Posted in: Hustle Is Posting Right Now Hustle Is Posting Right Now: Volume 51 ("Midterm" Edition)
By Hustle
Jul 8, 2009 - 12:51:02 AM
Good lookin out, Ro.
"H-E-L-L-O.. I'm one hell of a show.. I'm the best, you stuck in the middle like L-M-N-O.."
This week's intro line is being brought to us by Joell Ortiz. Folks, I'm telling you.. the Slaughterhouse album is going to be the top hip-hop album of the year. Ortiz, Royce Nickel Nine, Crooked I, and Joe Budden (ugly thumb and all).. together.. on the same album? That's bananas. Welcome, ballers and shot-callers, to yet another edition of the column that has people shook (cause ain't no such thing as halfway crooks).. Hustle Is Posting Right Now. Damn, if this is that, then I must be this.. the man that has flow for days, and can rhyme for just as long (dig that).. ya boy, Hustle, has just walked back into the building. How's everyone doing out there? Things in Hawaii are good. Expensive as all fuck, but good nonetheless. We're only 11 days away from my birthday, so I fully expect my presents to be in the mail sometime before the weekend, ladies and gentlemen. Something else that I'm fully expecting is this column getting underway, so, uh, I think it's about that time. Shall I proceed? (Yes, indeed.) Less dew eet!!
I took a look at the calendar, and I noticed that 26 weeks have now gone by in 2009, leaving 26 weeks remaining until we get to 2010. Seeing as how we're halfway through the year, I thought it would only make sense to have a look at the WWE roster and see how well everyone is doing thus far, as well as taking a look at what I see in store for them over the rest of the year. I was going to do this for the TNA roster, as well, but really, I don't give a shit anywhere near enough to do even more research than I'm already doing. Just give everyone a "C" or below, and it'll be fine. Anyway, back to the WWE roster, I suppose it's only right to start out at the top with the champions..
WWE Champion Randy Orton: Well, he's the WWE Champion at this very moment, so that's gotta automatically mean his grade can't be a failing one, I would imagine. Sure, he's had more than his fair share of occasions where he hasn't looked like the strongest champion of all-time, but in one way or another, he continues to win matches. He's had some pretty nice highlights thus far in 2009, including winning the Royal Rumble, as well as winning the WWE Title twice. I think it's hard to overlook a lot of the negatives, though. I understand that he's a heel and all, and I understand that Triple H has the motives that would be understandable in him trying to destroy Orton, but he's done it on too many occasions for my liking, and that makes it tough to really give Orton a high grade, WWE Champion or not.
Grade: C+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I fully expect him to drop the title at Night Of Champions, but from there, it's not like he'll be dropped down to competing for the US Title or anything. He's "MainEvent4Life", and deservedly so. At some point before 2010 rolls around, I'm expecting to see Orton VS HHH inside the confines of Hell In A Cell. It'll probably happen at either SummerSlam or at the HIAC-themed PPV that takes place in October, and damnit, that had better be the last time those two face each other for a long, long time.
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk: Again, being the World Heavyweight Champion should mean that he can't have a failing grade, I'd say. Not only is he the World Champion, but he also won Money In The Bank at WrestleMania 25, going on to successfully cash his title shot in. Right now, he's in the middle of what could end up being a very well-done heel turn. On the other side of the coin, he's not exactly going out of his way to do many "heel" things, so he may not turn at all. Either way, it's making for interesting television, and it's easily his best work since he became a member of the WWE roster.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I think it's time for him to be a heel, so I hope this turn actually becomes official. From there, not much will change. Smackdown is still loaded with names that Punk can have great matches with, and once The Undertaker returns, that's a very interesting potential feud that could go in multiple directions.
ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer: It's only fair to give Dreamer the same slack that I'm giving to Orton and Punk, I suppose, even though the ECW Title is nowhere near as prestigious as the other two titles. He's still "The Man" on his brand, though, so it counts for something. He's undefeated on PPV this year, winning the ECW Title in his first PPV match and successfully defending the ECW Title in a Championship Scramble for his second match. He hasn't had any "classic" matches, though, but that's to be expected. He's done his job quite well, though, and remains over to the point that him holding the title isn't killing it or anything.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: This one could/should be easy to predict. I don't think he has much time left in his wrestling career. In fact, I think he'll either lose the title at Night Of Champions, then retire, or he'll lose the title at Night Of Champions, then retire on ECW two nights later. After he retires, I'd like to see him take over as the General Manager of ECW. One, because Tiffany is terrible at it, and two, because it would just make sense to keep Tommy involved with the ECW name, even after his in-ring days are through.
United States Champion Kofi Kingston: You know, at this point, I'll just say that anybody in current possession of a title belt will not have a failing grade to this point in the year. Kofi has had somewhat of an up-and-down year, although the "ups" have been more plentiful than the "downs". He was supposed to be a show-stealer at No Way Out inside of an Elimination Chamber, but of course, Edge changed those plans. He was the highlight of this year's Money In The Bank, even though he didn't win the match, but that was his only "big" loss of the year. He's still exciting to watch, no matter who he steps into the ring with, so he'll always have that going for him.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I'm hoping that he doesn't drop the title to Big Show in the program that they're apparently about to work. There's plenty of potential opponents for him to feud with over the title, from The Miz to Jack Swagger to Evan Bourne to MVP to Carlito to Ted DiBiase, and the list goes on and on. I see him dropping the title eventually, only to win it back before the year is over.
Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio: Of the entire roster, I don't think there's another person that will benefit from the Draft more than Rey Mysterio. On the Smackdown brand, with the guys in the "main event" scene, Rey is able to fit right in, to the point that a World Heavyweight Title reign wouldn't be frowned upon like it would have been pre-Draft. Yes, there are still those out there who feel Rey belongs as far away from the World Title as possible, but I'm not one of those people. Not anymore. Not as a member of that roster. He's worked extremely well with all of the "major" players on Smackdown, and as long as he stays away from The Undertaker, he'll be fine. He's had a really good year on PPV, winning the IC Title on two different occasions (with a successful title defense mixed in between), as well as putting on a magnificent performance in the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I'm telling you, ladies and gentlemen.. Rey Mysterio will be the World Heavyweight Champion sometime before January 1st, although it'll probably be another short (no pun intended) reign. Trust me on that one. It's coming. Prepare yourselves.
One-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Edge: Look no further, folks.. this is your 2009 First-Half MVP (Most Valuable Player, not Montel Vontavious Porter) for the WWE. He's got quite the portfolio to this point. He's 6-2 on PPV in 2009, has four titles won, has been involved in Match Of The Week candidates on almost a weekly basis, and has helped to make his opponents look like a million bucks almost every time out. He single-handedly helped people look at John Morrison as a legit candidate for the World Heavyweight Title. The only thing preventing him from having a perfect grade is his torn achilles tendon. Sure, that isn't his fault or anything, but it's still tough to say absolutely everything went your way when you suffer an injury that could have you missing a good part of an entire year.
Grade: A-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Well, if some of the early reports are to be believed, it'll be nothing short of a miracle if he can even wrestle before the 2009 calendar year is over, so I'm not really expecting much from the guy. Some have said that he should appear on-screen from time-to-time during his time off, but I disagree. Let him stay away and get everything healed and rested, and when the time comes, surprise the wrestling world by bringing him back. One thing's for sure, though.. it's a big loss for the WWE, as a whole.
One-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho: Along with Edge, he's been having the most consistent year of anybody on the roster. As soon as you hear his music hit, you know what you're going to get with him.. either a solid well-spoken promo or a solid well-wrestled match. He's won two different titles on PPV this year, and he's had some better-than-expected matches with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. There really doesn't appear to be much that Chris Jericho can't do.
Grade: B+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: With the injury of his tag team partner, that opens the door to different things the company can do with Jericho. They can find a way for Jericho to pick a different partner, and then go from there. They can have the titles change hands, and move Jericho back to full-time singles work. Personally, I think he's going back to working singles. It's where he's at his best. He'll add to his trophy collection before the year is over, in my opinion, winning the IC Title at least one more time, and perhaps even win the World Title once.
Divas Champion Maryse: She has just about perfected her "bitch" role at this point, and is still improving in the ring, so things are definitely going well for "Mo Reese" (fuck you, Michael Cole). She's had the Divas Title for a lot longer than most people expected (her reign is creeping up on 200 days now), and I fully support the decision to keep the belt on her for so long. She's earned it by her mannerisms alone.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Unfortunately, once a title reign reaches this length, the countdown until the reign is over is in full effect. I think the reign ends at Night Of Champions, as a matter of fact. From there, she has a bit of an unfinished storyline involving The Miz that I'd like to see explored. I think they'd make a great on-screen "couple". As far as her in-ring time, I think she'll continue improving, and become the top Diva in the company, which is something I never thought I'd say. I almost can't believe I said it there.
Women's Champion Michelle McCool: She continues to get pushed, even though she has yet to prove, even a single time, that she can make live audiences care about her in any way. Those not "in the know" must really be confused as to why she keeps winning. I tried and tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but time and time again, she let me down. This bitch is completely worthless. I have nothing else to say.
Grade: C+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Although I'm not too happy about her taking the Women's Title from Melina, I do think Melina can be a positive in Michelle's career. In no way, shape, or form should she ever be a "ring general", which she would be against people like Maryse, etc, based on experience. Against people like Melina, she can work in the background and take a secondary role, which will hopefully improve her in-ring work. I wouldn't count on it, though. Hopefully, her boyfriend finds someone else to fuck, which would then send her to the proper part of the roster, perhaps even sending her to the "Future Endeavors Club".
From there, we take a look at the rest of the roster, in no real particular order. I suppose, for the sake of everyone's sanity, I'll just work with those who are currently in regular rotation on TV, or who have been recently. If you haven't been used in forever and a day, you won't be in this column (minus two special exceptions). Fuck it, I'll also remove some of the "lesser" names on the roster that nobody is going to read my opinions about, anyway. Let's move on..
John Cena: He's had one of the best years of anybody in the company as far as their records on PPV go, going 5-2, including a successful World Title defense and a World Title victory, but in each of his two losses, he lost the World Title, as well (that was quite a long sentence that featured far too many commas for my liking). What killed him was his feud against Big Show, who is just so damn tough to work with sometimes. That feud went on for far too long, and featured far too many matches that bored me to absolute tears. That, above all else, stands out for the first six months of John Cena's 2009, which is really unfortunate.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: It hasn't been that long, but it feels like forever since he's had title gold around his waist. That'll definitely change before the year is over, although I don't think it'll be at Night Of Champions, as much as I'd like it to. Really, what else is there to say here? He's the biggest star in the company. His spot in the Raw main event is pretty safe, let's just say. Sorry, haters.
Triple H: Ah, good old Triple H. I've said a lot about him and his year thus far, so there isn't much to add here. I've made it quite clear that I haven't enjoyed much of anything he's done so far. His high grade comes from just how dominant he's looked since the beginning of the year. Sure, he hasn't won every match that he's been in, but going by how much it takes for him to pick up a victory VS how much it takes for him to be defeated, that's a run of sheer dominance that rivals anything the WWE has ever seen.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I have a sneaking suspicion that it won't be too much longer until he has the WWE Title in his possession once again. From there, it's a bit of an interesting road, as the Orton feud has been beaten to death, but feuding with John Cena, Batista, and Shawn Michaels wouldn't exactly be the freshest things, either. If you're going to move people like MVP or Jack Swagger up to the main event scene, they wouldn't stand a fucking chance against this guy. Sadly, we're in for a long few months at the top of the Raw cards.
Jack Swagger: I've loved his work on ECW ever since his debut, and I love the decision to send him to Raw. For the most part, he accomplished everything there was to accomplish while in ECW, and for someone as young and as relatively inexperienced as he is, that's a real sign that his future is insanely bright. He was given quite a nice run with the ECW Title, and while he failed to recapture it after losing it, he was still able to go out against the likes of Christian and Tommy Dreamer, and still hold his own (and in the case of Dreamer, hold his own, as well as help carry Tommy to something watchable).
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Honestly, he has an outside chance of being bumped up to the WWE Title picture before 2009 is over, but more realistically, I think it'll be around Summer 2010 before he reaches that level on more than a one-off match basis. He has one or two US Title reigns in his not-too-distant future, though, I'm almost sure of it.
Jeff Hardy: The end of his 2008 was really good, but he hit a slow patch in the beginning parts of 2009, with losing the WWE Title, as well as his disappointing feud with his brother. He had a below-average time on PPV, with a 3-5 record overall, including losing the WWE Title, losing the World Title mere minutes after winning it, as well as losing in an Elimination Chamber, and failing to retain the World Title. As part of the new "Smackdown Six", though, he's able to go out on a weekly basis and put on good matches with a variety of opponents, so it's not a total loss for the guy or anything.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: As of this very moment, this is almost impossible to figure out, as his contract runs out at the end of the month, with no word as to whether or not he'll re-sign with the company. These could be the last few weeks we ever see Jeff Hardy in a WWE ring, folks. If you put a gun to my head, however, and forced me to predict if he re-signs or not, I'd have to say that I think he'll definitely be back. I don't think Vince McMahon can really afford to just let one of the company's biggest stars walk away like that, especially because there won't be any sort of no-compete clause due to his contract expiring. Jeff becomes a free man on a Saturday, and could very well be a part of the Impact taping two days later. Vince knows that, and I think he'll do everything he possibly can to sweeten the deal a bit, so that Jeff returns. If Jeff does return, I see no reason why the second half of his 2009 wouldn't be as successful as the first half of his 2009 was, if not even more so. I'm sure that some of his losses had to do with the fact that the company wasn't sure whether or not he'd be back, so doing something like giving him the World Title for six months wouldn't have been the best idea in the world.
The Undertaker: While he hasn't competed since WrestleMania 25, he was still involved in some really good matches this year, from a four-star Elimination Chamber at No Way Out to the Match Of The Year (thus far) with Shawn Michaels at Mania to a couple televised matches against Shelton Benjamin. Not too shabby for someone that is 44 years old and only seems to wrestle a handful of times every year. This was one of the best "workrate" years of his career, without a doubt.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: If we're talking about his outlook for the rest of 2009, I'd say it's looking really good. If we're talking about Smackdown's outlook for the rest of 2009, I'd say it's looking nowhere near as good. Hear me out, folks.. sure, it'll be good to see Taker once again, but in the world of kayfabe stature, he's a giant amongst men on the Smackdown brand. CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Edge, Dolph Ziggler, Matt Hardy, John Morrison, etc have all either been beaten repeatedly by Taker in the past, or wouldn't be viewed as being "big" enough to stand a chance against him. As great of a year as he's had, and as loyal as his fanbase is, not even Mysterio's biggest fans would think he'd last five minutes with Taker. You can only keep Taker away from the World Title for so long on that show. He can't feud with Kane forever.
Christian: I stick by my original opinion that a move to the ECW brand was good for Christian, as well as being really good for ECW itself. He's at the perfect level in the company to succeed in his role.. a big enough name where he can bring some prestige to the ECW Title and help make his opponents look good, but not too big of a name where it just isn't believable that he's there and competing with the folks he's been competing with. He had a nice run as the ECW Champion this year, defending it on a few different occasions and coming out successful.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: A part of me is surprised he wasn't moved to either Raw or Smackdown in the "trade", but I'm glad he's still there. He's more than able to work with the new names on ECW, from veterans such as William Regal and Shelton Benjamin to rookies such as Sheamus and Yoshi Tatsu. I do think his time on ECW is winding down, however. If another "trade" isn't made by the end of the year, he'll just be moved in next year's edition of the Draft. In the meantime, he'll win at least one more ECW Title. I don't doubt that at all.
Batista: Ah, good ol Batista. He spent a large portion of the year looking like an out-of-control fool with an anger problem, and has also spent a large portion of the year sitting on the sidelines with an injury. Sure, he won the WWE Title in there somewhere, but it amounted to one of the most ridiculously pointless title changes I've seen in all my time as a wrestling fan. Not the greatest six months in the history of the business, that's for sure.
Grade: D
Outlook for the rest of 2009: When he returns from his injury, he has the ready-made storyline of "you have my title, I never lost it, blah blah blah" waiting for him. Unfortunately, that probably means another round of matches with Randy Orton, or another round with Triple H. Neither of those options are very appealing to me. Another match with John Cena could be alright, but I wouldn't want to see it stretched out beyond one match.
The Miz: Just about all of his success as a singles competitor this year has been on the mic, but it's been some mighty fine mic work, so it counts more than if he was just cutting a random promo here and there. He sent the IWC into orgasmic fits with his anti-John Cena promos, and he has held his ground against Cena (regardless of what anybody else tells you) in their matches with each other. I just don't know if I could comfortably give him any more than an "average" grade, because there's no telling of what he's truly gained from his feud with Cena. At face value, he was allowed to work with someone who is well out of his "league", and not just as complete squash material (again, regardless of what anybody else tells you). However, if the momentum isn't capitalized upon, it was all for nothing, and he might as well have been feuding with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan from the beginning.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I wouldn't be surprised if he continues running his mouth about Cena for a while, but ultimately, the entire storyline was a test to see how well he could handle being a singles competitor. He had the best mic work of his short career, and he was impressive in two matches against Cena (regardless of what anybody else tells you), so I'd say he's more than earned a spot in the US Title discussion. It'll be fun to see if he can step his game up against midcarders, or if it was just because he was in there with the biggest name in the company.
Matt Hardy: All Matt bias aside, this hasn't been a very good year for the guy. His heel turn ended 2008 on a good note for him, but his feud against his brother fizzled out rather quickly, and his hand and abdominal injuries just about killed any momentum he had left. A move to Smackdown was probably for the best, I'd say.
Grade: D+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Well, if Jeff decides to stay with the company, I'm sure those two will cross paths once again. I'm hoping the company won't just turn Matt face for no real reason, and have the Hardyz team up again. It kinda defeats the whole "BWAHAHA I tried to kill you on several occasions!" heel turn just a bit. When he returns, he can be a good name for John Morrison to face, provided that he returns in the type of shape that he was in pre-abdominal injury. Hell, Morrison is a "risk-taker", just like Jeff Hardy is, so you could say that Matt hates daredevils. Perhaps he walked in on his mother getting freaky with Evel Knievel or something. Whatever.
Melina: Her program with Beth Phoenix was fun to watch (I don't think I've ever seen anyone kick themselves in the back of the head before), and her Women's Title victory was well-deserved. Once she was drafted over to Smackdown, though, I, as well as millions of others, forgot she was even in the company. She damn near disappeared off the face of the earth once she moved to Friday nights, and once she was found, it was only to lose the Women's Title to the Black Hole Of Worthlessness known as Michelle McCool. Hot start to the year, but it fizzled out tremendously.
Grade: C-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Another go-round with McCool is in her near future, but what I'm really looking forward to is a potential match/feud with Natalya. That has the potential to be really good, which is nearly the polar opposite of anything she could have with McCool.
Big Show: He's had a much better year on TV than he has on PPV, going 0-4 in matches that you had to pay to watch. On TV, however, he's looked good against the likes of The Undertaker, John Cena, and Randy Orton, so it hasn't been a total loss for the guy. He's shown fire and motivation from time-to-time, but not often enough to warrant a really good grade or anything.
Grade: C-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I don't know where this current storyline with Kofi Kingston (and perhaps Evan Bourne) is going, but I hope it isn't leading to a US Title reign for the big guy. Kofi (and perhaps Bourne) need this time to shine, and Show's "walk-hit a move-walk-hit a move-walk-hit a move-walk-hit a move-walk" matches won't exactly make for thrilling moments with those guys.
Mickie James: She's undefeated on PPV, and has been on the winning end of countless matches on TV, whether it was singles or multiple tag variations. It's been a good year for her thus far, but she hasn't won a title, which really prevents her from having a better grade.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I think her undefeated PPV streak continues on at Night Of Champions, and from there, things are looking up. There are a few different Divas she could feud with after Maryse, and they'd all work for their own different reasons. I fully expect her to keep the title for a couple months or so.
Evan Bourne: He was involved in some strange booking decisions (aka his entire feud with Mark Henry), but for the most part, he's been his exciting self. It's just difficult to follow along with where the company wants to take him. They'll build him up, bring him right back down, and then build him up again. A lot of you have left me feedback saying that a move to Smackdown would've made more sense for him, and while I do agree with that, I simply felt that the company liked him enough to place him on their biggest show.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: As I mentioned in my last column, he'll probably be involving in several "nothing" feuds, but at least these "nothing" feuds will be loosely tied into the US Title picture, where as his "nothing" feuds in ECW were just that.. nothing. If he and Kofi Kingston are given the proper amount of time to work together, it could probably blow your mind, scoop it up, put it back into your head, and then blow your mind once again.
Mark Henry: He was just "there" for the most part this year. How a man with his size and look can just blend into the background, I'll never understand, but he did. In his only two matches on PPV this year, he failed to win Money In The Bank, and he failed to win the ECW Title in a Championship Scramble. Not exactly deflating singles losses, but losses nonetheless.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: His outlook looks a whole helluva lot better now than it did a few weeks ago, that's for sure. His sudden face turn on Raw still surprises me when I stop to think about it. I'm really intrigued as to where he goes from here. Picking up a pinfall victory over the current WWE Champion in your first night on Raw, followed by a short domination of the WWE Champion's lackey the following week, looks good, but that doesn't mean Mark will be in line for title shots and main event slots on PPV anytime in the near future. Because we all know how the business works, I'm almost guaranteeing a feud against Big Show sometime soon. I'd love to see him hit Show with the World's Strongest Slam. That would be fun to watch. From there, a run with the US Title isn't out of the question. I just don't know if he can fully break the "glass ceiling" that is the Raw main event scene.
Vladimir Kozlov: For the most part, he hasn't really done much. Every week, for what seemed like several months, he'd come out on ECW, squash a jobber, then cut a promo about wanting more competition. However, that never went anywhere. Then, out of bumfuck nowhere, he came out one week smiling and playing to the crowd like a face from the 1980s. However, that never went anywhere. Now, he appears to be involved in some sort of team with William Regal, and I'm hoping the trent doesn't continue.
Grade: D+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I've been calling for him to contend for the ECW Title ever since he was drafted to Tuesday nights, and that stance hasn't changed. I'm intrigued by the possibility of him playing the comedy role to William Regal's straight-man character, though. That has the potential to be hilarious, and it might even lead to Regal turning on Kozlov, which would set up for some good matches. Regal could work really well with Kozlov's offense, and he'd probably be able to make him look like half-a-million bucks.
Shawn Michaels: I almost gave him an "A" grade just for his promo work against The Undertaker, as well as his match with Taker at WrestleMania. It's not like he's been around since then to fuck up all of his good work or anything, but his work pre-Taker wasn't always the greatest. He did his thing with JBL, but the excitement level of that was really out of his hands. He helped carry Vladimir Kozlov to the best match of his WWE career (which proves that he's infinitely better than Triple H), though, which counts for a lot in my book.
Grade: B+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Well, whenever he decides to make his return to the company, he needs to be put back into the WWE Title picture, not just floating around in random feuds. He's too good for that role. The problem is.. unless he returns as a heel, I don't want to see Shawn Michaels VS Triple H for the billionth time, which I'm sure we'll be given at some point. I'll say this.. whenever he returns, it doesn't really matter to me what he does, just as long as we don't get another several month stretch where he has the same exact sad face in every single promo he's involved in, like we got last year and into the very beginning of this year. That was brutal.
Kane: He didn't fare very well in the Elimination Chamber, or in Money In The Bank, and he just disappeared for a long period of time after that. It's hard to critique the first half of his year, because there just isn't that much to work with.
Grade: D
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Kane has been one of the most over enhancement talents on the roster for years now, and really, have any of you seen anything that would lead you to think that stops now? He'll continue to be a tough hurdle for the "Smackdown Six + Four" to overcome, but I don't see it leading to anything as far as titles go. Look on the bright side.. he'll get to feud with The Undertaker again eventually. Who's with me? Anybody? Hello??
John Morrison: When MorriMiz split up, people figured Morrison would get the better singles push between him and The Miz, but I don't think many people predicted his push would be as big as it has been. He's been made to look like an equal to the biggest names on the Smackdown roster, and holds a clean pinfall victory over the current World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a Match Of The Year candidate where he went toe-to-toe with a 9-time World Champion for nearly 20 minutes. It's been a good year for this guy.
Grade: B+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: He's one of the fastest rising superstars on the entire roster. People figured he'd be a solid midcarder on Smackdown, but he's had a long string of really good performances, catapaulting him into the discussion of future World Champions. The fans have really bought into his face turn, as well, which is the important thing. I think he ends up as the World Champion sometime towards the very end of the year, perhaps at Survivor Series or soon thereafter. It's his time, and he's ready.
MVP: I was one of the only people that said he'd do perfectly fine for himself as a face, and as a member of the Raw roster. He had a mini-program with the WWE Champion, was able to dominate a match against Super H (albeit until being beaten by a single move), and cut the best promo of his career (face or heel) against Jack Swagger this week. I'd say that counts as doing perfectly fine for himself.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: This current storyline with Swagger has all sorts of potential to be good. I think both men get elevated because of it. Once it's over, I'd like to see MVP move on to face Big Show, which could be the last feud he needs before stepping up into the main event picture, even if it only happens to be on a temporary basis.
Shelton Benjamin: He hasn't had a whole lot of success so far this year, and that's probably being nice about it. He had some really good matches against The Undertaker early in the year, which shows that the company is trying to push the guy (Taker doesn't get involved in many mini-programs like that, as it's usually title matches and "blood" feuds of some sort). He's had quite the interesting return to ECW thus far, to say the least.
Grade: D
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Losing to a debuting Yoshi Tatsu in a few seconds probably wasn't the best way for Shelton to return to ECW, but Shelton will get his revenge and eventually move on. However, the strange way he's being booked makes it difficult to predict what his future holds. I wouldn't be surprised to see him as the ECW Champion in a few months, but at the same time, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him jobbing to Tyler Reks, either.
Dolph Ziggler: I'll be the first person to admit this.. Dolph Ziggler has done a helluva lot better for himself than I expected once the gimmick made its debut. I still don't buy that he has a main event run in him, but I'd love to be made a believer on that. His feud with The Great Khali has gone on for longer than it should have, but most everyone that I talked to figured it would be a one or two match squash for Khali, but Ziggler has more than held his own. I'm going to need to see more than just matches against Khali before I fully decide on this guy, though.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: With Edge's injury, everyone on Smackdown's midcard moves up a slot, and that includes Ziggler. If he continues to improve, he'll be feuding over the IC Title before too long, although I don't think he ends up winning the belt. That's still several notches above where I originally thought he'd be at this point.
Cody Rhodes: Week in and week out, he's been made to look like a complete fool against Triple H (and Batista, for that matter), and that's pretty much been going on all year long. Orton and DiBiase have been made to look bad against them, too, but Cody's been the "go-to" guy for ass whippings. He's taken more Pedigrees, Batista Bombs, and sledgehammer shots in six months than most wrestlers take in their entire careers.
Grade: F
Outlook for the rest of 2009: For the time being, I expect Cody and Ted Jr to become Tag Champs, now that Edge is out. Eventually, though, the much-rumored face turn for Ted Jr will, more than likely, take place, leaving Cody pretty much fucked. He'd better touch the Triforce and wish for a new tag team partner, or he's probably as good as gone after feuding with Ted Jr for a month or so.
Ted DiBiase: He's looked better than Cody has, but he's still been nothing more than a stooge for Randy Orton, taking numerous mollywhoppings in the process. The wheels of his apparent face turn have already begun to spin, and I like what they've done with it thus far. He's stood up to Orton twice now, and he looked great in a match against Orton. That helps carry his grade above Cody's.
Grade: C-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I'd hate to jump all over the result of a single match, but Ted Jr's match against Randy Orton last night proves, to me, at least, that the rest of his 2009 could be really bright. He'll be main eventing WrestleMania in a few years, folks, but in the immediate future, I see a Tag Title reign for him and Cody, followed by the full-fledged face turn. He'll be the US Champ before too long after all that takes place.
R-Truth: The last two or so months have really been good for R-Truth, as he's been given a lot of time on the mic, and has even stepped his in-ring game up a bit. There still doesn't appear to be much room for growth with him, though, but at least he's not as bad as he was a few months ago.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I'm hoping that he loses all the "flip for no reason" bullshit in his offense. If he can do that, he'll become infinitely more tolerable. I'd actually buy him as a possible IC Champion at that point. Until then, however, I think he'll just bounce from random feud to random feud.
Carlito: He and his brother had a pretty successful run as the Tag Team Champions, and they appeared to be the frontrunners to get the titles back sometime in the near future, but obviously, things have changed.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: He works better as a heel singles competitor. Unfortunately for him, he's been a face tag team competitor for several months now. With this new heel turn, the Raw midcard just gained another solid worker. I'm sure he'll feud with Primo for a few weeks, but he'll eventually move on to bigger and better things. I just hope he can stay motivated this time.
Primo: Well, he definitely had a good thing going for him as far as his team with Carlito goes. They worked extremely well together, and like I said earlier, they had a successful run as Tag Champs. He seemed comfortable working with his brother, for obvious reasons, which made for better matches than when he was wrestling singles.
Grade: C+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Carlito's turn doesn't appear to be very good news for Primo. I just don't see him as being any sort of legit singles threat on Raw, which is why I think Eric Escobar will be moved up from FCW so that he can reunite with Primo (they were the Puerto Rican Nightmares in FCW, winning the FCW Tag Titles on three occasions). If that doesn't happen, I don't see a way that Primo remains with the company too much longer.
William Regal: He was being absolutely wasted on Raw, so I was extremely happy to see him get sent to ECW. Teaming with Kozlov is an interesting move. They were impressive in their only match together, but really, there hasn't been much to the guy's year thus far.
Grade: D+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: There are a few options for Regal on ECW. Not only can he be a legit contender for the ECW Title, but if the company decides to run with this newfound team he's formed with Vladimir Kozlov, they could be a force in the tag team ranks. As I mentioned in my outlook for Kozlov, I'm intrigued by the thought of some sort of an "odd couple" team. So, so, so, so, so much potential there.
Finlay: It seems like he's been feuding with the ECW Champion for years now, but he doesn't have a single title reign to show for it. I guess that says a lot about his role with the company. He's a solid, veteran worker that is like a teacher in the ring, helping to make people look better in every match, but he isn't really meant to be seen as having the potential to become a champion.
Grade: D+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Yes, he's moved to Smackdown now, but I don't see his role changing at all. He'll still work with younger talent to help guide them and make them better, and he still won't be seen as having any sort of real potential to become a champion.
Beth Phoenix: This has been a rough six months for "The Glamazon". The entire storyline with Santino/Santina absolutely derailed any momentum she had before. She loses on PPV (0-5, including losing the Women's Title) and she loses on TV (countless times), and it all adds up. She deserves a lot more than that, and now that the Santina storyline is done, I'm hoping that she can start making her way back up the rankings.
Grade: F
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Dear God, I hope she can bounce back from the Santina fiasco, because she's incredibly talented, and she brings something different to the Divas division that nobody else in the company can bring. I see absolutely no reason why she can't return to competing for a title, espcially now that the Raw Divas scene is stronger than it has been in a long time.
Mike Knox: The start of his year had a lot of potential, but it kinda fizzled out as the weeks went by. Honestly, the time that he nearly injured Jamie Noble probably played a big part in that. For those that don't remember, a week after No Way Out, Knox and Noble faced each other in a singles match on Raw. As Knox was setting up for his finisher, there was a bit of miscommunication between the two men, and Noble landed rather awkwardly, injuring himself. It looked like it was a really serious deal, but it ended up being nothing more than a "stinger", if I recall correctly. From that point on, things changed for Knox. He hasn't wrestled with the same intensity since then. Maybe his push ended because of that very lack of intensity, or maybe his push ended and that's what caused the lack of intensity, but either way, his push hit a wall and hasn't been the same since.
Grade: C-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I think he's in trouble, to be honest. I think his lack of TV time has to do with him being punished, even though the Noble incident was an accident more than anything. He's got the right "look", and has an impressive physical-style offense, but things have gone downhill since Noble was injured, and it probably isn't going to change anytime soon.
Santino: First and foremost, thank goodness the Santina storyline has run its course. That was a bad idea of epic proportions, as it nearly destroyed the entire Women's division all by itself, as well as ruining Santino for a while, turning him into an even bigger joke of a character than he already was. As Santina, he won several matches, but you can't really count those as anything special, because of the manner in which they were won.
Grade: D
Outlook for the rest of 2009: As Santino, he might be even more over now than he's ever been, which is a good sign for his future with the company, I suppose. He'll never be a WWE Champion or anything, but when you're over, you're over, and there can always be a role for someone who is that over, as long as he doesn't find trouble with drugs and/or injuries.
Tyson Kidd: Realistically, he hasn't done all that much since being called up to the ECW roster, but he's got about as bright of a future as any young wrestler in the entire company, in my opinion. I'm still not 100% sold that the brand switch was the best move for him, although, as I mentioned last week, there are plenty of positives in moving this guy to a bigger show.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Don't be suprised when he and DH Smith are Tag Champions by the end of the year, ladies and gentlemen. Also, don't be surprised if the faction gets a new leader and a bit of a new direction, but that's all I'll say about that for the time being.
David Hart Smith: He had an impressive ECW debut, and has shown flashes of brilliance since then, but like several others, there just hasn't been anywhere near enough material from him this year to truly grade him on. That leaves me to grade him on a few matches, and his short-term potential.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I still don't think he's ready to be a singles star in the company, although it sure does appear as if they want to eventually push him as such. For now, he's better off teaming with Kidd and improving that way. Again, don't be surprised if the faction eventually gets a new leader. Be prepared.
Gail Kim: As I've mentioned before, her return has been quite the disappointment, in my opinion. I expected a lot more out of her, but she just hasn't "clicked" with her opponents or the live crowds like I thought she would. A move to Raw could be what she needs, as she has a fresh group of Divas to work with, but it could also be the final nail in her WWE coffin. Only time will tell, I guess.
Grade: D-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: With the way the tag match on Raw was booked, you'd think Kim was the next in line for Maryse's Divas Title, instead of Mickie James. I guess that's a good sign for Kim and her fans. Now that she's away from Michelle McCool, she should be able to move up the ranks a bit quicker and easier, much to Uncle Joe's chagrin.
The Brian Kendrick: I love being right. I really do. I told you folks not to look too deeply into TBK's mini-push on Smackdown, and that he'd do next-to-nothing as a member of the Raw roster. What has he done since coming over to Raw? If you said "next-to-nothing", give yourself a round of applause.
Grade: F
Outlook for the rest of 2009: A first-class ticket to join the "Future Endeavors Club".
Hustle Highlight Of The Week: In a very close race, Randy Orton VS Ted DiBiase from Raw wins this week's HHotW award. It was a fun match that was a lot more back-and-forth than I was expecting it to be. I'd say it was a nice test to see if Ted Jr could handle a singles run as a face, and if that's all we have to judge by, the answer to that appears to be "yes". Randy did a good job in making Ted look good, all while still being able to show that Ted wasn't quite in his class yet. To all those that argued with me when I stated, long ago, that DiBiase had much more potential as a singles star than Cody Rhodes.. well.. let's just say that I love being right.
Honorable mentions would be.. The debut of Sheamus (ECW).. Rey Mysterio VS Kane (Smackdown).. CM Punk & Jeff Hardy VS Chris Jericho & Edge (Smackdown).. John Cena VS Triple H (Raw).. Mickie James & Gail Kim VS Maryse & Alicia Fox (Raw, and yes, I'm shocked, too).. Getting to see "The Million Dollar Man" on TV for more than a one-second cameo in the background of a backstage segment (Raw).. MVP & Jack Swagger on "The VIP Lounge" (Raw)
Writer's Note: Well, we're only a few days away from UFC's historic 100th PPV card, and I figured there wasn't a better time to bring my MMA Guru, Treisk, out of the mothballs to preview the show. Here he is..
UFC 100. The big one. Dana White has been chanting for months that UFC 100 will be the biggest card in the history of the sport. Seeing this lineup, who the fuck will disagree with him? The New Years Eve show this past December is the only one that even comes close. But it's not just the triple-headliner that makes this card so big. It's the fact that every fight on the undercard, short of Grice/Gugerty, has the potential to be on the main card. One of them even has the potential to co-headline, and many thought it would co-headline UFC 101. I'm referring to Bonnar/Coleman.
Being that the undercard is as dynamic and interesting as most main cards, you're going to see a lot of attention in this entry on those undercard fights. That's not to say there will be no focus on the main card, but everyone's talking about the main card, and hardly anyone is talking about the other guys.
Notes:
Betting Odds courtesy of SportsBook.com.
+ Indicates that the fighter is debuting in the UFC.
-¤- Indicates a title fight.
Format:
Weight Class: Fighter1 (Betting Odds)(Record) vs. Fighter2 (Betting Odds)(Record)
How Betting Odds Work: If you bet $100 on a fighter that is -250, you get $250 if you win; you have to bet $250 to make $100 profit on a fighter that is +250. If Fighter A has -120 odds, and his opponent has -100 odds, the -120 is the favorite by slim odds. If Fighter C has -325 odds, and his opponent has +250 odds, the -325 is the clear favorite.
PRELIMINARY BOUTS
(Note that the Grice/Gugerty, Hyun Kim/Grant, and Dollaway/Lawlor fights have not posted odds as of this post)
Lightweight bout: MATT "The Real One" GRICE (9-2-0) vs. SHANNON "Yogurt in a Tube*" GUGERTY (11-3-0)
Anyone want a Gogurt? Grice's only two losses in his career thus far have come under the UFC banner, to fighters without names, pretty much. Most recently, he lost to Matt (the other Matt) Veach in a Fight Night prelim (in February) that made it to the air. In that fight, Grice came as close to beating Veach as anyone had come, and in both fashions. He had Veach in an Anaconda Choke early in the round that Veach escaped, and had him rocked and was on top of him when Veach... Escaped again. Veach pulled out the W, while Grice went back to the drawing board.
Meet Shannon Gugerty. His name is two brands of yogurt, and he's the drawing board. Gugerty has an even 1-1 record under the UFC's fight flag, and is hoping to make his record a positive one on Saturday. But his UFC record isn't the only 1-1 he boasts. He also has traded wins with WEC midcard mainstay Cub Swanson (who most recently got destroyed in 8 seconds by Jose Aldo). His one win in the UFC came from the guy that broke Corey Hill's leg by checking a leg kick, Dale Hartt, while his one UFC loss was one in which he was thrown to the dogs. Spencer Fisher was that dog. That's a big fucking dog.
Even though the betting odds aren't out for this one, I'd put them roughly at -195/+165 in favor of Gugerty. He's fought stiffer competition in the UFC and almost went the distance with a contender, but both will probably have one more fight to go to get off of the undercard, even after this one. Ultimately though, I've got Gugerty by Submission in the first.
(* Not his real nickname. But his name is as close to "Dannon Gogurt" as anyone I've ever seen.)
Welterweight bout: DONG HYUN "Stun Gun" KIM (11-0-1) vs. TJ GRANT (14-2-0)
This is going to be a fun fight for the undercard. Probably-overhyped Dong Hyun Kim hails from Korea, and those guys don't fuck around. Dude went undefeated in 8 fights in the DEEP promotion based out of Japan. His last fight in the ptomotion before coming to the UFC ended in a Draw-Decision against Hidehiko Hasegawa, whom he beat just two months prior. He then came to the UFC, went 2-0, then lost to a roided-up Karo Parisyan, who tested positive the night after the fight. The fight's decision was overturned by the the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and the Judoka lost the win on his record. So technically, Kim is 2-0 in the UFC, but is actually 2-1.
However, fighting tough competition at Welterweight isn't something either man is a stranger to. For this preview, I'm going to use something that some MMA fans like to call, "MMAth." TJ Grant's last win was over Ryo Chonan, who beat Anderson Silva by Flying Scissor Heel Hook. It should, however, be noted that Grant was awarded that fight by a SPLIT decision that most people thought should have gone the other way. Not taking anything away from Grant, but I really don't think he's ready for the big stage. As far as Japan goes, DEEP is roughly their equivalent to WEC. And Hell, WEC is better than King of the Cage.
One other thing to mention about this fight is that TJ Grant is a late stand-in for Jonathan Goulet. Goulet dislocated his shoulder during training and will not make it to fight night. This also means that Grant hasn't had a full training camp, which will cost him dearly.
Besides that, Grant holds a loss to a guy nicknamed "Evil Ginger." And that redhead lives up to his ridiculously horrible name. I hate gingers*, so I'm giving this one to Kim by TKO in the second.
(* I don't, really.)
Middleweight bout: C.B. "The Doberman" DOLLAWAY (8-1-0) vs. TOM "The Filthy Mauler*" LAWLOR (5-1-0)
I. Love. CB Dollaway. And not because he's a particularly stunning fighter, but because he currently holds THE only Peruvian Necktie victory in MMA history. Search YouTube for "Submissions 101 Peruvian Necktie." Go ahead, I'll wait.... Back yet? Yeah, that. He fucking pulled that off in an MMA fight. And he's not even a BJJ specialist. The dude's greatest strength is his striking. But that win alone shows you how versatile and technical Dollaway is about everything he does.
Turn around and look at Lawlor, who primarily is looking to shoot, get the fight on the ground, and pound you out. I don't think that kind of strategy is going to work on a very tough, very game, and very technical Dollaway. I wouldn't be shocked to see the UFC's first Gogoplata victory in this fight, to be honest. But the thing is, Lawlor does not want this fight to be standing up. He wants to be above a guy, pounding him out. I don't think he's going to get that with Dollaway's sprawl, and even if he does, I think CB will do more on the ground than Lawlor will.
Because I feel the Doberman will stay more active, fight to finish, and out-tech Lawlor, I'm giving this one to CB by way of the second Unanimous Decision of his career, and his first in the UFC.
(* That really is his nickname this time.)
Lightweight bout: MAC DANZIG (-200) (18-6-1) vs. JIM MILLER (+160) (13-2-0)
Hippie-vegan Mac Danzig is taking on the lighter of the Miller Brothers, both of which have lost their last two fights. Jim is looking to get the family back on the winning track Saturday night with a win over Mac "Tofu" Danzig, who doesn't eat meat for whatever reason. Still, dude looks good for someone who doesn't get any natural proteins. Still, supplements alone have not carried him to wins in his last two outings against Clay Guida and Josh Neer. Still, Danzig is no slouch. He's been there before, and is one of the only 155-pound Pride veterans under contract to the UFC right now.
The Millers on the other hand happen to be good in the same realm as Danzig, and that's on the ground. The unfortunate thing is, these would-be BJJ wars almost always end up being stand-up wars. I'm hoping for the sake of my BJJ enthusiasm that this doesn't happen, but at the same time, it's pretty likely that this one isn't hitting the ground. Neither man is afraid to bang, and both guys have pretty decent chins, although Jim has never been stopped.
I think that changes soon. Danzig's got four wins by (T)KO, and I think he ups it to five if this stays standing. And I think it'll happen before Miller knows it's going to happen. Danzig, T/KO in the first.
Light Heavyweight bout: JON "Bones" JONES (-500) (8-0-0) vs. JAKE O'BRIEN (+300) (11-2-0)
One of the brightest up-and-coming stars in the business today, Jon Jones put on a greco-roman clinic in January against Stephan Bonnar. Dana White agrees that this kid has, possibly, the most potential of any kid in the sport today. Joe Silva's expression in the Bonnar fight agrees. Bonnar threw a right push kick, which Jones caught with his left hand. Jones spun around the leg with it still in his hand, and at the same time as he released it, landed an absolutely beautiful spinning back elbow to Bonnar. Joe Silva lost his marbles and gave his best MaCaulay Culkin impression in disbelief. Bonnar stuck it out, only to be tossed around like a fucking ragdoll for 12 more minutes.
However, if anyone can test Jones' wrestling mettle at 205, it'll be former Heavyweight contender, Jake O'Brien. Jake holds wins over Heath Herring and Christian Wellisch, and has fought former-champ and Fedor victim, Andrei Arlovski and Mexico's smaller, overrated answer to Lesnar, Cain Velasquez. Weighing in for both of those fights at 240, he recently made the decision to start cutting to 205. Bones is not the guy to fuck with at 205, though. The kid has barely been fighting a year, is already 8-0, and is probably the top prospect in the sport right now.
Jones by whatever the Hell he wants, but let's call it a TKO so the casual fans will know who this kid is.
Light Heavyweight bout: MARK "The Hammer" COLEMAN (+250) (15-9-0) vs. STEPHAN "American Psycho" BONNAR (-325) (11-5-0)
Let me just put this out there. This is the first time a current UFC Hall-Of-Famer will ever perform on the undercard. Now, I'm a big Brock fan and all, but that's as much proof as any that Dana was seriously trying to overhype guys that Brock was stepping in with. That was, of course, until Coleman broke his plastic hip and had to pull out of the fight so he could cut to 205 and get slaughtered by Shogun. Still, the guy's in the Hall of Fame for a reason. Because he used to be good.
Enter Stephan Bonnar, one half of the pair that changed this sport forever. But what you also have to remember about Stephan is, he lost that fight. Now, I'm not bashing either guy. Well, okay, I'm bashing Coleman. But Bonnar is a tough son of a bitch. He's essentially a less dangerous, perhaps more technical Shogun with better gameplans and better cardio. Coleman doesn't know what Cardio means. Stephan does. Stephan knows both of these things.
Stephan Bonnar by TKO in round 3. Coleman will gas and not be able to do anything about it. Not to mention Coleman has lost to Fedor, and we've seen what happens to guys who lose to Fedor. I'm talking to you, Tim Sylvia. I'm talking to you, Andrei Arlovski. Neither of you could last 20 seconds after Fedor was done with you. I'm betting the same shit happens to Coleman.
MAIN CARD
Welterweight bout: JON FITCH (-365) (18-3-0) vs. PAULO THIAGO (+285) (11-0-0)
Fitch will participate in his 11th UFC bout on Saturday. He won 9 of the 10 prior, including a a win over Akihiro Gono. He tied the record held by Royce Gracie and Anderson Silva, with 9 wins in a row, before being crushed by GSP. Unfortunately, all Fitch is remembered for after that fight is his heart and his chin. While Fitch does apparently enjoy hearing the sounds of the judges' voices, he's also a very well-rounded fighter. And a good chin definitely DOES help to get you there.
Paulo Thiago is coming off of a huge upset in his UFC debut over Josh Koscheck. While Koscheck DID take the fight on short notice, it's still hard to dispute a KO victory. And just as CB Dollaway showed us, the craziest finishes come from the people who, stylistically, it makes no sense from. Paulo Thiago Alves Silva, or whatever (I get all these Thiagos and Silvas confused) is primarily a grappler, but he knocked out a guy with a damned good chin. But who knows, maybe the dude actually worked his striking.
I think Fitch will come out with another GSP-esque performance and outlast Paulo Thiago for a Unanimous Decision victory, and the first loss of Thiago's career.
Middleweight bout: YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA (-340) (12-1-0) vs. ALAN "The Talent" BELCHER (+260) (14-5-0)
Judo star and Japanese superstar/superhero/sex icon Yoshihiro Akiyama (coined "Sexyama" by the bisexual tweens at Sherdog) makes his (sexy) debut at UFC 100. But sex appeal isn't the only thing he brings to UFC 100 (ladies...), he also brings great Judo, and a well-rounded game. His favorite submission in his career has been an Ezekiel Choke, or "Hell Choke," as it's known in the states. It basically involves scissoring the guy's neck between your arms. It's usually performed by grabbing the sleeve of your gi as a fulcrum, but a good enough grappler can do it without a gi. Akiyama is that good of a grappler.
I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot now, but Belcher is no slouch himself. He's also a very well-rounded fighter with a lot of experience against big names, like Yushin Okami, Jorge Santiago, Kendall "The (other) Spider" Grove, Sean "Rashad kicked my head off" Salmon, Kalib "Haul Ass" Starnes, Ed Herman, and Denis Kang. And he's 5-2 against the guys on that list. Still, it's always a beautiful thing to watch two very well-rounded fighters butt heads and see who comes out the winner. Plus it always ends up being a damned good show.
I've got the Japanese Tween Heartthrob, Akiyama by submission, late in the first.
Middleweight bout: DAN "Hollywood"HENDERSON (-225) (24-7-0) vs. MICHAEL "The Count" BISPING (+185) (17-1-0)
I forget which card it was, but I distinctly remember Mike Goldberg saying "The talking's over" as a segue into an interview video package, and me thinking, "The talking's over, right after they say a few more things." That's how I feel about this fight.
Both of these guys have been running their mouth off to each other on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter, where the US and the UK went at it in the house. Mostly, from what has been generally gathered, Bisping tried to get into Henderson's head, but Hendo's head is brick-thick and, while slightly annoyed, went primarily unphased while spouting retorts turing the tenure of the show. And honestly, it didn't make for very good TV. The ratings may have gone up, but interest dwindled quickly.
Sure, you often hear the phrase "Oh, how the mighty have fallen" when discussing over-the-hill fighters, wrestlers, or even celebrities. And it saddens me that people feel that way about Henderson. That's not saying they're wrong (the dude turns 39 in August), but a lot of us don't want to see Henderson go the Liddell route and keep going until he hits the ground in a smoldering heap. Within 4 months in Pride, he captured both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight belts. He did not successfully defend either belt, but is back to 2-0 at 185 with wins over one of my favorite Jits guys, Rousimar Palhares (Paul Harris?), and Rich "Ace" Franklin.
On the other hand, Mike Bisping is a stranger to losing. Seriously, you don't get to hear that often, so take that as you will. Bisping lost a narrow decision (split) to Evans that many (albeit not the majority) believe he should have won, and that was at 205. Bisping now calls 185 home, but his only challenge at that weight has been Chris Leben. He intends to make a statement at the expensve of Henderson. And with 11 of his 17 wins coming by way of (T)KO, who can argue with him?
The UK won the season of TUF, ultimately, with 3 UK guys making it into the four slots of the finals, and two Englishmen walking out with the contracts. I think this fight will go the same way the season did -- Bisping will do just as he says and TKO Dan Henderson in the 2nd round.
Welterweight Championship bout: GEORGES "Rush" ST-PIERRE (-285) (18-2-0) vs. THIAGO "Pitbull" ALVES (+225) (16-3-0)
Since GSP became the Welterweight champion, every single fight he's had has carried a distinct buzz and mystique about it. I think, for this fight, that's gone. For this to be a co-headliner with Lesnar/Mir II, it hasn't gotten a whole lot of attention. But how do you not pay attention to those behemoths, right?
GSP has fallen into the habit, recently, of absolutely destroying anyone who comes near him, much like Anderson Silva. A lot of people are touting Alves as the answer to GSP, in the form of a solid striking game. Most people forget that Pierre's background was in Kyokushin Karate, a stand-up style that he still applies. Not to mention GSP has always had very solid striking, even if his wrestling did become the core of his style. Still, BJ Penn is a much more talented (and mouthy) fighter than Alves, and he came nowhere close to getting the job done.
On the other hand, Alves' striking could pose a problem for GSP after all. He does have that solid KO power that has put guys like Koscheck, Hughes, Parisyan, and Marcus Davis on their asses. And as much as I hate to say it GSP-Serra (a fight I got to see live) proved that even GSP can get caught. And if anyone could catch St-Pierre just right, I think it WOULD be Thiago Alves.
Speaking of the first Serra fight, by the way, it should be noted that just prior to that fight, GSP was mentally distracted by a death in the family, and was not entirely 100% there mentally. After the Serra loss, he opted to clear his mind and focus entirely on his own growth in the sport. And we're all seeing the beautiful after-effects of that decision -- GSP is listed in the top 3 of most pound-for-pound lists, and deservedly so.
GSP's game is wholly unreal in MMA right now. A fighter who started with a traditional Oriental martial art (Kyokushin) adapted himself to kickboxing, then BJJ, then the rest of the fight game, but no one expected him to shine so bright in wrestling. Rumor had it last year that GSP declined an offer to wrestle in the olympics for Canada, without having wrestled in college. Another quite unheard-of feat. GSP's wrestling and ground game are so solid that he outworked Penn on the ground, became the first man to pass Fitch's guard (and did it multiple times), and outwrestled former DIV1 wrestler, Josh Koscheck.
One other integral thing to bring up is, GSP often comes into his fights far above 170. Some close to GSP's camp say he could really bulk up a bit and go up to 205 without cutting if he chose to. He cuts down from about 195, it's said. But Alves also cuts from 190+. Alves' frame has also been incredibly intimidating since he reworked his training methodology. His physique today is very Ken Shamrock-esque (in vascularity, not roid claims). That being said, GSP has not fought a fighter as large as Alves in his career. Even Hughes, while he cuts a fair amount of weight, was not the size of Alves. Watch the Hughes/Alves fight for direct proof of that.
Jon Fitch was described as the man who could truly test GSP. Right after Hughes, right after Koscheck, Jason Miller, Frank Trigg, Sean Sherk, and after (and before) BJ Penn (twice). I just don't see the king being dethroned just yet. GSP by destruction, which, very roughly, translates into TKO in the second.
Heavyweight Championship bout: (C) BROCK LESNAR (-215) (3-1-0) vs. (iC) FRANK MIR (+175) (12-3-0)
The big one. The one people have been waiting for. The fight that has created more buzz and conversation than I've seen in years. But there are a few reasons why, and I'll educate those new to the sport, or particularly, new to Brock and Mir.
Anyone who watched the WWE a few years ago saw this hulking beast of a mother fucker named Brock Lesnar. No one imagined he would move on from WWE to try out for the NFL. Less people imagined he would fail, but once he did, making the jump to MMA left many skeptical, mostly over the ramifications of taking a hit and how he would handle it. Lesnar himself said he's "got a head like a ballpeen hammer, I'm not getting knocked out." And he's right. Couture, while not known as a striker, landed some big bombs on Lesnar, when Greg Nelson showed that it wasn't just Couture who could cook up a good gameplan. Lesnar smothered Couture, dead-weighted himself, and forced The Natural to carry his weight around, before eventually catching him and landed something like 32 unanswered strikes.
Now the less happy story. In 2004, Frank Mir broke Tim Sylvia's arm (the forearm) in half to capture his first UFC Heavyweight championship. Frank MIr then got into a bike wreck that put him out of action for months. Thinking he wouldn't make it back to fight again, Zuffa stripped him of the UFC strap. Fast forward to 2006 where Mir acted against doctor's orders and fought in the UFC at far less than 100% to put food on his family's table in February of 2006. Fast forward 9 months, and Mir is all recouped, although not back in "old form." He gets knocked out by Brandon Vera, and goes back to the drawing board. After some time staring at, apparently, Shannon Gugerty (the drawing board), Mir made up his mind.
For nine more months, albeit definitely not longer than his nine-month road to recovery prior to that, Mir spent time rededicating himself, making damned sure that if he got into the cage again, it'd be the best Frank Mir we'd seen. Antoni "Leg kicks" Hardonk fell to Mir before the big bombshell was announced -- "Brock Lesnar has signed with the UFC." Dana White called Mir, asked if he wanted to fight Brock, and when Mir accepted, made the fight happen.
Meanwhile, Randy Couture was having his legal battles with Zuffa over contractual disputes, as Couture was trying to ink a deal to fight Fedor Emelianenko in or out of the UFC. When the plan fell through, Couture played hardball for about a year. While that title was being held up by legal issues, Dana White pitted Tim Sylvia against Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, where the winner would get the "Interim" Heavyweight title, which was a guaranteed #1 contender spot and promised a title unification bout down the road.
Nogueira beat Sylvia, and captured the Interim belt. Then once Couture's legal troubles were over, Dana set up a four-man tournament between Couture, Lesnar, Nogueira, and Mir. Lesnar upset Couture to capture the Primary Heavyweight Title in a fight that sent Brock critics shuffling for their notebooks to mention that Couture was over the hill, regardless of what he did just 18 months prior. Then, in a fight that many expected to be a ground war Mir and Nogueira kept it standing, and essentially began the trend of standup wars between BJJ wizards. Nogueira, who came in sick and still recovering from a staph infection that prevented him from training, couldn't handle Mir's relatively-improved boxing, and Nogueira was finished for the first time.
Taking you back to Mir/Lesnar 1, it's worth mentioning that Mir was definitely hurt badly when Brock was pounding on him. After the fight, Mir said the following (vaguely quoted):"I don't know, man, ir's crazy Brock was hitting me so hard, I don't remember attempting any submissions. It felt like I was drowning AND someone was pounding on me." That's some crazy power. Not to mention another general feeling - Had referee Steve Mazzagatti not stood up the fight, it's absolutely possible that Mir could have been finished. It's generally believed that the stand-up call cost Lesnar the fight by allowing Mir time to recover just after Brock had gained major momentum. Herb Dean is slated to referee that fight, so there will be no foul play with controversial stand-ups. Add in that this is a highly-anticipated sequel fight, and you might have, truly, the most impactful fight in the UFC's heavyweight division. Plus, this bout is finally unifying the Interim and Primary Heavyweight Championship belts. The hype creates itself.
One last thing worth mentioning is the rapid evolution of both of these fighters. Lesnar is new to MMA, but is adapting incredibly quickly. His BJJ coach, Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, said before the Couture fight that Lesnar was roughly a BJJ purple belt after just a year of practicing the art. BJ Penn is the fastest American to reach a black belt, and it took him 3 years. Penn was at a purple belt level at ~17 months. Lesnar has him beaten by roughly 5 months so far. That's unheard of. However, Mir has rededicated himself and is rounding out his game. On the UFC's YouTube page, you can find a video of Mir hitting the mitts, and he looks absolutely shredded.
While it's definitely too early to count either man out at all, I think it's safe to say that if it doesn't end quickly, this one has fireworks written all over it. However, I've got Brock by an early (first round) TKO. I just don't see Lesnar making the same mistake twice, and the power behind his now-technical strikes is just too much for Mir to deal with. If Brandon Vera (a current LHW midcarder) could knock Mir out, Lesnar will have no problem.
What Treisk is listening to: "Colors" by Between the Buried and Me (The whole album is just amazing)
Hustle here again. My predictions for the main card are as follows..
Brock Lesnar over Frank Mir by KO in the 2nd round
Georges St Pierre over Thiago Alves by Decision
Jon Fitch over Paulo Thiago by KO in the 2nd round
Michael Bisping over Dan Henderson by Decision
Yoshihiro Akiyama over Alan Belcher by Submission in the 2nd round
Writer's Note Part Deux: This year's NBA Free Agency period is already off to an exciting start, even though the class of free agents wasn't the greatest. My Los Angeles Lakers put their feet down and said they weren't going to offer Trevor Ariza the money he was requesting, so he decided to leave and signed with the Houston Rockets. In response, the Lakers signed Ron Artest, who immediately makes the Lakers the favorites in the Western Conference once again. Artest is an improvement over Ariza in almost every level of the game, and if you have Artest on the court with Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum at the same time, you have one of the greatest defensive groups of all-time. That's the two best perimeter defenders in the NBA today playing alongside a 7-footer in Odom, a 7-footer in Gasol, and a 7-footer in Bynum. That's almost unfair to their opponents on a nightly basis. That's not even mentioning guys like Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown coming off the bench, who are pretty good defenders in their own right, as well as Luke Walton, who can play some mighty fine "D" of his own.
It isn't just the Lakers that are improving, though. The Detroit Pistons have improved their overall talent level by signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, and are now in the middle of discussing a Richard Hamilton-for-Carlos Boozer trade with the Utah Jazz. The San Antonio Spurs have also improved, trading for Richard Jefferson. The Orlando Magic have improved their starting lineup by adding Vince Carter, although they're probably going to have problems with bench depth next season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have upgraded a bit by adding Shaquille O'Neal, even though it still isn't enough for them to be legitimate championship contenders. The Boston Celtics have also improved their team, both by getting Kevin Garnett healthy again, as well as adding Rasheed Wallace, and possibly even adding Grant Hill.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that it's going to be a fun year in the NBA, with all the best teams in the league getting even better, and with a few of the up-and-coming teams (Atlanta, Portland, etc) continuing to grow. Hell, even some of the teams that were at the bottom of the league this past season (Memphis, Oklahoma City, LA Clippers, etc) are improving at a rapid pace, and may only be a piece or two away from being playoff teams themselves.
The NBA.. it's FAN-tastic!
Writer's Note Part Ekolu: The shocking murder of former NFL MVP Steve McNair added to what was already an incredibly crazy list of celebrity deaths in the last few weeks. I'm not here to comment on what happened, or about his personal life and the decisions he made. I'm here to say that he was a great Quarterback, and one of my all-time favorite players to watch, going all the way back to his days in college at Alcorn State. Pound-for-pound, one of the absolute toughest players to ever play the game of football.. Mr McNair, you will be missed.
What Hustle Is Listening To Right Now: "Stay Wide Awake" by Eminem.. "Beautiful" by Eminem.. "Underground" by Eminem.. "Deja Vu" by Eminem.. "Culo" by Pitbull.. "Here He Come" by Ice Cube & Doughboy.. "1st Of Da Month" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Whom Die They Lie" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "U Ain't Bone" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Handle The Vibe" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Bone, Bone, Bone" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Down 71 (The Getaway)" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Foe Tha Love Of Money" by Bone Thugs N Harmony & Eazy-E.. "No Surrender" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "It's All Real" by Krayzie Bone.. "Buddah Lovaz" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Land Of Tha Heartless" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Neighborhood Slang" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Murda One" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Ain't Nothin Changed" by Bone Thugs N Harmony.. "Don't Hate On Me" by Krayzie Bone & Jermaine Dupri.. "The Way That You Talk" by Jagged Edge, Da Brat, & Jermaine Dupri.. "Hood Hop" by Slaughterhouse & Billy Danze.. "Paranoid" by Kanye West & Mr Hudson.. "Touch Me" by 50 Cent.. "Walkin On The Moon" by The Dream & Kanye West.. "My Love" by The Dream & Mariah Carey.. "Love VS Money Part 2" by The Dream.. "I Luv Your Girl" by The Dream.. "My Life" by The Game & Lil Wayne.. "Never Let Me Down" by Kanye West & Jay-Z.. "I Run It" by Chamillionaire.. "Industry Groupie" by Chamillionaire.. "Y'all Niggaz Ain't No Killaz, Y'all Niggaz Some Hoez" by Project Pat.. "Don't Turn Around" by Project Pat.. "Don't Save Her" by Project Pat & Crunchy Black.. "Heartache" by One Groove.. "My, My, My" by Johnny Gill.. "Kick In The Door" by Notorious BIG.. "Never Should've Let You Go" by Hi-Five.. "What You Wanna Do" by Krayzie Bone & The Game.. "100 Bars Of Crack" by Ya Boy.. "Good Ol Days" by Boo-Yaa TRIBE.. "Social Studies" by Bizzy Bone.. "Red Bandana" by The Game.. "All Bets On Ace" by Ace Hood.. "Sittin At A Bar (The Bartender Song)" by Rehab.. "Seriously" by Katchafire
First and foremost, I realize this was a rather long column. When I first started the grading section, it totally slipped my mind that there were a lot more people on the WWE roster than are currently in TV rotation. Then, Treisk's UFC 100 preview went a lot more in-depth than I thought it would (not complaining, bro, just stating a fact). Good lookin out for the preview, by the way. I probably should've split the grades up into different columns, with Raw being this week, and Smackdown/ECW being another week, but that defeats the whole jibberyjoo about "midterms". Either way, another edition of HIPRN is now bagged, tagged, and ready to leave The Trap. Thank you, one and all, for riding with me yet again. In approximately seven days.. same Hustle time, same Hustle page.. I shall return with yet another "Hustle Original". I have a few different ideas floating around in my head, but I'll probably return to the subject of racism in pro wrestling, so keep your peepers peepin for that. Until then, it's time for me to jet like Leon Washington and Darrelle Revis, nah'mean? From the place that is getting far too expensive for me to continue living at, I bid you farewell. Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa.
”I'm exceedin expectations, you barely meetin quota.. I give it to em straight, you cut it with baking soda..”
Hustle HIPRNFeedback@gmail.com
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