|
|
|
|
|
Submitted by Mr. Tito on Tuesday, August 5, 2003 at 4:28 PM EST
NOTE FROM TITO: The following column was the winner of the LoPForums.com contest in the Columns Forum. Each month, a voting is held to determine which developmental columnist was the best for that month, and the winner gets one of their columns posted here on the main page. This month's winner is Rick Stallion with his column entitled "Catch a Bad One". Congrats to him. Email ALL feedback to him at OutOnPatroI@aol.com. Enjoy!
If this is your first time reading this column, then allow me to extend a very warm welcome to you. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it, and this won't be the last time you check me out, here at LoP. Whether you love or hate it, make sure you tell someone (including me) how you feel about Catch A Bad One! By the way, there are no RAW thoughts here, because I covered that in Catch A Bad One #12. Go check that out. Smackdown! Thoughts: Last week's episode of my favorite show on television was definitely an exciting one. Rey Mysterio took on Shelton Benjamin in what was an incredible matchup, with Rey Rey picking up the win. As good as that match was, I'm hoping that this won't be leading to a rematch, because as great as the tag team title match at Vengeance was, it's time for some cruiserweight title defenses. We've gone too long without one! Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri put on a wondeful match as well, but I think they could do even better on PPV, as they'd have more time. Lots of back and forth here, and while I love Eddie's acting, I think it's hilarious, do they have to make him do that EVERY week? I mean, if he did it every other week, rather than every single time, they'd keep it fresh, and you can enjoy the hard fought matches against Chris Benoit and Tajiri even more. I know, I know, he's a heel, and it's his gimmick to cheat, but I still think that they can keep it fresh and not hurt his character. The main event, with Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle taking on (ooh, surprise, surprise) The Big Show and A-Train wasn't much, but it served it's purpose. Brock lost his cool and F-5ed Kurt Angle after the match for stealing the pin on the Big Show. This makes next weeks match with Vince McMahon taking on Brock Lesnar in a steel cage (with Kurt Angle as special guest referee) pretty interesting. I don't know about you guys, but I smell a "Tatanka swerve" coming here. I see Brock turning heel, rather than Kurt. It'd make more sense too, if ya ask me. I like the idea of having a monster Brock turn heel again, in an effort to get the WWE Title back, rather than happy Kurt turn heel in an effort to...um...wait a sec, he's already champ, why would he turn heel? Exactly. A champ turning heel just makes him a jerk, even if it is because he supposedly hates Brock again. Let Brock's obsession with the gold be the reason he goes berserk. The Flight: This column is the first in a two part series on tag teams in the WWE. I've never done a two-parter before, so I hope you guys like it. On July 18th, 2003, I re-posted Catch A Bad One #6-Who's A True Mattitude Follower?. In that column, I took a look at all of the cruiserweights that are currently in the WWE, and unofficially graded them, trying to decide whether I thought they could break out of the cruiserweight division or not. Today, I'm going to do something similar, only this time I'll be covering tag teams, and whether I think each member could break out on their own or not, and just how strong they are as a unit. Here's hopin' you enjoy it. As A Unit (Part 1, Analyzing RAW Tag Teams) Before we get started, it's time to debut the brand spankin' new Catch A Bad One Rating System! ::cues applause:: Yay. Now, most people know that I absolutely hate rating systems, but that only applies for actual matches. I'm sick of hearing "five star classic", or even worse "It was a great match, but not a five star classic!". That irks me like you wouldn't believe. But no, I'm going to use this to rate these tag teams, and give you a better idea of where they stand, on a scale of 1 to 10: EXCELLENT- (10,9) A score of 10 or 9 is the highest rating possible, an EXCELLENT. While absolutely nothing is perfect, this is pretty damn close. In the world of professional wrestling, no matter how good you are, there will always be ways to step up your game, but a score this high shows that you probably don't have to just yet. GREAT- (8,7) A score of 8 or 7 equals a GREAT rating. This shows that although you're not at the top spot, you're very good, and ready for active duty, whether it be TV or PPV. DECENT- (6,5) A score of 6 or 5 is DECENT. This basically means that while you're pretty good right now, some fine tuning is just what you need to make it over the hump. Ready for full duty on Sunday Night Heat/Velocity, and the occasional RAW/Smackdown, but not ready for active duty just yet. Basically, you're good, and gonna get better. POOR- (4,3) A score of 4 or 3 is POOR. You may not be up to par, but like I said, there is some hope. Honing your skills on Sunday Night Heat or Velocity is exactly what you need right now. DISMAL (2,1)- A score of 2 or 1 equals the lowest possible rating, a DISMAL. Not only do you need work, but you need lots of work, and immediately. There's hope for everyone, but it's not looking good for you at the moment. There you have it, the official Catch A Bad One rating system. Let's get started by looking at the top RAW tag teams: The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley) As A Unit- One of the most successful tag teams in professional wrestling history, these guys also have the best chemistry of any team the WWE currently has to offer. They also have the absolute best tag team finisher ever, the Dudley Death Drop. At first glance, everything seems just fine in Dudleyville, but that's not the case. They do have weak points, the biggest one being the fact that they're extremely predictable, and repetitive. The Dudleyz are so predictable, you can accurately set your watch by them. You know exactly when the "Wasaaaaap" spot is coming, you know exactly when Buh Buh Ray is going to do his Dusty Rhodes impression, you know exactly when D-Von's war dance is coming, and you know exactly when the "Get the tables!!!" spot is coming. Granted, they've been forced to tone down their extreme attitude since their arrival in the WWE, and that may be the cause of all the predictability, but I'm sure they could have come up with some fresh spots by now. Still, as a unit, these guys are a force to be reckoned with. Very strong. Rating- GREAT (8) I was going to go with a 9, but the predictability factor brought em down just a notch. Some would say that they should've lost even more points due to staleness, but the fact is, these guys are extremely over either way, and sheer chemistry puts them over the hump. On Their Own- The Dudley Boyz were one of the very few teams in wrestling that no one really thought about when it came to splitting up. Maybe it's because they worked so well together, maybe it's because they were successful for so long, or maybe because their characters' personalities were almost tailor made for each other, but no one really thought about it. But alas, something had to be done, and after their billionth tag team title reign, they went stale yet again. The WWE had to split them up, and after a promising start, the idea never did take off... D-Von Dudley D-Von became Reverend D-Von, and showed great potential there. This guy was hilarious, and he played the preacher role very well. He soon recruited "Deacon Batista" (now known as simply "Batista") as sort of a protector of the funds he was getting, and that alone provided quite a few possibilities. He had a run in man, someone who could be an occasional tag team partner, etc. For some reason, the WWE never did do much with him, even though he was slowly (okay, okay, very slowly) getting over with the crowd as a genuine heel. If given another chance, I think D-Von could be a star on his own, because he has tons of charisma, and that alone makes up for a few of his shortcomings. Rating- GREAT (7) Charisma alone pushes D-Von Dudley from DECENT to GREAT. He would have needed a bit more ring work, but what he had was good enough for active duty, in my opinion. Buh Buh Ray Dudley Buh Buh Ray Dudley didn't change his gimmick (or ring attire, attitude, or style, for that matter) one bit, yet for some reason, the WWE found stuff for him to do. He was featured on RAW almost every week, and had the honor of handing Brock Lesnar his first ever loss in the WWE. (even though it was a disqualification, and Buh Buh was merely used to make Brock look dangerous) He may have been nothing more than glorified enhancement talent at the time, but at least he was on television at all, y'know? Either way, I think that while Buh Buh has (or had) a chance to break out on his own, he wouldn't amount to much without his half brother at his side. Rating- DECENT (6) Buh Buh Ray Dudley gets a 6 here, simply because even after he split with D-Von, he couldn't get over on his own. D-Von may have had Batista as a run in man, but he was still viewed as a singles competitor. Buh Buh Ray Dudley looked like he had merely reformed the Dudley Boyz by adding Spike Dudley. We'll never know for sure how well he could have done, but it didn't look good. Verdict- The verdict on how strong the Dudleyz are/were on their own doesn't lie in their individual success, but on whether or not a reunion was be welcomed with open arms, in a believable manner. When they reunited in November of 2002, the fans didn't care about anything else. They were just too happy that these guys were back together. That right there says a lot. While I think a breakup could work for both men if given time to develop, the incredible force they are as a unit prevents that. Sorry, but they're stuck together here. Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak As A Unit- Hoo boy, is this one going to be hard to talk about! I haven't seen enough of these guys in the ring to make any fair judgments here, but I'll give it a shot. Lance ...er, Garrison Cade looks like he has great potential, and Mark Jindrak has already proven in WCW that he has what it takes, and after finally seeing them as a unit on RAW, the potential they had seems to be almost doubled. They had decent chemistry with each other, and while you could tell that they hadn't teamed up often, they still weren't as sloppy as their opponents that night (who I'll be covering next). If that super high dropkick that they used together is their finisher, it might be a bit of a nudge in the right direction. It may not be much of a finisher, but at least they'd have one. The WWE has shown some faith in these two, but I still can't give much of a decision here, so let's just let this one play out. Rating- DECENT (5) As hard as it was to discuss them, it was even harder to rate them. I have no choice but to give them a DECENT 5. They've been looking pretty good on HeAT and RAW lately. On Their Own- I can talk about this one a bit more, but not much more. Garrison Cade I've seen Garrison Cade on Sunday Night Heat a few times, and while I didn't see much of him, what I saw was great. Great potential, though he really needs to develop some kind of personality. He's a rookie though, so he has plenty of time to come into his own, and develop some personality, charisma, etc. I don't think that there's any need to rush him, which is what I'm scared the WWE might do if he does go solo. Again, we're going to have to watch this one as it develops, and that may take awhile, now that he's in a tag team and all. The fact that Shawn Michaels has said that he's a big fan of Garrison Cade will also be a huge plus. Rating- DECENT (6) Again, I have no choice but to give this guy a DECENT rating, except this time, it's a 6. I don't know nearly enough, but potential alone avoids a bad rating. Mark Jindrak I was never a huge WCW fan, but I do know a little bit about Mark Jindrak. Thing is, when I saw him, he was very rarely without a tag team partner. He came into WCW with Sean O'Haire as his partner, and later on teamed with Shawn Stasiak. The only time I saw him alone was on WCW Saturday Night, where he had this ridiculous basketball player gimmick, and I refuse to judge the man on that. It's just not fair! All I can really go on at the moment was that one singles match he has with Chris Jericho, and he showed great promise in a losing effort. He's a very big, muscular man, with very impressive speed, and the last guy we saw like that happens to be a two time world champion over on Smackdown!, Brock Lesnar. It remains to be seen whether the fans will take to Jindrak or not, but I can assure you that the WWE will, so expect huge things from this guy in the future. Rating- GREAT (7) I wanted to go with a 6 for Mark Jindrak, but again, potential alone pushes this guy past his original score. The fact that he has much more experience than his partner, and that he combines a great size and look with decent wrestling skills pushes Jindrak to a rating of 7. Verdict- It's hard to say at the moment, but right now, I'll just go ahead and say that these guys have as good of a chance at getting over on their own as they do with each other. We haven't seen nearly enough of them to know for sure, but I think that's a good enough guess. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do, and I think lots of fans are. La Resistance(Sylvan Grenier, Rene Dupree), WWE RAW Tag Team Champions As A Unit- Aw crap. I really don't wanna start this off on a negative note, but yeesh! How are these guys even tag champs?! If they didn't share similar ethnic backgrounds, I doubt they would have been thrown together as a team at all! But alas, WWE wants cheap heel heat, and that's what they're gonna get. These guys have little to no chemistry together, their in ring work leaves plenty to be desired, and their double spinebuster finisher is pretty damn weak (so weak that most other tag teams, like the APA, use it in the middle of a match). I think that if they had time to develop, they would be one of the top tag teams in the WWE, but they were rushed into the spotlight much too quickly, and it's hurting them. They're looking so bad right now that once they get better and put on some decent matches (and trust me, they will get better), most people aren't even going to notice, they'll be too busy complaining about the stinkers we're seeing right now. Very weak team. Rating- DISMAL(2) The fact that these guys are bombing while they're tag team champions and have such a huge spotlight shining on them earns them a DISMAL rating. Like I said, they have no chemistry, and that's the most important part of tag team wrestling. Combine that with decent (at best) ring skills and cheap heat, and you've shown me that La Resistance needs a program on Sunday Night Heat, ASAP! On Their Own- Truth be told, I've rarely seen a singles match from either of these guys, so this won't be easy. I'll just go on what I DO know. Sylvan Grenier Sylvan Grenier comes off as the weak link of this team, even though he has shown some promise here and there. He has decent mic skills, some charisma, and a great look, but we all know that without at least decent wrestling skills, that'll only get you so far. Not everyone can have that "Lex Luger" streak of luck. Still, there's hope here, but it's not looking good. And if the rumors of his backstage attitude are true, then expect that glimmer of hope to fade even more. Rating- POOR(4) Again, it's hardly fair to rate these guys without seeing any singles matches from them, but from what he's shown, it doesn't look like Sylvan Grenier would translate into a good singles competitor. I think he's lucky to be paired with a guy who the WWE seems to be in love with. There is hope though, but like I said, it could fade fast if he's not careful. Rene Dupree Ah, Rene Dupree. Most people consider La Resistance to be a stepping stone for this kid, but I can't say for sure whether or not it's true. He's definitely the better half of La Resistance, and has even more charisma than his partner. One major plus is that he's even younger than Sylvan Grenier. In fact, he's the youngest WWE superstar in recent memory, at only nineteen years of age. I see those extra years there as time he can use to learn more about the business, and for his in ring work to improve. If what everyone says is right, expect Rene Dupree to be a HUGE star within five or six years. Rating- DECENT(6) Well, I have to stick to a middle of the road approach here. My buddies tell me that he should get a GREAT rating after what he's done in Indy feds, but the weak match he had against Buh Buh Ray Dudley on a recent episode of RAW keeps him here. He seems like he'd be a great singles wrestler if built up properly and given a decent storyline, but that remains to be seen. The constant "he has potential" talk tells me that there are big things in Rene Dupree's future, pushing his rating up a few points. Verdict- Call me crazy for saying this while they're still tag champs, but La Resistance is probably gonna split sooner than later. It's just not going well right now, the cheap heat is fading, and if we're lucky, plenty of hungry young tag teams are soon going to be ready to take their spot. Still, let's hope that La Resistance actually gets better and runs it's course before the WWE pulls the plug on them. The Reception: I hope you guys enjoyed part one of my tag team analysis. I enjoyed writing it, and I like I said before, I hope that this won't be the last time you guys hear from me. I'm going to be switching gears and analyzing a few of the teams on Smackdown! next week, so if you're interested, check out the LOPForums Columns section for that one. Along with part two, you'll find a lot of great talent there. You can email me at OutOnPatroI@aol.com with any thoughts, and you know I need to get that email now more than ever. Take care, folks. Until next time, you've been caught! *NEW GALLERY* Must See! McMahon FAMILY PHOTOS! Shane's Wife & More! Very Rare!
|
|