DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – Entrance Themes, PPV Ratings + G.A.Bash Review Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 12:57 AM EST
THE WRESTLING MENU #276
Welcome one and all to the 276th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.
I have had an absolutely shocking beginning to this week, so I will apologize immediately if my grumpy tone shines through at any stage of this column. Funnily enough, the thing that set the snowball rolling was indeed wrestling related, as I had an enormous amount of trouble both ordering and receiving ‘The Great American Bash’ pay-per-view. I know that most wrestling fans have had their fair share of problems like this in the past, so I guess it was my turn. Needless to say, my cable television provider copped a DaveyBoy mouthful!
The coverage did eventually come through though and I was able to set the videotape for the final replay of the event which screened at 12:30am Tuesday morning! So I will have my review of the Bash in this column today. Elsewhere, I am digging into my list of topic ideas that have been submitted to me by readers earlier this year. It’s always very handy to fall back on such topics, so I thank all those fans who email me with ideas. Due to my mood though, expect me to be much briefer than usual.
On with the show…..
APPETIZERS – Entrance Themes
Actually, from (my bad) memory, I don’t think this was so much a direct idea received from a reader for a topic idea, but rather a general email concerning something that was on his mind. For some reason, I actually didn’t keep the original email from ‘Wrestling Menu’ reader Michael Dixon, but I did keep my response. Either way, thanks goes to Michael for getting my mind ticking on the subject.
And that subject is the combined length of wrestler’s entrance themes. From memory, Michael thought that they had gradually become longer and longer with each passing year. Yet, it was done in a rather subtle matter that would not make it strikingly obvious that WWE were simply wasting further time. Personally, I agree with this observation and do think that entrance themes are taking up more time on WWE programming nowadays than they were say 5 years ago.
Why do I think this…??? Well, if you recall the introduction of my column last week, I briefly stated that I had not been watching Raw, SmackDown & ECW as microscopically as I had been earlier in the year. It has to be remembered that all 3 shows (as well as PPV’s) are televised during the day in Australia and I videotape them so I can watch them later at night. If I am short on time (or mood), I tend to attempt to shorten my viewing time by speed-searching through a few portions of the show. The main part which succumbs to this is obviously commercials, but entrance themes also tend to get the treatment. Believe it or not, when I do this, I can often view an entire 2 hour episode of Raw or SmackDown in practically an hour!
Is the greater time given to entrance themes necessarily a bad thing though…??? Well, I think that may be a personal thing, but it definitely does not automatically make it a negative in my opinion. A follow-on question here is ‘Do the WWE even realize that they are doing it…??? Yes, I think it is indeed intentional, because I believe the company sees 2 major advantages to be gained out of doing so…
The first of these is fairly obvious and seemingly a negative. That is, it is simply a way to fill up more time. However, I will be optimistic and also state that there is a positive spin on that same reason. By indirectly lessening the amount of matches we see on weekly television, match-ups should theoretically be kept fresher and we should see less repeat bouts over the weeks, months, etc…
However, I think the 2nd reason why WWE has increased the length of entrance themes may be just as important, if a little forgotten or under-rated by many. What I am referring to is the all-important crowd reaction. Anyone that has ever gone to see a WWE event live will know that it is during the entrance themes when practically all members of the audience react in some fashion (cheer the face or boo the heel). So, in a way, I suppose WWE are giving their fans (at least the ones in attendance) what they want! I just hope that the company also uses this information gathered in this time effectively.
MAIN
’Great American Bash’ 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: One Night Stand ’08) 65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: Night Of Champions '08) 70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: Judgment Day '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+]
ZACK RYDER/CURT HAWKINS defeated JOHN MORRISON/THE MIZ, FINLAY/HORNSWOGGLE & JESSE/FESTUS in a Fatal Fourway Match to Win the WWE Tag-Team Championships: Jesse & Festus tear apart Miz before the tag champs isolate Finlay with a combination of nice double-teams and ill-placed restholds. Ryder finally tags himself in at the 5 minute mark and then he & his partner have their turn in isolating the Irishman. A few 2 counts get broken up by other teams before Festus gets the hot tag & cleans house. In the ensuing mayhem, Jesse gets taken down hard off the top-rope & the former Major Brothers begin their 1st (belated) tag title reign. Straight-forward opener was nothing too bad, but lacked significance & simply did not contain sufficient action or entertainment throughout its 9 minute duration. It included too many restholds and Finlay was in there way too much for my liking. Match Rating… 5.5
SHELTON BENJAMIN defeated MATT HARDY to Win the United States Title: A nice variety of wrestling styles kicks things off and some of the counters are especially impressive. Shelton gets the better of the offense at ringside & then locks on a strange resthold back in the ring as dual chants begin. The counters continue and it is once more the challenger who gets the upper hand consistently. A Stinger Splash is blocked though and this leads to Matt’s usual Bret Hart like sequence of moves. Benjamin then withstands a further Hardy flurry by getting his knee up on a moonsault attempt and follows it up with his finisher for the surprise title change after 10 minutes. Considering this match-up had hardly been built up, these 2 put on a very good bout that drew the crowd in. Even the restholds were a little different! A well-booked feud between these 2 could genuinely result in a special series of matches. Match Rating… 7.5
MARK HENRY defeated TOMMY DREAMER to Retain the ECW Title: A very pro-Dreamer crowd greets these 2 as Henry man-handles Tommy initially. The bout is wrestled at a snail’s pace from the get-go and the restholds begin at just the 2 minute mark as the crowd starts a “boring” chant. The Dreamer comeback predictably comes, but it is short-lived as Colin Delaney turns on his mentor & the World’s Strongest Slam finishes things off after 6 minutes. Very ordinary in every way imaginable, even the Delaney heel turn seemed ridiculous & inappropriate here. Match Rating… 3
CHRIS JERICHO defeated SHAWN MICHAELS: Following the expected intense stare-down, HBK gets the better of the opening minutes by hitting a chop-block & locking in his modified figure 4. Y2J responds with his springboard dropkick though & then targets the mid-section before some solid back & forth action. Jericho surprisingly locks on the Walls of Jericho early to reel in the crowd good & proper, but HBK reaches the ropes & then wins a top-rope confrontation to hit his elbow-drop. Some near-falls follow before Cade makes his presence felt at ringside, but both he & Y2J are sent to the floor as HBK hits a moonsault strike to the outside. A subsequent defensive elbow to the face by Jericho then turns the match as Michaels is badly busted open around his injured eye.
The heel targets the blood shark-like as fists, kicks & headbutts are momentarily interrupted by a HBK crossface. Y2J fights out of the submission hold though and goes in for the kill, which leads to the referee stopping the match at the 18 minute mark due to an over-abundance of HBK bleeding. The first 12 minutes of this bout seemed so much in fast-forward that you could just sense something a little different was going to occur. HBK sold a rib injury within the 1st minute, while hardly a second of time was wasted in amongst some terrific spots & counters. If anything though, it was all happening a little too quickly. The storyline final 6 minutes was thankfully handled as well as can be expected so as not to ruin the encounter, but we can only hope these 2 continue their feud next month in order to potentially achieve the classic match of the year that they have hinted at. Match Rating… 8.5
MICHELLE McCOOL defeated NATALYA NEIDHART to Win the Divas Championship: Back & forth stuff initially, some of it ok & some of it a little messy. Natalya has the better of the mat action & locks on an inverted surfboard submission hold, before stretching McCool around the ringpost. The sharpshooter gets locked on next, but the face gets to the ropes just in time. A 2nd sharpshooter is then attempted, but Michelle (summons the power of the urn &) counters it into a heel hook for the tap-out victory after 5 minutes. Not much to comment on here as I wouldn’t call this awful, but it definitely wasn’t very good either. For only 5 minutes worth, there simply was not enough action and some of it that did exist was fairly messy and/or rather standard. I’ll be nice and pass it. Match Rating… 5
BATISTA & CM PUNK wrestled to a Double Disqualification in a Match for the World HeavyWeight Title: Batista uses some intimidation & strength to get the better of the opening exchanges, before Punk scores points with some kicks. One such leg strike knocks The Animal to ringside & a subsequent suicide dive eventually results in a 2 count back in the ring. Some decent back & forth action then follows with the most noteworthy being a 2 count to Punk after a top-rope cross-body. Batista then gets in a power-slam, but a Batista Bomb is countered & more Punk kicks even things up.
Frustration then gets the better of the challenger & a missed spear connects with nothing but ringpost. Batista somehow gets the better of the ringside action though, even if it is all to no avail as Kane emerges & causes a Double DQ amongst other carnage. That was a disappointing finish to what was actually a rather good 11 minute match that had less dead time than I thought it would and was very well booked to be even & varied. The only real concern was the usual awkward face vs face dynamic that had the crowd a little too quiet. Hopefully, WWE will make a mental note to rekindle this feud whenever one of them turns heel. Match Rating… 7.5
JBL defeated JOHN CENA in a NYC PARKING-LOT BRAWL: Held in a parking-lot amongst a ring of cars, JBL emerges from his limo with a crowbar (& business shirt), while Cena makes his entrance from behind the steering-wheel of a car. The face tries to strangle JBL with jumper leads & then jump-starts the heel’s testicles. No, I didn’t make that last part up! Other shenanigans occur with Cena in control, until JBL Irish-whips the face through a car door to finally get some offense in. He scores a 2 count with a swinging neckbreaker on a car hood & then gets the same result with a DDT on top of a car roof. JBL then puts Cena in the backseat of a car, douses it in kerosene & lights it on fire! Ummm, someone call the Police! No, hold that call as Super Cena is enraged and busts out of the car (with the help of some fire extinguishers) to lock JBL in a car and haul it to ringside!
The 2 slug it out on stage where Cena eventually gets on top & hits a 5 Knuckle Shuffle before setting up an F-U. But JBL counters the finisher and throws Cena through the windscreen of the car for the victory after 15 minutes of (for want of a better word) action. You know what match this encounter reminded me of…??? The 1996 Boiler Room Brawl between Mankind & The Undertaker. The problem was that I couldn’t fire up the time machine and send myself back 12 years to enjoy this like a youngster would. If I had been able to, I strangely feel that I would have enjoyed the match. Sure, it was totally ridiculous and only sporadically entertaining due to the stop/start nature of it, but the fun factor was there and the actions were so outlandish that it was at least memorable in some fashion. Of course, it still cannot be rated too highly. Any rating between 1 & 8 could be appropriate here, but I’ll go with a… Match Rating… 6
TRIPLE H defeated EDGE to Retain the WWE Championship: Edge begins like a man possessed, but H uses his opponent’s lack of control to his advantage for most of the first 3 minutes. Edge works his way back into the bout as the pace slows & the action switches location from the squared circle to ringside & back again. The challenger controls proceedings until he misses a spear to allow the champion some time to recover & mount some offense. At ringside, Edge instinctively hits a DDT which almost leads to a double countout. But H returns the favor in the ring for a 2 count, before both men go back & forth tiredly. Triple H then counters a spear with a spine-buster, but Edge blocks the subsequent pedigree attempt to follow up with a rather rusty looking superplex.
Vicki & wedding planner Alicia then come out & a crowd-popping catfight ensues that eventually leads to Edge spearing Vicki (seemingly accidentally). A pedigree later & it’s all over after 17 minutes. Solid & sporadically entertaining, this just didn’t feel like a pay-per-view main-event to me. There was just something missing to it all & both men appeared to be going through the motions to some extent. The fact that the crowd got most involved when Vicki & a lady they probably didn’t know the name of were weakly brawling, probably said it all! Match Rating… 7.5
PPV RATING (50.5/80) = 63
Looking at the key, I have basically given the 2008 version of ‘The Great American Bash’ a 'C+' grade & said that it was ‘worth a watch'. That really does sum up the show perfectly as it was wildly inconsistent and just did not meet its potential for varying factors. Many of the bouts could easily have rated a point or so higher had it not been for their finishes which were booked for storyline purposes, meaning the show was almost saved by the above average performances from Hardy, Benjamin, and to a lesser extent, Punk & Batista. Of course, HBK & Y2J also had something to do with that, but that was only to be expected. Not a great show for mine, but I could see why some people may feel I am being a little harsh as many things did ultimately occur I suppose.
DESSERT – PPV Ratings
Today’s final topic comes courtesy of the always entertaining and all-informative LOP Forums. If you read my column on a regular basis and are yet to check out this site’s forums, then I do recommend you do so when next you have some spare time. More specifically, this topic comes from forum member MavsMan22. Despite his dodgy taste in basketball teams, he asked me an interesting question a few months back after my PPV Reviews had rated 3 consecutive events a ‘B’ grade:
Would you prefer consistent ‘B’ rated PPV’s, or inconsistent ‘A’ PPV’s mixed with ‘C’ PPVs…??? MavsMan22 went on to answer his own question by stating he personally preferred the second option, but would be fine either way. But no-one cares what Nowitzki thinks, what is DaveyBoy’s answer to such a fine question?
Well, I happen to agree with Jason Kidd. But it is on the obvious assumption that we are talking about my PPV ratings in particular as different reviewers have different systems of rating both individual matches and ppv events as a whole. Of course, me being the nice guy I am (unless you work for a cable television provider) tends to rate matches that are rather average around a 5 or 6. Where-as I know other reviewers would rate such matches closer to a 3. So it all depends on the context of course.
I actually feel this question can be extended to the group of matches on a pay-per-view card. For example, if any number of bouts on a ppv all were rated 6.5, then the overall card would gain a ‘B’ rating as per my system. But I can tell you right now that if that occurrence did happen, it would likely be a very boring show. In a perfect world, I would personally prefer a couple of filler matches that rate a 5, four or so 7’s and a couple of bouts around the 9 mark. That way, the 2 quality bouts make the show more memorable and likely to age well, while more than making up for the couple of filler matches.
But I am getting a little off track as that wasn’t specifically the question that Jason Terry asked of me. I think to best answer that question, I should list what I would like a succession of 8 pay-per-views to rate. Well, that would be A+ 8 times over in reality, but you know what I mean. I think something fairly similar to B, B+, A, C+, B, B+, A, C+ would leave me pleased enough. Those types of ratings show consistency, but at the same time tell us that WWE can put on a great show every now & then.
Of course, to back up my earlier point, some of the B's would need to include a few 9 rating bouts. Because if they didn’t, then most fans would probably correctly presume that WWE was simply doing enough to get by. And that is a dangerous thing to do, especially with a product such as professional wrestling where the fanbase can be rather fickle. Come the end of the year, I will take a look at all the PPV Ratings I have handed out throughout 2008 and it will be interesting to see how WWE have performed when taking my thoughts on this topic into consideration.
While #276 may have been shorter than my usual column, it feels like it took longer to write. But I guess that would have been caused by my mood more than anything else. You know the deal; If you want to provide feedback on anything that I wrote about today, email me at 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
At the moment, I don’t know what I’m doing a minute from now, let alone next Wednesday. So who knows if there will be a 'Wrestling Menu' come the penultimate day of July. It will obviously depend on not only whether I think of any relevant and timely topics, but also my mood! Whatever comes your way whenever, 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.
