INSIDE THE RING NEWSLETTER
Edition 32
by Trevor Hunnicutt and Eddie T.
I’d like to apologize for the lack of updates lately. It seems that every time we start some sort of a nice role here, we get the shaft technically. It’s either the weird server we’re on, or one of our computers acting up on us. This time it was a combination of both, as the server had a minor bug in it last time a newsletter was sent out (I apologize to those who received it twice.), and also Trevor’s been having computer problems here and there that added to our situation. Hopefully updates will resume regularly beginning with this edition. Anyway, I’m flying solo today while Trevor is home fixing his computer.
QUICK RUMBLE THOUGHTS
The Royal Rumble PPV this year was a solid effort from everyone who participated, and definitely came out as a solid show, compared to the previous several PPVs the company has put out. Although the New Year’s Revolution program was a strong show, it was a one-match event, whereas the Rumble seemed to be stronger all-around.
I didn’t see the Heat match, but from what I heard Maven vs. Rhyno was not good. I wouldn’t expect it to be such, either. Doesn’t it suck that the fans on the West Coast get shafted (unless they have satelite) when it comes to Sunday Night Heat and there’s a PPV?
The opener was a very solid bout. I think, however, there might be people who were disappoitned with it, simply because they expected a whole lot out of Edge and HBK. From the perspective of someone who just wanted to see Edge come out victorious in a good wrestling match, I got everything that I asked for. I didn’t really expect HBK to make Edge “a star,” but I certainly wanted him to make Edge look strong, and for the victory to mean something. Although Edge had to rely on cheating to get the win, the match was well-paced, booked the right way, and delivered overall. I feel that cheating wasn’t too bad an ending since it fits Edge’s slimy heel character.
The Casket Match was what it was. Seeing as they could have had interference in all four bouts other than the Rumble, I’m glad they picked this one to do it in. They kept it not-so-long, which helped. If they didn’t botch the couple of spots towards the ending, this actually wouldn’t have been that bad. They added two crowd-pop spots (Taker hitting the steps knee-first, Foley style, and then the legdrop on the casket) that helped the fans stay awake. I just really expected this to be bad, and it wasn’t “that bad” after all.
I thought the Triple Threat came off much better than it could have ended up being. It was booked well, in my opinion, and although it was more of a spot fiesta, that’s the type of thing you need to do considering the participants. We shouldn’t have known who the winner is ahead of time! Horrible move by WWE.
H and Orton had a solid match, but I’m not sure I bought into the “concussion” storyline. It seemed like a “way out so we don’t have to do another interference” type of deal. Whatever works, I guess. No interference from Evolution was both good and bad, because there was no further interference (good), but it leaves Orton very dry. (bad)
This year’s Rumble was a good effort, but nothing memorable. How about the no-explanation we got from Nunzio as to how he got into the Rumble? Ugh, or the way Angle got his spot? That was some bad TV there. I think that the RAW vs. SD spot, the Angle/HBK confrontation, and Batista and Cena’s entrances (crazy pops) were the bright spots here. Although I enjoyed everyone teaming up on Hassan, it didn’t make much sense to me. This wasn’t the best Rumble ever, but it was good for what it was.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens on RAW tomorrow.
SPIKETV PRESIDENT RESIGNS
Reuters broke the news today, at this LINK that Albie Hecht, president of the SpikeTV network announced his resignation of the position earlier today. The move was said to be done in a shift of programming that is planned for the network’s future.
Hecht, who was brought in for the job two years ago, when the network became “SpikeTV” rather “The new TNN,” and the goal was to promote it as the first ever “network for men.” Recent reruns of mainstream shows, such as CSI, have contributed to a decision from Viacom and the MTV Networks (owner of SpikeTV) that there should be another major shift in programming, as SpikeTV should “broaden Spike TV’s appeal beyond its traditional male focus by potentially creating scripted dramas rather than stick with Hecht’s unscripted-comedic approach.”
Of course, this is quite important for the WWE, as RAW’s contract expires this fall. With the network going in a completely different direction from here on, and such that doesn’t really fit the current WWE Product, one can’t help but wonder if the search for a new home for RAW will get more intense over the next few months. Definitely something to think about.
VINCE MCMAHON INJURY UPDATE
Apparently, Vince McMahon seems to have blown out his knee in the very short segment he participated in at the Royal Rumble PPV.
If you didn’t see the show, after the controversial end of the Royal Rumble match, where Cena and Batista hit the floor at the same time, McMahon came out to order the refs to restart the bout. When he was walking into the ring, he seemed to hit the apron with his knee. Once inside the ring, he fell right on his rear end, reason being that his knee was blown. He was helped to the back, where he was surrounded by a number of concerned people.
Eddie T.
eddie at thebalrogslair.com
