Truth or Consequences: A New Age Dawns?

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Sorry for the lateness of this column, but it was a choice between hitting y usual Thursday deadline or having a romantic couple of days in Manchester (if that’s not a contradiction in terms) with my beautiful wife. Rest assured that normal service will be resumed next week.

This week’s column was going to be a little on the light side in any case (that is, lighter than usual) as my plan was to give my thoughts on WrestleMania 21 and how it has set up the feuds and angles that will carry the WWE into it’s new year. Typically, I’ve not had a chance to see the show yet, as I was working in Cardiff on Monday, which meant commuting down on the Sunday afternoon and, as a result, no chance of catching the PPV. Therefore, the essence of my column for the week will be based solely on the booking of WrestleMania and not the show itself.

Before all that, though, some e-mails.

Matt had this to say about my top ‘Mania Moment for WMXX…

“Choking back a tear? Screw that, I didn’t even try. I teared up. Hell, I tear up just a little bit everytime I see it. Winning the Heavyweight Title, at the most reveared wrestling arena in North America, if not the world; Main Eventing quite possibly the most hyped and anticipated WWF PPV ever; Beating two of the best wrestlers ever. And then, it somehow gets just a little bit better: He got to celebrate the win with his BEST FRIEND who defend HIS World Title just a little earlier. It’s every wrestler’s dream to do what Benoit did that night. Just a shame they all won’t get to.

Good column, man.

Matt”

Thanks for that, Matt. Writing last week’s column was a blast for a number of reasons, not least of which was remembering just how much wrestling can affect you. Over the years, wrestling has made me laugh and made me cry; it’s made me feel proud to be a fan and it’s made be cringe at the very thought. I’ve seen shows where a heel beatdown makes my blood boil, where I’ve felt a rush of relief when one of my favourites breaks a pinfall and where I’ve screamed at the TV, trying to make wrestlers tap out through sheer force of will. The thing is, I like to think of myself as an intelligent, well rounded human being and I’m reduced to this sort of behaviour over a ‘sport’ that I know full well to be pre-determined. What can I say – I love being a mark, sometimes.

Jordan Rimpela, on the other hand, wanted to pass on some info regarding the Hogan face turn at WM X-8…

“Hey there Kevin,

I recently read your article on your ‘Mainia moments, and I thought I’d share mine. I was in Toronto for WM 18. We all knew what was gonna happen at Wrestlemania, when at Fan Axxess the day prior, everyone whoud cheer like mad at the slightest refrence to Hogans name. Rock’s name got quite the opposite reaction, as you could imagine. Being there at WM18 though, it was surreal. Hearing the reaction on DVD still does not do our cheering for Hogan justice. Everyone was standing on their seats, chanting his name. Every now and then , some group of pissed off women fans would try in vain a Rock chant. Wasn’t happening though, as we would only shout Hogan’s name louder. They really should have made that the main event, because the crowd was dead after that. To tell you the truth, I barely remember what was after that match, sans the main event, of course.

Keep up the good work,

Jordan”

Nice one. That’s also an interesting point about Mania X-8. I couldn’t remember what the main event was, until I checked it out on the Wrestling Information Archive, as the Hogan-Rock match was so iconic and I agree, they should have ran with it to close out the show. The Hogan face-turn makes it seem even more important with hindsight, but it was already a must-see match, in any case. I’d guess that Vince just didn’t have complete faith in Hogan to hold up his end in the match, but e performed admirably in what is one of my favourite Hogan matches.

Finally, an anonymous e-mail from somebody with Giaginta as his(?) handle, regarding that good ol’d friend of mine, the Polish Prick…

“I just happened to read your horribly opinionated remarks of “Ivan Putski” I must say to you that for someone to have displayed such an amount of contempt for Ivan must have personal feelings of jealousy for the man, or your just an asshole who has to be right. He was marvelous in his day, and how a wrestler works the ring isn’t of importance as to how he/she can perform, and draw in the crowd, and bucks….which he did. FYI he was a great wrestler, and a powerful strong one at that. Furthermore, you had the audacity to say that you were sorry that a mention of him being deceased by mistake was a disappointment to you, was a terrible thing to say, and shows much about your credibility as a decent person, as the rest of your post degrades your intelligence ….And I must say that I immensely enjoyed this rant on you.

Where to start, where to start? First of all – yes, it was a horribly opinionated column, but then I was responding to a question from a reader regarding my opinion. Of course I’m going to discuss my personal feelings towards a given worker in my columns, be they good or bad, otherwise the whole thing is completely futile. I take your point, though – I did rag on Putski a bit, but I feel that I justified all of my comments. As far as I’m aware, I’m not in the least bit jealous of Ivan Putski but you’re probably right on the mark as far as my being an asshole who has to be right is concerned. Hell, if I didn’t think my opinion was worth something, then I wouldn’t be writing this column in the first place, would I? Out of curiosity, though, does your opinionated e-mail mean that you’re jealous of me or are you just an asshole who has to be right?

Just asking.

Onto your main argument, though – and I hope this is an end to it – Putski was NOT marvellous in his day and I defy anyone who might be reading this, including the man himself, to prove me wrong on this issue. Seriously – give me a match where Putski was anything other than useless from bell-to-bell, or a match where he was the one doing all the work. I’ve endured a Best of Ivan Putski tape, a few matches from the Wrestling Gold series and maybe a dozen more from throughout my tape library and I’ve noticed something. The only watchable Ivan Putski matches are tag matches, where he spends the whole time outside the ring. When he tagged with the likes of Snuka, Terry Funk and fellow champion Tito Santana, the matches had flow and pace, but who do you think was in the ring for 17 minutes of a 20 minute match up, bumping, selling and pushing up the workrate? If you think it was Ivan Putski, then you’re dead wrong. He, as with so many powerhouse wrestlers, would come in with the hot tag, no-sell some offence and hit the Polsih Hammer to claim both the pinfall and the glory for his team. I’m not being nasty here – I’d love to see a good Ivan Putski match, but someone else is going to have to find it, because I’ve just about given up hope.

You also say that how a wrestler works the ring isn’t important to how he/she can perform and draw in the crowd and bucks…which he did. I couldn’t agree more with you on that point. Workrate is not the be all and end all, no matter what certain wrestling ‘purists’ might try and tell you. If solid, dependable matwork was the only prerquisite for success, then all the amateur wrestling leagues would make millions. We know, of course, that pro-wrestling is as much of a spectacle as it is an athletic showcase and you are quite right in what you say. However, based on the evidence I’ve seen, Putski had few of those qualities either. His promos were predictable and usually appalling, his selling was substandard and whatever charisma he had just didn’t click with me.

Don’t forget, this is only an opinion piece. If Putski connected with you on some level as either a wrestler or a human being then that’s great, but don’t presume to tell me I’m wrong because I disagree. Case in point – I’m a massive fan of Abdullah the Butcher, who is widely regarded as being a terrible worker, poor promo guy, awkward seller – all the things I accuse Putski of. All of this I will cheerfully admit do and, like Putski, I’ve got a Best of Abdullah the Butcher tape, which, at least in terms of wrestling and promos, is just as bad. I have never claimed that Abby was a grat worker, or a smooth interview, but I love watching him in the ring – something in either his gimmick or his attitude really strikes home with me and it just so happens that the same cannot be said of Ivan Putski.

You’re also right about Putski drawing money – oh hell yeah. He drew hundreds of thousands of dollars into the WWWFs coffers. I still stand by my assertion, however, that this was a combination of him being a hometown hero to a large section of the promotion’s target demographic and also to him getting a fair few people turning up for the freak value of his bodybuilder’s physique. You may not think he’s particular freakish by today’s standards but in the 60s a 70s you’d have to go a long country mile to find a body as chiselled and muscular as Ivan Putski’s in a wrestling ring.

As I say – this is opinion only (albeit an opinion backed up with certain facts). There’s no denying that Putski was a big draw in the territorial days, but there’s also no denying that he sucked in the ring and on the mic. I think it says a lot that when Vince McMahon Jr. took over the reigns of his father’s company in the early eighties, he dropped Ivan Putski like a hot stone. This is the same Vince McMahon that wanted to start up the World Bodybuilding Federation and had a hard-on for musclemen like the Warrior, Rick Rude, Luger and the rest. In other words, Vince thought that Ted Arcidi, of all people, had more chance of drawing on a national level than Ivan Putski.

As for the remark about Puski’s death – get a sense of humour.

Glad you enjoyed your rant, though.

Thanks again for your e-mails. The link’s at the bottom of the page for anyone who wants to pass on their thoughts.

And now – on to the column.

As I said, I’ve yet to see WrestleMania – so I’m going to be out on a limb a little bit, here. WrestleMania is, traditionally, the end of the WWE’s year and it is often used to end old feuds and start new ones, hoping to garner interest in the company’s product for the coming season. In this respect, was WrestleMania a success? A post ‘Mania rating of 4.3 for Raw certainly suggests so, but let’s look at the big picture.

The Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio match was a blast, by all accounts and the suggestion from the match and this week’s SmackDown! is a possible heel-turn from Eddie. Loads of people had been decrying this, saying that Eddie should and must remain a face but I disagree. Eddie is just as good as a face and a heel but – and this is a big but – if he turns, then it must be as a serious heel. He needs to drop the phony accent and stop bragging about lying cheating and stealing and just be an all out dirty bastard. If Eddie can make the fans hate him (as in, hate his character, of course) then it could set up a decent main event at the next SmackDown! PPV, between Eddie and Cena…of which more later.

Edge won a title shot in another great match, beating more of Raw’s upper-midcard, by beating Benoit, Jericho, Christian, Shelton and Kane in a ladder match. Well, Edge will probably take on BAtista, which could be worse (this is assuming that Triple H doesn’t win the title back anytime soon). We could even see a triple threat at Backlash, as Edge has his title shot and Trips has his rematch clause. Edge could even think he’s really clever by slotting himself into a match with two guys who hate each other and will ignore him for most of the match. Shelton is such a phenomenal worker and an extended feud between him and either Christian, Jericho or Benoit would make good TV for the future. As for Kane, he’s just the kind of monster to put Batista over, if needs be, but at present, he seems set for a feud with Randy Orton. Failing all that, he can have some more matches with Matt Hardy when he returns.

The Undertaker remains undefeated at WrestleMania, despite Randy Orton’s underhanded attempts to end the Deadman’s streak. Should ‘Taker have lost? That’s debatable as his ‘Mania streak is getting pretty damn amazig now – he’s won more times than most of the roster have even appeared at the event. My concern is that there are no viable opponents for Undertaker anymore. He’s beaten the entire roster and he’s done it clean, for the most part. Perhaps, if they do a Draft Lottery, then ‘Taker can go to Raw and face Batista for a bit, or perhaps he can feud with Kurt Angle or the Big Show (again) on SmackDown! There again, a shot at Cena’s title wouldn’t be out of the question, but it would have to be booked very carefully. Randy Orton is in a more dire situation, having been treading water since his post-SummerSlam face turn. The newly heel-turned Orton is a far better prospect, so it’s a shame that he should lose clean to Undertaker in his firstouting since the turn and then lose to Batista in double-quick time on the folloing night’s Raw. I believe Randy is currently injured, so there could be time for Creative to get a game-plan together, but I’m not sure what the solution is. Again, a roster switch could see a reinvigorated Orton facing some new contenders like Booker T, RVD, Angle and, potentially, Cena, although the suggestion of an Orton-Kane feud could be surprisingly good, or decidedly awful.

Trish Stratus is the queen of wrestling, no question. She retained her title, yet again, and managed to pull a watchable match out of Christy Hemme, apparently. The problem is, where does she go from here. With the women’s roster being reduced to Trish, Molly and Christy, thanks to injuries and sackings, who really cares any more? How many more Lita-Trish feuds can you stand to watch? Or will we see Trish and Molly vs. Lita and Christy until the end of time? On a plus note, it’s good to see that some of the Diva winners (Christy and Michelle, in particular) are prepared to train and become wrestling divas, instead of just eye candy.

Angle vs. Michaels was as good as can be expected and it did no damage to either man, nor did it start any new feuds. The consensus seems to be that an extended feud between the two would cause more harm than good and I’m inclined to agree. Both men can wrestle against anybody on their respective rosters and have a match that is at least watchable, but I think Angle needs something with a bit more bite to it. Undertaker seems a natural feud, but anyone could have a decent match with the former champion. Personally, Id like to see Angle against Daniel Puder as they feud is already waiting there for them, though Angle could also put over his former associate, Mark Jindrak. Michaels seems to be set for a feud with Muhammad Hassan, which could go either way, but I’d sooner see him in a match with Daivari. After that, he could always go after Batista’s title, or feud with Orton and put him over like the Undertaker wouldn’t. Who knows?

So Big Show lost his sumo match – what happens now? Show is one of the promotion’s big attractions and he needs something to do, quickly. Unfortunately, like the Undertaker, he’s already feuded with everyone on SmackDown!, so where does he go now? A Show-Reigns feud seems on the horizon and I, for one, am not too bothered about that one (more on this later). As for later down the line, another trade could see a Big Show-Batista match up, or pit the big man against Triple H, Shawn Michaels or Edge. I do think that Big Show needs some direction, but what that direction might be is uncertain.

And so to the champions. Cena beat JBL for the SD! belt, which is great news for him, but bad news for people who like pro-wrestling. His match at ‘Mania, by all acounts, was a total squash until a single FU put JBL away. This is similar to his match with Big Show at ‘Mania XX, where the same thing happened for him to claim his US belt. I have no problems with Cena the character, who was highly enjoyable in the build-up to WrestleMania, nor do I have problems with Cena the wrestler, who can have good matches with the right people. However, if Cena is due a long title reign, then he needs to be booked as a strong champion. SmackDown! fans have had months of a champion who steals victory to keep the belt, we don’t need more of the same. I want to see Cena cream some big name wrestlers, getting in a decent amount of offence and a deserved win. Cena’s first defence will be against the winner of teh current number one contender’s title tournament, which probably puts him in limbo for a month or so, which is the wrong decision in my view. The champ needs to be visible and needs to be wrestling in matches that mean something. As for JBL, it would be a tragedy if he either gave up his gimmick or slipped too far down the card. He is a dependable upper midcarder and should be used to push new superstars further up the pecking order. Again, anyone can benefit (at least character wise) from a feud with JBL, so let him have a decent sparring partner. Booker T, perhaps, or RVD. Maybe even someone like Jindrak or Reigns?

Batista is the World Heavyweight Champion, which is really, really cool, but his reputation could live or die on the next few months. He beat Triple H clean, which is so far so good, but what’s up next for him? A rematch with Triple H seems inevitable, as does a match with Edge (or the possible triple threat I mentioned earlier) and then, any feud he gets into will be fresh and interesting. Since he turned face, Batista has only feuded with Triple H, so he could have some fresh matches with his new-found army of followers behind him against anyone on the roster. Benoit, Shelton, Jericho, Christian – these guys could put on some great matches with the easily-carryable Batista. Or maybe monster vs. monster matches are your thing – why not pit him against Snitsky, Tomko or Kane? The world is truly Batista’s oyster…if it weren’t for one man. Triple H – please don’t take Batista’s title back, unless he really does f*ck it up big time. If business drops, then you might be justified, but if it keeps on going the way it has so far, then let the man run with it. You can take our pick out of the others – let’s see another Triple H-Benjamin feud, or give us that Triple H-Regal match-up I’ve ben anticipating for months.

Is the future bright – I think so. Raw seems the stronger roster at the moment, but who knows what the future will bring? This last yar has been really good for the WWE in terms of content, angles and building for the future and I only hope they don’t f*ck things up now.

I’ll be back next week, same Bufton time, same Bufton channel.

Until the next time…farwell.