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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Sunday, November 13, 2005 at 9:08 PM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – The Loss Of Eddie * The opening of this column and review were written previously. I left them intact. Humor, or attempts at them, can help ease a troubled soul. Greetings! Welcome to another edition of Ridin' With The Bossman, Vince’s lifeline to sanity. For two hours or so. Just enough time to get some skits and endings changed, before he goes back off the deep end. Like renaming tag teams after male genitalia. Vince Russo must be green with envy. Well, I had Monday off, but the week feels like it had an extra day in it. Man, I can’t wait till Christmas, when I’ll get a full week of vacation and be able to get out of Arizona. I’ll be heading back home to be precise. Chicago. Where I will promptly hit up all my old contacts to get me some free Wrestlemania tickets. If I’m lucky. Five weeks, baby WWE TV – The Series The race is on! It’s Smackdown vs Raw at Survivor Series! Only two weeks to go! And Raw has it’s first show since Taboo Tuesday. Let’s take a look. Raw Recap Info provided by Carl Walsh Everyone is at ringside. Why? It’s because Bischoff, who seems to have caught that nasty cold going around Phoenix, has called them out to yell at them. A very well done piece. Eric lays out the plan for the Raw vs Smackdown match, and names his first few team members. Shaun Michaels is the Captain, and Kane and Big Show, the Tag Team Champions will be on the team. So that leaves two slots open. One will be decided tonight, as Bischoff makes a match for Carlito vs Shelton Benjamin. Bischoff then says that Edge is a bastard. Not exactly, but he punishes Edge for saying he doesn’t care about Raw. He tells him that he will face Batista on Smackdown, and to not come back until he “gets the job done”. Oh yes, Mickie also says some crazy stuff. Like wanting to rub oil on Trish. And then, well, not really, but a man can dream can’t he? SWEEPS, BABY! SMELL THE RATINGS! Shelton Benjamin vs Carlito It’s good to see Shelton back in action. The guy is really incredible. He’s a technical high flyer. Carlito is an Old School Brawler. Not the greatest match up, and it lagged early, but the last half was solid. The ending, however, sucked. Carlito grabbed the ropes and used them for leverage to get the win. Damn. More thoughts on this later. Not just this match, but the whole Smackdown vs Raw thing. Mickie and Trish What the fudge? Is Trish ever going to get a chance to speak? Then again, I am dying to hear Trish have her say on this, so the tension is building and that’s a good thing. Trish and Mickie vs Victoria and Candace A pretty good match. I’ll even go so far as to say this. Candace has improved greatly. That chick shows some real talent. She knows how to work a crowd, and has developed some really good skills. She’s better than Ashley. Ending saw Candace and Victoria cheat to pin Mickie. Vicki and Candace then made out. Wait, that didn’t happen, but hey, it’s SWEEPS BABY! GET THOSE RATINGS! WHOO! Kane and Big Show, Best Buds OK, I’m going to backpedal here and say that Show shouldn’t go intense. See, this promo, thankfully brief where Show was concerned, showed me that maybe, having Show try and match, let alone top, Kane in the crazy intensity department, well, bad idea. I saw the look in Show’s eyes as the promo ending, and well, while it may lead to casket riding hijinks, which I would find very amusing, that is not the goal. So, instead, Show might want to try just being arrogant. Maybe pick up the pace in the ring, and see how that works. Kane has intense down pat, and we don’t need two really big guys being creepy. Let’s see how that goes. Helms vs Rosey Decent match. Helms finally gets to speak. Not sure about his new look however. Whatever. Helms wins after delivering the Shining Wizard. Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch vs Kane and Big Show Well, the grandeur seems to have worn off the former Tag Team champions. It’s hard to compare to the two biggest guys on the roster. OK match, Kane and Show win the hardcore match with a double chokeslam. Kurt Angle Speaks OK, very good opening from Kurt, with the complaints about the “You Suck” Chants, as that’s a way to play with the crowd, but it got too serious. Honestly, I’m not sure what WWE is trying to accomplish with this. Was it just some mindless fun (no problem there) or an honest attempt to do away with a fun chant? Once again, the segment went way too long. When Kurt started talking about his family, well, that’s out of character. Was he trying to get sympathy? For a heel? The end saw Kurt just up and leave. Kurt was later talking with Bischoff, who said he would fix the problem. Ric Flair vs Conway H was sitting in a chair on the ramp. Yeah, you can look as tough as you want H, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re sitting on your ass and not wrestling. Good match from Ric and Conway. Not a bad match at all. End saw H come down to ringside with the Dreaded Yappi – Pi Biker Chain (outlawed in seven states) and choke Ric after he won. We also find out that Ric and H will have a Last Man Standing Match at Survivor Series? Will there actually be a winner? Pay Forty buck to find out! Kurt Angle and Chris Masters vs John Cena and HBK Bischoff’s solution to the problem is to bleep the “You Suck” Chants for the people at home. So, the folks in the arena can chant it to their hearts content, and everyone knows exactly what they’re saying, but you get a beep instead. -OK, this is stupid. And pointless. WWE has little to no control on trying to get fans to chant what they want. Messing with a gimmick that works, for no other reason that to slow Angle’s momentum, is stupid. It might be to protect John Cena, as they could be thinking of turning Angle face and Cena heel, since whenever WWE hears a reaction that they didn’t expect, they have to mess with it. Too soon to tell for sure, so the only thing left to do is wait and see. Where this can go horribly, horribly wrong. History has told us so. Special guest referee was Daivari. Interesting choice, and a good gimmick to come back under for Daivari. The match itself was crazy, with tons of interference and bad calls (on purpose). End was a chair shot by Masters, that wasn’t called, and then HBK grabbed the chair, and THEN the DQ came. So Angle and Masters won. A building show. The hype for the PPV is in full swing, and the pieces are being put into place, and tinkering is going on. Not a bad show, but nothing truly spectacular. Smackdown Recap info courtesy of Chad Matthews Show starts off similar to Raw, but this time, the crew is in the locker room. Teddy makes some announcements, who is on the team and team captain. The first qualifying match is up next. It’s Rey vs Randy. Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio Slow start that got better. Bob Orton was in Randy’s corner, and interfered. On things got rolling, the match really picked up speed. The ending sucked though. Not because Rey won, but the post match hijinks. Randy and his dad were beating on Mysterio. Matt Hardy ran in. He punched Cowboy Bob. Bob no sold. Totally. That is just bullcrap. Maybe his reflexes were slow, as he is old, but he no sold everything that Hardy threw at him. At the end, he wasn’t selling any type of injury, he just walked out. Randy was. But not Bob. MNM and Some Chick A very badly written segment. It went all over the place, and ended up going no where. Tyra Banks isn’t coming, but they kept throwing her name out there. So, some broad is out there, trying to act, and failing, and MNM is about to beat her up, when the Mexicools show up for the save. Well now, that has some promise. The Mexicools dance with the chick as the segment ends. Orlando Jordan vs Bobby Lashley A quick match. Orlando is squashed. Lashley wins and gets to be part of Team Smackdown. Which is good, size they need a big guy to match up against Kane, Big Show, and Masters. Eddie Guerrero vs Ken Cheesehead…CHEESEHEAD More a skit match than an actual wrestling match, as the finish saw Eddie using a trick to win. Ken then went nuts and attacked Eddie with a chair. Eddie gets laid out, but won the match. Edge and Lita Edge is at Smackdown and tries to talk things out. First with Teddy, then with Dave himself. But the most classic part came when Edge and Lita were in the waiting room. What happened? This happened.  Man, that was hilarious. Just like old times. Edge and Lita need to go to Smackdown, post haste. The Dicks First, we got midgets, then we got Boogey Man, and now this. Just what is going on here? Again, whatever, I’m not going near this one. Benoit vs Bradshaw A qualifying match for Team Smackdown. Decent match. Booker came out and joined the announce team. Sharmell has a crown now. Anyhoo, Booker gets involved and distracts Benoit enough for Bradshaw to take advantage, and pick up the win. Batista vs Edge Before the match started, Raw once again invaded. Bischoff tried to get in, but was denied by Teddy. Masters then snuck up (Don’t ask, Big Show used to do it all the time) and slapped the Master Lock on Teddy. Team Smackdown then showed up and chased then off. We then have a Dukes Of Hazard Hot Pursuit! In Limos no less. Well, not really, but it’s SWEEPS BABY! Big Show and Kane showed up in the arena and went to the ring to help Edge beat up Batista. Double choke slam later and Team Raw stands victorious over the fallen Champion Batista. Another show on “build mode” for Survivor Series, but when this show wasn’t completely off target (midgets, etc) it did a good job of building the hype in the PPV. The line has been drawn, but that doesn’t mean they have been written in stone. There were some post show developments that really changed the way this feud would go down. Then there was the news that came over the wire this morning. Eddie Guerrero has passed away. The review portion of this column was written before the news came out, and I’m still digesting the news that Eddie, one of the best performers in the business, and a man of great talent, has passed away. His family must be devastated. His friend must be devastated as well. Little is known currently of how it happened, but the fact is, Eddie is gone. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. The net is already being flooded with tribute columns, as Eddie touched a lot of fans. In a good way. Not being a historian, I’d rather not do a tribute column or even spend that must time on it. Eddie will be missed. As a legend in wrestling, as a talented worker, as a great performer, and as a friend and mentor to those he worked with. No one can replace him. No one. The guy had a charisma and a feel for working with the audience that is seen only in the best. His in ring skill was a beautiful thing to see. Others may match what he did, but none will do it quite the way he did. I’d like to share one Guerrero memory however. I believe it truly showed what a great performer he was, and just how much talent he truly had. Sioux City Iowa, May 19, 2005 Eddie comes to the ring, with Rey’s mask. He doesn’t say anything. But he sucks the crowd in with his mere presence and conveys a mood to the crowd that fires them up. It’s five minutes of silence from Eddie, but plenty of noise from the crowd. It was amazing to see. Without saying a single word, Eddie guided the crowd to react the way he wanted them to. Just with body language and gestures. The Rey – Eddie feud had plenty of crappy moments. But Eddie made it work, by sheer fore of will. Having a silent promo would be catastrophic to any wrestler, but it wasn’t for Eddie. I think that promo was the one that hooked fans on the feud. Eddie, God keep your soul and watch over your family in this trying time. You will be missed. Over-Analyzing Wrestling Today’s Topic: A Heartbreaking Loss It’s a trying time for WWE. The passing of Eddie Guerrero will be felt emotionally for along time to come. His legacy is long and deep. Rumors say that the Television being taped tonight will be changed to tribute shows for Eddie. Then, it’s time to board the planes and head to Europe, for a long tour. Monday and Friday will be times to let the emotions out. But the hard decision must be made now, while there is still time to make them. This is where WWE stands right now: Eddie – God rest his soul. Christian – Gone Batista – Out. For possibly a few months. Benoit – Contract due in two weeks. Regardless of the offer, Benoit was a very good friend to Eddie, and the loss will strike him hard. He may decide not to renew. A possibility, regardless of the momentary offer, one that may reflect his emotional status. Emotion will play a very big factor in his decisions, as Eddie was only 38 years old. Benoit is older and that thought will be in his head. Benoit is going to need some time, and he deserves it. He’s earned it. Taker – On vacation. Smackdown is in trouble. Big trouble. Bradshaw may be a management favorite, but Taboo Tuesday shows that fans are tired of him. But the problems go beyond Smackdown. There is the John Cena situation. Right now, it’s flying under the radar, but while the surface may be calm, you can sure that the water is roiling underneath. John Cena got booed. Loudly. Angle got cheered. Loudly. That’s playing mind games with WWE. This past Monday, we saw WWE start something, but I’m still not sure what, but I get the feeling that it can’t be good. With Jericho gone, HBK is getting the slot, and that means working with rookies and putting them over, though HBK has a lot more clout that Jericho ever did when it comes to doing the job. Masters is in the main event. Carlito is being pushed, and it’s not really working. Carlito has talent, but he’s not at that level yet. Same with Masters, to a lesser extent. Masters isn’t ready. Carlito, the angle doesn’t fit his style. Kane and Big Show have captured people’s interest. But they’re a tag team, and the tag division on Raw is weak. Very much so. Smackdown has been trying all kinds of goofy gimmicks to get viewers, from wrestler to gay jokes, to Boogey Man, who is a joke in himself. While the Dicks are coming in handicapped by a bad gimmick, it still remains to be seen if they can wrestle. If they can, a lot can be forgiven. Not everything that’s sure to come, but a still a lot of the sports entertainment crap may possibly be overlooked. Until WWE decides to hype it up. It’s in crisis situations like this that the burden falls on management. Management is supposed to step in and make sure things keep rolling. The old saying “the show must go on” is true. Especially for a weekly live TV show, that has no off-season. Decisions have to be made. The Survivor Series PPV is only two weeks away. Ratings are slumping. Smackdown already had bad morale, and now it’s going to get worse before it gets better. The plans for the PPV were already in flux. The loss of Batista was unexpected, and as of this writing, still not sure if he’s still planned to take part and then take time off, or not. That screwed up long term plans for Dave. Most of those plans probably hinged on Eddie. Those plans are now out the window. A lingering problem was the PPV itself. To e, it doesn’t feel special, though it should. The Raw vs Smackdown angle has now had months to build. Taboo Tuesday, a special PPV, laid the groundwork. The stipulation of an old school survivor series match should have helped drag in the Old Crufters, with the nostalgia factor. One scenario I’ve seen on the boards is the talk of some one turning on their team. I was originally going to talk about the possibilities for the Survivor Series match, and say that the WWE should not focus on who is over, or their pet projects, but try and build this match, which is special in it’s own right, as a Smackdown vs Raw match, and make this the center of the show. Go all out. Get the guys who wrestle the best from both shows, and let them have an hour to really make a match that people will talk about for years. I still think that way, but with the loss, it may not be possible without some outside hijinks. Smackdown needs help, and there’s only one place to get it. Raw. The developmental system has been plundered, and all the big goofs, that are blonde and big, have been brought up. Now is not the time to drag more guys up and shove them down viewers throats as the “Next Big Goof”. No, that’s been done with mixed results for the past three years, and fans are wise to it. Masters and Lashley are the only ones to really take, and they are still debatable. Both are solid midcarders, Masters due to his presence and working with some big names, and Lashley because he hasn’t spoken yet, but looks impressive. So far. No, it’s time to correct the mistakes of the draft. First, Cena should go back to Smackdown. Putting Cena on Raw was a shocking first move of the draft, but it’s been downhill from there. Not sharply, but a slow and steady decline. Cena on Raw means little right now. He’s still over, and still puts asses in the seats, but he’s a minor player among all the big fish. Angle and Cena have had a great feud, and Kurt has come out stronger. HBK and Cena could happen, but I’m not sure that’s as strong as Angle/ Cena was, and still is. A quick feud could work, but it means less in the long run. Now, with WWE dickering over what to do with his character, there is one last thing that could be done, and it would set up the Royal Rumble beautifully. Have Bischoff fire Cena. One last match, one final straw, and Cena drops the belt, and gets fired, and shows up on Smackdown. In time for the Survivor Series match. As the new captain of Team Smackdown. Big swerve, big payoff, and a solid boost to Smackdown. It’s sweeps Baby! That time of year when all the network shows play out their big angles to get the last dregs of the ratings period. Before they go in repeats and start the cycle all over again. Smackdown needs a boost, and the midgets aren’t cutting it. In fact, the midgets are a disaster. Whoever thought they were a good idea should be fired. Cena is no midget. He’s a proven draw for kids and chicks. Exactly the demographic that Smackdown needs to compete on Friday nights, which has been dubbed “ Family Night”. Cena on team Smackdown will allow the final parts of the angle to play out. Cena vs HBK, Cena vs Angle, and Cena vs Masters. Hey, you know they were thinking it. It also sets the stage for the Royal Rumble, where Cena will get to face all these guys again. Hopefully WWE creative is thinking that far ahead. Stop laughing! It’s possible! The other guy who should be sent to Smackdown, not immediately, as there are segments that have to be wrapped up, is Edge. And he should take Lita with him. Edge is over. He’s talented, and the heat has died down between Edge and Hardy, at least backstage. But on TV, it could be brought back, not as a big thing, but fuel for the fire. A Hardy-Edge re-feud could happen at Survivor Series, since it’s already there. But as initial reason to go to Smackdown, no, but as something to do once he shows up, yes. On Raw, Edge is another casualty of being lost in the shuffle. He’s got some feud, but nothing hot right now. And nothing really on the horizon. He does have one last card to play, one that has been carefully concealed, but mentioned a few times, and that is the Money In The Bank. But as it stands right now, that is not even on most folks radar. A good thing for a surprise run at WM, but come on? DO you really think that’s in the works? Probably not. Most likely, he’d be thrown into a main event. On Smackdown, he would be huge, and fill voids that need to be filled right now. He’s skilled enough to make himself a main event player right off the bat. Lita would also be a solid addition to the women’s division, as they have two people and that’s about it. Two people, one is a half trained wrestler, and the other isn’t. And shouldn’t be. Edge has plenty of opportunities awaiting him on Smackdown. Edge vs Batista. Edge vs Bradshaw. Edge vs Booker. Edge vs Benoit. Edge vs Rey. That’s a lot of good wrestling. How to get him there though? I’d say wait until after Survivor Series. Then have Bischoff be in a firing mood, and threaten to fire him., Edge plays his Bank card, and gets a shot. He loses, cementing the new champion, and then decides he’s had enough of Raw and heads to Smackdown, where they will appreciate him. Lita, well, Lita and Boogey Man is just too good to let go. After Kane, that should be a piece of cake. Hilarious Cake. Big crazy dudes stalking her ain’t nothing new to Lita. Bottom Line The loss of Eddie is a huge. Emotionally, personally, and creatively. While time will help with the emotional and personal aspects, time will hinder creative. The tribute shows are a good step to start the healing process, and will give creative time to think, but the clock is ticking. Time stops for no one. The deadlines won’t change. While it may seem heartless to keep the show going, it’s not. It’s part of being a performer, not matter if you’re an actor, a musician, whatever. It’s part of being in the entertainment business. It’s not about forgetting Eddie, but about celebrating his accomplishments. About keeping his memory alive. About doing what he loved to do, and sharing the experience. Sharing the love. And it’s management’s responsibility to make sure that after the tributes are over, that the show keeps the level of respect high. That’s what worries me most. WWE has shown it’s insensitive side all too often recently. The JR situation alone says that creative can’t be trusted. Going forward, there’s really only one angle that can and should come of this tragedy. Chavo Guerrero returns. Chavo gets pushed. Chavo succeeds. That is all. But the cold-hearted cynic mixes with the smark and fan in my brain to ask one final question before I move on. Could this be a work? Wouldn’t it be just like sneaky Eddie to fake his own death? To make people miss him and then come back with a big shit eating grin and hear the first words out of his mouth “ Dead homes? I ain’t dead! I lied, esse!” Just holding on to that one last glimpse of hope that it’s not real. Before it becomes all too real on Monday night. Rest In peace Eddie Guerrero. God watch over you and yours and keep you. Amen. The rest of the news seems inconsequential. Still, it shouldn’t be over looked, as I’m sure it will have some bearing on what we see on TV. Rock Says No. The Rock in a recent interview said he had never thought about having a match with HBK, and that he would prefer not to. Why does this matter? Because Rock matters to wrestling still. He may not be in the ring anymore, but some time, he’s going to come back. He’s never had a problem with the angles they have put him in before (or at least said anything about them publicly), but his last outing didn’t go that great. Rock vs HBK seems like a money match, but Rock said no. Rock doesn’t want to work with HBK. The timing was shortly after HBK jobbed to Hogan. I’m sure this would have been a match to make HBK feel better, by jobbing Rock to him. But it seems that Rock is tired of always looking like a scrub in WWE rings. A big name scrub, but still a scrub. Jobbing to Hogan is one thing. Jobbing to HBK is apparently another. Austin Walk Out. Some rumored details about Austin walking out of Taboo Tuesday have emerged. It seems that the finish of the match, Austin losing, Austin getting beat down by scrubs, could be the main culprit. That and a lack of communication between Austin and Creative about the thing from the get go. See a trend here? Movies! Movies! MOVIES! Stacy Keebler has been getting some acting work. Nothing huge, but apparently she has two roles lined up. Big Show also has some movie work lined up. Again, nothing big, but at least he’s getting his name out there and staying active in the field. Christian also has some potential movie work coming up. He’s set to screen for a big role. One of the reasons he left the company was so that he could concentrate and make a solid effort at landing the role. Without WWE interference. In some apparently unrelated to wrestling news, there have been complaints about WWE to USA. From advertisers. Hence, the lack of telling people to go to their website. It’s still going on, only now WWE isn’t bothering to explain it. Steph hates Heyman. That’s not news, but what is news, is that now Steph has her new pet writer doing bad impersonations of Heyman for her. Ed Koskey, the brain behind the fart that was the JR skit, is apparently well know for being a dick. Anyone shocked? No? How about Steph and this tool think that Heyman should be fired, along with long time pet Brian Gerwitz. Heyman’s contract comes due at year’s end and both are saying he should be let go. I’ve heard nothing but praise for OVW lately, and Steph and friends think the show sucks. Not having seen the shows Heyman has put out, but having watched Raw and Smackdown, I some how can’t seem to think that Steph is right. Jerry Jarrett Goes to WWE And shortly thereafter Jeff gets the belt back. Coincidence? I think not. Also, it appears the Jeff is now head of creative for TNA. That can’t be good. Spin it however you like TNA fans, but the fact is this. Guys like me, who think about jumping to the TNA ship are now thinking twice. Jeff Jarrett is stale. Jeff Jarrett drives us away. Now that he has creative control, well, we’ve seen it before. Steph/H and friends. Having Jeff in control AND Champion? Not a good move. Fuck the Jarretts. Jerry is a grifter who knows how to work old ladies out of their money. Jeff, well Jeff can schmooze, but when it comes time to actually make things happen, well, how’s his track record? Panda got TNA on Spike. Not Jerry, and not Jeff. PANDA. Dixie Carter. Did they play a role? Yes. Should they be thanked? Yes. Should they be given control of the company? NO. The Jeff show failed. On many occasions. Don’t let it happen again. And speaking of TNA… The man behind Vader was none other than Dusty Rhodes. Who also got his son a job. Dusty also wanted to put Greg “The Hammer” Valentine back on TV as a regular. Let me just say this. TNA fired Dusty. Think about it. And that should do it for today. I managed to forget about Eddie for a while at the end there. It’s going to be a long week. But I’m sure we’ll all make it through. Eddie’s watching out for us. PLUGS! LOP FORUMS LOP Columns Forum LOP Merchandise! LOP's very own PWA. Best E-Fed on the net. Period. The Home Of The Project. What The Project? Click to find out Ridin' With The Bossman Audio Show DVD Fanatic, for all your DVD reviews A list of conspiracy theories. becuase you never know... That's all for today. Thanks For Readin' and Thanks For Ridin' Wevv Mang CLick Here to send feedback *NEW GALLERY* Very RARE and Personal Backstage Photos of the WWE Divas!
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