DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – Best Heel Feedback + WWE Draft Predictions
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 4:24 AM EST




THE WRESTLING MENU #272

Welcome one and all to the 272nd edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

I haven’t had time to scratch myself of late and only just managed to get this column up in time for my return to Wednesday mornings, so there is not much time for chatter today and it’s immediately on with the show…..


APPETIZERS - Feedback

If you have yet to read my previous column which was posted on June-6, you may still do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2008/articles/1212735752.php

In retrospect, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised with the amount of feedback that I received for that last column of mine. But alas, I indeed was as the emails piled in by the bucket-load. Funnily enough, the topic I went out of my way to specifically ask for feedback on was the one in which I received the least amount for. That being the topic in regards to wrestlers going absent without explanation. I specifically mentioned the Jeff Hardy example here and was curious if any parents had to answer to inquisitive children who wanted to know where their favorite multi-colored wrestler was.

Well, I got a fair bit of general feedback on the subject which was mostly agreeing with my conclusion that wrestling promotions should explain such absences on-air, even if the reasons given are not true in real life. But I also got about 5 or 6 specific pieces of feedback from parents, which was what I was after. A little surprisingly, the answer to my question was split more down the middle than I thought it would be, with half the responses using the situation to be honest and talk about substance abuse with their children, while the other half came up with some other reason so as not to bring down their children’s hero.

I don’t think there is a correct or incorrect response for the above predicament. A number of factors come into play here such as the age & character of the child. One day when I am a parent, I will maybe be able to answer my own question. But hopefully by then, WWE will begin explaining the absences of wrestlers in one way or another, which I suppose was the main point of the topic.

Moving on to my ‘One Night Stand’ review, I was very surprised to see my review get such mixed feedback. It appears that the all-gimmicked event may very much have drawn a line in the sand with regards to fans & non-fans. Some readers felt my ratings were about right or even too kind, while others (I would say the majority actually) thought I was way too harsh on the show as a whole.

The amazing thing is that the match rating which drew the most negative response was my failing of the Women’s “I Quit” match between Beth Phoenix & Melina. I am so accustomed to getting readers questioning me as to how I could pass a boring women’s match that I was a little shocked when the exact opposite occurred here. Personally, I am happy that many WWE viewers liked the bout, but I still stand by my rating for the reasons I gave in my last column.

Finally, in a topic that alternately took some people by surprise, I basically named Vickie Guerrero as WWE’s #1 heel at present due to the weekly volume (both amount & noise) of the heel heat she gains from the live crowd in attendance. I had the whole kit & caboodle with regards to opinions on this from “You’re crazy Davey” to “Initially I thought you were crazy but when I thought about it you are right”.

The more amazing fact that came about through feedback was the amount of reasons given for why Vickie generates so much heel heat. Dare I say it, but the reasons are so wide & expansive that Vickie is almost breaking new ground. I know that comment sounds even more over-the top, but if you were to read through all my feedback you would know what I mean.

Whether it be for being involved against arguably WWE’s #1 face (The Undertaker), being involved with arguably WWE’s #1 heel (Edge), her ordinary microphone skills, the reason as to why she has a job with WWE, etc, etc, etc… Trust me, I could make a list and it almost runs into double figures! So no matter what you think of Vickie as a person or character, WWE have indeed almost hit accidental gold here and by the look of her role each & every Friday on SmackDown, it is clear they realize it and are going to milk it for all that it’s worth while they can.


WWE DRAFT PREDICTIONS

The draft is fast approaching for WWE and it may have more significance this year than any other due to the current low television ratings that the company is experiencing. Will this mean that big names will be on the move…??? It’s definitely possible, but I’ve given up on thinking that Triple H & Shawn Michaels will move to SmackDown and Rey Mysterio will move to Raw!

WWE are doing an excellent job so far of keeping the movements between brands quiet, although a cynic would suggest it is because they are yet to know who will be moving themselves! Another factor which is most likely still being decided on is how many movements there will be. In the draft proper last year, the 2 larger brands gained 4 new wrestlers each, while ECW gained 2. But it must be noted that 6 more wrestlers went to Raw and SmackDown each in the Supplemental Draft, while ECW gained a further 3.

For the sake of this column, I am going to find some sort of middle ground and grant Raw & SmackDown 8 new wrestlers each, while ECW will gain 5. I actually think this is about the correct amount of movements to be honest as it is not over the top, while still meaning that all 3 brands will significantly change afterwards. As for whether all draft moves occur on the night or in 2 separate drafts, I would actually prefer only singles wrestlers to move on the 3 hour Raw episode, then females can switch brands on ECW, while SmackDown can be the turn of the tag-teams. I know that lessens the randomness aspect of the draft, but it would balance out nicely if that was to occur.


ENTREE – ECW Drafts…

CHUCK PALUMBO: While I am certain there are many readers thinking this is a nothing move, I am not so certain. Those of you who have been watching SmackDown over the past month or so will know that Palumbo is bringing a much rougher & tougher style to the ring of late and it has arguably made him look significantly better wrestling-wise. His heel character has been decent of late and a rather prominent stint on the ECW roster could allow WWE to work out whether or not he has any upper midcard potential in the future a’la other late bloomers such as JBL.

LANCE CADE: For pretty much similar reasons as to Palumbo, Cade is now a singles heel wrestler reportedly about to be pushed to some extent. He will obviously be looking to make a name for himself while showing what he has got in the ring and on the microphone. ECW is the best place for that to occur in my opinion and Cade could in fact be fighting with Palumbo for the higher heel spot on the card. Nothing wrong with a bit of friendly competition to be used as motivation!

DEUCE & DOMINO: My tag-team of 2007 appears to be stalling when it comes to moving up the card on SmackDown. They could be refreshed on the ECW brand and I could actually see a face turn playing part in that new lease of life. Morrison & The Miz against these 2 would make a pretty handy feud for mine. I think these 2 have too much potential to just let fall by the wayside as other teams have over the past 2-3 years. Further down the track, they could be split and give a singles career a go.

CHERRY: Her time in the ring has not really impressed me of late and she may be more worthwhile away from either of WWE’s 2 Women’s Title’s on ECW. She will still have Layla El to feud against on occasions and I wouldn’t think some sort of reuniting with Deuce & Domino on another brand would not necessarily hurt her advancement in WWE.


MAIN – Raw Drafts…

CHAVO GUERRERO: I do not know whether I am for this move or against it. I think Chavo has been terribly overused of late and simply don’t believe he has what it takes to become anything more than a solid midcarder. One part of me wants him to stay away from either of WWE’s big 2 brands, but the other part of me believes he will be fairly quickly banished on any brand that isn’t ECW. Rumors have suggested he may be in line for a brand switch and some kind of initial push. I’m personally hoping it will be on Raw as I doubt HHH, HBK, Cena, Orton, etc… would allow him to get anywhere near the WWE Championship there.

BAM NEELY: It is simply too early for this rookie who has hardly wrestled on WWE programming to be split from Chavo as his bodyguard. He therefore moves with Chavo by default.

BATISTA: I am hesitant to make this move since Batista was on Raw not long that ago and has already feuded with many superstars who are currently there. But there are still some fresh feuds left when you think about it as after his feud with HBK ends, Jericho, Cena & Orton match-ups can still be explored. And you can’t help but get the feeling that WWE are going to try everything to get Raw’s ratings back up and The Animal could just be the man to assist in doing so.

FINLAY: Finlay has been on SmackDown since his return to the ring a few years back, so a change is very much overdue for the Irishman. His solid in-ring skills will actually suit Raw to some extent as there is no great fear of needing to do re-shoots, while his current face character has been leaning more and more to comedy spots of late, which will also suit Raw if the next move is also made.

HORNSWOGGLE: I would love for WWE to spread out the drafting of Finlay & Hornswoggle on the night so as to tease that the father & son combination will be broken up. That would make for some great entertainment during the 3 hour show in my opinion. But medium to long term, these 2 are solid fan favorites at present and could lend a hand in restoring Raw’s ratings to at least what they were last year.

JESSE & FESTUS: Similarly to Finlay & Hornswoggle, the comedic aspect of Jesse & Festus should work well on Raw and I actually think that some of the main-eventers would get a kick out of playing off of Festus in a strange kind of way. It has been a little strange that these 2 are yet to taste tag-team gold on SmackDown, so it may be more appropriate if they were to take a stab at the weaker division over on Raw.

NATALYA NEIDHART: I have Natalya moving for more than 1 reason. The first one is because I am swapping her with another heel female that I believe needs to switch brands. The second reason is because I would love for a 2nd generation rookie stable to form soon & Raw appears to be the place for that. And finally, the move would be a testament to how fast Natalya has established herself as an in-ring force over on SmackDown. Her wrestling skills seem more than solid already and I think she would be just fine taking it up to the likes of Mickie James & Melina.


DESSERT – SmackDown Drafts…

KELLY KELLY: While her advancement inside of the squared circle hasn’t exactly been at lightning pace, Kelly has been steadily improving her wrestling skills and deserves a promotion of sorts. Throwing her into the live atmosphere of Raw may be too risky a step though so I see a switch to SmackDown being the best for all involved here. Who knows… Come the end of this year, she could even be a contender for the new Women’s Title on the Friday night brand!

ELIJAH BURKE: Burke has been treading water for approximately 9 months now and Shelton Benjamin’s move to ECW has only demoted this decent talent. It’s do or die for Burke and a move is badly needed at this stage of his development. He would simply get lost in the shuffle on the deep Raw roster, so a move to SmackDown would best show WWE whether or not he is worth persisting with in the future. Given some kind of push and a character adjustment, I am quietly confident Burke can get the job done.

MIKE KNOX:To be honest, I am unsure how much longer Mike Knox will remain with WWE, so the company may as well get some use out of him while they can. This would best be achieved by having him switch brands and put over other wrestlers both large and small.

JEFF HARDY: I think moving Jeff to SmackDown helps everyone. While he was indeed making inroads over on Raw before his suspension, the depth of the Monday night roster (especially on the face side) is still so large that it suggests that any breakthrough that Jeff makes will be difficult and ultimately brief. Moving Jeff to Friday nights gives him a much better chance of entrenching himself as a genuine main-eventer. Meanwhile, some of the potential match-ups look intriguing with Edge, MVP, Rey Mysterio & his brother Matt all certain to play a large role.

UMAGA: I really hope WWE don’t go for one of those ‘trick the internet fans’ swerve here. There is a reason why most people expect Umaga to move to SmackDown. That’s because it is a no-brainer. No further explanations are required here!

CRYME TYME: Finlay, Hornswoggle, Jesse & Festus should all provide enough comic relief on Raw. And with Cryme Tyme really only treading water on Monday nights (despite the fact that they have only recently returned to television), I see no reason why a move to SmackDown isn’t worth a shot to refresh them. Maybe they could get involved with Foley in some kind of way. I dunno, but a breath of fresh air couldn’t hurt.

BETH PHOENIX: This may seem like a strange switch to make, but Beth’s recent inability to regain the Women’s Title from Mickie James has been a little bewildering. It not only tends to suggest that a move may be in store for her, but it actually makes it more logical & beneficial. More importantly though, her appearance on the SmackDown roster goes a long way in giving the alternate title for females greater credibility due to her skill and character.


Ok, I am certain that many people will initially believe that my above moves would not be significant enough to shake up WWE, but I don’t personally feel the brand switching alone will assist WWE all that much in isolation anyway. It is the booking which is to follow that is integral. I am certain you will want to share your own draft predictions with me, but if I may ask a little favor and that’s not to send me your full list. Due to time constraints with yours truly, I would much prefer if you were to only email me 1 or 2 moves which you feel strongest on. Otherwise, there is simply no way I will be able to get through all emails within the next week. 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

Next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I will hopefully be back with my predictions for the newly named ‘Night of Champions’ pay-per-view. I have a few ideas on how to fill out the rest of the column, but am yet to make a final decision on which topics I will write about. Whatever comes your way, my column will be posted at the same Wednesday time on the same LOP channel next week. 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


DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu. 2002-2008

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