The MeeThinks Saturday Spectacular 5/12/07
Posted by John Meehan on 05.12.2007
Singing the Praises of Mr. Kennedy, Talking Trash on RVD, a Photo-Update on Matt Cappotelli, and TONS of YouThinks Reader Mail!
Hey everybody, and welcome back to your week-end dose of IWC optimism. Happy Mother's Day to all the mom-folk who are reading a column about professional wrestling this weekend (both of you :-), and to the rest of y'all...
DON'T FORGET TO CALL YOUR MOMMAS this weekend, dammit!
Great news for Kennedy, as this keeps him firmly on the periphery of Smackdown's title picture (while Edge and Batista slug it out, maybe with Mark Henry/Rey Mysterio on the fringe), AND it leaves the door open for him to remain on WWE television in the weeks to come in order to maintain what momentum he's been able to regain thus far after returning from a similarly nasty injury last year.
For the record, by the way --
I was having a great conversation about rasslin with two of my fellow Catholic U alums this weekend (cheap shout-out: Congrats on the graduation, Jake and Chris!) -- and the three of us are 100% convinced that Misssstarrrrrrrrrr Kennnnnnnnnnnnnnnneddddddddddy (wait for it...) Kennedy is unquestionably THE (long sounding "e") one to watch in terms of WWE's next big thing. The charisma this guy displays is so effortless it's scary, and even though the catchphrase is what "brought him to the dance," so to speak, it seems all too clear that the guy is just so much bigger than the catch phrase that he, like John Cena before him, will easily be able to evolve beyond his "trademark saying" (for Cena, the battle raps -- for Kennedy, the repeater bit) and solidify a place for himself in the WWE main event picture for YEARS to come.
No joke, people -- Kennedy is everything WWE *wished* Randy Orton could be. Natural charisma (though Orton does have natural *heel* charisma), a unique/marketable look, microphone ability (he's light years ahead of Randy in this area, MeeThinks) -- and most importantly, the ability to play BOTH a heel AND a face and still get the crowd to react accordingly. Randy's whole shtick is that he's the dick guy we're supposed to "love to hate," so when he turned babyface we couldn't help but "hate to love" him and thus it all tanked miserably. Kennedy, however, has the showmanship AND the in-ring ability to keep fans' interest REGARDLESS of whether he's supposed to be playing the egomaniacal rule-breaker OR the indignant antihero (as was the case vs. Edge last week on RAW) -- and there is every reason to believe that like his idol Steve Austin before him, Kennedy could EASILY make the transition from "rule breaker bad guy we love to cheer" to "rule breaker good guy we love to cheer."
In fact, arguably the four most successful acts of all time have seen similar success:
Hulk Hogan (red and yellow) - Was nominally a "good guy," but the man broke rules ALL THE TIME (back rakes, turning the bad guy's outside assistance against them, etc.), but fans cheered the hell out of him regardless.
Steve Austin (Attitude era) - The prototypical "anti-hero" outsider good guy, but again -- a character who was TOTALLY willing to break the rules and defy whatever authority was in his way in his quest to the top.
Ric Flair (NWA/WCW) - The same guy universally heralded as "the dirtiest player in the game" also just so happened to kick some serious ass as a rule-bending babyface, when duty called. Kept his heelish swagger and bad-guy confidence throughout... but saw tremendous success as a nominal "good guy" along the way whenever he decided to play nice.
The Outsiders (original nWo) - These guys were supposed to be renegades hell-bent on destroying WCW from the inside, yet fans couldn't help but cheer the hell out of 'em no matter what. The "badder" they got, the louder the cheers became -- so much so that just about every WCW employee wanted to jump ship and join the black and white express in an attempt to win back their once-loyal fans.
MeeThinks Ken Kennedy shares a LOT in common with these performers detailed above, and so there is every reason to believe that -- with his newfound injury/Edge feud -- he too might one day soon achieve similar success as he muddies the waters between traditional lines of "good" and "bad."
Great, great news in case you haven't yet heard it, from WWE.com
Cappotelli recovering well
Written: May 9, 2007BOSTON – One week after having a brain tumor removed, Matt Cappotelli is recovering well.
"The tumor was completely removed," said Dr. Ferdinand Rios. "The operation was a success because he hasn't lost any vision at all."
Doctors will know more soon, as the pathology report is due within two weeks.
"He's awake, talking, eating, and very conscious of where he's at, so he's doing very well," Dr. Rios said.
Check WWE.com for further updates regarding Matt Cappotelli's recovery.
If you are the type of fan who likes to see visual proof of these sorts of things (WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS CONTAINED IN THE LINKS BELOW), Cappotelli's post-recovery photos can be found online here and here. Since a lot of the readers of this column aren't necessarily into these more graphic sorts-of-things, do be sure to click at your own discretion.
Again, it is great to see Matt's surgery was a success, and my personal best wishes to him and his family in a healthy, speedy recovery throughout this ordeal.
I know I'm supposed to be the token ("toke-ing?") optimist around here, but to put it succinctly --
Good riddance.
RVD hasn't been happy with WWE for QUITE some time, his heart isn't in Vince's new ECW (can't blame him for that), and he hasn't done all that much of note since his title reign went "up in smoke" last summer. Yes, years of bad politics and a glass-bong ceiling kept Mr. 420 down for years since the ill-fated InVasion angle of a half-decade or so ago -- but when RVD was FINALLY given the chance to silence his critics at the ECW ppv last summer when he became the first man ever to hold the WWE and ECW titles simultaneously, what happened?
Up in smoke, and nobody to blame for that one but (use your thumbs now, people) R-V-D.
Still Van Dam has whined, hemmed, hawed and generally emo-ed at every turn about how his truncated title run and subsequent burial has been everybody's fault but his own. From Vince McMahon to the state police to Kurt Angle to the New ECW to the New Breed and everyone in between -- Van Dam has spent a year ascribing the blame for the new ECW to everyone else but himself. He's made it clear he wants out (though failing that, he's also made it clear that he willing to trade "out" for "time off and tons of money") -- and so there is little else for Vince McMahon and company to do but to grant the guy his wish and let him go on his way to monkey-flip around a six-sided ring until his little heart's content.
Again, I know this is supposed to be the "positive" column of the bunch -- but let's be realistic, folks. If TNA wasn't able to set the world on fire with Kurt Angle -- a certifiable wrestling LEGEND (both in ameteur AND pro ranks), what reason is there to believe that a guy who (by his own admission, according to a Kurt Angle radio appearance at least) "just flips around the ring and points to [himself]" is going to be any more successful in winning new fans TNA's way? Part of being a good "optimist" is being *reasonable* in your expectations -- and the simple fact of the matter is that FAR too many TNA fans (and RVD fans) have overrated the drawing power of Rob Van Dam to the point where they actually believe that this guy could be the "savior" of TNA.
Hate to break it to y'all, but we all saw just how well a certifiable LEGEND like Hulk Hogan was able to draw a crowd in Memphis without Jerry Lawler by his side. What reason is there to believe that a guy like RVD -- who (though "popular") will simply never be be able to claim anywhere NEAR the same level of popularity and household familiarity enjoyed by one Hulk Hogan -- will be able to fare any better in Orlando?
Shoot, I may be wrong on this one... but I just can't help but say MeeThinks WAYYY too many people are setting theirselves up for disappointment in the case of RVD's pending departure from WWE. If (and when) he leaves and signs on with TNA -- who all will the fanboys blame when RVD fails to make an impact down south?
Vince McMahon, who's likely to retain the legal rights to the name "RVD" and "Rob Van Dam" -- leaving Robert Statkowski (or however you spell it) to rename himself ("Team 3D" style) upon entering TNA?
Vince Russo/Jeff Jarrett, who's likely to get all the blame for not pushing Van Dam to the top of TNA the second he walks in the door?
Dixie Carter, who's likely to catch all the flack for TNA's current TV deal being only one hour long, and who's ultimately responsible for employing a show filled with WWE/WCW alumni a good five (or more!) years past their prime?
Here's a novel thought --
Spare yourselves the headaches, folks. Set some realistic expectations, and realize that at the end of the day, it's pretty silly to hinge all hope for the future success on an entire company off of a guy with a career's worth of bad politics, personal irresponsibility, and flat-out bad luck the likes of...
Call Mee a total wrestling dork if you will, but this is one of the COOOOOLEST news-bits to have hit the IWC all year. In case you haven't noticed, WWE refs (of late) have been being pretty meticulous about the little things hidden highlights inside the squared circle in recent weeks, and it's become pretty commonplace to see a WWE Official slide his hand under a pinned wrestler's shoulders to make sure that the guy is, in fact, pinned to the mat before administering the count.
(Kinda like Haas' suplex on Matt Hardy from this week's RAW, for example).
(Or the pin attempt on RVD on this week's ECW).
Regardless --
Sure, there are a few kinks to be worked out as the refs adjust to this new style, but as MMA and "real" fighting is all the rage with the kiddies these days -- it seems like a perfect fit to lend a much-needed aura of "legitimacy" to this pseudo-sport of kings by having the refs play a much more reality-based role. In just this week alone, for example, we saw...
1) At least TWO pinning attempts called off by a ref checking a guy's shoulders before making the count.
2) One match end by ref's decision (HBK/Khali) when the official determined one competitor was too banged up to continue.
3) One match where a referee separated two competitors and checked repeatedly to see if one guy was still able to continue before starting the match (Kennedy/Edge).
4) One match end in a certifiable "draw" as ringside officials determined that both competitors had escaped a steel cage at the same time ('Taker/Batista).
5) ZERO ref bumps, and...
6) ZERO matches that ended with a referee being distracted while outside interference altered the course of the in-ring action.
Now sure, this week might just be an early exception rather than a rule -- but the bottom line is that the referee is a crucial (but often overlooked) element of every wrestling match that can really go a long way in determining what story is told in the ring and how it is told. Far too often, refs become cartoon parodies of themselves -- blind, fragile, easily distracted, you name it -- and so it is pretty darn cool that WWE has taken at least the first step towards re-establishing some semblance of legitamacy for the zebra crew. That way, when we *do* inevitably see a ref-bump here or there... at least the refs will have gained some degree of credibility in their officiating style so that these sorts of things don't always come off so cartoonishly.
I really like your column. The PTI style is straight to the point plus it makes it easy to skip the stuff I'm not interested in.
Anyway I had a thought about the main event scene following this week's injuries and events and realized that Wrestlemania 24 has basically been booked - and I didn't know which of you guys to send this too but since I liked your column the best I figured I'd sent it here. If it's supposed to go somewhere else you can send it there.
So we have Edge as World Heavyweight Champion now. First thing, does his beating of Mr. Kennedy for the Money in the Bank erase the Wrestlemania loss, basically my question being is he still undefeated at Wrestlemania? I think you can see where I'm going here.
You can have Edge hold the World Title until Taker comes back and obviously wants his title back. Kennedy will be coming back the same time and will want revenge on Edge for this past Monday's actions on Raw. You can do a few things.
1) Have KK beat Edge before Mania for the title with the help of the returning Undertaker. Kennedy moves into the main event at the big show this year where he should be while we get Undertaker vs. Edge - Streak vs. Streak.
2) Have the above deal going on - but make it a Triple Threat Match for the World Title - Mr. Kennedy vs. Edge vs. Undertaker and then you can still have Edge continue the streak or if WWE really has faith in KK, have him end BOTH streaks and with the title on the biggest stage of them all.
3) Have KK have his feud with Edge but he doesn't win the title due to outside interference from Undertaker. Undertaker faces Edge for the title and Edge ends the streak at Mania. KK meanwhile wins the Royal Rumble and challenges John Cena for the WWE title.
I would sign up to buy the show right now if the main event picture looked anything like this.
A month after Wrestlemania 23 and Wrestlemania 24 is all set methinks - sorry for the copyright infringement - had to do it.
- Kurt
Long Island
Thanks for writing, Kurt! To your scenarios, in order...
1) If he's healthy enough to "return" in any way at WrestleMania, I simply don't think it's a good idea to waste The Dead Man's appearance at next year's big show in anything less than an in-ring role. Having him run in is all well and good, but if he's healthy enough to compete -- having 'Taker actually wrestle at WrestleMania is a proven (and recurrent!) draw that's guaranteed to make fans tune in. Why delay the chance to add another notch to his "undefeated streak" for a whole 'nother year, ya' know?
2) Sadly, I think the ship on Kennedy vs. The Undertaker has already sailed. Though there's a natural fit for either Edge/Taker or Edge/Kennedy in the weeks/months to come (basically, because Edge put 'em both out of action in storyline terms, more or less anyway) -- the bottom line is that if they were *going* to put Kennedy over Undertaker, they've probably already done just about all they can to see that go down in the past 365. A bunch of PPV's, an extended feud on Smackdown, etc.... while having Kennedy best the Undertaker at WrestleMania would undoubtedly put the newer man over HUGE, I just can't help but think that if WWE ever intended to go that route, they probably would have already done it at WrestleMania 23.
3) Regarding the Edge/Taker showdown at Mania -- again, I just don't know if the "streak vs. streak" angle so many IWC'ers and fantasy bookers have dreamed up will ever see the light of day, at this point. Fact is -- Edge *isn't* unbeaten at WrestleMania thanks to last year's stretcher-job, because even if he wasn't involved in the actual pinfall to decide the match, your average Joe-'rasslin fan simply isn't going to buy it that *this* guy's "unbeaten streak" (a bunch of shady wins and a cheap non-loss) in any way holds a candle to The Undertaker's WrestleMania record of the same. Sure it would make Edge seem like the cocky, undeserving, dick-heel in the whole matter -- but the bottom line is if you're sacrificing Undertaker's bona-fide "STREAK" (capital letters!) to boost another man's momentum, then you're probably better served giving that rub to a newer guy who could really use that rub to get to the next level (say, a guy like Kennedy) -- rather than giving it to a guy who's already a proven multi-time champion and a hands-down main-eventer (like Edge). This leads Mee to a fourth point, actually...
4) MeeThinks Undertaker should remain undefeated at WrestleMania until he freakin' retires from regular competition -- whenever that may be. Two years from now, three years from now, five years -- whatever. Bottom line is, you retire the guy "unbeaten at WrestleMania," and he goes down in the record books as a certifiable LEGEND when it comes to the mythos of the Big Dance. That way, you can always trot him out for a post-retirement cameo appearance at WrestleMania some time down the line (provided he's healthy enough for a one-time dealie or whatnot...) -- and you've saved yourself an "In Case of Emergency, Break Glass" Get Out of Jail Free card to pop a WrestleMania buyrate (and win back any fans that might taper off between now and then) any number of years down the line.
WrestleMania 30 is a little light on star power, you say? No problem! The Dead Man returns for a one-night only showdown against... umm, Harry Smith? Works for Mee.
In short -- keeping the Undertaker unbeaten at WrestleMania gives fans an automatic reason to tune in every time the guy is featured on a future WrestleMania card. The second he loses, his "legacy" becomes no more than that of your average "mortal" WrestleMania performer -- and there is no reason for fans to treat any of his future 'Mania appearances as "must-see" events.
From "Big Time" to small-town, Brandon Jones talks indies in this next e-mail:
John,
I wanted to tell you your article this week was quite good, and I can safely say you and I share the same opinions on pretty much all subjects you wrote about. Every idea was very well stated, and your points were made loud and clear.
Except for one. Although I do agree with you whole heartedly about TNA pulling talent from ROH, and I'm a bit of a ROHbot myself, I see no need whatsoever for TNA to "strong-arm" PWG they way they did, and subsequently took away the average West Coast fan's ability (myself included) from seeing TNA's talent live.
I don't know if you have ever been to a PWG event, but for me, it's the next best thing to buying a plane ticket, getting a hotel room and renting a car to someplace back east. PWG is more a of a comedy promotion, but the match between El Generico and CIMA at BOLA is past September was nothing but top notch work.
What is so frustrating about this with TNA is they don't run shows out here... EVER. Talk about a slap in the face. So the only way I have gotten to easily meet Homicide, Austin Aries, and Chris Sabin has been taken away. For what reason? There surely can't be an argument that PWG is on the rise like ROH. PWG is no threat to TNA in the least. In fact, at BOLA I witnessed many fans buying TNA merchandise at the Highspots table (myself included) so that aformentioned talent could sign it! How dumb is this?
I guess my point to all of this is again, I don't see TNA's point. For me, they've done nothing but alienate myself, as well as my friends who went to BOLA with me and were planning the trip to PWG's Tag Tourney at the end of this month. As a West Coast fan, I ask TNA (and feel free to answer yourself) why I should keep my loyalty to them, when they took away their talent from all of us out here and asked a much smaller company to essentially stop being profitable (and sell their own DVDs) in order to keep the talent there. Where's the love to the fans in that one?
Sorry again that my first email was... well Hi John. Hopefully this makes up for it. And thanks for taking the time to read this.
Cheers!
Brandon Jones
Thanks for writing, Brandon. The best I can offer you is that PWG is simply another case of the broom sweeping and catching everything in its path. Bottom line? ROH pay-per-views put TNA in a tough spot, as their talent becomes overexposed to a national audience (without the company themselves making the bulk of the profit). PWG, while smaller, still has the chance to trot out TNA performers and matches -- but again, you run the risk that fans (even if they're only in the regional PWG area) would grow tired of seeing the "same old, same old" showdowns between two guys who'd already spent a huge chunk of time teaming/fighting for another local promotion.
If TNA hopes to expand and become a viable, NATIONAL entity, it simply doesn't make sense for them to loan out their talent to smaller local venues if they (as a company) are trying to make a dent in those very same (regional) markets. Sure, whetting your appetite with Homicide vs. Alex Shelley is a treat for those fans in the PWG area who are just waiting for a TNA show to roll through their town -- but what happens when TNA shows up and the PWG fans greet their product with an unenthusiastic "yeah, we saw this already" response? Additionally, what happens (as has happened on a number of occassions already) when a TNA talent (coughSamoaJoecough) injures himself at a smaller independent show in the same week he's supposed to be starring on a TNA broadcast?
The more times each performer hits the ring, the more chances they have to encouter an injury AND the more chances they have to overesaturate their audience. Even if it's the smallest of injuries or the tiniest signs of fan apathy in new markets -- TNA simply cannot afford to lose any momentum if they're ever going to be serious about establishing themselves as THE (long sounding "e") number two promotion in the U.S. today.
So while it's a tough break for PWG or ROH fans, if TNA takes off and their move to the "big time" succeeds -- it might all wind up being a better situation for ALL parties involved in the long run.
A few e-mailers over the past two weeks took exception to MeeThinks on Dave Batista's crappy attitude, of late.
At the last Super Show at the Garden two years ago, a 5 hour plus show (ECW, RAW, Smackdown all had tapings), after the cameras left, and the house lights came on. Batista stayed another 15mins to give out high fives, take pictures, sign autographs (he even put on a Yankee Cap which got the fans who stayed behind hot).
I've been to an autograph signing (Hall of Fame during Wrestlemania XX) where he looked like he wanted to anywhere but there, but he wasn't rude. And even acknowledged me saying what's up and thanks for the autograph, with a smile and a nod. So lay off the guy. :)
-Alan Thomas
Hmm... perhaps I spoke too soon on our pal Batista. Like I said, everybody's entitled to an off-day from time to time, so maybe the benefit of the doubt is in order with the big guy, eh? This next e-mailer certainly seems to think so:
Dear sir,
You made a SERIOUS error in your article. Here is the quoted piece:
"(3) Cheated on (then divorced) his cancer-stricken wife while on the road with a WWE diva."
His wife was NOT suffering from cancer at the time of the alleged affair. She has been in remission for 4 years. Your comment was framed as fact and as such was misleading.
I of course deplore the idea that he would cheat at all, but suggesting it was during his wife's illness is an unfair and unfounded accusation.
I hope you will publish a retraction in your next column.
Regards,
J Page
England
Thanks for writing, J. Though -- as you mentioned -- it's still pretty deplorable that a guy would cheat on his wife regardless of the circumstances, if what you've pointed out is true and Big Dave's wife's cancer was in remission at the time of his infidelity, then I suppose you're right and it's only fair *not* to bring the matter of her illness up when discussing the timeframe in question.
So there you have it. Sorry if anyone was misled by what all I printed about Mrs. Bautista a few weeks back. What I should have said was that Dave "cheated on (then divorced) his cancer-SURVIVOR wife while on the road with a WWE diva.
My apologies.
Will Mayberry has some thoughts on Paul Heyman:
Let me start off by saying, I enjoy your articles on a weekly basis. However, I feel you were a bit off the mark with your assessment of Heyman. Don't get me wrong I don't think it would be a good idea to have Spike Dudley beat the Big Show either. However, it was just about as bad of an idea of having Big Show in ECW in the first place. Yes, Big Show busted his ass in the top spot but he wasn't the right fit. I am not one of those fans who wanted the old ECW recreated with the same old stars. However, WWE could have made an effort to have some of the same ideals, one of which included guys who can work. The big lumbering giant is a WWE staple not an ECW.
I seriously doubt all the friction was just based off that one idea. Thats just what that was an idea. You don't need an inside rumor to understand that the reason there was friction between Heyman and McMahon because McMahon, wanted his version of ECW, which is just WWE. Heyman wanted something unique. Spike Dudley was a bad choice, but the idea itself was not terrible. What if that was CM Punk going out and beating Show. Not so bad then is it. Not to mention if McMahon though Heyman was such a terrible booker why would he not just release him from his contract? Makes no sense to pay someone who you lost faith in till August. It is because Heyman is the best booking mind in the industry today and if he does go to TNA that would make them more of a threat almost immediately because unlike Vince, Heyman knows how to work with a variety of guys by hiding their weaknesses. Do you think Heyman would be dumb enough to have Lashley speak as often as he does? Do you think that he would have CM Punk losing to Bob Holly to break his streak? Heyman makes mistakes sure, but he is one of the best minds in the business. Vince is as well when he keeps his ego and family out of his decisions.
Anyways, strong article again, but just wanted to voice my opinion. Keep up the good work
Will Mayberry
Good e-mail, Will -- and thanks for writing! A few points, though:
1) CM Punk (love him though I do) simply WAS NOT READY to challenge the Big Show for ECW gold last summer. Though WWE fans naturally gravitated toward the guy and his ROH/TNA/indies fans clearly know what the man is capable of -- bottom line is that, in fashioning a "new" ECW, Vince McMahon is also looking to win himself a healthy chunk of "new" and/or "casual" fans. Sadly, while this flies in the face of everything "hardcore" and "indy" that made the original ECW so effective -- it also means that certain concessions have to be made when booking a new promotion so that casual, newer fans can hop on board. Simply put -- giving the company's top title to a man who'd been on the roster (literally) less than three months at the time would have been a risky move, as it trades "title prestige" for "anything can happen."
True, there are bound to be a ton of newbie fans who are eager to hop on board the ECW fanwagon the moment a fellow "newbie" wrestler (though Punk was hardly "new," he was new to ECW) makes a splash (can't blame 'em, they feel like they're in at the ground level, ya' know?) -- the bottom line is that you run the risk of estranging BOTH your "new" fans AND the already-jaded older fans when you hand your promotion's top prize over to some guy who's only been on WWE television a handful of times. Say what you will about Big Show and Vince McMahon as ECW Champions, but at least those guys spent the better part of a decade (or more) on the national stage creating a "name" for themselves and thus are somewhat easier to accept as world champs (for very different reasons, of course) if and when the opportunity presents itself.
CM Punk? Lots of indy cred, alright -- but still a relative newcomer to the national stage. Just like Santino Marella winning the IC strap might have been a welcome "shake up" to an otherwise stagnant title picture, you really can't blame some of the doubters and critics for pointing out just how silly it all looks to see a guy who's supposed to be this unstoppable monster (Umaga, or in the ECW case, Big Show) losing a major title (whether it's by fluke or not) to some guy who pretty much just came out of the woodwork (Marella, Spike, Punk, whoever) and felled the same giant that just about everybody else on the roster couldn't seem to beat.
2) You're absolutely right that Vince knows that Heyman is a capable booker and thus is more than willing to pay him through August even if it means the guy will do absolutely nothing in the mean time. The thing is, Vince knows Heyman is a bit of a maverick when it comes to his booking style -- and so (as the old saying goes) "even a stopped clock is right twice a day," and thus Vinny Mac has every reason to believe that in spite of Heyman's inevitable slew of crazy, whacked-out or bad ideas... he's BOUND to get one or two of 'em right sooner or later, and since all it takes is one hot angle, feud or character to really change the momentum of things (think nWo in WCW, or Austin during Attitude, etc.) -- the WWE Chairman simply can't afford to let Heyman go and take that sort of risk when it means that somebody OTHER than WWE might be the beneficiary of the "Mad Genius's" latest booking scheme.
In layman's terms?
Vince knows Heyman's good, and he admires his creativity. Problem is, when Heyman pitches some of the most off-the-wall crap he can come up with, while the potential reward is often both lucrative and pretty freakin' cool ("people actually PAYING to see Spike Dudley: Main Eventer?") -- so is the risk of it all. And the bottom line here is that when it's Vince's money on the line for whatever risks Heyman is willing to take... can't really blame the chairman for hedging his bets and saying "thanks, but no thanks" whenever Paul E. starts thinking a little *too* far outside the box.
3) I'm gonna' go ahead and *disagree* with you that Vince McMahon doesn't know how to work with a variety of guys by hiding their weaknesses. Shoot, he passed Hulk Hogan off as a headline attraction for DECADES, despite the fact that the guy really only knows like six moves, tops. Shoot -- after an hour-long epic between Cena and Michaels just three weeks ago, McMahon already has just as many people tuning in to see shows main evented by The Great Khali.
Instead, I'd suggest that he *knows* how to work with all types of performers, alright -- he just prefers working with a certain *type* of performer instead. And in all honesty (though this is bound to cost Mee a fair chunk of my all-important IWC cred) -- you really can't fault Vince McMahon for pushing bigger dudes all the time in a business that's supposed to be at least nominally-based in reality. After all, if you knew NOTHING about pro wrestling but were to come face to face ith a WWE performer in a dark alley -- who'd be the one to scare you more: Chris Benoit or The Great Khali? Shawn Michaels or Umaga?
In short?
Certain "types" of guys simply look more conventionally "scary" (read: marketable) than other guys. Technical skill might make for a better match, but it's a tougher sell to the casual fan to say "tune in to watch a great match between these two small dudes" than it is to say "watch these two giants beat the hell out of each other." Though the recent De La Hoya fight might be a bit of a counterexample, you've gotta' remember -- people watch boxing EXCLUSIVELY for the quality of the fights themselves, whereas people watch wrestling BOTH for the quality of the "fights" AND for the larger-than-life storylines, characters and angles that lead into the in-ring payoffs.
Speaking of Vinny Mac and big guys, however... Kev Ma$ter Ka$h has a few thoughts on the recent ECW One Night Stand (III) poster:
dear Jon
If you ask me then it really just looks like Lashley and McMahon. you see this is where Lashley And Vince face off and then for whatever reason Rey Mysterio comes in and makes Vince lose thus the rey/vince match at summerslam. As for Monty brown I don't know if he's ever going to get a break and do something. maybe he'll feud with a then starr.
sincerely
- Kev Ma$ter Ka$h (a loyal reader)
Interesting thought, Kev. Though I'm pretty sure the poster is, in fact, Cor Von and Lashley (and *not* Lashley/McMahon) -- I see no reason why the Lashley/McMahon feud will wrap up with their upcoming Judgment day showdown, and so there's every reason in the world to believe that those two will still be going at it in one form or another come the ECW tri-branded start-of-summer PPV. Mysterio, meanwhile, is a bit of a wild card as reports still have it that he's likely to be on the shelf for at least another month or more -- but again, "never say never" in this business, eh? Perhaps we should keep an eye out for Rey Mysterio at One Night Stand after all!
Hey Dude
Just writing in to comment on the BEST promo of the last week that I've yet to see anyone comment on, which I thought was gold! If you haven't seen it yet, you gotta check out the team Cage interview just after the first match on lockdown - steiner ranting about how chistmas is eight months away broke me and all my friends watching the show down to laughter, then Mitchell's comment to AJ at the end brought out the tears. I just figured this really needed a shoutout so thanks to all the guys who were on Team Cage for really delivering, it embodied everything about them perfectly, and we really need them all booked in a match against each other right now for the comedy of each of them trying to weasel their way to the championship.
Jamie
Thanks for writing, Jamie. And yes, there is absolutely zero question in my mind that Christian Cage is *the* single best promo guy currently active as a regular, full-time performer on the national stage today. (Konnan misses out due to his relegation to a managerial role, Foley and Flair are really only part-time, and Kennedy -- while TREMENDOUS, in my opinion -- is still a ways behind the mark set by Captain Charisma week after week on TNA programming.
While we're talking television for a second, though... Chris from Richmond seems hell-bent on proving Mee wrong! See, a few weeks ago I offhandedly noted that "NOBODY" watches that abysmal Fox program "The War at Home." Lo and behold, however, at least one of the MeeThinks readers has proof to the contrary! Take a look:
Always a fan of your article! Just wanted to drop a quick note to tell you that myself and my g/f both do enjoy The War At Home (gasp). I know. You've found the one person. Well make that two. If it weren't for the joys of dvr Im sure I wouldn't keep up with it and even as it is I don't keep up with it that much, but I do enjoy the humor of the show. So there you have it. Keep up the good work!
-Chris
Richmond,VA
I stand corrected, and I pity you deeply, my friend. Having moved into a new apartment with my ladyfriend, I too am often subjected to a fair share of television that I might otherwise never have seen (America's Next Top Model, for example, is her latest craze) -- but I suppose a few episodes of Tyra every week is some sort of cosmic payback for the hours upon hours of rasslin I'm usually found hogging the TV with (by last count, I'm usually watching upwards of six hours of wrestling a week), so I guess it's only fair.
Two things!
1) "Messiah of the Backbreaker" who is that?
2) Dixie Carter:I just looked her up on wikipedia, since it is the only site that isnt firewalled at work, and I was surprised, that girl is hot. Too bad she's married, HA, and two kids even, all I can say is….DAMN! Sorry had to, Im a Farooq fan.
Thanks,
- Chris Jacobs
Thanks for writing, Chris.
1) The self-proclaimed Messiah of the Backbreaker is none other than Roderick Strong. Formerly of TNA (and now quite the success on the indy circut), Strong is a great talent and (as I've said on a number of occassions before) strikingly reminiscent (in his in-ring style) of a young Bret Hart. YouTube him -- you won't regret it.
2) Dixie Carter -- yup, quite the rarity to find a pretty, classy and remarkably well-adjusted woman in the wrestling world, if I do say so myself. She's like all the good parts about Miss Elizabeth (grace, beauty, southern charm, etc.) without all that nasty business of crippling drug addictions and/or the affinity for increasingly-volatile male companions.
Finally, we'll wrap with some back-and-forth questions & answers from two of MeeThinks most notorious e-mailers -- Matthew Alan Roberts and John Bryant Bateman. First up, Matthew:
Dear Sir:
I had some reader feedback on your latest column I wanted to share with you. I hope you are able to get your mail working by your next column. I had a problem with America Online once where it took them 3 months to fix my mail account. I always enjoy your columns even when I tend to disagree with you, as I do on a few points here.
1. You are factually wrong about there being a no compete clause after a McMahon contract ends. The 90 day no compete clause only exists for when McMahon releases a talent who is presently under contract and he pays them for 90 days in exchange for them not working for a competitor, such as was the case with the Bashams. When a contract expires, such as Christian's, Jarrett's, Rude's, Luger's, et cetera, both sides have fulfilled their contractual obligations to each other and neither party owes the other party any thing. Therefore, when RVD's contract is up in July, he can appear on TNA the day after it expires, which he would do to maximize his impact.
However, it is all meaningless as RVD is not going any place; he is just trying to get more money. McMahon provides wrestlers with more money and fame (signing with TNA has not elevated the public image of 1 wrestler), which are all RVD wants. McMahon is desperate to keep wrestlers away from TNA (hence Randy Orton has a job for life despite having no talent), so he is going to buckle under to keep RVD from pulling a Rude / Luger / Jarrett on him. McMahon gives RVD a raise to keep smoking dope while being a mid carder for life and gives RVD a WWF Films movie since RVD has always wanted to do movies (he already has acting and stunt credits).
2. Speaking of Randy Orton, I give up fighting against him; he has won the game of life. I am actually a Randy Orton fan boy now as anybody who has no ability, no character, and has accomplished nothing in life other than being the son of a glorified jobber, yet can make well over 6 figures per year by producing nothing except bad public relations should be worshipped. I mean I am unemployed, poor, and have no girlfriend though I have committed no crimes and done everything I was told to in life (graduated college, obeyed all the rules, treated people with respect, et cetera) and yet Orton is stinking rich while getting all the pussy he wants despite having betrayed his country, barely getting through high school, abusing illegal substances, assaulting people verbally / physically, destroying public / private property, and treating women like dirt. If McMahon wants Orton to be a real life scum bag, which he obviously does by condoning and encouraging Orton's behavior, then why should we care because the lesson of life (which I wished when I was younger I learned) that McMahon and Orton want us all to know (despite their bull crap reading campaigns and voting drives) is the way to get ahead is to be a scum bag and special people like Randy will always be better than losers like us who got suckered long ago into trying to be good people.
3. Speaking of scum bags who have no talent, but feel they are special people, I have no clue as to why you are putting over Brian Mailhot in your column as a class act when nobody in or out of the wrestling industry would agree with that assessment. Brian Mailhot was a person of little ability who was reviled by his peers and he quit his job with no notice at all (a reprehensible act in any industry) because he felt he was better than everybody else (that no doubt came from being 1 of Bill DeMott's famed teacher's pets). Even if you wish to ignore all the testimony of the many students abused by DeMott and go with the statements of the 1 or 2 DeMott lap dogs who have crawled out of the wood work to defend him, you can not ignore the response of McMahon to the situation, which conclusively proved DeMott's guilt. DeMott was flat out fired (not fined or suspended as would usually happen) due to his despicable training tactics and demeanor (which were dubious in the old days of wrestling, but are just now plainly illegal under labor laws and grounds for lawsuits and criminal investigations) and they were forced to bring back Tom Pritchard (who was forced out due to politics from Johnny Ace and others) to try to fix the mess.
4. I want to clearly state I am not in any way, shape, or form a fan of Batista as a person or a performer and I would be happy to see him leave wrestling. However, I always take these "bad autograph session" reports with a grain of salt and am willing to give Batista the benefit of the doubt because these stories always only give 1 side of the story from a couple of disgruntled people (I have never gotten the appeal of autographs any place as I have 2 wrestling autographs and did not stand in line or spend a cent to get them). At 95% of these autograph signings, you either get an "I stood in line for 9 hours and did not get an autograph because they moved too slow story" (if you stand in line for more than an hour to get a person to put their name on a piece of paper there is something wrong with you) or a "They rushed me in and out and spent no time with me story" (as if wrestlers have time to chit chat and play nice to 5,000 people in the course of an hour). Every 1 of these adults at these signings are a "Comic Book Guy" looking to make a buck off of having to spend hours in line with screaming brats (it is why EBay exists) and the ones with kids of their own are the worst because they think using their kids will help them scam a few extra pictures and autographs for resale (the main accuser of Batista was mad because Batista did not allow him to take non authorized photos and an extra autograph or 2 he was no doubt going to resell).
5. The Spike Dudley / Big Show news is an old story, not new news because this story got out when Spike burned the contract McMahon offered him at a TNA house show (a despicable and unprofessional act in my opinion). The Big Show / Spike proposal was months before RVD went up in smoke and Angle got fired for being a nut, so the rejection of the proposal had nothing to do with RVD and Angle. Heyman was in ECW for months following the Spike / Big Show proposal, including having booking responsibilities for a good part of that time, so it was no final nail in the coffin or big deal. I would not job Big Show to Spike as Spike is never going to draw a dime and they already did the giant killer thing with him to death, but I would have done it with somebody who might draw (with the wildly popular, even though I did not get it, Nacho Libre thing, Super Crazy would have been a good choice) because Big Show squashing the FBI did not put butts in seats.
Sincerely,
Matthew Alan Roberts
Thanks for writing, Matt. To your points (conveniently numbered, as always -- much appreciated).
1) You're right that RVD has a no-compete clause if he walks out of his contract, but that no such clause exists if his contract reaches its scheduled end-date. Regardless -- and as mentioned above -- MeeThinks RVD is jonesin' for some much-needed "R&R," and so he's likely to jump at the chance for a few weeks off before he makes the inevitable jump to the next place of employment (TNA or WWE -- again). Because let's be honest here, folks -- selling autographs alone simply ain't gonna' pay the bills.
2) Your assessment of Randy Orton is ridiculously spot-on. The guy has achieved a great deal of success for someone who seems to be willing to shoot himself in the foot at EVERY turn along the way. So perhaps we too should ease up on the guy and just appreciate him for being a lucky s.o.b. who's making a hell of a career out of so little in the way of natural ambition, talent or drive... kinda like a male version of Lindsay Lohan, actually.
3) Say what you will about Palmer Canon/Brian Mailhot, but the bottom line around here is that we try to stick to the positive end of things -- and there are few things more "positive" out there in this industry today than a guy who's willing to step up and put (what little) reputation on the line in defense of an old friend, mentor or coworker. Mailhot walked away from the business, true -- and so he owes Bill DeMott and the rest of 'em ZERO in the way of "saying nice things about former employers" now that it's all too clear that he himself has no desire for and/or place in the wrestling business. Regardless, he stepped up and defended DeMott for (what he believed was) providing his students with a tough (but fair) training regimen. And if you do a quick YouTube search for the incident between Matt Cappotelli and Bob Holly, you'll see that many a current/former WWF/E etc. employee has absolutely ZERO problem with the way the "old timers" (Holly, DeMott, etc.) conduct their business and show new guys the ropes.
4) Like I said above, perhaps I was a bit too harsh on The Animal, so here's to giving the man the benefit of the doubt the next time a story leaks about his less-than-stellar backstage antics, deal?
5) We covered the Spike/Show incident in more detail already, but I will say that in the back of Vince's mind he simply *knew* he had to keep Show strong even if RVD and Angle hadn't yet gone bust on him, as he (as employer) is usually pretty plugged in to the backstage gossip/problems of his employees, and so -- even back Van Dam AND Kurt Angle's respective "substance" issues. In his optimism, I'm sure he was willing to give both guys the benefit of the doubt as he hoped a nice, solid push at the top for either of 'em would be all they might need to straighten up and fly right with their priorities in order... but in his business-savvy underbelly, MeeThinks Vince McMahon was WELL aware of the potential that either (or both) of these performers could flake out at a moment's notice, and so he simply had little choice but to keep other, more reliable performers "strong" on the off-chance that Plan A was to fall apart. As we saw, it did (not once, but TWICE) -- and so the fact that Vince McMahon had the foresight to keep Big Show primed, pushed and ready to step up as the ECW champion is a huge credit to the WWE chairman.
Finally, a few questions from the ever-inquisitive John Bryant Bateman, who I'd swear was single-handedly keeping "Ask 411" in business if I didn't know better:
HEy JMM this is JBB(John Bryant Bateman) just stopping by to ask ya some questions to get your perspective(what does Pelletier have a trademark?). First off concerns The Alpha Male now known as Marcus Cor Von. Do you think TNA dropped the ball with him when it came to give him an NWA World Title run. I mean every time he got near the top of the Mountain some ex-WWE or WCW guy signed with TNA and he got screwed out of each of his promised title runs.
Next question: What are your thoughts on some potential dream matches, well I would consider them Dream Matches. first off one I borrowed from ECW. Sabu vs Cactus Jack in a Barbed Wire rope match. for those of you who aren't as intelligent about the old school ECW match types the BWR match was when they took down the basic Ring ropes and put up Barbed Wire. that made for some of the more bloody matches in ECW as well as TNA history. other matches: Elix Skipper vs Shelton Benjamin. another match that Uncle Trunx,Sean,Alex & David as well as Sattie said would be worth Wrestlemania level prices of admission just to see: Christopher Daniels vs Eddy Guerrero. and in my opinion an excellent match: Petey Williams vs Owen Hart. the only other match I could create was Alex Shelley vs Dean Malenko. just gimme your thoughts please and if you can rank them on a scale from 1-5 1 being god awful and 5 meaning Instant Classic.
my final question: concerns Andrew "Failed Drug Test" Martin. I got in a debate with my friend who's SN is OneHelluvaprep@aol.com and he is a massive TNA mark. He made the comment to me that perhaps Test could be TNA's heel big man since Hoyt is their face big man. and I got to thinking. maybe Tomko & Test could be a tag team known as T-N-T but I wanted a intelligent man's thoughts which is why I didn't send it to Csonka..... just kidding Csonka's cool and I owe him a shout out for all the wrestling info and help he's given me.
- JBB
Whew! Thanks for writing, dude -- let's see if I can't wade through those questions with MeeThinks as best as possible, eh?
1) Monty Brown as NWA Champion: It's not so much that TNA "dropped the ball" with having the guy as their champion, but rather that they might have "dropped the ball" in always prioritizing incoming WWE-castaways over their homegrown crop of stars like Monty, Abyss, AJ, etc. Was Monty a star? Sure he was, but did he deserve to be NWA Champ? That one is a tougher call. Regardless, the fact remains that a LOT of former WWE guys received "auto-pushes" the second they entered TNA, and along the way it pretty much made those TNA stars (like Monty, AJ, etc.) get lost in the shuffle as the promotion became increasingly-dominated by WWE "second chance" alumni (Rhyno, Christian Cage, Angle, Billy Gunn, Tomko, Steiner, The Bashams, The Dudleys, etc.).
In truth, though Monty Brown always received some good heat in TNA -- bottom line was that he wasn't really all that impressive in terms of his in-ring development or in his microphone ability. Though people got a kick out of it, much of what all he said and did in TNA pretty much came across as "cartoonish" at best.
2) Sabu vs. Cock-toos Jack in a barbed wire rope match? At this point in Foley's career, I'd sadly have to say "just about zero interest." Mick has, in recent years, carved out a healthy little niche without always having to bleed buckets in order to sell a match. Sure, he's still a bump machine and most of his matches tend to feature at least one (or more) insane, death-defying gimmick/stunt/etc. or another to really give the fans what they want, but a full-on barbed wire rope match? No thanks. The man is well beyond the point in his career where he'd ever need to do something like that (especially against a guy as notoriously sloppy as Sabu) in order to draw a crowd. Leave the deathmatch stuff to the next generation of screwballs like Necro Butcher, MeeThinks.
3) Elix Skipper vs. Shelton Benjamin: That one might actually be worth the price of admission, if they'd be allowed enough time and freedom to showcase their stuff, of course. For that reason, if this "dream" match ever were to take place -- I'd much rather see it held at a smaller, independent venue (like the Pillman memorial shows, or the Super Eight Cup, etc.) -- rather than on a national platform like 'Mania or a TNA ppv where the match itself might become overshadowed by the overarching "gimmick" or hype leading into it.
4) Since you asked for rankings on the remaining slew, I'll give it a go from my personal 1-3 scale, with 1 being the match I'd most like to see and 3 being the one I'd be most likely to skip.
1) Alex Shelley vs. Dean Malenko (love both of these guys, and Malenko in his WCW prime was INCREDIBLE)
2) Christopher Daniels vs. Eddie Guerrero (though both men are/were great, each has had his fair share of "off-nights" on PPVs. Eddie at the first One Night Stand, for example).
3) Petey Williams vs. Owen Hart (this pairing seems pretty arbitrary other than both are Canadian and both are/were smaller, "technical" wrestlers).
5) Test in TNA = no. Hoyt is useless and pretty much wasted in TNA as we speak, so bringing in another big lug to do just about the same thing seems both redundant and excessive. Even Tomko is having a hard time getting himself on TV with TNA's main event being as crowded as it is these days -- why further muddy the waters with yet ANOTHER six-plus-footer?
The MeeThinks Pay Per View Tracker
As y'all know, TNA's Sacrifice is this weekend, and it's become something of a trend around these parts to place bets as to who all will walk out of the PPV's with the best win/loss record (You'll note that other folks 'round here are already cribbing my "put a picture at the top of your column" style -- but hey, imitation = flattery, right?).
Anyhow, I'm becoming somewhat notoriously BAD at picking winners in these things, but here's the track record of my predictions so far...
WWW New Year's Revolution - N/A TNA Final Resolution - 3/7 WWE Royal Rumble - 2/5 TNA Against All Odds - 2/9 WWE No Way Out - N/A TNA Destination X - 4/9 WWE WrestleMania 23 - 4/8 TNA Lockdown - 7/9 WWE Backlash - 2/6
Cumulative Total: 24/53 Percent Correct: 45%
Eesh... getting worse instead of better! Let's see if I can't turn it around with Sacrifice this weekend, eh?
Basham & Damaja (simply because I LOATHE all things Kip James), Tiger Mask (sure, why not?), Jeff Jarrett (should be a good match!), Samoa Joe (ditto), Christopher Daniels (Rhino winning a PPV? Ha!), Chris Harris (or so 50/50 booking would have Mee believe), Sonjay Dutt (pulling for the upset here -- GO SONJAY!), Team 3D (groan... only because I'm thinking that Rick Steiner is on his way back in), and Christian Cage (makes perfect sense for him to weasel his way into a cheap win here).
If you're a betting man, I'd pick the opposite of each of the outcomes I've suggested above. But hey, miracles can happen... so who knows?
And With That, I'm Outta' Here...
Thanks again for reading, all. As you can see, we're going through a bit of a dry spell in the way of the usual hard-hitting backstage dirt of the 'rasslin rumor world over the past few weeks... but the onscreen product from both companies has been pretty solid and the PPV this weekend is looking all sorts of good. In any case, enjoy the weekend, congrats to all the new college graduates out there, and as usual -- always stay positive!
