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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 10:42 PM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – Undertaker Could Have Said No Greetings! Welcome to another edition of Ridin’ With The Bossman. The column that told you so. Well, it was going to be an audio edition, but plans change. I still plan to do one, but I thought the message that I wanted to get out today would go further if I just did the usual written column. The audio show is a lot of fun, but the folks who actually listen to it aren’t as many as I get by doing the regular column, I personally think that I can convey a lot more through an audio version, but hey, like I said, I want to reach more people. I want to nip this in the bud, if I can. What is so important to me? I’ll get to it in a bit, as it needs some set up. Like what WWE is up to, after a big PPV and a few weeks after Eddie’s death. WWE TV – The Series Survivor Series Recap courtesy of Carl Walsh Didn’t see it. Spent my money on Taboo Tuesday. So I relied on the excellent recapping to see me through. So, here’s what you need to know if you too didn’t see it. 1) Smackdown won. Randy was the last guy. Order of elimination and by whom: - Lashley (Kane chokeslam, HBK cover) - Kane (Spinebuster by Batista) - Batista (Kane and Big Show double chokeslam) - Big Show (Everybody ganged up on him) - Carlito (Bradshaw clothesline from hell) - Masters (Rey, 619, Drop The Dime) *Please note, that at this time HBK is the only Raw guy left, and the odds are 3 to 1 - Rey (HBK Superkick) - JBL (HBK Superkick) - HBK (JBL Interference, RKO) Teddy Won. Boogeyman showed up. H vs Ric was really bloody, and since it was so bloody, that makes it good, since lots of blood means it’s good. Right? Look, I didn’t see it, so I don’t know for sure, but I’ve read plenty of waffling from net guys on this, who say it was a lot like their other matches, but there was a ton of blood, so it gets extra points. So I say this. People pissed on Hardcore wrestling, calling it garbage wrestling, since it was all spots and blood. Now, if there are no weapons involved, just lots of blood, and spots to create blood, what’s the difference? Some actual holds? Blood does add something extra, but it’s not the sum and whole of a match. Angle lost. Even with his very own ref. -How goofy is that? After making a point of not having “Sports Entertainment” shows, like Carlito’s Cabana, and The Highlight Reel, Edge now has a show, the “Cutting Edge”. Smackdown came out as the big winner overall. Raw Recap Courtesy of Carl Walsh Lots of technical difficulties with this show. Not sure if it was my cable provider or not, but there were a couple of official “Raw Technical difficulty signs. Hey, shipping all that equipment to Europe and back, well, it takes a toll. I haven’t said anything before, but Styles on commentary is gold. The only problem I have is that there are two many people in the booth. They’re stepping all over each other’s lines. There’s some great zingers being thrown out there, but they’re being lost under the constant babble. King works well with Styles, but Coach has a good rapport as well. So, one of those two has to go, and I’d say Coach. King is like a new man, and Coach can work just as well outside the booth. Eric Opens the Show He calls out the locker room. They don’t show up. Vince does. Vince points out Eric’s failures. Vince hints that Eric is going to be fired. The New GM? SHANE O’MAC! - Sweet! He gets to actually talk as well! Man, I’m stoked! But I wake up soon enough, as the thoughts creep into my head that at this very second, creative is coming up with the most horrible angles for him. Why? You can’t have Shane on TV and succeed. That’s not the plan. But while it lasts, I’m liking it. Eric has to have a goal. Or he’s fired. Apparently any old goal will do. So, instead of taking the easy route, like “My goal is to leave this ring” or “ My goal is to order nachos from that guy, HEY! NACHO GUY! NACHOS! OVER HERE!” or even “ My goal is to keep my job”, Eric comes up with something really goofy, that as soon as you heard it, you knew it wasn’t going to happen. HBK vs Carlito A very good match. HBK sure can sell a fake injury. Bischoff and Maria Well, with Steph out getting some work done on her schnozz, all the chicks must not be allowed to be good. So, we get a match. Between Maria and Angle. Angle vs Mario Every few months, when Angle starts getting over, he’s put into a situation where he has to be creepy with a chick. Since fans just love seeing a chick get humiliated, degraded, whatever. And that’s sarcasm, in case you missed it (Hi Steph!). Not only do we get to see a chick beat up, we get the promise of a ref feud! Cena makes the save, and Masters runs in. We find out Eric’s goal. Cena vs Angle vs Masters (How did this goof get into the main event scene? Come on!) Trish/ Ashley/ Micki vs Torrie/ Candace/ Vicki Candace has really grown on me. That chick is good. Ashley, well, she’s spent too much time learning to apartment wrestle with Matt. Trish, looking great as always. And Torrie, welcome back honey. Trish and friends win, and Trish shows how good she really is. No words, just quick looks, as Micki gets the pin and goes for the belt, which Trish takes from her. Very nice work from Trish. Once Candace gets her ring skills up to snuff, you got a money feud right there. Micki? Eh. Shane visits Eric And goes nuts. Aw hell. The good times lasted what? An hour? Daviari and Angle Man, WWE is really into dudes rubbing each other recently. I’ll just leave it at that. Shelton Benjamin vs Trevor Murdoch In case you haven’t read it, the tag team of Garrison Cade and Trevor Murdoch is now over. Now, it’s all about the Creepy Gay Hillbilly. Come on, what else can you say about a guy who comes to the ring wearing a flannel shirt and no pants? And Shelton jobs to him. That’s a disgrace. H Speaks Uh, H, Ric is the Intercontinental Champion. You talked for six minutes and forgot to mention that. Big Show comes out. He’s upset that H beat up Ric, like he has so many times before. But he does a great job. Nicely done Big Guy. Will it play out? Well, that’s up to H. Masters vs Angle vs Cena Not a bad match. Not stellar, but it did the job. Masters slapped the Master Lock on Angle, and Angle did an HBK job. Angle, the one guy who should have an actual wrestling counter to that move, doesn’t break free. But he fades and comes back several times. At least he didn’t twitch like a fish. And Cena then comes up with an actual hold. The STF to win the match. Show ended with Vince and Shane saying it’s time to take out the trash. Well, a big show in that Shane returned, and a possible feud was set up between H and Big Show. Smackdown Special Recap courtesy of Chad Matthews Interesting note – This was broadcast live from the regular tapings for Friday’s show. Booker vs Benoit Pretty good match. I’m just tired of these series. We all know that they are going to take seven matches to decide. So, the early bouts don’t pack much punch. Booker wins, in a long match, and goes up 2 – 0. Here’s where it gets dicey. Rey dedicates his match to Eddie and is shown praying and so forth. Eddie montage plays. At this point, I thought WWE was on the verge of prostituting the memory of Eddie. Two full shows, and now a good-sized chunk of a special. Rey Mysterio vs Big Show A few years ago, Big Show and Rey had a feud on Smackdown. It was a solid feud, so some really good work. Old time readers may remember my joking strategy suggestion for Big Show to treat Rey as a Flying Sandwich. This match was just as good as their previous one. Only since it was good, we got lots of commercial breaks. Before the finish, and Rey’s possible victory, Kane came out to make the save. Both men then beat up Rey, when Undertaker made his return. Well, not so much as to make the save, as to steal the thunder. Taker beat up Kane and Big Show. Randy came in. Randy pounded on Taker with a tire iron, but o course, that had no effect. Randy’s Dad showed up to help. Randy managed to weaken Taker, throw him on the back of the low-rider and drive through the set. The car then exploded, for some reason. So, this special was all about Undertaker coming back. And using the legacy of Eddie to get over. Some may argue that his angle was designed to put more heat on Randy. Except for one thing. Randy had just won the Survivor Series for his team. He needed Kane, Show, and his Dad to slow down Undertaker. And a tire iron. Randy was already strong. Now, he’s a goof. Want more proof? Wait for Smackdown. Smackdown Recap Info courtesy of Chad Matthews Randy Speaks Randy says that he’s earned a shot at the title belt. He lists all of his accomplishments. He then says he killed Undertaker. Well, it was a strong promo except for the Undertaker being dead part. See, we’ve heard all of this before, and know it’s not real. Maybe no one has ever said they actually killed Undertaker, but the gist was there. So, the wait is one for Undertaker to actually show up. Probably next week, as Taker made an appearance, and needs to rest up for the PPV, in two weeks. Tag Team Battle Royal LOD vs Mexicools vs London and Kendrick vs Nunzio and Vito vs Funaki and Scotty vs The Dicks MNM came out and sat with the announce team. Melina did the splits on the desk. Cole and Tazz showed they have no balls, being tongue-tied. Smooth, guys, real smooth. Everyone teamed up on LOD. Animal no sold the attacks. Heidenriech then got eliminated. Then, Special effects happened, followed by a commercial break. Way to treat your tag teams. After an impressive display, Kendrick and Spanky get eliminated, leaving the Dicks vs Super Crazy and Psychosis. Psychosis takes out both Dicks and wins the battle. Nice. Bradshaw Speaks Very nice work from Bradshaw. He explains why he’s going to team with Mysterio. It’s about pride. Pride for Smackdown and for himself, as a representative for Smackdown. Motive, always a good thing. Benoit vs Regal I liked this match. It seemed very old school to me. Regal knows how to react to Benoit’s offense, not just physically, in terms of selling, but also mentally. Booker was on commentary, and he did a great job. Nice work. Benoit won with the Crossface and then went after Booker. Matt Hardy vs Randy Orton Another solid match. Matt and Randy was something fresh, and they worked well together. Randy won, with help from his Dad, and hit the RKO on Matt for the pin. Then it all went to hell. Literally. Doom The lights dimmed, and Randy wet himself, as Undertaker spoke over the loudspeakers. Lots of cheesy special effects that scared Randy, as he went running every which way in terror. Lightening strikes, glowing caskets, Boogey Men. Well, no Boogey Men, but there might as well have been. Randy begged and cried. Hell in a Cell at Armageddon. Yay. -So, the guy you want to put the title on, the guy who won the Survivor Series, the guy demanding a title shot, was just turned into a total pussy by some cheap special effects. Mind boggling. You know what all this fuss made me want to see? Boogey Man Why? Because at least that guy won’t run away from Undertaker. I’m so sick and tired of seeing every single guy the Undertaker faces turn into a pussy. They are built up as tough, strong guys, and then the gong hits and they turn to into wimps. Boogeyman is crazy enough to take a stand. Oh, and Boogey is no longer scary, he’s just nuts. And weird. Boogey Man vs Simon Dean Boogey’s entrance is pretty freaky. He does a Zulu type dance move as he comes to the ring. Nice of Cole and Tazz to suggest that he’s got Tourrette’s syndrome. Since that worked so well for Goldust. But the best part is when Simon offered Boogey a shake, and Boogey reached into his pants, I kid you not, and pulled out some worms and ate them. I laughed so hard, I missed the finish of the match. Boogey Man rules. He’s the gift that keeps on giving. Bobby Lashley vs Sylvan Squash match. Oh, and I finally heard Lashely speak. It was one sentence. During their clips of the overseas tour, Bobby got to say something, and he sounds fine. Rey Mysterio and JBL vs Big Show and Kane Not a bad match. Some good wrestling, and some nice spots. JBL then leaves late match, after getting poked in the eye by a ref, supposedly, I must have missed it. S Rey is left all alone, and tries to survive, but can’t hold off the two giants. They get the pin, and then go to destroy Rey, when Batista returns, and runs in to make the save. That was the show. Aside from the cookie cutter hype for the return of the Undertaker (Special effects, strong guy made weak, and non-stop talk about how scary Undertaker is) it was a strong show. You got JBL positioning himself for another heel run, one that has some strong legs, you got a good future match up between Hardy and Orton, if Orton survives the damage that his reputation is suffering from his Undertaker feud. And the Tag scene is looking alive for the first time in a long time. Well, if they can keep LOD out of there. Seriously. Heidenreich and Animal have are no different than Matt Morgan, Nathan Jones, Mark Henry, and countless other big goofs that WWE has pushed. Guys WWE cut. Only Animal has Johnny Ace to save his job. Over-Analyzing Wrestling Today’s Topic: Quick Questions, Long Answers I have a head cold, so my thoughts are wandering all over the place. But here are some questions I’ve been thinking of all week. First Question: Why do you hate the Undertaker? Answer: Because Undertaker is just like H. Undertaker is a legend in the business, no doubt about that. But as a Legend, a Locker Room Leader, and a man with more backstage clout than you may realize, he’s no different than the folks who get bashed for abusing their status. In other words, he’s like Hogan is rumored as being, only he doesn’t draw money. Prime Example, his recent return, after a three-month vacation. Undertaker knew what his return angle was going to be. There’s no way WWE wouldn’t tell him. As Locker room leader, Taker would have known what the angle would do to the “boys”. As a human, he would have felt some degree of unease about using a guy’s legacy, only three weeks after his death. Yet, it went ahead. Now, there is plenty of criticism of the angle floating around, yet little seems to be directed at the guy who the angle was really for. Undertaker. Not Randy. He could have said “no” at any time, and Vince would have listened to him. If Vince was going to listen to anyone about changing that angle, it would have been Taker. In all of his angles, Undertaker is protected. Ridiculously so. Yet Undertaker is a part time wrestler. Since the beginning of the year, Taker has had a total of 15 matches. That’s a little over one a month. He’s had about six months of vacation. In his five losses, I think only one was clean. And I may be wrong. The Tuesday special was to hype the return of Taker. Yet the ratings for the Friday show? 2.9 or about average. The controversy didn’t do squat. Undertaker does not equal ratings. Undertaker does not equal buys. Undertaker’s gimmick does equal money. Undertaker merchandise does sell. But so does Matt Hardy merchandise. Matt Hardy is barely getting a push, while Taker is having whole shows built around him. That’s just not right. Undertaker is a name. No doubt about that. Yet if anything, the fact that he’s lasted so long, and still has so many fans should be enough to allow WWE creative the chance to use Undertaker to make new stars. Hiss fans are still going to be there, no matter what. Now, some may say that Randy’s feud with Taker is giving him the rub. I disagree. Having a guy wet his pants in fear is not doing him any favors. Is it such a leap of logic to have Randy be the strong one in this feud? Shouldn’t Randy be the one calling out Undertaker to face him? Shouldn’t Randy be feeling frustration that Undertaker keeps coming back? Didn’t Randy beat him before? IS Undertaker’s gimmick so fragile that it can’t handle being made to look weak once? I don’t mean having six guys with bazookas, and a sixteen ton weight falling on him, and then having him limp to the back, type of weak (like the Muhammad Hassan fiasco, and the Brock Lesnar debacle), but Undertaker vowing to find a way to defeat Randy. And having Randy not run away in terror, but standing there, challenging Taker to come and get him. It’s too late now, the damage has been done. We had ten minutes of Randy whimpering, and that leaves an impression. But for once, I’d like to see it happen. Undertaker has been given the gift by Vince of having an undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. That stat confuses those who should know better. Undertaker was allowed to win. He didn’t actually fight anyone. Vince said, “Taker, you’re winning” and that was that. It’s a privilege and an honor. But it seems like that the stat gives him more leeway than it should. He’s lasted a long time in the business. So has half the locker room. And they show up to work every week. And for those who wish to argue that Undertaker is just “one of the boys”, and has no say in things on the management level, well, here’s what I say. Undertaker was in Triple H’s wedding party. Taker was the final piece of the puzzle in the rise of H. Kevin Nash taught H how to open the door. HBK taught H how to stay there, and Undertaker taught H the most important lesson of all. How to squash some one, completely and utterly. Sorry, got sidetracked there. So, the answer to the question can be summed up like this: - Undertaker can make the company some money, but not the way he’s being used. Feeding wrestlers to a part timer is not good for business. It’s simply an opening of the eyes and asking “Is he going to be there in two months? No? Then maybe we shouldn’t job one of our rising stars to him. Let’s job (Insert Old Crufter’s Name) instead” It’s a booking philosophy that WWE creative has no problem using for any one else. But when it comes to Taker, they go ahead and do it anyway. No one comes away from an Undertaker feud looking good. No one except Taker. Not even the guy most folks point to as a success story, Brock Lesnar. It was the feud AFTER Taker that made him a real star. Taker does not need to be pushed, Taker needs to push some one else. Question #2 : Should John Cena be turned heel? Answer: Well, that seems to be the question of the moment. My quick answer would be no. His current situation is not set up for a heel turn. Does that mean that WWE won’t just turn him out of the blue? No, it means it’s more likely to happen because it would make no sense. WWE loves those Russo Swerves of Death. But to go in depth on this question, a heel turn for Cena might be a good thing. But again, it really, really, really, really needs to be handled carefully. Using hindsight, Cena should have dropped the title at Taboo Tuesday. It was shortly after that, that the boos really started getting loud. But why are people booing Cena? That’s the question that needs to be asked before anything is done. Some quick answers that looks similar, but are two different animals: Cena, AS A CHAMPION, is stale Cena, AS A FACE, is stale Booking the belt has been a problem and I blame creative who suffers from H Syndrome. Now, it’s not H’s fault. Let’s make that perfectly clear. I named it after H, because it’s the pattern that creative got into after H’s title runs. Three years of having the belt will do that. It’s the philosophy of having a guy hold onto the belt to make it mean something. Only, it actually means less. It’s backlash because there has been no movement. Like with the Patriots. They have won the Superbowl so many times in recent years that the charm has worn off. This year, they’re not out of the running, but they’re not on top. Some one else is. And that makes it exciting. Suddenly, new comers like the Bengals are in the mix. And even folks who don’t live in that city are rooting for them. By not having the same teams in the running, and having a close season, suddenly, everyone has a chance. Only one team is looking like clear cut Superbowl contenders, the Colts, and the last time they made it, was a long time ago. Last year, when the Pat were making their run, ratings for football were down. Now, in regular season, ratings are climbing. Why? Unpredictability. Fresh faces. New teams. What does this have to do with Cena turning heel? Simple. Cena was always the guy who never got the title. Now, he’s got the title. He’s HAD the title for a long time. Angle was red hot when he went after Cena. He lost. Why? Cena was still going strong. Angle lost steam, but went after him again. He lost again. Why? Cena still had legs, though they were showing signs of weakness. The PAST numbers showed that Cena does good business. Not a reflection of current trends, past trends. Cena’s gimmick was that he was an underdog. Now, the underdog is on top. For some reason, WWE doesn’t want Kurt to have the belt. Probably because he could be a great champion, and coming up with new ways to humiliate him would take too long. I mean really, they’ve tried everything, from cry baby, to creepy stalker, to racist, and now they have him with his own ref, when it would have made so much more sense to have a guy they like calling “The Dirtiest Player In the Game” use Daviari to beat H. Sorry, got sidetracked again, back on track. Damn cold! In conclusion, Cena should stay face. The quick fix is to screw Cena out of the tile and have him get back in the hunt. It will rally his old fans, and give the fans that boo him some one to cheer. And having a heel be cheered is not a bad thing. It never seemed to be a problem for H. Or Undertaker. Question #3: Should the brand split be ended? Answer: You know, I’m surprised there isn’t more speculation about this. After earlier in the year, when rumors flowed like my currently runny nose, about the brand split being done away with, there’s more evidence now to suggest that it might happen than before. Yet, it’s oddly quiet. Perhaps too quiet. Two joint PPV’s. With direct conflict. Even after those shows, the interaction continues. Yet…quiet. Perhaps too quiet… But to answer the question, I would have to say no. The brands should remain separate. The ratings for both shows, using both rosters has been relatively low. That doesn’t mean that the action hasn’t been good, just that the novelty of having both shows in direct competition could have worn off, or been distracted by outside events. Like Eddie passing. Or buried under crap. Like the JR stuff. What the inter brand feud has done is distinguish both brands as separate entities. And there is interest in seeing them face one another. Only, a better build has to be done. And it has to be the focus. History has now been built. Now, the task is to build on it. And keep the uniqueness alive. Acknowledging the other brand is OK. Having guys show up on the show from the other brand every week is not. It seems like that’s going to happen a lot more, as WWE has several Supershows booked, where both Smackdown and Raw will be in the same building. One thing is for sure, the two brands will face off again at the Royal Rumble. And that PPV has a very solid history going in this year. That’s it for Today. I’m wiped out and have to work tomorrow. Man, I hate colds. But I am glad I got this one early. In three weeks, there will be no column, as I head back to the land of Ice and Snow, where the lake is cold, and the Winds do blow. Yep, time to return to the city I will always call home, Chicago. I can’t wait. The column will return in the New Year, with the Third Annual Bossman Awards. But there are two columns to go, and if my cold eases up, the Audio Show will be one of them. The Evil Internet Overlord is rarin’ to go. You have been warned. PLUGS! LOP FORUMS LOP Columns Forum LOP Merchandise! LOP's very own PWA. Best E-Fed on the net. Period. Ridin' With The Bossman Audio Show DVD Fanatic, for all your DVD reviews Thanks For Readin' and Thanks For Ridin' Wevv Mang CLick Here to send feedback *NEW GALLERY* Over 14 Total HIGH QUALITY Maria 2008 PB Photos! MUST SEE!
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