The Passing of a King

From the Bleacher Report.com

Another old school wrestler has gone to the great ring in the sky.  King Curtis Iaukea died earlier today.

My generation will remember him from his time as Kamala's short lived manager in the WWF back in the 80's.  At that time, he was simply known as "The Wizard" and wore a long black cloak.  I remember he wasn't on TV very long.  I'm not sure why that is.  There was a WWF Magazine article featuring him.  I think it was actually an interview.  I do recall his few appearances having a deep booming voice.  He sounded a little crazy in the promos he cut.  I guess when you're hanging out with Kamala and Sika you have to be a little unorthodox.  

He was also, as you can see from this picture, the Master of the Dungeon of Doom.  That's the ill fated group that was determined to rid the world of Hulkamania.  It didn't work.  He was the man behind Kevin Sullivan and all his minions like Kamala, Zodiac, and the Shark.  I don't remember him being too involved with the angle, other than cutting some vignettes where he sat in a that giant chair and bellowed commands to Sullivan.  Years later, a wrestler by the name of Prince Iaukea came along in WCW.  No relation to Curtis, but the name was given to the Prince as a tribute to the legend.

Until I did a little research on him, I didn't know a whole lot about Curtis.  I knew from looking at him he was obviously a wrestler in his early days.  He had the "Dusty Rhodes forehead" going with all the scars.

Curtis wrestled all over the world and in the NWA, AWA, and WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation).  In the 1970's, he and Baron Mikel Scicluna held the tag team champions in the WWWF.  Curtis held various other titles, both single and tag team, in the territories he wrestled.

And one final fact, this one a fun fact: Iaukea appeared in the 3 Stooges film: The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze.

Rest in Peace, King Curtis.

Edging Out the World Title

Edge vs. Y2J at Wrestlemania 26

2010 has been an interesting year for Edge.  He came back early from an injury to win the Royal Rumble in January.

He cashed in on his guaranteed title shot at Wrestlemania 26 against Chris Jericho and came up short.  That led to a heel turn and and mediocre run on Raw.  Then a few months ago, Edge landed back on Smackdown! once again finding himself the number one contender to the World Title.

Survivor Series he didn't win the belt, but he didn't lose the match either.  That of course meant he was still in contention for the title.

Edge then "kidnapped" Kane's father and manager, Paul Bearer.  He's been playing mind games with the champ for the last couple of weeks.  Last night on Smackdown! things came to a head as Edge pinned Kane (in a non title match) and earned the right to chose the stipulation at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay per view later this month.  Of course Edge picked the TLC match.  It's "his" match.

But I don't think that's going to equate to his success in the chase for the title.  Usually when the champ is pinned on TV, he goes on to successfully defend this title on the PPV.  Usually.  But that's only one reason why I think Kane will win.

I like Edge, I really do.  But I don't necessarily think he should be or needs to be the world champion again.  Nine times is a lot.  I'm sure he'll win it again before he hangs up the boots forever, but I'm really hoping Kane continues to be pushed as a strong world champ.  That's what we need.  Especially in a year when the belt has been passed around like a hot potato.  Kane could be the longest reigning champ of the year.  I'm too lazy to do the math.

So what happens if Edge doesn't win the title as I suspect?  With a lack of faces on Smackdown! who are what I'd consider top contenders, I think we get a Kane-Big Show feud.  I'll be honest, not exactly looking forward to that.  But if Kane could dominate the Show like he did the Undertaker, I think it only makes the title look more important.  The only other face I could see up there in contention would be Kofi Kingston, but it looks like they're pushing him toward the Intercontinental title again. 

I really wish Christian wasn't injured, because he is really the guy I want to see get a world title run of anyone on the Smackdown! roster right now.  I think it's too early for guys like Kaval and Cody Rhodes.

I'm wondering if MVP now gone (not that I thought he'd be wrestling for the world title) if they'll send someone over from Raw to fill his void.  Raw has a ton of guys, so that's a possibility.  Or maybe they'll elevate someone to that mid-card IC title contender spot that MVP held.  I think moving someone like John Morrison over as a world title contender would be awesome.

Now if Edge does win the title, you would have a lot of heel contenders, but not really anyone who's at the top of the card.  At least not yet.  You'd have to elevate someone.  I'm not impressed with the way Jack Swagger was booked as champion earlier this year.  So I don't think he's ready for another run at the top.  Drew McIntyre would be interesting in that role.  He is the "chosen one."  But is he ready to step up to the plate?  His run as IC champion was mediocre at best.

Alberto Del Rio is too new to be champ in my opinion.  Cody Rhodes is another possibility.  He's talented, just needs to continue to develop. There's a lot of younger talent out there, but they've been looked over as guys who've been at the top repeatedly get pushed.  Randy Orton, John Cena, Undertaker, HHH.  Now as those guys get older, they're taking time off after being hurt and in some cases retiring. 

Chris Jericho said it best a while back, the WWE needs to start doing a better job of developing younger talent.  Now that the roster is full of lots of newcomers, the time to do it is now more so than ever before.  Here's to hoping.

Create a Team

Gone are the days of tag teams like Demolition, the British Bulldogs, and the Hart Foundation.  At least that seems to be the case in the WWE for now.

Over the last three years there have been more than a dozen sets of tag team champions. And with the exception of the current champs, not a single pair is still together.  That blows my mind.

So we're going to create some new teams.  Your mission, if you so chose to accept it is to create 5 new tandems.  The rules are simple.  Just use any two guys on the roster to create your duo.  Feel free to use guys on the FCW roster too.  Injured guys can be used.  And feel free to come up with cool team names.




Here are my picks:

1.  Kaval & Evan Bourne:  These two seem to be a natural fit.  They're both high flyers and can move around the ring.  Their mic skills need some work, but I don't remember the Bulldogs or the Killer Bees pulling off any great promos back in the day.  Both seem to be lost in the mid card shuffle right now.  Of course Bourne is hurt right now, but once he returns it would be nice to see him be used for something other than bait for the Nexus.  Besides an Intercontinental title match at Survivor Series, they don't seem to be doing much with Kaval either.  I think these high flyers could do some great things in the ring against Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater.

2. Husky Harris & Michael McGillicutty:  Two third generation stars who were quite impressive on NXT season 2.  Right now they seem to be floaters in the Nexus.  They could stay in the group and still form a team.  I really like Husky Harris.  I think he's got a great future in the business.  McGillicutty has a lot of potential.  My only problem with him is I feel like he, more than Husky is living in the shadow of his famous father.  But this could be a great heel team.  I think I'd pair them with a manager too.  I think we need more of them. 

3.  Drew McIntyre & William Regal:  I know Regal is checking out soon (allegedly) but these two could be paired as the evil anti American faction.  McIntyre has a ton of potential and I think Regal could help bring out the best in him.  Perhaps Regal starts off as a member of this team and brings in Mason Ryan (FCW champion) to replace him.  Regal then becomes the manager of the team, much like he had done with Koslov and Ezekiel Jackson.  Ryan is Welsh, so you'd still have the un American sentiment going.  The only thing I'd do is try to change his look a bit.  He looks way too much like Batista.

4.  Ezekiel Jackson & Zack Ryder:  Hear me out on this one.  I'm imaging a modern day Power and Glory on this one.  Zeke obviously as the power.  Ryder: the glory.  I like Zack.  I think he's obviously way underused and could benefit by moving back into the tag team division.  Although Zeke seems to be getting a bit of a push in the singles ranks.  Maybe he could be replaced by Chris Masters as the power.

5.  Peter Orlov & Jinder Mahal:  Sorry, this is one just based on the appearance of these two guys and some of the things I've read about them.  This is another throw back of a team from the past:  Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik.  Hopefully Mahal would have more luck with the Middle Eastern gimmick than Mohammad Hassan had a few years back.  That would give you two anti American teams though, not sure that it's necessary.

Other possibilities would be the DiBiase brothers (Brett & Ted), The Colon Brothers (Primo & Tito), and Michael Tarver & Darren Young as some sort of Nexus castoffs.

Now obviously not all these teams would wear the belts.  As singles wrestlers, they'd probably need some repacking and makeovers so they have a more uniform look like teams from the 80's and 90's did.  The younger guys would also need a manager.  Matt Stryker could be good in that role.  But also some "alumni" and legends could also be brought in as well.

I'd really like to hear who you'd pair up and why.  Please share your thoughts.

MVP Gets Endeavored

MVP vs. The Big Show in Cape Girardeau

I'm sad to hear that MVP has been released from the WWE.  Although, I'm reading online reports that say the former U.S. champion actually requested his release.  According to his own Twitter account, he wants to "go international and freshen things up."

I wish him the best of luck.  While I wasn't as big a fan of the face MVP, I still enjoyed his in ring work.  And his personal background is very interesting.  He's talked about his past and the time he spent in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping.

He truly turned his life around and achieved his greatest success during his feud with Chris Benoit.  "The Crippler" took MVP under his wing and helped make the man we know today.  Benoit passed the torch and the U.S. title to the up and comer.

MVP had a pretty successful reign too.  His feud with Matt Hardy also stands out as some of his best work.  I wasn't crazy about his jobbing streak and face turn.  And I never really liked that whole angle with Sherri Shepard from the View. 

Then there was that ill fated tag team creation with Mark Henry.  The two were mildy successful, but it was just another attempt by the WWE to create a team by throwing two singles guys together that they have no ideas for.

I'm not sure what's next for MVP, but I wish him well.  I hope to see him back in the ring soon.  Now time for some ballin'...

Breakin' Up is Hard to Do (Unless You're a WWE Tag Team)

The Hart Dynasty at Wrestlemania 26

I've ranted before about how much I hate the tag team division right now in the WWE.  They create a team, put the title on them, and split them up.  All over the course of about 18 months.  In some cases it's even shorter than that.

One team split that really has me perplexed is the Hart Dynasty.  Up until about Wrestlemania of this year, they were an afterthought or so it seems.  Then they got the titles and defended them briefly, but of course they lost them and slowly but surely in the weeks that followed showed signs of splitting up.

I guess it was about three weeks ago that Tyson Kidd kicked David Hart Smith in the head during a tag team title match against the Nexus.  Kidd left the ring, setting up Smith for the pinfall loss.  I really don't get it.  Other than the Nexus and Santino and Koslov and the Usos, there are NO other tag teams now.  Sure they'll throw together Mark Henry and Yoshi in a pinch.  Are they the newest duo to go through this process?

Not only does the breaking up of the Hart Dynasty bug me.  But now, we're finally getting a match between the two.  On pay per view you ask.  No.  On Raw?  Umm, no.  Then were?  Superstars of course. What?  I'm not knocking Superstars, really.  But you just split up a team that had been together for about a  year and a half and the best you can give us is a match on Superstars?  I have no idea what the ratings are for that show, but why not promote it and let this feud simmer a bit and put them in a match on PPV?  I mean, come on, even Shad and JTG (formerly Cryme Tyme) got a pay per view match.

Maybe this is just the tip of the iceberg for these two (Smith and Kidd) but I suspect it's not.  I have a feeling they'll be jobbed out and eventually "wished well in their future endeavors.  Looks like Natalya is the star of the group, at least for now.

So I'm disappointed the split them up.  I'm even more bothered that they're having their first one on one match on Superstars.  At least now I won't be totally shocked when one or both of them gets released.  I just wish the writers would be some extra thought into the undercard and not so much around a handful of guys "at the top."

NXT: Season 4, Really?

So it appears the WWE is going forward with a fourth season of NXT.  At least this time we're back to the guys.  Not that I had anything against the Divas version, but I did lose interest in this last season fast.  Partly because they took it off TV and put it online.

I'm not overly excited about the fact that they're doing a fourth season.  Personally, they could have stopped at season two in my opinion.

The concept of NXT is a good one.  I enjoyed watching the first two seasons.  I like the fact that they took that first group and formed Nexus.  It injected some new life into the stale programming.  But the group is now getting lost in the shuffle too.  What ever happened to Darren Young and Michael Tarver?  Will Skip Sheffield be included in the group when he returns?  I hope not.  Sorry, but that dude is annoying.  I felt like he tried too hard to be like Stone Cold Steve Austin and failed to develop any kind of personality he could call his own.

I liked the second season of the show too.  I also liked that it didn't include a bunch of cookie cutter WWE body types.  That's something it looks like season 4 has fallen into.  It's a bunch of meatheads.  Now to be fair to these guys, I haven't seen any of them wrestle so I shouldn't judge how they're going to perform.  The two guys I had the most interest in during season 2 were Kaval and Husky Harris.  They don't fit that "mold" and I'm glad they're both on the main roster now.  I just hope they continue to develop them on TV.

Looking at the new group, Brodus Clay looks to have a different look.  I'll be curious to see him in the ring and what his style is all about.  I'm also curious what happens to the rookies that don't get picked up on the main roster?  Do they go back to FCW?  That website hasn't been updated in a while and still lists Tyler Rekks, Alex Riley, and Husky Harris among others.

I would also like to see Richie Steamboat, Bo Rotunda, and Seth Rollins get a shot too.  I guess that will all come in time, as I've already heard rumors of a fifth season of NXT.

Tables and Ladders and Chairs, Oh No!

Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania 24

In about three weeks, WWE presents TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs.  Not really an event I'm a huge fan of.  Honestly, the "gimmicky" matches are now done so often I think they've lost their appeal.

I actually miss the days of ONE on ONE title defenses.  Just two opponents in the ring.  No triple threat, no fatal four ways, no six pack challenge matches.

I know in today's world, with the amount of talent and potential contenders for the title, they have to cram as many guys onto a pay per view as possible.  But a lot of times, the undercard matches seem like they should just be on Raw or Smackdown.  That's another complaint, there are too many ppv worthy matches being given away on free TV.  Or we get a rematch the next night or week (ie. Sheamus vs. John Morrison)

I guess these days the gimmick matches are a way to attract fans.  With so much programming every week you've got to have something that's eye catching.  That's the only reason I can think of.  Then look at TNA, they seem to go way overboard on the gimmick matches.  Not to mention making them even sillier than what WWE is doing.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some of these matches, in particular the Money in the Bank and the Hell in the Cell.  But I think both should have just been left as one match and not turned into pay per view events.  The whole stipulation behind MITB has lost some of its luster when you have 3 guys all win it and cash it in within an eight month time frame.

Same with HITC.  I was in the crowd at the first one in 1997 at the Savvis (Kiel) Center in St. Louis.  It was a pretty ground breaking event.  Then in 1998 when they did it again with Foley and Undertaker.  Wow.  But now they have done so many of them, even the ones on Raw, the awe factor has decreased.

While I'm on this tirade, title matches should not be decided in a table match.  I'm not even sure if I'm crazy about the ladder match or the cage match on this one.  Why not have the best man win by pinning his opponent or making him submit?  Really, I'm not even sure I understand the whole table match concept.  I can see the uselessness of the ladder match.  Keep it as Money in the Bank.  Use it sparingly.

Since the WWE is promoting an anti chair shot to the head policy, I'm not sure why they're even advocating a chair match on the PPV.  Does that make any sense?  I know this is wrestling, and one has to suspend logic most of the time.

Another problem I have with these types of matches, I feel like they put a hell of a lot more wear and tear on the wrestlers' bodies.  This week we saw Jerry Lawler at 62 show us he can still put on a good show.  Flair still gets in there at 63.  But will we see today's superstars able bodied enough to even get to the ring when they're 40?  Time will tell I suppose.   It's a brutal enough business without having to worry about crashing through a table or falling from a ladder or having hundreds of push pins stuck in your hide.

I guess my ranting should end.  Nothing will change in that respect.  The fans want what they want.

I will continue to watch and write about what I see and how I miss the good ol' days with the blue steel cage.  Vintage WWF.