It seems that Luther Reigns met his end with WWE recently, which means Batista has officially won that contest, which I humbly put them in. He reached the conclusion that he was never used to his potential, and I agree, and we'll leave it at that.
Speaking of potential, I finally got around to watching WrestleMania 21, and it was a good show, maybe not one of the greatest, but it was solid from stem to stern. The first match was, of course, Eddie Guerrero versus Rey Mysterio, which was a good a match as it could be, better than some reports would have it, and things have only gotten worse between them since, which includes the unresolved heat that was explored at Judgment Day last Sunday. This is the Smackdown response to the great Raw, Jericho-Christian feud of last year, and it's an improvement, if I must say. This is a contest of equals, with more genuine emotion and less padding.
The Money in the Bank match followed, which Edge won, as he always seems to, by taking advantage of others and appearing at the end, when everyone else had already worn themselves out actually doing things and not resting, or whatever it was he was up to. That led into a feud with Chris Benoit, which the Rabid Wolverine dominated when things such as metal briefcases weren't in the equation, culminating in the Backlash match a month later, in which Edge won. To follow that up, he capitalized on a real backstage drama to earn another title shot for Batista's world's heavyweight championship, which Triple H got around to spoiling. There're a number of ways this can continue to play out, one of which would be that Edge goes on to feud with Kane while Hunter and Dave continue their spat, or the muddied waters continue intermingling, which in this case includes Christian, who may or may not be headed to Smackdown in the near future.
Randy Orton-Undetaker followed, and this was one for the history books. Orton has been seen as some as a familiar, both since Batista and not he was given the Royal Rumble and Mania spotlights, and because Orton's SummerSlam victory last year did not result in a lengthy championship run. It's not as if he's been knocked out of the upper tier. Far from it. He was given the chance to break Taker's winning streak, and he provided one of the Dead Man's best Mania matches in years. Heck, it might even be one of the best, period. Given that he became known as the Legend Killer, it seemed as if the hype might actually be on his side for a victory, even, and that would have been a heck of a boasting point, especially for a guy who's a "failure." So he didn't get the win. So what? He proved he was a worthy challenge, and that's as proud a feather for his cap as any other. If anything, Orton proved, once and for all, that he belongs exactly where he's found himself. When he gets back from this latest injury, I think it'll show.
Trish Stratus-Christy Hemme followed, and I found it a refreshening women's match. Hemme, for all the trash talk directed toward her over this bout, didn't do too badly. If anything, she's one of the better competitors I've seen in a WWE ring. Nowhere was the deliberateness that plagues most of these matches. Oh sure, she might have been deliberate, being a newbie in the ring as she was, but she sold everything as it should be, and not as most female competitors end up trying to, with overcompensation. Will she get a chance to build on this? Probably not, because, once again, the idiotic reception of a perfectly good thing will have spoiled its chances for a proper encore.
Kurt Angle-Shawn Michaels was excellent, better than HBK-Y2J from XIX. What more can be said about these two? They're among the best. Michaels went on to another great match with Shelton Benjamin on Raw, and a feud with Hassan and Daivari, bringing Hulk Hogan alongside him. The Arab Americans are now deeply involved in a feud with Benjamin and Jericho, as we wonder whether Jericho's passion for wrestling has left him along with diminished prospects (a brilliant storyline, by the way).
Akebono-Big Show was fine for what it was. Big Show got his posturing in, and a big power move, when he manhandled the sumo champion long enough to lift 'n' shift him, only for Akebono to prove soon after that this particuar sports works differently. Some of your less patient fans had a real problem with this one, as they did with Hemme, and they were going to no matter what.
John Cena defeated JBL, as was pre-ordained for the WWE title, in a fairly typical match for the Doctor. I've gotta see Judgment Day (which I'm getting to in a moment) to see what they two can do in an "I Quit" match. Then came Batista's nearly half hour war with Triple H, which didn't seem to impress many people, but I thought was worthy of the hype. I really need to watch this one in particular again, mostly because I was distracted the first time around and might have missed some important points, especially the ending. It was strange seeing Motorhead performing Hunter's theme song live, because I've only heard the song recorded. The lead singer wasn't quite as I pictured him, but I got used to that quickly. He didn't seem very enthused about all of it, but that might just be how he always is.
The other segments included the Hassan spot (plus Eugene!) and Hogan, then Piper's Pit. Good god does Piper have an ego, and did he make it more than evident during that particular segment. He made Steve Austin uncomfortable, and didn't give Carlito the proper opportunity, either. Ah, well! But as I said, it was a good, solid PPV, and the bonus DVD battle royal was fun, too. Good spot for Booker T, and unepectedly for Chris Masters as well.
And speaking of which, Judgment Day seems like it was, too. Oz had his first offical PPV match (his appearance in the Royal Rumble doesn't quite cover it), successfully defending his US title against Heidenreich, who is a character who won't quit. Maybe he'll even catch a break in the ring some day. Most reports indicated this was the weak match, but then, I've been considering myself ahead of the Orlando Jordan curve for more than a year now. He's getting there, slowly. Hopefully this is only a step in the right direction (and Rene Dupree can start getting some of the same juice). Carlito, with Matt Morgan, wrestled on the card, against the Big Show. How much more brazen can this guy get? Paul London and Chavo Guerrero finally got their match, which I'm eager to see. Booker T got one over Angle (in one of his more disturbing storylines), the DQ Mysterio-Latino Heat match, and Charlie Haas & Hardcore Holly's challenge of tag team champions MNM (Powerwrestling.com named Haas Wrestler of the Week over it), not to mention Cena-Bradshaw II.
A.J. Styles is TNA champion again, just in time for the promotion to lose its TV show (great, just when I've found it...). I'm sure it's nothing he did. Hopefully things'll work out.
In non-wrestling news, I seem to have picked up my first variant cover, for Green Lantern #1. I've got an Alex Ross cover, while standard editions sport regular artist Carlos Pacheco's work. I saw another variant there, too, for #638, with the secret revealed on the cover rather just merely on the last page, and refrained myself from splurging, on both accounts. I also picked up the heart-wrenching JLA: Classified #7. Yes, it's a heart-wrenching "bwa-ha-ha"/Super Buddies/I Still Can't Believe it's Not the Justice League issue. Shows you a thing or two about range, like Futurama revelled in until it was cancelled. Also, The O.M.A.C. Project #s 1 & 2 (for a not wholly different take on Booster Gold, among other things), Day of Vengeance #2 (finally! Ragman is back in the spotlight!), and DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1, which sports the first appearance of the new DC logo. I swear, last time I bought comics, I got some non-DC titles as well...
Back to TV now, Craig Ferguson is working out just fine on the Late Late Show. He's charmingly endearing, and his enthusiasm is contagious. There's plent I could say about recent cancellations, or even about the new fall line-ups, but I won't bother. Carrie Underwood may be the new American Idol, but Constantine and Nadia were robbed. Either was better, and both deserved to be in the final two rather than Underwood or Bo Bice. But like y'know, whatever...
I recently found employment and lost it again, and have since been scrambling all the more. It's disrupted my creative process a bit, but I've gotten back on track, and Bulfinch's Mythology, another victim, is the same case. It's a big book, but I'm not intimidated. I've just finished the Greek section. Finally!
That's all for now...
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