This idea came as a result of recent events. Colt Cabana's NWA World title reign was ended just a couple of months after he won it. This lead me to think about previous champions who have had short reigns but ultimately went on to become much bigger. So Here's 6 guys who have not had the best of luck with the big titles but were still big stars.
Ricky Steamboat
Steamboat had one reign as NWA World champion lasting just about 3 months. He defeated Ric Flair to become champion and would lose it too Flair as well, he would also seem to revolve around Flair during that time as he seemed to never defend the belt against anyone else. But in a sense that was a blessing. The series between the two for the belt has gone done as one of the greatest in wrestling history just making it look like Steamboat was a great champion. Why he never got it again is beyond me, he is know as one of the best workers ever and has had some of the greatest matches of all time. Maybe his lack of promo skills harmed him or the move to a new style and moving away from the NWA (the company became WCW) meant that Steamboat would only be a high mid-card and not main event. Regardless of that he is still on of the biggest legends going today and is in the Hall of Fame, which he truly deserves.
Kerry Von Erich
The story behind the match where he won the belt is legendary. Kerry's brother David had died in Japan, many believed David was going to be NWA world champion. The match took place in the biggest crowd the WCCW pulled and was for David's Memorial show. Kerry defeated Ric Flair and became champion. Many have said that it wasn't a surprise and it was done for the wrong reasons. Kerry's reign lasted less than 3 weeks. Sadly Kerry was a victim of the NWA curse (as I call it), while there have been many men to hold the belt multiple times and for a long time there are many guys who get a short reign and are forgotten (Tommy Rich & Ron Garvin). So how does this prove my point of this blog, simple. Who is the Von Erich you remember more? It's Kerry. While we may know of David and Kevin we think of Kerry first. Kerry would have a huge draw all over America and even became Intercontinental champion in WWE. Kerry was the biggest star in the Von Erich family, would David have been bigger probably but it was Kerry who went on to big things after his death and not any of the other 4 brothers.
Mankind
Mick Foley put it best "I'm the greatest transitional champion in WWE history". Mick had 3 reigns as WWE champion and in total it lasted all of 3 months at best. Mick was a victim of the Russo booking when he first gained the belt, him and The Rock traded it back and fourth through January to March of 1999. His third reign lasted all of a day, Mick beat Steve Austin at Summerslam 1999 and lost it to Triple H on Raw the next day, many have stated this was done because Austin refused to lose the title to Triple H who he didn't see as a big enough star at the time. While Mick's reigns as WWE champion came and went quickly we still remember him as a champion and to more of a point we still see him as a big superstar and not a flash in the pan champion.
Big Show
Show has the only honour on this list of not having great World title reigns in two companies. Show debuted as the Giant in WCW and in his first official match won the World title, that reign was quickly overturned as he won it by DQ. He would get a longer reign later on but it wouldn't be that much longer. Many forgot about these reigns as Show would become nothing of meaning in the company, sadly that's what WCW was like. He would debut as the Big Show in WWE in 1999, he became WWE champion in November of that year ending Triple H's reign. That reign lasted 2 months and he lost it back to Triple H, I think this was done because Triple was involved in a story with the McMahon's and they wanted the title to not be included in it. It was 3 years later that he won the title again, at Survivor Series again, this time beating Brock Lesnar. This reign lasted even shorted, just one month, and he lost it to Kurt Angle. I think this was done so that Kurt would be champion in the Kurt-Brock match they wanted at Mania and they didn't want that match to happen before the show. No matter which way you look at it Show has not had good luck with the big belts but that hasn't mattered, he is still seen as one of the biggest stars the company has ever had and that won't likely change.
Diamond Dallas Page
DDP is just one of the prime examples at how bad WCW was in 1999 and beyond. DDP had 3 reigns as WCW world champion lasting a total of just over a month. He won the title in a 4 way at Spring Stampede and would then go on to take part in one of the stupid bookings I've ever seen. In one episode of Nitro he lost the title to Sting and would later on go on to win it back in a 4 Way match. That reign ended at the next PPVArquette just days later in awful booking. With all this being said DDP is still one of the biggest stars that WCW ever had and is still a big name to this day, could he go in the Hall of Fame? I think so you just have to over look his WWE run.
Dusty Rhodes
This is the main guy I thought of when this subject popped up in my head. Dusty is a 3 time NWA World champion and one of the biggest legends ever in this business. He is regarded as one of the biggest stars of all time but when you look at his title reign when it came to the NWA World title that was not the case. What's funny is that WWE's DVD story about these reigns made it look like Rhodes was a fantastic champion!
Anyways Rhodes won the title from Harley Race and less than a week later lost it back to him. Race would have a long run and Rhodes would chase him finally beating him to regain the belt. He held it for just a few months and then lost it to Ric Flair. The two had a really long feud a few years later which saw Rhodes win his 3rd in a steel cage match but just like his 1st it lasted a little over a week. Rhodes wasn't as great as a champion as many would have you believe, when you consider many held it for years at a time back then. But that hasn't hurt his legacy and he is still one of the biggest legends ever.
What I'm trying to get at here is that the wrestling business is full of this crap, not giving guys a chance to truly show how good they are when they have the main belt (just look at Jack Swagger last year). However if you're any good you can move from it and make it look like it was greater than it actually was. Many have called Steamboat's reign as World champion a flop but he's still one of the greatest of all time. I guess time ultimately shows how we'll remember them and their reigns.
Friday, 29 April 2011
Saturday, 23 April 2011
IWA-MS RIP...Again...Probably for the final time
I've had this blog in my mind for a little while now. I was going to do a 2 part retrospective looking at the TPI and King of the Death tournaments. Instead I've decided to look at the entire companies which recently closed it's doors once again.
The earliest footage I saw of IWA Mid South was it's 2001 King of the Death Tournament. The building was a little dump to put it nicely. It looked awful. The company, which started in 1997, didn't really get noticed until the early 2000's. The company's shows were a mix, they had some of the best wrestling you could find, the feud between CM Punk and Chris Hero was talked about all over the place, but it's main focus was on hardcore deathmatches. To be fair it fitted the arena and the general look of the company.
The company would move from building to building each being a 'home' for a while for the company. Not a great deal would change in the company for a few years except new stars would come and go. It wasn't until 2004 that a major change would happen. They would join up with the NWA and would switch it's focus from deathmatches to more straight up wrestling. They got a building in Highland, Indiana which was a gym but it always looked good on camera and for all the shows I've seen from the company in the building was always full in terms of a crowd. That year the company would put on probably the greatest weekend of wrestling ever in the indy world, that being the Ted Petty Invitational 2004. It was a truly great series of shows and was a highlight for the company. The switch in focus resulted in good numbers in terms of crowds on a regular basis. It really looked like the company would be doing really well. It had one of the best rosters of any company going at the time which resulted in some of the best shows and some true dream matches.
With the switch in focus the company announced the last King of the Death in 2004. However that didn't happen as a year later the tournament returned. The found a new building, as the other one in Highland didn't allow a deathmatch style. The company seemed to switch back to it's old ways and put it's focus on deathmatches in the main events. And they also went back to getting a mixed crowd from show to show. Sometimes they would have a full crowd and others there would be very little. The company would expand in 2005 by putting a show in the old ECW arena. Gaining one of the biggest crowds they ever got and putting on one of the best shows ever, headlined by Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher which was a classic.
The company would keep moving forward and in 2006 they would pull another massive crowd for their We're No Joke show headlined by Necro Butcher vs. Low Ki. However the odd show here and there still did not establish a constant full time good crowd which the company needed. 2006 also marked the arrival of some new tournaments, the Queen of the Death (an all women's death match tournament) and the Double Death (tag team death match tournament), which I'll get to later. The company would bring stars in and have stars leave however they didn't really have a constant big name in the company. Fast forward to 2009 the company found another new building except this time it was a shit hole and that's putting it nicely. It was God awful and really made the company look like garbage.
By September 2009, just before the TPI, the company closed it's doors officially after many many years of will it won't it. A company that was one of my favourites had gone and I hated that fact. I like many others were happy when the company came back in 2010 however that was short lived after watching the 'new product'. They had no big name stars whatsoever and when reading the results of shows you ended up saying 'Who' to almost everyone who was on the show. The highlight of the return was the April Bloodshowers show which got the smallest crowd ever to a wrestling show, having seen highlights it was laughable. The show was the longest running named show the company had and always gained a big crowd so to pull such a bad number showed how bad the company had become. They went months and months with announcing shows, putting them off and cancelling them. A little while back they announced there closing once again this time I doubt it'll come back.
For me there are many possible reasons why the company closed twice within a couple of years. One thing I thought was a major thing for the closing in 2009 was the 2008 they had. They held a total of 8 tournaments, 3 of which were weekend shows. The big names needed to pull the crowd must of cost a lot and gained very little. The problem was the Queen and Double Death tournaments. While both were great ideas there was no reason for them, the Queen was built around Mickie Knuckles and all the other girls had no name and still have no name seriously look who won the 2008 and see if you know them. And the Double Death had no real tag teams to focus on, seriously Brain Damage & Deranged won the thing 2 years in a row and there were only 3 tournaments.
Another problem was while the company was highly praised for building stars and letting them shine it was a problem when it came to drawing a crowd. 2 of the longest reigning World champions were Chuck Taylor and Dingo. While Chuck Taylor is known now back then he was a up and comer who was just getting his name out there, not a great way to get a crowd when your main act is hard to recognise. The same goes for Dingo in 2008 he wasn't that much of a name and had done very little in the company before gaining the title. While the two did prove themselves in during their reigns it would of made more sense if they were bigger names and proved themselves before it.
The same quality, of building stars, was another problem as they were never really recognisable. While it is a good thing to build stars you need made stars to do so, the lack results in guys trying to make their names off each other which can work but takes longer. And near the later years of the company many of the guys who were made years before left the company for different reasons or another meant there were no guys who could make stars.
Now I can go on about the many different reason why it could of closed, the biggest is problem Ian Rotten (the owner) himself and the rumours of what he has done but I won't. I've just pointed out a couple of possible problems here.
Now I loved the company and I have many shows from around 2006-2008 which were awesome. However in 2009 and 2010 the company turned for the worse and in such a way that it couldn't recover. AJ Styles summed it up best in a shoot interview 'You knew the company was doomed when the boys in the back out numbered the crowd'.
With Ian's reputation being as bad as it is I doubt it can recover and the company will likely be gone for good which is probably for the best. The company was probably one of the biggest indy companies in America at one point and after a while it became one of the biggest jokes.
The earliest footage I saw of IWA Mid South was it's 2001 King of the Death Tournament. The building was a little dump to put it nicely. It looked awful. The company, which started in 1997, didn't really get noticed until the early 2000's. The company's shows were a mix, they had some of the best wrestling you could find, the feud between CM Punk and Chris Hero was talked about all over the place, but it's main focus was on hardcore deathmatches. To be fair it fitted the arena and the general look of the company.
The company would move from building to building each being a 'home' for a while for the company. Not a great deal would change in the company for a few years except new stars would come and go. It wasn't until 2004 that a major change would happen. They would join up with the NWA and would switch it's focus from deathmatches to more straight up wrestling. They got a building in Highland, Indiana which was a gym but it always looked good on camera and for all the shows I've seen from the company in the building was always full in terms of a crowd. That year the company would put on probably the greatest weekend of wrestling ever in the indy world, that being the Ted Petty Invitational 2004. It was a truly great series of shows and was a highlight for the company. The switch in focus resulted in good numbers in terms of crowds on a regular basis. It really looked like the company would be doing really well. It had one of the best rosters of any company going at the time which resulted in some of the best shows and some true dream matches.
With the switch in focus the company announced the last King of the Death in 2004. However that didn't happen as a year later the tournament returned. The found a new building, as the other one in Highland didn't allow a deathmatch style. The company seemed to switch back to it's old ways and put it's focus on deathmatches in the main events. And they also went back to getting a mixed crowd from show to show. Sometimes they would have a full crowd and others there would be very little. The company would expand in 2005 by putting a show in the old ECW arena. Gaining one of the biggest crowds they ever got and putting on one of the best shows ever, headlined by Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher which was a classic.
The company would keep moving forward and in 2006 they would pull another massive crowd for their We're No Joke show headlined by Necro Butcher vs. Low Ki. However the odd show here and there still did not establish a constant full time good crowd which the company needed. 2006 also marked the arrival of some new tournaments, the Queen of the Death (an all women's death match tournament) and the Double Death (tag team death match tournament), which I'll get to later. The company would bring stars in and have stars leave however they didn't really have a constant big name in the company. Fast forward to 2009 the company found another new building except this time it was a shit hole and that's putting it nicely. It was God awful and really made the company look like garbage.
By September 2009, just before the TPI, the company closed it's doors officially after many many years of will it won't it. A company that was one of my favourites had gone and I hated that fact. I like many others were happy when the company came back in 2010 however that was short lived after watching the 'new product'. They had no big name stars whatsoever and when reading the results of shows you ended up saying 'Who' to almost everyone who was on the show. The highlight of the return was the April Bloodshowers show which got the smallest crowd ever to a wrestling show, having seen highlights it was laughable. The show was the longest running named show the company had and always gained a big crowd so to pull such a bad number showed how bad the company had become. They went months and months with announcing shows, putting them off and cancelling them. A little while back they announced there closing once again this time I doubt it'll come back.
For me there are many possible reasons why the company closed twice within a couple of years. One thing I thought was a major thing for the closing in 2009 was the 2008 they had. They held a total of 8 tournaments, 3 of which were weekend shows. The big names needed to pull the crowd must of cost a lot and gained very little. The problem was the Queen and Double Death tournaments. While both were great ideas there was no reason for them, the Queen was built around Mickie Knuckles and all the other girls had no name and still have no name seriously look who won the 2008 and see if you know them. And the Double Death had no real tag teams to focus on, seriously Brain Damage & Deranged won the thing 2 years in a row and there were only 3 tournaments.
Another problem was while the company was highly praised for building stars and letting them shine it was a problem when it came to drawing a crowd. 2 of the longest reigning World champions were Chuck Taylor and Dingo. While Chuck Taylor is known now back then he was a up and comer who was just getting his name out there, not a great way to get a crowd when your main act is hard to recognise. The same goes for Dingo in 2008 he wasn't that much of a name and had done very little in the company before gaining the title. While the two did prove themselves in during their reigns it would of made more sense if they were bigger names and proved themselves before it.
The same quality, of building stars, was another problem as they were never really recognisable. While it is a good thing to build stars you need made stars to do so, the lack results in guys trying to make their names off each other which can work but takes longer. And near the later years of the company many of the guys who were made years before left the company for different reasons or another meant there were no guys who could make stars.
Now I can go on about the many different reason why it could of closed, the biggest is problem Ian Rotten (the owner) himself and the rumours of what he has done but I won't. I've just pointed out a couple of possible problems here.
Now I loved the company and I have many shows from around 2006-2008 which were awesome. However in 2009 and 2010 the company turned for the worse and in such a way that it couldn't recover. AJ Styles summed it up best in a shoot interview 'You knew the company was doomed when the boys in the back out numbered the crowd'.
With Ian's reputation being as bad as it is I doubt it can recover and the company will likely be gone for good which is probably for the best. The company was probably one of the biggest indy companies in America at one point and after a while it became one of the biggest jokes.
Saturday, 16 April 2011
One bad week, Ain't No Doubt About!
This week in wrestling has been one very bad one. While it's ended on a high note, with Chikara's King of Trios happening. There's been some bad and I thought I'd share my view on them.
Now before I look at the bigger lose (in my view) I will look at the lesser. This week on Raw there was a surprise announcement and that was Edge, who was the current World champion, had to retire. Edge has been one of my favourites for years and is one of the biggest stars in the company and him leaving is a big lose to the company. He's been wrestling in the WWE for 13 years and I've seen everything. From his debut to his amazing tag team with Christian, to his break out into singles wrestling and finally to his push to the main event. I've witnessed it all. While this is a big shock and came from out of no where the fact is that it still wasn't that big of a surprise, the fact Edge was talking about retiring next year anyways, while we'll miss some potential feuds that could of happened the fact is there really not that much left to happen in that time.
The biggest problem is the gap that it's left in the company. Over the past 2 years WWE have lost many of there established main eventers and has left a huge gap. While there is very little doubt about Alberto Del Rio winning the World title soon, more likely at Extreme Rules, who can he feud with? Sure he can work with Christian and he may become the next main event babyface but there is still a big gap. It seems to be a case of wait and see.
Now to the bigger lose. At the beginning of the week I read that 'Sweet 'n Sour' Larry Sweeney was found dead at the age of 29. Sweeney was one of my favourite guys to watch and listen to. A big star on the indies and made a big splash in ROH as a manager. Sweeney showed how truly smart he was when it came to the wrestling business by doing something very few others could and that make himself a star while put as a manager, he reminded me of the old managers of the 80's like Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart, guys who nearly outshined the guys they worked with. I loved watching Sweeney wrestle and listening to him on commentary, he was so smart.
There are many things I remember about Sweeney. The numerous times he was ICW/ICWA Tex-Arkana Television champion, it was really his belt and it didn't look right with anyone else. Sweeney's promos were always amazing to listen to. But some of the biggest things I remember was his last year, he seemed to disappear from wrestling all together for years but he returned to AAW wrestling and I remember watching his promos and thinking this is a whole new Sweeney. But the biggest thing and the thing that will stick with me forever is Sweeney's shocking return to Chikara at the Dark Cibernetico match. The crowd exploded and continued to go crazy for seemingly forever.
Wrestling has had a bad week, in my view, but like any bad thing you have to get used to it and move forward. But not after reflecting on what they gave to the business. At last nights King of Trios Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw gave a tribute in their match to Larry Sweeney and I expect to see some more from Chikara as Larry was one of their own.
I'll end this by saying that wrestling has had two big loses this week and it will take some time to get used to. Luckly Edge is fine and healthly, he'll be seen some more and that's for sure. But we've lost Sweet 'n Sour and he'll be missed, AIN'T NO DOUBT ABOUT! RIP Larry Sweeney
Now before I look at the bigger lose (in my view) I will look at the lesser. This week on Raw there was a surprise announcement and that was Edge, who was the current World champion, had to retire. Edge has been one of my favourites for years and is one of the biggest stars in the company and him leaving is a big lose to the company. He's been wrestling in the WWE for 13 years and I've seen everything. From his debut to his amazing tag team with Christian, to his break out into singles wrestling and finally to his push to the main event. I've witnessed it all. While this is a big shock and came from out of no where the fact is that it still wasn't that big of a surprise, the fact Edge was talking about retiring next year anyways, while we'll miss some potential feuds that could of happened the fact is there really not that much left to happen in that time.
The biggest problem is the gap that it's left in the company. Over the past 2 years WWE have lost many of there established main eventers and has left a huge gap. While there is very little doubt about Alberto Del Rio winning the World title soon, more likely at Extreme Rules, who can he feud with? Sure he can work with Christian and he may become the next main event babyface but there is still a big gap. It seems to be a case of wait and see.
Now to the bigger lose. At the beginning of the week I read that 'Sweet 'n Sour' Larry Sweeney was found dead at the age of 29. Sweeney was one of my favourite guys to watch and listen to. A big star on the indies and made a big splash in ROH as a manager. Sweeney showed how truly smart he was when it came to the wrestling business by doing something very few others could and that make himself a star while put as a manager, he reminded me of the old managers of the 80's like Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart, guys who nearly outshined the guys they worked with. I loved watching Sweeney wrestle and listening to him on commentary, he was so smart.
There are many things I remember about Sweeney. The numerous times he was ICW/ICWA Tex-Arkana Television champion, it was really his belt and it didn't look right with anyone else. Sweeney's promos were always amazing to listen to. But some of the biggest things I remember was his last year, he seemed to disappear from wrestling all together for years but he returned to AAW wrestling and I remember watching his promos and thinking this is a whole new Sweeney. But the biggest thing and the thing that will stick with me forever is Sweeney's shocking return to Chikara at the Dark Cibernetico match. The crowd exploded and continued to go crazy for seemingly forever.
Wrestling has had a bad week, in my view, but like any bad thing you have to get used to it and move forward. But not after reflecting on what they gave to the business. At last nights King of Trios Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw gave a tribute in their match to Larry Sweeney and I expect to see some more from Chikara as Larry was one of their own.
I'll end this by saying that wrestling has had two big loses this week and it will take some time to get used to. Luckly Edge is fine and healthly, he'll be seen some more and that's for sure. But we've lost Sweet 'n Sour and he'll be missed, AIN'T NO DOUBT ABOUT! RIP Larry Sweeney
Friday, 1 April 2011
Looking forward to King of Trios!
While it may be the 'biggest' weekend in wrestling I'm looking ahead to 2 weeks time and Chikara's King of Trios. April seems to always be a huge month for wrestling when you consider this weekend's multiple shows, next weekend's Best of the Best and wXw shows and then King of Trios one thing remains the same, Chikara's King or Trios goes down as one of the best weekends of wrestling all year. So with that said I'm going to look at the opening matches, predict who I think will win and who will win the overall tournament. I will also look at the mini Rey De Voladores tournament that occurs on Night 2 and 3 and possible other matches that might happen. So without further introduction let's begin.
Team Dragon Gate (Super Shisa, Akira Towaza & Kagetora) vs. The Spectral Envoy (Ultramantis Black, Frightmare & Hallowicked)
While Towaza is a regular in the US, Shisa and Kagetora are not and they will likely want to make an impact. But regardless of that fact I doubt they will beat the Spectral. There are several reasons for this. One is that the Spectral contains 3 of the biggest Chikara stars in the entire company who are probably one of the most over trios in the company, it's highly doubtful that a debuting trio will upset them. The other reason is that the Dragon Gate team would be perfect fits in the Rey De Voladores tournament, I could easily see Towaza winning it in fact. To me everything is pointing to the Spectral winning this one.
Winners: The Spectral Envoy
Team Australia (Percy, Kabel & Tama Williams) vs. FIST (Icarus, Chuck Taylor & Johnny Gargano)
Can't write a lot here as don't know a lot about Team Australia. Never heard of the guys before and seriously doubt they would beat one of Chikara's biggest trios. And since the tournament goes on for 3 nights you will very likely see members of Team Australia compete in the other 2 nights including the annual 12 team tag gauntlet. FIST have been one of the biggest heel groups that Chikara has had forever it seems and they really should advance here.
Winners: FIST
Michinoku Pro (Great Sasuke, Dick Togo & Jinsei Shinzaki) vs. Team Minnesota (Arik Cannon, Darin Corbin & 1-2-3 Kid)
The usual Team FIRST entrant had to be changed after Ryan Cruz retired so one of the biggest stars in wrestling got added but this being Chikara there was a funny twist and it will be the 1-2-3 Kid and not Sean Waltman. While this would be a big thing they have the tough task of facing 3 absolute legends in wrestling in Team Michinoku Pro. The team with the most hype heading towards the tournament and for good reason. I see team Michinoku doing several things over the weekend, they will either advance all the way to the semi's, go out in Night 2 to allow some dream matches on Night 3 (I'm thinking Dick Togo vs. Eddie Kingston) or they could very well win the whole thing. Either way I don't expect Team Minnesota beating them.
Winners: Michinoku Pro
The Colony (Fire, Solider & Green Ant) vs. Kizarny & The Batiri (Obariyan & Kodama)
The 2010 King or Trios finalist will face off with the new group that are quickly becoming the top Rudo team in Chikara, taking the BDK's spot in my view. The Colony remains one of the biggest Techinos team in Chikara and this should be one of the hottest matches on Night 1. While I haven't seen much of Kizarny to judge how good he is in the ring, I have to assume he's pretty good since Chikara are using him, I know the Batiri are an incredible tag team who will likely carry the load during the trio matches. While it would be easy to have the Colony move forward I think that the trios of Batiri & Kiznary could do with the win more and use it to establish themselves as top Rudos in Chikara.
Winners: Kizarny & The Batiri
BDK ( Jakob Hammermeier, Tim Donst & Delirious) vs. Da Soul Touchaz (Marshe Rockett, Acid Jazz & Willie Richardson)
Honestly this match was my pick for possible final round match. The feud between the 2 trios would have been the perfect fit to end the tournament and would of likely seen DST winning, the story for the match would have been epic. Sadly the BDK trio is a far cry from the best combination they could of got out of the group, while Donst is one of the best currently in the group Jakob has had all of one match and Delirious while good is just another cog in the BDK group. It's safe to say that my idea for the final round is gone to the waste side.
Winners: Da Soul Touchaz
Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Manami Toyota vs. The SAT (Amazing Red, Jose & Joel Maximo)
Not seen much of the Maximo's over the past few years so don't know what to expect from them. However they are not likely to beat the trio they are facing. Much like the Dragon Gate Trio, Red would be a perfect fit for the Rey De Voladores tournament. Quacksaw are the current tag champs and Toyota is a true legend who proved she can hang with the guys last time she was in Chikara. I expect that trio to get to the semi finals at the very least.
Winners: Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Toyota
3.Ole (Shane Matthews, Scott Parker & El Generico) vs. The Osirian Portal (Amasis, Ophidian & Hieracon)
An interesting trio will face off with an undefeated trio in Chikara. It seems that Chikara really wants to make the Portal a threat for this year's tournament and they sure have, since adding Hieracon they have gone from strength to strength. While it would be good to see 3.Ole advance they are better suited for other matches during the weekend, the Tag Gauntlet on night 3 and some potential dream matches in Generico's case, Generico could even be in the Rey De Voladores and win it. So I personally expect the Portal to advance.
Winners: The Osirian Portal
The Throwbacks (Matt Classic, Dasher Hatfield & Sugar Dunkerton) vs. Team Osaka Pro (Atsuhi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada & Ultimate Spider Jr.)
A trio consisting of 2 of the the current team Osaka Pro went all the way to the semi finals and made a memorable showing during the course. While there opponent were knocked out in the first round and it will likely happen again. While I like the Throwbacks this is a pure comedy team that really shouldn't advance unless they can be serious and while Dasher and Sugar can they have Matt Classic which means they will be more funny than anything else. If they were teaming with Colt Cabana instead of Matt Classic they could very well be a bit of a threat but that's not the case. Combine that with the fact Team Osaka Pro did so well last year they should advance again this year.
Winners: Team Osaka Pro
Overall Winners
I mentioned earlier the potential main event of Da Soul Touchaz vs. BDK and that not happening. My other potential main event I had thought of and could very well happen is the Spectral Envoy vs. Kizarny & The Batiri, the two trios have feud since the finale of the last season when Kizarny debuted. Ever since then Kizarny has had the upper hand in the feud, having the Spectral win the tournament by beating them would be a perfect ending for the tournament and while it may not end the feud it would advance it.
With that being said Chikara is never afraid to put over a trio for just those 3 nights, look back at the year Lince won it and the fact his 2 partners are never in Chikara any more. With that said I could easily see Team Michinoku Pro winning the entire tournament, possibly beating Quacksaw & Toyota in the finals.
Too me King of Trios is a special tournament as any trio can actually win it, with 3 nights to play with you can easily establish a new trio as the best in the world.
I love these 3 shows as not only do you get one of the best in ring tournaments all year but you get some true dream matches happen and some truly memorable moments. And while this upcoming weekend may be the 'Biggest' in wrestling to me it's just one of a few stops before King of Trios.
Team Dragon Gate (Super Shisa, Akira Towaza & Kagetora) vs. The Spectral Envoy (Ultramantis Black, Frightmare & Hallowicked)
While Towaza is a regular in the US, Shisa and Kagetora are not and they will likely want to make an impact. But regardless of that fact I doubt they will beat the Spectral. There are several reasons for this. One is that the Spectral contains 3 of the biggest Chikara stars in the entire company who are probably one of the most over trios in the company, it's highly doubtful that a debuting trio will upset them. The other reason is that the Dragon Gate team would be perfect fits in the Rey De Voladores tournament, I could easily see Towaza winning it in fact. To me everything is pointing to the Spectral winning this one.
Winners: The Spectral Envoy
Team Australia (Percy, Kabel & Tama Williams) vs. FIST (Icarus, Chuck Taylor & Johnny Gargano)
Can't write a lot here as don't know a lot about Team Australia. Never heard of the guys before and seriously doubt they would beat one of Chikara's biggest trios. And since the tournament goes on for 3 nights you will very likely see members of Team Australia compete in the other 2 nights including the annual 12 team tag gauntlet. FIST have been one of the biggest heel groups that Chikara has had forever it seems and they really should advance here.
Winners: FIST
Michinoku Pro (Great Sasuke, Dick Togo & Jinsei Shinzaki) vs. Team Minnesota (Arik Cannon, Darin Corbin & 1-2-3 Kid)
The usual Team FIRST entrant had to be changed after Ryan Cruz retired so one of the biggest stars in wrestling got added but this being Chikara there was a funny twist and it will be the 1-2-3 Kid and not Sean Waltman. While this would be a big thing they have the tough task of facing 3 absolute legends in wrestling in Team Michinoku Pro. The team with the most hype heading towards the tournament and for good reason. I see team Michinoku doing several things over the weekend, they will either advance all the way to the semi's, go out in Night 2 to allow some dream matches on Night 3 (I'm thinking Dick Togo vs. Eddie Kingston) or they could very well win the whole thing. Either way I don't expect Team Minnesota beating them.
Winners: Michinoku Pro
The Colony (Fire, Solider & Green Ant) vs. Kizarny & The Batiri (Obariyan & Kodama)
The 2010 King or Trios finalist will face off with the new group that are quickly becoming the top Rudo team in Chikara, taking the BDK's spot in my view. The Colony remains one of the biggest Techinos team in Chikara and this should be one of the hottest matches on Night 1. While I haven't seen much of Kizarny to judge how good he is in the ring, I have to assume he's pretty good since Chikara are using him, I know the Batiri are an incredible tag team who will likely carry the load during the trio matches. While it would be easy to have the Colony move forward I think that the trios of Batiri & Kiznary could do with the win more and use it to establish themselves as top Rudos in Chikara.
Winners: Kizarny & The Batiri
BDK ( Jakob Hammermeier, Tim Donst & Delirious) vs. Da Soul Touchaz (Marshe Rockett, Acid Jazz & Willie Richardson)
Honestly this match was my pick for possible final round match. The feud between the 2 trios would have been the perfect fit to end the tournament and would of likely seen DST winning, the story for the match would have been epic. Sadly the BDK trio is a far cry from the best combination they could of got out of the group, while Donst is one of the best currently in the group Jakob has had all of one match and Delirious while good is just another cog in the BDK group. It's safe to say that my idea for the final round is gone to the waste side.
Winners: Da Soul Touchaz
Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Manami Toyota vs. The SAT (Amazing Red, Jose & Joel Maximo)
Not seen much of the Maximo's over the past few years so don't know what to expect from them. However they are not likely to beat the trio they are facing. Much like the Dragon Gate Trio, Red would be a perfect fit for the Rey De Voladores tournament. Quacksaw are the current tag champs and Toyota is a true legend who proved she can hang with the guys last time she was in Chikara. I expect that trio to get to the semi finals at the very least.
Winners: Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Toyota
3.Ole (Shane Matthews, Scott Parker & El Generico) vs. The Osirian Portal (Amasis, Ophidian & Hieracon)
An interesting trio will face off with an undefeated trio in Chikara. It seems that Chikara really wants to make the Portal a threat for this year's tournament and they sure have, since adding Hieracon they have gone from strength to strength. While it would be good to see 3.Ole advance they are better suited for other matches during the weekend, the Tag Gauntlet on night 3 and some potential dream matches in Generico's case, Generico could even be in the Rey De Voladores and win it. So I personally expect the Portal to advance.
Winners: The Osirian Portal
The Throwbacks (Matt Classic, Dasher Hatfield & Sugar Dunkerton) vs. Team Osaka Pro (Atsuhi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada & Ultimate Spider Jr.)
A trio consisting of 2 of the the current team Osaka Pro went all the way to the semi finals and made a memorable showing during the course. While there opponent were knocked out in the first round and it will likely happen again. While I like the Throwbacks this is a pure comedy team that really shouldn't advance unless they can be serious and while Dasher and Sugar can they have Matt Classic which means they will be more funny than anything else. If they were teaming with Colt Cabana instead of Matt Classic they could very well be a bit of a threat but that's not the case. Combine that with the fact Team Osaka Pro did so well last year they should advance again this year.
Winners: Team Osaka Pro
Overall Winners
I mentioned earlier the potential main event of Da Soul Touchaz vs. BDK and that not happening. My other potential main event I had thought of and could very well happen is the Spectral Envoy vs. Kizarny & The Batiri, the two trios have feud since the finale of the last season when Kizarny debuted. Ever since then Kizarny has had the upper hand in the feud, having the Spectral win the tournament by beating them would be a perfect ending for the tournament and while it may not end the feud it would advance it.
With that being said Chikara is never afraid to put over a trio for just those 3 nights, look back at the year Lince won it and the fact his 2 partners are never in Chikara any more. With that said I could easily see Team Michinoku Pro winning the entire tournament, possibly beating Quacksaw & Toyota in the finals.
Too me King of Trios is a special tournament as any trio can actually win it, with 3 nights to play with you can easily establish a new trio as the best in the world.
I love these 3 shows as not only do you get one of the best in ring tournaments all year but you get some true dream matches happen and some truly memorable moments. And while this upcoming weekend may be the 'Biggest' in wrestling to me it's just one of a few stops before King of Trios.
Saturday, 26 March 2011
A special look at CZW's Best of the Best X happening on April 9th
The best of the best tournament is one of my favourite things that happens in wrestling every year (although we did not get one last year we get it early this year). Ever since I watched BOTB 2 on the Wrestling Channel I had to see more and I now own a great deal of them. So with this in mind I'm going to have a little look at the tournament and the other matches announced, will share my views and share who I think will win the matches and the tournament overall.
So first lets look at the 2 non-tournament matches announced.
Jun Kasai (c) vs. Danny Havoc-Dream Deathmatch for the UVU title
When CZW re-established a working relationship with Big Japan there were high hopes in terms of talent coming over and boy do we have it. Jun Kasai made huge impacts in CZW early on and now returns at Best of the Best. As a fan of deathmatch wrestling I cannot wait for this match, Danny Havoc is one of my personal favourites and Kasai is just insane. I don't know what type of match it will be but being in Philly they are restricted however this hasn't stopped classics from happening before. This is really a toss up as either man could win, it would be wise for Danny to win the title though as Kasai won the title in Japan by beating Yuko Miyamoto who won it 4 months before the title hasn't been back in CZW full time since late 2009 and it needs to be back. However Kasai retaining would mean he'd be coming back a lot more. Either way we win but since I have to pick one I'm going with Danny.
Winner: New UVU champion Danny Havoc
The Briscoe Brothers (c) & Devon Moore vs. Robert Anthony (c) & Philly's Most Wanted (Sabian & Joker)-6 man tag for CZW Tag & World title
For me this one is already decided, Anthony only won the title in February and won't lose it here so expect him and Philly's Most Wanted to win. Robert Anthony has a lot more he can do as a heel champion and while the Briscoes have been at every CZW show since returning we can only assume that there'll come a time where they'll do a ROH show instead. If you combine that with the fact there is no great depths in the tag division at the moment there's not a lot left for the Briscoes to do. But we can expect this to be a classic match up.
Winners: Still CZW Champ Robert Anthony and New CZW Tag champions Philly's Most Wanted
Now for the 4 opening rounds
Akuma vs. Jonathon Gresham vs. Zack Sabre Jr.-3 Way Elimination
Akuma is in the midst of a push where he hasn't lost yet in CZW so he could very well win this match, however he hasn't really gotten over as much as he should have. However you have two sleepers to deal with as well. While I like Gresham I feel like he hasn't connected with the crowd as well as he should have. And Zack Sabre is making his American debut, a big star in the UK and Germany he's one of the best in Europe. It's the old problem of putting over the international guy in the first round so you get your moneys worth. It wouldn't be a bad move, he could face Adam Cole in the next round in a rematch from CZW's Germany shows which was a fantastic match. So my finally view is that Sabre will win.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reily vs. Johnny Gargano-3 Way Elimination
Probably the highest profile match in the opening round. Cole is coming in as CZW Jr. Heavyweight champion and as one of the best heels in CZW, combine that with the fact it's been a real breakout year for him and he could easily win the whole thing. Ironically his ROH tag partner Kyle O'Reily is in this match, the two actually had the best opening match in Chikara's Young Lions Cup last year and could repeat it here if Gargano is the first to go. Speaking of which, Gargano is growing more and more in wrestling becoming a major part of Chikara, Dragon Gate USA and Evolve. A real mix of styles here with Gargano being unique and flashing, O'Reily being a hard hitter and Cole mixing strikes and speed. But since this is CZW's tournament you have to go with Cole here, since he's the champion and one of CZW's own.
Winner: Adam Cole.
Sami Callihan vs. A.R. Fox vs. Jake Crist-3 Way Elimination
Probably the easiest to pick a winner here. Sami Callihan has become a huge star in CZW and is super over. A.R. Fox did have a great year going from unknown to one of the companies biggest up and comers. And Jake Crist is apart of one of the best tag teams on the Indies with his brother as Irish Airborne. For the simple reason that he's usually a tag wrestler and is debuting in CZW Crist is not gonna win here, while he's great in the ring this is likely to be a one off appearance. And we can rule out Fox as well, while he may have become a fan favourite he cannot compete with Callihan. Sami has won the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup and wXw's 16 Carat Gold tournament over the last few months and he's one of the favourites to win the whole thing.
Winner: Sami Callihan
Brandon Gatson vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Daisuke Sekimoto-3 Way Elimination
This is really a pick 'em match in my eyes. Gatson is making his CZW debut and I don't know how he'll go over with the Philly crowd (who can be dicks, let's be honest). Chuck is returning to CZW and has gone to the finals of BOTB before, he was even Jr. Heavyweight champion before. While Daisuke Sekimoto has wrestled in the US several times and in front of the Philly crowd. I expect to see some insane shows of strength from Sekimoto during this match and a little comedy from sexy Chucky T. When it comes to a winner anyone could win. I'll rule out Gatson as CZW may not want to put high hopes for someone who hasn't wrestled in that area before. While I like Chuck and the fact he has history with the company could help him move forward I'm afraid he'll fall victim to the get your money's worth theory I pointed out early. So I'm going with Daisuke
Winner: Daisuke Sekimoto
I don't know how the rest of the tournament will play out but in my view there can only be one winner and that's Sami Callihan. The guy has exploded over the last few months and is just a few wins away from becoming CZW World champion, I think winning the Best of the Best would give him that little extra push he needs. At the least he will be in the finals but I'm going with Sami as Best of the Best X winner.
I plan on doing a few more of these when the time is right. The next planned 'Special look' will be when Chikara announced all 8 opening rounds for this years King of Trios tournament. Until then it's business as usual with this blog. As always cheers for reading.
So first lets look at the 2 non-tournament matches announced.
Jun Kasai (c) vs. Danny Havoc-Dream Deathmatch for the UVU title
When CZW re-established a working relationship with Big Japan there were high hopes in terms of talent coming over and boy do we have it. Jun Kasai made huge impacts in CZW early on and now returns at Best of the Best. As a fan of deathmatch wrestling I cannot wait for this match, Danny Havoc is one of my personal favourites and Kasai is just insane. I don't know what type of match it will be but being in Philly they are restricted however this hasn't stopped classics from happening before. This is really a toss up as either man could win, it would be wise for Danny to win the title though as Kasai won the title in Japan by beating Yuko Miyamoto who won it 4 months before the title hasn't been back in CZW full time since late 2009 and it needs to be back. However Kasai retaining would mean he'd be coming back a lot more. Either way we win but since I have to pick one I'm going with Danny.
Winner: New UVU champion Danny Havoc
The Briscoe Brothers (c) & Devon Moore vs. Robert Anthony (c) & Philly's Most Wanted (Sabian & Joker)-6 man tag for CZW Tag & World title
For me this one is already decided, Anthony only won the title in February and won't lose it here so expect him and Philly's Most Wanted to win. Robert Anthony has a lot more he can do as a heel champion and while the Briscoes have been at every CZW show since returning we can only assume that there'll come a time where they'll do a ROH show instead. If you combine that with the fact there is no great depths in the tag division at the moment there's not a lot left for the Briscoes to do. But we can expect this to be a classic match up.
Winners: Still CZW Champ Robert Anthony and New CZW Tag champions Philly's Most Wanted
Now for the 4 opening rounds
Akuma vs. Jonathon Gresham vs. Zack Sabre Jr.-3 Way Elimination
Akuma is in the midst of a push where he hasn't lost yet in CZW so he could very well win this match, however he hasn't really gotten over as much as he should have. However you have two sleepers to deal with as well. While I like Gresham I feel like he hasn't connected with the crowd as well as he should have. And Zack Sabre is making his American debut, a big star in the UK and Germany he's one of the best in Europe. It's the old problem of putting over the international guy in the first round so you get your moneys worth. It wouldn't be a bad move, he could face Adam Cole in the next round in a rematch from CZW's Germany shows which was a fantastic match. So my finally view is that Sabre will win.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reily vs. Johnny Gargano-3 Way Elimination
Probably the highest profile match in the opening round. Cole is coming in as CZW Jr. Heavyweight champion and as one of the best heels in CZW, combine that with the fact it's been a real breakout year for him and he could easily win the whole thing. Ironically his ROH tag partner Kyle O'Reily is in this match, the two actually had the best opening match in Chikara's Young Lions Cup last year and could repeat it here if Gargano is the first to go. Speaking of which, Gargano is growing more and more in wrestling becoming a major part of Chikara, Dragon Gate USA and Evolve. A real mix of styles here with Gargano being unique and flashing, O'Reily being a hard hitter and Cole mixing strikes and speed. But since this is CZW's tournament you have to go with Cole here, since he's the champion and one of CZW's own.
Winner: Adam Cole.
Sami Callihan vs. A.R. Fox vs. Jake Crist-3 Way Elimination
Probably the easiest to pick a winner here. Sami Callihan has become a huge star in CZW and is super over. A.R. Fox did have a great year going from unknown to one of the companies biggest up and comers. And Jake Crist is apart of one of the best tag teams on the Indies with his brother as Irish Airborne. For the simple reason that he's usually a tag wrestler and is debuting in CZW Crist is not gonna win here, while he's great in the ring this is likely to be a one off appearance. And we can rule out Fox as well, while he may have become a fan favourite he cannot compete with Callihan. Sami has won the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup and wXw's 16 Carat Gold tournament over the last few months and he's one of the favourites to win the whole thing.
Winner: Sami Callihan
Brandon Gatson vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Daisuke Sekimoto-3 Way Elimination
This is really a pick 'em match in my eyes. Gatson is making his CZW debut and I don't know how he'll go over with the Philly crowd (who can be dicks, let's be honest). Chuck is returning to CZW and has gone to the finals of BOTB before, he was even Jr. Heavyweight champion before. While Daisuke Sekimoto has wrestled in the US several times and in front of the Philly crowd. I expect to see some insane shows of strength from Sekimoto during this match and a little comedy from sexy Chucky T. When it comes to a winner anyone could win. I'll rule out Gatson as CZW may not want to put high hopes for someone who hasn't wrestled in that area before. While I like Chuck and the fact he has history with the company could help him move forward I'm afraid he'll fall victim to the get your money's worth theory I pointed out early. So I'm going with Daisuke
Winner: Daisuke Sekimoto
I don't know how the rest of the tournament will play out but in my view there can only be one winner and that's Sami Callihan. The guy has exploded over the last few months and is just a few wins away from becoming CZW World champion, I think winning the Best of the Best would give him that little extra push he needs. At the least he will be in the finals but I'm going with Sami as Best of the Best X winner.
I plan on doing a few more of these when the time is right. The next planned 'Special look' will be when Chikara announced all 8 opening rounds for this years King of Trios tournament. Until then it's business as usual with this blog. As always cheers for reading.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
That's Shawn and that's Marty
I've had this blog idea in my mind the last few days and it's funny because just last night a perfect example occurred. When an established tag team breaks up the fans question which one will get the push, the most famous is that of the Rockers. When Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty broke up no one expected to see Shawn rise the the ranks and become the legend that he is today and no one expected Marty to end up disappearing. Ultimately fans remember Marty for being underrated and mis-used. So when tag teams now break up we ask ourselves who will go on to big things and who will not be so lucky. In this blog I'm going to look at tag teams that broke up and those who were meant to get a push ended up getting overshadowed, in a way, by their tag partner.
The perfect example of this happened last night at Ring of Honor's Manhattan Mayhem IV where Eddie Edwards won the World title. He had teamed with Davey Richards as the American Wolves and when they broke up and focused on singles careers Davey was the next pick to be World champion, so it was very surprising to see Edwards win the World title.
El Generico & Kevin Steen
When the team broke up at Final Battle 2009 many expected Kevin Steen to go on to big things. His heel character was amazing and his ring work was just as great. Now Generico is one of the best wrestlers going today as a commentator once said "I've never seen Generico have a bad match" but the one drawback to Generico is his promo skills, he can't cut a really good promo that makes sense which is his gimmick and why Steen worked so well with him. So image the surprise when Steen lost a match to Generico and left the company. Steen seemed like a natural pick to be a top heel in the company and could of been a great champion but now he doesn't have a chance. And while Generico may not be the next world champion in terms his promos his ring work suits it and if he doesn't get a run as World champion then he should surely have a run with the TV title.
BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy & BJ teamed in 2005 and we're the ROH tag team champions in an odd choice as the two were just thrown together. However they worked really well together. Now ROH seemed to use Whitmer nearly all the time before the team and many believed that when they broke up that Whitmer would go on to a big push, he was a big part of the CZW vs. ROH feud and seemed like he could get a chance in the main event however he would go on to do very little of substance and ultimately leave the company, whereas Jimmy would get a bit more of a chance. After the feud between the 2 ran it's course it ended with Jacobs being injured, he would return and become part of a faction called the Age of the Fall which was a big deal. Jimmy would then be part of the main event picture and would often end shows with the feuds he was in, and while he never got the world title he would of been a good choice. It's strange to note that Whitmer had every thing that was needed to be a top performer but it seemed that something just didn't click or he was extremely unlucky. Jacobs should of been a proper main eventer and had a run with the ROH world title but regardless of that he still got more of a push than BJ.
America's Most Wanted
Chris Harris and James Storm were the first break out team from TNA and became multiple time tag team champions. Now at one time during their tag run Storm was injured and Harris wrestled as a singles guy, during which time he got a push for the NWA World title. So when the team broke up we expected Harris to get a proper push for the World title. Harris would get to be in the King of the Mountain match for the title and a match with Christian Cage, who was an established main eventer. But after that Harris got an awful feud with 'Black Rain' and then disappeared from TV. During that time James Storm went from feud to feud and was always on the Pay Per Views in a match. He is now a part of the team Beer Money which has become one of the greatest tag teams going today. Harris would get signed by WWE and become a full blown joke in wrestling. Who would of imaged that James Storm would become the wrestler he is today and Chris Harris would end up disappearing.
John Morrison & The Miz
The team was thrown together as they had nothing for either of them. Morrison had had several runs with the Intercontinental title and the ECW title, so he was more of an established star then the Miz who was awful at the time. The two together were a great team and made each other better but that didn't chance the fact that when they split up Morrison would go on to get a big push and maybe even a World title run. So as we head into Wrestlemania where is Morrison, still trying to establish himself as an main eventer and coming up short and Miz we'll he's the WWE champion. The Miz would grow and grow as a performer getting better and better, he became one of the most hated guys in wrestling so to see him as WWE champion was a great thing. Now I won't go into how his title run has gone down but the fact is that he is the main guy on Raw right now and will likely remain there for a while. Hopefully Morrison can eventually break out into the main event spot as the company needs new faces in that spot and Morrison has been so close for so long now. It's safe to say that no one expected Miz to be the WWE champion before Morrison.
So there you have it. This was harder to make then I expected, I thought it would be easy to find examples of this but turns out that it wasn't.
Would like to say thank you if you've taken the time out to read this and let me know what you think.
The perfect example of this happened last night at Ring of Honor's Manhattan Mayhem IV where Eddie Edwards won the World title. He had teamed with Davey Richards as the American Wolves and when they broke up and focused on singles careers Davey was the next pick to be World champion, so it was very surprising to see Edwards win the World title.
El Generico & Kevin Steen
When the team broke up at Final Battle 2009 many expected Kevin Steen to go on to big things. His heel character was amazing and his ring work was just as great. Now Generico is one of the best wrestlers going today as a commentator once said "I've never seen Generico have a bad match" but the one drawback to Generico is his promo skills, he can't cut a really good promo that makes sense which is his gimmick and why Steen worked so well with him. So image the surprise when Steen lost a match to Generico and left the company. Steen seemed like a natural pick to be a top heel in the company and could of been a great champion but now he doesn't have a chance. And while Generico may not be the next world champion in terms his promos his ring work suits it and if he doesn't get a run as World champion then he should surely have a run with the TV title.
BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy & BJ teamed in 2005 and we're the ROH tag team champions in an odd choice as the two were just thrown together. However they worked really well together. Now ROH seemed to use Whitmer nearly all the time before the team and many believed that when they broke up that Whitmer would go on to a big push, he was a big part of the CZW vs. ROH feud and seemed like he could get a chance in the main event however he would go on to do very little of substance and ultimately leave the company, whereas Jimmy would get a bit more of a chance. After the feud between the 2 ran it's course it ended with Jacobs being injured, he would return and become part of a faction called the Age of the Fall which was a big deal. Jimmy would then be part of the main event picture and would often end shows with the feuds he was in, and while he never got the world title he would of been a good choice. It's strange to note that Whitmer had every thing that was needed to be a top performer but it seemed that something just didn't click or he was extremely unlucky. Jacobs should of been a proper main eventer and had a run with the ROH world title but regardless of that he still got more of a push than BJ.
America's Most Wanted
Chris Harris and James Storm were the first break out team from TNA and became multiple time tag team champions. Now at one time during their tag run Storm was injured and Harris wrestled as a singles guy, during which time he got a push for the NWA World title. So when the team broke up we expected Harris to get a proper push for the World title. Harris would get to be in the King of the Mountain match for the title and a match with Christian Cage, who was an established main eventer. But after that Harris got an awful feud with 'Black Rain' and then disappeared from TV. During that time James Storm went from feud to feud and was always on the Pay Per Views in a match. He is now a part of the team Beer Money which has become one of the greatest tag teams going today. Harris would get signed by WWE and become a full blown joke in wrestling. Who would of imaged that James Storm would become the wrestler he is today and Chris Harris would end up disappearing.
John Morrison & The Miz
The team was thrown together as they had nothing for either of them. Morrison had had several runs with the Intercontinental title and the ECW title, so he was more of an established star then the Miz who was awful at the time. The two together were a great team and made each other better but that didn't chance the fact that when they split up Morrison would go on to get a big push and maybe even a World title run. So as we head into Wrestlemania where is Morrison, still trying to establish himself as an main eventer and coming up short and Miz we'll he's the WWE champion. The Miz would grow and grow as a performer getting better and better, he became one of the most hated guys in wrestling so to see him as WWE champion was a great thing. Now I won't go into how his title run has gone down but the fact is that he is the main guy on Raw right now and will likely remain there for a while. Hopefully Morrison can eventually break out into the main event spot as the company needs new faces in that spot and Morrison has been so close for so long now. It's safe to say that no one expected Miz to be the WWE champion before Morrison.
So there you have it. This was harder to make then I expected, I thought it would be easy to find examples of this but turns out that it wasn't.
Would like to say thank you if you've taken the time out to read this and let me know what you think.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
What the WHAT?
As wrestling fans we all do it, we watch something and say 'What the hell were they thinking doing that?' and lets face it it happens a lot in wrestling. So here are just a few examples of things that have made me say 'What the hell?'
IWA Deep South Carnage Cup
I am a death match fan and a few years back there were 4 tournaments that you had to see if you were a death match fan, these were the CZW Tournament of Death, IWA Mid South King of the Death Matches, IWA East Coast Masters of Pain and the Carnage Cup. The winners would be important as it would mark one of the best death match workers going. But that hasn't been the case for 2 of the tournaments the last few years. Now the Masters of Pain and IWA EC has closed which is kind of said but I always felt that the winners of the tournament in that company made little sense but that's a different subject.
The Carnage Cup has really been a bit weird the last few years, whether it's the winner, the slim number of rounds (last years only saw 2 rounds) or the actual participants there is always something there that makes me question what they are thinking. When you look at who they announce for the tournament and who actually takes part it's a fair cry a part, I mean they actually announced 'Wildfire' Tommy Rich for last years tournament and it's a regular occurrence for them to announce Chikara talent who later say 'I never agreed to do a death match tournament'.
If you want to see what I've talked about when it comes to this tournament check out this years Cup which happened about a week ago, a very mixed cast with many not taking part in death matches before and Pinkie Sanchez winning it, no offence to Pinkie I think he's awesome but before that show he had competed in 1 other tournament and no other death matches he was not the right choice to win.
TNA since Hogan/Bischoff regime
Turning Point 2009 was regarded as one of the best TNA Pay Per Views they ever put on so with that said many thought they could carry that momentum into Hogan and Bischoff coming in, oh how wrong we were. Instead of moving TNA forward and to the next level where they could actually be a threat to WWE even in a slight way, TNA moved backwards and became what it is today which is a joke. Bringing in washed up wrestlers who shouldn't be in the ring, pushing guys who shouldn't be pushed, doing story lines that make no sense and have no meaning and relying on former WWE talent to bring in the fans. Can it change? Yeah of course. Will it change? Not any time soon. TNA have this focus on being WWE not challenging WWE, while that's the case nothing will change. I don't want to crap on TNA as everyone else is always doing it so I don't have to.
Sheamus as WWE champion and Jack Swagger as World Heavyweight Champion
WWE were able to pull over some major surprises in late 2009 and early 2010 that I feel truly shocked the fans.
The first was Sheamus defeating John Cena for the WWE title. While this could of been a chance to establish a new face in the main event it was a waste. His 1st reign lasted just 2 months in which time he lost to John Cena and won by DQ against Randy Orton, finally losing in the Elimination Chamber. His 2nd reign which happened later in the year saw him just about escape Cena in a cage after the Nexus came in and get DQ'd against Orton, he would lose it in a 6 way match to Orton just 3 months after winning it. Now he may have had 2 runs with the belt, he was built as a coward who couldn't win against any opponent. And now he's back in the mid-card with the occasional reminder that he is a 'main event talent'.
So while Sheamus had 2 runs, Swagger only got 1. Going into the Money in the Bank match at Mania last year my picks were Christian, Kofi or Drew McIntrye to win it so I was truly shocked to see Swagger win it and it was just as surprising when he cashed in nights later and won it. He was given a 3 month run with the belt but in that time they didn't do the right thing with him. After winning the belt he was on both Raw and Smackdown losing to everyone, he was putting on good matches but you remember the loses more than anything. He would retain against Orton in a Extreme Rules match but the problems came after that. He got himself DQ'd against Big Show and then lost the title in a 4 Way to Rey Mysterio. They would then build to a one on one match between him and Rey and during that time he looked like a killer who could snap a ankle when he wanted, they even made Big Show tap out to him. My question is, why didn't they do that in his match with Show? Since his lose to Rey he hasn't been in the title picture at all or even involved in any major story lines.
To me this shows WWE's short sightedness from time to time, if they had wanted they could of put so much into this guys and made them full time main event stars, which they need right now, instead they have to protect their babyfaces and make them look like fluke champions.
1PW constantly using American talent
For those who don't know One Pro Wrestling is a British wrestling company that has closed down because of bankruptcy on 2 occasions and has been reopened. The company brings in so many big names from American it's untrue. For example since reopening for the second time they've announced X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, Diamond Dallas Page & Kevin Nash for one weekend alone. They've also announced Shawn Michaels for a Q & A at the Anniversary show and yesterday they announced Vader, who is booked for a Q & A and to wrestle.
Now to be fair they're doing what many companies do, use outside stars who are legit big names to draw a crowd however they forget the other thing they have to do which is establish their own stars. These stars will only be in for the one show and will cost them a lot of money, also some of the names they've announced are fair past their prime and shouldn't be wrestling that much.
To me it's more annoying then anything else, I love the company and what to see it succeed but they're doing the same thing they did the last 2 times which is rely on this talent to draw the crowds. Do you know that it about over 3 years until they had a World champion who was British? Steve Corino, Abyss and Sterling James Keenan dominated the title picture and their all American. I hope this is just gonna happen for the next few shows and then they'll rely on home based talent and bring in one or two names who can work.
Well there you have it, a few things that had made me say 'What the hell?' while being a wrestling fan. Thanks for reading a let me know what you think.
IWA Deep South Carnage Cup
I am a death match fan and a few years back there were 4 tournaments that you had to see if you were a death match fan, these were the CZW Tournament of Death, IWA Mid South King of the Death Matches, IWA East Coast Masters of Pain and the Carnage Cup. The winners would be important as it would mark one of the best death match workers going. But that hasn't been the case for 2 of the tournaments the last few years. Now the Masters of Pain and IWA EC has closed which is kind of said but I always felt that the winners of the tournament in that company made little sense but that's a different subject.
The Carnage Cup has really been a bit weird the last few years, whether it's the winner, the slim number of rounds (last years only saw 2 rounds) or the actual participants there is always something there that makes me question what they are thinking. When you look at who they announce for the tournament and who actually takes part it's a fair cry a part, I mean they actually announced 'Wildfire' Tommy Rich for last years tournament and it's a regular occurrence for them to announce Chikara talent who later say 'I never agreed to do a death match tournament'.
If you want to see what I've talked about when it comes to this tournament check out this years Cup which happened about a week ago, a very mixed cast with many not taking part in death matches before and Pinkie Sanchez winning it, no offence to Pinkie I think he's awesome but before that show he had competed in 1 other tournament and no other death matches he was not the right choice to win.
TNA since Hogan/Bischoff regime
Turning Point 2009 was regarded as one of the best TNA Pay Per Views they ever put on so with that said many thought they could carry that momentum into Hogan and Bischoff coming in, oh how wrong we were. Instead of moving TNA forward and to the next level where they could actually be a threat to WWE even in a slight way, TNA moved backwards and became what it is today which is a joke. Bringing in washed up wrestlers who shouldn't be in the ring, pushing guys who shouldn't be pushed, doing story lines that make no sense and have no meaning and relying on former WWE talent to bring in the fans. Can it change? Yeah of course. Will it change? Not any time soon. TNA have this focus on being WWE not challenging WWE, while that's the case nothing will change. I don't want to crap on TNA as everyone else is always doing it so I don't have to.
Sheamus as WWE champion and Jack Swagger as World Heavyweight Champion
WWE were able to pull over some major surprises in late 2009 and early 2010 that I feel truly shocked the fans.
The first was Sheamus defeating John Cena for the WWE title. While this could of been a chance to establish a new face in the main event it was a waste. His 1st reign lasted just 2 months in which time he lost to John Cena and won by DQ against Randy Orton, finally losing in the Elimination Chamber. His 2nd reign which happened later in the year saw him just about escape Cena in a cage after the Nexus came in and get DQ'd against Orton, he would lose it in a 6 way match to Orton just 3 months after winning it. Now he may have had 2 runs with the belt, he was built as a coward who couldn't win against any opponent. And now he's back in the mid-card with the occasional reminder that he is a 'main event talent'.
So while Sheamus had 2 runs, Swagger only got 1. Going into the Money in the Bank match at Mania last year my picks were Christian, Kofi or Drew McIntrye to win it so I was truly shocked to see Swagger win it and it was just as surprising when he cashed in nights later and won it. He was given a 3 month run with the belt but in that time they didn't do the right thing with him. After winning the belt he was on both Raw and Smackdown losing to everyone, he was putting on good matches but you remember the loses more than anything. He would retain against Orton in a Extreme Rules match but the problems came after that. He got himself DQ'd against Big Show and then lost the title in a 4 Way to Rey Mysterio. They would then build to a one on one match between him and Rey and during that time he looked like a killer who could snap a ankle when he wanted, they even made Big Show tap out to him. My question is, why didn't they do that in his match with Show? Since his lose to Rey he hasn't been in the title picture at all or even involved in any major story lines.
To me this shows WWE's short sightedness from time to time, if they had wanted they could of put so much into this guys and made them full time main event stars, which they need right now, instead they have to protect their babyfaces and make them look like fluke champions.
1PW constantly using American talent
For those who don't know One Pro Wrestling is a British wrestling company that has closed down because of bankruptcy on 2 occasions and has been reopened. The company brings in so many big names from American it's untrue. For example since reopening for the second time they've announced X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, Diamond Dallas Page & Kevin Nash for one weekend alone. They've also announced Shawn Michaels for a Q & A at the Anniversary show and yesterday they announced Vader, who is booked for a Q & A and to wrestle.
Now to be fair they're doing what many companies do, use outside stars who are legit big names to draw a crowd however they forget the other thing they have to do which is establish their own stars. These stars will only be in for the one show and will cost them a lot of money, also some of the names they've announced are fair past their prime and shouldn't be wrestling that much.
To me it's more annoying then anything else, I love the company and what to see it succeed but they're doing the same thing they did the last 2 times which is rely on this talent to draw the crowds. Do you know that it about over 3 years until they had a World champion who was British? Steve Corino, Abyss and Sterling James Keenan dominated the title picture and their all American. I hope this is just gonna happen for the next few shows and then they'll rely on home based talent and bring in one or two names who can work.
Well there you have it, a few things that had made me say 'What the hell?' while being a wrestling fan. Thanks for reading a let me know what you think.
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