[Comics] The "Jim Cornette Analysis" on the Four Groups of Comics' Target Audience

About a hundred years ago, I'd mentioned on this site that I was planning on shamelessly ripping off an article I read about an interview with pro-wrestling's James E. Cornette, where he opined about the "Four Groups of Wrestling's Target Audience".  Original article, here.

I hadn't done so yet, as I really hadn't been motivated to talk much about comics at all.  I feel I've become far too "familiar" with the industry... and as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt.

I was flipping thru a few copies of the more recent Marvel Previews while waiting for the shower to heat up, and suddenly became painfully aware of something.  Though I've been supporting Marvel Comics for the past twenty-odd years, I am not their target audience.  Seeing blurbs of "From the writer of Entourage", "From the writer of Heroes"... tells me that Marvel (and mainstream comics at large) are becoming more about the singer and less about the song.

What follows is word-for-word what Jim Cornette had said in regards to the Four Groups of Wrestling's Target Audience... with all the mentions of WRESTLING removed and changed to fit the comics industry.  There's a bit of salty language... which I'll cut out.  I guess I'll never get a job at DC with that kind of attitude, eh?

The First Group: "There are this many people who buy anything in a comic shop. They're going to come and buy anything comics related no matter what. They're hardcore. They are on the internet. They want to come because either they can't get enough comics or they want to b**** and complain about something and say how they could do it better."

The Second Group: "This crowd likes good comics. Not old comics, not new comics, just good comics. There's two kinds of comics: good comics and bad comics. I don't care who presents it or what it is, that's this crowd, that's the second crowd. They want to read good comics and if you present a good product for an extended period of time to where it gets the point across, they will come to see you.

The Third Group: This crowd comes to see the star, comes to the see the big event. "The Writer of Entourage", Kevin Smith, Civil War, Ultimate Final Crisis part 7. Either somebody really gets hot like Claremont/Byrne's X-Men two decades ago or Image Comics in the 90's or whatever. Or the Summer Crossover is hot. That's the crowd where no matter what you do they aren't going to come all the time, and they're not going to read every month, but they know it is around. That's the third group, the people who will come for the big stories or the big stars.

Everybody else in the world is in the fourth group. They don't give two flying f****. You could put a reincarnated William Shakespeare behind a book, they don't give a s*** because it's comics and they don't want to read it. They want to read magazines, Harry Potter and I don't give a f*** what else. You ain't going to get them.

So you've always got these people [group one] right. And I'm not saying you should s*** on them because they are your ticket purchasing patrons, but you have always got these people. If you've got a good product, you've got group number two so concentrate on that. There's really no way that you control group number three because how do you just say 'Ok, this guy is going to be the next Wolverine. Or the next Sin City or Sandman'. You can't do that, they've got to come along. That's when you get the really big sales, record months, whatever.

And the fourth group, who gives a flying f*** what you people want to see, if you people are going to read g-d Harry Potter, f*** you! Because we're doing comics. And the people who try to say 'Well, we're going to give people who don't like comics something to read'. They've got something to read, it's in all the other f****** books while your books don't sell you dumb son of a b****! So why do you do s*** that's not related in any way to comics in the comics industry. They don't stop Saturday Night Live to have Curt Gowdy give the g-d Olympic freestyle skating report. The people watching Saturday Night Live don't give two flying f***s about the god damn Olympic freestyle skating. So WHY DO IT is all I am saying?

You've got group one. If you're good you get group two. When you're lucky you get group three, and the rest of them it don't make a f*** because they're not coming anyway."

[Manga] Naoki Urasawa's MONSTER

Re-upload of a review from 2010.

I finished reading Naoki Urasawa's MONSTER late last year.  Was probably the only manga I was willing to buy new and at full-price.  I've put off writing a "review" of it ever since.

Whenever I attempt to review this manga, I have to keep reeling myself in from gushing over it.  Not sure that this will be any different, tho, if I feel it heading in that direction... I'll run for the exit as quick as possible.

Naoki Urasawa's MONSTER is an eighteen volume manga released over the past few years by Viz Media as part of their "Signature" imprint (The Signature imprint is now also home to two other Urasawa titles, PLUTO and 20TH CENTURY BOYS... both of which I have not yet read.  The Signature line got a price-hike, and I'm still weathering a rather tumultuous financial storm).  Urasawa was also (at least partly) responsible for the anime MASTER KEATON, which I'm waiting to show up used at the local Bookman's.

Getting it out of the way right here, I feel strongly that MONSTER is one of the finest stories to EVER be told in/with sequential art (I've been reading comics for about 25 years too).  There's layer upon layer of story and characterization, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure that I have the writery ability or talent to sum up ANY of those layers with any kind of precision or brevity (this IS a nearly 3,000 page story after all).  I'm definitely the wrong guy to be reviewing this.  The characters, besides the main handful are changed out rather often to keep things fresh, and to provide new insight to the story at large.  I've never seen a writer have the ability to introduce bit characters every so often, equip them with a FULL back story, and make me care about their well-being.  Even the characters that were written to be irritating actually felt whole.  By the end of their arc, you knew WHY they acted the way they did, and could either empathize or reaffirm your disinterest.

The MAIN storyline of MONSTER is that of Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a brilliant young Japanese brain surgeon working in Germany (this takes place right around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall).  He is chief surgeon of his department, and engaged to the daughter of the hospital head.  Very early on, a decision is made by his superiors that cost a man Tenma was operating on his life (Tenma is pulled off the operation to operate on a local Mayor).  Wracked with guilt, he vows to himself never to let himself get pulled away from an operation again.  Shortly afterwards, a young boy is rushed to his table with a bullet in his head.  Tenma is once again pulled off the surgery to work on a higher profile patient.  Tenma refuses, saving the boy's life.

The higher profile patient dies, and Tenma is run thru the wringer by his superiors, his fiancee leaves him, and he is quickly demoted.  He sits at the side of the young boy's (who is still comatose) bed, and starts talking to the boy about his troubles.  Over the next few days, everybody he had a problem with, was killed.  Then, the boy disappears.

Those are the first few chapters, and I'm sure I didn't do them justice.  From this point, we flash forward about a decade... and the boy who's life Tenma saved has become a "Monster", a serial killer with a small nearly cult-like following that helps him do his bidding.  Tenma is a wanted man, for several murders and is on the run.  He's also looking for the boy, now man (his name is Johan) to clear his name.

This is a "seinen" manga, meaning it's marketed for adults (it does feature several mature themes, nothing too outrageous tho).  This is probably why it hasn't gotten the kind of lip service as the Death Note's and Bleach's that are marketed to teens-young adults.  The fact that there's very little mature anime on TV anymore is probably the reason that this has not yet been licensed for DVD release in North America.  

I'm sure I'd ventured into the gushing side above, but it's all good.  I'm no professional manga-reviewer anyway.  This manga is definitely worth your time, is easily found in bookstores, comic stores, online (they're super cheap at DCBS - Discount Comic Book Service), or for a try-out I'm sure you can procure a few of the chapter scans online all webcomiclike.  Just remember, you read right to left.

[Wrestling] TNA Hard Justice 2009

Well, it's certainly been an interesting month for Total Non-Stop Action. Turmoil behind the scenes, as well as a rumored power-shift, could be the perfect recipe for exciting wrestling television. This month's offering is Hard Justice. Initially, it was announced/rumored that all of the matches will be contested under "No-DQ" ruling, much like WWE's Extreme Rules and WCW's Un-Censored... I'm not entirely sure if this stipulation remains. I would bag on TNA for taking this page out of the WWE playbook, however, it's a perfectly decent idea for a gimmick pay-per-view.

Now, onto the matches:

TNA World Heavyweight Title Match

Kurt Angle (C) v Sting v Matt Morgan

It's nice to see TNA elevating new talent to the Main Event level. I'm not much of a fan of Matt Morgan, but it's still very nice to see nonetheless. Other the past several weeks, The Blueprint was put in a "Best of 3" series with AJ Styles. With AJ, Morgan put on some great matches, potentially the best of his career thus far. Kurt Angle and Sting continue their rivalry that has been going on for the past few months. I don't see TNA taking the title off of Angle this close to Bound For Glory (October), as I feel that should be saved for the bigger show. I can see Morgan having a rather impressive showing for his first pay-per-view main event match.

TNA Legends Title Match

Kevin Nash v Mick Foley (C)

Kevin Nash further proves to be one of the most entertaining guys on the roster (probably any roster, right now). I gushed over his "Businessman" gimmick in my last TNA-PPV post, and those feelings remain. As far as Foley is concerned... I'm not sure why I should care. He's a heel, he's a babyface, he's a heel, he's a babyface. He's been in TNA less than a year, and has turned so often, I need to be reminded each week which entrance way he should be coming out of. I'm guessing at this point in time, he's playing face... possibly shifted into a conjoined Foley-Jarrett role, had Jarrett not taken a leave of absence a month or so back. Regardless of all that, this should be a fun match. Foley will still push his limits, and it will be fun watching businessman, Kevin Nash pick and choose what's "worth" doing for him and his paycheck. I'd like to see a Nash victory.

X-Division Title Match

Samoa Joe v Homicide (C)

I almost feel bad for Samoa Joe. I wouldn't go so far as to say the X-Division title is below him, however, it seemed as though they were building a head of steam for him to leave a lasting impression in the main event scene. Taz's arrival last month didn't really do much for either man. Homicide is always impressive, as is Joe. This should be a great match, possibly match of the night. I would like to see Homicide retain.

Steel Asylum Match

Suicide v Chris Sabin v The Amazing Red v Alex Shelley v Jay Lethal v Christopher Daniels v Consequences Creed

TNA announced that D'Angelo Dinero would be debuting at Hard Justice (who is heavily rumored to be former WWE/ECW Superstar, Elijah Burke). Not sure if his debut will be as an entrant in this match or not. It's also interesting just how quickly Christopher Daniels dropped out of the upper mid-card. He certainly deserves better. Both Suicide (as Kaz) and Jay Lethal have won Steel Asylum's in the past. I'd like to see Daniel's take this one, and hopefully gain a decent foothold in the upper mid-card once and for all. That is, of course, unless Dinero DOES debut for this match... in that case, I pick him.

$50,000 Bounty Match

Jethro Holliday v Abyss

Abyss's old "counselor" Dr. Stevie Richards has placed a $50,000 bounty on his head. This is a great old school set-up, leading to several interesting opportunities. I don't see Holliday (the former Trevor Murdoch) winning this one. It should be fun watching to see who else tries to cash-in and take Abyss out.

Rob Terry v Hernandez

Rob Terry is physically impressive. In the ring, however, is a different story. Hernandez has been on a tear since returning from injury (as well as before he was injured). This match is predicated on the Feast or Fired Briefcase that Hernandez won at Sacrifice earlier this year. The British Invasion took possession of it (as well as Homicide's case) before taking Hernandez out. They seem to be building Hernandez as the next big thing (and rightfully so). That said, he should take this one.

IWGP Tag Team Title Match

Beer Money, Inc. v The British Invasion (C)

Up until last week there was a bit of confusion over whether or not New Japan would let The British Invasion's title victory stand. Ultimately, the title switch stands, and honestly, that's for the best. The British Invasion, Magnus & Williams are a couple of great wrestlers. This match, if not for the X-Division Title match would be my pick for Match of the Night. I'd like to see The British Invasion retain here, and scoot Beer Money over to chasing the TNA Tag titles.

TNA Women's Knockout's Title Match

ODB v Angelina Love (C)

Another breath of fresh air. A title match without Tara or Awesome Kong in it. Opening up the field for a new challenger in ODB. Great decision in my humble opinion. ODB, with sidekick/love-interest, Cody Deaner have been incredibly entertaining both in and out of the ring. At this point, I don't see Love dropping the title, however, I wouldn't mind seeing an ODB run with the belt.

TNA Tag Team Title Match

Team 3D v Scott Steiner & Booker T (C)

Well, it's certainly nice to see Team 3D in a feud that doesn't have anything to do with "respect" or "beating respect into anybody". How they became the #1 contenders to the Titles, I don't know. Not that it matters, they're clearly TNA's marquee tag team (especially with Beer Money, Inc. otherwise engaged for the evening). This match is probably the hardest one to call... or even care about. Personally, I'm tired of all four men. I'd reckon The Main Event Mafia retains, and builds towards Bound For Glory with Beer Money, Inc. chasing for the belts.

Well, there ya have it. All in all, a decently stacked show. If I had the money, I'd consider making the purchase. TNA has really picked up their game over the past few months... and if some of the backstage rumors are true, they'll continue to raise the bar in the near future.

By the way, next week we've got WWE's SummerSlam... Enjoy the show!

[Wrestling] WWE Night of Champions 2009

Another week, another Wrestling pay-per-view. This time it's WWE's Night of Champions. The event where every WWE Title is on the line. A very fun concept, and a nice way to add something special to the show. I mentioned in my last WWE PPV article that Cyber Sunday was going to be changed to Annihilation. The title has been changed again... this time to the even lamer "WWE Bragging Rights"... and how I was looking forward to seeing the Superstars bust out "Fatalities" at the end of their matches.

This show had the great advantage of being placed several weeks after the last PPV event, giving feuds time to percolate a bit more than usual. In a nice touch, the WWE stopped having ANY title matches over the past few weeks to ensure who the champions would be going in and to make this show feel a bit more special.

Onto the matches:

WWE Title Match:

Randy orton (c) v Triple H v John Cena

Okay, before I go into this one, I'd like to say that I hope the Triple H/John Cena comedy tour doesn't come to my town any time soon. This past Monday on Raw, we were treated to about five minutes of shtick between HHH and Cena... all the while poor (WWE Champion) Randy Orton had to stand outside the ring and seethe. This match was put together thru a mini tournament that came down to John Cena and Triple H. Their match went to a No-Contest, so the natural result is a triple threat match. I'd like to see Orton pull this one out, however, his character and effectiveness has been neutered, seemingly at every turn. I can't remember the last time he was made to look credible. I guess an argument can be made that he's playing the classic chickens*** heel, but that kind of clashes with his current heartless, remorseless "viper" gimmick. I have a sneaking suspicion that Triple H will take the title here, and we'll be seeing this same match again at SummerSlam (possibly with a stipulation).

World Heavyweight Title Match:

CM Punk (c) v Jeff Hardy

CM Punk's heel turn doesn't seem complete just yet. He's still playing a (little) bit in the middle here. This match has been built very well, and has featured great work by both men. We're currently in July, which is when Jeff Hardy's contract was rumored to expire. There hasn't been any news on his contractual status as of yet, so with that niggling thought in the back of my mind, I almost have to give the win to Punk. Unless this is a rare occasion where the news hasn't been leaked yet, I can't see Hardy going over when he could just take off on the next week or two. I expect a great match regardless.

ECW Title Match:

Tommy Dreamer (c) v Christian

This match is kind of dependent on the Unified Tag Title Match. I've picked Christian as Jericho's mystery partner. I think it could be telegraphed here if Dreamer gets the win, and is immediately swooped into a Vladimir Koslov confrontation/feud. It would be interesting if Christian were to win here, and also be the mystery partner. I'm not sure how big the WWE is at the moment on having a double champion. Either way, Christian and Dreamer have worked together surprisingly well over the past several weeks/months. This should be a decent match. If I had to pick a winner... I'll go with Dreamer, if only to further push my outlandish hope that Christian is Jericho's pick.

Intercontinental Title Match:

Rey Mysterio (c) v Dolph Ziggler

One of the most improved superstars on the roster versus one of the most consistently awesome superstars on the roster. This match has no downside. Ziggler, goofy name aside, has really stepped up his game since moving to the blue show. Mysterio has been great for as long as I can remember, at this point. Since there are no strange stipulations attached to this one, I'm going to pick Dolph here.

United States Title Match:

Kofi Kingston (c) v The Miz v Jack Swagger v MVP v The Big Show v Carlito Colon

The omission of Primo Colon here is mind boggling. Primo had an awesome showing this past Raw in a six-man-tag, where he pinned his brother Carlito for the win. Putting the, not so awesome Carlito in this match in his stead seems kind of strange. No Evan Bourne here either, which is also odd. Anyhoo, I'd like to see Jack Swagger walk out with the US strap, and move on to a singles feud with MVP. It's only fitting for the "All-American American" to be the United States Champion. The Big Show inclusion is a bit annoying here as well, he should really be in WWE Title contention (which is a terribly stale program at the moment). It seems as though his pushes are sporadic enough to where he looks like a contender, but too sporadic in that he doesn't look like a credible champion.

Unified Tag Team Title Match:

Chris Jericho & ??? (C) v Priceless/Legacy (Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes)

Chris Jericho and Edge won the Unified Tag Team Titles last month at The Bash, when SmackDown! General Manager, Teddy Long added them to the Colons v DiBiase/Rhodes match in the interest of "shaking things up" and appeasing Mr. McMahon (who had just put Teddy on "probation"). In the weeks that followed, Edge had suffered a torn Achilles tendon which may keep him out of action for up to a year. Rather than strip Jericho/Edge of the titles, they've gone another route. Chris Jericho claims to have written special stipulations into his Championship agreement. Knowing that Edge is "injury prone", he had these stips written in to protect his investment in the team... now, Jericho is sole owner of the Unified Tag Team titles and reserves the right to choose his next tag team partner.

Got all that?

Good.

DiBiase and Rhodes are still in the same position they've been in since forming Legacy. They're Randy Orton's back-up, and are the guys that generally take the beatings that are meant for Orton. Last month, I picked Priceless to take the titles, so that all members of the Legacy would have gold. This time, I'm going the other direction. Jericho and his new partner will win, and the loss will further sow dissension into the Legacy stable, which is already incredibly weak as it currently stands. I'm still convinced that Ted DiBiase Jr. is being groomed for a babyface run, especially with his movie coming out sometime soon. As far as the mystery partner is concerned... Jericho has claimed that this new partner and he shared a lot of like traits. Right now, the (possible red-herring?) best guess would be Dolph Ziggler, who is currently feuding with Jericho-foe and Intercontinental champion Rey Mysterio. Another rumor is Matt Hardy, who's not doing anything besides healing from injury himself at this point. I, however, would really like for it to be Christian. It would allow Christian to remain on the ECW roster, and be able to float as 1/2 of the Unified Tag Champs. Christian's face run so far has been fun, however, I think he's always worked better as a heel, and has history with Jericho to boot. Ought to be a good match.

WWE Divas Title Match:

Maryse (c) v Mickie James

Mickie James and Maryse have been feuding since the draft. Mickie's always been fun, while Maryse... is kind of a poor-man's Angelina Love from TNA. She's okay to watch, and as long as she's holding the Diva's title, she'll be relevant... but, I really don't know how the WWE will make us care about her once she loses the title. There's really not a whole lot more to her than the belt. Her character only has an upside as a winner. If she's made to lose, her character changes. I think for this reason (or not, I may be in the minority here), that Maryse will retain here, and possibly move into a program with Gail Kim... while they waste Mickie in multi-diva tags for the next several months until it's her turn for a title program again.

WWE Women's Title Match:

Michelle McCool (c) v Melina

Hadn't seen this one advertised anywhere besides Jim Ross's Blog (haven't watched the go-home episode of SmackDown! yet) and almost thought they decided to leave this one off the show. Last month at the Bash, Michelle McCool became the first lady wrestler to have won both the Women's and Diva's Titles, respectively. Since then, there was a little roster shake-up explained away as (former Raw-owner) Donald Trump having arranged a 15-Superstar inter brand trade. In that trade, McCool lost her sidekick, Alisha Fox to Raw (I try not to read the rumor-mill... okokok, I try to take everything I read in the rumor mill with a grain of salt), because they feared that Fox was taking away some of McCool's heat. Also, in that trade... Gail Kim headed to the Red Show. While both lady's divisions are pretty shallow (no pun intended), SmackDown!'s is, in my own uneducated opinion, especially so. Beside the women involved in this match, I can only think of Natalya Neidhart (a heel) as a credible threat to the title. Eve and Layla, may, in time become contenders (Eve especially has shown much passion of late). All that said, I think McCool will retain, and Melina will chase the title until SD! can build another credible contender to McCool.

There you have it. Notable Superstars NOT involved in this show: Mark Henry, John Morrison & Evan Bourne (and to a lesser extent, Primo Colon). I would assume that Kane and Khali are being held off until SummerSlam (and by the fact that neither of them currently hold any gold. Seems like a fun card that may just be worth a purchase. Personally, I'm waiting for SummerSlam, where I'll probably hit up R.T. O'Sullivans with the guys... but, if I had money to blow, I wouldn't feel all that bad about blowing it on this show. Enjoy.

[Wrestling] TNA Victory Road 2009

I figure it's been awhile since I'd done any wrestling round these part (TNA especially)... so today I'll discuss TNA's Victory Road 2009.

Victory Road has the makings of a really good show... I must admit that my fandom of Total Nonstop Action has grown significantly since I'd last posted about them on the blog. The wrestling is always solid, however, the story lines and in-between wrestling bits do leave me a bit flat.

On with the show:

TNA World Heavyweight Title Match:

Kurt Angle (c) v Mick Foley

This was a match I was really looking forward to about three years back when Angle was "drafted" to the newly restarted ECW brand, and immediately Olympic Slammed (an at-the-time anti-ECW) Foley. I thought they'd have a fun match then, and I think they'll have a fun match now. Growing up, I was a huge Mick Foley fan... of late, my opinion of him has lowered a great bit, but his TNA run has shown that he can still bring it when necessary. Kurt Angle is probably the greatest wrestler in the United States at the moment. I think Kurt will win this one, and move into a feud with Sting that will culminate in another Sting World title victory at this year's Bound For Glory. Various wrestling news sites are stating that Angle has recently suffered a groin tear, which may slow him down a bit. Keeping in mind that Angle once tore his groin completely off the bone at a WWE HOUSE SHOW against Rob Van Dam and continued the match to completion leads me to believe he won't show too much of an injury here.

TNA Legends Title Match:

A.J. Styles (c) v Kevin Nash

If you told me a few years ago that Kevin Nash would be at his better than he'd ever been right now, I'd have told you you were insane. Nash is one of the best characters that TNA has right now. The story goes that Nash wants to win the Legends title in order to be able to charge more at autograph signings. It's just about the most simple storyline, however, I can't think of anybody doing anything like it before. A.J. is always awesome, so I expect a nice outing here. I'd like to see Nash take the title here, and A.J. moved into World title contention. It's almost hard to believe that it's been about a decade since Kevin Nash held any kind of gold.

TNA World Tag Team Title Match:

Beer-Money, Inc. (c) v Booker T/Scott Steiner

Beer-Money is one of the finest tag teams going at the moment, and this title reign is a deserved one. It's been the first vehicle that has me actually caring about Robert Roode... he's come a long way from having Eric Young as an "employee" and feuding with him on and off for nearly a year. In a perfect world, BMI wins this one convincingly and further solidifies themselves as a tag team to be reckoned with... however, a Booker T/Scott Steiner victory could move the Main Even Mafia into a "they have ALL the gold" position that bookers seem to enjoy. I was wrong about this with Legacy at the last WWE pay-per-view I discussed... but, I have a feeling they're going to do this here. The Mafia are inching closer and closer to their one-year anniversary. This could be a way of celebrating it.

Sharmell v Jenna Morasca

I can't believe they're making people PAY to see this one. No idea who will win, now do I really care. This may be a way to sow some dissension into the Main Event Mafia ranks... but, really... I'd rather see this match mysteriously fall off the booking sheets. It'll probably end in a No-contest or a schmozz of some sort.

Sting v Samoa Joe

Or, the match where Taz shows up. Samoa Joe swerved TNA at Slammiversary by handing Kurt Angle the World Heavyweight Title and joining the Main Event Mafia. He's been working with a shadowy "advisor", wearing a black towel over his head when he approaches the ring, and just this past week on iMPACT! he busted out the Tazmission. With TNA all but telling us that Taz is going to show up during this match, it's hard to believe that Samoa Joe won't win this one. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of shape Taz is in, I'm not sure if he's going to try and make a return to the ring. Either way, Taz's appearance here will more than likely overshadow the match itself. I only hope this doesn't lead to an anti-WWE diatribe when it's all said and done. TNA's grown so much that I'd hate to see them fall back to their old bush-league ways.

Christopher Daniels v Matt Morgan

I *almost* left it as just "Daniels", but I couldn't do it. Matt Morgan has been working with the Main Event Mafia of late... almost like a pledge to a fraternity. He's been doing the odd-jobs to prove he's worthy of membership. I've never really been a fan of his, though, I will admit his agility is definitely impressive. Chris Daniels has always been great. If I had to hazard a guess for this one, I'd begrudgingly give the duke to Morgan to continue his monster push.

TNA Women's Knockout Title Match:

Tara (c) v Angelina Love

Tara/Victoria's come a long way since retirement, hasn't she? I wish they hadn't blown her first TNA title victory within her first month with the company. It's similar to the mistake that the WWE made with her back in the day. There's only ONE women's title in TNA, so there's really nowhere else for her to go now. She won the title... now what? You can put the Knockouts in angles left and right, but the title is what it's all about. Her victory should have been built instead of just handed to her. She's far too talented to be treated as a "flavor of the month". It's way too often that TNA is booked as though it's a child's action figure federation the day after Christmas. So much new talent at once... interrupting ongoing feud and being handed titles instead of being built as contenders. I think Tara (which is short for Tarantula... and not "Killer" backwards, thanks Mike Tenay!) will retain here.

IWGP Tag Team Title Match:

Team 3D (c) v The British Invasion (Williams/Magnus)

The British Invasion is a talented tag team, that has unfortunately been thrown together as an "anti-American" troupe with the likes of Kiyoshi and Sheik Abdul Bashir. That can only mean one thing... a feud with, er, America's team... the Dudleys. Haven't been a fan of the Duds in a very long time. I do see them retaining here, as I'm unsure whether or not the IWGP titles would ever change hands on a TNA show/non-New Japan Show. I could be wrong, but it's just a feeling I've got.

Dr. Stevie Richards v Abyss

Stevie Richards recently surfaced in TNA as an abusive Behavioral Therapist for Abyss. Not sure which way this will go... Richards is great in his character, but it just feels like "another Abyss feud that will cause him to fall into something (fire/thumbtacks/a landmine)" that they'll use in their highlight reel. Sadly I see them stretching this feud out a bit longer (as they do with ALL Abyss feuds) so I see Stevie winning due to some shenanigans to further the brutality.

Like I'd mentioned above, it reads like a fun show. It seems as though Bobby Lashley will be on hand, as well. It's worth mentioning, that Pro-Wrestling Torch is reporting that this will be the first TNA Monthly Pay-Per-View without an X-Division style match on the card, which is interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if a Homicide vs. Suicide match was added last minute. I'd consider buying it, if I were in the position to buy anything at the moment. I do look forward to checking out the results throughout the evening. Hopefully my predictions are a little bit more on target than they have been recently... Enjoy the show!

[Wrestling] WWE The Bash 2009 Thoughts

Well, this weekend will WWE will hold it's Not-So Great, No-Longer American BASH! Pay-per-view. This is just one of the three or four PPVs that are getting name changes this year. It was recently announced that "No Mercy" will now go by the name "Hell in the Cell" and "Cyber Sunday" will be "WWE Annihilation"... a week or so ago, "Unforgiven" (I think it was Unforgiven) was changed to "Breaking Point". I'm not a big fan of name-changes for the sake of it... and I really hope these name changes aren't indicative that the WWE will hold an ENTIRE show full of stipulation matches... I figure Breaking Point will be all submission... Hell in the Cell will feature (at least a few) Cell matches... Annihilation, um... perhaps the matches will end with "fatalities"?

Enough of all that, this time, we've got THE (great american) BASH! Let's get started.

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

THREE STAGES OF HELL MATCH

Randy Orton (c) v Triple H

Randy Orton just can't seem to catch a break. He's clearly head and shoulders above any heel as a performer and character than anybody on the roster now (and probably for some time), however, he just can't seem to shake Triple H. Every time Orton does something to further establish his heel character, it doesn't take all that long for HHH to put him back in his place. For instance, this week's episode of "Trump" Raw ended with a homoerotic HHH promo on Orton... while he was literally ON (a beaten down) Orton.

Anyhoo, this is a "Three Stages of Hell" match. A stip that hasn't been used in several years. It's best out of three falls. First fall being straight wrestling match, second being a Falls-count-anywhere affair, and the third (if necessary... which we know it will) is a stretcher match. I'd have rather they end it with a cage, but with a "Hell in the Cell" PPV forthcoming, I can see why they didn't.

Despite being paired in matches for quite a while now, I've never liked the in-ring chemistry between these two. I think Randy will win this one, in the third fall. Full predictions, HHH wins 1st fall. Orton cheats to win 2nd fall. The Legacy assists Randy in winning the 3rd fall. This way it'll make it seem that the feud isn't fully "blown off", and can continue into the next 73 weeks of Raw.

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

CM Punk (c) v Jeff Hardy

This will be a fun match. They've been slow-burning a CM Punk heel turn over the past month or so, that's been a blast to watch. It isn't so often in the WWE where they use subtle nuances to move a story forward.

CM Punk "cashed in" the Money-in-the-Bank contract at the end of the last PPV on newly crowned champ, Jeff Hardy. This was met with a decidedly mixed reaction. From there Punk and Hardy have had several subtle interactions. I think they'll pull the trigger on a full blown Punk heel-turn at this show, and he will retain his title.

INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Chris Jericho (c) v Rey Misterio

Another fun match from the SmackDown! side. Jericho and Rey have had several great matches since they were both drafted over to the blue show. This time, after teasing it for so long, the mask is finally added as a match stip. There are rumors of Misterio putting in his notice, which seems to be a trend of late... I'm not sure if it's to "work" the Internet, or if it holds any validity. Either way, I'd like to see Rey win here. If he ever WAS to lose his mask, I'd rather it be at a MAJOR show (SummerSlam, WrestleMania) than just a one-off PPV.

ECW CHAMPIONSHIP

CHAMPIONSHIP SCRAMBLE MATCH

Tommy Dreamer (c) v Fit Finlay v Jack Swagger v Christian v Mark Henry

Last month Tommy Dreamer was finally able to pull out an ECW title victory (besides the 15 or so minute reign he had in the original ECW). This time it's being put up in a "Scramble Match". This type of match is fun and unpredictable, for the fact that for 15 minutes these five will wrestle. If a Superstar gains a victory in that 15 minutes they become an "Interim Champion", and the match continues. Whoever is the "Interim Champion" when the time limit expires becomes the ECW Champion. This is a truly stacked match up, and I can actually see any of the five walking out with the strap. If I *had* to pick, I'd go with Swagger.

WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

Melina (c) v Michelle McCool

The deal here is, if McCool wins this match, she'll be the first lady wrestler to have won both the Women's Title, and the... urm, Diva's title. I'd like to see Melina hold on to the title, as I'd rather see Mickie James or Beth Phoenix be the first woman to get the "Both Championships" nod.

GRUDGE MATCH

Dolph Ziggler v The Great Khali

Ziggler has been making great strides since making the move to SmackDown! I had written him off (literally and figuratively... if you'd read my Supplemental Draft Thoughts) and I'm glad to be wrong. I think Ziggler will somehow pull this one out. The loss won't hurt Khali, as I'm sure it won't be a decisive one.

UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Colons (c/c) v Priceless/Legacy/Cody and Ted

The Colons had unified the WWE and World tag team titles at WrestleMania 25... err, well... *before* WM25. Since then, they've had a few defences here and there, but, overall... haven't really done anything special. Priceless, on the other hand, spends most episodes of Raw taking beatings by people trying to get at their boss, Randy Orton. So, we've got a really un-special match here, folks. Ted and Cody will take it, just so we can get the image of all three members of [The] Legacy holding championship gold.

SPECIAL GRUDGE MATCH

John Cena v The Miz

The Miz has been "calling out" John Cena for nearly 2 months now. It's actually been the one angle on Monday Night Raw that I've enjoyed since the draft. The Miz has been claiming "victories" over Cena for just about anything. I've never been a Mizanin fan... but, this angle is a winner. Miz is oddly reminiscent of a 2003 era John Cena himself, when he spent some time calling out Brock Lesnar. The Miz could really use a victory here to further push him into the main event full-time.

Worth buying? I lean towards a No here. I'm sure the HHH/Orton affair will take up 45 mins at least... and that's not something I'd pay to see. I'll definitely be keeping up with the results tho.

[Wrestling] WWE Backlash 2009

Even though it feels like WrestleMania just happened, it's time for another WWE PPV.  This time it's BACKLASH.  One of the more redundant events of the WWE calendar year... primarily used for WrestleMania rematches and rehashes.  This is a show I'd like to see fall off the schedule to be honest.  Over the past couple of weeks since WrestleMania, we've been treated to not a whole lot besides fallout.  WrestleMania, from how I understood it... was supposed to be the "blow-off" event.  Where long building feuds reach their climax and give the fans the pay-off they'd been waiting so long to receive.  Instead, we're given a paid-show full of rematches and rehashes three-weeks later.

Before moving to the current "monthly pay-per-view" format, over a decade ago... there was something the WWF/E ran after WrestleMania called the "WrestleMania Revenge Tour", a (untelevised) house show circuit featuring the rematches, and TV would move forward into the "new" WWF/E year.  Since adopting the monthly PPV format, it's near impossible to book (and advertise) BACKLASH as anything but rematches, or else they'd run the risk of giving away the results of their biggest show of the year.

Anyhoo, that all being said... I'll get it out of the way, and say I won't be watching this one.  It's not even worth the $10 they charge to watch it at O'Sullivans.  I'll probably read the results as it's ongoing, but that's about it.  Let's get on to the matches...

WWE Title Match:

Triple H (c) & Batista & Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase

(WrestleMania Match - HHH v Orton)

This one's a bit of an oddity.  It's as though the WWE took a page out of the TNA playbook.  The rules of this match are - If ANY member of Orton's team pins ANY member of HHH's team, Randy will then become the WWE Champion.  With this in place, I can only see Triple H losing the belt without dropping the fall.  This bout has discension written all over it, as a member of Legacy could gain the pinfall, but not be awarded the title.  With Ted DiBiase's movie (The Marine 2) due to come out in the near future, I see him picking up the pin on either Shane or Batista... which will mean he "won" the WWE title FOR Orton.

World Heavyweight Title:

Last Man Standing Match

John Cena (C) vs. Edge

(WrestleMania Match - Edge v Cena v Big Show)

I really don't see how Edge could lose this match... being as though the recent draft made it so SmackDown! was left without a World title (which is getting really old... for the past 3 drafts one of the shows has been left w/o their title).  Cena and Edge generally have great chemistry together, and with the Last Man Standing stipulation added, it should be great fun.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

(WrestleMania Match - Jericho v Steamboat/Piper/Snuka)

Ricky Steamboat showed the world that he's still better than 75% of the active wrestling world at WrestleMania 25.  The next night on Raw, Steamer was part of an incredibly fun 10-Man tag, where again, he stole the show.  If I *were* to buy this show, THIS would be the match I'd buy it for.  I couldn't hazard a guess for this one, as both endings could work.  I'd like to see Steamboat win, just because.

"I Quit" Match

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

(WrestleMania Match - Hardy v Hardy)

This match may play out a bit oddly.  Recent Internet rumors are claiming that Jeff Hardy has given his notice that he will not be re-upping with the WWE when his contract expires this July.  If that IS the case, I figure Matt will win thi match, and pretty much put Jeff out of the picture.  Of course, this bit of news could have been released with this timing to swerve the Internet community.  I'm really not sure.  They've pulled several work-shoot angles with the Hardy's of late... so it wouldn't terribly surprise me if this were another case of that.  Rumors aside, I still pick Matt for the win, as it appears as though he's being groomed to be a top heel on Raw.

CM Punk vs. Kane

(WrestleMania Match - Both were in Money in the Bank, though it's not terribly relevant...)

Not even too sure why this match is happening on PPV.  Both CM Punk and Kane were recently drafted to SmackDown! from Raw.  They had a match on Raw a week later... and somehow that brings us here.  CM Punk is currently holding the Money in the Bank briefcase, though I don't think that it's on the line in this match.  I expect Punk to win, as he works his way back up the card to be in position to cash in the briefcase at Judgment Day (which I believe is in his hometown of Chicago).

ECW Title Match:

Jack Swagger (c) v Christian

(WrestleMania Match - Whoa!  This one's NEW!)

Both of these men have had some excellent offerings in losing efforts of late, Christian in the Money-in-the-Bank Match at WrestleMania, and Swagger in a match against John Cena on Draft Night.  The ECW title, as a result has been somewhat elevated to a place of at least modest prestige.  I think Christian will win this one in a very hard-fought matchup.  This match will be great for both men, as well as the title.

Well, that's all they've announced for this show as of this writing.  With SmackDown! still to air tonight, there may be more.  There's also a "Khali Kiss-cam" bit set to happen between the Great Khali and Santina Marella.  This bit is one I'd usually deride, though with Khali and Santino being on top of their comedic game, it could be rather humorous.

All in all, a skippable show, in my opinion.  Nothing we won't be able to see elsewhere, save Jericho/Steamboat.  I guess we'll see how it pans out.