Raw: July 25, 2005

Eugene vs. Kurt Angle
I think this can be a very good feud. Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore is a good wrestler and they will probably have a great match at SummerSlam.

The Heartthrobs and Pocket Rocket vs. Big Vis and Cloacas
Looks like Vince is just throwing things against the walls and seeing what will stick.

Lord Alfred Hayes Retrospective
Pretty classy. I was scared that the announce crew was going to wish condolences to Muhammad Hussan because they killed off the character.

Announcers
Hey, did you notice that the announce table is no longer in the Nitro spot?

Battle of the Bands: John Cena & His Crew vs. Fozzy
Does this help Cena? I mean the people who watch wrestling already know he’s got an album. So, Fozzy’s been on this show twice and Jericho’s a heel. Well Jericho’s right – if he sings, the band gets booed and what good would that be?

Have Jericho’s mic skills dropped off a little? “You people are biased!” “I will beat you” It’s like he’s not even trying anymore.

Ah, Cena and Kane must be buddies since Kane let Cena use that wall of fire.

HBK
Make up! It’s too bad his promo with Hogan wasn’t that short and to the point.

SummerSlam Commercial
So SummerSlam is going to be a car wash. This is quite the format change.

Bischoff Returns
How many damn segments are in Bischoff’s office. Carlito is informed about a match with Cena. Chris Jericho as ref? I wonder where this is going? So Carlito just carries lots of apples? Good for him.

HBK Part 2
Nice pop for a heel. I like the concept of HBK trying to turn the fans against Hogan. So he’s still not a full heel – yet.

HBK screamed to the camera before leaving “Be careful what you wish for, Vince. You may just get it?” What’s that about?

The Eugene Invitational
I’ll be at next week’s Raw – I guess this ought to be interesting.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Gene “The Dancing Machine” Snitsky and Chris “I am not Kevin James” Masters

Didn’t Benjamin already feud with and defeat Snitsky? The Masterlock on Benjamin? Why do they just check the arm once? Wasn’t it three checks?

Shelton Benjamin should not lose to Chris Masters. Benjamin is a former multi-time tag champ, former IC champ and a tremendous talent. Masters is none of those things and shouldn’t be going over Benjamin. I know it was a handicap match and that is meant to protect Benjamin, but that loss was pretty clean. I don’t agree with this booking decision.

Diva Search: Hot Dog Eating Contest
First Prize for this stupid thing is $250,000. WWE fired a bunch of wrestlers and has bad storylines. How about using the money for WRESTLERS AND WRITERS instead of eye candy?

So I’ve watched an hour and twenty minutes of this show and there have been 3 matches so far.

Kane vs. Edge Part 3,000,004
Anyone else sick of this match up? When will Matt Hardy show up? That Kendo Stick shot was stiff! Swatting Edge off with the chair was a nice little spot and so was the chokeslam onto the stretcher. Kane took way too many headshots. He’s got to protect that Kane noggin. Wow, Kane threw Edge like a javelin into the Raw set kind of like when Nash did it to Mysterio.

Matt Hardy came out… again. The announcers went silent… again. The casual viewer has no idea about this story and the announcers never saying anything won’t help the casual viewer at all.

Kane and Lita: the Love birds
So JR is upset that Kane took Lita away in an ambulance. JR seems to have forgotten that Kane set him (JR) on fire a while ago.

Hulkamania
They showed Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘N Wrestling! WWE certainly enjoys that everyone knows who Hulk Hogan is and the amount of mainstream coverage he’s gotten. You’ve got to admit it; Hogan is a very smart guy who keeps creating a demand for himself.

Ad for replays of the Great American Bash
The video department put together a fine little trailer for the GAB. I’ve read it was awful. I’ll write a review on it when I get my hands on a copy of the GAB.

John Cena vs. Carlito Caribbean Cool w/ Chris Jericho as Special Guest Referee
Maybe every referee needs an entrance like Y2J has.

Ah, finally Cena is pinned. I was getting tired of seeing Cena being superman.

The SmackDown! before the Great American Bash

SmackDown!

Rey vs. Super Crazy
Eddie Guerrero on commentary was great. It builds nice heat for their match at the Great American Bash (GAB). “Super Crazy” is a good description for Eddie during this match. Very nice guillotine by Super Crazy. It would be interesting to see these guys going for the Cruiserweight gold. So the match was a story line match. That makes sense, considering the pay-per-view (PPV) is only three days away.

JBL: Great American Promo
I like the idea of a “Paid for by the friends of JBL” ad campaign. I wonder if they could make a storyline out of who these “friends” are. Is Orlando footing the bill? Is JBL is own best friend? Is it someone else? It would be nice to see that JBL’s commercials were by someone he disliked.

Captain Charisma
Wow. Calling Josh Matthews “Ryan Seacrest.” I think this kid is going to be the new Showstoppah! The Showstealer! The Main Event! I hope he wins on Sunday. He said he was going to win; if he actually won, he wouldn’t be all talk.

L.O.D. Minus One, plus Michael Cole’s Best Friend, Big Bad John
Maybe Animal could be like Paul Ellering and manage a new stable of Legion of Doom. Heiden-Hawk will be quite scary. I fear the face paint on Big Bad John.

Animal’s powerslam is still sharp. The use of the Doomsday Device is just wrong. Heidenreich is no Hawk.

Raw Rebound
You’ve got to love the way WWE just treats SmackDown like their step-child. Hogan was a SmackDown “superstar” if you remember (at least as “Mr. America”). They’re already showing a promo for SummerSlam (one of the Big Four PPV’s) while SmackDown’s trying to put on a PPV this Sunday.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit
I still don’t like hearing that the “Rabid Wolverine” is from Atlanta, Georgia. It’s just the wrong amount of syllables. “From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, he is the World’s Heavyweight Champion! Chris Benoit!” Yeah, that sounds better.

Chris’s Promo
Like many others, I think Dean Malenko is coming.

The Match:
They gave this match-up away on free television? No mention that a former World’s Heavyweight Champion is facing a former WWE Champion? No mention that these two faced off for the U.S. Championship at Vengeance? No mention that this is a rematch of their ECW One Night Stand match-up?

I guess it’s smarter they talk about Eddie being a lunatic and gunning for Rey. If they mentioned all that other stuff, you’d wonder why Eddie and The Crippler aren’t feuding.

Was Eddie using an ankle-lock? This is a very good storyline match-up. It shows Eddie’s intensity.

Holy Mackerel! They mentioned Orlando “Yeah, I’m the U.S. Champ!” Jordan would be watching this match since The Crippler is facing Orlando “I’m just as good as Magnum T.A.” Jordan this Sunday.

Superplex! I remember when this was a finisher. Hell, I remember when a DDT was a finisher, too. Benoit missed the flying headbutt. Benoit is one of the smartest wrestlers in the history of professional wrestling. It makes very little sense that he would continue to use a move that puts him at such a huge risk. Damn! Those chops were loud!.

Wow, this is a great match. These two should feud for the top prize in the business. (Although, Eddie would have to be the face chasing the heel Benoit, managed by Paul Heyman, of course).

Fair Enough
I actually think these commercials are funny. These cigarette guys should be forced to promote milk, peas, spinach, and hemp. What? No Hemp in the U.S? Okay.

Candice Michelle
Wow, SmackDown! traded for this, um, talent. Cheap pop with “Hello, Baltimore!” and then the cheap “As Americans…” blah, blah, blah. The GAB announcement of the PPV being free for the troops was nicely placed on the screen every 4 minutes during the last two weeks of SmackDown!

So, Melina came to the ring. I used to read that Melina was over during the dark matches. I never understood how she was over until I saw her enter a ring.

Wow, Melina is good. She’s like the b*tchy, popular girl from high school. Good for her. She’s a good wrestler, too. Nothing like having a bunch of Raw Diva search losers on SmackDown! So Candice has one move, she does the “I can do this.” (from the Taxi Driver parody commercial for WrestleMania) all the time.

JBL and MLK
One day, when JBL is a lower, mid-carder on Velocity I will be saying the same thing as MLK. “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty!”

Mr. and Mrs. T
They should keep Sharmell off the mic. She’s annoying without it. I remember when Booker was challenging Triple H for the World’s Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIX (headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Kurt Angle).

Anyone else amused that “Simon Dean” is actually playing 2 different characters on SmackDown!? Simon Dean and bWo Member. Maybe he’ll job out a Simon Dean and be a star as bWo member (I’m sorry, I don’t know who he was in the bWo).

JBL and Ronnie
No more! I’m tapping out, you s.o.b.!

the Boogeyman
Wow, this is going to suck. This is Mordecai bad!

Promo for GAB
Does anyone else think that Taz should be the manager of a stable of heels, a la Bobby “The Brain” Heenan? He could put them over as he announced AND he’s great on the mike nowadays.

Rey and Eddie is pretty good. I think Rey’s bloodlust should lead him to a heel turn. He’s small, and no one expects him to win. What if he cheated? What if Rey took brass knucks and knocked out Paul London as the leader of the Mexicools? What if I’m just writing this, hoping that the WWE will steal my storyline?

BTW – Benoit should never lose to a kid like Jordan. Benoit is so damn experienced that it would make no sense for someone like him to lose to some kid that won the U.S. title by cheating. Benoit could bring some kind of prestige to the U.S. title. The U.S. title was the equivalent to the Intercontinental championship with one important exception. The U.S. Champion was the automatic Number One contender for the World’s Heavyweight championship. You’d fight for that damn belt either for the belt or to get to the World’s Heavyweight champ (who usually was Ric Flair).

The U.S. Championship has been held by people like Roddy Piper, Magnum T.A., Nikita Koloff, and even Ric Flair. Orlando Jordan is not in that category. More on this later.

JBL victory speech
JBL is dressed like Apollo Creed! Nice call, Cole. I’m sorry, I had to fast forward this. I just don’t care. Wow, he just keeps talking, huh?

Big Dave came out. I’m sure he’ll cut a promo like the Rock.

Orton and Dave should reform Evolution or maybe “Revolution.” They could be the top dogs. When I saw them on WWE Confidential, they were great together.

Big Dave really benefits from a taped show. His promos can be edited to be better than they actually are. He’s no John Cena, no Rock; Hell, he’s not even The Crippler. Maybe Dave needs a manager who can talk. Maybe Taz?

Oh no, Batista didn’t get beat down. Does this mean that JBL is going to win again? We’ll see.

I’m the Governor and I’ll be back to shoot my mouth off again!

The SmackDown! before the Great American Bash

SmackDown!

Rey vs. Super Crazy
Eddie Guerrero on commentary was great. It builds nice heat for their match at the Great American Bash (GAB). “Super Crazy” is a good description for Eddie during this match. Very nice guillotine by Super Crazy. It would be interesting to see these guys going for the Cruiserweight gold. So the match was a story line match. That makes sense, considering the pay-per-view (PPV) is only three days away.

JBL: Great American Promo
I like the idea of a “Paid for by the friends of JBL” ad campaign. I wonder if they could make a storyline out of who these “friends” are. Is Orlando footing the bill? Is JBL is own best friend? Is it someone else? It would be nice to see that JBL’s commercials were by someone he disliked.

Captain Charisma
Wow. Calling Josh Matthews “Ryan Seacrest.” I think this kid is going to be the new Showstoppah! The Showstealer! The Main Event! I hope he wins on Sunday. He said he was going to win; if he actually won, he wouldn’t be all talk.

L.O.D. Minus One, plus Michael Cole’s Best Friend, Big Bad John
Maybe Animal could be like Paul Ellering and manage a new stable of Legion of Doom. Heiden-Hawk will be quite scary. I fear the face paint on Big Bad John.

Animal’s powerslam is still sharp. The use of the Doomsday Device is just wrong. Heidenreich is no Hawk.

Raw Rebound
You’ve got to love the way WWE just treats SmackDown like their step-child. Hogan was a SmackDown “superstar” if you remember (at least as “Mr. America”). They’re already showing a promo for SummerSlam (one of the Big Four PPV’s) while SmackDown’s trying to put on a PPV this Sunday.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit
I still don’t like hearing that the “Rabid Wolverine” is from Atlanta, Georgia. It’s just the wrong amount of syllables. “From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, he is the World’s Heavyweight Champion! Chris Benoit!” Yeah, that sounds better.

Chris’s Promo
Like many others, I think Dean Malenko is coming.

The Match:
They gave this match-up away on free television? No mention that a former World’s Heavyweight Champion is facing a former WWE Champion? No mention that these two faced off for the U.S. Championship at Vengeance? No mention that this is a rematch of their ECW One Night Stand match-up?

I guess it’s smarter they talk about Eddie being a lunatic and gunning for Rey. If they mentioned all that other stuff, you’d wonder why Eddie and The Crippler aren’t feuding.

Was Eddie using an ankle-lock? This is a very good storyline match-up. It shows Eddie’s intensity.

Holy Mackerel! They mentioned Orlando “Yeah, I’m the U.S. Champ!” Jordan would be watching this match since The Crippler is facing Orlando “I’m just as good as Magnum T.A.” Jordan this Sunday.

Superplex! I remember when this was a finisher. Hell, I remember when a DDT was a finisher, too. Benoit missed the flying headbutt. Benoit is one of the smartest wrestlers in the history of professional wrestling. It makes very little sense that he would continue to use a move that puts him at such a huge risk. Damn! Those chops were loud!.

Wow, this is a great match. These two should feud for the top prize in the business. (Although, Eddie would have to be the face chasing the heel Benoit, managed by Paul Heyman, of course).

Fair Enough
I actually think these commercials are funny. These cigarette guys should be forced to promote milk, peas, spinach, and hemp. What? No Hemp in the U.S? Okay.

Candice Michelle
Wow, SmackDown! traded for this, um, talent. Cheap pop with “Hello, Baltimore!” and then the cheap “As Americans…” blah, blah, blah. The GAB announcement of the PPV being free for the troops was nicely placed on the screen every 4 minutes during the last two weeks of SmackDown!

So, Melina came to the ring. I used to read that Melina was over during the dark matches. I never understood how she was over until I saw her enter a ring.

Wow, Melina is good. She’s like the b*tchy, popular girl from high school. Good for her. She’s a good wrestler, too. Nothing like having a bunch of Raw Diva search losers on SmackDown! So Candice has one move, she does the “I can do this.” (from the Taxi Driver parody commercial for WrestleMania) all the time.

JBL and MLK
One day, when JBL is a lower, mid-carder on Velocity I will be saying the same thing as MLK. “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty!”

Mr. and Mrs. T
They should keep Sharmell off the mic. She’s annoying without it. I remember when Booker was challenging Triple H for the World’s Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIX (headlined by Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Kurt Angle).

Anyone else amused that “Simon Dean” is actually playing 2 different characters on SmackDown!? Simon Dean and bWo Member. Maybe he’ll job out a Simon Dean and be a star as bWo member (I’m sorry, I don’t know who he was in the bWo).

JBL and Ronnie
No more! I’m tapping out, you s.o.b.!

the Boogeyman
Wow, this is going to suck. This is Mordecai bad!

Promo for GAB
Does anyone else think that Taz should be the manager of a stable of heels, a la Bobby “The Brain” Heenan? He could put them over as he announced AND he’s great on the mike nowadays.

Rey and Eddie is pretty good. I think Rey’s bloodlust should lead him to a heel turn. He’s small, and no one expects him to win. What if he cheated? What if Rey took brass knucks and knocked out Paul London as the leader of the Mexicools? What if I’m just writing this, hoping that the WWE will steal my storyline?

BTW – Benoit should never lose to a kid like Jordan. Benoit is so damn experienced that it would make no sense for someone like him to lose to some kid that won the U.S. title by cheating. Benoit could bring some kind of prestige to the U.S. title. The U.S. title was the equivalent to the Intercontinental championship with one important exception. The U.S. Champion was the automatic Number One contender for the World’s Heavyweight championship. You’d fight for that damn belt either for the belt or to get to the World’s Heavyweight champ (who usually was Ric Flair).

The U.S. Championship has been held by people like Roddy Piper, Magnum T.A., Nikita Koloff, and even Ric Flair. Orlando Jordan is not in that category. More on this later.

JBL victory speech
JBL is dressed like Apollo Creed! Nice call, Cole. I’m sorry, I had to fast forward this. I just don’t care. Wow, he just keeps talking, huh?

Big Dave came out. I’m sure he’ll cut a promo like the Rock.

Orton and Dave should reform Evolution or maybe “Revolution.” They could be the top dogs. When I saw them on WWE Confidential, they were great together.

Big Dave really benefits from a taped show. His promos can be edited to be better than they actually are. He’s no John Cena, no Rock; Hell, he’s not even The Crippler. Maybe Dave needs a manager who can talk. Maybe Taz?

Oh no, Batista didn’t get beat down. Does this mean that JBL is going to win again? We’ll see.

I’m the Governor and I’ll be back to shoot my mouth off again!

TNA gets a slot on SpikeTV

For those of you who don’t know – TNA now has a television deal with SpikeTV on Saturdays. Perhaps if there is a true competitor to the WWE, a new Monday Night War can come of this.

TNA gets a slot on SpikeTV

For those of you who don’t know – TNA now has a television deal with SpikeTV on Saturdays. Perhaps if there is a true competitor to the WWE, a new Monday Night War can come of this.

News Policy

This site is not a news site, per se. For great news, visit PWInsider or LordsofPain.net. You may find spoilers here. There is a good chance I may talk about a show that hasn’t happened yet. If there isn’t a links section yet for news, there will be. This site gives opinions on wrestling.

News Policy

This site is not a news site, per se. For great news, visit PWInsider or LordsofPain.net. You may find spoilers here. There is a good chance I may talk about a show that hasn’t happened yet. If there isn’t a links section yet for news, there will be. This site gives opinions on wrestling.

Welcome to the State of Wrestling

Hello, I am “the Governor” and this is the State of Wrestling.

Here’s some information about me. When I was a kid, during the Hogan-era, I was a huge pro wrestling fan. My two brothers got me back into wrestling roughly 3 years ago.

I read Mick Foley’s books (amongst others). I started reading about the Monday Night Wars and saw that some kid named “HBK” was champion of WWE (then WWF). I found out that Bret Hart was given a chance to be champ. I was confused. Former tag-team wrestlers were champs? These guys weren’t even giants!

I got further and further into wrestling history and checked out the death of WCW. Scott Steiner was champ? The guy from the Steiner Brothers? He looked completely different.

I started looking at wrestling in a new way with the help of the internet. I found out about something about Vince McMahon being an on-air character. I found out about something called work-rate. Then I started paying attention to the matches on Raw and SmackDown! These guys named Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle were phenomenal.

Now, I’m still into pro wrestling. I’ll give a recap on the State of Wrestling because it needs to be addressed. I don’t plan on this becoming big and anyone actually deciding to comment or listen to these ideas, but I thought it would be fun to have an outlet regarding professional wrestling.