Sting

From the NAI Archive – September 21, 2015 – #NOCTaughtMe – DC describes the lessons learned from Night of Champions

Social media is a double edged sword. In fact, it’s more like a multi-sided sword, if that’s even possible. . . Can you have a sword that’s also an octagonal prism?

. . .

I shouldn’t write these columns on only 4 hours of sleep.

Last month I realized that I was spending so much time Tweeting, I wasn’t actually watching the wrestling on my WWE Network, and thus was born #SummerSlamTaughtMe, a series of handwritten notes that became a couple of columns and part of a podcast.

This month for Night of Champions, I decided to avoid social media during most of the matches, and once again took up my pen and yellow legal pad. However, as I watched WWENOC, I found myself discovering broader themes rather than just bad jokes and minor observations.

So, for #NOCTaughtMe, let’s do single lessons from each match, shall we?

From the NAI Archive – September 10, 2015 – The Rollins Roulette – 4 Ways NOC could play out

In 10 days, WWE will bring us Night of Champions, the annual PPV where every title belt is on the line. As many of you know (I shan’t assume you’re all well versed in current-day storylines), that puts Seth Rollins in an interesting spot, being the current World Heavyweight AND United States champion. Mr. Rollins will be defending the US belt against John Cena and the World title against Sting.

Everybody with me? Good.

There are four possible outcomes stemming out of Night of Champions, assuming, of course, that all of the matches wind up in clean, straightforward decisions.

Stop laughing.

Based off of a question by @Cody_Burris, let’s chat about each outcome one at a time, discussing why it might happen, what it could mean, and how likely it might be.

From the NAI Archive – March 27, 2015 – Hall of Friday – Predicting the 2016 Class

We are less than 36 hours from the 2015 Hall of Fame ceremonies, which means it is the PERFECT time to start gazing into our orbs of crystal and making predictions for the 2016 Hall of Fame class. Who will make the cut next year? Will it shape up better than this class has seemed to? Sure, so long as I have something to say about it. . .

(I don’t have anything to say about it.)

Still, I’ll give you the talents I’d put in next year’s group. Here’s what I’ll include

A major headlining talent
A “minor” headlining talent (the Kevin Nash to Randy Savage, for example)
A tag team
A female talent
An “older” talent (think Larry Zbyszko)
A celebrity
A foreign talent and/or a “minority” talent (sad, but true – This is why Rikishi is getting in, after all)

I will not be including the “Warrior” Hall of Famer, since I’m not sure if this will be an annual thing or only when it is warranted. Hoping for the latter, honestly.

On we go!

From the NAI Archive – January 7, 2015 – What If Wednesday – What if Hulk Hogan had never left WWF?

On today’s installment of NAIpod, Jason and Liam discuss the unique situation regarding John Cena, and how he’s NEVER GOING TO EVER GO AWAY!

Excuse me. . . Got a bit emotional. . .

In doing so, they discussed Hulk Hogan’s departure from the company in mid-1993, and wondered what may have happened if the Real American never left WWF?

Sounds like the perfect “What If Wednesday” to me. . .

What if Hulk Hogan never left WWF?

From the NAI Archive – December 8, 2014 – For Whom Does the Bell Toll at Wrestlemania? Possible Undertaker roles

The Undertaker is a major feature of the WWE’s Wrestlemania 31 advertisements that currently adorn their production trucks, and with rumors beginning to fly about whether or not Mark Calloway makes his return to WWE in the next few months, I thought we should take a look at what his role could be for the “Grand-Daddy of them all!”

From the N2C Archive – October 8, 2014 – UnInformed Predictions: Looking Ahead at Possible Royal Rumble Participants

For my money, there is no better single PPV concept than the Royal Rumble. It’s the perfect event for a culture with short attention spans. Every 60-120 seconds (depending on the year) another superstar enters the mix, leaving a seemingly endless number of possibilities. There’s always some surprise returns (at least there have been these last few years), some feuds continue while others begin and inevitably Kofi Kingston does something ridiculous, thereby leaving him free to languish in glorified jobber squalor for the next 364 days. . .

Sorry, was I really bitter just then?