Rammsteinmad
03-31-2004, 03:48 AM
Starting with the new year, that gives us the Royal Rumble.
Leading up to the Rumble, I was really hyped. The Triple H / Shawn Michaels match was looking to be really good... especially after HBK's promo where he kicked the Coach. Hardcore Holly and Brock Lesnar was actually shaping up fairly well too. And the Eddie VS Chavo match set to be a classic to. And the Rumble match itself... I was pumped. I was thinking this will be the best Rumble match ever. One look at all the star power they had in it can tell why. You had Benoit, Angle, Big Show, Goldberg, RVD, Booker T, Kane, Cena, Jericho and more top names. So what did I think of the Rumble?
" :| "
Ok, so the Eddie / Chavo match seemed rushed. It was over sooner than I had thought/hoped. The Lesnar / Holly match proved to me why so many internet fans dislike Holly... a few punches and dropkicks do not make a good match. And why is it in every single match nowadays, Holly gets put in a vicegrip thingy around his abdomen five minutes into the match? Then he spends the rest of the match holding his gut in pain. Anyway... the HHH and HBK was good, but not great. I've seen better, and the ending was really "oh, how original..." so that only leaves one match...
And, to be honest, it sucked. Yeap. I honestly think the Rumble sucked. Billy Gunn and Mick Foley returning didn't save it either. Usually Royal Rumbles are exciting, and unpredictable, but this one seemed to plod along slowly at a boring pace. Benoit winning it didn't save it, and Benoit is my favourite wrestler of all time! Last years Rumble I really enjoyed. It had a great pace and had a lot of drama in it... this one just seemed really boring. Someone would come out... beat everyone up for 10 seconds, then join in randomly punching someone.
Not a very good start to the year 2004 in my opinion. Let's see how things progress...
And from there, things progressed quite nicely.
For No Way Out, things were building up nicely. The Lesnar / Guerrero match was being hyped well, as was the Triple Threat number one contenders match and the Cruiserweight Title match. Hell, I was even intrigued by what Goldberg would do. Sure, we all knew it would lead to an attack and then a match at Wrestlemania 20, but still, it was interesting to find out.
So, come No Way Out, seeing Lesnar call out Goldberg at the beginning was interesting, as I wasn't expecting that. When the two got into a brawl, I was thinking "yeah... if this is what we're gonna see at WM20, then this is gonna be fooking sweet!". Sure, this event had it's fair share of shit matches (APA / WGTT... Nidia / Jamie Knoble... Hardcore Holly / Rhyno...), but on the other hand, it was worth it just for the main event. Although the Cruiserweight Title match and the Triple Threat match were both good, the Main event blew it all away.
And for me, this was the greatest NWO match ever. In the past, No Way Out has served some memorable main events, such as the Triple H / Mick Foley Hell In A Cell, and the Triple H / Steve Austin Three Stages of Hell Match. But for me, Guerrero Vs Lesnar was the best... why? Because it didn't need any fancy gimmicks or stipulations. It was wrestling. It's what both men do best, and they did it best. And seeing Goldberg come out again actually got me excited. When he Speared Lesnar, and then helped Eddie win, I was trying to picture Eddie walking out on Smackdown with the WWE title around his waist... and all I could think was "hell yeah...".
So, with two of the three events done, now we had the big one. The "biggest event of them all"... Wrestlemania 20.
And man, was I pumped about this. Benoit/Triple H/Shawn Michaels? Wow... Goldberg and Lesnar... Guerrero and Angle... Cruiserweight Open... Kane VS Undertaker... there was so much going for it, I truly thought this would be the greatest show ever. Although, I must say, I wasn't to keen on having TWO Fatal-Four-Ways... but big deal...
Ok... I can't be bothered to write this all out... so here's what I posted at Megadeth.com...
My match-by-match analisis of Wrestlemania.
Big Show VS John Cena
Although this match wasn't the greatest of Wrestlemania openers, it was a decent start. Did get fairly boring just seeing Cena get pounded on all through the match, but two FU's in a row really impressed me. Wasn't great. Wasn't bad.
World Tag Team Title Match
Yawn... this match could have been great. However, it didn't last long enough imo. RVD's slingshot into Booker T's kick looked cool, but that was about it. This potentially could have been a huge match, but it really sucked imo. It should have been an elimination match imo.
Chris Jericho VS Christian
Wasn't as good as I hoped, but it was still good. Christian looked amazing imo, so did Jericho. The ending was a tad lame though. Trish turning on Jericho was a good twist though. Hopefully they'll keep this fued going for a little longer. Personally though, Jericho's match last year with HBK blows this one away.
Handicapped Match
OMFG!!! Ric Flair is da ****ing man!!! He was golden in this match. From all the bumps he took on the outside, to his fake peoples elbow... he was top quality. Even Batista looked fairly decent. Overall a good match. Good to see Evolution being put over. But I can't believe how brilliant Flair was. His performance was golden!
Playboy Match
Yawn... moving on...
Cruiserweight Open
I'm a little pissed off at this one. I was kinda hoping all ten men would start at once, or that it would be like a little battle royal. But no... it wasn't. Some decent high spots, but overall it was too rushed. Kidman was great though. His SSP to the outside and that powerbomb off the top he top from Rey Mysterio were awesome. Match went too quickly though. Coulda been MUCH better.
Goldberg VS Lesnar
Man, I'm so pissed off about this match. This match was hyped up SOOOOO well, and it bombed. The match itself I thought was getting on fairly well. I know the crowd were chanting "boring", but they were trying to tell the story that they were both equals. Anyway, what really got me though was the end. I was expecting Lesnar to kick out of the Jackhammer, so as to make both men look unbeatable. But when he didn't kick out, I was so ****ing mad. Seriously. It was totally lame. Also, Austin getting the better of both of them was totally shit too. I wish this match never happened now. It coulda been good if not for the ending.
WWE Tag Team Title Match
Same as the other tag title match. Coulda been good, but sucked. Having two fatal-four ways was ridiculous imo.
Molly Holly VS Victoria
Uh... yeah... kinda sucked actually. I know these two are capable of some decent stuff, but this match blew. Molly actually shaving her head was kinda cheesy too.
Eddie Guerrero VS Kurt Angle
This match could have been better, but I won't complain, it was still a great match. Eddie is a really great champion that the people can get behind, and they hyped this match really well. The ending was quite unique as well. Wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was still great. So no complaints.
Undertaker VS Kane
Yeah. so this kinda bombed too. Undertaker still looks like the American Badass, only with a little longer, darker hair. Match was actually quite boring. kane use to be fairly decent but now he seems really slow in the ring. As does the Undertaker. Could have been HUGE... but left me feel kind of cheated.
Chris Benoit VS Shawn Michaels VS Triple H
Definately match of the night. This match could have been better, and longer, but it was definately a great match though. I was literally spazing out when Benoit won. I've been a fan of Benoit's since his days in Japan, and when he and Eddie celebrated in the ring, I almost started crying. Those two have been through so much together, and it was awesome seeing them celebrating together as World Champions. The match was great and had me on the edge of my seat, but like I said, I just wished it was a little longer, and that it had a few more high spots in it. Still, no complaints, a great match.
Overall, I wouldn't say this Wrestlemania sucked, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. It COULD have been massive, but wasn't. Certainly isn't the best ever, nor is it better than last years (which is my personal favourite). However, it wasn't god awful, and it watchable. It does have some good stuff there, but there was just so many let downs it kinda makes me regret staying up all night to watch it. However, I believe it was worth it just to see Benoit and Guerrero at the end. That was a golden moment which I'm hoping will go down in history. And Ric Flair is still da man.
So, with that, I was wondering how the future looked for the WWE. This whole "it all begins again" thing look promising, especially with the draft lottery. Currently, things are looking good. It looks as though the WWE is finally given younger talent chances are starting to push the right people. It's great to see Eddie is still the champion and I hope Benoit gets a decent run too. Backlash is looking to be good (However, so were all the other Backlash’s in the past, and they always suck).
One thing that's bothering me is Bradshaw. Dear god, I pray we don't get Bradshaw VS Eddie Guerrero at Judgment Day. On a Smackdown, that's fine, but PLEASE not a PPV main event. It seems logic to have Guerrero VS Booker T, and that would be a much better match (even though Booker T doesn't seem as good as he use to).
And now quickly to round things of, my views on some of the superstars:
Chris Benoit: THE GREATEST of all time in my opinion. I really hope he gets a decent title run. We've seen HHH and HBK enough with the title. It's Benoit's time. Also, I'm enjoying this whole triple threat rivalry.
Chris Jericho: Another one of my all time favs. And his feud with Christian is one of the best things Jericho’s done lately. Great to see him as a face (ish) again. Hopefully their rematch at Backlash will be better than their Mania match, coz I thought it was a bit rushed. Also, I now have both Fozzy albums, and they both kick ass.
Edge: Good to see him back. Hopefully he’s as good as he was before he left. His Spear on RAW to Eric Bischoff seemed a bit sloppy, but to give him a chance, we’ll blame that on Bischoff.
Goldberg: I know he’s not actually under contract, but I just wanted to say he most definitely sucks. I know I’ve been defending him for some time, but his match with Lesnar really showed that he knows ****-all about wrestling. What a horrible career he had in WWE. Seriously, I’m glad he’s gone. He makes Big Show look like Bret Hart.
Matt Hardy: NEEDS to be on Smackdown.
Randy Orton: I’m really impressed with Orton. He is great in the ring and great on the mic. He can really get the crowd to hate him. I really hope they don’t suddenly de-push him because he’s really coming into his own.
Rhyno: Hopefully they’ll push him now on RAW. I doubt it, but one can hope right? His matches with Cena on Smackdown have been good. Especially the match when Heyman had his mouth washed out. The match was awesome, and was the best I’ve seen from Rhyno in the WWE.
Ric Flair: I got Ric Flair’s DVD a few weeks ago (The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection), and it is amazing. Well worth the money. Flair is still as good now as he was 30 years ago.
Shelton Benjamin: The WGTT were really impressing me a lot, but, with Benjamin now on RAW, we just know Charlie Haas is gonna vanish and forever be stuck on Velocity. However, to try and be positive, I’ve always been impressed with Shelton, so hopefully (after his victory on RAW), we’ll start to see a lot of him.
Steve Austin: Seriously, I wish he’d **** off. This is ridiculous now. He’s an injured “Sheriff”, yet he’s still booked as the top of the RAW roster. When there was that huge RAW VS Smackdown brawl last week on RAW, and Austin came out on his bike thingy, I was thinking “great, now he’s gonna come and beat the crap out of everyone all by himself”. I’m glad he didn’t, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous. It’s over for Austin. He’s not an active wrestler anymore. As far as I see it, he’s holding down talent like Triple H is (or was…).
And that leads me to…
Triple H: Who is actually impressing me now. He’s starting to put on some great performances and starting to put over new talent. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of this. I read somewhere that he said (It might have been here), that “he has nothing left to do in wrestling, but will carry on because he loves it”. Maybe now he will realise it’s much better for the company to put over new talent.
And now, on to Smackdown:
Bradshaw: Dear god, I hope the rumours for Judgment Day aren’t true, otherwise we’re all doomed. I seriously can’t stand Bradshaw so much. He’s boring as ****, and his Clothesline From Hell is the crappiest and most overrated finisher ever! In fact, I’ve been wondering, when was the last time the A.P.A won a tag match because of Farooq? It’s always Bradshaw and his CFH… when did Farrooq last win them a match?
Renee Dupree: Hopefully they push this guy far. He is amazing. He has a great look, charisma, mic skills and ring skills. His little dance thing could be huge, and I think, although the anti-American thing has been thousands of times, he does it very well.
That’s basically all I have to say about the Smackdown roster, other than it, it’s the usual praise/complaints. I really see the WWE pushing the right people this year, and giving us new, exciting storylines. Maybe this really is the year where it all begins again.
Thanks if you’ve read it all, and hopefully it didn’t bore you too much. Also, a quick note, I got the Terminator Trilogy box set last week and it is fooking brilliant. I love those films so much. I already had T1 and T2 on video, which are now obsolete, but this box set kicks ass. Terminator 3 is bloody awesome to. Can’t wait for T4 which I’ve heard is being made.
Comments? Feedback? Hell, I’ll even accept flames. Bring ‘em on.
Leading up to the Rumble, I was really hyped. The Triple H / Shawn Michaels match was looking to be really good... especially after HBK's promo where he kicked the Coach. Hardcore Holly and Brock Lesnar was actually shaping up fairly well too. And the Eddie VS Chavo match set to be a classic to. And the Rumble match itself... I was pumped. I was thinking this will be the best Rumble match ever. One look at all the star power they had in it can tell why. You had Benoit, Angle, Big Show, Goldberg, RVD, Booker T, Kane, Cena, Jericho and more top names. So what did I think of the Rumble?
" :| "
Ok, so the Eddie / Chavo match seemed rushed. It was over sooner than I had thought/hoped. The Lesnar / Holly match proved to me why so many internet fans dislike Holly... a few punches and dropkicks do not make a good match. And why is it in every single match nowadays, Holly gets put in a vicegrip thingy around his abdomen five minutes into the match? Then he spends the rest of the match holding his gut in pain. Anyway... the HHH and HBK was good, but not great. I've seen better, and the ending was really "oh, how original..." so that only leaves one match...
And, to be honest, it sucked. Yeap. I honestly think the Rumble sucked. Billy Gunn and Mick Foley returning didn't save it either. Usually Royal Rumbles are exciting, and unpredictable, but this one seemed to plod along slowly at a boring pace. Benoit winning it didn't save it, and Benoit is my favourite wrestler of all time! Last years Rumble I really enjoyed. It had a great pace and had a lot of drama in it... this one just seemed really boring. Someone would come out... beat everyone up for 10 seconds, then join in randomly punching someone.
Not a very good start to the year 2004 in my opinion. Let's see how things progress...
And from there, things progressed quite nicely.
For No Way Out, things were building up nicely. The Lesnar / Guerrero match was being hyped well, as was the Triple Threat number one contenders match and the Cruiserweight Title match. Hell, I was even intrigued by what Goldberg would do. Sure, we all knew it would lead to an attack and then a match at Wrestlemania 20, but still, it was interesting to find out.
So, come No Way Out, seeing Lesnar call out Goldberg at the beginning was interesting, as I wasn't expecting that. When the two got into a brawl, I was thinking "yeah... if this is what we're gonna see at WM20, then this is gonna be fooking sweet!". Sure, this event had it's fair share of shit matches (APA / WGTT... Nidia / Jamie Knoble... Hardcore Holly / Rhyno...), but on the other hand, it was worth it just for the main event. Although the Cruiserweight Title match and the Triple Threat match were both good, the Main event blew it all away.
And for me, this was the greatest NWO match ever. In the past, No Way Out has served some memorable main events, such as the Triple H / Mick Foley Hell In A Cell, and the Triple H / Steve Austin Three Stages of Hell Match. But for me, Guerrero Vs Lesnar was the best... why? Because it didn't need any fancy gimmicks or stipulations. It was wrestling. It's what both men do best, and they did it best. And seeing Goldberg come out again actually got me excited. When he Speared Lesnar, and then helped Eddie win, I was trying to picture Eddie walking out on Smackdown with the WWE title around his waist... and all I could think was "hell yeah...".
So, with two of the three events done, now we had the big one. The "biggest event of them all"... Wrestlemania 20.
And man, was I pumped about this. Benoit/Triple H/Shawn Michaels? Wow... Goldberg and Lesnar... Guerrero and Angle... Cruiserweight Open... Kane VS Undertaker... there was so much going for it, I truly thought this would be the greatest show ever. Although, I must say, I wasn't to keen on having TWO Fatal-Four-Ways... but big deal...
Ok... I can't be bothered to write this all out... so here's what I posted at Megadeth.com...
My match-by-match analisis of Wrestlemania.
Big Show VS John Cena
Although this match wasn't the greatest of Wrestlemania openers, it was a decent start. Did get fairly boring just seeing Cena get pounded on all through the match, but two FU's in a row really impressed me. Wasn't great. Wasn't bad.
World Tag Team Title Match
Yawn... this match could have been great. However, it didn't last long enough imo. RVD's slingshot into Booker T's kick looked cool, but that was about it. This potentially could have been a huge match, but it really sucked imo. It should have been an elimination match imo.
Chris Jericho VS Christian
Wasn't as good as I hoped, but it was still good. Christian looked amazing imo, so did Jericho. The ending was a tad lame though. Trish turning on Jericho was a good twist though. Hopefully they'll keep this fued going for a little longer. Personally though, Jericho's match last year with HBK blows this one away.
Handicapped Match
OMFG!!! Ric Flair is da ****ing man!!! He was golden in this match. From all the bumps he took on the outside, to his fake peoples elbow... he was top quality. Even Batista looked fairly decent. Overall a good match. Good to see Evolution being put over. But I can't believe how brilliant Flair was. His performance was golden!
Playboy Match
Yawn... moving on...
Cruiserweight Open
I'm a little pissed off at this one. I was kinda hoping all ten men would start at once, or that it would be like a little battle royal. But no... it wasn't. Some decent high spots, but overall it was too rushed. Kidman was great though. His SSP to the outside and that powerbomb off the top he top from Rey Mysterio were awesome. Match went too quickly though. Coulda been MUCH better.
Goldberg VS Lesnar
Man, I'm so pissed off about this match. This match was hyped up SOOOOO well, and it bombed. The match itself I thought was getting on fairly well. I know the crowd were chanting "boring", but they were trying to tell the story that they were both equals. Anyway, what really got me though was the end. I was expecting Lesnar to kick out of the Jackhammer, so as to make both men look unbeatable. But when he didn't kick out, I was so ****ing mad. Seriously. It was totally lame. Also, Austin getting the better of both of them was totally shit too. I wish this match never happened now. It coulda been good if not for the ending.
WWE Tag Team Title Match
Same as the other tag title match. Coulda been good, but sucked. Having two fatal-four ways was ridiculous imo.
Molly Holly VS Victoria
Uh... yeah... kinda sucked actually. I know these two are capable of some decent stuff, but this match blew. Molly actually shaving her head was kinda cheesy too.
Eddie Guerrero VS Kurt Angle
This match could have been better, but I won't complain, it was still a great match. Eddie is a really great champion that the people can get behind, and they hyped this match really well. The ending was quite unique as well. Wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was still great. So no complaints.
Undertaker VS Kane
Yeah. so this kinda bombed too. Undertaker still looks like the American Badass, only with a little longer, darker hair. Match was actually quite boring. kane use to be fairly decent but now he seems really slow in the ring. As does the Undertaker. Could have been HUGE... but left me feel kind of cheated.
Chris Benoit VS Shawn Michaels VS Triple H
Definately match of the night. This match could have been better, and longer, but it was definately a great match though. I was literally spazing out when Benoit won. I've been a fan of Benoit's since his days in Japan, and when he and Eddie celebrated in the ring, I almost started crying. Those two have been through so much together, and it was awesome seeing them celebrating together as World Champions. The match was great and had me on the edge of my seat, but like I said, I just wished it was a little longer, and that it had a few more high spots in it. Still, no complaints, a great match.
Overall, I wouldn't say this Wrestlemania sucked, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. It COULD have been massive, but wasn't. Certainly isn't the best ever, nor is it better than last years (which is my personal favourite). However, it wasn't god awful, and it watchable. It does have some good stuff there, but there was just so many let downs it kinda makes me regret staying up all night to watch it. However, I believe it was worth it just to see Benoit and Guerrero at the end. That was a golden moment which I'm hoping will go down in history. And Ric Flair is still da man.
So, with that, I was wondering how the future looked for the WWE. This whole "it all begins again" thing look promising, especially with the draft lottery. Currently, things are looking good. It looks as though the WWE is finally given younger talent chances are starting to push the right people. It's great to see Eddie is still the champion and I hope Benoit gets a decent run too. Backlash is looking to be good (However, so were all the other Backlash’s in the past, and they always suck).
One thing that's bothering me is Bradshaw. Dear god, I pray we don't get Bradshaw VS Eddie Guerrero at Judgment Day. On a Smackdown, that's fine, but PLEASE not a PPV main event. It seems logic to have Guerrero VS Booker T, and that would be a much better match (even though Booker T doesn't seem as good as he use to).
And now quickly to round things of, my views on some of the superstars:
Chris Benoit: THE GREATEST of all time in my opinion. I really hope he gets a decent title run. We've seen HHH and HBK enough with the title. It's Benoit's time. Also, I'm enjoying this whole triple threat rivalry.
Chris Jericho: Another one of my all time favs. And his feud with Christian is one of the best things Jericho’s done lately. Great to see him as a face (ish) again. Hopefully their rematch at Backlash will be better than their Mania match, coz I thought it was a bit rushed. Also, I now have both Fozzy albums, and they both kick ass.
Edge: Good to see him back. Hopefully he’s as good as he was before he left. His Spear on RAW to Eric Bischoff seemed a bit sloppy, but to give him a chance, we’ll blame that on Bischoff.
Goldberg: I know he’s not actually under contract, but I just wanted to say he most definitely sucks. I know I’ve been defending him for some time, but his match with Lesnar really showed that he knows ****-all about wrestling. What a horrible career he had in WWE. Seriously, I’m glad he’s gone. He makes Big Show look like Bret Hart.
Matt Hardy: NEEDS to be on Smackdown.
Randy Orton: I’m really impressed with Orton. He is great in the ring and great on the mic. He can really get the crowd to hate him. I really hope they don’t suddenly de-push him because he’s really coming into his own.
Rhyno: Hopefully they’ll push him now on RAW. I doubt it, but one can hope right? His matches with Cena on Smackdown have been good. Especially the match when Heyman had his mouth washed out. The match was awesome, and was the best I’ve seen from Rhyno in the WWE.
Ric Flair: I got Ric Flair’s DVD a few weeks ago (The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection), and it is amazing. Well worth the money. Flair is still as good now as he was 30 years ago.
Shelton Benjamin: The WGTT were really impressing me a lot, but, with Benjamin now on RAW, we just know Charlie Haas is gonna vanish and forever be stuck on Velocity. However, to try and be positive, I’ve always been impressed with Shelton, so hopefully (after his victory on RAW), we’ll start to see a lot of him.
Steve Austin: Seriously, I wish he’d **** off. This is ridiculous now. He’s an injured “Sheriff”, yet he’s still booked as the top of the RAW roster. When there was that huge RAW VS Smackdown brawl last week on RAW, and Austin came out on his bike thingy, I was thinking “great, now he’s gonna come and beat the crap out of everyone all by himself”. I’m glad he didn’t, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous. It’s over for Austin. He’s not an active wrestler anymore. As far as I see it, he’s holding down talent like Triple H is (or was…).
And that leads me to…
Triple H: Who is actually impressing me now. He’s starting to put on some great performances and starting to put over new talent. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of this. I read somewhere that he said (It might have been here), that “he has nothing left to do in wrestling, but will carry on because he loves it”. Maybe now he will realise it’s much better for the company to put over new talent.
And now, on to Smackdown:
Bradshaw: Dear god, I hope the rumours for Judgment Day aren’t true, otherwise we’re all doomed. I seriously can’t stand Bradshaw so much. He’s boring as ****, and his Clothesline From Hell is the crappiest and most overrated finisher ever! In fact, I’ve been wondering, when was the last time the A.P.A won a tag match because of Farooq? It’s always Bradshaw and his CFH… when did Farrooq last win them a match?
Renee Dupree: Hopefully they push this guy far. He is amazing. He has a great look, charisma, mic skills and ring skills. His little dance thing could be huge, and I think, although the anti-American thing has been thousands of times, he does it very well.
That’s basically all I have to say about the Smackdown roster, other than it, it’s the usual praise/complaints. I really see the WWE pushing the right people this year, and giving us new, exciting storylines. Maybe this really is the year where it all begins again.
Thanks if you’ve read it all, and hopefully it didn’t bore you too much. Also, a quick note, I got the Terminator Trilogy box set last week and it is fooking brilliant. I love those films so much. I already had T1 and T2 on video, which are now obsolete, but this box set kicks ass. Terminator 3 is bloody awesome to. Can’t wait for T4 which I’ve heard is being made.
Comments? Feedback? Hell, I’ll even accept flames. Bring ‘em on.