DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - 'Favorite PPV' Poll Results & Returning Legends
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, February 25, 2004 at 2:08 PM EST



THE WRESTLING MENU #78

Welcome one and all to the 78th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Just 3 weeks to go until WrestleMania 20!!! Does Vince have something further up his sleeve? Will the WWE deliver a memorable event on the night. Whatever the answers are to those questions, I can't wait!!!

Not too much mucking around today... Let's get started...


APPETIZERS - The Oz Perspective

I'm going to try & keep this column as short as possible. Now, usually when I say that, you can safely put your life savings on the fact that it will be one of my longest ever. Oh well, I can only try. This 'Appetizers' section is actually a rehash of what I wrote back in early October of last year... It's sort of my way of making myself use this topic more often, as I think it's a good method of comparing professional wrestling to more everyday occurrences, whether it be sport or anything else. I have a couple of additional topics up my sleeve, so I should stick to it for at least the next 4 months, on a (close to) monthly basis.

For those of you that are still unaware (or just plain forgot), I am coming to you live from Melbourne on the south-east tip of Australia. When I started writing The Wrestling Menu, one of my main objectives was to provide all you readers out there with a different perspective of wrestling; One from thousands of miles away. It took me a while to think of a way of doing this, but while on the LOP Columns Forum, I believe I partially came up with the best possible solution.

What I will once more attempt to do, is take something that has happened in Australia (or is associated with Australia) and somehow relate it to wrestling. The topic will be called "The Oz Perspective" and will most probably be featured in the "Main" section of my column. The occurrence relating to Australia will most likely be of a sporting nature, but may involve general Australian news or television.

Only two of these columns are available in my columns archive. They are edition #26, which dealt with the topic of 'Discipline'. Who could ever forget Rico clearly yelling in frustration at Jeff Hardy at the 2002 Survivor Series!?!?!? And column #63, which dealt with the topic of 'Security Concerns' in the WWE. Both of these columns are available to read through my archives page, which can be seen by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/columns/wrestlingmenu/index.html

I have, however, done a few more before I hit the main page. I used the example of AFL players ousting their coach, as an analogy to wrestlers providing feedback to WWE management. And I also somehow used the Canterbury Bulldogs Rugby League team getting all their season points deducted, when they were found to have been way over their salary cap.

But without further ado, here is the latest installment of... (insert drum roll here)... The Oz Perspective...


MAIN - Returning Legends

I was watching a night session on television of the Australian Open tennis tournament about a month back, when I was surprised to see a doubles match included. The reason for my surprise was that the night sessions are usually the premium sessions where the 2 singles matches that take place will be the marquee match-ups for that day. Obviously, the host country will also play a part in this, so even if Lleyton Hewitt is playing a nobody who is ranked 200 in the world, the tournament organizers may decide that crowds would rather see that, than 2 Spanish players both ranked in the top 50. The latter might be a better match-up, but it's probably not what the crowds will flock to see.

Anyway, my topic isn't what crowds pay to see (although you could indirectly say that it is), it's regarding who played in the doubles match & how the crowd reacted. In amongst the 3 unknown players was Pat Rafter, former world number 1, former U.S Open Champion, all-around nice guy & Australian. If you recall, Rafter retired from competitive tennis extremely early. I can't actually recall the exact reasons, but I think it was a combination of everything; He's already rich, still has employment opportunities through a number of companies, and niggling injuries & life on the road were catching up on him.

While this was a serious doubles match in a Grand-Slam tennis tournament, it almost felt like it was an exhibition match. It wasn't the players that made me feel this way, it was the spectators. You see, this was the first serious match of any sort that Rafter had played in quite some time. And as far as I know, he is not planning any major full-time comeback of any sort. The crowd reacted differently for the match. They were not as serious, but it wasn't because they thought it was an exhibition match. It also wasn't the negative type of non-seriousness that you see at sporting events from time to time. It was definitely the positive type.

Why did the crowd react in this way? Because they were appreciative. They were appreciative that they had chosen that night to see a guy (arguably a champion and/or arguably a legend) who may never play another match in his life. But more importantly, they were appreciative that he made the time (his own time) to play in the tournament, so that they had the opportunity to see him.

It almost instantly reminded me of how the live crowd reacts when a returning legend returns to professional wrestling. Who can ever forget the reaction that Hulk Hogan received before, during & after WrestleMania 18. How about the reaction to Shawn Michaels during the northern hemisphere summer of 2002 (although that has turned out to be a full-time return). The same can also be said for The Rock's surprise appearance on raw a couple of months back. And now, we have the WWE crowds lapping up the return of Mick Foley. It's as if they want to see Foley, Mankind, Dude Love & Cactus Jack all in one night!!!

So when a legend returns for the short term, is it good for the overall product? There is a fair amount of professional wrestling fans that think it is not. The reasoning is based on 2 facts: (1) That the legend is taking the spot of an up-and-coming wrestler, and (2) That the legend will not be performing for them in 3-6 months time. These are both facts that in most cases, cannot be argued with. The Rock will be gone shortly after WrestleMania 20, and Foley probably will be as well, not long after him.

But that doesn't really answer the question, it is merely one argument. And I feel that, if used sensibly, legends returning for the short-term is a positive for professional wrestling. In my opinion, the most exciting moment of The Royal Rumble match was when Foley came out & attacked Randy Orton like there was no tomorrow. It didn't last long, but it was sensational. One of the reasons why it came off so exciting was the crowd. But it wasn't only because they liked Foley, it was also because they were appreciative that they had the chance to see a legend in what was a fairly surprising moment.

A returning legend is also something different. It adds spice to a card, whether it be pay-per-view or television. We all know that match-up's can be recycled to the point of monotony. Well, someone like HBK or Foley returning to active competition for a short time changes up the mix for a while... like I said, it's something different. Furthermore, if their past is used cleverly enough in the current storylines, additional entertainment should be achieved, especially for the loyal long-term fans.

But like I said, returning legends must be used sensibly. I will state right now that I am against someone like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair becoming the heavyweight champion. I may be in the minority on that thought, but I just don't think they should be seen as the best wrestlers in the company, when they are well past their use-by-date. I was also against the original rumor of Triple H vs Mick Foley for the World HeavyWeight Title at WrestleMania 20. Again, I may be in the minority, but I don't want to see Foley with the belt. Yet, even though it may sound contradictory, I was initially in favor of a Triple H vs The Rock title match. I think I've changed my mind on that now though, especially after seeing Benoit's deserved push to this position.

So how should these returning superstars be used? The answer is simple; They must achieve 2 objectives: (1) Entertain the crowd, and (2) Establish and/or further a current wrestler. So when I look at the current Mick Foley vs Randy Orton feud, I applaud the WWE for the angle. It's perfect. You may disagree that the chosen wrestler is Orton, but that's not really the point of my topic. Foley is still furthering the career of a full-time WWE employee, while entertaining the crowd. If other returning legends could do the same thing sporadically, then I'm all for these guys appearing every now & then.


DESSERT

'Favorite PPV' Poll Results

For those that missed my column last week, you can find out what my favorite pay-per-view of all time is, by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2004/articles/1077133332.php

Well, as per usual with my poll columns, the response I received has been beyond my expectations. It's very flattering & I thank each & every one of you for submitting your vote via e-mail. Apologies if some of my replies were short, but there are only so many hours in the day when this many e-mails are received.

I fell just a few short of 100 votes in total. However, I went back & counted a couple of second-placed votes from readers, to make up the discrepancy (and better show the results as a percentage).

Due to the numerous amount of ppv's that only received 1 vote, I have decided to leave those off the results. So, if you voted for a ppv which is not on the list below, presume you are the only person that voted for that event.

I'll include some brief comments on each ppv. Here goes:

(1) WrestleMania 17 = 13 votes: Not surprised that this ppv won the poll. See my comments from last week.

(2T) King Of The Ring 1998 = 7: In my opinion, this is the big surprise of the poll. Just goes to show you that one memorable match (Undertaker vs Mankind; Hell In A Cell) can leave a huge mark on fans. Although, Kane vs Austin's First Blood bout was also heavily mentioned.

(2T) SummerSlam 2002 = 7: Not surprised that this ppv was popular. See my comments from last week.

(4T) WrestleMania 3 = 6: Thought this may have ranked higher, but I suppose it is 17 years old. See my comments from last week.

(4T) SummerSlam 1992 = 6: Good to see this U.K ppv up there. See my comments from last week.

(6T) Royal Rumble 1992 = 5: This is the Rumble which Ric Flair won to become the WWF Champion. I can't argue with this choice.

(6T) WrestleMania 10 = 5: It was always going to be interesting to see how this event polled. It was exceptionally solid, but doesn't always stand out as people's favorite ppv.

(8T) Bash At The Beach 1996 = 4: The highest ranked WCW ppv. Predominantly due to the amazing Hogan heel turn.

(8T) Royal Rumble 2000 = 4: A bit of a sleeper pick, but not too surprising. I actually think a few people who opted to vote for WrestleMania 17, may have had this as their second selection.

(8T) WrestleMania 18 = 4: This is the WrestleMania from 2 years back which saw the huge confrontation between Hulk Hogan & The Rock.

(11T) In Your House: Canadian Stampede = 3: The popular Canadian ppv from July 1997, which saw Owen Hart pin Steve Austin in the 10 man main-event.

(11T) No Way Out 2001 = 3: This event received votes predominantly due to the excellent 2 Out Of 3 falls match between Triple H & Steve Austin.

(11T) WrestleMania 19 = 3: Fairly fresh in everyone's mind & a good solid card.

(14T) Survivor Series 1987 = 2: The original Survivor Series ppv. Some fans loved the entire ppv consisting only of the old-style elimination matches.

(14T) Great American Bash 1989 = 2: Actually thought this may get a few more votes. Was main-evented by the Flair vs Funk bout.

(14T) WrestleMania 6 = 2: Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior was just that good a match.

(14T) King Of The Ring 1996 = 2: My favorite ppv. See my comments from last week.

(14T) Barely Legal 1997 = 2: The only ECW ppv to gain more than 1 vote.

(14T) Survivor Series 1997 = 2: Memorable? Yes. Favorite? Well, it was for 2 readers. The next ppv to be reviewed in my 1990's series.

Well, there you have it. Interesting results, but fairly predictable. It's very hard to list one favorite ppv from over the years, so I think that's the reason why a few of the older event didn't receive more votes. Just a couple of interesting ppv's that received 1 vote; SummerSlam 1991, The Super J Cup in 1994, Survivor Series 1996, ECW Heatwave 1998, Armageddon 2000 & Royal Rumble 2004.

Once more, thanks to everyone who voted.


Well, there we have it. Another edition of 'The Wrestling Menu' is in the books. I hope you enjoyed it. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of my views on returning legends. Any feedback to the poll results will also be interesting. As per usual, I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Unsure whether I will have a column next Wednesday, as I am going away for a short holiday. At worst, edition #79 of 'The Wrestling Menu' will be posted on March 10. That will obviously include my WrestleMania 20 predictions, plus probably a few other WrestleMania tidbits. Yes folks, the grand-daddy of them all is that close!!! Look out for that column. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.












*NEW GALLERY* Candice Michelle's Head Up Maria's Dress! WOW!

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