Raw vs. Smackdown vs. TNA vs. RoH: A fan'’s perspective

WWE Raw - The Big Red Show Machine (Kane & Big Show)

I have always hated tag teams that don’t bother to come up with a team name. It gives the impression that the team isn’t interested enough to invest the time in coming up with a name. There have been some great team who never had an official team name, but they are the exception as opposed to the rule.

This team was put together in random fashion, as a result of them both not being voted into the triple threat world title match at Taboo Tuesday. They won the tag titles that night, and have been sitting on them since.

Both guys appear on Raw each week, but usually in separate matches on their own. They don’t defend the titles, hang out together, or cut promos together. They don’t appear to have anything in common. They don’t even watch each other’s matches or backs. They are less like a team than any other team I can think of..... on any roster...... anywhere. They don’t even have the “odd couple” thing going for them, as Kane has had in the past with guys like X-pac and Rob Van Dam.

At Armageddon, The Big Red Show were put over the Smackdown tag team champions, which should have been a big deal, but wasn’t. Due, in part, to the fact that the Smackdown champs were the also haphazardly thrown together team of Rey Mysterio and (an injured) Batista.

Giant Machine haven’t had any great matches with anyone on their own roster. They had a few passable matches with the odd team of Carlito & Chris Masters, but that feud ended quickly. There doesn’t appear to be any other teams on Raw for them to feud with - The Spirit Squad? The Heart Throbs? Tomko & Snitsky? Venis and Viscera? - Ugh.

To sum up - The tag team scene on Raw is dead in the water. I don’t see any exciting feuds on the horizon for this team. In fact, I will be surprised if this “team” even defends their titles at Wrestlemania, which is kind of pathetic. Look for these titles to find their way to the Spirit Squad in the near future. Yes, they’re lame, but at least they are a “team”.

Current rating - 3 (out of ten)

WWE - Smackdown- MnM (Johnny Nitro & Joey Mercury w/Melina)

Very much the opposite of their Raw counterparts, Mercury and Nitro are a solid unit with a good look, good entrance, good name, and a history of good matches against established teams. They have had fair to good matches regularly on Smackdown against a number of different teams including The Mexicools, The Dicks, Kendrick & London, Mysterio & Guerrero, and many more.

Since their debut in 2005, MnM have already become three time Smackdown Tag Team Champions. They defeated Mysterio/Guerrero; Batista/Mysterio; and Heidenreich/Animal, Mexicools, Regal/ Burchill in a fatal four way, to win those titles. They are active on Smackdown (as a tag team) almost every week. They defend their titles with shocking regularity against the best teams on Smackdown, which does have a comparatively thick tag team roster. In fact, MnM defend their Smackdown tag team titles with more regularity then the Raw Tag Team, United States, and Intercontinental titles combined.

MnM have an innovative and impressive looking tag team finisher, The Snapshot, which is a necessity for a successful tag team. Of course they also have Melina, which does them no harm at all, and plays nicely into their overall image as a superstar team. Some would say that she is the most important member of the team, although I do not agree with that statement.

Figuring out why these guys are currently embroiled in a pointless feud with the somnambulistic team of Matt Hardy and Tatanka is difficult (leading to a Hardy heel turn perhaps?) but MnM remain interesting to watch, even when paired with lame opponents.

The common knock on this team is that have been “booked poorly” since being called up from OVW. Such as when they were booked to be destroyed by Batista, or beaten by Heidenreich/Animal (to sell a few more Road Warrior DVDs). This is true, and does hurt their credibility and overall score, however they have shown an ability to rebound strongly from these booking errors.

To sum up- MnM may well be the greatest champions on any WWE roster right now. They are the most dominate tag team in the entire WWE, and they continue to produce compelling matches where ever they are on the card.

Current rating - 7 (out of ten)

TNA - America’s Most Wanted (James Storm & Chris Harris)

“AMW” are six time NWA World Tag Team Champions and easily the most dominate tag team in the history of TNA. They first won the NWA tag team titles way back in September of 2002, and have been on again - off again champions ever since. They have beaten teams like Triple X, The Naturals, and Team Canada, and have feuded with virtually every tag team to make their way thru TNA.

AMW appear on virtually every TNA PPV, and most weekly Impact shows, always as a team, and usually competing for, or defending, the tag team titles. They are multiple time winners of the Wrestling Observer Tag Team of the Year award, and were voted by the staff of this web site as the Tag Team of the Year for 2005.

AMW have been a key part of a number of TNA’s best matches of all time, and that is in a promotion that is known for presenting solid wrestling matches. Recently the team has taken a new “heelish” direction, and has shocked nearly everyone with their strong skills on the mic and in promos.

AMW have also consistently brought out the best in their opponents. The Naturals, Team Canada, Triple X, Team 3-D and others, have all had most of their best TNA matches while in the ring with AMW. Their big moves are not exactly revolutionary, but do have a nice “old school” feel, as both “The Death Sentence” and “The Hart Attack” are moves that AMW lifted from other legendary tag teams (The Midnight Express & The Hart Foundation)

There are some who claim that this team is over rated, but if you take an honest look at their history, that claim doesn’t hold up. It is true that the tag team wrestling scene in the states has been in a slump for the past many years, but that doesn’t diminish AMW’s dominance, nor does it decrease the quality of their matches.

To sum up - TNA has done an excellent job with their premium tag team. They have booked them strongly for the most part, especially recently. America’s Most Wanted is a lame team name, but together Chris Harris and James Storm have eclipsed this handicap, and become a nearly “perfect” tag team.

Current rating - 9 (of ten)

Ring of Honor - Generation Next (Austin Aries & Roderick Strong)

The Tag Team scene in RoH was, at one time, a major strength for the promotion. Teams like The Briscoes, The Second City Saints, The Prophecy, The Havana Pitbulls, AJ & Red and others, made RoH THE place to see fantastic tag team wrestling. However lately RoH’s tag division has been in a slump.

Recent champions like Whitmer & Jacobs, The Garbage Crew, and Mamaluke & Rinauro have failed to put on amazing matches, and thus have failed to win over the demanding RoH fans. Things may be changing since Strong and Aries captured the titles at Final Battle 2005.

The Generation Next stable has been a big hit for RoH, and this team has the potential to be a dominate force on the tag team scene. They face AJ Styles and (tentative stalemate) Matt Sydal in the co- main event at the upcoming fourth anniversary show.

It sucks for Strong and Aries that they are currently in TNA’s “doghouse” (for making it to, and performing in, one of the best matches on their last PPV.... WTF?) but it is potentially good news for RoH loyalists who are eager to see more of this team at work. The less time they spend working TNA under-cards, the more time they can invest in having great main event tag matches for RoH. Also the less time Austin spends in TNA, the less we have to see him in the bizarre get up that he wears when he appears for them (the team would lose points for that, but to date Aries has not appeared for any of his RoH matches dressed like that..... thank god).

With new champions, the Briscoe Brothers coming back, and commissioner Jim Cornette promising a heavier focus on the tag team division, things are looking up for RoH fans who are also fans of great tag team wrestling.

To sum up - As much as I like this team, they haven’t yet done enough as RoH champions to be able to give them a high score. They have had no notable title defenses yet. I suspect that Aries and Strong will have a number of great matches during their reign. They have endless potential, but potential is not worth any points here.

Current rating - 2 (of ten)

WWE vs. TNA vs. ROH - Round Two: Secondary Champions

By Adam Barnowski
Feb 1, 2006, 16:00

Thanks to all who sent me feedback on my debut column. This column is meant to function as one fan�s analysis of how effective each of these men is in their current role as champion. It is not intended as a comparison of these guys to each other, nor is it is intended as an analysis of the titles themselves.

Having said that..... �Let�s get to work�

Round Two : The �Secondary� Titles

WWE - Smackdown : United States Champion : Booker T

The currently injured Booker T was awarded the Smackdown United States Championship when Randy Orton defeated Chris Benoit in the finals of a very odd best of seven series.

If you�re confused by that, don�t worry. You�re not alone.

How exactly does one measure the effectiveness of Booker T as a champion? Booker never won this title, and he has never defended it. One would think that a victory in a title match, and/or at least one successful defense would be mandatory qualifications for calling yourself �champion�. Apparently not on Smackdown.

Booker has been stale for as long as I can remember, and his recent heel turn (with the addition of Sharmell to the equation) has done nothing to freshen up his character. Adding this totally irrelevant title to his character has accomplished nothing at all.

Aside from the fact that he�s hurt, Booker�s current title reign (like Angle�s) is also compromised by a total lack of depth on the Smackdown roster. There�s exactly zero exciting opponents lined up to challenge him. He�s heading into a feud with perhaps the weakest US Champion of all time - Orlando Jordon. Those matches (if and when they actually happen) will be dreadful. With Benoit and Orton out of the picture, and Angle, Mysterio, and Undertaker all wrapped up in the World Title picture, Booker is left with the dregs of a pathetic roster as potential opponents. Assuming he gets by OJ, we can look forward to Book feuding with the likes of - Bogeyman, Mark Henry, Fit Finlay, Matt Hardy, Sylvan, Simon Dean, JBL and so on. None of these match ups qualify as even remotely exciting.

To sum up - In his current run as Smackdown United States Champion, Booker T may be the worst example of a �champion� of all time. I didn�t think I would be handing out a zero this quickly, but I can�t think of any good reason to give him any points at all. It appears that Book is merely keeping this belt warm for Ken Kennedy, or perhaps Bobby Lashley. Either way, the sooner they pull this title off of him the better - For both him and the belt.

Current rating - 0 of ten

WWE Raw - Intercontinental Champion : Ric Flair

It took me about five solid minutes of thought to remember who the current WWE Intercontinental Champion was. Why? Because Ric Flair hasn�t bothered to defend this title (with any kind of regularity) since he won it. �The oldest player in the game� captured his first ever IC title from Carlito Caribbean Cool last September at WWE�s Unforgiven PPV, and then promptly threw that title onto a shelf, where it has been collecting dust ever since

The �King of Kings� (Trips) wouldn�t allow it to be on the line during his feud with Flair because he felt that it would lower his status to be seen competing for this title (nice). Flair technically defended the title against Edge at "New Year�s Revolution", but that non-match degenerated into chaos and was quickly ruled a disqualification. Flair obviously wasn�t defending it once his �R-Rated� opponent became the World Heavyweight Champion. Road Rage Ric doesn�t wear the belt, he doesn�t even carry it with him when he appears on television, which tells you just how much he values it. If the mandatory 30 day title defense rule were still in effect, they would have had to strip Slick Ric of this title by now..... If anyone cared..... Which they obviously don�t.

I grant that Ric Flair is a legendary performer in this business, but how am I supposed to buy this near sixty year old man, who looks like he might keel over at any second, as the Intercontinental Champion? I just can�t. Especially on Raw where there is a whole roster of guys whom you would think would want the IC title. The only way this is even remotely believable is if you convince yourself that younger stars like Carlito, Masters, and Benjamin (to name only a few) have no interest in winning the belt. Which only serves to bury the title even further.

To sum up - Ric Flair is a legend to be sure, but as the current WWE Intercontinental Champion he has been a miserable failure. This title had more prestige attached to it when it was retired. It�s an irrelevant trinket to Ric Flair. If the WWE bookers want to revive this belt they need to put it on someone who it actually means something to..... Immediately.

Current rating - 2 of ten

TNA X Division Champion : Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe captured the X Division Title from AJ Styles in an match of the year candidate at TNA�s recent �Turning Point � PPV. Since then Joe has been busy decimating the division, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Joe is rapidly raising the prestige of the X Division Title, and establishing himself as an unstoppable juggernaut in the process.

Joe hasn�t been champion for long, however his victories over Styles and Daniels have been the best matches on what are usually very strong TNA Pay Per View cards. Joe has also appeared often on the weekly �Impact� show, where he has taken on a string of opponents from the X division. Even Joe�s squash matches are often enjoyable to watch as they often stray from the normal big man squashes little man format, allowing the challenger to get over a little bit, without making Joe look any less dominate.

In the past, the popular criticism of Joe has been his lack of experience on the mic. However recently in TNA, Joe has been cutting the best promos of his career, effectively silencing those critics.

Joe�s recent TNA opponents have been slightly repetitive - AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels primarily. There are plenty of other guys in TNA that I would like to see him lock up with. However I voted the original Joe vs. Styles vs. Daniels �Unbreakable� three way as my Match of the Year for 2005. So I�m not complaining that they are heading for a rematch. I fully expect them to deliver yet another Match of the Year candidate at �Against All Odds�.

To Sum Up : Joe still has a long way to go as X Division Champion, and there is a chance that the fragile egos on top of TNA might eventually compromise the good thing that he has going. However, to date, TNA has booked Joe brilliantly. Here�s hoping that they have the guts to run this all the way out to it�s logical conclusion - Joe defeats whomever is the NWA champion, and then turns down the NWA title in favor of keeping the X Division Championship - When that happens, I will award TNA the elusive �10 of ten�, and call it perfect booking. Until then, Joe as X Division Champion gets a near perfect score here.

Current rating - 8 of ten

RoH Pure Champion - Nigel McGuiness

Nigel McGuiness captured the RoH Pure Title from Samoa Joe in a mediocre match that featured a fluke finish (Joe pinned himself after destroying Nigel for the entire match) at Dragon Gate Invasion last August. Since then McGuiness has used every trick in the Eddie Guerrero �Lie, Cheat, & Steal� playbook to hold onto the title. An odd way for a �Pure Champion� to behave to be sure.

The Pure Championship has allowed RoH to establish a unique division in which the fans are (supposedly) guaranteed technically superior matches with solid clean finishes. There was a time when the RoH Pure Title was considered to be on par with, or even more important than, the RoH World Championship. At the end of Pure Title matches, RoH fans are often cheering in appreciation of an excellent display of wrestling talent. However at the end of a McGuiness match, the RoH fans are more likely to be chanting �Bullshit� than �Match of the Year�.

Nigel is no �brilliant technician� and most of his title defenses end in a screwjob finish. I understand that RoH is trying to build heat for Nigel by booking him in this way, however I fear that Gabe and company are ignoring the obvious damage that this is doing to the reputation of the Pure Title.

If longtime RoH fans begin to believe that every Pure Title match can end in a screwjob, then the title will cease to have any relevance. While newer fans are left to wonder why they call it a "Pure Title", when all of the matches are filled with gimmicky bullshit.

Nigel has had some decent matches against the likes of Castagnoli, Lethal, and Whitmer, since he won the belt. However he hasn�t taken on enough of the RoH main roster to establish himself as a convincing champion. Instead of defending his title on every card, McGuiness keeps busy in non title Four Way Survival and tag team matches, and has even been missing altogether on some recent RoH shows.

To Sum up : I like Nigel, but as RoH Pure Champion he has been a failure. He continues to hurt the status of the title, which is one of RoH�s most unique and interesting features. They need to pull the belt off of him now, before it becomes as irrelevant as a WWE secondary title.

Current rating - 4 of ten

Result of Round Three : Advantage to T.N.A.

Re-cap :

� Round One : World Champions - Advantage to Ring of Honor

� Round Two : Secondary Champions - Advantage to Total Nonstop Action

�• Round Three : Tag Team Champions - Advantage to Total Nonstop Action

I'’ll be back with another look at these promotions soon.

Until then, thanks for reading and send questions, comments, threats, or bribes to - abarnowski@comcast.net - or visit the Insanity Message Boards and voice your opinion there.