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Welcome back Spotlighters! Usually I go back in the “Way Back” and spotlight an old tag team or wrestler for your historical heads. Sometimes I talk about a PPV event, recent or otherwise but one thing I haven’t ever done is highlight a current member of the roster. Today I’d like to look at MVP’s career to this point and speak about where he is headed…with the draft coming up there is a lot of light at the end of the tunnel for Montel Vontavious Porter…
Some of what I will say will be based on my opinions, some of true hard “WWE” facts, and some on articles and sites I’ve read. I did use wikipedia for a bit of it so take that for what it’s worth…not everything one reads online is fact…
The ½ a man, half amazing life of MVP began in 1972 as one Alvin Burke. When he was 16 apparently he was arrested and convicted on charges of Kidnapping and armed robbery. Let’s start there…this is a man who seemingly has completely changed his life and that should be applauded out of the gate. He got out 9 years early from prison, got into wrestling, worked on the indie circuit, then got offered a developmental deal and was headed to Deep South Wrestling under a WWE contract.
In my opinion, I really figured MVP would be a wash out character within a week. The guy doing a “free agent” gimmick, who seemed to be basing his character on Terrell Owens? I never thought he’d get it over, but after watching a few matches and hearing the man promo his butt off you knew he’d eventually make it. Make no mistake about it, he’s made it…not to the upper HHH/Cena?Hogan?Andre market, but the Steamboat/Hardy/Bam Bam Bigelow/Umaga place is all his and frankly in some ways he’s already surpassed a couple of those names.
He first appeared on Smackdown! In 2006 and has kept rising ever since. After a bit he got into a great 2 month run with Kane that ended in him winning a few gimmick matches and “burning” himself in a fantastic inferno match…that made him a name…that’s right folks, never forget that Kane takes names and posts them up on posters…he has the will to make anybody if he wants and he did this for a young, brash upstart named MVP.
After Kane destroyed him at Armageddon MVP got put into a feud with the late Chris Benoit. These matches were some of the best I’ve seen on TV and PPV in the past ten years and I still hold them in high regard. He won the title from Benoit and soon after you noticed MVP’s move set was much deeper and better controlled. That greenness was leaving very quickly.
Then we had what in my opinion was the single greatest feud of 2007…MVP vs. Matt Hardy. They played basketball, drank beer, did the VIP lounge act, arm wrestled and even kind of boxed…I think there was a tire throwing football segment in there somewhere and most of it was worked so MVP could deal with a real life heart condition. Then MVP and Matt joined forces and got the tag straps. They were one of the best tag teams in the world and flowed really well together even though they argued through the entire match…in all seriousness, these two made the team and their feud golden in every way.
Hardy got hurt in real life – the feud went on hold. MVP fought people with names life Mysterio, Finlay and Ric Flair. His matches with Flair were especially good and helped the Flair retirement storyline more than any other opponent Flair had the whole year.
MVP then went on to Money in the Bank at Mania, put in the best performance of all these entered and lost at the end because Hardy returned. After over 300 days as champ (3rd longest in US Title History) he dropped the belt. What this says to me is with all the steroid issues, Flair retiring, Undertaker, Mysterio and Edge being on the DL at various times, the WWE felt MVP could help carry smackdown…he even at the beginning had to deal with the murder/suicide of Benoit, a person who had recently fought in the ring and put over and had been put over by before the unfortunate incident involving Benoit.
This guy has put on amazing match after amazing match. He is one of about 6 heels in the WWE company getting booed like he is supposed to, not because they don’t like him as a character…he gets real heel heat. He’s won at least three independent circuit world titles, the US Title and the tag team title…what’s left? THE WORLD TITLE. And he will get it because he is a great worker who has cut across all the obstacles of his life that he could. He has a great grasp of working the mic, he is excellent in the ring and he has personality and the wherewithal to go far.
As far as what I see in the immediate future my guess is he may be HHH’s next major heel opponent. Then again, if they play the current angle right on Smackdown he could easily turn face and take Edge’s title. I wouldn’t really want him to go to ECW as he is now considered a veteran and with Show, Henry and Kane ECW doesn’t need him…he’d end up a tag champ or a curtain jerker, neither of which he or we want to happen to him.
He is a goldmine for WWE. He is the future of the Sports Entertainment business. I’d like to see him get in another major angle…maybe with Jeff hardy as it would be an easy thing to market and write. CM Punk, HHH, Jericho, Shawn Michaels, and John Cena all could have great matches with him. A JBL/MVP feud could also be interesting as it was JBL in the storylines as a commentator who really sold MVP’s character…Maybe Ron Simmons could get involved. I’d love to see him lead a stable as well…maybe Shelton, Elijah Burke, Charlie Haas, Dibiase and Nattie Neidhart could all do something together…I think they would make a fantastic stable.
The bottom line is this Spotlighters…MVP is a great hand, and he is excellent to listen to…keep an eye on the man.
To talk with Joel go to www.myspace.com/joelcroyle (I also write music and you can hear it there)
