Friday, July 28, 2006
Even more wrestling on UK TV
Now, we are very lucky to have The Wrestling Channel on Sky. Well now we have a bonus show on the generally wonderful ESPN Gold (442 on Sky). They have started showing Waddell's Wrestling show. This is presented by the genius advocat and commentator of the underappreciated sports, Sid Waddell. They seem to be showing two decent old school wrestling matches from the World of Sport days, and being fairly respectful about it. Last night I saw Sammy Lee competing in a fight in the early 80s. I remembered about halfway through that he was familiar, and suddenly realised it was Jushin Liger, wrestling utterly ungimmicked and unmasked. There used to be a fine tradition of sending young Japanese wrestling talent to Britain to literally learn the ropes. Well worth a look.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Since you've been gone, since you've been gone
Well that was a long sleep. Away from here for far too long, and what happens in the meantime? They only go and revive ECW. Well this got me thinking, what ECW was always good for was scouring the world for great feuds between wrestlers to bring to America. Cutting-edge wrestling. Well here is something for Paul Heyman to look at. Blood Gen vs Do Fixer. Great tag-team action. Apparently a few weeks after this match, they had an absolute classic in Ring of Honor. Now it would be a bit cheeky to steal ROH's thunder, but sod it, you need something a bit different to get people's attention, and this would be wonderful. Hard-hitting, ultra-fast, chaos with forethought. I loved a lot of this, but I think my favorite move was an slick triple suplex in the Eddie style, but with much more speed and snap. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Raw "As Live" - 2/5/2006
To start us off tonight, Mr McMahon decides to celebrate beating Shawn Michaels and God, by taking the night off. So he declares The Spirit Squad to be general managers for the evening. They decide to give one of their number (Kenny) a title shot against John Cena, and a cheerleader-themed Diva battle royal.
Diva Battle Royal.
Victoria looks less than chuffed to be dressed so. Mickie James looks a lot happier about it. Haha, she does the boohoo face after the footage of Trish dislocating her shoulder. She should be someone's manager, I love how she has behaved thus far, they need to get more out of her. Trish trips Mickie up to cause her to lose. Yep, give them each a tag team I say. Sucky match, but hey, could have told you that at the start. Wanted to draw you in a little before I hit you with the bad news.
Spirit Squad (three of the others bar Kenny) vs Eugene, Golddust and Snitsky
Oh boy. I'll predict this sucks before we start. Did we ever find out what Eugene's drug problem was properly? Hopefully he has had proper treatment and support to get over it. It didn't suck though! Eugene wrestles most of the match, Spirit Squad win with a Jonny-go-round spinning kick to his head.
Matt Stryker beats Eugene up with a dictionary during an interview. Hey, I laughed.
Rob Conway vs Kane (Shawn Michaels as ref, wearing a May 19th t-shirt as enforced by the Spirit Squad).
Why Spirit Squad, with your sucky match choice, you really spoil me! May 19th is the date that sends Kane mad. Mainly because the promoters of his film didn't realise the Da Vinci code film was released the same day. And now Kane is mad. Not as mad as me mind. Rob Conway mocks Shawn, Shawn checks him for foreign objects, low blows him, and dresses Rob in the shirt instead. Shawn is a frigging genius, I tells you.
I do like Shawn playing the slight chicken, and hiding out of the way as Kane destroys him. Even providing a trash can "accidently" to Kane. Kane wins with no offence against him whatsoever. Shock, horror. Shawn makes the whole match though, hilarious throughout.
Umaga vs some guy
Quick ugly squash. Bored before I started typing.
Vince is rubbing Candices breasts. Great. HHH interrupts. He looks like shit, that is one hell of a cut from last night. HHH agrees to be the ref for the Cena championship match.
Edge introduced by Lita for his interview segment, the Cutting Edge, with Mick Foley. I love his entrance, always matching arrogantly out of the smoke. Looks great. Foley seems to have brought the A-interview with him. We get the highlight of the Wrestlemania spear into a burning table. Great move there. Foley calls for a hardcore rematch with Edge right here, in Columbus, Ohio. Edge chickens out for this week. They seem to be teasing a barbed wire match, but I will believe that when I see it.
Chris Masters challenges anyone to take on the Masterlock challenge, RVD answers the call. Shelton runs in and takes advantage to beat him up, Carlito in for the save with a chair. Mickey of the Spirit Squad interrupts to set up the obvious tag team match. Joey Styles is called to see them during a long rest hold in the match. Some brutal kicks from Shelton and RVD in this, ends up with Charlie Haas taking a chair off Shelton, giving Carlito the opportunity to roll up for the win.
The Spirit Squad accuse Joey Styles of having no spirit, and that if he doesn't call the match properly, he will have to appear on Raw in a cheerleaders outfit. Wooooooooooooo. I hope this is leading to him quitting to go to ECW. If not, I will be spitting feathers. Joey comes back, has an argument with the gloating Jerry Lawler, and ends up on his arse. He stomps off in a fury.
After the break, Lawler apologises, and asks Joey back out. Joey RIPS ON WWE. ON SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT! I'm going to cheer a bit here. YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAAY! Anyways, Joey tells it how it is. How it worked in ECW, why it sucks here. "I am sick of our own chairman"."I am sick of sports entertainment, and most of all, I am sick of you fans who buy into this crap"."I quit". Go Joey! Now why does Joey Styles (whom I think is wonderful) get to "leave" with this sort of dignity, and JR, who left because of a potentially fatal illness, got treated like pondscum? Go figure!
John Cena vs Kenny of Spirit Squad
Cena dominates the first couple of minutes, gets Kenny up for the FU, then HHH as ref punches him in the face. Cena gets beaten up by the rest of the Spirit Squad, but when he is thrown in for the easy pin, HHH counts slow. And starts to act up as the bad ref against Kenny. Kenny ends up frustrated and pushes HHH. Bad move, gets a thump, and HHH is going to take everyone on. HHH throws off the shirt and walks away. Spirit Squad attack Cena viciously, and then Michaels walks out ready to ref. HHH and Michaels have the longest staredown. Michaels stops a count, then superkicks Kenny. Cena and Shawn clean house. Kenny back in for the FU and Cena wins.
I think this week wasn't a great show, but I think it sets some interesting stuff up. I think this is the start of the ECW storyline, sets up a potential return for JR, and starts to ask more questions as to what might happen with Michaels and HHH. DX anyone?
Diva Battle Royal.
Victoria looks less than chuffed to be dressed so. Mickie James looks a lot happier about it. Haha, she does the boohoo face after the footage of Trish dislocating her shoulder. She should be someone's manager, I love how she has behaved thus far, they need to get more out of her. Trish trips Mickie up to cause her to lose. Yep, give them each a tag team I say. Sucky match, but hey, could have told you that at the start. Wanted to draw you in a little before I hit you with the bad news.
Spirit Squad (three of the others bar Kenny) vs Eugene, Golddust and Snitsky
Oh boy. I'll predict this sucks before we start. Did we ever find out what Eugene's drug problem was properly? Hopefully he has had proper treatment and support to get over it. It didn't suck though! Eugene wrestles most of the match, Spirit Squad win with a Jonny-go-round spinning kick to his head.
Matt Stryker beats Eugene up with a dictionary during an interview. Hey, I laughed.
Rob Conway vs Kane (Shawn Michaels as ref, wearing a May 19th t-shirt as enforced by the Spirit Squad).
Why Spirit Squad, with your sucky match choice, you really spoil me! May 19th is the date that sends Kane mad. Mainly because the promoters of his film didn't realise the Da Vinci code film was released the same day. And now Kane is mad. Not as mad as me mind. Rob Conway mocks Shawn, Shawn checks him for foreign objects, low blows him, and dresses Rob in the shirt instead. Shawn is a frigging genius, I tells you.
I do like Shawn playing the slight chicken, and hiding out of the way as Kane destroys him. Even providing a trash can "accidently" to Kane. Kane wins with no offence against him whatsoever. Shock, horror. Shawn makes the whole match though, hilarious throughout.
Umaga vs some guy
Quick ugly squash. Bored before I started typing.
Vince is rubbing Candices breasts. Great. HHH interrupts. He looks like shit, that is one hell of a cut from last night. HHH agrees to be the ref for the Cena championship match.
Edge introduced by Lita for his interview segment, the Cutting Edge, with Mick Foley. I love his entrance, always matching arrogantly out of the smoke. Looks great. Foley seems to have brought the A-interview with him. We get the highlight of the Wrestlemania spear into a burning table. Great move there. Foley calls for a hardcore rematch with Edge right here, in Columbus, Ohio. Edge chickens out for this week. They seem to be teasing a barbed wire match, but I will believe that when I see it.
Chris Masters challenges anyone to take on the Masterlock challenge, RVD answers the call. Shelton runs in and takes advantage to beat him up, Carlito in for the save with a chair. Mickey of the Spirit Squad interrupts to set up the obvious tag team match. Joey Styles is called to see them during a long rest hold in the match. Some brutal kicks from Shelton and RVD in this, ends up with Charlie Haas taking a chair off Shelton, giving Carlito the opportunity to roll up for the win.
The Spirit Squad accuse Joey Styles of having no spirit, and that if he doesn't call the match properly, he will have to appear on Raw in a cheerleaders outfit. Wooooooooooooo. I hope this is leading to him quitting to go to ECW. If not, I will be spitting feathers. Joey comes back, has an argument with the gloating Jerry Lawler, and ends up on his arse. He stomps off in a fury.
After the break, Lawler apologises, and asks Joey back out. Joey RIPS ON WWE. ON SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT! I'm going to cheer a bit here. YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAAY! Anyways, Joey tells it how it is. How it worked in ECW, why it sucks here. "I am sick of our own chairman"."I am sick of sports entertainment, and most of all, I am sick of you fans who buy into this crap"."I quit". Go Joey! Now why does Joey Styles (whom I think is wonderful) get to "leave" with this sort of dignity, and JR, who left because of a potentially fatal illness, got treated like pondscum? Go figure!
John Cena vs Kenny of Spirit Squad
Cena dominates the first couple of minutes, gets Kenny up for the FU, then HHH as ref punches him in the face. Cena gets beaten up by the rest of the Spirit Squad, but when he is thrown in for the easy pin, HHH counts slow. And starts to act up as the bad ref against Kenny. Kenny ends up frustrated and pushes HHH. Bad move, gets a thump, and HHH is going to take everyone on. HHH throws off the shirt and walks away. Spirit Squad attack Cena viciously, and then Michaels walks out ready to ref. HHH and Michaels have the longest staredown. Michaels stops a count, then superkicks Kenny. Cena and Shawn clean house. Kenny back in for the FU and Cena wins.
I think this week wasn't a great show, but I think it sets some interesting stuff up. I think this is the start of the ECW storyline, sets up a potential return for JR, and starts to ask more questions as to what might happen with Michaels and HHH. DX anyone?
Monday, May 01, 2006
Backlash Live
We've had our share of coffee, we have a day off work tomorrow, there are 3 hours of wrestling ahead of us, it's dark, and we're wearing a dressing gown. Hit it!
Carlito vs. Chris Masters:
Carlito steals a win here, in a slightly longer and more interesting match than expected. Credit to both for that. Crowd seem loud and excited, and this didn't bore them. Cool.
Ric Flair vs. Umaga :
Flair still has one of the best entrances in the business. Shame everything else about this match sucked. Overlong squash, Umaga wins.
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James (WWE Women's Title):
Tonight the part of Mickie James will be played by Mickie James, and the part of Trish by Trish Stratus. Trish took a real nasty bump off the top rope to the outside, and either did a great sell-job of an injury, or got injured. Gets strangled by Mickie for the mentalist DQ.
Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam (WWE Intercontinental Title )
Solid match with a few great highspots, Shelton blocking rolling thunder with a samoan drop, and using the money in the bank case for a Van Terminator being my favs. Also I don't think we've seen the split-legged moonsault out of RVD for a while. RVD gets the pin, the title, a cut over the eye and to keep his title shot.
Big Show vs. Kane:
Oh man, I wish I had taken my toilet break during this, rather than when the ads were on. Nobody wins, least of all me. If you want to know what happens, you can read something written by someone who actually cares about these sort of matches.
Shawn Michaels & God vs. Vince McMahon & Shane McMahon:
Shawn did everything he could to make this, but just not there. The God stupidity saw to that. Spirit Squad help Vince win. Wooooo.
John Cena vs. Edge vs. Triple H (WWE Title)
Hard work, but again, lacking something. HHH did the major major blade job here, normally the Heartbreak Kid is the leader of the bleeders, but this was impressive. Cena gets the pin on HHH for the win, HHH gets to beat everyone up afterwards. I reckon he gets the title on Raw.
Oh and as I've finished this off later, we now know that Trish was proper hurt in that fall, has damaged her shoulder.
Carlito vs. Chris Masters:
Carlito steals a win here, in a slightly longer and more interesting match than expected. Credit to both for that. Crowd seem loud and excited, and this didn't bore them. Cool.
Ric Flair vs. Umaga :
Flair still has one of the best entrances in the business. Shame everything else about this match sucked. Overlong squash, Umaga wins.
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James (WWE Women's Title):
Tonight the part of Mickie James will be played by Mickie James, and the part of Trish by Trish Stratus. Trish took a real nasty bump off the top rope to the outside, and either did a great sell-job of an injury, or got injured. Gets strangled by Mickie for the mentalist DQ.
Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam (WWE Intercontinental Title )
Solid match with a few great highspots, Shelton blocking rolling thunder with a samoan drop, and using the money in the bank case for a Van Terminator being my favs. Also I don't think we've seen the split-legged moonsault out of RVD for a while. RVD gets the pin, the title, a cut over the eye and to keep his title shot.
Big Show vs. Kane:
Oh man, I wish I had taken my toilet break during this, rather than when the ads were on. Nobody wins, least of all me. If you want to know what happens, you can read something written by someone who actually cares about these sort of matches.
Shawn Michaels & God vs. Vince McMahon & Shane McMahon:
Shawn did everything he could to make this, but just not there. The God stupidity saw to that. Spirit Squad help Vince win. Wooooo.
John Cena vs. Edge vs. Triple H (WWE Title)
Hard work, but again, lacking something. HHH did the major major blade job here, normally the Heartbreak Kid is the leader of the bleeders, but this was impressive. Cena gets the pin on HHH for the win, HHH gets to beat everyone up afterwards. I reckon he gets the title on Raw.
Oh and as I've finished this off later, we now know that Trish was proper hurt in that fall, has damaged her shoulder.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Backlash Preview
Ric Flair vs. Umaga :
Meh. Meh. MEH. Just the wrong thing to use Flair for. Umaga with a chicken-wing submission at 59:49 in an all-time classic. Or 5:03 in a sucky overlong squash. One of those two options, anyways.
Carlito vs. Chris Masters:
Calito grows on me all the time, Masters leaves me cold. So I will go for Carlito winning in an alright match.
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James (WWE Women's Title):
Sense dictates that Trish gets her win back. However, this has been the best that the Women's Title scene has had for years. Possibly decades. So I will predict Mickie James holds onto the title in a strange manner.
Big Show vs. Kane:
I predict a toilet break. Kane has a movie to promote, Kane for the win.
Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam (WWE Intercontinental Title )
Match of the night. Has to be, if it isn't something is very wrong with one of them. RVD to win, me to smile a lot.
Shawn Michaels & God vs. Vince McMahon & Shane McMahon: Let Vince get injured, let Shane do stunts, let Shawn wrestle and be fantastic, and let the God thing be as forgotten as possible. I actually predict I am wrong here, and we have a terrible religious angle overplayed even more.
John Cena vs. Edge vs. Triple H (WWE Title): Should be the second best match. I've actually enjoyed all the handicap matches they have built this up with, made a nice change how it all has been done. HHH for the title. Edge and Cena to end up in their own feud.
Meh. Meh. MEH. Just the wrong thing to use Flair for. Umaga with a chicken-wing submission at 59:49 in an all-time classic. Or 5:03 in a sucky overlong squash. One of those two options, anyways.
Carlito vs. Chris Masters:
Calito grows on me all the time, Masters leaves me cold. So I will go for Carlito winning in an alright match.
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James (WWE Women's Title):
Sense dictates that Trish gets her win back. However, this has been the best that the Women's Title scene has had for years. Possibly decades. So I will predict Mickie James holds onto the title in a strange manner.
Big Show vs. Kane:
I predict a toilet break. Kane has a movie to promote, Kane for the win.
Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam (WWE Intercontinental Title )
Match of the night. Has to be, if it isn't something is very wrong with one of them. RVD to win, me to smile a lot.
Shawn Michaels & God vs. Vince McMahon & Shane McMahon: Let Vince get injured, let Shane do stunts, let Shawn wrestle and be fantastic, and let the God thing be as forgotten as possible. I actually predict I am wrong here, and we have a terrible religious angle overplayed even more.
John Cena vs. Edge vs. Triple H (WWE Title): Should be the second best match. I've actually enjoyed all the handicap matches they have built this up with, made a nice change how it all has been done. HHH for the title. Edge and Cena to end up in their own feud.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Raw as live, 24/4
Opens with your usual for the past few weeks segment of HHH, Edge and Cena arguing. Well no talking from Cena. Oh, and Edge getting in a jibe about HHH's Father in Law, not quite saying that, but saying he was sucking up to the old man to get a title shot.
Anyways, just when you think this is all over, The Spirit Squad show up to tell them all 3 are going to be in a match against the five of them. Did miss the beginning of the segment due to a technical fault though.
Onto a 6 man, Chris Masters, Shelton Benjamin & Matt Stryker vs Carlito, Charlie Hass and RVD. Big somersault senton from RVD. Yay! Really fast-paced, and the London crowd really got into it, cheering every big move like crazy at the end. Hot crowd. RVD gets the pin.
Do you know what? I fell asleep after this. Masses of skits, all of them dull. I drifted off at some point. And to be honest, even though I rewatched the rest of the show from here, meh. This is as live. I'd have slept to the end of the live show, and they didn't keep me awake. Apart from a nice big elbow dropped by Shane McMahon onto a table and Shawn Michaels, this all gets a "it made flotsky sleep" rating.
Anyways, just when you think this is all over, The Spirit Squad show up to tell them all 3 are going to be in a match against the five of them. Did miss the beginning of the segment due to a technical fault though.
Onto a 6 man, Chris Masters, Shelton Benjamin & Matt Stryker vs Carlito, Charlie Hass and RVD. Big somersault senton from RVD. Yay! Really fast-paced, and the London crowd really got into it, cheering every big move like crazy at the end. Hot crowd. RVD gets the pin.
Do you know what? I fell asleep after this. Masses of skits, all of them dull. I drifted off at some point. And to be honest, even though I rewatched the rest of the show from here, meh. This is as live. I'd have slept to the end of the live show, and they didn't keep me awake. Apart from a nice big elbow dropped by Shane McMahon onto a table and Shawn Michaels, this all gets a "it made flotsky sleep" rating.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Raw as Live 17/4
Vince, get a blog. Yes we know you are trying to be controversial by saying God every five words. It might actually rile people if you put it in the right hands. However nobody cares about it coming from you. Those boring chants during your opening monologue? They really meant it. Pay attention please. Stick those wonderful stylings of yours online instead, where nobody will read them. Blogging is for you Vince.
After far too long, too many "gags" that you saw set up a mile before, he gets kicked in the face by Shawn out of nowhere. For good measure, Shawn comes back to give the "suckit" sign. All is right once more.
Rob Conway vs Kane? Hmmmm. Could this be a squash match? I think so. Kane is beastly, Big Show teaches him a lesson, ho hum.
Then a complete and utter change of pace. Chavo interviewed by Jim Ross about his retirement. Completely out of the blue, just a deeper, darker, harder interview. Face to face almost in armchairs, recalling the classic Mankind interviews. Why haven't they used this style more? The serious deadpan Jim Ross works perfectly here. Good segment, appearing to answer questions, but leaving more unanswered.
Shelton vs Charlie Haas? Brilliant :) Former partners and World Tag Team champions, and good ones at that. Neat little match, Haas shows off a neat one arm suplex a couple of times (sort of drops a shoulder then throws), RVD disses from Shelton with a Rolling Thunder of his own, surprise rollup for the lose, so RVD gets a shot at Shelton's title.
Shawn vs Umaga, fairly forgettable, but he can move a bit. Is the point of Umaga to remind Samoa Joe what he could have? DQ to keep up his monster push, then Vince almost gets to get his own back, before God or someone stopping him from doing so. Ouch.
Matt Striker and Carlito promo against each other. Really good stuff. Don't know if I want to see them wrestle, but I want to see them talking with each other more, nicely done. Chris Masters runs in to steal some heat he doesn't deserve.
RVD vs all of Spirit Squad. He gets squashed by all five of them, this serves no real purpose. A shame, because there could have been a quality match somewhere here.
Trish and Mickey serve up yet another well-written segment. If they could only wrestle, but hey.
And then, a Raw main event that doesn't suck. Cena & Edge vs HHH. Cena gets the monster boos, HHH gets the DX chop (where is that going I wonder?) and the sledgehammer, Edge plays possum in the classic Bret Hart style, and gets the win. Everyone (and yes I include HHH here) does the job perfectly. HHH throws Cena for one of the best and convincing ref shots I have ever seen. And at the end, Edge gives HHH a wonderful told you so glance that I think he stole straight from the Blues Brothers. Nicely done.
After far too long, too many "gags" that you saw set up a mile before, he gets kicked in the face by Shawn out of nowhere. For good measure, Shawn comes back to give the "suckit" sign. All is right once more.
Rob Conway vs Kane? Hmmmm. Could this be a squash match? I think so. Kane is beastly, Big Show teaches him a lesson, ho hum.
Then a complete and utter change of pace. Chavo interviewed by Jim Ross about his retirement. Completely out of the blue, just a deeper, darker, harder interview. Face to face almost in armchairs, recalling the classic Mankind interviews. Why haven't they used this style more? The serious deadpan Jim Ross works perfectly here. Good segment, appearing to answer questions, but leaving more unanswered.
Shelton vs Charlie Haas? Brilliant :) Former partners and World Tag Team champions, and good ones at that. Neat little match, Haas shows off a neat one arm suplex a couple of times (sort of drops a shoulder then throws), RVD disses from Shelton with a Rolling Thunder of his own, surprise rollup for the lose, so RVD gets a shot at Shelton's title.
Shawn vs Umaga, fairly forgettable, but he can move a bit. Is the point of Umaga to remind Samoa Joe what he could have? DQ to keep up his monster push, then Vince almost gets to get his own back, before God or someone stopping him from doing so. Ouch.
Matt Striker and Carlito promo against each other. Really good stuff. Don't know if I want to see them wrestle, but I want to see them talking with each other more, nicely done. Chris Masters runs in to steal some heat he doesn't deserve.
RVD vs all of Spirit Squad. He gets squashed by all five of them, this serves no real purpose. A shame, because there could have been a quality match somewhere here.
Trish and Mickey serve up yet another well-written segment. If they could only wrestle, but hey.
And then, a Raw main event that doesn't suck. Cena & Edge vs HHH. Cena gets the monster boos, HHH gets the DX chop (where is that going I wonder?) and the sledgehammer, Edge plays possum in the classic Bret Hart style, and gets the win. Everyone (and yes I include HHH here) does the job perfectly. HHH throws Cena for one of the best and convincing ref shots I have ever seen. And at the end, Edge gives HHH a wonderful told you so glance that I think he stole straight from the Blues Brothers. Nicely done.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Raw "as live" 10/04
Commenting on this show as I watch it back off my Sky+ box. No results known (for a change). We've started out with a lengthy and fairly pointless long promo between Edge, HHH and John Cena. I could recap, but I was pretty bored. Suffice to say, the main event is HHH tagging with Cena to take on Edge, which at least is an interesting arangement for a change. Oh, and along the way, HHH refers to Mick Foley as the annoying turd you can't flush away. This was memorably the same reference that Shawn Michaels made to Owen Hart back in the day, turning him into The Golden Nugget.
Anyways, onto Rob "I've got copies of those pictures that Mark Henry and JBL have" Conway vs RVD. Shelton comes out to commentate, and challenges RVD to a match over the money in the bank suitcase at Backlash. Which suits me fine. Shelton is fantastic in my opinion, and matching him up with RVD is a gread call. RVD wins in a squash match, frogstar to finish of course. RVD is interviewed on the walkway, and challenges Shelton back over the Intecontinental title. Interesting.
Mickie James does a great psycho interview segment with Maria, and offers her a title shot tonight. Oh and a first look at Kane's horror movie. Woo. I can hardly wait.
I've just seen it. Oh well.
Spirit Squad are out to defend the World Tag Team championship. Dumb gimmick in some ways, but they can clearly wrestle some, and they have also used a trampet a bit in matches, which I've felt for a while could be used to good effect somehow. Kane is huddled in the hallway, being haunted by the release date of his film. Good. Out for a rematch for the titles. Yadda yadda yadda Kane gets disqualified and chokeslams the ref and Bg show etc.
Umaga out to win a squash match. Uses his thumb to make him submit. Fancy.
Then Carlito discussing the dissolution of their partnership with Masters. Carlito grows on me the more I see him, always makes me laugh as a promo. Even pulled out a stunning double rope springboard move a few weeks back. Waffles Masters with a chair there, bit of style to it too. I love it when someone is handed a really dumb empty gimmick, and still make it work.
Mickie James (dressed of course as Trish Stratus) beats Maria easily, then is lauded in her victory by Trish Stratus, dressed as Mickie James, including going brown (or a wig, I'm no expert on this). Kisses her and everything, much to Mickie's confusion.
Finally, we get HHH & Cena vs Edge. The ideal way of using these two, getting Edge to do the bulk of the actual wrestling. HHH tries to steal the win, gets FU'd for his trouble, and Cena picks up the win. Please let us have Edge win this and wrestle other people after Backlash. No hope, I know.
Score this one two wavy hands out of five, and we're out.
Anyways, onto Rob "I've got copies of those pictures that Mark Henry and JBL have" Conway vs RVD. Shelton comes out to commentate, and challenges RVD to a match over the money in the bank suitcase at Backlash. Which suits me fine. Shelton is fantastic in my opinion, and matching him up with RVD is a gread call. RVD wins in a squash match, frogstar to finish of course. RVD is interviewed on the walkway, and challenges Shelton back over the Intecontinental title. Interesting.
Mickie James does a great psycho interview segment with Maria, and offers her a title shot tonight. Oh and a first look at Kane's horror movie. Woo. I can hardly wait.
I've just seen it. Oh well.
Spirit Squad are out to defend the World Tag Team championship. Dumb gimmick in some ways, but they can clearly wrestle some, and they have also used a trampet a bit in matches, which I've felt for a while could be used to good effect somehow. Kane is huddled in the hallway, being haunted by the release date of his film. Good. Out for a rematch for the titles. Yadda yadda yadda Kane gets disqualified and chokeslams the ref and Bg show etc.
Umaga out to win a squash match. Uses his thumb to make him submit. Fancy.
Then Carlito discussing the dissolution of their partnership with Masters. Carlito grows on me the more I see him, always makes me laugh as a promo. Even pulled out a stunning double rope springboard move a few weeks back. Waffles Masters with a chair there, bit of style to it too. I love it when someone is handed a really dumb empty gimmick, and still make it work.
Mickie James (dressed of course as Trish Stratus) beats Maria easily, then is lauded in her victory by Trish Stratus, dressed as Mickie James, including going brown (or a wig, I'm no expert on this). Kisses her and everything, much to Mickie's confusion.
Finally, we get HHH & Cena vs Edge. The ideal way of using these two, getting Edge to do the bulk of the actual wrestling. HHH tries to steal the win, gets FU'd for his trouble, and Cena picks up the win. Please let us have Edge win this and wrestle other people after Backlash. No hope, I know.
Score this one two wavy hands out of five, and we're out.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Welcome to jerseymonolith, my fellow blogger
Just a short announcement, in that I have invited my fellow Rangers-supporting wrestling fan jerseymonolith to also write blog entries on here. Hopefully we can increase the output here a little, make things a bit more frequent. Glad to have you aboard!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Harry Smith to the WWE?
According to what appears to be his Myspace profile, and several wrestling websites, it looks like Harry Smith is on his way to the WWE. Harry is the 6'6" son of ex-WWE wrestler Davey Boy Smith, the former British Bulldog, and also sadly no longer with us.
I didn't know a lot about him, so I went off to see what I could find:
In New Japan vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
Hiroshi has a lot of the offense here
In Stampede vs TJ Wilson
Now this is more like it. Looks like Harry knows his suplexes and his submission holds. TJ Wilson makes him look a million bucks here
In Stampede vs El Blanco Negro Dragon
Shows how good a wrestler TJ Wilson is, lets put it like that. Worth watching if only for the impassioned plea from a clearly smashed and single canuck female halfway through
I think from these he has promise. He is only 19 as well, so with a few years he could be something very special. If as he says on Myspace, he is going straight onto Smackdown, then he *needs* to have the British Bulldog gimmick. And I would double that up, and have him tag with Paul Birchill. Would help both of them a lot. Of course this is the sensible way to get him over quickly, I suspect what will happen is that he becomes Birchill's lackey, and is named Roger the Cabin boy.
*despairs
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Wrestlemania Report
Big Show & Kane vs. Carlito & Chris Masters (WWE Tag Team Titles):
Kane and Big Show win, I could have done with this being a little further in for a comfort break. Carlito can look good with the right wrestlers around him. This wasn't such an occasion. Big Show and Kane win.
Bobby Lashley vs. Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin (Ladder Match):
Okay, this was more like it, I would have opened with this. Shelton made some awesome moves here, especially the running senton flip up a ladder. Please put him in a PPV match with Van Dam or Hardy on a ladder, nice easy MOTY candidate there. Flair, RVD, Shelton and Hardy all worked well with what they had here, great spotfest. RVD gets the win and the shot, probably at One Night Stand II.
Chris Benoit vs. John B. Layfield:
A dull Benoit match. Something I don't often say, but this just wasn't the occasion that they would be given the time to do anything of note. As suggested, JBL take the US title.
Mick Foley vs. Edge (Hardcore Match):
If you look at what I wrote as a prediction, I would like to think I was pretty much spot on here. I didn't predict quite how violent it would be (spot of the night for me was the burning table spear by Edge to win). And your lesson in selling was Edge here, especially after the match where he looked like he had been blinded. Stunning work by him.
The Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell Huffman:
Suckfest. Boogeyman wins
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James:
There should be some special award for Mickie James costume designer, as I hav e no idea how she stayed in her outfit tonight. This match was also the first sign that the crowd were going to be awkward tonight, as they cheered Mickie all the way through. She played to it beautifully as the psycho heel, acknowledged it in a "Hey, they should cheer me, I'm right" manner. They put on quite a good women's title match, especially considering it looked like Trish's knee gave out somewhere along the line. Bit of a botch finish, due to that injury, but good work here, and interesting to see where it goes from now with Mickie as champion.
Undertaker vs. Mark Henry (Casket Match):
The Undertaker won here, and you all can breathe easy that you don't have to see a picture of my shaved arse.
Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon (No Holds Barred):
They used a whole bunch of run-ins and shortcuts here, to good effect. Spirit Squad and Shane Mac attacked seperately, to help get the old man through. The star, of course, was Shawn, who reverted to "DX Shawn" to win the match, with a massive elbow off the 20ft ladder onto Vince, on a table, inside a dustbin (3 shortcuts in one move there). Better than you'd expect, but no Shane vs Kurt Angle.
Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio (Smackdown World Title):
Good match. Kurt and Rey were part of some great matches a few years back on Smackdown, and this really showed. Awesome double-suplex by Kurt on the other two, Rey flew miles. Orton was good, Rey was really good, Kurt brought his A game I felt. Rey won and the tears flew.
Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle :
Biggest suckfest of the night.
John Cena vs. Triple H (WWE Heavyweight Title):
My word, the fans HATED this. Horrendous entrances for both, where HHH dressed as a rubbish Conan, and looked like he was hating every moment of it, and Cena was a Chicago gangster, but looked more like a flasher. No respect for either of the wrestlers, which in my book was fair enought as they put on a very pedestrian match. In their defense, there were so few shortcuts open to them, most having been done up until then. This was almost entirely wrestling, and that isn't really either of their strong points. Cena got the worst boos he has ever had, and every move of HHH was cheered in an ironic manner. Cena got the win, just to make things worse, and finished the evening in tears, possibly at his cruddy reaction.
All in all, more than was expected, a few really enjoyable matched here, where it could have all been bad. Possibly one of the better Wrestlemanias for a while. One to see I say
Kane and Big Show win, I could have done with this being a little further in for a comfort break. Carlito can look good with the right wrestlers around him. This wasn't such an occasion. Big Show and Kane win.
Bobby Lashley vs. Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin (Ladder Match):
Okay, this was more like it, I would have opened with this. Shelton made some awesome moves here, especially the running senton flip up a ladder. Please put him in a PPV match with Van Dam or Hardy on a ladder, nice easy MOTY candidate there. Flair, RVD, Shelton and Hardy all worked well with what they had here, great spotfest. RVD gets the win and the shot, probably at One Night Stand II.
Chris Benoit vs. John B. Layfield:
A dull Benoit match. Something I don't often say, but this just wasn't the occasion that they would be given the time to do anything of note. As suggested, JBL take the US title.
Mick Foley vs. Edge (Hardcore Match):
If you look at what I wrote as a prediction, I would like to think I was pretty much spot on here. I didn't predict quite how violent it would be (spot of the night for me was the burning table spear by Edge to win). And your lesson in selling was Edge here, especially after the match where he looked like he had been blinded. Stunning work by him.
The Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell Huffman:
Suckfest. Boogeyman wins
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James:
There should be some special award for Mickie James costume designer, as I hav e no idea how she stayed in her outfit tonight. This match was also the first sign that the crowd were going to be awkward tonight, as they cheered Mickie all the way through. She played to it beautifully as the psycho heel, acknowledged it in a "Hey, they should cheer me, I'm right" manner. They put on quite a good women's title match, especially considering it looked like Trish's knee gave out somewhere along the line. Bit of a botch finish, due to that injury, but good work here, and interesting to see where it goes from now with Mickie as champion.
Undertaker vs. Mark Henry (Casket Match):
The Undertaker won here, and you all can breathe easy that you don't have to see a picture of my shaved arse.
Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon (No Holds Barred):
They used a whole bunch of run-ins and shortcuts here, to good effect. Spirit Squad and Shane Mac attacked seperately, to help get the old man through. The star, of course, was Shawn, who reverted to "DX Shawn" to win the match, with a massive elbow off the 20ft ladder onto Vince, on a table, inside a dustbin (3 shortcuts in one move there). Better than you'd expect, but no Shane vs Kurt Angle.
Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio (Smackdown World Title):
Good match. Kurt and Rey were part of some great matches a few years back on Smackdown, and this really showed. Awesome double-suplex by Kurt on the other two, Rey flew miles. Orton was good, Rey was really good, Kurt brought his A game I felt. Rey won and the tears flew.
Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle :
Biggest suckfest of the night.
John Cena vs. Triple H (WWE Heavyweight Title):
My word, the fans HATED this. Horrendous entrances for both, where HHH dressed as a rubbish Conan, and looked like he was hating every moment of it, and Cena was a Chicago gangster, but looked more like a flasher. No respect for either of the wrestlers, which in my book was fair enought as they put on a very pedestrian match. In their defense, there were so few shortcuts open to them, most having been done up until then. This was almost entirely wrestling, and that isn't really either of their strong points. Cena got the worst boos he has ever had, and every move of HHH was cheered in an ironic manner. Cena got the win, just to make things worse, and finished the evening in tears, possibly at his cruddy reaction.
All in all, more than was expected, a few really enjoyable matched here, where it could have all been bad. Possibly one of the better Wrestlemanias for a while. One to see I say
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Wrestlemania Preview
I think I should just sneak this in before the big PPV. I've got mine booked, and should watch half of it live, and the other half tomorrow.
Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle : Wrestling will be the winner. Or not. Errr, Candice probably.
The Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell Huffman : I think it is likely The Boogeyman goes over here, and that this feud continues. I can't wait.
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James (WWE Women's Title): Everything bar the wrestling in this feud has been very worthy. Maybe we can change that here. I'm hoping for Mickie James to do something descipable here to win.
Big Show & Kane vs. Carlito & Chris Masters (WWE Tag Team Titles): I reckon Masters and Carlito just need the win more.
Chris Benoit vs. John B. Layfield (United States Title): Benoit would be the logical choice, but it is JBL, a man who brown-noses Vince McMahon so much he went back in time to his very conception, and altered his own DNA whilst in the womb so that he looked more like Vince. JBL to win.
Mick Foley vs. Edge (Hardcore Match): My sleeper match of the night. I think Edge will work his butt off to make this look a million dollars. It could be his big breakout moment if he manages it. Edge to win, having been through hell.
Undertaker vs. Mark Henry (Casket Match): If Mark Henry wins this, I will shave his initials into my hairy arse and post a picture.
Bobby Lashley vs. Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin (Ladder Match): The money in the bank match. Too many people here, should have been 3-way at most. I'm predicting Flair here against most logic.
Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon (No Holds Barred): I'm going to make a really mealy-mouthed prediction here, and suggest that Vince may actually get injured here, some sort of muscle-pull or leg injury. He doesn't have a place in such a match these days, his spot could earily go to someone else doing his bidding. I think Shawn has to win here. And I also predict no Bret Hart. And hope massively I am right.
Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio (Smackdown World Title): Could be an incredible match if we are lucky. Heart says Rey winning for Eddie, which would be wonderful. However the head says Randy Orton, I think she has been set up for this.
John Cena vs. Triple H (WWE Heavyweight Title): I'm almost as sure about this as I am the Undertaker. Cena hasn't set the world alight as champion. Reports from the Hall of Fame yesterday suggest he was booed to an incredible degree. HHH to win. HOWEVER, I am standing by my prediction that Flair uses the money in the bank win right now, and wins the title. Just a little hunch I have.
Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle : Wrestling will be the winner. Or not. Errr, Candice probably.
The Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell Huffman : I think it is likely The Boogeyman goes over here, and that this feud continues. I can't wait.
Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James (WWE Women's Title): Everything bar the wrestling in this feud has been very worthy. Maybe we can change that here. I'm hoping for Mickie James to do something descipable here to win.
Big Show & Kane vs. Carlito & Chris Masters (WWE Tag Team Titles): I reckon Masters and Carlito just need the win more.
Chris Benoit vs. John B. Layfield (United States Title): Benoit would be the logical choice, but it is JBL, a man who brown-noses Vince McMahon so much he went back in time to his very conception, and altered his own DNA whilst in the womb so that he looked more like Vince. JBL to win.
Mick Foley vs. Edge (Hardcore Match): My sleeper match of the night. I think Edge will work his butt off to make this look a million dollars. It could be his big breakout moment if he manages it. Edge to win, having been through hell.
Undertaker vs. Mark Henry (Casket Match): If Mark Henry wins this, I will shave his initials into my hairy arse and post a picture.
Bobby Lashley vs. Fit Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin (Ladder Match): The money in the bank match. Too many people here, should have been 3-way at most. I'm predicting Flair here against most logic.
Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon (No Holds Barred): I'm going to make a really mealy-mouthed prediction here, and suggest that Vince may actually get injured here, some sort of muscle-pull or leg injury. He doesn't have a place in such a match these days, his spot could earily go to someone else doing his bidding. I think Shawn has to win here. And I also predict no Bret Hart. And hope massively I am right.
Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio (Smackdown World Title): Could be an incredible match if we are lucky. Heart says Rey winning for Eddie, which would be wonderful. However the head says Randy Orton, I think she has been set up for this.
John Cena vs. Triple H (WWE Heavyweight Title): I'm almost as sure about this as I am the Undertaker. Cena hasn't set the world alight as champion. Reports from the Hall of Fame yesterday suggest he was booed to an incredible degree. HHH to win. HOWEVER, I am standing by my prediction that Flair uses the money in the bank win right now, and wins the title. Just a little hunch I have.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Silencing Joey?
The True Monolith pointed out this story about Joey Styles not getting to commentate on Wrestlemania. This is a real shame. Joey has come into the WWE, originally to add authenticity to the One Night Stand PPV. And he hit the ball out of the park, and has done ever since, in my opinion. Clearly Vince and the rest of the WWE braintrust are down on him for some reason, putting him in a 3-man team with The Coach was not really a mark of trust.
I do see a little of what they are saying here. It is true that when Jim Ross came in as play-by-play man, he did't quite gel. I think though that was the product more than him. He never seems to have got the respect he deserved from the WWE for how well he sold their product. Same is happening to Styles.
I do see a little of what they are saying here. It is true that when Jim Ross came in as play-by-play man, he did't quite gel. I think though that was the product more than him. He never seems to have got the respect he deserved from the WWE for how well he sold their product. Same is happening to Styles.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Your research for the weekend
Okay, two matches you can watch this weekend. The first is an encounter between Jushin Thunder Liger and Owen Hart:
The second is between Samoa Joe and Jushin Liger in TNA:
Watch them, enjoy them, and I'll be back around soon to offer up my own opinions.
The second is between Samoa Joe and Jushin Liger in TNA:
Watch them, enjoy them, and I'll be back around soon to offer up my own opinions.
So what should really happen at Wrestlemania?
So we all know what is going to happen at Wrestlemania right? Cena versus Triple H? It is quite straightforwards really, isn't it? We've seen it all before. Triple H seems to have the upper hand in the run up to the big blow-off match. Cena doesn't get to say much directly to him. Triple H hasn't had a belt in a long time. Hmmm, I wonder.
All quite straightforwards, done and dusted I feel. However, there is one opportunity going begging here. Ric Flair, and the money in the bank. Should he win this match, what should he do with his opportunity? Why, he should take it the moment Triple H gets the belt. Flair winning the world title at Wrestlemania? Could there be anything that says Wrestlemania moment more than that? We shall see.
All quite straightforwards, done and dusted I feel. However, there is one opportunity going begging here. Ric Flair, and the money in the bank. Should he win this match, what should he do with his opportunity? Why, he should take it the moment Triple H gets the belt. Flair winning the world title at Wrestlemania? Could there be anything that says Wrestlemania moment more than that? We shall see.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
And we have contact. Chocks away.
Well hello there, and welcome to Wrestling with Consciousness. This blog will be home to my thoughts on the form of entertainment we call wrestling. There will be a couple of posts a week, more if something really interesting is going on. I hope to express by own distinct view, and if I am really lucky, garner the opinion of a few other fans with opinions away from the norm.
My background is that I have been watching wrestling since 1975, when at the age of three, I demanded to be left in front of the television every Saturday afternoon. I didn't always get my way, but I did get to see a lot of sport, and 4pm, every Saturday, was when you got to see British wrestling. Kent Walton commentating, his measured exotic tones grabbing your attention, drawing you in to watch the likes of Mick McManus, Kendo Nagasaki, Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks lumber their way through their bouts. I liked it, yet I had a feeling there should be something more, something a bit more exciting than this.
In the very death throes of British Wrestling, I found it. WWF. Just for the one week, ITV showed a compilation of WWF wrestling. It was ridiculous, exciting, extreme and overblown. I loved it. It had, and this is the only time I have really felt this was the appropriate verb to use in any situation, pazazz.
I can remember two of the matches. The first was (I think) The Hart Foundation vs The British Bulldogs. I am quite sure of Bret Hart being involved. This was fast paced, just so different to the dull drab matches I had bored of in Britain. In later years, I was to find out that this was one of a series of what were considered classic matches. I think this is part of what drew me in. The other match was a Hulk Hogan match, and was classic Hogan ridiculousness, the massive extended beatdown, the comebacks, and in this case, a red plastic helmet with a fist glued onto it. I believe Wrestlecrap explains a little of what was going on with that, but I'm not even sure if he knew what was going on. This was very silly, and I laughed a lot at it. It didn't put me off though.
As we go on, I will explain more of what I think, know and remember about wrestling. Glad to have you here, if you have dropped by to see what is going on.
My background is that I have been watching wrestling since 1975, when at the age of three, I demanded to be left in front of the television every Saturday afternoon. I didn't always get my way, but I did get to see a lot of sport, and 4pm, every Saturday, was when you got to see British wrestling. Kent Walton commentating, his measured exotic tones grabbing your attention, drawing you in to watch the likes of Mick McManus, Kendo Nagasaki, Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks lumber their way through their bouts. I liked it, yet I had a feeling there should be something more, something a bit more exciting than this.
In the very death throes of British Wrestling, I found it. WWF. Just for the one week, ITV showed a compilation of WWF wrestling. It was ridiculous, exciting, extreme and overblown. I loved it. It had, and this is the only time I have really felt this was the appropriate verb to use in any situation, pazazz.
I can remember two of the matches. The first was (I think) The Hart Foundation vs The British Bulldogs. I am quite sure of Bret Hart being involved. This was fast paced, just so different to the dull drab matches I had bored of in Britain. In later years, I was to find out that this was one of a series of what were considered classic matches. I think this is part of what drew me in. The other match was a Hulk Hogan match, and was classic Hogan ridiculousness, the massive extended beatdown, the comebacks, and in this case, a red plastic helmet with a fist glued onto it. I believe Wrestlecrap explains a little of what was going on with that, but I'm not even sure if he knew what was going on. This was very silly, and I laughed a lot at it. It didn't put me off though.
As we go on, I will explain more of what I think, know and remember about wrestling. Glad to have you here, if you have dropped by to see what is going on.
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