Canton’s Corner: The Wrestling Week in Review – November 5
By John Canton
Follow me on Twitter at @johnreport
Welcome to Canton’s Corner. I’m a year older officially. Does that mean I’m wiser? I don’t know. You can determine that. This week we’re rolling with the traditional Canton’s Corner column where I share my likes & dislikes for this week’s editions of Raw, Smackdown & Impact. First up, as always, are the polls.
Last Week’s Poll Results
The poll question was: Will you play the WWE ’12 video game? The result:
Yes, I will buy. 46.59%
Yes, I will play casually. 21.72%
No. Not a gamer. 10.9%
“I’m still playing No Mercy on N64.” 20.79%
That’s a good percentage of you that will buy it or play casually with over 67% of you voting that way. I added the No Mercy choice as a joke because I know that’s the game that a lot of people thought was the best of any WWE game in the past. I guess nearly 21% of you agree with that.
This Week’s Poll Question: Who will beat Mark Henry for the World Title?
It’s not a question of when Mark Henry loses the World Title, but to whom?
Who will beat Mark Henry for the World Title?
I’m going with Orton. I think it will be at the Royal Rumble. Then Orton faces Daniel Bryan for the World Title at WrestleMania 28 in a babyface vs. babyface type match. Lots of choices. Yes I’m aware that Cena is a Raw guy, but so is Big Show. It can be anyone, I guess. I’m interested to see the results of this one.
I already wrote about Raw on Tuesday, so read that in case you haven’t done so already. Since that’s already been covered, I only have a few things to talk about regarding this week’s show.
LIKE – Mick Foley returns to WWE
My buddy Andrew Johnson already covered this on Friday, but I feel like I have to chime in about Mick Foley’s return to WWE after three years of being away where spent the majority of that time in TNA. He returned during a Raw house show event in Dublin, Ireland as part of WWE’s European tour and his comedy tour. I’m not sure what the plans are for Mick going forward, but I’m glad he’s back in the mix even if it’s in a minor role. I hope it’s something major. He was on a radio station in Europe recently where he reportedly said that he believes he has one more big match left in him and that he’d like to work against The Miz, so take that for what it’s worth. A possible WrestleMania match? Works for me. The promos would be great for sure.
DISLIKE – WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio looks too weak
Not only did he lose clean to the Big Show, but then he got made to look even weaker by CM Punk. I’m sure he’ll get his heat back on the next Raw because that’s how WWE likes to book these things. The thing is, Del Rio looks weak way too often. For whatever reason, the only heel that gets booked really strong on a consistent basis is Mark Henry. It’s the babyfaces that look superhuman on a regular basis. If you want Del Rio to get over & stay over on in a consistent way then he needs to be presented as a bigger star than he currently is. Coming out in an expensive car every week isn’t enough. He needs to look tough. It’s the same thing that hurt the Miz.
LIKE – Drew McIntyre vs. John Morrison from Superstars
You’re probably looking at that, channeling your inner Booker T. and thinking “WHAT DA HAYELL!” It was a great match that you can check out here. They got about 12 minutes, McIntyre worked on Morrison’s knee for the majority of it and eventually won it with a Future Shock DDT. Yes, Morrison can’t even win on Superstars. It was a three star match featuring two guys that have been stuck in the WWE doghouse with McIntyre being there for an exceptionally long time. They both deserve another shot to move up the roster and they proved it here. It’s worth your time to watch it.
DISLIKE – The Rock’s promo was anticlimactic
When Rock cut his promo on Raw, I was excited to hear from him until he basically regurgitated the things that WWE has been advertising for months. The “never before, never again” tag line for Rock & Cena on the same time is going to get annoying very fast because I expect them to drill it into our heads over the next two weeks. I love Rock, but this wasn’t the kind of memorable promo I expect from him. Maybe we’ve gotten spoiled by his words in the past. I’m not sure.
Notice how I didn’t “like” anything specific from Raw. That doesn’t mean I hate it. It’s just that it has become a very average show again. I miss the summer when things were hotter.
It was another wrestling heavy edition of Smackdown. As always, TJR Assistant Editor Christian Michael has got you covered in case you missed it.
LIKE – Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes
I absolutely loved it. They got over 20 minutes, it was a brawl, they used weapons the right way and Orton won in a decisive manner with a RKO right in the center of the ring. Cody going over would have done wonders for him. It’s not his time yet, though. That’s obvious. I think this is a World Title feud in 2012 though. They were testing the waters here. Cody can get legit main event level heat and they can have good matches. Call this one ***1/2 and remember it as one of the best TV matches of the year. I also wonder if this will be the end of the mask gimmick for Rhodes because he wrestled for the majority for the match without the mask on. I think it’s time to turn the page on that gimmick.
DISLIKE – Alicia Fox’s finisher is a legdrop?
When Alicia beat Natalya on Raw, she used a rolling legdrop as the finisher. She did a front flip and dropped her leg across Natalya’s throat. That’s a finisher? Doesn’t look like it to me. It seems like a good nearfall kind of move, but it isn’t going to elicit a huge reaction from the crowd as a finisher. Plus when you do a flipping legdrop there might be a danger of dropping it on the opponents face or somewhere else that could lead to injury. Maybe I’m wrong. Can Natalya win a match? I’d like that.
LIKE – Daniel Bryan gets to main event
It’s about time! They didn’t even book him to lose clean to Mark Henry, which is what I expected. Instead, he lost the match via DQ because Big Show interfered on his behalf. I like how they built the match up. After Show knocked out Henry, he told DBry to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase. He was about to, but Henry got back up and put DBry down with the World’s Strongest Slam. I like the way it was booked, though. By the way, Henry had two decent matches on TV this week. His opponents? CM Punk & Daniel Bryan – it doesn’t get any better than those two. Smart booking by WWE because it makes him look better when he’s in the ring with two of the best workers.
Quick takes:
– The Barrett win over Sheamus was fun, even if it happened thanks to Christian’s interference. I’m glad that they have gotten behind Barrett again. He’s got a lot of talent and with the right push can get over as a top heel. It was a good way to transition into a Barrett-Sheamus feud from the Christian-Sheamus one that is pretty much over.
– Nice to see Orlando Colon debut on the main roster as Epico. He’s the real life cousin of Carlito & Primo and nephew of Carlos Colon. It’ll be interesting to see if Epico & Hunico become a heel tag team. They could be pretty good if they are given the chance to develop.
– Smackdown is my favorite weekly wrestling show. It’s the most consistent.
LIKE – Bobby Roode defeats James Storm to win the TNA World Title as a match
I liked that they had a near 20 minute match in the main event. It’s not like we’re used to seeing that in TNA. Usually the main event is some kind of match with a run-in. They worked babyface style the whole way until the silly ref bump (it’s TNA, what do you expect?) and Roode hitting Storm in the head with a beer bottle to steal the victory. The fans were shocked by it. It was a big moment. I like how the cameras shot it too. Roode’s post match expression was one of “I did what I had to do” and it makes me want to tune in next week to hear what he has to say. The only thing that could have made this better? If we didn’t know the result beforehand. Taping the match a week before killed a lot of the momentum. I guess I could avoid spoilers, but this is TNA. I need to know what parts to skip, like anything involving Bischoff.
DISLIKE – Rushing through the Roode/Storm story in two weeks
I think we all knew that a feud was coming. The problem here is that it was rushed. They could have set this up over the course of 2-3 months or more if they really wanted to. I’m happy for Roode, but I think they could have done this on a PPV in a few months rather than doing it two weeks after Storm won the title. Rapid title changes do more harm than good, I think.
LIKE – Eric Young
He’s a very entertaining performer and one of the funniest people in the company. I’m glad that he’s being used again although I wish he had a bigger role. I wouldn’t mind another serious heel turn because he was terrific as part of the World Elite group a few years ago, especially with his promos. He’s also one of my favorite wrestlers on Twitter, check him out @ShowtimeEY and tell him @johnreport sent you. Also throw in a “Go Leafs” too.
DISLIKE – Ronnie from Jersey Shore
I have no idea who this guy is. I don’t watch that show. He didn’t exude any kind of star power or charisma, nor did he add anything positive to the show. He looked out of place. He also looked small even though he’s apparently a big guy on that show. What does he had? Hell if I know. Dixie’s a big Jersey Shore fan I guess, though, so to her it must be a big deal. In reality it’s nothing. The only thing on MTV I watch is Beavis & Butthead. Now THAT is classy entertainment!
LIKE – Matt Morgan & Crimson set up a match
Their promo was well done. Morgan called him out, said that they were in match at Bound For Glory but it was Samoa Joe that lost it, not him. I’m guessing somebody in the office decided Crimson wasn’t ready to main event yet. On the microphone he is ready, I think. In the ring he has a bit of a ways to go, but I think he’ll get there. I like Morgan. He’s improved a lot in the last year or two. I’d assume that Crimson goes over at the PPV and that Morgan ends up turning heel after it. Or it’s simply a respect feud.
DISLIKE – Another poorly booked Knockouts match
Gail Kim & Madison Rayne defeated Tara & Miss Tessmacher to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. Like with most Knockouts matches, the booking was a mess. Finishes are rarely clean and this was no exception. I understand putting the heel team over, but they never book a win without Earl Hebner doing one of his silly bumps or missing something. The Knockouts division was great. Nowadays it’s confusing with too many women in the company and not enough time to showcase them all.
Random thoughts:
– Austin Aries put over Jesse Sorensen in a non-title match. Great work by Aries as usual. He’s the most entertaining performer in the company. Sorensen has a lot of talent and is one of the youngest wrestlers on the roster. He continues to impress.
– Eric Bischoff was only on for a bit this week. I don’t even know what he said. I hit fast forward although I saw that his son attacked him. This is not as appealing as Vince vs. Shane, trust me.
Random Clip of the Week
I don’t know about you, but this kid might have a bright future. From 15 years ago.
I really liked Survivor Series 1996. The Hart/Austin match is so good, but it may be most memorable for The Rock’s debut.
Melo Out with Steve Melo
Survivor Series is just around the corner and WWE has finally made official what we have known for a while now. The Rock & John Cena will team up for the first time ever. Never before. Never again. Yeah I believe it. I’m a gullible little bitch that believes everything WWE tells me. I also believe the Muppets are real and that Sheamus is actually related to Beaker. By the way, imagine being a little kid in the front row of Monday Night RAW and seeing a grown ass man with his hand up Beakers ass at ringside. (Note from JC: He was under the ring!) Yeah that would scar me for life too I think. I wonder if it’s still real to that wrestling fan after witnessing that Jack Swagger and Santino match. It must be dammit. But I am going to go back to this whole Rock and Cena teaming up thing. Where is all the hype? It’s the Rock’s first match in seven years. Wrestling fans should be going crazy right now, but they aren’t. Why is that? You don’t have to answer that. We all know what the answer to that is. The reason for no hype is because of the booking and how the product is basically a joke now. No offense to all of the talented wrestlers in the industry, but WWE has been brutal in booking their feuds and setting up compelling and intriguing storylines.
What was supposed to be the “Summer of Punk 2” has turned into weekly television that I don’t care to remember because it constantly insults my intelligence as you have heard me say time and time again. I can’t speak for every wrestling fan, but I don’t care that the Rock is teaming with Cena because Cena does not need the Rock’s help to beat Miz and Truth. That’s how it has been booked. It’s not about the match, but more about what will happen at Survivor Series. Quite frankly, I don’t care. We already see too much of Cena on a weekly basis and that promo via satellite that the Rock delivered this past Monday didn’t do shit either. Rock said no to Cena, but yes to the fans. Now he says yes to the fans. Interesting. Now making more money outside of the wrestling business doesn’t matter for the sake of a main event nobody cares about. Interesting indeed.
Speaking of this whole Rock and Cena thing, are people still hyped that they are facing each other in Rock’s hometown of Miami at Wrestlemania 28? Was it a mistake for WWE to book this match a year in advance considering their track record for short term booking everything else they do? Do you as a fan want to be there in person or waste your hard earned money to watch this pay per view event?
Tweet me or leave your comments and let me know. I’m curious at this stage of the game to see what side of the fence you are all one.
Until next week, sit back, relax and Melo Out…because that’s what wrestling is all about.
Steve “The Melo Man” Melo
Twitter: @MeloOutTJR
—————
That’s all for this week.
I’ll be back with The Raw Deal on Tuesday as always. Before Survivor Series on November 20 I’ll try to have some kind of retrospective piece on the 25th anniversary of the event.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week.
John Canton – [email protected]
thejohnreport.net
Twitter @johnreport
Facebook Facebook.com/thejohnreportnet
Google Plus: John Canton or just type “John Canton” in the search.
Visit my 10+ year column archive at the Wrestling Oratory right HERE.
