The Shimmy 7.24.06: The Booker T Report Card (Part Two)
Posted by Andy Clark on 07.24.2006
The Shimmy finishes up it's look at the new World Heavyweight Champion's WWE career. Read on, you peasants!
Heya, folks, and welcome back to another edition of The Shimmy! As always, I am your party host, the loveable Andy Clark. Crazy week, huh? I swear the Great American Bash is a cursed show, but the ‘E seemed to have handled things well. Anyhow, since this is Monday morning you all know that we have a NEW World Heavyweight Champion in Booker T (I refuse to call him King Booker). That makes things all the more appropriate as we continue our stroll down memory lane with the second half of Booker's WWE career. Strap in, kiddies, it's gonna be a doozy.
2004 Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 2004)
I dug this match, as I do most Rumble matches, but Booker's deal was pretty limited. He had a mini-feud going on with Kane at the time but that really didn't come into play except for the fact that Booker eliminated Kane from the match. After that it was poor Spike Dudley that paid the price.
My Grade: B
World Tag Team Title, Fatal Four-Way Match: Booker T & Rob Van Dam vs. La Resistance vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Mark Jindrak & Lance Cade (WrestleMania XX)
From the Whole F'n Report Card: You know, people hate this match and the other Fatal Four Way Tag Team Title Match from this show and I don't know why. Booker T & Rob Van Dam were a really good team, and RVD even said that he hadn't felt as fluid with a tag team partner since he teamed with Sabu (although I bet that changed when he started teaming with Mysterio). Cade & Jindrak played the young upstarts just like Jindrak did with Sean O'Haire back in WCW, La Resistance II (Dupree & Rob Conway) had gotten screwed out of the titles, and the Dudleyz were the Dudleyz. This was a fast paced match that saw almost every hit their finishers and ultimately RVD & Booker came away with their titles in tact.
My Grade: B
Booker T vs. Undertaker (Judgment Day 2004)
I didn't see this show, but this was one of the matches that I would have liked to have seen. Booker had just embarked on a pretty fresh heel character and was being portrayed as a big deal on SmackDown. Of course that meant getting fed to Undertaker, but from all accounts it wasn't all that bad.
My Grade: N/A, but most reports around a B- or so
United States Title, Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match: John Cena vs. Booker T vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Rene Dupree (Great American Bash 2004)
I may be a tad biased as I saw this match live, but I thought this was a really fun match. Booker T and RVD had a good chemistry together, and Cena and RVD's interaction was surprisingly good as well. Dupree actually made up for his act at Judgment Day, and this match provided a respectable B- showing. The real issue here was between Booker T and John Cena and this match would be the kick off to their summer feud.
My Grade: B-
United States Title, Match 1 of a Best of Five Series: Booker T vs. John Cena (SummerSlam 2004)
From the John Cena Report Card: This was a feud that I though would be very good, but it actually made me hate "Best Of" Series. Both men seemed pretty uninspired for most of this matches and this one didn't have enough meat to be able to tell a good story.
My Grade: C-
United States Title, Match 5 of a Best of Five Series: Booker T vs. John Cena (No Mercy 2004)
From the John Cena Report Card: In my opinion this was the best match of their series. Perhaps it was the sense of intrigue that not actually knowing the winner brought it, but both men stepped up their games if only slightly. Had some of their other matches had this much fire then perhaps this series wouldn't have flopped.
My Grade: B
WWE Title Match: JBL vs. Booker T (Survivor Series 2004)
It's funny, I felt for sure that this is where Booker would finally win the big one in WWE. Boy was I wrong. I liked the dynamic between JBL and Booker and the slow tweener-to-face turn with Booker was a nice touch. The history of Survivor Series screwjobs continued as JBL's Chief of Staff Orlando Jordan was all over Booker T in this match, almost a ridiculous amount of time. At the end of the day this was a good showcase of JBL as the chickenshit heel and Booker had a good face showing, which is how I think he is best anyhow.
My Grade: B-
WWE Title, Fatal Four-Way Match: JBL vs. Undertaker vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. Booker T (Armageddon 2004)
You know, I hadn't made a decision on ordering this show until about five minutes before it started and this was the swing match. At the end of the night I'm glad I decided to order it. Going into the show I thought Booker T stood a chance, before the match I was sure JBL would retain, and during the match it looked like both Eddie and Undertaker had a good shot. Talk about good booking. All four men put it all out there for this match and I marked out for the interaction between Eddie and Taker. Once again JBL pulled it out, but this was still a great match.
My Grade: A
2005 Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 2005)
Booker's big issue coming into this one was his quasi-alliance with Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. That alliance would not last long. Eventually Booker would be one of the many eliminations racked up by Edge. Booker had a decent showing but I don't think many people expected him to win.
My Grade: B+
Booker T vs. Heidenreich (No Way Out 2005)
Ugh, do I really have to talk about this "match?" Hey, it's my column.
My Grade: D-
30 Man Interpromotional Battle Royal (WrestleMania 21)
Sure, this was a Dark Match/DVD Only Match, but unlike this one's "greatest battle royal ever" (thanks, Tazz!) this was a pretty fun match. Just one look at the talent in this Battle Royal and you knew Booker would have to be go over, but still, they did a decent enough job trying to make it surprising. Booker was representing SmackDown at the end, overcoming the odds of an ominous Raw doubleteam from Viscera and Chris Masters. While it was disappointing that a star of Booker's caliber couldn't find his way onto the WrestleMania card, this was a good way to showcase his talents in preparation for his featured role on SmackDown in the spring.
My Grade: B+
Booker T vs. Kurt Angle (Judgment Day 2005)
Booker T and Kurt Angle's feud last spring gave us a few really good matches, but unfortunately it was overshadowed by the ridiculously stupid backstory of Kurt Angle wanting to have "bestiality sex" with Booker's wife Sharmell. Of their matches (I believe there were three including a Handicap Match with Sharmell), I think this was the best one, a very nice addition to a stellar PPV. I think Booker winning was a surprise to many and it was a nice crowd popping moment. Awesome action throughout, these two could have had a much longer (and less stupid) feud and I don't think anyone would have minded.
My Grade: A
Booker T vs. Christian (Great American Bash 2005)
This was one of the shining moments on an otherwise bad PPV. Booker and Christian had a really fun match here, and I think it was much better than their matches over the IC Title two years prior. I don't think there was much of an actual issue to fight over here other than the fact that they needed opponents for the show, but the overall match was quite good.
My Grade: B+
United States Title, Fatal Four-Way Match: Chris Benoit vs. Orlando Jordan vs. Booker T vs. Christian (No Mercy 2005)
I always am a mark for multi-man matches and this one was no different. I felt that it was a bit too short (and about two months too late) but it was still a fine match. The four men worked well together, and say what you will about my boy OJ, but when he's in there with other talented workers he is more than serviceable. This was the kickoff to the slow burn Booker T heel turn and Booker's interaction with Mr. Kennedy after the match is gold.
My Grade: B+
United States Title, Match 1 of a Best of 7 Series (vacant): Booker T vs. Chris Benoit (Survivor Series 2005)
You know, I don't really remember much of this match. I'm sure it was good, and if I remember correctly I liked the finish, but like many of the Booker-Benoit matches early in their series they just didn't have a lot of "oomph" to them to really make me care. The fun is sort of taken out of these things anyhow since you know it's going to go seven so there isn't much to get excited for at the beginning. OK match, but they would have better.
My Grade: B-
United States Title, Match 4 of a Best of 7 Series (vacant): Booker T vs. Chris Benoit (Armageddon 2005)
I have not seen this match but I hear it was very good, probably the best match on the card. The outcome should have been pretty clear since I believe Booker was up 3-0 in the series, but from all accounts this match was what a Booker-Benoit match should be. I'll need to watch this match at some point since it sounds good, but I can't grade what I haven't seen.
My Grade: N/A, but it received reviews around B+ to A-
2006 Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 2006)
Booker still had his groin injury at this point and I only think he was in the match about seven seconds before Benoit dumped him out. It was a good comedy spot but not worthy enough to bother grading.
My Grade: N/A
United States Title Match: Booker T vs. Chris Benoit (No Way Out 2006)
This was another good match between these two old adversaries, and unlike their other matches this one had a big match feel. I'm pretty sure this is the last match that they had this year and it was a good one to go out on. Booker finally got his comeuppance at the hands of Benoit and he gave a great performance to boot.
My Grade: A-
Handicap Match: Booker T & Sharmell vs. The Boogeyman (WrestleMania 22)
You know how they normally edit matches off of the VHS release of WrestleMania? Well, this will be one. I mean they didn't even do the highlights of this match in the post-Mania music video. It really wasn't all that bad but it was way too long for what it needed to be. The handicap nature of the match made the match longer than it should have been, because despite what some may feel towards the Boogeyman, this should have just been a quick squash like Boogey had against JBL at the Royal Rumble.
My Grade: D
2006 King of the Ring Finals: Booker T vs. Bobby Lashley (Judgment Day 2006)
This was quite a surprise. I had been looking forward to this match and it delivered about right on par to what I thought. These two have a good chemistry together which is probably why we saw about 27 rematches on SmackDown. The finish was an interesting change of pace and set the groundwork for the King Booker persona that has gotten over so well on SmackDown.
My Grade: B
World Heavyweight Title Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Booker T (Great American Bash 2006)
And now we come to last night's main event. I must say the match was good, but not really anything out of the ordinary. The important thing was that the crowd was very into the match, and I think it picked up in quality the later into the match we got. The finish didn't do much to help Booker, but he did enough in there character-wise to look like a credible champion.
My Grade: B
So there you go, the grades are in for your King and new World Heavyweight Champion. Agree or disagree? Want to add your own comments? I'm all ears here, so drop me a line and I promise I'll print you in the column. Come on, worldwide exposure, who doesn't want that?
A Reason For Bullet Points
This really bothered me so I have to vent. "I'm really good friends with Mick Foley," says Johnny Nitro. What? On what possible world does this make any sense? The big Hollywood guy, with the good looks and paparazzi is friends with Mick Foley? Wasn't the entire point of the Foley-Carlito feud due to the fact that Foley was proudly uncool? I understand Melina's involvement there given Mick's big crush on her, but she should have been the one speaking and Nitro should have been along begrudgingly, like when Batista and Randy Orton had to pal around with Eugene in Evolution.
I do like the psychology of the Foley-Flair feud. Foley wouldn't give Flair a rematch for anything, but now that Melina got hurt do to Ric Flair I bet Foley goes nuts. Awesome.
The John Cena-Umaga match on Raw was pretty tight. The crowd seems to be leaning more to the Cena side again (like they were before WWE wiped away all the progress they had made when they involved Cena in the ECW storyline) and Umaga is over, no matter what you say. The crowd was really into the finish of the match and as silly as it is, the Samoan Spike is now over as a feared finisher. It really doesn't matter how dumb or ineffective a finisher looks, as long as you start conditioning people to the fact that the end could potentially come after it, it is a made finisher.
How weird was it to see Triple H not turn on Shawn Michaels on Monday? I mean it had the set up for every major Triple H turn: he's out of the ring while his partner is getting beaten up, he takes out his adversaries with the sledgehammer, and then stands ever so slightly behind is partner with his sledgehammer firmly in his grasp. I know I'm not the only one that could just see Triple H whacking HBK in the back while he was celebrating. Would it have made sense? Of course not. But would you have been surprised?
The Tommy Dreamer-Paul Heyman storyline is kind of interesting. I'm surprised that their kiss on Tuesday didn't unleash the massive IWC homophobia that any normally happens when something of that nature happens. Maybe that's how many people just aren't watching the show. There are a few theories on why exactly Heyman kissed Dreamer and they are all pretty good storytelling techniques. One would be the "kiss of death" like in the mob. Heyman gave Tommy the "kiss of death" in order for Test to whack him. Another is that Heyman kissed Tommy like Judas did to Jesus before he betrayed him, something that would play into Heyman's new religious figure. It could be that Heyman pulled a Bugs Bunny and just kissed Tommy "Elmer Fudd" Dreamer to confuse him. Of course knowing WWE Creative they'll do a story where Tommy Dreamer is a homophobe and Paul Heyman has been harboring his love for Tommy since the old days. It could be like the Trish Stratus-Mickie James feud all over again, just nowhere near as hot.
You know, sometimes people are just really stupid. A lot of folks were going crazy over how Joey Styles said that Big Show-Undertaker was the biggest match in ECW history, talking about how their little bingo hall matches were more important. And they're probably right about that, too. But Joey Styles was saying that it was the biggest match size wise in ECW history. That was 500 lbs vs. 400 lbs in that match, that's something that's never been seen in an ECW ring before. Stop looking for something to whine about a get a clue.
Bobby Lashley getting caught up in the Wellness Program isn't good news, so stop the damn celebrating. Lashley was on the cusp on becoming a mega-star, especially with the depleted SmackDown roster. I'll continue to maintain that the Brand Extension should not end under any circumstances but if SmackDown receives any more major losses then I might actually see a case for it.
Oh yeah, Frankie Kazarian is back in TNA and…zzzzzzzzzz.
In all honesty Benzarian looked good on Thursday and they could be a good addition to the TNA tag division. The tag division is pretty strong right now and the AJ/Daniels-LAX feud could be pretty good.
Was it just me or were Team 3D acting awfully heelish?
Wait, there were people cheering Jeff Jarrett on Impact? What is the world coming to?
I dug the Jarrett-Lethal match on Thursday. In many ways it reminded me of the Triple H-Shelton Benjamin match from Benji's Raw debut. Man, you wish Shelton had a time machine for that one?
So Brock Lesnar quits New Japan, huh? Countdown to Brock-Batista begins…now. Of course you know what that means…the return of Dancing Brock! Please, Larry, make this a reality.
And now onto the Great American Bash. Overall I have to say it was a solid show with nothing really bad on it. There weren't any blowaway MOTY candidates, but considering the past versions of this event, just a passable show was more than enough. When the worst part of your show is an above average divas match and Finlay vs. William Regal you know you've put on a good show.
Yeah, that's right I said it. I'll probably have my IWC license taken away, but I just wasn't feeling Finlay-Regal. It was decent enough, and the Little Bastard was funny as hell, but I just couldn't get into it. From the sound of things neither did a lot of the audience, and there were a good number of smarks in attendance, as evidenced by the anti-Rey sentiment later in the evening.
The WWE Tag Team Title Match was really fun and it's a wonder Paul London could continue the match, that bump he took to the outside was brutal. I have a sneaking suspicion we'll see London & Kendrick lose the belts to Finlay & Regal in the next few weeks but until then we should enjoy a great tag team run.
Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms was surprisingly good. I was expecting a pretty standard SmackDown midcard match out of them but they really impressed. I question the decision to have Hardy job as you'd think he could be a valuable asset to the main event scene nowadays, but its good to see Helms finally pick up a victory.
Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy was very interesting, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it right now. The match itself was a glorified squash, but as far as glorified squashes go it did a lot. First of all, Kennedy seemed to realize what an opportunity it was for him and not only was he particularly intense in the ring, the dude tapped an artery for that blood flow. Batista needed to beat the hell out of somebody, as that is what the audience was expecting, but Kennedy did get a good amount of offense. Thinking back to squashes that Batista had over Muhammad Hassan and Christian last year, two men that were at similar spots on the card as Kennedy, they weren't made to look quite as good as Kennedy was on Sunday, which I think looks good for him.
Speaking of the Batista match, did anyone else notice the woman pretending to grab Batista's ass when he was getting into the ring? Pretty funny.
The Bra and Panties Match was also surprisingly fun. Ashley doesn't look nearly as good as a bleached blonde, though, and I was having a hard time believing that that was even her. The Fatal Four-Way nature of the match was an interesting twist and this was one of the better T&A matches for a long time.
The Punjabi Prison Match was cool. Say what you will about the actual match itself, but the aura of the Punjabi Prison was pretty ominous. It wasn't anywhere near as brutal as a Hell in a Cell Match or even an Elimination Chamber Match, but it was a cool new concept and I think they played it off well. Compared with some of their other big concept matches like the Barbed Wire Steel Cage and Kennel From Hell Matches and this one looked brilliant. The only drawback to this match was that the finish was EXTREMELY weak as the wall just opened up, not even looking like it broke. Other than that it was a cool visual at the very least, and Undertaker and Big Show's efforts were far from slacking.
As for the main event, it was what it was. Like I said in the Report Card, the match itself wasn't anything extraordinary, but the crowd was really into it. I don't think the finish did much for Booker as I would have at least liked to have seen him hit one move on Rey after the chairshot just to look like he did something to win the title, but at the very least Chavo looked like a major badass. That chairshot was WICKED and it damn near took Rey's head off. I'll be curious to see what the SmackDown portion of SummerSlam will look like and how they'll play up Booker as champion.
Andy Enjoyment Index: Great American Bash
1) WWE Tag Team Title Match
2) Punjabi Prison Match
3) Booker-Rey
4) Hardy-Helms
5) Batista-Kennedy
6) Finaly-Regal
7) Bra & Panties Match
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Andy! Andy! At Last You Have Some Feedback!
From an unnamed reader, they would like to share their favorite Booker T moment:
before his summerslam match vs rock.
"finally the BOOK has come back...to Summerslam!"
-Lillian- "But if it's your first summerslam, how can you come back?"
-Booker looking at Shane- "She didn't just say that...TELL ME she did not just say that!"
I remember that moment and I thought it was pretty funny. Booker was a fun comedy heel at the time and his appearance on the Weakest Link was priceless. So Thanksgiving's in October, eh Book?
Hugs & Plugs
It's been way too long since I've shown my fellow writers some love, so go check ‘em out.
Larry, Geoff, and JT have the 3Rs. It's about time JT got some more work. Remember folks, e-mail Larry and demand Dancing Brock!
Dingo is on to something with his heel love this week. Oh, and if the picture are work safe, B, I'm not interested.
I always mean to give J.D. a shoutout because his work is damn good. Go check out something he's done, anything really. Go ahead. I'll wait.
Let me get a shoutout to the guys at The Triple Threat. They're real good to me even though they never write me know that they've made the big time. Ingrates.
Jules is my brotha from anotha motha. Just kidding, I hope. Otherwise I need to be pretty pissed at my dad. In any event, go read his Top Ten, it's a fun read. Plus it's always fun to try and guess how much hate mail he'll get the next week.
And finally is a man that doesn't get enough credit or face time here on the site, Armando Rodriguez. He's our Puerto Rico reporter and he puts together some solid, comprehensive work. Hell, he made me care about what's going on it Puerto Rican wrestling, you should definitely check him out.
The Shimmy Likes It Raw!
What's on tap for tonight?
Hulk Hogan is in the house! What will Big Daddy Hulk have to say, brother?
Who gets eliminated from the Diva Search? The only girl I have any interest in at all has immunity so I don't give a damn. Hoo-rah!
Well, that wraps up this week's Shimmy. Feel free to send me your thoughts on Booker T or anything else for that matter. I'm taking the week off next week so don't be sad if you don't see me. I'll be back in two weeks with another Shimm-tastic edition. Until then, don't die. Clark…out.
