Falls Count Anywhere

08-20-04

I will play along fully.

SmackDown!
Due to a number of things, I didn’t get much time to watch SmackDown!. Watching on extreme fast forward, I will say that it didn’t seem like a great episode, but I did enjoy a few things.

John Bradshaw Layfield’s opening tirade was awesome, Old School, Texas Heel mic work. Orlando Jordan as his Chief of Staff is working out nicely. Having him come out in a neck halo and putting the cowboy hat on top was hilarious. I don’t think he should be champ, but he’s making a good heel.

Scotty 2 Hotty took on Spike Dudley and lost when Spike got the Dudley Dawg. Decent enough match, and Spike’s new direction is brilliant. Scotty was getting a really good reaction. I think they could do more with him.

There was a big "Heidenreich is coming" sign that showed up a few times. Why does that matter again?

John Cena and Spike Dudley had a little conversation. Spike gave Cena a low blow, and when Cena went after Spike, he got beat down by the Dudleys. At least you know when you are an inbred hick family gone big time, you can always count on your bros.

Paul London and Billy Kidman lost a non-title match to Chavo Guerrero jr. and Jamie Noble. This was a solid match, as Kidman might be the most underrated performer in the WWE right now, and London showed a few moments of being spectacular. London went to the top rope, but was pushed off to the outside, into the barricade. Chavo got the pin after Noble helped him reverse a sunset flip attempt. Good stuff.

They talked about the 1,000,000 buck Tough Enough challenge that is coming this fall. The Diva Search has taught them nothing!

Theodore R. Long said that if the Dudleys and Cena are willing to fight backstage, they’re willing to fight in the ring. Teddy made the match: Cena vs. The Dudley. I thought that gimmick died?

I could be wrong, but I think Wonder Woman once wore a similar outfit.

Eddie and Kurt Angle had a nice little segment with the highlight being that Eddie offered his hand to Kurt and then jumped him. It was a nice switch from the kindness shown by Benoit a few nights ago. Luther Reigns came out, but Rey Mysterio made the save! That’s a nice tag team match with a great number of meshing styles.

D-Von ended up being the Dudley chosen to take on Cena. Cena got the win, and they had Booker on commentary, which I always enjoy. Simple match, nothing special.

They are gonna be doing a 5th anniversary show in September, and they showed a few old clips. I think my favorite SmackDown moment has to be the match between HHH and RIkishi in December 2000.

RVD and Rene Dupree had a really solid match. I really think they are missing the boat by not pushing Dupree harder. Van Dam busted out the Bridging German Suplex for a near fall and Dupree did a Superplex. Van Dam hit the Five Star Frog Splash for the win, but that backstabbing sandal wearing goldfish tender Kenzo Suzuki Pearl Harbored RVD afterwards. That last politically incorrect tirade is in honor of Hall of Fame near-miss Jesse Ventura.

Teddy Long was back in the video truck and handed over a tape to be played. They showed Maven winning the first Tough Enough, and announced that he had re-signed The Big Show. Teddy Long did a great job here, as the crowd seemed to care because he was so hype on it.

Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio took on Luther Reigns and Kurt Angle in a match that I thought was strong. Eddie and Rey did a great spot where Eddie Used Rey as a battering ram to knock Luther around. Luther did a bunch of power moves, and really, I think he could develop into something good for the WWE. Eddie and Angle worked together, but it was obvious that Eddie wasn’t 100% and that Angle’s new style won’t be as impressive as the days when he was constantly having four star matches. Nice finishing segment where Rey hit the 619 and Eddie followed with the Frog Splash for the pin. After, Angle and Luther dumped white paint on Eddie’s cherry ride.

NEWS
Another bad RAW rating: 3.4. The reason can probably be tied most closely to the Olympics, as it was up against a couple of highly-rated events, but the day after a PPV doesn’t leave a good impression. There is talk that Randy Orton’s reign may be cut very short, as there has been talk of making Orton vs. HHH the September PPV main event. Pulling the string way too early on that one.

There’s not a lot more to report on the Austin divorce situation, nor on Earthquake. The Carmella sitch is even weirder. According to my man, Playboy expert and occasional Mansion attendee Chad, she was told that she would be winning no matter what. This sounds weird, but I think that they thought that the money would be enough to get her to play along fully. This was not the case. My guess is that she’ll be gone shortly.

Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame Analysis
It's that time of year again, when the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gives out its annual Hall of Fame awards. This year provided a great crop, seven new admissions to the hall, including a few current stars.

The method for selecting who gets in is pretty simple. Dave Meltzer, editor of the Observer, sends out ballots to wrestling journalists, historians, and former and current wrestlers. Each balloteer can vote for up to ten wrestlers, plus as many non-wrestlers (managers, announcers, etc) as they want. If you’re on sixty percent of the ballots for your region (divided into US, Japan and Mexico) then you are in.

Finally.

The biggest deal in the States will be the admission of The Undertaker. A great character for more than a decade, The Undertaker had come close to the required sixty percent a few times in the past. The big argument against was likely his in-ring work, which seldom went above good.

Masahiro Chono also got in. There were three guys who really were the top stars of Japan during the 1990s: Keiji Mutoh, Shinya Hashimoto, and Masa Chono. Chono is the perfect example of Kurt Angle’s future. He could work at a very high level, but injuries have seriously limited him for the last few years, though he can pull out a good match every now and again.

Speaking of Kurt Angle, he got in on the first ballot he appeared on, and by the slimmest of margins. He got exactly 60 percent. There’s nothing to be said about Kurt, probably the greatest worker of the last five years and a man with amazing courage and resolve. Angle’s record as a pro and as an amateur pretty much sealed the deal, though there are those who think he shouldn’t have been in on the first ballot due to his lack of longevity.

The Old-Timers committee also initiated a wrestler this year, choosing the Mexican legend Tarzan Lopez. There’s a lot to be said of Tarzan, quite possibly the best Mexican worker of the early days of Lucha Libre. He had an amazing physique for the time and did a few of the Lucha movies.

Bob Backlund, WWF champion in the late 1970s and early 80s, also got in. He had been close before, but the fact that he went from the top of the wrestling world to a near-unknown and that he was never a top-flight worker all held him back. He had a streak of sell-out at Madison Square Garden that will never be matched.

Kazushi Sakuraba was the highest vote getter in this year’s election. He’s a legend in Japan, where he is one of the biggest draws of all-time for his shootfights with the likes of Mirko Cro Cop and Royce Gracie. He’s been a huge star, even though he’s so beat up now that, while he’s still a draw, he’s never gonna be the force that he was three years ago. His 90 minute match with Royce was one of the most important in the history of Mixed Martial Arts.

Ultimo Dragon made it in after a few years on the ballot. He was a revolutionary flyer, but had so many injuries that he never got in before this big year. He was the guy who really brought lucha to Japan, who was a star in the US and Mexico, and who was a biggish name in WCW back in the day. His Toryumon promotion is considered to have been one of the most ingenious concepts ever, marketing itself to young women and housewives.

The guys who came closest, each needing two more votes to have made it, were Jesse Ventura and HHH. I thought HHH was a lock, and so did many others, but the political situations that kept Shawn Michaels out until last year also kept H at bay. Jesse Ventura is hotly debated, and I think he’ll get in on the next ballot. After not receiving 10% of the vote, candidates are dropped from the ballot, and one of the guys who I think should be 100%, Great Sasuke, did not make it to next year’s ballot. He was the guy who started Michinoku Pro Wrestling, Japan’s first regional office, and was the most death defying flyer in Japan through the 1990s.

That’s all for this short edition. Next week will be more fun and a talk about the drawing power of RAW right now.

Chris Garcia