It’s another slow news week, so let’s start off things differently as it will launch me quite nicely into some thoughts about RAW, SmackDown and so on.
Readers’ Picks – Now That’s What I Call Wrestling, Volume 1
This entry, sent by Dan McGillis might be the best thing I’ve ever found in my inbox in all my two years of writing for this site. In a couple of paragraphs, Dan demonstrates how the smallest of moments can take us back to our childhood when we could appreciate things for what they were worth and make watching as an adult a worthwhile endeavor – the very essence of this report.
I am a HUGE Kane fan, and have been for years. That no-sell of HHH and the destruction of everyone was great, BUT, when Kane and Bastista looked each other in the eyes and Bastista was JACKED, but hesitated for a second and then was like “alright motherf*cker…you got it big boy, your ON!” That moment right there made me realize why I watch wrestling in the first place. It put Batista over big time as a threat because for a split-second it seemed like Kane might be doing the usual “I’m a monster, but it isnt worth my time” but when they went at it, it drove the place CRAZY. The fact that Kane has a tendency to do that when someone might kick his ass, and he thought he could take Bastista, and couldn’t, is wonderful booking. Works well for both guys. Dead on with the booking both as a heel and a face thing too. Notice he didnt help HHH and Orton when Shelton was the only face in the ring like true heel fashion.
Anyway, I might have sent you something similar before but I just wanted to say…That made me REMEMBER the old days…before the internet and dirtsheets. It felt like when Hogan and Warrior met in the Royal Rumble for the first time ever.
This, my friends, is someone who “gets it”.
Kane continued his hot (so to speak) streak last night, delivering two effective promos/vignettes that kept two separate feuds going along nicely. As I stated last week, I have enjoyed the evolution of his character since the mask came off and I still believe that, if pushed properly, his sadistic attitude could make him a candidate for a badass heel-into-face turn a la Rock or Austin. I’m not saying he’ll achieve the same heights of popularity as those two guys, but the process could be very similar (and just as entertaining).
Now, I’ve already heard some moaning and groaning from a certain recapper about how Kane’s feud with Benoit is not getting the same amount of attention as HHH/HBK. Ha, you thought the complaints would stop when the SmackDown rants stopped? Let me clearly outline the factors at work:
– Despite dropping the belt, HHH, along with Evolution, is still the focal point of RAW. However, since a lot of fans out there in the IWC jumped on the “let’s forgive HHH bandwagon” after he put over Shelton Benjamin (which he did not even do in the strict sense), he does not make an adequate scapegoat unless some severe backtracking ensues.
– Kane makes an adequate scapegoat in almost the exact same vein as JBL does for why Eddie is cracking under the pressure of the sinking SmackDown ship. Both are historic midcarders who have been saddles with their fair share of dumb gimmicks and are not well known for their ability in the ring.
So, naturally, I expect Kane to bear a lot of the blame from the Benoit lovers out there as to why the SS Benoit isn’t storming out of the dock and taking over the wrestling seas. However, the real blame here is twofold:
1 – There are not enough credible heels in the midcard currently to bolster a face’s title run. Unless that face is overflowing with a Rock-like level of charisma, he’ll need some help from established midcard faces to carry a captivating wrestling feud. Oh, and by the way, Benoit does not fall into that category, nor will he ever.
2 – The booking committee has neglected this part of the roster for so long that the only credible heel to help Benoit is currently booked in another feud where he is busy trying to put someone else over.
Yes, bad booking still occurs on both brands. Personally, I’d blame HHH before I’d blame Kane and reserve the right to do so because I certainly did not jump on a lovefest bandwagon for him after he allegedly put Shelton over. Compare how over Shelton is to his opponent at Bad Blood to see what I mean.
Despite ALL of that, I’m enjoying Kane just about as much as I am enjoying JBL right now. Call it exceeding low expectations, call it pulling for the underdog or call it being a fan and appreciating good work. Kane is making the most of both feuds because perhaps outside of Eugene he is into his character more than anyone on the roster right now. The promos and vignettes come off on the cameras seamlessly and follow a pattern of behavior that adds to his character’s personality. Couple that with an impressive performance in the battle royal last week (although they should have let him eliminate a beaten HHH) and you have a solid contender for Benoit to face at Bad Blood.
Go ahead, blame him for whatever you want. He’s doing all the little things (my favorite is how he has made his voice raspier) to create a perfectly credible midcard opponent to bolster Benoit’s run, which is what he needs right now going into SummerSlam. JBL is doing the exact same thing over on SmackDown, exceeding all expectations in the process. It’s a good thing too – thanks to the booking team, there’s no one else out there to really do the job.
Now, those of you who read the column regularly might remember that I was all over the booking team for using the Big Show as John Cena’s opponent at WMXX. But, remember, I said that a Cena victory over Show was acceptable booking, just not the homerun it could have been if they had put Cena over previously and not turned him face prematurely. In my little world, a midcard heel like Show putting Cena over should have happened AFTER WMXX, which is win the heel Cena should have won the title and turned face. Feel free to assign blame to whomever you’d like for Cena’s non-run last year – I know I have my candidates – and we can save it for another column/report.
Missing Links
Josh Nason checks back in with an installment of The Fight Club. He makes a very excellent argument against TNA’s handling of ROH and other smaller rival promotions.
Nute makes a lot of great points in his latest column. Seriously, go check them out if you haven’t already, he makes a lot of sense and clearly makes the case that the best 411 writers hail from Virginia.
The Little Things
Let’s do this.
1. Old School
I continue to enjoy the treasure trove of little things that the Eugene character has become. In particular, the use of old school wrestling moves works both as a humor and a nostalgia device. I can’t remember the last time I saw the criss-crossing of wrestlers against the ropes in a match, much less the use of an airplane spin.
Coach also earns star points this week for pushing Eugene down as he ran around the ring before the match. Classic bullying all the way.
2. Return To Form
Speaking of old school, I’m glad to see that Chris Jericho is apparently feeling more motivated these days, at least judging by the little things. He has brought back the old “Raw is Jericho” catchphrase all the way back from when he first debuted and got a pretty funny raise of the eyebrow out of Orton after he called him “Randall”.
I used to love that part of Jericho’s promos. He turned Dean Malenko into “Stinko Malenko” and “Gene-o Machine-o”, Raven into “Raisin”, and Rey Mysterio into “Ron Mysterio”, among others back in his prime. Glad to see that back.
3. But On The Bad Side
I will agree with everyone else on this matter – there aren’t enough little things in the world to save Victoria as a face. I know she’s just about the only one capable of carrying the mantle right now, but the departure from her heel persona and all the little things that went with it is just too much to bear. The new entrance, Nitro girls dance moves, kissing babies and random gyrating just isn’t enough.
I believe I feel the way about Victoria the same way Eric feels about Rock – as a face I could care less, but as a heel she’s at the top of the heap.
4. And Stay Down
Perhaps the best little thing of the night was turned in by none other than HHH himself. After realizing that the man he and Batista mauled backstage was not Shawn Michaels, HHH gave Stevie another couple of stomps just for fun. A hilarious moment that definitely made him more of a dick to everyone watching especially Stevie.
5. While My Back Was Turned
I’ll let Eric take this one home as he picks up something amidst the series of HHH/HBK brawls last night:
as Michaels was being dragged away from Trip during the brawl in Bisch’s office, instead of letting himself be dragged away, Trip decided to get one last shot in. It was a fist to Michaels’ lower back, thus showing the audience that he’ll do anything, anytime to exploit Michaels’ biggest weakness. This is going to be one Helluva Cell match.
That’s it for me this week. There were a lot of other little things I left out, so keep the comments coming and I’ll see you next week.
Haley
