Juan
08-21-2008, 08:10 PM
Got this from The Steel Cage, the wrestling side of the Newsday website with two former WWE writers. Quite interesting.
http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/specialevent/wrestling/
1. Mark Henry: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his work since becoming ECW champion. Mark seems to be having a lot of fun in his bully character, and it is infectious. I’m happy to see him mow down ECW’s babyfaces for the foreseeable future. Even Tony Atlas has played his role well.
2. C.M. Punk: While I may not be thrilled with every booking decision made along the way, the fact is WWE has put one of its two top titles around the waist of a young, up-and-comer who was legitimately a couple years away from earning a world title run. I don’t have a problem with him struggling in some of his matches, as the storyline is that he somewhat lucked into his title win. He may not have the size or seasoning to beat all his opponents, but he’s got the heart to hold his own against them. WWE seems to recognize that.
3. MVP: Here’s a guy who WWE saw something in before a lot of us did. MVP is fantastic on the mic, credible in the ring, and a student of the sport. He should have a world title in his future.
4. Brian Kendrick: He’s still green on the mic, but it’s good to see WWE invest some creative energy and TV time in one of its smallest wrestlers. He’s doing a nice job as a mix between Brian Pillman and a young Shawn Michaels. If only they did the same for his old partner Paul London.
5. ECW: With Teddy Long’s “new talent initiative,” ECW is quickly becoming what many of us had been recommending for a while – a showcase for developmental talent. Some might flounder, but it’s encouraging to see WWE using its C-brand to invest in its future.
6. Edge: Everything he does is gold.
7. Vickie Guerrero: A year ago, many fans thought WWE was exploiting a widow with their casting of Vickie as an obnoxious villainess. Today, she’s one of the most consistently entertaining characters on TV.
8. Batista: He knows his character well, and plays “cool” better than anyone. His tweener tendencies as of late have stirred a lot of interest among fans.
9. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase: Athletic, confident, and good on the mic. They’re everything WWE could hope for in its young talent. And their push has been handled well so far.
10. Mike Adamle: Closely scripted, and kept far away from an announce table, he’s done an OK job as Raw’s GM.
11. The return of the Undertaker: He’s a legend, and more than that, he’s a hell of a worker.
12. The new announce teams: The new pairings on all three shows have freshened up the WWE product as a whole. Even Todd Grisham and Matt Stryker have done a nice job.
13. Noticing ROH: Punk is wearing the world title. Colt Cabana debuted with a promo last week. Evan Bourne is kicking butt in ECW. And Bryan Danielson and Takeshi Morishima both received dark match victories on Raw in recent months. Somebody in WWE has been ordering DVD’s online.
14. Kofi Kingston: His offense is unlike anything WWE fans have seen before. And behind the announce table on Raw Monday night, he showed hints of some untapped charisma.
15. “Glamarella”: Santino could go down as one of the best comedy acts WWE has ever seen, and his pairing with Beth Phoenix has been a lot of fun so far.
16. R-Truth Hype: I’m not sold on the former Ron Killings as a top act, but it’s nice to see WWE invest some time in building up a new character before his debut.
17. Shelton Benjamin: He’s long been one of WWE most athletically gifted, yet underutilized, stars. It’s good to see him wearing a major singles title, and apparently in line for a meaningful feud with Jeff Hardy.
18. The Smackdown Divas: Natalya, Michelle McCool and a few others have made the blue brand a new destination for quality women’s wrestling.
19. The WWE cuts: Not to take joy in anybody losing their job, but WWE wisely dropped some dead weight with its cuts last week.
20. Kane: I’m not entirely sure where they’re going, but it’s good to see the Big Red Machine get some of his edge back.
21. Triple H: He’s been willing to take a backseat to Edge, Taker and other top acts in WWE, while still delivering quality work in the ring.
22. JBL’s promos: He can’t do what he used to in the ring, but can still deliver on the mic.
23. Jamie Noble: After years of being a bit player on Smackdown, he’s got one of the most developed characters in WWE, and is getting plenty of TV time on Raw.
24. Explaining the presence of WWE cameras backstage: They’re still not being completely consistent, but in between Adamle directing a camera to catch the Batista-Cena confrontation, and Cole grabbing Shawn Michaels for an interview after SummerSlam, WWE may finally be addressing one of my biggest pet peeves on the product.
25. Jeff Hardy: WWE could have buried him upon his return from a drug suspension. Instead, they rightly gave him another chance, and appreciated his value in the company.
26. The Great Khali: Giants have been around wrestling since the beginning of time, and Khali is doing an exceptional job in his role.
27. Smackdown!: Long gone are the days of Smackdown being the red headed stepchild of WWE. It's got stars, quality wrestling, and hot storylines.
28. Pay Per Views: We haven't had an all-out dud of a pay per view all year. Combining the brands for the monthly shows has paid off with loaded cards, and good action.
29. Matt Hardy: Matt's done an admirable job earning the sympathy of fans in his quest to win ECW's top prize for the seemingly unbeatable Mark Henry.
30. And finally… Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. Quite simply the most compelling and well written wrestling storyline in recent history, being performed by two masters of their craft.
http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/specialevent/wrestling/
1. Mark Henry: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his work since becoming ECW champion. Mark seems to be having a lot of fun in his bully character, and it is infectious. I’m happy to see him mow down ECW’s babyfaces for the foreseeable future. Even Tony Atlas has played his role well.
2. C.M. Punk: While I may not be thrilled with every booking decision made along the way, the fact is WWE has put one of its two top titles around the waist of a young, up-and-comer who was legitimately a couple years away from earning a world title run. I don’t have a problem with him struggling in some of his matches, as the storyline is that he somewhat lucked into his title win. He may not have the size or seasoning to beat all his opponents, but he’s got the heart to hold his own against them. WWE seems to recognize that.
3. MVP: Here’s a guy who WWE saw something in before a lot of us did. MVP is fantastic on the mic, credible in the ring, and a student of the sport. He should have a world title in his future.
4. Brian Kendrick: He’s still green on the mic, but it’s good to see WWE invest some creative energy and TV time in one of its smallest wrestlers. He’s doing a nice job as a mix between Brian Pillman and a young Shawn Michaels. If only they did the same for his old partner Paul London.
5. ECW: With Teddy Long’s “new talent initiative,” ECW is quickly becoming what many of us had been recommending for a while – a showcase for developmental talent. Some might flounder, but it’s encouraging to see WWE using its C-brand to invest in its future.
6. Edge: Everything he does is gold.
7. Vickie Guerrero: A year ago, many fans thought WWE was exploiting a widow with their casting of Vickie as an obnoxious villainess. Today, she’s one of the most consistently entertaining characters on TV.
8. Batista: He knows his character well, and plays “cool” better than anyone. His tweener tendencies as of late have stirred a lot of interest among fans.
9. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase: Athletic, confident, and good on the mic. They’re everything WWE could hope for in its young talent. And their push has been handled well so far.
10. Mike Adamle: Closely scripted, and kept far away from an announce table, he’s done an OK job as Raw’s GM.
11. The return of the Undertaker: He’s a legend, and more than that, he’s a hell of a worker.
12. The new announce teams: The new pairings on all three shows have freshened up the WWE product as a whole. Even Todd Grisham and Matt Stryker have done a nice job.
13. Noticing ROH: Punk is wearing the world title. Colt Cabana debuted with a promo last week. Evan Bourne is kicking butt in ECW. And Bryan Danielson and Takeshi Morishima both received dark match victories on Raw in recent months. Somebody in WWE has been ordering DVD’s online.
14. Kofi Kingston: His offense is unlike anything WWE fans have seen before. And behind the announce table on Raw Monday night, he showed hints of some untapped charisma.
15. “Glamarella”: Santino could go down as one of the best comedy acts WWE has ever seen, and his pairing with Beth Phoenix has been a lot of fun so far.
16. R-Truth Hype: I’m not sold on the former Ron Killings as a top act, but it’s nice to see WWE invest some time in building up a new character before his debut.
17. Shelton Benjamin: He’s long been one of WWE most athletically gifted, yet underutilized, stars. It’s good to see him wearing a major singles title, and apparently in line for a meaningful feud with Jeff Hardy.
18. The Smackdown Divas: Natalya, Michelle McCool and a few others have made the blue brand a new destination for quality women’s wrestling.
19. The WWE cuts: Not to take joy in anybody losing their job, but WWE wisely dropped some dead weight with its cuts last week.
20. Kane: I’m not entirely sure where they’re going, but it’s good to see the Big Red Machine get some of his edge back.
21. Triple H: He’s been willing to take a backseat to Edge, Taker and other top acts in WWE, while still delivering quality work in the ring.
22. JBL’s promos: He can’t do what he used to in the ring, but can still deliver on the mic.
23. Jamie Noble: After years of being a bit player on Smackdown, he’s got one of the most developed characters in WWE, and is getting plenty of TV time on Raw.
24. Explaining the presence of WWE cameras backstage: They’re still not being completely consistent, but in between Adamle directing a camera to catch the Batista-Cena confrontation, and Cole grabbing Shawn Michaels for an interview after SummerSlam, WWE may finally be addressing one of my biggest pet peeves on the product.
25. Jeff Hardy: WWE could have buried him upon his return from a drug suspension. Instead, they rightly gave him another chance, and appreciated his value in the company.
26. The Great Khali: Giants have been around wrestling since the beginning of time, and Khali is doing an exceptional job in his role.
27. Smackdown!: Long gone are the days of Smackdown being the red headed stepchild of WWE. It's got stars, quality wrestling, and hot storylines.
28. Pay Per Views: We haven't had an all-out dud of a pay per view all year. Combining the brands for the monthly shows has paid off with loaded cards, and good action.
29. Matt Hardy: Matt's done an admirable job earning the sympathy of fans in his quest to win ECW's top prize for the seemingly unbeatable Mark Henry.
30. And finally… Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. Quite simply the most compelling and well written wrestling storyline in recent history, being performed by two masters of their craft.