Keys to the Game 8.18.07: The Hiccup Week
Posted by Joe Estee on 08.18.2007
Much like the day after Baseball’s All-Star Game, two weeks before SummerSlam leaves us in semi-limbo. The result is an A.D.D. article of random thoughts from the past few weeks (Think of it as a well organized John Morrison promo)
With the Keys to the Game being MIA for a couple of weeks, I've decided to dedicate this week's article to address some particularly interesting areas as of late, as well as some pertaining to tonight's edition of Saturday Night's Main Event.
CENA vs. ORTON
Obviously, anyone who reads this column or knows me personally understands that coming over to watch SummerSlam with me next week will entail all of the risks of a front row seat at a Gwar concert. This is the match I've been longing to see for over four years now. Next week's article will be solely dedicated to breaking down this match-up. Curiously though, these two will meet for the WWE title for the first time tonight on Saturday Night's Main Event. While some may see Orton having an early attempt at destiny, I feel that the legend killer would be better suited to utilize tonight as a scouting match, or potentially to inflict an injury upon Cena. Knowing that in one week's time, Orton will face Cena again for the title at SummerSlam leaves him in an invaluable position where he doesn't have to "show" all of his talent to Cena in a hands-on environment. Cena on the other hand must bring his A-Game to the table, or face the possibility of walking into SummerSlam as the challenger. Again, we'll speak at length on this match-up in next week's article.
HORNSWOGGLE
Still the cruiserweight champion, and contrary to those who thought the title would be (further) diminished, I have never been more interested in the Cruiserweight division. Don't miss one iota of Leprechaun goodness as every Friday is St. Patty's Day.
WHO's THAT JUMP'N OUT DA WHEELCHAIR?
I have mixed feeling about the return of Rey Rey. This is but the latest injury the lucha libre megastar has recovered from, and he typically returns in a more diluted state every time. At SummerSlam, he'll square off against a red hot Chavo Guerrero. While I believe Mysterio will return with considerable passion and intensity, he'll need to be weary of Chavo looking to permanently shelf the popular high flyer.
REALITY CHECK
I've always been very impressed with The Miz. Looking past his antics and attitude, I see a fine professional wrestler with creativity in the ring and enormous potential. ECW is the ideal place for someone like Miz to blossom before he attempts to tackle one of the major second tier titles. The Miz's new finisher, "The Reality Check," is instantly one of my favorite closers. It has a measure of flair and showmanship, while still brutally effective as a one-two punch. I really expect big things from Miz in the coming year.
THE PALACE OF WISDOM
While I was initially apprehensive of Johnny Nitro's "persona" change (Especially coming during a "World" title reign), John Morrison is proving himself as a legitimate competitor in professional wrestling. I've mentioned before how the current ECW title has been unable to sustain any semblance of integrity, but Morrison has displayed enough credibility to bring some prestige to the strap. Since the name change, Morrison has appeared somewhat more comfortable in his own skin, and his cockiness seems less forced, as he lets his incredible athleticism speak for itself. I have been very entertained with his current feud with CM Punk and anticipate a possible classic encounter at SummerSlam.
HE'S COMIN TA GETCHA!
Another competitor I've been excited to see garner new life is The Boogeyman. Boogey had been bouncing around SD! for a few years now, but I feel that he can be legitimately competitive in ECW's atmosphere. We are also seeing his first confrontation with a seemingly overwhelming opponent in Big Daddy V. BDV, like Boogey, has gained new life in ECW. He has also been seemingly unaffected by the psychological ploys of Boogey. This may be in large part to the fact that BDV possesses unquestionably the scariest pair of man-tits I have EVER seen. Interestingly enough, both Boogey and V managed to handle their ECW World title opponents this past Tuesday, making tonights Tag Team contest at SNME all the more curious.
A NOBLE GM
I could not be more content with an individual in a GM position. I have always been a tremendous fan of Regal, both in and out of the ring. And even though he's had a few "questionable" events take place on RAW during the past two weeks, I still feel that Regal will bring class, dignity, order, and fair play back to the RAW brand.
IN RELATED NEWS...
The regrettable component to the latest passing in pro wrestling is that of the media having the excuse to once again drudge up the Chris Benoit situation despite the fact that Both Crush and The Missing Link died of natural causes.
TNA YOU SAY?
That's right, The Keys to the Game has finally acknowledged TNA for the first time. And by the looks of things, I don't see it being the last. Over the past year I have become increasingly interested with TNA, and with the impending SpikeTV deal and rumored signing of Brock Lesnar, TNA has the potential to become a legitimate "contender" to the WWE. Now don't get me wrong, they are no where even close to that right now, but I view the TNA World title in a much more exalted light than the ECW title. The fact is, not too long ago, the top feud in the business and main event of WrestleMania 19 was Angle vs. Lesnar. Much has transpired since that point, and the TNA World title rematch between those two is as good a main event as the WWE can put together. However, as much as I enjoy anything related to Sting, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, or Christian… I still find myself needing to ffwd though a good portion of Impact every week. Perhaps with the addition of guys like Andrew Martin, Mat Morgan, and Dustin Rhodes, as well as personal favorites like Black Machismo, TNA will be able to put together two entertaining hours of wrestling a week.
A far cry from hanging with the Shaman of Sexy in the palace of wisdom, but that's all we have this week. Stay tuned for next week's heterosexual examination of Randy Orton vs. John Cena.
