The Wrestling Framework 01.22.12: Muta Double A
Posted by Aaron Frame on 01.22.2012
This week we look at Muta in America. He was the NWA TV champ and he took on the challenging Arn Anderson in a match that is sure to keep you entertained. Past vs. Present and more!
Hey there wrestling fans and welcome to The Wrestling Framework!
This week I've got another match with The Great Muta, because as I've said, he's one of my all time favorites. This match I chose because it shows that at one point Muta was a big player in the US. He was a mainstay in the NWA for a good while. As you can see, he was the TV champ. I know Muta came back later to WCW, but I didn't much care for his run there. And the challenger for Muta's TV title was none other than the enforcer of the Four Horsemen, Arn Anderson. Arn Anderson is truly one of the all time greats that is sorely underrated these days. He was a damn good wrestler. He could go balls to the wall and pummel your ass one second, then the next he's throwing you around with such technical prowess it's amazing. And this match is a good showcase of both men's styles.
Which brings us to Past vs. Present which I'm going to take a different route this week. I'm going to present a wrestler from the past and give a bio about him and I want you, the reader, to give me who you think resembles that wrestler today. And this week, I'm going to kick it off with none other than Arn Anderson. Why? Because I think there needs to be that Arn Anderson type of guy still around. But I'll get in to that later.
The Bonus Round is going to see something a bit different, too. I think until I come up with something else, I'm just going to breakdown the week in main stream wrestling. Talk about what I liked, what I didn't like, and what should be improved upon. Should be a fun time, so lets get to it.
Every category is rated 0-2.
0-.5: Bad
.5-1: Okay
1-1.5: Good
1.5-2: Excellent
Then the scores are added up from the five different categories of the Big 5; psychology, work rate, crowd, spots and finish. The final score will be a number 1-10.
0-1: Unwatchable
1-2: Terrible
2-3: Bad
3-4: Passable
4-5: Okay
5-6: Not Bad
6-7: Decent
7-8: Good
8-9: Really Good
9-10: Excellent
Psychology: Muta and Arn had surprisingly great chemistry. They were able to make this match in to a great story. This title match felt more like a world title match vice a TV title match. Everything they did had a purpose and it helped move the match along smoothly. I was a little worried at first seeing as how they both had drastically different styles, but they made it work and it work really, really well. But that's like saying Michael Jordan was really good at playing basketball. Both men have become known for their exceptional work in the ring. I do believe at this point, though, that Muta was not as huge as he was to become. In fact, the NWA was where he became The Great Muta. Before this, his time in NJPW was nothing to shake a stick at. And he had some time in WCCW where he feuded with Kevin Von Erich and in Puerto Rico as well. But this was the culmination of what was to become one of the best and most recognizable characters in professional wrestling.
Work Rate: The work rate here was top notch. Again, I would expect nothing less from these two. Especially Arn himself. Arn had seen a lot more high profile matches and a lot more success than Muta. Arn was a multi-time tag team champion, including a WWF tag team title reign killing Demolitions historic 478 day reign, and he had also held on to the TV title that he was wrestling for. So Arn could have carried Muta through this match easily. But as you can see, that is NOT the case. Muta was billed as The Great Muta because of his skill. And it was definitely easy to see why. Both men used their own unique style perfectly and made them mesh so well. This is something else that's missing these days. I want WWE or TNA to bring in more guys from Japan. They could make the matches that have become so bland and boring and turn them in to something completely different. Of course, I kind of doubt the American crowd would really take to their style as much as us "smart" fans tend to. But you can't deny that some of the wrestlers in the business today could stand to wrestle against someone of a different style and learn something different. Look at the success of a lot of guys who have experience from other countries. Japan itself sends wrestlers here to learn how to work our style and to Mexico to learn theirs.
Crowd: The crowd was all over this match. Hardly a point of silence the entire time of the match. This here was another high profile crowd making a match feel like a high profile match. Back in the day, a title like the TV title wasn't just a prop like the IC or US title is today. It meant something. There were legit contenders who would do anything to get these titles. And the crowd actually cared about those titles and wanted to see people chase those titles and win them or lose them. This is a perfect example of that. The crowd really seemed to care about the fact that Arn Anderson had just won the title off of Muta. Muta was the heel and the fans wanted to see him lose his title because he was a heel and not because he sucked as a wrestler. This crowd was able to get behind Arn and make the match seem like it was for the NWA title itself. This was what an awesome PPV main event gets as far as a crowd these days. Granted, this was the main event for NWA Power Hour, so that may have helped, but you would have never expected it to be a TV title match just from the way the crowd was in to this match.
Spots: The spots here were damn good. There was a mix of the usual American technical style and the more quick paced, flashy Japanese style. There was a lot of back and forth between the two and some top notch reversal spots. They all seemed to fit perfectly and never really killed the flow of the match. Instead they helped the match flow better and keep that excitement alive that was keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. They even had the good old outside brawl. While it wasn't way over the top like it would have been in Japan, it was still good to see them get outside and brawl a bit. And you also had the classic "heel has his buddies distract the ref and attack his opponent to get the win" spot. And it didn't work! They followed up with the "face kicks out at the last second to show how much heart he has" spot! That was pretty damn epic. And they continued the fight and from there, Arn blocked the moonsault and followed it up with a DDT and the win. This match had all the right spots in all the right spots. Oh yeah, I totally said it.
Finish: Pretty solid finish. I approve. It gave Arn a pretty strong victory by overcoming the odds of having JPEX on the outside supporting Muta. Of course, I think it did hurt Muta a bit, but at the same time, he had the heel factor behind him, so it probably didn't hurt his image at all. Not like it really matters, I believe Muta was gone and back to NJPW like a month later. The block of the moonsault to the DDT was a great way to have the face get the victory. And it made the TV title look good in the process. It was a hard fought battle and it paid off in the end making both guys and the title look good. I honestly have no faults with this ending. I'm trying to see if there is anything that I can say negative about it, but I think I like it to the point that I'm just going to call it perfect and be happy with it.
Overall: I love this match. I picked it because of the announcement of the Four Horsemen being inducted. I've always been a fan of Arn and looked for a match with him in it. When I saw that he was facing Muta, I jumped all over it. And I'm glad I did. This is like the wrestling I usually show from Japan, but it was in the US. I think I said that Anderson had been in Japan or elsewhere earlier in this write up, but that was wrong. Arn spent a lot of time with JCP, WWF, and WCW. Muta has been around the block, too. Muta was in NJPW, WCCW, Puerto Rico, WCW, AJPW, and FCW. Of course, this was CWF(Championship Wrestling from Florida) at the time before it closed in 1987 and FCW now is based on that same promotion. So, Muta has more worldwide experience where as Arn is a homegrown talent. Muta did a lot of work for WCW and made a pretty big name for himself here in the states. I would like to see him get inducted to the hall of fame as well. Maybe not the WWE one, but the actual Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame at least.
WINNER: Arn Anderson
COMMERCIAL BREAK
If you're also a Star Wars nerd like me, you'll know of this. If you haven't checked out Star Wars: The Old Republic, it's every bit as awesome as it looks.
PAST VS. PRESENT
Arn Anderson
VS.
?
THOUGHTS
So, I decided to do it this way because I'm honestly pretty terrible at seeing likeness in things. A lot of the previous PvP came from you guys. Save for the comparison of the different companies. But that was child's play. This week, and maybe next week, I'm presenting to you one of the legendary greats of the business's past and I want you to tell me who you think resembles him the most today.
As you can see, I chose Arn Anderson. Arn has always been regarded as one of the greats, but his career never really reflected that. He spent most of his time as a tag team wrestler and saw a little success as a singles competitor. He did hold several different tag team titles including the NWA, WWF, and WCW tag team titles while teaming with Ole Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Larry Zbyszko. While Arn was never really billed as a dominant singles competitor, he has held the NWA/WCW Television title on a few seperate occasions. He was always known as a tag team wrestler. A utility man. A guy who was always there to help someone else to achieve the greatness he so badly deserved. And he never got the recognition that he deserved. He never got his chance to be a world champion. He never got his chance to headline huge sold out shows. Some people will say that Arn wasn't able to be the guy. That while he was good, he wasn't THAT good. He didn't have that "it" factor. I'll admit that if you saw Arn outside of the ring, you wouldn't think that he'd just as soon kick your ass as shake your hand. But you can't deny that Arn was without a doubt one of the best promo guys out there at the time. That's why he did so well hanging with another great promo guy AND world champion like Ric Flair. While Arn was the strong arm of the Horsemen, the enforcer, he was also one of the better talkers. Never really cared much for hearing JJ Dillon or Windham talk. It was always Flair and Arn that I wanted to hear.
Now, I guess what we're looking for is a guy who is known for being a tough SOB, but has been a tag team guy with minimal singles success. A guy who will help someone else achieve greatness that he deserves to get. A guy who can cut a first rate promo. A guy who will go out to the ring and look good while making someone else look amazing. I have a few ideas, but I want to hear what you guys think first. I'm excited to see what you guys can come up with. And if one of you gives me a good write up of why you think wrestler X resembles Arn, I'll put it in the column.
I'll put this here to give you a bit of a hand.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
In honor of season 3 of Archer premiering...
B-B-B-BONUS ROUND!
So this week I'm just going to give you my take on this week in mainstream wrestling. The ups and downs and lefts and rights. Starting with...
RAW SUPERSHOW
This week in main stream wrestling seemed really mediocre. RAW could have been better. I'm interested to see Ryder/Swagger/US Title/Kane/Cena/Whatever play out. I'm definitely interested to see where this will take Cena. His uncharacteristic beating of Swagger was actually nice to see. I'm hoping that Ryder goes on the hunt again for the US Title and Swagger continues to get the upper hand through means that aren't exactly legal. Actually, to see him win a few times cleanly wouldn't hurt either. Would be a good way to rebuild Swagger and make him relevant again. Sucks to know that Bourne messed up again. I was really behind Air Boom as a team, but I'm glad to see Epico and Primo get their shot with the titles. The battle royal seemed like a huge waste of time. It was a good way to show off four of the possible top contenders in the Rumble itself, but I think it was too short for it to be effective. Good to see R-Truth get a victory though. I'm not sure if I'm digging this new crazy babyface Truth, yet. Funkasaurus got another squash match. Which I can dig. I'm actually beginning to like Brodus Clay in his new role. And my wife thinks it's hilarious. Speaking of my wife, she also think CM Punk is hot. I guess the ladies really do love Punk. Speaking of CM Punk, the main event of RAW was interesting. I think it was a little too chaotic, though. Everything was going fine until Jericho did his thing and took off. Bryan and Henry fight to the back leaving Punk alone and prompting Foley to get involved in the match. And I'm probably not the only one, but Foley looked like crap. I mean, more so than usual. You can tell he hasn't set foot in a ring to wrestle in a while. Those forearms in the corner looked disgustingly bad. The only good thing that I could see from the main event was the events that unfolded afterwards. Watching Punk destroy Laurenitis was pretty fun. And I think that Johnny Ace just had a bad day as it seemed like the two top faces of the RAW brand wanted to yell at him. I guess that's why he finally snapped and popped Foley. Overall, a pretty underwhelming RAW. It had a few good spots, but most of it was forgettable.
IMPACT WRESTLING
Wow, you know, I think Impact this week was by far my favorite show. Don't crucify me too hardly about that, just stick with me on this. There was some great promo work like always from guys like Roode, Storm, and Angle. The Gunner vs. Styles match was actually really good. I enjoyed watching these two go at it and watching as they gelled rather nicely. Was a decent opening match. And I like how they keep the Kazarian.Styles thing going. But we don't know where. It keeps my intrigue. Between this match and the Crimson squash, there was a lot of talking and set up for matches later, which is always a good thing. Then there was the horrible squash match that we had to sit through could have been avoided. I'd at least like them to make it look like Crimson could actually lose, but instead make him out to be the reincarnation of Goldberg. It sucks because it's rather predictable. I don't think he'll lose until he gets the world title. Loved seeing Joe and Magnus still together and taking it to Crimson then Morgan. I hope they actually get a tag title run soon. I think it'd be good for both Magnus and Joe. Especially Joe. The EY/ODB stuff was kind of funny, but lasted a little too long for me. The recap of last week should have been at the beginning of the show, in my opinion. But it was a decent little segment. This was followed up by some Knockouts stuff from Genesis followed by more Knockouts stuff and...a commercial. So from commercial to commercial with no wrestling. Meh, it's bound to happen every once in a while. Mickie and Madison in a cage was actually a lot of fun to watch. I wish WWE could do some stuff like this, but their Divas just don't quite come off as buxom as the Knockouts do. So, they have Aries talk about himself before the commercial and Mickie celebrating after it. A little mixed up in my mind there. But to wrap things up here, we get a lot more talking and promo time followed by a less than 2 minute throw away match and a pretty damn good main event. And it seems Bully Ray is Roodes enforcer now. Hey...Bully...enforcer....hmmmm....
SMACKDOWN
Smackdown is usually the fun show for me. It's the end of the week, I'm drinking beer and relaxing from a hectic week. But this weeks gimmick SD was a bit of a letdown. Don't get me wrong, there was some good matches to be had. Cody Rhodes and Justin Gabriel was a solid bout. And I'm starting to really get behind Justin Gabriel as a face. I see more of a future in him than Heath Slater. The tag team action was also surprisingly good. I loved the fact that it was a tornado tag team match. I haven't actually seen a legit tornado tag match without a TLC gimmick or something like that in WWE. And it was a great way to showcase two outstanding teams. I'm really hoping that they continue to let Epico/Primo and the Usos battle for the tag titles instead of taking two random guys from the midcard paired together to hold on to the titles until they figure something else out. I think there's a lot of potential with these two teams. The dance off was pretty funny. I have to admit my wife and I were laughing pretty hard. I like the new Brodus Clay. At first I was pissed that they made him in to the Funkasaurus, but I'm finding myself getting behind the goofy character. And Brodus seems to really enjoy doing it, so at least he's not being forced to do it. Oh! William Regal sighting! That was pretty cool. Always a treat when he's on my TV...on second thought, maybe not this time. The tables match between Barrett and Shaemus was also a decent bout. The Jinder Mahal interference was predictable though. And Shaemus losing because of it. Not really too impressed with the whole Shaemus/Barrett/Mahal thing going on here. Seems like Mahal is just the annoying third wheel while Shaemus keeps Barrett occupied until Orton comes back. The flag match was such a dud that I think I fell asleep during it. The blindfold match was just too ridiculous to watch. A cool throwback to an awful match, I guess. And the main event turned in to chaos with another no contest for Daniel. I was hoping for something better. But it built to the PPV match, so, I can't complain much. Overall, just a very mediocre gimmick show that should have been better.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Well, this week is in the bag. Come on back next week to catch more classic wrestling and to see who I've chosen as the Arn Anderson comparison. Until next week...
Both are primarily acknowledged as great tag team wrestlers. Anderson with Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Storm with Chris Harris and Bobby Roode.
Both Anderson and Storm are Southern guys who are awesome on the mic and can brawl or be technical with equal skill.
Arn was given multiple runs with the NWA and WCW TV title but was never really given a chance to break out of the midcard with the exception of his stuff as part of the Horsemen and Dangerous Alliance.
James Storm had a solid singles run as TNA Beer Drinking Champ (WTF!) but was never given a chance to break out of the midcard with the exception of his stuff as part of Jarrett's Army and Foutune.
James Storm's comparison to Arn Anderson is very much like Daniel Bryan's to Dean Malenko. Like Bryan, Storm has been pushed up the card, winning the TNA title and feuding with Kurt Angle. Yet another sign of progress in wrestling.
Where once talented guys like Anderson and Malenko were pigeonholed in the midcard, now their modern equivalents in Storm and Bryant are breaking the glass ceiling and in some ways proving the genius of Anderson and Malenko, who were held back by arbitrary standards like looks and size.
Posted By: Nick (Guest) on January 21, 2012 at 11:52 PM
I give this column another chance after a month of "boycotting." What do I read? More praise for TNA over WWE! Oh well, see you again in another month or so...
Posted By: Guest#4981 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:07 AM
I could see Bob Holly as a modern day Arn, though he was far less successful as either a tag or singles wrestler. He dominate a midcard title division for a short while (the Hardcore title) like
Arn held down the TV title. And he held the tag titles with a kayfabe relative (Crash Holly) like Arn and Ole. He also had that badass, no nonsense attitude and wrestled a style that was stiff and crisp but not very flashy (save for that Dropkick). Plus, the Alabama Slam is a form of Spinebuster. All Bob was really missing was a top tier superstar to play henchman to; he really should have jumped on the clique bandwagon back when he was teaming with 123 Kid. Maybe Bob could have been Triple H's enforcer if he hadn't been too busy racing cars.
Posted By: Beard Money (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:12 AM
The modern day Arn Anderson is James Storm.
Both are primarily acknowledged as great tag team wrestlers. Anderson with Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Storm with Chris Harris and Bobby Roode.
Both Anderson and Storm are Southern guys who are awesome on the mic and can brawl or be technical with equal skill.
Arn was given multiple runs with the NWA and WCW TV title but was never really given a chance to break out of the midcard with the exception of his stuff as part of the Horsemen and Dangerous Alliance.
James Storm had a solid singles run as TNA Beer Drinking Champ (WTF!) but was never given a chance to break out of the midcard with the exception of his stuff as part of Jarrett's Army and Foutune.
James Storm's comparison to Arn Anderson is very much like Daniel Bryan's to Dean Malenko. Like Bryan, Storm has been pushed up the card, winning the TNA title and feuding with Kurt Angle. Yet another sign of progress in wrestling.
Where once talented guys like Anderson and Malenko were pigeonholed in the midcard, now their modern equivalents in Storm and Bryant are breaking the glass ceiling and in some ways proving the genius of Anderson and Malenko, who were held back by arbitrary standards like looks and size.
Posted By: Nick (Guest) on January 21, 2012 at 11:52 PM
I WAS going to say Bully Ray...WAS
Posted By: Flamenco (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:24 AM
lol at nick. james storm sucks dude.
Posted By: Guest#5370 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:36 AM
no, enough with TNA. boycott TNA. i cant stand watching that show. one of the reasons i hate TNA so much is because of losers like garett bischoff.
Posted By: Guest#3859 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:37 AM
WWE is the best wrestling company in the world. WWE has the best of both worlds, its PG for the kids but is still edgy for the adults. and WWE got two of the best all around wrestlers in the world, Jericho and cm punk. cant wait for jericho to turn heel..
Posted By: ShadowMaster258 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:37 AM
Fun Stuff: Great Muta vs. Jinsei Shinzaki, Great Muta "kills" Shinzaki sending him to hades to fight The Undertaker.
Posted By: Guest#6945 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 01:05 AM
Great match and great column.
Posted By: Still Guest#8287 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 01:19 AM
Modern AA: Bully Ray.
Honorable Mention: James Storm
Posted By: Guest#7779 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 01:43 AM
The modern day Arn Anderson is James Storm.
Both are primarily acknowledged as great tag team wrestlers. Anderson with Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Storm with Chris Harris and Bobby Roode.
Both Anderson and Storm are Southern guys who are awesome on the mic and can brawl or be technical with equal skill.
Arn was given multiple runs with the NWA and WCW TV title but was never really given a chance to break out of the midcard with the exception of his stuff as part of the Horsemen and Dangerous Alliance.
James Storm had a solid singles run as TNA Beer Drinking Champ (WTF!) but was never given a chance to break out of the midcard with the exception of his stuff as part of Jarrett's Army and Foutune.
James Storm's comparison to Arn Anderson is very much like Daniel Bryan's to Dean Malenko. Like Bryan, Storm has been pushed up the card, winning the TNA title and feuding with Kurt Angle. Yet another sign of progress in wrestling.
Where once talented guys like Anderson and Malenko were pigeonholed in the midcard, now their modern equivalents in Storm and Bryant are breaking the glass ceiling and in some ways proving the genius of Anderson and Malenko, who were held back by arbitrary standards like looks and size.
Posted By: Nick (Guest) on January 21, 2012 at 11:52 PM
Don't forget the beard. NEVER FORGET THE BEARD!!!
Posted By: Dr Wiki (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 02:20 AM
Nice column!
I really enjoyed Muta vs. Anderson. Both are among my favorites of all time and it's a shame that Jim Herd made no attempt to keep Muta (according to Gary Hart's book).
I can see where people see Arn in Bully Ray, James Storm, and Bob Holly.
I think I would lean slightly more towards Bully Ray simply because I believe they represent the best in tag team wrestling from their respective generation.
In my opinion, I define Arn as the greatest tag wrestler ever, more so than anything else and while Ray has not had the chance to show his versatility with different partners like Arn...I think he would be as excellent if given the chance.
Posted By: TK (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 03:19 AM
Let me preface this by saying that I enjoy your column. The Framework is the only column other than the Sandwich that I read regularly. While I may disagree with you more often than not, I find you to be both intellectually honest and consistent.
With that out of the way.
Why do you feel compelled to apologize for not only liking TNA, but for having the temerity to believe that on a given week, Impact can be superior to Raw and Smackdown?
I understand that 411 is a WWE-centric website and that the people who read and comment are little more than a Vince McMahon worshiping, echo chamber that naively believes it represents wrestling fans. But I fail to see why you feel as though you must prepare the lemmings that you think out of 6 hours of televised wrestling this week, you enjoyed the 2 produced by TNA most.
I understand that the accepted practice at 411 is to trash TNA at every turn and the reactionary WWE fanboys curl up into the fetal position, sucking their thumbs at the mere mention that somebody not named Vince McMahon has actually put together an interesting and entertaining wrestling promotion, but I fail to see why you feel that you must coddle them even more than they already are.
If you feel as though you must cater to the WWE fanboys, then why not just ignore TNA like so many of your colleagues who call themselves fans of wrestling, but really are just fans of WWE?
If you fear the backlash of the infantile masses who are as dependent on Vince McMahon as a junkie is to heroin, then why not simply trash TNA blindly even as you admit to never watching Impact as so many of your colleagues choose to do each week?
If you are of the opinion that even the smallest positive remark on TNA, Impact, or it's wrestlers will result in a torrent of shit throwing within your comment section comparable to what we see week in and week out in the Sandwich, then why not simply follow the lead of your colleagues and inconsistently praise WWE for doing the exact same thing you had previously trashed TNA for doing?
Mick Foley is merely the latest example.
In TNA, he was old, washed up, and embarrassing. TNA was ridiculous for placing him in any king of featured position...but when he shows up on RAW the same people loved that he was interjected into a main event on Raw and immediately supported his possible inclusion in the Royal Rumble.
Such is the power of the almighty wizard, Vince McMahon. He can turn water into wine and make Mick Foley a legend again.
As an unabashed TNA fan, I would actually prefer that you follow the lead of your colleagues regarding TNA. If you are not willing to stand up without apology for your honest opinion but choose instead to give comfort to those with blind hatred for TNA, then your credibility will cease to exist.
Posted By: WWE IS SHIT...BUT FRAME IS OK (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 04:04 AM
I can kind of see Bob Holly in Arn Anderson...but since he is semi-retired, I would DQ him from consideration.
I can kind of see Bully Ray...but since he was part of The Dudley's for so long and has not shown Arn's adaptability, I would DQ him from consideration.
I can kind of see James Storm...but since ,for better or worse, TNA is just too small a stage for him to be comparable, I would DQ him from consideration.
At the end of the day, I think Arn is one of the hardest wrestlers to find a modern comparison. TNA is basically a TV company and does not provide the stage to show if anybody on the roster could be Arn. WWE has demolished it's tag team division to such an extent that you really can't find a multifaceted tag team wrestler like Arn.
This is out of left field, but I would vote for Christian.
Christian's tag teams with Edge, Lance Storm, and Chris Jericho were all excellent. While his style is nothing like Arn's, they both are great talkers and top notch in the ring.
Like I said finding a modern day Arn Anderson is really tough...but I'd vote for Christian.
Posted By: Gay for HBK (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 04:30 AM
Good column. Arn was super back in the day and it's good to see him go into the HoF. Oh, and I love the Katherine gif at the end. Nice touch.
Posted By: RD (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:13 PM
The modern day version of Arn Anderson is, without a doubt, Bully Ray. I would say James Storm, but, alas, James Storm has achieved a world championship. Although his reign was very short, he still reached the mountain top, while Bully Ray has not.
Bully Ray embodies everything that you mentioned. While he has never been a top notch worker throughout his career, save for the past year, he has been a part of many groundbreaking and memorable matches, including the TLC matches. He has also improved, in the ring, throughout his career. Even back in the day, though, he was capable of putting on a 4-5 star match in hardcore settings. He is now capable of putting on a three star match regularly, which is something that most guys in the back would be proud of.
Bully was part of the most successful tag team in American history, The Dudley Boyz/Team 3D. He is also an ECW Original, which, in the wrestling industry, means that he is one tough SOB. When he started in WWE, he was known for being a crazy man, putting people, and women, through tables, and for TLC. Later on in WWE, he was a mainstay in the hardcore division. To me, he is one of the toughest workers in the past two decades.
He has never been a top guy, more of a mid card bit player/tag team specialist, but he has always been important, and The Dudleyz/Team 3D have always been solid mainstays in every company in which they have worked for.
When The Dudleyz/Team 3D were still together, Bully was always the guy who talked, while D-Von would always say something at the end of each promo. Bully is one of the best and under appreciated talkers of the past decade. He can deliver a hard-hitting, straight to the point promo just as good as anyone else, and might be the best at it, presently.
Bully has always put others over, obviously, but he has always done a good job at it. His in-ring psychology is very good, as well. Ever see Bully get hit in the head with a foreign object, or a finisher, and see his eyes roll back in his head, as if he is seizing? He's the best in the business at feigning injury.
Bully is also willing to take big bumps to make others look amazing. A good example of this is from his tag team tables match at Royal Rumble 2000, in which he took a double leg drop, through a table, from both Hardyz at once, and then was pushed off of the top of the entrance through three tables. This is just one example of his toughness, throughout his career.
Posted By: Andis (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:31 PM
Adam Pearce is the closest thing in my eyes.
Posted By: Guest#2862 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 01:25 PM
Normally this is a troll free column.
I guess it couldn't last forever...
Posted By: Guest#4962 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 01:31 PM
Great choice of wrestlers this time: The Great Muta is best wrestler in the world in my opinion. Good to see him on 411 finally.
And Arn Anderson is one of those guys who never hold world title but damn, he deserved it.
Please Minoru Suzuki and DDP for the next article.
Posted By: ermacermac (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 01:51 PM
Like I said finding a modern day Arn Anderson is really tough...but I'd vote for Christian.
Posted By: Gay for HBK (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 04:30 AM
I was going to say Christian, but I think he's accomplished too much as a singles wrestler. (Yes, I do consider his time atop TNA as a big accomplishment.)
Posted By: Guest#1283 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 02:35 PM
@WISBFIO
I'm pretty sure the reason I do it is because most of the fanbase here is WWE-centric and they tend to also be very outspoken. It's more of an attempt to ward off trolls from my comments section. And as far as credibility goes, I don't see how this would effect it. If anything, I can just stop being apologetic. But I'm a nice guy and I'd rather not piss people off too much. In this way, I hope to keep those with less than stellar viewpoints away. As much of a stretch that may be, I stand by my thought process on that.
Posted By: Aaron Frame (Registered) on January 22, 2012 at 02:50 PM
Modern day Arn Anderson is Zack Ryder. Why? Because Arn got his spot because of Flair, bottom line. Same way Ryder has his because of Cena, same way Beefcake got his because of Hogan. Is Arn infinitely more talented than those guys? Yeah without question. But he had the physique of the Pillsburghy Doughboy and looked 40 years old when he was 25. Arn was great, but his standing on the card was as high as it should have been.
Posted By: Patrick Mullen (Registered) on January 22, 2012 at 03:08 PM
I like the suggestion of Christian, except for the fact that he's won top level singles gold in TNA and WWE. I also like the suggestion of James Storm, except that he too has held top level singles gold.
One guy that might not immediately come to mind but is kind of interesting is El Generico. He doesn't necessarily have the "it" factor to be the top dog in a larger promotion. But he does have a fair amount of charisma in his own right. Also, as a tag partner with Kevin Steen, they formed one of my favorite tag teams in recent memory. While he hasn't exactly played the second to a highly dominant individual, he did help to get Kevin Steen even more over on the indy scene once they went into their brutal feud. And, honestly, it really was Kevin Steen that was elevated from that feud to a much greater extent than El Generico. Finally, the only person that I've seen consistently do a Brainbuster better than El Generico is AA.
Also, to a much lesser extent, if he had been given a chance Luke Gallows could have fit the role of a modern day AA to a T. He was the loyal enforcer for CM Punk but just never had someone to work with to pursue Tag Team gold. He didn't get a chance to let his full charisma shine but he had moments. And he could have been an awesome second.
Posted By: PK (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 03:35 PM
It's not JPEX, it's JTex. (Japan and Texas)
Posted By: #I'mjustsayin'... (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 08:35 PM
I loved the Muta/Anderson match. Both of these guys are Hall of Fame level wrestlers and they really complimented each other...although I can't think of a wrestler these guys couldn't guide to an excellent match, it was really cool to see them together.
Count mine as a vote for James Storm. I think Nick lays out a better argument than I could mount, so instead of being redundant, I'll just say ditto.
I can appreciate what WISBFIO is saying and that nobody should ever apologize for their OPINION...but I have to side with Frame and his approach.
It takes so little effort to be civil and respectful and when you acknowledge that those who may disagree hold an equally valid OPINION, it makes the give and take of a discussion or debate actually worthwhile.
The easy way out of a discussion is to be polarizing in you beliefs and believing opinion and fact are synonymous. The response will always be to be equally obstinate, so what purpose does being impolite serve other than to hear the sound of your own voice.
Just look at the political discourse in our country. We would rather scream about our disagreements than spend even 5 minutes on that which we agree.
411 is no different...except in the Framework.
Hopefully, WISBFIO, you will join the discussion instead of standing alone.
Posted By: Ronnie (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 09:39 PM
Don't forget the beard. NEVER FORGET THE BEARD!!!
Posted By: Dr Wiki (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 02:20 AM
I stand corrected, sir
Posted By: Nick (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 09:47 PM
There are some really good suggestions for the Arn Anderson comparison. I would not argue too hard against any of but here are just a few caveats:
I see much more Tully Blanchard in Christian than I do Arn.
In my opinion Storm just isn't as good in the ring as Arn.
Bully Ray is a pure brawler and has not shown himself to be as versatile as Arn.
I think the workhorse aspect is very important. Nothing was ever developed for Arn. The Horsemen was an organic creation and he was never one of the featured guys. Same deal in the Dangerous Alliance. He was thrown in tag teams with Zbyszko, Eaton, and Roma and ended up champs with them all.
Arn was an awesome talent...not awesome enough in booker's eyes to be a top guy...but great enough that he could be plugged in anywhere and make it work.
The modern Ann Anderson is Chistopher Daniels. Daniels is supremely talented but he's never been the top guy. He has been tag champ with AJ and Skipper, he's been in numerous factions, he's been Curry Man and Suicide.
Daniels is a gifted workhorse...just like Double A.
Posted By: Frisco Kid (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 10:16 PM
As much as I love Ric Flair and believe he was the driving force behind the Horsemen, I think Arn Anderson was every bit as great and every bit as important to the brilliance that was the Horsemen.
Muta is the greatest Japanese wrestler of his generation and 2nd only to Jumbo Tsuruta in my book.
Their match was just as great as I imagined it would be...which is actually pretty astounding since living up to heightened expectations is pretty damn hard to do.
I have to go with James Storm as the Arn Anderson of today. Like Arn, he can claim to be 1/2 of the 2 greatest tag team of his generation (although I give Arn 3 w/ Ole, Tully, and Bobby Eaton) and both a lights out in promos.
I really don't think anybody else comes close.
Posted By: Fagabeefy? (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 10:31 PM
Muta vs Anderson was great.
But the million dollar question is who is today's Double A.
I'm really torn between James Storm and Christian.
I don't hold their world title runs against than anymore than I did Daniel Bryan/Dean Malenko.
It's a really tough call, but I guess the tie-breaker would be be physical appearance. James Storm is thick...Christian more slight. James Storm is from Tennessee...Christian is Canadian. James Storm has a man's beard...Christian is usually clean shaven or rocks a flesh-colored beard.
I have to go with James Storm.
Posted By: Mark Schoeman (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 11:00 PM
Arn was an amazing promo guy because HE WAS REAL.
Best promo guys of all time is Arn Anderson,Bret Hart(who very underrated on the mic but Bret can sell a feud,match and storyline better than anyone),Ric Flair,Ole Anderson(Georgia days, one promo from him and he can sell out the building),Dick Murdoch,Dusty Rhodes, The Rock and Mick Foley. Best Promo guys this business ever seen.
Posted By: USAUSA1 (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 11:19 PM
@ WISBFIO
I think what you fail to understand is that Frame is the type of person who can disagree without being disagreeable. He respects other people and their opinions even when he doesn't agree.
You, on the other hand, would rather pick a fight and denigrate others than even try to find a sliver of common ground. You take pleasure in acting superior to everybody.
I can tell from your posts that clearly you are both intelligent and well read, but I believe your emotional IQ is severely lacking.
What do you gain from slamming the people who hate everything that isn't WWE?
How does that harm you?
It's just their opinion, why do you even care?
Posted By: Freddie Prince Jr. (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 11:24 PM
The AA comparison is a tough one.
I would nominate James Storm, Christian, and Christopher Daniels.
And if you put a gun to my head, I'd vote for the Fallen Angel AKA the Curry Man AKA Suicide.
And you're not alone in your opinion of Impact. I think Impact has actually been the best show for a couple months now.
I know the majority prefers Raw and Smackdown, but I would tell them at the very least they should give TNA another shot. It really has become pretty entertaining.
Muta vs AA was pretty fucking great and makes me miss not just the good old days...but especially JCP/NWA/WCW.
Posted By: The Real Barry O (Guest) on January 23, 2012 at 12:18 AM
Also, to a much lesser extent, if he had been given a chance Luke Gallows could have fit the role of a modern day AA to a T. He was the loyal enforcer for CM Punk but just never had someone to work with to pursue Tag Team gold. He didn't get a chance to let his full charisma shine but he had moments. And he could have been an awesome second.
Posted By: PK (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 03:35 PM
I'm with on Luke Gallows. Such an underutilized talent. If only Vince didn't have such a hard on for bodybuilders who all look alike, Luke would still have a place in WWE.
What a waste...
Posted By: Chico Santana (Guest) on January 23, 2012 at 12:35 AM
The AA past vs present is tough.
When you mentioned Bully Ray in your column I thought maybe...but I think he's a Yankee Dick Murdoch and was great in the Dudleys and has been awesome as Bully Ray...he's just not AA.
I can really see Christian, Daniels, and Storm. But choosing between the 3 is pretty tough.
Nick makes a great case for Storm and Gay for HBK makes a great case for Chistian and Frisco Kid makes a great case for Daniels.
It's too close for me to call.
I think Storm...but maybe I'm putting too much stock in his look and geographic origin.
Then I think Christian...but maybe I'm looking too hard to find somebody in WWE thereby honoring AA as a big time player.
Then I think Daniels...but maybe the fact he's never been world champ and has been underutilized is swaying my opinion.
I'm at a loss...good luck next week Aaron.
Posted By: Gonad the Destroyer (Guest) on January 23, 2012 at 01:55 AM
The modern day version of Arn Anderson is, without a doubt, Bully Ray. I would say James Storm, but, alas, James Storm has achieved a world championship. Although his reign was very short, he still reached the mountain top, while Bully Ray has not.
Bully Ray embodies everything that you mentioned. While he has never been a top notch worker throughout his career, save for the past year, he has been a part of many groundbreaking and memorable matches, including the TLC matches. He has also improved, in the ring, throughout his career. Even back in the day, though, he was capable of putting on a 4-5 star match in hardcore settings. He is now capable of putting on a three star match regularly, which is something that most guys in the back would be proud of.
Bully was part of the most successful tag team in American history, The Dudley Boyz/Team 3D. He is also an ECW Original, which, in the wrestling industry, means that he is one tough SOB. When he started in WWE, he was known for being a crazy man, putting people, and women, through tables, and for TLC. Later on in WWE, he was a mainstay in the hardcore division. To me, he is one of the toughest workers in the past two decades.
He has never been a top guy, more of a mid card bit player/tag team specialist, but he has always been important, and The Dudleyz/Team 3D have always been solid mainstays in every company in which they have worked for.
When The Dudleyz/Team 3D were still together, Bully was always the guy who talked, while D-Von would always say something at the end of each promo. Bully is one of the best and under appreciated talkers of the past decade. He can deliver a hard-hitting, straight to the point promo just as good as anyone else, and might be the best at it, presently.
Bully has always put others over, obviously, but he has always done a good job at it. His in-ring psychology is very good, as well. Ever see Bully get hit in the head with a foreign object, or a finisher, and see his eyes roll back in his head, as if he is seizing? He's the best in the business at feigning injury.
Bully is also willing to take big bumps to make others look amazing. A good example of this is from his tag team tables match at Royal Rumble 2000, in which he took a double leg drop, through a table, from both Hardyz at once, and then was pushed off of the top of the entrance through three tables. This is just one example of his toughness, throughout his career.
Posted By: Andis (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 12:31 PM
I'm totally on board with extolling Bully Ray's greatness, but I really don't see where you make the correlation between him and Arn.
I think Bully Ray is today's Johnny Valentine and James Storm is today's Arn Anderson.
Just my take on it.
Posted By: Guest#8273 (Guest) on January 23, 2012 at 02:03 AM
But he had the physique of the Pillsburghy Doughboy and looked 40 years old when he was 25. Arn was great, but his standing on the card was as high as it should have been.
Posted By: Patrick Mullen (Registered) on January 22, 2012 at 03:08 PM
Because in the 80s, Hogan was youthful and Dusty was slim right? Think before you comment.
Posted By: Guest#2133 (Guest) on January 23, 2012 at 02:21 AM
It's not JPEX, it's JTex. (Japan and Texas)
Posted By: #I'mjustsayin'... (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 08:35 PM
Actually it's J-Tex.
Pretty annoying when an asshole such as myself corrects every little oversight, huh?
Posted By: Random Douchebag (Guest) on January 23, 2012 at 03:15 AM
Posted By: WWE IS SHIT...BUT FRAME IS OK (Guest) on January 22, 2012 at 04:04 AM
Holy insecurity, Batman!
Posted By: Settle down, son (Guest) on January 23, 2012 at 05:50 PM
With a little more seasoning in the ring and on the mic I feel like Gunner could be compaired to AA one day. Just not today...not yet. Hell he's already got Ric Flair by his side that should have thrown up immediate comparisons. Tough, enforcer type of a guy. What I've heard from Gunner on the mic so far has be...eh, OK. He just hasn't been given a lot to work with and Flair has done the talking for him, which is fine for now but I predict he'll come into his own. Oh and the breard! I didn't forget the beard.
And when watching him on WWECW, Paul Birchill always reminded me of Arn Anderson. Maybe it was because they had similar builds and simialr styles but I though if there was some sort of mid-card heel faction put together that Birchill would have been great in an enforcer type roll.
It's just hard to make that kind of comparison. Todays guys are all body builder types, you just don't see guys built like Arn anymore. Plus that everybody is a Superstar and is being pushed to look good (or they get completley jobbed out) there is no in between guys, like you said, who can go out there and make many different kinds of guys look like a million bucks and still maintain there credibility.
Posted By: Andre the Midget (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 08:03 PM
By the bye thanks for the Archer video. He rules the school!! Now let's go bury this dead hooker.
Posted By: Andre the Midget (Guest) on January 24, 2012 at 09:27 PM
I would have to go with James Storm as the modern Arn Anderson...but I can see Bully Ray, Christian, and Daniels.
If you look at Fourtune as the latest rendition of the Horsemen, AJ Styles was Ric Flair, Kazarian was Barry, Bobby Roode was Tully Blanchard...and James Storm was Arn Anderon.
You couple that with his tag team success with multiple partners, his skill on the mic, his kick ass style (when he was a heel), and I just think he is a near perfect match.
Bully Ray is an anomaly as 1/2 half of a long-running dominant tag team who has been reborn as Bully Ray. Had WCW not closed up shop and Animal had a shot at a longer singles run then that would be the nearest match.
Christian is actually a lot closer to Tully Blanchard (tag teams with Arn and Gino Hernandez and a great deal of singles success) than AA.
Christopher Daniels is a tough one as well. I guess if I had to pick somebody, keeping in mind that guys today are so much smaller, I'd go with Tito Santana. Tito was a guy who was an upper midcard guy with plenty of tag team success, but was so talented...and bland, that as often as not he was there to make others look like $1 million.
Posted By: King Tonga (Guest) on January 25, 2012 at 01:47 AM
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