I think all Universers can agree that tonights WWE ppv was more awesome than mortal words can describe! There were so many twists and turns tonight that it's almost impossible to predict the matches for Wrestlemania 25! And I love it!
After an abysmal attempt at a ppv from TNA last week with Against All Odds, it was very fresh and reinvigorating to witness No Way Out. Edge winning the World Title leaves the door wide open for storylines and more twists and turns on both Smackdown and ECW. I expected Swagger to retain the ECW title, so there's no surprise there for me. But everything else....WOW! Also, what's next for HHH as he proudly sports his 13th Heavyweight Title? Wow...all I can say is WOW.
Look forward to my thoughts tomorrow after the RAW fallout!
Thursday, February 12, 2009, 10:13 PM EST
[General]
Christian finally makes his somewhat triumphant return to the WWE, and the fans could not be more....upset?
Okay, I'm going to issue you a challenge: I challenge YOU, faithful Universers, to read my following post and analyze each segment logically, without investing all of your emotions into what's being said. THEN, I challenge you to prove me wrong and convince all of your friends to do the same by following my instructions at the end of this series of posts.
Here goes:
Christian's move to ECW was brilliant.
Before you start hurling rocks towards my general direction, keep in mind that I WAS RIGHT about Matt Hardy and his attacks on Jeff.
We all think Christian is pretty awesome, and we all think Christian has main-event level talent and potential, as he brilliantly showed in his TNA run. BUT, all of that is not a prerequisite for him to be placed in a major feud on RAW or Smackdown immediately in his return.
It seems we've quickly forgotton that Christian was mid mid-card when he and Tyson Tomko left the company three and a half years ago. While in TNA, Christian Cage was immediately placed in a heavyweight title program, and once rewarded with the belt, his reign lasted four months. People just weren't into Christian being the champion. His second run lasted four months before he was stripped of the title due to TNA several their ties with the NWA. He failed to regain the championship after that ordeal.
After that, it can be argued succesfully that TNA "misused" Christian Cage by placing him in feuds with...well, everybody. He was just kinda all over the place, really, with no real direction. Finally, with his contract taking its last few gasps of air, Christian Cage was summarily destroyed by the Main Event Mafia, after Kurt Angle "revealed" that Cage was headed back "up north," and that he betrayed the TNA family. So there you have it...your future WWE main eventer gets destroyed by five former multiple time Heavyweight Champions.
And you want him to go to what show when he comes back?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 12:49 AM EST
[General]
Okay. This ppv was boring. Hands down, flat out boring.
It felt like they were trying to pull off a WWE-style type of show, but that's not what TNA's known for, so it fell flat on its face.
I really wish TNA would keep the WWE out of its mouth. Period. Half of their issues would cease and desist if they simply kept to themselves and focused their energy on making their product better. But, I wouldn't recommend you catching the replay of this ppv or buying the dvd. It was boring.
Before I start, I must say that this isn't a battle between the two companies, but more so my humble opinion and observation of what made each of these tag teams good, and what makes them both suck horribly out loud. If you have the same thoughts and opinions, please feel free to add or dissent from my unpopular stance.
LAX - HOMICIDE Y HERNANDEZ What made this Latin American team incredible in my eyes is the fact that when they had Konnan as a mouthpiece, they were no nonsense heels - they interrupted segments, they attacked people backstage, they brutalized their opponents, and occasionally used Konnan to gain the upper hand in matches where they were most certainly going to lose. Homicide was the fiesty small one of the duo - the one that looked like he couldn't pack much of a punch but would get you with his speed, quickness, and devastatingly high-risk maneuvers that involved some attack to your head or neck. Homicide does most of the gestering, the taunts, and attacks quickly and seemingly out of nowhere. Hernandez, on the other hand, was the big powerhouse of the group - he didn't need to talk much or be flashy, because his strength did the talking for him. His blows to your body would be sure to crack a rib or two, and if you tried to leave the ring for a brief moment to catch your breath and bearings, he'd surprise you with his agility by flying over a top rope or from the turnbuckles. With Konnan as their manager and mouth piece, the LAX didn't have to grab the stick to inform the crowd of their intentions; hell bent on making their Latino heritage known and felt in TNA, Konnan gave fans reason after reason to continuously disrespect the team, but at the same time give them kudos for their atheleticism and ability to dessimate their opponents.
CRYME TYME - JTG & SHAD The African American duo burst onto WWE screens after several weeks of vignettes designed to highlight their in-ring skills in a comedic fashion. Each week, fans laughed as we were shown Cryme Tyme's agility, strength, cunning, speed, etc. as the two hijacked a man's car, outran police officers,and even interrupted a bad stand-up routine. When they finally debuted on television, fans saw that their hijinks in the outside world payed off tremendously. JTG was the small flashy one - he does most of the flamboyant gesturing and flashing the "bling-bling," and often strikes quickly and in a cunning matter...avoiding big moves and choosing to whittle away at his opponents health and stamina with strikes and relatively basic takedowns (suplexes, bodyslams, etc.). Shad is the big boy - his sheer size playing into his intimidation factor along with his dashing smile that is quickly replaced with a sneer of pure determination as soon as he hits the ring. He's not only powerful, but quick, opting to take down his opponent with a big boot to the face that is never expected, or a clothesline that is sure to take a foe out of his wrestling boots. JTG and Shad both play the role of mouth piece for the group, usually boasting about the fact that they're both all about the money.
HOW THEY BOTH SUCK With Konnan now out of the picture, out of TNA, and perhaps out of the country, LAX lost direction, purpose, the tag belts, and their killer edge and reputation. Without a proper mouth piece and without the controversy that surrounded their actions, motives and desires, they flip-flopped around like a mackeral out of water. Once they lost that edge and tv time, fans weren't given a reason to hate them or love them...they were just around. Then they were stuck with Salinas...and then they were stuck with Hector Guerrero for a 2nd time...and now they have the tag belts. The problem is, the fans still aren't given a reason to give a care about them or their title reign this time around. For LAX to be more effective now, in my opinion, they need that same intensity that gave us a reason to hate them, except we now love them for that same intensity. They should be established as THE tag team to beat - not simply because they have the tag belts, but because they earned them after decimating team after team with their abilities as tag team wrestlers. But unfortunately, if the company doesn't think the belts are worth two red nickels, then Jesus Christ couldn't make us sit through a tag match, let alone one with tag champs who won the belts through a series of confusing matches and stipulations, not to mention the random pairings of wrestlers they had to face in the tournament.
Cryme Tyme was never meant to be taken seriously. Their antics were more funny than intimidating, and even their backstage promos make us laugh moreso than make us believe they're serious contenders for the tag team titles on RAW. Let's not forget that they won a match or something that guaranteed them a tag team title shot against Cade and Murdoch...which was never granted. In keeping in line with the name of their team, JTG and Shad "stole" most of their victories - often winning by some small window of opportunity they took advantage of. Their matches are fairly short, and again, fans don't have a reason to invest in their push simply because they haven't shown an interest in dominating the tag team division, obtaining the tag team belts, or anything outside of "Money, Money, yeah yeah!"
WINNERS: LAX In this instance, LAX has the edge over Cryme Tyme, simply because they have a chance of being a dominant force in sports entertainment, as opposed to Cryme Tyme who's doing exactly what they were meant to do from the get-go...be comic relief. The sad part is, I like both teams, but they've got some hurdles to jump over creatively if they want to be the "it" factor in tag team wrestling.
Let's be real. As a matter of fact, let's be crystal, fresh spring water, Proactiv clear...
Lance Storm is a pretty awesome wrestler.
I remember when watching ECW involved me staying up extremely late on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, and I marvelled at the action of the athletes, esp. The Gangstas. But, the Impact Players always enthralled me, esp. Lance Storm. What more can be said about the guy?! If you haven't seen a Lance Storm match, then go here:
The whole reason I'm bringing up Lance Storm now is because I bought the Edge dvd yesterday, and there's a match between him and Edge for the IC Title on there. It was a great match, and the nostalgia made me teary eyed for a second...well, I wasn't exactly teary eyed, but I was feeling a little home sick for wrestling footage of old.
Lance made his way into the WWE at the time of the InVasion angle, and with so many talent being brought in from WCW and ECW, I believe it was hard for creative to find a niche for Lance. He was pretty intense, pretty straight forward, and one of those "no gimmick needed" type wrestlers. Unfortunately for the WWE, Lance wasn't garnering the response they expected from their WWE crowds. So, much like the nerdy kid on the swingsets during recess, Storm couldn't get a push.
But, that's okay! Here in the WWE Universe, with Money - yours truly - leading the legions of fans along the way, salute you, Lance Storm, former tag team champ, former ic champ, former Saschatewan Hardcore International Champion (so much for that anagram)...thanks for the memories!
Three cheers for Lance Storm!
Hip hip...
Hip hip...
Hip hip....awww forget about it.
All of Canada awaits Lance Storm's push...legend is they're still both waiting.
