|
|
|
|
|
Submitted by Winter on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 at 6:44 AM EST
 Hello everyone, and welcome to the 43rd edition of LoP's coldest column, 'Let It Snow', which as you should be learning by now, is brought to you by me, Winter. I don't really have much to talk about in the intro this week, as I'll be doing some random discussion in the ICE section of my column. So, I'll just tell you I've got planned for the other two sections. In SLEET I'll be respondng to the readers' feedback, and in SNOW I'll be see what I think will happen to the RAW roster now that Backlash has come and gone. So yeah, may as well get on with it... And thanks to Robb for the new banner, he's one of the more talented graphics guy around on LoP. SLEET - I Love Feedback Fan: I read through this week's column and I'd like to suggest another possible "dream match" that hasn't happened yet that I know I'd like to see: Shawn Michaels (Yep, Shawn again!) Vs. Rey Mysterio Well...here's one that could happen (as an inter-promotional match, of course!) in today's day and age. This one I thought of a couple of weeks ago when, on a whim, I was reading through my collection of old Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazines. One annual feature of PWI is their PWI Poll in their June issue. One question of that poll is "Who is, pound-for-pound, the best wrestler in the world?" In the mid-90s, Shawn and Mysterio would either top or be voted near the top of that question by fans. Later, this would hold true for another question: "If you could watch the matches of only one wrestler, whom would you choose?" Rey himself, in a 1999 interview, cites Shawn as at one time the smallest wrestler he ever saw in the United States. And then it occurred to me that these two have never fought one-on-one before. Plus, both guys have - or at least had, in light of Shawn's back injury - a reckless high-risk style that they used in the ring. I put all of this together and I can only wonder how a match between them would turn out. I can't imagine being disappointed. What do you think? Winter: Hmm, I'm pretty certain a match between HBK and Rey Mysterio would be great, but I wouldn't really label it as a 'dream match', as there are really little similarities between the two. Yes, both are small, and to a certain extent high flyers, but that's where any comparison between HBK and Mysterio ends. So, I don't think it would be a 'dream match', because it's not something many fans have ever really talked about happening, but I'd still love to see it happen. RVD/Mysterio is more a dream match for me, as both have (or had) extremely unique styles. Thanks for the reply. Fan: Hello, Winter. I would like to say first and foremost thanks for the excellent columns, you say much of what I am thinking. I wanted to ask you how could you leave out the most obvious and possibly greatest dream match of all time: MARK HENRY V. MABEL!!!!!!! That match would have blown the roof off the place! Just kidding. I am not sure if it ever happened , i don't think it did, Brock Lesnar v. Triple H. I think that would be a fairly good contest if H brought everything he had. I also think that Jeff Hardy v. Sabu would have been a highly entertaining match as well, based on the fact that they would have both tried to outdo each other with some serious risk taking. I don't want to waste your time but i think alot of people need to hear this. EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP RAGGING ON HHH!!!! Seriously, I'm not a big fan of his, but this guy draws people because he is a good wrestler , despite what his detractors think. I know he doesn't always put forth his best effort, but so far this year he has had some great matches. He has a presence about him that is undeniable. Wrestling fans always need someone to bitch about and its unfortunate that he has become the ultimate whipping boy. Thank you for your time, Nick Winter: Hey Nick Mark Henry and Vicsera did indeed go one on one at No Way Out 2000. Needless to say, it was a dreadful match which put a lively crowd to sleep. 'Boring' chants galore. Lesnar/Triple H have faced each other in a triple threat match but never one on one. I'd be interested to see it, as I think they could work well together. I don't know if it deserves the title of 'dream match', but I'm sure it'd be something to see if it does ever happen. Jeff Hardy/Sabu, at one time could have been a decent match. But right now, with both men broken down and wrestling the exact same style every match, I don't think I'd want to see the match happen. The glory days of both men are behind them, and if the match did ever happen it'd be nothing more than sloppy moves and blown spots. Yeah, people need to lay off HHH. He's never going to be as good as he was in 2000, we all know that, but 2004 has been a great year for him. He's lost more matches than he's won on PPV, and he's put over two men in a huge, and if a feud with Edge goes ahead make that 3. I honestly think he's changed, and his wrestling skills are getting much better now that he's staying injury free. All he needs to do now is put some muscle back on his body, and everything will be ok. Thanks for the feedback Nick. Fan: I've got an idea for a dream match that as of March of 2004 hasn't happened yet: Kurt Angle vs Ric Flair Now the seeds for this match could have been planted at Vengeance 2001. You might remember that there was an incident where Angle barged into Flair's office and told him that he may have been a former world champ but he never won an olympic gold medal. From there we could have had a match for the ages at Wrestlemainia X-8 but Angle took on Kane while Flair took on the Undertaker. The WWE dropped the ball big time on that one. Could still happen but if the WWE wants to do it they better get in gear Winter: Yeah, I think that's a good one, the greatest wrestler of all time v the man many say will be the greatest wrestler of all time by the time he's retired. These two have met in a tag match before but never in a singles contest, so it's something I'd like to see. Obviously in this stage of his life Flair won't be able to make this a classic, but Angle can, or could carry just about anyone, so yeah, it'd be a great thing to see, and I have heard Flair say he'd like to work a match with Angle at some point, so maybe it's a possibility for the future? Thanks for the feedback. And thanks to everyone else that sent feedback, it's always appreciated. SNOW - Where Do They Go From Here? So Backlash has been and gone, and in my opinion it was an awesome event. 1 man went from being a hated mid-carder to a credible main event superstar, and 7 years later than planned Shawn Michaels finally tapped out to the sharpshooter. Backlash was a great night no doubt, and easily the best of all single brand PPVs so far. But after such an impressive night, where will the RAW roster go now? Triple H/Shawn Michaels When these two aren't feuding with each other, what exactly are they doing? Seriously, since returning to action in the summer of 2002, all of HBK's feuds have revolved around either Triple H or Evolution (with the exception of his feud with Y2J). It seems then when Michaels isn't involved in a rivalry with HHH, Flair, Orton or Batista, he's really doing nothing at all. And really, what is there for him to do? A feud with Kane could work, but it's almost a certainty that a big match between the two would bomb, as Kane has shown in the past that he isn't a consistent wrestler. Who else there besides Kane that HBK hasn't feuded with? Christian maybe? I'd say he just isn't that big enough a star for Michaels to actually want to work with. Then there's The Rock. As I said in my last column, a match between these two must happen at some point, but if it does it won't be until 2005, and HBK can hardly wait until then to start his next feud. Really, I don't see him doing anything that won't involve Evolution or Benoit for the time being. It seems they're always reliable for HBK. Then we have Triple H. Despite what some might say HHH isn't dragging the WWE down nor is he incapable of putting on great match. Sure, he isn't what he was in 2000, but that's been said time and time again. What Triple H is, is a good, popular performer who brings ratings to RAW, and there's no denying that. But what's next for Triple H? A feud with Edge at some point in the year is almost a certainty, but what then? He'll either drag out his feud with Edge for far too long, or the feud will end quickly and he'll be back in the ring with HBK. I honestly don't know what I would do with him. A trade to Smackdown would give us a feud with Eddie, but nothing else. We've already seen HHH demolish Booker T and RVD, and he's fought The Undertaker countless times, so really there's nothing for him. Let's just hope a program with Edge will keep the fans interest for a good number of months. Chris Benoit/Chris Jericho Well, I for one don't think either of these guys have anything to worry about for the foreseeable future. Benoit, title round his waist or not, can have a successful feud with anyone on the roster, and still being a fairly new addition to RAW there are countless feuds waiting for him. After we finally get a one on one match between Benoit and HBK in 2 weeks on RAW (and possibly a rematch at Bad Blood), I can see Benoit feuding over the title with Randy Orton, in what could turn out to be a title vs. title feud, depending on how things go over the next few months. Then there's Kane, Christian, possibly The Rock, Big Show (yeah, he's going to RAW), Flair and many others. I don't know how most feel about face vs. face feuds, but Benoit/Foley is also something I'd be curious to see, but I'm really not sure if Benoit could carry Foley in a straight wrestling match. It's very likely that he couldn't carry him at all, but hey, it'd be an interesting feud, I've always liked the way these two communicate with each other in the ring. It doesn't really matter what happens, Benoit is always dependable and will always find himself in a good position on the card. And the same can be said for Chris Jericho. Like Benoit, Jericho can be put anywhere on the card and succeed. It would seem right now that Y2J is a mid-carder for life, but it's more likely that the WWE know they can depend on Jericho to make anyone look like a star, and instead of putting him old feuds against Benoit, HHH or Jericho, they're giving him fresh opponents like Christian, which is exactly the sort of thing we need to see. Now surely his rivalry with Christian has come to an end, and if not it better do soon before it really becomes a little too stale. And I really hope that at no point do I see Jericho getting thrown into a feud with Kane, because those two really don't work well together at all. What I would like to see is Jericho/Orton, Jericho/Batista (it's possible Jericho could get a good match out of him), Jericho/Edge and so on. The mid-card is nothing to fear at all, in fact, it's something for Jericho to embrace. At least we can be certain he won't be buried there, while he most certainly would in the main event scene. But no matter what happens, I have every confidence that we'll continue to see nothing for best from Jericho. Randy Orton/Shelton Benjamin At Backlash both Shelton and Orton scored the biggest wins of their careers so far, and it seems things are only going to get better from here. Now some people have been saying Orton was carried by Foley at Backlash, but how can that be true? It was a hardcore streetfight, not a scientific wrestling match, there was nobody to carry. Hell, it isn't hard to hit someone with a trashcan or to sell the move. The simple fact is that both men put on a hell of a match and both should be respected for that. And it's respect that I have for Orton. Before Backlash I liked Orton, but I didn't think he was anything special. After seeing Backlash he's a proven to me and everyone else that not only is he a true hard worker, capable of getting great heel heat from the crowd, but he's also willing to put his body on the line for the fans, something very few superstars are willing to do these days. I honestly think Orton will be the WWE's next huge star. His microphone skills still need a fair bit of work, he stutters far too often, but if he can continue to have impressive matches such as he did with Foley, and I believe he can, they the sky's the limit for Orton. Only another injury will prevent that from happening. Benjamin on the other hand, while technically better than Orton is in the ring, doesn't seem to have the same support from the WWE that Randy does. I mean, it is quite obvious that the WWE does have big plans for him eventually (HHH doesn't let just anyone beat him), but unlike Orton, Benjamin's push isn't as sudden and isn't being as rushed as the I.C champion's. I'm not really sure what the WWE will do with Benjamin over the upcoming weeks. I know I keep mentioning this guy, but a feud with Christian really would be something to watch. Both are young, over, capable superstars with enough fan support behind them to make it work. Then there's Orton, and given Shelton's past with HHH a feud between the two would make perfect sense. But maybe the WWE shouldn't rush things with Shelton. We all heard the slight boos from the crowd towards Shelton at Backlash didn't we? Part of this I'm sure was because he was facing Ric Flair, but another part had to be that some fans think he's being shoved down our throats already. The WWE just need to take things a little slowly with Benjamin. But in the end, whether or not they take their time or rush things, Shelton is going to make it big. The WWE doesn't produce new theme songs for just anybody you know. Ric Flair/Mick Foley Both legends, both did the clean job to up and coming superstars at Backlash. If that says anything, it shows that both men don't plan on sticking around much longer. Flair, as good as he was, and as great as his character always has been, is nowhere near the performer he used to be. With the exception if only a handful of matches since he returned to the WWE in late 2001, Flair has honestly looked terrible in the ring. Look at his body, he's completely out-of-shape. You know just by looking at him that he's had his day, and it'd be better if the old man just hung up the boots and became the mentor of Evolution. Let's face it, who's left for Flair to fight? Jericho? Done. Benoit? Done. HHH? Done. HBK? Done. The only person left would be Randy Orton, and how fitting would it be for the legend killer to end the career of his mentor, Ric Flair? I don't want to see Flair disappear from my TV screen, but please, he didn't come back to the WWE to become a full time wrestler, so is it he has been once for the past 2 years? Let him go out gracefully, and let it happen sooner rather than later. Mick Foley impressed me a great deal at Backlash. I his first one on one match in over 4 years, he looked just as good as even, better than he did in his most popular days in fact. There seems to be no doubt after Backlash then when he needs to, Mick Foley can put on one hell of a performance. But losing to Randy Orton 2 PPVs in a row, is that really a good thing for Mick? I know he did the same in 2000 with Triple H, but back then HHH was an established main eventer. Orton right now is in the upper mid-card level, and defeating a WWE legend 2 months in row is obviously great for his career, but could it harm Mick Foley? Does it even matter if it does? I mean, Foley won't even be wrestling full-time, if he even continues to wrestle at all, so was any harm done to his career by jobbing to the rookie twice? A little, maybe, but certainly not much. I don't see Mick doing much in the WWE, as far is in-ring activity goes. A feud with Flair would be interesting, but if it wasn't a hardcore match it'd surely bomb. And Mick just needs to stay away from Batista, he's seems beyond help right now. What Mick does from here is unknown, but regardless, he's a WWE legend, and nothing can change that. Others Edge and Kane both seem a little lost right now. Kane needs some credibility, and jobbing to a guy half his size isn't the right way to go. Edge meanwhile, just isn't getting pops from the crowd, so far anyway. Maybe a heel turn would do him a bit of good? Eugene and Regal are funny, there's nothing else about it. It's funny how a lot of people are complaining about Eugene's gimmick, yet laughed out loud at Goldust with turrets, or the endless list of ethnic stereotype's in the WWE. I like Eugene, and the fans have warmed to him too, and I don't see how the gimmick is anymore offensive than the kind of stuff you'd find in the Simpsons, because let's be honest, both are taken about as seriously as each other. The tag team scene is in trouble. Well, it has been for a long time, but now more so than ever, La Resistance and The Hurricane and SHIT. Great! The women's division is no better either, maybe the WWE should just scrap it? Christian and Trish are great together. I've always preferred Trish as a heel, and for some reason she also seems more attractive when playing the bad girl. Maybe it's just the fact that she doesn't have to put on a fake smile 24/7 anymore? And really, I don't think there's anyone else on the RAW brand worth mentioning, so I'll end this section here, hope you all enjoyed reading it. ICE - Winter's Wonderful World Of.... Sorry to anyone missing me 'What Happened In Wrestling This Week' section. I've just haven't been able to come up with anything remotely funny over the last couple of weeks. So yeah, I'll try and think of some stuff sorry, apologies to those who enjoy that section. This may be hard to believe I know, but some people don't like me. If you head on down to the LoP columns forum you'll find a lot of negativity in there. Don't ask me what it is, but certain people need to not only lighten up, but also stop looking into every little detail when someone posts something. Oh well.... That said a large majority of the folks down in the columns forum are good guys, go read their stuff. I take suggestions you know. If you're ever thinking 'I'd like to this Winter guy write about ????', just send me an e-mail and let me know, I'm open to all and any ideas. Remember 'Stanman's Wrestling Afterthoughts'? That was a good column, shame he never did a final one. Speaking of columns, Snapple is underrated. I look in the LoP feedback forum and I see threads for Dumass, Phantom, Davey, Tito etc, but where's Snapple's? Somebody needs to make one, 'Wrestling In A Bottle' is greatness. Where's The Undertaker? What sort of company hypes the return of one of the popular and over gimmicks of all time for 2 straight months, only to have that man make 2 in 4 weeks? Seriously, Smackdown is suffering by having only 1 main event wrestler on the show, bring Taker back! Right now things don't look good for Judgment Day. Eddie v Bradshaw will surely be a terrible main event, ad what else is there? Booker/RVD is a possibility, and if it does happen I'd like to see it booked as a hardcore match. The Dudleyz will probably face Too Cool for the tag titles, and Cena will go against Dupree. Sounds more like a poor edition of Smackdown! rather than a great PPV. Right now RAW is by far the greater brand. Alright, I'm tired and I've got a fair bit if revision to get through, so I'll end it here and move on to the plugs. Plugs LOPForums - Discuss wrestling, politics, video games, music, TV, whatever you want. All About The Game - Your Ayatollah tells us which wrestlers he believes are underrated. Catch A Bad One - Rick Stallion gives us his unique Velocity review, as well as random thoughts on wrestling. The Northern Star - XanMan rants on Steve Austin's latest departure from the WWE. The Nosebleed Section - Random Guy ignorantly bashes Canadian wrestling fans over their reluctance to get over the Montreal screwjob. In Between They Were Famous - Sal Sincere gives a great review of Backlash. The Rabbi's Sermon - The Rabbi tells how a wrestler succeeds at being a heel or face, as well as telling how Backlash affected certain WWE wrestlers. Crazy Train - SteJ talks about the failed pushes of certain veteran wrestlers. MELTED Alright kids, that's it for another week. I hope you all enjoyed the column. Please send all or any feedback to jerichoholic113@hotmail.com, and as always I'll reply to each one, whether they be positive or negative. Oh, and no, I am not Chris Jericho, as a few people seemed to think I am. I'm not even a wrestler, just a college student from Nottingham, England. So yeah, no more "youz suks Y2J" please. Take Care and thanks for reading Peace *NEW GALLERY* Exclusive! The WWE Superstars and Divas Out PARTYING HARD!
|
|