TNA Lockdown Thoughts

Last night, I attended the TNA Lockdown Pay-Per-View at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. It was the first ever TNA pay-per-view in Philly and they had a nice crowd. There were some nice suprises and some moments that were just ghastly. Below are my thoughts.

The dark match between Eric Young and Danni Bonnaduci was horrible. Danny had trouble bumping and the whole match lasted about six minutes. I wish I had gotten to the arena at 7:59 rather than at 7.

The X division championship was probably the second best match of the night in my opionion. Actually it was prob. better than I originally thought because I found out Christopher Daniels wrestled as Suicide because Kaz didn't return when he was supposed to. There were some really nice spots in this match especially involving Black Machismo and Consequences Creed. The finish was expected but overall, not a bad match.

The Queen of the Cage Match wasn't good. ODB got a great pop (along with Cody Deaner) and worked fairly well. Other than that, the match was a throwaway.

Unfornuately, due to me losing a bet to my friend Christian causing me to have to buy him a drink, I missed most of the Motor City Machine Guns match. Sorry.

Matt Morgan vs. Abyss...Enough said about that.

The TNA Knockouts Championship Match fell short of expectations for me. I am a huge Awesome Kong fan and she really didn't do as much as I hoped for. She had an insane spot where she missed a moonsaut which was awesome, but the finish sucked (that was def. a theme for the evening).

Finally, we come to by far the best match of the evening....Team 3-D vs. Beer Money Inc. Again, I was hoping they would really push the boundaries and take it into the street but they only made it as far as the concourse. There were some nice spots in this match, including two table spots (of course). The Bubba Bomb from the top rope was awesome. I still don't know how he still has a tail bone after all of those but I digress. The finish was fine with the 3D through the tables.

Now, the worst match of the evening. Team Jarrett vs. The Main Event Mafia. I was so pumped up for this match because of all the superstar power. AJ Styles had a sick spot when he fell through the top of the cage. That was pretty much it. Nash lasted about 30 seconds before he ducked in the corner the rest of the match. The finish was horrible!!!! We thought Jarrett might turn on his team but he hit angle with the guitar and Styles got the pin. Horrible.

Now, I am not a big Lashley fan. But, when he came out, the crowd, including myself went nuts. It was very unexpected.

The main event was again not great. It lasted about 10 minutes and didn't involve any even decent spots. The finish was the worst of the night with Foley and Sting both climbing over the cage with Foley landing first. The most suprising part was that Foley actually won the title.

After they went off the air, Team 3-D came out to celebrate with Foley and the fans and gave and nice speech regarding Philly as having the best wrestling fans in the world.

Overall, the show was not great at all but had some small bright spots. To be honest, I'm partial to WWE...However, my seats were great and free. So, I can't really complain. lol.

TNA Lockdown

I will be heading to the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia tomorrow night for TNA Lockdown. I will post results and thoughts on Monday.

Remember When...Trish Stratus Returned to RAW?

It's been a while since I've done a "Remember When..." post, usually a post I'd make on a memorable moment from the 80's or 90's, but for the first time today, I'm posting a remember when from not even a year ago, yet still was such a great moment, it deserves recognition. In a recent post I commented how great WWE Diva Maryse is, and how it's good to see she'll be getting a big push on RAW, with some people even comparing her to Trish Stratus. Well Maryse is good, and hopefully she becomes a big star, but she's no Trish yet. Trish Stratus is probably the only "main event" level Diva to hit WWE since Wendi Richter was a star in the mid-80's. Trish brought the star power to the Diva division, and went from being just a mega hot blonde coming out to manage Test and Albert, to becoming one of the best all time in-ring women wrestlers ever. Trish's feuds with Lita, Victoria, and Mickie James were all great stories to follow. When Trish retired in 2006, the Divas took a major step backward, and it's been a rebuilding process ever since. Now I've already posted once when Trish made her return to WWE, but it was such a great night, I've decided to do this follow up post, with the video of the match included!

Fast Forward to this past Christmas in 2008. RAW was a few days from Christmas, so WWE actually thought outside the box for once, and gave us a fun entertaining main event, as opposed to the same old tired main events every week, where the top guys feuding get put into a lame handicapped match and whichever 2 are wrestling at the next PPV have a big stand off to end the show. It was Christmas, so WWE went with a fun approach at least for one week. Santino and Beth Phoenix challenged John Cena to find a Diva to team with in an inter-gender tag match in that night's main event. Being that RAW was in Toronto that night, the rumors were heavy that Trish would appear, but actually wrestling was still a surprise. When the story unfolded, most people probably knew it would be Trish in the role, especially since the match was put in the main event spot, so someone big had to be in the spot, and only Trish would fit that role, especially in Toronto. When Cena announced Santa had brought him a new partner, and Trish's music hit, the place went wild, a huge reaction only a Diva the caliber of Trish Stratus could get. In the match, Trish hadn't missed a step, and we finally got a glimpse of Trish vs. Beth Phoenix, which is a match that's been talked about ever since Phoenix hit the scene. It was evident that Trish was the star in the match, as Cena was booed as usual, and Trish was cheered wildly in her home country, but Cena played his role well, letting Trish have most of the spotlight. Cena got the win, which I guess was the only finish that could happen since Trish pinning Beth would kill any future dream match scenarios with Trish vs. Beth 1 on 1, but Trish still shined bright, and WWE delivered a great feel good ending to a Christmas edition of RAW. If WWE did more of this type of stuff, it'd be such a better show, and would keep us guessing so more. On a side note, when the WrestleMania 25 Divas Battle Royal was announced, I figured it was a definite that Trish would be in it, and probably have a big role in the ending. But after the disappointing way WWE presented the former Divas, just thrown in the ring with no entrances or anything, I'm GLAD Trish turned them down, as she definitely knows how to pick her spots, and only appear when it's meaningful. Thankfully Trish has left the door open for a return, saying she'd do it for the right story, and I'm sure between Natalya, Phoenix, and DEFINITELY Maryse, there's still some Stratusfaction to be had by us all in the future. Here's the match from this past December, Glamarella vs. John Cena and Trish Stratus.

John Cena & Trish Stratus VS Glamarella [RAW 22/12/08]

Related:

Trish Stratus Hottest Female Canadian TV Star

Trish Stratus Wet T-Shirt Video

Thoughts on WWE Draft

Every year, the wwe decides to change it up and create new feuds to try and build a broader audience for each of the three shows. However, this year, it was clear that they are trying to build around raw since it is the top rated wwe show. Below are some thoughts on possible upcoming feuds/situations after the draft (Basically just shit that I would personally like to see).

RAW

Triple H (wwe champ) vs. Big Show

Yes, this has been done before, but unless Hunter turns heel, there isn't much else to do here. Both guys can work and have proven that. I think Orton will still become champ. very soon but besides him, there aren't really too many main event heels on raw.

Primo and Carlito (unified tag team champs.) vs. Legacy

I think its just a matter of time before Legacy regains the tag team titles. To me, they have the most upside of any tag team in the biz. It also gives the Legacy faction more credibility, especially when Orton takes the title.

John Cena will drop the title soon

I believe and I truly hope that Cena drops the title soon. He aint moving to smackdown and they wont have both titles on the same show. Look for CM Punk to have some say in bringing the title back to Smackdown with is MIB contract. Also, Edge will be involved here some how.

MVP (US Champ.) vs. The Miz

Splitting up this tag team was one of the best decisions the wwe has made in a long time. Both can hold their own as singles superstars and both will soon make an impact. I def. like the way the Miz is improving and I think these two will have a nice feud.

Matt Hardy will compete for a major title

I like Matt Hardy a lot and I think he could possibly enter a major title hunt. I don't think he is a great heel but is good enough for now.

Others to make impact on show

Batista

Evan Bourne

Kofi Kingston

Shawn Michaels

The Brian Kendrick (hopefully not jobbing)

Mr. Kennedy (if he can stay healthy)

Smackdown

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

These two haven't really matched up before but I think it can be very successful. Chris Jericho is prob. the best superstar in the wwe and anything he touches turns to gold. Punk, although I think it was a mistake not to give Christian the briefcase, will prob. end up winning a major title in 2009 unless the wwe throws a curveball and has him lose the briefcase in a match like they did with Kennedy.

Edge vs. Christian???

I would die a happy wrestling fan if these two feuded. I absolutely love both of them and I hope Christian is wearing a major title on his waist sometime soon, hopefully not the ecw title.

Rey Mysterio (intercontinental champ.) vs. John Morrision

Again, they split up this tag team for a reason. There is no doubt that Morrison can flat out wrestle, but, his mic skills need some serious work. I would love to see this feud but not if morrision isn't ready to become a true singles heel.

Others to make impact on show

The Undertaker

Jeff Hardy

Shelton Benjamin

Kane

Mike Knox

ECW

Jack Swagger (ecw champ) vs. Christian

It's kind of inevitable isn't it? I like both of them but since there is no one else on this god-foresaken show, they have no choice. Although I like for Evan Bourne to win a title soon.

Others to make impact on show

Vladimir Kozlov (hope he gets fired soon)

Evan Bourne

Findlay

Hurricane Helms

Why is Ricky Steamboat Not Still Wrestling???

For anyone that saw WrestleMania 25, or even RAW the night after, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat had his first matches in 15 years. The RAW match was most likely due to his performance in the Mania match. Going into WrestleMania 25, the Chris Jericho storyline was great, and many of us were guessing for weeks as to just who would face Jericho at Mania. Austin? Hogan? Lawler? Mickey Rourke? Well, we were all pretty let down that it would just be a legends handicapped match against the legends Jericho had already beaten up on RAW. We've seen Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper plenty of times make special apperances on numerous RAW's and pay per views. But the one stand out part of the whole sceneario, was Ricky Steamboat. Steamboat had his last match in 1994 against Steve Austin, and hadn't wrestled since. Steamboat of course is brought up every year around WrestleMania time, with everyone of course bringing up the legendary WrestleMania 3 match with "Macho Man" Randy Savage. This year, Steamboat was set to recieve the ultimate accolade, induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. So when it was announced that Steamboat would actually be wrestling, the thought alone was a very special thing. Steamboat probably wouldn't be what he once was years ago, but still, I personally believed a Jericho vs. Steamboat 1 on 1 match would've had more intrigue. The surprising thing was, I was wrong about Steamboat not being what he once was....other than gray thinning hair, Ricky Steamboat came to WrestleMania, and blew everyone away. "The Dragon" stepped in the ring at WrestleMania, and brought the magic back with him. Steamboats performance, doing his signature chop and high cross body from the top rope, were a complete 20 year flashback. Steamboat made it clear, that while Piper and Snuka were understandably slower than they'd been, Steamboat's "still got it." And the fans let him know, the "you've still got it" chant was awesome, it was like finally Ricky Steamboat was getting the recognition he deserved, on the grandest stage of them all. Steamboat lost to Jericho, but in reality, Steamboat scored the real victory, as it was apparent that the fans weren't the only ones who recognized Steamboat still had the magic in the ring, as RAW opened up the following night with the announcement that there would be a "WrestleMania MVP" 8 man tag match, and Steamboat was in there teaming with Cena, CM Punk, and Mysterio. You could tell Steamboat's partners for the night were in awe that they got to team with the legend in this match, and when Steamboat was tagged in, he turned the fire on, chopping away on everyone, selling like only Steamboat can, and taking part in the finish with Rey Mysterio. In the end, Steamboat got the proper send off, as his team mates left him in the ring to get the spotlight one more time, as the fans gave him one more ovation, and he soaked up the respect of the wrestlers and the crowd. The question here is, Steamboat stepping in the ring and performing got people talking, people were given what they wanted to see, and that's something not many wrestlers today can do, so why is Ricky Steamboat not on the roster for another year or so? The perfect underdog that can still go. I'm sure injuries forced Steamboat into retirement in 94, but now it seems The Dragon is ready to go for one last run. The send off Steamboat got on RAW almost seemed like a farewell (although Steamboat still works for WWE behind the scenes,) but I think WWE seriously needs to consider having Steamboat have one more run, because I myself would love a year full of Steamboat vs. Michaels, Triple H, Punk, Mysterio, etc. matches. Steamboat's still got it, and we want more!

April Fools Joke or Major WWE Screw Up?

Many wrestling sources released a story today touting that the wwe posted a picture of a new undertaker t-shirt giving up the match result at this Sunday's Wrestlemania. The shirt reads 17-0 with undertaker's cross peircing a heart (heart-break kid). Although, the wwe quickly removed this picture from it's website, one can only wonder if it was indeed another april fools joke, a way for the wwe to throw the fans off, or a really horrible screw-up by the WWE.