CALDWELL'S TAKE
CORNER CUBE THURSDAY: Torch awards - Best Wrestler, TNA Impact preview, Misawa vs. KENTA
Dec 27, 2007 - 6:35:25 PM |
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By James Caldwell, Torch columnist
Updated throughout the day from the corner cubicle, Torch columnist James Caldwell's weekday blog focuses on hot topic current events and other items of interest from around wrestling.
From the Cube: Thursday, December 27
6:35 p.m. Time for another round of year-end awards pick 'em. Yesterday, I made my selection of Morishima as the MVP of 2007. As we saw with WWE throughout the year, they lost top star after top star due to injury or suspension, and they moved on without blinking an eye. Meanwhile, Morishima captained the ROH ship when TNA pulled talent.
Today's category is the Best Wrestler of 2007. It's tough to pin down one wrestler who had better matches than Morishima over the course of 2007. He was healthy. He was consistent. He delivered when asked. I'm not picking Morishima, though. He's definitely no. 2 or 3 - right there with Bryan Danielson. Despite injuries, I'm going with Shawn Michaels as the best wrestler of 2007.
(2) Best Wrestler - Shawn Michaels. In the span of four weeks, Shawn Michaels main evented WrestleMania against John Cena in a four-star match, then wrestled the classic 56-minute on Raw against Cena. That was just a small portion of Michaels's consistency in the ring when faced with any opponent.
Michaels didn't hold singles gold this year, but he can hang his hat on wrestling outstanding matches with the likes of Cena, Orton, Kennedy, Edge, and having ten minutes of greatness with The Undertaker in the Royal Rumble.
2006 was Michaels's year to be goofy with Triple H in the reformation of DX. 2007 was Michaels's year to wrestle great matches and remind everyone why he is one of WWE's most dependable wrestlers on the roster.
***
4:25 p.m. Thankfully, tonight's episode of TNA Impact is not a holiday-themed edition. So, at least we can rule out A.J. Styles in a silly outfit. Instead, TNA has booked all gauntlets, all the time. There will be a Heavyweight, X Division, tag division, and Knockouts division gauntlet match to determine the top contenders in the respective divisions. Apparently, the Feast or Fired gimmick that was dragged out for three shows wasn't enough.
Non-gauntlet matches include A.J. Styles & Tomko in a non-title match against Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley. Also on the show, Booker T. vs. Robert Roode in a re-match from the last PPV. And a six-diva tag match. We welcome your feedback on the thank-goodness-it's-not-a-holiday episode of Impact tonight.
***
11:45 a.m. Last night, I watched Misawa vs. KENTA for the GHC Title from ROH's Nov. 3 show in New York City. Great match. It wasn't spectacular, just great. They didn't try to have a Kobashi vs. Joe match that will maintain legendary status until the end of time. They did the basics so well, though, that it really stood out.
The basic story was KENTA trying to use his youth and athleticism to take it to the respected champion. Misawa rightfully didn't sell everything for KENTA early on, but as the match story progressed, KENTA started to wear Misawa down. He couldn't wear him all the way down, though, and Misawa won with a second Emerald Frusion.
One spot that got everyone on their feet was KENTA countering a tiger suplex into a vicious Go 2 Sleep that rocked Misawa's head back. Misawa then kicked out just before three. There was a giant gasp in the building, followed by a round of feet stomping. I see so many spots over the course of a week covering WWE and TNA that everything seems like a blur by the end of the week, but this spot will definitely stand out in my mind because they paced everything so well to build to that moment. Overall, an excellent wrestling showcase. (****)
- Bret Hart's book also came in the mail yesterday, and I have to admit that I couldn't get past the inside cover with the great cartoon drawings of wrestlers, announcers, and animals. The book itself is quite intimidating, as I had college textbooks that weren't as thick.
I also checked out the appendix to see how many times certain people are mentioned throughout the book. Obviously, Bret, Owen, Stu, Helen, and Davey Boy have plenty of references. Shawn Michaels is also referenced a significant amount. So, basically, I did everything but start reading. Today's goal is to start on the book without getting sidetracked by the cartoons or list of names.
From the Cube: Wednesday, December 26
6:00 p.m. It's nearly that time of the year for the Torch year-end awards when we'll have a special Torch Newsletter in January covering the year 2007. I'm getting a head start with my top pick for each of the 15 categories. I'll cover each category over the next 15 days to preview the awards when the Torch staff picks their top five. Agree, or disagree with each pick? Send your feedback to start the dialogue.
(1) MVP Category. Injuries in WWE and inconsistency in TNA will be major factors this year in determining year-end awards. Nearly every top star in WWE dealt with an injury, which makes it more difficult to determine how consistent certain wrestlers were throughout the year.
John Cena was having an MVP year, but he's been out-of-sight, out-of-mind for two months. Edge has dealt with injuries. So have Batista and Undertaker, and Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Meanwhile, TNA is a blur in my mind. Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe were all over the map this year. That leaves one man who was there all year for Ring of Honor. He was champion for most of the year before recently losing the belt to Nigel McGuinness.
MVP - Takeshi Morishima. Morishima carried the ball all year for ROH. He was like the dependable running back in your fantasy football league who was guaranteed to pick up yards and touchdowns every week. Whether was he was putting on another clinic against Bryan Danielson or trying to elevate Brent Albright, the fans bought into his matches and his persona.
When it came down to ROH having to split with TNA talent this year, Morishima stepped up and became the most dependable man on the roster. They needed great matches to keep fans interested, and Morishima provided that with regularity. When they needed someone to main event big PPVs, ROH turned to Morishima. No one else on top of a promotion was more consistently great throughout the year.
***
11:55 a.m. The Morning Call, a TV critic website, has a list of the top 10 worst shows of the year. Smackdown was listed as the seventh worst show, behind such flops as "Cavemen", "Kid Nation", and the in-your-face cable news show hosted by Nancy Grace.
The description of why Smackdown was one of the worst shows of the year: "Doesn't matter that it's fake, let's look at the messages: use steroids, cheat, taunt, get revenge, and violence solves everything. Then there's the massive misogynist streak. This isn't a TV show; it's a civil rights violation."
***
9:15 a.m. WWE kicks off a Wednesday-to-Sunday schedule of house shows across the Eastern part of the country. After the wrestlers had a little over a week off, they have five days of travel to cap off this week. They tape Raw on Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. and SD/ECW in Baltimore, Md. before finishing with house shows on Sunday. If you attend any of the eight house shows or two of the TV tapings, be sure to send in a report!
TNA kicks off a four-date tour of Canada tomorrow, with the main draw being the Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage title match. TNA will then travel to Japan for the New Japan Dome show in Tokyo on Jan. 4. If you attend one of the TNA house shows this week, be sure to send in a report!
- I haven't had a chance to watch the best-of ECW show from last night, but Torch reader Terrie Neilson checks in with a summary of the events. I'll take a moment to thank Terrie for his contributions this year, as she sends in a reax to every TV show during the week. Good work!
Terrie's review: ECW had a bumpy ride this year, with the near-non-existent roster and extreme lack of major star power. But there were some good things to find, as shown here. It was a nice touch to have the various intro videos, as it does remind people who is on the show, although Kane's inclusion was weird. The last piece of footage was Chavo's attack on Punk, which still has yet to be explained. Hopefully placing it on this best-of show was to give the audience an explanation of what could come. Tazz kicking Joey into the tree - well, that's Tazz for you.
- Sports columnist Ken Hoffman wrote in the Houston Chronicle yesterday about the WWE Smackdown series having the record for most original shows for a currently airing prime time show. Smackdown has 410 episodes to its credit since debuting in 1999. Of note in Houston with the demographics, this past Friday's Smackdown was the most watched TV show on Friday night among men 18-49.
"The Simpsons" has aired for 19 seasons, but the show only has 409 episodes to its credit. They run 19-22 original episodes per year, compared to 52 weeks of original programming on Smackdown. The Raw stats have more qualifications than a Roger Clemens denial, but WWE is number 1 on cable with 750 original prime time episodes since debuting 15 years ago.
From under the Christmas tree: Tuesday, December 25
11:10 a.m. I certainly hope everyone enjoys a wonderful time with the family today celebrating Christmas. After receiving plenty of goodies under the tree this year, I'd like to hand out some presents of my own to the wrestling world. We're still looking for yours in the Question of the Week. So, in between naps and that second helping of turkey, send in your list! Now for mine.
To: Vince McMahon. Peace in his heart with more money to his name than Enron could ever make up.
To: Vince McMahon II. The discernment to develop the mid-card instead of booking another McMahon-Helmsley saga. OK, OK, I'll save the mid-card speech.
To: Dixie Carter. An honest right-hand man or woman to tell her what she needs to hear and not what she wants to hear.
To: Shane McMahon. A private jet for all those international scouting trips to Antarctica he'll soon to be making.
To: Triple H. What do you give the man who has everything in his given profession? I know. A pair of scissors.
To: Hornswoggle. That much-awaited family portrait. And a new green derby.
To: Hulk Hogan. Six months away from any cameras to regain control of his family. And a copy of Randy Savage's rap CD.
To: WWE. A good history teacher.
To: TNA. Jerry Jarrett's book. And figuring out who's feuding against whom. And defining babyfaces and heels. And drawing well at house shows. And the emergence of a captain to right the ship. And a nice bottle of scotch. Make it a Hennigan's.
To: ROH. A national TV deal. And the return of Kobashi.
To: Dutch Mantell, Vince Russo, and Jeff Jarrett. A time machine. So they can finally say good-bye to 1999.
To: Dr. Black, Wellness Policy administrator. A breakthrough to test for HGH. And a spine.
To: Kevin Nash. An electronic monitoring device for Scott Hall.
To: Kurt Angle. The legit toughness he lost this year.
To: Karen Angle. Um... based on her appearance at the Christmas Impact, I think she's OK.
To: Samoa Joe. A $50 gift card to Macy's.
To: Jeff Hardy. One WWE Title run. And a box of markers.
To: Matt Hardy. One U.S. Title run. And a continuous year of health.
To: Ric Flair. Confidence. And one last great wrestling match at WrestleMania 24.
To: Batista. A bottle of Pepto-Bismol for his sick stomach.
To: James Mitchell. Shh... it's a secret! Tune in next week to find out!
To: Abyss. The understanding that a whole lot of red week-after-week doesn't mean any green.
To: Judas Mesias. A crowd pop.
To: Mick Foley. A meaningful pop. And one more serious program in WWE.
To: Jay Lethal. Possession of the X Division Title. And a year's supply of hugs from Liz...er...Val.
To: Melina. A one-way pass out of the doghouse. And a reunion with John Morrison.
To: Cody Rhodes and Bob Holly. An explanation of their relationship. And Dusty Rhodes chaperoning their um... training sessions.
To: Chuck Palumbo. Anger management classes.
To: Delirious. A new, edgier character. And a copy of English for Dummies.
To: Colt Cabana. A postcard so we can all hear what you're up to. Seriously, where did you go?
To: Christopher Daniels. A tissue and a hug. Hey, no TNA storyline ever lasts more than a month.
From the Cube: Monday, December 24
2:45 p.m. The Christmas lists coming in are great so far. Keep 'em coming! I'll be posting a bunch tonight, but one of the best items I've read so far comes from Mr. Boom Boom of the "Whole Effin Show". Big Daddy V - a shirt. Simple, classy, and effective. I might have taken it a step further with a bro, but a shirt will suffice. Maybe get Matt Striker a $15 gift certificate to Supercuts or SportsClips while you're at it.
Tribute to the Troops is tonight. It's getting good buzz on the Internet from mainstream newspapers and news sites. With the Hollywood writers still on strike, WWE benefits from having some original, classy, and touching programming to offer tonight. They really know how to get those goosebumps with the video packages on the wrestlers interacting with the troops. As soon as L.T. picks up 20 yards to secure a fantasy football championship for yours truly, I'll be in a great mood to cover the show. So, check back tonight for our live coverage.
It's funny (well, maybe not) how a trip to a war zone has now become an annual Christmas tradition. As long as the U.S. is still in Iraq, the show is bound to go right up there with the 500th watching of the Griswolds in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation as an annual tradition in the Caldwell household.
Not to turn this into a political entry, but if there's a new president of a certain political affiliation in the White House in '08 with intent on pulling the troops out, WWE might have to create a war to keep the annual tradition going. Maybe that's why WWE's global expansion to take over the world (um...of wrestling) is being set in motion in '07.
***
12:30 p.m. Keep sending in those Christmas lists for the QOTW. We've got some good ones right now. We seem to be running out of personality upgrades for Randy Orton, though, as that seems to be a common request.
I watched Smackdown last night after passing over it on Friday night in favor of some WWE 24/7 programming. Whatever you do, don't watch the classic WCW '86 footage on a high-def TV. The blade marks and pasty, out-of-shape bodies aren't exactly HD-friendly. Neither is David Crocket's commentary or Tony Schiavone's moustache, but that's another story.
As for Smackdown, it was an OK show. About what you would expect. Edge and Vickie are controlling Smackdown for the time being, screwing the fans out of Batista's title reign, and the Major Brothers are still drab. You can dress 'em up in a box and a bow, but they're still the Majors.
I thought they wasted Batista's blood at the end of the show, though. If you're going to juice, the camera needs to zoom in, focus, and really get the intensity of the moment across. Otherwise, it's not worth spilling any blood.
I had pretty high expectations for Jamie Noble's date with Michelle, and the segment fell short. I laughed at some of the lines, but the writing on the "oh, it's an Italian restaurant" instead of a French restaurant was pretty weak. It read like a bad joke out of the old Freedom Fries era from a few years ago. There must have been just a little too much patriotism left over from the Iraq trip when they were putting together this show.
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