DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - ONStand Predictions, ECW on PPV + RVD as World Champ?
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 at 9:29 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #179

Welcome one and all to the 179th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Wow... How timely was my column last week reviewing The Road Warriors DVD...??? Just a few days later, Road Warrior Animal was released from his WWE contract. Some conspiracy theorists would say that the timing of my column was too coincidental. Maybe I'm a psychic. Or maybe it's my source from within the WWE; Finally, Bradley Steven Artest came through with the goods for me!

I have actually changed the plan & content of this column at the last minute. I figured there weren't enough columns floating around on the internet concerning ECW, so I decided to basically devote this entire column to the brand. LOL... I was initially kidding, but it's sort of fallen that this column is entirely devoted to ECW. My usual PPV Predictions are included, but so too are 2 topics that I don't feel have been explored in-depth by many others. So, what the hell, I'll give them a go.

On with the show…..


APPETIZERS - ECW on PPV

A loyal reader of mine (Burt) emailed me during the week with an interesting question that I had somehow not considered over the past month. I'm certain this topic has done the rounds on message boards & forums before, but I will be totally honest & state that I have seen no such discussion.

The question basically is: Will ECW roster members appear at the WWE’s big 4 pay-per-views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam & Survivor Series)…??? That’s a damn good & important question! I have to wonder if the WWE already know the answer to it, or are still thinking it through. Well, SummerSlam is only 2 months away now, so they better not mull over it for too much longer.

Before I make some sort of attempt to answer the question, there are other questions that Burt raised whose answers will assist with the original question. Things such as the title situations. How will that work…??? Well, I’m actually going to let that one be for the time being, as we will know a lot more come Monday morning. My guess is that whether RVD and/or Sabu and/or Dreamer & Funk wins or loses, there will still be an ECW World Title defended exclusively on the weekly ECW television show. It then may be defended in an all ECW match on one of the WWE’s big 4 ppv events.

More importantly though is the question of: Will ECW be considered as a part of the WWE, or will it be viewed as a totally separate company that is simply owned by the WWE…??? In fact, this is possibly the biggest question of them all & it affects so many other things such as pay-per-views, titles & who knows what else.

These questions are not easy to answer, yet they are crucial to the success of the new ECW brand. My guess is that there are still many doubts, unknowns & queries relating to the return of the promotion & that the WWE will play it the safest way possible. I know I would. In playing it safe, I mean that they should not pigeon-hole themselves into a corner that they cannot back out of. Make decisions which allow for flexibility in the near future if things don’t go as planned.

From what Vince McMahon has stated recently, the plan is for ECW to eventually get their own branded pay-per-views. In the meantime, they will rely mainly on house-show revenue & the ratings from their weekly tv show. That’s a fine plan & should indeed be the objective. Yet, it’s extremely wise that the ECW branded ppvs will not come into effect for some months yet. Maybe Vince is playing it a little safer than usual… for once!

In the meantime, I’d allow ECW matches to take place at SummerSlam & Survivor Series. Whether it be 2 or 3 bouts, I think it is required to further along the brand 2 months after the initial hype. It would also possibly promote the brand to those who have not seen it before. Then, come January at The Royal Rumble, the possibilities are endless as the 30 man battle royal lends itself to inter-brand interaction. The WWE could go the standard route or really kick the brand into another gear. This would all be dependant on how the ECW brand is going at the time.


MAIN

'One Night Stand' Predictions

It’s a little difficult to have this as a normal predictions column topic due to the lack of matches announced thus far. And I really haven't put too much thought into the order of the card this time around. But I’ll give it a go anyway:

TAZZ vs JERRY ‘THE KING’ LAWLER: A match between commentators can’t be good, can it…??? Well, I’m not expecting a classic, but this may actually be half-decent. Whether it’s in real life or not (I am actually not sure), these 2 have done a great job of showing that they have heat with each other. And I’m not just talking about the last month. Think back to the few times that they have crossed commentating paths at split brand pay-per-views over the past year. That heat should help the bout, as should the fact that both could/can tell a decent story in the ring. The entertainment factor could be quite high here & the crowd will love it. As long as they don’t have this go on too long, I actually think this could be decent. I doubt this can be booked as a Lawler win. Winner: Tazz

KURT ANGLE vs RANDY ORTON: I liked the idea of the build-up to this bout. Simply mentioning 6 & 8 sided rings hopefully suggest a couple of the directions the ECW brand will be going in. While it also foreshadows a continuation of the competitive character which Kurt has been portraying of late. Something inside of me wanted Kurt's opponent to be Sylvester ‘The Predator’ Terkay from UPW & Zero-One, as reports have suggested he has been signed by the WWE. But anyone with a Ultimate Fighting or amateur wrestling background would have done. Hey, imagine the pop from the crowd if Brock Lesnar had walked out as the mystery opponent! Oh well, Randy Orton isn't the worst opponent here & the storyline is logical. Should be a pretty good quality match, but you would have to think that Angle will emerge victorious in a highly competitive match. Winner: Kurt Angle

REY MYSTERIO vs SABU for the World HeavyWeight Title: This match could be anything. It could be sensational & exciting. Or it could bomb terribly & be a messy mish-mash of nothing. But I have to be honest & say that I was impressed with the match-up when I first heard it announced on SmackDown last week. It’s not exactly a dream match, but it sort of has that feel to it. It’s one of those bouts that at the very least is interesting & would be fascinating to view, no matter how successful it ends up. Both men are past their prime & it’s arguable that Rey’s toned down style won’t fit in well with Sabu. But I still get that feeling that Rey can step it up a notch when required & the spotty nature of Sabu’s offense might not hurt the bout as much as you think. As for a result, I initially thought it was a no-brainer that Rey would retain, but nothing would surprise me when it came to the World HeavyWeight Title & Rey’s title reign. Winner: Rey Mysterio

JOHN CENA vs ROB VAN DAM for the WWE Championship: I still think it would have been better if RVD faced a SmackDown opponent. That way (with the way it’s title has been treated), RVD would be the favorite to win a world title at an ECW pay-per-view. Yet, I almost find myself barracking for John Cena to retain here, as I do NOT want to see the WWE Championship basically thrown in the garbage & re-christened the ECW World Title.

The result of this bout could well depend on its positioning on the card. Would the WWE put this on as the main-event if Cena were to retain? It wouldn’t be a great lead-in to an ECW brand return. Then again, all could be redeemed if the entire ECW locker-room was to come out & take turns in beating up Cena to end the show. The match quality itself will be interesting & a guide to how much both men have improved over the past year or so. I have no doubt that both men will conform to the environment well. But that doesn’t mean they will necessarily get the job done in the ring. This bout needs to be well planned out & rehearsed. If it is, it could actually be quite good, despite both men’s limitations. I'll play it safe with the result... Winner: John Cena

EDGE & MICK FOLEY vs TOMMY DREAMER & TERRY FUNK: Ummm, I believe this tag-team match is for the hardcore title, although I don’t know if anyone cares for the time being. To be honest, I’m not looking forward to this match at all. Funk can hardly move, I’ve never been a fan of Dreamer in the ring, while this match screams of the kind of structure & content that didn’t impress me about ECW. I’m certain it will be entertaining in parts, but it will also be damn boring in others. A lot relies on Foley here as he is the most likely person to get the right mix of standard & hardcore wrestling. Unsure the result is important, but maybe it will be the hardcore title that gets turned into the ECW World Title. Let’s hope so. Winners: Tommy Dreamer & Terry Funk

Ok, well that’s it so far. I guess the WWE believe that the pure fact that it’s an ECW themed pay-per-view is enough to sell the show. I suppose the success of last year’s event helps that, but I think if they were a week further advanced with storylines & match promotion, it certainly wouldn’t have hurt the buyrate here.

Other than the 5 bouts listed above, the usual suspects will appear. Some may be throwaway hardcore bouts that I will yawn through, while others could be hugely successful & entertaining similar to Awesome vs Tanaka last year. All I really hope for is one very good technical match & one very good cruiserweight type match. It’s a real shame about the postponement/cancellation of the Benoit vs Malenko bout from the technical side of things, while I’m certain that Super Crazy can be thrown in there with someone to pull off a great cruiserweight type of bout.


DESSERT - RVD as World Champ?

This is a topic I have tossed & turned over whether to write or not. And it's actually been in my head for over a couple of years! Well, I guess that if I am not going to write it now (less than a week from RVD's title shot), then I will never write it. The strange thing is that over the past couple of years, I would have had emails well into the double figures of people giving me their opinion on the topic. It seems the man we know as RVD definitely has his fair share of fans, but also his fair share of detractors.

The main reason why I haven't written on the topic was because I wasn't really sure of a definitive answer. And guess what? I am still not. Apologies, because I know that will disappoint the 99.9% of people that stand clearly on one side of the fence. But on a topic where it's difficult to be a fence-sitter, I am sitting on the fence! Well, sort of. Let me explain as I go along.

If I was to answer whether or not I am a fan of RVD, I would have to answer "yes". I can assure you I am by no means his biggest fan, but I am a fan. There are clear weaknesses that he has, but more often than not, the man entertains me in the ring. And that really is the bottom line. And while many think that his series of matches with Jerry Lynn in ECW were over-rated, I disagree & fully enjoyed them. So too, his WWE matches with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho & Christian in the past. I think this proves that when in the ring with the right opponent & right circumstances, RVD can put on a stellar performance.

But have I ever really thought that he was WWE (or World HeavyWeight) Champion material? Actually, the answer to that is a "yes". I just felt that he would not only learn the WWE way of wrestling well, but would simply become a better wrestler after years more experience & wrestling better quality opponents. He wasn't exactly an old man at that stage of his career & he had time on his side to improve despite the change of style.

I really felt he would adapt to the slower pace better than he has. Don't get me wrong, he has obviously slowed down a fair bit due to WWE directions & injury, but I'm unsure it's had the same effect in telling a story, as a similar change of pace has done for Rey Mysterio. The RVD/Rey comparison is actually a good one & I genuinely feel that Rey has improved a lot more from a storytelling & microphone standpoint. Rey has added layers on to his character, despite the lack of a heel turn. And maybe that's why he is the current World HeavyWeight Champion.

Now obviously, Rob Van Dam hasn't had the greatest luck with injury since he came over to the WWE. Especially early last year, when he just seemed to be gathering steam, a terrible knee injury really halted his momentum. The return of the ECW brand may mean that his return is especially good timing, but who knows how far he would have climbed up the WWE pecking order if he hadn't been out for so long.

The bottom line is that I feel that RVD has not improved significantly enough to warrant a WWE Championship title reign. Sorry RVD fans, but I do believe that this is true at this point in time. But before you send me your hate mail, hold on a tick... I still feel that there is time & quite a bit of it! Furthermore, did you notice that I said "WWE Championship title reign". While I strongly believe that the 2 main WWE titles should not be differentiated with regards to importance, I can't help but think that the WWE Title has been elevated above the World HeavyWeight Title, especially of late. This all gets back to my column from about a month ago when I stated that the better match-up for RVD may have been JBL or Rey Mysterio!

But apart from RVD improving more on his WWE performances, there is one other thing that I feel he requires to take that next step. And no, it's not Bill Alfonso... Although a manager wouldn't hurt, I suppose. No, the thing I talk about is a full blown heel turn. I'm talking a genuinely serious one. It wouldn't be easy to pull off, but it's most definitely possible.

I am a realistic man & know that the heel turn couldn't last forever. In fact, it would only last for a year at most. But just the edge on his character that a heel turn could give RVD could be that little missing ingredient that he requires. And with RVD's heel past in ECW, the super arrogant & cocky demeanor is the most likely way to go. Because then, when he turns back face, he can keep that slight edge to him, while having the crowd pop big time for a man who is most suited to performing as the good guy.

So that about sums up my take on RVD..... Both generally & as a possible future World Champion in the WWE. The jury is out I suppose. But right now, I lean towards only giving him a World Title reign if he finds that edge & improves a little more, whether it be in the ring, or character-wise. To the RVD fans though; Trust me, I am really hoping he takes that next step.


That's #179 of 'The Wrestling Menu' in the books. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of my 'One Night Stand' Predictions/thoughts. And how about the topic of ECW on pay-per-view. Do you clearly stand on one side of the fence or are you willing to play the 'wait & see' game before deciding? Finally, I expect the usual amount of email when it comes to RVD & a potential WWE World Title reign... Please be nice! 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

Next Wednesday's 'Wrestling Menu' will obviously include my 'One Night Stand' Review. Let's hope it's another memorable event like last years. I will also speak about the topic which I held over from today regarding professional wrestling & the mainstream. Finally, I may include some rare words concerning TNA. 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.


DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu. 2002-2006

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