Falls Count Anywhere

10-26-04

Put the blame on Mame.

RAW
They opened up RAW with the Eugene vs. Eric Bischoff match from Taboo Tuesday. It wasn’t a good match, and easily one that could be given away for free. The headshaving that took place afterwards and the McMahon stuff was absolutely perfect, though. Seriously, Bischoff and McMahon were both on complete target, even if Vince seemed to have a bum leg. Good stuff followed by a decent in-ring promo by Bisch saying that he was taking the night off and letting the inmates run the asylum. Solid opening.

Evolution came out and said that they are running the show because there is strength in numbers. They didn’t mention the fact that HHH was married to the head writer. They jawed for a bit, then Ric Flair requested a match with Randy Orton. Randy came out and talked a bit, with Flair responding in his 1995 apoplectic freak-out mode. It was a decent enough set of interviews. HHH said that if he beat Flair, then Randy would get the shot at Survivor Series. If Flair won, then Orton wouldn’t get a shot as long as HHH held the belt. Interesting, as it sets up a Royal Rumble storyline and they can keep the Orton-H feud running.

Shelton Benjamin defeated Chris Jericho in a match that I liked quite a bit more than the crowd. They were really sitting on their hands. Jericho did a few subtle heel tactics, and is hair is now at Bon Jovi 1993 levels. The two of them did some fast ground work, and Benjamin worked like a champ…which, I guess he is. He missed a Stinger Splash. Jericho did the Backbreaker Stretch over his knee on Benjamin for a while. They traded about a dozen near falls before Jericho seemed to about have the Walls on him. Shelton then twisted and used a body-scissors pinning combo for the win. Strong stuff from two of the better guys on RAW right now.

HHH and co. ran down Christy and entered the face locker room. Nothing too shocking, though HHH referred to Maven as Tiger Woods.

They ran an awesome recap of the main event at Taboo Tuesday. This was just great. Edge is being made a big star and I think it’s going to work like gangbusters. Edge complained about not getting his shot and he’s doing the heel thing really well. Good on you, old boy. Shawn Michaels did an interview in the ring calling Edge clumsy and what-not. It was one of those speeches that Shawn is great at, taking a real event and working it in to a storyline. Strong stuff that the crowd appreciated.

Batista interfered in one of Maven’s interviews, and Maven challenged him to a match. Batista said that Maven wasn’t worth his time, which is pretty much true, and Maven nailed him. This led to a match where Batista beat him down, actually making Maven look pretty weak, but then he got a roll-up for a pin which made him look like a traditional babyface. The trouble is, traditional babyfaces don’t work anymore.

Snitsky beat William Regal in a match that was far too short, but it made Snitsky look like a bad ass. They need to repush Regal as a tough guy. They seem to be building to a Eugene vs. Snitsky feud.

Trish mocked Lita, calling her chubby. Lita then jumped Trish. We’ve seen this a hundred times before, but the sight of the two of them brawling is HOT!

Don't try this at home.

Randy Orton got pinning by Flair after a chairshot from HHH. The match was OK, with Flair working at Flair’s current level and Orton doing his best. They did the injured knee thing, which always means that Flair is gonna win somehow. After Maven, Jericho and Benoit beat Batista to the back, the faces took on Flair and HHH. HHH took a few rolling German Suplexes, a Lionsault and an RKO to end the show.

There were a few really good things, but nothing to push it over the top. I gotta say that Edge looks to be on the verge of greatness, and losing Shawn is going to hurt.

NEWS
Dr. Death Steve Williams’ most recent surgery seems to have gone well and he’ll be in the hospital for the next week or so.

Bruce Pritchard returned after being away for a few weeks. A lot of folks think that he’s actually hurting the product and are upset that he’s returned. They may have a point.

Vince wasn’t at RAW this week, so things backstage were being described as chaotic and seriously lagging. Stephanie doesn’t have the level of respect that her dad does, so she has never been able to hold the show together as well as Vince. This is a serious concern, as a lot of folks think that she’s the one Vince is going to leave the actual running of the company to when he stops being around.

FlashBack!
Since 2003, there has been no major tournament on the wrestling circuit. There used to be several with the best known being the King of the Ring in the 1990s and the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup during the 1980s. One of the most emotional moments in the history of wrestling took place at the 1987 Crockett Cup in Baltimore.

Magnum TA had been a huge star in the NWA for a couple of years. He had held the US and Mid-South North American titles, engaged in a classic feud with Nikita Koloff and had generally been the next big thing. He was looked at as the most likely successor to Flair or Hogan. There was a lot of talk about him going to the WWF. He had taken on Koloff in a Best of Seven Series that may have been the best drawing series in the NWA Carolinas territory up to that point.

He woulda been a contender.

Then he got in an accident.

He hit a telephone pole going in excess of 80, if I remember correctly, and nearly died. The damage to his body was so severe that he was told he’d never walk again. Most folks thought that they’d never see Magnum TA again, but there is always Dusty Rhodes.

After Magnum got hurt, Dusty, the booker at the time, turned Nikita Koloff face. This was a masterstroke and it isn’t hard to figure out why. They made it to the finals of the Crockett Cup against the Horsemen. Magnum, teaming with Ronnie Garvin, had made the finals the year before. Now, less than 8 months after his accident, he returned, joining Dusty and Nikita at ringside.

The place went wild.

You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect scene for Magnum. He walked in, looking weak, his arm still in a sling, but he was alive and he walked a few steps. Watching the video and vividly remembering the accident and what was going on at the time, it brought it all back.

To this day, I don’t think there’s been a single career-ending injury more tragic than Magnum’s. Droz’s was sad, so was Hayabusa’s, but here was a legend in the making, a star ready to bust through and go to the top at a level few had ever seen, and he was crushed. I truly believe we would be speaking of him in the same breath as Hogan and Flair if he had even just had another two or three years. As it stands, we’re still talking, but only about the sad ending to a promising career.

That’s all for the today. More on Friday!

Chris Garcia