WWE's Loss is WWE's Gain

Oh no! Wait...Oh Yes!

WWE is in a very interesting place right now. The company has been on the decline financially due to the disappointing sales of the WWE network. Many superstars and workers were let go to compensate for the huge loss, leaving WWE's locker room looking abysmal.

Another issue arose with championship caliber superstars such as Daniel Bryan and Bad News Barret became injured and forced to abdicate their belts around the same time.

Daniel Bryan was on the biggest run of his career; working a program over the course of an entire year which led into his big win at Wrestlemania.

On top off all these issues, WWE also had to contend with one of their top superstars ,CM Punk,walking out on them with no warning.

Having to deal with a huge lawsuit and all the bad publicity that came about because of CM Punk's now infamous podcast did not help matters either.Looking on the bright side ,however, there are a few  good signs in this situation that have occurred.

As a result of the thinning roster, WWE had to rely more heavily on their big draws John Cena and Brock Lesnar. The problem with relying on these superstars too heavily is that Cena has been on the downturn with fans for a very long time now and Brock Lesnar is on a temporary contract with only a few more appearances.

This placed WWE in a position where they were forced to book less significant stars in bigger spots for the long term.

One big decision was when WWE disbanded The Shield, the most popular group in the WWE for the last few years and pushed them all at once.

Surprisingly, in only a short time, all of those guys have had pretty good runs with different peaks of popularity.

Each individual has different strengths and WWE has played to those strengths pretty effectively.

Seth Rollins (the Architect) surprisingly embraced the heel role extremely well. Although his mic work isn't the best, he has grown substantially in short months. Rollin's impressive and consistent ring work has kept him in that position and hopefully we will see him in more high profile matches very soon.

Dean Ambrose (Lunatic Fringe) has got "It". If you a put a mic in his hand, magic happens. If you put him into a match, he steals the show (no offense Dolph Ziggler). He's all around a very good baby  face and he has shown WWE that he is ready to be pushed to that main event status. Its up to WWE to work off of his momentum though.

Roman Reigns has been groomed into being the next big thing. He has the size, the look, and
the attention of every lady who's in the audience. Unfortunately, he's greener that an open pasture in the spring season. Roman has a lot of work to do but if he perseveres he may end up coming out on top.

Even with the rise in popularity of the Shield, other superstars are getting pushed to the forefront as well.

Dolph Ziggler has finally earned a much deserved spotlight this past year and has headlined many more main events. I've followed Ziggler's career since he's been in WWE and after working for just about a decade with a company and proving to be a consistent worker, its about time for them to take notice.

The Bulgarian brute Rusev has also built some success in his first year on the main roster. Taking to the classic foreign enemy style character, Rusev has remained dominant and a perfect target to the jeers of the crowd. His run as U.S. champ has been interesting and I'm wondering what's in the works for him around Wrestlemania season.

Let's also not forget the NXT phenomenon which I mentioned in a previous article. This outlet is allowing brand new faces to headline and have a presence on their own show.

This move by WWE to bring about new interesting characters and push new faces to the forefront is a step in the right direction and I'm interested in seeing where this path will lead to next.

Happy New Year!
Keem

A Very Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas, We Wish you a Merry Christmas...Ah, You Know the Rest.

 

 

Tis the season. It's the season of gifts, the season of family, and the season of going broke. Every Christmas feels like a fresh experience to either close out the New Year with a bang or go out with a fizzle.

What did you get for Christmas?

I got the usual. Clothes, cold gear, hugs and Christmas cards. However, I'm not one for worrying about gifts at my age as much as I am about spending time with the people I care about.

For me, Christmas is just a time of year where all the other b.s. I've experienced througout  is eclipsed by the spirit of the season.

The sound of the music, the joy of children, the look of thanks in the eyes of loved ones.
That's what I look forward to the most.

Would I appreciate a nice gift though?

Of course I would.  A little money in the pocket doesn't hurt  to balance out the inevitable hole in my account after the season is over. For everyone else though I ask the question.

What makes Christmas special for you?

I know we all the season differently. Some people only it see as a way to get a little time off of a busy work schedule. For others, its a way to show different people how much you care for them. Still, for many its just another day on the calendar.

Whatever your reasoning, take time out even if its just a few minutes to reflect and think about what Christmas means to you. You just might learn something about yourself.

I certainly have learned a lot about myself this season. What did I learn you might ask?
Well that's for me to know and for you to find out. I've only been writing this blog for a short while.

You don't know me like that.

Merry Christmas

Sincerely,
Keem

Keem's Mind: Be consistent

Be Consistent...Be, Be, consistent!

Every once in a while on the blog, I want to keep some of the messages short and sweet.

Today's message is very simple. Be consistent.

Too many times in our lives, we attempt different arenas of specialization and don't follow through all the way to the end. Everyone has dropped something, whether it's sports, education, the arts, work, etc.

It happens to the best of us. Personally, I have learned that consistency has been one of my own personal drawbacks in my life that has led to more hardship than success.

But even with the setbacks of not being consistent, it is still possible to achieve success by applying certain steps.

1. Figure out your goal and achieve it by any means necessary

You know that feeling of regret you get when you drop the ball on something? Screw that!

When you try to achieve something in your life and it gets out of reach, it becomes a gnawing reminder in the back of your mind.

Like an ever present shadow, it reminds you of your faults and limits your potential. Use this weight to fuel your desire and push yourself through the dark cloud.

2.Surround Yourself with Success

If you don't know what tools you need to be successful, then find someone who has achieved some amount of success. The steps to achieving your goals is not a cut and dry process all the time. Often, you don't realize all of the avenues that are available to you.

Watch people who are close to you who have their goals set in motion. Watch how they approach situations and find out what you can improve upon. It never hurts to ask for help sometimes and having an example to follow is a step in the right direction

3.Know Yourself

Try achieving goals that you know are reachable for you. If you are paralyzed from the waste down, you probably won't be in the NBA.

Take the time to explore and expose yourself to different activities and found out just what you are interested in. By knowing who you are and what you want for yourself, you will be better able to pan out a bright future.

That's all for today folks. It's getting mighty close to Christmas and I know everyone's gonna be busy during the holidays, including myself. I wish any readers a blessed week and a Merry Christmas.

Be consistent!
Keem

The Problem With WWE and the Rise of NXT

 

Sometimes you have to teach an old dog new tricks

It's no secret that WWE television has waned over the years. It's also no secret that the average person today probably can't name a superstar whose names aren't Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, or The Undertaker.

Over 15 years ago, wrestling hit its apex with the Attitude Era. WWE had lightning in its hands with its outlandish stories and larger than life characters. On a weekly basis they captivated audiences around the world and built the bedrock of childhood  memories and hardcore wrestling fandom.



Today, the product is a shell of its former self. Stuck in the past and unable to adjust to the changing trends in media, WWE's product became very stale.

One reason for this was the lack of consistent superstars that emerged to become big household sensations.

In the mid 2000's wrestlers such as John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar seemed to lead the charge for a new generation that would keep wrestling on the forefront for many years to come.

However, as time went on, the superstars who stayed at the forefront were on top for too long. The fans who once adored wrestlers such as Cena and Orton had grown tired of their characters and became hungry for new faces.

Wrestling fans are a fickle crowd. What they want changes with the times. In the 80's people were into larger than life characters with rippling muscles, big hair, and sometimes racist caricatures.

In the late 90's the product shifted to a much edgier form, as antics and comedy dwarfed the presentation of the characters themselves.  The characters were still campy but the reason wrestling hit mainstream appeal was because they were willing to do whatever it took to gain ratings (the Undertaker crucifying Stephanie McMahon comes to mind).

Today, the mindset of the average WWE fan has changed once again. Rather than focusing on the characters or the antics of the individuals, many wrestling fans judge their favorite superstars simply on their in ring ability.

For example, the biggest baby-face in the company last year was Daniel Bryan who had about as much charisma as a loaf of bread and looked like he had been dragged from some lumberjack convention. But in the ring, he had such an energetic style and technical prowess, that you learned to appreciate his ability more than his personality.

The rise of Daniel Bryan to superstardom pretty much sums up this era of wrestling. People want to see good matches and good wrestlers. The entertainment aspect of the show has become juvenile. The 90's are over and WWE needs to figure that out before the old dog is put out to pasture.

Now on the other hand...



With all of WWE's faults there has been a sudden spark in the last few years with developmental talent.

This new phenomenon is called NXT and it has taken the wrestling world by storm by being a consistent and innovative wrestling program.



Well, innovative might be a stretch. The true value of NXT is in its simplicity and its amount of young hungry stars with varying gaps of experience, gimmicks, and abilities.

Originally, NXT was a run of the mill competition show, pitched by WWE to be the next Tough Enough. In its original running it had 12 young stars duke it out in matches, be judged on their performances, and... game show style contests (-_-).

It was hit and miss at best but one good thing that came out of it was the pretty fantastic Nexus storyline that had the talent from NXT invade Raw and cause havoc for a few months. Well, until John Cena came to the rescue and utterly ruined the momentum before it really had reached its apex.

But I digress. NXT became an annual event with new stars coming into the program to become the next big thing. And then WWE did the same thing the next year, and the next year...

Over.
And Over.
And Over again

This really killed any interest in the show as only stars from the first season made any real impact, including the likes of Daniel Bryan, Ryback, and Wade Barrett. The rest of the superstars faded out c with a few superstars here and there who made minor buzz (Fandango and Brodus Clay).

After a few years of this embarrassingly cheesy show, WWE decided to change the show into a standard format show for the new stars to garner similar experience as they would on the main shows.

Without knowing it, WWE had hit a gold mine. The at home crowds began to take to their own talent as popular wrestlers such as  Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, Big E. Langston, and Bo Dallas emerged as breakout stars. With a weekly crowd and small venue, the creative was forced to approach the audience with something new every single week

The first time I saw NXT I was blown away. There were so many different characters and gimmicks to appreciate. The divas division was also very solid and put on consistently good matches, which is more than I can say for the current WWE product. Also, it didn't hurt that all their champions consistently defended their titles, making each contest fill like it had purpose.

Today, the NXT product is still putting on great shows in only really its 3rd year of existence. The last NXT ppv event R Evolution was probably the best WWE event all year. It was better than Wrestlemania, it was better than Survivor Series, it was better than TLC. Period.

Now WWE has to address the issue of what to do with this gem they have created. If they tamper with NXT too much it will hurt the general flow of the product. If they move up too many superstars to the main roster too fast they won't have enough guys there to keep things interesting. WWE has to play this game very wisely.

Personally, I believe WWE is doing a great thing by keeping the product on the network. If they really want people to subscribe to a monthly wrestling streaming service,then they have to give a strong enough incentive. It may be cheap ($9.99!) but people won't invest in a product that they have no faith in.

NXT gives me faith in a hopeful future for WWE and I believe if they start adopting some of the simplicity and focused direction that the smaller show has to the major product, it will drastically improve in quality.

Only time will tell but hopefully, one day I can tune into Raw or Smackdown and be able to enjoy the show even half as much as NXT. In the meantime, I'm gonna rewatch Adrienne Neville vs Sami Zayn, that match is 10 times better than Cena vs Orton for the 100th time.

Sincerely,
Keem

The Hiphop Scene: Who's Winning the Grammy?

And the Award Goes To...

So, it's starting to feel a lot like Christmas. This also means that the annual Grammy awards show is right around the corner and peeking its head out wondering when its gonna be its time to play.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of giving out subjective awards on such a grand scale because they are left to a matter of opinion by a committee that determines whether a project that took months or years to make is just as good as another project that has a completely different emotional motivation.

Nevertheless, it is a great arena to project the future of the industry itself. One huge Grammy nomination opens up many doors for an artist and can put them on track into either becoming a forgotten gem or a legend of the industry.

This years lineup is particularly interesting after the large fiasco (no Lupe!) that occured during the award show victory of Macklemore earlier this year. The hiphop community didn't take too kindly to Mr. Macklemore taking the crown from King Kendrick after the release of his much lauded and masterful album Good Kid Mad City.

This argument caused a heated debate crossing branching paths in race, political unrest(Macklemore's outspoken defense of Gay rights), and the changing tide of power between whites and blacks in hiphop.

Moving to almost a year later, and we have a similar situation which has many fans and even other hip hop artists rolling their eyes at certain nominees (particularly Iggy Azalea).

In any event, let's take a look at the nominees for best rap album this year. In the running we have Iggy Azalea, Schoolboy Q, Common, Childish Gambino (personal favorite of mine), Eminem,and Wiz Khalifa. It is certainly an interesting assortment of artists that fill different niches in the rap community.

Common and Eminem represent an old guard of classic artists who have been well established and critically acclaimed. They're a pretty safe option to put in the running because both have a long pedigree and few would argue with the choice even if their albums weren't that good(I personally was very disappointed by the MMLP2).

Schoolboy Q and Wiz Khalifa are also interesting picks. Schoolboy has had a great run this year with dominating sales early on and a solid album with multiple hit songs (I personally am a big fan of Studio, Collard Greens, and Gangster).Schoolboy has certainly put in the work this year to come out of his fellow TDE brother Kendrick Lamar's shadow and establish himself as a mainstream artist.

Wiz also had a very successful album with strong first week sales as well. Even with the controversy of his pending divorce, with little competition this summer, Wiz dominated the summer with his album with varying mixed reviews but overall positive sentiment.

Both Wiz and Schoolboy fit a very comfortable role for fans with a sound flavored towards "gangsta" and "drug" rap. With the changing trends in hip hop towards a different kind of sound from artists, both of these gentleman reach out to people who want a sound and lyrics that relate more to the street life that was made popular in the 90's.

Finally, we come down to two artists who are kinda the obvious elephants in the room, Childish Gambino and Iggy Azalea. Childish Gambino, for any who don't know, rose to fame first as an actor on the show community. While that show was going on he slowly but surely had been putting together music projects to increasing stages of success. After the release of his first commercial album Camp in 2011, his popularity with fans increased (despite poor album sales and poor reviews) leading to the release of his 2013 album "Because the Internet" which to everyone's surprise sold very well and landed in the Billboard top 10 in its first month.

Iggy Azalea the standout superstar who was found by T.I. in Australia has had a stellar year as well. With the release of her single "Fancy" (I know you've heard it, everyone has!) , she blew up into stardom seemingly overnight. Her album "The New Classic" did reasonably well in her debut with mixed reviews as well.

So why is this year's cast controversial?

For many, it is just a lingering repeat of this years Grammys and a sign of things to come. Every artist on this list put a lot of work into their albums and have earned their spot in the industry. Win or lose, you cannot take away the accomplishments of these talented individuals.

The root of the problem is unfortunately, Iggy Azalea. It has nothing to do with her abilities as an artist(well some would argue that she is not as talented as she is lauded to be but that's another matter), it actually is due to an issue that is no fault of her own.

The loss of Kendrick Lamar to Macklemore earlier this year left the hip hop community with a very sour taste in their mouth. It felt as though, the fans were robbed of a moment in history in which a significantly masterful work (GKMC) was not awarded all the things it deserved.

Now heading into this next Grammy award show, there is this expectation that yet another white artist is taking the crown, and that the bias of the award show is beginning to rear its ugly head.

Personally, I believe that the controversy has some merit but there are other issues that are really at the forefront. If it was Eminem who had won the Grammy it wouldn't have had nearly as much controversy. Why is that? Because we are comfortable with him and he has proven himself as a consistent  artist.

Iggy Azalea much like Macklemore are both pretty much overnight sensations. Their library of work is so small in comparison to other artists that its difficult to put them on that top level.
Also, the sound and image they portray isn't that of the typical hip hop artist. Their image portrays more of the pop star ideology. And nothing, I mean nothing agitates die hard hip hop fans more than the sound of pop.

To many, it feels as though they are trying to take the rap industry into a poppier sound but at the same time taking away the struggles and values that are also upheld in the industry as well.
They portray a new kind of artist, one that is cleaner and more in tune to pop culture while removing the grimy rigidness that hip hop has been known for so long.

Around Grammy season we shall see what story is told, whether the story will be a repeat or a time for change. Either way, times are changing for the industry but hopefully the most deserved artist wins whomever that may be. If you're around a TV during Grammy season stay tuned to see the results. I'll actually have my popcorn ready for the aftermath more than anything.

Be easy
Keem

Let's make an introduction

I hate making introductions. This is mainly due to the fact that I'm not sure how much time I can devote to this blog. However, I wanted to establish what this blog account will mainly be about. I'm a big fan of wresting, games, social news, and whatever comes to mind. This blog will be a little about my day to day views. It won't be a perfect blog and it might not be the most important blog in the world, but its my outlet to reach out to more people and be able to share my opinion. Thanks to anyone who reads this blog and I hope that my views and insights can be insightful and interesting to the viewers.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                       Keem