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J.R. Talks Survivor Series..
Mon, 11/24/2008 - 8:27pm — J.R.
Greetings from chilly Stamford. The World's Angriest Announcer" dropped me off here around 3 a.m. Monday morning after our drive from Boston.
The PPV was solid with a fair amount of parity. Several bouts were good with nothing over the top, from my perspective.
The surprising return of Edge and the latest Jeff Hardy saga seemed to be the most discussed matters on the show.
Returning to Boston always reminds me of my conversations there with the late Killer Kowalski, who many of us thought about Sunday before the show.
Plus, in '93 I broadcast the SS in the old Garden with the late Gorilla Monsoon who was one of the best men I have known in this biz. We did the event on WWE Radio, for those of you w/ good memories.
Boston also reminds me of the statement, "The Austin era has begun!" WM14 was where Stone Cold won his 1st WWE Title over HBK with the Mike Tyson element added.
Special night for the Undertaker, as Sunday commemorated 'Taker's WWE debut in 1990. What a run this man has had. I have much respect for longevity in this business. That's the true mark of a HOF career in my eyes. Headlining major events over the long haul is an amazing accomplishment.
Did anyone out perform HBK Sunday night? Michaels 1st Survivor Series was in '88 and he's still as good as anyone in the biz.
I hope Miz and/or Morrison can get close to HBK's level some day, but it won't be easy for any talent due to the fact that today's athletes only learn the biz w/ one philosophy and not in a variety of territories.
The number of elimination tag bouts really under scores the overall lack of main event level depth doesn't it? These are the opportunities young talents need to seize.
I had a blast working w/ all 3 announce teams. It's always a little awkward with so many wanting to speak but it was fun for me and offered some entertaining moments.
Loved Natalya using the "Sharp Shooter," made famous by her HOF uncle Bret Hart. No, that's not a Montreal reference, at least it wasn't.
Good to see referee Marty Elias back from injury.
It was obvious that many in Boston enjoyed seeing Randy Orton beat Batista. Orton is young and defiant like many fans. I'm curious to see how this matter materializes. Orton is an anti-hero and anti-heroes sell tickets in today's world.
I enjoyed the Team Batista vs. Team Orton match a great deal. Several participants distinguished themselves.
Obvious to me that Kozlov had some big match jitters. However he seemed to discard them about midway thru the match to a noticeable degree.
Hard to believe that the WWE rolls out another PPV in 3 weeks in Buffalo. Mid December in Buffalo gives me cause to remember a NFL game I broadcast once there the Sunday following Thanksgiving when the Bills thumped the Falcons. Brisk day to say the least.
There is no neutral ground for most fans re: John Cena as John is either loved or disliked. Plain and simple. His AWA themed, new shirt is cool.
Nice to see John back, if for nothing else, he brings his work ethic back into the locker room and gives the fans a viable body to cheer or jeer.
Hopefully the economy won't adversely affect the PPV buys too much, but realistically, I can't see the economy giving any business any breaks.
Hear the term "Slammys" being casually talked about in Boston.
There will be 2 Smackdowns taped in Albany Tuesday night. Expect that "doubleheader" concept to happen several more times between now and Wrestlemania.
I like it. Not sure how the live audience will hold up but some of that depends naturally on what they are seeing and getting an early start IE 7 p.m.
Great win by OU over Texas Tech Saturday night. I appreciate the "airtime" and kind words from Brent Musburger. Sooners have to circle the wagons again this Saturday night in Stillwater vs the talented, nationally ranked OSU Cowboys. It will be the equivalent of a tag battle featuring the Brisco's repping OSU vs Dan Hodge and Bill Watts repping the Sooners.
The WWE Title changing hands at the Survivor Series for the 8th time in 13 WWE Title bouts at the event.
Huge night for Tazz and 'Ol J.R. Tuesday night with us working 22 segments of TV. As my Dad used to say, "No hill for a stepper." Anything to keep me off another airplane is cool with me.
BTW if you see my black hat on a Southwest Airlines plane the day before Thanksgiving flying home be sure and say "howdy." That's the flight that makes 2 stops before finally arriving in OKC.
Did you know that the 1st man the Undertaker pinned on his official WWE debut 18 years ago at the Survivor Series was Dusty Rhodes?
Thanks for shopping with us and for taking advantage of "Free Shipping." Be well.
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.
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Fans have always chanted "boring"-if you remember house shows back in the 80s, ineveitably you'd hear a boring chant during a prelim bout. I remember one Spectrum show with Jerry Allen vs. Moondog Spot where the boring chants were the loudest thing on the show, and the biggest pop of the night was for the finish to put the thing out of its misery. Boring = characters who aren't over, or an outcome that is never in doubt (ie/squash matches). As JR said, the young guys need to step up, they need to develop characters, whether or not that's possible in today's climate is another story. Jesse and Festus are a good example, interesting team..but Festus looks like Ron Shaw circa 1984 and Jesse looks like enhancement talent on an indie show. Tag teams are supposed to dress in a similar style.. maybe that's a dated ideal but some things were invented for a reason-they work. Jobbing superstars like MVP is the worst thing that can be done. Fine him and let him perform or suspend him for a while and bring him back, why destroy his character in the eyes of fans? Whether or not the WWE realizes it, they are killing a potential main event draw and marks don't care about backstage politics, they care about superstars who are entertaining. You only get one chance to TRULY build a character..a Goldberg, a Warrior, a Hulkster, a Kamala, a Muta..once you have the character jobbing to a guy like Funaki 8 times on TV, who is going to pay to see him? The wrestling world is in a bad spot, we need the territories back. Generic guys in generic tights with generic moves and generic music don't put butts in seats every 18 inches. Think I've heard that phrase somewhere before? Good work JR, entertaining blog as usual.
I am an old school WWF/E fan and even I am getting tired of the current WWE. I've been watching wrestling since Hogan won his first WWE title (Although I was not a Hulkamaniac). Competition is key in the biz and TNA is not a viable option. TNA with Jeff Jarrett at the helm is turning into WCW when all the old timers held the top spots.
I miss the original SvS format. It's exciting for the fans. At least have 90% elimination matches and then the two major title matches. It also used to be a tool to build feuds between the superstars.
I can do one better than that. Bring back the "Grand Finale" but give it a twist. (Vince if you steal this, I want $$$) Take all of the remaining "Sole Survivors" and put them in a Battle Royale. The winner gets a WWE/World title shot at the Royal Rumble. Or, put all of the survivors in a match with elimination rules, pinfall, submission, DQ and count-out rules apply until there is one man left. The winner of that gets a WWE/World title shot at Armageddon. Do SOMETHING to spice it up.
It's great Edge and John Cena are finally back!
I hope to see Cena Vs Orton and HHH Vs Hardy Vs Edge at WrestleMania XXV
Heya friends chk out the real reason why Stephanie Mcmahon slapped Shane..
WWE NEWS
Given his history and the fact that the news page was used to communicate it, don't you think that the Jeff Hardy "unconscious" story crossed the line -- even for an entertainment show?
To an extent I can agree with it because since the press loves to misrepresent situations in wrestling, it was some poetic justice to fool them. However, I think the reason it got picked up so heavily is because of the true care people have for Jeff Hardy. I think most people feel for his situation and we don't just cheer him on inside the ring, but outside as well.
I hope SS did well, but I'm sure a lot of the potential buyers were there because Jeff had a shot at the title (I had stopped buying PPVs for a while, but started again when Jeff started getting a shot at the title).
But I also know you don't create the storylines. :) Thanks for the great blog. (And yeah, the sauce rocks!)
Awesome comment FunakiFan. I was reminiscing about the "Finale" with the surviving faces vs. heels, and couldn't remember what year it was. I just remember being so angry that Tito Santana got eliminated, leaving my hero Hogan (and Warrior too, but not so much my hero) by themselves!
SS was a great card. Not a glitch in the system at all. I always enjoy seeing some of the "old school" moves the Divas are being taught, and how they work a basic, fundamental match... but last night they really stepped up their game and shocked me with a 5-star match IMHO. Usually the women's matches are "filler" between the main event matches, but now all the TNA supporters can get off WWE's back about the women's division lacking talent, because they certainly showed they could hang with anyone last night. The crowd was super-hot for this match and rightfully so. Congrats to all their hard work!
Wasn't the Jericho-Cena match an "instant classic"? I think 10 years from now when we are looking back on both their careers and DVDs are released to reflect back like they are today, this match will definitely be on the 2-3 disc set!
<<< Did you know that the 1st man the Undertaker pinned on his official WWE debut 18 years ago at the Survivor Series was Dusty Rhodes? >>>
Actually JR, it was Koko B. Ware, who was also the first superstar to suffer the ill effects of the TOMBSTONE piledriver.
JR, you know what I miss about SvS? Sure, more elimination matches would be nice but what I really miss is the whole "Thanksgiving theme" it used to carry. Now the logo is too "futuristic" and the "holiday feel" has really dissipated. I guess you can call me old-fashioned and sentimental, but I loved the old SvS golden brown colors, and those "I'm thankful for ____" superstar clips.
Randy Orton said in a backstage segment last night "I didn't choose you guys to be my partners..." and that irked me. Remember when captains once RECRUITED his partners? It made those hand-picked competitors look good or even better. I miss that.
Also, 5 vs. 5 is a bit too much. The 4 vs. 4 elimination matches were my favorite, and I hope someday it returns. I know it's unrealistic, but I'd love to see 2009 Survivor Series be consisted of four to five 4-on-4 elimination matches, and one (or two) big one-on-one main events. That is the best formula in my humble opinion as a fan. I won't hold my breath though.
It's a shame fans today are quick to chant "BORING." They never did 20 years ago. I miss the "innocence" fans used to have then -- don't you JR? Nowadays it's "suicide" to put out an elimination match of, say, Jesse and Festus, Jimmy Wang Yang, Tommy Dreamer and Kung Fu Naki vs. The Brian Kendrick, Zeke, Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins... even though I personally would have LOVED to seen one low-mid card elimination match.
But I guess money talks. Still a shame though. I mean, remember when guys like the Red Rooster (love ya, Terry Taylor) and Dangerous Danny Davis were Survivor Series participants? I wished the low-mid card guys got some run last night. Could have helped to elevate their status a bit. It's a nice change from seeing the same faces over and over, but maybe that's just me.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours JR!
-Steve
PS-Speaking of Taker's 1990 SvS debut, that was the year they had the one-time-only "Grand Finale" (all surviving faces vs. all surviving heels). That was an intriguing concept and another idea I wouldn't mind seeing happen in a future Survivor Series event.