I hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas. I live in West Central Iowa and I was snowed in for the entire weekend. I still had a Merry Christmas because my gift will be next week on Raw. I am hoping for a quality Raw to end the year and decade. I hate who the WWE chose to host Raw, Timbaland. What could he possibly bring to the show that I couldn't? It seems that every single week the second paragraph of the Raw blog is devoted to something other than Raw. On this night, it will be no different. I have to talk about the worst segment Showstoppers ever had last week.
Two weeks ago, I wrote a beautifully written blog about Bret the Hitman Hart. I was hoping when I tuned into ShowStoppers I would hear some intelligent conversation between John and Larry. Boy, did I get a big surprise! Larry and John compared the Hogan signing and the Bret Hart signing. I believe I did the same thing in the Hart blog. I am on the other side of this debate as I find that true wrestling fans believe Bret coming back to the WWE is a much larger story than Hogan to TNA. In fact, the Showstoppers hosts both said they would watch TNA next week and DVR Raw. After a statement like that, how could you ever take them serious? I am not dragging Larry or John down just because we have a difference in opinion. I would say that is the complete opposite on what I am trying to do. Please don't call me bias towards Bret either. I was a hulkamaniac a long time ago and loved the Hulkster growing up. I would never say that Bret is a bigger name in the general public than Hogan. My problem is that ever since November 9th, 1997, wrestling fans around the world thought Bret Hart would never be in a WWE ring again. Hulk Hogan has returned to the WWE a few times and I loved his run back from 2002-2004 plus his match with HBK at Summerslam 2005. Larry had the worst sentence of them all in the segment. He claimed that TNA will now have highlights on ESPN because they signed Hogan. Last time I checked, when Hogan signed with the WWE back in 2002 for his return there wasn't a Sportscenter moment. ESPN doesn't give a crap about Hogan at TNA and neither to most wrestling fans. ESPN only shows wrestling when it has something to with an athlete from one of the big sports, e.i. Mark Cuban or Johnny Damon.
What is TNA's roster filled with? I'll answer that for you, young talent. What happened in WCW back in its heyday? The talent was very young and full of hard workers. You had Chris Jericho, Chris Beniot, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Big Show and countless others. Hogan never put over any of that young talent, EVER! Look at the list of names I typed above. Every single one of those guys became a World Champion in WWF/E. Will Hogan put over young talent in TNA? He wouldn't job to Orton or HBK in the WWE. Hogan continues to look out for Hogan and that is the biggest concern I have about him at TNA. Bret on the other hand brings something fresh and exciting to the WWE. I believe it is well known by anyone who reads this blog, I am an old school wrestling fan. Bret signing makes me believe that the screw job is done and over with. Everyone has moved on and wants the best for the business. I'm excited to see what happens on WWE. Until TNA makes a giant step in the right direction I will keep my remote down and locked on Raw. So next week, don't expect this writer to talk about anything on the TNA show. Sorry it won't happen. As for Showstoppers, Larry, John and I will continue to disagree on this hot topic. In the end, it's great for the business to have such a huge debate. I apologize for this rant going on long. Now that I have got that off my chest, I can move on to the final Raw of the decade.
I like John Cena opening up the show. I am hoping the WWE will build up the rematch tonight from this first segment. I enjoyed the first segment tonight. I didn't want to see another Tables match. After seeing Sheamus go through the table, I have a feeling he will keep his title in the rematch. I am almost rooting for Sheamus tonight. The whole reason you give Sheamus the title is to make him into a main eventer. If you take away the belt to quickly, fans will never believe he even earned the title in the first place. You take away his credibility without having him keep it until the Royal Rumble.
To save my time and yours, I will not be writing anything about Timbaland because I don't give a crap about him or his rapping career. Legacy in the back with Orton is something I have an interest in. Orton talked about breaking up Legacy. The WWE is going to mess this all up. Dibiase had a great in ring segment with Orton a few months back. They didn't keep the momentum going afterwards. Now tonight looks like the end and there was no build up towards it.
Dibiase is a budding superstar. He maybe the wrestler who goes to Smackdown in next years draft. The match between Bourne and Dibiase is a nice match up. Bourne sells better than anyone on Raw. I was left speechless after Bourne did a standing hurricarana with Dibiase on the top rope. They messed up the ending on the launch but it was a decent effort from both men. I wonder if the WWE will set all this Legacy stuff up for a triple threat match at Mania. Back to back Legacy matches worked for me. The more in ring wrestling means less backstage crap which I don't want to see anyway. I was shocked Rhodes won so quickly. Legacy will stay together until the Rumble.
The first time in several weeks, DX had a funny backstage segment. I guess Larry was right about one thing, Hornswaggle helps DX in the comedy department. Big Show has a mystery partner tonight. How many of you guessed Jericho in some kind of costume?
I am crazy for blonds so needless to say I was crazy for Kelly Kelly and Maryse. I think Maryse gets hotter every time I see her. Both women have been improving their in ring skills. Maryse needed the victory to gain some momentum before taking on Melina for the Diva title. I hope that is next week on Raw.
Jericho had been outside protesting to be back on Raw. Show and Jerichos segment was like a relationship breaking up. I found it very funny.
Finally Vincent Kennedy McMahon came to the ring to announced Bret Hart will return to the WWE ring next week. The WWE put together a great tribute match and I felt like I was 10 again. They couldn't leave out the screw job. The Montreal screw job will always be one of those long wrestling debates. It is the JFK assassination of wrestling. Vince goes on as the normal heel chairman of the board. I don't know if his story about the Hall of Fame was true or not. Vince wouldn't say the words I was dying to hear. The thing I was most intrigued about this whole Bret Hart signing is how would the WWE play it out. I thought HBK was going to talk about Bret but instead flipped the switch. HBK used the old reverse psychology on Vince. I have no idea what Shawn meant by only good things will happen if Bret comes back. I think Vince did though. Obviously Vince and Shawn are going to be a huge part when Bret does comeback. The entire segment made me giddy like a little boy. How can you not be interested in next weeks Raw?
I loved the fact that Sheamus retaliated on Cena for his FU threw the table. The champion should be angry and get some revenge. A good heel always does.
MVP getting in the hunt for anything on Raw would be a blessing. He has been underutilized the entire 2009. Miz could use another catchphrase instead of 'really'.
Miz and Kofi could be having two matches in the same night. Hell that is more than Miz has had on Raw in two months total. The first match sure didn't last long. Trouble in Paradise in less than a minute. Crazy spot and Miz made it look pretty good. Yes! I nearly screamed when Orton interfered. A great looking RKO on the floor to Kofi surely locked up another match between the two on either Raw next week or the Rumble. I am ready for the cold calculating Orton to return.
DX having the tag team belts is fine with me if they actually defend them once in a while on TV. The WWE seems to have no clue what to do with Big Show. Big Show and Chavo? Why? Did you hear the Y2J chants? I love the fact Jericho is still showing up on Raw each week. I wonder, as a fellow Canadian, how he feels about Hart coming back? Chavo has been on the longest losing streak in WWE history. How am I suppose to believe he will be a better tag partner than Jericho? I can't, it is really that simple people. Yes, wrestling is fake but the storyline needs to be somewhat believable. Chavo lost to Hornswaggle in about a million different ways and now I have to see him battle DX. I like Chavo and think he needs to leave Raw to ECW and rebuild his reputation. Jericho can always make anything look good and he certainly did with SCM. DX and JeriShow next week for the final time.
The last image of 2009 and the decade could be either Sheamus or Cena holding the WWE title.
I was really hoping Timbaland was going to be the guest ring announcer. Cena came down at the 10 o'clock mark on the nose. This is hardly enough time to have a WWE title match. I was guessing Raw would go long after I saw that. Cena could be an eight time world champion if he wins tonight. I liked the fact they came out swinging right from the bell. The match needed to be an aggressive one by the champion. Who didn't see that coming? Cena wins to continue his winning streak but only by dq. The WWE could go in a few directions with Cena now. He get one more match with Sheamus at the Royal Rumble. Cena could have just blown his chance at his rematch and now would be in limbo like Orton was when Cena had the belt. The only chance Cena would have is to win the Rumble in the second scenario. Next week, I bet I get my answer as to what direction they go with him.
Next weeks Raw is going to be huge. DX vs JeriShow for the tag titles. Orton vs Kofi in a rubber match. Bret Hart's return could be as "The King" said the biggest news of the Decade. TNA will start up the Monday Night Wars. I don't know the ratings TNA has been getting on Spike but I doubt they make a dent into what WWE has been getting. Vince always comes up big when he has competition. The way next weeks Raw is setting up, you can see Vince wants to make sure TNA doesn't even approach his league. I will be back next week for another Raw blog. In segment 2, I will make another camo on ShowStoppers. I hope you all check that out since I have a new nickname on their show. Have a happy and safe New Year. I said it last week but it's worth repeating: Thank you for your continued support and reading my opinion on wrestling this past year. I appreciate all that you do for me. I look forward to continue writing in the up coming 2010. I know sometimes we may have a difference in opinion but that is what makes it all fun.
J Call
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Raw 12-21
After a crazy week in which we heard Bret Hart signed with the WWE, what do we have in store tonight? We should see Cena continue his winning streak and get one step closer to the WWE title again. The WWE will gain even more momentum heading towards the head to head Monday Night on January 4th. I really hope I get to see some actual wrestling tonight. I think the WWE will hold on another few weeks before we see some story lines heading into the Royal Rumble. Johnny Damon will host and I couldn't care less. DX and Hornswaggle are going to court which means the WWE needed a time filler. Raw is J Call tonight.
Damon didn't get much love from the Tampa Bay crowd. A guy in a Tiger suit with a crazy ass woman chasing him. As Larry would say, WTF? I like the Divas being up first on this Raw. They seem to get lost in the shuffle some weeks when they are placed in the middle of the show. I just don't see the Electric Chair drop enough. Maryse and Melina seem to be on a crash course for a title match. The WWE will probably show this off on Raw January 4th or at the Rumble. Melina costs Maryse tonight. I think the WWE is missing out on the Diva division. They never give the heels any momentum. You can almost bet that the faces will win every single week on Raw. If you want the fans to give a crap, then build a nice storyline and stretch it out for a few pay per views.
ECW's tournament is a great idea. They need to change it up a little bit and doing a tournament for the number one contenders spot is certainly a good change of pace.
The DX Hornswaggle saga continues. BORING! Who would have thought that the Little People's Court would have little people in it? I thought it was even better that it was split into two parts. I was pins and needles waiting to hear what the jury grunted. Holy Crap! At least Raw was saved with Randy Orton and Legacy. Legacy was all over Raw last week and even picked up a rare victory. I'm glad to see Kofi continuing his feud with Orton. I want to see a few more one on one contests between the two. Where the hell was MVP? 6 man tag matches are usually used for 3 different feuds and the wrestlers thrown in for a filler for the feud. Here the 6 man tag was used to have Orton Kofi feud to continue and Kofi needed partners. The more I see of Bourne, the more I start to like him. We finally got to see the Shooting Star Press tonight. The best finisher in the entire WWE. I can't even describe that clothesline from Dibiase. Unbelievable. How about Raw tonight? This 6 man tag actually had time to develop and was a solid in ring contest. You see the WWE does listen to me. I asked, maybe demanded, more wrestling and I got it in this match. Great match and a huge win for Kofi. The WWE was smart not having Kofi pin Orton or Orton pin Kofi. Everybody wins in this match.
The momentum gained from the 6 man tag match was all but lost in the second segment of Little People's Court. One of the dumbest segments ever in Raw history. I think that might have been worse than Mae Young giving birth to a hand. I'm going to channel Booker T: Tell me I didn't see that. Tell me I didn't just see that. I was hoping it was a dream but turned out to be real.
Welcome back to Raw Jack Swagger. You have been gone for a few weeks and get to wrestle one of the hottest stars in the WWE. Swagger seemed to be in line for a nice push earlier in the year and now can barely get on T.V. I don't know what happened because he has all the tools and talent. I guess HHH or HBK don't like him so he isn't getting pushed to the moon like McIntyre or Sheamus. Swagger did have a nice showing tonight against the former champ. They might want to reconsider burying this young kid after this match. I am getting my wish tonight on Raw. I have seen two solid in ring contests. My only complaint is they were sandwiched in between the DX Hornswaggle bull crap. You can never be perfect and I will take the two bad segments with two good wrestling matches. I know some people think I complain to much. I agree at times I do. I am an old school wrestling fan who likes more wrestling than interviews and extra crap the WWE sometimes. Last week was a prime example of what I don't want from Raw. Tonight has been the complete opposite. Great match with Swagger and Cena. Cena will continue this roll until he either faces Taker at Mania or I guess I can't think of another way he will lose.
MVP stepping up his game with a challenge to Sheamus. I was reading a wrestling message board earlier in the week about MVP. They questioned whether his face turn ruined his push. I would say the WWE never took full advantage of his face turn. He turned face and had some opportunities to win the tag team titles from JeriShow. He teamed up with Henry and were made to look like real challengers. What have they done with him since then? He should be wrestling Miz for the US title. I wouldn't mind seeing him win Money in the Bank either. Speaking of money in the bank, how many guys can you think of that could potentially win that match? I can think of quite a few but would like to hear from you. Email me who you think should win Money in the Bank and if your take is good, I will post it up on here next week in the Raw blog. Send your emails to mccall316@yahoo.com
Eve being partnered up with Masters will help him get over with the crowds. I know some people won't care with Masters and Carlito's little feud on Raw. I would rather see a mini feud and a match or two then backstage segments. The match was given no time at all but at least it served it purpose. Masters even got a kiss from Eve. To the victor, goes the spoils.
Tribute to the Troops is one of the greatest and nicest things the WWE has ever done. You don't see the NFL, NBA or MLB going over to Iraq to put on a game for the troops. I know its different and not easy, but do you think it's easy to carry all the wrestling gear over there? I doubt it. Thank you to the men and women giving their life over there for our freedom. I think the media forgets about them sometimes. We are so obsessed with Tiger and every other negative story that we tend to take them for granted. Whenever a person puts down the WWE, I just tell them about what they do every year around Christmas time for our troops.
Miz gets some camera time this week on Raw. I love I.R.S. He makes me laugh everytime I see him. I wish he was on more often. I spoke of Mae Young earlier and she shows up tonight in a random moment. She maybe in her 90's but Young seems to have a blast anytime she gets in front of the camera.
The new WWE champion Sheamus gets to showoff his new title. MVP didn't get a real good showing tonight on Raw. MVP is not a jobber, although you had to know he wasn't going to beat the new champion. The match was not bad by any means. I was hoping for a little longer match but once Cena showed up and challenged Sheamus I figured out why they went the route they did. When will Cena face Sheamus again?
Mr. McMahon showing up tonight was a nice surprise. Damon makes the match next week on Raw. I thought for sure it would happen on the Jan. 4th edition. Damon makes a comment about Bret and Vince blows it off. Next week, the WWE will have to do something more next week since Bret is coming back for sure now.
Miz takes on Santino Claus. I like Santino and he does a great job every week of bringing a little comedy to the show. However, I would rather see him in backstage skits with the celebrity hosts then face the Miz. Miz has the second biggest belt on Raw and hasn't had a feud in over a month. He beat his former tag team partner in back to back pay per views. I don't get the WWE sometimes.
In case you missed it, DX and the horrible Little People's segments were shown again. I hated it the first time and couldn't stand it the second time. Good to see the Big Show back on Raw. The WWE must have a plan for him now after JeriShow broke up. Big Show and Santa finishing up this edition of Raw. I think something special has to happen to Big Show if this is really going to end Raw. I couldn't tell who played the "real" Santa.
Are you freaking kidding me? Timbaland is going to host Raw next week. That is one step above having MC Hammer. What the hell is the WWE doing to me? At least this week, Johnny Damon didn't annoy me. In fact, he took my advice and took a backseat to the real entertainers. Big Show must have known my wish as well because I was hoping Jericho would comeback to Raw as well. Santa turned out to be Y2J himself. The DX army just got a little smaller. The smallest side walk slam of all time by Big Show. I guess JeriShow isn't dead yet. Oh boy, even more Hornswaggle and DX segments now that he is officially a DX member. Somewhere, Larry is happy and this blogger is throwing up.
Raw wasn't to bad tonight since I got to see a couple of good quality wrestling. I could have cared less about the last segment except Chris Jericho will be coming back to Raw next week. Raw should be a solid show next week as well. Except for that god awful choice for GM. I can only guess that Timbaland has no clue about the WWE. I bet we even get to see a crappy music video or something. Raw will have a rare WWE title match next week as well. ShowStoppers will have their best of the decade show this week. I got to announce tag team of the decade which was a nice touch for me. I hope you enjoy that as much as you enjoyed the Raw blog. Thank you for continuing to read the Raw blog each and every week. It has been my pleasure to be a voice of the true wrestling fans in the past year. I look forward to one more Raw in 2009. Have a Merry Christmas and spend time with the most important people, your family.
J Call
Damon didn't get much love from the Tampa Bay crowd. A guy in a Tiger suit with a crazy ass woman chasing him. As Larry would say, WTF? I like the Divas being up first on this Raw. They seem to get lost in the shuffle some weeks when they are placed in the middle of the show. I just don't see the Electric Chair drop enough. Maryse and Melina seem to be on a crash course for a title match. The WWE will probably show this off on Raw January 4th or at the Rumble. Melina costs Maryse tonight. I think the WWE is missing out on the Diva division. They never give the heels any momentum. You can almost bet that the faces will win every single week on Raw. If you want the fans to give a crap, then build a nice storyline and stretch it out for a few pay per views.
ECW's tournament is a great idea. They need to change it up a little bit and doing a tournament for the number one contenders spot is certainly a good change of pace.
The DX Hornswaggle saga continues. BORING! Who would have thought that the Little People's Court would have little people in it? I thought it was even better that it was split into two parts. I was pins and needles waiting to hear what the jury grunted. Holy Crap! At least Raw was saved with Randy Orton and Legacy. Legacy was all over Raw last week and even picked up a rare victory. I'm glad to see Kofi continuing his feud with Orton. I want to see a few more one on one contests between the two. Where the hell was MVP? 6 man tag matches are usually used for 3 different feuds and the wrestlers thrown in for a filler for the feud. Here the 6 man tag was used to have Orton Kofi feud to continue and Kofi needed partners. The more I see of Bourne, the more I start to like him. We finally got to see the Shooting Star Press tonight. The best finisher in the entire WWE. I can't even describe that clothesline from Dibiase. Unbelievable. How about Raw tonight? This 6 man tag actually had time to develop and was a solid in ring contest. You see the WWE does listen to me. I asked, maybe demanded, more wrestling and I got it in this match. Great match and a huge win for Kofi. The WWE was smart not having Kofi pin Orton or Orton pin Kofi. Everybody wins in this match.
The momentum gained from the 6 man tag match was all but lost in the second segment of Little People's Court. One of the dumbest segments ever in Raw history. I think that might have been worse than Mae Young giving birth to a hand. I'm going to channel Booker T: Tell me I didn't see that. Tell me I didn't just see that. I was hoping it was a dream but turned out to be real.
Welcome back to Raw Jack Swagger. You have been gone for a few weeks and get to wrestle one of the hottest stars in the WWE. Swagger seemed to be in line for a nice push earlier in the year and now can barely get on T.V. I don't know what happened because he has all the tools and talent. I guess HHH or HBK don't like him so he isn't getting pushed to the moon like McIntyre or Sheamus. Swagger did have a nice showing tonight against the former champ. They might want to reconsider burying this young kid after this match. I am getting my wish tonight on Raw. I have seen two solid in ring contests. My only complaint is they were sandwiched in between the DX Hornswaggle bull crap. You can never be perfect and I will take the two bad segments with two good wrestling matches. I know some people think I complain to much. I agree at times I do. I am an old school wrestling fan who likes more wrestling than interviews and extra crap the WWE sometimes. Last week was a prime example of what I don't want from Raw. Tonight has been the complete opposite. Great match with Swagger and Cena. Cena will continue this roll until he either faces Taker at Mania or I guess I can't think of another way he will lose.
MVP stepping up his game with a challenge to Sheamus. I was reading a wrestling message board earlier in the week about MVP. They questioned whether his face turn ruined his push. I would say the WWE never took full advantage of his face turn. He turned face and had some opportunities to win the tag team titles from JeriShow. He teamed up with Henry and were made to look like real challengers. What have they done with him since then? He should be wrestling Miz for the US title. I wouldn't mind seeing him win Money in the Bank either. Speaking of money in the bank, how many guys can you think of that could potentially win that match? I can think of quite a few but would like to hear from you. Email me who you think should win Money in the Bank and if your take is good, I will post it up on here next week in the Raw blog. Send your emails to mccall316@yahoo.com
Eve being partnered up with Masters will help him get over with the crowds. I know some people won't care with Masters and Carlito's little feud on Raw. I would rather see a mini feud and a match or two then backstage segments. The match was given no time at all but at least it served it purpose. Masters even got a kiss from Eve. To the victor, goes the spoils.
Tribute to the Troops is one of the greatest and nicest things the WWE has ever done. You don't see the NFL, NBA or MLB going over to Iraq to put on a game for the troops. I know its different and not easy, but do you think it's easy to carry all the wrestling gear over there? I doubt it. Thank you to the men and women giving their life over there for our freedom. I think the media forgets about them sometimes. We are so obsessed with Tiger and every other negative story that we tend to take them for granted. Whenever a person puts down the WWE, I just tell them about what they do every year around Christmas time for our troops.
Miz gets some camera time this week on Raw. I love I.R.S. He makes me laugh everytime I see him. I wish he was on more often. I spoke of Mae Young earlier and she shows up tonight in a random moment. She maybe in her 90's but Young seems to have a blast anytime she gets in front of the camera.
The new WWE champion Sheamus gets to showoff his new title. MVP didn't get a real good showing tonight on Raw. MVP is not a jobber, although you had to know he wasn't going to beat the new champion. The match was not bad by any means. I was hoping for a little longer match but once Cena showed up and challenged Sheamus I figured out why they went the route they did. When will Cena face Sheamus again?
Mr. McMahon showing up tonight was a nice surprise. Damon makes the match next week on Raw. I thought for sure it would happen on the Jan. 4th edition. Damon makes a comment about Bret and Vince blows it off. Next week, the WWE will have to do something more next week since Bret is coming back for sure now.
Miz takes on Santino Claus. I like Santino and he does a great job every week of bringing a little comedy to the show. However, I would rather see him in backstage skits with the celebrity hosts then face the Miz. Miz has the second biggest belt on Raw and hasn't had a feud in over a month. He beat his former tag team partner in back to back pay per views. I don't get the WWE sometimes.
In case you missed it, DX and the horrible Little People's segments were shown again. I hated it the first time and couldn't stand it the second time. Good to see the Big Show back on Raw. The WWE must have a plan for him now after JeriShow broke up. Big Show and Santa finishing up this edition of Raw. I think something special has to happen to Big Show if this is really going to end Raw. I couldn't tell who played the "real" Santa.
Are you freaking kidding me? Timbaland is going to host Raw next week. That is one step above having MC Hammer. What the hell is the WWE doing to me? At least this week, Johnny Damon didn't annoy me. In fact, he took my advice and took a backseat to the real entertainers. Big Show must have known my wish as well because I was hoping Jericho would comeback to Raw as well. Santa turned out to be Y2J himself. The DX army just got a little smaller. The smallest side walk slam of all time by Big Show. I guess JeriShow isn't dead yet. Oh boy, even more Hornswaggle and DX segments now that he is officially a DX member. Somewhere, Larry is happy and this blogger is throwing up.
Raw wasn't to bad tonight since I got to see a couple of good quality wrestling. I could have cared less about the last segment except Chris Jericho will be coming back to Raw next week. Raw should be a solid show next week as well. Except for that god awful choice for GM. I can only guess that Timbaland has no clue about the WWE. I bet we even get to see a crappy music video or something. Raw will have a rare WWE title match next week as well. ShowStoppers will have their best of the decade show this week. I got to announce tag team of the decade which was a nice touch for me. I hope you enjoy that as much as you enjoyed the Raw blog. Thank you for continuing to read the Raw blog each and every week. It has been my pleasure to be a voice of the true wrestling fans in the past year. I look forward to one more Raw in 2009. Have a Merry Christmas and spend time with the most important people, your family.
J Call
Thursday, December 17, 2009
He's Back
I wanted to wait. I should probably wait. I could have waited. What am I saying? No, I couldn't, shouldn't and won't wait any longer. My favorite wrestler of all time has returned home. Bret "The Hitman" Hart is returning to the WWE. The WWE has been trying to gain the media's attention with using celebrity general managers every single week on Monday Night Raw. The news that Bret Hart is coming back brings hope to real wrestling fans who are growing tired of seeing celebrities make a fool out of themselves. They have little to no knowledge of the WWE. Bret is coming back and could be the answer to most of our prayers.
The Bret Hart signing is in fact the answer to mine. I have been longing for the day when that music hit one more time. The WWE has teased me several times. Bret even came back in 2006 for the Hall of Fame. He gave a nice speech but did not show up at the actual Wrestlemania event. I wasn't satisfied with him giving a speech and then leaving. The WWE made my mouth wet and then didn't fulfill what was necessary in my opinion. The Bret Hart DVD was great as well and yet, I still wanted more. Bret's WWE career still didn't feel like it had the proper send off. Flair got the perfect goodbye in 2008. Bret has yet to have that final bang to say. 'Yes, my career has come full circle.'
If you recall, after the Survivor Series in 1997 Bret was never going to come back to the WWE. His exit left a foul stench on the WWE. He signed with WCW and was never used to his capabilities. WCW used him more as a prop than a quality wrestler. Even in the DVD, there were two highlights of his WCW days. One was his tribute match to his brother Owen with Chris Beniot. The other was Goldberg spearing Bret and under Bret's shirt was a steel plate. Bret's in ring career was over with after Goldberg kicked him straight in the head. Was this really how the best there is, best there was and best there ever will be was going to leave the squared circle. Now the WWE and Bret have a second chance to cap off Bret's illustrious career.
Of course, you have to know there was another reason Bret was signed. I can bet Vince McMahon was trying to figure out a way to stick it to Hogan and TNA. He did just that. Hogan who? Hulk Hogan is still a huge name in the wrestling business and anything he does grabs headlines. The truth is the WWE bringing back one of the all time greats for longer than one guest host appearance puts Hogan signing with TNA on the back burner. If this made a newspaper, Bret would be the headline on page one. Hogan would be on page 4 below a used car ad. Most wrestling fans have been dreaming of another Monday Night Wars. The Ratings War always brought out the best in Vince and his writing staff. The Bret Hart signing is another reason wrestling fans are rooting for TNA to do well in the ratings on Jan. 4th. Vince pulled the ultimate rabbit out of his hat before we even got to see if TNA could battle with them.
Most of you already knew that Bret had signed with the WWE. Speculation arose after Dennis Miller asked Vince if he could bring back Bret as a general manager. Now the wrestling Internet marks are all over this story. I couldn't resist writing my own blog on it either. The news of Bret is the biggest story the WWE has had since buying WCW. I haven't been this excited for a Raw since the days of Stone Cold Vince feud. For this WWE blogger, my Christmas present has come early. All I can do now is wait and hope the gift is as good as the surprise. I believe the WWE will not let the true wrestling fans down. I have a feeling at the end of Bret's stint, his career will get the ending he deserved the first time he left the WWE.
J Call
The Bret Hart signing is in fact the answer to mine. I have been longing for the day when that music hit one more time. The WWE has teased me several times. Bret even came back in 2006 for the Hall of Fame. He gave a nice speech but did not show up at the actual Wrestlemania event. I wasn't satisfied with him giving a speech and then leaving. The WWE made my mouth wet and then didn't fulfill what was necessary in my opinion. The Bret Hart DVD was great as well and yet, I still wanted more. Bret's WWE career still didn't feel like it had the proper send off. Flair got the perfect goodbye in 2008. Bret has yet to have that final bang to say. 'Yes, my career has come full circle.'
If you recall, after the Survivor Series in 1997 Bret was never going to come back to the WWE. His exit left a foul stench on the WWE. He signed with WCW and was never used to his capabilities. WCW used him more as a prop than a quality wrestler. Even in the DVD, there were two highlights of his WCW days. One was his tribute match to his brother Owen with Chris Beniot. The other was Goldberg spearing Bret and under Bret's shirt was a steel plate. Bret's in ring career was over with after Goldberg kicked him straight in the head. Was this really how the best there is, best there was and best there ever will be was going to leave the squared circle. Now the WWE and Bret have a second chance to cap off Bret's illustrious career.
Of course, you have to know there was another reason Bret was signed. I can bet Vince McMahon was trying to figure out a way to stick it to Hogan and TNA. He did just that. Hogan who? Hulk Hogan is still a huge name in the wrestling business and anything he does grabs headlines. The truth is the WWE bringing back one of the all time greats for longer than one guest host appearance puts Hogan signing with TNA on the back burner. If this made a newspaper, Bret would be the headline on page one. Hogan would be on page 4 below a used car ad. Most wrestling fans have been dreaming of another Monday Night Wars. The Ratings War always brought out the best in Vince and his writing staff. The Bret Hart signing is another reason wrestling fans are rooting for TNA to do well in the ratings on Jan. 4th. Vince pulled the ultimate rabbit out of his hat before we even got to see if TNA could battle with them.
Most of you already knew that Bret had signed with the WWE. Speculation arose after Dennis Miller asked Vince if he could bring back Bret as a general manager. Now the wrestling Internet marks are all over this story. I couldn't resist writing my own blog on it either. The news of Bret is the biggest story the WWE has had since buying WCW. I haven't been this excited for a Raw since the days of Stone Cold Vince feud. For this WWE blogger, my Christmas present has come early. All I can do now is wait and hope the gift is as good as the surprise. I believe the WWE will not let the true wrestling fans down. I have a feeling at the end of Bret's stint, his career will get the ending he deserved the first time he left the WWE.
J Call
Monday, December 14, 2009
Raw 12-14
TLC was a fantastic pay per view. I am really surprised the WWE gave the title to Sheamus and I'm really interested on how the WWE will follow up. DX is now the Tag champs and probably time for JeriShow to break up. Three hours means we should see a lot of wrestling but this is the WWE so I'll be lucky to have three solid matches. The WWE is certainly building up young talent and tonight will be no different.
First before I get into Raw, I have another gripe about this past ShowStoppers. I know seems like every week I have something to complain about. I came up with the idea of ShowStoppers doing a Best of the Decade Show, which is next week, and thought it was a great idea. We came up with several different categories and for the most part I was happy with the nominees. The issue I have is with the best match category. I will never forgive or forget what happened with Chris Beniot and his actions. Larry has stayed away from anything Beniot was ever in. Can you separate Chris Beniot the wrestler and Chris Beniot the tragic ending? I am not condoning what happened and never will. However, I will also never forget Chris Beniot's wrestling ability and his hardwork. I can separate between the two. Chris Beniot the wrestler should never be forgotten. In fact, young wrestlers should go back and watch his matches and try to become a guy that intense and technically sound. Had it not been for Taker HBK at Mania 25, my favorite match of the 2000s would have been Beniot HHH HBK at Mania 20. The match was unbelievable, great story and history making since it was the first ever Triple Threat Main Event. I realize I will catch hell for being up his name. I know some fans don't want to discuss Beniot because of the terrible ending. I just believe Beniot should not be forgotten as one of the greatest in ring performers.
Dennis Miller hosts Raw tonight which means we get a bunch of jokes that nobody will get. As I said with Dennis Miller right away with jokes about the President. Thankfully the WWE is not killing off JeriShow yet. They deserved the Tag Team of the Year Slammy. I get my wish for a rematch with JeriShow and DX tonight. I like that idea. Jericho can't go back to just being a Smackdown star. He is way to good to be on just one show. However, he did make a crack about Edge (You know Edge. The man who is going to comeback at Wrestlemania and beat Jericho). I think this is the first step in setting it up.
The Regal Roundtable gets a chance to be showcased on a larger stage than ECW. I like the three hour Raws because we get to see more wrestlers to get worked in. I found it odd that Kane and Kahli tagged with Christian. By the way, if you get a chance make sure you see the Shelton Benjamin Christian Ladder Match from TLC. They both talked before the ppv about stealing the show and they did just that. An unbelievable contest and if the WWE is smart. They will capitalize on Benjamin and give him a shot at being the ECW champion and move Christian. The match was nothing great but who cares. I got points from Christian in the FWF.
Breakout star of the Year should have been Kofi Kingston. I realize what the WWE is trying to do with Sheamus. On the other hand, Kofi has been hot since Wrestlemania. He put on a great show at the Money in the Bank Ladder match. He had a nice Intercontinental title run in the summer months. Now he has had a great feud with Orton. Sheamus has been on the Raw scene for only a few months. Yes, he is the new WWE champ and has been a monster. I just don't like taking anything away from Kofi.
Speaking of Kofi, he faced Cody Rhodes. Where the hell have you been Cody? The WWE has been pushing young talent and have forgotten all about Legacy. Rhodes and Dibiase have a shot at being big stars. However you can't expect big things if you keep them off the flagship show some weeks. I love the tag match made with Legacy vs Kofi and Bourne. All four of these guys bring something to the table. I talk about how much Bourne is misused but really 3 out of 4 guys in this match are misused. I am happy the WWE gave Legacy the win and not have them pin Kofi. I just wish Bourne would get a chance to show off the Shooting Star Press once in a while. The SSP is one of the most amazing moves ever and the fans miss it all the time.
I am glad Vicki is back on TV. She gets some of the hottest heat I have ever heard. The Slammy for Shocker of the Year should have gone to Randy Orton. The HHH Orton feud earlier in the year was one of the best feuds of the year. The WWE added the McMahons and I never thought Orton would DDT Stephanie. I did love that moment. I did believe the storyline with Jeff Hardy and Punk was the best of the year. Punk played the perfect heel and even did a great impersonation of Jeff after he left. Punk has been playing the great heel ever since he turned back in May. ShowStoppers host don't care for Punk and I have no idea why. Punk is a great in ring performer and has solid mic skills. He displayed the latter tonight on Raw.
We get to see Punk vs Cena for only the second time ever. I loved the counter GTS to the STF. What the hell is WWE doing? The match was only three minutes long. I am legitimately pissed off by what the WWE did to Punk tonight. That was a freaking joke. I will try and keep this PG rated. CM Punk is a great superstar and I understand you want to make Cena look angry and focused on getting his belt back. You dont do that with a guy like Punk. Punk is a main eventer and ever since he complained about the dress code the WWE has buried him. Ok, he shouldn't have said anything. I get it WWE. Now fix this crap and give Punk back some of the momentum he had when he was World Champion. Cena had his usual passionate 'I'm going to get my belt back' speech. Cena mentioned Wrestlemania and said he won't lose another match until he gains the belt back. Well I like that since I have him in the FWF. The big thing tonight is if Taker beats Orton we get Cena Taker a little early. I would like to see Cena Taker just not at Wrestlemania. I know it will happen and if Cena keeps this winning streak the WWE will certainly make Cena look like a guy who can beat Taker. Somehow I think Orton will win tonight. The WWE will not want to spoil a potential Mania main event.
Does anyone else miss JR's voice? I heard him when the WWE showed the highlights of the HBK Taker match. Jim Ross knows how to put moments in perspective. Was there any doubt HBK Taker wasn't going to win? Not only was Taker HBK match the best of the year, it might be the greatest match in Mania and wrestling history. I love the twist the WWE did with HBK tonight. His promo challenging Taker at Wrestlemania again was awesome. I love it and I would love to see it again. I text Larry at this moment and he said it would never happen again. I would have to reluctantly agree. HBK Taker will not happen again at Mania. I would watch that again over Cena Taker.
If the WWE had the best entrance of the year category, would Taker win it every year? I would have to say yes. A previous Wrestlemania match tonight on Raw with Orton and Taker. Some may say that was Orton's best wrestling match in his career. Of course Taker lost so no Cena Taker tonight. The WWE had Punk Cena last about three minutes. The Taker Orton match lasted 5 mins. I did like the RKO on the floor. Legacy all over this Raw tonight. I guess you have to make up for lost time. I don't like the fact that the wrestling has been short. That's Raw.
I missed Vince McMahon. I agree with Vince. The crowd sucks tonight. The Guest host of the Year goes to the guy who should have won it. I enjoyed Bob Barker when he was the GM. Dennis Miller and Vince must know my greatest wish of all time. You don't tease this WWE blogger about having Bret Hart as a guest GM. If you do, IT BETTER HAPPEN DAMN IT! Imagine, Bret comes back to guest host Raw on January 4th when Raw goes head to head with TNA. Oh my god, my heart just stopped.
Will DX JeriShow rematch be given proper time to develop in the ring? The TLC match these two teams had last night was off the hook. This is the dumbest freaking thing I have ever heard of tonight. DX gets dq'd before it even starts so Jericho won't be sticking around Raw. Instead of having three awesome matches tonight. The fans get treated to three pieces of crap. Raw is no longer Jericho. I guess JeriShow is now broken up for good. I just don't get why the WWE couldn't have given us a great tag team contest. You have three hours, 3 and you can't supply us with even two good wrestling matches. You fit in a 1,000 backstage segments and Slammy awards. All I ask in return is give me 2 solid in ring contests.
As I said, another Slammy award presentation. The boom drop was one of the coolest spots of Raw this year. The award goes to Jeff Hardy rightfully so. I wish Hardy was still part of the WWE. I still think he will be back sometime in 2010. No idea why Carlito got the beat down. He should just leave WWE and sign with TNA. Then he won't be a jobber.
Hey Miz congrats on getting back on Raw tonight. This 6 man tag team match has some FWF implications. Miz, McIntyre, Morrison and Tatsu all are on an FWF team. I like this match up. Henry seems to be getting an opportunity to wrestle for the US title. I am happy that anyone is wrestling the Miz. Tatsu and Ryder get an opportunity albiet short lived. I would say Morrison and Drew are not finished on Smackdown either.
This has nothing to do with the WWE or wrestling. I just want to plug the USA network original series Burn Notice. If you haven't seen the show, I recommend going out and getting the dvds or go to hulu.com and find the episodes. The show is exciting, fun and smart. I enjoy it so much asked Santa Claus for the Seasons on dvd.
The annual lets throw every Diva in a match when all 3 shows get together. I didn't fully understand why they had to wear gowns. The match was short because why would we ever have any match longer than 7 mins? Goldust made a nice comment about PMS. I laughed. I should laugh more that Maria won Diva of the Year. What has she done? Oh this was a fans vote. She was in Playboy which has to be the real reason. Batista does his best impression of Kanye West. Hey Batista, all I can say is you suck! I don't mean that just because you are a heel and I am suppose to dislike you. I mean it because you really suck. You can't wrestle. You can't give a good promo. You can't get heat from the crowd even though you are suppose to be a heel. I would say that all adds up to being Mayor of Suckville and Michael Cole is your assistant.
Big Dick Johnson makes me laugh everytime he is on Raw. I know a big fat guy in a speedo is gross but I dont care. I always laugh. Larry has midget crotch chops and I laugh at Johnson. Cole acted as he just won the WWE title. Cole made fun of Jim Ross during his acceptance speech. Yeah Cole, we love Vintage and Oh My so much. You really know what to say when a big moment happens. Oh wait. WOOOO! Vintage J Call.
A DX snuggie. Are you serious? Could the WWE have a few shameless plugs? HHH beat the crap out of Shawn to end the segment. DX will break up sometime after the holidays. Then we will get to see a build up to Wrestlemania for a match between HHH and HBK. I can't wait for that match.
Main event time. The Superstar of the Year should be Randy Orton. Cena made a very bold statement that he won't lose another match. I figured Sheamus would come out and cost Cena the match. At least the main event was given time and was a quality wrestling match. The announcers are making it seem like Cena has no confidence any longer. I think we can all agree that Orton has become the new master of the DDT. Jake the Snake use to be but Orton has had some of the sickest looking DDTs I have ever seen. Cena recovers from the loss last night with two wins tonight. The WWE had to make sure Cena regained some momentum and he did that tonight.
Raw was not exactly what I had hoped it would be. Once I heard the main events, I thought Raw would have more in ring wrestling and less b.s. I got to much other stuff and not enough wrestling. I guess I need to just accept that Raw will never have enough in ring wrestling. I did like the finish to the show. Cena and Sheamus is going to continue and I have no problem with that decision. They did showcase some young guys from ECW and Smackdown as well. I would say it was an average show. Raw will be hosted by Johnny Damon next week. You either love the Yanks or hate them. I hate them so Damon does nothing for me. My advice, you may have read this before, stay the hell out of the way and let the wrestlers be in the spotlight. ShowStoppers will be all new this week and BBSD will have their own Best of the Year award show. You will get a nice surprise on the show as well. I will catch you next week with another Raw blog.
J Call
First before I get into Raw, I have another gripe about this past ShowStoppers. I know seems like every week I have something to complain about. I came up with the idea of ShowStoppers doing a Best of the Decade Show, which is next week, and thought it was a great idea. We came up with several different categories and for the most part I was happy with the nominees. The issue I have is with the best match category. I will never forgive or forget what happened with Chris Beniot and his actions. Larry has stayed away from anything Beniot was ever in. Can you separate Chris Beniot the wrestler and Chris Beniot the tragic ending? I am not condoning what happened and never will. However, I will also never forget Chris Beniot's wrestling ability and his hardwork. I can separate between the two. Chris Beniot the wrestler should never be forgotten. In fact, young wrestlers should go back and watch his matches and try to become a guy that intense and technically sound. Had it not been for Taker HBK at Mania 25, my favorite match of the 2000s would have been Beniot HHH HBK at Mania 20. The match was unbelievable, great story and history making since it was the first ever Triple Threat Main Event. I realize I will catch hell for being up his name. I know some fans don't want to discuss Beniot because of the terrible ending. I just believe Beniot should not be forgotten as one of the greatest in ring performers.
Dennis Miller hosts Raw tonight which means we get a bunch of jokes that nobody will get. As I said with Dennis Miller right away with jokes about the President. Thankfully the WWE is not killing off JeriShow yet. They deserved the Tag Team of the Year Slammy. I get my wish for a rematch with JeriShow and DX tonight. I like that idea. Jericho can't go back to just being a Smackdown star. He is way to good to be on just one show. However, he did make a crack about Edge (You know Edge. The man who is going to comeback at Wrestlemania and beat Jericho). I think this is the first step in setting it up.
The Regal Roundtable gets a chance to be showcased on a larger stage than ECW. I like the three hour Raws because we get to see more wrestlers to get worked in. I found it odd that Kane and Kahli tagged with Christian. By the way, if you get a chance make sure you see the Shelton Benjamin Christian Ladder Match from TLC. They both talked before the ppv about stealing the show and they did just that. An unbelievable contest and if the WWE is smart. They will capitalize on Benjamin and give him a shot at being the ECW champion and move Christian. The match was nothing great but who cares. I got points from Christian in the FWF.
Breakout star of the Year should have been Kofi Kingston. I realize what the WWE is trying to do with Sheamus. On the other hand, Kofi has been hot since Wrestlemania. He put on a great show at the Money in the Bank Ladder match. He had a nice Intercontinental title run in the summer months. Now he has had a great feud with Orton. Sheamus has been on the Raw scene for only a few months. Yes, he is the new WWE champ and has been a monster. I just don't like taking anything away from Kofi.
Speaking of Kofi, he faced Cody Rhodes. Where the hell have you been Cody? The WWE has been pushing young talent and have forgotten all about Legacy. Rhodes and Dibiase have a shot at being big stars. However you can't expect big things if you keep them off the flagship show some weeks. I love the tag match made with Legacy vs Kofi and Bourne. All four of these guys bring something to the table. I talk about how much Bourne is misused but really 3 out of 4 guys in this match are misused. I am happy the WWE gave Legacy the win and not have them pin Kofi. I just wish Bourne would get a chance to show off the Shooting Star Press once in a while. The SSP is one of the most amazing moves ever and the fans miss it all the time.
I am glad Vicki is back on TV. She gets some of the hottest heat I have ever heard. The Slammy for Shocker of the Year should have gone to Randy Orton. The HHH Orton feud earlier in the year was one of the best feuds of the year. The WWE added the McMahons and I never thought Orton would DDT Stephanie. I did love that moment. I did believe the storyline with Jeff Hardy and Punk was the best of the year. Punk played the perfect heel and even did a great impersonation of Jeff after he left. Punk has been playing the great heel ever since he turned back in May. ShowStoppers host don't care for Punk and I have no idea why. Punk is a great in ring performer and has solid mic skills. He displayed the latter tonight on Raw.
We get to see Punk vs Cena for only the second time ever. I loved the counter GTS to the STF. What the hell is WWE doing? The match was only three minutes long. I am legitimately pissed off by what the WWE did to Punk tonight. That was a freaking joke. I will try and keep this PG rated. CM Punk is a great superstar and I understand you want to make Cena look angry and focused on getting his belt back. You dont do that with a guy like Punk. Punk is a main eventer and ever since he complained about the dress code the WWE has buried him. Ok, he shouldn't have said anything. I get it WWE. Now fix this crap and give Punk back some of the momentum he had when he was World Champion. Cena had his usual passionate 'I'm going to get my belt back' speech. Cena mentioned Wrestlemania and said he won't lose another match until he gains the belt back. Well I like that since I have him in the FWF. The big thing tonight is if Taker beats Orton we get Cena Taker a little early. I would like to see Cena Taker just not at Wrestlemania. I know it will happen and if Cena keeps this winning streak the WWE will certainly make Cena look like a guy who can beat Taker. Somehow I think Orton will win tonight. The WWE will not want to spoil a potential Mania main event.
Does anyone else miss JR's voice? I heard him when the WWE showed the highlights of the HBK Taker match. Jim Ross knows how to put moments in perspective. Was there any doubt HBK Taker wasn't going to win? Not only was Taker HBK match the best of the year, it might be the greatest match in Mania and wrestling history. I love the twist the WWE did with HBK tonight. His promo challenging Taker at Wrestlemania again was awesome. I love it and I would love to see it again. I text Larry at this moment and he said it would never happen again. I would have to reluctantly agree. HBK Taker will not happen again at Mania. I would watch that again over Cena Taker.
If the WWE had the best entrance of the year category, would Taker win it every year? I would have to say yes. A previous Wrestlemania match tonight on Raw with Orton and Taker. Some may say that was Orton's best wrestling match in his career. Of course Taker lost so no Cena Taker tonight. The WWE had Punk Cena last about three minutes. The Taker Orton match lasted 5 mins. I did like the RKO on the floor. Legacy all over this Raw tonight. I guess you have to make up for lost time. I don't like the fact that the wrestling has been short. That's Raw.
I missed Vince McMahon. I agree with Vince. The crowd sucks tonight. The Guest host of the Year goes to the guy who should have won it. I enjoyed Bob Barker when he was the GM. Dennis Miller and Vince must know my greatest wish of all time. You don't tease this WWE blogger about having Bret Hart as a guest GM. If you do, IT BETTER HAPPEN DAMN IT! Imagine, Bret comes back to guest host Raw on January 4th when Raw goes head to head with TNA. Oh my god, my heart just stopped.
Will DX JeriShow rematch be given proper time to develop in the ring? The TLC match these two teams had last night was off the hook. This is the dumbest freaking thing I have ever heard of tonight. DX gets dq'd before it even starts so Jericho won't be sticking around Raw. Instead of having three awesome matches tonight. The fans get treated to three pieces of crap. Raw is no longer Jericho. I guess JeriShow is now broken up for good. I just don't get why the WWE couldn't have given us a great tag team contest. You have three hours, 3 and you can't supply us with even two good wrestling matches. You fit in a 1,000 backstage segments and Slammy awards. All I ask in return is give me 2 solid in ring contests.
As I said, another Slammy award presentation. The boom drop was one of the coolest spots of Raw this year. The award goes to Jeff Hardy rightfully so. I wish Hardy was still part of the WWE. I still think he will be back sometime in 2010. No idea why Carlito got the beat down. He should just leave WWE and sign with TNA. Then he won't be a jobber.
Hey Miz congrats on getting back on Raw tonight. This 6 man tag team match has some FWF implications. Miz, McIntyre, Morrison and Tatsu all are on an FWF team. I like this match up. Henry seems to be getting an opportunity to wrestle for the US title. I am happy that anyone is wrestling the Miz. Tatsu and Ryder get an opportunity albiet short lived. I would say Morrison and Drew are not finished on Smackdown either.
This has nothing to do with the WWE or wrestling. I just want to plug the USA network original series Burn Notice. If you haven't seen the show, I recommend going out and getting the dvds or go to hulu.com and find the episodes. The show is exciting, fun and smart. I enjoy it so much asked Santa Claus for the Seasons on dvd.
The annual lets throw every Diva in a match when all 3 shows get together. I didn't fully understand why they had to wear gowns. The match was short because why would we ever have any match longer than 7 mins? Goldust made a nice comment about PMS. I laughed. I should laugh more that Maria won Diva of the Year. What has she done? Oh this was a fans vote. She was in Playboy which has to be the real reason. Batista does his best impression of Kanye West. Hey Batista, all I can say is you suck! I don't mean that just because you are a heel and I am suppose to dislike you. I mean it because you really suck. You can't wrestle. You can't give a good promo. You can't get heat from the crowd even though you are suppose to be a heel. I would say that all adds up to being Mayor of Suckville and Michael Cole is your assistant.
Big Dick Johnson makes me laugh everytime he is on Raw. I know a big fat guy in a speedo is gross but I dont care. I always laugh. Larry has midget crotch chops and I laugh at Johnson. Cole acted as he just won the WWE title. Cole made fun of Jim Ross during his acceptance speech. Yeah Cole, we love Vintage and Oh My so much. You really know what to say when a big moment happens. Oh wait. WOOOO! Vintage J Call.
A DX snuggie. Are you serious? Could the WWE have a few shameless plugs? HHH beat the crap out of Shawn to end the segment. DX will break up sometime after the holidays. Then we will get to see a build up to Wrestlemania for a match between HHH and HBK. I can't wait for that match.
Main event time. The Superstar of the Year should be Randy Orton. Cena made a very bold statement that he won't lose another match. I figured Sheamus would come out and cost Cena the match. At least the main event was given time and was a quality wrestling match. The announcers are making it seem like Cena has no confidence any longer. I think we can all agree that Orton has become the new master of the DDT. Jake the Snake use to be but Orton has had some of the sickest looking DDTs I have ever seen. Cena recovers from the loss last night with two wins tonight. The WWE had to make sure Cena regained some momentum and he did that tonight.
Raw was not exactly what I had hoped it would be. Once I heard the main events, I thought Raw would have more in ring wrestling and less b.s. I got to much other stuff and not enough wrestling. I guess I need to just accept that Raw will never have enough in ring wrestling. I did like the finish to the show. Cena and Sheamus is going to continue and I have no problem with that decision. They did showcase some young guys from ECW and Smackdown as well. I would say it was an average show. Raw will be hosted by Johnny Damon next week. You either love the Yanks or hate them. I hate them so Damon does nothing for me. My advice, you may have read this before, stay the hell out of the way and let the wrestlers be in the spotlight. ShowStoppers will be all new this week and BBSD will have their own Best of the Year award show. You will get a nice surprise on the show as well. I will catch you next week with another Raw blog.
J Call
Monday, December 7, 2009
Raw 12-7
Did you miss me? If you kept count, I went 26 weeks straight with a Raw blog. I was out of action last week with the flu. I missed a week of work and it sucked. I can sum up last weeks Raw with one sentence and one question. Last weeks Raw sucked balls. Where the hell was the wrestling? Now that is over, I can get to some other things. I have heard a lot of wrestling news since the last time I wrote a Raw blog. I have a lot to cover. For starters, I want to send out my dearest sympathy to the Fatu family. Umaga passed away late last week and its unfortunate. A great wrestler who showed off his Samoan heritage. I will get to TNA in just a moment. Mark Cuban, who I can't stand for to many reasons to type, is the host of Raw tonight. I hope another RKO is in store for that piece of crap. I'm back! WOOOO!
Before I begin with Raw, I have to talk about 2 things that I have been hearing on wrestling sites and ShowStoppers. Larry and John said on Showstoppers last Thursday they want to see Taker vs Cena at Mania 26. I have a HUGE problem with this match. When the WWE talks about matches, I always wonder who benefits? I believe there are 3 potential answers to that question. The fans and either or perhaps both competitors. Who will benefit from Taker Cena? I can't think of the answer. You might be screaming 'J Call you are an idiot. Fans would benefit. The match would be awesome.' If you said that, then think of a Cena match that had you saying, 'I'm so excited I got to watch John Cena'. Lets face it, he is not a good wrestler. Hell, his mania matches with HHH or HBK were not that great. If those two guys couldn't carry Cena. I can only guess neither could Taker. So would you really benefit from seeing him have a mediocre match vs Taker? Well its a match we haven't seen. You are right. The match has never happened at Wrestlemania. I would rather see it happen on a different pay per view. Cena would benefit from ending the streak. Yes and no. Most fans will be pissed off that Cena beat the Undertaker strictly because Cena doesn't deserve it. You can go look at the Undertakers streak. Go ahead, I'll wait....Ok your back. Did you see Stone Cold Steve Austin on that list? No I didn't think so. Austin vs Taker never happened at a Mania. Who would have benefited? Nobody. Austin would have had to lose and that would have hurt his reputation of a big match winner. If Taker lost, the streak would have been over and killed his aura of being undefeated at Mania. The fans wouldn't have won either because if the streak had end with Austin, the fans would have been split. Did Austin deserve it or not? I feel Cena and Taker would just do nothing but hurt one of the guys in it. Taker wins, Cena is now just another wrestler, instead of what kids believe he is, superhuman. I will give you one more example. Did Taker ever take on Hogan at Wrestlemania? No because it proves my point. Who would have benefited? One last question: Why did HBK and Taker wrestle last year then if neither benefited? Undertaker did benefit by finally beating Shawn. Shawn put on a better match than he did against Bret Hart over a decade ago and the fans benefited watching one of the greatest matches ever. Last year, Taker HBK was a win win win. Taker Cena is nowhere near that. I would say its a loss for all three.
TNA rages war on WWE. I have never mentioned TNA in this blog until now. Is TNA going to start the Monday Night Wars again? They have signed one of the biggest names ever in wrestling history with Hulk Hogan. However, Hogan is not the signing it was back when WCW signed him. Eric Bischoff had Ted Turner's money and plenty of free agents to make a big splash against WWE. I like Hogan and think he can help TNA. January 4th will tell us all if TNA can hang with the WWE. TNA will have a 3 hour show going head to head with Raw. January 4th is also the night THE ROCK will return to the WWE. Yes it is being speculated The People's Champion will host that Raw. Hogan and Rock return on the same night certainly sounds like a big wrestling night. TNA doesn't have the resources WCW had and has to offer something special for wrestling fans to tune away from Raw. Will a war start? Time will tell. Alright, now that those two items are out of the way. We can move on to tonights Raw.
Mark Cuban is a giant douchebag in part because I am a Spurs fan and hate the Dallas Mavericks. The other reason is because he has no idea how to bring a title home to Dallas. I had heard Cody Rhodes was calling out Cuban. Nothing wrong with a Raw starting with the Champ. At least the WWE is starting off with some damn wrestling. What a strange concept? A wrestling show with actual wrestling on it. I am sure being a WWE writer is a much tougher job than many believe. I do think the easiest part is MAKING MATCHES! Last week, there wasn't hardly any matches. I was happy for Carlito Cena to start Raw until Sheamus had to interupt. I guess Raw wasn't meant to have real wrestling matches on the show. Wow thanks for coming back Carlito. A guy like Carlito isn't a jobber. He should be in the mix for the United States title. Raw has almost to many wrestlers that another belt may need to be incorporated. I wouldn't mind seeing the Euro belt come back to help guys like Carlito and Evan Bourne. WWE screws up with so much talent anyway.
Again Raw is being taking away from the wrestling to the celebrity host. I don't mind having an in ring promo but not two of them back to back. I can hardly count Cena Carlito a match. Kofi Orton with Cuban as the ref. Oh boy I hope he gets his ass beat. Nice comment by Rhodes and making fun of the Mavs. I always liked Cody, lol. Cuban must have taken some pills or drugs thinking the Mavs will win the title. The WWE teams up two guys that are never used. Good move, WWE. Evan and Primo are completely underused and this is a perfect way to use them. I guess this match happened on Superstars. I had no idea because only 10 people watch Superstars on WGN. I just think about Primo and Bourne used in WCW Cruiserweight division. Michael Cole talked about how Bourne is one of the hottest stars on Monday night Raw. Really? If Bourne was so hot then he wouldn't lose every damn week on Raw. I guess that is why Cole is the best in business at sucking.
My future wife and Diva champion Maryse faced off with Gail Kim. Has the WWE given me a reason to care about this match? I didn't think so. Although I like both women and the match could have went a little longer. I can only bet that Maryse vs Melina will happen very soon.
A long ass DX promo with Hornswaggle. Midget crotch chops are funny but it took forever to have Hornswaggle do it. Raw lost some steam here in my eyes. Another week of very little in ring and way to much out of the ring. I can only hope Kofi Orton saves us after the first hour was very weak.
Will the WWE actually give the best feud going on Raw time to develop a story inside the ring? Kofi and Orton is a great feud helping Raw right now. I have been saying for several weeks, I want this feud to end up having three matches. We get the first tonight in a straight one on one contest. Feuds seldom end without having a gimmick match or two. The WWE should capitalize on this feud by stretching it out with two gimmick matches. The first could be a cage match. After the second match and both men win one, you need to end it with a rubber match. Randy is not going to win the Rumble and neither is Kofi. I want Kofi to win tonight. Orton win at the Rumble but have Kofi eliminate Orton later in the night. Then at No Way Out, Kofi and Orton could tear the house down with a falls count anywhere anything goes match to finish off the feud. You just got excited reading that, admit it. Cuban screws over Orton with a fast wicked fast count. I guess technically this is the 2nd match after last nights. This feud was way to quick sense now we are having the rubber match this Sunday at TLC. I don't fully understand why the WWE rushed into having three matches in three weeks. I guess we will see the payoff at the pay per view.
I sure as hell didn't think Miz would lose his United States championship against Mark Henry. I don't mind Mark Henry and think he has a spot on Raw. He just doesn't deserve a singles championship. I got what I thought I would get out of their match. I didn't expect a very long match and Miz won. Where does Miz go from here? He beat Henry maybe it is time for MVP to get a shot.
Time waster number 2 on the evening. Anytime Hornswaggle and Chavo are in the ring, Raw is wasting time. I wonder if the WWE knows they have a pay per view this Sunday. The go home show of Raw is having Jillian and Chavo take on Hornswaggle and Chavo. I think after this show, I won't be buying TLC. The WWE is doing nothing to make me want to see the ppv. They didn't even hype the Orton Kofi match. No they decided to announce it 6 days before the show. I can't believe the crowd got behind Chris Masters. The WWE fans do some strange things and that was certainly one of them.
In case you are not on wrestling news sites all the time like myself. Chris Jericho faced DX one on three because Big Show isn't allowed to wrestle. Big Show had knee surgery and hasn't healed yet. He will be ready for TLC, but until then, Jericho has no partner. Jericho and Show will definitely win tag team of the year by default. The match did not last long either. JeriShow dominate DX. I won't be picking against DX now. I think the match at TLC will be a great match. The JeriShow DX match will be perhaps the best match on the card. I have a feeling we are going to remember one other match more than any other. Who am I talking about? Tune into ShowStoppers to find out.
The final segment to leave a lasting impression on everyone before the ppv. The sign of the night "Sheamus glows in the dark". That is awesome. I give props to the women for that one. Sheamus made a nice case on why he will win. Cena kept pretty cool for the majority of the promo. I was waiting for Cena to get into his passionate speech voice. The promo failed to give me a real reason to think Sheamus is going to walk out TLC with the WWE title. Why did Sheamus have to look intimidated by Mark Cuban? At least I got my wish of Cuban getting destroyed by the end of the night. Come on Mavs fans. You know deep down you enjoyed Mark Cuban going through that table. I know I did. The FU to Sheamus on Sunday should be through 2 tables to make sure it puts a stamp on Cena beating Sheamus.
I just felt like Raw was flat tonight. The show that is suppose to build momentum and make me want to spend 40 bucks this Sunday failed. I didn't see enough wrestling or enough with the feuds themselves. Yes, Raw had some nice in ring promos. Hornswaggle was in 2 full segments which is one and a half to many in my eyes. ShowStoppers will have all of BBSD's pay per view picks. I sucked at Survivor Series and I will make sure it doesn't happen again. I hope you enjoyed the Raw blog. I hope this is the beginning of a new long streak. Week one in the books. I will catch you next week.
J Call
Before I begin with Raw, I have to talk about 2 things that I have been hearing on wrestling sites and ShowStoppers. Larry and John said on Showstoppers last Thursday they want to see Taker vs Cena at Mania 26. I have a HUGE problem with this match. When the WWE talks about matches, I always wonder who benefits? I believe there are 3 potential answers to that question. The fans and either or perhaps both competitors. Who will benefit from Taker Cena? I can't think of the answer. You might be screaming 'J Call you are an idiot. Fans would benefit. The match would be awesome.' If you said that, then think of a Cena match that had you saying, 'I'm so excited I got to watch John Cena'. Lets face it, he is not a good wrestler. Hell, his mania matches with HHH or HBK were not that great. If those two guys couldn't carry Cena. I can only guess neither could Taker. So would you really benefit from seeing him have a mediocre match vs Taker? Well its a match we haven't seen. You are right. The match has never happened at Wrestlemania. I would rather see it happen on a different pay per view. Cena would benefit from ending the streak. Yes and no. Most fans will be pissed off that Cena beat the Undertaker strictly because Cena doesn't deserve it. You can go look at the Undertakers streak. Go ahead, I'll wait....Ok your back. Did you see Stone Cold Steve Austin on that list? No I didn't think so. Austin vs Taker never happened at a Mania. Who would have benefited? Nobody. Austin would have had to lose and that would have hurt his reputation of a big match winner. If Taker lost, the streak would have been over and killed his aura of being undefeated at Mania. The fans wouldn't have won either because if the streak had end with Austin, the fans would have been split. Did Austin deserve it or not? I feel Cena and Taker would just do nothing but hurt one of the guys in it. Taker wins, Cena is now just another wrestler, instead of what kids believe he is, superhuman. I will give you one more example. Did Taker ever take on Hogan at Wrestlemania? No because it proves my point. Who would have benefited? One last question: Why did HBK and Taker wrestle last year then if neither benefited? Undertaker did benefit by finally beating Shawn. Shawn put on a better match than he did against Bret Hart over a decade ago and the fans benefited watching one of the greatest matches ever. Last year, Taker HBK was a win win win. Taker Cena is nowhere near that. I would say its a loss for all three.
TNA rages war on WWE. I have never mentioned TNA in this blog until now. Is TNA going to start the Monday Night Wars again? They have signed one of the biggest names ever in wrestling history with Hulk Hogan. However, Hogan is not the signing it was back when WCW signed him. Eric Bischoff had Ted Turner's money and plenty of free agents to make a big splash against WWE. I like Hogan and think he can help TNA. January 4th will tell us all if TNA can hang with the WWE. TNA will have a 3 hour show going head to head with Raw. January 4th is also the night THE ROCK will return to the WWE. Yes it is being speculated The People's Champion will host that Raw. Hogan and Rock return on the same night certainly sounds like a big wrestling night. TNA doesn't have the resources WCW had and has to offer something special for wrestling fans to tune away from Raw. Will a war start? Time will tell. Alright, now that those two items are out of the way. We can move on to tonights Raw.
Mark Cuban is a giant douchebag in part because I am a Spurs fan and hate the Dallas Mavericks. The other reason is because he has no idea how to bring a title home to Dallas. I had heard Cody Rhodes was calling out Cuban. Nothing wrong with a Raw starting with the Champ. At least the WWE is starting off with some damn wrestling. What a strange concept? A wrestling show with actual wrestling on it. I am sure being a WWE writer is a much tougher job than many believe. I do think the easiest part is MAKING MATCHES! Last week, there wasn't hardly any matches. I was happy for Carlito Cena to start Raw until Sheamus had to interupt. I guess Raw wasn't meant to have real wrestling matches on the show. Wow thanks for coming back Carlito. A guy like Carlito isn't a jobber. He should be in the mix for the United States title. Raw has almost to many wrestlers that another belt may need to be incorporated. I wouldn't mind seeing the Euro belt come back to help guys like Carlito and Evan Bourne. WWE screws up with so much talent anyway.
Again Raw is being taking away from the wrestling to the celebrity host. I don't mind having an in ring promo but not two of them back to back. I can hardly count Cena Carlito a match. Kofi Orton with Cuban as the ref. Oh boy I hope he gets his ass beat. Nice comment by Rhodes and making fun of the Mavs. I always liked Cody, lol. Cuban must have taken some pills or drugs thinking the Mavs will win the title. The WWE teams up two guys that are never used. Good move, WWE. Evan and Primo are completely underused and this is a perfect way to use them. I guess this match happened on Superstars. I had no idea because only 10 people watch Superstars on WGN. I just think about Primo and Bourne used in WCW Cruiserweight division. Michael Cole talked about how Bourne is one of the hottest stars on Monday night Raw. Really? If Bourne was so hot then he wouldn't lose every damn week on Raw. I guess that is why Cole is the best in business at sucking.
My future wife and Diva champion Maryse faced off with Gail Kim. Has the WWE given me a reason to care about this match? I didn't think so. Although I like both women and the match could have went a little longer. I can only bet that Maryse vs Melina will happen very soon.
A long ass DX promo with Hornswaggle. Midget crotch chops are funny but it took forever to have Hornswaggle do it. Raw lost some steam here in my eyes. Another week of very little in ring and way to much out of the ring. I can only hope Kofi Orton saves us after the first hour was very weak.
Will the WWE actually give the best feud going on Raw time to develop a story inside the ring? Kofi and Orton is a great feud helping Raw right now. I have been saying for several weeks, I want this feud to end up having three matches. We get the first tonight in a straight one on one contest. Feuds seldom end without having a gimmick match or two. The WWE should capitalize on this feud by stretching it out with two gimmick matches. The first could be a cage match. After the second match and both men win one, you need to end it with a rubber match. Randy is not going to win the Rumble and neither is Kofi. I want Kofi to win tonight. Orton win at the Rumble but have Kofi eliminate Orton later in the night. Then at No Way Out, Kofi and Orton could tear the house down with a falls count anywhere anything goes match to finish off the feud. You just got excited reading that, admit it. Cuban screws over Orton with a fast wicked fast count. I guess technically this is the 2nd match after last nights. This feud was way to quick sense now we are having the rubber match this Sunday at TLC. I don't fully understand why the WWE rushed into having three matches in three weeks. I guess we will see the payoff at the pay per view.
I sure as hell didn't think Miz would lose his United States championship against Mark Henry. I don't mind Mark Henry and think he has a spot on Raw. He just doesn't deserve a singles championship. I got what I thought I would get out of their match. I didn't expect a very long match and Miz won. Where does Miz go from here? He beat Henry maybe it is time for MVP to get a shot.
Time waster number 2 on the evening. Anytime Hornswaggle and Chavo are in the ring, Raw is wasting time. I wonder if the WWE knows they have a pay per view this Sunday. The go home show of Raw is having Jillian and Chavo take on Hornswaggle and Chavo. I think after this show, I won't be buying TLC. The WWE is doing nothing to make me want to see the ppv. They didn't even hype the Orton Kofi match. No they decided to announce it 6 days before the show. I can't believe the crowd got behind Chris Masters. The WWE fans do some strange things and that was certainly one of them.
In case you are not on wrestling news sites all the time like myself. Chris Jericho faced DX one on three because Big Show isn't allowed to wrestle. Big Show had knee surgery and hasn't healed yet. He will be ready for TLC, but until then, Jericho has no partner. Jericho and Show will definitely win tag team of the year by default. The match did not last long either. JeriShow dominate DX. I won't be picking against DX now. I think the match at TLC will be a great match. The JeriShow DX match will be perhaps the best match on the card. I have a feeling we are going to remember one other match more than any other. Who am I talking about? Tune into ShowStoppers to find out.
The final segment to leave a lasting impression on everyone before the ppv. The sign of the night "Sheamus glows in the dark". That is awesome. I give props to the women for that one. Sheamus made a nice case on why he will win. Cena kept pretty cool for the majority of the promo. I was waiting for Cena to get into his passionate speech voice. The promo failed to give me a real reason to think Sheamus is going to walk out TLC with the WWE title. Why did Sheamus have to look intimidated by Mark Cuban? At least I got my wish of Cuban getting destroyed by the end of the night. Come on Mavs fans. You know deep down you enjoyed Mark Cuban going through that table. I know I did. The FU to Sheamus on Sunday should be through 2 tables to make sure it puts a stamp on Cena beating Sheamus.
I just felt like Raw was flat tonight. The show that is suppose to build momentum and make me want to spend 40 bucks this Sunday failed. I didn't see enough wrestling or enough with the feuds themselves. Yes, Raw had some nice in ring promos. Hornswaggle was in 2 full segments which is one and a half to many in my eyes. ShowStoppers will have all of BBSD's pay per view picks. I sucked at Survivor Series and I will make sure it doesn't happen again. I hope you enjoyed the Raw blog. I hope this is the beginning of a new long streak. Week one in the books. I will catch you next week.
J Call
Monday, November 23, 2009
Raw 11-23
I want to say to everyone: I'm sorry. My pay per view picks were horrible and if you made any bets. You lost money listening to me. I hope you listened to Larry or Eric instead. I had no idea what I was thinking. I may have to retire after tonight after that. Plus Larry told me I've got no idea about history of wrestling. We will get to that. Anyway, Raw is a special three hour episode this evening. The Body returns to wrestling for the first time in years. I better see some damn wrestling and build feuds for the next pay per view.
Before Raw begins, I have to dissect Survivor Series. I am happy with a few things the WWE decided to do on Sunday night. The WWE must be serious in pushing Miz, Sheamus and McIntyre. I applaud having the three being the survivors in their match. The result continues their push and keeps the momentum going. Some, larry, will argue that Morrison will look bad because of the two losses in a row on pay per view. I doubt that and will ultimately lead to one more pay per view match with Miz and Morrison. I love Kofi being the only survivor in his match as well. The push for Kofi has been fantastic and hope the Orton feud keeps going on Raw. However, why the hell would you have Punk beat R-Truth right away in the match? R-Truth is getting over with the fans. He had a great promo with Punk on Smackdown last Friday night. You ruined the momentum. Great job. The other problem is having Ziggler lose yet again for the IC belt. Showstoppers hosts John and Larry hate Dolph and feel he doesn't deserve the belt. WRONG! Wrestlers need opportunities and he has been along with Morrison great in the ring. The WWE has to give the guy a shot or send him to ECW to win the ECW title. I would complain about what they did with Rey as well but I heard he needs knee surgery. Rey won't be around for a while so I understand why the WWE booked what they did. Rey will return and extract some revenge on Batista. As far as the world belts: I was fine with both outcomes. Undertaker will now feud with the piece of crap Batista on Smackdown. Yeah I hate Batista. He can't wrestle unless the other opponent can make him look fantastic (See HHH, Orton, Rey). Raw makes sense to have Cena as their champ. Who will he feud with now though?
I love when Raw opens up with the best heel in the business right now in Randy Orton. He is the perfect heel. Although, we have seen Cena Orton way to many times, I wouldn't hate to see it again. I really missed Jesse. He is one of the greatest talkers in wrestling history. He is also one of the smartest men ever in the business. I love Revolutions in wrestling. Jesse is so spot on when he talked about the same guys getting shot after shot at the WWE title. I love the idea of pushing someone who has never had a shot at a world title ever. The WWE needs to develop new talent and this is the way to do it. New blood all over this Raw. DX vs Hart Dynasty. Punk vs Cena. My head might explode because I am so happy. My only problem with this set up is the Kofi Orton feud will not continue.
Kingston vs Ziggler
Well I complained about Ziggler not getting a push and of course what happens? He gets on Raw and has to compete with the hottest star on Raw. The best thing the WWE could do for three hours is have some of the best in ring workers time to showcase their talents. This match had promise to be a great contest. The WWE has three freaking hours to book matches. The opening match doesn't last more than 6 minutes. Are you serious? Plus you bury a talented guy like Ziggler because Kofi is getting the big push. The fans will never buy into Dolph if you bury him. I will never buy Matt Hardy any longer because he has been buried on Smackdown. Would you ever buy into Chavo as US champ? Nope but he has enough talent in the ring to be a US champ. I like pushing Kofi against wrestlers who won't be harmed by a loss, such as Orton. The guys who have never got a World title before should be showcased. First match failed in my eyes.
Sheamus vs Finlay
Here is a case of something I can be ok with. Finlay is a guy who can lose and no one cares. He is an older wrestler and will never be the future of the WWE. Sheamus is a guy who has been getting a big push. The glorified squash match was not something I thought would happen. Sheamus beat down after the match was a surprise as well. The WWE is pushing Sheamus correctly though. He looked strong again just like last night on Survivor Series. I just didn't like the fact that this match was way to short again. I can't wait for the 30 more backstage promos.
I received a text from Larry just now about the WWE has to take the less talented and use them as jobbers. You are wrong Larry. I said you can push the young talent without burying the rest of the wrestlers. I agree you have to push young talent but once they squash young talent. Who will push the young talent after the rest of the wrestlers look weak? Think about it.
CM Punk vs Cena
Damn right Punk. Im fat and Im not stronger than you. I will be eating my weight on Thanksgiving because of tradition. I really like Punk. If you know anything about me, it is I love real wrestlers. I like guys who can go in the ring. As Larry would say, I am a technical guy. Punk fits the mold of a technical wrestler. The whole straightedge persona is real but I understand if you get bored with it every week. The WWE did a great job last Smackdown in turning the tables on Punk. If you use a guy like Truth, who is the complete opposite of Straightedge, the feud can work. I don't think fans in arenas are drug free or alcohol free which means they will back a guy who is just like them. Why did Austin get over? Fans connected with him. You can use Punk in the complete opposite fashion. Finally we saw a great contest for Raw. The match was given time to work. The two men worked hard to make the contest feel like a semi main event. I thought for sure the match would be over when Cena locked in the STF. Punk mocking Cena was a nice touch in the match. If Punk is in the doghouse, it didn't show tonight. He looked great in a loss. Cena had to use a FU from the top rope to beat Punk. I loved the match and even in a loss, Punk looked like a real contender tonight. If you didn't like that match, you can suck it.
Again we see a great retired wrestler have fun at the expense of Vince. Ventura and McMahon had a great backstage promo. The bow tie was icing on the cake. Everyone loves seeing Vince being humiliated. In fact I don't mind seeing Ventura and Vince on the mic because I bet they are better than Cole.
Swagger, Chavo, Masters vs MVP, Henry, Truth
Did you really think any team with Chavo on it was going to win? MVP and Swagger have been drifting the last few weeks. At least Swagger has had somewhat of a feud with Miz. Where is the payoff in that? I have no clue. Miz should be facing MVP or Bourne for the US title. Swagger is the one getting screwed in this match. He should have been in the Battle Royal. I am happy that Truth got the win to help him gain back what he lost at Survivor Series.
DX has a nice promo on the Survivor Series match. I wondered where WWE was going to go with DX after HBK hit Sweet Chin Music on Hunter in about 5 seconds in the match. I guess they are going to be together for a while longer and everything is ok for now. My only problem is Hornswaggle and DX thing is continuing. Can't we just move on? I don't mind Hornswaggle and the midget crotch chops are funny. I just would rather see DX embrace the little man and move to an actual feud with wrestlers.
Evan Bourne vs Primo
Just think how good Bourne would have been in WCW cruiserweight division back in the late 90s? Primo where the hell have you been? I guess you won't be around for a while again since Orton beat the holy crap out of him before the match started. Why the hell did the WWE showcase all this young talent if Orton was going to get into the battle royal anyway? Now I love Randy Orton and would be ok with Orton Cean as I said earlier in the blog. The difference is I thought a guy who never got a chance for the World title was going to. I am rooting for Kofi to eliminating Orton and keeping the feud going.
McCool, Jillian, Eve vs Melina, Mickie, Kelly
WTF was up with the heels music? I had to agree with McCool this was the "stupidest" which isn't a word. The return of the Gooker made it even more stupider lol. Are you freaking kidding me? Another great time waster. How does this help the Diva division? I like the Diva title and I think it serves its purpose. Some of the women like Melina, Mickie and wait as I was writing that. Mayrse turned out to be the Gooker. Yes, I couldn't be more excited. Why? Maryse is fine as hell and can wrestle. Finally Melina might actually get some real competition. I take it all back for that segment. I was very shocked to see Maryse and now the Raw Diva division has a purpose.
DX vs Hart Dynasty
Before this match even starts, I want to just say I hope this gets plenty of time. I see a bright future for the Hart Dynasty and they should be put over in a loss by DX. Does anyone else feel the irony in this match? Hart vs HBK? Tyson Kidd was the last wrestler ever to pass through the Hart Dungeon. We all know the history of HBK and Bret Hart. Ok maybe it is just me who feels this is awkward. I felt the Hart Dynasty should be getting a push for the Tag titles a few ppvs ago. I would still like to see Hart Dynasty vs JeriShow. I would also like to see Natalya wrestle more often. The Dynasty could eventually hold tag and women titles at the same time on Smackdown. Although the match was to short in my opinion. The WWE did a nice job giving the Dynasty a slight rub vs DX. To finish off the segment, Jericho announces DX vs JeriShow at the next pay per view in a TLC match. Show is not on a personal day. He is actually hurt and won't be around until the pay per view. He is having minor surgery on his knee. Somewhere right now, Larry just screamed like a girl for the match. I love Jericho talking about the importance of the tag titles. I agree when JeriShow won the tag titles, it felt important. Now, once again, the WWE has watered down the tag titles. I think this feud will help scale up the titles but I would like to see JeriShow keep them. Why? Jericho would stay on both Raw and Smackdown if he holds the belts.
Batista in ring promo. I just don't see why everyone loves Batista. His promos are boring, as the crowd might have told you. Rey is having knee surgery again and will be out. Rey will be back sometime and he and Batista will have a real feud. I would love to see Kane and Batista wrestle so Batista isn't wrestling for the World title. Smackdown needs to step it up in the feud department. I thought Rey and Batista would help the show. Now that Rey is out maybe Kane and Batista can.
Cryme Tyme vs Legacy
The wild card to win this Battle Royal is Ted Dibiase. The movie is coming out soon. The WWE teased us with a face turn by Teddy. I would hate to see it happen so quickly. I like Teddy and he has a ton of potential. He is a future main event but don't shove him down our throat to quick. I would like to see more fun teasing with Orton and Dibiase. The crowd has been dead all night. They just haven't been into anything and especially this match. You knew Legacy would win. Last week they weren't even on the show. Tonight, both men get a chance in the Battle Royal.
A Jeff Hardy DVD is coming soon. I will be picking that up for sure. I love Jeff Hardy and wish he comes back by Mania. Let the Hardy Party begin! I hope he gets cleared of his charges. If he does, I am sure Vince would bring him back.
Every week Santino makes me laugh. I wish for breasts to Santino but you can't just like the white meat. Oh sorry I'm going off topic. Gotta love when bad things happen to Vikki.
Breakthrough Battle Royal
I love Ventura and Vince being at the broadcast table. I bet Jim Ross was loving this in Oklahoma. The monkey suit made Vince look worse than the Fink. At least I will be entertained by Vince and Ventura. Orton did the coward heel thing since he was on the outside for the most part. The battle royal finally got going when Sheamus throughout Truth. I guess someone had to go first. I can't believe Legacy went out like they did. Kofi Orton and Sheamus are the final three. I guess it will be a Raw guy. Kofi takes out Orton. Sheamus is going to win this battle royal. Are you kidding me? I can't believe this. At least Orton and Kofi feud will continue. I am really shocked that the WWE pushed this kid so quickly. I would highly doubt he will beat Cena but this is huge for Raw. You push a new heel for the WWE title. I really like the move a lot. Kofi and Cena would have made no sense. The only other guy I could have seen was Dibiase. I like how the WWE will wait on that for another time down the road. Cena don't tease me when you say someone will beat up Michael Cole. Cena must have knew that was my x-mas present. Cena is so passionate in promos. The WWE must really believe Cena vs anyone will be a good enough reason for fans to buy a pay per view. I hate when Cena uses the world "war" when talking about a feud. I believe that word should not be used. Ventura surprised me when he turned the heel switch on. I was hoping Sheamus would knock out Cena before Raw ended. A powerslam through the table to cap off a night showcasing tons of young talent. I said the fans would give a crap about Sheamus if he had a real feud. Now I will see if I was right. I still think it might be to quick but hey its new blood on Raw getting a shot.
Overall I thought the show was successful. I would have liked to see some of the matches go longer. The ending with Sheamus winning was a nice twist. Raw has some great feuds going on right now. Kofi and Orton will keep going. I am interested in how the WWE will book DX and Jeri without Show right now. Next week, Verne Troyer is hosting Raw. Hornswaggle is suing and I am sure Mini Me will be the judge. It writes itself really. You can keep track of the FWF right here on BBSD. Yours truly is still in the lead after tonight. BBSD radio shows will be back next week as well. After my ppv picks, you should have probably stopped reading this at 'I'm sorry'. I promise you one thing, I will pick better on the next pay per view. Oh and all that stuff in the beginning about retiring. I am the Ric Flair of BBSD, I will never retire...as long as Im employed at BBSD.
J Call
Before Raw begins, I have to dissect Survivor Series. I am happy with a few things the WWE decided to do on Sunday night. The WWE must be serious in pushing Miz, Sheamus and McIntyre. I applaud having the three being the survivors in their match. The result continues their push and keeps the momentum going. Some, larry, will argue that Morrison will look bad because of the two losses in a row on pay per view. I doubt that and will ultimately lead to one more pay per view match with Miz and Morrison. I love Kofi being the only survivor in his match as well. The push for Kofi has been fantastic and hope the Orton feud keeps going on Raw. However, why the hell would you have Punk beat R-Truth right away in the match? R-Truth is getting over with the fans. He had a great promo with Punk on Smackdown last Friday night. You ruined the momentum. Great job. The other problem is having Ziggler lose yet again for the IC belt. Showstoppers hosts John and Larry hate Dolph and feel he doesn't deserve the belt. WRONG! Wrestlers need opportunities and he has been along with Morrison great in the ring. The WWE has to give the guy a shot or send him to ECW to win the ECW title. I would complain about what they did with Rey as well but I heard he needs knee surgery. Rey won't be around for a while so I understand why the WWE booked what they did. Rey will return and extract some revenge on Batista. As far as the world belts: I was fine with both outcomes. Undertaker will now feud with the piece of crap Batista on Smackdown. Yeah I hate Batista. He can't wrestle unless the other opponent can make him look fantastic (See HHH, Orton, Rey). Raw makes sense to have Cena as their champ. Who will he feud with now though?
I love when Raw opens up with the best heel in the business right now in Randy Orton. He is the perfect heel. Although, we have seen Cena Orton way to many times, I wouldn't hate to see it again. I really missed Jesse. He is one of the greatest talkers in wrestling history. He is also one of the smartest men ever in the business. I love Revolutions in wrestling. Jesse is so spot on when he talked about the same guys getting shot after shot at the WWE title. I love the idea of pushing someone who has never had a shot at a world title ever. The WWE needs to develop new talent and this is the way to do it. New blood all over this Raw. DX vs Hart Dynasty. Punk vs Cena. My head might explode because I am so happy. My only problem with this set up is the Kofi Orton feud will not continue.
Kingston vs Ziggler
Well I complained about Ziggler not getting a push and of course what happens? He gets on Raw and has to compete with the hottest star on Raw. The best thing the WWE could do for three hours is have some of the best in ring workers time to showcase their talents. This match had promise to be a great contest. The WWE has three freaking hours to book matches. The opening match doesn't last more than 6 minutes. Are you serious? Plus you bury a talented guy like Ziggler because Kofi is getting the big push. The fans will never buy into Dolph if you bury him. I will never buy Matt Hardy any longer because he has been buried on Smackdown. Would you ever buy into Chavo as US champ? Nope but he has enough talent in the ring to be a US champ. I like pushing Kofi against wrestlers who won't be harmed by a loss, such as Orton. The guys who have never got a World title before should be showcased. First match failed in my eyes.
Sheamus vs Finlay
Here is a case of something I can be ok with. Finlay is a guy who can lose and no one cares. He is an older wrestler and will never be the future of the WWE. Sheamus is a guy who has been getting a big push. The glorified squash match was not something I thought would happen. Sheamus beat down after the match was a surprise as well. The WWE is pushing Sheamus correctly though. He looked strong again just like last night on Survivor Series. I just didn't like the fact that this match was way to short again. I can't wait for the 30 more backstage promos.
I received a text from Larry just now about the WWE has to take the less talented and use them as jobbers. You are wrong Larry. I said you can push the young talent without burying the rest of the wrestlers. I agree you have to push young talent but once they squash young talent. Who will push the young talent after the rest of the wrestlers look weak? Think about it.
CM Punk vs Cena
Damn right Punk. Im fat and Im not stronger than you. I will be eating my weight on Thanksgiving because of tradition. I really like Punk. If you know anything about me, it is I love real wrestlers. I like guys who can go in the ring. As Larry would say, I am a technical guy. Punk fits the mold of a technical wrestler. The whole straightedge persona is real but I understand if you get bored with it every week. The WWE did a great job last Smackdown in turning the tables on Punk. If you use a guy like Truth, who is the complete opposite of Straightedge, the feud can work. I don't think fans in arenas are drug free or alcohol free which means they will back a guy who is just like them. Why did Austin get over? Fans connected with him. You can use Punk in the complete opposite fashion. Finally we saw a great contest for Raw. The match was given time to work. The two men worked hard to make the contest feel like a semi main event. I thought for sure the match would be over when Cena locked in the STF. Punk mocking Cena was a nice touch in the match. If Punk is in the doghouse, it didn't show tonight. He looked great in a loss. Cena had to use a FU from the top rope to beat Punk. I loved the match and even in a loss, Punk looked like a real contender tonight. If you didn't like that match, you can suck it.
Again we see a great retired wrestler have fun at the expense of Vince. Ventura and McMahon had a great backstage promo. The bow tie was icing on the cake. Everyone loves seeing Vince being humiliated. In fact I don't mind seeing Ventura and Vince on the mic because I bet they are better than Cole.
Swagger, Chavo, Masters vs MVP, Henry, Truth
Did you really think any team with Chavo on it was going to win? MVP and Swagger have been drifting the last few weeks. At least Swagger has had somewhat of a feud with Miz. Where is the payoff in that? I have no clue. Miz should be facing MVP or Bourne for the US title. Swagger is the one getting screwed in this match. He should have been in the Battle Royal. I am happy that Truth got the win to help him gain back what he lost at Survivor Series.
DX has a nice promo on the Survivor Series match. I wondered where WWE was going to go with DX after HBK hit Sweet Chin Music on Hunter in about 5 seconds in the match. I guess they are going to be together for a while longer and everything is ok for now. My only problem is Hornswaggle and DX thing is continuing. Can't we just move on? I don't mind Hornswaggle and the midget crotch chops are funny. I just would rather see DX embrace the little man and move to an actual feud with wrestlers.
Evan Bourne vs Primo
Just think how good Bourne would have been in WCW cruiserweight division back in the late 90s? Primo where the hell have you been? I guess you won't be around for a while again since Orton beat the holy crap out of him before the match started. Why the hell did the WWE showcase all this young talent if Orton was going to get into the battle royal anyway? Now I love Randy Orton and would be ok with Orton Cean as I said earlier in the blog. The difference is I thought a guy who never got a chance for the World title was going to. I am rooting for Kofi to eliminating Orton and keeping the feud going.
McCool, Jillian, Eve vs Melina, Mickie, Kelly
WTF was up with the heels music? I had to agree with McCool this was the "stupidest" which isn't a word. The return of the Gooker made it even more stupider lol. Are you freaking kidding me? Another great time waster. How does this help the Diva division? I like the Diva title and I think it serves its purpose. Some of the women like Melina, Mickie and wait as I was writing that. Mayrse turned out to be the Gooker. Yes, I couldn't be more excited. Why? Maryse is fine as hell and can wrestle. Finally Melina might actually get some real competition. I take it all back for that segment. I was very shocked to see Maryse and now the Raw Diva division has a purpose.
DX vs Hart Dynasty
Before this match even starts, I want to just say I hope this gets plenty of time. I see a bright future for the Hart Dynasty and they should be put over in a loss by DX. Does anyone else feel the irony in this match? Hart vs HBK? Tyson Kidd was the last wrestler ever to pass through the Hart Dungeon. We all know the history of HBK and Bret Hart. Ok maybe it is just me who feels this is awkward. I felt the Hart Dynasty should be getting a push for the Tag titles a few ppvs ago. I would still like to see Hart Dynasty vs JeriShow. I would also like to see Natalya wrestle more often. The Dynasty could eventually hold tag and women titles at the same time on Smackdown. Although the match was to short in my opinion. The WWE did a nice job giving the Dynasty a slight rub vs DX. To finish off the segment, Jericho announces DX vs JeriShow at the next pay per view in a TLC match. Show is not on a personal day. He is actually hurt and won't be around until the pay per view. He is having minor surgery on his knee. Somewhere right now, Larry just screamed like a girl for the match. I love Jericho talking about the importance of the tag titles. I agree when JeriShow won the tag titles, it felt important. Now, once again, the WWE has watered down the tag titles. I think this feud will help scale up the titles but I would like to see JeriShow keep them. Why? Jericho would stay on both Raw and Smackdown if he holds the belts.
Batista in ring promo. I just don't see why everyone loves Batista. His promos are boring, as the crowd might have told you. Rey is having knee surgery again and will be out. Rey will be back sometime and he and Batista will have a real feud. I would love to see Kane and Batista wrestle so Batista isn't wrestling for the World title. Smackdown needs to step it up in the feud department. I thought Rey and Batista would help the show. Now that Rey is out maybe Kane and Batista can.
Cryme Tyme vs Legacy
The wild card to win this Battle Royal is Ted Dibiase. The movie is coming out soon. The WWE teased us with a face turn by Teddy. I would hate to see it happen so quickly. I like Teddy and he has a ton of potential. He is a future main event but don't shove him down our throat to quick. I would like to see more fun teasing with Orton and Dibiase. The crowd has been dead all night. They just haven't been into anything and especially this match. You knew Legacy would win. Last week they weren't even on the show. Tonight, both men get a chance in the Battle Royal.
A Jeff Hardy DVD is coming soon. I will be picking that up for sure. I love Jeff Hardy and wish he comes back by Mania. Let the Hardy Party begin! I hope he gets cleared of his charges. If he does, I am sure Vince would bring him back.
Every week Santino makes me laugh. I wish for breasts to Santino but you can't just like the white meat. Oh sorry I'm going off topic. Gotta love when bad things happen to Vikki.
Breakthrough Battle Royal
I love Ventura and Vince being at the broadcast table. I bet Jim Ross was loving this in Oklahoma. The monkey suit made Vince look worse than the Fink. At least I will be entertained by Vince and Ventura. Orton did the coward heel thing since he was on the outside for the most part. The battle royal finally got going when Sheamus throughout Truth. I guess someone had to go first. I can't believe Legacy went out like they did. Kofi Orton and Sheamus are the final three. I guess it will be a Raw guy. Kofi takes out Orton. Sheamus is going to win this battle royal. Are you kidding me? I can't believe this. At least Orton and Kofi feud will continue. I am really shocked that the WWE pushed this kid so quickly. I would highly doubt he will beat Cena but this is huge for Raw. You push a new heel for the WWE title. I really like the move a lot. Kofi and Cena would have made no sense. The only other guy I could have seen was Dibiase. I like how the WWE will wait on that for another time down the road. Cena don't tease me when you say someone will beat up Michael Cole. Cena must have knew that was my x-mas present. Cena is so passionate in promos. The WWE must really believe Cena vs anyone will be a good enough reason for fans to buy a pay per view. I hate when Cena uses the world "war" when talking about a feud. I believe that word should not be used. Ventura surprised me when he turned the heel switch on. I was hoping Sheamus would knock out Cena before Raw ended. A powerslam through the table to cap off a night showcasing tons of young talent. I said the fans would give a crap about Sheamus if he had a real feud. Now I will see if I was right. I still think it might be to quick but hey its new blood on Raw getting a shot.
Overall I thought the show was successful. I would have liked to see some of the matches go longer. The ending with Sheamus winning was a nice twist. Raw has some great feuds going on right now. Kofi and Orton will keep going. I am interested in how the WWE will book DX and Jeri without Show right now. Next week, Verne Troyer is hosting Raw. Hornswaggle is suing and I am sure Mini Me will be the judge. It writes itself really. You can keep track of the FWF right here on BBSD. Yours truly is still in the lead after tonight. BBSD radio shows will be back next week as well. After my ppv picks, you should have probably stopped reading this at 'I'm sorry'. I promise you one thing, I will pick better on the next pay per view. Oh and all that stuff in the beginning about retiring. I am the Ric Flair of BBSD, I will never retire...as long as Im employed at BBSD.
J Call
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Survivor Series Picks
Ladies and Gentlemen after a long hiatus because ShowStoppers has been covering ppv picks, the PICK BLOG IS BACK! WOOOO! Can you tell I missed this? Survivor Series use to be one of the most unique pay per views of the year. Now it has been reduced to a watered down version of what once was. I like the Survivor matches but the WWE usually just throws in some random 10 guys and see if it works. The WWE champion use to compete in the match and that has not happened in years. With several big time superstars in the title matches, this should still be a lot of fun to watch. John, Larry, Eric and I will be giving out our picks. The least important match has to start us off.
The Divas Survivor Series Match.
Mickies Team vs McCools Team
I'l let Larry go first here:
Hey Mickie You so fine.... You so fine you blow my mind... HEY Mickie! Pick Mickie.
John: Team Mickie over Team Michelle. Just cause.
Eric: The only reason that I think that Team Micki will win this match is the fact that at Bragging Rights they pushed all of the heels. So in this PPV they are going to push the likes of Micki James, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly.
I will hardly ever take the same picks as the ShowStopper hosts. Why? Because they are usually wrong. All three men forgot the wild card in this match up: Beth Phoenix. Who has been made to look dominate again in the WWE? Beth Phoenix. I will take Team Michelle.
Survivor Series Match
Team Kofi vs Team Orton.
Eric: I think the reason that Team Kofi wins this match is because of what happened on RAW this week. Even though Kofi kicked the crap out of Orton, I think the WWE is very high on Kofi and they are really want to start pushing him for bigger things, and what way could you push him other than having him win against a former champion Orton. Plus I have several wrestlers on Kofi’s Team for the FWF. SHAMELESS PLUG!!!
John: Team Orton over Team Kofi. Orton has survived every survivor series he has ever been in. Look it up. He owns this PPV.
Larry: The WWE is trying to get the non Jamican -Jamican over. His team beating Orton's will be a good start. Pick Kofis team
Well they disagreed which is good. John makes a great point. Orton has been almost perfect in Survivor Series past. Kofi got the huge moment on Raw. I don't see Orton pinning Kofi or Kofi pinning Orton. I do see a very quality match and Orton's team winning. Kofi Orton feud will continue.
Survivor Series Match
Team Morrison vs Team Miz
Larry is in love with Morrison so you know: Simple pay back from bragging rights. The Friday Night Delights team wins.
John took Morrison because: I hate the Miz. He stole my catchphrase.
Eric: They had Miz beat Morrison at Bragging Rights and I think that all of the time that they have been putting into Morrison looking weak, they are looking for this to be a great match and really put Morrison over.
I will certainly disagree with Miz stealing any lines from John. I will have to agree with these three on this match. Morrison's team is ready for a nice push. Plus Miz and Swagger will cost their team the win. But I always have to question the pick if all four of us agree on it.
Batista vs Rey
Get ready for some large disagreements here.
John: Batista over Rey. They are about to feud The Undertaker and Batista again.
Eric: In this battle of wrestlers close to retirement, I think that they are going to try to give one more big push to Batista and give him another possible title run for early in next year. Rey is really on his last legs and I don’t think that he would want another title run and I think he is willing to put over Batista since they are good friends.
Larry: Batista is going to be in the title hunt soon. They are going to build him up. Look for him to destroy Rey. Pick Batista.
Here is the real deal on this feud. I mentioned it a few weeks ago in a Raw blog. Batista respects Rey and will not make him look bad eeever. You hear me Larry. John called this a one and done feud on ShowStoppers. You can never listen to these two men. Eric said both guys are on their last legs. What the hell are you talking about? Rey looked bad when Batista turned on him at the last pay per view. Rey hasn't looked great going into the match. Batista is getting the big push but not at the full expense of lil Mysterio. I am taking Rey. Thanks boys for all picking Batista.
WWE Title Match
HHH vs HBK vs Cena
We all agreed here that Cena will keep the gold. Why? He makes the most sense. DX will most likely fall apart sooner than later. HHH really looked like a heel on Monday. Where will Cena go from here? I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine. I just can't see them taking the belt off Cena before the Rumble. In the grand scheme of things, Cena makes the most sense.
World Heavyweight Title Match
Taker vs Jericho vs Show
I hate to say it but again all four of us agreed. The Deadman will walk out of Survivor Series with the belt. Undertaker debuted at a Survivor Series pay per view way back when the ppv was fairly new. JeriShow either needs to feud with a tag team or drop the damn belts. I would love to see Jericho drop Show and feud with Taker alone. They are the best 2 guys on Smackdown and would make the most sense. This is where I don't agree with the guys again. Eric, Larry and John all said the next feud for the World Title is Batista vs Taker. Remember when majority rules, it usually means it won't happen.
Those are the picks for the Survivor Series pay per view. I am so damn happy the blog is back. However, once all the technical difficulties are fixed on the BBSD radio side of things. ShowStoppers will be the place to hear all the picks. Enjoy the pay per view this week. I will return Friday morning with a NBA blog. Oh almost forgot, WOOOO!
J Call
The Divas Survivor Series Match.
Mickies Team vs McCools Team
I'l let Larry go first here:
Hey Mickie You so fine.... You so fine you blow my mind... HEY Mickie! Pick Mickie.
John: Team Mickie over Team Michelle. Just cause.
Eric: The only reason that I think that Team Micki will win this match is the fact that at Bragging Rights they pushed all of the heels. So in this PPV they are going to push the likes of Micki James, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly.
I will hardly ever take the same picks as the ShowStopper hosts. Why? Because they are usually wrong. All three men forgot the wild card in this match up: Beth Phoenix. Who has been made to look dominate again in the WWE? Beth Phoenix. I will take Team Michelle.
Survivor Series Match
Team Kofi vs Team Orton.
Eric: I think the reason that Team Kofi wins this match is because of what happened on RAW this week. Even though Kofi kicked the crap out of Orton, I think the WWE is very high on Kofi and they are really want to start pushing him for bigger things, and what way could you push him other than having him win against a former champion Orton. Plus I have several wrestlers on Kofi’s Team for the FWF. SHAMELESS PLUG!!!
John: Team Orton over Team Kofi. Orton has survived every survivor series he has ever been in. Look it up. He owns this PPV.
Larry: The WWE is trying to get the non Jamican -Jamican over. His team beating Orton's will be a good start. Pick Kofis team
Well they disagreed which is good. John makes a great point. Orton has been almost perfect in Survivor Series past. Kofi got the huge moment on Raw. I don't see Orton pinning Kofi or Kofi pinning Orton. I do see a very quality match and Orton's team winning. Kofi Orton feud will continue.
Survivor Series Match
Team Morrison vs Team Miz
Larry is in love with Morrison so you know: Simple pay back from bragging rights. The Friday Night Delights team wins.
John took Morrison because: I hate the Miz. He stole my catchphrase.
Eric: They had Miz beat Morrison at Bragging Rights and I think that all of the time that they have been putting into Morrison looking weak, they are looking for this to be a great match and really put Morrison over.
I will certainly disagree with Miz stealing any lines from John. I will have to agree with these three on this match. Morrison's team is ready for a nice push. Plus Miz and Swagger will cost their team the win. But I always have to question the pick if all four of us agree on it.
Batista vs Rey
Get ready for some large disagreements here.
John: Batista over Rey. They are about to feud The Undertaker and Batista again.
Eric: In this battle of wrestlers close to retirement, I think that they are going to try to give one more big push to Batista and give him another possible title run for early in next year. Rey is really on his last legs and I don’t think that he would want another title run and I think he is willing to put over Batista since they are good friends.
Larry: Batista is going to be in the title hunt soon. They are going to build him up. Look for him to destroy Rey. Pick Batista.
Here is the real deal on this feud. I mentioned it a few weeks ago in a Raw blog. Batista respects Rey and will not make him look bad eeever. You hear me Larry. John called this a one and done feud on ShowStoppers. You can never listen to these two men. Eric said both guys are on their last legs. What the hell are you talking about? Rey looked bad when Batista turned on him at the last pay per view. Rey hasn't looked great going into the match. Batista is getting the big push but not at the full expense of lil Mysterio. I am taking Rey. Thanks boys for all picking Batista.
WWE Title Match
HHH vs HBK vs Cena
We all agreed here that Cena will keep the gold. Why? He makes the most sense. DX will most likely fall apart sooner than later. HHH really looked like a heel on Monday. Where will Cena go from here? I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine. I just can't see them taking the belt off Cena before the Rumble. In the grand scheme of things, Cena makes the most sense.
World Heavyweight Title Match
Taker vs Jericho vs Show
I hate to say it but again all four of us agreed. The Deadman will walk out of Survivor Series with the belt. Undertaker debuted at a Survivor Series pay per view way back when the ppv was fairly new. JeriShow either needs to feud with a tag team or drop the damn belts. I would love to see Jericho drop Show and feud with Taker alone. They are the best 2 guys on Smackdown and would make the most sense. This is where I don't agree with the guys again. Eric, Larry and John all said the next feud for the World Title is Batista vs Taker. Remember when majority rules, it usually means it won't happen.
Those are the picks for the Survivor Series pay per view. I am so damn happy the blog is back. However, once all the technical difficulties are fixed on the BBSD radio side of things. ShowStoppers will be the place to hear all the picks. Enjoy the pay per view this week. I will return Friday morning with a NBA blog. Oh almost forgot, WOOOO!
J Call
Monday, November 16, 2009
Raw 11-16
Last week on Raw, I didn't fully enjoy the show. It seemed hit or miss to me. The main event was the only decent wrestling match of the night. Tonight, I hope is a completely different story. I first want to say I am a huge Rowdy Roddy Piper. You add Piper to an already fired up NYC crowd at the worlds most famous arena and Raw should be a solid show. (Cue the terrible infomercial guy voice) Wait there's more! The main event is DX vs JeriShow vs Cena Taker. In the great words of Joey Styles, OH MY GOD! I'm extremely excited for the potential this Raw has. An old school wrestler as GM, a unbelievable main event all in one of the best wrestling cities in the world. WOOOO!
Piper's pit in the back with Shiek and Bella twins and some actor. The new Raw intro is cool if it had a different song. I am sorry I really can't stand Nickelback. If you are a 13 year old girl you like them because they aren't a rock band. WWE did a great job with the new entrance rampway. If you missed it, think when Cena made a surprise return in the Rumble back in '08.
United States title is on the line right away on Raw. Miz vs MVP.
I like this match up. MVP shouldn't win the match and take the belt off Miz. Miz has been getting a great push and it should continue. Very hot crowd tonight, I told ya. I believe the WWE has been missing out on MVP. He and Henry have been floating along lately on Raw. I would like to see a feud with MVP and someone. He has skills and just needs someone to feud with and showcase the skills. The match has been very good with some quick offense and near falls. In the end, Miz retains. Good opening contest. I liked what the WWE did. Bring out some of the hard workers right away and give the show some momentum.
How can we have such a great opening match and follow up with Chavo? The momentum may have been reduced by half with Santino vs Chavo. Although, the crowd loves Santino. I had to laugh with Santino breaking out more jerseys then what I have in my closet. Hornswaggle does about 10 midget crotch chops and Santino wins. Thankfully we are saved from this time waster.
The biggest pop of the night so far is DX. How many great moments have these two men had at MSG? Of course they had to do a shameless plug or two. HHH finally talks about Survivor Series and the triple threat match. I have been waiting for this moment. The WWE title match has been given lackluster hype. They didn't say enough about the match. Instead, the attention was on hornswaggle. I don't understand this. I get that this is a secondary storyline. But that's where it should have ended. The problem is it has been the main focus and taking away from the main event this Sunday. HHH pedigreed Hornswaggle and the crowd is actually booing DX. Now I'm even more perplexed. I have no idea where this is headed after that segment.
No doubt about the WWE and MSG make a great combination. Another awesome video done by the WWE. I mentioned how many great moments DX has had at MSG. The WWE showed several. I had one problem with the video. Since Beniot can not be shown on WWE TV, the Eddie Chris moment had at the end of Mania XX was not shown.
Diva Championship Match
Melina vs Alicia
Some actor got to announce the contest. I could have cared less because of Melina's entrance. The match is changed with Lumberjills. Hell yeah Smackdown and Raw diva's. Puppies galore! Alicia had her chance against Mickie a failed. Now she had a chance vs Melina and failed again. All hell broke loose afterward. CAT FIGHT! Everyone loves a good cat fight. Team Melina vs Team McCool coming this Sunday at Survivor Series.
WWE and USA have signed a brand new 5 year contract. The contract will keep Raw on USA until 2014. Can we forget that Raw left for Spike a few years ago? Never happened. The Hot Rod is out. I thought for sure the crowd would give him a bigger pop. The guy main evented Mania I. OK now they are giving him love. Rowdy is a cancer survivor and an inspiration. I always get a sense of nostalgia with Hot Rod. Piper took like 3 cheap shots at Hogan. I loved it. Wow Hot Rod said he wants one more match with Vince. This is huge. The Chairman of the Board is out now. Vince McMahon is playing the role of the heel again. The best part about these two is they really don't get along that well in real life. Raw needs Vince in the worst way. He brings the show focus and gets the fans involved. Piper mentions he had cancer and beat that. As I said, he inspires me. Piper issues the challenge tonight. I know Piper isn't in the best shape or anything. On the other hand, I can see this match working out well. Piper has said in the past he would like to have one more to finish his career. I hope it happens before our enjoyment.
Sheamus comes out to destroy the bell ringer and Jerry Lawler. I couldn't be more pissed. I dropped Rhodes for this guy in the FWF (see DX isn't the only one with shameless plugs). I needed some points and I was just screwed. Oh well next week Sheamus will destroy Lawler for 10.
Striker sitting with Cole now. I like Striker. I'm still sour on Cole. I have yet to hear vintage anyone yet tonight. Odds on it not happening on Raw 20 to 1? 50 to 1? It has to happen. Evan Bourne out to face Swagger in a rematch of last week. I have a feeling Bourne will not get two straight on the All American American American Jack Swagger. I like both wrestlers in this match up. The other thing about NY crowds. They appreciate real wrestlers. The crowd was popping throughout the match for Bourne. Why? Evan is an exciting young talent who has fun awesome. Tonight was Swaggers' night.
I have one question so far during this episode. Where the hell is Kofi and Orton? Their feud is one of the best on Raw and you can't even show them! Piper vs McMahon is next and it either has to be short or Orton will come out to beat up the "Legend" Piper for Vince and Kingston will make the save. I am dead serious. I wrote all of that before Orton came out. I promise. Don't believe me but I did! I feel a Orton punt coming on soon. Orton stalks and ready to fire away before Kofi comes out. A little problem with the music man as Orton looked completely confused. He had time to punt and then stopped. Kofi and Randy are fighting in the stands. Hell yes! WWE desperately needed a heated feud to help Raw. I feel this feud if that makes sense. I think it did. Orton gained the upper hand for a while. I really hope this feud goes on for quite sometime. I would love to see a regular match at some point. They could then do a cage match. The finish to the feud could be a falls count anywhere match. The only problem is we will never see any blood because of the PG rating ruins everything. I take that back Orton is bleeding tonight. This NYC crowd is chanting KOFI KOFI! The boom boom drop from the stands through a table. Orton is so damn smart and here is why: Randy was cut the hard way with that steel box. He knew the camera was on the left side of him. So where did he look after the boom boom drop? His right side. Somewhere Vince is doing cartwheels right now. He panicked when Cena was busted open during the Orton Cena ppv match. Good job Randy, you just earned yourself a raise. By the way, Kofi and Orton just had one of the best moments of Raw this year.
Main event time baby. WOOOO! Larry from Showstoppers told me I can not go a full blog without 2 WOOO's any longer.
JeriShow vs DX vs Cena Taker
The match hasn't started yet and it is already 10pm ct. The only team out is JeriShow. I don't think we are going to get a real long match here unless Raw is going to run into overtime. In the arena where Cena won the Royal Rumble, the crowd gave Cena a great pop. The entrance for Undertaker was incredible. The crowd was on the edge of their seat. Always special when Taker comes to Raw because its rare. Undertaker chants are heard. I remember sitting at Raw a few years ago when Taker made an awesome entrance from under the stage and I felt chills. Seriously if you have never seen a Taker entrance live, you have missed one helluva sight. Plus Justin Roberts does a great job at screaming The UnderrrrTaker. The rules for this match were really confusing. Three men are in the ring and you can only tag your own partner. I guess the rules aren't that confusing. I heard it! Triple H hits the Spinebuster and Cole said vintage Triple H. I knew it. The odds were not in the favor of it not happening. Cool fact, Y2J and Taker have only wrestled once. Last week on Smackdown was the first time ever one on one. I hope it happens again at Wrestlemania if Edge and Jericho can't happen. Show is impressive with a double chokeslam on Cena and HHH. Sweet spot with everyone hitting their finishers. Cena wins but Taker gives him a tombstone piledriver for his trouble. Could this be a future Mania match Cena Taker?
WWE is heading towards Survivor Series in a good direction after this Raw. I was very happy to see the main event go longer than expected. The Orton Kofi segment was fantastic. Next week Raw is having a 3hr special event. The special 3 hour Raws are always fun. What makes this more special, Jessy the Body Venture is hosting. When the hell was the last time he was around wrestling? Way to damn long thats when. I love the Body and he should be really entertaining.
BBSD wants to apologize for not having new radio shows up last week. We have been having some technical problems and it will be fixed later in the week. However there will not be Showstoppers again this week. I know what you are thinking. How the hell am I going to know what is going to happen on Survivor Series if I don't know J Call, Larry, John or Eric's picks? I have you covered. I am bringing back the pick blog later on in the week just for you. I know that's why I am the best damn WWE blogger on the Internet. WOOOO!
J Call
Piper's pit in the back with Shiek and Bella twins and some actor. The new Raw intro is cool if it had a different song. I am sorry I really can't stand Nickelback. If you are a 13 year old girl you like them because they aren't a rock band. WWE did a great job with the new entrance rampway. If you missed it, think when Cena made a surprise return in the Rumble back in '08.
United States title is on the line right away on Raw. Miz vs MVP.
I like this match up. MVP shouldn't win the match and take the belt off Miz. Miz has been getting a great push and it should continue. Very hot crowd tonight, I told ya. I believe the WWE has been missing out on MVP. He and Henry have been floating along lately on Raw. I would like to see a feud with MVP and someone. He has skills and just needs someone to feud with and showcase the skills. The match has been very good with some quick offense and near falls. In the end, Miz retains. Good opening contest. I liked what the WWE did. Bring out some of the hard workers right away and give the show some momentum.
How can we have such a great opening match and follow up with Chavo? The momentum may have been reduced by half with Santino vs Chavo. Although, the crowd loves Santino. I had to laugh with Santino breaking out more jerseys then what I have in my closet. Hornswaggle does about 10 midget crotch chops and Santino wins. Thankfully we are saved from this time waster.
The biggest pop of the night so far is DX. How many great moments have these two men had at MSG? Of course they had to do a shameless plug or two. HHH finally talks about Survivor Series and the triple threat match. I have been waiting for this moment. The WWE title match has been given lackluster hype. They didn't say enough about the match. Instead, the attention was on hornswaggle. I don't understand this. I get that this is a secondary storyline. But that's where it should have ended. The problem is it has been the main focus and taking away from the main event this Sunday. HHH pedigreed Hornswaggle and the crowd is actually booing DX. Now I'm even more perplexed. I have no idea where this is headed after that segment.
No doubt about the WWE and MSG make a great combination. Another awesome video done by the WWE. I mentioned how many great moments DX has had at MSG. The WWE showed several. I had one problem with the video. Since Beniot can not be shown on WWE TV, the Eddie Chris moment had at the end of Mania XX was not shown.
Diva Championship Match
Melina vs Alicia
Some actor got to announce the contest. I could have cared less because of Melina's entrance. The match is changed with Lumberjills. Hell yeah Smackdown and Raw diva's. Puppies galore! Alicia had her chance against Mickie a failed. Now she had a chance vs Melina and failed again. All hell broke loose afterward. CAT FIGHT! Everyone loves a good cat fight. Team Melina vs Team McCool coming this Sunday at Survivor Series.
WWE and USA have signed a brand new 5 year contract. The contract will keep Raw on USA until 2014. Can we forget that Raw left for Spike a few years ago? Never happened. The Hot Rod is out. I thought for sure the crowd would give him a bigger pop. The guy main evented Mania I. OK now they are giving him love. Rowdy is a cancer survivor and an inspiration. I always get a sense of nostalgia with Hot Rod. Piper took like 3 cheap shots at Hogan. I loved it. Wow Hot Rod said he wants one more match with Vince. This is huge. The Chairman of the Board is out now. Vince McMahon is playing the role of the heel again. The best part about these two is they really don't get along that well in real life. Raw needs Vince in the worst way. He brings the show focus and gets the fans involved. Piper mentions he had cancer and beat that. As I said, he inspires me. Piper issues the challenge tonight. I know Piper isn't in the best shape or anything. On the other hand, I can see this match working out well. Piper has said in the past he would like to have one more to finish his career. I hope it happens before our enjoyment.
Sheamus comes out to destroy the bell ringer and Jerry Lawler. I couldn't be more pissed. I dropped Rhodes for this guy in the FWF (see DX isn't the only one with shameless plugs). I needed some points and I was just screwed. Oh well next week Sheamus will destroy Lawler for 10.
Striker sitting with Cole now. I like Striker. I'm still sour on Cole. I have yet to hear vintage anyone yet tonight. Odds on it not happening on Raw 20 to 1? 50 to 1? It has to happen. Evan Bourne out to face Swagger in a rematch of last week. I have a feeling Bourne will not get two straight on the All American American American Jack Swagger. I like both wrestlers in this match up. The other thing about NY crowds. They appreciate real wrestlers. The crowd was popping throughout the match for Bourne. Why? Evan is an exciting young talent who has fun awesome. Tonight was Swaggers' night.
I have one question so far during this episode. Where the hell is Kofi and Orton? Their feud is one of the best on Raw and you can't even show them! Piper vs McMahon is next and it either has to be short or Orton will come out to beat up the "Legend" Piper for Vince and Kingston will make the save. I am dead serious. I wrote all of that before Orton came out. I promise. Don't believe me but I did! I feel a Orton punt coming on soon. Orton stalks and ready to fire away before Kofi comes out. A little problem with the music man as Orton looked completely confused. He had time to punt and then stopped. Kofi and Randy are fighting in the stands. Hell yes! WWE desperately needed a heated feud to help Raw. I feel this feud if that makes sense. I think it did. Orton gained the upper hand for a while. I really hope this feud goes on for quite sometime. I would love to see a regular match at some point. They could then do a cage match. The finish to the feud could be a falls count anywhere match. The only problem is we will never see any blood because of the PG rating ruins everything. I take that back Orton is bleeding tonight. This NYC crowd is chanting KOFI KOFI! The boom boom drop from the stands through a table. Orton is so damn smart and here is why: Randy was cut the hard way with that steel box. He knew the camera was on the left side of him. So where did he look after the boom boom drop? His right side. Somewhere Vince is doing cartwheels right now. He panicked when Cena was busted open during the Orton Cena ppv match. Good job Randy, you just earned yourself a raise. By the way, Kofi and Orton just had one of the best moments of Raw this year.
Main event time baby. WOOOO! Larry from Showstoppers told me I can not go a full blog without 2 WOOO's any longer.
JeriShow vs DX vs Cena Taker
The match hasn't started yet and it is already 10pm ct. The only team out is JeriShow. I don't think we are going to get a real long match here unless Raw is going to run into overtime. In the arena where Cena won the Royal Rumble, the crowd gave Cena a great pop. The entrance for Undertaker was incredible. The crowd was on the edge of their seat. Always special when Taker comes to Raw because its rare. Undertaker chants are heard. I remember sitting at Raw a few years ago when Taker made an awesome entrance from under the stage and I felt chills. Seriously if you have never seen a Taker entrance live, you have missed one helluva sight. Plus Justin Roberts does a great job at screaming The UnderrrrTaker. The rules for this match were really confusing. Three men are in the ring and you can only tag your own partner. I guess the rules aren't that confusing. I heard it! Triple H hits the Spinebuster and Cole said vintage Triple H. I knew it. The odds were not in the favor of it not happening. Cool fact, Y2J and Taker have only wrestled once. Last week on Smackdown was the first time ever one on one. I hope it happens again at Wrestlemania if Edge and Jericho can't happen. Show is impressive with a double chokeslam on Cena and HHH. Sweet spot with everyone hitting their finishers. Cena wins but Taker gives him a tombstone piledriver for his trouble. Could this be a future Mania match Cena Taker?
WWE is heading towards Survivor Series in a good direction after this Raw. I was very happy to see the main event go longer than expected. The Orton Kofi segment was fantastic. Next week Raw is having a 3hr special event. The special 3 hour Raws are always fun. What makes this more special, Jessy the Body Venture is hosting. When the hell was the last time he was around wrestling? Way to damn long thats when. I love the Body and he should be really entertaining.
BBSD wants to apologize for not having new radio shows up last week. We have been having some technical problems and it will be fixed later in the week. However there will not be Showstoppers again this week. I know what you are thinking. How the hell am I going to know what is going to happen on Survivor Series if I don't know J Call, Larry, John or Eric's picks? I have you covered. I am bringing back the pick blog later on in the week just for you. I know that's why I am the best damn WWE blogger on the Internet. WOOOO!
J Call
Monday, November 9, 2009
Raw 11-9
I liked Raw last night. Ozzy was fun and there was some quality in ring work. I would like to see more DX Cena tonight. Ricky Hatton is guest hosting Raw. I don't know squat about him or boxing. Raw is coming to us across the pond tonight in England. Always good for the WWE to go overseas. Im hoping for a good show. Where is the build up to Survivor Series? Come on WWE. We are 2 weeks out from the 4th biggest pay per view of the year. Lets get moving on it! Also the 2nd week of the FWF which you can follow right here on BBSD. I am not doing so well but my team will turn it around once I start writing for the WWE.
Ricky Hatton starts off Raw in front a live hot crowd. Everytime the WWE goes out of the U.S. The crowds are so much better. JeriShow in suits are out to ruin the party. I have a feeling JeriShow aren't going to be as happy tonight as they were last week when they beat Cena and knocked out DX. Show and Hatton have a few words and Show gives him a free shot but Y2J stops him. Jericho announces he will take on The Undertaker on Smackdown this Friday. Wow what a main event! Hatton makes a great match for tonight JeriShow vs DX. I love that and Larry from Showstoppers just blew a nut hearing it. I had to laugh when Hatton told him to speak English. DX head down the ramp to save the beatdown Hatton would have gotten from JeriShow. HHH talks for a while. Shawn attacks Chris who falls outside the ring. 3 on 1 now. Show is smart and leaves the ring. I liked the first segment. I can't say I loved it as much as Ozzy and DX. Hatton is hard to understand and has no excitement. However, making DX JeriShow for Raw's main event is freaking sweet. Anytime HBK and Jericho are in the same ring, good things happen.
Alicia Fox w/Jillian vs Kelly Kelly w/Gail Kim. Next week Melina will take on Fox for the Diva Worlds Most Famous Arena Madison Square Garden. There is a new Hulk Hogan DVD by the WWE. Crazy since he just signed with TNA. Can you tell how much I am watching this match? Sorry I will get back to the match. Kelly hit some unique offense but Alicia countered. She hits the scissors kick and wins. The role Alicia is on needed to continue if she is taking on Melina next week. The match served a purpose. I'm just really bored with the Diva division right now. Melina is nice and so is Gail Kim. Those two should be going at it.
Sheamus talks for a little bit before taking on a local jobber. Sheamus destroys him and picks up another victory with a Razors Edge. Nothing to add here. Sheamus push keeps going. My only question is when will he face some real competition?
Santino, Ricky and Bella twins have a backstage segment with Chavo getting in the way. Hatton vs Chavo is made later. Raw needed more filler tonight. I don't understand what the WWE is doing. I get it Chavo has to face every celebrity GM but why does Raw take the focus on the actual Superstars a lot of the time. Miz with a backstage promo. Miz has assembled a team to take on Morrison's team at Survivor Series. The one thing I like about the match up is its a chance to showcase some young talent. Since Raw isn't doing it, at least the WWE is smart to do it on the pay per view.
Evan "sort of getting a push" Bourne vs Jack Swagger. The two time All American American American gained the upper hand right away. I have no idea what the WWE is doing with Bourne. One week he is beating the Miz, next week he loses. I guess the WWE doesn't want to give him a belt but won't bury him either. Evan uses his quickness and unique offense to get a few 2 counts. Miz comes out to distract Swagger. I could careless if the WWE is going to start Miz vs Swagger. Evan picks up the win with the picture perfect Air Bourne Shooting Star Press. As long as Bourne stays in the mix and isn't just a stepping stone in this heel vs heel feud. I will be happy.
MVP lounge. Are you kidding me? The semi main event is another promo. Henry MVP and Kofi in the ring. I am not saying I hate any of these guys. I would rather see a match than a in ring promo. They go on for a while. Nothing special until Legacy come out. The WWE teased us with Teddy and Orton. Now that is over with for now. I still believe he will turn on Legacy sometime. Perhaps soon so Kofi can have a partner to face Rhodes and Orton. For now I like the fact the WWE is trying something new. Lets move Kofi up against Randy and add MVP and Henry. 3 on 3 is fun. I liked how Legacy talk about the different backgrounds the two teams have. The best thing I see happening for Kofi is this push leads to either a win at Mania for Money in the Bank or a switch to Smackdown at the next draft. If Raw does it right and keeps pushing him even after the Orton feud, Smackdown would be adding another future main eventer to the roster. Smackdown already has Morrison and Ziggler who are going to be main eventing pay per views in the next few years.
Randy Orton vs Mark Henry
Match has started during the commercial break. Orton took the lead early and Henry got it back. Legacy in one corner on the outside and MVP Kofi on the other side. Out of nowhere RKO to Henry. You know its over when he hits the RKO. I like Orton getting the victory tonight. The heels have been looking like fools the last few weeks. Even though Kofi slapped Orton at the end of the segment. Randy still looked strong by beating Henry. Randy and Kofi are stepping up each week. To bad Raw couldn't have more wrestling matches. Instead we are getting crapola.
Nickelback is the new theme music of Raw. I hate that because I hate nickelback. I know I will catch hell for saying that but Nickelback sucks. All their songs sound the same. WWE could have picked a much better band. Send your hate mail to mccall316@yahoo.com. I will be happy to debate why Nickelback blows.
Hatton vs Chavo.
Do I really have to say anything? This is my 24th consecutive Raw blog and to my knowledge Chavo has not won in any of those weeks. What was the outcome here? Hatton by knockout and luckily I'm getting text messages or I would be out. Raw has been very bland tonight. Main event needs to save us. Ha Chris Jericho is going to save us because he is in the main event.
DX Cena and Hornswaggle have a backstage promo. More comical relief between these guys. Larry on Showstoppers has been talking about Midget crotch chops and how funny they are. I will agree with that. Hornswaggle did a few more tonight.
Now here is something I will absolutely love. Rowdy Roddy Piper is in charge next week as guest host in MSG. Wrestlemania 1 took place at the Garden and certainly Piper was a huge part of that event. Piper is a cancer survivor, an inspiration and one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. I stressed before the guest GM spot should go to former wrestlers more often. I get my wish next week. I will have more to say about Piper next week. Main event time:
JeriShow vs DX
4 men all part of the FWF so huge points are up for grabs in this match. I couldn't be happier watching an actual wrestling match for the main event. The contest starts at 9:50 ct, which means this should be a great long match. The heels have the advantage during the commercial. Cena is doing commentary. Thank god less of Michael Cole. Show and Jericho have made a great tag team. They have gotten better as the weeks go on. I wondered if the chemistry would last and it has. The quick tags and double team moves are great. JeriShow will undoubtedly will break up soon but a great ride while it has lasted. Hot tag to HBK. Vintage Shawn with his elbow drop. SCM is ducked by Jericho and the Walls was countered. Show accidentlly hit Chris with a right hand for the win. I kind of like the finish here. We will see compelling tv with Show and Jericho.
Raw finishes with announcing the main event for next week. It will be DX vs JeriShow vs Cena and The Undertaker. A triple threat tag team match. Quite frankly that is one of the best main events Raw has had in a long time. With that main event and the return of The Hot Rod Rowdy Roddy Piper, Raw is shaping up to be 100 times better than this weeks crappy addition. The main event helped but this Raw was well below average especially with Survivor Series coming soon. I shall return next week.
J Call
Ricky Hatton starts off Raw in front a live hot crowd. Everytime the WWE goes out of the U.S. The crowds are so much better. JeriShow in suits are out to ruin the party. I have a feeling JeriShow aren't going to be as happy tonight as they were last week when they beat Cena and knocked out DX. Show and Hatton have a few words and Show gives him a free shot but Y2J stops him. Jericho announces he will take on The Undertaker on Smackdown this Friday. Wow what a main event! Hatton makes a great match for tonight JeriShow vs DX. I love that and Larry from Showstoppers just blew a nut hearing it. I had to laugh when Hatton told him to speak English. DX head down the ramp to save the beatdown Hatton would have gotten from JeriShow. HHH talks for a while. Shawn attacks Chris who falls outside the ring. 3 on 1 now. Show is smart and leaves the ring. I liked the first segment. I can't say I loved it as much as Ozzy and DX. Hatton is hard to understand and has no excitement. However, making DX JeriShow for Raw's main event is freaking sweet. Anytime HBK and Jericho are in the same ring, good things happen.
Alicia Fox w/Jillian vs Kelly Kelly w/Gail Kim. Next week Melina will take on Fox for the Diva Worlds Most Famous Arena Madison Square Garden. There is a new Hulk Hogan DVD by the WWE. Crazy since he just signed with TNA. Can you tell how much I am watching this match? Sorry I will get back to the match. Kelly hit some unique offense but Alicia countered. She hits the scissors kick and wins. The role Alicia is on needed to continue if she is taking on Melina next week. The match served a purpose. I'm just really bored with the Diva division right now. Melina is nice and so is Gail Kim. Those two should be going at it.
Sheamus talks for a little bit before taking on a local jobber. Sheamus destroys him and picks up another victory with a Razors Edge. Nothing to add here. Sheamus push keeps going. My only question is when will he face some real competition?
Santino, Ricky and Bella twins have a backstage segment with Chavo getting in the way. Hatton vs Chavo is made later. Raw needed more filler tonight. I don't understand what the WWE is doing. I get it Chavo has to face every celebrity GM but why does Raw take the focus on the actual Superstars a lot of the time. Miz with a backstage promo. Miz has assembled a team to take on Morrison's team at Survivor Series. The one thing I like about the match up is its a chance to showcase some young talent. Since Raw isn't doing it, at least the WWE is smart to do it on the pay per view.
Evan "sort of getting a push" Bourne vs Jack Swagger. The two time All American American American gained the upper hand right away. I have no idea what the WWE is doing with Bourne. One week he is beating the Miz, next week he loses. I guess the WWE doesn't want to give him a belt but won't bury him either. Evan uses his quickness and unique offense to get a few 2 counts. Miz comes out to distract Swagger. I could careless if the WWE is going to start Miz vs Swagger. Evan picks up the win with the picture perfect Air Bourne Shooting Star Press. As long as Bourne stays in the mix and isn't just a stepping stone in this heel vs heel feud. I will be happy.
MVP lounge. Are you kidding me? The semi main event is another promo. Henry MVP and Kofi in the ring. I am not saying I hate any of these guys. I would rather see a match than a in ring promo. They go on for a while. Nothing special until Legacy come out. The WWE teased us with Teddy and Orton. Now that is over with for now. I still believe he will turn on Legacy sometime. Perhaps soon so Kofi can have a partner to face Rhodes and Orton. For now I like the fact the WWE is trying something new. Lets move Kofi up against Randy and add MVP and Henry. 3 on 3 is fun. I liked how Legacy talk about the different backgrounds the two teams have. The best thing I see happening for Kofi is this push leads to either a win at Mania for Money in the Bank or a switch to Smackdown at the next draft. If Raw does it right and keeps pushing him even after the Orton feud, Smackdown would be adding another future main eventer to the roster. Smackdown already has Morrison and Ziggler who are going to be main eventing pay per views in the next few years.
Randy Orton vs Mark Henry
Match has started during the commercial break. Orton took the lead early and Henry got it back. Legacy in one corner on the outside and MVP Kofi on the other side. Out of nowhere RKO to Henry. You know its over when he hits the RKO. I like Orton getting the victory tonight. The heels have been looking like fools the last few weeks. Even though Kofi slapped Orton at the end of the segment. Randy still looked strong by beating Henry. Randy and Kofi are stepping up each week. To bad Raw couldn't have more wrestling matches. Instead we are getting crapola.
Nickelback is the new theme music of Raw. I hate that because I hate nickelback. I know I will catch hell for saying that but Nickelback sucks. All their songs sound the same. WWE could have picked a much better band. Send your hate mail to mccall316@yahoo.com. I will be happy to debate why Nickelback blows.
Hatton vs Chavo.
Do I really have to say anything? This is my 24th consecutive Raw blog and to my knowledge Chavo has not won in any of those weeks. What was the outcome here? Hatton by knockout and luckily I'm getting text messages or I would be out. Raw has been very bland tonight. Main event needs to save us. Ha Chris Jericho is going to save us because he is in the main event.
DX Cena and Hornswaggle have a backstage promo. More comical relief between these guys. Larry on Showstoppers has been talking about Midget crotch chops and how funny they are. I will agree with that. Hornswaggle did a few more tonight.
Now here is something I will absolutely love. Rowdy Roddy Piper is in charge next week as guest host in MSG. Wrestlemania 1 took place at the Garden and certainly Piper was a huge part of that event. Piper is a cancer survivor, an inspiration and one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. I stressed before the guest GM spot should go to former wrestlers more often. I get my wish next week. I will have more to say about Piper next week. Main event time:
JeriShow vs DX
4 men all part of the FWF so huge points are up for grabs in this match. I couldn't be happier watching an actual wrestling match for the main event. The contest starts at 9:50 ct, which means this should be a great long match. The heels have the advantage during the commercial. Cena is doing commentary. Thank god less of Michael Cole. Show and Jericho have made a great tag team. They have gotten better as the weeks go on. I wondered if the chemistry would last and it has. The quick tags and double team moves are great. JeriShow will undoubtedly will break up soon but a great ride while it has lasted. Hot tag to HBK. Vintage Shawn with his elbow drop. SCM is ducked by Jericho and the Walls was countered. Show accidentlly hit Chris with a right hand for the win. I kind of like the finish here. We will see compelling tv with Show and Jericho.
Raw finishes with announcing the main event for next week. It will be DX vs JeriShow vs Cena and The Undertaker. A triple threat tag team match. Quite frankly that is one of the best main events Raw has had in a long time. With that main event and the return of The Hot Rod Rowdy Roddy Piper, Raw is shaping up to be 100 times better than this weeks crappy addition. The main event helped but this Raw was well below average especially with Survivor Series coming soon. I shall return next week.
J Call
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
NBA is Back
I wanted to do something really cool for the start of the NBA season. I thought about doing a Power Rankings Poll, I will next week, but not this week. I am doing something very special for the start of the NBA season. I am teaming up with my good friend and my NBA go to guy, Dan for an NBA preview blog. Dan and I have had hour long conversations over the NBA. We both love the league. He is a big Laker fan and I am a Spurs fan. We hate each others team but respect them. For this blog, I will be more on the Eastern Conference teams and Dan is going in depth on the Western Conference teams. The NBA is full of questions and we have the answers and none of them will be Allen Iverson. We will alternate conference teams. We will start with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers.
The only way the Memphis Grizzlies stay in the news is because Allen Iverson is going to bitch about his 6th man role throughout the entire year. Zach Randolph is a 16 million dollar piece of crap. The two highlights of the year will be Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo. Iverson might as well give up and retire. He was a nice player and had a good career. The Memphis Grizzlies will be fighting for the most ping pong balls in the 2010 draft.
Indiana Pacers are bringing back the all white squad this year. If you turn on the lights in the entire arena you may miss Troy Murphy. One reason so many teams suck is because they invest money into guys like Randolph, Lafrentz and Troy Murphy. Mike Dunleavy is owned 10 million for this year. The Pacers are an absolute mess. I do like Danny Granger and I am interested in how Tyler Hansbrough develops.
You got to love a team that has Kurt Rambis as their coach. The Minnesota Timberwolves are doing correctly by making sure their big man Al Jefferson sticks around. They are building a nice young nucleus around him as well. A few bad contracts such as Brian Cardinal and Mark Blount could be trade bait later in the year. Kevin Love is averaging a double double. Jonny Flynn could be an exciting young poing guard. The T'Wolves are a build now win later type of team. The only problem was the Ricky Rubio fiasco. You wasted a top 5 pick on a guy who may never play for your franchise.
Through the first four games the Charlotte Bobcats are averaging a 79.8 points a game. Would you want to watch this team? I didn't think so. Larry Brown and Michael Jordan are the main executives for this team that says it all already. Gerald Wallace is the only guy the Bobcat scoring. Raymond Felton is in bad terms with the head coach so he isn't playing much. He is the best trade bait. He should be playing for someone else by midseason. I can say this team is a giant mess.
I believe I can sum up the entire Sacramento Kings season in two words: Kevin Martin. He is going to be their leading scoring and their best player. The Kings have some of the worst contracts in Kenny Thomas and Beno Udrith. They have nice young potential in Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes and Tyreke Evans. Another team building and not winning anything for a few more years.
One of the most historic NBA franchises is also one of the worst. For the record, this was all done by the leadership skills of Isiah Thomas. The biggest problems facing the Knicks are the financial burden on worthless players. Eddy Curry is no where near 10.5mil he is getting for sitting on the bench. At least Starbury is gone. If you combine Eddy Curry, Cutino Mobley, Al Harrington and Larry Hughes's contracts you get about 45 million dollars. Curry and Mobley are not even playing. If you add up the averages all of these guys ppg and rpg you get 8.7 ppg and 2.0rpg. 45 million for those kinds of averages! I didn't even add Jared Jeffries. I'm speechless. Lets move to a decent team quickly.
The New Orleans Hornets maybe down early in the season but should be in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Chris Paul is flat out one of the best guards in the league. The Hornets traded away Tyson Chandler twice and ended up with Emeka Okafor. I have no idea how this team lost to New York. Their contracts are not horrible because they have invested wisely in their starting 5. If Posey would show up and start to care like he did in Boston, this team will be a 7 or 8 seed by playoff time.
I have to admit Dan and I are having fun with the Eastern Conference. As we break this down, we are finding out how bad some of these teams are in this Conference are. Case in point, the Milwaukee Bucks. What good can I say about the Bucks? Seriously they have Michael Redd and he can't stay healthy. Andrew Bogut is a nice center, averaging near a double double. The Bucks are just a really boring bland team.
The other team from Los Angeles, we both agree could be a playoff team. If Blake can come back and be as good as he was in the preseason, the Clippers have potential to sneak in. The Clippers have talent but not the right coach. Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby are a nice combo inside. Eric Gordon is heading towards a breakout season. Baron Davis needs to pass a little more and shoot less. We both agree the Clippers are a head scratcher. The talent is there, although the results haven't been.
The Comeback Player of the Year could be coming out of our next team. Gilbert Arenas is getting back to form and could have a nice year if he doesn't get injuried again. He isn't the most reliable guy on the roster. Caron Butler keeps plugging away and is having nice year so far. The X-factor for the Wizards are Antawn Jamison. If the big 3 of Washington can get on the court at the same time, they could be a playoff team. They get key wins against top opponents. The Wiz just need to put it all together.
The brand new superstar in the NBA is in Oklahoma City. Dan and I have a bromance for Kevin Durant. We are talking about going to see the Thunder in Minnesota just to see Durant. The youngest team in the league has some of the biggest potential. How could can Durant be? Westbrook is going to have a very nice season as well. The last game they competed with the Lakers. The biggest things the Thunder are lacking are experience and leadership. I said it last year during the offseason: had Jason Kidd signed with this team, OKC would make the playoffs. Instead they will contend for the 8th spot but just short. If they played in the East, the Thunder would be a 5th seed. One thing is for sure the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be exciting to watch.
I want to start talking about some good teams in the East, instead we dive into the New Jersey Nets. The great thing about the Nets is Brook Lopez. Brook is a young talented player on a very bad team. He is averaging 17 points 7 boards and 3 blocks a game. Brook along with Devin Harris are the only two players worth mentioning. The sad thing is Harris is hurt so more of the burden is on Lopez. Another long season is ahead of the Nets. New Jersey should get some attention for having a Russian owner and that is about it.
The West is filled with some promising young talent up and down the Conference. The Warriors are another raw talented team. Stephen Curry is going to be a fun player to keep your eyes on. They completely overpayed for Corey Maggette last year in the offseason. Where is the true point guard on this team? I guess when Don Nelson is running the show, you never need to pass. They do have one of Dan's favorite players Ronnie Turiaf. He hustles,an energy guy off the bench and looks like he gives a crap. Anthony Randolph and Curry are the reasons to watch this team.
The Detroit Pistons have made a few moves that are mind boggling. Kwame Brown is getting paid 4 million for being a giant turd. Ben Gordon is a great 6th man off the bench type of player. They already had Rip Hamilton. Why bring in 2 true shooting guards? The Pistons have to get something for Rip. Detroit is a team ready to make a run for Chris Bosh. They have a decent nucleus but they don't have a young true power forward. Charlie Villanueva is not an inside scorer. One big man threat in the paint could turn this team around.
Andrei Kirilenko gets paid 16.5 million dollars. Terrible! AK47 is the perfect player for the Cleveland Cavs. The Jazz do not have the right system for the Kirilenko. Utah has another trade bait in Carlos Boozer. They have Milsap which is all the reason to trade Boozer. You should be able to get something for both Andrei and Carlos. Deron Williams is the main attraction for this team. Jerry Sloan has been one of the most consistent coaches in the league. This year should be no different as Utah will be a playoff team again.
I don't have much to say when it comes to the Toronto Raptors. I do have some advice for Chris Bosh. LEAVE! Your contract ends this season and get the hell out of there. Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady figured it out and so will you. I like Jose Calderon, Bosh and Hedo. Jose is a solid point guard. Toronto did not overpay for Hedo. Most of these Eastern conference teams are average at best. That is how I see the Raptors.
Random thought: I was talking to a guy about the Greg Oden Kevin Durant debate. If you look at the Trail Blazers and take out Oden and insert Durant. How good is this team then? The question Dan and I are having is: Is this team almost to deep at the guard position? We are not saying they have bad guards. They almost have to many good guards and not enough depth in the front court. The great thing about the Blazers is the contracts they have are not huge for just one player. Brandon Roy, who is a stud, is getting almost 4 million and is locked up for the next 6 years. Dan and I both agree this team should make the 2nd round of the playoffs.
One of the worst contracts in all of the NBA is Elton Brand's. The 76ers blew the mother load when they signed Elton Off Brand last year. I thought this team was heading in the right direction. Build around a young fun and gun team. Then they add Elton Brand who can't run up and down the court to save his life. He can't stay healthy and does not fit the system. Samuel Dalembert fits the system because he doesn't want the ball. I really like Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. The new "AI" in Philly is on the verge of being a superstar. If the 76ers stayed away from Brand, I would love this team a lot more.
The main question about the Suns has been have they fallen off? Dan is correct. The best thing the Suns did is trade Shaq. He didn't fit the system, just as we talked about Elton Brand. They need a better big man to complement Amare. He has to be able to get up and down the court. The one year experience of a slower methodical offense is over. Phoenix is back to the fun and gun. The way they should be. Steve Nash is still one of the best players in the entire league. I believe this team makes the playoffs still. Dan is hesitant to call them a lock for the post season.
The NBA is full of great young point guards and Derrick Rose is one of them. Rose is the main reason they pushed the Celtics to 7 games last year. Thank god Brad Miller is in his final year of his contract. Chicago has Luol Deng back from his injuries last season. My biggest gripe about Chicago is paying Kirk Hinrich 9 and a half million for this year and is on the books for another 2. Did they lose a lot when Gordon left? I think so because every team needs a spark off the bench. I guess Kirk could be that but I don't see it. The Bulls will be in the post season. Can Rose lead them past one of the 3 big teams in the Conference? Probably not.
The team with the most injuries to their stars is certainly Houston. What they lost in Artest did they gain in Ariza? Right now it looks like Houston has not lost much. Ariza is averaging 21 points per game because he is getting a lot more touches. Houston has very little offensive power. The contract of T-Mac is done after this season. Perfect time to spend it on someone who actually PLAYS! With Yao and McGrady hurt, Houston will struggle to keep up with the likes of the Lakers or Denver. Houston should make the playoffs but the match up in the first round has to be a team that does not score a ton of points in order to make any kind of run.
Is it time for D-Wade to shine again? Wade is healthy and seems to be performing at the level we are all use to seeing. Jermaine O'Neal is getting paid 8mil more than Wade. Are you kidding me? Was the GM that signed him to that deal blind or got confused and thought he signed Shaq? I can not figure out what some NBA teams are thinking when they sign players to such bad contracts. The bad thing about the Heat is their depth or lack of depth. Top to bottom, they have nothing for depth. The Miami Heat season relies on the Dwayne Wade because no one else is there.
I am giving up my rights to talk about our next team. Every year the Dallas Mavericks do the same thing. They make the playoffs and then they are out of the playoffs. They went out and traded half the team for Jason Kidd. The Mavs went to the playoffs but couldn't get over the hump. Now they have signed Marion and is a cool move. One thing about Dallas is they are consistent. Why do I love Mark Cuban? Because he will sign a guy like Diop last year and trade him away in 2 months. Dallas's contracts make no sense at all. Please let me hear someone defend the Erick Dampier and his 2 years 25 million left. This year will be no different. Dallas will make the playoffs but won't win anything.
Finally we get to the good teams in the East. Dan and I like a lot of the Atlanta Hawks. I love Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Dan likes Mike Bibby because he is a good point guard, does what he is suppose to do and makes the young talent around him better. Here is the big question: Can this team get by Orl, Bos or Cle? We believe no they can not get past the big 3 teams. They are good but not good enough. I will say if they match up with Cleveland, that is their best opportunity to make the huge step forward.
The Denver Nuggets are the first of the big 3 in the West in our eyes. One they are one of the deeper teams in the West. The Nugs have a lot of speed. Carmelo has surpassed stardom and is now superstar. The veteran leadership with Chauncey Billups is the real reason this team is heading in the right direction. Before Billups, this team didn't play team defense. Now Kenyon Martin is even caring about defense. Both Dan and I like Ty Lawson already. Ty may not be "the man" on a team but he is going to be a great back up change of pace type point guard. The Nuggets have the same question as the Hawks: Can they get passed LA or SA? In a 7 game series I don't think they will get past either but Denver will not go easily.
Since Dan and I are big Laker and Spur fan respectably, we are going to breakdown the top 3 East teams and then our 2 favorite teams.
The top 3 in the East are Boston, Orlando and Cleveland. No chance any other team in the East are going to be in those spots. In Dan's eyes, he sees the Cavs have slipped. He isn't saying LBJ slipped but they added an old guy who doesn't fit into what worked for Cleveland. Cleveland had to try something to get over Boston and Orlando to get to the championship. We all know Shaq is still good. I will say LeBron is the best player in the league. However, Dan will not say that. I love the Cavs and feel they are going to be in the Conference Finals again this year. Everyone enjoys LeBron and this team is a must see for any NBA fan. My main concern is if Boston stays healthy can Lebron gut it out and lead them in a 7 game series?
Orlando added what they needed to in the offseason and thats Vince Carter. He is still good and since he is on a good team so he should try harder. We both love Dwight Howard a lot. He is fun, energetic and is a double double machine. He has to work on his post moves but is improving. Dan and I feel JJ Redick should be getting more playing time. Yes he is a token 3 point shooting white guy but he should be out on the court a little more. Orlando plays as a team which means they have a great chance of representing the East in the Finals.
Boston is the most complete team in the entire NBA. Dan believes if everyone on the Celtics stays healthy, they win the Championship again. Boston is as good if not better then 07 when they won the title. Boston added Rasheed Wallace and kept the main core of talent that was already there. KG is back and he is the glue that holds this team together. Boston is getting older no doubt about it, however they have young talent. How can you not mention Rajon Rondo? Rondo is another good young point guard. He is becoming a leader that Boston will need in the playoffs.
I get to talk about my favorite team, San Antonio Spurs. When the big 3 are together the Spurs always have a shot. Manu is back after going through several injuries last season. Tony is one of the leaders in the locker room. My favorite player of all time is and always will be Tim Duncan. I catch so much hell for saying Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time. I don't care because I feel its the truth. They added Dejuan Blair, Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess in the offseason. Of course I feel the Spurs have a shot at the title. The Spurs have to stay healthy to win, Manu especially.
The biggest worry Dan has with his favorite team is they don't play team defense. Lamar Odom only seems to care a third of the year. Bynum is big but is missing something, like the edge to become a dominant big men. He needs to step up and be the man instead of showing up half the time. In Dan's eyes Kobe is still the best player in the league. At times, it is hard to argue. The depth on the team is good but not consistent. That and the defense is killing them. Ron brings the will to win to the team. Artest was brought in to help the team and be another guy to help capture another title. The biggest difference between Ariza and Artest is that Ariza was ok being a role guy and will Artest be ok with that?
Dan's Prediction
Eastern Conference Finals
Boston vs Orlando. Boston in 5
Western Conference Finals
LA Lakers vs Denver. Lakers in 6
NBA Finals
Lakers vs Celtics. Boston in 6
Regular Season MVP Kobe Bryant
Finals MVP Ray Allen
Joel's Prediction
Eastern Conference Finals
Orlando vs Cleveland. Orlando in 7
Western Conference Finals
Lakers vs Spurs. Spurs in 7
NBA Finals
Orlando vs Spurs. Spurs in 6. Yes I am a homer for the Spurs.
Regular Season MVP Lebron James
Finals MVP Manu Ginobli
The only way the Memphis Grizzlies stay in the news is because Allen Iverson is going to bitch about his 6th man role throughout the entire year. Zach Randolph is a 16 million dollar piece of crap. The two highlights of the year will be Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo. Iverson might as well give up and retire. He was a nice player and had a good career. The Memphis Grizzlies will be fighting for the most ping pong balls in the 2010 draft.
Indiana Pacers are bringing back the all white squad this year. If you turn on the lights in the entire arena you may miss Troy Murphy. One reason so many teams suck is because they invest money into guys like Randolph, Lafrentz and Troy Murphy. Mike Dunleavy is owned 10 million for this year. The Pacers are an absolute mess. I do like Danny Granger and I am interested in how Tyler Hansbrough develops.
You got to love a team that has Kurt Rambis as their coach. The Minnesota Timberwolves are doing correctly by making sure their big man Al Jefferson sticks around. They are building a nice young nucleus around him as well. A few bad contracts such as Brian Cardinal and Mark Blount could be trade bait later in the year. Kevin Love is averaging a double double. Jonny Flynn could be an exciting young poing guard. The T'Wolves are a build now win later type of team. The only problem was the Ricky Rubio fiasco. You wasted a top 5 pick on a guy who may never play for your franchise.
Through the first four games the Charlotte Bobcats are averaging a 79.8 points a game. Would you want to watch this team? I didn't think so. Larry Brown and Michael Jordan are the main executives for this team that says it all already. Gerald Wallace is the only guy the Bobcat scoring. Raymond Felton is in bad terms with the head coach so he isn't playing much. He is the best trade bait. He should be playing for someone else by midseason. I can say this team is a giant mess.
I believe I can sum up the entire Sacramento Kings season in two words: Kevin Martin. He is going to be their leading scoring and their best player. The Kings have some of the worst contracts in Kenny Thomas and Beno Udrith. They have nice young potential in Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes and Tyreke Evans. Another team building and not winning anything for a few more years.
One of the most historic NBA franchises is also one of the worst. For the record, this was all done by the leadership skills of Isiah Thomas. The biggest problems facing the Knicks are the financial burden on worthless players. Eddy Curry is no where near 10.5mil he is getting for sitting on the bench. At least Starbury is gone. If you combine Eddy Curry, Cutino Mobley, Al Harrington and Larry Hughes's contracts you get about 45 million dollars. Curry and Mobley are not even playing. If you add up the averages all of these guys ppg and rpg you get 8.7 ppg and 2.0rpg. 45 million for those kinds of averages! I didn't even add Jared Jeffries. I'm speechless. Lets move to a decent team quickly.
The New Orleans Hornets maybe down early in the season but should be in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. Chris Paul is flat out one of the best guards in the league. The Hornets traded away Tyson Chandler twice and ended up with Emeka Okafor. I have no idea how this team lost to New York. Their contracts are not horrible because they have invested wisely in their starting 5. If Posey would show up and start to care like he did in Boston, this team will be a 7 or 8 seed by playoff time.
I have to admit Dan and I are having fun with the Eastern Conference. As we break this down, we are finding out how bad some of these teams are in this Conference are. Case in point, the Milwaukee Bucks. What good can I say about the Bucks? Seriously they have Michael Redd and he can't stay healthy. Andrew Bogut is a nice center, averaging near a double double. The Bucks are just a really boring bland team.
The other team from Los Angeles, we both agree could be a playoff team. If Blake can come back and be as good as he was in the preseason, the Clippers have potential to sneak in. The Clippers have talent but not the right coach. Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby are a nice combo inside. Eric Gordon is heading towards a breakout season. Baron Davis needs to pass a little more and shoot less. We both agree the Clippers are a head scratcher. The talent is there, although the results haven't been.
The Comeback Player of the Year could be coming out of our next team. Gilbert Arenas is getting back to form and could have a nice year if he doesn't get injuried again. He isn't the most reliable guy on the roster. Caron Butler keeps plugging away and is having nice year so far. The X-factor for the Wizards are Antawn Jamison. If the big 3 of Washington can get on the court at the same time, they could be a playoff team. They get key wins against top opponents. The Wiz just need to put it all together.
The brand new superstar in the NBA is in Oklahoma City. Dan and I have a bromance for Kevin Durant. We are talking about going to see the Thunder in Minnesota just to see Durant. The youngest team in the league has some of the biggest potential. How could can Durant be? Westbrook is going to have a very nice season as well. The last game they competed with the Lakers. The biggest things the Thunder are lacking are experience and leadership. I said it last year during the offseason: had Jason Kidd signed with this team, OKC would make the playoffs. Instead they will contend for the 8th spot but just short. If they played in the East, the Thunder would be a 5th seed. One thing is for sure the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be exciting to watch.
I want to start talking about some good teams in the East, instead we dive into the New Jersey Nets. The great thing about the Nets is Brook Lopez. Brook is a young talented player on a very bad team. He is averaging 17 points 7 boards and 3 blocks a game. Brook along with Devin Harris are the only two players worth mentioning. The sad thing is Harris is hurt so more of the burden is on Lopez. Another long season is ahead of the Nets. New Jersey should get some attention for having a Russian owner and that is about it.
The West is filled with some promising young talent up and down the Conference. The Warriors are another raw talented team. Stephen Curry is going to be a fun player to keep your eyes on. They completely overpayed for Corey Maggette last year in the offseason. Where is the true point guard on this team? I guess when Don Nelson is running the show, you never need to pass. They do have one of Dan's favorite players Ronnie Turiaf. He hustles,an energy guy off the bench and looks like he gives a crap. Anthony Randolph and Curry are the reasons to watch this team.
The Detroit Pistons have made a few moves that are mind boggling. Kwame Brown is getting paid 4 million for being a giant turd. Ben Gordon is a great 6th man off the bench type of player. They already had Rip Hamilton. Why bring in 2 true shooting guards? The Pistons have to get something for Rip. Detroit is a team ready to make a run for Chris Bosh. They have a decent nucleus but they don't have a young true power forward. Charlie Villanueva is not an inside scorer. One big man threat in the paint could turn this team around.
Andrei Kirilenko gets paid 16.5 million dollars. Terrible! AK47 is the perfect player for the Cleveland Cavs. The Jazz do not have the right system for the Kirilenko. Utah has another trade bait in Carlos Boozer. They have Milsap which is all the reason to trade Boozer. You should be able to get something for both Andrei and Carlos. Deron Williams is the main attraction for this team. Jerry Sloan has been one of the most consistent coaches in the league. This year should be no different as Utah will be a playoff team again.
I don't have much to say when it comes to the Toronto Raptors. I do have some advice for Chris Bosh. LEAVE! Your contract ends this season and get the hell out of there. Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady figured it out and so will you. I like Jose Calderon, Bosh and Hedo. Jose is a solid point guard. Toronto did not overpay for Hedo. Most of these Eastern conference teams are average at best. That is how I see the Raptors.
Random thought: I was talking to a guy about the Greg Oden Kevin Durant debate. If you look at the Trail Blazers and take out Oden and insert Durant. How good is this team then? The question Dan and I are having is: Is this team almost to deep at the guard position? We are not saying they have bad guards. They almost have to many good guards and not enough depth in the front court. The great thing about the Blazers is the contracts they have are not huge for just one player. Brandon Roy, who is a stud, is getting almost 4 million and is locked up for the next 6 years. Dan and I both agree this team should make the 2nd round of the playoffs.
One of the worst contracts in all of the NBA is Elton Brand's. The 76ers blew the mother load when they signed Elton Off Brand last year. I thought this team was heading in the right direction. Build around a young fun and gun team. Then they add Elton Brand who can't run up and down the court to save his life. He can't stay healthy and does not fit the system. Samuel Dalembert fits the system because he doesn't want the ball. I really like Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. The new "AI" in Philly is on the verge of being a superstar. If the 76ers stayed away from Brand, I would love this team a lot more.
The main question about the Suns has been have they fallen off? Dan is correct. The best thing the Suns did is trade Shaq. He didn't fit the system, just as we talked about Elton Brand. They need a better big man to complement Amare. He has to be able to get up and down the court. The one year experience of a slower methodical offense is over. Phoenix is back to the fun and gun. The way they should be. Steve Nash is still one of the best players in the entire league. I believe this team makes the playoffs still. Dan is hesitant to call them a lock for the post season.
The NBA is full of great young point guards and Derrick Rose is one of them. Rose is the main reason they pushed the Celtics to 7 games last year. Thank god Brad Miller is in his final year of his contract. Chicago has Luol Deng back from his injuries last season. My biggest gripe about Chicago is paying Kirk Hinrich 9 and a half million for this year and is on the books for another 2. Did they lose a lot when Gordon left? I think so because every team needs a spark off the bench. I guess Kirk could be that but I don't see it. The Bulls will be in the post season. Can Rose lead them past one of the 3 big teams in the Conference? Probably not.
The team with the most injuries to their stars is certainly Houston. What they lost in Artest did they gain in Ariza? Right now it looks like Houston has not lost much. Ariza is averaging 21 points per game because he is getting a lot more touches. Houston has very little offensive power. The contract of T-Mac is done after this season. Perfect time to spend it on someone who actually PLAYS! With Yao and McGrady hurt, Houston will struggle to keep up with the likes of the Lakers or Denver. Houston should make the playoffs but the match up in the first round has to be a team that does not score a ton of points in order to make any kind of run.
Is it time for D-Wade to shine again? Wade is healthy and seems to be performing at the level we are all use to seeing. Jermaine O'Neal is getting paid 8mil more than Wade. Are you kidding me? Was the GM that signed him to that deal blind or got confused and thought he signed Shaq? I can not figure out what some NBA teams are thinking when they sign players to such bad contracts. The bad thing about the Heat is their depth or lack of depth. Top to bottom, they have nothing for depth. The Miami Heat season relies on the Dwayne Wade because no one else is there.
I am giving up my rights to talk about our next team. Every year the Dallas Mavericks do the same thing. They make the playoffs and then they are out of the playoffs. They went out and traded half the team for Jason Kidd. The Mavs went to the playoffs but couldn't get over the hump. Now they have signed Marion and is a cool move. One thing about Dallas is they are consistent. Why do I love Mark Cuban? Because he will sign a guy like Diop last year and trade him away in 2 months. Dallas's contracts make no sense at all. Please let me hear someone defend the Erick Dampier and his 2 years 25 million left. This year will be no different. Dallas will make the playoffs but won't win anything.
Finally we get to the good teams in the East. Dan and I like a lot of the Atlanta Hawks. I love Horford, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Dan likes Mike Bibby because he is a good point guard, does what he is suppose to do and makes the young talent around him better. Here is the big question: Can this team get by Orl, Bos or Cle? We believe no they can not get past the big 3 teams. They are good but not good enough. I will say if they match up with Cleveland, that is their best opportunity to make the huge step forward.
The Denver Nuggets are the first of the big 3 in the West in our eyes. One they are one of the deeper teams in the West. The Nugs have a lot of speed. Carmelo has surpassed stardom and is now superstar. The veteran leadership with Chauncey Billups is the real reason this team is heading in the right direction. Before Billups, this team didn't play team defense. Now Kenyon Martin is even caring about defense. Both Dan and I like Ty Lawson already. Ty may not be "the man" on a team but he is going to be a great back up change of pace type point guard. The Nuggets have the same question as the Hawks: Can they get passed LA or SA? In a 7 game series I don't think they will get past either but Denver will not go easily.
Since Dan and I are big Laker and Spur fan respectably, we are going to breakdown the top 3 East teams and then our 2 favorite teams.
The top 3 in the East are Boston, Orlando and Cleveland. No chance any other team in the East are going to be in those spots. In Dan's eyes, he sees the Cavs have slipped. He isn't saying LBJ slipped but they added an old guy who doesn't fit into what worked for Cleveland. Cleveland had to try something to get over Boston and Orlando to get to the championship. We all know Shaq is still good. I will say LeBron is the best player in the league. However, Dan will not say that. I love the Cavs and feel they are going to be in the Conference Finals again this year. Everyone enjoys LeBron and this team is a must see for any NBA fan. My main concern is if Boston stays healthy can Lebron gut it out and lead them in a 7 game series?
Orlando added what they needed to in the offseason and thats Vince Carter. He is still good and since he is on a good team so he should try harder. We both love Dwight Howard a lot. He is fun, energetic and is a double double machine. He has to work on his post moves but is improving. Dan and I feel JJ Redick should be getting more playing time. Yes he is a token 3 point shooting white guy but he should be out on the court a little more. Orlando plays as a team which means they have a great chance of representing the East in the Finals.
Boston is the most complete team in the entire NBA. Dan believes if everyone on the Celtics stays healthy, they win the Championship again. Boston is as good if not better then 07 when they won the title. Boston added Rasheed Wallace and kept the main core of talent that was already there. KG is back and he is the glue that holds this team together. Boston is getting older no doubt about it, however they have young talent. How can you not mention Rajon Rondo? Rondo is another good young point guard. He is becoming a leader that Boston will need in the playoffs.
I get to talk about my favorite team, San Antonio Spurs. When the big 3 are together the Spurs always have a shot. Manu is back after going through several injuries last season. Tony is one of the leaders in the locker room. My favorite player of all time is and always will be Tim Duncan. I catch so much hell for saying Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time. I don't care because I feel its the truth. They added Dejuan Blair, Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess in the offseason. Of course I feel the Spurs have a shot at the title. The Spurs have to stay healthy to win, Manu especially.
The biggest worry Dan has with his favorite team is they don't play team defense. Lamar Odom only seems to care a third of the year. Bynum is big but is missing something, like the edge to become a dominant big men. He needs to step up and be the man instead of showing up half the time. In Dan's eyes Kobe is still the best player in the league. At times, it is hard to argue. The depth on the team is good but not consistent. That and the defense is killing them. Ron brings the will to win to the team. Artest was brought in to help the team and be another guy to help capture another title. The biggest difference between Ariza and Artest is that Ariza was ok being a role guy and will Artest be ok with that?
Dan's Prediction
Eastern Conference Finals
Boston vs Orlando. Boston in 5
Western Conference Finals
LA Lakers vs Denver. Lakers in 6
NBA Finals
Lakers vs Celtics. Boston in 6
Regular Season MVP Kobe Bryant
Finals MVP Ray Allen
Joel's Prediction
Eastern Conference Finals
Orlando vs Cleveland. Orlando in 7
Western Conference Finals
Lakers vs Spurs. Spurs in 7
NBA Finals
Orlando vs Spurs. Spurs in 6. Yes I am a homer for the Spurs.
Regular Season MVP Lebron James
Finals MVP Manu Ginobli
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