Ir’s been a bit difficult to find some topics to discuss inside the spectrum of pro wrestling over the past few weeks, however, over the last couple of days, two have hit, and hit hard, to the phenomenon that is the WWE, and that is what I will open this edition of the Palace with.
Captain Louis Albano.
May he rest in peace.
I remember a lot of his promos throughout the early days of me watching then WWF programming. I remember how skilled he was with a microphone. I remember his role in Wrestlemania 1 and the Rock N’ Wrestling connection. I know that he has paved the way for men that followed after the Captain spun his legendary career. I wish I could say I have some sort of personal experience involving the Captain and I, but sadly, I do not. I am saddened by his loss. On behalf of myself and my family, we send condolences to the Albano family, his friends, and fans. Captain Lou is a talent that will forever be missed from the airwaves of entertainment, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is quite simply the bottom line.
Now, however, the real true shocker, I log on to the internet today, and I find out Shane McMahon has submitted his resignation from the WWE.
I’m kind of stunned by this. Not because of anything else but to say that I had believed from day one that Shane was the heir apparent to Vinnie Mac when and if he ever hung up his microphone and promoting gorilla position. However, the way things have turned, Vince may be forced to hold on to that position till he’s 90 and decrepit, now with two members of his family leaving the company over the past few months to pursue outside ventures.
Shane’s work in WWE is memorable to say the least. Feuds in the ring with the likes of Kane, Big Show, Stone Cold, DX, Eric Bischoff and others have made for some classic moments. His match at Wrestlemania X7 with his father was incredible. His athleticism jumping off of countless heights on to wrestlers has been unparalleled. And this is from a man who had never truly trained to be a wrestler. It showed one thing, and one thing only in my eyes.
Shane McMahon possesed a passion and love for this business that is unequalled.
I only hope whomever replaces him, whether it be behind the mike or in front of it, shares McMahon’s passion for the industry.
And best of luck to Shane and his family in all of his upcoming projects. I would suspect that we have not seen the last of Shane McMahon in the public eye.
One thing that I suspect will come out from the internet wrestling community on the Shane McMahon situation is something to this effect.
“Shane left because Daddy wasn’t giving up the reigns to the kingdom anytime soon, and Shane didn’t want to wait any longer to take the top spot.”
I’d lay top dollar that SOMEONE is going to hypothesize that as a reason for Shane’s iminent departure from WWE.
My response to that is simple. Not a soul amongst us has a clue what goes on in the boardrooms and offices of Stamford, Connecticut, and from this fan’s perspective, I don’t have the slightest desire to find out. While I have extreme beefs with the dopes who write the scripts we see on television, the men and women who run the corporate side of the company are not in my line of fire, and therefore, something I intend on never attempting to analyze any movement from that area.
Anyone who does that, without getting a confirmed reaction from someone with a WWE HQ ID card is also a lying bastard, and that, I believe, you can take to the bank.
So, as the song goes, “No longer need you, Poppy…” I guess he doesn’t. Good luck, Shane – O.
Shane going to work with his mom on her political campaign does not surprise me. I only hope that the campaign is not in vain, and she gets the chance to go to Washington. While there may be a lot of decisions I personally would question that the McMahons have made, speaking for myself, I would vote for Linda because frankly, she’s at least willing to admit a mistake when she makes it. But, I’m not about to go down the political roundtable discussion because that’s not what this column is about.
Ok, moving on.
Although I didn’t see the show, I do have some comments I’d like to say about the three hour Impact broadcast. I did catch the highlights on TNAWrestling.com, and I have all intentions on watching the replay on spike.com in the coming days.
Don West as Amazing Red’s manager couild mean some sort of a run with Red as the X division champion. This could work out well, as West definitely has the mouth, and Red has the ability to be a force in the X Division for some time to come. I am anxious to see how Red performs in his first Ultimate X match.
I am really sickened by the Abyss/Lauren Brooke fiasco. I thought it was Spike TV who stepped up a while back and said stop with the inhumane violence, men against women, and so on. So, what does the geniuses at TNA do? Have Stevie Richards kidnap a non-wrestler, who apparently has some love connection with a guy who’s supposed to be hardcore, in order to screw with his head leading up to a match that could be the toughest one in Abyss’s life.
God, how much do I miss the Abyss of old with James Mitchell. His nickname is the “Monster”, but he’s no monster. He’s a pansy, a wannabe, and as Foley said, a cheap Mick Foley copycat.
I only hope that Foley can bring out the true talent that Abyss has to shine in Irvine, California, because this match has the tendency to be really good, or really bad. I don’t think there’s a middle ground with that match whatsoever.
Ok. Lacey Von Erich is a babe. Uber hot. No question about it, and THE most smoking female in the Beautiful People.
That’s it. She has not inherited trait one of wrestling talent from her father. She is AWFUL. Beyond awful. Not to mention the fact that the outfits she wears in the ring absolutely just scream wardrobe malfunction approaching. I remember a while back when she worked for WSU, and she basically wore lingerie into the ring for a match. The entire company and fans commneted there, and I’m going to do the same now. While she is as good on the eyes as anyone I have ever seen, I don’t suspect her time in TNA is too extensive, as she is rubbing people the wrong way in the locker room according to multiple reports, and her talents, outside of the obvious, are next to nil.
Now, not for nothing, and this may be a major knitpick, but if I’m Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Alex Shelley or Chris Sabin, I’m not happy. The “biggest” stage of the year, and you’re relegated to the pre show? It’s kind of a slap to the face of men who have given ample time of service to the company to be relegated to this slot on the night’s card, while other individuals who maybe don’t really need to be involved in matches at this event are on the card. Examples I could come up with here in this case could be Dinero, as he has still just come on board, and really doesn’t deserve an X title shot yet, until he finishes with Suicide. You have two female matches, and while TNA has been featuring the knockouts predominantly over a substansial portion of the roster, including the X Division, most of the talents in those two matches have not been with TNA as long as the four men in the pre show match have.
I kind of feel for Shelley and Sabin. Maybe they have the attitude problem and that’s whats causing them the lack of push in TNA. I definitely feel for Lethal Consequenes. Jay needs to be repackaged, as the Black Machismo gimmick has run its course to the fullest, and Creed, well, I don’t know where they’re going with Creed at this present point and time. I just believe that the four men are getting the shaft for their loyalty to the company by being relegated to the pre show.
Ok. What else to mention on TNA before going to the picks for Bound For Glory? I don’t remember anything else, so let’s go down the picks really quick.
Matt Morgan over Kurt Angle
Morgan is going to have to prove his worth in this match. I think Angle will keep his ego in check, and allow the youth to prevail, but the performance here is going to be key. If Morgan ever sees himself as a world champion, he better show it during this match.
Samoa Joe over Bobby Lashley
I probably am getting this wrong, but Samoa Joe, if unbalanced as he appeared to be come the end of the Super Impact broadcast is that unstable come Irvine, there’s a distinct possibility that Joe may go over here. I don’t know if TNA is prepared to put a MMA star over one of their main event level guys in this setting. I just don’t see how that’s good for the overall product.
Abyss over Mick Foley
While I don’t think ego is an issue here at all with Foley allowing Abyss to go over, since Abyss needs this a lot more than Foley does, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if there is some lobbying going on here, since it’s obvious from previous reports that Mick is asking for more leverage than I would’ve anticipated. Anyways, I don’t think Foley is going to be lobbying for title contention, which means this match should fall to the Monster. But, anything is possible.
Taylor Wilde & Sarita retain the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship
I really believe that Taylor and Sarita have evolved into quite a formidable tag team. I believe they have more than enough skills in their arsenal to take apart Madison and Velvet and retain the gold. And I doubt LvE is going to be a major factor, as she may end up tripping en route to the ring to do a run in.
Awesome Kong wins the TNA Knockouts Championship
I don’t see ODB being able to hold off Tara and Kong. Tara is going to go for ODB’s throat, and Kong is going to sit there, wait for the moment, and take them apart piece by piece. Kong will win the belt, and probably set up an eventual betrayal by Saeed to give the belt back to ODB or to the next potential candidate, since I am doubting that Saeed is going to continue doing double duty, as she has apparently been doing for some time now.
Amazing Red retains the X Division Championship
So happy this match is now for the title. Don West in Red’s corner is a good idea, I think. All men in this match will make this a potential show stealer. Red’s first time on the cables, and I suspect some high innovation, or as Hunter Golden would say, gymnastics, to be spotlighted. I’m looking forward to catching this match. One question. What has the Pope done to deserve a shot at the X title in this surrounding?
The British Invasion retain the IWGP Tag Team Championship
While I can certainly see 3D recapture the belts to make New Japan happy, as they were the original champions when the belts came to America, I am not going to be the least bit surprised if 3D does not get the belts, and the Brits maintain them. I am going to say that will happen, but if it goes the other way around, it’s not going to shock me. One thing is definitely certain, Booker & Steiner are dropping the TNA belts. Beer Money wins the TNA World Tag Team Championships I think Storm & Roode are the future of TNA World tag team championship wrestling, and I suspect they’ll get the belts and feud with the Brits for the forseeable future. I can see 3D going backwards here, instead of forwards. It should be a hell of a matrch.
Kevin Nash retains the TNA Legends Championship.
Does Hernandez have enough of a push to get over both EY and Big Sexy? I don’t think so. If Young doesn’t try to stab Nash in the back, it’ll be a retain for Nash. If EY does try to stab Nash in the back, EY will be picked up off the canvas with a spatula, and it’ll still be a retain for Nash.
AJ Styles retains the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
For the love of all that is holy, make this a clean win for AJ Styles, and let him legitimately begin his reign as World Heavyweight Champion. Whether TNA believes it or not, there is an element of question with Styles as the champ as to how he got it at No Surrender. If Styles wins here, that question dies, and the title’s value returns to what it was. If that doesn’t happen, or if there’s some dirty finish, the title’s value continues to tarnish, and the product will suffer.
I do like that Ultimate X has been made a title match. I do like how the dual tag title match is now Full Metal Mayhem. Because of those stips, I may just buy this DVD when it does come out. However, I still have issues with some of the matches on this card, as I see some major inconsistencies with the way TNA is writing its storylines.
Also, and I just read this as I was finishing this piece up, based on the spoiler that got leaked from the commercials for Turning Point, any sort of “betrayal” is something that I am just so freaking tired of, it’s not even worth discussing.
I did a podcast early this week on the Divas trade from the three brands in WWE, as well as talking about the 7 on 7 Bragging Rights tag team match. My opinions still stand there, so I’m not going to repeat them.
There is a CHANCE, and I’m only saying a CHANCE that I may be given the opportunity to do a brief spot on the Wrestleview Radio Network in the near future. I’m waiting to hear from the individual who was kind enough to offer me a spot, and whether or not it’s doable. Who knows?
Ok. For now, that’s it.
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