Seriously, when did RAW become Dancing with the Stars? The WWE does so much right, but the sad part is, when they do right, they have a tendency to undo all that goodwill. It wasn't just the dance off, but that dance off was terrible. When Sean Waltman calls you out and is 100% completely in the right about those criticisms, you know you're in the wrong. And then Khali going for a pin afterwards? Ugh.
But yeah, it wasn't just the dance off. It was John Cena heeling it up in distracting Miz during his match against Edge and yet still being positioned as a face. It's Randy Orton's emotionless demeanor and boring movements when he's supposed to be a crowd-engaging face. It's continually shoving terrible film trailers down our throats instead of trying to get the prime product over.
It's a shame too, because the start to RAW was so promising, so epic. Alberto del Rio bringing out a live mariachi band to celebrate his win, Miz coming out and rousing the rabble and del Rio going EL KABONG on Edge were all fantastic. But then we got the weaksauce to follow. Although I will say this, the end battle royale was pretty sweet. John Morrison had some crazy near-elimination scares, but his offense is so spotty and botchy. They cancel each other out, but I'm sure more people will remember the amazing elimination saves. And Lawler winning that Raw Rumble was a cool moment.
Still, the good stuff was outweighed by the crap for me. Sometimes, it just doesn't make sense how bad the WWE can fuck a show up, but they do. It's a shame.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Banner by Billy Dunlevy
Monday, January 31, 2011
SPOILER ALERT... Deal with It
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| Booker T's appearance was spoiled for some Photo Credit: WWE.com |
That being said, yes, I do think it's a dick move to spoil people who don't want to be spoiled. I understand why people want to have surprises kept for them. However, I want to ask an honest question: Did knowing that Booker T and Kevin Nash being in the Royal Rumble ruin the impact of their inclusion in the match? If it did, then that's alright, but my guess is it didn't. It didn't for me. I knew they were going to be there, but I still marked like crazy to see their placement and what they did and most importantly at least for Nash, how they came out.
The nature of wrestling news is that people want to be first with surprises and the first with the big news, and that news usually involves a surprise. The genie cannot be let back into the bottle, so it's unreasonable to expect people not to post spoilers online. Again, it's a dick move to do it without any kind of warning or hiding hyperlink, but really, is it the end of the world to find out a spoiler beforehand?
The way some people carry on, it's akin to genocide. I mean, I understand being pissed, but for me, execution is always better than surprise. The way Booker and Diesel were introduced last night gave so much impact to their appearances that it didn't matter that I knew they were going to participate in the Rumble match. Honestly, that impact outweighed any bad juju coming from the spoilage.
That's why I think all this spoiler indignation is overblown. We're in the age of information, and you can't spoil a good feeling. I can understand being disappointed, but carrying on about the spoilers ruining an experience to me is just demonstration for demonstration's sake. It's unnecessary bluster. Again, someone spoils something publicly, they're a dick, but there's no need to let that inconsideration ruin your day.
All you need to do is deal with rude people and be done with it. Shit happens. It's not like someone stole your identity or kicked your puppy or even took a dump on your lawn. It's nice for people to respect others desires for surprises to be maintained, but to quote Jason Mann from Twitter, it's not your constitutional right not to be spoiled.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Kofi Kingston Crapping His Pants
We all know Nash can barely move, but God damn, I gotta give Kingston credit there for that scared-shitless look on his face. Really sold the sizzle.
Thanks to TWB superfan KoppoKick for finding this!
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
WWE Hall of Fame Oddsmakers: Arn Anderson
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| Anderson (r) with his Horseman/Brainbusters tag partner Tully Blanchard Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Oddsmakers is a segment on the popular sports opinion show Pardon the Interruption. The co-hosts discuss a particular event and the probability of it happening. It sounded like a good enough topic to transplant onto TWB, so I got my good friend, aspiring author and old-school wrestling fan Peter Speer to play along with me re: WWE Hall of Fame inductees. With the nominations coming out now, we'll take a look at several candidates over the coming weeks and let you know what we think of them getting in. This week's subject: Arn Anderson.
TH: Arn Anderson has never won a World Championship. He was never the centerpiece of a major fed or carried his own feud without the specter of the Horsemen or the Stud Stable behind him. Yet, even without the credentials, Anderson is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, or at least he should have been.
Why? Well, Anderson is the most iconic of all sidekicks. It says something to be the best at something whether it's as a supporting player or a comedic wrestler or a high-flyer or whatever. Anderson wasn't an enforcer, he was The Enforcer. The Enforcer. If Ric Flair needed someone to stand behind him to project menace, toughness, he chose Anderson. It didn't matter that he wasn't a giant. He looked like a legit scrapper, he was booked to be a rough and tumble asskicker, and it all worked because he played his role supremely well. He was also one of the best promo men ever. He could walk the walk and talk the talk.
The WWE knows this, and whenever WCW is featured, Anderson is at the forefront. He's employed by WWE, and whether he goes in with a Horseman contingent or by himself, I think it's a lock that he goes in at some point, and that point may be this year. It's a WCW year, and Anderson could be punching his ticket in this 2011 class. Anderson will get in and he deserves to get in.
Hall of Fame Odds: 3 to 1
PS: Of all the wrestlers I watched growing up, none had a more profound effect than Arn Anderson. Here, within the ranks of raging meatheads and high-flying pipsqueaks was a guy who looked like I was probably going to grow up to look. He didn't give the weird, screaming, ranting promos that were popular in his day, though he did raise his voice, about to where a father would, just a tick below he went nuclear.
And everything he did looked -- and was sold -- like it hurt like hell. His Spinebuster has been replicated to the point of exhaustion, duplicated by maybe Triple H, if that.
So, does Double A, The Original Enforcer, Arn Anderson become a Hall of Famer?
Sadly, I don't think so. To sum it up as best as I can, I've always thought of Arn as only as good as those ahead of him. You don't talk about just Arn Anderson, you talk about the Four Horsemen, you talk about Ric Flair, Sting, Lex Luger. I think as a friend of the three powerhouses of the WCW/NWA territories, often times, people were a bit more willing to sell for Arn, and make him look good than they were for some of the other folks. I don't think I could ever see someone putting Mongo McMichael over like they did Arn, and Mongo held a bigger singles title than Arn ever did.
Arn Anderson is much more of a set-up reliever than he is a starter or closer -- he's there to keep it close, keep the action going, make a hot tag to the guy who'll end up closing out the match. He's the sixth man, the backup running back, the first off the bench in a soccer game, whatever. Maybe he hits .282 over his career as decent slap hitter if he's a baseball player. Maybe he runs for 480 yards a season, backing up someone like Warrick Dunn, if he plays football. Because in wrestling, all he really did was back up Ric Flair, win a few tag titles and hold on to a title that no one really cared much about, thanks to the WCW/NWA over-saturation of the title picture. (6-man tag team champions, anyone? C'mon. I think there was a World Television Champion and a US Television Champion at the same time, too.)
It's always been Arn AND or AND Arn. Never Arn. It was never about Arn. And I think he kinda liked it that way. The Brain Busters were great tag team, despite the short shelf life, and I think the same about Ole and Arn.
How's Arn get in? It's tricky. His tag teams were good, but, they never lasted a real long time. And I doubt we're ever going to see a Four Horsemen induction, considering that if you induct Tully, Ole, Arn, Flair, you're also inducting Sting. You're also inducting Lex Luger who killed one of WWF's national treasures (allegedly). You're also inducting Steve McMichael who barely deserves induction into the McMichael family, and, well you know who.
Sorry, Arn. Maybe someday.
Odds in 2011: 1000 to 1.
Odds of eventual induction: 50 to 1.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Did We Read Too Much into the Big Show/Diesel Staredown?
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| Could he be doing this to Big Show at WrestleMania, or are we just imagining things? Photo Credit: WWE.com |
One of those "fantasy booker" situations arose last night in the actual Royal Rumble match. After Diesel was eliminated, he waited around on the outside of the ring, presumably soaking up the massive applause he was receiving from a still-marking out Boston crowd. As he started to walk back to the lockers, Big Show was coming out for his spot in the Rumble. As they passed each other, the two stared each other down like there was still beef between them. They were old rivals in WCW, mind you. That momentary glimpse of tension set my imagination wild, and I really wasn't the only one.
Could the WWE be planting the seeds for a big-time match at WrestleMania? I mean, there's no way the camera was on the two by accident, right? Plus, there's a rumored WCW-theme to things this year, so could a Big Show/Diesel be a harkening back to those Giant/Kevin Nash matches that headlined more than a couple of WCW cards back in the day? Nash has also been vocal about wanting to do not only the Rumble but also WrestleMania, preferably against Undertaker. Since Taker either may not be healthy or may have other pressing matters to deal with (Wade Barrett, Kane, Brock Lesnar even?), this might not be a bad consolation prize. The Rumble deal obviously came true, so maybe Nash will stick around for more than just a role on the microphone and a shot at being on camera for his buddy HBK's induction into the HoF?
Then again, this could all just be our imaginations running wild with us. We all know Nash really doesn't have the knees to work extensively any more, and a WrestleMania match with a guy the size of Show would be a lot taller an order than a few minutes in the Rumble match. For all we know, Nash could only be back to induct Michaels into the Hall or even get inducted himself. Who knows at this point? It could have just been a rib by the two big men to play on our sensibilities, or it could have just been a cool nod to history.
It would be cool as shit if this lead to a match, even if that match might end up as a candidate for the worst in WWE history in terms of overall quality, but let's not get our hopes up too high until there's more than just a tease to work with.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Jobbers Exit This Way and Other Creative Signs: 2011 Royal Rumble Review
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| Campeon! Photo Credit: WWE.com |
The event opened with a wide shot of the crowd, where an Aqua Teen Hunger Force sign was spotted. This was the first of many epic signs that the Boston crowd toted out for the event. Among the ones I noticed were four signs across the front row saying "We hate Sign Guy!" (poor Sign Guy Rick), "Congrats YAMATO" (I bet Gabe Sapolsky was thrilled with the free pub), "PUSH ZACK RYDER" (YUS!) and my personal favorite, which came out at the start of the Rumble match, "Jobbers Exit This Way" with an arrow pointing to the back. Brilliant. I have to say, a big reason why I enjoyed the event so much was because of the signs but especially the reactions of the crowds. Boston, pat yourselves on the back, because you were a great crowd.
The first match was the World Championship match between Edge and Dolph Ziggler. This match was very methodically-paced, especially early on. Be that as it may, Ziggler was really impressive to me here. He took some hard bumps on the outside, and then after rebounding back on offense, he hit Edge with a stump neckbreaker and had really nice form on the pin, grabbing Edge's free arm so he couldn't grab onto the bottom rope. It's little stuff like that that impresses me, and Ziggler has that down pat. He's definitely a top 5 worker on the roster right now. I was actually really impressed with both guys in this match, and with the way Edge has a tendency to be all slug-like, that was a good sign. I have to say though, I could have done without the SPEAR~! while Vickie Guerrero was knocked out, especially since he was going to finish Ziggler with the Killswitch anyway. But all in all, the whole schmozz finish didn't feel as bad or overbooked as I thought it might have. I'm not sure why Kelly Kelly was the one to attack Vickie, but hey, if it leads to Drew McIntyre being in the WHC Elimination Chamber at Elimination Chamber *sigh*, then I'm all for it. Again, I didn't expect Ziggler to win here, so I wasn't bummed that he lost, and I actually thought he was put over as much as a guy in his position could have been. This was the best match on the undercard.
Next up was a shot to the back with Miz and Alex Riley cutting a promo on Randy Orton and Boston itself with a shot on Tom Brady. It was a good promo, but ripping on a QB that already has three Super Bowls? Ah, I guess the "what have you done for me lately" schtick is in play here. Anyway, onto the match itself, and it was what I expected, at least at first. Orton dominated Miz until Riley got involved, then things got to be more equal between the two. Miz carried the match for me, bumping for Orton and pulling out some neat tricks himself, especially a NOSE HOOK! on his camel clutch midmatch. I love blatantly cheap heel moves like that. I also loved the knee lift he did to Orton as he was hanging over the apron. Orton sold it well too. I have to say, Orton was very giving during the match when he had to sell, well, until the countout tease spot when after taking a catapult to the ring post, he leaped back into the ring at 8 and just went HAM on Miz. Ugh, no-selling the biggest move in the match just killed it for me. Anyway, the finish of the match just went into Russo-overbooking territory. Nexus came out to distract Orton, which gave Riley time to Pearl Harbor Orton, only to fail miserably. Then Miz ate a RKO but it was a CM Punk GO TO SLEEEEEEEEP that prevented Orton from getting the pin. Punk laid Miz on top of Orton and bam, Miz retained. I didn't understand why Miz had to eat the RKO before everything, as the visual of him picking the bones after Punk did the heavy lifting would have been so much better, but hey, he's still Champ and he's still AWESOME.
After the match, Todd Grisham read an official public statement from Dashing Cody Rhodes, which was pretty well-written. I really like this "I AM HIDEOUS IN THE FACE" Cody Rhodes angle. It's really showing his range well, and I think it could lead to bigger things for him.
Next up was our filler match, the handicap LayCool vs. Nattie Neidhart match, only it wasn't. The Anonymous GM beeped in and made the affair a fatal four way, inserting Eve Torres into the match. Anyway, this was a pretty nondescript match except for a few moments. They were LayCool teasing dissension yet again and Nattie busting out a two-for-one Sharpshooter, this time on Layla and Eve. The match was probably chaotic by design. Anyway, the finish was a double pin, Eve on Layla after a moonsault and then McCool with a roll-up on Nattie. The ref counted the Eve pin and ignored the McCool pin, making Eve the new Pretty Butterfly Champion.
Next up, another Daniel Bryan vignette where he had to break up a fight between Gail Kim and the Bella Twins. Amusing.
Finally, the 40-man Royal Rumble was upon us. It started out with CM Punk drawing number 1 and a member of the Corrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre drawing number 2, but which one was unclear, as Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson came out from the entryway and Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater came out from the crowd. They surrounded Punk and started to beat him down until the Nexus came out to even the odds. The GM announced that if everyone didn't clear the ring, they'd all be kicked out of the Rumble, so they all left. The real number 2 was Daniel Bryan, which kicked off the first portion of the Rumble - Punk and Bryan put on display for nerds everywhere. It was pretty epic, as Bryan and Punk always found their way back to brawling with each other. After Bryan had dumped Gabriel and Zack Ryder, he went at it with Punk again, eliciting a dueling "LET'S GO PUNK!" "LET'S GO BRYAN!" chant from the Boston faithful. Nope Vince, the Internet darlings don't translate to the big stage at all, do they? Oh man, for me, a guy who's a HUGE fan of both guys, that was my personal satisfaction of the night. William Regal drew #5, and this was where the first big pile-up started to happen, as Ted DiBiase, John Morrison and Yoshi Tatsu came to the ring without elimination. There were two real standout moments here for me. One was Regal and Bryan engaging in a European uppercut war. I wonder if Claudio Castagnoli got a chance to watch and marvel at that? The second - and this one may end up being the spot of the year and maybe the most memorable Rumble spot ever - saw Regal bump Morrison from the apron to sure elimination... except Morrison pulled some epic Spider-man shit out of his bag and landed clinging to the guardrail like he was the aforementioned superhero. Wow. I literally had my jaw dropped at seeing it. They replayed it twice. They should have replayed it like 30 times. It was that amazing.
Husky Harris, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry and JTG were the next four in. This was a pretty unremarkable spot except for Chavo getting a nice moment, going for the Three Amigos on several people but keeping getting interrupted until he ended up completing the trio on Bryan. One of the big Rumble subplots was giving certain veterans their time in the sun, and I thought it was really cool of them, especially since Chavo hasn't exactly had stellar treatment from management in his WWE tenure. The tone of the match would change once two of the next three entrants in the Rumble were Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga. With the Nexus 4/5 strong in the ring, everyone started getting cleared out, starting with Bryan and Morrison and continuing until the Nexus members were the only ones in the ring waiting for people to come out. Tyler Reks, Kozlov and R-Truth all got swiftly dumped. Khali came out and was able to eliminate Harris, but then the next guy out was predictably Mason Ryan, who eliminated Khali and got his big rub for the night.
Next up though was the first of two big surprises that may or may not have been spoiled for you depending on how closely you paid attention to the Internet all weekend long. BOOKER MOTHERFUCKING T made his WWE return, looking as bug-eyed and hype as in the glory days. He came out and proceeded to hit all his classic signature spots on various Nexus members, including an epic SPINAROONI that had me leaping off my couch in marking out. Yeah, he got dumped almost immediately after by Ryan, but damn, it was good to see Booker in a WWE ring again. The next one out from the back was John Cena, and this is when the Rumble went from Nexus dominance to Cena's big hot streak run. Cena took out Ryan, McGillicutty and Otunga before turning his sights to Punk. Given the events of the night, both before and after that spot, it looked as if Cena's elimination of Punk was the big blowoff to their proceedings, which is disappointing given we didn't get a PPV match out of it, but at the same time, it could have been worse.
Hornswoggle was the next to come out, and obviously, Cena wasn't going to toss him. They proceeded to team up, which actually wasn't as horrifying as it might have sounded. You know me, I HATEHATEHATEHATE Hornswoggle, but I thought his entry into the Rumble this year was well done. He basically piggybacked off Cena, doing all his spots and helping him double team both Tyson Kidd and Heath Slater for quick eliminations. He even gave an Attitude Adjustment to Tyson Kidd, which is no small feat for a small guy like that. Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger and Sheamus were the next three out, and this signaled another big pileup. Sheamus ended up eliminating Hornswoggle with a Brogue Kick to the face off the top rope. For Hornswoggle, that had to have been like Mick Foley falling off the top of the Cell. I gained a little respect for the midget last night.
The next three out were Rey Mysterio,
Now we started getting into the final run of the match. Guys started coming and going, some, like Alex Riley, were eliminated while the cameras were elsewhere. Ezekiel Jackson got a huge rub by eliminating Big Show. Cena was the longest tenured guy in the Rumble. Alberto del Rio drew #38 and actually spent his sweet time getting to the ring to avoid the fray that was in there... that is until Orton drew #39 and forced del Rio to make an entry. Kane drew #40 which was surprising to me since I was sure Triple H would be in this match. He wasn't. Not that I'm complaining. Santino got run over by I believe Swagger and Sheamus before they both got eliminated, and he rolled out under the bottom rope, which led the announcers to mistakenly believe he was eliminated. More on him later. The apparent final four were Cena, Orton, Barrett and del Rio. Cena got eliminated by The Miz, who had come out to do commentary. Orton went to eliminate Barrett, which he did, but then almost immediately after, del Rio dumped him and started celebrating. Which would have been nice had Santino not been lurking on the outside, readying his Cobra. He hit del Rio and then started celebrating like he just won the lottery, doing his awesome invisible trombone. At this point, I really thought they were going to let Santino win the Rumble, which immediately made me think of my boy and TWB superfan Jake Duvall and how happy he'd be with him winning. However, del Rio eluded elimination and sent Santino over the top rope.
I was completely satisfied and impressed with the Rumble match, both with the action inside of the ring and the result. This Rumble was booked more like a traditional Pat Patterson-laid out Rumble unlike last year's jaunty and different match, but like last year's, this one was still so action packed and laden with tension and surprise that it was on par with last year's. del Rio winning was the icing on the cake. He wasn't an established star who didn't need it, nor was he an untalented musclehead whom the WWE was trying to ram down our throats. The guy in eight short months has generated main event levels of heel heat by being a talented dick, both inside and out of the ring, and I'm glad they rewarded him with one of the headline spots at WrestleMania. Some people may be poo-pooing this, but not me. This was the absolute right call, and it made for a very satisfying end to a bang-bang start to the WWE PPV year...
...but you already knew that.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Weekend Wrap-Up: "DON'T COME BACK! DON'T COME BACK!"
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| Very European |
- PWG Kurt RussellMania 2: The Reunioning headlined WrestleReunion in Los Angeles on Saturday, and whoo boy, do I have a doozy of a story to report for you. Apparently, Shane Helms got his knickers in a twist because Joey Ryan DARED give him a superkick. For those of you not in the know, Helms picked a fight with Shawn Michaels on Twitter, a fight HBK has largely ignored actually, and has been spending the last two months telling anyone who'd listen how much of a jerk HBK is. Let's just forget that the superkick has become a commonplace move in indie wrestling, used by everyone from Tyler Black to the fucking Bravado Brothers and everyone in between. It's a staple move in Ryan's moveset, but don't tell that to Helms, who thinks the world is in debt to him for playing a superhero character on WWE TV for years. He proceeded to no-sell the kick and then continue on with the match like nothing happened. The crowd chanted "DON'T COME BACK! DON'T COME BACK!" at him. You don't fuck with PWG crowds. You just don't, because they will eat you alive, especially if you act like a raging douche. Ugh.
In non-enraging matches, the RockNES monsters team of Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma (AWESOME TEAM NAME) beat out three other teams to earn the first spot in the DDT4 tournament this year. Jake Roberts beat Sinn Bodhi in his retirement match. Roddy Piper won the Legends battle royale in a show-stealing affair by eliminating Terry Funk last. The two were said to have really gone all out. Claudio Castagnoli was successful in his first title defense, defeating El Generico. The match apparently didn't go on until 1 AM local time, which means most of the East Coast was in bed when they were finishing up this defense. That's dedication.
- ROH opened the WrestleReunion weekend with a hot show of their own. The big news was that the World's Greatest Tag Team defeated the Kings of Wrestling in a non-title match, which can only foreshadow a big title match for the former WWE staples later on in the ROH slate. Roderick Strong defended his World Championship successfully against, yep, El Generico, and Christopher Daniels, seconded by Allison Danger, retained his TV Championship against Mark Briscoe.
- Of course, the DGUSA East Coast Triple Shot was this weekend, featuring the crowning of the Open the United Gate Champions as well as three BxB Hulk Open the Freedom Gate title defenses... well, it would have been three if he had made it out of the first show in New York without dropping the title to YAMATO. Personally, I wanted to see Jon Moxley be the one to dethrone Hulk but whatever. PAC and Masato Yoshino became the inaugural United Gate Champions, sweeping their matches for the weekend, including a win on the final night over Johnny Gargano and Chuck Taylor. Gabe Sapolsky seems to be happy with the weekend on Facebook, so that's always a good sign.
- Clash Wrestling in Michigan had its inaugural 2011 event, on Saturday, featuring Mena Libra beating Truth Martini in a special attraction match as well as Gavin Quinn defending his Clash Championship against X-Pac. According to TWB superfan Dorian Jackson, the match was short and not that good, but X-Pac got on the mic afterwards, thanked the crowd, apologized for his performance (which he really didn't have to do given that it was due to him taking a hard kick to the throat) and then stuck around and signed autographs after the event was over. I rip on Sean Waltman a lot, but this was a classy thing for him to do. Pro wrestlers often don't get enough credit for being good to their fans, but really, I've found that no entertainment medium has workers as friendly to their fans as wrestling, and Waltman was no exception here. In fact, I think he went above and beyond. Good for him, I hope that whatever demons he's battling right now can be defeated and he can live in peace.
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
This Week in DVR: The Bravado Bandwagon Now Boarding
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| Gettin' DZP Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Matches
Zack Ryder and Primo Colon vs. Yoshi Tatsu and David Hart Smith on Superstars - This was a pretty nice tag match. On the heel side, Ryder and Colon are two former tag wrestlers and Champions, and on the face side, there's Tatsu and a guy in Smith who is rough around the edges but has lots of promise. There was a lot of good ring-cut-in-half/FIP action, Yoshi's comeback was great, and the finish was very well done. Good match.
Drew McIntyre vs. JTG on Smackdown - Pretty good brawl. McIntyre controlled the action and JTG did a good job selling. The finish with the backslide counter into the Future Shock DDT was pretty neat.
Shows
ROH on HDNet - A lot of angle work and set-up on this show, but that's not a bad thing. It's a shame that the HDNet show is in its last few weeks, because they're doing a lot of that lately, getting people to know their wrestlers, whether its the big guys like Eddie Edwards or the lesser-known like the Bravado Brothers. Speaking of them, yeah, that segment with them was pretty awesome. They're so soft-spoken and awkward, but I think it works with their "grandma's boy" type characters. I also love that ROh focuses on its tag team division, and as a result, their teams are over, rather than in WWE, where... well, we know how the WWE treats its tag teams.
Superstars - The wrestling was good if not great this week outside of the honor roll tag match, so yeah, it was a decent episode. My thing though, aside from how impressed I continue to be with Scott Stanford, is R-Truth. The guy should be a decent enough wrestler given his athletic ability, ring savviness and experience, but it's just flippy nonsense with terrible spots. I mean, his finisher looks like it's the victim giving him the Rock Bottom. Terrible execution. Ugh.
Impact - Someone asked me on Twitter (@BitterOldJoe) why I watch TNA if I just savage it. I do like a good number of the performers, and even some of them I hate for other reasons, like Jeff Hardy, do admirably in the ring or on the mic. Hardy had a great promo, maybe the best form he's ever shown on the mic even if I didn't like the content of it at points, and the wrestling action that I WAS able to see (my DVR cut out most of the X-Division three way and the finish of the Knockouts tag match) was good. It's just so much of the show is dedicated to Eric Bischoff and his BS legalese storylines. Ugh. This is the lot of following TNA. You have to sift through so much crap to get to the good stuff.
Smackdown - This was as good a go-home show for the Rumble as they could have, way better than they did for RAW. That being said, I thought that the end angle with Vickie Guerrero banning the spear was lame. I'm so over the evil authority figure character it's not even funny. Maybe it's just overload since I watch Impact before Smackdown and they have the evil administration PLASTERED over their program, but really, enough of faces needing to overcome additional adversity from heel NPC authorities. Ugh.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Mistico Signs with WWE
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| Mistico Photo Credit: Lateral Press Blog |
CMLL (one of the highest profile Mexican feds) legend Mistico will sign with WWE and report to FCW to get ready for WWE. Apparently, the feeling in Mexico is that if Alberto del Rio, who wasn't that successful in Mexico, can get over huge in the WWE, that a huge star in Mexico would be over like gangbusters. That might not be the case in reality, but hey, the guy is reputed to be one of the best workers in the world, so at least we have that going for us.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Future Endeavors 1/27 Power Poll: War King Represent!
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| War King gets the top spot on my ballot |
Welcome to yet another edition of the Future Endeavors Power Poll, a poll ranking wrestlers on a weekly basis based on how awesomely they performed or were portrayed on a Tuesday-to-Monday cycle. It is voted by a who's-who of wrestling bloggers, including my blogging Masatbro Yoshinbro, PizzaBodySlam. I will list the top ten, and then post and comment on my ballot. Here goes:
1. The Miz (Last Week: 4)
2. CM Punk (1)
3. Edge (6)
4. Wade Barrett (3)
5. John Cena (NR)
6. Dolph Ziggler (2)
7. Randy Orton (NR)
8. Alberto Del Rio (8)
9. Kofi Kingston (9)
10. Daniel Bryan (7)
And here be my ballot:
1. Eddie Kingston - Killer match with El Generico puts the War King at the top of my ballot. He was the star of Chikara's season premiere, and since Chikara is the best thing going in wrestling right now, gotta give the best performer in that fed the top run this week.
2. Daniel Bryan - Stock D... nah, Bryan was a big part of RAW this week, even if it was only to make out with Gail Kim and get between her and the Bella Twins. Talk about workrate of a different kind!
3. The Miz - Did his best to carry Edge across two commercial breaks, and again, continues to be AWESOME. Plus, his synchronized laugh with A-Ry interrupting John Cena was the moment of the night.
4. CM Punk
5.
6. Davey Richards - Tapped Roderick Strong in the final match on HDNet ever. I think that's important enough to net a spot in my ballot.
7. "Prodigy" Mike Bennett - He won the Top Prospect tournament over the weekend for ROH. He's getting the rocket-up-the-ass treatment for good reason. He's decent at least.
8. Dolph Ziggler - He might be getting the short shrift in his build to the World Championship, but he's at least acquitting himself well.
9. Justin Gabriel - Getting a win over the World Champion, be it tainted as it was, is worth a ballot spot. Gabriel is almost there in the ring. Once he gets a personality, game over, man, he's the next big star.
10. Sinn "Kizarny" Bodhi - FUCK THE HATERS, Kizarny was awesome Sunday, especially his Sex Panther promo.
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Stone Cold to Host Tough Enough
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin will be the host for Tough Enough. I think this is a good move to draw in viewers, given that Austin is one of the two or three names that could draw in old-time fans or casual watchers. The trick will be putting a compelling product on the screen to keep those new viewers in and perhaps entice them to watch RAW and Smackdown. Eh, I don't know. I'd rather them put effort into making NXT something other than a complete joke, but whatever.
Thanks to Razor of Kickout Wrestling for posting the link on his Twitter!
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
40 Wrestlers to Freedom: 2011 Royal Rumble Preview
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| Your 2011 Rumble Winner? Photo Credit: WWE.com |
The first one is the World Championship match, Edge taking on Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler is a first-time World Championship contender taking on Edge, who is fresh of the worst feud in wrestling from the prior year, a schlockfest with Kane over primarily torturing and maiming Paul Bearer. This feud was simpler, but it really didn't do a whole lot to put Ziggler over as a credible title contender except for one post-main event attack on Edge a couple weeks ago. According to Smackdown spoilers, Ziggler gets beaten down and gets his comeuppance during the show, which according to common WWE booking logic means he's getting the title. Not so fast there, my friend. I really don't think Ziggler is, nor should he be, getting the title at this point. He'll get there some day, but not today. I just hope the match is competitive and that Ziggler is able to carry Edge to something watchable.
The second is the WWE Championship match, Miz defending his title against Randy Orton. I feel like this match could go either way, even though I kinda figure that the WWE wants the title on Miz for an extended period. Yeah, he's been must see, an ambassador for the company and the like, but I get the sinking feeling that him carrying the title into WrestleMania doesn't scream a "WrestleMania"-level match yet to the bookers. Taking the belt off him here in favor of Orton is a disturbingly realistic option that not many people would like them to consider, but until the Rumble is over and Miz is still WWE Champion, I don't think that pit in my stomach is going to go away.
The third title match is Nattie Neidhart taking on Team LayCool in some capacity for the Pretty Butterfly Championship. This match is notable mostly because it's the big rumored point for Awesome Kong's WWE debut. Otherwise, it feels like a throwaway for me, if only because we've seen it so many times before and because LayCool is reverting to making fat jokes at an obviously not fat challenger to get heat. Ugh.
That leaves us with the Rumble match itself. Even though there are realistically four or five guys who can win this year out of 40, the match itself is never solely about the guy who wins. Although this year, there's that element of unpredictability since there's really no clear-cut favorite going in. John Cena is always a threat to win. A returning Triple H could win too, setting up a title match with Sheamus at WrestleMania (the rider being Sheamus winning one of the two titles at Elimination Chamber *sigh*). It could be CM Punk or Alberto del Rio. Maybe even Kane as a longshot or the Big Show. They could elevate someone in John Morrison or Kofi Kingston.
A lot of the fun goes with guessing who gets the Diesel/Kane push (most guys eliminated) or the Ric Flair/Rey Mysterio push (ironman/endurance). There are two really obvious candidates for the former push, and they go hand-in-hand with the current Nexus/Corrrrrrrrre stuff. Each group has a muscular enforcer - Mason Ryan for the Nexus and Ezekiel Jackson for the Nexus Wolfpac - and my guess is one or both will go on an eliminating spree to clear out room for their respective fearless leaders (even if RED BELLY doesn't consider himself the leader of the group). The latter has a few options as well that are intriguing. Any one of the potential winners could last that long, but they could also give an endurance prize to someone who isn't quite ready to win but could use the rub long-term. Daniel Bryan is my pick for the longest laster in the match. He's booked as a scrapper who uses technical ability and guile to gain his advantages rather than brute strength, and I can see that working in his favor, especially to escape elimination via skinning the cat or by other means.
The surprise entrants are also a big part as to what makes the Rumble great. Last year, we only really had two surprise entries into the Rumble - Beth Phoenix and Edge - but both had very long-lasting impacts. Phoenix eliminated the Great Khali via smooch and Edge won the whole thing a mere six months after rupturing his Achilles' tendon, an injury that keeps guys out a lot longer. With the 10-man increase, I expect to see more than two surprise entrants. Triple H is obviously one to look out for, as is Finlay, who is deemed too old for regular competition by Vince McMahon but who may not have a problem making a guest run in. Who else could surface? Here are a few names that I'm going to put some stock into:
Diamond Dallas Page - DDP is coming back to the WWE in a broadcaster role, hosting a "Best of Nitro" show for WWE Classics on Demand. What better way to get the advertisement out there for the new show then by having the host - a multiple-time former WCW Champion - out there for a few minutes?
Chris Jericho/Batista - Lumping both these guys in there because they're both former employees who left last year and who are always rumored to be on the return by some dirtsheet somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised by either, but I don't really think they're going to make appearances here either.
Percy Watson - Oh yeah! He's been doing the dark match round, usually going over William Regal in the process. This would be a logical re-entry point for Watson, especially if they didn't want to put him into the Nexus/Co(r*100)e morass.
Road Warrior Animal - There's buzz that the Road Warriors will be included in the WWE Hall of Fame class this year, and Animal's in good enough shape to run into the ring and get thrown out after throwing some punches. Why not?
Okay, now that everything else is out of the way, who is my pick to win? It's the boring choice, it's the knot-in-the-stomach choice, but I have to go with John Cena. Business is down. The WWE is predictable. I hope to God he doesn't win, not because I don't like him but because I think it'd be the boring choice, but I think he's going to take it and either defeat Miz or Orton at WrestleMania for the title.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Follow Friday: We Talk Games
You can find them here - @WeTalkGames. These guys are probably the most interactive troop on Twitter when it comes to its followers. Every day, the post a daily question and usually, if you answer it, they'll have some kind of retort. It's not all new-style gaming either. They're pretty big into old school stuff, like classic JRPGs, Nintendo and Sega Genesis 2D sidescrollers and platformers and the like. I also have it on good authority from TWB superfan Sean McLaughlin that it's probably the best gaming podcast out there. So, even if podcasts aren't your thing, if you're a gamer, follow these guys. Well worth your time.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Friday Five: The Royal Rumble 2011
Your template for Rumble predictions provided:
1. Which two wrestlers start the Rumble off this year?
2. Who gets the Diesel push?
3. Who lasts the longest?
4. Who do you think is going to be a surprise entrant this year?
5. Three parter! Whom do you think should win the Rumble? For whom are you rooting to win? Who IS going to win?
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
1. Which two wrestlers start the Rumble off this year?
2. Who gets the Diesel push?
3. Who lasts the longest?
4. Who do you think is going to be a surprise entrant this year?
5. Three parter! Whom do you think should win the Rumble? For whom are you rooting to win? Who IS going to win?
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Star Potential for the Nexus and Corrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre
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| Gabriel - the Next Megastar? Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Darren Young - Darren Young's fate already seems sealed. Even though he's improved tons in the ring and has gotten a knack of how to play the crowd, he seems to be stuck in Superstars purgatory, a place reserved for the Curt Hawkinses and Primo Colons of the world. Once you're there, it's hard to get out of it. I could be wrong, but at the same time, Young didn't have as much to work with to me. They missed a golden opportunity for him to get over by not having him positioned as Juan Cena, and to me, that's the kind of opportunity that comes but once in awhile. I'll be the most surprised if Young becomes a bigtime star in WWE out of this group.
Heath Slater - I postulated once that Slater's hair whip was the only thing he had going for him. Outside of doing the ZigZag better than Ziggler seems to, he's been proving me right for the last nine months. What does Slater bring to the ring that guys like Zack Ryder, Hawkins, Primo, Yoshi Tatsu and Chris Masters don't? The answer is actually that he brings less in my view. Other people seem to like him, but I don't think he's long for the company after Nexus/Corrrrrre dissolves.
Husky Harris - I personally like Harris, but I think he's got the body type working against him. Yeah, the WWE is way harder on females for being fat, but it's not like fat guys have gotten it good in the fed either. I mean, the last guy who wasn't Samoan or a bodybuilder to get a big run in the company was Mick Foley, and before him? Probably Dusty Rhodes. Harris is also way too sloppy in the ring at times, so one false move against the wrong guy and it's back on the streets.
David Otunga - For a guy who was shoved down everyone's throats as having "It", he certainly didn't project that into overness. In fact, he wasn't really over until he started playing the snively, conniving Starscream role in the original Nexus. He plays that role well, mind you, and it could translate into a long, WWE career. He probably tops out at Mark Henry, which isn't bad, but is it really a "star"? I mean, I'd rather be Henry and have a decade-long career with the WWE rather than bounce back and forth between indies and TNA. Still, I'll be surprised if he wins a World-level Championship.
Ezekiel Jackson - Jackson has the biggest head start of any of the Nexus/Corre guys in that he's been around as THE Brian Kendrick's bodyguard as recently as 2008. He's got nominal mic skills and is a pretty good big man worker. However, when was the last time a big, steroid fetish guy gotten over without having some kind of mic skills behind him? Batista is the only guy I can remember, and he got a full faith push where he was able to outsmart Triple H at every turn. Will Jackson get that kind of push? That'll depend on how Vince feels on a certain day. So he can get there, but it'll take help.
Mason Ryan - Why do I have Welsh-tista over Black-tista? Well, maybe it's the devil that I don't know over the devil that I do. In limited exposure to him, I thought Ryan showed some decent charisma. I don't know. All the same things I said about Jackson apply here.
Michael Tarver - I like Tarver a lot. I think he's got great mic skills, and he projects meanness and tenacity like a boss. However, it just doesn't seem like the WWE thinks he's a star player. I mean, if they did, then they'd insert him back into this Nexus scene instead of having him appear randomly backstage. I don't know, maybe they do have things planned for him, but something tells me he's going to end up being forgotten. Which would suck, by the way.
Michael McGillicutty - Y'know, I haven't soured as much on El Hijo del Perfecto as much as some of the other fellow members of the IWC and blogosphere have. I see his NXT 2 finale disaster as a good kid having a bad night. That being said, like his father, he may not have the upward mobility to break into the echelon of mega World Champion. Then again, if his father were coming along in today's game rather than yesterday, maybe he'd be a multiple-time WWE/World Champion. So there's hope for McGillicutty. He has the tools, even if he's limited, and in the right scenario, I can see him catching fire.
Skip Sheffield - YIP YIP YIP WHUT IT DO shooooooot. I don't need to tell you how much I think Sheffield is awesome, but he is, really. I think he can play heel or face well, and everything about his look telling you that he should suck, he can bring everything to the table - mic skills, charisma, wrestling ability. He's the ultimate "don't judge a book by its cover" wrestler, and Vince McMahon agrees, since he's rumored to be so high on Skip that he envisions him as the #2 babyface in WWE behind John Cena, eventually. That's high praise.
Wade Barrett - Barrett has main evented PPVs before, but has he really arrived? I mean, you could argue that he's a main eventer, but the way he was jobbed out at the end of TLC I think set him back a bit. Still, there's no doubt that the WWE sees a lot in him, and for good reason. He's got size, charisma and the dude can talk. Barrett looks to be on the scene for awhile barring unforeseen circumstances.
Justin Gabriel - Boyish good looks. Exciting finishing move. Agility and wow factor. Bumping ability. Working ability. If Justin Gabriel learns to cut at least a decent promo, he will be the biggest star of this group. He's got all the tools and can appeal to both kids and adults. Once he finally goes face, he'll be huge.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Get Down with Yourself, Mr. Remsburg
Get down with your bad self.
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
King of Trios Gon' Get Egyptian
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| Photo Credit: ChikaraPro.com |
The third threesome announced for this year's epic King of Trios tournament is, unsurprisingly, The Osirian Portal. A twosome until recently, new member Hieracon gives them the magic number without needing to resort to having Virgil's good pal Escorpion Egyptico on the team or be at the mercy of a BDK-sympathizing Director of Fun.
Also announced today, the February 19th card in Reading will feature QuackSaw's first Campeonatos de Parejas defense against the demonic Batiri, Obariyon and Kodama. It'll be interesting to see if they retain or whether they're going to go with a relatively green tag team holding the straps. Either result to me sounds interesting.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Kizarny's Chikara Redemption
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| Bodhi with his minions the Batiri (l) and Evil Midget Hydra |
What about Chikara makes Kizarny seem at home when he was a misfit in WWE? Well, the cop-out answer would be that Chikara is home to a motley association of outlandish gimmicks with a fanbase that accepts the reality of wrestling ants and guys with ice cream masks. That's partially true. However, I think the bigger thing to note here is that a) Sinn Bodhi is getting a chance to play his character more like he wants to and less like the WWE writers want him to and b) he doesn't speak in that terrible "stick-iz-in-the-middle-of-every-word" gimmick that he had to do in WWE.
If you don't believe that Bodhi is a great fit in Chikara, then that's your prerogative, but all you have to do is put an order in for Chaos in the Sea of Lost Souls when it comes out on DVD to get a firsthand glimpse of what I'm talking about. It really is night and day compared to the limited slice we got to see of him in the WWE. Even though it'd be better for him to be in WWE with the money and stuff, I'm glad he's at least found some place to fit in. Chikara and Kizarny were better fits from the start, and I think this year, both parties will benefit from that union.
Photo Credit: Zia Hiltey - Please visit her Flickr site to view her excellent photography from Chikara to Juggalos in their natural habitat and everything else in between.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
TWIOT: Eagles Postmortem
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| Protecting Vick is the priority Photo Credit: Michael Perez/AP Photos via ESPN.com |
Offense
Quarterback - The Eagles came into 2010 with question marks under center and came out of it with an unlikely answer. While Kevin Kolb was slated to start the whole year, injuries, inconsistencies and stellar play from his replacement relegated him to the bench. In his stead, Michael Vick made the offense dynamic to the point where it wasn't a question if they'd be able to take down opposing defenses, but how many points were they going to score this week? Vick is a free agent, but I think he wants to play here and I know the front office wants to keep him. Whether it's by franchise tag while an extension is worked out or a flat out extension, I think Vick will – and certainly needs to – be here for the next few years under center.
So whither Kolb? I think he deserves to start somewhere, but that somewhere isn't here. I'd personally trade him to a QB-needy team like the Titans, Bills, Panthers or Raiders for draft picks and then look to the free agent market for an immediate backup. I like someone who is similar to Vick, so the best fit is probably Seneca Wallace. Mike Kafka is the third QB as he was this past season, and he's the QB of the distant future if anything.
Desired 2011 Depth Chart - Michael Vick, Seneca Wallace, Mike Kafka
Running Back - The skill position players weren't the problem with the Eagles, so I'm going to gloss over these ones for now. LeSean McCoy is the best player that Peter King thinks you've never heard of, and I think 2011 is a bust out year for him, especially if Marty Morhinweg gets a head coaching job somewhere and Brad Childress comes back as offensive coordinator. Jerome Harrison was nice to have in the backfield, but he's going to command more money than what the Eagles are willing to pay for a backup RB, so he walks. I say go with McCoy, special team standout Eldra Buckley, Martell Mallet and a late-round rookie, say a Roy Helu, Jr.
At fullback, as much as Leonard Weaver gave the offense a boost in '09, his injury in '10 didn't really do much to hinder the running game or the offense. I'll take Owen Schmitt at a discount, thanks.
Desired 2011 Depth Chart - LeSean McCoy, Roy Helu, Jr. (r), Eldra Buckley, Martell Mallet, Owen Schmitt (FB)
Wide Receiver - Lemme just put it out there, this is the best receiving corps the Eagles have ever had, and they're only getting better. Jason Avant has taken some crap for some drops, but he's still as good a third receiver behind DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin as you could want. Riley Cooper as the fourth option in a spread set is alright by me as well. Sinorice Moss is a nice project at the fifth spot. One request though – dump Chad Hall. The dude reminds me of Reno Mahe, only without the talent. Yeah, he's that bad.
Desired 2011 Depth Chart - DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper, Sinorice Moss
Tight End - No complaints here, although it would have been nice if Brent Celek didn't disappear for stretches during the season. Then again, when you've got a competent QB in Vick who doesn't need to rely on the TE and can hit your stud WRs, well, it's not like we missed production from Celek, who improved his blocking game this year.
Desired 2011 Depth Chart - Brent Celek, Clay Harbor, Cornelius Ingram
Offensive Line - I hate making bad puns (OR DO I?), but the offensive line was downright offensive in 2010. Ugh, even healthy, they were a hot mess as a unit. It's amazing that the offense was as prolific with this leaky group up front. I guess it's just a testament to how well Vick has played, but I reiterate, how awesome would the team have been if there was a decent group in front of whomever was the quarterback all year long? It's maddening, really.
The thing is, they really shot themselves in the foot by locking up Jason Peters and especially Winston Justice at the tackle spots. Peters is alright if not worth the money paid to him, but Justice has been a liability all year long. I almost would rather see what we have with King Dunlap there rather than Justice. I guess it depends on the cap hit we'd take when this new CBA comes into effect.
The middle of the offensive line was pretty rank too. Hell, the whole line probably has to be retooled in some way. I think that we should really consider spending our first round pick on an interior lineman. There are a few good ones available. Stefen Wisniewski from Penn State is projected to be there when the Eagles pick. He's the top rated center. Mike Pouncey out of Florida at guard is another intriguing possibility. His brother Mark is a Pro Bowl center for the Steelers. There are also some interesting free agent options available, specifically Logan Mankins and Alan Faneca. I don't know, I just don't want the year to be wasted again because Michael Vick is forced to run for his life three out of every four plays.
Desired 2011 Depth Chart - T: Jason Peters, King Dunlap, Danny Watkins (r) G: Logan Mankins, Todd Herremans, Reggie Wells C: Stefen Wisniewski (r), Mike McGlynn LS: Jon Dorenbos
Defense
Defensive Line - What a clusterfuck. Outside of Trent Cole, who remained the only Eagle on the edges who could get sacks on a consistent basis, and Brandon Graham, who may not have gotten sacks but got a ton of pressures and was more disruptive than people might notice for the rookie, the line was wholly ineffective in getting results up front. To add injury to insult, Graham tore his ACL and may not even be ready for 2011 (if there is a 2011 season). There are really big portions of the line that need to be overhauled.
Of the current group, I'd only really want to have Cole, Graham, Antonio Dixon and maybe Ricky Sapp back, with the rider that he's healthy. The thing is, there's no way that we'll be able to lose the albatross that is Mike Patterson's contract. The guy looked fearsome earlier in his career, but he's slowed down in a big way. Not good. Broderick Bunkley is a free agent though, and I'd be more than content to let him walk. Then again, who'd step up to start, given that Sapp would be entering his rookie year and Graham would be shelved? Again, not a whole lot of moves to make at tackle, so I'd be happy with Trevor Laws starting aside Dixon next year. At end though, there needs to be improvement, big time improvement. Ray Edwards is a free agent again, so why not go after him like I wanted them to last year? Mathias Kiwanuka is another option. I don't know, but we need help up front.
Desired 2011 Depth Chart - DE: Trent Cole, Ray Edwards, Brandon Graham, Ricky Sapp, Pierre Allen (r) DT: Antonio Dixon, Trevor Laws, Mike Patterson, Jeff Owens
Linebackers - This position has almost never been a priority to the Eagles, and every year, that lack of focus bites us on the ass. This year was no different, as the inability to cover the tight end, stop the run and generate a decent pass rush from the blitz were all big reasons why the defense was a huge liability. Stewart Bradley was an utter failure as a middle linebacker, and anyone who still wants to make excuses for him are doing so because they like the guy. I get it, he's a very likable dude. I wanted him to succeed, but there was only so much overpursuit and being out of position I could take. Jamar Cheney stepped in, and he was a big improvement, but that still leaves liabilities on the outside positions. I don't know about you, but I don't think I can take another year of Ernie Sims and his propensity for 15 yard fouls and blown coverages or Moises Fokou doing anything other than playing special teams.
I'm willing to give Bradley one more shot playing one of the outside spots, but it would have to be the Will position. He can't cover a tight end, even healthy. I have flashbacks to the playoff game against the Giants a few years back where Bradley was getting blown up by Kevin Boss on a regular basis. Kevin Boss. Not a bad tight end, but not a guy who should be made to look like Jason Witten or Antonio Gates. As for the weak side? I say draft a linebacker, and draft him high, like second round. Yeah, I know the Eagles don't do that, but they should. Justin Houston would be a nice fit, but he may not be there when we pick at #22 in the second round. Then again, if there's a Kolb trade that nets us some high draft picks, then by all means, we should take Justin Houston.
Desired 2011 Depth Chart - Jamar Cheney, Stewart Bradley, Justin Houston (r), Akeem Jordan, Keenan Clayton, Wayne Daniels (r), Moises Fokou
Secondary - This was probably the strength of the defense, although given the state of the defense, that wasn't much of a compliment. Asante Samuel, as FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUU-inducing as he can be, played well enough this year, despite his injuries, but the corner position on the other side of the field was a mixed bag all year long, ESPECIALLY after Ellis Hobbs went down with a career-threatening neck injury. That second cornerback position needs addressing, and thank Christ, there's an elite option out there. Nnamdi Asomugha. The disgruntled former Raider is on the market, and luckily for us fans, the Eagles love signing big money corners. Asomugha is the blanket cover corner we need to shut down the top receiver so that balls are thrown more at Samuel. When Samuel's receivers get more targets, he gets more chances for INTs. When he's able to force turnovers, well, that's when the fireworks start. I wouldn't care if Dimitri Patterson was on the roster next year or not, because he kinda sucked as the season wore on. Then again, this was after Hobbs got hurt. I don't know.
I think we're good at safety as long as Nate Allen recovers fully from his knee injury. Allen was a revelation at free safety, giving us what could be a suitable replacement for Brian Dawkins. When an icon leaves, it can be hard to replace him. The Dolphins are still looking for a QB to fill at least one of Dan Marino's shoes. Quintin Mikell deserves a new contract at strong safety. Really, the secondary is pretty much set right now.
Desired 2011 Depth Chart - CB: Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, Trevard Lindley, Joselio Hanson S: Nate Allen, Quintin Mikell, Colt Anderson, Kurt Coleman
Special Teams - It's not a well-kept secret that David Akers wants to test the market. While you might not think kicker is an important position, well, try telling that to the half-dozen NFL teams who have to change kickers midseason because of inconsistency. If there has been one constant on this team, it's been that Akers is the kicker and the Eagles have one of the surest kicking games in the league. Don't let that performance in the Green Bay playoff game fool you. Everyone's allowed a bad game, and if the defense didn't royally suck to the point where James Starks (JAMES STARKS?) ran through them like they were Swiss cheese, it wouldn't have come down to Akers' misses costing us the game. The Eagles would be foolish to let him walk.
A good kick returning game would be nice too, although punts are covered with DeSean Jackson as a threat to take one to the house whenever he's back there. I'm fine with the punter.
In Closing - The Eagles have a lot of holes to fill, but with the cap room we have and the personnel in place, there's no reason why we can't win the NFC East in 2011. You know, if there is a 2011 season. However, of all the needs that must be addressed, offensive line is the biggest, because if Michael Vick takes another beating next year like he did this year, then the window for a Super Bowl will be shut before too long.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Oh Chris Jericho, Never, Ever Change
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| The man Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Via Twitter
A fan recently asked Chris Jericho when he was returning to WWE. Here was his response:
RT @CenationUCME @IAmJericho can u tell us around what time ull be returnin to wwe? - Probably at about 10:43pm or so.Genius.
The sad thing is, there's probably some dirtsheet out there that takes that as a ZOMG SPOILER JERICHO IS CUMIN BAKK! and will post it on their site. Still, there's a reason why Jericho is just the best ever. This is evidence of that.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
TNA Is a Pathetic, Pathetic Wrestling Company
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| This will never happen Photo Credit: TNAWrestling.com |
TNA is offering to promote a steel cage match between disgruntled Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson (nee Ochocinco) and his coach, 52-year old Marvin Lewis in response to a Johnson tweet where he offered out his coach in such a match. All I have to say is... seriously? Again, no one is going to argue that the short term attention boost on the product will be nice for the time being, but again, this is like putting a band-aid on a sliced jugular. It does nothing to solve the problems TNA has, and that's flagging house show attendance, a ratings slide that sees fewer eyes on the product as the show ends than it does when it begins, putrid PPV buyrates and long term indifference towards the product.
That doesn't even speak to the fact that they're just throwing this offer out there on their website like pathetic attention whores who think that this is a serious offer. Even if Johnson is unstable enough to actually want to wrestle in a steel cage match (and given the impending lockout hanging over the NFL, there'd be a lot less restriction on him to do this kind of thing), what makes anyone think that Lewis would entertain the idea? It's just pathetic.
But then again, I expect nothing less from them.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
NJPW Announces First American Main Events
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| Low Ki Photo Credit: WWE.com |
The Jersey All-Pro Wrestling-promoted New Japan Pro Wrestling Invasion tour announced the first three matches for their triple-shot of cards, presumably all main events for the respective stops on the tour. The first match announced for Rahway's 5/13 date features Homicide and Low Ki teaming up to face off against Jushin "Thunder" Liger and Tiger Mask IV. The New York City 5/14 date will get Ki taking on Irish-born gaijin favorite Prince Devitt, who holds the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, although I think it's a non-title affair. Finally, the 5/15 Philly date gets Rhino battling Togi Makabe. I'm not really all that familiar with the NJPW names excepting Liger, but I've heard some good things about Devitt at least. I can at least vouch for the other three guys announced, which means I'm excited for the first two and pretty bummed that it's Rhino who's first to be announced for Philly. Oh well, can't win 'em all.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
New Nexus vs. Corrrrrrrre: How to Feud Two Heel Stables
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| Can they both stay heel and still get at each other? Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Monday night on RAW, they teased conflict between the New Nexus and the Corrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre for the first time since CM Punk ousted Wade Barrett from the Nexus and sent his RED BELLY to Smackdown to create his own renegade group. It was weird for me as a longtime viewer of WWE because they don't usually create tension between heels without turning one of them face. Unless Barrett and Big Show are going to do a double turn sometime soon, I doubt that the Corrrrrrrrre is going to be turning face anytime soon, and unless there's a double turn where John Cena turns heel, causing half the Internet to spontaneously ejaculate, the New Nexus is staying the way they are. Obviously, there's heat between Barrett and Punk as well as their groups. There will also most likely be a match between the factions at WrestleMania, probably a six- or eight-man tag team match, depending on whether Corrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre adds a new member or not (I'm assuming Punk will wrestle Cena and Barrett will get fed to Undertaker at this point if Taker's healthy enough to make it).
So, what does this all mean? Can the WWE have two heel stables feud without one of them going face or without having the payoff match be something with more heat than a ROH TV taping dark match? The knee jerk answer is hell no, given how badly the WWE has a tendency to screw up angles that aren't traditional or need a storytelling touch. So, with that in mind, the best guess is that the group will probably end up joining up to get sacrificed to a joint Cena/Big Show effort at some point in the near aftermath of WM. Or even worse, they could just feed both groups to Cena like they did Nexus in the build to his blowoff match with Barrett at TLC.
But assuming that they don't fuck this up, how could they have two groups feuding with each other while still keeping heel cred on each brand? My solution would be to build it up as a pissing contest between the two. Have one group do something pretty major on their own brand, then show the other group watching replays of it and thinking they need to do something even MORE major on their own brand, upping the levels of mayhem each week until the GMs for each show get together and threaten them with firing if they continue, which would lead to the ultimate pissing contest blowoff, a head-to-head matchup. It sounds simplistic and would need a lot of fleshing out, but it's the best way to go without turning either group face, even if I think CM Punk would make a blisteringly awesome face (and RED BELLY wouldn't do to badly either).
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
The Best Moves Ever: Kudome Valentine
I've said it once, and I'll say it again, those Joshi girls are CRAZY. With that craziness though comes a certain degree of innovation, which is needed since in an inherently sexist society like Japan, they're not going to get the credit they deserve without going big rather than going home. It's no surprise that a lot of the big moves known to us as puroresu staples were innovated by women. Tiger Driver '91 was performed for the first time in 1991 not by Mitsuharu Misawa but by Jaguar Yokota. The Burning Hammer was originally Kyoko Inoue's Victoria Driver. And the Vertebreaker? It was originally called the Kudome Valentine and performed by Megumi Kudo, as you'll see here. Brutal stuff:
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wrestling Six Packs: Guys WWE Should Pick up If They Bought TNA
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| A no-brainer addition Photo Credit: TNAWrestling.com |
No one ever thought the WWF would ever win the Monday Night Wars to the point where they'd be in a position to purchase WCW, but they did. They took in select talent, but really, it didn't matter in the long run since all the wrestlers who were worth a damn (Booker T, Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio) all came in and stuck around anyway. So, the question of the WWE buying out TNA doesn't seem so laugahble. So that begs the question: who from TNA would the WWE pick up? That list would probably not match anyone's list given how much Vince McMahon's idea of an ideal wrestler differs from the average Internet smark's. So, rather than even try to figure out who Vince and co. would try to bring in, here's who I think they SHOULD bring in if they ever bought TNA from Panda Energy. NOTE: The clichéd answer is Samoa Joe. Obviously he should be brought in. I'm going with six others.
1. AJ Styles
This would be the big-name acquisition here for the futures. Styles has been around the block, but he's also been misused to high heavens in TNA. I see him as a Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero type, a can't miss talent who wasn't given the chance to shine in his original fed. While his size might work against him, well, if Daniel Bryan and Evan Bourne get chances, then Styles would definitely fit in.
2. Sarita/Sarah Stock
It's rumored that the WWE is moving more towards an athletic women's division, which actually makes sense to me given that they've given Nattie Neidhart a run with the title. Of all the current Knockouts, Stock fits the athletic mold while still having the looks that would endear her to the chauvinists still in the front office. The best of both worlds, so to speak.
3. Robbie E
Like Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins and Trent Baretta, Robbie was trained by Mikey Whipwreck. You know he's got the pedigree. OF course, the three in his class really are stuck in the mire in Superstars, but then again, that might be the best show for guys such as these. Of course, I also think that entire NYWC group deserves a better push. I'd definitely bring Robbie in as a member of a New York Mafia-style stable. Then again, I'm more of a wrestling pragmatist. Still, he's a definite keeper.
4. Beer Money, Inc.
The WWE doesn't care about tag teams, I know. Beer Money is a team that would definitely make them care though. While the Guns (another team that I'd like to see the WWE pick up, but would be more apt to misuse) are the flashier and more decorated team, Beer Money would be the better fit. Even if they didn't stay together, there'd be viability for both as singles workers, but yeah, if any team would know how to reenergize the tag team division, it's Beer Money.
5. Jay Lethal
He's another Whipwreck trainee, but this guy brings perhaps the most to the table out of all his students. He's got the in-ring talent, the charisma, the mic skills, the intangibles... and yet TNA insists on misusing him. Lethal is a guy who'd fit well in the main event scene in WWE, despite his size.
6. Sting
Yeah, this one doesn't fit the narrative, does it? Sting resisted going to the WWF when WCW was bought out, so what makes anyone think he'd go there now? Time? Money? Resignation? I don't know, but Sting is the one icon that has never appeared in a WWE ring, and it just makes too much sense to have him work a few "dream" matches against guys like The Undertaker, John Cena, Triple H or even a lured-out-of-retirement Shawn Michaels.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Who Does It Best?: Shooting Star Press
Welcome to another round of Who Does It Best?, where I give you a bunch of guys who do the same move, decide who does it the best and then open the floor to you to agree with me or tell me how much shit I'm full of with my own choice. This week, I'm going to go with the fairly common but still exotic enough high-flying move, the shooting star press. Your candidates:
Evan Bourne - AirBourne
Lince Dorado - Shooting Star Press
Davey Richards - Shooting Star Press
Paul London - Shooting Star Press
This is a very difficult choice for me, as all four have really good SSPs. I like both Lince's and DR's presses, but I think they're both behind London and Bourne. This is where it gets hairy for me. I've said that Bourne's SSP is form perfect and just a treat to watch, but after seeing London's, especially with the tuck towards the end, it's a really close call. I think I'm still going to have to go with Bourne, but if his is #1, London's is #1a.
Now, I leave it up to you!
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
Evan Bourne - AirBourne
Lince Dorado - Shooting Star Press
Davey Richards - Shooting Star Press
Paul London - Shooting Star Press
This is a very difficult choice for me, as all four have really good SSPs. I like both Lince's and DR's presses, but I think they're both behind London and Bourne. This is where it gets hairy for me. I've said that Bourne's SSP is form perfect and just a treat to watch, but after seeing London's, especially with the tuck towards the end, it's a really close call. I think I'm still going to have to go with Bourne, but if his is #1, London's is #1a.
Now, I leave it up to you!
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
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