Shawn Michaels says goodbye, Jack Swagger makes history and The Dragon will finally be immortalized on DVD.
Opening Witty Banter
I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend if that was your bag. Mine was a great time and thus as I sit down to write this on Sunday night I am finally able to watch this week’s SmackDown and the always hilarious Soup that follows on E! Joel McHale, now there’s a guy I wouldn’t mind seeing guest host RAW. There was a lot of news that fell out of WWE post-WrestleMania so it should be a full episode this week.
Let’s take some ‘E…
The News of the Week
With WrestleMania XXVI in the past it starts a new year of WWE programming. The company kicked off the new year with a bang by crowning Jack Swagger the new World Heavyweight Champion, just three days after winning Money in the Bank. During Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Vegas, Jericho came out to address the crowd after his Title defense over Edge at WrestleMania XXVI. Edge came out to confront Jericho and a brawl ensued. Edge tore Jericho’s shirt off and exposed his injured and taped ribs and then hit him with his patented Spear. From there Swagger emerged with his Money in the Bank briefcase. He clocked Edge with the case and then signaled to start the match. He hit Jericho with a powerbomb and got the quick victory and earned his first World Heavyweight Championship.
Swagger’s push had been stalled since Survivor Series and his Money in the Bank win was not only a surprise, but his cash-in victory was especially surprising. That being said I really liked the move. It was another attempt at creating a new superstar and set in motion a new year of programming. Swagger has everything going for him at this point, but some weak promo skills. I’m looking forward to watching him advance on WWE TV.
Finally after weeks of NXT being on the air, more of the competition’s actual rules became apparent. On this past week’s episode the first ever Pros poll was release, which graded the Rookies on four criteria: win/loss record, strength of opponent, work ethic and overall “it†factor. The poll ranked the Rookies as follows:
8 – Darren Young
7 – Michael Tarver
6 – Skip Sheffield
5 – David Otunga
4 – Heath Slater
3 – Justin Gabriel
2 – Wade Barrett
1 – Daniel Bryan
From there it was announced that in six weeks another Pros poll would be released and the man ranked eighth in that one would eliminated. The elimination process would continue until four remain. From there a final winner will be determined. That winner will then be able to challenge for any WWE championship he so chooses that the next pay per view (which I believe will be either Fatal Four Way or Money in the Bank).
Okay I like that the competition aspect of the show is finally being revealed and played up. I also love the fact that the Rookies’ win/loss records are being played up ad nauseam. It’s the most legitimate sports style thing they have done in a long time, and it’s a great move. I am liking the NXT format so far and look forward to it continuing.
In more NXT news, it was announced via press release from SyFy that NXT will now air for two hours every Tuesday night with the previous week’s episode airing directly before the new episode.
It is a standard practice that a lot of reality shows seem to follow and I think it’s a great move. Apparently SyFy is happy with NXT if they are giving WWE two hours on Tuesdays now. Do you suppose this allow the company to have a two hour special episode of NXT should it so be needed?
Lance Cade was released again from his new contract on April 2. He was originally re-signed to the company on October 23, 2009, a year after being released from his previous WWE contract. During this brief return he made only one appearance on FCW television and never returned to WWE’s main roster.
I must say I am surprised by this release. He was riding his biggest momentum ever back in October 2008 when he was released the first time. In the middle of the Chris Jericho-Shawn Michaels rivalry, Cade looked to be on the rise. I figured after a year away the company would be salivating at putting Cade back on TV but alas no such luck. No reason has been announced for this second release.
It has been reported that Chris Kanyon, former star in WCW and WWE, has passed away. He was 40. Kanyon (real name Chris Klucsaritis), was found dead in his apartment in Queens, NY on Friday night, April 2, from an overdose of pills. The death is so far believed to be a suicide. Klucsaritis had been open about suffering from a bipolar disorder and depression and had apparently threatened suicide in the past according to those who knew him.
Kanyon was a star in World Championship Wrestling in the mid to late ‘90s. Originally he was part of a construction worker tag team known as Men At Work. In 1997 he transferred into the masked Mortis, a Mortal Kombat-style pit fighting character. In 1998 he ditched the Mortis character and worked simply as Kanyon, “The Innovator of Offense.†He had rivalries with men such as Raven and Perry Saturn and went on to form the Jersey Triad with Diamond Dallas Page and the late Bam Bam Bigelow, even winning the WCW World Tag Team Championships as part of the Triad.
He remained with World Championship Wrestling until its demise in March 2001 and was part of the talent package brought to World Wrestling Entertainment when WWE bought the remnants of WCW. Initially Kanyon found success in WWE as he was awarded the WCW United States Championship and later won the WWF World Tag Team Championships with Diamond Dallas Page.
In October 2001 he tore his ACL and remained off of television until early 2003 recovering from ACL surgery and other injuries. Upon his return to WWE TV he was used primarily in an enhancement role. He was released from his contract in February 2004.
He briefly retired from wrestling in 2004 but returned in 2005. He made headlines by playing the first openly gay pro wrestler, but did not return to WWE or have a full time run in TNA Wrestling. He later admitted to being homosexual in real life as well.
His last major impact in the pro wrestling business was when he, along with Scott Levy (Raven) and Michael Sanders, attempted to sue WWE for “cheating them out of health care and other benefits” and question the validity of WWE’s claim that their wrestlers were independent contractors. A federal judge in Stamford, Connecticut dismissed the case in early 2009.
Rest in piece, CCK…
The Great Khali finished up with WWE for the time being as of this past week’s SmackDown tapings. Khali told people at the tapings Tuesday that he would be taking some time off and returning to India, which was then relayed to the live crowd after his loss to Dolph Ziggler. As of right now, there is no timetable for him to return to the company.
I can’t say I’ll miss Khali too much while he’s away. But he is an integral part of WWE. The company always has an oversized giant or two on their roster. But after doing both the unstoppable evil monster thing and the big friendly giant thing there isn’t much for the immobile big man to do. Perhaps when he returns he should do the old Andre the Giant thing where he roams the roster randomly helping good guys out of jams. Or he could be face equivalent of Kane’ old role, where he is the mystery opponent of every no-gooder who needs to be straightened out.
In more leaving news, Batista has been telling people that he was looking to take a long break after WrestleMania. As of now, it is expected that he will take a break after the Extreme Rules PPV. This spring he is scheduled to shoot Killing Karma for WWE Films.
I have been ambivalent towards Batista for years but recently his heel turn has actually made him interesting again. I guess Batista always being gone for injury or some other reason and constantly jumping brands keeps him fresh but he’s going to lose a lot of good momentum he’s built up recently if he disappears again.
Ricky Steamboat’s DVD is coming out soon. Here is the synopsis for “Ricky Steamboat: Life of a Dragon:â€
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is one of the most legendary performers in the history of sports entertainment. The popular superstar made his name in the Carolina territory and went on to become a fan favorite in WCW and WWE. His battles with Ric Flair for the NWA Championship kept fans on the edge of their seats and his Intercontinental Championship match with “Macho Man” Randy Savage is considered by many the greatest match in WrestleMania annals. Now for the first time ever on DVD, fans can relive the career of Ricky Steamboat. This 3-DVD set has a biographical documentary feature on Steamboat’s life, as well as some of the biggest matches of his career.
Okay this should be a lot of fun, even if the bio (usually my favorite part of these things) could end up being kind of dry being that he was such a nice guy his whole career. But now that bit has been released expect everyone to guess the match selections. Naturally the NWA World Title and WWF Intercontinental Title wins will be on there. But I also expect/hope there will be his 30 minute Iron Man with Rick Rude, a tag match against The Hollywood Blondes, his Saturday Night match against Ric Flair in 1994, his return in 1992 against The Enforcers, some sort of singles match against Steve Austin and his final match against Chris Jericho. Hopefully some hidden gems from his early ‘80s WWF run, his ’90s WCW run and some old-school Mid-Atlantic action with Jay Youngblood will pad out the set.
Wrestler of the Week
Week of March 29 – April 4: Shawn Michaels
Okay, this should really be Jack Swagger’s week after his shocking World Title victory, but I feel he will have plenty of future weeks of grandeur. This week it’s only fitting to highlight Mr. WrestleMania, The Icon, The Headliner, The Main Event, The Showstopper, The Heartbreak Kid one more time. When this retirement stipulation was tagged onto his match with Undertaker I didn’t expect it to be any sort of sticking stipulation. I figured it would be just a vehicle to get Shawn off TV for his yearly vacation, only to see him pop back by SummerSlam or Survivor Series. However based on his goodbye live at WrestleMania, the tribute that followed on RAW and his own tearful goodbye speech, I am actually starting to believe it will stick, or as much as a pro wrestling retirement does stick. When Ric Flair retired two years ago I said that only Undertaker and Shawn Michaels would probably warrant such an equally grand retirement. Instead Michaels went out with a much more simple and, dare I say, heartfelt goodbye. I bought into the emotion and moment of Flair retiring, but didn’t (and still really don’t now) believe that we’ve seen the last of Michaels inside the ring performing. For that this goodbye ceremony was great to see, but I won’t feel bittersweet if/when he returns down the road. Unlike Flair, he doesn’t need the money and from most accounts seems like a guy that can separate his personal and professional lives these days. Thus the desire to be “The Heartbreak Kid†24/7 doesn’t seem to be an issue any more. Regardless with Shawn and Bret leaving on the same night, the rumors of the Mr. McMahon character being retired and a brand new, first time World Champion it does feel like a new day in WWE.
Like it’s been said all week, Thank You Shawn.
RAW’s On Tonight!
A full week after WrestleMania XXVI, WWE now has time to catch their breath and get ready for the upcoming year. With no guest host lined up the company made I smart and fun play by putting NXT Rookie David “A-List†Otunga in charge for the night via his victory in a Rookie battle royal. With Extreme Rules only a few weeks away the show should feature a lot of the build-up for the upcoming event, most likely rematches from WrestleMania. Plus with no obnoxious side projects for the guest host to pimp hopefully the stupid skits and shoehorned gimmick matches will be less prevalent.
On Last Week’s Episode…
Eison and Wheeler cover Friday Night Swagger…I mean SmackDown.
Ivan covers a fun episode of NXT, completely highlighted by Chris Jericho’s commentary.
Marshall and Wheeler bring the love for the post-WrestleMania RAW.
How They Rated
SmackDown! (3.19.10) – 1.8
Superstars (3.25.10) – .93
Hall of Fame (3.27.10) – 1.3
A.M. RAW (3.28.10) – .65
RAW (3.29.10) – 3.7
Impact (3.29.10) – .6
NXT (3.30.10) – 1.0
This is Boring, What Else is There to Read?
Over the week Pulse was full of WrestleMania fallout and analysis. Hands down this has to have been the best team coverage for an event I’ve seen since I’ve been with Pulse in three years. Check out analysis from Wheeler, Burnside and Will Pruett, who was there live. Plus check out Ricardo’s recap from ROH’s Saturday afternoon show, which he was on hand for.
Check out issue seven of The Wrestling Press, featuring yours truly, among many other talented scribes…
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For more relevant, interesting and exciting wrestling information from your truly, check out my gig as the Pro Wrestling Examiner over at Examiner.com.
