DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - SummerSlam Review, Feedback + My Rant on 'STUPID' Fans
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 at 8:43 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #98

Welcome one and all to the 98th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Well, we're one more column closer to #100. I pretty much have worked out what I will be doing for that special column in 2 weeks time. Now I just have to sit down, plan it out properly & write the bugger. Wish me luck.

Another pay-per-view is in the books. I have my review in the 'Main' section of today's column & I think some of my match ratings will surprise people.

I went just 4 from 8 in my predictions. But I think I sort of had the feeling that I might not predict well this time around, with my little comment about my Benoit vs Orton prediction in last week's column. Plus, I did correctly predict the exact order that all 8 wrestling matches would take place on the card. That is no easy thing to do nowadays & I do put some time into the ordering of my predictions.

My 'Main' & 'Dessert' sections will be fairly long today, so it's best for me to keep the 'Appetizers' short. Stick with me, as my 'Dessert' topic should be well worth the read, whether you agree with me or not. It's about time I got some hate mail!!! ;-)


APPETIZERS

'Greatest Wrestler Ever' Poll Feedback

For those that are unaware, I held a poll a couple of columns back, of which the results were posted last week. It was probably the biggest poll I've posted so far, and that is 'Who is the greatest wrestler ever'...??? If you have yet to see the results, you may do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2004_/articles/1092226553.php

I expected lots of feedback on the results, but didn't really get all that many. In fact, I got more feedback on my 'SummerSlam Predictions'. Those that did send feedback on the poll results pretty much were split into 2 groups:

The first group was surprised that legends such as Hulk Hogan & Ric Flair (& to a lesser extent, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin) were upstaged by wrestlers such as Bret Hart & Shawn Michaels. It's a valid point actually, because the 'greatest wrestler ever' moniker shouldn't be thrown around liberally. However, at the end of the day, it does come down to individual preferences & how each person chose their criteria used.

The second group was the usual Bret vs Shawn brigade. I think I spoke enough about this debate at the end of last week's column. I know with me, it was a close call & simply came down to the fact that I like a slightly brisker tempo in the ring, than what Bret Hart consistently put out. I'm not professing to be correct, just stating my opinion. It seems Bret Hart winning the poll wasn't enough for some people!!!

Finally, I actually had 2 readers email me that they were surprised that Andre The Giant did not receive a vote. That's a fair point!!! I do recall 2 or 3 people mentioning him in their top 5 lists, but that's about it. I suppose Andre's love of the business counted against him with regards to this. I think it was Hulk Hogan who once said "If Andre wanted to beat me, he would have beaten me". But Andre was very giving to the industry & didn't mind jobbing when he knew it was for the overall good of the company. Political games weren't in the big fella's vocabulary. Otherwise, I'm sure he would have been a multi-time WWF champion.


MAIN

'SummerSlam' 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] (G.A.Bash '04)
50-54: Mediocre & disappointing. [D] (EG: Judgment Day '04)
55-59: Average. [C] (EG: Royal Rumble '04 & No Way Out '04)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: Vengeance '04)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: WrsetleMania 20)
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+]

BUH-BUH RAY, D-VON & SPIKE DUDLEY defeated REY MYSTERIO, BILLY KIDMAN & PAUL LONDON: Well-paced opener which is how the WWE should open up any pay-per-view involving the SmackDown roster. Although, the live crowd did take quite a while to get into the match (if anything, it was London's aerial skills that woke them up). Both the faces & the heels did their jobs well & there were enough spots to keep everyone entertained. The bout probably needed another 4 or 5 minutes, as at 8 minutes in length, it just couldn't build up as effectively to the entertaining climax. Nowhere near perfect, but a handy little opener. Match Rating...7

KANE defeated MATT HARDY in a 'Til Death Do Us Part' Match: The pace from the opener didn't let up here, as Matt brought his A-game to Toronto. More intense than their 'N0-DQ' match from Vengeance, the short length (7 minutes) of this bout actually worked in it's favor. Good psychology as Matt never let up on the pace & logically even went for a countout win. Well booked ending with Matt knowing that he was only one big move away from victory & going to the top rope for that move. But the only thing he received was an awesome top-rope chokeslam. Surprisingly good match in an ordinary storyline. Well done to both men. Match Rating...7

JOHN CENA defeated BOOKER T in the 1st Match of a Best of 5 Series for the United States Title: Disappointing match which not only took a while to get going, but started off very sloppily. Cena & Booker almost appeared as if they had never been in the ring together!!! They eventually started to mesh though & as the pace started to quicken, the crowd got involved in what was becoming a very good bout. Then it just ended..... at the 7 minute mark!!! Way too much of an anti-climax for an important match such as this. The structure of this bout very much let it down & these 2 can do so much better. Match Rating...6

EDGE defeated CHRIS JERICHO & BATISTA in a Triple-Threat Match to Retain the InterContinental Title: Good dynamics in this match, as there was enough variation between the 3 competitors. Batista's power & the crowd favoritism of Jericho over Edge really helped to make this bout quite good. As per usual in Triple-Threat matches, the 3 combatants were hardly all in the ring at the same time, but that's almost expected nowadays. The main problem with this bout though, was that it was a little too fast-paced!!! Or to be more correct, a little too helter-skelter. This resulted in too many moves being performed for basically no reason at all, and a general lack of psychology in the match. Still pretty good though. Match Rating...7

KURT ANGLE defeated EDDIE GUERRERO: Very good match which was basically a shortened version of their WrestleMania 20 bout. I think the fact that both men were not quite at their fittest held this 14 minute match back a little, but not all that much. Almost UFC style in structure (& to some extent, pacing), both men almost immediately went for each other's ankle & so began an excellent battle of cat & mouse. Angle looked superb in his major return bout, while Eddie was impressive in matching & countering Kurt's technical skills. It was logical & sensible that the constant ankle work would not lead to the fastest paced climax, and while they still turned it up a notch, that probably stopped this bout from getting a higher ranking. I'm also not sure if it was a good move to have Angle kick out of Eddie's Frog Splash!!! I wouldn't say "no" to a return match at 'No Mercy', as this was my match of the night!!! Match Rating...8

TRIPLE H defeated EUGENE: I will go into it in greater detail later in my 'Dessert' topic, but just a note that the following review was done with the sound turned down!!! I really liked this 14 minute match. Triple H played the heel role perfectly (not that you would know with the sound on), while Eugene really stepped it up a notch inside the squared circle. While Dinsmore's style is unorthodox, his enthusiasm more than made up for it during this bout. Greater intensity here mixed really well against Triple H. Very entertaining with Triple H continuing to play the sadistic, humorous & brutal villain, all in one. While Eugene's Rock Bottom, Stone Cold Stunner & Big Boot/Legdrop combo all fitted perfectly into different parts of the match. To cap it all off, we saw a well booked finish involving Flair & Regal. Plus, the correct wrestler won the match relatively cleanly. I can see this match being under-rated & it really does deserve multiple viewings!!! Match Rating...8

TEAM DREAM defeated TEAM DIVA in a Divas Dodgeball Match: Firstly, I found it hilarious that Carmella Charisma didn't grace us with her pleasure for this game!!! The WWE must turn that into a mini-angle to make this Diva Search mildly amusing. While this had no value being included on this card, it luckily only wasted 5 minutes. Nothing was really learnt & I suppose the WWE did a good job of making an issue of whether or not Gail Kim should have been thrown out of the game. An effective little toilet break, but there is no way I can pass it. Match Rating...4

JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD defeated THE UNDERTAKER by Disqualification to Retain the WWE Championship: I'm getting ready for a bagging on this one..... Nowhere near as bad as it could have been. In fact, it was quite a good big man match, with enough variation to make it more than satisfactory. At 18 minutes (plus a 4 minute aftermath, which included JBL being chokeslammed through his limo), the bout definitely lasted a few minutes too long. 12-15 minutes would have been about right. The DQ ending was also a definite disappointment, although it sort of makes sense from a short to medium-term booking perspective. Plus, that's why the aftermath existed. Well booked (apart from the length), I liked the good (& clever) leg work done by JBL early on. There were also a couple of good spots (EG: the simultaneous big boots). Both men gave a pretty good performance & I think saved what was a pretty ordinarily set up feud. Match Rating...7

RANDY ORTON defeated CHRIS BENOIT to Win the World HeavyWeight Title: Much like the pay-per-view as a whole, this was a very solid, if unspectacular, main event. It definitely lacked something that a big main event match should have, but I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe it was a general lack of excitement, pace and/or spots. Apart from that though, it's hard to fault the bout too much. The result aside, which I feel is too soon, Orton continued to show signs of great potential & improvement. But he also showed the same usual signs of inexperience. Benoit was his usual intense self & his exceptional selling went to another level here. The fantastically booked ending came at the 20 minute mark when Orton literally hit the RKO out of nowhere. That ending alone almost legitimized the move right up there with DDP's 'Diamond Cutter' & Steve Austin's 'Stone Cold Stunner'. Solid match. NOTE: This match almost made me rethink my policy of not giving half marks on my ratings. It was probably a 7 & 1/2, but I will be a little harsh on it as it was the main event of a big ppv..... Match Rating...7

PPV RATING (61/90) = 68

Looking at the key, I have basically given 'SummerSlam' a 'B' grade & said it was a 'good event that was worth the money'. I don't have any problem with that rating. I don't think many people will rate the ppv as high as I have, but I question how much of that is due to their personal dislike of feuds/matches/wrestlers. Not to mention the live crowd which I will get to in a minute. There is no doubt that nothing stood out at the event, and this is what weighed the card down. It won't be a memorable ppv as such, but it was an extremely solid one. I really think that an extra 15 minutes added to this ppv (split evenly between 3 of the first 4 matches) would have topped this off perfectly. Definitely a card where each individual will have to judge for themselves, but just like some movies, I think this might get better with repeated viewings.


DESSERT

My Rant on 'STUPID' Fans

I tossed & turned on whether to write on this topic at all. I wasn't sure if I could clearly convey what I meant & how strong I was on the issue. Plus, I hate writing on topics that may come off as contradictory or ambiguous (as this topic might). I ended up writing 2 completely different topics for this section just in case. But, at the end of the day, the topic is timely & I thought it best to at least get it off my chest. As it turns out though, I did have to rewrite it a few times. I thought it made a little more sense without the profanity & too much emotion!!! The other topic I wrote (which is slightly related) will probably be used in next week's column.

Now before I get to the SummerSlam live audience in Toronto this past weekend, I suppose I should give a little history first. I have got myself into trouble with readers & LOP forum members on this topic in the past. And when all was said & done, it genuinely appeared as if my thinking was in the minority. There have been 3 main instances in the past. (1) The booing of Shawn Michaels & cheering of Psycho Sid at Survivor Series '96, (2) the booing of The Rock & cheering of Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam '02, and (3) the constant cheering of a heel John Cena in mid-late 2003 (I don't think a single match stood out with regards to Cena).

Granted, there are cases for & against in all 3 of these cases: HBK's title run nearing it's expiry date, The Rock leaving to make movies & Cena just becoming insanely popular. However, fans need to think a little more longer term than that. In fact, the 2 main issues I have with any live crowd doing what they did at events like SummerSlam are (1) the medium to long-term effect on the wrestlers that are involved & (2) the effect it actually has on the match.

In the first 2 examples I used, I would probably say that I enjoyed the matches less because of the crowd reactions (I may be in the minority with that comment). However, the medium to long-term effects were what bothered me most. In the first example, HBK won his title back 2 months later & Sid was gone from the WWE not long after. That has to prove something!!! In the 2 more recent examples, both Lesnar & Cena were turned face way too early. Lesnar was never going to be a great face & didn't last long as one. While, in my opinion, Cena could have played a greater role at WrestleMania 20 if he had still been a heel. And now, just as he is a matter of 6 months or so from entering the SmackDown main event, he is starting to get a little monotonous as a face. That wouldn't be the case if he turned later.

So now to SummerSlam 2004... I will leave the Diva involvement out of this, as the Toronto crowd are not the first to boo them. Plus, in 5 or so weeks time, the contest will probably be forgotten & all we will have is a new diva on the Raw roster. And to be honest, I didn't hear the booing during the dodgeball match anyway... Only briefly after it had finished.

On to the triple-threat match for the InterContinental title... While I was extremely surprised at the crowd reaction, I didn't really have a problem with the enormous cheering of Chris Jericho & fairly loud booing of Edge. I was surprised because it was Edge's hometown of Toronto. But if it was any other city, I fully expected the crowd to react that way. You see, this is different, because the WWE have already planted the seeds of an Edge heel turn previously (whether it eventuates or not). In this case, the crowd involvement is great, because what they are doing is helping the WWE decide on something they may or may not be tossing up on. So, if anything, kudos to the crowd during this match. And kudos to Edge for adjusting his role during the bout as well. Very professional & mature indeed.

However, anything but kudos to the Toronto crowd during the Triple H vs Eugene match. I have viewed this match twice. The second time with the volume right down, and trust me, the match is better that way. I think there are 2 main reasons why the crowd booed Eugene & cheered Triple H: (1) Because Eugene is higher up on the card than he should be, and (2) this feud has brought the best out of Triple H. Both points hold true in my opinion. But to me, the crowd reaction threw the balance of the match out. It's just not right seeing a wrestler do something & getting the opposite reaction. And it works both ways for both superstars. But even worse, whether you have liked this feud or not, and whether you feel Eugene should be this high on the card or not, you are actually criticizing both wrestlers' performance.

Now if you feel that the criticism of the 2 is warranted, then that's fine. But if that's the case, I very much disagree. This feud has almost brought the best out of Triple H. I haven't seen the intensity that he has had over the last month or so, for the past couple of years. Not to mention that he has been downright funny on occasions. And I'm talking both in & out of the ring, regarding both aspects. Now even though that may be one of the reasons why a crowd would currently cheer him, it's also a criticism. It's basically saying to Triple H that he isn't doing a good job as a heel... A brutal one at that!!!

As for Eugene, I agree that he is too high up on the card too soon. But the bottom line is that by bringing the intensity out of Triple H, he is doing something for the overall good of the roster. Furthermore, while Eugene is no Benoit, he has more than held his own in the ring & out of the ring, from an entertainment perspective. I don't think there is any doubt about that. Last, but not least, to all those people that cheered Triple H & booed Eugene, I'm sure you were so caught up in doing so, that you actually missed watching a great match!!! You will say that you didn't miss anything special, but I beg to differ on that point.

That last point can also be said for the JBL vs Undertaker match. I'm pretty certain that the lack of interest by the live crowd in this match, was due to a general lack of interest in the way the feud has been handled & a general disliking for the matchup & wrestlers themselves. I can't say I can disagree with that very much, BUT that doesn't necessarily mean that the match is going to suck. Like I stated in my 'PPV Review', I actually thought the match was pretty good. But many wouldn't have noticed, as they were too busy watching their colleagues do a Mexican wave. Speaking of that... Memo to Toronto: The Mexican Wave went out in the 1990's in most parts of the world!!!

To conclude, I know what most readers are thinking. The old 'they paid their money & can do what they want" response. And guess what? I totally agree with that. BUT that doesn't mean that 'what they want' is the correct thing to do. In fact, it could be STUPID!!! Hell, a whole bunch of people could act as if they had Tourette's Syndrome as well & just start screaming strange words during moments of silence during a match. Hey, they paid, let them do it, right!?!?!? Hang on... You think that would annoy the people sitting near them & effect their enjoyment of the event, where-as what happened at SummerSlam wouldn't. Ask the teenage Undertaker & Eugene fans that went to the event, who probably don't know whether they're Arthur or Martha right now!!!

I've always hated terms such as 'marks', 'smarks', etc..., preferring to refer to all fans as 'fans'. But if those types of terms are going to continue to be used, then I think I will come up with my own: 'Stupids'. Hello Toronto!!! And please don't think that I'm referring to every single person that was at SummerSlam, or every single person that lives in Toronto. The 'stupids' know that they are such a fan. Just like the so-called 'marks' know that they are such a fan as well!!! :-)

Oh, and while I'm on a roll hammering my point home with exclamation points, let me remind everyone of a chant that has been a little overlooked. That was "Let's go Angle". I suppose that "Eddie, you are a failure as a face & as a champ, so go have a nervous breakdown & return to drugs", just doesn't quite roll off the tongue as a chant!!!!! Then again, it was the 'stupids' chanting "Let's go Angle". Maybe they want to turn him face again. Because all the 'stupids' know that Angle is better as a face!!! To quote an old song: "Need I say more to make my point quite clear?".


On that rather interesting & controversial note, that's all I have for edition #98 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of my ratings for the SummerSlam matches. I'm sure most wouldn't have rated at least a couple of the matches as highly as I did. Also, I'm expecting a barrage of emails concerning my comments on the Toronto crowd. It will be interesting to see if they are split down the middle or not. I won't get into lengthy debates over it, because it's just another topic which comes down to individual opinion at the end of the day. However, I will reply to everyone, as per usual. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

What's on the agenda for next week's 'Wrestling Menu'...??? Well, I'm not exactly sure. I was initially planning to continue my review series (I am up to 2001), but I may leave that for the time being, with the time it will take to write my 100th column (which will be posted September-1). I've already got one section written, so I may just add to that with current news on what is happening on both rosters. We'll wait & see. Whatever comes your way, 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.












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