DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - Backlash Predictions, Draft Feedback + The Uncrowned Champ
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 at 6:48 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #128

Welcome one and all to the 128th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Just quickly before I forget (like I did last week), just some quick thanks to the WWE who have appeared to genuinely spend some time on improving SmackDown over the past 2 or 3 weeks. In fact, overall, the quality of the WWE has risen over the past month. How much of that is attributable to the above-average WrestleMania 21 is uncertain, but that's what it's partly there for anyway; To capitalize on the extra ppv audience & lead into new feuds, wrestlers & storylines.

Raw has been only average over the past 2 weeks, but any combination of Benoit, Edge, Christian, Benjamin & Jericho is still worth a watch. While on SmackDown, we have had some decent tournament bouts & 1 standout. That standout was Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero from a couple of weeks back. That was the best television bout of the year thus far & not far from being the best match of 2005 full stop! Tremendous counters & a great mix of all styles of wrestling arguably placed this as the best match that the two have ever put on. That's quite an accomplishment considering it had the usual inherent television problems such as two sets of commercial breaks & a storyline-driven finish.

And let's not forget that on the same SmackDown episode, we also witnessed the above-average debuts of Carlito's Cabana & MnM! Throw in the nice advancement of the Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio feud, and I think it's fair to state that the WWE are moving in the correct direction with their product, especially on SmackDown. Let's hope that they continue on with it through the northern hemisphere summer, as that's always been the time of the year where they struggle to maintain ratings & ppv buyrates.

Speaking of moving in the right direction, I have received a few emails over the past couple of days to suggest that NWA/TNA may be doing the same after their 'LockDown' pay-per-view. Us Aussies still cannot view NWA/TNA & that's a real shame. I really would have liked to see this all cage-match event. It obviously had it's fair share of inherent problems, but from what I've heard, it was a success & could be that something different that becomes the kickstart of getting some more notice from fans, wrestlers, advertisers & maybe even some television networks. Good on them, I say.

Ok, enough with the chit-chat & on with the show.....


APPETIZERS

The Man Who Should Have Been Champ

Last week, my column solely concentrated on reviewing the WWE Bloodbath DVD, which highlighted "Wrestling's Most Incredible Steel Cage Matches". I asked 2 questions of readers during the column. The first of which was concerning an annoying mystery heel commentator during the Shawn Michales vs Marty Jannetty match. I received over 50 emails telling me that it was Johnny 'Raven' Polo & I am somewhat embarrassed that I did not pick his voice. If you have yet to view that column, you may do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2005/articles/1113992625.php

At the end of the column, I stated that I would talk about a man included on this disc that should have become a WWE Champion sometime during his career. I created some conjecture amongst readers & in doing so received a few emails as to who I was talking about. Almost everyone who took a guess listed Owen Hart. He was involved in the only bout on the DVD that I rated a 10 out of 10, and has often been the point of much discussion among wrestling fans as to whether or not he was good enough to ever become WWE Champion.

The other man's name who often comes into the debate on this topic is 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted Dibiase (who wasn't featured on the DVD). However, they are both possible columns for another time. As those guesses were incorrect. The man I was referring to was Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka.

I had already been a fan of Snuka from the little I saw of the twilight of his career. However, that was obviously only just the tip of the iceberg when it came to his entire career. The 2 bouts shown on the Bloodbath DVD prove that. The first is from 1980 where Snuka plays a heel & the second is from 1983 where he is the extremely over face.

Now I had only seen Snuka as a face, so I was amazed at how well he played the heel back in 1980. He just seemed menacing & used his background to maximum effect. On top of that, he showed a great mix of everything in the ring. He brawled, he wrestled, he was good on offense & good on defense. He also bled heavily, so obviously that didn't bother him. But I think the huge factor that stood out to me was that this man was simply ahead of his time... in 2 separate ways.

Firstly, his wrestling style is basically still being used effectively today. I mean, this man really flew around the ring. And I mean that in both senses of the word; He was quick & he took to the air. Secondly, what else is practically needed today to become a WWE superstar? Very good microphone work. And boy could Snuka deliver a promo. I think he is possibly one of the most under-rated promo-givers ever, as the intensity in his speech is right up there with the best of them

After a few failed title shots as a heel, I genuinely think that the WWE were waiting for the big face turn to push Snuka's career & title aspirations into overdrive. I can sort of see why too. At the time, big monsters made more effective heels, especially as champions. Snuka's style & size were always going to make him a success as a face, so why waste a title reign on him as a heel.

Unfortunately, Snuka was the wrong man at the wrong time. Why? Predominantly because of one man; Hulk Hogan. Now I will admit that I am sketchy on when Snuka turned face. But it wouldn't have been a great deal before Hogan's return to the WWF & eventual title win in January 1984. Whenever it was that Snuka turned face, Bob Backlund would have been the champ, and he was also a face. Backlund lost the title to The Iron Sheik & it wouldn't have surprised me if Snuka was initially the next face in line. But when Hulkamania came rolling into town, there was no way that was ever going to occur.


MAIN - Draft Lottery Feedback

Before I start, if you are yet to read my 'Draft Lottery' column from a fortnight ago, you may do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2005/articles/1113382480.php

I didn't do this topic last week, as I just felt that it may be too lengthy to fit around a 2 disc DVD review. As it turns out, that was a wise move, as there has been plenty of news & rumors floating around about the upcoming draft lottery. Funnily enough, one of the main questions that readers asked me (prior to the MSG Raw) was when it should be held. And my answer was correct. The ECW pay-per-view in early June gives the WWE the perfect opportunity to run this draft lottery. In fact, late May/early June is a better time than when they ran it last year, as it's typically a less interesting time of the WWE calendar. The WWE didn't need the draft lottery last year to boost ratings in April, as WrestleMania 20 did that. The same can be said this April as well. But 4-6 weeks down the track may be a different story.

I think the main factor that the WWE must concern themselves with when deciding who switches rosters is balance. The WWE could choose undercarders, midcarders, main-eventers, or a combination of all 3 to swap around, but their main objective must be to restore balance to the 2 separate shows. Quite frankly put, despite the last couple of weeks, SmackDown must do better out of this lottery than Raw. If 1 main eventer goes from SmackDown to Raw, then 2 must move the other way.

Ok, so let's take a look at who the readers suggested should move. From Raw to SmackDown, a few of my picks were popular. In fact, they all were in combinations to different readers. The most popular of my picks though were Shawn Michaels, Christian & The Hurricane. In fact, I'd probably estimate that these 3 superstars were suggested on 75% of the emails that I received! Of the other main-eventers, Chris Jericho was the most popular. Some mentioned him instead of HBK, while others had him moving in addition to Michaels. Randy Orton also got many votes despite his shoulder injury.

Moving to the upper midcard, Kane was mentioned a few times simply due to the fact that Raw has handed him terrible storyline after terrible storyline over the past few years. I'm unsure anything will change on the other brand to be honest. A smoky picked by 4 or 5 readers was Edge. And the reason given here was pretty much the same with all respondents; The Money In The Bank agreement that Edge is currently sitting on could get very interesting if he were to cross to SmackDown. I don't see this happening though, as the WWE clearly want to keep the 2 brands as separate as possible.

Looking down the roster on Raw, in addition to my choices of Conway, Cade & Tomko, the following superstars proved fairly popular for a move to SmackDown; Val Venis, Sylvain Grenier, Rosey, Gene Snitsky & Simon Dean. A genuine case can indeed be made for all those men.

Moving over to the current SmackDown roster, there were also a couple of wrestlers that I chose who were almost unanimously agreed upon; They were Charlie Haas & Doug Basham. I suppose you could add 1 diva to that, with Miss Jackie or Dawn-Marie proving most popular. But here, the spread of wrestlers that were favored amongst readers were a lot less. In fact, there was one wrestler who I did not pick as moving that received over 50% of votes to move to Raw. That wrestler was The Big Show.

It's actually not a bad thought to be honest. It can be strongly argued that moving The Big Show to Raw would mean a genuine main-event player can replace HBK (& Christian to a lesser extent), while not causing too much damage to the current SmackDown main-event scene. Furthermore, the WrestleMana 21 sumo match could partially prove that TBS has nothing much more to do on SmackDown. So yeah, in retrospect, I have absolutely no problem with this move.

Another man mentioned quite frequently was Luther Reigns. I can see the argument here as well, because here we have a wrestler with some talent (both in & out of the ring) who has repeatedly jobbed to The Big Show & The Undertaker over the past few months. Of course, if TBS moves, then I'm unsure there is a point in moving Reigns (unless TBS turns heel on arrival to Raw).

Others to gain some support in addition to my choices of Kidman, Heidenreich & Suzuki, were Rene Dupree, Rey Mysterio, Hardcore Holly & JBL. In all honesty, I disagree with all 4 of those picks, although I couldn't really care less on Holly. Heat would probably suit him better than Velocity! After he gets beat down by Muhammad Hussan in the most obvious feud though.

One name I haven't mentioned so far who also received some support is Kurt Angle. I strongly disagree with this move. Angle has been the lifeblood of SmackDown for about a year now & his recent matches with Shawn Michaels & Eddie Guerrero proves that. Furthermore, he took what was an arguably overplayed feud with Eddie from last year & still churned out an excellent match a couple of weeks back on SmackDown. Simply put, if Kurt moved to Raw, this would be a hole that may not be able to be filled on SmackDown. And yes, that even includes by the likes of some of my favorites; Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho & Christian.

In fact, taking the argument to exaggeration, who wouldn't mind seeing the following card at Judgment Day:

- Kurt Angle vs John Cena
- Kurt Angle vs JBL
- Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero
- Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio
- Kurt Angle vs Booker T
- Kurt Angle vs The Big Show

As overplayed as those matches may have been over the past couple of years, I would still be interested in seeing any one of those bouts next month! Add to the SmackDown roster some new faces such as HBK, Christian and/or Jericho through the draft lottery, and I have no doubt that Angle is still best suited to stay on SmackDown.

Finally, I must comment on a rumor that has done the rounds of late; That which suggests that Batista & John Cena may switch places. My initial thought was to dismiss it, as the WWE would not attempt something so risky, so early into 2 inexperienced title reigns. I still stick to that argument & am fairly confident that the switch will not take place. The 2 men climbed the proverbial ladder on their respective shows, so to have them move within 2 months of their big title win is not playing the percentages on such important title reigns. However, I did look a little past the obvious & it's indeed an intriguing idea. Don't get me wrong, it still won't occur, but it's something to definitely think about next year. Of course, a year is a long time in the world of professional wrestling.


DESSERT - Backlash Predictions

WILLIAM REGAL & TAJIRI vs THE HEART-THROBS vs ROSEY & THE HURRICANE vs SIMON DEAN & MAVEN vs LA RESISTANCE for the World Tag-Team Titles: This is the rumored match, so I'm going with it. Although, it may as well be just the first 2 teams competing. Having said that, call me crazy, but I actually wouldn't mind seeing Simon & Maven win the titles. I actually think there is some potential in that team. But back to the 2 teams who will undoubtedly feud for the title over the next couple of months, I actually predicted a WWE call up for Roselli & Thomas (The Heart-Throbs) back in February, when I saw them on an episode of Heat (see my column #119). They do have the gimmick to get noticed by the fans, while I think there is just enough variation to previous characters to get by. Their in-ring wrestling skills aren't sensational, but they aren't all that bad. I can see them improving over the remainder of this year simply by wrestling against superior opponents than what they have been used to. The result here is a toss up, but I could see MnM & The Heart-Throbs being this years Benoit & Eddie, in that the WWE are trying something different by having 2 new wrestlers/tag-teams hold the titles at the same time on the 2 separate brands. Winners: The Heart-Throbs

SHELTON BENJAMIN vs CHRIS JERICHO for the InterContinental Title: One of those feuds which looks good on paper, but doesn't quite work practically. It's always difficult to perfect a face vs face or heel vs heel feud, and this one just hasn't done anything for me thus far. At least, the byplay may result in something during the actual match though. And I think these 2 are good enough to put on something well above average when the bell rings. As for the result, I can't see why the WWE would take the title off Benjamin right now, unless Jericho was going to turn fully heel. And I don't see that happening. Winner: Shelton Benjamin

KANE vs VISCERA: I have to be honest & state that I was pleasantly surprised when Viscera came out & beat up Kane to save Trish a couple of weeks back. I'm not even sure why I have just termed it a pleasant surprise, to be honest. Maybe it was simply good use of an undercard wrestler. But anyway, from that, we get this match. And really, I can't see it being too flash. Then again, it might not be terrible either. I expect a typical big man match, but with the occasional non-typical big man move thrown in. I also expect Kane to emerge victorious & banish Viscera back to Heat. It's a shame that Trish is currently injured, as a mixed tag-team match would have resulted in some unpredictability being thrown in. Winner: Kane

EDGE vs CHRIS BENOIT in a Last Man Standing Match: I have to be honest here & state that I was a little disappointed over a week ago when Eric Bischoff stated that this match would be a 'Last Man Standing' match. I just don't like them as I feel they are too unrealistic the majority of times. DDTs, for example, go from not being able to get a 3 count in a normal match, to getting a slow 8 count in this type of match. It doesn't help that this is at least the 3rd of these types of bouts that the WWE have gone with over the past year or so. But there is one positive to all of this & that's the word I used: "Unrealistic". When it comes to making the unrealistic believable, there is no better man to do it than Chris Benoit. This will test him & the improving Edge. Hopefully, they can bring their intensity & all-around skill. I still approach this bout with caution though. As for the result; Benoit got a clean win over Edge on Raw about 3 weeks ago, so now it's Edge's turn. Winner: Edge

SHAWN MICHAELS & HULK HOGAN vs MUHAMMAD HUSSAN & KHOSROW DAIVARI: I have no problems with this match being on the card. Of course, that doesn't mean it will be that good. It will actually be a little interesting to see how Hussan & Daivari work as a tag-team, as they might surprise a few people. But the real show here will be the teaming of Hogan & Michaels. I'm sure it will at least be entertaining & the live crowd especially will love it. Winner: Michaels & Hogan

BATISTA vs TRIPLE H for the World HeavyWeight Title: Oh boy, this match worries me. For 2 reasons; (1) I'm unsure that these 2 can do better than their WrestleMania 21 bout (which received a 7 rating from myself) & (2) the result. While I'm with the majority in saying that Batista's face run has stalled a bit of late, I really think he needs to retain the title here. It's just best for the stability of the roster right now, not to mention Batista's standing over the remainder of the year. But the rumored main event for July's Vengeance pay-per-view (& I won't state it just in case you haven't seen the rumor) concerns me greatly. So this prediction is very much what I want to happen, rather than what I think may happen. Winner: Batista

Ok, so there we have Backlash as it currently stands. Only 6 matches have been announced, so there will probably be an extra match added. Although, there could be 2. The obvious wrestler not on this card currently is Christian, and his form is just too good at the moment to leave off a ppv. But, presuming that the 5 team turmoil match does use Rosey & The Hurricane, the only available face opponent is Heat regular Val Venis & I'm unsure how an unadvertised match between those 2 would turn out. Other than that, I can also see Chris Masters doing something predictable, whether it be a match or not. All in all, I'm unsure what to make of this card. A lot relies on Edge, Benoit, Benjamin & Jericho, but I'm not so sure a face vs face match & a Last Man Standing match will bring out their best.


Ok, that's another one in the books. I hope you enjoyed edition #128 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. Feel free to give me your opinion on any of the topics which I have discussed today. I'm sure you have your own thoughts on my 'uncrowned champ' topic. Also, do you agree with my predictions for the upcoming pay-per-view...??? 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 review of Backlash. Here's hoping we get a decent pay-per-view. Apart from that, I will be honest here & say that I have absolutely no idea what else I will be serving up for you. I've always said unpredictability is good. Whatever pops up, 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* Hot Photos of Hulk Hogan's YOUNGER MISTRESS & Brooke's Friend!

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