#281... Who's Next
With the firings today of Burke, Dykstra, and Lena, and the previous releases of London and Chuckie P, it's got me thinking that who else could be next on WWE's chopping block? You all know that WWE does this in blocks, and takes out multiple talents in one swoop, over the span of a few days. I know this is heartless, and something that shouldn't be forecast, but let's be honest, there are bodies in WWE that aren't getting the exposure creative should give them, which in turn, makes them expendable.
Now, as I was going through this list in my head, I came up with a name that I thought may be a sure bet to be on the block, but after tonight's Raw, I have to withdraw that name. That name is William Regal. And actually, when push comes to shove, by taking Regal off the block because of his Intercontinental title win (thank God), you'd have to take Layla's name off the list too, because she was on my preliminary list, however, she's been tied to Regal recently, so I guess it's a joint victory for both entities. We'll see.
So, meanwhile, let's try and come up with a few names of talents currently employed in WWE who are likely to be next to be "future endeavoured".
Hardcore Holly - WWE has been incredibly loyal to Holly in the twilight of his career, but he has not been seen nor heard from since his loss of the tag titles when Cody Rhodes turned on him. I know he is hurt, and he is hurt bad. If he doesn't retire, which is entirely possible, I would believe, I have a sneaking suspicion that WWE's loyalty will quickly run out.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan - If Duggan has a legitimate WWE contract, it's a miracle he's been on the payroll this long. I think I remember reading a report that they pay him by appearance, so having him on the roster is an economically saving maneuver, and always the potentially major pop when he does crop up from time to time.
Deuce - I watched Deuce N' Domino in Ohio Valley Wrestling, and I loved them. I thought they could be a major player in WWE's tag team division. They had their run, they never got back to the momentum they had when they first came on board. Fast forward to now, Domino and Cherry are gone, and Deuce is languishing in jobber duty on Raw. This dude is toast. It's just a matter of time.
Paul Burchill - Have you noticed how they started calling Burchill's "sister" just Katie Lea? By eliminating Burchill's name from his character's "sister", it makes me think that creative has lost their way with Burchill, and thus, makes him another log to spread on to the fire. It's a real shame, too, as I thought his "Ripper" gimmick he was using in OVW would've worked to a charm up here, but it was never given the chance to get off the ground.
Val Venis - You could put this guy in the same category as Hardcore Holly. Dedicating loyal WWE has been to this man, and I respect that, but where's he been for the last few months? I haven't read reports of injuries or any other circumstances keeping him off at least the house show circuit. (I'm not saying he is off the circuit, I just haven't seen his name there). There hasn't been a push for Venis in ages, and unless he's satisfied with his role, which he very well may be, especially for the money, there's always the chance that the axe may fall.
Mike Knox - I'm sorry, but anyone who looks THAT BAD cannot be talented enough to handle a spot on the brand's flagship show. This dude is going to flop like a dead fish, and be probably the next to be released, I'd put a wager on that one. Nothing of value, but I'd be surprised if he's not released soon, after they realize that they have not come up with the second version of Nord the Barbarian.
DH Smith - Being the son of the British Bulldog only goes so far. He has YET to debut on Smackdown since being moved from the draft, the only talent yet to debut since that show, and when was that, jeez, that's been a long time. I can't think that they're going to let this guy languish in FCW much longer. He's either going to get a shot, or they're going to cut him, and I think it'll happen sooner rather than later.
Mr. Kennedy - I hate saying this, because the guy is quickly becoming one of my faves, but he's too often injured. If he can stay durable when he does return, if he gets that chance, which is always in question, then maybe he'll raise his stock within the company, but right now, he better hope Vinnie Mac isn't in a bad mood with his finger on the "you're fired " button, because it may be pointing at him.
Ryan Braddock - Has this guy won a match? I mean, really. I haven't seen much of Braddock compete, but from what I have seen, I haven't been impressed. I have to believe that Braddock is not going to accept jobber duty much longer, which would mean that Johnny Ace may have another sacrifical lamb to slaughter.
Scotty Goldman - This pains me to put this guy on this list, but his character is being so underused, so underappreciated, and so ridiculously stupidly that I think it's a matter of time before he gets frustrated and splits back to ROH, where he was approaching main event status on a regular basis. I don't understand the logic of repackaging this guy, giving him his name back, and finding him set up with Punk. Punk and Cabana have a natural chemistry which would be second to none on Raw, and would make the tag team division fresh and new again. The way they have Goldman now, it sucks, I hate it, and I would not be the least bit surprised if WWE dumps it.
Armando Estrada - Has he finally earned his contract? Has he had something at all to do since Colin Delaney was fired? Let me answer that with this simple word. No. Nothing. And that is what I think he'll be getting soon, Nothing but a pink slip.
I know this column is cruel, but let's face it, there is a need within WWE to chew off the fat, and give some new guys a run with the gamut. Although I still want to know what the hell is a Kizarny? That may turn out to be the dumbest idea for a gimmick since Mordecai.
I welcome your opinions on these ideas. Email them to me, and I'll print them on my blog.
Oh, one last thing. If Christian Cage is jumping to WWE to reform with Edge as a heel or a face tag team, I got two words for you.
DO IT.
NOW.
Ok, make that three.
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Turning Point Picks
As today is the day I have been waiting for for some time, the release of Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 on my two platforms, PS2 and PSP, I'm going to go through the picks for Turning Point and call it a day.
Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed vs. Roxxi & Taylor Wilde
This feud has been confusing for the past couple of weeks, as why was Roxxi thrown in to this thing when it was technically supposed to be a grudge between Taylor and Kong for Kong beating WIlde for the belt in Las Vegas. Where is Wilde's rematch for the belt as well? I personally am not upset by this, as I am a Roxxi fan, and want to see Roxxi with the TNA Knockouts title, so this is OK by me. I also am happy to see Saeed wrestling, for reasons I have mentioned in previous columns. SO, although I think it's awfully confusing booking, it's something I can live with. One thing I have to wonder, how are they going to talk up the injury angle involving Roxxi as it looked like she was cut up pretty good from the last Impact show. Anyway, I would suspect that the indestructible champion will find a way to take this match, but in the process, begin to break away from her fights with Wilde, and begin to focus more on Roxxi, as I cannot see anyone else but Roxxi as the most likely candidate to take the belt next.
WINNERS: Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed
X Division Championship Seeding Match
Sonjay Dutt vs. Eric Young vs. Jay Lethal vs. Consequences Creed vs. Petey Williams vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Homicide vs. Doug Williams vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Volador
Ok, this is confusing and ridiculous. I got no problem with a multiple talent X Divsion match, but for "seeding"? Come on, make it a #1 contender's match, winner gets the shot, and lets mvoe it the bleep on. One other thing that I need to know about. Young, Lethal and Creed have been paramount in the Main Event Mafia war on Impact the past few weeks, and now all of a sudden, they're back in to this type of match on a freakin' pay per view? Makes zero sense to me.
One thing I do like about this match is the use of the international talent. I've seen Williams live during a ROH event, and he's very, very good. Tanahashi and Volador have impressed me the past couple of weeks on Impact, and the further exposure for these talents, the happier it makes studious fans like me.
One other question, where the hell has Rave & Williams been that have given them the shot to get in to the PPV? I know WIlliams was on two weeks ago when Steiner returned and took out half the roster, but where has Rave been? And now, all of a sudden, Homicide is going it alone?
All in all, the booking here is really confusing. The chalk pick I would think is Jay Lethal. I don't think the internationals will have a shot because of scheduling conflicts that are likely to be on tap already before the bell even rings, and the others in this match have either no real place in the creative process or already are set up with something major on their plate. I'll say it comes down to Dutt & Lethal, and due to the fact that Dutt has nothing on his plate right now, and Lethal does....
WINNER; Sonjay Dutt
If you think I'm going to go through the "seeding", well, think again.
Rhino vs. X Division Champion Sheik Abdul Bashir
This again pisses me off. Not for the match in any way, shape, or form, but for the fact that its not for the belt. You wanna make this mean something, put it for the belt. Rhino has lost his way in the creative aspect of the company, as he is not primarily focused in the main storyline, so let him go for the X title, win it, and change the landscape of the X Division in a major way. It is supposed to be about NO LIMITS, RIGHT?
Anyway, I think Rhino will take Bashir apart and WIN the match, but end up losing the war, as he'll probably end up the victim of an attack after the match, leaving him laying. However, all things considered, this match means nothing, for the reasons I tried to illustrate above.
WINNER: Rhino
Falls Count Anywhere
Kurt Angle vs. Abyss
Angle again continues to show how bi-polar he truly is. One minute, he's out at the ring in a suit and tie, looking dapper and elite and ready for a business meeting , the next minute, he's in Jarrett's office screaming for a rematch with the founder of the company.
What bothers me here is, Jarrett's got the resume to SUPPORT Kurt in his Main Event Mafia storyline that this just totally makes this desire for a rematch almost moot. I really believe Angle's intensity for the business will be his undoing, literally, and legitimately.
Now, to the match. Abyss is going to fall in this match, and that's a shame, but the only reason why he's going to fall is because he's not predominantly featured in the faction style warfare that has dominated Impact for the past three weeks. It's also confusing and stupid because just this past week, Abyss won a four team ladder match to get he and his partner Matt Morgan a tag team title shot.
It's also enraging because this type of match should be right down Abyss's alley, this is Abyss's style of match. No rules, no limits, weapons abound. But, if you think the TNA brass are going to put a loss on the MEM's "leader" going in to the final PPV of the year, well, I think you're wrong.
WINNER: Kurt Angle
What I am beginning to honestly think though, is that this match is not a bridge to Angle/Jarrett II. Unless, of course, TNA does the unthinkable and brings family back in to it. I think they are going to, and that will send me over the edge in to absolute fury, especially after what Jarrett's been through with the loss of his wife.
TNA World Tag Team Championship
Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
Is it me, or do the Guns not look as motivated as they used to? I mean, literally, if you check them out closely over the last couple of weeks, they haven't been out on television with the same bounce in their step. I may be knit picking, but its something I noticed. I know I was corrected about their standing before their joining up iwth the MEM/Young Guns war by a couple of emails, but still, even with that in the back of my head, I sense a little tension toward the overall product out of Shelley and Sabin.
With that being said, I am not sure that they'll take the belts tonight. I'd like to see it, as I would think that it would be a hell of a coup for the team, and it would be a shot in the arm for the tag team division of TNA. My head says pick the champs here due to their ability and their desire to take any shortcut possible. My heart does say pick the Guns because I'd like to see a change. I'm going to go with my head on this one.
WINNERS: Beer Money, Inc.
TNA Legends Championship
Booker T. vs. Christian Cage
This is a tough one to call. I have always been under the impression that in any sort of group that involves Cage, it's either Cage's way, or no way. Obviously here, that would not be the case, as if Cage loses, he joins the Main Event Mafia, and there's no way on the face of the planet, that's he's going to do that willingly, and become a sheep for Angle. However, with the MEM backing Booker, taking that beautiful belt off of the title holder is not going to be an easy thing to do.
Cage came out in support of the young guns last week, and I thought that may be the straw that leads to a title change here, but I can't pick it. I want to see Cage on his own, doing his own thing, and not being a forced puppet like TNA has done with other stars in the past, but I don't see Joe or AJ bringing in reinforcements to help Cage offset the likely interference in this match of either Sharmell or another member of the MEM. Booker wins.
WINNER: Booker T.
Kevin Nash vs. Samoa Joe
In my heart of hearts, I want to say that this feud has been done beautifully. But it hasn't. Nash was practically out the door to WWE just a few months ago, and now, he's back, in the midst of the biggest storyline TNA has ever produced, and discussing remarks made by Joe one YEAR ago about Scott Hall.
Question: Do you think that anyone who is a CASUAL wrestling fan is going to remember what Joe said about someone who hasn't been on TNA television in over a year?
And when I say casual, I mean the off again, on again wrestling fan, not someone as rabid as my readers, or myself, or anyone else who takes their time to surf the net and look at sites like Wrestleview.
MY answer to this question: Nobody's going to remember squat. And in the last three weeks, they've had chances to replay that segment to show the anger that Nash allegedly is holding against Joe, and refresh the viewers memories. They haven't done that.
Nash says he's in shape, pissed off, and asks if Joe is ready for this. Joe may not be, from an experience standpoint, in any class close to Nash. But, if Joe can go for the legs, which I believe he will, Nash will not be able to stand up to much of Joe's punishment.
This match will be BOWLING SHOE UGLY from the word go, and its not one I would pay money to see. I'm going to pick Joe to win this match, but it would not surprise me in any way, shape, or form, if the match ends up a no contest due to outside interference.
WINNER: Samoa Joe
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Sting vs. AJ Styles
The one drawback to this faction warfare that TNA has developed is the lack of clean winners and losers in important matches, and I think this will be the paramount example of that theory.
Every bone in my body wants AJ to win the belt. He hasn't been at the top since well before the NWA took their titles back. It should go to AJ to allow Sting to evolve in to a rogue figure on his own warpath to respect even within the core group of the Main Event Mafia. It makes zero sense how Sting can sit in the back while Angle assumes the leadership role of the group with nothing on his shoulder to earn him that distinction.
The World Champion should be the leader of the MEM, and since he obviously is not, I would believe, and I'm going to go out on a limb, and pick it, that the belt will find a way off of Sting, and on to the man who has been so overdue to hold a world title in TNA Wrestling, it's not even remotely funny. What I am anxious to see, that, if we're lucky, and we get this title change, what happens to Sting's character following the PPV.
WINNER: AJ Styles
Ok, as I said, I got business to attend to before picking up the video games I've been anxiously waiting for. Time to split.
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#278... ROH And WWE Stuff
As I said in an earlier column, there's a little more time than normal for me this week (on vacation from the "paying" job), so let's get down to business. I had the chance to watch Raw and ECW this week, so I have some opinions on those, since the chances I get to watch those shows as they happen are pretty rare. But, before I get to that, I have to comment on some issues that have transpired within Ring of Honor first and foremost.
I have not been very happy with ROH lately. I haven't attended an ROH show since the Sixth Anniversary Show. I was very happy with that show, but since then, things have kind of soured with me about the company. Not the product, and the talent, but the company. Then, in the span of this past weekend, it's relayed that the head booker, the Paul E disciple, Gabe Sapolsky is let go from his position at Ring of Honor by the owner, Cary Silkin.
Mixed emotions here for me on this. First and foremost, I've seen the man walking around shows in the Manhattan Center, and personally, I have never had the pleasure, and something in the back of my head and the hairs on my neck says I am probably lucky I never have. Second, I have a personal grudge against this guy for an incident that occurred a while back on the most sadistic message board known to the net, the ROH message board. We WILL NOT recap that.
But, on the other hand, he has brought in some very interesting matches, and basically, his booking is what got me so heavy in to following Japanese puroresu, and that I cannot dispute has been an enjoyable hobby from the word go. .
Where does this lead ROH? Good question. I have read a report as to whom the new booker is, and frankly, I am stunned. If it is whom I read, and the name is the former two time NWA World Champion Adam Pearce, then I am not sure at all what is going to happen to the product as a whole as ROH moves forward. I think one of the things I liked so much about ROH is the rivalries and feuds were settled in combat, and not in some ridiculous parody or some other facet. When Danielson got hurt by Morishima, for example, Danielson and Morishima fought all over the US until ROH figured the card had been played, and it was time to move on. Nigel and Danielson have been fighting for the World title for some time, even by not competing in the same ring together, it's always been in the back of most every ROH's fans mind because of the setup of the shows by the former guru of ROH.
Now, with Pearce, or whomever it may be that is running the backstage operations of ROH, it's leaked that they're going to go more "entertainment". Which, we all know is the death knell of most every single company in professional wrestling, as they'll end up being compared to the Stamford conglomerate, and that's never a good thing. Over on the sadistic board from hell, they're all up in arms about this new strategy, even before it gets out of the blocks, and that just makes me laugh. Yes, I am concerned, because as a fan of the Ring of Honor product, from my uneducated opinion, if it isn't broke, don't fix it, and from where I sat, the product, the matchmaking, wasn't broke. Hopefully, this change will be subtle and seamless, and lead ROH in to greener pastures for the end of 2008 and beyond.
Obviously, in the talent aspect of the company, pastures have to be looking better with the slow return of the TNA talents to ROH rings, even if they're not being involved in the PPV portion of shows, they're going to bring fans back in to the seats, myself included. Samoa Joe makes his return to ROH in November in Chicago, and I don't give a damn what you tell me, one night only, it'll be a matter of time before you see the rest of the TNA/ROH stalwarts return to the smaller fed on lighter schedules, but at least, exposure to the fan base, in some way, shape, or form. I'm patient when it comes to this, I can wait for my turn.
Now, if I may, I have some opinions about Raw. Because of my schedule, I don't get the chance to watch Raw live very often, so when I do, I try to make sure I talk about it. I know people are going to bitch about this, but hey, deal with it. Now, with the beginning promo from Chris Jericho, I have to say I wasn't impressed. Yes, he did his perfect sniveling whining crying heel promo about being screwed at Cyber Sunday by Stone Cold. Where's the follow up from that? Where's the true insane heat and rage from the former champion? You can't tell me Austin couldn't have done two days of tapings to at least close the book on the title match that had the belt change hands. Whatever you had to do, I wanted more emotional intensity from Jericho. And his fearful and sniveling after Adamle told him its a cage match was depressing, and in my opinion, took away from the character as a whole. It should be about the belt, and not about being caged with an Animal, as Jericho put it.
Speaking of the Raw GM, is it me, or did Adamle have an accident on live television when Orton put him under the cheese grater verbally, and Adamle responded by slapping the taste out of Orton's mouth? I'm sorry, but when he lip synced the word "wow" after Orton walked out of the ring, I really think he was seriously leaking something, maybe figuratively speaking, but he looked terrified. This thing involving Orton saying fire Adamle or I walk, it's got to be some way to re-write Orton out of WWE for a period of time to allow him to finally heal up 100% so he can return to action full time down the road. If Cena is due back in 3 weeks, and he can go, Orton should be allowed to get off television, and finish his rehab unimpeded. I can't see this being anything further than that. Anything more that that would be an absolute stunner to me, pun intended.
Well, as the Power, Andy Knowles and I discussed on this past weekend's Pro Wrestling Rewind, where you can submit your questions for the Power by checking the email address at wrestleview.com/rewind, the championship match that wasn't voted in on the Pay Per View was executed on monday night. And something told me, I don't have a clue, but I had a hunch when I saw Kofi and CM come to the ring, something in my gut told me that they would win the belts.
I must have been psychic, because they did, in a pretty good match. I have to say though, I think Manu had blown a couple of spots. There were two spots, one during the match when Cody got clobbered on the outside nearby the samoan by, I believe, Punk, and he did nothing. Also, obviously, the end of the match could've involved a run in by Manu, but he didn't, for whatever reason. I wonder if in the bowels of WWE, that may have been a scar to what was overall a good and entertaining tag match. I still stand by my opinions said on the Rewind that Punk and Kingston are not a good tag team together, because Punk's natural partner is on the roster, and being buried, but that's just my opinion. Also, Punk's lack of push back toward a rematch feud for the World title is a joke, but again, by now, it's more water under the bridge than anything else. Punk and Kingston as tag champs will be fun to watch. I only hope they don't have the transition condition like what happened with Batista and Cena right before Cena got hurt, when they won the belts from Priceless, and lost them back, almost instantaneously.
Batista's celebrate the world title promo was lame and weak. When your nickname is "the Animal", its obvious you're going to be at "home" in a cage match. Nothing further to be said. It was lame, and it screamed for the need of a run in of some type. This guy is in the ring, as the new World Heayvweight Champion, fresh off an ass kicking 24 hours by the former champion, and NOBODY comes out to make his life difficult on the Raw following a title win, and the subsequent bragging promo? Proposterous.
I know Rey Mysterio has a feud going with Kane at present, and I know Mark Henry has a beef with Evan Bourne for being voted in to the ECW title match at the pay per view, but why ruin what was a terrific match on Raw between Rey Mysterio and Evan Bourne by having the two behemoths come to the ring after the match and basically turn these cruisers in to fish bait? Rey and Bourne can fight with the best of them, but I stand by the notion that fighting guys twice to three times as small as monsters like Mark Henry and Kane are a misuse of talent, and inherently dangerous to the talents involved in the feud. For WWE's sake, I hope they move forward from this, soon.
The RAW main event perplexed me. Not because of the fact that it was seamless from the pay per view to book Batista and Michaels against JBL and Jericho, but because just mere months ago, Batista and HBK were trying to kill each other. Now, they're friends? It's a little tough to swallow for hard core fans like me, and probably most of my reades, I would tend to believe. It's a stretch, I know, but I thought about it all throughout the program, and I wondered if it was going to go off without a hitch. Obviously, I was wrong. With that being said, is it now safe to say that we can put Jericho vs. HBK to bed, and ignite JBL vs. HBK? I'm not so sure that this potential feud of Bradshaw and Michaels makes me very pleased, but seeing the HBK vs. Y2J feud take a backseat is a benefit for the product as a whole. It had become significantly saturated, and from what I have read about the ladder match at No Mercy, it needed to stop there.
Next week's 800th episode Raw special looks OK. BTW, can they say that Raw is the "longest running episodic show in history" any more times? Man, the WWE has been shoving down some terminology down our throats like its medication, and its getting really difficult to swallow. Of course, I am referring to the term I am beginning to despise, the WWE Universe. Trust me, if I am a member of this so called Universe, well, check me out the front door, ladies and germs, because that name is just lame in my personal opinion. Knit pick? Sure, damn straight. But, it's allowed, it's my column.
When we're talking about this 3 hour Raw, we have to mention the ECW "main event" segment of Miz and Morrison putting down the future hall of famers HBK and Triple H. First, the catch phrase that the Shaman and Chick magnet are using, "Be Jealous!" I like it. It fits. It fits well. It won't last, but it fits. As for the segment, why it was the "main event" for ECW is beyond me, but the segment was done very well, UNTIL they brought out the literal impersonators of HBK and Triple H. Doing that, either get the circus freaks, or don't do it at all. Regular ordinary joes trying to put on a nose and wig, and sounding like either member of DX is just pathetic, and more succinctly, stupid.
As my friend Suzanne said to me in an email, there's no chance in hell that the Miz and Morrison are going to go over in this match, but the fact is, they made it a little more intriguing going in to the match by all the commentary toward DX. It'll be curious to see if Triple H discusses this tag match for monday coming up on Smackdown.
Oh, btw, if you think Jericho is winning the title next week in a cage, let me ask you something, what are you smoking, and when are you sharing it? No scientific data, just a hunch. Last hunch I played worked to perfection, let's see if it'll happen
The Six Man tag on ECW last night needed to be the main event. One question that needs to be answered, well, two, actually, one, is Matt going to defend against Chavo because of Chavo pinning the ECW Champion, and during that match, does that put the onus on Bam Neely to turn face, and turn on Chavo. It makes sense for that match to take place, but maybe on an ECW program, and not the forthcoming Survivor Series.
Also, what needs to be checked, and publicized, did Evan Bourne legitimately hurt his anklle when he dropped off the apron to the ground? It
Miz and Morrison are a tremendous tag team, as I said earlier in the column, but this badgering of DX monday night on Raw, and tuesday night on ECW is a joke. Have Morrison and Miz invade Raw and Smackdown, and bitchslap the hall of famers. That would impress me more. I would have preferred to see a little more physicality out of these guys. Their match with DX should be fun.
Lastly, i was pleased with the call of Grisham and Striker. My first chance to hear them from bell to bell, and I was impressed. Work is still needed, but so far,. so good.
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