Welcome to the News & Views. This week I'm going to have a very brief Raw recap, followed by a preview of the Raw Homecoming show that I know we're all excited about, I'm going to skip the news section for this week because there's actually little to talk about in that department. To bring it home will be the three count section where I give my take on a couple things and the usual Q&A will be on last.
Before I get started, I wanted to say thanks to everybody that has written to me about that I Miss column I did. The feedback has been pretty overwhelming, and I'm still trying to reply to as many as I can. I decided against doing another column about it, but I do appreciate all the emails I got. Maybe one day I'll do a column called "I Don't Miss" that will be more sarcastic and light hearted than that one. With that out of the way, let's get started.
Raw Recap for 09/26/05
Very abbreviated this week since I don't feel like writing a lot on it.
The highlight with this week's show was the announcers trying to get over USA Network against the Spike TV censors. That was so much fun. Of course for me the show is on TSN in Canada anyway, so I didn't care a whole heck of a lot.
Show wise it was just okay. I thought they did a tremendous of hyping next week. I'm very excited about it. Since the football game next week should be a blowout with the Panthers killing the Packers, Raw will have all my attention although I will be flipping over to Spike to see some UFC too.
The main event was weird. A tables match? That came off as totally random. What I never understood in those matches is if anything is legal then why doesn't anybody bust out a steel chair or the ring bell to hit somebody with in a tables match? I never got that.
It held my attention for most of the show, but came off largely as a big commercial for next week, which isn't that bad really.
5 out of 10. Average show.
Raw Homecoming Preview for 10/03/05
I think it's fair to say that this is the biggest Raw in the last four years at least. Maybe ever. It's the only Raw that's three hours in length. I sure hope that's not a regular thing, but I think it's a great idea to celebrate Raw's move back to the USA Network. What I'll do now is take a look at the lineup for the show, then try to offer some predictions on what might happen. It feels like a PPV caliber show, so consider this almost a PPV preview type of thing.
Trish & Ashley vs. Torrie, Candice & Victoria in a Bra & Panties Match
Yummy. Trish is any match is yummy to me. Bra and panties just makes it better. I'm also becoming a fan of Candice. Well, actually, a fan of her body. I'm not a fan of her voice. I guess the babyface team is going to win here although really I don't care too much. When Trish and Vic are in there the wrestling will be good. When the other three are in there the wrestling will be sloppy, but really, who cares that much? This is not there to be a wrestling match. The Pick: Trish & Ashley
Piper's Pit with Mick Foley
Should be cool. The last two times Piper had his show on he got stunned by Austin and superkicked by Michaels. I don't see Foley attacking him. I assume this will start some angle for Foley since he's said he wants to get back into the swing of things a bit. Expect some young heel to interrupt this to start that program with Foley. I'll take a guess and say Carlito. I also wouldn't be shocked if Piper stayed around a bit more as a mentor type to the young heel. Maybe this is all a setup. Or maybe nothing will happen. I really don't know. Just guessing.
Edge vs. Matt Hardy in a Loser Leaves Raw Ladder Match
The winner of this one is going to be Edge. They've pushed him very hard on Raw over the past year. They didn't do all that to move him to Smackdown where they have plenty of heel contenders already. I'm expecting 15-20 minutes in time, lots of drama and as has been the case with them before, it will be a physical match. Edge wins and moves on to Cena at Survivor Series as Hardy goes to Smackdown. I just hope Hardy isn't forgotten over there. The Pick: Edge
Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle in a 30 Minute Ironman
I am salivating for this one. Their first two matches were phenomenal. The WrestleMania one is my match of the year and the Vengeance one is definitely in the top five for me too. I'm thinking that since Angle vs. Cena is rumored to main event Taboo Tuesday in November that they have to give Angle the win here. I'm expecting another match of the year contender and this match alone is enough reason to tape this show because of how good it's going to be. The Pick: Angle
John Cena vs. Eric Bischoff for the World Title
I know WWE tried to give us a hard sell this week on Raw to try to make people think Bischoff was going to come out of this a winner. I don't see it happening. I think what might happen is Bischoff will bring his goons out there to try to help him win the belt, so let's say Angle, Carlito and Masters. Then out of the back will come some help for Cena in the form of Austin, Hogan and Michaels. Cena will score the pin and will then celebrate with those three legends afterwards to get a big rub from the whole thing. That's a complete guess, but if they're bringing back Austin and Hogan for this they'll be on at the end of the show in some capacity, so this seems like it'll work. The Pick: Cena
The Return of Triple H
Will be good to see him again. I'm sure he's refreshed after all these months off. I think he'll come back to save Flair against Carlito & Masters. Then in a couple weeks he'll turn on Flair, revealing that Masters & Carlito are a part of his new Evolution group. That's a total guess, really, but I don't think all the Masters & Carlito vs. Flair stuff has been done without reason. I just think HHH vs. Flair is happening sooner rather than later. I'd love a faux babyface run for HHH before he turns.
The Return of Steve Austin - I'm so pumped to see him again. I have no idea what's up for him. Maybe they'll interview he and Hogan at the same time to maybe see if there's a match to be made for WrestleMania.
The Return of Hulk Hogan - Ditto to what I said for Austin. Difference is I'm not that excited to see Hogan.
Not going to comment on the Smackdown match since I like to keep spoilers out of this. I will just say that it's a good idea to incorporate Smackdown into the show since there's plenty of time to have a match that represents Smackdown.
Lastly, I hope they alter the set a bet. Not a lot because red is obviously the color of Raw. I'd like to see the announcers go back to being at ringside, maybe a new theme song and change up the entrance a bit. It's a new era, so there's no better time to give it a new look.
Overall, I'm VERY excited for Monday's Raw. Should be excellent. I'll likely have some sort of review/analysis up on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
The Three Count
1. Everybody is focused on the Raw Homecoming on October 3rd, but I'm interested in seeing what happens the week after that. I think it's fair to say the rating for October 3 is going to be the highest for Raw this year. After that, though, who knows? My hope is that this move gives them momentum to finish out the year strong although I don't know if that'll happen. Depends on how often the likes of Foley, Austin and Hogan appear or if they appear at all. The point I'm trying to make is I know this week's show will be a success in terms of quality and viewership. I'm just wondering about the future. Can they keep the momentum going? I hate to be so clichéd like an announcer, but only time will tell.
2. I was very impressed by Bobby Lashley's debut on Smackdown last week. He's got a fantastic look to him. He's also a very good athlete, so he should be getting noticed quickly. Not sure about his promos at this point although his look should be enough for him to get a big push from management. They're marks for size and this guy has an abundance of that.
3. Give TNA a look when it debuts on Spike TV this Saturday at 11pm (and replays on Spike Monday at midnight). I'm a fan of WWE and always will be. It's just that I love more wrestling. More good wrestling. When you watch TNA, I guarantee you that you will love AJ Styles. He's as good a worker as anybody in WWE. No, I'm not over exaggerating with that. The time slot sucks, I know. I'll be out on Saturday, so I'll record it. If you're not going to be around you should too. Give TNA a shot for a couple weeks at least. It might be worth your time.
For anybody wanting to read some recaps of the TNA show, we'll have a group recap at the Oratory at some point on Monday afternoon and we'll have that every week just like we do for Raw and Smackdown.
Reader Questions & Comments
As always, reader comments in yellow and mine in regular font. Some responses deal with last week's question about who you think WWE's Wrestler of the Year will be.
I'm VERY curious to know how Triple H will be used in that Raw Homecoming show. I might be wrong here, but I'm thinking they'll use the show as a barometer for his character in the near future. If he gets a lot of heat, I see him staying heel until at least Wrestlemania (this would allow for a hot feud with Cena). On the other hand, if the fans respond favorably to him (given his absence and how much Raw sucks w/o him), I think they may turn him face pretty soon. I agree with you that he's a natural heel, but he's been in that role for nearly 4 years again. I'm ready for something fresh. Since they're apparently not doing anything with Shelton Benjamin (total crime), perhaps they could turn Shelton heel and give him a legitimate feud with Trips. They could still put Triple H over but the rub would do wonders for Benjamin's character. Just a thought.
On the Smackdown side, I'm all for seeing Rey Mysterio in the main event picture at Wrestlemania. I think an Orton/Mysterio feud would have a lot of potential. One big question though. I'm very curious what might be done with Batista once his title reign is over. Is his character strong enough to hold up w/o the strap? Also, I'm so glad they built up Christian's jump to Smackdown so they could bury him once he got there. I think a US title feud with Benoit would be great. Not sure how much history those two have as enemies.
One last thing. I'd much rather see Bret Hart make a surprise return on a Raw or a Raw pay-per-view in Canada than at Wrestlemania in Chicago. Not that American fans wouldn't appreciate the Hitman, but I think the emotion would be a lot more intense if he was in Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal. Most everyone knows about the "screwjob" now and I think it would be ridiculous if WWE didn't use this to add to the appeal of his return. I know Vince might not like the idea of him coming across as the wrongdoer in that situation (which everyone already knows), but it would be a HUGE money-maker. Perhaps Vince could turn himself heel again and Linda could go behind his back to bring back Bret to have a face to face reckoning. Sound do-able?
Just curious about your thoughts on these topics. Still loving the columns. As always, keep up the great work.
Gary
Pittsburgh, Pa
I'm pretty sure HHH is coming back as a heel. What they might do is have him try out as a face for a month or so, then turn on Flair and set up a match for them at Survivor Series, or maybe as part of an 8 man SSeries match. Then they could do a singles match at the New Year's Revolution PPV and then for Mania he can go up against Cena as a fresh matchup. Of course, by then a lot of stuff can happen. I just think he'll be a heel and feuding with Cena. I'd love a feud with Benjamin too although it seems like WWE isn't high on him sometimes. To answer the question, I think HHH comes back as a face.
On Smackdown, I think Rey in the world title picture is something they're slowly building to. Like you said, Rey against Orton would be money. Imagine Rey winning the Rumble to get a shot? What a great story it would be. Rey deserves a shot. Forget the size. He's such a good performer that he can pull anything off, it seems.
Not sure about Batista. The thing with him and Cena is I really have no idea when they're losing the belt or to who. I kinda like that unpredictability, but like you say, I wonder what either guy could do once they do lose the belt.
As for our buddy Christian, I have no idea. It's like a yoyo. His career is up and down depending on how the writers feel that day.
I agree with you about Hart. I wouldn't be shocked if they announce some PPV in Calgary or Montreal in '06 if they can get Bret to agree to show up. He doesn't have to be in an angle. Just would be nice to hear his music, see him say thanks to the fans and get the ovation he deserves as a farewell. Would be nice to be on Raw, but it'll probably be on PPV. Vince is always about trying to make money.
Thanks for the mail, Gary.
When in the hell is Edge going to use his "Money In The Bank" title shot? I'm tired of seeing it. I also saw that Edge is supposed to beat Hardy in the ladder match at the Raw Homecoming. I would like to see Hardy AT LEAST get a title shot. I'm not saying he has to win, but at least give him a shot. What do you think about all of this?
Shaun Christopher
Edge is going over Hardy in the ladder match I would guess, yeah. I think Edge will probably use the shot at Survivor Series because I see Cena overcoming Angle in a rematch at Taboo Tuesday and they probably want to save HHH for either the Rumble or maybe even Mania. Then again, they could save Edge for WM22. I don't really know. If I had to guess I'll say Survivor Series.
Hey John .C,
I enjoy the columns that you do for Rajah.com. I think that you are a true student of the game. Anyways, my pick for "WWE wrestler of the year" would be John Cena. I think they have really used him very well and have given him the ball and he has ran with and has not dropped it. His feud leading in to Wrestlemania 21 and after with JBL was truly great and I give props to Stephanie McMahon and the creative department for really using him well with the championship. His switch to Raw was very surprising, yet great. His fued with both Christian and Chris Jericho was very well done and the promos that they did were very entertaing. Cena and Jericho's storyline leading into Summerslam was perfect with who's the bigger star. And thank god they used Chris Jericho well in a Title picture storyline (need we forget Wrestlemaina 18?) even though it was his final WWE PPV appearance, they put on a good show. His feud with Kurt Angle is truly excellent and I John feuding with Bischoff, it sort-of reminds me of the Mcmahon-Austin feud.
Well that's my pick of WWE wrestler of the year. Sorry this is so long, but you asked the reader's thoughts.
Vera
Good points and good reasoning for your pick. I think Cena would be probably sixthfor me behind Michaels, Angle, Guerrero, Mysterio and Edge. Cena has been pretty solid for most of the year. I just don't think his work in the ring is comparable to the others. In a couple years I could see him being the pick because he's definitely improving in all areas.
Hey man, love your column. In regards to your question of wrestler of the year, all your picks were good, but I have to go with HBK. His match with Angle at mania was one of the best matches in recent memory. No matter what spot he is put in on raw, the showstopper always shines. His match with Shelton Benjamin was excellent, probably one of the matches of the year for raw. So what puts him over Angle and Eddie? The fact that he agreed to do the job to Hogan. The fact that he carried Hogan to even a decent match earns him top honors in my book. That's not easy to do.
-John in Sacramento
Well said and I agree 100%. Thanks for the mail.
Hi John,
Michaels and Angle are always safe bets for wrestler of the year. But I think there's a guy who's done more, worked harder, put on as many, if not more quality matches, despite being booked less favorably than the big 2.
Edge. This guy may or may not be a slime ball in real life. I don't know, and don't care. What I do know is that he really got screwed out of the main event scene with the whole Matt Hardy thing. But instead of fading from the scene, he used the all the negative attention in his favor, giving us the only bright spots of an otherwise brutal Kane/Edge feud, and then again salvaging the botched feud with Hardy after the whole nice-guy handshake scene with Hardy and Vince...the promo that following week on RAW was as good as we've seen since Hart or Austin were giving heel promos. Because it was "real"...you could feel it. The real story telling that WWE seems to have lost the ability to do.
Then the matches with Hardy to date have been reasonably ok, with Edge being the better worker in my opinion. Kudos for Edge to putting ego aside and helping to sell Matt Hardy. The look on Edges face after the fall of the stage in Raw was priceless...And let's not forget the tear this guy was on before the whole Hardy-firing thing, I think a lot of us already have.
This whole situation could have really been a disaster (especially with the genius writers at WWE handling it). But it hasn't been. And now it looks at though Edge will emerge, against all odds, as a bigger, more unlikable heel than before. Just at a time when WWE needs a guy that everyone can hate who isn't named HHH. That's a credit to his hard work and focus during a bad situation.
I can't help but feel if we were to put Edge in Angle or Michaels' feuds, the actual quality of the matches would have been as good if not close. Maybe, maybe not. But when I consider the whole year (not just the big WM and SummerSlam matches) I think Edge has contributed more than Michaels or Angle, even if the individual matches didn't earn 5 star ratings. This guy has earned the push I think we all see him getting in the near future.
Just my opinion...keep up the great work.
Ken C
Good stuff. I think Edge is definitely in the top five or six. I'd personally put him in fifth place behind Michaels, Angle, Eddie and Rey. I can't ignore how bad the Kane feud was. Once Hardy came back and they suddenly came out with the "this is real, that other stuff is fake" thing it really made his three months of feuding with Kane worthless. Not just that, but I never found any of their matches to be anything above three stars or memorable in any way. Of course, if you look past that then you've got the great work with Michaels to start the year, the ladder match at WM21, the quick Benoit feud and the Hardy feud, which has been helped most recently by their strong cage match at Unforgiven. So basically, Edge HAS had a great year. It's just too bad that whole Kane thing even happened. That's why he falls behind them.
Hey John,
My question is what are your thoughts on WWE newcomer Ken Kennedy and what do you think the future holds for him? Every time I see him perform on Smackdown, he's continued to impress me with his mic skills (and I find him doing his own ring introduction to be hilarious) and his Lambeau Leap? It's a cool move, but if he ever messes that move up he's gonna be hurting for quite a while.
- Mike (aka Rajah.com's The Worm)
Belding, MI
I'm a huge Kennedy mark already and I have a feeling I'm not alone. I think that sooner or later he's a guy that is going to quickly move up the ladder in WWE. He's got great charisma, he's been able to win crowds over despite being a new wrestler to WWE fans and in the ring he's shown he can handle wrestling good workers. Plus he's got decent size. He's not huge, but he's not small either. The thing that really makes him stand out is doing his own ring introductions. It's just so unorthodox and difference in all the good ways that it makes him more appealing as a character. I'm sure people are already trying to imitate him.
The only problem I see in his future is that while his finisher is cool looking, it's a bit contrived. To have a finisher where you have to climb the middle rope and put the guy on your shoulder is going to be tough to do in the future. The best finishers are the ones that can be hit out of nowhere and performed anywhere around the ring. Still, it's something that they can certainly work around. It's a very minor thing, really.
To sum it all up, I'm a big Kennedy fan. I think he's got main event potential for sure.
How You Can Be Here
Email me a question with regards to anything WWE related. Ask me what I think about a wrestler, something from the past that you were wondering about, what I think about a match from the past (I can give you a star rating and thoughts on it, for example), a storyline going on or anything else. My only request is no fantasy booking. I know people like to do that. I just don't want to do that in this column. Another option is write me a commentary that's around 500 words at the most and I'll consider posting it.
Last week I asked a question. This week I'll do it again. I'll do it every week now.
Question of the Week: Who do you think is the BEST performer on the Smackdown roster right now? My pick is Eddie Guerrero for his ability to draw fans into his character whether he's a smiling babyface or a smarmy heel. He's also damn good in the ring. Who's your pick? I'll share some emails next week. Email me at the address below.
Send all comments and/or questions to me at oratoryjohn@gmail.com and throw in a name for me to reference to as well. I won't post your email address, but a name would be nice. A location is fine too. That's up to you. Remember this too: The better your grammar, the more likely it is that you'll be in the feedback section.
I really enjoy answering your questions and hearing your ideas for stuff. It's a lot of fun, so please keep them coming.
Column Flashbacks
In this section I'm going to link you to a column from my archives. Over the six years I've been writing online there's been plenty of things to write about, so I thought it would be a good idea to mention a column in this section during the News & Views that's available for you to peruse if you are so inclined.
In the same vein of my "I Miss" column from last week, I wrote a column called Why Do We Watch Wrestling? five years ago. Basically it summarizes how I got into the business as a fan and also why I still watch. I'd like to think my writing has improved over the years, but I am still proud of that column.
In Closing…
That's it for this week. No other columns from me this week. I'll be back Tuesday or Wednesday with a Raw Homecoming recap. Don't forget to check out the John C. Blog for my takes on wrestling, the NFL, Lost and whatever else is on my mind.
Smell ya later,
John C. - oratoryjohn@gmail.com
Links to check out:
The Oratory - The Best Wrestling Columns on the Net!
The John Report Archives - Missed something that I wrote? That's the place to go.
