Vladimir Kozlov plays The Game on Smackdown
The rehabilitation of Vladimir Kozlov continued last night on Smackdown, as he picked up a pinfall win over Triple H. OK, it was in a handicap match with The Big Show as his partner, but still, anytime someone gets a 1-2-3 on “The Game” it’s newsworthy.
The victory, as well as the weekly videos of Kozlov training intensely, seem to indicate that WWE still has big plans for “The Moscow Mauler,” who at one point looked as if he was being groomed for the WWE title, or at least a high-profile title program with Triple H. His stock fell, however, after less-than-impressive performances against Triple H at the Survivor Series in November and on house shows.
I think WWE has made the right call in not giving up on Kozlov too soon. He has a menacing look and a unique style, and while he may never be a mega-star, he certainly seems capable of being in the top mix, similar to how Umaga and The Great Khali were booked in the past.
My guess is that WWE is trying to get Kozlov – who is billed on TV as being undefeated even though he has lost at house shows – ready for a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania. If that is the case, I think WWE should have put Kozlov over a little stronger last night. I’m not suggesting that he should have scored a clean win over Triple H, but it would have made Kozlov look better if Big Show simply interfered rather than it being a two-on-one match.
Other thoughts on last night’s show:
There was some good wrestling on the program. The three matches that stood out were: The Undertaker-Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison/The Miz-Carlito/Primo and Edge-Matt Hardy.
The tag match was probably the best of the three, mostly because it could have gone either way. The second Undertaker-Benjamin bout in three weeks was very good, but it was lacking in drama because we all knew Benjamin wasn’t going to win no matter how many near falls he got. Still, Benjamin getting in so much offense in two consecutive matches against The Undertaker increases his credibility. …
I enjoyed Jeff Hardy’s sit-down interview with Jim Ross. It definitely worked better in a studio than it would have in front of a live crowd. Hardy spoke well, but his promo at the end sounded more rehearsed than natural. By the way, since Hardy supposedly suffered burns during last week’s pyro accident, shouldn’t he have had on a bandage or at least a Band-Aid? All of these attacks and accidents and he doesn’t have a scratch on him. …
It was a little surprising to see WWE putting over The Wrestler on TV. The movie doesn’t exactly “put smiles on people’s faces,” which is the line that Vince McMahon – who reportedly hated the movie – often uses to describe his business whenever a scandal pops up. I suppose WWE figured it wasn’t a bad idea to be associated with The Wrestler once it received Oscar nominations. Hey, maybe they can get Mickey Rourke to appear as Randy “The Ram” Robinson at WrestleMana 25. …
It was good to see Maryse back on TV after suffering a dislocated kneecap at the end of last month. As far as her commentating last night, well, let’s just say that I enjoy watching her. …
I was disappointed that there was no follow-up on MVP ending his losing streak last week.
Comments
I definitely agree with you about the Jeff Hardy Interview. I would have thought he would have showed some kind of injury. I was actually thinking MVP would have came out to "help" HHH in his match, since HHH broke his 20 week losing streak. In my opinion, it's anybody's guess as to who they are going to bring out as the "attacker". I still agree that Edge is too obvious, but it seems that they have strayed away from Matt. Thoughts?
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I'm sticking with Matt. If it's not him, it's Christian. I think Edge is a red herring.
Posted by: Gwen in Winchester, VA | January 24, 2009 3:58 PM
Hey Kev ,
do you think it indicated anything when Jeff Hardy said "he Crossed the line" a quote from TNA
I still don't think christan is going back to WWE what do you think????
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I doubt that WWE was playing off TNA's catch phrase.
Posted by: Anonymous | January 24, 2009 4:09 PM
Maryse didn't say much on commentary, but her not acting afraid of McCool was nice to hear. Hopefully now, the insane amount of TV time that McCool's been getting will be scaled back. It would be a joke if she gets the title again, especially at the expense of Maryse, who's more appealing and much more fun to watch.
Posted by: chris | January 24, 2009 4:14 PM
Re: Hardy not having any bandages , - he must be taking the right "medicine".
Posted by: the artist formerly known as jack in hebron | January 24, 2009 4:37 PM
I absolutely agree with you on the Jeff Hardy promo.
It was far too obvious that he was trying to remember those lines, especially when you notice how fast he was talking. Plus, the words sounded extremely scripted.
It makes you think, "Who talks like that?"
Posted by: Jack Windham | January 24, 2009 5:28 PM
"As far as her commentating last night, well, let’s just say that I enjoy watching her. …"
Oui.
As for the pyrotechnics tampering, logic dictates that Matt, not Christian, must have done it, for Christian - who hasn't been seen in WWE for over three years - couldn't move about the venue without drawing attention. But that doesn't rule out the two of them working together....
Of course, I wouldn't bet against WWE's revealing that Kane is behind everything, because Kane, you see, doesn't like Jeff Hardy or any of Jeff's fans.
Posted by: Christopher | January 24, 2009 5:32 PM
BTW, why would Vickie tell Edge to "man-up" and then make it a no disqualification match knowing that there could be interference? That made absolutely no sense to me.
Posted by: Gwen in Winchester, VA | January 24, 2009 6:15 PM
Com'n Kevin. No comments on how Friday night changes/doesn't change your opinion on whether or not Matt Hardy is the one that took out Jeff? He fought awfully hard for Jeff's honor to have been the one to do it himself.
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Of course he fought hard. That's how swerves work. Plus, if it is Matt, that doesn't mean he and Edge would suddenly be friends, especially considering their history. Until it is revealed that it isn't Matt, I'm sticking to it.
Posted by: Kyle | January 24, 2009 6:28 PM
I have to say I'm still not sold on Vozlov as of yet, but those training scenes really helped. I see him as a brock lesnar, but theres just something missing, maybe time will sort this out? But I wouldnt be suprised if he got fed up and left to take up MMA like Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar, He defiantly looks talented enough, I wonder if this is a concern for WWE seeing as he isnt going down as they wanted him to
Posted by: stan | January 24, 2009 8:02 PM
Kev, do you not think it's time the WWE ditched the From The Vault segments?
Sure they're fun to watch again, but with a load of top stars (MVP, R-Truth, Helms etc,) that slot would be better used for another match.
Posted by: Sam Fletcher | January 24, 2009 8:34 PM
Kev, are you sure there wasn't a quick recap of the Show/MVP match?
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I didn't mean a recap. I meant that MVP should have been on the show, at least to cut a promo.
Posted by: Rob the Barber | January 24, 2009 8:36 PM
I really only have one question...
What ever happened to Kizarny? He hasn't been on T.V. for about a month. After all the hype, are they gonna do anything with him?
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: The word is that the powers that be weren't impressed with him.
Posted by: Richard | January 24, 2009 8:57 PM
Hey Kevin, nice blog. I am fascinated by the sour response regarding the movie "The Wrestler" and Vince McMahon. But am I surprised? Not at all. These guys live for the drama which they create and people eat it up (including myself).
Posted by: Reel Wrestling | January 24, 2009 9:57 PM
I'd like to thank Kizarny for his brief participation in the WWE.
Alas, we hardly knew ye, even if your promos put together probably lasted longer than your once match.
It just amazes me how they can waste so much time on lame promos to build the guy up and then he wrestles one mediocre match and they yank him.
Might as well send him over to the ECW brand and at least try one more time, though with that show only being an hour I don't know how much time they'd give him there anyway.
It's just funny to see a new, incoming character pimped so much for so long and then when he actually gets in the ring you basically blink and it's over.
Posted by: James | January 25, 2009 2:51 AM
The "cross the line" quote is making me think it will be christian. I heard another one of those last week that was more vauge but I need to watch last weeks again to figure out what it was. I've sadly slept since then. I wish it would be a Matt/Jeff feud, but for some reason I just doubt it.
Posted by: PaperTreeProphet | January 25, 2009 3:03 AM
If they are going to turn Matt Hardy heel, as so many of us seemingly hope, then it seems to me that they have to turn Edge face as well. It would make no sense that Edge should pair up with Matt given their past history and the fact that Matt would have been using Edge as a convenient scapegoat for all these recent incidents. All the little things, from Edge trading insults with Big Shows, the minor misunderstandings with Vickie, expressing sympathy for Jeff Hardy, indicate that a face turn for Edge is in the works. I only hope that Matt Hardy (and presumably, Christian) can effectively get over as heels since it would be their first time in the main-event spotlight at the WWE.
Of course, we could all be completely wrong and they might just be going for a return of the Hardy Boys vs Edge & Christian rather than Jeff/Edge vs Matt/Christian.
Also, why end the last Smackdown before the Royal Rumble with Vladimir Koslov & Big Show standing tall over a fallen HHH? It does little to advance any storyline or offer a compelling incentive to order the PPV. Are we supposed to expect that HHH or Koslov will win the rumble? Surely that match should have been placed in the middle of the show with the Matt Hardy & Edge match serving as the main event? Not only did that match advanced the Edge/Jeff title match slightly but it also provided some interest to the Swagger/Matt title match too. Isn't this Basic Booking 101? End the last show before a PPV with some kind of incentive for viewers to order the PPV?
Posted by: Din | January 25, 2009 4:45 AM
Personally, my new "James has too much time theory" is that Christian and Matt were in on it with Vicki. Matt couldn't believe Jeff got the WWE title after so many screw ups while he did things the right way and is stuck on ECW. Christian hated Edge for not following him when he left or not helping him stay and Vicki brought him back to get revenge for the cheating. It would be a double turn with Matt and Edge. They both need something new.
Plus they could address the gaps for Christian by saying he got the wig Rosa Mendes used on Raw 2 weeks ago to alter the pyro and since he's from Canada he could just claim diplomatic immunity for the assault, vehicular assault, double attempted murder and arson.
OR maybe Rikishi is coming back for another run as the WORST reveal ever?
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Rikishi's motive was great: "I did it for da Rock."
Posted by: James C | January 25, 2009 4:56 AM
Re: Jeff/Edge Matt/Christian
I really hope that's the direction they're going. Not only would it be cool to have two sets of former partners feuding but the alliances would be tenuous at best - so you'd have the added tension of whether Jeff and Edge could trust each other.
Posted by: Jeremy Hale | January 25, 2009 5:20 AM
I'm sure that after MVP beat Big Show to secure HHH's Rumble entry Vicky said that HHH vs Kozlov would also have his Rumble entry on the line.
Posted by: Bowch | January 25, 2009 6:18 AM
Maria has the looks but not the wrestling skills. McCool is not exactly ugly but she's not da bomb either. In any case, her in-ring skills aren't all that great (she's not on the level of the Glamazon or Mickie James). Maryse has the looks and the skills. She's an awesome poster girl for the WWE. I'd advance her for a long title reign. Don't be a Canadian-hater, y'all!
BTW, at this year's WWE draft, I'm betting that the Panderer-in-Cheif, John Cena, is heading Smackdown's way!
Posted by: Denver | January 25, 2009 9:30 AM
I have been among those who have dismissed Kizarny, but honestly, I think that the creative team has to accept a large slice of the blame. Would a young Shawn Michaels have connected with fans if he had been given such a silly gimmick?
Posted by: Christopher | January 25, 2009 10:43 AM
Hopefully Din doesn't have 10 posts to this nature already, but the spoiler reports from the double-taping for the past two show (hence the reason most people wrestling last week were not wrestling this week) said that Vickie Guerrero put a stipulation that if HHH did not win against Kozlov, then Hunter would enter the Rumble at #1 (for a third time). WWE apparently changed that in the past two weeks, but the handicap match did have an impact on the Rumble itself when it was filmed.
Posted by: Mr. Sarcasm | January 25, 2009 11:35 AM
It wasn't very "cerebral" of the Game to turn his back to the Big Show at the end of the match.
Posted by: Bob Buscaglia | January 25, 2009 12:33 PM
Thanks for the explanation, Mr. Sarcasm. I generally avoid reading spoilers.
Posted by: Din | January 27, 2009 7:22 AM