DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - 'Stupid' Fan Feedback, Face/Heel Turns + Evolution's New Member
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, August 25, 2004 at 9:03 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #99

Welcome one and all to the 99th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Well, just one more week until the big column #100. I still have yet to start putting it together, so there will be many hours spent between now & then, typing away at my computer. Hopefully, it will all be worth it in the end.

I almost didn't write today's column. If it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to post column #100 next Wednesday (& not have it run into my 'Unforgiven' Predictions column the following week), I probably would have taken the week off. Why? I'll tell you in a moment as I serve up your first course of the day.....


APPETIZERS - 'Stupid' Fan Feedback

Before I start briefly on the feedback that I received for my column last week, I strongly urge that if you have not as yet had the pleasure (or displeasure in a few cases) of reading edition #98 of 'The Wrestling Menu', to do so before you progress. You can view it by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2004_/articles/1092833016.php

Now the first thing I must state relating to the feedback is the reason why my column almost didn't exist today. That is, that the overall quality of the emails I received far surpassed anything I have received previously. I can't state that enough. Hell, even the quantity was up there, but I obviously have got more emails with my polls. But seriously, whether people agreed, disagreed or sat on the fence with my opinions in last week's column, they wrote in length, in detail, and with good opinion & reasoning. For this, I cannot thank you enough. Although, I'm almost burnt out after writing all those replies!!! As always, with my column, everyone gets responded to.

Where do I start? I suppose with the general split of people who agreed with me & disagreed with me. Not that I was counting, but I would say that it was pretty even, to be honest. I'd say that 30% of people completely agreed with me, 30% of people completely disagreed with me (yes, a high proportion of these were from Toronto), while the remaining 40% of readers agreed with me on some points & disagreed with me on others. Some of those though, sent responses to my replies & understood where I was coming from a little clearer after reading my reply.

I won't get too deeply into my responses & the main topics of feedback, but I will touch on them quickly. Firstly, I apologize if anyone was offended by the term 'stupid'. It was a little tongue-in-cheek & was used to play off terms such as 'mark', 'smart', etc... which I really do hate. If a term such as 'stupid' was out there, I'd hate that just as much. So I probably shouldn't have used it at all.

On the main points of argument, it was pretty much what I expected. Many people thought the behavior during the JBL vs Undertaker match was justified because of the poor feud, the fact that JBL is a bad champion & because they hated the pace of the match. As I pretty much stated last week, I only agree with the first point. With regards to the Triple H vs Eugene match, apparently Toronto is absolutely in love with Triple H & most people think Eugene's character is either bad or getting stale. Again, I'm not too sure that I agree with that.

I really think that pt2 in his latest column of 'Take Up They Wrestling Boots & Walk' summed up the general gist of my responses pretty well actually. They were that booing a face & cheering a heel is fine, as long as (a) the crowd does not detract from the current match, and (b) does not adversely effect future decisions by the WWE. While I look at things from a different perspective than pt2 (& most readers will simply feel that I disagree with him), I actually believe that in reality, I agree with him. It's quite simple really. All I ask is for the fans to think of the above 2 points before they cheer & boo the superstars. That's all I ask.

The other points that continuously kept popping up was other past examples which I did not mention in my column last week. I promise that every one of the following 5 examples were in my head when I wrote last week's topic, but due to length constraints & the general fact that I had no real problem with these instances, I left them out. They are (1) Goldberg vs Lesnar from WrestleMania 20, (2) The Rock vs Hulk Hogan from WrestleMania 18, (3) the cheering of a heel Stone Cold Steve Austin, (4) the booing of a face Rocky Maivia, and (5) the cheering of a heel Rock.

While it may appear a little convenient & hypocritical that I left these 5 examples out, I can assure you that was not my intention. Let me make it 100% clear that I am not against cheering a heel & booing a face in the correct circumstances. As long as the 2 points I mentioned previously are thought about. Unfortunately, I still hold to my opinion that the SummerSlam crowd did not take them into account. But whether you agree with me or not, I once more thank all those that emailed me & really tested me on this topic.


MAIN

Face & Heel Turns

Every now & then, I always get an email from different readers basically asking me who should be the next wrestler to turn (whether it be heel or face). It's always fun when someone turns, especially if us fans didn't see it coming. In fact, many moments that are memorable in WWE history include a superstar turning. I am not one for a turn every month. When used sparingly, turns are much more effective. And I have to say that the WWE have done a real good job lately with the spacing & choices of their turns. Theodore Long & Spike Dudley are great examples & have both added new dimensions to not only their careers, but the SmackDown roster as well.

So I thought I'd take a brief look at 8 current wrestlers (4 from each roster) who the WWE may be thinking of turning in the next 6 months, or have just turned. I will give the reasons why there may be a thought to turn them & my conclusion as to whether they should or shouldn't. As heel turns tend to be more shocking & influential, 6 of the 8 are possible heel turns, while the other 2 are face turns. Here goes:

RAW

- RANDY ORTON: This is the one that has already happened. But before I get to Orton, I'll briefly touch on Triple H first: Triple H cannot be turned face anytime soon!!! He is currently brutally assaulting Eugene & William Regal in a hardcore fashion, so I just don't see it happening. As for Orton, he was doing a great job with the cocky heel persona he had. Because of that, I would have left him a heel for as long as possible. That could have been anywhere between 1 & 4 months. The main problem though, was the fans. You just knew that they were going to start cheering him more & more with each passing month. So, a face turn was just a matter of time. I would have preferred it in October, but hopefully the WWE know what they are doing. In fact, I thought they may have had a double turn involving Edge, but that didn't really happen. In conclusion, it had to occur, but the face turn was too soon... although well done.

- EDGE: In theory, I'd be against a heel turn for Edge. He obviously had to come back as a face, and in a perfect world, should have remained a face for approximately a year. The heel turn must come though, as it's what Edge needs to truly propel him to main event status. He has worked very hard (both pre & post-injury) to improve his intensity & seriousness, but only a heel turn will finish the job off. A WrestleMania 21 heel turn would have been nice, but with the way things are heading on Raw, a heel turn in November is a better fit for the roster as a whole. Having said that, I think it will actually occur properly in September sometime.

- CHRIS JERICHO: I've thrown Jericho into the mix here, just in case the WWE believe that it is the correct thing to do to keep Edge a face. I really do think that one of Edge & Jericho will turn in the next 3 months. But for the reasons explained above, I believe Edge is the eventual correct choice. Plus, I don't think a face Chris Jericho has truly been given a proper chance at main event level. Hopefully, that will occur sometime next year. So, in conclusion, Jericho should remain as a face.

The FOURTH WRESTLER shall remain a mystery for now, as he is my controversial choice to become the 4th member of Evolution. I will discuss him in my 'Dessert' section, but don't peek now, as we have 4 SmackDown wrestlers still to come...

SMACKDOWN

- ROB VAN DAM: RVD's name is always getting thrown around as turning because he has yet to make that huge step to being a true main-eventer in the WWE. And basically he has been a face for 95% of that time. The problem here is that without help, RVD would not make an effective heel. That help practically has to come from Paul Heyman. It would also be of benefit if he was involved in a mini ECW stable. But seeing as though Paul Heyman's attention will soon be with John Heidenreich, and not The Dudleyz, neither Heyman or ECW look to be in RVD's near-future. Therefore, RVD should remain as a face.

- THE BIG SHOW: It may sound ridiculous that a face turn is even considered for a wrestler who when last seen on WWE tv, basically tried to kill someone. But this turn is genuinely on. In fact, I think The Big Show should turn face immediately upon return. It will take some explaining, but that's what the WWE writers are paid to do. With Kurt Angle currently entrenched as a heel, TBS' first feud is already planned out. All that is needed is a sensibly told face turn for the big fella. On top of this, TBS is as funny as hell, and it's about time his skills in this area were used. Hey, Raw has a 'special' face in Eugene, maybe TBS can be portrayed as a face straight out of the loony bin, a'la 'One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest'. Well, maybe not!!!


- EDDIE GUERRERO: No matter how successful you think Eddie's run as WWE champion was, I definitely think that he is now entrenched as a main event superstar. With rumors that he did not handle the pressure well while on top, the WWE are bound to think of turning Eddie heel, because it is arguably a role that he is more comfortable with. However, with a roster that is steadily improving by the month, I think more value would be gained out of Eddie remaining a face. His main event run was basically against no-one but JBL, and with the likes of Booker T & Kurt Angle climbing the ladder on SmackDown, there are great feuds for Eddie to be involved in for months to come.

- CHARLIE HAAS: This one is a little from left field. I would normally not prefer someone who has turned face as recently as Haas has, to turn heel so soon. But there is a major question mark right now on how the WWE will use a face Charlie Haas in the coming months. I do appreciate his recent involvement in the U.S title feud, but (apart from his separate match with Angle) nothing was really done to push his character or his status in the ring. If this continues, it would be a shame to see such a talent wasted & he may need another spell as Kurt Angle's protege to give him the push he needs. So, I hate to be wishy-washy, but a conditional eventual face turn may be in store for Haas. Conditional depending on what the WWE have planned for his face character for the rest of the year.

So, there you have it. It may seem like I've got a few too many turns there for my own good. But the fact that one has already been done on Raw (Orton), 1 should be done soon on SmackDown (The Big Show), while the other one (Edge) can be down the track, means that all are certainly possible without appearing to go 'turn-crazy'. Two of those are face turns & the other one is a heel turn, so that nicely balances things out. Furthermore, if the WWE can't do something further to push Charlie Haas up the card, then he should be a 4th wrestler to turn.

However, there is one more heel turn I would like on Raw & that will be my topic for discussion in my 'Dessert' section today.....


DESSERT

Evolution's New Member

Oh man, it seems like my 'Dessert' topic is just becoming a home for controversy lately. Like last week, I think that many people are going to completely disagree with me on my thoughts here. Hell, deep down I honestly believe that it will NOT happen. But I really do think it's the best fit & could seriously work if the WWE book & write it sensibly enough.

The obvious choice for the role of Evolution's new 4th member is Edge. But I just don't see how that will elevate him into a main-event role, which is what the WWE need to do with him. The simple fact is that Triple H will always be Evolution's main-eventer, and the precedent is pretty much already set here, considering the beatdown that Orton received approximately 10 days ago.

No, I think Evolution's new member should be a midcarder at best. This is especially the case considering Batista's recent improvement both in & out of the ring, to the point where an InterContinental title reign would not seem out of the question for big Dave as early as right now.

I've heard Christian's name mentioned as a dark horse here, but I just don't think he would be a good fit. I can't quite put my finger on it, because he does play a similar type of character to Randy Orton's cocky heel persona. But for whatever reason, I don't think Christian should be placed into Evolution.

Ok, here comes my outside choice as to who the WWE should place alongside Triple H, Flair & Batista in Evolution. The wrestler is almost a forgotten man on Raw. He is currently a face. He is young. And he has had very limited success in any wrestling organization thus far. The man I speak of is..... Maven.

That's right!!! You can get back on your chairs now. Now I know what the first thing that everyone will think of... Triple H publicly hated Tough Enough & there is no way he would allow it. Unfortunately, that may be the truth. But I'm going to presume that would not get in the way of who would be the best fit for the stable.

Many fans have vastly differing opinions of Maven's value to the WWE. I personally think that he still has potential both in & out of the ring. He has been in the WWE system for 2-3 years now & really hasn't progressed up the card (injuries haven't helped). A heel turn is exactly what Maven needs to genuinely test out his abilities. It could also hide his lack of wrestling repertoire depth until he gets more experience down the track.

Furthermore, I think that Maven does have the ability to play the cocky heel role that Orton played, but with a little bit of his own twist. How much he uses Tough Enough in that persona is arguable, but I think it should be used to some extent.

I won't get too much more specific on the booking & writing of Maven's turn & character here. Hell, that's what the WWE creative department are paid to do. But I genuinely do believe he would be as good as anyone else in the role, practically adds another significant wrestler to the Raw roster, and has the potential to be a long-term main-event prospect for the WWE.


On that rather interesting & controversial note, that's all I have for edition #99 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of my possible face & heel turns. Do you have any more ideas...??? Furthermore, what do you think of my crazy idea to have Maven as the new 4th member of Evolution...??? As per usual, I will reply to everyone. But I have a lot of writing to do this week, so apologies if I am a little less timely. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

It's a big week for the 'Wrestling Menu' next week...??? As promoted, it's my 100th column & I just had to do something special to commemorate it. I really hope it doesn't disappoint. In keeping with my last couple of columns, I do think it will be slightly controversial in some way, shape or form. I'll keep tight-lipped as to what it is, except for giving the clue that the number 100 is involved. 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.












EXCLUSIVES: Top 10 Trish Stratus Moments, Top 10 WCW Cruiserweight Matches, MORE!

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