Month: November 2012

The Last of McGuinness Review

So earlier this year, I happened to come across a thread that had Nigel McGuinness in the title on a popular wrestling forum. And being a big Nigel fan, I clicked on the thread to see what it was all about. Inside was a link to a Kickstarter project that has been launched the day before. I’d heard of Kickstarter, but had honestly never even been on the site and had certainly never pledged any money to any project. However, after reading the description and watching the video Nigel had posted, and the fact I like every other wrestling fan in the world I wondered “just what DID happen to Nigel?”, I simply HAD to support him and his project. So I gave $50, not knowing if the project would get off the ground or not. A couple of days later… the project was fully funded and still had over 3 weeks left for more! At this point I knew the documentary would get done. For starters, the footage was already there. Plus, just from watching him as a pro wrestler, Nigel seemed like the kind of guy that wouldn’t let people down. Some projects on Kickstarter may get fully funded and just never happen. This never even crossed my mind. Not for Nigel. Not for this project that would be so personal to him.

 

Now, at the end of November, Nigel has finished editing and putting everything together. For those of us who were able to pledge a certain amount and above, we were given special access to an online version of his documentary before he sends out the DVD version of it. As I write this, I finished watched it 35 minutes ago. You know that feeling you get when you just watched a classic film or episode of a TV show for the first time? Where you kinda feel strange but in a good way, and can’t stop thinking about what you just saw? Well that’s how I currently feel. For me that doesn’t happen very often. Thanks to Nigel, I get to experience it. And I sincerely hope everyone else who had the opportunity to watch it today feels the exact same way.

 

As I started the documentary, the one big question on my mind was that same question I mentioned earlier; “just what DID happen to Nigel?”. For around 3/4 of the documentary, Nigel almost teases us with the answer. References to certain conditions here, numerous clips of his friends asking him why he isn’t doing this anymore. Every time he teases you, you begin to think that he’s finally going to reveal the answer. And then he doesn’t. But you don’t get mad. You don’t get frustrated. You don’t feel any kind of anger because he keeps the documentary going with tremendous footage of his final wrestling tour, with interviews of his friends, family and mentors in the business. You simply can’t feel anger in any way because everything is just so good. I have to credit Nigel immensely for some of the footage he chose to show us in this documentary. It’s as real and emotional as it gets. His wrestling career is over, and while everyone around him is telling him he should be happy with what he achieved… he isn’t. He’s angry. He’s upset. He fully understands that he SHOULD feel a sense of achievement for what he accomplished throughout his career, and that’s what I think he deserves all the credit in the world for showing us that despite all that he doesn’t feel that way. Not all the time of course. This isn’t a 2 hour long pity documentary where he is angry and upset about his career and everyone should feel sorry for him. It’s a journey. A journey that he took during his retirement tour that he very graciously allowed us to sit in on, through the good AND the bad. He holds nothing back, he doesn’t shy away from anything. He shouts, he swears, he cries. He also smiles and laughs, and at the end of it all, comes away with a new outlook on his own life, one that he may not have arrived at had he not made this documentary.

 

So does he finally reveal the answer to the big question? Well, yes and no. It seems that for a lot of us, myself included, the answer we were looking for, wasn’t for the question we were asking. The answer explains to us why he vanished from TNA for so long. For me personally, the answer we get is very much a relief. There were so many rumours around for so long, that while I didn’t want to believe them, almost had no choice but to almost “settle” for one and just assume that THAT is why he is no longer wrestling. Thankfully the rumours were just that; rumours. And the answer to the question as to why he left wrestling? Honestly, he never truly gives us an answer. However, watching the documentary and following him on his journey, you get the answer yourself. While it has nothing to do with his health, it’s a little heartbreaking. Not just as a fan of Nigel as a wrestler, as someone who would love to see him get back in the ring and be one of the best in the world like he was for a number of years before leaving, but as a person. To see someone come so close to his dream and never be able to reach it despite working harder than 99% of the people who DO make it truly is saddening. Part of me wants to grab hold of him and scream at him to never give up. Then part of me doesn’t blame him for his decision and seemingly his reasoning. However, none of that matters. What does matter is that Nigel has accepted his fate now. He’s happy for the experiences and now he’s going to move on. Move forward with his life and gain new experiences and memories. The documentary certainly doesn’t have THE happy ending that Nigel and wrestling fans would have wanted prior to it being finished, but I’ll be damned if it still doesn’t have A happy ending. I wish Nigel nothing but the best of luck moving forward, and I hope we will get to see him again in one of his new ventures, be it stand up comedy, TV, movies or even something completely different. Thank you Nigel, for your time in the wrestling business, and for giving us this incredible documentary.

 

The Last of McGuinness; The wrestler, but not the man.

The Perfect PPV – WWF 2000

Ok, so a new written content series I’m trying :). Basically, I’m going to take a year of wrestling for one company, look at all the PPV’s from that specific year, and put together an 8 match supercard! There are some rules though:

  1. Only 8 matches
  2. All titles must be defended, no repeated title defences
  3. Each wrestler can only be used once

Simple! So, to start this new series, I’ll go with my absolute favourite year in wrestling; WWF 2000!

 

The Card

Light Heavyweight Title Match

Dean Malenko Vs Scotty 2 Hotty (Backlash) – Lets face it, until Rey showed up in 2002, any kind of LH/CW title in WWF/E meant absolute shit lol. So even in a great year like 2000, LH matches worth mentioning are few and far between. Malenko was champion for the majority of the year, but rarely defended it. In fact, I think this is the only PPV match the title got, so no surprise that its on my supercard. That being said, it absolutely deserves to be here because its AWESOME. Probably the greatest match S2H has been involved in, and without a doubt the best Malenko match in WWF.

Womens Title Match

Ivory Vs Lita (Survivor Series) – You know something, I actually believe the womens title got more exposure in 2000 than the LH title! Stephanie won it early in the year and just kinda had it. Then Lita came along, got as over as any guy on the roster, and main evented a Raw to win the title! Some defences here and there against the likes of Ivory and Jacqueline prior to this match, but I don’t recall anything on PPV until this one. And with the only other one I can remember being at Armageddon and lasting about 2 minutes, I had no choice but to use this match. Its ok, nothing special. Lita blades like a champ. That’s about it.

Hardcore Title Match

Shane McMahon Vs Steve Blackman (SummerSlam) – FUN. That’s the best way to describe this one. The Hardcore title was never a big deal once Mankind first lost it back in… late 98/early 99. It was passed around the boys more than Melina. Crash Holly made a name for himself by holding it a million times, and for introducing the 24/7 rule that made for some great TV. The Blackman got hold of the belt… and actually made it credible. He defeated all comers, and was able to tap into his martial arts background in a way he never could before, which made him pretty darn popular at the time. Shane ended up winning it after being helped by half the roster, but before he could celebrate Foley announced he would defend it against Blackman at SummerSlam… and the 24/7 rule would be put on hold until the match so he couldn’t drop the belt before hand and back out! Anywho, the match is a ton of fun. Crazy spots, lots of run-ins, and then THAT spot. Insane. Maybe not the best hardcore match of the year, but certainly the best on PPV and a worthy addition to this super PPV!

European Title Match

Eddie Guerrero Vs Essa Rios (Backlash) – Match #2 from Backlash, and I have a sneaky suspicion that there will be another (and by “sneaky suspicion” I mean I actually know. Because I made this list 😛 ). Hell, the Backlash PPV is pretty much a perfect PPV for 2000 on its own. But hey, where’s the fun in that? So this match. Eddie was transitioning into a babyface at the time thanks to his association with Chyna, and to help, they started tagging Eddie and Essa together. Unfortunately Lita kept screwing things up for the team and Chyna got pissed, so the MEN had to sort things out! Lol. Really good match, nice mix of the Mexican style as well as some more mat based technical stuff too (from Eddie). Finish seemed a little odd if I’m remembering it correctly, but the rest of the match was good. Chyna gets stripped afterwards, which is a shame. Should have been Lita, but Chyna stripped her on Smackdown the week before or something, so this was Lita’s revenge.

Intercontinental Title Match

Chris Benoit Vs Chris Jericho (Backlash) – Told you! Another Backlash match :). And a tremendous match at that for the IC title. Benoit and Jericho wrestled numerous times in 2000, both on TV and PPV. Triple threat with Angle at WM, Submissions match at JD (close call between that match and this one), and a 2 out of 3 falls match at SummerSlam (a little disappointing tbh). Not only could these guys wrestle well together, but they really knew how to bring out the HATE~! in each other and into their matches, which made their feud really fun to watch. From their matches in Japan, WCW and WWF/E, I’d say this is their best match behind the 2001 RR Ladder match. Some people don’t like/are confused by the finish, but I dig it.

Tag Team Titles Match

The Dudley Boys Vs The Hardy Boys Vs Edge & Christian – Triangle Ladder Match (WrestleMania 2000) – Oh man, the amount of great tag matches to come out of 2000 both on PPV and TV is pretty insane. Easily the best tag division in the company since the mid to late 80’s. And at the centre of this amazing division were these 3 teams. They all had fantastic chemistry with each other, and no matter the match type (normal, ladder, table, TLC, cage), they put on a great match. Very close call between this and TLC from SummerSlam, but I went with this one because in all honesty its just my favourite. SS *might* be a little better (not by much if any), but I love the WM match. A lot of people get confused and think its a TLC match because they use tables and chairs, but its just a triangle ladder match that gave the company the idea for TLC in the first place. The table walkway set up on top of two ladders is something I’d never seen before, and I don’t think I’ve seen since either. Very creative (though for all I know they did it in ECW or something lol) and very cool. The way the table below it absolutely SHATTERS into pieces at the end when someone gets thrown off the walkway through it is amazing too.

#1 Contenders Match

The Rock Vs The Big Show (No Way Out 2000) – Well, 7 titles to be defended on an 8 card show means I needed to find something else to fill the gap. I did want an Undertaker match to fill the gap here, but unfortunately the only PPV matches worth going on a supercard like this were for the WWF Title, which can’t be used twice, and unfortunately there are better title matches in the year. So after looking over all the PPV cards, I managed to find the best non title match with wrestlers not already used up. Always liked this match, and I LOVE the finish too. Never been a fan of Rock, but he worked well with Show here. If I could repeat wrestlers on the card then this match wouldn’t have made it, but I can’t go breaking my own rules, so this will have to do. But hey, at least its still good!

WWF Title Match

Triple H Vs Cactus Jack – Street Fight (Royal Rumble) – Best WWF/E Title Match ever? Probably. Only other that comes close off the top of my head is Punk/Bryan from Over the Limit 2012 and Punk/Cena from Money in the Bank 2011. This match is just incredible. Foley’s performance was outstanding. HHH, despite having won the title a couple of times at this point already and had changed his style from a more “technical” style to brawling, still wasn’t seen as a “tough guy” and credible champion UNTIL this match. Foley essentially MADE The Game here, and looked better himself than he’s ever looked before too. Without a doubt THE only choice for Main Event and WWF Title Match on my Perfect PPV in 2000!

Survivor Series 2012 Thoughts & Predictions

Eve (c) Vs Kaitlyn – Divas Title Match

So this is happening. And uhhh. I don’t know how or why. Nor do I care. I skip the diva stuff.

Winner – Eve – Just because I don’t think they’ll take the title from Eve just now. Not that it matters.

Antonio Cesaro (c) Vs R-Truth – US Title Match

So this is also happening too because… I don’t know either. I avoid anything involving R-Truth. 2 matches into the card, and I really just don’t care. Not good lol.

Winner – Antonio Cesaro – They’d be retarded to put the title on Truth. He’s useless, plus it seems they have big plans for Cesaro.

The Big Show (c) Vs Sheamus – World Heavyweight Championship Match

Ok, finally a match I’m interested in! They shocked pretty much everyone at HIAC (some of us thought it could be good, but I doubt anyone expected THAT kind of match from them), and I’m sure they can give us another great encounter tonight. Surprised it isn’t a gimmick match though. Surprised it wasn’t a cell match at the HIAC PPV last month too. I think they’ve been having Last Man Standing matches at house shows recently, and given how their last match went down and the build up to this match, it seems like a perfect stip this time around. But nope. Just a singles match lol. Next PPV is TLC… and well, none of those matches would seem like a good fit. So I’m expecting them to have a rematch involving a ladder. Unless…

Winner – Sheamus – However, I say Show retains. Maybe Sheamus might win, but by DQ or something so Show keeps the title. Sheamus will be pissed, kick Show in the head, Ziggler comes out to cash in, but Sheamus is still pissed and kicks Ziggler too, thus no cash in yet. Sets up another match at TLC, some kind of gimmick match, then Sheamus will win, but Ziggler will cash in and win the belt.

Survivor Series Elimination Match – Team Ziggler Vs Team Foley

Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Wade Barrett & Rhodes Scholars Vs Randy Orton, The Miz, Kofi Kingston & Team Hell No w/Mick Foley

Always nice to actually see a traditional SS match, just a shame they never put much effort into the build up. They kinda had the build with everyone being opponents from HIAC, but then they fucked that up by removing Punk and Ryback, then having Miz quit his team and join the other team in Ryback’s place and Barrett take Miz’s place with Ziggler taking Punk’s place even though it seemed like he and Cena might be starting something but Cena was put with Punk and Ryback. I think that covered it all? Oh, and not forgetting, Cody likely won’t be apart of the match now due to a shoulder injury during a match against Kane on the Main Event. Rumours are that Tensai will take his place.

As far as the actual match is concerned… you have Daniel Bryan, one of the best in ring performers in the entire world today. You have Kane, who has really stepped up lately since teaming with Bryan. Sandow, Ziggler and Orton can all bring it too. So half the participants are capable of giving us a great match. The other half… dull, shitty in the ring or just plain terrible (oh hai Kofi). Hopefully they won’t drag it down.

Winners – Team Ziggler – Any team with Orton is likely a huge favourite to win, but dammit, Ziggler fucking NEEDS a big win. He’s the current MITB briefcase holder and is likely to win the WHC any week now… but he’s lost so many times its impossible to take him even a little seriously as a main champion. WWE don’t seem to realise that just winning the briefcase doesn’t automatically give a wrestler credibility. They need to actually DO SOMETHING between winning it and cashing it in. Look at Edge, the first winner back in 2005. The next PPV after WM, he beat Benoit in a LMS match.  Went on to lose to Kane, BUT he got the better of him eventually when Lita turned on Kane to join Edge when the whole affair scandal came out (an ACTUAL affair scandal might I add, not this AJ/Cena crap). Then he proceeded to destroy Matt Hardy at SS, lost to Matt in a cage at Unforgiven but then won a loser leaves Raw ladder match to send Matt away to Smackdown. I’m pretty sure he also earned a shot at the title without having to cash in around this time as well, though my memory isn’t too good. Then at NYR 06, he got DQ’d against Flair because he didn’t want to waste too much time in the ring as he would come out later in the night, cash in and WIN the WWE Title. See, Edge had almost a full year of being built up with the briefcase. And about 6 months prior to that being built up as well. How does that compare to Ziggler? It doesn’t. Ziggler loses big matches. All the time. When did he last win on PPV? Anyway. Give him this win please WWE. Knowing my luck, they’ll have the newly turned babyface The Jiz be the sole survivor. Urgh.

CM Punk (c) Vs Ryback Vs John Cena – WWE Title Match

If Punk wins, he’ll hit 365 days on Monday for his title reign. If Ryback wins, Vince has lost his fucking mind. If Cena wins, nobody in their right mind should be surprised. With Rock randomly getting a title shot at the RR in January, and given what happened last time The Rock was on Raw, smart money would be on Punk facing Rock for the title there. And Punk going into that match with over 400 days as champion would be far bigger than Punk losing the belt here and winning it back at TLC or something. I don’t know though, it all depends on what plans WWE has for WM. I avoid as many spoilers as possible, so I have no idea. Rock/Cena II could be a possibility (god I fucking hope not though), so Rock could be champ defending against Cena. Then again, Cena could win the title here, lose to Rock at RR and have Punk/Rock for the title at WM. Maybe Punk/Cena go at it at WM leaving Rock as champion to defend against someone else, so it wouldn’t matter (to WWE) who drops the title to Rock. Oh god Ryback is winning it, isn’t he? What was I talking about? Oh yeah, triple threat match. Punk and Cena have amazing chemistry together, and Ryback Vs Cena in a superman contest sounds pretty interesting. Just worried about the finish.

Winner – CM Punk – Guy has to retain. Needs his year long title reign. Plus, imagine Raw on Monday? HUGE celebration for Punk could be great. But since its Punk, a heel, against 2 babyfaces, you just KNOW they are gonna do the basic boring dull finish where Cena or Ryback hit their finisher on the other, and Punk sneaks in and steals the win making him look as credible as Dolph Ziggler. YAWN.

Overall… I’m not excited about this show. Not much potential for greatness tbh, and the stuff that could be good will probably get screwed up (elimination match for example), and the matches with pretty much no potential will probably live up to that. Hope I’m wrong.