Prior to the Royal Rumble with its surprise returns (that’s for another day), returns made me realize that I could not stop thinking about the RAW Reunion. It was one of those moments when it personally made me proud to be a wrestling fan. From witnessing the greatness of a now rare appearance of the nWo on live TV to a surprise reunion of the APA and even an appearance by Sting, the pop from the crowd proved that bringing legends back to RAW is always a positive decision. Not only is it great to see old “friends” for older wrestling fans, it allows the next generation to say they were able to see the likes of say, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and/or X-Pac live and in an arena. Having the Ascension out with the nWo angle gave them a chance to have exposure in a segment that non-current WWE viewers may see who tune in just to see legends they grew up on. While old fans get their nostalgic fix, the new generation still gets promoted in a win-win situation. Besides, hearing Ric Flair express his praises for Dean Ambrose and Shawn Michaels loving the work of Bray Wyatt will never get old.

-Celine

On Thursday, January 8th, TNA Impact Wrestling debuted on its new home, Destination America, and it was an exciting show. From title changes to a new logo, the show opened with a video package showcasing the talent of the roster accompanied by music that had a beat matching the movements of each character. It really felt like a breath of fresh air for the company and from a fan’s perspective, it looked as if there was a new sense of hope and an air of rejuvenation among the entire TNA team. 2015 is off to a promising start. Here’s hoping TNA can keep getting better and better with every new year.

-Celine

The return of the Authority on Monday Night RAW marked a time in John Cena’s career where hellish techniques were exhibited, especially with the egging on of Triple H and Stephanie to the Superstars who lost in matches earlier in the night due to their rule—something that never would have happened if Cena hadn’t brought them back to power. Although we are seeing the downhill side of Cena’s career, it’s very interesting to see such scenarios demonstrated with Cena—those things that are not so positive as we have seen before with him. While a heel turn seems to be long gone for Cena, who knows what’s next with the storyline of Cena perhaps doing more risqué things. We shall soon see.

-Celine

Nothing makes me happier than seeing talent get pushed in the WWE. From Dolph Ziggler being the sole survivor at Survivor Series to being the Intercontinental Champion soon after, it looked like nothing couls get in his way. After successfully defending his title on RAW shortly after, there was hope that he’d have a long and decent reign without losing the title early. I would think, “If and when he does lose the title, here’s hoping that it will be at a PPV event as opposed to a typical episode of RAW or SmackDown.” With a new year, hopefully there’ll be even more exciting new changes and emphasis on the next generation of wrestlers. Even though Ziggler has been in the company for around 10 years now (prior to his “Dolph Ziggler” days), he has yet to achieve main-event superstar status for an extended amount of time. Could this be the beginning of the dawning of a new era? Unfortunately, Ziggler lost the title Monday on RAW. Not even a PPV. Now what? Let’s hope Ziggler can once again rise again and stay on top as we wait and see what’s next for the Show-Off.

-Celine

2014 left many memories, from the shocking end of The Undertaker’s streak to the untimely death of the Ultimate Warrior. From the return of the likes of Brock Lesnar, Batista, The Rock, and the WWE debut of Sting to mainstream and increased popularity of the WWE divas, this was a year to never be forgotten. Many new faces were introduced this year, and like previous years, they have already made their mark. United States Champion Rusev remains undefeated as Lana commands an audience with her mic skills. Paige debuted on the main roster winning the WWE Divas Championship after defeating AJ Lee, going on to have another reign later in the year.

Adam Rose brings a party with him everywhere he goes, Emma was welcomed with her dance moves, Bo Dallas was repackaged and some of the NXT talent has had matches on RAW, including Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Tyler Breeze, and Charlotte. If 2015 shows as much promise for an amazing future featuring the new talent as 2014 did, it’s going to be an exciting ride.

-Celine

2015 will mark the 10 year anniversary of Monday Night RAW returning home to the USA Network after its stint on Spike TV previously. An excellent thing about the USA Network is the promotion the channel provides for the WWE. This is especially evident in light of the recent WWE Week—Monday Night RAW following the TLC Pay-Per-View, a live episode of SmackDown, the always popular Tribute to the Troops, movies starring WWE stars such as The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Santino appearing in the film, Jingle All The Way 2. One of the highlights recently on WWE was the promo for the impending move of SmackDown from Friday to Thursday nights.

One of the common facts about the WWE is that SmackDown is filmed on Tuesdays and during its history it aired on either Thursdays or, for almost 10 years now, Fridays. While the move may be confusing to some, it’ll be interesting to see how a new night will effect the SmackDown audience. While Friday nights are commonly spent going out with friends, etc., and celebrating the start of the weekend, it also served as an excellent alternative to those who wanted to relax when their work week is initially finished and enjoy some good WWE programming. Will more people be at home to watch SmackDown on Thursday nights? What about the fall when the regular football season picks up again and not only will Monday Night RAW compete with Monday Night Football, but so will SmackDown compete with Thursday Night football.

This is also a world in which spoilers run rampant and what happens on SmackDown is usually known before it airs. Only time will tell, but from the commercials advertising the new schedule, change looks exciting.

-Celine

It’s the holiday season. The WWE is not only a fast growing company, but extremely popular with a huge audience that spans all ages and fans who have been there for years. With such an audience, one of the best things that WWE does every year is gives back to the brave men and women in the military who put so much on the line with the Tribute to the Troops event

It’s a beautiful thank you to the soldiers and with WWE’s audience, it constantly reminds viewers that freedom isn’t free and while it’s nice to escape the turmoils of the world by watching professional wrestling, there are still issues that are being addressed and resolved and it’s always nice to show the soldiers that we are always thinking of them and beyond thankful for all that they do. From John Cena and his contributions to the Make A Wish Foundation, to the Be A Star anti-bullying campaign and WWE’s partnership with the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help defeat breast cancer, the holiday season is always a wonderful time to stop, reflect, and be thankful for the wonderful and positive things the WWE does for people. Whether you love the story lines or characters in the company or not, it’s hard to deny the positive impact WWE has on the community.

-Celine

2015 will mark the 10 year anniversary of Monday Night RAW returning home to the USA Network after its stint on Spike TV previously. An excellent thing about the USA Network is the promotion the channel provides for the WWE. This is especially evident in light of WWE Week—Monday Night RAW following the TLC Pay-Per-View, a live episode of SmackDown, the always popular Tribute to the Troops, movies starring WWE stars such as The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Santino appearing in the film, Jingle All The Way 2. One of the highlights of the content of WWE Week was the promo for the impending move of SmackDown from Friday to Thursday nights.

One of the common facts about the WWE is that SmackDown is filmed on Tuesdays and during its history it aired on either Thursdays or, for almost 10 years now, Fridays. While the move may be confusing to some, it’ll be interesting to see how a new night will effect the SmackDown audience. While Friday nights are commonly spent going out with friends, etc., and celebrating the start of the weekend, it also served as an excellent alternative to those who wanted to relax when their work week is initially finished and enjoy some good WWE programming. Will more people be at home to watch SmackDown on Thursday nights? What about the fall when the regular football season picks up again and not only will Monday Night RAW compete with Monday Night Football, but so will SmackDown compete with Thursday Night football.

This is also a world in which spoilers run rampant and what happens on SmackDown is usually known before it airs. Only time will tell, but from the commercials advertising the new schedule, change looks exciting.

-Celine

It’s something that has been more noticeable as of late. On the December 5th edition of SmackDown, between Lana’s excellent delivery of her nasty persona and Dean Ambrose’s “I-don’t-care” vibe, the promos cut during the show were excellent. However, while it may have just been me, there was definitely something off about that interaction. After Lana announced that Rusev would not be competing tonight, the crowd seemed quite. When Ambrose made a comment joking about how Lana was batting her eyelashes at him flirtatiously, the crowd didn’t generate a pop. While that didn’t define the entire night and those moments far from define an entire crowd, it made me stop and think about how important the audience is to live spectacles.

Every time the WWE Superstars and Divas go out to the ring, it is evident that they feed off the energy of the crowd. Whether they receive a loud pop greeted with cheers and applause or they are welcomed with a roar of boos and thumbs down, those reactions motivate the Superstars and Divas to bring their personas to life in a way that would fit that characterization even more. When the crowd gives no reaction, the steam is taken out from under anyone who wants to go over as a top face or heel. If you win a title and no one cheers, the element of the fanfare after a victory is taken away from that experience with a lackluster crowd. The same goes for a heel who says a disgusting, nasty, and evil comment. If no one gasps or boos, was the comment really that horrible to begin with?

This can occur beyond wrestling as well. Musicians vibe off of the excitement of the crowd at a concert. People who are on-camera participants in live television shows, whether it’s a taping of a daytime talk show or a late night talk show, a sketch comedy show, or even a taping of a sitcom, get instant feedback of whether or not what they’re doing is working. If no one says anything, it leaves people wondering if things are going good or bad in that moment. Especially in an era when not everyone can have tickets and when it’s looking exciting and optimistic for the future of entertainment, remember that the audience means as much to the performers as the other way around. Cheer that face (or boo him/her) and boo that heel (or cheer for them). Get excited, get loud, and make some noise. The Superstars and Divas themselves appreciate it too.

-Celine

One of my favorite nights of the WWE year is the Slammys. One thing about the Slammys is that it’s an excellent reflection of the highs and lows of the past year (which is still not even completely done yet). From shocking moments such as the Undertaker’s streak ending at WrestleMania and the WWE debut of Sting to happy moments like The Rock’s return to the WWE in New York and the tragedy of the untimely passing of the Ultimate Warrior days after his Hall of Fame induction, the deserving people won awards.

There was emphasis on the new generation, with a renewed interest in Dolph Ziggler in light of his Survivor Series victory, awards going to Dean Ambrose and nominations including the likes of Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt. Roman Reigns was Superstar of the year, showing that there’s still a want for him in light of his injury, and Diva of the Year AJ Lee gave a shout out to such NXT and newer WWE Divas as Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, and Paige. Speaking of Charlotte, the NXT Women’s Champion made her WWE TV debut as well. Such a push for the new generation was exciting to see on one of the biggest nights of the RAW calendar year. Here’s to an excellent new year and the rise of even more up and coming young stars.

-Celine