Raw sucked. Well it was OK if it was just a Raw building towards a PPV, but it wasn't. It was the final Raw before Sunday's Unforgiven PPV so it's meant to make you excited about the PPV and ensure you spend your cash on Sunday night. This show failed in a big way.
Cena/Edge was the hottest feud on the show and judging my the MSG crowd Cena is the hottest thing on the show. Therefore he was thrown in a six-man tag (that was a decent match none the less) with five other guys who are having a match at the PPV. No, he wasn't given a shit-hot promo to cut vowing to win the WWE Title in a match he had never competed in he was in a seemingly random match where he beat Johnny Nitro. By the way Johnny Nitro isn't his opponent on Sunday.
Edge burying Smackdown makes me chuckle at how WWE treat that brand.
Did you notice how they played up the Orton/Cena thing from last week with Orton giving the 'you can't see me' gesture to Cena? I'm thinking Cena's winning and starting his feud with the Legend Killer. Rewarded for failing the drugs test. Again.
Jeff Hardy's reaction to Nitro kicking his painting was THE best thing on this show, "hey man my painting" as if it was a masterful piece of work that he'd spent hours on.
Remember when Nitro was getting heat on Smackdown so he got moved to Raw and got a push?
Carlito and Orton is so cold I think that WWE have realised it's not selling any PPVs so they've just sacked off promoting it.
From this show the match I'm most interested in is Kane/Umaga. Openign the show with this was great. This two men slugging out actually making it look like they had a point to prove was awesome. Umaga's suplex to Kane was fantastic. This match will probably suck but if booked right could be a hell of a lot of fun.
Vince thinks his angle is shit hot. It's not. I have no desire to see this match whatsoever. Cade and Murdoch beating on DX was cool and they should have left it at that but Vince had to have his no heat main event that did nothing for this crappy feud. I still don't know why their feuding. Email me if you know.
Trish had her last Raw matched and embraced with Mickie. Remeber when Mickie was a phsyco stalking Trish? Now she's a babyface for now reason.
Chris Masters and Super Crazy had to have another match and Super Crazy and Super Crazy won. I'd expect these two to have a match at the PPV. Remeber these two got a whole segment to build up their match and did a better job in doing so than anybody else in the six-man tag.
Remeber when Super Crazy got suspended for failing a drugs test. Then he got moved to Raw and got a little push. Is there a recurring theme here?
The Highlander deal with Roddy Piper was one of the most entertaining things on the show. Piper on the stick reminds you how inept most of the roster are today.
All in all this would have been a fine episode of Raw two weeks ago but when you're pushing a PPV this isn't the show you need.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
A Change in Policy
Remeber when Raw and ECW were drug tested the other week and for some reason everybody passed? Well they didn't.
The policy has changed in that to eliminate any future events that went down at the not so Great American Bash and to aviod having to rewrite storylines (what storylines?) guys aren't being taken off TV for failing the tests. They aren't working house shows (where they make a good amount of their money) and they're aren't being paid any of their downside guarantee for hwoever long their suspension is. However, they are still working TV and being paid expenses (hotel, flights, car etc.).
The people who failed were Randy Orton (yes the same Randy Orton who got caught in April, suspended for 60 days and retunred to the A show) and Balls Mahoney. The fact that a man named Balls failed a drugs test should come as a shock to nobody.
How long before we get another ammendment? We'll see when Hunter gets busted.
The policy has changed in that to eliminate any future events that went down at the not so Great American Bash and to aviod having to rewrite storylines (what storylines?) guys aren't being taken off TV for failing the tests. They aren't working house shows (where they make a good amount of their money) and they're aren't being paid any of their downside guarantee for hwoever long their suspension is. However, they are still working TV and being paid expenses (hotel, flights, car etc.).
The people who failed were Randy Orton (yes the same Randy Orton who got caught in April, suspended for 60 days and retunred to the A show) and Balls Mahoney. The fact that a man named Balls failed a drugs test should come as a shock to nobody.
How long before we get another ammendment? We'll see when Hunter gets busted.
Jarret vs Joe - Too Late
This is going to be one hell of crazy match. Fans are at ringside and are allowed to strap the shit out of Jarret. Surely there has to be worked element to this because if a fan really doesn't like Double J they could really do him some harm.
Once again, the NWA Title won't be defened on the PPV which really annoys me as TNA seem to do it all the time. The boat has been missed (or at least delayed) who three months ago was a star. Steiner did an awesome job in making him look like one (and even Jarret played a role) and it looked as if he was steam rolling through to the NWA belt. In true TNA style his momentum was halted when they decided that going with their half a million dollar investment in Sting was the right way to go.
Joe subsequently was pushed down the pecking order and although his matches with Rhyno have been good it certainly seems as if he's buying his time. Putting him in the main event now is a little strange as in reality it's supposed to be a payback to Jarret but Rhyno is now the most over babyface in the company because of Joe's stalled momentum.
Joe has to beat Jarrett at the PPV to setup a title match in the future and setup Joe's run as the company's top star. TNA had a star on their hands but have faffed about and lost momentum with him. His match against Jarrett has to change this.
If Jarrett wins all hope for TNA has gone out of the window.
Once again, the NWA Title won't be defened on the PPV which really annoys me as TNA seem to do it all the time. The boat has been missed (or at least delayed) who three months ago was a star. Steiner did an awesome job in making him look like one (and even Jarret played a role) and it looked as if he was steam rolling through to the NWA belt. In true TNA style his momentum was halted when they decided that going with their half a million dollar investment in Sting was the right way to go.
Joe subsequently was pushed down the pecking order and although his matches with Rhyno have been good it certainly seems as if he's buying his time. Putting him in the main event now is a little strange as in reality it's supposed to be a payback to Jarret but Rhyno is now the most over babyface in the company because of Joe's stalled momentum.
Joe has to beat Jarrett at the PPV to setup a title match in the future and setup Joe's run as the company's top star. TNA had a star on their hands but have faffed about and lost momentum with him. His match against Jarrett has to change this.
If Jarrett wins all hope for TNA has gone out of the window.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
ECW is Raw
Ok. I know it's late but I've only just watched ECW because my interest going into the show was pretty small.
BINGO!
The opener with RVD and Sabu vs Test and Mike Knox was a great match. The spots were well worked in, not all of the spots were fucked up and thr result went the right way. All I ask is where was Heyman or Holly who had a vested interest in both men last week?
The main event was OK for what it was. It obvious promotion for the PPV on Sunday rather than pushing ECW angles but at this point in time that's absolutley fine. DX standing tall makes sense in the fact that faces need to be kept strong but we need to see a reason for them fighting at the PPV which at the moment is seemingly lacking. DX standing tall at the end of the ECW made me laugh at how far ECW has moved away from the original product.
CM Punk slapping Shannon Moore was funny.
I have one question for the vampire. Which in fact is my only interest in him. Why is he called Kevin? Could there be a plainer name for a vampire.
The Sandman/Striker thing is alright for what it is. They're holding the pay off of Sandman caining the shit out of the teacher and that's fine.
Overall the show was OK with a good opener and an OK main event all that was in between was pretty much filler.
Question of the week: Why do they never refer to ECW history? Surely it would add some legitmecy to the promotion.
BINGO!
The opener with RVD and Sabu vs Test and Mike Knox was a great match. The spots were well worked in, not all of the spots were fucked up and thr result went the right way. All I ask is where was Heyman or Holly who had a vested interest in both men last week?
The main event was OK for what it was. It obvious promotion for the PPV on Sunday rather than pushing ECW angles but at this point in time that's absolutley fine. DX standing tall makes sense in the fact that faces need to be kept strong but we need to see a reason for them fighting at the PPV which at the moment is seemingly lacking. DX standing tall at the end of the ECW made me laugh at how far ECW has moved away from the original product.
CM Punk slapping Shannon Moore was funny.
I have one question for the vampire. Which in fact is my only interest in him. Why is he called Kevin? Could there be a plainer name for a vampire.
The Sandman/Striker thing is alright for what it is. They're holding the pay off of Sandman caining the shit out of the teacher and that's fine.
Overall the show was OK with a good opener and an OK main event all that was in between was pretty much filler.
Question of the week: Why do they never refer to ECW history? Surely it would add some legitmecy to the promotion.
Monday, September 11, 2006
X-Pac, the nWo and Kanyon
The deal with X-Pac is that his apperance at the house show on Friday was a one time thing. He is currently working with the MTV promotion which is set to start and Vampiro's RXLL which debuted last week. Despite Vince wanting to rewind to 1998 it seems that young Sean Waltman isn't part of the plan. Then again, Vince's plans change by the half hour so you never know.
Kanyon's apperance was off his own back. In order to stick it to Vince he bought a ticket for the show, made some signs at home and turned up to the show. This man is so desperate for a job anywhere and is trying to get the Internet on his side. Sorry kid it just ain't working.
As for the nWo they're not coming in. Nash is trying to get himself back into the company but Nash's drawing days are well behind him and is workrate days never were so I'd be surprised if Vince wanted him back. The nWo angle has been discussed and shot down many a time and it probably won't happen. As I said before about Vince's plans, you never know.
Kanyon's apperance was off his own back. In order to stick it to Vince he bought a ticket for the show, made some signs at home and turned up to the show. This man is so desperate for a job anywhere and is trying to get the Internet on his side. Sorry kid it just ain't working.
As for the nWo they're not coming in. Nash is trying to get himself back into the company but Nash's drawing days are well behind him and is workrate days never were so I'd be surprised if Vince wanted him back. The nWo angle has been discussed and shot down many a time and it probably won't happen. As I said before about Vince's plans, you never know.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
DX vs nWo
If you've been looking around the net for the last twenty-four hours I'm sure you'll have seen the rumours of a possible DX vs nWo feud.
The rumours span from a Raw house show report which claimed X-Pac turned up to the show and celebrated in the ring with Hunter and Shawn after they beat Cade and Murdoch. Interestingly Chris Kanyon allegedly 'invaded' and it was unsure if he was supposed to be there or not. Hunter said "who invited Kanyon" over the house mic, so if this happened I'm guessing it's a work.
X-Pac has been both a member of DX and the nWo (as has HBK). Kevin Nash is finished with TNA (he never did the job to Sabin) and Hall has allegedly cleaned himself up (lol). They could do some sort of story where X-Pac rejoins with DX but then turns on them bringing in the nWo leading to a short program between them. It would have to be short considering what happened last time Hall and Nash were brought in. Nash stepped off the bus and tore a quad and Hall was gone within six weeks for the usual Scott Hall behaviour.
In the short-term this feud could draw as it's two of the biggest stables in the history of pro-wrestling coming together and battling one and other. In the long-term it's not going to be the thing to pick business up. Business picks up through new stars (Edge, Cena, Orton) not through reunion tours (ask WCW).
Of course I could have just written all the above for little reason at all. The report could be fake and I don't think Vince is stupid enough to bring the nWo back. Then again with Hunter and Shawn in his ear and their good buddys looking for work the nWo could be back on a screen near you.
The rumours span from a Raw house show report which claimed X-Pac turned up to the show and celebrated in the ring with Hunter and Shawn after they beat Cade and Murdoch. Interestingly Chris Kanyon allegedly 'invaded' and it was unsure if he was supposed to be there or not. Hunter said "who invited Kanyon" over the house mic, so if this happened I'm guessing it's a work.
X-Pac has been both a member of DX and the nWo (as has HBK). Kevin Nash is finished with TNA (he never did the job to Sabin) and Hall has allegedly cleaned himself up (lol). They could do some sort of story where X-Pac rejoins with DX but then turns on them bringing in the nWo leading to a short program between them. It would have to be short considering what happened last time Hall and Nash were brought in. Nash stepped off the bus and tore a quad and Hall was gone within six weeks for the usual Scott Hall behaviour.
In the short-term this feud could draw as it's two of the biggest stables in the history of pro-wrestling coming together and battling one and other. In the long-term it's not going to be the thing to pick business up. Business picks up through new stars (Edge, Cena, Orton) not through reunion tours (ask WCW).
Of course I could have just written all the above for little reason at all. The report could be fake and I don't think Vince is stupid enough to bring the nWo back. Then again with Hunter and Shawn in his ear and their good buddys looking for work the nWo could be back on a screen near you.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Raw Thoughts
What a fine episode of Raw aired on Monday night. From top to bottom it was a good show with plenty of angles being shot for Unforgiven and for the first time in forever all the matches booked for the show have been determined with two weeks to go.
Edge's opening promo was really good. I like it when he's out there without Lita as the heat is actually on him rather than her. A great start to the show and the fact I really want to see this match means the job has been done. I'm interested because they're really pushing the Cena going to Smackdown angle so I have to say that Cena wins because I can't see him going to Smackdown when he's Raw's top babyface and WWE's biggest star.
Remember when Edge went for neck surgery and he said he couldn't work any more of the TLC style matches? This will be his fourth since he has returned.
The DX stuff was kept to a bare minimum this week which is fine by me. Seeing Hunter and Shawn do what they did makes me happy as rather than doing their stupid antics they actually looked like they wanted to fight and that's what will sell the PPV. I haven't seen ECW yet so can't comment on the angle shot there on Tuesday.
In big news Super Crazy (the cruiserweight) returned to WWE on the Raw brand. The brand which has no cruiserweight division. Then again, does Smackdown? His shock win over Chris Masters made me laugh as John Cena couldn't beat Masters last week. This either means Crazy is getting a mini-push, Masters has pissed someone off or Masters is going to destroy Crazy next week.
Jeff Hardy vs Johnny Nitro was actually a really good match. I laughed at how they alluded to Nitro's press conference being boring (like watching paint dry actually). This ended exactly the way it should have done with Jeff looking like he can win the belt and Nitro looking like a dip shit heel. If people believe the challenger has a chance of winning the belt then they may just buy the PPV.
The Highlanders are now number one contenders for the tag belts and get the shot at Unforgiven. There's no interest in this feud from anybody and the number one contender's match was another example of how weak the tag division is. Maybe Cryme Tyme can sort it out. They look cool.
If Trish wins the belt at Unforgiven is the women's division done for? I would say she can't loose in her home town but this is WWE after all and burying people in their home town is what they do best.
Speaking of which is Ric Flair the greatest man to have ever lived? The Flair flop was absolutley great this evening.
I'm interested in Umaga vs Kane. Shock horror. See what booking can do?
The main event was solid and was a decent TV match. The crowd were rabid for Cena and I thought the only thing they did wrong was not do the hot tag. Cena just came into the ring rather than getting the big pop for the babyface team come back.
The only feud I don't have any interest in is Carlito/Orton. They did well together tonight but nothing that made me go "wow I want to see a singles match between these two guys!"
Overall it was a really good show from top to bottom. Nothing on the show was bad and nothing was fantastic; it was just a solid show that built angles for the PPV, ie the job of the TV show. It's an example of how if you book things correctly and get people interested in the feuds that are going on and keep the bullshit to a minimum you'll get a good TV show. The Atlanta crowd were hot and really added to the show tonight.
I've just had a thought. Maybe Cena is going to Smackdown. The plan is to get Smackdown rocking again on the new network. Maybe moving Cena there is a way of getting the viewership up?
Edge's opening promo was really good. I like it when he's out there without Lita as the heat is actually on him rather than her. A great start to the show and the fact I really want to see this match means the job has been done. I'm interested because they're really pushing the Cena going to Smackdown angle so I have to say that Cena wins because I can't see him going to Smackdown when he's Raw's top babyface and WWE's biggest star.
Remember when Edge went for neck surgery and he said he couldn't work any more of the TLC style matches? This will be his fourth since he has returned.
The DX stuff was kept to a bare minimum this week which is fine by me. Seeing Hunter and Shawn do what they did makes me happy as rather than doing their stupid antics they actually looked like they wanted to fight and that's what will sell the PPV. I haven't seen ECW yet so can't comment on the angle shot there on Tuesday.
In big news Super Crazy (the cruiserweight) returned to WWE on the Raw brand. The brand which has no cruiserweight division. Then again, does Smackdown? His shock win over Chris Masters made me laugh as John Cena couldn't beat Masters last week. This either means Crazy is getting a mini-push, Masters has pissed someone off or Masters is going to destroy Crazy next week.
Jeff Hardy vs Johnny Nitro was actually a really good match. I laughed at how they alluded to Nitro's press conference being boring (like watching paint dry actually). This ended exactly the way it should have done with Jeff looking like he can win the belt and Nitro looking like a dip shit heel. If people believe the challenger has a chance of winning the belt then they may just buy the PPV.
The Highlanders are now number one contenders for the tag belts and get the shot at Unforgiven. There's no interest in this feud from anybody and the number one contender's match was another example of how weak the tag division is. Maybe Cryme Tyme can sort it out. They look cool.
If Trish wins the belt at Unforgiven is the women's division done for? I would say she can't loose in her home town but this is WWE after all and burying people in their home town is what they do best.
Speaking of which is Ric Flair the greatest man to have ever lived? The Flair flop was absolutley great this evening.
I'm interested in Umaga vs Kane. Shock horror. See what booking can do?
The main event was solid and was a decent TV match. The crowd were rabid for Cena and I thought the only thing they did wrong was not do the hot tag. Cena just came into the ring rather than getting the big pop for the babyface team come back.
The only feud I don't have any interest in is Carlito/Orton. They did well together tonight but nothing that made me go "wow I want to see a singles match between these two guys!"
Overall it was a really good show from top to bottom. Nothing on the show was bad and nothing was fantastic; it was just a solid show that built angles for the PPV, ie the job of the TV show. It's an example of how if you book things correctly and get people interested in the feuds that are going on and keep the bullshit to a minimum you'll get a good TV show. The Atlanta crowd were hot and really added to the show tonight.
I've just had a thought. Maybe Cena is going to Smackdown. The plan is to get Smackdown rocking again on the new network. Maybe moving Cena there is a way of getting the viewership up?
Breaking News: Psicosis Still With WWE
Contarary to reports posted on the Behind The Angle blog yesterday Psicosis is still emplyed by World Wrestling Entertainment. It was Juventud Guerrera who was released in December.
There has been an outbreak of hysteria amongst the Internet Wrestling Community at the thought of Psicosis not being employed by the Stamford based company.
Paul Robson, author of the blog commented: "It was a mistake. The Mexicools all came in together and as Psicosis hasn't been seen for a while I got confused between the two. I apologise to any fans who I may have upset."
There has been an outbreak of hysteria amongst the Internet Wrestling Community at the thought of Psicosis not being employed by the Stamford based company.
Paul Robson, author of the blog commented: "It was a mistake. The Mexicools all came in together and as Psicosis hasn't been seen for a while I got confused between the two. I apologise to any fans who I may have upset."
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Smackdown vs Raw 2007 Roster
The latest roster for Smackdown series has been released and courtesy of IGN.com, I have it in my grasp:
Batista
JBL
Randy Orton
The Big Show
Jillian Hall
Rey Mysterio
Bobby Lashley
Joey Mercury
Ric Flair
The Boogeyman
John Cena
Rob Van Dam
Booker T
Johnny Nitro
Shawn Michaels
Candice Michelle
Kane
Shelton Benjamin
Carlito
Ken Kennedy
Snitsky
Chavo Guerrero
Kid Kash
Super Crazy
Chris Benoit
Kurt Angle
Torrie Wilson
Chris Masters
Lance Cade
Trevor Murdoch
Daivari
Lita
Triple H
Edge
Mark Henry
Trish Stratus
Eugene
Matt Hardy
Umaga
Finley
Melina
The Undertaker
The Great Khali
Mickie James
Viscera
Gregory Helms
Paul Burchill
Vito
Hardcore Holly
Psicosis
William Regal
There's nothing really shocking on there and everybody you'd expect to be in is in. Finlay, Umaga, Khali, MNM, Cade, Murdoch and Burchill are nice additions. I wonder if big Vito will be wearing his trademark dress? It's also interesting that Psicosis is on there considering he left the company last December.
I love all the games in this series so if anything else of interest comes up I'll post it here. I'm looking froward to this one though.
Batista
JBL
Randy Orton
The Big Show
Jillian Hall
Rey Mysterio
Bobby Lashley
Joey Mercury
Ric Flair
The Boogeyman
John Cena
Rob Van Dam
Booker T
Johnny Nitro
Shawn Michaels
Candice Michelle
Kane
Shelton Benjamin
Carlito
Ken Kennedy
Snitsky
Chavo Guerrero
Kid Kash
Super Crazy
Chris Benoit
Kurt Angle
Torrie Wilson
Chris Masters
Lance Cade
Trevor Murdoch
Daivari
Lita
Triple H
Edge
Mark Henry
Trish Stratus
Eugene
Matt Hardy
Umaga
Finley
Melina
The Undertaker
The Great Khali
Mickie James
Viscera
Gregory Helms
Paul Burchill
Vito
Hardcore Holly
Psicosis
William Regal
There's nothing really shocking on there and everybody you'd expect to be in is in. Finlay, Umaga, Khali, MNM, Cade, Murdoch and Burchill are nice additions. I wonder if big Vito will be wearing his trademark dress? It's also interesting that Psicosis is on there considering he left the company last December.
I love all the games in this series so if anything else of interest comes up I'll post it here. I'm looking froward to this one though.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Hardy vs Nitro for the belt
Tonight's Raw promises Jeff Hardy vs Johnny Nitro for the IC Title. This could be a fun match or could end up being a complete disaster.
That's the only match announced so far but I'm sure Cena and Edge will get five minutes to push their match and then Vince and DX will get thirty to plug theirs. Pays to be owners.
As always my complete thoughts on Raw will be posted as soon as I get round to watching it.
That's the only match announced so far but I'm sure Cena and Edge will get five minutes to push their match and then Vince and DX will get thirty to plug theirs. Pays to be owners.
As always my complete thoughts on Raw will be posted as soon as I get round to watching it.
The Myth of the Cruiserweight Title
I'm sick of hearing that the WWF Lightheavweight and WCW Crusierweight Titles were unified at Summerslam 2001. Mainly because they weren't. It was X-Pac (WWF) vs Tajiri (WCW) in a title-for-title match-up not a unification match.
X-Pac won the match and won both belts. A couple of weeks later X-Pac dropped the WCW belt to Kidman on either Raw or Smackdown (around that time there were so many titles and so many title changes it's hard to remeber. He didn't frop the WWF belt though.
Around this time he was injured and he disappeared from TV. Mick Foley as commissioner alluded to this in his promo when he booked the tag title and US/IC title unification matches for Survivor Series. He stated he wanted to unify the lightheavyweight and crusierweight belts but "nobody knows where X-Pac is".
In December 2001 WWF simply adopted the WCW belt renaming it the WWF Cruiserweight Title.
When X-Pac returned in April 2002 he was still Lightheavyweight Champion. He defended the title on a few house shows but never carried the belt on TV. Soon after he returned the belt was dropped all together and the cruiserweights became exclusive to Smackdown.
Next time you hear (or say) the belts were unified then recite this tale and bust the myth that still exists to this very day.
X-Pac won the match and won both belts. A couple of weeks later X-Pac dropped the WCW belt to Kidman on either Raw or Smackdown (around that time there were so many titles and so many title changes it's hard to remeber. He didn't frop the WWF belt though.
Around this time he was injured and he disappeared from TV. Mick Foley as commissioner alluded to this in his promo when he booked the tag title and US/IC title unification matches for Survivor Series. He stated he wanted to unify the lightheavyweight and crusierweight belts but "nobody knows where X-Pac is".
In December 2001 WWF simply adopted the WCW belt renaming it the WWF Cruiserweight Title.
When X-Pac returned in April 2002 he was still Lightheavyweight Champion. He defended the title on a few house shows but never carried the belt on TV. Soon after he returned the belt was dropped all together and the cruiserweights became exclusive to Smackdown.
Next time you hear (or say) the belts were unified then recite this tale and bust the myth that still exists to this very day.
New United States Champion... Champion
For those of you who don't watch Smackdown (and I can't blame you) Mr Kennedy won the US bet in a triple threat involving Finlay and Lashley.
I love Finlay so I'm disapointed at this but the plan seems to be that Lashley is getting screwed out of the belt all the time so I'd expect him to go on and chase Kennedy.
This could be a disaster. Lashley has been working with Finlay to bring him up to the next level. When he's working with Finlay Blaster looks really good but when he's in the ring with anybody else he always seems a step behind. Working with the green Ken Kennedy won't exactly sort this out.
Kennedy should make a good champion and his promo ability could add some credibility to the belt and to Smackdown.
I love Finlay so I'm disapointed at this but the plan seems to be that Lashley is getting screwed out of the belt all the time so I'd expect him to go on and chase Kennedy.
This could be a disaster. Lashley has been working with Finlay to bring him up to the next level. When he's working with Finlay Blaster looks really good but when he's in the ring with anybody else he always seems a step behind. Working with the green Ken Kennedy won't exactly sort this out.
Kennedy should make a good champion and his promo ability could add some credibility to the belt and to Smackdown.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Guilty Your Honour
ECW mainstays Rob Van Dam and Sabu pleaded guilty to their drug charges from June. Both men have escaped with fines and a slap on the wrist.
I'm positive this will stop both men from doing anything like this again.
I'm positive this will stop both men from doing anything like this again.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Take Note Vince, UFC Have Really Got Something Here
I'm not a huge fan of MMA (I prefer my sports fake) but as I follow the wrestling business it's hard not to see the rise in popularity of UFC.
UFC gets less viewers than WWE (in America, not always in the UK) but is doing huge numbers on their PPV show. December's PPV which will see Chuck Liddell take on Tito Ortiz (the man may I add) and buy rates are estimated at 1,250,000!
Vince never reached that. Bischoff never reached that. Heyman certainly never reached that. TNA? Don't make me laugh!
Estimations state that UFC through the promotion of two key matches on each show are encouraging 25% of their audience to part with their money for a PPV. WWE is currently persuading around 5% of their audience to buy their PPVs.
Considering WWE can actually determine the outcome of their matches and create stars themselves, they're doing a really bad job at it. UFC on the otherhand are creating their stars and doing a fantastic job of it.
By pushing two matches on a card and making us care about them UFC is doing a great job. WWE on the other hand are stuck on a treadmill pounding out the same old stale stuff week after week. It's hard to care about anything right now in that company as rather than making us care, stuff just happens.
WWE haven't realesed PPV numbers since May. Let me tell you, there's a very good reason for this: UFC are whipping they're arse.
Take note Vince. Please.
UFC gets less viewers than WWE (in America, not always in the UK) but is doing huge numbers on their PPV show. December's PPV which will see Chuck Liddell take on Tito Ortiz (the man may I add) and buy rates are estimated at 1,250,000!
Vince never reached that. Bischoff never reached that. Heyman certainly never reached that. TNA? Don't make me laugh!
Estimations state that UFC through the promotion of two key matches on each show are encouraging 25% of their audience to part with their money for a PPV. WWE is currently persuading around 5% of their audience to buy their PPVs.
Considering WWE can actually determine the outcome of their matches and create stars themselves, they're doing a really bad job at it. UFC on the otherhand are creating their stars and doing a fantastic job of it.
By pushing two matches on a card and making us care about them UFC is doing a great job. WWE on the other hand are stuck on a treadmill pounding out the same old stale stuff week after week. It's hard to care about anything right now in that company as rather than making us care, stuff just happens.
WWE haven't realesed PPV numbers since May. Let me tell you, there's a very good reason for this: UFC are whipping they're arse.
Take note Vince. Please.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Raw Thoughts
Raw was somewhat disapointing this week. They had two angles that were pretty hot last week in Cena/Edge and Foley/Melina but they didn't really do anything with them this week. For some reason the McMahon (Helmsleys) are all over this show. Can't think why.
Cena and Edge, despite being a feud over the most important title in wrestling today got nothing on this show. TLC was announced for Unforgiven and at least they actually did an angle for the match rather than the usual announcment.
Chris Masters has been to rehab if you couldn't tell. the contrast between his body in his video and in real life was a stark contrast.
The most boring feud on the planet continued with the McMahons and DX. Shane had the best line of the show "you guys need to grow up." You can say that again. The main event was decent for the time it got and seeing Finlay and Regal on a decent show is always good. They're really pushing the boat at at Unforgiven with hell in a cell and TLC. It makes sense to finish this feud in the cage but it's going to be one big cluster. Adding Big Show isn't going to really make this any better but at least it's different. It makes me laugh how the ECW Champion is the guy to help the McMahons becuase everybody else on Raw sucks.
Did you know that Vince likes cock? Get some new material.
Nitro was decent on the mic. We've not had chance to hear him do much talking at all so this effort was pretty good. They needed to address the Foley situation and this was a fine way of doing it. I don't know if Foley will return to feud with Nitro or if this was just a way of turning Foley face before his next apperance. On another note Jeff Hardy vs Johnny Nitro could be fun if booked right.
Carlito continued his feud with Orton. They're doing an angle at least but both guys are cold at the moment. Talking of Carlito he is very pissed off at the moment as he felt he was reaching the main event but now he's stuck in a love storyline with Trish. Hate to say it Carlito but I hope you're not in many more main events.
Trish is retiring. It has now been announced so we all know how September's PPV goes. Great work booking team.
Mickie is a babyface now? Storyline development.
Spirit Squad are still tag champs if you didn't know. They also main evented a PPV two months ago.
There was a lot of references to wwe.com made on this show. Maybe they now understand not every fan goes on that site.
Let me know what you thought of Raw or anyhting else going in the world of wrestling by emailing me at: mailto:robsonmania@yahoo.co.uk
Cena and Edge, despite being a feud over the most important title in wrestling today got nothing on this show. TLC was announced for Unforgiven and at least they actually did an angle for the match rather than the usual announcment.
Chris Masters has been to rehab if you couldn't tell. the contrast between his body in his video and in real life was a stark contrast.
The most boring feud on the planet continued with the McMahons and DX. Shane had the best line of the show "you guys need to grow up." You can say that again. The main event was decent for the time it got and seeing Finlay and Regal on a decent show is always good. They're really pushing the boat at at Unforgiven with hell in a cell and TLC. It makes sense to finish this feud in the cage but it's going to be one big cluster. Adding Big Show isn't going to really make this any better but at least it's different. It makes me laugh how the ECW Champion is the guy to help the McMahons becuase everybody else on Raw sucks.
Did you know that Vince likes cock? Get some new material.
Nitro was decent on the mic. We've not had chance to hear him do much talking at all so this effort was pretty good. They needed to address the Foley situation and this was a fine way of doing it. I don't know if Foley will return to feud with Nitro or if this was just a way of turning Foley face before his next apperance. On another note Jeff Hardy vs Johnny Nitro could be fun if booked right.
Carlito continued his feud with Orton. They're doing an angle at least but both guys are cold at the moment. Talking of Carlito he is very pissed off at the moment as he felt he was reaching the main event but now he's stuck in a love storyline with Trish. Hate to say it Carlito but I hope you're not in many more main events.
Trish is retiring. It has now been announced so we all know how September's PPV goes. Great work booking team.
Mickie is a babyface now? Storyline development.
Spirit Squad are still tag champs if you didn't know. They also main evented a PPV two months ago.
There was a lot of references to wwe.com made on this show. Maybe they now understand not every fan goes on that site.
Let me know what you thought of Raw or anyhting else going in the world of wrestling by emailing me at: mailto:robsonmania@yahoo.co.uk
The Kurt Freakin Angle Story
OK, WWE.com is shit. They want to be the news site for wrestling but, they can't decide if they're going to be inside or kayfabulous. They've reported that Angle left on mutual terms with WWE and he has had three injuries all sustained in one match with RVD. Not true.
The story goes pretty similar to what I wrote on Saturday when I heard. Angle came back from his thirty-day suspension without having made any effort to get off the pills. Last week he met with Vince he told him to go to rehab. Kurt refused. Kurt was released.
The fact of the matter is that Angle has a huge downside guarantee in his contract which sees him take home $1m guaranteed. He could have gone into rehab and taken as much time off as he wanted and recieved his pay. Plus as Vince does in these situations I'm pretty sure the cost of the rehab program would have been paid for by WWE.
However, the problem lies in Kurt Angle. Angle doesn't believe he has a problem (locker room reports say he is completely messed up) so won't go to rehab, guaranteed deal or not.
WWE have done the same deal in which they did with Eddie Guerrero; released him for his own good. The only problem is that Kurt Angle is a mahcine. He wrestled in the Olympics with serious neck problems and in the main event of Wrestlemania under the likelihood of paralysis or even death. There's a story which Angle tells in his book regading the death of his father. His Dad worked on a construction site and fell from some beams. He got up, walked to hospital where he was told he'd broken his neck, arm and leg. He later died in hospital. The day Kurt found out he played football and played the best game of his career.
See where he gets it from?
The sad fact is that Kurt Angle won't stop. Kurt Angle is a machine. In 90-days time I'd bet that Kurt Angle isn't in rehab. I bet that Kurt Angle will be signing on the dotted line with TNA. TNA are desperate for stars and Angle is a recognisable star. Most importantly for Angle, TNA don't drug test. The obvious fall in salary won't mean a thing to Kurt as long as he can compete.
The sad fact is that WWE's release of Kurt Angle is supposed to be for his own good. It's supposed to be for him to clean up his life and get himself sorted out. The first step Angle has to take is admit he has a problem. Here lies the first stumbling block. He won't. Whether Angle is employed or not, the likelihood is this is all ending in tragedy.
Prove me wrong Kurt. I beg you.
The story goes pretty similar to what I wrote on Saturday when I heard. Angle came back from his thirty-day suspension without having made any effort to get off the pills. Last week he met with Vince he told him to go to rehab. Kurt refused. Kurt was released.
The fact of the matter is that Angle has a huge downside guarantee in his contract which sees him take home $1m guaranteed. He could have gone into rehab and taken as much time off as he wanted and recieved his pay. Plus as Vince does in these situations I'm pretty sure the cost of the rehab program would have been paid for by WWE.
However, the problem lies in Kurt Angle. Angle doesn't believe he has a problem (locker room reports say he is completely messed up) so won't go to rehab, guaranteed deal or not.
WWE have done the same deal in which they did with Eddie Guerrero; released him for his own good. The only problem is that Kurt Angle is a mahcine. He wrestled in the Olympics with serious neck problems and in the main event of Wrestlemania under the likelihood of paralysis or even death. There's a story which Angle tells in his book regading the death of his father. His Dad worked on a construction site and fell from some beams. He got up, walked to hospital where he was told he'd broken his neck, arm and leg. He later died in hospital. The day Kurt found out he played football and played the best game of his career.
See where he gets it from?
The sad fact is that Kurt Angle won't stop. Kurt Angle is a machine. In 90-days time I'd bet that Kurt Angle isn't in rehab. I bet that Kurt Angle will be signing on the dotted line with TNA. TNA are desperate for stars and Angle is a recognisable star. Most importantly for Angle, TNA don't drug test. The obvious fall in salary won't mean a thing to Kurt as long as he can compete.
The sad fact is that WWE's release of Kurt Angle is supposed to be for his own good. It's supposed to be for him to clean up his life and get himself sorted out. The first step Angle has to take is admit he has a problem. Here lies the first stumbling block. He won't. Whether Angle is employed or not, the likelihood is this is all ending in tragedy.
Prove me wrong Kurt. I beg you.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Unforgiven Plans Looking Good
As far as we know the Raw plans for Unforgiven will see Edge and Cena on top in a TLC match. I'm perfectly happy with that as I'm liking Cena in his current spot and Edge is great as champion.
Last weeks Raw looked like DX vs Vince and Shane was to continue (boring) and I haven't watched this weeks episode so can't comment on proccedings until tonight. If the plan is to keep Hunter and Shawn together for the forseeable future then they're going to be pretty much stuck. It's not even like they can go after the tag belts as they've destroyed the Spirit Squad that many times it's gotten boring and there are no other teams on Raw who are worth the feud. They can continue working together on TV no problem but they need to be doing something different. If Edge retains after Unforgiven I'd like to see him work with Shawn again as they've had good matches in the past and working with Shawn will only add to Edge's credibility.
As for other matches on the card it looks like Kane vs Umaga, Spirit Squad vs Highlanders, Carlito vs Orton and Hardy vs Nitro. Looking like a great PPV hey?
I'll have more to talk about tommorow when I've been able to watch Raw.
Last weeks Raw looked like DX vs Vince and Shane was to continue (boring) and I haven't watched this weeks episode so can't comment on proccedings until tonight. If the plan is to keep Hunter and Shawn together for the forseeable future then they're going to be pretty much stuck. It's not even like they can go after the tag belts as they've destroyed the Spirit Squad that many times it's gotten boring and there are no other teams on Raw who are worth the feud. They can continue working together on TV no problem but they need to be doing something different. If Edge retains after Unforgiven I'd like to see him work with Shawn again as they've had good matches in the past and working with Shawn will only add to Edge's credibility.
As for other matches on the card it looks like Kane vs Umaga, Spirit Squad vs Highlanders, Carlito vs Orton and Hardy vs Nitro. Looking like a great PPV hey?
I'll have more to talk about tommorow when I've been able to watch Raw.
Monday, August 28, 2006
More than meets the eye
There seems to be far more to Kurt Angle's release than what WWE.com is letting us into. It's obvious that Angle has been asked to sort his problems with pain pills out but he has refused to do so but there is talk of there being a lot more to it.
There have been reports that Kurt has been very vocal in the ECW locker room about matches, both his own and others. Apparently this was common with him on Smackdown, but because he was Kurt fucking Angle nobody cared. However as there are a number of new faces in the ECW lockeroom a number of comments have been made about his practices.
Although obviosuly this isn't grounds for a firing it could well be one of the reasons why Angle has gone.
When I get my copy of the Observer and Figure Four I'll post more about the situation and what I think.
There have been reports that Kurt has been very vocal in the ECW locker room about matches, both his own and others. Apparently this was common with him on Smackdown, but because he was Kurt fucking Angle nobody cared. However as there are a number of new faces in the ECW lockeroom a number of comments have been made about his practices.
Although obviosuly this isn't grounds for a firing it could well be one of the reasons why Angle has gone.
When I get my copy of the Observer and Figure Four I'll post more about the situation and what I think.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
KURT ANGLE RELEASED
In a huge story, WWE.com has announced that WWE have officially released Kurt Angle. This is a huge shock to me and everybody out there.
Angle has had may documented issues with prescription drugs and has only recently returned from a 30-day suspension. It was well-known that upon his return he was still relying on the medication and had done little to help himself.
WWE took him from TV last week and he didn't appear at Summerslam or on this weeks episode of ECW. Last night he was released.
It would seem that WWE are releasing Kurt Angle for his own good (much like they did with Eddie Guerrero in 2001) as competing in the ring is becoming more and more dangerous for the olympic gold medalist. This is a drastic decision by WWE as Kurt Angle could well be (and probably will be) picked up by TNA and make apperances in other indy feds.
Obviously Kurt wouldn't be making as much money as his WWE deal but the fewer dates could be a god send to him. Of course this could have been done to send a shock to Angle and get him to clean himself up. It's a course of action which worked with Eddie Guerrero and William Regal but Angle is a very stubborn character and has been forthcoming in accepting help in the past.
Vince McMahon has given many a second chance (see Hardy, Jeff) and I'm sure Kurt Angle will be given the smae treatment as everybody else. The question lies on whether Kurt Angle will allow himself to be given a second chance.
I'll be following this story very closley so please keep checking back for more news and thoughts on the situation.
Email me yout thoughts here.
Angle has had may documented issues with prescription drugs and has only recently returned from a 30-day suspension. It was well-known that upon his return he was still relying on the medication and had done little to help himself.
WWE took him from TV last week and he didn't appear at Summerslam or on this weeks episode of ECW. Last night he was released.
It would seem that WWE are releasing Kurt Angle for his own good (much like they did with Eddie Guerrero in 2001) as competing in the ring is becoming more and more dangerous for the olympic gold medalist. This is a drastic decision by WWE as Kurt Angle could well be (and probably will be) picked up by TNA and make apperances in other indy feds.
Obviously Kurt wouldn't be making as much money as his WWE deal but the fewer dates could be a god send to him. Of course this could have been done to send a shock to Angle and get him to clean himself up. It's a course of action which worked with Eddie Guerrero and William Regal but Angle is a very stubborn character and has been forthcoming in accepting help in the past.
Vince McMahon has given many a second chance (see Hardy, Jeff) and I'm sure Kurt Angle will be given the smae treatment as everybody else. The question lies on whether Kurt Angle will allow himself to be given a second chance.
I'll be following this story very closley so please keep checking back for more news and thoughts on the situation.
Email me yout thoughts here.
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