DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu #145 - Raw & 'Unforgiven' Reviews + Taboo Tues Predictions
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at 7:40 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #145

Welcome one and all to the 145th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

For the 2nd week in a row, I have changed my column plan. Having reviewed SmackDown last week, I felt it only fair to review Raw this week. Before I begin though, I have to touch on a few points. Firstly, I couldn't write this column without mentioning the amazing Chris Benoit Suicide Dive through the ropes last week on SmackDown. That was a genuinely "Holy $hit" moment which reminds me why Benoit is still in the top 3 wrestlers going around, if not ever.

Speaking of the SmackDown roster & great moves, how about that reverse hurracanrana that Juvi pulled off on Paul London this past weekend. I can't say that I've seen that move before. Actually, Velocity was great from top to bottom, with a handy little Christian vs Spanky bout complementing that cruiserweight title match & a tag-title bout between LOD'05 & Regal/Burchill. Great to see the WWE keeping up the quality of that show despite it not airing on television in North America.

Finally, I received a heap of feedback to my 'Annoying America' topic from last week's column. Most readers actually agreed with me on all of my points. But there were 20 or so people that thought my college football opinion was either over-the-top or completely wrong. Let me first say that I do not mind watching college football, so forgive me if I was misinterpreted. But I still suggest that college football would operate healthily & successfully if it did not receive as much national coverage as it does & actually partially competes with the NFL.

However, a reader (Bryan) has emailed me stating that as a result of the brought forward Chiefs vs Dolphins game, he heard that there is actually a law of some sort to prevent the NFL from monopolizing timeslots & competing heavily against college & high school football. Well, if it's the law, then they got to abide by it, don't they!?!?!?

For those of you that have yet to read last week's column, you may do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2005_/articles/1129713082.php

First up today, I catch up on all my PPV Reviews, as I finally take a look at September's 'Unforgiven'.....


APPETIZERS - Unforgiven 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: G.A Bash '05)
55-59: Average. [C] (EG: Royal Rumble '04 & No Way Out '04)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: Judgment Day '05)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: WrestleMania 21)
70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: SummerSlam '05)
75-79: Make sure you add this ppv to your video or dvd collection. [A] (EG: ECW: One Night Stand)
80+ : Make sure that the video or dvd is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]

RIC FLAIR defeated CARLITO to Win the InterContinental Title: Ok 12 minute opener. Pretty much the standard Flair bout (circa 2005) & even this early in his career, I can (harshly) already say this was pretty much the standard Carlito bout as well. There was some nice byplay between the 2, as there often is when a cheating heel faces Flair. But essentially this was pretty standard fare helped out by the uncertainty of whether or not Flair would win his 1st IC title. Flair indeed did so after catching Carlito in the throat (while he was chewing on an apple) & finishing him off with the Figure 4 Leglock. Nice touches afterwards as Flair praises the IC Title & starts his hilarious viagra-fueled party. Match Rating...6

TRISH STRATUS & ASHLEY MASSARO defeated VICTORIA & TORRIE WILSON: I wish the WWE would wait a little longer before putting the diva search winners in an actual match. It was really embarrassing having to watch Victoria sell for Ashley's (for want of a better word) offense. When Trish & Victoria were in the ring together, this bout was actually quite good, as Trish's absence has resulted in some apparent freshness to the feud. But while the crowd did get involved, the match just didn't work as a whole & I cannot pass it. Match Rating...4

THE BIG SHOW defeated GENE SNITSKY: Pretty much a filler bout & it started off way too predictably for a big man match. But I must say that a rather impressive back suplex by Snitsky kickstarted a couple of decent minutes of action. These 2 tried hard and I'll be nice & pass it because of that. But this feud must be over now & the WWE must find something better for them soon. 6 minutes was about right & TBS predictably gets the victory. Match Rating...5

SHELTON BENJAMIN defeated KERWIN WHITE: Speaking of filler... This sure was a difficult match to get into. The crowd struggled to get involved, while the commentators definitely weren't watching the bout. It seems everyone was paying attention to Chavo's new character/gimmick & just how bad it is going to fail. I think I was pretty much the same, which is a real shame as both of these guys can go in the ring. They put together a couple of nice sequences here, but the setup & 8 minute duration just wasn't the appropriate showcase. Ok, but very forgettable. Match Rating...5.5

MATT HARDY defeated EDGE in a Steel Cage Match: Excellently booked & performed steel cage match which was undoubtedly the best of their series. Now I know why many found their Homecoming Raw Ladder Match disappointing! While the intensity was as high as you would expect it to be at the beginning of the bout, these 2 settled into a methodical pace for the first 10 minutes or so. But following a hint that Hardy may have been knocked out again, things well & truly kicked up many gears. The remainder of this 21 minute match was a terrific combination of back & forth brutality, excitement, intensity & (most importantly) entertainment. Many good spots occurred, but they were booked to look natural & not spotty. Lita's interference added to the bout. Edge's bladejob added to the bout. And it was all capped off perfectly by a legdrop from the top of the cage. Top notch stuff & a match of the year contender. Match Rating...9

LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH defeated ROSEY & THE HURRICANE to Win the World Tag-Team Titles: My first look at Cade & Murdoch, and I do think that there is some potential there in an old-school kind of way. While everyone has been noticing the 1970's like Murdoch & his shenanigans, Cade has quietly slipped under the guard & has appeared to have improved his charisma & quality (his main weaknesses from his first run). A really nice start to this 7 minute title bout, as there were some crisp & obviously well-rehearsed sequences. I can't say the remainder of the match followed suit, but it was fairly solid & not too bad. The main angle was that Hurricane was out of the match for the most part after being DDT'd on the outside. Correct result & some possible storyline progression for the superheroes. Match Rating...6

SHAWN MICHAELS defeated CHRIS MASTERS: Yet another HBK match where he makes his much less talented opponent look really good. Cleverly booked start to the bout as Masters locked on the MasterLock before the bell rings. This logically transgresses into the rookie targetting Michaels' back & dominating the first two-thirds of this 17 minute match. It was nothing scintillating, but was sufficiently solid, mainly fluent & helped immensely by HBK's selling. Of course, the eventual HBK offensive flurry predictably came, but a little more unpredictably ended prematurely in the MasterLock. And it's success as a legitimate finisher looks to have been proven with how involved the crowd got at this stage. A rope break was then followed by a clever MasterLock counter into 'Sweet Chin Music' for the pinfall. A pleasant surprise & a real achievement by both men to stretch this out until the 17 minute mark. I'm unsure that they could do any better against each other at this stage. Match Rating...7.5

KURT ANGLE defeated JOHN CENA by Disqualification in a Match for the WWE Championship: Inconsistent main event, but predominantly disappointing. This was especially the case after their good 'No Way Out' bout earlier this year. A good intense beginning gave way to 10 minutes of rather boring non-action, where the back & forth stuff continued to lead nowhere. There just seemed to be no dynamic between the 2 for some reason. The match did pick up when Cena had an offensive flurry at about the 11 minute mark of this 17 minute bout. But while the next few minutes were very good, it gave way to overbooking as we finished off with a ref bump, some Bischoff interference & a DQ win to Angle. Despite the good aftermath which almost won me over, no ppv main event should end in disqualification. Not terrible, but these 2 can definitely do a lot better. Match Rating...7

PPV RATING (50/80) = 62

Looking at the key, I have basically given 'Unforgiven' a 'C+' grade & said that it was 'worth a watch'. Hmmm, the event is probably a little over-rated by that grade, but it just goes to show how much a match of the year contender can do for a ppv. Hardy & Edge very much overshadowed everything else on this card. They were ably backed up by Michaels & Masters, but that's about it. The main event was disappointing, while the remainder of the card was pretty much filler & there to present 2 title changes. If you did not view Unforgiven, I probably wouldn't recommend buying the DVD. However, the cage match should be seen somehow.


MAIN - Raw Review

As I said at the top of the column, I thought I would balance out the ledger & review Raw this week. I wasn't certain if Mr. Tito was going to be able to do his world famous Raw review, so I thought I'd chime in either way. Loyal readers would know that I simply throw down my opinions as briefly as possible in point form. So here goes...

- The WWE decided to kick things off with the big all-face triple-threat match containing the 3 choices for the final man in the WWE Championship bout at 'Taboo Tuesday'. As an individual match, it was a bit of a mish-mash, as Kane & The Big Show were attempting a big man match, while HBK was awkwardly trying gallantly to fit in. But as a pre-cursor to 2 separate title matches at the upcoming ppv, it was more than satisfactory. 2 botched moves (Kane back suplexing TBS & HBK missing Kane with the Sweet Chin Music) certainly did not help, while I found it interesting that TBS was double-teamed when the opportunity arose. On face value, this was a good choice as opener, seeing as though they had Cena vs Angle up their sleeve. But we could not have known how much talk there was to follow!

- Cena rides in a stock car. The segment didn't do anything for me personally, but if it's seen by car racing fans, well then I guess there is a small possibility that they can win over a casual fan or two. Cross promotion is good, not evil.

- Jerry 'The King' Lawler "interacts" with the fans by allowing them to voice their disapproval at Coach for replacing JR as the head Raw commentator. The 3 match choices are announced & I think it's fair to say that the 'streetfight' will be voted in! See below on my theory of what to vote for if you want to see JR return to the WWE.

- Anyway, poor Coach wanders down to the ring in a pre-planned segment to call out 'Stone Cold'. Predictably, Austin is not in the building tonight, but Stephanie McMahon doesn't begrudge the live crowd of the "Glass Shatters" pop, by driving to the ring & drinking a beer. A good director would have yelled "cut" at this stage, but then Coach & (mainly) Steph felt the need to waffle on & on for a few more minutes, without really saying anything. That's required sometimes to hype a feud, but not on this occasion. Let's face it, 'Stone Cold' fans will pay to watch Austin's wrestling return without any hype at all. So I think the 30 odd minutes he took up at the HomeComing Raw was more than enough.

- Then, to make things worse, Mick Foley comes out to begin a useless & totally unnecessary war of words with Stephanie. This was all a predictable lead-up to Carlito coming down & beating the hell out of Foley (with the help of a Steph low-blow). This whole multi-pronged segment took up way too much time with mindless & useless conversation. Austin vs Coach was not added to at all, while Foley vs Carlito would have been better aided with their own segment.

- Triple H vs Viscera was the match up next, but it never started as the Nature Boy attacked from behind. What followed was the usual 'officials incompetently failing to separate 2 wrestlers' routine, before Flair grabbed the mic, went tomato red & screamed "cage" 10 or so times. As if the WWE need to sway the fans choice on that one!

- Meanwhile, in an exclusive on WWE.com Unlimited, Viscera took Lillian Garcia backstage & made sweet lurve to her!!! Seriously, where did the big ba$tard go?

- To the car park we go, as JBL shows up & does a great job of jaw-jacking with Bischoff about turning up on Raw. Edge, Lita & Masters then appear in the ring to hype the Raw vs SmackDown match at 'Taboo Tuesday'. Edge marvellously channels his late 90's humorous heel persona as he, Lita & Masters go through the 5 choices of opponents. Classic stuff... Very entertaining... And capped off with the line of the segment as JBL asks Chris Masters to "do the English language a favor & shut up". JBL & Rey then show some intellectual teamwork as Rey hits the ring, attacks Edge & gives the 619 to Lita. Terrific segment by all involved, which adds to the upcoming matches at the next 2 ppvs. It will be interesting to see if the fans do what the WWE wants & votes in JBL & Rey. I have my doubts, but you never know.

- Hooray! A singles match in the Women's Division. Not only that, but one involving 2 actual wrestlers. Nothing special, but nothing too bad either. Victoria loses again & once more we miss what is arguably the best current finisher in the WWE.

- Here he comes... Vinny Mac... Because the McMahons-JR-Coach-Austin angle hasn't had enough tv time already! Oh great, we get "crap" jokes... no matter how you look at it. And as if the jokes weren't bad enough, we then go to a hospital spoof sketch that won't be forgotten quickly by anyone who saw it. Unfortunately, that's not a good thing in this case. To fit the mood, I think I will add my own crap joke here: It's fair to say that the writers & Vince were pushing $hit uphill with this segment! In fact, the funniest parts of the skit to me were the well-placed JR sound-bytes that were added. In a way, I find that rather ironic.

- Next up is a storyline advancement bout, as Cade & Murdoch defeat Rosey in a handicap match. A maskless Hurricane (Gregory Helms) stands in the aisle doing nothing but shaking his head. He actually looked a little like actor Colin Farrell if you ask me. The heel turn starts now... about a year later than it should have. And we obviously aren't getting 'Sugar' Shane back. Oh, I forgot... That was a WCW idea!

- The main event has a special referee... Mick Foley... for no apparent reason. Holy $hit... Cena is over. There were a few "Let's go Angle" chants to begin with, but the roof almost blew off the arena when Cena made his way down to the ring. Real good start to the match as Cena overcame Angle's mat game with a spirited offensive flurry. But following the annoying commercial break, the pace was once more slowed down & Kurt was in control. Sufficient tv main event when all was said & done. It actually wasn't too dissimilar to their Unforgiven bout, if you take away the predictable over-booking at the end, involving ref Foley & interference from Carlito & Bischoff. I was actually kind of hoping for a Cena win to possibly foreshadow a title change at the ppv. But Angle gets another (tainted) victory in the books, which has me changing my ppv prediction for the WWE Championship bout.


Man, how do you sum this episode of Raw up? Up until this week, I was initially concerned about the over-exposure of the McMahon family & 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin on the USA network version of Raw. But I was willing to hold out until now when I reviewed this episode. Well, depsite a no-show from Austin, I am still concerned. While the majority of fans can't get enough of Stone Cold vs the McMahons, I have to call it the way I see it & say that the feud is already dragging the show down. I know the ratings & ppv buyrates will come avalanching in, but it looks like we may have to put up with some bad television in the meantime.

As a ppv set-up show, this was a decent episode, but I've seen a lot better. The Raw vs SmackDown feud segment was terrific & that is a feud that could keep me interested all the way up to WrestleMania 22 if the WWE choose to stretch it out that far. Foley vs Carlito was too formulaic, Flair vs Triple H got little time, while I won't comment further on the colon surgery skit. I wasn't offended, but it just lacked what a few segments did on this night; The director yelling "CUT". Oh & seeing as though it's a professional wrestling show, all matches were average. For those that are clamoring for a Mr.Tito like grade, I give this episode of Raw a D+. One good segment & some ok ppv set-up does not make for a great show!


DESSERT

Taboo Tuesday Predictions

It's that time of the year again... That time when us WWE fans get an array of diverse, yet stupid & obvious, choices to shape a pay-per-view. If you can't tell, there is more than a hint of sarcasm in that opening comment. This may sound contradictory, but while I am a fan who thanks the WWE for admitting that we should play a part in determining what takes place on our screen, I am well & truly against the theory behind 'Taboo Tuesday'. I won't rehash what I wrote last year, but if you would like to know why, you can do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2004_/articles/1097068836.php

MICK 'CACTUS JACK' FOLEY vs CARLITO: Fans get to decide on which persona Mick wrestles as here. And while I can see the Mankind character gaining quite a few votes, I'm certain Cactus Jack will end out clearly on top. And it's actually an important distinction in this bout, as I just cannot see Carlito scoring a victory over the Cactus Jack character. Yet, if Mick was playing either of the other 2 characters, then it may indeed be a possibility. I really don't know what type of quality level we see here. It's going to be an interesting mix, that's for sure. Hopefully, Foley can give Carlito the rub that he has given many opponents previously. Winner: Mick 'Cactus Jack' Foley

EDGE & CHRIS MASTERS vs JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD & MATT HARDY: Fans get to choose Edge & Masters' opponents here & I can see the vote being very close. Other options are Rey Mysterio, Christian & Hardcore Holly. Fans would tend to choose faces here, so Rey & Holly are a definite chance. But I see Hardy's past with Edge being too good for fans to refuse. While JBL being at the forefront of this feud should get him the gig as well. Of course, the WWE want you to choose JBL & Rey... That would work just as good (just don't vote for Holly please). But hey, it's what the majority of fans want, not what's logical. If these are the 4 men to battle it out, this should be a decent quality tag-team match. The Raw duo should get the win, possibly due to JBL & Hardy not working together well, which could in turn lead to a feud between those 2 men on SmackDown. Winners: Edge & Chris Masters

ROB CONWAY vs EUGENE & JIMMY 'SUPERFLY' SNUKA In a Handicap Match: The other 2 options as Eugene’s tag-team partner are ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan & ‘The Ugandan Giant’ Kamala. I think Snuka will be voted in here for 2 reasons: (1) He is probably the most known of the 3 choices to the casual fan & (2) most fans will not care & just pick the first choice (which is Snuka). My choice would depend on whether you would want to see a semi-serious match (Snuka), or an all out humorous match (Kamala). I would choose the former as I want Conway to have every opportunity to prove himself, and putting him in throwaway humor matches would simply make him a complete joke (which his entrance music & gimmick is already starting to do). But either way, I still see him getting defeated here. I’m unsure he gains too much with a victory, while Eugene would then be totally squashed. So I think a fighting loss in a handicap match, which well & truly entertains the fans, is the way to go here. Winner: Eugene & Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka

'STONE COLD' STEVE AUSTIN vs JONATHAN COACHMAN in a Streetfight: Now if fans were clever & wanted JR back on the Raw commentary team, they would vote for an arm-wrestling match here, as there is no way Coach could win that. But fans will predictably vote in a streetfight, which means that interference is legal. So expect plenty of interference here, as every McMahon & their dog comes out to assist Coach. Oh well, a stunner here & a stunner there should result in them not moving for about 10 minutes, as it did on Raw a few weeks back. While I wouldn't be surprised if Coach somehow won, what I think will happen is that Stone Cold will win, but in a case of technicalities, JR is hired by the WWE in a role other than commentator. From what I recall, Stephanie said "the WWE would rehire JR". She didn't mention the commentary position though. Winner: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

TRISH STRATUS vs ASHLEY MASSARO vs MICKIE JAMES vs VICTORIA vs TORRIE WILSON vs CANDICE MICHELLE vs MARIA in a Battle Royal: Fans get to vote on the ladies wearing lingerie, leather & lace or cheerleader outfits here. This will probably be the closest vote all night & while I'm suspecting that the tried & true lingerie will come through, I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of the other 2 options pops up on our screen. I think it's been a while since we have seen a ladies battle royal, so this is a decent positioning for one. Whether or not the title is on the line, I'm guessing that James will cost Trish the bout, whether she wins it or not. I'll take a punt & say that she does. Winner: Mickie James

RIC FLAIR vs TRIPLE H in a Steel Cage Match: Other match options here are a normal wrestling match & a submissions match. So watch the steel cage match option get at least 70% of the vote. Now I am presuming that this is not for the InterContinental Title. And that may be a good thing, as who knows what Triple H would do with it if he won it. A steel cage match actually suits these 2, as you will see blood & lots of it. Plus, it enables the WWE to book around Flair's weaknesses to a certain extent. These guys will make this very watchable... I'm almost certain of that. I just can't see Flair getting the win here & I'm unsure where the feud goes from here either. I'll leave that up to the experts (the WWE creative department, not the fans or this column writer). Winner: Triple H

LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH vs KANE & THE BIG SHOW for the World Tag-Team Titles: My guess is that HBK will win the vote to be the 3rd entrant in the WWE Championship match. The WWE probably have planned for this by making 2 big men be the other 2 choices, meaning that they will tag up here. And it's decent booking, as this team could lead anywhere. We could get dissension & a heel turn from either of them, or we could get teamwork & a tag-team title reign. I think I will choose the latter, as it will add some spice to the division & another genuine quality team if they can stay together for any period of time. Winners: Kane & The Big Show

JOHN CENA vs KURT ANGLE vs SHAWN MICHAELS for the WWE Championship: Despite the predictability of him not winning the title, I actually like the fact that HBK will be added to this match. His history this year with Angle is tremendous, while I have always wondered how good HBK could make Cena look. Michaels isn't winning here, as he is promoted to be the Raw captain at the Survivor Series 8 man match. But that predictability could be negated by my gut feeling that Kurt may actually come out with the gold here. Keeping Cena as champ until WrestleMania is a bit of a risk, so he either loses it here or to Triple H in the new year. Plus, if he lost it in a triple threat, whether he was pinned or not, it wouldn't make him look as weak as losing it in a singles match. But as I stated earlier, Angle defeating him 3 times in the last month or so is not a good sign for Kurt, so I will err on the side of safety & predict that Cena retains. Winner: John Cena

Ok, so there you have 'Taboo Tuesday' as it currently stands. It's actually an intriguing little card, but once more the onus is very much on the WWE & it's booking decisions to follow through on it. This could range from very ordinary to very good in quality. I hope the WWE concentrate on entertainment with a touch of the unpredictable, as I think those are the 2 major characteristics that this event needs. So while I still don't like the theory behind this interactive pay-per-view, I am looking forward to see how this event pans out.


Ok, that's all I have for edition #145 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of my ratings for 'Unforgiven'. I'm sure most would pretty much agree with me on this event, but you never know. The same goes for my thoughts on Raw. And how about my 'Taboo Tuesday' predictions... Have I got them correct...??? As per usual, I will reply to everyone. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Or alternately, if you are an LOPForums member, you may also leave feedback by clicking on the following link: http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=4889

Remember that the above link also has my 'Detailed North America Comments' which absolutely everyone can view. Just remember to click page 2 & scroll down a little to see my comments.

Next week's 'Wrestling Menu' will obviously include my review of the 'Taboo Tuesday' pay-per view. It will also finally have the review I have held off on for 2 weeks. I may as well let the cat out of the bag on that one; It's a review of John Cena's debut CD 'You Can't See Me'. Apart from that, I will see what else I can serve up to you (maybe another Raw review). Just note that the column will be posted a little later than usual during Wednesday (possibly even on Thursday morning), as the Tuesday positioning of the ppv & the time difference between America & Australia will make it difficult for me. So 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.












10/10 News: Huge WWE Return Revealed & Confirmed, Foley's First TNA Opponent, MAJOR WWE Changes Coming, MORE!!!

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