Before we get into this column I think we need some inspiration, some guidance to help us get through the hustle and bustle of life. We need some words of wisdom from Dr Scage.
“It was… another Jericho job, it exhibited once more… how much the crowd loves… huge boo’s… on Jericho.”
He’s great with words there as he berates Chris Jericho. You can read the rest of that at the Hein Sight archive, http://clik.to/heinsight.
Now I know this was the Smackdown! I was going to start reviews up again with, but I was out. Give me a break people, these are my Saturday nights and I’ve gotten used to not having Smackdown! to keep me home. This means I will only put up Smackdown! reviews when I don’t have Saturday night plans. As luck would have it, a sad event for me personally has lead to this Saturday night being vacated, so who knows? Maybe this will be the week!
Even though I didn’t give you any reviews thus far, I do have a lot of general thoughts that have come from picking up the Smackdown! product after eight months of having nothing.
Rey Mysterio is still going strong and I loved reading about him main eventing once against Matt Hardy. Those sort of pushes should happen a lot more often, because I managed to download a small piece of that match and the crowd sounded very into it.
Speaking of Matt Hardy, he looks to have put on a bit of muscle. He was always a bit soft around the midsection, but now he appears to have really jacked himself up. I heard great things about a match he had with Benoit just before I got Smackdown! back. That’s a real shame, but I’m sure he’s got plenty more in him. He seems to be very over, though you can never be sure if Smackdown!’s audio has been tinkered with or not. I wouldn’t find it hard to believe he is over though, he’s a great entertainer. We all said it would be a matter of time before Matt surpassed his brother Jeff, and considering Jeff’s current employment status, I think you could say it’s come true.
Speaking of employment status, I think I may have been a little harsh on Zach Gowen when I spoke about him in my Wrath of the Hitman column.
“But seriously, what is Vince trying to achieve with this angle? Since his debut I have read the reports and I’ll be the first to admit that reading results leaves room for assumptions, but it has seemed to me like all his face heat is coming from the fact that he’s defenceless and pathetic. Vince making jokes about his handicap didn’t sound to me like the most original and inspired writing and making his match for a contract a “handicap match” was just plain tacky and tasteless. But maybe I’m being too PC.”
Now that I read those comments again I’m not so sure I was far off the mark, but I do respect Gowen a lot after seeing how he handles himself out there. I just find myself hoping that Vince handles him as well as he can. If Vince himself wont do a job to a one legged wrestler, who will? He may be very limited if Vince doesn’t take the roster by the horns and tell them what they will do. Booking a winner is a decision, not a negotiation.
Eddie Guerrero looks to be doing really well for himself, with his fancy low-rider entrance, U.S. title reign and his classic Guerrero comedy. I’ve heard the fans often chant FOR him when he’s a heel, that’s a sign that you’re doing something right (in most cases). He really entertains well and its great to see he’s kept his eye on the ball long enough to once again achieve great success.
His buddy Benoit hasn’t come as far as I would have expected him to, coming off a great feud with Angle over the title in early 2003. Benoit is a legitimate main eventer, yet he’s rarely used as such. I’d much rather see Benoit in the big time feuds than Big Show, Albert or Undertaker. I know I speak for a lot of you when I say that too. Anyway, Benoit helping Guerrero, Tajiri and Rhyno elevate the U.S. title to an elite status is a good cause, so it isn’t that bad.
Speaking of the U.S., I like the way WWE turned what looked to be a Guerrero vs Tajiri feud and a Rhyno vs Benoit feud into an intricate four-way feud. This makes a fatal four-way match likely for Summerslam, which is not only an exciting prospect, but guarantees they all get the slot on the card that they deserve.
Brock Lesnar seemed to be still doing well, though I haven’t heard anything about him putting on amazing matches. I still think he has a LOT to contribute as an in-ring character. I got completely suckered in by the writers last Smackdown! I thought Kurt was turning on Brock for sure, just like we all await Kidman to turn on Rey Rey. So basically I didn’t think too deeply into it and I got completely swerved. Bravo WWE, you’ve made an old dog proud.
John Cena, there’s something about this kid. I heard his entrance music on the Smackdown! replay in the other room, I got up and watched it for no particular reason. So far I’ve only seen him against the rookie Orlando Jordan and the veteran the Undertaker. Personally I wouldn’t expect an amazing match to come from either pairing. I want to see some matches with Benoit, Guerrero, Angle, Tajiri, Mysterio. There are a lot of others too. Now I’m not sure how many of those matches have already happened, but there’s a lot of potential in some of those.
Anyway, I think I’ve given enough thoughts on Smackdown! for this week, I don’t want to rant on for too long. However, let’s hear a tiny bit of Raw talk to even it out.
Kane vs Shane is the match most fans want to see, it was voted above Van Dam vs Kane on theMayhem’s poll and the feuding has been getting big reactions. So why did WWE book Van Dam in the match? Well, either they are looking to deliver a match based on a fizzled out feud, or they have a storyline swerve planned. Here’s what I propose.
Shane talks to Van Dam and asks that he take his place at Summerslam saying, “You’ve got your problems with Kane, but you saw what he did to my mother, I need to get his ass in the ring and take him out once and for all!” Van Dam refuses, saying he is going to sort Kane out himself and Shane is just going to have to sit back and watch it from his skybox. Shane says “if that’s how it’s going to be…” and leaves the locker room.
Later in the show Van Dam is laid out in a bad way, we all have a great suspicion of what happened, but we suspect it may have been the doing of Kane, the commentators would push this idea. Shane comes out and announces that Van Dam is out of his Summerslam spot “and I made damn sure of that. It’s nothing personal Rob, but Summerslam is going to be MY time to take out Kane and you will not stand in my way of seeking vengeance.”
Summerslam comes and the match goes however the booking team want it to. I don’t care, as long as it happens. Van Dam makes his return after a few weeks, attacking Shane McMahon for having him ambushed. This sets up a dream match for many, Shane McMahon vs Rob Van Dam. This would be a real goldmine for the Raw only PPV.
And that’s my two sense… cents.
Thanks for reading.
