LOOKING AT LESSONS HHH TAUGHT ME, SUGAR FROSTED MINI-WHEATS & MORE THOUGHTS ON THE WEEK IN WRESTLING
By Jeff Gutherz on 1/8/2007 10:49 AM
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FROSTED MINI-WHEAT
Triple H got me thinking.
During his awful analogy Monday night, Triple H compared the not-so-sweet side of the popular breakfast cereal Frosted Mini-Wheats to the not-so-sweet side of the popular wrestling faction known as Degeneration-X.
However, it is not the new serious DX that I would compare to Kelloggs morning treat. I see more of a comparison to the wrestling industry as a whole.
Like the sugary side of Frosted Mini-Wheats, wrestling can be pretty darn sweet sometimes. Every show and every match always has the potential to be great. Thats why we still watch RAW every week even though it may have been horrendous the previous 12 weeks. Wrestling can be good and sometimes it actually is.
Then there is the other side to the Frosted Mini-Wheat. The bland and flavorless side of shredded grain, the side of fibers and frustration, the side that one has to deal with in order to get to the sugary heaven goodness. Wrestling has that bland and stale side as well. We choke it down every time we turn on the television as we hope that this time theyll finally get it right. Weve seen stories and characters in the world of pro wrestling done properly before. We know it can be accomplished.
So, why are wrestling fans Frosted Mini-Wheats so scarce of sweetness and often stale and indigestible?
Why are the sweet moments so few and far between?
WHy havent we gone to Kelloggs and tell them their product sucks or in the very least switch to fruit in the morning?
Anyone that calls him/herself a wrestling fan and has half a brain will tell you how WWE and other promotions have dropped ball after ball in the past few years and how each opportunity they blew could have been done better.
Yeah, Vince and company have f***ed up sure things like Goldberg, nWo, and now the new ECW. But they also dropped the biggest ball of them all! The WCW Invasion angle should have been the grandest and most successful angle of all time and was nearly impossible to screw up… and they did the impossible…and well, we all know what happened.
But its not the WCW mess six years ago or the atrocity that began last summer of what was once my favorite form of entertainment in the ENTIRE entertainment industry.
Nope, Ive had enough and it wasnt the ECW disaster or the debut of Katie Vick that made me resort to drastic measures.
It was the Frosted Mini-Wheat.
But, fear not hardcore brethren. Another member is not leaving the flock, although it could have easily gone that way. Nope, instead of turning the channel Im going to join the rest of the brave soldiers on the front line sticking up for the diehard fans. After close to 25 years of having a terrible case of the sickness, it is time I speak up and have my opinion counted for.
The diehards, the hardcore, the old-timers, the snobs, the smarks and the marks, and even the casual fan…
We all need to speak up and have our voices heard.
Unless you like when prestigious and significant wrestling companies are dragged through the proverbial mud, or when a recently deceased wrestler is involved in a years worth of angles, and maybe you welcome the use of the image of the almighty himself used to sell a PPV.
Then don't say a word and quiet down. ECW Champion, Bobby Lashley has something he wants to say.
RAW RAMBLINGS
I hate Kevin Federline.
That being said, he has been the best used celebrity in wrestling since Andy Kaufman. K-Fed is a better wrestling character than a rapper, actor, or anything he might ever try. I dont think K-Fed could cut it as a wrestler and his mainstream appeal would be wasted if he was relegated into a managerial position. So, how bout K-Fed…General Manager?
Who would have thought that WWE Creative would do the Kevin Federline angle right and completely screw up the rebirth of ECW?
Another good use of celebrity was the Shaquille ONeil-Cryme Tyme interaction. Is celebrity involvement the only thing WWE can do right now days?
Seems like they are starting the Wrestlemania 23 campaign early!
As Vince was walking to ringside I wondered what Conway did wrong. It was nice of Vince to tell me that Conway wouldnt be on RAW any longer, just in case I was wondering in a month where hes been..
People are comparing Kenny to Owen Hart. Maybe a rookie Owen Hart.
Can someone get Tully on the horn and tell him there are putting THE Band back together?
A Four Horsemen revival and turn where they join Rated RKO in going against DX would give a much needed shot in the arm to the DX verse Edge and Orton program.
I love the DX glow sticks. Brilliant marketing.
Seems like HBK is sending out some love to his TNA brothers.
Ric Flair has become WWEs sacrificial lamb. And even in this disrespectful role he has been able to get over every angle and performer he has had to work with.
Why the hell would they put the grossly inexperienced Federline on commentary? Just to purposely embarrass him?
Great main event and the finish was executed well. Cena is constantly improving and grudgingly someone a self-proclaimed smark like me can get behind.
EXTREME VIEW
So, Test is the biggest heel in ECW?? Please, please someone put this once beloved brand out of its misery.
I know I'm late on this, but what a slap in the face to Sabu by putting Davari out there in Sabu style pants and turban.
Did Test have to squash Sabu so badly? Hasnt Sabu suffered enough?? Havent we all suffered enough???
WOW! A Sandman promo! Looks like hes getting a new entrance song. GOOD decision!
Could Vince get it over with already and get rid of the FBI? And while he is at it could he also fire Tommy Dreamer, Balls Mahoney, Sandman, Sabu, RVD, and Styles and Tazz too. I figure that way he could then call the third WWE brand what it really is, something other than what it is currently named.
Dreamer's promo would have been more effective if he'd been allowed to kick a little ass in the ring previous to making his statement.
I think WWE is grooming Brad Armstrong to eventually take over for J.R.
RVDs clothesline from the apron to the floor was creative, but not match stopping.
LAYING THE SMACKDOWN
Batista has a phenomenal look, but is nearly unwatchable.
The Kane-Chavo match was a bit off, but the finish was good.
WOW! After weeks of not watching Smackdown…which is telling in itself since it has been years since I voluntarily miss a wrestling show…Im treated to a Paul London-Brian Kendrick match…which didnt deliver. The non-finish didnt help matters much.
Unless MVP is turning face, which is way too soon to begin with, I dont understand why he came out looking for sympathy.
Was the purpose of the Batista video to remind everybody that he is still a somebody?
Who is Tatanka blackmailing to be on television in 2007?
I dont want to see anymore angles involving Eddie Guerrero anymore. Not even a little bit. Im sorry, but Vickie needs to go.
Kennedys Swanton into Benoits knees was brutal and the match was solid.
The Beat the Clock gimmick is a good concept, but things like non-finishes and guaranteed short matches are a detriment.
MEASURING THE IMPACT
I can understand how most fans are not enjoying the double-tweener booking of the Samoa Joe-Angle program, but if the point is to do something very different with a high-profile feud where both guys show heel and face sides to them then they have accomplished that goal. That being said, showing Angle put a submission move on a girl last week was ridiculous. Angle is going to get cheered. Joe is going to get cheered. This feud should obviously be a face verse face feud. This could have been about a pure wrestling, UFC style, who is the best story. Like how it was in the very beginning. Now, although the actual wrestling portion of the program has remained constant, the sports entertainment side has become just another hokey storyline.
Robert Roode would be more successful with the WWE machine behind him. Unlike A.J. Styles, who is right where he needs to be in TNA, smack in the middle of his first heel turn.
Even though I realize the payoff is going to be embarrassing, Ill admit I've enjoyed the VKM storyline thus far. This week however, it looks to be running out of gas.
I also have to admit Kevin Nash is a funny son-of-a-bitch. The Paparazzi segments are wrestling's guilty pleasure.
The Gail Kim-James Storm segment was horrible. These two need to work on their acting skills.
LAX has the best gimmick and entrance in wrestling right now, bar none.
The Homicide-Brother Runt street fight was great entertainment. Although it was short, the match was well executed and had a couple very cool bumps.
The Jerry Lynn-Christopher Daniels-Chris Sabin program is a great use of those characters and the triple threat match should achieve at least a three star rating.
TNA eventually had to delve into the backstory of Abyss. James Mitchell and Sting are excellent choices to be involved in the heavy theatrics that the storyline calls for. Christian Cage and Tyson Tomko are not really needed and they take away from what can be an interesting and significant angle. WWE has a history of making this mistake as well.
Jim Cornette was great with his Let them fight and the following brawl with Joe and Angle was well done as well.
What was that ending about with Sting and Angle left in the ring? If this is the beginning of a program between the two of them, than it is great booking. If not then the weird mix of storylines and faces and heels together is idiotic.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
ECW continues to frustrate me. The best federation in the 1990s has become the worst in 2007.
Even though people have said both K-Fed and WWE were a joke this week in the mainstream media, I remember hearing the same opinion when Mike Tyson got involved. We look back at that now as when WWE got their ass in gear and began winning the Monday Night War. This has been a win-win situation for both WWE and K-Fed.
Smackdown was different with The Sprint theme, but the show could have been booked better to go along with the rules that they set.
TNA continues to confuse with their blurred heels and faces. They also need to separate themselves more and stop using the WWE formula as much as they do. Besides that TNA was by far the best show of the week.
Sweetest match of the week: Homicide-Brother Runt Mexican Street Fight
Stalest match of the week: Ashley verse Jillian Hall. Ashley is terrible, but she has big boobs.
Sweetest promo: Kenny Dykstra for his Death Comes in Threes reference.
Stalest promo of the week: Batista
Sweetest moment of the week: Cenas FU on K-Fed.
Stalest moment of the week: Sabu getting squashed again…this time by Test.
