CALDWELL'S TAKE CORNER CUBE FRIDAY: Torch awards - Best Heel, TNA Impact thoughts Dec 28, 2007 - 7:00:10 PM

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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 Office: Friday, December 28

7:00 p.m. Heel. Face. Shades of gray. I'd like to think TNA can crack the top five this year with someone in each of the Best Heel and Best Face category this year. Kurt Angle will make the Top Five in the heel category, but it took TNA half of 2007 to figure out what role is best suited for Angle.

Meanwhile, all babyfaces in TNA have a prerequisite to be a jerk. Samoa Joe cusses up a storm. Chris Harris complains. Christian Cage cuts heel promos. There simply isn't a great babyface in TNA. Hence, why they can't move the meter on PPV buys when there's no one to root for!

But, this is about heels, and there's only one top heel that has separated himself from the rest of the pack. It started with a program against Matt Hardy in 2005. He's never looked back since then.

(3) Best Heel - Edge. When Edge was healthy in 2007, there was no one better in WWE at playing the smarmy role at a main event level. He spent the first half of 2007 on Raw feuding against John Cena and Shawn Michaels before moving to Smackdown where he went down with injury. On Raw, he was in numerous headline matches, including the amazing four-way title match at Backlash in April where Cena retained over Edge, Michaels, and Orton.

Randy Orton had a strong finish to the year, and he'll make a push for Top Five consideration, but Edge has the "it" factor that Orton doesn't quite have yet. When they were paired up together as Team RKO, it was telling that Orton benefited from standing next to Edge, who rubbed off some personality to Orton. Edge was consistently great this year, including the final month by upsetting fans with his storyline relationship to Vickie Guerrero.

***

3:55 p.m. Last night's UFC all-access show on Spike TV focused on Wanderlei Silva's training program to prepare for his fight against Chuck Liddell tomorrow night. Insane stuff that would literally kill the average man. My first thought was on the segment giving credibility to UFC fighters and to the sport. It showed they aren't wild bar fighters slugging fists and trying to kill opponents, which seems to be the common misconception from sports writer elitists. It put substance to the sport, and showed that these men train just as hard as any other fight sport athlete.

My second thought was how much the training element is missed in pro wrestling. The famous Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart iron man match at WrestleMania 12 had five weeks of pre-match build-up focused on the men training and pushing their bodies to be prepared for 60 minutes. I remember being glued to the TV set when they showed Michaels training with Lothario and Hart nimbly running through the snow while reflecting on his thoughts going into the match. It created a sports-like feel to the match, which is severely missing from today's pro wrestling.

There was a time when announcers went the extra step of talking about wrestlers preparing and studying tapes to scout an opponent. For a sample, WWE 24/7 has the Starrcade '92 PPV where Jim Ross, as play-by-play announcer, hyped the matches as if they were legit pro sports contests. The training element is tossed out there once in a while by today's announcers, but the focus on pre-match preparation and training has become a lost art in pro wrestling.

The most recent time there was a real focus on training was before the Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe series of matches one year ago. They showed both men training hard, but the video packages were short and generic. WWE showed Triple H and John Cena training before their WrestleMania 22 title match. But, WWE waited until the final week of build-up to introduce the training programs, and Hunter spent most of the time making fun of Cena.

Adding more of a sports-feel to big matches by showing the wrestlers training creates a greater sense of believability to worked pro wrestling action. The Silva workout was so intense and mind-blowing that it enhanced the perception of Silva. The big names in pro wrestling, which is all about hype and creating larger-than-life figures, could certainly benefit from being showcased in that raw light of intense training for a big match.

***

11:35 a.m. Last night's Impact was an upgrade over last week. (Anything would have been, but that's beside the point.) There are still frustrating elements, such as the disconnect from show to show, and storylines with no conclusion in sight, even after two hours of posturing, but I'll take a more basic show like this week over last week's bizarre Christmas episode.

I have to check in with Torch reader Andre Polizzi's great opening statement on the show with his reax: This was an OK edition of Impact. No wait. I really liked it. Wait. Time out. It sucked. Ah heck. Tune in next week to find out whether I liked this week's Impact or not. And, if I'm still not sure by next week you can bet two weeks from tonight we will unveil my thoughts on the final Impact of 2007, one-by-one on the January 10 episode.

The wrestling action is fine, but the matches are moving way too fast, as if TNA still has only one hour of TV time. One of the problems is the timing of commercials. A typical match goes: two minutes of bang-bang action, commercial break, and then furious finish. We don't get to see the ebb and flow of a match, so the action comes across like the wrestlers are always in third gear without ever moving from first to second to third.

Looking at #1 contender Christian Cage on this show, I don't know whether he's babyface or heel. Maybe it's the wrong question to ask, as we've found out this year that there are no good guys and bad guys in TNA - just shades of gray. But, it still creates a question of why we should care about Christian chasing Angle for the World Title.

Two weeks ago, Christian cut a heel promo, but played the sympathetic babyface when he took a beat down. Last week, he jumped out of a box and presumably played the babyface attacking Angle to get his revenge. This week, he cut another heel promo to draw boos, but he teamed with Booker T. to be on the default babyface team. It goes back to there being a disconnect from show to show, starting with the Impact after the last PPV. I think it's a disservice to the audience and creates a sense of confusion on why some wrestlers act differently from one week to the next.

On a more positive note, the women's division is best thing going in this company. I'm saddened Amazing Kong did not make an appearance this week, but Gail Kim is the most credible champion they have on the roster. The fans love her. She's in a hot storyline. And she has a monster chasing her for the belt. Perfect pro wrestling storyline.

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. 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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