|
Chair
Shots
8-27-02
| |
|
I can
do everything through burritos which give me strength.
|
SummerSlam
Thoughts
Let me start by saying two things.
#1 is
that SummerSlam was the best PPV of the year to date.
#2 is
that it was really dull in parts.
This was
not a PPV for the casual wrestling fan. Backstage skits were
kept to an all time low. There were very few interviews or
cuts to The World. The entire PPV was just back to back wrestling
match with no surprises.
For years
fans have begged wrestling promotions to "stop the talking
and let them wrestle." Finally they (not me) were given what
they wanted, and frankly, all that wrestling wears on you.
Sometimes you need a silly backstage skit or fluff Bra and
Panties match to give yourself a rest between heavy wrestling
matches.
Kurt
Angle and Rey Mysterio set the standard high for wrestling
in the opening match. I hope and pray that this feud isn't
over because it was a damn good match. They could have a Smackdown
main event that Rey wins and then have a PPV rematch at Unforgiven
in a cage or ladder match. Fans would eat that up because
these two are just exciting to watch.
Chris
Jericho and Ric Flair had about as good of match as they could
considering that Ric is over 100 years old now. There was
no reason to have Flair win and ending the way they did with
Ric tapping out after he grabbed the ropes was just silly.
If you quit, you quit regardless of ring positioning. Fair
wrestling with a dull outcome.
Edge
vs. Eddy Guerrero was another good wrestling match but lacked
any real crowd attention because fans were bummed about the
Flair match and in need of something other than a long wrestling
match to cleanse the palette. Michael Cole told us again and
again that Edge is the future of Smackdown. He'd better start
showing it.
By now
fans felt like Augustus Gloop in the chocolate factory, having
been fed too much wrestling. Booker T & Goldust vs. The Un-Americans
was an off the rack tag match that was as good in 1982 as
it was Sunday. Typical stuff that could have been on any edition
of Raw.
Chris
Benoit and RVD had the type of excellent match you'd expect
from these two talented lads. Too bad the fact they are on
different shows meant they couldn't build up a better feud.
This is one of those matches that will get better with age
because in 10 years no one will care about the storyline and
they will only appreciate the wrestling. Maybe this whole
show will be like that.
Undertaker
vs. Test was what I predicted it was, an excellent opportunity
to go make a snack. We made Fried Twinkies (well, my lovely
host Sarah did). After a few tries we decided to ignore the
recipe which called for rolling the Twinkies in Malt Vinegar
batter and instead just threw Twinkies into bubbling oil.
They are pretty tasty if you can get over the guilt that you
are eating a cream filled sponge soaked in oil. Mmmm...Heart
Disease.
Meanwhile,
Undertaker won.
Then
the PPV kicked it up a notch. Shawn Michaels was, is and always
will be the show stopper. At one point during his incredible
return to the ring I swear he mouthed the words "Bret who?"
Even if he didn't, I laughed because I knew he was right.
No one expected the kind of effort Shawn gave and we were
fools to think that. An outstanding match that will be remembered
for years, worth the price of the PPV alone.
For those
of you wondering about the "Philippians 4:13" shirt Shawn
Michaels was wearing, I looked it up. The King James Bible's
Philippians 4:13 reads "I can do all things through Christ
which strengthen(eth) me." The New International Version's
Philippians 4:13 reads "I can do everything through him who
gives me strength." We love you, Shawn, even if you get less
and less cool with age. (Please see link below for irate
e-mails...Derek)
Finally
the show ended in a way everyone predicted, but no one predicted
correctly. Brock Lesnar beat The Rock fair and square in the
middle of the ring without cheating or outside interference.
So now Brock's real test begins. Can he carry the WWE on his
back like HHH, Rock, Austin and so many others have done?
Is the youngest WWE world champ ever experienced enough? Will
fans buy his legitimacy? Only time will tell. Bold move by
the WWE none the less.
The PPV
ended with the question, "Who can stop Brock Lesnar?" Interesting
question. If The Rock is the top star in the wrestling world
and he can't defeat Brock, who can? Three names spring to
mind. Goldberg, Sting and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Sting is
retired, Stone Cold is up to his ass in personal problems,
but negotiations remain open with Goldberg. How does Brock
vs. Goldberg sound for your WrestleMaina main event?
With
The Rock leaving the WWE to go make his next movie, why didn't
Brock destroy Rock afterward and leave him bloody a la Triple
H and Shawn Michaels? Aren't the non-internet fans going to
wonder why Rock disappeared from TV? Won't he look like the
bitter ex-champ? It would have helped to re-cement Brock as
a career ending heel which the WWE needed since some fans
were cheering Brock during the match. Which brings me to my
next point...
Critics
are already blaming the "Rocky Sucks" chant on everything
from the Canadian Tradition of booing baby faces to El Nino.
If you want to know why fans were booing Rock, look no further
than the last month of Chairshots.
I've repeatedly
said that Rock's promos have gone from funny to absurd due
to the ultra lame "comedy" he's been given to work with. The
chants last night were a sign that fans are tired of the "up
your anus" type promos. The writers are going to have to really
think out what to do with the Rock when he does (if he does)
return. Sloppy booking like that could make a guy want to
stick to making movies.
Overall
I think SumemrSlam was a great three match show with a lot
of ho-hum filler in between. Still, that makes it better than
any PPV we've seen this year. Recent good television shows
and a strong PPV delivery are just what the WWE needs to turn
their ship around.
The
Raw Run Through
I watched Raw, but frankly, I don't have a lot to say about
it. It was a huge let down after SummerSlam. RVD vs. Dreamer
was good but the rest was pointless at best. Fans didn't care
about the Triple H vs. Undertaker main event because it's
something we've seen a hundred times before.
Kane made
his return (which he should have done at the PPV) but immediately
squished any notion that he was going to go to the main event
by humiliating himself with a Kane-a-Roonie. Howard Finkle
and Lillian Garcia wasted 15 minutes of our lives that we
will never get back. And the Un-Americans stooped to new lows
by threatening to burn the American flag.
Let's
hope that most fans were sleeping off heart surgery after
eating too many fried Twinkies and missed this awful show.
The Raw writing team continues to struggle to consistently
produce good TV.
Austin
Divorces Debra
According to public records, Steve Austin filed for divorce
from Debra Williams on July 22. This was three weeks before
charges were formally filed against him for assaulting his
wife earlier this summer. Austin's contract with WWE remains
"suspended" for walking out of the promotion due to disputes
with management. Oh, how the mighty do fall.
I think
that's enough Chairshotty goodness for today. See you on Friday
with Smackdown highlights and more wrestling news and opinion.
Ta ta.
|
