MeeThinks 01.02.07: The Best of The Rest
Posted by John Meehan on 01.02.2007
MeeThinks kicks off the new year by wrapping up the best of what was left from 2006!
Welcome back and happy new year, all! Relax your resolutions and sit back and enjoy as MeeThinks serves up an EXTRA HELPING in what was scheduled to be our four-week multipack of positivity known as the Second Annual MeeThinks Year-End Wrap-up and Predictions!
In case you missed the first four columns of the series (linked below) we closed out 2006 with a roster-by-roster, four-part look at EVERY wrestler active on each of the major North American pro wrestling broadcasts of the day. You know -- four columns, four rosters, four weeks in December.
But in running down the four major shows over the past month, I couldn't help but notice that a number of big name stars have fallen inactive and/or landed themselves between companies in the past 365. For the sake of (my best attempt at) completeness, MeeThinks we'd be remiss if we didn't lend these stragglers a column of their own to size up all the good stuff they've done for the wrestling business in the year that was.
Therefore -
We're going to the one-by-one well ONE LAST TIME as we size up the positives on "the best of the rest" who we might have missed for one reason or another in our four-roster rundown over the past month. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this FINAL installment of the feature as MeeThinks lends a kindhearted evaluation, an optimistic outlook, and a few helpful pointers to EVERYONE we might have forgotten who appeared on one of sports entertainment's four major rosters in the year that was.
Sound like a plan?
Rock & roll.
As you know...
When 2005 wrapped, wrestling fans had three major wrestling shows airing each week - RAW on Mondays, Smackdown on Thursdays (ultimately moved to Friday's by year's end), and TNA iMPACT! on Saturday nights at 11pm.
Wow, what a difference a year makes, no? 2006 wraps, and we have not three but FOUR major pro wrestling shows each week:
In the past four weeks, we've covered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday night's wrestling fare - but inevitably, some big names have fallen through the cracks thanks to injury, trade, sabattical, departure, suspension, retirement, and God knows what else. Among that lot, we've got not one, not two, but THREE performers who served as their respective show's champion in 2006. And omitting them from ANY rundown would never do...
So -
Here's the blow-by-blow for all of wrestling's "best of the rest" in 2006!
Big Show - A few weeks back, reader Rob Halden offered up an awesome commentary on The Giant. Rather than rephrase him, MeeThinks I won't bother to mess with perfection and so I'll just excerpt the good stuff to summarize what a stellar year we saw from the guy in 2006. Thanks Rob!
[Big Show] was the best part of ECW this year. For some reason I never used to like the Big Show. And yes, his switching brands did come across a bit too much like his nWo turn, but ever since he was given the ball to run with, he made it work. It was a perfect example of how to book the man, something that has escaped WWE for years (I still have nightmares of his No Way Out 2000 bout with Rocky, or 'The Night Of The World's Slowest Irish Whips'). He shouldn't have had help in winning the belt, but whatever, gotta save Rob somehow for the return I guess (although that loss didn't seem like punishment to me, everyone gets taken out by wacky screwjob boss hijynx at some point in their career). [Regardless], having him main event every week for a good while worked. Having him take on Flair and Kane and all the other big-shots and win, worked. Having the Undertaker come in and not completely bury him, worked. His big Sabu title match was extremely decent, considering neither man is the world's greatest. Show took some painful looking shots and best of all, [WWE] didn't get scared and pull a quick switch back to another old ECW hand. They toughed it out with the hardcore fans baying for their blood. Decisions like that and not turning Cena heel, you've just gotta respect. Also, it came out of left-field that he was now the only WWE/WCW/ECW champ. That's a cool, legit title to lay claim to and it helped his standing immensely (or, more accurately, helped us forget they hadn't done anything with him in a while). By the time we had the Champion Of Champions match at Cyber Sunday, Big Show looked and felt like he belonged there. [All in all], I was impressed and pleased for the Show, I hope he gets a similar treatment upon his return. And [as a] side-note, he was scheduled to leave to rehab all his various injuries, but the company needed him to add star-power to their Europe tour and so he stuck around. And this is a guy who had that incredible, long-term, insane cash deal back in the when... he don't need the money and I don't think he's afraid of being black-balled at this stage in his career. Talk about a company man. Maybe Robbie V should could learn a lesson from that.
Great work, Rob. And thank you!
Monty Brown - Many people (like RVD fans) will complain that WWE puts a "glass ceiling" over its performers both in the ring and on the microphone. For some wrestlers (like Van Dam), this has been a blessing and a curse, as their natural charisma has often been lost in the shuffle while pre-scripted promos are fed their way. For others, however, the WWE environment has proven IDEAL in teaching them a thing or two on the microphone, as the added polish of a professional script-writer or two can certainly go a LONG way in reigning in their otherwise lengthy, meandering and (at times) downright laughable attempts to cut a promo. Though this might be an unpopular opinion amongst IWC'ers, MeeThinks Monty Brown is a perfect candidate to thrive in the pre-scripted world of WWE, as while his "natural charisma" is off the charts, the all-around coherence and punch of his promos can use a bit of, well, "tightening," to say the least. Tortured analogies (remember the one about the deck of cards?), dead-end catch-phrases ("This is my Serengeti!" -- as if anyone else was laying claim to the thing), and god-awful word mashups (Samoa Joe is a "HippoFit," don'tcha know) means that Monty could still afford to learn a thing or two under the watchful eye of a team of writers, and while what plenty of WWE's "creative" writing staff has churned out in the past hasn't been much better than what Brown was spitting out off of the top of his head in TNA; with some time, luck and dedication -- they certainly couldn't do much worse. MeeThinks fans can expect BIG things from Monty Brown in 2007 -- so stay tuned!
Jim Cornette - It's often been said that "Jim Cornette has forgotten more about the wrestling business than many of us will ever learn." If that's the case, then here's hoping Corny can help meld some of his knowledge of the game with Russo's enthusiasm for it (for even if Russo is off-the-wall, you can't deny that he's got a deep-seated enthusiasm for the wrestling industry) as the two men sit on TNA's booking committee in the year to come. Scott D'Amore and Mike Tenay might well be "wrestling minds," of course, but MeeThinks they pale in comparison to Russo and Cornette when speaking in terms of their all-around experience with the business (both *writing* and *booking* major wrestling shows) and in terms of the tandem's sheer potential for success given their rather lengthy (if at times, unimpressive) track records. Is Cornette the "savior" of TNA? Hardly, but he is undoubtedly a valuable assett to the company regardless, and he brings a world of knowledge and experience of the "old-school" Southern Style wrestling promotion that TNA has so long claimed itself to be (without the drawbacks of a guy like, say, Bill Watts). With Corny and Vinny Ru working together (if they *can*, of course), MeeThinks TNA fans are in for the ride of their lives as "old school" meets "Crash TV" and the Impact Zone is almost assuredly in for a shake-up in 2007. Best of luck, Jim.
Matt Hardy - In 2005, Matt Hardy could have easily walked away with wrestling's "Biggest Disappointment" award for having re-debuted on RAW only to completely suck the wind out of EVERYTHING good that might have been going his way with the real-life-heat-inspired program against Edge. His exile to Smackdown! did little to inspire confidence, and though V.1 made it clear by radio appearances and blog comments that we were just witnessing but one chapter in a "six part saga" that would ultimately see the man return to glory, a year later (summer of 2006) and his real-life rival Edge was a multi-time World Champion while the poor shlub was certain-jerking non-title programs against the same guy (Gregory Helms) he's been wrestling on a backyard trampoline almost ten years earlier. Hardly a success story, or so it would seem, until WWE (and/or Matt Hardy) FINALLY convinced the ever-popular (and arguably, more marketable) younger Hardy Boy, Jeff, to return to a WWE ring and reunite with his older brother to help kickstart both men's second tenure with the company. For Hardy fans (like Mee), the result was nothing short of brilliant as the now-reunited duo served up not one but two SOLID contenders for WWE tag-team match of the year, once against MNM at Disember to Dismember, and then again in the multi-team ladder match at Armageddon just a few weeks later. Unfortunately for the Sensei of Mattitude, rumor has it that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon isn't all that high on a full-time Hardy Boyz reunion -- so the elder Hardy's window of opportunity to make a singles' name for himself in WWE could rapidly see itself closing in the weeks to come. Regardless, Matt and Jeff have done wonders to renew fan interest in BOTH of their careers since the return... and now it's up to EACH of them to build from that momentum as they move into the new year, likely in singles' competition sooner than later. For Matt's sake, here's hoping history doesn't repeat itself.
Paul Heyman - It's long been said that Paul Heyman is Paul Heyman's own worst enemy, and given the relative success (and failures) of the "new" ECW, MeeThinks that statement has never proven truer. On the one hand, he's a genius with ideas and enthusiasm for "the biz" who's willing to take a stab at reviving the ECW brand. Yet on the other hand? He's a moron who'd blindly take part in the WWECW revival (thanks to a big, fat, paycheck or two) rather than defend the "integrity" of what was once his prized creation. Then again, he's a whiny little princess who's more content to phone in his performances and stand by and say nothing (paycheck in hand) while the ECW pay-per-view gets lead to the slaughter without so much as TWO matches to fill its undercard, yet he's quick to get his panties in a twist once the show flops just so he can tell Vinny Mac "I toldja' so!" after the die's already been cast. Here's some tough love to the Messiah of Extreme: Paul, either put your heart into the new ECW or cash your chips out now and just walk away from it. You're not helping ANYONE by taking part in a product that you know damned well is subpar, you're not helping ANYONE by "working within the system" when it's crystal clear to everyone but you that WWE has ZERO intention of preserving "your vision" for their new ECW, and you're not helping ANYONE but yourself as you laugh all the way to the bank and enjoy what's left of your hefty WWE contract from home while rival promotions (ROH, TNA) would KILL for you to come lend a hand in their direction at a moment's notice. In other words? Step up or step off, Paul. The "new" ECW is in shit-shape and you know it, and either use what little magic you've got left to miraculously turn the brand around, or step up to the plate and do what was once the unthinkable as you "kill your creation" and walk away from the brand to give somebody else a shot at recapturing the same vigor, spirit and passion to succeed that the old ECW once had.
Jeff Jarrett - Say what you will about Jarrett's ego, politics, and drawing power -- but you simply HAVE to give the guy credit for demonstrating quite a bit in the way of bona-fide "company man" credibility in 2006. In the ring? Jarrett carried a ring-rusty Sting to a decisive victory as the year entered its second half, and endured a "fans revenge" ass kicking to prove he was a good sport in jobbing cleanly to Samoa Joe. Outside of it? Double J was instrumental in signing Kurt Angle, and you can BET that he was equally responsible for keeping the announcement under wraps as well as for trotting The Olympic Gold Medalist out as the public face of the company in lieu of putting himself over along the way. By doing so, Jarrett (and the rest of the TNA brass) have secured for themselves a primo, prime-time television broadcast slot on Thursday nights, and they may well be on their way to earning the show yet another hour before all's said and done in 2007. Things like the television slot and the Angle signing go a long way to prove just how savvy a wrestling mind a guy like Jeff Jarrett really has, and he's earned quite a bit of respect from Mee in 2006 by totally stepping up to the plate and putting the good of the COMPANY over his personal best interests in the year that was. Sure, this doesn't mean that Jarrett won't soon be back on TNA television hogging all the spotlight and putting himself over at the expense of just about everyone else on the roster... but if The King of The Mountain *really* wants to prove his star status in 2007? Perhaps he'll continue the trend from this year and let much of his off-camera accomplishments do the "shining" for him while he agrees to spread the successes around a bit more inside of the ring. Well, one can hope, no?
JBL - Here's a sneak preview of the 411 Year End Awards, as I had the honor of writing one of Bradshaw's blurbs for the big dance (scheduled for next week, I believe). As 2006 opened, John Bradshaw Layfield found his wrestling career in a bit of a holding pattern. After having jobbed out to every top-level Smackdown! performer in 2005, JBL seemed destined for midcard wheel-spinning while fresher acts like King Booker, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio and (who knew!?) Finlay made their way to the top of the blue brand's talent heap. An ill-fated pairing with Jillian Hall did little to inspire confidence, and one back injury later and the self-proclaimed "Wrestling God" appeared to be all but done with his WWE tenure. But -- as fate would have it -- JBL's injury-induced hiatus just *also* happened to coincide with the "rebirth" of ECW, and that meant that longtime Smackdown! color-commentator Tazz would be departing the show for an announcing gig alongside Joey Styles as the co-voices of Extreme. In a pinch, WWE brass turned to Layfield as their default "stick-man-of-the-moment," and WHAM -- both JBL's career and Smackdown's future were salvaged in an instant. Talk about killing two birds with one stone! Since taking the helm beside Michael Cole at the Smackdown! broadcast table, JBL has been nothing short of exceptional as he provides an insight, analysis, and in-depth knowledge of the "sport" that only a true ring veteran could offer. Putting EVERYBODY on the roster (not named "The Miz") over in the process, JBL has carved out a tremendous niche for himself as the new voice of the blue brand.
Lita - Not to be mean, but we all saw how well the LAST Team Extreme alumni's foray into the music world turned out (PerOxWhy?Gen, anyone?), and if Lita is banking on her "girlish good looks" to help her compete in a business where darling new pop-princesses are being unleashed (literally) on a weekly basis? Odds aren't that good that we'll be hearing much radio play from The LuchaGores in 2007. So perhaps Lita will be back in a WWE arena at least once or twice before all is said and done. Then again, if you read Lita's comments and interviews as her WWE tenure drew to a close, you can pretty well see that the woman was simply fed up with the fans and the wrestling lifestyle, at least for the time being. Her real-life indiscretions with Edge lost her the bulk of what fan support she'd once had, and though Matt Hardy's career has yet to recover from "Lita-gate" IN the ring? It would appear that Lita's career has unquestionably suffered *outside* of the ring, as what was once her passion and enthusiasm for the business seems to have been all but spent in the last 365. Here's hoping that some well-deserved time away from the business can help the woman rediscover that fire for the biz she once had, and that the "time-out" from the wrestling world can allow wrestling fans the world over the chance to move on from their all-out hatred of a woman who was once as dedicated and empassioned a performer as they come.
Joey Mercury - Again, if Vince McMahon is opposed to a full-time MNM reunion at this stage in the game, then Mercury (like Matt Hardy) could well find himself on the sidelines (or worse) while Johnny Nitro is given the singles' ball to run with in the mean time. Regardless, MeeThinks McMahon is still the single most successful wrestling mind in the industry today, and he'd be a fool to pass up the no-brainer opportunity to throw Mercury and Nitro back together (if just for "one night only"... again) to settle the score against Matt and Jeff before sending each man on his way into the WWE singles' ranks. Just think - MNM vs. The Hardy Boyz in a TLC match for the tag titles at WrestleMania 23 -- TELL ME that you wouldn't tune in to see how that all went down!?! Once the singles' ranks come callin, Mercury probably has a tough road ahead of him if he's ever to prove his worth outside of MNM. But with three brands to do it on (MeeThinks he'd be a great fit for ECW, as he saw a brief bit of time in the original, if you'll recall) AND with WWE giving former Mercury-tag-partner Christian York a shot at a dark match or two at the end of '06, perhaps Joey Mercury is the tag specialist to watch in 2007.
Rey Mysterio - Eesh, where to begin? Though Rey saw his greatest accomplishment EVER in a North American wrestling ring in 2006, the year will likely be remembered as one of his least impressive on record. From a less-than-inspiring (and sympathy-feuled) title victory at WrestleMania (which I called in last year's column, by the way), to a disasterous run as World Champion (by my count, Rey won a grand total of like two matches in six months' time, and one was against a suspension-bound Randy Orton just to punish the guy), and ending with a feud against Chavo Guerrero that was so bad it was downright offensive, at times, Rey has a LOT of rebuilding to do in the new year if he's ever going to be taken seriously again. Sure, the kids will turn out in droves to buy the masked man's merchandise, but the all-important "smart"-fan support might have finally passed Rey by, as IWC'ers around the globe have turned what was once their sympathies to a full-out sense of indignation toward the guy in the wake of his Eddie Guerrero sympathy push. And moreso than Khali, Big Show, Undertaker or any other opponent Rey might have had to face in the ring -- his battle to regain the "smart" fans' respect in 2007 is likely going to be THE single toughest fight in his career as he's got a long way to go if he's going to prove that he was ever anything more than the lucky shmuck who inherited Eddie Guerrero's sympathy push. For Rey's sake, here's hoping some time away from the game (and time enough to allow for a full-body rehab) will help him hit the ground running with his re-debut in '07. If not, MeeThinks we could be talking about Rey Mysterio as THE most disappointing WWE performer of the year by 2008.
Trish Stratus - Hands down, Trish Stratus will likely go down in the wrestling history books as not only THE most popular North American women's wrestler in history, but also perhaps as the single best women's wrestler EVER to have competed for a major North American promotion, period. Sable? All show, no go. Chyna? A walking punchline just two years after her in-ring days were gone. Moolah? A pioneer, but one whose received *more* than her fair share of "thanks-to-revisionist-history-and-nostalgia" rub, as her multi-decade title reign was far more fiction than fact. Nope, in the end Trish Stratus topped them all -- choosing to let her in-ring abilities to the talking (look how dramatically she improved from the days of Test & Albert), and earning mark-and-smart fan appreciation along the way as she became the single most marketable WWE Diva ever to have avoided the pages of Playboy Magazine. For that, I have to give Trish all the credit in the world, as she managed to make her way to the top WITHOUT resorting to flashing her naughty bits or compromising her dignity along the way. In this regard, Trish Stratus will likely be remembered as the Audrey Hepburn of professional wrestling -- the portrait of class and beauty, and a remarkable talent to boot. While so many other ladies DESPERATE for fame resorted to stripping to their skivvies (see: Sable, Chyna, Ashley, Candice, Mickie, Torrie, etc.), Trish managed to exude sex appeal not by flaunting her sexuality, but by mastering it as she kept fans enamored by way of her strength, beauty, and girl-next-door allure that surrounded her. Best of luck outside of the ring, Patricia, and thank you for all you've done for the fans and "sport" of professional wrestling.
Roderick Strong - As I said in the TNA Year-End Wrap-Up, Roderick Strong was probably the most critical loss to TNA this year, as the guy is young, talented and shows all the signs of an eventual major-promotion main eventer if he keeps things up at this rate. His stellar 56-minute bout against The American Dragon is a testament to the man's skill (even at a relatively young age), and his FIP Heavyweight Title win in November definitely did all the more to improve the man's credibility with smart and mark fans alike. The more I watch Roderick Strong in the ring, the more I am convinced that with the way he throws a punch and the way he sells his opponent's offense, he's unquestionably been studying old tapes of Bret Hart and The Hart Foundation (a second look at your notes will remind you that he was, in fact, trained by none other than Jim Neidhart for a time...). Though Neidhart probably doesn't stack up as one of "the best" of all time in the relative scheme of things, he's got a solid grasp on the fundamentals and all the right tools and connections (Bulldogs, Bret Hart, etc.) to have set Strong well on his way to being one of THE performers most likely to succeed in the modern era. His success (to date) already ranks him ahead of such other young bucks like Harry Smith and Dallas Hart, and his in-ring accomplishments have seen him excel far beyond the level of success seen in his former ROH "Generation Next" contemporaries Alex Shelley and Austin "Starr" Aires. All in all? 2006 was a breakout year for Roderick Strong, and while the big question now is whether or not he'll ever try making the jump to the "big two" -- smart money is on Strong to remain as talented and successful as ever regardless of where he performs.
Joey Styles - Rather than sum up the highs and lows of Styles' year, I'd like instead to showcase the awesomeness of Joey Styles simply by printing his "farewell to Sportz Entertainment" promo from RAW on May 1 of this year, which many have rightfully dubbed THE single greatest wrestling promo of the year. Though the "new" ECW has hardly lived up to our expectations, Styles was INSTRUMENTAL in making believers out of all of us with the rebirth of the new brand -- and MeeThinks that goes a long way in proving that the guy still has what it takes when he's allowed to flex his muscles and show what he can do. Thanks to fellow 411'er Theo Fraser for transcribing this one![blockquote]Joey Styles I Quit Promo- Monday Night Raw, 1st May 2006.
"You want to apologize? Like nothing happened. Like you didn't knock me on my ass in front of millions of people worldwide, and I'm gonna come down there and work with you. I'm not coming back, and now thanks to the magic of live television I'm gonna show the whole world, why for seven years in ECW I was the unscripted, uncensored, loose cannon of commentary. Six months ago, WWE called me, I didn't call this company because I was looking for a job. I didn't need a job. WWE called me because they had humiliated and fired...again, Jim Ross. So I get JR's spot, and from week one, week after week I've got an ongoing lecture about the differences in professional wrestling and sports entertainment. I'm not allowed to say 'pro wrestling', I'm not allowed to say 'wrestler'. I have to say 'sports entertainment' and refer to the wrestlers as 'superstars'. I'm told to deliberately ignore the moves and the holds during the matches so I can tell stories. Well ignoring the moves and the holds is damn insulting to the athletes, the 'wrestlers', not the entertainers, who leave their families three hundred days a year to ply their craft in that ring. Here's the best part, because I'm not a sports entertainment storyteller I get pulled from Wrestlemania, and the reason I'm given is, is because I don't sound like Jim Ross who's the guy they fired in the first place. That makes sense, right? So I swallow the bitter pill, I'm a company guy. I get bumped from Wrestlemania. Then I get bumped from Backlash? I'm not good enough to call Backlash!? In ECW, I called live pay-per-views on my own, solo, no colour commentators dragging me down. Wasn't done before me, hasn't been done since. But I'm not good enough to call Backlash because I'm not a sports entertainment storyteller. Well you know what? I am sick of sports entertainment. I am sick of male cheerleaders. I am sick of boogers and bathroom humour and semen and I am sick of our chairman. Who likes to talk about his own semen, he mocks God... he mocks God!!!!! And makes out with the divas all to feed his own insatiable ego. I am sick of sports entertainment, and most of all I am sick of you fans who actually buy into that crap! This sports entertainment circus! I never needed this job, and I don't want this job anymore."
[At this point Joey pulls the WWE collar off the microphone and tosses it away.]
"I quit!" [/blockquote]
Awesome. Just awesome.
Agree? Disagree?
"Methinks it sounds a parley to provocation!"
- Iago, Othello
Act II, scene iii
Thanks to all who made it this far, and feel free to shoot Mee YourThinks on this week's column. Next week, we're bringin' positive back in our usual format with the last in our holiday-themed columns for the time being. 'Till then, enjoy the new year, good luck getting back into the swing of things, and always stay positive!
