First off, I wanted to thank everyone that responded to last week’s column. The feedback was resoundingly positive, so I will keep on keepin’ on. Feedback is always appreciated as are reader suggestions!
Secondly, I wanted to address a couple of issues about the column itself. The numbers beside the week’s Top 5 Little Things are not intended to be a system of rank. They are chosen from a pool of items that I found interesting from the show and worthy of expounding upon in the column. A lot of readers felt that Stevie’s exasperated “How’d She Do That?†from last week was the number one Little Thing and were puzzled over why it was supposedly ranked at number five. The reason is simple: there is no reason. I just filled it out that way. Now that we have put to rest, I want to say that instead of a long-winded introduction each week, I’m going to kick things off with the reader’s picks. They are more interesting and to the point of the column than anything I’m going to write about, so on with the show!
Reader’s Pick – Van Daaaaaamn!
Steve Paulson checks in with the following:
RVD’s Van Terminator is one of those things where you yell to everyone in the house, HURRY, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!
And he is right. This move symbolized the ECW style of wrestling and is the type of thing that demands attention when performed. When I first saw this move, I turned to my friend and said something to the effect of “Wow, I didn’t see that comingâ€Â. The same is true for Rolling Thunder, actually. I believe in this age where finishers are exchanged between opponents and devalued by multiple users and clean kick-outs, the Van Terminator could be used as an important trend going forward. I’m speaking of what I would term a “finisher beyond a finisher†move that a wrestler only breaks out for special occasions (title changes, for example) and generates an added pop of excitement and anticipation. The moonsault is an example that comes to mind that fits into the category as wrestlers like Angle, Vader and others used the move infrequently in past big-time situations. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, picture that move, Brock Lesnar and oh, WrestleMania, perhaps. That being said, I think Rob should save the Van Terminator for purposes bigger than bludgeoning one of 3MW, but we’ll take it where we can get it.
Reader’s Pick II – They Dropped the Bomb on Me
Reader Irwin noted that the Dudley’s have changed theme music to a song by Powerman 5000 called Bombshell and that it goes well with the rest of the Dudley entrance and persona. This made me reflect on all the Little Things that separate them from the rest of tag teams. I could write an entire column on them, really. Granted the tag team picture is improving in WWe, but imagine how much better it would be if the rest of the teams took some notes on the many small things that the Dudleys do that make them stand out. Catchphrases that I need not list, signature moves used during matches and to finish them, general chemistry and enthusiasm, their in-ring attire, and a back story developed during their ECW days that somehow never gets old (although it is no longer emphasized). The list goes on and on.
Again, keep the suggestions coming as they make the column a lot more fun to write (and read, I hope)! Now, let’s take a look at the shakeout from the post-Armageddon RAW 12.16.02:
1. We remember, or at least, we are trying to
I am a big fan of week to week continuity in both angles and wrestling. So nothing pleased me more on Monday to see Jamal put some extra effort into beating on RVD during their tag-team handicap match. To top it off, he even pointed to his head and screamed “Remember This?†while doing so. This type of stuff helps us remember what transpired last week and keeps us watching to see what happens. Good job for a guy who is supposedly in the doghouse.
2. Rivalry for the Ages
Some people will say that the Tough Enough series on MTV was designed for Viacom to wring additional ratings out of wrestling while it was hot. True or not, the first installment of the series created a natural rivalry that has mountains of potential. The pretty boy face who overcomes personal issues to win a competition versus an arrogant heel with a chip on his shoulder. You can’t script it any more perfectly. I like that they are bringing this feud along rather slowly and giving the heel some of the early triumphs (and using old-school heel tactics to do it). I do wish, however, that Nowinski had kept the book around as it was a good weapon of choice that fit his personality well. I’d also be leaving a huge stone unturned if I did not point out that every member of Tough Enough II seems like a distant memory right now. Hopefully they can pair Jonah from Tough Enough III and Al Snow and/or Bill DeMott together in a program to keep interest in the series going forward as they seem to have very good reasons to feud.
3. Bag Full of Goodies
If you want a weekly update praising the work of Goldust, you can bookmark this column. If there were a Most Improved Wrestler award for 2002, this would be your winner. The ringwork is crisper and the guy is being funny like his contract depends on it. I especially liked the “Want to touch my sack?†comment followed by the trademark sucking of wind and biting of air. The ass cream bit is icing on the cake, really, especially with Christian playing off of him so well (“What is this? An after-school special?â€Â). Personally, I think the world would be much more interesting if Goldust’s mannerisms were copied by kids and used against adults in a rebellious fashion. “What happened to your homework, Junior?†“I ate it .Ssssssssssssssssss RAH!â€Â
Ok, that’s enough of that. For now.
4. Ring Bearer
The announce team will get a mixed review this week. For the most part, they were on point, calling the action and inserting humor and promos where necessary. However, they did not do the Maven/Nowinski feud much good when during a debate about Maven using his mother to win Tough Enough, JR says and I quote “Let me make another point, Shawn Michaels is here tonight.†Yeeeaaaahhh, I am sure he is. Non sequiturs do not make for good commentary. At the same time I’ll give him props for the joke of the night when asking Lawler if those brass knucks of Regal’s were wedding rings. He immediately corrected himself with “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?†Good stuff.
5. What Haven’t I Been Smoking?.
This might be the breakout promo RVD was looking for to round out his character and get the higher-ups at WWe to make him an upper-tier star. Or at least I hope judging by the tremendous pop his one-liner drew. We all do, don’t we? He’s go the look, the attitude, the moves and the crowd following but we are all waiting for the mic work to kick in and make us REALLY care. This is the funniest promo he has ever delivered and it took yet another oddball pairing to bring it out of him. Be it Rock-n-Sock, Booker T and Goldust or whomever, never underestimate the power of playing off a total opposite. Coach also put in a solid contribution towards the goal of getting some quality mic work out of Rob.
I’m done. See ya next week.
