Claire's Report - Issue #2 - 12/01/2001
Lots of news this week from Claires weekly columns. Take a look what we have in this weeks column.......
Latest WWF News
Latest Alliance News
Vengeance Talk and Predictions
Reviews
This Weeks Superstar
Injury Update
Ratings
And lots more!
Remember to email me with your comments and thoughts on my columns.
Its been a very hectic week in the World Wrestling Federation and things have been heating up with Vengeance round the corner. It will be an event which you cant miss with all the hotest matches and you can even get a match update and my predictions towards the end of this weeks column! Raw and Smackdown were very suprising and lots of great matches and events which took place. I cant wait till Vengeance!
Anyway lets get started.........
First I would like to comment on what I seen on Smackdown between Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy. I was very suprised and I think its wrong what the wwf are doing to the Hardy Boyz. The Hardy Boyz have acheived many things while they've been together in the wwf. Fans worldwide have supported the tag team since they appeared in the wwf. Now the wwf have decided to split these two superstars up. I dont know about any of you, but I'm totally against it. I love watching both of them compete together and I'm sure things wont be the same without the Hardy Boyz together. I still cant believe what I witnessed on Smackdown. The wwf are in need of some great tag teams and instead they start by splitting them all up. Including Edge and Christian I might add. I really enjoyed watching these two perform and what did the wwf do? Split them both up. Now look were they are! If the wwf do split these two up then Matt and Jeff will fade. As for Lita, whats going to happen to her? Who will Lita stand by? TeamXtreme have a great future together and its not time to split them up yet. I dont agree with what the wwf are going to do. I have been a follower of The Hardy Boyz since they appeared on TV and now the two of them are going to be left in single action like all other tag teams end up. I really hope this does not happen.
Thinking about it, I would blame all the arguing and shouting on Lita. Its all to do with her. Lets take Smackdown for example. If Lita would of stayed out of Matt and Jeff's match and not get involved with Kane and then get injured I'm sure Matt and Jeff wouldn't of ended up arguing in the first place. Matt and Litas relationship is going down hill and its splitting up The Hardy Boyz. Matt gets jealous when he sees Lita and Jeff together so he takes it out on Jeff.
Everything which has happened is basically down to Lita. If she wouldn't get involved in their matches and if she wouldn't start getting herself too involved then none of this would of happened and look whats happening now! The only way I can see TeamXtreme surviving is if Lita backs off and I honestly cant see that happening at all.
Now the Alliance have gone I dont know about anyone else but I haven't heard any news on Alliance TV shows heading our way. I am desperate to know what the show is called and when its on etc. I would also like to know whos going to be on the show. The wwf have took all the alliance's top talent. I expect the main guys are going to be Booker T and DDP. The wwf have the likes of RVD, Kurt Angle, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Christian, Dudley Boyz, William Regal, Test and more. Not much superstars are left to participate in the new TV show. If they did use the superstars left over then I'm positive that they wont be getting good ratings. I know that I wont be making an effort to watch the show if thats the case. I have heard that the shows will be split. Wrestlers from the wwf will sometimes appear on the Alliance TV shows. Hopefully that will increase the ratings for the show. Anyway, we'll just have to wait and see!
Triple H's return looks like its going to be a good one. He is all set and ready to return. The wwf could of returned him back to action a lot sooner. They probably held him back because of the return of Ric Flair and The King. Then Triple H's return wouldn't be as big as it could be, he wouldn't get a good welcome back and its a lot better if the wwf just wait a while. Vengeance sounds the perfect time when The Game can return back to TV. He not only promotes the advert for Vengeance but the wwf have even let it out that its very likely his return will be at Vengeance. The question everybody wants to know right now is whos side will he be on? Thats one thing we will have to wait for! I think the game will be turning babyface from what I've seen on TV recently..... lots of heel/babyface changes taking place, its incredible! Take a look at some of these names below.....
Stone Cold Steve Austin - The Alliance Leader has totally changed his attitude after Survivor Series. He seems to have become a fan favourite again instead of the boring Austin we were usually forced to watch. Great fan reactions who have been waiting for this time to come for months now. Finally we have the old Stone Cold Steve Austin back on TV! This could also lead to Austin in a main event against The Rock again at Wrestlemania 18.
Kurt Angle - Can anybody remember this guy when he was an all time fan favourite. When he had a rivalty with Austin? Comparing then to now I can see a completley different change taking place right in front of our eyes. Now fans see Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle as a Vince ass kisser. He spends all his time with Vince sucking up the guy who he turned against a month or so ago.
The Undertaker - Another heel. Right now, he doesn't care about the fans or the wwf. He cares about sucking up to Vince along with the rest of the kiss my ass members. I was very shocked at The Undertakers change the same as I was shocked at Wrestlemania when Austin reunited with Vince McMahon. I really do think The Undertaker is better babyface than heel. The Undertaker has probably lightened the Vince McMahon 'gang' up.
Chris Jericho - Fans have been witnessing Jerichos heel turn for the last month when he had a feud with The Rock. Ever since then we have seen another Vince suck up. I was a big fan of Jericho and was upset when he suddenly started turning against the fans and his fellow team mates from the wwf.
So far wwf fans have seen 3 heel changes and 1 babyface change. This leaves Triple H. I am sure he will join Stone Cold Steve Austin and remain babyface. We'll soon find out for ourselves with Triple H returns back on wwf-tv, very shortly. It always turns out the same. When two 'good guys' face each other one of them always turns their back on their fans and their team and friends.
In case any of you were wondering the reason why D-von Dudley was not on Smackdown this week was due to his wife giving birth to a baby boy. This is D-von Dudleys 3rd son.
As for injurys.....William Regal had a CAT-scan on his nose and is required to have surgery which will keep him out of action for three weeks; Stacy Keibler has a bruise on her hip which she suffered at a show on Sunday. No time off for her; Hugh Morrus has a rotator cuff tendonitis and a tear in the back of his rotator cuff. No surgery needed but he'll undergo some rehab; Booker T is the latest RVD casualty after a chair to the head last weekend which got him a mild concussion.
In case any of you dont know about RVD and his so called 'casualties' and The Undertaker holding meetings backstage with wwf superstars protesting to Vince about how RVD goes mad in the ring and how he should be stopped. Now we will see a rivalty pitting RVD and The Undertaker. This may lead to some results. RVD may happen to bust Undertaker open at some time, which I would love to see happen. Lets face it, The Undertaker is not exactly RVD's number one fan now is he. If you ask me I would say hes just pure jealous of the guy. RVD is the one who gets all the attention he has the greatest matches of the night and its him who the fans come and see not the Undertaker. He seems to have been forgotten in his 11 years of destruction.
This Weeks Superstar - Very hard this week with so many great superstars to choose from it almost seems impossible to pick one. But in the end I've decided to reward Tazz with my superstar of the week. No, hes not the most talented wwf superstar. No, hes not exactly a fan favourite I know. I choose Tazz because I was very impressed on Smackdown when he volunteered to take on The Undertaker. No other wwf superstar had the guts like Tazz did. Because Tazz stuck up for himself and for what he believed in. He proved to the whole world that he isn't scared of anybody and especially The Undertaker. The last person I expected to volunteer was Tazz. Ok, he did loose the match and he did get the crap beaten out of him at the end but overall I think Tazz did a superb job! I'm sure he deserves a lot of respect off all superstars who didn't have the guts to do what Tazz did on Smackdown. He also did an excellent job on his camera shoot with Ric Flair. I was very impressed with that too. Tazz seems to be getting a good name for himself in the wwf recently. Lets just hope he keeps up all the hard work. Maybe we'll see a title coming his way soon?
I'm really pleased that the Edge vs. Christian rivalty is now over, hopefully! I'm sure a lot of you were getting so bored watching the two battling it out night after night, I know I was! The same matches all the time. Didn't you realise that Edge always came out on top and it was Edge who always seemed to win the match? It was getting so boring and I was waiting for a new rivalty to start for ages. It was worse than the Benoit vs. Angle rivalty which must of gone on for months even. Yet nothing exciting or anything worth watching took place.
As for ratings. I dont know the exact TV or merchandise sales. I do know that Smackdown ratings this week was a big increase over last weeks but the wwf did expect more viewers this week than there was. I'm sure when Triple H returns the ratings will go high again. Many fans have been waiting for the return of Triple H. Vengeance pay per view ratings are expected to be around adverage. Linda McMahon did say that from next year (2002) the wwf ratings will go up. The wwf will expand their tours round the world and will get an office in London. As well as better storylines and cutting of the wrestlers which they dont need anymore. More news on this later. As for stocks they have increased compared to last months this is all down to Christmas though.
I have only just been able to read Kurt Angles autobiography - Its true, its true. For those of you who haven't read it yet then I suggest you go out and buy it. I was very impressed with the book. I was suprised that hardly any of the book was related to the wwf though. Most of the book was about Kurts life and how he began wrestling and his wrestling career. The book was very interesting and I found out a lot of things which I didn't know about Kurt. It is worth going out and buying the book and I wish I would of bought it when it first came out, but I didn't have the chance. Look out for more superstars autobiographys coming your way soon!
The next person to join the KISS VINCES ASS CLUB? My bet would be....Stephanie. A return to wwf - tv is what wwf are hoping to do very soon with Steph. I honestly think that the billion dollar princess will actually kiss her daddys ass. Other predictions.......Earl Hebner, Ric Flair and more. I am sure many more will join the Vinces kiss my ass club very soon! I cant wait to find out whos next in line.
Now onto Vengeance....A few matches have been signed already. Vengeance will be live on pay per view on December 9th. Heres a quick look at the matches which will take place and predictions. More matches will be added next week.
STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN VS. KURT ANGLE
- A great match here. I can't wait to see this one. Kurt Angle who knows all the wrestling moves in the book against Stone Cold who is a tough SOB. We have seen these matches before when Stone Cold was the heel and Kurt Angle was the babyface. This time its the other way round and I'm sure everybody is looking forward to this match, I know I am!
PREDICTIONS
- I think its more likley that Stone Cold Steve Austin will come out on top. Not because I want him to win but he has more strengh and power and hes more of a fan favorite. I cant see Austin not being in the main event.
CHRIS JERICHO VS. THE ROCK
- This rivalty has been going on for some time now, so hopefully this match will determine who the better man is once and for all. Chris Jericho and The Rock both giving it everything they've got. I actually follow both of these superstars so it will be interesting to find out who will make it to the main event.
PREDICTIONS
- I think The Rock is more likley to face Stone Cold or Kurt Angle than Chris Jericho is. But then again I may be wrong!
UNDERTAKER VS. ROB VAN DAM
- Another great match. This is probably the match which I'm looking forward to the most. Especially as Vince McMahon made this match. Undertaker has the most strengh and power where as Rob has the most ability and technique. Plus the hardcore title is on the line!
PREDICTIONS
- For some reason I think The Undertaker will win this one, with the help of Vince!
BIG SHOW AND KANE VS. THE DUDLEY BOYZ
- The tag team titles are on the line. It would be great to see Kane and Big Show form a tag team and win the champions against The Dudley Boyz. I am looking forward to this match!
PREDICTIONS
- Because The Big Show and Kane have more strengh and power than the Dudley Boyz I would bet on Big Show and Kane to win this one.
MATT HARDY VS. JEFF HARDY
- I hate to watch this match, but I'm sure it will be a great match. Two Brothers fighting each other. Who will Lita stick by? Another great rated match.
PREDICTIONS
- Jeff Hardy to win because of Lita.
Not much more news this week. Make sure you check back next week for more commentary from Claire!
Take Care,
Claire