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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Monday, January 8, 2007 at 3:29 AM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – I’m Bringing Wrestling Back Greetings! Welcome to another edition of Ridin' With The Bossman. The column that Vince made a New Year’s Resolution about. Yep, he said he would read another Bossman column again, and lasted all of 2 hours on, hence, his promo Monday night. And the firing of Rob Conway, out of anger at himself for being weak. He had to take it out on some one. Well, the New Year is off to a strong start. Raw had a good publicity stunt, and Smackdown is trying to mix things up. ECW, well, I haven't seen ECW in a couple of weeks, to be honest. But I did catch last Thursday’s TNA show. I’ll include that in the TV re3view. But some big news is that WWE is trying to grow their audience, and is resorting to celebrity power to do it. In case you didn't read it yet, WWE and Donald Trump are going to be teaming up. Since Federline is going to be out doing some TV, WWE has a replacement on tap. Smart, very smart. Well, lucky actually. The Apprentice starts soon, and this kind of fell in their lap. I’ll talk about that later. But first, let’s cover some TV. The shows are back on track, plugging away again after Christmas and New Years break. A mere week, I believe. Let’s see what WWE came up with during that time, shall we? WWE TV – The Series Raw Recap courtesy of Chad Matthews Show opened up with the match the media has been keeping mum on, but paying attention to. John Cena vs Kevin Federline I gotta say, Kev has something. He’s got a presence. It’s hard to boo the guy, but he does have the makings of a great heel. He’s got wrestling charisma. Cena works well with him. Lots of stalling, but it’s done well. Nitro came out with K-Fed, and they kept doing stuff. Like the mouthpiece, the robe, the gloves. Not bad, not bad at all. Cena then ignored basically all his offense. Nitro got involved, and got beaten up. Cena took over, and was about to K-Fed away when Umaga ran in and laid out the champ. K-Fed then got the pin. Very well done bit. Party Federline Style Kevin is having a post match celebration party. Maria tries to get a word with him, but Melina stops her and eventually slaps her, and we got a chick match. Rob Conway vs Jeff Hardy Conway makes an appearance, and loses in record time. Vince then shows up and talks about New Years resolutions. He says he’s been too nice. He then fires Conway. Vince also said some stuff about Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell. He also says he made the phrase “You’re Fired!”. Yes, but Trump is the one getting the credit and endorsement deals for it. Kenny Dykstra Speaks You now, I have no idea if that’s his real name or not. Whatever. Kenny says that he didn't shake Flair’s hand, because Flair was trying to steal his spotlight, and that Kenny will end Flair’s career. DX Speaks So, are you afraid of breakfast cereals? I know, they can be terrifying. DX comes out, and they have a new product placement spot. Glowlights, soon to be sold at arenas across the county. Hey, it’s hard to make a living off of 1.5 million a year. HBK poked fun of the Voodoo Kin Mafia, without using their names, and also at HBK. Interesting. It seems that TNA is getting to them. H then took over and made the dreaded comparison of Degeneration X to Frosted Mini Wheats, the most terrifying breakfast cereal ever. Grown men have cried in terror when faced with the unfrosted side of mini-wheats. Yeah, good intensity, but sadly, the wording was a bit off. DX wants revenge for Ric Flair. They can’t believe that Rated RKO would do that to a legend. I couldn't believe when H made Ric into a pet. But hey, if it means that DX does the job (wishful thinking, I know) and Rated RKO actually gets to accomplish something against DX, it could be good. Melina vs Maria Not bad, and the chicks were at least trying some new moves. Let us not forget, Maria hasn't been trained as a wrestler. So, it was better than I expected. Vicki came out and joined the announce team. She had her clipboard with her. And a new empty box. Melina beat Maria and Vicki entered the ring. She was out to get revenge, and excellent point about being gypped at Wrestlemanias past. But Vicki wasn’t after Melina, she was after Lillian. Nice little swerve there. Micki James ran if for the save. Ric Flair and Carlito vs Kenny and Chris Masters Not a bad match, and Torrie was at ringside, cheering on Carlito. Good action, and Carlito played face in peril, until Ric got tagged in, and cleaned house. Kenny managed to sneak a pin on Ric however. Post match saw Ric trying to get Kenny back in the ring. Edge and Orton then attacked Ric and laid him out again. But they didn't get to talk. Pity. That would have really kicked the feud up a notch. Beating up Ric is, frankly, no big deal. Umaga, Armando Alejandro Estrada, Coach, and Johnny Nitro vs John Cena A pretty lop-sided match, and it was. Cena dominated. Nitro was a punk, Armando and Coach just bounced around, and Umaga and Cena went toe to toe. Which is good for the PPV build, but those other guys, especially Nitro, should have more of a difference. K-Fed was in the booth with King and JR. match was pretty short, and after Cena took care of everyone, he went after Federline. Best line of the night, however, was in the first few seconds, when Cena was making his comeback. “ I might have to get back in there”. Classic. DQ ending and Cena beats up everybody. Well, he did do the job to Federline. Not a bad show, but not great either. Some good spots, and some planning is going on. ECW Recap courtesy of Eddie Martin Didn't see the show, but here are results. Test beat Sabu Elijah Burke and Sylvester Terkay beat the FBI Matt Striker promo Tommy Dreamer speaksDreamer will keep facing Khali. Yay, Tommy. RVD Speaks Kevin Thorne beats Balls Mahoney Bobby Lashley Speaks RVD vs Bobby Lashley No winner. Both men knocked each other out. Interesting. Apparently brad Armstrong is being groomed for an announcer role as well. Since I haven't heard the guy, I have no opinion on the matter. Other than it looks like Tazz will be gone soon. Smackdown Recap Courtesy of Rudi Pavani We learn more about the Beat The Clock Stipulation for tonight, and next week’s #1 contender matches. Whoever has the best time, out of all the scheduled matches will face Batista. Batista comes out and gives his opinion on these matches. Dave loves it. He wants to defend his belt. And he’s willing to wait until the Sprint is over to do so. Kane vs Chavo Interesting match up. There was some stalling, but some moves as well. Chavo got to go on offense. But Kane was the dominant one. Match was not, repeat, not a squash, which is what I expected. Chavo held his own. It came in at nearly eight minutes long, which doesn't seem like a lot of time, but was longer watching it than you might think, before Kane got the pin. Pretty damn good match. Brian Kendrick vs Paul London Very good match. The two kept it mostly grounded, but finished off with some cool high spots and moves. They didn't beat Kane’s time, though, so the match just ended, with no winners. Slight tease of breaking up the Tag Champions, but nothing really obvious. Ashley came out and congratulated the two. MVP Speaks JBL is now an MVP fan, as he really put the guy over. Well done JBL. MVP came out, and we have a visual of the burns on his back, which were still there many weeks later. It’s an angle now. MVP says he will still compete, and wants in on the Smackdown Beat The Clock. Booker vs Helms Another good match. And an interesting match up. Sharmell gives Booker a long entrance. Nice action between Helms and Booker. End comes when Sharmell grabs Helms leg, allowing Booker to take advantage. Booker beats Kane’s time, by about a minute and a half, so roughly 6:30. Boogeyman then comes out and spits worms on Helms. Poor bastard. Ashley vs Jillian Hall Not a pretty match. Ashley beats Hall. Jimmy Wang vs Tatanka Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Some very good moves, both from Jimmy and Tatanka. Didn't beat Booker’s time, so match ended, but Jimmy had a pin on Tatanka, and the clock ran out seconds before his three count. Very nicely done. Tatanka then went nuts, beat up the ref, and then beat up Jimmy. Vickie Speaks I’m not sure what she was trying to say. She was just crying and said she had no one. That’s not true. She’s got Vince McMahon! Kennedy vs Chris Benoit Kennedy started out with a promo saying that he is the best that Smackdown has to offer, and will be champion. Very solid match. Yet, very basic in moves. About 8 or ten German suplexes by Benoit on Kennedy filled up some time. Ken then uncovered a turnbuckle and managed to run Benoit into it, and get the pin, and the best time. He starts to say something when Teddy comes out and announces next weeks participants. Matt Hardy, Finlay, MVP, and Undertaker. Very good show. Lots of mixing up the opponents for the matches. Yang and Tatanka, Kane and Chavo. It seemed like an experiment, and one that I thought worked. The matches still need some work, but for first time opponents, and those used to the Big Guy Crush ‘Em style, it’s hard to just not expect that as a viewer. But these matches were entertaining and fresh. TNA Recap courtesy of Matt Haggard I missed the first ten minutes, and apparently I missed a lot. Here’s what I missed. Joe Confronts Cornette Joe wants a match with Angle. Cornette asks Joe to leave, to protect the fans. Bobby Roode vs Rhyno Bobby wins. Borash Meets with Eric Young. Miss Brooks wants something from him. I got something for her, heh, heh, heh. Borash and Joe This is where I came in. Joe says that Angle made it personal when he attacked Joe’s girlfriend. Now, Joe wants REVENGE! Voodoo Kin Mafia They come out in sombreros and ponchos. They mention that they still have a million dollars ready to give away. They now target HBK. They say that they will be in San Antonio Teas, at the Alamo. HBK has to show up and be taped. That’s it apparently. And a million dollars will be his. Kevin Nash Garbage You know, I have no idea what this is about. I’m guessing the aim is to make these guys look like totals idiots, and by golly, it’s working. Homicide vs Spike Dudley Spike has a Mohawk now. Very grunge. LAX’s intro video is intense. Brutal match, with plenty of rough spots. Ladder shots, chair shots, falls from high places, and all over the place. Solid match. Hernandez runs in and finishes off Spike, while Konan distracts the ref. Wicked toss onto the ladder. Homicide wins. Beat down on Spike, and Team 3-D runs in. Gail Kim Interview Gail tries to speak on what’s going on, when one of AMW shows up and threatens her. She’s got seven days to decide whom she wants to be with. Is Gail still dating a Basham? Sorry, that thought kept going through my mind. Anyhoo, there is no Women’s Division in TNA, a point that was brought up several times. My advice? Screw both of them and team up with Christian. He knows how to use a chick. Not like that, but think back to the Trish and Christian days. Kurt Angle vs Christian Never gets started, as Samoa Joe attacks Angle before he can get into the ring. Jim Cornette shows up on the big screen and say to let them fight, but protect the fans. So, Angle and Joe brawl all over the place. Into the parking lot, to the production truck, and it only ends when Angle is put through a folding table, in the parking lot, by the production truck, and on the concrete. Brutal looking spot, and I’m sure it was. Oh, almost forgot Jim Mitchell and Abyss I have no idea where they were. But Jim started talking about the secret Abyss has. Did he fuck a dead chick? Seriously, after that, everything else seems pretty tame. Four years plus, and still considered one of the top most horrible angles ever. And since Abyss is basically Old School Kane, with a Mankind mask, what can you do that hasn't been done to Kane, when it comes to horrible secrets? Not much, and trying, well, I do love unintentional comedy… Not a bad show. They kept the angles moving, there were some top-notch matches, and some great action. I still could do without the Kevin Nash crap, but other than that, from what I saw, a highly entertaining show. Hey, we got results of the New Year’s Revolution PPV up, and there’s some big news coming out of it. New Year’s Revolution Recap info courtesy of Chad Matthews - Jeff hardy beat Nitro in the Steel Cage IC Title match, by escaping the cage. Tag Team Turmoil - TWGTT beat the Highlanders - TWGTT Beat Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Supercrazy - Cade and Murdoch beat TWGTT - Cryme Tyme beat Cade and Murdoch - More Vince hype for Donald Trump - Kenny beat Ric Flair - Mickie beat Vicki to retain the Woman’s Championship - DX and Rated RKO battled to a no-contest From the recap it sounds like DX was just beating the crap out of Edge and Orton. Then H apparently either injured his knee or blew his quad. - Masters beat Carlito - Cena beat Umaga The biggest news coming out of the PPV is not the end of the unbeaten streak for Umaga. It’s the injury of H. This will have a big impact on WWE programming, especially Raw, but I’m sure also ECW and Smackdown will be affected somehow. How? If H ain't in the ring, he’s going to be booking the shows, and while he’s laid up rehabbing, he’s going to be watching the shows to keep informed. Which means he’ll have plenty of suggestions for the shows he’s not part of. Which could be good or bad, and only time will tell. Over-Analyzing Wrestling Today’s Topic: Pure, Dumb Luck Well, I was going to talk about the many opportunities that have fallen in the WWE’s lap of late. How TNA seems to be making some headway. How UFC is peaking. Than Triple H went and got hurt. That’s going to have a huge impact on WWE. See, H is the star of WWE in management’s eyes. No one, except perhaps for Undertaker and HBK even come close to H when it comes to booking favor and perceived star power. Oh, Cena is treated very well, but to many inside management, well, he’s a marketing tool, and not really seen as a star along the lines of Hogan, Rock, Austin, and H. But it does all tie together, in a strange way. It all boils down to luck. WWE got lucky twice now. First, with Kevin Federline. That was an angle they just lucked into. They had no way of knowing at the time of how big it could get. Granted, so far, it hasn't really paid off in terms of press coverage, but the gossip mags and entertainment reporting are paying attention. They just seem to be quiet about it, mainly because they don't want to mention wrestling. But, with K-Fed going on to do reality shows, there is a good chance it could come up. It also depends on how much K-Fed is willing to cover it, and the reaction to his talking about it in the media. It could garner some good publicity, or it could be negative. Chances are, it will be negative, as Federline is not a media darling. Or have the Paris Hilton Factor, where no matter what she does, it gets press, and she comes out with a better position to further her career. Now, WWE is going to partner up with Donald Trump. The move was not a WWE idea, but something NBC suggested. See, the next season of the Apprentice is coming up, and NBC wanted to do some publicity, and since WWE does have a built in fanbase, especially on the net, they wanted WWE to help out. It seems like a natural fit. Vince and Donald have traded some barbs in the past over the “You're Fired!” catchphrase. Not openly, but quietly. So, WWE has two ways to break once again into the mainstream and get some press. With Donald Trump involved in a war of words with Rosie O’Donnell, which is getting a fair amount of press, the prospect of booking a wrestling match between the two is gravy for late night talk show hosts. It’s something they have been dying to make fun of, and now here’s this golden opportunity. And it could actually reflect well on WWE. TNA has a golden chance to make some mainstream impact as well. TNA has broken into the sports coverage world with their many involvements with baseball players and even football players. TNA has also been offered a deal by Spike for a two-hour show, but there are some fine points to negotiate. Also, I believe there are plans to capitalize on WWE being pre-empted for the Westminster Dog Show on USA in February. TNA ratings have been steady, which is a good sign, and a bad sign. Angle vs Joe is quickly burning itself out in my opinion. It’s a feud that should be ongoing, all year long, but they have worked against each other, either by promos, or actual physical confrontation since Angle got into TNA. Once that feud dies down, the question is if they have anything else to match it. And they just might, in VKM. HBK made a reference to them on Monday Night Raw. Which may have prompted the targeting of HBK in their recent promo. But even then, it’s more than likely going to result in not much. Bischoff called out Vince, and in the end, that really didn't make an impact. Some slight interest, but I think the rest of the show contributed more to the ratings than the thought of Vince actually showing up. Vince and Bischoff may have you believe otherwise, but then again, no one said Vince was humble. And Bischoff does like getting a check. Speaking of Bischoff, whatever happened to that show he was putting together with Paris Hilton’s dad? Haven't heard anything about it after it was announced, so it must be dead. Bischoff just picked the wrong Hilton. Just bad luck. UFC has just had another monster PPV. Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz paid off. But it’s a new year, and another season of Ultimate Fighter can't be far behind. Yet, UFC may have reached it’s peak. From the little MMA news I read, the opinion seems to be one of caution. UFC has had three monster PPV’s and it seems to have been lucky breaks. Some of the fights were expected to do well, but the level exceeded their expectations. Now, an opinion seems to be surfacing that UFC may not be able to live up to these fights in the future. In other words, UFC may not be as strong in 2007 as they were in 2006. Good news for TNA and WWE. How could that be good news for TNA? It means that UFC will have to focus on Ultimate Fighter to help create new stars to build up another Super Card. Which means that UFC will be working closely with Spike to make sure word gets out about the show, and that viewers pay attention to it, and watch it. Which means that more viewers could be sticking around for TNA Impact. On Thursday nights. So, basically, it looks like WWE is poised for some good things, which means that the spillover could boost TNA, which means that there could be enough left over to benefits UFC and MMA in general. Oh, yes, MMA is becoming the next “In” thing. There are several promotions being started up to compete with UFC. Not the least of which is that Showtime is planning on starting a MMA series, similar to their boxing programs. But, Triple H is injured. Five years after he came back from a similar injury. Only on his other leg. Just bad luck. What could this mean for WWE? With H out, WWE could focus on trying to raise some one else up to fill the void. Not a likely scenario, if the previous injury is any indication. H will still be the focus of the show. I expect constant injury updates. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if H made a taped appearance this very night. H’s injury doesn't prevent him from talking. And with H out of action, that means that he’ll be more involved in the booking of the show. Not that he was wrestling a lot before. This match is the most action he’s seen in months. Now, an injury is nothing to make fun of. I’ll try to restrain myself. The injury of H means that long-term plans have to be changed. No doubt about that. No telling how long H will be out. Vince did come back from two quad injuries in record time, but that’s a different story, since it’s Vince and Vince is filthy rich, and not an active wrestler. H is now a McMahon, so I’m sure that will count for something in his recovery time. But the big question is what WWE will do now. They have a lot in the pipeline, but now they have to make some really tough decisions. Continue with DX, add a replacement, or stay the course. Will H try and protect his spot, as ridiculous as that may sound? Hey, H may be a made man, but he’s still fairly insecure when it comes to his spot, like a lot of wrestlers. But then again, he may take on a manger role until he can heal up. And help make a new star. You never know. One thing I do know, I expect Monday night Raw to be an interesting show. Hell, the Donald Trump bits along caught my interest. And then there’s TNA, and how they will work this news into their program. Only thing about TNA is that the show is taped in advance, and I’m not sure where they are on the taped schedule. It could be two weeks until they can create some new footage. One week old and wrestling is looking very interesting for the New Year. Luck, good and bad, seems to be very active as of late. Or, you could say Karma. Depends on how you want to look at it. And with that, let’s call it a night. Not much other news to talk about, so Quick Plugs and that’s a wrap. Quick Plugs! LOP Forums Sports news! E-feds! Insulting strangers! Raging Politcal Debates! Video Game Discussion! Movie Talk! Oh, and Wrestling! Plenty of Wrestling! Sign Up Today! LOP Column’s Forum Wrestling columns and discussion. The Movie Bar! Movie news and clips! The Project Home of excellent writing, a forum for intelligent discussion about todays events. Social discussions as well. For example, there’s an article up by Marm about 50 mistakes women make while having sex. You might want to check that out… The PWA Best E-Fed on the net. Period. That's all for today. Thanks For Readin' And Thanks For Ridin' Please label all feedback as "FEEDBACK". Thank you. Email mrwevv@mac.com *NEW GALLERY* Candice Michelle's Head Up Maria's Dress! WOW!
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