2023 World of WWE

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Doc

The WWE had a really strong year in 2023. It was not that long ago that I had really cut back on my WWE intake, skipping Smackdown most weeks and feeling more disappointment than enjoyment.

Then, things changed. Vince McMahon stepped down and HHH took over creative. Sure, Vince still had his dirty hands in the product, but it was better. Then, the purchase of WWE by Endeavor led to Vince’s total removal and the product became even better yet.

So some of these choices were difficult this year. I should say that I do not watch AEW or other wrestling promotions. I have nothing against any of them, but I just feel like a WWE guy.

Male Wrestler of the Year: Gunther. A tough choice, but Gunther has been WWE Intercontinental champion all year and defended it regularly against all kinds of types of challengers. Runners-Up: Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, LA Knight

Female Wrestler of the Year: Rhea Ripley. She won the title at Wrestlemania 39 and has been the main star of the female division on RAW since. As a member of the Judgment Day, Rhea has been dominant. I would have liked more matches from her though. Runners-Up: Becky Lynch, Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair, Asuka, Charlotte Flair

Tag Team of the Year: Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn. One of the best storylines climaxed at Wrestlemania 39 when Owens/Zayn won the Undisputed Tag Team titles from the Usos. While their title reign was not as epic as their chase, Owens and Zayn were the best tag team for quite a while in 2023. Runners-Up: The Usos, Judgment Day, Pretty Deadly, The Creeds, the Brawling Brutes.

Manager of the Year: Paul Heyman. Or should I say ‘Wise Man’ of the year? Paul Heyman is the cornerstone of the Bloodline and the storylines. Runners-Up: MVP, Robert Stone

On the Mike: Cody Rhodes. So, what do you want to talk about? Cody did an amazing job telling his story on the microphone. Specifically, his work with Paul Heyman was special. Runners-Up: Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch, Kevin Owens, LA Knight

Feud of the Year: Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes. Three amazing matches from these two NXT stars over the NXT Championship. It lasted longer than some of the other feuds which is why it gets the nod. Runners-Up: Bloodline vs. Sami/KO, Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins, Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.

Underused Performer: Tazawa. Tazawa has just started to get a little TV time as a part of the Alpha Academy. He is really a stronger wrestler than he gets credit for. Runners-Up: Apollo Crews, Tegan Nox, Dexter Loomis, Xia Li.

Comeback of the Year: CM Punk. Geez, this was an easy one. His return at the Survivor Series was completely epic and shocking. Hell had to freeze over because this was never supposed to happen. Runners-Up: Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, The Rock, John Cena.

Celebrity of the Year: Logan Paul. Logan Paul became the US Champion and had a great match every time he stepped into the squared circle. He truly exceeded the idea of a celebrity in the WWE. Runners-Up: Bad Bunny, Pat McAfee, Snoop Dogg.

Heel of the Year: Dominik Mysterio. No one has more heat than Dominik Mysterio. When the crowd boos Dom, they mean it. And he can barely be heard. It never gets old. Runners-Up: Roman Reigns, the Judgment Day, Gunther, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso.

Face of the Year: Cody Rhodes. Cody is the perfect face and he has been treated like one since his return to the WWE. Runners-Up: Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Rey Mysterio, Becky Lynch, LA Knight.

Show of the Year: Smackdown. With the Bloodline drama, Smackdown was must see TV every week. While it has come down a bit since the peak around Wrestlemania, it is still the most compelling show on WWE. Runners-Up: RAW, NXT

Entrance Song: Seth Rollins. His song basically turned Seth face. The fans love to sing Seth’s song. Runners-Up: CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens.

Storyline of the Year: Bloodline/Bloodline Civil War. Still the standout of WWE TV. Honestly, it gave us Emmy worthy work on a weekly basis, touching us in our tum-tums. Runners-Up: Cody’s story, Nakamura’s heel turn, Cracks in the Judgment Day.

Best Broadcaster: Wade Barrett. He was so good that they promoted him from NXT to Smackdown. Wade is funny and enthusiastic. He is really excellent. Runners-Up: Corey Graves, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee.

Breakout Star: LA Knight. Yeah! He came from nowhere, via organic crowd support to a place where he is firmly entrenched in the main event scene. Runners-Up: The Creeds, Ilja Dragunov, Jey Uso.

Shock of the Year: CM Punk returns at Survivor Series. Nothing else comes close. There were rumors, but no one really believe it would happen. The internet was just getting ready to be angry over the no show, when “Cult of Personality” hit and the Chicago crowd, and everyone else lost their minds.

Faction of the Year: The Judgment Day. The Judgment Day runs RAW. That is pretty much true as the storylines have completely centered around them for most of the year. Runners-Up: Bloodline, Damage Control, Team Cody.

NXT Wrestler of the Year: Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov never had a bad match. He is so real. You can never go wrong with Dragunov. He may be the best seller in WWE. Runners-Up: Carmelo Hayes, the Creeds, Bron Breakker, Wes Lee, Dominik Mysterio.

Saddest moment: Bray Wyatt dies. Bray was out most of the year with an undisclosed injury. It was a horrendous loss when we heard that he had passed away. He is missed.

The Iron Claw

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Doc

As a pro wrestling fan, the story of the Von Erich family was one that I was very familiar with so when I heard that there was going to be a movie called The Iron Claw that told the story of their family, well I was anxious to see it. I saw it today and it was special.

The film was centered around Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron) and his career as a pro wrestler. He worked in the ring with his brothers David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and Mike (Stanley Simons). They were all under the sight of their overbearing father Fritz (Holt McCallany). Kevin spoke about the “Von Erich Curse” and we see how tragedy would strike this family over the years.

This was an amazing film. Zac Efron’s performance was sensational. He went through so much emotional trauma with the loss of his brothers and he portrayed it perfectly. I kept thinking about how much Harris Dickinson and Jeremy Allen White looked like the Von Erichs they were playing, but Efron did not necessarily look like Kevin Von Erich. He did not have to because he embraced that character in more than just a visual style.

That is not to say that Dickinson and White only looked like David and Kerry. They both did a spectacular job in their roles, in particularly White, who, as Kerry Von Erich, faced his share of obstacles.

It was fun watching other actors playing many of the wrestlers of the time such as Harley Race, the Fabulous Freebirds, Gino Hernandez, Bruiser Brody, and The Sheik. I have to admit that I was not a fan of the portrayal of Ric Flair in the film. It felt way too much like an imitation instead of a performance.

The film was very heavy. It was difficult to watch at times because I knew a lot of what was going to happen because I lived through much of this in real time.

Interestingly enough, there was a fifth Von Erich brother, Chris, who was left out of the film for narrative reasons. Apparently, the youngest Von Erich from the film, Mike, was kind of a blend of the real Chris and Mike.

Maura Tierney played the mother of the boys and the wife of Fritz, Doris. Lily James starred as girlfriend and eventual wife of Kevin, Pam. Both women held their own in the testosterone-filled film and built humanity into the story.

This was a powerful, painful and emotional movie of a real life series of tragedies that devastated millions of fans and the remaining family members.

4.8 stars