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Falls
Count Anywhere
03-28-03
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I would
just grab the bag of $15,000.
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Welcome
to Falls Count Anywhere. My name is Chris, and I seem to be
constantly writing this week.
SmackDown!
You should review the Falls
Count Anywhere Extra for results, but I thought I'd do
a little coverage on the show as TV.
Better
than any show recently, as it properly built to WrestleMania,
but there were fewer great wrestling moments than in recent
weeks.
The Opener
was good, in fact better on TV as they edited off the messed
up finish. I believe that Kendrick's entrance is the first
to use "pick it up"s. Torrie vs. Nidia was better,
since you could get a good look at the two lovelies. The A-Train
match was less bad, since you get a better impression of the
work Benoit does to make guys look good. The segment at the
Playboy Mansion wasn't shown live, and was a good one.
The Angle/Lesnar
stand off was a hundred times better on TV. They edited out
the arena sound (all the "WHAT!"s, etc.), and it
came off so much stronger. The tale Angle tells is so amazing,
the truth mixing with the storyline. It's almost as though
he's saying 'This is my last shot, and everything is going
to be perfect.'
This was
Flair in 1987. Ole Anderson in 1981. Austin in 1999. Perfect.
Brock showed that he is ready for greatness. He held up to
the mastery that Angle showed. Amazing.
Chavo
and Benjamin came off much better, mostly due to the crowd
sweetening. Cena's stuff came off very well, and the stuff
with Brock was great. The extra backstage bits that we didn't
see at the show were good, too. The Arnold Schwartzenegger
stuff, probably shot the same time as the Hefner stuff, was
a nice touch. It added another layer of hype, and a celebrity
always helps.
All in
all, good build-up, nice TV, and the best thing they could
have done before the big night.
FlashBack!
Another Top Ten. This time: Top Ten Moments in WrestleMania
History.
10) Andre
bodyslams Big John Studd at WrestleMania 1- Terrible match.
Awful, awful, awful, but Andre gets the slams, and wins the
match, and the place explodes. He grabs the bag of 15,000
dollars and starts tossing it to the crowd. It was a great
moment, which would explain why it's been played a million
times since.
9) The
end of the first TLC match at WrestleMania XVI- You could
hear the wrestling book being revised. This was a stunt show,
and the ending, with Edge and Christian standing tall, and
the crowd going ape over the match is a moment that I will
never forget…and secretly wish never happened.
8) Owen
Hart pins Bret Hart at WrestleMania X- Yep, huge history,
the match that launched Owen to legitimate headline status.
A great match, but the ending stunned everyone. The finish
has been used over and over again, and it still works. I really
miss Owen.
7) Lawrence
Taylor pins Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania XI- I've covered
it before, but this is really right up there in the great
WWF moments. I was there and I will always be glad we made
the trip down.
6) The
Stone Cold Turn at WrestleMania X-7- WHAT? Yeah, it was a
classic. The call from JR "Steve Austin has sold his
soul to the devil himself" is a call that will live long
after the match is forgotten. We know how the turn worked
itself out, but the turn itself was gold.
5) Andre
the Giant wins the WrestleMania 2 Battle Royal- With the inclusion
of NFL players, this match had an air of legitimacy, and it
really introduced the Hart Foundation as legit stars because
they lasted to the end, even longer than the star of the match,
William "The Refrigerator" Perry. Not a great match,
but another great moment from Andre.
4) Shawn
Michaels comes off the Ladder with the Elbow Drop- WrestleMania
X- Almost as loud as the scribblings after the first TLC was
the talk of the match where Shawn Michaels showed us where
we were all headed.
3) Shawn
Michaels pins Bret Hart in Overtime at WrestleMania XII- Long,
somewhat disappointing match that gave Shawn his first run
at the top. The end, Michaels on his knees, face of victory,
staring down at the belt, may be the great single image of
success following a trial that I know of.
2) Mike
Tyson counts three on Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV-
I've talked about it before, but really, the three count changed
things, and it only avoided being number one by the fact that
it all felt like they were building to that moment the whole
time. Still, watching the match again just reminds me of how
to build an event around a moment.
And the
Number One Moment
1) Steve Austin passes out to the Sharpshooter at WrestleMania
the 13th- The match that sent Austin to the top, that brought
Shamrock into the WWF, and became the match of the decade
for a lot of folks. The images, the blood running down Austin's
face, it all combines into an incredible scene. It made Austin
for life, and everyone in attendance, or watching at home,
could feel things change.
That's
another one. I'll be back next week with wrap-up, news, and
a special look at where the WWE can go from here.
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