I must confess that I did not buy Armageddon this month. Even with The Undertaker in there to entice me to spend my money, I just couldn’t get that excited about it, and decided to pass. I’m feeling bad about that, too. From the time I really got into watching wrestling I would get excited about the pay-per-views and look forward to them. If for some reason I was going to be gone, I would either tape them or order them up on Tuesday night instead of Sunday. And I probably would have done that this time, had I read anything that indicated the show was something special, even if that meant there were only one or two strong matches. Because, to be honest, I don’t expect each and every match to be five-star. I enjoy seeing good athletes do what they do best, which in this case of course, means wrestle. The problem is, the card looked to be one that we could see on SmackDown!, not on a PPV. So with nothing special to offer me, I declined.
I have said before, I feel that almost without exception the wrestlers work hard to deliver to us, the fans, a good show. They often have to participate in bad story lines or portray characters which quite frequently can lead them down a dead-end road, all the while trying to entertain us any way they can. So to say that I don’t enjoy and appreciate what the athletes do would be incorrect. Rather, like so many of my fellow writers, I cannot fault the talent, but rather the product as it is being served up to us at the present time. And that makes me feel bad for those under contract, as many of them are so often pushed the wrong direction so as to make them seem to be mediocre, or even almost incompetent.
Rhyno is a good example of a wrestler who has been damaged by changing the way he is perceived. While I know this is not ECW, while working for that company, Rhyno was a no-nonsense, kick ass performer who came in, cleaned house, and left. Since coming to the WWE he has been toned down and is no longer the force he was before. He did not speak much on the microphone in ECW and did not have to. His actions spoke for him. Now, he is expected to be glib on the mic, which he is not, and even though he comes out with the same intensity, he does not seem to be allowed to smash many of his opponents. Why not let him do what he does best and utilize his true talents? In my opinion this man could be good for the WWE if he would be allowed to do his job the way he knows how.
OK, so now that I got completely sidetracked, back to Armageddon for just a moment. Of the matches I knew would exist, I really blew it with my predications. Two out of seven is not too stellar, and the two I did get right one could hardly call matches at that! I talked myself right out of most of the winners. The funny thing is, I am really glad I was wrong. Funaki grabbing the Cruiserweight Title from Spike, Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam keeping their Tag Team belts away from Rene Dupree and Kenzo Suzuki, John Cena not allowing Jesus to get his United States Title, and Big Show cleaning house on Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns made me happy. Not enough interest to order mind you, but happy none the less.
Raw on the other hand, I’m still pleased with, even with the return of Eric Bischoff. I like Bischoff, but I’ve really enjoyed the way the past four weeks have been laid out. But Eric came back strong and would not be pushed around, and no matter who begged or threatened him for the belt to be handed over, he would not agree. Instead, he would decide later. Good for him!
There were some strong moments during the show that not only made this weeks’ program enjoyable, but gave notice that good things might come in the future, too. Starting right off with a match between Edge and eventual winner Randy Orton was a great idea to heat things up from the beginning. The Chris’ Benoit and Jericho lost their match to Triple H and Batista, but this could lead up to something big. Before the match, Batista convinced HHH that he could prove to Bischoff that he is the one for the WWE title by dominating their match. It was Batista however, who got the cover for the three count, leaving 3H on the mat, glaring. Good stuff.
Mick Foley made a surprise visit to Raw, and was doing a good promo when interrupted by Hassan, who came out to strong boos. Barging in on Foley puts the heat on Hassan even more, but I’m waiting for him to get to wrestle. Once his character gets to perform we will know for sure if things have worked out for him or not.
Back to Foley for a moment. He informed us that he is going to SmackDown!, but only for one week. He will be joining other members of the SD roster on a trip to Iraq to perform for our troops. I understand why some of the wrestlers would rather be home with their families – absolutely! I don’t blame them a bit. How difficult it must be to leave home, particularly heading into the danger that is literally just around the corner. But I think it is so important and it was so well received last year that it does bear repeating. I look forward to the show, as it was a great one last year, and pray for everyone’s safety.
Finally, Bischoff enticed us with a match for New Years Revolution, and it sounds like a good one. The WWE title will be decided in an Elimination Chamber Match, and the participants will be Triple H, Benoit, Edge, Y2J, Orton, and Batista! Already this sounds like one to order and I look forward to see what other matches they put on the card.
Be safe and God Bless,
Barb.
Copyright © 2005; TheWrestlingVoice.com & Douglas Nunnally.
All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer & Privacy Statement
| What Did You Think About WWE Backlash 2008? |
|
|