DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - Survivor Series Review & (Controversial) Rookie Rankings
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, November 19, 2003 at 4:28 PM EST




THE WRESTLING MENU #68

Welcome one and all to the 68th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

I bet you're all thinking that I'm pretty pi$$ed off right now because my 'PPV Predictions' just fell in a heap this past week. I only predicted 3 out of the 8 matches correctly, but no, I am actually very pleased. It comes back to that under-rated word in the world of professional wrestling; Unpredictability. I love it. Most fans do. And it makes the product that much better. No, the only person I'm pi$$ed off at is Wevv "Papa Shango" Mang, who put a curse on my predictions at noon on Sunday. Have a look at his latest column to see how he did it. The link is http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003_/articles/1069004515.php

It's another long column today, so I better get cracking.....


APPETIZERS

2002 Rookie Rankings Revisited

This is the bit where I show how bad or good a judge I am of wrestling talent. The fact that I am even revisiting these rankings will probably already tell you that I am extremely happy with my choices from this time last year. Before listing my 2002 rankings with brief comments, I'd just like to state that I am mainly looking to the future with regard to these rankings. That is, who is going to make the most impact in the long-term. Obviously, short-term success is also important, but I always like to look long range with these types of things.

Below are only brief comments on each ranking choice. The full column (with more in-depth thoughts on each wrestler) is actually quite a good read (if I do say so myself). It can be viewed at http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2002_/articles/1037182419.php . Please remember that everything below was written on November 13, 2002. I am not adding new opinion to it. I'll just touch on some current opinion at the bottom of this section.

2002 ROOKIE RANKINGS

8: RICO; Oldest of group. Already experienced. Very good on the microphone. Under-rated in-ring. Doubt on room for improvement. In-between size could be a liability. As could his martial-arts style.

7: CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI; Possible longevity. Size & body shape to appear anywhere on a WWE card. Bland wrestling style (or was it the gimmick?) Is he another William Regal or another Triple H? Hard work & love for the industry is a plus.

6: MAVEN; Hard to rank. Improvement factor is high. Very raw/green, but still learning. Attitude & charisma is a huge plus. Likely to be pushed. Work ethic is the key.

5: ROSEY & JAMAL; Ranked as a tag-team. If ever to split up, either will struggle to hold a roster position. Type of tag-team that could stick around for many years to come (either as heels or faces) if handled correctly. Stale repertoire. Weight problems for both members. Agile now, but can they keep weight down & remain injury-free?

4: DAVE BATISTA; Hard to analyze. Could have ranked anywhere between 8 & 1. Size is near-perfect. As is his intensity. Very raw in the ring. Huge room for improvement, but it is possible. Might be best suited to tag-team wrestling. Reminds me of Ahmed Johnson.

3: JOHN CENA; Ranked higher than I would have liked. Debut (many roll-up wins) won't help. Might be best suited to tag-team wrestling. May never go further than high midcard. Under-rated on the microphone. Talks clearly & confidently. Should also play a heel role very well.

2: RANDY ORTON; Most dubious & controversial ranking. Only 22 years of age. Already decent in the ring. Microphone skills need improving, but are not terrible for his age. Good size (deceptive height). Quite agile for his size. Plenty of time to put more muscle on. Should improve in most areas. Family history will lead to opportunities. Work ethic seems good. Should play a heel well (whether cocky or monster).

1: BROCK LESNAR; Safe pick. Already a main eventer. Still young (25). Has time to improve on all aspects. Size is near-perfect. Work ethic seems excellent. Microphone skills are mediocre. Exceptional grounding (amateur background). Full repertoire still to come. Should be a star in 5 years time.

So, how do you think I did...??? Bloody good if you ask me!!! In fact, I would only change one ranking around. That's to swap Maven with Rosey & Jamal. How was I to know that Jamal was going to do whatever he did (what did he actually do to get fired, anyway?) While it can be argued that Cena is currently ahead of Orton, I still feel that Orton has more room for improvement & greater longevity in professional wrestling.

Some of my visions were spot on (again, if I do say so myself); Rico being under-used because of age & style, both Cena & Orton successfully portraying heels (keep in mind that they were both faces at the time), and Cena becoming the master of the microphone. As for misses, I would only really count my under-rating of Orton on the microphone, Nowinski's "possible longevity" & my comment about Cena never going higher than the midcard.

So let's see how I go with the 2003 crop of rookies. It's going to be a lot harder as there are more of them (an astonishing total of 16) & there is no real standout. Here goes nothing...


MAIN

2003 Rookie Rankings

As there are a lot more rookies in 2003 than there were in 2002, I'll have to try & keep my comments a little briefer & broader. Otherwise, this is going to be one hell of a long column. I should also note that I have left off both Mark Jindrak & Jimmy Yang (aka Akio). I do not consider them to be rookies, as they have both tasted the highest level of professional wrestling by competing previously in WCW. It's a shame, as I probably would have had Jindrak ranked in the top 5 & Yang right behind him. Jindrak has a tremendous upside in my opinion, as he is big, athletic & just has his own distinctive style about him. Similarly, Yang also has a wrestling style all of his own. I really enjoy watching the both of them.

16. RODNEY MACK: Everything about Mack is extremely fan-unfriendly. He has a decent size & stature, I suppose. But his in-ring skills practically negate that. On top of that, Mack appears to have zero charisma. The type of charisma that a gimmick change or a great storyline wouldn't even save. Best used as a bodyguard or something like that, if at all. Would have already been off tv, had it not been for the success of Teddy Long's character. Thank God Teddy doesn't let him speak.

15. ZACH GOWEN: I am sort of a fan of Gowen, but I just can't see much of a long-term wrestling future for him in the WWE. He is entertaining, but this is countered by the fact that his repertoire is quickly becoming stale. The WWE have already shown miscalculations in the way they have booked him, and this will hurt his longevity. Good people are hard to come by though, so I wouldn't be surprised if the WWE find another role for him somehow. I personally have no idea what they could come up with though.

14. JOHN HEIDENREICH: It's always dangerous ranking a rookie big guy this low, because you know that the WWE are going to give him every opportunity to prove himself. 31 years of age & he looks it. Charisma & microphone skills seem to be lacking, despite the 'Little Johnny' storyline that he has been handed on debut. Wrestling skills appear to be so prototypical big man, that in a few months time, I can see everyone going to their remote controls as soon as he is shown on our tv screen. All I can say is that Little Johnny better have some drawing power!!!

13. DANNY BASHAM: At 26 years of age, the former Damaja does have time to improve. It's actually promising that he has improved a little both in & out of the ring since his debut a few months back. But I don't see much in his future. Looks fairly green in the ring right now & was promoted too early, in my opinion. Average size & ordinary body shape. Charisma & microphone skills also seem to be lacking, as he takes a back seat to Doug in every non-wrestling segment. A decent gimmick could see him become a loyal & handy undercard wrestler, but that's about it.

12. ROB CONWAY: As the third man in La Resistance, Conway has been handed a terrible gimmick upon debut. So much so, that it could take him a while afterwards to shake it off. Decent in the ring, but nothing special. 29 years of age & has been around the system for a while, so he may not have all that much room for improvement. Average look & size won't help. But he does seem quite good on the microphone & in interacting with the fans. Hard to tell if he could adjust to different gimmicks & storylines, but I'd say he can. All in all though, he is too average in a number of areas to ever amount to anything but a lower midcarder.

11. SYLVAN GRENIER: An X-Factor. I thought about ranking him anywhere between 8 & 15. Decided somewhere in between was about right. Has shown very little skill inside of the ring. Looks extremely sloppy on occasions & as if he doesn't want to be a wrestler. Rumors also suggest that he is a handful backstage, which is never a good attribute to have when wanting a secure future. But, he has a very good look & is very good on the microphone. I just can't see the WWE letting him go. He may be practically playing the same role all his career, but the WWE will recycle that type of role intermittently anyway. Will improve his wrestling skills if he has the appropriate motivation. If he doesn't, Grenier also has excellent potential as a manager, or even a heel interviewer.

10. NATHAN JONES: I'll try & stay unbiased towards my fellow countryman. Size, body shape & look is a tremendous upside. In fact, he is probably at the top of the rookie heap with regard to most of those categories. Convict past has helped give his character some focus. Intensity is also good. For all those reasons, Jones should be a "can't miss" project that should remain in the WWE for many years to come. But he is extremely green in the ring & already looking like he could fall into the prototypical big man category. A shame, because he does have some martial arts & shoot-fighting skills. His future is in his own hands, but that maybe a bad thing due to his rumored bad attitude. If he takes off as a semi-regular movie star though, Vince may keep him around for nothing more than publicity.

9. ORLANDO JORDAN: Here is another real X-Factor. On his WWE career so far, he shouldn't be ranked too much higher than Rodney Mack. But what has he been given to work with so far!?!?!? Arguably nothing. Very good size & look. Decent charisma, although it's hard to judge when you haven't got a gimmick. Fairly young & has time to improve his ok wrestling ability. Very hard to rate, because one good storyline or a proper gimmick will show us just how talented he is. One question that has to be asked I suppose, is; If the WWE couldn't make something out of Ron 'K-Kwik' Killings, how will they succeed with Jordan...???

8. PAUL LONDON: I almost feel guilty ranking him this low. Extremely talented inside the ring. Has a good mix of spots & chain wrestling. Also has that knack of being able to connect with the crowd really well. Look is decent, if not anything special. Microphone skills are questionable. Probably would struggle to play a heel effectively. Young & an extremely hard worker with great work ethic & motivation. Of course, London is a cruiserweight & his lack of size may see him consistently wasted by the WWE. We should never count out the talented & hard working though.

7. BRIAN 'SPANKY' KENDRICK: Extremely similar in many aspects to London. Probably doesn't work as hard, or have as much ability in the ring, as London. But still has a good work ethic & above-average ability. Seems to have excellent charisma. Very confident for such a youngster & it shines through in his microphone work. Also has a good look which attracts female fans, and could therefore mean that he may play a heel more effectively than we think. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the size of his trainer; Shawn Michaels.

6. SHELTON BENJAMIN: Another tough one to rank. Has enough wrestling ability for a 27 year old to be close to the top of this list. Extremely solid in the ring & with a decent enough look to have a good character/gimmick made out of him. Unfortunately, both his lack of size & charisma may result in him being nothing more than a lower midcard wrestler in singles action, and/or a lifelong tag-team star. Has not really improved a great deal during his WWE career so far, either.

5. GARRISON CADE: The wrestler I found the hardest to decide on for a ranking. I had him ranked as low as 10th at one stage, but he begged promotion due to a number of reasons. My main concern will be his ability to stand out from the pack. I don't think he is bland, but I'm struggling to find a characteristic that could push him past the midcard. However, he is only 23 years of age, so the room-for-improvement factor is high. He has really come along since we first saw him on Raw a few months back. Nothing special on the microphone, but has improved markedly. The same goes for inside the ring. This shows good work ethic & learning skills. Size is also very good for someone so young. Gives the impression he may struggle to successfully play a heel.

4. DOUG BASHAM: The more experienced half of the tag-team has been a pleasant surprise to me. As the mainstay of OVW, it seemed like he would never get promoted to the WWE. Looking at him on SmackDown, I have to wonder why it took so long. Very good in the ring, he has more than held his own against both the great competitors (Angle, Eddie & Benoit), as well as those that are not so great (Bradshaw & Faarooq). Has carried the team to a pretty good tag-team almost single-handedly. Very confident & charismatic. Microphone skills are sure to be top-notch. His small speaking part backstage at No Mercy was very impressive. It appeared he wanted to take the microphone & carry on for another half hour. Size is average, but not terrible. Could realistically adapt to any role/character handed to him. Has been around a while, so may not get much better in a number of areas.

3. RENE DUPREE: Room for improvement here is unlimited. Like Randy Orton, he is young enough to go any way that the WWE want him to in the future. Has the body type to add more muscle to his already impressive frame, or reduce body weight & go the opposite way. Also has good size to add to this. Nothing special in wrestling ability, charisma or microphone work. But all are currently sufficient for his age & experience. Looks like he would be able to shed his Frenchman gimmick if needed to, and I'm pretty sure he would also be ok playing a face. Starting off as a tag-team wrestler should bring him along nicely. Any possible negative I can throw up could seemingly be learnt over time. The future is in his own hands & he could easily be the biggest star from this list in 5-10 years time!!!

2. MATT MORGAN: Ranking Morgan this high is certainly a huge risk & is more on gut feeling than anything else. Fantastic look which must have Vince McMahon drooling. Not so huge that he necessarily has to fit into the prototypical WWE big man. I know nothing of his microphone skills, nor charisma. But his intensity seems to be good. Wrestling ability seems to be the huge question mark, but if he puts as much time into his in-ring work, as he has with his look, then the sky's the limit. Remember that this is the kid who was overweight, didn't have too much muscle & appeared like he couldn't hurt a fly from one of the Tough Enough series. Looking the way he does now is no fluke & must of taken great motivation & work ethic. If he can take the next (& possibly hardest) step inside the ring, look out Brock Lesnar!!!

1. CHARLIE HAAS: Possibly has less chance of becoming a main eventer than about 3 rookies ranked below him. But he is the most well-rounded professional wrestler on this list. Seems to enjoy what he does for a living. His workrate in the ring is exceptional for a top-flight rookie. He gives the impression that he can keep up with the best of opponents, and carry the worst opponent. Although it should be noted that he is 31 years of age. That doesn't worry me though, because he has improved a great deal since his WWE debut earlier this year, and I can't see any reason why he couldn't improve even more. That is especially the case with his charisma & microphone ability, which are coming along slowly but surely. Gives the impression he could just as easily play a face or a heel. Size is nothing special, but sufficient. While his look is above average. Again, beginning in a tag-team was the correct move & the way his character is refined in upcoming years should decide whether he will be a possible main eventer, or a more than handy midcarder.

As per usual, these Rookie Rankings were damn hard and took a lot of thinking & reasoning to complete. So many of them could have been ranked anywhere. I mean, someone like Nathan Jones may be cut from the WWE in a months time, yet he could also be a WWE Championship contender in a couple of years time if he plays his cards right. Like I said previously, the lack of a standout in this group of 16 also didn't make it any easier to rank them. All in all, I thought the top 4 were a gap ahead of the next 4. The next three in positions 9-11 are huge question marks with at least one very positive characteristic. While Rob Conway & Danny Basham are the "nothings" of the group, I don't see much future for the bottom 3.


DESSERT

Survivor Series Review

For those that cannot recall my previous PPV review columns, this is the key, 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: Judgment Day '03)
55-59: Average. [C] (EG: Unforgiven '03, No Mercy '03)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: SummerSlam '03)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: Royal Rumble '03)
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 '02)
80+ : Make sure that the video or dvd is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]

TEAM ANGLE defeated TEAM LESNAR (Survivors: John Cena & Chris Benoit): Interesting choice as the opener, but a daring & good one (because of the way the match played out). Three superstars being eliminated in the first 2 minutes was probably a bit much, but Holly, Bradshaw & A-Train were pretty much there for the ride anyway. Morgan & Jones did their jobs, while Angle's flurry of offense was sensational. Lesnar F-5'ing Angle, but then tapping to Benoit basically ends one feud & begins another. While the U.S Champion (The Big Show) was put over fairly well. Cena continues the huge (& too soon) face push. I would have much preferred if he turned on Benoit at the end, but it appears a U.S title run is on it's way. Definitely too short at only 14 minutes, but as the opener it had to be as fast-paced as possible. Efficiency was high here, as it was entertaining & paved the way for future storylines in that time. Good stuff. Match Rating...8

MOLLY HOLLY defeated LITA to Retain the Women's Title: Fairly well put together 6 minute bout which saw Molly retain following a semi-clean pinfall. Yes, the 2 different styles did clash a little, but that fact was occasionally used quite well throughout the match. Plus, Molly has always been good at adapting to her opponents. Match Rating...6

KANE defeated SHANE McMAHON in an Ambulance Match: Ok (when taken individually) ending to a sometimes mind-boggling feud. Definitely nothing special, but there were enough good spots & enough of a frenetic pace for most of it's 13 minute duration. Production goofs hurt this match badly, as 2 cameramen missed Kane landing on his head at the beginning of the bout, and then the camera blacked out twice backstage. That's very un-WWE-like!!! In fact, the whole trip backstage, although logical, was a waste of time. There could have been more innovative hardcore action taking place, but the match didn't really deserve too much more time than it got. Passable. Match Rating...5

MARK CUBAN SEGMENT: This gets included in the 'PPV Rating' because it took up enough time to warrant it (It lasted longer than the Molly vs Lita match). There were so many things wrong with this. Firstly, it took the Tajiri vs Noble match off the card. Secondly, why did Bischoff & Orton have to be put over, considering what would happen later on? And of course my biggest gripe (being an Australian); How many people throughout the world (that's what the first 'W' in WWE stands for, right!?!?!?) know who Cuban is. I do, only because my team (The Spurs) had the privilege of ending his team's run last year. But otherwise, he could have been a bum off the street. Fair enough if Tim Duncan or Dirk No-whatshisname was involved, but Mark Who!?!?!? Having said all that, the segment was put together rather nicely & definitely had the hometown crowd going off their nut. A tough one to rank because it was ok, but made no sense. I just can't pass it though. Segment Rating...4

THE BASHAM BROTHERS defeated LOS GUERREROS to Retain the WWE Tag-Team Championships: This was a very good tag-team bout. Considering this match & the ppv opener, I'm starting to think that there is more merit in keeping bouts shorter when they are as frenetically paced as this 8 minute match. Plus, the WWE can't push their luck with rookies & have to protect them to some extent. There was some excellent double-team maneuvers by both teams here, while the byplay involving Shaniqua was also quite entertaining. Sure, Los Guerreros stood out as the fine team they are, but The Bashams more than played their part & looked good when they were asked to. Furthermore, the Eddie & Chavo angle didn't get involved too much concerning the match quality. Definitely the pleasant surprise of the night. Match Rating...8

TEAM BISCHOFF defeated TEAM ANGLE (Survivor: Randy Orton): If the WWE ever question having these traditional 5 on 5 Survivor Series matches again, all they have to do is watch this bout over & over again. A feud which I didn't really care for, quickly made me care about 1 minute into this enthralling match. For 27 minutes, we saw a great mixture of all sorts of wrestling; Fast-paced, mat, tag-team & even sheer brutality. Well booked with the exception of Booker T's & RVD's early exits. One question that also has to be posed after this bout; After all that has happened to him, is HBK still in the top 5 workers in the company...??? The after-match went on a little too long, but I suppose it did put over the stipulation well. Don't ask me what happens to Austin now!!! Match of the night. Match Rating...9

VINCE McMAHON defeated THE UNDERTAKER in a Buried Alive Match: Why wasn't this the main event!?!?!? Definitely the quickest blade-job I have ever seen. And boy, what a blade-job!!! Vince leaking that much blood couldn't have been healthy, especially when he got near the dirt!! Anyway, this was sheer brutality & a huge squash from the opening bell, as Vince basically got no offense in. Those who read my column would have expected the Kane interference & the Vince win. Pretty ordinary as a wrestling bout & it didn't really deliver anything special except for the blade-job & Kane's appearance (both of which were partially expected). While the entertainment value could have been better, it was still sufficient. Again, it was well-timed (only lasting 12 minutes) & had both the live crowd & me involved in the action. Yes, I'm giving an extra rating point for Vince's bleeding. Match Rating...6

BILL GOLDBERG defeated TRIPLE H to Retain the World HeavyWeight Title: The fact that only one face had won to this stage & that this was made the main event of the night, basically told me that Goldberg was going to retain here. But the fact that he did it so cleanly was the surprise. Overbooked, but it had to be, with both wrestlers not 100% fit. Thank God they didn't continue with the psychological ankle business!!! The way the match was booked tends to suggest that Goldberg will now be booked as the unstoppable force he was in WCW. Is it a couple of months too late!?!?!? Again, well timed at approximately 13 minutes, this was decently paced for the most part. As per usual, Flair's histrionics helped. Match Rating...6

PPV RATING (52/80) = 65

Looking at the key, I have given Survivor Series a 'B' grade & have said that it was a 'Good event that was worth the money'. Right on, if I do say so myself. I have rated this pay-per-view equal second for the year with the Royal Rumble (only behind WrestleMania 19). Scrapping the Mark Cuban segment for a crusierweight match would have almost guaranteed a better rating, but I suppose we must see our sports-entertainment, mustn't we!?!?!? But let's not hark on the few negatives, as there were far too many positives at this event. Three really good matches, plus most matches being very cleverly, as well as logically, booked, paced & timed. Furthermore, the two 5 on 5 matches prove that they must be annual events. Both were very entertaining (despite being so much different) & resulted in the motivation for many key angles in the upcoming months. And for the icing on the cake, we even had some inter-promotional hints thrown in there to fuel some fan conjecture. Good stuff indeed!!! Well done WWE.


Wow, I think that was my longest column ever!!! So that's it for edition #68 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. Let me know what you thought of Survivor Series if you watched it. But more importantly, I would be extremely interested to find out what you thought of my 2003 Rookie Rankings. You might want to rank them all yourself, rank the top 5 (of the 16), or just want to tell me which of my rankings you most disagree with. I might even include some of that feedback in next week's column. At the very least, you know that I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

It seems that I am a sucker for punishment, as next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I am going to once more put on my thinking cap & look into the future for the entertainment of all my loyal readers. I've never professed at being a professional wrestling booker, writer or match-maker, but with a certain special event on the horizon, I can't help myself in this instance. It should make for some argument-raising discussion at the very least. Furthermore, as already stated, I will also include some feedback about my Rookie Rankings. Look out for the column same Wednesday time & same LOP channel next week. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.













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