(Note: This is a scouting report on WWE wrestler Joe Anoa'i, aka Roman Reigns. Most of the content of this report is purely opinion, and should be treated as such. Please make Roman look strong.)
Real Name: Joe Anoa'i
Wrestling Alias: Roman Reigns
Debut: July 2010
Accomplisments: 3 time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, one time WWE Tag Team Champion, winner of 2015 Royal Rumble and 2014 Superstar of the Year, holds the Royal Rumble record for eliminations with 12
Report as of: May 2016
Pros
* Seems to have a bright future. Has what scouts call the "look", well built, can get over with average fans, athletic background, seems to have a lot of support in the back.
* Whilst not being a mat technician, is a very solid worker. Great work ethic, seems to work well with almost everyone on the roster, extremely safe.
* Athleticism plays well into repertoire, very flashy moveset for a guy of his size. Young enough that there's no concern about wear and tear, at least for now.
* Has a strong connection with the kids in the audience. Part of every wrestler's job is to connect and build a younger fanbase, and he's done that incredibly well. Important to note that he connects well with the female fans as well, and in these ever-changing times, that could only be a good sign.
Cons
* Struggles on the mic, enough to consider bringing in a mouthpiece or pairing him with someone with more mic experience (See Moxley, Jon). Occasionally stumbles over lines, always needs scripting, and doesn't have the charisma to hold the audience.
* Does posses the ability to carry other workers, but not on a main-event level. If you're considering a push, might need to bring in some extra help (See Danielson, Bryan).
* Pure wrestling fans are going to be disappointed, as his flashy moves will not be able to cover up for his lack of mat skills.
* Extremely limited moveset, enough to be obviously noticeable. Perhaps called up from developmental a little too early, but a pairing with a veteran wrestler could be beneficial.
* Lacks the ability to play a true babyface. Is probably too one-dimensional at this point to truly capture a crowd, so heel is probably a better suited role, at least for now.
Short-Term Projection
I don't see what the WWE sees in this guy, at least in the short term. He lacks too much to be considered world title material, and could probably use some extra years in the midcard or the tag scene. A partnership with Jon Moxley, aka Dean Ambrose, is a very good idea, as the two seem to have excellent chemistry.
Long-Term Projection
Despite the drawbacks, he's only 30, and has plenty of upside. Looks like a future star, perhaps not a figurehead, but could be a bonafide main eventer in most organizations. Keep him away from a mic and just sit back, this guy could set the wrestling world on fire.
Signed,
Henry Keys
Talent Scout
Currently Unemployed
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
WWE: Re-Booking Wrestlemania 32(Spoilers! Duh)
With the wealth of content coming up on Otterworld, I thought I would show this blog some love. Today's post is a fun one, as I live out every internet fan's wildest dream and play fantasy as I rebook the recent Wrestlemania. Everything included in this re booking is not only entirely realistic, but I wouldn't be surprised if a few of these ideas were on the booking table at some point in time.
I wouldn't change anything about the pre-show, as nothing on there would really cause any significant change in the WWE, sorry guys and gals. The opening ladder match was done perfectly, no complaints there. Jericho-Styles was perfectly fine, and Jericho winning was the right decision. Styles will have other opportunities, and this can be a big send off to Y2J.
It's been all smiles thus far, but it's time to make some changes. This one's easy, with the New Day going over on the League of Nations. The League wasn't legitimate to begin with, so this one's a simple squash match, ala Tazz and the APA v Right to Censor from X-Seven. After the match, the League attempt to jump New Day using their numerical advantage, at which point Austin, Foley and Michaels save the day. This next one's pretty easy, as we're giving Dean his Wrestlemania moment. Now, Lesnar may not like this one, but with some booking magic we'll make him accept it. First of all, we cut time off New Day-League of Nations, and that was for this purpose. We're going to make this a war, which it should've been, but Lesnar will dominate. Only by using his guile and weapon aficionado can Ambrose survive, and he wins by outlasting the Beast, who simply cannot put Ambrose away. After the match, the two men, bruised and battered, shake hands as a sign of respect, but stare down during the handshake, so we can revisit this later down the line if needed.
Once again my job is simple: put the best worker over, and that's Sasha Banks. With her Eddie tights and the fan's respect, she a bonafide champ worthy of holding our new belt. The finish comes when Becky, tired of Ric's interference, takes him out ala real life. Charlotte then destroys Becky in anger, but is so distracted that Sasha rolls her up, holding the tights for the victory. This way, we can continue to toe the line with Sasha over her alignment, and set up some more potential feuds. Shane-Taker is a tough one to call, but Taker going over is the right call, albeit with some modifications. Earlier in the night, Shane confronts his pops, blackmailing him with whatever's in that lockbox. As such, the stipulation is changed. All Shane has to do to gain control of Raw is survive the match, not win, but should he pull off the impossible, Vince will be banished from power, with his only hope being that his son in law, Triple H, wins in the main event. Shane jumps off the cell, Taker eventually pins him off the Tombstone. However, during the match, Shane put up one hell of a match, and Taker is p***ed off that he survived this long. He now wants to make sure Shane will not be walking out, and is going to Tombstone him on the steel steps after the match. Shane is saved the knight himself, John Cena, who knocks down Taker and pulls Shane to safety. Vince then arrives, and thanks Taker for saving his hide. As a result, Vince offer Taker the opportunity to pick his opponent for Mania 33, and as a result of his meddling, The Undertaker wants John Cena in Orlando. Imagine how good that would be.
The Andre Battle Royale was fine, and Baron winning was a good decision. We'll keep that just the way it was, but Ryback takes the spot of Shaq. Earlier in the night, Triple H announced that he will do anything to destroy Roman in the main event, and makes their match no disqualification. Que the lights and start up the band, it's main event time. As a result of the new stipulation, it's run ins galore. The Usos make an appearance, the League of Nations are here, the Legends are back, maybe John Cena is here, is that Sting? Anyone and everyone makes an appearance except for two: the two other members of the Shield, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Ambrose is selling the effects of his match, and Rollins should not make his return here. In the end, Triple H survives everything, and cheats as much as possible, and is standing over Roman, sledghammer in hand, about to crush the challenger's skull when- IF YOU SMELLLLLLL, yeah The Rock is here. He takes out HHH with a Rock Bottom, Roman hits the Spear, 1, 2, 3. Roman celebrates as Rocky collects a mic. He puts over his cousin, and declares that Roman has overcome the impossible, with his help. He then hands the mic to Roman, who just looks at Rock for a second, and then unleashes a devastating Spear. Dwayne can really sell too, so this should be incredible. Roman then grabs the mic, belt over shoulder, and delivers the greatest Roman Reigns promo you have ever heard. "To hell with you, Rock, to hell with each and every member of this crowd, to hell with everyone that held me back and put me down. I busted my a** to put on a show for each and every one of you(points at crowd) and all you do is boo me, unmercifully and without remorse. Well, I'm done. I'm unstoppable, I'm unbeatable and I don't need you. My name is Roman Reigns, and I am the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Deal with it." Roman drops the mic and celebrates in the ring as AT&T Stadium is about to explode. Next night on Raw, Dean tries to reason with his friends and gets brutally assaulted, taking him out for several months while Roman gets over as a heel, taking out babyfaces like AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Dolph Ziggler. In the end, we get the Shield triple threat at Summerslam.
Now, you may think that Roman turning is unrealistic, but he's definitely hinted at on the post-Wrestlemania Raw episode. Not only that, but this isn't permanent. Eventually, he can see the error of his ways and turn back a few years down the line, once everyone has forgotten about his previous face run and he's also improved as a performer and can handle babyface duty. We get some good matches, like Taker-Cena at Mania 33, the Shield triple threat at Summerslam, and, in a historic event, I would have a rematch at Payback as the main event for the women's title, which would be Sasha vs Becky vs Charlotte one more time, ala Wrestlemania 20's main event. The new belt gets pushed as the women main event for the first time, and Roman faces AJ Styles in the semi main event, which would be a very good match. Corbin can become the new monster heel and destroy Zack Ryder on Raw, and Shane running Raw means a brand split is imminent. The only real loser is Brock Lesnar, but he's Brock friggin' Lesnar, he can take a loss.
I hope you've enjoyed, stay tuned for more. Thanks for reading.
-Henry
I wouldn't change anything about the pre-show, as nothing on there would really cause any significant change in the WWE, sorry guys and gals. The opening ladder match was done perfectly, no complaints there. Jericho-Styles was perfectly fine, and Jericho winning was the right decision. Styles will have other opportunities, and this can be a big send off to Y2J.
It's been all smiles thus far, but it's time to make some changes. This one's easy, with the New Day going over on the League of Nations. The League wasn't legitimate to begin with, so this one's a simple squash match, ala Tazz and the APA v Right to Censor from X-Seven. After the match, the League attempt to jump New Day using their numerical advantage, at which point Austin, Foley and Michaels save the day. This next one's pretty easy, as we're giving Dean his Wrestlemania moment. Now, Lesnar may not like this one, but with some booking magic we'll make him accept it. First of all, we cut time off New Day-League of Nations, and that was for this purpose. We're going to make this a war, which it should've been, but Lesnar will dominate. Only by using his guile and weapon aficionado can Ambrose survive, and he wins by outlasting the Beast, who simply cannot put Ambrose away. After the match, the two men, bruised and battered, shake hands as a sign of respect, but stare down during the handshake, so we can revisit this later down the line if needed.
Once again my job is simple: put the best worker over, and that's Sasha Banks. With her Eddie tights and the fan's respect, she a bonafide champ worthy of holding our new belt. The finish comes when Becky, tired of Ric's interference, takes him out ala real life. Charlotte then destroys Becky in anger, but is so distracted that Sasha rolls her up, holding the tights for the victory. This way, we can continue to toe the line with Sasha over her alignment, and set up some more potential feuds. Shane-Taker is a tough one to call, but Taker going over is the right call, albeit with some modifications. Earlier in the night, Shane confronts his pops, blackmailing him with whatever's in that lockbox. As such, the stipulation is changed. All Shane has to do to gain control of Raw is survive the match, not win, but should he pull off the impossible, Vince will be banished from power, with his only hope being that his son in law, Triple H, wins in the main event. Shane jumps off the cell, Taker eventually pins him off the Tombstone. However, during the match, Shane put up one hell of a match, and Taker is p***ed off that he survived this long. He now wants to make sure Shane will not be walking out, and is going to Tombstone him on the steel steps after the match. Shane is saved the knight himself, John Cena, who knocks down Taker and pulls Shane to safety. Vince then arrives, and thanks Taker for saving his hide. As a result, Vince offer Taker the opportunity to pick his opponent for Mania 33, and as a result of his meddling, The Undertaker wants John Cena in Orlando. Imagine how good that would be.
The Andre Battle Royale was fine, and Baron winning was a good decision. We'll keep that just the way it was, but Ryback takes the spot of Shaq. Earlier in the night, Triple H announced that he will do anything to destroy Roman in the main event, and makes their match no disqualification. Que the lights and start up the band, it's main event time. As a result of the new stipulation, it's run ins galore. The Usos make an appearance, the League of Nations are here, the Legends are back, maybe John Cena is here, is that Sting? Anyone and everyone makes an appearance except for two: the two other members of the Shield, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Ambrose is selling the effects of his match, and Rollins should not make his return here. In the end, Triple H survives everything, and cheats as much as possible, and is standing over Roman, sledghammer in hand, about to crush the challenger's skull when- IF YOU SMELLLLLLL, yeah The Rock is here. He takes out HHH with a Rock Bottom, Roman hits the Spear, 1, 2, 3. Roman celebrates as Rocky collects a mic. He puts over his cousin, and declares that Roman has overcome the impossible, with his help. He then hands the mic to Roman, who just looks at Rock for a second, and then unleashes a devastating Spear. Dwayne can really sell too, so this should be incredible. Roman then grabs the mic, belt over shoulder, and delivers the greatest Roman Reigns promo you have ever heard. "To hell with you, Rock, to hell with each and every member of this crowd, to hell with everyone that held me back and put me down. I busted my a** to put on a show for each and every one of you(points at crowd) and all you do is boo me, unmercifully and without remorse. Well, I'm done. I'm unstoppable, I'm unbeatable and I don't need you. My name is Roman Reigns, and I am the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Deal with it." Roman drops the mic and celebrates in the ring as AT&T Stadium is about to explode. Next night on Raw, Dean tries to reason with his friends and gets brutally assaulted, taking him out for several months while Roman gets over as a heel, taking out babyfaces like AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Dolph Ziggler. In the end, we get the Shield triple threat at Summerslam.
Now, you may think that Roman turning is unrealistic, but he's definitely hinted at on the post-Wrestlemania Raw episode. Not only that, but this isn't permanent. Eventually, he can see the error of his ways and turn back a few years down the line, once everyone has forgotten about his previous face run and he's also improved as a performer and can handle babyface duty. We get some good matches, like Taker-Cena at Mania 33, the Shield triple threat at Summerslam, and, in a historic event, I would have a rematch at Payback as the main event for the women's title, which would be Sasha vs Becky vs Charlotte one more time, ala Wrestlemania 20's main event. The new belt gets pushed as the women main event for the first time, and Roman faces AJ Styles in the semi main event, which would be a very good match. Corbin can become the new monster heel and destroy Zack Ryder on Raw, and Shane running Raw means a brand split is imminent. The only real loser is Brock Lesnar, but he's Brock friggin' Lesnar, he can take a loss.
I hope you've enjoyed, stay tuned for more. Thanks for reading.
-Henry
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
WWE: I've Got Some Bad News!! :(
Yep, this is yet another crushing blow for me. Between this recent news and Daniel Bryan's retirement(I decided not to make a post since so many others already had), two of the wrestlers who were in my top ten will no longer be competing for the WWE in a couple of months. It's hard to describe just how disheartened I feel, but I'll attempt to put it in words.
For those who missed it, Stu Bennett, aka Wade Barrett, has announced that he will not be resigning with the WWE when his contract expires in a few months. Barrett was first introduced to WWE audiences in 2010 in the earliest incarnation of NXT, and was the leader of the group known as the Nexus that invaded the main roster later that year. After a famous burial at Summerslam, the group's momentum petered out, and Barrett would end up flying solo for most of the rest of his time in the company. He's had several gimmicks that got him pretty high up the card, but a combination of bad booking and injuries meant that he never moved past midcard status.
I've mentioned before that I began watching wrestling in 2009, and the Nexus' run in 2010 was what made me the fan I am today. Throughout all his many hardships, I've remained a loyal Barrett fan, and one that always wanted to see a massive push. He has remained one of the hardest workers in the company, and likely still has a massive future ahead. Despite that, this is still some pretty horrible news. Barrett will go down in WWE's history as one of their misused talents that could have been something with a proper push, but John Cena made sure that would never happen. This isn't the time or place for a rant, but this is one of the many reasons I will never be a Cena fan.
I'm sure Barrett will find work elsewhere, and will likely be one of the many WWE flops who turns out better on the indies. However, it is every wrestler's dream to work under the bright lights and every fan's dream to see him or her there, and he will never get another job as good as this one. That's about all I can manage.
Although this is sad news, there could be hope in the future for Wade Barrett. As I already mentioned, between this and Bryan's retirement, I'm a pretty unhappy wrestling fan at the moment. Stay tuned for my review of Fastlane, which airs on Sunday.
-Henry
For those who missed it, Stu Bennett, aka Wade Barrett, has announced that he will not be resigning with the WWE when his contract expires in a few months. Barrett was first introduced to WWE audiences in 2010 in the earliest incarnation of NXT, and was the leader of the group known as the Nexus that invaded the main roster later that year. After a famous burial at Summerslam, the group's momentum petered out, and Barrett would end up flying solo for most of the rest of his time in the company. He's had several gimmicks that got him pretty high up the card, but a combination of bad booking and injuries meant that he never moved past midcard status.
I've mentioned before that I began watching wrestling in 2009, and the Nexus' run in 2010 was what made me the fan I am today. Throughout all his many hardships, I've remained a loyal Barrett fan, and one that always wanted to see a massive push. He has remained one of the hardest workers in the company, and likely still has a massive future ahead. Despite that, this is still some pretty horrible news. Barrett will go down in WWE's history as one of their misused talents that could have been something with a proper push, but John Cena made sure that would never happen. This isn't the time or place for a rant, but this is one of the many reasons I will never be a Cena fan.
I'm sure Barrett will find work elsewhere, and will likely be one of the many WWE flops who turns out better on the indies. However, it is every wrestler's dream to work under the bright lights and every fan's dream to see him or her there, and he will never get another job as good as this one. That's about all I can manage.
Although this is sad news, there could be hope in the future for Wade Barrett. As I already mentioned, between this and Bryan's retirement, I'm a pretty unhappy wrestling fan at the moment. Stay tuned for my review of Fastlane, which airs on Sunday.
-Henry
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
WWE: The Ambrose Asylum
I know I haven't posted on this blog in a really long time, but I do want to bring it back. I'm planning on restricting my "A" blog, Otterworld, to the big series ideas with a careful schedule, and I'll post on this blog whenever I have something to share. I'll also include a category, if you will, in the title that tells the reader what this post is about, so you can skip it if you aren't interested in the subject. As you can see, today's topic is the WWE, which has found a home on Otterworld, so I wanted to share so of my thoughts off-script, if you will.
It's pretty common knowledge that the WWE is suffering through one of the biggest crises in a long time, with seemingly half the roster out injured at the moment, and the biggest event of the year in 2 months. However, I've come up with a sure-fire main event angle, that could not only serve to get WWE's hottest star massively over, but provide a great closing to 'Mania.
At Fastlane, the main event is a triple threat match between former champ Roman Reigns, IC Champ Dean Ambrose, and that other guy. The winner of this match will head to 'Mania to face Trips for the belt. Now, the obvious assumption is that Reigns will get the fall, Dean will take the fall, and Brock Lesnar will do some Wyatt stuff. Reigns has been given chance after chance, and the audience has yet to really connect with him. Having him go over at 'Mania is a horrible idea, as it furthers the idea that Vince wants to push Roman to the moon. You can have Roman win at 'Mania, but you can't do it in the main event. There is someone that can, however, and that's Dean Ambrose, the subject of this post.
Since the ending of the Shield, Ambrose was the forgotten man, with Rollins holding the belt and Reigns with Vince at his side. At the end of last year's 'Mania, it was like the WWE completely forgot Ambrose existed, giving Reigns and Rollins the main event rub. With the Rollins heel turn, one of Reigns or Ambrose was going to have to be the main face, and the WWE has desperately attempted to make that Reigns. Reigns has failed, somewhat spectacularly, to fill that role and it's time Ambrose got his shot.
How do this work? It's actually pretty simple. At Fastlane, have Ambrose pin Roman after Trips interferes. The following night, Triple H otherwise occupies Ambrose's time, perhaps screwing out of the Intercontinental belt, while he orchestrates an assault on Reigns, ensuring Ambrose will not have any backup. Ambrose will have lost everything at the cost of his big win, and goes on an absolute tear, ending with him winning the belt and receiving one of the biggest pops of the last decade. Knowing the WWE, though, they're likely to copy this exact story, but just reverse Reigns and Ambrose. We can only hope, as Ambrose winning the belt at 'Mania would be an awesome moment.
I'll have a part 2 to this post, explaining why Ambrose is the next top face in a company that desperately needs one. Hopefully you've enjoyed, and I'll see you next time.
-Henry
It's pretty common knowledge that the WWE is suffering through one of the biggest crises in a long time, with seemingly half the roster out injured at the moment, and the biggest event of the year in 2 months. However, I've come up with a sure-fire main event angle, that could not only serve to get WWE's hottest star massively over, but provide a great closing to 'Mania.
At Fastlane, the main event is a triple threat match between former champ Roman Reigns, IC Champ Dean Ambrose, and that other guy. The winner of this match will head to 'Mania to face Trips for the belt. Now, the obvious assumption is that Reigns will get the fall, Dean will take the fall, and Brock Lesnar will do some Wyatt stuff. Reigns has been given chance after chance, and the audience has yet to really connect with him. Having him go over at 'Mania is a horrible idea, as it furthers the idea that Vince wants to push Roman to the moon. You can have Roman win at 'Mania, but you can't do it in the main event. There is someone that can, however, and that's Dean Ambrose, the subject of this post.
Since the ending of the Shield, Ambrose was the forgotten man, with Rollins holding the belt and Reigns with Vince at his side. At the end of last year's 'Mania, it was like the WWE completely forgot Ambrose existed, giving Reigns and Rollins the main event rub. With the Rollins heel turn, one of Reigns or Ambrose was going to have to be the main face, and the WWE has desperately attempted to make that Reigns. Reigns has failed, somewhat spectacularly, to fill that role and it's time Ambrose got his shot.
How do this work? It's actually pretty simple. At Fastlane, have Ambrose pin Roman after Trips interferes. The following night, Triple H otherwise occupies Ambrose's time, perhaps screwing out of the Intercontinental belt, while he orchestrates an assault on Reigns, ensuring Ambrose will not have any backup. Ambrose will have lost everything at the cost of his big win, and goes on an absolute tear, ending with him winning the belt and receiving one of the biggest pops of the last decade. Knowing the WWE, though, they're likely to copy this exact story, but just reverse Reigns and Ambrose. We can only hope, as Ambrose winning the belt at 'Mania would be an awesome moment.
I'll have a part 2 to this post, explaining why Ambrose is the next top face in a company that desperately needs one. Hopefully you've enjoyed, and I'll see you next time.
-Henry
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