The Tragic Flaw

[Guest Tim Cooke]

being over used to some extent.

 

Sure, Heyman is booking like he did in ECW with the same 3 way nonsense and giving away matches on TV that should be exclusive for PPV.

 

But the "over used" and "end this feud" phrases surrounding the Benoit/Angle v Guerreros v Edge/Rey Jr. is not correct.

 

The feud developed in October yet on December 2nd, 2002, people are crying out for an end. Some of the Heyman's fault? Yes.

 

But it has more to do with the WEEEE style of wrestling. The WWEEE style of wrestling allows for little to no improvement upon matches, even with world class workers such as Benoit and Guerrero.

 

Every match they these six guys have had has been the same. Thanksgiving Smackdown really showed off how stale and poor the thought process had become in putting these matches together.

 

The Tag Team Formula is very simple. The staple formula of hot babyface run, followed by face in peril, followed by hot tag and good ending will always work. Yet, since Heyman and the WEEEE are the best in the world, they have no add small variations to that formula that mess it up.

 

Stretching out 5 minutes of nearfalls that are meaningless is about as smart of work as the Big Show produces.

 

Smarter work would be working back from the basics. Take the Edge/Rey Jr v Guerreros tag team situation.

 

Have the babyfaces start out on fire. They need to be excited. I don't have many problems with Edge's work as I do with his character. He needs to have an "fire" and intensity to show he is a babyface. Rey does that with his fast moves.

 

The Guerreros will bump like crazy for the babyfaces. Have them do that. Have them do the "comedy" heel spots where they look like fools. That is what a Rudo/Heel tag team is all about.

 

Then, when it is time to cut the babyfaces off, the Guerreros do just that. Lots of neat tag teaming, keeping the action always moving and interesting. Let the babyface makes small comebacks (sunset flip, etc) and cut him off until the crowd is ready to explode for the hot tag.

 

Then finish the match.

 

You then have a hot crowd throughout, a good story, and a good ending.

 

You take that formula and work it for a while. Then on PPV, you build off previous matches and add some other elements to the formula...not to make it stupid, but to make the story even deeper.

 

Tag Team Wrestling is so simple.

 

Too bad the WEEEE way of wrestling isn't.

 

Tim

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

All very true.

 

However...I don't think anyone wants to see the same people wrestle this many times regardless of whether or not there is a progression in the feud.

 

For example...in TNA Lynn vs. Styles is the best matches they've had...and they have evolved from an all offense match to both guys knowing how to counter the other and the matches are completely night and day now.

 

But no one wants to see it anymore.

 

So on top of the WWE matches having zero progression...there is the fact that all of those guys are talented...and instead of getting rewarded with some kind of elavation, they keep going in circles while the worst possible choices get bumped above them.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

The feud should be taken off now but if booked properly and done in a good fashion, the feud could be valuable for 6 months.

 

Tim

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

I would rather watch the Smackdown! 6 wrestle each other over and over than watch, oh let's say, a Big Show title push. Or another Rikishi push(and you know that one's coming again).

[Guest Tim Cooke]

I could watch Benoit and Eddy all day if they were able to wrestle a variety of styles.

 

Tim

[Guest chirs3]

My real problem is they don't seem to be progressing, but often are just putting on the same match over and over.

 

Not move for move of course, but how many times has Rey turned the Angle Slam into Arm Drag (Michael Cole says so - I'm not sure it's an Arm Drag, but I know shit about wrestling moves). He did it at Summerslam, and in every match he's had with Angle since.

 

Or how about the "Rey runs around the ring, Angle chases and accidentially dives through the ropes" bit? Not used as often as the Angle Slam to Arm Drag, but still...

 

They're essentially using the same spots over and over, and you can call them a mile away now. If all six guys would start wrestling like they had wrestled each other before, and actually KNEW each other, I'd have no problem if they kept on going.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

They should have put some jobber teams together to get the 3 superpower teams over...that's how they use to do it. They could have still centered the divison of Los Guerreros, Angle/Benoit, and Rey/Edge.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

I could watch Benoit and Eddy all day if they were able to wrestle a variety of styles.

 

Tim

Able? I think you mean allowed.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

The matches are repetitive because of the WEEEEE style. That was what the original post was trying to get at.

 

The WWEEEEE perception of wrestling today is to be "innovative" and use it until the fans will finally not accept it (i.e. Rey's arm drag out of the Angle Slam). Smart work would have Angle either kill Rey's arm drag arm before the Angle Slam or find another counter to reverse it.

 

Tag Team spots for both heels and faces as numerous. From the Midnight Express, Tully/Arn, and Kawada/Taue, I could list around 100 tag team concept spots that any wrestler can do and that are safe.

 

The Fantastics, Rockers, Rock n Roll Express all have some TERRIFIC babyface spots that tag teams can steal. Really basic stuff that when done right, will pop the crowd more than a 720 moonsault/deathdriver combo will ever do.

 

I have seen Benoit work in a tag team situation in Japan and in WCW where he ultilized these kinds of spots and worked an awesome tag team match.

 

Same goes for Eddy, in both Japan and Mexico. And in Mexico, he had the added weight of usually working with a lot of slugs but still was able to use great spots that were great wrestling moves, wise character choices, and garnered heat from the crowd.

 

McMahon will never be able to satisfy his audience. Ladder matches went to Table Matches went to TLC matches went to Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber. What is next, having someone have to die before people are entertained?

 

The American Public are both smart and dumb. They are smart in that a good portion have walked away from McMahon's circus like product.

 

Yet, if marketed and presented right, simple tag team matches with good spots from both teams, good selling, and good promotion will get these fans back into it. And no one will end up injured.

 

Tim

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

I would like to see a final Cage Match blowoff (pinfall, no escape crap, and Tornado rules) at Armageddon where Los Guerreros beat Angle/Benoit for good, and Benoit turns heel on Angle after he (Angle) loses the match for them. Benoit & Angle feud, but don't meet one on one until No Way Out (they would both be in the Rumble match, and fight there). After that Angle can go on to face Brock at Wrestlemania, and Benoit can go on to face Rock.

 

That is what I would like to see, so of course we will get Al Wilson as the next WWE Champion instead.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

To KR:

 

Yep, I meant allowed.

 

"They should have put some jobber teams together to get the 3 superpower teams over...that's how they use to do it. They could have still centered the divison of Los Guerreros, Angle/Benoit, and Rey/Edge."

 

Yea, that is a another issue in itself. I see that kind of stuff coming sooner or later because as the ratings continue to tumble, there will be less shows and the big matches will have to be saved for PPV.

 

Tim

[Guest Brian]

Part of the problem is that despite having only one show a week, the writing team is rushing feuds, and very few of them are getting time to develop.

[Guest Goodear]

Since The Angle/Benoit vs. Guerreros vs. Edge/Rey (in some variation) has been going on for quite some time and the Brock/Show feud is going to be extended for at least another PPV, I don't know how you can make that statement.

[Guest Brian]

Not rushed. I meant over-exposed. They just don't seem to be pacing anything well other than Brock/Show, and much of that because Show sucks and Brock can't wrestle. The SmackDown six have faced each other in a number of combos numerous times, just short of a face/heel turn in Benoit/Angle. Benoit/Angle has become somewhat repetitive.

[Guest deadbeater]

The only matches that has been building up has been the women's matches. One hits a finisher to win a match, a finisher that is countered in the next match, then another more devastating finisher is introduced, with the victim responds by toughening up so she won't lose to the same manuever in the next match.

 

That is in singles matches. However, until very recently the tag matches used were just the same formula--pull Molly's pants down, heels beat up face for a while, hot tag, Statusfaction or Tornado DDT, win. Now they bookers figured out to have a real feud, the heels should win sometimes. With brutally correct skill? No, by cheating to win.

 

Benoit, Edge, Angle, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio should be working on different hot finishers. For the record, Eddie and Rey should have won matches when they unexpectedly countered staple finishers with pinning combos.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

Playing off of moves is fun and is good psych but it can be taken too far (AJPW 97-99).

 

Proper booking would have dictated various 6 and 8 man tags leading up to PPV matches. In the 6 and 8 man tags, storylines would have been started between the wrestlers so that when they got to PPV and Benoit started out against Eddy instead of Angle, it would have made sense since Eddy and Benoit had a clear grudge in the multiple tag matches.

 

Simple booking.

 

Tim

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Why are they all fighting anyways?

 

Really, in terms of storyline progression, I think they actually took a few steps BACK.