DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – Judgment Day Review + WWE Releases Thoughts
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 12:08 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #232

Welcome one and all to the 232nd edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Before I begin, I’d just like to congratulate 2 columnists on their recent promotions to the LOP main page. If you have not yet had the chance to read the debut main-page efforts of Sheepster & Degenerate, then I recommend that you do to see if you like their different takes on the wacky world of professional wrestling. I can assure you that both men have well & truly paid their dues in the LOP Forums & it’s great to see even more of an international flavor added to LOP as Sheepster is Welsh & Degenerate is Puerto Rican. So for the ignorant out there, do yourself a favor & give the Englishman & the Mexican a read!

This week, I had been planning to write on the WWE's recent policy of tri-branding their pay-per view events. However, while I am closer to getting to a conclusion on that topic after Judgment Day, I would still prefer to hold back for a fortnight & allow another ppv to go by before commenting. Plus, the next ppv is the one usually presented by the WWE's third brand & it appears as if it may be differently structured with 'Extreme Rules' matches throughout it, so it may pay to wait just a little while longer.

Instead, I will be writing on the recent releases made by the WWE. I also usually wait before writing on these as there is always a chance that there will be more releases around the corner. However, I am hoping to use some reverse psychology here & hope that more jobs can be saved if I get in now & presume that no further releases will be upcoming.

Or am I? Since I will also take a look at some currently rostered wrestlers that may be in danger of getting the chop in the near future. I know... I know... My colleague here at LOP Boss Foxx has already tackled these topics… But let's be honest, he is one in a million & no-one else thinks like he does! Or do they...??? coughFireBobHollycough.

But before all that nastiness, let's take a look at how 'Judgment Day' panned out, shall we? On with the nasty show.....


APPETIZERS – Judgment Day Review

For those that cannot recall my previous PPV review columns, this is the key that explains what the final PPV Rating means:

<50: Ask for a refund for not only your money, but also your time. [F] (Armageddon '04)
50-54: Mediocre & disappointing. [D] (EG: No Way Out '07)
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: WrestleMania 23)
70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: Royal Rumble '07)
75-79: Make sure you add this ppv to your video or dvd collection. [A] (EG: Backlash '07)
80+ : Make sure that the video or dvd is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]

RIC FLAIR defeated CARLITO: A decent pace & intensity begins the bout with Flair getting the better of the offense. Carlito gains control with an arm-wringer on the top-rope & proceeds to target the left arm for minutes on end, with a couple of dropkick variations being the highlights. Apart from the occasional chop & a few (unrealistic) arm-drags, Flair doesn’t get in any genuine offense until the 13 minute mark! The veteran eventually targets the leg & locks on the figure 4 for the abrupt victory at the 16 minute mark! A 2 trick pony of a match that ended disappointingly since Carlito dominated so much of it. 16 minutes was too long for these 2 & while I liked some of the variety of Carlito’s offense, it dragged on for an absolute eternity. A nice attempt at a real & natural bout, but the result contradicted that & it just wasn’t very entertaining. Match Rating: 6

BOBBY LASHLEY defeated VINCE McMAHON, UMAGA & SHANE McMAHON in a Handicap Tag Match for the ECW World Title: Lashley successfully attacks all 3 opponents to kick things off & then dominates Shane with a frenetic flurry of offense that genuinely has the crowd in raptures. A running power-slam to Shane later & Lashley is announced as the new ECW Champion after only a little over 1 minute of action. During the aftermath Umaga hits the spike on Bobby, and then Vince announces that he retains the title as he wasn’t personally pinned. I hate having to rate a 1 minute match… I really don’t see why this couldn’t have been stretched to at least last 5 minutes. I suppose what we did see was very good action, but I still can’t pass it. Match Rating: 3

CM PUNK defeated ELIJAH BURKE: Punk wears about a foot (height-wise) of bandages around his ribs & Burke predictably targets that area in the early going. However, it is Punk that has the better of the early minutes with a variety of kicks. The face gets a couple of 2 counts with nice suplex variations & the same result with a cross-body & sunset flip. A nice springboard dropkick by Punk takes Burke to ringside where a suicide dive follows up, but the result is once more only a 2 count. Burke then interrupts a top-rope move & goes to resthold city as the crowd get bored & turn their attention to JBL! An impressive superplex by Punk wakes the crowd up & CM gets a close 2 count with a nice enziguri soon after.

The heel then counters a bulldog, but misses the Elijah Express finisher. He doesn’t the second time though, but Punk grabs the ropes just before the 3 count. Punk then hits his ‘Go To Sleep’ finisher from out of nowhere for the pinfall victory at the 17 minute mark. Solid back & forth bout that was disjointed at times, but played out fairly well. Given good time, it was a good opportunity for both men to show their talent, with Punk looking to have the better offensive repertoire at the moment. Match Rating: 7

RANDY ORTON defeated SHAWN MICHAELS: Following an earlier backstage interview where Orton attacked HBK, it’s hinted that Michaels cannot compete. But he predictably wanders down glass-eyed & Orton attacks from the get-go. A rope-assisted DDT then gets the heel a 2 count as HBK plays a practically unconscious man well. Randy goes for a top-rope RKO, but Shawn counters with an eye-gauge & then hits a top-rope elbow-drop! But in trying to connect with Sweet Chin Music, HBK collapses & the ref calls for the stoppage at the 5 minute mark. Orton predictably hits the RKO afterwards, as Shawn’s wife runs sobbing to the ring. HBK’s knee problems obviously resulted in this angle, but I’m unsure it was the best way to go about giving him some time off. At least we got 5 minutes here, but apart from Shawn’s acting skills, we didn’t get to see too much. Match Rating: 3.5

THE HARDYZ defeated LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH to Retain the World Tag-Team Titles: Obviously, the WWE couldn’t resist holding a ppv without the insta-pop that The Hardyz provide! As for why JBL & Cole commentated this match, don’t ask me! Matt & Cade begin with some decent technical action, before the brothers get the better of Murdoch. An excellent dropkick & standing lariat by Cade gets the momentum back with the heels as they continue their current angle of playing by the rules. A hot tag to Jeff leads to a nice flurry of offense, as the overwhelmed heels contemplate heading to the back. Jeff misses a somersault dive to the outside, as Cade goes to work on his back soon after.

Murdoch then hits his flip powerbomb finisher, but Matt breaks up the count at 2. The hot tag is then made to Matt as he unleashes his exciting flurry of offense, but can’t beat the odds against 2 men. Cade then gets a close 2 count with his Rock Bottom into a spinebuster finisher, but the Twist Of Fate / Swanton combination gets the victory soon after at the 15 minute mark. Very good tag-team match that was well put together & performed. The time seemed to fly by & the dynamic between the 2 teams continues to improve. Nothing too memorable though. Match Rating: 7

EDGE defeated BATISTA to Retain the World HeavyWeight Title: A cautious beginning sees Edge playing the cautious champion for the first 4 minutes until he gets an opportunity to target Batista’s injured hamstring. A missed charge to the corner by the challenger then adds an injured shoulder to Batista’s woes as Edge’s confidence grows. Edge goes for a resthold with an armlock, but a subsequent top-rope move doesn’t pay off as Batista hits a messy clothesline to kick-start some standard offense. Batista then counters a spear attempt with one of his own for a close 2 count, before hitting a powerslam & setting up for the Batista Bomb. Edge counters though, but Batista counters back with a spine-buster. Unfortunately for the Animal, his leg buckles & Edge capitalizes with a rollup victory at the 11 minute mark. Often awkward match that had its moments but didn’t really work as a whole. The lack of time given to the build-up definitely didn’t help & made the story that Edge was trying to play out a little puzzling. Match Rating: 6.5

MVP defeated CHRIS BENOIT in a 'Best Of 3 Falls' Match to Win the United States Title: A nice tit for tat opening few minutes sees a good mix of everything from mat-wrestling to pro-wrestling to brawling. MVP then targets the injured knee of Benoit (thanks to Finlay 2 nights earlier), but the champ never lets the challenger stay in control for too long. Benoit hits his triple german suplexes before locking in the crossface, but MVP just reaches the ropes. The heel does the same when he is next locked in the sharpshooter & then nicely counters an electric chair into his playmaker finisher for the opening fall at the 8 minute mark.

MVP shows greater confidence with the lead & gets very aggressive in targeting the knee which Benoit is now superbly selling. Benoit attempts to lock in another crossface, but MVP rolls through nicely & locks in that leg submission hold that Brock Lesnar used years back. The champ reaches the ropes though & applies the crossface. However, his injured knee doesn’t allow him to lock it on properly & following a low dropkick, MVP rolls up Benoit for the 2-0 sweep & title victory at the 14 minute mark all up. An impressive, if unmemorable, bout in many ways, this definitely could have been better with an extra 5 minutes. I loved all the little touches evident in this bout & they are difficult to explain in writing, but made the match seem very natural. Benoit was his usual terrific self, while MVP has taken another step forward. My match of the night. Match Rating: 7.5

JOHN CENA defeated THE GREAT KHALI to Retain the WWE Championship: Cena throws everything at Khali to open up proceedings, but the challenger knocks down the champ with a thunderous clothesline. The heel then throws Cena into the steel steps & gets a 2 count back in the ring. A bodyslam & leg-drop then gets the same result after Cena gets his foot on the rope. The champ then avoids a leg-drop & attempts to keep the giant Indian grounded. But it proves impossible & Khali knocks Cena out of the ring with a crescent kick when back on his feet, before locking in a resthold back in the ring. Following some Cena offense when Khali gets locked in the ropes, the heel regains control with a big boot. But when the action heads to ringside, Cena uses the steel steps to hurt Khali’s knee & then a top-rope leg-drop leads into the STF-U submission victory at the 8 minute mark. Not as bad as most imagined, this flowed rather well & was only stagnant on one occasion. It still wasn’t very good, but was ok in a big man match sort of way. Match Rating: 6

PPV RATING (46.5/80) = 58

Looking at the key, I have basically given the 2007 version of 'Judgment Day a 'C' grade & said that it was ‘average'. I think that's the perfect grade & comment to be honest. I have a feeling that many fans will feel that it should have rated even lower than that, but I disagree. There was nothing too awful about the event & if it wasn't for HBK's injury, this would most likely have even jumped up to the next level on my ratings system. However, let's not beat around the bush; This show was average & very run of the mill. Pretty much nothing stood out at all & the over-emphasis on injuries got very tiring throughout the night. When isolated, using an injury (whether real or not) for the betterment of a match is usually a positive. But when basically every bout on the same card emphasises an injury as clearly as was the case here, then the entertainment factor predictably lowers significantly. Overall, a ho-hum ppv that may be remembered as worse than that due to the run of good shows we have had thus far this year.


MAIN - WWE Releases

ANGEL WILLIAMS: I can't really say much here as I can only go by reports that she was apparently half-decent in the ring. The only real question I have here is why the hell was there any real bother to send her to OVW (following the closure of DSW) if she was going to be released soon after?

2 COLD SCORPIO: Signed quite a few months back, Scorpio was never given an opportunity to make his return to the WWE following a short-lived run during the late 90's as Flash Funk. I haven't seen Scorpio of late, so it's hard for me to comment here, but I would think that his predominantly aerial style would struggle with a few extra years & pounds playing against him. However, he was the type of wrestler that was quite entertaining at worst & did know how to elevate his opponents. Then again, this could be a blessing in disguise, as taking into account Scorpio's look & wrestling attire, the WWE may have turned him into some cross between MVP & Eugene!

HENRY GODWINN: Well, it looks like poor Mark Canterbury had his redneck spot taken by someone else as we saw a glimpse of a Godwinn-like tag-team on SmackDown 2 weeks ago. With those 2 wrestlers being in the background, you have to wonder why this veteran was ever signed up by the WWE in the first place!

NICK 'MITCH' MITCHELL: Na na na na Na na na na Hey hey hey Goodbye. I think most people know that I was never much of a fan of Mitch's. He was just sooo irritatingly annoying. Due to that uncanny & unfortunate talent, I was actually surprised that the WWE didn't give him a chance managing some heel following his Spirit Squad days. Oh well, I won't be losing any sleep over the decision.

SCOTTY 2 HOTTY: Scotty has been around so long & survived so many batches of releases that I was actually surprised to see his name amongst this list. I think it's fair to state that Scotty has been a good servant of the company, but his use by date is finally up. He was always a handy jobber here & there on television, while he often was successful in livening up crowds at various house shows around the world. As easily as it can be overlooked, those types of guys are required. I'd say that injuries have probably got the better of him though & you can't blame the WWE for bidding farewell to the master of 'The Worm'.

ARIEL: Having debuted on WWE television as a valet to Paul Burchill's pirate character, I think it's fair to state that Ariel did a pretty darn good job of transforming into a vampire & pulling off that role successfully. Furthermore, I think she succeeded in bringing some attention to the inconsistent, yet talented, Kevin Thorn. Without her, his character may have bombed. And it still may do so now that Ariel has been released. I can only presume that this release may have been made with an eye to the future, rather than a statement concerning her recent work. Maybe it is because she had not improved as a wrestler or the WWE felt her different looks could only get her so far. Who knows?

VITO: I never really liked Vito while he was in WCW (& the little I saw of him in ECW) & I could never quite put my finger on why. It could well have been his attitude... Or at least the way I perceived his attitude. Yet, for some reason, I never really had the same problems with him in the WWE... And yes, that was before he had to wear the dress. And while that was a terrible gimmick to be handed, I must say that in his own little way, Vito succeeded in making that angle work for a few months, so good on him.

He still never set the world on fire in the ring during his WWE stay though, but does that mean that he could not have been handy as at least roster depth in ECW, as that was where he was rumored to be heading? I would say he could have been useful in the short-term & probably did deserve to see out the year with a new gimmick on the WWE's third brand. Hell, at the very least he could have been fed to Lahsley, Snitsky & the like. But it's probably not too harsh to state that it is all much of a muchness & his stay wouldn't have likely seen him last until this time next year.

ROB CONWAY: I wrote a column topic on Conway over a year ago now & the point to it was that I felt that Conway may very well have been one of those guys that breaks out of relative obscurity to one day become a star... Not too dissimilar to some guy calling himself 'The RingMaster' went on to become one 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin! Conway clearly has some wrestling talent, appears to have good work ethic & has an above average look. Once more, they are the traits of a young Steve Austin. And while the main knock on Conway is charisma, an argument could be made for the same knock on Austin when he was younger.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that Conway was ever going to be as huge as Stone Cold, but with the right development & nurturing, I really do feel he could have been a solid midcard talent for the WWE. Why he could not at least have been tried in ECW is beyond me. Unfortunately, it appears as if we will have to look back at Conway as a wrestler who got almost criminally buried under a couple of bad gimmicks. Or we may just remember him as Row-Bear The Con-Man! A real shame & TNA could do worse than pick this guy up & give him a shot.

SABU: Last, but certainly not least we have the suicidal, genocidal, death-defying ECW original Sabu. I think it's fair to state that the majority of professional wrestling fans have seen this release coming for a few months now. Between getting caught with drugs, turning up late to shows & sleeping backstage, most would have to conclude that Sabu didn't really have his mind on the job in the WWE. And when someone doesn't have his heart in it, then there isn't much point in keeping them around unless they bring a whole lot to the table.

It's a shame as Sabu hasn't exactly been terrible during this WWE run. Furthermore, he is very flexible as to where he is placed on the card & can consistently be counted on to give an entertaining performance whether he is challenging for the ECW World Title or jobbing to the current midcard flavor of the month. Oh well, it's fairly clear that Vince McMahon is intent on moving on regarding the ECW brand, which means that Sabu is indeed expendable.


DESSERT - Possible WWE Releases

I suppose it's best if I add some structure to this topic by looking at wrestlers from each individual brand. But before I get to that, I would like to mention one developmental talent; Whatever happened to Sonny Siaki...??? After being signed over from TNA approximately 2 years ago, I have not heard anything about him since. Unless I missed it, I can't recall any announcement about him being released. From the little I saw of him in TNA, he appeared to have some talent & potential. Oh well, if anyone knows of his current status, please don't hesitate to pass it on.

RAW

In theory, the Raw brand should have the deepest talent pool as it has to sustain the 'Heat' show which still airs in most markets. While it is nothing but a throwaway show with little merit (unlike what 'Velocity' used to be for the SmackDown brand), it still needs to be filled by someone. And the current regulars are Val Venis, Viscera, Cryme Tyme & The Highlanders.

Like Scotty 2 Hotty, Venis has seemingly been around for an eternity & plays the role of jobber rather well. As he is instantly recognizable, has extra size & can pretty much wrestle against any style of wrestler, he is sufficiently useful to keep around for another year or 3. But don't expect him to be given any great push soon. Venis' role may make Big Vis redundant & I think we may have seen every possible scenario for a potential storyline for the man formerly known as Mabel, so I won't personally be balling my eyes out if Viscera is released. Who knows... A decent performance on Raw this week may have saved him!

On the tag-team scene, Cryme Tyme is still fresh enough & have enough potential to remain on the roster. And the sudden breath of fresh air in the division provided by The Hardyz appears to have saved the likes of Cade, Murdoch, Benjamin & Haas. However, I'm not so sure that The Highlanders will emerge unscathed. It may just be one too many tag-teams for the WWE's liking & it would not surprise me if Rory & Robbie don't last the year. And it's a bit of a shame as I think they could have been handier than all we got to see.

Elsewhere on the Raw roster, I feel that all the women are most likely safe. Some others who may be looking over their shoulder are Super Crazy & Eugene, although I feel that they are used in enough situations to survive. One may that may not last very long though is WWE legend 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan. I just can't see the point in keeping him around to be honest.

SMACKDOWN

The major concern for the SmackDown brand must be the cruiserweight division. Even with injuries striking the roster of late, there has hardly been a match involving the cruiserweights over the past 2 months. Hell, if Chavo Guerrero didn't take part in a 6 man tag-team match last Friday, I could have easily forgotten that he was the champion & not Gregory Helms (who is now injured & out for approximately a year).

While Chavo & (hopefully) Jimmy Wang Yang are safe, I do fear for the likes of Shannon Moore, Jamie Noble & Funaki. In fact, it's hard to see how all 3 will survive 2007. Helms' injury may buy one of them some time, but it may not last past WrestleMania 24. And if the WWE made the logical step of moving Super Crazy across from Raw, then these guys would be on even more borrowed time.

Elsewhere, most of the SmackDown roster should be safe. If anything, maybe a woman or 2 could be released. Does Maryse count as a roster member...??? Maybe even Michelle McCool could be in trouble. Then again, if she gets any skinnier, she is going to disappear anyway!

ECW

Can anyone be classified as safe on this brand apart from Bobby Lashley...??? It's a throwaway question, but when you think about it, the probable answer is "no"! It would not be surprise me if any of the roster was released tomorrow. Sure, that is unlikely with the likes of CM Punk & Elijah Burke, but I doubt the WWE would think twice about booting either one of them if certain circumstances arose.

Another wrestler that could possibly be safe is Tommy Dreamer. But that has nothing to do with his wrestling & is more the case because he has a backstage role within the company. Other ECW originals such as The Sandman, Ballz Mahoney, Stevie Richards & Little Guido could all be in danger at any point in time & you could hardly suggest that the show as it currently stands would be lost without the lot of them. If I was to take a stab in the dark, I would probably suggest that one of the 2 faces & one of the 2 heels may not last the year out. But it's much of a muchness to me as to who survives & who doesn't.

Elsewhere, I would have to think that Mike Knox's disappearance of late puts his future in question. He does have some talent in the ring for a big man, but its not enough to overcome his shortcomings of not having a great look & not being all that charismatic. With the release of Vito & the canceling of the FBI reunion, another who could be in danger is Trinity. Maybe she can learn to dance & join Extreme Expose, because for some reason, it doesn't appear as if the WWE are keen to get her wrestling.

And of course, I couldn't let this portion of my column end without saying FIRE BOB HOLLY! Don't release him... Fire the grumpy ba$tard!


Okely dokely, that's it for edition #232 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. I received very positive feedback for how my column turned out last week, so I hope the same can be said for this edition. If there is anything amongst my 'Judgment Day' review and/or look at the WWE releases that you wish to discuss, please don't hesitate to send me your thoughts via e-mail. You know that I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is 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=5

And while you are on the LOP Forums, why don't you check out my weekly contributions to the Album Review thread. So far, I have reviewed 2 albums each by groups such as My Chemical Romance, Muse & Rise Against. Just click on the following link & scroll down: http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=99&page=2.

Hmmm, what to write about next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu'!?!?!? I haven't got a clue to be honest. Maybe it is a good thing that the 'One Night Stand pay-per-view has come around so quickly, because at least I will have some PPV Predictions to serve up. Other than that, I will keep you all in suspense by default. No matter what comes your way, 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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