DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu #270 – JDay Review + One Night Stand Predictions
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 4:49 AM EST
THE WRESTLING MENU #270
Welcome one and all to the 270th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.
Yep, Mr.Saturday Morning is back from vacation and back into the swing of things. Well, almost. I am still half asleep in all honesty, but let's just forget that for now and get (insert drum roll here)... On with the show.....
APPETIZERS
This, That & The Other
2 COLUMN-WRITING RETIREMENTS
I have absolutely no hesitation to begin with this news upon my return. It is the end of an era of sorts for Lords Of Pain as 2 of the mainstays of column-writing on this website have decided to tap out and hang up their keyboards. I speak of Pt2 & Wevv Mang, both of whom delivered numerous fantastic columns for our reading enjoyment over many years.
I, for one, was pleased to see that neither man tapped out as quickly as a jobber placed in the ankle-lock as they gave themselves every chance to return to the top of their writing form... Which was very very good as far as I am concerned. Do not let the last few months fool you as both these writers were posting frequent columns at their peak, especially Wevv who was very much going toe to toe on a weekly basis with yours truly.
The quality of both writers' columns was exemplary in this columnist's opinion as I often would stop and think about a point or three that each man discussed. Yet both had different methods of getting their point across; Pt2 was direct and to the point in a fashion that I am jealous over, while Wevv would slowly build up to his conclusion in a methodical and calculated way that would often be intended in order to keep the reader successfully interested.
Of course, both men also had their lighter side when it came to the content of their writing. Pt2 often would veer off course with his columns to run competitions, lists or just flat out rant on whatever he was getting annoyed at during the time. And of course who could forget those legendary introductions which often resulted in me feeling just a little bit older than my average reader. As for Wevv, do I really need to explain his comedic side? Bossman, Kane's House, The search for that eternal sandwich, Cruiserweight's being eaten by hosses and let's not forget his (in my opinion) hilarious bashings of Triple H and then attempts to rehabilitate. I think Wevv is still in meetings for that final problem!
It is indeed the end of an era as my failing memory actually does recall chatting and assisting both men while in the LOP Columns Forum. They may be the last 2 of my current crop of colleagues that fit into that category (although I think Sheepster has ignored my advice on a few occasions). It does make me feel like the old man of the bunch nowadays, but I hope I am still consistently delivering a decent column for all of you to read. I may not be posting weekly as frequently as I once was, but I can tell you that I have no immediate plans to retire at present.
In closing on this topic, I congratulate both Pt2 & Wevv. "Congratulations" may seem like a strange word to use upon their retirements, but I believe it to be very fitting as I congratulate them for many years of excellent column-writing that have brought enjoyment to the masses. They should be proud of their achievements and I wish them all the best with their personal life. Take care and keep in touch gents!
MY VACATION
For those geographically challenged, I live in Melbourne on the south-east tip of Australia. I spent 2 weeks in various spots in the state of Queensland which is on the north-eastern side of Australia. It is currently closing in on Winter down under and to give you Northern hemisphere-ites an analogy, it is pretty much like going from New York to Florida or London to Italy. So yeah, I warmed up a bit thank goodness.
First stop was a week on the Gold Coast which is like the Orlando of Australia. Very fun all up, weather was great and I even got to see my football team have a victory up there on a road trip which happened to coincidentally fall during the time of my vacation. Haha. The following week was spent up on the Great Barrier Reef, which some will know is one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. An absolutely beautiful place to visit for anyone from any country. And judging by the numbers of sunburnt English that were up there, I don't think you Brits need telling that!
WRESTLING WHILE AWAY
In all honesty, I did not watch or even think of wrestling too much while I was away. For the 2nd vacation in a row, I took Ric Flair's book and didn't even open it. It is no reflection on Flair or the book, but I think reading (unless it's newspapers or the odd magazine) has just passed me by nowadays. I would much rather listen to some music.
As for watching any wrestling, I saw a few little tidbits while in between activities, but it wouldn't have totaled to an hour all up. And nothing definitely took my fancy to say to the better half "hang on a tick until after this match".
There is also a funny little story to share as I was returning home. We flew on a budget airline and what they do is give you about 5 minutes of their array of television channels free upon taking off before making you pay $5 to watch them on the entire journey (a 2 hour flight in this case). Raw was on and this big spender had pretty much decided to splurge the $5. But what did I see in the 5 minute preview to make me change my mind? 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper training the cousin of some D Grade wannabee talk show host. Let me repeat that... Not the talk show host himself, but his cousin! I didn't even last the 5 minute preview out! Grrrrrrrr... WCW anyone!?
MY ALBUM REVIEWS
Wouldn't you know it, I go and let all the LOP-ites out there about a website page dedicated to album reviews of mine and the page goes and crashes while I am on vacation. To those who had a read of some of my reviews in the week following my latest column, please do not hesitate to let me know what you thought. To those who were greeted with a blank page over the past week or so, stay tuned as I am currently in the process of attempting to re-post all 23 reviews which I had there in the first place. It just goes to show you how things can go wrong on the World Wide Web.
I am hoping to have all my album reviews once more posted early on in this coming week and will begin adding more one by one as the week progresses. Just for those who missed my previous column, the relevant link is http://www.sputnikmusic.com/user_reviews.php?memberid=268913.
MAIN
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: Vengeance ‘07)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: No Mercy ‘07)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: Backlash '08)
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+]
JOHN CENA defeated JBL: It seems that without the WWE Championship, Cena goes from PPV main-eventer to PPV opener! Standard stuff initially before JBL wrings Cena's arm on the top-rope in a disappointingly messy spot. JBL obviously targets that arm for a few minutes and pretty much dominates the majority of the bout in between an occasional flurry of offense for Cena. Many restholds (bearhug, full nelson, etc...) are included in that timeframe and when Cena finally breaks out, he practically collapses in pain when attempting to hit an F-U. Of course, out of nowhere, Cena ducks a short-arm clothesline & finally does hit the F-U at the 15 minute mark. Far too one-sided towards the eventual loser, this match had an air of predictability throughout & simply did not contain enough action for it's eventual duration, which was too long for an opener. Utterly forgettable. Match Rating... 5.5
JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ defeated CM PUNK & KANE to Retain the WWE Tag-Team Championships: An impressively frenetic beginning to this bout sees both teams get in multiple tags and both members of the face team especially showing their array of offense. Kane shows both strength & agility, while Punk throws in an impressive rope-assisted submission hold before later heading to the air after a hot tag. The action soon breaks down and as Kane choke-slams The Miz at ringside, Morrison hits his Moonlight Drive finisher on Punk to retain the titles in a little over 7 minutes. Top-notch action throughout with some nice back & forth stuff that was kept at a good pace. It is just a shame that this was not booked to go an extra 2-3 minutes as that would have allowed a little more heel offense and story to be installed into the bout. Stil very good and should have been the show's opener. Match Rating... 7.5
SHAWN MICHAELS defeated CHRIS JERICHO: It was pleasing to see that some final week developments added further to this 'Was HBK Injured' storyline'. It carried over well into the beginning of this bout which mostly over-ruled the face vs face dynamic positively. An excellent battle of counters early on was very entertaining and HBK's new-found fondness for submission holds worked better here than in previous months. All the while, the adjustments both men made to their characters were performed near-perfectly as Shawn flashed the occasional cocky smile, while Y2J expressed anger & intensity. Jericho counters a top-rope move at the 7 minute mark which sees him go to work on Michaels' ribs effectively. A short flurry of offense for HBK only ends in him being locked into the Walls of Jericho, but after reaching the ropes, he hits Sweet Chin Music on the apron to knock Jericho to ringside. Back in the ring, Y2J kicks out at 2.5, but is then hit by a top-rope elbow-drop.
Sweet Chin Music is then lined up, but Jericho feigns collapsing a couple of times before hitting his codebreaker finisher for a close 2 count. The back & forth action doesn't let up as HBK applies a crossface, before Y2J escapes and looks to lock on another Walls of Jericho. HBK counters though and gets the rollup victory at the 16 minute mark. This was a superb match that was entertaining from the get-go, had a good story about it throughout and was suitably even allowing both men to showcase their talent. If anything, the ongoing storyline which was better served by a HBK win resulted in the wrong victor on the night. But that was still decently booked around resulting in this being the clear match of the night and a genuine match of the year contender! Match Rating... 9
MICKIE JAMES defeated BETH PHOENIX and MELINA in a Triple-Threat Match to Retain the Women's Title: Beth demands Melina leave "her" ring at the outset of this bout & Melina clearly responds negatively with a shot to the head. Mickie then almost steals the victory with a rollup, before some nice back & forth action occurs. Much of it is 1 on 1, but there is some nice 3 way action instilled into the bout and it is actually very rare that any woman is on the outside of the ring. A highlight spot then occurs when Beth has both women up in a back-breaker at the same time... It was actually one hell of a sight! Soon after, Melina interrupts the Glamazon's offense with a neck-breaker, only to get caught with a DDT by Mickie after a little over 5 minutes. This was really good while it lasted as it contained a nice variation of offense and used the triple-threat scenario to it's advantage. Unfortunately, the short duration & abrupt ending made this difficult to rate. But I will be fairly nice as I really liked many of the things booked & performed here. Match Rating... 7
THE UNDERTAKER defeated EDGE by Countout in a Match for the Vacant World HeavyWeight Title: Edge attempts to counter-punch initially, but 'Taker has all the answers predominantly through his greater brawling prowess. Edge gets back into the bout by countering old-school & crutching the phenom. A subsequent Irish-whip knees-first into the steel steps sees the heel have the best of the next few minutes, but the dead man thankfully has occasional spurts of offense to keep the opening half of this match moving & quite entertaining. The Rated R Superstar then foolishly makes an error by attempting old-school himself, as the face gets payback by crutching his opponent and then hitting his signature move. Ryder & Hawkins then come out to cause a distraction & after a nice sequence of counters, Edge hits his Impaler DDT for a 2 count. A spear gets the same result as the crowd attempts to lift the face veteran.
It works as The Undertaker finally lands a choke-slam, but Edge kicks out of a weak cover as the action heads to ringside and eventually into the crowd. The Undertaker is the only man to make it back into the ring before the 10 count expires, meaning that he claims the countout victory at the 16 minute mark. But, to continual deafening boos, Vicki Guerrero emerges & announces that the title could not be won by countout and it is still vacant. The dead man replies by tombstoning Edge. This was a rather solid match that probably will not be remembered as much as their previous 2 ppv bouts, but wasn't too far behind them in terms of quality. In fact, the offense & action was probably more balanced here and the match itself was sufficiently involving. Of course, it sort of had to be as it was not exactly setting up a barnstorming finale as it was previously and that finish was obviously not so flash on this occasion (in order to further the storyline). That and the memorability factor brought this match rating down a little. Match Rating... 7.5
JEFF HARDY defeated MVP: Following an open challenge by MVP, Matt Hardy comes out to introduce the PPV return of his brother after suspension. The heel takes the initiative to begin the bout by looking for quick pinfalls, but only achieves multiple 2 counts. Jeff actually struggles to string together offense as MVP stalls & counters effectively to control the pace of the match. And that pace is rather leisurely to be honest. Of course, that is logical in order for the heel to ground the high-flying Hardy, but it doesn't do a great deal for the entertainment value of this particular match unfortunately. When Jeff finally does mount some offense, he misses his Swanton finisher, but a subsequent Whisper in the Wind gets the job done at the 10 minute mark. This was very similar to the opener in many ways and that is disappointing as these 2 are both talented and you would think that they would combine well together just as MVP has with Matt Hardy. Who knows... Maybe this match-up was more impromptu than we thought! Match Rating... 5.5
TRIPLE H defeated RANDY ORTON in a Cage Match to Retain the WWE Championship: Orton immediately dives for the open door as the bell rings, but Triple H makes the save just in time. H cops the door to his head for his trouble, but is soon throwing Randy into the cage to repay the debt. Orton then scores with a slingshot into the cage resulting in him controlling the next few minutes where he even gets a few near-falls with a rope-assisted DDT & a power slam. H eventually retaliates with a couple of chop blocks and subsequently locks on the figure 4 leglock. Upon the hold being broken, both men have their trademark finishers countered, before H once more makes the timely save as Orton heads for the door. There was time for a chair to be dragged into the ring though and Randy uses it with a shot to the back & a DDT on top of it for a 2.9 count.
A methodical & evil-eyed Orton then heads for RKO territory, but the champ counters and drop toe-holds the challenger into the chair for a close 2 count of his own. The 2 combatants then head for the top of the cage where both men take turns to get the upper hand with some good false finishes. Finally, back at sea level, Orton misses his punt kick and is greeted by a chair-shot to the head. A subsequent pedigree by Triple H gets the job done after 21 minutes to have him retain his title. This was a very solid cage match even if it wasn't anything too extraordinary or memorable. I liked the fact that there were not too many slow spots for a bout that lasted over 20 minutes, while both men had their fair share of offense. Not overly brutal, but the action was still hard-hitting and I felt that both men played their roles well resulting in what was an overall successful PPV main-event. Match Rating... 8
PPV RATING (50/70) = 71
Looking at the key, I have basically given the 2008 version of ‘Judgment Day’ a 'B+' grade & said that it was ‘very good'. All in all, I would have to agree with that verdict and this show becomes yet another successful one for WWE this year. The main factor making this PPV a very good one was the fact that it was kept at 7 matches with quality ruling the day over quantity. Even the 2 matches which disappointed and only just received a passing grade had the potential to rate well. The fact that they did not, was simply a disappointment. Of course, it always helps when you have a bout which is a 'Match of the Year' contender on a card. If anything, it is just a little bit of a shame that neither of the 2 big title matches did not improve on previous match-ups of those involved, as that may have edged this event into 'PPV of the Year' consideration.
DESSERT
One Night Stand Predictions
It should be noted that due to me watching very little of WWE's televised product over the past few weeks (I haven't even had time to read the Raw, ECW & SmackDown recaps), these may be more like guesses than predictions!
JOHN MORRISON vs TOMMY DREAMER, CHAVO GUERRERO, CM PUNK & THE BIG SHOW in a Singapore Cane Match: This bout which is to determine a #1 Contender for Kane's ECW Title is actually a decent idea which will hopefully result in some kind of entertainment. There is a vast array of styles involved here which could make this better than expected, although both the canes and the likelihood that this will be short probably won't allow the potential to be met. As we currently have a face champion, I rule out a Dreamer or Punk win. Kane vs Morrison doesn't yell "pay-per-view" for mine and while it is a possibility that Chavo could get a Bam-assisted victory, I think the safest option here is to go with The Big Show, whether he is face or heel, on Raw, SmackDown or ECW! Winner: The Big Show
JOHN CENA vs JBL in a First Blood Match: This match-up required something to breathe a little life into it and the 'First Blood' stipulation is decent, if not perfect. I at least expect a bit more movement to be included in this bout, even if the heel may dominate once again. I actually do not rule out a JBL win here, but the fact that there is an upcoming PPV called 'Night of Champions' and Cena is not currently a champ leads me to believe he currently needs the momentum of a victory. Winner: John Cena
BETH PHOENIX vs MELINA in an "I Quit" Match: I may look the hypocrite here as face vs face matches annoy me enough as it is, but I am totally against heel vs heel bouts. Yet, this match-up somehow intrigues me. If anything, WWE have been a little too slow (or not had enough time due to the ridiculous PPV scheduling) to carry out what appears to be a Melina face turn. A case can actually be made that these 2 women are indeed the best female wrestlers around right now and that does include TNA. Melina has been adding moves to her arsenal quietly while not being in the spotlight, while Beth has gone from strength to strength after her injury last year. The "I Quit" stipulation works in their favor as submission is probably Melina's strength, while the feud hasn't been too bad for 2 heels. I don't totally write off an upset win here to kickstart the face turn, but with Mickie holding the title, Beth is the wise way to go result-wise. Winner: Beth Phoenix
SHAWN MICHAELS vs BATISTA in a Stretcher Match: Not my favorite gimmick match, the 'Stretcher Match' addition does add some intrigue to what has already been an interesting storyline involving these 2 as well as Chris Jericho. Does it mean that we will see a great match on the night? Not necessarily as it all depends on how the bout is booked to fit the scenario. It is probably approaching decision time on where the angle is heading also. HBK cannot keep continuing to win time after time, yet does a Batista win mean that the feud basically comes to an end? Will one of the 3 faces involved in this interbrand feud turn heel? You just get the feeling that the next step of this storyline has to take place here in this match. What it is, I have no idea. And for that reason, the result here is a coin toss for mine. If someone was the clear heel, I would go with them leading up to my double main-event results. When in doubt, play it safe I suppose. Winner: Shawn Michaels
UMAGA vs JEFF HARDY in a Falls Count Anywhere Match: Many fans have been surprised that Jeff Hardy was successful in his first 2 matches back from suspension. I am unsure if I was or not, but it does sort of lead to some unpredictability in this particular match-up. These 2 have proven that they can put together an excellent clash of styles bout previously and I can only hope they can do so once more following on from Jeff's disappointing match with MVP at Judgment Day. This doesn't have to be too long, but it is important that Umaga doesn't dominate too much. In fact, the success of this match pretty much relies on back & forth offense for mine. As for the result, it is definitely a tough one, but I am expecting Umaga to move to SmackDown in 3 weeks time, so some momentum won't hurt him at all. Winner: Umaga
EDGE vs THE UNDERTAKER in a TLC Match for the World HeavyWeight Title: Talk about throwing in a curve ball. Under normal match circumstances, I would have expected an Edge win here. But the stipulation that The Undertaker would be forced to leave WWE if he lost this match throws a spanner in the works. And while I am certain WWE could have a few tricks up their sleeve, it is simply too big of a spanner to ignore. As for match quality, I remember back to Taker's Ladder Match with Jeff Hardy quite a few years back now. Mostly mundane, it built up to a terrific finish. Edge vs Ric Flair wasn't too dissimilar. That's what these 2 pretty much achieved at WrestleMania 24 as well, so I can see it possibly occurring here once again. I guess this feud continues past this show and I also would not be at all surprised to see this being the main-event of the evening. Winner: The Undertaker
TRIPLE H vs RANDY ORTON in a Last Man Standing Match: If this was not a match in a series of sort, I would give Orton quite the shot of an upset... Especially if the bout was not placed as the main-event of the night. But while Orton is indeed growing into his character well, I don't think the feud has the legs to last through another month. That tells us the result and we really only need to look back at their previous LMS Match (not so long ago) to let us know that we will see a grueling & hard-hitting bout. I have never been a fan of this kind of gimmick match, but one gets the feeling these 2 can make it work in the situation they are in. Winner: Triple H
So there we have 'One Night Stand' as it currently sits. It is obviously a very similar card to 'Judgment Day' with 3 identical match-ups taking place and only variations on others. Of course, the fact that all bouts will be gimmick matches also adds variation and that is fine if they are all booked to suit the relevant stipulations. WWE may choose to continue on with there quality over quantity approach that has served them well so far this year and for that reason I do not see them adding further matches to the card, meaning that the likes of Matt Hardy & Chris Jericho will have to wait until 'Night of Champions' to defend their titles. I am quietly confident that this can be a good show overall as long as that aforementioned booking holds up. Because if it doesn't, then a few years worth of 'WCW Uncensored' showed us how hit & miss this PPV approach can be!
Well, that was a bit longer than I expected. Maybe I can take some lessons off of Pt2 on how to get to the point more directly now that he has some time on his hands! Oh well, after a 3 week absence, I suppose you all deserved a fair bit of reading from yours truly and hopefully this column filled you up on that after some fasting. I am back at work on Monday and will obviously be flat chat catching up on the mess that will likely be left on my desk. So if you decide to email me on any feedback to this column, please be patient for a reply. 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
Now I am not at all certain as to when my next column will be written & posted in all honesty. In addition to that busy week at work, I also have a concert to go to on Monday night, which is usually when I view pay-per-views. For those reasons, I doubt I will have the time & opportunity to write my next column by my usual day of posting (Wednesday). I will definitely look to have the column up for you by no later than next Saturday though. In that column, I will obviously have my review of 'One Night Stand' plus a couple of other interesting discussion topics I have had in mind for a while now. So just keep an eye out for my next column as while it will still be on the same LOP channel, it may not be at the same time. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.
And remember that DaveyBoy's Album Reviews can be viewed at: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/user_reviews.php?memberid=268913
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