Smackdown ended one of the most fun weeks of wrestling that I can remember. Every show this week has been a blast to watch. Usually, I do wear rose-colored glasses around this time of year, but for the past couple years, my interest dropped dramatically right after WM. This year, I think I became hooked back into the fold. Hopefully, they don’t get me buying non-WM PPVs again, especially since goddamn TWC in NYC can’t seem to broadcast any events in HD.
And you know who the Most Valuable Player was this week? No, not him. I’m talking about the Big Show. He’s back in a huge way. I can’t remember the last time he was this much fun to watch (I probably have to go back to his rookie year).
Batista vs Shawn Michaels will win every award for 2008 Feud of the Year. It’ll win RSPW, WON and at the Emmys, but it won’t win the Kids’ Choice, because the kids can’t appreciate this (but that’s OK because they will when they grow up). Shawn and Batista don’t even have to wrestle – they can just argue every week about the spirit of Ric Flair (who’s apparently deceased, if you listen to Dave talk).
Why was Kane's profile on WWE.com moved from Smackdown to ECW, while Miz and Morrison's profiles have never moved from the ECW page? Is Chavo on the Smackdown roster or the ECW roster? How can Vickie unilaterally book an ECW title match?
Elsewhere on Smackdown, I’m also in love with: Michelle McCool, La Familia, Biscuits & Gravy, MVP, stereo Tombstones and monster heel Vladimir Kozlov (for as long as he destroys jobbers the way he destroyed Matt Bentley).
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Originally posted by Mr ShhAnd you know who the Most Valuable Player was this week? No, not him. I’m talking about the Big Show. He’s back in a huge way. I can’t remember the last time he was this much fun to watch (I probably have to go back to his rookie year).
Couldn't agree more, and it goes back to something I've said time and time again: Big Show is the rare big man that is far more effective as a face than as a heel, and that's because he has an extremely engaging personality that is easy for the fans to connect with and shines through in his promo work. When Show is forced to be the silent giant killer heel, he just becomes another face in the crowd - like Khali, if Khali could wrestle.
Originally posted by Mr ShhElsewhere on Smackdown, I’m also in love with: Michelle McCool, La Familia, Biscuits & Gravy, MVP, stereo Tombstones and monster heel Vladimir Kozlov (for as long as he destroys jobbers the way he destroyed Matt Bentley).
You forgot about Nattie Neidhart. Lord knows that she should be on RAW showing the Glamazon a thing or two about mat work, but I'll take her anywhere I can get her.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Originally posted by Texas Kelly You forgot about Nattie Neidhart. Lord knows that she should be on RAW showing the Glamazon a thing or two about mat work, but I'll take her anywhere I can get her.
I figure she can be Smackdown's version of Beth Phoenix, setting up a match down the line with the Glamazon.
Kozlov doesn't look like much in the ring, but he has a great entrance. It's very old-school....remember back in the day when Dibiase didn't have entrance music, or when Bob Backlund eschewed music in 1994? You can really hear the booing a lot better.
“How is it that I am a good actor? What I do is I... pretend to be the person I’m portraying. You’re confused. Case in point: in Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson comes to me and says ‘I would like you to be Gandalf the Wizard,’ and I said ‘You are aware that I am not really a wizard?’ and Peter Jackson said ‘I would like you to use your acting skills to portray a wizard for the duration of the show.’ So I said ‘Okay’ and then I said to myself ‘Mmm.. How do I do that?’ And this is what I did: I imagined that I was a wizard, and then I pretended, and acted, in that way on the stage. How did I know what to say? The words were written down for me in a script. How did I know where to stand? People told me where to stand." -- Sir Ian McKellen, Extras
And let's not forget that this edition of SmackDown marked the WWE debut of two-time former TNA X-Division Champion Matt Bentley, who got straight-up shit-kicked by Kozlov.
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Who was that, who beat up Cherry and McCool? Was that Nattie?
It's too bad that the WWE Fantasy game isn't running anymore. Show would have made some serious points. He was on all three shows this week!
Originally posted by Mr. ShhAnd you know who the Most Valuable Player was this week? No, not him. I’m talking about the Big Show. He’s back in a huge way. I can’t remember the last time he was this much fun to watch (I probably have to go back to his rookie year).
I thought he was hilarious when he was on SNL with HHH, Vince, and the rest.
Undertaker vs. Kane was a fun match. The tandem sit up, tandem tombstone, everything. Very cool.
The crowd was dead during Kozlov's match. Since Jerry Jarrett introduced him to Vince, maybe it'd be suiting to have him as a manager? I think Kozlov could use a Freddie Blassie type of manager. What's Jerry doing nowadays?
(edited by Oliver on 5.4.08 0146) Mahou henshin! Magi magi magi...magiro!
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Originally posted by AlexI can't wait for Vladimir Kozlov's entrance music to show up on the next WWE: The Music CD!
The weird thing is, before his debut was delayed and he just did those in-crowd "I love double double E" interviews, he HAD entrance music. It's on WWE The Music Volume 7. (Hell, it's on my iPod right now.)
The track is called "All For the Motherland." Just shelving the music seems weird...I mean, that theme just screams "evil Russian" pretty nicely. The old-school darkness and spotlighting was interesting, though. House-show-riffic!
And nice job with the hammer-and-sickle lighting gimmick, WWE. I guess Vince doesn't think modern wrestling fans (and the kids he's marketing to now, who were born AFTER the USSR fell) will recognize the white-blue-red of Russia?
Once again, Vince make my head asplode. But I am interested in the character...so maybe he's right and I'm wrong.
Originally posted by ekedolphinAnd let's not forget that this edition of SmackDown marked the WWE debut of two-time former TNA X-Division Champion Matt Bentley, who got straight-up shit-kicked by Kozlov.
We should mention, for non-TNA followers, that Bentley is Shawn Michaels' cousin, and was trained by him. (He also uses the Superkick as his finisher.) I was a little surprised to see him just tossed out there, since "Shawn Michaels' cousin" could make for a good storyline right now.
Kozlov's silent entrance is interesting; I'll be surprised if it lasts for too long.
--K
Last 5 movies seen: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story *** - Alvin and the Chipmunks **1/2 - Persuasion (2007) **1/2 - The Mist ***1/2 - Wristcutters: A Love Story ***
Originally posted by Big BadKozlov doesn't look like much in the ring, but he has a great entrance. It's very old-school....remember back in the day when Dibiase didn't have entrance music, or when Bob Backlund eschewed music in 1994? You can really hear the booing a lot better.
No, it's not. He has a dopey-looking face and marches with a poor hunch; it's awkward. If he's meant to be just another guy who beats you up nonsensically, well pardon my yawn. If WWE doesn't do a Zangief-motif with him and make him a better Nikita Koloff, this guy is a waste of money and TV time.
I'm not saying give him a mohawk and say wrestles bears in his free-time, but he's big and he's powerful. He doesn't need to be another generic strong man or have that stupid finisher. A guy like that could easily make something as simple as a suplex look devastating if packaged with the right personality. WORKED SHOOT, remember, not WORKED WORK.
If you don't have entrance music to make people pay attention to your entrance...your movement needs to do it; especially when the rest of the setup includes a single spotlight. You walk just slowly enough to let the people take you in and you wait in the corner, then come out guns blazing and destroy, look down at your fallen opponent and then walk slowly back up the ramp with that spotlight. You don't grunt at the people, you don't yell -- you let the work speak for itself. You don't need this match, you just want the money that comes with it.
As far as Batista/HBK goes, I must have been watching something else, because Batista can't convey a promo to save his life. There was no desperation in his voice or sadness, just generic..."Grrr, I'm angry at you, Shawn - I miss Ric!" sounding blabber.
Not trying to be negative, but neither of those segments were particularly good.
Originally posted by Texas KellyCouldn't agree more, and it goes back to something I've said time and time again: Big Show is the rare big man that is far more effective as a face than as a heel, and that's because he has an extremely engaging personality that is easy for the fans to connect with and shines through in his promo work. When Show is forced to be the silent giant killer heel, he just becomes another face in the crowd - like Khali, if Khali could wrestle.
I'd actually disagree on this. Show is a highly effective monster heel when they actually let him be, and the nature of his in-ring character lends itself more to building up faces than facing down heels. His feud with Brock Lesnar made Brock even more frightening than he already was (the build-up to the F5, the Superplex that shattered the ring), or the similar build-up for Cena when he displayed the ability to FU the 500-pound giant. Or the closing moments of Benoit's Royal Rumble win, when the ring was full of faces trying together to eliminate him, and finally Benoit, alone, managed to outsmart Show and drag him over the top rope.
He was able to do all these things while still remaining very vocal on the mic.
As far as Batista/HBK goes, I must have been watching something else, because Batista can't convey a promo to save his life. There was no desperation in his voice or sadness, just generic..."Grrr, I'm angry at you, Shawn - I miss Ric!" sounding blabber.
The promo was ALL Shawn. All Bautista brought to the table was the Queer Eye wardrobe.
I finally got around to watching it earlier this evening. I don't normally watch smackdown, but i grabbed this one based on comments in this thread.
I got the really creepy feeling that dave thinks ric is dead, not retired.
I understand that, in reality, smackdown and ecw are taped at the same location on the same night... but has WWE given up any pretense now of them being seperate shows even in kayfabe?
Is kane a face or a heel? I can't tell. I mean, he's feuding with a heel, but he still makes all the mean heel gestures and facial expressions. I was quite ammused by his response to Taker's extended pretentious enterance. Basically "oh. this again. ok whatever... is it done yet?"
edit: also, it's been said many times before... but for all their other faults, DAMN can WWE put together one hell of a highlight video. The ric flair highlight video was damn near as good as the actual raw episode.
(edited by Skarecrow on 7.4.08 2338) Evil Inside =X=
Originally posted by Skarecrow Is kane a face or a heel? I can't tell. I mean, he's feuding with a heel, but he still makes all the mean heel gestures and facial expressions. I was quite ammused by his response to Taker's extended pretentious enterance. Basically "oh. this again. ok whatever... is it done yet?"
Maybe that's cos Kane's completely neutral facial expression makes him look like a serial killeR, which i actually think is fairly useful in allowing him to show a bit of character as a face without descending too far from monster to lovable goof.
Originally posted by Skarecrowedit: also, it's been said many times before... but for all their other faults, DAMN can WWE put together one hell of a highlight video. The ric flair highlight video was damn near as good as the actual raw episode.
And please, I'm begging someone to tell Vince and Kevin Dunn that f'n song about leaving the memories alone is not something that tugs at the heart, nor does it add to the emotion of a Ric Flair testimonial.
Play Strauss' Sprach Zarathustra - which was the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey - all night long.
That other song is just Vince and Kevin saying: "Here's the WWE touch to it all that makes it so great."
Originally posted by SkarecrowI understand that, in reality, smackdown and ecw are taped at the same location on the same night... but has WWE given up any pretense now of them being seperate shows even in kayfabe? (edited by Skarecrow on 7.4.08 2338)
Months ago, on-air Smackdown and ECW entered into a "talent-sharing" agreement, so your complaint has been addressed and explained.
Just to weigh in on all of this. I still remember this as one of the better or at least best episodes of RAW. Everything seemed to just work on all-cylinders that night. And in the main event it felt like for one night all was right with the world.