CALDWELL'S TAKE THE CORNER CUBE: Smackdown in HD, Morishima great in '08 Nov 21, 2007 - 7:05:02 PM

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Updated throughout the day, Torch columnist James Caldwell's new weekday blog focuses on hot topic current events and issues from around wrestling. Caldwell writes from his corner cubicle after a sudden department re-location to the other side of the office. It's law firm office politics.

Updated Wednesday, November 21 (last update: 7:05 p.m.)

Have a great Thanksgiving, Torch readers!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about WWE needing to make the switch to HDTV, especially with its Smackdown broadcast. Watching the show, which is currently broadcast in regular video format, on an HDTV isn't a particularly great experience when viewers are slowly becoming accustomed to viewing their favorite TV shows in crystal-clear high-def.

Considering that every major retailer from Wal-Mart to Best Buy is offering deep discounts on HDTVs for the Christmas shopping season, the number of households without HDTV will be shrinking by the day.

At the second quarter conference call with investors this summer, WWE CEO Linda McMahon said the company expects to be HD-ready with its Smackdown broadcast by the beginning of 2008. They took the next step by filming HD-specific video earlier this week in Florida to prepare for the switch.

The upgrade is necessary for Smackdown to compete against other Friday night television that is currently broadcast in HD, such as NBA basketball. Will there be a ratings spike with the picture quality improving? Only if the storylines and wrestling keeps up with the broadcast changes.

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Is that ROH PPV here yet?

While we wait for ROH's third PPV to debut next weekend with the much-talked about ladder match, the best news of the week is Morishima signing up for a regular schedule in 2008. He's been unbelievably valuable to ROH this year, and helped carry the company through some turnover earlier in the year when regular ROH wrestlers moved on or became exclusive to TNA.

I haven't had a chance to watch Morishima's title defenses from the two "Death Before Dishonor V" shows in August, but other Torch writers have told me that challengers Claudio Castagnoli and Brent Albright had their best ROH match this year against him. Claudio and Brent are two future main eventers for ROH, and Morishima has settled into an important role of helping create other stars.

There are a number of characteristics that make Morishima great in the ring, but what always stands out to me when I watch his matches is that he can give an opponent a ton of offense to make the opponent seem credible, but Morishima can come right back with a power move to blast an opponent's head off and get his heat right back.

For an analogy from a completely different era, you could look at Morishima as the touring NWA champion, like Ric Flair, coming into a territory and just barely escaping with the title against a local wrestler to create an instant star for taking the NWA champ to the limit.

Morishima can give a challenger nearfalls, offense, etc. and never lose credibility because he's always one power move away from a knockout. In the process, the challenger gains credibility with the audience for taking a badass like Morishima to the limit. Or, in the case of Nigel McGuinness, finally taking the belt from him.

***

Kristal Marshall got off the WWE train. Good for her. In her first comments since leaving WWE, Kristal talks about leaving the company on her website. Her key point of contention is a disagreement with the direction of her storyline on Smackdown. She called it "morally degrading." She also calls out her former co-workers for selling their souls to the business.

Kristal cited Lita as an example of a very talented wrestler who WWE turned into a one-dimensional floozy. (My goodness, how valuable Lita would be to WWE right now, considering the poor state of the women's division on Raw. If there ever was a time for Lita to make a babyface comeback against Beth Phoenix and get paid with a series of PPV matches, now would be a good time.)

Time heals all wounds, but Lita was sent packing with a box of naughty toys and an embarrassing moment courtesy of Cryme Tyme on her final WWE appearance. Instead of the gold watch for nearly ten years of service, she got the golden shaft.

Kristal has enough talent beyond a pretty face and stunning body to get work in other entertainment fields. Stacy Keibler hasn't become a major star since she left WWE after "Dancing with the Stars", but she has numerous projects and TV appearances on her resume. Trish Stratus can settle down and start a family after saving her money, but the door to the entertainment world is always open. Former diva Amy Weber left after a series of incidents with Randy Orton, and she runs her own production company. There are opportunities outside of WWE for many of the divas.

But, for many, it's simply more comfortable sticking with a role that guarantees a paycheck and steady work, rather than leaving the comfort zone of the WWE and having to stand in line day after day for auditions in the entertainment business.

When I ask wrestlers why they put up with the stress of the wrestling business, they often rationalize that it's simply easier to get kicked in the ass by a company that's going to guarantee a paycheck and provide a creative outlet, rather than getting kicked in the ass at a 9-to-5 job while sitting in a stuffy cubicle with no opportunity for advancement.

Regardless, if Kristal felt that she was traveling down a path to Litaville, then good for her to get out. The wrestling business offers no promises other than bumps, bruises, and politics. It's not for everyone, and it appears that Kristal made the right decision to get off the train at this stop.

***

TNA has a story on its website with various wrestlers and non-wrestlers commenting (in character) on what they're thankful for at Thanksgiving. Some fun, off-the-wall responses, but Black Reign Dustin Rhodes wins with the following doozy. I'd love to hear Michael Scott from The Office deliver this one...

I am very thankful this Thanksgiving that I have a wonderful little mistress, my arctic fox, Misty. We will be dining together with her wheel and it will be raining. The downpour will fall all day and the only ones that will be left at the dinner table are me, Misty, and the wheel. Happy Thanksgiving.

Updated Tuesday, November 20

It's safe to say Mr. Kennedy's 2007 has been filled with more downs than ups. Serious injuries, losing the Money in the Bank stipulation, Wellness policy suspension, and an erratic push on TV have all defined Kennedy's year. Sounds like we have a contender for Career Tailspin in the Torch Year-End awards.

I'm not going that way, though. I'm putting him at the top of Rising Star category for year-end awards. Through all the down times for Kennedy this year, the last five days have marked a noticeable turnaround.

First, his match against Rey Mysterio on Smackdown. It was a terrific match. It got me excited for Survivor Series. But, my takeaway was looking at a different Kennedy in the ring. He worked like a heel should in trying to rip the head off his opponent, building toward Rey's big comeback at the end. Even with Kennedy losing clean to Rey, I came away more impressed with Kennedy than I had in quite some time.

We'll toss out Survivor Series and his diminished role in the nine-man tag match. On Raw, they plugged him into a feud with Shawn Michaels, which obviously shows WWE is willing to give Kennedy another chance to deliver in an important role. Sure, he got his face smashed with a superkick so Michaels could get his heat back, but it was the promo that followed that was pure money.

Kennedy's tone was pitch perfect as he stood backstage with his chipmunk jaw and bruised ego. He didn't yell and scream to overshadow the point he was trying to make. He didn't make a bunch of wild threats in a mad voice. He was direct. He showed good range. Most importantly, it established the issue between himself and Michaels with only a few weeks of TV time available to build toward their expected Armageddon PPV match. Something clicked with Kennedy in the ring and on the mic, and I'm back on the bandwagon.

***

- Last week's Raw from November 12 finished in eighth place for the second hour and twelfth place for the first hour. The show averaged 5 million viewers over the course of the two hours. There were roughly 8,000 editions of Spongebob Squarepants that held Raw down, but Raw finished ahead of the Democratic Presidential Debate on CNN last Thursday night.

***

- TNA's latest DVD release chronicling the first year of its existence comes out today. I've watched the first hour of the DVD, so I'll have a review later in the week when I finish viewing the DVD. The story isn't complete, though, without reading Jerry Jarrett's book on the subject.

- Jim Ross details his current contract status with WWE in his latest blog on jrsbarbq.com. "The WWE and I are negotiating for a new multi year contract," he said. Ross continued that his contract has not lapsed, and there is no truth to reports that he has been working without a contract the past few weeks. A detailed blog entry today from Ross worth a read.

- Ric Flair is endorsing presidential Mike Huckabee, and he'll be hosting a campaign tailgate party before the Clemson vs. South Carolina football game on Saturday.

- For our international readers, WWE is running a house show in Seoul, South Korea on February 18 as part of the post-Royal Rumble tour. The Korea Times has a report that the show will be at the 30,000-seat Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. WWE's website lists the show at the 13,000-seat Chamsil Gymnasium. Big difference in venues, but tickets go on sale December 6.

- In Canada, WWE's latest video game release is the top five most rented video game at Blockbuster for the period ending November 18. Call of Duty 4, which sponsors the Armageddon PPV, is a spot ahead at number four.

***

Chris Jericho's return was needed on Raw. Shawn Michaels came back earlier than expected from his injury and subsequent recovery period because they needed star power. Jeff Hardy finally appears to be in the middle of a serious push.

Adding Jericho to the mix gives the show an instant boost. Yes, it pushes the mid-card wrestlers out of the picture, but WWE isn't going to change its mind overnight and start explaining what in the world is going on with Holly and Rhodes, or give the tag division any semblance of a credible push.

As for the Big Return, I hear you readers on it leaving something to be desired. Maybe it was the surprise factor being gone, thanks to an easy code to break, WWE releasing a magazine cover with Jericho on the front, and us pesky wrestling news outlets reporting on it well in advance. Maybe it was the lame torch-runner being clotheslined to the ground before Jericho's big debut.

I didn't have an issue with the way the return was presented. I was simply excited to see Jericho back on the show, as should everyone else at the end of the day. The problem, I thought, was the content of the promo. Did he bring energy? Definitely. Was it exciting to hear the old Jericho catchphrases? I thought so. Has his spunk, wit, and ability to hold court in front of a live audience been missing from Raw? Certainly.

The problem I had was Jericho cutting down Orton on an attack that was borderline personal and seemed to be something usually reserved for a backstage announcer, not the company's champion. Orton is a heel, but the announcers don't find fault with Orton for being boring with a headlock. They find fault with Orton because of the ruthlessness of his action. Wrestlers feuding with Orton don't find fault with Orton because of his promo style. They find fault with Orton because of the content of his words he when he opens his mouth for a promo.

I thought Jericho's "critique" of Orton hurt Orton. They spent the last month building up Orton as a credible champion. He beat Shawn Michaels clean in the ring at Survivor Series without having to retain the belt with a cop-out finish.

What's the issue between Orton and Jericho? That should be the focus. If the issue is Jericho saving the audience from Orton as champion, then it should be because Orton is a conniving, unethical, egotistical, arrogant, morally corrupt individual who will do anything necessary to keep the belt. He's a damn good heel. It shouldn't be Jericho saving the audience from a boring round of headlocks or a drawn out promo. That's the problem I had, more than any other possible flaw, with Jericho's return last night.

***

Updated Monday, November 19

In approximately 5 hours, Chris Jericho is expected to Save Us from whatever needs saving on Raw. (Hey, maybe it's Lashley returning and we're all being had.) In any event, the intrigue for tonight concerns how Jericho returns. Is it a solo promo? Does he interrupt a match? Does he interrupt someone's promo? Does he interrupt a Vince McMahon anti-government speech?

Mick Foley wrote an entire book about the program he had in mind for Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer for last year's ECW PPV. Nothing quite went according to plan with creative disagreements along the way, which is probably what Chris Jericho fears about his grand return. If he interrupts a tag team match and cuts a promo on the already castrated tag division, it wouldn't exactly be the monumental return everyone is expecting. Regardless, it will be good to have Jericho back on TV.

I'm expecting a babyface return, so here's my top four heels and babyfaces on the Raw brand. This is according to how I believe the TV time, important matches, and overall hype will shake out following Jericho's return leading to the December PPV.

Top Four babyfaces

(1) Triple H - the inevitable Orton vs. Hunter feud could be set up tonight to get a PPV main event out of the way at Armageddon. It wouldn't surprise me, though, to see Hunter remain in the shadows with a Kennedy program.

(2) Chris Jericho - strong initial push for Jericho. Could go either way in a month after fans get reacquainted with Jericho and WWE determines how much of a reaction he's getting.

(3) Jeff Hardy - his push starts, then stops, then starts again. Jeff picking up the win at Survivor Series and standing tall with Hunter was a sign of it starting again, but he could lose to clean to someone like Big Daddy V on Raw tonight based on how things go for him.

(4) Shawn Michaels - takes a breather from the main event after running out of title matches against Randy Orton. Still a very strong no. 4 if he slips down the ladder for the time being.

Top Four heels

(1) Randy Orton - the champion benefited from the Michaels program to develop a serious heel side to his character that was missing a month ago.

(2) Umaga - no matter how many times Hunter beats him, he still comes across like a guy who can rip an opponent's head off at any given time.

(3) Mr. Kennedy - see Hardy, Jeff. He's up one week, then down another week. He had a very good match against Rey Mysterio on Smackdown this week, but he didn't fare too well at Survivor Series. WWE doesn't seem to know what to do with him on TV these days. A program with Hunter would at least give him some stability.

(4) Santino - hopefully more promo time and less in-ring time. I'm holding out for a Jericho vs. Santino promo exchange.

***

Scanning my email this afternoon, we already have record response to the Question of the Week on Shawn Michaels using the crossface hold last night at Survivor Series. The opinions are very passionate in both directions on using the hold vs. not using the hold. Keep sending in your feedback and make your voice known! I'll be posting many of the responses tonight after Raw.

***

- WWE sent out a press release with the formal announcement of the Florida Championship Wrestling developmental territory in Tampa that will be fully functional by the end of the year. The promotion, headed by Steve Keirn, has been running since June with shows in Tampa. They sound more dedicated to this project than the former Deep South promotion in Georgia, as they plan to increase the number of students training at the facility from 35 to 60. FCW is expanding the training facility to include a 300-seat arena for live TV tapings, with the TV show broadcast weekly in the region.

- Media Daily News has a report on NBC and CBS looking to add MMA programming during the writer's strike. Nothing new to the story, but NBC might be looking to add MMA programming as opposed to another WWE Saturday Night's Main Event episode in the SNL timeslot.

***

During the course of a WWE show, there are moments when Vince McMahon's messages, strategies, offensive power plays, etc. are evident through the stories of matches and storylines. When interviewed in the CNN documentary, McMahon said they are reducing the number of chair shots to the head. Well, there were more than several during the Hell in a Cell battle between Batista and Undertaker.

Chris Benoit had taken the role of chief pariah ever since McMahon's "apology" on ECW TV the night after they aired a two-hour tribute to him. Shawn Michaels then applied Benoit's signature finishing hold last night, which came across to me as WWE trying to make Benoit a non-issue following the CNN documentary by placing their stamp of ownership on the story. I'd be shocked to find out that Shawn Michaels called for that move without it being mapped out by the agents ahead of time.

Then, there was the typical "rallying cry" promo from McMahon to Hornswoggle. See, the Hornswoggle role was necessary for Vince. He needs a sounding board to cut promos about the defiant nature of his family. He needs to remind himself that he "defeated" the federal government over a decade ago. He needs to remind himself that he doesn't lose.

It's part reminder for McMahon and part reminder to the rest of the company that WWE simply doesn't lose. The message comes the day after a Baltimore Sun report that Congress will finally hold those hearings in early 2008 and the day before a USA Today special report checks off WWE's report card on the Wellness policy after the media coverage slowed down.

Right now, WWE is on the offensive. They were forcing the ball down the field after the CNN piece by railing on one of the leading news networks in the country. They turned up the heat at Survivor Series with the Cell match. McMahon doesn't buy into the old adage that a strong defense is a good offense. It's not within his nature, but WWE will be tested soon enough.

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