This is another case where I can’t wait to write this column. I want to talk about Smackdown and then I want to touch on a few rumors that are making the rounds. And the rumors that I’m talking about are really rather interesting. But first let me give you some of my thoughts on what I thought was a super Smackdown and then it’s on to a couple of juicy rumors.
I knew after reading the spoilers this past week that the opening would be emotional and believe me it was. As many of you know Batista is one of my favorites and it really breaks my heart that after working through his latest injury that now he will be out for several months due to his injury to his triceps. Watching Batista hand over his championship belt to Theodore Long was a killer. But what really got to me was the crowd reaction. The Philadelphia, Pa. fans were behind this man all the way. And when I saw a few of the female fans crying oh that really got to me. Batista came off with nothing but class and you could tell that with everything that he’s gone through, the good and the bad has been just so overwhelming for him. This was an excellent opening segment and Batista going around thanking the fans by slapping their hands, hugging Tazz, Michael Cole and a few others was just a wonderful way to end what happened in the arena. The backstage goodbyes with Rey Mysterio, staff members, Bobby Lashley, and Arn Anderson just showed what Batista means to so many. I cannot wait until his return. I have a feeling that when he comes back the fans will go ballistic, I know I will.
Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit was a match that had me at the edge of my seat. I was just in awe of what I was seeing. I’m so glad Orton is free from working with the Undertaker and I know I say this so often but Benoit week after week just makes me want to watch more from him. He’s a total artist in the ring. This was just one remarkable match, and I wasn’t surprised by the Orton win. I figured Chris Benoit wasn’t going to beat Randy again, and I think Booker T needs that U.S. title more than Chris Benoit does. Now I know I’ve bitched many times about Roddy Piper, but when he’s used like he was used on Friday night, I really enjoyed watching him. Sure it was a silly Piper’s Pit, I mean it’s not everyday that someone’s huge face mole is eaten off their face. But the Boogeyman did just that to Jillian. Let me tell you this there is a bright side to what Boogeyman did. That senseless mole gimmick is DEAD. Now my husband saw the Boogeyman’s entrance for the first time, and he commented to me that this guy is really scary. This was coming from a 55 year old man. I was laughing so hard just watching my husband watch the Boogeyman. The funniest part of Piper’s Pit for me was when Boogeyman was walking toward Piper and Piper was praying out loud. He stopped and when he saw the Boogeyman coming closer Piper started praying again. I can’t tell you how much Rowdy Roddy Piper entertained me on Friday night.
Now for the shocker of the night! Yes that would be the unexpected Kurt Angle return to Smackdown. I have so many thoughts about this and they are all good. First the Battle Royal was okay; again I’m not a big fan of those kinds of matches. But back to Kurt. Since the death of Eddie Guerrero I have noticed Smackdown going downhill. Eddie brought so much each week to the shows. Then with Batista working through his back injury he was unable to defend his title and was mostly stuck in tag team matches, and you can only count Taker has a part time wrestler. While I was hoping back in June that Kurt would be traded to Raw, I thought it was a bad move to not only trade Kurt but John Cena as well. Those were TWO major guys being taken away from Smackdown. I am thrilled to have Angle back and back with the title. I did not see Kurt getting that title on Raw, and let’s face it even though I’m not into Kurt’s character he deserves being a champion. Talk about working through injuries? I think Kurt has so many that we are not even aware of.
I know this might sound weird but I have a feeling that Angle will now be a face. I think well I’m hoping that all this Anti American garbage is over with. I see guys like Mark Henry, and Randy Orton going after Angle. I think this move will do Kurt Angle wonders. He’s now the “MAN” on Smackdown and I think he will do all he can to give all of us a reason to watch the shows. He still will have his match against Shawn Michaels on Raw tomorrow night, but then I believe he’ll be only on Smackdown. Smackdown as I said was one hell of a show and it ended on a very positive note.
Now quickly I want to touch on a few rumors that are out there. The first has to do with Kurt. From what I have been reading Kurt was very upset and extremely vocal about the direction of his character. He did not want to do the Anti American crap and more than that he wanted to be the World Champion. From a hotline report that I heard he was pushing for that title but Vince wasn’t budging. Some say that Kurt’s punishment for all his complaining was being the first guy eliminated last week in the Elimination chamber match. See I don’t buy that. I feel Kurt AND Shawn were eliminated first and second so that Cena could beat Masters and Carlito and then start this feud with Edge. By taking Shawn and Kurt out immediately it took them out of another feud with Cena. I do believe Kurt has been very angry by the way things have been going and now that he’s on Smackdown I would think things will calm down.
Another rumor out there is that Vince was not happy in fact he was embarrassed by all the negativity John Cena was getting as of late. And it was decided at the last minute to take that title off of Cena and give it to Edge. Now this rumor also went on and said that Cena will certainly not lose his top spot because Stephanie hand picked him after she heard him rap. So what this tells me and many of you emailed me the same thing, that Cena’s pops in Hershey, Pa. had to do with the belt no longer on him. That the fans were happy seeing someone else hold that title instead of John Cena. Well I’m a slow learner, but yeah I can see that. And that now makes me wonder if I am way off again by saying Cena will win against Edge at the Royal Rumble. And believe me I have been so off lately it’s not funny. But if the fans continue to cheer Cena than yeah I guess it’s extremely possible that Edge will not lose at the Royal Rumble. I’ll tell you tomorrow night and next Monday should be something to see as far as fan reaction goes for John Cena.
I’ll leave you with this. The ratings last week were up and that’s because of that lovely sex segment. The over run scored high marks. See that doesn’t surprise me, and I’ll tell you why. Think about it, how many viewers saw this advertised on WWE.com and then once Raw got on how many times was this hyped. Now if you are like me I wasn’t going to miss it because I figured Edge was turning on Lita, see there I go being way off again. But I figured NOTHING would happen something would stop it. I know my husband whom normally doesn’t bother to watch the show that much made sure to check the segment out. I think the majority like my husband and I watched out of curiosity. Of course this segment was way more explicit then I ever imagined and I’m sure a lot of fans felt the same way. So sure the over run got high ratings but just like I’m interested in the reaction Cena will get tomorrow night, I’m also interested to see if ratings stay up or drop back down, mostly because the curiosity level is gone.
I will be back on Tuesday with my Raw thoughts. Hey tomorrow night not only will it be Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle, but get this. Ric Flair will take on Edge in a TLC match. That’s right a TLC match. Now Ric is about 5 or 6 years older than I am and I know that I’m going to be holding my breath that Mr. Flair doesn’t fall off the ladder, because at our age it’s hard enough to make it up the stairs. Okay seriously and yeah that was a joke, I’m just wondering if John Cena will get out there before this takes off and go after Edge. No matter what happens I’m hoping for a good strong Raw. And I’ll leave you with a request from a reader. WWE was in Indiana back in November of 2005. Is there a way I could get a copy of the two shows? RAW was in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and Smackdown was in Indianapolis. Please email Bannhutt76@aol.com
