June 9, 2003
THE PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE DRAGON's LAIR HAVE APPEARED IN THE SUPERSTAR CORNER. LET's LOOK AT WHAT CHRIS DALBY's GOT ON HIS MIND THIS TIME.
I’m back! Finally, I am back on the TWF to write the best column I ever wrote. It has been a number of months since I last checked in and this is due only to my fault. I have had computer troubles but I admit to having lost some of my passion for the TWF, in fact, I even considered quitting it altogether but then, a discussion with Rockwell made me realize what I had lost and gave me back my passion for this company. This column is not going to be analyzing any particular matches, it is going to be a State of the TWF address.
RAW
Every year in the TWF emerges someone who has it all. The talent, the will, the determination to make it all the way in the TWF. Past men like this have included Jordan Rockwell, Drew Blood, Strife, High Octane but this year, we have someone who rivals all these men. I speak of no other than the new Toughman Champion, Austin Pyromania. His feat at Evil Intentions was quite simply the most impressive I have seen in my two years in the TWF. Though he should fear Spawn’s revenge, Pyromania has earned the respect of all in the locker room. He still has progress to make but he is fantastically on his way. A sure-fire future TWF Champion. The only difficulty I see for Pyromania is against veterans who will use his inexperience against him. I would love a lengthy feud against Spawn and talking about the TWF Champion, well done, Strife. It is good to see him defending against lesser superstars but I admit I have yet to see Strife truly tested since he gained the title at Wrestlemania. Clashes with Nails, Austin or Spawn would surely be of a more testing nature. Hell, give High Octane a shot, he deserves it by now and should get one by the end of the year. Our little TFT epitomises for me what Shawn Michaels once stood for. Smaller and lighter but still pulling off wins against guys five times his size and seeing him unite with HBK made perfect sense for me.
Now for the negative. First of all, this goes to Nemesis, Sam Wilde and Matt Taylor. What in the name of blue hell are you three doing? It’s been two months since any of you had a match on PPV? You have no concrete storylines and don’t seem to be building any. Now get your asses into gear particularly you Nemesis. You used to be one of the most respected members on the roster. Who can forget your return to wreak revenge on the nWo? I hope that Nemesis is still in you because I’d be damn sorry if it was gone.
Now for the tag team competition, in how many ways can you say beyond a joke? I just checked the rankings. There are six professional tag teams plus the Basham Brothers on the way in and who holds the belts? HHH! Enough to make anyone growl. And ON HIS OWN! I mean, what the hell are the people doing backstage? There’s a reason tag belts should be held by two people. When will teams like La Resistance (whom I love by the way), or Los Guerreros get their time to shine.
Finally, what is it with Civil Rights? They have gone from dominating RAW and shaking the TWF to its very core to not even being on RAW. D’Lo is on Uprising whilst Malice, Killings, Benjamin and Long are nowhere to be seen. Killings is someone I would like to see as one of the main contenders for the World Title. He certainly deserves to be. He would also make an original match-up with Strife. This brings me to something else. Where are the true feuds? Besides Spawn and Pyromania, we have not seen any lengthy battles. Dreamer/Bahamut is something no-one really cares about even though they put on good matches which means it could work. Give them a true opportunity to shine and see them pull the crowd in while HHH needs better opponents than Palumbo, Stasiak and Gunn.
My final suggestion would be to put people like Gunn into MFW for a while and focus on pushing more contenders towards the top. Not by giving them title shots like with A-Train but building them slowly like Spawn and Pyromania. Beyond that, the outlook on RAW does look good but it is being outshone by PrimeTime at the moment.
PrimeTime
At last, PrimeTime shows its true colors. After a few months of consistent mediocrity, PT elevates itself to true genius. With new champions in RVD and Brock Lesnar, things just got a lot better on PT. Lesnar is a deserving Universal Champion and at the moment, I see no-one who can stand in his path. He has defeated Rockwell, Wakeman, RVD and it is tough to see any of these being able to top him. However, I see one man who recently on PT has been the break-out performer of the year. I speak of none other than the Olympic Hero, Kurt Angle. Rarely has a return had such an impact on a locker room but since Angle’s re-emergence, the PT stars have been simply buzzing. Though losing to Raven for a shot at the Universal Title, a clash between Lesnar and Angle must be high on the cards, their collective amateur backgrounds announcing a wonderful encounter. However, Angle needs to notch a few wins over bigger names. I would like to see Angle beat men like Rhyno, Benoit or Jansens to show to everyone he has what it takes to beat the Next Big Thing.
Talking about Benoit and Jansens, I must say I love the Four Elements stable. They are an eclectic bunch who have the skill and know-how to make it in the TWF. With Benoit possibly getting a shot at Lesnar’s title, the Dragon and the Wolverine looking to capture the tag titles and Mysterio and Carney doing well in the LHW division, the future looks bright for them and if their wins over Raven Enterprises are anything to go by, then they should not only be respected but feared as well.
The rebirth of the IC Title is also crucial to the good vibe on PT. Though many may scoff at Matt Hardy becoming the first new IC Champ, he has proved his mettle on many fronts before and I predict a good solid reign for the creator of Mattitude. However, he will need to look out as I see a rank of worthy stars who will be looking to top him. For the sake of the title, it should be defended regularly but in a meaningful manner giving stars like Batista, Aries, Kid Gundam, Dylan Jansens, Rey Mysterio or Kanyon an opportunity to make themselves known.
As far as the LHW Title goes, it seems to have been going downhill since Hayabusa won it off Dylan Jansens. Hayabusa has been taking part in matches but needs to focus more on singles feuds. Now would be a perfect time for Carney to try and conquer his second LHW reign, this could provide the perfect jumpstart for him. I would also adore to see someone like Ultimo Dragon or Essa Rios get involved in the title picture. Unlike the IC Title, the LHW should be defended on every PPV but also on PT itself. There’s so many competitors for it now it needs regular TV slots. I see Carney taking it over very soon with a feud against Ultimo following behind.
As far as the negative goes on PrimeTime, I have already mentioned I think feuds should last a lot longer. In as many months, Rockwell has feuded with Raven, Lesnar and Shane O’Mac. Someone of his caliber needs better constructed matches that can truly tell a story. Beyond that, my fear is overcrowding. This goes for both RAW and PT. With many call-ups from the development leagues, there does not seem to be room on the card for all the mid-carders. People like Jamie Noble or the Psych Ward need to make an impact very soon as it would be sad to see Crazy Shane and Breakdown leave without carving the place they so obviously deserve.
Hopes for next Title Matches: TWF Title: Strife vs. Nails Universal Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle Toughman Title: Austin Pyromania vs. Nemesis IC Title: Matt Hardy vs. Aries LHW Title: Hayabusa vs. Carney RAW Tag Team Titles: HHH vs. La Resistance PT Tag Team Titles: Tirpak and Bradshaw vs. Benoit and Jansens
