The WWE Is Ruining...Sheamus

With The Bar splitting up, Sheamus is left without a tag team partner and really without much direction. According to Wikipedia, he also suffered a concussion, and even though a head injury is never preferable, some time away for Sheamus may help fans' hearts grow fonder.

I feel like I repeat this on nearly every post, but "(Insert Wrestler Name) is great." And Sheamus is pretty great. If Sheamus had never made the WWE, he would have been one of the most loved Gaijin in New Japan history. He's built for strong style, but that hard hitting style does seem to be taking a toll on his body at this point.

Really, it's probably a little late for a huge Sheamus push. He had multiple great runs, so there is no shame that he is now on the downside of his career. I do still think he could have value if put with the right guys.

He's a big guy who hits hard. I don't think he needs to have a title, but instead he just picks guys to beat up. It's the kind of thing where he needs to win a good portion of matches, but even if he loses, his opponent feels the pain of that beating. This would be where WWE needs to make the real change and actually have guys hurt for more than one night. If they actually sold injuries for more than one night, it would make it far easier for upsets to happen and be explained away that a guy was coming in with broken ribs, a bad back, or a weak leg. Sheamus could be the precursor to hurt guys and let others benefit with victories because of injuries sustained.

Of course, this whole idea relies on coherent storyline, so I guess it probably won't work. I guess just have him going back to stealing cars and farting in them, I guess?


Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Alicia Fox
Andrade "Cien" Almas
Apollo Crews
Bayley
Big E
Big Show
Bo Dallas
Bobby Lashley
Bobby Roode
Braun Strowman
Brock Lesnar
Carmella
Chad Gable

Charlotte Flair
Curt Hawkins
Curtis Axel

Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Ember Moon
Epico

Goldust
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Jinder Mahal
Kane
Karl Anderson

Kevin Owens
Killian Dain
Kofi Kingston
Konnor

Luke Gallows
Mickie James
Mojo Rawley

Natalya
Nia Jax

No Way Jose
Peyton Royce
Primo

Randy Orton

Ruby Riott

Rusev
Scott Dawson
Shane McMahon
Shinsuke Nakamura
Tyler Breeze

Viktor

Zack Ryder 

The Chicago Bears Go International With Stephen Denmark

With the Bears final pick of the 2019 draft, they went international, and took Danish superstar, Stephen Denmark. Over in Europe, all people take the last name of where they are from, kind of like Jesus of Nazareth. Denmark played at Valdosta State which I believe is one of the premiere European "Clubs" (they don't have teams over there). Since over there, they don't have games, they have "matches" I couldn't find any film against one specific opponent, but I did find a highlight reel that was published by the man himself.

Although he was not invited to the combine (international travel was likely too expensive), he did put up a 4.46 at his pro day, and the speed is evident on the field. That's the good news. The bad news is his 7.40 3-cone drill number would be the fifth worst that has been recorded at the combine in the last 20 years. That's a greater indication of his ability to change directions and definitely hinders his upside. Still, there are plenty of positives with his film.

This is a bold move, Stephen.

Sure, pushing a receiver out of bounds is something that is going to happen, but taking him directly into his own bench is the work of an absolute mad man. I'm guessing that his opponents are Swiss as they chose to stay neutral during the conflict. But physicality was the thing that showed up over and over in his highlight tape. When he is in press coverage, he looks to take his opponents out of the play, and he doesn't look to tackle, he looks to hit when somebody has the ball near him. I was very surprised by this since he was a receiver his first three years and just switched over to the defensive side of the ball for his senior season. You would assume good footwork but afraid to hit, but the latter is certainly not an issue for Denmark.

That physicality in press coverage pays off on this play.

He gives the quarterback nowhere to throw this ball, but the quarterback throws it anyway, and Denmark makes him pay by making the interception with those wide receiver skills and then using his speed to cross the field into the endzone.

He gets lucky here.

He misses on his press, and the receiver creates good separation. Denmark's speed helps somewhat, but the quarterback underthrowing the ball is what really saves him on this play.

Another thing I was impressed by is his ability to diagnose plays.

He is dropping into a zone here, and immediately recognizes that the quarterback is looking deep so instead of staying shallow, he sprints back to undercut the deeper route and breaks up the play.

I know with these foreign players, it's a little tough to evaluate with their level of competition. I would probably compare it to Division II football in Georgia. At 6'2" and well built, he is a big defensive back who can definitely make plays. He has the speed, but the quickness isn't quite there for me to really trust him as a consistent defensive back. I do think he has all the traits to be very good on special teams as that size, speed, and willingness to lay the hammer could get him a roster spot even without the potential to ever start at defensive back. Welcome aboard, Stephen, or as the Danish say, Velkommen ombord.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia
6th Round - Duke Shelley, Cornerback, Kansas State
7th Round - Kerrith Whyte Jr., Running Back, Florida Atlantic

The WWE Is Ruining... Bo Dallas

Bo Dallas deserves so much more. Did you know Bo Dallas has been with the WWE for almost 11 years and he's only 28 years old? Dude started at FCW when he was 18 and was winning titles after just turning 19 years old. He was making appearances in dark matches and house shows in his early 20s. He was a wrestling phenom.

Still, he paid his dues in developmental and was integral in NXT becoming a major brand. Although he was the third person to win the NXT Championship, he was the first champion that really belonged to NXT. Seth Rollins won the title as a babyface and immediately became a heel in The Shield. Big E did the exact same thing when he joined up with Dolph Ziggler on the main roster. They never had a chance to feel like they belonged to NXT. But Bo Dallas belonged to NXT. He was a champion that the crowd absolutely despised, and that may make him the only true heel to win the World Title in NXT history.

That's wild, but Kevin Owens was a cool heel who got cheered, Samoa Joe was Samoa freakin' Joe, and I guess the closest would be Andrade Almas, but even he never came close to the heat that Bo Dallas had. He was so hated that the fans turned their back on him, meanwhile he was showing a slideshow of his trip to BOlivia. He even beat the most beloved babyface in NXT history, Sami Zayn, by nefarious means. What I'm saying is I hated him, and he was absolutely fantastic.

And then he went to the main roster and everything went to shit.

So the way to save Bo Dallas is to let this man live in the past. Let him bring up his accomplishments in the most petty ways possible. I want him feuding with Seth Rollins by pointing out how much better he was as NXT Champion. I want him to feud with Daniel Bryan, because Bryan couldn't even win a match when he was on NXT. I want him to feud with every single wrestler by just pointing out how much better he was than them in the minor league WWE system. It would be so stupid and aggravating which makes it perfect for Bo Dallas. The good news is he never has to win, and it will still work, but the great news is he will get it over, and he will at least be worthy of a short run with a secondary title.

This may not be what the WWE Universe wants, but it is what the WWE Universe needs. All we have to do is BO-LIEVE.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Alicia Fox
Andrade "Cien" Almas
Apollo Crews
Bayley
Big E
Big Show
Bobby Lashley
Bobby Roode
Braun Strowman
Brock Lesnar
Carmella
Chad Gable

Charlotte Flair
Curt Hawkins
Curtis Axel

Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Ember Moon
Epico

Goldust
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Jinder Mahal
Kane
Karl Anderson

Kevin Owens
Killian Dain
Kofi Kingston
Konnor

Luke Gallows
Mickie James
Mojo Rawley

Natalya
Nia Jax

No Way Jose
Peyton Royce
Primo

Randy Orton

Ruby Riott

Rusev
Scott Dawson
Shane McMahon
Shinsuke Nakamura
Tyler Breeze

Viktor

Zack Ryder 

My Favorite Wrestling Match of 2019

So a lot of you are probably going to be disappointed with this post, because this is likely not the wrestling that you are expecting. Today, I'm not talking Indy Wrestling, I'm talking International Freestyle Wrestling.

A few weeks ago, the Pan-American Championships took place, and the USA dominated, winning all ten freestyle weights. But nobody dominated more than J'Den Cox dominated "The Pride of Paraguay," Diego Ramirez Florentin. Usually you have to use video to show an entire wrestling match. Not this time.

To be fair, J'Den Cox is the #1 guy in the world at 92 kg (about 203 pounds). He's an incredible wrestler and nearly impossible to beat. That being said, it looks like Diego's most wrestling experience was going to the singlet store to have one made. But I love Ramirez Florentin's confidence. He is the aggressor as he takes a step forward before legitimately going for a snatch single. He doesn't come anywhere near completing it, but he at least attempted it. I admire that.

The biggest thing that you avoid in freestyle wrestling is going to your back. There is really no reason to go directly to your back on this low single, but Ramirez Florentin does just that. He tries bridging with his head, but Cox quickly scoops it up. Then he squirms before trying to bridge with his legs, but even before the pin is confirmed, he basically gives up on that too as his right leg flattens out. It was officially a 10-second match, and I absolutely love every second of it. They didn't even have time to change the graphic in the upper left corner to show who was wrestling.

For some reason, I love the aftermath of the match even more.

That look on his face as he stands up with his less-than-chiseled physique. He knew what was going to happen, but he took his beating anyway. His other match lasted only 26 seconds, so it was a quick exit for Paraguay's Proverbial Son.

But if you feel bad for Diego Ramirez Florentin, then the joke is on you. Because this man is still a winner.

That's our boy, who lasted a total of 36 seconds in two matches with a bronze medal around his neck. Yep, there were only three people that entered the weight class. God bless this man.

Bears Keep It Tight With Kerrith Whyte

Kerrith Whyte Jr. was selected as the Bears first of two seventh round picks and without knowing anything about him, I was a little disappointed that the team had now drafted two running backs when they had other more pressing needs to address. Since they have Tarik Cohen as a weapon, David Montgomery was drafted with their first pick in the draft (3rd round), they just signed Mike Davis, and Cordarrelle Patterson does dabble in the backfield, another running back was going to have a hard time seeing the field. But clearly the Bears saw something in Whyte, so I took a look at his game against UCF to see what qualities he possesses.

Let's start off with a touchdown catch from Whyte.

Usually on touchdowns, I will point out some positives, but it's about as unimpressive of a touchdown catch as you'll see. He does technically break a tackle, but the defensive back just throws his head at his leg and seems to completely forget that he possesses arms.

The other issue is the catch which he bobbles because he uses his chest to catch the ball instead of using his hands. I do not trust him to consistently catch the ball which makes him a non-factor in the passing game.

On the positives, he shows a nice move here.

He sees the safety coming in the box to fill the hole, but then cuts back inside without losing much momentum to speed forward for nine yards instead of getting stopped at the line of scrimmage.

Since I only watched one game, and they were down early in that game, I didn't get a lot of standout plays from Whyte. The issue is that I didn't see any one characteristic that stands out so I have a hard time seeing playing time for him in what is already a crowded Bears backfield. Maybe he can provide depth from the practice squad, but I don't foresee anything more than that. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia
6th Round - Duke Shelley, Cornerback, Kansas State

The WWE Is Ruining... Ruby Riott

Let's just get this out of the way. Ruby Riott should be a WWE Women's Champion. I'm not saying she needs to be one right away, but really, considering the lack of depth in the women's division, it could easily happen within the next year.

The WWE totally screwed the pooch on this one by calling up Ruby Riott way too early. Usually when the WWE calls up someone too early, it's because they aren't ready in the ring or on the mic, but this wasn't really the case for Riott. She is ready in both of those areas, but she would have benefited GREATLY from spending time in NXT and building more of a fan base.

All of the other really talented women wrestlers that came up from NXT got huge reactions when first coming up. Ruby Riott's was more confusion, especially since she was paired up with Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, whom she had never been paired up with before. And unfortunately, the Riott Squad never really got to the point where they presented a legitimate threat. Even when Ruby got a shot at the title, it was built so poorly that she had about as much of a chance of beating Ronda Rousey as Blue Pants.

I think the best way to build up Ruby Riott at this point is to just let her have wrestling matches. The best thing that could happen to Riott is Sasha Banks coming back. If those two did a best-of-seven like Chris Benoit and Booker T, it would get over both women. Sasha could get propelled to the title by winning it, but Riott still looks great and could later end up challenging and winning the title from Banks down the road. This whole plan depends on Sasha coming back which makes it incredibly shaky. It could also work if somebody switches brands and Riott takes on Bayley. In that case, I would have Riott win, because it'd be a good way for Bayley to regain her underdog status.

But seriously, this is a pretty simple fix. Just let her have wrestling matches with other good wrestlers, and even if she isn't a marquee star, she has all the tools to be championship material.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Alicia Fox
Andrade "Cien" Almas
Apollo Crews
Bayley
Big E
Big Show
Bobby Lashley
Bobby Roode
Braun Strowman
Brock Lesnar
Carmella
Chad Gable

Charlotte Flair
Curt Hawkins
Curtis Axel

Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Ember Moon
Epico

Goldust
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Jinder Mahal
Kane
Karl Anderson

Kevin Owens
Killian Dain
Kofi Kingston
Konnor

Luke Gallows
Mickie James
Mojo Rawley

Natalya
Nia Jax

No Way Jose
Peyton Royce
Primo

Randy Orton

Rusev
Scott Dawson
Shane McMahon
Shinsuke Nakamura
Tyler Breeze

Viktor

Zack Ryder 

Is Duke Shelley the Chicago Bears Next Slot Cornerback?

Although I had a pretty good idea about the Bears first two picks, the last three picks were complete mysteries to me. This started with sixth round pick, Duke Shelley, a 5'9" cornerback out of Kansas State. Shelley was not invited to the combine, but did have an impressive pro day where he ran a 4.46 40 yard dash. I took a look at his game against Oklahoma State to get a better idea about his chances of making an impact as a slot cornerback for the Bears.

Shelley was a four-year starter at Kansas State, and that experience definitely showed up in his game against Oklahoma State.

On this play, he is an off coverage on the outside receiver at the top of the screen. Although it happens off screen unfortunately, Shelley reads the quarterback and nearly picks off the pass. He shows good instincts and quick decision making while breaking up this pass.

On this next play, he does a good job defending the fade.

He stays in constant contact with the wide receiver to make sure he stays close. Although he is unable to make contact with the ball after looking back, his arm goes straight up the middle of the receiver's chest so the only way that he can catch the ball is to make a one-handed circus catch.

Since Shelley's future will be in the slot, he will have to be a good tackler. He excels in this area despite his diminutive size.

This is an excellent wrap up and tackle in the open field, and he displayed this ability multiple times in the game that I watched.

He also showed he can be a playmaker.

Remember that second play where he played through the man's chest but made no contact with the ball. Well, here he uses the same technique and makes it nearly impossible for the receiver to make the catch. He then gets an added bonus when the ball pops up and lands into his hands before he goes out the back of the endzone. The interception involved a bit of luck, but the pass breakup is great technique, and he earned the positive outcome.

I came into this not knowing anything about Duke Shelley but left it coming away very impressed. He can tackle, does a good job of reading the quarterback and breaking on passes, and has good technique to break up passes down the field. I would say that I question the athleticism some, as the rule of thumb is usually to add 0.1 seconds to a 40 time if done at a pro day. But flat out speed is less important in the slot. I didn't see him go up against many hard-ins or outs in this game, but the quickness he shows in staying with those routes will be the biggest question to answer on whether he can be the future at slot cornerback from the Bears. Still, for a sixth round pick, I am pretty excited about his potential to fill that role.


Chicago Bears Scouting Reports
3rd Round - David Montgomery, Running Back, Iowa State
4th Round - Riley Ridley, Wide Receiver, Georgia

The WWE Is Ruining... No Way Jose

The WWE is amazing at some things. Unfortunately, not all of those things are good. No Way Jose is a great example of a big, charismatic guy who is solid in the ring, and you absolutely could not care less about him. Why has the WWE chosen to ruin No Way Jose? I'm not sure, but I do have a way to save him.

I have written some of these pieces and thought the WWE was doing nothing with the talent, but this is the closest to literally nothing that I can possibly imagine. What is his greatest feud since getting called to the main roster? It's either his feud with Mojo Rawley in which he just kept losing, maybe it's his feud on Main Event against Curt Hawkins where he was 5-0, and they wrestled singles matches for three straight weeks, or, uh, nope, that's about it.

What's so crazy about this is the WWE had no need to promote him to the main roster. The only reason to promote him was to recreate the magic of Adam Rose, magic which died out quickly and had way more going for it than No Way Jose ever had. But he got brought up and...crickets.

To fix No Way Jose, let's do something drastic. First off, let's get rid of that name, because it's tragically bad. Next, let's turn Jose heel. He is a big guy, so let's use that as an enforcer for a smaller superstar, much like the role Rowan has with Daniel Bryan. Just off the top of my head, you could put him with another dark skinned fella, Robert Roode, and let him propel Roode to a title while he builds his new character. Is it ideal? No way (Jose), but it's something, and anything would be an improvement for this WWE superstar.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Alicia Fox
Andrade "Cien" Almas
Apollo Crews
Bayley
Big E
Big Show
Bobby Lashley
Bobby Roode
Braun Strowman
Brock Lesnar
Carmella
Chad Gable

Charlotte Flair
Curt Hawkins
Curtis Axel

Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Ember Moon
Epico

Goldust
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Jinder Mahal
Kane
Karl Anderson

Kevin Owens
Killian Dain
Kofi Kingston
Konnor

Luke Gallows
Mickie James
Mojo Rawley

Natalya
Nia Jax
Peyton Royce
Primo

Randy Orton

Rusev
Scott Dawson
Shane McMahon
Shinsuke Nakamura
Tyler Breeze

Viktor

Zack Ryder