Hey, I'm by no means one of the "ECW faithful." I certainly wouldn't consider myself one of the silly marks either. Basically, I'm your typical Internet fan.
Still, I'm cheering RVD on like he's the next big thing. First RVD match I saw was when he debuted with the WWF at Invasion (I was there). The guy is just cool. Some guys have "it." Other guys try to get "it" but never really get "it." RVD has "it."
I really hate the whole "paying your dues" theory. If a guy is hot, run with it. When he wears out, move on to the next big thing. The next big thing is always coming along. How do you think MTV has stayed profitable over the last 20 years?
I'm not saying RVD should have the WWF title right now. But at the same time, they shouldn't wait too long either to really give him the all-out push. I get so aggravated with Jericho's situation. I mean, when he pinned HHH on Raw in April 2000 and apparently had the title won, that was IT. THAT was the time for him. He was ready to go right then and there.
But the WWF decided to pull up short with that. Jericho finally won the title in December 2001 (in the closing stages of completing his heel turn). I dunno what it was, but man, it just didn't seem right. I've been a fan of this guy for a long while and I should've been going crazy for him winning the Undisputed Championship of the World (and believe me, I was marking out like i was 7 when he beat HHH in 4/00). Instead, it all just seemed forced when he won in December. Opportunity only knocks once, kids.
All I'm saying is that RVD has got that "it." I just hope he doesn't lose that "it" by being sent through The Humbling Process. Strike while the iron is hot, WWF.
I see it differently, Tino.. Back in 2000, he was this smart guy midcarder who was in a feud only because he made fun of the 'valet'.
In late 2001 he was the guy that said 'it's my time now!' and proved his worth by getting some solid wins (before turning total heel and getting the upset victories night in night out)
WWF face Jericho never worked for me, I guess.. WWF Heel Jericho is awesome. He seems inspired, as he should be with the unified title around his arms.
Now how does this relate to RVD? He was very hot a few months ago, when all he did was wrestle the Hardcore matches to introduce him to the crowd. Right now he is starting to adapt to the normal WWF style (which comes with the 4 spots like Rolling Thunder & turnbuckle shoulderblocks).. Yes the crowd loves him but can he be a worthy champion? I'd say no, as people love him for his look and behavior but that is it. Let's build him a bit more, give him some depth (That's cool isn't much of a persona) and watch him dominate the WWF for the years to come along with TNG of superstars..
"...And I use that to f*ck them some place fairly uncomfortable." "What, like the back of a volkswagen ?" -Mallrats
And once he finally dominates the WWF people will be hating just like everyone else that 'dominates' the WWF right now.
Actually, of the names that most people would say "dominate" the WWF right now, I don't have much hatred for most of them. I absolutely love Austin, as the "What?" thing has become one of the great exercises in crowd control and his ability to get utterly anything he wants over with the masses. I enjoy watching the Rock most of the time, and have no problem with him being on the top of the card. Angle, admittedly it's kind of iffy on him being in this group, but I think he's amazing and would watch him every week. Jericho, again kind of iffy, is one of my favorite people to see week in and week out. All of which brings me to two people: HHH and Undertaker. Taker again it's iffy whether he "dominates" but since he's being plugged back into the tippy-top of the card angle, I'll include him and say simply that I hate the Undertaker. I have not enjoyed watching the Undertaker in a long long time. His character does nothing for me, his wrestling bores me to tears and he does have a habit of squashing young wrestlers I happen to enjoy watching. As for HHH, I don't think he should be trading jobs with Christian or anything like that. I just think he stultifies booking because of just how close to invulnerable he appears to be. There is never a sense of anyone being able to ever get the upper hand on him, and hasn't been in a long time. His interviews bore me nearly to tears as when he's trying to do the intense thing he just strikes me as a bad caricature of an old-style wrestler giving an interview. In the ring he seems even more dominant than Rock or Austin in the way his matches and segments are structured. I'm curious to see if this is at all rectified in the WM leadup (assuming Jericho remains champ to WM), because if it's not remedied somewhat I have trouble picturing people being that interested in watching him stomp and snarl his way to an inevitable victory.
Look, I love RVD. Does that mean RVD is ready for the WWF title? No. Does that mean he will never be ready for the WWF title? Of course not.
Paying your dues theory?
Pssh, there have been TONS of wrestlers who come over from other orgs with a name and size who are given the title (Big Show). There are tons of people who just come from nowhere and are handed the title because they're big or over (Diesel?). RVD has been wrestling for 10 years now, he's not a rookie, and by all standards, he's paid his dues.
Underutilized theory?
Perhaps. When he came in, he was matched up in endless face vs. face matches (Assuming he was a face - the fans wanted it), and had defeated the entire uppercard of the WWF and Austin of the Alliance. The upside to this was that he was getting a big push by most any standard, the bad thing was that he was also fighting fan-favorites night in and night out, and I believe that hurt his credibility a little.
I believe he's gotta wait a little time. He's definitely an upper-midcarder... Personally, I consider him to have taken Jericho's spot. He can feud with uppercarders, he can even main event TV shows and perhaps double-main a PPV, but he's not a headliner yet. With Jericho, he needed to turn up the intensity, and with RVD, he needs to improve his mic skills and his intensity. Once RVD does those things, he'll be a lock for the title, and he'll actually seem credible to his detractors (assuming you believe he could ever be credible).
HHH can do his Incredible Hulk impression all he wants, hell, he can paint himself green and wear a shredded pair of purple pants, but it still won't be entertaining. I thought it was cool when he came back, but doing 20 minutes of posing and squashing opponents is not fun to watch.
My final thoughts on RVD (well, Tino summed them up perfectly)... he has "it." He's the next big thing. The backstage politics are just amazing... the WWF bills itself as entertainment and a TV show, but do you think that the cast of Ally McBeal was mad because Robert Downey Jr. got a "push?" Or the producers of Spin City, did they not think that Heather Locklear was ready to "main event?" This is what's gonna screw up WWF's ratings in the long run, not being able to change with the times..
Yeah.. I agree with the point on HHH not selling. Personally, I like him, because he _is_ a pretty strong ring general, and he has the insane intensity of doom (same reason that I liked Goldberg)
At the same time, I have to feel that, if the WWF is at all serious about Jericho (and he pinned the rock in a nearly 100% clean fashion.. we're talking 85% plus by WWF standards), Vince will make HHHHHHH (is that about his new size?) sell for Jericho..
Then, at the end of Wrestlemania, when Jericho and HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH are both about dead, Hogan runs in, big boots and leg drops all around, and declares himself champ! HIT THE PORNO MUSIC!
Then, at the end of Wrestlemania, when Jericho and HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH are both about dead, Hogan runs in, big boots and leg drops all around, and declares himself champ! HIT THE PORNO MUSIC!
*blink*
Yeah.
Ed
Good God don't say such things! The last time I heard someone say something like that I was watching WM 9 and a friend said "I bet Hulk somehow wins the title before the night is done" and lo and behold, the Goblin emerged. Hogan is like the Candyman, though not as cool as Tony Todd, if you say his name too much you just might call him back from his unholy tanning bed.
And here I was under the impression that all Rob Van Dam fans sounded like Rick Scaia.
Jason Baldwin Head Writer, 4-Color Review And the guy behind PAPER CUTS! TRUTHFUL comic book commentary Every Thursday, only at 4-Color Review http://4colorreview.com
I think a big problem is the WWF either doesn't care or refuses to put any kind of effort into their midcard storylines. Why isn't the chase for the IC title a big deal? Why is it when one of the best tag teams break up their feud lasts only two pay per views? The WWF should be able to put together one or two high quality mid card feuds without taking time away from the main eventers. They just don't seem willing or able to do it.
Exactly. Remember when Bret and Davey Boy main evented Summerslam for the IC title?? You'll see Stone Cold teaming with Chuck & Billy before you ever see that again.
The big thing RVD needs to show before he's a main eventer is the all important WWF "20 minute in-ring promo." I don't think we've heard him talk for more than 30 seconds at a time (and this includes ECW).
Now, that being said, the WWF needs to give their mid-carders more promo time (and storylines) to work on this. I can't think of any midcarder that's really had any kind of extended promo lately except maybe Regal.
Moe
Farooq is the man so hit your knees and start praying!
While the match WAS a squash, I think they just meant it as a "shockingly quick victory", rather than a "oh my god, Van Dam just DESTROYED Regal and made him look pitiful" victory. But, that just my opinion.
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I think a lot of you are confusing "paying your dues" with WWF's "humbling process". RVD does not have to "pay his dues" because he has been wrestling for a while now, he's been in the business and has shown he's good, can draw fans, etc. That is something Maven has to do. But what he does have to do is go through WWF's "humbling process". Austin, The Rock, HHH, Jericho, and Benoit are all better than RVD and they had to go through it. Remember Austin feuding with Savio? Remember the Rock wrestling the Sultan? Austin, HHH, The Rock and Jericho all had IC title reigns and even less important stuff before that. Benoit still hasn't gotten himself concreted into the main event scene and he has been there much longer that RVD. So why should RVD be pushed so quickly when these other better wrestlers weren't? And don't tell me that RVD is more over than any of them, nobody was more over than Austin 3:16 was.
The only one that was catapulted real quickly was Angle, and well he came from the WWF's minor leagues, so in a way he was humbled down there.
As for RVD having "it", well maybe he does, but I haven't seen "it" yet. I mean there are tons of wrestlers better than him (anyone of the guys mentioned above, Storm, Kanyon, Edge, Christian, and more). And all the guys above (except Benoit) have better mic skills, and others do too. While he is very good at saying "cool" and "whatever" he has to do a lot more than that to ever be a World Champion. Is that the WWF's fault for not letting him talk, maybe so, but when he's done with his "humbling process" he'll get a chance. The only thing that RVD has shown me is that he can do a few flashy moves.
Jeff Hardy can do that too, does anyone think he would be a good World Champion?
Why is it when one of the best tag teams break up their feud lasts only two pay per views?
It has never been unusual for a feud to last only two PPV's. The difference is now, 2 PPVs happen in a span of two months, while in, say, 1994, there was one about every three months.
I think just about all the WWF's problams can be attributed to the 12 PPVs they put together annually. Year long feuds can't happen anymore because that would mean anywhere from 8-12 PPV matches between those at a disagreement, plus all the TV matches they would put together. Now, it is impressive for a feud to span four PPVs, and even then it is easily seperated into two groups, the intriguing (Rock/Jericho) or the drawn-out and too long (Austin/Angle).
"A lot of guys on this team have a lot of bark, but no bite. Guys have to just shut up and play." -- WR Keyshawn Johnson, following the playoff loss to Philadelphia
It's been said before, but posters and the like for a PPV mean jack.
Hell, didn't the Vengeance poster involve a sledgehammer beating the Vengeance logo onto the screen? Yet HHH, who made use of the sledgehammer famous in the WWF, did not appear on that PPV.
As a footnote to all this, look who`s on the poster for No Way Out
Ladies and gentlemen, we have Rick Scaia's lead or second-run story for the Friday Amazon Onslaught update.
Jason Baldwin Head Writer, 4-Color Review And the guy behind PAPER CUTS! TRUTHFUL comic book commentary Every Thursday, only at 4-Color Review http://4colorreview.com
Hmm... Zeus/"No Holds Barred" crossover => a badly-worked, forgettable angle. David Arquette/"Ready To Rumble" crossover => one of the greatest abominations ever, Arquette's run as WCW Heavyweight Champion.