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See all of mikearienti's wrestlingmarks blog (13 total)

• ECW: Fresh Blood

  Posted on 7/9/08 4:20 PM

  Is it just me, or does anyone else thing having new talent on ECW is a good idea?
  
  For the last few months, we've seen the "talent exchange" with SmackDown! get a bit stale and pointless. However, look at this list...
  
  1. Kofi Kingston (now on Raw)
  2. Evan Bourne (aka Matt Sydal)
  3. Armando Estrada (no longer the cigar toting GM)
  4. Ricky Ortiz (I found Carlito's "hair twin!")
  5. Braden Walker (the former "Wildcat" Chris Harris
  6. Tony Atlas (Mark Henry's new manager?)
  
  That's a pretty good set of "new blood" for ECW. Maybe they won't look so "bush league" now.

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• You Did Something Right!

  Posted on 7/1/08 12:38 AM

  It's now about 90 minutes since Raw went off the air as I'm typing this. For once, I was pleasantly surprised. Though I missed all of JR's Raw farewell due to no signal (freakin' rain!) on my DirecTV, I caught the rest. WWE did something right. In fact, multiple times.
  
  1. Cody Rhodes explains why he did what he did to Hardcore Holly, adding some backbone to his heel turn.
  
  2. John Cena didn't talk for 35 of the first 40 minutes of Raw like usual. I've been tired of him since he got over.
  
  3. CM Punk cashes in and wins another title, bringing gold back to Raw. This one was way off the radar. Nowhere online have I notice any report of it possibly happening tonight.
  
  Let's hope it continues!

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• 2008 WWE Draft Review

  Posted on 6/23/08 11:16 PM

  Here's my review of the televised WWE Draft from Raw. Aside from giving these poeple new opponents and a new show to work on, I'll give some reasons why their moving is good or bad for them or for their brand. Note that anything that happens after Raw won't be included here.
  
  1. Rey Mysterio to Raw
  Good: It gets him away from Vickie and Chavo and the repetitiveness of that program. That got stale shortly after Eddie's passing.
  Bad: Taking Rey away from SmackDown! removes him from matches with wrestlers who are more his size, as most of them are not on Raw. Though once the cruiserweight champion, that division is all but gone. Rey is now forced into the mix with men who outweigh him - coming off a major injury. He will have to be the "giant killer" again. Can he re-live his glory days as World Champion?
  
  2. Jeff Hardy to SmackDown!
  Good: This re-unites Jeff with brother Matt, and certainly ignites some talk of a better tag team division.
  Bad: Is it a final statement of punishment (on top of his recent suspension) putting Jeff back on the "B" show? I hope not.
  
  3. CM Punk to Raw
  Good: He's still Mr. Money in the Bank, first and foremost. What will that mean? Raw gives him a chance to perform live on TV without any do-overs like the taped SmackDown! shows have.
  Bad: He was becoming the new face of ECW, and now that spot must be re-claimed...but by whom? Punk was over big, and now his stay in ECW may be over.
  
  4. Matt Hardy to ECW
  Good: The US Title goes to ECW. Instant credibility goes with it, and no version of ECW has ever had a US Title. The last holder of a secondary title in ECW now works for TNA (Rhino).
  Bad: So much for a Hardy re-union. It lasted one match - right before this draft pick.
  
  5. (Announcers only match w/ 4 Divas) Throw this one out. A catfight turns into a double DQ. Both Raw and SD earn one pick each...
  Jim Ross to SmackDown
  Good: Smackdown has just gone up a level here, and pairing JR with Mick Foley should be classic stuff.
  Bad: Raw takes a huge hit. JR is one of the best.
  Michael Cole to Raw
  Good: It gets Cole away from Mick Foley and allows them both to get an opportunity to shine apart.
  Bad: Cole isn't half as good as JR, and pairing him with The King seems odd, although it should be educational for him.
  
  6. Batista to Raw
  Good: He's back in the spotlight on Monday nights, where he got his biggest break after being dumped out of Evolution.
  Bad: He recently stated he wanted to stay on SmackDown! and now he's going back to Raw. Could we recycle the Batista vs. Triple H feud again?
  
  7. Umaga to SmackDown!
  Good: This one was rumored months ago. He's never been there before, and he's a dominating force.
  Bad: His push on Raw was against top stars. How will he establish himself on SmackDown!?
  
  8. Kane (ECW Champion) to Raw
  Good: For the second consecutive draft, the ECW champ gets drafted to Raw. Last year it was Bobby Lashley. This is the precursor for ECW to begin touring with Raw. It basically brings the entire ECW roster to Monday nights.
  Bad: Unless the ECW title is vacated again, they now only have one champion - US Champion Matt Hardy. Also, it brings The Big Red Machine back to a place he's always been except his stint on SmackDown! and ECW since he lost a loser leaves town showdown to Umaga.
  
  9. (Tri-Branded Battle Royal for 2 picks)
  Mr. Kennedy and Triple H to SmackDown!
  Good: Has Triple H really been sent away from Raw? Last time this happened, he was traded back within hours (for the Dudleys and Booker T in 2004). Now, SmackDown has two of the 3 major titles. For Mr. Kennedy, it brings him back to where he came from. Will he continue his babyface run?
  Bad: Will SmackDown now be dominated by the boss' son-in law (or better yet, will Triple H stay on SmackDown! this time?)? Will Mr. Kennedy get lost in the shuffle yet again?
  
  And what the hell was with the end of Raw? Has Mr. McMahon "killed" himself again? Does it have something to do with the $500K he just gave away?
  
  Issues: Why did it take so long for ECW to earn a pick, and why did they come away with so little? Seems to me they are still being treated as the bastard child. Why bother? Aren't wrestlers on all 3 shows paid by the same company? It sure doesn't seem like it! Unless WWE is going to assign about 8 or 9 people from FCW to the ECW roster very soon, ECW is still their wasteland.

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See all of mikearienti's wrestlingmarks blog (13 total)