RINGSIDE or CHEAP SEATS 12.17.06: Wrestling TV 12/11 to 12/16
Posted by Joe Boo on 12.17.2006
Holy edits Batman!...that was the theme on most shows this week….
I have never watched so much chopped up crap in my life. I realize that TNA and SMACKDOWN are taped and they do edit but it was out of hand this past week. Usually WWE is pretty sharp when it comes to production. However, this week the production crew must have been getting the Christmas break on their minds because they were defiantly slacking. We won't be discussing ECW this week due to the fact that the show is airing late on Saturday night and I do have a life. So here we go!
RAW
Well my prediction of EDGE siding with DX never happened. It looks like we are once again getting another tag team main event at a PPV. Umaga and Cena is becoming an interesting program. I believe this could pay off big and I suspect that this program will be continuing at the Royal Rumble. I was just thinking way down the road for Wrestlemania with regards to Umaga. I would to see him stay un-pinned and work a program with the Undertaker. The rumor mill is talking about a Batista vs. Undertaker title match. The luster with that type of match is that for once this may be unpredictable since the Undertaker always wins at Wrestlemania. I prefer Umaga vs. the Undertaker though because it will be a better match from a technical standpoint. I just realized I'm off the subject and need to analyze RAW, my bad.
The big announcement on RAW is that we will have a 30 man battle royal with the winner facing John Cena for the WWE title at the end of the show. I want to see HBK vs. Cena! I would also like to see an upset and have HBK win. Then I want to have HHH get back to his obsessed about the title persona and DX breaks up. There is no happy ending in wrestling storylines and we need to end this DX nostalgia sometime. We all know that is far-fetched and they will bleed DX dry. It looks to me as if HBK is ready to hang this angle up anyway.
Other than that, the under-card is still undeveloped and the feuds are things we have seen in the past. Another random thought is that I wonder how much they pay Ron Simmons to say, "DAMN" every week.
Overall RAW is still doing nothing for me and it must be doing nothing for others as well because the ratings are dropping slowly. I will be in the CHEAP SEATS unless someone shells out and buys me ringside for Christmas.
ECW
See above. This show is doomed anyway.
TNA
I want to start off by saying that Christian and Tomko are doing a great job considering what they have to work with. They are in the main event picture and they are using the small amount of time they get every week and they get the job done. The job being make sure everyone hates them (which is what a heel wants).
For the first time, TNA seems to be confused on which direction it wants to go. The last two shows have been okay but the storyline development has been a slow process. They don't have the necessary TV time to slowly input angles. They need to knock it out every week until the extra hour of time gets added on in 2007 (hopefully). I know it is December and pro-wrestling tends to drag but what an attention grabber they can be!
Something I didn't like was the break up of the tag team America's Most Wanted. In the last few months they have broken up a few teams and they don't have the time to develop so many single competitors. The one thing they had on the competition is the tag team division was intriguing. They need to revisit this thought process.
Kurt Angle is the man! Jim Cornette is one smart performer as well in terms of a GM type role. That guy doesn't insult the fans intelligence and plays well off all the characters he comes in contact with on TV.
Now for the shocker:
For the first time ever I am sitting in the CHEAP SEATS for this show. I felt like they were just going through the motions and it did nothing for me. Now if anyone one has seen TNA you will notice that there really aren't any CHEAP SEATS in the venue due to the size. So hopefully you get the symbolism (look it up).
SMACKDOWN
I mentioned the heavy editing in the opening of this disaster (column). Well, this show really needed to be scrapped. The production was so choppy, it wasn't fooling anyone how bad the wrestlers were missing there spots. The action just wasn't tight and it made some segments tough to watch.
The Cena vs. Finlay match was horrible at the end. People were slow getting to there spots in the ring and you see Cena in one corner moving slowly and selling the beating he is taking and then a camera cut and he is in the middle of the ring in a seconds time. The Undertaker and Kane tag match was so over-produced it was just childish. Then again that could be the new target audience….who knows. The only match that seemed to run smoothly was the Vito vs. Slyvan match. Then again, does anyone really care?
The saving grace of that show is an announcer. JBL is damn good at his announcer's role and plays well of Michael Cole (who I can't stand). There are a few people that stand out on SMACKDOWN and they are Kennedy, MVP and King Booker. These are all good heels with no talented faces at the moment. That isn't a shot at the Undertaker or Kane but we know they are going over (win) and it just takes something out of it. It seems that they are slowly trying to jumble the rosters a little bit but its most likely to hype up the Royal Rumble since everyone is involved in that from both brands.
I purposely watch SMACKDOWN on Saturday's in my DVR. I need to fast forward through a lot of it because it's becoming a job to watch it. That's not good. For that reason I am in the CHEAP SEATS.
Well, I never thought I'd be upset with all the shows. I must reflect on this. Either Joe Boo has lost touch with wrestling or it is just an average thing and everything has been done in the industry. I'll keep watching, for how long I don't know. Lata Kidz!
