RavishingRickRudo

Not for me. Raw has Sheldon Benjamin, Rosie, and Benoit. In other words, the only wrestlers I give a shit about. And right now, I only watch the WWE for those particular wrestlers. If I were watching for storylines and good matches, I wouldn't be watching period. Though the occasional Akio match has me interested enough to check it out. Every time I turn to Smackdown or Velocity, I can only tune in for about 30 seconds. In that 30 seconds, I see bad television and I turn it off. And that's if I even remember if it's on.

Batista was in the elimination chamber. What -exactly- would be the difference between a HIAC and an elimination chamber that would make a HIAC more dangerous?

Why is Benoit - who was in WCW first and longer - being the ECW whipping boy?

It's shit. It's not bad for a secondary move, but look at it; it actually has less impact than a bodyslam. For someone who can do "amazing things in the ring", Benjamins finish is less-than-stellar. It's a very sad move, and being an actual exploder would be a huge upgrade. I'm not opposed to using suplexes as finishers, but this one has no impact.

Sheldon doesn't need the "all important mic skills", he needs the "all important good promos", which is mainly the fault of the shitty writers. They haven't really isolated his character and therefore can't really write the right kind of promo for him. Plus, the guy isn't getting mic time to talk, so it can't be said how good or bad his mic skills really are. At worst, they sound rehearsed. That can be fixed. They did the same thing with Batista, short lines of dialogue that flow naturally into the current conversation and make him sound badass. I think Sheldon is missing a good finisher. One that fans will recognize as a killer move and pop for accordingly. I also think that while the WWE isn't positioning Benjamin poorly with the "look what he can do in the ring", I don't know if that's enough to put him over the top. It's a good character support, but its not an actual character.

Here's the thing. Masters has one good quality. It's not his body, it's not his wrestling, it's not his promos. His one good quality is that he looks like a jerk. Square-jaw, short hair, and a smirk. He'd fit in any generic college football movie (Yes, I AM thinking Necessary Roughness). Thing is, they aren't really having him do any extraordinary jerk tactics. And they haven't set up Scott Bacula-like foil that we, the fans, can identify with and cheer for. Val Venis? What's the difference between Val Venis and Chris Masters? Both are tanned, muscular, full of themselves. The only reason they have given us to boo Masters (and they've been pushing him going on SIX MONTHS) is that the guy is muscular and he takes cheap shots. But we're in a post-Austin era where the faces take cheap shots. And we are also in a post-Hogan era where everyone is big and muscular. And hey, why should the fans boo a guy who isn't afraid to challenge the entire locker room? They need to make Masters Biff. He needs to say "Helloooo, McFlyyy!", and there needs to be a McFly. I say put him with Simon Dean and Maven, because they're doing the same schtick, and have them be his cronies.... Dean can wear the 3-D glasses. At least that will make him somewhat important... on heat.

Last week on RAW, Kane was visibly heartbroken after his wife Lita betrayed him and showed her affection towards Edge. This week, both Kane and Lita will be Chris Jericho's guests on the Highlight Reel. WHY?! Lita's love interest Edge will also be busy tonight, as he squares off against Chris Benoit in a Tables Match on RAW. WHY??!! In honor of today's holiday, the lovely RAW Divas will compete in a special Memorial Day Swimsuit Competition tonight on RAW. WHY?!?!? The World Tag Team Championship will be on the line tonight when champions The Hurricane and Rosey put the gold on the line against The Heart Throbs. Will the newcomers be able to dethrone the veteran superheroes? Watch RAW to find out. WHY?!??!?! The Intercontinental Championship will also be on the line tonight when Shelton Benjamin, Rob Conway and Sylvain Grenier battle in a Triple Threat Match. For weeks, Conway and Grenier have been trying to prove that they are the superior member of La Resistance. A victory be either one would go a long way in proving their superiority. Will we have a new Intercontinental Champion tonight? Or will Shelton Benjamin's awesome athleticism prove to be too much for his challengers? WHY?!??!?!?!??!?!?! Also, what will be the World Heavyweight Champion’s response to Triple H’s sledgehammer attack last week? Before RAW went off the air, The Cerebral Assassin left Batista bloodied and with a cryptic message, saying only, “Hell in a Cell.” Don’t miss RAW as hopefully more details are revealed. WHY!??!?!??!?!?????????????!!!!!! ... There isn't a single aspect of tonights show that looks appealing to me. Especially since Vis is probably going to be in the swimsuit competition. HAHHAHA HE'S FAT AND BLACK AND LOVES WHITE WOMEN AND WANTS TO RAPE THEM!!! HHAHAHAHHA. Benoit/Edge in a table match? Sure... Last Man Standings Match... Table Match. Real upgrade there.

Maybe he meant Hell in the Cayman Islands.

"Does he mean cell phone? A prison cell? Basal cell carcinoma? Maybe he meant "sell". Like, sell a house. Or maybe "ciel", french for sky." - Batista

I'm done it. I'll post it after some editing and after I get some feedback from someone I am currently running it by. Right now, though, I'd say The WWE wouldn't hire me, simply because it makes them look like goofs in how they write for wrestling. But then again, the writing in Zora the Explorer makes them look like goofs.

BUT, would the indies provide an environment for someone to improve in? OR would it provide an environment to develop bad habits? Benoit didn't get to where he was because of modern indy wrestling, he got there through wrestling in Japan, the old territorial system (Stampede), and "big time" wrestling in WCW and the WWE.

But Brian, did Benoit get as good as he was in the indies? I think, and this is a generalization (as is the question of the thread), that Indies lack the polish that WWE matches have, and that WWE wrestlers have better timing and pacing than indy workers. This is the benefit of working a formula. The disadvantage of working a formula is that matches are often predictable and there isn't a lot of real excitement. However, Indies have greater range of moves and are more inventive than WWE matches. This could make for more exciting matches. With that said, Indy workers have a tendancy to use "big" moves liberally and not give them (the moves) the "weight" they deserve. That's the disadvantage of not having limits. So Indy workers have to decide when enough is enough, and the less experienced ones simply don't know that. They also don't know their own limits, so they try things that are out of their ability and you end up with a blown or awkward looking spot. That doesn't happen in the WWE, for the most part, which is why it comes off as so "polished". As someone who was raised on the WWE, I like that more polished aspect. Because when wrestling becomes too rough, it sorta takes me out of the match. The WWE also has an aesthetic appeal that Indy wrestling doesn't have. The bigger ring, the sleeker ring attire, the entrances, the production value. Wrestling is a visual medium, so this is important. I don't expect small promotions to have huge lighting, screens, pyro, etc. But I don't want it looking scummy either with guys wrestling in their t-shirts. If you can only do cheesy early-90's graphics in 2005, it's better to not do to graphics at all. Ring announcing is a toss-up. I can't stand the high-pitched smark commentary from the indies, but I also can't stand the used car salesman style of JR. I think that a lot of Indy workers are playing "pretend". Where they pretend to be an MMA fighter, or an amateur wrestler, or a Japanese wrestler. That's annoying. They're doing a spinning elbow because Misawa did a spinning elbow, not because it works for the match. There is also a lot more telegraphing moves in the Indies than there is in the WWE. Guys missing clotheslines that couldn't even catch the big show, and lots of hesitation and long stares. Then again, most WWE guys aren't even pretending to be wrestlers. In the end, would I choose to watch Samoa Joe over Chris Masters? Of course. But I would also choose to watch Rey Mysterio over The Amazing Red. In the end, I watch for wrestlers, not promotions.

Yeah, it is horrible. It's also funny cause it's clear the WWE doesn't understand either

You have gone mad. ... and I like it The hatch can't be an air vent, or else there would have been either lots of air pouring out of it, or everyone being sucked in. The explosion would have either been huge or small. I will say this, the hatch cannot be something they can live or hide in for an extended period of time - it just isn't as pretty as the rest of the island is. You could see what made the black smoke, though.

What fucking world were/are you living in?? Why would Vince do what he's not doing in the WWE (dangerous moves, no rules, etc) with ECW? There's reasons, you know, for them not doing that in the WWE. Injuries and raising the bar on fan expectations being the big two. If Vince wanted to improve his product in-ring by not limiting his wrestlers, he would have done it already.

I'm coming up with an uber-angle that is actually very similar to what's being talked about here. It's gonna be hot.

Oh the irony.

I think Wes is the only one from Buffy/Angel that can make a good claim for "best character progression". Cordy had a logical character progression, but I thought who she ended up being from who she was, was horrible. All the other character progressions weren't nearly as "far" as Wes'. Wes' progression from who he was into who he is went through stages, that I thought really made sense for his character. When he met the red head early-on in season 2, he started to step out of being a child and move on into adulthood. When Angel left, he had to take charge. When he got shot, then he started to physically change - stopped shaving, etc., and got a lil darker. The thing with Fred in Season 3 compounded with the Connor-thing made him get more isolated, more distressed, and he physically changed some more. Then when he got his throat slit, and Angel tried to kill him, and he had to leave the group, it was the final stage into his progression into badassery. Then you had his progression in Season 5, which was tremendous, where his death in the last episode made sense for his character. I like Gil Grissoms progression. He was such a tool in the first episode, then he got better. Fantastic.

Hurley said to Charley in an earlier episode that he *has* dropped weight. Michael and Jin first started to have problems when Jin thought Michael stole Suns fathers watch. Sun had to reveal she spoke english to Michael in order to clear things up.

Hat Guy can't even afford a different hat.

I am wondering what kind of fan would buy tickets that high priced.

Frank Jewett wrote an excellent post over at TOA on Eddie/Benoit. When I first read it, I refused to believe that the two guys could put out such poor quality. Then I watched it myself and he was 100% right. There was no point to the match up until Eddie cheated at the end. The moves went no where and meant nothing. It was like an exhibition match rather than two guys fighting. And there is no reason for the two to be having a match on the ECW PPV, so I don't see that much of a difference.

Thoughts thus far on the Bushido show. Ok. Match 1: I am now officially on the Krazy Horse Bandwagon. This guy is like the old, great, Rampage... only better... He loves the Japanese Women (and hits on them), He is profane, He fucks around with the Japanese refs and fighters, and his entrances/exits/celebrations are untouchable! This guy has to be seen to be believed. "GOMI! I want you GOMI!" God damn Jesus was that was one of the sickest KO's I've ever seen. I thought the dude was dead, which is kinda sad because the guy was fun in there with his flying knees. The opening spot with Bennet doing a dropkick off the ropes was great. Match 2: Jens Pulver looked good in there. The guy is just so damn likable. The match itself was a bit of nothin. I agree with the quick stoppage, even if I didn't like it. I would have liked to have seen Jens finish him off on the ground, which was inevitable, before the ref stopped it... but since it was inevitable, I don't disagree with it. Match 3: Edwards was Edwards in there. The guy is so damn cautious fighting, I just am waiting for him to bust loose. Great finish with a kimura-armbar. Juh Jeet Soo! Juh Jeet Soo! Match 4: Aaron Riley just SMOKED the Japanese dude. The JPND had no blocking skills and kept getting peppered with Rileys left's. It was just a matter of time before Riley threw a high kick and made the KO. BTW, sweeet sell of the kick! Good stuff.

I hope you are not being sarcastic with that god awful remark. That match was horrible. As was their match in Iraq. Eddie/Benoit of late defines "random moves".

General Thoughts: I will preface this with this card actually had me excited despite their horrible presentation over the past few weeks. So for that initial reaction: kudos to the WWE. However, there's one problem... THEY'RE MOSTLY WWE GUYS! I know that they think that WWE guys will sell the PPV to WWE fans more than ECW guys will, so mixing it up would be beneficial, but what is the guarantee that I won't be seeing a WWE match in there? If I knew that each of these guys would be going in there not holding anything back, I'd buy this show in a heart beat. But. I don't think that Chris Jericho will be giving it his all in a match that has no bearing on his future. I don't think Eddie and Benoit will be going to have a match that will be any different from their last 3 or 4 matches in the past few years which have SUCKED. Rey and Psicosis won't be doing any dumb spots to risk any future programs they have with the company for an ECW show. Tajiri, Guido, and Crazy might see it as an opportunity to steal the show, but will they? The WWE has a policy that you can only steal the show when THEY want you to steal the show, and why would they want those 3 stealing it? There is no intention to push any of them (at least Guido and Tajiri, which is probably why they'll have Crazy win), so I don't think we'll be getting any moonsaults off a balcony here. Plus, there is no doubt that the WWE will have WWE agents running the show, so the match layouts won't be like ECW matches, they will be like WWE matches - just with some signature ECW spots and pussy-ass "garbage". And. Um. How come Rhino isn't in a match? You know that guy, Rhino.. ECW World and TV champion... ONE NIGHT STAND MATCHES Lance Storm with Dawn Marie vs Chris Jericho I like this match. Not for any ECW connection, but Storm has made it clear that this will probably be his retirement match. His first match was against Jericho, so it'll be fitting. As someone who has been a huge fan of his website since he started it, I feel genuinely happy for the guy to be able to go out like this, and with Dawn Marie at his side. It will be interesting to see how pregnant Dawn Marie is. Aside from that, they could have a "pretty good" match. I think **** tops, and that's really pushing it. There is some neat psychology they could do with Storm being retired because of his back, and Jericho having the Liontamer... but who cares? There is no reason for these guys to hate each other. This is, at best, a "respect" match. So it will be hard to push it for the fans. Infact, the heat for the match will have to be garnered IN the match. The two guys playing it up that they're in there having fun, then Storm being all serious because he wants to win his last match. Storm will probably come out on RAW and challenge Jericho, since the best reaction that match can get will be on Canadian soil. It will be really interesting to see how they angle it. Extreme luchador action: Rey Mysterio vs Psychosis I have found their matches to be overrated (I haven't seen their lucha stuff). Their WCW BATB match wasn't all that good, I didn't think much of their ECW matches. I don't know how good Psi is right now, and I don't think Rey is going to do anything outside of what he does in WWE matches. It could go up to **** as well, but I don't really see there being much structure to this match. It'll be random pseudo-lucha moves building till one guy gets the advantage, them trading 3 or 4 "big moves" then a roll up finish. A three way dance: The insane luchador Super Crazy vs Tajiri with Sinister Minister vs Little Guido I liked their matches a bunch in ECW - even if they were mindless spot matches, they were still really fun spots. I already talked about this above, ***1/2 tops, it'll be fun to see if we'll get a punching spot in the corner with camera movements. Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Benoit Bah. This is no good at all. The WWE has this notion that (smart) fans will see these two guys' names against each other and pay to see it cause it will be a great match. But I can't remember the time when the two have had a good match against each other, because it sure as shit wasn't lately. Maybe RAW 2000 (or was it 01?) when Eddie had the flu? I think a match like this shows how the guys running the ECW show don't really know much about ECW beyond who was in it and what the big feuds were. Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman vs Bubba & D-Von Dudley The whole purpose of Sandman being in a match is to have him come out to "Enter Sandman" and take 20 minutes doing so. If they don't have that happening, I don't care if every match on the card is *****'s, it will be an absolute failure. Pay the money to use it for one night and then change it on the DVD. I don't really see the purpose of this match, though. Maybe if they had Raven and Spike in there and make it a 6 man, where the selling point will be "can these 3 get along?!", then there'd be something to it. ECW One Night Stand will feature special appearances by: Paul Heyman The return to PPV of Rob Van Dam with Bill Alfonso Tazz Spike Dudley Al Snow with Head The top 5 guys they list are ECW guys. Spike Dudley and Al Snow got higher billing than Sabu, Justin Credible, Rhino, and Mikey Whipwreck. The fuck?! For the rest of it, based on what they have used thus far... Ballz Mahoney vs. Mastato Tanaka. DO IT!!! Doring/Roadkill vs. BWO vs. Kid Kash/CW Anderson (ok, that team doesn't make sense, but they don't have Corino or EZ Money on the card yet!!) Rhyno vs. Mikey Whipwreck vs. Justin Credible vs. Sabu Joel Gertner promo!!!