theone86

Posted on 4/15/08 11:14 PM

Mickie and Beth put on a VERY solid match. It's good to see Mickie getting pushed again, but I wish this match would've gotten a better build. A prolongedfued between the two would've given WWE's Women's Division a legitimate claim to the top Women's Division in the business. I would've much preferred to have seen a fued between the two playing up their history and Mickie's injury than a month-long Playboy build. I also hate seeing Mickie celebrate with two non-talent bimbos who only have a job because of Playboy. I hate the unspoken rule that says faces have to support each other. Anyways, here's to hoping Mickie and Beth can put on some more matches of this quality or better.

Speaking of things I like seeing make a comeback, I'm digging the new (technically old) ring announcements. Seeing guys stand in the ring while being announced is a nice touch, in my opinion.

King of the Ring is also making a return, and I'm excited. I loved the old tournaments that were held occasionally, and I love seeing them make a comeback. I'd like to see maybe two or three tournaments held a year.

Now, on to the things I'd rather see rot in obscurity. WWE seems to be going more to a sloer, looser style, and I don't like it. I know they're all about safety nowadays, but you can wrestle a fast, tight style and still be safe. If all they're really worried about is making their matches seem like they took place in 1992, then carry on but if they want to keep up with the style of the times they should really be tightening up their style a small bit. You want my reccomendation on better safety procedures? More and better training. So many people are getting pushed fast and botching simple moves, make it policy that safer performances are a big part of what gets you pushed faster.

Next up is Umaga doing his own interviews. It's just plain stupid. I like when people infuse their own language into interviews, but you have do at least get your point across in english at some point. Also, with the whooe savage gimmick he should really be using a mouthpiece.

Lastly is Chris Jericho's heel status. Don't get me wrong, Chris can be a great heel, but it seems like a very bad move at this point when he probably has more fans than ever. Also, it always seems like turning a very popular face means a de-push. I just see Jericho fading into the background after a few very strong return months. As for his promo, I thought it was weak by any standards, let alone his.

His match, however, was great. Good enough to be fairly high up on a PPV card. He and Umaga had some good back and forth action with a few false finishes. Jericho never fails to impress me in the ring, and his match on Raw was no exception.

Talk about someone who never fails to impress, Carlito was in prime form on Raw. Too bad he's tagging with a jobber who gets pops for mispronouncing "winners". If anyone over the age of five is still lauging at wee-wee jokes, go back to kindergarten, you should of never been allowed to progress in the first place. Carlito should've gotten a main event push a while ago, it's a travesty that he's still working the mid-card. With Jericho making a somewhat untimely heel turn to fill the vacant main event heel role, and two accomplished tag teams feigning break-ups to free up some space in a crowded tag division I find myself really doubting Raw's creative team. Why not bring Carlito to the main event? Why break up successful teams when Carlito and Santino will just fade into obscurity in a matter of months anyways? Why not push London and Kendrick to the Titles right now when they're hot? Stupid, stupid booking.

Stupid booking doesn't always result in bad matches, but the great match only serves to accentuate my point. Santino was in the ring a total of no more than a minute. London and Kendrick were the real highlight of the match, with Carlito pulling off some nice spots. Santino, on the other hand, threw a few punches before being dominated and tagging out. Anyone who follows wrestling at all could tell you who should be getting the push and who should be taking falls for Khali.

So what is up with Trevor Murdoch's coat? It's like Goldust meets Bradshaw. He should probably just stick with what works.

As for his match, decent but short. It's hard to say anything good or bad when a math lasts five minutes, including entrances. Still, Cade and Murdoch are a very entertaining team, and I think it'd be a shame to break them up with teams like Rhodes and Holly and Santino and Carlito dominating the tag scene. I also don't like the track record of successful teams breaking up and I'd hate to see these two being wished well by WWE management anytime in the immediate future.

Here's some trivia for you, what sound makes my blood curdle? Having trouble, well I'll tell you, it's

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

God, do I hate it. The original retard gimmick of the WWE. All the moron did was run to the ring with a 2x4 and a flag and yell HOOO! and he gets bigger pops than Ricky Steamboat. That's why I hate patriot gimmicks. They're mindless, they lack creativity, and they're cheaper than taking a shot at the hometown. Just in case you couldn't tell, I hate them.

Something I hate almost as much is a tasteless gimmick like the one WWE ripped right out of Cruel Intentions. It only makes it worse to think that it got stuck on someone as talented as Burchill. This guy must have some lousy luck. Either that, or someone backstage does not like him. A crony of jobbers Regal and Taylor, a ridiculous pirate, and now a sister lover. It's enough to emit a shudder of Sideshow Bob porportions.

You're not going to hear me complain about length here. Every minute Duggan is not in the ring is another two minutes I haven't wasted, one for the actual time and one for every minute Duggan takes off of my life by stressing me out with the idiocy that is his gimmick. Still, it could've ended on a better spot. Burchill has a very wide array of moves, and that match does not do him any justice.

I'm a big fan of William Regal, and that's why it pisses me off every time I see him job in England. I guess WWE figures they should put him in big matches in his home country, but they don't want big stars jobbing to him. I know if I was a native I'd rather see him beat some of the better undercard wrestlers than job to the stars.

I don't know how people can knock Randy Orton. I love his ring work, I love his build, and I love his promos. He cut another great one on Raw, and he continues to build himself as a sly yet cocky heel.

They put on a hell of a match that stole the show. Good back and forth action, good working, and some good chain wrestling. The match had a fairly scary part after Orton landed on his head after an exploder suplex, though. I saw the ref giving the "x" and I thought he had a serious injury. He was able to get up and finish the match, though, and take a few impressive bumps before hitting the RKO out of nowhere. Maybe Orton's detractors should take a look at who he's been wrestling most of the time for the past few months before they start making accusations *cough* CENA *cough*.

I still say Raw has one main eventer too many. Whether the odd man out should be JBL or not, I don't really care. All I know is that Smackdown looks quite barren when compared to Raw in this respect.

His match with JBL was great, even if it did lack any big spots. It had a decent finish, although I personally would've rather seen JBL hit with an RKO rather than him hitting Orton with the Clothesline from Hell. It would've been a worse move if it was the Raw before the PPV. It will probably turn out alright if they get Orton a little more momentum next week.

Overall, this is one of the best Raws I've seen in a while. Every match was solid. The secret? No filler. No stupid leprechauns running around, no playboy bunnies, no prolonged stupid interviews. A few matches ran a little short for my tastes, but I realize they were trying to stack the card for their overseas trip. Oh, and the best part, NO CENA, YAAAY!!! Although Duggan takes his place, he only got worked over, so it's cool. Every week's Raw should aspire to this.

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Posted on 4/14/08 1:12 PM

It's been a big month for TNA. Lockdown has come and gone with great success, we have a new TNA World Champion, and the Knockouts Division is killing their Diva counterpart. Well, things just keep on rolling. Today is the birthday of the co-founder of TNA, Jeff Jarrett. That's J-E-double F-J-A-double R-double T. I thought I'd just take this time to take a look back on Jarrett's long and often overlooked career.

Most people know Jarrett as wrestling royalty. He broke into the business wrestling for his father, Jerry's, Continental Wrestling Association and its later incarnation, the United States Wrestling Association. Even early in his career accusations of favoritism arose. During his time in USWA he won 10 Southern Heavyweight Championships. Still, reputable wrestlers like Mick Foley stick up for Jarrett, saying he was always a great worker who did his best to live up to the high standards set for him.

Jarrett debuted in WWE in 1993. He rose quickly through the ranks, fueding with the likes of Razor Ramon, Bob Holly, and Ahmed Johnson. Along the way he gained a "roadie" in a young BG James and captured the Intercontinental Title three times. He left shortly after the 1996 Royal Rumble due to a contract dispute. After a brief year run in WCW, where he joined the Four Horsemen and captured the WCW United States Title, Jarrett returned to WWE.

In 1997 Jarrett was part of one of the earliest invasion storylines, when he was part of an NWA stable led by Jim Cornette. After a short lived fued with Barry Windham over the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship, Jarrett resumed his country music gimmick and adopted a new signature move: smashing his guitar over his opponent's head. After brief fueds with D-X and Al Snow, Jarrett formed a tag team with Owen Hart, winning the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Owen Hart was booked to win the Intercontinental Championship from the Godfather at the Over the Edge Pay-per-view on May 23, 1999. While he was coming down from the cieling during his entrance, he tragically got tangeld in the harness and fell to his death. In a controversial move, WWE went ahead with the rest of the PPV, the wrestlers in the back still not fully aware of what had transpired. That night, Jarrett and Debra lost to Val Venis and Nicole Bass in a mixed tag match. Eight days after Owen's death Jeff Jarrett won the Title Owen was supposed to win at Over the Edge.

After fueding over the European and Intercontinental Titles, Jarrett left WWE in October amidst an alleged contract dispute. Jarrett re-signed with WCW and immediately began involvement in main event fueds over the World Title. He soon re-formed the NWO with Bret Hart, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall, although the group was quickly disbanded after Hart's early retirement. After fueding with Sid Vicious over the World Title, he was finally given his opportunity to carry the company after Eric Bischoff started a young blood vs. old blood angle. Jeff Jarrett defeated DDP on April 16, 2000.

Jarrett continued to be a Championship contender, winning the World Title on three more occasions and aligning himself with Scott Steiner and Ric Flair shortly before WCW was purchased by WWE. He had a short run in World Wrestling All-Stars before forming his own wrestling promotion with his father Jerry in 2002.

What Jerrett will most likely be remembered for, however, is niether his country singing nor his forgotten World Title reigns, but for founding his own promotion that has grown to be number two in the U.S. TNA started out as a weekly venue shown on pay-per-view. Jarrett took part in the first ever Gauntlet for the Gold for the NWA Championship on TNA's first PPV, but was eliminated by Country music star Toby Keith. Ken Shamrock went on to become the first ever World Champion in TNA. Jarrett got his first taste of Championship gold in TNA by defeating Ron the Truth Killings in November of 2002. Jarrett went on to be an ever-present force in the Title scene until 2006, fueding with up and comers such as AJ Styles, Christian Cage, Monty Brown, and Samoa Joe, and such veterans as Rhino, Raven, Shane Douglas, and Sting. Jarrett was the backbone of the company until it gained enough credibility to stand on its own, and even went on to solidify the match from which he takes his moniker, "King of the Mountain," as a new classic in sports entertainment. Recently, Jarrett has taken a more behind the scenes role.

Although often thought of as the golden boy of wrestling, the industry has done Jarrett few favors. He took his inherited position not as a privelege but a responsibility in his early years, and spent years after that proving himself. It took Jarrett 14 years to get to the top, and he hasn't been silent since. Although overshadowed by Hulk Hogan in WCW and by the success of WWE during his prime, Jarrett has never let an obstacle stand in his way. He continues to be one of the most influential figures in wrestling, one of the business' hardest workers, and one of the most respected men in any locker room. Jeff Jarrett, ain't he great?

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Posted on 4/10/08 6:17 PM

Alright, I think it's high time to step up TNA representation here, and there's no better time to start than now. It' hangover month in the WWE. Wrestlemania had passed, short term fueds outnumber long term, and rematches galore are being booked for Backlash. So what's going over in TNA? Oh, nothing much, only their BEST GIMMICK PPV. That's right, Lockdown, TNA's answer to Survivor Series, is taking center stage in April.

Lockdown was started in 2005 as part of TNA's annual lineup. The premise is simple, all matches take place in a steel cage. In addition, Lockdown features an annual match similar to WCW's war games in which two teams have their members enter the match in intervals. Once every member is in the cage is sealed and no one leaves until there is a winner. The first ever Lethal Lockdown match featured Sean Waltman a.k.a. X-Pac, DDP, and BG James a.k.a. Road Dogg against Jeff Jarrett, Monty Brown, and the Outlaw a.k.a. Billy Gunn. The main event saw AJ Styles beat Abyss with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb.

Since then Lockdown has been a high point for TNA, even rivaling their top annual PPV, Slammiversary. Christian Cage vs. Abyss, Samoa Joe vs. Sabu, Team 3D vs. the LAX in an electrified cage match, and Lockdown's other annual match, the X Division Xscape match, have made this pay per view a sure thing for entertainment. Perhaps the biggest matches, however, came in back to back years in 06 and 07 in the Lockdown match.

2006 marked a big year for TNA. Christian Cage debuted in late 2005, making a suprise face turn against Team Canada. In February he ended Jeff Jarrett's reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, but TNA wasn't done yet. Sting had made a short return to TNA, supposedly to give the fans a proper goodbye. After being harrassed at home by Jarrett's cronies Sting made a return to TNA at Destination X. The following Impact Sting made his first TV appearance in five years, suffering a beatdown at the hands of Jarrett's army, only to be saved by AJ Styles, Ron Killings, and Rhino. He was named the fourth man for Styles' Lockdown team, who were set to go up against Jarrett, Scott Steiner, and America's Most Wanted at Lockdown. The match marked Sting's full-time return to the world of pro wrestling, and a victorious one, as he made Chris Harris tap to the Scorpion Death Lock.

Lockdown 06 was a monumental success, but TNA was not going to stop there. Lcokdown 07 already had a great lineup with Team 3D and LAX bringing the electrified steel cage to TNA, James Storm and Chris Harris continuing their post-AMW rivalry, and Chris Daniels taking on the XD pioneer, Jerry Lynn. The big story was, again, the main event.

In October 2006 TNA had one of the biggest debuts in wrestling history. In a signing comprable to Bret Hart and Lex Luger's by WCW in the 90's TNA signed WWE's Olympic Champion, Kurt Angle. He quickly started a fued with Samoa Joe and interjected himself into the Title struggle between Sting and Jarrett. He ended Samoa Joe's 18-month long undefeated steak and beat Scott Steiner after being screwed out of the World Title by Steiner. Soon after he was made captain of a Lockdown team, opposite Christian Cage.

The main event saw Angle, Joe, Sting, Rhino, and a returning Jarrett go head to head with the team of Cage, AJ Styles, Rhino, Steiner, Abyss, and Tomko. Sting ended up pulling out the win after Jarrett hit Abyss with a guitar.

Lockdown has always been a high point for the company. In addition to having some of the best variations on cage matches, it has become known for propelling some of TNA's best recently acquired talents to the next level. Sting and Angle both springboarded their TNA careers post-Lockdown, and this year looks to have the same impact. Although TNA has curbed its signing, the talent being featured in this year's Lockdown has never been bigger. The Lockdown match is packed full of hot wrestlers, with Christian Cage, Kevin Nash, Rhino, a newly pushed Matt Morgan, and a returning Sting going up against a red-hot Tomko, an always entertaining AJ Styles, James Storm, and a newly re-focused Team 3D. Even better is the main event, featuring a renewal of the fued between Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe, this time for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Lockdown is taking the careers of some of the company's most promising wrestlers, along with the company, into the next gear. Lockdown is also taking the usually dull month of April and infusing it with Total Non-stop Action.

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Posted on 4/8/08 8:34 PM

So I've been kind of mulling over some blog topics in my head, trying to figure out which one would work best, the best way to do them, and so on. I'm starting to realize how much of a late start I'm getting on April, so I'm just taking my inspiration from this month's photo. For those of you who don't know that's the LEGENDARY Terry Funk, who's had one of the longest and far reaching careers in wrestling history. His career spans from wrestling Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes in the 70's to wrestling Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and Sting in the 80's, to being the cornerstone of ECW in the 90's, to be the craziest motherfunker in wrestling wrestling deathmatches today in his 60's. The picture is of a Bloody Funk holding his newly won ECW World Heavyweight Title at ECW's first PPV, Barely Legal. This was a huge month for ECW and Terry Funk. It was Funk's second ever World Title, and his first in 22 years. It was also ECW's very first PPV, and a springboard to their success. This month, I'll be doing features on some of the most important and memorable parts of this part of wrestling history.

ECW was the brainchild of wrestling promoter Tod Gordon, who renamed Tri-State Wrestling Alliance Eastern Championship Wrestling after he bought his partner's share. ECW started out as an NWA territory an 1991. It achieved moderate success for a small while, seeing notables such as Don Muraco, Tito Santana, and Jimmy Snuka claim its top Title, in addition to having notable Tag Title contendors like Johnny Hotbody, Chris Candido, Kevin Sullivan, and ECW lead booker Eddie Gilbert.

Fairly soon, though, Tod Gordon had a falling out with Gilbert, allegedly due to his rampant drug use. In 1993 Gilbert brought in a friend of his by the name of Paul Heyman, whose most notable contributions to the wrestling business had been as an over the top manager by the name of Paul E. Dangerously in WCW. Heyman, or Paul E. as he is affectionately known as due to his gimmick, was tired of Ole Anderson's WCW politics. Paul Heyman was a booking mastermind just waiting to be unleashed, and when Gordon brought him in he gave him the creative control and the platform to unleash that potential. After a short stint of shared creative control between Heyman and Gilbert, Gilbert resigned and Heyman was given the reigns of the company at NWA Ultraclash 93.

Heyman took ECW in a whole new direction when he was given the reigns. ECW had already become known for having a unique style. Blading and weapon shots had become commonplace, and the whole promotion was typically edgier than most others. Heyman took it one step further. He believed wrestling was ready to evolve with the times. He called other promotions the hair bands of wrestling, and ECW was wrestling's Nirvana.

The first step was to let wrestlers speak their minds and have more creative control. Gimmicks rapidly took a darker and more realistic tone. Sandman, for instance, went from being a mellowed out surfer to being a hardcore, beer swilling brawler. Tommy Dreamer went from being a pretty boy to being an extreme icon in the making. The next step was to bring in fresh talent. Sabu was picked up after gaining fame for deathmatches in Japan's FMW. Tazmaniac and the Public Enemy were also among the wrestlers that started to popularize ECW's new style at the time.

The next step was historical. Jim Crockett Promotions had a non-compete clause with WCW that expired in 1994. JCP had a history of trying to monopolize the NWA World Heavyweight Title by making deals with other promotions, and when they made a deal to hold a tournament for the Title at the ECW Arena the NWA was none too pleased. NWA management stepped in and tried to take over the tournament. Tod Gordon, who was put off by the NWA's interference, decided to strike back. He made a deal with ECW's Shane Douglas, who was booked to win the tournament, to throw down the NWA Title. Even Douglas was hesitant to do the angle, but after being buried on Mike Tenay's insider radio show he agreed. After winning the tournamnent and thanking Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, Harley Race, and his father among others, Douglas made a suprising turn by throwing down the NWA World Title in front of the live audience and delivering a shoot promo on the NWA. Soon after ECW left the NWA and changed it's name to Extreme Championship Wrestling.

ECW exploded from there. Heyman soon brought in all different types of wrestlers, from deathmatch specialists like Cactus Jack to technical wrestlers like Dean Malenko, 2 Cold Scorpio, and Chris Beniot, to luch libre stars like Rey Mysterio Jr., Psicocis, and Juventud Guerrera. Rising ECW stars from this time also included Mikey Whipwreck, Raven, Stevie Richards, and the Dudleyz, among others. He cemented the upcoming roster with Terry Funk, a living legend who enjoyed helping up and comers make it in the business. Although the roster was subject to frequent raids, especially from WCW, ECW managed to keep many well-known and respected wrestlers on.

ECW was not without a good degree of controversy, however. Due to their style, ECW was often associated with MMA promotions and made out to be "real". ECW also had a number of other controversies. In 1996 Raven had decided to crucify the Sandman on TV, leading to a widepread backlash. In addition, Shane Douglas' valet had done a lesbian angle with Tommy Dreamer, a fued which included a lot of male on female violence. The ECW fans were passionate about their product, however. After being told the situation, the fans swarmed Viewers' Choice PPV with mail begging them to air the event. Viewers's Choice finally signed the PPV. Everything didn't go as planned from there, still. During an ECW event a replacement wrestler going by the ring name of Mass Transit lied about his age and experience. During a match with the Ganstas, New Jack accidentally cut a major artery in his head when he helped him blade. The incident almost killed any possibility of a PPV, but Barely Legal went on at a worse time slot after a good amount of begging from Paul Heyman.

The PPV was a large success, featuring many great matches including Rob Van Dam's PPV debut against industry vet Lance Storm; an all-Japanese wrestler tag match featuring TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, Gran Hamada, and Great Sauske; and Taz defeating Sabu in a continuation of their long running fued. Also worthy of note, Joey Styles called the entire event on his own, with the exception of the main event, marking the first time a wrestling commentator has done so at a PPV. The highlight of the evening, however, was the main event.

It was originally supposed to be Tommy Dreamer winning a Three-Way Dance to earn a shot at Raven's ECW Title, but Tommy Dreamer insisted that Terry Funk get his spot, as a show of repect. Terry Funk put on a show in the first match along with hardcore vet Sandman and Stevie Richards, who was making a huge jump from his previous place on the card. In the end it was Terry Funk pulling out the win and going on to face Raven. Funk was already busted open, and he had put on one hell of a match with Sandman and Richards. Raven was fresh, and he dominated Funk for most of the match. Funk made a comeback, however, to the loud cheers of the raccous crowd. After a back and forth sequence and a run-in from Dreamer Funk finally pulled out the win using, in his own words, wrestlin' spelled W-R-E-S-T-L-I-N-G. The arena exploded, and the locker room came down to celebrate with Funk. Moments later, a power transformer blew out, severing the broadcast feed. ECW first ever PPV literally went out with a bang.

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Posted on 3/20/08 3:53 AM

I was just trying to remember my picks for Mania, and I had an idea. I think we should make a section dedicated to PPV picks/predictions. Make it like a regular blog, but have a section for it. I know I could find it easily enough if I remembered who posted it, but unfortunately it was too long ago. Anyways, just throwing that out there.

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