(Daniel Bryan, Jeff Jarrett and Latest WWE News and Rumors from Ring Rust Radio) has been published on The Riot Army Daniel Bryan Announces Entry into Royal Rumble There has been a great deal of uncertainty surrounding Daniel Bryan’s status over the past several months, as he has been nursing a neck injury and subsequent nerve issues. That led to some speculation that the former WWE World Heavyweight champion may never return to the ring, but Bryan put an end to those thoughts on Raw and announced his entry into the 2015 Royal Rumble match. Question on Everybody’s Mind: Will Bryan Win the Rumble? Though Bryan’s return comes as a surprise to some, there is no question that it is welcomed by most. Bryan was stripped of the world title in June after it was determined that he would not be able to defend it, and he hasn’t wrestled a match since May. The product has been somewhat lackluster since, and it is no coincidence the quality has dropped with Bryan on the shelf. The return speech given by the leader of the “Yes!” Movement was perfect, since he had many believing that he was about to retire. Bryan turned it around, though, and he emotionally declared that he was ready to fight. The crowd went absolutely wild, and there is no doubt those watching at home were equally excited. WWE is simply better when Bryan is in the fold, and his return means there is now one more legitimate contender to win the Royal Rumble match. Ring Rust Radio’s Take Before Bryan’s return announcement, Roman Reigns was considered the heavy favorite to win the Rumble. It is clear Reigns is being groomed to become a top star in the near future, and the WWE views him as someone who has the “it factor.” A Reigns vs. Lesnar feud could be solid, although most would probably agree that Bryan vs. Lesnar is a much better story. Bryan is the ultimate underdog, which is why his road to WrestleMania XXX worked so well. He beat Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton in one night to become WWE World Heavyweight champion. The fact Bryan has been out for so long could be a blessing in disguise, since a similar angle would feel fresh. In the last year, Lesnar has ended the Undertaker’s streak and decisively beat John Cena, which has made him look like an unstoppable force. Bryan vs. Lesnar would be the equivalent to David vs. Goliath, and WWE would be insane to pass it up. The fans desperately want Bryan to main event WrestleMania, and WWE will make it happen for the second consecutive year. Rumor Mill Backstage news on possible WrestleMania creative changes (F4WOnline via WrestlingInc) The Authority Returns to Power It has been just over a month since the Authority was ousted from power at Survivor Series, and it didn’t take long for the group to return. Seth Rollins forced John Cena’s hand on Raw by threatening to injure Edge, which led to Cena allowing the Authority to return, since he was the only one with the power to make that happen. Question on Everybody’s Mind: Was This Angle Rushed? While it isn’t surprising Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have returned to power in general, the fact it has happened so quickly is. WWE made a huge deal out of Team Cena’s win at Survivor Series, when Dolph Ziggler outlasted everyone with a little help from Sting, but all of that has essentially been rendered moot a matter of weeks later. In retrospect, it seems as though the Authority angle at Survivor Series was pushed in order to generate buzz for that specific pay-per-view rather than to build toward a long-term plan. That isn’t exactly unheard of in wrestling, but it becomes troublesome when considering the fact WWE used the debut of Sting on a situation that no longer matters. Perhaps it can be salvaged, but it clearly minimizes Sting’s impact at this point. Ring Rust Radio’s Take If the plan is to have Triple H face Sting at WrestleMania XXXI, then this could potentially set the stage for Sting’s eventual return. He would obviously be upset to see the Authority back in power from a storyline perspective, so that would make sense. No matter what happens with Sting from this point forward, though, his debut will always be remembered as something that wasn’t as impactful as it should have been. Perhaps an even bigger problem with the Authority’s return is the ease with which Cena gave in. Cena has been billed as someone who never gives up for many years, yet it didn’t take much for him to let the Authority come back. Cena jumped in the ring and prevented Rollins from Curb Stomping Edge after he gave the Authority its power back, and there was nothing stopping him from doing the same before that. Even though the Authority was brought back in a lackluster way and far sooner than it should have been, it is probably the best thing for the product. Having strong heel authority figures in place will be a positive for WrestleMania season, since Triple H and Stephanie will be able to oppose some of the top faces. The road to get to this point wasn’t particularly good, but the end may ultimately justify the means. Rumor Mill Backstage news on WWE’s morale (Wrestling Observer Newsletter via WrestlingInc) RRR Interview with GFW’s Jeff Jarrett Jeff Jarrett has literally done it all in the wrestling business, and he is once again making waves as the founder of Global Force Wrestling. Jarrett and GFW are co-promoting Sunday’s Wrestle Kingdom 9 pay-per-view with New Japan Pro Wrestling, so he joined Ring Rust Radio to discuss that exciting event as well as the future of Global Force Wrestling. Question on Everybody’s Mind: What’s Next for Jarrett? Although there is still some degree of ambiguity in relation to what GFW will ultimately be, there is no doubt that Jarrett has done an excellent job in terms of attaching his brand to a big-time event. Wrestle Kingdom 9 will be watched by wrestling fans across the globe, and Jarrett is well aware of that. I would have to say that this is a can’t-miss event, and that’s really taking on a lot of ground. It’s hard to say in this day and age with so many events and so many pay-per-views. We have all the stars aligning: It’s in the Tokyo Dome, over 50,000 fans, Jim Ross is going to be calling it, the New Japan promotion is red hot, the Bullet Club is the hottest faction and the addition of the Flips app [means] it has become the most widely distributed live pay-per-view wrestling event in the history of our business. And that really says something there. With Jarrett competing on the card as a member of the Bullet Club and the Global Force Wrestling brand having a huge hand in it, GFW will already have a strong base in terms of name recognition and support when it does ultimately launch. Ring Rust Radio’s Take As for GFW’s eventual launch, Jarrett plans for that to pick up steam in 2015. He did not announce an exact date or timeline for when the promotion will truly get going, but he seems to have an innovative mindset regarding how it will be presented. In 2015, the roll-out will continue. I can tell you one weekly show will not get it done in this day and age. The brand awareness needs a constant touch point with your fanbase. If not on a daily basis, then an hourly basis. With the roll-out that we are doing with Wrestle Kingdom 9, the videos leading up to Jan. 4 are going to get much more match specific talking about the exact matchups. We really focused on presenting this product in a new manner. I believe it’s going to be much more than a weekly show. The digital age has consumed with entertainment going online like the WWE Network and New Japan World. But it’s not just wrestling, Major League Baseball has such a strong online presence and other forms of entertainment. Jarrett obviously intends to bring GFW to wrestling fans across multiple platforms in a multitude of ways, which is something that should increase the likelihood of success. There is no doubt Jarrett has an incredible mind for the business, and that was proven when he made TNA a success during his time at the helm. Global Force Wrestling seems to be something totally different, but Jarrett’s belief in the promotion should inspire confidence in those who want it to thrive. Ring Rust Radio’s Season 7 Fantasy WWE Standings 1. Brandon Galvin: 120 2. Mike Chiari: 110 3. Joe Arcidiacono: 60 4. Donald Wood: 20
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 22:01:50 +0000
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