Mr. Kennedy outside the Araneta Coliseum in Manila last October. The Driver Seat
by Hub Pacheco
2006 was a great year for the WWE, far better than 2005. And I can attest to that greatness (and not so greatness) to the following reasons. A writing teacher of mine told me that a list is the easiest way to write something, a no-brainer if you will. And since I'm that busy (lazy), I give you the top 5 best and worst things in the WWE in 2006.
5 BEST:
1. Pay-per-views are worth watching.
- A departure from the ho-hum PPVs of 2005, 2006's PPVs were better in general, from backstage segments to the actual matches. Case in point: UNFORGIVEN 2006. That entire show is worth buying a home video of.
2. Booker T is the KING!
- King Bookeah revatilized the entire SmackDown! show for the last several months since he adopted the king gimmick and mind you, he's damn effective and funny! I will never forget that promo he did when SmackDown! came to Manila last October. He called the crowd "fruit pooties!" Damn I never expected Booker to be both so eloquent and hilarious at the same time! He is indeed, in his words, the ruler of the SmackDown Kingdom.
3. RAW & SmackDown! finally invades Philippine shores!
- With two shows per brand in a single year, this only proves that the WWE is highlights the World in World Wrestling Entertainment. And I am proud to say that I have watched all four shows even if it did end up blowing a big deep hole in my savings. I have finally watched a LIVE WWE show and for that 2006 is a personally memorable year for me, being a fan since the days of Hogan and WCW. And oh yes, Solar Entertainment, thank you and f--- you.
4. JBL is the new (and better) voice of SmackDown!
- No offense to Tazz, but JBL is funnier and more eloquent in English than Tazz will ever be. And add JBL's frequent intellectual side comments (his king references when Booker enteres the ring) and you get a more entertaining SmackDown!
5. The return of the Degenerates
- While I am extremely saddened by Triple H's quad injury at this year's New Year's Revolution, DX has been the highlight of RAW the past year. And it made for some really good segments: Vince peeing on Coach, DX in the WWE production truck, Vince getting shit all over him. Yes it may seem juvenile but it's funny as hell! Yes it's not 1996 anymore but HBK and HHH's comedic timing never gets old, especially their "let's get ready to s--- it" promo.
5 WORST:
1. ECW in general
- Don't get me wrong. I love ECW. But this new one seems lost from the start. I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right. Wrong pushes, de-pushes? Ambiance? Maybe it's the fact that it's WWE-produced that makes it awkward. And since Paul Heyman's out of the picture, I can safely assume that ECW won't last for long. The only consolation in ECW is CM Punk. And even he is getting some heat backstage (according to reports on wrestling-edge.com)
2. Vickie Guerrero
- I don't have to elaborate on this one as I've said my piece before. She does not belong in the world of wrestling. She needs to be with her family.
3. Kurt "Benedict Arnold" Angle goes to TNA
- I don't know the full story to it but in my estimation (and my colleague's estimation), Angle made a big mistake. But if you look at it positively, it kinda works both ways. At least we get to see Angle vs. Samoa Joe. Man, their first match was off the charts! Let's just hope that Angle is healthy enough to compete in the coming months.
4. Boogeyman is still a stupid gimmick.
- Why the hell did WWE ever sign him back after releasing him? It makes no sense. He is a stupid character with a character longevity issue. I can't imagine him winning a singles title and walking (?) to the ring with it. I hope Gregory Helms does not drop the Cruiserwight title to that moron. (Note: I am referring to Boogeyman the WWE character, not Boogeyman the person underneath the makeup and worms.)
5. Weird interbrand relations
- What is up with Johnny Nitro appearing in SmackDown! and Matt Hardy on RAW? And on ECW? I thought that was only for one night? Blame it on the lack of star power on some shows? Sure, you could say that. But whatever happened to rigid interbrand competition? The Raw vs. SmackDown! in 2005? Well, I guess that's out of the window.
Well, that's about it. Let's hope for a better 2007. What's that? Khali's on RAW? Okay, never mind.
