| From WorldWrestlingInsanity.com ZAH
04-06-07
“Give me the strength to hold my head up. Spit back in their face.”
Boo-yah, here we go!!
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Item #1 – WrestleMania fallout part one: Cena’s still champ. Well well well...doesn’t this have all the smarks talkin’? Hehehe...kiddies, you best be getting used to disappointment if you want the focus to be off of Cena anytime soon. Still, I empathize with you all. I really do. My heart goes out. Well, since this is my column and all I figure I should give you my take on this.
Cena as WWE champion, at least for the very near foreseeable future, is a very good thing.
WHAT??
Yeah...no shit. Listen, you guys’n’gals can get as pissy as you want about how Cena’s getting stale and he’s tired and it’s time to move on. The fact of the matter is that there is nobody on WWE’s roster who is more ‘over’ right now than John Cena.
Now before you get your panties in a bunch, realize that being ‘over’ doesn’t necessarily mean being cheered. It’s quite obvious that Cena isn’t the most popular guy on the roster in every city that he’s in. However, there is nobody on the roster...and I mean nobody...who can get a crowd on their feet to voice their opinion more than John Cena can right now. Whether you love him or hate him, you simply don’t sit on your hands when he walks into an arena.
And that, folks, is the bottom line. When Cena wrestles, there is no silence. There aren’t too many wrestlers on the planet that you can say that about. And until merchandise sales, ratings, and house show numbers all begin to decline you won’t see a major change on top anytime soon.
Does that make it the right decision? Hell no. WWE has totally shot themselves in the foot when it comes to creating new superstars over the past couple of years. From Triple H’s running through the babyface roster to Cena decimating the heels, WWE is only now beginning to realize that there is nobody else ready to step up to the plate and are, as such, finally getting behind people like Bobby Lashley, Mr. Kennedy, and even Randy Orton..
So until there is somebody else that is hot enough to run with the title (and yes I realize that Edge was that man in 2006 but sh*t happens), Cena will continue to run with the belt and dominate everybody who steps in his path.
You don’t have to like it but you better learn to deal with it. You don’t like it? Don’t watch RAW.
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Item #2 – WrestleMania fallout part two: Shawn Michael’s pissed. I love this little bit of juicy gossip. Apparently, the lack of handshake at the end of the match between Cena & Michaels was a legit shoot. Why? Watch the match again. Michaels attacked Cena’s leg early and hard...helping the match psychology get going. By the end of the match, not only was Cena hardly out of breath (especially after taking a piledriver ON THE STEEL STAIRS!!!), but he wasn’t selling the leg anymore.
Michaels...y’know, because he’s the consummate professional and all...was pissed legit at Cena’s lack of commitment to storytelling. Therefore, the handshake that was to take place, in turn, changed to Michaels being a punk-ass whiny bitch and sulking his way to the back after participating in the best match on the card. In fact, Michaels was supposedly so hot that there was a point in the match where he began “shooting” on Cena in the middle of the ring for his insolence, which is reportedly why the audio went out for a few seconds during the match.
I dunno...but its fun to wonder aloud isn’t it? Anyhoo, Cena’s in a tiny dog-house over the performance which means, obviously, that he’ll end up ruling the universe soon as pretty much anybody designated with having “heat” with WWE management lately ends up getting pushed.
Let’s hope Michaels regains his smile long enough to help Cena wrestle in the best matches of his career over the coming summer.
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Item #3 – WrestleMania fallout part three: Mr. Money in the Bank......................Bank. While I was surprised to see Edge’s WrestleMania streak come to an end, I was more surprised to see Randy Orton not win the match at Mania. Yes, Mr. Kennedy was definitely a favorite to win the match but I wasn’t convinced that WWE Management was that much behind his character/gimmick at this point.
So now Michaels, Orton, and Edge are all vying for Cena’s championship while Mr. Kennedy gets to choose which champion he wants to face and when he wants to face them.
Is Kennedy ready? Yeah...I think he is. His in-ring has improved tenfold over the past year while his mic skills, at least depending on which IWC member you’re talking to, have always been solid and continue to do so. He’s got the kind of personality and charisma that people respond to and his overall in-ring presence is growing by leaps and bounds.
Plus...Kennedy’s actually been pushed as somebody who can defeat anybody and any time (forget his pinfall loss to Matt Hardy...it never happened). Kennedy’s defeated two thousand former champions (don’t quote me on that number, though) and if he gets into the ring with somebody like the Undertaker he’s a legit threat to take the belt. There aren’t too many other wrestlers in WWE that you can say that about.
In my opinion, the end of 2007 will see at least one title reign of one Mr. Kennedy.
Kennedy.
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Item #4 – WrestleMania fallout part four: Taker’s last run. You gotta lend a tip of your hat to the Undertaker. Not only is the guy continuing to actually get better with age, but he’s a better in-ring performer than most of the WWE roster. Of course he deserved the victory at WrestleMania. The big question is just how long will he run with the belt?
During the post-WrestleMania roundtable, Matt Dawgs suggested that Mr. Kennedy might actually win the title from the Undertaker without using the MITB title shot...hence allowing him to get over on his own and use the title shot at a later date. Personally, I think the idea is brilliant...hence, WWE will probably never do it.
Anyway, I don’t expect a long title reign by Taker but kudos to him for pulling a great match out of Batista. That ain’t easy.
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Item #5 – WrestleMania fallout part five: MVP’s breakout? Wow...talk about a heat magnet. Up until WrestleMania, there hasn’t really been a whole lot of IWC talk about Montel Vontavious Porter or his run on SmackDown. Well, that’s now officially over because MVP has become one of the hottest topics of conversation I’ve seen in quite some time.
What’s the big deal? Well, when a gimmick and a character begin taking off at an exponential rate there is always going to be debate over its legitimacy. The Spirit Squad? The Boogeyman? King Booker? One of those things is not like the other. Kids, when a gimmick like King Booker takes off it results in heat and, usually, title reigns. Nobody is going to accuse Booker T of being an improved in-ring performer, but his ‘king’ gimmick was the best thing that happened in Book’s entire career.
Now I’m not saying that MVP is world championship material...at least not yet. However, you cannot deny the possibility of that happening within the next couple of years.
Really?
Yes...really. It’s been quite apparent from the beginning that MVP has got loads of charisma; that’s what brought him to “the dance” before many other better, more talented in-ring performers. What’s coming along, and what is the main area of contention with many online wrestling fans, is MVP’s in-ring work. While many suggest he’s lacking, the rest of us see the incredible improvement that he has shown over the past few months. While not headlining PPV’s, he’s been headlining house shows with everybody from Kane and Undertaker to John Cena and Shawn Michaels. That type of experience is something you can’t put a price tag on.
Many people, including yours truly, are jumping on the MVP bandwagon. He’s here...he’s a major future star...so you either jump on now or watch it take off without you.
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Item #6 – Wait a second...something happened in TNA, too! Well...kinda. There are a couple of news stories coming out of TNA.
The first is that during their contract renegotiations with Spike TV that there is talk (yet again) about additional programming in the form of either an extra hour or an extra program altogether. While some may label me as a TNA “hater”, I prefer to consider myself a TNA “realist”. To me, it’s quite obvious that while one extra hour of programming may be nice, it’s not the end all to be all when it comes to Impact’s success on Spike TV.
And no...I’m not suggesting that Vince Russo be fired due to being the anti-Christ.
What I’m saying is that until TNA can prove to me that they can deliver a consistently entertaining one-hour program, I will refuse to believe that they could possibly work properly with a two-hour timeslot. Kids...you’ve got to work with what you’ve got.
The second little news tidbit is that MyNetworkTV is apparently interested in TNA. Ummm...MyNetworkTV? Not for nothing, but having one original program per night for only three nights per week doesn’t really scream out “improvement” over Spike. Having interest from this type of television network certainly doesn’t help TNA put themselves into a better bargaining position because let’s face it...Spike won’t give two sh*ts. While consistent in the ratings, TNA isn’t a huge money-maker for Spike so if they threaten to walk it wouldn’t surprise me to see Spike let them go and replace them with something like another original program such as Bullrun or Pros vs. Joes...both of which are getting ratings close to Impact’s.
Until then...all of these rumors are just that. Hopes of future TNA greatness rest not in the negotiations with Spike, but rather with TNA’s creative team. Not one person...but the entire team. ***
Item #7 – WWE signs long time ROH/indy vet. A hearty congratulations goes out to Scott “Colt Cabana” Colten for being the latest WWE developmental signing. This guy started out in 1999/2000 and quickly started working alongside one of his best friends, CM Punk. The two of them worked the indies for years both as a tag team and against each other.
In the fall of 2004, Cabana took what could arguably be considered to be the most important wrestling tour of his life when he traveled to Europe. His in-ring style after that trip undeniably changed and was heavily influenced from his European experiences, as he ended up going on more European tours in 2005 and 2006.
The guy is a consummate in-ring performer who definitely has more charisma than muscle definition. However, he is now the third member of the Saints to be signed by WWE within the past year. Punk, obviously, is doing quite well and Steel was signed to a developmental contract a month or two ago after performing in that god-awful Donald vs. Rosie skit on RAW.
While you never know how things will turn out, I fully expect to see Cabana in some incarnation performing in a WWE ring before 2007 is over. You never know...the Second City Saints may even be reborn before your very eyes.
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Item #8 – Is Jacobs really that big of a deal? A hot topic on the Insanity message boards right now is about a young wrestler from Ring of Honor named Jimmy Jacobs. This guy has been riding a wave of momentum over the past few months doing an “emo” gimmick and feuding with BJ “Mr. Vanilla” Whitmer. My thoughts?
Well, without going into a long rant...I want to know your thoughts. I want the fans of Jacobs to convince me that he’s actually worth something. Is he more than meets the eye? What is it about his gimmick that works? What does he do in the ring that should impress? Does he deserve to be higher on the ROH card than he is?
Or on the other hand...is Jacobs over-rated? Does his size work against him even with size-forgiving ROH fans? Is his in-ring work lackluster? Does he simply not connect with people?
I want to hear both sides.
*** Item # 7 – LOSER OF THE WEEK. Each and every week, I pick somebody (not necessarily always from wrestling) who has either acted in a dumb way, said something stupid, or generally was an idiot in some way, shape, or form. This week was a couple of weeks delayed. I mean, this guy wore out his welcome a LONG time ago and I’m so happy he’s finally out of the public eye. Ladies and gents, ZAH’s Loser of the Week simply has to be...
Sanjaya!!! ...what, he didn’t get voted out again???
Goddammit...I just can’t believe Sanjaya is still on American Idol. F*ck. Oh well...moving on...
Ummm...oh I got it...
Mike Rickard!!!
Don’t worry gang...suggesting Mike was actually his own idea. In fact, I’ll let him explain it in his own words:
“Remember when Sandman came running down the aisle before the ECW match (at WrestleMania)? Right before the match I went to take a leak and I came back to discover Sandman had run down our aisle. D'oh!”
Yeah...it’s weak...but whatcha gon’ do? Since Sanjaya, for yet another week, is continuing to break hearts and shatter eardrums, I guess congrats are in order as WWI’s very own Mike “NidiaFan” Rickard is my Loser of the Week!
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Pillar to Post
Each and every week I’ll take three statements that you, the WorldWrestlingInsanity.com readers, have submitted on the hot topics du jour and then get two or three volunteers to give their thoughts and insight. Ladies and gentlemen, this week (and I encourage every reader to throw me an e-mail and volunteer), I bring to you two great World Wrestling Insanity readers clifffside and NickWWF!!
1. Agree or Disagree
clifffside: WrestleMania was a pretty good PPV as far as WWE PPVs go, but was only average as by WrestleMania standards. The main reason being because there were no memorable "Mania Moments" like there have been in the past. No Hulk slamming Andre (WM3), no Austin turning to join forces with McMahon (WM17), etc........
This WM just had your basic WWE PPV ingredients: - Silly backstage skit (Dancing With The Legends???) - John Cena retains the title (makes HBK tap out)
NickWWF: Agree.
WrestleMania had strong hype going into it with the Battle of the Billionaires, and the show lived up to the hype of not only casual fans but also the non-casual fans. The Billionaires match was what it was, but the payoff of McMahon getting his head shaved bald by both Trump and Lashley was a win-win for everyone. Lashley got his name on tons of media outlets and Trump was able to advertise his show and himself. As for the other matches, those that were expected to be good to great matches delivered, and in the case of Batista/Undertaker it more than exceeded expectations. Not only was it a very good PPV, but also a very successful one.
2. Agree or Disagree
clifffside: Agree.
Yes I think he was the best choice, with a slight edge over Randy Orton because Kennedy is more fresh. If you wanna have Kennedy follow in the footsteps of RVD and Edge and have him battle for the title in emotional feuds with the champ like they did, then he can do that. He can walk the walk and talk the talk like a good heel should. Kennedy is a great antagonist that can carry a feud's heat and now it's time for him to bring it to that next level. or
NickWWF: Absolutely agree.
Punk's a rising star and an internet darling, but to have him win would have been a mistake for the time being. He had a cup of coffee on Raw and Smackdown, but he is just a victim of circumstance. If Kennedy wasn't in this match, then Punk would have been a wise choice. But Kennedy has been on a roll for quite a while that if he didn't win this it would have impeded his progress. Whenever he cashes in the briefcase he'll most likely be champ in the title match. And while the others involved are all great in their own way, this was Kennedy's match. I honestly believe WWE knows this as you can say Punk being so close at the end was a way for them to show us that while he's great nothing can stop Kennedy.
3. Agree or Disagree
clifffside: I think they are making a mistake only if his on screen presence doesn't do anything for the talent he is working with. When you look back at his feuds, he had so much heat with the crowd because he was an unbelievable performer, but that’s not the genius of a Vince McMahon. What makes him so great at being an on screen performer is his ability to channel that heat into getting his talent over. The Rock was great, Stone Cold was awesome, even Shane McMahon was talented, but they never would have gotten to the levels that they got to without Vince McMahon there to make himself look like a jackass.
NickWWF: For now, disagree.
His involvement currently has been great. You have the feud with Trump plus his feud with Lashley, and that benefits Lashley a great deal if the fans can get behind him. We can all do without that first-person camera view that he tried on Raw, but other than that he's been good so far. Maybe if Lashley doesn't rise in popularity after this angle will I call it a mistake? For now it's a wait-and-see process.
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Great job guys! I’m looking forward to seeing who gets to join me as a guest columnist next week.
No problem. Seriously...it’s not a problem at all. Really...let me know RIGHT NOW!! You can let me know either by e-mailing me at Zah@worldwrestlinginsanity.com or hitting me up at ZAH Nation, found in the Insanity Message Board and letting me know that you’d like to participate. Also, don’t forget to stop by my MySpace page and add me.
So until next week…
L8R
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