At the risk of this column sounding like a recap of Raw, I just have to sing the praises of Monday nights’ show, and go into some detail as to why I am so excited about it. We were treated to the appearance of two legends in the business; Jake the Snake Roberts and Marty Jannetty. Roberts was the first surprise, joining Chris Jericho and Randy Orton in Y2J’s Highlight Reel. With him was, presumably, Damien, the 12-foot snake that has been Roberts’ partner in crime, so to speak. I say presumably because Damien never made an actual showing. Jake came down with the burlap bag that usually transports the snake, but we were left to imagine his emergence, as it were. (I would have loved for Roberts to drape Damien over Orton, but unfortunately, not this time.) It was great to hear those “Jake the Snake” chants, and that must have made Roberts feel good also. It was inevitable that Jake would suffer from Orton’s RKO and it played into the story line perfectly. The WWE is trying their best to make Randy’s character a heel and I think it is working. Laying his finishing move on Roberts and leaving him helpless in the middle of the ring was a great lead into the contract signing that Orton will have with The Undertaker this Thursday night – which was what the exchange between Orton and Roberts was all about in the first place. This was a great way to start off the show.
Everyone knew that Marty Jannetty was going to be at SmackDown! this week. We had already been informed that he will have a match with Kurt Angle. But I was blindsided on Monday – I never saw it coming that he would be on Raw, let alone reunite with Shawn Michaels to bring The Rockers back to life. And I was glad that I had been so oblivious, because it was a really fun surprise for me! I am ashamed to admit that I have never seen The Rockers, either when they were together initially or on any tapes or DVDs later on. For that reason I cannot compare what I saw this week to anything that had come before. What I can say is that in this contest against La Resistance, they were SUPER! It looked as if they had never been apart, and what a good time they seemed to be having. I thought this was a five-star match, and even though I’m certain that Jannetty will not be victorious over Angle this Thursday, I’m still really looking forward to an exciting match.
Another pay-per-view quality match was the one between Triple H and Chris Benoit. As is their norm, they provided fans with a high quality and intense battle that rates right up there with the best. Many feel that Benoit is not worthy of the Championship, but I’ve disagreed before and will again. He stands side by side with the greats in the business today. He always makes his opponents look strong, gives his all, and deserves everything he has achieved. Is he the most charismatic superstar out there? No. But his style and technical abilities place him in the top group for me.
As far as the main event is concerned, the match that I just mentioned should have held that honor. However, to strengthen the story line, the Snitsky / Batista face-off became their match of choice. Too bad, because it was probably the worst of the night. Ric Flair certainly did shine as he tried his best to add to Snitsky’s craziness and pump him up for a Batista destruction, but it did nothing to make me care about or like Snitsky. He just doesn’t do it for me. The best thing about this match was the Batista Bomb. Isn’t that one of the most powerful finishes right now? Man, it hurts to just watch it!
Finally, the When Harry Met Sally spoof was really entertaining. Angle and Christy Hemme did a super job, what with all their moans and groans as Kurt said what he was going to do in his match. And when the woman who said that now-famous line, “I’ll have what she’s having!” turned out to be Linda McMahon I was laughing out loud. Good job with this, and all the WWE goes Hollywood ads.
As far as Wrestlemania is concerned, SmackDown! will have the contract signing between Orton and Undertaker to solidify their match, just in case we had any doubts that it would take place. At the time of this writing there are seven matches scheduled, as well as Piper’s Pit with Stone Cold Steve Austin as “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s guest. Those matches are:
World Heavyweight Championship – John Bradshaw Layfield (Ch) vs. John Cena
WWE Championship – Triple H (Ch) vs. Batista
Women’s Championship – Trish Stratus (Ch) vs. Christy Hemme
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels
The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton
Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Christian, Chris Jericho, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Benoit, and Edge
Sumo Match – The Big Show vs. Akebono
It is entirely possible that more matches will be added, but as the card stands right now it should be a very good Wrestlemania.
It is supposed to rain again in ‘sunny’ Southern California, and in that case I can’t work. So…I think I’ll hit the video stores to try to get some matches of The Rockers.
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? |
|
|