The Happy-Go-Sucky Wrestling Report: 4.02.08

Posted by Steve Sullivan on 04.02.2008

Ric Flair says goodbye, TNA pisses people off, Orton is still champ, and a popular tag team returns on Raw!

There are some moments where I question as to why I still watch professional wrestling. Even more, there are times I wonder why I love wrestling so much that I write about it on a voluntary basis. All those doubts were answered in this past week.

By the way, I'll admit that I did NOT purchase Wrestlemania this year. It wasn't because I wasn't excited about it, but because I have higher priorities such as saving up to purchase our first house. But as I sat on 411mania for most of Sunday night reading along like many of you were, I realized I was missing out on something great.

Anyway, this is the week now where wrestling fans hit the "Reset" button. This is the time where wrestling in general capitolizes on the popularity it gets from the thousands of people who may only tune in once a year. This is the time and the opportunity to make wrestling "Great" again.



News: Ric Flair has retired from wrestling.

Happy:
I don't think there was any better moment for Ric Flair to retire than the way he did at Wrestlemania. I had hoped he might win one more match and beat HBK at Wrestlemania. But the moment Ric Flair had at Wrestlemania and this past Monday night on Raw sent me through a lot of emotions. There's something about seeing an old man cry that really makes you appreciate them. Ric Flair didnt need to cry to make us appreciate him, but those tears were great to build a foundation on for wrestling itself, not just the WWE.

Anyway, I love the way WWE did this. The drama involved with the match and HBK appologizing right as he put him away was epic. The tears and the crowd standing up for him one last time was very deserving. The WWE could have just let him retire without giving him a chance to say goodbye. Vince went above and beyond for this man and shows that he still cares about the fans, though it may not always seem that way.

The Retirement party was also a very memorable moment. I'll admit I was scared that the WWE was going to use the moment to turn Triple H heel and have him Pedigree Flair. I can't explain how happy I am that this didn't happen. I had people come up to me who watched Raw this past Monday who hadn't watched Raw in forever, telling me that the show nearly brought them to tears. THAT is how good this was. Everyone knows who Ric Flair is and the fact that he retired was respected by everyone.

The fact of the matter is, there is nothing left to be said about this except "Thank you Ric". Thanks for all the memories and the service you gave to all of us. Wrestling will never be the same, but because of these last moments we had with you, we are all reminded that wrestling is not, nor never will be done for.


Go Sucky:
Wrestling is going to be really weird not having Ric Flair in the rotation. I would have loved to see Flair wrestle for one more World Title or hold one more World Title since the fall of WCW. I think Flair holding a WWE title AFTER the fall of WCW would have meant more to fans. In fact, I think Flair fighting for the title in his last match would have brought on a whole new emotion to this situation. The outcome would have probably been a bit predictable, but no more predictable than this match.



News: Randy Orton retains the WWE Title at Wrestlemania.


Happy: This was a pleasant shock! I was shocked to see that neither Cena or Triple H won this match. How long has it been since a heel retained a title at Wrestlemania? I can't even remember! On top of that, they didn't even make this the main "Main Event". So it made it that much better that The Undertaker got the tip billing this year, after having got shafted with his match against Batista last year.

The fact that Randy Orton retained the title shows that the WWE is ready to try something different than they have the last few years by letting faces be the champion all the time. I think that with Orton as WWE Champ, Taker as WHC, and Kane as ECW champ, there is a sense of balance between the shows. If you remember around this time last year, all three champs were faces. (Cena, Taker, & Bobby Lashley). Now there's a heel for the main show, a face for the B show, and someone who is basically neutral on the "Developing show".

In regards to Orton, I'm glad to see they are giving him a chance to continue his title reign. This is going to make him a superstar rather than John Cena's place holder. Orton now has a Wrestlemania victory under his belt against Triple H AND John Cena in the same match. That's the equivalent of Jericho's big win over Stone Cold and The Rock.

I could even tell a difference in the way the crowd reacted to Orton at Raw. I think some wrestling fans will even see him as a hero for being able to go into the biggest match of all, and defeat two guys who have dominated and hogged the spotlight for themselves in the past 5 years.

Go Sucky:
I would have liked to seen this happen under different circumstances. Triple H is faced with the birth of his 2nd child. John Cena is about to make another movie. Was this the true reason why Orton won? Because the other two are too "busy" to be WWE champ? I'd like to see Orton continue to hold this title, as a heel, and continue to defeat not only Triple H and Cena, but any contendor that's not "busy".


News: Kane wins the ECW World Title.



Happy: If there was anybody on the Raw roster that was deserving of a World Title Reign, it's the Big Red Machine. And just think, his World Title reign this time has lasted 3 times as long as his last one did before Stone Cold beat him the next night!

Kane has done a lot for the company. He's a company man. His movie See No Evil has to be considered the biggest success of WWE films. Far better than The Marine or The Condemned. He's performed several stunts that many wrestlers wouldn't perform. And the fact that it's been so long since he held any title is unbelievable. I'd like to see Kane turn into the monster he once was and use his spotlight in ECW to get back on Raw or Smackdown.

I'd also like to see ECW push a feud between Kane and Big Daddy V for the ECW title before sending Kane to Raw or Smackdown. Yes I know many of you don't like Big Daddy V, but a super heel Big Daddy V title reign and let an underdog chase after him and eventually win it would be good for ECW and their ratings.

Go Sucky:
As much as I like Kane, and I've been a big fan of his for many years, I would have loved to see Tommy Dreamer get his moment in the spotlight. The fact that he wasn't even in the Final Four in the battle royal really disturbs me. I think Dreamer winning the title would have added to the good memory and emotion for wrestling fans that Wrestlemania 24 gave them.

I also hate that they completely buried Chavo Guerrero at Wrestlemania. Here's a man who's gone through hell in the last couple of years, losing his uncle to a tragic death, his best friend becomes a murderer. But the WWE finally gives Chavo his moment in the sun for a few months, only to have it taken away in literally a matter of seconds. Now, his reign doesn't even seem realistic nor the idea of having him be a contendor ever again be realistic.


News: TNA shows Robbie McCallister on their live broadcast of TNA Impact. WWE sends Robbie home shortly after.

Happy:
I'll go as far as seeing the expression on his face when the cameras found him was priceless. But that's about it.

Go Sucky:
This was completely tactless on TNA. I cannot believe that TNA would be either so insenstive or so stupid to put a man's career at risk. Let's go over this step by step.

1) Robbie shows up, even though he wasn't supposed to. Robbie goes to see his good friend Johnny Devine wrestle, which is respectable to do for someone you care about.

2) TNA finds Robbie and makes sure he gets in.

3) TNA sends a camera looking for him in the crowd. The find him.

4) TNA shows him on TV, knowing he will get in trouble with the WWE.

5) WWE contacts Robbie after seeing him and tells him to leave. He is sent home and did not participate in Wrestlemania.

This is a guy who wrestles to support his family. TNA USED Robbie McCallister to try to make a point that nobody really cared about. And the fact that TNA's "Super Impact" rating went down is karma doing its finest. This is a guy who did not get a big Wrestlemania payout to help support his family with. This is a guy who's career may be over now. And why? Because TNA thought they were cool because a WWE wrestler came to their show.

TNA has lost every ounce of my respect now. Every bit of it. I will watch Impact because I am a wrestling fan and because I write this report, but I will not support TNA for exploiting anyone for personal gain. I see TNA and its management for what it is now. Disrespectful.




News: Cryme Tyme made a surprise return to Raw on Monday night.



Happy:
Given that just a couple of weeks ago I was talking about Shad Gaspard joining either MMA or TNA, this was a pleasant surprise! This is one of my favorite tag teams and I'm so glad to see them getting a 2nd chance. Now just as long they can behave themselves and not "bully" Cade and Murdoch at house shows anymore, hopefully we'll get to see Cryme Tyme have a Tag Team Title reign.

In a time where punishment has been heavy in the WWE, I'm glad to see that the WWE is giving people 2nd chances that aren't being a part of the "bad media" that those who are using steroids or killing their families are bringing to the WWE. I think Cryme Tyme's initial release was uncalled for anyway and that a fine would have suited the action just as well.

Go Sucky:
What could be bad about money money....yeah yeah! Other than the fact that Tag Team wrestling continues to dwindle and that their return to the ring doesn't mean much as a tag team. Unless of course they can get popular enough to make people interested in tag team wrestling. Don't get your hopes up on that one.


News: Dozens of people were injured by a fireworks malfunction at Wrestlemania.

Luckily, nobody here was seriously injured. Unfortunately, without this malfunction, the WWE could have put out a LOT of positive media in regards to this show. EXTRA EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT, RIC FLAIR RETIRES FROM WRESTLING! EXTRA EXTRA! FLOYD MAYWEATHER KNOCKS OUT THE BIG SHOW!

Instead, media outlets chose to run the story EXTRA EXTRA, WWE WRESTLING BURNS DOZENS OF FANS AT LIVE EVENT! So now, the media is running stories about not only how wrestling is full of steroids and violence, but that the industry is careless in regards to fan safey. This was a huge black eye for the WWE, who could have capitolized on something good for once after a really rough year of negative media coverage. But luckily, everyone's ok and that's the best you could ask for.


News: Floyd Mayweather defeats The Big Show.

Happy: I kind of like the idea of having The Big Show as a face here. The fact that Mayweather won brought a bit of positive coverage to ESPN and other sports networks, which is good for the WWE. Unfortunately a lot of that coverage was shadowed due to the story we talked about prior with the fireworks malfunction.

Go Sucky: I don't understand why Mayweather had to play the heel role and cheat by using the brass knuckles. I don't really see this having a positive impact on his boxing career, but I don't see it having any kind of negative impact either. I think the WWE could have capitolized on his event in some other way to make a greater impact for both themselves and Mayweather, but I have a feeling the WWE was regretting the decision to have this match after they realized what kind of performer Mayweather was.

And with that my friends I'm out of here. Let the new wrestling year officially begin! Get your old friends together and force them to sit down and watch with you! This is the time of year where becoming a new fan or being an old fan that's come back is acceptable, so spread the word!

And until then my friends, may your lives be Happy, Or Go Sucky!