No it’s not the flu, it’s just a cold but it’s a cold that has really gotten the best of me since Wednesday that’s the reason there was no column on Friday. Since I didn’t talk about Impact and Smackdown I would like to make today’s column a little of this and a little of that. There are a few things that I would like to touch on so let me just get started right now.
First I loved Friday’s Impact. Again it was a show devoted to wrestling and very little talk. Again Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall were kept to a minimum and that worked for me. If Dusty Rhodes is the reason for Impacts positive turn around that I for one would like to say DUSTY YOU RULE!!! And over at Smackdown I was beaming when Kurt Angle came out and interacted with the WWE champion, Bucko. Well of course I mean JBL, but this was the Kurt Angle that I miss and Smackdown needs. Kurt cannot play the tough ass heel or the over anxious face. His character is at its best when he’s a comical, bragging jerk heel. His match against JBL was good it definitely built up to a lot of excitement and seeing JBL finally have someone like Angle to face on Smackdown was a big plus in my books. If Smackdown is going to succeed it needs the old Kurt Angle back not only in the ring but on the mic.
And speaking of Smackdown last week two of my readers sent me emails asking me how I would improve Smackdown. So I thought about that question and while you know I don’t claim to be an expert I thought of a few things that could be done to get that show back to where it should be on top. Trust me what I’m coming up with will not blow you away, my thinking is very simple but here’s some things I would do. First, instead of having just about all the top names on Raw I would certainly make some moves. For instance when Rock shows up he would go right to Smackdown after all that’s his show it was named for one of his clever catchphrases. Why he has to be on Raw is beyond me. Smackdown could use the star power and by sending Rock there every once in a while would definitely freshen things up. There are plenty of guys he could have a quick feud with. I would also send Mick Foley to Smackdown, and if and when Steve Austin returns Smackdown would be his new home. Also, Vince McMahon has kept a low profile lately, but when he shows up it seems to be only on Raw. And so far he’s made things fun and the fans have popped big for him. Now it’s time for Vince to pay Smackdown a visit every once in a while. He doesn’t have to hog the time but Vince popping up every now and then would definitely give the fans something to cheer about. Remember the saying a little of Vince goes a long way and he’s been proving that consistently when he shows up on Raw.
Now I would also like to see inter-promotional matches every now and then. This way you could have these guys appear on both Raw and Smackdown like they used to a few years ago. I don’t know how many of you saw the commercial for Royal Rumble, but it’s all the WWE superstars dressed in wigs imitating a scene from West Side Story. It’s the guys from Raw vs. the guys from Smackdown. It’s not only funny but it makes you think about all the inter-promotional matches that WWE could put on. There are way too many ppv’s lately they have lost their punch, so instead of two a month have a few major ones where inter-promotional matches take place.
Finally, the thing that I would like to see happen to Smackdown is have the split come to a complete end. As I said earlier let’s go back to the way things were before Vince purchased WCW. Have Kurt Angle, Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton and others work both shows. This way not only does it make it better for TV viewers, but fans can go to house shows knowing that they are going to see all the top guys in their show instead of being separated by what brand they work for. This split has hurt pay per views, house show attendance and ratings I would love to see the brand extension a thing of the past and the complete roster back together and working as one federation. So there you have my ideas for making Smackdown better. Believe me there’s a lot more that I could mention but I want to end with the Brock Lesner situation.
Okay the latest is he has contacted Vince for his job back. Now, I listened to Triple H this past week on a few radio interviews and each time the question about Brock came up Hunter said that Brock wants back but Vince is not taking him back. Then Hunter would basically make Brock out to be an average wrestler when he was there not a major star. That I don’t agree with because I definitely think Brock made a name for himself while working in the WWE. But I do agree with Hunter saying that so many worked hard to put him over and then he walked out on the company. I do believe Brock will be taken back by Vince but not before Vince does all he can to knock him down or make a nothing out of him. I will say this while I don’t blame him for wanting out because of his feelings for too much traveling, and wanting to get into football, I think he handled the situation like a big baby by bashing wrestling and insulting the fans as well. I for one would be thrilled if he didn’t return because quite honestly he doesn’t have a passion for the sport and it’s only a matter of time before he walks again. But if he does return I would love the fans to sit on their hands and not give him any reaction whatsoever. Of course that would be hard to be but just thinking about that possibility puts a smile on my face.
So that’s my little bit of that and a little bit of this column. I thought this was another good idea. One of my friends asked me if I would mention the WWE’s 24/7 channel on cable. I know we don’t have it now so he thought maybe those of you that are interested in getting the channel could start calling you cable company to get things going. I have done that already and Comcast told me they are looking into it. Okay, I will be taking this week off, since tomorrow’s show is the Best of Raw I won’t post my thoughts but you can bet I’ll be watching it, and with Friday being Christmas Eve I will be gone a good part of the day. So let me wish all of you that celebrate Christmas a very Merry Christmas and I’ll try to have a column next Sunday.
Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com
