OAO No Way Out Thread, Feb/19th/2006

[Hawk 34 0]

Taker vs. Angle, 2/3 falls is DEMANDED. I imagine they will get a rematch 2 weeks from now, or something, given that we have 6 weeks leading up to WM, and Henry will get involved then. I am not against Henry/Taker given their last Smackdown match, though it wouldn't be as good as Taker/Angle. I dunno how Taker and Angle could top what they did tonight... but then again, they were able to top their Smackdown match.

 

What about Benoit/Taker? dis-regard the US Title (Benoit can easily drop that to Finlay, JBL, Regal, Booker etc, if need be).

 

I would imagine that'd be better then Taker/Henry and Benoit/JBL (Which is what i am expecting).

 

Or Benoit/Regal...fuck. Too many options and we'll end up with Taker/Henry and Benoit/Jordan, I am sure of it.

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

Taker vs. Angle, 2/3 falls is DEMANDED. I imagine they will get a rematch 2 weeks from now, or something, given that we have 6 weeks leading up to WM, and Henry will get involved then. I am not against Henry/Taker given their last Smackdown match, though it wouldn't be as good as Taker/Angle. I dunno how Taker and Angle could top what they did tonight... but then again, they were able to top their Smackdown match.

I think they can top it. I think they are both motivated enough to push themselves to top it. And obviously Taker is willing to give Kurt Angle quite a bit without overusing the Zombie nonsense. I think they can push each other to something really special.

[Hawk 34 0]

Taker vs. Angle, 2/3 falls is DEMANDED. I imagine they will get a rematch 2 weeks from now, or something, given that we have 6 weeks leading up to WM, and Henry will get involved then. I am not against Henry/Taker given their last Smackdown match, though it wouldn't be as good as Taker/Angle. I dunno how Taker and Angle could top what they did tonight... but then again, they were able to top their Smackdown match.

I think they can top it. I think they are both motivated enough to push themselves to top it. And obviously Taker is willing to give Kurt Angle quite a bit without overusing the Zombie nonsense. I think they can push each other to something really special.

 

And it'll be wasted on free tv. Be it on Smackdown or SNME.

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

Taker vs. Angle, 2/3 falls is DEMANDED. I imagine they will get a rematch 2 weeks from now, or something, given that we have 6 weeks leading up to WM, and Henry will get involved then. I am not against Henry/Taker given their last Smackdown match, though it wouldn't be as good as Taker/Angle. I dunno how Taker and Angle could top what they did tonight... but then again, they were able to top their Smackdown match.

 

What about Benoit/Taker? dis-regard the US Title (Benoit can easily drop that to Finlay, JBL, Regal, Booker etc, if need be).

 

I would imagine that'd be better then Taker/Henry and Benoit/JBL (Which is what i am expecting).

 

Or Benoit/Regal...fuck. Too many options and we'll end up with Taker/Henry and Benoit/Jordan, I am sure of it.

Benoit/JBL can be very good. I'd buy a show with Taker/Angle, Benoit/JBL, Booker/Rey and Finlay/Anybody in a second.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

It's a shame they have Regal, Finlay, and Benoit (and JBL somewhat) below the main event line, because those guys with Taker on top, mix in Henry and Angle and Rey, and that's a SOLID mix of EIGHT guys and some phenomenal combinations that you rotate and sustain for the entire year. I see no reason to not elevate those guys when you can have such fun matches on top.

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

It's a shame they have Regal, Finlay, and Benoit (and JBL somewhat) below the main event line, because those guys with Taker on top, mix in Henry and Angle and Rey, and that's a SOLID mix of EIGHT guys and some phenomenal combinations that you rotate and sustain for the entire year. I see no reason to not elevate those guys when you can have such fun matches on top.

Bradshaw and Benoit aren't main eventers right now, but both could be pencilled in to main event Summerslam this year and it wouldn't cause that much of a stir. If any, really.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

How good was the spot when Angle pulled down the straps and Taker zombied up? So good.

 

I think they could add dramatic effects such as blood and they could tighten up some things where there could be improvement, I just think they can't do the same match they did tonight on any other night because tonight they went all out on that finish.

[Hawk 34 0]

It's a shame they have Regal, Finlay, and Benoit (and JBL somewhat) below the main event line, because those guys with Taker on top, mix in Henry and Angle and Rey, and that's a SOLID mix of EIGHT guys and some phenomenal combinations that you rotate and sustain for the entire year. I see no reason to not elevate those guys when you can have such fun matches on top.

 

You'll have to deal with Batista coming back in the summer though but if you give him Benoit and Angle to work with at the main event with the others all alternating.

 

Hell make JBL/Regal a tag-team, I think their arrogant high class yet stiff tastes would make a good partnership.

 

It's just a shame that Orton's presence fucks everything up. Just shift him back to Raw and send...Val Venis over to Smackdown. That is about even enough.

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

How good was the spot when Angle pulled down the straps and Taker zombied up? So good.

 

I think they could add dramatic effects such as blood and they could tighten up some things where there could be improvement, I just think they can't do the same match they did tonight on any other night because tonight they went all out on that finish.

I originally didn't like the finish, but as soon as I realized that it meant rematch, and on second, third, and fourth viewings of the match, it was brilliant. I also origianally didn't notice that Taker never ket go of the choke.

 

And the last five minutes of that match specifically were among my favorite segments ever.

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

It's a shame they have Regal, Finlay, and Benoit (and JBL somewhat) below the main event line, because those guys with Taker on top, mix in Henry and Angle and Rey, and that's a SOLID mix of EIGHT guys and some phenomenal combinations that you rotate and sustain for the entire year. I see no reason to not elevate those guys when you can have such fun matches on top.

 

You'll have to deal with Batista coming back in the summer though but if you give him Benoit and Angle to work with at the main event with the others all alternating.

 

 

To be honest, I think Batista/Taker could be a lot of fun on top.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I think JBL could put together a stable of shitkickers and elevate them by proxy. JBL already is associated with Finlay. JBL is sick and tired of fighting for midcard titles and its been too long since he's been out of the main event and he needs some tough fuckers to help him reclaim his top spot. Brings in Regal and Henry along with Finlay and they fuck up Taker and Angle up top. Taker and Angle decide to team up to eliminate them, Angle says they need more guys and recruits Benoit and Rey. Rotate all those guys with each other. Never would happen, but they could do that whole thing in just a few weeks and it would work, IMO.

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

I just realized how brilliant that legdrop->anklelock on the outside spot was.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I think Taker/Angle tonight was the best laid-out, storytelling, match since Eddie/Lesnar. When you think about how Angle tried *everything* to finish Taker, including AL03, and Taker tried to get Angle in every one of his moves and Angle had a reversal for it. It explains the finish so well, because the Triangle choke was working for Taker, so why would he let go? Angle couldn't finish Taker with any of his conventional moves, so instead he uses Takers own stubborness against him and jackknifes the hold for the pin.

 

I am hearin people say how they killed Angles moves and how they repeated the spots and how it was the usual "everyone hits their signature moves for the big dramatic pops" but this WASN'T the usual stuff because it was building towards something. They had meaning. It wasn't JUST there to get the crowd to go nuts (which it did effectively), it served a purpose in building to that finish. Angles failures were a part of the finish, the reversals were a part of the finish... besides, the whole purpose of professional wrestling is to manipulate that audience into believing and getting emotionally involved in what you are doing, and they so fucking did that especially in the last 10 minutes of that match. There were several points in that match where I was like "what are they gonna do next??". When he first put on that triangle choke, only LOTC and I were marking out. By the third one, more people were into it.

 

Angle not getting the countout was also pretty cool. I wouldn't mind seeing him bring that up and them getting the rematch to be a No Countout so they don't have to keep moving in and out of the ring just to break up the count.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I personally like how they love to swerve everyone (and everyone falls for it each time) at PPVs and have the main announcer table be stripped down, only to destroy the untouched Spanish table.

[foleyfanforever88 0]

i want video of this match..now

[Hawk 34 0]

It's a shame they have Regal, Finlay, and Benoit (and JBL somewhat) below the main event line, because those guys with Taker on top, mix in Henry and Angle and Rey, and that's a SOLID mix of EIGHT guys and some phenomenal combinations that you rotate and sustain for the entire year. I see no reason to not elevate those guys when you can have such fun matches on top.

 

You'll have to deal with Batista coming back in the summer though but if you give him Benoit and Angle to work with at the main event with the others all alternating.

 

 

To be honest, I think Batista/Taker could be a lot of fun on top.

 

It'd be an interesting match, that's for sure because Batista has completely dominated since his push in late 2004 and despite a clean pinfal loss tonight, Undertaker is still the Undertaker.

[sluggo 0]

the Angle Slam through the table was awesome. This match will be my favorite match this year. We're still only 2 months in the year and I'm sure something will blow it from our minds.

 

I didn't like the Face/Face ending with Taker helping Angle up. It reminded me of the Eddie/Batista ending and the Jeff Hardy/Taker ladder match.

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

I think Taker/Angle tonight was the best laid-out, storytelling, match since Eddie/Lesnar.

You know, its silly, because technically, its probably not the better match, but I enjoy this match better than Angle/Benoit at the Rumble.

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

You know, I've got tickets to the 2/27 Supershow. What are the chances that they give these two 20-25 minutes on the Smackdown half (to air 3/1)?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I have this and Benoit/Angle around the same at ****1/2. The RR03 match gets huge points for bringing that audience back to life, so it gets ranked sorta differently. On a storytelling level, Taker/Angle was superior. But then again, Taker/Angle wouldn't be as impactful without Benoit/Angle, IMO, because when Angle put on Anklelock 03, I was convinced it was over because NO ONE gets out of that. Taker booting Angle in the face while the hold was still on is probably in the top 5 moments in that match, and really indicative of the story, because Angle let go. His big move, the one that slays dragons, and he let go because he maybe had a lil more confidence in himself than Taker did. He was willing to let go because he figured he could get it on again, or something. I hope they give this match some good promo spots to help the finish become more clear. Someone needs to ask Taker "why didn't you let go" and someone needs to ask Angle "why did you let go".

[Art Sandusky 0]

I think Taker/Angle tonight was the best laid-out, storytelling, match since Eddie/Lesnar. When you think about how Angle tried *everything* to finish Taker, including AL03, and Taker tried to get Angle in every one of his moves and Angle had a reversal for it. It explains the finish so well, because the Triangle choke was working for Taker, so why would he let go? Angle couldn't finish Taker with any of his conventional moves, so instead he uses Takers own stubborness against him and jackknifes the hold for the pin.

 

I am hearin people say how they killed Angle's moves and how they repeated the spots and how it was the usual "everyone hits their signature moves for the big dramatic pops" but this WASN'T the usual stuff because it was building towards something. They had meaning. It wasn't JUST there to get the crowd to go nuts (which it did effectively), it served a purpose in building to that finish.

 

Angle not getting the countout was also pretty cool. I wouldn't mind seeing him bring that up and them getting the rematch to be a No Countout so they don't have to keep moving in and out of the ring just to break up the count.

Yes, yes, and yes. Earlier when I said I didn't like the match for the same reasons as you and LOTC it was more in relation to the freakouts over the actual submissions and whatnot. This evaluation of how the match developed and eventually ended is verbalized way better than I could muster myself. That even the leg grapevine (or, as you put it, the Ankle Lock '03) couldn't finish the Undertaker off gave me one of those great "well shit, now what the fuck else can he do?" moments, because it was already at a phase where it appeared that Angle was going to be just as nail-tough as Undertaker was. As much as I complain to my fellow PPV watchers that there's never anything outside of the usual endings, in this case the flow of the match forced something unconventional. Given the workers involved and how it was built as a match between two just plain great competitors who happen to be faces, you also knew that it'd be good and far from cheap.

 

As for the no countout stipulation, while it sounds good in the context of how tonight's match progressed, I'm scared it'd turn into a dumb Attitude-era main event brawl.

[foleyfanforever88 0]

i want video of this match..now

[Guest Dam(o)nYankees]

Someone needs to ask Taker "why didn't you let go" and someone needs to ask Angle "why did you let go".

I have faith in Krystal to do this effectively.

[death_by_burrito 0]

I'd like to thank Vince McMahon for saving me 50 bucks, and allowing me the money to buy the next two TNA PPV's.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

The thing is, I think Taker and Angle could do a pretty decent brawl around the arena with a full course of blood. It would elevate the heat and competition between the two. I mean, shit, both guys bloody and Taker wiping Angles blood on himself for war paint and Angle doing the same in a payback spot would be *fantastic*. The finish of this match said that Angle is willing to risk going unconscious to win the title, and Taker is willing to lose a match to knock Angle out. Taker could come out next week and say "I tried to out grapple the grappler, and I held my own, but it didn't work. Next time, it's gonna be in my world. I'm not going to play that game. Next time, it's gonna be a fist fight." So you get get that aspect in and still incorporate some of the stuff tonight to make their next match different, but still contain some of the stuff that made this match so good.

[4hartthreat 0]

Rudo, I love your passion but you are going a bit overboard here.

 

First off, yes this was a great match and I'm surprised to be saying that.

 

Next topic is Ankle Lock 03. Taker is not the first to escape it. Shawn did it during the ironman they had. But it is a very good spot because it usually does mean the end of the match, so I must admit when Taker escaped it I was thinking he may very well win this match.

 

The point I take most issue with are the "they need promos to make the ending clearer." Angle let go because Taker was fucking kicking him in the face. As for why Taker didn't let go? He didn't think he needed to. He very obviously did not realize he was being pinned. When the ref rang the bell Taker got up and started celebrating. He had to have thought that Angle submitted.

 

Great match with a great ending sequence. I have no issues with a rematch, but the last thing we need are boring promos from these two explaining the obvious and telling us why they did or did not release a submission hold.

[Team Angle Pusher 0]

It kinda makes sense that Orton beat Rey Mysterio here. If Mysterio went on to WrestleMania and won the World Title it would seem forced. Also, Angle is a Face right now, Batista is (hopefully) in the WM Main Event as well to make things more interesting and he's a Face, so they need a full blown Heel because a 3-Way Face match wouldn't work. Mysterio can now go after the United States Title and Batista/Angle/Orton would be IMO a pretty cool match.

[chaosrage 0]

It's refreshing to see Rudo so into WWE programming.

[Black Lushus 0]

the thing about Rey Mysterio winning the title at WM was that, thanks to fate, the story completely wrote itself...the booking team wouldn't have had to hardly do anything...it was right there in front of their faces, it would have made money, it would have been good considering the two guys that would have been involved (Angle/Mysterio)...they both could have gone in faces but Angle could have used heel tactics throughout the match only to have Rey beat him and have the handshake/hug to follow to keep Angle face. Oh well, what's done is done, hopefully what they have in mind for WM doesn't turn out bad.

[Bruce Blank 0]

Nah, Rey will blame Eddie's spirit for not helping him out enough, and it'll be Rey vs. Eddie's Ghost at WM.

 

It'll be the second best 1 person match in history. (Slightly behind Chris Griffin vs. The Imaginary Bear)

I can't belive you no sold the beauty of a match that was Collin "Bomber" Harris Vs Collin "Bomber" Harris

 

and you call yourself a wrestling fan