| Senior Monk
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Credit: PWinsider Quote:
by Buck Woodward @ 4:52:00 PM on 6/26/2006
Welcome to the latest edition of my "PPV Elevator" (or, as I affectionately call it, Idea #194). In it, we take the wrestlers that appeared on Pay-per-view and decide whether they are going up, going down, or "staying on the same floor". This is simply one person's opinion on whether the wrestler helped themselves or hurt themselves (or did neither) on the Pay-per-view.
Onto this edition.
WWE Vengeance
DX - Let's be honest here. Did dismantling the Spirit Squad really do anything for Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the eyes of the fans, or when it comes to a position on the WWE "ladder"? Nope. No disrespect to the Spirit Squad, but Michaels and Triple H are so far above them, there was little that could be done to elevate DX at Vengeance. Of course, this match wasn't about anything more than allowing the fans to cheer on their heroes as they beat the Spirit Squad, so in that respect, the match delivered. Elevator: On the same floor.
The Spirit Squad - Again, no disrespect to Mikey, Kenny, Bashful, Sneezy, etc. but they were pretty much glorified punching bags last night. Even though they got some offense during the match and a few nice spots, no one is going to remember them today (thus, my little joke about the names). Actually, that's not a negative in this case. As long as fans look at them as a collective group, and not individuals, the stigma of being part of a goofy gimmick shouldn't hurt them when they inevitably pursue their own careers. For now, they got to wrestle in a PPV main event, something which many wrestlers their age can't claim. Elevator: On the same floor.
John Cena - He took all of Sabu's finishers, and kicked out of them, then made the Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal star tap out. Considering that Sabu is one of the few "old ECW" stars to be pushed as being something special, that's a pretty good accomplishment for Cena. This storyline, at least in the eyes of some, has helped Cena earn a little bit of respect from his detractors. He showed a willingness to take some big bumps and chairshots and get his pretty face scuffed up a little. The question now is whether WWE will put the title back on him tonight or wait until Summerslam. Elevator: Up a floor.
Sabu - As mentioned above, Sabu (along with Rob Van Dam and to a much lesser extent, the Sandman) has been one of the few "old ECW" wrestlers to be presented as anything special in the new brand. It was inevitable that Sabu was going to lose to Cena at the end of their program, but if nothing else, it allowed the spotlight to shine on someone who has given his body to this business. His performance at Vengeance was short, but within the time constraints he still pulled out some vintage Sabu spots. Considering that even the mighty Triple H has tapped out to John Cena, this loss really doesn't hurt Sabu's standing in the company. What WWE does next with him will decide that. Elevator: On the same floor.
Imposter Kane - In general, it is never a good thing when fans are chanting "boring" during your first match on Pay-per-view. Kevin Nash recently commented that "big man vs. big man" matches are boring, because there is no one to "create motion" in the ring. I don't know if that is entirely true, but this match was certainly boring, and even the "upset win" by Imposter Kane was enough to get me interested. Not a good start to this feud. Elevator: Still standing in the lobby.
Kane - Now, Imposter Kane has never been at the "big dance" before, so he has an excuse. Kane is a veteran of PPV events, and has also wrestled more than his share of fellow "big men" including Undertaker and Big Show. So, he has to shoulder more of the blame for the fans being turned off by his bout. Whether it was by adding more big power moves (always impressive when done to a big man) or upping the violence level, Kane should have done something to kill the fans' "boring" chants. He didn't. Elevator: Down a floor.
Rob Van Dam - Well, RVD survived the "Edge" test. I'm actually not referring to Edge as his opponent, but rather the fact his "Money In The Bank" title reign didn't begin and end on consecutive PPV events. Van Dam had a good match, and is making the most of his (some would say long overdue) chance to be an integral part of the top mix. WWE is banking on him to be the top star of the ECW brand, so it is now or never time for RVD. One Night Stand was good first step, and Vengeance followed it up well. Elevator: Up a floor.
Edge - Another PPV, another strong performance by Edge, who has become one of the company's most consistent performers when it comes to big matches. It seems inevitable that he will get another run with the belt, but for whatever reason, WWE hasn't decided to pull the trigger on it yet. After this loss, it will be interesting to see if Edge is kept in the championship mix with RVD and Cena, or if he gets placed in another short-term feud (ala Mick Foley) to keep him strong until they decide to insert him back in it. Elevator: On the same floor.
Johnny Nitro - From the ashes of MNM, we have a new Intercontinental Champion. Johnny Nitro went from being an apparent afterthought in the IC Title situation to scoring two big pinfalls in two weeks, including his Vengeance victory. Of all the wrestlers in the match, Nitro had the most to gain by becoming champion, so putting the strap on him was definitely the right decision. He's easily on the road to becoming the most successful Tough Enough winner in the history of the short lived show. Elevator: Up two floors.
Carlito - Timing is everything, and Carlito showed excellent timing last night. He uncorked a slew of impressive moves that we've never seen out of him, and the result was a show stealing performance. Even in defeat, Carlito was definitely the one wrestler who made sure he would be talked about following the show. Carlito has slowly evolved from arrogant heel to cocky babyface, and hopefully WWE will not rush his development. There is a ton of potential here, potential that shouldn't be sacrificed by pushing him too hard, too soon. Elevator: Up a floor.
Shelton Benjamin - When you have a three-way match, and one wrestler puts in a career performance, and the other wins his first major singles title, someone is going to have to take a back seat. In this case, that person was Shelton Benjamin. It's not that he wasn't impressive (his leap to the top rope was incredible), but Carlito was more impressive, and it was Benjamin that was pinned by Nitro to lose the match (and for a change, the champion was pinned in a three-way to lose the belt). Still, I wouldn't worry about Benjamin. Free of "Mama", he's become a fun heel to watch, and like his opponents at Vengeance, has a bright future. Elevator: On the same floor.
Ric Flair & Mick Foley - Eight minutes? An advertised two-out-of-three falls match with Ric Flair, in Charlotte, goes eight minutes? The post-match angle was fantastically done, and would have been a major highlight on an edition of Raw. However it was little consolation for an advertised PPV match that didn't even live up to a fraction of it's promise. Sorry, when fans are dishing out $40 for a show, and I have no doubt many fans in Charlotte came out to see Flair, this is pretty unacceptable. Elevator: Out of service until the rematch.
Umaga - He squashed Eugene. No surprise there. He squashed Hacksaw Duggan again. No surprise there. He squashed Doink The Clown. No surprise there. Armando stopped him from facing Kamala. Maybe Armando thinks it is 1983 and we're in World Class or something. Either way, Umaga continues on his path of destruction, but it was hardly impressive given the level of competition. Elevator: On the same floor.
Eugene - The gimmick ran it's course a long time ago, and is basically being kept on life support by the nostalgia pops that Hacksaw and others bring to him. There were eight Raw lumberjacks during the Cena-Sabu match that have a better chance of getting over at this point. Elevator: On the ground floor, he just hasn't gotten out of the car yet.
Randy Orton - We'll forget about the fact that this "model employee" seems to be getting a bigger push than wrestlers who actually behave for a moment. Taken at face value, we have Randy Orton defeating Kurt Angle. So, in the month of June, Orton has split his PPV matches with Kurt Angle. That can only be seen as a positive for Orton. Angle was drafted to ECW with the idea that he would be the "new face" of the company, and was going to run through the competition. Orton has gone 1-1 with him, and unless WWE is going to continue the fued, has gotten the last laugh on Angle. Elevator: Up a floor.
Kurt Angle - Maybe it's just me, and perhaps I have been watching too much UFC, but if Kurt Angle is supposed to be a "shoot style" wrestler, shouldn't he be "grounding and pounding" a lot more? Also, there were more than a few times where Angle lunged at Orton's legs and, if it was a shoot fight, Orton could have just kneed or elbowed Angle easily. Style questions aside, this was a solid match, which is to be expected, however the finish, with Angle having to stumble across the ring to hit the exposed turnbuckle, was pretty weak looking. Elevator: On the same floor, but pushing the down button. | |
06-26-2006, 05:35 PM
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