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Welcome, Bleachers, to the fifth and final edition of my weekly series entitled WWE's Pushed to Punished. For those unfamiliar, my articles recap and review the portions of past and present WWE Superstar's careers who had abruptly taken a turn for the worse. The past four editions can be reached here:
Edition One: Kenny Dykstra Edition Two: William Regal Edition Three: Muhammad Hassan Edition Four: Shelton Benjamin Although this edition has come at a later time than used to, I have nonetheless returned to present to you readers yet another worthy wrestler whose theme says it all in saying his time has indeed been wasted, and that particular Superstar is none other than Elijah Burke, currently known as D'Angelo Dinero in TNA Wrestling. Dating back to his early WWE days, Elijah Burke has always been a tremendous athlete. Following a short tenure on the SmackDown brand, Burke was moved to ECW in early 2009 following the release of his partner Sylvester Terkay. Upon his arrival to Tuesday Nights, he immediately made an impact as a part of leading his New Breed stable, with its intentions to rebel against the ECW Originals. The group consisting of himself, Kevin Thorn, Matt Striker, and Marcus Cor Von would eventually lose to the veterans atWrestleMania 23. After weeks of feuding with CM Punk, the two would meet at Judgement Day, where Punk would emerge victorious. The New Breed would meet the same fate the following month at ECW: One Night Stand losing in a Tables Match, effectively ending the stable. However, the wasting of Burke's ability did not stop there. In coming months, he would continue to rot on the ECWbrand, losing countless matches to Chris Benoit, CM Punk, and Batista. Elijah Burke would also compete in the 2008 Royal Rumble Match along with a 24-Man Battle Royal at WrestleMania 24, being eliminated early on in both. Following a loss to then-United States Champion Matt Hardy in May, Burke would remain inactive from television, before being released without a return that November. His release would be left unnoticed, but many followers of Elijah Experience would argue his potential and ability was certainly wasted in his two year tenure in WWE despite many excellent showings. His path to success would end here, as he pursued a career in TNA Wrestling. Upon his arrival TNA, Burke would debut under the new name "D'Angelo Dinero" with his new gimmick of "The Pope." Interestingly enough, he would use this gimmick in his final WWE days in dark matches before being rejected by Vince McMahon. His feud with Suicide would be highly praised, competing in Steel Asylums, a Falls Count Anywhere Match, and a final Street Fight between the two that would eventually lead to a face turn by Dinero. Aligning himself with Matt Morgan and Hernandez in a face form of the New Breed, defeating Team 3D, Rhino, and Jesse Neal at Final Resolution. Following a brief rivalry with Desmond Wolfe, The Pope's stock along with his popularity began to rise in TNA Wrestling, eventually winning an eight-man tournament at Against All Oddsthat would earn him a TNA World Championship match at Lockdown. Although his chances were high on winning the title, he ended up losing the contest to reigning champion AJ Styles. During the match, Dinero would suffer a shoulder injury that would sideline him for two months. This would lead to the eventual of The Pope. Since his return, the Pope would engage in feuds with Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson, both which he would be on the losing end of. He would engage himself in a lackluster alliance with Sting and Kevin Nash, defeating Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett in a handicap match at Bound For Glory XI. His would be further pushed into the dog house following two consecutive losses to Abyss. Currently, Dinero is feuding with Samoa Joe in what seems to be a deadend rivalry for both men. Much like previous topic of my articles, how has Pope fallen so far in only a year? His impressive mic skills, charisma, and wrestling ability have me asking myself this constantly, since he has proven to be a young, up-and-coming in both organizations. The way is being treated now, as a poorly booked heel, lowers his chances of one day becoming world champion, and slowly taking the same path he did in WWE. I, personally, enjoyed his face character, where he was at his highest in TNA. Hopefully following his feud with Joe, Dinero will be able to move back into the World Title scene or the X-Division at least. As a fan of the Elijah Experience, I surely hope his potential is recognized soon by management, as a Superstar should not go unnoticed or underestimated. His theme used in WWE said it all: his time has indeed been wasted. Thanks for reading, Bleachers! Feel free to leave comments below on your thoughts of Elijah Burke and what his future lies in profession wrestling. This will indeed be my last addition in thePushed to Punished series, but stay tuned for any special editions in the near future. It's been a while, Bleachers! I do realize that WrestleMania 27 has past and may seem like old news, but in my absence, I have composed a list of 10 history-making moments that occurred this past Sunday.
These fun trivia facts, records, and stats may surprise you as they did me. Also included is my personal opinion on the record made, and how it could have overall made WrestleMania 27 a memorable event.
This would mark the third time a Superstar has moved from the first match to the ending match, as Chris Jericho and Edge have done the same in previous years. The Miz should be proud of this achievement, showing how much he has improved since then.
Since its inception at WrestleMania 21, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, featuring six to 10 mid-carders, each year became an annual staple at the Show of Shows. Being well received by fans, the contest added excitement and suspense to the show due to its high unpredictability. However, due to the new Money In The Bank pay-per-view added to the schedule last summer, the MITB Match was scrapped from the card after a six-year run. Although we will continue to see the match be contested this summer, it will not be the same as if it was contested on their biggest show of the year.
With the streak still alive, will the now 2-0 Miz be the latest victim come WrestleMania 28?
In addition, Trish Stratus competed in the six-person tag team match alongside John Morrison and Snooki for the first time in five years. Booker T served as color commentator for the Jerry Lawler-Michael Cole match for the first time in four years, before stunned by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
John Cena would lose his first-ever singles match at WrestleMania this past Sunday following his defeat to WWE Champion The Miz. Rey Mysterio would meet the same fate, as he would lose to nemesis Cody Rhodes and suffer his first pinfall defeat since WrestleMania 19.
This new curse goes to show how little winning the Royal Rumble means anymore, seeing that the winner is supposed to receive the main event slot at WrestleMania. Wouldn't it make sense if all the participants in the Royal Rumble made it their goal not to win the match so they wouldn't meet the same fate as Del Rio?
After some confusion, it has been cleared that WrestleMania 27 did set the record for the highest attendance record for any entertainment event held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with 71,617 raging WWE fans. Also, this would be the first WrestleMania held in Atlanta. Have any of the mentioned records, stats, and trivia facts changed your overall view on the event? Is there something you see missing from the list? Feel free to comment below with your feedback and criticism, as all is welcome. GSM out. Hey guys James and Graham here! Here is the most electrifying Prediction article ever seen in the WWE Blogging world!
-——————————————-- Match 1 – John Morrison, Trish Statrus, Snookie vs Dolph, Laycool James Currans Prediction – John Morrison, Trish Stratus and Snookie. Graham Matthews Prediction – John Morrison, Trish Stratus, and Snooki -——————————————-- Match 2 – Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan James Currans Prediction – Daniel Bryan Graham Matthews Prediction – Sheamus (Still Champion) -——————————————-- Match 3 – Wrestlemania Battle Royal (If there is one) James Currans Prediction – Kofi Kingston Graham Matthews Prediction - Kofi Kingston -———————————————- Match 4 – Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes James Curran Prediction – Cody Rhodes Graham Matthews Prediction - Cody Rhodes -——————————————-- Match 5 – Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler James Curran Prediction – Jerry Lawner Graham Matthews Prediction – Jerry Lawler -——————————————-- Match 6 – Edge vs Alberto Del Rio James Curran Prediction – Alberto Del Rio Graham Matthews Prediction – Alberto Del Rio (New Champion) -———————————————- Match 7 – Kane/Big Show/Santanio/Vladirmir vs The Corre James Curran Prediction – Kane/Show/Santanio/Vladirmir Graham Matthews Prediction – Corre -———————————————-- Match 8 – Randy Orton vs CM Punk James Curran Prediction – Randy Orton Graham Matthews Prediction - Randy Orton -———————————————-- Match 9 – John Cena vs The Miz James Curran Prediction – The Miz Graham Matthews Prediction – John Cena (New champion) -———————————————-- Match 10 – Undertaker vs Triple H James Curran Prediction – Undertaker Graham Matthews Prediction - Undertaker -———————————————-- James Currans Opinion Of What Wrestlemania 27 Will Be Like: This years card only has 1 Match I found hard to predict and thats Undertaker vs Triple H. This year isnt the best with not even a single IC Title match, Yet Snookie has a match? The Show steller has been said to be Orton vs Punk however I think that match will be like HHH Vs Sheamus last year. Also Cole vs Lawner is shaping up like Vince vs Bret at Mania. No Suprize matches on the card and I practicly could have wrote this match 30 minutes after the Royal Rumble. Im wondering who wrote this card, Creative or Horswoggles pet dog? -———————————————-- Graham Matthews Opinion Of What WrestleMania 27 Will Be Like: This year's card has the potential to be something enjoyable. The United States Championship Match looks to be possibly the match of the night, and looks to open the show. I presume there will be a battle royal to include all talent not present on the card. The eight-man tag team match could be harmless, and Dolph Ziggler and John Morrison look to carry their respective match. Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes could also steal the show, and Punk and Orton should present a very solid contest. Jerry Lawler and Cole's match should be fun, and I'm hoping Jim Ross will involved somehow. The World Title match isn't that anticipating, but Christian's participation at ring-side should excite things. I believe the Undertaker-HHH match should go on second to last due to its high predictability, but should still pull out some strong spots. The WWE Championship should be highly suspenseful and I'm interested how Rock will get involved. Overall, I am very excited for WrestleMania 27 and hopefully it won't disappoint. -——————————————————- |
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