Incidentally, if you were the guy on the dance floor wearing either the cowboy hat or the neckscarf with dots on it and sunglasses in the dark, then I salute you - you made me look normal, and folks, trust me - that ain’t easy.
But as usual, I’m babbling. This week, I wanted to talk about stuff. Not just one bit of stuff, as per normal, but lots of bits of stuff. In case you haven’t deciphered this garbage, I mean it’s time for some random thoughts! And seeing as we’re in March... that makes them : March Mutterings!
Credit to Kurt for toughing out the neck injury, but you have to question his sanity for going into a match that not only has so much hype hanging on it, that so many people are building up to be the greatest match in the history of WrestleMania, but perhaps most importantly, a match that could permanently cripple him. You have to admire him, and I really hope it all goes smoothly. Just 2 points I want to quickly touch on this one - wouldn't it be cool to hear The Fink do the boxing style intros (like they did for the Austin vs. Benoit match in Canada on Raw in May '01... or even like they do currently in NWA-TNA) for a match of this size?
And of course the burning question - the Brock Shooting Star Press - will we see it at last? Is it going to happen? Well, friends, for your delectation and enjoyment is a fantastic solution to the Angle injury problem AND the SSP debut, courtesy of Mr. Torrie Wilson from the SmashWrestling.com forums. Over to you, MTW :
"Lesnar should do the Shooting Star Press to beat Angle at Mania. They can then play this as the move that takes Angle out for a year, and as a result Stephanie bans Brock from doing the move again, thus negating the need for Brock to do it all the time."
Now isn't that just a great idea? Gets the move in, gets it over as deadly, and explains it's absence in future? It also builds up to a nice rematch when (or indeed, if) Kurt comes back and builds anticipation for the SSP again... plus, let's face it - a Brock Lesnar SSP - it's a WrestleMania moment.
This week, I have mostly been watching some NWA-TNA. The lovely, kind, generous, and all round funky Kam of TalkWrestlingOnline.com sent me up some tapes to watch, so I could see what the fuss is about. I received weeks 11, 12, 25 & 26, with week 12 being a “Best of the X-Division” recap show.
Folks, count me in as a TNA fan. When Jerry Lynn ISN’T the best wrestler on the show, then you know there is something special going down. Finally putting names to faces, seeing the moves I’ve heard so much about, and getting to see the wonderful X-Division in action... man, I’m converted.
But first, let me say - the Heavyweight title division didn’t seem to be alight as much as the X belt. I did notice the difference between show 11 and show 25&26 in how the belt was represented and talked about, and it is getting there. Hate Vince Russo, or just plain loathe the guy, he does make a very good on-screen heel presence. I suppose that’s a moot point now he’s “retired” but I digress.
Jeff Jarrett makes a very credible NWA Champion, but he just seems to have nothing to really go against - the match against the late, great Curt Hennig was good, but does his opposition in the Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction pan out as well? BG James wouldn’t top your list of credible champions... and I suppose that was the problem I had with the NWA Title Division - the whole Jarrett vs. Russo faction seemed reminiscent of either DDP vs. the nWo, or more likely Austin vs. The Corporation... and that whole storyline is played out now, I fear.
But hey, not taking anything away from the TNA - For a promotion that hasn’t even been around a year, it’s got solid production values, a great commentary team - I don’t understand the mocking of Don West that seems to be the done thing, I thought he was pretty good, and Mike Tenay is now, for my money, the best play-by-play guy out there - period.
But the highlight, and main selling point of TNA is the incredible X-Division. Some of the matches that I seen on the 3 shows, and the highlight reel that was show 12 were incredible - easy match of the year contenders. Jerry Lynn, AJ Styles, Sonny Siaki, Kid Kash - all fantastic workers, but I was blown away by two in particular - Low Ki and The Amazing Red.
Honestly, you have to see these two guys to believe how good they actually are. I’d seen Low Ki a few times doing the job on WWE Metal or similar, and he looked good - but when he’s allowed to be himself, he’s a different beast entirely. Granted, he still looks like a bald, pissed off monkey, but even that suits him and his style down to the ground.
As for The Amazing Red, well, Amazing is the right word. Red is going to be a huge star in this business, and if he’s not, well, then there’s something wrong with the business itself. The guy is incredible to watch, and has boundless enthusiasm and energy for what he does.
Some of the moves are incredible, not just for the move themselves, but for the co-operation of the victim being willing to take them - the SAT’s Spanish Fly is possibly the best tag team move I’ve ever seen, and I love the Ki-Crusher and the Code Red.
I plan on seeking out more NWA tapes, catching up to date with them if I can - I think I need to after getting a quick introduction. To be honest, I haven’t felt a buzz about wrestling like this since I saw ECW for the first time. It is that damn good.
I also got to see some FWA in the past couple of weeks. A few people from the SmashWrestling forums took me to task for not watching any since Revival (the show that was aired on UK TV) and to be honest, after Revival, I didn’t want to see any more. But, Show Stealer from those very same SmashWrestling forums sent me up No Surprises 4, just to see if he could convert me...
He hasn’t succeeded totally, but I could see it was a step in the right direction. I hope to get some more recent stuff soon (Uprising, to be exact) that by all accounts is very good, so I look forward to that. No Surprises was a good show, miles better than Revival, and has actually got me interested in watching some more English... sorry, UK wrestling, something a few people never expected me to say!
I was especially impressed by James Tighe, Raj Ghosh, Jack Xavier and Flash Barker. As for the ‘big guns’ of the FWA, Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm, well, I have to say, Jody impressed me more than he did at Revival, but I still wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan, although the springboard SSP to the outside is a damned impressive move. Jonny looks to me to be the better of the two, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he made a go of the shot he had at the NWA last week.
Damn, if I have to keep buying tapes, I’m going to be even poorer than I am just now, and I really didn’t think that was possible...
John Cena continues to pick up steam without even wrestling - after WrestleMania, this is the guy they should build up. He has the momentum now, and a bad streak to his character they should play on in the ring. He looked sharp enough when he worked against Angle & Jericho, now it’s time for him to prove he can do it with everyone. With all the injuries afflicting the WWE, this is a prime opportunity for people to step up and be counted.
And that, folks is that for this week. Join me next time as you may find out answers to questions such as “Pepsi or Sprite?” and “Does Steve Patterson drink whiskey or lager?”
Until next time, have fun, go mad.
