Welcome, one and all, to another edition of the Phat Daily Column. I hope you're enjoying your weekend, as I'll be working my little tail off for it. Ah well, money talks, and bullshit walks. Speaking of the weekend, we now have 2 nightly shows to enjoy, with the new WWF Excess on Saturday, and Mtv Heat on Sunday.
I don't know how successful Excess will be. The first week will look good because everyone will be curious on how it is and since Triple H is a guest host on it as well. However, it's probably going to eventually become Livewire and Superstar's lovechild, with the so-called interaction with fans and the non-stop Smackdown and RAW recaps.
This week's Sunday Night Heat should be a hoot, with Tajiri and William Regal as the guest hosts. There should be some QUALITY laughs on that show. I think I might actually try to watch that show this week. Yeah, I think I will! Speaking of Heat, there are a couple of repeated matches on this week's show....
On to the PDC.
The week after Summerslam.... Well, it's apparent that some of the feuding from Summerslam will definitely carry on to Unforgiven. It's apparent that the WWF wants to hold Rock vs. Austin back for another event (my money is on Survivor Series), instead of Unforgiven, which is no where near sold out in the Mellon Arena. But note that the WWF still has plenty of weeks to form the card.
Congrats to Toronto. They will soon be officially announced to be the site of Wrestlemania 2002 or Wrestlemania 18, held in the Skydome. Note that Wrestlemania 6 was held in the Skydome, and it broke the arena's capacity record back then. Will the WWF do it again? Yikes, it will be interesting to see if the WWF can get 70,000 fans with their product demand being slightly lower than normal, but Toronto fans are very good.
In the ratings, the WWF remained at par, meaning they didn't really go up or down any. That's not that great, though, since this week was the week following Summerslam, one of the WWF's "Big 5" events. Apparently, there must be something on the shows that's keeping the ratings down. Hmm, what could it be? Maybe when someone gets over 20 minutes of segment time on the shows? Could it be poor booking, since the WWF makes all television writing decisions just hours before the show occurs?
And finally, signs of doom are already hanging over MECW. Early signs, like the flight cancellation story and rumors of some wrestlers not receiving paychecks are already occurring. Yikes, it's like ECW's final days all over again, only it's early on into the federation. However, give some credit to John Collins, the man behind MECW. He knows that the WWF is #1 in the industry, and it would take him years to even come close to challenging the WWF. At least he has some sense in the wrestling industry.
Let's go to the awards.....
And the simple fact that Angle and Austin have fought many times before and can produce their best match yet proves this honor. Everyone else just goes through the motions when wrestling someone multiple times, but Angle vs. Austin is different nearly every time.
Hey, could it be that Angle is the best opponent that Austin has lately? Apparently, Angle doesn't give Steve repetitive matches, like other wrestlers. It's becoming very apparent that Kurt Angle is truly the best damn worker in the WWF right now, whether some of the guys backstage want to admit it or not. I guarantee that if Austin and Angle have another match at Unforgiven, it will be another great match, and not the same as the others.
Nuff said. Next.
Also, the WWF management were somewhat in the middle about the RVD vs. Jeff Hardy match, as they thought it was one of the weaker ladder matches of the year. Well, having a rematch, but not a ladder match, only showed that the WWF truly has some confidence in the wrestlers, especially Rob Van Dam.
Now, the WWF is using RVD's growing popularity in hopes of helping such wrestlers as Raven. Wow?!? RVD is now being used as a wrestler to help others get over in the WWF? He's come a long way since his days in ECW.
The singing part was one of the biggest embarrassments that I've witnessed as a wrestling fan. It was just total garbage, despite how much Vince McMahon got off on writing it.
I know you're admiring this banner. Behold, the second Mitnik Jackson 5 banner. And yes, that's Tito Jackson, the man I named myself after. That's Mr. Jackson in his later years, when he reportely threw on a few pounds from lounging in millions of dollars after some failed albums with his brothers, other than Michael.
5. Rock/Booker T: Jackson 5 couldn't decide which to put at #5.
4. Rob Van Dam: RVD Mania is sweeping through the WWF!
3. Stone Cold Steve Austin: Good week of wrestling for Austin. He fought two tough matches against Jericho and Angle, and retained his World Title as well.
2. Chris Jericho: Working through a concussion. Nuff said!
1. Kurt Angle: See down below.
For his match with Austin, he brought a new brand of intensity to an Austin match that hasn't been seen since Stone Cold fought at No Way Out against Triple H. (Besides the Benoit match from Smackdown) Angle was just taking the headshots to the ring post. Pads or no pads, Angle was going face first every time, while everyone else puts the hands up.
But the real question is where will this lead Angle? Will he continue to play second fiddle to such guys as Austin or the Rock? He seems to bring more to the table than those, and his character never gets stale. Maybe someday, someone backstage will see the light and let the Olympic hero truly shine in the WWF.
CLICK HERE to listen to the latest show, as the WrestlePalooza.com crew has a Summerslam preview show for you to enjoy. Note that new Wrestle Palooza shows are produced every Sunday and Thursday 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 about does it for today's PDC. I'll be back, tomorrow, with God knows what. Oh, maybe I could review Excess, if I actually feel up to watching it. Maybe. Check out the Phat Pharm for some new columns!
Phat Pharm: Brand New Debuting Columns!!!
Take Care, and Thanks for Reading.