The Wrestling Doctor 11.18.08: Various Topics: WWE Edition

Posted by W.S. Thomason on 11.18.2008

Raw, Regal, talent cuts, Wrestlemania, Evolution, Starrcade, and other musings on WWE entertainment wrestling.

THE WRESTLING DOCTOR

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THIS WEEK'S PATIENT: VARIOUS TOPICS – WWE EDITION

Woke up in a stream-of-consciousness mood, so this week I am examining a host of WWE issues in a topical random format.

• The Nov. 10 Raw from Manchester was one of the best TV programs the WWE has put on in a long time. If the WWE regularly produced shows with matches like the Chris Jericho-Shawn Michaels Last Man Standing bout or Rey Mysterio-Kane, then maybe they could revive their sagging domestic business. Believe it or not, entertainment wrestling fans actually do like second-rate bootleg soap operas wrestling. The Nov. 10 Raw rating went up despite the fact that the show was pre-taped and spoilers were on the net by late Monday afternoon. I will not hold my breath that the WWE will pick up on this revolutionary idea, but maybe…

• I could not be happier about William Regal winning the Intercontinental Title. Regal is a guy who could revive the belt if they will allow him to have some matches of length on TV (or better yet, PPV) against guys who can also work, like CM Punk. He probably will not hold the Intercontinental Title nearly as long as he should or with nearly the high profile that he deserves, but maybe they will give him some quality Raw segments at least as a means of promoting the IC Title DVD. Here's hoping that Triple H's backstage influence pays positive dividends this time around.

• A Regal program with the rumored-returning Christian would certainly boost the fortunes of the Intercontinental Championship. Or Regal vs. Christian vs. Punk – the WWE cannot blame the decline of the IC Title on a lack of options.

• Beth Phoenix vs. Santino Marella at Wrestlemania XXV as a transition match between main events, anyone?

• It is refreshing to see the World Tag Team Champions indirectly tied into the Raw main event picture through the CM Punk-Randy Orton connection – but it would be nice for Punk and Kofi Kingston to actually team up on an episode instead of being split between different partners and /or singles matches.

• I expect that somehow, someway, we will see an Evolution Triple Threat Explosion between Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton in 2009. It probably will not make Wrestlemania due to John Cena's mandated main event presence, but Summerslam is a definite contender.

• The Starrcade DVD match listing is great, despite some obvious shortcomings. The WWE did not put the energy into this collection that they normally do, as 15 of the 25 matches have been or will be previously released by the time the Starrcade DVD hits shelves. I am happily surprised that Steamboat/Douglas vs. Windham/Pillman from 1992 and Sting vs. The Great Muta from 1989 made the cut. The most notable omission is Ricky Steamboat vs. Tully Blanchard from 1984 (maybe it will make The Dragon's DVD). Several duds made it onto the set, including the 1991 Battle Bowl battle royal, the bland Goldberg-Kevin Nash title bout from 1998, and the disappointing Steve Austin-Dustin Rhodes US Title match from 1993. The latter is not surprising, as that contest was Austin's only major Starrcade appearance (his 1991 Lethal Lottery / Battle Bowl spot was hardly significant) and any WCW collection has to directly relate to the WWE Universe. (I would love to hear the indignation in Joey Styles' voice when forced to say "WWE Universe.") Despite the imperfections of the Starrcade DVD, everyone who wants to see more WCW releases in the future should buy the collection. The WWE will gladly bench further WCW projects if this offering does not far exceed sales expectations.

• Mike Knox (aka, the new Snitsky) will be jobbing to the stars in Raw tag team main events by February 1. Here's hoping he receives a beard trimmer for Christmas - some critter could do some serious nesting in that thing.

• The recent turn of The Great Khali as a comedy face is a smart move on the WWE's part. Khali was entertaining – and even endearing – in Get Smart, and he will likely land more minor film roles in the future on which the WWE can capitalize. While I hate the WWE's new marketing direction, friendly giants are a roster necessity when courting kids. Maybe Khali will be paired at some point with children's favorite Rey Mysterio if their respective knee surgery schedules can line up. Khali has lost too much monster credibility to be a true heel menace, so he had to go in a different direction or risk becoming Big Show circa 2001. Or worse, Akeem circa anytime after Summerslam 89.

• With the way Khali's current rival, MVP, has been recently booked, did he just insult the guy holding the cup or did he pull an R. Kelly?

• The WWE has begun its own economic stimulus initiative in the form of talent cuts. Over the next few months we will see the most releases the WWE has made since the purge of June 2005. Here is who I think the WWE will let go before the end of the first quarter of 2009: D-Lo Brown (even though he has a new WWE.com blog), Ricky Ortiz, Hardcore Holly, Deuce, Paul Burchill, Ron Simmons, Jimmy Wang Yang, Ryan Braddock, Scotty Goldman, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Hurricane Helms, Bam Neely, Armando Estrada, The Boogeyman, and Gavin Spears. A down turn in business means that the WWE cannot keep mid-carders who they rarely use or for whom they have no immediate plans. An upside of the current recession (besides low gas prices) is that the WWE most likely will not be able to immediately replace roster cuts with developmental talent who are not ready for the big time, as they have regularly done over the last two years. Another upside to a large number of releases is that the WWE may have to run longer matches on TV (a la ECW) since they will not have as many entertainers wrestlers to fill out their weekly programming block.

• I hope that TNA will not make a signing bee-line for everyone the WWE releases just because they once received a W-2 from Stamford. Helms and Yang are the only guys on the above list worth TNA's time, but don't be surprised if a slightly re-vamped Boogeyman ends up as a mystery partner in a PPV main event from the Impact Zone.

Speaking of which, TNA goes on the exam table next week.