Your WWE 2012 Midterm Report

[#Classic Hi-Definition X]

So we're just about halfway through the year. How has WWE done so far?

[The Ichi]

D+. The weekly tv product has bored me a lot of times, especially anything involving Johnny Ace, but there have been at least 3 legitimate ***** matches on PPV this year, so that bumps the score up a little.

Still, less heel GMs please.

[Hit Girl]

D

[shallbejudged]

Overall I'd say about a b- is appropriate. If we were going show by show, I'd give smackdown a solid b+, with raw lagging behind somewhere around the C margin.

[Krimzon]

C

Good:
- Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Kane, and AJ's storyline
- Brock Lesnar returning and his match with Cena
- WrestleMania 28
- Extreme Rules
- Our Intellectual Savior, "The Enlightened One" Damien Sandow!
- THE RYBACK
- Returning legends from RAWs past
- Michael Cole being toned down
- Booker T still being awesome
- Ricardo Rodriguez
- The Prime Time Players
- The Funkasaurus and DEM ASSES
- Tensai
- Cena losing more

Bad:
- Tag Division still sucks
- Divas Division still sucks
- Chris Jericho's character
- John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis
- Big Show in general
- Santino's US Title reign
- The de-push of Zack Ryder
- Debuting Antonio Cesaro and then basically forgetting about him
- No new NXT in the US
- Jerry Lawler's commentary
- Hornswoggle
- "Lord" Tensai
- STILL NO KHARMA!
- Jinder Mahal
- The Great Khali being featured more
- The decline of Sheamus
- Alberto Del Rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[YeahYeahYeahYeahYeah]

D

Since about February, I've only really watched about 30 minutes total a week of their shows, maybe 45 minutes topd. I only pay attention to some parts of Raw, and I usually record and fast-forward Smackdown. The program I usually end up paying the most attention to is Superstars.

I realize that I'm mostly a fan of midcarders, so this is obviously affecting my enjoyment of the product, because... well, just look at the way WWE has been treating it's midcard. So yeah, I guess I'm probably inclined to be a bit more negative.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

I gave it a C+.

Good:
*Match quality in the world title scene. There have been few, if any, bad world title matches this year that went over 18 seconds
*As a whole, there have been no PPVs deemed any worse than "OK". Usually we've had at least one stinker by now
*The tag team division is starting to look healthy again, if not still underpromoted
*Great new talent, like Damien Sandow, Ryback, Antonio Cesaro and The Prime Time Players

Not Good:
*Over-reliance on John Cena-centric feuds to carry the brand
*The midcard is still toiling away with little indication of direction, especially with the United States Championship
*Divas Division (as a standalone division) is basically flatlining after the loss of The Bella Twins and extended absences of Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres and Kharma

[Ryback on a Pole!]

B -

We get some really good matches on TV, I generally like most of the roster, there's less lame comedy than in past years and we're finally getting a tag division again. Plus I love the new talent like Sandow, Ryback, Tensai and the Prime Time Players.

On the downside, the WWE still has the same faults. Little-to-no midcard, faces with no personality, lots of mediocrity with storylines, too many video packages/replays/Raw rebounds which stops the show becoming must see and eats up time on the "lesser" shows.

[Jimichiro Likes Erick Rowan]

From January 1st to Extreme Rules, I'd give it an A. From the Raw after Extreme Rules to now, I'd grade it a very low C- (a hair within a D, it's that close). So overall I'd give the year around a B. Despite the lull of the past couple months 2012 is probably the year I've enjoyed the most since 2008.

[Arrow]

C-. I enjoyed WWE, for the most part, from January to May. Ever since Extreme Rules ended, Raw has become almost unwatchable. John Laurinaitis playing yet another outdated heel authority figure, I'm growing very weary of Cena in a way I haven't felt since 2007, Punk and Sheamus do nothing for me as champions, freaking Big Show in the main event, and a midcard that feels more directionless than ever before. Haven't even bothered to see SmackDown. But WrestleMania and Extreme Rules were both awesome pay-per-views. I alternate between D and C-, but settled on the latter.

Overall, there's nothing about the show right now (since they got rid of Laurinaitis) that I could call terrible, but it's just terribly boring.

[Been burned too many times]

Haven't voted yet but I'm leaning towards maybe C-.

[Final Countdown Jones]

C+

Good:
-CM Punk has been in solid stuff this year. His feud with Jericho, though uncomfortable, produced good matches, as did his series with Mark Henry, and they remedied the lack of story in his feud with Bryan
-Lesnar returning, and as a result bringing Heyman back on TV
-Intercontintental title, aside from the Big Show thing, showing some promise and being used well
-Seeing how over Bryan was and giving a push post-Mania instead of messing it up and burying him somewhere in the midcard
-Wrestlemania was surprisingly not shithouse

Bad:
-Still Cena-centric
-Big Show main eventing anything
-Laurianaitis
-Santino with the US title
-Six months of jobber matches with Brodus, then feeding him to Big Show

[percymania]

A solid C. They did a great job earlier this year featuring the Rock and Brock Lesnar. Punk and Bryan have been great as well. They haven't done much to get me excited about the second half of the year though. Big Show, Cena, Ace and HHH are too busy sucking the life out of everything.

[thecrusherwi]

C. Feels like most of the time there is absolutely nothing going on, but WrestleMania and Extreme Rules were both really really good. So that gets them a satisfactory grade so far.

[Brother Nero....Wolfe]

C- for me. It feels good, but they depushed my favorite wrestler(Ryder) so far down the card that his matches are mostly meaningless. Yeah I know that's mostly on me, but they spent like 3 months been like "HEY LIKE THIS GUY" and I was like "I DO HE'S GREAT" and then he fell off the face of the earth so now I don't really have many guys I mark for.

[MolotovMocktail]

B-. Taking Cena out of the title picture (for now, at least) has really freshened it up. Punk's lost some of his edginess, but almost all his ppv matches have been incredible. And Daniel Bryan has really shined after I was initially skeptical about him turning heel. Ziggler, someone I was noncommital on at first, has brought it to the next level. Damien Sandow, Darren Young and Titus O'Neal all have major star potential. Antonio Cesaro will once he is featured more frequently. The tag division is slowly being built up with Primo & Epico, the Prime Time Players, etc. Sin Cara is back, and his last several matches he has looked a lot better since debuting.

However, this time of year, things generally take a downturn. Hot angles get dropped. Anyone other than Cena (despite not being champ or in a title picture) is ignored. And there is usually just bad luck with injuries. Big Show's heel turn was sloppy, haphazard, nonsensical, not asked for (he was pretty well over), and does nothing for the show.

Still, less heel GMs please.

I'd say no GM, period. Let the commentators mention edicts handed down from the Board of Directors, who, like Jack Tunney, are impartial and will not take up significant screen time.

[chazraps]

I'm not rating based on comparing it to what-it-could-be, but rather how I feel about what it is.

B+, I'm really enjoying who they're featuring and I think they're making the absolute best of their limitations. The main event and upper-mid-card is largely talented people who I enjoy watching, and I really love the slow build of the new superstars.

[mizerable]

D+

So much rehashed crap, even if the match quality is there, you have to sell me on the feud first before I bother. It really seems like it's getting ready to crash come Summerslam when Cena reclaims his stupid belt.

[ronin705]

Went With B-
Pros:
- Punk & DB top tier competitors
- John Cena's been away from the championship for a good while, and maintained his status through top-caliber feuds (Rock, Lesnar, Show)
- The Era of "People Power", specifically Johnny Ace

Cons:
- Squandering Dolph Ziggler's potential
- "18 Seconds"
- Tag Division is still pretty weak, though The Primetime Players are a definite help
- Kofi Kingston s& Cody Rhodes are still midcard for some unexplained reason

[Celgress]

C+ a tad disappointing post 'Mania honestly, hopefully the now annual big summer angle will a a good one......