Falls Count Anywhere

08-26-05

I've got it together.

SmackDown!
They opened things with a review of the SmackDown! side of the SummerSlam Spectacular. They always do a good job with these.

Cowboy Bob Orton came out and said that Randy killed The Legend of the Undertaker. Then Randy Orton came out and had a match with Hardcore Holly. And it was good. These two work really well together, especially with the stiffness that Holly brings and the athleticism that Orton brings.

This was a back and forth match with Holly seeming to get the better of Randy more than the other way around, which surprised me. Holly kept trying for the Alabama Slam, but Orton kept escaping. Cowboy Bob distracted Holly before he could deliver one, and Randy managed to get the RKO for the win. Good stuff and the crowd actually seemed to care, and not just the pumped up noise, but there were folks actually reacting on camera!

SmackDown! went the same way that ECW went and now have a guy from The Network. That’s a shame. They’re screwed because no matter what they do, UPN isn’t going to renew them after next season, or at least not for the same money. There’ll be more folks let go, most costs cut. Maybe SmackDown! will end up on USA, but I’m betting it’ll just die off and we’ll have one WWE again. At least Teddy Long was good in these vignettes.

Christian’s Peep Show had Booker and Sharmell. Christian kept trying to provoke them and Sharmell seemed unhappy with Booker’s action last week because he put her in there and she’s not a wrestler. I did not know that she was a former Miss Black America. Christian also nominated Booker for the Tommy Lee-Ike Turner Husband of the year award.

Nice.

The Mexicools came out and attacked Christian and they knocked Sharmell down, so Booker got involved.

Johnny Nitro took on Heidenreich after Jillian announced him. They need to have her stop doing that because of Mr. Ken Kennedy’s gimmick (more on that later). The match was short, with Nitro selling well and lot’s of cheating. Mercury came in and got DQed for using a chair. Nitro got a Missile Dropkick onto to Animal after the match.

Booker and Christian took on SuperCrazy and Psicosis. The crowd was deadish for most of this. They double teamed Christian, and as he fought back, the crowd picked up a little. Eventually, Christian’s nose got busted, and he used that as an excuse to abandon Booker. They used a Double Back Suplex on The Book to get the win. This could have been a lot better.

And what demographic is that?

Theodore R. Long came out and said that he had made the trade that sent Torrie and Candace to RAW by getting Stacey and Christy! He said that there was also going to be a lingerie pillow fight. Stacey and Christy came out in silk robes, but the Network Guy said that this wasn’t what the desired demographic wanted to see. The ECW version of this, with Don Callis as the TNA heavy, was so much better. Both the girls looked hot, even in the robes. It did get a good reaction from the crowd, but anyone coming out and stopping a Lingerie Pillow Fight will get nice heel heat.

Ken Kennedy made his SmackDown! debut with his ring announcing gimmick. I really liked him. He started by saying that Tony Chimmel did a lame job with his announcements and took the mic and made fun of Funaki before giving himself a great entrance. I really liked that and he seemed to get some heat, even from the audience that was behind him and not just from the amped-up sound.

The match wasn’t great, though Kennedy sells brilliantly and has a really nice heel persona. Funaki went for the Tornado DDT, but Kennedy rotated around and crotched him on the top turnbuckle. He then hit the SteamRoller (a Samoan Drop with a Front Flip Off the Top!) for the win! Great ending move. He then announced that he had won. I think he could really end up being a sound "Val Venis in 1998" level star.

JBL, Orlando Jordan and Eddie Guerrero took on Chris Benoit, Batista and Rey Mysterio. They failed to mention so many past storylines here. All the faces got solid reactions, with Batista naturally getting the best. Benoit and Jordan started out and Jordan took a German Suplex pretty quick. Benoit went for the Crossface, but unlike at SummerSlam, he got out of the ring.

Who's whose son's daddy?

First Commercial and when they came back, Eddie and Rey were at it with Eddie at the advantage. Rey managed a Bulldog, but Eddie got the corner to tag JBL. JBL asked Rey to tag Batista, and he got his wish. Batista came in and cleaned house, knocking all three of the heels around. The reactions to Eddie pretty much tell you that the heel turn hasn’t taken hold yet and they’d be better off turning him back after the Rey feud has ended. Benoit tagged in. This got a pop, which is kinda rare outside of Canada. Jordan low-bridged Benoit and worked him over on the outside. There were even Benoit chants! The heels worked over Benoit, including JBL hitting a big Vertical Suplex for a near fall. Jordan got a Swinging Neckbreaker too.

After an enzuigiri, Benoit made the tag to Batista, who hit a Spinebuster on Jordan and knocked around Eddie and JBL. He was really put over as a monster. Batista went for the Demon Bomb, but Eddie dropkicked him and that put and end to that. Benoit ran in and gave Eddie a German, and Rey gave JBL a Seated Senton. Jordan had to take the 619, the German Suplex and the Demon Bomb. Batista got the pin.

Not a bad show with a good ending. I’m interested in seeing what they do with The Network, and especially if they give Ken Kennedy a good push and if he connects with the crowd.

NEWS
Chris Jericho, who is signed longish-term with the WWE, put up a shot on his site with him standing in front of the TNA logo. This is actually a WWE idea, or so I’ve been told, to keep him in the public’s eye and get over the ‘You’re Fired’ gimmick.

RVD is probably a couple of weeks away. He may be back full-time in a month or so. Creative doesn’t have much for him, though.

The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame was announced this week. Paul Heyman made it in, which was understandable from the fact that ECW became the hottest promotion in the world this year. HHH, after coming close last year, made it in this year with a respectable number. And a Tag Team made it in, and they were…

Fast Fabulous Freebird FlashBack
The Freebirds were the lead vote getter this year, and for good reason. They’d come close before, but they always had competition. In a weak year, they had it easy. They’re only the third Tag Team to ever get in as a unit. The thing that I’ll always remember the Freebirds for was a simple something.

There should only have been one.

It was the opening shots of Highlander, the original (and in many eyes the only) movie and MacLeod walks into Madison Square Garden. The match that’s going on is Greg Gagne, Jumping Jim Brunzell and The Tonga Kid (aka Rikishi) vs. The Freebirds.

I was shocked by this, because I thought that the Freebirds had never come to the WWF. What I didn’t remember was that the AWA had a lot of teams in those days doing double duty with Georgia and The Carolinas. One of those teams was The Freebirds. I also realized that the arena wasn’t MSG. It was the Meadowlands where the AWA and NWA did several cards called Star Wars. Once again, film had lied to me.

Wrestling started the Highlander franchise, so to speak, so it was beautiful irony that Edge was in the last of the Highlander films...at least the last for now.

That’s all for this week. More next!

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Chris Garcia