Did anybody else see Velocity last night? They debut'd Frankie Kazarian, with a good introductory backstage promo before & a very good match with Nunzio. Simon Dean is still the Simon Dean character, but his match was a much more serious kind of wrestling than we usually see. Yeah, he tossed in a couple of things like the "check my heartrate" really quickly as a dis. But overall this was much better wrestling skills & less comedy -- I liked it.
And then there was the Benoit / Regal main event. It was excellent! Much more technical than a brawl, but more action than some of the "tech fests". They threw in a lot of stuff that isn't the "same ol', same ol'" which was really interesting. They had about 20 minutes, & used the hell out of every bit of it! Excellent stuff!
(BTW, I was just rewatching it, & Josh was great on commentary here too. Very nice job putting the whole match over, & calling out some of the specially unusual stuff.)
IT was cool to see Kazarian debut. I didn't think that his promo was particularly noteworthy, but it's a good sign that he actually got a promo to get his character over (even if it was on Velocity). That finishing move was pretty nifty, and he broke out some other cool stuff in the match. I never really thought much of him in TNA, but I think he has some potential to work in a WWE setting.
The Simon Dean match was a perfectly fine squash. It's disappointing that even though he switched to Smackdown, he's still saddled with the go nowhere fitness guru gimmick. The Curbstomp was nifty, and his finishing move was also pretty cool.
Then, of course, was the epic Benoit-Regal match. I had been reading about how good this was since Tuesday, and boy did it live up to expectations. It was just a totally different match than what I'm used to seeing from WWE. It was a "technical brawl" for lack of a better description. The main thing that I loved was that it looked like two guys actually wrestling one another and trying to win the match. Someone elsewhere pointed out that they didn't use a single Irish Whip, and I think that its a big part of the realism that the match had. And man, this must have been "bust out nifty moves" night on Velocity or something. Regal breaking out the rarely used Regal Stretch (or trying to anyway), the Tombstone reversal sequence into a shoulderbreaker, the combination surfboard/dragon sleeper, and that whole sequence with the double-underhook reversed into a back bodydrop.
That was a legitimately excellent match (not just "Velocity excellent"). Anyone that didn't watch this match definately ought to do that if the opportunity ever arises in the future.
(edited by BigSteve on 17.7.05 1548) SportsBlog (baltimorenine.blogspot.com)
Agreed! Josh Matthews is amazing on commentary eight or nine times out of ten. Last night was an example of this.
Simon Dean's match really surprised me. I was thoroughly entertained and impressed. He has a very good arsenal of moves, which up to this point, we really have not seen in his WWE stay. Still, I'm wondering how long they're going to keep him in this retarded gimmick.
I skipped Regal/Benoit, but heard it on the TV in the background. Sounded fast-paced.
And it needs to be said (even if it's Smackdown and not Velocity) that the Mexicools are the best thing going in the WWE right now. Talk about exciting matches! It's very ECW-ish, and I am loving Psichosis! He's the funniest part of their promos, and his movement is so fluid in the ring, that I'd rather see him feud with Paul London instead of Juvi (which is probably what's coming real soon).
Great show ... Kazarian looked impressive in his first WWE onscreen apperance (of course it didn't hurt that he was in there with Nunzio).
The Regal/Benoit match was a PPV caliber match & then some. I'd really like to see those two feud over the U.S title (provided that Benoit wins it next Sunday).
But on a side note, I hate Regal's new entrance music. I wish he's go back to the slower tune he had during his heel days.
Most times I enjoy JoshMathews work more than MichaelCole in any giving week and would prefer to see Mathews work with Tazz on Thursdays.
That's just me.
I was kinda shocked to finally see Kazarian. He was one of my favorite TNA wrestlers of the past year and was happy to finaly see his WWE TV debut(unaware of any dark matches he may have had).
I actually thought the match was kinda sloppy and nowhere as good as Kazarian(and Nunzio) is.
Kazarian is a very good worker, as anybody who watches TNA knows, and I was just a tiny bit dissapointed in his timing during the match.
Also surprised the WWE is using his " TheFuture" gimmick, which Kazarian used in the bush leagues and his earliest TNA matches.
The Benoit vs. Regal match was unbelievable! Anybody who missed it:For Shame.
This is why Benoit and Regal need to be on the same brand. I agree about Regal's theme music. It blows.
I actually think Regal's being wasted right now. He needs to be turned heel. And, programmed with Benoit. Maybe for the US title.
As for Simon Dean, I'm a fan. But, does this mean the BWO was only a one time deal? Does anybody know the status of the BlueMeaney and WWE?
I thought the BWO would have given StevieRichatds another good push. Will the WWE use Nova under 2 personas?
Yeah, I give Matthews credit for doing stuff like mentioning the Pillman Memorial Show match and calling the Regal Stretch correctly (albeit after Steve called it a figure-four. Oy.).
Regal/Benoit was a damn fine little match that shouldn't have been buried at 11:30 Saturday night.
I've only seen Kazarian once or twice on TNA, and he looked okay but not particularly noteworthy. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see more of his stuff soon, though.
Ling-Ling into battle go Fulfill destiny of the soul Sever skull of adversary Shove it in the poo-poo hole
All the children sing: Kill kill kill kill die die die Kill kill kill kill die die die....
Benoit/Regal is probably the Free TV match of the year and is likely going to be one of the top 5 WWE matches this year. So stiff and bloody and hateful. I absolutely love how they just fought eachother for everything. It's also cool how there wasn't a single irish whip in the whole match. Just soooo many fucking great things about the match. Benoit's STIFF headbutt, Benoit chopping Regal's head, Regal's knees, the dragon suplex on WWE TV, Regal streching Benoit, and on and on and on.
Sunday Night Heat was good this week as well. Both Rene Dupree and Rob Conway were given interview time to get their new personas over, which was a pleasant surprise. I really liked Conway's finisher.
But yes, I am glad I made the effort to watch Velocity last night. It was very good. Benoit and Regal is the kind of thing that I want to see.
I dug the new Rob Conway aka "the Conman" ... He's kinda channeled Buff Bagwell in his new gimmick, but he plays it well. Plus, I liked how they explained him not being a French sympathizer anymore.
There was a small pre-match interview segment w/ Maria in which she referred to him as "Robaire Conway" (yeah, I know it's still spelled "Robert", but humor me). He gave the explantion that he'd "conned" everyone into thinking that he cared about France & Quebec, etc. & there's no more hiding behind flags. Coach called his finsher the "Ego Trip" (basically a one man Au Revoir using the ropes for leverage.)
I'd like to see him get a shot at making it on RAW rather than becoming just another Heat regular.
That being said, I'm now a Rob Conway mark.
(edited by Mayhem on 17.7.05 2227) Become a citizen ...
Originally posted by RedcumoSunday Night Heat was good this week as well. Both Rene Dupree and Rob Conway were given interview time to get their new personas over, which was a pleasant surprise. I really liked Conway's finisher.
But yes, I am glad I made the effort to watch Velocity last night. It was very good. Benoit and Regal is the kind of thing that I want to see.
SNH was indeed really good. For some reason, the weekend shows have better wrestling than Raw or Smackdown.
I wish I could have caught Kazarian's debut...but I did see Rob Conway kick ass wrestling in SUNGLASSES~ today. That's treading on Mister Hughes territory, isn't it? Didn't he wrestle wish his glasses on at one time or another?
I, too, am now a Rob Conway mark.
I've seen the following movies this year:
Coach Carter; Star Wars III; Batman Begins; Fantastic Four
Originally posted by tlmkr38Figures, the one time they have a good match on there and I miss it.....
What's the matter you???
Velocity has been a WWE staple for B-level guys (and occasionally Benoit or a similarly good worker with nothing to do on regular TV) to have great matches. Need I direct you to the London/Akio series for world domination??
Originally posted by BigSteveThe Simon Dean match was a perfectly fine squash. It's disappointing that even though he switched to Smackdown, he's still saddled with the go nowhere fitness guru gimmick. The Curbstomp was nifty, and his finishing move was also pretty cool.
You're vagueness taunts me! I must know this finisher!
Anyone? I'm the guy who bitches when pushed characters have no distinct finishers (Carlito is a glaring example), so I'm truly curious what they finally settled with for Dean, Dean, the Fitness Machine.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
A few weeks ago my pals and I watched a Regal/Benoit match from Japan circa 94 or so, and I was really happy to see it again, with 11 years or so added to the mix. It's a shame this wasn't on PPV, not SmackDown, PPV.
Hopefully this is a sign Regal's on his way up again. As a heel. Screw the knucks and the "unorthodox style" just let the man get back to bidness.
Oh and bring back the Cobra Clutch neckbreaker. I love that shit.
P.S. I enjoyed sheer irritation Josh showed when Romero fucked up on calling the Stretch. Announcers calling other announcers on their shit. Bobby Heenan would be proud.
Braun and Alexa are fun as a team. Rockstar Spud debuted as the 205 Live GM, using the name Drake Maverick. 16-man tournament for the vacant title started with the finals taking place at Mania (totally not the pre-show, of course). Itami vs.