Let Big Show Be, HBK as Champ, Austin, Steiner, Four Horsemen, WWF vs. WWE
Hey everyone! This week’s column will not be on a specific subject, or a specific wrestler, or occasion, or what have you. Seeing as a lot of things have gone down this past week in the world of pro wrestling, especially the WWE, I just thought I’d get some things off my mind on the current situation. Most of these thoughts will be based on what went down at Survivor Series 2002, one of the top 3 PPVs (SummerSlam and WrestleMania being the other 2) the WWE put up this year.
* Big Show is the WWE Champion — WHAT?! *
Gee, no offense to anyone out there, but why is this so hard to believe? Well, I know you have the answer. Yes, Big Show has been feuding midcarders for a long time, he has no wrestling skills, he’s not exactly the best on the mic, he’s slow, he’s not in perfect shape, he’s fat, he’s not Championship material… blah blah blah blah. I think a lot of people rushed to criticize and they forgot what the main point of wrestling is. A little thing that is called “Breaking the Fourth Wall” in theatre, or willing to suspend your feelings of disbelief. Confused? What I mean is, that right after Survivor Series ended and I read through the several comments people have made, and went through my own mail, everybody was saying that SmackDown! is now going to suck, or that they couldn’t believe what just happened. I really don’t get this. Yes, I know that Big Show was feuding the likes of Jeff Hardy over on RAW, but now he’s being pushed to the main-event status. Why is it so hard for us to close our eyes and go along with it? Remember, WWE was recently in a big hole, and now that they’re trying to get back up on their feet, we should be behind them. Being behind them means being positive. Well, I don’t know about you, but I personally thought that everything Paul Heyman did on the creative part of the Lesnar/Show feud was that damn good. For 3-4 weeks, Paul Heyman managed to write Show in greatly and for those who weren’t too busy complaining about his weight and the fact that he’s slow, Heyman managed to portray him as a monster. Now, probably in about 2 or 3 months, Big Show is going to be feuding midcarders again, who knows? The point I’m trying to make here is that we shouldn’t forget that sometimes the WWE will have no choice but to do decisions like these. And yes, it’s a bad one, but just the fact that they’re trying their best to make it work deserves credit. I personally thought that Show was portrayed very well. His current gimmick with Heyman along is not working as well in my opinion, but things change. Let Big Show be!
* The Return of The Heart Break Kid *
Shawn Michaels is once again the World Heavyweight Champion. When HBK defeated Triple H in the Elimination Chamber Match, many questioned the move the WWE made by handing Michaels the belt. Let’s face it, whether we like it or not, Shawn’s back will NEVER again be the same. No matter how good it feels and for how long he’s able to go on, HBK is no longer HBK as he says it himself. I don’t think that’s the issue here. The only negative that comes out of the HBK win at Survivor Series is that it wasn’t RVD, or that it wasn’t Booker T, or that it wasn’t even Chris Jericho or Kane that got the win. It was Shawn Michaels. Does that mean HBK used his backstage power or anything like that? Of course not! I’m just saying that the WWE staff is proving day after that they don’t feel secure unless one of their main guys is the champion and holds the belt. Now that might be a negative, but again, if we look on the positive side of things, the RAW brand needed a strong leader, a known wrestler to carry the title and the show along. Triple H certainly has the ability to do that, but he’s already had his Championship reign and he’s already done a lot. Also, with all the Internet controversy and the “Triple H Effect” going around, it really creates more tension backstage. The way I look at it, the WWE got back one of the greatest performers this industry has ever seen on top of his game. For how long will it last? Doesn’t matter, just like he says! The fact that matters right now is that HBK did get one last run. It might just not end up being the last one, but hey, it was there! The fans are able to live through one of the characters they’ve loved for so long, and that feeling inside when Shawn sets up the Sweet Chin Music or does one of his flying punches … well, it’s inexplicable. So have Shawn carry that belt proudly and stand behind him. The rest will fall into place.
* Steve Austin’s Return *
There have been more and more rumors about Steve Austin and his return to the WWE recently. Austin has made headlights these past few days because of his troubles with the law as well. I felt I should say a couple of words on that here. Austin has only made the news, unfortunately, because of his non-wrestling capacity doings, meaning that famous autograph signing as well as the court dates he had to attend to. As of right now, I really doubt Steve Austin will return soon. Vince McMahon said that the door will not be open for the Rattlesnake. Everybody who follows wrestling knows that McMahon’s final word has been broken in the past and will be broken again … but only for the good of business. Vince has always suspended his ego and has always done the right thing, as long as it’s for the good of his company and its business. If he has to, he’ll do it again. That’s where the problems come. The WWE, especially Vince McMahon, as of right now, doesn’t exactly believe that it’s in trouble. And quite frankly, no matter how many bad things they’ve done (necrophilia, and all that), you can’t say much after they’ve delivered such a successful PPV as Survivor Series was. I truly believe that Stone Cold Steve Austin will one day return. Why? It’s simple. If, or shall I say When, Austin returns, everybody wins. Vince McMahon and the WWE gets their ratings back up for sure, because Steve Austin is without a doubt probably one of the most famous professional wrestlers the company has had. Stone Cold also wins if he returns. He gets to finish his career the way he deserves to do it, in the ring, entertaining, as he’s done over the years. The people that will win the most, however, are the fans. They will get their favorite superstar back. They will get the person that provoked them to hate authority and the person that made bad look more than good back. Now, that’s priceless.
* Scott Steiner Has Arrived *
Quite frankly, I’m not at all impressed with Scott Steiner ever since his debut. So far, he hasn’t done much, really. I don’t know if it’s just me or not, but from what I’ve seen from Steiner, it looks as if he’s really slowed down. I mean, yeah, sure, that’s his style of wrestling and has been for quite some time, but I don’t know if it’s injuries, or just his age, but Steiner hasn’t impressed yet. Of course, it’s too soon to judge, therefore I think it’s a bit unfair to say anything as of yet. The reason I’m talking about him is the way the WWE has been setting up his debut and especially his “signing” — meaning which brand he’ll go to. So far the WWE has been “errorless” so to speak and the anticipation is working, however, I think it’s pretty obvious Steiner will be joining RAW. Just the fact that in the commercial for the Thanksgiving edition of SmackDown! they kept saying he’ll be “Guest Starring”… Well, doesn’t that mean, in order for him to be a guest, he’s signed with someone else?! Pretty fishy. Well, we’ll see what happens. I think the WWE might just come up with a better and more interesting way of having him sign with one brand and then reveal he’s worked with the other all along, or a cool storyline like that. They’ve done a great job setting him up so far, just keep it up!
* The Four Horsemen Reunite?! *
Is it possible? Will we ever see the Four Horsemen again?! The hot rumor on-line, and it has been for a while, is that Ric Flair will come up with a newer, updated so to speak, version of the Four Horsemen. The group would consist of Ric Flair, Triple H, Dave Batista, and Randy Orton. Well, this rumor wasn’t really taken seriously a month ago when Batista and Orton were both out, but now that Batista has clearly teamed up with Flair on TV, the possibility of it happening is even bigger. I think an alliance between these four guys would be a great thing. However, this can only happen if the Triple H Effect is put in place, for Triple H doesn’t use the gimmick to once again get himself to the top. He can still do that, but in the way bring the other two youngsters there with him, because that’s what the WWE needs right now — young stars! Batista has the looks for it, no doubt, and Randy Orton has that special “it” for wrestling (Well, the fact that your last name is Orton does help, let’s face it). So I definitely think that pairing Batista or/and Orton up with Flair and H might not be a bad idea, but only if done right. Oh, by the way, the WWE might not decide to call the group The 4 Horsemen either, maybe they’ll just pair them up and they’ll be like a faction with no name? Well, just a thought.
* WWF vs. WWE *
Finally, that topic that’s been making headlines again as of lately. Martin recently posted this on the main page as well as one of the Top News stories. Well, it seems that the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is not through with the WWE, as they’re now pursuing more money from the McMahons’ company, as WWF is saying the “logo problems” caused them to lose a lot of money. I won’t go into details on this one, I’ll just say that the World Wildlife Fund people are really out of their mind. The WWE has used the symbol “WWF” with a logo for the past 20 years, and just like Linda McMahon said, they decided to move on and get rid of it just because of the World Wildlife Fund. I think that the WWF’s pleading is absurd, and I believe the amount of money they wanted was colossal as well. If there’s a court case, I’m pretty sure this one will go WWE’s way. In another WWE vs. WWF ordeal, the WWF is now also blaming THQ for continuing to sell materials with the “WWF” logo on them (I believe WWF SmackDown!: Just Bring It Greatest Hits came out not that long ago.) THQ were told to pull all their “WWF” material out of the shelves, and that’s pretty bad for them as WWE games result in 1/5 of their revenue. When they pleaded their case to the judge, they were told to look for their money in the WWE as they got them into this mess. Anyway, I think it’s time the WWF gets shut down once and for all and believe me, Vince and Co. are looking forward to it as well.
Well, that will do it for this edition. Thank you all for reading! Any feedback, positive or negative is appreciated, and as those who have written me before know, I always write back. My e-mail is Levski11@aol.com (use link on the bottom of the page). Once again, Thanks and have a Great Thanksgiving!
Eddie
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