DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – MITBank Ladder Match, HOFame + Squash Matches
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 12:13 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #222

Welcome one and all to the 222nd edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

It’s funny how time just slips on by sometimes. Despite having a relatively quiet last week or two, it was Tuesday before I knew it & I hadn’t even started to think about what I was going to write about today. The streak was in serious jeopardy, but I’ve made a little commitment to myself to get it through to 18 months at the very least… So, that’s early April at the least.

For today’s 3 topics, I just thought I would take the most common non-DVD review feedback that I have been receiving of late. This excludes general WrestleMania 23 feedback & predictions of who will win at the big dance.

By far the most common feedback topic is concerning the now 8 man Money In The Bank Ladder Match. Next up would be the ever-popular discussion topic concerning the WWE’s Hall Of Fame. While finally, I have actually had some emails relating to a topic I have wanted to write about for a few months now. It concerns squash matches & I suppose this is as good a time as any to write in detail about them.

On with the show.....


APPETIZERS

Money In The Bank Ladder Match

This could easily have been my ‘Main’ topic today if I chose to branch off into the whole WrestleMania 23 card, WrestleMania predictions & who knows what else concerning the big dance to be held in just under 3 weeks. But considering that I will have a WrestleMania 23 hype & predictions column in exactly 2 weeks time, I didn’t think it would be wise of me to shoot my entire load today. So I will “try” to keep this topic very specific on the actual ladder match, its participants, its importance & it’s indirect effect on other bouts to be held on the card.

The big question that has been thrown around concerning the match is whether or not it should have had the number of participants raised from 6 to 8. While I have sat on the fence regarding this topic since it was announced approximately 2 weeks ago, I can now state that I believe it to be a bad move. It’s nothing that will ruin the event or anything like that, but I feel that the potential negatives outweigh the potential positives.

Many feel that Edge & Orton are the participants who should not be in the match, most probably to wrestle against each other. I have been quite clear in my opinion that I did NOT like an Edge vs Orton singles bout this early anyway, so I disagree with this opinion. In fact, I like the main-event feel that these 2 bring to this match. I personally would have dropped Ken Kennedy from the bout so that he could wrestle a genuine midcard US Title sleeper against Chris Benoit at WrestleMania. There just is so much more to that match-up than Benoit vs MVP. You could then also drop one of Booker or Finlay from the bout as well.

Furthermore, both Hardyz could have been dropped (along with Kennedy) so that they could compete in some sort of tag-team opener (already rumored for the event). The number of participants could then have been brought back up to 6 with the addition of a Shelton Benjamin (or RVD). The bottom line is that I just don’t see how increasing the number of participants in the bout will make it all that much better.

Another point that has been brought up from time to time is the placing of this match-up. Over the past 2 years, the bout has been held very early on in the card. I can see the reasons for this as it’s a certainty to really kick the crowd into gear. However, this positioning doesn’t really underline the importance of this match from both an entertainment & recognition perspective.

We can only hope that the Money In The Bank ladder Match does appear a lot later in the card this year. While some fans would hope it is the penultimate (2nd last) bout on the card, I don’t think it should be given such high prominence in between the 2 main title matches. I would say it should be no earlier than match 5 on the card though. In fact, if anything, the WWE have suffered flat spots smack bang in the middle of their ppv events of late. Well, position this bout in the middle of the card & the last thing you can expect is a flat spot!

The WWE should realize that the treasure at the end of the rainbow (contract to wrestle for a World Title whenever you want over a year) is as important in the big scheme of things, as much as the fact that this is a ladder match that is sure to entertain. They should also realize that they do have a sufficient talent pool that could put on another good fast-paced opener that could get the crowd hot early. Whether that be some sort of cruiserweight or tag-team match is almost irrelevant. If either division was booked sufficiently up until this point in time, they could more than pull of the opening position (better than Benoit vs MVP) which would free up the Money In The Bank Ladder Match to ho hold a more prominent position of importance on the card.

Of course, having said all this, I can’t wait for the actual match. It is sure to entertain on the night. I only hope that the very least that the extra 2 participants will do is give the bout an extra 5-10 minutes, as the 13 minute duration last year was a little underwhelming & disappointing for mine.


MAIN – Squash Matches

I won’t specifically get into the feedback I received regarding this subject as it was more in passing than anything else. It was also too vague to get into anyway & was often in reference to a specific episode of one of the WWE’s brands which has more than passed from memory now. But like I said at the beginning of this column, I have been meaning to write about the topic for a while now, so this seems to be a good time to do so.

One thing that can be passed on from general feedback concerning squash matches is that the majority, if not all, of the writers were negative on the issue. But is this negativity an off the cuff remark or a well thought out conclusion? I’m thinking the former. Why? Because I actually think that squash matches are more than useful when booked correctly. In fact, they can actually result in multiple positives all at once.

I found it quite interesting that the subject of the usefulness of squash matches was once more brought up recently in the Q & A section of Lance Storm’s website. Storm was mentioning how Rob Van Dam felt that the overall WWE product would be better if they used more squash matches. Storm neither agreed or disagreed & simply suggested that the majority of fans would not be too happy if the WWE were to return to the amount of squash matches of the 1980’s & early to mid 90’s. Whether he agrees or not (& I got the feeling he sort of does), he is unfortunately correct in what he says about the fans.

I think that ever since the Monday Night Wars between WWE Raw & WCW Nitro, most fans (especially the casual ones) have become used to 2 hour television shows that contain no more than one squash match. Sure, there may be more than 1 bout where the winner is easily predicted, but in most cases, both wrestlers will get a decent amount of offense in.

So, in short, I think we have been spoilt… I’m serious… No matter how bad the product appears some weeks, I genuinely believe we have been spoilt for the most part. And in these days of dwindling television ratings & the like, there is no way the WWE will risk alienating their fans at this time, even if the level of competition & alternatives is not too high.

So how are squash matches useful when booked correctly? I’m definitely of the old-school mentality where I believe that practically all the pay-offs of feuds should take place on pay-per-view. But nowadays, these marquee bouts take place as much on television than on ppv. Now, that’s great for the viewer who does not purchase ppv events, but I’m unsure it is for the overall WWE product. Not only is there greater repetition of match-ups, but feuds cycle way too quickly this way, thus resulting in an overall lack of freshness in the product that leaves both the fans & the WWE searching for excuses to move wrestlers from brand to brand for practically no reason.

It may seem superficial, but if each feud can be stretched out for an extra 4 weeks, then that will eventually add up over a couple of years. Furthermore, when the big match eventually comes, it will seem all that more important & be anticipated as such. The usual tricks of tag-team bouts, run-ins, backstage altercations & promos can be used, and I much prefer this variety than having to see wrestlers such as Chris Masters & Carlito wrestle multiple times, so that they can then bore us come ppv time! Although, this may not be the most appropriate time to prove this point, as the WWE do a good job of keeping WrestleMania opponents away from each other every February & March.

So how should squash matches be booked in order to have them be effective & not counter-productive? In my opinion, they need to be booked realistically, while keeping in mind where the squashee is currently wrestling on the card. Let’s look at a few recent examples… I was initially worried about the Batista vs Kane bout from SmackDown last week. Kane should not have been squashed & he thankfully wasn’t. Kudos to the WWE there.

The WWE also booked Umaga well in most of his squash matches upon debuting his character in the WWE. For the most part, he demolished unknown and/or inferior opponents quickly & with good impact on television. While some screamed “boring”, I had no problem with that at all as long as Umaga eventually lifted his game & put on some good ppv matches months down the track. I personally think he has.

However, Umaga’s recent matches against Jeff Hardy haven’t been as effective. I think they do border on the definition of a squash match & while Jeff has got in a decent amount of offense, I don’t believe it was a sufficient amount that befitted his face momentum of late & position on the card. Another good example of a bad squash was MVP’s debut ppv match against some jobber mid last year. At the time, the fans treated this accordingly as it almost showed contempt from the WWE to its viewers. The bout had no place on a ppv card & should have been held on television.

So I suppose what I am trying to conclude here is that the next time you see a squash match coming, don’t just quickly discount it as a total waste of your time. It could have more use than you think & be an important build to something that will have you riveted to your seat in just a few months time. Of course, this is all dependant on the WWE booking these matches appropriately & I would say their strike rate of late is about as hit & miss as a chop from The Great Khali!


DESSERT – Hall Of Fame

Like the same time last year, I have been getting quite a bit of email about the Hall Of Fame recently. And the majority of the opinion from these emails seems to be negative. I actually wrote a topic on the Hall of Fame in general on almost the same day last year. But I thought it was worth another mention & deserved to be looked at more specifically for this year. Just to cut & paste some quotes from my thoughts last year, the following paragraph pretty much sums up my general thoughts concerning the WWE’s Hall Of Fame:

“… there are obvious deficiencies for detractors to point out. And to be honest, they’re hard to argue with. These are things such as the order of inductees, the method of choosing the inductees, the way the WWE may use the Hall Of Famers for other purposes & whether or not it's a pro wrestling Hall of Fame or a WWE Hall of Fame… But I strongly believe that at the end of the day, the WWE has the industries best interests at heart… It’s a method of acknowledging the greats of the past & those inducted should feel privileged & honored to be in such company… (Watching a previous induction ceremony,) there seemed to be genuine respect all throughout the theater.”

I think it is the ‘order of the inductees’ gripe that annoys most people, but I also claimed last year that there was a formula of sorts that the WWE were using to choose who was inducted each year. That formula of sorts that I came up with (based on 5 inductees) was: “(a) one huge name, (b) then a semi-huge name, (c) then a much loved favorite, followed by (d) someone from before the 1980’s that left their mark on the industry. Inductee (e) will usually be the controversial floater that divides opinion.”

I think if you look through each year’s inductees into the Hall Of Fame since the WWE began doing it, you would see that the WWE have roughly used this guideline to choose who was going to be inducted during a certain year & who was going to be left until the following year. However, while there are still some signs that the guidelines have been referred to, this year’s inductees don’t seem to live up to the standard of the past. Could it be that the WWE have inducted to fast in the past & the talent pool is dwindling? Or are they simply refusing to induct those that deserve to be there for one reason or another?

My opinion is that the most correct answer to the whole argument is a bit of “all of the above”. The WWE have rushed some of the inductions in the past, but that is most likely due to them trying to satisfy the same fans who are suggesting that Wrestler A should be in ahead of Wrestler B. Then there are the likes of Bruno Sammartino, who I’m certain the WWE would prefer to induct while they are on speaking terms with him. Finally, I feel that the WWE are a little damned if they do & damned if they don’t with the inductions. I’m sure there are reasons as to why Wrestler A is inducted ahead of Wrestler B. Who knows, a weaker wrestler may have trained more future superstars than an actual superstar, which arguably means that they could have provided more to the industry as a whole.

Anyway, I could go on & on and be here all day, so I better get back to this years inductees. Here are a few brief comments from myself:

DUSTY RHODES: Having just got through the WWE’s 3 disc DVD set of his, I can better comment on The American Dream now. Despite the fact that I didn’t really like the set, I do believe that Dusty deserves to be inducted. But if he is that ‘huge name’ that I had previously referred to, then this is the best proof that the talent pool of this year’s inductees is lower than usual. He is more the ‘much loved favorite’ to me.

CURT ‘MR PERFECT’ HENNIG: Honestly, I am a bit surprised that Hennig has been inducted this early. His exploits in the WWE, AWA & even WCW would have eventually got him inducted deservedly, but I am surprised he has got the nod over the likes of Ricky Steamboat & Randy Savage. Hennig doesn’t seem to fit well into any of my guidelines as such & probably could have waited another couple of years. I also hope that the Mr Perfect character isn’t over-used in the induction either.

JERRY ‘THE KING’ LAWLER: Another surprise, but more since he is still a full-time commentator. I suppose this is a good way of inducting an old-timer, but someone that the current fans still know. Very much a crowd favorite, Lawler was a sure thing as an inductee eventually, but I felt he also could have waited a little while longer.

NICK BOCKWINKEL: I will be honest & state that I do not know much about Bockwinkel apart from the fact that he was a mainstay (& champion) in the AWA for quite some time. In fact, there may be a DVD sales pitch thrown in some time soon as I believe all 4 men I have mentioned thus far have figured rather prominently in the AWA

MR FUJI: I actually like this induction. A very hated wrestler from decades ago, when Fujis’s time in the ring was up, he stuck around for more heel heat while managing stables of heels in the WWE during the late 80’s. This latter fact at least keeps him in the minds of those fans over the age of 25.

There will be at least one more induction & possibly two. If so, the heavily rumored inductees will be The Wild Somoans (Afa & Sika) and/or The Sheik. I don’t really know much about any of them apart from saying that they all once more contributed to the professional wrestling industry following their squared circle career in the form of training. No matter what your opinion is on the Hall Of Fame in general & the specific inductees this year, I am certain that it will be a great night leading up to WrestleMania 23 where plenty of respect will be shown to the greats of the past. Furthermore, many entertaining & emotional stories/speeches will be delivered.


Ok, that’s #222 done & dusted. I hope you all enjoyed 3 opinion based topics this Wednesday. No matter which of the topics it is concerning, if you would like to provide feedback, you may do so by emailing me on DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com. Specifically, I wouldn’t mind hearing who you feel should already have been inducted into the Hall Of Fame, but hasn’t. 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=4. I should be able to reply to all feedback.

You know what? I think my weekly posting streak will indeed be coming to an end fairly soon. Why? Because with almost each passing week, I have absolutely no idea what I will be writing about in next Wednesday’s ‘Wrestling Menu’. I will most probably pass on reader feedback as to who should have been already inducted into the Hall Of Fame, but apart from that, I am going to just let the topics come to me once more. Whatever hits your screen next Wednesday, I will continue my weekly streak by coming up with something. 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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