Trending Topics - What closes MITB? - [a case of the summer]

In this week's edition of Trending Topics, I thought I'd discuss Kyle's question in this past Monday's LIVE Raw thoughts thread.  Here's what he asked:

Now here's the question, what goes on last at MitB? 2 weeks ago it was obviously going to be the John Cena Title match yet again (in this case, Money in the Bank, barring a necessary angle which required MitB to go on earlier so they could cash in later in the same show), but Punk/Bryan/AJ was MUCH hotter with the crowd and has actually gone on last two weeks in a row. At this point how do they NOT put Punk/Bryan on last?

If you asked me two weeks ago, the "safe bet" (although not necessarily obviously) was the WWE Championship Money in the Bank match, only because Cena and Big Show have been pushed so heavily (plus they were hyping it as this super exclusive, special thing).  If I was forced to pick today, I would actually probably say the WWE Championship match.  And that's kinda awesome.

While I don't want to discount the fact that Punk/Bryan/AJ is super hot right now, I think the thing that really works in their favor is that logistically, the championship HAS to go on after the MITB match.  They've brought up the fact more than once that Kane cashed in the night of the event, which means they likely want us to keep that possibility looming in our heads.  That would of course be impossible if the ladder match happens after the title match.

Plus, knowing the result of the MITB match adds a significant amount of intrigue going into the title match.  Let's say Big Show wins.  They could easily do a backstage skit in which Big Show reminds Bryan that Bryan cashed in his contract against him last year.  Big Show can promise to do the same if Bryan wins the title that night.  If Kane wins, he could remind either competitor (or the announcers can) that last time he won, he cashed in that night and won the title.  If Jericho wins, he can confront Punk backstage and tell him that he'll finally do what he failed to do earlier in the year and take the title from him.  They quite needlessly miss out on all of these possibilities if they close the show with the MITB match.

And quite frankly, the fans ARE far more into the WWE Championship match.  Why waste this opportunity to let them shine just to remind everybody that John Cena is their biggest star?

Another thing working to their advantage:  WWE LOVES ending their PPV's with a cliffhanger.  I'm convinced that's why they closed Over the Limit with Cena/Johnny Ace.  Having AJ turn on Punk or Bryan and helping that individual win the match is right up the alley of how WWE likes to end their shows.

The fact that Punk/Bryan/AJ has pretty much dominated Raw and Smackdown for the past couple of weeks really makes me believe that that match will rightfully close the show.

Now, one of two mini rants:  It is absolutely tragic how much they've crapped on the World Heavyweight Championship MITB match.  They immediately made the WWE Championship counterpart seem more special by making theirs exclusive to former champions (spoiler alert:  That's the second mini rant) while opening up this match to anybody.  Then on Raw, the WWE Championship MITB match gets about 15 minutes, with a Cena promo and each person getting an entrance.  The WHC one doesn't get any entrances, and less than 2 minutes.  It's really sad and entirely counterproductive.

And then there's the WWE Championship MITB match.  First off, you have only four people in the match.  Ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that two of them are not really fit for that sort of match (Kane and Big Show) and one of them is too important to risk a serious injury (Cena).  And the last remaining guy (Jericho) isn't exactly a bump artist or a super high flyer.  So the match will probably fall a lot flatter than the World Heavyweight Championship MITB, despite the significantly greater star power.

On top of that, who exactly should I pull for here?  While MITB has undoubtedly tarnished the prestige of some first-time World title runs, it has been a great first step for building the anticipation towards a Superstar's journey to become champion.  It was legitimately exciting when Daniel Bryan won last year.  Ditto for Edge the first year and CM Punk's numerous victories.  Who am I to get excited about here?

First, there's Cena.  The guy has held a World title, what, ten times?  He's in the title scene, typically, numerous times per year.  The guy doesn't need another title reign any time soon, and he certainly doesn't need a briefcase to get it.  Big Show, meanwhile, spent a significant part of last year feuding for the World Heavyweight Championship.  That was less than a year ago....would you be excited to see HIM in the title scene again?


Jericho and Kane are in similar boats.  Hell, just LAST MONTH Kane was fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship.  And he had a lengthy reign with the gold a couple of years ago.  Jericho also had a multi-month feud with CM Punk over the WWE Championship.  And during his last stint with the company, he held the World Heavyweight Championship a couple of times.


And I think that's what it comes down to:  Money in the Bank works because we're to believe that this individual needs the briefcase to get a title shot.  Not necessarily because the person isn't good enough, but because he hasn't been afforded the opportunities.  All of these guys HAVE been given those chances.  There's no emotional investment.


The only upside would be if one of these guys won the briefcase but failed to win the title.  This is the time to do that, since the Superstar is established enough that they won't suffer from the loss.

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The Rock & John Cena

Long-time visitor Kyle brought up some interesting points and questions over in the comments section of my LIVE Raw thoughts this past week. Let me answer some of the questions he asked...

I'm not convinced this idea that the Rock is pushing anyone out is accurate. There are, in the end, going to be MAYBE two people I think can have a legitimate gripe. One is Punk, because he's been on a huge roll but now has to play third from the top despite being in a big WWE title match (however, HHH and Undertaker are just as much to blame as Rock...for the record, no problem with HHH/Undertaker, just saying). The other is MAYBE whichever random midcarder gets bumped.

I’ve been pretty outspoken about the Rock lately and I don’t want it to be misinterpreted (I’ll do a whole long blog post on that another time). As a fan, I love the fact that the Rock is back and I have no complaints about his WrestleMania placement whatsoever. As a person who understands business, I totally understand why WWE offered the spot to him and I don’t condemn them for that either. And as a person who loves performing, I don’t fault Rock for taking the spot.

BUT, I have always said that I understand why some Superstars might be annoyed. Are Superstars being actively bumped? No, probably not. But Rock’s presence is certainly impacting them. Like Kyle said, there’s CM Punk. Even during the Summer of Punk, where it seemed like Punk might be the second coming of Stone Cold Steve Austin, he knew that he had zero chance of closing the show at WrestleMania. And that is a huge deal.

And to all the people who say “but they’ll make more money because Rock is there!” should consider the possibility that it’s not all about money. I don’t have the numbers, but I’d venture to say that Austin made more money from his WrestleMania X-8 match with Scott Hall than he did with his WrestleMania XIV match with Shawn Michaels. But I’m guessing the Michaels match meant much more to him.

More than anything else, these guys are beating up their bodies and traveling all over the world all year with the hope of being able to showcase their abilities at WrestleMania. Who are we to tell them that they don’t have a right to be upset, as we sit comfortably at home?

Here's a question for you...who do you think SHOULD (not will) win at Wrestlemania between Cena and Rock?

Here's my take (and I know this is coming from a Rock fan who isn't a big Cena fan, but I'm trying to be fair here ;) ). Originally I thought Rock, then I thought Cena because I didn't know if Rock would wrestle again at any point after and I didn't think Cena should be made to look inferior to the Rock.

Now I've gone back to Rock and here's why. First off, I think Rock does wrestle again. He'll never be anything remotely close to a regular again, but I could see, say, a Summerslam rematch against Cena (I think a WM 29 rematch is less likely). Or perhaps Rock wrestles Punk or Orton in the future and puts them over. My only concern would be putting Rock over Cena, Rock never wrestles again, and it appears Rock > everyone in the company as a result.

Who SHOULD win? In my opinion, John Cena. Not because I like him more or I think he’s better or because the storyline demands it. I just don’t see any advantage, from a business standpoint, of giving Rock the win.

It’s not as if either guy “needs” the win, they’ll both survive just fine despite the big loss. But at the end of the day, John Cena is still going to be with your company on a day-to-day basis, and for better or worse he’s the horse you’ve hitched your company wagon to. In a nutshell, it’s more important to make him look strong. The Rock is such a big star, and people will always be so excited to see him, that they really won’t care if he loses the match. Do people even remember that he lost his last match before his return at WrestleMania XX? He’ll be an attraction – and thus draw – no matter what. Cena doesn’t have that luxury.

The only justification for a Rock win, in my view, is if they use it as the catalyst for Cena turning heel.

Also, I disagree with the notion that the fan hostility towards Cena has much to do with his win/loss record. When Cena returned from his pec injury he suffered pretty clean losses to Orton, Triple H, Batista, JBL, Big Show, and pretty much every other big name that put him over during his year plus reign. It didn’t really impact the crowd reaction towards him….it just made their biggest star and babyface look like a loser. Fine tuning his character will go much further than adjusting his win/loss record. And building up believable challengers would go a long way too.

Just curious as to what your thoughts are...not necessarily who you think WILL win but who should win?

On the converse side, if you’re wondering who I think WILL win…..at the moment, I think I’m going with Rock.

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WWE 2011 Year-End Survey

I had mentioned this in my LIVE Raw thoughts post, and on Twitter several times, but I am once again doing a WWE Year-End survey. Please take a moment to fill it out (there are just 10 questions), because the results are a lot more fun when there are a plethora of people participating. Take a moment, it'd be very appreciated.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JKHRDDS

THANKS!

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Uncovered Lost Survey

After one of my co-workers moved across the country, I had the (fun) task of cleaning out his office (as seen in my Birthday Diary). While going through some of the paperwork he had attached to his wall, I came across a Lost survey that was circulated amongst several other co-workers, all of whom watched the series. Based on the questions, I'm guessing that it was sent out after the fifth season premiere. So here, for your enjoyment, are the results of that survey. And I will let you know if I agree or disagree with the masses.

Which death of a character were you saddest about?
Winner: Charlie (9 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
Agree, obviously. The other choices were Boone (who received the two other votes), Mr. Eko, Shannon, and Alex (Ben's daughter). This one was an absolute no brainer. Charlie remains one of my favorite deaths in all of television.

Which of the following characters would you most trust to help you if you were in a dangerous situation with them?
Winner: Sayid (7 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
Hindsight is a beautiful thing, so I'd have to say I disagree here. The other options were Jack (who received the remaining four votes) and Ben. I would go with Jack.

Which camp would you have sided with? Jack's or Locke's?
Winner: Jack's (9 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
This is a really tough question. I mean, the barracks were really, really comfortable looking.

Do you "trust" any of the following people? Daniel, Miles, Charlotte, None of the above
Winner: None of the above (6 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
Call me a sucker, but I trusted Daniel from the get-go. Beard? Tie? Sounds like my style.

In your opinion does Hurley actually see dead people or is he hallucinating?
Winner: Actually sees dead people (8 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
I agree, only because he wasn't the only person who saw dead people. But this question isn't mutually exclusive -- isn't it pretty irrefutable that he did hallucinate his fake former psych ward friend?

Do you think you understand the situation involving Flight 815 at the bottom of the ocean and the other Flight 815 that crashed on the island?
Winner: Widmore staged it (9 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
I'm not going to use hindsight here. If I had more time, I'd go back to my reviews to see what I actually predicted, but I do think I had assumed that it was staged to stop people from trying to find them.

Do you feel there is still a story line concerning the fact that during Season 1 we were lead to believe Walt might be psychic in some way and also that Aaron's birth was of significance?
Winner: Yes, there's still a storyline

Agree or disagree?
It's particularly tough avoiding hindsight here. Liberally speaking, I do think there was a storyline with Aaron's birth -- just not as grand or significant as people assumed. Quite simply, he was a baby born on an island where people die giving birth. Walt, well, we know how that went.

In your mind is there any possibility Jin and/or Michael may have survived the explosion on the freighter?
Winner: No (5 out of 11 votes)

Agree or disagree?
Disagree! I long argued that Jin survived. My mentality was always that if you didn't see it happen, it didn't happen. They wouldn't imply such a significant death. Michael I always knew died.

So, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree with their/my thoughts?

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More on Mark Henry

Frequent contributor Kyle left some great comments during my LIVE Raw post, but I thought I'd respond with another post instead of leaving it in the comments section:

First, Mark Henry: People may be exaggerating it. BUT, let me see if I can make the point as to why I, who have never enjoyed Mark Henry's work (he seems like a good guy who works hard, just never liked him) have really liked his current run. #1, it's DIFFERENT than what we've been seeing. Every heel lately is the same. Cowardly, weak heels who aren't in the same league as Cena and Orton. Punk had to essentially turn face to be booked like that. Christian came close but as he went more and more heelish he was less and less in Orton's league, until he only one via a crazy stipulation and trickery. Miz, Truth, Del Rio, all booked as cowardly weak heels. Cena openly said Del Rio sucks and isn't in his league, then proved that to be correct by beating him at Extreme Rules and only losing here due to a triple threat stipulation and Cena being locked out of the cage. Mark Henry, meanwhile, just went out there and kicked Orton's ass, beating him clean. WWE hasn't really done that in a VERY long time. Sure, sometimes heels will beat up Cena or Orton, but that's always through dastardly sneak attacks and usually involve multiple people. In the context of a match, they never get beaten down like this. It's incredibly refreshing to see.

First and foremost, I completely agree on the freshness front. I admire the fact that they've pushed somebody new and, it seems, actually gone through with the push without pulling back. I also commend Mark Henry for taking the ball and running with it. He's definitely made the most of this opportunity, and good for him for that. However, I still don't think he's the highlight of the show, and I think people go a bit overboard with his routine just because it's new and unexpected.

And honestly, there's a bit about this push that frustrates me. Yes, Mark Henry has done a great job with this material, but it's also a push that nobody was really asking for. The fact that they've successfully pushed him shows how "easy" it can be when you book to the talent's strength and actually get behind him. Naturally, Christian couldn't have done the dominant monster bit, but imagine if WWE actually got behind him the way they have Henry. Or how about ADR? Or hell, even CM Punk. Each of those guys have the goods, yet there's been a definite resistance to play to their strengths with the full support of the powers that be.

I certainly don't blame Henry for that, but I can only imagine what others would do with this chance.

As far as why people are saying the WHC is higher on the food chain now, I don't think it is either, BUT, the argument is based on the fact that Orton and Henry actually seem to care about the title. That's what they're fighting over. Meanwhile, on Raw, it's a mess of inside references and lawyer angles and whatever. Punk lost the title to Del Rio and didn't even seem to care. Cena seemed much more concerned with whether or not Del Rio knew what his car was called as opposed to wanting the title (save for a brief promo about how Del Rio doesn't deserve the title because he sucks). There was some crappy buildup to Hell in a Cell, Del Rio won, which was immediately pushed aside for the Miz/Truth angle. And what happens on Raw the next night? It's pretty much ignored save for a few brief mentions. I'll get to this in my next post but we had literally no movement on the WWE title front last night. I don't mean no movement like the World Heavyweight title had, where we're not sure if Orton and Henry will fight again due to the pull apart brawl or not because Henry said he was done with Orton...I mean LITERALLY no movement. Nobody asked for a title shot. Cena didn't demand a rematch or overly seem to care that he lost his title last night. Punk didn't demand another shot. Just...nothing. With the next PPV 3 weeks away. Now the buildup has been cut down to "Hell in a Cell" time because the extra week between the PPVs is gone without even the tiniest bit of movement. At least Henry and Orton act like they care.

I have long felt that those that have held and competed for the World Heavyweight Championship have treated the title with more prestige than those who have fought for the WWE Championship. Edge was completely obsessed with the World Heavyweight Championship. Christian was so desperate to hold the title that he went over the deep end. Same goes for Batista, Undertaker, Kane, Triple H, and most recently Randy Orton. For the most part, these guys were fighting to be the champion -- there was little need to add a super personal aspect to their story. They just wanted the title.

The WWE Championship, on the other hand, has often been treated as a vanity object. Even CM Punk, who did a fantastic job of building the prestige of the title before Money in the Bank, responded with a "eh, oh well" when ADR nabbed the championship from him after SummerSlam.

The Smackdown writers have done a phenomenal job of making the World Heavyweight Championship seem like the most important title in wrestling. WWE, not so much.

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Smallville fans, I need your help! #Smallville

Now that Smallville has aired its finale, and everything has set in, I'm planning on doing a Top Ten Cases that will rank the most stand out episodes (I'm always reluctant to refer to anything as the "best"). With nearly 220 episodes under its belt, it's awfully difficult to narrow the list down to ten. So, loyal fans, I'm hoping that some of you might offer me a suggestion. Please e-mail me any episodes that come to mind, and I'll see if they warrant a place on my personal list.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Will the WWE and World Championships Be Unified?

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my thoughts (and yours) on whether the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships will be unified.

My Pick: No
When the Tag Team titles and the Divas and Women Championships were unified, this naturally led to people debating whether the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship would be reunited. Proponents for the unification argued that two championships only resulted in constant title changes and the general devaluation of the title. They believed that there was nothing wrong with having one champion appear on both shows. These arguments are flawed, of course. John Cena held the WWE Championship for over one year, and Batista’s first World Heavyweight Title reign had the potential to last a long, long time were it not for his injury. Further, the Tag Team and Divas Championships should only prove that the powers that be struggle to place the attention anywhere other than Raw. How often do the tag team champions appear on Smackdown (admittedly, Santino and Koslov are better that this than past champions)? Take a look at this past Raw – the build to a feud between the champion and the challenges – who are Smackdown Divas – happened on Raw. And even if they did evenly distribute which brand challenged the champion, the early days of the brand extension shows that both the writers and fans struggle with booking an entire brand without a World Championship storyline carrying it.

But that’s beside the point, really. The question wasn’t whether it’s a good idea to unify the titles, it was about whether they will. And honestly, I don’t think they will, the main reason being that it would be the beginning of the end of the brand extension (and for what it’s worth, I don’t think they ever will unify the titles unless they decide they want to end the brand extension). And for that matter, having two champions right now works on a business perspective – they have two title belts to sell, and two champions to market – and from a writing perspective, it makes things easier – they have a “crutch” to use for at least two main event feuds. Plus, it’s an easy way to pull the trigger on a Superstar on the rise. And, conceivably, there’s double the intrigue with specialty matches like the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and to a lesser extent the Elimination Chamber. To be honest, the only conceivable reason they have for unifying the titles is to add some prestige to the concept of the World Championship – which, truthfully, only hardcore fans seem to notice or care about.

What you said – No
Looks like most people agree with my pick here, as only one person said “yes.” I do firmly believe, though, that if they were to unify the championship it would have to happen at WrestleMania (the only other conceivable idea in my view, believe it or not, is Night of Champions). And the build would have to be epic, with two larger than life characters. That means more than a month build up, and with all due respect to both Superstars (one of which is my favorite wrestler), that means something bigger than Edge vs. The Miz. For what it’s worth, my pick would’ve been John Cena vs. Batista, although that match has lost a significant amount of luster since they fought so many times last year. It actually would have been quite fitting too, as it would have been the first two individuals to truly break out due to the brand extension. But as far as 2011 goes, nope, don’t think it’s going to happen.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Most Entertaining Program

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Most Entertaining WWE Program.

My Pick: Raw
As somebody who has favored the Smackdown brand since the first day of the brand extension, it’s rather significant for me to side with Raw here. But quite simply, Raw owned this year, and despite the flack that WWE consistently receives, they churned out some mighty fine gems this past year.

First and foremost, you had the enthralling Nexus storyline. While the booking was far from perfect, it had people interested and, even more important, viewers were constantly talking about it. Fans were excited when things went well, and they were furious when something counterproductive happened. Considering the fact that Nexus and Wade Barrett dominated pretty much every potential category in this survey shows that this story genuinely caught the attention of the viewing audience.

Along with that, you had the rise of the era of awesomeness with the Miz. Things began modestly enough, with Miz holding the United States Championsihp. He then captured the Tag Team title as well, allowing him to appear on both shows (hell, he had so many championships that he had a belt around his waist and one on each shoulder). And finally, you had his Money in the Bank victory, which appropriately built to his WWE Championship reign by the end of the year. And while most people assumed that Miz would have the dubious distinction of being the first Money in the Bank winner to fail to win the title (I made that very prediction), the fans were legitimately behind the possibility of him winning. Do you remember that immense pop he received after he hit Sheamus with the Skull Crushing Finale on the briefcase? The live audience was ITCHING for him to cash in and win. And considering the fact that Miz repeatedly, convincingly, and cleanly put over the Hart Dynasty, Bret Hart, and Daniel Bryan, it’s a true testament that he was able to climb the ladder the way he did.

And while it only lasted a few weeks, you had CM Punk on commentary, and it was absolute gold!

What you said – Raw & Smackdown (tie)
It was dead even between the red and blue brands, which to me makes sense. While Raw may have had more spectacular moments, it also had some big time lows. It’s also worth noting that some of the most polarizing figures appeared primarily on Raw, such as Michael Cole (I’m aware he announces on Smackdown, but on Raw he’s an on air character as well). There’s also the anonymous GM, which I personally enjoy, but in a lot of ways a laptop issuing orders has become a bit of a punch line. And while the gimmick was scaled back significantly in the latter half of the year, the Guest Star portion of Raw turned off a lot of viewers.

Smackdown, meanwhile, consistently churned out some great matches. The show was also able to properly use a talent like Edge, who for no real reason floundered on Raw as the same heel he had been playing for five years, instead of the face character he had been developing before the Draft. Then again, we did also see the resurrection of the Undertaker/Kane feud, and an unnecessarily LONNNNNG Kane World Title reign.

So, basically, it was a mixed bag for both brands. I also personally really enjoyed NXT Season 3.


Check back tomorrow to find out whether the WWE and World Championships will be unified in 2011.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Superstar Most Likely to Win His First World Championship in 2011

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Superstar Most Likely to win his First World Championship in 2011.

My Pick: Alberto Del Rio
I have to admit that I cheated a bit here. While almost all of these entries were written before the fact (some shortly after the New Year), this one was written “live,” giving me the foresight of how each person on the list is being treated in 2011. And based on what I’ve seen so far, I have to lean towards Alberto Del Rio. While his push wasn’t quite as much in the spotlight as Barrett’s, it wasn’t any less strong. Sure, his PPV appearances were somewhat sporadic, and he typically wasn’t in the main event, but he also didn’t really suffer the speed bumps that Barrett experienced. When he was thrown into a big money match, he typically won. I said this about Kofi Kingston last year and was dead wrong, so who knows, but it just seems like Del Rio’s push is a little more restrained because they have bigger plans for him.

Granted, Barrett’s push is nothing to sneeze at. But for the foreseeable future, his story arc just doesn’t seem to involve the World Championship. He’s currently feuding with the Big Show, with a peripheral feud with Nexus. From there, rumors indicate he’ll be wrestling Undertaker if he’s healthy enough. None of those paths, which could conceivably take him into the summer, leads him directly to a World Championship. Admittedly, Del Rio’s direction isn’t immediately clear either. I honestly don’t know what they have planned for him, but I can tell you this: There are two possibilities I can easily see – a Money in the Bank spot (which he would almost certainly win), and a World title match with Edge.

At this rate, I fully expect both Barrett and Del Rio to hold the gold by the end of 2011. But with both of them currently on the same brand, right now Del Rio seems to be on a more direct path. Obviously, that can change at the drop of a dime, but for now, I’m backing Del Rio.

What you said – Wade Barrett
Barrett won here, but by a very slim margin. Del Rio was just one vote short. I was a bit surprised that they dominated so greatly, though. Not a single vote for John Morrison, who has been pushed VERY strong thus far (and even near the end of 2010). No love for Ziggler, Bryan, or Kingston, either. Having said that, I do believe that Wade Barrett was the smart money as we approached the end of the year. As seen in my prior post, Barrett had a phenomenal rookie year, and even though things have slowed down for him a bit, he’s undeniably still a high priority for the powers that be. And while he doesn’t necessarily win every big match, he’s highly, highly protected and almost always immediately gets his heat back. Barring some unforeseen incident, I’d be shocked if Barrett doesn’t win the title before the end of 2011. I’m just not sure he’s going to beat Del Rio to the finish line.


Check back tomorrow to find out the most entertaining WWE program.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Most Shocking Event of 2010

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Most Shocking Event of 2010.

My Pick: NXT season one rookies form Nexus, dominate Raw
While I feel this pick has firmly cemented this designated, it wasn’t a gimme either. This past year has seen some rather unexpected and shocking things, most notably the apparent reconciliation of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Did anybody think that would happen?

Nonetheless, even a moment that surreal paled in comparison to the notion that a group of eight rookies – virtually all of which casual fans had never heard of – would become the focal point of WWE’s flagship brand. These individuals were introduced to the WWE audience through NXT, the least watched program produced by WWE, and a show that didn’t even seem to be well planned out by the powers that be. How would these rookies be eliminated? What did these challenges represent? And were these challenges even tested to see how it would look in front of a live audience (like, for example, did anybody ask if these guys have the ability to chug soda?) And the one guy fans seemed to recognize, Bryan Danielson, was renamed, jobbed out, and promptly eliminated. It seemed like nothing about this show was thought out, and season two seemed like even more of a joke: Less star power from the Pros side (Zack Ryder? Mark Henry? Lay-Cool?) and ridiculous names from legitimate potential Superstars on the Rookies side (Husky Harris? Michael McGillicutty?) It seemed as if NXT may have been a failed experiment, and that only Barrett and Bryan would come out of it with any semblance of success. But for this group to emerge on Raw one night in June and go on to continue to dominate the show in some form or fashion to this day is not something anybody could have foreseen.

Along with that, the debut of the Nexus was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my 20 plus years of watching wrestling. These guys caused utter and complete chaos. They viciously attacked the announcers, cameramen, commentators, and all of the wrestlers regardless of their face/heel affiliation (in fact, the circumstances became so dire that CM Punk actually attempted to come to the rescue of his opponent at the time, John Cena). They then began dismantling the ring by removing the mats outside, the ropes surrounding the ring, and even tore off the ring canvas. Visually, it really felt like something we had never seen before.

Sure, the Nexus storyline hit a few roadblocks (they almost certainly should have won at SummerSlam), but they were constantly being pushed as a focal point on Raw, and they were almost always portrayed as being in the dominant position.

What you said – NXT season one rookies form Nexus, dominate Raw
Like I said, this wasn’t a gimme, per se. This was the overwhelming favorite, but mostly because no two people agreed on any of the other possibilities. As such, Bret Hart shaking HBK’s hand, The Miz winning the WWE Championship, and Michael Cole’s heel turn all received one vote as well. But overall, people were most shocked by the onslaught of the Nexus.


Check back tomorrow to find out the which Superstar is most likely to win the World title for the first time in 2011.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Most Entertaining Announce Team

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Most Entertaining Announce Team.

My Pick: Michael Cole and Josh Matthews (NXT)
Finally, we strongly disagree on something!

Michael Cole has been the definition of a polarizing figure over the past year. There are some, like myself, that like him. There are others – the vast majority, I’d venture to say – that find him absolutely unbearable. Personally, I don’t have a problem with his heelish character. As a straight up play by play man, he was never going to live up to Jim Ross. By playing a character (one that was possibly closer to his actual personality, I don’t know), he was able to differentiate himself, arguably making the comparisons to Ross an “apples and oranges” thing. Further, I never bought into that criticism that the play by play person is supposed to be the voice of reason – the person who is speaking to the audience. When was the last time any of us took an announcer seriously? When Michael Cole (or any other person) touts an event or match as the biggest ever, did we ever truly take their word for it? They’re salespeople, not a trusted friend. If the play by play person sells the story better as a heel, what difference does it make (whether he succeeds is a matter of personal opinion)?

Having said that, I don’t think this “personality” meshes well with Jerry Lawler (who I do find pretty unbearable). Much of the time it feels like these two are having completely separate conversations that have no sense of cohesion. And it really just sounds like they’re trying to get themselves over. “King, that Daniel Bryan is a nerd!” “Oh yeah, well Hornswoggle’s socks are taller than him!” Their interactions can be rather dreadful.

On the other hand, I thought he worked phenomenally one on one with Josh Matthews, particularly during NXT’s third season. Throughout season one, I commended the Pros for refining their personalities because it seemed like the front office wasn’t watching them under a microscope and scripting their every word (especially Chris Jericho and CM Punk). For the third season, this seemed to be true with Cole and Matthews. When they seemingly stopped caring and just started ripping the show apart, it became – in my opinion – probably the most entertaining season yet (it also helped that AJ and Naomi could back it up in the ring). Without the cute girls and Cole’s commentary, I have been unable to watch season four. It has been THAT much of a drop down in quality.

Quite simply, Matthews reacted to Cole in a realistic, logical way. Whereas Lawler would brush off Cole’s comments in order to set up his own joke, Matthews would call Cole out, or maybe even laugh at something that was legitimately funny. They seemed to have a “real” relationship – there was hostility and tension, but not to a cartoonish level. Despite arguing a lot, they seemed like they were actual friends. And quite honestly, that’s not a combination we’ve really seen in WWE. The closest I can recall is JR and Lawler, before the latter officially turned face. These interactions also gave birth to the Michael Cole character we see every week on Raw. And like him or hate him, he plays a pretty critical role.

I think Michael Cole and Josh Matthews have earned this award because they not only made NXT watchable, they made it highly entertaining.

What you said – Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and CM Punk (Raw)
This short-lived three man team was the overwhelming favorite, earning almost 90% of the votes. Don’t get me wrong, I did think this was a great team, but the main reason why I didn’t give it the nod was because it only lasted a few weeks. And Jerry Lawler stuck out like a sore thumb. Nonetheless, CM Punk was absolute gold, and when he retires he’ll ease perfectly into the role that I wish JBL never left. Plus, I thought he and Cole worked together very well, both playing tweener characters (Cole was anti-Daniel Bryan, while CM Punk constantly sang his praises. Yet Cole was pro-Cena, while Punk ironically defended Wade Barrett). Had it lasted longer, I may very well have leaned in a different direction (for what it’s worth, the reason I didn’t include Cole/Matthews/Punk in this list was because it was a one off deal. I think those three had HUGE potential together).


Check back tomorrow to find out the most shocking event of 2010.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Superstar with the Best Debut Year

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Superstar with the Best Debut Year.

My Pick: Wade Barrett
This was basically a three person competition, as you just HAD to pick Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, or Daniel Bryan. I ultimately went with Barrett because not only was his push this year completely unexpected, but it was also very successful. And while there were some rough patches, at no point was the push aborted or even slowed down. Yes, he lost some matches – many of which were critical moments of his various storylines – but despite his losses, he never stopped being the focal point of Raw. And amazingly, Wade Barrett and Nexus helped propel John Cena into an even more over Superstar. The majority of the audience was always crazy about Cena, but after feuding with Nexus for a few months, the entire arena was eating out of the palm of his hand. The place was exploding at the prospect of him taking off and putting on AN ARMBAND.

Since his debut, Wade Barrett has incredibly played a role in the main event of six Pay-Per-View events. Nexus interfered in the WWE Championship Match at Fatal Fourway and Money in the Bank. They main evented the highly anticipated SummerSlam. And Barrett wrestled in the WWE Championship Match at Night of Champions, Bragging Rights, and Survivor Series.

And in the category of “perception is reality” – Barrett just has a presence. The guy looks like he belongs in the main event scene. He’s got a good, unique look, and he just oozes confidence. When he speaks, there’s no sense of trepidation or uncertainty.

Not too shabby for a guy who was referred to as a “rookie” less than a year ago.

What you said – Wade Barrett
Barrett won this, but it was a close race. Alberto Del Rio was short just two votes. I’m not surprised that Barrett won, or that Del Rio came in second, but I was a bit stunned that Daniel Bryan didn’t get a single vote (Barrett and Del Rio were the only ones to receive votes). While it’s a matter of perspective, I think it’s fair that Barrett and Del Rio secured the top two spots, but Bryan had a rather remarkable year as well (much of which was discussed in my prior post). And he was, after all, the only one of the three to capture WWE gold over the past year. Nonetheless, I feel confident in the belief that as far as newcomers go, Wade Barrett owned 2010.


Check back tomorrow to find out which announce team was most entertaining.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Most Shocking Release

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Most Shocking Release.

My Pick: Daniel Bryan
This year, WWE had a whole lot of releases and departures. Probably no more than any other year, but there a lot of top names were included in the list. This is likely due to the mindset that TNA is in no way a threat, so there’s no need to hold onto talent that don’t want to be there. I ultimately went with Daniel Bryan, but this was in no way a given. Some of the releases were expected because of legal reasons (Hurricane, Tiffany) or because of complete lack of use (Kung Fu Naki, Jillian, and a few others), or because of a generally disgruntled attitude (Matt Hardy, Carlito). But, to me, the releases that genuinely shocked me were Daniel Bryan, Mickie James, Kaval, and to a much, much lesser extent, MVP and Shelton Benjamin. Kaval because they had invested a fair amount into him (with the NXT season two victory) and Mickie James because, despite her occasional poor treatment, she was always pushed really strong. But I guess at the end of the day, Daniel Bryan’s release – just days after his huge attack against John Cena with the rest of the NXT season one rookies – was the one time my jaw really hit the floor. It seemed like the one time everybody was contemplating if this was a legit firing or just part of some elaborate storyline. And once it became obvious that this was real, fans universally became fired up, creating theories on how Mattel or Linda McMahon’s campaign must be responsible. Quite simply, no other release elicited such a universal and long-standing reaction. If there’s one thing that makes me reluctant to award this to Bryan, it’s that he was rehired months later.

In a strange way, getting released was the best thing that could have happened to Daniel Bryan. Instead of potentially getting lost in the shuffle in Nexus – where he’d have to compete with Wade Barrett and Justin Gabriel in particular – he got to return as a babyface (which is a far better fit for him) and in a grand fashion (the mystery partner for the highly anticipated SummerSlam main event, in which he was the second to last person to remain on his team). Along with that, he’s one of the most protected guys on the roster, with a remarkable win/loss record, and everybody he beats, he does so in a convincing manner. He seems to be going through a bit of a dry spell right now, but I definitely think he’s in a better position now than he would have been had he stayed with Nexus.

What you said – Daniel Bryan
MVP and Mickie James each receive a vote, which I think makes sense. Mickie James’ release was very abrupt and surprising – certainly when you consider the Divas that survived the cut, despite the fact that they were used far less and not nearly as favorably – and despite consistently losing, MVP was a fixture on Smackdown. Nonetheless, Daniel Bryan blew away this category with over 60% of the votes. Nobody saw this one coming, and the news of his release elicited a heated and long lasting reaction.


Check back tomorrow to find out which Superstar had the best debut year.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - One Time Internet Darling Who Most Turned off his IWC Fanbase

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the One Time Internet Darling Who Most Turned Off His IWC Fanbase.

My Pick: Matt Hardy
Actually, this was a really, really tough one as well, because a lot of people really came off badly in 2010. In the end, it basically came between Matt Hardy and Shane Helms, and the reason I gave Hardy the nod was because, initially, I think he had a stronger relationship with a larger fanbase. When you compare the outrage over his release in 2005 to the complete indifference to his situation in 2010, it’s rather remarkable. In his YouTube videos, Hardy was practically pleading with the IWC to chant his name (whether positively or negatively) at live events, and people responded with legitimate disdain. People (myself included) really, really wanted this guy to just shut up and go away. Aside from his (I assume) blind army of followers, when Matt was finally released, the reaction was either silent, or a sigh of relief as people hoped he was done stuffing himself down our throats.

And as much as Matt wants to act like he was just attempting to get himself fired, or he was trying to keep his name in the news during his no-compete period, he really came off as egotistical and borderline delusional. When he went on and on about protecting his “brand” and being mistreated and disrespected (despite appearing on television and PPVs more than most talent in his position), people were legitimately wondering if he had a firm grip on reality. And it also made some retroactively look back at the Matt/LIta/Edge situation – in which virtually everybody viewed Matt as the victim – and started to think that maybe Edge was onto something when he said Hardy is a total mark for himself, and that he’s constantly playing the “Matt Hardy character” in his personal life.

Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t Matt any less of a victim, and there’s nothing wrong with displaying your professional accomplishments in your home (nobody would bat an eyelash if you displayed your medical diploma….but put up a replica title belt and you’re an egotistical mark). And I’ll be the first to admit that if there was ever an action figure likeness of myself, I would be the first person on line to buy it. The issue with Matt, I think, is when he posts YouTube videos as “Matt Hardy the person” and he’s speaking like he’s doing a wrestling promo. And how about all of those person pictures he posts, where he’s hanging out with friends, but still doing the “Version 1” or “Hardy Boys” figure pose? Those are instances in which I say, “Man, this guy is a total mark.”

Oh, and then there’s the “my weight gain was due to my intestinal issues” – wall while posting photos of hamburgers and other healthy food on Twitter. As well as the CM Punk rant video in which he’s drunkenly stuffing his face with French fries.

Matt debuted at TNA earlier this month, and it’s rather astonishing what a non-story it has turned out to be. Had this happened years ago, people would be chastising WWE for letting go of somebody with so much potential.

What you said – Matt Hardy
Surprisingly, Hurricane didn’t get any votes. Matt Hardy had the most, Jeff Hardy earned two votes, and Ric Flair earned one. There are a few people I wanted to include, but forgot, such as Joey Styles (who has also suffered to an extent due to his unfiltered Twitter comments, such as his outspoken political beliefs and spoiling the ending of one NXT episode) and Mick Foley (who tore apart WWE rather ruthlessly – and not completely justifiably – only for the company to turn around and help him promote his book without any profit or benefit to gain from it). But honestly, I don’t believe either of them would have won. And for what it’s worth, in the near future I do plan on posting my detailed thoughts on the Shane Helms/Shawn Michaels one person war of words.

Check back tomorrow to find out which WWE release was most shocking.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Superstar with the Most Disappointing Year

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Superstar with the Most Disappointing Year.

My Pick: Kofi Kingston
This was perhaps the hardest decision for me to make, because there were so many different ways of thinking. While Kofi Kingston didn’t have an outwardly bad year – he likely won more than he lost, and he participated in virtually every main PPV – but the expectations were so high for him at the end of 2009, and he came nowhere near achieving that level this past year. Last year I indicated that I felt WWE was showing respectable restraint by not putting the title on Kofi immediately (like they did with Sheamus), instead doing a slow burn that would build up his win thus making it more significant and special. Well, things REALLY slowed down for him in 2010, and at one point it felt like he might be left off of the WrestleMania card altogether. Things have picked up for him following this summer, but overall it doesn’t seem like he gained any ground from where he was a year ago.

What you said – Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase earned 50% of the votes, with CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, and Zack Ryder (as a write in) also earning votes. While I was a little surprised that DiBiase earned so many votes, I can also understand the argument. As 2010 kicked off, Legacy was imploding and it seemed as if a DiBiase face turn was in the cards (and based on his initial matches with Orton, it seemed like the crowd might really get behind him). However, instead the fans began siding with Orton, which resulted in it being a mega year for the Viper. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes moved over to Smackdown and reinvented himself to very positive results. DiBiase, meanwhile, sorta floundered. The use of the Million Dollar Man gimmick and the reintroduction of Virgil seemed promising, but ended up not really going anywhere. And his pairing with Maryse has been a dud. It’s actually difficult to see what 2011 has in store for DiBiase. A face turn? A heel United States run? More jobbing? It’s tough to say.

Check back tomorrow to find out which one-time IWC darling most turned off their fanbase.

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Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Superstar of the Year

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the 2010 Superstar of the Year.

My Pick: The Miz
When WWE had their Slammy Awards, I was initially reluctant to name Miz the Superstar of the Year. And part of that is because I soured on Miz’s routine during the latter part of the year. It just felt like he was being overexposed, and many of his promos were much of the same thing repeated over and over again. But quite honestly, if you look at his resume over the past year, he really does deserve this accolade.

The Miz was a two time United States Champion, a Unified Tag Team Champion, the Money in the Bank winner, and, finally, the WWE Championship. Quite simply, he won every single achievement possible for his brand. Amazingly, his stock rose so much that he was able to convincingly put over Daniel Bryan (a physically unimposing newcomer) numerous times, and still had the credibility to capture the WWE Championship. Not too shabby.

However, the thing I respect most about Miz is his refusal to rest of his laurels. He has taken the initiative to improve his game in every imaginable facet. He’s taking acting classes to improve his promos and character work, and his in-ring style has improved immeasurably.

The Slammy Awards acknowledged John Cena as the Superstar of the Year, and WWE Magazine gave the nod to Randy Orton. But when fans and industry-types look back at 2010, I think the Miz is the Superstar who will stand above the rest.

What you said – The Miz
This was the ONLY question in which 100% of the participates voted in unison. It was unanimous – everybody agreed that 2010 belonged to the Miz. Perhaps he is awesome after all.


Check back tomorrow to find out which Superstar had the most disappointing year.

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 10-11

So are the holidays kicking anybody else’s arse as well? I promise, once we return with new episodes in January, I’ll be better about getting these reviews up in a timely fashion.

Anyway, before moving onto last week’s episode, I wanted to respond to the comment Wally Kovacs left regarding the prior episode. I’ve really come to enjoy Wally’s insight, as he certainly knows a great deal about the various comic book allusions (a lot of my knowledge is limited to what is commonly known), so I hope he continues supplementing my reviews with his comments. Here’s what Wally had to say:

It was bit interesting as they used Ultraman despite most of the rest of the universe being different seemingly only because of a single difference (Lionel got to Clark first) while the Ultraman of the comics is from a universe where everything is reversed (Evil tends to win instead of good, etc). However, they do sort of allude to that in that alternate universe Lionel is right handed instead of left.

I’ll admit that I don’t know much of anything about the comic book Ultraman, but that’s an awesome catch with Lionel being right handed instead of left. Bravo, sir!

Lionel was (nearly) redeemed near the end of the series because of a combination of Jor-El’s influence, Martha Kent, and Clark. In the alternate reality, Clark wasn’t influenced by the Kent’s (and thus couldn’t have a positive effect on Lionel). Similarly, without the Kent’s finding Clark as a child, they never entered into Clark’s circle and thus couldn’t impact Lionel that way. Also, in that universe, Lionel went out of his way to supress Jor-El, so he was never “enlightened” as he was in the real world.

I agree with Wally’s assessment that Lionel reformed because of Clark and the Kents’ influence. To clarify on my comments from last week, I don’t have an issue with the fact that Lionel was completely evil in the alternate universe. That made sense to me. My problem was with Clark’s revisionist memory of Lionel. Clark condemning Lionel as something poisonous and vile discounts the close relationship they had developed over the last few years of Lionel’s life. Like I said, when Lionel died, Clark’s funeral scene quite purposefully mirrored the scene when Clark buried Jonathan. Clark was impacted by Lionel’s death and for him to view him as this completely malicious sociopath discounts the story of his character.

Similarly, it seems that Lionel isolated Clark from most of the positive influences of his life … not only was he not with Kent’s, nor able to learn much of his Kryptonian history and responsibilities from Jor-El, but he also never went to Smallville high, so he didn’t have Lana, Pete or Chloe … If anything, it makes sense how Clark Luthor would be even worse than Lex, as basically he was raised much like Lex was, but without the positive influences that Lex ended up encountering.

So, while the idea of “Lex was the way he was because of Lionel” is a bit of a cop out … ultimately Clark was calling Lionel evil one way or the other in terms of nature vs. nurture argument he made earlier. He realizes that, even he and his parents weren’t enough to disuade Lex off his path, Lex was his father’s son. Even with Lionel changing near the end, the damage was done.

Lex in Smallville is set as a tragic figure, simultaneously trying to escape his legacy but being defined by it either way. Although, even while rejecting his father, he didn’t really reject what his father taught him, only really how his father treated him. He wasn’t really able to walk away from the Machiavelian mindset that pretty much drives him constantly.

To be perfectly honest, my issues with Clark being swayed by the darkside were relatively minute. And it also occurs to me that one of my favorite modern comic books (although I admittedly don’t read them much) is the Superman/Batman Absolute Power story in which Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are raised by evil time travelers, turning both heroes into murderous killers. This is essentially the same story, so I don’t really have much of a problem with it.

Anyway, onto last week’s thrilling episode – the last before a long hiatus (damn you, CW!)

Continue reading "A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 10-11"....

The episode kicked off with a bang, as Clark proposed to Lois. I wish I could say I was surprised, but the scene was spoiled by a recent edition of Entertainment Weekly. Sure, they wrote “Spoiler Alert” in bold, but that didn’t stop them from plastering the photo of Clark on his knee presenting Lois with a ring on half of the page. Actually, this isn’t the first time EW has spoiled a major plot point. They nonchalantly revealed the killer of Monk’s wife weeks before the series finale. Nice, real nice.

Anyway, I thought it was a sweet scene and I’m glad they didn’t wait until the final episodes to have them take this plunge. As I’ve said a number of times, this is their final season and they have A LOT of big moments to cover. Not all of them have to wait until the last couple of episodes. Space them out a bit. They’ve done a nice job of this so far.

I also really enjoyed the brief Chloe cameo. At first I wasn’t sure if I was seeing a flashback of footage we’ve seen before. When it became clear it wasn’t, it made me pay even closer attention to what was being said. I loved Chloe’s genuine smile when she put together the pieces that Lois had figured out Clark’s secret. However, I could have done without the Lana mention. For one, we don’t need to tie every significant Clark/Lois moment to Lana. Second, it wasn’t really historically accurate. Lana was willing to let Clark be the hero he needs to be. The problem was that she became so consumed with hate and revenge that she was forced to make decisions that ultimately cost her her relationship with Clark. It was a sweet enough moment that it didn’t need the obligatory and awkward former lover mention.

I also enjoyed the surprise engagement party. Many of these characters only come out to play when it comes time for an epic battle, and even then their relationships seem professional. Sometimes even competitive and abrasive. It’s nice to see that they actually like and care about one another, and that they can also share their happiness with one another. To paraphrase what Clark said to Oliver when he asked him to be his best man, they’re out there together for their worst moments, so they might as well be together for their best too. It was nice seeing everyone happy.

Of course, the happiness didn’t last as this episode also saw the demise of Hawkman. I was really saddened to see this happen, as Smallville portrayed him as a genuinely bad ass character. He looked cool, he talked tough, and unlike virtually every other character on the show – where their costumes take a modern, realistic turn – he looked exactly like he does in the comics. Except even more awesome – with the helmet and wings and everything.

Then again, I probably should have seen it coming. Hawkman got the traditional action movie hero send off. He had a sweet, bonding moment with somebody he never quite saw eye to eye with (Oliver) and an exciting, epic fight scene in which he got to display his abilities (in this case, fight and flight) before succumbing to his dirty fighting opponent. And while I was disappointed to see him go, I loved the way the scene played out. I really enjoyed the fact that he was the one who rescued Lois, despite his debilitating state. And his dying line of “it can’t always be you, Clark” was poignant in its simplicity. Clark can’t be everywhere at all times, so there is a need for all of these other heroes.

The final scene, with all of the heroes in their respective costumes paying their respect to Hawkman was rather great, as well. Honestly, I just love seeing them all in their costumes. And hey, Oliver actually decided to wear the hood and sunglasses.

Anyway, that’s it for me. Sorry again for taking so long to post this. I hope everybody has a great Christmas, if you celebrate, and a safe and happy new year. See you guys in 2011. Until then, be sure to visit my blog and follow me on Twitter! Be well!

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 10-9

I apologize for the lateness of this column, but the time consuming nature of Thanksgiving preparation has really cut into my free time (which, unfortunately, is the only available time for me to write my reviews). But as the expression goes, better late than never!

I also want to thank comment posters Wally Kovacs, who has provided his fun insight in the past, and Dan Smith, for kick starting the discussion on this most recent episode. I’ll admit that my knowledge of Superman is pretty rudimentary, so these gentlemen seem to know quite a bit more about many of these characters than I do. As such, I’m going to trust their instincts, and if they’d like to elaborate any more on any of their thoughts, I welcome them to do so.

But, overall, I think the three of us seem to be in agreement that we wanna see Darkseid in the flesh – and not at the last possible moment. And we want to see him looking like a monstrous bad ass, not an EMT working Abercrombie model. I actually am pretty optimistic that we’ll see this, to tell you the truth. It’s the last season, and I think the powers that be realize that this is the time to lay it all out on the table. While they have been showing an admirable amount of restraint with certain things, they’ve actually delivered, big time, with a number of cool developments and introductions over these first several episodes. We probably won’t physically see Darkseid the first half of the season, but I don’t think it’ll be the final few episodes, either.

Anyway, in my review for last week’s episode, I noted that I’m eager and intrigued to see how the three main story arcs (Lex’s return, the Suicide Squad, and Darkseid) come together and intersect. We began to see that with this latest episode, as it turned out that Slade Wilson, leader of the Vigilante Registration Act, had actually been possessed by the darkness that has been unleashed by Darkseid. I was actually quite pleased with this revelation, because near the end, when Slade had Clark trapped, I couldn’t help but feel like they went over the top with his anti-hero stance. While his stance had always been a bit strong willed, it was at least based in something believable. By the end, he was willing to blow up entire compounds in order to eliminate a handful of individuals with special abilities. Even though one of them was fully human. But once we discovered that he was actually under Darkseid’s influence, his behavior became much easier to accept. And in the final moments of the episode, we also learned that Slade had survived the explosion (was it ever explained how Clark survived as well?) and was being reborn as Deathstroke.

Oh, and as a side note, there’s something about Clark and everybody referring to “the darkness” that sounds really hokey and cartoony. That’s another reason why I don’t want them to go all out with the possession route. When the characters verbalize it, they just sound so silly.

“Patriot” also brought the return of Aquaman. I’m sure this won’t be the last we saw of him, since I do fully expect a full out Justice League appearance sometime within the final episodes (that means we see Green Arrow, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Flash/Impulse, Hawkman, Star Girl, Cyborg, Black Canary, and any other heroes they introduce between then and now, fighting side by side), but this is the first time in a while that we’ve seen him for any extended period of time. And is it me, or was he a lot darker and generally less likable? I know that’s what they were going for, but considering that Aquaman doesn’t appear at the frequency of, say, Green Arrow, it’s tough to be forgiving when the hero is acting like a complete ass. And I know they tried to soften her up in the final minutes of the episode, but was Aquaman’s wife a bitch or what? Then again, I do love that somebody FINALLY brought up the fact that Lois has dated, like, every single superhero on the show.

I’m having a little fun at Aquaman’s expense, but truth be told I didn’t mind his appearance. Although it is a bit rough seeing him in a variation of the classic costume, when there’ a much cooler look to go with. C’mon, how awesome would it be seeing a long haired, bushy bearded, hooked hand Aquaman?

One side story that I found myself really enjoying is the way Clark and Lois are beginning to realize that just because his secret is out in the open doesn’t mean that they have a completely open relationship. There is still plenty that Clark hides from her – of course, under the motivation of protecting her – and until he’s ready to fully trust her, they’ll never reach that level of openness that Clark experienced when he went into the future. I also really, really loved the elevator scene between Lois and Tess, where they were both kinda testing the waters to see how much the other knows about Clark. That being said, I thought their final scene together, where Tess welcomed Lois to Watchtower with open arms, was a tad on the heavy side. It was just a little too….friendly. Even when neither of them knew Clark’s secret, they didn’t particularly like each other. And even before Clark and Lois had a relationship, and Lois was none the wiser about Clark’s abilities, these two actually brawled with each other.

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LIVE Raw thoughts

11:02 - WWE Champion The Miz! Who woulda thunk it two years ago? Honestly, aside from Rob Van Damm's title win at One Night Stand, this was probably the cleanest Money in the Bank cash in we've ever seen.

10:59 - Loved Punk's "Well this looks very familiar." Although I feel like Miz won't succeed.

10:58 - Orton RKO's Barrett, retains, Miz cashes in.

10:55 - The irony of the announcers' discussion: Didn't CM Punk's first World Title reign end because he couldn't make it to the ring to defend the title? Further coincidence: Wasn't it because of an Orton punt?

10:43 - I'm not sure if Daniel Bryan will win the King of the Ring, but I do think he'll make it to the finals. In looking at a list of the competitors, how awesome would a Mysterio/Bryan finals be?

10:42 - Unrelated, but I kinda love this shirt:

http://www.80stees.com/products/Rather-Be-Playing-Pac-Man-T-Shirt.asp

10:30 - So does anybody get the sense that they're actually going to do what everybody was predicting last night? Between Cena laying on his face act REALLY thick, to Orton repeatedly complimenting Cena, to Orton guaranteeing that Barrett doesn't leave the building with the title, to Miz no-showing his match....it's got all the makings.

10:27 - Wow, are they finally doing what I suggested, like, over a year ago and reuniting John Morrison and Melina as an on-screen pair? It's about friggin' time! Although I have to say, for an ACTUAL couple, they just displayed some very awkward chemistry.

10:24 - FOUND THE SECOND TABLE LEAF!!

10:18 - "Now Nikki Bella" - Michael Cole. "UGH!" - CM Punk.

10:10 - I wouldn't have said this last night, but the dude is totally turning heel tonight.

10:07 - Ways you can tell WWE has been PG for a long time: Hearing Cena say "Sucks," "Bitch," and "Hell" are actually a bit edgy.

9:59 - How long before people read into the fact that Cena didn't mention Rock?

9:47 - I love the teases that Miz might cash in the briefcase. Remember when Edge finally cashed in his contract? He gave up a victory over Flair and purposely got himself disqualified. His logic? Why exhaust himself when he's cashing in his contract later? I see the same thing going on here. They want us to be thinking, "Maybe Miz is conserving his energy so that he can cash in his briefcase in the main event."

And Punk continues to be commentary gold. His remarks about Riley being under the influence were great.

9:40 - Maria, Beth, Rosa, and now Tamina....how many times are we going to do this Santino/romance angle? And what is with the numerous backstage pretapes in a row? And Randy needs to shave his head.

9:35 - Oh, in addition to Thanksgiving stress (I can't find the damn second table leaf!), I'm also going to be working on my Smallville column. A lot on the plate tonight!

9:30 - CM Punk's facial expressions during the commentary is worth the price of admission. And man, didn't we just have a 3 hour Raw last week?

9:15 - CM Punk as announcer = the greatest thing ever. That is all.

9:10 - In regards to Kyle's comments last night, I didn't see the PPV, but I heard both title matches failed to deliver. This is disappointing because: (a) Edge is really catching fire as a face, and this match would have gone a long way for him if he and Kane hit a home run and (b) the John Cena/Wade Barrett/Randy Orton angle has been on such an incredible roll -- especially after last week -- that it REALLY needed to be lackluster to get almost universal panning. As I said in my prior post, there were a lot of directions that the angle could have gone, and I don't think most people expected this. I am intrigued about where they're going to take this tonight, but a lot of people don't have that sort of patience.

One thing I do hope they do is follow up on this R-Truth thing. If nothing else, this could be Randy Orton's next feud. I don't particularly like Truth, but I am interested in his actions. He goes from trying to talk sense into Cena, to stirring the pot with Orton, to offering to do a hit on Orton in order to assist Cena. There's certainly something to that, and I hope they follow up.

9:02 - Yes, I am doing my Raw thoughts this week, and I'll provide my thoughts on last night's booking. Oh, I'll reply to Kyle's insightful comments in my prior post as well. Just off to a late start due to some Thanksgiving preparation stress.

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 10-5

Over at my blog (which you should be visiting, by the way), longtime reader Javier had this to say:

Another thing that I took from this episode was the amazing job Erica Durance as Lois Lane does. She is perfect for the role and I fell in love with her all over again. That final scene where they profess their love for each other was sweet and heart warming. I frankly do not understand why they don't let these amazing actors play these characters on the next Superman film. Tom Welling IS Clark Kent. Erica Durance IS Lois Lane, and while we haven't seen him in a while Michael Rosenbaum IS Lex Luthor. It would be amazing to see this become a reality but we know better.

I completely agree. With the Superman reboot coinciding with the Smallville series finale, why can’t they interconnect these two events by having one story lead into the other? Sure, you might say that it’s a bit risky using a CW series to launch a multi-million dollar movie franchise, but a recent poll on the Entertainment Weekly website indicated that over 50% of people wanted to see Tom Welling portray the Man of Steel in the new Superman movie. So, clearly, the mainstream interest is there. Plus, people like Tom Welling, Erica Durance, and Michael Rosenbaum are far more talented than they are given credit for, and receiving such a break is definitely most deserved.

Continue reading "A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 10-5"....

Anyway, every season, Smallville has a series of really powerful, very significant episodes, and then lighten things up a bit with a filler episode, before getting back into high gear with the season’s big story arc. Until the last few seconds of this past week’s episode, I was ready to write it off as “filler.” However, that final scene really catapulted this episode into one that will be remembered as we look back at the series’ most memorable moments. Through the years Smallville has featured many “coming out” moments, where Clark in one way or another comes clean about his abilities. With Pete, it seemed like a desperate plea to maintain his friendship. With Chloe, he simply admitted what she obviously already knew. With Lana, it was a heat of the moment confession (and in many ways, an act of desperation as well). With Lionel, it was a reluctant admittance. In order to save his mother, he had to openly display his abilities. Then there’s Tess. After months of playing games where she would make knowing claims, Clark just gave up weakly denying the truth. A dire moment occurred and he rather matter of factly acknowledged that he does indeed have abilities.

But this scene with Lois seemed different – somehow, more special. I really didn’t know how it was going to play out, as both seemed to have second thoughts about their previously rehearsed speeches. Lois was halfway out the door, and I expected both of them to put off this “moment” for another time. But then Clark softly said, “You’ve had a lot of questions about the Blur…..and it’s me.” He then turned to her and repeated, “I’m the Blur.” And it occurred to me that this was perhaps the first time that Clark told somebody his secret without any threat of losing them (which was the case with Lana and Pete) or without the knowledge that they already knew (which was the case with Chloe, Lionel, Lex, Tess, and virtually everybody else).

But with Lois, it was something he wanted her to know. She expressed why she understood Blur needed to conceal his identity, and Clark reiterated why the Blur can’t reveal his secret to those close to him. But then, when it seemed like he had an “out,” he decided to pull the trigger and tell her anyway. And while the sight of her leaping into his arms could have come across as ridiculous, I found it to be a genuinely sweet moment. Honestly, it did seem romantic, and it did seem like something they’d both look back on and celebrate.

As far as revelation scenes go, this one certainly ranks high on my list.

As far as the rest of the episode goes, to be honest, I don’t have a whole lot to say. I thought the stuff with Tess was nice and sweet. I liked the idea that Clark and Oliver view her as a soul that can be saved through kindness and trust. In turn, Tess believes that by genuinely loving Alexander, she can prevent him from turning into Lex. One thing I can’t help but worry about, though: Is that the “end game”? This clone growing up into the Lex we all know? Because if so, no actor (whether it’s this child or a teenaged version) will EVER be able to do this degradation into darkness as well as Michael Rosenbaum (who did it over a span of 5 or 6 years, and not 20 episodes).

Another thing: I could really do without Oliver going on and on about how much he and Chloe loved each other. I have no doubt that they cared deeply for each other and that they brought each other great joy, but let’s not rewrite history here. They basically began sleeping with each other because they were so depressed and miserable, and then, as luck would have it, they discovered they actually enjoyed each other’s company. I understand that they want to add some substance to their relationship, but does he really need to go on and on about her every single time he’s on screen? Chloe didn’t even talk this much about Jimmy (her husband) after he was murdered. I mean, enough already.

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