Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Monday, April 14, 2008

The week of awesome!

April 8th-13th was a hell of a week. I know it might not seem like a big deal to some (especially those who were in Orlando for Wrestlemania weekend) but I managed to take in a WWE, ROH, and TNA event all in the same week.



On Tuesday, April 8th I went to the Smackdown/ECW tapings at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, MA. This was an enjoyable experience. We got a nice dark match out of Jamie Noble vs. Kenny Dykstra. The crowd was hot for Noble, since he was the first babyface of the evening, and they worked a decent, albeit cookie cutter, bout. Noble went over.



ECW was a good show. The show opened with a very strong CM Punk/Miz match. It's funny to me that only within the last year some people were labeling Miz among the worst workers in WWE, and now he's developed into a strong midcard talent. There was no carry job by Punk here, it was just an all around good television match, clocking in around the *** mark.



Chavo Guerrero and Kane had their contract signing for Backlash. This was entertaining, and of course you can never appreciate Kane's pyro until it's blinded you in person. We also got to see the debut of Bam Neely, as he's Chavo's most recent crony. Chavo's frog splash onto Kane on the contract table was a sight to see, especially the brutal landing (Chavo's head and upper body hit the mat in a rather sickening way). This was by far the most "extreme" that the ECW broadcast got. Then again, complaining about how the current ECW really isn't ECW is just about as productive as tearing apart Michael Bay's Transformers for not being like the cartoon, so I digress.

Elijah Burke beat Nunzio in a short match. Not much to talk about here, I was excited to see Burke, but he didn't really do anything overly impressive here. They were still clearing the ring from the contract signing during Nunzio's entrance, and he acted all bossy, telling the crew to clear it faster for him, which was pretty funny.

Kofi Kingston beat Domino in another short match, which got enough time as to keep it from being classified as a complete squash. This was probably the most I've ever enjoyed Domino, as he turned in a good, aggressive performance. Kingston was pretty over with the live audience too, and he didn't botch half as many spots as I expected he would. If they play their cards right, there is no reason for Kingston to not become a big star (then again, he just might become another Carlito).

Main event was Tommy Dreamer vs. Colin Delaney. Dreamer's spot on the roster was on the line, as was a job for Colin. This was a decent match that was slightly more memorable thanks to the stipulation. It was nice to see Dreamer featured in such a prominent role.

Other side note, this would turn out to be the last episode with Joey Styles on commentary. The next week, we'd get the classic hilarity of Mike Adamle and his confusion.

Up next the referees came to the ring and changed the apron and ropes for Smackdown. The first segment was The Great Khali's "peace offerings" for Big Show. This included a live chicken and a goat. Somehow, my "goat of the year" chant didn't catch on. This was the most entertaining thing Khali has ever been a part of, and it was also the most over I've ever seen Big Show with a live crowd (and I've seen Big Show at numerous events). That Mayweather feud really did him a lot of favors.

John Morrison and The Miz beat Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore in a non-title match. My annoyance here was that if Morrison and Miz were going over anyhow, why not put the titles on the line? Anyhow, this was another solid match. The Miz really showed me a lot at this taping, as he turned in that good performance against CM Punk and then came out later and worked a second good match. And to think, just this time last year a lot of people regarded him as one of the worst workers on the roster.

Finlay (with Hornswoggle) beat Matt Striker. This was a comedy match, and was entertaining for what it was.

Victoria introduced Nattie Neidhart as "Natalya." This was a personal treat, as I've been a fan of Nattie's SHIMMER work for a while. This lead to a match pitting Victoria against Michelle McCool (who I also have a soft spot for). The match was your typical divas affair, but was suitable. Victoria is a solid hand, and Michelle is one of those diva search types who actually tries very hard to become competent in the ring.

Shawn Michaels and Batista faced off verbally in the ring. This was a fun segment, as Batista called Michaels out on the bullshit in his past. I must say, this feud is awesome, and is the best thing Batista has been a part of since his feud with Triple H. I really hope their Backlash match can deliver.

Vladimir Kozlov demolished Matt Logan. Kozlov fucked up his entrance by coming out too early and had to redo it. He's basically worthless too, this segment was dead.

Matt Hardy beat Chuck Palumbo in a solid match. It got a lot of time, and might have come off better on television, but was merely solid in the arena. MVP was on commentary for this one too. It was fun watching the set crew blow up his entrance tent.

There were "Undertaker" chants the entire night. A lot of fans had one track minds and really just seemed concerned with the Dead Man. Also, there were a series of vignettes of Vickie Guerrero and Edge out on a romantic evening (getting massages, naked in bed together).

The Undertaker beat Festus in an entertaining match. This worked because Festus is simply not allowed to act intimidated, so he gave Taker an all-out fight. If they were to build Festus up, they could really make a compelling feud out of that aspect. I know they won't, so in the mean time I'll just hope Jesse and Festus can get a run with the tag titles.

After the show, Edge and his buddies jumped Undertaker, which lead to Kane, Big Show, and Batista making the save. Just a fun run-in festival to top off the show.

So this is a really long post, so I'll have to add my ROH and Lockdown responses later on.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

MVP = decent U.S. Champion


Montel Vontavious Porter was the U.S. Champion the last time I did a long entry that addressed all the champions in the WWE. He is the only title holder to still be in possession of his title since then. He won the belt against Chris Benoit at Judgment Day in May 2007, and now in March 2008 he's surpassed the 300 day mark and is the fourth longest reigning U.S. Champion of all time. That sounds impressive doesn't it? Too bad his reign has stalled at times. As a performer and character, MVP is great. He's developed into a capable in-ring worker and he's consistently over with live crowds. The problem with his reign is the same problem that plagues most of the championships in the WWE these days, the bookers don't give him anything to do. MVP had a good thing going with a feud against Matt Hardy, but that got sidetracked due to repeated incident's (MVP's heart condition, Matt's numerous injuries). But now it feels like they are just waiting things out, not wanting to really do anything with MVP or the title until Hardy is back and ready to finish out their program. MVP went almost three months without defending the title on Smackdown once (between his Armageddon title defense against Rey Mysterio and his recent Smackdown defense against Batista). That just seems sad. In between, he faced Ric Flair in a non-title match at the Royal Rumble, competed in an elimination chamber match at No Way Out, and is scheduled to participate in Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania. The title is a complete afterthought. This isn't his fault, so I can't possibly bash his work as champion, but it's depressing to see another long title reign that only seems to be lasting due to the lack of championship activity.

Miz and Morrison = Decent WWE Tag Team Champions


I'll be the first to admit, when these two first won the belts I rolled my eyes. It was early in the era of Smackdown and ECW "exchanging talent" so it felt wrong that two ECW guys were now holding the Smackdown tag titles. Since they won the belts, they have primarily been featured on ECW, almost to the point where it feels like the titles switched brands all together. Miz and Morrison have joined a long list of tag team champions in the modern era where their reigns fall flat due to the lack of any tag division or real challengers. So far they have feuded with Shannon Moore and Jimmy Wang Yang, which produced a series of very solid television matches, but nothing that amounted to any heated pay-per-view appearances. Right now they seem to be doing the same in a rivalry against Jesse and Festus. On the bright side, Morrison and Miz work really well as a team and their matches are typically very solid, so despite them being thrown together, they are succeeding and doing the best they can in a rather sad situation.

Edge = Good World Heavyweight Champion


Edge has been reigning as the World Heavyweight Champion since December's Armageddon pay-per-view. As you can see, Edge enjoys being the champion. For years, Edge's character was driven to win a world title, and his opponents would use the fact that he hadn't as a tool to play mind games with him. I will always remember Kurt Angle commenting on the chapter in Edge's book where he won the World title, but oops, that didn't happen. Now Edge is a four time champion (2 WWE title reigns, 2 WHC reigns) and he's a good choice to lead Smackdown. He makes this title look good and his upcoming title defense against The Undertaker at Wrestlemania is drawing some interest. There is little doubt that Edge will drop the belt at Wrestlemania 24, but he will surely be a title contender for years to come.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Jeff Hardy

You know, in the professional wrestling business it seems as if there are an awful lot of unhappy endings in regards to the number of happy endings. We all thought Chris Candido had a happy ending, as he had cleaned up and was working with TNA. Then he broke his leg and died from a staph infection. We all thought Eddie Guerrero had a happy ending, because he cleaned himself of drugs and booze, returned to the WWE and became the WWE Champion. Then his ugly past caught up with him and he died in his hotel room one cold night. And don't even get me started on Chris Benoit.

But the most recent disappointment in a long line of disappointments is none other than Jeff Hardy. He was fired from WWE in early 2003 due to being burned out (his "heart wasn't into it") and for his personal demons. He spent the next three years giving TNA problems, complete with no-showing events. He seemed to be on his way to becoming the next Scott Hall or Jake Roberts. Then, in September 2006, with only a week or two of warning, Hardy suddenly returned to Raw. The return came out of absolutely nowhere, it was a total surprise. We all sat on the edge our seats to see what kind of Jeff Hardy we were going to get. And to the delight of many, we got the Jeff Hardy of old. He quickly won the Intercontinental Championship and had a great feud with youngster, Johnny Nitro. He reteamed with his brother, Matt, and they had a great series of matches with the likes of MNM, London and Kendrick, Benjamin and Haas, and Murdoch and Cade. Jeff performed on his first Wrestlemania card since 2002. It was all going so well...

... and then, much to my dismay, Hardy was suspended in the summer of 2007. This cut short a promising rivalry with Umaga (who was also suspended around the time Hardy returned). After ten months of turning in great performances in the ring and appearing to be in good mental shape, most of the suspicious fans had let their guard down and accepted that Hardy was the real deal this time and had cleaned himself. Now, we weren't so sure. Luckily, Hardy returned after his suspension in seemingly good condition and picked up right where he left off. Hardy quickly defeated Umaga for the Intercontinental Championship and proceeded to enjoy the arguably hottest run of his entire career. Hardy squared off against Triple H at Armageddon and picked up a huge upset. This earned him a shot at Randy Orton's WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. A lot of internet fans demanded that Hardy go over Orton for the title, and the build to the match (including Hardy diving several feet in the air off the Raw set onto Orton) seemed to indicate that he had a great chance of doing so. Then the Royal Rumble actually took place, and Orton made easy work of Hardy with the RKO.

The fans didn't give up yet. Hardy was placed into an elimination chamber match at No Way Out, where the winner would get a title shot at Wrestlemania 24. Again, fans were demanding that Hardy go over. Things didn't work out that way, as Hardy lasted to the finals of the match, but fell victim to Triple H. The fans were given some comfort soon enough, as Hardy was added to the Money in the Bank ladder match set for Wrestlemania 24, and he seemed to be the favorite to win it.

And then, on the March 10th edition of Raw, Jeff Hardy lost his Intercontinental Championship to Chris Jericho. The next day, WWE.com reported that Hardy had failed a wellness test and was to be suspended for 60 days.

In a lot of ways, personally, this feels like the biggest betrayal of them all. Since his return in 2006, Jeff Hardy has had a lot of obstacles to overcome when it comes to the fans accepting him. A lot of his critics pointed him out as a career midcarder, some others said he was too small to be a convincing main event, and others suggested that he was going to burn out again and would be too much of a liability as a top star. And those of us who had come to support Hardy defended him left and right. Many fans pointed at current WWE Champion Randy Orton as someone who cancelled out any argument that failing wellness tests should hinder a rise to the top. However, this just seems like too much. Jeff Hardy, a man who people started to believe in as a top guy for reasons that are not common when it comes to accepting a main eventer. Jeff Hardy, a guy who had seemingly gotten over his demons, not once, or twice, but three times now. Well, I think I've had it. I used to refer to Jeff mockingly as "Druggie McCrackhead" and I had stopped practicing this due to the last two years. Now, it seems that he has sadly lived up to my immature nickname.

So, to Jeff Hardy, I hope the next two months give you a lot of time to think about what you're doing with your life. Think about if professional wrestling is still something you want to do. If you are incapable of being a part of this business without resorting to drug abuse then now is the time to get out and get help. If you can clean yourself up, return, and be a positive addition to the shows again, that would be great. But I'm not going to ever trust that you're clean again. I'm not going to stick up for you anymore when others say you are no main event worthy. I might even make fun of you a little bit myself. You've had three strikes with me, you're out. Don't become another unhappy ending.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

My Wrestling DVD's

This was inspired by ProjectSelfRevolution's blog post of the same topic. This will just include real DVD's I own, not including anything I taped, VHS, or DVD-R's.

WWE:
Bret Hart: Best There Was, Best There Is, Best There Will Ever Be
The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection
Shawn Michaels: Heartbreak and Triumph
The History of the WWE Championship
Ric Flair and the Four Horseman
Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story
Rey Mysterio: 619
Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind
The Rise and Fall of ECW
Trish Stratus: 100% Stratusfaction
The 2004 Hall of Fame Ceremony
Blood Sport: ECW's Bloodiest Matches
The Monday Night War
Andre the Giant
Shawn Michaels: Boyhood Dream
The Rock: Just Bring It
'Cause Stone Cold Said So
History of Wrestlemania I-IX
Survivor Series 2001
Rebellion 2002
Survivor Series 2002
Royal Rumble 2003
Judgment Day 2003
Vengeance 2003
No Mercy 2003
Survivor Series 2003
No Way Out 2004
Wrestlemania XX
Backlash 2004
Great American Bash 2004
Unforgiven 2004
No Mercy 2004
Survivor Series 2004
Royal Rumble 2005
Wrestlemania 21
Backlash 2005
Judgment Day 2005
Vengeance 2005
No Mercy 2005
Survivor Series 2005
Royal Rumble 2006
Wrestlemania 22
Backlash 2006
Judgment Day 2006
Great American Bash 2006
Unforgiven 2006
No Mercy 2006

TNA:
The Best of AJ Styles Vol. 1
The Best of the X Division Vol. 1
Victory Road 2004
Turning Point 2004
Lockdown 2005
Bound for Glory 2005
Genesis 2005
Against All Odds 2006
Lockdown 2006
Slammiversary 2007
Bound for Glory 2007
History of TNA: The First Year

Ring of Honor:
The Era of Honor Begins
Round Robin Challenge
Night of Appreciation
Road to the Title
Crowning a Champion
Unscripted
Night of Champions
Wrestlerave
Death Before Dishonor
Joe vs. Punk II
Final Battle 2004
Death Before Dishonor III
Survival of the Fittest 2005
Final Battle 2005
Supercard of Honor
Better Than Our Best
The 100th Show
Death Before Dishonor IV
Unified
Epic Encounter II
Glory By Honor V Night 1
Glory By Honor V Night 2
Honor Reclaims Boston
Dethroned
Final Battle 2006
Dedicated
Fifth Year Festival: NYC
Fifth Year Festival: Philly
Fifty Year Festival: Finale
All Star Extravaganza III
Supercard of Honor II
Good Times, Great Memories
Respect is Earned
A Fight at the Roxbury
Driven
Live in Tokyo
Death Before Dishonor V Night 1
Death Before Dishonor V Night 2
Manhattan Mayhem II
Man Up
Glory By Honor VI Night 1

Other Feds:
SHIMMER Vol. 8 (signed by Sara Del Rey)
SHIMMER Vol. 10 (signed by Sara Del Rey)
SHIMMER Vol. 12 (signed by Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze)
Best of CHIKARA
SMW: Night of Legends/Before They Were Famous
Best of No Limits Wrestling Vol. 2
All American Wrestling: Day of Reckoning
IWC: Road to Super Indy V
SCW: Brutal Battle 2004
FOW: King of Carnage
Mike Graham's Best of Classic Championship Wrestling Vol. 1
FIP: Emergence Night 1
FIP: Emergence Night 2
FIP: The Usual Suspects
FIP: Violence is the Answer
XPW: Freefall
XPW: Baptized in Blood III
ECW: Wrestlepalooza 1997
EWR: Right to Fight
NWA Florida: Rage in the Cage 2004