Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up coming in March

At some point in March, likely the first week (which of course is this coming week), I’ll be debuting a new monthly column series called: Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up. Nothing super spectacular, just a column devoted solely to women’s wrestling. It’ll feature a spotlight on one wrestler each month and the bulk (or meat) of the column will be under the heading of NEWSBEATS, which is just a rundown of women’s wrestling news and noteworthy events that took place during the previous month. The first edition if the March 2010 edition, covering women’s wrestling only from February 2010.

Here’s a small teaser, the first “Spotlight” is on Daffney:

Something strange happened in TNA in February; a push actually got underway for “Zombie Hot” herself, Daffney. There’s finally a fresh face stepping into the Knockout’s Championship scene, and I could not be happier about it. Daffney is a solid wrestler, but for whatever reason she has always taken a backseat in the Knockouts division. When she first came to TNA, she did the Sarah Palin thing, and once that ran its course, she reverted back to the Daffney we came to know and love in WCW. Unfortunately, wrestling took a backseat for the most part, as she hooked up with Stevie Richards and Raven. Strides were finally made in the Knockouts division when Daffney destroyed the Knockouts Champion, Tara, on the February 18th episode of “Impact”.

End teaser. Look for the full column in March in the LOP Columns Forum and at HeelZone.com.

Taxman Obama

I love this little cut up of an Obama speech so that he’s singing Taxman by the Beatles. It is most awesome, and so true too.

Abyss and Hulk Hogan’s Hall-of-Fame Ring

Anyone care to explain to me why Hulk Hogan’s WWE Hall of Fame ring is being presented like it gives Abyss magical powers? The Undertaker’s Urn was pretty stupid, but this takes the cake. They could have bought Superstar Bill Graham’s ring a while back, and sparred up this melodrama nonsense.

I’ve got nothing against Abyss, he’s a good big-man wrestler. I don’t know what Hogan sees him, but he needs to get his old eyes checked. Abyss will never, ever, be like John Cena. If Hogan’s intent is to build someone to that level, then there are several guys on the TNA roster who have a much better shot than Abyss does. It sure as hell isn’t going to happen when he’s clinging to someone else’s Hall of Fame ring and pretending he’s drawing strength from it.

Sure, I get that Abyss has been the cowardly lion for several months (a year, whatever). But could they not have found something, ANYTHING, better to represent the cowardly lion getting his courage than Hulk Hogan’s Hall of Fame ring? I suppose it is nice that TNA treats the WWE Hall of Fame like it is something uber-special that turns mortal men into immortal gods or whatever.

They should hire other WWE Hall of Famer’s, and have them give their rings to TNA talent as well. If we can get five people (including Abyss) with WWE Hall of Fame rings, then who knows what might happen when their powers combine. Maybe Kaz can be repackaged as another superhero…

AVFR #97 Posted

A View From the Rafters #97: Sheamus Got Screwed has been posted in the LOP Columns Forum. Click here to read it. Teaser posted below:

It’s been a few days now, and I still haven’t “gotten over” what transpired at WWE’s Elimination Chamber event and Monday’s RAW. More specifically, I’m referring to Sheamus losing the championship, and then getting screwed out of his rematch. It doesn’t sit well with me as a fan of Sheamus, and it doesn’t sit well with me as a “loyal” WWE viewer. John Cena can come out on RAW and talk about being added to the list of people Vince McMahon has screwed, but it was Sheamus who was actually screwed.

I know that a large portion of Internet fans were opposed to Sheamus winning the title back in December. To be honest, if I were the booker, I would have never had him win the title. But he did win it, and that can’t be erased. He also went on to hold the title longer than anyone expected him too, but he didn’t hold it long enough. You see, once Sheamus won the title, every thing changed. It became a case, to me, where WWE launched him prematurely to the title and should thus have the balls to see it through completely. You don’t give the title to someone in the middle of December, and then have that person drop the title one month before WrestleMania.

Click to finish reading!

Rep. Ron Paul Questions Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Paul questions her regarding spending at the State Department.

As always, Paul brings up the real issues and ask the tough questions. And as usual, Hillary’s answers are unsatisfactory.

WWE Superstars 02/25/10 Preview

I’m actually kind of looking forward to Superstars tomorrow night. I haven’t read the spoilers, but I really hope they give Primo and Zack Ryder a good seven to ten minutes. Probably asking for too much, but those two can go and this program should really be utilized to let guys like this get the opportunity to showcase what they can do. These are two guys who could really benefit from WWE having a cruiserweight division.

Other matches scheduled for Superstars is:

– Matt Hardy, Great Khali and Maria against The Hart Dynasty

– Chris Masters and Santino vs. Jack Swagger and William Regal

I really hate the pairing of Hardy and Khali. It just doesn’t make sense, and it isn’t doing anything to help Matt. Matt, if you get a chance, bolt and join your brother in TNA. Now, Masters and Santino should make for a humorous team, I actually wouldn’t be opposed to them becoming a full time team. William Regal and Jack Swagger also make a wonderful pairing, for much different reasons than Masters/Santino. Should be a fun match, although the odds of Regal and Swagger completely dominating is sitting at 99%. Tough break for the comedy duo.

I’m kind of going to miss this show being my lead in to Impact, once TNA makes the change over to Monday nights on March 8th.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Trailer – Nintendo Media Summit

Yes please! Loved the first Super Mario Galaxy, and this one looks just as good. Really, cannot wait for this game. May 23rd can’t come fast enough. Going to have to go back now and play the first one again. Wii needs dusting off anyway,

WWE NXT Weekly Recap – Week 1

The premiere episode of NXT is in the history books, and I absolutely loved it. I was a big fan of ECW in the same time slot. ECW was a great hour of wrestling, and I believe it accomplished a lot of good things and was a success in making new stars. NXT I believe can top that and really shine as a special show. If the first show is to be judged, then I think it should be fantastic more often than not. The show is more in tune with what I wanted to see when I wrote my ECW/NXT column a few weeks back. Some had said it would be like Ultimate Fighter and that they would really go for the reality aspect. It isn’t like that, I’m glad. The realism aspect was there, and was a nice touch the way I wanted it to be (American Idol like). I love the feel of it with the different camera angles. Overall, the show should be a success and I’m glad they’re doing it. If ECW had to end, this is a great replacement.

– Daniel Bryan did a great job in cutting a promo in front of a large WWE crowd for the first time. Most people know that he is exceptionally gifted in the ring, but this was certainly a good step forward in the department that doesn’t involve actual wrestling. He got the crowd behind him and he delivered some good lines. Saying he wanted Regal as his mentor was good fun for those of us on the Internet, because of their history, but it isn’t the thing a babyface should be saying to the WWE Universe. But that’s no big deal. Miz was great in his role, no doubt. Just a great opening segment and yes, I do believe Daniel’s catchphrase can catch on; TAP OR SNAP!

– Really enjoyed the American Idol-esque profile videos on Michael Tarver and Heath Slater. Wasn’t overly impressed by the match, but it was okay. Tarver is very green, there’s no denying that. It will be interesting to see how he develops on the show. He has the look, but in the ring, it really wasn’t there. Maybe his promo skills will be better. Heath Slater on the other hand can be a star. He displayed good charisma and was solid in the ring. He has a bright future. I saw Slater wrestle Primo at a house show back in October of last year, and he did an excellent job of generating heel heat both on the mic and in the ring. He can connect with the audience. Slater is definitely one to watch, and with Christian as his mentor, should have an excellent run on NXT.

– David Otunga has the look, and the personality, to be a big star. I would say he has a very long way to go in terms of developing as a wrestler, but then it’s not like that’s every stopped WWE from pushing someone with “the look” before. Presence wise, Otunga overshadows his mentor R-Truth and I love the way he essentially paid no attention to Truth’s crappy entrance. All business, I dig that. Darren Young should be thankful CM Punk is his mentor, because he certainly wasn’t given the opportunity to make a very good impression tonight. He has an interesting look. To be honest, he looks like a white guy who tanned a little too long. The match between Otunga and Young resulted in a 37 second victory for Otunga, and a hilariously disgusted CM Punk. These two had 37 seconds, and managed to botch a relatively simple spine-buster. Much work here, but there’s definitely something to Otunga. And if nothing else, Young/Punk should be a fun pair.

– Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho had a really solid match. Jericho did more than enough to let Daniel look good, as he should. Jericho is the World Champion, he’s going to be main-eventing WrestleMania, and Daniel is the “rookie”, so it was obvious that Jericho would pick up the win (which he definitely should have). Bryan got in a lot of offense though, and he took it to the World Champion. He did enough to make a great impression, and I think the whole show really solidified the belief many of us have that Daniel will be the focal point of the show. He almost made Jericho tap out. He then tapped to the Liontamer. Note, not the Walls of Jericho, but oldschool LIONTAMER. Fantastic. The post match beat down was very well done. Season One last three months, and by the time it is over, Daniel and Miz will have really gotten the WWE Universe behind Daniel. Once Bryan has enough and gets the opportunity, the crowd will explode when he silences the loud Miz. I can’t wait to see that.

Week one has to be considered a success, as far as a wrestling product. As a fan, the ratings don’t mean much of anything to me. This show has kicked off with a bang. It did have its faults; I don’t like that they didn’t mention any sort of scoring/measuring system. It’s suppose to be a reality competition, so let the people know who is doing the judging and on what criteria. Of course the commercial breaks near the end, there was just way too many. Could have also done without the eight minute RAW Rebound, but whatever. The finale annoyance was Michael Cole’s commentary. This show, more than any other, could really benefit from having Jim Ross and Matt Stryker calling it seriously. I don’t know how we’re suppose to take babyface brown-nosing Cole seriously again, when he comes out on NXT trying to be a heel. And he failed. Being a heel commentator takes talent, and Cole has none. There’s a difference between being a heel, and being a douche who is burying someone. Commentators burying the talent are failing at their job, even if they are being fed lines by McMahon. Besides that, no legitimate commentator of any sport would admit to not knowing who a top prospect is. Other than those things, this debut show was great and I look forward to next week’s.

Thoughts on Sheamus, Monday Night RAW, and the WrestleMania main-event

I’m not saying this as a fan of Sheamus; I’d be saying this same thing if it happened to Cody Rhodes (who I’m not a big fan of as of now)…

Sheamus got screwed, majorly. Don’t put the title on someone in December, and then rip it away from them in crappy fashion a month before WrestleMania to add the title to a match that didn’t need it and doesn’t benefit from having it. Sheamus did better than could have been expected of him, and they didn’t give him a whole lot. He went from no reaction, to a pretty good reaction. He held his own against the Cena’s and Orton’s. He cut good promos. He passed every little test they put in front of him.

He loses cleanly to Triple H in the Elimination Chamber, in anti-climatic fashion and didn’t even make the finals. He was then screwed out of his rematch by Batista and some retarded McMahon stipulation.

Have enough foresight to know what you’re doing a month or two down the road. It isn’t that hard. What they did to Sheamus was bull. They took a giant dump on him; pulled the rug out from under him at the most critical time in his development. It’s just a rung above what they did to CM Punk during his first title reign and two above Orton’s first.

As a viewer who is suppose to take this half-way seriously, it’s a slap in the face to see such blatant disregard for any established “facts” within the company. All because creative can’t get their crap together.

I’m sure we’re only a week or two away now from seeing multiple “Contract Signings”. Those signings will mean dick. Champion signs contract to defend his title, champion has clause in contract where the gets a rematch. Sheamus, would have signed this before the Chamber. Sheamus gets a rematch. Cena was champion for two minutes, has no rematch clause.

Sheamus’ rematch then comes down to whether or not Cena loses to Batista? And then he’s screwed because Batista gets himself intentionally DQ’d?

A six-year-old can write better than that and still make some sense. Sheamus’ rematch doesn’t come to down to Cena losing. It doesn’t come down to beating Triple H at WrestleMania. The contract is suppose to be a legally binding document, they’re wiping their asses with it and the concept should never again be taken seriously.

^ Not speaking as a Sheamus fan. That’s speaking as a fan who is just tired of WWE pulling bullshit creative decisions at the last minute that go against everything we’ve been told is customary.

Herbig Ae/Be Stars of WrestleMania 26 Revisited

Back on April 10, 2009, I wrote a column detailing three matches I wanted to see at WrestleMania 26 (which is now a little over a month away). That column was called “Frozen Yogurt and the Herbig Ae/Be Stars” (AVFR #85). I am going to revisit those three matches and state my thoughts on them and how far off the mark I was.

Batista was injured in the Summer, came back and joined Smackdown (and became a heel in the process). Ted DiBiase is still, as of this writing, a member of Legacy. Ted DiBiase has definitely shown steady progression up the card; he is after all in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber after all, but he hasn’t progressed in the manner I assumed he would. Ten months ago, I was hoping to see young DiBiase break away from being Cody Rhodes’ tag team partner and establish himself as a singles competitor. He hasn’t done that, in fact both he and Rhodes have been booked to look pretty weak for months. And I certainly didn’t anticipate Batista going to Smackdown and turning heel. A little over a month away from WrestleMania, it’s pretty obvious that this match has 0% of happening. Oh well. That’s fine, I firmly believe we’re headed in a better direction: Ted DiBiase vs. Randy Orton. I don’t know why I didn’t have Orton in Batista’s place last year, that was my oversight. Either way, the young DiBiase is still looking at a big WrestleMania match and a potential star making night as a singles competitor come March 28th. Looking back, I’m glad this match isn’t happening now. Strike one…

There was a time during the Summer/Fall months of 2009 where this match could have remained a possibility for WrestleMania. Punk was on top of Smackdown as the World Heavyweight Champion and really establishing himself as a top heel in the company. His stock never looked brighter. Then The Undertaker came into the picture and took the title away from Punk, and he hasn’t been a top contender since; although he remains Smackdown’s top heel and is still near the top of the card. This match also has 0% of happening, and that’s too bad. They wasted this last year in a feud that made Punk look weak, and now it appears we’re getting a Undertaker/Michaels rematch. That’s a waste in my opinion, because CM Punk ending the streak could have been such a good moment and would have cemented Punk as a permanent main-eventer (which he should be). The rumor of course has CM Punk wrestling Rey Mysterio, and I’m fine with that. It’s obviously not what I was hoping to see, but I do believe Punk/Mysterio could open WrestleMania up with a stellar match. It’ll still be nice to see Punk in a singles match at WrestleMania, because the only match he has ever gotten on the big event has been Money In The Bank. Strike two…

Obviously, this was the longest of long shots. It also has a 0% chance of happening this year. However, at the time I listed this one, Bryan Danielson wasn’t event under a WWE contract. He is now, so dammit that count’s for something. I still think this match should happen, as I am convinced these two could eclipse what Michaels and Undertaker did last year. Bryan Danielson’s (excuse me, Daniel Bryan’s) time will indeed come, just not as soon as I hoped it would. NXT gets underway this Tuesday, and I definitely look for Danielson to immediately make the biggest impact on the show. In fact, I think it is a pretty safe bet to say that season one will be all about making Daniel Bryan into a star, because I believe he’ll be the one to “win” the contract. After that, the sky is the limit for him. I plan on doing Herbig Ae/Be Stars of WrestleMania 27 within a week or two following WM26, and it’s a very good chance that this match will also make that list. I never got the Benoit/Punk match I wanted, so it’d be a shame if we never get a Michaels/Danielson match either. Strike three for me (although the possibility is at least there that Daniel Bryan will be at WrestleMania 26 (albeit probably not in a match). So that’s like a strike via foul… contact was at least made.