Stanman's Wrestling AfterThoughts - RAW, Smackdown and more
Submitted by Stanman on Friday, September 27, 2002 at 10:00 PM EST





Welcome to another fascinating edition of SWAT. Oh, where do I begin? The WWE's latest pay-per-view, Unforgiven, has passed rather quickly and another week of propelling WWE television has been thrust upon us. Joy, joy!

Ah yes, we also have the results of the voting of whom the readers WANT as Raw's world champion. That should be interesting..

So let's get to the analysis first, shall we? On with the AfterThoughts!


The Sharpshooting Gallery: Infiltrating WWE Television

Disappointed. That is how I felt after the outcome of the Undertaker/Brock Lesnar match at Unforgiven. The Undertaker could not put over Lesnar, oh no. Instead it was a stupid draw. Come on WWE! People paid to watch that show. Give them their money's worth! Now we have to put up with more of this 'Not business, it is personal' crap that we have seen too much lately.

As much as I want to see Kane get elevated up to the main event scene, I like what the WWE is doing with him getting involved in the tag team scene with the Hurricane. They look to be a very entertaining duo and with the tag team belts in hand, they can do wonders with the tag division. However, I hope this is just a transition for Kane while the WWE looks for a place to put him at the main event level.

Speaking of good duos, Booker T and Goldust have been awesome as of late. They are one of the reasons why I have been watching Raw during these hard times. Their backstage skits are funny and their in ring action is stellar. It is amazing that the mid-card is the one carrying the show, while the main event is lackluster and boring.

That takes me to Triple H and Rob Van Dam. I am actually glad that RVD did not win the title at Unforgiven. The title was just created and with it changing hands so quickly is not a good idea. I like how the WWE is extending this feud at least until the next pay-per-view. Hopefully, RVD wins it then.

But wait! Ric Flair is in the mix because of his turn on RVD at Unforgiven. Thank goodness! Flair is waaay better as a heel and with him being in Triple H's corner, that should give a good rub to RVD, who is probably the next person to reign as world champion.

WOW @ the ladder match between Eddie Guerrero and Edge on Smackdown. The match went flawlessly with both guys hitting their spots. The Edgecution off the ladder was DEVASTATING. Afterwards, the crowd also applauded Guerrero for his efforts. Is there a face turn in store? It is amazing that the WWE gave out that match on free TV rather than having it on a pay-per-view. It goes to show you how talented the Smackdown roster is compared to the Raw roster. And that was not even the main event..

I have no idea what the WWE is doing with Rey Mysterio as he seems to be in a difficult situation. He will be held down if he is in the Cruiserweight division yet he is too small to be in the heavyweight division. An Intercontinental reign could be in store, but that means he would defect to Raw, which won't happen anytime soon. Man, what a predicament.

He held his own against Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle in what was a good triple threat match. The crowd was into this one as Mysterio hails from San Diego, making him the hometown boy. The energy level of this main event was high and it has been high the past few weeks, something that Raw main events have been missing for a while now.

That is about everything that has caught my eye this week in WWE television. It looks like the WWE is in that typical coast mode right after a pay-per-view. But since some storylines are already established, I guess the WWE is relaxing a bit? That is the last thing they would want to do seeing that the overall product has been on a decline lately. But if that is what the WWE wants to do, so be it.


Gathering Intelligence: Your Next RAW World Champion

Everybody knows that there are just a select few wrestlers who can be a world champion. With the WWE being so selective on who belongs at the top, it leaves many of our favorite wrestlers in the dark.

That inspired me to ask the intelligence question of, 'Who do you WANT to become the next RAW world champion?'

There is a whole variety of wrestlers that can be great champions. So I expected a good number of names. And just like a predicted, I did receive many votes. So according to the email votes I received, the list of wrestlers are as follows (from most favorite to least):


1. Rob Van Dam

2. Kane

3. Booker T

4. Tommy Dreamer


My personal choice was Kane. He is way overdue for a world title reign. He never had a decent reign as champ and with the success he has had the past few years with his gimmick and wrestling ability, he deserves a reign. I was a big fan of his ever since he debuted at Badd Blood '97 when he tombstoned the Undertaker straight to hell. Ah, those were good times.

However, he was not the top vote getter. Rob Van Dam is this week's intelligence question winner as chosen by you, the readers. It also looks like he may actually gain the gold soon seeing that he is feuding with Triple H and all.

Switching over to Smackdown, this week's intelligence question is, Who do you WANT to see as the next Smackdown world champion?

This is just like the RAW question except that Smackdown is the main focus. There is a much better talent roster on Smackdown than RAW, so it will be interesting to see how this voting turns out. Also, a nice explanation along with your vote may get recognized in my next column with proper credit given to the author. So vote away!


Mission: Accomplished

Well, another edition is in the books. I hope you've enjoyed it and as always feedback is always welcome. Don't forget to answer the intelligence question and always remember..

Till next time, you've just been SWATTED!

-Stanman
StanmanLOP@yahoo.com









*NEW GALLERY* Photos of BATISTA With His HOT NEW GIRLFRIEND!

• Quick Links -
  [Back to LOP] [News Archives] [Results] [Columns] [Forums]