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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Sunday, January 1, 2006 at 10:46 PM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – The Fourth Annual Bossman Awards Greetings! Welcome to another edition of Ridin' With The Bossman! The home of Mark Henry Watch 2006. I’m back from vacation, and it was great. Right up until 36 hours after setting foot off the plane I got the flu. 75 days and no rain in Phoenix, and the air is full of crap. It was cold and rainy in Chicago, but I could breathe. To my homeys back in Chi-Town, it was great to see ya, and if I can get tickets, I’ll see ya again in April. Fingers crossed. Sorry about the confusion for the Audio Show. Here is a link from which you can download it. Ridin’ With The Bossman Audio Show Well, a stack of Observers later and I will say this about 2005. If there’s anyone from TNA reading this column, as soon as you read this paragraph, get Samoa Joe on the phone and sign him to a long-term deal. He is the future of your company. No bullshit. Sting can be the guy to get the belt off of Jarrett, and Samoa Joe is the guy to beat Sting. And then run with the belt. For a long time. Also, Joe doesn’t read the internet, or any type of newsletter. So Christian, tell him what he’s in for with WWE. Now, we got a lot to cover, so let’s head into: The Fourth Annual Bossman Awards The Al Wilson Memorial Award – AKA Rookie Of The Year Award Muhammad Hassan Bobby Lashely Boogie Man Chris Masters Winner: Muhammad Hassan Masters may be getting the protected push of a lifetime, and Bobby Lashely sure as hell looks impressive, but hasn’t really done much yet. Boogey Man, well, the guy was a joke before he even debuted. But Hassan, well, he was amazing. He created controversy, and walking a narrow line while on Raw. But once he went over to Smackdown, whoa nelly! A once clever and controversial character went right over the edge into a mind boggling stupid angle that ended up getting WWE what they have been trying year to get. Nation wide bad press. Did it boost ratings? No. Not in the least. In fact Hassan got fired for it. So, in more ways than one, this Al Wilson Memorial Award is for you. Best Non-Wrestling Move Off screen events that may, or may not effect what we see on TV Jericho Leaves on his own terms Rock Says No Austin No Shows Vince Falls Down Hey Mike! Want a Job? TNA On Spike Winner: Vince Falls Down Jericho Leaving on his own terms and given what came afterward, in the nick of time, is almost the best Non- Wrestling move of the year. Almost, but not quite. Rock saying “No” when asked about wrestling HBK was amusing to see. Austin no showing messed up the PPV, but it was already messed up. The attempt to hire Mike Goldberg, and his saying no, was a great non-wrestling move. But Vince falling down and tearing both his quads has had a yearlong effect. Let us take you back to Royal Rumble 2005. It’s the end of the PPV. There’s a mix up. Vince comes out. He tries to get into the ring. He falls down. He sits in the ring, and tells them to restart the match. As he’s walking back, with assistance, but trying not to show any weakness, he tears his other quad. Vince goes into seclusion. The rumor is that Vince will be wheelchair bound for six weeks. All kinds of weird stuff is happening at this time. Shane and Linda are negotiating with Spike about renewal. Yes, way back then. Tons of overseas tours. Rock is let go, and all WWE can say is “whoops!”. The rumor surfaces that UPN will be dropping Smackdown as well. The ECW PPV is discussed in the following weeks. Matt and Lita and Edge rumors start. All before WM, which took place on 4/3.And before he showed on TV, Vince was walking. Vince was back. TNA on Spike? Well, look at it this way. Spike is doing everything short of handing money over to TNA. They can’t actually pay TNA until they show some margin for profit. They haven’t done that yet. But it’s a new year. Reality Happens Chyna on Surreal Life Hogan Knows Best Hell Freezes Over- Bret Hart shakes Vince’s Hand You’re all FIRED! The Web, drugs, and X-Pac, not a good combo Winner: Hogan! HOGAN! HOGAN! Firing around 30 people in a two-week span was a bit harsh. Letting other talent walk away, but still finding the money to hire Tatanka, Road Warrior Animal, Viscera, and other old crufters. Chyna’s break up with X-Pac caused him to go on the web and cry. Expecting sympathy, he got mocked. Chyna on Stern was hilarious and frightening. But Hogan was the real newsmaker of 2005. He got his own VH1 Show. He got the main event at Summerslam. He stole the Hall Of Fame Awards show. Hogan once again showed that he is the smartest man in wrestling. Match Of the Year Jericho vs John Cena, Summerslam August 21, 2005 There was a lot of good wrestling this year. I mean tons of it. Angle vs HBK, Marty Jannety vs Angle, Angle vs Cena, The Money In the Bank Ladder match, and one of the most brutal matches of the Year in Masato Tanaka vs Mike Awesome, just to name a few. But Cena vs Jericho stands out to me, above those others. After months of folks pissing on Cena’s wrestling ability, Jericho pulled a great match of him. Both men sucked the fans into it. The fans had fun chanting for both men, and as a fan, I had no idea what would happen. Could Jericho finally win the big belt? Anything seemed possible. That makes it a match of the year in my book. Best TV Show UFC Ultimate Fighter One thing about reality shows that I’ve always wanted to see was after the big drama explosion was to see a knock down drag out fight. Now I finally can. Raw stayed it’s course, but improved? Maybe. Smackdown? Some many good angles squashed into nothing. For most of the year, Smackdown was the dumping ground for bad ideas. Impact? Don’t watch it. UFC captured an audience. UFC scared WWE. WWE offered their announcer half a million to work for them. Not Joe Rogan, the celebrity, but the other guy. Mike Goldberg. Indeed, the success of UFC helped Spike break away from WWE. - Here’s something to think about. Daniel Puder won the Million Dollar Tough Enough. He was a shoot fighter. WWE used him once. Then fired him. Now, what if Daniel Puder were to sign up to take part in Ultimate Fighter? Worst Angle The Death Of JR While there was a lot of good wrestling, there were plenty of crappy angles. Luckily, most didn’t stay long. Some did. Some took on a life all their own. Like the angle involving JR. Now, while the Hassan Terrorist angle was bad, it was basically two shows. That’s it. Hassan had been doing solid work until he sent to Smackdown, and given to Taker. For no reason. The JR angle on the other hand, well, it was supposed to be jump-start a new era on USA. It was supposed to spike those ratings to unbelievable heights. It was supposed to mark a passing of the torch. Instead, we got Steph back on TV, crowing about balls, and sucking up TV time. We got a heel Linda. Which was then forgotten. We got the return of Austin. Which was good. Then it turned into something completely different. We got Mick Foley trying to explain three different angles and how they all are supposed to mean something. And, we got Coach as an announcer. Again. Ego ran amok, and we, the viewers, paid the price. Some good did come out of it, as Joey Styles is now in the booth. Defies All Logic Boogey Man Boston Brawler It’s ONLINE RIGHT NOW! No it’s not! Old Crufters Attack! Mole-Chick Winner: Old Crufters Attack Telling their fans to go online to see live updates, and then forgetting about the time changes, well, that was stupid. Boogeyman was a joke before he even showed up on TV. Turning the Brooklyn Brawler into the Boston Brawler, all in a desperate attempt to get Heidenreich over, was a one-night deal, which has never been mentioned again. But constantly bringing a parade of old crufters to ring, giving them a match, and hoping desperately for a reaction half as strong as one for Hogan? That defies logic. We saw Vader fall down. Just getting out of the ring. We saw Cowboy Bob become a regular. Marty Jannety returned, and he was the best out of all of them, but he lasted less than a month. Goldust returned. Dusty Rhodes has been hired. Superstar Billy Graham, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jake the Snake Roberts. An endless parade of stars, and all for the polite pop. Finally Mole-Chick. What the fuck? That’s really all I can say about that. She could be great, but they stuck a thing on the side of her face. Because they thought it was funny. Months later, now what? Admit they made a mistake or just keep going? I think you know the answer to that. Good job creative. Way to use that gray matter. Best Angle / Gimmick / Feud Rey / Eddie Angle / HBK HBK / Hogan Batista / H Boogey Man Winner: HBK / Hogan Boogey Man is a great joke. On WWE. Angle and HBK had a tremendous feud and led to some great matches. Batista and H was a delightfully built up feud, that didn’t know when to quit. We had match after matches between H and Batista after he won the belt. Granted, H lost all those times, but it still wore out it’s welcome. Rey and Eddie was amazing, and carried Smackdown after the botched Lotteraft fiasco, and was a rating grabber. But I feel that Hogan and HBK was the feud of the year. One screen and off. The actual match between HBK and Hogan was 95% HBK. And it was a thing of beauty. Finally, HBK’s overselling was a good thing. Then there was the most amazing promo of the year. HBK in Montreal, where fans around the world crapped their pants in excitement when they thought Brett Hart was coming out. And then, THEN, HBK suckers us again! Just amazing. A bit of shoot, a bit of work, and it made for some great entertainment. Celebrity Appearance TNA had celebrity appearances. A lot of them. They actually got some great publicity from them. Unfortunately, I’m too lazy to look them up, so I will just give TNA the award. For some odd reason, no one wanted to take part in WWE, except for Stallone, as a favor to Hogan. Sleeper Of The Year I can’t really think of any Sleeper Of The Year. Too many guys have come and gone on TV. The guys who have been consistently good are locked in place. Carlito rose and fell. Shelton rose and fell. Benoit was given the US title, but only after they remembered that Orlando had it. For months. So yeah, we’ve had plenty of rookies, and some have shown some potential, but will they be allowed to become stars? I can’t make the call. Who do I think should be let loose to really shine? Well, I’d say feed Mark Henry to Bobby Lashely and then let Lashely beat Batista, so that Batista can heal up. For the title? Eh, why not? Most Improved HBK Ric Flair Carlito Big Show Winner: Big Show From getting shot with a tranq dart, and his head shaved, to stalking Torrie and trying to kill Kurt Angle, Big Show has stepped up to become one half of he most dominant tag team (which frankly, isn’t saying much, as there are only maybe four tag teams in WWE period) and a legitimate threat for the title. He’s about to start feuding with H, which could be a good or bad thing. Will it be like Goldberg, Booker T, and Kane, where H just pisses all over him, or it could go the way of Benoit and Batista, where H actually works with Big Show. But some one to keep an eye on is Carlito. Carlito has slowly but surely having some solid matches and getting better in the ring. MVP of 2005 HBK Kurt Angle Batista Triple H John Cena Chris Jericho Winner: HBK Jericho is a close second. Angle third. Batista was carried for most of the year in his matches, but he tons of charisma to spare and can work a solid match, if guided. H, yeah right. Cena has the charisma, and is popular, and I’ll leave it at that. No, HBK was the man this year. He showed up almost every week and worked. He had some great feuds. Some classic matches. He still loved to oversell, but after Hogan, he seemed to learn a valuable lesson. After Jericho left, he got the Jericho spot, also known as the “make this goof look good so they can be jobbed to some one else”. But HBK put in his time, and helped carry Raw. Hell, right now he has some sweet potential angles. HBK vs Big Show, HBK vs Shelton. HBK vs Cena? It could work. Bad to Worse Undertaker Heidenreich Vince Bradshaw Tag Team Division Winner: Tag Team Division Vince has gone even further off the deep end. I thought it was impossible, but I was proven wrong. Undertaker spent most of the year off, and when he was actually on TV, he spent his time making Randy Orton his bitch. Did you forget about the Orton promo where he laid out Stacy Keibler, and then for the next two weeks, WWE had to explain what they were trying to do? I did. Bradshaw slipped this year. Hard to believe that WWE management was so high on him, they were thinking about Bradshaw running with the belt from the start of the year to Summerslam. Bradshaw’s drop wasn’t that big, but it did show. But the tag division, weak to start with, got a deathblow this year. I believe that there is only one honest to goodness tag team. MNM. They made a great debut and then lost to Heidenreich and Animal and the division has been in a downward spiral ever since. Rosey and Hurricane? Gone. Creepy Gay Cowboys? Two months, and gone. Big Show and Kane? An impressive team, but they’re more singles than a tag, since they have no one to feud against. The Mexicools, you may say, but they’re a group, and with WWE’s penchant for humiliating ethnics, well, you know where that’s going. They showed up, got over, and then vanished, but have come back again. How long this time? Well, Juvi is on thin ice. The Sandwich Award Not intended to be good, or only done to amuse a select few, but turns into something completely unexpected. JR’s Final Days Matt - Edge – Lita JBL – F.A.G Of the Year Censorship and You You say Jobbers, WWE Says Terrorists ECW Sucks! Winner: Matt – Edge – Lita So many to choose from. It seems like a week didn’t go by that there was some inside dig at some one or something. When WWE screamed about Spike Censoring them about the move to USA, it was the pot calling the kettle black. And it could have easily been avoided. The Terrorist angle was what management wanted from Hassan all along, and surprise! It bombed! Calling JBL FAG of the year made no sense, but it happened. JR was one big, long “Fuck You” to JR, but the meaning got lost along the way. But the Matt Hardy, Lita, and Edge saga? The stuff legends are made from. It started on the Internet, and spread like wildfire. It screwed up TV angles, as Lita was supposed to be a face, and well, that wasn’t working. Matt Hardy got fired over it. And that didn’t sit well with the wrestlers, the fans, and everyone with a bit of conscience. But the fans didn’t give up. And Matt was rehired, after teasing he was going to TNA. He returned to our TV screens and was beaten mercilessly. And yet, Edge got over as an uber heel, which was OK. But Matt is still paying the price for talking about his private life. He was sent to Smackdown. Where he beat out JBL in the Taboo Tuesday Poll. So, his reward? Sent to the ring at Survivor Series to be a jobber for Undertaker. You may not have read about it, but after the Survivor Series Match, when Randy won, and Taker came out and destroyed everyone, Matt left the ring before he could be beaten. Taker was pissed. He yelled at Matt. He didn’t yell at Scotty, who was also in the ring and escaped unscathed. He singled out Matt Hardy. See, Taker loves squashing those Hardy’s. But this feud truly embodies the Sandwich Feud. Stupid crap taken to THE EXTREME! A feud that never really goes away, that can flare up in a heartbeat, because it’s all about emotion. Raw emotion that needs only the slightest provocation to be unleashed. It was over-exposed when Matt came back. But it showed up again for Taboo Tuesday. And it can rear it’s ugly head again, at any time. A classic Sandwich Feud never dies. It only takes naps. The Bossman Award An Award given to a performer, who creates something excellent, in spite of the odds stacked against him or her. Eddie Guerrero Kurt Angle Chris Jericho Matt Hardy Winner: Eddie Guerrero There really isn’t anyone more deserving of this award than Eddie Guerrero. Not just because he passed away this year. But because he made something truly great despite the meddling of WWE creative. His matches with Rey were outstanding. Together, they carried Smackdown through the summer. I’m willing to admit, I hated the premise behind the angle. I thought it was rather stupid. But apparently I was in the minority, and while I thought the premise wasn’t good, the work and effort that went into it was top notch. It was a long and slot building angle, starting with Chavo instigating the rivalry, to the break up, to the feud. At the end, Eddie really shined. He couldn’t get booed if he tried, he was that good. Rey finally broke through the barrier, and after Eddie’s passing, was quickly shoved back down. Eddie helped keep the Batista momentum going, after he got to Smackdown and put JBL in his place. In fact, you could argue that Eddie helped Batista get back on track. But that’s what makes Eddie such a worthwhile Candidate for Bossman Of the Year. Eddie made his opportunities when he had been written off. Jericho is another top candidate, as he worked to make something from leftover, but he finally got his chance with Cena and made the most of it. It was the summer of Jericho as much as it was the summer of Cena. Angle had some great matches, and put in a lot of effort. His feud with Eugene was incredible. And it really established him as a top star and fan favorite. The thing about Angle though is that he’s a company man. He may disagree with some things, but other he has no problem with. If they tell him they really think it’s for his best. And it usually isn’t. Eddie just did more than both. And that about closes out the Bossman Awards. Some final thoughts on 2005. It was a very stagnant year. The same stuff kept happening over and over again. Orton vs Taker, Angle vs HBK, Batista vs H, JBL vs , well I forget who, but JBL was always in the main event, and talking a lot. We have had two title changes for both brands in 2005. Only two. That’s it. And both happened at WM. Since then, the only thing to change has been the shows that the champs are on. While lots of filler angles has come and gone, we have also had our share of tournaments. Normally, I’m all for a tournament, but the end results of those tournaments have resulted in jack and squat. The US and IC belts are all but forgotten. Oddly enough, the women’s title is like the third more important title on the shows, as the ladies have actually made it mean something. Given the limited amount of time, and hatred (which I just don’t get) towards the chicks, that is really saying something. I credit both Trish and Vicki for that, but honorable mentions towards Candice and Torrie, and they make a great heel group. WWE made up for a lack in creativity with a ton of quality wrestling, and that puts them ahead of last year. There’s one final award I’d like to give out in conclusion. Glimpse of Hope Award TNA The company that just won’t die. Even more than ECW, which still lives on in the hearts of it’s fans, TNA has made tremendous strides in 2005. It got a network deal and made some friends in the broadcasting business. It made some mistakes too, but it’s still plugging along. Gaining momentum. It made a key acquisition in Sting. It picked up some talent that wants to make an Impact in the Dudley Boys and Christian. But they just can’t get over the Jarrett factor. Jerry made a power play by going to Vince. It succeeded in scaring TNA, and they got back in power. But the fact is, Dixie, the TNA Babe got that meeting with Spike. It wasn’t anything the Jarretts did that got them on the Sports News scene with the Chicago White Sox players. It isn’t the Jarretts who the fans come to see. I’ll even go so far as to say that it’s the Jarretts that are keeping Spike TV from making a stronger commitment. Like I said earlier, Spike is trying to help. They want TNA to succeed. It would be the sweetest kick to the McMahon grapefruits to see TNA succeed on Spike. Vince tired to play hardball, not realizing that he had a weak hand. The McMahon’s are too wrapped up in their insular world. Benoit’s contract is coming due. Perhaps more importantly, so is Paul Heyman’s. If WWE lets Heyman go, well, how sweet was the ECW PPV? I still question those PPV buys. It won’t be ECW. I doubt that kind of magic could happen again. But it could be something as good. Something new. Something that truly revolutionizes and rejuvenates wrestling. There’s always a glimpse of hope, and that’s what that award is all about. QUICK PLUGS! LOP Forums! LOP Columns Forum The PWA, best E-Fed on the net, period. Some weird crap I came across courtesy of Google DVD Fanatic, the Ultimate DVD Resource Home of The Project That’s all for today, Until Next Time, Thanks For Readin’ and Thanks For Ridin’ Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com *NEW GALLERY* The VERY CREEPY Pix of Hulk Hogan Rubbing His Daughter Brooke!
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