Welcome to another edition of Kay’s Korner.
My best friend, Tammy, called me a few weeks ago to inform me that the WWE were going to be in Greensboro, NC on March 5, 2005. It has been a few years since we had attended a WWE live show there and, being one of our favorite venues in the area, we decided that we would attend. To be totally honest, we really were not sure about going at first. This was a house show. Attending Raw and Smackdown had always been the shows that we wanted to see.
Then Tammy mentioned the name of the house show. It was called the Road to Wrestlemania. With the patience of a saint, Tammy stayed on the phone for 30 minutes while waiting to purchase the tickets. The goal was to get as close to the ring as we possibly could. Having attended several WWE events over the past six years, we knew that having good seats would be the best way to totally enjoy the show.
Her patience was rewarded with Seats 1 and 2 on Row 5 in Section C on the floor. Wrestling had always been held in the Coliseum but due to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, it was being held in the Special Events arena, a smaller venue. With that in mind, we weren’t really sure where our seats were.
After arriving at the Special Events arena, we eagerly walked up to a security person and asked for assistance to our seats. Following her proved to be a bit of a challenge as she took off knowing exactly where to go and left us in the dust. (I remember telling Tammy, “She’s got my ticket. We’ve got to catch up with her!”) We finally caught up to her, thanked her after she handed me my ticket back, and then sat down to see exactly where we were sitting.
It was the best seats that we had ever had. We were right directly with the corner ring post in the 5th row on the floor. The excitement level rose as we began to imagine the pictures we were going to be able to get at this particular show. Brimming with excitement, we eagerly awaited the show to begin.
I happened to look near the backdrop, where the wrestlers would be making their entrances and exits and smiled. I noticed Don and Rocky Kernodle, two wrestlers from my NWA childhood, standing behind the gate, visiting some old friends. Suddenly, I had a really good feeling about the show.
Then the lights went out. The crowd shouted with approval and we all stood for the National Anthem. Half way thru the music, La Resistance came out to intense ‘boos’ from the audience. The audience decided to retaliate with chants of ‘USA, USA’. They began to sing their anthem but, thankfully, were interrupted by the tag teams champions, Tajiri and William Regal.
It was very interesting to note that the fans immediately started a ‘Regal’ chant. He seemed to be genuinely surprised and acknowledged the crowd with a mystified but thankful look. Suddenly, the match began and we were on the edge of our seats for the first match. After several close calls, Tajiri and William Regal won, much to the delight of the crowd.
The next match happened to be Chris Masters against Val Venus. (Val impressed us immediately by giving his famous towel to a little girl around 6 years old in the front row.) The match began and I had to admit, it was a good match. Val, while being with the WWE for several years now, is a very good technical wrestler who never seems to have a story line. It was nice watching him in action though the ‘Masterpiece’ seemed to be too much in the end as he placed him in his finishing old.
Suddenly, the Coach was introduced. (As he walked to the ring, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t make this man a manager already. He's got the gift of gab and has great 'heel' heat.) He then started talking about Christy Hemme. She came out shortly after and the Coach entertained us by trying to pick her up. She suddenly turned the doe-eyes on him and circled him, talking enticingly to him. When she got to his back, she quickly dropped to her knees and gave him a low blow. Yes, the Coach went down like screaming a little baby. She celebrated for a few moments before Trish Stratus showed up right in front of us. She had walked out thru the crowd, jumped Christy from behind, and slapped her.
Victoria ran out from the back and Christy was rolled out of the ring. I’ve never really had the opportunity to discuss the women’s matches and will relish this one. Those girls put on one heck of a show. Trish and Victoria (along with Molly Holly) are some of the best women wrestlers today. I wish I saw more matches with the women wrestlers. Victoria and Trish had a few of their signature moves countered and then re-countered. The pin falls were close and I enjoyed watching these women in action. It really came as no surprise that Trish used the ropes to win when she had had enough.
Suddenly some music comes on and I couldn’t recognize just exactly which wrestler’s music it was when it first started. Then we see Christian and Tyson walking thru the entrance. Christian was being his ‘Captain Charisma’ persona ten-fold. (I really expect to see some big things from him in the next few years.) Tyson walked around like he owned the place and man, he is even bigger in person that what he looks on TV. Chris Jericho made his way to the ring and I felt the hairs stick up on my arms.
Those two wrestlers tore the house down. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this match. This match had just a touch of humor in it that was just perfect. For example, imagine Christian getting aggravated about the crowd’s response to Y2J. Then take him attempting to jump over the top rope very cockily (a move he has done several times) and slip and fall. Oh yeah, it was very funny, especially with Jericho laughing at him in the ring along with the crowd.
I watched as they each attempted moves and countermoves. It was like watching music being made in the ring. I was totally enraptured by the sounds of music coming from the ring. (Old school wrestling is around; you just have to look for it sometimes.) Tyson eventually got involved in the match by tripping Y2J. The referee saw it and ejected him to the delight of the crowd. We even sang to him as he was leaving, “Sha na na na, Na na na na; Hey Hey Hey; Goodbye.” Oh yes, old school was very much alive in Greensboro, NC that night.
Chris Jericho is a very talented, charismatic wrestler that I enjoy watching. He is very athletic and looks like he is having the time of his life every time he steps into the ring. If you have never really watched Jericho wrestle, you really need to start watching. Throw Christian into the mix and you’ve got a great combination for matches. I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed every match that those two have had against each other that I have seen. They are two wrestlers who have the ‘it’ factor.
The match continued on with each one trying to outdo the other. Watching the two men, I realized that they really loved their job. You could see it in their eyes. Another thing that you could see was how they responded to the crowd. It really was a ‘rassling’ moment. Christian went for his finishing move but Jericho took him down and put him in the ‘Walls of Jericho’ to win the match. Yes, this match was the match for me that night.
Tyson made his way to the ring in his wrestling attire this time and I wondered who he would be facing. I had never really known who all was going to be on the card other than a few Raw Superstars that I had heard would be there on the radio. Kane’s music hit and I looked at Tammy to find her looking at me. We hadn’t seen Kane, without his mask, live before. The cheers of the crowd surprised him; but then Tyson hit him from behind and the match was on.
It really surprised me at how quickly the two big men moved. Tyson even got a ‘big boot’ on Kane, which looked impressive from where we were sitting. Alas, it wasn’t enough as Kane grabbed him by the throat and gave him a ‘Chokeslam from Hell.’ Kane won the match and the crowd roared with approval. (It seems to me that no matter what they try and do with Kane ‘heel’ wise, the crowd wants him to be a ‘face.’) He finally smiled and threw his arm up with his fist, which reminded me of him and Taker raising their hands like that when they were a tag team a few years ago.
Now here comes that part that I’ve been dreading writing about. There was one match on the card that I actually winced at and that was Gene Snitsky against Shelton Benjamin. I witness two horribly missed spots because it is painfully obvious that Snitsky does not know what he is doing. He’s very awkward and very lost in the ring. He just does not have a clue to what he is doing in the ring and the frustration just grew over the course of the match. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed watching Shelton as he carried the match entirely by himself with a little bit of frustration on his face as well. I smiled as Shelton did his ‘Spiderman’ move and smiled in relief when he finally pinned Snitsky ending the saddest wrestling match that I have ever witnessed in person.
Suddenly Muhammad Hussan & Daivari come out. I have to admit that at first, I wasn’t sure about the introduction of these two characters when they were first introduced to the Raw audience. Now, I have to admit, they are getting great ‘heel’ heat, which is exactly what the two performers are going for. Then Chris Benoit came out and the hairs on my arm stood up.
Chris Benoit has always been my most favorite technical wrestler ever. I have never seen a wrestler more wide open in a match as him. I love to watch him in action, as he never fails to entertain me. He also can show you what kind of man he is wrestling if you watch closely enough. I was thinking to myself, “Okay Benoit. Show me what he has got.”
Hussan really surprised me in the match. For the first time, I got to see him actually wrestle. He is talented in the ring and moves very fluidly for a large man. The crowd was really into the match especially when Benoit finally got the 'Crippler Crossface' on him. Daivari jumped into the ring, kicking Benoit in the head. Benoit jumped up and put Daivari in a 'Crippler Crossface' of his very own. Man, all was right in the wrestling world tonight.
Edge enters the ring the same way he always does, sliding in, and looking the same. I don’t understand the new Edge that has emerged. Sure, he is angry and bitter over a neck injury. I get that but that’s about all I get. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy watching him wrestle and he can be a 'heel' but he needs to change his wrestling persona instead of just portraying an angry man.
HBK made his way to the ring and immediately started attacking Edge. I have to say that these two men had a good match. There was lots of drama and lots of close calls with Edge cheating as much as he possibly could. Suddenly, it looked like Edge would win when he speared Michaels. He only got a two count and started arguing with the referee over the two count, trying to make him see that it was actually a three count. Michaels landed on his feet from flat on his back and when Edge turned around, he received some ‘Sweet Chin Music’ for his troubles.
The final match of the night was the one that I had been eagerly waiting for. Ric ‘The Nature Boy’ Flair was home in Greensboro tonight and I couldn’t wait to see him. You must remember that I grew up watching this man when he was in the NWA. I hated him with a passion that rivaled no other wrestler in my childhood.
Now, as I am older and wiser, I have nothing but respect and love for Flair and for what he has done for professional wrestling. You either love him or you hate him, but if you love wrestling, you know exactly who Ric Flair is. Besides, this man was home as every fan in that building indicated with a ‘Woo’ and holding their four fingers up in tribute to the ‘Four Horseman.’ (Yes it may be gone but it’s never forgotten; this was ‘Horseman Territory.’)
He came out to the ring very graceful and very thankful. I’ve got some great pictures of Ric Flair as he is walking around the ring saying, ‘Thank you,’ and smiling. I could see the pure happiness on his face because some of the best memories in his career were done in the Greensboro Coliseum. He loved being home and so did his fans.
Triple H came out with a mixture of ‘cheers’ and ‘boos’. I must admit that there were a lot of ‘heel’ fans in attendance that night and that’s not an exaggeration. (‘Heel’ fans surrounded us, but it didn’t bother us that they were rooting for the ‘bad guys’ as it didn’t seem to bother them that we were rooting for the ‘good guys’.) He walked around the side of the ring that he normally spits his water and, instead of getting up on that side of the ring, walked to the next side, which was directly in front of us. We really didn’t think he would do it until we saw him throw the bottle of water in the section beside of us before grabbing the top rope. He performed his regular spitting ritual and entered the ring.
Randy Orton came out and stood there cockily in his normal pose when he first walked out and then ran to the ring. He immediately jumped Flair and Trips got out of the ring. He grabbed a chair, snuck back in the ring, and knocked Orton out cold. Within a few minutes, Batista came running out to the ring while Flair and Trips couldn’t seem to get out of the ring fast enough. Orton was taken out of commission by the chair shot and was helped to the back. Batista quickly grabbed a microphone. “These people in Greensboro came to see a fight. I’ll take the both of you on.”
It didn’t take long for Trips to look at Ric and smile. They slithered around the ring like two snakes deciding who was going to grab the animal first. They then slowly entered and tried to attack at the same time. Batista didn’t let that last long and soon the referee rang the bell after getting Trips out of the ring.
Flair would chop Batista on his chest only for the big man to smile at him. Over and over again, he chopped him so much the Batista’s chest was bright red. With every chop, Batista just pumped his arms up and growled like an animal. Flair, in desperation, chop blocked him and got him in the ‘Figure Four’ leg lock. Batista wasted no time in quickly flipping Flair over and reversing the hold. Flair couldn’t get away fast enough and tagged in Trips, who was shocked at what Flair had just done to him.
Slowly but surely, he got into the ring. The hesitation in Trips eyes was evident while Batista eyes showed his confidence. They locked up and Batista pushed him back showing him his muscles. Trips kept his eyes on him looking exactly like a snake getting ready to strike. Back and forth, they went with Batista getting the upper hand until Flair came in with a low blow.
After Flair brought the big man to his knees, they start double teaming Batista. Finally, Batista seems to shake it off and Flair went back to chopping him again while Trips was down. He finally slapped him so hard that Batista just turned around and gave him the most evil look. Suddenly, Ric is holding his hands up, begging, pleading, and in a loud tone of voice says, “Oh My God! I am so sorry!” This bit of humor ran thru the small venue and was enjoyed by each and every fan there.
Finally Flair got out of the ring and Trips came back in. He attacked Batista by kicking him and doing anything he could to knock the big man down. Batista finally had had enough and roared with frustration. He knocked Flair out with one punch that also caused him to fall off of the ring apron and onto the floor. He and Trips exchanged blows until finally, we saw Batista give Trips a ‘Batista Bomb’. The match ended with Batista winning via pin fall over Trips. He jumped on the turnbuckles, indicating with his hands, he will have that title and soon.
All in all, I really enjoyed this house show. The wrestling, with the exception of one match, was absolutely great. It was entertaining and I was never bored. I even found myself shouting encouragement to my wrestlers. I walked out of there with a smile and a thought. “If they would just do this on television.”
That’s all for this edition of Kay’s Korner. Thanks for reading. All feedback can be sent to lilwrestlegrl@yahoo.com.
Copyright © 2005; TheWrestlingVoice.com & Douglas Nunnally.
All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer & Privacy Statement
| What Did You Think About WWE Backlash 2008? |
|
|