SlamZilla

For the fifth match in my best of seven series, pitting the biggest stars of the 80′s PG era against their current PG era counterparts, we come to a collision between kings.  “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs “The Game”  Triple-H.

     Now you may be wondering why I paired these two up, aside from the similar ring monikers that they both have used.  “Macho King” for Savage, and of course Hunter likes to refer to himself as “The King of Kings” on occasion.  But when looking closely at the characters themselves, and the kind of impact they have each had on their respective era’s, the comparison starts to make more sense.  But who would win out in a battle of the kings?

Randy Savage.     Savage entered the WWF  in 1985 with a lot of hype and potential.  So much so, that every manager (remember those? ) at the time was trying to convince him that they were the best man to guide his career.  Of course Savage declined, and introduced us to Miss Elizabeth.  His new manager, and love interest.  During his run in the WWF, Savage had many memorable feuds against some of the biggest names in wrestling, such as Jake Roberts,  Ricky Steamboat, Ted DiBiase,  The Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair, and of course Hulk Hogan.  His match against Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3, is still considered by many, to be one of the best matches ever in North America.  The Macho Man is a two time WWF World Champion.  His first reign lasted 371 days, becoming the sixth longest in WWF/WWE  history, and no Champion after that would hold a Title for more than a year, until John Cena, 19 years later.  Savage would play both the Heel and Face during his time in the WWF, but no matter which hat (or crown) that he wore, he was still one of the most popular men ever to compete for the company.  Savage left a legacy that would be hard for almost any wrestler to try and duplicate today.

Triple-H.     He is the man of many monikers.  The Game, The Cerebral Assassin, The King Of Kings.  But no matter what he calls himself, the fact of the matter is, he has been one of the top men in the WWE for the better part of the last decade, winning his first of many World Championships in 1999.  He is also responsibe for two of the most successful, and entertaining factions to ever compete in the WWE.  the first being D.X. and of course, Evolution.    Like Randy Savage,  Triple-H has faced many of the biggest stars in the WWE.  Some of which include, The Rock, Mick Foley, The Undertaker, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Batista, and Randy Orton to name a few.  And also like Savage, The Game has been both a fan favourite and Heel on many occasions, but no matter which, he has always been one of the most popular men in the ring.  As most know, he is also married to Stephanie McMahon, and has quite a bit of influence behind the scenes in the WWE as well.  Some argue that this is the only reason that he has won so many Championships (13 World Titles and counting)  But despite politics, nobody can argue that Hunter has carved out a legacy for himself that will always be remembered. 

     So who wins this battle of the two kings?   I guess they don’t call him the “King Of Kings” for nothing.  In this head to head competition, I would have to give the victory, to The Game.

Winner……Triple-H.

By Bruce Shearon.

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John Cena.

     The mere mentioning of his name is going to cause a reaction. And that reaction is always a mixed one.  In arena’s around the World there are almost always as many boo’s as there are cheers.  So why don’t the powers that be, finally let Cena go all the way and turn Heel? 

Cena the good guy. 

Early in his WWE career, Cena used the rapper gimmick.  He was being used as a Heel at the time,  but that quickly faded away, as his freestyle raps to cut up his opponents were a big hit.    This was about the only time I can think of, when John was totally over with the crowd.  Then in 2005 he won his first World Championship from JBL at Wrestlemania 21.  It is about this time that the fans first started to turn on him.  Over time, Cena’s character morphed into a bit of a military style patriot, and eventually to what we see today.  Yet he just can’t shake that mixed crowd reaction.  The announcers say that he is a “controversial” Champion, but clearly there is nothing controversial about him.  Cena has a squeaky clean image, that attracts lots of young viewers, and sells tons of merchandise.  He also does charity work, and is one of, if not THE most requested star for the Make A Wish Foundation.  And it is for these reasons that he has not made the turn that so many people are hoping for.  Why would WWE risk losing all those potential dollars, just to please the half of the fans that don’t seem to like him.  Many have stated that just about every star in the business has done turns as both a Heel and a Face.  But even Hulk Hogan waited until much later in his career, and that was over in WCW. 

Cena the Heel.

     So what exactly would happen if he actually was allowed to become a bad guy?  It would be very easy for Cena to turn on the crowd and get the people that once cheered him, to boo him out of the building.  And with his skills on the Mic, he could quickly become a very charismatic Heel.  But you have to ask yourself this question.  What would be the benefit?  When Hogan did his famous turn, his career as “The Hulkster” was already tired and boring, and it had been for years.  Hulk needed to reinvent himself, thus making himself relevant and marketable again.  I think its safe to say that the NWO led by “Hollywood Hogan” was a huge success.  But what about John Cena?  Should he turn Heel, how would that help him at this stage in his career?  And more importantly, how would it make more money for WWE?  I think the answer to those two questions is,  it won’t! 

Conclusion.

     It is just my opinion, but I really don’t see the point in Cena being anything other than what he is right now.  The main problem that I seem to hear, revolves around booking.  Cena being used again and again as “Super Cena” the hero that defies the odds and wins again and again.  What would be helpful, would be for him to not be Champion for a while, and perhaps have a feud with somebody that can help elevate his status.  Bret Hart did this for Steve Austin, turning an anti hero, into the biggest star in the company (next to The Rock)  It would also be good to see Cena lose a match, cleanly, to a villian.  But again, these are just thoughts and opinions.  But for now, I don’t see anything changing in the way that Cena is being used any time soon, so love him or hate him, he is here for a long time, just the way he is.

By Bruce Shearon

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Back in the Summer of 2008, a new Championship was introduced to us. On July 4th, Vickie Guerrero unveiled the “Divas” Title Belt.  And at the Great American Bash, Michelle McCool defeated Natalya to become the first ever Diva’s Champion.

     So what was wrong about this?  Two things in my opinion.  First of all, there was really no need for a second women’s championship.  BUT since the WWE had done this with the World, and middle Titles (U.S. and Intercontinental)  and at the time, the Tag Team Titles, I suppose it only made sense for them to have separate women’s champions.  Except of course for the fact that the Diva’s have always been pretty much, an afterthought.  There just wasn’t enough women to warrant having two belts, and even if there was, there weren’t enough that could actually wrestle.  Much like the tag division, the need for having champions on each show became ridiculous, and thus the titles have been unified.  Which of course is what is now happening with the women’s championships.  It took two years for the brain trust in WWE to figure out that they just don’t need both of these champions, when you can simply have one that floats between both shows.

    But what about that second reason?  This one is more personal taste than anything.  I have always hated the new Divas Championship Belt, because it looks like a ridiculous accessory for a Barbie Doll.  Thus the picture that goes along with this post.  I have always hated that belt, and only ever referred to it as the ” Barbie Belt”

    Now, finally, they are going to unify the Titles, and as much as I like Melina, I sort of hope she loses, because I never want to see that hideous Barbie Belt again.  Of course It would be nice if they retired both of the current Belts and replaced them with a new one.  Something that doesn’t look like it came out of a bubble gum machine.

So in anticipation of never having to see it again, I have named the Barbie Belt…aka, the Divas Championship, Septembers Slam Of The Month.

By Bruce Shearon

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For the 4th match in the 80′s PG Stars vs their current counterparts, we come to the battle between The Snake, and The Viper.  Or as they are better known, Jake Roberts and Randy Orton.

Jake “the snake” Roberts.     When you think about the biggest, and most memorable names of the 80′s era of the WWF, one of the first names to spring to mind is that of Jake Roberts.  Known for his intense interviews, and being a master of ring psychology, Roberts quickly rose to fame as a top Heel in the WWF.  Part of what made Roberts so feared in the ring, was his use his snake Damien, to intimidate his opponent.  And of course his finisher, that he is still credited for inventing;  the DDT.  Jake did turns as both a Face, and a Heel through his tenure in the WWF, but in my mind he was always more effective as the bad guy.  Whether it was knocking out the Hall Of Famer, Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat, with a DDT on the concrete floor.  Or having a Cobra (devenomized) gnaw on the arm of Randy Savage,   Jake Roberts knew how to break down his victims both mentally, and physically.  Though he never won a Title during his time in the WWF, he was still one of the best, and most memorable figures ever.

Randy Orton.     This third generation wrestler had gone through a few changes over only a few years in WWE.  Starting early in his career back in 2002, he was a fan favourite, but quickly that changed after taking time off for an injury.   Upon his return, he joined the group Evolution, with Ric Flair, Batista, and Triple H.  It was soon after this that he acquired his moniker of “The Legend Killer”  He would use this name for some time, while attacking veterans, and Hall Of Famers.  But eventually Evolution broke up, and the former “Legend Killer” would be on his own.  He did form an alliance with Edge, in the form of the team knows as, Rated-RKO, and his own stable with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr, called Legacy.  But by by then, he had already become known as a loner, and an individual that could not be trusted by his peers.  Orton was somebody that could, and would, strike down anybody that crossed his path.  He had become, “The Viper”

     These days Randy Orton is one of the most popular men in WWE, despite the fact that he is still the same unstable loner that he has been for some time now.  And while he will never have the skills that Jake Roberts had on the Mic, he has racked up 6 World Heavyweight Championships, a Tag Team Championship, and an Intercontinental Championship.  And from the looks of it, he still has a long career ahead of him.

     So in the battle of “The Snake” and “The Viper”  I have to give the nod to Randy Orton.  This one was very close though.

Winner…..Randy Orton.

By Bruce Shearon.

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Brock Lesnar, he is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.  Brock will be putting that title up for grabs at UFC 121 against Cain Velasquez.  But win or lose, he has already made quite a name for himself in MMA.  Certainly his career would be far from over should he lose.  But what if? 

     Taking a cue from my days of collecting comics, I thought it would be fun to do a little “What If”  And in this case, what would happen if Brock Lesnar decided to go back to the WWE?  There would seem to be no good reason to go back to Pro Wrestling, except for the money. He would definitely make huge cash as a returning Champion, and the man who conquered the World of MMA.  But lets look at what might be possilbe motivation for such a return.  What possible storylines we could expect, should Brock Lesnar decide he wants to be back with WWE.  And who would he face?

Jack Swagger.     The All American, American, and Kurt Angle clone, would be a natural first opponent for Brock.  With his size, and amateur background skills, Swagger would be a perfect match for Lesnar.  If done right, these two could put on some very entertaining matches, showcasing their individual skills, before going all out in a brawl that would eventually lead to Brocks power being too much for Swagger.  As far as storyline goes, this one would be along the lines of Swagger being jealous of Brocks success, and wanting to knock off the returning hero, to prove that he is superior.

John Cena.     After disposing of Jack Swagger, the next logical step would be to go after the WWE golden boy.  The motivation behind this would be obvious.  Brock, having been “The Man” in the MMA World would then challenge the “Paper Champion” John Cena, for his WWE Title.  Both of these men are powerhouses, and a collision between the two would be like two trains hitting head on at full speed.  With strength being almost equal, and both using similar fiishers ( actually, Cena’s attitude adjustment was originally called the F.U. as his way of mocking Brocks F5)  the match might just come down to submissions.  Cena’s favourite of course being the STF.  But with added experience under his belt, Brock would have the edge in this department.  I can only imagine what kind of crowd response a match like this would have.  Cena being the man everybody loves to hate, and Lesnar, who relishes playing the heel.  But I would picture this match ending with what would seem like an impossible finish.  Cena taps out and the crowd goes wild.

The Undertaker.     Having done the unthinkable, defeating John Cena for his WWE Championship, the next course of action would be the final challenge.  Take on, and defeat The Undertaker at the main event of Wrestlemania.  I will suppose for the sake of this article that Taker would be holding the Heavyweight Championship, and that this would be the unification match that is being rumoured right now.  I can only imagine the hype, and the buyrates that a main event like this could bring in.  Taker and Lesnar have history together, with both men having defeated the other,  so the threat to Undertakers undefeated streak would be very real.  Brocks MMA experience makes him a much more deadly opponent than he was before, but Taker is also a big fan of mixed martial arts, and has worked some of what he has learned into his own arsenal.   Now this kind of match would probably not be on par with something like Taker vs Sean Michaels, but it would certanly be as good as, if not better than the match that Undertaker had with Batista at WM 23.   Either way, this would be Wrestlemania, and that is where Undertaker matches shine.  These two would pull out all the stops, and give the crowd all those heart stopping moments we have come to expect when we feel “the streak” is being threatened.  But in the end, the last man standing, after a Tombstone Piledriver, would be The Undertaker.  The Titles would be unified, and Brock would have to try and win the Championship at a later date.  Or, having failed in his mission, would simply go back to the UFC.

By Bruce Shearon.

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For the third part of my head to head series, we are going to have a showdown between father and son. Ted DiBiase Sr vs Ted DiBiase Jr.

     There are now quite a few second, and even third generation wrestlers showing up in the WWE.  But not everybody can follow in their fathers footsteps.  There are those like Randy Orton, who are doing quite well for themselves.  And then there are guys like Ted DiBiase Jr.  Lets take a look at the two Teds, and see where the differences are.

Ted DiBiase Sr.     The person who will forever be known as the “Million Dollar Man”  Ted DiBiase was one of the greatest characters to ever come out of the 80′s.  Despite showing up in the WWF late (1987)  He quickly established himself as one of the best Heels in the business.  He would use his money to humiliate others, thus proving that, everybodys got a price.  And on several occasions he would attempt to “buy” just about anything he could.  Such as the number 30 spot in the Royal Rumble.  But he couldn’t buy Hulk Hogans World Title.  Even his plan to pay Andre The Giant to win it for him backfired.  So what does a millionaire do if he can’t get what he wants.  He spends more money, and creates it for himself.  And so was born, the Million Dollar Belt.    That was one of two things that most people will always remember about DiBiase;  his belt, and of course the laugh.  No person in the history of pro wrestling has ever had a better laugh.  It is the most perfect, sinister laugh you will ever hear.  But what really made Dibiase great, was the fact that he was all charisma, and skill.  He could give golden interviews, and then back up what he said in the ring.  He never did win the big one, but who cares, he had his own Championship.  And despite being a Heel, he was one of the most popular stars of his era.

Ted DiBiase Jr.    Now what can really be said about the son of the Million Dollar Man?  Not very much unfortunately.  This is for two reasons.  The first, being that he really hasn’t been in the WWE for very long.  And the second, being that unlike his father, this DiBiase has about as much character as a bowl of cottage cheese.  Ted Jr was still very green when he first came into the WWE, and it showed.  But over time he did seem to improve, and he was paired up with Cody Rhodes, and eventually Randy Orton, to form Legacy.  So far this has been the highlight of his short career.  The main function of Rhodes and DiBiase of course was to simply run interference for Orton so that he could either win, or retain World Championships.  Of course they did have a good feud with DX, which culminated in the main event of SummerSlam 2009.  But after that, and a falling out with Orton, the group split up, and DiBiase was on his own.  This is where it became obvious that Ted Jr just didn’t have what it took to be solo.  So what to do?  Have him copy his fathers gimmick, complete with bodyguard Virgil, and the Million Dollar Belt.  Of course Virgil got the boot, as Ted Jr upgraded from washed up bodyguard to red hot Diva Maryse.  But thus far, he is still not very exciting to watch.   Now this is very early in what will most likely be a long career for the younger Dibiase, so there is lots of time for him to improve.  But for now, he is simply not able to fill his fathers shoes.

Winner…Ted DiBiase Sr.

By, Bruce Shearon

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For today’s head to head, I got some help from a friend in choosing what I consider to be a “perfect” matchup.  Curt Hennig vs Chris Jericho.

     At first I wasn’t sure that this would be a good pairing, but the more I thought about it, and did a bit of digging into their pasts and history, I realized just how much alike they really are.  So on with the competition.

“Mr Perfect” Curt Hennig.  What many, including myself probably werent’ aware of, is the fact that Hennig actually did a short stint in the WWF from 1982 to 1984, teaming with  long time friend “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert  Or that he was already an established star in the AWA, winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Nick Bockwinkel in 1987.  What all of us do know, and love, is the man who entered the WWF that was absolutely PERFECT !  Who can ever forget those promo’s of him shooting half court 3 pointers, or throwing and catching his own Hail Mary pass.  And for over a year, he never lost a match.  Hennig of course was considered by insiders, and his peers, (most notably Ric Flair and Bret Hart)  as one of the greatest in ring performers in modern wrestling history.  He may have only won 2 Intercontinental Championships, and never became a World Champion while he was in the WWF, but Hennig  (who was also great on the Mic) was definitely one of the very best to ever grace a WWF ring.  Now THAT, was Perfect!

Chris Jericho.  Mr Jericho may not be perfect, but, “he is the very best in the World at what he does”.  Or so he likes to tell us.  And many of us would have to agree.  Jericho has played both the Heel, and the Good Guy, and has proven to be excellent at both. (I prefer him as a bad guy)  And thus far he has won 22 Championships in the WWF/WWE.  This includes 9 Intercontinental Championships,  and 6 World Championships.  One of those of course being the first ever Undisputed World Title.  Jericho is one of the most skilled men in the ring today, and is considered one of the best workers around.  Having wrestled not only in the U.S. and Canada, he has honed these skills in Japan and Mexico as well.  But not only is he a master in the ring, he is one of the very best of all time on the Mic.  As much as he may try to make us hate him, you can’t argue with success.

So, in a battle between one who is “perfect” and somebody who is the best in the World, who wins?  Unfortunately for Curt Hennig, I have to give the nod to Y2J.  Even though Hennig competed at a time when nobody could win the World Title because of Hulk Hogans iron grip on it, Mr Jericho has proven that over the course of his 20 year career, that being the very best, is simply what he does.

Winner….Chris Jericho.

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Taking a cue from a series of articles I saw over on The Bleacher Report, a site that re-posts my own blog entries, I decided to do my own variation of something they call creature vs creature.  What they seem to be doing, is having different contributors do a blog as to why they feel that the tag team they have chosen is the best of all time.  That got me inspired.  So for the next week, I am going to do a series of posts comparing some of the top stars of the then, WWF, back in the PG era of the 80s, to their current counterparts.  For my first match, we have Roddy Piper vs Drew McIntyre.

Rowdy Roddy Piper.    At the time was one of the biggest names in all the WWF.  Second only to Hulk Hogan himself.  Most likely because of his feud with Hogan, and for being in the main event against The Hulkster at the first Wrestlemania.  Well, I’m sure Piper would have been famous regardless, as he was one of the best people on the mic that you will ever hear, and had a knack for getting the crowd to hate him.  Piper was not much of a technical wrestler, in fact he was pretty much a brawler who’s main weapon was a sleeper hold.  And despite being as big as he was, he never did win the World Championship.  But then again, this was the Hogan era, so nobody but him wore that belt for quite a while.

Drew McIntyre.   Here we have the new “Scot” on the block.  It is way too early in McIntyre’s career to know just how far this guy will go, so we can only base this on what we have seen thus far.  And thus far, despite being billed as “The Chosen One”  and being groomed as a future World Champion, he is no match for Mr Piper.  His matches have been dull, and his interviews inspire one to grab the remote as fast as possible to change the chanel.   Now, of course Drew may one day win that World Championship, and have one up on Piper, but from what I can see, he will never fill his boots.  McIntrye has the looks, and even a better finisher with his “Future Shock” DDT, but this head to head is a no contest.

Winner….Rowdy Roddy Piper!

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The TNA X-Division Title.  Once upon a time it was the very cornerstone of the company itself.  This was what set TNA apart from the WWE.  They even went as far as using a six sided ring to give their high flyer’s more ways to  pull off new and exciting moves.  But that was then, and this is now. 

    Back then, you had some of the biggest names in TNA making the X-Division the thing to watch.  A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Petey Williams, and Low-Ki (now Kaval in WWE)  just to name a few.  It wasn’t unusual for an X-Division match to steal the show at a pay per view, and be more exciting than the main event.

     So what happened?  Three little words.  Hogan and Bischoff.  Despite the last few weeks being better than average, and the recent improvements on Impact, the X-Division is still on the back burner.  Since the Hogan/Bischoff regime has taken over the focus has been all on the World Title, and the pushing of the heavyweights.  Now I do understand the importance of having a strong World Champion, and the building of new stars to challenge for that Title, but you should not kill the very thing that got the company noticed in the first place.  Especially since its those fans, the ones that started watching TNA because it was so different, that are starting to turn their backs on the show they once loved.   Why bother watching something that is now just like the WWE, but not as good, when you can just watch RAW or Smackdown?

     So what can be done to fix this?   Well that answer is very simple.  Just allow the X-Division to do what it does best, and that is to have exciting matches.  There should always be at least one match on Impact, and a Title defence on every pay per view.   But how can this renewed focus begin?  Well for starters, they can bring back/start using the current talent that has been for the most part sitting the bench.  Homicide has already quit the company, so they should act fast before his actions trigger a domino effect among the others who are not being used.  People such as Eric Young,  Kiyoshi, Suicide (put somebody new under the mask), Amazing Red,  and Generation Me.  It would also be a great idea if they brought back something like the World X-Cup tournament.  Seeing talent from around the World compete, even if for a short time, in the X-Division is exactly the kind thing that would bring in some new fans, and remind the older ones why they started watching TNA in the first place.  It would also be a good excuse to bring back Petey Williams, but that’s just my opinion. ( I miss seeing my home town boy)

    But one of the very first things that should happen, is to end this boring, tired, going nowhere angle of Doug Williams “schooling” the X-Division guys while sucking all the fun out of his matches.  Take the Title off of him, and lets get back to some real action.

By Bruce Shearon

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And then there were six.

     In just over a week, The Nexus has gone from the most dominant group in WWE, to a stable that is already showing  just how weak they really are.  So you just have to wonder, how long can this bunch of rookies hang on, before they totally fall apart?

     Of course you could point out that Nexus only lost one match during RAW, which saw the group turn on one of their own (Darren Young) as he is now banished from the group.  But of those matches, only two were clean victories.  And now that they are down to six members, they are just that much weaker.  Lets face it, the only thing these guys had going for them was the numbers game.  Sure there are two or three of them that could make it on their own in the WWE.  But as I pointed out in a previous post, I figure that’s about how many will be left after about a year anyway.

      Then there is the current group of NXT rookies.   Season 2 is coming to a close fast, and there are guys in that group that are probably going to be bumped up to the main roster as soon as it concludes.  The best guess by most is that this batch will wind up on Smackdown.  Even still, that is a whole lot of new, young, and green talent to have on two shows at the same time.  Somebody is gonna have to go.  

     So where does that leave The Nexus?  I think that what we saw this past Monday on RAW, is just the beginning.  The group will continue to have internal issues, and the weak will be weeded out.  I will be interested to see if my prediction of a core group of four being all that is left comes true.  What will be more interesting now, will be just how fast the group falls to pieces, and who is left standing.

By Bruce Shearon

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