Man, I'll tell you what, I wish I had Turner South. WCW Classics is the show to get these days, because old NWA/WCW shit is always fun to watch, especially before 1990 hit. The oldschool style of wrestling was so awesome back then and a great alternative to the corny WWF at times. Be sure to check out LoP's own WCW Classics report from Patrick Sands by Clicking Here.
And I know this isn't a wrestling note, but I'll share it anyway. Did anybody catch the Indians vs. Mariners game last night? On my way back from Mrs. Tito's, I was listening to the 9th inning of this game and I was just shocked at how the bench players for Cleveland made an amazing comeback and eventually beat Seattle in extra innings! It's quite impressive to hear or see a comeback from a 14-2 deficit, especially on the so-called best team in Baseball.
Alright. Today, I have RAW Hype, and not only that, but I actually have a Heat review as well. RVD vs. Jerry Lynn will attract my attention at any time. On to the PDC.
Thanks to the miracle known as FAST FOWARD, I was able to just basically view the matches and the matches only. Screw the RAW/Smackdown highlights and screw the Scotty 2 Hotty "sports entertainment" aimed at the Mtv Audience. I came for the wrasslin'!
Before we get to the wrestling, I do want to say that I enjoyed Al Snow's comedy. It was somewhat relaxing and at the same time, funny. It's a good role for him, too.
Our first match was Perry Saturn vs. Chavo Guerrero. You just know that the WWF writers are just waiting for Uncle Eddie's return for the storylines. The match was pretty decent, pitting one good worker but without a cause (Moppy?) against one of the best small guys in the business. Perry Saturn actually got the win, winning with his spinning fisherman's suplex (I will NOT attempt to say its name). Pretty decent opener.
Next, it's Bob Holly vs. Shawn Stasiak. I bet you that Stasiak is upset that Time Warner/AOL sold WCW to the WWF... Why? His character was just beginning to get pushed when the sale was done. Another decent match, here, with both guys working well together. I guess Bob Holly's role in the WWF, now, is to have really good matches on Heat. At least that's what it seems these days. Holly wins the match with that weird leg whipping move.
Unfortunately, the next match was Justin Credible/Raven vs. Big Show/Billy Gunn. God, what a bad tag match this was. For one, Big Show and Billy Gunn rely on their opponents to carry them through a match. Well, it's sort of hard when the opponents are either overrated or getting up there with age. Bad, bad tag match, but I'm actually glad that I saw it on Heat. Why? Because it wasn't on Smackdown or RAW, silly.
The Final match of the night was Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn, which was a pretty hot match for Heat standards. For the time they were given, both guys made the most of it, and I hope it opens some eyes towards Jerry Lynn and continues the momentum for Rob Van Dam. Did you hear all of those RVD chants? Good God. Unless Rob Van Dam screws his own career up or if WWF jealousy becomes a problem, RVD is going to be an incredible star in the WWF for years to come.
LAST WORD: The matches were very watchable, especially RVD vs. Jerry Lynn. If you had the handy dandy FAST FOWARD to help you through the show, then you probably enjoyed it *that* much more. However, if you had to sit through the stupid Mtv garbage of extended commercial time or stupid stuff with Scotty 2 Hotty, you'll get an unfavorable impression about this show. I'll give this show a B+ (B plus) for its matches, but as for the rest of the show? Shit, I'm not watching that. Tito's tip for watching Heat next week: TAPE THE SHOW!
Predictability aside... what if we've just seen this match before? Shane and The Rock have done battle 3 times in the year 2000 alone! Yikes, that's a lot! Well, I guess they just want to give the Rock someone who can work well with the Great One, and oddly enough, it's co-owner Shane McMahon. Hell, I'd say that Shane is a better performer than many on the WWF roster these days. Who else will take sick bumps like Shane?
This match will just mainly serve as a stepping stool to hype Rock vs. Booker T at Summerslam, and so if you can predict the run ins or screwjobs, then this match won't be half as bad. Of course, the WWF could do something shocking during the match to grab our attention. Who knows? Speaking of who knows, if the WWF is having Booker T vs. the Rock at Summerslam, and IF it's for the WCW World Title, will the Rock win it? Now that's an enquiring question.
That's all that WWF.com is hyping, but at least give the WWF credit for having SOME long term booking with Shane vs. the Rock, and give them more credit for booking 3 matches before the 2 week mark before Summerslam. That's unlike the WWF, but I do hope that it continues.
I bet that we'll see more of psychotic Diamond Dallas Page, licking photos and whatnot. Again, if the WWF turns Sara on the Undertaker in favor of DDP at Summerslam, their writers or bookers are the most braindead human beings around, period. With the current booking staff, there are so many "been there and done that" moments. Thank God the Invasion is interesting, as is the Rock's return.
Then, we'll have more COOKIE adventures with Kurt Angle and Steve Austin. Only in the WWF can someone's cookies get you screwed over or piss you off. You know what would piss me off? If the Degeneration X bus pulled up and delivered cookies to the WWF wrestlers. Now that's when you'd see nothing but curse words in this very column. But all kidding aside, it's time to seriously push this feud and to at least give the fans the impression that Kurt Angle could actually win the match, although I don't think it will happen.
However, I'm sticking to my guns and saying that the WWF would want to have Rock vs. Austin at Survivor Series instead of the September or October fall classics. At least that's what I'm thinking, because the WWF only saves Austin vs. Rock for their big events, for the most part anyway. It would be cool to see it at the next Pay Per View, Unforgiven in Pittsburgh, which I'll most likely go to.
For more RAW hype, check out the House Show reports that were sent in because they had some interesting match ups on them. Click Here to read it.
CLICK HERE to listen to the latest show, as the WrestlePalooza.com crew interview former John Collins, the man behind MECW. Note that new Wrestle Palooza shows are produced every Sunday and Wednesday of the week. Be sure to check regularly for any announcements concerning possible guests on the show. Also, listen to the archives, which features interviews with Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, Harley Race, Daffney, Spike Dudley, Dr. Death, Dusty Rhodes, Lenny Lane, Kid Kash, Madusa, and more!
Backyard BBQ: The Best in Backyard Wrestling!
KOLTERSHOCK!!!! You KNOW you want to check it out!
Gamerave - The Ultimate Videogame Site: Reviews and Previews of Gameboy Advance games, along with information about future gaming systems!
@That's all for today's edition of the Phat Daily Column. I'll be back for the 3rd consecutive PDC in a row with the RAW review, tomorrow. So until then, just chill till the next episode!!!
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Take Care, and Thanks for Reading.