Like the new graphic? I sure as hell do. 8)
WRASSLIN'
Like the new graphic? I sure as hell do. 8)
And on top of that, almost all the matches had clean finishes! Even the main event had a finish (though off the air, Austin gave Mankind a Stunner for the pin after he got down from the cage). Plus, I can't remember any weak matches as well. Well done WWF!
I should also add how impressed I was with X-Pac. Even though it was a short match, he showed me that he hasn't lost any of his moves or agility since his neck injury. Of course, being in the ring with one of your best friends doesn't hurt either. 8)
Its amazing how Mick Foley can just switch gears and change characters like he does. He's been Dude Love for months, and he changes into Mankind without skipping a beat. Some great grizzly comments from Mankind before the cage match too. Good to have Mrs. Foley's baby boy back!
RAW won the ratings this week with a 4.3 to a 4.0. Close, but the moral victory still goes to RAW.
John Petrie's new Monday Night Recap is up, and can be found by clicking HERE
Over the last several weeks, the wrestler who has impressed me the most over the last several weeks has been the biggest member of the Nation, Mark Henry.
The guy has some great power moves (he lifted Vader like a rag doll) and uses his weight very well. I love the height he gets on his elbow drops and his mini-frogsplashes. Unlike a lot of big men, Henry is able to get back on his feet surprisingly easy, unlike huge stiffs like Kurrgan and Golga. The guy is strong, somewhat agile and most importantly... he's young.
If its possible, go back and watch Henry's match with Vader from last week, his match with Terry Funk and his tag match with Owen this week. He's getting much better than the green goodie-goodie Olympian when he debuted.
I hear Henry has a huge multi-million dollar contract which extends for over 10 years. Will he be worth it? Give him some more time, and you might see the next Vader in McMahon's hands.
At past KotR's, other than the tourney itself, there was only a World Title match and possibly an IC Title match or Tag Title match. But now, we only get the final three matches of the tourney, the World Title and a whole lotta fluff. If the WWF wanted the KotR to really seem important, then the whole tourney should be on there.
Here's how I'd book it. Say that there's four weeks between the last ppv and KotR. Have all eight qualifying matches on RAW in the space of two weeks. That's 4 matches per 2 hour RAW each week, with plenty of time to announce and start building the main event and a VERY brief undercard (ie: Austin/Kane & Taker/Mankind). To build more interest for the first round matches, have wrestlers get involved with their first round opponents (much like Mero/Jarrett recently). BUT, don't have the first round matches on RAW. Also, since the tourney is mainly made up of the midcarders, why not have the winner of the tourney get an IC title shot at SummerSlam, two months away? This would be similar to the winner of the Royal Rumble getting the World title shot at WrestleMania. This could boost the importance of the IC title as well.
The only real reason that I can see why this is not being done is to compete with Nitro in the ratings. That's fine and dandy, but I really think that the KotR has much more potential than just being ranked along side some old In your House. Having half the tourney on TV causes the momentum going in to fizzle out a fair bit, which just shouldn't be.
You can check out my "King Of The Ring Preview" page by clicking HERE.
Let's look at the events of the last month of Benoit's career and quest for the TV Title:
Ok, so about a month ago, Benoit fights Fit Finley on , who at the time was TV Champ.
Benoit loses clean.
Benoit goes on to fight Booker T in a best of 7 matches for a SHOT at the TV Title.
Meanwhile, Finley fights JOBBERS for the TV Title on each episode of Nitro AND Thunder up until the Great American Bash.
Benoit wins the series 4-3 on the Thunder just before the Bash, thanks to interference from Bret Hart.
Benoit refuses the victory because of "good sportsmanship".
So, an eigth and deciding match between Benoit and Booker T is signed for the Bash, with the winner facing Finley later that night.
Benoit loses clean.
Booker T goes on to win the TV Title.
Benoit faces Finley the next night on Nitro and for some reason... wins. Something he "couldn't do" a month ago when the title was on the line.
The bottom line: Somebody is screwing Benoit out of a title AND a push ROYALLY.
Now for some news (some old, some new)... plucked from various sources around the Net. I will also start giving credit where credit is due for most of these new tidbits, so if you want to read about these tidbits, I suggest checking out some of the great Wrestling News Sites located on my Links Page.
Not much news this time, maybe more later. 8) Click HERE to visit the previous News & Views.
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