The Wrestling Menu - Goldberg's Return, Backlash Review & Raw Review
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 at 3:23 AM EST




THE WRESTLING MENU #43

Welcome one and all to the 43rd edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

It seems like I'm still having a few problems with my e-mail, although this time I have no clue what's wrong. I am pretty sure that I'm receiving everything that you guys send me, but I've had a few of my replies sent back to me. Who knows whether it's from my end or not. I can assure everybody that I have replied to all e-mails that I have seen, but cannot guarantee that you received those replies. I'm working on it practically as I write, so keep that feedback coming.

Good to see that pretty much everyone had nice things to say about my Jeff Hardy piece last week, because I thought I was going to get bashed with that one.

A while back I must have subscribed to a newlsetter from the WWE, because I received the survey that you recently may have seen talked of. I did fill it in & submit it. After looking over the questions, I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have. Most of the questions were just way too ambiguous. Oh well, the WWE have proven that they don't listen to us Australian fans anyway, so it can't do too much harm.


APPETIZERS - Goldberg's Return

I know some of you may be thinking "Oh no, not another columnist giving his 5 cents worth on Bill Goldberg again. How original!!!" Guilty your honor. But I like to think through my thoughts before putting pen to paper so to speak (I'm so in the 20th century). It's not too untimely anyway, as most of us have just seen Goldberg's WWE wrestling debut against The Rock at Backlash.

Before I discuss Goldberg's performance at Backlash, I should share my initial opinion both before & just after Goldberg was finally signed by the WWE. I'm not the hugest fan of his, nor am I a Goldberg basher. So I'm in a fairly good position to give a neutral view. Initially, I was in favor of the WWE recruiting Bill Goldberg, but like many I did not want it to be at the expense of the company's control. If some of the rumors of what Goldberg wanted in his contract were true, then I would have preferred no Bill Goldberg. Hopefully, the two parties came to an amicable compromise.

So what do I see as Bill Goldberg's main attributes; He does have a loyal (WCW) fan following that could follow him to the WWE. So do others, people might argue. But I think Goldberg was extremely popular while WCW was on, or near the, top. He was also successful as a face in WCW, which a few other recruits cannot claim to have been. While he has been out of wrestling for some time, I do not think it has been too long. Nothing that some hard work can't fix anyway. He's also not super old like Nash, Piper & Hogan.

While his detractors say that his moveset is weak & lacks depth, I feel his power-based offense theoretically fits better in the WWE, than it did in WCW. He has been known to cause some injuries to opponents, but he definitely hasn't been the only one to do that before in professional wrestling. For the length of time he was in WCW, I feel he did have enough genuinely good matches. Huge bouts against Diamond Dallas Page, Sting, Raven & even Hogan immediately come to mind as being above average.

His Backlash match against The Rock was far from perfect. It looked like the match of a wrestler who hadn't been in the ring for a while. But then again, that's actually what it was. I think we need to fairly give him some time to get rid of that ring-rust inside of the ring. I was a little hesitant as to the way the WWE basically begged the crowd to boo Goldberg at Backlash, but thought they did a terrific job in 3 separate scenes on Raw to re-establish him in a way that really could make him a successful face.

But at the end of the day, it's all going to come down to one factor; Bill Goldberg's current motivation. If Goldberg has the motivation to get himself back into tip-top shape, I have no doubt that he will become a successful contributor to the WWE. Sure, this comment takes into account age, injuries & politics, but I do feel he can overcome the odds with regards to these three things. If his mind is in the right place, Goldberg will succeed. If it's not, well then he will most probably fail, and fail fairly quickly.


MAIN - Backlash Review

Once more, I had the opportunity to view a WWE pay-per-view in a jam-packed sold out cinema down in Melbourne, Australia. The atmosphere wasn't quite the same as WrestleMania 19, but it was still fairly good.

For those that cannot recall my previous PPV review columns, this is the key (of sorts), that explains what the final PPV Rating means:

<50: Ask for a refund for not only your money, but also your time. [F]
50-54: Mediocre & disappointing. [D] (EG: UnForgiven 2002)
55-59: Average. [C]
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: No Mercy 2002, Armageddon 2002 & No Way Out 2003)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: Survivor Series 2002 & Royal Rumble 2003)
70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: WrestleMania 19)
75-79: Make sure you add this ppv to your video or dvd collection. [A] (EG: SummerSlam 2002)
80+ : Make sure that the video or dvd is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]

SHELTON BENJAMIN & CHARLIE HAAS defeated EDDIE & CHAVO GUERRERO to Retain the WWE Tag-Team Championship Well, I got my wish of this match being given enough time to successfully play out, so I cannot complain about that. Good tag-team psychology out there in the ring during this bout. Did you notice the way Eddie basically ran the whole match to a certain extent? He was even calling the timing of a few of the spots for Team Angle. Honestly, I was a little disappointed overall. Nothing really jumped out of the screen & grabbed me during the match. It was good, just nothing special unfortunately. Match Rating...7

SEAN O'HAIRE defeated RIKISHI: Nothing great here. In fact, I can see why a lot of people would have hated this match. I didn't think it was too offensive though, because it was short enough & fairly well choreographed. The one thing I am very unsure about is the direction that the WWE are going with on Sean O'Haire. He is not a Brock Lesnar or a Batista type, so please let him be his own man in the ring. Giving him only power moves to do is only going to make him look weak as he progresses. Match Rating...5

ROB VAN DAM & KANE defeated THE DUDLEY BOYZ to Retain the World Tag-Team Titles You know it makes me laugh that some people cannot get pre-conceived ideas out of their heads!!! 'Lame-duck champions', "the 2 teams have fought each other before", 'predictability', etc, etc, etc... blah, blah, blah... crap, crap, crap. Judged independently, this was by far the match of the night. Treat it as such!!! Simply put; This was a well put together, well performed, perfectly timed, exciting match. I must say that RVD does look better when he has ex-ECW guys as opponents selling for him, but that plus the Morley & Storm shenanigans only added to the excitement of the match in my opinion. Match Rating...8

JAZZ defeated TRISH STRATUS to Win the Womens Title: Perfectly acceptable women's match. I liked some of the move sequences & there was no botched moves to speak of. Unfortunately, the division needs more than 'perfectly acceptable' & this bout didn't present anything more. We need Lita back in the ring quickly. Jazz wins & that's fine by me for the time being. Match Rating...5

THE BIG SHOW defeated REY MYSTERIO: I'm past the barracking stage of my life when it comes to wrestling, but I was genuinely barracking for Rey during this match. Very entertaining overall with Rey getting in enough offense to make it worthwhile. The Big Show falling down just reminds me how funny he can be, but after what happened following the match, something tells me that comedy won't be in his near future. Wicked shot to the ringpost with Rey tied to that board stretcher. Simply wicked!!! Match Rating...6

BROCK LESNAR defeated JOHN CENA to Retain the WWE Championship: Don't know what to make of this one. They were obviously trying to have an intense psychological match. While they didn't completely fail, these guys aren't Angle & Benoit just yet. The match also lasted a few minutes too long in my opinion. We will all probably look back & say that this will be a successful start to Cena's push. But taken individually, I didn't really get involved. Match Rating...6

TRIPLE H, RIC FLAIR & CHRIS JERICHO defeated KEVIN NASH, SHAWN MICHAELS & BOOKER T: Yet another match on the card that I didn't mind, but where something extremely important was missing. In this case, it was the unbelievably anti-climactic finish. And I'm not just saying that because Triple H got the pin. The match was progressing fairly well with a good variety of combinations in the ring throughout. Then the ref got bumped, the sledgehammer came out & it was all over. I don't know if it was too quick, or whether the sledgehammer has had it's day, but I was just left very unimpressed by the ending of the bout. Match Rating...7

Before I get into the main event, I have to state that I will usually include a segment in the overall 'PPV Rating' if I believe it lasted long enough. I cannot include The Rock's interview before the match because the time taken wasn't significant. But I found it so entertaining & laughed so hard that I have decided to add a point to the match rating of the main event.

BILL GOLDBERG defeated THE ROCK Strange main event match to say the least. I think it lasted about 13 minutes, yet it had so few wrestling sequences. In between Goldberg's over-selling of a shoulder injury & The Rock entertaining us, there was hardly any time for wrestling. A hard one to rate because it appealed to me for it's entertainment value, but didn't from a wrestling perspective. I suppose that's to be expected with Goldberg getting back into the ring, and The Rock just about to leave. Match Rating...5 + 1 = 6

PPV RATING (50/80) = 62.5

Looking at the key, I have given Backlash a 'C+' grade & have said that it was 'Worth A Watch'. I'm pretty much happy with that. It's one of those events that are fine to watch, but I wouldn't go out of my way for. No standout match was levelled off by the fact that there wasn't a terrible (failing) match on the card. A lot of the bouts had elements I really liked, but because of a lack of something else throughout the match, just didn't work as a whole.


DESSERT - Raw Review

So, could Raw give us something to look forward to the next night? Let's find out from DaveyBoy's perspective, shall we...??? As per usual, my Raw review is not as serious as the 'PPV Review' & I will often throw in the odd sarcastic comment. I also do it in point form so that I don't rant on too much.

- 'Break The Walls Down' plays to open the show. It looks as if Jericho has taken over from RVD as the regular opener. No, he's gonna do a spin on Piper's Pit called 'The Hi-Lite Reel'. And his first guest is none other than Bill Goldberg. How surreal!!! A scripted shoot ensues including a humorous cameo by Christian. The main point of the segment was to establish Goldberg as a face, and it succeeded. The Hi-Lite Reel could work, but not to open the show. It also would probably be better fortnightly, rather than weekly.

- Just going off track with regards to Bill Goldberg's music, let me state this; I hated Disturbed's Austin music at first. I also hated The Rock's helicopter intro initially. Now I love both of them. Don't decide after just one listening whether you like an entrance theme or not. Most radio songs also take a few listens before a proper opinion can be formed. Personally, I didn't mind it. It's a play on the original & sounds differently decent to me right now. It can only grow on me further, if anything.

- The Hurricane defeats Chief Morley in a good 6 minute opening match. Freakin' hilarious mocking of Val Venis by Helms during the bout. Hurricane wins & his mini-push continues.

- Triple H is seen pushing a wrestler in a backstage segment next. It's a shame that wrestler is over 50!!!

- Simple maths folks; Rodney Mack + Theodore Long + 5 Minute White Boy Challenge = DaveyBoy changing the channel. Where's those old quarter-hour ratings when you need them!?!?!?

- It looks as if Eric Bischoff is continuing on with the womanizing character he has debuted recently. I don't like it. Nor, the idea of his upcoming match with Trish.

- The Test-Stacey-Steiner angle continues slowly & predictably.

- Another good tag-title match was next. It went for 11 minutes before Kevin Nash's music sounded & it turned into an easy win for the champs. As far as I'm concerned, Kane & RVD have successfully invigorated the Raw tag-team division. This is the 3rd match in a row that they have been involved in that has been quite a fair way above average in my opinion. And not many can say that Triple H & Flair turn them on as a team either, which makes it all the more impressive.

- Nash walks after Triple H backstage. I'm still to have seen him actually run & he had many opportunities during this segment.

- Test & Steiner defeat Rico & Nowinski in an average, if not terrible, match next. Steiner breaks the world record for quickest time to be busted open. I'm not sure how Nick Patrick felt about Steiner throwing his blood at him either.

- Good debut by La Resistance. I even know basic French, so I can understand them!!! They look young & are fresh faces to an improving division, so if they can wrestle, they should be worth watching. There were indirect war insinuations, but I think they were sufficiently indirect.

- OK, if a little ho-hum bout between Booker T & Christian. More an excuse to bring out 3 Minute Warning to get fed to Goldberg. Achieved it's purpose too. Sensational spear of Rosey through the ringside barricade, while Christian snuck away to fight another day. I think this plus Goldberg's earlier 2 appearances tonight (including a little segment with Booker T) was very well handled & will help in successfully establishing him as a WWE face.

- Eric Bischoff defeats Trish with the help of Victoria & Jazz. I wonder if Theodore & Jazz helped Eric because they think he's black!?!?!? Hell, they even stopped attacking Trish when Eric said "Stop". Linda McMahon makes a shock appearance. Ahhhh, let's be honest; No McMahon appearance is a surprise anymore!!! Anyway, Linda comes out to confirm the rumors that Stone Cold Steve Austin will be returning in a GM role. But did she have to take an eternity to get there. Not a terrible segment, but it went way too long & I always prefer a match to end Raw. Also, Austin just isn't doing anything for me since his return.


Overall, a sufficient mixed bag of a Raw. Nowhere near perfect, but good enough if you don't use too strong a microscope. Only 2 of the 6 matches were any good, but that's what the pay-per-views are predominantly for. The segments were good, if a little long. I also had a problem that the long segments both opened & ended the show. But I liked the treatment of Goldberg tonight, as well as the debut of La Resistance & everything else to do with the tag-team titles. Wow, only 3 weeks until Judgment day. If you thought the set-up for Backlash was bad, I'm predicting you ain't seen nothing yet.


That about does it for edition #43 of The Wrestling Menu. As per usual, please feel free to send me an e-mail letting me know what you thought of this column. I would be extremely interested in knowing what you thought of both Backlash & the Raw episode the night after. Also, please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of Bill Goldberg's WWE debut at Backlash, or his signing in general. It is still my aim to reply to each & every response. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Next week, I am going to start a monthly series. It has sort of been brought on by popular demand through feedback that I have received, and I feel it will be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Look out for the column same Wednesday time & same LOP channel next week. Until then, this is Davey Boy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.













*NEW GALLERY* Hot Photos of Shawn Michaels' Wife Rebecca!!

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