DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu - Backlash Review, King Regal + More
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 12:42 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #268

Welcome one and all to the 268th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

I must be honest... I ran out of time to write a 3rd topic this week, so I ended up transferring most of what I had written in this introductory section of my column to the 'Dessert' section. Oh well, some times you just have to go with some filler, but I hope my explanation later will suffice.

It's on with the regal show…..


APPETIZERS - King Regal

I was very tempted to write about this topic in my last column, but decided to hold off for a week due to a couple of reasons. It was the correct decision at the end of the day as both my 'Growing Importance of Backlash' and 'Wrestling Commentators' topics went over very well (http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2008/articles/1208931762.php).

It is an understatement to say that I received a lot of questions and comments from readers concerning the King of the Ring and most of it was even before the tournament took place. The obvious question thrown my way was whether or not I liked the tournament and believed it should have been brought back. The answers to both parts of that question are a resounding "yes".

But I can tell you that I was rather disappointed with the way WWE did revive it. One week’s worth of hype! Having it all take place on a weekly televised show. It was all so underwhelming and whirlwind that it immediately didn't seem to have the importance of past events that (at least partially) took place on pay-per-views. Having said that, I guess its existence was better than nothing, so I won't labor the point.

The obvious next question that I had to answer was who should win the tournament. Well, WWE and I were in agreement on one factor; The winner should be a heel. Just with the way things were carried out, I didn't see how the win would significantly benefit any of the faces that were likely to take their place in the tournament. I am certain someone could make a decent case for Finlay, Jericho and/or CM Punk, but I don't think any of them would be strong ones.

So I basically looked back to the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 24. The man who I predicted to win the match; Mr.Kennedy. And the man I wanted to win the match; MVP. With Kennedy not competing in the King of the Ring tournament, my choice as to who should win was definitively MVP. While I wouldn't have wanted him to make too much of the gimmick (if anything, his character needs to be refined down), I do feel that he would have been able to work it in rather effectively & beneficially to result in him moving up the card steadily.

But no, the tournament occurs and we have William Regal become our latest King of the Ring! Now I am neither the hugest detractor nor fan of Regal's work. I know he has his fans, but I really do not see the long-term usefulness of this decision as compared to giving the crown to a younger up & comer. I say this even knowing that it is quite clear that Regal will now wrestle more often and be given some kind of push. But I have always had an issue with Regal's wrestling style and how awkward it is for his opponents to adapt to him. So while I can see this angle possibly having some short-term benefits that is about it.

I was asked in my feedback thread in the LOP Forums whether or not Regal would now hand over the General Manager role of Raw to someone else. No matter what WWE have planned for the new king, I would suggest he didn't. This is simply because he plays that role rather well, whether it is as a heel, face or impartial administrator. So even with him in the ring more often, I believe it best to keep up his GM role, even if it is only for a month or two to further the storyline. It will probably mean that his heel character will have to be more sharply defined, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I suppose that my conclusion out of all this is that I really hope that the creative department of WWE has a good medium-term plan with where they are heading with this 'King Regal' angle. I have no idea where they are going with it myself and if their plan is sketchy, I can see quite a lot of time being taken up on Raw for no good reason. Maybe there is more behind this decision than meets the eye. Maybe Mr.Regal's backstage alliances have forced WWE's hands here! Or maybe something else is at the heart of the decision. I'll continue that thought process next week, so stay tuned.....


MAIN - Backlash 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: Vengeance ‘07)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: No Mercy ‘07)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: WrestleMania 24)
70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: No Way Out '08)
75-79: Make sure you add this ppv to your video or dvd collection. [A] (EG: Royal Rumble '08)
80+: Make sure that the video or DVD is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]

MATT HARDY defeated MVP to Win the United States Title: MVP heads for the injured knee of Matt immediately, but Hardy expects it and has all the answers initially to control the opening moments. The tide turns however when the champ gets his knees up on a Hardy top-rope moonsault. The action doesn’t slow for long and we soon see some very good back & forth stuff leading to near-falls for Matt with 2 side-effects & MVP with a rope-assisted backslide. A huge kick to the head by the heel then sees a near countout victory, but a subsequent attempt to replicate that success is countered into the Twist of Fate for the title victory at the 11 minute mark. Extremely solid in every way, this was a good opener that was entertaining without ever being extraordinary. If anything, a few more exciting near-falls toward the end may have been fitting, as the pinfall was a little premature. A nice bout to continue the feud, but I would be disappointed if we didn’t see better soon. Match Rating…7.5

KANE defeated CHAVO GUERRERO to Retain the ECW Title: New bodyguard Bam Neely accompanies Chavo to the ring and the heel immediately heads for the injured knee of Kane. The champ defends well though and actually hits some impressive moves, even if he is clearly in discomfort. The tide clearly turns toward the challenger when Kane is pushed off the top-rope to the floor, beginning minutes on end of methodical knee-targeted offense for Chavo. When Kane finally does mount an attack of his own, we see some decent back & forth action before Kane literally catches Chavo mid frog splash for the choke-slam victory at the 9 minute mark. While this wasn’t exactly great, it was actually a little better than I expected. The duration was about correct and there were some nice touches here and there despite the booking being predictable throughout and this match being nothing we couldn’t have seen on the weekly tv show. Match Rating…6.5

THE BIG SHOW defeated THE GREAT KHALI: The 2 behemoths stare at each other for almost 1 minute before we get to see punches, headbutts & chops! It is literally shot for shot before Khali gets the upper-hand following a clothesline. The heel actually controls proceedings for a good 5 minutes with the usual slow-paced big man offense, including restholds. The crowd begins a “boring” chant as Khali gets a few 2 counts. TBS then gets his own near-fall with a slam out of nowhere and then counters a Khali Bomb into a choke-slam for the pinfall at the 8 minute mark. While I have seen worse big man matches, this was still pretty ordinary. There simply was not enough back & forth action as Khali controlled way too much of the bout and there was too much dead time and repetition. Match Rating…3

SHAWN MICHAELS defeated BATISTA with Special Guest Referee Chris Jericho: Some really nice byplay kicks things off as Batista confidently uses his strength, while HBK predominantly hits & runs. Both men’s finishers are even hinted at to consolidate their excellent storyline well. The match completely changes directions soon after though when HBK hits a chop-block on Big Dave. But instead of then targeting the knee, he messily applies an arm-bar submission hold and then proceeds to target that left arm for minutes on end. There are some decent variations in there, but one can’t help feel that the bout headed down that path too prematurely. Batista eventually mounts some offense, but a Batista Bomb is countered into a crossface as Y2J finally makes his presence known.

The Animal then gets a 2 count with a spear as the action begins to go back & forth while the crowd gets very involved. HBK then appears to hurt his knee while countering a Batista Bomb, but hits Sweet Chin Music in the ensuing confusion to get the win at the 15 minute mark. While there was the occasional quality moment included here, this match seemed predominantly disjointed and was really difficult to get into for the most part. It was clearly a storyline heavy bout and not a bad one at that, but I wasn’t at all convinced by it all and the confusing finish didn’t help. The bout probably deserved a rating of 7, but I am taking a further half-point off for the virtual uselessness of including Y2J in the mix. In one word, this was “disappointing”. Match Rating…6.5

BETH PHOENIX, MELINA, JILLIAN, VICTORIA, NATALYA & LAYLA defeated MICKIE JAMES, MICHELLE, MARIA, ASHLEY, KELLY & CHERRY in a 12 Woman Tag-Team Match: Beth & Michelle kick things off as Melina & Mickie then follow to result in a fairly impressive opening couple of minutes. Things then break down at ringside which gets a surprisingly loud pop from the live crowd. An entertaining sequence of finishers then occurs before Beth ends up getting the pinfall with a Fisherman’s Buster on Ashley. This was a tough one to rate because it was wisely booked to get the most out of the situation. The duration was about right & the crowd was kept involved for the most part. Of course, there were the usual awkward moments and the match literally meant nothing at all, but nothing was too bad and the bout achieved its purpose. Match Rating…6

THE UNDERTAKER defeated EDGE to Retain the World HeavyWeight Title: The dead man dominates the opening 7 minutes (both in & out of the ring) with Edge’s only ploy seemingly being avoidance. The heel finally works his way into the bout though, predominantly targeting the champ’s lower back. It is just a shame he goes to restholds so soon as his initial burst of energy was effective. A grapevine is followed by a camel clutch as the 12 minute mark passes rather quickly, if uneventfully. The 2 soon stand toe to toe punching it out as the back & forth action finally begins. The phenom misses a rare top-rope move, but fights back to get a 2 count off of a rope-assisted chokeslam. With the referee sidetracked, Curt Hawkins interferes for the challenger to get a super close 2 count.

‘Taker then gets a 2 count of his own with a DDT, before a nice finishing sequence sees Edge counter a Last Ride Powerbomb, only to have his roll-up countered into the champion’s submission finisher for the victory at the 18 minute mark. The Undertaker held on to the hold for quite a while after the final bell resulting in the selling of Edge being hurt badly. Yet another solid match from these 2, but once more they struggled to provide an entertaining first 10 minutes or so. The opening half of this bout didn’t drag out as much as their WrestleMania 24 main-event, but alternately the near-falls here were not as compelling as their match from last month. This all results in exactly the same rating… Match Rating…8

TRIPLE H defeated RANDY ORTON, JOHN CENA & JBL in a Four Man Elimination Match to Win the WWE Championship: Following 8 minutes of combined entrance themes & another minute of Lillian Garcia introducing the combatants, Orton heads for the title like last month but gets knocked out of his boots by JBL. The offense then comes thick & fast with a nice combination of 2, 3 & 4 man action, both in & outside the ring. We soon see each heel get locked in STF-U’s and the resultant taunting sees any semblance of heel teamwork end. A 4 man spot then sees Orton receive a huge superplex, but he kicks out at 2.9. The 2 faces then head to war as the live crowd remain very involved. JBL is then first to be eliminated at the 11 minute mark after he taps to a Cena STF-U, but Cena is almost instantaneously punted to elimination by Orton afterwards.

The champ & Triple H then duke it out as the action heads to ringside where H is catapulted nastily into the security railing. Back in the ring, Orton methodically goes to work targeting the challenger’s mid-section. Any resistance from Triple H is initially fleeting, until he counters an RKO attempt to kick-start some standard crowd-popping offense. When the action heads back to ringside, HHH counters a pile-driver on to the steel steps with a modified spine-buster. Back in the ring, Orton hits an RKO but the delay in covering results with only a 2.9 count as a “Triple H” chant begins. A series of counters to finishers then follows and Triple H wins the battle with a Pedigree after 28 minutes.

This was a top-notch main-event for the most part with a very entertaining & involving first 11 minutes involving all 4 competitors. The 17 minutes worth of 1 on 1 action that followed was pretty solid also, meaning that the decision to turn this into an elimination match was justified. The main weakness of the bout occurred at the half-way mark of the latter period (approximately 19 minute mark of the match) where Orton held on to a headlock for a little too long and I am not totally certain that the match ever fully recovered full momentum following that. Overall though, this match was entertaining, well-performed, involving & told a good story. Match of the night. Match Rating…8.5

PPV RATING (46/70) = 66

Looking at the key, I have basically given the 2008 version of ‘Backlash’ a 'B' grade & said that it was a ‘good event that was worth the money’. Hmmm, I am not so certain that is the most applicable rating for this show and I probably would suggest that it should have fallen into the lower ‘C+’ range when all was said and done. In a way, this event was not only saved by its 2 main-events, but also by the fact that the woman’s tag match was nowhere near as bad as Khali vs Big Show. To conclude, this was a solid night of wrestling action, but nothing that will end up being too memorable or significant.


DESSERT - May Columns

*** As I stated at the beginning of this column, I basically ran out of time writing a 3rd topic today (which was going to be on 'Swerves'), so I extended the introductory piece to somehow fit in here. It is relevant though as it outlines what I have planned for my column over the next month, as well as a few other bits and pieces you may find interesting. ***

Boy, have I had one busy week. As the phrase suggests, "when it rains, it pours". I've done more overtime at work than I have for well over a year. I have had a few catch-ups with friends. I've gone to watch football. And I've even attended a concert that wowed me to no end. Seriously folks, if you like rock music, make your way out to a Foo Fighters concert whenever they next stop by your home city, as you won't be disappointed.

One other thing I have been busy doing is putting the finishing touches on a vacation that me and the better half are off on in 2 weeks time. Ensuring everything is planned & booked in advance is always time-consuming, but very much worthwhile to make sure everything goes to plan by the time it's ready for take-off.

We are going to be away for a fortnight and it does indeed mean that for the month of May, my column will be here, there and everywhere. My original plan was to watch the Shawn Michaels DVD and pre-write a DVD Review for it so I could post it whenever I got access to the internet while I was away. But with work and everything else taking up so much time of late, the HBK discs have remained in their wrappers unfortunately.

So what is the plan for 'The Wrestling Menu' for the month of May...??? Well, while this could very well change, I will probably hold over next Wednesday's (the 7th of May) column to the following weekend of the 10th & 11th. That gives me a few extra days to get everything in order and a better chance to get somewhere around the mark with regards to my predictions for 'Judgment Day'.

I return home on Friday the 30th, so my plan is to attempt to quickly write up another column for that Saturday the 31st, which will then include my predictions (or guesses) for the 'One Night Stand' event. It could also include my review of 'Judgment Day' if I get access to it and have the time to watch it. But like I said, this plan is very much subject to change, so expect anything.

One other thing that should be noted is that there has been another thing of late that has taken up more than a little bit of my time. It is a side-project of sorts which I will reveal to you all next week. The reason I will reveal all next week is so that those who would like to still read some DaveyBoy goodness while I am away, will indeed be able to do so. Just remember that my column will be posted on the weekend though and not on my usual day of Wednesday.


Ok, so that is #268 of ‘The Wrestling Menu’ in the bag. Apologies if it came off a little more like filler than usual, but I am hopeful that the opening 'King Regal' section as well as my review of the Backlash pay-per-view was sufficient to satisfy your need for topical wrestling discussion. Plus, I still somehow got 27 paragraphs out of the 3 topics! As I stated last week, it is an understatement to say that work is busting my balls at present, but I will continue to attempt to respond to all feedback that I receive. You may just have to be a little more patient than usual as I have very little spare time up my sleeve. 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=159

Remember that #269 will be posted not next Wednesday, but most likely on Saturday the 10th of May. I will be attempting to go long range with my predictions for 'Judgment Day' and I am also looking to write up that topic on 'Swerves' that I never got around to this week. Elsewhere, I will reveal a side-project of mine that will hopefully have some of you interested. As always, my column will be posted right here on the magnificent website that is LOP. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.


DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu. 2002-2008

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