Right Down the Middle

I recently wrote an open letter to TNA after reading two letters written by Wrestling Internet Community writers.  My letter even got published on my fav. site. Gerweck.net! 

Click here to see my longwinded craftywork!

The fact of the matter is, as bad as it seems TNA is, they aren't really that far from being a decent organization.  The bigger issue is that they have the propensity to fall back into the same crap that gets them booed by fans on a regular basis.  Come to think of it, TNA's fan reception is on the same level as John Cena's - a lot of people cheer, but the boos are way louder and you can't ignore them.

My hope is that someone of quality reads my letter and puts some real thought into the logic that goes into handling business around those TNA Offices.  The fact is that with a little bit more thought placed into marketing, promotion, talent development, etc., TNA could actually give the WWE a run for their money.  Also, if they spent more time listening to all of their fans and not just the ones that give them copliment after compliment, then maybe...MAYBE they'd produce a quality product that the fans would be interested in tearing down the house just to see.  But then again, that's my opinion.  I mean, what do the fans know about the business they spend their hard earned money on?

Well, it was only a matter of time before this one happened.  Needless to say, this is one of those talents that really shouldn't have been let go.

TBK, as I and a few others affectionately called him, had a bright future in the WWE as a Cruiserweight.  It's just too bad the WWE disbanded it's Cruiserweight division when Horswoggle won the belt.  At any rate, Kendrick could've put on excellent matches with Tyson Kidd, Jamie Knoble, the yet-to-debut Kaval (TNA's former Low-ki), Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, and a slew of other smaller yet very athletic WWE superstars.  But alas, at this day in time, it was not meant to be for TBK.

Which sucks supremely for him, as it is rumored that Vince McMahon isn't happy with the current product, but at the same time, it seems as if he hasn't instructed his writing staff to produce opportunities for the younger stars to be turned into tomorrow's Hogans, Macho Mans, HBKs, etc.  I can't feel sorry for McMahon, b/c when you release folks such as Kendrick, can you really sympathize with the chairman's plight?

So three cheers for TBK...maybe he'll return to ROH and wreak havok there.

Hip Hip...Hooray!

Hip Hip...Hooray!

Hip Hip...ahh, forget about it.

I haven't really written on here much lately, esp. regarding Total Non-Stop Action.  But I guess now would be as good a time to do so than ever seeing as I'm currently making my Slammiversary predictions over at www.fourdown.org.  You should check the site out, it's pretty cool.

This year's Slammiversary PPV, which takes place in Detroit "Motor City," Michigan, marks seven years of TNA's place in the industry.  The company has grown by leaps and bounds, and in my hunble estimation has a lot more growing to do, but I must admit that the company and product has developed quite nicely over the past 2,554 days.  Don't get me wrong: TNA has given pro wrestling fans plenty of headaches along the way, but then again when you're in such a long relationship with anyone, you're bound to scratch your head, yell, scream, and make out passionately on the hood of your mom's 1988 Ford Tempo LX every now and then...or maybe that was just me...

At any rate, TNA has done a lot to hype up tomorrow's Slammiversary PPV, and then they've done very little to make the matches seem significant as well.  But alas, a pro wrestling PPV is a pro wrestling PPV, and much like Wrestlemania, we can expect TNA and her wrestlers to go all out to make this PPV that much more extraordinary.  But as we've seen with Wrestlemania XXV, our expectations for a PPV's card are not always lived up to, and that's the thing that can make or break any company at any given time.  It already blows that TNA was selling $7 seats to their PPV...

Alright, I'll quit my griping and get to the PPV card...

King of the Mountain Match, for the World Heavyweight Championship
  Mick Foley(c)  vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle

Mick Foley.  The reason I'm picking Foley to retain b/c a few weeks ago on iMPACT, Foley mentioned making some rule where he would only defend his TNA Heavyweight Title once every four months or something like that.  Things between Foley and Jarrett are heating up, and even though this feud isn't the most gripping thing on television right now, they seem to be onto something with this schizophrenic Foley and fed-up Jeff Jarrett.  Foley retains.

King of the Mountain Match, for the X Division Championship
Suicide (c)  vs. Jay Lethal vs. Consequences Creed vs. Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin

Suicide.  I really can't find a reason to justify any of the four other guys winning this title.  I'm probably very wrong, but the only other person I'd pick to win this title, it'd be Chris Sabin.  However, TNA's X-Division at this point is about as exciting and useful as WWE's 2009 Cruiserweight Division...Suicide retains.

Match for the World Tag Team Championship
James Storm & Robert Roode vs. Brother Ray (c)  & Brother D-Von (c)

Beer Money.  Beer Money will bring their A-game to Slammiversary and it's going to pay off for Storm and Roode.  After all, with all the titles being at stake, one of them has to change hands. 

Match for the Women's Championship
Tara vs. Angelina Love (c) 

Angelina Love.  It would be a travesty for TNA to give the Knockouts Championship to Vic"Tara" in her second match in the company.  It makes TNA wrestlers look useless compared to talent from other organizations.  Take a note from Christian and Gail Kim...just b/c they've been in other orgs doesn't mean they're top shelf quality.  Love retains.

Shane Douglas vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels.  Ever since he returned to TNA, the only thing that seems to infatuate fans with Shane Douglas is his farmer's tan.  I don't expect Daniels to get fired for a third time here, and we can probably look forward to The Francise becoming someone's manager.  We can at least hope for that.

Eric Young & Rhino vs. Doug Williams & Brutus Magnus

British Invasion.  Eric Young is now a heel, and with TNA's Tag Division being on fire way more than the WWE's, it would be garbage to have the thrown together team of Rhino and EY to defeat the British Invasion.  Let's not forget Rob Terry's presense in the match will most definately ensure a victory from the team across the pond.

Matt Morgan vs. Sting

Matt Morgan.  Word on the street is that Sting's tenure in wrestling is almost up, and Matt Morgan's stock in the company is rising.  Why not have him decimate Sting and take control of the MEM, seeing as Sting really didn't care much for running the group in the first place?

Monster's Ball Match,
Daffney & Raven vs. Abyss & Taylor Wilde

This is a tough one...I'm gonna go with Abyss & Taylor Wilde as they both need a victory at this point.  This should be a pretty gruesome match to watch, and I must admit that Daffney's character intrigues me.  Sweet.

Well, that's my two cents.  Let's hope Slammiversary doesn't disappoint.

Another two bite the dust.

Actually, I thought Sim Snuka was already future endeavored.  Oh well...

I remember when Candace Michelle made her glorious return to television after re-injuring her clavicle.  She looked like a soccer mom, and didn't quite have the same appeal she had before she was injured the first time.  Damn that Beth Phoenix!  Now that I think about it, the announcers didn't seem all that enthused about her return, and for the life of me she couldn't shake that soccer mom image.  The writing was pretty much on the wall for Candace by that time...and then she got an ankle injury....good night, Irene.

As far as Sim Snuka is concerned, I thought he had potential.  He looked impressive to me in action, up until he put on that silly black shirt and those black tights.  Once Orton gave him the run over, he and Manu pretty much solidified themselves in the world-renowned Future Endeavored club.

To be frightfully honest with you, I really hope TNA doesn't play with the notion of picking either one of them up.  At this point, I cannot see what either one of them could bring to TNA's table.    The TNA product is actually watchable right now, and I think picking up either one of them would damage the momentum they've got going.  That's just my honest opinion though.

So three cheers for Candace Michelle and Sim Snuka.  May they find the peace in civil service, food service, or educational studies that they could not find in the WWE.

One day after an embarrassing loss to CM Punk in a Samoan Strap Match, Umaga found himself searching for Mr. Kennedy's phone number, as he to was giving the old warm wishes from WWE corporate.  That's right; Umaga is no longer employed by the WWE.

This sucks...for Umaga.  Maybe he can join Manu and they can form a tag team of some sorts....nah, that'd be horrible.

It would be interesting to see where Umaga goes from here.  When I say "interesting," it means that TNA will probably try to scoop him up as soon as possible, and fans will be treated to a match between "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe, and "The Samoan Buldozer" Umaga.  As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, it doesn't help his career to have UMAGA tattooed across his stomach.  At either rate, it would be novel to see what a feud between the two of them would look like, but then again Russo-writing lasts all of fifteen minutes and thirty-six seconds, so...

But to get back to my main point, I really hope that they do something about this stale wrestling show. 

And I am very unimpressed.

I get to talk here with a little more freedom than I feel I can over in the Universe, so it feels good to be able to say that I wasn't surprised to see HHH return.  As a matter of fact, I must say that I'm quite shocked that the predictability of HHH's return tonight on RAW was in baffling contrast to the unpredictability of last night's Extreme Rules PPV.  Tonight's offering of RAW, in my opinion, suffered tremendously due to the reappearance of The Cerebral Assassin.

How many times have we seen HHH face Orton?  A lot.  I know, I know; Trips needs to get revenge on Orton for the whole punting-my-family-and-almost-ending-my-career-and-life thing, but he couldn't get the job done the last eighty times, so what's gonna make this time different?

A part of my dislike towards this move by WWE Creative is b/c I seem to view HHH like most people view Cena; he's lame, he's boring, and he's taking away TV time from younger talent that could benefit from being in the spotlight.  I know nothing of the business, but as a consumer, it really grinds my gears to be forced to gaze upon HHH's face with a WWE Championship every twelve seconds.  I've grown tired of him as a babyface, and instead of building up a ppv match to where Orton and HHH can pummel each other until kingdom come, why not get MVP back into the main event push?  How 'bout we get THE Brian Kendrick out of matches where he jobs to the comedy acts of the show?  How about we use all the people we have on the roster to their fullest extent?  But no; fans across the WWE Universe can delight in knowing that for the next two or so months, we will all be treated to HHH and Orton playing pattycake with each other.

Ricky Ortiz
So you're a heel now?  And you're a Smackdown star?  Why should I care?  Where have you made an impact?  Look, go get me some sweet tea and a doughnut, that way you can be of some use to the company.

The Bella Twins
You're not even eye candy, b/c to be quality eye candy, you have to be on television long enough for fans to salivate over you.  Go find Ortiz and make sure my sweet tea isn't iced tea.

I've already written rings around this subject on my WWE Universe page, but then I remembered I had a LiVE JOURNAL account about wrestling, so I figured I should probably say something on here as well.

Tons of fans are tossing their two cents into the ring about how and why Kennedy got the old heave ho', and yours truly is no different.  But for me, the bottom line is that this is a setback for not only Kennedy, but for his fans and the WWE fans as well.  The man is talented; I personally like him better as a heel, but he was definitely working the crowds as a face and was gaining some momentum.  Regardless of how much you love or hate the organization, the WWE has a nasty habit of pulling the rug out from under a superstar when they're on a roll, especially if they are a superstar that they don't foresee being a main event draw.  Don't believe me?  Here are a few folks that have all suffered recently from such a thing:

MVP
THE Brian Kendrick
Shelton Benjamin
Charlie Haas
R-Truth
Gail Kim
Evan Bourne
Jack Swagger
Tyson Kidd

I could keep going on and on...

Say what you will, Kennedy's release is a form of the rug being pulled out from under him, even if it was because of his own carelessness inside and outside the ring.  For the most part, I hope he'll end up in TNA, and I have a good feeling that he will.  I'm not sure whether or not he has a 90 no compete clause in his contract, but hopefully he doesn't.  TNA could do wonders with him in their midcard.

Here's to Mr. Kennedy, and hopefully we'll see more of him sooner than later.

I haven't written in a long time, so please forgive the absence.

I've noticed that people are still very vocal about their dislike, or down-right hatred, for John Cena.  On one hand, I'm not mad at anyone voicing their opinion; I, for one, hate babyface Triple H - he just sucks.  But, what really gets my gears about anti-Cena fans is the fact that to me, it seems as if they don't get the point.  There are several reasons to why the WWE will not hear your moans, groans, and death threats; so, out of the goodness of my heart, I'm going to list a few of those reasons here.

Reason #1 - MONEY, MONEY, YEAH YEAH!

Kids buy WWE merchandise.  Kids' parents buy WWE merchandise.  You rant on internet blogs and websites.  Vince McMahon swims in money like Scrooge McDuck.  Kids and kids' parents like John Cena.  You like Jeff Hardy.   All of this sounds unrelated and pointless, but if you take one brief moment to put two and two together, you'll see exactly why John Cena is a heavyweight champ once again.  Okay, I'll slow it down for you.

The #1 complaint among anti-Cena wrestling fans is that only little kids and women like him.  Well unfortunately for you, while the 18-34 male demographic brings the WWE millions of television viewers and show attendees on a weekly basis, it's those same little kids and women that dominate merchandise sales on a daily basis.  For every one anti-Cena wrestling fan, there are at least 50 kids and women that are flooding WWEshop.com with purchase orders.  As a matter of fact, take this on for size: Cena returned to the WWE Sunday night at Survivor Series with a brand new Cena shirt, his famous "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect" mantra emblazoned in the same shield and colors as the old AWA logo.  THE VERY NEXT NIGHT, during Cena's promo with Chris Jericho on Monday Night RAW, a child in the audience was shown holding up her sign and wearing that very same shirt.  In less than twenty-four hours, at least one kid in that arena had John Cena's new merch on her back; how many grown folk between 18 - 34 had that shirt?  None?  Two?  Eleventy?  Who knows?  Now how many kids had that shirt on?  Countless.

As long as kids and women make up the real brunt of the buying power, McMahon will do anything to cater to them, and according to them, Cena isn't harsh on the eyes.  And look at the guy: he's single, he's charming, and he's a work horse.  Kids aspire to be him, and women aspire to be with him.  As long as they continue to support Cena, then the champ is not going anywhere.

Reason #2 - CENA IS THE NEW HULK HOGAN

The second complaint that most anti-Cena fans have is that he has a limited move-set and that he's grown stale.  I'll agree with anyone on the stale part, but the limited move-set is something I'll have to disagree with you on.  Please explain to me how one could hate John Cena for the 3 moves he has, when that same person can adore Ric Flair for the 2 moves he has?!  Go watch a Ric Flair match right now...doesn't matter what year, just watch one...and this is what it'll consist of:

Knife-edge chop

Wooo

Back body drop (on Flair)

Wooo

Eye-poke

Wooo

Wooo

Old Man flp

Chop block

Figure-four leg lock

Submission

Wooo

Wooo

Wooo

And fans around the world consider Flair the greatest wrestler of all time.  A move-set does not make a wrestler phenomenal; there are a host of other qualities a wrestler can have that can propel him into the stratosphere of the fans' hearts and wallets.  Flair had all of two actual maneuvers, but he has great presence and ring psychology.  His matches tell stories, and he's placed himself in compelling storylines over the years.  Look at Hogan's move-set: big boot, leg drop, Hulk-Up, body slam.  But yet, even in his recent douche-baggyness, he's still the first name and face you think of when you think of pro wrestling.  Hogan was very marketable, and he's what the fans wanted and loved at the time.  His intensity and sheer size (Hogan's a big dude) amazed fans, and that whole American thing is what people loved, not to mention his time in the NWO.  If you think about it, Cena is no different from Hogan; they both constantly gave their all in between the ropes, even if fans booed them to kingdom come, without really being all that technically sound in the ring.  All of this, however, goes back to reason one: their marketability sold seats and merchandise, so of course they were going to be shoved down people's throats until there were 2 more people that hated him than liked him.  We have yet to get to that point.

Reason #3 - "WHO'S NEXT?"

Anti-Cena fans complain that there should be someone else with the heavyweight title other than Cena, but I would dare to ask them "who fits the bill?" 

Orton?  Nope, he's got a storyline going with these second generation stars.  Also, for some reason, Orton really hasn't wrestled much since his return.  Hopefully this is due to a storyline dysfunction and not b/c of his injury.

Jericho?  Nope.  Chris winning the title didn't do anything for ratings, and the end of his feud with Michaels cemented Jericho's place in mediocrity.  Jericho has yet to "save us" from anything, including himself.  He's boring, I'm sorry.  That's just how it is.

Jeff Hardy?  Nope.  Just ain't champion material yet...at all.  I personally doubt that he ever will be.  I'll save that blog for another entry.

As far as Cena being stale, I also believe it is past due time to bring fans a different side of Cena.  I would prefer a heel Cena as opposed to the edgy Cena we saw on Monday Night RAW, but then again, beggars can't be chooser.

For the past few years, WWE has relied on it main workhorses to provide most of the domination during main events on their shows.  But by doing so, they lacked they rub needed for younger stars to be propelled into the spotlight.  The best example I can think of is with MVP.  Last year, I was the only one I knew of hollerin' for MVP to be put in a program for the heavyweight belt.  But, my requests fell upon deaf ears (much like this rant and your want for Cena to disappear).  BUT NOW, after MVP proved his worth with that killer series with "He Who Shall Not Be Named," and esp. now that he's The Great Khali's bitch, everyone is clamoring for the guy to be put in the main event.  How much more difficult would it have been for MVP to be placed into a compelling program with Triple H?  Or, what if he was moved to RAW and faced CM Punk?  Speaking of which, what happened to CM Punk's Heavyweight reign?  The bottom line is, the WWE is siding with the people they know fans will pay to see, and ironically enough, some of the anti-Cena fans will pay to see his matches JUST to pray for him to lose.  Admit it: without Cena, RAW was boring, and has been boring for the past few weeks; honestly, RAW has been boring since Cena's been out and the chaos after McMahon's Million Dollar Mania died down.  They've placed the belts on people they thought could carry the strap and bring in more buys, but the only one to do that consistently in the main event has been John Cena.  Did Punk do that with his reign?  No.  Did Jericho do that with his reign?  No.  Did Batista do that with his short reign?  No.  Can Jeff Hardy do it?  No.

So there you have it.  I'm not saying that anyone who dislikes Cena should jump on his coattails and ride around town, but I would like for you to put into perspective your dislike for the man.  Once you realize he serves a purpose, then you'll begin to understand why he's on the forefront of every show's main event.  And besides, the man got injured twice and is back wrestling again....he's a machine!

I had a thought a moment ago.  I said to myself, "Self?  What's going to happen to Chris Harris?"  This question prompted me to blog briefly, as I'm really trying to jam home from my one job b/c I have the day off from my other one.

"Wildcat" Chris Harris, former member of TNA Tag Team America's Most Wanted, was a beast in the six-sided ring.  Along with his tag team partner, "Cowboy" James Storm, Chris Harris participated in some of the more memorable tag team feuds in TNA, which includes a lengthy rivalry with The Naturals, Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas.

Later on, TNA management decided to split Harris and Storm, and the two former partners battled each other in several singles bouts, usually with Storm getting the upper hand.  Harris was in a position to become one of the new breakout singles stars for TNA, but the bookers decided to place him in a feud with Dustin Runnels, a.k.a. "Black Reign," which was a horrible carbon-copy of the WWE's Goldust.  It wasn't long after that when Chris Harris parted ways with TNA, and really could you blame him?

Free from the tyrannical stupidity of a certain TNA booker who shall remain nameless, Harris was courted by the WWE and even landed a contract.  He made his official debut on the WWE's ECW brand as Braden Walker.  He came out in black onesy devoid of any pictures or letters, and wrestled a very basic, forgettable match.  He had another match...one that I didn't catch.  Next thing you know...WWE has come to terms with the release of Chris Harris (Braden Walker).  They wished him well in all of his future endeavors, and politely kicked him in the ass on his way out of the door.

Now this whole scenario goes into the "Ain't that a bitch," files.  From this fan's perspective, Harris was doing well in TNA, minus a never-ending feud with a bi-polar manic depressive that was emotionally and romantically attached to a rat named Marlena (a jab at the WWE Marlena character portrayed by Runnels ex-wife, Terri Lynne Boatright Runnels).  For all of those that stay tuned to wrestling on a daily basis, everyone's dream job is to work for the WWE at any point in their lives.  Most want an extended tenure, but for some, even a week with a check from Vince McMahon is the culmination of a life's work of dedication and hustling.  I can't say that this was Chris Harris' dream, but we've got to admit that he immediately made the jump once his TNA contract was up.  It just sucks balls that he lasted two televised matches before the cut the cords on his career.  I figured as much when they called him Braden Walker.  They didn't even let him get a 'n' and call himself Branden.  That's pretty low.

So what's next?  According to Wikipedia, Harris has toyed with retiring and wrestling on the independent circuit.  The first issue is, he can't go to WWE...unless they send feelers out to him or he begs for an office job.  The second issue is, would TNA really hire him back?  I mean, they don't have anything to lose but money by adding him to their payroll, but it's not like they have a huge roster of talent AND it's not like they couldn't use him.  But the thing is, TNA seems to not have that same forgiving spirit that the WWE has.  Shannon Moore; Austin Aries; Matt Bentley; Roderick Strong; the list goes on.  You see they begged Gail Kim to stay and not sell her soul to the WWE, but they want her to work for less money than the men in the company and we ALL KNOW that the Knockouts' Division is the bread and butter of TNA.  I'm just staring at the tombstone of his career and saying to myself, "Boy, that was really jacked up."  It's one thing to systematically kill someone's career; it's another thing to shoot it in the face point blank when it happily skips around the corner.

Here's to the career of "Wildcat" Chris Harris; where it didn't find peace, may it now rest comfortably in the bosom of the pro-wrestling gods.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/17431001/detail.html

For those of you that don't know, a few months back, pro-wrestler and former Olympian Kurt "I Just Broke My Freakin' Neck" Angle was arrested at his home on dui charges.

Yeah, you read that right.  Kurt Angle.  Arressted.  At Home.  For.  Drunk Driving.

Seriously, I laughed my ass off at this; not at the fact that one of the best professional wrestlers ever was facing jail time for abusing alcohol and putting himself in danger, and others, by trying to operate a car whilst being intoxicated.  I was laughing my ass off because the cops actually went to his house, gave him a field sobriety test, and proceeded to place him under arrest and charge him with drunk driving...WHILE HE WAS IN HIS HOUSE!

And get this, this is what the judge said (this'll spare you from reading the article - it's brief, but I'm making my point here) concerning the ruling of the case:

"On Tuesday, a judge ruled prosecutors couldn't prove he was actually "driving" under the influence."

YOU FRICKING THINK?!?!?!?!

I just went on two extremely long tirades with friends about this whole thing.  My point in all of this is that 1) You shouldn't be able to arrest people for things that you didn't see them do yourself, and 2) Money shouldn't have been wasted to take this thing all the way to court in the first place.  The judge ruled that the prosecutors couldn't prove that Angle was actually driving while being drunk...which in my feeble mind is the basis of drunk driving.  The fact that it took almost a year and 40 minutes to come to that understanding is baffling to me!  That should've been the consensus among people the moment the officer had to go to the man's house and ask him if he was drunk and if he had been driving!  You can't convict someone of murder if you can't find the body, or pieces of the body, of the person he/she said he/she killed; and even then, the burden of proof rests on whether or not you can show that the suspect is connected to the death of that person.  Same thing with Angle - you can't arrest or convict him of drunk driving if you can't show that he was actually driving while drunk...I'm sorry, you're not allowed to do that!  That's not even law...that's common sense!

I'm very glad Kurt Angle avoided jail time, and it is my hope that if he is abusing alcohol, he is able to control his demons and find some sort of peace in his life.  As for the Pittsburgh justice system....you GOT to do better than that.

Once again, Jeff Hardy is the subject of this blog post.  Damn shame.

He didn't win last night for the same reason he didn't win the last time he had an opportunity to walk out of the building: he's not ready.

Someone else posted their thoughts on the Cryme Tyme match against Simply Priceless, and they stated that Cryme Tyme just isn't ready to carry the straps.  This isn't to say that they'll never be ready, but they're just not ready at this time.  I agree.  But, it seems to me as if the masses are dismissing this same fact about the Carolina's favorite son, Jeff "Bounce Back" Hardy, as most folks had him pegged to win the belt last night.

Lemme tell you something right here, right now: Champions have to have small islands and countries built around them, where people praise and worship them as if they were oil, gold, and a god.  John Cena is a prime example.  Hulk Hogan is the best example, if not the penultimate example.  The Rock is an even better example.  CM Punk is not an example.  Samoa Joe is not an example.  To an extent, HHH, Ver. 2008 is not an example.  Your champion has to be marketable, i.e. bankable, and Jeff Hardy as champ wouldn't turn a profit a quarter of an inch, let alone a full rotation.  Don't get me wrong - I like Jeff just as much as the next man, woman, and child.  BUT, can I see him representing an brand or a roster at this point in his career?  No.  Not with HHH carrying the strap, at least.  So pls continue to hold your breath. b/c his day will come soon....it just wasn't meant to happen last night.

Now on to MVP.

I held my breath and passed out b/c I hoped he would get a run.  Even though one of my previous posts explicitly told you how I believe he pissed away his chances at that, there was a glimmer of hope that they would give him the belt to run with for awhile.  But, not only did he not get his shot, but he was pinned by HHH in the final moments of the match.  HHH dare not attempt to pin Benjamin or Hardy, both of whom I believe will be getting major pushes in the near future seeing as Benjamin wasn't pinned at all, and Hardy made a dominating presence in certain parts of the match even though having been pinned by The Brian Kendrick.  Oh well, so much for that thought.

Either way, look forward to Hardy feuding with HHH.  I would love for Trips to turn heel, but who knows?  Maybe more money for two faces facing each other, unless they turn Hardy heel.  I haven't seen that since The Brood Version of the Hardys.

I thought the show was okay - not bad, but not good.  It felt like a throwaway ppv; almost as if the WWE was expecting a bigger payoff from another ppv, so there wasn't much effort to make this one sizzle.  IMO, it could've been better, but was far from December to Dismember.
 
ECW Championship Scramble - I enjoyed Matt Hardy's win, and the match went as I figured - Henry could've easily manhandled all of his opponents one-on-one, but could he take all of them at once.  He looked dominant, but just couldn't keep up with everything going on around him all at once.  Question: What the hell is Bam Neely's purpose?  He doesn't wrestle, he doesn't bodyguard well...he's like a skinny version of Amish Roadkill mixed with Jericho's Lance Cade.  Maybe he, Cade, and Ryan Braddock can form Job Squad, V2.0.
 
Cryme Tyme vs. Simply Priceless - Best part of the match for me was the debut of Afa Jr. (Manu, I think they called him).  He didn't make as quite an impact as Umaga did during his debut, but it was refreshing to see a new face and the prospects for that 2nd Gen Stable had me amped.  Oh yeah, Simply Priceless retained after getting a lucky pinfall...thanks for pointing that out, Randy.
 
Chris Jericho v. Shawn Michaels - They both put on one hell of a show, but to be honest the match didn't meet the high expectations I had for it.  I thought the ref stoppage was bogus, as Jericho continued to wail on Michaels' eye at their last ppv match and the man was a bloody mess.
 
WWE Championship Scramble - I'm bummed out b/c HHH is still the champ, at the expense of MVP and The Brian Kendrick.  It's clear to see that there are plans to push Hardy and Benjamin to the top, as HHH made The Brian Kendrick his b*tch by Pedigreeing him and pinning him twice.  To me, that shows that no matter how much The Brian Kendrick can run with the likes of Hardy, MVP, and Benjamin, he still can't beat the game.  He was already the smallest thing in the match... Now to MVP.  I was really hoping he'd walk out with the belt and start some fresh feuds, but he too fell victim to the Pedigree and the pin.  This is a joke to me...call me an MVP mark, but he's put in quality work for awhile now, and the most we get from him is the VIP Lounge?  Sucks.  To me, HHH is turning into a Cena-esque champion...it's not that you don't want him to win, but you'd damn sure pay money to see him lose that belt.  By the way, is there a particular reason he's still holding on to the Spinner Belt?  I mean, when's the last time you saw the Smoking Skull/Brahma Bull belt?  If HHH is truly the WWE Champ, maybe he should get rid of Cena's jewelry.
 
Maryse v. Michelle - Intrigued by McCool's retaining of the title.  Wasn't the best Diva's Match, but I was shocked to see them take the action to the crowd.  Pretty decent match to me, but the Divas belt does look kinda simple...Madusa wouldn't be happy.
 
Undertaker/Big Show Feud - I may be the only one with this opinion, but I'm not thrilled at this at all.  While watching the ppv with my buddy, I told him there was a reason why the Big Show was still out there...and then he clocked the Undertaker.  I realize that they needed something to do with the Undertaker while Edge is still "in hell," and I realize they needed to do something with Big Show, but I'd rather watch him and Kozlov, or Taker and Kozlov, than Show and Taker.  "Ugh..."
 
World Championship Scramble - Didn't know what to expect after CM Punk got gang jumped by Orton et al (is it bad that I laughed during this beat-down).  I think it's admirable that Kofi Kingston tried to help out...but then got sat down by a Manu headbutt...Orton cleared the uprights with that punt to Punk's head...I can't wait to see what happens with this tonight on RAW.  Anyway, Jericho's entry as the 5th man and his pin makes for interesting television!  It's going to be something to see what Jericho does against Punk, who really didn't win or lose the strap, and he wasn't stripped of it either.  So technically, he deserves a match...but how does this fit in with Shawn Michaels wanting to beat Jericho for the rest of his life?  How does Batista feel about this?  Where does JBL fit into the picture?  Does Kane really care?  Can Mysterio stop getting tattoos?  Find out all this and more on tonight's episode of RAW is WAR!!!
 
Overall, the ppv was okay.  I'm not mad that I paid $45 for it, but I really could've used the money on the new TNA game or something else.

Nah nah nah nah.

Nah nah nah nah.

Hey hey hey.

Goodbye.

You see, I've read a few interviews in which Mr. Kennedy was asked how he came up with the gimmick of saying his name twice.   He would always tell the person interviewing him that he use to be one of those arena/sports field announcers, and when a person would make a goal, he'd say their name twice.  From the looks of things, the only person that's going to be saying Kennedy's name is Bertha at the unemployment office.

"Kennedy....Kennedy...."

I do a lot of jive-talking on this site, and sometimes I don't reference where I get my info from; this occasion is no different.  But, if you are way more die-hard a wrestling fan that I am, then you know that this stuff I'm bringing up has surfaced on the dirt-sheets and reliable sites out there.  I can't tell you why Mr. Kennedy my be in the hot-seat at Titan Towers, but someone mentioned on Gerweck that Green Bay's favorite son has been taken out of the Smackdown! intro.  That could mean absolutely nothing, but here's what I'm worried about:

Mr. Kennedy is currently out healing from another injury.  How many times has this brother been hurt?  I mean, I'm not mad at him for sustaining injuries; shtuff happens, and you have to do what's necessary so you won't be laid up somewhere at a young age, eating applesauce and tapioca pudding everyday for the rest of your life.  But with him being hurt so much, so often, it seems as if Mr. Kennedy is very injury prone, and you've got to wonder if the business will continue to push him, or keep him hired, if he's always going to end up banged up.  From a business standpoint, that's not kosher, and it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the WWE to cut any superstar that can't perfom the duties of what their contract states they shoud be performing.

I'm concerned with Mr. Kennedy's health and the status of his body after so many trips to Dr. Andrews' office.  I'd love to see him get a heavyweight championship push, sans the crappy surfer music, but not at the expense of him being injured over and over and over again. 

I truly hope once he returns, they can find a decent spot for Kennedy and not have him end up taking the Charlie Haas route.  By the way, he was waaaay better as a heel.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to morn the loss of the career of our dear friend, Montel Vontavius Porter, known to the wrestling world as MVP. It is usually during times like this when we gather with one another to grieve over the dearly departed, and even celebrate the joy-filled life they led.  Unfortunately for us, this is a time where we find ourselves laughing our asses off b/c this career died before it could've even really taken off...

 Let me start by saying this: I'm a HUUUUGE MVP fan.  Literally, everytime I catch him on tv, I always do his entrance motions right along with him.  To me, the MVP character took time to evolve, but once it finally took root, I was even more thrilled and convinced that he deserved a push to the top.  What really won me over was the series of matches he had with "He Whom Shall Not Be Named," which solidified Smackdown's Highest Paid Athelete as a technically-sound beast of a wrestling machine.  Here we have this braggadocious, flashy athelete who fancies himself as the best, and backs every little bit of it up as soon as he steps in-between the ropes.  Even some of you questioned when MVP was going to get his chance to run with the show, and then when he was placed in Smackdown's Championship Scramble for this Sunday's UNFORGIVEN PPV, it seemed as if everything was falling into place.

Then...the unthinkable happened...MVP made a crack at one of the guys testing him for the WWE's Wellness Policy and Program.

In case you're not fully aware of what happened, I'll give you a brief synopsis.  Basically, b/c a few rotten apples were cheating on their urine tests for the Wellness Policy, the WWE mandated that all atheletes (I'm wondering if the women have to do this, too?) have to be naked from the chest down to their ankles when administered the urine test.  MVP, giving his test, asked his tester if he had gone to college, to which the plucky man responded, "Yes."  Reportedly, MVP responded by saying, "So you went to four years of school to watch people piss?"  The plucky man, obviously hurt and ashamed by MVP's comments, reported the incident to officials, who of course decided that plans to give our dear friend the brass ring were immediately scrapped.  To make matters worse, it was suggested to MVP that he pay close attention to Shelton Benjamin's matches in order to learn how to get heel heat and to work a match.

Shelton Benjamin?!  Are you serious, Shelton Benjamin?!  Learning how to get heel heat from Shelton Benjamin's matches is like asking for ice water in hell...not only are you not going to get it, but even if you did, would it really ever reach your hands?

I don't know what MVP did, but it was also stated that he was receiving the cold-shoulder from officials backstage before the incident even took place.  Or, perhaps he was receiving said cold shoulder b/c of the incident.  I don't know - I'm just telling you what I've read from www.gerweck.net, YOUR HOME FOR WRESTLING AND MMA NEWS!!!  (shameless plug #157)

Whatever the case is, you can kiss your dreams of that spinner belt being around MVP's waist goodbye, unless you're using him in 24/7 mode on last year's SD! v. RAW game.  And even when I went through the entire season with him, I didn't get a title shot...

What I find hilarious about this situation is that the tester was offended by MVP's comments.  I mean, I probably would've been too, esp. if my name was Dr. Tester.  But can you imagine how demeaning it is to pee in front of a stranger...a male stranger at that?  Doctor or not, when I had my physical, there was no one but me and the good Lord in that bathroom.  Add to that the fact that you've got to be practically butt naked in front of this male stranger whilst urinating...I'd be a bit frustrated as well.  Given the recent incident between Mark Henry and Michael "Brothaman" Hayes, it seems to me that you almost can't say anything backstage during a WWE event.  I don't know much about the pro-wrestling business, but if you've got people left and right complaining b/c of things people have said, I'm wondering why Triple H hasn't been crucified yet for verbally burying half of the WWE's roster.  Go fig.

Well, expect to see an R. Truth/MVP program coming up soon.  I was really hoping they'd save that program for MVP/John Cena, but seeing as the former has pissed away his chances of becoming a heavyweight champion anytime soon, I might have better luck hoping for a dream match between Mr. Kennedy  and a Sabre Tooth Tiger.

It's been a minute since I've written on here, but blame it on the 12 hour work days and the boyfriendly duties. Now that that's out of the way, let's get into my latest Tag Team Dream Bout!

Motor City Machine Guns - Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin

Ever since Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin put aside their differences to form a cohesive tag team, they have been an incredible force to be reckoned with inside the six-sided squared circle of TNA, even though their win-loss record doesn't necessarily reflect that dominating presence. If I were really on my grizzle, I'd give you a brief history of how the MCMG got together, their storied feuds against each other, and a list of the opponents they've defeated and run up against. But, I won't. What I will tell you is that the talent roster of TNA is about as deep as the shallow end of your neighborhood pool, and their most noteworthy oppenents will probably only appear in a TNA ring during the World X Cup Tournament.

Speed is one of the things that sets the MCMGs apart from most tag teams in TNA and the WWE. Shelley and Sabin both tend to run on all cylinders during their matches, and at times it seems as if they never get tired. Kinda reminds me of the days when Ultimate Warrior running the NY Marathon before even getting into the ring. This speed is very critical to the type of matches the team tends to work...

Innovation also keeps the MCMGs in a category of their own. TNA's X-Division is not necessarily known primarily for it's high-flying, lucha-libre, light-heavyweight style of wrestling ,but moreso for the innovative-ness of the wrestlers within said division. These wrestlers keep their matches fast-paced and seem to create moves on the fly that target multiple parts of the body, some of which are targeted all at once. This is the trademark of Shelley and Sabin's offensive repertoire. They're not known for their power, but their ability to find unique ways to target an opponent's limbs, body, and weaknesses, combined with their speed and rapid attacks, essentially work on an opponent's stamina, wearing their foes down until eventually the only thing they're able to do is stare at the ceiling lights, listen to the deafening pound of that dreaded three-count, and watch helplessly as Sabin and Shelley's hands are raised in victory.

Double-Team Maneuvers make up a good part of the MCMG's offense as well. Usually, their opponents can never really get a handle on which partner they're wrestling, as Shelley and Sabin tend to tag in and out often, as well attack their foes from multiple angles at the same time or in tandem. This is frustrating for the average tag team, because they rarely have opportunities to wear down either Shelley or Sabin in order to get the 1-2-3. For that same average tag team to survive against the MCMGs, they'll have to lock either "gun" in a submission hold on the other side of the ring. That happens often, but not as often as you would think, as it's very hard to (1) grab a hold of the MCMGs long enough to lock in the hold, or (2) wear them down long enough to get the pin.

Miz and Morrison - Mike "The Miz" Mizanin and John Morrison

The WWE Tag Team Division sucks balls, and has become synonymous with pairing random partners together and turning them into Tag Team Superstars. Such is the case with The Miz and John Morrison. Two completely polar opposites, the tag team actually dominated the scene, holding the tag titles for a good while before losing to....ugh....Hawkins and Rider (it actually hurt me to say that). The self-proclaimed "Shaman of Sexy," (I know a guy from Dubai that calls himself the same thing), and the "Chick Magnet" have actually wreaked havoc in the WWE, but you really should ask yourself...why?

Charisma sets Miz and Morrison apart from their tag team peers. Okay, they're heels I know, and you're asking me "How can heels have charisma?" Well, regardless of whether or not you like them, it can't be ignored that they believe they're on a top shelf in the bathroom closet by themselves, and this behavior is what causes us to hate them so much - not necessarily because they're annoying, but they're annoyingly great at being annoying, and they can back up their words with their fists. That, my friends, is charisma.

Finesse is another great characteristic of this team. Okay, it's really a characteristic of John Morrison. Morrison's sleek and chiseled physique allows him to utilize his agility and speed to pull off some truly innovative moves with a flair. In other words, everything he does looks pretty devastating and pretty pretty. It's one thing to do an elbow drop on your opponent; it's a completely different thing to do that same elbow drop after a kip up in one fluid motion. That's John Morrison's m.o.

Dirty Tactics are definitely a staple of the Miz and Morrison's tag team arsenal. Although you don't see them depend solely on quick tags and scores of double team maneuvers, they do rely heavily on referee distractions, standard 5-counts, low blows, eye rakes, etc. Opponents have to be very careful to avoid letting these tactics distract them from overcoming the Miz and Morrison, as the two will use their dirty tactics to isolate their foes from their partners and pick apart at them like hyenas and vultures.

THE MATCH-UP

While the Miz and Morrison benefit from having been tag team champions, it is the lightning fast speed and agility, combined with their innovative nature, that will give the MCMGs the victory over the Miz and Morrison. The latter, not known for their speed, power, or stamina, would literally be smothered by the offense of Shelley and Sabin. To be honest with you, it's almost unfair to pit these teams together, as the real match-up would actually be the MCMGs against John Morrison. The Miz, God bless his little heart, is just The Miz. This isn't to say that Mizzle-Dizzle hasn't had his fair share of devastating victories, but for the life of me I just can't see him as much of a threat in his tag matches with Morrison. This would be especially true against Sabin and Shelley. This match wouldn't be about power, speed, or technique; this match-up would literally be about who can strike fast enough over the course of the match in order to wear down their opponent and decisively take the victory. In this case, it would be the Motor City Machine Guns.

~ WINNERS BY PINFALL: MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS ~

So, if you've been keeping tabs thus far, TNA – 2, WWE – 0. It seems as if things aren't faring well for the WWE in my little fantasy league here. Here's a recap of the dream bouts I've done so far:

1. The Latin American Exchange (LAX) d. Cryme Tyme
   Pre-McMahon's Million Dollar Mania Cryme Tyme couldn't hold a candle to the hard-hitting LAX, as their juvenile antics and chicanery wouldn't award them not the first or last chance in hell against Homicide and Hernandez.

2. The Motor City Machine Guns (MCMGs) d. Miz and Morrison
   With the somewhat useless Miz as his partner, Morrison would eventually succumb to the rapid quick offense of Shelley and Sabin, and would essentially be as successful as a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest against the two TNA X-Division warriors.

I hope you've enjoyed the second installment of my Tag Team Dream Bouts. Stay tuned for more!

 

*WARNING - THIS IS A SPOILER...ASSUMING YOU'VE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK FOR THE PAST 135 MINUTES.

Mike Adamle is you NEW RAW GM!!!

Remember when all of us were complaining about how much RAW sucked?  Remember how the ratings started tanking?  Remember how much we all stated that we hated McMahon's Million Dollar Mania (mostly because we didn't win)?  Remember how much we talked about how predictable the show has become?

Yeah...WWE snuck your monkey ass, didn't they?

I'm in shock. but it's a good kind of shock.  Most of you won't agree with me, but look at it like this - Adamle as the GM will give you a whole new reason to watch RAW.  You're an idiot if you let your hatred for Adamle keep you from watching the show from now on, and wrestling is probably better off if you spend your time doing something else way more unproductive than complaining at how Matt Hardy deserves to be World Heavyweight Champion.

The past episodes of RAW have definately kept me on my toes, and even when the moments started to drag on a bit, there was something that was going on with the show that kept me in my seat with my eyes glued to the tube.  To say that the WWE has picked up steam since the Draft would be an understatement.  I would argue that the WWE has picked up steam since Million Dollar Mania, but that's just my personal opinion.  We all comment at how much Adamle sucks as a commentator, but truth be told, it is IMPOSSSIBLE for someone to spend that much time in the WWE and still not know the difference between a hammerlock and hammertime.  Let's be real...you and I have probably played wrestling games since they started making wrestling games, and we know en enziguiri, dropkick, drop toe hold, spinning death lock, the schoolboy, small package, inside cradle, blah blah blah blah blah.  Adamle has access to a library of tapes and still gets confused when it comes to clotheslines and lariats?  You're stupid.

But here...here we have one of those people that folks LOOOOVE to hate, and the WWE picked up on this when they put him on in the booth.  They told him to act like a goof.  They told him to purposely mess up his lines.  They built him to be one of the most hated men in wrestling...and THEN, THEN they make him the GM.  Bloody brilliant, Vincent Kennedy McMahon.  Bloody frickin' brilliant!

I'm very interested in seeing what's going to happen next.  Between the young talent being called up, to the Edge and Taker drama, and even this HHH/Khali match-up that has me scratching my head...the WWE seems to be changing the game.  

It's just too bad that TNA is still in the Attitude Era..... 

 

Over at www.gerweck.net, Bryan Randles has started a question and answer section where readers can send in any question they like, and he’ll answer it in a timely fashion and place it on the site. He’s just started this, and so far has two editions already up. Please visit, as people are asking great questions and he’s giving great answers.

But there are at least two questions and answers I want to talk about, b/c they validate things I’ve said on this blog and to friends who share my passion for pro wrestling. Here’s the link to one of the q&a’s, and scroll all the way down to the bottom for the question and answer I want to discuss:

http://www.gerweck.net/news/1211775295.shtml

In case you were too busy to read the question and lengthy answer, Randles and the person that asked the question both agree that a Ric Flair-run stable, similar to the J.J. Dillon-run Four Horsemen, would be pretty cool right now, possibly boosting ratings for a minute or two. But the part that validates my rants and tirades is the following sentence from Randles’ answer:

“…the main objective WWE is missing lately…is creating new stars that can step up and fill in those main event slots and create fresh match-ups.” (credit:Bryan Randles for www.gerweck.net)

I mentioned this stuff in a roundabout way when I was talking about Triple H’s current title reign. Triple H is a “contentment” champion, and the more I think about it, he may be a transitional champion (given even more thought, anyone who continues to walk around with that darn John Cena spinner belt has to be a transitional champion…anybody seen the Smoking Skull/Brahma Bull belts? Thank you.).

What do I mean about “contentment” champion? Imagine this: it’s your birthday, and your favorite relative gives you socks. You don’t need socks, and you really wished it would’ve been an iPhone or $500…but you get socks. You can’t really be mad, because at least that favorite relative gave you something for your birthday, but at the same time you really can’t be happy because who expects and wants socks for a birthday present other than people who need socks?

Triple H’s current championship reign is the same way; you’re thankful that it’s not Cena or Orton with the strap, but you really wish it would’ve been someone other than Trips. Personally, I can’t see anything other than the World Heavyweight Title around Trips’ waist, and the fact that he has to carry around that John Cena title makes me laugh quietly to myself, b/c as a fan, I subconsciously know and recognize that the spinner belt is just being kept warm until Cena gets it back. That’s just being real.

But Randles’ answer is exactly why we have this Triple H reign – there was nobody else to place in that position on RAW, or in the WWE for that matter. I always talk about the three circles: the athletes WWE Management want to push, the athletes the audience wants to see pushed, and the athletes that should be getting pushed. The magic area is those select athletes that fit in all three of those circles…and there aren’t many of those athletes around. The problem is, WWE has to give some of these younger stars enough talent and time to thrust them into the spotlight. The last good period of young wrestlers came when John Cena and Randy Orton came in, around the whole Ruthless Aggression era. As slow as it was, Orton and Cena were in positions to become the future of the business, and look what happened; Cena’s wins and championship reigns are almost as mythically large as Hogan’s legacy, and Orton is arguably the best heel champion since JBL or King Booker. However, with Triple H, Orton, Edge, Undertaker, Batista, and Cena being the only ones battling for heavyweight championships at this time in some form or another, what young athlete do you have coming down the pike that’s a viable threat to the current champion? Again, this is what happens when your storylines rely too much on drama than what’s really important…the title. I’m not saying there isn’t a place for heavy drama in a storyline, but what I am saying is that when your back story starts to take the forefront over the title, and then it makes the title look unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

MVP, Mr. Kennedy, Lance Cade, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin, Elijah Burke, Santino Marella, the Big Show, Chris Jericho, Festus, Mike Knox, Vladimir Koslov…these are all monsters that could be potential threats to any champion if they were given the ball to run with it, and they’ve definitely tenured their way into the spot. One could even argue that their skills aren’t even up to that par yet, to contend with the big dawgs in the main event. But the problem is that if they don’t even get the opportunity to shine, then how can one say their skills don’t warrant the chance?