The Rant Of The Week: The Best Is Back

Greetings conversationalists all across the fruited plain it is I your personal Harvester of Sorrow the one and only Phantom Lord and this is the all mighty Rant Of The Week. Lets see, I’m actually doing a column on time for once so you have to figure something has gotten my attention. Bret Hart is coming back and I could not be more ecstatic.

But first we begin with some sad news as it’s being reported that Tommy Dreamer asked for his release from the WWE. Tommy is one of the few wrestlers I will watch when ever he is on and he can hook me into a match better then anyone else. The writing has been on the wall for Tommy for quite a while now. The WWE got rid of everything that made ECW what it was. Tommy was the lone original left and he finally won the ECW Championship and had a good run with it. To this day it still pisses me off that Justin Credible beat Tommy fifteen minutes after he won the title. But I guess something’s had to come to an end even though I hoped Tommy would be there till the bitter end. I guess Tommy finally took Cactus Jack’s advice and called Uncle Eric. Granted it’s fifteen years late but better late then never.

As reported earlier, Tommy Dreamer who re-signed with World Wrestling Entertainment over the summer, asked for his release over the weekend. Regarding his future prospects in the wrestling industry, the former ECW champion "will almost certainly be heading to TNA" according to a reliable source.

As a matter of fact, one WWE source said they expected him to debut on live episode of iMPACT! on January 4, 2010 — although logic would suggest he'd have some sort of no-compete since he asked out of his contract.
Credit to I’m guessing www.F4Wonline.com via WrestlingInc

Tommy had an emotion farewell on ECW last night as he said his goodbyes to the crowd. I give Vince McMahon plenty of hate and most of it is deserved, but apparently the big send off for Tommy was his idea so kudos Vince for that.

Personally I don’t want to see Tommy go to TNA. But if Tommy does go to TNA it’s going to prove one of two things. One TNA really is the new WCW and two it’s becoming the senior circuit. Aside from the fact that TNA can be an easy paycheck for some is there really a reason anyone would want to go there? If he’s going to work with some of the young guys in TNA to help mold and shape them then it can’t hurt. But if he does go and they just throw him into the usual hardcore mix that surrounds Abyss, Tommy if I were you I’d pass. I’ll watch Tommy either way since he’s one of my all time favorites but I just hope if he does go then it doesn’t turn out to be a huge mistake in six months. But hey in this economy if you can get an easy pay check I say go for it.

Speaking of TNA, I see Hulk Hogan and his number one toady and lackey Bubba The Love Sponge are putting on some sort of Welcome Hogan to TNA party in Orlando on January 3rd. I don’t have Sirius XM so I don’t listen to Bubba on Hopalong Howie’s channel (Spread The Virus) but apparently Hogan is always on Bubba’s show. The only thing missing from this party is Hogan being driven down the street while red & yellow ticker tape flows and Billionaire Ted welcomes him to the company. Come to think of it, that is pretty much what they are doing. Honestly I am starting to dread this big Impact on January 4th. Oh sure it’s being teased that Kevin Nash will be reuniting The Outsiders with a soberish Scott Hall and X-Pac, but aside from all of that TNA is really not doing anything of interest to build this show up.

Yeah Hogan is coming to TNA, but is there you know any other reason why I would want to watch this?

Well Hulk Hogan is coming to TNA…

Yeah yeah yeah, I know that part. But will AJ Styles be defending the TNA title against anyone?

Well HULK HOGAN…

I don’t care about Hogan…what else does TNA have in store for January 4th?

…

Exactly. YOU HAVE NOTHING DO YOU. It’s just going to be the usual Impact plus another hour. Also since Impact is being replayed in it’s regular time on Thursday the 7th what exactly is the point of watching this show to begin with on the 4th? Somehow I think TNA and the people at Spike TV didn’t think all of this through.

Now if TNA’s goal was to light a fire under Vince and get him all competitive again they have succeeded big time because on January 4th something a lot of us thought we would never see happen will happen as Bret “The Hitman” Hart makes his return to the WWE. It’s been reported that Bret has signed a talent contract that lasts a couple weeks after Wrestlemania 26. So Bret is coming back and it will all start with him guest hosting RAW on the 4th.

For the longest time we the lowly wrestling fans have been saying we want something…ANYTHING different and now we are getting it. Okay it’s not exactly the different I was hoping for, but I’ll take it. The way I see it, with Bret coming back we can finally get closure to Montreal. For the last twelve damn years it’s been the one thing that just would not go away. Any time the WWE is in Canada they always do something to tease the Canadians about it. They have ripped off the finish more then a few times to “screw” someone over. If this were a movie we would be coming to the final act as Bret finally gets his revenge. The big rumor is all of this is going to lead into some sort of match between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania 26. I’ve always believed Bret could probably wrestle one or two matches if he felt like it (or if the money was right). Well obviously the money is right and the time is right because neither man is getting any younger so it’s now or never if it were to happen.

The only thing I hope is all of Bret’s stuff takes place on Smackdown. Smackdown is the show that Bret will fit into best. Plus there is a hope of some interaction between him and The Hart Dynasty. Bret says the kids don’t live up to the Hart name and they end up beating him up and it will make for some great television. I don’t know if it’s a full-blown rumor, but I read somewhere that the Hart Dynasty would side with Mr. McMahon against Bret leading into Wrestlemania. The only downside to this is who will Bret side with in the feud. Unfortunately for all of us, Degeneration X are the tag team champions so I am hoping the Hart’s finally beat them and take the gold off them so DX is kept far away from Smackdown. Jeri-show could be reunited and turned good but the WWE seems to be banking on Jericho facing Edge at Wrestlemania (if it’s possible). There’s lots of ways you could go with that and still make it work, but with the WWE who the hell knows what they will do. Much like me, the WWE suffers from an undiagnosed version of ADD. It looks good one minute and then the next Vince sours on it and they say the hell with it.

That right there will decide whether this entire thing works. If the ratings are to Vince’s liking you know all the sycophants and lackeys will be in his ear talking about how “oh well see Bret isn’t a draw so lets kill it now before it’s to late”. On RAW this week to say the whole segment with Vince and Shawn came off as a bit awkward would be an understatement. Personally I blame this more on the material they were working with more then anything else. God knows they have to stick to the script but aside from that it just came off so flat in front of the crowd. I don’t know if it was just because it was Hartford but the crowd seemed indifferent to Bret coming back aside from some diehard’s chanting WE WANT BRET.

I can’t believe it’s been twelve years since the whole Montreal thing. Maybe it’s just because I’m getting older, but it seems more like twenty years then just twelve. Back then I didn’t have AOL so I had no idea what was going on aside from what ever tidbits were in the heavily kayfabed Slammer article in the NY Daily News. This also means it’s been twelve years since Bret went to WCW and what should have been a slam dunk for them turned out to be another nail in the coffin. See this is why I get so frustrated watching TNA. It’s because we saw all of this happen twelve years ago in WCW. People like me might have a very short attention span, but we end up compensating with a very long memory. So I remember how badly things were back then and in another ten years God hoping we are all still here I’ll remember all of this to.

It’s not often I give the WWE credit here, but like I said if this is done right Bret’s return can finally be closure on this chapter of wrestling history once and for all.

I’m sorry TNA, but the moment RAW comes on this Monday night I’m turning it on. Bret standing in a WWE ring and his first interaction with Shawn Michaels will be must see television. Personally I would love it if Shawn goes for the handshake of forgiveness and Bret kicks him square in the balls. There are so many things that can be done and I am giddy for the first time in ages waiting for them to happen. While this so called Monday Night War will be short lived, it’s fun to see what will happen on both sides no matter what. For those of us on the Internet it will give us a wealth of material to write about. For bitter wrestling fans it will give us something to watch that isn’t the same old stuff. In the end we really can’t complain (though we’ll find something cause we always do) because for the first time in ages there’s reason to be excited again.

All of this leads into Wrestlemania 26 and the first rumored card has come out and right now it looks pretty damn solid.

According to Bryan Alvarez, the following matches are currently being planned or discussed by WWE for Wrestlemania. It's almost a sure thing that this won't be the final card since plans change on an almost daily basis.

Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker - Of all the rumored matches, this one is the closest to being a sure thing.

Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart - This has been talked about and it would likely be a street fight-type match where Hart would not have to take any bumps.

Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase - A feud between these two has been expected for months now.

Chris Jericho vs. Edge - Another match that has been planned for months given that Edge is ready to return in time.

Sheamus vs. Triple H - Considering that HHH is involved, it could very well end up being a title match.

One name left out here is John Cena. WWE would love to have him in a match with The Rock, but the chances of that are very slim. Another possibility is Cena vs. Batista in a RAW vs. Smackdown match. Cena/Batista was originally scheduled for last year's Wrestlemania until Batista got injured.
Credit to www.f4wonline.com

If these matches were locked up and chiseled into stone then this would be a Wrestlemania card I would certainly consider ordering. Granted it would be $54.95, but I think I could look past that if these matches were a guarantee. The only question mark really is can Edge come back in time for Wrestlemania. As much fun as Edge/Jericho would be I personally would rather see him miss Wrestlemania if it meant he had more time to heal up. One could wish that Jerishow regain the tag team titles and then Edge comes back and challenges them and when they ask whom his partner is, the music hits and Christian walks out. Edge & Christian vs. Jerishow would be an awesome match but I doubt it would happen for a number of reasons that only make sense to Vince.

The rest of this rumored card as I said does look solid. I’m sure some people will complain about the prospect of Sheamus walking into Wrestlemania as champion but think of it this way. Would you rather see John Cena still as champion? Who cares if Sheamus is under the wing of Triple H. Wrestling much like any business, there will always be some young guy who gets taken in and groomed by the top guy. Sheamus has a lot of potential and I would rather see Triple H groom and mentor him so that in ten years from now Sheamus will be main eventing another Wrestlemania rather then being billed as “former WWE star” at a local VFW hall with a bunch of guys who’s only claim to fame will be having a video clip on Youtube of them doing some insane and stupid spot.

Sheamus is awesome and I can only hope that in 2010 he will continue to be awesome especially when doing that pump kick and kicking Howdy Doody Cena in the face.

In the end that’s all I really want to see. Cena getting beat up and always losing no matter what.

On that note I am done for this week and this year. Before I go I want to send out my condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Death Steve Williams who lost his gallant battle against cancer. A couple of years ago I got to take part in an Internet radio interview with Dr. Death and I asked him about the time he almost murdered Ed Ferrara on Sunday Night Heat and I think something about him being part of the core of Japanese wrestling in the 90’s along with Hansen, Misawa, Kawada, and Kobashi. He was a great wrestler and a greater man. I can only hope he is at peace now in the great arena in the sky.

So until next time have a Happy New Year and here is to a safe 2010. Remember someone has to give you this information and it DAMN well has got to be me.

You can click here to send me any and all feedback at phantomlordnyc@yahoo.com or leave me some feedback in my Live Journal at phantomlord-lop.livejournal.com

The Rant Of The Week: Going Through Changes

Greetings conversationalists all across the fruited plain it is I your personal Harvester of Sorrow, the one and only Phantom Lord and this is my Rant Of The Week. As always I am coming to you from my bunker in the urban cesspool that is Brooklyn, New York and of course everything for the next month is going to be Christmas. I love Christmas, but as long as it’s actually Christmas. Christmas Eve and Christmas are good enough for me. But the month long build up to it where all the lite stations have to go all Christmas music and all the sales and everything else is just too much. Though I did see the video for Bob Dylan’s new song “Must Be Santa” off his new album “Christmas In The Heart”. I have to get this album along with Twisted Sister’s “A Twisted Christmas”. Add this to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas will be my holiday traditions for now and ever. If only they would put out “It’s A Wonderful Life” with the original killing spree ending I would be set.

http://jscrazy.ytmnd.com MERRY CHRISTMAS…MERRY CHRISTMAS MOVIE HOUSE…

So about two weeks ago I just turned the big 29 and it got me thinking about what I’ve seen in these 29 years. I was born at the tail end of the Vince McMahon Sr. era of professional wrestling here in the North East when Bob Backlund was champion. Vince Jr. bought the company and from there everything got bigger or worse depending on your point of view. We had Hulkamania, Rock N’ Wrestling, Wrestlemania, Macho Madness, Piper’s Pit, Saturday Night’s Main Event…and all of this before I was even seven years old. As bad as things might seem right now, I can only imagine the fun it would have been if there were an Internet (well one everyone could go on) during Hogan’s run from 1984 to 1991. You think Cena hate is bad it would have been nothing compared to the hate Hogan is getting.

Of course I also made it through the new generation and the attitude years so I did see my fair share of bad stuff. People think the PG WWE is bad now, it’s nothing compared to the WWF back then. Sure there was some good stuff like now, but most of it was crap. I have seen a lot in these 29 years and now its coming full circle as I have mentioned before. Replace Hogan with Cena and we’re going have probably another good five years of the Cenation. At least on this past Monday on RAW they made a little angle out of John Cena being the perfect corporate puppet and the resentment the WWE locker room has towards him. Well I should say it started the week before when Jesse Venture cut this great promo about how he never got a shot at the title. To bad it was building up Cena/Sheamus (who I will get to shortly) because I’d love to see Cena/Ventura for the hell of it. Of course after last week’s appearance on Opie & Anthony, Ventura vs. Jim Norton would probably draw pretty damn well.

For those who want to see it, here’s the link courtesy of TMZ

http://www.tmz.com/2009/12/02/jesse-ventura-in-heated-stand-off-with-comic/

I think the WWE is doing something almost right for once as they are playing off all the hatred there is for John Cena from the real fan base of the company who are sick of everything Cena. The promo Carlito cut on Cena last week was pretty good even if he did end up looking like an idiot at the end. I mean if someone challenges you to a fight right then and there don’t go to do a catchphrase or your silly little trademark. If Carlito did a double leg on Cena and they started brawling the place probably would have gone nuts. Sure in the end Carlito would have lost, but it would have been better then looking like a bitch cause he had to bite his stupid apple. I like Carlito so it was nice to see him get all fired up like this. When people say there is huge potential for him, showing emotion like this is a part of that. It doesn’t matter how bad the material they work with is, as long as they can convey emotion and make you believe it then it will work. I’ll tell you this much, I believe someone like Carlito getting all fired up more then I do John Cena. When Cena does his whole GRRR I’M JOHN CENA I’M SERIOUS shtick it just comes off so forced.

The WWE skyrocketing Sheamus to the main event at their next throw away PPV is proof of what many others and I have been screaming about for months. The same formula over and over of Cena, Triple H, HBK, and Orton was getting boring. As much as I like Sheamus I think they made a mistake putting him into a main event this soon. The crowd just has no reaction towards him what so ever for the most part. He got a nice bit of heat when he did the old “I’m not gonna fight you now just cause you want to fight” bit but other then that he gets no reaction. I think this an example of something I have been going on about for years now and that’s the fact the WWE doesn’t build up anyone anymore. Well let me rephrase that, they build people up…just not in a way people would care about. See I can remember a time when everyone got a video building up for a month. It didn’t matter who it was or how stupid the gimmick was. You got a video to build you up this way the people in the crowd and at home at least had a clue about you.

Sheamus has everything the WWE look for in a star. He has the build and the look. He can cut a somewhat decent promo. He has the intensity and he doesn’t look like he was cast from the same cookie cutter mold most guys are today. You know the mold I’m talking about. Leather tights, tribal tat’s on the arms, a stupid tattoo on the back, short hair and goatee. It’s a formula for the most part and it’s because of that formula that mainstream wrestling (and I use the term mainstream very loosely) is so boring. Sheamus is at least the exact opposite of that formulated look and that’s a huge plus for him. The only thing that really is a problem for guys like him and others is the WWE it self. The WWE is just not designed anymore to be like the old days to let someone slowly build themselves up. Now a day’s it has to be NOW NOW NOW. I would have preferred a long US Championship run to Sheamus just being thrown to the proverbial fire. Luckily for him it’s a throw away PPV so I’m sure the expectation's are low to begin with. If Sheamus does some how win the WWE Championship the only thing I would suspect is Cena will win it back on Monday night. I don’t expect him to beat Superman Cena though but at the least he should look really dominant before he gets put back in the midcard with guys like The Miz, MVP, Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, a few others who should be moving up the ladder but are firmly beneath the glass ceiling.

Fire up the Drudge Siren…BREAKING NOOZ!!!





Sheamus has done it by gawd. He is the new Dubbya Dubbya Ehh Champion. Superman has been defeated and this is truly a joyous moment in history.

Wait…no it’s not. Sheamus is going to be the Kane the decade with a very short one off title reign. It’s funny though reading reaction on the Internet. If you are someone like me who hates John Cena and everything the WWE tries to do to make him the perfect corporate champion and multi-media main stream star then TLC was an early Christmas present. But for some other’s apparently the WWE pissed on it’s own legacy when Sheamus won the championship. According to some, Sheamus winning the title is the worst thing the WWE has ever done.

You know when I wrote about the 29 years I’ve been here, the WWE has done plenty of horrible stuff in that time frame. Sheamus winning the WWE Championship isn’t even in the top 50 (and I’m being generous there). See it’s funny how people complain oh the WWE won’t push anyone new. It’s always the same old crap over and over and over. Well here someone new was pushed to the moon and now a lot of these same people are complaining. Was it to fast and should they have taken their time with him so when he finally did win the title it meant something? Absolutely. But now that it’s happened am I going to complain? HELL NO.

UPDATE: Sheamus has survived the first hurdle to a championship run as he has surpassed Kane. A lot of us had fears he would be this decade’s Kane in terms of how long he would hold onto the title. I suspect the Sheamus/Cena rematch will now take place on January 4th. Though it is possible it could be the Royal Rumble. John Cena destroyed CM Punk on Raw and then proceeded to do one of his GRRR I’M SERIOUS I’M JOHN CENA I WILL NOT DIE promo’s about how he’ll not lose until he regains the championship. I liked it better when they were doing it with Jack Swagger. But it should be interesting to see what the WWE does on the 4th because there’s all ready a “big” event planned for that night.



Why it’s IMPACT brother. TNA is banking EVERYTHING on this HUGE three hour Impact on a Monday night. No one knows yet what the WWE plans to do for this night. Will they get The Rock to host? Will it be a three hour show of it’s own? Knowing how finicky WWE booking is I bet they probably wouldn’t work on anything till January 1st because Vince had another trademark mood swing and thought everything sucked.

It is funny to see TNA throw all of this effort into this one show because anyone who has watched TNA long enough knows it’s destined to blow up in their face. Now granted TNA has given me many many MANY reasons in the past to doubt them. But there’s one big reason why I am not holding my breath on this one and that’s Hulk Hogan. You can never take Hulk Hogan on his word. I know back when I was little, the Hulkster’s word was gold. You have to realize how much of a carnie Hulk Hogan is. Everything he says is spun for his favor. Hogan can still talk, but if TNA hopes to use him for matches they should probably forget about that now. Just watch some of the video from Hogan’s Australian tour and you’ll see why I hope to God he doesn’t wrestle in any form in TNA. A one off match here and there might be acceptable but after seeing these clips it’s clear he can’t handle one match much less any number of matches.

The big thing TNA is apparently planning is Hogan will lead the younger stars while Mick Foley will stand by the “old guard”. I’m a bit confused as to who the younger stars are and who will be the old guard. Basically it will be the MEM vs. Frontline angle only in reverse. Ah God bless TNA and their Russo booking. I can’t imagine what TNA has planned for the Impact on the 4th other then two hours and 45 mins of them milking the first appearance by Hulk Hogan. Another ten minutes of Hogan lumbering to the ring followed by the obligatory YOU’RE A LEGEND and YOU STILL GOT IT chants by the Impact crowd and we’ll finally get to the promo. Someone will come out to challenge Hogan and he’ll get beat down only to make the comeback and throw the guy out of the ring.


I probably just summed up the entire segment no matter when it happens on the show. Hogan. To Hogan’s credit he claims that he hates wrestling writers and that people should just go off the top of their head promo wise.

In the Toronto Sun, Hogan said the following.

"It's a creative executive position ... Jan. 4, we're going head to head with WWE. We've got to pick a fight. I don't know what's going to happen that night. If we get bodyslammed by WWE, we'll get back and go at them again."

"What we have now is the writers telling the wrestlers what to say and do. I'm coming in to push the writers aside. Sure, they still have to make it flow and block time."

"If the wrestlers need a writer to tell them what to do, they can pack their bags and go north to WWE. Writers don't have a feel and instinct for the business. They've never been in the ring. If I can't make it work, I'll pack my bags and leave."

Impact is going to get killed in the ratings; there is no doubt about that. It is just a matter of how badly Impact gets killed. Will it be them drawing their usual 1.0 number vs. RAW in the mid 3’s or will it be something of a blood bath with Impact drawing under 0.9. I honestly don’t know because at best TV ratings are a funny thing. Luckily for both shows, there is no Monday Night Football on ESPN so basically it will be TNA vs. WWE and the ratings will be solely on who can draw better. I would hope that in the week leading up to this Impact, Hogan hits at least one of the late night talk shows. I doubt he’ll be on any NBC show and Letterman doesn’t have wrestlers on his show so all that’s left is Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson. Hogan needs to do the mother of all carnie pitches if he’s on any show and put over TNA big time so that at least they can say the promoted the hell out of the show.

TNA’s biggest problem has always been they do not know how to advertise anything. How the hell are they expecting to go to war with the WWE if no one outside the core fans they have know who they are? Granted both the WWE and TNA are desperate to get the mainstream viewer. But with a nearly crippled Hulk Hogan and a totally inept production and marketing scheme TNA might as well shoot themselves now and get it over with. TNA needs such a major overhaul production and marketing wise and there might be some hope depending on what role if any that Eric Bischoff and his production company with Jason Hervey has. TNA is banking so much on this show and if things stay the way they are now it’s going to be all for nothing.

Some will say I am being negative. I like to think I am being realistic here. I would love to be wrong and TNA finally lives up to all the potential it’s had for years. It would be great if there were some competition between the WWE and TNA because it would light a fire under Vince’s ass and he would stop coasting like has been for the last decade. Ah well we shall see what happens. I’m not holding my breath but stranger things have happened.

Speaking of reorganizing things, apparently the WWE is not content on having Smackdown and ECW be the best “wrestling” shows so there is talk that in 2010 they will be making big changes to both shows. Mostly by pruning the roster and possibly renaming ECW. I honestly don’t know why they would want to change Smackdown because it’s had a formula that’s worked pretty damn well.

As for ECW, there was this news bit from the Figure 4 Online http://www.f4wonline.com

According to the source, WWE has been on the receiving-end of pressure from SyFy, which is unhappy with ratings for the Tuesday WWE show. From that pressure stems a feeling that WWE should overhaul the program to spark a ratings turnaround. At press time, there was nonetheless no concrete talk that a change was forthcoming. And, even if WWE were to decide the ‘ECW’ initials should be dropped, there is no evidence that WWE is considering changing the format, which currently sees the show serving as a breeding ground for up-and-coming WWE Superstars. Some rumors going around claim that WWE is considering turning the program into another “Superstars” of sorts, but said stories could not be definitively confirmed at press time.

The reason why ECW is tanking in the ratings is pretty simple. The WWE puts no effort into it what so ever. ECW is just there for people to be in a holding patter before the ones with real talent get yanked onto RAW and the other’s get thrown to Smackdown to shine. Why would anyone want to invest into ECW if you know say the next Sheamus is only going to be there for two months or so before he’s called up to the main roster. I love Christian and he has been by far one of the best wrestlers consistently for years, but he and he alone cannot carry a show.

Christian apparently has his detractors including Vince McMahon who feel he is not a major star and I’m sure they all look at ECW’s ratings and say SEE HE CAN’T DRAW. ECW is in the worst time slot possible. It’s up against the powerhouse Tuesday night slot on FX when it’s on against shows like Sons Of Anarchy and Rescue Me. There’s just so many things to watch at that time. For me personally I just record ECW on the DVR and skim through it. Cutting through the commercials and stupid video packages recapping RAW the show sometimes is 35 minutes at best. You can always count on a solid main event on ECW but the rest of the show is filled with guys who no one knows who they are.

Just listen to the crowd when some of these guys come out, it is DEAD. People just sitting in the crowd quietly waiting for the Smackdown taping to start. As for Smackdown, I read a bit of news that the idea to change up Smackdown comes from the fact that the WWE wants Smackdown to be like RAW. They want it in the sense that there is celebrity involvement of some sort. Just something to put more entertainment into the mix because it absolutely kills some people in the WWE to do a “wrestling” show.

The people in charge of the WWE as we know are some of the most insecure people around. They hate it when things they plan out do not go over how they want. The people they push because they have decided these people will be the stars of the show fall flat to silence from the crowds. The people who do get over with out really trying are relegated to comedy spots. Santino Marella is by far one of the most over people in the entire WWE and he does nothing except comedy matches and skits. Vickie Guerrero is by far the most over heel in the company. People really hate her and she doesn’t do much except say EXCUSE ME. So what does she get for her troubles (aside from being shafted on Eddie RIP royalties)? She gets never ending fat jokes because some people in the WWE feel unless you can count the ribs on a woman then they are fat.

These are the same people who have been doing this crap where Michelle McCool calls Mickie James fat. Apparently the Mickie James thing was the WWE’s little way of telling her don’t you dare think of trying to make a career for yourself with out us. You’re no good to us if we don’t have a piece of the action.

For those of you who don’t know, Mickie is recording some demos and songs for a country music career. She’s apparently got some top-notch management and is working with some great songwriters and musicians in Nashville. I would love to hear Mickie sing and if Mickie is half as good as Gretchen Wilson, Mickie could have her self a very good thing. Hopefully in the coming weeks and months some of her vocal ability makes it’s way onto the net and we can all see how she sounds. I just wish she would win back the WWE Women’s championship all ready. McCool is probably the worst champion ever. Technically speaking she’s fine. I mean she’s passable in the ring, plus it’s the WWE so it’s not like you are expecting an All Japan’s women’s contest. But personality wise she is so horrible. She does nothing to get people to want to hate her.

Perhaps if she really became the super bitch that people like to say she is then maybe her title reign wouldn’t be seen as the time when to make a run for the bathroom or concession stands.
I’ve said this before about how she only has her spot because of whom she is with. If it were me I would say run with that. Sure you don’t have to say his name but you can just be like YOU KNOW WHO MY MAN IS. Maybe it could be something like one of those Real Housewife’s shows that people seem to watch (why I don’t know). My point is McCool is horrible character wise and aside from whom her man is can anyone give me a reason why she is the Women’s champion?

On that note I am done for this week. Hopefully I will have one more column before the end of the year so I can at least try to start some sort of streak. I make no bones about it, wrestling at times bores the hell out of me and as such it reflects what I write about. While I am starting to get into MMA…I am not about to turn this into some sort of MMA column. So hopefully 2010 will be a much more entertaining year but like what I said with TNA I’m not holding my breath.

Until next time take care and remember someone has to give you this information and it DAMN well has got to be me.

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The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – The Dirty (half) Dozen…

Ring of Honor has recently hired Jim Cornette, the Louisville Slugger himself, as the new executive producer of their weekly program on HDNet. Cornette is a former promoter, manager, commentator, on-screen authority figure, and booker, and is renowned for his brilliant mind for the business. Any wrestling fan worth his salt will tell you what a profound impact such an experienced veteran can make on a promotion, and nearly immediately, Cornette did exactly that.

TODAY’S ISSUE: ROH’s new “Pick 6” Standings.

To quote the ROH home page, the Austin Aries Lucky Lottery or A-Double, L-Double has been “universally viewed as a farce”, with ROH world champion Aries recently using a likely rigged drawing to select challengers who are not necessarily the top wrestlers in the company, obviously padding his world title run and refusing to face the men who present the toughest threats to his championship. In response, ROH Officials and Jim Cornette have conceived a method to ensure the top challengers earn and receive title matches. Known as the “Pick 6 Contenders Series”, this new format for determining world title challengers is a simple yet effective process. Here’s the deal (again quoting ROHwrestling.com).

“To begin, twelve competitors have been selected by ROH on HDNet Executive Producer Jim Cornette to compete in six singles matches with the winners being seeded by ROH officials from one-to-six. Once the initial ranking is established, the "Pick 6" Contenders Series will function as follows:

- Only wrestlers ranked in the "Pick 6" are eligible to challenge for the ROH World Championship.

- The higher a wrestler is seeded, the more leverage he has in determining the scheduling of championship matches.

- Wrestlers securing victories in "Pick 6" matchups earn a match bonus.

- Once the rankings are set, wrestlers can only enter the "Pick 6" Standings by defeating a ranked wrestler.

- An unranked wrestler that defeats a "Pick 6" Contender assumes that wrestler's spot, and everyone lower slides down one rank. The lower a wrestler is ranked, the more they have to lose.”

This is a brilliant way to make under-card matches seem very important without swapping some meaningless secondary title over and over. The Pick 6 Standings affect the careers of all the singles stars (and plenty of tag team folks as well) who must now keep their eye on that group of six top contenders at all times. Consider that every Ring of Honor DVD release includes matches like Chris Hero versus Kevin Steen, Colt Cabana versus Delirious, and Kenny King versus Davey Richards. Fans can normally look forward to entertaining, hard-fought contests from these preliminary matches before the main event provides the truly important stuff, but now those matches can have world title implications and increase the drama, tension, and urgency amongst the competitors, which results in matches that are more fun to watch for the paying fans. For the purposes of discussion, let’s pretend the current Pick 6 Standings are as follows:

1. Davey Richards
2. Tyler Black
3. Kenny Omega
4. Roderick Strong
5. Chris Hero
6. Claudio Castagnoli

Now we’ll simulate two fictional weekend shows to see how these standings might be affected by match outcomes. Friday night, Strong defeats Black in a 22-minute epic affair allowing Roddy to claim the #2 slot, forcing Black down to #3 and Omega to #4. Hero and Castagnoli remain where they are for the moment, but later on the card Colt Cabana defeats Hero with the Billy Goat’s Curse and steals Hero’s #5 slot. Hero slides down to #6 so Claudio gets bumped from the standings altogether without even wrestling in a singles match this night, instantly sowing the seeds for a storyline issue should ROH officials chose to pursue it (the old motivation of “I’m pissed off because I got screwed, so now I’m going to hurt somebody” always works). Now we have:

1. Davey Richards
2. Roderick Strong
3. Tyler Black
4. Kenny Omega
5. Colt Cabana
6. Chris Hero

The Cabana/Hero and Black/Strong matches have made an immediate impact on the world title picture, and as I mentioned, Castagnoli has an instant issue. Saturday night, Delirious upsets Kenny Omega and steals his #4 position, forcing him to #5 and Cabana down to #6, knocking Hero off the list altogether. Also on the card, Strong and Richards face off in a showdown of the top two contenders, with Strong surviving and taking Richards’ #1 spot. Now the Pick 6 Standings look like this:

1. Roderick Strong
2. Davey Richards
3. Tyler Black
4. Delirious
5. Kenny Omega
6. Colt Cabana

In the above scenario, Roderick Strong had himself one heck of a weekend in defeating two ranked contenders and climbing to the top slot in the pecking order. Therefore he is granted a title opportunity at the next big show in a few weeks, and he can look forward to challenging his former ROH world tag team championship partner with the big belt on the line. But suppose that because Claudio Castagnoli feels cheated as discussed above, he cuts a scathing promo and challenges Strong to a contest with huge implications. Roddy, of course, would never back down from a fight, so now before his world title match against A-Double, Strong puts everything on the line against Claudio. Wouldn’t you like to see that contest? I certainly would.

Chris Hero started the weekend as a ranked title contender and ended it off the list completely, and since Colt Cabana is ultimately the reason for Hero’s misfortune he challenges Boom Boom to a rematch with much more than pride at stake. Can That Young Knockout Kid reclaim his status as one of the chosen few, or will Cabana continue to keep Hero out of the Pick 6? That’s another match that carries huge implications, and is one I’d love to watch. Based solely on the two fictional shows above, you can imagine how many other matches ROH could promote that will resonate with logical rivalries and a grave importance on winners and losers. There are potentially weeks of contests brewing from these minor changes in the Pick 6 Standings, and it gives Ring of Honor a lot of focus and makes matches more career-impacting.

I’m not clear on the fate of a ranked contender who challenges the champ and loses, but I assume this will knock him out of the Pick 6 Standings, advancing everyone else one rung up the ladder and allowing two unranked competitors to battle for the #6 slot. This is the most logical way I can think of to handle those challengers who “had their chance” and lost, leaving room for upward mobility like no other wrestling company does. Another sensible option is for a contender who loses his title match to automatically fall to the #6 slot and bump everybody else up one rung. Otherwise, in order to be dropped out of the hunt altogether a Pick 6 contender would have to lose his title match and then lose enough matches against lower-ranked opponents to get bumped completely out of the six top spots. This would be a significant losing streak for somebody high on the totem pole, and would also guarantee some interesting storyline fodder. Think of MVP’s losing streak in WWE, but apply it to a company that routinely promotes logical storyline with satisfying in-ring action to pay them off.

This is all incredibly clever of ROH because if you think about it, those wrestlers defending their spots in the Pick 6 or trying to break into it aren’t really fighting over anything tangible; everyone on the roster seems to get a title match at one time or another as the months go by (perennial mid-carders BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Rave both had title shots on pay-per-view when ROH was still utilizing that medium). But the Pick 6 makes it seem like they’re fighting for something important, and that makes all the difference. Also, as crazy about statistics as wrestling fans can be, having something relevant to keep track of makes it interesting for us (remember Goldberg’s streak?).

In March of 2005 I wrote a column that was only my fourth of nearly 250 total so far. In that piece I mused about how effective a top 10 ranking system would be in the big two, and when I reviewed it today I was surprised at ho similar my idea was to ROH’s new Pick 6 Standings. At least I’m consistent; I’ve been saying the same sort of things for over four and a half years now.

The bottom line is that this is a great thing for ROH to do. It helps them keep things interesting, and breathes new life into the same old matches. I’m looking forward to hearing more about the Pick 6 Contenders Series as it develops, and to watching the matches that are featured as Ring of Honor’s best battle for their shot at the brass ring.

Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.

p.s. – “Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat.” - Malcom Forbes

The Tragedy Called Life

Yesterday, wrestling lost yet another member of the fraternity. Another had met his end, and far too soon. Of course, I mean Eddie Fatu. Eddie was a member of wrestlng's well-known Samoan family, which includes the likes of The Rock, Samu, Afa, and the late Yokozuna. Eddie's passing reminded me, once again, of how I felt when I learned of the deaths of many others I had seen grace my television screen over the years.

Eddie Fatu was discovered by his wife on Thursday evening, passed out in front of their television. He had blood coming from his nose, and was rushed to a Houston area hospital, where doctors determined he may have suffered a heart attack. On Friday, he reportedly suffered a second, and was placed on life support. That did not last, as he was removed and passed into history shortly after. Now, before anyone attempts to demonize Fatu for whatever he was doing that prompted his WWE release this past June, let's remember it's too late to speculate or assume anything, and too insensitive to disgrace the dead.

The fact is, whatever caused Eddie Fatu's untimely end is really of no consequence. Remember Eddie for what he was, not whatever demons may have plagued him. I, for one, was taken aback by his passing. I hope this is the last time I have to read of this type of thing happening.

The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – Another level…

On May 10th, 2008 indy darling Ring of Honor debuted in the famous Manhattan Center in New York City for one of their biggest live events ever, aptly titled A New Level. This show was a landmark event for one of the Internet’s most beloved promotions, and they filled one of the largest venues they’d ever performed in. Did the wrestling action make the most of this opportunity to impress a big crowd?

TODAY’S ISSUE: ROH presents A New Level.

The show started with a bang, jumping right into a three-way bout for the Full Impact Pro world heavyweight title. FIP, for those who don’t know, is ROH’s sister promotion. Many wrestlers work for both companies and championships are cross promoted, as was the case in this match. The contest featured defending champion Roderick Strong and his longtime nemesis Erick Stevens, still in the midst of their epic war over the FIP strap at that point, and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Go Shiozaki, today the current reigning GHC heavyweight champion. Shiozaki never fails to impress during his U.S. incursions, and he was a welcome addition to this battle for the belt.

These are three strong guys who strike very hard, take a wicked beating, and never stop charging forward. As you’d imagine, the three put on a hard-fought, entertaining battle as Strong survived a doubly dangerous challenge to his FIP crown. Two months after this event, Stevens would reclaim the FIP world heavyweight title from Strong, and less than a month later Shiozaki would end Stevens’ second FIP world title reign and hold the belt for 119 days with five successful title defenses to his name. But on this night, it was Strong who outlasted the other two sluggers and maintained his hold on the FIP gold by sneaking in the back door and rolling Stevens up in a cradle from behind for the victory via pinfall, just seconds after Stevens had drilled Shiozaki with the Doctor Bomb, and appeared to have an advantage. Shady as it may have seemed, any win for the champ against two deadly opponents is a good win!

If it weren’t for some other very good performances, the second match on the card would have easily stolen the show. The tag team contest featuring Kevin Steen and El Generico against former ROH world tag team champions the No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards & Rocky Romero) was an outstanding performance, in fact it was so much fun that I had to go back for a second look before moving forward in the DVD. I don’t remember hearing too much about this match before, but it was clearly one of the top matches of 2008. Intense, hard hitting and exciting, this is the kind of action that ensures I’ll never regret my decision to pay for all my wrestling; you’d have to sit through a lot of sportz entertainment nonsense on television before finding such a high quality match for free in the “big two”. After a fantastic give-and-take sequence, Steenerico hit their package pile-driver/brain-buster combo on Davey Richards for the pinfall. Absolutely amazing wrestling action, and the NRC’s loss furthered the angle that would result in the end of their stable and eventually allow for Richards’ current push and rise up the card as a singles main event threat. You can’t ask for more than that from one match.

More tag team action followed in the form of a three-team scramble as the Sweet & Sour, Inc. duo of Chris Hero and Brent Albright met the student/teacher combo of Delirious and Pelle Primeau, and the Vulture Squad of Jigsaw and Jack Evans. Fans of ROH will correctly guess that this was something of an unstructured spotfest, but at least it was a fun one. Delirious managed to hit Chemical Imbalance II on Hero for the victory, and because I’m a Delirious mark and not a big fan of that version of Hero, that finish worked out nicely for me. Hero was starting to morph into is “That Young Knockout Kid” gimmick here, and working out the kinks of his rolling elbow strikes while the Vulture Squad flew around the ring, Primeau showed his usual heart and determination in the face of much larger opponents, and Albright was really big and powerful.

After the bell rang, the best was yet to come when Larry Sweeney verbally assaulted Albright and blamed him for the loss. Albright did mistakenly deliver a half-nelson suplex to his own partner during the match, but he had just been blinded and thought it was Delirious in front of him, not Hero. Albright was never pleased about being optioned into S&S by former HANGM3N stable captain Adam Pearce without Brent’s consent anyway, so when Sweeney got in his face here after giving him grief for weeks leading up to this event, Albright finally had enough. The submission technician let loose on the entire S&S squad, including a foolish Sara Del Rey who tried to attack Albright along with everyone else and paid the price for her poor decision. Brent cemented his brewing face-turn then and there, and the crowd ate it up.

Leading into intermission another import from Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH’s only Grand Slam winner Naomichi Marufuji squared off against the best in the world, the American Dragon Bryan Danielson in a breathtaking match that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Phrases like must-see, match of the night, MOTYC, phenomenal, incredible, outstanding, exciting, and breathtaking all come to mind. There were so many subtle maneuvers and psychological nuances during this match that I found myself lamenting the fact that the WWE-bound Dragon will likely soon be performing before crowds of sportz entertainment fans who may not appreciate the art form being executed at this advanced level. After a nail-biter of a contest that hit on all cylinders and truly showcased the best of the U.S. indy scene, Dragon finally achieved victory via his patented Cattle Mutilation submission hold. I honestly would have bought either man winning this very evenly-matched and hotly-contested showdown of company aces. They successfully merged striking, grappling, and high-risk spots in this entertaining hybrid performance that completely knocked my socks off. If you appreciate quality in-ring action with no ga-ga, this match alone makes the DVD well worth the sticker price. If the show ended right here, after four matches, I’d still strongly recommend it. And there was even more amazing action yet to come.

When the show got back underway following the break, they started with a short but impactful angle-advancement piece when Daizee Haze came out to the ring to announce an attendance record only to be quickly interrupted by the lovesick Delirious, who was there to ask her to dinner while sporting his full wrestling gear covered by a black shirt and white tie, and holding a red rose. But “Addicted to Love” Rhett Titus cut off the Lizard Man and made his own advances on the Haze, hitting her with his catchphrases including: Have you seen the size of these thighs? I’ve got shoulders the size of boulders! And the ever popular, The thrust is a must! I realize Titus’ gimmick is a rehash of about 15 or 20 other “Love God” characters from the modern era, but somehow he makes it work and he always delivers in these situations. Since this encounter kick-started a lot of storyline activity, including Delirious’ heel-turn and membership in the Age of the Fall, his feud against Titus, and an eventual return to the light side of the force with Haze as his spiritual guide, this short segment was well worth the time, especially considering it was the lone non-wrestling segment of the show.

Back to the action! The next match featured yet another visitor from NOAH, Takeshi Morishima, who at that time was the reigning GHC heavyweight champion. The Japanese Juggernaut went toe-to-toe with renowned brawler the Necro Butcher in a wild non-title battle with “relaxed rules”, which isn’t quite a no-DQ match, but the referee gives a lot of leeway. When they announce that a match is being contested under “relaxed rules”, you can expect to see chairs, crowd-brawling, and various other activities that are normally illegal in Ring of Honor. The reason for this match and the Dragon/Marufuji contest was that Dragon and Morishima were still feuding at this time, but NOAH officials didn’t want them tangling at this event since Dragon’s status as a former GHC junior heavyweight champion might create a source of contention if he were to wrestle the current heavyweight champ, so instead ROH allowed each man to select his rival’s opponent for the evening. Morishima chose countryman and fellow NOAH wrestler Marufuji to face Dragon, and Danielson threw a big box of crazy at Morishima in the form of the Necro Butcher.

For some reason the indy universe pushes Necro’s weak, silly-looking punches as death blows, and not even the former ROH world champion was an exception. Once a feared, dominant monster, Morishima sold the Butcher’s lame strikes as if he was being drilled by Triple H’s sledgehammer-o’-doom. Still, the superior wrestler won the day as Morishima’s size, power, and will to win was too much for the fighting hillbilly, and after enduring a merciless pounding, Necro fell victim to the Backdrop Driver and that was all she wrote. Being a huge detractor of the Necro Butcher, it was fun to watch Morishima stomp him into paste but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it again. That being the case, this was the lowest point of the show and it wasn’t too bad, which is saying something. Thankfully, the next contest would ensure things picked up in a major way…

Next, two concurrent Age of the Fall feuds merged in one match when Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black faced the makeshift team of Jay Briscoe and Austin Aries in a no-DQ match for the ROH world tag team titles. Jacobs had recently knocked Mark Briscoe out of active competition for three to six months by impaling Mark’s wrist with his dreaded railroad spike, forcing the younger Briscoe to seek a surgical solution for the damage. As one half of the reigning champs, Jay Briscoe was authorized by management to chose a substitute for his brother rather than relinquishing the tag straps due to losing his partner, so to shoulder Mark’s half of the load, Jay selected Aries. Aries had just seduced Jacobs’ main squeeze Lacey and liberated her from the Age of the Fall, breaking Jimmy’s heart in the process and causing his already limited grasp on reality to completely shatter. Days before A New Level was recorded, Jacobs attacked Lacey outside her fitness center in retaliation and caused her to (kayfabe) disappear, with only vague reports about her well-being and whereabouts surfacing. Needless to say Aries was not pleased, so both Briscoe and Aries had reason to want a piece of Jacobs and his followers.

This was a brutal war in which Jay bled buckets and all four men took years off their careers in the pursuit of the gold and their individual notions of justice. They managed to maintain some semblance of a wrestling match even while bringing the ultra-violence and the result was an entertaining campaign of carnage in which the viewer could almost smell the hatred between the warriors involved. Just when Aries was temporarily knocked out of action and the AoTF’s numbers game was succeeding against Jay, who was already in quite a weakened state due to his excessive blood loss, Mark Briscoe showed up in the nick of time sporting an awkward cast on his arm and executed his portion of the Doomsday Device, allowing the champs to retain their titles.

Jacobs, of course, didn’t take the loss well at all. So after the Briscoes departed ringside to celebrate the successful title defense, the Age of the Fall viciously assaulted Aries. However, instead of inflicting further physical damage with his spike when he had Aries at his mercy, the demented Jacobs chose to attack him emotionally, laying the blame at A Double’s feet for whatever vile acts Jacobs had committed against Lacey. Nobody in wrestling is better than Jacobs at portraying the sick, twisted madman, and he showed it here. The match made me want the Aries/Jacobs feud to kick into high gear (which it did after this) and also see more battles between the Briscoes and Jacobs/Black. Any time a promoter can entertain you and leave you willing to pay money for more chapters in the story, he’s doing something right.

In the main event, the very European Claudio Castagnoli challenged ROH world champion Nigel McGuinness for his coveted crown. Double C set aside his normal happy attitude and penchant for playing to the crowd in favor of a much more serious demeanor, demonstrating how important the world title is and how badly Claudio wanted to wrest it away from the dominant McGuinness. In fact, the build to this match including Castagnoli’s training montage increased the drama and established the big-fight feel before the opening bell sounded. During the match, Castagnoli gave Nigel a run for his money and came close to unseating the ROH king while enduring a devastating beating in the process. Although he was able to deliver his powerful Ricola Bomb finisher to Nigel, the same maneuver which allowed him to defeat McGuinness just two months earlier in a tag team match, this time the champ kicked out. That’s how good Nigel is, and part of the reason he was able to hold onto the title for so long; he continuously adapted his style and evolved as a wrestler, rising to the occasion time after time.

The Bad-Boy Brit remained true to form in the face of his evenly-matched challenger’s onslaught by working on a body part, wearing down Claudio’s shoulder in anticipation of the moment when he could slap on his devastating London Dungeon submission hold and force Double C to tap out, which is exactly how this championship match came to an end. This was an intense battle that showcased the skills of both athletes and made a fine finale to ROH’s biggest show to date.

In this particular DVD release, Ring of Honor foreswore the usual process of interspersing backstage interviews and vignettes amongst the wrestling action. Commentator Dave Prazak claimed this was because ROH being in the Manhattan Center was so special that they didn’t want to take the viewer away from the unique environment and positive vibe of the show. Something tells me that all the backstage video footage was lost or that they were unable to splice it in before the DVD release was due, but at least they gave a reasonable explanation for the slightly different format of this show. It’s little touches like that which help make ROH a thinking fan’s promotion, since instead of leaving us to wonder what happened, they not only made sense of it but flipped it to a positive thing to boot.

With five of the seven matches being highly entertaining, the tag team scramble match resulting in a satisfying finish and delivering an important storyline moment, and the Morishima squash of Necro Butcher at least sating the more base desires (to see dirty hillbillies getting beat up), A New Level is a strong DVD and a great addition to any wrestling fan’s library. I highly recommend you visit the Ring of Honor online store and purchase this show. Enjoy!

Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.

p.s. – “My favorite thing is to go where I have never gone.” - Diane Arbus

Switch!

Growing up in the 1980s as a wrestling fan, I watched the old NWA territories breathe their dying breath. Today's NWA is just not the same. Back then, fans cheered their favorites and booed the villains - and we knew which was which, without a doubt. Now, it's not so simple.

WWE has thrived on a belief that their programming immitates life. Nobody is entirely good or entirely evil. The proverbial "good guy" could go off and attack his boss without a thought. The evil demon can be cheered louder than anyone. Former WWE and WCW booker Vince Russo, now writing for TNA, feels the concept of good vs. bad, face vs. heel, is dead. This is evident in his writing by frequent turns, often without a solid action to explain it. Why did Team 3D suddenly side with Rhyno? Why did D'Angelo Dinero offer Matt Morgan and Hernandez his support after portraying a cocky street preacher for weeks? Russo's writing doesn't seem to make sense if viewed under those 1980s ways. Today, the line has been blurred.

Today's feuds are not always driven by who is face and who is heel. They are driven by who the writer wants to show, who draws the most money, and who the promotion can use as their "poster child." If Ric Flair were feuding with Blackjack Mulligan today, would their program fit into today's mold? The two had fantastic ring chemistry and their promos were classic material, but that old school feel is most often left for a nostalgia pop, and not a headlining feud.

Times have changed, and the fans will either flock to it and change as well, or they will reject these changes and walk away from the new ways. It's really up to the fans what happens. Will the writers win, or will the fans revolt and refuse what's written? Time will tell.

The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – Boom! It’s over…

As fans of professional wrestling, we’ve been trained to expect a certain amount of action and give-and-take in a match before we believe the fight will come to an end. That’s why it’s tough to sell false-finishes in a big match situation; experienced observers know better. We expect victims of signature moves and submission holds to kick out or escape at least once (if not multiple times) because there’s so much on the line, and we realize there are chapters in most matches, and the average main event won’t jump right to the end of the story without taking us on a ride first. But this certainty ruins a fun element for the crowd…

TODAY’S ISSUE: Exciting, surprising finishes.

Last week I discussed the slow, methodical, premeditated breakdown of an opponent’s body part leading to a submission victory. On the other side of that coin is the out-of-nowhere maneuver that can catch a wrestler unawares and lead to a sudden, exciting win, usually thanks to a knockout. I mentioned Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Stunner and Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music among other wham-bam finishers last week; during his run at the top of the WWF Austin’s Stunner had a high likelihood of being hit in a flash and “stunning” an opponent long enough for Stone Cold to secure the win via pinfall. Since HBK stomped the mat ten times before delivering his super-kick, it wasn’t a surprise to fans when he knocked a guy’s teeth out with it.

In 1997-98, Diamond Dallas Page was on a big roll in WCW. Locker room politics and proximity of his home to Eric Bischoff’s aside, and regardless of how notorious Page was for planning his matches in intricate detail, DDP pulled off several exciting moments between the ropes. This was largely due to his ability to shock an opponent and surprise fans by drilling his victim with a modified Ace Crusher, known as the Diamond Cutter, from all angles at any given time with no set-up whatsoever. Paired with his never-say-die attitude and “People’s Champion” gimmick, the Diamond Cutter added an element of intrigue to his routine and kept viewers guessing how his matches would end. One thing few could argue, it was never dull watching Page wrestle.

About seven months ago, in the main event of WrestleMania XXV, Triple H and Randy Orton battled in the main event for the WWE Championship. Far outside the norm for WWE matches, Orton and HHH both delivered their signature finishing moves early in the bout but each failed to keep their opponent down for more than a count of two. This was exciting and different, since finishers aren’t normally seen until late in WWE main event contests but unfortunately, after creating this unusual new first chapter of a match, Orton and Triple H failed to deliver a compelling story to go along with it. It’s too bad, because they really broke the mold and caught fans’ attention (by doing something strategically smart but practically unheard of in going for their match-ending moves early on) but rather than building from there into a new type of classic contest, they just fizzled instead.

Incidentally, I never understood why within wrestling logic, if a match is extremely important it so much harder to knock out an opponent with the same move that normally kills ‘em dead. I get why a wrestler would be willing to endure the pain of a submission hold longer in a big match environment and would be less likely to tap out and more desperate to struggle to escape, but as far as knockouts go, “wanting it badly” shouldn’t affect the physiological response to a cranial blow. If your head gets hit hard enough, or if you get nailed on the jaw just right, you’re going out for a bit, regardless of what’s at stake. But I digress…

Sometime in 1985, in the midst of the famous feud which begat the Four Horsemen, Ric Flair and Magnum T.A. faced off in a match that looked to be another classic battle in their war. But five minutes into the contest, Flair hooked an inside cradle which the crowd clearly expected to be nothing more than an annoyance for the big, strong Magnum, but something highly unusual happened; the referee pounded the match three times, Magnum didn’t kick out and the match was over. I don’t know if there was an early injury, if somebody made a mistake, or if this was the intended outcome all along, but what a surprise it was to see such an unusually quick finish in a match between these heated rivals. Perhaps the bookers were so far ahead of their time that they added a heaping dose of reality-based writing into this feud. After all, why couldn’t an experienced, world-class grappler like Flair hook a tight cover from left field and catch Mangum with his eye off the ball? I loved how different this outcome was from the standard singles match formula we’ve all seen over and over again.

That Flair/Magnum match displayed that a wrestler can secure a surprising victory at an unexpected moment in a match, and while that shakes up the status quo it certainly lacks the drama and excitement of a knockout, like the ones Jake “the Snake” Roberts used to dish out during his WWF run in the late 1980s. The Snake used to plant opponents headfirst in the canvas with his devastating DDT, and it that was all she wrote. Roberts never worked over the neck or softened up his intended victims throughout the match, he just waited patiently for his opportunity, and struck like his nickname would suggest. Sometimes he’d set up for the DDT first with a short-arm clothesline, but that was more like the kick part of Austin’s KICKWHAMSTUNNER. The DDT normally just came out of nowhere and caught the victim and viewers completely off guard, which was the most entertaining part of the maneuver for us fans. On a side note, it’s a shame that a formerly deadly finisher has since become a transition move, but I guess one could always argue that today’s wrestlers grew up watching Jake the Snake and others earn victories with the DDT, so maybe their training included strengthening their own neck muscles and learning how to soften the blow somehow, perhaps absorbing some of it with their hands as they hit the canvas.

When watching boxing or MMA, there’s always the chance that one competitor will land a big shot early in the match and knock out his opponent before the poor slug even gets a chance to consider unfolding his game plan for the fight. While that shortens the match considerably, it can be more fun to watch than a boring-but-time-consuming fight that ends up with the crowd looking to the judges’ scorecards to tell them who won. There’s no questioning the victor when one man is on his feet and the other is flat on his back, out cold, and the same can be said for pro wrestling. Figuring out a way to trap your opponent’s legs and hold his shoulders to the mat for a three-count results in the same victory as a knockout, but it certainly doesn’t make the same statement as drilling him with some huge move, strike, or kick, and putting him to sleep due to the sheer force of your blow. That’s a dominant, violent, intimidating way to defeat a man, and it makes wrestling fans take notice.

Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.

p.s. – “In middle life, the human back is spoiling for a technical knockout and will use the flimsiest excuse, even a sneeze, to fall apart.” - E.B. White

~~~~~~~~~~

The original version of this syndicated column, titled Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic, appears each Friday at midnight on Pulse Wrestling.

Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…

The Ace has another new feature? Aaron Glazer switches gimmicks more often than Mick Foley in 1999! The Wrestling Guy talks new blood in ROH, First Time Match-Ups, and why WWE should steal good ideas from the old territories.

Chris Morgado discusses CM Punk in this week’s Column With No Name.

Michael O’Mahony brings another Poll Position, this one about what TNA is doing right.

David Ditch continues the his look at Misawa in the finest Japanese wrestling column on the ‘Net,
Puroresu Pulse.

David Brashear keeps plugging away at his One Year in Memphis; this is a great read!

Il professore, Big Andy Mac reviews ROH’s A Cut Above DVD.

Finally this week, Anthony Perrillo kicks off a very interesting Pulse-wide effort 2009 Pulse Wrestling Fantasy Draft.

The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – Body parts…

In a “sport” where there are so many ways to win, including pin fall, knock-out, count-out, and disqualification, the idea of forcing an opponent to give up because they can no longer endure the pain you’re dishing out is a powerful road to victory. Submissions can come from a variety of attacks but a strong game plan for the submission specialist, that wrestler who has perfected a favorite finishing maneuver, is to single out a specific body part and beat it mercilessly so that it’s aching and throbbing before the submission move is ever applied. Then, when the aggressor swoops in for the kill, the targeted limb is primed and ready for the final, debilitating, incredibly painful hold that will end the match.

TODAY’S ISSUE: Picking a body part and attacking it for a potential submission.

In the modern era of professional wrestling in which high-flying style, MMA influence, charisma and promos are an integral part of the program, a wrestler working a body part en route to a potential submission victory is one of the most time-honored, classic methods of telling an in-ring story. Along with a tag team cutting off the ring and focusing on one of their two opponents while making repeated tags to one another, the psychology of body part selection is about as old as the concept of heels versus faces, and when properly executed can make in-ring action much more dramatic and exciting than two guys pretending to punch and kick each other randomly with no sense of purpose or direction.

Unlike Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Stunner, DDP’s Diamond Cutter, AJ Styles’ Styles Clash or Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music, a submission hold won’t normally be effective it if comes out of nowhere; it usually requires some prior planning. Part of the reason I appreciate submission technicians is that they have a game plan and prepare in advance for their matches, unlike an “instinct” guy who just goes with the flow in the ring. The wrestler who builds his arsenal around a submission finish watches film, studies his opponent, and always works to find the opening required to start punishing a body part that his submission maneuver will exploit once it’s been sufficiently weakened and damaged. That’s a thinking man’s wrestler.

Perhaps one of the most respected and best in-ring performers ever, the Nature Boy Ric Flair did many different things in a match before he got to his bread and butter, the figure four leg-lock. He threw legendary chops to the chest, which obviously won’t win a match or even wear down an opponent for a leg submission later in the contest. They sting the chest and get the victim off his game plan thanks to the pain and humiliation of the strike, plus the crowd singing, “wooooo!” each time Flair connected surely affected the morale of the Nature Boy’s competition. He threw some hard punches to the jaw, but like his chops, those were chess moves to position Flair where he wanted to go strategy-wise, not intended to earn him victory. He played cat-and-mouse with his opponent, winning the battle of mind games and keeping his adversary off balance and frustrated until Flair finally got his shot, normally an underhanded one, to chop-block his victim’s knee from behind and start working over the leg, which Flair considered “taking him to school”.

All of this scheming by the Nature Boy was part of the plan to make the timing right for him to slap on that figure four. If you knew Flair’s in-ring work, you were never too surprised when he targeted the leg and started wearing it down, softening it up for his patented hold. It was always fun to watch that plan unfold, and each time his adversary grimaced, yelled in pain, or bashed his hands upon the canvas, Flair fans applauded the simplicity and effectiveness of the Nature Boy’s strategy. Countless opponents submitted to the figure four at the hands of Ric Flair, and any time a wrestler today pinpoints a body part with a tap-out in mind it’s something of an homage to Flair, whether it’s meant to be or not. That’s how powerful an influence the former 16-time world champion was on professional wrestling in the United States, and how sublime his targeted attack on his victim’s leg was.

Multiple-time world champion Bret the Hitman Hart utilized a leg-based attack much like Flair’s, which often included pounding his intended victim’s the lower back as well, as visions of the Sharpshooter submission hold danced in his head. Since this hold puts extreme pressure on the back and legs, Hart’s psychology was pure poetry. His so-called “five moves of doom”, a series of maneuvers he used when in control toward the end of a match, included a snap-suplex, a side Russian leg-sweep and a big back-breaker over his knee, all of which arguably punish the back and help set up the coup de grace, the Sharpshooter. A fan could almost envision Hart’s game plan unfolding as he pummeled his opponents leg and back while planning the exact perfect moment to execute the Sharpshooter and force yet another rival to submit, earning the Hitman a victory. For the many Bret Hart fans around the world, it was a pleasure to watch this great ring general execute such a flawless strategy and chalk up another “W”.

Former ROH world champion Nigel “Desmond Wolfe” McGuinness has many maneuvers in his offensive arsenal, and while his ridiculously stiff lariats never failed to beat his victims to a pulp, they also damaged his own arms in real life, but his set-up for submission victories was a safer style that ensured his own ring longevity and still gave the impression that he was tearing his opponents apart and making them suffer. By focusing on the left arm of his victim as he plans for the London Dungeon, Nigel makes the hold seem so devastating that when he finally slaps it on in the center of the ring, his challenger appears to be in big trouble. I’ll never forget the image of Tyler Black screaming in agony when the champ tied him up in the Dungeon during their first big meeting in the main event of the Take No Prisoners pay-per-view. Much like Flair, you could see Nigel’s wheels turning as he punished the arm, preparing his adversary to quit from the combination of pain and fear of long-term damage to his arm.

McGuinness’ strike-heavy attack was exciting, but his submission-based style displayed more of a pure wrestling comprehension, which is appropriate for the man who held the ROH Pure Wrestling title longer than anyone else. His grappling prowess is not to be trifled with, and I hope he shows it off in TNA against the likes of Kurt Angle, who also likes to force opponents to tap out with his ankle lock, although his path to the hold isn’t as methodical as other true submission specialists.

Speaking of Angle, plenty of wrestlers occasionally utilize submission moves without basing their entire move set on them. Reigning Ring of Honor world champion Austin Aries has the Last Chancery, John Cena pulls out the STF[U] from time to time, the American Dragon Bryan Danielson uses Cattle Mutilation, the Undertaker has his version of the Gogoplata known as Hell’s Gate, Delirious sometimes uses the Cobra Stretch, the deranged Jimmy Jacobs perfected the End Time, and once in a while CM Punk dusts off the Anaconda Vise, but few wrestlers who employ submission holds scheme, plot, and strategize more completely than Flair, Hart, and (to an extent) McGuinness have in the past. They were submission technicians who relied on a premeditated tactical attack to lead them to the moment where they could force their victim into the ultimate humiliation and admission of being bested by a superior opponent, the submission. What better way to wrestle your way to victory is there?

Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.

p.s. – “There is no calamity which a great nation can invite which equals that which follows a supine submission to wrong and injustice.” - Grover Cleveland

The Rant Of The Week: Hogan Does It Again

Greetings conversationalists all across the fruited plain it is I your personal Harvester of Sorrow the one and only Phantom Lord and this is my Rant Of The Week. As always I am coming to you from the urban hellhole that is Brooklyn, New York and Halloween is almost upon us. I don’t know how it is elsewhere, but at least around here in this neighborhood it seems like with each passing year there are less and less kids trick or treating. Still plenty of incidents of busses being egged and shaving cream being used. I guess it’s just as well though. I mean it saves me the trouble of putting up a huge sign that says GO AWAY.

I am only kidding. While I am generally a bitter person, I am not that cold hearted despite what some might think. There are plenty of reasons to be joyful right now. For starters the greatest team in the history of all of sports, The New York Yankees are back in the World Series. Anthony from the Opie & Anthony show said it best on his Twitter after the game.

Fuck off Philly. We're not Tampa Bay. Have fun with your 1 championship dynasty.

It’s funny how New York and Philly have always hated each other. Back in ECW (the real ECW) there would always be a FUCK PHILLY or FUCK NEW YORK chant at shows. Ah I miss those good old days.

One good thing about writing this column by shooting from the hip is I really have no set game plan going in. I look at what news bits interest me and go from there. Doing this allows me to adapt when something big happens and today something BIG happened.

We have to fire up the Drudge sirens for this one.





I can honestly say I did not see this one coming. I’m kind of kicking myself right now because I could have went to that press conference thing at MSG. I figured it was just something stupid for Hogan’s new book and maybe that tour of Australia that he is doing. At the most maybe he was some how going to do a show at Madison Square Garden since I believe MSG is no longer exclusive to the WWE (but then again only the WWE can afford the building rental so it was a moot point). For years TNA has been trying to sign Hulk Hogan to some sort of deal so they could piggy back off him to maybe finally break the illusive 1.5 ratings mark and that day has finally come.

Right now there’s so much news breaking including the fact that apparently the signing of Hulk Hogan and Uncle Eric is only the beginning. Rumor on the Interweb has it that Ric Flair might be coming along for the ride since he signed a deal with Bischoff’s production company. TNA has been trying to get their hands on Ric Flair ever since his big send off at Wrestlemania 24 and considering the fact that Flair has alimony to pay to three ex wives, I’d say the chances of Ric Flair going to TNA have gone up ten fold. I’m all for this happening just because I’d love to see Flair vs. Sting and Flair vs. Foley again. As an added bonus Flair as X division champion would be all kinds of fun.

I still can’t believe TNA actually did it. I would love to have been a fly on the wall during the negotiations. On the one hand you know Hogan needs the money, but on the other you know TNA is so desperate to even get noticed by the WWE that they probably handed him a blank check and said “here’s the keys do what ever you want”. I imagine it more like the scene from Major League 2 where Roger Dorn is trying to buy the Indians and the owner keeps jacking up the price and finally he takes the highest offer that in the end will bankrupt him and the team. It probably wasn’t anything like that, but knowing how clueless Dixie is I am sure she rubber stamped her signature onto a huge contract that had the words CREATIVE CONTROL for me and all of my friends in it. As you can imagine this has given the IWC something to talk about for once as people are clearly divided on what Hogan means for TNA.

There are two schools of thought here. The first one is Hulk Hogan with his name and star power will finally help TNA make it over the hurdle that they’ve been trying to clear for years now. Things can only go up from here because Hogan has something to prove that there is plenty of gas left in the tank of Hulkamania.

The other theory which is the more popular one since there is a 95% chance it’s going to happen and that’s we will get a repeat of WCW from 1994 on where Hogan books himself into the top spot and books all his buddies and friends into top spots as well and all the real stars of the company get pushed aside and become so disillusioned that they end up quitting. Not to say I want to see all of that happen, but it’s like they say. If you don’t follow your history you are doomed to repeat it. I mean Dixie and the people at Spike must have seen WCW and heard the horror stories with these people in charge and I haven’t even gotten to Russo and Ferrara in charge of the booking yet…well for the time being they are anyway.

The way I see it, this is either the moment TNA finally gets their shit together and becomes a company worth a damn or they just put a gun to their head and it’s only a matter of time before the trigger is pulled.

Ironic I say that since Hogan in his new book that is coming out claims that he was minutes away from doing himself in if not for a phone call from Laila Ali. With all things Hulk Hogan I don’t know how much of this is him embellishing the story. I mean if you ask him right now about the match with Andre at Wrestlemania 3 he’ll tell you that Andre weighed over 700 pounds and the earth shook when he body slammed Andre and Andre died two weeks later from the power of Hulkamania. Point is Hogan can bullshit with the best of them. I also find it funny that TNA is betting the farm on Hogan and the publicity he can bring them and so far on his media appearances on Larry King, Howard Stern, Jimmy Fallon, and elsewhere he’s only mentioned TNA in passing.

But hey we’ll see what happens this Thursday. Maybe just mentioning them in passing is more then enough to get TNA over the hump and to the illusive 1.4 or dare I say 1.5 ratings mark. In the mean time it will be amusing to see who does come to TNA now as I said Flair is rumored but so are names like Goldberg, DDP, Austin, RVD, and others.

One thing I can’t understand is the Austin rumors. Stone Cold wants nothing to do with wrestling anymore. While I firmly believe he can wrestle a few matches if he wanted to (provided the money was really good), all these rumors of Austin going to TNA are hilarious. I am fairly certain Austin signed a deal with the WWE for his likeness along with making movies for them. I remember reading somewhere it was some long term deal and all he has to really do is show up a couple times a year on RAW and that’s it. I can’t imagine Austin who by all accounts is a very smart businessman would want to go to TNA. Austin much like Hogan likes to control how he is used and if you remember back to 2002 when he walked out of the WWE when they booked him in a King Of The Ring match with Brock Lesnar un-announced. He basically said why the hell would you want to throw that match away with no build up what so ever on television for free. We know how TNA loves to throw away matches for free on television so if hell did indeed freeze over and Steve Austin does go to TNA and he does decide to wrestle a couple of matches how long do you think it will take him to say fuck it when they book him in a match with say AJ Styles on an Impact that has no reason what so ever.

I just summed up TNA’s problems in a nutshell right there and that was with a situation that there’s a 99.999999% chance will never happen. TNA has signed Hogan. They can sign Flair, Goldberg, DDP, Bret Hart, The Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, Stone Cold, and the list can go on and on and on and it won’t make a lick of difference because the people that are in charge of TNA are morons. These people are content with PPV’s drawing in the five digits. They are perfectly fine with doing house shows to quarter sold buildings. They are perfectly fine with their TV ratings being stagnant. Maybe I am wrong and things are going to change, but with all of these people in power and the way things are run right now the chances of any of this changing are slim and none.

For now we shall see where things go, but I’m not to optimistic. TNA has gotten peoples hopes up before only to smash them into a million pieces.


BREAKING NEWS!!!

Impact drew a 1.3 rating which is amazing considering it was up against game 2 of the Yankees/Phillies series and College Football. Well I can imagine people in TNA were gloating about this one.

Wow a 1.3…if it were just a regular night it would be like double that.

Of course this will bolster some people in TNA thinking that they can have a show on Monday nights. Never mind the fact RAW isn’t even top ten much of the time anymore but they have to be delusional if they think they can take on Monday Night Football. Monday is just to stacked of a night for them to run on so I hope there are some sane people at TNA and Spike and they don’t do that. If there is a second should it should be on Saturday nights. Either have it on at the old 6pm slot that wrestling was on TBS for so long or have it on at 11 PM. It would be way easier to take on SNL then MNF.

Before all this stuff with Hogan happened, the biggest story of the year so far was the one that broke about two weeks ago when Shane McMahon announced he was resigning from the WWE effective on New Years Day of 2010. To say this caught everyone off guard would be an understatement. So far there has been nothing from anyone inside the WWE as to why Shane suddenly up and quit. All there is right now is speculation that maybe he is leaving to start or join an MMA promotion since Shane has a huge love for MMA. Apparently Shane is about the same age when Vince started his quest for world domination so if Shane has had enough with the three-ring circus that working for Vince is, it’s not out of the question to think he wants to break out on his own. He has made more then enough money over the years plus his wife is loaded due to her being a Mazolla (as in Mazolla cooking oil). So between the both of them they could easily buy into a company or front the start up cash for one.

Another theory is that Shane is stepping down so he can go work on his mothers Senate campaign.

I don’t think Shane would step down from the WWE just to work for his mother’s campaign. If it were simply that then they would have probably said something by now about it. But considering how tight lipped everyone in the WWE seems to be about it and how some reports have suggested that you don’t want to even dare bring this up to Vince it’s my best guess he’s leaving to do something more then just be a campaign manager. If one had to speculate (and as I said before here on the Internet that’s all we really can do) I like to think he stepped down because he was sick and tired of how much the product is really beginning to suck. And make no mistakes when I say the product you damn well know I mean WWE Raw. It’s the WWE’s pride and joy and right now it’s controlled by Triple H, HBK, John Cena, and Randy Orton. Basically if you are on the wrong side of them then you are pretty much guaranteed to be firmly stuck under the glass ceiling. The WWE isn’t really trying anymore. Sure Smackdown is a great show and ECW does well enough for Sci Fi to be Happy. But RAW which is what Vince and company focus 95% of their attention on has been hit or miss for a long time now.

I think the culmination of all this was the Bragging Rights PPV last weekend. Yes apparently there was a PPV on but I’m not sure anyone really noticed. I mean I took the time to catch up on some sleep rather then shall we say watch it. It was barely three weeks since the last PPV Breaking Point. I read reports about how WWE Creative was stretched thin. Well no shit, I’d be stretched thin to if I had to keep recycling the same stuff over and over. They hyped this as the end of THE RIVALRY. I mean they proclaimed it to be a RIVALRY so I guess it had to be one between John Cena and Randy Orton. A one-hour Iron man match that was anything goes. See I have no doubt that Randy Orton could work an old school one-hour match. John Cena on the other hand well lets just say if he had to do the same shit over and over for an hour it wouldn’t be a pleasant sight.

The big thing during this match was at some point John Cena got split open after getting hit by the microphone and Vince flipped out and sent trainers and medics out and they stopped the match. This no blood thing really is stupid and this was more proof of that. Ok I can understand the need for no excessive amounts of blood. But a little blood every now and then won’t kill anyone. But its all TV PG now and well the only reason they are doing all this is to sanitize the product so none of Linda McMahon’s opponent’s have ammo to use against her. Though some are having a field day digging up old WWE videos since it’s hard to explain away shit like Katie Vick. I did find it funny though how they freaked out over a little blood yet about 20 minutes later into the match, Randy Orton tried to murder John Cena by blowing him up with the pyro.

Just so we’re all clear on the WWE’s priorities and official positions


BLOOD = BAD


USING PYRO AS AN IED TO TRY AND “KILL” SOMEONE = GOOD


Hey wasn’t IED the mental disorder they picked at random to explain why Orton is a sociopath character wise? Talk about irony there.

So if anyone’s wondering why Shane McMahon is leaving I think the WWE basically becoming lame and stale is the reason. And if you need some proof into the whole Cena/Triple H/HBK/Orton control RAW thing, guess who’s in the RAW main event for the Survivor Series. Why it’s John Cena vs. HBK vs. Triple H for the WWE title. I guess this is to sew the seeds of the DX break up cause you know Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels is a feud they just haven’t done yet (roll eyes). I read a couple weeks ago that this is apparently the plan as stuff like Triple H letting Shawn take all the falls and such is leading to Triple H going back to being a bad guy again.

See now if it were me and I were running things, it would be Shawn Michaels going heel here. Yes I know he won’t do it but there’s so much more potential for a full blown heel Shawn Michaels then Shawn doing his walking cripple act. Have Shawn snap and beat the shit out of Triple H. Now that would be interesting to watch. Triple H turning heel and beating the shit out of Shawn Michaels and them having another prolonged wankfest not so much. I don’t think Triple H could work the Shawn Michaels role of face in peril even if his life depended on it. Triple H always has to be the big bad guy and I honestly think he’s reached the limits of what he can be as “The Game”.

All I know is things are getting very boring on RAW and it’s only a matter of time before they go back to Orton and Cena. My best guess is Randy will win the Royal Rumble and they’ll set up for yet another match in THE RIVALRY.

Something needs to be done and soon and turning Ted DiBiase good just so he can promote a crappy straight to dvd movie won’t be it. There are plenty of people on RAW who can feud with Cena and DX with out it being the same stuff over and over. What I think they should have done was held a tournament to crown a new number one contender but as a rule, Legacy and DX would not be part of it. It would force them to push guys like Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, The Miz, MVP, and others out of the mid card where they all have been in a holding pattern.

Well Kofi might be breaking through to the top since he’s entering into a feud with Randy Orton after he trashed Orton’s racecar last week. I’m guessing we’ll see Kofi get punted for his actions so that will at least give us a fresh feud when that match is set.

Over on Smackdown at least they try to keep things fresh in a sense, as they are clearly building towards a Jericho/Undertaker feud and match. Chris Jericho and The Undertaker have never really crossed paths, which is amazing considering how long they both have been in the WWE together. I still remember during the Royal Rumble this year when Jericho had that smirk on his face and then slowly it turned to a look of fear when he realized The Undertaker was standing right behind him. Smackdown has managed to keep things fresh while RAW grows stagnant. It could be that Michael Hayes in charge of Smackdown and Smackdown is GASP the “wrestling” show. I think I’ve said that before but you know what it’s true so it bares repeating.

Part of me hopes The Big Show manages to win the title when they have the triple threat with him, Taker, and Jericho at the Survivor Series. Let Taker and Jericho feud and give Big Show the title because he deserves it. He should have won it at Wrestlemania. The Big Show has been the most consistent guy on the entire WWE roster next to Jericho and CM Punk at being awesome this year. If you had asked me say four or five years ago if I ever thought The Big Show would have a second career prime I would have said no. The man deserves a run on top right now. And by run on the top I don’t mean the usual WWE logic of sending him back to RAW and having him get lost in the mix.

Speaking of being sent to RAW, Sheamus has been promoted from ECW to RAW. Apparently Triple H really likes him so unlike others who have been sent from ECW or Smackdown to RAW he might actually have some hope for a future. I just hope they don’t change him too much by making him get a tan or try to lose the Irish accent. It’s fun when he keeps calling people fella. Who knows if things go well he could be the next Fit Finlay. I guess all he would need is someone to be a William Regal for him where they just beat the piss out of each other.

Well there’s something to hope for in the future. In the mean time I am done for now as I’m going to sit back and observe what’s going to happen. The next few weeks should be very interesting especially for TNA. I really want to be wrong about them, but they are now working with Hulk Hogan. Its really all a matter of is Hogan sincere or is he just looking to piss off Vince into giving him a huge paycheck. Hulk Hogan is probably the only person in the world who can pull that off. Piss Vince McMahon off and still make a ton of money.

On that note I am done for now so until next time take care and remember someone has to give you this information and it DAMN well has got to be me.

You can click here to send me any and all feedback at phantomlordnyc@yahoo.com or leave me some feedback in my Live Journal at phantomlord-lop.livejournal.com