Well thats just dumbass booking. How do they explain that show switch away? Why couldn't they have held it off til the Rumble, anounced that the winner is Heavyweight Champ, and put Kurt over in that match to win the belt? He could've gone in a legit RAW superstar and walked out a legit SmackDown one.
And what the fuck is up with the jobber quotient in that Battle Royal?! Would it've been so hard to put Benoit, Orton, Taker, et al in? I mean really, who did Angle beat to win the belt? SmackDown's singles B-Team plus Lashley, Rey & JBL. Awesome.
Kurt Angle is one of the only guys who can walk in, claim a spot and win it. Simply because he is who he is. He is Kurt freakin Angle.
I believe they thought this out (since sunday) and it wasn't just a random act.
Other options were VERY limited. They could give it to Orton or Benoit but imo it's obvious they have a plan for that US title (assuming Benoit stays) They could give it to JBL but NOBODY wants that, plus you have no challengers other than the boogie man. Edge was a non-option as they had plans with him already (plus he would run into Matt Hardy) HBK? Tied up already. Rey? Though I would love for it to happen, who would his challengers be? Taker? Thankfully they didn't do that. A WM program with Kurt I could dig, but to have him win it out of the blue would suck.
Angle can and will give a promo that will make all forget the oddness and either have people love or hate him as needed. He can change character in an instant, could even be a face if it were needed.
I find it hilarious btw that people are so pissed about KURT ANGLE showing up and winning the title while we have had so much crap thrown at us in the past year it's gotten ridiculous.
It's the circumstance. I have no issue with him jumping back to SmackDown and winning the thing, but why not use a lemon to make lemonade? Why not make the Rumble match the place where the champion is decided? Thirty guys, TOP guys, from both brands, battling it out to win the World Heavyweight Championship. It gives a logical reason for the show-switch, it adds oomph to the buyability of the Rumble, it's a lot more prestigious than Angle winning a Battle Royal that was 80% jobber, it puts SmackDown centre-stage for once and it gives the company more time to think about what coveted match they want in that Mania ME slot. I'm sorry, but that's a HELL of a lot better solution than this.
Main Event Battle Royal: Animal, Simon Dean, Nunzio, Vito. Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Orlando Jordan, William Regal, Paul Burchill. MNM. Mark Henry, The Mexicools, JBL, Matt Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Sylvan. Bobby Lashley were in the ring when Kurt Angle, with Daivari
Plus Benoit, Orton, an injured Batista and Booker T and a part time Undertaker and various other parts and pieces. It may be time to really think about merging the shows again, or are Smackdown PPV's still drawing?
Wow, so Smackdown loses its champ and the WWE brass says "looks like we have to steal one of our real stars from RAW and demote him for a while." I mean honestly, how are the SD! superstars supposed to feel? They couldn't find anybody to fill his shoes? Why not have a match at the RR?
And then they spoil the results! If they admit it's a taped show, why not have Cole and Tazz say 3 days after the paper view instead of 5 like they do(pretending that it is a live event) when they are hyping the fact that someone is wrestling on SD! after a bladejob at the previous ppv. Bad move by the WWE.
So now is the main event for Monday's RAW between Angle & HBK totally get scrapped?
I personally love the move of Angle back to Smackdown. And plus maybe Daivari will get a chance to shine in the Cruiserweight division (something I had hoped he'd get to do when he initially came over in the draft with Hassan).
Let me say simply that Angle deserves a world title based on the strength of his recent work as The Gold-Medal Madman. If that means he has to go to SmackDown to do it, so be it. He's too good to waste time in the midcard, and he's been built up too much to lose consistently to Cena and fall down the RAW roster and its very thin list of face opponents. The only interesting subsequent match may have been against RVD.
I wonder what UPN thinks of Divairi coming back.
If Vince is the new RAW GM, as seems to be the case, can he move someone to another roster without a trade? When last we saw his family, they were all aligned as heels, meaning they won't take the matter up with the shadowy board of directors to complain.
(edited by Matt Tracker on 11.1.06 0838) "To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Apparently this is the week to shake things up for the ent, and I like it. Since Vince already had made the match for Angle/Michaels next week, I wonder if they won't have Angle defend his title next week against Michaels. THAT would rock. Also, Taker/Angle @ WM would be interesting as I could see Angle FINALLY breaking Taker's WM winning streak as a loss to Angle wouldn't hurt Taker at all. Hmmmmmmm................
I feel bad for Davari, I always thought the payoff for the Hassan angle was going to be the man servant turning face on Hassan to a huge Virgil/Dibiase type reaction, except Davari can actually work.
Poor Benoit, they better push him to a program with Angle. I just marked out watching Angle/Benoit from Royal Rumble 2003 the other night. They blew the roof off the place right after HHH and Steiner killed the Boston Crowd.
They can steal the show at WM.
I just remembered that im absent minded wait i mean i lost my mind, i cant find it.
Am I reading the spoilers right? 2 matches in the entire 2 hour program? Seems like a very thin show.
As for Kurt Angle jumping to RAW....if they WANTED to go this route, they could say that with no GM currently on RAW that there's nobody to keep the RAW wrestlers in check.
Kurt can show up on RAW and explain that with no GM on RAW, no one can stop him and he can do what he wants because he's Kurt Freakin' Angle. He goes on to have his last match on RAW with Michaels. Either Angle wins clean or Vince screws Shawn costing him the match. Angle leaves to Smackdown as their champ after beating Shawn Michaels and then beats Mark Henry at the Rumble leading up to a match with Rey for the title at WrestleMania.
Wow... I don't see it that way at all. In fact, I echo the sentiments that at the very least, Kurt deserves a top title for the years of service he's given us while hurt, and how much he risks because he wants to be the best, not because he thinks he should be.
As for the situation on Smackdown as a whole, I shudder to think that Mark Henry is going to be the challenger at the Rumble. But then, it's no major difference from Hardcore Holly versus Brock Lesnar a few years back.
Where does all the expectation that Rey Mysterio fights for the title at Mania comes from? If anything, Undertaker, Orton, maybe Benoit, and even the Boogeyman rates that shot before they'd give it to Rey. I think Rey as the major underdog champ leading up to Mania is a great idea... I just have no faith that will ever happen.
But man... the dream of Flair vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio vs. Angle as the two co-mains... wow. I think I'd pull out some stops to try and get a ticket to Chicago for that...
"Maybe I'm getting off topic, but this thread already sucks, so I don't feel bad about it. " -LotusMegami
"The only way TV Gangrel could change is if Real Gangrel changed." -Filipino Elvis
Kurt Angle with the belt is not a bad thing, ever. That show needed him in a major way. The only things on that show worth watching this year were Eddie, Kennedy, Christian, and Batista, and those guys are all gone for various reasons, this was a must move. And I still think of Kurt as a SD! guy anyway. Look for either Kurt vs Taker at Mania, or perhaps they ship HBK over too, because they need more that just Kurt to save that show. Scrap the Vince thing, and put off the Raw main even until Mania and have the two best guys in the business fight for the big belt at the biggest show of the year. It would seem odd to ship two guys over and make it your main event, but what else can they do that would be better at this point? Nothing. This is of coarse assuming Beniot's status is up in the air.
Originally posted by oldschoolheroBenoit's staying. So sayeth the Wob. Besides, his contract was up like six weeks ago. He'd have to have re-signed by now, right?
"Staying" as in "staying with the WWE specifically?" What about a move to RAW?
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by GRLWow... I don't see it that way at all. In fact, I echo the sentiments that at the very least, Kurt deserves a top title for the years of service he's given us while hurt, and how much he risks because he wants to be the best, not because he thinks he should be.
I agree about ANGLE but the same can be said for Benoit. Benoit doesn't care of he's wrestling for the World Title, US Title, the camera or a house show. He consistently busts his ass to be the best and entertain. I'm always on board with Angle having a title but I just think it was poorly done. Yes, Smackdown is thin right now, but it makes it look weaker when they bring over someone from the other brand out of the blue to be champ. Much less having that person win a battle royal with most of top tier guys missing.
That being said, if they have Benoit LOSE the US TITLE, and don't have him move up to face Angle they are missing the best wrestling they can offer. Have Booker and Orton fight over who REALLY won the US Title, get Orlando Jordan in the middle of it since he did such a nice job playing off Booker with the lack of respect thing and get Benoit up to face Angle in the main event.
Originally posted by ShadeYes, Smackdown is thin right now, but it makes it look weaker when they bring over someone from the other brand out of the blue to be champ.
That's just silly. They didn't send Rob Conway over and make him the champ suddenly. It's KURT FUCKING ANGLE we're talking about.
"You know what you need? Some new quotes in your sig. Yeah, I said it." -- DJFrostyFreeze
Originally posted by ShadeYes, Smackdown is thin right now, but it makes it look weaker when they bring over someone from the other brand out of the blue to be champ.
That's just silly. They didn't send Rob Conway over and make him the champ suddenly. It's KURT FUCKING ANGLE we're talking about.
I'd say the World Heavyweight Title is sufficient reward for having to job to a full nelson on Monday.
How about this signing? http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/newsboard.php?news_id=12547 Daniels vs. Liger? Liger vs. Styles? Joe vs. Liger? Whatever it is, I love it.