HTQ on Day Five of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Five didn't see any breakout matches, but it did feature some very questionable booking, and either another unfortunate injury or a badly thought out worked-shoot.
Nakanishi getting the forfeit win over Makabe due to Makabe's injury. Nakanishi did have a non-tournament match, though, with a win over Yujiro
If this isn't a legit injury, then this is a strange and terrible decision. If it is legit, then I guess they didn't want Yano getting the win for some reason, and they weren't able to work a count-out win for Nakamura.
No upset for Goto, and Tanahashi should at least finish in a respectable position.
If Kashin had won, I would have spat nails.
With Yoshie lasting almost 10 minutes, I think it shows that Yoshie is someone they are high on, or at least is someone they don't want to totally squash.
The right finish, showing that the pupil is still better than the teacher.
This was a bit of an upset, but parity booking does that from time to time.
I guess parity booking to make sure no one person looks better than the rest is more important than getting people over so more money can be made.
After Day Five, this is how things stand:
Block A:
1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
2. Masahiro Chono [6]
3. Toshiaki Kawada [6]
4. Osamu Nishimura [5]
5. Minoru Suzuki [5]
6. Yuji Nagata [4]
7. Tatsumi Fujinami [4]
8. Kendo Kashin [4]
Block B:
1. Kazuyuki Fujita [10]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [9]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [8]
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi [5]
5. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
7. Toru Yano [2]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
Thanks to the ultra annoying parity booking, Block A is wide open, with five people in realistic contention for the two slots in the finals. That isn't the way I would have done it, but I guess New Japan wanted one Block to have a parity to it, and with Fujita in Block B, it had to be Block A. Block B sees Fujita on top, to no surprise, with Nakamura and Nakanishi fighting it out for the second spot in the finals. Tanahashi being so far down is a bit of a surprise, but I still put that down to the political fallout from his loss to Rikio at the NOAH Dome Show.
Day Six takes place tomorrow in Nagoya, with Goto v Yano (Goto to win), Nakamura v Yoshie (Nakamura to win), Nishimura v Nagata (draw), Chono v Kashin (Chono to win), Kawada v Suzuki (Kawada to win), Fujinami v Tenzan (Tenzan to win), and Fujita v Nakanishi (Fujita to win, but I suspect a potential surprise here).
If the matches go the way I predict, then Tenzan, Chono and Kawada will head Block A, keeping up the parity that New Japan are so fond of. Fujita, Nakamura and Nakanishi will remain in that order for Block B, which would keep Fujita and Nakamura on course to claim the Block B slots in the finals.
As far as predictions went, I was 3-4 for Day Five, which is my worst record so far.
HTQ on Day Four of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Four saw a slight upset, a pretty surprising upset, and a great main event, that sadly lacked a little when it came to heat.
Another forfeit loss for Makabe, not that he would have won had he been able to wrestle.
It doesn't look like Goto is going to pull off his trademark upset this year, but you never know. Nakamura continuing his apparent march towards the finals.
No upset here, with Yano barely lasting past five minutes.
Tenzan keeping his comeback going, and still a possible finalist.
Not the result I expected, and I picked Chono to win. And I don't care, because it means Nishimura is no longer at the bottom of the rankings in Block A.
The Tanahashi win was mostly expected, but Yoshie still surprising us by being ahead of Tanahashi at this stage, though that will likely change soon.
Another upset, and again it is down to a submission hold getting countered. I still would have liked Suzuki to win, but we'll see how this plays out.
This match was reportedly great, but lacking in crowd heat, which is something that this region is apparently noted for. If Kawada was going to lose a match in the tournament, I would have had it be this one, but I guess they wanted Kashin to get the boost, and it does also leave open a rematch between these two, which should be even hotter, as it would likely take place in front of a better crowd.
After four days of action, this is how the rankings look:
Block A:
1. Toshiaki Kawada [6]
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
3. Tatsumi Fujinami [4]
4. Masahiro Chono [4]
5. Kendo Kashin [4]
6. Osamu Nishimura [3]
7. Minoru Suzuki [3]
8. Yuji Nagata [2]
Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [8]
2. Kazuyuki Fujita [8]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [6]
4. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi [3]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
7. Toru Yano [1]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
Block A is relatively open, with Kawada and Tenzan heavy favorites for the Block's spots in the finals, but Fujinami, Chono and Kashin all in a position to get a look in. Strange and sad to see Nagata at the bottom of the Block. Block B is more decisive, with Nakamura and Fujita all but locked into the finals portion, though Manabu Nakanishi could theoretically pull something off. Makabe will finish last due to his injury, though that was almost certain to happen anyway. Tanahashi being where he is does surprise me a little, but not totally, due to his injury and, for me, the politics concerning his match at the NOAH Dome Show.
They have tomrrow off, and come back Wednesday for Day Five. Tournament matches are Nakamura v Yano (Nakamura winning), Tanahashi v Goto (I expect Tanahashi to win, but I do not rule out a Goto win), Nagata v Kashin (I hope Nagata wins, but I think Kashin will get the win), Yoshie v Fujita (Fujita to win), Fujinami v Nishimura (Nishimura to win), Tenzan v Suzuki (Tenzan to win), and Kawada v Chono (Kawada should win, but I'm picking this one to go the distance).
For Day Four, I was 5-2, which isn't bad.
HTQ on Day Three of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Three of the G1 Climax Tournament saw one of the strangest booking decisions of the tour so far, and probably all year, as well as the usual hot matches you expect from the most prestigious tournament in wrestling.
Goto getting the forfeit win, as Makabe tore his achilles tendon on Day Two.
Yoshie suffers his first loss here, and Nakanishi boosts his chances of finishing high up in the rankings.
Tenzan continues his march to a potential third G1 tournament win, while Nishimura, sadly, continues to stay firmly at the bottom of Block A.
Nagata scores his first win of the tournament in what should be another match with a hot atmosphere, and in what could herald the beginning of a big comeback by Nagata.
Fujita scores his second sub-five minute win of this years tournament, but Yano still reportedly put up a heck of a fight.
This one is mind boggling. If Kawada was to lose in the group stage, I sure would not have had it be to Kashin. Kashin is really popular in Japan, but I still think it would have been better to save the loss for someone else, possibly even Nagata, as they main event Day Four of the tournament.
Not a real surprise, this match was said to be not that hot, but I still want to see it, as the collective charisma should be off-the-charts.
This was a rematch of their main event at the January Dome Show, and again it was Nakamura picking up the win. This match was not as long, due to Tanahashi being injured, but still pretty good from all accounts.
With three days of competition gone so far, this is how the rankings look:
Block A:
1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4]
2. Masahiro Chono [4]
3. Toshiaki Kawada [4]
4. Kendo Kashin [4]
5. Minoru Suzuki [3]
6. Yuji Nagata [2]
7. Tatsumi Fujinami [2]
8. Osamu Nishimura [1]
Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [6]
2. Kazuyuki Fujita [6]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [4]
4. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
5. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi [1]
7. Toru Yano [1]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
A four-way tie at the top of Block A, although it seems unlikely that Kashin will stay in that position for long. Things a little clearer in Block B, with Nakamura and Fujita ahead of the pack, and looking likely to stay there. Makabe will stay at the bottom of Block B and wind up with zero points due to his injury.
Day Four is tomorrow, and sees Fujita getting a forfeit win over Makabe, though he will have a match against a mystery wrestler. Actual tournament matches will see Nakamura v Goto (Nakamura winning), Nakanishi v Yano (Nakanishi winning), Tenzan v Kashin (Tenzan winning), Nishimura v Chono (Chono winning, but I hope Nishimura wins so he isn't bottom of the block), Tanahashi v Yoshie (I expect Tanahashi to win, but I would not count out a Yoshie win), Fujinami v Suzuki (I think either man could win, but I'm going with Suzuki), and Nagata v Kawada (I expect Kawada to win here after his loss to Kashin today)
I was 6-1 for Day Three, with Goto's forfeit win not counting either way.
HTQ on Day Two of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Two of the G1 Climax Tournament saw a few upsets, and an unfortuante injury that hopefully won't affect the overall tournament too much.
An expected result, if a going a little longer than I thought it would.
Reports are that Makabe tore his left achilles tendon, and it looks certain he will miss the rest of the tournament, which means he forfeits the remainder of his matches.
Another expected result, and if Goto is going to pull off a trademark upset, it looks like it will be a big one, based on who he still has to wrestle.
Not really an upset, though I was hoping Nishimura would win.
This was a bit of an upset, as Suzuki was a favorite of the former New Japan director, so one would expect him not to do so well, but with Suzuki being one half of the GHC tag team champions in NOAH, I presume New Japan are not wanting to upset NOAH a lot by having Suzuki doing too many jobs.
A match anticipated more for the atmosphere than the quality. I still expect this one to be a good match, though, and I can't wait to see it.
I felt this one could have gone either way, but with Tenzan getting the win, it might mean he is beginning his big comeback. Or it could be just another tease of a Tenzan success.
Another expected result, with Fujita brutalizing Tanahashi, and adding humiliation by refusing to pin him when he easily could have done, and instead taking advantage of Tanahashi's injuries with the use of a single-leg crab to get the tap-out victory.
After two days, this is how things look:
Block A:
1. Toshiaki Kawada [4]
2. Minoru Suzuki [3]
3. Tatsumi Fujinami [2]
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]
5. Masahiro Chono [2]
6. Kendo Kashin [2]
7. Osamu Nishimura [1]
8. Yuji Nagata [0]
Block B:
1. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [4]
3. Kazuyuki Fujita [4]
4. Manabu Nakanishi [2]
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi [1]
6. Toru Yano [1]
7. Tatsutoshi Goto [0]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
Kawada leads Block A, with Suzuki close behind, and four guys all in third, with Nishimura in seventh place, and Nagata surprisingly in last place for the Block. Could he be the one to make the big comeback, and not Tenzan?
Block B sees a tie between Yoshie, Nakamura and Fujita on top. Fujita looks likely to end up winning that one, with either Nakamura or maybe Tanahashi in second place. Makabe is in last place with zero points, and his injury may mean he never leaves that position this year.
Day Three is tomorrow, with Goto v Makabe (a likely forfeit win for Goto), Yoshie v Nakanish (Nakanishi to win), Tenzan v Nishimura (I think Tenzan will win, but I would not be surprised with a Nishimura victory), Fujinama v Nagata (Nagata could win to begin his comeback, but don't rule out a Fujinami victory), Fujita v Yano (Fujita to win), Kawada v Kashin (Kawada to win), Chono v Suzuki (I expect Chono to win, but think we might see a draw as well), and Nakamura v Tanahashi (Nakamura to win).
I was 7-1 for Day Two, with the only result I didn't call being Suzuki's victory over Nagata, so I'm doing well so far.
G1 Climax Day One
New Japan’s annual G1 Climax Tournament, undoubtedly the biggest annual tournament in wrestling, began yesterday, and we had the usual mix of hot matches and upsets on the first night of competition.
Totally expected. Makabe will likely end up with 0 points, but he may get a single point, if later results indicate a pattern.
This was a surprise, but it might not be a big one. With Tanahashi losing to Takeshi Rikio at the NOAH Dome Show, it’s possible that New Japan didn’t want a guy they plan on giving a big push to, Yano, losing to a guy who himself just lost to an outsider. With that said, I think the best Yano seems destined to get out of the rest of his matches his a win over Makabe, if that, and clean jobs in the rest. Tanahashi will probably win most of the rest of his matches. This is the result that makes it possible that Makabe could theoretically get at least one point, with a possible draw against someone.
This is the Day One match I want to see the most. I’m a big fan of Nishimura and Suzuki, and watching them wrestle for thirty minutes can only be a good thing.
The result isn’t that much of a surprise. The length of the match is, but I would put that down to them not wanting to risk Fujinami going long in matches that don’t need to go any length of time.
The result and length of the match is no surprise, as Fujita should only go long against super workers, which Goto is not, and any losses Fujita suffers in the G1 should be against potential challengers for the IWGP belt, and Goto doesn’t warrant a title shot by any stretch of the imagination.
No surprises here, as Nakamura seems set for another big push, as he prepares to take another foray into MMA, which is a terrible idea.
Not much of a surprise here, as both men seem assured of finishing well, so either man could have won here. Not a definitive win for Chono, as he got the pinfall with a cradle rather than a big move, but a win nonetheless.
The only logical result here, Kawada making an impact with his first ever G1 match with a win over Tenzan. This is exactly how the 2003 tournament began, with Tenzan losing to the outsider. Tenzan went on to win the 2003 tournament, and with Tenzan predicting a third consecutive G1 Climax win and being in dire need of being rebuilt, we could see the same results this year too.
The big matches of the second day, which takes place tomorrow, see Kawada take on Fujinami, Tenzan take on Chono, and, in a rematch of their IWGP Title match last June, Fujita takes on Tanahashi. I’m thinking we’ll see Kawada, Tenzan and Fujita walk out the victors, though it is possible Chono might win against Tenzan. Other bouts see Yoshie take on Yano (Yoshie winning or a draw), Nakamura take on Makabe (Nakamura winning), Goto take on Nakanishi (Nakanishi winning), Nishimura taking on Kashin (I have a feeling Kashin will win this, but I hope I am wrong), and Nagata v Suzuki (Nagata winning).
This years G1 started off well, and I’m hoping that continues, as this years G1 really needs to be kickass, not only for New Japan, but wrestling in general.
NOAH Destiny
Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Mitsuo Momota and Katsuhiko Nakajima v Masashi Aoyagi, Takashi Sugiura and Suwa
This was an enjoyable opener, with good moves from both teams. Finish saw Suwa pin Kikuchi with a pedigree, that looked great.
Tamon Honda and Go Shiozaki v Takeshi Morishima and Mohammed Yone
Shiozaki looked good here, and he should do really well in the future. The match itself was decent enough, with Yone pinning Shiozaki after a kinniku buster.
Masao Inoue, Kishin Kawabata, Akitoshi Saito and Shiro Koshinaka v Akira Taue, Takuma Sano, Jun Izumida and Haruka Eigen
Not bad, but kind of just 'there', Inoue pinned Izumida after an ax bomber lariat.
Black Mask v Mushiking Terry
This match had some great high flying moves, but little in the way of transitions or psychology. These were two characters aimed at kids, and to that end it did it's job, as they kids were into it. Terry won with a german suplex.
KENTA v Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the GHC Jr title
This was good stuff, and it included a sick looking spot with Kanemaru coming off the second rope and catching KENTA with a leaping DDT and KENTA coming straight down on his head. The other highlight of the match was KENTA hitting Kanemaru with a flying knee and Kanemaru taking a 360 bump. KENTA picked up the win, and the GHC Jr Title, with another flying knee.
Jun Akiyama and Makoto Hashi v Minoru Suzuki and Naomichi Marafuji for the GHC tag titles
This was a really great match, that went over 20 minutes. Nothing too wild in terms of moves, but the story of the match was Akiyama and Hashi fighting to not only win the tag titles, but to stay a team, as they vowed never to team again if they lost. The crowd really got into this near the end, and there were some great near falls. In the end, Marafuji nailed Hashi with a shiranui off the top rope to get the win.
Hiroshi Tanahashi v Takeshi Rikio for the GHC title
This was above average, but that was all down to Tanahashi who worked his ass off to get something out of Rikio. Rikio just does not have it to be GHC champion, and he absolutely is not main event material. Sad to say that Rikio picked up the win with his muso, and while it's understandable why Rikio retained, they have to get the belt off of him fast, because he's doing less than nothing to make the title mean something.
Genichiro Tenryu v Yoshinari Ogawa
Fun stuff, all due to Tenryu being the greatest 53-year old badass on the planet. Tenryu picked up the win after shotgun lariat.
Kensuke Sasaki v Kenta Kobashi
OUCH!!! These two just beat the piss out of each other, with the highlight being a five-minute portion in the middle of the match where they just stood there, going back and forth with super stiff chops. After that was done, you could see bruises and welts on both their chests, and it even looked like Sasaki's chest was getting scarred. The big spot of the match was Sasaki hitting Kobashi with a Northern lights bomb off the apron. The finish saw Kobashi hit 4 spinning chops, get this weird smile on his face before hitting a fifth one, and then finally hitting a stiff lariat for the pin. Both men got a standing ovation after the match, which was more than deserved. This is one to go out of your way to see.
Toshiaki Kawada v Mitsuharu Misawa
Kawada and Misawa were in a bad position having to follow the previous match, and they couldn't rise to the occasion. The match was ok, with all of their usual spots, but it wasn't ever going to live up to the reputation of their previous matches, and coming right after a MOTY candidate didn't help things. The finish saw Kawada kick out of a some hard elbows, before Misawa hit a final super hard elbow to get the win. Another standing ovation followed, though it was borne more out of nostalgia and respect than the quality of the match.
Overall, I'd give Destiny a solid thumbs up, and it's easily the best major event of the year so far.
With little else to talk about right now, I've decided to amuse myself, and maybe others, by saying what I really think about certain people. If you'd like to be one of these people then post here, and I'll tell you what I really think of you.
Buff Bagwell recently gave an interview where he said that Spike Dudley didn't belong near a wrestling ring. I guess that's why he lasted over 4 years in WWE Buff, while you got fired after less then 4 weeks. And how did you make use of your time in WWE Buff? You were late for every training session at Titan Towers, ruined what might have been a decent Invasion storyline by entering your typically sub-par performance, missed house shows and had your mother calling in sick for you, and, oh yeah; got bitchslapped by The Hurricane. So, while a guy who had 'no business' being near a wrestling ring was making a decent, albeit low-level, six-figure income for 4 years, you were restricted to making about $1,000 a shot on the Indy scene, when you could get booked. Life must suck for you Buff, knowing that Spike Dudley was on national television while you were scratching with the chickens.
Is it just a coincidence that some of the most nonsensical stuff posted is from people who clearly either don't know what they are talking about, or are desperately trying to hold onto some misguided bias?
Earl Hebner was fired this past week, apparently for selling merchandise without permission. I'm sure Hebner can find solace in the fact that, after Montreal, he got a raise to $500,000 a year, meaning he's earned around $3.5m or so since then.
After the huge negative reaction to the terrorist angle on Smackdown two weeks ago, UPN told WWE that Muhammad Hassan can no longer appear on Smackdown. Subsequently, it's now been confirmed that the Hassan character will be dropped altogether, with his match against Undertaker this Sunday presumably being his swan song. I'm probably going to talk about this one in a little more depth in a future blog entry, so I'll just say for now that the people who blindly defended this angle, and most of the people defending it were doing so blindly, probably have no clue how much damage that terrorist angle really did, but I doubt they even care about that.
Another RVD thread, and another round of people showing their bias and a lack of understanding of wrestling. This is another subject that I'll cover in a future blog entry, but suffice it to say that, yes, in some ways RVD is overrated, but to write him off for that is incredibly short-sighted. And the comparison to Shelton Benjamin is funny for all the wrong reasons,
There's a Smackdown PPV this weekend. No, really, there is a PPV this weekend, though you might not know it. There isn't one match on the card that I'm interested in seeing. I'm sick of JBL in the main event, and even if Batista beats the shit out of him and pins him clean, which he should, I don't want to see it, because I've zero desire to see JBL in the main event. Animal and Heidenreich v MNM? MNM should win, and they should beat Animal, but knowing Animal's hatred of doing jobs, it'll be the guy sticking around who does the job. Undertaker v Hassan might be interesting, in that with WWE having to drop the Hassan character, I'm wondering if Vince will try and get one last tasteless angle out of dropping the character.
I was sad to hear that Lord Alfred Hayes passed away a few days ago. For me, Hayes was the most underrated commentator of the 80's. He called the matches with an air of legitimacy, treating everything that was going on in the ring as if it was real, and he did it in a way that didn't insult your intelligence either. He made it a lot easier to listen to matches if Gorilla Monsoon was calling the action as well, because Gorilla was really terrible from around 1988 onwards, and Hayes was good at offsetting him.
Also sad to see the passing of Shinya Hashimoto. Hashimoto was a favorite of mine in the 90s, due to his punishing style of heavy kicks and chops, as well as his hot comebacks. One of my favorite matches of 1996 was his match against Riki Choshu in that years G1 Climax tournament. It didn't have any insane moves or crazy spots, but it was filled with intensity and emotion, and the crowd were going nuts as Choshu had to hit Hashimoto with I think it was 9 lariats before Hashimoto could get pinned. I remember that G1 for Hashimoto, who was the IWGP Champion at the time, doing the clean job in all three of his matches, and in doing so creating three fresh challengers for the IWGP Title, but the real beauty is that the nature of the matches meant Hashimoto was still crazy over with the fans, and so everybody won.
Benoit v Regal looked to be good stuff, but the flow was definitely ruined by the two commercial breaks, so it's hard to give it a fair rating. It didn't appear to be at the level of their 2000 Pillman Memorial match, but when I get to see the match without the breaks, I'll be able to say for sure.
The happenings surrounding the debut of The Boogeyman at a Smackdown house show were classic divine comedy. God had to be pissing on the gimmick, which I think most of us mere mortals will be doing should it hit the screens without some serious tuning up.
The initial buy rate for Vengeance is in, and it's a little higher than the first returns for ONS. Naturally, there are those who are gloating over this, which is both missing the point, and missing the fact that it didn't blow ONS out of the ballpark either, which is what I'd be most concerned about. I also note that some people are saying that the Cena v Jericho v Christian match drew more of the buys than Hunter v Batista. Quite how a major gimmick match between two of the biggest stars of Raw, complete with main event level push, would draw less buys than a match between one star and two perennial midcarders, without the main event level push, I don't know, but I guess you can't expect everyone to know what they're talking about.
Speaking of which, someone expressed the opinion that WCW having the better in-ring quality than WWE is a myth. I guess they missed out on WCW having a far better undercard than the WWF for 1996-1998, and some undercard matches that blew away most of what the WWF was putting out, even some of Bret, Shawn or Austin's work at some points. Main events aside, which were usually average to horrible, WCW had a more well-rounded and far superior in-ring product to WWF for a most of the late 90's.
I'm really looking forward to NOAH's Dome Show this weekend. The undercard is a little hit-and-miss, but the top three matches should be something else, if only from a spectacle standpoint. Naturally, the most anticipated match is the main event, with the first Mitsuharu Misawa v Toshiaki Kawada match in over five years, and their first ever match in NOAH. This will easily be the most heated and intense match of the night, and with Kawada being a free agent, I'm betting on him to get the win over Misawa, to set up a run against the top NOAH names, likely ending with a singles bout against Kenta Kobashi. Kobashi will be taking on Kensuke Sasaki, in what will be a hard hitting match, and I expect Kobashi to get the win there.
ROH shouldn't have used Matt Hardy. Their fanbase should be smart enough to know that Hardy is just there to further a WWE angle, and that is the absolute last thing that ROH fans want to see at an ROH show. And then to have Hardy make Chris Daniels tap out? Even with the interference of CM Punk, that one was just stupid. Sapolsky must be smoking something low grade if he agreed to that, not least because Daniels isn't getting his heat back from Hardy.
Cena v Edge? Cena right now, but I don't see him sustaining this level of overness for more than another year or so, so I would keep Edge strong so he can be the one to get the belt after. Of course, that doesn't take into account the fact that Hunter will want the belt not long after he returns, regardless of how over Cena is at the time, and so Edge is unlikely to be more than a transitional champion, like everyone not named HHH, even if he should be more.
Raw
Carlito and Jericho argue
I had this feeling Piper would show up with what Jericho and Carlito were saying. Piper looks ancient. Hey, how about pushing someone who doesn't need Rogaine? Well, at least it was a surprise.
Chris Masters v Tajiri
"Listen to what Chris Masters is about to get?" That would be apathy, Jerry. The biggest pops from the crowd were for the guy not getting an almost relentless six-month plus push. Even the light "ECW" chant was louder than any reaction Masters got. He isn't getting over, and it's been six-months already. Give it up. End the Masterlock Challenge so this dead weight can be sent back down to OVW so he can get back to school.
Edge, Lita and Snitsky backstage
Matt Hardy better be coming in tonight as rumor suggests, or at least be signed to be coming in soon, or them bringing his name up again is stupid.
HHH update
Well, whoever had three-weeks on how long it would be before Hunter's name was mentioned again, you win. And they're laying the foundations of a babyface turn as well.
Shelton Benjamin v Carlito
Did anyone else get a Sting v Ric Flair vibe off of that no-sell spot from Benjamin early in the match? And did anyone else get a Money Inc. v Natural Disasters vibe off of that lame finish?
John Cena promo
The babyface champion being dictated to by the heel GM? Man, that's a cutting edge and original angle right there. And Cena v Jericho at Summerslam? Didn't one of the pop-up and spyware ridden sites claim that it would be Cena v Edge? You mean they were wrong?
Diva Search
Pass.
Kurt Angle Invitational:
I guess this means that Raw, not only has two talk show segments, but now two segments where a wrestler makes an open challenge. At least the interplay between Angle and Striker was funny. Angle shouldn't be submitting the guys with one second to go. He should be submitting them with one second gone.
Matt Hardy attacks Edge backstage
At least it was executed in a realistic fashion, with Hardy literally coming out of nowhere.
Kane v Edge
Just a backdrop for the Hardy v Edge angle. They are doing it the right way, and executing it like a shoot. No music videos, no catching Hardy on camera behind Edge and Lita, or anything like that. Hardy hits the ring out of shot, and the actual security staff are the ones to try and drag him down. Yeah, it's not a shoot, but the way they are playing things will make it easier for people to suspend their disbelief. The Ring Of Honor mention and the lack of commentary while Matt was getting taken away were a pair of nice touches. While the angle is getting handled like this, the right way, this will get Matt super over.
Piper's Pit with Shawn Michaels
No shirt, just a cross this week for the Holy Roller Kid. Shawn Michaels is not used to this type of reception???. The kiddy chaser was calling the action when Shawn was the hottest heel in the company. What brain surgeon fed Lawler that line? And if Lawler came up with it himself, he's once again made a fool of hmself.
Shawn can talk good, but he came off as too much of a babyface after what was played off like the ultimate betrayal. The superkick to Piper was to be expected, but to me it clouds the issue with Hogan, because there should be repercussions from it, and that will just take attention away from the Hogan deal. Of course, nothing will likely come of it because of that fact, so why even do it?
And what was Shawn's reason for turning on Hogan? To get a match with him? Was it out of hatred for not stepping down?
Apart from the Matt Hardy angle and the way Angle talked to Martel/Striker, though not how the Invitational ended, Raw didn't measure up to anything.
The Hassan-Undertaker angle has finally been defended with the classic, "It's just wrestling" line, and I really thought that some people spouting that one off had a little intelligence and/or common sense in ther brains, but I guess they don't.
Such a defense shows a startling lack of intelligence and foresight, and can only be espoused by people living in a wrestling bubble. In case it's escaped your attention, and I think it has, there is something called the REAL WORLD out there. It's that place you reside in once you turn off the wrestling, assuming you ever turn it off at all. And out there in the real world, shit like the Hassan-Undertaker angle doesn't exactly do wonders for the business you apparently like so much, but clearly don't really care for. Do you people even have a concept or clue about how angles like this go over in the real world, where the decisions are made that can very easily take away the very thing you say you care for, but actually don't?
Wrestling has a bad enough time gaining any kind of respect, understanding or acceptance in the real world. Even when WWF/E was getting huge numbers for Raw or Smackdown, they were still getting just a fraction of the kind of ad dollar that much lower rated programs got. Why? Because people look at wrestling like it's something only retards and the emotionally stunted watch. They look at like a joke. It's on the lowest rung of the entertainment ladder. And crap like the Hassan angle, like the Katie Vick nonsense, like the Billy and Chuck wedding bullshit doesn't help. The Billy and Chuck deal did get WWE some publicity, I'll give them that, but do you remember, or want to remember what happened when everyone found out that Billy and Chuck weren't actually going to get married? The press went away. They stopped giving WWE the kind of publicity they crave. The Billy and Chuck deal got so much press because it was presented as wrestling finally showing some sort of class, by having a pair of openly gay characters get married and it was seen as something progressive in a world that everyone had previously looked down upon. So, when it was revealed that it was 'just another silly wrestling angle', the press felt burned, and they turned their backs on WWE. The Katie Vick angle the next month was another desperate attempt at getting some kind, any kind of publicity, but it didn't get anything at all. It didn't even get the kind of scorn and ridicule that most OTT crappy angles get. Do you know why? Because nobody was biting so soon after getting burned, and having it reaffirmed in their minds that wrestling is a total joke.
Now, imagine that the Billy and Chuck deal happened last month, and it ended with them getting married. The press wouldn't have felt so burned, WWE would have gotten some good press for being progressive, wrestling would have been seen in a somewhat more positive light by people, and the press might have paid WWE some real attention.
And then the Hassan-Undertaker angle happens.
Do those of you with a grasp of the real world and how it sees wrestling know what would have happened if the press were actually paying WWE some kind of attention when the Hassan-Undertaker angle happened? Do those of you living in the wrestling bubble want to try and be brave and think about how the REAL WORLD would see wrestling, would see wrestling fans, with that kind of angle under any kind of press microscope? With what is still going in the real world, the world outside of wrestling for those of you still in the bubble, do you know what kind of damage that would do, not only to the publics view of wrestling, but of anyone even associated with wrestling, when it's presenting that kind of angle on national television, especially with what happened in London just hours before the show went to air? (And it was possible to edit the angle out, so don't even go there)
I know most of those people defending the angle probably don't give a shit about how people view wrestling, but in a subject closer to their hearts, how do you think people would view YOU for watching the kind of product that put out something so distasteful and reprehensible?
And even if it was 'just wrestling', is an angle like this really the sort of thing you want out there for people to use to knock wrestling? Is it really the kind of thing you want out there for people to see if they're only tuning into wrestling for the first time? Or do you only care about your view of wrestling, and don't care about the views of people who could help bolster the business by supporting it in some fashion?
It's been a very busy week in WWE. Not only have almost two-dozen wrestlers and 'divas' been released, but Brock Lesnar appears to be returning as well, if he hasn't already.
First off, let's talk about Brock Lesnar coming back. It's not surprising that some people are still bitter and angry over Brock leaving last year, and while people can, and probably should be, upset over how Brock left, it's absurd to be upset over that he left at all. Brock didn't want to be in wrestling any more, so why should he stick around if he doesn't want to be there? It goes without saying that Brock could have handled his leaving better, in that he should have put a younger guy over on the way out to give that person a boost, but if he wasn't happy to be there and wanted to leave, who is anyone to say that he should have stayed and been miserable? Sure, his NFL aspirations didn't pan out as he'd hoped, but you know what? He took a chance that not many people would have taken, and he should be applauded for at least trying, because he at least made the attempt. And as for people saying Brock shouldn't be brought back at all, well, they'd make shitty wrestling promoters.
The main talk about Brock being back in WWE has revolved around how his return should be handled. For some reason, people are saying that Brock should lose some matches at first. While on the surface it can appear to make some sort of sense, in that it can tell the story of Brock having to work his way back up or work off the ring rust, anyone with an ounce of common sense should realise that Brock should not lose for a really long time when he comes back. When Brock comes back, he needs to be pushed hard, kept strong, and whether it upsets people or not, he needs to have people fed to him, to set up a potential showdown with Batista at, if they can hold it off that long, at Wrestlemania. Brock v Batista is a money match, even though a lot of people won't want to admit that, and for that match to draw the absolute most money that it can, both parties need to be protected leading up to it.
I know some people are saying that Smackdown doesn't need Brock, but those people need to pay attention to the business side of wrestling. While Smackdown does have a decent amount of talent when it comes to ability and/or personality, when it comes to draws and matches that could draw, Smackdown is severely lacking. Right now, Batista v JBL could draw decently on a 'B' PPV, and relatively strongly on an 'A' PPV with some significant build-up. You've also got Batista v Undertaker and, maybe, Batista v Orton which could draw something, but apart from that, Smackdown is rolling snake eyes when it comes to matches that could really make money in the main event. By bringing in Brock, you've instantly added a ton of potential matches that you can put on tv and PPV that could, not only deliver in the ring, but deliver at the box office as well. With Brock coming back, you've got the natural storyline of the other wrestlers being upset with Brock walking out on the company last year. Not only is the storyline natural, but it's one that the fans can easily believe, not only because it's true, but also because a lot of them still feel that Brock 'turned his back on them', and combining those two factors gives you a real potential goldmine when it comes to making money, because people are going to pay to see the 'turncoat' get his ass handed to him, and if they can build it up properly and hold it off long enough, when it comes to time for Brock to finally get his ass kicked by Batista at Wrestlemania, then people aren't going to just want to see Brock get his ass kicked, they're going to really want to see him get his ass kicked.
Moving on to the roster cuts, there have been some surprising and not-so surprising cuts made, and I'll give my thoughts on each cut that has been made so far, with more cuts set to come:
Joy Giovanni: One of the numerous nameless and faceless women in WWE, Joy is no big loss.
Kenzo Suzuki and Hiroko: Kenzo is, was, and likely always will be terrible. He only got hired because he has size, but that was all he had, and even with a hot looking wife, he wasn't safe. Again, this one is no big loss.
Matt Morgan: Morgan wasn't very good in the ring, but he could talk his ass off. So, naturally, he got given a gimmick that made him wrestle and made no use of his mic skills. Morgan getting cut is a bit of a surprise in that he was big, tall, had the look WWE likes, and he did have a lot of potential. Sadly, Matt is a victim of WWE not having the patience to wait until Matt is ready for the main roster to call him up, and he's been labelled as not being ready. He wasn't ready, but he could have been, and would have been had WWE not blown their load over his size and look.
Charlie Haas and Jackie Gayda: What a wedding gift this is. Gayda was just another face in the crowd of nameless, faceless women in WWE, so her getting axed was no surprise, but Haas getting canned is. Haas had the ability, but he was never given the the right push and gimmick to get him over based on his strengths, and he really suffered when Shelton Benjamin was moved over to Raw.
Marty Jannetty: With Shawn not wanting to be a Rocker again, there was no reason to bring him back in the first place, and that he even lasted this long is the real surprise.
Dawn Marie: Congratulations on soon being a mother Dawn. Now get the hell out of here, because you're fired. Understandable given there was nothing they could do with her, but it's still cold doing it when he's pregnant.
Mark Jindrak: That Mark got cut even though he was tall and had a good body is a bit of a surprise, but Mark had nothing going for him. He has no personality or charisma, is really mechanical in the ring, and when that was exactly how he was when he got brought in the first time four years ago, it's not hard to see why he was let go.
Maven: I know Maven wasn't that hot in the ring, but he could really talk, and when someone is that good at something. you really should find something to do with him, and I don't mean a stupid midcard gimmick that doesn't make use of his strong suit. That seems to be a habit of WWE.
Shannon Moore: A small guy with nothing making him really stand out, this one is no surprise.
Akio: Like Shannon Moore, but with more ability. Again, not a surprise.
Gangrel: Was it even worth signing him back in the first place?
Kidman: A surprise, if only because he's married to Torrie Wilson, but even with that factor, it's not hard to see why he's been let go. Despite being really talented in the ring, WWE has totally sucked the charisma and personality out of Kidman, making him just another small guy, who was considered expendable.
Spike Dudley: This one was a surprise to me, purely because Spike can bump like a total madman, isn't afraid of taking the most insane of bumps, which all helps in getting the monsters that WWE love so much over. Still, Spike didn't seem to mind, given his statment on his site over his release.
Kevin Fertig: Not a surprise given his rep and standing with the locker room, both in WWE and OVW. I won't miss him.
The Dudley's: A surprise given their tenure, but not so much when you realise how stale they are; they've done everything that a team can do, and have nowhere else to go.
Raw Is Statutory Rape
Hulk Hogan on Carlito’s Cabana
So, now we’re making matches from statutory rape angles?
Edge and Snitsky v Kane and Show
I avoided most of this. Edge should be getting primed for a program with Cena, not bogged down with a feud that nobody gives a shit about.
Main event announcement:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The Heartthrobs v Viscera
A can’t miss gimmick that isn’t over a lick versus a can’t hit gimmick that that the people actually cheer for thanks to creative getting behind the gimmick that won’t draw a dime. Naturally, the woman feels sorry for the man who humiliated her on PPV in front of the world. End this shitty angle, now.
Chavo Guerrero becomes Gunther from Friends
Kerwyn/Kerwin White? WTF? And the bastard made Maria cry.
Hurri-shits segment
Bleh
John Cena peps-up Maria
Maria is happy again, and all is right with the world.
John Cena on the Highlight Reel
Why does Raw have two talk-show segments? They can both talk, I’ll give them that much. Would be nice, though, if the WWE Champion got put over in the main event slot for a change, instead of in a midcard segment with a midcard wrestler,
Diva Boot Camp
You expected me to watch this shit?
Fu Macho Man Chu Renee Dupree v Val Venis
Crisp while it lasted, but why are they protecting Val Venis? Is he so big a star that he couldn’t do a clean job?
Carlito and Angle v Shawn and Hogan
I skipped the match, and turned back literally as Shawn’s foot hit Hogan’s chin. I loved the turn, and what I liked most was Shawn not saying a word, and just staring down at Hogan. The way Shawn walked off and just had no emotion on his face was a great touch too. The only down side to this is that it means Hogan v Shawn, most likely at Summerslam, which will totally overshadow whatever match John Cena is going to have, and Batista too for that matter, and they’re meant to be the guys that are WWE’s future.
Maybe it’s because of the summer season coming up, but the idiocy of certain portions of TSM is really starting to shine through. The most recent example of this would be over the number of buys that One Night Stand got. The first estimates of the number of buys are out, and ONS is pegged at around 265,000 to 275,000 buys, and there are people who are proclaiming, almost gleefully, that this means it was a flop. I’m wondering if these people even have a clue what they are talking about, or if they’re so determined to see ONS as a flop, for whatever reason, that they fail to apply even simple logic to the evaluation that the buy rate was a flop.
The entire PPV was sold on WWE TV over WWE ‘crusaders’ invading a PPV that was being held under the banner of a promotion that not a lot of people at home knew anything about. Sure, WWE fans might have heard the ECW initials chanted from time to time on TV, and there might have been some holdover fans from ECW that have stuck around, but how many WWE fans today do you think have any real clue about who or what ECW was? And how many of them that are aware of it even have the emotional attachment to ECW to want to tune into a PPV to see them fight off the ‘crusaders’ from WWE?
RRR pointed out, and it was something that either went over the heads of the naysayers or something they desperately tried to play down to make their shaky point look good, not one match was announced or promoted on television. It was never pushed that you would see Lance Storm take on Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio take on Psicosis, Chris Benoit take on Eddie Guerrero, and so on. Now, unless you’ve got a Wrestlemania or Royal Rumble PPV that has huge name value, what PPV is ever going to draw big numbers without one match announced?
As for promoting and pushing the ECW name and concept on television, WWE did a generally piss poor job. They didn’t show any interviews from people involved in ECW to talk about it. They didn’t show matches from ECW, either in full or in clip packages, to give people a true idea of what ECW about. They did nothing like that. All they did was promote a series of ‘ECW rules’ matches on Raw, which were really just glorified ‘Hardcore’ matches, that neither showcased the true spirit of ECW, nor featured ECW wrestlers. It was WWE wrestlers who either happened to be part of ECW or were going to be part of the ‘crusaders’ group that was going to invade ONS. Now, with angles that came across as WWE wrestlers attacking a single WWE wrestler, how does that make the PPV look any different, and more attractive, to any other standard WWE PPV? People are already picking and choosing what WWE PPV’s they want to buy, so why should they treat any differently a PPV that, on the surface, which is as far as most casual fans look, looks just like every other PPV WWE offers up?
Sure, the last Raw and Smackdown shows before ONS ended with a group of ECW guys fighting off the ‘crusaders’ that would be at the PPV, and as stand alone angles go they were enjoyable, but those two angle were not enough to counter what had been, up to that point in time, a terrible job of building a PPV that was depending on strong promotion to get the numbers of buys that it had the potential to achieve.
With the bulk of the promotion of ONS ignoring the fact that the majority of people at home didn’t have a real clue about who or what ECW was, something that really needed to be hammered into the brains of people in order to make them emotionally invested into wanting to see this PPV, is it any wonder that a PPV which, going into it, felt like every other WWE PPV got the same number of buys as every other WWE PPV?
So I put in a tape of the 2000 Royal Rumble because I wanted to see Tazz’s debut, and I get to Kurt Angle calling out his ‘mystery opponent’ for the night, and one thing stands out like a sore thumb; Kurt sounds like he’s barely made it through puberty. Go back and listen to this again, and Kurt’s voice sounds almost like a pre-teen when compared to how it sounds now. And it’s not just Kurt’s voice that has changed in the last five years. His facial structure has changed considerably, his physique has morphed from rounded and smooth to hard to angled, and his back has more craters than the surface of the moon.
If you’ve got this Rumble on tape, check it out for yourself, and the difference is remarkable.
Raw
Kurt Angle – Ric Flair promo:
Well, that was interesting to say the least. And I hope Angle v Flair doesn’t happen, because it would be beyond idiotic to give it away for free on Raw with less than 2hrs notice.
Edge and Gene Snitsky v Kane and ?
Why is Kane v Edge continuing when they had a blowoff finish last night?
And the Smackdown draftee is…Big Show.
Rhetorical question: Why are they stripping Smackdown of every viable piece of talent they have?
Big Show v Gene Snitsky
Skimmed this, and it still felt like it went on forever. It should have been a 30-second squash.
John Cena promo
This was a somewhat amusing way to bring in HBK.
Edge-Lita-Kane vignette
Kane wants to make Lita’s life a living hell? This whole angle has made everyone’s lives a living hell. End this crap now.
Chris Masters-Tajiri angle
No entrance for Masters, which could be telling. Tajiri calling Masters a jackass was predictable and boring. If the writers must mock the Japanese, can’t they do it in an original manner?
Carlito’s Cabana with ROB VAN DAM
Rhetorical question: Why are they stripping Smackdown of every viable piece of talent they have?
And it’s interesting that RVD is the only Smackdown draftee to get beaten up upon arrival.
Angle v Flair
Well, they didn’t give it away for free with less than 2hrs notice. They gave it away for free with less than 1hrs notice. Way to go, brain surgeons(!). The match wasn’t bad, but it was too much of a Flair match, and Flair got in way too much offense; Angle should have beaten him with ease. At least Angle won clean, though.
Diva Search
The fast forward button was made for shit like this.
Batista promo
Blah.
Christian, Jericho and Tomko v Cena, Shawn and Hogan
Hogan makes perfect sense as the partner, because when I need someone to watch my back in a fight I know I call for a barely mobile 52-year old .
I skipped to the finish. I was surprised Hogan was able to hit the legdrop. I was not surprised that, not only did they not hype Hogan’s return for weeks and weeks, but that Cena was reduced to window dressing. Way to push Cena(!).
Vengeance
Shelton v Carlito:
Decent match, but decent doesn’t cut it on PPV. Also, putting the IC belt in the opener just further entrenches the idea that the IC belt means very little. True as that is, it’s a perception that needs changing, and putting it in the first match doesn’t help. The loud crowd made the match, with chants for and against both wrestlers, with no rhyme or reason.
Christy v Victoria:
I skipped this.
Edge v Kane:
Far better than their match last year, and shockingly good considering, but why is a heel with real potential, and who is gaining a lot of momentum, jobbing clean to a guy who, in all fairness, ceased meaning anything many years ago? Would it not make more sense to build up the guy who, it seems, will be challenging for the World Title soon?
Shawn v Kurt:
Good stuff, but nowhere near great, and Shawn’s usual no-selling took things down, as it did in the first match at WM. The usual main event WWE style stuff, but with a finish so damn hokey, it just killed the match dead.
Viscera and Garcia segment:
Skipped this, but I did see Viscera blow off Garcia, so I guess the writing team get to have their revenge on all the women who blew them off in high school.
Cena v Jericho v Christian:
Decent enough, with Jericho and Christian making Cena look good, though that fact seems to have gone over the head of most people. As expected by anyone with a brain, which means a lot of people on here didn’t think it would happen, Cena won clean, pinning Christian. I would have expected Jericho to lose, given that Christian is the one with momentum and potential, but killing off momentum and potential seems to be a theme of the undercard.
Batista v Hunter:
I skimmed this one. Batista seemed to sell a lot less than I expected, but given that the damage from his selling too much in their two previous matches had already been done, it does make sense. From what I saw, it seemed like a good brawl, and it had all the usual shortcuts you get from a match that really needs them. Batista got put over strong here, and his winning clean was no surprise to those with a brain in their heads.
Overall:
It was a decent PPV, and it was enjoyable enough, but people shouldn’t pay $34.95 and get decent and enjoyable. I’m glad I’m not one of those people.
I don’t know much about gourmet cooking or the finer nuances of baseball, so I don’t go to the folders that cover those subjects and act like I know what I’m talking about or like my opinion on the various machinations in those areas carries any kind of weight. So what is it about the wrestling folders that sees them almost infested with people who do just that? What is it about wrestling that causes people to ignore the fact that their knowledge and understanding of the subject at hand is highly limited and act like they know what they are talking about?
Lord Of The Curry recently made a post, though he may have been not entirely serious, that there are 15 people in the WWE Folder who “bring the content”. Whether he was joking or not, he has a point, though he probably overestimated the number of people who “bring the content”. There are exceedingly few people who post in the WWE Folder, and the wrestling folders as a whole, who come across like they really know what they are talking about. I know there will be people who will scoff at that one, and accuse me of being arrogant and ‘elitist’ or whatever, but I’m right, and so is everyone else who has denigrated the quality of poster in the wrestling folders as of late. The majority of posters in the wrestling folders, to be honest, do not know what they are talking about. People can bring up “everyone is entitled to their opinion”, and while people are entitled to an opinion, that doesn’t mean that the people who do know what they are talking about have to suffer the opinions of people who don’t.
I’m all for different opinions and divergent points of view, but people, put some intelligent and rational thought into those opinions. Actually think about what you have to say, or people will just ignore whatever it is you are saying, and any point you were trying to make will get lost in the shuffle.
As the most viewed diary here, which is akin to being the most watched program on FSN, I'm wondering if there is anything specific you people want to see here?
I'm open to any reasonable, and most unreasonable, suggestions, if only to keep the content going, and to stir some sort, any sort, of talk.
People, the floor is yours.
I hate idiots. I despise them with a purple passion. If someone is so badly not up to speed on something that they’re going backwards, then they need to get the fuck out of my way and pollute somewhere else with their idiotic, asinine and downright retarded opinions, because I don’t want them anywhere near me. If someone is open that they’re don’t know about something but are willing to learn, then fine, I have no problem with people like that. In fact, I like people like that, because they’re open to learning. But I hate people who clearly don’t now what the fuck they’re talking about wandering around and stinking up the place with every brain fart that they feel the need to inflict on people.
I hate people whose blind, sycophantic, bordering on pathologically obsessive devotion to a certain person leaves them unable and unwilling to be objective. Instead of verbally fellating these people at every turn and making people think you’re hopelessly in love them, which is undoubtedly true in certain cases, why don’t you sad inadequate people try opening up your mind a little ? Why don’t you try, just try a little, to open your tiny little minds to the possibility that the love of your life does not does have the sun shining out of their ass. Try opening up your mind to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, your hero isn’t much of a fucking hero. They’re human, not a god, and they’re not this perfect being that you imagine them to be. Oh sure, they might seem to acquiesce on a point or two and seem to acknowledge the failings of their loved one, but you know full well that they’re just paying lip service, and that in the back of their minds they’re constantly convincing themselves that they are right and everyone else is wrong. People like this need to either get a goddamn life, or find the nearest bridge and taking a fucking swan dive off of it.
I hate religion. I think that any belief system that tells you that you can go to a so-called heaven but only if you believe in this or that particular deity, or give all of your money to a person or other conglomerate, is an absolute joke, and I really think that if people find the need to believe in a mystical being to give their lives meaning or order really need to examine themselves. Let me clue you in on something folks. The only faith you need is a faith in yourself. Not in some mystical being high in the sky. Not in some ‘prophet’ from 2000 years ago or whenever. Just yourself. If you want to believe that some mystical force is guiding your actions and leading on a path of ‘righteousness’, then go right ahead. But if you wake up and realize it’s all one big con game don’t come crying to me, expecting me to give a shit. I tried telling you what the score was, but you were too interested in believing in someone that isn’t there rather than someone who is, that being you.
I’m not going to name names, but someone actually said that, in his head, John Cena logically has to lose the WWE Title this Sunday at Vengeance.
Yes, the same John Cena who WWE has firmly and most definitely put their infamous promotional machine behind. Now, obviously John Cena is going to lose the WWE eventually, and it will in all likelihood be Triple H he loses it to, because that’s just how things are in WWE. But can someone tell me the logic, because that’s the buzzword of the moment, in John Cena losing the WWE Title to either Christian or Chris Jericho, two guys who have zero credibility? Do remember that such a move would make Cena look like a chump, and while Cena is going to get made to look like a chump eventually, at the hands of you-know-who, it isn’t going to happen at the hands of two perennial midcarders like Christian or Jericho.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the definition of logic, as one person clearly is, here is some help from our friends at the Oxford English Dictionary:
Logic
1. Reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity. • the quality of being justifiable by reason. • (the logic of) the course of action following as a necessary consequence of.
Can someone tell me the validity in the idea that WWE would sacrifice the merchandising potential of one of their hottest acts to someone who isn’t Triple H?
I don’t ask for much out of my wrestling shows. All I want is good wrestling, good storylines and good angles. No one specific aspect need be focused on more than any other, but they should all be good, or at least enjoyable to watch in some positive manner. In the event that one or two of those things I want out of a wrestling show are sub-par, then the third aspect should be good enough that it carries things. It should be so great that it makes up for everything else not being up to par. A couple of examples would be a Raw that had some terrible skits and angles but was capped off with a MOTY level bout between Edge and Kurt Angle, or a Raw with shoddy matches and skits, but with a returning Matt Hardy cutting a blistering worked shoot promo on Edge and Lita. That’s all I want out of a wrestling show. Is that too much to ask? Is it really too much to ask that the people doing their jobs do them to an acceptable standard?
