By Scott Bowden
August 25, 2005
Sacrifice fly: While Vince McMahon may have knocked in the deciding run late in the game to beat TNA’s latest PPV, Scott Bowden warns WWE to look over their broad shoulders
This year’s SUMMERSLAM was more hit than miss, following the same formula that has marked WWE’s annual August PPV show for years: a few lousy efforts and/or booking decisions but redeemed overall in the end with some standout performances. And with WWE nowadays, I’ll certainly take that.
Like last year, I’ll comment on the good, the bad and the Abdullah the Butcher-like ugly of the 2005 SUMMERSLAM.
The Good: Chris Benoit is finally given some direction with a dominating U.S. title win over Orlando Jordan. Comics 101 Prof. Scott Tipton, who watched the event with me at Poop Headquarters Hollywood, bemoaned the presence of Jordan even appearing on a PPV as the bout started. By the time I finished my reply (“Well, at least we get to see Chris Benoit in the opener”), the match was over, with Jordan tapping out to the Crippler cross-face in about 22.5 seconds. As I mentioned last week regarding Kurt Angle and his newfound intensity resulting from losing the gold medal to Eugene, I suppose that in the long run it’s all worth an incredible wrestler like Benoit being programmed with lesser performers as long it leads to fresh, new direction and helps get the character back on track. In other words, I hope WWE Creative pushes Benoit as the unbeatable U.S. champion, giving him a dominating year-long title reign, perhaps culminating with a World title shot at next year’s SUMMERSLAM. (I realize that whole scenario is ridiculous—today’s WWE plans only as far their next PPV…and sometimes not even that far in advance.
The Bad: The problem with the Benoit quickie title change is that the exact scenario probably should have already occurred at the GREAT AMERICAN BASH, WWE’s now-traditional throwaway PPV. Better yet, Benoit should have cleaned Jordan’s clock in short order on a free episode of SMACKDOWN! upon his arrival and been programmed into another feud, one that could better showcase his skills—perhaps with the red-hot Christian, who didn’t even appear at SUMMERSLAM. When I see Benoit advertised on a PPV show, I want a Benoit match.
The Bad: On that note, what the hell’s a guy gotta do to get a push? Christian has followed that classic example of past guys who succeeded in getting their gimmick over with nary a push from Creative—really, almost in spite of the writing. After being a highlight on RAW for more than year despite the constant jobs he did, Christian was moved to SMACKDOWN! with promises of greater things. Sure, SD Creative gave Christian the Peep Show; however, he’s still doing jobs for a guy like Booker T, who quite frankly, is done as a player in WWE. Christian is the next great chicken-shit heel in this business, but an essential part of that age-old formula is getting cheap wins despite the odds. While I agree that a guy like Carlito has potential, he can’t touch Christian right now on the mic or in the ring. Yet Carlito is the one winning the U.S. and Intercontinental titles shortly after his debut on SMACKDOWN! and RAW, respectively. But I digress.
The Good: The first few minutes of Edge vs. Matt Hardy is exactly what it should have been: very little or no wrestling (spear through the ropes was OK in my book), with plenty of stiff shots to the head.
The Bad: The remaining one minute or so after was horrendous—a tremendous error in judgment on WWE’s part. Apparently, making an example out of Hardy was more important than doing good business. The finish was so inexplicable that many serious fans debated online whether or not Hardy really did sustain a concussion when he fell to the floor after the Snake Eyes on the ringpost. After all, surely WWE can’t be this stupid, right? Dismiss this as armchair Monday-morning quarterbacking all you want. In reality, it’s just common sense. The bout should have gone about 10 minutes, with Hardy fighting his way back through the blood, slowly gaining the upper hand on Edge before he’s distracted by Lita and screwed out of a win. Edge then takes a powder before Hardy can get his hands on him. Instead, Hardy looks like a pathetic jerk who can’t back up his mouth. Hardy especially looked like a chump later when an old bastard like Hogan summoned the strength to continue against Shawn friggin’ Michaels to rally for a win.
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The Ugly: I felt sick watching the refs drag Hardy’s carcass back to the ring—and don’t tell me that’s the reaction, the heat, WWE writers were after by booking such a finish. This is negative heat—I honestly don’t care about this feud anymore, now matter how much they try to resurrect Hardy from the dead. (Hmmph: Hardy claimed that he “won’t die” in pre-match promos. Guess he didn’t run that line past Creative, eh?) It would take a helluva lot at this point to restore Hardy’s credibility, especially after doing that job to the nowhere-destined Rob Conway, who’s just about got the worst gimmick in the biz right now…including Shark Boy. (Guess that loss to Conway killed any theories about an emergency, impromptu finish in Hardy’s bout at SUMMERSLAM.) Really, the casual fan has got to be thinking that poor Matt needs to accept things and move on, lest he suffer another beating at the hands of Edge. Maybe WWE can turn this around, but at this point, it appears they don’t want to add fuel to what could have been the hottest angle in years—no matter what McMahon claimed when he reintroduced Hardy to RAW.
The Good: Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero to win Sunday’s Ladder Match, gaining custody of Dominick. More important: This perhaps brings to a close this ridiculous angle.
The Bad: The way the announcers were discussing Dominick, it was almost like a title belt was up for grabs, nothing more—an especially embarrassing notion considering the current value of WWE gold. (I did my best Howard Finkle impression as they aired the pre-match vignettes trying to explain the logic behind the stipulation: “The winner…and NEW father of Dominick…Eddie Guerrero!”)
The Good: A solid bout, though the two probably would have been better off without the ladder stip.
The Bad: Some painful-looking miscues throughout prevented this from being on the same level as the classic ladder matches involving the likes of Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, and the Hardys, the Dudleys and Edge and Christian.
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The Ugly: Poor Dominick interfering in the bout made me cringe, but Guerrero nearly saved it with his parental scolding. Dominick must have thrown powder (or perhaps a powder-puff) into the eyes of the female social worker watching over him, enabling him to jump the rail. (Luckily, this breach put security on alert, which is why WWE officials were so quick to apprehend Bob Orton, Jr. when he interfered later in his son’s match. Mrs. Guerrero’s cat-like quickness was no match for security, however, as she interfered twice—knocking Eddie from the ladder when he appeared to have the match won, and pouncing on her hubby to prevent him from reaching Rey as the masked star snatched the custody papers from the jaws of defeat. Just like a woman—holding back her husband.)
The Good: Tazz was pretty funny at times, attempting to at least make sense of this craziness. I about lost it, too, when Cole started discussing how he empathized with Rey because the WWE announcer had adopted two boys of his own. Maybe this whole thing’s been a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I can only hope for Dominick’s sake (the kid’s gotta go to back to school soon and face his buddies, after all) that this is the conclusion.
The Good: WWE seems hell-bent on honing whatever edge Kurt Angle may have lost over the years, as the former Olympian stormed out of the gates in his bout with Eugene. The RAW announcing team actually did a good job the previous Monday playing up Angle’s born-again intensity. (Now if only he’d show some intelligence and integrity and stay away from attempted rape, now matter how hot the bestiality sex might be.) The Eugene character, at least as a babyface, is all but dead, as, like in Pittsburgh, the live D.C. audience at SUMMERSLAM booed every time Uncle Eric’s nephew was on the offensive. (That could be, in part, because Eugene’s offense is weak-looking.) They might be better off turning him heel, going with the storyline that he’s been corrupted by Bischoff, who’s now using him as a pawn, a patsy, a lackey (take your pick). Oh, wait—Creative already did that, didn’t they? Right around the time when Eugene was actually over as a babyface, remember? The character hasn’t been the same since that heel tease, but now they have practically no choice but to return to it. (What…WWE recycle ideas? Never.)
The Bad: This occurred the following night…but speaking of Angle…the announcing on Monday’s RAW proves how shortsighted the WWE can be. During the Shelton Benjamin/Kurt Angle bout—which was tremendous by today’s RAW standards—Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and Coach were apparently instructed not to discuss the fact that Benjamin was aligned with Angle for about a year. Granted, Benjamin’s not quite ready for a high-profile feud, especially with Angle, who’s been programmed with John Cena. But down the road, this could be an interesting storyline. But glossing over their former association in the very beginning dilutes what could be a strong program between Benjamin and Angle, say, a year from now. Did this bother anyone else? If WWE’s going to hire sitcom writers, can they at least go after the team at ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, who plot out jokes—not to mention storylines—weeks in advance. Sometimes an AD punchline doesn’t show itself until three weeks after the joke started…bloody Sheepherder brilliant!
The Good: Although it’s a bit ’80ish-era WWF, I like Angle’s new post-match ritual of standing on the chair as the ref places the medal around his neck. (Hope this doesn’t signal the return of such classic post-match antics as The Undertaker stuffing opponents into body bags.) Not sure if this fits the new intense Kurt Angle, but I like it.
The Good and Bad…but Never Ugly: Yeah, the Divas looked hot in the typical demeaning skit. (Nice to see rookie Diva Ashley get her feet—not to mention her tits and ass—wet.) But I’m just sort of over the whole Diva thing. This is one of those ideas that clearly looked better on paper. Though I must admit: I’d rather see Linda McMahon as the First Lady than Teresa Heinz-Kerry. Wonder if Jim Ross would serve as McMahon’s Dick Cheney? (In a way, I suppose he already is.)
The Good: I thought The Undertaker and Randy Orton nearly topped their WrestleMania match; however, the timing was just a bit off at times. (After seeing Samoa Joe’s airtight lariats against AJ Styles during TNA’s SACRIFICE show, ‘Taker’s exaggerated, high-flying clotheslines just don’t do it for me anymore.) For a guy who’s been on the shelf recuperating from surgery, Orton looked outstanding and turned in the kind of performance he needed to put himself back in the thick of things.
The Bad: Good to see Orton get the win, but the finish was so awkward and outdated—reminded me of Hogan dropping the WWF title to Yokozuna after the disguised photographer shot fire into the Hulkster’s eyes during 1993’s KING OF THE RING PPV. And if Prof. Tipton and I both were screaming “Bob Orton, Bob Orton” as soon as the Mission-Impossible-disguised “fan” ran into the ring, then how could a seasoned veteran like Tazz be so easily fooled? (It was certainly plausible, however, that Cole could be duped by such a ruse.) To his credit, Tazz seemed embarrassed as he brushed off the interference, but still it hurts his credibility. Given the amount of interference earlier by Dominick and Mrs. Guerrero, I question the logic on such a finish.
The Good: Jericho’s back must have been hurting afterward, as Cena piggybacked Y2J to one of the best bouts of the Champ’s career. Those who dismiss Cena as the next Rock-like star, have to be impressed with the live reaction to the Champ, though admittedly it seemed some in the crowd were poised for a title change. Especially that spot where the ref tried to slide down to begin his count (after Jericho slipped free from the FU off the top rope and caught Cena with with a back suplex) and had to readjust and start the count anew, reaching two. The ringside area popped, thinking the ref had counted three—I even had to TiVo it back to make sure on the replay. The FU’s not the best-looking finisher in the world, but the fans are starting to buy it—at least I am. Solid title defense.
The Good: Last week, I wrote: “Batista should win clean in 10 minutes at SUMMERSLAM…so expect a 20-minute bloodbath.” Well, they went about 12 minutes, but that’s nitpicking, right? Not much…but exactly what it should have been.
The Good: Looking like the heel HBK of old (not to mention the late Curt Hennig), Shawn Michaels bumped like crazy in carrying Hogan to his best match since the Hulk’s bout with the Rock at WrestleMania. (OK, that may not be saying too much, but….) The crowd wasn’t into it early, which took away from it being truly special. The fans in attendance seemed a little reluctant to hate Michaels, probably since HBK’s been so entertaining on the mic this past month. That, coupled with the fact that nobody really wants to see an old legend like Hogan get beaten up, made for an indifferent live crowd in the early going.
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I was surprised to read that some fans were down on this match. I thought it was a damn good effort on both men’s part, and really, the result is exactly what it should have been, especially if the company is planning on Austin vs. Hogan at next year’s WrestleMania. HBK had a wonderful heel moment, when, as he climbed the ropes to deliver an elbow, he paused, looked in the camera and answered the fans pleading for Bret Hart to appear: “You want Bret?” Wearing a classic smirk, he aborted those high-flying plans in favor of the Sharpshooter…great stuff. And the sight of the bloody Hogan slowly rising as HBK tuned up the band for a little sweet chin music was chilling—for a brief moment, it felt as if the myth of Hulk Hogan was about to be shattered. The Hogan Superman comeback didn’t bother me; however, HBK’s post-match handshake certainly did.
The Bad: It’s been said that HBK doesn’t want to be a heel, hence the handshake—which made him burying Hogan the following night on RAW that much more confounding. Well, HBK, be careful what you wish for, you just might get a feud with Chris Masters. Oy.
The Verdict: Overall, SUMMERSLAM was a better PPV show (maybe production would be a better word) than TNA’s SACRIFICE, but the glaring differences between the two are no longer noticeable. Actually, the differences are still there, but that’s because TNA has ceased trying to emulate WWE, a Paul Heyman-like strategy that proved to be the catalyst in turning around ECW.
TNA brings the intangibles—the guys are hungry and you feel like you’re getting the best from the boys and the bookers, something that can’t consistently said for WWE. I’m not claiming that TNA bookers are that much better than WWE, but TNA is working with a much thinner roster and is maximizing talent as best they can. TNA writers would love to have Matt Hardy and Christian on their rosters. Yeah, Jeff Jarrett’s still in the mix as a headliner, but at the very least a guy like Raven, who was sorely misused in WCW and WWE, is getting his chance to shine as NWA champion.
I thought Sean Waltman vs. Jerry Lynn at SACRIFICE was just as good as Jericho/Cena, arguably the best bout at SUMMERSLAM. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe was better than Orton/Undertaker, which was also strong. You get the feeling that TNA most definitely would have handled the Hardy vs. Edge match differently—a huge letdown at SUMMERSLAM. I thought Hogan vs. Michaels surpassed the tag bout with Raven/Sabu vs. Jarrett/Rhino; however, that’s mostly because the WWE match-up had the feel of a main event, while the tag bout felt like an undercard match…even on a TNA PPV. I will say that in classic NWA World champ fashion, Raven did a job for Rhino, setting up the championship bout between the two for the next TNA PPV.
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SIDENOTE SLAM: How many jobs did Harley Race do to set up a challenger in similar fashion? I recall a tag bout with Race and The Angel (my former USWA ref colleague Frank Morrell) vs. Tommy Rich and Ted DiBiase on WTBS, which ended with Wildfire pinning the World titlist with the Lou Thesz press, the same move he used to win the title in April 1981. I believe Larry Matysik and Sam Muchnick ran a similar angle in St. Louise, with DiBiase getting the nod over Race.) .
SUMMERSLAM was just good enough to make me overlook some of the nonsensical booking decisions, while SACRIFICE was good enough to make me give them another look. Judging from feedback on various sites, fans are starting to feel confident that they won’t regret forking over their money for a TNA PPV. I’m not so sure anyone who ordered WWE’s GREAT AMERICAN BASH feels the same. WWE gets the slight nod this time around, but it will be interesting to see if TNA can continue to close the gap over the next year or so.
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