Posted in: The Eyes of a Monkey The Eyes of Blog: Reader Appreciation Week
By Doc Monk
Sep 13, 2009 - 8:52:08 PM
Day 43
Well for those who don't know, I've officially declared this week "Reader Appreciation Week." All week long I'll be selecting topics at random that have been submitted by YOU the readers. If you have interest in submitting a topic, I'll be taking suggestions all week long at monkeyweasel9821@yahoo.com.
Today's submitted topic:
What can the WWE do to improve the tag division?
Tag wrestling for some time has been a dead division in the WWE but it's not one that can't be resurrected. As simple as it may sound, the main thing that WWE needs to do is stop splitting teams up. Look at Carlito and Primo, those guys were both given a purpose and were involved in one of the best teams going for awhile. They even had the distinction of being the first tag team to unify the WWE Tag titles and World Tag titles.
What does the WWE as soon as the duo start to really heat up? They split the team for almost no rhyme or reason and never even really gave the feud a true blow off. Since then, both have gone from being at the top of the tag division to being lost in the midcard shuffle. Carlito did have the distinction of having a couple of good US title matches but Primo has been almost non-existent on WWE programming.
Even their lower teams such as Jesse and Festus weren't kept together. I'm not trying to sell you on the fact that these guys should be a dominant force in the division, but they were perfect as an enhancement team used to elevate others. Now Festus is M.I.A. and Jesse is stuck in some ridiculous gimmick.
Another option would be to raid ROH and TNA for new guys but then again that is much more costly than using homegrown talent. Not that I'd object to seeing the Motor City Machine Guns in a WWE ring. My way of thinking has been that if you have nothing else for someone, then why not try them in a tag team. At least that way they aren't simply sitting on the sidelines getting paid for nothing.
A perfect example of this was the very short lived Chavo and Jamie Noble team. Sure there wasn't a back story for the duo, but they didn't really need it. Both were of a similar size and build and wrestle a similar style, thus worked well together. Much like I mentioned about the Jesse and Festus duo, they were perfect as an enhancement team or maybe even a team that gets a slow build.
Also look at the M.V.P. and Mark Henry team. Neither really had much to do on Raw as singles competitors and now they are in the midst of a title feud. Which fits a guy like Henry perfectly, since it covers up his flaws.
So it would seem that WWE has made some baby steps towards repairing the division but they ultimately need to not be so quick to pull the trigger on a split. I understand the logic that singles wrestling is what builds careers but what bother splitting a tag team and then doing nothing with either star. It's almost as if the bookers have a self destructive mindset towards the division.
Like I said in the beginning though, tag team wrestling can be saved. It's just a matter of whether or not the WWE feels like taking the necessary steps to save it.
Day 44
Today we continue Reader's Appreciation Week and today's topic is:
Should the Undertaker remain undefeated at Wrestlemania?
The answer to this one is a simple yes. The undefeated streak of the Undertaker is his primary claim to fame. Sure he's had a slew of other reigns but I honestly can't think of one reign that was truly memorable and could be considered even close to dominant. Yet being undefeated at such a prestigious event is something to be proud of, even in the world of predetermined sports.
Even with a predetermined outcome, the idea of being undefeated for so long speaks volumes for the amount of trust the company has in your abilities. To get the nod every single time at the biggest event of the year, means that they have faith in your ability to perform at a high level.
Besides, what would be the benefit of taking such an accomplishment at this stage? Sure you could get somebody super over in one night. How do you know that you'd get a return on your investment though? What if you give the win to a guy like Ted Dibiase and he leaves the WWE in a year? Then not only have you tarnished the legacy, but one of the most memorable victories in wrestling would serve no purpose.
When other guys are touting the amount of title wins the Undertaker will always have something unique. Even those referred to as legends, such as Flair, Hogan, and Steve Austin don't boast a perfect Wrestlemania win percentage. As it stands, the Undertaker is an obvious Hall of Famer. Yet a perfect record and a near perfect record is what separates the Undertaker from being just another Hall of Fame member, and being a legend.
Day 45
We continue to dig deeper and deeper here at the blog and somehow we've yet to show signs of slowing. I've got to say though, it's been the support of you guys reading and showing support on a daily basis that have made this so easy for me to do. That's why I decided to have a "Reader Appreciation Week", I wanted to give a little something back and put you guys in the driver's seat. Today's topic....
List Your Top Ten Wrestling Moments.
Hmm, that's an interesting question. Sounds simple enough on the surface but it's definitely one I'll need to think about. The order on these might be a little off but at this current moment (it'd probably change on a daily basis) these are my top moments:
10.) Halloween Havoc 1991 - The event may have been less than stellar and featured one of the most over the top gimmick matches in the "Chamber of Horrors" match, but it always remains in high standing in my mind.. Seriously the bout opened the show and was a 4 on 4 match in a cage in which the point was to insert one member of the opposing team into an electric chair and turn it on. The faces got the victory when Cactus Jack accidentally turned the chair on while his partner, Abdullah the Butcher was in the chair. This was also the night Rick Rude would debut in WCW and go on to become one of my favorite heels of all time. Also happened the first Pay-Per-View I ever witnessed and thus has to be included.
09.) Vince Russo "Shoots" on Hogan - Whether or not the occurrence was planned or not has been part of speculation for years. Still, what Russo did when he cut his promo on Hogan and booked a Jeff Jarrett/Booker T match in it's place, changed the landscape of WCW. In the long run, Russo got a little too big for his britches and would steer the ship into the land of nonsense, but on this night he shattered the glass ceiling himself and took Booker T to the next level.
08.) King of the Ring 1996 - While this event is most remembered for the birth of Austin 3:16, I also have just as fond of a memory for an often forgot about promo from Brian Pillman. While his stay in WWE was pretty tragic, no this night I couldn't help but think of the possibilities of a Hollywood Blonde reunion. His promo was also the first time I heard so much profanity in a promo in WWE at the time, which when followed by Austin's speech and attitude it was obvious the times were changing.
07.) SummerSlam 1992 - It's hard to say whether or not this event stands up to the test of time since it's been so long, but when I viewed this on pay-per-view it was one of the most exciting events of all-time. The live crowd and outdoor atmosphere just added to it and made the event even more special and hearing the crowd root for Davey Boy that night was the epitome of what a hot crowd is. This event is also why I'd love to see another major UK PPV event.
06.) Shawn Michaels Returns - When Shawn went down to a back injury and his drug habits got so bad that he was literally kicked out of the backstage area and sent home, I figured we had seen the last of HBK. When it was announced that he would wrestle HHH one last time, I was ecstatic. That night though, Shawn showed that he could still go and it was only a matter of time before he was able to make a full return after several years away.
05.) The Montreal Screwjob - While it may be one of the hardest decisions ever made and a black mark in the record books, it is without a doubt one of the biggest things to ever go down in wrestling history. To this day people argue about who knew what and we'll more than likely never know the 100% accurate story behind it. It's an event that others can try and imitate but due to it's very real implications, it's an event that will never be duplicated.
04.) The Deaths of Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and the Benoit family. The circumstances surrounding all three may have been very different, but the end result was the same. Three of the most tragic events I've ever witnessed in wrestling for three different reasons. For Owen, it was the loss of a great wrestler cut down in his prime. For Eddie, it was the case of a man being unable to fully overcome his demons in time. For Benoit, it was simply shock and disbelief. All three left me speechless, and all three we lost true greats of the ring.
03.) Hall and Nash Invade WCW - Before the internet was such a prominent part of wrestling fans' lives, we simply watched and were genuinely surprised at the events that transpired. When Hall and Nash showed up on WCW, I genuinely thought that the WWE was starting an inner-promotional war. Say what you want about where it eventually ended up, the first year of the N.W.O was revolutionary and most see television.
02.) Hulk Hogan Joins the N.W.O. - For years I really could care less about Hulk Hogan. I didn't necessarily hate the guy, I just wasn't in love with him like so many others. Maybe it was my odd obsession with the bad guys in wrestling that made it hard for me to relate to his squeaky clean persona. Either way, him going over all the heel talent in WCW was starting to get on my nerves. When he turned heel, for the first time in my life I found myself rooting for Hogan. Nobody in the world saw this one coming and it was one of the biggest wrestling surprises even till this day.
01.) Shawn Throws Marty Through the Barbershop Glass - This specific moment is what made me a diehard Shawn Michaels fan. After years of teaming together, the Rockers were started to have a rift appear between them. Shawn Michaels was changing into an arrogant wrestler who cared more about himself than he did the team. Eventually his partner Marty Jannetty got sick of it and the two went on Brutus Beefcake's interview show to iron out their differences. Just when it seemed all was well, Shawn turned on Marty and threw him through the glass window. While it may not be much by today's standards, that was one of the most violent moments in wrestling as a child. Right up there with Macho Man getting tied in the ropes and being bit by Jake Roberts' snake. This moment also started the slow climb of HBK to the type of the wrestling mountain.
Again, if you were to ask me this same question tomorrow, I'm sure my answers would be different but I guess that's one of the beauties of wrestling.
Day 46
You'll have to forgive me if today's effort comes off as a tad bit disjointed, but I had a bit of an "interesting" day of work and now I'm a little distracted by the UFC's big night on SPIKE TV. Still, I'm just as dedicated as ever to bringing you what you crave the most; that being your daily dose of wrestling talk. Continuing on with this week's theme, let's take a look at today's submitted topic:
Who's Your Favorite Wrestler of All-Time?
I touched on this a little yesterday, but I'll break it down a bit more. As a kid first getting into wrestling, I was immediately drawn to the bad guys of the sport. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that since it wasn't based in reality, I didn't have to feel bad rooting for the bad guy. A similar logic that I've carried over to my passion for horror films.
That being said, seeing Shawn Michaels turn heel and become such an arrogant person became the persona of what any little kid want to be. Who doesn't want to be the confident guy that talks tons of trash but always manages to back it up by hook or by crook. It was never about how you obtained the victory, it was simply about obtaining it.
As I got older and Shawn eventually turned face it translated into me rooting for the guy who seemingly was always the underdog. I remember the night after Wrestlemania where Sid turned on Shawn and powerbombed him numerous times, and just thanking that I may have just witnessed the end of my favorite wrestler's career. Yet it wasn't the end, in fact he came back and proved everyone wrong and defeated the much bigger Sid. That would mostly be the formula for those years, and I loved every minute of it.
As I hit my teen years and Shawn and company started heading towards more adult oriented storylines, I simply ate it up. I can fully understand where older fans may have felt isolated as a teenager I thought the antics were simply hilarious. I could relate to his words and actions, because they so closely mirrored my own.
Beyond that, I was simply sold too much to turn back. One of the biggest mark out moments ever was when Shawn cleaned his life up and returned to fight Triple H. Say what you will about the man, few will ever reach his level of all-around talent.
Day 47
No frilly intros today, it's all business. So what challenge does today pose?
Examine the Diva divisions on Raw and Smackdown and what they need to do to become a respected division again.
At the present time I think the Raw division is mostly headed in the right direction. They are constantly trying to push new talent and the focus seems to be on wrestling. Now there was a time a few years ago and even earlier this year with the whole Santino thing where it was at a low point, but things seem to be on track at the moment.
They seem to be getting away from the past mistakes of pushing chicks for how they think the horny men demographic will react as opposed to pushing the true talent. I'd even dare say that with Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Alicia Fox the division is ok. They could use a few more additions but at present time they have enough to get by on in regards to the amount of t.v. time the divas on Raw get.
Even Kelly Kelly seems to be improving slowly but surely, going from being nearly clueless in the ring to actually being able to string moves together from time to time. There definitely is a lot of room for improvement, but at the same time you can't deny how far she's come.
On the other hand you also have Jillian Hall, whose "bad singer" gimmick is beyond annoying and has run it's course ages ago. I'm also never been much for her "generic heel tag partner" persona that she seems to be stuck with.
I can't really comment on Rosa Mendes too much since I really haven't seen much of her work. Last but not least you have Maryse. Like Kelly Kelly, she has made vast improvements to her in ring work perhaps even at a bit faster pace. The biggest piece to Maryse's puzzle though is that she actually can pull off an effective heel character. She is perfect at making people hate her, which is a rarity amongst the WWE Divas.
On the Smackdown side things are a little more bleak. Outside of Melina, Maria, Michelle McCool, and Layla I couldn't even pick the Blue Brand's ladies out of lineup. It's mainly made up of Diva search losers it appears, most of whom have little wrestling ability whatsoever. Harsh, but it's true.
Melina is okay, and has improved vastly since debuting and is one of the better women on the brand. Maria is like a red-headed Torrie Wilson that isn't quite as fit. Layla....I honestly don't think I've ever seen her wrestle. Weird. Natalya is perhaps the only pure wrestler on the Blue Brand, yet she spends almost no time in active competition. Kind of silly don't you think?
Michelle McCool is the darling of the IWC. Not really sure why the hate. She's kind of like a female version of a hoss. People may have bitched about her using the Styles' Clash, but I am willing to bet money she wins them back when she starts using El Generico's finisher. The Diva division will never be the same on Smackdown.
So what does Smackdown need to do to get to Raw's level? At this point I'd just pillage the Indys and hire some chicks that can actually wrestle for the Blue Brand. Then again maybe that's the point. Raw has the majority of the actually wrestling women while Smackdown caters a little more to the eye candy. Guess it's the best of both worlds.
On second thought, there is no need to change a thing until the women are giving some more minutes on Raw. Then it's time to raid the nearest village of their wrestling women.
Day 48
Today looks as if it will be a dream come true for those who believe in conspiracy theories:
(I know it isn't likely, but...) How do you feel about the Mysterio suspension? I was thinking that maybe the WWE suspended him to take him down a notch and to get the title off him. Remember he said that it wasn't his fault and also remember a few weeks ago that the booking team wanted to take the belt off him but he started complaining? Maybe he didn't actually take them and it was just a way for them to do what they wanted to do. Conspiracy theory if you want.
First things first....how do I feel about Mysterio's suspension?
Mixed emotions really. I think it's unfortunate for the fans of Rey's work. Say what you will about the guy but he really has a huge fan base especially in Smackdown's Latino market which makes up a large portion of their audience. Not only does that take away the biggest star of that market but also without storyline implications.
While the members of the IWC would love to believe that they are in the majority and make up the biggest portion of the WWE fans, it just isn't true. Their are plenty of fans who still accept wrestling at face value. Sure they know it's fake but when WWE tells them that "so and so" is out due to injury they don't second guess. So where does that leave them in regards to Rey Mysterio? Are they to believe that a loss to John Morrison has sent their beloved Rey Rey into hiding?
The other side of the coin is the fact that Rey simply isn't getting any younger, nor are his knees getting any better. Not to mention that this has to be a huge blow against the possibility of Rey getting another World title reign. Whatsoever small thread he may have been hanging on to initially after the suspension completely snapped after Hardy's arrest. No way they want to risk their World Champion getting suspended. Not that the Intercontinental title holder getting suspended is much better.
Do I think a conspiracy was involved? While fun to contemplate, it simply doesn't make sense. Regardless of whether or not Rey wanted to lose the title or not, the decision still laid solely in the hands of Vince and company. If they were looking to avoid angering Mysterio wouldn't it be safe to assume that he'd be angrier about being setup by his employer rather than simply made to lose a match he didn't want to?
So in short, no conspiracies just a stupid mistake on Mysterio's part.
Day 49
Well today marks the end of Reader Appreciation Week and to those topics that weren't picked, I apologize but those are the breaks sometimes. I'd also like to mention two quick things before getting into today's question. 1.) Keep an eye out tomorrow for this month's Fact or Fiction, should be some really high quality stuff. 2.) If you haven't noticed by now tomorrow will mark my 50th consecutive day of doing this little blog. Let's concentrate on #49 for now though. You know the drill by now...
Vince dies and leaves his company to you. As boss you can hire and fire pretty much anyone you want. What would your Main event scene and midcards look like on all three brands, what would you change, who would you have announcing, would you bring back tag team wrestling and edgy storylines. What would Monkey's WWE look like.
This one is going to be tricky, so it's best that I break this down by brand first and foremost. Also keep in mind that part of the equation implies that I can hire and fire whoever I want so obviously some of my roster picks may not realistically be possible just yet. I will however attempt to keep it fair by not exceeding the list of current active starts. Therefore, anybody I pick up will require me to drop somebody.
Quick note: For the purpose of this question I'm pulling the current rosters directly from WWE.com.
Overall Talent Pool
Abraham Washington (REPLACE WITH AUSTIN ARIES)
Alicia Fox
Batista
Beth Phoenix
Big Show
Brie Bella (REPLACE WITH ANGELINA LOVE)
Carlito
Charlie Haas (REPLACE WITH CHRIS SABIN)
Chavo Guerrero
Christian
Chris Jericho
Chris Masters
CM Punk
Cody Rhodes
Curt Hawkins (REPLACE WITH KEVIN STEEN)
DH Smith
DJ Gabriel (REPLACE WITH EL GENERICO)
Dolph Ziggler
Edge
Evan Bourne
Eve (REPLACE WITH AWESOME KONG)
Ezekiel Jackson
Festus (REPLACE WITH ABYSS)
Finlay
Gail Kim
Goldust (REPLACE WITH HERNANDEZ)
Great Khali (REPLACE WITH JAMES STORM)
Gregory Helms
Hacksaw Jim Duggan (REPLACE WITH KURT ANGLE )
Hornswoggle (REPLACE WITH ROBERT ROODE)
Jack Swagger
Jamie Noble
Jerry Lawler
Jesse (REPLACE WITH HOMICIDE)
Jillian (REPLACE WITH TARA (FORMERLY VICTORIA)
Jim Ross
Jimmy Wang Yang
John Cena
John Morrison
JTG
Kane
Katie Lea Burchill
Kelly Kelly
Kofi Kingston
Kung Fu Naki (REPLACE WITH AJ STYLES)
Layla (REPLACE WITH O.D.B)
Maria (REPLACE WITH TAYLOR WILDE)
Mark Henry (REPLACE WITH ALEX SHELLY)
Maryse
Matt Hardy
Matt Striker
Melina
Michael Cole
Michelle McCool
Mickie James
Mike Knox (REPLACE WITH SAMOA JOE)
Miz
M.V.P.
Natalya
Nikki Bella (REPLACE WITH VELVET SKY)
Paul Burchill (CALL UP BRYAN DANIELSON)
Primo
Randy Orton
Rey Mysterio
Rosa Mendes
R-Truth
Santino Marella
Shad
Shawn Michaels
Sheamus (CALL UP NIGEL MCGUINESS)
Shelton Benjamin
Ted Dibiase
Tommy Dreamer
Triple H
Tyler Reks (REPLACE WITH CHRIS DANIELS)
Tyson Kidd
The Undertaker
Vladimir Kozlov
William Regal
Yoshi Tatsu (REPLACE WITH MATT MORGAN)
Zach Ryder
RAW Roster
Alicia Fox
Awesome Kong
Batista
Beth Phoenix
Big Show
Chris Masters
Cody Rhodes
Gail Kim
Jack Swagger
James Storm
Jerry Lawler (Announcer)
John Cena
JR (Announcer)
Katie Lea Burchill
Kelly Kelly
Kofi Kingston
Maryse
Mickie James
Miz
M.V.P.
Randy Orton
Robert Roode
Rosa Mendes
R-Truth
Samoa Joe
Shawn Michaels
Shelton Benjamin
Ted Dibiase
Triple H
The Undertaker
I think with this roster above it focuses mostly on the entertainment factor and since this is your live show you want to have your established guys on this show. At the same time I tried to throw in enough youth to leave the door open for midcarders to rise up as well as be able to fill the gap when some of the older guys leave. With this being the longest lasting WWE show, this should always be the show with the highest name value.
The wildcard to this roster is Samoa Joe. While I've been critical of him lately, I do think he still possesses a lot of ability. Therefore I put him in the same role CM Punk had not so long ago. I was also very big on the addition of the tag team of Roode and Storm to this roster as it not only gives a new team for Big Show and Jericho to feud with but both I think could be solid additions to the singles roster as well. I also felt that the classic announcing team needed to be back.
SMACKDOWN Roster
Abyss
Angelina Love
Carlito
Chris Jericho
CM Punk
DH Smith
Dolph Ziggler
Edge
Evan Bourne
Hernandez
Homicide
John Morrison
JTG
Kane
Kurt Angle
Melina
Michael Cole (Announcer)
Michelle McCool
Matt Striker (Announcer)
Natalya
O.D.B.
Primo
Rey Mysterio
Santino Marella
Shad
Taylor Wilde
Tyson Kidd
Velevet Sky
Victoria
This is the show where you need some name value but it is a show mainly watched by diehard wrestling fans. After all, with it being on Friday night your average Joe isn't going to pass over the events of a Friday night for wrestling. A true fan would though, and thus you have a little more breathing room in regards to big names. You aren't really setting out to try in the casual viewer as much, simply because more times than not the casual viewer isn't watching.
Instead Smackdown is mainly to showcase the best wrestling matches and I think this roster really brings that out very well. I also felt Matt Striker has down a brilliant job and deserves a call up to the Blue brand. Not to mention his knowledge is really well suited for this time of show.
ECW Roster
AJ Styles
Alex Shelly
Austin Aries
Bryan Danielson
Chavo Guerrero
Chris Daniels
Chris Sabin
Christian
El Generico
Ezekiel Jackson
Finlay
Gregory Helms
Jamie Noble
Josh Mathews (Announcer)
Jimmy Wang Yang
Kevin Steen
Matt Morgan
Matt Hardy
Nigel McGuiness
Todd Grisham (Announcer)
Tommy Dreamer
Vladimir Kozlov
William Regal
Zach Ryder
ECW is more or less your training grounds, but at the same time you have to have some established guys to help get guys over. I think this roster is really well rounded in terms of younger talent and veterans and automatically receives a major overhaul with these changes.
As always I am the Monkey and you've just seen the world through my eyes.
Feel free to send all feedback to monkeyweasel9821@yahoo.com
