Corner to Corner: Looking at the week
Submitted by Stan Grubb on Saturday, August 17, 2002 at 12:46 AM EST





Sometimes, it's easier to reflect rather than comment on the spot. Hindsight is always 20/20. Well, almost always.





Corner to Corner: Looking at the Week




Hello everyone and welcome BACK to Corner to Corner. I'm Stan Grubb, the official tour guide of the squared circle. Welcome as we explore each corner of the business in an effort to better understand and enjoy the business.



This has been quite a week for news, so we're going to dive right in.



Steve Austin Arrested!!
That's right folk, Stone Cold Steve Austin, AKA Steve Williams, was arrested this week for the assault of his wife Debra. Now, according to reports this arrest stems from the assault that ACTUALLY took place back in June not too long after he bolted from the WWE. It's a shame that the man can't get things settled. I do hope that he and Debra work things out. Still, there is something to be said for doing the right thing. IE You don't hit women. Now mind you, we do not know the full story. They could have been arguing at the top of their longs, but the bottom line is, if you're a male YOU DO NOT HIT A WOMAN. I realize people make mistakes. I understand that I may get a HUGE amount of emails stating that I am being judgmental. Hey, that's why they call these columns and not NEWS. I'm giving an opinion folks, and if you agree or disagree, that's your decision.



Drowning Pool's lead singer dies.
My condolences go out to Dave Williams' bandmates and family as I'm sure this is a very tough time. You may remember that Drowning Pool had three very cool songs that were brought to the WWE. They had 'Let the Bodies Hit the Floor' which was the theme for a pay per view that's name escapes me. Another was 'Tearing Away' which was used for a few video montages including the current Wrestlemania X8 video game. Their thired was 'The Game' which was an awesome edition of Triple H's theme song which can currently be found on 'Forceable Entry.'



Goldberg is confirmed to return to the ring in JAPAN!
Folks, when a guy like Bill Goldberg is returning to the ring, my suggestion is that we watch cautiously. Why? Just remember that Mr. Goldberg is the same guy who claimed the WWE was not doing a thing to help the '9-11' victims and that their programming was filth. Please REMEMBER, Goldberg is the same guy who got so overly huge backstage that he thought he could change the direction of the company by throwing temper tantrums to Bischoff, Russo, and later anyone who'd listen in the media. Finally, please remember that Bill Goldberg is the SAME GUY who stated that he'd NEVER go to WWE and then he stated that he would go only if they changed their television product. Is this guy really someone we should be dedicating any legitimate amount of money or time to? Should we pay money to watch a man who's sole concern is that of a PAYCHECK? The answer here is no, and the reason is greed. This guy can go ahead and STAY overseas for all I care.



RAW!!
This past Monday night, the WWE made an awesome move pushing the storylines for their upcoming pay per view. I think the opening segment, while it ran a little long, was good and a solid way to open the show. HHH and The Rock always have good chemistry and mixing Brock Lesnar into the mix made for a good forward to the World Title pay per view match.



The hype behind Shawn Michaels versus Hunter Hearst Helmsley is really driving hard at taking away from the match and making it just a fight. I'm willing to stand behind my favorite and say that this match could very well suprise us all. I know, I know, 'NOBODY cares about this match. I'm sorry, I guess the thousands of screaming fans that freaked out when HBK entered the arena upon his return was a figment of my imagination. And yes I apologize, I suppose the way that the fans ALWAYS cheer and boo for Triple H is just another one of those halucinations. Look, if you want to be bitter, FINE. I understand that you might be angy that HBK did his job and took the belt from Bret Hart. I understand that maybe you're jealous because Helmsley is sleeping with Stephanie McMahon and also manages to maintain his work at a high level. Look, before you go out there and say 'Nobody cares about this match,' do me a favor and remember what these two men have done for this business. I, for one, CARE a great deal in seeing these two excellent 'storytellers' take part in a pay per view contest.



The break up of the Hardyz is a little late for my tastes. I think Matt Hardy has a lot of talent but he lacks the charisma to any further than a mid card status. Jeff Hardy already has the rub he needs to go on and become a main event star. These guys are both entertaining, but let's be honest, Jeff got the interest of the fans. Matt got Lita. Hmmm... Now that I think of it, that's actually a bad trade for Jeff... Damn Matt Hardy..



While we're damning... STACY KEIBLER. Does anyone else MISS when Mark Madden would mark out and say "SNOOCHIE BOOCHIES" upon the entrance of Stacy Keibler? I do. I mean, it's not like the woman needs any other word but DAMN. She has the look, she has the voice, and while she's not quite as skilled as Trish in the ring, she definately has the star power to go the distance. Did you know that according to rumor, Test and Stacy are a couple? Might I also add, DAMN TEST! Seriously though, I wonder if they sent Stacy to Raw in effort to keep Test happy with his current roster placement.



Not that his placement is bad. I mean, the UN AMERICANS angle is hot! You have to admit that it is good to finally have a SOLID heel stable. Of course, they're going through any means necessary to put themselves into our minds as the worst heels ever. They fly the flag upside down in effort to enrage us. They talk about September 11th in their diatribes to make us have actual hatred. In short, they're doing to us what Vince McMahon knows will make us REALLY hate them. Isn't that the purpose of the 'heel' anyway? For them to make us hate them? Surely by today's guidelines, we can clearly understand that the definition of hel and face has been very grayed as of late so to have someone put themselves as a TOTAL HEEL, that is quite difficult. Still, I see a lot of fans reacting in a negative way, saying that WWE has crossed the line. Look, by now that line is so thin it's hard to know where it really stands. Sure, some of the things that happen are messed up but that's how society is. This is clearly a case of art immitating life. Yeah, their stories are messed up, but so is society. So I say to you the fans who are so angry about their(the Un Americans) comments, change the environment that created the idea before you criticize one company.



I criticize the WWE almost every week, but you know what? Hey, when they do it right, I am the first to stand up and SAY 'That WAS COOL!" And let's face it, today's definition of success is similar to that of the late nineties, it's cool or it SUCKS!



If the feud with Chris Jericho and Ric Flair is supposed to be slow, I must have missed the meeting. Look, Ric Flair is definately a hall of famer and a man who deserves respect. So, when I saw that he was facing Chris Jericho, I was excited. Then they got in the ring and I was able to sit and enjoy it. Of course it helps that Flair is teamed with Bubba Ray, a man who I believe is very underrated. So now we have Flair versus Jericho at Summerslam? Great! Jericho needs the win and Flair would be intelligent to put over such a phenomenal performer.



I wish to god I could have witnessed the off screen antics at RAW Monday Night. The Taker-rooni incident sounded so funny that I sat and laughed just at the thought of that old bastard spinning on the mat. And to think almost the entire upper echelon of the RAW roster AND VINCE MCMAHON did Spinaroonis? Damn, Booker T is getting the ultimate show of respect here. I mean everyone in the promotion wants to do his move!



RVD vs Jeff Hardy was another good one that, to me, was ruined by the Matt Hardy interlude. Sorry Matt, you didn't have a place there and if that's the only thing you can do to make yourself a star, then good luck in the NWA-TNA, because your WWE days are numbered.



Triple H has gotten back some of that form that made us enjoy watching his heel work. Why? Because he's heel. His move to heel was needed because nobody cares about a FACE Helmsley. He works better as a bad guy, period.



Smackdown!
What pisses me off the most is that Smackdown is taped. RAW is watched by millions not just because it's wrestling but because it's LIVE. I don't even get home from work in time to really sit down and enjoy Smackdown, so I usually read the spoilers. Frankly? I'll start talking more about Smackdown when it becomes live and stays that way. Until then. I only have a few things to say about it.



Rey Mysterio Jr works his ass off out there and there is no better opponent for him to showcase his abilities against than Kurt Angle. I have seen each encounter they've had and I've loved them. Angle is an awesome worker and Rey deserves this chance to move up.



Edge has really become the top face on Smackdown. I can't help but notice that. When he hits the ring, do you hear the cheers? What about when he hits the spear or the Edge-E-Cution? It's intense.



John Cena is quickly becoming my favorite rookie, right up there with Chris Nowinski on RAW. Both of these guys have a lot of talent and are learning very QUICKLY.



Brock Lesnar is one mammoth of a man and I enjoy his matches very much. His match just recently with Rikishi was very well done. The fact that he has a readable body language really helps him. His feud with The Rock is really coming to a head and I'm looking forward to it. Summerslam will be really good.



I had some horrible writer's block this week as I struggled to come up with a single topic. I finally decided to just talk about the week. Sometimes, when writing a column, I'll get almost halfway through and delete it and do it over. I always worry that I'll be concentrating on one topic too often, but it's always good to take a moment to reflect on the recent occurances. It helps me keep things in perspective. Thank you again for checking out Corner to Corner and please email me with your thoughts and comments. I usually respond when time permits. I do read each one and I do appreciate all the feedback.



See ya next week!



-- Stan Grubb --



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