-The BIG NEWS STORY OF THE WEEK is the "love triangle" between Matt Hardy, Edge, and Lita. Matt Hardy and Lita have been dating for roughly 6 years. Lita apparently has stories of instable dating before the WWE (I'll read that in her book someday) and Matt Hardy was a rock in her life. However, she was never given a rock. You'd figure that after 6 years, Matt Hardy would have proposed to her? Hardy, for his part, has shown love by taking care of Lita during her year off from neck surgery. In addition, Matt Hardy is good friends with Edge. I've read both of their books and both guys showed respect for each other based on their dangerous ladder matches. Many stories of being on the road together are present in both books. However, Matt has lost two friends recently...
In my opinion, Matt Hardy is in trouble. While I agree that this situation sucks for him and I can imagine the frustration of wasting 6 years of your life, he's talking about this break up in various public outlets. He's airing dirty laundry! That's usually a no-no within the WWE, and based on the way the bookers have felt about Matt Hardy, they probably feel more worth in Edge and Lita than Matt Hardy. In addition, I'm sure the WWE creative team is fuming that Matt Hardy can't wrestle in the Ladder Match at Wrestlemania 21 because Edge is in the match. I guarantee that the WWE creative team will place blame squarely on Matt Hardy for breaking up intended plans. Matt, I believe, is in great trouble with his WWE career. At this point, I'm sure he wouldn't mind... Yeah, he could go to Smackdown? But he's been there and the bookers in charge of that show (Bruce Pritchard, especially) destroyed him before, thrusting him into the Cruiserweight division after Matt clearly bulked up. He was then moved to RAW to be with his girlfriend, Lita, and that's a favor given to him by the WWE. Looks like the Hardy Boys might be reunited in NWA-TNA, eventually........
Were Lita and Edge wrong? Both cheated, so morally, both were wrong. Edge is married to his second wife, Lisa, and he's going to get hit with some nice divorce papers. Enjoy the alimony, Edge! Lita, on the other hand, was dating Matt Hardy for 6 years and was seeing Edge behind Hardy's back. As I've always said with cheating... If you feel your current relationship isn't satisfying you, then GET OUT OF IT! Nothing is worth breaking someone's heart... Yeah, Lita isn't married to Matt. But Matt has invested 6 years of his young life with her, namely taking care of her during her neck surgery. He has every right to be pissed off even though I don't believe he should air out problems in a public manner.
What's next? I do NOT expect this to be turned into a real life angle, as many fans have suggested. I was thinking, at first, that the Matt-Lita break up was a work at first, but details have now surfaced suggesting otherwise. I'm guessing that either Matt Hardy or Edge/Lita will be move to Smackdown (I'm betting Matt will move, based on Lita wrestling on RAW), or that Matt will be outright released. It sucks for Matt Hardy, as I've met him at an autograph signing in Columbus, OH. He's nothing but a nice guy and I told him to his face that I liked his performances. I figure, at some point down the line, there will be a backstage confrontation between Edge and Hardy. Matt Hardy was asked to not attend the recent RAW to avoid that... but it will happen.
I do have a problem, though, with taking Matt Hardy out of the 6 Way Ladder match, as it has been rumored that Hardy was supposed to be in the match. Wrestlemania 21 is the LAST PLACE you'd want to embarrass yourself over something in real life. Yeah, you'd want to stick up for yourself, but embarrassing the WWE by a heated confrontation within the ring (i.e. breaking character) at the company's biggest show of the year is the LAST thing you'd want to do for your wrestling career.
-By the way, thanks for the many recommendations of Lita's book by the readers after my Book Special column. I've heard nothing but good things about that book and I was looking for it at my local Walden's the other day. It wasn't there, so I'll try my local library. I'm sure I can find it cheap on Amazon.com, if necessary... In addition, this recent turn of events would make me want to pick at Lita's brain to see what happened in previous relationships (I've heard many stories...).
-It appears that the whole ECW Reunion War has ended... At first, the WWE tried to get former ECW wrestlers off of the Shane Douglas reunion show... However, the WWE wisened up to the fact that their show would lack wrestlers. Now, the WWE is opening their arms to every wrestler to be allowed to work both shows. If the WWE wants to really accomplish a real reunion show, they should strike a deal with Shane Douglas. Yeah, the Dean Douglas stuff is still rather heated, but there's money to be made and a possible ECW promotion to be restarted. With the WWE being the bankroll and ECW wrestlers making money off of the shows, ECW could thrive and return, at least for the short run and not just with two shows. The WWE, though, has the attitude that they must own everything and filter everything in their own likeness. Time will tell on how well both ECW shows will do...
-"Be Cool", which was a movie loaded with starpower and the Rock as a side character, was #2 in the box office at $23.5 million. The were #2 behind Vin Diesel going Kindergarten Cop in the movie "The Pacifier" at $30.2 million. Usually, something over $20 million is a good start in your first week, but I figured Be Cool would do better given the starpower. Then again, Hollywood has been overexposed lately with the many shows/networks hyping celebrities, along with their slanted involvement in politics. More evidence was shown at the Academy Awards dropping in viewership despite the various attempt to revamp this year's show. The critics and many movie goers aren't too crazy about the film, either (Click Here to see reviews). However, many critics are giving the Rock some props for his character, suggesting that it was one of the best parts about the film. For us wrestling fans and supporters of the Rock, that's a GOOD thing. We'll see how "Doom" does this August for the Rock, as that could be a breakthrough role for him in the action film genre.
-I about spit out my Sunkist when I heard that Ted Dibiase, formerly known as the Million Dollar Man, was going to become a WWE road agent. It's more shocking than Ricky Steamboat getting an agent job, based on his previous disrespected WWE career. Why? Dibiase developed many personal demons during his WWE run which he's overcome and later became a minister. He would later speak out on the WWE's adult themed storylines, calling the angles/gimmicks immoral. Now, he's becoming a WWE road agent and returning to the company that gave him a bad coke habit and later a bad taste in his mouth. Then again, the WWE brought in Eric Bischoff, brought back Sable, and had made many deals with Hulk Hogan.
-Guess what? I saw part of the recent NWA-TNA Impact show! It was either late Friday night or late Saturday night, but the show was airing on FOX Sports. I caught parts of Kid Kash vs. AJ Styles. Excuse me, the PHENOMINAL AJ Styles, according to the FOX graphics. From what I've seen, there's usually a 10 minute time limit, but this match was given a special 30 minutes? Pretty solid bout between the two, I must say. Both Styles and Kash flew around on the 6 sided ring. Will this lead to me watching more NWA-TNA? I'll tell you what, here's what I want:
I want a Cliff Notes version of the recent NWA-TNA storylines within all of 2005. Maybe if I can get some knowledge of storylines and characters then maybe I might want to tune in, who knows? So if you're willing to recap NWA-TNA for 2005 thus far, send it to wrathoftito@yahoo.com. Make it easy to read, if at all possible...
-I did watch ALL of Smackdown... Jindrak and Reigns are two of the biggest stiffs on the WWE roster today. I never cared when they were Angle's thugs (they should have worn Team Angle tights...), and I don't care that both uncharismatic guys can't get along. Speaking of not getting along, when will the WWE pull the trigger on Eddie and Rey feuding for Wrestlemania? It was painful to see Dawn Marie talking to the failed Diva Search contestants backstage... those Divas trying to act "shocked" was sad to watch. Why is the WWE wasting their money on these worthless Divas? Some of them don't even look THAT great. Teddy Long is the most hilarious character in the WWE! Where does he come up with those catch phrases?
Heidenreich vs. Booker T was terrible and the ending was so pathetic. Booker T DDT'd Heidenreich on the chair as the finish and that caused Booker to get disqualified. Why protect Heidenreich? Didn't the WWE learn their lesson with Snitsky? Heidenreich isn't learning, nor is he improving by the week. Why bother? Nice angle with Michaels sneak attacking Kurt Angle during the Angle invitational. Can't WAIT for that match! Odd mixed match between a Diva Search chick/Big Show vs. Rene Dupree/Dawn Marie. Mildly entertaining mixed match... The main event featured Orlando Jordan vs. John Cena... Looks like the WWE has no interest in doing an United States title tourney after Wrestlemania, as JBL helped Jordan win the match! It added hype to JBL vs. Cena, and in my opinion, that's a good money feud for Smackdown. I hope that the feud would keep going after Wrestlemania...
Overall, I'll go [ C ] for the show. Bad wrestling and some odd wrestlers/personalities being featured. Smackdown NEEDS a trade to save its show... That, or send Reigns, Jindrak, and Heidenreich down to OVW, in addition to forcing the Undertaker to retire. Smackdown is such a mess and that's a shame when Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, and the improving JBL are on the show and should be featured as the show's main attractions in the main event. But noooooo... The continued poor use of OVW talent and misuse of good wrestlers keeps me out of watching Smackdown on a regular basis, as I used to.
This painted up Sean Waltman as a total hypocrite based on what he said on Howard Stern a few months ago. On Howard Stern, he told the show that he's not someone you should hang around with. Why, if that were true, is X-Pac going after Chyna for her "love" on the Surreal Life? Yes, Chyna has her problems. One day, she'll hopefully realize that she has a bad substance problem and get help. HOWEVER, Sean Waltman is the LAST person she should hang around with. Waltman just got out of rehab, as funded by HHH and Vince McMahon. Waltman is the same person whom Chyna accused of causing her to be so depressed that she tried to kill herself with pills!
Watch the show for yourself... It's disgusting to see what a true jerk that Sean Waltman is. He treated Joanie Laurer with an absence of class and it thus confirms what a whiny little bitch that Sean Waltman has always been, as you can clearly read throughout my many columns. Best of luck to Chyna in one day recovering, but I don't wish her luck if she continues to hang around with a piece of trash like Sean Waltman.
On to the RAW portion of the column...
Next, we had a squash match between Triple H and Rosey. Does anybody want to take any bets on who will get released during WWE's "spring cleaning"? I'll call it now... Both Hurricane and Rosey will be released, as well as Matt Hardy for airing dirty laundry publicly. HHH destroyed Rosey and then hit his fatass with a sledgehammer afterward. Why? The Game is MAAADDDD that Batista is his opponent. What a badass. Usually, heels have to cheat to win almost every match, as I remember an old WCW World Wide where Ric Flair had to cheat to defeat a jobber by the name of the Italian Stallion! You'd figure that if you had a match against the World Champion, you'd be able to give it your best. Look at the top teams in professional or college sports. Whenever they come into town, the opposing team usually gets up for the challenge. The same should be evident here in wrestling, but it's not. Instead of showing some fighting chance to Rosey, HHH just squashed him and no sold any of his offense. Then after the humiliating defeat, HHH made sure to burn it into the fans' eyes that Rosey couldn't hang with him in the ring by attacking him with a sledgehammer.
Backstage, Ric Flair was worried about wrestling Batista. However, HHH said he'd be there and his sledgehammer would be too.
Also backstage, Eric Bischoff had Edge, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin (I guess not defending the IC title at Wrestlemania), Christian, and Chris Benoit in his office to discuss Jericho's Ladder idea. The 6 way ladder match was made into a #1 contender's bout with a briefcase to be hanging up above with the contract in it. My early prediction? Edge wins the match BUT he won't feud with Batista for long. Batista vs. Edge will be made into a failure by the booking team, thus leading to Batista vs. HHH once again. This match is meaningless other than maybe being a good match to watch at Wrestlemania. Oh, and only 5 guys were in the room. Christian had to fight #6 in the ring...
The next match featured Christian taking on #6 and it ended up being Kane. The ladder match has officially become the "sell for Kane" match. I would have still put Matt Hardy in the match, as you never know how many extra buyrates that would attract. Who knows? But what I do know is that this match was a short one and it saw Kane more or less squashing Christian. Christian has jobbed to everybody and their mother in the company and he even agreed to cut his hair short when asked. What does he get in return? Tyson Tomko and pathetic IC title reigns. What a joke, and Christian is now a 6 year WWE veteran! Later, Hassan would be pissed off for not being in the 6 way ladder match. I'll laugh if the WWE decided to go with Hulk Hogan vs. Muhammad Hassan. LAUGH!
Next, it was Chris Jericho vs. Edge... it was OK, overall, and just couldn't get it started until the last 5 minutes or so. I would have shaved 5 minutes off this match (it went roughly 15) and gave it to Benoit vs. Benjamin, who made the most out of the 5 minute timeslot they were unfortunately given. Edge won the match, but he still lacks the big win over a main eventer that fans can remember. Yeah, he beat HBK at the Royal Rumble. However, he lost last week back to HBK... The WWE needs to look back at how Edge's feud with Kurt Angle placed Edge as the next big main eventer on the Smackdown roster... that is, until injuries caught up with Edge and backstage politics (getting blamed for a bad feud with Albert) took place.
In the ring, we are graced for a metrosexual moment with Randy Orton. He talked about watching Wrestlemania as a kid and what an honor it is for Bob Orton to get into the Hall of Fame. Let's face it: Bob Orton would NOT be in the Hall of Fame if Randy Orton wasn't in the WWE today. That's a FACT, point blank, as Orton's only real claim to fame is being ringside for Wrestlemania 1. Other than that, he's nothing in WWE history. Orton makes a challenge to the Undertaker, as that match will be an eyesore, and Eric Bischoff comes down to talk some sense into Randy Orton. Orton suggests that Eric Bischoff is a "legend" because he ran WCW successfully against the WWE during 1996-1997, parts of 1998. With that being said, that darn Legend Killer gave Bischoff an RKO. Randy Orton has LAME written all over him and I could give a living shit if he beats the undefeated Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
Next, we had an excellent exhibition between Shelton Benjamin and Chris Benoit. They were only given 5 minutes, but they made something of those minutes, unlike Edge vs. Jericho, who had 15 and did nothing. These two have great chemistry in the ring together dating back to the famous Smackdown Tag Team division feuds of 2002-2003 that kept me caring about the WWE at the time. Turn one of the guys heel and let them wrestle, one on one, at a Pay Per View for 15-20 minutes. Oh wait, that would make others on the roster look bad... Assuming this was non-title, Benoit made Benjamin tap out. This was to give Benoit some credibility, for he's wrestling Triple H in Atlanta next week on RAW. Oh noooooooo, HHH is getting his win back from Benoit! Oh well, I got my World Title reign for Benoit in 2004 and I have a DVD to prove it. It's nice to have one moment of glory...
Christy Hemme came out to the ring next to hardly any applause. Why? Because she's a phony! She's someone the WWE wanted to become popular, not the fans. Why should we care about a primadonna who won a contest nobody cared about? That Diva Search contest did NOT bring in extra ratings that the WWE was hoping for, and the same goes for Tough Enough 4. I have yet to see her Playboy pictures, so I cannot comment whether she looks great naked or not. I imagine she does, but she's hardly as smokin~! as say Trish Stratus, who would come out when Hemme called her out. Hemme challenged Trish for a match at Wrestlemania, which not only made Trish laugh, but made me laugh as well. HOWEVER, Hemme suggests that someone has been training her. That prompts Lita to come out. I'm sure Lita is a nice person (though a cheater), but with all due respect, she's one of the last persons I would want to learn wrestling from. No offense. But the WWE feels that Lita will help Hemme achieve some popularity, so whatever. Lita and Hemme attack Trish, and then Hemme hits the Twist of Fate on Trish (looked more like Steve Corino's version?). Wow, Trish will sure have a task on her hand at Wrestlemania. Then again, Trish Stratus vs. Stephanie McMahon wasn't all that bad of a match, to be honest.
Backstage, Eric Bischoff banned the sledgehammer from ringside. Oh help me Lord! HHH was very pissed, while Flair was now scared. Hey Bischoff, why not ban HHH from ringside as well?
The main event saw Batista vs. Ric Flair. Surprisingly, Batista had a strong reception in North Carolina against Flair. Maybe a star has been born, eh? Pretty short main event, with HHH's interference attempts failing and Batista eventually easily defeating Flair in the end. Not bad, but the interference attempts, I thought, slowed down the match from catching any momentum. Afterward, HHH tried to attack Batista, working on the knee and then trying to sledgehammer it. Batista, however, fought back and snapped the sledgehammer in half! End of show... I've read some reports of calling Batista's sitdown powerbomb as the "Demon Drop powerbomb". If this is the name the WWE is now using to call the move, I'm sure Cedar Point Amusement Parks in Northern Ohio will have something to say about that...
LAST WORD: Wrestlemania hype show! That's more or less what this was. Only one strong wrestling match this week, as I've been saying it for a while: RAW's matches have been poor lately. At least Wrestlemania seems to be shaping up, as at least 4 matches were hyped on this show somewhat heavily. I'm fine with good Pay Per View hype, which gives this show a [ B- ] for this week. Wrestlemania is looking stronger everyday...
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