Madden: “‘Taker Sucks”

Those aren’t my words, they’re Mark Madden’s in a recent column on Wrestlezone.com.

But is he wrong? Think about it. It certainly made me examine ‘Taker’s contributions to the ring product.

Madden went on to say,

“When can we stop pretending ‘Taker is anything besides a ring entrance? He’s slow, he’s hobbled, he’s old and he’s washed up. Everything ‘Taker is, we bury Hulk Hogan for. Why doesn’t the same criticism apply to ‘Taker?

Wow. Good point. To be honest, I never thought of it this way before. I’ve thought at times that Madden sounds bitter towards the business in some of his columns, but he does hit the nail right on the head.

I guess I was blinded by WWE’s promotional machine.

‘Taker is clearly a slower version of himself. And at 44 years old, when is enough, enough?

I go back and forth on the subject. Lately, it’s been painful watching Undertaker in the ring. He just looks in pain. It seems as if he can barely move.

Yet it was just six months ago that he tore the house down with Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25. Right now, it wins Match of the Year.

Your thoughts?

Catching Up

Hello loyal readers. It’s been a busy week for me. I haven’t had much access to the blog (or my computer for that matter). My wife and I closed on a house last week and I’ve been in the middle of demolition, among other projects, all at once.

I did want to pass on a few tidbits:

*I’ll admit that I’m a John Cena fan. But, I really don’t think he and Orton can pull off 60 minutes. I love the “Iron Man Match” concept, but I don’t think Cena has enough in his repertoire to make it work. I will say this, I’m anxiously awaiting this match to see how they pull it off. If you’re going 60 minutes, they’ll have to be plenty of rest holds, but I hope the action is well balanced. I also love how the timed concept makes the match feel more like a sporting event, and entertainment.

*Dana White is a genius. More on that later.

*Speaking of UFC, Roy Nelson is the perfect heel. I hate this guy.

*I was disappointed to see the CM Punk-Undertaker match go on first at HIAC. Not sure the reasoning behind it, although internet rumors claim it has something to do with Punk getting into some backstage trouble – I’m not sure I buy that.

*I was thrilled to see the DX-Legacy match go on last. These four put on a tremendous show and Legacy, despite the loss, came off looking extremely strong.

UFC: Kimbo Deserves Another Shot

Kimbo Slice made his fight debut on TUF:10 Wednesday night, losing a TKO decision to 265-pounder Roy “Big Country” Nelson.

Kimbo was taken down in both rounds by Nelson, who went to Kimbo’s waist to wrestle him to the ground. In both instances, he held Kimbo in a crucifix and weakly tapped on the top of his head. The referee nearly stopped the fight at the end of the first round, telling Kimbo numerous times, “I need you to fight Kimbo, I need you to move.”

In the second round, when Nelson grappled Kimbo to a similar hold, the fight was stopped and Nelson was awarded a TKO decision with punches to the top of the head, while Kimbo struggled to get out from underneath the behemoth.

Kimbo’s time on TUF isn’t over. Based on previews for upcoming episodes, an injury might give the internet-sensation another fight on an upcoming episode.

–ANALYSIS–

Kimbo deserves another shot. Nelson is the better MMA fighter, but if he kept standing with Kimbo, he would have gotten knocked out.

And let’s be honest, the fight ended with awfully weak shots to the head. I don’t blame the referee for stopping it – Kimbo really wasn’t moving underneath Nelson – but how many guys could move a 265-pounder mounted on top? Not many, especially considering his arms were pinned.

Kimbo smartly attempted to use the cage to gain leverage and almost wrestled his way out of Nelson’s grasp in the second round.

Though the fight ended weakly, Kimbo would have lost the fight to decision anyway. He was already down and really couldn’t get out from under Nelson. If he had, and got to a standing position again, I think Kimbo would have knocked him out. But, Nelson is too heavy to move.

Kimbo’s best shot at winning the fight came at the start of the second round, when he clearly had Nelson dazed with a few stiff shots. In fact, Nelson’s second-round takedown almost seemed as if he fell into Kimbo.

But the bottom line is that Kimbo needed to move while on the bottom, and he didn’t.

Clearly his biggest strength is staying upright. His ground work has improved tremendously from his first MMA fight, but it’s still not really where it needs to be. Just like boxing, punchers always have a chance no matter who they step into the octagon with. When Kimbo gets another shot, he’ll make some noise.

Nelson proved that he is one of the favorites to win the competition. Kimbo is a big, strong dude. His ground work isn’t great but he’s still strong and couldn’t even budge “Big Country.” If Kimbo couldn’t move Nelson, then no one else on the show will either.

I’d pay money to watch a Nelson-Kimbo rematch. Nelson is a former IFL Champion – he’s legit – and I really thought that a green Kimbo Slice had a chance until he was taken down. It wasn’t a glaring mismatch as many believed it would be.

I’m getting a new attitude on Kimbo from watching the show. He appears to be an exceptional worker and student and really trying his ass off to get better everyday. He’s also is portrayed as a genuine nice guy. Going into the show I thought we’d see Kimbo isolate himself from coaches and the other fighters, but it’s been the total opposite.

Maybe I’m falling into some sort of UFC-Kimbo trap, but I’m becoming a Kimbo fan.

Champions Of The Future

WWE has a plethora of young talent coming up the ladder. Thanks to ECW, this young talent has a place to develop, and gain national exposure all at the same time.

So, given the current WWE roster, who on the list that have never won the World Heavyweight Championship or WWE Championship has gold in their future?

Here is my take:

John Morrison — This guy has it all. His matches steal the show almost every night. I watched Morrison and CM Punk go almost a 30 minutes in Hampton Beach last July and it tore the house down. He has the ‘look’ and oozes charisma. I like him as a face but thought he was even better as a heel. He had the obnoxious persona that made Shawn Michaels a star in the early 90′s as a singles wrestler. He’s also just 29 years old. This kid has at least 10 good years left, if not more.

Jack Swagger — He’s already held the ECW title and will have more gold down the line. Like most young stars, his mic work needs to improve, but in the ring he’s as sound as anyone on the roster. Swagger might not have the gift of gab yet, but he does have exceptional psychology. Next time your watching a Swagger match, watch his facial expressions and body language. He tells a great story.

Zack Ryder — I’ll say this — I hate the persona — but Ryder is dripping with potential. The “Woo Woo Woo” and “You Know it” makes me want to hurl, but as a heel, I guess you could say he’s doing his job — I’m supposed to hate his existence, right? Regardless, Ryder has come a long way since being an “Edge Head.”

Evan Bourne — This one is tough to gauge – he doesn’t have the look of a World Champion – but after all, Rey Mysterio won the World Title and he didn’t have the prototypical size either. If Bourne gets over with the fans, which he is obviously doing to this point, then the 26 year old has a bright future ahead.

Sheamus — In his short time on the ECW roster, Sheamus has made a name for himself in quick fashion. What appears to be an impending program with Shelton Benjamin could really bring him to the forefront.

Ted DiBiase — I wrote about it in July, but DiBiase is the next Randy Orton. Maybe as a face, maybe as a heel, but he’s the next guy on the roster to really become a mega star. Everyone I’ve talked to says he’s a tremendous worker and a terrific student of the game and always wants to learn. He has it in his blood and has been great on Raw. With all due respect to Cody Rhodes, who also has a tremendous career still ahead of him, DiBiase is the one to really get the rub from being in Legacy. Rhodes is 24 and DiBiase is 26 — these guys are just kids and are already on the verge of stardom.

Drew McIntyre — Might be sort of a dark-horse pick because he’s barely been on television, but I just have a feeling about this guy. We’ll see where it goes. He’s just 24 years old.

Jericho: WWE Needs to Create New Stars

WWE wrestler Chris Jericho was recently interviewed by SlamSports in Canada. In the interview, Jericho emphasizes the importance of creating new stars in order for the wrestling business to continue.

“Creating new talent, creating new stars, that’s the most important thing for any of the brands to do.

“They have to keep the wheels turning — they can’t just base it on the same guys year in and year out. That’s how business fails — that’s how WCW failed.”

Jericho was part of WCW during the heydays but escaped to WWE before the downfall of the company.

“We have some young guys that are ready to grasp it and there are other guys that aren’t. They’re going to have to speed up the process a bit.

“I think that Morrison is learning more each week, I think Dolph Ziggler is learning more each week, Cryme Tyme have learned a lot over the last few months.

“Legacy is getting there, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and The Miz — those are the guys that are going to have to start becoming more of a presence.

“A couple of guys in ECW, like Evan Bourne… Sheamus is another guy that I think has some potential.

“So now is the time, we need these guys to step up. But some guys just aren’t capable — they’re not ready because they don’t have the experience yet.

“But as long they are improving every week, those are guys that I kind of see as being the next wave of the company when my generation of guys is retired or not at the same level as we are now.”

Jericho is right on. I thought that Jericho and Big Show have both done a tremendous job in an effort to elevate the less-established talent while holding the Tag Team Championships. MVP, Mark Henry, and especially Cryme Tyme have all gotten nice rubs off of working with “Jerishow.”

Thoughts on Decade of Smackdown in Boston

BOSTON — From a live audience standpoint, last night’s Decade of Smackdown taping in Boston certainly didn’t live up to the hype.

This Friday on MyNetwork TV, however, the show should come across as entertaining.

The problem here is that there really wasn’t a ‘match of the night’. All were pretty stale and very mechanical. The eight-man tag main event (DX/Cena/Undertaker vs. Legacy/Punk) lived up to its billing, but everything else (in the ring) was rather, meh.

The Rock had a fantastic pre-taped segment that fans on television will really enjoy. The live house loved it. He dropped all of his signature catch phrases – some rhymes and even dropped a, “maybe now The Rock should host Raw!” line – and just seemed as if he never left. The guy was the best every on the mic, and he still has it.

In fact, all of the backstage segments (and there seemed to be a lot) were entertaining, but from a live audience standpoint, it was like buying a ticket to stare at a screen all night. Now, I didn’t pay for my seats (so I really have no right to complain), but if I did, I’d be a little disappointed with the bang for my buck.

The arena was heavily tarped off in the upper deck. I had been hearing commercials all week that led me to believe they were having trouble pushing tickets. All of the upper deck on the camera side were tarped off and the top 5 rows or so of the upper deck on the far end (behind where a hockey net would be for a Bruins games) was also tarped.

Some random thoughts:

*Sheamus is going to be a star. He certainly has the look and I’m excited about a possible program with Shelton Benjamin

*Lauren Mayhew has a lot of work to do. Is it possible to send a ring announcer to developmental? (See my post below).

*Another guy that is ready for the next rung up the ladder in his career is Mike Knox. From a straight “looks” standpoint this guy has it. He also has come a long way in the ring. He wrestled Jimmy Wang Yang to open the show last night and sold very well when Yang Wang was getting in his offense (more than I though the would) and then showed off his massive strength with the finish.

*I’ve said it before. John Morrison is going to be a superstar.

*I was disappointed to see John Cena get another mixed reaction in his hometown. I’m a fan of his. Say what you will about his in-ring work but there isn’t a harder working guy in that company and what he does outside the ring is often overlooked and under appreciated by “fans”.

Mayhew Not ‘Pulled’ From Taping

Nick LoPiccolo, from Lupo Entertainment — the company that manages new WWE ring announcer Lauren Mayhew’s music career — sends the following note:

Lauren was not “pulled” from the card.

This week, Lauren was only scheduled to sing the anthem and work the dark match.

Her situation is not unlike a new wrestler to the company who performs dark matches for a couple weeks until learning the WWE way of doing things.

–Analysis–

I will say that this doesn’t shock me and it shows that both Mayhew and the WWE understand that she’s not there yet. The confusion arose from Mayhew being announced and then announcing the opening contest.

To her credit, she sat next to Roberts all night and appeared to be taking notes and discussing things. It was obvious that she was working at it.

Her small hiccups likely come from learning timing – believe me, I’ve done some guest announcing at Indy shows and it’s not easy! – and an unfamiliarity with the product. I don’t know and have never met Lauren, but she doesn’t appear to have been a big wrestling fan before WWE, so it will take her some time to learn.

Lauren Mayhew in trouble as WWE announcer?

At Tuesday’s Smackdown tapings in Boston, Mass., new WWE ring announcer Lauren Mayhew appeared to have been pulled from the show in the midst of the card.

Mayhew was introduced by Justin Roberts to sing the national anthem and gave the announcements for the opening contest – a dark match that saw Mike Knox pin Jimmy Wang Yang – but was seemingly pulled from the card after some miscues during those announces.

Mayhew got her facts right, but seemed awfully hesitant and near confused while making the announcements, not to mention she was making them at the wrong time.

During the Knox-Wang Yang match, WWE production staff was visibly scolding her, or at the very least aggressively telling her what to do. I wasn’t privy to the conversation, but it seemed from some body language that some production staff was trying to get the point across that Mayhew should not start her announcements until the staff points her (her cue) to go.

After the match, Mayhew went backstage and Matthews announced the rest of the night, including Smackdown.

Mayhew came back to ringside after a while and was seated next to Matthews with a notebook the entire show.

Some examples — Knox was barely through the curtain when Mayhew said, “And approaching the ring, weighing ??? pounds, Mike Knox.”

It just seemed odd, unnatural, and she seemed very nervous and hesitant.

But, she sings a great national anthem. As good Lilian Garcia? No. But still damn good.

Report: Bret Hart Willing to Return to WWE

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bret Hart is in talks with WWE about returning to the company in an on-screen role.

The report indicates that Hart began talking with the WWE around the time that Vickie Guerrero gave her notice that she’d be leaving the company.

I don’t recall Hart ever stating publically that he’s willing to return to the company on a full-time basis. It would be a great thing for WWE not only to be able to utilize Hart on television – he’s a great talent – but having him around the younger wrestlers.

I’ve always had a hot-and-cold reactions when it comes to Hart. I never blamed him for being upset after the ’97 Survivor Series – after all, he went to the ring that night with the understanding that match would end with a multiple run-in DQ – but I never thought Hart was in the right by refusing to put Shawn Michaels over in Canada.

I always felt that Hart was being childish.

Not to mention his actions (reportedly) around when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I read reports that Hart only agreed to do it if Michaels wasn’t there, etc.

And, Michaels has (again, reportedly) tried to bury the hatchet, but Hart didn’t even want to speak to him. It was all childish.

But, if Hart is willing to return to television, as a pure wrestling fan, I’d love to see it.

He’s certainly not in wrestling shape anymore but he’s a tremendously valuable asset. An eventual on-screen conflict with Vince McMahon has to be inevitable, and would draw huge ratings and huge money.

McMahon, who is now well into his 60′s, is certainly not in a position to be carrying a card with a wrestling match. Hart, who is in his 50′s and recovering from a stroke, isn’t either. But a “street fight” of some kind, where they can be protected and shot carefully, would make for incredible television.

In the wrestling business you never say never – but I’ll admit, I never thought I’d see Hart on WWE television again, let along interacting with McMahon.

Hart against WWE was the one thing in wrestling that was supposed to never happen. I guess anything can happen in the WWE.

We’re Live Twitter’ing Raw

If you get a second, check out www.twitter.com/thewrestleblog (and follow me if you will!) as we’re live twitter’ing Raw tonight.