Wrestling’s 4R’s 8.08.08: Wacky Tag Team Partners That Don’t Get Along, Matt Striker Rules, Samoa Joe is Stupid, Foley Still Has It and More!

Posted by Larry Csonka on 08.08.2008

The final edition of Geoff Eubanks and Larry Csonka’s 4 R's of Wrestling…



~08.08.08: The Day the 4R's Change Forever~
Finally the day is here. It is in fact 08.08.08, and this WILL be the day that the 4R's change forever. It is not a lame tease, big changes are coming to the column. The 4R's are beginning their 5th year here at 411 (they started in August of 04) and this edition is the 277th edition that is being published. It is something I am very proud of. But today will be the FINAL edition of Geoff Eubanks and Larry Csonka's 4 R's of Wrestling.

After 3½ years with the column, young Geoffrey will be moving on from the R's and starting August 19th will be running his own weekly column. It is something I had always hoped that he would do, and the time just seems right now. Geoff isn't just the guy that writes the column with me, he is a good friend. I am very happy that he will finally be sharing his writing voice in his own weekly column. Thank you for all you've done with the R's Geoff, and have fun taking control of your own column.

So now you may ask, "What does that mean for the column?" While it is Geoff's final edition, of course will continue on with the column. And since the R's has been a two-man column it will stay that way. Starting next week, Jeremy Thomas will be joining the column full time. Also, in an effort to mix things up a bit further, I will be taking over the R's of Smackdown, and continue with the R's of Impact and ECW. Jeremy will come in and take over the R's of Raw.

And that's that. Let's get on with the column.

---

In HD where available…


By: Larry Csonka

iMpact 7.31.08:

The Right:

Beer Money to face LAX, Cage and Rhino go for revenge against 3D: The opening match on Impact was a damn fine little match for the #1 contender's spot in the tag division. Beer Money is Awesome, Cage and Rhino work very well together so this was a lot of fun. They got a bit over 7-minutes after the commercial break, the crowd dug the match and in the end, with the help of 3D Beer Money goes onto the PPV and gets their shot at the tag titles. Now while I would have loved a clean finish, this works perfectly. Beer Money gets the cheap win to go along with their douche bag ways and it gets them back into a match with LAX. 3D costing Cage and Rhino leads to them having what I would presume is their blow off match at the PPV. It all worked out very well in the end, and that is a good thing.

Petey vs. Creed: Petey's promo at the beginning was a perfect set up, if not a giveaway to the match. But he played the over confident champion very well. He said Creed was a fool, danced around and never beat anyone. The match was a very solid TV match. They kept a good pace, the crowd was into the match and that is a good thing. They worked solid counters and Petey kept acting as if he was better than Creed, and was still way to over confident. Creed would counter the Canadian Destroyer (think Bret vs. Bulldog) and came away with the big victory. Creed overcame the odds in the end, and they had a very solid TV match here. They got a bit over 6-minutes, and showed enough chemistry that it makes me feel that they can have a good PPV match, which they will have. Simple, the champion loses non-title match to an up and coming challenger due to his over confidence, and now we get to see if the challenger can do it again. YAY SIMPLE BOOKING!

Morgan Continues to roll: Matt Morgan came out and killed a bitch (no disrespect to Sal Rinauro) last week on Impact as they continue to try and make him into a Beast. Beast, that's a good nickname, he should try that out sometime. Anyway he killed the man, and then decided that violence against women is wrong and demanded that Tomko get his ass out there for him to kill. They brawled, had the pull apart and then Morgan killed him with the HELLEVATOR. With Tomko on the way out, it was a good use of him to put Morgan over. Tomko has been booked strong in his TNA run, so Morgan destroying him was good stuff.

Rough Cuts/Sheik TNA continues to work the Rough Cuts and video profiles into the shows, and that is a very good thing. I really wish that they would drop some of the stupid shit so that they could focus even more time on things like this. This week we got another video with Sheik Abdul Bashir. He hates the homeless the cold-hearted bastard. It was another good package as he explained why he is right and that is why he is hated. The Rough Cuts also returned as the profiled the Knockouts Champion Taylor Wilde. The Knockouts shared their distain at how she came in and won the title, and they even got some audio from Bill DeMott (who trained her) putting her over. I still believe that these are useful tools in allowing the people to get to know the performers, and then that helps get them over.

puRgatoRy:

A TOUR OF THE SIX SIDES OF WEAPON FILLED STEEL: Booker T, who has just been awesome recently made his way to the Six Sides of Weapons Filled Steel, and he invited Samoa Joe out for a little tour. Booker explained that HE WAS THE MAN UP IN THIS HERE BEAST, which brought out Joe. Joe was prepared with a retractable police baton, Nash was there for backup and it looked like Joe had Booker right where he wanted him. But in the end, while the Sting storyline is either fun or rehash isn't the point. The point is that the champion Joe, looked like a bitch again. Come on, he has Booker trapped in the cage, Nash took away Sharmell and he was kicking his ass. But he gets distracted like a fool and got laid out with a mysterious bat that came from the ceiling. Booker "thanked" Sting, while Tenay and West played the "DAMN YOU STING" card. Joe then goes on the whole programming crying and whining like an EMO bitch. What happened to Joe the badass killing machine?

AJ Calls Out Sting/AJ and Angle will battle to the last man: After the six sides of steel tour, AJ came out to check on Joe (a bit late there son) and when we got back from the commercial, he was still there. AJ cut, what I thought was a fine promo here. He was calling out Sting, and saying that he was sick of defending his actions. He questioned why Sting would attack one of the good guys (Joe) and wanted an answer. The lights dropped, Sting's music played and when they came back Angle was there to kick AJ's ass. Three Angle slams and AJ was laid out. AJ's promo got NO crowd reaction, and in the Impact Zone, that is pretty bad. The beat down also got little reaction, which is a shame. AJ would later would challenge Angle to a Last Man Standing Match, which I like. AJ has been laid out and out numbered by Angle and Trigg and wants revenge. But the fact that they got almost no reaction for the angle in the cage (promo and beat down) is alarming and NOT a good thing.

Jay Lethal w/SoCal Val, Shark Boy and Curry Man vs. Johnny Devine and The Rock and Rave Infection: This was a fun little 6-man tag on the show. Some take my hate for the Prince Justice shit as a sign that I hate Sharky and Curry Man. On the contrary, I have said that I do enjoy them and they did well here. Devine continues to shine, unfortunately from a sidekick role. Lethal got the win to get him some momentum going into the next battle with Dutt. It was short, but fun overall as a match. What killed it for me was the whole Jay/Val deal. He wanted to ask her again to marry him, he did, she didn't have the ring (which led to a ton of stupid ass superhero stuff) and he left pissed off. I want to be interested in the Jay/Val/Dutt deal, but each week I find myself caring less and less about it.

The Beautiful People vs. Gail Kim and Taylor Wilde: In what was a delight to me, Impact was headlined by the TNA Knockouts. They have been constantly doing well, outside of some recent sketchy booking, and are a ratings draw, so it was an interesting experiment. The match was a bit lacking, not bad, but not great. The good girls got the win, but paid for it with THE RETURN OF KONG, who was the special surprise of the Beautiful People. Kong kills for a while, but ODB and Roxxi (back in the mix it seems) make the save. Closing this out was Traci Brooks (good to see her still finding work) watching on. Again, I appreciate them headlining the show with the ladies, which was a ratings success as they actually ended the show with a high rating. The show usually drops off through out. But the Knockouts again are keeping the audience. But overall it just lacked. Not to be rude, but Velvet Sky really drags down the wrestling side of things. She's great in her role, but once she gets into the ring it is down hill. The match was far from bad, but not the best example of what the Knockouts can do.

Hard Justice Takes Shape: As we were less than two weeks away from the PPV, TNA largely got the PPV card out there for all to see. While it is not the complete care, they announced everything major. The title matches, AJ/Angle, 3D/Cage and Rhino. That's good stuff, the card they announced was:

* Black Tie Brawl and Chain Match: Sonjay Dutt vs. "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal
* New Jersey Street Fight: Team 3D vs. Christian Cage and Rhino
* Last Man Standing: AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle
* TNA X-Division Title Match: Petey Williams © vs. Consequences Creed
* TNA Tag Team Title Match: LAX © vs. Beer Money
* TNA World Title Six Sides of Steel Weapons Filled Cage Match: Samoa Joe © vs. Booker T

While it was great to get the matches out there, I really wish that there were NOT that many gimmick matches on the show. Yes I know that they are billing Hard Justice as, "the most hardcore PPV of the year," but then what's the excuse for the other PPV's and episodes of Impact where they give it all away? It would mean a lot more if they didn't constantly give away the gimmick matches all the time.

25+: I'd like to think we all know the drill by now. TNA is supposed to be the alternative, they try to be different, and they claim to be the wrestling promotion. So I am their conscience, their wrestling stopwatch. Each and every week I keep track of the time of wrestling on the show, and discuss it here. This week they had a bit over 25-minutes of wrestling. Not bad, but not where it needs to be in my opinion.

The wRong:

Karen's Angle: The second ever Karen's Angle turned into a low rent Barbara Walters special, without the tears. Kaz did his deal, explained that it is better to burn out than to fade away and that when the interview was over, he was gone because he asked for is release. It was actually fine and I really had no problems with it. Until they showed us what happened "off camera." Tomko came barging in and said that he was there to make her life hell for Kurt. He scared the crew way and as it went dark we heard Karen screaming. Tremendous, was that supposed to be simple assault or rape? I think SPIKE TV would frown upon either one. That ruined anything good they had accomplished with Kaz, and that's a shame.

The Ridiculous:

The Prince Justice Brotherhood: While some people can accept that this is supposed to be ridiculous and stupid, I don't enjoy it overall. They take away too much TV time for the feuds that are being built for the PPV, and I am sorry but the comedy isn't selling shit because they aren't even on the damn show. I say again, instead of trying to rebuild the X-Division, TNA is perfectly content in creating and shoving comedy figures down out throat. In small doses Sharky is fun. In small doses Super Eric is fun. Curry Man rules the world. But I have NO desire to see a comedy stable of these guys that will likely get set up with Abyss down the line. Come on TNA, let's try to rebuild one of the things that made people enjoy your product, the X-Division. Comedy is fine in short doses, but it doesn't help the overall product like a viable X-Division would.

DEAR MIKE AND DON… SHUT THE HELL UP!

Love,
Larry

---

By: "The Whole Geoffin Show" Geoff Eubanks

WWE SmackDown 8.01.08

As you may well expect, I have some closing words at the end of today's article. Please have a look.

The Right:

Edge understands, all Right: I mean, really, what can be said? The Cutting Edge segment that closed the show tonight was one of the greatest promo bits EVER, and, no I'm not over-selling that at all. If you managed to miss that, my friend, get thyself to YouTube.com pronto. No, I mean, do it now…we'll wait.

One of the most basic rules to playing an effective heel is one Larry and I have referenced myriad times here in The R's, and that's that a heel must believe s/he is absolutely justified and Right to do and think and believe the evil things s/he does. Edge not only believes this rule, but also has made it the very foundation upon which his character operates to such an extent that he makes playing such an amazing, selfish bastard look effortless. Match that with his guest, Mick Foley's unbridled knowledge, passion and highly under appreciated mind for psychology and they, together, are absolute gold together. It's a damn shame the difference in their ages disallows them from feuding together in their respective primes because such a program would make them household names.

Basically, Edge is allowing his issues to consume and overcome him, psyching himself out of victory against The Undertaker in HITC at SUMMERSLAM before The Cell even drops over the ring (of course, in true heel fashion, he's not allowing himself to even consider that this is a bed he's made for himself and now must lie in). And so he calls upon Mick Foley to help him, given Foley's own history with Taker and The Cell in a passionate soliloquy where he appeals to Foley's own sense of self-fulfillment of which Taker robbed him a decade ago when they faced one another in (and on top of…and over the side of) The Cell. Foley responds with a scathing pep talk of his own, berating the "take the easy way out" character Edge has become, comfortable relying on the power his wife holds on the show, sending his minions to take his asskickings for him, suggesting he find within himself the competitor who Speared him through a flaming table and learn to stand on his own or face utter destruction. Edge snaps, there's no other way to describe it, attacks Foley and ends up pouncing off a ladder and Sidewalk Slams a chair onto Foley, who lies prone on a table that simply explodes under the force of the blow.

We now don't feel quite so confident that Edge is totally fucked facing Taker in The Cell…in fact, we now start to believe he has a shot of winning the damn thing, and, quite frankly, I think he should. Aside from the utter brilliance of the execution, aside from the eloquence of the conception, this segment is so important because, like him or not, we're watching the evolution of a character. Again, when we read from someone like Jim Ross suggest that it's up to a performer to really step up and make the most of the opportunity s/he is given, it is to THIS he's referring (we're seeing it on a lesser level with Brian Kendrick, as well). At this stage of his career a loss to, let's not kid ourselves, the future of the company in Edge wouldn't matter, not nearly as much as the victory would mean to Edge. The road to SUMMERSLAM (or, perhaps more accurately, the Highway to Hell) is going to be very interesting indeed.

There's more peroxide in that ring than in the Playboy mansion: Jim Ross was not exaggerating when he referred to the non-title contest pitting ICC Shelton Benjamin against Kennedy as "a wonderful wrestling match". At just under 15:00, they were afforded ample time to tell a simple yet compelling story in the ring, neither man really looking any better or worse than the other, except that Kennedy was able to fake out Benjamin and nail The Mic Check for the three, which behooves both men, as we're likely getting a SUMMERSLAM rematch out of this one, and that makes us all winners.

Benjamin appears to really be getting the hang of working heel and Kennedy has officially shed that awkward period of odd selling into which he fell after his embarrassing Wellness-involved suspension. Benjamin reaching into the ring from the apron, grabbing hold of Kennedy's arm and leaping to the floor, thereby pulling Kennedy into the ring post just prior to the break, as well as his chicken wing into an inverted shoulder breaker displays exactly how innovative and entertaining he's becoming and the sequence which saw both men reversing and countering on the mat, Kennedy ending up with something of a modified Sharpshooter before being thrown through the ropes displays how well these men work together. One wonders if they have more to give us for the PPV…?

If there's a question in terms of philosophy here, it's what will occur in the aftermath of SUMMERSLAM. Granted, these men knew how to make each other look great, which is their job, but what about McMahonagement's responsibility? How ineffective will Benjamin appear if he loses the ICT so quickly after having won it? He'll be saddled with a different title, that of transitional champion and it could rock his confidence, which, it could be argued, has been the root of his problems in the past. However, will a loss on Kennedy's part derail his upward mobility on a stacked roster he's only very recently joined? Time will tell, but Benjamin's post-bout excuse for having lost to Eve Skele-Torres, that he shouldn't have even competed tonight as a result of his suffering from acute bronchitis, was fantastic. He played it off beautifully and he received a great, incredulous response from the fans. Of course we know that's total bullshit; seven months ago, I suffered from moderate bronchitis and I've not touched a cigarette since. There's no way he could have wrestled such a competitive match in such a state, but that's why he's becoming such an effective heel. Well done all the way around!

The Ultimate Risk-taker steps up: Jeff Hardy has been seething all week. MVP humiliated him in The VIP Lounge as its host dug deep into Jeff's personal life and brought it out for all to see…and Jeff chilled and took it. After having had seven days to settle, Jeff had a response. Last week, I criticized the fact that Jeff was made to look like a chump by the verbally superior MVP in their exchange; I'm not going to necessarily retract my statement, because I don't actually know how accidental was that result; notwithstanding, though, the Right road was taken tonight in every feasible manner.

The fact that Jeff was the first person out of the chute tonight, that he perched himself at ringside without word one to say to the announcers tacitly displayed his desire to take care of business. Whether or not this motivation was thought through to this extent is a matter of conjecture, but it brought to mind those situations where one is simply taken aback by the situation at hand and is simply too dumbfounded by the events suddenly taking place to really comment, only to think later, "If I just would have said this…" I'll suggest that, if this was the intention, it bodes VERY well for young Jeffrey, because it signifies 100% consideration on the part of McMahonagement in his regard. The fact that MVP continues to belabor the point of Jeff's chances of winning the WWET also suggests that, should Jeff keep his nose clean, we could finally see him wearing the big time gold.

Meanwhile, MVP, after further berating Jeff, made short work of Jimmy Wang Yang, who now has slid so far down the ladder, he doesn't even get an entrance. One wonders if Vince didn't make him help set up the ring and just hang out as the fans arrived. Notwithstanding, though, The Wanger provided MVP (who FINALLY got his inflatable entrance tube and pyro back tonight!) with a similar such quality of offense as he can expect from Jeff, squashing him expertly as if to suggest that he doesn't sweat the flashy shit, which is absolutely consistent with the warning message he sends to Jeff…risky behavior is ill-rewarded. See how well MVP second-guesses and acts against a top rope cross body splash by JWY? He simply takes a backward step and sticks out a knee, providing JWY with a landing which robs him of his breath, allowing MVP to set up a match-winning modified shining wizard, which was more akin to a charging, leaping stomp to the head…intelligently brutal.

There was no trepidation on Jeff's behalf following the bout as he, mic in hand, approached MVP warning him in no uncertain terms against EVER again getting as personal as he did last week with a level of verbal fire I frankly thought was foreign to him, to what Jim Ross referred as an "outRight display of anger." Don't get me wRong, it was not eloquent, but it was decisive and determined and effective. MVP shrugged and gave the appearance of walking away, but turned and threw a punch Jeff cut off with a swift kick to the midsection, setting up a Twist Of Fate, displaying to MVP that, not only does he mean what he says, but that he brings a quality and quickness of execution that MVP may have underestimated. Extremely well played and well-considered opening segment, laying the groundwork for what I can only expect to be a superb program.

…and MVP comes to play ball: I was initially confused as to why Jeff Hardy would be thrown to a monster like Khali, but, watching this incredibly effective match, it all became quite clear, and it was one of the most all-around well-conceived ideas on a show which is really beginning to come into sharp focus.

Jeff really requires no build; he's an established face who gets Von-Erich-in-Dallas quality pops worldwide, but it does help his foes if they can acquire heat, and MVP helped himself to a huge slice of it tonight by coming to the ring during this match. Khali had a solid upper hand on Jeff for the majority of the bout, really beating the hell out of The Rainbow-Headed Warrior until Jeff was afforded the opportunity to turn the tide, nailing The Whisper In The Wind and The Swanton Bomb back-to-back. The crowd came unglued and it really appeared as if Jeff might pull off an impossible victory…and that's when MVP showed up at ringside. However, he didn't interfere, rather, Jeff, finally with the option of unloading some of that anger he displayed at the top of the show, did so in the form of a somersault plancha! The two began throwing hands (and I think it's because Jeff took the initiative that Charles Robinson elected not to disqualify Khali for MVP's retaliation), but Khali reached over with those "Cyclopian hands", as JR referred to them, and pulled Jeff back into the ring to render him unconscious with The Vice Grip, MVP stepping in and posing over the fallen Enigma, bathing in the heat, anger and revulsion off the rabid crowd.

This works on so many levels. Jeff has NOT been devalued at all for having lost to a monster such as Khali because, well, he's a monster, for Flair's sake, plus, he's the #1 contender, therefore, Khali needed the momentum going into his WWET challenge against Triple H, plus, Jeff managed to last over ten minutes with Khali…not exactly a squash. The fans are empathetic toward Jeff all the more and all MVP had to do was take a couple blows on the outside and wait for the fans to hate him. That's two programs pushed well in just ten minutes worth of airtime…that's maximizing your time on a show with a packed roster and a lot of stories to tell. It's just what I suggested McMahonagement would have to do and it appears that's just what's occurring.

And this bears mentioning because I've been SO critical of Khali over the months; no, Khali will never be a Benoit or Angle in the ring, but I'll be damned if he hasn't learned how to effectively wrestle not just for his size, but for himself…not quite as well-thought as Umaga, but he's working a hell of a lot smarter than I EVER would have conceived he might back when I dubbed him Nature's Little Oopsie. He allowed Jeff to take his best shot and then went to work, just chopping and smashing down on him, then sent him to the outside, hurtled him to the steps (with such velocity that Jeff's shoulder was lacerated as a consequence), then threw him back in and clamped down on the same shoulder with a claw hold. I'll be damned…the big lug is learning psychology. This is actually the best SmackDown!'s been since the days of The SmackDown! Six and I don't see the train being derailed anytime soon.

"If Brian Kendrick is so intelligent, why doesn't he own a BBQ restaurant or written a best seller?" : Mick Foley is such a phenomenal color announcer he can put over himself and his broadcast partner as WELL as the talent!

I still don't see the Brian Pillman influence, but I think that's my own fault for having missed out on his initial heel turn in WCW; the heel Pillman I remember, know and love was more than simply condescending, there was always an element of abject danger and unpredictability to him, like the time when he pounced on Bobby Heenan at ringside, The Brain dropping an f-bomb on a live mic as a result. However, that doesn't matter for our purposes, because Kendrick is blossoming into a hell of a dominant heel. The gimmick is well played and the presence of Ezekiel is completely well conceived. Stevie Richards gave Kendrick a fine run for his money here tonight, but Kendrick proved exactly how dangerous can be a smaller man who knows how to use his feet to down an opponent (and, furthermore, how to finish him off once he gets said opponent on the mat). As is the case with Vladimir Kozlov, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens when Kendrick's opposition becomes more accomplished…but I predict that's where Zeke comes in to play.

Speaking of Zeke, the big man displayed his scary power by easily slapping a vicious Torture Rack on Richards post-match. I've said it before, I really hope McMahonagement isn't simply using Kendrick to introduce and establish Zeke, and then discard the Spankster, because I'm a big fan, but one need only look to DVon Dudley's solo run for an ominous precedent. But that could be worrying today over that which might never occur tomorrow. For now, well done.

Domino's most effective offensive move is his throwing his T-shirt: There really wasn't much to the Big Show/Domino match, not that anyone should consider there might or even could be. Show slapped the nipples off Domino's chest and chokeslammed him. Bippity-boppity-boo. What really mattered here is that Umaga made his way down to the ring and slowly, cautiously stalked Show, as if he were hunting wild prey back on the Mother Island. This was a great set up, because it simply allowed the viewer to imagine what could be in store once these two eventually lock horns. This was one of the programs I wanted to see once the draft picks were announced and I'm totally stoked to see it happen. This is gonna be GOOD.

I also want to put over the fact that this feud was borne of the battle royal we had to determine Triple H's #1 Contender for SUMMERSLAM, because, as I said when initially analyzing said battle royal, it's the measure of the creative team to see what else they can manage to come out of such a situation and not simply focus on the stated purpose of the battle royal itself, and McMahonagement came through with this one. SmackDown! is really cooking!

The R-Truth and nothing but the R-Truth: We continue to become acquainted with R-Truth, Ron Killings character, which is a great thing, as I said last week, because, even before we see him return to a WWE ring, we're going to be quite familiar with who he is and what he's all about. I don't know about you, but I think a Kendrick/Killings match would be some awesome under-card goodness.

SmackDown! comes into focus: This will be somewhat redundant, but, because I pointed this out last week, now that things are all pulling together, I thought it bore a mention. Suddenly all of our top stars have programs, feuds and roles and it appears as if they're all going to be productive and entertaining. It took Michael Hayes and company a few understandable weeks to get used to the aftermath of the fortuitous draft, but this is a damn good time to be a fan of the silver and blue!

purgatory:

You must be "This tall" to get into The Cell: This is simply an observation…considering the new "kid-friendly", TV-PG WWE, exactly how are they going to manage a Hell In The Cell match…?

The wrong:

She ain't the lady to mess with: Yeah, tell that to McMahonagement, because all they seem to see her as is the lady to job out to Barbie dolls. Don't get me wRong, Maria's cute and fun and has a lot more going on than the dingbat she used to play, but let's get real. On which planet exactly am I supposed to buy a cutesy girl who can occasionally make good going decisively over a performer the caliber of Victoria, when she was clearly holding the victor's hand through this match and who is actually better in the ring than a few of the men under the WWE umbrella *coughCarlitocough*? Victoria couldn't be more used and abused if she were dating Edge. Give the lady a solid run with that ugly belt to reward her for all the indignity she's been forced with which to deal.

I must say, though, I LOVE Maria's entrance music.

The Ridiculous:

NONE


And so concludes my final contribution to The R's.

When Larry first conceptualized and self-executed this column when we both wrote for Trent and Lino's site, TWTF, I never considered I might some day be writing a portion of it myself. When Larry came to power here at 411 and granted me the opportunity to fill an open spot in The R's as SmackDown! analyst, (I still vividly recall the simplicity of that phone conversation and the elation following in my regard), I never dreamt I'd be on board for 3.5 years.

This gig hasn't always been easy; sometimes producing even my portion of The R's was like giving birth. It hasn't always been fun; the downside of an analyst's lot is that one must take that which one is given and deal with it. However, it has NEVER NOT been an absolute honor to bring this contribution in the column that, frankly, anchors this site, to you, our reader and supporter, even those of you who have referred to me as a waste of column space. And some of you have.

However, I have also been honored with some fantastically humbling and intellectually gratifying correspondence from a kind, knowledgeable global audience as a result of the opportunity Larry's afforded me and for that, to whoever e-mailed, commented, IM-ed or simply read, faithfully or sporadically, I extend to you the sincerest gratitude. I also have to thank my fellow writers and friends, Steve "Where's the bourbon, bitch" Cook, James "I <3 Punk's push" Thomlinson, Julian "My Top Ten is bigger than yours" Williams and the ubiquitous Penguin (WARK!). And, of course, this wouldn't even be happening were it not for the big man, Ashish and the man whose learning tree under which I've been privileged to sit for years now, Larry Csonka.

As a result of having been committed to this column for so long, my skill and adeptness as a writer has increased dramatically and it's because of this that I head confidently into my own regular column, PIECES OF MY MIND, every Tuesday, beginning 19 August 2K8, so please come along for the ride.

It is my understanding that Larry will be taking over SD! duties, while the stalwart, plucky, talented, insightful and intelligent Jeremy Thomas will bring you his expertise with regard to Raw.

Okay, I'm going. *Tags out to Jeremy and enjoys watching him clean house*

---

By: Larry Csonka

Raw 8.04.08

THE RIGHT:

Kofi vs. Paul/Mickie vs. Katie: Kofi Kingston and Paul Burchill kicked off Raw this past week, as far as the in ring action goes. They delivered a spirited little sprint, both guys looked very good I thought and in the end Kofi got the clean win, successfully defending his title. He would fight off Paul and Katie, which brought out Mickie James. After the commercial they also had a short, but spirited little match, they both looked good and Mickie retained her title. As far as a way to open the show they were fun little matches, too short for my liking. The booking…well, we'll talk more later on.

CM Punk vs. JBL and Chris Jericho: Apparently long tights are wacky and fan friendly, so Chris Jericho dropped them for some SUPER SERIAL SHORT TIGHTS! I have to say that they looked odd as hell. I've been watching Jericho wrestle for a LONG time and I cannot recall him EEEEVVVER wearing short tights, which is why it looked so odd. But it goes with the attitude change, so good on him. They had a very strong match I felt, very fun and not the usual WWE Handicap match. I thought that everyone got to look good, specifically Punk on his comeback. There was tons of action, and just a damn fine TV match. While I am NOT looking forward to JBL vs. Punk, it works as it frees up Jericho for Summerslam to continue on with HBK. I will admit that the end was anti-climatic. But the funny thing is that all JBL has done is bitch that Punk is the champion via fluke, and now JBL is the contender via fluke, something I hope Punk points out next week. For a handicap match this was great and a nice change from the normal WWE handicap formula.

puRgatoRy:

Opening Promo: Raw opened with THE ADAMLE on the stage, set to address the crowd. For the most part he did rather well. He discusses the mistakes he made and the fact that there were petitions out there to ask him to resign as the GM, which he wouldn't do. Furthermore he apologized to Cole for last week, saying that he just wanted to stir things up and make the show exciting. JBL would then come out and claim that he deserved the title shot at Summerslam. SUPER SERIAL Chris Jericho would them come out and claim that HE deserved the title shot. The good news is that it set up a possible contender for Punk's title at Summerslam and another reason for people to stay tuned. But the match, well it was an Adamle Original, or as I like to call it Basic Russonomics. I would have preferred something simpler myself, but it wasn't horrible. Another issue, and sure it may be nitpicking, but Adamle using notes took away from the promo. This isn't a bash Adamle deal, overall he did well, but him constantly looking at the sheets and the fact that we could see them were extremely distracting to me. Also, if we are to take the guy seriously, he has to be able to do these promos without help. I know a lot of people were ready to shit on him, but overall I will say he did do well for his first week at the helm.

Shawn's Promo: After a very good video package, showing what happened to HBK and his eye, we got an interview with him from his home. As always HBK delivered the good, cutting an emotional promo and detailing all of his injuries that he had. He promised to show up at Summerslam, where he would decide if it was time to hang it up or not. The problem I have is that while the promo was good, I don't think anyone buys it. I don't think anyone buys that HBK will retire, I don't think anyone buys that HBK will come and get a retirement speech out. I think everyone expects HBK to show up, Jericho to interrupt and some form of savage beating to happen, leading to another match down the line. That's not necessarily a bad thing in a way, but the whole, "for the first time I am listening to the doctors deal" may have been another "I lost my smile" speech.

Kane: We got to see Kane beat a hall pass out of Matt Striker this week. It was a fine squash, short, Striker was killed, Kane his all of his signature stuff and that was that. It worked as far as Kane killing a bitch goes, no messing around. He then discussed that he had been in a bad place for a while, but that he was better and that "he was dead." Right. Ok then. Adamle mentioned that he would find out what's in the bag (I WONDER IF IT IS WEED? IS RVD COMING BACK?) next week, so I suppose Kane will go bat shit and snap. But seemed tossed out there and ended oddly. Like, "I'm not evil anymore, are we cool?"

The wRong:

Tossing away the Burchill's/Santino and Beth vs. Mickie and Kofi in a Russo Special at Summerslam: They have been building the feuds for the Burchill's for a while now, and it seemed as if they would be getting their title shots at Summerslam. Instead they decided to give away the title matches on Raw. As I mentioned above the matches gave us a fine little opening, they were too short, especially for title matches, but fun. Now I mentioned before that Mickie and Kofi getting such clean wins over Paul and Katie would hurt the feuds, and I feel that it did. If you've already seen Mickie and Kofi repeatedly triumph over the challengers, why should you care? They win clean once again and guess what? The feuds are OVER. That's right, the feuds are over and they have decided to move on. Beth Phoenix got herself back into the game by attacking and laying out Mickie after her match. She and Santino go to Mike Ad-A-Mal-Ay and beg for title shots, since they are former champions. But since there is only room for ONE more title match, and the wacky couple couldn't choose who would get the shot, we got an Adamle Original; or as I like to call it Basic Russonomics. It will be Mickie and Kofi tagging together against Beth and Santino, with the winning team getting both titles. I think we all smell it now, Santino Marella: Women's Champion. No sir I don't like it, I don't like it at all.

The Ridiculous:

Simply Priceless… More like simply F'D in the A~!: WHAT'S UP VINCE RUSSO? TAG TEAM PARTNERS THAT DO NOT GET ALONG! Yes, I am NOT happy with this. I think that this was a horrible idea. Dibiase and Rhodes were slowly getting over and doing very well as dick heels. Having them lose the tag titles, CLEAN, to two guys that were arguing was a HORRIBLE idea. I know people seem to think that Cena and Batista having the title will make them SEEM important, and that when they drop them it will be this great monumental thing, but I just can't support that. They'll defend the titles against Simply Priceless at some point, and Dave will walk out on Cena or JBL and or Orton will come out to cost them the match or there will be some bullshit confrontation and we're back to square one because they didn't get a real win, they got the win with help. I think what's even worse than the fact that they totally derailed Simply Priceless was the fact that WWE thought that Batista and John Cena NEEDED them to aid in the build of their feud. Listen, whether you like them or not, the facts are that Batista and Cena have been kept apart with extremely limited interaction. They are two of their homegrown guys and it is a feud that writes itself. It doesn't need a world title, all it needs is them wanting to fight and the fans will follow. Instead they cloud the issue with the tag team titles and derail two young up and comers in the process. They further devalue the tag titles as some toys that Batista and Cena will not care about. Bullshit. I think that this was a really bad move that will just end them up right where they started. Sup Russo?

---

By: Larry Csonka

ECW 8.04.08:

THE RIGHT:

A Good Use for Matt Striker: I have often said that I don't see an extremely bright future for Matt Striker as a wrestler. To me he is a bland in ring performer, and in the land of WWE his size will certainly not do him any favors. But one thing he does do well is talk, the man has that gift there is no doubt. I felt that he would be best served as a manager or mouthpiece for a stable, only occasionally wrestling. One thing I never really considered for him was the commentary booth. I think I just never thought of it because I didn't think they would give him that chance. Well, the chance came this past Tuesday on ECW and I have to say, the man did one hell of a job. Striker is naturally articulate, he IS a wrestling nerd as he stated and was overall very good at the job. The other thing I have to say is that I am not a fan of Todd Grisham. I don't hate him, but I also don't think he is very good at commentary. But he and Striker worked very well together Tuesday night. Overall the show was VERY forgettable, a chore to watch at times, but I thought Striker in particular did an excellent job and needs to be commended for that.

Evan Bourne and Ricky Ortiz vs. Chavo and Bam: ECW kicked off with this tag match, and I liked it right away for one simple thing. It was simple, episodic booking. Last week Ortiz faced off with Chavo, was getting beat down, fellow baby face Evan Bourne makes the save, Chavo hates him because he already beat him and WHAM we get a tag team match. It is simple, it makes sense and plays off of last week's TV show. HOORAY~! The match was fun, Ortiz wasn't horrible as the face in peril, and Bourne looked great. Bam still is the worst bodyguard ever, and needs a LOT of work in there. So does Ortiz. But Chavo and Bourne kept the match fun and work well together. Much like I will discuss with Finlay later on, Chavo working with Ortiz and Bourne is a good thing. Bourne can work and is getting over with his highflying, but working against Chavo, who people know gives him the credibility he needs. Chavo working with Ortiz we can HOPE makes him better down the line. But overall a fun opening match.

puRgatoRy:

The Dirt Sheet: I have become a big fan of the Miz and Morrison as a tag team, and was not happy when they lost the tag titles. I am also a fan of "The Dirt Sheet," which can be found on WWE.com. It is short, sweet and usually a ton of fun. So when they announced that the show was going to have a live version on this week's ECW, I was excited. In short I was under whelmed by the show. The Conan spoof was fine, but the end when Hardy comes out and he and Henry clear the ring was just BLAH. Do they tag next week against Miz and Morrison? Wow, haven't seen that before. Miz and Morrison were great, they were funny and did their best, but at the end of the show I just thought, "Well, ok."

You know, Mike Knox has a point…: You know what, Mike Knox has a damn good point. Finlay has become soft, he has been spending too much time dancing with Leprechauns, and that is the perfect time for a guy trying to make a name for himself to make an impact. The promo work between Knox and Finlay was, "OK", Knox shows some promise. I saw a lot of him in Deep South and there were weeks I though the looked great, and weeks I thought he sucked. This was somewhere in the middle. But the man had phenomenal facial hair, I'll give him that. The feud could be fun, but the most important thing is that they are having Mike Knox work with Finlay. It is obvious that they still have a lot planned for Knox. He was there when the re-launched ECW, was sent to developmental again and brought back up. He also survived the drug scandal that had his name linked to it. So if they have plans for him and want to use him, they need to develop him and working with Finlay is the right step to take. That's why Finlay is here on the ECW brand, to be the player's coach and develop the younger talent. Hopefully this works out well.

The wRong:

Estrada Keeps His Job/Dreamer and Colin: Teddy Long had announced that Armando Estrada would get a last chance to join the ECW roster, but to do so he would have to face off with Tommy Dreamer, and most importantly win the match. They had a short and uninspired match, Delaney came out and would distract Dreamer, allowing Estrada to win and stay with ECW. Teddy Long would make an Extreme Rules Match for next week between Dreamer and Delaney. Overall I didn't find myself liking any of this. First of all, why would Colin want to help Armando? Sure the easy answer is to fuck over Dreamer, but Estrada tortured him for weeks. Delaney should want to see him lose the match and be gone from ECW. He could have easily attacked Dreamer after the match. Secondly, WHY would we want to see Dreamer vs. Delaney again? They ruined it in the first week when Dreamer squashed him and beat him clean. Last week we saw Matt Hardy destroy him as well. The booking of the feud is very puzzling, and I don't like it because it makes little sense.

I remember when Chris Harris was good…: You know, I remember when Chris Harris was cool. I remember when Chris Harris was a good wrestler. I also remember when I thought Chris Harris could be a star. Those days are long gone. After his HORRIBLE debut, Braden Walker as he is known was back in the ring this week with James Curtis. They had "a match," it wasn't horrendous, but it was far from good. The once energetic an fire filled Walker now seems to employ the Ashley Massaro method of underwater wrestling. Whether it is the weight gain or lack of motivation I don't know, but Curtis looked better in there, like he was going to be the one pushed. And that's the other thing, putting Walker in there with Cutis is a bad idea. Curtis gets no reaction because he has only appeared to job on ECW. Walker gets no reaction because he is the reincarnation of the bland 1980's face, good work there WWE. So they put these heat vacuums out there and not only is it bad, but they get no heat, I mean they turned the AC onto high there. They run a short uninspired match with no heat and how do they expect anyone to get over? They need to pair a guy like Walker with someone the people know. Nunzio, Stevie, Moore, Yang, Super Crazy; guys the people know as at least react too. To say that the Braden Walker experiment is not going well would be an understatement and apparently WWE agrees: World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of ECW Superstar Braden Walker as of August 7, 2008. WWE wishes Braden the best in all future endeavors. PEACE!

The Ridiculous:

Nope:

---

And I'm out of here!