I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays so far; I know I am. The new year is just around the corner and thankfully, the end of the world talk is over…or is it? Solar flares in 2013 are the new water cooler hot-topic and unlike the hoopla surrounding the end of the Mayan calendar, NASA isn't denying the potential threats associated with the sun basically waking up from a deep slumber.
Need a picture in your head to illustrate what's possible? One expert put it like this: "Imagine 20 Hurricane Katrinas ravaging the earth simultaneously". The description was a worst-case scenario, but it's still a pretty frightening thought. Do a little research if you haven't and get up to speed. If not, don't say I didn't warn you when all communications are lost because a massive solar flare (like the one that hit in 1859) wipes out our national grid.
Go ask Kevin Nash to enlighten you.
On to a little wrestling talk. I asked my trusty Twitter followers to send in some topic suggestions for my Cashbox this week. I couldn't pick just one, so I decided to respond to several, plus I'll add some of my own random thoughts. If you don't already, follow me on Twitter – it truly is a one-of-a-kind experience!
The Handling of Alberto Del Rio
I was already thinking it, after Monday's edition of Raw, but @JonAlbaSFC mentioned the "sporadic" handling of ADR of late. It's too early to tell whether or not WWE felt Del Rio's face turn was a mistake, but there certainly seems to be some question marks.
I'm not sure if his future will continue as a good guy or not, but it's the route I would take if I had the almighty pen. I think it's safe to say Del Rio has run his course, for now, as a main event bad guy.
Fans never truly invested in his stardom. And neither did the office. I believe those two facts are a repeating pattern of cause and effect, too. As in, fans never bought into ADR fully because they weren't given a reason to by the office, while at the same time, the office was hoping fans would buy in more due to the little they did give him. Even so, I wouldn't call the up-and-down year he had as a result a failure.
There's still potential life in Alberto Del Rio (and his sidekick, Ricardo), but it needs to be as a fan favorite.
If/When Ryback Could Become World Champion
Despite what my first couple of paragraphs may lead you to believe, I don't consider myself a prophet. I have no crystal ball that allows me to see into the future. HOWEVER, if I did have one, I think it would be telling me that 2013 is going to be a challenging year for the number one contender to CM Punk's WWE Championship.
In two weeks, I believe you're going to see the final page of this particular chapter in Ryback's book come to an end. His spot as a main event opponent for Punk is over a week from this Monday.
There's nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but it does beg the question: What does his future hold?
Since that wasn't the exact question posed to me by Kevin Brogan @k_bro25, I'll respond by saying 2013 will NOT be the year Ryback sees major gold.
