Mike Rickard
Rickard's Ramblings: Elevation X better than Nytol, The Return of the Rock, "Fire Russo," The Instant Classic, and More
By Mike Rickard II
Mar 16, 2007, 10:40

After a long week in court, there’s nothing like rambling on about the latest happenings in the wild and wacky world of professional wrestling.  Help me wind down from lawyer mode to smark mode as I ask a few questions of you, the intelligent wrestling fan.

1. Would Wrestling Society X still be on the air if it had a money mark like Dixie Carter?

2. What’s the lesser of two evils; a Kane/Great Khali match or a Robert Roode promo?

3. Why isn’t Mr. Kennedy sporting championship gold yet?

4. What’s faker, Ashley’s boobs or Mick Foley saying he doesn’t like to look at his hot friends’ boobs?

5. Do you think the WWE will digitize someone into Paul Roma’s place in their upcoming Four Horsemen DVD?

ELEVATION X DELIVERS BETTER THAN NYTOL:  Anyone who’s wondered why promoters don’t run scaffold matches anymore got a painful reminder last Sunday during the Elevation X Match between A.J. Styles and Rhino.  While both men did their best to make the match endurable; the match sucked major ass nevertheless.  Not only are scaffold matches incredibly dangerous to the wrestlers working them but they’re incredibly boring to anyone watching them.  There is absolutely no reason to have a scaffold match unless you’re looking to attract the type of audience that tunes in to daredevil shows to watch someone die.  The only time TNA should run a scaffold match is if it involves Jeff Jarrett and Vince Russo suspended over a tank of sharks (A match you’d probably have seen on MTV had Wrestling Society X not had its plug pulled).

 
FINALLY, THE ROCK HAS COME BACK TO…I know a fan who hates the Rock ever since he left the WWE to pursue his Hollywood career.  She hates him with a passion and calls him a traitor for leaving the WWE (I call him smart for making millions without having to risk life and limb but that’s material for another column).  However when he made his appearance on RAW last night she was ecstatic and kept wondering if the Rock is coming back to WWE.  While that’s highly unlikely, it shows you how much the Rock brought to the table.  The WWE really needs to work on finding a superstar that captures the fans’ attention so much that whether you love him or hate him, you still want to see him on television and you’ll make a serious effort to see him. 

 
FIRE RUSSO: Speaking of the Internet’s favorite whipping boy, viewers of Destination X no doubt heard the “Fire Russo” chants during the Last Rites Match between Sting and Abyss. While there have been a few too many gimmick matches in TNA, I don’t think Russo has done anything to draw the wrath of TNA fans so far.  His run has actually been pretty good as he’s amped the sports entertainment portion of TNA without going overboard like he did in WCW.  As for the Last Rites Match, it was an excellent variation of the casket match and another great brawl between Sting and Abyss in their ongoing war. 

 
While the fans in the Impact Zone usually make for a lively crowd, they do get carried away with their smarky comments like the “Fire Russo” chant and the overuse of the “This is awesome” chants everytime one of their favorites slap on a headlock.  Someone needs to remind them that the show is about the wrestlers, not the audience; a fact not lost on the WWE who wisely moved their upcoming ECW show out of the Hammerstein Ballroom.

 
INSTANT CLASSIC INDEED:  While some fans were disappointed to see Samoa Joe fail in his attempt to win the NWA World Championship against Christian Cage at Destination X, I applaud TNA’s decision to keep the belt on “The Instant Classic”.  Christian Cage’s heel run as NWA Champion has been everything his face run as champion wasn’t; nothing short of brilliant.  Between his hilarious interviews, his excellent work in the ring,  and the sense of desperation he evokes that this could be his last night as champion, Cage has recaptured the spirit of the chickenshit heel champion that was defined by Ric “Nature Boy” Flair in the 1980’s.   There are different philosophies when it comes to pushing your world champion and TNA’s seems to be that the thrill of the chase is better for business than long babyface reigns.  If that’s the way they’re going to do business, I can’t imagine a much better person to have people chase than Christian Cage. 

 
THIS WEEK’S MAGNIFICENT BASTARD: This week marks the debut of a new feature in Rickard’s Ramblings; the Magnificent Bastard Award.  The MB recognizes outstanding achievement in the world of pro wrestling whether it’s a great match, a promo, or just something awesome from someone involved in wrestling.  If you’d like to vote, email me at Rickard@Worldwrestlinginsanity.com or drop by Rickard’s House of Old School in the Insanity Message Boards.  The deadline for each M.B. is Tuesday morning by 11AM.   I’ll be sure to post the most interesting  comments as it fills up valuable column space and I get paid by the word.

 This week’s winner is a man who gets more than his fair share of (usually well-deserved) criticism.  Say what you will about the WWE’s track record since the death of WCW but recently, the WWE has been firing on all cylinders; something quite evident by last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW.  Not only did it feature the return of the Rock but it featured a thoroughly entertaining segment featuring  WWE chairman Vince McMahon and Donald Trump.  This week’s MBA goes to Vincent Kennedy McMahon for his outstanding work in promoting Wrestlemania 23 and really pulling out all the stops to make the Trump/McMahon feud excellent.  While the WWE has some great wrestlers, the fact is that McMahon emphasizes entertainment over wrestling.  He’s always done business that way and he probably always will.  Last night’s show featured entertainment not seen (dare I say) since the heyday of the Monday Night War.  Vince’s interaction with Donald Trump and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was classic Mr. McMahon and thoroughly entertaining.  Most non-wrestling segments on RAW can’t go three minutes without dulling your senses but last night’s ten minute overrun was perfect from start to finish.  Hopefully this is the sign of more good things to come and not just a short burst of energy to hype Wrestlemania.