Well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Three weeks. But, with a break comes a new beginning. What comes of this new beginning, you ask? Absolutely nothing. That’s the beauty of it, The X-Factor can go away for a year, come back, and still be fresh as a daisy! But seriously, I might make a few changes, so it can be a little more interesting. That will be my “New Years Revolution”. So incredibly clever, so incredibly lame, too. Now, before I jump head first into a good months worth of WWE (which I won’t touch on completely), someone e-mailed me rather angrily about Viscera, saying I didn’t really know what I was talking about, when I stated that WWE was letting go guys and keeping someone like Viscera around, when he serves no true purpose. The unnamed source stated that Viscera was just on for special occasions, while I thought he was under contract. I apologize, because I can’t always have all of the facts. Unless any of us works for WWE, I don’t think anyone has every fact. Viscera has made five appearances since returning, so you can understand how I would be confused, you know?
Another note on John Cena. What exactly was the deal? I understand Carlito was injured, but why make Cena come back for two shows, win the US Title, then go out with an injury, too? At least leave it on Carlito, and maybe strip him of it after a few weeks. I thought it looked worse to have Cena return and then leave again. And how about Mr. Arab-American, Hassan? I am really neutral on this. How can anyone know truly how he, or any other Arab-American (or anyone who has ever been discriminated against, for that matter) feels? But, on the other hand, WWE exploiting this for a new heel is a little much, which they have shown to the Nth degree, with La Resistance and the Anti-Americans. If he brings something special to the ring, all the more power to him. Otherwise, he may need more to help keep him afloat.
Survivor Series was a big hit for me. How great was Randy Orton’s shocking win over Hunter? That was amazing. I was on the edge of my seat for that much, and I was about to throw a fit over Hunter’s win, and BOOM! RKO. It was picture-perfect. Something I will never forget seeing. So much was riding on this match, and I was really happy to see it end well. And how about Mr. Eric Bischoff? I have always liked Eric Bischoff. Do not ask me why. Ever since his debut in July of 2002 (I missed most of his run with WCW), I have loved his character. Now, he shows signs of being a possible face? He could ruin it all, and remain heel when he returns from his much-deserved vacation. But, what I think will happen is he’ll help Randy get the title shot against Hunter, by saying if he wins the Royal Rumble, it’s Orton vs. Hunter at Wrestlemania. Then again, that does not take a rocket scientist, but it all seems to go together. They could also prolong it, and make Randy face one more obstacle in February. Either way, Eric will probably help Randy get a title shot.
Maven and Chris Benoit ran Raw for the last two weeks. First, about Maven. He ran a great show, and not one person was swayed that he could even possibly win the title… that is, until the last five minutes. I really thought there was a chance, but of course Hunter won. It was still great. Then, Benoit having to face Edge, since Batista “took out” Hunter was awesome. The Big Con was nothing short of brilliant, but I think I speak for a lot of people, when I say Batista could and will make a huge babyface. He’s got the crowd behind him already, he just needs to find a way to get out of Evolution. The signs are there. The Big Con didn’t exactly help, but maybe he was setting up Hunter more than anyone thought. Either way, Batista would make for a really great babyface.
One last thing, before I discuss Raw. Why, oh why, is EVERY Diva Search Contestant getting a job with WWE? This is downright insulting to Gail Kim, Nidia, and Jazz. They have all these undeniably attractive girls playing models in the WWE. I’m sorry, but the diva division is finished. Lita, Molly, Trish, and Victoria is all that is left of the true divas. Imagine if we only had Triple H, Edge, Benoit and Orton fighting for the World Title. Well, that’s a bad example, but imagine if they were the only four guys in WWE. Either cut the entire diva division, or do something to improve it. Don’t make a damn mockery of it, by having only four divas actually wrestling.
Now, on to a historic Raw. Was it historic? Perhaps. One thing is for sure, and that is that I thought Randy did a rather mediocre job as GM. The show itself was pretty good, but he didn’t come off as great as I thought. First, the Chairman overthrows his Battle Royal plans, then completely makes a hypocrite of himself by telling Randy that he has all the power tonight. No he doesn’t! If he did, Triple H would have been in that Battle Royal. Then, he has all of these divas hanging off of him. Yeah, the ladies love him, we get it. If there’s one thing he did right, it was not booking any time for Simon Dean on the show. That guy really needs to start wrestling or hit the road. The gimmick is wearing very thin, very fast.
The battle royal is always great. Something about it makes me love it a lot. I have always enjoyed the Royal Rumbles a lot. Of course Battle Royals are great, but there’s something about the Royal Rumble too, that makes me excited. I can’t wait for this years. Anyway, Vince makes his speech, and gets the men to vie for a chance to face Triple H. Poor Stevie. What does this poor guy do to deserve such shoddy treatment? And why wasn’t he released? The guy can probably do well if they let him, but WWE just throws him around for whatever they want. When he was in the final six, I actually thought for a minute that he would win. But, then he was gone quicker than you could say “Mystery Woman”.
And how about the finish? Man, I wish it was all new to me, but an old wrestling fan will remember the exact same finish several years ago. It was the 1994 Royal Rumble, and the final two were Bret Hart and Lex Luger, and there was no decisive winner. I don’t think there was one person watching who figured Randy wouldn’t end up making it a triple threat match. That was a given. But more on that one later.
What about Randy Orton as GM? It wasn’t as good as I expected. It was basically all just girls hanging off of him the entire night. I have to complain more about all of these “divas”. WWE wants to save money by hiring eye candy? I think any man in the world can find “eye candy” in many different forms, so they should at least focus on strengthening their diva division, not poisoning it. Then, they have this Diva Fashion Show, with music that I was sick of after about a second. Basically, the three unknown divas, as well as Christy and HomeTown Girl Stacy all stripped down to their lingerie for a fashion show. It’s all well and good, but isn’t this WRESTLING? World Wrestling Entertainment, but entertainment doesn’t necessarily mean fashion shows. Of course, Stacy got quite the reception from her hometown. But, most of the crowd was quiet during this. Thumbs down from me.
Another problem I had was Jerry Lawler vs. Ric Flair. What the heck was the point? Ric Flair, much to his dismay, is not the legend he claims to be. He’s just great, but a legend? Never. Working long hours, nights, weekends, for 30 some-odd years does not necessarily make you a legend. It makes you great for putting so much into a business, but I don’t think it automatically makes him a legend. He puts the E in WWE, if you get my drift, not the second W in WWE. My problem was not allowing Lawler a roll-up pinfall, like he went for when Flair was going to slap the Figure Four Leg Lock on. I say push Batista as a face, and leave Flair with Triple H, which is how it was the first time, before Evolution began.
And finally, the main event. What a match! I tape wrestling to watch the next day, so if a match doesn’t cut it for me, I can fast-forward it. But I watched this from start to finish. Even though I knew there would be a commercial break, so no winner would be decided, I still watched. Chris Benoit is a man I need to congratulate. Not only is he possibly the best wrestler alive today, but he also has been doing extremely well on the mic recently. His sheer enthusiasm may border on over-acting, if done by anyone else, but he puts a lot of passion into his words, and it makes you believe every word he is saying is true.
Edge is also a man who is improving, thanks to his newly found heel role. I think we all have the jackass role in Chris Jericho. You know, the guy who makes fun of the heels, and stands face to face to those same heels if he has to. Edge played a similar role, but it was time for him to shift, like Jericho did a few months back to his face role. I would say Edge could be a very likely candidate to feud with Orton after Wrestlemania, should he work the match with Triple H at Wrestlemania and win the title back. Right now, it’s very hard to sell a heel vs. heel match to the crowds, because they don’t know how to react. As long as he keeps up the heel role, he could be on his way to that World Title.
And heck, who knows? He could be on to the World Title next week. The ending was perfect. I thought some resolution was coming, but not a chance! WWE kept us all waiting an extra week, and may even wait one more week. Who knows? I mean it’s not like Jericho can decide on who is the true winner. Perhaps Vince will make a decision, which likely means the title isn’t going anywhere. But, if they made us wait one more week, I doubt they’ll be putting the title on Edge or Benoit. It’s just a guess, but seeing the title change hands would NOT be a problem with this wrestling fan.
So, there you have it! My first column in a long, long time. I have some more projects and tests to worry about in the coming week, so I am going to desperately try to find time to write another column on Raw for this week. Smackdown is iffy, because I actually haven’t seen Smackdown in two weeks. I still want to make some predictions for Armageddon, so we’ll see what happens. And don’t forget at the end of this month, I will be listing my Top Ten Best and Top Five Worst Moments/Wrestlers/etc. lists for the year that was in WWE. Until next time, I am Mr. X and I am out of here! Buh-bye, everyone!
Copyright © 2005; TheWrestlingVoice.com & Douglas Nunnally.
All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer & Privacy Statement
| What Did You Think About WWE Backlash 2008? |
|
|