DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - Armageddon Review, Invasion Improvements + The HW Title
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 at 6:22 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #111

Welcome one and all to the 111th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Yes, I'm a day early with this column. But I figured that so few people out there actually purchased the Armageddon pay-per-view, that I (being one of the idiots that did dig into my pockets) should tell it like it is, as soon as possible.

Before I start though, I'd just like to thank all my readers over the past week. Last week's column received a huge number of hits & I got excellent feedback on all 4 topics that I discussed. Two topics I write about today are linked to column #110, so if you have yet to read it & would like to now, you may do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2004_/articles/1102507922.php

On with the show.....


APPETIZERS

The World HeavyWeight Title

I was really pleased to get some positive feedback agreeing with my opinions regarding the Survivor Series pay-per-view & the subsequent 4 episodes of Raw. I still maintain that it may have been the best 4 weeks of wrestling & entertainment that the WWE have put together in quite some time. Furthermore, it was baffling me how a large number of fans were being very critical of these 5 specific shows. I thought I was going crazy there for a while, but many readers reassured me otherwise.

In my opinion, the main reason that some fans were skeptical about that 4 week period, was that they were worried as to what the WWE were going to do with the World HeavyWeight Title. Well, this week on Raw, that was finally settled by the returning Eric Bischoff, who announced that on January 9 at the 'New Years Revolution' pay-per-view to be held in Puerto Rico, one of 6 men will win the vacated title.

As I predicted last week in my column, the Elimination Chamber has been dragged out to decide the new champion. I just had that feeling that it would, as the WWE have always seemed to want to use it near the end of the year. Plus, the angles all seemed to point to the fact that there would be more than just 2 or 3 men involved in the match. So Triple H, Edge, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton & Batista all get their shot at glory in the new year, and right now, I'm uncertain as to who will win that match.

Bottom line; I have absolutely no problem with this resolution. It's intriguing, entertaining & fair enough. If anything, just to make it that little fairer, I think that Edge & Benoit should be guaranteed to be the last 2 wrestlers released from their chambers. This would be a nice touch which wouldn't take the fans for granted & make the title all that more prestigious.

While some fans will look to this as just another title match, I hope the WWE can really promote the hell out of it. If they book the next 3 weeks cleverly enough, this could be a main event of epic proportions. It could lead to weeks of fascinating television, and most importantly, treat the title the way it should be treated; With respect & prestige.


MAIN - Armageddon 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: Taboo Tuesday '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: Survivor Series '04)
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+]

REY MYSTERIO & ROB VAN DAM defeated RENE DUPREE & KENZO SUZUKI to Retain the WWE Tag-Team Championships: Inconsistent opener. Some sequences were genuinely good, but others were simply too sloppy. The main problem here though was that the match lasted too long at 17 minutes. Or more specifically, Rey played the face in peril for far too long. Unfortunately, Rene & Kenzo's offense isn't good enough to sustain such a long period of time. Rey & RVD used 2 or 3 new double-team moves, but unfortunately they didn't quite work as crisply as they should have tonight. It will be interesting to see more new moves in the coming weeks though. Passable. Match Rating...6

DANIEL PUDER defeated MIKE MIZANIN in a Dixie Dogfight Boxing Match: While it was only 3 one minute rounds, I'm surprised that Puder couldn't counter Mizanin's charging style. Obviously, Puder is a submission (and not a striking) specialist in Ultimate Fighting!!! Not a complete time-waster, but not very entertaining either. Puder wins because the crowd said so!!! Match Rating...4

DOUG & DANNY BASHAM defeated CHARLIE HAAS & HARDCORE HOLLY: Filler 6 minute match that wasn't at all helped by the lack of any build-up. Haas came out all fired up to add some much needed intensity to the bout, and it did work to a large extent. The Bashams looked quite good as a team, while Haas & Holly very much looked like 2 singles wrestlers thrown together. I just hope their teaming is not for the long-term. The Bashams won when the faces were distracted by Dawn-Marie & Miss Jackie fighting at ringside. Ok match. Match Rating...6

JOHN CENA defeated JESUS in a Streetfight to Retain the United States Title: A total squash match that reminded me of WWF Superstars circa 1988. Jesus hardly got in an offensive move over the 8 minute duration. Nothing spectacular in the hardcore stakes & only served to show Cena's improving intense side. Match Rating...3

DAWN-MARIE defeated MISS JACKIE: Two minute (for want of a better word) match, which only served to lead up to what happened afterwards. The intensity was decent, I suppose, but that was about it. Plus, Miss Jackie wrestling, still equals extreme sloppiness. Afterwards, Haas called Dawn-Marie a "slut" & compared Jackie to a "dead wet fish". It should get Charlie noticed, but I'm a little confused as to the direction, and hope the WWE have a long-term plan. Match Rating...2

THE BIG SHOW defeated KURT ANGLE, LUTHER REIGNS & MARK JINDRAK in a Handicap Match: I'll never be a fan of wrestlers defeating other main-eventers in a handicap match, and this was no exception. Decently put together 10 minute match, but you just have to wonder how Angle can beat TBS in a singles match one year, then can't beat him the next with the help of 2 other big men. The heels came out of this looking really bad, while The Big Show should be unstoppable going on this form. I'll just pass this match, as the action was ok, as was the story being told. TBS wins with, of all things, an F-5. Match Rating...5

FUNAKI defeated SPIKE DUDLEY to Win the CruiserWeight Title: Started off really well with some good fast-paced counter wrestling, but quickly became mediocre & unspectacular. Too many submission holds (weak ones at that) throughout the middle stages of this 10 minute match totally put the crowd to sleep. And even worse, it only resulted in an unoriginal & extremely sloppy ending sequence!!! While I wasn't expecting anything special, this was really disappointing. To think that Kidman, London, Chavo & Akio didn't even get to perform at this event!!! Match Rating...4

JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD defeated THE UNDERTAKER, EDDIE GUERRERO & BOOKER T in a Fatal Fourway Match to Retain the WWE Championship: For the most part, this main event clicked really well. There was more than usual multi-man action for a fourway, while the face vs face sequences of the bout were surprisingly intriguing. Furthermore, watching all 4 combatant's strategies during the match was somewhat fascinating. Some genuinely good spots (both in & outside the ring), and excellent offensive spurts by especially Eddie & Booker. It's a shame that the unpredictability of the bout was basically thrown out the window with a pre-match segment showing JBL resigned to losing his title. He retained with the help of Heidenreich in a rather predictable & uninspiring finish. Overall though, a surprisingly good main event & easily the match of the night. Match Rating...8

PPV RATING (38/80) = 48

Looking at the key, I have basically given 'Armageddon' an 'F' grade & said 'ask for a refund for not only your money, but also your time'. I think that pretty much sums it up without me having to elaborate any further. In all honestly, while the 2 tag matches were decent, you could basically say that the only thing worth watching on the whole show was the main-event. So that's all of 25 minutes worth. This event did nothing positive for the WWE or the SmackDown brand. I didn't go into the pay-per-view expecting much, but I do expect all WWE ppv events to pass my (not too unkind) ratings system. This is now the 2nd SmackDown only event that I have failed in the space of 6 months. That simply is not good enough!!!


DESSERT

Invasion Improvements

I have to be fully honest; I came into this topic last week a little skeptical as to how it would turn out. I thought that any improvements that I could put forward for the 2001 Invasion angle would be unclear & stating the obvious. So last week, at the end of my column, I thought it was the perfect time to request readers to email me with what they would have done to improve the angle. Not only did 1 or 2 nice little ideas come up, but my thoughts on the whole angle were made clearer. So, if I may repeat what I stated at the start of this column, thanks to anyone who emailed.

Let's get the obvious one out the way first; A lack of genuine alliance main-eventers involved. I will refer to both WCW & ECW as the alliance, although I feel that the argument is predominantly aimed at WCW. The major names that popped up in emails to complement the likes of Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page, were Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sting, Ric Flair & Bill Goldberg. That's 6 names there & I don't even believe that the WWE had to get all 6 across. Initially, 2 or 3 of them would have been sufficient.

Another name thrown into the mix by some, but intentionally left out by others, was 'Big Poppa Pump' Scott Steiner. Personally, while Steiner was way past his best in the ring, I would have had him as a major target. He was over with crowds at the time & just would have brought that required aggression that would have fit an Invasion extremely well. Hell, he could have almost have played an enforcer role, rather than be a full-time wrestler. Think Batista in Evolution.

Moving on, I think that the other main reason as to why the Invasion angle was not as successful as it should have been, was because it was way too rushed. Here was an angle that should have lasted at least a year, yet it was practically over within 4-6 months. Furthermore, the rushing was done both at the beginning & end of the angle. While there was still an enormous amount of hype & promotion for the Invasion pay-per-view in July of 2001, how much better could it have been if the boiling point between the feuding sides was built up over a number of months, and not weeks!?!?!?

One idea submitted by fellow main page columnist pt2 was to continue to allow WCW matches to take place on television (although they would obviously have had to have been better than the Booker T vs Buff Bagwell snorefest). This would have not only felt more like an invasion, but would hopefully have given fans more time to choose their sides, and the WWE more time to book the angle for the long-term. pt2 would then have actually gone 1 step further & allocated specific timeslots for each side. One episode, the WWE would have a match run overtime into the alliance timeslot, and out would come the alliance wrestlers & commentators to shut the match down. Obviously from there, all hell would break loose. I like the theory behind this idea as it establishes more reason & intensity between the feuding sides.

Joel Haywood, Christopher Shafer & Mike K went one step further & stated that WCW & ECW should have been kept separate for much longer & the alliance should have been formed a lot later on, if at all. I also think this would have been an excellent idea. I'm all for the merger, as the ECW faction provided the much needed depth that WCW needed. However, if the merger was done later, not only would there have been months of interesting television with 3 warring factions, but I feel that it would have been an excellent opportunity to turn some ECW wrestlers from midcarders into main-eventers. As Joel pointed out, RVD would have been a good example.

Once the alliance was set up though, I fully agree with loyal 'Wrestling Menu' reader Christopher Moore's opinion that there was way too much McMahon involvement. While pretty much everyone agrees that Stephanie McMahon leading the ECW faction was a terrible mistake, even Vince & Shane were a little too much involved. Obviously, they had to be involved in some capacity, as they were fighting for their companies. But the likes of Paul Heyman & others should have been allowed to step up to complement Vince & Shane, thus resulting in something more complex than the one-dimensiona angle we were treated to.

Along with David Krottner, both Christophers (Shafer & Moore) also highlighted that not enough was made of the idea of having the alliance actively recruiting WWE wrestlers. In reality, it happened a little, with Chris Jericho trying to be persuaded to return to WCW, while 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin eventually did make the switch. However, the idea was not capitalized on anywhere near enough. Thinking back to the nWo angle in WCW, this was part of the fun of watching Nitro. If the WWE could have learnt from that angle's recruiting policy, but not gone too far overboard by having too many lower carders join, then this could have resulted in some very entertaining television.

As for the Austin heel turn, there was no doubt that a WWE main-eventer would eventually have had to swap sides. I don't even have too much problems that it was Austin. However, not only should his turn have occurred a little later down the track, but I agree with Christopher Moore's theory that Austin should not have been the centre of attraction so much once he joined the alliance. Yes, he was the WWF champion at the time & he was probably the biggest superstar at the time. But while sometimes entertaining, his domination of alliance promo times quickly became annoying & boring. If the load was shared between Shane McMahon, Paul Heyman & Steve Austin, then the entire angle would arguably have played out better over the longer term.

Finally, getting back to the fact that the angle was too rushed, let's take a look at the end of the whole Invasion angle. Mike K & Geoff basically asked the question Why pull the plug on the angle so quickly...??? Yes, it wasn't as good as it could have been & was too rushed. But after learning from their mistakes, could the WWE have basically given it a successful 2nd shot without actually ending the angle in the first place...??? We may never know the answer to this question. However there was something nonsensical about having alliance wrestlers come back so soon after the Survivor Series main event, where the stipulation meant that all alliance members were to be ousted from the WWE!!!


Ok, that's it for edition #111 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. I hope you enjoyed it. As per usual, please don't hesitate to send me your thoughts on any one of the 3 topics I wrote about today. I'm always interested to hear your feedback & ideas. And you know that I will reply to all feedback. Just give me a little more time to reply this week, as Christmas parties & Christmas shopping dominate my schedule for the next 3 days. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Man, we're getting closer to Christmas & New Year, but The Wrestling Menu just keeps rolling along. Next week, I'll be doing the usual year-end staple for 'The Wrestling Menu', and that is my special year-end awards. I've actually been thinking about the contenders for some of the categories over the past couple of weeks, and not only am I finding it difficult to decide on some of them, but my current front-runners may not be the most popular of choices. So expect something controversial in there. I may add an extra topic to the awards, but I may also just have them a little more detailed & on their own this year. Either way, look out for the 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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