Tonight's RAW contained eight matches, and needless to say, there were some surprises. Kennedy pins Lashley with a clean victory and Carlito beats the Champ!
Firstly, Carlito's Cabana is back, which should provide him with a nice push out of the mid-card and toward the top of the roster. Let's hope. We'll review the matches one by one here:
Divas Tag Match - The sole purpose of this match was to move Santino Marella in a new direction. It's been rumored lately that he'll be making a heel turn, which makes sense considering that WWE sees foreigners as more hatable wrestlers.
Santino Marella vs. Umaga - It was surprising not to see Jeff Hardy make an appearance in this match. He'll most likely be fighting Umaga at SummerSlam, so look for that feud to continue. Umaga is really starting to get some huge pops.
Cody Rhodes vs. Daivari - It wouldn't have surprised me at all to see Cody lose this match and moved to Smackdown. Afterall, he was just brought up from OVW and might want some more time before he has a full-time spot on the A show. But he seems to be over with the fans and I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of him. Also, he threw an absolutely awesome powerslam in this match.
Mr. Kennedy vs. Bobby Lashley - Match of the night. Firstly, it was great to see Lashley finally using his amateur wrestling background and throwing Kennedy around rather than just doing traditional powerhouse moves. Secondly, it was awesome to see WWE give Kennedy a clean win over Lashley, a man who has been pushed to the sky since earlier this year. I think WWE realizes that Kennedy has more potential between the two.
King Booker vs. Jerry Lawler - This match was fairly laughable. Lawlers offense amounted to punches and, at one point, an elbow drop. This whole "King" thing is just leading into a King Booker-Triple H match at SummerSlam.
Cryme Tyme vs. Two Guys - Not bad for a squash match. The auction of the guy's boots after the match went a little long, though. Is Cryme Tyme finally receiving their push? If you recall, several months ago they won a guaranteed title shot...SummerSlam?
Randy Orton vs. Sgt. Slaughter - Right now, WWE is just throwing legends at Orton for him to kill. I think they might have finally run out. Regardless, it's getting repetitve and I hope that they move on from it. It's almost assumed at this point that Orton will be winning the title from Cena at SummerSlam...I just hope he wins it clean.
John Cena vs. Carlito - It was cool to see a main event like this. Two very popular and over guys doing battle. It was also "cool" to see Carlito win this one. The fact that Cena didn't kick out of Carlito's finisher also makes him seem a little fallible, setting us up for a loss at SummerSlam?
Overall, tonight's RAW was an entertaining one. By the way, I'm sick of visiting (other) wrestling sites and reading about how stupid, crappy, and unwatchable WWE is. If people don't like the WWE product, then why are they watching it? And ordering the Pay-Per-Views??? WWE puts out a very entertaining product, and while we all wish they did things differently, they are doing what they think is best.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Monday, July 30, 2007
RAW Reaction: Kennedy/Carlito Get Big Wins
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Lost Art of The Submission
Where has the submission gone? I've racked my brain for a while now, and the only submission finishers I can think of in the WWE right now are Ric Flair's Figure-Four and John Cena's STFU (unless you count Mark Henry's bear hug as being legitimate). A submission maneuver is a great way to end a match. Where have all of them gone?...
The Ankle Lock...The Crippler Crossface...The Sharpshooter...all of them are among the most exciting and versatile finishers in the history of the business. These finishers were used by only the best technical wrestlers in wrestling in order to highlight that specific characteristic: technically sound. Does this mean we no longer have any good technical wrestlers? Certainly not, the business has just changed!
WWE buys into the idea that a match is better ended with a pin than with a tap-out. They assume that a high-impact move is the best way to finish off a match. Here is a perfect example: CM Punk. If you recall, for his first several months in ECW CM Punk used the Anaconda Vice to make his opponents tap. Now, someone in WWE is having him use the Go-To-Sleep as his finisher. It's a cool move, but giving Punk a submission finisher really separated him from the rest of the wrestlers.
John Cena and Ric Flair are the only main-eventers that use submissions as finishers now. Flair's use of the Figure-Four only persists because he has used it his whole career. John Cena has used the STFU to win the main event at Wrestlemania for the past two years. The STFU is a very awkward submission. Cena often struggles to apply it and it comes out looking crappy. Why not let guys like Punk at least use the Anaconda Vice?
What happened to the submissions? You tell me.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Great American Bash Reaction
Have Smackdown's belts been rendered meaningless? Will Cena be champ for much longer? Will CM Punk no longer be the centerpiece of ECW? The answers...
All titles except for the Cruiserweight Championship were retained at this years Great American Bash. Let's go match by match and see what each outcome entails:
MVP def. Matt Hardy to retain U.S. Championship
- MVP is a great champ and WWE recognizes his potential, so it's no surprise to see him get a clean win here. This feud could be a great one, though, so look for it to continue into SummerSlam for a rematch.
Hornswaggle wins Cruiserweight Championship
- Well, the Crusierweight belt hasn't meant that much in recent years, but it's probably reached a new low. It's not as bad as giving the Great Khali a world championship, but it's getting there. If anything, Hornswaggle at least brings more attention to the belt and it should be cool to see how this storyline is handled. Hornswaggle vs. Chavo at SummerSlam? Surely not...
Carlito def. Sandman
- Apparently, even though this was a Singapore Cane match, the cane was never even used. Also, Sandman had no beer when he came out of the crowd. Is WWE censoring him? I hope not. This feud will most likely evolve into Sandman and Hacksaw vs. Carlito and William Regal for a gimmick match at SummerSlam.
Candice Michelle def. Melina to retain Women's Championship
- It seems that WWE is set on Candice being champ for a while, which is fine by me. It's tough to see where things will go from here though...Mickie James is clearly the most popular diva, so why not give her a title shot? At the same time, though, Jillian Hall and Beth Phoenix are two good heels. I'm thinking Mickie James becomes the #1 contender.
Umaga def. Jeff Hardy to retain Intercontinental Championship
- No real surprise that Umaga gets the clean victory over Jeff Hardy here. Now this is the question: will Umaga carry the belt into SummerSlam? I don't think so...remember that Umaga will be fighting against the Jackass crew, and what better way to get him angry at them than their interference forcing him to lose the belt?
John Morrison def. CM Punk to retain ECW Championship
- Morrison's set for a long title run here. He really deserves it: he's a great wrestler but he needs to get better on the mic. I think CM Punk is a better wrestler and a better speaker, but he will be champ before long. I'm not so sure that this feud will continue. We've seen house shows advertising Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer, even though we saw Dreamer lose to him just a couple weeks ago. Regardless, I hope that this feud does go through SummerSlam: WWE needs to have its future (CM Punk) on the card.
Randy Orton def. Dusty Rhodes
- This was easy to pick: does anybody see DUSTY RHODES getting a push? Orton has been on a roll lately in order to set up for...a championship run and a feud with Triple H. Orton will beat Cena (finally) at SummerSlam to win the belt. Look for Cody Rhodes to start feuding with Santino Marella, Santino being a heel.
Great Khali def. Batista and Kane to retain the World Heavyweight belt
- This is absolutely sad. But here is what we're headed to: Great Khali vs. Batista at SummerSlam. This is so dumb.
John Cena def. Bobby Lashley to retain WWE Championship
- This was easy to see coming, or HEAR coming. Take one listen to Bobby Lashley on the mic and you know that he is miles short of being WWE Champion. He's been pushed too hard and too fast...I'm glad he finally got beat clean. He'll feud with Kennedy now and (hopefully) put him over.
There we go! What are your thoughts about the Bash or the upcoming SummerSlam?
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
The Irish Whip Predicts!
All of our writers were polled and asked who would win the following matches at WWE's Great American Bash...
WWE Championship: John Cena (C) vs. Bobby Lashley
All three writers see John Cena reating his belt. Cena 3-0.
ECW World Championship: John Morrison (C) vs. CM Punk
Drew and Ben see John Morrison retaining while Jared sees CM Punk winning the belt. Morrison 2-1.
World Heavyweight Championship: The Great Khali (C) vs. Kane
All three writers see The Great Khali retaining his belt. Khali 3-0.
Texas Bullrope Match: Randy Orton vs. Dusty Rhodes
All three writers see Randy Orton winning the match. Orton 3-0.
WWE Women's Championship: Candice Michelle (C) vs. Melina
Ben and Jared see Candice Michelle retaining while Drew sees Melina winning the belt. Michelle 2-1.
WWE United States Championship: MVP (C) vs. Matt Hardy
Ben and Drew see Matt Hardy winning the belt while Jared sees MVP retaining. Hardy 2-1.
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Umaga (C) vs. Jeff Hardy
All three writers see Jeff Hardy winning the belt, with possible interference from the Jackass crew. Hardy 3-0.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Chavo Guerrero (C) vs. Jimmy Wang Yang and others
Ben and Jared see Chavo retaining while Drew sees Wang Yang winning the belt. Chavo 2-1.
All in all, our writers have predicted two title changes (both Hardys) and four unanimous decisions (Cena, Khali, Orton, Jeff Hardy).
Post below with your own predictions!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Thoughts On The WWE And Great American Bash Picks
Today, I'd like to feature my picks for the Great American Bash as well as my thoughts on one of the most shocking WWE developments in recent history -- Khali as the Smackdown Champion!
First up, I'd like to apologise for not posting for a while. Holidays, combined with the lack of serious news from the Wrestling world has meant that this blog has been on the back foot.
Lets start with Smackdown. I feel sorry for Edge. He ALWAYS seems to get injured when he is due for a long title reign. First, with his neck injury and now he has ripped a muscle, making him unavailable for 4 months. This is a shame, because he deserves to run with the belt. He is brilliant on the mic, a dastardly heel, and a great wrestler.
Khali as champion... I'm in two minds. First up, I don't think he is ready for the US title, let alone the Main belt on Smackdown. However, I can see what Vince & co. are planning. Andre the Giant anyone? The only guys that I can see winning the title from this beast are Batista and, surprisingly, Rey Mysterio. Rey's last run was a joke, he deserves to reclaim and have a proper shot at the gold.
OK, lets move on to Raw. With holidays and such, I haven't really watched Raw that intently for the past 2 weeks. However, I did catch the 4 way elimination match for the Intercontinental Title #1 contender. I was really expecting Regal to have a PPV match, its been a while since his last one. However, I see Hardy getting pounded by Umaga, with perhaps Matt Hardy interfering to give Jeff the win.
ECW was a no-go for me this week, was too busy in the pub! However, I did watch the last bit of ECW and the promo Nitro cut was surprisingly good for him. Now, what do I start calling him? Nitro or Morrison? Who knows?
And even more surprisingly, Viscera's new gimmick is really working for me. A Vader/Abdullah the Butcher type perhaps? Only time will tell.
Great American Bash picks
WWE Championship Match - John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley. Cena retains. I do not feel Lashley is ready for the Number 1 belt in the Wrestling world. Maybe when he has the mic skills, perhaps.
World Heavyweight Championship Match - Khali vs Batista vs Kane? I cannot really comment on this match because I do not even know if it is going to booked. Either way, I see Khali retaining, with Kane and Batista carrying his sorry arse.
ECW Championship Match - Johnny Nitro (c) vs. CM Punk. I can see Nitro retaining by some cheap and tacky method. But man, this feud keeps on growing and growing on me. Now, ECW just need more workers and another hour to build a brand properly.
Texas Bull Rope Match - Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Orton. I can see Orton walking out with the win to continue his Legend Killer gimmick. Expect Cody to get involved at some point. However, I wouldn't be too surprised if Dusty Rhodes walks out of the Bash with the win.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match - Umaga (c) vs. Jeff Hardy. I see Jeff winning this one, perhaps with interference from Matt. Jeff then might retain the favour in the US title match.
WWE United States Championship Match - MVP (c) vs. Matt Hardy. I see Matt Hardy with the Gold. He is on a roll at the moment, The crowd loves him, it would be wrong to not give him some form of title.
WWE Women's Championship Match - Candice Michelle (c) vs. Melina. I see Melina cheating to win.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Will WWE Put Over Its Great Heels?
WWE has in their possesion some great heels who have all the potential in the world: The Legend Killer Randy Orton and (an Irish Whip favorite) Mr. Kennedy. However, recently these guys have more or less been used as beating devices for the top faces in the company, like Cena, Lashley, HBK, and Triple H. Will there come a time that WWE puts over either Orton or Kennedy with a clean win and makes him the top man in the company?
The only way this would happen is if WWE turned one of them face. This wouldn't be difficult: Orton has been a beloved face in the past, and lot's of people love Kennedy to start with.
Here's what WWE will do: Orton will feud with Triple H upon his return, culminating in a match at Survivor Series or maybe even Wrestlemania 24. Who will Kennedy feud with? I'm not sure...I see a Booker-Lashley feud coming on, so maybe Kennedy will get a WWE Title feud with Cena. Even if they don't give Kennedy the belt, a championship feud would give him more credibility.
What do you think? Should WWE push up one of its top young heels, or are Cena and Lashley (good Lord) good enough?
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Monday, July 9, 2007
RAW Preview
We're getting closer and closer to The Great American Bash, and with the main events already determined, WWE will surely have to build up some hype for them. This is exactly what we'll see tonight...
The main event of tonight's RAW, according to WWE.com, is Bobby Lashley vs. King Booker. Here's my prediction: the ref goes down, Mr. Kennedy interferes to Booker's benefit, who then picks up the victory. Lashley, however, clears the ring after the match. We'll see...
John Cena will not be appearing on RAW tonight since he will be on Larry King Live. I predict that Mr. Kennedy challenges Cena to a match tonight, and then brags when Cena doesn't show. The match will take place next week.
Randy Orton will continue his disrespect towards Dusty Rhodes in building up to their match at the Bash. Just another legend for Orton to kill before a giant feud with Triple H.
Carlito and the Sandman will surely have a match at the Bash, so look for their feud to continue. They met in a match last week, so maybe this week we'll see the Sandman interfere with a Carlito match.
It looks to me like the Candice Michelle-Melina feud is on for the Bash as well. I can see Candice wrestling Jillian Hall tonight with Melina at the announce table.
There's got to be a tag match! I'm not sure which one WWE is more interested in pushing, but look for either London and Kendrick or Cryme Tyme to pick up a big win tonight and later challenge for Cade and Murdoch's titles.
There they are, my bold RAW predictions for tonight.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
End of Summer Preview
What direction will the WWE be taking from now until Summerslam? How will the major returns affect the end of the summer? I'll give you some analysis on the rumors and facts of the end of the summer in WWE. Also, I'll give you my opinion on ppv predictions, but I want your take too.
Alright folks, let's look ahead shall we? The end of this summer COULD be one of the greatest in WWE history...COULD be. WWE has to start basically from scratch, and this will allow them to develop creative storylines and build up superstars a great deal.
This huge summer could happen because of 4 reasons:
1. Almost everyone on the WWE roster will be intact (so it seems) With the exception of Helms HBK and maybe Taker...I think that everyone will be intact by the end of summer...which is a result of the next reason...
2. Huge returns. Think of the amount of hype that they can build for the returns of Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and possibly The Undertaker. If you didn't see Smackdown last night, they are already doing return promos for Rey Rey. WWE needs to maximize the excitement of these returns and give the fans some great return feuds.
3. Media Coverage. They got huge mainstream media coverage for the McMahon storyline and the Benoit tragedy. This got the attention of many people and got them interested (or disgusted) in/with WWE. They can continue this great media coverage by becoming even more controversial (Attitude Era anyone?) and utilizing their special guests (Steve-o, Knoxville, and the crew) to give the non-regular viewers people to relate to and give them reasons to watch.
4. Summerslam. This ppv sounds HUGE. Combining the stars of the hit show "Jackass", the returns of Triple H and Rey Rey, and the rumored huge match that Mick Foley has been training for for some time now creates an unstoppable ratings machine attracting WWE fans and MTV fans alike.
As I said before, the end of this summer might be the greatest ever. Starting from scratch can be a very good thing, because the creative team can (hopefully) give the WWE viewers classic feuds and matches that wouldn't have existed if the injury plague didn't happen. So basically I am looking at all of these major injuries as a good thing...because although we lost major superstars for many months, we get to start over and get fresh feuds.
Now we get to the fun part...predicting!
I'll write what I think the cards for the next two ppvs will be:
The Great American Bash:
Edge (c) vs. Kane (World Heavyweight Championship)...locked
John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)...locked
Johnny Nitro (c) vs. CM Punk (ECW Championship)...locked
Batista vs. The Great Khali...locked
Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Jimmy Wang Yang (Cruiserweight Championship)
Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry
Alright, I'll start out by saying that there is a rumor that Mick Foley is training for a huge match at Summerslam (...what I think is a last hurrah). Who will he fight?...There are many superstars that it could be (remember all of this is just a rumor for now, but it is still fun to think about). It could be John Cena, Triple H, Mr. Kennedy, etc. But I am going to go with Randy Orton. Mick Foley=Legend...Randy Orton=Legend Killer. Foley has put superstars over all of his life, and I think he will put Randy Orton over in a Hell In A Cell match.
Summerslam:
Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton (Hell In A Cell)
Umaga vs. The Jackass Crew (Some weird stipulation).
John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley (WWE Championship)
Burke vs. Cor Von vs. Punk (c) vs. Nitro (Hardcore ECW Championship Match) okay...maybe not...
Triple H vs. Mr. Kennedy
Rey Mysterio vs. Edge (c) (World Heavyweight Championship)
Matt Hardy vs. MVP (c) (United States Championship)
Batista vs. The Great Khali
Melina vs. Mickie James (Women's Championship)
Although Summerslam is about a month and a half away, that was actually really fun. I would love to hear your opinions on the card for Summerslam and the Great American Bash.
Cena Needs To Drop Belt
John Cena is a world-renowned WWE superstar. And he very well could be one of the longest-reigning, most annoying champions ever. Never since Triple H's tenure of doom have I been so tired of seeing one man beat odds that are just unreal. The WWE has created a big problem which it now must deal with. Having Cena beat The Great Khali but lose to Edge makes no since to me. Of course, I will give Cena credit where credit is unfortunately due. Cena is one of the longest reigning champions ever; he is point blank doing his job. But I have a problem with that, because in the WWE, Cena's best isn't good enough for me. The fans don't expect what a Jeff Hardy does every night, but they do demand the absolute best that each wrestler can give. And it seems my problem with Cena is just that. Cena gives half effort in most, if not all of his matches, and does not give a damn about it. Yet many of the fans still cheer him on as if they were Stevie Wonder, because they seem not to know that he wrestles horribly. When Stone Cold Steve Austin was extremely popular during the Attitude Era, it was mostly due to the fact that you never knew what was going to happen. Yes, we knew the Stunner was his finisher, but that was about it (and even that could come out of nowhere and happen to Vince at anytime). Wrestling in general has lost that feeling of how things can happen at the drop of a dime. Now, that is not all Cena's fault because he is not the one making decisions, but he isn't exactly helping either. Some of the blame must fall on Vince McMahon. Vince McMahon has to do something. MMA is on the rise, and fans are just generally losing interest, especially after the tragic and puzzling death of Chris Benoit. I have no doubt that Vince (or Shane) will be able to create the WWE brand again, but the question is how soon. MMA is about to swallow the WWE, and the problem needs to be solved before we've lost all of our fan base. So how do we solve the problem ? John Cena is a great, but he is nowhere near a leader or pioneer of the sport like a Shawn Michaels. John Cena needed more time to develop in the system and he would have been great if the WWE didn't push him too early. Cena needs to lose his belt, take some time off, and get more of what we call common wrestling knowledge before he'll be ready for another endless title reign. Signing out Troy Kennedy…..Kennedy.
In Troy Kennedy's Irish Whip debut, he takes a look at the inexplicably long title reign of John Cena and breaks down what the WWE needs to do in order to freshen its product.
John Cena makes me upset because he is the leader of a company with third-rate skills...and quite frankly that is not good enough to help pull the slacking WWE out of the mud. I can name three wrestlers who could carry the WWE out of this funk and back to its peak as a company. Guess what? Cena is not one of them because he does not possess the one factor that makes any WWE champion a household name: unpredictability.
LET CENA LOSE THE WWE TITLE! Yes, Cena is great as a figurehead, but he isn't deserving of the title yet. He isn't one of the best. He is just a sad case of a face getting over with the fans and being handed the belt. Without it, he is nothing, sort of like Smackdown favorite Batista. Ken Kennedy, Bobby Lashley, and Randy Orton all deserve a chance at the belt and should win it sooner than later.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Current Thoughts On The Wrestling World
Last night I was watching Raw, one week to the day after I found out that my idol and favourite wrestler, Chris Benoit, was found dead along with his wife and child. Now, 1 week ago it seemed like a big mistake, how could someone kill a wrestler, his wife and his child?
In the week that followed, it became more apparent what really happened in the Benoit household. Apparent steroid use, wife beating, injecting his son with Steroids, the list goes on and on. Of course, the media was quick to jump on this and smear the name of the wrestling and in particular, the WWE.
I know the WWE has had problems in the past , the whole steroid trials in the 90s, RVD's pot bust, etc., but they look to have cracked down on drug usage.
Now comes the tricky part. What if Benoit was on steroids at the time of the supposed "drug testings?" Has the WWE dropped themselves in the "cacky" by allowing Benoit to fake his test? Or maybe there is no testing at all? Who knows?
Anyway, back onto Raw. The Kennedy segments were great with Cena and Super Crazy, Booker's presence was good and hell, Umaga even looked decent out there. Can I see a face turn in the future for the Samoan Bulldozer? I heard a few cheers last night when he won that belt.
Lashley's heel-like attack was just was the doctor ordered. I can see Cena retaining however as Lashley still doesn't have the mic skills to be the top dog on Raw. But he has improved immensely these past few weeks, so kudos to him.
The Orton Legend Killer gimmick is going from strength to strength. Next week, Dusty Rhodes is to face Randy. I just hope he has settled down backstage as a top level feud with Cena, then the returning Triple H and possibly the returning HBK looks on the horizon.
Monday, July 2, 2007
RAW Reaction: Lashley Gets The Push
Two other things of interest:
- Umaga regains the Intercontinental title, and as stated before this is to add legitimacy to him before his SummerSlam match with the Jackass crew. He also won the Intercontinental belt right before his big match at Wrestlemania, if you recall.
- Did it seem to anybody else that Shelton Benjamin may be receiving a push soon? He got time to cut a promo and wrestled his first singles match in a long time. It's about time they get him moving again.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
RAW Preview
Well, WWE really has to start over. Their McMahon death storyline was shot down by Chris Benoit's legitimate death, so the "main event" storyline is out the window. We do, however, now know the two main events for The Great American Bash:
John Cena vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Title
Edge vs. Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship
So on RAW tonight, I can only assume that a Cena vs. Lashley rivalry may begin. Look for those seeds to be planted tonight.
WWE.com also notifies us that Santino Marella will once again be defending his Intercontinental title against Umaga. It would not surprise me to see Umaga take back the belt. Just like for Wrestlemania, his being the Intercontinental champ adds some legitimacy to him being in a main event-type match, this time against Jackass at SummerSlam. On the other hand, WWE may want to continue Santino's "miracle" title defenses. If this is the case, then look for him to win via interference, maybe from Maria or the Jackass crew?
Also, we'll see the continuation of a feud that I love...Carlito vs. Sandman. I don't even want them to fight a match, I just want to see Carlito interrupted by the Sandman's entrance. I think this feud will be going the "hardcore" route and make Carlito pay some dues.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Superstar Categories
When Ben proposed this post to me, I was very excited. If you have ever played NBA Live 2007, all of the players are in categories (dunker, long range shooter, inside scorer, etc…). This post categorizes the top 5 stars in each brand and then 5 legends into the categories of crafty, powerhouse, legend, experienced, future star, athletic, great heart, exciting, and creative. Of course superstars can and will be in multiple categories.
Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and The Undertaker have been omitted due to their injuries.
Smackdown’s Top 5
2. Batista: The first thing that you think of when you see Batista, is that he is a powerhouse. I would definitely NOT call him experienced, seeing how he has only been wrestling with WWE since 2002. I would also not call him the future, seeing how he is 38. And although he may not be the best wrestler in the company, he sure is exciting. His spinebuster is extremely fun to watch, and it gets me pretty amped.
4. Ric Flair: Flair falls into many categories. He is definitely a legend. He won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in 1981 by beating Dusty Rhodes. He is an 11 time world champion, and has won countless awards. He is also definitely experienced...being in the wrestling business since the 1970s, and being in countless classic feuds (Lex Luger, Terry Funk) and stables (Evolution, The Four Horsemen). He was also extremely exciting in his prime (and he still has his moments now...like vs. the Big Show on ECW). Flair also has a reputation of being extremely crafty to win at any cost. You know someone is crafty when the low blow is part of their regular moveset.
5. Kane: The Big Red Machine is definitely experienced (being in wrestling since the mid-to late 90s). He is a 10-time Tag-Team champion, a two-time Intercontinental champion, a one-time Hardcore champion, and a one-time WWF champion. He is also a powerhouse (7 feet tall, 326 pounds). Kane is extremely exciting too…when his entrance music hits I get extremely pumped up.
RAW’s Top 5:
2. Bobby Lashley: Nobody is more of a powerhouse than Bobby Lashley. All you have to do is look at this man to find out what I’m talking about. He is extremely exciting too. His spear is not near the excitement level of Bill Goldberg’s, but his regular power moves are fantastic. Also, in his match vs. the late Chris Benoit at the first 3-hour RAW, he showed us a side of him that we rarely see, the amateur wrestling side of him. Benoit and Lashley put on a very enjoyable match. And yes ladies and gentlemen, he is a future star. He is only 30 years old, and he has already been built up to the main event slot.
4. Mr. Kennedy: Ken Kennedy will be the Stone Cold or The Rock of the future. This man is above and beyond what we refer to as a future star. You can’t call this man boring. He is extremely exciting and creative. His creative side kicks in with his ring entrance. I can’t think of another ring entrance that I like better than his (please comment if you think of one). And excitement basically radiates from this man’s body. I decided not to keep this one very long, because you can just read any of our other posts to get the point.
5. Jeff Hardy: Jeff Hardy is hands down the most exciting superstar (now that RVD has left) in the WWE. The Swanton Bomb is probably one of the tightest moves in wrestling, and the whisper in the wind gets the crowd going just as much. Also, how can you talk about Jeff Hardy and not say he’s an athlete? The man did a front flip (Swanton Bomb) off of a ladder through a table with Bubba Ray Dudley on it. He can also be a future star (he is only 29)…but I am not sure since all of his stunts may take a pretty hard toll on his body after awhile.
ECW’s Top 5:
2. Johnny Nitro: I would first like to ask…why is this man the ECW champion? His second match as an ECW superstar (first being a squash against Nunzio) is a title match that he wins. BAD IDEA (but again, another topic for another time). He is without a doubt a future star being only 27 years old and being in the main event slot for ECW in his 3rd year with the company. You could also consider him athletic…if you were searching for another thing to say about him.
4. Marcus Cor Von: Here is the powerhouse of ECW. Monty Brown…I mean…Marcus Cor Von is HUGE. His bicep is probably larger then my head. He definitely falls into the category of exciting. The Pounce is my favorite finisher by a big dude. Although the Alpha Male is 37, he has a few great years ahead of him (but not enough years to call him the future).
5. The Boogeyman: Here’s a fun fact that I found interesting: he is 42 years old! I never would have thought that he would be that old. Well, now that I got that out of the way…he is definitely exciting, and definitely creative. Name another superstar that eats worms. Also, it is occasionally fun to see him pop up out of nowhere and scare the pants off of people.
Legends Top 5: (in no order)
2. The Rock: There is nothing about this man that is boring. He has the most unnecessarily elaborate finishing move of all time (the people’s elbow) and has created almost all of the famous wrestling catchphrases in our time (know your role, and shut your mouth). This man is the epitome of exciting in and out of the ring. Again, he is in the legends category…therefore he is a definite legend. He won the WWF/E Championship 7 times, the Intercontinental Championship 2 times, and the Tag-Team Championship 5 times. He also has a great heart. His match at Wrestlemania against Steve Austin was a classic display of his heart. His heart is also shown in ANY of his matches against Mick Foley. Also, he is EXTREMELY creative. Who would think to themselves “today…I’m going to create a 30 second prelude to an elbow…”
4. Hulk Hogan: Just like Stone Cold and The Rock created the word exciting, Hulk Hogan created the word legend. He is the ultimate WWF/E/WCW that absolutely everyone knows. He is a 6-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, a 6-time WWF/E World Heavyweight Champion, a 1-time Tag-Team Champion, a 2-time Royal Rumble Winner, and a WWE Hall of Famer. He also has a great heart (see vs. Andre the Giant or any other match where he “Hulks Up”). He is not as exciting as The Rock…but he is nonetheless very exciting. I’ve never really been into his finisher (the Hogan leg drop), because it’s basically like doing a “clothesline from hell” or “the big boot”, but it was cool in the 80s.
5. Shawn Michaels: Already, he is a legend. He is a 3-time WWF Champion, a 1-time European Champion, a 3-time Intercontinental Champion, a 4-time Tag-Team Champion, a 1-time World Heavyweight Champion, and a 2-time Royal Rumble Winner. He shows his great heart in his classic iron-man match against Bret Hart. His Superkick comes out of nowhere, and that is what makes him one of the most exciting superstars in wrestling today.
If you didn’t notice, the powerhouses (Cena, Lashley, Batista) are moving up in the world of wrestling, when it should be the exciting and athletic superstars (Jeff Hardy, Edge, Kennedy) in the limelight. WWE needs to keep a nice balance of these superstars to maximize their success. WWE also needs to keep good relations with their legends, so their legends will come back and have instant-classic feuds.
That’s all for me folks. As always…post comments.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Ideas on what happens next in the WWE...
Unfortunately I did not get to see last nights Vengeance, however whilst moping about how I couldn't get the PPV, I had some thoughts about a few of the guys participating, in particular Lashley, Foley and Kendrick/London.
Before I go into details, I hope whatever kept Benoit off Vengeance last night is sorted with no harm to anyone. He is a great talent and looks like he is finally getting a brand built around him, which he deserves for his patience and hard work.
First up, seeing as how Raw is screaming for a dastardly heel, why not make Lashley one? Granted he hasn't got the mic skills, but that's where my big plan comes in. Why not stick him with Sgt Slaughter as his manager? They both have "military" backgrounds, though Lashley's is genuine.
Next up, why not have Foley back for a bit longer this time and have him feud with Cena. Foley has stated a thousand times that he likes to put the new up and comers over(even though Cena is pretty much over). What I can see however, is give the title to Foley and make him go heel, perhaps as Cactus Jack. Let Cena become the hunter not the hunted as he has beaten every other challenger. That way there is a new title holder, it pleases the smarks, Cena gets more over as a plucky babyface against the dastardly(god, I love that word!) Cactus Jack. Hell, why not bring Terry Funk back into the picture?
And finally, how cool would it been to see the Hardys take on London/Kendrick? The old school highflyers vs the new school. That way, London and Kendrick can put themselves over as the massive babyface tag team, leaving the Hardys to perhaps "fall out" and split the team up, giving Vince and the Creative team the singles runs that they crave so much.
Anyway, looking forward to Raw tonight, maybe they will end this silly angle!
Vengeance Was Not So Sweet
Hello everyone. First off, I lost my Internet to an idiotic AT&T worker this week, but I'm back!
Alright, Vengeance. I LOVE it when as many titles are on the line as possible, so naturally, I was hyped about the "Night of Champions." I had high expectations, and I think that was a bad idea. I let myself expect good things, so when they did not really happen, it seemed ten times worse than if I had not hyped myself too much. Anyways, quick thoughts.
World Tag Team Titles: This match was actually mostly what I expe
Cruiserweight Title: Honestly, I considered this one somewhat of a "pick'em." I saw the outcome either way. I'll be honest though, I have read a few rumors of Chavo maybe joining up over at TNA and thought maybe Jimmy Wang Yang would get it. Either way, it was ok, I expected more from Wang Yang mainly because he has shown his wrestling ability back in RoH(I think he was in RoH? Sorry if I got that wrong.)
ECW Championship: Well, obviously a let down, this was my pick for possible match of the night. I do hope Chris Benoit's personal problems are resolved and it was nothing too serious, he is a great individual and an amazing talent. Once I saw Nitro, I expected him to win only because I hope they still want to give Benoit the title, which seems more viable off of Nitro than CM Punk.
Intercontinental Title: I expected this to be somewhat of a squash match and give Umaga the title. Man, I was wrong, it was actually a squash match with Umaga getting disqualified....HUGE difference! :)
United States Title: Somewhat decent, I expected more from the two of these guys. Seemed obvious that MVP would not lose the title. Side Note: Ric Flair's pink robe was pretty sweet, he is the ONLY man that could pull that off!
WWE Tag Team Titles: Wow. Sgt. Slaughter and Jimmy Snuka? Anyone else notice that belly on Snuka? It was quite hilarious in my own view. Anyway, it disappointed me. I know Deuce is Snuka's son, but I was expecting a decent match with The Major Brothers.
World Heavyweight Title: Much better than I expected out of Batista. I liked how they worked Edge cheating and then Teddy Long restarting the match. I also enjoyed the second ending of Batista basically screwing himself by power bombing Edge on the outside.
Women's Title: Stock women's match. Woo.
WWE Title: It was only about ten minutes, but it worked. They kept it non-stop(there were five of them) and they managed to get in everyone at some point. Lashley's leap of death was nice, especially since he did not hold onto the rope like he did when he jumped at One Night Stand. Booker took things a little easy for his knee's sake. Randy attempted to give Foley a concussion. Then Cena wins. At least he did not win with the STFU.
Overall, WWE has had some weak Pay-Per-Views since Wrestlemania this year. Backlash was very lackluster, with the main event being decent. I found Judgment Day to be the worst show of the year so far, One Night Stand was good.....until the two main event title matches, and now Vengeance. I would probably put this show on par with Backlash, I did not mind the World and WWE title matches. I'm not expecting much out of the Bash come July(although, the promos for it tonight made me laugh with Kane in there, don't know if anyone else noticed him). Basically, I'm hoping and praying that Summerslam will kick ass. Well, that's all I have for now!
-Jesse
Thursday, June 21, 2007
WWE or TNA? I Want Your Take
Category 1: Excitement
I’ll start off by posting links to the best of TNA, and the best of AJ Styles
These two videos show incredible athleticism and creativity. After watching these videos I find myself wanting to become a TNA fan. Since WWE has such a huge fan base, TNA has to pull fans away from WWE and toward TNA. This means that TNA has to have this kind of excitement every single night to keep up with WWE (which I feel is not happening at all).
Now I will give you some links to WWE videos: WWE1 and WWE2 (and i don't think that these two videos have even put a quarter of the cool stuff that WWE has done in here)
I feel that these two videos have the same quality of excitement that the TNA ones have, even though the WWE videos are missing some very important moments (Shane-o jumping off of billions of things, the complete Mick Foley vs. The Undertaker HIAC match, etc...)
The plus side of WWE having three shows is that they have a great chance to have three or four great and exciting matches a week, where as TNA fills up a week with about 6 matches.
Category winner: WWE
TNA has the creative genius behind the WWF Attitude Era (Vince Russo). However, I feel that his style doesn't fit TNA's style because of the short programming time. That being said, I feel that TNA had a nice amount of hype building into the King of the Mountain title win for Angle. Overall I feel that the storylines for TNA are pretty good (7 out of 10).
I thoroughly dislike most WWE storylines, such as Vince McMahon's death, John Cena vs. Khali, Lashley vs. the new Corporation (as I like to call it), etc...There really isn't anything I like about the WWE writing staff except for Dusty Rhodes at ECW...but that balances out because I hate Dave Lagana (he makes dumb decisions like having Hardcore Holly pin CM Punk clean and making CM Punk the first person out in the Elimination Chamber). However, I especially hate Smackdown's writers (Michael Hayes) and their storylines, because they show us the same main event almost every week. They always have a tag-team match between two tag-teams who aren't actually teams (like tomorrow's Edge & MVP vs. Batista & Ric Flair). So overall I feel that the storylines for WWE are not up to par (4 out of 10)
Category Winner: TNA
The obvious idea here is to compare two lists of superstars, one for each company. I will do this based on talent mixed with popularity.
TNA: Abyss, AJ Styles, Team 3D, LAX, Christian Cage, Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Kurt Angle, Rhino, Samoa Joe, Scott Steiner, Sting, Tyson Tomko.
WWE: Chris Benoit, CM Punk, Lashley, John Cena, Batista (I know), The Hardy Boyz, MR. KENNEDY, Randy Orton, HBK, HHH, Shane McMahon, Stone Cold, Kendrick & London, Edge, MVP, Kane, Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, The Undertaker.
Shall we compare? Let's start with comparing the tag-teams. I put the top two tag-teams for each product. TNA has Team 3D and LAX, and WWE has Kendrick & London and the Hardy Boyz. Team 3D is actually the most decorated tag-team in WWE history, and they are doing very well in TNA as well. However, LAX is not up to the level that the Hardy Boyz (or even Kendrick & London) are on (and LAX is deteriorating). I am going to have to give the titles of "best tag-teams" and "most exciting tag-teams" to WWE.
Let's look at singles competition now. TNA has GREAT wrestlers like AJ Styles, Christian, Kurt Angle, and Samoa Joe. However, WWE has a great mix of powerhouses (Lashley, Cena, Batista), athletics (Jeff Hardy, Brian Kendrick, Rey Mysterio), classics (HBK, The Undertaker, Ric Flair) and future greats (Mr. Kennedy, CM Punk, MVP). A mix like that makes WWE all the more enjoyable, and that's why...
Category Winner: WWE
Category 4: Programming
In this category, I am going to compare the 1 hour show and the 2 hour show...
Both times have their pluses and minuses, but generally I feel that 2 hours is too much, and 1 hour is not enough...so basically I would like it if both shows were an hour and a half. This is because I always feel that TNA is rushing through things, and I feel that WWE has too many unnecessary backstage segments and squash matches. However, I feel that the 2 hour show is better than the 1 hour show because it allows time for more wrestling...and that is what I expect from a WRESTLING show.
Clear Category Winner: WWE
So basically in my opinion, WWE wins the heated contest 3-1. Please comment on the post and agree or disagree with me (even under anonymous).
Monday, June 18, 2007
RAW Reaction: This is Awesome
London and Kendrick debuted in an incredible match against Haas and Benjamin (as predicted, of course, in the RAW preview). They will revive the tag team division on RAW and continue to be one of the greatest tag teams of ALL TIME. Maybe better than even the Hardys???
A Carlito-Sandman feud? This is awesome! I figured WWE would make the Sandman a jobber on RAW, and he may put Carlito over in this feud, but he has a great opportunity to push his popularity. This is the first time that he's really been exposed on the flagship show. And he was bleeding like crazy tonight!
Daivari and Jeff Hardy had a great match tonight, and the Hardys-Cade and Murdoch feud continues to be a good one.
Mick Foley vs. Umaga was sort of the low point of the show. I like Umaga's character, but they sure could use him a little better. He's a good wrestler but WWE doesn't seem to let him show it.
MISTAAAAAAAA KENNEDY (The Irish Whip's official "Future of Wrestling") showed the single reason he received that recognition. He delivered a great promo and I can't wait for his wrestling return. A feud with HHH would be great for Kennedy's career.
Even the divas are doing well! The tag match tonight (Melina and Jillian Hall vs. Candice Michelle and Mickie James) was a little sloppy but it was fun to watch. WWE really needs to get Mickie James back up to the top of the women's divsion; she's very obviously above the others in terms of wrestling skill and the fans recognize that. It was a shame that WWE had her lose in front of her hometown crowd, but the finisher that Melina used was absolutely cool.
RKO & Booker vs. Cena & Lashley was a great main event. The heels won in a clean finish! This is one of the rarest things to see in a WWE main event. They're really pushing Orton's slickness and snake-like attitude, which is a winner. Booker T's gimmick is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen, but he sure can wrestle.
Steph is back! She cut a great promo as well...it came across as being genuine. It's good to see her back.
Tonight's RAW was a fantastic show. WWE has done a good job with the McMahon death angle, but it is their great handling of the WWE Draft that will put them back into American pop culture. Mr. Kennedy, Paul London, and Brian Kendrick are all money.
Look for a preview of next week's 3-hour RAW, and of course...predictions for this Sunday's Vengeance.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Thursday, June 7, 2007
An Overview Of Brands
First off, I'd like to say hello to all who read this. Along with Lee, this is my first time writing here. I thought I would take the chance to give a short overview of how I think things are going.
ECW
Now, despite what alot of people say, I feel that this show has had its moments, and by moments, I mean occasional flashes of something being ok. For instance, this past week, I actually enjoyed ECW. CM Punk and Matt Striker had a very solid match, and I think the Major Brothers are decent in the ring. As for The Draft coming up, I have heard rumors spreading of a possible Benoit/Mysterio addition to ECW. This could mix things up.
SMACKDOWN!
Honestly, this is my favorite show right now, hands down. I love MVP, I think he is a great talent and he can also talk (it seems like there are fewer and fewer good talkers nowadays). His feud with Benoit was absolute money. Honestly, I hope the rumors about CM Punk being drafted to Smackdown! are true, because I'd love to see a CM Punk/MVP feud for the U.S. Title. Edge is THE BEST heel in the company right now, no arguing that in my personal opinion. Hopefully we can get someone else in the title scene with Edge other than Batista.
RAW
I must admit, this week's new angle with Vince being all "messed up" in the head had me laughing, in a good way. Maybe he can now generate some actual heel heat, instead of "I want you off my T.V. heat." It seems like Bobby Lashley should just permanently be on this show over the last few months, and come draft, maybe he will be. I am not a John Cena hater, but rather, I believe they have booked him poorly, and his "Marine" gimmick is terrible. I believe him to be a hard worker who is always improving. Besides the fact that The Great Khali is terrible, all I will say is this.....a guy has actually died after a botched move with Khali. Yikes! Granted, it IS Wikipedia, but it seems like a pretty legit story, as it says it wasn't his fault.
As far as Paul Heyman is concerned, Wrestleview.com recently had a report stating that Vince threw out Heyman's name at a creative meeting to see what everyone thought. So, even though I still think it's unlikely, maybe we will see him show up yet again!
Well, The Draft seems to be a much needed "mix up" for the three brands and I hope it does create more interesting angles. I hope. You never know with the mind of Vincent Kennedy McMahon. I hope to hear from you guys, tell me what you think! That's all I have up my sleeve for now!
-Jesse
The Need For A Draft
Let's take a little scroll through the current champions.
ECW has Bobby Lashley...and you know what we feel about him.
Smackdown has Edge (FANTASTIC), MVP (FANTASTIC), Chavo Guerrero...whom I hate with a burning passion because he decided to go through with being part of a storyline that had to do with his late uncle Eddie, and Deuce & Domino...who have the privilege of having a gimmick that is almost as stupid as someone wrestling as a vampire...
This is why WWE needs a draft. Even if there weren't all of the major injuries that have recently taken place, WWE would need to mix things up. This draft should boost tv ratings temporarily (because people will want to see what new storylines they get to feast upon). I don't see a bad thing that could come out of a draft (if you disagree then please comment). Thanks for reading.
Monday, June 4, 2007
RAW Results
Tonight's RAW was just plain odd: it didn't really create new story lines or feuds nor did it extend or improve upon those existing ones. Instead, it was a bizarre reactionary tale derived from patches of One Night Stand, Judgment Day, and Backlash. Two hours of matches I've already seen intertwined with an unusually long McMahon fit never sits well with me.
During the initial Cena promo, I didn't even know what was going on. This was partially due to the fact that my girlfriend kept asking me when I was going to grow out of wrestling (answer: never), but I'm relatively sure that nothing important happened. It became obvious in the early goings that the night was going to be one of stagnation. I think that the WWE is afraid to do anything too drastic right before the draft.
Cryme Tyme was back in action which I like to see (I guess they got better in the ring?) and had a nice match with Kenny and Nitro. Santino Marella was forced to put the belt on the line, which he did (against Chris Masters), and retained in typical "I'm still pretending I don't know how to wrestle fashion." Orton and Flair fought for some reason (see the point about not doing anything drastic or starting new feuds), with Orton taking care of Flair in a typical HBK-RVD rewind. Carlito beat up a girl again, which makes sense, considering backstage reports suggest he isn't playing nicely with the other boys...and girls.
In the only real development of the night, Cade and Murdoch beat The Hardy Boyz for the belt and then turned on them (point for Drew) suggesting that the Hardys may return to singles action after the draft (another point for Drew). Never mind that this was a match we had seen twice in the last three months at Backlash and Judgment Day.
Jonathan Coachman came out to tell us everything we needed to know about the draft which amounted to absolutely nothing new.
The Main Event wasn't bad, but I just didn't need to see Cena fight Umaga (so New Year's Revolution/Royal Rumble 2007). And I certainly didn't need to see Cena fight Khali (didn't they fight...yesterday?). The match itself was relatively entertaining, but if I hear about The Great Khali's shoe size one more time, I'm going to start watching TNA. RAW ended with one thing being very clear: the WWE needs this draft more than ever.
