DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - 'No Way Out' Review, Raw Review + A Look At Heat & Velocity
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 at 5:04 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #119

Welcome one and all to the 119th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Before I begin, may I once more thank all my readers out there. It seems my column is catching on extremely well with my past 7 editions all reaching at least the 6,000 hits/views mark & last week's column being the peak at over 7,000.

I think that this success can be partially attributed to the WWE currently putting on some interesting & entertaining shows, while partially being due to some timely & discussion-raising topics I have chosen to write on. For that latter reason, I hope that I do not disappoint readers over the next few months, as my column will be predominantly review based. This is more by necessity than want, and will include:

- Past PPV Reviews to fill in my archive gaps. Also, because I am going away in a fortnight's time, and will not be replying to emails for a week.

- Current PPV Reviews, as the WWE have 4 events planned for the 2 months of May & June!

- An International House Show Review as my partner & I will be in attendance when the WWE hits Melbourne, Australia on April-8.

- At least 2 DVD reviews.

Today, it's all about the current, as I take a look at 'No Way Out', Raw, Heat & Velocity. On with the show.....


APPETIZERS - Heat & Velocity

You may be wondering why the hell I am reviewing 2 shows that have been around forever, hardly anybody watches & have been commented on by countless other columnists before. Well, the reason is because this is the first time I have ever seen them, as these shows have never been shown in Australia in the past. So I thought it may be worthwhile to share my initial thoughts on both shows. As the phrase goes, first impressions tend to be correct.

I should also note that the 'Experience' recap show has also hit Australian television, but I can't discuss that, as I couldn't view it. I was out at the time (at a wine festival) & had my videotape set for a live Australian Rules Football match. To be honest, I'm unsure I would have watched Experience anyway, as I can't see much point in watching a recap if the main shows were seen in the first place.

HEAT

First, to the secondary show for the Raw brand. I have to be honest & state that I was not looking forward to watching this show & thought it was going to be a disaster, due to the lack of any real interest in the Raw undercard. But thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it was purely because it was such a change of pace. But while it seems positive, then that's what I'm going with... for now.

Not seeing Val Venis squashed was great, as he still knows how to put together a good bout. His opponent Maven, even got more than a 5 second match this time. Molly vs Victoria was passable (especially since it's been a while since I have seen either of them), while the main event of Chris Benoit vs Stevie Richards got the crowd going, even if it didn't do much for me.

But the highlight here was seeing the under-rated team of Rosey & The Hurricane square off against a team I'd never seen before called The Heartbreakers. The Heartbreakers are Johnny 'Romeo' Roselli and Antonio 'The Promise' Thomas from OVW. Not only did they entertain the crowd themselves, but they played off their opponents quite well also. And to top it off, they looked like decent wrestlers who didn't get stagefright on national television.

VELOCITY

Now Velocity is most definitely a show that I can see myself watching more often than not. This will especially be the case if they showcase cruiserweight matches which last a decent length in time. Unfortunately, I didn't get the pleasure of seeing any cruiserweight action on this first viewing, but I got a more than sufficient replacement bout in Charlie Haas vs Rene Dupree. This is a good example of SmackDown's more talented & misused undercarders making this show a candidate for regular viewing.

The other matches on this episode was a ho hum main event pitting Hardcore Holly against Kenzo Suzuki & a singles bout with Heidenreich squashing developmental talent Mike Mondo. But while it was pretty much a squash, the bout lasted long enough for the viewers to get to see something of Mondo. And who knows what this guy will be doing in 3-5 years time, now that he has signed a WWE contract.

In fact, there lies the strength of both shows in my opinion. I remember watching the likes of Christopher Daniels, Low-Ki, AJ Styles, The Hardy Boyz & countless other youngsters impress while getting squashed on the old 'WWF Superstars' show. They actually stand out in my memory. So I personally hope that one match on each show every week, showcases an OVW wrestler or local independent talent. Add this to giving time to talented undercard guys who don't get it on the main shows (eg: The Hurricane, Simon Dean, Maven, Val Venis, Charlie Haas & all cruiserweights), and I can see value out of these shows.

Just a few more quick notes: (a) The commentators take a while getting used to. Todd Grisham was the best of the 4 I heard. (b) The Raw & SmackDown recaps shown are decently edited & well chosen. And (c) keep one word in mind; Videotape. These are two 1 hour programs. But on tape, they can be viewed in a little over an hour in total, if you don't want to see the recaps.


MAIN - No Way Out 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] (Armageddon '04)
50-54: Mediocre & disappointing. [D] (EG: New years Revolution '05)
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: Royal Rumble 2005)
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+]

EDDIE GUERRERO & REY MYSTERIO defeated THE BASHAM BROTHERS to Win the WWE Tag-Team Championships: Solid & generally entertaining 15 minute opener. The Bashams dominated the first half of the bout & disappointingly didn't really step up their offense. They were solid, but just too unspectacular. The innovative hot tag from Rey to Eddie obviously got the pace picked up. And from that point onwards, there was a very good mixture of wrestling, spots & storytelling. Clever, and even unpredictable, win to the faces capped it all off nicely. The bout achieved it's purposes as an opener, and even makes us look towards WrestleMania 21 with some optimism as it pertains to a tag title match. Match Rating...7

BOOKER T defeated HEIDENREICH by Disqualification: Plodding 7 minute match which almost felt like it was between two 7 footers. Standard offense for the entire duration of the bout. Nothing actually too terrible, but so unimaginative that it showed out way too clearly. When the most entertaining thing about a match is listening to Heidenreich babble to himself, you know something is wrong. I was thinking about passing it, but the weak DQ ending made sure I didn't. Match Rating...4

CHAVO GUERRERO defeated PAUL LONDON, AKIO, SHANNON MOORE, SPIKE DUDLEY & FUNAKI in a Gauntlet Elimination Match to Win the Cruiserweight Title: Where do I begin with the bad booking here? 5 pins in 10 minutes pretty much says it all. It must be remembered that being a guantlet match, it basically meant that each pinfall was gained in a singles bout. Just a whole bunch of poor booking decisions because of this; (a) The reigning champ being pinned in a 2 minute singles match. (b) Neither Funaki, Spike or Moore could last 2 minutes in a singles match. (c) The soft elimination of Akio. And (d) when they still had heaps of time, only 3 minutes was given to what still could have been a great London vs Chavo finale. Obviously, the pace was still great & there were a couple of neat spots. But if anything, some of the little touches from London saved this. Thankfully, I think we can look forward to what should be a great Chavo vs London feud. Match Rating...5

THE UNDERTAKER defeated LUTHER REIGNS: What the hell was I doing predicting a Luther win here? I must have been out of my mind. Disappointing 12 minute match & I'm almost tempted to just write "See Comments for Booker T vs Heidenreich Match, except for the DQ ending". In fact, I just did & have nothing much further to add. Oh yeah, Jindrak got himself kicked out of the match before it started & it almost looked like it was intentional... So could a possible face turn be coming for Jindrak? If anything, the rating is kind. Match Rating...5

JOY GIOVANNI Won a Rookie Diva of the Year Contest: This was split up into 3 separate contests throughout the night & 15 minutes was used up in total. That is just far too long, especially considering that (a) not a great deal happened, especially in the first 4 minute segment, and (b) what could have been a great cruiserweight match was only given 10 minutes. Joy wins because the fans didn't know who the other 3 ladies were. Match Rating...2

JOHN CENA defeated KURT ANGLE to Become the #1 Contender for the WWE Championship: It was interesting to note that Cena did not show us his freestyling skills before the bout. I presume this was due to fears that he would get booed in Angle's hometown. The match started off well with Kurt schooling Cena in the first few minutes, but Cena working back into the bout with his more generic professional wrestling style. This then transitioned well into a good combination of both by the 2 men. While Angle did carry the match, Cena held his own & even added a couple of new moves to his repertoire (a top-rope legdrop & a slam variation). Things wisely changed direction at the 14 minute mark when Kurt kicked out of the F-U & went to town on Cena's knee & ankle. But when he got a little carried away thinking about using Cena's chain, a 2nd F-U at the 19 minute mark got the job done.

Solid & well put together match, which came off really naturally. As with most bouts that come off naturally (EG: WM12 Iron Man match), it did need something spectacular to cap it off, but unfortunately that didn't come. While Cena does need to further improve in the ring, he proved that he can still have a great match with a quality opponent. It was also pleasing to see a clean win with no HBK run-in. That rating may be a tad kind, but this was genuinely good. Match Rating...8

JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD defeated THE BIG SHOW in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match to Retain the WWE Championship: As expected, this was a rather slow-paced, bloody & prototypical cage match, and if anything, the barbed wire actually restricted the combatants further. Standard stuff where I don't really have much to say other than concerning the clever ending; JBL was chokeslammed through the mat from the top rope, and while TBS was breaking the padlock on the door, JBL (being out of camera-shot) crawled underneath the ring to the floor. 15 minutes in total, but no more than 12 in actual action. More of a tv main event, rather than a ppv. Match Rating...6

PPV RATING (37/70) = 53

Looking at the key, I have basically given the 2005 version of No Way Out a 'D' grade & said that it was 'mediocre & disappointing'. I'll stick by those comments. A case can be argued that it was neither due to being either better or worse than that. But I thought that the event as a whole definitely wasn't bad enough to receive a failing grade, but was disappointing in that it could have been a fair bit better. At least 3 matches could have rated 2-3 rating points higher. This may be a record, but for the 3rd time in this review, I really don't have much more to say. And I think that probably says a lot about the event. Hey, WrestleMania 21 is in 6 weeks folks!!!


DESSERT - Raw Review

As some of you may or may not know, I occasionally take a look at Raw in my own personal way. I haven't done it for a while (I think October '04 was the last time) & thought today may be the most effective instance, as the other portions of my column are filled with reviews of sorts. Please remember that the following review isn't really a review... It's more of a comments section, and can be a sarcastic one at that. I also do it in point form to hopefully make it easier to read.

- Good idea to start off with the Batista contract-signing intro. I think it's fair to say that this is one of those times when it's more than ok to base a show around a non-match.

- Solid women's match to begin with. In fact, it was a bit better than solid. I don't think I can complain too much when I see a nice Northern Lights Suplex & a Widows Peak in the same bout. I actually expected this match to be the WrestleMania 21 title bout, and if a few minutes were added onto it, it would have been more than sufficient on that card. Now I fear a Trish vs Christy match, or (a better choice of) a fatal fourway adding Christy.

- I don't know what to say about Simon Dean's character. It seems to already have run it's race, as he hasn't looked like getting into a feud with anyone, while it's pretty much the same lame humor week in & week out. Jericho's win means absolutely nothing & Dean needs to be re-established on 'Heat'.

- Ooops, someone decided to give Tyson Tomko the microphone! I'm tempted to make it a hat-trick & write "See Comments for Booker T vs Heidenreich Match, except for the DQ ending" again. At least this bout was on television & not pay-per-view.

- Our third rookie in a row comes to the ring, but this one has very good mic skills. Muhammad Hassan even managed to work his "pride in his own wrestling" into this promo. Once more, the delivery of his speech was intense & purposeful. Speaking of intense, out comes Chris Benoit. And there's that word again, as Hassan uses sheer impact to make a standard finisher look very intense. Good stuff & the match between these 2 next week should be interesting to watch.

- Sensational tag-team match between HBK/Orton & Christian/Edge was next. Almost everything clicked & this was very much ppv quality. Who would have thought that for 2 weeks running, Orton & Christian would be the 2 in-ring stars of Raw!?!?!?

- Edge vs HBK in a streetfight next week should also be a great watch. I'm hoping Orton somehow gets involved leading to an Orton vs Edge match at WM21. The only other thing I can think of now is a possible Edge & Christian vs Orton & either Benoit or Jericho tag match. If it's anywhere near as good as this was, that will be good enough for me. Plus, I don't really want to see the rumored Orton vs 'Taker bout.

- Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters makes his debut on Raw. He was first seen with Ric Flair, so could that mean he is a candidate as Batista's replacement in Evolution? Hard to tell how good he is in the ring from this bout. I noticed he was from LA & wonder if he will get a match at WM21. Maybe a triple-threat vs Billy Jack Haynes & Hercules Hernandez in a 'Battle of the Full-Nelsons'. Ahhhh the memories!

- Benjamin vs Snitsky next. Shelton shows more intensity than usual here. This guy just keeps improving.

- I don't know who is dumber: (a) Triple H for saying what he did with the door open, or (b) The King & JR for asking "Now what's gonna happen?" & "I don't know what to expect next" respectively. Well guys, you're about 6 weeks behind everyone else!

- Fantastic finale to the show. Nothing too surprising, but the situation didn't call for unpredictability. The good thing was that all men played their parts. Bischoff & Long made their shows sound good, Triple H put up a good & original scenario, while Batista did what he had to in order to make the crowd go absolutely ape$hit when he turned his thumb down. This turn & feud has been very well booked indeed. And before anyone says it, I'll steal all your thunder; Batista just stayed in the ring for 20 minutes in a main-event!!! :-) C'mon, how could I resist that one!?!?!?


Now I'm sure I'm going to be going against the grain here, as I'm almost certain that most people won't have liked this episode of Raw as a whole. Well, I disagree. If you couldn't tell from my semi-positive look at Velocity & Heat, I'm of the old school... Someone who believes the ppv events are where multiple great matches should be, not on television. While there is an argument to say that 4 matches on this show were nothing but filler, I didn't think any of them were terrible. Throw in a good main-event segment & a quality tag match, and I'm pretty much happy. Don't get me wrong, this was no tremendous episode of Raw. But to me, it was more than sufficient. I think that some people still expect way too much from WWE's television shows these days.

Furthermore, while there was no real specific giveaways as to new WrestleMania feuds, enough things occurred on this episode that may be built on in the coming 6 weeks. And hey, I've always stated that unpredictability is a good thing. As is building up fan conjecture & making people watch the following week.


Ok, that's it for edition #119 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 4 shows I wrote about today. I'm always interested to hear your feedback & ideas. And you know that I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', the review train moves on as I post the final chapter in my yearly review series that I have been doing for over a year now. The final stop is 2003, as I review the ppv which some people think was the best of that year. Also, I want to throw up a controversial little opinion on the person who I believe is close to being the most under-rated WWE performer currently on either roster. The person may surprise you! 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* The WWE Developmental Divas REVEALED! Must See Shots!

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