HTQ on Brock Lesnar and Spike/UFC vs. USA/WWE
Brock Lesnar
The biggest international wrestling story this week concerns Brock Lesnar and his on again/off again status in regards to his working the October 18th Dome event for New Japan Pro Wrestling. His participation has changed from being rumored to assured to turning into a definite maybe. The biggest hold up is, of course, his ongoing lawsuit battle with WWE over the non-compete clause that he signed as part of the agreement to allow Lesnar to leave WWE last year. The actual non-compete clause is worded as follows:
That doesn’t seem so bad, until you find out that this clause lasts until June 30, 2010
Yes, Brock Lesnar is legally barred from participating in professional wrestling or MMA anywhere in the world for the next ten years. Such a clause seems excessive on the surface, and really it is, but the key point to remember is that Lesnar willingly signed such a clause, and you’d think he’d be bound by it no matter what, right? Well, not necessarily. While the non-compete clause seems airtight on the surface, a little checking into the legal facts and background show that Lesnar has a reasonable chance of winning this lawsuit.
The lawsuit is being held in Connecticut, and Connecticut law doesn’t hold up non-compete clauses if they are shown to be unreasonable in terms of length and geographical consideration, and preventing someone from working in their chosen profession anywhere in the world for ten years would seem to fit that bill.
Brock’s lawyers also have ammunition in WWE allowing Ultimo Dragon to work in Japan while still under contract, and when WWE released a number of talents recently their non-competes did allow them to work in Japan. If they can argue that WWE is being unfair in allowing others to work in Japan while still under contract, and point out that WWE has no trouble letting others work in Japan as part of their non-compete clause, then they may have a much stronger case than a lot of people are giving them credit for.
Spike/UFC vs. USA/WWE
The biggest story in the US wrestling scene is the impending war that sees Spike TV and UFC taking on the USA Network and WWE. With Raw moving back to USA on 10/3, it was a given they’d go the extra mile to make it special and they going to do that by bringing back Triple H. However, things got interesting when Spike TV decided to put a live UFC special on 10/3 to go head-to-head with Raw. This move was inspired when Spike got word that, for the first time ever, the 8/29 edition of Ultimate Fighter beat Raw in the Males 25-34 demographic, which is Spike’s key demographic age group. Not only that, but Spike are also adding a reply of the new TNA show to their Monday night line-up as well. USA and WWE very quickly fired back, and it was announced that Raw would start early at 7:55pm, and would be a three-hour ‘Night of Champions’ Special, with the returns of Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Vince McMahon and Mick Foley (though Foley might not be there as he’s meant to be in Australia the next day, and unless he tapes something for WWE he won’t be able to take part). Not only that, but immediately after Raw, USA would be airing a one-hour special to highlight the best of Raw on USA.
When you add in the UFC Unleashed show and the UFC reality show Ultimate Fighter, which will now be kept on Monday’s, the line-up for 10/3 looks like this:
Spike
8-9pm: UFC Unleashed
9-11:05pm: UFC Live
11:05-12:05am: The Ultimate Fighter 2
12:05am-2:10am: UFC Live replay
3:10am-4:10am TNA Impact!
USA
7:55-11:05pm: RAW 'Night of Champions'
11:05-12:05am: RAW Exposed
For wrestling and MMA fans, 10/3 is going be a very historic night, as a potential new ‘Monday Night War’ could be starting out. How this all unfolds won’t really be known until the ratings come out. For this to be a true Monday Night War, then UFC has to do numbers that Spike are at least satisfied with. Anything less than a good rating will see Spike pull back from being behind UFC and going ahead with the new Monday night line-up. However, a really good rating, and a thrilled Spike, will undoubtedly see Spike get firmly behind UFC, and TNA in their quest to remain the kings of Monday Night cable. How Spike sees the UFC ratings will be in part determined by how they eat into Raw’s ratings, which themselves will be of importance. Anything less than 4 is going to be seen is a big disappointment, and you’ve got to believe that WWE are going to expect something in the high 4’s for this one.
Personally, I’m thinking the live UFC does a 1.8 but does strong in the Male 25-34 demographic, and that Raw will get a 4.2, with their peak being a 4.5 at best. That’ll lead to more UFC on Spike, TNA getting a good replay slot on Mondays, and a brand new Monday Night War for us all to watch and enjoy.
The announcement of Samoa Joe versus Jushin Liger for TNA certainly provoked a reaction over at Strong Style Spirit.
It's almost enough to make you long for more posts from the likes of Fishyswa and Iggy.
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 Seven of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Seven saw hot matches, and some of the usual inane booking that seems to plague the G1 in recent years.
Yano getting some points via forfeit, as Makabe ends with no points due to his injury
Yoshie ending his tournament with a win, and Goto unable to score his traditional upset
And neither man could afford to be beaten because...? This years G1 has featured some really bad booking
Nakanishi ending his tournament with a strong win, and Tanahashi really falling short this year
This was a rematch of their Triple Crown meeting from last year, and a match I am looking forward to seeing
The expected result with Chono winning. Given his other results in this tournament, I'm guessing Chono had a big hand in the booking
This result isn't a surprise given the way Tenzan has been treated lately. New Japan seem to be making Tenzan into someone who they tease a big push with, and then pull back on at the last minute. Keep this up, and he'll forever be unover by the end of the year, if he isn't already
No surprise here, with Fujita both getting the win and doing so in a little over six minutes
The final standings after the group stage are:
Block A:
1. Masahiro Chono [10]
2. Toshiaki Kawada [10]
3. Yuji Nagata [8]
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8]
5. Minoru Suzuki [6]
6. Kendo Kashin [5]
7. Osamu Nishimura [5]
8. Tatsumi Fujinami [4]
Block B:
1. Kazuyuki Fujita [14]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [11]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [10]
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi [7]
5. Yutaka Yoshie [6]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [4]
7. Toru Yano [4]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
This gives us semi-finals tomorrow of Shinsuke Nakamura versus Masahiro Chono and Kazuyuki Fujita versus Toshiaki Kawada, with the two winners meeting later on that evening. I'll go with a final of Fujita v Chono, with Fujita getting the win.
For predictions for Day Seven, I was 5-2, which isn't that bad.
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.
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.
Sometimes, so-called ‘smart fans’ get so caught up in being smart, that they become so very dumb, and lose sight of the point in being a wrestling fan in the first place. The point of being a fan is to have fun with what you’re watching, enjoy what you’re watching, and have enough fun and enjoyment that you come back the next time to have more fun and enjoyment. It’s such a simple concept that it flies right over the heads of some ‘smart’ fans, who are so busy trying to be smart that they forget about actually being fans. They get so caught up in being ‘smart’ and showing everyone else how smart they are, that the only thing they show people is how dumb they are, and how they’ve missed the point in being a fan.
Try being a fan again. You might like it more than being ‘smart. And you might actually become smart once again.
UFC:
Best knockout from a punch: Brad Kohler on Steve Judson at UFC 22
Best knockout from a kick: Yves Edwards on Josh Thompson at UFC 49
Best submission: Matt Hughes on Frank Trigg at UFC 45
PRIDE:
Best knockout from a punch: Igor Vovchanchyn on Francisco Bueno at PRIDE 8
Best knockout from a kick: Gilbert Yvel on Gary Goodridge at PRIDE 10
Best submission: Ryo Chonan on Anderson Silva at PRIDE Shockwave 2004
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?
Watched most of the PPV the last couple of days, and it wasn’t ECW’s best effort.
Mikey Whipwreck vs. Justin Credible was poor, and while they tried hard, it wasn’t enough to make the match anything other than sub-par. You had the usual run-in interference that plagued a lot of ECW matches, unnecessarily most of the time, with Jason hitting the ring and the referee just going along with it, which was an ongoing theme of the whole night.
Taz vs. Pitbull #2 was a squash to write out the Pitbulls as major players due to legal trouble they had gotten into earlier that year. They’d run their course as well and weren’t of any real value anyway, so it was no great loss. They were put with Lance Wright, he of Hype Central ‘fame’, with Lance doing a gimmick where he’d been sent to ECW at the command of Vince McMahon, and to this end, after the match, Brakkus showed up to face off with Taz, and the result saw Taz choke out a security guy who was keeping them apart. Paul Heyman was on color for this match, and screamed for the production guys to play anything they had at hand when the guard got choked out, trying to treat the incident as a shoot.
Tommy Dreamer vs. Rob Van Dam was a reasonably entertaining highspot match with both guys working hard and bumping hard. You had the interference as usual, but at least it made some sort of storyline sense, with run-ins from Sabu, Dan Kroffat and Doug Furnas, playing on the WWF vs. ECW theme, as well as the surprise return of Stevie Richards, who superkicked Dreamer. The match ended apparently in a no-contest, and with Van Dam, Kroffat and Furnas and Richards parading around a WWF banner. This saw Sandman show up and his match with Sabu followed.
Sandman and Sabu was a Tables and Ladders match, and has gained almost cult like status for being incredibly bad with an almost non-stop procession of botched spots. I can tell you right now that the match is nowhere near as bad as people have claimed over the years. I remember Dave Meltzer gave it -*** which I thought was grossly unfair back then and I think is just as unfair now. Don’t get me wrong, the match isn’t that good, and there are some badly blown spots, but it’s still above, just, the DUD zone, and far from the worst brawl you’ll see. It’s not the best brawl you’ll see either, but there are plenty worse out there. The match does go on a little too long, and would have done even had everything gone to plan, and the finish saw Sabu use a ladder for an Arabian press to get the pin.
The main event was Shane Douglas vs. Bam Bam Bigelow in a low rent version of Ric Flair vs. Vader from Starrcade ’93. The booking going into this match was all over the place. Douglas and Bigelow were top heels in the Triple Threat stable and the storyline at the time had Rick Rude, who was aligned with the Triple Threat, brining in outside names for Douglas to defend the ECW World title against, because Douglas wanted Rude to find the best international talent for Douglas to test his skills against. At a TV taping in New York, Rude reveals that Douglas’s opponent is Bigelow, turning both Bigelow and Rude instant babyface, and Bigelow pins Douglas for the ECW World title. However, with N2R taking place in Pittsburgh, which is the home state of Douglas, the big storyline of the PPV sees Douglas, a top heel, having to be a one night top babyface to play the hometown hero, while Bigelow, now a top babyface, having to be a one night top heel.
The match itself wasn’t very good and Bigelow, who was pretty good in Japan, looked terrible here. Bigelow, playing the Vader role, controlled most of the match and it was painful to watch because he didn’t do much for the first 10 minutes other than punch, kick or headbutt Douglas around. Things sort of picked up as the match wore on, and there were some decent spots somewhere in all the mess, but the match wasn’t even a house show quality main event let alone a PPV quality main event, and if Douglas or Bigelow were looking to show they were better, or even as good as, Flair and Vader, then to say they failed miserably would be an understatement. Had N2R been somewhere else and they just wrestled a normal match, with no hometown hero storyline, then it might have been decent. Instead, we got a 25 minute match that felt like 45 minutes and just never went anywhere.
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’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 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.
