DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – WWE Releases, Rookies + SSeries Predictions Submitted by DaveyBoy on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 12:20 AM EST
THE WRESTLING MENU #287
Welcome one and all to the 287th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.
Is it still Wednesday...??? Ooops… Oh well…. Whatever day it is, it’s on with the show…..
APPETIZERS
No Rookie Rankings
Come on people, don’t cry too much as I might drown in all of your tears! But alas, it is indeed true… My usual November staple; DaveyBoy’s Rookie Rankings will not exist this year.
For the previous 6 years, I have taken all WWE rookies and ranked them in order as to who I believed had the best medium to long-term prospects. Those familiar to my writing will recall such infamous rankings as John Cena at #4 in the admittedly strong 2002 class (behind Lesnar, Orton & Batista), Charlie Haas over Shelton Benjamin and of course the one that now most stands out; Kenny Dykstra over CM Punk!
For the past month or two, I have been tossing and turning over whether or not to do the Rookie Rankings this year. In all honesty, I was leaning towards doing them, even if I would be less confident than usual in my forecasts. However, I recently concluded that I simply could not perform the task knowing that I would be ranking one or two wrestlers who I had hardly seen in the squared circle!
The truth really hit home in a recent edition of (fellow columnist) Hustle’s daily ‘Believe The HIPE’. In one such edition, he put forward his opinion that he would not at all be surprised if Jack Swagger became ECW Champion some time in 2009. Well, I’ve got news for you folks. I’m not proud about it and it may come as a shock to many readers, but it is the honest truth; If I was to be walking down the street and was to bump into Jack Swagger, I wouldn’t recognize him. Yeah, I’m serious.
As I have mentioned a few times of late, I totally dropped the weekly ECW show off my viewing schedule a few months back. Considering that WWE (arguably) wisely funnel quite a few of their younger talent through ECW, then I don’t see how I can rank the promotion’s rookies with a straight face. Even someone like Ricky Ortiz and Evan Bourne, both of which have been around for a while now, I have only seen wrestle 2 or 3 times each. It simply isn’t enough to go by.
If I was to have posted my Rookie Rankings this year, the #1 spot most likely would have gone to Ted Dibiase. In truth, I am not as convinced as most others that he will be the main-eventer that everyone expects him to be. Hell, I am personally finding Cody Rhodes (who has effectively nailed his heel turn) more entertaining than Dibiase at present. But one cannot deny the potential in Dibiase, especially as he fits the WWE mould in terms of height, weight & look near-perfectly. Hell, he’s a near dead-ringer for Randy Orton when you think about it!
As for the chasing pack, it would be rather difficult to put some order to them. Most of the candidates have definite up-sides, but seem limited when it comes to a longer WWE career. I speak of the likes of (in alphabetical order); Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, Kozlov, Manu and Primo. I wouldn’t be surprised either way if any of those guys were still in WWE in 10 years time, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if their pushes were to come to an end and they would be released within the next 2 years.
So, DaveyBoy’s Rookie Rankings have been officially retired… To my fellow LOP columnists; The torch is there to be taken in this regard as far as I am concerned. I call for some kind of Royal Rumble to determine the winner. Either that or a biggest schlong competition. Although Pnk would win the latter hands down! ;-)
MAIN – WWE Releases
Well, it’s that time of year again… Hang on a tick… No, it’s not. WWE usually releases a bunch of its superstars (or should that be entertainers?) in April. Oh oh, it looks like times are tough and WWE are not immune from the global financial crisis. I say this because 7 on-screen employees have recently been released by the company. They are as follows:
SUPER CRAZY: A perennial contender for my Most Under-Used Wrestler of the Year Award, the Mexican who is both super and crazy finally got frustrated with his lack of use by WWE and decided to ask for his release. He was soon granted it and I am certain he will pop up again some time in the future… Possibly in TNA!
The thing that always confounded me about the way WWE used Super Crazy was their inability to see that he could work longer midcard matches if required. They basically viewed him as a spot-monkey who was your prototypical lucha-libre Mexican that could only perform in the Cruiserweight Division. I never agreed with that and saw more potential in him. Sure, he may never have got to the quality that someone like Matt Hardy is currently at, but I felt he could have played a similar type role to what Matt was playing a year or so ago when he was the mainstay of the SmackDown midcard being involved in many 10+ minute bouts.
CHUCK PALUMBO: When Palumbo was initially re-hired by WWE, I was rather surprised. He had never really impressed me in WCW, nor had he in his brief WWE run following Vince McMahon’s purchase of his main competitor. I simply couldn’t see him doing anything other than being a lower card jobber after some kind of superficial initial push. In a sense, that is indeed all he was when you look back on it. Or was it…???
I must admit that I was kind of impressed with his little run on SmackDown. Not with the bland face character that he initially played (motorcycle or not), but more when he turned heel and took part in a feud against Jamie Noble. Palumbo actually played the crazed merciless heel character surprisingly well and I felt that both he & Noble did a fair bit to lift that storyline to the significance it was eventually given. Alas, when the angle ended, WWE’s creative department had nothing else for Palumbo, so they shipped him off to Raw and we haven’t seen him since!
PAUL LONDON: If London never wrestles again, I think 3 words best summarize the situation; What A Waste! Seriously, no matter what one thinks of London as a wrestler, even his detractors must admit that he has potential. While he is obviously a little on the small side to be an upper-tier WWE wrestler, he possesses enough of the same attributes which could see Jeff Hardy shortly become WWE Champion. London has the looks, the daredevil abilities and gives me the impression he could also genuinely wrestle if need be.
Reports suggest that London had an attitude problem and you can’t help but feel that these rumors were indeed correct. How else can you explain WWE’s continuous under-using of London after he & Brian Kendrick held the WWE Tag-Team Championships for so long? And while Kendrick is indeed a quality wrestler, how else can you explain the singles push Spanky received over London? Only those involved know the real circumstances, but to this column-writer from thousands of miles away, I can’t help but hope that London re-surfaces in TNA and kick starts an ailing X-Division.
KENNY DYKSTRA: Let me just reiterate what I wrote earlier in this column; I ranked Kenny Dykstra over CM Punk as the relevant year’s Rookie Of The Year. Yep, the same CM Punk who has recently had a World HeavyWeight Title reign, while poor (not so) old Kenny is now on the unemployment line. Well, I obviously got that one wrong, didn’t I? No wonder I have retired my Rookie Rankings.
In all seriousness though, what the hell went wrong here? Dykstra has all the talent required to be a long-term WWE superstar. He has the height, the ability and time to put on the necessary muscle and the athleticism to wrestle against pretty much any opponent thrown against him. He also gave me the impression that he would be able to easily handle either a heel or face role. Sure, he wasn’t great on the mic, but he was so young that he had the time to improve. Maybe his issue was the same as Paul London’s; Attitude. Who knows? But maybe he can also re-surface in TNA to perform in the X-Division.
ELIJAH BURKE: Just in case some fans thought that it may have been London & Dykstra’s lack of microphone abilities that got them released, the “goodbye” also sent to Elijah Burke would practically be contradictory. Burke was indeed very good on the mic and also wasn’t too bad in the ring to be honest.
While I never saw Burke as a potential main-eventer down the line, he suggested that he had enough potential to possibly fill as high as an upper midcard role with natural improvement. He also seemed to have a good feel for the business and an ethic to learn. Whether he would have been for it or not, I really feel that Burke could have at least been given a managerial role similar to what he had on debut with Sylvester Terkay. In a sense though, while WWE arguably loses more with Burke’s release compared to those I have mentioned thus far, they also have less to fear with Burke causing damage to them in TNA.
ARMANDO ESTRADA: Speaking of managerial roles, if anyone ever had any doubt that WWE have really gone cold on male managers, then Armando Estrada is the proof. Not only was managing Umaga his original role in WWE, be he was darn good at it too. He was so good in fact, that it actually gave us old-school fans some hope that WWE would in fact resurrect the lost art that was perfected during the 1980’s.
However, when Estrada began wrestling on a semi-regular basis on the weekly ECW show, you just knew the poor bugger was on a waiting list for the unemployment line. His surprisingly good physique initially surprised most, but after that novelty had worn off, there really was nowhere left to go as he wasn’t exactly flash in the ring. Would TNA be interested? Yeah, I think so, especially if they feel that he would work well in managing either a current or future wrestler(s) with Latino heritage. Hello LAX!
LENA YADA: I’m not even sure which one she was… She can be easily replaced… Yada, Yada, Yada. Eve Torres > Lena Yada… Gail Kim > Lena Yada. I don’t feel like typing any more!
DESSERT
’Survivor Series’ Predictions
SHAWN MICHAELS, REY MYSTERIO, THE GREAT KHALI & CRYME TYME vs JBL, KANE, MVP & MIZ/MORRISON: Now here’s an odd assortment of characters…. Especially on the face team. Yet, that is what often works best in these traditional Survivor Series elimination matches as the likes of Cryme Tyme, Khali, JBL & Kane can (for want of a better term) hit and run to be entertaining in shorter bursts. Plus, with HBK, Rey and Morrison involved, there still should be enough genuine talent to result in this being above-average. With the face team’s front line (ie: main 3), it is difficult to see them being beaten here and HBK’s recent pinfall defeat in a tag match backs that up in my opinion. Winners: Team HBK
BETH PHOENIX, MICKIE JAMES, CANDICE MICHELLE, KELLY KELLY & JILLIAN HALL vs MICHELLE McCOOL, MARIA, VICTORIA, NATALYA & MARYSE: Billed as a Team SmackDown vs Team Raw match, the assortment of faces & heels thrown together on the teams here could lead to a confusing mess or some interesting scenarios. I would be disappointed if there were not at least 2 future feuds and/or storylines emanating from this bout and for that reason, I can possibly see both brands’ champions (Beth & McCool) being eliminated at some stage throughout the match. The result is almost irrelevant, but if you were to look at roster strength, it would have to be the Raw team that should win out. Winners: Team Raw
THE UNDERTAKER vs THE BIG SHOW in a Casket Match: Admittedly, this duo have surprised in their previous 2 pay-per-view matches… Yet, I am still not at all drawn into their feud… In fact, it bores me for the most part and is often a consideration for channel-changing moments on weekly SmackDown episodes. I am certain they will once more perform decently here as they are both experienced enough to use the match gimmick to their advantage. I am hoping that the feud ends here with a ‘Taker win, but who knows… The dead man may be off on another one of his extended breaks and if that is the case, then he will most likely be defeated in this bout. Maybe Edge could be the Wild Card! But I’ll play it safe….. Winner: The Undertaker
BATISTA, CM PUNK, KOFI KINGSTON, MATT HARDY & R-TRUTH vs RANDY ORTON, SHELTON BENJAMIN, CODY RHODES, WILLIAM REGAL & MARK HENRY: Man, that line-up looked really good until you got to the last 2… Arguably 3, but Rhodes has been growing on me of late. From memory, Orton has a terrific record in Survivor Series elimination matches and that at least adds some intrigue to what is a lopsided match-up on paper. I can see the faces getting an early lead and then Orton at least getting into a position to pull off the miracle. It would actually be an opportune time to have him somehow pull off the win, belatedly leading to Batista going ape-$hit and tearing the place apart. But chances are that WWE will continue to play it safe with one of their leading faces. Winners: Team Batista
CHRIS JERICHO vs JOHN CENA for the World HeavyWeight Title: All the return vignettes in the world won’t necessarily advance a feud and build up a ppv match. So in that regard, this match-up has sort of snuck up on us out of nowhere. Is it simply a way to hot-shot the title back to Cena or do WWE have a little more in mind regarding this title over the next few months? I think it is the latter and they will use this bout as the start of an intricate series of matches over the next 2 months that also includes Orton & Batista. If my assumption is correct, then surely it makes most sense to keep the title on Jericho for the time being. Either way, these 2 have worked well with each other before and while Cena’s absence will mean they may not reach those prior heights, this will still be very good. Winner: Chris Jericho
TRIPLE H vs KOZLOV (vs JEFF HARDY) for the WWE Championship: Those worried about being spoiled here need not be concerned as I have no clue whether or not Jeff will be involved in this bout or not. Looking back on the Scramble match from a couple of months back, or even Cyber Sunday’s singles match, it really was the perfect time to give Hardy a short’ish 3 or so month title reign to test the waters. Now, with only a touch over 4 months to go until WrestleMania 25, I have to wonder if it is a little too late. As for Kozlov, he doesn’t do a great deal for me, even if the entire angle involving these 3 has actually been decently handled. It is difficult to say how good this match will be quality-wise, but I’m sure it will be 7.5 - 8’ish knowing WWE title matches involving Triple H. Winner: Triple H
Ok, so there is the 2008 version of ‘Survivor Series’ as it currently stands. It is difficult to tell whether or not there will be a 7th match added to proceedings since the elimination matches can last anywhere between 15 & 30 minutes each. Recent Survivor Series have chosen to include a long segment instead and that will probably be the case here with Santino Marella consistently being a likely candidate in this area. I cannot say that I am on the edge of my seat anticipating this show, but I am fairly confident it will end up being pretty solid when all is said and done.
That’s #288 out of the way… About a month ago, I stated that the big #300 looked a long way away and now it almost looks further away! Anyway, I hope this column didn’t come off as too half-hearted. Either way, you know the deal; if you would like to provide feedback for me, leave me some in the ‘feedback’ section of the LOP Forums or shoot me an email and I will get back to you whenever I get a chance. If you choose the latter option though, be warned as I still have about 30-40 emails to reply to since my last column! My email 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
All going to plan, I will indeed be here come next week with my review of the ‘Survivor Series’ pay-per-view. Apart from that, who knows what else I will come up with? As always, my column will be posted at (approximately) 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.
