THE TOP TURNBUCKLE

WWFX: The First Indie Wrestling Show in Manila

2012-02-06T13:17:00.048+08:00

The Driver's Seat

by Hub Pacheco

After attending five WWE live events in Manila since 2006, my standards for a wrestling show are understandably high. Late last December, when I heard that they were bringing former WWE stars for a show here last Saturday at the same arena where WWE had its live event, Araneta Coliseum, I certainly had my doubts. The card lacked star power and I contemplated on skipping the event completely.

Better photos of the entire event are at my photography website HERE.

Before the show, I repeatedly told my friend that there had to be a host/announcer much like Justin Roberts and Tony Chimmel for the WWE shows here before. Spotting a few Colt Cabana signs minutes before the show, I said to myself, "Wow, this crowd has its smarks."

Two and two were put together in my head when Colt Cabana walked down the ramp as the show's host! It totally caught me off guard! Colt Cabana, the guy made famous by CM Punk in his infamous RAW shoot promo, was in town, complete with his usual intonations and all! He humbly referred to himself as Mr. Colt. I would learn later that Colt did mention he was headed to Manila in his latest Art of Wrestling Podcast.

Jimmy Yang defeats Billy Gunn via a monsault. It was nice seeing Gunn, DX crotch chop and all. I wonder why he didn't follow Road Dogg back to the WWE this year? That would've been something.

Daivari and Hurricane Helms put on a very entertaining match, switching up to an impromptu match with referee Rudy Charles. Conditioning-wise, Helms certainly looked like he was on his way back after his motorcycle accident last year.

A good setup after Melina's (second time here) match with Jillian Hall via a round of beer with a fan lead to Luke Gallows vs. Rhino. Gallows stills plays up the CM Punk Straight Edge gimmick well, I must say. Rhino picked up the win via a gore after a distraction from Melina outside the ring.

Colt Cabana killing it on the mic that night.

If memory serves me right, this is Carlito and Snitsky's second time in Manila. They took advantage of the small crowd and went around the arena during their match. They even passed by my section! I finally did a fan-tap-on-the-arm to a wrestler! Oh yes! Carlito won with the apple-chunks-to-the-face of Snitsky.

Are those MVP's music CDs he's giving away to the crowd?

MVP defeats Chris Masters (second time here) not with a playmaker but with a kick to the head!

The main event with John Hennigan (second time here) and Shelton Benjamin (THIRD time here) for the WWFX Championship saw two, not one, ref bumps, a belt shot to the head, and both wrestler's signature moves. All in all, it was a solidly booked main event.
Melina and JoMo celebrates in-ring. In-character? Hardly. These two are a cute couple!

Overall, it was a solidly booked show, though the intermission was too long. (Wonder what they did back there?) Performing in front of 15,000 or 1,500 people, it was still a good show. Stories were told well and all the babyfaces won and everyone went home happily entertained. And isn't that what pro-wrestling is all about?

Is Helms filming for his web show? We'll find out soon enough!

It's interesting to note that most of the wrestlers on the card have been in Colt's Art of Wrestling Podcast, Carlito being one of them.

Luke Gallows poses for me, well, kinda.

"Hey, Colt! I love the podcast" and "Please sign my iPod" were the only normal things I could think of to say at that time. This fanboy went home happy. Thanks, Colt!

OUTSPOKEN PUNK

2011-06-29T22:40:00.010+08:00

THAT SLY SMILE. CM Punk in Manila during the SmackDown/ECW Tour back in 2007. Photo by Hub Pacheco.

The Driver Seat

By Hub Pacheco

We've all seen and heard CM Punk loud and clear on RAW last night. I've watched it for like twenty times already and it's still sounds so unreal! And because I and the rest of the IWC can't get enough of it, HERE is the transcript form that historic promo.

RAW aires two days late in Manila so I normally didn't want to be spoiled, but after reading tweets left and right from David Lagana and Joey Styles, I was curious what has happening right there and then. Lagana later tweeted a link to a Youtube video of a TV grab showing Punk's promo. I literally stopped work and sat down in a corner to watch it. Hey, it was only five minutes!

Needless to say, Punk has done the unthinkable: rip on the product just enough to be understood by both smarks and marks alike. The "Oops, I'm breaking the fourth wall" line is my fave. Hell, the entire promo was ill! The Cageside Seats blog nicely puts his promo into perspective HERE.

I actually kinda guessed he was going to do this after seeing his backstage segment at Capitol Punishment where he said he was going to do something historic. It's pretty known in the IWC that his contract was coming up in July. And when he said that "historic" comment, I kinda felt he was going to do something connected to his contract being up. I just didn't expect it to be THAT unbelievable.

Yes, we've all heard that bit where there's nothing fresh in pro wrestling any more. Not since The Montreal Screwjob, the Matt-Edge/Lita storyline, ECW One Night Stand 2005, Bret Hart's WWE return, the Nexus' invasion of RAW has there been something THIS compelling to watch on the WWE, save for Zack Ryder's Z! True Long Island Story webisodes (But that's a whole other topic for discussion on another day.).

Just a spoke on the WWE wheel? Sad but true.

Although haphazardly put together, this feud between Cena and Punk will be good. I actually R-Truth to get more main event time, but I guess that's off for now. Much like Montreal where Vince feared Bret would leave with the WWE Title, Punk built up on that idea and ran with it like crazy! This is a feud requiring no long drawn out drama, no run-ins, no inclusions of loved ones, and most importantly, no weekly back-and-forth banters. Hell, they could have the match right now and it will be great. That's how compelling it was. Punk turned the WWE product on its head before getting cut off. God knows what else he could've said and for how long had he been allowed to continue. I tired to lip read after the cut off but all I could make out was, "You wanna silence me? I'm the best!"

Punk certainly did his job, blurring the lines of work/shoot, suspending everyone's disbelief. He made it as real as he could, even if it was planned. WWE.com, the ultimate mark's website, even announced Punk's indefinite suspension and even took down his merchandise. It got everyone talking, right, Duy? That's my Colt Cabana for you! Haha!

As of writing, Punk's last tweet is,"I'm in full, "What are they going to do, fire me?" mode."

The beauty of all this, as pro-wrestling should be all the time, is that everyone is left scratching their heads. How real or "real" is this? Did Punk break character on live TV by saying he likes John Cena as a person, but the idea of Cena being the best is wrong? How far were the lines he actually crossed once he went backstage afterwards? I bet it was documentary-worthy.

Casual fans are giving more thought to what they were seeing (and maybe becoming smarter) and hardcore fans like myself are curious if the WWE will really let Punk go after the Money in The Bank pay-per-view or reel him back for the long term? Obviously I want him to stay, but stories are circulating right now that points to Punk actually leaving.

Punk's honesty is very refreshing. I know I'm going overboard by saying this but imagine if you could be that honest in other aspects of your life and get away with it? Well, kinda. Imagine telling people off, telling it like it is. A big "F-ck You!" to authority. It could and will get you in trouble. Hmm, now I'm beginning to think Punk will really be let go after this. Ugh.

Whatever happens to Punk, know this: I am now a CM Punk fan for life.

And I can't wait to hear what Punk has to say next.

(Guest Post) Devil's Advocate: Looking at DC by way of WWE

2011-06-04T12:52:00.013+08:00

John Cena: the WWE poster boy of this generation. Photo by Hub Pacheco

[Note: This post crossposted in Duy Tano’s Comics Cube blog. Thanks Duy, Hub!]

It seems the fallout from DC's Flashpoint announcements has been fully felt by now. Among other things, their decision to reset all titles from zero has probably upset fans the most. All of a sudden, DC's rich superhero lore has been set aside to start over anew. Hardcore fans are complaining left and right, with many threatening and going through with cancelling their subscriptions. Stupid move all around, right? Not necessarily.

Let me play devil's advocate for a minute and say that hardcore fans, for any hobby, are just plain hard to please. You do the same thing they liked before over and over again, they hate it too. You try anything new, they hate it. You take away the new thing they liked after they'd gotten used to it, and they will hate that too. Customer retention is important, but it does reach a point where it's no longer worth the effort, at least to try to keep everyone happy.

To make an analogy out of left field, let's switch hobbies and take a look at the state of pro wrestling, particularly the WWE. It's easy to scoff at pro wrestling as a fake sport, but it has a rich history in the world of entertainment, affecting the fields of live events, cable television, and just the way sports has been portrayed in the mainstream.

And the WWE are pioneers in entertainment, from helping launch closed-circuit television with Wrestling Classic/Wrestlemania I, Monday Night Raw, outdoor events in Caesar's Palace, etc. And WWE seemingly reached its peak creatively and financially during the Attitude/Monday Night Wars era, between 1996-1999. Post Monday Night Wars, WWE slowly lost their biggest draws (Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind) to injuries, retirements, and career shifts.

I would argue that at this point WWE was in a similar situation to where DC had been for a few years now. Like DC, WWE would ocassionally come up with a few pearls, but the comparisons to the more succesful era would linger and hurt them. Are they trying hard enough with the storylines? Are the wrestlers they're using likable enough? Why is this really talented technical workhorse not making them money if fans like him/her so much? And so on.

Essentially, they are stuck in a situation where they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. How can they please this or that fan if they aren't being given a fair shake? In the WWE, this question would be: Is it fair to condemn every little John Cena promo as inferior to the Rock? In DC, this would translate to: Is it fair to damn every Grant Morrison/Warren Ellis work as derivative of Alan Moore's?

But, see, DC and WWE may have found themselves an out: newer fans. Not only do newer fans not have these preestablished biases older, more hardcore fans may have, they may have more purchasing power, and are more important to the future of the company. They may lose a huger, more established fanbase in the short term, and lose money in that target shift, but it would pay off in the long term. They also see this as starting with a clean slate, literally starting storylines from scratch wihtout worrying about preestablished histories.

Of course, this analogy is imperfect, especially as DC's actions seem reactionary to the success of their great competitor Marvel. Another fault with this comparison is that unlike DC, WWE's shift from hardcore to casual young fan was more gradual and subtle. Some argue Vince McMahon Jr. splitting from the NWA and pro wrestling's terriories model, to usher in the Rock N' Wrestling Connection was the impetus of his break from hardcore fans.

Still, some parts of this analogy should ring true to anyone who was a wrestling and comic book fan throughout the '90s. The Death and Return of Superman was immensely popular, but left a bitter aftertaste that some fans still haven't forgiven DC for. Likewise, the push of HHH into a solid, if uncharismatic, 13 time World Champion, was both lauded and condemned by fans through the years. Some say he deserves credit for all the hard work he puts in, others point at his inability to draw like his predecessors and how he has undue influence over his career in his capacity as an executive senior advisor.

Where is the WWE now? In recent years, they had slowly but surely conquered the world of social media, topping searches in Yahoo Video and succesfully launching their own social network, the WWE Universe. Furthermore, Wrestlemania 27 topped the 1 million buyrate they had predicted, thanks to the involvement of crossover draws like The Rock, Steve Austin and Snooki. Although some people may still criticize how they did this or got that, they met their goals and they're definitely making money.

Where will DC Comics be next year, or in ten years time? Hard to tell, but if they play their cards right, even without the hardcore fanbase backing them up, they may do pretty good for themselves.

Snippets of Greatness: Remembering The Macho Man Randy Savage

2011-05-26T16:52:00.009+08:00

WIPCOMICS pays a lil' tribute this week for The Macho Man. (Art by Teddy Pavon)

THE DRIVER SEAT

By Hub Pacheco

Pro-wrestling related deaths are as common as, well, the common cold nowadays. At the top of my head, I list Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit (who shall forever be unremembered), Umaga as some of the most recent and notable deaths. Then, just last week, The Macho Man Randy Savage joined the list. (See the report from TMZ.)

I won't go on about the cause of pro-wrestling deaths. They are as varied and as simple and/or complicated as any other death in any industry. Stress & substance, I think they're about all the same.

Being born in the late '80s, I have barely a handful of memories of The Macho Man. After reading numerous posts remembering Savage (like this one by ESPN's Bill Simmons), it's a shame I didn't live through the Savage-Steamboat feud. By the time I was fully into pro-wrestling, it was already the end of the Federation Era and the start of the unforgettable Attitude Era.

Honestly, the fondest memory I have of Savage is his unique voice. So unique that I marked out when, as a kid, I watched, in a episode of Dexter's Laboratory, the Dial M for Monkey segment called Rasslor, which Savage lent his all-too-perfect vocal chords for.

Of course, during the Monday Night Wars, I saw Savage sporadically on and off the WCW/NWO. It was only after his untimely death that I found out he had a brief stint at TNA.

I've read and seen that Savage was the total package: great in-ring work plus undeniable charisma. Sorry, Lex Luger. From his tassles-laden and colorful ring attire (those solid shades that would shame rappers) to his outlandish promos, man, he was something!

Snippets of greatness is what I've seen of The Macho Man Randy Savage. But greatness, nonetheless.

So here's to you, Macho Man, dropping that elbow from way, way up the top rope of the heavens! OOOOOOOH YEAHH!!!

THE CASE FOR CAPTAIN CHARISMA

2011-05-10T00:16:00.000+08:00

Christian hoisting up the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules 2011.

(All screencaps & photos by Hub Pacheco)

THE DRIVER SEAT

by Hub Pacheco

They say the WWE is too predictable nowadays. Too predictable that suspension of disbelief is a rarity in most, if not all, feuds.

When Edge abruptly retired weeks ago, it suddenly put Christian on the spot - the top spot. That is something a self-confessed Peep has been waiting for ever since Captain Charisma came back on board the WWE in 2009. Christian cut a promo during the last ECW show and said that his coming back on ECW was viewed as a demotion by most people but he saw it as an opportunity to reach a new height on that show.

Christian pointing to his Peeps during the SmackDown!/ECW Tour on July 2009 at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila.

He then tumbled in mediocrity on RAW and SmackDown! in 2010. During last year's Money in The Bank PPV, it was more than expected of him to win, but they instead gave the ball to Jack Swagger. A legit injury would sideline him and lead to an angle with Alberto del Rio. We all know what happened afterwards and what culminated at Extreme Rules last Sunday.

Christian Cage, at last, has become a WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

I was ecstatic. On both the Battle Royal to determine the other contender for the World Title and the ladder match at Extreme Rules, my heart skipped beats several times until it was over. Yes I know that by virtue of Edge retiring and Del Rio headed to RAW following Extreme Rules, it was more than given that Christian will be the World Champion. But the feeling of him actually reaching the pinnacle of pro-wrestling success after all this time? Man, my disbelief sure was suspended there!

You don't need to be an industry insider to empathize with Christian moments after he unhooked that World Title. If i read his mouth correctly, I think he said, "I can't believe it!" That is the look of a man finally achieving his goal, finally reaching where he deserves to be. "Goals are dreams with deadlines"..5/1/11," he tweeted hours after winning the World Title. "Got lots of great msgs about last night..Know a lot of peeps never gave up hope the day would come..Thanks for always believing," he later added.

Color commentary billed Christian as having felt that he didn't deserve to reach that level of the World Championship. That is kayfabe at its basic level but I can't help but feel that it is as real as Edge's career ending injury.

Christian finally winning the big one is as feel good a story as Shawn Michaels winning the WWF Championship for the first time against Bret Hart. I remember that feeling when, as a kid, I witnessed HBK drop down on his knees and cradled the WWF Championship on his chest. I had that exact same feeling when Christian hugged the title on top of the ladder. Classic Cinderella storyline. Again, disbelief, suspended.

Edge with Christian moments after the latter's victory.

That is until Randy Orton beat Christian days later on SmackDown! and suddenly everything came back down. Christian came back down. Are you serious, bro? Did you just pull a Kane on Christian? Kane's first WWF Championship lasted only ONE night. SmackDown! is taped on Tuesdays. So technically, Christian had TWO nights as Champion. You could imagine the anger I felt after knowing what happened. (I was actually spoiled on a YouTube clip that Orton had won the Title. I, still giddy from Christian's win, searched for a clip of the moment when he climbed the ladder en route to victory. Big mistake.)

Which brings me back to my point of WWE's seeming predictability. In that episode, GM Teddy Long even emphasized that he had to make SmackDown! as unpredictable and exciting as possible. Foreshadowing perhaps? Has Vince pulled a fast one on us? It may have been too predictable when Christian won, but to make a full 180 and have him drop the Title days later? We never saw that coming. So, kudos to that, VinnieMac. You have my full attention back again.

So what now?

I truly hope, for Christian's sake and for all those who empathized with him, he'll be World Champion again sooner rather than really later.

MY MAP

2011-05-09T00:09:00.000+08:00

P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O

by Jefferson Ty

The renaissance of The Top Turnbuckle fittingly came on Easter Sunday. Nice, Hub Pacheco.

Hub Pacheco was so shocked by Edge’s retirement that he had to dig The Top Turnbuckle out of the rubble to properly air his endearing remarks for Adam Copeland. But it set up this match result that prompted me to bring out my map.

I have been through questionable pinfalls. Although these decisions were against my personal logic, I knew they were in the best interests of WWE. This past Smackdown!, Christian lost his World Heavyweight Championship to Randy Orton. I do not understand. It took Christian 17 years to win it all, but just 2 days to savor it all. Eight years of experience in continuously following WWE is still not enough for me to decode some of their profound decisions.

Christian: 17 years to win it all, 2 days to savor it all.

There is no point in getting upset or angry with this title change. The problem lies in transparency. However, we cannot expect WWE to explain to their “Universe” the real reasons behind Orton’s victory. Remember, as far as I can see it, WWE Superstars are no different from TV drama or comedy characters. When they are scripted to do this and do that, however irrational or illogical it maybe, they are still bound to do what is asked of them. The TV audience’s role is to watch these shows for personal entertainment and nothing more. But to the point of saying what should be done or what shouldn’t be done is simply left to the scriptwriter and in essence, to the producer and whoever the boss is overseeing the show. If they want to screw the audience by going against unconventional wisdom, then so be it. TV show series have come and go throughout history, and yet RAW and Smackdown!, despite the controversies, still stand firm as weekly staples on television.

WWE is a business. It exists to make profit. I am not sure if its goal is to preserve and showcase professional wrestling, but then again, in doing so, the money has to be there continuously rolling. If it is a business decision to have Orton as the champion now, then who am I to question the WWE boss? I have tried playing the General Manager Mode on Smackdown vs. Raw and I know how hard it is to achieve high ratings, and at the same time, keep my favorite wrestlers winning. At some points, I had to let my favorite wrestler lose just to maintain that high rating. It doesn’t mean my fave has to be a face; he/she can also be a heel. I have my personal liking, but my rating liking will say differently. In the end, more might mean less, and of course, vice versa.

The key is to suspend judgment until it is the right time to do so. This development on Smackdown has proved to be another situation wherein we must be open-minded. Not everything that appears on the map is what it really appears to be.

THANK YOU, EDGE!

2011-04-26T22:36:00.011+08:00

Edge in Manila, February 2006. (all photos by Hub Pacheco)

The Driver Seat
by Hub Pacheco

"The MRI showed that I have to retire," revealed Edge in the April 11 edition of RAW, less than a week after WrestleMania 27.

Edge's sudden retirement came off as a bigger shock to the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC) than The Rock's run in with John Cena and The Miz at the WrestleMania 27 main event.

There were hints of Edge retiring soon but for him to announce it abruptly, especially after a tough title defense at WrestleMania, it's too much of a shock for me. I still haven't gotten over Shawn Michaels' retirement speech the RAW after WrestleMania 26. If you look at the speeches Edge made in both RAW and SmackDown!, you could really see the sincerity in his eyes. His smile, his thank-yous to various peeps - it was genuine. People in general dismiss pro wrestling as fake or staged, but seeing his demeanor in his last week on TV, you can't get any more real than that, man. That was from the heart.

Manila loves the The Rated-R Superstar.

Respect, Edge said, is the most important thing he can take away from this tragedy. And I agree. On February 2006 when RAW held two shows here in Manila, Edge was then the WWE Champion. And honestly, I wasn't convinced of Edge as a world champion, the world champion at that. You see, he had just cashed in his Money-in-the-Bank briefcase and took the title from John Cena a month ago on New Year's Revolution. Hey, I'm no Cena fan, too, but I felt Edge hadn't proven himself yet. He wasn't main event material for me. I guess the same holds true for other midcarders suddenly pushed to the top.

Oddly enough, a few world championships later, Edge grew into it for me. From the Edge-Lita teamup to team Rated-RKO with Randy Orton to the Edge-Vickie Guerrero-La Familia-Edgeheads to his surprise return at the 2010 Royal Rumble, he solidified his character of The Rated-R Superstar and The Ultimate Opportunist.

Edge retained the WWE Championship vs Cena in Manila. Circa 2006.

It was fortunate that Edge ended his career as a face, although his retirement speech would've been more interesting to formulate had he been a heel. But hey, there are a lot of WWE greats who had a bad sendoff when they retired (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bret Hart). How many wrestlers can say they had two retirement speeches and retired as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion? So it's still a blessing even if we will never see that Edge-Christian feud we all have been waiting for since Christian came back to the WWE in 2009. Much like Rey Mysterio when Eddie Guerrero suddenly passed away late 2005, Christian now has the unenviable but well deserved chance of carrying Edge's momentum as Captain Charisma is currently in line for a World Heavyweight Championship match at Extreme Rules this Sunday.

I can say the same about The Miz, too, but that's a another topic altogether. I won't delve deeper into Edge's main event status because I think other IWC bloggers can say it better than I can. Hey, Edge's career wasn't all roses and cherries. He had his fair share of controversy (Lita/Matt Hardy, steroids), but he (pun intended) speared his way though all that and achieved more than anyone else in recent memory. Check the T-shirt to see what I mean.

As briefly as he said it in his speech, thank you, thank you very much, Adam Copeland.

THE BLOG IS BACK!

2011-04-24T00:15:00.009+08:00

The Driver Seat

By Hub Pacheco

About five years ago, my good friend Jeff & I started this blog after the WWE RAW team held two shows here in Manila. This blog was supposed to gather and collect our thoughts and opinions on WWE happenings. We are HUGE fans of the WWE and other pro wrestling federations and this blog was the outlet for all of our mark out moments, character sentiments and booking frustrations. All in good fun, of course.

School work started to pile in a year later and although SmackDown! held two shows on July 2007 in Manila, we just couldn't find the time to get back to writing here. So we just stopped. I loved discussing anything and everything about wrestling, but I wasn't motivated to do so any more then.

July 2009 - Smackdown/ECW held a one-night only show in Manila. At the first RAW of 2010, Bret Hart appeared on RAW. HBK retired that same year in a WrestleMania match with The Undertaker. February 2011 - The Rock came back and announced on RAW that he would be the special guest host of this year's WrestleMania. To quote good ol' JR Jim Ross, business picked up!

I also started writing a webcomic called Work in Progress (WIP) last year and that kinda reenergized me to write some more. And what better way to get my writing chops back in order than by writing something I'm passionate about other than basketball, comics and photography?

Long story short, that is the reason why I just shined this blog up real nice, turned it sideways and will be sticking this up on all your candy@$$ screens!

Now can you dig that, sucka!

ON THE BENOIT TRAGEDY: DON'T JUDGE THE LAST 3 DAYS ONLY

2007-07-13T23:02:00.000+08:00

The Driver Seat
by Hub Pacheco

Before anything else, let me just share a quote from my Theology textbook. It's about conscience.

"Conscience is our capacity to discern what is morally good or evil, with the feeling of being obliged to do the good and avoid evil....Conscience can be defined as our subjective norm of moral behavior, which determines how we should act by applying objective moral norm(s) to a specific moral act."

Much like Eddie Guerrero's tragic demise back in 2005, I was caught by surprise by the news of Chris Benoit's double murder-suicide. Much like in 2005, I was in class when I was informed of the news.

By now, the US media will have been all over the Benoit tragedy, debating "'roid rage" and drug abuse as the main cause for what has happened. Being a media student, it can as no surprise that reports spread like wildfire all over newspapers (It made the front page of our national daily here.) and the Internet. The truth, whatever the investigations can tell, is very much vague.

I don't really know the whole story (does anyone? I mean, it was murder-suicide after all.) Speculation is all that can be interpreted by the people in this debate. Internet reports have very little credibility. And since almost everything has been said, let me just go straight to the point:Chris Benoit should not be remembered for the last three days of his life. His is a wrestling career that should be admired by wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike. As far as I know, from watching him on TV, we has always a good hard worker. And his legacy should not be tainted by the last three days of his life.

Let me give an analogy to make my point clearer: Let's say that Osama Bin Laden, being a crazy-ass terrorist that he is, keeps on doing that shit until the last few days of his life. Before he dies, the confesses all his sins and is given penance. Would you remember him as a good person? Or would you remember him for all the shit that he did?

We can never know what Benoit was thinking when he did what he did. We have no right to judge him, even if we constantly do. Let's just leave that judgment to the Big Guy above.

Now leave him be. Chris, Nancy, and Daniel. Rest in Piece.

WRESTLEMANIA 23: ALL F-CKED UP

2007-04-02T23:07:00.000+08:00

Taker's win: the only good thing from WM 23. (photo from wwe.com)

The Driver Seat
by Hub Pacheco

Let me just start of by apologizing to the little girl who sat behind me during the airing of Wrestlemania 23 this morning. It was not my intention to curse profusely (much like sweating) because I had no idea that the show was going to be THAT f-cked up.

It was a pretty lackluster show to say the least, with Taker's win the only great thing in the entire four-hour "extravaganza." The MITB Ladder match was pretty okay, too, although I expected it to last a little longer. Kennedy winning was also a good choice. Melina retaining, great! (Ashley does not deserve gold around her waist until she learns how to wrestle.) Kane jobbing, damnit! MVP losing to a headbutt, weird. McMahon bald, expected. ECW originals dominating, surprising, but good, nevertheless. All that leaves us is the so-called "main event" of the night.

Although it should come as no surprise that Cena would retain, I for one do not approve of that decision. For two straight Wrestlemanias, Cena has been in the main event. He won both matches. He made both opponents tap out. He was booed like crazy both times. What does that say about his tenure as champion?

He is made to seem so invincible that no one can beat him singlehandedly. There's a lot of danger in that. You know, I could go on and on about this for several more paragraphs (or essays, if I'm feeling it. But I don;t want to waste my time on bullshit topics) but the point is, if they (Management) don't want to turn Cena heel, at least have him drop the goddamn title! Make him chase it again. That's why last year's Unforgiven was such a success. You had Cena chasing his title with fire and passion.

He may have stopped evolving his character since he dropped his thug identity and went all "ooh im gonna salute my every opponent and act all cheesy and say im here as the champ." Fine. Make him stay that way for all I care. I just find it unfair that HBK went through all the trouble to carry that soggy SOB all throughout their 'Mania match and ended up on the losing end. HBK deserved that top spot more than Cena will ever be (for now).

Triple H tapping out last year was fairly acceptable in one way or another, but HBK tapping out this year? It's just plain bullshit.

After watching Wrestlemania 23, I will say this. I am so close to never patronizing WWE programming ever again. So close.

BEST & WORST OF 2006

2007-01-18T21:28:00.000+08:00

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.

SMACKDOWN, PLEASE. GIMME A BREAK.

2006-11-26T22:26:00.000+08:00

THE DRIVER SEAT
by Hub Pacheco

Well, I'm back and I'm still scavenging for time to write the recap to last Month's WWE SmackDown Tour here in the Philippines. Yes it was a great two days but somehow I never got around to writing the recap. Maybe it was because my enthusiasm to write about it went out the window the moment that cameras were supposedly "banned" from the event. F--- that, I saw a guy inside the building with a Nikon D2x! (a pro camera) Well, I got some good shots OUTSIDE the arena of some superstars whom I unexpectedly came across. That story will saved when I write about the tour, which probably won't have any bearing as it has been over a month now since the event. Nonetheless, I will get around to it, eventually. I hope. Now, onto the main course!

This edition of the Driver Seat is dedicated to some random thoughts on WWE SmackDown! You know the drill, folks. I write it short but sweet. So here it goes.

PUTTING OUT THE FIRE BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS

You might have noticed the teensy tension that Brian Kendrick is developing on Paul London. You know, on last week's SD!, when Kendrick came out to help London against William Regal. Then Ashley bumped into Kendrick. Yadayada. Ashley comes to the aid of London instead of minding Kendrick. Then you got that little look of disappointment/jealousy on Kendrick's face afterwards. This week, same shit again as Kendrick got distracted when it was his turn versus Regal. COME ON! I (and every other WWE fan) know where this is going to lead to! Kendrick starts to hate London. They fight, implode and lose the tag titles, whichever comes first. Is it just me or is the lifespan of a tag team only less than a year? I thought London and Kendrick was supposed to be in a program with Idol Stevens and KC James? Well, The Pitbulls are out so Jamie Noble is back to being a generic jobber. Damn, I wish Noble had it better. He's a great wrestler. Anyway, back to the lameass implosion angle. Well, I hope that in their "storied and touching" feud to come, they'll at least put on a great match or two.

(IN THE TONE AND PRONOUNCIATION OF THE STEREOTYPICAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN) VICKIE, PLEASE!

I've really wanted tp talk about this bit ever since it started. WHAT THE HELL IS VICKIE GUERRERO DOING IN WWE? COME ON! Her supposed character doesn't fit her AT ALL. Turning heel on Rey Mysterio and doing all that heel crap. She doesn't give me any heel heat. She just makes me wanna turn away from my TV every time I see her on SD! It's true. I'm disgusted. Now, you may argue that maybe it was Mrs. Guerrero's decision to be a WWE talent. What, she can't support her family so she's going out there every week and making a fool out of herself? All right, maybe she does want to supprot her family by doing that. Buy by doing that, the image that I saw of her in Eddie's DVD story and in her Wrestlemania 22 appearance just went away for me. Can't she find something better to do? Why not start a foundation in Eddie's name? Or something along the lines of normalcy. Sorry for the harshness but really, she doesn't belong in the WWE. Leave all the heel heat to Chavo and stay out of the picture. Noted IWC columnist Linda Robin said that we should give Vickie a chance. While I highly respect Mrs. Robin's opinions, I say, please. Gimme a break.

Well, that's about it for now. There are a lot of positive things to be said about SmackDown! but the real fun is in talking about things that pisses me (and most WWE fans, I assume) the most. I mean, if it's great, why sprinkle it with more praises? Yeah I should but like I said, the real fun is in the stuff that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
I'll be watching Survivor Series tonight and I'm looking forward to a great show. (The only advantage Filipino WWE fans have over US fans is that we get to watch PPVs in cinemas for USD6.00! US fans have to shell out around USD35-40 for their PPVs. So to JackTV, thank you. But f--- you for those tickets last October.) Although the formation of teams for the classic Survivor Series match is obvioulsy rushed. Hell, there wasn't even an angle. It was like WWE management played chess with the three brands' rosters. Anyway, to hell with angles. I'm fed up with some on SmackDown!, so I'll just leave it at that.

MAKING A STATEMENT

2006-09-26T22:48:00.000+08:00

P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O.
by Jeff Ty

In the past week, I was intrigued by numerous news and details about the "major announcement" which would be made at the end of No Surrender. It is funny that I even care, at least on a slightest note, about TNA. You know, before they moved to Universal Studios in Orlando, they were always confined in Nashville, Tennessee or at times; Huntsville, Alabama and other random places. Basically, they are not even a national wrestling promotion. However, similar to the 90's ECW, TNA has its own persona in the form of a six-sided ring (which makes for more action-packed wrestling), excellent and suave wrestlers in Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, etc., and despite its regional nature, its television coverage is international. Hell, local channel ABC 5 and Star Sports televise TNA on a weekly basis. Wanna watch? I don't even have the slightest idea when to watch, and if I do, it is because I randomly turn to ABC or Star Sports.

What now, compare TNA to WWE? The pyrotechnics, entrance musics, arena set-up, and a god-like and invincible Chairman and owner are just enough reasons why TNA is always an afterthought when we talk of the World Wrestling Entertainment.

MAKING A STATEMENT: TNA is a complete waste of time, at least for me. Honestly said. A confession.

For the first time in my life, the once-"afterthought" Total Nonstop Action or TNA got my full attention. Hell, it got the whole worldwide wrestling community's attention.

And based on some Internet reports, TNA wrestlers and staff themselves didn't even know of the "major announcement". They were just reduced to ordinary wrestling fans, just like you and me. Why? Is this something not worth revealing until the last moments? After all, it is only TNA. If WWE has already a hard time surprising wrestling fans, what more if an "afterthought" like TNA decide to gamble and put its reputation at risk by relying on a "major announcement"?

As I and the rest of the wrestling community, wrestlers and fans alike, wait for that announcement, I could hear everyone say: "This better be good".

MAKING A STATEMENT: TNA is taking the next step to promotional success, through - KURT ANGLE.

KURT ANGLE.

KURT ANGLE.

A five-time WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion, European Champion, Hardcore Champion, multiple-time Tag Team Champion, 2000 King of the Ring, and numerous PPV main-events, one of which is the classic Wrestlemania 19 match with Brock Lesnar. An Olympic gold medalist.

He can perfectly work as a face or a heel. He can even play a general manager. He is a suplex, submission mat wrestler with an attitude and charisma that combines the different worlds of amateur and professional wrestling. He symbolizes America. Most of all, he is one the rare wrestlers who gets the "ooh" crowd reaction everytime he makes his entrance to the ring because of his credibility and achievements. Others are Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kane, and the Undertaker, to name a few.

Simply put, he puts "asses in seats". He is a "marketing gem". Many of the WWE T-shirts have been based on his character, tag lines such as "America Needs A Hero", "Freedom of Choice: Tap Out or Angle Slam", "From This Angle You Suck", etc. His entrance pyrotechnics is one of the most explosive in the WWE. We can only count on our fingers how many his eyesore matches in the WWE were. When he won his fifth WWE Championship (or World Heavyweight Championship), he earned the monicker "Wrestling Machine".

A "wrestling machine". A generic monicker, yet a magnified one when describing Kurt Angle.

Given these credentials, Kurt Angle still wasn't happy in WWE. His quick rise to the WWE pinnacle has a price after all. In his first year in WWE, he already won the three major WWE titles (WWE, IC, European C'ships). In the subsequent years, he was always mentioned in main-event or upper card circles. He was usually featured in big storylines, even without a title on the line. He seemingly got what he wanted, or he could always try to get what he wanted. But as we all know, injuries sometimes stall careers. In 2003, Angle suffered numerous injuries. Yet he still continued to wrestle despite his deteriorating health. Until this year, when his injuries were already very alarming, causing WWE to ship him to ECW, billing him as its "new face". At first, from my viewpoint, I thought that Angle had no problem with it because he would be an automatic main-event mainstay. On an Internet report, however, WWE wanted him there because of Angle's need to rest and nurse his injuries. After Vengeance, he missed a significant amount of ring time, but when he decided to come back, it was apparently against WWE management's will. As he was used to getting what he wanted, he stubbornly returned, only to miss his Summerslam appearance because of aggravated injuries. That was the last time I heard of Kurt Angle. Days later, he and WWE agreed to part ways. I could say that Angle decided to go because he had lost his footing and stroke in backstage politics. But Angle could always come back when he is finally physically and mentally 100 percent. I had expected him to return soon, a la Shawn Michaels who left for 4 years (1998-2002). Speaking of HBK, we all remmeber his match with Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 21. Now, these two amazing superstars are going on different directions, one recollecting his glorious past and further solidifying his legacy, while the other is contemplating on his questionable future and is on the verge of making or unmaking his career.

Perhaps the "dream match-up" between Michaels and Angle was a foreshadowing of the return of D-Generation X and "the major announcement". I don't really know, only theorizing.

After Angle had been released, Internet wrestling columnists expressed their respect and admiration for Angle's legacy and contributions in wrestling. It could be said that they all expect Angle to make some sort of a major comeback in the near future. WWE made Kurt Angle as Kurt Angle that we know, so it is unthinkable for Angle to even think about going to other wrestling promotions. So bye bye Angle, at least until TNA's September PPV, No Surrender.

TNA's major announcement was its signing of Kurt Angle. I was stunned. Well, sort of. If he wasn't happy from his last days in WWE, he could consider TNA, right? That was the same pattern Christian Cage followed in his journey to TNA stardom. But Kurt Angle? How could he fit in the TNA locker room? Moreover, what would his TNA colleagues say? Why? I thought that Angle was always welcome in WWE.

What does he really want? I mean, he has nothing left to prove, doesn't he? Damn, Angle thought of TNA, while I "after-thought" it. What would he gain by joining TNA? As for TNA, does it think that it has accomplished a highway robbery? Angle would never be 100 percent anymore, and that is why WWE decided to let him go in the first place. Angle was in fact a liability rather than an asset for much of the last months, and TNA now grabbed him like a fish out of the water.

I only wish that Angle won't make the same mistake as Michael Jordan did, when His Airness "retired" from NBA, a major basketball league, to only end up playing in a minor league baseball team, in hopes of joining a major league baseball team. We know that his baseball career was a failure and he ended up winning another "three-peat" with the Chicago Bulls. Will WWE embrace Kurt Angle again should he decide to return, much like Chicago?

If Kurt Angle is making a statement, I hope that he got his message across everyone loud and clear.

MAKING A STATEMENT: I don't know what Kurt Angle is doing with his career, and life. And I don't wanna know, because it would only make me sick and utterly disappointed.

ALL HAIL KING BOO-KHEAH!

2006-08-20T20:50:00.000+08:00

After years of bouncing around the midcards and (only) filling up main events, King Booker is once again at the top of the mountain. I've been a fan of Booker T since his WCW days and to see him as world champion for the first time in his WWE tenure, it's a great feeling. I may not like him being a heel world champ, but hey, since his face character's not going anywhere, the King of the World is tops on my list. His silly-as-hell grin (or his whole royal face, actually), his forced royal British accent ("I'm King Boo-kheah!"), and his twirling around in the middle of the ring is just too much for me too handle! King Booker is hilarious!

I'd like to believe that - after Booker won the title from Rey Mysterio weeks ago at the Great American Bash - Booker's tears were for real and not just for show. You know, the usual sobfest moment when a wrestler wins a big time championship. I'd like to believe that Booker really felt that good winning his SIXTH world title after being significantly de-pushed after he supposedly botched up his match with Triple H at Wrestlemania 19 three years ago. He really deserves to be world champion. It's been so long since his last run but (as cheesy and Cena-like as this sounds) his time is now.

Now, let the reign of King Boo-kheah begin!

SIN SEATS

2006-07-16T20:11:00.000+08:00

PRO-WRESTLING DRIVER SEAT
by Hub Pacheco

“Wala na talaga, miss?”

“Yung buong sections na yun?”

“Wala na, sir. Kinuha na ng promoters yung apat na sections na ‘yun,” (see above photo for reference) said the friendly Araneta Coliseum clerk. I stood there, frozen for a minute, which seemed like an eternity, then hesitantly took the Php 5k seat next to one of the sections that the promoter took.

While I’m still contemplating my decision on the seat that I bought for the WWE SmackDown! Survivor Series Tour on October 21 (and 22? Not yet sure so far) this year, I reflected on what the Araneta clerk told me. I was originally planning to buy a PT106 patron b seat (worth Php3700+) but I was stopped in my tracks by the promoter who hoarded over 200+ seats! Now, I would understand them hoarding the ringside seats which cost Php 10k each. THAT I can understand. But hoarding four main sections? That’s bullshit. What makes these sections so special? I dunno for the promoter but for me when you sit from those sections, you’re like watching WWE from a straight TV camera view. And those seats were the best seats for my budget. You’re close enough to the action and it’s “affordable.”

But they were gone. Just like that. This may sound whiny in my part but it’s very much true: It’s not fair. It’s bad enough that the ringside seats cost Php 10k, now they hoarded the affordable good seats? People who have connections with the promoter, of course, still have to pay for those hoarded seats. Connections are to an extent are literally connections. If you can’t pay up, you won’t get that seat. Unless you’re treated to that seat then it’s another story. I’m not gonna take away the fact that those people paid for those hoarded seats. You have connections, while I and a host of others don’t. You never worked for your tickets while I and thousands of other people frantically called up ticketnet or went to Araneta at 6:30 AM in the morning and waited for hours until the ticket booth opened. A lot of people deserved those seats more than you. But I will tell you this: come October 21, me and a lot of people who will sit in PT 105, 108, 109, 110, 111, 114, 115 will, in their minds, boo you out of Araneta. At least that’s what I think. Nonetheless, on October 21, you people who will be sitting on hoarded seats will have my ever-erupting ire from the moment “Rise Up” plays until the WWE crew takes the ring down. You’re sitting on sin seats, you jerks. No, you’re sitting on MY and a lot of other people’s seats. I hope you’re happy.

Oh yes. I almost forgot. As a final note to the promoters: Thank you for bringing WWE RAW and SmackDown! here in the Philippines. I really appreciate it. And as for hoarding those sections, I only have two words for ya. No, not the famous DX line. It’s more along the lines of…

F--- YOU.

John Cena or Randy Orton? John Cena or Brock Lesnar?

2006-06-02T17:30:00.001+08:00

Cena: still very professional despite the jeers by some fans.

photo by Hub Pacheco

P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O.
by Jeff Ty

For John Cena haters out there, consider this:

Young superstars, when pushed ahead of their contemporaries, sometimes swallow in their own poison. The perfect and classic example would be my childhood favorie The Ultimate Warrior. However, upon knowing of his unprofessional behavior that led to his downfall or "self-destruction", I was turned off by him. I don't believe that I admired a selfish egomaniac, but that showed us the risk of overpushing a promising but risky young wrestler. Here are other 2 examples.

Brock Lesnar: He was only 24 when he beat THE ROCK, yes, The People's Champion to win his first WWE Championship. Before that, he was crowned 2002 King of the Ring. His championship reign was solidified by his Hell In A Cell match against THE UNDERTAKER, yes, The Dead Man does job! Then he also won another WWE tradition, eliminating The Undertaker last to win the 2003 Royal Rumble. Then he went on to main event Wrestlemania 19, where he beat KURT ANGLE, yes, the Olympic Champion, for his second WWE Championship. In Septmeber 2003, Kurt Angle again jobbed to him in a grueling 60-minute Iron Man match where Lesnar won his third and final WWE Championship. But after he lost to Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out 2004, he disgraced himself in front of WWE fans at Wrestlemania 20, flashing a dirty finger to them.

Damn, I didn't even include those countless WWE superstars who jobbed to push this ungrateful Minneapolis native. He complained about the hectic schedule of the WWE, but that is how things are. If the Ultimate Warrior was only unpopular among co-wrestlers and WWE officials but not with wrestling fans, Brock Lesnar was infamous everywhere in the wrestling world, whether it be fans or co-wrestlers.

Randy Orton: Although not as grave as Brock Lesnar, he is also a contemporary example of young and promising wrestlers that were given the opportunity to follow the footsteps of greats like Stone Cold and The Rock. He was included in the Elimination Chamber at Summerslam 2003. A month later, he recorded a pinfall over SHAWN MICHAELS, yes, the Heartbreak Kid via Ric Flair's antics at Unforgiven 2003. At Survivor Series 2003, he led Team Bischoff to victory over Team Austin, scoring the deciding pinfall over Shawn Michaels again. A month later, at Armageddon 2003, he beat RVD for the Intercontinental Title, his first championship. At Wrestlemania 20, he willed Evolution (Ric Flair, Batista, and him) to a win over the fabled ROCK N' SOCK CONNECTION, yes, Mick Foley and The Rock. A month later, at Backlash 2004, a hardcore legend and a future Hall of Famer in Mick Foley jobbed to him in a Hardcore Match. And heaven forbid, at Summerslam 2004, he became the youngest WWE Champion of all-time, beating CHRIS BENOIT, yes, the Rabid Wolverine. At Survivor Series 2004, he again scored the deciding pinfall in the Classic Survivor Series match. At New Year's Revolution 2005, he was the last wrestler to be pinned. However, unlike Brock Lesnar, he did lost some key matches, like Unforgiven 2004 to Triple H and Wrestlemania 21 to Undertaker. During the 2nd half of 2005, everybody knew that he was in for a big push this year, 2006, so it was a given that he would become champion at Wrestlemania 22. For some reason, Rey Mysterio instead pinned him, who in the first place is an experienced veteran who had gone through many obstacles during his years in WCW, ECW, Japan, Mexico, other U.S. "indy" wrestling organizations, etc.

For those very women who blush and/or shriek at the sight of the handsome Randy Orton, reports of him being unprofessional with female co-wrestlers began spreading on the Internet, which many believed was the reason why WWE chose to suspend him indefinitely since April. Apparently, one could infer that his constant pushes began to increase his ego. This has been really very embarassing for Randy Orton, who as of press time, is still suspended.

And John Cena? Please, not only he is a marketing gem and symbolic representative for the WWE, he is also a very professional wrestler and person who knows how to deal with those fans who don't give him some serious shit. He is a bit overpushed, but he knows how to handle the pressure, unlike the Ultimate Warrior, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton. John Cena, without a shadow of a doubt, has exceeded expectations much like LeBron James in the NBA. It is only fitting to say that in years' time, he would be the next Stone Cold or The Rock that we are longing for nowadays. Here is an illustration to summarize:

Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton < JOHN CENA < The Rock and Stone Cold

ALL WWE RAW LIVE TOUR PHOTOS ARE NOW UPLOADED!

2006-06-01T21:56:00.000+08:00

It took me months to process the 370 frames I shot on Feb. 25, 2006, but I did it. Complete photos from WWE RAW Live Tour in Manila, 25 February 2006 @ the Araneta Coliseum are here.

Enjoy.

-Hub Pacheco

Random RAW Thoughts

2006-06-01T00:13:00.000+08:00

RAW's Carlito is definitely COOL.

THE PRO-WRESTLING DRIVER SEAT
By Hub Pacheco

Things slowed down for me over the last few weeks that I haven’t found anything to talk about, though I am working on a piece that made me think of my pro-wrestling viewing roots (much like Mr. Ty did before).

That being said, I now revert to a writing technique that I use to avoid the well-thought-out, well-laid-out structures of essay writing – random thoughts. My newswriting teacher might shudder if she knew about this, but hey, it’s summer! The brilliant, well-structured essays are reserved for the upcoming semester.

RAW has been much of a pleasure to watch over the last few months, mainly because it is the A-show, the flagship brand that has carried the company since the 1990s. It was so good that I had to beg off from my leisure trips on Saturday nights. I had to be home before or exactly 6PM for me not to miss a single minute of RAW. This is the complete opposite of SmackDown!, where I usually take my time from going home on Sunday nights. I feel that I won’t miss much of anything even if I missed the whole show. Replays a few days later would suffice. The B-show just isn’t sitting too well for me these days. (Read previous post by Jeff Ty for the reasons). Another reason for RAW’s success is the resurgence of interest to old favorites like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon. Okay, like I said, this piece is gonna be ugly, so here goes:

Random Thought # 1: Carlito is definitely COOL!

On SmackDown! years ago, Carlito was just this annoying Alfalfa-haired goofball running his mouth, dragging along big bodyguards like Jesus and Matt Morgan. His SmackDown! highlights include his interference during WrestleMania 21’s Piper Pit and winning the US title from then-US champ John Cena in his debut match on the show. What is with WWE booking debut championship wins? Gail Kim did it in her debut to win RAW’s Women’s title a couple of years back and Carlito would again win in his debut match on RAW, snatching the Intercontinental championship from Shelton Benjamin.

From the moment Carlito arrived on RAW, he became so over with the fans. I don’t know. He’s the complete package – great mic skills, humorous antics, kooky appearance that’s sure to stick in your mind, and, of course, great innovative wrestling skills. What a COOL backbreaker move! I remember the people who cheered him on when he came to Araneta Coliseum for the RAW live tour last February. His T-shirt was the first one to be sold out.

Carlito is supposed to be playing the heel in his feud with Chris Masters. But for some reason, he’s the babyface? Wha? I don’t get it. Logically, it was Carlito who screwed over Masters a number of times prior to their mini-feud. I guess this would be a good example of fan-based booking. Fans love him, so he’s kind of like Triple H right now, a tweener. Is he supposed to be a face or a heel?

I can say this much – I am very confident about Carlito’s WWE career. He’ll have a good five-ten year run at the rate he’s at. He’ll make for a good main-eventer in the future.

Random Thought # 2: Shelton’s still kicking!

Remember when I said that a Shelton-Charlie Haas feud would rake in big hits? Well, It’s in the works! Thank God! Now, the only problem here is Haas’ mic work. Since coming to RAW, he’s had no mic time. And for his program with Shelton to work, Haas has (a little unintentional tongue twister there) to rebuild a solid foundation for his character. And now that Shelton regained his IC title, there’s automatically a good foundation already set up for their feud. This should be a good one, folks.

Random Thought # 3: I got two words for ya, (not yet!)

How could WWE have planned this out so well? Pure coincidence? SUr e looks like it. It seems that Cena’s win over HHH at WM22 is the precursor to the reformation of the craziest group known to pro-wrestling: the Degeneration-X! Think about it. Had HHH won at WM22, Cena’s career would crash as fast as a virus-infected PC! By having HHH lose to Cena at WM22 & at Backlash, and SIMULTANEOUSLY ending a feud with HBK also at Backlash, Vince can now revert to a turn from Triple H to reform D-X. Given the recent programs with one another, Vince can align with Cena (a heel turn here) and/or Edge while HHH can realign with HHH for D-X. The Vengeance PPV is the scheduled return of D-X and I couldn’t have planned it better.

Both HHH and HBK don’t need this kind of push at this point in their careers, they’re pretty much established as far as ten title reigns and first grand slam title wins are concerned. But they need to do all that crazy D-X shit that made them famous in the late 1990s for their young counterparts (Cena and Edge, to name a few) to become more established main-eventers, since they can’t seem to do it on their own so far.

Random Thought # 4: Arrrmando Alejandro EstRRRada, YEA! Umaga, BOO!

“Haha!” So goes EstRRRada’s trademark laugh. Barely three months on RAW, I have quickly caught on with his thick victory cigars, his accent and his micwork. Since Daivari jumped ship to SmackDown!, RAW has been without a noisy-ass manager. But here’s the difference. Daivari used to managed (used to, sadly) Muhammad Hassan (who I believe had a GREAT potential to be a top heel in the WWE), a no-nonsense wrestler who really had the crowd going, while EstRRRada manages a STUPID, CRAPPY, REPACKAGED Jamal, Umaga. I call Umaga the three-move wrestler – the flying headbutt, the ass train, and the thumb (OH MY!! IT’S THE MOST STUPIDEST FINISHER EVER!!! LOOK OUT, WWE SUPERSTARS!!! IT’S THE THUMB OF DEATH!!!). (In an Austin Powers tone) That’s… about… it. The Samoan Bulldozer, my ass!!! Sheesh! Every time I see that stupid Umaga character, I’m thining, hey, I’m better off watching TNA’s Samoa Joe! Now, there’s a true Samoan bulldozer! It’s like this, you see: when EstRRada gets on the mic, I’m like YEAH! But the second that Umaga comes through the curtain, my energy level just dropped down into the Earth. I feel for Ric Flair. He had to job to this loser at Backlash.

Random Thought # 5: Women’s division heating up! It’s about time!

Who would’ve thought that WWE would invest time and talent in the fledging women’s division? Since Mickie James bounced her way into RAW, she has captured the Women’s Title and had a good feud with Trish Stratus. Now, as reported by wrestling news sites, WWE has signed several top indy women wrestlers, namely Beth Phoenix and UK’s Nikita. This just goes to show that the WWE has big plans for the women’s division. All this should put me at ease with the recurring IRONY of WWE putting women who shouldn’t be wrestling in matches while the women who should be wrestling is wasting her career as a valet. I’m talking about (my personal favorite) Lita. Well, at least she’s involved in main event storylines. But still, it’s bullshit! The likes of Torrie Wilson and Maria are wrestling while Lita is stuck in a “whore” character. It should be the other way around. But, then again, Lita has proven herself to be a women’s champion so what’s the point? This situation only proves that you can and should look at pro wrestling circumstances from various perspectives.

Random Thought # 6: I don’t have much Spirit for the Tag Team Division

What the F? As a special consideration, ALL FIVE members of the Spirit Squad are recognized as the World Tag Team Champions? Since when has that been allowed? Kenny and Mikey are technically the two tag champs who won the titles from Big Show and Kane. No disrespect to the Spirit Squad (I am a fan of their cheerleader gimmick), but this is pure bullshit. As if the tag team division isn’t garbage enough, now this comes along? For the nth time, the tag team division is, for now and probably will still be for a long time, purely shitted on. In recent memory, it is the easiest championship for a WWE wrestler to achieve. You can just tag with anybody and you’re all set! Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade won it once, then lost to Show and Kane, then the two spilt up. Bullshit! I hope that the WWE can get the tag team division back ti the heydays of the Dudleys, the Hardys, and Edge and Christian. Then Monday nights (Saturday nights here) and Friday nights (Sundays here) will be much more exciting to watch!

Random Thought # 7: May 19… Whatever…

Can this bit get any stupider? Kane snaps whenever someone says May 19 – the release date of his movie “See No Evil.” Now, I really think this one was done MAINLY TO PROMOTE his movie. How else can WWE promote it? From a marketing standpoint, it’s sheer genius. Having the audience remember that exact date will surely prompt the casual moviegoer to the box offices. But they exaggerated too much. I mean, they said that the May 19 angle will open another door to Kane’s character. Sure I’m all for that. But checking my calendar, May 19, 2006 doesn’t fall anywhere near a RAW show! It’s on a Saturday. How the hell will they explain that date on a RAW show when it’s way off the live Monday shows? I can’t even bear to watch Kane’s matches where a few minutes into it, the lights flicker and a deep voice would chime “May 19, May 19…” Please. They better think of something good or this one will be a stinker.

Random Thought # 8: The promo of the year! (so far)

Joey Styles blasted the mic in a recent RAW promo. He “quit” and spitted on Vince, the WWE, and pretty much everything else in between. His promo was, of course, a work/shoot one and I was glad that Creative allowed that to go on air. Sure, it was a prelude to an ECW angle but hey, it worked for me. That was, by far, the best promo of the year.

Random Thought # 9: ECW, Foley, Edge, and Rob Van Dam

Speaking of ECW, Mick Foley, the ultimate contemporary babyface, has turned heel and has aligned with his WM22 opponent, Edge! This seems a revival of his anti-hardcore character back in ECW. Well, this angle hasn’t developed that much, but it’s worth looking into, seeing that ECW will return in June for One Night Stand and a full-time show later in the year. EXTREEEME is back!

Random Thought # 10: On John Cena again…

Well, the boos are still there, but so are the sporadic cheers for the WWE champ, John Cena. I’m not complaining about his character knowing that D-X’s return will obviously revitalize his staleness. Oh yeah, Cena’s character may be a dud on TV, but his webshow, 5 Questions with The Champ, on wwe.com is a hoot. His kickass personality from 2003-mid-2005 is somewhat alive in that weekly webshow. His humor, which is rarely seen on TV, is very much evident and watching that webshow came as something for me to look forward to nowadays.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll be back (hopefully) next week for my roots and roads/IWC piece. WHOOO!!!

ANALOGY ---> Smackdown! : Great Khali and Mark Henry ; RAW : HBK and HHH

2006-05-25T20:58:00.000+08:00

RAW Superstars like Triple H (above) and Shawn Michaels make up what is arguably one of pro-wrestling greatest factions, the DeGeneration-X. SmackDown!, on the other hand, is without Kurt Angle & the late Eddie Guerrero and is constantly flooded by "overpushed pigs" like Mark Henry and The Great Khali. No wonder SmackDown! is the B-Show of the WWE.

P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O.
by Jeff Ty

Smackdown!, May 2, 2006
US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio

The analogy speaks volumes of how RAW is an "A-show", while Smackdown is a "B-show".

After witnessing two very OVERPUSHED pigs in The Great Khali and Mark Henry this past Sunday on WWE Smackdown!, I literally prayed for somebody named Eddie Guerrero to resurrect himself and slap some sense into Smackdown! I also hoped for the animal named Batista to recuperate immediately, whom by the way was sidelined by the careless hands of the big oaf named Mark Henry. I wished that the Undertaker could return full-time and immerse himself into the storylines more, not just scaring everybody with gongs and eerie music and visual effects. I could forgive Randy Orton for his recent actions just to get rid of certain undeserving superstars. I tried to remind myself that this "World Strongest Man" was also the stupid and risky dumbo that put the unreplaceable Kurt Angle out of commission for two Smackdown! episodes. I also noticed that household names such as Chris Benoit and Booker T are nowhere near main-event status. Furthermore, upcoming stars such as Lashley, MNM, and Paul Burchill, despite overwhelming positive reactions from the audience, are still mere spectators to the very, very UNNERVING sight of the two OVERPUSHED pigs getting what they want, whenever they want to.

And don't get me started with the current World Heavyweight Champion. Please.

If only Rey Mysterio has these kinds of bona fide rivals such as Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, or even Booker T, then it is logical to have him as World Champion. But WWE, for all its smarts, decided for the Champ to feud with the "Wrestling God". JBL is a proven former champion that didn't fold even once in his 10-month reign as WWE Champion. His glory days are over, and yet here he is again. Although I favor his mic skills and like him a notch over Rey Mysterio himself or Booker T, he should give way to others. Also on this episode, I saw another tag team of OVERPUSHED pigs in the Gymini. So what, winning over Scotty and Funaki? What is the point here? I didn't get to see Paul Burchill and MNM. Damn it. What the hell is happening?

Now, seeing him destroyed by Mark Henry just makes me sick. After injuring Batista and Kurt Angle, WWE had still the guts to send him to work with an already injured Rey Mysterio. Why not Booker T, a heel also? Who is this Mark Henry by the way? At Wrestlemania 22, he was the only wrestler that was greeted by complete silence in his entrance from the ironically flamboyant Chicago crowd. Nobody had even the willingness to boo him, and when his match had dragged on, out of sheer disgust, "Henry Sucks" chants were shouted. It was not out of routine, but just a sign of complete turn-off from the fans. In the grandest stage of them all, he went for a cover or a pin on the Undertaker in a Casket Match. This is just bulls***. Enough of the former "Sexual Chocolate".

After his idiotic stint at Wrestlemania 22, WWE brought in which I believe is a far worse wrestler. The Great Khali. When offered the microphone, damn, even my pet cat can talk clearer than this senseless wall. What the hell is WWE offering the fans? I won't go on to discuss The Great Khali because he just pisses me off everytime I see him.

On this period when the signs on RAW all point to the much-awaited D-X, which perhaps is the greatest faction/stable of all-time, people like the Great Khali and Mark Henry pollute the legacy of Smackdown!.

Sad, but true.

MALE CHEERLEADERS: Missing ingredients in Monday Night RAW?

2006-05-04T21:42:00.000+08:00

Do Monday nights really need a little "Spirit" uplifting?

P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O.
By Jeff Ty

The recent developments on Monday Night RAW have not been very pretty, with Cena’s lingering mixed reactions and the blasphemous angles by the McMahons that earned a censor from our very own JACK TV as concrete examples. Of course, there are still superstars who continue to give the fans what they want, like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Rob Van Dam, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Chris Masters, Mickie James and Ric Flair. Then there is Edge, which despite being forced to short live his WWE Championship title reign, has been simply very solid and impressive as a top heel on RAW. It is a contrast to the newcomer Umaga, which is just a repackaged Jamal from 3 Minute Warning. Some of us know what happened to Jamal and his ex-partner Rosey after the gimmick died away fast. Jamal suddenly disappeared, while the latter became S.H.I.T., or Super Hero In Training. That’s okay, Rosey still a lower-card wrestler even though he was repackaged. For his equally huge counterpart, Jamal or Umaga was recently seen pinning a 16-time world champion at Backlash in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

Jesus. The “Naitch”, Ric Flair, pinned by Jamal, or “Morning”/Umaga?

For that, I could still take that as a grain of salt. After all, WWE had Mark Henry in the main event of Royal Rumble this year. Or some guy named Gunner Scott pinning a five-time WCW Champion on Smackdown just few weeks ago.

Even though the fans would just groan and let these slip away, somehow we just have to think of the other WWE superstars that already paid their dues and are in dire need of showing their true mettle in a major angle, not just as a filler wrestler or a jobber. Rob Conway. Trevor Murdoch. Paul Burchill. Psicosis. Super Crazy. Sylvan. And for those superstars who thought they have had it, like Carlito, Chris Masters, Lashley, and MNM, they would only find out that the next big thing is not either one of them.

The Spirit Squad, composed of 5 male cheerleaders. I had tried to neglect their names, but their annoying entrance pains me to remember some of them: Nicky, Kenny, Johnny, Nicky, and …? Wow, that’s good, 4 out of 5. On their debut, I thought that their presence was just a waste of time getting into my nerves and others’ nerves as well. Wrestlers are supposed to be tough, but some smart aleck backstage thinks that executing stupid cheers about worthless things would take these clowns to the next level. I really feel for Lilian Garcia, while announcing the guidelines for the Royal Rumble match proper, the Spirit Squad interrupted, came uninvited, and deliberately sucked the excitement and life out of Miami fans for the Royal Rumble match. Fortunately, Triple H’s entrance restored some much-needed order in the arena that night. When you make your debut on a pay-per-view, a major one at that, you would right away know the true reactions of the fans towards your character. At Wrestlemania 22, the Chicago fans let the WWE know that John Cena absolutely sucks. The Miami fans at the Royal Rumble were caught off-guard by these idiots and fell dead silent. “What the hell is going on”, I could feel someone asking while I watched the cheerleaders pollute a tradition known as the Royal Rumble. If you have to get some heel heat, do it in a more conventional way, for Pete’s sake. I honestly believe that WWE programming is no joke. Really.

Just hours removed from the first May edition of RAW, they were named co-General Managers. Okay, so what, they “helped” the McMahons win at Backlash. Then as I read along the RAW results, they personally had controlled RAW as co-GMs. First, they made a Diva Tag Team Cheerleader Match. In this one, they had two of the best female wrestlers in Mickie James and Victoria losing to eye candies Maria and Torrie Wilson. They had the guts to manipulate Shawn Michaels and Kane. If that wasn’t enough, they also manipulated Triple H and Edge. What? The last straw –

A Spirit Squad member challenging Cena for the WWE Championship. If you have monitored champions and challengers for this very prestigious title, their names wouldn’t raise eyebrows, with the exceptions of Mr. McMahon and Eric Bischoff, but please, they are there because it is in the storylines. Now, they have an ordinary novice wrestler having a shot at the WWE Championship.

That’s right, the WWE Championship.

I will tune in to next week’s RAW and decide if the Spirit Squad is really the missing ingredient or the lost piece of jigsaw puzzle that would make Monday Night RAW great again since the Attitude Era.

R.I.P. Eddie? Not Yet.

2006-05-03T00:13:00.000+08:00

You can credit Eddie for Rey's main-event push, but I have my doubts with Rey as a world champion

THE PRO-WRESTLING DRIVER SEAT
By Hub Pacheco

(This column was originally published in http//:nikonboy.livejournal.com on 6 Feb. 2006 and now republished here for better referencing and for keeping the subject more up-to-date. Also, I've added a follow up entry at the last paragraph to assess how the subject has developed.)

Eddie Guerrero was a great man. He was a proud champion. He was arguably SmackDown’s main draw. When he passed away on November of 2005, we were caught off guard. Fans all over the world were in tears. The whole IWC paid their due respects in various columns. WWE management too as they held a tribute show for Eddie in Minneapolis. Selected superstars spoke in very emotional video messages. Everyone was out of character, including the heels, in respect for Eddie. Eddie was rightfully honored on that day. And that should’ve been the end of it.

The succeeding Raws and SmackDowns were still understandably in a state of mourning. Fans chanted for Eddie when either Chavo, Rey Mysterio, or Batista showed up. EG armbands were still wrapped around Rey’s biceps. I can understand the love. I can understand the Eddie chants. I can understand superstars imitating his shoulder shake dance and trademark moves. What I don’t understand is why Vince Almighty keeps on injecting Eddie in storyline promos.

During a Smackdown episode after Survivor Series 2005 (It was called a Smackdown Special), The main event was Rey Mysterio vs. The Big Show. Rey came out in a lowrider in respect to Eddie. Fine. Sure. That was nice. During the match, Big Show’s tag team partner, Kane interfered. Makes sense. All right. Then, Undertaker came in to help Rey. Really made sense because Kane is Taker’s brother. Finally, Randy Orton bursted in. Nice booking here because they were continuing the feud. The scene left Orton and Taker hammering each other. They made their way to the lowrider where Orton drove it (with Taker inside) straight into the SmackDown entrance (the one with the big clenched fist), causing it to explode in a fiery rage. Now, normally I would say, COOL! Nice effects! But need I remind them that it was a lowrider that they blew up? It was a straight out disrespect for Eddie. Rumor has it backstage that a superstar had the choice of backing out of certain promos if they feel it is too much. All they had to do was sat “no.”

All right, Vinnie. You had your ratings. Let’s move on. What? You’re not done yet?

During this year’s Royal Rumble (SPOILER WARNING! STOP READING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED OF THE RESULTS), after Rey picked his number (number 2 entrant), he joked that Eddie must’ve played a joke on him. Rey dedicated the Rumble match to Eddie. Hrmm, a bit weird but okay. A little mention of Eddie here and there wouldn’t hurt.

Rey went on and won the Rumble match. On to RAW and SmackDown.

On the Raw following the Rumble, Triple H cut a promo where he said that if he can’t take out his frustration (of not winning the Rumble) on Rey Msyterio and Eddie Guerrero, Chave Guerrero might as well take the hit. They had a match where Trips won. Hrmm, going a bit too far there.

On the SmackDown following the Rumble, Randy Orton also cut a promo where he insulted Rey and his win at the Rumble, saying that Eddie is not in resting in heaven but he’s in hell. Hold on there. Now, that’s crossing the line.

What the hell is wrong with Vince? Why do they keep on mentioning, no, insulting, the legacy of Eddie through stupid promos. Sure, they want to get some heel heat but come on, the guy’s dead. Leave him be. Linda Robin said, and I agree, that superstars can imitate his moves, look up to the heavens, and wear EG armbands and all, but that should be the end of it

Vince wants controversy. That’s how the WWE has been able to survive all these years, through adapting to their audience and shocking them. The WWE’s newest slogan is The Power is Back! Well, if they think that disrespecting Eddie through this means that some remnants of the Attitude era (where anything and everything can happen) is back, they’re dead wrong.

Here’s a thought: What if WWE Creative kept on using Vince to push storylines after he’s dead? What would Vince feel? Being the biggest a**h*le that he is, I think he’d like that very much.

Sometimes, I think that Vince is the shrewdest businessman out there and at the same time the most insensitive businessman (Hence, the A**H*LE chants). Vince has sunk so low this time it just makes me sick to my stomach. Keep Eddie out of your shit. He’s not working for the WWE anymore (his image and copyright may still be).

When Davey Boy Smith passed away, they held tributes. And that was it. End of the story.

When Curt Hennig passed away, they held tributes. And that was it. End of the story.

When Road Warrior Hawk passed away, they held tributes. And that was it. End of the story.

When Brian Pillman passed away, they held tributes. And that was it. End of the story.

When Owen Hart passed away, they held tributes. And that was it. End of the story.

Have I made my point?

I wrote that one when WWE was at the height of the Rey "doin' it for Eddie" angle. After WM22, let's see what the consequences are of Rey's main event push.

Rey Mysterio is now the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION as predicted by his Royal Rumble win. Now, I don’t mean any disrespect to Mysterio, but he doesn’t have the look of a champion. Frankly, he really deserved it after all his years in the WWE. He had a couple of teases of main event title pushes, but up until the 2006 Rumble, or up until Eddie Guerrero’s demise, he was abything but a main-eventer. All right, with that being said, Mysterio as a WORLD champion doesn’t sit well with me. He doesn’t feel like a champion for me. Maybe I feel this way because of the way (or storyline) of how he came to the top. By using Guerrero’s death as a reason for a main event run, Mysterio really is a “charity case” (quoted from Randy Orton’s promo and I feel that it is really true). I mean, we’ve heard the (slight) BOOS from the crowd when he came out as champion. It seems to me that some fans feel the same way as I do. Mysterio’s mic work isn’t that good. Lines like “this is for you, Eddie” or “believe in the size of my heart” are just too CHEESY for me to buy it. Fine, you had a good WM moment when Vickie Guerrero, Eddie's widow, and Cahave Guerrero came out after Rey had won the ttile. But the big picyure still remains quesionable. His in-ring charisma isn’t too hot either. I mean, besides the unreal wrestling moves, there’s nothing much to watch out for. To keep it simple, his main event push is a fact of circumstance. Imagine if Eddie hadn’t passed away, it could’ve been Orton-Guerrero at WM22.

For me, I would’ve sat well with Orton winning or Kurt Angle retaining at WM22. (But Orton has his backstage issues that led to an indefinite suspension and Angle being injured by Mark Henry weeks later at a SD! Taping, it went well, technically.) Add the fact that the match itself was a bit too short for me to feel that Mysterio really earned the title. He also goofed BIG TIME during the match. He slipped while trying to maneuver a 619 off the ring posts. I mean, you can’t goof at the match where you’re booked to win it all.

Ah, but here’s when WWE booking comes in to save the day. As reported in various prowrestling news sites, RVD is scheduled to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase in the next ECW One Night Stand this June. And he needs a good heel to feud with. I speculated earlier that John Cena would do good to turn heel at the ECW PPV, but as it turns out, WWE is booking RVD to challenge for SmackDown’s WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE. Rey vs. RVD? Two former ECW standouts going at it? Two faces fighting? No. With Judgment Day coming up, Rey is scheduled to drop the title to JBL, thus giving the ECV PPV a good main event feud with JBL vs. RVD. Remember that aside from Angle, JBL is the other top heel who opposed the ECW brand at last year’s One Night Stand. It seems like Mysterio won’t be champ for too long, unlike someone we know from the other brand.

But, in fairness to Mysterio, from a perspective of being with the company for so long, he really deserved the title.

AIN'T NO STOPPIN' BENJAMIN NOW? YOU BET!

2006-04-24T22:53:00.001+08:00

You CANNOT deny the great athleticism and wrestling prowess that Shelton Benjamin possesses. But his character still needs some retooling.

THE PRO-WRESTLING DRIVER SEAT
By Hub Pacheco

(This column was originally published in http//:nikonboy.livejournal.com on 29 Jan. 2006 and now republished here for better referencing and for keeping the subject more up-to-date. Also, I've added a follow up entry at the last paragraph to assess how the subject developed.)

Shelton Benjamin, upon arriving at RAW via the draft lottery after Wrestlemania 20, sent shockwaves throughout RAW that included TWO wins against Triple H and an EIGHT-month reign as the Intercontinental Champion (IC).

Benjamin had been teamed up with Charlie Haas on SmackDown! prior to the draft to form Team Angle and later changed their names to The World’s Greatest Tag Team. Charlie Haas was released by the WWE months later. More on Haas later.

Yet despite all that he has achieved, Benjamin has yet to blossom into a real singles superstar. How’s that? Well, for one, as prestigious as the IC title is, he never developed any substantial feuds while he held the title. Feud with Chris Jericho? Yes, but it was short-lived and Jericho is, of course, a main event type of guy. No REAL challenges were made while he held the title. If there were, it wouldn’t have mattered because during that time, the IC title was in limbo, storywise. It wasn’t given much importance. Why? I would go back to another reason to Benjamin’s rocky career. While I am a big fan of Benjamin’s in-ring performance (remember the RAW match with HBK when a standing Benjamin unexpectedly jumped on both feet to the top rope, turned around, and whacked HBK off his feet.), his mic skills were never fully developed. He had a couple of good mic sessions with Triple H, but that was also short-lived.

Another minor reason to consider: WWE is somewhat racist when giving the top championship to an African-American. An African-American wrestler has yet to represent the company as its champion, unless you count The Rock, who is part-Samoan and is HARDLY representative of the African-American people, and Booker T, during the Invasion angle where he held the WCW title. Yeah right. Benjamin will NEVER ascend to the rank of a champion simply because the WWE is a bit racist.

Benjamin’s eight-month IC reign ended during the last draft day RAW, where he lost it to a debuting Carlito. What is it with WWE Creative with debut title wins? That’s just f---ed up, man. As if things can’t get any worse, Benjamin would go on a long losing streak, prompting many Internet Pro Wrestling analysts to think that Benjamin would soon be out the WWE door, joining many MISUSED talents like Matt Morgan, Gail Kim, Haas, and the like. There was also word that a heel turn would be in the works, as he had a minor verbal tussle with HBK. But that wasn’t about to happen as well.

In comes Momma.

During the New Year’s Revolution (NYR), Benjamin was accompanied by his Momma (comedienne Thea Vidale), apparently pissed that Benjamin was still in a losing slump. Backstage at the NYR PPV, the World’s Largest Love Machine Viscera tried to get in on with Momma, prompting Momma to taunt Big Vis into a match with her boy. Shelton won, with a little help from Momma and her handbag.

Apparently, Benjamin’s minor de-push was a foreshadowing of Momma’s arrival. Experts said that Benjamin’s current character can’t perform alone. That’s why Momma had to be brought in. While I agree with that, I don’t agree that Momma should be helping him win matches. Benjamin is very capable of winning on his own. Why not have Momma come off very well only on the mic? This angle is an exact clone of the Booker T/Sharmell angle.

There is some good news, though. Haas, after some independent bookings, is reportedly working on a WWE comeback, possibly on RAW, in an angle with Benjamin. If this is so, I can imagine a really great feud with Benjamin. With their history and all, this should be on for the books, unless WWE Creative manages to screw things up again.

Well, there you have it. Shelton Benjamin is a great in ring performer, one of the best in the whole WWE roster. WWE Creative should continue to pursue his unlimited potential, unless they want Benjamin to join other former WWE talent on TNA. That wouldn’t be good at all, now would it?

This is mainly a follow-up to my piece on Shelton Benjamin’s push back in January. Well, from the looks of it, some of what I said came true, although I’m now wishing some of it didn’t.

Shelton’s Momma underwent surgery a couple of weeks back and it seems that Momma will no longer be part of WWE TV. And she was just getting very over with the fans. Charlie Haas, one the other hand, is BACK in the WWE! Now, that is good news as he has been working a few matches with Benjamin as of late. I’m hoping that a feud between Benjamin and Haas is in the works.

Well, for Benjamin, the past couple of weeks have been good to him, character-wise. First, during Wrestlemania 22’s Money In The Bank ladder match, he put on a number of high spots (I was especially impressed by his Spider-Man-like springboard from the top rope to the middle steps of the ladder.). Now, Benjamin’s in a program with Rob Van Dam, the winner of the MITB ladder match. The two will go at it at this year’s Backlash where RVD will put the MITB briefcase on the line while Benjamin will put the IC title on the line. It’s kind of like the Hogan-Warrior stipulation back in Wrestlemania 6, where Hogan’s WWF title was up for grabs against Warrior’s IC title.

Now, I would hate to see Benjamin drop the IC title but I keep thinking that this may be RVD’s biggest year in the WWE. Of course, the IWC reported and it has been somewhat confirmed that RVD will cash in the MITB at this year’s ECW One Night Stand PPV. An IC title and (HOPEFULLY) a WWE title would definitely set the year for RVD. And for WWE Creative, Cena retaining is LOGICAL. Why? Well, you can IMAGINE the THUNEROUS BOOS drowning Cena at One Night Stand. In there, the BOOS wouldn’t be questioned. It would be logical since Cena is in front of a very hot pro-ECW crowd. A heel turn for Cena there is also very LOGICAL.

As for Benjamin, he is beginning to show some depth to his heel/face character. When Momma was around, you can’t tell if he was face or heel. In his exceptional mic work here during the February 24-25 RAW LIVE TOUR, you could tell he was trying to get some heel heat, and he did get it. He did a great job, too. Now, with Momma taking a permanent back seat, Benjamin comes out on RAW dressed up flamboyantly, a more obvious evolution of his in-ring persona. And I predict his first major feud as a flamboyant character will be with Haas. That should motivate Haas to also build up his character. That is good news and in time, with the proper pacing, Benjamin can be developed into a good top heel for RAW. With this kind of momentum, his entrance theme will prove to be true, there ain’t no stoppin’ him now.

CHRISTIAN, TNA-NWA Champ = GREAT!, for the rest of TNA = NOT YET SURE FOR NOW

2006-04-20T22:11:00.000+08:00

Christian as the TNA-NWA champ? A bit rushed for my taste.

THE PRO-WRESTLING DRIVER SEAT
Hub Pacheco

February 12, 2006 at TNA’s Against All Odds PPV. Christian Cage achieved what he never achieved in the WWE – He became the main event guy.

Christian defeated Jeff Jarrett and took home his first-ever main event championship – the TNA-NWA Heavyweight title, something that he never did during his ten-plus years in the WWE. Now, for me, I can say that I, as a fan of Christian’s career, am very happy for Christian as he finally achieved main event greatness. But after giving it some thought, I feel that it was a bit rushed.

You see, before Christian’s arrival to TNA, he was, career-wise, on a roll in the WWE. It was evident that he was being given a big-ass push. Leading up to Wrestlemania 21, Christian was starting a good feud with then (and still WWE champion, for now. Anything can happen now especially after the OVERLY NEGATIVE reception from the Chicago crowd) John Cena. Christian was all over RAW, badmouthing Cena, even rapping about him. Now, fans aren’t Neanderthals. It’s predictable that, one way or another, Cena and Christian would duke it out someway, somehow. Draft lottery came. Cena on RAW. DUH, Christian comes out and starts a feud. They would eventually clash at Vengeance. Cena retained the WWE title. Christian is then shipped to SmackDown!, where he would continue his big-ass push. Or so I thought. He was involved in the main event, FOR A WHILE. Then came a short program with Booker T. On October 30, he CHOSE not to resign with the WWE and eventually signed a deal with TNA. Maybe he got so impatient with WWE. Maybe he knew that a main event push was unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Now, Christian, upon arriving in TNA, announced his desire to capture the TNA-NWA Heavyweight title. To make a long story short, Christian turned face and immediately captured the company’s top championship. Honestly, I can’t comment on this as I would do if this was in the WWE because, truth be told, I haven’t watched A DAY’S WORTH of TNA programming. The WWE has a history for me growing up. Tuning in to the WWE is like reading the newspaper everyday. It’s a habit. TNA, for me, is just an afterthought. So for me to judge TNA prematurely would be unfair. The good thing is: I am going to set aside time for TNA Impact! after watching the Against All Odds main event. Oh yeah, I watched it, by accident while channel-surfing. See?

All right, I can’t judge TNA but I can judge the Jarrett-Christian match that I (accidentally) saw on Star World. First, the video package that leads up to the match. Um, it’s pretty shallow, really. Christian, based on the video, basically said that he wanted the TNA-NWA title so bad because that is something he never achieved in the WWE. Jarrett, on the other hand, went on with his usual “you can’t beat me I’m the friggin’ King of the Mountain” tirade. That’s it. That’s the whole feud. On to the match.

The match was pretty awesome! I have to hand it to TNA for their booking of this match. There were the usual ref bumps (although the leg bump was a bit badly done) and the Gail Kim (Damn, I wish she’d never left the WWE. She’s a great wrestler with great looks to boot.) interferences. Oh yeah, recently fired senior referee Earl Hebner (!) officiated the match! With all those elements in place, I can say this: just replace the TNA set (the mats, logos, the six-sided ring, Mike Tenay, etc.) with a WWE set and you wouldn’t see the difference! It was like watching WWE programming! Only this time, it featured WWE midcard mainstays. Sorry, that was harsh. I meant no offense to both wrestlers, but that was the roles that were given to them while they were with the #1 wrestling promotion.

Going back to Christian, I feel that, while his main-event championship was very well deserved and long overdue, it may have been a bit rushed. It’s as if TNA banked on Christian’s upward momentum with the WWE (moths before Christian quit) to package him as their #1 guy. Also, I think that Christian’s main-event title push is a big insult to the current TNA roster, guys who have yet to break out of the midcard. They have been with the company longer than Christian, and here he is, he comes in and gets the title after only barely four months with the promotion. That kinda hurts, doesn’t it?

Here’s to hoping that Christian, a regular WWE midcarder, can turn things around for TNA as its champion, as the face of that (so far) harmless WWE competition.

Ah well, what do I know about TNA? I don’t even know who the members of Team Canada are. I just watch TNA because that’s where my favorite released WWE stars go to.

(Sorry for the late post. Summertime can lead to laziness at times. I'll bounce back next week.)

THE BOOGEYMAN CHARACTER IS JUST HORRIBLE, REALLY

2006-04-10T00:29:00.000+08:00

The Boogeyman: a really crappy and stupid character for now.

THE PRO-WRESTLING DRIVER SEAT
By Hub Pacheco

(This column was originally published in http//:nikonboy.livejournal.com on 13 Feb. 2006 and was reedited and now republished here for better referencing and for keeping the subject more up-to-date.)

When The Boogeyman first debuted last year on SmackDown, giving GM Teddy Long a shock when network exec Palmer Cannon introduced him, I thought to myself: WTF is this?!!?? What crap is WWE shoving to our faces now?

But as weeks went by, I was impressed with his mic skills. Of course, he’s just rhyming out some weird statements and/or nursery rhymes to intimidate the SmackDown! superstars. But he was entertaining to watch, even if he hasn’t had a single match inside a WWE ring. As a good friend of mine commented: “He’ll be a face soon because of his antics.” Yes, it seemed the Boogeyman was headed in that direction. Or was he?

Fast forward to Royal Rumble 2006. JBL vs. The Boogeyman. What can I say about the match? I felt sorry for JBL. I’m not really a fan of JBL, but I will say this: I feel sorry that JBL had to job to the Boogeyman. JBL wrestles great but to see him job to the Boogeyman, that’s just sad. I feel sad. To recap that match, it went like this: JBL pounds on Boogeyman. He twitches as if unaffected. A couple more shots from JBL and he fights back with a kick. Then as JBL recovers from that single kick, Boogeyman pump-handle-slams JBL for the win. A VERY short match. Now, I’m not judging The Boogeyman based on that match alone. Observe his other matches. They are VERY quick and VERY unimpressive.

Sure, Boogeyman needs credible wins to build his character’s credibility, but you see, that’s where the problem lies. His character, although entertaining and very over with most WWE fans, is very shallow for me. How will he rise up the ranks with his all-too-slow entrances, overly-disgusting worm-eating, and so-called wrestling “skills?” It will be difficult for him to establish great feuds if his matches are too fast and stupid and his only edge against potential opponents is his creepiness. I think it was the columnist Phantom Lord who made available a link to what the Boogeyman looked like before his WWE stint. I have seen the image and, as usual, he is a bodybuilder sculpted to near perfection.

Marty Wright is the Boogeyman’s real name. He was cut from WWE Tough Enough IV for lying about his age when he entered the reality show. He said he was 30 years old when he was actually over 40. His passion for getting into the business eventually landed him a WWE developmental contract with OVW. His Boogeyman gimmick debuted in June 2005 and was quickly jumped to WWE TV four months later. That was how over the Boogeyman character was in OVW. Now before I go on any further with my thoughts on the Boogeyman, let me just remind you that I am criticizing/booing Boogeyman the WWE character, not Marty Wright the man. I feel I have to say that since I am currently overwhelmed by the anti-Cena chants that was heard during this year’s WrestleMania Hall Of Fame induction ceremony and during the WrestleMania 22 main event. I think the “F—k you, Cena” chants was a bit overboard as I feel that they are vilifying Cena the man, not Cena the mismanaged WWE champion. I will publish my complete thoughts on the event as soon as it is broadcast here in Manila. I wouldn’t want to spoil anybody. Going back to Marty Wright, the man, I have no beef with him. It’s his WWE gimmick that I hate.

WWE has had great success with weird/supernatural characters in the past – from the Undertaker to Kane to George “The Animal” Steele. But unlike them, the Boogeyman will have a hard time to “evolve” his character. Yes. Taker and Kane also struck fear to opponents, much like what the Boogeyman is doing right now, but at least Taker and Kane backed those scare tactics up with great wrestling! Also, remember that Kane successfully went from masked monster to a face character to an unmasked monster and now, to an unmasked face killing machine. All right, The Boogeyman is currently a face, isn’t he? Well, how the hell will he contend for future singles titles if all he ever does is scare the sh-t out of his opponents by whacking big clocks over his head and eating mouthfuls of worms?

All right, let’s look at the current program The Boogeyman is in right now. He is currently involved in an angle with Booker T. Again, like JBL, I feel really sorry for Booker for he is stuck in a stupid I’m-really-afraid-of-the-Boogeyman-angle. I mean, the man is a five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion (and I’m not just saying that because it’s Booker’s famous catch-phrase. He is a great pro wrestler.). A man who should be in the main event or at least in the mid-card is stuck in a lame-a$$ angle with a comedy character like the Boogeyman. Much like JBL was. It was a good thing that after the Rumble, their angle was done. And wait ‘till their match at WM22, where Book and Sharmell will face the Boogeyman, that should be something. Yeah, something to change the channel for about a couple of minutes for. Now, after that “job” is over and done with, what’s next for the Boogeyman? Does every superstar have to be afraid of him just for the Boogeyman to have a decent program with? Do you really expect Chris Benoit, the WWE character, to be actually afraid of the Boogeyman when they are put in a program together? Yeah, right. Only the likes of Booker T, Sharmell, and JBL has the right selling skills to sell his fear of the Boogeyman.

If The Boogeyman, with his horrendous wrestling skills and lame scare tactics, plans to go on a lengthy run with the WWE, the creative team (yeah, I bet they really are THAT creative) should rework some aspects of his character. We fans are all to familiar of a superstar who when weak at something, will make it up with another aspect of his character (mic skills and mat skills to be more exact). Some obvious examples would be Shelton Benjamin, Batista and John Cena. No further explanations needed. It is a rarity nowadays for new superstars to have both skills like HBK, HHH, Kurt Angle, and Ric Flair.

The WWE is banking on too much entertainment and too little of wrestling nowadays. I’m not saying that entertainment is a bad thing. It’s just that when it comes right down to the essentials, for me it is all about the wrestling INSIDE the ring. If you have outstanding promos, well and good. But that should also compliment the actual wrestling, not the disgusting worm-eating.

Background info from: www.obsessedwithwrestling.com

MY TAKE ON THIS WHOLE CENA FIASCO

2006-04-02T17:48:00.000+08:00

You gotta hand it to to Cena. He's still very professional
even after excessive and blatant jeers toward him.
photo by Hub Pacheco

ProWrestling Driver Seat
by Hub Pacheco

A lot has already been said about John Cena and the fiasco he is in right now. Many are against him because “he sucks” at wrestling. Many (the ladies) are for him because he’s “good-looking.” The IWC has repeatedly grilled Cena for his in-ring incompetence and kid-friendly mic work. I won’t repeat all that have been said. People are tired of reading the same sh*t over and over again. What I’ll do is provide my own insights into the Cena situation and hope that what I say hasn’t already been said.

If you think about it, Cena is a lucky guy. The WWE handed him everything he could’ve asked for. Aside from leading the company as its champion, Cena also had tons of merchandise to his name, reminiscent of Hogan’s early WWE title reign. Cena has a rap album, action figures, t-shirts, and, of course, the custom-made spinner belt. Let’s talk about the last two things, shall we?

The spinner belt is custom-made by WWE to suit Cena’s wrestling persona – the bad-mouthing, tough-talking sumbitch character he HAD that best exemplified today’s hiphop generation. If you recall, the U.S. title he once held was also a spinner belt. Both of Cena’s title belts were custom-made to suit HIS character? WWE must really love him so much that they would build the whole company around his character’s appeal. I can’t remember the last time when a superstar was built up to have both of their titles custom-made to suit their character. One title, yes. But two? I can’t remember. Hogan had his WCW World title sprayed with nWo on it. Not really that custom-made but still. Stone Cold had his skull belt as his custom-made WWF title. But his IC title? Normal. So for Cena to have both of his title belts custom-made for his character is a big honor. Stone Cold and Hogan only had one custom-made title. Cena had two.

Yes, WWE really wanted to package Cena into a combo of Stone Cold Steve Austin (trash-talking, ass-kicking, hates authority) and The Rock (excellent mic work, great audience appeal). Proof of that was the feud Cena had with then-GM Eric Bischoff, an obviously poor imitation of the Austin-Vince feud, and the five-knuckle-shuffle move Cena executes, an imitation of the Rock’s People’s elbow. I’ll not delve into those two points any further since a lot has already been said about those two points.

It would take a while before the WWE would realize that Cena was losing his appeal to the dominant adult male audience. (See previous post by Jeff Ty.) He was becoming too soft for comfort. His promos were too soft for the adult male audience to take in. “I never back down. I never quit” was more kid-friendly. As WWE would want Cena to appeal to. Now, here’s the best part of the whole Cena grilling.

Cena's in-ring abilities are severely put to question nowadays. I, for one, wouldn’t admit it because when he was on SmackDown!, it wasn’t that evident. It was evident when he came to RAW. (Again, see previous post for more on this.) From my point of view, the flak came from Cena’s excessive use of clotheslines. As a comeback move, he would do about three to four clotheslines to his opponent. And to casual fans or smarks, that isn’t really impressive. Solar Entertainment’s WWE forum has a thread there about the viciousness of Cena’s F-U. Some agreed that the F-U targeted the back area, which wasn’t that credible and all. With all due respect to the people there, I really don’t think that’s the point. There are a lot of wrestling finishers that target the back area and it’s still credible enough, like The Rockbottom. I mean, it’s about execution and for me, Cena executes the F-U pretty damn well. The fans can get pretty rough at times. That’s why WWE had Cena employ the STFU (STF actually, but Joey Styles renamed it to, again, suit Cena. Pretty creative on Styles’ part.) submission to gain added in-ring credibility. Yet all this talk about his in-ring abilities can also be attributed to his character’s persona. He is billed as a brawler after all, not a highflyer. So you can’t expect him to do a moonsault on his opponents. If he did, it would contradict his character’s tough guy persona.

Speaking of the fans getting pretty rough, I would like to make a not-too-subtle reference to the crowd at Araneta Coliseum during last month’s RAW LIVE TOUR. I really don’t like those people who start those “Cena Sucks!” chants. I mean, c’mon, I really don’t think that is appropriate. This is addressed to all you Cena-haters during the RAW LIVE TOUR. Yes, you may have all these comments about Cena – that his wrestling abilities sucks and his kid-friendly mic work – but you should keep them all to yourself. Think about it. It has been over a decade since the WWE had a show here. And you DISRESPECT the champion by chanting “you suck?” Again, as Jeff Ty said, if you get in the ring with Cena, who would suck? Yes, it is your right to cheer for anyone you like. It’s a “free” country, after all. But do you want the WWE to have an impression that the Filipino fans are just like the U.S. fans? But fortunately, that’s not entirely true as during the two-day RAW LIVE TOUR, ALL superstars were cheered. But getting back, sure, Cena hasn’t had the RESPECT of the fans but that doesn’t mean that you should DISRESPECT him as well. He, a champion, traveled halfway around the world to perform, to entertain you and you BOO him? Now, that’s very unbecoming of a Filipino. I see the post-colonial mentality of imitation here. And that shouldn’t be the case. We Filipinos have our own character. And for those of you who chanted “Cena sucks” that night, shame on you.

As I’ve said, Cena doesn’t have the respect of the adult male audience. But being a good professional, he didn’t mind all that, at first. But then it got to a point that he ACKNOWLEDGED the jeers. “Some have chosen to ride with me” and “I am not the company’s greatest athlete” still resound in my mind. (Again, see previous post for more on this.) I have to hand it to Cena for taking all the jeers in and being a true professional. That is something all the Cena-haters out there should admire about him.

Given all this, where does Cena go from here? WWE has made it clear that it doesn’t want to turn Cena heel since it would drastically affect the sales of Cena merchandise (kids and ladies mostly). Have Cena drop the title? Been there, done that. Poor Edge. I really hope he gets to be champ again. A solution here is that the WWE could put him up against a proven talent. And who a better proven talent than Triple H?

Cena’s feud with Triple H is a great idea on the part of WWE creative. This should help Cena gain some respect from the fans that overly boo him. (Yes, even you, Ms. Linda Robin :) ) Wrestlemania 22’s main event with The Game and Cena should be a good one, not great, just good. It all depends on how HHH will put Cena over. And I believe that should be the goal of WM22. It is for Cena to gain respect from the fans. It’s a win-win situation for all. If everything goes well, Cena leaves WM22 with the fans’ respect. Triple H leaves as the next Undertaker (someone who puts someone over). It’s not all about the WWE title. This Wrestlemania main event is for respectability.

Well, there you have it. That’s my take on the whole Cena situation. But I feel that I haven’t really made my point since it’s been weeks since I wrote a strong piece. To remedy that, here’s a really great read to solidify my point - http://www.obsessedwithwrestling.com/columns/jt/02.html

I’ll be back next week or days later with my republished thoughts on the Boogeyman character. My thoughts on Wrestlemania 22 will have to wait as I don’t want to be a spoiler for the fans here in Manila. We are two weeks late, after all.

I Just Don't Know What To Say about John Cena

2006-03-19T21:08:00.000+08:00

Cena: Better bloody than humiliated.

photo by Hub Pacheco

by Jeff Ty

February 27, 2006 (March 18, 2006 here in the Philippines; 2-week delay) was the day when the loudest boos for John Cena since New Year's Revolution were heard live on television. This was the night when he stalled and tested the crowd reaction but unfortunately, he was disapprovingly booed and booed to the point that he should have broke down to tears. This was the night when one of his co-workers, namely Triple H, his Wrestlemania 22 opponent, shot directly on his wrestling skills (ouch). Worse, the heel (Triple H) got cheered instead of the face (John Cena). Damn, John Cena was like a little nerd nodding to whatever the big bully (Triple H) said. John Cena apparently got lost. He had lost his touch. The Champ could have never been so low and humiliated in that edition of Raw.

This is a disgrace. This is an outage. This is disturbing me. I don't know what to say. I'm speechless.

I don't get the logic that a face should be booed that bad. There has been some circumstances that it did happen, but for some specific reasons. Christy Hemme was booed, of course, but not as a wrestler, but because she was a product of the TV time-consuming Raw Diva Search. Edge was booed in his hometown of Toronto at Summerslam 2004, but again not as a wrestler, but because the Toronto fans were quite an eccentric and disrespectful (I feel for the sympathetic comments of an American internet wrestling columnist) bunch of Canadian die-hards stemming from the Montreal Screwjob. Rey Mysterio got his own share of boos by performing the 619, a WWE-created finishing maneuver, on ECW One Night Stand that earned the ire of ECW loyalists and "Extreme-ists". Alas, John Cena was booed. As a wrestler himself.

I just don't really get it. John Cena was supposed to be a heel, but it was the fans that actually willed him to be a face. Personally, I hate newcomers, especially the heel ones. The likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, Chris Masters, Carlito, Snitsky, Muhammad Hassan, and (aargh) the Spirit Squad. Except for the last one, I have learned to appreciate what they have brought to the table and are able to show that they have something to prove. When John Cena began tangling with veterans in the ring like Undertaker (Vengeance 2003) and Kurt Angle (No Mercy 2003); created a fad like "Chain Gang", a catchphrase like "You Can't See Me", a new and cool (?) wrestling move called the "Five Knuckle Shuffle", and a devastating finishing maneuver, "F-U", fans live on TV and worldwide including me were amazed at this young man's rise to superstardom. His face turn culminated at Survivor Series 2003 when he was able to hoist up the 500-pound the Big Show and deliver an F-U. At Wrestlemania 21, he beat JBL to become WWE Champion for the first time to the delight of the fans. In other words, "The Champ Is Here!"

But his status as a face was jeopardized when he was drafted to Raw from Smackdown! last July 2005. I don't think that should have materialized. I feel that you are more pressured to excel and carry the brand if you are on the flagship brand, which is Raw. Fans generally would pay more attention to Raw than Smackdown!, whoever the wrestlers are. This exposed Cena's wrestling shortcomings, my God. Not only that, he was thrown into a program with the then-heel Kurt Angle. This ultimately killed John Cena. Kurt Angle, even though he worked as a heel, still is a tough and respected wrestling professional, and that was the reason why some fans continue to cheer for him. In every Cena-Angle match, you would hear trading cheers of "Let's go Cena" and "Let's go Angle". As for John Cena, his character has grown stale and remained unchanged since he made that face turn in late 2003. And adding the fact that he was given the WWE Championship, it meant that he has to push himself more to even greater heights and exert more effort than before. An example would be Batista. An "animal" like him was able to mesh with smooth wrestlers like the late Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, a change from his physical counterpart, Triple H. Still, he delivered the goods, and even increasing his fanbase and wrestling skills in the process. Compare Batista to John Cena. You'll be the judge. By late 2005, "Cena Sucks" chants were sporadically heard on arenas hosting Raw. At New Year's Revolution, fans cheered for the supposedly hated Edge for cashing in the "Money In The Bank" and steal the WWE Championship away from Cena. The fans were excited to remove the belt from Cena's waist and give it to someone else more deserving, like Edge who has been with WWE for a decade now. John Cena has worn out his welcome to the WWE fans, unfortunately.

John Cena has become too cheesy for the WWE fans, especially the knowledgeable ones and/or the smarks (smart marks). But for less knowledgeable fans, mostly women and children, his babyface character is ideal to them. But his wrestling offense lacks transitional timing, and tends to utilize clotheslines too much. He would show flashes, of course, but the only things I like about his wrestling, honestly, is the F-U and STFU (his submission move). Of course, he is still a face. No wonder the Araneta Coliseum capacity crowd literally erupted when his entrance music hit. However, I could not imagine that as far as Manila would Cena hear deregatory chants about him. I think that this was really obnoxious on the part of those "Cena Sucks"-shouting fans. C'mon, give the visiting guest some love. What, show Cena and his co-wrestlers that Filipinos are no different from the American fans? From the looks of it, it sounded unsincere and unemotional, seemingly afraid that Cena would retaliate and beat the living hell out of them. Even though I am also influenced by the alarming response to Cena's wrestling incompetence, I still cheered for him and kind of marked out when I first saw his entrance last Feb. 24. After all, he has remained professional all about these stuff.

It was an honor to witness a fighting WWE Champion right here in my hometown remaining true to his senses and worked the capacity crowd beautifully, acknowledging the overwhelming support from most of the Filipino fans. It was nice to see him take these "Cena Sucks" insults professionally, pretend that he ain't hearing nothing negative, and fortunately didn't snapped to call out whoever those nagmamagaling fans out to the ring. Hahaha, what if they faced Cena in the ring? Who now sucks in a wrestling ring?

I just hope tha Triple H won't suck the air out of Cena like Kurt Angle did, albeit it was not really Angle's fault, it was that he was just a true wrestling technician and veteran that people like to give him the credit he deserves by cheering for him. However, my hope for Triple H not to overshadow Cena is quite slim. Although Cena got the biggest pop of both dates at Araneta Coliseum, it was mostly vocal shouts and cheers. You just can't imagine the eerie silence, as a sign of recognition that a true star wrestler would enter, just before Triple H's music hit, and when it did hit, the crowd reaction was very special. Special, or unique. It just can't be described, you have to see it to experience the atmosphere. It was not only out of admiration and awe, it was this one crucial factor that Cena doesn't have: respect. That seven-letter word, I tell you, is truly difficult to earn in the WWE. If Cena hopes to be a main-event player for years to come and be remembered not as a fluke, he should shake off the cobwebs and revitalize his character. Otherwise, even I would believe that he truly sucks for this.

I still don't believe that the Washington D.C. fans did that to Cena on February 27, 2006. I just don't know what to say.

RAW LIVE TOUR (Feb. 25) PHOTOS

2006-03-12T13:01:00.000+08:00

by Hub Pacheco

More pics in upcoming posts!

Eugene locks the Helicopter on Snitsky.

Trish and Maria celebrate.

Rob Van Dam flies over Tomko.

Prepping up Mr. Socko.

A big twist on Big Vis' arm.

Figure Four on the Nature Boy.

Cena can't see Edge.

Feb. 25 RECAP

2006-03-05T19:06:00.000+08:00

WWE RAW LIVE TOUR IN MANILA
by Hub Pacheco

By now, I think it’s safe to say that wrestling fever has boiled down for most of the people who watched the RAW LIVE TOUR last week. Personally, vivid memories of those two nights still linger in me. As promised, here is the recap of day two of the RAW LIVE TOUR in Manila.

Armed to the teeth in full camera battle gear, I arrived at Araneta with Mr. P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O. himself, Jeff Ty. After a brief “run-in” with the touring superstars (more on that in an upcoming post), we headed inside the arena, hoping to buy a Spit or Swallow shirt. Sold out, the merchandiser said. Oh well, t-shirts alone do not make a wrestling fan, or a wrestling analyst to be more precise. On with the program!

Justin Jason Roberts welcomed us again for the night as ear-splitting pyro started the show. It was interesting to note that a number of seats remained empty as the show started. No Maria intro tonight as we get ready for our opener.

Match # 1: Eugene vs. Snitsky

No Pacquiao jacket this time as Eugene came out with a stuffed teddy bear in hand, placing it in a corner of the ring. This prop will prove to be useful as the match progressed. A couple of beat downs here and there and the match was set for its finish. Snitsky grabbed the stuffed bear and threatened a pleading Eugene. Snitsky tore the bear to shreds as Eugene went on a rage-filed comeback. Eugene won via a simple schoolboy rollup for the win.
.

Match # 2: Diva Tag Match with Special Referee Val Venis -

Trish Stratus & Maria vs. Torrie Wilson & Lita

The Big Valbowski came out to a nice pop from the crowd as he is the special guest ref for this match. So did the divas, especially Lita and Trish. Lita, surprisingly, showed little ring rust as she was able to carry herself in the match. A bright spot occurred when two divas (I can’t remember who exactly) are rolling around the ring as they grappled. Venis was on the mat to oversee the tussle when both divas rolled their bodies flat across Venis’ body. Imagine a baking batter where the dough is rolled flat by the batter. Venis’ reaction afterwards was priceless. The match ended when Lita powerbombed Maria off the top rope for the win. Trish and Maria kissed Venis after the crowd chanted “KISS, KISS…” (You gotta love Filipino humor.)

Match # 3: Rob Van Dam vs. Tyson Tomko

This match really broke my hopes down as I was expecting a RVD-Shelton match as advertised. The jobber match notions aside, this was an entertaining match as RVD was flying all over the place. That, and the next match, made up for the disappointing match up. RVD won with the 5-star frog splash.

Match # 4: Carlito vs. Cactus Jack

Carlito came out to a huge pop as he got on the mic and ranted on about the Philippines being unlike the Bahamas. “The food stinks. The beaches stink. At least the women here are beautiful,” Carlito said. The crowd cheered. “Just kidding,” he added. Mick Foley interrupts Carlito as he countered with positives about the country. Before the match started, Carlito took off his best-selling Spit or Swallow shirt and gave it to a female aide ringside. Carlito hugged her afterwards.

This match is, for me, one of the best ones for the night as it both men really had a great chemistry from start to finish. This rematch of Taboo Tuesday 2005 started with some hair-pulling from both superstars. One of the bright spots in this match occurred when both men ran from all sides of the ring corner, bouncing off the ropes with Foley running horizontically and Carlito, vertically. Foley eventually stopped first as he went to sit on a chair at ringside while Carlito kept on running around the ring. This got the crowd into a good laugh.

Carlito kept on leaving the ring as he sold his “fear” of the Hardcore Legend well. This prompted Foley to mimic a chicken flapping its wings which eventually started a “CHICKEN, CHICKEN” chant from the crowd. It came to a point that Foley whispered something to announcer Jason Roberts. Roberts announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have just been informed and it has been confirmed that Carlito is, indeed, a chicken.” That got the crowd going even more. “Carlito’s not a chicken,” Carlito fervently replied on the mic.

Foley eventually pulled Carlito back in the ring. Carlito fought back and, with Foley down, took out his apple. Foley retaliated as Carlito spitted out chunks of apple all over the ring. A double-arm DDT later, Foley positioned Carlito for Mr. Socko and this match is over.

Foley got on the mic again, thanking us for coming and saying that he only wrestles on important occasions like Wrestlemania and this tour. “Foley, Foley” chants ensued.

Match # 5: Intercontinental Title Match - Shelton Benjamin vs. Viscera

Shelton again got on the mic and expressed his frustration on being called a Momma’s Boy. Actually, the crowd started the jeers. Benjamin just reacted to them. Big Vis shares the crowd’s sentiments as he motioned the crowd to chant “Momma’s Boy.” This was a very entertaining match as the crowd got to see the 485-pounder do a roundhouse kick on the IC champ! And of course, the (ugh but entertaining) walrus move. Benjamin won with a simple pinfall.

Match # 6: Big Show & Ric Flair vs. Triple H & Chris Masters

This match is also one of the highlights of the night. As expected, HHH and Flair got the best pops from the crowd. All superstars showed their funny and, later on, personal sides in this match. HHH was especially hilarious when he mocked Show and Flair. Again, the crowd anticipated Show’s big chest chop as they initiated the “SHHH…” chant, instead of the Show doing the honors. “We want Flair” chants were also heard as Flair responded with a great in-ring performance.

Bright spots also included HHH doing a figure-four on Flair, HHH’s delaying a collapse on the mat after a hard shot by Flair, Show carrying the ref and sitting him down on a top turnbuckle after a dubious call, and Show chokeslamming both Masters and HHH. The match ended with Masters tapping out to the figure-four leglock.

Show got on the mic afterwards and announced that today was Flair’s birthday. Venis, Eugene, Trish and Maria came out to the ring with a birthday cake in hand. Trish also announced that it was also Maria’s birthday as well. The Araneta crowd joined in for a big “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” song. Flair thanked the crowd after the song.

Triple H came back out and hugged the Nature Boy, raising his hand afterwards.

*Roberts took the mic, threw some WWE shirts to the crowd, and called for a five-minute intermission.*

Match # 7: WWE Title Match in a Steel Cage - John Cena vs. Edge

The cage came down slowly, accompanied by fast drumbeats amd flashing lights often seen during the start of cage matches.

As I have predicted, this match was a bloody one as Cena took most of the hits to the cage. A very, very close call occurred when Edge, already on top of the cage with Cena still laid out on the mat, started to climb out. Out of nowhere, Cena darted up the cage and pulled Edge back in. (I really can’t tell if this was really good booking or miscommunication. A discussion will follow soon.)

With Edge knocked out, Cena crawled to the cage door, only to be whacked with it by Lita. The ref inside was also knocked out, by the way. Edge capitalized with a spear to Cena as he turned his back to the ring. Lita entered the ring as he slapped Cena in the face, with Edge holding Cena by both arms. Lita got on the top rope and inadvertently hit Edge with a huricanrunna as Cena ducked out of the way.

Cena FU-ed both Lita and Edge (pinned him for the win) as the champ retains his gold.

*The show ended rather informally as a WWE crewmember thanked us for coming tonight.*

GENERAL AFTERSHOW COMMENTS:

As I have said before, the crowd was hotter on the first night. And the matches were slightly better on the first night compared to the 25th. But Ric Flair’s birthday celebration, Carlito & Foley’s match, and the cage match more than mad up for the night.

Feb. 24 RECAP

2006-03-05T18:46:00.000+08:00

WWE RAW LIVE TOUR in Manila

by Hub Pacheco

(Note: The following article was first posted at nikonboy.livejournal.com. The author, Nikonboy, deemed it necessary to republish it here for the sake of convenience for future analyses.)

I arrived at Araneta at around 5:00 PM. Surprisingly, classes for all school levels were suspended that day for reasons that involved a possible coup attempts by protesters. February 24 2006 is, of course, the 20th anniversary of the FIRST and ONLY EDSA that freed Filipinos from Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship. It just occurred to me that day that WWE scheduled a live event on a very crucial weekend.

There were booths all around the arena, selling NEW WWE shirts like Edge’s Rated R Superstar shirt, Carlito’s new “Do you spit or swallow” shirt (the first one to be sold out), Kurt Angle’s “From this Angle, YOU SUCK” shirt (which I was fortunate enough to have bought the last X-Large size. It was the 2nd best seller that weekend.), HHH’s “King of Kings” shirt (which I am very, very disturbed with, since it is a BLASPHEMOUS shirt), Mick Foley’s “Have a Nice Day” shirt (the one with his Mankind mask in a yellow smiley face), RVD’s “Mr. Monday Night” shirt, and some other shirts that I couldn’t remember like a Rey Mysterio shirt, an Undertaker shirt, a RAW & SmackDown! Superstars shirt. They also sold some accessories like WWE armbands, and RAW LIVE TOUR caps which I will be proudly wearing come Monday. I will have my beloved Pacers cap washed. I haven’t had it washed since I bought it on May 12, 2005.

I thought of buying some shirts before going to our seats but I assumed that there were enough stocks until tomorrow. Little did I know that would become my undoing later on.

On the subject of bringing cameras, IT WAS ALLOWED!!! What??? Holy SHIIT!!! I kept banging my head against a wall that day! I thought it wasn’t allowed since Araneta security is tight! I found out that cameras were allowed when I overheard a security guard saying that video cams weren’t allowed but still cameras were. You can’t imagine how miserable I felt when I heard that. Fortunately, I came prepared (a mindset that I learned from Mr. Vicente Lo). I had a plan B and plan C. Jeff had a small Nikon Coolpix that I asked him to bring. And that dinky little Nikon would replace my F80 for the night. Plan C would mean that I had to use my, ugh, Nokia 3650 camera phone. And anyway, I’ll be back in FULL GEAR the next day.

As I stepped inside the arena, I was in complete awe. The ACTUAL RAW RING was in front of my humble eyes. On top of the ring was the square, metal support that housed the lights. A short, bare, barricaded row that ran from on side of the ring to a corner of the arena served as the Superstars’ entrance ramp. A black curtain draped the metal frame of the entrance. Adjacent to the entrance was a small, elevated sound stage where the Superstars’ music was played. All these were to be the backdrop of a huge WWE weekend in Manila! WHOO!!!

The show started at 6 PM. I guess the WWE knows no Filipino Time. The arena darkened and the RAW theme song played. Then out came Justin Jason Roberts, WWE HEAT announcer! No Lilian Garcia? Oh well… Jeff thought it was Joey Styles because Roberts sported a red shirt underneath his black suit, ala Joey Styles.

Roberts welcomed us to the show, but not before the ring was ablaze with ear-shattering and eye-popping pyro!!! Roberts entered the ring and welcomed us once more. He then introduced a special ring announcer and Maria’s music hit! She came out to a nice pop from the crowd. She really had the crowd going with some perky words of welcome. Roberts then stepped in and plugged the Bb. Pilipinas beauties upcoming show. They came to the ring only to be showered by boos from the crowd.

After that little episode, Maria introduced the first match of the night! Out came… EUGENE!!! He’s back!!! And he’s sporting a Manny Pacquiao (the Phillipines' pro boxing hero) jacket! Nice touch there. He came out with a huge pop form the crowd as he went around ringside to greet the fans. Tomko’s music hit and he also came out to a nice pop from the crowd. I guess there are no faces or heels when you come to the Philippines for a show. And it seems that Chavo Guerrero will not be joining us this weekend. Too bad…

Oh yeah, Jack Doan refereed most of the matches on this tour alongside senior ref Mike Chioda and (I’m not too sure) Chad Patton.

(I apologize if some of my recaps are very short. I couldn’t help it. I was watching LIVE WWE wrestling for the first time and it’s difficult to note down every single match detail.)

Match # 1: Eugene vs. Tyson Tomko

This was a good, quick match as Eugene bested Tomko with the Stone Cold Stunner! Eugene also Hulked up and the crowd joined him for an emphatic “YOU!” The crowd also chanted “Eugene, Eugene!!!” heavily throughout the match.

Match # 2: Val Venis vs. "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters

Chris Masters came out first to another huge pop from the Filipino fans! I guess the ladies love to be put on the MasterLock. Masters also entertained the crowd by bouncing his pecs and his ass cheeks as well. That got a huge applause from the crowd. Masters has a rep for being fan friendly off camera. I guess this is a proof of that. Val Venis came out to a so-so pop from the crowd. Upon taking off his signature towel, Venis looked to throw it to the crowd but later chose someone along the front row. The two engaged in a pose off where Masters showed off his upper body muscles while Venis, with both hands in his waist, extended his lower body forward and showed off his crotch muscles! This got a huge laugh and pop form the audience. This was also a very good match that really had the crowd going. A MasterLock later and this one was over.

Match # 3: Viscera vs. Gene Snitsky

Both Big Vis and Snitsky came out to nice pops from the crowd. As expected, Big Vis won via his Walrus move. Vis exposed Snitsky’s trunks, making it look like a thong!!! This got a good laugh from the crowd as Snitsky fixed himself up later on as the match ended.

Match # 4: Women’s Title Match – Trish Stratus vs. Torrie Wilson

The “We Want Puppies” chants almost dominated this good match. Hell, EVERY MATCH on that day was AWESOME!!! It was worth every penny I shelled out! Torrie was in full heel mode as she threw fits inside the ring after numerous near-falls, jumping up and down in frustration. Trish won via a huge Chick Kick. Moments later, Trish grabbed Torrie and slapped her ass!!! Good show!!!

Match # 5: Rob Van Dam vs. Carlito

As I have said, This was a likely candidate for the Match of the Night! Carlito came out to one of the biggest pops of the night, so did RVD. As Carlito took off his Spit or Swallow shirt, he thought of throwing it to the crowd, but he walked to the ramp and hid it backstage. ASSHOLE chants ensued! This was a Pay-Per-View (PPV) type of match as both men gave it their all. In one instance, RVD leg-dropped Carlito off the ring apron as Carlito was hung up on the barricade. RVD then 5-Star Frog Splashed his way to victory.

*Roberts took the mic and tossed some WWE shirts to the fans as the show headed for a 15-minute intermission.*

Match # 6: Intercontinental Title Match – Ric Flair vs. Shelton Benjamin

Roberts welcomed us back and he announced that on last week’s US-aired RAW, Shelton was crowned the new IC champ. (I guess WWE knew that we were two weeks behind.) Shelton came out to a huge pop! He took the mic and set the record straight that he was not a Momma’s Boy. Of course, that prompted the crowd to heavily chant “Momma’s Boy!” Although absent that night, Shelton went on and said that his momma told him that he should be a fighting champion.

Even before the show started, the whole Araneta crowd was in a WHOOO!!! mood, whoo-ing during any silent moments. (Music and ads were played before the show.) Imagine the crowd when Ric Flair took to the stage!

He came out to one of the BIGGEST pops of the night with most fans gesturing to Flair with both hands bowing down to him! Flair also took the mic and said that he loved the ladies here and that he’ll celebrate his birthday with them! Flair also said: "It looks like I'm in Flair Country!" The crowd went nuts! "Again, Flair Country!" WHOO!, the crowd replied. On the subject of Shelton’s momma, Flair said that the reason Momma couldn’t be here was that the WWE couldn’t find a seat big enough to fit the round-as-a-ball Momma. Flair went on and taunted Shelton with repeated “Momma’s Boy, WHOO!” The crowd joined Flair in insulting the IC champ.

This was also a very good match at first but ended awkwardly and abruptly. As I recalled, Shelton was out of the ring after Flair forced him for a breather. When I looked back, Shelton had Flair shoulders down with hands on the top ropes for the win. This match had a good potential but it just ended awkwardly and abruptly. Flair left to a huge applause from the crowd.

Match # 7: Big Show vs. Triple H in a STREET FIGHT!!!

This match came as a big surprise for me as it was announced that it would be a street fight between the two. I swear, this night had the makings of an actual PPV. Triple H came out to the SECOND BIGGEST POP OF THE NIGHT. The ground shook as thousands of fans erupted for HHH. He did his trademark water-spitting entrance to the huge delight of the fans in attendance. Show also came out to a huge pop.

This match was off the charts as both men pounced on each other at full force. Again, I felt like I was watching a PPV live! The crowd even anticipated Show’s big chest chop as they initiated the “SHHH…” chant, instead of the Show doing the honors. On one hard chop, HHH gave Show two middle fingers as HHH plopped to the ground.

HHH was the first to grab a weapon from under the ring. Boos were heard when he pulled out a long bunch of cables. HHH proceeded to choke Show but he escaped moments later. HHH went for another weapon and he then took out a STEEL CHAIR. Show blocked the chair shot but HHH Pedigreed him afterwards. HHH pinned him to a near fall! Fans were stunned as Show kicked out! HHH went outside again and this time he tore out the steel steps! HHH positioned Show for a Pedigree to the steps but Show countered with a back body drop to HHH.

Show lifted the steps and attempted to slam HHH with it. HHH ducked as Show was stuck with his head inside the steps. HHH went for the chair and whacked Show with it, his head bouncing off both the steel steps and the chair. HHH won in a dramatic fashion. Show took some time in getting up as fans chanted “Let’s Go Big Show” in appreciation.

Match # 8 and The Main Event: WWE Title Match with Special Referee Mick Foley –
John Cena vs. Edge (with Lita)

Clad in the usual grungy ref shirt, Mick Foley came out first to also on of the biggest pops of the night! Mick took the mic and thanked us all for coming and even said “Mahal Kita” to his sponsored child in Mindanao.

Edge and Lita came out next to a big pop, but the next guy was even better.

The crowd exploded when John Cena hit the ring. This match would prove to be THE MATCH OF THE NIGHT as all the elements of a PPV main event were in place. Edge and Lita kept on kissing each other from time to time which prompted Foley to get on the mic and said that he would throw Lita out if he sees more of that “disgusting” display of affection. As the match carried on, Lita, with Edge distracted, kept on strangling Cena. Foley caught her moments later and threw her out of the ring area. The crowd joined in for one big “Nananana, Nananana, He-e-ey, Good-Bye” song with Cena waving his hands up as if he was a conductor to a huge 15,000-member choir.

Cena later put Edge on the Five-Knuckle Shuffle. The crowd was really into this match!

Moments later, Edge speared Foley out of the ring after a near-fall count. After Lita hit the ring with the title belt, Edge whacked the champ with the belt. Another ref hit the ring for the count but Cena kicked out! In obvious frustration, Edge spears the substitute ref. Cena tripped Edge and slapped on the STFU as Foley gets back in the ring. Edge taps out as Cena celebrated his win! (I loved the booking for this match. Everything went smoothly.)

Cena then urged Foley to release some Socko in the house! Foley obliged as he put Socko on Edge first, Lita afterwards. A great match to top off a GREAT SHOW! Cena then took the mic and said that he was glad to be in this town. But this wasn’t his town, he continued. This was OUR town. This was the town of the BIGGEST, LOUDEST, and WILDEST WWE fans in the WHOLE WORLD! The crowd replied with a huge roar as Cena thanked us for coming tonight.

GENERAL AFTERSHOW COMMENTS:

The first night was the best of the two-day tour. The crowd was obviously hotter, everybody inside Araneta was very much into it. You could feel the ELECTRICITY surging through each and every fan and Superstars inside the arena. And of course, all matches were very, very entertaining. There wasn’t any dull moment. It was an experience that will linger in my mind forever.

ROOTS & ROADS: WWE RAW LIVE TOUR IN MANILA by Jeff Ty

2006-02-28T08:38:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately for me, I was a late bloomer in watching wrestling. I only started watching it in 1999, when the Golden Age of the WWE just culminated in its purchase of WCW. I was really frustrated to miss that so-called "Attitude Era", where "hell could break loose any time, anywhere." But still, at a late age of 13, I still managed to learn the ABC's of wrestling quickly than I ever envisioned. It was difficult, obviously, to pick up historical pieces and connect them into the current storylines being performed in TV. Star Sports and Star World carried those TV rights to exhibit the then-called WWF in our country, but they only showed RAW IS WAR and LIVEWIRE, leaving ourselves to figure out in the Internet what happened in SMACKDOWN! Anyway, my developing passion for WWE grew at an amazing rate, especially witnessing The Rock's phenomenal rise to stardom in 2000. "The People's Champion"; or the "Brahma Bull" was the sole reason why I sometimes neglected homework and watched RAW IS WAR instead late at night. His flamboyant posture, catchy promos, intimidating physique, passionate desire, and most of all, his fan-friendly demeanor made me look at the other side of the wrestling coin. Simply put, The Rock was indeed the wrestler who is simply "electrifying". On the face side, you have the brutal physicality and "fakeness" of wrestling, but on the tail side, there are these intangibles and non-wrestling technicalities that account for the majority of the reasons why we really watch WWE. However, in early 2001, just when I was becoming a true WWE fan, Star Televison discontinued WWE programming.

That didn't stop me from following WWE, not just yet. I tried to keep tabs on it by constantly visiting wwe.com, making it a textual television experience. Downloading RAW IS WAR and SMACKDOWN! was quite hard, as DSL services weren't available yet. Gradually, WWE slowly and slowly slipped away from my hands until I totally lost hold of it. I felt that my tireless efforts to relate and enjoy WWE went to naught, thanks to Star Television. From early 2001 up to late 2002, my wrestling life was non-existent. But then, to my surprise, in early 2003, I spotted WWE in Solar TV. Of course, things have changed. WWF became WWE, RAW IS WAR was simply known as RAW, superstars have come and gone, the arena setup was re-modernized, pyrotechnics was more properly utilized, television graphics became more sophisticated, and the nostalgic entrance themes of wrestlers and the shows themselves. WWE was back in town! It was frustrating at first to "re-relate" to WWE once again, as I had to understand the dark ages of WWE 2001-2002 to be able to appreciate WWE 2003. Well, WWE was a magnet and I was simply a piece of lost metal, and gladly we found each other.

WWE's humble beginnings in Solar TV started with RAW at 10 p.m. Wed, Heat preceding it at 9 p.m. There was a bit of a problem with SMACKDOWN!, as you could only catch it as a one-hour show on Sundays, on RPN. On Solar TV, three straight episodes of Velocity was aired on Fridays, 9 p.m. to 12 m.n. From the start, RAW has been the complete show. Only months later had SMACKDOWN! been shown as a complete two-hour show. Sometime later RAW and SD! was shifted to a 9 p.m. timeslot, Wed. and Fri. respectively. Heat and Velocity was shifted to 11 p.m. on both days. By then, I watched every episode of RAW and SD! every week. Missing one episode could be very costly, as I could miss must-see segments and lose track of storylines. So I see to it that it is automatic that I switch to "WWE mode" during Wed and Fri nights. Then again, both shows shifted to 8 p.m. Solar TV's pay-per-view debut was Summerslam on Nov. 2, 2003. Wow, that's three months late! It televised the succeeding PPV's irregularly, until it was able to cope up with the three-week delay of RAW and SD! with Royal Rumble 2004. Also in this timeframe, Bottomline and Afterburn were added. Then again RAW and SD! got shifted, this time from Wed and Fri to Sat and Sun, same time. This was the result of Solar TV becoming JACK TV that we know today. For the entire 2005, RAW and SD! was Sat and Sun, 8 p.m., with PPV's coming at Fri, 9 p.m. In late 2005, both shows were adjusted to a two-week delay. But this was really bad: 2006 saw both shows shifted to a horrible 6 p.m. timeslot, and still the same days. PPV's came in on Sundays at 8 p.m. this year.

With RAW, Heat, Bottomline & SD!, Velocity, Afterburn, the Philippines has one of the most comprehensive set of WWE TV programming in the world. With three replays each show plus one prime telecast, it is difficult to even miss WWE in our hectic schedules. Solar/JACK TV has watched Goldberg and Co. in the second Elimination Chamber at Summerslam 2003, Chris Benoit winning it all at Royal Rumble 2004 and WM XX, Batista, a half-Filipino becoming a champion at WM 21, and the untimely demise of Eddie Guerrero in November 2005. WWE has really come a long way, and after three years, WWE is as strong as ever on JACK TV. Benefiting from this kind of extensive WWE programming, I could say that I am lucky to be here in the Philippines and at same time a religious follower of WWE.

During these three years, I wondered from time to time if the WWE could visit our country and run a live event tour, at least once. But it was only wishful thinking of course. The logic that WWE has yet to visit the likes of Denmark, France, Sweden, Russia, Spain, Brazil, and even Malaysia makes it unthinkable for WWE to visit, to be honest, a less superior country like the Philippines. Of course, brushing that fact aside, we know that WWE has already visited our country back in the early 90's, with the conspicuous names of Bret Hart and our Asian brother Yokozuna headlining the two shows. However, WWF in the early 90's is very, very different from today's WWE. Out of desperate hope, I frequently check from time to time at WWE.com if ever there are live events scheduled anywhere in Asia. In 2004, WWE had visited Japan and to my surprise, Thailand. The former is a true market for wrestling, as it has its own wrestling organizations and some of WWE wrestlers had Japanese experience. Mick Foley, the "Hardcore Legend", perhaps learned some of his suicidal offense in Japan, where hardcore wrestling is game, much like ECW. But Bangkok, Thailand? In 2005, WWE had another Asian tour, this time coupling Seoul, South Korea with their primary Asian customer, Japan. This time, they really held televised RAW and Smackdown! in Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan. Some of us saw the unique Japanese way of cheering and booing wrestlers. That made me think how would the Filipinos react to the wrestlers. I only sighed and sighed as fellow Asians showcased their wrestling knowledge to the world. Please, when can WWE come here in our country? It is a dream of mine that should materialize after all the dedication RAW after RAW, passion Smackdown! after Smackdown! I was like the little boy in James Joyce's short story "Araby", where Araby itself never existed, but the boy persisted that it did exist, only to find out in the end that Araby was nothing but a grim reminder to him that reality is not what it seems.

One academically-draining day, everything changed. I had found Araby. At last.

A fellow wrestling fan/friend named Nikonboy phoned in to inform, no, to surprise me. Of course, knowing how rumors could easily spread, I thought of it as some kind of a joke. I checked WWE.com, but still, no live events scheduled for the Philippines. He further informed me that his friend had seen a poster in Araneta Coliseum promoting it. To believe his hellacious declaration, I had to go to Cubao as soon as possible. That was when, early December 2005? Then I literally found Araby. The poster had a picture of John Cena in action with the description of "WWE RAW Live Tour, Feb. 24/25". That day, however, the WWE website still showed no live events scheduled for the Philippines. About a week later, it was officially confirmed in the website. "WWE RAW Live Tour - Manila, Philippines". Tickets go on sale at December 15, 2005.

World Wrestling Entertainment coming to Araneta Coliseum, the mecca of Philippine sports-entertainment. For two days. Despite Manila wrestling fans having breakfast and New York wrestling fans having dinner simultaneously, WWE chose to break timeline barriers and brave tremendous jet lags to come here and show what wrestling is all about. Although the tickets might have been very expensive, which really pushed my wallet to the edge, I believe that watching WWE live has another price that could never be bought.

The Filipino experience of WWE.

After nearly seven years of befriending WWE, fate has brought myself and WWE together, and of all places, in my hometown of Manila. Not in the U.S., Japan, or Thailand. Right here in the Philippines.

On that fateful day of February 24, 2006, Friday, WWE RAW Live Tour exploded right in my face. After all the opportunity costs I have sacrificed in watching WWE, Internet minutes devoted to WWE.com surfing, patronizing WWE T-shirts (whether original or fake), and my intangible passion for WWE, the last piece of my WWE puzzle was completed, again, on February 24, 2006 in Araneta Coliseum, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

(My seven-year long hope and search for WWE coming in Manila is very similar to the experience of the little boy in "Araby", although he did not find Araby, but I did. However, me and the little boy shared the same thoughts. Please read James Joyce's short story ---> http://eserver.org/fiction/araby.html)

WWE RAW Theme
"Across the Nation" by Union Underground

Now get the guns, the drugs, from my generation.
I'll take the fall, the saints, across the nation.
And it's the sex, the gods, the freaks, the frauds,
they're messin' with me, come on, come on, come on.
Let's get it on!

CHORUS
Move to the music
Play that f**king music
Move it to the music, yeah!
(Let's get it on)
Move to my music
Play that f**king music
Live through my music, yeah!

Forget the lies, the money, we're in this together.
And through it all, they said nothing's forever.
And they refuse to see the change in me,
why won't they wake up? Come on, come on, come on.

CHORUS

Bridge
(Test, test, test, test) Move to the music, yeah. (3x).
Live through the music yeah.

Repeat CHORUS

P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O. by Jeff Ty

2006-02-23T22:57:00.000+08:00

"Politics is who gets what, when, and how."
-Harold Laswell

It is a striking fact that as long as two or more people co-exist in a given area, politics should prevail in their relationship whether they like it or not. When you are all alone, trapped in a dark room or stranded in an isolated island, do you think politics even exists? To whom would you play politics with? The classic examples for this kind of scenario are Adam and Robinson Crusoe. If Adam does not want to eat the apple, so be it. Crusoe believed in the Bible, and of course there would be no one to argue with his beliefs. However, Eve and Friday came. The results of their arrival are not especially enticing to even speak about.

Because we have our own interests, it is an unfortunate fact that sometimes our interests clash with one another's interests. I want A, you want B, but he also prefers A. Does that mean that you would blindly follow us and also prefer A? Of course not. Being the most intelligent animal on God's green Earth has also its own price. We keep on believing that we are the best, well in fact that somebody else are even better than us, we may never know. God is also intelligent like his prized creations as he made every individual unequal in terms of physical, mental, emotional, psychological, spiritual attributes to minimize politics as much as possible. Using the above example, if you decide to go your own way and pursue B, you would realize that you need him and me to help you in pursuing B. But we need to compromise. Before we help you get B, you ought to join and help us first in getting our A. Even though we had compromised, still, you got the worse end of it, as you get B on a later basis. It is because you lost in our "politics".

In the arena of professional wrestling, it is no secret that everything is scripted. A is scheduled to lose to B by pinfall, which C wants because he himself wrote the script. It could be said that A shares the same interests with C, but does B also share the same interests? Both A and B produced the same blood, sweat, and tears, yet B is given the pre-determined win because of certain circumstances. How unfair is it for A? It is a reality, and still, we get to watch WWE in particular as if everything is okay and all that. There is surely something going on that we don't know, and this is something that I would look forward to.

Politics in the wrestling world.