Well, there is surely plenty to talk about this week. Raw lost its Rabid Wolverine, Chris Benoit, while it acquired the Doctor of Thuganomics (and WWE Champion) John Cena from Teddy Long and Smackdown. I must say that seeing Cena on Raw was a big shock, and I think everyone is eagerly awaiting how it’s going to play out. Will be say goodbye to Batista, and ship him off to Smackdown? Will Cena be traded back after he overstays his welcome with Eric Bischoff? Maybe Cena and Batista will stay on Raw, and Smackdown’s Teddy Long will have to strip Cena of the title? No, I don’t see that last one happening. It will be far too crowded on Raw. To be honest, I don’t want Batista going to Smackdown, either. I watched Smackdown for the first time in a while this week, and it’s still business as usual, only now it’s minus John Cena.
Before I head into my topic of the week, I read some mini summaries of an interview with former WWE announcer Kevin Kelly that made me laugh. A lot. First, he took a fairly good shot at Triple H and Vince McMahon, which is understandable. Heck, we all have the same thought, and we never worked for WWE! I could pass that off as mild bitterness, mixed with a fair amount of truth. But, then he takes his own shot at Matt Hardy. He basically said that Matt was looking like a “puss” sitting at his computer and complaining about the situation that he’s in, and that he should do something about it or shut up about it. Wow! Kevin has a great way of being a complete hypocrite, doesn’t he? Okay Kevin, now it’s your turn to go back to WWE, and tell Triple H exactly what you think of “Vince’s son-in-law”. No, Matt Hardy isn’t accomplishing a whole hell of a lot at home on his computer, updating his personal life to his own website, but at least attempt to make a valid point that doesn’t contradict yourself immediately. Do I claim to be perfect? No, I do not. But, I’ve been hearing a few different tidbits about Kevin Kelly over the past few years, from various interviews, and he sounds incredibly bitter about his experience in WWE. Oh well, right?
The Draft Lottery, Part 1: Who Should Stay Put?
It’s the eve of the second night on Raw of the second ever draft lottery, and we have three more weeks of swapping to look forward to. One guy could make the switch from Smackdown to Raw tomorrow night, only to be traded back at the end of the month. Weird, I know. Now, before I take a look at a few guys who I believe are fine on their own shows, I’ve read that on July 11th, we are going to be treated to a HUGE main-event on Raw. Batista and John Cena will team up against JBL and Triple H. Now, that’s all I have read, and if anyone has any more news on that, let me know. Is it going to be on the show itself, or will it be just a dark match after Raw? I would be incredibly excited if it was on the show itself. Hell, why not a Raw vs. Smackdown show? That could be huge. Okay… I got it! A Raw vs. Smackdown PPV. Okay, that’s a much tougher sell, but if I just get to see that tag team main-event, I’ll be pleased. I just hope it doesn’t mean that JBL and John Cena will both be on Raw, along with Triple H and Batista, because that would spell doom for Smackdown when it needs an audience more than anything.
So now, here are my picks for who should stay with their own brands in this month’s draft lottery (excluding, of course, John Cena and Chris Benoit):
Kane: Some will argue that Kane isn’t as big as he could be, and I’ll agree to that. But, Kane is just a Raw guy, and for me, I don’t think you need to bring Kane to Smackdown, you need to bring some of Smackdown to Kane. If they push the right guys over to Raw, it could be some new talent for Kane to fight. The chances of Kane being a top guy is probably slim on both brands, so right now, I think Kane needs to stay on Raw. If anything, just to feud with Edge. Plus, when you think of Raw, the color you would think is red, right? Smackdown is a blue. Kane is made for Raw! Plus, his pyro opening wouldn’t be the same on Smackdown. Possible guys to feud with Kane are Matt Morgan or Mark Jindrak.
Shelton Benjamin: Shelton is a guy that is a great in-ring performer. He’s got an awful lot going for him, and even with a period between his huge win over Triple H and his IC title reign, he has maintained a solid role on Raw. The biggest problem that I think many of us can see in Shelton is a lack of an interesting character. The guy is a great wrestler, but outside of matches, he lacks the ability to really grab your attention. That’s my opinion, at least, but I don’t need to remind you of that. But, I think moving this guy to Smackdown will likely push him further down the line, and he might not be where he is now. Raw has some great workers for Shelton, and much like Kane, just a few new faces could make some great new feuds for Shelton.
The Undertaker: If you ask me, I think that Raw is far superior to Smackdown. There’s a lot that is missing on Smackdown, and one of the things is being live. Smackdown is taped on Tuesdays, and airs on Thursdays (Fridays this fall, in a clear message to WWE from UPN). But, something that is a special treat for Smackdown fans is the appearances of The Undertaker. As far as I can tell, he hasn’t been around since Wrestlemania 21. But, when he is around, he is like the special attraction for the show. If advertised, he probably puts a lot of people in those seats, because people love the Dead Man. Raw has so much going for it now, and I think Undertaker is one of the few bright spots on Smackdown, and to move him to Raw for those special attraction appearances would be a little absurd, especially when Smackdown will need some big drawing power for the Friday night struggle this fall on UPN.
Randy Orton: I truly hope his hair grows back by the time he returns to WWE again, as an in-ring performer. He didn’t look too great with shorter hair. But, that’s a minor complaint from a minor columnist. I’ve been mulling it over for weeks and weeks on whether or not Orton belongs on Raw, or whether he should be shipped off to Smackdown. Well, whether or not the “Bad, Bad Man” stays on Raw or goes to Smackdown, I think RKO should stick to Raw. Why? He does better with a live crowd, and I think the taped Smackdown may not be the best environment for him. I don’t see Cena and Batista staying with one brand, come July, so either way, Orton is in a grade position. I think he could feud with either men, and put on a great match with either men, so if I have to choose between two shows, RKO belongs on Raw.
Rey Mysterio:Rey Mysterio stands a far better chance on Smackdown. Look at it this way: right now, he’s in a position to be pushed for ANY of the four titles (WWE title, Tag titles, US Title, Cruiserweight title) on Smackdown. Mysterio is slowly but surely becoming a bigger part of WWE, and even if he gets pushed down, he can always fall back on the cruiserweight division, even if you and I both know that the cruiserweight is too small for him right now. In a few years, I can easily see Mysterio being a top player on either show and going for the top title. Heck, he might even get a title match this year! Although, I don’t see him getting it, I see him getting more and more of a push as the year goes on. I think Mr. Mysterio is, simply put, Mr. Thursday Night, and can be a top guy very, very soon.
The Extreme Factor: Tonight, ECW fans all across the world will finally get their prayers answered, when WWE and Vince McMahon present “ECW: One Night Stand”. Yes, you liked that, didn’t you? It’s quite obvious that WWE is behind this, with the oddly out-of-place “crusaders” invading the show tonight. But, I ask you this: are you going to complain? Is it really a big deal that we’ll have to put up with WWE’s added touch on the ECW show? I don’t think so. I think we should be happy to see an ECW show. You’ve got The Dudleys, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Benoit, Axl Rotten, Balls Mahoney, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, just to name a few. Not to mention Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Joey Styles, and possibly Mick Foley.
Here’s a real problem, though: am I even allowed to watch ECW: One Night Stand? I ask because, it’s no secret: I never watched ECW when it was on TV. The most I’ve seen of ECW before the last month or so is the WCW/ECW invasion of 2001. Very, very sad. That wasn’t ECW at all. It was just the name being used. So, can I honestly watch this show without feeling at all like I’m out of the loop? It’s not like watching “24” or “Alias” on television, where if you jump into the show midway through, you’re lost completely. It’s only wrestling. A hardcore form of wrestling. But, when I hear those heartfelt words from Paul Heyman, about the pure passion of ECW and the connection that ECW had with the fans, I feel like I don’t deserve to see any of ECW: One Night Stand.
But, is it really ECW? It’s not like Vince gave Paul Heyman the OK to do an ECW show on PPV, and to let Heyman have 100% control, and to allow himself to have zero input. Like I said, it really should be called “WWE Presents ECW: One Night Stand”. Even with all those ECW guys back for one night only (for now, at least), Vince has WWE all over the show.
Then I think about all those chants. Chanting “ECW!” all over the arenas, in every place WWE goes to. Those can’t be chants of original fans. Hell, if ECW had that many fans, it would still be on television, wouldn’t it? Obviously, I’m not the only one late to the party, trying to enjoy what’s left. I think some, like me, appreciate and respect what ECW was, but never watched it when it was on (or at the very least, only watched on small occasions).
And then, you got people like Kurt Angle, who publically admit to hating ECW and everything it did to professional wrestling. It could have easily been the character talking, but I think there’s a lot of personal feelings behind Angle’s words. He’s easily one of the best professional wrestlers of all time. So, why wouldn’t he feel threatened by a former wrestling organization that relied heavily on props and death-defying stunts? I think it’s not only a spit in the face of any ECW fan, but a spit in the face to any wrestling fan. How can I not support something that is hated by Kurt Angle? I have to show my support now! Okay, I’m not going to watch the show just because Kurt Angle hates ECW. But I am going to watch, to show my respect for a wrestling company that I never got to witness when it first aired. Altogether now… ECW! ECW! ECW! ECW!
I hope those who either watched ECW or didn’t will enjoy tonight’s “One Night Stand”. Even if it’s WWE behind the show, I have faith that a great show will be made, and we’ll all be buzzing about it tomorrow. I have finals this week in school, but I want to try to get the other Draft Lottery column out by tomorrow, showing who should switch brands. I can’t exactly wait a few weeks to do that, now can I? Also coming up soon is the 2nd Ever Fan Participation column, entitled Fan Factor, where I ask the questions and you give the answers. That’s all for this spring-going-on-summer weekend. I’ll be back soon. I’m Mr. X saying see you later. Buh-bye!
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