In an attempt to bring back a sense of unpredictability to its programs, WWE had an unconventional ending to one of its shows for the second consecutive night.

After Raw concluded Monday with a dark screen and a few seconds of audio before going off the air in the middle of a match, ECW last night showed a main event with no commentary.

The much-maligned Mike Adamle abruptly took off his headset and left the broadcast position just prior to the match pitting Kane against Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely. Shortly thereafter, Tazz also walked off, and the program went on with no announcers.

WWE obviously is turning the universally negative reaction to Adamle’s announcing skills into a story line. There was a story on wwe.com after ECW went off the air that said: “It has been no secret that our traditional ECW fans have not been satisfied with Adamle’s lackluster commentary. Speculation is this could have led to the play by play and color commentator walking off during a WWE broadcast. Did Adamle and Tazz leave of their own volition or were they asked to leave?”

I have talked to some people who believe that Adamle’s awful announcing has been a work from right from the start, and that WWE thought people would tune in to see a weekly train wreck. I don’t buy that. Adamle isn’t trying to be a bad wrestling announcer — he really is a bad wrestling wrestling announcer.

Once WWE saw how horrible he was and how the fans reacted to him, however, I think the company decided to try and make something out of it. That started to become apparent even before last night’s angle, as Adamle’s lack of announcing skills became a running joke on last week’s ECW and on the Backlash pay-per-view.

I am definitely interested in seeing what happens next, and that’s exactly what WWE is trying to accomplish. Maybe Adamle will end up as a heel announcer. He already has a lot of heat with the fans, so why not? That would certainly be more entertaining than what he’s been doing.

***

All three of WWE’s shows this week were designed to get people talking. I usually don’t do spoilers, but I will just say that a big angle takes place this week on Smackdown. Time will tell if all of this leads to higher ratings, but if it doesn’t, it won’t be for lack of effort.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
                    

In reaction to last week’s disappointing rating for a much-publicized episode of Raw, I wrote that “it’s time for WWE to come up with a shocking plot twist that will create a buzz.”

At the conclusion of last night’s Raw, WWE definitely had people talking. Hopefully, for WWE’s sake, they won’t be cursing.

Saying that he had been disrespected by the fans earlier in the show, Raw general manager and King of the Ring winner William Regal decided to punish all of us by literally pulling the plug on a terrific WWE title rematch between new champion Triple H and ex-champ Randy Orton during a key point in the contest. The screen went dark, and Jim Ross continued to call the match for several seconds before the show abruptly ended and Law & Order came on.

I give WWE credit for thinking outside the box, but the company is risking alienating its audience. It reminded me of NWA television shows in the 1980s when Tony Schiavone and David Crockett would hype a main event for most of the program, and then the match would start with about two minutes left. Just as the participants would lock up, Schiavone would say, “We’re out of time,” and Crockett would scream, “No, no, no!” Instead of making me want to tune in next week to see what happened, it made me angry at the promotion for pulling a bait and switch.

The scenario on Raw was a little different, but perhaps even more frustrating. After enjoying the Triple H-Orton match for about 20 minutes, viewers were deprived of a finish. Since it was Regal who denied fans from seeing a conclusion, the intent is for the heat to be on him. However, most fans realize wrestling is a work and that it was WWE that pulled the plug, not Regal.

I don’t really think many people are going to stop watching Raw because of it, but if I were WWE, I wouldn’t do this again anytime soon.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

For those like me who thought that Regal’s king gimmick was going to be played for comedy, it’s clear that isn’t the case. Regal was portrayed as a serious character and someone who is a threat from a physical standpoint. I have long been a fan of Regal’s work and thought that he deserved a better spot on the card, but I thought that ship had sailed. Now, I think he just might get over in his new role. …

I’ve never been a fan of the coronations for the King of the Ring winners, but this one for Regal served a purpose. As a side note, Regal was present for the last coronation, when Booker T. was crowned. As much as I grew to like King Booker, that coronation – with Regal and Sharmell saying “All hail King Booker” over and over – was excruciating to watch. …

A feud between Regal and Mr. Kennedy – who crashed the coronation – could be interesting. However, I wish WWE could have come up with a more creative way to turn Kennedy babyface than just him being upset that he wasn’t invited to participate in the King of the Ring tournament. It’s not like winning it really means anything anyway. …

The verbal confrontation between Triple H and Orton to open the show was very good. Orton has come such a long way as an overall performer over the past year. In terms of intensity and presence, Orton was every bit Triple H’s equal. That wasn’t the case when they feuded four years ago. …

There was another good segment involving Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho, who was acting very heelish again one night after calling the Michaels-Batista match fairly at Backlash. Jericho called Michaels a great actor for fooling everyone by pretending his knee was hurt on Sunday night. Michaels, with a stern look on his face, told Jericho that he really was hurt.

I know they didn’t mean it in this sense, but I think Michaels really is a good actor, because everything he does in the ring is believable, from his selling to his promos. I’m surprised that he never attempted to do movies or TV, but he always has said that he has no interest in it. This story line also works on another level, as Michaels in real life has been accused in the past of coming up with knee injuries to get out of doing jobs. …

Jericho doing the awards shtick was mildly amusing, but I wonder how many newer fans got the Magnificent Muraco/Mr. Fuji skit from 1986? I miss Tuesday Night Titans. …

It has been clear for the past several weeks that Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch were headed for a split. It seemed like it was going to be a typical tag-team breakup, but WWE gave us something atypical last night – Murdoch serenading Cade with a nice rendition of “I Got Friends in Low Places.” I think Murdoch is going to make an entertaining mid-card babyface. …

Speaking of atypical, I like the idea of Paul Burchill and Katie Lea wrestling in two-on-one handicap matches. Anything performers can do to distinguish themselves is a good thing. …

After Robbie McAllister got destroyed by JBL – including taking a brutal clothesline – I’m sure he was thinking, “Couldn’t you just have fired me instead?” You have to believe that was his punishment for showing up on TNA television during WrestleMania weekend. …

One would think that a segment involving Santino Marella and Roddy Piper would be highly entertaining, but it kind of fell flat. You had to laugh, though, when Marella called him “Roddy The Piper.”

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
                    

Last night’s WWE pay-per-view at 1st Mariner Arena began with the biggest title win of Matt Hardy’s career, and ended with Triple H coming out of a fantastic fatal four-way main event with his 12th world title.

Being there live always is a different experience from watching at home on pay-per-view, but from where I was sitting (the eighth row, facing the stage), it was a really good show.

The sold-out crowd was hot almost the entire night. In fact, the atmosphere and energy was reminiscent of a live show during the “Attitude” era. I know the ratings for WWE programs have been dipping lately, but WWE still puts butts in seats and sells loads of merchandise.

The big news coming out of the show was Triple H ending Randy Orton’s WWE title reign of nearly seven months. In other significant developments, Edge was taken out on a stretcher after his unsuccessful bid to regain the world heavyweight title from The Undertaker, and Mick Foley debuted as the new Smackdown color commentator.

Triple H’s victory was historic for a couple reasons. For one, it was only the second time the WWE title has changed hands in Baltimore, and the first since Superstar Billy Graham defeated Bruno Sammartino on April 30, 1977.

And by capturing his 12th world title, Triple H moved into a tie for second place with Hulk Hogan for the most world championships, trailing 16-time champ Ric Flair. I know there are fans who have a problem with Triple H getting the title again, but I’m not one of them. Except for a couple hours back in October – when he won the title from Orton and lost it back to him in the same night – Triple H has not held a world title since April 2005. It was his time and it makes sense based on the story lines.

There was a time when I had grown tired of Triple H as champion, too. Between September 2002 and January 2005, he won the title five times, giving him 10 reigns for his career at that point. At the rate he was going, I figured he would have Flair’s record beat by now. Triple H obviously has tremendous influence backstage, and I give him credit for keeping himself away from the title for three years.

Most wrestling pundits believe it’s just a matter if time before Triple H turns heel again, but I’m hoping it doesn’t happen, because that really will seem like the same old, same old. I might be in the minority on this, but I always have liked Triple H better as a babyface. I think it would be great to shake things up and keep Triple H a babyface and have John Cena turn on him.

As for Orton, I think he has turned a corner in his career, and he certainly has several more title reigns in his future.

Here’s a match-by-match look at the show in the order in which they were presented:

Dark match – John Morrison and The Miz defeated Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore: It was a short, fast-paced match and the crowd was into it. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but The Miz has really improved in the ring as of late.

After the match, the announce teams were introduced. As usual, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler and Tazz all got big pops. Michael Cole always gets mostly boos, but I don’t think he deserves it. Mike Adamle got all boos, and he does deserve it. Foley got a great response. Even though it had been out there since Friday that WWE had offered him the position on Smackdown, most of the crowd seemed surprised to see him. For those who bought the pay-per-view, how did Foley do? Without hearing a word of the commentary, I’m confident that he was better than Jonathan Coachman, who I would assume is headed back to Raw to replace William Regal as general manager.

Matt Hardy defeated MVP to win the U.S. title: This was an excellent opener, as these two work well together. The crowd was very enthusiastic in cheering Hardy and jeering MVP. MVP, who had held the title since last May, missed a big kick to the head, and Hardy hit the Twist of Fate for the pin.

ECW champion Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero: Every time I see Kane up close I think how TV just doesn’t do him justice as far as how big he is. Even though Kane has done jobs for the likes of Mark Henry, The Great Khali and Umaga over the past 18 months, the fans still treat him like a superstar. The match was fine, but nothing special, as Kane won with a chokeslam after snatching Guerrero by the throat as Guerrero hit a frog splash. I was surprised that Bam Neely didn’t play more of a role. If this was Guerrero’s last shot at Kane, I have no idea who “The Big Red Machine’s” next challenger will be.

The Big Show defeated The Great Khali: The match wasn’t good, but I’ve seen a lot worse. Big Show is capable of having good matches with good workers, but there wasn’t much he could do with Khali. As expected, Show won clean with a chokeslam.

Shawn Michaels defeated Batista: Special referee Chris Jericho got a nice pop even though he has been acting heelish on television lately. Although Batista got mostly cheers when he came out, Michaels was clearly the crowd favorite once the match started. For most of the bout, Jericho just seemed like a regular referee. He did end up getting in both men’s faces at different points. The finish came after Michaels seemingly suffered a knee injury, and Jericho refused to allow Batista to go after him. Michaels then struggled to his feet and hit a superkick for the win.

Michaels did a great job of selling the knee, and he was helped to the back by two referees. It was a very good match, but it seemed a little anti-climactic because Jericho called it right down the middle when a lot of people – myself included – were expecting him to turn on one or both competitors. I also thought there was an outside chance that Flair would show up, as he was in Baltimore Friday doing local television and radio programs to promote the show.

Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Melina, Victoria, Jillian Hall and Layla defeated Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Maria, Kelly Kelly, Cherry and Ashley: The pace was pretty quick here and there were a lot of spots. Phoenix pinned Ashley for the win. Since James wasn’t involved in the decision, I’m not sure what purpose this match served – other than two give a few losers the opportunity to chant “We want puppies.”

World heavyweight champion The Undertaker defeated Edge: It wasn’t quite at the level of their WrestleMania match, but it still was really good. Edge got a great heel reaction when he was introduced. After a nice back-and-forth battle, Undertaker went for the Last Ride, but Edge reversed it into a sunset flip. As Edge attempted a pin, Undertaker hooked his arm and caught him in the submission move that WWE still hasn’t come up with a name for (yes, I know it’s called the gogoplata). After staying in the hold perhaps for longer than anybody, Edge finally tapped out.

I really didn’t expect the same tap-out finish as their match at WrestleMania. Undertaker at first refused to release the hold, and Edge was doing the bleeding-from-the-mouth bit. Vickie Guerrero came out and was hysterical as Edge was taken away on a stretcher by paramedics. I’m interested to see where this goes from here. With Edge tapping out two times in a row, I don’t see how another title shot for him against Undertaker could be justified.

Triple H defeated Randy Orton, John Cena and JBL to win the WWE title: The crowd was super-hot for this match. During the introductions, Orton and JBL got great heat and Triple H got his usual loud ovation. It was Cena, however, who got the biggest reaction of the night, and he definitely was getting a lot more cheers than jeers. Cena came off as exactly what he is – the biggest star in the company. There is no denying that fans are passionate about him whether they love him or hate him. Once the match started, however, the Cena haters got a lot louder.

At about the 10-minute mark, Cena eliminated JBL by forcing him to tap out to the STFU. While Cena still had the hold applied, Orton kicked him in the head and pinned him, and it was down to the champ and Triple H. They battled for nearly 20 minutes before Triple H hit the Pedigree for the pin after a series of reversals. Triple H then got the pyro and confetti treatment that eluded him at WrestleMania. After Triple H’s celebration ended, Orton lingered around the ring. He stared at his hands, conveying the fact that it had sunk in that the belt had slipped from his grasp. He then very slowly walked back up the ramp.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 5:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
                    

Predictions for tonight’s WWE pay-per-view, which I will be attending at 1st Mariner Arena:

WWE champion Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. JBL vs. Triple H: It’s just a matter of time before Triple H gets the title back. I was shocked that it didn’t happen at WrestleMania, and I think tonight will be his night. The only other scenario I can envision is Orton somehow escaping with the title again, and then facing Triple H in a one-on-one match next month at the Judgment Day pay-per-view. I don’t see JBL winning and I don’t think the time is right to put the belt back on Cena.

World heavyweight champion The Undertaker vs. Edge: I don’t think Edge is going to regain the title, but I also don’t believe The Undertaker is going over clean. I’m expecting either a no-decision or Edge to win by disqualification or countout. This feud will likely continue with some sort of gimmick match at Judgment Day.

Batista vs. Shawn Michaels: This match that has been built up better than any on the card. Special referee Chris Jericho is the wild card here (I wish Jericho was wrestling on the show, and CM Punk, too). In recent weeks, he has been laid out by both Michaels and Batista. I still think Jericho is turning on Michaels and costing him the match to set up a program between the two. There also is the possibility of a Batista heel turn.

The Big Show vs. The Great Khali: This one could be ugly, and I’m not talking about the physical appearance of the participants. I would be very surprised if Big Show doesn’t win clean, especially because it has been reported that Khali is heading home to India for a while after this match.

ECW champion Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero: I have a hunch that Guerrero will regain the title due to outside interference from the Edgeheads and Bam Neely.

U.S. champion MVP vs. Matt Hardy: If these two are given enough time, this has potential to be a very good match. I think Hardy has to get the title at some point, but not yet. Look for Hardy to somehow get screwed and for MVP to escape with his title, setting up the inevitable rematch.

Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Maria, Kelly Kelly, Cherry and Ashley vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Melina, Victoria, Jillian Hall and Layla: I’m going with the heels on this one, with either Phoenix or Natalya scoring the pin on James to set up a title program.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
                    

Here are some quotes from my interview with WWE champion Randy Orton on Friday that did not make it into the story I wrote for The Sun.

His anger issues: “I was just kind of a [jerk]. I was making myself miserable and I didn’t know it. If I was upset with the way my dinner was cooked at a restaurant, or if I was upset with the service that I was being given at an airport, I would react in a way where I wasn’t living in the moment. Being on TV and being around a lot of fans, you’re going to be in those situations every day. I had to realize that everyone has opinions and they all have the right to feel a certain way, and you have to respect that.”

People in WWE losing confidence in him due to his immaturity: “I let some people down like Triple H, who had a lot of faith in me and took me under his wing. Ric Flair would never say it, but he loved me like I was his kid and he was like a dad to me on the road. I’m sure I let him down somewhere along the way. These guys really invested a lot of time, faith and energy in me. The company invested money in me.”

Excelling in the business at a young age: “You know, I was just naturally good, so I would ride on that. I could go have a good match and not have to be 100 percent there. I didn’t have to be all warmed up and stretched out. I could go work. Early on, what you can’t be taught in this business, I just kind of picked up. I think it was probably [because of] growing up in the business and being around the people that I was around.”

His future in wrestling: “I definitely see myself trying to get some longevity out of my career. I’m loyal to this company. I don’t necessarily see myself branching out and doing movies like [John] Cena, and Rock and Mr. Kennedy. I think they’re a little more well-rounded than me. When it comes to wrestling, I’m 100 percent confident in my abilities, and I see myself being in the ring as long as my body can handle it. As long as my health is good and I’m not jeopardizing my family, I see myself pushing forward and being a champion as many times as I can – being a six, seven-, eight-time world champion. I want to work with guys like Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, Edge, and have good feuds and do entertaining stuff, and I know I’m capable of it.”

Whether his father and grandfather, both pro wrestlers, discouraged him from getting into the business: “It was more my mom. It definitely wasn’t encouraged. With my grandpa [Bob Orton Sr.], my father [Cowboy Bob Orton] and my uncle [Barry O], they would have loved to see me get into it in their hearts, but I had my mother there. My dad was gone all the time, and the road was a lot more vigorous then. They were gone 30, 40, 50 days [at a time]. I think because of that lifestyle, my mom didn’t want me to put my family through what my dad put us through, which was just him not being around a lot. Once I got in the business and I was on TV, that’s cool for any parent. I made them proud, and my mom – I think her attitude turned around. She was happy to see me doing well. She’s a nurse, and her friends at work – my mom would call me and say, ‘I need 10 autographed pictures.’ Now she’s a little superstar at work because her son’s on TV. I think my mom just thinks it’s cool now.”

The fatal four-way at Backlash: “I think it’s definitely going to be a long, grueling match. We’ve got four of the top performers in the business right now – on Raw, anyway – fighting it out. We’re going to be like a bunch of caged dogs going at it. I see some banged-up bodies and bruises following the match. I definitely see no one getting along. A lot of times in a four-way match like that you see guys taking sides and taking out a guy, but I see it being every man for himself from bell to bell. It’s definitely going to be a fight, but I’m confident in my abilities. Anything can happen, but I’m confident that I am going to remain the WWE champion.”

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Two of TNA’s most entertaining wrestlers — “Tennessee Cowboy” James Storm and ODB — will make appearances at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show on May 4 at North Point Plaza in Dundalk.

Also appearing on the MCW show is Joey Matthews (formerly known as Joey Mercury in WWE). The show starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, go to marylandwrestling.com.

The MCW show is one of three live wrestling events in the Baltimore area in an eight-day span. WWE’s Backlash pay-per-view takes place Sunday at 1st Mariner Arena (it’s sold out), and the Eastern Wrestling Alliance has a free show on May 3 at 1 p.m. at Michael’s Eight Avenue in Glen Burnie. Go to ewamaryland.com for more information.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

Last night’s TNA Impact featured a strong main event between Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe, good wrestling throughout the show, just the right amount of comedy and no groan-inducing skits.

It was a total departure from last week’s nonsensical show and more in line with the tone of the previous four episodes. When I see shows like this one, I become a lot more optimistic about TNA’s future.

Once again, TNA did a great job of making the Angle-Joe rivalry seem special, including putting together another good video package that chronicled their feud. Angle was all business this week, and Joe was portrayed as a credible world champion.

The two wrestled each other on network television for the first time, and they didn’t disappoint. The TNA world title match took up the final half hour of the show, with Joe getting the win after Scott Steiner’s outside interference (which Joe was unaware of). It was announced after the match that Joe would defend the title against Steiner and Angle in a three-way bout at the Sacrifice pay-per-view on May 11.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

Steiner costing Angle the match made sense based on an incident earlier in the program in which Angle talked about facing “Rick Steiner” at Sacrifice. It seemed like a throwaway line at the time, but Steiner’s attack on Angle at the end of the show was payback for disrespecting him and referring to him by his brother’s name. It made Angle come off like a babyface, however, which I don’t think was the intention – at least I hope not. …

As far as the new main event at the pay-per-view, obviously a three-way has more appeal than a Joe-Steiner singles match. …

During the Angle-Joe match, Don West referenced a remark that Kevin Nash had made earlier in the program – except that West actually stated the exact opposite of what Nash said. In talking about Joe, Nash said that winning the title was the easy part, and now that he’s champion, the work really begins. West said that Nash was right – the hard part was over because his career was on the line, and now he can just concentrate on “pure wrestling.” …

The two qualifying matches for the tag-team title tournament at Sacrifice were both good, especially Christian Cage and Rhino’s win over The Motor City Machine Guns. Team 3D defeated Rellik (the announcers didn’t say you-know-what this week) and Black Reign in the other match. …

Another tag-team match (not part of the tournament qualifying) that was entertaining saw Sting and Booker T. defeat Robert Roode and James Storm. …

Jeremy Borash was great in his “stooge” role, as he ran to tell Kurt Angle that his wife, Karen, was in the building with A.J. Styles after he had promised Karen and Styles that he wouldn’t say anything. The first time I realized that Borash had potential as an on-screen character was when he played a similar role briefly in WCW. As Vince Russo’s stooge, Borash would be shown lurking around backstage and taking notes whenever he witnessed something that he thought Russo should know about. The facial expressions that he would make were priceless. …

The only segment that I didn’t care for last night was the Eric Young and Kaz interview, in which they went back and forth on the Super Eric silliness from last week. Since Young cost them the tag-team titles, wouldn’t Kaz be totally justified in turning on him? …

It looks as if TNA is trying to get Matt Morgan over as a babyface with heel tendencies, as Morgan unleashed an unprovoked attack on Kip James backstage to open the show. It just might work. …

Jim Cornette seems to be doing a subtle heel turn. He was one of the greatest heel managers of all time, but I liked the fact that his TNA character tried to call things fairly. I’m sure Cornette would be entertaining as a heel authority figure, but that role has become passé as far as I’m concerned. …

Cornette announced that one of the women on the roster – excluding Awesome Kong – will get her head shaved on the pay-per-view. My money’s on Rhaka Khan or ODB.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

The recent retirement of Ric Flair has sparked a lot of talk about who the greatest wrestler of all time is. It’s a complex question because everyone has a different idea of what constitutes a great wrestler. Is it the best worker? The biggest box office draw? The biggest crossover celebrity? What about longevity?

I think a less ambiguous question would be: Who is the best all-around performer? I define that as the wrestler who possesses the best combination of in-ring ability, charisma and promo skills. Following that criteria, I have come up with a list of my top 10.

Wrestlers who excelled in one aspect but were significantly deficient in another did not make the cut. For example, Hulk Hogan, the biggest star in the history of wrestling, did not make the list because his in-ring work was average at best. On the flip side, an outstanding worker such as Chris Benoit did not make the list because he was ordinary as far as charisma and promos.

I only considered wrestlers that I have seen enough of to judge. Therefore, legends such as Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers, who would be included in any discussion of the all-time greats, aren’t on the list. I also didn’t consider wrestlers such as Harley Race, Verne Gagne, Jack Brisco, Terry Funk and others because I didn’t see much of them in their primes. I have been watching wrestling for more than 35 years, but, having grown up in Baltimore, the only exposure I had to any wrestling other than WWE prior to the early 1980s was in magazines.

Back to Flair. A strong argument can be made for him being the greatest wrestler of all time, especially when factoring in longevity, drawing power and the fact that he inspired many of today’s stars to pursue a career in wrestling.

One of those stars is Shawn Michaels. And while Michaels likely won’t be regarded as the greatest of all time, he does get the nod over Flair as the best all-around performer that I have ever seen.

Here’s my top 10:

1. Shawn Michaels: As a heel, “The Heartbreak Kid” exudes cockiness and is a superb bump-taker. As a babyface, his selling is top notch and he is both charismatic and sympathetic. No matter which role he plays, Michaels is a great worker, a master of ring psychology and strong on promos. Michaels, who has earned the moniker of “Mr. WrestleMania” for often stealing the show at WWE’s signature event, incorporates mat wrestling, Lucha Libre moves and brawling into his repertoire. Perhaps the greatest testament to Michaels’ ability is the fact that an array of wrestlers have had their best matches against him.

2. Ric Flair: It has often been stated that Flair could have a great match with a broomstick, and that isn’t much of an exaggeration considering some of the limited wrestlers that looked like a million bucks thanks to him. Flair was among the most charismatic wrestlers ever and one of the all-time best on the microphone. No one was better than the “Nature Boy” at talking fans into the building. The only knock against him is his versatility in the ring, as he often wrestled the same match no matter who he was working with.

3. The Rock: The eyebrow-raising superstar being this high on the list might raise a lot of eyebrows, but it shouldn’t. While most fans will focus on his unparalleled charisma and highly entertaining work on the microphone, Rock actually was very underrated as a worker. Was he a mat technician like Benoit or Dean Malenko? No, but he was smooth in the ring and athletic, and he had more than his share of good-to-great matches. As The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer once said to me, with Rock’s charismatic personality, he was much better in the ring than he really needed to be.

4. Kurt Angle: The Olympic gold medalist proved to be a fast learner after entering pro wrestling. Not only is he a tremendous mat wrestler, but he will occasionally break out a moonsault – including once off the top of a steel cage. Serious neck and spinal injuries have taken a toll, but he still as among the elite workers today. Angle also knows how to connect with the crowd, especially when he works as a heel. He has shown range as a character, as he has effectively portrayed an intense shooter and also demonstrated a flair for comedy.

5. Randy Savage: “The Macho Man” adeptly combined his speed and agility with an effective brawling style. He not only had great matches with other great workers such as Rick Steamboat – their match at WrestleMania III is considered one of the best ever – but also with lesser workers such as The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. Savage was one of the most distinctive and colorful characters of the ’80s and ’90s. His promos sometimes didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but they were intense and often humorous.

6. Steve Austin: He basically had two careers in one. As “Stunning Steve,” a heel with flashy robes and long blond hair, Austin was regarded as a very good worker with average charisma and promo skills. When he shaved his head, grew a goatee, put on black tights and black boots and became the no-nonsense, trash-talking “Stone Cold,” he became one of the biggest stars in the history of the industry. During the “Stone Cold” years, injuries to Austin’s neck and knees slowed him a bit in the ring, but he still was a good worker and one of the best brawlers ever. He also developed a promo style that really connected with fans.

7. Bret Hart: “The Hitman” also was known as “The Excellence of Execution,” and with good reason. Hart was very smooth in the ring and a fantastic technical wrestler. He was regarded as being bland before he received a singles push, but his somewhat understated personality eventually connected with fans and his promo skills improved. Hart was at his all-around best during his transformation he from bitter babyface to full-fledged heel in 1997.

8. Chris Jericho: Before making it big in WCW and even bigger in WWE, Jericho honed his craft all over the world, learning a variety of styles in places such as Mexico, Japan and Germany. Once a high flyer and risk-taker, Jericho began toning down his style several years ago, but he still can go and he understands ring psychology. Effective as a charismatic babyface or a smarmy, smirking heel, Jericho is adept at cutting serious promos as well as humorous ones.

9. Rick Steamboat: He was as good a worker as anybody on this list. “The Dragon” has participated in matches that are considered among the best ever, specifically against Flair and Savage. In the late ’70s and ’80s, Steamboat was the prototype for a babyface, and he never worked as a heel during his 18-year career. Steamboat, who had charisma but not in an over-the-top manner, was great at selling for the heels. He would have placed higher on the list if not for his average promos.

10. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig: When it comes to in-ring ability, Henning wasn’t perfect, but he was close. Everything he did in the ring looked smooth, and he was a great mat technician and fantastic bump-taker. Although he had been AWA champion, Henning was at his best as the cocky “Mr. Perfect” in WWE. Hennig’s character wasn’t as effective as a babyface, but he definitely had a strong heel persona. His promos were decent, but not anything special.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (62)
                    

The good news is that WWE gained unprecedented credibility and a ton of national media coverage for having the three presidential candidates appear on Raw Monday night.

The bad news is that the candidates’ appearance meant nothing for ratings. The three-hour edition of Raw did a 3.0 rating, down from last week’s 3.2. It is especially disappointing because WWE also presented a King of the Ring tournament and had a star-studded main event.

Raw did a 2.4 rating for the first hour, 3.3 for the second and 3.4 for the third. With a three-hour special, it is expected that the first hour won’t do as well because viewers aren’t used to tuning in at that time. If you throw out the first hour, the rating would be 3.3, which still is a disappointing number considering the hype surrounding the show.

I’m not sure what to make of the recent ratings dip. I think Raw is good most weeks, but I’m a diehard fan. A portion of the casual fans seem to have lost interest. Perhaps it’s time for WWE to come up with a shocking plot twist that will create a buzz, such as turning John Cena heel, which I suggested a few weeks ago.

If the ratings continue to slip, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vince McMahon back on television sooner than later.

***

It was another bad night for Mike Adamle on ECW. He didn’t have much to say – Tazz basically was doing color commentary and play-by-play – and what he did say didn’t add anything to the broadcast. I have never been a fan of The Miz, but I had to laugh when he kept pointing out Adamle’s mistakes while sitting at the announce table for the Jimmy Wang Yang-John Morrison match.

In Adamle’s defense, doing play-by-play is a lot harder than it looks. It’s hard even if you’re familiar with the product, and Adamle clearly is learning on the job about the subject matter. I don’t fault him as much as I fault the people who put him in that position.

Overall, the current crop of wrestling announcers is pretty underwhelming. In addition to Adamle, Jonathan Coachman is struggling on Smackdown and Don West has me reaching for the mute button on a weekly basis while watching Impact.

Tazz, Michael Cole and Mike Tenay all deserve raises for having to carry their respective broadcasts.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
                    

After seeing the three presidential candidates make appearances on a three-hour edition of Raw last night, I couldn’t help but think how far pro wrestling has come in my lifetime.

When I watched wrestling on a UHF station in the territory days of the 1970s, the thought of the future President of the United States appearing on a wrestling show would have been beyond ridiculous – although I do think that “Tricky” Dick Nixon would have made a great heel manager.

It was a major coup for WWE to have Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican John McCain address the WWE audience with taped messages. As expected, the candidates’ appearance on Raw received a lot of national news coverage.

Ever since Bill Clinton did his saxophone bit on The Arsenio Hall Show 16 years ago, it has become fashionable for presidential hopefuls to appear on late night talk shows and Saturday Night Live to demonstrate that they have a sense of humor. But for them to be on a wrestling show – especially after all the negative press the wrestling industry has received over the past year – almost was surreal.

Each candidate gave a brief speech putting over their agenda by using wrestling vernacular. In my unbiased opinion, I think McCain, surprisingly, did the best job.

More than the other two, McCain – who is not exactly known as the most electrifying man in politics – seemed to embrace the idea of cutting a wrestling promo. While he did call the fatal four-way match a “fatal four,” McCain gets big points for working in the catch phrases of Hulk Hogan, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Ric Flair and Triple H.

Obama, who definitely is the most charismatic of the three, didn’t really seem to be into it. He needed to put more feeling into it when he closed with “Do you smell what Barack is cooking?”

Clinton tried hard, but her use of wrestling puns seemed forced.

In addition to the presence of the candidates, there also was a “match” between Clinton and Obama impersonators and an appearance by a Bill Clinton look-alike. The crowd didn’t seem to appreciate the pre-match banter between the faux political figures, but the bout was actually better than just about every Great Khali match.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

William Regal winning the King of the Ring tournament was unexpected, but I actually thought it was pretty obvious that he was going over once the final was set between him and CM Punk. The result made sense considering that Punk had to earn hard-fought victories over Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho to get to the final, while Regal had only to get by Hornswoggle and an injured Finlay. It also made sense because Regal is tailor-made for the king gimmick. I just can’t see Punk going around wearing a crown and robe. …

There were three good matches in the tournament: Jericho over MVP, Punk over Hardy and Punk over Jericho. It certainly appears as if Punk is going to get a major push. After winning the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV, Punk now owns clean victories over Hardy and Jericho – and he scored those wins on WWE’s top show with presumably a larger-than-usual audience. …

It certainly was a star-studded main event, as the team of Edge, Randy Orton, JBL and Chavo Guerrero defeated The Undertaker, John Cena, Triple H and Kane. Not offense to Guerrero, but he did seem a little out of place out there with all those superstars. …

Making the fatal four-way WWE title bout at Backlash an elimination match is a good call. …

Shawn Michaels and Batista had another intense verbal confrontation. It was somewhat marred, however, by the idiots in the crowd doing the “What?” chant. …

I’m trying to figure out why the Bill Clinton look-alike tripped over the ropes when entering the ring. I thought pratfalls were Gerald Ford’s gimmick. By the way, not only was the Obama impersonator’s timing off on the “It doesn’t matter” line, but he also forgot to raise his eyebrow after his promo. Amateurs. …

Mr. Kennedy is returning to Raw next week. I didn’t even realize he was gone. …

Call me crazy, but I’m looking forward to Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes defending the world tag-team titles against Carlito and Santino Marella. …

Do you think it was a coincidence that Jim Ross said this is “the enhanced version of Monday Night Raw” during the divas’ segment? Me either.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 4:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
                    

WWE's publicity stunt has turned out better than it ever could have imagined.

The company had invited Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to settle their differences in the ring tonight during a three-hour edition of Raw. Most fans were expecting two impersonators to show up, much like the infamous Donald Trump-Rosie O'Donnell match last year.

Instead, the real Obama, Clinton and Republican John McCain will all address the WWE audience tonight via taped messages, according to a WWE news release.

This is a win-win situation. WWE gains exposure and credibility, and the candidates, by appearing on a wrestling program, show that they have a sense of humor and are not elitists. They also get a forum to deliver their messages to a young demographic that otherwise might not have been listening.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
                    

I appreciate those who posted a comment or sent me an e-mail saying that they got a chuckle out of this morning’s post, in which I imagined what would happen if Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton accepted WWE’s invitation to appear on Raw tomorrow night.

Obviously, my intent was just to have a little fun with the absurd idea of the two presidential candidates settling their differences in the ring – which is what WWE has proposed.

It seems that not everyone got the joke, however.

I have received quite a few comments from people passionately defending their candidate and denouncing what they perceived as a negative portrayal of him or her. Some even attempted to engage in a serious political debate.

Don’t get me wrong. Next to pro wrestling, politics is one of my favorite subjects to discuss. But there is a time and place for serious discourse on the election, and that place isn’t on Raw or on this blog. For that reason, I have chosen not to post any comments from people who didn’t take the post in the vein in which it was intended.

Some people even claimed that they could tell my political leanings by the satirical piece. Believe me, those who know me well will find that especially funny. I have no problem poking fun at both parties – although, with President Bush, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel at this point.

OK, now that I’ve offended both sides, let’s move on.

***

To follow up on a post from last week, I will be discussing pro wrestling on The Rob Long Show on WNST (1570 AM) every Wednesday at 3 p.m. beginning this week. The segments will be archived on WNST.net.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
                    

It could be a historic episode of Raw tomorrow night, as WWE has invited Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to settle their differences in the squared circle during the three-hour edition of the show.

Will they accept WWE’s offer? Highly unlikely. But, in all seriousness, I think it would be smart for the candidates to think outside the box and at least send along a taped message. It would show that they have a sense of humor and don’t take themselves too seriously, which just might get them over with some undecided voters.

I’m sure there are some wrestling fans rolling their eyes at WWE’s obvious publicity stunt, but I think it’s pretty clever. WWE already has received some press coverage on the company’s invitation to the candidates, and it will likely get more based on whatever happens – or doesn’t happen – on the show. It’s all about getting the company’s name out there and trying to lure new viewers to sample the product.

To add to the hype, the makers of the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 game have produced a video simulating what could happen if Obama and Clinton square off.

I have come up with my own scenario of what would happen if the two Democratic heavyweights show up tomorrow night in Greenville, S.C., for Raw:

Obama comes to the ring first and soaks up the cheers of the crowd for about 30 seconds before dramatically raising the microphone to his mouth.

“Finally, Barack has come back to Greenville!” he says.

The charismatic Obama talks some smack about Clinton, and then waits for her to make her entrance. At that point, Bill Clinton appears on the stage, and he’s pushing Hillary in a wheelchair. She appears to be in a catatonic state.

Bill helps her into the ring and seats her back in the wheelchair, as Obama looks confused. Bill explains that Hillary caught him in the divas’ locker room earlier and she was livid. Bill says he couldn’t calm her down, so when she wasn’t looking, he slipped some sedatives into her water. He says that Vince McMahon told him that’s how he should handle a wife who meddles in his affairs. “I just wish Vince would have told me that about 10 years ago,” Bill says.

Obama then declares that he is the winner of the match by default. Suddenly, Hillary rises from the wheelchair and kicks Bill below the belt, sending the former president crumbling to the mat. “Oh, man, I feel your pain,” Obama says as he clutches his own lower abdomen.

Hillary picks up a microphone and explains that she got some advice on how to handle a philandering husband from Linda McMahon, so she only pretended to drink the spiked water.

“And now you’re next,” she says to Obama. He takes a defensive stance and tries to reason with her. Obama says he doesn’t think they should fight because they are really on the same side. He extends his hand as a gesture of friendship.

Hillary hesitates, unsure of whether to trust him. Finally, she shakes his hand, and then the two candidates raise each other’s arms in a show of solidarity.

All of a sudden, Obama decks Hillary, knocking her out cold.

“You see, Hillary,” he says standing over her, “it’s like I’ve been telling you all along. I’m all about change.”

He opens his clenched fist to reveal a roll of quarters.

Before walking off, Obama delivers one final line: “If you smell what Barack is cookin’!”

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
                    

Was I dreaming, or did TNA produce good episodes of Impact for four consecutive weeks? If I was dreaming, I sure got a wakeup call last night.

After an outstanding buildup to last Sunday’s Lockdown pay-per-view that featured a serious, MMA-influenced approach to the Kurt Angle-Samoa Joe main event, TNA reverted back to all of the nonsense that had made Impact almost unwatchable at times.

Among the lowlights: Almost every set of partners and allies weren’t getting along; Angle went back to being a funny guy; and there was way too much of Super Eric.

There is a lot of talent in TNA and it seemed like the company was heading in the right direction, which is what makes last night’s show so frustrating. It’s almost unfathomable that the same people responsible for the previous four shows also were responsible for this debacle.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

The program ended with Booker T. and Sting not getting along, with Booker acting heelish. That would have meant something if we hadn’t already seen friction among allies in segment after segment all night.

In case you missed the show, here are the others on the dissension list: Brother Ray and Brother Devon; Kip James and James Storm; and the entire women’s locker room. There also was implied tension between Kevin Nash and Samoa Joe, Black Machismo and Sonjay Dutt, and Christian and Rhino. …

Angle, who is at his best when he’s portrayed as an intense shooter, was sobbing again, this time because his private dressing room had been converted into a storage closet. …

Perhaps the best segment on the show featured a backstage confrontation that Christian Cage and Rhino had with Team 3-D. As usual, Brother Ray was great on the microphone. Like a typical bully, he challenged Rhino and Cage to a fight, and then had Kip James, Robert Roode and James Storm suddenly appear to back him up. …

After Black Machismo defeated Johnny Devine in a good match, Petey Williams attacked Machismo, cashed in his Feast of Fired briefcase and defeated Machismo for the X Division title. I wonder where TNA got the idea to have a briefcase with a contract for a title shot in it that the holder of the case could cash in at any time? …

NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler did commentary on the X Division match. I was waiting for him to say “Shazam!” or Golly, Sgt. Carter.” Ask your parents if you’re not old enough to get that one. On a serious note, Sadler and TNA are doing a good thing, as he said that the company will be donating a portion of its proceeds from merchandise sales to benefit Autism research. …

Awesome Kong retained the TNA women’s title against Roxxi Laveaux in a decent match. I liked that Laveaux got in a good amount of offense before losing. She can work and she seems to be over with the crowd at the Impact Zone. …

The team of Super Eric and Kaz defeated Tomko and A.J. Styles for the TNA tag-team titles, with Super Eric pinning Styles. You read that correctly. That in itself was bad enough. But then we had to go through this whole ordeal about whether the title change was valid. See, it was supposed to be Eric Young in the match, but since he claims he isn’t Super Eric, it was technically outside interference. Got all that? So then Jim Cornette stripped Super Eric and Kaz of the title. …

When dealing with the Super Eric/Eric Young silliness, Cornette must have been shooting when he apologized for all the stupidity on the program. The fans applauded that one. He also said, “I remember when I had a little dignity left.” As good as Cornette is as a performer, even he can’t get this stuff over. …

The hints that Kevin Nash is turning heel continued, as Samoa Joe did a promo and Nash appeared behind him and kept staring at the TNA world title belt. If a Samoa Joe-Nash title program is where this is heading, Nash at this stage of his career needs to put Joe over clean in the middle of the ring. …

During a promo, Kip James did the nWo’s “Down where? Down there” bit. If you’re going to use material from a decade ago, at least use your own. …

LAX did a promo that was barely intelligible, and then, for no apparent reason, Salinas began berating new backstage interviewer Lauren, who was trying not to laugh. Aren’t LAX supposed to be babyfaces? …

Two more reasons that I didn’t care for this show: It appears as if Crystal has been replaced, and there was no Curry Man. I don’t know what the deal is with Crystal, but she was the best of any of the female backstage interviewers that have been in TNA or WWE. Plus, she and Curry Man could really cut a rug together.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 3:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)