Oldschool
12-01-2009, 12:26 PM
Blowin' Smoke - This Is Not A Revolution
Posted by Kemper Jones on 11/27/2009 at 03:01 PM
Blowin’ Smoke with Kemper Jones
In my last column, I said that Sheamus’ Razor’s Edge finisher should be called the Celtic Cross. A reader of mine, Will, sent me an email pointing out that Finlay already has a move with that name. Hey, we all make mistakes. Good Call. Hmm, what should we call it then, maybe the Celtic Edge?
This column started off as my Raw Afterthoughts but ended up being an article of it’s own. I don’t want this to come off as a rant but I don’t know if I know what else to call it. Sorry, I tried to not complain too much.
This Is Not A Revolution
Raw started off with the announcement of a John Cena/CM Punk match-up. I figured we’d be in for a good show. I was already looking forward to Jesse Ventura hosting. I had planned on watching his new show. I watch a lot of truTV so I’ve seen a bunch of commercials.
Jesse Ventura and Randy Orton were in the ring. Orton did his best to weasel his way back into the WWE title picture. Jesse turned him down. He laid out what he called a “Revolution”.
There would be no title shot for Randy Orton, HHH, HBK, Jericho, or Big Show. Tonight, there would be a Breakthrough Battle Royal. The participants of the match would be determined by a series of qualifying matches. In order to be eligible for these contests you could never have been a world champion.
The qualifying matches were as follows…
· Kofi Kingston (winner) vs. Dolph Ziggler
· Sheamus (winner) vs. Finlay
· Chavo Guererro, Chris Masters, & Jack Swagger vs. MVP, Mark Henry, and R-Truth (winners)
· Evan Bourne vs. Randy Orton (winner - He replaced Primo after attacking him. Ventura decided to give Orton a chance.)
· Legacy (winners) vs. Cryme Tyme
After the entrants were decided, it seemed to me that Dibiase was a shoe-in to win. Kofi and Orton would obviously not win as they have unfinished business between the two of them. The only other participant that I thought had a chance of winning was MVP in a major swerve. How wrong I was.
Better start saving your pennies everybody. In just 20 short days, for the low price of $40 and a call to your local cable operator, you too will be able to witness the one match that we’ve all been waiting for. John Cena will be defending his WWE Championship in a Table Match at the new concept TLC PPV against none other than… Sheamus.
And that brings us to now. Whose idea was this? In less than five months on the main WWE roster (less than one month on Raw), the pale Celtic Warrior has been catapulted to the top of the WWE title ladder. I guess after you plow through Goldust, Shelton Benjamin, Jamie Noble, a timekeeper, and Jerry Lawler the next logical step is the championship, right? Eh, not so much.
It’s really no surprise when we hear WWE is frustrated when it comes to “building” new stars. “Building” is the key word here. You can’t just pick a guy out and say, “You see him? He’s a star now.” What they need to do is put the framework in place to get someone to the top.
Dibiase is a superstar that already has that framework in place. He’s great in the ring as many of his solo matches have proven. All the animosity between him and Orton should have hit a boiling point by now…
· Orton punted Ted last November.
· Dibiase’s dad put him in a WWE title match against Orton on July 6th.
· Dibiase pinned Orton in a tag match on October 12th.
· Dibiase and Orton both performed great in their October 19th Raw match. One of the finest examples of storytelling in a match in recent memory.
I’m not saying that Dibiase is 100% ready to be moved up to the next level. It at would have made a hell of a lot more sense than Sheamus. Jealousy would’ve consumed Orton. It would play out similar to how HHH was jealous of Randy when he won the World Title in Evolution.
This feud is similar to Cena/Umaga and Cena/Khali. The title isn’t being defended based on an illusion of real competition. The prestige of the championship is taking a backseat to a good vs. evil story. It’s based on gimmick and look. It’s like Hogan and King Kong Bundy. Unfortunately, being in a title match doesn’t necessarily make you a main event caliber guy. Good luck to Sheamus, he’s in the right place, at the right time, with the right look.
Do I think Sheamus will pick up the victory at the PPV? No, but let’s not kid ourselves. Stranger things have happened. The fact that it’s a table match only begs for some type of interference that would cost Cena the belt. Imagine, Orton coming down and helping Sheamus win. That way Orton could compete for the title again. Oh please, don’t let that happen.
In closing, “Revolution” is a really strong word to use when describing something. I really wish WWE hadn’t thrown it out there. Things rarely live up to that word unless you’re doing something completely earth shattering. I can’t describe how disappointed I am by this move on WWE’s part. I’m going to do my best over the course of the next few columns to be optimistic. I don’t want to constantly piss and moan about it because there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. I’d love for the story to actually play out well. I just have my reservations.
I’d be happy to hear any of your feelings on the matter. I’m going to put out a small column later today covering the other aspects of this week’s Raw. I’m still at a standstill on my SvR storyline. Maybe this weekend/early next week. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Try not to get trampled shopping today.
Posted by Kemper Jones on 11/27/2009 at 03:01 PM
Blowin’ Smoke with Kemper Jones
In my last column, I said that Sheamus’ Razor’s Edge finisher should be called the Celtic Cross. A reader of mine, Will, sent me an email pointing out that Finlay already has a move with that name. Hey, we all make mistakes. Good Call. Hmm, what should we call it then, maybe the Celtic Edge?
This column started off as my Raw Afterthoughts but ended up being an article of it’s own. I don’t want this to come off as a rant but I don’t know if I know what else to call it. Sorry, I tried to not complain too much.
This Is Not A Revolution
Raw started off with the announcement of a John Cena/CM Punk match-up. I figured we’d be in for a good show. I was already looking forward to Jesse Ventura hosting. I had planned on watching his new show. I watch a lot of truTV so I’ve seen a bunch of commercials.
Jesse Ventura and Randy Orton were in the ring. Orton did his best to weasel his way back into the WWE title picture. Jesse turned him down. He laid out what he called a “Revolution”.
There would be no title shot for Randy Orton, HHH, HBK, Jericho, or Big Show. Tonight, there would be a Breakthrough Battle Royal. The participants of the match would be determined by a series of qualifying matches. In order to be eligible for these contests you could never have been a world champion.
The qualifying matches were as follows…
· Kofi Kingston (winner) vs. Dolph Ziggler
· Sheamus (winner) vs. Finlay
· Chavo Guererro, Chris Masters, & Jack Swagger vs. MVP, Mark Henry, and R-Truth (winners)
· Evan Bourne vs. Randy Orton (winner - He replaced Primo after attacking him. Ventura decided to give Orton a chance.)
· Legacy (winners) vs. Cryme Tyme
After the entrants were decided, it seemed to me that Dibiase was a shoe-in to win. Kofi and Orton would obviously not win as they have unfinished business between the two of them. The only other participant that I thought had a chance of winning was MVP in a major swerve. How wrong I was.
Better start saving your pennies everybody. In just 20 short days, for the low price of $40 and a call to your local cable operator, you too will be able to witness the one match that we’ve all been waiting for. John Cena will be defending his WWE Championship in a Table Match at the new concept TLC PPV against none other than… Sheamus.
And that brings us to now. Whose idea was this? In less than five months on the main WWE roster (less than one month on Raw), the pale Celtic Warrior has been catapulted to the top of the WWE title ladder. I guess after you plow through Goldust, Shelton Benjamin, Jamie Noble, a timekeeper, and Jerry Lawler the next logical step is the championship, right? Eh, not so much.
It’s really no surprise when we hear WWE is frustrated when it comes to “building” new stars. “Building” is the key word here. You can’t just pick a guy out and say, “You see him? He’s a star now.” What they need to do is put the framework in place to get someone to the top.
Dibiase is a superstar that already has that framework in place. He’s great in the ring as many of his solo matches have proven. All the animosity between him and Orton should have hit a boiling point by now…
· Orton punted Ted last November.
· Dibiase’s dad put him in a WWE title match against Orton on July 6th.
· Dibiase pinned Orton in a tag match on October 12th.
· Dibiase and Orton both performed great in their October 19th Raw match. One of the finest examples of storytelling in a match in recent memory.
I’m not saying that Dibiase is 100% ready to be moved up to the next level. It at would have made a hell of a lot more sense than Sheamus. Jealousy would’ve consumed Orton. It would play out similar to how HHH was jealous of Randy when he won the World Title in Evolution.
This feud is similar to Cena/Umaga and Cena/Khali. The title isn’t being defended based on an illusion of real competition. The prestige of the championship is taking a backseat to a good vs. evil story. It’s based on gimmick and look. It’s like Hogan and King Kong Bundy. Unfortunately, being in a title match doesn’t necessarily make you a main event caliber guy. Good luck to Sheamus, he’s in the right place, at the right time, with the right look.
Do I think Sheamus will pick up the victory at the PPV? No, but let’s not kid ourselves. Stranger things have happened. The fact that it’s a table match only begs for some type of interference that would cost Cena the belt. Imagine, Orton coming down and helping Sheamus win. That way Orton could compete for the title again. Oh please, don’t let that happen.
In closing, “Revolution” is a really strong word to use when describing something. I really wish WWE hadn’t thrown it out there. Things rarely live up to that word unless you’re doing something completely earth shattering. I can’t describe how disappointed I am by this move on WWE’s part. I’m going to do my best over the course of the next few columns to be optimistic. I don’t want to constantly piss and moan about it because there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. I’d love for the story to actually play out well. I just have my reservations.
I’d be happy to hear any of your feelings on the matter. I’m going to put out a small column later today covering the other aspects of this week’s Raw. I’m still at a standstill on my SvR storyline. Maybe this weekend/early next week. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Try not to get trampled shopping today.