wrestling / Columns
WRestling’s 3R’s 11.17.06: RetRo TNA Genesis, Short Takes, Russo-Nomics, DX is Rated B, Extreme Surprises, The King Retains and More!
The 3R’s of wRestling!
Introducción~!
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. No special guests this week, but I will say that there probably will be in the coming weeks due to all of the PPV’s. I would like to thank Ryan Byers again for his help in last week’s column. I cannot tell you who will be stepping in to do some work here, but it will be…someone…yeah, someone. Anyway, it has been a busy week so let’s look back at the week that was in wrestling, 3R’s style!
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 or go the wrong way 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 11.09.06:
The Right:
Short Takes – Short takes is the little invention I made a while back. Basically there are always some things on a show that are right and wrong, but aren’t big enough for a right or wrong of their own. So what we do is put them all under one banner, and we have short takes.
puRgatory:
Roode/Brooks/Dissention and More – This week Robert Roode was part of the semi-finals of the Fight for the Right tournament. In the end he lost the match, technically, when AJ Styles pinned Ron Killings. Roode went to the floor because a “fan” spilt a drink on Miss Brooks. He went to “save her” and the match was then over. When we came back from commercial Roode was pissed off at Brooks. He demanded that she find someone for crowd control and an image consultant because he needs good PR. I think it is good that he didn’t take the fall in the match since he is in the middle of a push, but I question the dissention in the ranks deal already. They just got paired 2-weeks ago and are now at odds it seems. I don’t like that at all, classic Russo really.
The wRong:
Nothing of Note
The Ridiculous:
Nothing on Note
THE RUSSO-FN-RIFFIC~~~!:
The Fight for Your Right Finals…RUSSO-FN-RIFFIC~~~! – This week saw the semi-finals and finals of the Fight for Your Right tournament take place. In the semi-final AJ Styles, Robert Roode and Ron Killings had a fun, yet short match. I really wish that they would have ditched something, like the 3-minute X-Division match so that this match could have had some time to develop into something better. Also, I think that having tournament matches so short really can devalue them; but hey, I am not booking. This led to the finals, which was AJ Styles vs. Abyss. Honestly this was a good choice as they have had really good matches in the past, and play up the big vs. little man dynamic very well. For a little over 5-minutes we were having a hell of a little match here, a match that I was digging big time. And then, Christian appears and it all goes to hell. He lays out both men with a chair and then declares that he should be the #1 contender. Sure that is all well and good, but he didn’t make it in and is in the middle of a feud with Rhino. What was even worse is that the ref counts out both men. This led to a restart of the match, where Sabin then runs in to cost AJ the match. Yup, all of this happens during the finals of the tournament, devaluing it big time in my eyes. Russo-FN-Riffic~~~!
By: Geoff Eubanks
Smackdown 11.10.06:
The Right:
Batista turns the frog into a prince – This was simply a glorious match. Not because it was unexpected, not because we had a WHT match on SD!, and not because it started the show with a resounding bang. This match doesn’t even come close to qualifying as a MOTY candidate. What made this match so noteworthy aside from the normal levels upon which to judge such a performance was the fact that both men truly displayed more individual polish and tandem cohesion with one another than I recall seeing from either performer in some time. That’s important and I’ll tell you why. As much as many of us have loved Booker over the years and especially with what he and the delectable Sharmell have managed to do with the King & Queen characters recently, even I, one of Booker’s staunchest supporters in the IWC, have to admit noticing a certain lack of crispness, shall we say, with regard to his in-ring performances. It made me question the strength of the push underneath him as the WHC. However, in tonight’s contest, not only was it plainly obvious to see that Booker was most definitely leading the match, clearly evident was Lashley’s ability to follow and play his role extremely well!
Without a doubt, this was the best showing either man has displayed in the ring on WWE-TV in some time, Lashley, perhaps ever. What is beginning to set the rookie apart from earlier performances is the addition of emotions, evident upon his face, reacting to the action in the ring, something heretofore, he’s been lacking (and, as matter of fact, is one of the two main components weakening his promos, as well). Yes, the summer of ’06 can truly be called “The Tutelage of Bobby Lashley”, and here in the middle of fall, we’re really starting to see some dividends paid. Admittedly, I was one of Lashley’s biggest detractors, thinking that McMahonagement had simply found some juice monkey with an amateur background, yet again trying to squeeze a lump of coal into a diamond, but after tonight, I really have hope for him!
As for My Sovereign Lord, I need not elaborate over the pure joy it’s been watching the King character evolve; however, it appears to have come to full fruition and, with Batista snapping at his royal heels, I have the distinct feeling that the end to his WHC reign is nigh. Let’s just hope for the best that there’s a solid plan for him and his lovely Queen after he drops the belt. I simply cannot underscore enough the level of “ring general”-ism he displayed in tonight’s defense, and he sincerely deserves to move along in meaningful fashion once he is no longer the champion.
What do Finlay & I have in common? Give us an opening and we’ll lay into ya! – I’d have said that we both have a Little Bastard, but I’m not currently seeing anyone…heh! Seriously, this, too, was a very welcome surprise! It seems that, each week since I mentioned my disdain with how far Batista’s character had skewed from that which made him cool in the first place, that “thinking man’s beast” which he became during his tenure with EVOLUTION, had dissipated, it seems to me as if we’ve watched him refocus and get himself back on track, which pleases me. Although I’m not much for the big guys, I’ve always liked Batista, and want to continue to do such; however, if what we’re going to get is the watered-down wise-ass since his return, I’ll be unstoked. Happily, though, it appears that things are getting back to normal and, the closer he gets to the title, the more he reclaims that which made his character great and fun and believable in the first place. Finlay, of course, was absolutely brilliant. As much as I’d have loved to have seen him in the main event, he fulfilled his role as well as could possibly be asked. I positively loved the fact that this was given as much time as it was allowed and that there was the believable glimmer of hope for Finlay fans that, damn, he may pull this off after all, despite absorbing such an unbelievable ass-kicking in the opening portion of the match. Again, as long as Finlay has a meaningful role following the inevitable title change, I say onward and upward!
I MUST get a copy of Jimmy Wang Yang’s entrance music! – As a matter of fact, there’s several songs I want that I don’t have…Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, Chyna (the “Don’t Treat Me Like A Woman” one, not HHH’s old “My Time” song, although that was cool, too) and, of course, one I’m completely forgetting. Oh, and I thought Justin Credible’s old entrance song was AWEsome. And, of course, still looking for Sharmell’s music…
Anyway, on to the matter at hand, which is a DAMN fine tag team match between the teams of JWY & Matt Hardy and Gregory Helms & Sylvan. THIS was exemplary of just how GOOD tag team wrestling can be, and the quality of such I miss wholeheartedly. This was TIGHT. I’m elated that JWY was re-signed as he’s been fantastic in the ring since he returned. Honestly, even if I ended up despising his gimmick (which I do not), I’d still be absolutely amazed at that which he is capable in the ring (and, considering that in his former persona of Akio, was disallowed from speaking, he’s doing a damn good job getting this silly Asian-American redneck character over!); he plays the face-in-peril as well as he drops my jaw with risky Billy Kidman-style offense, but with a manner of crisp panache Kidman sadly lacks. JWY and Hardy gelled exceptionally well as a team with Hardy making the most of the hot tag following a sound thrashing on JWY by Helms, who was up to his usual standard of excellence here, and Sylvan, who, I’ll be DAMNED looked GREAT in this match! See, it is just this sort of thing in which WWE used to excel; that being, finding solid pairings and running them as teams. Sylvan working with the just-over-CW performers makes him appear bigger and facilitates his ability to work as a power wrestler, as we saw here tonight, and I don’t think he’s ever looked better! Granted, for those who, unlike me, aren’t content to simply watch still another Hardy/Helms match, and for those, like me, who kinda cringe at the thought of another JWY/Sylvan singles match, this was a fun and effective shake-up, certainly one of three extremely entertaining matches on tonight’s card!
You juss got knocked the hell OUT! – I have to put the confrontation and subsequent bloody beatdown on The Undertaker by Kennedy in the Right section tonight because, after lying out and lacerating Taker, as I said a couple weeks ago, there’s no way Kennedy’s getting out of this program alive, which I will most assuredly be bitching a blue streak about in a couple weeks. However, Kennedy delivered the promo of the night and was actually allowed the honor of standing over the fallen Dead Man and to make it out of the ring before Taker sat up and exacted revenge (this is as big a rub as Kennedy will be allowed, trust me). I, personally, was disappointed that Kennedy didn’t wrap the mic cord around Taker’s throat and try to have him hoisted above the ring, as THAT would have been some motherscratchin HEAT, but, all things considered, this was a fantastic segment. Despite where it’s headed, even a dullard could see that Kennedy is exactly what he says he is, the future of the business…well done!
purgatory:
Another case of wait-&-see while hoping for the best – Aside from bewildered stares and contemptuous glares, there’s really not been much build to the UST showdown between champion Chris Benoit and Chavo Guerrero. Although it seems a little empty going in, I have a feeling this is going to be the first stop along a road that will be mired in disgusting post-Eddie embarrassment along the same lines as Booker/Angle and Eddie/Ray, since that appears to be the way on SD!, the challenge of a rule breaker laying claim to a proud and popular champion seeming not to be enough anymore. And as if we needed proof that McMahonagement could give a nugget-sized turd about tag wrestling, the team that has grown SO MUCH since debuting just a couple months ago has already been jobbed to the tag champs and now, split up and jobbed…and where was James’ gimmick-maker old school Mid-South strut?! That was what clearly set him apart and made me sit up and start to take notice of the team, and I’ve watched it wither away to non-existence these past couple weeks. BAD move, about as bad as jobbing him out individually (although I can see this leading to some trite premise whereby Benoit is forced to tag with Chavo against THE TEACHER’S PETS next week, giving the noobs a win once things break down in Benoit & Chavo’s corner), notwithstanding to the UST and a killer veteran like Benoit.
If Teddy Long wants to watch a horror show during SD!, he should TiVo Raw – So the exchange between MVP and Long this week was brief, merely to set up what will no doubt be an express ticket to the Ridiculous, next week’s street fight against Kane. What I want to focus on in MVP’s regard is the “E-mail of the Week”, whereby Charles Hayes defended the newcomer:
I’m very confused about what you’re complaining about MVP for. He’s supposed to suck. The point is that he’s NOT that great. That he’s claiming MVP status when he’s simply an ass who talks a big game but couldn’t compete with more or less anyone on an even playing field. That’s what makes him such a heel. This is the WWE battling fan cynicism. MVP has heat because of who he is, not because he sucks. Who he is IS him sucking (so net critics can’t really legitimately say that he’s not doing his job or playing his given role well). So since who he is, is him sucking, it’s clear that it’s not him messing up and sucking. The WWE has overcome fan cynicism by giving every fan a character they HAVE TO hate. I think the reason he works is because people like you don’t seem to realize EXACTLY what he is. Sure, you get the point. He’s cocky, he can just barely manage in the ring. But that’s how it’s meant to be. Remember “Kurt Angle – Olympic Hero”…built up as a big deal and then he shows up and everyone hates him because he’s got such a big ego? MVP – “Free Agent”…gets a huge contract, shows up and makes a ton of money for doing next to nothing when he can manage to get away with it. Now, by no means am I saying MVP will reach Kurt Angle levels. But I’m saying that that’s how these things work. You sell someone as a big deal and then once they show up, regardless of what they do (as long as they play a heel in the ring), they’re going to get booed, and booed heavily. And MVP plays a heel in the ring by barely doing anything, backing down, trying to find ways to sneak in a win rather than earn it. That’s his character. And the fact that so many smarks are being taken in by what the WWE’s doing is surprising to me. I know most would defend their claims that he sucks or that they could have done the same thing in a different way by saying “Oh, I know they meant for this to happen, for us to hate him and all and for his appearances to be under whelming, but that gimmick doesn’t make any sense. It makes the brand look bad.” or something. Well, that’s where you’re wrong. It makes perfect sense. It makes Smackdown look better because they have a bonafide heel that isn’t cut from your typical mold. Honestly, even Ken Kennedy’s (gimmick-wise) aren’t that rare in wrestling these days (but Candido-like guys or Richards-like guys who’ll play the smarmy heel to the hilt and make you hate them for it are).
The fact that he doesn’t really have credentials and can’t back up his claims is the point.
Booking MVP wrong is a near impossibility unless you make him a good wrestler or put him over someone good cleanly.
Well, first and foremost, thank you for Reading The R’s and for taking the time to Respond! I hope I don’t come off sounding all snatchetty here, because I do see your point and respect your views, and, if this character works for you and you’re entertained, by all means, get your MVP on.
However, I’m left scratching my head on this one. Yes, I get it…this kid is supposed to be a caricature of these snotty, full-of-themselves football brats still all after-glow-y warm from the blow-job the recruiters gave them the college homecoming game halftime, who get paid bank straight out of the gown and mortar board and end up stubbing a toe and sitting out the rest of the season while they do ads for Nike. I get that.
What confuses me? He’s SUPPOSED to suck? 1) What’s the point? Where is this character supposed to go? A character who deliberately sucks isn’t going to do anything, and so, what more will he amount to, other than being job fodder?; 2) if he’s simply going to be a JTTS, what in the world is he getting paid so much damn money for?!; 3) if it’s simply his job to suck, like, that’s how he draws heat, and if we’re supposed to respect Long as the GM who cares about the fans, why on the plain of logic would he sign a guy who’s supposed to suck? Again, I see your point, but as far as MVP goes, the only reason he gets heat from me is because he’s taking up valuable TV time from those who DON’T suck and because there’s no logical reason he should be around; 4) If he’s supposed to suck, what are THE BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION and Kennedy doing slumming with him?!; 5) Yes, I get what you’re saying with respect to the quality of heel he’s playing; it’s called The Coward and, yes, Candido could have written a book on how to play that kind of character. Chris Jericho was a MASTER in this regard when he was in heel mode, and, boy could that one guy, Ric Flair, play that to the hilt, too (much as I’m loathe to admit it, Piper had this down, as well). These are heels who picked their spots to stick it to their face opponents and run away before he/they could recover and take revenge. Thing is, MVP isn’t anywhere NEAR where those three legends among men qualify to be. MVP is much more akin to The Honky-Tonk Man. Here is a Ridiculous coward without an OUNCE of talent in him who is concerned much more with playing the “game” than with playing the GAME, if you get me there. Thing is, even a shit like Honky had that little dimwit Jimmy Hart on the outside to help him win matches to compound his heat. MVP is just a talentless pussy with shitty ring gear and a big mouth. How this defeats fan cynicism is beyond me; if anything, MVP is BREEDING fan contempt.
As far as the Angle parallel, I see where you’re going, but there’s an inherent difference of strategy in the two characters. Whereas MVP feels that there should be a spotlight on him everywhere he goes simply by virtue of being himself, Angle won a gold medal with a broken frickin neck and was accustomed to having had a multitude of mainstream media attention on him as a result. Therefore, Angle’s character was such that he’d been conditioned to be that of a hero and expected a hero’s welcome upon arriving in the WWF. However, putting himself over as a result of his accomplishments, placing himself on a pedestal as a result of them got him heat. What this was at the time (when Hogan was back in WCW), was the WWF making fun of Hulk Hogan’s similar such behavior in the ‘80s, displaying how outdated his face character had become and how it would be received in a negative fashion in the then-modern age.
Something else that just BUGS me about MVP in a philosophical sense is that all of these highly paid free agent types at least have to come through in college to warrant being so sought-after and well paid. The thing is, MVP has nothing…like, McMahonagement hasn’t even tried to make up any kayfabe accomplishments to try and back up the character; I’d be fine if his character was set up as something that was a big deal in college and warranted having had signed a big contract, but continuously chokes in the big time, because that’s REAL, that HAPPENS, plus, it gives the character a goal, someplace to go…eventually, he’ll have to put up or be released, and he subsequently becomes increasingly more desperate, leading to some interesting results (ideally).
While I feel there’s a lot I get about the character, there’s still a lot I just don’t, and it irritates me. Now, I had to eat some crow in Carlito’s regard, because I hated him for much the same reasons as I hate MVP, and he turned out to be pretty fun, once they undid his handcuffs and allowed him to explore his full capability in the ring. Now maybe there’s a whole hidden side to MVP’s moveset that I just don’t know about, and maybe he’s not as atrociously boring and pointless as he appears. However, even so, that still leaves these annoying holes in his character that Vince has shot through it, and until he’s given something more than being “the guy who’s supposed to suck”, I’ll remain staunchly disgusted and annoyed by him, no matter how “mark”-y that makes me.
The wRong:
Where’s Tatanka? – Okay, at the risk of being contradictory, because heaven knows I do NOT miss Chief Running with Scissors at ALL and was completely stoked that there was no funny business in the WHT match, we had silent Exhibit A here tonight over how not to book a heel turn, and it’s something about the Creative team I’ve been pointing out since No Mercy, i.e., lapses in continuity.
First it was the negligence displayed in (not) following through on the Hardy/Helms program, giving one the sense that such program finished up at the PPV, then was picked up two weeks after the PPV. LAME. Next was the negligence depicted in the same manner with regard to the JWY/Sylvan feud where we saw Sylvan go over in heel fashion two weeks in a row, then, the third week, a six-man where JWY (tagging with, I believe, the WWETTCs) going over Sylvan (aligned with THE PETS) cleanly leaving the question, Okay, he can do it…but can he do it alone? That ball was dropped for weeks before being picked up out of nowhere this week, although in an exceptional match.
Well, two weeks ago, we saw Tatanka’s peace pipe run outta loopy weed and he turned in physical fashion on Lashley. Last week, he appeared in some new (and completely lame) make up, erm, war paint, claiming that he’d summoned all these evil spirits and was gonna row his wigwam up Lashley’s papoose or some shit. And this week? Nothing. Not a thing. Now unless Tatanka had to pull a double at the casino, I’m confused about this. Are they serious about this or not? I’d just as soon see Tatanka take a long hike as mire Lashley down with his “ability”, but this is the kind of crap that sews the seeds of indifference in wrestling fans and it does no one any good.
The Ridiculous:
I’m tired – Make your own Boogeyman joke here. I’m done wasting my energy on him. Thank God I started smoking again, so I have something to do when he defiles my show.
Remember people, show Geoff some love by emailing him here: [email protected]
Raw 11.13.06:
The Right:
Cena dismantled – John Cena is booked as what is called in the wrestling business, “A Superman Face.” He usually comes out on top, is able to defeat the numbers game and VERY rarely does someone leave him laying or get the upper hand on him. Many fans love the Superman Face, they like to get behind him and root for him to beat the odds. Sometimes people dislike the Superman Face just for that reason. So occasionally, you have to let this Superman Face get dismantled, beat down and made to look vulnerable. That way you can elicit sympathy from the crowd and get more heat on the heels. That is what they did on Monday. They had Show and Umaga, two monsters and two men that are part of the Survivor Series deal against Cena lay him out and whoop his ass handily. It was done well, and as I will rant on later, when you have established people taking out other established people when they have the numbers game, no one is buried, it looked good and adds sympathy and heat, exactly what you want in a feud. This was a good segment and I liked how it was done, and feel that they got exactly what they wanted out of it.
Jerry Lawler is a great, great man – I must say that Jerry Lawler is a great, great man. This week they followed up his beating from Chris Masters with the Masterlock challenge. Masters has been buried upon his return and if there is any hope for people caring about him they need to try and re-establish him. This did that. Jerry Lawler did a phenomenal job of selling the Masterlock challenge. He had the crowd totally buying that he was crafty enough to escape the hold. Every time he looked up they popped and thought it was possible, only for Masters to overpower him and win in the end. This did a lot of good work, it is just a shame that it was undone later on, which I will touch on. By the way, has anyone noticed that Mr. Masters appears to have found his vitamins again?
puRgatory:
The IC Title Swap…again… – I think that I understand what they are doing here. I think that they are “trying” to re-establish the IC title through this feud. They have Hardy who is popular and IS a star, and Nitro who is quickly improving, has a ton of promise and who they WANT to be a star. I think that they feel if these guys keep having good matches, which they are, and they have the title switches that it will gain interest in the title again, which has been devalued. All of this is now leading towards a ladder match, which is Hardy’s specialty and if Nitro can beat him there, that he will be cemented as a star and the title will have some prestige brought back to it. What bothers me is the execution of it. They give away two title changes in a row on free TV, in the end Hardy is still the champion and I feel robbed because I paid for a PPV and got zero title changes. If they were going to play hop scotch with the title, they should have had Carlito win it at the PPV, Nitro win it from him the next night and then hardy win it this week and have a triple threat ladder match next week. Carlito isn’t doing jack shit except being booked like a goof. I think that would have worked much better, but again, I am not booking.
The wRong:
New Tag Team Champions – So this week we got new tag team champions and we are supposed to care. While in theory it is a great idea to get people to care about the tag titles, since Edge and Orton are supposed to be the top heels, I think the whole execution was wrong. If you’ll allow me, let’s Tarintino back a bit. You have the then tag team champions the Spirit Squad in a feud with DX. They get their asses kicked every week and lose every match against DX. The tag titles were totally devalued at this point, and the fact that DX never demanded a title shot for beating them repeatedly shows that they didn’t care about them, hence devaluing them more. In hindsight DX should have won the tag titles back then. When we move a bit forward, DX has gone through all of the tag teams anyway so if they were actually the champions it would have meant something and built up the titles in the mean time with major players like HHH and HBK defending them. Instead Spirit Squad treaded water, jobbed even more to Flair and Cryme Tyme and then lost to Flair and Piper. Which brings us to the match this week. Piper and Flair had been making joint entrances in every match so far, so why did they make separate ones this week? Sure it played into the angle, a classic heel tag team one at that, but the background was all wrong due to them never making separate entrances. This also does nothing to play into the Survivor Series matches already set up. This was flat out bad booking in my opinion.
Carlito must hate himself… – Seriously, he really must hate himself. He comes off as the un-coolest person on the roster. First of all he is not even important enough to have a real segment on the show, like a match or in ring interview. He is an after thought right now, not important enough to care about. There are roughly 35 scheduled to appear on the Survivor Series PPV and he isn’t one of them, that doesn’t bode well for him. And then there are these beyond stupid segments with the women, where he comes off like a goof. He acts like he never saw a chick before; he isn’t cool, he is a virgin. They need to do something with him or get him off Raw STAT because he is dying there.
The Ridiculous:
DX: Rated B… – For Burial. While some tend to look past this and think it is all funny but when you really look at it, they are burying the roster; and in these cases burying them more. Let’s check this out, shall we?
Todd Grisham – I have got to say, I hate Todd Grisham on commentary. He comes off as awkward and timid. I am all for them trying to get guys experience for the day that JR hangs it up, but that is another reason that Heat and Velocity were great. For the love of God keep this guy off of the microphone and get Josh Matthews in the booth for stuff like this. That kid knows his shit and plays off of others pretty well.
ECW on Sci-Fi!: 11.14.06:
Some people have commented on the perceived “lack of ECW” coverage here. This is the deal. ECW is not doing a lot in the hour. What they are doing, for the most part, is fine though. TNA on the other hand always sticks 80 things in their hour, for better or worse as you can see by their analysis. I can only comment on what I am given on a particular show, which is why the last few weeks on ECW I haven’t commented as much as I have on other shows; and that is also the same for this week. That is not necessarily a bad thing. I hope that answers some of the questions I have been receiving.
The Right:
Getting some focus – I have to totally agree with JD Dunn’s assessment of the ECW product right now. While they aren’t doing a lot of stuff, the show has definitely gained a lot of focus recently. I agree that they have seemed to drop the “dead weight” for lack of a better term. They apparently decided to stop the push of Thorn so he is gone. Balls was always on and doing nothing, he is gone. Dupree seems to have disappeared as has Moore. They are now focused on building the main event of the first PPV, as well as focusing on a group of people: RVD, Sabu, Punk, Knox, Test, Holly, Show and Heyman. It is making for a smooth hour, and even if a ton is not happening the shows are solid, if unspectacular. The wrestling most weeks has been pretty good, including Punk and Know having back to back good matches. If they can keep it up and build off of this, all should be good to go from here.
Lashley gets Extreme – This week Paul Heyman hyped that the 6th man for the Extreme Elimination Chamber would be announced. Heyman announced it would be Holly, and had the contract for him to sign, as Paul said, to appear as things were on the up and up. But Holly was attacked backstage by Lashley; who then rushed the ring and speared Big Show and then signed the contract for the Extreme Elimination Chamber. This is good for a few reasons. First of all this gets Lashley and Batista separated for now. They are essentially the same character right now since both are faces. Secondly, Lashley kept getting screwed everything he had a shot at the title on Smackdown. Kayfabe wise we could assume that Lashley had hit the breaking point, heard of Heyman’s grandstanding and decided that he wanted gold, any gold, and took the shot with ECW. In its basic inception this is a good plan. While I hate that Smackdown seems to always get pillaged when someone needs some talent, regardless of how it will leave Smackdown, this could be interesting. Also, this could be WWE’s way of testing how Lashley does as a champion, without the risk of giving him the title on “the big shows.” Overall, I am ok with this. Making room for Monty on Smackdown anyone?
puRgatory:
I got called up to the main roster and all I got was this lousy treadmill! – When the ECW brand was rumored to begin, many thought that it could be a vehicle to get over some new talent, a bridge between developmental and the big shows if you will. CM Punk was the name-dropped all the time due to Heyman liking him and because 90% of the INTRAWEB has a gigantic hard on for him. He was chosen as the one to get that shot and he has done rather well for himself since his debut. He is the only “new extremist” to make it into the Extreme Elimination Chamber match, for a shot at the ECW title. But the one thing that has been evident is that Punk runs the booking treadmill. Let’s take a look, shall we?
–Justin Credible: Punk has two matches with Credible, and wins them both. They are solid matches, and there is no other story besides the fact of Credible wanting a rematch for his loss, and Punk being addicted to competition.
–Shannon Moore: Shannon Moore is a possible first feud for Punk. Moore was cutting Emo-Centric promos forever and Punk bitch slapped him and called him a poser. They had a match the following week, which again was a fine match and Punk wins cleanly. Moore then threatens to cut himself and gets a rematch, and again, solid match and Punk wins. End of feud, end of story, the same old, let’s move on.
–Renee Dupree: Punk has two matches with Dupree. They are solid matches, and there is no other story besides the fact of Dupree wanting a rematch for his loss, thinking he is the best new extremist and Punk being addicted to competition. They have a rematch, fine match, Punk wins clean yet again and after the same old stuff, we move on again.
–Mike Knox: Now we finally get Punk’s first real feud. Kelly is all infatuated with Punk, which obviously angers Knox. Punk basically tells him not to be pissed at him but to keep his woman in check. Knox tries on numerous occasions to sneak attack Punk, which doesn’t work and he plays chicken shit heel and runs. They finally meet in a match, with the added stipulation of the winner going to the Extreme Elimination Chamber. They have a surprisingly good match and Punk takes the clean win and moves onto the Extreme Elimination Chamber.
Now the very next week, this week, they have the rematch as Knox wants revenge. THIS is where we could have gotten creative children, but we didn’t. Punk is already in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match, Punk is undefeated but already established. They could have had Kelly, in an attempt to aid Punk, accidentally cost him the match to keep this little feud going as an underscore to the Extreme Elimination Chamber; or she maybe could have been working him the whole time and cost him the match on purpose, in hopes that in his anger he would put his Extreme Elimination Chamber spot on the line in a 3rd match the following week. Both men are in a Survivor Series match, so it would be a guess that they are still feuding. If Punk loses to some crazy shenanigans or through nefarious means at this point it is fine I feel, but again, we run the treadmill and do nothing different. While this may not be a “bad” thing so to speak, it isn’t exactly the best way to do things. That is why I have tossed this into purgatory, not horrible or anything but I think that this could be done better.
The wRong:
Nothing of Note
The Ridiculous:
Nothing of Note
Pre-Show Match: Shark Boy defeated Nigel McGinnis @ 5:30 via pin *
Pre-Show Match: The Diamonds in the Rough defeated The Naturals and Hoyt @ 5:50 via pin *½
Raven defeated PJ Palaco @ 6:00 via pin *
Six Sided Stick Fight: The 3LK defeated Team Canada @ 10:35 via pin **
Contender’s Match: Monty Brown defeated Jeff Hardy @ 9:00 via pin *
Elimination X: Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Alex Shelley and Roderick Strong defeated Chris Sabin, Matt Bentley w/Traci, Sonjay Dutt and Austin Aries @ 23:25 (Daniels and Joe survived) ***¾
No DQ Match: Abyss defeated Sabu @ 10:45 via pin ***
X-Division Title Match: AJ Styles © defeated Petey Williams @ 18:25 via pin ***¾
Team 3D and Rhino defeated Jeff Jarrett and America’s Most Wanted @ 15:56 via pin ****
The Right:
CHRISTIAN CAGE! – Great debut by Christian this past weekend at Genesis. The crowd was hot for him the moment he came out and he delivered the goods with a great promo. Christian brings something special to the table as the man can talk, an area that TNA lacks in. He cut a good promo, and had the expected confrontation with Coach D’Amore. This set up for an appearance later in the evening for him and thankfully Christian did NOT side with JJ like everyone else that comes in does. He helped toss Team Canada, planted Coach D’Amore with the Unprettier (which needs a name change, “The Canadian Rage” perhaps) and he and Team 3D gave JJ the triple team 3D through a table. An awesome debut and how surreal was it to see Christian and the former Dudleyz team up like that considering they made careers kicking each others asses?
Elimination X and the dismantling of the Fallen Angel – This was a great match. I loved that they did the match as it got more people on PPV, but guys that could go and deserved it in my eyes. They all worked really hard and did some amazing stuff. I feel it came up a little short, mostly because I think I expected way too much; but a damn good match nonetheless.
The after match angle was done extremely well, well in how the performers sold it, not in reaction; we will discuss that later. Joe was the world-beater as he destroyed and laid out Christopher Daniels in a vile display. AJ Styles even came out as they stretchered out Daniels and looked on in disgust. He then cut a promo saying that Joe broke the “unwritten code” of the X Division. They are obviously going for a play on the initial days of Ring of Honor and the Code of Honor, which works well here considering these guys all perform in ROH. Great execution but the wrong reaction. More later.
AJ vs. Petey – Damn good match here. If there is one thing you can count on at the TNA PPV’s is that the X Title matches deliver. Petey and AJ busted their asses, and went above and beyond in the bump department, including a SICK German suplex off of the apron, in which AJ Styles about broke himself in half as he hit the railing. Also earlier AJ did a no hands plancha, he grazed Petey and his ass hit the railing and he went all the way over and basically landed on his feet, almost as if it were planned. Really good stuff, and the end was great as Petey went for the Destroyer off the top only for AJ to reverse it and get the 2nd Rope Styles clash as Samoa Joe looked on, draped in a blood soaked towel from his earlier destruction of Daniels. Great match and we know exactly where we are headed next month.
6-Man Main Event – This one surprised me, I guess I wasn’t expecting much going in but I came away very happy. I usually hate the huge brawl in the crowd to begin stuff, especially when they are separated into 3 groups, but this was done very well and progressively got more exciting. This had a mix of an old Memphis Concession brawl/ECW brawl and it just worked to perfection.
Raven vs. Palaco: The Angle/Abyss is afraid of Barbed Wire – I like the angle with Raven and Larry Z. Larry is sick and tired of Raven acting the way he wants to, and is making him answer for his actions. He gave him the choice of signing his release or being out through hell. Raven chose hell and Larry took him from the main event to curtain jerking. Larry also dipped into his bag of tricks to have someone from Raven’s past be his opponent. The former Justin Credible made his TAN return for this match. I like this deal, and think it could be fun to use Credible and some other ECW Alumni for a few shows. Bring on the Sandman! Hell, let Raven and Sabu finish their feud that was cut off when both men got ill. This could be some great angle shit right here.
Abyss is afraid of barbed wire; that’s genius! Mitchell cut a great promo about how Abyss was fine until Sabu brought out the wire. Apparently Abyss had a horrific childhood and was scarred by barber wire. Mitchell got him counseling but Sabu ruined that. During the match Sabu brought out a chair covered in barbed wire, which Abyss later black hole slammed him on. After the match Mitchell told Abyss to grab the chair and finish Sabu off, but the monster left the ring and
The wRong:
Joe’s Heel Turn – The beat down was a ***** beat down in execution by the performers, but in the effect of what they were going for it was a DUD. Why? Here is the deal. The TNA fans LOVE Joe. They think he’s a beast and they love the whole “Joe killing bitches” thing he does. He snapped on Daniels, and they CHEERED him and wanted him to do shit one more time. I think they vastly underestimated how over Joe was in this decision. Joe left this PPV more popular than he was going in, and that was not the deal. They wanted his hated and to get sympathy for Daniels. Good idea in theory, great execution by the guys but it wasn’t what the people wanted; sorry fellas.
Raven vs. Palaco: The Match – While the angle was good, the match sucked. Both men looked unmotivated, out of shape and it wasn’t the best way to start off the PPV “match quality” wise.
Shark Boy defeated Nigel McGinnis – This is not the kind of match that you want on the free show as a way to get people to buy the show. This match would have made people NOT order the PPV. I haven’t seen a lot of Nigel, but if this was someone’s first Nigel experience they would have came away thoroughly unimpressed. Maybe Sharky was the wrong guy to have him work, maybe he had an off night but the match was ass.
The Ridiculous:
Monty vs. Hardy – This was billed as a contenders match, a match in which the winner would be soon in line for an NWA Title shot. This match, for lack of a better term was balls. Monty, I love the guy looked very green in the ring. Part of that is the fact that he was in there with someone who sucks. Hardy looks good in multi match matches, plunder matches and such; but this month he looked horrible. I hope that they put him in a tag team and keep him out of singles and out of the title picture because he severely drags it down. This match proved 2 things. As I said Hardy must be kept away from important singles matches, and that Monty isn’t ready quite in the ring yet. Again, balls I say!
Oh, and how can I forget Jeff’s, “ARRRR MONSTER” deal, what the hell was that? You sir are no Delirious!
Queer Eye for the Ref Guy – I shall use photographic evidence here:
How on earth did he think this was a good idea???
PPV Thoughts:
This was a damn good show. It had good matches, a very good debut by Christian and you came away feeling you got your money’s worth. It was a great distraction considering what happened hours before the show, something I appreciated. 7.5 out of 10.
READER RANT TIME!
From Jeremy on Russo-Nomics –
I can’t really decide who is dumber Vince Russo or TNA for hiring him. His track record is one of non-matches, false finishes, hot shot angles and unexplained heel/face turns. And those were his good ideas. From his God awful Human torch matches and booking himself and David Arquette as WCW world champion this guy has proven himself to be incapable of coherent thought. Can someone please tell Sting that yes there is a cancer in TNA, it’s not Jeff Jarrett, its not the World Title, its their idiot booker. The same man that turned Vampiro heel in WCW when he was a dying company’s only decent prospect and had spent months being built up as a crowd pleasing face. Vampiro was one of the only reasons to watch that dreadful promotion during the dying years and he was entertaining. Please Larry spread the word and cure TNA of the true cancer…..VINCE RUSSO.
From Craig, who disagrees with me on the Russo-Nomics –
I have to politely disagree with you Larry. I felt that this week’s Impact was a good show given the limitations of the one hour format. Sure the three-way and the X-Division match could’ve used more time but they only have an hour after all.
As for the Christian run in, that did sort of make sense. After all he never did get the rematch he deserved when he lost his title, it makes perfect sense that he’d be annoyed about a number one contender tournament going on without him in it.
From RC on Kennedy –
Saw that ppl had sent in their thought on Kennedy so I thought I’d give it a try (really needed to vent on this):
Don’t really get why the IWC is crazy abt this guy anymore. I mean, I really liked him in the beginning but back then he would actually go in the ring.Nowadays it seems like he has no moveset at all, just throwing punches, a chop or two, some kicks…stuff like that. Also, what the hell happened to the cool finisher he used in the beginning? Now he doesn’t even use his Kenton Bomb (which looks worse than it should given that Jeff Hardy pulls it off sweeter than Kennedy…………..Kennedy.
And speaking of that, that introduction he does has just become a parody on itself. Before he used to SAY Kennedy, not scream it like a maniac just for the hell of it. Then he wouldn’t breath or anything ,just walk up the turnbuckles and let out another Kennedy. Instead nowadays after finishing the first Kennedy he walks up the turnbuckles, breaths many times, looks at the crowds and stuff, and then SCREAMS out Kennedy at the top of his lungs.
On top of that he being pinned cleanly and being manhandled by Undertaker and Kane….I fear the worst for Kennedy in this feud with the UT. At least Orton had the background history to back him up kinda after his losses to the UT (being the youngest world champion and all). Kennedy has nothing, except for beating Batista twice (which he doesn’t seem to bring up anymore).
Finally from BW on last week’s Raw –
Raw has so many problems it is laughable.
There was some good
1. Cryme Tyme was pretty damn funny on color commentary. JR sounded so out
of place, it worked for me.2. Cena finally brings some intensity to this emotionless Raw. He actually sounded like was legitly pissed.
3. Flair giving the finger to Edge while Piper was face in peril was brilliant. I mean Brilliant. Flair had what looked like such legit hatred.
Now the bad:
First, the night of 1000 unfair stipulations has been doen before in the attitude era, and was much more interesting. This was borderline stupid.
I missed the first half an hour, but I will assume I missed nothing.
Masters and Lawler would have been crap even if Lawler was not handcuffed.
Lita and Mickie James was boring as hell. How did they manage to kill the amazing character that was lesbian crazy Mickie? That shit was gold.
Umaga vs. Maria took way toooooo long.
No one cares Eugene and Hacksaw split.
Now here is the thing with the main event. WHY THE HELL WERE THEY DOING TAGS? It no DQ. Just get in there and punch Eric. Eric seemed so off. He took so long to get down and do fast counts, they weren’t even fast. Edge and Orton are fools again, there’s a shocker.
And then we get DX doing the same thing all over again…
Another thing, why the hell is DX so goofy and no violence? Last time I checked in the attitude era, DX was supposed to put people through tables or beat them with chairs or something. Hell Shawn Michaels turned heel by hitting Undertaker repeatedly with a chair. The problem is DX are faces. They are not supposed to be faces, at least not the HBK and HHH DX. They have no edge what so ever. They are boring. The only thing worse than being boring, it being boring and burying potentially good feuds. What made DX work was either, A. you liked them and thus you liked DX “before was cool” or B. you hated them so much you had to watch to see them lose. And they did lose to some guy named Stone Cold Steve Austin. Who was he again? Oooooh right, one of the most popular stars in recent WWE history.
Doesn’t WWE get it? People will pay to see someone lose if they hate them. The original DX were by no means fan favorites. If the WWE really wanted to make DX work again, they have to be heels. There no other way. But is that possible at this point? No, not really, which proves why bring it back was a bad idea to begin with.All and all, WWE needs to change and I mean soon or they will lose viewers. That is just plain and simple.
For more interesting information on wrestling, check out Bryan Alvarez and Figure Four Weekly Online, Mike Campbell over at SPLASH MOUNTAIN and Dr. Keith Lipinski over at Puroresu Power!
Thanks for joining us, PEACE!
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