WRestling's 3R's 9.15.06: Jobbers, JBL, Lack of Continuity, a 9/11 Salute, Punks, and Retro Unforgiven!
Posted by James Thomlison on 09.15.2006
The boss is out of town; break out the hookers and booze!!!
WRestling's 3R's 09.15.06:
The 3R's of wRestling!
Introducción~!
Simulated Larry-Bot:Welcome back kids for another edition of Wrestling's 3R's! As always I am Larry Csonka, along with me is my tag team partner "The Whole Geoffin Show" Geoff Eubanks. Once again we have a shake up, as Taareq Elsokari is back to help with the Smackdown duties and Geoff is covering ECW yet again! We also have your host JT who is throwing things together and covering RAW and Impact! while yours truly is away.
Here is a quick explanation of the 3 R's. I will take the 4 main shows (5 if I go RetRo) of the week: TNA Impact, WWE Raw, ECW on Sci-Fi and WWE Smackdown. If we have a PPV, that show will get a special PPV edition of the R's all to its own. I then group my feelings on the shows in 3 categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and need discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles, Diva searches and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come. This column is supposed to be analytical, and at the right time very critical of the shows, it was the whole reason it was created. This is not a "mark" column, nor a "smark" column, I cannot speak for Geoff, but my goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. There are also occasions where I will bring out a 4th and even 5th R to the column, so beware of those~!
iMpact!:
By: JT
iMpact 09.07.06:
The Right:
The booking of Christian – Far too often in the WWE (and not as much, but TNA as well), when people are feuding with one another, every week until a Pay-Per-View they are somehow involved in a match, be it a preview match with each other or involved in a tag team match up in some way. However, they've gone a different route so far with Christian since he turned heel. He's cut a promo, set up a match with Rhino, and this week had a match with Ron Killings. Remember, the ultimate feud that is stemming this on is Christian vs. Sting. I think its good booking to have more than one person stepping up and calling him out over the guitar shot. Not only does it keep things fresh, but it keeps Christian busy until Sting is freed up for his program.
Slooooooooooooooooooooooooow burn – Pretty difficult to get lengthy with it. I hate to compare TNA to the E, but the fact is a slow burn for a tag team splitting up in the E is two weeks, three tops. AMW has been showing small signs (which get a bit bigger every week) for almost a month and a half now. What could be the real kicker here is that they may end up staying together if they can "get their shit together (kayfabe)".
Jobbing is fun! - TNA really does an excellent job of using their jobbers. They don't job out the Johnny Nitro's of the world to their talent. They use jobbers regularly, and also have a couple of famous jobbers. Tonight, the Mack's were LAX's latest victim, and why shouldn't they be. Norman Smiley and Co. were busy with the tag battle royal. But it wasn't just tonight. They always feed pure JOBBERS to guys before they let them start getting serious victories over people (aside from the Daniels/Styles match, I believe the "since they've started working again" LAX has had three other matches, two of which involved complete no named jobbers). It was a great little way for LAX to quickly display dominance and pick up a victory as tag champs.
puRgatory:
Bobby Roode – This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and if you can't mark for the Brain there is something wrong with you. However, I have a feeling that this Roode as a free agent thing may carry on a hair longer than it should, so I'm going to have to be patient to see if this Purgatory
The wRong:
Nothing really of note - Thought it was a pretty good show overall. I thought they might have been able to squeeze in a Brother Runt, Raven, or Abyss cameo, but that's what the second hour is for.
The Ridiculous:
You're not a lawyer – Eric Young, you are not a lawyer. Your Uncle Leo didn't teach you the law. He taught you how to beat a polygraph (and not so well apparently). I have loved just about everything that has come out of Eric Young's mouth as of late, but it was just a little too much of him being him. It didn't come off as funny. It came off as "shut the fuck up already, you sound like a dumbass". Hell, maybe that was the point, but I saw no purpose served and he just came off lame.
SmackDown!:
By: Taareq Elsokari
Smackdown 09.08.06:
The Right:
Big Match Set Up - This was brilliant way to kick off this weeks show. Michael Cole and JBL did a great job of putting over the fact that it's a big night with a huge fight in the Main Event. It was a nice little touch that's sets the mood and pumps everyone up for what is supposed to be a "huge night in Smackdown History". Later on we got an awesome video package on Booker T. It just added to the big night/big match feel of the show.
Finaly vs. Rey - ok first off, did you see the way Finlay countered the head-scissors. It was genius. I loved the continuity and psychology of the Rey Mysterio character. Rey did a great job of selling his emotional problems during the early part of this match, one such great showing was just before the first commercial when he gets out the ring and slaps himself sort of saying "get your mind right". Nothing said it more as when he missed the springboard for the loss of the match.
Now to the match. It was a very decent showing by the two and if we get a future program between the two then I wouldn't be complaining. Both men worked their roles very well and Finlay was just awesome especially with his "something the matter" taunts at Rey. The post match interview by JBL was brilliant in getting over the personal turmoil as it showed that Rey was so screwed up that he wasn't able to perform to his own high standards. The only thing that disappointed me personally was that the Little Bastard never made an appearance during the match, although I guess that was left out as there might not be too much difference in size between Rey and The Leprechaun.
JBL and Michael Cole - Cole: "so when you move on you turn your back on your friends? Actually you do just like you turned your back on Farooq"
JBL: "I didn't turn my back on Farooq, I know Farooq wanted me to go ahead and on my own, just like Vicky Guerrero".
…
Cole: "sometimes you're a fool"
JBL: "A fool?, I'm still JBL jackass, so watch your mouth"
This was a great to showcase exactly why JBL is showing support for Vicky and Chavo during this whole storyline but also to no forget that he can still whoop ass if necessary.
Mr. Kennedy……………………Kennedyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy - the extra excitement Mr. Kennedy showed this week was awesome, it just helped put over what an awesome honor and privilege he feels by being the US Champion. Kennedy did a great job of putting over the fake achievements of his opponent and JBL did an awesome job of going along with it and filling in little information that he "heard". It was genius.
Also, after the match, this might be one for the Hidden Highlights guys, but when Teddy came out and said "now Kennedy" Mr. Kennedy threw in a "Kennedy" straight away as in to stay in character. A very nice touch which shows he's on the ball and definitely has a big bright future. JBL also linking to his past feud with Cena, which was about how he hated Rap music since it was around the time of Cena's album coming out, by saying "please don't rap, I hate Rap music" was a nice touch as well. I had one problem with this that I will get to later on, but all round a very entertaining segment.
6 Person Tag - this was a cool match but I just couldn't help but think about or try to remember where I saw a 6 person tag match before, and I remembered, it was Monday night on Raw. Granted this was a little relevant to the feud, but be a little different. Like maybe the Hooligans save Ashley from a beat down or something and then the match gets made. The reason I've got it in the Right, is because it was a good match and I liked it.
Getting over Chavo and Vicky - I liked this idea of giving Vicky mic time and to act like a proper manager. Chavo comes out looking all cocky and Vicky is in full heel mode. I still don't like how they are trying to make out Vicky and Chavo being total heels, but they are playing their roles very well.
I love how JBL just basically said what pretty much most people are and should be thinking about how Rey was just profiting off of the death of Eddie and how it benefited him. Also how he would "dedicate" all his matches to Eddie and feed off of the support. He also did a great job of painting how closely knit the Gererro family is and how Chavo retired to take care of Vicky. Excellent work. The match was decent as Tatanka wasn't on my screen for too long and the finish with the frog splash with Michael Cole saying how this was stealing Eddie's move and JBL responding by saying it was great to see as it's the Gerrero move and they all do it.
The Big Match - I liked the introductions and then the Referee's instructions. It felt a lot like a huge PPV Boxing Match type event. It built it up excellently.
The match it self wasn't anything amazing, but it was a decent match. Both men worked hard and Batista didn't look like he was about to kill Booker as he has in the past few weeks.
The post match beat down by Finlay was just awesome and vicious and just as JBL put it when Cole was questioning what and why this beat down was happening "he's Finlay and he loves to fight". Excellent work from JBL and excellent work from Finlay. I also have to say Batista took the beat down extremely well and sold his ass off. The best part was when they show Batista's face through the arms of Finlay and he's covered in blood and trying to reach for him, excellent work from the Animal to sell the viciousness he just endured.
MVP - this is in the right section this week because finally after weeks of standing still and doing the same thing they have finally done something new. There is finally some advancement to the angle and makes you wonder what will happen next. I for one am interested to see what will happen next week and how MVP is going to make Teddy Long pay for disrespecting him.
puRgutory
6-Person Tag - surely if your going to have a 6 person tag it's so that the everyone involved can get a piece of their nemesis, so to speak. I don't think the ladies touched each other once during the entire match and didn't even try to.
Matt Hardy vs. The Miz - although I'm an advocate of the whole getting people over, I think this was an awful choice of opponent for Matt Hardy to face and lose to.
First off, Matt Hardy shouldn't be used as some sort of jobber to a new comer who has yet to do anything in his career and who could easily be off of TV in like 6 months. The Miz could easily of had a match with someone like Sylvan and Hardy could of lost to a legitimate contender such as Chavo (that could of served the purpose of also getting Tatanka off of my TV and also played on the friendship between Rey and Matt that we saw blossom at Taboo Tuesday) and not some unproven young buck who totally sucks.
The wRong
The Challengers making their comments - I don't know, but I thought this was really done in the wrong place. I do like the idea and always prefer when the two competitors in the main event make promos to put over the match and stuff but I think this should have been done as pre-match segments. Like maybe when they showed the Booker video they have a promo with Batista to comment on Booker and what we saw in the video and vice versa. I just thought it took a little out of the match as everyone was pumped up and then were a little deflated by the two guys making their comments. Plus Dave didn't really sound vicious enough when he asked if Booker wanted to be buried or cremated.
The Ridiculous:
Batista has been waiting for an opportunity for 9 months - now there's one thing that is totally wrong with that statement. Batista just had a title shot at, King Booker put it, The Summerslam Games. So Michael Cole trying to say that Batista didn't really give a damn about that match. Or was just trying to gloss over it, I don't think it was that because almost 10 seconds later he acknowledges that match.
Continuity people, its really important.
Why the hell would Kennedy want to go to Raw? - Seriously, who ever wrote that or thought of that should be fired. Where the hell is brand loyalty and all that. How about making him put over the fact that the Smackdown roster is awesome and he has beaten the best and is now the US Champion. It would have also been an idea to have this huge announcement be something like him challenging the winner of the Booker Batista match. Teddy could have still have easily thrown the Undertaker at him anyway and also shown that being the US Champion gives a possible opportunity to go at the World Title. It adds prestige to the US Title. Just total stupidity as in one segment he went from showing great pride and looking like a legit contender in the big league to a supposed big fish in a small pond type of thing.
Vito in a dress - first off, shouldn't Vito acknowledge Regal by his WWE name of William Regal and not Steve. Just stupid stuff. Also, Cole why not just ask the dude for his number and go back the hotel and shut the f*** up, yeah right you two go out to clubs together and get freaky with random women, what clubs do you go to, drag clubs. Stupidity. I loved how JBL was treating him like he's got some sort of disease and was so disgusted by Vito that he didn't want to be anywhere near him or even shake his hand. It was quality.
Jimmy Yang Wang - who the hell comes up with this crap, its ridiculous. How offensive do they need to get?
RAW!:
By: JT
Raw 09.11.06:
The Right:
The build up to the cast off – I have really, REALLY enjoyed the way that they have handled the build for Trish' departure. Look, Trish Stratus bled-sweat-and-teared her way from the bottom of the WWE to one of the (and possibly THE) greatest WWE Women's Champion of all time. She put in the time, work, effort and energy to become one the most overall talented female wrestlers ever. She has in her twilight done the things to help put over people like Mickie James and to a certain extent Melina. The ladies divish will have to really step up if they expect to fill the void that will be left. I will miss Trish, but she has certainly earned the right to step away and enjoy life. But to the point. For once, the E is handling a departure almost flawlessly. First Lita prevents her State of the Trish address, then Trish wins a HOT match (involving others) against Lita, THEN she gets to come out the next week and get a victory over Mickie James. She is on FIRE, and it appears they're going to let her go out with a blaze; as they should. It will be a very emotional moment for her and win or lose, I really hope that they let her give a heartfelt goodbye to the fans in her hometown of Toronto, and the thousands watching at home.
We will never forget, and neither should you – September 11th means a lot of things to a lot of people. The E has shown time and time again that you can never show enough love to the troops. Cook and I had a talk about this the evening of, and despite the fact our views on the war are conflict, we both easily agreed that pro or against the war, love and support for the troops should always be a given. We see it every day really; people with yellow ribbons on their cars, a 75,000 person standing ovation for the "Hometown Hero" at the Lions game I went to, commercials, etc etc. The E, however, always seems to go above and beyond all that. They make it personal, from going overseas during the holidays to boost spirits, to having members of the armed forces at shows, to even going to U.S. military bases to entertain. It was in that tradition that we got what we got on Monday. Nice video package, military guests in the crowd, the presenting of the colors, Lillian singing, and the moment of silence. 9/11 and the troops overseas are one of the only areas Vince will not taint or tarnish for some storyline, and I thought the military presence really helped make a for an entertaining show considering what was in the mind's of most of the country.
The right opponent - Super Crazy has had two opponents since coming to RAW: Chris Masters, and Chris Masters. For once, I believe that you couldn't have a more perfect opponent. First, let's look at Super Crazy. He just jumped ship, and there are a lot of other examples of guys doing so and being immediately jobbed out (see: Johnny Nitro). For him to get two quick victories over a staple in the mid card (and maybe a third on Sunday) is an excellent way to establish himself quickly in the mid card "division" if you will. Fans like him, he's got great talent, and if booked well can only help a somewhat struggling mid card. Now onto Chris Masters. The thing to keep in mind is he has not lost very much since his debut, at least in single's matches. That combined with the fact that his Masterlock is still unbroken says to me that two or three losses (especially to the same guy) will not hurt him at all in the long run or even the short term.
puRgatory:
Nothing of note – I suppose I'd normally say something here about the tag division, but for at least the last couple of weeks, they've seemed to be trying, so I'll give them a pass.
The wRong:
Why the fuck does it have to be HIM - SO, we have a million and one possible pin combinations, and we have to bury our IC champ. Did Cena really have to get the pin on Nitro? Why not Carlito? Nitro IS defending the IC belt Sunday isn't he? Could Trish not have continued her roll on the way out? I seriously doubt that Cena is losing Sunday, so why couldn't he (by WWE typical booking) pin Edge? To me, having the man challenging for the World Title pin the IC champ does nothing but hurt Nitro and the Intercontinental title overall.
Speaking of which, why all the interference? – I simply for the life of me cannot understand why they are having Johnny Nitro and Carlito hang out in the shadows of Edge and John Cena, respectively. Why are they interfering? Why are they in matches together? I could have sworn we had a good IC title feud brewing a few weeks ago. Lately it's just been the "Champ Lite" title, as their feuds (Orton and Hardy) have been completely overshadowed by the Cena/Edge and Lita/Trish title feuds. I just mentioned that the two have their little side projects but they still have recent history together in regards to the title. They couldn't find two guys NOT currently in the IC picture to align with these guys for a few weeks? Bah, no wonder secondary titles are labeled a joke.
The Ridiculous:
Seriously… seriously… – This Vince McMahon (and to an extent, Shane) on my television every week is getting a tad ridiculous. No, I don't have any specific instances, because you could really pick any of them. It's the combination that is killing me. Each and every week they grow less and less entertaining to me, and to be honest, they weren't that entertaining to me in the start. The only thing that seems to garnish any interest from me in this feud are the DX promos, and even those aren't doing it for me anymore. It's seriously time for this to end.
ECW on Sci-Fi!: By: "The Whole Geoffin Show" Geoff Eubanks
Before we get going today, I want to speak briefly about Trish Stratus. I'm really bummed that she's leaving WWE, as yet another reason to watch this rapidly declining product decides life outside of Vince's megalomaniacal clutches while still young enough to enjoy it flees the Fed. One might think The World's Most Jacked-Up Grampa might see the trend that's been developing since Jim Ross stepped down from his post as VP of Talent Relations (thus, officially signaling the era of the Corporate Yesmen and the slide of the product) and take steps to make his company a place performers want to work for more than just a payday, but what do I know? At any rate, Trish should be deified as THE diva to emulate, as she came into WWE as little more than a blond bombshell with nothing to offer but T&A. Boy, was I proven wRong! Trish worked her ASS off to learn, not just to take bumps, but to actually wrestle (better than a few men who are currently and pointlessly being featured with some prominence) *and* to deliver a great promo, as both a face and (especially!) a heel. She single-handedly raised the bar with respect to what it meant to be a WWE Diva, which, truthfully, was a double-edged sword, because she made ‘80s-style female wrestler hold-overs like Jacqueline and Ivory obsolete, as well as making painfully plain how obnoxiously pointless and one-dimensional bimbos like Sable and Torrie Wilson are when treated as anything else but one-dimensional bimbos (a role no one played better than Dawn Marie in the old ECW, mainly because she's much smarter than Sable and Torrie combined). All in all, Trish, you're an amazing talent whose presence is going to be sorely missed. Thank you immensely for all you've contributed over the years and for proving me wRong in your respect, for being the committed and talented performer you are. It was a pleasure watching your talent grow and develop and I wish you all the best!
ECW on Sci-Fi!: 09.12.06:
The Right:
Heyman returns! – What a hell of a hot opener! Paul Heyman deserved to stand in the middle of a MSG ring and exclaim what an absolutely thrilling dream-come-true bringing ECW to the world's most famous arena means to a NY homeboy. Apart from the kayfabe and speaking as someone who's had the utter privilege of meeting the extremely gracious and much less oily-in-person Heyman, I say, fuck the "compromises with Vince McMahon" for now and fuck the less-than-exciting start to the new breed of extreme; I say congratulations, Paul, and well done! It is YOU who are the greatest wrestling mind of the last 15 years (all respect to Jim Cornette) and the only reason Vince is *your* boss and not the other way around is because he's a better businessman masquerading like Ed Gein in the skin of his dead father.
Okay, putting down my Dixie cup of Grape Kool-Aid, Sabu, based upon this opening segment, continues to be pushed as the old guard's biggest star, being the only "Extremist" to attack Heyman and his personal enforcers on his way to challenging The Big Show for the ECW WHT in the main event, using this segment as a fantastic opening teaser. Basically, Heyman got over himself, his promotion and the main event in under six minutes. Refreshing, isn't it?
The roster polarizes! – With the awesome Rob…Van…Dam/Hardcore Holly match tonight (which, did you notice, had a hardcore rules feel to it, thanks to RVD's amazing old school ECW-style offense, even though it was contested under regular rules?), we're seeing some definite lines being drawn in the proverbial sand. We've seen The Sandman & Tommy Dreamer battle Mike Knox & Test as well as RVD versus Hardcore Holly in previous episodes of ECW on SCi-Fi; last week we had RVD & Sabu take out Knox & Test. This week, Dreamer & Sandman make the save for RVD after he's attacked in the ring by Knox, Test and Stevie Fuckin Richards! (More on Richards in a moment.) Following the main event, it appears that Sabu may be freed up (more on that in a moment, as well), and so one would assume he'll be joining the fray, too. Although, it stands to reason that The Big Show and Heyman's Enforcers will be similarly involved, as Show already has heat with Sabu, to say nothing of the unfinished business RVD has with Show. Furthermore, we saw Kelly Kelly coming on to CM Punk backstage with Knox yanking her away, so Punk could be pulled into this, as well! Heyman could be devising his own version of the inVasion here with a full-blown war between the new and old ECWs colliding!
The reason why it's so awesome to see Stevie join the "Dub Noobs", as I'll refer to the New Breed Unleashed, is because 1) it's a great twist to have an old schooler turn on his roots; 2) there's a lot that can be done with such a character and 3) it gives Stevie a role and a personality in the company and could even lead to something more substantial down the line once this "old versus new" story completes, and that's exactly what I was hoping for last week!
Yo teachah gone school you! - I LOVE Matt Striker! I'll echo my sentiments from last week – this guy is exactly the kind of character Heyman can skyrocket to stardom, provided he can "git ‘er dunn" in the ring. I'm pleased that Striker's not forgotten about The Sandman (a-ha…add Striker to the list of people who are likely to join the "Dub Noobs"!) following last week. It's appearing that all of these seemingly random pairings of matches and interludes are actually all coming together with purpose, as performers all brush with one another as sides will eventually be drawn.
And I shied away from it last week so as not to offend anyone, because I know I'm saying something that will be looked upon as unpopular here, but really, considering the huge backlash against Striker's comments about Steve Irwin, I have to say one thing – GET OVER IT. It's always sad when someone is killed, especially when that person has a significant other and kids, but the point Striker made was bang on. This was a guy who made his name by poking death and dismemberment in the eye with a sharp stick. Was anyone actually surprised when they heard he'd been killed by an animal? I certainly wasn't. Granted, I thought he'd have been bitten by a snake or chomped by a croc, but, really, folks. God bless him for the love he had for animals and for the environment, most certainly, but there's only so many times you can taunt death before it rolls its eyes and says, "I'm sorry, did you want my attention?" and that is, frankly, stupid in and of itself and completely irresponsible when you have kids. To quote a great comedian, there, I said it.
puRgatory:
Punk fight! Punk fight! – Okay, it doesn't have the same charm as Cartman's "Cripple Fight!", I know. I'm actually undecided with respect to how exactly I feel about the CM Punk/Shannon Moore match. On the one hand, I'm completely stoked for Punk, because it had to have completely blown him away to have had his name chanted in a sold out MSG. That has to be a career highlight he'll remember as long as he lives.
On the other hand, however, I can't help but think this was a real missed opportunity, unless this is only chapter one in a longer story. The confrontation between these two was the buzz of the IWC all week and could have been (and still could be) the chance to really build both of these guys, especially since a program between them makes so much sense, the foundation of the angst so effortless. I'll not go into it here, but Larrold and I fostered the notion of turning Moore completely emo last week and, being his gimmick, I passed along the idea of turning "The Prince of Punk" into "The Emperor of Emo" to our own resident "Guru of Getting Over" Mike LaFave, who I believe will be favoring us this Thursday with just such a plan, so stay tuned! All in all, I hope there's more than this pitiful little ass whipping between these two.
Well. What a uhm, debut - The first match of Rene Dupree in ECW was tepid at best. First of all, and this isn't his fault (and I've been quiet about this for awhile now, but this is a perfect example), I think it's a mistake to keep old WWE performers who have been moved to ECW shackled to the same music that identified them back when they were Heat/Velocity fodder back in the day. There's a certain amount of conditioning involved in hearing the beginning of Stevie Richards' or Hardcore Holly's music that triggers the word "JOBBER" in my mind, and that's going to help no one. A HUGE case in such point is in effect with Dupree. He's been telling us for weeks what a hardcore badass he is, and he comes to the ring to the old LA RESISTANCE music? WTF? That weakens him before he even steps out of the curtain! Like, why bother re-packaging him in the first place? Second, though, and this is his fault, he's digging his own grave, unless he's attempting to perform with a heavy dose of irony still trying to draw heat with the French Tickler and referring to himself as the most extreme athlete in ECW when doing a springboard from the BOTTOM rope…are you fucking kidding?! All in all, the backtracking in maintaining his two-gimmicks-ago entrance music as well as his little dance combined with the fact that he was outwrestled by Balls Mahoney, I don't anticipate any waves from the Frenchman anytime soon.
On the plus side in this segment, the Balls/Kevin Thorne program escalated a bit this week; although Thorne and Ariel (Did Styles call her "Areola" when she first came out?!) simply reprised their perches at ringside as they did last week (sans Styles lap dance this time), Thorne's interference against Balls was much more aggressive than before, which appears to imply that things are heating up between The Hardcore Chair-Swinging Freak and The Extreme Vampire.
Incidentally, here's a verbatim exchange by our commentators:
Styles – "I don't like saying French Tickler this close to Ariel!"
Tazz – "Balls goes down hard!"
Styles – "Rene Dupree might be hardcore for having the gonads to grab Balls' hair!"
The wRong:
It's good to be the overlord - Yeah, I know, Vince owns ECW. But the go-home for UNFORGIVEN was yesterday and if Vince's glorious victory in his MSG debut wasn't reason enough to make you run to your phone and order the PPV, then Vince should bask in his self-imposed glory, content himself with the crap Raw he wrote and allow ECW to be ECW.
Please, Sabu, may I have some more…? - I gotta say, the revamped Big Show entrance theme is a big improvement. Another random point, it seems to me that ALL ECW WHT matches should be contested under extreme rules, because if one is going to be the standard-bearer for EXTREME Championship Wrestling, he should be able to defend the title in an anything-goes atmosphere.
Moving along, I'm sorry, after that awesome opening segment and because I know what BOTH these guys can do, this WHT match just wasn't very interesting or exciting to me. It's VERY possible for Sabu to be booked well and strong against Show, but what we had tonight was not such an example. Let me tell you why; because Show is headed to UNFORGIVEN to back The McMahons against dX in HITC and, as such, had to be made to appear utterly undefeatable. Before I go off and get too pissed behind the notion that ECW is being made Raw's bitch (which, essentially, has already happened, because Vince is pinching talent from ECW's roster when he already has the "A" show with which to play), I'll simply hang back and assume Heyman has a plan to make this work, to quote the incomparable Tim Gunn (no, no relation to either Bart or Billy). Standing alone, though, for the first ECW WHT match in MSG in front of 17,000, I'd think there would be an obligation to offer a little more than what we had here tonight.
Match #1 –Ric Flair defeated Carlito to become the NEW Intercontinental Champion @ 11:50 via pin **¼
Match #2 –Ashley and Trish defeated Victoria and Torrie @ 7:14 via pin ** Match #3 –The Big Show defeated Snitsky @ 6:09 via pin *¼
Match #4 –Shelton Benjamin defeated Kerwin White @ 8:11 via pin **¼
Match #5 –Matt Hardy defeated Edge @ 21:36 via pin ****
Match #6 –Cade and Murdoch defeated Hurricane and Rosey to become the NEW Tag Team Champions @ 7:45 via pin **¼
Match #7 –HBK defeated Chris Masters @ 17:00 via pin ***
Match #8 –Kurt Angle defeated John Cena @ 17:20 via DQ ***¼
The Right:
A Flair for the Gold - Woooooooooooooooo! Usually I HATE when the older guy goes over for no real reason. But in this case, I am fine with it. Why? Because the IC title has not meant shit for a while now. With Flair as champ, he can rebuild some credibility and then drop it to Carlito, Masters or someone they want to get over big. Beating Flair still means something, and he can still go. This match wasn't a "classic" but it was good, and the perfect choice for the opener. The crowd was into him the entire time, they hated Carlito and when Flair actually hit the top rope move…WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Standing Ovation! There is still love and respect for Flair, and they showed that.
The added backstage stuff that ran all night was also hilarious. He is 56, he probably does need Viagra! But the fact is that it was funny, and actually gave us something to laugh at through out the evening. I can't remember the last WWE PPV where they had a running gag that I enjoyed and actually looked forward to. Good stuff and VIVA FLAIR!
Old School Tag Team Beat Down - I enjoyed the tag title match. It was short, but I think it was the right way for them to lose the titles. The wife and I were watching one of my tapes, this particular one being a best of the Rock and Roll Express. Before a match with the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, they DESTROY Robert Gibson's arm with a chair, and then the match begins with Gibson down near backstage and Morton having to do what he does best, play Ricky Morton. It's a great match, and in the end Gibson tries to come in to help, and gets the SUPER HOT TAG only to have Arn rip his arm out of his socket.
As I watched this I looked at my wife and said, "Wow, it would be cool if they did something like that sometime. Hell they should do it Sunday." We both laughed it off not thinking it would happen. Now while not exactly the same, they did a nice variation on this and I loved it. Murdoch is the crazy bastard of the group, and proved it my implanting Hurricane's head in the floor. The newcomers then proceeded to beat down on Rosey, and as Hurricane was led to the back he saw his partner in trouble, returned to the ring, tagged in and was taken out by a cool double team and we had new champions.
The division still needs a lot of help, but I liked this because Hurricane and Rosey didn't look weak but the heels looked smart as hell. Hopefully they will start getting serious with the division
To hell and back - First off, Matt Hardy needs to send his fans checks for still cheering for him after all of the burial he went through. They reacted huge for him and the heat the match had was awesome. I was a bit worried at first as it looked as if they were going the kill Matt way again, as Edge was kicking his head off. But instead of having Hardy pass out like the little bitch he has lately, he got the big comeback and finally took it to Edge. Not only that, but he bloodied him very badly. I mean, Edge was sporting some MANLY blood. I was impressed, although the camera crew too their sweet ass time getting a good look at the crimson mask. Matt even got to lay Lita's slutty ass out to a HUGE pop. He then decided not to escape the cage, but to drop the HUGE leg drop onto Edge and pin him. It was a great highlight, and one that can be replayed over and over again. After the burial, Matt needed the huge win and that highlight cannot hurt at all. A very good match that finally delivered in the huge way that they had wanted.
Surprisingly Good - I was pleasantly surprised with the ladies match. It wasn't anything you will watch over and over, but it was good. Ashley sold well to her credit, although she still needs a lot of work and they shouldn't be tossing her into the battle so quickly. Torrie can work a bit when is there with Trish, and Victoria is Victoria. Trish looked great and totally refreshed and showed no signs of ring rust at all. It is great to have her back, but the division is still in a lot of trouble.
Show vs. Snitsky was what it was, but not horrible.
Shelton and Kerwin had an uphill battle from the opening bell. The crowd wanted to shit all over this match, and they did early on. But as it went n, the match picked up and they worked very well together and had a good match.
Finally HBK vs. Masters was "good." It wasn't a spectacular match, but it proved that with the right opponent Masters can be carried. There will be more on this below.
The wRong:
Smoke and Mirrors - As I said above, the HBK vs. Masters match was "good." I will also agree that this was Masters best match to date (which isn't saying much.) But the thing is that some people are saying that "Masters has arrived" and "he more than did his part" or "he was so crisp, like a real veteran out there."
I disagree.
While he did well, and much better than expected I think many fell for Shawn Michaels "smoke and mirror" show. Masters still lacks many little things to make him a complete package. There were just times where it looked like he was going through the motions, or was unsure how to act. For example, the Torture Rack spot. He got HBK up, after working on his back and stood there. He barely pulled, he didn't jump up and down to show the power, he just stood there for what seemed like forever.
As I said, he has improved, a lot and he did do much better that expected but I feel he is far from ready for the push they have in mind.
Grrr…DQ Finish… - First off the match was very good, that is it was very good until the crap finish. I can understand the purpose of the DQ finish, to lengthen the feud. But the fact is that the PPV was built around this match, and it was the main event. I don't pay $35 to see a non-finish. And it isn't the fact that it was a DQ or no finish really, but was a really LAME DQ finish. Basically it was the same finish they used at the Great American Bash where Batista ended up DQ'ed. I feel ripped off when I don't get some kind of finish, unless the PPV was just awesome and then I could forget it, but that wasn't the case here.
The Ridiculous:
Carlito - You know, after seeing Carlito in the ring here with Flair, I have come to a conclusion. He is good on the mic, great as a character but offers both jack and shit in the ring.
Proof you say? Here is a question, what is his finisher?
He doesn't have one, unless you count a neck breaker that he used on Smackdown like 2 times; also, roll ups and grabbing the ropes and or tights do not count. Cook covered this a few weeks ago, and it is an important thing. Remember how Shelton didn't have a finisher for like 4 months?
Another question, what is his "signature spot, or series of moves?"
He has none! The only thing he does is take a great backdrop. When you think of wrestlers in the mid-upper card, you can name their finisher and signature spots usually very easily. He has none of that.
He has been on the roster for what, over a year and has developed nothing. He is totally repetitive in his matches, and at times seems like he just has not clue what to do. Some will complain that Flair is repetitive, but Flair is also 56 yeas old. Carlito won the title and has barely defended it. Basically Shelton's long run was just as bad because he had no real feuds.
Right now Carlito is a flop. I will not say that it is all his fault, most likely he is very limited by the "creative team," but you would think that Dusty, Arn, Dibiase, Malenko, Finlay or Steamboat would realize that the man has NO finisher or anything that distinguishes him from the rest of the roster! They need to fix this and quick if they want him to succeed. Hopefully this is why he is feuding with Flair; but until I see it I won't be impressed.
Final PPV Thoughts:
Overall a much better offering than expected; although I didn't expect much to be honest with you. But there was some great action and a nice mark out moment for Flair, so I will give this a slight thumbs up.
READER RANT TIME!
Just one this week, as this is a long column!
From Joseph -
I have slowly started watching less and less of Vince's product, and see almost no reason to watch more. I'm almost willing to say that once it went from WWF to WWE, it has gone downhill. Matches are lucky to last at least 5 minutes (unless it's a PPV), and the rest is talk, talk, blah, blah. Sure promos need to be run and some are fantastic; however, since this is wrestling, I want to see wrestling. Unfortunately, talent can vary to give a good, bad, crap, or fantastic match. Since Angle's departing (hopefully things go well for him), it is obvious that a huge blow has been delt to the WWF (yes I'll call it that, 'World Wrestling Federation' as I hate saying Entertainment). The thing is though, there is still a lot of wrestlers that with the right opponent, can make a good match. Unfortunately in this business, you also need mike skills (Shelton Benjamin has some of the most fantastic talent in the ring, but not enough mike skills to save his life, hence why he's at the mid/low card). It can be pulled off however. Shawn Michaels back in the 80's could not, by anybody, be seen to accomplish what he has done today.
Looking at the roster it makes one wonder when was the last time Funaki,
Conway, Psychosis, and the such have been seen wrestling on television.
Well why should they be seen, when DX, Booker, and Guerrero are making money right? Well, it's called getting old. They do make for an entertaining
aspect, but there needs to be more variety in what can be shown. The Booker segment I actually don't have a problem with it (yet) as it's not overdone (in my view). The Guerrero thing has got to stop. Period. One thing that Vince is known for is milking something for all it's worth as long as a few Presidents can go in his pocket (DX, Montreal, and Eddie Guerrero). I
should have to wonder if Vince hasn't notice the reactions from the crowd on
all this (maybe the crowd should protest in silence, I don't know). Eddie
is dead, let him be. While it is nice once in a while to do a tribute, this
is just sad. DX is getting old and boring real fast. When it first came back, it was nice to see something to spice up the wrestling a little. I even enjoyed watching HHH dance liked Vince, considering I cannot stand him.
I'm sorry, but HHH is like the Honky Tonk Man in that he would always win
and cheat to do it. His hammer at one point should have been getting the
paychecks and the belt. It was the same old skit and I got fed up with his
character and him (his heel was too good if you will). Anyway, with DX it
went from good to bad as the same thing was basically happening. They kept winning (with the exception that they lost to Umaga in singles combat).
Other than that one 'flaw' they never lost. Any talent brought to them was
beaten and/or slaughtered (Spirit Squad, ECW roster, Smackdown roster,
Vince, and Shane). I don't care how great they are, they are not supermen.
Everyone they have faced (except Vince) has enough in them to pull a match
just as good or better. Unfortunately the company doesn't see it that way
which just sucks to their suck it. Even at the website under the ECW show
for photos, more than half of them were just of DX alone.
As for titles and such...what happened? They all stink since there isn't
enough fire for people to care (except the World titles and even they show
problems a little). The tag titles are suffering big time. Back in the day, they meant high pride as many teams would fight for them. Now what? 3 or 4 teams...wow...that blows. Teams need more of a feud and story match
wise to push them, even if it's something as silly as Eugene and Duggan (at
least it's a team). Hell, throw Vince and Shane in there. After their Summerslam performance, I wouldn't mind them going for the gold at least
once. The IC title and U.S. title need more variety in opponents which they
have if they only use it. The Cruiserweight title (Smackdown's extra title)
also could go farther if the company would let them. Many matches can still
be done that can draw big cheers. The Woman's title (Raw's extra title)
needs more than just T&A. Even if the women are eye candy, that's what they are, candy. Too much and you get sick of it. While there are some good women with talent, they'll need more, since Trish is leaving. Jillian Hall
has what it takes and the talent. I've seen her do a 450 splash on Mickie
James on OVW. Add that with her hanstand legdrop/elbow, hurricanrana, and such and you have a great compeitor. Krystal is getting better too so throw her in the mix. Even Torrie (my favorite) could get better if they do it
right and if she wants. I want to see matches that are as good as Trish/Lita, Victoria/Trish, Mickie/Trish, Jillian/Mickie, and Jumping Bomb
Angels. I want girls whole look great and can kick ass too.
All brands are as good as the other no matter how you slice it. The thing is, it seems as if they are determined to keep Smackdown in the shit pile
which is sad as they are good, and better even at times. For one, they have
cruiserweights, also they have a better tag division. Raw is not as good as
they are pushing it to be. Before Velocity was cancelled, I would watch
this more than Raw, not because of the promos or lack of commercials, but
because of the matches. At one point, Velocity was pulling 'A' quality
matches that beat Raw silly, and it was a Smackdown branch. Matches like
MNM/Kendrick & London, Benoit & Regal, and cruiserweight matches made me happy for the quality of the matches being shown.
Alas, I miss the days of Bret Hart, Jake Roberts, Roddy Piper, old Undertaker (not Walker Texas Ranger as me and my friends call him now for his looks), and Tito Santana. I miss heels of pure quality such as Ted Dibiase. I miss the promos that were worth watching such as the Rock. I miss the days of rivalries such as Austin/Vince, Benoit/Angle, and Austin/Hart (Canadian Stampede w/ team America vs. the Hart Foundation is truly a classic with the quality of the match and the atmosphere to go with it, especially for it was a 10 man tag match). The late 80's to late 90's were great to see. Hopefully things will change, but not for a long while I'm afraid.
A side note. I think Striker should not be on ECW, but rather be put on
Smackdown. Reason? He could be paired w/ McCool and her 'Teacher's Pets' to form a stable. How could they not see the possibilties of the education system? It would be like a weird 'Right to Censor'.
