Some may consider the time from the end of SummerSlam to the Royal Rumble as the WWE off-season. With the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar missing from RAW and multiple Pay-Per-View events, many may wonder why Lesnar can stay not defending the title when Daniel Bryan was just stripped of his title earlier in the year. Why is this that Daniel Bryan has to defend his title every 30 days when Brock Lesnar may not return until the Royal Rumble in January. Without a championship, how can Seth Rollins’ storyline develop with his Money In The Bank briefcase without the title in the picture? While there have been excellent story lines, the Rollins/Ambrose feud coming to mind, along with the push of newer talent, such as the return of Ryback and bringing Bray Wyatt into a feud with rising star Dean Ambrose, there’s still exciting storytelling, but what about the champion? Isn’t that one of, if not the main goal of any WWE wrestler—to be the number one champion?

With John Cena back in the title picture, when will it happen? What about discussion of John Cena possibly breaking Ric Flair’s 16-time championship record? Where’s Paul Heyman to be around as a reminder for the fans that Brock Lesnar is the champ? Brie Bella reminds fans of Daniel Bryan by keeping the “YES” chant alive, so why can’t Heyman return to do the same? It’s an interesting time with many questions, but even if this may be the “off-season” for the WWE, that doesn’t mean that there has to be a lack of excitement and creative storytelling. Here’s to more pushing of the young talent and for whenever Brock Lesnar does return, it will be even more meaningful.

-Celine

One of the many qualities of the world of sports entertainment is just that—entertainment. One of the newest teams in the WWE is the pairing of The Miz and Damien Sandow, otherwise known as Mizdow. 2014 has been a unique year for Damien Sandow. From being the first wrestler eliminated in the Royal Rumble to a losing streak that began in May, Sandow began taking on a persona resembling that of Charlie Haas’ character in 2008 in which Haas would impersonate other wrestlers. Unlike Haas, Sandow would impersonate other individuals, including Sherlock Holmes and Bruce Springsteen. However, ever since August, Sandow has been in a much more stable storyline as the official “stunt double” of The Miz, who has taken on the persona of an A-list Hollywood movie star.

With Sandow imitating all of The Miz’s actions, literally, Mizdow has become increasingly popular, especially with Sandow mimicking ever single one of The Miz’s moves, including getting faux-punched in the same way that Miz is being attacked by his opponent. While some love this pairing, others call it silly. Some complain that they see Sandow’s talents going to waste as he is resembling a comic relief character like Santino Marella was or even TNA’s Eric Young. While some miss Sandow’s legitimate matches, the Mizdow story adds fun to the world of WWE. While others are in storylines  that are more intense, this is still sports entertainment. It’s good for the kids and gives a good laugh for the audience. It’s good to see Sandow on WWE TV and it’s good to see the versatility of the Superstars. It’ll be exciting to see what’s next for both Sandow and The Miz. Will we see Sandow back in the main event picture like when he had the Money in the Bank briefcase? Will we see The Miz back in the WWE Championship picture? Or are they forever in the mid-card? A wrestler can’t be in the title picture forever, so it’s always an interesting observation to see what wresters do to stay relevant and slowly but surely make their way back to the top of the WWE ladder.

-Celine

It was the end of an era when WWE Magazine announced that it would cease production on its print publication. The final issue in October featured Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns on the cover, symbolically showing a sort of passing of the torch of the next generation of Superstars as opposed to the previous Superstars to commonly grace the cover such as John Cena, Rey Mysterio, and The Undertaker.

It’s a hard time for the print industry in general, with bookstores closing and diminishing and stories moving from the shelves of Barnes and Noble to the screens of laptops and tablets. With the decline in circulation of magazines, there’s still a pro wrestling presence in the publishing world, as seen with Pro Wrestling Illustrated. With the end of WWE Magazine, its 30-year history ended as well. While wrestlers still get interviewed and photographed by WWE’s official website as well as television appearances, radio stations, online journals, etc., WWE Magazine will be forever remembered as an excellent niche for WWE’s unique world.

Even though the world of print is declining, storytelling is forever, as these tales are shifting to digital means. On top of magazines, books are still popular, with Chris Jericho’s third book, (and follow up to A Lions Tale and Undisputed) The Best In The World…At What I Have No Idea, released earlier this month to positive reviews being an example of pro wrestling’s presence in the world of storytelling. The Internet has brought another exciting and enriching dimension to the world of storytelling, especially when it comes to pro wrestling, but it’s nice to take a minute and reminisce and remember the years of amazing interviews, photos, Q&As, articles, lists, countdowns, and specials that WWE Magazine has brought fans over the years.

-Celine

On this past Monday’s edition of RAW, the main event featured John Cena and Dean Ambrose against Kane, Seth Rollins and Randy Orton. While the actual main event was entertaining, filled with signature moves and the top of the line in-ring action that is typically expected of the WWE, there were some sentiments on social media sites about the action being repetitive and old.

On one hand, I can see where the fans are coming from. Those superstars can be utilized in other scenarios, namely competing against other wrestlers. Why not have Ambrose go against someone like Jack Swagger or The Miz to shake things up a bit? Perhaps have Seth Rollins interfere at the end of the match rather than as an opponent against Ambrose prior to the pay-per-view? Is it necessary to have essentially the same match pairings week in and week out?

On the other hand, recurring matches can help build up a feud. The intensity increases with each respective victory and defeat. When the feud cumulates at the pay-per-view, the victory will be even more meaningful. Feuds would take months and months to reach their conclusion in the past, especially in the 80’s. However, is it necessary to have a situation like the one that took place at Battleground in which Triple H ejected Ambrose from the arena for attacking Rollins prior to their match, robbing the fans of one of the most anticipated matches of the night? Does the story lose its meaning if it’s scattered with forfeit victories?

Some may wonder if this is the dawn of an era of reverting to the classic methods of storytelling with an exciting build up or whether or not the match pairings are dragging on a bit too long. Only time will tell and the pay off will come into focus, especially with the Cena/Ambrose/Authority storyline at Hell in a Cell this Sunday. And yes. For only $9.99 on the WWE Network.

-Celine