DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – NYR Review, Heel Turn Feedback + More Awards
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 12:02 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #213

Welcome one and all to the 213th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

The crap that I usually write in this introduction part of my column will be written in the ‘Appetizers’ section instead today. Same crap, just a different spot really!

On with the show.....


APPETIZERS

Non-Wrestling 2006

For the second time in about a month, I couldn’t be stuffed writing a third wrestling topic today. I don’t think I’m burning out, it’s just the holiday season more than anything else. When I wrote my 2006 Year-End Awards a couple of weeks back (http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2006_/articles/1167205959.php), not only did I have many people urge me to add to my 15 awards with more wrestling categories, but I actually had a few readers ask me to throw in some personal awards for the year as well. It’s not the kind of thing I like doing, as it’s a little self-indulgent. Plus, I get showed up for my poor taste in whatever category I choose to speak of.

But I’ve taken the feedback on board & have decided to fill just a few paragraphs with my opinions on this, that & the other when it comes to the year just past. If you are not interested in any of my thoughts & opinions on non-wrestling items, then please feel free to skip straight to the ‘Main’ section of today’s column where you will find my ‘New Years Revolution’ Review. I promise that I won’t be offended!

As this will be all off the cuff so to speak, I’m sure I’m going to leave out something obvious here. And they will be pretty random. Oh well…

MOVIE OF 2006: The Departed - Starring Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio & Jack Nicholson amongst others, this was an enthralling film that is almost guaranteed to please. And I use that last term on purpose as I had a few people practically guarantee that I would like it & I did. Furthermore, I have guaranteed the movie to 3 other people & they also all gave it the thumbs up. It gets a little silly towards the end, but its all part of the ride. A nice mix of action, comedy & drama, this is also full of many memorable characters, while the plot just keeps moving along over its rather lengthy duration. From memory, nothing came close to this in 2006.

TV SHOW OF 2006: 24 - After a couple of ok, but slightly disappointing seasons, Kiefer Sutherland & the gang returned with a vengeance in 2006 with series 5. Still unbelievable to the extreme, this series amped up on the action & entertainment value to make up for that. A couple of characters were killed off, while a couple of good new characters were thrown in. Meanwhile, the twists & turns ranged from predictable to brilliant. A top-notch effort by all involved with this series & we can only hope that the upcoming 6th season is as good. I’ll go with ‘Lost’ as a runner up here, as it just held me throughout its 2nd season.

NEW TV SHOW OF 2006: Prison Break - It should be noted that in Australia we may not have got the full list of television shows available elsewhere in the world. For example, the show ‘Heroes’ is yet to begin airing here. I’ve gone with Prison Break on what I will call the King Booker theory. In other words, it took something that looked very simple, clichéd & unoriginal on paper & actually made it into something pretty darn good. Like King Booker, the show may not necessarily continue being successful in its second year (yet to air down under), but was more than sufficient the first time around. Some great character acting really made this series, while the writing was entertaining enough, if more than a little implausible.

ALBUM OF 2006: ‘The Black Parade’ by My Chemical Romance - While some fans of their previous 2 albums may scream “mainstream sell-outs”, I think ‘The Black Parade” will gain this New Jersey band a lot more fans than they lose. I personally love this album as its 14 tracks contain a huge array of diversity in every way imaginable. From punk to 60’s glam rock & from ballads to catchy pop tunes, this is filled with great riffs & melodies. Some question the concept/story to the album (all but one song is linked to a story about a dying man), but at the very least that provides direction for the lyrics, with the occasional touch of brilliance. Many tracks take a while getting into, but that’s part of the appeal for mine. MCR have the ability to be the next Green Day if they can sustain their momentum. I’ll go with Pink, Muse & The Killers as runners up here.

MUSIC VIDEO OF 2006: ‘The Kill’ by 30 Seconds To Mars - I am an absolute sucker for the Jack Nicholson movie ‘The Shining’ which is based on a Stephen King novel. Well, for those that have not seen this music video, it’s based on ‘The Shining’ but with a look-alike twist. Well shot, this music video is very well made. I suppose it helps when the lead singer of the band is a pretty big Hollywood actor who likes to dabble in direction as well. Without listening to the full album (which has received very ordinary reviews), Jared Leto also has quite a decent voice!

SPORTS GAME OF 2006: A Tie Between the AFL Grand Final & the College American Football Final - I couldn’t split these 2 games as they were both tremendous to watch for different reasons. The Australian Football League Grand Final between the West Coast Eagles & Sydney Swans was a dire hard slog that was never going to stray from being a close game. A great physical one on one game of footy, this match had the added attraction of being a rematch from 2005 where the results were reversed. Think the NBA Finals being between the same 2 teams 2 years in a row, both going to a close game 7 & having different winners between the 2 years.

Where-as the college American Football game between Texas & USC was simply pure entertainment. Another close game, this built up really well to its satisfying conclusion. Some readers may remember that I am not the hugest fan of the American college game, as I prefer the more physical NFL game. But it’s hard to complain when a match is as good as this.


MAIN

New Years Revolution Review

<50: Ask for a refund for not only your money, but also your time. [F] (Armageddon '04)
50-54: Mediocre & disappointing. [D] (EG: December To Dismember '06)
55-59: Average. [C] (EG: Cyber Sunday '06)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: No Mercy '06)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: Armageddon '06)
70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: Unforgiven '06)
75-79: Make sure you add this ppv to your video or dvd collection. [A] (EG: One Night Stand '05)
80+ : Make sure that the video or dvd is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]

JEFF HARDY defeated JOHNNY NITRO in a Cage Matchto Retain the InterContinental Title: I wasn’t too surprised to see this bout open the show, as cage matches can sometimes be awkward in the middle of a card. We mainly see punches & kicks to begin with, although face-buster variations by both men keep the wrestling coming. It isn’t long before both men attempt to climb the cage, but it’s simply a reason for their opponent to halt the escape with dropkick variations. A superplex by Nitro is followed by a top-rope side Russian legsweep by Hardy. Then, the heel challenger goes all the way to the top of the cage to perform a wicked sunset-flip into a powerbomb!

A top-rope cross body block by Nitro is then countered & Hardy then follows up with a Swanton for a 2 count. Back up top, a twist of fate attempt is blocked, before an original finish sees Nitro climbing down the outside of the cage & attempting to block the cage door at the same time. But Hardy crotches him with a dropkick variation & escapes the cage to retain the title at the 15 minute mark. Very solid cage match that had a nice mix of everything. It actually reads more spectacularly than it felt like at the time, but subsequent viewings treat the bout favorably. I still would have preferred a little more brutality & an extra spot or two, but it’s difficult to complain too much about the performances & intensity shown here. The good finish also helped. Match Rating…8

CRYME TYME defeated CADE / MURDOCH, HAAS / BENJAMIN, DUGGAN / SUPER CRAZY & THE HIGHLANDERS in a #1 Contenders Tag-Team Turmoil Match: The Highlanders begin with some nice double-team moves against the WGTT, before the heels take control with their nice combination of athleticism & technical wrestling. Robbie gets the hot tag & cleans house, but it all comes to an end when Benjamin hits him with a gorgeous superplex for the opening pinfall at the 5 minute mark. Next out are Hacksaw & Crazy (an interesting mix), both of whom get some quick decently entertaining offense in, before falling victim to some double-teaming & a bridged back suplex by Haas 3 minutes later. Cade & Murdoch predictably enter next & they take the WGTT by surprise with their brawling style. Murdoch hits an awesome running big boot & is then helped by his partner to hit a nice leg-drop. The match then breaks down when Haas gets the hot tag & he locks in his great Haas Of Pain finisher, but Cade comes off the top-rope with an awkward elbow-drop to get the pinfall some 4 minutes later.

Cryme Tyme then enters to finish things off, with Shad initially cleaning house. But the heels dominate JTG with some nice impact moves & heel work. The action does slow down a little here, but it’s not too long before Shad gets the hot tag & the faces hit their double-team spinning neckbreaker finisher to get the win at the 19 minute mark. More solid work here & it was great to see the match given the appropriate amount of time. Apart from the strange impromptu teaming of Hacksaw & Crazy (who weren’t too bad anyway), all 4 teams came off quite well, with the WGTT shining in the ring, while Cade & Murdoch got a surprisingly good heel reaction. Nothing too memorable or special I suppose, but this was definitely a step in the right direction for the tag-team division & I enjoyed this thoroughly. In fact, it wouldn’t have looked too out of place on a WrestleMania card! Match Rating…7.5

KENNY DYKSTRA defeated RIC FLAIR: Kenny enters with a Flair-like robe & then gains extra heat with some mic work. The youngster begins in control with his greater athleticism & there’s also some Flair-mocking thrown in to add to the story. But his offense is halted when he runs into multiple chops by the veteran. A suplex on the outside sways the momentum back to the heel & Dykstra then locks on a Boston Crab back for what seems like an eternity. A chop & punch-fest follows before Flair gets thrown off the top-rope & hit with a missile dropkick for a 2 count. An eye-poke & chop block later & Kenny is locked in the figure 4 leglock for a while before reaching the ropes. Kenny then retaliates with a low-blow & a roll-up for the pinfall at the 10 minute mark. Pretty basic stuff, but nothing too bad considering the different talent involved. Flair’s one-dimensional offense stood out in a bad way here, especially due to the 10 minute duration being a little overlong. Thankfully, Kenny impressed in his first big singles bout. Match Rating…6

MICKIE JAMES defeated VICTORIA to Retain the Women’s Title: Victoria surprises by beginning with some technical wrestling before some decent back & forth action. The 2 women then try to differentiate their wrestling styles with the challenger going for more strength-based offense, while Mickie tries to increase the pace. The contradiction comes when Victoria misses a nice moonsault & the champ is quick to follow up with a hurracanrana. Mickie appears on the cusp of victory when Melina interferes, but Maria & Candace appear to even the odds. Soon after, a slam attempt by Victoria is countered into a modified face-buster (attempted DDT?) for the pinfall at the 7 minute mark. Sufficiently well-booked & performed, this was an extremely even bout that contained a good mix of everything. Nothing special though & the average crowd involvement hurt it a little. This just required something to make it stand out a little more. Match Rating…6

EDGE & RANDY ORTON wrestled SHAWN MICHAELS & TRIPLE H to a No Contest for the World Tag-Team Titles: The action predictably begins on the entrance ramp with DX attacking the champs before the bell. In the ring, the faces use constant tagging to first isolate Edge & then to control Orton (including busting him open). All in all, DX practically dominate the first 7 minutes & that is logical considering the motivation & revenge factor. Heel tactics get Rated RKO back on top with Edge following up a chop block of The Game with consistent offense aimed at the leg. H counters a figure 4 & gets the hot tag to HBK, who proceeds to clean house & take the champs out with a dive over the top-rope. A spear from Edge takes the wind out of Michaels & a subsequent belt shot by Orton busts HBK open! It’s face-in-peril time as both heels do a great job in bringing the intensity in battering HBK. A short spurt of HBK offense is halted by an Edge big boot, but Michaels has enough in store to counter Orton’s RKO & get the hot tag to Triple H who cleans house.

But during a spinebuster, H’s leg gives way & he struggles to support it during a subsequent pedigree & RKO. HBK clears the ring of Orton with Sweet Chin Music, before being sent to the outside by Edge, who subsequently gets a 2 count on H. It gets really messy here with Orton running around like a headless chook & HBK buying some time by knocking out the ref. After checking on his partner, HBK then clears 2 announce tables, with H pedigreeing Edge on to one & Michaels top-rope elbow dropping Orton through another! The match then simply ends (presumably in a No Contest) after 25 minutes. Very good tag match that was well-structured to begin with & logically booked for the most part. There were also some brutal spots to finish things off & it’s a real shame that the bout got messy during Triple H’s injury concerns. But we should be thankful that the match was still able to be completed! I would have liked a result, but overall this was entertaining, brutal & continued the momentum of good WWE tag-team matches. HBK was especially tremendous from start to finish here. Match Rating…8.5

CHRIS MASTERS defeated CARLITO: It’s fair to state that it was a tough ask for these 2 to follow what had just come before it. Some nice back & forth action was ignored by the live crowd until Carlito hit a gorgeous double springboard moonsault for a 2 count! Masters follows up with a couple of back-breakers, but his cockiness gets him in trouble as Carlito puts together another burst of offense. But then it just ends rather awkwardly out of nowhere with a roll-up counter victory to Masters at the 6 minute mark. That finish was terrible & moved in slow-motion with Carlito literally placing himself in a losing position. Considering that & the match duration, this came off as total filler, despite the fact that there were a couple of good sequences earlier in the bout. Definitely could have been better. Match Rating…5.5

JOHN CENA defeated UMAGA to Retain the WWE Championship: Cena goes with fists & a bulldog early to gain control, but it all comes to a halt when Umaga tosses the champ to the outside & then hurls him into the steel steps. Cena then fights a decent rearguard reactive action, until the challenger hits a Samoan Drop & takes things back to the outside to a chorus of boos. Back in the ring, Cena almost defeats himself by attempting a bodyslam. A top-rope cross body block by the champ then gets countered into a spinning sidewalk slam for another 2 count. The pattern of the match continues as Umaga hits a running spinning kick following a Cena blockbuster, which the challenger follows up with 2 Banzai Drops. Luckily for Cena, he gets his knees up on the 3rd attempt & follows up with an F-U attempt that almost gets himself squashed.

The resthold eventually comes, but it doesn’t last too long, as Umaga heads to the top-rope & misses a thumb thrust (that sounds silly!). Cena follows up with some offense as he sends the challenger head first into the corner, hits a spinning slam suplex & then the 5 knuckle shuffle. But again, he can’t carry the load to hit the F-U. The Samoan then hits a flying headbutt into the corner, but has his bum-rush countered by a kick, which Cena takes advantage of with a swift roll-up for the pinfall at the 17 minute mark. Solid main-event that was successfully stretched out by these 2 to an impressive duration. The story of Umaga having an answer for all that Cena threw at him was good, although it did wear a little thin as the match progressed. For the most part, the action was sufficiently entertaining, even if it seemed a little too much like a group of rehearsed set-pieces. Match Rating…7

PPV RATING (48.5/70) = 69

Looking at the key, I have basically given the 2007 version of New Years Revolution a ‘B’ grade & said that it was a “good event that was worth the money”. I think that comment is spot on, despite the fact that this was only a half-point away from stepping up to a B+ grade. Consistency was the name of the game here & without a failing match, this show definitely passed on that grade. We can’t complain too much with 2 bouts rating an 8 or above, but it was probably the lack of one of those matches gaining a 9 that stopped this ppv from being something well above average. It was great to see both tag matches doing well, while (excluding the worrying Triple H injury) I felt all feuds were successfully developed when taking into account where they were at before this show. Good stuff all around & a nice solid start to 2007


DESSERT

Face & Heel Turn Feedback

Last week I decided to write a column topic about heel & face turns that took place in 2006 & how they were rather ineffective on the direction of the WWE product throughout the year. Furthermore, I looked ahead to the 12 months of this year & tried to foreshadow any potential turns in 2007. If you have yet to read that column, you may still do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2007/articles/1167801931.php

This column topic went over better than I could have expected for something that I only decided to write about at the last moment. I received many emails discussing both past & future turns, what made good or bad turns & some of the most memorable that people had ever seen (to the point that I have listed it down as a potential future poll question). But when it came down to actually predicting and/or booking turns (either heel or face) for 2007, I think it’s fair to state that most readers stalled a little & no ideas really stood out from the pack.

The 2 most popular names that came up in discussion are actually a tag-team right now. Predictably, I am speaking about D-Generation X. Funnily enough, it was pretty much split right down the middle as to whether or not it should be Triple H or Shawn Michaels turning heel, whenever the WWE decide to pull the plug on DX. Obviously, Triple H’s recent injury could also play a part here. It could postpone either turning heel or change the booking plan. It would be difficult to imagine H returning from a longish layoff as a heel (initially) that’s for certain!

Triple H would have been the safer option to turn heel. He plays the role naturally & even still has some heel characteristics when he is playing a face role, so it wouldn’t even take much of a deviation of character. But HBK is the more interesting one to look at here. A heel turn from Michaels could be anything from a memorable success to a total failure. Those claiming it would be a great idea cite his short heel run against Hulk Hogan last year, as well as his great role-playing back in the early to mid-nineties. That is indeed evidence that is hard to look past.

However, this is not the same Shawn Michaels that we once knew. He is not only a born again Christian now, but he is ageing & it would be difficult to pull off the “Sexy Boy” role even if his entrance theme of the same title still accompanies him to the ring from time to time. The thing about HBK is that he simply has a knack of being successful, so I’d back him to succeed with a heel turn if that’s what the WWE decides is best for the company. Whether it is or not is another debate that is dependant on circumstances at the given time.

The next 2 most brought up for a turn in 2007 are almost contradictory. Carlito was mentioned often to turn heel again due to the relative lack of success of his face turn in 2006. I’ve already discussed Carlito & turning heel enough over the past 3 weeks, so I won’t add anything further here. The next wrestler mentioned was Ken Kennedy & a face turn. And while it is inevitable that Kennedy will eventually turn face & do it rather well, I cannot state enough how against this I am. And the lack of success of Carlito’s face turn is exactly why. I really do believe that a debuting wrestler should retain their heel/face allegiances for as long as humanly possible in order to establish their character. When that person then does turn, it means so much more & can be their genuine push to the main-event. The same can similarly be said for turning Kenny Dykstra face too early.

Elsewhere, there were the usual mentions of Kane once more turning into a heel monster. Unfortunately, it may be a little too late for the Big Red Machine. Ditto for Bobby Lashley turning into a big heel destroying machine. That’s another turn that will eventually come, but is best left for a while yet, while Lashley truly finds his feet in the WWE. There were also mentions of turning Ric Flair heel once more. That would be hard to fathom after what has happened over the past month & his strong crowd reaction (despite wrestling more like a heel on occasions) would suggest that it would also be difficult to make succeed.

Looking at tag-teams, where turns are always possible; I would say that one of Paul London or Brian Kendrick will be turning heel after the WWE are done with reinvigorating high-flying tag-team matches. This will most likely occur in May. It was interesting that it appeared as if the WWE were leaning on turning Kendrick, where-as I feel that London may be the slightly better option. And don’t discount Matt Hardy turning on brother Jeff once more down the track. While holding his own at midcard level, Matt has never really looked like going higher than that. A heel turn may be worth a try to succeed in doing so.

Finally, I would like to mention 2 suggested turns that I simply don’t think will work due to the talent involved. The first is Rey Mysterio. I can’t stress enough how unsuccessful a heel turn would be for Rey. He could practically murder someone out in the ring & still get a face pop for mine. Everything about his actions read anything but heel to me. The other is Finlay turning face. This will probably occur due to the WWE not resisting comedy spots involving Little Ba$tard. But apart from that, everything about Finlay portrays that he is an out & out heel. I actually think he would struggle to pull off a face character.


Ok, that’s #213 in the books. I hope you enjoyed it & didn’t mind the filler first section. Hopefully, the final 2 topics made up for that. As per usual, if you have anything you would like to provide feedback on, you may do so by emailing me on DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com. But if you are an LOP Forums member, it would be much appreciated if you could leave feedback on my thread at http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=217&page=3. I will reply to all feedback.

Next Wednesday in ‘The Wrestling Menu’, it’s that time of the year when DaveyBoy makes a complete a$$ of himself & posts his predictions for the coming year. Furthermore, I even take a look back at my predictions from the same time last year to prove that I am just a fan sitting at home typing on his computer. It’s always a fun column & one that goes over very well, so I hope this year is no exception. As per usual, my column will be posted at the same Wednesday time on the same LOP channel. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.


DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu. 2002-2007

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