2/16/10

I can still remember the first time I watched ECW on MSG Network in New Jersey at about 1 am on a Saturday night.  Up until that point, I never saw someone go through a table.  I never saw someone get whipped repeatedly with a Singapore cane.  At that age, I was just starting to realize that wrestling wasn't exactly...well, how do I put this?  I knew that something was up, but when I watched ECW, I wasn't quite sure.  While I still enjoyed watching guys like Duke "The Dumpster" and Doink "The Clown" in the WWF, I really enjoyed watching Raven, Tommy Dreamer, Taz, The Sandman, and Public Enemy.  I loved the cutting-edge, alternative style that went hand and hand with the way pop culture was headed.  I loved hearing bands like Nirvana, The Offspring, White Zombie, and Alice in Chains play in the background of video packages that paved the way for the brilliant packages put together now by WWE for feuds.

The feeling was bittersweet for me when I heard that the name ECW was going into permanent retirement.  Although the real ECW has been gone since 2001, I still watched the WWE version on a semi-regular basis out of loyalty and respect for the brand that was being represented.  Paul Heyman, the long-time owner and booker of ECW, gave the wrestling world a product that changed the business forever.  Heyman helped open creative doors that didn't even exist up until that point.  He deserves more credit than most give him. He will always be the true pioneer & creative genius behind ECW, and what WWE later brilliantly titled "WWF Attitude."  I've always liked Paul Heyman and I truly believe that someday he will have a place that he rightfully deserves in the WWE Hall of Fame. 

I remember seeing such realism in the matches and storylines that I was immediately intrigued. Without realizing it, I was watching these future superstars and World Champions put their lives on the line inside a small bingo hall in the middle of South Philadelphia which was dubbed the ECW Arena. Guys like Mick Foley, Steve Austin, Rob Van Dam, and The Dudley Boys are just some of the guys that went on to have a huge amount of success in WWE. The one thing I'll never forget about ECW was the crowd. Up until that time, no one ever saw such a passionate wrestling crowd in America.

Since WWE restarted the brand in 2006, there have been few highs and many lows.  One of the highs was seeing Tommy Dreamer get a well deserved run as ECW Champion and become one of the most respected men on the WWE roster.  Another high was seeing Rob Van Dam defeat John Cena for the WWE title at One Night Stand 2006.  These moments will be forever etched in WWE history and there is no doubt in my mind that ECW is a brand that won't soon be forgotten.

ECW will no doubt live on forever in the hearts of the wrestling fans that were able to experience it firsthand. 

1/15/10

A Dream Come True for Tommy Dreamer

The first time I saw Tommy Dreamer wrestle live and in person was at the second to last ECW pay-per-view from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, "Massacre on 34^th Street.”  It was an awesome experience and Tommy did exactly what he’s done best throughout his entire career.  He made a mediocre, young wrestler named CW Anderson look really good.  Dreamer put over CW that night by taking a very dangerous spine buster on a chair that made me cringe and that I still vividly remember to this day.  From what I’ve seen over the years, Dreamer never had a problem putting anyone over and always made his opponent look tremendous in the process…even when jobbing to guys who will never cement the type of legacy that Tommy Dreamer has. 

 

Dreamer gained his respect from the ECW faithful in a memorable moment at the ECW arena in the early 90’s when The Sandman repeatedly caned him in front of a crowd that became eerily silent.  I remember seeing this for the first time on an ECW VHS that I somehow picked up when I was about 11 years old and it was so intense that I could barely believe it.  This gave legs to an epic feud with The Sandman that paved the way for the biggest feud of Tommy’s career.

 

His feud with Raven in the mid 90’s is far and beyond one of the best feuds in the history of pro wrestling. Paul Heyman booked this feud so uniquely that there was no way that you couldn’t get behind Tommy Dreamer.  A lot of other wrestlers were brought in during this feud including the late Terry “Bam Bam”Gordy, Dr. Death Steve Williams, Louie Spicoli, Stevie Richards, Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Shane Douglas, and the list goes on and on.  The feud was captivating and went on for years.  The most unique thing about it was that Tommy Dreamer never scored a pinfall over Raven until Raven left for WCW in 1997.  There is some intrigue currently on the rumor mill that if Tommy makes the jump to TNA that this feud may become rekindled in this new decade.

 

                                               An Up Close and Personal Look at WWE “Hell in a Cell”
 
    Sometime in June or July, I got word that WWE was coming to The Prudential Center in Newark,
New Jersey for a Pay-Per-View entitled “Hell in a Cell.”  Being a lifelong professional wrestling fan
and never seeing a single “Hell in a Cell” match LIVE in my life, I figured this was the perfect
opportunity. Remember, this is before I knew that there would be THREE on the same show. I feel a
HIAC match should be the culmination of a major feud that takes place over a major issue. All of the
great HIAC matches have stemmed from feuds where the competitors had an absolute hatred for each
other to the point where this is the only way to settle the score. Of course, adding a PG rating to
the mix won’t help this concept out.  Out of the three HIAC matches, I feel that only one deserved to
take place inside of the structure - John Cena vs. Randy Orton.
 
    The card for this show looked promising going in when it comes to the talent involved. I really
think that an ECW Championship match should have been included.  Christian is a veteran, can put on a
good match and give good exposure to a superstar that isn’t seen on RAW or Smackdown.  Here’s an up
close and personal perspective of WWE “Hell in a Cell.”
 
    Matt Hardy beat Mike Knox in a dark match.  A huge pop for Matt Hardy.  I think it is kind of
sad that I looked around the arena and there were so many little kids that truly believe Jeff is coming
back. Sorry kids, Jeff won't be back anytime soon.  He better practice holding the bar of soap with an
iron grip.
 
Match #1
Big Gold Belt Championship
Hell in a Cell Match
CM Punk (c) vs. The Undertaker
 
-Going into this show, I was really looking forward to seeing a HIAC match with The Undertaker. The
timing, however, was completely wrong. First of all, when Taker returned, he really had no reason to
have beef with CM Punk. Did he want the belt? If he did, I don’t recall him mentioning it. The feud,
at this point in time, had no business leading into a HIAC match. The result of said match was even
more disappointing. I don’t care what the Internet had to say about CM Punk after this result took
place ; dog house or not, there is NO REASON CM Punk should have dropped the belt clean AGAIN! Jeff
Hardy beats him in July in about 15 minutes. In October, Undertaker beats him again in 10 minutes. 
Basically, you build this guy up to be the top heel on Smackdown and have him get squashed by The
Undertaker. The match underachieved and I felt that the crowd didn’t understand how Undertaker
defeated the champion THAT easily.
 
Match #2
Intercontinental Championship
John Morrison (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
 
-A solid championship match. It didn’t set the world on fire, but I’d say that these two helped get
each other over in a Pay-Per-View match. I understand keeping the belt on John Morrison, but how many
opportunities is Dolph Ziggler going to get before he moves onto a different storyline?
 
Match #3
Divas Championship Match
Mickie James (c) vs. Alicia Fox
 
-Both girls looked pretty sexy if you asked me. I did get up from my awesome seat for a little while
as this was a perfect time for a bathroom break.
 
Match #4
Unified Tag Team Championship
Jericho and Big Show (c) vs. Batista and Mysterio
 
-Great match that would be expected when you put Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio in the same ring.
Mysterio actually looked rejuvenated from his 30 day break. Some interesting spots with a good, solid
finish. I don’t know how it came off on TV, but the crowd was on fire for everything Chris Jericho did.
I see Chris Jericho and Big Show moving onto feud with DX and possibly trading those belts back and
forth. What better way to sell a book then to have DX on both RAW and Smackdown?
 
Match #5
WWE Championship
Hell in a Cell Match
John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
 
-So far, I like the fact that they spread out the HIAC matches. I disagree with the order. This should
have finished the show…regardless of the decision. The crowd was way into it the entire time with the
majority favoring Randy Orton. Their “I Quit” match at “Breaking Point” was very well done. I thought
the psychology factor and having John Cena finally prevail with a huge moment was great. Going into
HIAC, I assumed Cena would lose the belt because it’s the same exact formula WWE has been using with
his title reigns for nearly a year. With a huge lack of top heels that Cena hasn’t already faced, it
made sense to once again take the belt off him and save his next victory for the final culmination of
this feud. I really liked this match, but the “Cell” was NOT necessary. They used it in a few spots,
but nothing major. Without the PG rating, this match would’ve been much better. The finish was unique
and Randy Orton has been very good at ring psychology lately. I feel like WWE is trying to make this
a Rock vs. Triple H type feud…or dare I say compared to something like Sting vs. Flair. I don’t see
it…but we’ll see where it ends up I guess.
 
Match #6
Drew McIntyre vs. R-Truth
 
-WHATS UP!!!! Another bathroom break, but I caught the finish. McIntyre has a good look and kind of
reminds me of a young Triple H before he got on the juice. A future World Champion?
 
Match #7
United States Championship
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Jack Swagger vs. The Miz
 
-Once again, WWE misses out on a great opportunity to build a new heel on Pay-Per-View. The Miz cut a
pretty good heel promo before the match begun and he was surprisingly over. I would’ve liked the
result better if either Swagger or Miz won, but I feel like WWE keeps the United States Title on Kofi
Kingston because they really don’t know what else to do with him. Plus, I feel like he’ll drop the
belt in a singles match and not in a match at the expense of himself and another mid-carder.
 
Match #8
Hell in a Cell Match
DX vs. Legacy
 
-At this point, I’m starting to understand why they put this match on last ; Make the fans go home
happy with a DX victory. The match started off really hot with all the brawling throughout the arena.
Once again, the PG rating is just killing the aura of HIAC. Blood is almost a necessity in this type
of a match. Shawn Michaels took an ass-kicking, but how strong does it make Legacy look when they
constantly use the “divide and conquer” strategy? Once HBK got locked in with DiBiase and Rhodes, the
match became extremely predictable. It was well done, but I knew exactly what was going to happen. It
was very easy to predict. However, something I really like was that the Cell was just as important as
the four competitors in this match. It provided the build-up of the drama and the story during the
match. The crowd wanted Triple H to break into that cage so bad. It almost reminded me of the time
Austin locked Undertaker in the Cell with Paul Bearer while Kane struggled to break in to save his
“father.” Austin proceeded to whoop his ass on top of the cell in one of my favorite RAW moments
ever. Man, those were the days.
 
In conclusion, I had another good time attending a WWE event, but I feel that I would’ve enjoyed this
show more sitting on my couch. I just can't get motivated to attend WWE shows anymore. The card looked
really good on paper, but I feel it underachieved overall. The pacing and match order didn’t make
sense to me in the beginning, but I understood why this happened when I got home and read the CM Punk
news.  I really think this is a Pay-Per-View concept that has to be a one and done for WWE. They can’t
allow this to happen again. The HIAC match will not be as effective if they use it in a concept show
without proper build-up or feuds. The same will happen for Submission matches, Ladder matches, and
whatever other concept they try for Pay-Per-Views.
 
Thanks for reading.
Jay Alletto
Jalletto84@gmail.com


                                                                    "Nothing to Brag About"
 
    Another concept Pay-Per-View by World Wrestling Entertainment has left the “sports
entertainment” world wondering what’s next yet again. I went into this show liking the idea of a
competition between the two brands, although it was unclear that it would be a “Best of Three” match
format. To me, the timing of this show is questionable. The interactive “Cyber Sunday” show as always
fun for the fans to get involved in and with Survivor Series a mere four weeks away, I’m positive that
this type of format would have worked great for that show instead. After experiencing “Hell in a Cell"
live and in person, I was glad to be sitting on my couch to watch “Bragging Rights.”
 
    This show lacked depth because of the hour long main event. Every match came off rushed and
sloppy because of said main event. This really hurt the overall rating of the show in my eyes.
 
Match #1
Non-Title, United States Champion The Miz vs. Intercontinental Champion John Morrison
 
- The two former Tag Team champions had little time to really build to this match. This feud
should have been done IMMEDIATELY after they broke up. John Morrison could have invaded RAW and gone
after Miz and you could only imagine how over he would’ve been as a baby face immediately. Instead, he
shows up on Smackdown with a smile on his face and half the crowd has no clue why. Would it have
mattered if Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty had their series of matches five months or so after they
broke up?  I don’t think so.  The WWE produced a small video package to help inform the “Universe” why
this match mattered, but I don’t think it worked. Both guys have improved TREMENDOUSLY throughout the
years in WWE, but they seemed to have better chemistry as a tag team than opponents. I was
unimpressed. They could have had a couple of months to build on a feud that mattered, but were instead
rushed into a “Bragging Rights” match.  The finish made no sense to me and didn’t help either wrestler
get over(Miz causes Morrison to crash and burn on the twisting corkscrew moonsault and that’s it).
Couldn’t get into this match and didn’t do a great job of setting the tone for this show. Perhaps a
Christian ECW Title defense would have been better?
 
Backstage Segment with Team RAW
 
- I have to mention that I’m really starting to enjoy the comedian Triple H.  The comment to Mark
Henry about almost having a baby with Mae Young had me laughing. “Man, that was a long time ago.” 
Mark Henry had a great reaction; although 95% of the crowd was clueless I’m sure.
 
Match #2
Melina, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim vs. Michelle McCool, Natalya Neidhart, and Beth Phoenix
 
- The Women’s/Divas division does have a nice array of solid female in ring workers, but this match
completely underachieved in my eyes. I thought this had the potential to be a bright spot on this show,
but this match came off really rushed. Kelly has improved her in ring work significantly. I’m not
saying she’s a great worker, but she played the “face in peril” role pretty well. Beth Phoenix picks
up the win for Team Smackdown and we’re tied heading into a big 7 on 7 contest later in the show.
 
Match #3
WCW Championship Match
The Undertaker © vs. CM Punk vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio
 
- I hate to be negative, but could this show get any worse? The burying of CM Punk continues, while
WWE decides to keep the Big Gold Belt on The Undertaker. I’ve always been a fan of Taker, but I’ve
never seen him move around so badly in the ring. He was almost forced to do a lot in this match with
all the spots and pin break ups…and he absolutely looked like he was struggling through it. There were
many botches in this match that the smart mark fan can see from a mile away, while the casual fan
might not notice. Another match that just seemed rushed and could’ve been a lot better if given the
time to develop. The real story in this match was what happened after the match was over. You could
see this coming a mile away, but this was one of the few highlights of “Bragging Rights” in my mind ;
In an uncharacteristic move by WWE, Josh Mathews entered the ring to interview Rey Mysterio and
Batista after the match was over. During the contest, Batista hit the powerbomb on The Undertaker and
was ready to score another championship reign when Rey Mysterio broke up the pin. These two are
supposed to be best friends! They’re supposed to have each other’s back! In this segment, Batista was
as good as he’s been in years. While he expressed his disappointment in Mysterio for breaking up his
pin on The Undertaker, the last words he said were, “I’m gonna rip your head off…” in an almost scary
tone. I loved it. Batista backed up and stared at Mysterio who looked puzzled. Now I see the point of
this Fatal Four Way match, but couldn’t we have excluded Punk from this fiasco? Anyway, back to the
point - Batista paused and hit Rey with a HUGE clothesline and proceeded to decimate his former best
friend in one of the most emotional WWE moments in recent memory. The rumored Batista heel turn is
finally a go and I have to say it is a breath of fresh air for his character. This feud has some
potential and I hope that they give it time to develop.
 
Match #4
Match for Ultimate ‘Bragging Rights’: Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes,
Jack Swagger, and Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho, Kane, Finlay, R Truth, Matt Hardy, David Hart Smith,
and Tyson Kidd
 
- Going into this concept match, I figured it would be an elimination style match…but then realized
that I already knew the finish before it happened! Everyone who has watched WWE over the past 10 years
can tell you that the foreshadowing for Big Show turning on Team RAW was seen coming a mile away. The
match, however, was a bit entertaining. It was fun to see The Hart Dynasty finally get their hands on
HBK and Triple H, although there was no mention of Montreal or the history between The Harts and
Degeneration X. I really hoped that WWE would use this match to help put the young guys over, but I
don’t think they did that. Each guy had a chance to get their spots in, but ultimately, the only guys
that benefited were Jeri-Show and DX. It was nice to see some of those guys on PPV finally, including
the aforementioned Hart Dynasty who made their PPV debut. Later in the night, Kofi Kingston and Cody
Rhodes had an altercation backstage that was a precursor to Kofi’s involvement in the Main Event. I
liked that.
 
Match #5
WWE Championship 60 Minute, Anything Goes, Backyard Wrestling, Iron Man Match
Randy Orton © vs. John Cena
 
- Before I start this match, I just want to let you, the readers, know that I was really pulling for
these two to put on a tremendous match to finally finish this feud off once and for all. I really
liked the pyro idea, that was pretty cool. I also liked Cena getting thrown through the lights,
although I feel that it was a little ‘backyard wrestling’ for my tastes. Why didn’t Orton just take
Cena’s lifeless body and throw him through the lights again to get another fall? I wouldn’t involve a
spot like that unless it’s thoroughly thought out. It almost reminded me of the repeated throws
through the glass by Kurt Angle to Shane McMahon at King of the Ring 2001.
I didn’t like the run-ins, the headlocks, or the fact that there were medics at ringside to patch the
legit cut that Cena suffered to his head. What the hell was that about?  I know the WWE is PG and no
longer allows blood on their shows, but to quote NFL Monday Night Countdown, “COME ON, MAN!!!” Cena
had a nice flow coming down his face and I got really invested in this match when I saw that and I bet
a lot of other people did as well. This took away from the match a lot.
The Legacy run in was more in the same, but I did like Kofi coming to the rescue. He’s pretty exciting
in the ring for the kids to watch and I think it would be smart to push him. As of this writing,
that’s what it looks like they’re doing. Smart move.
Anyway, not a bad Iron Man match, but I rank it as my least favorite out of the WWE Iron Man Matches.
A lot of gimmicks with the “Anything Goes” concept were used as expected and it needed to be done to
get these two through such a long contest. I honestly started to fall asleep during the last ten
minutes…but I knew who would win. John Cena pulls it out and now is off to something new and
fresh…right?
WRONG!!!  WRONG…WRONG…WRONG!!!!!!! Ugh. John Cena taking the place of “He Who We Do Not Speak Of” in
re-hash of a couple of matches that took place a long FIVE YEARS AGO!!!!!! Great work, WWE.  Great Work.
 
Thanks for reading.


                                                                       Brock Lesnar At UFC 100

Regardless of the negativity shown towards the post-fight antics of new
Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, the UFC and
Lesnar himself must strike while the iron is hot.
      While the UFC prides itself on being a company of respect, honor, and tradition (?),
Brock Lesnar is the anti-hero that Dana White has been looking for
since Tito Ortiz decided to bow out quietly and focus mainly on getting
on top of his wife (the most famous porn star ever, Jenna Jameson). The
die-hard MMA fans are having a tough time adjusting to a guy like
Lesnar. These fans do not understand how this ex-professional wrestler
can just waltz into the biggest mixed martial arts company in the world
and be put in a position to headline UFC Pay-Per-Views. Dana White
knows this, and he is using it to his advantage. My concern is that
after all this negative backlash, will he continue to use it? I believe
that he has no choice, and here is an example why :
      Time and time again, Dana White has taken these alleged 'real life
situations' and turned them into entertaining build-ups to his monthly
Pay-Per-View events. Ken Shamrock (a former WWF Superstar) and Tito
Ortiz may have had the most heated rivalry in UFC history. Tito Ortiz
disrespected Shamrock to his face on numerous occassions. At UFC 40,
UFC 61, and a free on Spike Special called "Ortiz vs. Shamrock: The
Final Chapter", Dana White was able to continually sell these fights.
      The first fight had most of the country backing the wiley veteran
of Ken Shamrock against the young, cocky champion Tito Ortiz. Ortiz
played the heel, and he did so extremely well. He defeated Shamrock
decisively with excessive strikes. UFC 40 had a certain buzz around it
because of Shamrock's star power from his pro wrestling run and the
curiosity of people who have heard of Ortiz and have never seen him
fight live (like myself at the time). At the time, UFC 40 was the most
successful UFC event to date.
      The Ultimate Fighter 3 had gained a fair measure of momentum
after the first two seasons became success stories in their own right.
What better way to set the stage for a future Pay-Per-View then to have
a rematch of a fight that drew more buys than ever before? Dana White
made sure he put Ortiz and Shamrock in situations to make the bad blood
boil over and it worked to perfection. UFC 61 had become the most
successful Pay-Per-View in UFC history once again because of this
build for Shamrock and Ortiz.
      The same formula was used for the third fight, free on Spike TV.
This fight once again hit a homerun for Dana White and the UFC. My problem with
this whole issue with Ortiz and Shamrock is that after each and every fight, these two
shook hands, hugged and then went on to tell Joe Rogan how much
they respect one another...



      Are you kidding me?


       When I witnessed this, I looked back at all the bad blood that was boiling over.
The selling point that made me intrigued to purchase these events were that these two men
outright loathed each other. And now these two expect me to believe
that everything is well and good? I am a die-hard pro wrestling fan, but I couldn't believe
I saw something so damn fake on an Ultimate Fighting Championship show. Until the dominance
of Chuck Lidell and Matt Hughes, the UFC lost me.
       Tito Ortiz worked as a heel in the UFC so well that Dana White
himself teased a possible showdown in The Octagon with "The Huntington
Beach Bad Boy." This fight never happened, but what did happen was an
hour long special on Spike TV selling the "real life" beef between
Ortiz and White.
       The UFC now has another top heel. A top heel who knows exactly how
to play the heel. Not too long after UFC 100, news broke that Tito
Ortiz is ready to finally return to the UFC. Could the UFC be on the
verge of having TWO top heels? Is this a coincidence?
       Dana White is too smart for even the most well educated Mixed
Martial Arts fan. What he does with Lesnar in the next few months
leading up to his next title defense is crucial. White must make sure
that Lesnar is near front row for each Pay-Per-View. White must also
make sure that they give Lesnar some well deserved interview time to
keep this momentum going. There is no doubt in my mind that the next
time Joe Rogan stands next to Lesnar, the boo's will be defeaning.
       Brock Lesnar is the UFC's top draw of all time in just 4 fights for
the company. He is the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. He
is a big, dangerous man who has a first hand education in selling
himself in whatever way he sees fit.
       The success of the UFC is on the rise. There is no telling just how
big this sport can become. And with Brock Lesnar leading the
way, there may be no way to stop this freight train.