Unknown
05-17-2004, 06:52 PM
The PPV came off surprisingly enjoyable to an extent maybe because I had very low expectations. I feel that this could be a turning point for the Smackdown brand if the WWE starts paying more attention to the way they book SD (yeah like that will happen). This is a wake up call of sorts for the company and I hope they take it.
The PPV started off with the Dudley’s vs. RVD and Mysterio. This matchup wasn’t spectacular but it was slightly above something you’d see on weekly TV which was a plus. I like the way the matchup started slow and picked up into a series of spots and near falls. The Dudley’s had one of the best matchups I have seen them have in a while. I do question the Dudley’s losing the matchup seeing as they were under this big character transformation but it can work it the follow up is booked properly. I just hope that they don’t try and make another makeshift tag team out of Rey and RVD as they both shine as single’s superstars. All four men shined out there namely Rey (what did you expect). I think Rey has that kind of aura to him that just causes everyone in the ring to perform better because of him. Rey is the type of wrestler I can see never becoming stale unless the WWE has him win the CW title 50 times. He should still compete in the cruiserweight division to get it over and to help establish some wrestlers without gimmicks but he shouldn’t win the belt again atleast for a while. I think that RVD should start to make his way up the card maybe pick up his feud with Booker (even though the WWE dropped the ball with their feud), which could help both men to solidify themselves as contenders for the WWE title. As for the Dudley’s, I’d have them come out on Thursday and reek all kinds of havoc. I’d have them say something like, “Those weren’t the Dudley’s who lost the match on Sunday at Judgment Day, those were the corporate Dudley’s just as Paul Heyman said. He tried to bring back the extreme Dudley’s but we didn’t want to come back because we didn’t feel like Smackdown was ready for the extreme Dudley’s. Now, we don’t really care what Smackdown is ready for. By the end of the night you will see the extreme Dudley’s who not only will become the future tag team champions, but they will bring a new meaning to the word extreme.” I’d then have them come out later after Rico and Haas have a successful tag title defense and I’d have them attack Rico (Haas would leave him high and dry which would set up his turn on Rico and an alliance with the Dudley’s) and completely destroy him. I’d have them hit the 3-D on him through a table, hit him numerous times with a chair, and then have Bubba powerbomb him through a table. I’d have them beat him into a bloody pulp which would cause him to be taken away by an ambulance. This would re-establish the Dudley’s as vicious, breathe some life into their character’s, set up a new storyline for Haas, and put the Dudley’s back in contention for the tag titles. Yeah I know, I just can’t resist playing the booker. You’ll see a lot of it by the end of this post.
The Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie matchup wasn’t anything special but it was a step above what they normally do. Why the hell do they insist on pushing Torrie Wilson so much? She can’t act but yet she is pushed into so many storylines. Dawn Marie deserves so much better. She has so much more talent than Torrie ever will. I just hope that Paul Heyman becomes GM again soon so that she could be his assistant again. That angle was so entertaining. Heyman is needed so much on SD if not as a manager of a stable then as GM. Another option for GM would be Shane who I feel could do pretty good in the role also but Kurt Angle needs to go. I have all the respect in the world for the guy but he just isn’t meant to be GM. He might as well get the fusion surgery and stay out the extra year so that he can come back to the ring doing what he loves.
The Mordecai matchup was ok but nothing special. If you ask me, this gimmick is very outdated and we really don’t need another Taker around. This guy is nothing special in the ring and I wouldn’t be heartbroken if he was just a Velocity act. There are so many other wrestlers who deserve this spot. I don’t really see anything good coming out of this gimmick at all.
The tag title matchup was ok but not as good as the opening tag matchup. It established its purpose. Gunn and Holly can be a good team given a name and a gimmick but they in no way should have gotten a title shot when no one really knows about them teaming on Velocity. Like I said earlier, they should set up a storyline in the coming weeks where Haas turns on Rico. I have a feeling that if the WWE gets Haas on his own he can become the next Kurt Angle in a few years.
The Chavo matchup was nothing special but it did do what it set out to do which was to get the belt on Chavo, get the fans to have him even more, and to get his gimmick with his father over even more. This gimmick is one of the few high spots on Smackdown these days. Now, I think the WWE should have Chavo feud with Paul London. I’d have Paul London have a matchup on SD this week with Nunizo or Jamie Noble. I’d give both men atleast ten minutes to have a classic matchup in which London would be able to showcase his skills. I’d then have Chavo come out after the matchup was over and congragulate London and say that he is good but not good enough to be in the ring with him yet. I’d then have London start to walk away but then Chavo would try and go after him which would cause London to clear the ring of Chavo and Chavo Sr. Then, I’d have them build a strong feud between the two where Chavo would admit to give him a chance to get him one on one in the ring when he proves himself. Chavo could then set up a series of challenges for London including him fighting a series of matchups in SD for about two weeks. Chavo would then say that he has one last challenge which would be London running the gauntlet against a few cruisers. After London wins that matchup, I’d have Chavo give him a match but it would be non-title (Chavo promised him a match not necessarily a title matchup) in which London would win by DQ because Chavo Sr. would interfere because London was about to win the match. I’d then have them fight for the belt at the next SD PPV in a 25 minute ladder match which would be a classic. From there I’d have London win the belt. This would set up many possibilities for feuds for London including having him feud with a heel Billy Kidman who would be bitter because he forgot about their tag team and just decided that he’d focus on his single’s career. I’d then have Chavo stay in the title hunt maybe a feud with a repackaged Nunzio (maybe his ECW character Guido). Not only would this storyline give us a new champion but it would also get more cruisers involved in the division once again instead of the WWE having to rely on Rey to carry the division. London would be a man of little words type character who just let his in ring action speak for him. He’d start to talk more and more as needed.
The US title matchup was good. I think that Dupree showed that he has it in the ring. This was Cena’s best match since Wrestlemania but Dupree was the one who made it that much better. Cena did a pretty good prematch rap last light. If he does raps like this one and the one from Velocity on Saturday, stays as a more serious character as he has since Thursday, and steps his game up in the ring to what it used to be two months ago Cena’s character can be saved. The guy is just so over that if the WWE would do a better job booking him he could be the next Austin in no time. I think that in the coming weeks, Dupree should drop the French gimmick little by little. He should one week stop coming out with Fifi, then stop coming out with the robe and dye his hair all brown, then finally change his music, drop the accent and Café de Renee. He could then explain his transformation by cutting a promo saying that staying loyal to his country has consumed so much of his life and that it has done nothing but stopped him from being a successful single’s superstar. He could then say that he doesn’t give a damn about France anymore and that all of the Smackdown superstars need to watch out because when he puts the attention he has been putting on staying loyal to France into his wrestling career, he will be a force to be reckoned with. I feel that not only will this be a new start for him but it will get rid of the French gimmick which will only slow him down in the long run. He reminds me of Christian in so many ways. Maybe this could be what he needs to be the next big superstar.
The Kenzo vignette that aired gave me the idea that maybe if this guy is any good in the ring and has any kind of talent on the mic that he could take Tajiri’s role as the leader of the Japanese Mafia stable with Akio and Sakoda. He could say that he sees potential in them and that together they can achieve success on SD. The reemergence of this small stable could be the gimmick Akio and Sakoda need to become tag team title contenders.
The Undertaker vs. Booker T matchup was solid but at the same time disappointing. Undertaker had nothing at all to gain from that victory. I really don’t see why the WWE gave it to him. On the plus side, Booker really did show some extra flare last night and I don’t think all hope is lost. If they have Booker drop all of the voodoo crap and say that he was an idiot to try and use voodoo to help him win a match. He knows that it is fake and Booker T stepped up his game all by himself. This way, I think he can salvage the loss against Taker and the rumored career killing gimmick change won’t have to go down. Maybe he could even challenge Taker to a rematch where I’d have Booker win so that he could go into a fresh feud with some momentum and more credibility. Also I’d have Booker head the stable I laid the ground work for earlier in the post with the Dudley’s and Charlie Haas. Either Booker or Rhyno. He is desperately needed on Raw seeing as he isn’t really being used on that show. My storyline in the Bad Blood Card thread would be the perfect way to get him back to SD.
The main event was better than I expected it to be. Eddie Guerrero showed last night why he is the MVP of SD. He busted his ass to make the matchup better than it would have been and took one for the team with that wicked looking bloodbath. Eddie definitely reestablished all of the credibility he may have lost during this feud with his vicious post match beatdown. Eddie last night showed why he deserves to be WWE Champion. I was expecting Eddie to frogsplash Bradshaw through the announce table but hey, it’s ok he still did a good job with the post match beatdown. I think that Eddie could use a regular finisher in his arsenal also. Maybe the Crash Landing? Either a regular finisher or he could use the Lasso from El Paso submission to win more matchups. Looks like there is a rematch on the horizon for these two. I say have the rematch in two weeks. Bradshaw could say that he made good on his promise and that after Eddie had to disqualify himself to keep his belt he deserves a rematch. They could then have a rematch in which Eddie would go over and the feud would finally be over.
I give Judgment Day a 6/10. The PPV was good for the poor booking it received but it had few matchups that were PPV Quality. What did you guys think of JD? What do you think of my ideas on where SD could go from here?
The PPV started off with the Dudley’s vs. RVD and Mysterio. This matchup wasn’t spectacular but it was slightly above something you’d see on weekly TV which was a plus. I like the way the matchup started slow and picked up into a series of spots and near falls. The Dudley’s had one of the best matchups I have seen them have in a while. I do question the Dudley’s losing the matchup seeing as they were under this big character transformation but it can work it the follow up is booked properly. I just hope that they don’t try and make another makeshift tag team out of Rey and RVD as they both shine as single’s superstars. All four men shined out there namely Rey (what did you expect). I think Rey has that kind of aura to him that just causes everyone in the ring to perform better because of him. Rey is the type of wrestler I can see never becoming stale unless the WWE has him win the CW title 50 times. He should still compete in the cruiserweight division to get it over and to help establish some wrestlers without gimmicks but he shouldn’t win the belt again atleast for a while. I think that RVD should start to make his way up the card maybe pick up his feud with Booker (even though the WWE dropped the ball with their feud), which could help both men to solidify themselves as contenders for the WWE title. As for the Dudley’s, I’d have them come out on Thursday and reek all kinds of havoc. I’d have them say something like, “Those weren’t the Dudley’s who lost the match on Sunday at Judgment Day, those were the corporate Dudley’s just as Paul Heyman said. He tried to bring back the extreme Dudley’s but we didn’t want to come back because we didn’t feel like Smackdown was ready for the extreme Dudley’s. Now, we don’t really care what Smackdown is ready for. By the end of the night you will see the extreme Dudley’s who not only will become the future tag team champions, but they will bring a new meaning to the word extreme.” I’d then have them come out later after Rico and Haas have a successful tag title defense and I’d have them attack Rico (Haas would leave him high and dry which would set up his turn on Rico and an alliance with the Dudley’s) and completely destroy him. I’d have them hit the 3-D on him through a table, hit him numerous times with a chair, and then have Bubba powerbomb him through a table. I’d have them beat him into a bloody pulp which would cause him to be taken away by an ambulance. This would re-establish the Dudley’s as vicious, breathe some life into their character’s, set up a new storyline for Haas, and put the Dudley’s back in contention for the tag titles. Yeah I know, I just can’t resist playing the booker. You’ll see a lot of it by the end of this post.
The Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie matchup wasn’t anything special but it was a step above what they normally do. Why the hell do they insist on pushing Torrie Wilson so much? She can’t act but yet she is pushed into so many storylines. Dawn Marie deserves so much better. She has so much more talent than Torrie ever will. I just hope that Paul Heyman becomes GM again soon so that she could be his assistant again. That angle was so entertaining. Heyman is needed so much on SD if not as a manager of a stable then as GM. Another option for GM would be Shane who I feel could do pretty good in the role also but Kurt Angle needs to go. I have all the respect in the world for the guy but he just isn’t meant to be GM. He might as well get the fusion surgery and stay out the extra year so that he can come back to the ring doing what he loves.
The Mordecai matchup was ok but nothing special. If you ask me, this gimmick is very outdated and we really don’t need another Taker around. This guy is nothing special in the ring and I wouldn’t be heartbroken if he was just a Velocity act. There are so many other wrestlers who deserve this spot. I don’t really see anything good coming out of this gimmick at all.
The tag title matchup was ok but not as good as the opening tag matchup. It established its purpose. Gunn and Holly can be a good team given a name and a gimmick but they in no way should have gotten a title shot when no one really knows about them teaming on Velocity. Like I said earlier, they should set up a storyline in the coming weeks where Haas turns on Rico. I have a feeling that if the WWE gets Haas on his own he can become the next Kurt Angle in a few years.
The Chavo matchup was nothing special but it did do what it set out to do which was to get the belt on Chavo, get the fans to have him even more, and to get his gimmick with his father over even more. This gimmick is one of the few high spots on Smackdown these days. Now, I think the WWE should have Chavo feud with Paul London. I’d have Paul London have a matchup on SD this week with Nunizo or Jamie Noble. I’d give both men atleast ten minutes to have a classic matchup in which London would be able to showcase his skills. I’d then have Chavo come out after the matchup was over and congragulate London and say that he is good but not good enough to be in the ring with him yet. I’d then have London start to walk away but then Chavo would try and go after him which would cause London to clear the ring of Chavo and Chavo Sr. Then, I’d have them build a strong feud between the two where Chavo would admit to give him a chance to get him one on one in the ring when he proves himself. Chavo could then set up a series of challenges for London including him fighting a series of matchups in SD for about two weeks. Chavo would then say that he has one last challenge which would be London running the gauntlet against a few cruisers. After London wins that matchup, I’d have Chavo give him a match but it would be non-title (Chavo promised him a match not necessarily a title matchup) in which London would win by DQ because Chavo Sr. would interfere because London was about to win the match. I’d then have them fight for the belt at the next SD PPV in a 25 minute ladder match which would be a classic. From there I’d have London win the belt. This would set up many possibilities for feuds for London including having him feud with a heel Billy Kidman who would be bitter because he forgot about their tag team and just decided that he’d focus on his single’s career. I’d then have Chavo stay in the title hunt maybe a feud with a repackaged Nunzio (maybe his ECW character Guido). Not only would this storyline give us a new champion but it would also get more cruisers involved in the division once again instead of the WWE having to rely on Rey to carry the division. London would be a man of little words type character who just let his in ring action speak for him. He’d start to talk more and more as needed.
The US title matchup was good. I think that Dupree showed that he has it in the ring. This was Cena’s best match since Wrestlemania but Dupree was the one who made it that much better. Cena did a pretty good prematch rap last light. If he does raps like this one and the one from Velocity on Saturday, stays as a more serious character as he has since Thursday, and steps his game up in the ring to what it used to be two months ago Cena’s character can be saved. The guy is just so over that if the WWE would do a better job booking him he could be the next Austin in no time. I think that in the coming weeks, Dupree should drop the French gimmick little by little. He should one week stop coming out with Fifi, then stop coming out with the robe and dye his hair all brown, then finally change his music, drop the accent and Café de Renee. He could then explain his transformation by cutting a promo saying that staying loyal to his country has consumed so much of his life and that it has done nothing but stopped him from being a successful single’s superstar. He could then say that he doesn’t give a damn about France anymore and that all of the Smackdown superstars need to watch out because when he puts the attention he has been putting on staying loyal to France into his wrestling career, he will be a force to be reckoned with. I feel that not only will this be a new start for him but it will get rid of the French gimmick which will only slow him down in the long run. He reminds me of Christian in so many ways. Maybe this could be what he needs to be the next big superstar.
The Kenzo vignette that aired gave me the idea that maybe if this guy is any good in the ring and has any kind of talent on the mic that he could take Tajiri’s role as the leader of the Japanese Mafia stable with Akio and Sakoda. He could say that he sees potential in them and that together they can achieve success on SD. The reemergence of this small stable could be the gimmick Akio and Sakoda need to become tag team title contenders.
The Undertaker vs. Booker T matchup was solid but at the same time disappointing. Undertaker had nothing at all to gain from that victory. I really don’t see why the WWE gave it to him. On the plus side, Booker really did show some extra flare last night and I don’t think all hope is lost. If they have Booker drop all of the voodoo crap and say that he was an idiot to try and use voodoo to help him win a match. He knows that it is fake and Booker T stepped up his game all by himself. This way, I think he can salvage the loss against Taker and the rumored career killing gimmick change won’t have to go down. Maybe he could even challenge Taker to a rematch where I’d have Booker win so that he could go into a fresh feud with some momentum and more credibility. Also I’d have Booker head the stable I laid the ground work for earlier in the post with the Dudley’s and Charlie Haas. Either Booker or Rhyno. He is desperately needed on Raw seeing as he isn’t really being used on that show. My storyline in the Bad Blood Card thread would be the perfect way to get him back to SD.
The main event was better than I expected it to be. Eddie Guerrero showed last night why he is the MVP of SD. He busted his ass to make the matchup better than it would have been and took one for the team with that wicked looking bloodbath. Eddie definitely reestablished all of the credibility he may have lost during this feud with his vicious post match beatdown. Eddie last night showed why he deserves to be WWE Champion. I was expecting Eddie to frogsplash Bradshaw through the announce table but hey, it’s ok he still did a good job with the post match beatdown. I think that Eddie could use a regular finisher in his arsenal also. Maybe the Crash Landing? Either a regular finisher or he could use the Lasso from El Paso submission to win more matchups. Looks like there is a rematch on the horizon for these two. I say have the rematch in two weeks. Bradshaw could say that he made good on his promise and that after Eddie had to disqualify himself to keep his belt he deserves a rematch. They could then have a rematch in which Eddie would go over and the feud would finally be over.
I give Judgment Day a 6/10. The PPV was good for the poor booking it received but it had few matchups that were PPV Quality. What did you guys think of JD? What do you think of my ideas on where SD could go from here?