been put in a situation where he's been in any danger. The only time he showed weakness was when he lost his first amateur fight by submission but that was six years ago. He's got one punch knockout power. He's able to just swarm in on an opponent and finish them quickly. He has a huge size and reach advantage which should at least frustrate Valavicius. McGeary also has good jiu-jitsu as he trains with Renzo Gracie. He's also a well-rounded fighter with four wins by knockout and three wins by submission. Though all of his Bellator fights haven't gone beyond 91 seconds, McGeary has had long fights as his debut fight went 4:45 into the third round and his third fight went into the second round (though it did end in 41 seconds).

Phil Baroni vs. Karo Parisyan

Nickname:                     The New York Bad Ass |       The Heat

Height:                                                 5'9           |           5'10

Age:                                                      38           |             31

MMA Record (BMMA):            15-17 (0-0)     |   23-10, 1NC (1-1)

Arm Length:                                       72 in.         |         75½ in.

Team:                 American Kickboxing Academy |    Team Hayastan

Weight Class:                                 Welterweight (170 pounds)

Notes: Baroni's Bellator debut

Preview: Baroni is riding a two fight losing streak. His recent loss was to Nobutatsu Suzuki by TKO at ONE FC: Rise to Power (May 31, 2013). Parisyan is coming off a win over Ron Keslar by KO at Bellator 116 (April 11, 2014).

Predictions: Parisyan. Parisyan has had his issues but he should still take this one. Barring Baroni from hitting a great punch or kick quickly, I can't see how Baroni wins. Baroni is 38 years old, hasn't competed in fourteen months, and is falling apart badly. His Bellator debut was delayed by two months because of an injury and prior to that, he lost to Nobutatsu Suzuki when his ankle caved in on him. Baroni has good striking and power but his ground game isn't that great and his cardio is his biggest issue. More times than not, if Baroni can't knock someone out in 120 seconds or less then he'll likely get tired. Parisyan has an excellent ground game and he could submit Baroni if he can get this fight to the ground. Even if he can't submit him, Parisyan could just take him down and grind a decision. As the fight goes on, Baroni won't be able to get up as he'll likely be too tired. Time is on Parisyan's side as his chances for victory increase the longer the fight goes.

Andrey Koreshkov vs. Adam McDonough

Nickname:                                    Spartan               |         Big Gunna

Height:                                             6'0                   |           5'10

Age:                                                  23                   |             28

MMA Record (BMMA):           16-1 (7-1)           |         11-0 (3-0)

Arm Length:                                   74 in.                |            66 in.

Team:                                   RusFighter Sport Club | Get Sum Athletic Compound

Weight Class:                                       Welterweight (170 pounds)

Notes: Bellator Season 10 Welterweight Tournamaent Finals

Preview: Koreshkov is riding a three fight win streak. His recent win was over Justin Baesman by KO at Bellator 118 (May 2, 2014). McDonough is undefeated with eleven wins. His recent win was over Nathan Coy by KO at Bellator 116 (April 11, 2014)

Predictions: Koreshkov. McDonough has proven to be a good prospect but his Cinderella story ends here. McDonough is tough but I don't give him much of a chance against Koreshkov. To me, this reminds me of season nine with Justin Wilcox where he got some upset wins and surprised many only to get destroyed in the finals. Koreshkov is a beast in the standup. He's got nasty knockout power and he's a good striker on top of that. Like his mentor Alexander Shlemenko, Koreshkov is also very good at mixing up his attacks as he'll use punches and kicks along with body shots. Koreshkov also has a very good chin as well with his only loss being a TKO after being outwrestled and ground and pounded for three and a half rounds. Koreshkov will also have a huge reach advantage which should allow him to beat McDonough to the punch.

Brett Cooper vs. Brandon Halsey

Nickname:                                       Fudoshin        |           Bull

Height:                                                 6'0             |          5'11

Age:                                                      27             |            27

MMA Record (BMMA):              20-9 (7-3)      |        6-0 (4-0)

Arm Length:                                       72 in.          |          72 in.

Team:                                             Reign MMA    |     HB Ultimate

Weight Class:                                      Middleweight (185 pounds)

Notes: Bellator Season 10 Middleweight Tournament Finals

Preview: Cooper is coming off a win over Kendall Grove by KO at Bellator 114 (March 28, 2014). Halsey is undefeated with six wins. His recent win was over Joe Pacheco at Bellator 116 (April 11, 2014).

Predictions: Cooper. I've learned from watching Cooper that you never count him out. Cooper is mentally tough as he's the kind of fighter that can be down two rounds and still fight to win. He clearly lost the first round to Kendall Grove but bounced back and knocked him out in round two. In the Dan Cramer fight, he lost the first two rounds but came back and knocked Cramer out in the third round. In other words, if Halsey wants to win then he can't take his foot off the gas pedal at any time during this fight. Cooper has knockout power and could knock Halsey out as well. While Halsey is the better wrestler, Cooper trains at Reign MMA with Mark Munoz and the rest of the team so he has good wrestling and should be ready for Halsey. Cooper should also be the toughest fight in Halsey's career but Cooper has faced tougher fighters like Steve Carl, Alexander Shlemenko, Kendall Grove, and Doug Marshall.

Kota Ibushi (c) vs. KUSHIDA (NJPW) - Video Dailymotion

Kota Ibushi (c) vs. KUSHIDA (NJPW) - Video Dailymotion

UFC 175 Retrospective

UFC 175 Retrospective

July 15, 2014

By Ryan Porzl

So UFC 175 is in the books. So it's time for an UFC 175 retrospective. What/Who impressed me? What/Who didn't? What surprised me? What didn't?

Impressed

Chris Weidman- Weidman proves he's no fluke as he put on a great show against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Machida is no slouch and Weidman won decisively. Unlike the two Anderson Silva wins, Machida was focused and didn't suffer any injuries. There was no controversy as Weidman truly was the better man. Ultimately, Weidman played the perfect game against the Dragon by cutting him off, getting his takedowns, and landing strikes. He prevented Machida from getting his game plan going and scored another impressive win.

Lyoto Machida- Unfortunately for Machida, he didn't get a chance to make history but he got a moral victory if nothing else. He didn't win the belt and lost four rounds to one but he still gave it his all. Even when he was down three rounds, he was still competing and going for the finish. He didn't mentally fold like others would. He also proved he's got a tough chin and great submission defense. He also gave Weidman the toughest challenge of his career by being the first to take the All-American 25 minutes.

Ronda Rousey- The Rowdy one gave her most dominant performance in her career which says a lot given in nine previous fights she was dominant in all of them. For her entire career, Rousey has been accused of being a one-trick pony but no more. In her recent performances, Rousey has clearly been working on her striking and has become a true three dimensional fighter. Rousey was already a wrecking ball in the Women's bantamweight division and now it will be even harder to knock her off her post.

Uriah Hall- Say what you will about Uriah Hall. He's got a world of potential but seems to lack the killer instinct to go far in the UFC. However, the guy is tough. While he didn't put on the best performance of his career, Hall still won decisively and shown toughness. For most of the three round fight, Hall fought with a broken toe but for the most part came off as nothing was wrong. A lot of fighter would freak out or at least let the pain hinder them but Hall remained calm, fought, and scored a decision win. With this, Hall earned a lot of respect from fans and his bosses.

Rob Font- I didn't know much about Font before and I'm still not familiar with him. However, he was put with a veteran in George Roop and made the best of it by scoring a highlight reel knockout. I'm not sure how far he'll go but at this show, he made one of the best impressions.

UFC acting on Stefan Struve pulling out- Forget the 11^th hour. The clock was past midnight when the UFC found out that the returning Stefan Struve would not be able to compete as the pay-per-view portion of UFC 175 was going on. It's rare for a show to lose a fight during the broadcast yet this was what the UFC was dealt with. Yet in spite of that, The UFC handled it very well with Mike Goldberg interviewing the doctor, the show moved along very nicely instead of making a scene, and played prelims to fill time. The UFC deserves credit for coming off professionally instead of running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Not Impressed

Chris Weidman- For the most part, Weidman put on a great performance and defeated an elite fighter but he did make some mistakes. For one, he was leading three rounds to none and started to fade a little in the fourth. While he ultimately pulled off the win, he has to be careful as Machida started to rally a decent comeback and the next time, he could get finished. He was fortunate to have a very good chin and submission defense. This was his first five round fight that went the distance and hopefully Weidman learned not to take his foot off the gas in the championship rounds. Perhaps the biggest criticism is the fact that Machida gave his back up again and again during the fight and Weidman could not capitalize. Machida has good submission defense but it's still something for Weidman to work on.

Lyoto Machida- Once again, like his opponent Weidman, I felt slightly disappointed with Machida. Yes, he lost to the number 1 middleweight in the world but you have to wonder about his performance. Machida obviously went with a gameplan he was familiar with and worked many times. However, that may have cost him. Weidman knew what Machida was going to do and was clearly prepared. While he turned it up and had more success when he was more aggressive it was too late. If he adjusted earlier, he may have won. Machida has adjusted over the years but he still needs to show aggression or at least show more offense since the counterstriking strategy arguably cost him against Phil Davis and now Weidman. We'll never know for sure if it would've worked but you have to wonder what if.

What Surprised Me

Stefan Struve's near fainting spell- I've known of Struve's heart condition but I still didn't see this coming. It's scary for Struve to nearly faint less than a hour before he was supposed to go out and compete. While no one wanted this to happen, it's fortunate it happened in the back. This type of situation is rare in the UFC and I hope the best for the skyscraper.

Ronda Rousey's knock out win- The first ten seconds of the fight seemed normal. Rousey gets close to Davis and takes her down with a judo throw. After that, everybody was expecting Rousey to go for the armbar which is her signature maneuver. Instead, Rousey would lay a barrage of punches down on her opponent and scored the surprising knockout in only 16 seconds. Rousey has looked dominant in the past but never this dominant. The end result wasn't the least surprising. It was getting there that surprised everyone.

What Didn't Surprise Me

Ronda Rousey's dominant win- While the finish surprised me, nothing else did. At this point, unless she's facing Holly Holm or Cris Cyborg, it's safe to say that not only will Rousey continue her iron fist rule on the division but she won't even break a sweat during her reign. So far, no one has had an answer to Rousey or come within a hair's breath of defeating her. It's going to take someone with something elite to defeat her and while Alexis Davis was game, she didn't have the tools that will be needed.

Urijah Faber's dominant win- Like Rousey, Faber's win was seen a mile away. Alex Caceres is like Alexis Davis and that he tried to make the best of a great opportunity but was in over his head. Caceres is solid talent but this was a gigantic step up that he wasn't ready for. Once again, Faber trashes anyone that's not the champion.

Gary Moore - After The War