We're getting the wrestling, but where's the entertainment?

Another month and another WWE pay per view passes by without a single memorable moment. When was the last time a championship changed hands on PPV (Wrestlemania, March), when was the last time we had a classic match (Royal Rumblem January), hell, when was the last time we even had a memorable promo?! I'm not saying they should follow TNA's example of hot-shotting the title around from one guy to another on a monthly basis, but doing something of interest would make the fans at least get some value for the money they spend to watch these shows. At the moment, Raw and Smackdown are pretty entertaining shows, but the PPVs are the shows that matter. These are the one's that people actually have to pay money for, so shouldn't they actually be half-way decent?!

Ok, so this month we had the return of HHH and Rey Mysterio and you could argue that that makes them more important, but what did they actually do that was so notable that it couldn't be done on TV? Answer nothing? HHH beat Booker, as expected and Mysterio beat Chavo - big deal! Add to that 3 championship matches where the only interesting thing that happened was that nothing interesting happened and that is supposed to be one of the big four shows of the year! At least when they book the ga-ga crap it is memorable, albeit in a bad way. However WWE right now is actually worse off creatively as it is boring. When it is bad, at least people still talk about it, I think most WWE fans would be hard pressed to even remember what happened at this show in a couple of weeks time and that is something WWE need to drastically redress if they are going to start getting their fans back into the product.

So how do they do this? Well, a surprise would be nice. How about, HHH doesn't win his first night back. How about John Cena loses to someone he should easily beat? How about someone, other than the chosen few (Cena, HHH, Lashley, Batista) get a title shot and actually win). Or simply, how about they give one of the young guys with talent, like CM Punk, a Matt Hardy or a Ken Kennedy the cahnce to run with the ball. Perhaps then, they can rbeak out of the current monotony that is the WWE product.

CM Punk vs. Vince

As hokey as all this Vince MacMahon paternity angle is, it provided one of my favourite WWE moment of the year this week as Vince accused CM Punk of being his illegitimate son. But of course with Punk bing straight edge, it means he doesn't believe in promiscuous sex (however I am sure Traci Brooks, Daphne etc. will disagree) and he soon shoots down Vince's suggestions. Without a doubt this is the closest we have got to seeing the 'true' CM Punk in WWE and bodes well for the future of the character

Total Non-stop Angle

TNA iMPACT!: Kurt Angle Action Short

Posted Aug 08, 2007

Can Kurt Angle take on the henchmen of his nemesis?

Just in case you wondered who the top dog in TNA is, here's a quick reminder. But he's not bitter, oh no!

TNA Hard Justice 2007

It was business as usual for TNA this month with their Hard Justice pay per view, which unfortunately is not a good thing. The in-ring stuff was as always, very good, however the booking completely ruined any good work they might have done. Match of the night was probably the opener, which was really good fun, but was overshadowed by all the Pacman Jones/Karen Angle crap and pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening. Rhino vs. Storm was a good brawl that was ruined by the stupid props and the way the anounce team constantly bleated on about alcoholism (is this something they should be over-selling on a wrestling show?!) and WTF was that mannequin and toilet bowl all about?!

On a side note, the announce team is really starting to annoy me now. I have stood up for them for years, but right now they are just another part of TNA that I am starting to hate - stop telling us what someone just said Don West, we heard it the first fucking time you cretin!

Apart from that match I though the undercard was pretty forgettable. Harris vs. Black Reign was painfully slow and completely pointless (plus Black Reign looks like a twat!). Roode vs. Young I couldn't care less about, same with LAX vs. VKM. Steiners vs. Team 3D was Ok, but really showed the limitations of all involved.

Then we get to the main events, but first a word from their special guest, Pacman Jones and Jesus Christ is that guy a charisma-less void or what?! At least Killings is getting a bit of a push out of this, but Pacman is just a joke. This angle needs to end soon!

When it comes to the main events, I thought the Doomsday Chamber of blood was fine for what it was - which was a complete and total cluster-fuck - but was a nice blood-soaked cage match. The only problems I have are: 1. Styles should not be in these matches as a bump machine for Test. 2. Too much glass is being used in TNA right now. The tacks were one thing, but everyone is taking bumps into glass right now and it is completely over-killing it. There's no need and it should be a once or twice a year thing, not every month on PPV and every other week on Impact.

Then we get to the main event, and where do I even start with this? To me, this match sums up TNA perfectly. Really strong in-ring work which manages to overcome a stupid build-up, but is then ruined by an over-booked angle at the end. Until the end I thought this was actually the best of their matches so far (from an in-ring perspective) but as soon as the ref bump happened it was the signal that the good part of the match was over and that the silliness could begin. Karen Angle interferes, Joe looks like a complete dolt for trusting here (especially because he was in control of the match and winning!) and then the Angle's leave with all the gold. Also, who the hell was that bald guy she was with and why the hell should we even care! Angle has the belts, Joe's momentum is completely killed and the Kurt ego-trip can continue.

Overall verdict: C-
"More of the same mixed bag from TNA. Some good wrestling, but you have to filter through a lot of crap to find it."

Vince is back

As the ratings drop then WWE return to what brought them to the dance and that means the return of Vinnie Mac. Raw was packed full of angles and sports entertainment garbage, not wrestling. On the plus side though, William Regal is General Manager on Raw which is a great use of his talent.

ROH's Road to the Top Tournament

Congratulations to Claudio Castagnoli for winning the ROad To The Top tournament. Despite nearly being signed by WWE, Claudio is back in ROH and set for an MVP year in 2007. He has the size and the charisma to be something really special for ROH and by giving this big win in the inaugural tournament they given Claudio some much-needed momentum going into his title match with Morishima at Death beofre Dishonor weekend.

Unforgiven poster

The sight of HHH coming out dressed like Conan the Barbarian at Wrestlemania 22 is one of the funniest things i have ever seen. However it seems that someone in WWE's art department doesn't agree and it looks like they are giving the barbarian king another go - first he's the king of kings, then the bionic man, now he's Conan Jr! There really is nothing more that can be said about this!

Orton vs. Cena for Summerslam

It's been one of the 'dream matches' for WWE for years, and now they seem to have finally gone ahead and booked it (although I'm pretty sure it's not a first-time encounter). It's been 3 years since Orton was last main eventing a Summerslam and it's been a long journey for him (with many ups and downs along the way), however with business the way it is, then pulling the trigger on this big-time match can only be a good thing. It also means that Summerslam has a quality main event match which they can build around and should certainly provide a strong marquee match for the show - certainly better than Umaga vs. the Jackass crew which appears to have been scrubbed with rumours that Johnny Knoxville has pulled out of doing appearances for WWE.

WWE Great American Bash 2007

The more everything changes, the more it stays the same I guess! At a time when the business is under more scrutiny than ever before, I guess it make sense that John Cena, the articulate, polished performer is the company's figurehead (not the inarticulate, muscled up Bobby Lashley). However it does beg the question of just who the hell is ever going to beat Cena for the belt?! At least with Lashley it seemed like it might be at risk, however after another lacklustre Great Amercian Bash, the only thing that has changed is that a midget has won the Cruiserweight title - if only the title meant something so I could get annoyed about this, but I can't!

CM Punk does the Vans Warped tour

Proof, if ever it was needed, that CM Punk can be a huge crossover star for WWE. Working as a backstage reporter for Fuse TV covering the Vans Warped Tour, Punk gets to hang out with loads of punk bands, as well a interview one of his heros, Brian Baker from Minor Threat/Bad Religion.

TNA Victory Road 2007 aftermath

If you need proof of just why having a match of champions was stupid, then this grab from TNA's website should tell you all you need to know. As great as it is that Joe won, you now have one man holding a championship that is supposed to be for two people! Vince Russo's attitude that 'a title is just a prop to tell stories' is in full effect in TNA once again. So much for actual teams like LAX, Team 3D or the Murder City Machine Guns! (Not to mention the complete lack of any focus for the X Division once again!).

Johnny Nitro/John Morrison

I wish I knew why they decided to change Johnny Nitro's name to John Morrison, but I just can't figure it out. WWE has a long history of changing guys name when they come up from Developmental to the main roster (Prototype became John Cena, Leviathon became Batista), however Johnny Nitro seemed to be one of the few exceptions. However now that he is ECW champion, they have decided to change his name from Nitro, to Morrison. NOw, I'm all for reallism in wrestling, however isn't one of the important things in pro-wrestling to be larger than life?! Steve Austin never got anywhere until he was Stone Cold. Dwayne Johnson never got anywhere until he became the Rock, so why change Johnny Nitro (a perfectly acceptable name) to John Morrison?! It sounds like the singer from a bad Doors covers band. Let's just hope his match against CM Punk at this month's Great American Bash isn't a cheap imitation of their last match from Judgment Day.

ROH Respect Is Earned PPV

A really fun show that really showcases the ROH product.

TNA Victory Road this Sunday

I have to admit, it's been quite nice to have had a week without a pay-per-view to worry about watching. Unfortunately, these summer months are often a difficult sell for wrestling fans as other things tend to take priority over spending 3 hours watching a wrestling show and I think this apathy may well affect the success of TNA's Victory Road which is this Sunday.

However it's not just the weather that is causing apathy among fans, the erratic quality of TNA's booking is also not helping. On paper, the show looks pretty average, with only a handful of matches with any real interest. The main event is a prime example of this, as it is packed with star power yet the cack-handed build has taken away a lot of the match's lustre. Not to mention the fact that Team 3D just don't seem believable as main eventers in 2007. As for the undercard, I am sure it will be entertaining, however with Ultimate X thrown on the show with little or no build and matches like Cage vs. Harris and Storm vs. Rhino which seem to have been put together at the last minute, I am again, struggling to get excited about the issues between these guys (which for the most I don't know about as I missed the last 2 episodes of Impact.

ROH Battle of St Paul

One of the key's to success in ROH has always been the way they cycle in and cycle out talent. (A matter of neccessity for a company that is low on the food chain in the wrestling world.) It helps give the company a very old school, territorial feel to it as a mix of new guys and established indie names can be brought into ROH whenever is neccessary and they can occupy a number of different places on the card. It also means that the roster is kept fresh and the same feuds are not recycled ad infinitum.

A case in point is this show from St Paul Minnesota, which sees the ROH debuts of 4 talents from the Chikara promotion, most notably indie legend Mike Quackenbush. Quack is one of those 'indie darlings' who the ROH faithful have been clamouring to be brought in for years. Along with Chris Hero, Super Dragon and Necro Butcher he is probably the biggest name out there not to be used in ROH, however just as those 3 all appeared as part of the ROH vs. CZW feud last year, so it has finally come for Quack to make his debut - not bad for a guy who's over 30!

Alas the debut of Quack is one of the few highlights in yet another average ROH show. The stable feud between the NRC and Resilience continues, as does Morishima's dominant reign as world champ - this time taking on former world champ Austin Aries. Roderick Strong has a very solid FIP title match with Chris Daniels, the Briscoes dominate a tag team 'Ultimate Endurnace match', but the rest of the card is very forgettable.

Overall verdict: C+
"Nothing particularly bad with the show, however nothing that stands out enough to say 'you must buy this DVD'."

Wrestling look-a-likes pt1

I was watching the men's final at wimbledon this afternoone and couldn't help wonder at how much chipmunk faced, perrennial runner-up, Rafael Nadal, looks remarkably like Smackdown's most over superstar, Matt Hardy. What do you think?

ROH Good Times Great Memories DVD

Wrestling witch hunt

The media's treatment of the Benoit tragedy has, inevitably, looked towards the more salacious elemtns of the story. However as facts begin to emerge, it is difficult to seprate the relevant ones from those intended to grab headlines. A case in point is this article from the Sun online . It claims that over 104 wrestlers have died in the last 10 years - sensational stuff. Now we all know that a higher than average percentage of wrestlers have died young, but is it really that high?

Well, let's look at the facts they claim. Of those 104 only [b]40[/b] were full-time workers in North American - that's less than half! However, they go on to claim that only a quarter have ever worked for WWE - so that's just over 20. Now, obviosuly this is an alarmingly high number, however is this just drug related deaths? Or just steroid deaths? No, this will have included accidents (like Owen Hart) and murders/suicides, like the Benoits. So when you look at those figures, are they actually any higher than other high profile sports or even Hollywood?

TNA= Total Non-stop 3-ways

Oh Vince Russo, your booking is so predictable. If you're not sticking things on poles or creating matches with convoluted stipulations that no-one understand, you're relying on 3-ways to get over the fact you can't decide (or perhaps won't decide) which of your stars gets to take the pinfall!

Last week on Impact saw the ridiculous rush-booking of Samoe joe becoming X-Division champion and this week saw Kurt Angle take on Christian Cage and Rhino. There's more 3-way action in TNA these days than on most late night cable porn. The X Division match the week before was a cop-out and a hotshot angle straight out of the Russo playbook. However this week's world title match was from just the same playbook, just from a completely different section. Although this felt like a pay-per view match (and it was certainly booked in the crazy way that TNA lke their pay per view matches to be) this was actually the perfect TV world title match. OK, so it was over-booked nonsese with a million and one run-ins and about 18 different angles interjecting themselves, but this is a TV match and that is what TV matches should be all about. From this one 40+ minute match, TNA have set-up their main event as well as 2 or 3 undercard matches, all the while making a great episode of television along the way Oh, and perhaps more importantly, the only people who had to pay to watch this are the TNA executives who finance the show!). Fortunately the crazy angles were backed up by the usual high standard of work from the TNA roster, and just like John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels from a couple of months ago, this format of a longer match on TV has the potential to not only create a buzz of interest about an increasingly stale product, but also to create a potential match of the year candidate for TNA - something they have thus far, failed to do on pay-per-view in 2007.

A tale of two TV shows

You would have thought, that with all the fuss that is going on in the media about steroids and the Benoit tragedy, that WWE would do their best to prove size does not matter in the WWE. But then you have Bobby Lashley win the Beat the Clock challenge on Raw and win a title match against John Cena at the Great American Bash. Of all the people they could have as their new main event superstar and they chose Lashley the muscle boy!!

The push of Lashley has been something of a strange one, as he the powers that be clearly see something in him as a future superstar. I first saw Lashley in OVW when Paul Heyman was booking it, however he often played second fiddle to the stronger workers like CM Punk, Brnet Labright, Ken Doane, Johnny Jeter and Aaron Stevens. However because he has the look of a WWE wrestler, he was brought up to the main roster with barely 6 months in developmental and in the subsequent 2 years he has been US Champ, ECW Champ and I would bet that by the end of the year he will be WWE Champ as well. As a result of this lightening quick elevation to the big time, I can't see why the fans won't turn on him in the same way that they turned on Cena. At least Cena had the rapping gimmick to back him up, but what has Lashley got?! He is hard-hitting but soft-spoken - big deal!! That doesn't mean he has a personality or will sell any pay-per-views. The only thing going for him in the eyes of many fans is that at least he is not John Cena, so perhaps that will keep him safe for a couple of months!

On the flipside though, ECW continues to focus on the CM Punk vs. Johnny Nitro feud and be a showcase for the young talent it has on it's roster. IN many ways it's like watching the aforementioned OVW shows of Paul Heyman from 2 years ago, and there is nothing at all wrong with that. After nearly a year, it seems WWE have finally worked out just what ECW should be (and the good news is, it's worth watching!!)