The Crossface

[Guest TSMAdmin]

Brandon Truitt: Brandon is a regular here on the Crossface and happens to own a heaping helping of shoot interviews. Look for his recap of the Magnum TA shoot interview. He'll also be your moderator tonight.

 

Byron Vester: Don't forget to Catch Byron now on Sunday nights as he drops in with the news. When the wrestling world really pisses him off, he'll drop in with his Anger Management column. If you want to know what happened last week in the world of wrestling, THIS is your destination.

 

Edward Robins: Edward is TSM's very own B-movie horror freak! This former Velocity recapper has just shared his most recent excercise in poor taste with us, Blood Freak.

 

 

Brandon: OK... let's start out with this week's RAW.

What did you think about Booker-Jericho, then Bookerdust vs. Christian and Jericho?

Edward: Well, it's only 8:30 here, so I really can't comment yet.

Brandon: In short, Edward, they started with Booker-Jericho, but "Chief Morely" rebooked it to a tag title match.

Byron: Typical Dusty Finish garbage. They need to either finally give Bookdust the belts or stop throwing them in title matches, period.

Brandon: True, Byron. Unfortunately, they were supposed to feud last week but Booker got sick, leaving us with the Dudleyz in the Bookerdust role. At least Goldust and Booker would have been funnier with all of that stuff. They would have found something to top the Showpopottomus.

Edward: I just don't get the point of "Chief Morely", especially since he only messes with the tag division so far.

Brandon: He ignores Triple H, but so does the REAL management

Byron: Still though, Brandon, just giving Bookdust title shots all the time only to job them to the Canadians with every cheap booking trick in the book helps NO ONE. Either switch the damn titles or stop wasting my time, simple as that.

 

 

Brandon: Speaking of which, Byron, it's also appropriate for RVD and title shots as he was made to look pathetic AND still job to HHH in tonight's main event for a World title shot.

 

Byron: Yeah, I have a problem with that, as well.

Brandon: The scene where HHH had a pin on RVD and Michaels gave it the slowest two-count I've ever seen pissed me off to no end.

Byron: While I really dislike RVD, there's no way anyone can say that pushing him to the top right now would be a bad decision.

Brandon: There's really no one else on RAW that could get that kind of push... They won't pull the trigger on Booker and Jericho is already destroyed in the eyes of the fans.

Edward: RVD needs to stay in the main event since he's so over.

 

 

Brandon: If RVD stays in the main events, then it means a different heel besides HHH would get a shot on top. Who would it be, Jericho?

Edward: I guess since he's the only other "main"/upper midcard heel on RAW.

Byron: I doubt it. Jericho is seriously damaged goods right now and pushing him to the top again when the crowds are apathetic and he doesn't give a shit could hurt the company a lot.

Brandon: Byron... you DO realize that there's not many ways things could get worse now, don't you? There aren't any other heels because HHH is THE only show on RAW and SD isn't officially trading any there that I know of.

Edward: Yeah, Jericho is really the only other "heel" i can think of on RAW period.

Brandon: I'd say Rico, but he's a huge jobber these days, he's at the Brooklyn Brawler level of jobbers right now.

Byron: Yeah, I do realize that, Brandon and it really does suck ass that the WWE has destroyed his image to point where he doesn't give a damn anymore

 

 

Brandon: That leads us into a different question... how do you fix the problems of RAW, especially the lack of heels besides HHH?

Edward: Other than giving the few heels there are Goldberg/Brock pushes, I have no idea.

Byron: Well, they do have lots of Heat talent that could liven up the midcard scene some or hell, they could snatch a few of Smackdown's rarely used midcarders.

Brandon: The problem is that they pissed away ALL of their heels in the process of getting HHH over. They had Brock, the UnAmericans, and Jericho around the time that HHH went heel. They even had Rico who was getting the benefits of the Chuck and Billy mess, and then he got jobbed out left and right due to Three Minute politics.

Byron: The mega-push is pretty much going to be the death of RAW if it keeps up, but I just don't see it stopping anytime soon. As for Rico, he shouldn't even be near those sloths.

Brandon: The sloths should go back to the developmental territories, Byron.

Byron: Another thing about the midcards of both shows: they need secondary titles badly. get both shows TV titles and it could really give the midcard some actual direction

Brandon: That's true, but we can blame HHH and the McMahons for that. They put the Undisputed title on SD and eliminated all the other belts when they made HHH's vanity belt.

Edward: Yeah, at least then they'd have the basic "me want belt. me take belt from you" storyline to go with, which is better than nothing.

Brandon: The funny thing is that they talked about how they wanted to elevate midcarders in the split, but now they've destroyed ANY way for these guys to get over since most aren't considered world title material.

Edward: I think the best thing for the midcarders right now is heat.

Byron: Yeah, Brandon. Take Matt Hardy, for instance: Give the guy a secondary title and have him cheat weekly to keep it, and the fans will be eating out of his hand. It worked for WCW and ECW, I don't see how it couldn't work in the WWE.

Brandon: Exactly, Byron. That's why Hurricane got so over last year... he was given the Euro belt and allowed to do his thing for months at a time.

Edward: He also had a gimmick the fans loved though. a good gimmick/feud will do more than a secondary belt. e.g. the Raven/D'Lo heat feud a few months back.

Brandon: Mattitude is a GREAT gimmick but it doesn't mean squat because he's a glorified Jobber to the Stars.

Edward: That's true, but if he had a title and was booked the same way, he'd be in no different a position than Jericho and Christian.

Brandon: If he was allowed to win, such as by winning the Cruiser belt from Kidman and then cheating to win, it would be a GREAT way to get him over.

Byron: yeah, giving the guy an awesome gimmick like Mattitude and then jobbing him out to fat fucks like Hoss Show and Rikishi just kills any potential for him to move up the card.

Edward: Actually, if Morely keeps helping Christian and Jericho cheat with Dusty finishes and an alliance is formed, it could be beneficial to all three men to establish them as other heels.

Brandon: Yeah, but they're not that consistent in the crappy Morely stuff.

Byron: Morely is a heel?

Edward: Is he? He seems so. The problem with morely is he comes totally from left field.

Brandon: They restart matches due to cheating yet the final finish STILL comes off of an illegal act.

Byron: Why does Bisch even need an assitant anyway?

Brandon: Because they need an excuse for Morely to do something, and he won't wrestle much anymore because his neck's screwed.

Byron: Hell, I'm shocked the other wrestlers would even respect him(on-air, that is) when he's just another lackey.

Brandon: it's all the writing... the usual mantra for stupid stuff

Edward: If Morely's neck is screwed up and he can't even wrestle, why bother at all?

Brandon: They bother because- 1. "He's loyal", 2. His neck may get better if he heals up for a while and 3. It would cost too much to buy out his contract from what I understand. The only guys who get sent home these days either have a contract that's about to expire or they have an out for whatever reason that reduces the payoff they have to give them.

Byron: Well shit, just take the guy off of TV until he gets better. Having him doing nothing expect be Bischoff's personal bitch is just retarded.

Brandon: He's already been off TV for about 2-3 months. I think part of this is payback for having to be in HWA for most of a year due to the Invasion.

Byron: Good point, Brandon. Why was he down there anyway?

Brandon: The RTC disbanded and the then-WWF was more concerned with bringing in all the WCW people. The only RTC members to get new gimmicks during the Invasion were Ivory and Stevie Richards. Besides that, Venis got hurt and had surgery in mid-2001, so he was in a "rehab assignment" for a few months of that time.

Byron: Ahhh, yes, that's right. I blocked out most of the RTC gimmick.

 

 

Brandon: OK... let's get back on topic. What do you think about HHH-HBK at Armageddon?

 

Edward: I think the story and all the time they put into it is enough that they didn't have to get the belt involved.

Byron: I don't want to see it, plain and simple.

Brandon: I agree with you both... That's enough of a reason why ANYONE besides those two should have won the Elimination Chamber.

Byron: They had a chance to build this feud without involving the title, but they did, so fuck them both.

Edward: Yeah, plus if they really wanted to have HBK win the elimination chamber they could've had HHH cost HBK the title last week instead of the no contest. That way everyone would've been happy

Byron: If I want to see Hunter put over his friends, I'll just watch SummerSlam again, no need for me to waste my precious time on this crap.

Brandon: At this point, I just want Michaels to go home for good and for HHH to trip on a power cord and tear his quad again. I was SO hoping that Bischoff would strip Michaels of the belt tonight to keep us from seeing HHH-Michaels 3.

Byron: I'd be happier than a pig in shit if that happened, Brandon. Here's the thing, they should just save HHH/HBK 3 for either the Rumble or WM and let the new blood carry the show for a while

 

 

Brandon: What about the probable Victoria-Jacqueline match? Could they scream "We don't have a face in the woman division besides Trish" any louder?

Edward: Jacqueline is a female jobber to the stars anyway. Was Trish involved in that match in any way, or was it just putting victoria over?

Byron: Jackie didn't put Victoria over. She beat her clean, which makes no sense.

Brandon: It was Jackie's hometown and she went over, despite getting one of the worst pops of the night.

Byron: Yeah, and she got no reaction like always.

It's amazing... Whenever they go to Texas, Booker always jobs and Jackie always wins, seemingly.

Brandon: It's another case of them rewarding "loyalty" at the expense of talent and fan reactions. Bradshaw usually wins down there, even if he's the least over guy in the match.

Edward: Definitely. if a nobody likes jacqueline beat Victoria clean and doesn't even get a reaction, it's not a good thing.

Byron: Well, Bradshaw also has the power JR's Super Hoss Pimping to help him out.

Brandon: Thankfully, injuries are catching up with Bradshaw and much of the old guard, which means big changes soon.

Byron: Now only if Fat Show got injured severely...

Brandon: That would require him to either do something strenuous or walk around in the ring... and I don't see him doing either.

Edward: Iif all the old guard were eliminated though, would all the new guys that haven't been and aren't being put over now be able to recover?

Byron: Hahahaha, good point. I just can't believe they are even thinking about extending his title reign

Brandon: It depends what happens for the old guard to go out... if Taker puts people over, it will help. If Bradshaw puts people over, who cares?

Byron: Well, Taker DID put over Brock, but I doubt he'll do it again before he leaves for good

Edward: yea, I seriously doubt it too. I don't understand why "loyalty" is so valued now that there's no competition to jump to. I can see it from a business aspect if WCW were still around, but now where would they go? Undertaker in TNA? I doubt it.

Brandon: It's because Vince is being a moron. He's putting over all his old guard and his long-time jobbers at the expense of stars who were built elsewhere.

Byron: It's not like Taker's loyal because he likes McMahon. If he had jumped ship back when WCW was around, he couldn't be Taker anymore and would have screwed himself over big time

Brandon: Bischoff actually told him he'd be worthless without the gimmick, so he refused to sign him.

Byron: Bisch a pretty smart man, then. Too bad he's getting upstaged by Stephanie almost every single time now

Edward: I think the "Taker wouldn't be over if he wasn't Taker" statement also applies to morely, which is the problem with using him in what could be a great role.

 

 

Brandon: What about the Thanksgiving Smackdown? Wasn't it a real letdown outside of the Smackdown Six's matches?

Edward: I was too busy eating to watch, and I just don't care if I miss WWE TV anymore.

Brandon: You didn't miss much... the main event was a no-contest between Big Slow and the Fabulous Moolah.

Edward: Uhhh... huh?

Byron: Yes, it was. Watching Lesnar be the 2002 Stone Cold is just irritating and really, what guy on this planet gives a flying fuck about Steph's "Aunt Flo"?

Brandon: The writers who loved the "Spookyfish" episode of South Park are the ones who cared, because that's where they stole the jokes from.

Byron: Whoever booked Moolah/Show deserves a swift kick in the head

Brandon: I think that's either Vince's or Heyman's fault.

Edward: I don't understand... Moolah as in Fabulous Moolah, the elderly women's wrestler? How did THAT get arranged?

Byron: It wouldn't surprise me. Moolah and Mae should be barred from ever coming back on TV ever again

Brandon: They were in her hometown, so they gave her a match... and put her against Brock. I'd have thought she would have known better since Mae Young got seriously hurt by Three Minutes the LAST time she showed up. According to reports, the arena was brand new but still had to have everything not visible to the camera covered by tarps and the crowd was severely disappointed by what they saw.

Byron: Yeah, you couldn't see past the first 10 rows tonight. If it looks that bad at either Armageddon or the Rumble, Vince will just HAVE to start doing some drastic changes.

Brandon: Yeah, that's what we've been saying since No Way Out and the only great PPV since then was Summerslam... and THAT was flushed down the toilet within 2 minutes of starting RAW the next night.

 

 

Brandon: What about this Al Wilson business? Is there ANY end in sight?

 

Byron: I guess I still have that faint glimmer of hope that Vince will come out of his stupor and try to actually fix things

Edward: Al Wilson? Who cares?

Brandon: That's the problem... NO ONE cares yet it gets about 10 minutes of SD each week

Byron: Amen... that guy gets more TV time then 9/10s of the roster, which is pretty shocking considering how BAD the angle is.

Brandon: I'm guessing this is Vince living vicariously though someone because there's no other way to explain it from what I've seen.

Byron: It has to be that, then. There's NOTHING ELSE that makes sense for this crappy angle going on as long or as far as it has now

Byron: And really, why does it matter anyway since Torrie has beaten Dawn in everything they do?

Brandon: That's the problem... he has no direction and no one wants any more of Torrie-Dawn, so what's the point?

Edward: Well, what else could they do with Torrie or Dawn outside of bra and panties "matches" every week?

Brandon: Put them on RAW perhaps with the REST of the women?

Edward: OMG!!! But that would *gasp* betray the split again!

Byron: Why even put them on RAW since neither of them can wrestle worth a damn?

Brandon: They could trade RVD for them... I'd say that it's about even since they don't want to do anything with him over there.

Byron: Well, the split's been violated in so many ways lately that it wouldn't make much of a difference.

 

 

Brandon: What about the Benoit-Angle vs. Los Guerreros match?

Byron: The match was okay, but it's just the same stuff we've seen since the beginning of the three-way feud

Brandon: It may be run into the ground, but it's STILL better than everything else on the show combined. Granted, that's not saying much for the Thanksgiving show...

Byron: If Vince would actually allow the guys to work different styles, it would REALLY freshen it up some

Brandon: Yes, it would, but God H. Helmsley forbid that WWE Style not be the preferred style of the federation. If people get a taste of the Japanese or Mexican styles that Benoit and the Guerreros can do, the WWE Style will get kicked to the side and the hosses will be screwed. As much as we'd love it, WWE management is dead set against it.

Byron: Very true. I'd have no problem with the WWE style if the more diverse workers like Eddy, Rey, and Benoit were allowed to bring something new to the table and the WWE style was left to the guys who can do it the best(Austin and Rock) the fed would be doing MUCH better

Brandon: yeah, but would we REALLY want to watch if HHH wasn't allowed to do what he does best? [/sarcasm]

Byron: Heh... Hunter demands that we MUST have sleepers and spinebusters, goddamnit!

Edward: Sleepers = submission = ratings!

Brandon: Yeah, he only does that as a homage to old-school NWA booking... not because he SUCKS these days.

Byron: And don't forget THE KNEE~!

 

Brandon: Brock Lesnar is "suspended" and he will supposedly not face Show until Royal Rumble. Thoughts?

 

Byron: Like I said before, I can't believe they are going through with this idea. Big Show shouldn't even have been thought as a champ or even a friggin CONTENDER!

Brandon: Blame Vince and Terry Taylor... they supposedly championed the Slow winning the belt. All this on top of stories flying about who Brock COULD have faced... Edge, Rey Misterio, Benoit... even if Edge got the most tainted win in the history of the sport, he'd be a more respected champion than Slow.

Byron: Oh, I blame Vince for everything, Brandon, even the whole HHH holding people down thing. It's all Vince's fault he let his company go down this path of ruination. As for Edge, I'm a fan of his and even though I don't think he's ready yet, he sure could have been a lot better caretaker champ than fucking Big Slow.

Edward: Definitely, since he's still pretty over as well iirc

Brandon: Edge is still pretty over, but letting Slow HUMILIATE him the night after Survivor Series will probably have some serious effects when they push him to the top.

Byron: That really pissed me off. If Show had squashed Rikishi, I wouldn't have cared, but a future main eventer like Edge? Bullshit. I'll bet they do the same to Benoit soon enough, too

Brandon: That was part of the Evil Master Plan to get Slow over... and it has kinda worked.

Byron: Unfortunately. Really, all the heat is on Heyman while Show just stands in the background and looks stupid

Brandon: I just hope this doesn't give them ideas about Slow as a long-term solution to, say, Wrestlemania.

Byron: If that happens, god forbid, then Vince has officially lost his fucking mind.

Brandon: Yeah, like THAT is in doubt with TripleMania running wild and Big Slow as a world champion... it's like late 1999 all over again, except no Rock or Foley.

Edward: Yeah, it's so dull it's boring me just to sit here and bitch about it! ;-)

Byron: Hahaha... next thing you know, Hunter may lose 30 pounds and start wrestling liek his 2000 self again...