The Vin Sanity Of Wrestling: Up & (Smack)Down...
Posted by TWV Guest Columnists
on 10/21/2006
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Guest Column By Vinny Truncellito
Yin and yang. Good and bad. Ups and downs. One step forward, two steps back. The theme of WWE's
Friday Night SmackDown! lately has been a little positive, followed by a little negative, over and over again.
Today's Issue: The Ups & Downs Of
SmackDown!
I've have a hard time enjoying any given episode of
SmackDown! recently because the show consistently slips back and forth between exciting, entertaining stuff and total garbage. Here are a few examples:
Good: Tag Team Title Scene
Three tag teams have stolen the spotlight as of late. WWE Tag Team Champions The Hooliganz, The Pit Bulls, and newcomers KC James & Idol Stevens have brought back some excitement to the Tag Title picture. It's unfortunate that David "Kid Kash" Cash was released as I would have thought combinations of these three teams could have successfully feuded over the tag straps at least through to the
Royal Rumble in January of 2007.
Michelle McCool's new tandem met The Hooliganz at the
No Mercy PPV on October 9th, and it seems this feud is just getting heated up. Hopefully we'll see a lot more of this battle before it's all said and done.
Bad: Montel Vontavious Porter
Attention, WWE Creative Department: you can't just
create a hot free agent because you want to. Kurt Angle was a hot free agent, my friends. Christian's jump to TNA was another example of a hot free agent jumping to the opposition. Goldberg, Chris Jericho, and The Rock are hot free agents on the market right now. The casual fan had never even heard of MVP when he started demanding a huge contract for his wrestling services. As DX would say, I've got just two words for MVP: get bent.
Good: Hardy/Helms Feud
These two OMEGA originals have great chemistry and have been entertaining to the extreme. Hopefully, they'll continue to provide us with solid wrestling matches for weeks to come as I could stand a 15-minute performance from these two every week, whether in singles or tag team affairs. I'm sure Helms will be seeking revenge for the loss he suffered in his hometown at
No Mercy this Friday night.
Bad: Vito's dress
If the Vito character enjoys wearing a dress, I say good for him. I have no opinion about that as far as personal taste is concerned. The problem I have is with him wearing it
in the ring! I can't understand why he wears a dress to wrestle. I hate when a wrestler infuses far more of his character's personality into his ring gear than is logical.
Do you remember the "Real Man's Man" William Regal wearing flannel and a hard-hat to the ring while carrying an axe or Isaac Yankem in his stupid dental scrubs? What's wrong with wearing regular wrestling gear to the ring and leaving your gimmick-driven attire for the promos? I love to wear slacks and a dress shirt to a restaurant or the movies, but I never dress like that when I play softball. Why? It's simply not practical. Neither is wearing a dress to wrestle. Once again, "Mr. Subtlety" himself Vince McMahon has missed the mark. They should have Vito wear the dress in backstage vignettes and wear wrestling attire to the ring. His opponents will still be freaked out enough to respond to the gimmick if it's all played properly.
Good: Mysterio Vs. Guererro.
Unlike the "Who's Your Papi?" feud between Rey and Chavo's late uncle Eddie, this war feels more "real," more intense, and is easier for me to sink my teeth into. I'm enjoying the fire Rey's shown lately and it actually makes me care about his character far more than his weak "underdog champion" shtick from earlier in the year. This is another feud I could stand more of. I saw the 2-for-1 PPV hard sell tag match between Rey & Matt Hardy against Chavo & Gregory Helms coming from a mile away, but it served it's purpose storyline-wise and, equally as important, was a solid in-ring effort to boot.
Bad: Jimmy Wang Yang
Here's another stupid character with a rich heritage. See, there have been loads of dumb ideas in WWF/E over the years and Jimmy Yang's new Asian/Redneck character is just the next in that long line. It's ill conceived, silly, and
not as clever, witty, ironic, or funny as Vinnie Mac must think. Looks like an Asian; talks and dresses like a redneck? Comedy
gold!
Good: King Booker Has Stepped Up His Game
The King actually dragged a reasonably watchable match out of the Undertaker a few weeks ago, which is a miracle considering Undertaker's best days are long behind him. Booker's camp performances as royalty are so far over the top that they come back around again to entertaining. I'm so pleased to see Booker rewarded with the World Title in what might turn out to be his last run at the top of the card. All Hail King Booker!
Bad: Crystal, Ashley, Et Cetera & Their Little Attitudes
Rarely has a segment of a two-hour show been more wasted than when Crystal Marshall is venting her angst about not winning the Diva Search. There aren't big enough capital letters to express my lack of interest in Crystal's feelings when I type: WHO CARES?! Ashley is not entertaining in my book and since she's already bared it all in Playboy, the idea of seeing her in skimpy clothes or lingerie does nothing for me. Learn to work in the ring like Trish Stratus or get off my television screen.
Good: Speaking Of The King, His Court Is Simply Excellent
Anything involving Sir Finlay and/or Sir William is sure to be entertaining. Simply put, these veterans don't wrestle bad matches at this stage in their careers, and their respective "British bruiser" and "Irish tough guy" characters are straightforward and effective. Regal and Finlay play their parts to perfection. Notice when Finlay asked Regal about challenging the King in the "Pick Your Poison" match last week, Regal looked at his watch and fled the scene so as not to have to show any sign of disobedience or disloyalty to His Majesty. Perfectly acted. Solid in-ring performance + well-defined, well-performed characters = great wrestling television, folks.
I think the following sums up the current state of the union on Friday Nights:
SmackDown! is a show where a hot, young, up-and-coming stud like Mr. Kennedy has to act terrified when the big, slow, clumsy Undertaker hobbles to the ring on his bad knees, his best years far behind him. At this point, the Undertaker should use his fading celebrity to "make" Kennedy. Instead, he only loses at
No Mercy due to shenanigans , then gets to obliterate both Kennedy and referee Charles "Lil' Naitch" Robinson just to show everybody he's still the big dog in the yard.
See? One step forward, two steps back. Even now, the Undertaker's ego is one of the most important things to consider when booking a
SmackDown! program, rather than the good of the company or the future stars 'Taker could create if he were so inclined. I'm sure you recall how well the youngest World Champ in WWE history, Randy Orton, fared in
his feud with the Undertaker.
P.S. - Thought to ponder: life is sexually transmitted.
Vinny Truncellito is a staff writer for Inside Pulse Wrestling where his weekly Alternate Reality column appears each Monday morning.
Send feedback to
vtruncellito@comcast.net.
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