Notes from the Nosebleeds #62
April 17, 2010
By: Matt O’Brien of Wrestleview.com
We all have secrets. There is always something that we hide from the rest of the world for fear of what they might think, what they might say, how they may see us after they see that side. Regardless, every now and then we need to just get something off our chests. As a wrestling fan, I have many guilty pleasures and many hopes that I do not always put out there. This week I have decided to give readers some of my wrestling confessions. I give you…
Confessions of a Nosebleeder
I have to confess that I hate that Maryse lost the Divas title. I have nothing against Eve whatsoever. I just really like Maryse and wanted her to have a lengthy run with the championship. Perhaps getting the title on Eve will allow another Diva to reign so as not to make Maryse look too dominant over the others. However, I would have liked to see her built up as a dominant champion for the hopeful arrival of Awesome Kong.
This isn’t so much a confession as something I just have to get out there. Josh Boutwell has my respect and admiration. A lot of us criticize TNA and have a hard time seeing much positive in the company. Yet every week Josh is there giving us a great recap and finding the most positive aspects of the show. He sees what many of us are unable to because of our jaded views of the company. He is a true fan and an asset to wrestling media.
There are a lot of feelings out there about the things Jim Cornette said this week. Some of the things this man said were very inappropriate. Whenever someone says something controversial people throw out that whole freedom of speech thing we have in the United States. I’m not going to do the “freedom isn’t free” routine, but what many do not realize is the responsibility that comes with any sort of freedom. With freedom of speech comes the responsibility of what you say. Cornett deserves some criticism for what he said. While some of the things Cornette said were uncalled for, I confess how giddy I am that he put this out for others to hear. As strange as it was, I love the man’s rants.
Eric Bischoff put out a response to Jim this week. On his Facebook page, Bischoff wrote:
“Jim needs psychological help. I know it must be tough getting up in the morning and looking at yourself in the mirror and realizing you look like 240 pounds of sausage stuffed in a 12 ounce polyester bag….but Jim needs to move on. The television business passed him by many Big Macs ago.”
Oh snap! You got him there, Eric! Making fun of someone’s weight is totally not something a second grader would pull out. And if there is anyone to accuse anyone of being behind the times, it’s a guy who believes he can reignite a television ratings war that happened a decade ago.
On a side note, does anyone find it ironic that back in 1995 Bischoff was giving away results of taped Raw episodes live on Nitro? He was so proud of the fact that the show was taped, yet here is with a show on Monday, which happens to be taped every other week, going up against a live show. That said, I confess I hope TNA on Monday fails. Not because I hate TNA. I hope this because I want TNA to go back to Thursdays and develop on their terms, not try to compete with WWE when they are far from ready.
I confess that I hope Randy Orton wins the World title from Jack Swagger at Extreme Rules. Jack Swagger is a talented individual and could one day be a prominent main eventer, but it is just too soon. Perhaps the reason I find it hard to get behind Swagger is because we just had Sheamus hot-shotted to the main event scene. While WWE desperately needs new main event talent, hot-shotting people there isn’t going to work if it becomes anything more than occasional. If they want another main event heel, Miz is ready. He could easily be put in the main event scene right now. With Swagger, he won Money in the Bank out of nowhere and then won the title. It’s just not as believable as it was when they did it with Sheamus.
Lastly, I confess that April is my favorite month that WWE could place Extreme Rules. Backlash was a great concept for a while, but it was time for the show to go. If they are going to have a pay per view with Wrestlemania rematches, Extreme Rules is the best playground. Last year was one of the best Bakclas pay per views they put on. Looking at the lackluster Survivor Series back in November, its nice one pay per view could go out on a high note.
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In a tribute to Backlash, this week’s Nosebleed Trivia is dedicated to the former April show.
1. True or False: Backlash 1999 was part of WWE’s In Your House pay per view chain.
2. 1999 featured a Wrestlemania rematch between Mankind and Big Show with what stipulation?
Steel Cage
Last Man Standing
Boiler Room Brawl
I Quit
3. The main event of the 2000 show featured Triple H vs. The Rock with whom as the special referee?
Vince McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shawn Michaels
Steve Austin
4. True or False: Eddie Guerrero wrestled for the European title the Backlash shows more than anyone else.
5. True or False: The fewest number of matches Backlash has never been below seven.
6. Which of the following was NOT a tag team partner of Shawn Michaels at Backlash?
Hulk Hogan
Triple H
Booker T
God
7. True or False: At every Backlash it was defended, the ECW title changed hands.
Thanks for reading!
Matt O’Brien
mattman5436@yahoo.com