Black Widow
03-20-2008, 09:37 PM
What a helluva travel day for yours truly Tuesday getting back to Norman, Oklahoma from Lafayette, LA after Monday Night Raw in the Cajundome. Tuesday morning started with a 4 a.m. wake up call for a 6 a.m. flight to Dallas-Ft. Worth and after arriving at DFW on time, Mother Nature started kicking ass and taking names with some Texas sized thunderstorms. I could have played the part of the charismatic Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel and stood out in the rain and lightning and filed a first person report on the airport-closing weather, but I forgot to pack my rain slicker and baseball cap. Nonetheless, after finally obtaining a rental car, I drove from Dallas to Oklahoma City, where I had left my truck Sunday when I began this travel odyssey. All in all, a 14 hour, door to door travel day in the glamorous world of sports entertainment.
Wrestlemania 24 is upon us and with the card finalized, as best I know, what will the line-up be for the WWE’s biggest event of the year? The big question, or is it, is what bout will close the show this year?
Theoretically, 4 matches would seem to be candidates to go on last, but one has to surmise that only two bouts, the WWE Title Bout or the World’s Heavyweight Title Bout, has any viable shot at occupying the all important show closing spot at WM24.
In today’s television wrestling world, the match that starts Wrestlemania is also a key selection which is a change from years gone by. In the early days of pay per view wrestling events, the show build slowly throughout the night to the main event’s crescendo. These days that theory is considered outdated which translates that if a main event bout doesn’t go on last it doesn’t mean that attraction is being dissed. If I was making a suggestion on what match opens the show I would suggest the Money in the Bank Ladder Match which might see all 3 announce teams broadcasting the contest as last year which, as the Royal Rumble proved, can be feast or famine.
The Mayweather vs. Big Show, boxer vs. wrestler (I assume that’s the match format) contest has gotten its fair share of press and one might make an argument to close WM24 with this bout and not put either major title bout on last. This school of thought would be, at best, a long shot, but I will say that the unpredictable nature of how this match will evolve does have my curiosity aroused. This physical mismatch could be a train-wreck, a riot, a "what the hell have I gotten myself into" matter or a little of all the aforementioned schools of thought. I see this match more realistically being held in the second half of the show.
It is hard to debate that the most emotional match at WM24 will not be the Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels contest where, if Flair loses, then his in ring wrestling career becomes an instant and lasting memory. I still stand by the idea that Flair losing is far from automatic but if Ric does wrestle his last match at WM24 what ever piece of business that follows it will have one helluva chore. From a personal perspective, if this "Naitch-HBK" saga had taken a different turn or two in its build, I could make a better argument for this one to close ‘Mania and, selfishly, I still could, but it won’t happen. Back to what follows this match, one might suggest that it be perhaps the Bunny Mania bout or the 24 man battle royal. On another year, the introduction of the WWE Hall of Famers might fit well after Flair vs. Michaels, but with Ric being the focal point of the WWE Hall of Fame this year that doesn’t seem like a good idea.
The Undertaker vs. Edge, which pits Taker’s 15-0 Wrestlemania winning steak vs. winning the World’s Heavyweight Title is a great story and the two talented performers have a well established rivalry and excellent chemistry. The Undertaker’s WM legacy will never be equaled, but I don’t see this match closing the show this year. That’s just a personal, gut feeling. If it does bring down the curtain that works for me too as I have huge respect for both Taker and Edge who will no doubt make what ever bout follows them have a distinct challenge. Taker has solidly achieved "Andre status" (there is nothing higher than that) in the WWE while no one in the biz executes their role better than does the current World’s Champion. Plus, both guys are J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q customers which is a true, albeit cheap, plug. The Undertaker and Edge were kind enough to yours truly to donate some really cool, game worn gear for our first J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q Restaurant that we framed and is now on display.
So, we are down to what bout will likely close Wrestlemania 24 and to me the odds on favorite should come as no surprise to any one who follows the product and that is the Triple Threat Bout for the WWE Title pitting Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. HHH. I would be significantly surprised if this match doesn’t close the show at WM24 and, honestly, it appears to be a lock. There are no complaints here as any one fortunate enough to broadcast Wrestlemania would like one of their bouts to close the show which adds to the sense of urgency and puts just a little bit more sauce on the brisket if you know what I’m saying.
I understand that a limited number of tickets are still available for both the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night and for Wrestlemania itself. Ticketmaster has all the details.
From what I understand, one more person will be announced next week as being inducted into the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame. Coming on the heels of the announcement on ECW this week, the legendary promoter and wrestler Eddie Graham is WWE HOF bound on March 29. I have personally lobbied for the Dean of Wrestling Broadcasters, Gordon Solie, to be inducted in "the Sunshine State of Florida" this year and remain hopeful that will occur.
I hope you will check out our on line store as we really appreciate and need every one’s business. Our new Q&A section is getting amazing traffic and we appreciate everyone sending in their questions and comments. We are getting to them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Keep ‘em coming! Finally, don’t forget my weekly column usually posted on Thursday or Friday on the Raw section of www.wwe.com.
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.
jrsbarbq.com
Wrestlemania 24 is upon us and with the card finalized, as best I know, what will the line-up be for the WWE’s biggest event of the year? The big question, or is it, is what bout will close the show this year?
Theoretically, 4 matches would seem to be candidates to go on last, but one has to surmise that only two bouts, the WWE Title Bout or the World’s Heavyweight Title Bout, has any viable shot at occupying the all important show closing spot at WM24.
In today’s television wrestling world, the match that starts Wrestlemania is also a key selection which is a change from years gone by. In the early days of pay per view wrestling events, the show build slowly throughout the night to the main event’s crescendo. These days that theory is considered outdated which translates that if a main event bout doesn’t go on last it doesn’t mean that attraction is being dissed. If I was making a suggestion on what match opens the show I would suggest the Money in the Bank Ladder Match which might see all 3 announce teams broadcasting the contest as last year which, as the Royal Rumble proved, can be feast or famine.
The Mayweather vs. Big Show, boxer vs. wrestler (I assume that’s the match format) contest has gotten its fair share of press and one might make an argument to close WM24 with this bout and not put either major title bout on last. This school of thought would be, at best, a long shot, but I will say that the unpredictable nature of how this match will evolve does have my curiosity aroused. This physical mismatch could be a train-wreck, a riot, a "what the hell have I gotten myself into" matter or a little of all the aforementioned schools of thought. I see this match more realistically being held in the second half of the show.
It is hard to debate that the most emotional match at WM24 will not be the Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels contest where, if Flair loses, then his in ring wrestling career becomes an instant and lasting memory. I still stand by the idea that Flair losing is far from automatic but if Ric does wrestle his last match at WM24 what ever piece of business that follows it will have one helluva chore. From a personal perspective, if this "Naitch-HBK" saga had taken a different turn or two in its build, I could make a better argument for this one to close ‘Mania and, selfishly, I still could, but it won’t happen. Back to what follows this match, one might suggest that it be perhaps the Bunny Mania bout or the 24 man battle royal. On another year, the introduction of the WWE Hall of Famers might fit well after Flair vs. Michaels, but with Ric being the focal point of the WWE Hall of Fame this year that doesn’t seem like a good idea.
The Undertaker vs. Edge, which pits Taker’s 15-0 Wrestlemania winning steak vs. winning the World’s Heavyweight Title is a great story and the two talented performers have a well established rivalry and excellent chemistry. The Undertaker’s WM legacy will never be equaled, but I don’t see this match closing the show this year. That’s just a personal, gut feeling. If it does bring down the curtain that works for me too as I have huge respect for both Taker and Edge who will no doubt make what ever bout follows them have a distinct challenge. Taker has solidly achieved "Andre status" (there is nothing higher than that) in the WWE while no one in the biz executes their role better than does the current World’s Champion. Plus, both guys are J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q customers which is a true, albeit cheap, plug. The Undertaker and Edge were kind enough to yours truly to donate some really cool, game worn gear for our first J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q Restaurant that we framed and is now on display.
So, we are down to what bout will likely close Wrestlemania 24 and to me the odds on favorite should come as no surprise to any one who follows the product and that is the Triple Threat Bout for the WWE Title pitting Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. HHH. I would be significantly surprised if this match doesn’t close the show at WM24 and, honestly, it appears to be a lock. There are no complaints here as any one fortunate enough to broadcast Wrestlemania would like one of their bouts to close the show which adds to the sense of urgency and puts just a little bit more sauce on the brisket if you know what I’m saying.
I understand that a limited number of tickets are still available for both the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night and for Wrestlemania itself. Ticketmaster has all the details.
From what I understand, one more person will be announced next week as being inducted into the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame. Coming on the heels of the announcement on ECW this week, the legendary promoter and wrestler Eddie Graham is WWE HOF bound on March 29. I have personally lobbied for the Dean of Wrestling Broadcasters, Gordon Solie, to be inducted in "the Sunshine State of Florida" this year and remain hopeful that will occur.
I hope you will check out our on line store as we really appreciate and need every one’s business. Our new Q&A section is getting amazing traffic and we appreciate everyone sending in their questions and comments. We are getting to them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Keep ‘em coming! Finally, don’t forget my weekly column usually posted on Thursday or Friday on the Raw section of www.wwe.com.
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.
jrsbarbq.com