Posted in: Taste My Rainbow Taste My Rainbow [31] - MVP's Potential Paints A Pretty Picture
By SkittleZ
Nov 23, 2008 - 4:54:34 AM
[31] - MVP's Potential Paints A Pretty Picture
What's up everybody! The Candyman is back with a vengeance and ready to take out his frustrations on you lovely people. Got to love the sports right now during this time of the year. It's fucking awesome. We're halfway through the NFL season, college football bowl games are right around the corner, college basketball is just getting underway and a month of the NBA season is already in the books. Actually as I write this, I just watched new UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar pummel the mascot during the Celtics/Timberwolves game in Minnesota. What a beautiful sight. Anyways, I'm SkittleZ and this is my body of work known as Taste My Rainbow. The column that can suck a golf ball through a garden hose. I've been relatively busy lately doing collaborations with various friends from the Columns Forum and it's been an absolute blast. Always a pleasure to work with lesser talented individuals because it makes me look that much better. Get my drift? Yeah I think I'll quit while I'm ahead.
Ugh.... I've been dreading this moment for weeks now. Despite trailing pretty much the entire contest, I always felt I had a legitimate shot at rallying to make things interesting. That was up until the conclusion of Cyber Sunday last month. That damn foreigner DaveyBoy has thrashed me for a second consecutive year. Let me just take the time to say I'm not at all happy about this. I'll accept defeat because I lost fair and square but I should have won! I only ever challenged DaveyGirl to the contest back in late 2006 because I had kept track of my predictions over the majority of the year and when I matched them up with his, I had a considerable lead. So I came in like a house on fire only to be soundly extinguished time and time again. Technically, I could force a tiebreaker by going undefeated and Davey going winless tonight but that isn't going to happen. Lets throw up that scoreboard once again and get a look at those depressing standings: DaveyBoy (61-31-1) / SkittleZ (55-37-1) Um yeah. Lets hurry up and get this shit over with so I can save some face.
Team HBK vs. Team Team JBL appears to be a no-brainer to open the show as none of the other five bouts stand a realistic chance of kicking off the card. There's no way this match doesn't reach at least fifteen minutes. I'm confident it will fall between the 18-20 range and should be rather entertaining given the participants and the inner feuds that are currently taking place. Most fans believe MVP will be the sole survivor and save having to pay back some of his enormous contract but I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. This storyline is leading somewhere and I doubt it ends abruptly tonight. I'm just not convinced. As for a sole or pair of survivors, Michaels hasn't won a traditional Survivor Series elimination match since before his back injuries and ensuing four year sabbatical at the turn of the century so I'm giving him the nod. Team HBK will outlast Team JBL and Shawn Michaels will be the last man standing.
The usual run of the mill Divas clusterfuck is set to happen again at this year's Survivor Series and I soooooooo don't give a fuck. Most of them are physically flawless and I've even seen a few of them butt ass naked but that doesn't turn me on to this match any further. Honestly, I don't even know who's in this bout. Let me guess.... Torrie Wilson (What? She's dead?), Lena Yada (She got fired too? No kidding) and Christy Hemme (TNA? Pffft! Since when!?). Alright maybe I should take a quick glance. I did eeny meeny miny mo and I landed on Michelle McCool so she'll be the sole survivor for the blue brand and the SmackDown Divas will win. I noticed the Undertaker/Big Show program has progressed decently. Might I just say how quick I want this to end so we can see the Deadman and Umaga go at it? Well unfortunately, this stupid feud will probably last until Armageddon and the Samoan Bulldozer's return to television will most likely be held off until the Rumble so I'm shit out of luck. Undertaker will get the last laugh so he needs to drop one of his specialty bouts to set up the big finish. Therefore, The Big Show will dump Taker in the casket and shut the lid for the victory.
Our second big time elimination match sees Batista's Team do battle with Randy's Squad. As far as quality, this match sits about even with the HBK/JBL bout but will probably outperform it and come off as noticeably better. The outcome here is just as unpredictable as the other melee but I can't see Orton's team losing. Definitely not. The Legend Killer was built up so strongly early in the year and during the summer up until he broke his collarbone. Not to mention the company has hyped the shit out of him since he returned to RAW a few months ago. It would make absolutely zero sense to go against all that in his first big time match back. And no I don't see the surprise element coming into play here. The only 'surprise' I foresee is Dibiase and Manu getting involved and showing their allegiance to Orton by helping his team win the match. That's right. You heard me so don't play stupid. Randy Orton's team will come out on top and he and Cody Rhodes will be the sole survivors.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't amped for this match. And that's saying something given the fact fucking Vladimir Kozlov is a part of a World Championship match at a big WWE pay per view. While I'm sure the Moscow Mauler will serve his purpose, Jeff and H should carry the bulk of the work. I wouldn't even be surprised if Kozlov pops in and out of this bout throughout its' duration. He may even take a double team move through an announce table if he doesn't mind his damn business. Enough about that fag though. The Game has been champion for a long ass time. I figured that greedy bastard would hold the WWE Title until WrestleMania 25 but the booking of Hardy since around No Mercy and especially over the last two weeks suggests that something big is about to go down. Plus, look at it this way. H needs to drop the belt soon if he's ever going to pass Flair's seventeen world titles. The dude's about to drop dead any day now from steroid abuse so I think it's about time he put a motherfucker over. Jeff is long overdue for a trial run and it's finally about to happen, folks. Tonight at Survivor Series, Jeff Hardy will capture his first ever WWE Championship!
Cena is cool and all but I just don't find myself into this match whatsoever. I'm not dreading it or anything. It just doesn't appeal to me much from a pure wrestling fan standpoint. I know these two can put on a good match as was evident at SummerSlam 2005 but that doesn't matter to me. I'm way more into the Triple Threat Match than this shit right here. Another big part of it is probably the predictability of it. Cena surprises us all the time but there's no chance in hell he wins the World Title in his return match. It just isn't going to happen. At Armageddon? Perhaps. At WM25? Wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. But not right now. I think it will be interesting to see the crowd's reaction and the type of reception Cena receives from the Boston crowd after all the touching video packages the WWE has shoved down our throats for weeks now. I distinctly remember SummerSlam '06 being held in Boston for Cena's WWE Title match with Edge and the crowd not being too fond of 'The Champ' during that contest. Nonetheless, Jericho is one sneaky Canadian and he will find a way to escape somehow. Cena will win by disqualification and thus Y2J retains the World Heavyweight Championship.
What has the WWE done to the brilliance known as Montel Vontavious Porter? From the naked eye, you would swear any push or credibility he once held has been completely sabotaged over the course of the last eleven weeks. It isn't as if you can merely take notice to his recent bookings and turn the other cheek without a hint of blasphemy or wrongdoing. Whether it's a good loss or a bad loss can be disputed in a sport such as professional wrestling. But not many people can find positives amidst MVP's massive losing streak when the defeats have come at the hands of jobbers like Kung Fu Naki. Multiple losses and beat downs by the Great Khali can't do much to boost the old ego either. Did MVP pull a Bobby Lashley backstage and ask for a major push or something?
Now if by chance you are sitting there reading this column and you aren't familiar or don't realize just what sort of epic losing streak we're talking about here, allow me to lend you a little insight. LOP's Main Page has graciously posted such information recently and I've decided to copy and paste it for my own benefit. Poor Antonio Banks. Oh wait. Oops... was that supposed to be kept a secret? Silly me.
08-29 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Jeff Hardy.
09-05 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Shelton Benjamin.
09-07 Unforgiven - Pinned twice; by Jeff Hardy, and by Triple H at the conclusion of the match.
09-12 SmackDown - Lost Fatal Four Way Match to Jeff Hardy when Kendrick was pinned.
09-19 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Triple H.
09-26 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Triple H in tag match vs. Triple H & Jeff Hardy.
10-03 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Jeff Hardy in All Star Eight-Man Tag Team Match.
10-10 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Jeff Hardy.
10-17 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to R-Truth.
10-24 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Kung Fu Naki in tag match vs. R-Truth & Kung Fu Naki.
10-31 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Jeff Hardy in six-man tag match vs. The Hardys & Rey Mysterio.
11-03 Raw - Pinfall loss to Matt Hardy in tag match vs. The Hardys.
11-07 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to The Great Khali
11-14 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to Kung Fu Naki.
11-21 SmackDown - Pinfall loss to James Mason.
Yikes. That last one is an extra stiff shot to the nuts. Other than jobbers, who the hell loses to local wrestlers nowadays? Nonetheless, people are reading too much into it. The string of defeats above are nothing more than the beginning of a promising storyline. Because contrary to popular belief, I think MVP is finally being set up for his big push to the main event level. In pro wrestling, you can sense a mile away when a guy is on the rise. More wins, more exposure (as in promos and hype videos), tougher competition and more title opportunities are some good indicators. Every now and then, you gotta shake things up a bit and that's what the company is doing with Porter. A different approach will catch fans off guard and may also spark added interest to the product.
Instead of building MVP for months on end like the company did with Orton in 2007 or Jeff Hardy on countless occasions, I truly believe he's going to start from scratch. Porter's kayfabe biggest contract in SmackDown history has been brought up time and time again as it suits his baller gimmick well. I like the fact that the writer's are using the lucrative deal against MVP and it could even play a part in turning Porter face for the first time in his career. And at this point, that may not be such a bad idea. Right now, it certainly appears as if MVP will come out on the unfortunate end of Vickie's ultimatum while forcing the former United States Champ to pay off some of his bulky contract might draw sympathy from the crowd. It's no secret Porter already has a respectable following considering he's a heel. Perhaps it is the right time. Fans want to like him and crowds want to cheer for him.
Personally, I don't feel it's the right time to transform Porter into a good guy. Not yet. I think he deserves at least one run with the WWE Championship to see how he carries the blue brand and what type of reception he derives from live audiences. Fans may jump on board at first because they love change but can MVP keep the entertainment flowing and continue to progress (ala the Age of Orton)? We should be able to witness that first in my opinion before management makes the switch. Because what if he'd make an amazing WWE Champion? We would never know. If Porter becomes a babyface and ends up winning the belt, he stands a good chance of suffering the same backlash Orton was dealt with in 2004. Young promising talents (I still consider him such because of how new he is to the company) stand a way better chance of succeeding early on as World Champion when they can turn the crowd against them.
Unless you're the next Rock or Steve Austin, relatively new guys are better suited to play heel when placed atop the mountain early on. Then even if the fans detest you and it's a Khali or Cena hate, it still appears as if the cocky upstart is playing his role perfectly and there's more room for a less dramatic change. Enter MVP. Triple H has been champion for nearing seven months. It's pretty obvious Jeff will be the chosen one to take the title off The Game in the near future. Hardy has proven that he can't be entirely trusted with his suspensions so I'd play it safe and make his first reign last two or three months. Then find a way to get the title back around H's waist again (probably in a multi-man contest or what not). Porter would have plenty of time to build enough steam to challenge Trips for the title and actually persuade viewers that he has a snowball's chance in hell of winning.
Something has got to give at Survivor Series though. Either at tonight's pay per view or during the SmackDown tapings on Tuesday night. WWE has done well up to this point and its now time to kick off some good mic interaction between MVP and SmackDown General Manager Vicky Guerrero. Big Show's mainly preoccupied with The Undertaker for now which leaves Vicky free space to concentrate on Porter and the struggles he's currently facing. It will be interesting to see how the writing staff books things from now until the New Year but I am definitely sure about one thing. Those five and a half weeks are going to make or break this storyline and MVP's push subsequently. If the company decides to half ass it like they've done so many other projects in the past few years, then the entire angle may fall flat and Porter may experience 2008 all over again.
I'm not even exactly sure what Vicky's ultimatum was to Porter. Did he have to win a match BEFORE Survivor Series or was she counting the actual PPV? I'm going to assume the latter as WWE.com has made no mention to it at all thus far and making the deadline for a pay per view makes way more sense logically. Going against my earlier predictions, MVP could indeed be the sole survivor tonight and return to his winning ways. I just think that leaves too much to be desired. This is sink or swim time for Porter and the company needs to realize that he can in fact swim and capitalize on it. The dude isn't what I'd call a spring chicken so how about getting a jump on things? MVP needs to step it up now before the window shuts on him for good.
Porter should for all intensive purposes be at main event level come WrestleMania 25. With big players like Edge, Umaga and Mr. Kennedy returning soon, he can't afford to sit back and wait idly by. If MVP isn't up to that consistently great level by the time those three come back to SmackDown, Porter will be knocked back down the ladder and stuck in midcard hell contending for the United States Title for the rest of his days. That would be a crying shame since MVP really is the total package. He's showed the ability to get it done in the ring during feuds with the late Chris Benoit and both Hardys. The VIP Lounge has been anything but a flop as it's resulted in some spectacular segments with historical figures such as Ric Flair and Michael Hayes and really gave Porter the chance to perfect his character in front of the public eye.
MVP put on easily the feud of the year with Matt in 2007 and proved that he can carry a long term program in the process. Porter also isn't a guy who needs several title reigns to know how to handle the bright lights and pressure that comes with being the number one man. His eleven month reign as United States Champion was basically a diploma for passing the midcard division and thus preparing himself for the main event scene. I'm sure we all didn't expect MVP to wait over half a year to begin college but the future holds no guarantees. There's always the possibilities of bumps in the road and that's what we've seen with Porter. It isn't as much his fault as the way things have played out with the Draft Lottery and Triple H changing the landscape on Friday nights.
The Game really has disrupted the flow on SmackDown. Most people would attest that it's a good thing and I would most certainly agree but it hasn't done guys like MVP any favors. The blue brand's main event scene received a breath of fresh air as the constant trio of Edge/Batista/Taker bouts were broken up via the 2008 Draft. SmackDown's top tier enjoyed a nice upgrade while Porter obviously got lost in the shuffle and therefore has had to settle with mediocrity for the past five months. Why I have no fucking idea. There's easily still plenty of room remaining for MVP and Triple H has done such a masterful job of slaughtering the competition that he's going to need some fresh meat pretty soon. Porter just seems like the perfect guy to appease him.
Even if MVP doesn't win the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship for another year, he still has considerable strides to make and needs to accomplish a few more things before he's fully ready. A Triple H/MVP title bout at WM25 would be a huge step in the right direction for the Ballin Superstar. It doesn't even have to be against The Game. Just give the guy a storyline and an opponent with substance. Tossing Porter in the Money in the Bank Ladder match will do nothing but cause MVP to take yet another step back when he really can't afford to. The saddest part about it is how the company and the fans are missing out on some of Porter's peak years. Take advantage of a guy dripping with charisma who's waiting to conquer the world and you'll be rewarded for it. I stole that from something similar I read off a bulletin board a few days ago.
The answer to my riddle from TMR [30] was indeed "Crash Holly". I have reigned supreme! After weeks and weeks of failure, I'm feeling pretty confident after pulling off a 17% Correct Guess Ratio with my last riddle. Seriously, I received a bigger variety of answers than ever before. From Bam Bam Bigelow to Curt Hennig to Eddie Guerrero to Road Warrior Hawk. Unfortunately, I have to give most of you a pass for that one as you can make a case for any of those deceased wrestlers fitting my clues. Don't expect things to get any easier from here on out. I'm having way too much fun here.
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I was a part of a few tag teams before receiving a huge push which surprised many.
The company's top prize alluded me for years but I won it eventually and made the most of it.
Like many of WWE's other top talents, I've been successful outside of the wrestling world.
My hairstyle is much different than it was when I first broke into the business.
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Think you know the answer? Give it some thought and guess away. If you answer incorrectly, I'll laugh and poke fun at your severe lack of intelligence. Get it right however and earn the right to... oh who am I kidding? You'll win nothing and like it! NO ONE will solve my masterful riddle. I will reveal the answer in my next column.
Quick congratulations to the latest additions to the Main Page. It sucks to lose nearly half a dozen awesome columnists at one time but gaining three more talented writers never hurts. Anonymous is a British kid who just so happens to write his best columns while intoxicated which kind of turns me on honestly. MadchucK has been writing naughty offensive literature for over two years now and I believe the Main Page could use a little more adult content. And last but not least, Sean_Taylor is still a relative newcomer but has owned it every single column since his debut a few months ago. These three are bound to get the Columns Main Page up to speed and closer to full potential. Expect to see Chucky and Sean T around sooner rather than later. Plus, I promoted them so you know they'll come through baby!
The Phoenix Suns worry me. After last night's home victory over the Blazers, they sit at 9-5 which really isn't that bad of a record especially this early in the season. However I've probably watched about half of those games and their game plan and the way they run offense has me just a tad concerned. Shaq is obviously a shell of his former self. He's a few years away from retirement, doesn't exactly possess the athleticism he once did and can't even draw a double team any longer. So please explain to me why the run and gun fast paced Steve Nash & Co. are still running their offense in the half court through the Diesel!? Nash and Stoudemire are solid players who are great if playing the correct style. O'Neal should be forced to play up to the Sun's tempo rather than vice versa. Phoenix is trying to be something their not and putting up a front is only going to detach them further from an NBA Championship.
Plug what your momma gave ya...
Let me just point out that I am only hyping this column because Mavsman begged me to repeatedly until he was literally on the verge of tears and it was making me sick to my stomach. So here dammit. - Nothing But Net #7: Giving Thanks
Mr. Brilliance and Mizzou put their creative minds together as they reflect on wrestling's most infamous mustaches. - Two Dope Boy$ in a Cadillac: Who Wants a M(o)ustache Ride?
Boy was that exhausting. You people suck. Stop emailing me at all hours of the day and I'll quit putting out these flamboyant wonders that get your juices going. And I'm not talking about semen either you sick bastards. The temperature seems to drop like five degrees every day as I've been freezing my balls off for over a week now. Seriously, I know winter is coming but Mother Nature needs to chill the fuck out before I send her a mail bomb. It's still November, bitch! Forget her for now though. Did I entertain you today? Have I possible ruined the great day you were previously having before reading this? Let me know. Hit me up at (SkitzLOP@aol.com) and help a brother out. I'm gone for a few weeks but I'll be back before you know it. Enjoy Thanksgiving and stuff the hell out of that turkey. Later homies.
