DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - G.A.Bash Predictions, Worldwide Experiments & Chavo Classic
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 at 4:36 PM EST



THE WRESTLING MENU #91

Welcome one and all to the 91st edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Just some quick feedback on last week's column before I get started. If you haven't viewed that column as yet, you may do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2004/articles/1087417422.php

Firstly, I made an obvious error by heading the 'Main' section 'Backlash Review' instead of 'Bad Blood Review'. I can assure you that I did know which ppv I was reviewing. It's simply a great example of the negatives of copying & pasting to save time. On the review itself, the main feedback was obviously to do with the Hell In A Cell match. Some people loved it, some people hated it. There's not really too much more to say. I also did get a lot of feedback stating that I was too hard on Tyson Tomko's match with Chris Jericho. I'm not too sure about that. I did go back & view it another time & when you take the fact that Tomko made no mistakes out of the equation, it was still a very average bout.

Most people agreed with my thoughts on the unnecessary extra pay-per-views that we fans have to pay for this year. Ditto for my opinions on the possible return of Jeff Hardy. In fact, many have said that they would like to see this Kane/Matt/Lita angle result in the return of Jeff Hardy. Simply put, have Jeff be the father of Lita's baby. I'm not sure where it can be taken from there, but there are enough possibilities for the WWE to decide on. I think I like the idea.

I wanted to make this column a little shorter than usual. Not a great start, huh!?!?!?


APPETIZERS - Chavo Classic

Now I know this isn't the most original topic to speak on. Pretty much every columnist has already briefly spoken on the issue, and pretty much all of them agree. Those looking for something different from me will be disappointed. I really do think that while Chavo Guerrero Sr's firing by the WWE is unfortunate, it was also necessary.

I suppose the real reason why I am even writing this topic is purely & simply due to the reaction that Chavo Classic received from the fans. Just by the amount of emails that I received asking about my thoughts on him, I can tell that he was becoming increasingly popular. It wasn't only after his firing either. It was also in the month or so before it, when some readers believed him to be one of only 2 positives on the SmackDown Brand!!!

I also really liked the way Chavo Sr was playing his role. Initially, he was not only giving greater purpose to his son's feud with brother Eddie, but he also gave Chavo Jr a greater boost. Basically, he was playing the role of a successful manager, even though I'm unsure if that was the purpose as to why he was originally brought in.

The WWE definitely realized that Chavo Sr was doing his job extremely well, so they obviously used him more. Kudos to the WWE for that. Then about 4 weeks ago, things changed dramatically, when Chavo Classic (as he was now known) became the cruiserweight champion. Now this is going to sound contradictory to what I have said in the past, but I did not mind seeing this title win. This was due to a combination of things: (a) I'd almost given up on the division anyway (because the WWE apparently had), (b) Chavo was as over as any other cruiserweight, (c) the entertainment value coming out of it could have been good for a few weeks, and (d) I did not think he would hold the title for longer than a month.

But, as most of us already know, Chavo Guerrero Sr missed 2 or 3 house shows a weekend ago without telling anybody. Furthermore, he didn't have a satisfactory excuse for missing the shows. What made it worse was the fact that many people were actually concerned for his safety & health over this period. I'm sorry, but that's pretty much inexcusable. It's especially so for an employee who has been working with the company for under 6 months.

The bottom line is that the WWE did the correct thing by releasing Chavo Classic. It's probably doing both themselves & him a favor. It's unfortunate, because he had really added many things to a lackluster SmackDown roster this year, but it had to happen. I just hope that something good comes of it, and Rey Mysterio's title win last week can result in a kickstart to the division. I'm not betting on it, but you never know.


MAIN - Worldwide Experiments

The OZ Perspective

I'm back once more with my 'Oz Perspective' topic. Including my U.K Perspective column at the end of April, this means that I'm at least getting more consistent with this topic. I think that makes 4 this year. So I may finally be sticking to it this time around, and it's getting some good feedback as well. I think that's a good thing, as I may as well use the fact that I live in Australia (& am the only Australian columnist on the LOP main page) to my advantage & your benefit. Me being Austrlaian actually plays a huge role in today's topic.

Where I got the idea for this topic, is from a CD I've been listening to over the last few months. An Australian singer has fairly recently (late last year) achieved something that not many recording artists anywhere in the world have done. That is, to have 5 #1 singles from the same album. Her name is Delta Goodrem, and as is the growing trend these days, she started out as a television show actress. But despite me not being the hugest fan of the type of music she sings (slowish pop is the best I can describe it as), even I know that she differs from many other actress-turned-singers. Why? Because she has talent. And yes, it is of the musical kind!!!

It also helps that she is decently looking by anyones standards & is only 19 years of age. To read more about her, take a look at her, or to listen to her music, her official website is http://www.deltagoodrem.com . I actually do recommend her music, with 'Innocent Eyes' & 'Lost Without You' probably being the 2 singles that best sum up her style.

Something suddenly hit me when I was listening to her CD the other day; Why the hell hasn't she been unleashed on North America!?!?!? Well, before I go on, there is one major reason why; She has Cancer!!! Or more correctly, Hodgkin's Disease. Her hair has been cut back due to the treatment that is necessary & she wouldn't have sufficient energy in order to do a promotional tour which is needed to accompany an album release. But excluding that fact, it still made me think, as other Australian musical artists have been in a similar position in the past.

The connection to wrestling is basically in question form; Why doesn't the WWE hire more international talent...??? The world is a big place & it's just unrealistic to expect the musical charts of a country to only include artists from the same country. It would also be boring!!! So shouldn't the same apply to a wrestling company...!?!?!? The connection here is a question I sporadically get asked by readers when they realize I'm Australian. To exaggerate the question, the e-mail would go something like this: "Hey Davey.... You're an Aussie!? (snicker, snicker)... Whattaya reckon about Nathan Jones? (hehehe)... What a nut. What a quitter. What a waste of time!!! Etc, etc, etc..."

Well, it's hard to argue with anything about the Nathan Jones experiment. But I really hope the WWE don't get discouraged because of it. At the end of the day, even though there were completely different reasons, the Jones situation is not too dissimilar to the end result of the Spanky situation. I know that it's a big call, but just think about it for a moment. So should the WWE be discouraged about hiring independent cruiserweights in the future? Of course not. So the same should apply for international wrestlers.

Yes, there are more circumstances that need to be considered when hiring an international wrestler. But if these are all taken into account, along with their work ethic, temperament, etc..., then the WWE should hire these individuals. At the end of the day, both Brian 'Spanky' Kendrick & Nathan Jones were hired for the same reason; The WWE thought they would make their product better. It's really as simple as that. If the WWE think that, and take those other factors I mentioned into account, then I would hope that they would be brave & hire the person. Sure, it could backfire on occasions, but any hiring could.

The other thing that's important here is variety. If Jones' gimmick worked, his temperament was better & his wrestling skills more polished, then I think his character would have been excellent. Why? Because it was something different. Even something as little as the accent brings something new to the table. It's a lot better than having Rob Conway coming out & basically pretending to be French!!!

When all is said and done, the WWE need to remember 2 things: (1) What the first 'W' in WWE stands for, and (2) That they should give the fans the best talent available. If that talent is from overseas, then all things being equal, they should hire them. At the end of the day, all parties win anyway. Because if the best talent in the world is showcased, then it's going to convert to dollars in the WWE pockets. The same reasoning stands for overseas tours; The revenue made from these tours is phenomenal & record breaking. One day, I hope to once more see a pay-per-view held outside of North America. Anyone who has seen SummerSlam '92 will know why.



DESSERT

Great American Bash Predictions

I've got to be honest here, I've actually found some of the predictions for the Great American Bash very hard to do. Not only the predictions themselves, but even thinking what to write in them. Why? Because like many others, I have not watched SmackDown with as keen an eye recently. In the 6 shows since Judgment Day, I think I have watched 3 shows fully, 2 partially (simply flipping the channels to a football match) & missed 1 show completely. Yes, it is unlike me. But it does say something about the quality of the show recently. So, don't be surprised if my predictions aren't as accurate as usual. It's sort of an interesting experiment actually.


MORDECAI vs HARDCORE HOLLY: In the first of the "we need to have more matches on this pay-per-view, let's throw any face against one of our new heels" matches, I think that this could be at least interesting. Mordecai does have me mildly interested in his wrestling skill, and whenever Holly is against a rookie, there is some interest. I can't really see the veteran taking out the win though. Man, more than 3 days worth of build-up would have been nice. Winner: Mordecai

REY MYSTERIO vs CHAVO GUERRERO JR for the CruiserWeight Title: Good to see that common sense has prevailed & that this is the cruiserweight title match that has been booked for this event. This really is simple... I would not complain if these 2 just went out there & basically did the same thing that they did at 'No Way Out', but with a few variations. They got 17 minutes back in February & we can only hope that they get approximately the same amount of time here. I think that Chavo regaining the title would almost be an admission by the WWE that they are going backwards with this division. So I expect Rey to hold onto the title for a little while longer. Winner: Rey Mysterio

BILLY GUNN vs KENZO SUZUKI: Again, the build-up for this match has been virtually non-existent. I don't even think there is anything that will mix well between these two. I don't have very high hopes for this match at all. Let's hope they surprise me!!! Winner: Kenzo Suzuki

THE DUDLEY BOYZ vs THE UNDERTAKER: I have got absolutely no clue why this match was booked. I'm sure it will eventually make sense when whatever happens is all said & done. But to me, it just takes away 2 separate (tag-title & Undertaker) matches off the card. The SmackDown roster doesn't currently have the depth for that to occur. Most people are guessing that The Undertaker doing "the right thing" is lying down for The Dudleyz. I'm not so sure myself. That's not exactly quality entertainment (see the "fingerpoke of doom" from WCW)!!! Maybe doing the right thing is putting up a fight. Either way, I'm sure there will be a fight. Maybe he will come to his senses 10 minutes in when he sees concrete starting to be poured. I really don't know & am unsure if I care, to be honest. Winners: The Dudley Boyz

JOHN CENA vs RENE DUPREE vs ROB VAN DAM vs BOOKER T in a 4 Corners Elimination Match for the United States Championship: While I have been pretty indifferent to Cena's title reign, I do like the way this four-way feud has been built up. It just seems that the WWE have done a good job of building up 3 legitimate contenders. I actually think that all 4 competitors are a chance to win, if the WWE's plan is to shortly move Cena up the card. I doubt Dupree will win, but it's not completely out of the equation. I also love the fact that they have decided to have this be an elimination match. Simply put, it gives more credibility to the match, and will thus give more credibility to the titleholder when all is said & done. In this case, my head is telling me that Cena will retain, because the WWE should be looking to make him more credible. I'm unsure if a 3 month U.S title reign does that. But, while some of his act with Kurt Angle does revolve around him being the U.S champ, I don't think it's necessary. Like I said, the reign has done nothing for me & I think he should move on. The best person of the other 3 to hold the title is..... Winner: Booker T

EDDIE GUERRERO vs JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD in a Texas BullRope Match for the WWE Championship: I think I've already made it quite clear that I am against the timing of the main event push of JBL. It came way too soon. But going by his promo last week, he may finally have found his niche. The character still needs to be tweaked a little & I would prefer it to be done in the midcard, but the rematch is here & I have to deal with it. I'm neither here nor there on the bout being a bullrope match (although inserting 'Texas' is stupid since JBL is supposedly now from New York). It might work & it might not. I can't say it has me excited, that's for sure. As for the winner, 2 weeks ago I was sure Eddie would retain. Now I'm not so sure. I'm looking forward to SummerSlam & I just can't see another match between the 2 with Eddie as still the champion. However, a rematch is possible if JBL wins. Could the great promo that JBL delivered last week have been the decider on who will win. I really am 50-50 on this one. My gut feeling says Eddie, but my head says JBL. I'm going with my gut. Winner: Eddie Guerrero

Well, there you have it... there have been 6 official matches announced for The Great American Bash. Three of those matches were announced 3 days before the event, while 2 of those had basically no build-up whatsoever. My goodness, that's terrible booking by the WWE. If my brother wasn't ordering this ppv, I would definitely be missing it!!!. The card looks mediocre at best. I do think that there will be a 7th match added to the card. The most obvious is Rico & Charlie Haas vs The Basham Brothers. This could possibly be to see who will be the #1 Contenders for The Dudley Boyz' Tag-Team Titles. If this match does occur, it would be placed somewhere in the middle of the card & I'm quite confident that the winners would be Rico & Charlie Haas. If that match doesn't occur due to a possible injury to Rico, I can only guess that Mark Jindrak or Luther Reigns would wrestle someone. In that case, I suppose that either heel would win. Of course, there could also be some sort of a ladies match. If so, I predict that Torrie (or her team) emerges victorious.


Ok, that's another one in the books. I hope you enjoyed edition #91 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. Feel free to give me your opinion on any of the topics which I have discussed today: Chavo Classic's firing. Whether or not you agree with me that the WWE should hire the best roster possible, even it means a few worldwide experiments & risks. And of course, how you think I will go with my predictions for The Great American Bash. As always, I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I will obviously have my Great American Bash Review. I said it with Judgment Day & I will say it again this month; Could this be the first failing ppv that I grade!?!?!? Apart from that, I seriously have no clue what I am going to discuss. I'm sure something will pop up between now & then. So look out for that 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.











*NEW GALLERY* Must See! Torrie Wilson Out PARTYING HARD in the Clubs!

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