SmackDown!
They opened things up with Booker T coming out and saying that he should be US champion. He called Kurt Angle out to give him what he thought was his title, and that brought out Rene Dupree and Fifi. Dupree said that the US title deserved a champion with class and culture and that there were no Americans worthy of carrying it. Rene and The Book started arguing when Kenzo Suzuki came out.

I must say this: I love the last two weeks and how they’ve played Kenzo. Kenzo said a few things in Japanese, which led Booker to say that he spoke fluent Japanese. Book claimed that Kenzo said Booker T should be US champ, but Hiroko translated, saying that only someone who really loved America should be US champion, and no one loved America more than Kenzo Suzuki. He then did that smile that reminds me of so many Anime characters. Kenzo then said, in Engrish, ‘Can you dig that, sucka!!!’ which of course led Booker to say ‘Tell me, you did not just say that.’

John Cena come out and asked if this was a We Are The World Mix Tape, which was a funny, if odd, line. He then noted that the ring was full of bad haircuts. He said that they reminded him of The Wizard of Oz’s characters, and that he was gonna walk down his own yellow brick road to Kurt Angle’s office to get his belt back. Cena ended up at Kurt’s office and was about to beat Kurt up when he was blind-sided by Luther Reigns. Cena threw Luther through a wall, which was a nice sight gimmick, if nothing else.

You'll believe a man can fly.

Rey Mysterio and Spike took on Chavo and Jamie Noble in a strong match. They seem to be using the cruiserweights to give a fast paced match early on in the card, which is what Nitro used to do back before they started sucking. The guys showed the different styles, with Spike’s semi-brawling flying being very strong. Rey worked a 619 on Chavo and then went for one on Noble, but Chavo pulled his leg to stop him. Rey then went for a slingshot plancha, but Chavo moved and Rey hit the floor. That’s what hurt Rey’s knees back in the day, so they shouldn’t be doing that too often.

The match ended after Noble hit a Tiger Driver, but D-Von came out to distract the ref while Bubba gave Noble a low blow to allow Spike to get the win. Spike was not happy, but he still took the win. There’s an old angle, I think in Memphis, where the same thing happened and the guy who the heels had helped ended up pulling the hurt heel on top of him. I wish I could remember who it was, but I know that was one of the best TV angles in years.

They showed trainers working on Luther Reigns, and Angle noted that Cena may have tweeked Angle’s knee. The trainer replied ‘In that cast?’ Angle announced that Cena would take on the Axis of Annoyance, Booker, Dupree, and Suzuki, in a handicapped match.

Cena and the International crew worked a smart match. Kenzo was in early and Cena worked him over. Kenzo’s offense is bad, and his selling is worse, but he does have some charisma. He ended up getting DQed for using some of Hiroko’s get-up to choke Cena. Right away, Dupree charged and beat on Cena, then did the French Tickler. That gets a good response. Cena ended up sending Dupree to the ropes and then getting the pin with a schoolboy. This left Booker and Cena and the two of them work pretty well together. Cena did some of his signature moves, but Luther Reigns came out and tossed him into the ringpost, and when Cena got back to his feet, Booker hit the scissors kick for the pin.

Paul London took on D-Von Dudley in a match that wasn’t great, but we got to see the backflip-dropkick thing that London does. D-Von tossed London to the outside, where Bubba hit him with a belt. London tried to suplex D-Von, but Bubba grabbed D-Von’s arm. Billy Kidman yanked Bubba’s feet out from under him, allowing London to roll D-Von up for the pin.

They did a bloodless cage match between JBL and Eddie Guerrero. It worked, too. These two have had some good matches, and this one built well and worked to strong spots. At one point, pretty early on, Layfield showed a little bit of a waxing moon, as Eddie kept him from going out by the tights. The guys worked a bunch of smart spots, and after the break, JBL was in control. Bradshaw went for a Clothesline from Hell, but Eddie dropkicked him for his troubles. He would hit one later, but Eddie kicked out. They worked a bunch of escape spots, which worked really well, since the size difference added to the trouble of getting out easily. Eddie kicked JBL off the cage then hit the biggest Frogsplash ever off the top of the cage. The crowd loved it.

Kurt Angle should play Lex Luthor.

Layfield was about to escape when Eddie caught him, but El Gran Luchador came out and grabbed Eddie’s leg, allowing JBL to escape and get the win. EGL tried to go out the door, but it had been chained shut, so he tried to go over the top, but Eddie caught him, pulled his shirt and mask off, revealing Kurt Angle. This got a great reaction and we were out.

Strong show. Much better than recent editions. They still need a top heel, but at least the title means something now. Cena is coming along, though this set of feuds may collapse by the sheer weight of repetition. Angle back in the mix is a good thing.

NEWS
Kurt Angle is back in the ring. He’s set for a match teaming with John Bradshaw Layfield against Eddie Guerrero and The Undertaker. This is his first match since Wrestlemania, and the Japanese shows, I believe, are sold out at Budokan.

No firings, though there has been talk of a pretty major shake-up coming with a few behind the scenes types getting their walking papers. Odd thing is that the source for this one also pointed out that there’s been movement towards hiring a soap opera guy to keep track of long-term storylines. He’s been offered 200K for the position too, which no one is happy about.

Attendance has been low of late, and so have pay-outs. There is little hope in sight, though they have made some in-roads on acquiring new talent and bringing back a couple of old hands. This story should break sometime early in the fall, as they are committed to getting backstage work solidified first and then working on talent. There have been talks with Sting in the last few months, and Goldberg has also been contacted. There is word that Lesnar and Angle have spoken of late. There’s also The Predator, a huge brawler-type who was once an NCAA champion and is currently tearing up Japan. Perhaps he has been made an offer, though that’s merely rumor right now.

Kevin Nash, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Billy Goldberg are all set to be in The Longest Yard with our good pal Adam Sandler. I’m curious to see how that turns out.

The Flair vs. Bret Hart battle rages on and it will likely have long-standing effects on the WWE. Bret has put up a very strong commentary, and the folks you’d expect, like Lance Storm, have come out on Bret’s side. Flair has his supporters, notably guys like the Hurricane, The Hardys and so on. It’s not likely that this will blow over, and I doubt Hart will agree to do WWE’s hoped for Hall of Fame induction. We’ll keep you posted.

Mick Foley has also started returning the WWE’s phone calls after Flair’s comments towards him and seems willing to work it out.

There’s good news on the Ernie Ladd front. According to the Observer, chemotherapy has managed to put Ladd’s cancer into remission. This is great news, as Ladd is one of the few 1960s stars left.

FlashBack!
While I wait for a copy of Kudo vs. Toyota to arrive, I thought that I’d tell folks a little story about a wrestler from the old days whose name seldom comes up anymore. His name was George the Animal Steel.

Beloved by children...

George was born James Myers in Detroit in 1937. He was a big fan as a kid and worked as a teacher before coming to Bert Ruby, the guy who ran the Detroit territory before the Sheik took over. Bert trained Myers and gave him his first gimmick. Myers went under a hook as The Student starting in 1962. There were a ton of masked guys at the time, and the student stood slightly apart by using a vicious style. The Student was one of Gary Hart’s charges, one of the first in a long line of greats managed by Hart. He was one of the top brawlers in the mid-west during this period, when the Sheik was off elsewhere. When the Sheik returned, Myers studied his style, and the two of them wrestled a few times as well.

Bruno Sanmartino is the one who should get the credit for making The Student into George Steel. Sanmartino came to Detroit for a series of matches and saw The Student wrestling at Cobo Hall. Bruno wanted him to come to Pittsburgh, but he didn’t want a masked guy. They dubbed him George Steel and he went to Pitt and that started a very strong series of matches between the two. Soon, Steel was getting WWWF title shots Steel was a strong draw, coming in about once a year to take on Sanmartino in a series of matches.

When Pedro Morales won the belt, Steel was brought in as one of the first challengers. The same went for Backlund. Though I’ve never seen one, there were supposedly several Hogan vs. Steel matches, though by that point, Steel would have been way beyond his best days, approaching 50. Every time Steel would return, he’d get a new manager. Classy Freddy Blassie, The Grand Wizard and Mr. Fuji all managed The Animal at one time or another. The final of his regular managers was Capt. Lou Albano, which also signaled his turn.

After twenty years as a heel, George was teaming with The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, managed by Blassie. After a loss, Blassie sicced his charges on Steel. Steel was then guided by Albano, who had just turned himself, and guided him to fan favoritism. The gimmick was in many ways similar to Eugene’s. Steel was supposed to be a savage who was soothed by beauty. This gimmick led him to be in a feud with then Ultra-Hot heel Randy Macho Man Savage. Steel was under the spell of Miss Elizabeth. They did a number of matches and angles, and it was this feud that helped set up Savage vs. Steamboat.

Steel had a number of small feuds, though he was working part-time, as I believe that he went back to teaching. He retired, though not fully. He still worked indy shows and even returned to the WWF as a part of the Oddities. He also tried his hand at acting. His most famous appearance was as Tor Johnson, aka The Swedish Angel, in 1994’s Ed Wood. He did a few more films, but nothing very notable.

Steel is active in various charity causes now. He used to work in the back for the McMahon family, though I believe he officially gave that up a few years ago. He’s a well-remembered part of the WWF 1980s Golden Age.

That’s all for this week. Next week: That Barbed Wire and Bombs match I keep promising.