|
|
|
|
|
Submitted by Wevv Mang on Monday, September 18, 2006 at 3:30 AM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – The Failure Of DX and The Future Of WWE Greetings! Welcome to another edition of Ridin' With The Bossman. The column that reminds Vince of the name of his granddaughter, Aurora Rose. Well folks, we got a big week of wrestling. It was a PPV week, and WWE really pushed that this was not going to be just another PPV. We got Vince and H in a HIAC match. We got a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. We got Trish’s retirement match. Man, talk about a stacked card. We also got some good WWE news this week. Vince sounds off, OVW is shaken up, and then The Rock’s movie is coming out, and Kanyon spreads a rumor about the Montreal Screwjob. But for right now, the Chicago Bears are just pounding the crap out of the Detroit Lions, 24 to nothing in the first half. Beautiful. Man, was I wrong about Grossman. It’s like Mike Brown said, “they’ve been working on stuff”. Go Bears. I may live in Phoenix, but Chicago is my home. But we’re here to talk about wrestling, so let’s get rolling. WBBM webcast. Gotta love it. EDIT: Bears SPANKED the Lions! Go Bears! WWE TV – The Series Raw Recap courtesy of Chad Matthews The show was on September 11. Such a day in history would normally be the subject of some serious creepiness by WWE. But a weird thing has been happening lately. WWE has toned down the creepy. This show opened up with Lillian “America, The Beautiful”, and some shots of people in uniforms in the crowd. It was at Madison Square Garden, which is in New York, in case you didn't know. And that was it. A very tasteful, simple tribute. Wow. That’s amazing. And that was about it. Umaga vs Flair Umaga squashed Ric, and then Kane came out and beat the crap out of the Samoan Bulldozer. But Umaga wasn’t squashed. Beaten up yes, squashed no. Umaga took some brutal chair shots, but he stayed on his feet, and took everything Kane threw at him. Pretty good battle between the two Looking forward to the actual match. Vince and Shane Vince is trolling through the Garden. He has a star there. Like a Walk Of Fame star, only for MSG. Vince talks and says some stuff. Took a while to get to the clincher of this promo. Highlanders and Roddy Piper vs The Spirit Squad Nice opening bit with Roddy. Roddy plugs the WWE magazine, where he was listed as the #1 bad guy. I wonder what Vince thinks of that. Anyhoo, after some good comedy, the Spirit Squad came out, and a match is made. Match itself was decent, with the Highlanders showing off their tag team moves, and the Spirit Squad working out future spots. Highlanders won with a double slingshot suplex. Nitro Speaks Nitro has good mic skills. They’re not polished, but he has the knack. He’s talking about Jeff Hardy’s comments from last week, when Jeff sneaks in behind him and puts up a palate and paints something. Nitro sees him and attacks. Nitro then gets coated with paint. HA! Ha. Edge, Nitro, and Orton vs Hardy, Cena, and Carlito Very good match. All the guys showed off. And the fact that this was top of the hour, with an hour still to go? Well, we know what’s coming next. Anyhoo, lots of spots, lots of angle advancement, and lots of good wrestling. The end was a mix up, as the guys in feuds traded partners, and worked with some one else. Cena got the SZTFU on Nitro, who tapped. Cryme Tyme Remember when I said the show seemed to steer away from controversy? Well, it still stayed away. See, the thing is, I keep expecting these bits to go horribly, horribly wrong. This is WWE we’re talking about here. While these skits are amusing, they are like a Dave Chappelle skit. While there may not be a Battle Of The Kool Moe De concert, or even a Tyrone Biggums, it’s still funny. I liked this skit better than the first one. Still, once Vince actually sees the skit, and decides he can “make it better” well, look out. But, if WWE is finally going to show that it’s matured, at last, and can actually do the blue material comedy, this act is a good place to start. Let us not forget, Kane having sex with a dead chick, the Snitsky incident, all of them, they were supposed to be serious and real. The comedy, while hilarious, was unintentional. Trish vs Mickie A pretty good match, but nothing special. I hope it’s because Trish is saving her big match for the PPV. Trish won, of course, and hugged Mickie. Trish got on the mic, said thank you, and that was that. DX Shows up Backstage confrontation against Cade and Murdoch. DX blows them off, and then Shane jumps in. Beat down. Funny spot was when H was thrown into the limo, it looked like he missed his mark. So, there was a big hole in the glass, but H was on the side. H then got his head slammed in the door. That is all. Your Main Event H vs Vince H comes down to the ring, bleeding from his ear. Vince beats him up, Hulk Hogan come back by H, and then everyone and their grandmother rush the ring. More beating on H, but he manages, somehow, some way, to hold on. Until Vince clocks him with the sledgehammer, and then Vince pins him. Yay. Wow, really weak main event. Same thing we’ve seen dozens of times now. The first hour was outstanding. The second hour weak, and the main event barely alive. This DX stuff has really burned itself out. But good news people! We still have months to go with this angle! And that is a good thing, and I’ll explain why in OAW. The ratings for this show was a 3.6. Down from the previous weeks. Now, some may say it was Monday Night Football. But I’ll say that on the west coast, it was the Raiders vs San Diego and the game was over by halftime. That should mean that more people flipped over to wrestling. But, it looks like they didn’t. Go figure. Vince vs H as your main event. Ho-hum. ECW Recap info courtesy of Eddie Martin The ratings for ECW have been down. Not horribly down, but less than they were. Now, some are saying that it’s because of the Raw lead in. But there is another answer. Who is not on the show anymore? Kurt Angle, that’s who. When did the ratings start to really drop? When Angle left. I think that is the key. Angle was a big name. Now, he’s gone, and the 300,000 -500,000 people who tuned in to see Angle, now can't. However, ECW is trying to bring those fans back. Let’s take a look and see what they came up with. Heyman Speaks Heyman cuts a heck of a promo. He says that it was all his idea. That he’s tired of listening to the fans. That is was he who brought back ECW. He cut the deals he needed to, to bring ECW back. That the only person he has to thank is himself. In fact, it’s because of the fans that he went bankrupt. Nice. Sabu then shows up and beats up Heyman’s Security. Heyman then makes a match. Sabu vs Big Show. EXTREME RULES! OOOOO! RVD vs Hardcore Holly Decent match, and Hardcore, well, he’s just not that good. He’s a good brawler and he has some power moves, but other than that, eh. To cover for this weakness, Test and Knoxx, and Stevie Richards charge the ring, and we get a RVD beatdown. Sandman, Dreamer, and RVD then drink some beers. Get on the ball ECW, and let’s get a sponsor in here. There’s gotta be a microbrewery that will pay for some advertisement. Marketing people, marketing. Hell, have a rival steal Sandman’s gimmick and do it to get some heel heat. There’s the next round of the Striker Sandman feud. Because Striker is smart. CM Punk vs Shannon Moore Did Moore get any offense in at all? I can't remember and the match was over quick. Moore did a good job selling, that’s all I can say. Oh, and he won. No, just kidding. It was CM Punk. Just you wait Punk. The Flair – Maria home porno will be coming out soon. Take that Punk! More Punk CM is in the back, hanging with Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke. Kelly Kelly walks up and comes on to him, She says since she’s only 19, that he and she should have hot dirty sex at home. Punk then backs away and yells “I’m Straight Edge, bitch! No Sex! No Drugs! No Nothing! Straight Edge! DAMN! I need a protein shake! I’m gonna EXPLODE WITH INTENSITY!”. Well, no, but Knoxx does walk up, grab Kelly and leaves with an angry glare. Very nice segment, and sometimes, it’s just too easy to bust on Punk. Rene Dupree vs Balls Mahoney Good match. Balls calmed down and took some wicked bumps. He worked hard. Rene was a little hesitant, but he did good work. He even got to do the French Tickler, which people just hate. Thorne is at ringside, with Ariel. Thorne with a distraction, and Rene gets the pin. Matt Striker Speaks He says some stuff. Mostly using big words and talking about beer drinkers and violence and stuff. He’s going to teach us. Not a bad promo. But cut through the lingo and there wasn’t much there. Big Show vs Sabu Not a bad match, but all these crazy matches look like they’re taking a toll on my man Show. Show showed power, and strength and toughness. Sabu was crisp, and working a hard style. Good match, but the ending was everyone and their grandmother running in and beating down Sabu. Déjà vu. Yeah, the run-ins and interference is reaching WCW levels. Still, not a bad show. Three very promising characters in CM Punk, Striker, and Kevin Thorne are getting some nice TV time. It’s not much, but the show is only an hour long. The next group is getting ready, in Rene Dupree, who I think will do well. He was good when he was on before, and a heat magnet. Balls Mahoney is a sturdy midcard guy. Seriously. The guy works hard, and has some charisma. Not a lot, but he’s got enough. Now, if they let guys like Little Guido, and the other high flyers go nuts, they could really make a splash. Losing Angle hurt, but they have enough variety and depth to make up for it. The only problem is that some fans may not know who they are, or what they can do. Also, it’s only an hour show. It’s the PPV’s that make the names, at least, could make the names, with enough time to showboat and get noticed. Oh, and an ECW house show is coming to Phoenix. That should be interesting, as I don't think Phoenix ever got a live show in the ECW heyday. It’s also going to be a good test to see if ECW can make money outside of the East Coast. Phoenix is a hot wrestling town, so it should do well. But then again, it’s not at the America West Arena, or whatever it’s called now. Sorry, but I still refer to the Allstate Arena as the Rosemont Horizon, so it’s just a nostalgia thing. ECW will be at the Celebrity Theater, which I have never been to. But then again, I had never gone to the place in Villa Park where I saw the ECW PPV. Place was packed. This is a house show. But it’s the first ECW show in Phoenix. Like I said, it will be interesting to me to see what happens. Smackdown Recap courtesy of Rudi Pavani Welcome aboard Rudi. Thanks for taking the Smackdown Recapping job. You do good work. The show is still not on in my area, but hopefully that will change this Friday, as the CW Network makes it’s debut. First show on the new network? America’s Top Model. Go Tyra! Lead that charge and get some monster ratings, so that crappy wrestling show can get some publicity! What’s going on? Rudi keeps me informed. There is some kind of program involving Finlay and Batista going on. But for this show, it’s Lashley vs Finlay who open the show. Verbal sparring and a sight gag with the midget. Since I did not see the show, no idea if it was funny or not. If I’m lucky, there will be a recap on this weeks show. Or unlucky. I’ll know when I see it. Long comes out and we got a #1 Contenders match between Finlay and Lashley. Will Finlay turn on King Booker? Regal wants to know! Hardy vs Helms Well, it sounds good on paper. The ending is, of course, Matt Hardy losing. Some things never change. Rey has brought his son with him to the show. That can't be good. Miz beat Scotty 2 Hotty. Pitbulls vs Hooligans vs Teacher’s Pets I have no idea if they’re going by these names, but I hope you know what I mean. Interesting that all three tag teams faced each other. On a show that a lot of the country didn't get. Now, if they do it again on the Season Premier… Mr. Kennedy vs Rey Mysterio Long match apparently. End came when Vickie and Chavo came out with Dominic, so not only are they exploiting Eddie’s legacy, they are now poaching his angles. Rey gets distracted, and Kennedy wins. Damn cheesehead. Regal jobs to Vito Poor Regal. And why is this gimmick still going on? Does anyone care? I didn't think so. Finlay vs Lashley Another long match apparently. Finlay wins, and the Royal court beats down Lashley. Batista makes the save, which I find funny. Lashley is better than Batista from what I saw last, and now, to get Lashley from taking his spot, which he could easily do, Batista needs to save him. So, show ends with Lashley giving the hairy eyeball to the Court. I miss Booker T. Unforgiven Recap courtesy of Chad Matthews Yes, I did see the show. It drew me in, but the bar got my money, NOT YOU VINCE! HAH! TAKE THAT MCMAHON!!! I consider it well spent. The PPV was great. And it’s always a treat to hear some dude ramble on about what’s going on. Gives me insight into the mind of a fan who isn't on the internet 24/7. What? I’m only on for 18 hours a day, not 24. Noob. Nitro vs Hardy Not what I was expecting. It was mainly ground based, with only the occasional high spot. Which was a good twist. And it was a good match. It got lots of time, and started off slow, and really picked it up at the end. Still, I was surprised by the lack of daredevil spots. But then again, on a card with a Hell In A Cell, and a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, and being on first, I shouldn’t be. Oh, and Nitro won. Rematch! Teddy Long Is stuck way up in the radio press boxes. Like nearly in the lighting rigging. Poor Teddy. Matt, Jeff, and Lita Well, a nice nostalgia moment. Now, if it had a point, it might have meant something. As it was, it’s a trivia answer. What show did all three appear in a segment after Jeff Hardy came back to the WWE? Answer, Unforgiven 2006. And that is all. Kane vs Umaga Good match. I was looking forward to it, and it delivered. A brawl between monsters, and both men did great work. Armando got to speak and was classic at ringside. I love those Canadian fans. Kane beat up Umaga, Umaga beat up Kane, and it didn't end, it just left the ring and we got a double count out. Nice. REMATCH! WHOO! Hey, we got some brutal matches coming up, and some one has to wrestle on Raw. Spirit Squad vs Highlanders Another solid match. Highlanders showed some great tag team moves, and teamwork. Spirit Squad wasn’t shabby either. A good, solid match between the two. Spirit Squad retained. REMATCH! Sorry, I was on a roll there…but then again, like I said, some one has to wrestle on Raw… Vince, Shane, Big Show vs DX WOW, they really spiffed up the Cell didn't they? It’s like two in one, on top of each other. No way some one is going off the top of it, but WWE would like you to think so. No one did. But, what we did get was a bloodfest, and a brutal match. Big Show was great. His facial expressions were priceless. I hope you got a big sandwich, Big Guy. Hell, you deserve two. Why? Vince got his bloody face shoved into Big Show’s ass. Show deserves a bag of chips on top of the sandwiches for that. Top-notch brutal match, and it’s the hardest I’ve seen H work in months. Spots all over the place. H bleeding like a stuck pig from his ear. A small nick will bleed like crazy. But I have no idea how severe it was. Vince was taken out with a sledgehammer blow to the back of the head. Shane got an elbow drop with a chair around his neck and had the dreaded “Internal bleeding”. Show was clocked with a sledgehammer and a Superkick. H and HBK won. Tangent Did I mention how I love those Canadian fans? They chanted you screwed Bret at HBK. That made me smile. They cheered HBK later, but I got no problem with that. HBK worked. HBK bumped. And HBK sold. But the chant made my day. Never forget. While I will most likely never call myself an HBK fan, the guy is a tremendous talent. But it’s nice to know that his past is there to remind him of what he was like, and what he should not go back to. He’s come a long way from those days. He put over Umaga and made him a star. He put over others and helped them reach new heights. He’s learned a valuable lesson. Now that he’s getting paid and working with the decision makers in the company, it would be easy to slip back into old habits. I hope he doesn’t. But if he does, one trip to Canada might remind him of the past he’s worked so hard to overcome. Tangent#2 So, Shane is out, Vince is out. That leaves one McMahon to fight against DX. No, not Linda! Come on! The way is now clear for Steph to return. You heard it here first. I hope. Hey, some folks get their columns up as soon as the clock strikes twelve. Cough*Not Wevv*Cough* Sue me. WHOA! Calm down there WWE lawyers! Not you! It’s just an expression! Easy! Look! A hit and run accident! Go get ‘em! Phew! I think the coast is clear. Lita vs Trish Good match, but not the best that could have been put together. Say, if Victoria was in there, it might have been a real classic. As it was, it was solid. It got near ten minutes, Lita didn't botch it up. Not a knock on Lita, but something always seems to happen when she faced Trish previously. But this match had the fans watching, and rooting for Trish. And the most amazing thing? Nothing creepy whatsoever. Trish got to say goodbye and leave in a way she can be proud of. Thanks for everything Trish. In my opinion, you are the best WWE Diva. Period. Best of luck, and Damn You Ron! Randy Orton vs Carlito Good match, but stiff as hell, Carlito does a lot of Jericho’s moves, I’ve noticed. Not a bad thing, as he does them well. He did nail Randy with an elbow that busted open his lip early. Gave the match intensity. Randy wins, after hitting the RKO on a flying Carlito. Randy does pull that move out of nowhere a lot. Edge vs Cena One hell of a match. But I thought that it was too overbooked with spots. Also, it didn't help that it looked like Cena got knocked out, but was still moving after a chair shot from Edge. It looked like he missed a spot and went into another one. He seemed to come too near the end, after he was knocked off the ladder by Lita, and went through a table. But the match seemed to suffer the Curse Of Sabu, and looked like a hairsbreadth away from disaster. Both men worked hard. Both men took incredible punishment. Their dedication to make the match great made the match great. Cena beat Edge in Toronto. Edge truly is a main event player. Cena is almost, but not quite at Rock-like levels. The Rock also got booed, but for different reasons. Cena is booed because people like him and like to bust on him. The Rock was booed because the fans wanted to boo him, and they loved to steal his comebacks and use them for themselves. But it looks like Cena will not be going to Smackdown. Will Edge? That remains to be seen. But I am glad that I saw this PPV. It was a great one. Raw has really built up some hot feuds that are taking off. But the DX angle, well, it’s time for a quick OAW. Over-Analyzing Wrestling Today’s Topic: DX and The Future DX was over the second week it appeared on TV. The angle was dead in the water, but it kept going. DX, the hope of WWE to spike the ratings past that four barrier, into the realm of fives like in the good old days on USA, was not happening. DX is a failure, but it is also a success, just not in the way that WWE wants it to be. A year ago, a common cry was that WWE was not creating new stars. One year later and we have at least seven. Who, you may ask? Let’s take a look. Cena – Cena is a star. Like him or hate him, you react to him. The knocks on his wrestling ability have been mostly silenced. Why? Cena busted his ass in his ECW angles. He worked hard, took tremendous bumps, and won the respect of the majority of fans. People still boo Cena. That is not a problem. That is a good thing. The Rock got booed. Angle got “You Suck” chanted at him, when he most assuredly did not. Hogan got booed. Cena gets booed because the fans can relate to him and feel comfortable busting on him. That’s a good thing. Edge – Edge has broken through the glass ceiling and is now a genuine main event player. His two-week title reign hurt him, but he bounced back big time. He’s got all the tools to succeed. Carlito – Carlito gets it. He’s got the skills. He’s got the charisma. All he needs is that one last push. He’s ready for the main event. Orton – Orton has the heat factor, but he’s too stupid outside of the ring. If he can get his shit together, he truly could be a main-eventer. Big Show – He’s there. He’s ready. He just has to stay healthy. He’s a credible main event player. Umaga – It might be his manager. Then again, it might not. The Toronto crowd was into Umaga. They cheered for him. Nut he’s not ready to be a main-eventer yet. One more year, and he will be though. He’s got the monster gimmick down pat. Working with Kane will help him. WWE learned from Mark Henry. It was only Henry’s past that worked against him. His gimmick and booking was solid. It can be adapted to Umaga, easy. Oh and HBK was the one who really put him on the mat. He took that Samoan drop. Twice. Nitro - A future main-eventer. He’s working on his mic skills. He has the natural talent. Wrestlemania 23 could launch him, as he still needs more seasoning. Bobby Lashley – He’s got the size and the skills. He needs more work on the mic, but he’s got all the basics down pat. Again, Wrestlemania 23 could be his launching pad. Booker T – He’s a main-eventer. But not a mega star, no matter how much the fan in me says otherwise. He’s a great number three, but his drawbacks are his ringwork and his charisma. He’s got enough to be there, but I’m just not sure it’s enough to lead a brand without support. But that’s true of a lot of talent. I will say that he is leaps and bounds ahead of Batista. DX did two things that helped these guys get the breaks they needed. #1) It took H, HBK and Vince out of the scene and put them together. When it comes to H, WWE only knows one way to handle his opponents. Squash-a-rama. H chews them up and spits them out, and the end result is H stays where he is, on top, period, and his opponents are left to fend for themselves. An angle with H does nobody any favors. Don't throw the Batista argument at me. It was the fact that H lost, after YEARS of squashing that got Batista over. Nearly anyone could have been put in that angle and gotten the same result. Even Scotty 2 Hotty would have looked good coming out of it. Batista had enough charisma and the look to make it as a main eventer. Once he was on Smackdown, he was exposed. It took Eddie to prop him up. The deal with HBK is not HBK, but the philosophy that WWE has booking HBK. HBK must be on top. HBK will sell, and make the guy look good, but HBK will beat the guy in the end. Period. After that, it’s back down to the midcard for HBK’s opponent, where they will try to build on the “rub” working a program with HBK will give them. Which they then try to transfer to the next guy WWE thinks will be a star. Look at Shelton Benjamin. He worked a program and then jobbed to build up another guy, while WWE thought he was strong enough to weather the losses. He wasn’t. If he had won, it might have worked. Taking Vince out of the picture and giving him an angle to focus on, let Vince put all his creepy ideas into effect. For himself. He fought God. He went creepy. Not some other guy, but Vince himself. I’m sure that many wrestlers thank God for sparing them from those Vince ideas. Oh sure, a few slipped through, but most of the creepy energy was focused on Vince. #2) It’s been a learning experience for all the parties involved. I don't care if you’re the biggest Triple H mark on the planet, you have to concede one point. H has an ego. A big one. H books his own angles and in a protective fashion for himself. Countless rumors of why his angles didn't do what WWE thought they would have been leaked. Most of them blame his opponent. And don't try to tell me that Vince doesn't. We all know he does. Now, those two are working on their angle, and their brilliant ideas are not getting over to the extent that they had hoped. And they can’t blame the other guy. Spirit Squad was a pet project of Vince’s. They almost went into oblivion. The politics of blame couldn't be played on them, or at least at the level they have been in the past. Vince got his wake up call with his God angle. H got his when he had to drag Edge into his angle with Cena. Now, it’s time to come up with something good, since Vince won't settle for less. And the main guys writing this DX angle are Vince, Steph, and H. When a bit failed, the only blame that could be placed would be on the shoulders of a guy who can't be blamed, because that would mean that they were wrong, and that can’t be admitted. It’s a clash of egos. And it’s doing good. H doesn't want to look weak. Vince is willing to look weak, but it won't be long until he wants his comeback. Let’s not forget, H has been ranting that Hogan was supposed to do the job, and didn’t and well, Vince has been doing the job, so…. What to do? Face up to the truth to some degree. Some of H’s ideas sucked, some of Vince’s ideas sucked, some of Steph’s ideas sucked, and Shawn and Shane are along for the ride, so it couldn't be them. The writers? Only the ones hand picked by the top three. So if their ideas sucked, it would be the same as blaming Vince, Steph, or H. So, time for a reality check. Edge, Cena, etc are carrying the show. Hard to say otherwise. Raw has been in rare form. Some of the ideas that weren’t used have made their way to Smackdown and the show is tanking. Vince has been paying closer attention to what goes on the air. He protected ECW when they launched to some degree. ECW made it. They’re not getting Raw numbers, but the numbers have been, and still are, good. No one wants to job in the DX angle. HBK has done it enough, as he seems to be the one who understands and gets listened to, that it was time for DX to lose. Shane, well, I’m not sure how much say Shane has in things. He’s probably spending his time keeping Vince sane. Thank you Shane. In fact, I would guess that Shane is the guy keeping the guys who are carrying the show from being dragged into it to feed DX. Guys like Edge. Umaga escaped by the skin of his teeth, and now has a solid angle against Kane. But we’re at another danger point. The DX angle has just finished another chapter. The door is wide open for Steph to step through. It could be good, but the scary thing is, that Steph cannot wrestle against DX. She’ll need help. Vince and Shane are out, though I wouldn't put it past Vince to show up on Raw the next night, a la Triple H, and wrestle a match. Steph could be just a holding pattern, but once she’s in, she’s hard to get rid of. That spotlight is like crack to her. It’s been a great ride so far. Raw hasn't looked this good in a long time. But Smackdown is set to debut, and Vince will be focusing on that. That means his attention will not be solely on Raw or ECW. That could be good. Or it more likely will be very bad. The only advice I can give is to brace yourself. And offer my philosophy on wrestling, and life. Hope for the best, but brace for the worst. That’s almost it for today. Whoo! Lots of reviews in this one. But then again, there was eight hours of wrestling this week, not counting TNA, but then again, should TNA count? Is it still all about Jarrett? I got it on tape, and that reminds me, If you want to find out what’s going on with TNA, did you know that you can buy individual Impact shows from iTunes? For only $1.99? And they’re commercial free? That’s not a bad deal. Hell you can all the episodes since May for only $33 bucks. That’s a great deal. Now, if they would put the old PPV’s on the store that would be sweet. Or at least put together a Year In Review type show. You got three years of footage. Make some money off of it, before Vince just buys you out. Come on TNA, Panda has got to make some money sometime. They can't keep throwing it away week, after week. Remembering Bossman This Week also marks a sad anniversary. This Friday is Rosh Hashanah. That’s not the sad anniversary, but I do find it amusing. No, it will be two years since Bossman, Ray Traylor, passed away. Ray was a special man to me. He was my ultimate heel. He cracked me up, but I knew that his character was evil to core. He gave me the funniest thing I have ever seen, in wrestling and out. He dragged Big Show’s daddy’s casket through the cemetery. I remember being over at my buddy’s house, after my wrestling break, and this was right at the beginning of getting back into wrestling. I saw that, and was laughing so hard, I was in tears. And I laughed for minutes on end. I laughed for weeks, when the memory popped into my head. At work, at home, out on dates, I would just start cracking up. How could I explain it? It was so ridiculous, it couldn't be explained. That skit forever changed the way I look at wrestling. It made me love it again. I still chuckle, even know, thinking about it. And it was years ago. Bossman was the fucking Man. It was a magical moment that can't be captured again, and shouldn’t, and lord knows WWE tried. And failed. Totally. Not now, and not for a loooonnnnggg time. The rest of the angles were just falling into place, and took off for the greatest years WWE has ever had. Not because of it, in spite of it. It wasn’t that long ago (cheap attempt to get you to skim my archives), that I explained what it was about Bossman that made him such a great heel. It seems as though WWE has finally figured it out as well. WWE is chock full of great heels. Kennedy, Edge, Orton, H (Still a heel. He’s playing a face, but every week, he nearly turns Vince face), Hell, even Nitro, Booker, and Finlay are great heels. But faces? Solid faces? Few and far between. Carlito is a good face. HBK is a classic face. Lashley is there. Batista as well. But other than that? Not many. Not enough. It’s something to think about. It’s a harder task today than it was way back when. Too many try to be the Anti-Heel. The tweener. I’m not even sure it’s possible, without coming across as a pussy or a whiner. It’s something to think about, and something I’ll try to tackle. Next week. We’re out of time. So, thank you Bossman. You’re still my hero. Rest in Peace you crazy son of a bitch. Now, if you came back and formed a tag team with the Zombie, which would be off the charts. Pure gold. Pure gold. Ah, still inspiring me. Thanks Big Guy. That’s all for today. Quick Plugs and I’m outta here. LOP FORUMS New and Improved! The latest Sports, Entertainment news! What are you waiting for? LOP COLUMNS FORUM THE MOVIE BAR! Great place for reviews of DVD's, Music, and special video clips. Your one stop review spot. THE PROJECT LIVES! A creative site for creative people. Be sure to check out the forums! LOP'S PWA E-FED. Best E-Fed on the net. Period. That's all for this week. Thanks for Readin' and Thanks For Ridin' Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com - PLEASE LABEL ALL EMAIL AS FEEDBACK. THANK YOU.
[Back to LOP] [News Archives] [Results] [Columns] [Forums]
|
|