Saturday 29 January 2011

Should Of, Would Of Part 2

If you didn't read yesterdays blog I suggest you do as it explains the reason behind this one. So yesterday I did the would of and know it's time for the should of. Will try to keep each entry brief as I have a long list.

Kofi Kingston-WWE (late 2009)
Kofi spent most of 09 working in the mid card however that would all change when we went to Bragging Rights. During the Iron Man match between Randy Orton and John Cena the team of Legacy interfered and to everyone's surprise Kofi came to the rescue. This would lead to a feud between Kofi and Orton which was done really well at first, they played out a great story and had great moments, Kofi saving Roddy Piper at Madison Square Garden by attacking Orton was a fantastic moment. The 2 would face off in teams at Survivor Series with Kofi winning by pinning CM Punk and then hitting his Trouble in Paradise seconds later on Orton leading to a win and Kofi being the sole survivor of his team. Kofi looked great and looked like he was going to go on to bigger things however it didn't happen. Numerous one on one matches saw Orton always on the winning end and it in essence killed his push. By the time he was in the Elimination Chamber title match he would get very little reaction, he was one of the most over guys just months before. He was moved to Smackdown soon at Mania and was stuck in opening matches which worked out fine as he is a great worker and in all honesty the move has helped him rekindle the relationship he had with the crowd. We're pretty lucky that he's still pretty young in his career and he could very well get a push in the near future however it should of happened at the end of 09. Kofi is a key choice for winner when it comes to the Money in the Bank match and he has to be the pick for the next match whenever that is.

Jay Lethal-TNA (2010)
When Jay Lethal dropped the Black Machismo gimmick it could of lead on to great things. Jay has been one of the most over guys in TNA for ages now and he has constantly put on one of the best matches whenever he's on. In my view TNA missed out after Jay did the classic 'Ric Flair' promo on Impact, which was probably the best thing TNA put on it's TV in terms of interviews. What we should of seen was Jay go over Flair and use that to move away from the X-Division towards the World title, with former X champs like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe winning the belt and others like Kaz and Daniels being top contenders from time to time it wasn't out the realm of possibility to see Lethal in the title picture. I think one of the biggest things that the push would of achieved would be that it would separate the product from WWE, a main event title match pitting AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal would be something WWE couldn't do and it would of been a truly awesome match. Sadly Jay was thrown back in the X-Division and the World title began to revolve around former WWE guys which was a horrible decision. In my view Lethal has all the qualities to be a main eventer, very much like AJ Styles his ring work does most of the speaking and that what the fans ultimately love.

Monty Brown-TNA
During Monty Brown's run in TNA he would get several chances at the NWA World title but he never won it. The first reason was that he wasn't the best babyface, he could cut great promos and he was over with the crowd however he is such a big guy that he's hard to accept as a babyface, very similar to how Abyss is hard to accept as a face and is better as a heel. So when Brown turned heel it was a relief and he would still get chances at the world title from time to time. The biggest chance he had to gain the title would be when Christian Cage was NWA Champion, the 2 could put on a good match and Cage was the most over babyface. However there was a problem Jeff Jarrett. While Jeff was still in the ring no other heel would be champion. Monty had everything, a great look, personality and could put on some solid matches. However Monty must of known that he was never going to be a main event champion so he left TNA for WWE and now he's out of wrestling completely. In my view TNA missed out on a great champion.

John Morrison-WWE
There are 2 times that WWE should of got behind Morrison and pushed him towards a World title reign. The first came when CM Punk was World champion on Smackdown, the 2 had several matches on the show with Morrison winning nearly all of them. At the time Punk was becoming a heel and his feud with Jeff Hardy was up in the air and WWE was not sure if he was going to stay in the company. Still they gave Hardy the title and a match with Morrison on Smackdown for the title in a awesome match. I should also point out that earlier in the year Morrison had faced of with Edge when he was champ and they put on a great match. Morrison had put on great match after great match and was one of the most over guys on the show, however the best he would get was the right to end Rey Mysterio's Intercontinental title reign and he was back in the mid card.
The second opportunity came just a month ago. He was put in a program with 2 time WWE champion Sheamus, the 2 had 3 matches with Morrison winning the first at Survivor Series. Sheamus winning the King of the Ring by beating Morrison in the finals and then Morrison beating Sheamus in a ladder match to become no.1 contender to the WWE title. All 3 matches were great and Morrison looked stronger then ever by beating the former 2 time champ. However instead of giving him the match at the Royal Rumble pay per view he had his match against the Miz on Raw. Although it was a great match it was another lose. Since then WWE went back to focus on Orton and Miz and Morrison was forgotten about once again.
Although people say he isn't the best as a babyface, I prefer him as a heel, he is still great at what he does and more to the point he is over with the crowd. What is more important is that he is a fresh face for the main event spot, with Miz now being the main heel on Raw Morrison could be his counter part replacing Orton who hasn't taken to the role and Cena who is constantly getting mixed reactions and has been for years. Jim Ross has said that Morrison reminds him of a young Shawn Michaels which could be a sign of how good he could be in the main event.

KENTA-Ring of Honor (2007)
What can you say about KENTA apart from how has he not been a World champion yet? I could go on about Pro Wrestling NOAH but I don't watch it but I do watch ROH. 
In 2006 KENTA became a regular for the company and in a short period of time he would become one of the main stars, constantly putting on the match of the night and the faces loved him. He would receive a World title shot against Bryan Danielson at Glory by Honor in a match you just have to see, it's hard to believe that Bryan came in injured. But that's not when he should of got a push, that would happen in 2007. With Homicide as champion and being forced out as he was in TNA they needed the belt off him and as a result Takeshi Morishima won the title. Now this was shocking mainly because this was Morishima's second match in ROH and the first was a lost to Samoa Joe the night before. Now I get where Gabe was coming from, he wanted a international wrestler to be champion to show that the belt really does go to the best in the world, and to Morishima's credit he did a great job. However if he wanted a Japanese star to be champion they should of gone with KENTA. He actually had a track record with the company and many of the fans wanted to see him as champion. The main problem was that he wasn't in America all the time but that didn't stop the belt going onto Morishima. KENTA is one of the best in the world and deserves a reign as world champion in one company or another.

Kazarian-TNA (2008)
The push began from out of no where really. After the awful Serotonin group, which Kaz was apart of, was ended it was Kaz who was the shining star having beaten Raven, Matt Bently and Johnny Devine (the other members) and looked great doing it. Then he was entered into a tournament to name the new No.1 contender to the world title which saw him in the finals against Christian Cage, who was a former 2 time World champion at this point. It was an awesome ladder match which saw Kaz win in a huge surprise. Soon after he would get his shot against Kurt Angle on impact in a blinder which should of been on Pay Pay View! After Kurt lost the title to Samoa Joe Kaz was chosen to replace an injured Angle at the next Pay Per View in the triple threat title match also including Scott Steiner. He would soon be given another one on one shot this time against Joe, the match was awesome again and Kaz looked great even in defeat like he did with Angle. But nothing would happen afterwards Kaz would go back to the X-Division and that was it. It's sad as he, like I mentioned with Jay Lethal, had that AJ Styles thing about him were you accept him being in the main event even though he was a X-Division wrestler. I think he could of been a great champion but it would now be some time before him being in the main event can happen again as TNA would need to great rid of a lot of their former WWE guys to make room for a fresh face.

Diamond Dallas Page-WCW (1997-1998)
DDP is the only one on this list who would actually get a push to the main event spot and become World champion however in my view that should of happened a year or two before it did. 
While the NWO were running wild and with Hogan having a death grip on the title WCW needed a babyface who was to be seen as a saviour. Only a few would never be apart of the NWO group and DDP was one of them, while he feuded with Randy Savage which was main events of PPV's which Hogan wasn't on (he must of been the only world champion who wasn't on PPV's all the time) he was one of if not the most over guys in the company. Now although WCW had plains for Sting to come back in December of 97 to win the title it still left a year plus with Hogan as champion. At this time, in my view, it was perfect for DDP to become champion. He could of faced off with other NWO members while defending the belt, they could of still built the Hogan-Sting match and if they really wanted to they could of had Hogan beat DDP months before to make the match a title match. Even in 1998 DDP was still the most over however the rise of Goldberg stopped any chance at a title run but they did have a great match at Halloween Havoc. When DDP finally won the title he was a heel, he played the role well, however he had to deal with WCW's management. He ended up losing the title to Sting and winning it back on the same night and then losing it to Nash at the PPV after he won it. After that he was out of the title picture until 2000 when he was champ for a year. DDP should of been one of WCW's megastars and although he is seen that way those who look at the programs in was in showed that he was a high mid card guy at best which is a big shame for someone so talented.

Scott Hall-WWE & WCW
When you come up with a list of guys who should of been world champion you'll likely see Scott Hall on that list. When he turned babyface in WWE it was nothing but up for his career, becoming one of the most over guys and most recognisable faces in the company. He would rule the intercontinental title picture winning the belt 4 times at a time when wrestlers struggled to get a 2nd reign. But you can argue that he should of been in the world title picture instead. When you look at the fact that Lex Luger got the major push in 93 heading towards Mania of next year, Scott would say that should of been his (which was brought up by Raven in his Guest Booker DVD). After that push failed Scott wasn't looked at when it came to future pushes, he would leave the company in 96.
When he arrived in WCW he became one of the headline acts with the NWO. However he was restricted by the fact he was stuck with Hogan who had to be the World champion. If Scott had a chance it would be in 98 when Sting was champion. Scott had won the World Wars 3 60 Man Battle Royal to earn a title shot which he would get against Sting at Uncensored. The match was pretty good and showed he could of been a main eventer however the problem is that if a heel was going to be champion it had to be Hogan which was annoying (it became obvious when Hogan beat Savage for the title 24 hours after he won it). After that Scott's demons would get the better of him and he would not be consist, coming for a few months at a time. He would receive one more title shot at Superbrawl 2000 in a Triple Threat but he wouldn't win and would soon be gone.
Many believe that if Scott had controlled his demons he could of very well have been a world champion. He was a great worker, great on the mic and was always entertaining. We can only guess of what could have been if he had stayed in WWE or if he hadn't of got so bad with his problems.

Owen Hart-WWE
One of the greatest wrestlers there has ever been. People have even said that he was better in the ring then his brother Bret, which is no small feat. Owen's heel run for the WWE title against Bret in 94 was one of the best programs ever, the in ring matches were amazing and the twists and turns of the story were even better. Of course Owen wouldn't win but it should set him up to be a main guy in the company. He would be stuck in the high mid card area for a long time even earning the Intercontinental title while tag champ with the British Bulldog. He would be involved in a storyline with Steve Austin that would ultimately push Austin to the next level and not Owen.
After the infamous Survivor Series screw job Owen was the only Hart left, this was a perfect chance to push him to the next level. A feud with the Shawn Michaels who was in the ring when his brother got screwed pretty much wrote itself but WWE didn't do it. Instead we got Owen being put with the Nation of Domination and later Jeff Jarrett. Owen would sadly die at the Over the Edge PPV of 99. Owen was one of the finest workers there has ever been and in my view he should of been World champion before he died. And when you consider the fact that Steve Austin was World champion in 98 and the 2 had history they could of easily have had a program for the title. Instead he was stuck in the mid card. The only thing we can hope for is that Owen will one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame as he deserves is.

So there you have it, a little list of guys I think should of been given a push. Again if you're reading this would like to say thank you and please let me know what you think.

Friday 28 January 2011

Should of, Would of Part 1

When it comes to the world of wrestling the phrase above is very meaningful. Many times fans will say 'If he had stayed he would of got a big push' and more often 'He should of got a push'. So I've deserved to look at both of these things. I've came up with a list of guys who I think would of gone on to bigger things if they had stayed in one place or another. And the reason why this is part 1 is that I'm gonna look at the 'should of' tomorrow in another blog. So with that said lets begin.

The Embassy (Alex Shelley & Jimmy Rave) in Ring of Honor
In 2006 these 2 were a regular tag team and one of the most hated stables in Ring of Honor, with Prince Nana by their side they looked and acted like they would be a big deal in the future. Sadly Shelley would go full time with TNA within a year and they would break up the Embassy and send Nana away. Now Rave did get a few World title matches however  he was never believable as a threat towards the champion.
Lets look at the team itself. Rave had one of the best entrance moments in the company with the toilet paper being thrown at him, it always looked great and showed how hated he was. As a team they were great, both are great in the ring and they worked off each other well. They did get a small push early in 2006 as with Abyss they won King of Trios and both had World title matches against Bryan Danielson, both matches were great. However they didn't get much else. Personally I think they could of be a serious threat towards the tag titles which was held by Austin Aries & Roderick Strong at the time, the 2 teams had major history and they could of played of that.
Now I think the thing that hurt Rave the most was when Nana left, Nana was the missing piece to his act and when he left he never found it again. But when it comes to Shelley he had everything you need to be a great wrestler, amazingly talented, great personality with the ability to make you love him or hate him and he can cut a great promo. With or without Nana in my view he would of been the Ring of Honor champion, I seriously believe that Gabe would of put some focus on him and made him a big name. Sadly we have to watch TNA waste his talent giving him very little time and time again, still at least he has some of the best matches on the card.

Jimmy Jacobs in Ring of Honor
He was one of the companies main stars, the Age of the Fall storyline went on for years and was always great to watch. His team with Tyler put on some great tag main events as champions and his feud with Austin Aries was simply amazing and brutal. But the one thing Jimmy never got was a run with the main belt, he was never Ring of Honor World champion and in my opinion if he had stayed with the company he would of ended up with the belt at some point. He was already a part-time main event star, usually main eventing when the champion was in a non-title match or a tag match of sorts. However he was never really promoted as a main event star he just happened to be there. In all honesty Jimmy is everything you need in a champion, great psychology, great look that is forever changing and he's able to talk people into paying attention to him. And with Tyler Black getting a push and eventually a reign as World champion we could of seen a feud between the 2 for the title instead, maybe even Jimmy ending his reign. 
It has to be said that since leaving Ring of Honor other companies have invested in Jimmy in a big way, Evolve has him in one of the only true feuds in the company against Johnny Gargano and there are rumours that he is the guy picked to end BxB Hulks Open the Freedom Gate title reign. So it seems that one companies lost is another gain.

Bobby Lashley in WWE
Let's  face it. Lashley was everything Vince McMahon loves in a wrestler. A big muscular guy, who can do some impressive atlethic things, with very little promo skills, no personality and not a lot of wrestling ability. Why Vince didn't actually make him champion before he left surprises me.
With that said Lashley was already in the process of getting a big push. He had a serious with McMahon himself were he looked unbeatable (he beat Vince, Shane and Umaga in the same match in less then a minute), he then got 2 WWE title matches (one was a multi man scramble and the other was a lose in a surprisingly good match with John Cena). The push ended when he was injured and had to take time off. So with that said it was a for gone conclusion that when he returned he would of continued the push and would of been WWE or World champion within months of his return.
Personally I'm glad it never happened, it was shown during his TNA run just how bad he is in the ring and how that lead to the fans turning on him. Sound familiar *cough* Cena *cough*!?!

Mr. Kennedy if he stayed on Smackdown
Mr. Kennedy was a guy who got multiple pushes which resulted in very little which is rather sad when you consider how over he was at the time. Now famously won the Money in the Bank which guarantees a run with the main belt, however when WWE needed him to cash it in he got injured so he lost the title shot to Edge who won the title. What would happen after that? Well he would get transferred Raw and got lost in the sea of big stars that is the Raw locker room. He would never really get a push again, rumours of him being Vince McMahon's son (a big story at the time) were taken away and given to Hornswoggle because that was smart wasn't it?
When you look at Kennedy on Smackdown he looked like a world champion. His work may not of been the best all the time however he was one of the most over guys on the show. I remember watching him get a shot at Batista at the Royal Rumble and the fans loved Kennedy and wanted him to win. They would finally see him win the big one as he is the current TNA World champion, unfortunately that title is a bit of a joke these days and all you need to win it is have 'Worked for WWE' on your C.V.

Kenny Omega in Ring of Honor and the USA
Kenny Omega is a big star in Japan right now, a main guy in the DDT promotion and one half of the current IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag champs with Kota Ibushi. This sadly means that we rarely get to see this great wrestler in the US. However there was a time where Omega was a regular in America and in Ring of Honor. Omega was a great mix of comedy from time to time and just great wrestling. Now he did get a reign as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World champion after winning the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles however he would lose it to Davey Richards because he was to focused on working in Japan, bad news for PWG as for the same reason Davey would vacant the title just months later. But back to Omega and his run in Ring of Honor.
Kenny would have to go through the ringer in ROH and work his way to the top and he did, he worked with everyone he was put with him and he would get great reviews in nearly all his matches. Omega would get picked for a main event shot when he worked with Davey Richards in a awesome match, this would lead onto a title shot against Austin Aries and again it would be an awesome match. Soon after Omega would start working in Japan full time and would only be able to make the odd weekend for Ring of Honor which meant he could be nothing more then a special attraction. I truly believe that Omega would of become a main eventer and possibly have a reign as world champion, he is a guy who lets the fans have fun and a laugh but can also make them remember why they love pro wrestling, he is that good in the ring and is easily a main eventer. It's sad that he's so focused on Japan as it's very unlikely that he can get past where he is right now, at best a reign as IWGP Jr. champ.

Teddy Hart in Wrestling in general
Many people have said it 'The guy has all the tools it takes to be a superstar but he's got such an attitude that he can never be one'. It sums up the history of Teddy Hart in wrestling.
The guy was picked as the next big thing, was signed by WWE early in his career but would be released due to his attitude, this would occur again when WWE gave him another chance. He would get a chance in TNA but that didn't go to far. Then he would go to Ring of Honor and it seemed like a perfect fit however his actions at Main Event Spectacles and the fact he called out some big indy names on a websites meant he wouldn't last too long.
The only stable work he has found has been in Jersey All Pro and in Triple A. Now I don't know about his Triple A work but I have seen his work in Jersey All Pro and the fans just hate him and their not meant to. I think it's a case of their tired of the crap he pulls and the attitude he has, even when he's on the mic saying how much he loves wrestling and the fans it feels like he's faking it. It seems that Teddy is doomed to be a misfit in wrestling and never be accepted any where.
Let's be honest. The guy is talented. He has a unique look, a great move set that no one else has and can wrestle his ass off however the attitude and the history he's gained has rather ruined him reputation. The last Hart is doomed to never be seen on a big scale, which is a big shame.

So there you have it, a number of guys who I think would of gone on to big things if they have been a bit more stable and not stay in one place. Now I know that a lot of the time the decision is out of their hands and they have to do what's best money wise but in my view these guys would of been big stars if they had stayed in one place.

I'll deliver another blog tomorrow about who should of received a push (that list is longer as you can only image). So if you're reading this thank you, let me know what you think don't be afraid to leave me a comment on Facebook or at least like it if you've read it.  

Saturday 22 January 2011

Well That Could of Been Better

So let's face it, there's been many times a company promotes a PPV and you say 'That should be good' but it ends up being not living up to what you expected. So I've decided to list 4 PPV's (One from each company I can think off)that should of been better then they actually were.

Guilty As Charged 2001
The last ECW PPV should of left with a bang instead we got something off a mess to be honest. First off the ECW style of PPV's were anything can happen and new matches are added in an instance was pretty predictable but this point and the hurting Joel Gertner to get Cyrus on commentary was again something unneeded. With that said lets look at some of the matches.
1) Although the official opening between Doring & Roadkill vs. Hot Commodity for the Tag titles wasn't bad the new tag champs should of got an established team to go over on and not this new team.
2) Nova's new gimmick of making the save and getting into surprise matches on PPV's was rather dumb as you should actually promote your talent for PPV's and not rely on surprises.
3) Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger, Balls Mahoney, Chilly Willy, Blue Meanie & Jasmin St. Claire being sacrificed to Rhino shouldn't of been on PPV at all but it was probably better then then tag match we would of had to sit through.
4) The ECW title match between Corino, Credible and Sandman just seemed like random bumps and wasn't as good as it could of been. When you combine that with the fact Sandman won the title and then had Rhino demand a title match which resulted in him destroying the Sandman for a couple of minutes and taking the title. It was just made you think what was the point? Sadly this happens to much in wrestling today.
5) The main event of RVD vs. Jerry Lynn was no where near as good as their other classics in ECW, the series seemed to go downhill instead of improve. Also Jerry as a heel really didn't work.

Now it wasn't all bad, the triple threat tag to decide the number one contenders was an excellent match which was expected when you look at who was in it. Also the Dreamer-C.W. Anderson I Quit match was truly epic . Overall this PPV made you realise that ECW had no real stars any more and although the roster was hugely talented it doesn't matter unless you have stars in them. It was really a case of who are they and same old same old in the same show.

Bash at the Beach 1999
People say that the last good WCW PPV was Spring Stampede of the same year, it was a truly great show. Bash at the Beach had plenty of stories going in and interesting matches however it didn't do that well really. 
1) The opener of Disco Inferno vs. The Cat had a random story and very little good moments. Disco wasn't a bad wrestler but the Cat revolved around dancing, kicks and the 'Red Shoes' which made his matches boring.
2) David Flair vs. Dean Malenko for the US title was never gonna work. Combine that with the havoc that occurred with interference and referee bumps meant it was perfect for some TNA main events! Flair has never gotten wrestling like his dad did and has always only ever been able to deliver OK matches, this was a dumb move by WCW really.
3) The No Limit Soldiers vs. The West Texas Rednecks was bases around I don't like the music you listen too. Combine that with the fact an awful rapper was apart of the story meant this was over before it started. Luckily guys like Curt Hennig, Barry Windham and Rey Mysterio carried the match itself.
4) The Junkyard Hardcore brawl lasted too long, had too many guys and too much going on. There was no way you could catch everything that was going on. It also did very little in the long haul.
5) The less said about the Bagwell-Piper boxing match the better, it was just awful and should of never gone on.
6) The main event wasn't all that bad however with the fact it was a tag match that had the World title on the line meant we had the old 'Can he trust his tag partner storyline'. Savage winning the belt did nothing as he lost it to Hogan 24 hours later (that happened twice in WCW). 

The only saving grace was the Jersey Triad (DDP, Bam Bam Bigelow & Chris Kanyon) defending the tag titles against Perry Saturn & Chris Benoit. This match was amazing and a must see, these 5 guys worked their asses off and stole the show.

Wrestlemania 15
The biggest show of the year should of been the best, hell it usually is however number 15 was not that and with several good reasons.
1) Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett defending the tag titles against Test & D'Lo Brown was just random especially when you think that Test and D'Lo won a battle royal to get the shot which was stupid when WWE had plenty of tag teams. It also got little time so it could of been better.
2) Butterbean and Bart Gunns brawl for all lasted less then a minute and simple destroyed the entire Brawl for All. What was funny was the hype video before hand probably lasted longer than the match itself.
3) Sable vs. Tori was just a random story and wasn't very good. What was more off putting was Tori's outfit which was Giant Gonzalez type, seriously look it up. But the biggest thing was that Sable wasn't a wrestler really and it showed, the Women's title really didn't mean anything then.
4) Shane McMahon vs. X-Pac was fun in parts however it relied heavily on interference and a heel turn. It should of been put on earlier and with less rules, Shane was great in no rule matches and these 2 could of done great things at Mania.
5) The Undertaker-Big Bossman Hell in a Cell has gone down as the worst Hell in a Cell ever and you can't really argue. The match which was built around Taker and Vince McMahon more then Bossman made no sense to be inside the structure that was designed to end feuds and not start them. It was a huge mess and the hanging afterwards was a dump idea when you consider the fact they were planning on using Bossman in the future and not kill him off.

There was some good parts though. The 4 way for the Intercontinental title was good fun and helped build Road Dogg as champion, even though he wasn't champion for much longer. The opening Hardcore title match was great which all the Hardcore titles matches were at the time. And of course the main event of Steve Austin vs. The Rock was great as expected, these 2 always had great matches and it wasn't any different here. Now with this being the biggest show of the year it should of been overall a better show instead there were too many negatives that just dragged the show down.

Sacrifice 2008
Truth be told it was a highlight video of this show that made me think about this subject that I'm writing about and with good reason I feel as this show had the ability to be great but it was just a big let down. Lets start looking at the show itself.
1) One of the big draws was the crowning of new Tag team champions but there was a problem. TNA decided to mix actual full time teams with Lethal Lottery type mixes, which of course resulted in 2 guys feuding teaming up and then some completely random teams. With only 3 full time teams in the 8 team tournament you kind of knew what was gonna happen. What was a big mistake was not having the previous champions of AJ Styles & Tomko in the tournament instead we got AJ and the short lived Super Eric! I would of preferred a smaller tournament or a least a tournament with teams that made sense, you can't make people believe that 2 random guys will win a tournament for the titles and that 2 feuding guys will put aside their differences just to be champions.
2) The show had the X-Division Terror Dome match which I've never really liked as it's just a series of big bumps. Combine that with the fact there were just too many guys in such a small space made the match a mess. It was also added that the winner will get a space in the main event replacing Kurt Angle meant only one man would win which was Kazarian who was the only one who had gotten a push and received a title match in the past.
3) The Knockouts Battle Royal was a bit of a waste of time, like many battle royals on PPVs. But with the 2 winners having to wrestle in a ladder match to decide who would get a title shot and who would have their head shaved. To their credit Roxxi and Gail Kim put on a good ladder match but for little reason.
4) The finals of the tag tournament being Team 3D vs. LAX was predictable and something that had been overdone at the time. They could of had Christian Cage & Rhino win the tag titles as they were a good team and hadn't been in the title picture before. This was TNA just saying let's stick with guys who have been their before and not try something new.
5) Although the main event wasn't bad it was hindered by the fact Kazarian had to wrestle a big match earlier in the night and that him and Samoa Joe was stuck with Scott Steiner, who may be talented but was a physical wreck at this time and couldn't give to much in his match. When you consider this was Joe's first defence it was a for gone conclusion that he would retain.

The biggest problem was this show had too much going on for such a short amount of time. They had an entire 8 team tournament, a terrordome, a battle royal, a ladder match and a triple threat. Really TNA should of known that less can be more.

So there you have it 4 PPV's that in my view should of been better then there were. One of the things that all 4 have in common is that they were trying to be too ambitious and do too much. They dreamed big and got little as a result, now this isn't always the case look at most Mania's that consist of dream matches and are some of the best shows however sometimes dreaming too big can do some damage it seems.

Sunday 16 January 2011

A little look at the Hall of Fame

This week saw the first inductee for this years Hall of Fame was announced, that being the amazing Shawn Michaels. So with that in mind I thought I would look through the Hall of Fame and talk about those who probably don't deserve to be there. Now I could go on about those who should be in there but I'd be here for ages so I'm looking at those who could easily not be in there. Now I've found 7 who I think don't deserve to be in the Hall.

'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff
Now lets look at what WWE highlighted as the reasons why Mr. Wonderful should be in. He was part of the main event at the first Wrestlemania (interesting note 3 of the 4 are in the Hall so that might be a sign of things to come, look out for Mr. T) where he was the man who lost the fall. Roddy Piper & Bob Orton then turned on him which lead to him team with Hogan for the sole reason to turn on him later. This lead to a feud for the WWE championship and one match in particular, now I don't know when the first match happened and very few do but everyone remembers the Steel Cage match at Saturday Nights Main Event which saw the famous double drop down finish. After this match Paul would pretty much disappear, showing up in WCW and having a forgettable run as Tag champ with Paul Roma. 
Now Paul may have been one of the greatest in ring workers in his day but what I've highlighted here should not put him in the Hall of Fame. In my opinion to be in the Hall you should have a great career and not just one section that is really good. Kevin Sullivan once said that you could build your company around Paul but the fact is no one did and at the end of the day Paul's crowning moment was a small section of his career. Now people can argue with me about this but I feel that he shouldn't really be in the Hall.

'Mr. USA' Tony Atlas
Mr. USA was one half of the first African American tag team champions with Rocky Johnson and that's it. I'm not lying that is it. Tony Atlas may have had an amazing look but so did so many others when he was wrestling. Tony didn't make any other impact in wrestling other then that fact of being the first African American tag champ and lets look at that reign, it didn't last long, they broke up after losing the belts and Rocky went on to do more then Atlas did. I'll come back to this point, did Tony have an outstanding career? In my view no he didn't. Yes he had a first but you can not put every first into the Hall otherwise it would have so many members already. Even when Tony came back he did nothing of worth and was pretty much just a joke in "ECW" in WWE.

Wendi Richter
When you think of legendary women wrestlers you think of Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Sherri Martel, Trish Stratus and Lita. You don't think of Wendi Richter. Wendi was apart of the first Wrestlemania and won the Women's title in her match. She was even accompanied by Cyndi Lauper which she played off during her speech, saying 'Girls just want to have fun' which was actually pretty sad in my opinion. I'd like to point out that that moment may be seen as a 'Mania Moment' but it was pretty much forgotten about later on in the night and now in general. I once again highlight the did she have a great career? Now she was Women's champion, a couple of times I think, but was it that meaningful? In my view no. I heard she was unprofessional, which resulted in Moolah shooting on her to take the title back. In my view she doesn't deserve to be in there and other women do more then she does.

Celebrity Inductee's-Pete Rose, William Perry & Bob Uecker
What a waste of spots these are. I don't understand why WWE want to put celebrities in there. William Perry did one night with one moment during a battle royal with Big John Studd but everyone forgets about the fact that the battle royal had loads of football players in. I don't get why what he did overshadows those celebrities who work really hard for their matches they have, look at Floyd Mayweather who had a great match with Big Show at Mania 24. Perry put very little effort into his match at Mania and it was designed that way.
This brings me onto Bob Uecker. He may have shown up at 2 Manias but did nothing of worth, he told some bad jokes and got choked by Andre the Giant. That makes him apart of the Hall of Fame? You kidding me! The only thing worse is that he got the most time on the Hall of Fame TV show last year, that time should of gone to the wrestlers who the hall was designed for.
Now if WWE really feel the need to have celebrities in the Hall I can agree with Pete Rose. His 3 back to back Mania appearances with Kane are legendary, and Pete has come back to WWE again and again to help out. Pete was also good enough and knew that he shouldn't take up much time during the Hall of Fame show he was inducted on.
In general I don't agree with non wrestlers being in the Hall of Fame but if it has to be done put in guys like Andy Kaufman who actually had a love of wrestling and Mike Tyson who worked several months with the company and had a big angle. Not guys who did very little and are hardly remembered.

Koko B.Ware
We come to the biggest offender for someone who doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Now with the other members of this list I've been able to highlight some of the 'great' moments they had during their careers that could be a reason why they are in the Hall but with Koko there is none of those things. You know what his highlights are? Going to the ring with a bird and teaming with Owen Hart (who should be in the Hall) but nothing else, hell there isn't even any highlights from his career outside the WWE e.g. his Memphis days. Now with people in the Hall I could ask fans to name me a match that they love with that guy in or at least a famous match they were in e.g. Orndorff vs. Hogan in the cage, but with Koko no one can name me a match that he was in that is a much watch for any reason. Koko was a glorified jobber and are WWE really telling us that he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame? 

What I'm basically saying is that to be in the Hall of Fame you need to have a great career with lots of memorable moments in it, the people I've highlighted have not done anything like that they may have had one moment that is seen as legendary but it should be the career and not one or 2 moments. When you consider how many other wrestlers truly deserve to be in the Hall these members seem to just be taking up space for them.   

Tuesday 4 January 2011

10 Reasons to love the women in the biz!

So it's this time of year where everyone does a review of the previous year well I'm not doing that. Instead I want to give you 10 reasons why you should love or should have loved female wrestling. This subject has been on my mind for a bit now and so thought I'd actually write it up. Now before I start the reason will cover wrestling for over the years and not just current day, also there is no order to the list these are just 10 reasons. So lets begin.

The Fabulous Moolah
Let's face it when you think of a legend in women's wrestling you think of Moolah. She made a business that was all men into a business where women were accepted. Moolah has gone down in history for having the 2nd most reigns as women's champion and for the longest reign, which cannot ever be broken. Moolah was the first female inducted in the Hall of Fame and she was seen as so important that WWE brought her back more and more just to help improve the women's scene as much as she could. Now sadly Moolah has passed away but her impact will forever be felt.

Trish Stratus vs. Lita
When WWE brought back the Women's title it really didn't mean much at all, it was just there and no champion really made a true impact until these two came along. Lita became one of the biggest stars and best workers, you could see her passion when she was out in the ring. She has also been apart of the only 2 Raw main events which were for the Women's title, a match with Stephanie McMahon and a match with Trish. Speaking of which Trish got into WWE as a manager and nothing more but she would learn and become one of the best workers. Trish managed to get the most title reigns and put on some of the best matches which brings me to the feud. Now they've wrestled over and over for years and the matches were also great to watch. The high point was Trish's retirement match at Unforgiven in Toronto, it was a awesome match which saw Trish go out on a high note winning her final Women's title by using the Sharpshooter, the reaction was great and it's gone down as one of the best women's matches.

Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus from Wrestlemania 22
This was a rare thing in wrestling, this match had several months of build up and story and it was one of the last times that 2 women were allowed to go out and wrestle at Mania. They got plenty of time, told a great story and put on a potential show stealer, if it wasn't for Foley vs. Edge it would of had a shot. This was was truly awesome and it showed how talented these 2 were/are. Now sadly they didn't get many matches in the series as Trish got injured in the rematch but still this match alone should make women wrestlers proud.

Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong
What a series this was. When TNA brought the Knockouts title into creation many questioned why, lets face it TNA didn't have many women wrestlers and it had no division to speak off. And once Gail was crowned the 1st champion we didn't know what was next for her. To our surprise and pleasure her next feud would be against Awesome Kong. Every match they had was truly epic and some of the best wrestling you would see that year, they would steal the show so much so that they would have a main event match on Impact. We can only dream that WWE will allow them to have these kind of matches again now Kong is signed but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Taylor Wilde vs. Awesome Kong
Once Kong had gained the Knockouts title we had to ask what was next for her. Sure she would be given some decent opponents but they made her a monster and so she would retain time and time again. This would lead to the weekly or so Kong challenge, were she would accept any challenger and the winner would get money and the title. We got to see some old faces and new during this time but it was just there to establish the fact no one could beat her. Until Taylor accepted the challenge, the moment she beat Kong was truly shocking and amazing. The match was off the chart and reminded us of the Kim/Kong series. They would have several rematches with Wilde winning each being as good as the last. Sadily Wilde wouldn't succeed as champion and like Kong left TNA this past year. Still we should remember how good the division was.

Sara Del Rey & Daizee Haze
When you speak about the best women's wrestlers going today you think of these 2 names. Women in the business today say that these 2 are probably the best women wrestlers going. Del Rey has put on some of the best women's matches I've ever seen and more to the point I've never seen a bad match from her. Daizee is the same, she's a truly great wrestler. There so talented that they are the only 2 women signed to ROH and have been for years. Over the last year these 2 have shown that there not just great women wrestlers but great wrestlers as they've been facing off with men as a tag team in Chikara and even managed to get 3 points which meant they could challenge for the tag titles. These two are truly great wrestlers and a must see when on the card.

Lufisto
Bit of a personal choice here but she's a damn good wrestler. Lufisto was smart as she would face off with men on a regular basis which meant that she could get booked in more indy promotions. And she would even do death matches, which would result in her beating the Necro Butcher in the finals of a death match tournament. She is extremely tough and popular, she was voted the fans choice Best of the Best in the one tournament she was in. And when it comes to matches one of the best has been her vs. ODB from Jersey All Pro in a Last Women Standing match. Seeing her work shows that she truly loves this business.

Ayako Hamada
Sadily she was very misused in TNA however it does not take away from the fact that she's a truly epic wrestler. In Shimmer I haven't seen her have a single bad match and more to the point there have all been truly amazing. The match between her and Sara Del Rey had to be up there with any of the best matches I've ever seen in women's wrestling. She has to be a top contender to the Shimmer championship now. Sadily I'm not sure what the future holds for her or if we'll see more of her but if she keeps going to Shimmer then at least we'll have one way to watch her work.

Manami Toyota
It was talked about in the last issue of Powerslam magazine about who could be considered the best wrestler ever and it was pointed out that 'Many call Toyota the best female wrestler ever and you could argue best wrestler ever'. Now I haven't been able to see much of her however she made her US debut in 2010 in my favourite company Chikara and man was I impressed. She may have only had 2 matches but they were truly great matches, she worked Daizee Haze on the first match and then teamed with Mike Quackenbush to face Claudio Castagnoli & Sara Del Rey on the second night. Now both nights she got the win and both nights she got 'This is awesome' chants and it was well deserved. Toyota is truly awesome and is one of the best I've ever seen.

Shimmer
A company that revolves around women's wrestling and does a great job at it. Not only is Shimmer a good women's promotion but it's a great promotion in general. They have some of the best women wrestlers in the world from Japan, Australia, Canada and England. They are currently on their 3rd Shimmer champion the 1st being Sara Del Rey, 2nd being MsChif and now Madison Eagles, she's not well known here but she's really talented and deserves the spot. They even introduced tag titles which are one the Canadian Ninjas (Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews) who are not only 2 of the most over heels but 2 of the best women wrestlers going today.
Now Shimmer maybe a company you ignore because it's women's wrestling but that would be dumb to do. If you pick it up because one match looks good you'll find that there isn't a bad match on the card. You may not know the girls but you'll see how good there are. Like I said this list is not order but if it was this would be the number 1 reason to love women's wrestling.

There you have it 10 reasons why you should love women's wrestling. Let me know what you think and if you agree.

Sunday 2 January 2011

It's a New Year and nothing's gonna change

OK so it's officially 2011 and most people are going through the usual routine of saying all the changes their gonna do this year. Well I'm not one of them and I know some other people who are the same as we talked about the subject on New Years Eve. Now there's one main reason why I'm not in that mood of changing is because over the last year I've already changed. Over 2010 I've gone through several changes, the main one for me is that I'm losing weight. I started the year as size 38 jeans and am now down to size 34, although I haven't noticed it myself that much lots of others have. Now this had lead to me feeling a bit more confident and just generally being happy pretty much all the time.

So basically what I'm saying is why would the fact we've moved from 2010 to 2011 make me change anything else, I've already made big changes and there paying off so why would I change again? Now I know many other people like to use the New Year to motivate themselves into changing however it doesn't happen, pretty much everyone breaks their resolutions during the year. Look changes occur when their meant to, it can be the smallest thing that can effect your life and make changes for the better New Years shouldn't do it for you.

Now before I go I would like to share what I actually did on New Years Eve. You see the last 2 years before this one I went out with friends, lots of alcohol and lots of drama and basically I didn't like them one bit really. This year was different, I went round Sarah's and we had a quiet night with her flatmate Ant and his friend Hayley. Got a take away, had the odd drink nothing big, played some games and watched the New Year come in, we also started to watch Mars Attack on TV after New Years and thought it was really funny and probably for the wrong reason. I enjoyed the night it was fun and to be honest I preferred it more then going out into a busy bar/club and getting wasted.

So I'll wrap this up. Hope you all had a good New years eve and enjoyed reading this!