Part 2 is here.
Coming up soon, as soon as next weekend, Survivor Series ’05 – and here’s your card.
Eddy Guerrero Tribute Matches:
1. Undispuuted Titles: Rey v. Juvie
2. Worldwide Titles, Winner Gets Triple Crown: Benoit v. Angle
Survivor Series Lineup
3. Unified Tags: Orton/Cena v. Bradshaw/Booker
4. Weapons Match: HBK v. HHH-M (Clique Disbands if Michaels loses)
5. Flair’s Farewell: Flair v. Leviathan (w/AA)
6. Carlito Colon v. Nova
7. Executioner Lashley (debut match) v. Chris Masters
8. Dead Men Walking (PAUL/Kane) v. MNM
As discussed, two weeks out from Survivor Series, former Triple Crown holder, 2 time WWF Champion Eddy Guerrero died at home, they pull the plug on the last two weeks of new shows, running Guerrero matches from the archives. As Vince, who will make a rare appearance at Survivor Series will explain at the top of the show, the first 6 matches will continue the great story of the World Wrestling Federation – and the final two will just be pure wrestling, in tribute to one of the great wrestlers who ever lived.
Additionally, Survivor Series will mean the debut of Joey Styles on the announce, he will join Taz to be the permanent announce team.
But not on this card anywhere are the two guys in the biggest program in the Counterfactual WWF. Matt Hardy and Edge.
We won’t review their full history, go back to the run up to Summer Slam 05 if you are new and want to hear about the Ring Boys, the breakup, and the long tag feud.
Where we are here is, at Summer Slam, Matt returned after quitting live on PPV a year before, working in an Unsanctioned Match without a contract. He and Edge, who had denied wholeheartedly the rumors of an affair with Lita, had a bloody, stiff battle, that ended with Lita appearing, chairshotting Matt, and Edge turning heel.
The following night on RAW opens with Edge and Lita.
Edge is now the Edge we see in the current WWF. He laughs at the fans, laughs at the boys, laughs at Matt, laughs at the Clique.
He says he lied. And he feels great about it.
He never wanted the fans to cheer his name. Never wanted to be brothers with a has been like Shawn Michaels.
He’s Edge, one half of the greatest tag team of all time, and when he came back after being gone a year and a half with spinal surgery, he didn’t come out for the fans or for Michaels – he came out for his brother.
Because the only guy in this company he cares about is Christian.
And he wants Christian to come to the ring.
So, he does. Recall that the big, emotional moment of the run up to Summer Slam was Edge’s promo “we don’t have the same last name, but in every way that counts, we’re brothers” where he promised to Christian that he didn’t sleep with Lita, and that he swore it on their friendship.
Christian, giving nothing away, enters.
Edge walks them through their history – talks about their plans to take over – says the reason he gave up the IC wasn’t just to kick Matt Hardy’s ass in the main event at Summer Slam, it was because the IC is Christian’s rightful belt. Christian’s gonna be the IC – Edge is gonna be the WWF Champ (see, it’s like that) E and C on top of the world.
Edge says he apologizes – but Christian understands, he couldn’t tell Shawn and Paul – couldn’t have the boys find out – so he had to keep him in the dark – but it’s better now, everything’s out in the open – these idiot fans don’t understand and those jackasses in the back don’t understand – but you and me understand – tell me I’m your brother, Christian – tell me I’m your brother and we’ll take over the world.
Christian, of course, doesn’t – he appears that he will accept, but he lays Edge out with the Crusader, hits his catchphrase – the people go nuts.
And that starts their program – up to whenever Christian’s last day in the company is, they build to a Loser Leaves Town. Which obviously turns out to be Christian.
Edge isn’t a normal heel, the idea is that his sleeping with Lita has broken some type of taboo – so he has no support from anyone in the back. He’s shunned by the boys, but he doesn’t care – he and Lita, doing their act, maintain an air of being above the rest of the company.
London gets taken out of this program entirely, but Michaels, even though he’s in the thing with Hunter, remains in the corners of the Edge/Christian stuff with an air of seething hatred toward Edge, as it taps into the puritanical Michaels thing which has been surfacing over the year.
The night Christian leaves – when Edge wins the blow off – gets the clean fall – a huge moment of triumph – that’s the moment Matt returns for the first time since Summer Slam.
He returns with a nail gun.
And, in as close to a crucifixion as we can get – Matt nails Edge to the canvas.
It needs to be freak out extreme – since Matt is playing Pillman – enough that people understand when Matt isn’t given a job by the company, isn’t booked at Survivor Series.
He nails Edge to the canvas – security comes out of every corner – paramedics – Edge needs to squeal. It’s gotta be graphic.
Enough so that Matt’s dragged away and not on the Survivor Series card. Edge needs to be hospitalized – the announce in future weeks (before Eddy, obviously) saying he was touch and go for awhile and that Matt might be charged with attempted murder.
It’s not enough to get Edge sympathy in the back, but everyone understands Matt can’t ever come back either. Michaels cuts anti both of them promo. He took Edge in like his brother, and Edge betrayed him. He took Christian in like a brother, and Christian is now in Orlando. He took in Paul London like a son, and now he has a hard time getting Paul on the phone. He’s betrayed, he is a man alone – and he faces HHH-M for the Clique name.
And as for Matt Hardy – Matt started out as a Clique young boy – and here he is all these years later, so warped and bitter, than he mocks the crucifixion of his lord and savior with a nail gun.
Shawn’s praying for this soul.
It’s not a turn..not even close…but if Shawn started rubbing some fans the wrong way, that would be okay.
I like the shadings.
So, that’s the big angle – the promise is that Edge will make his return at Survivor Series, in Detroit, for the first time since being nailed to the canvas.
Add that to the above card – it’s coming as soon as next weekend – it’s Survivor Series. Call your yadda, yadda!
The Road to Survivor Series, Part 2 2005
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Part I is here.
Part II of our set up to the big Survivor Series in Detroit, coming at you in a month’s time.
What do we have so far…
Well, your main is Rey defending against Juvie, the LWO continues their assault on Rey – the set up was Flair as mouthpiece, as even though he’s a babyface, he and Steamboat have a disagreement about the value of Rey as Champ.
That’s a mistake though, too much heel for Flair – so, instead Paul E, who has always been a heel, can be their mouthpiece.
Flair and Steamboat are each part of the Angle/Benoit match for the vacant IC and for the Triple Crown. Given the history of their rivalry, we can draw parallels to the history of the Flair/Steamboat rivalry, and that’s a good program. Add in Angle’s continuing to squelch the career of S$, and you’ve got this.
Orton and Cena, now full heels as the crowd’s turned on them, meet GHB and Book – Bradshaw effectively downplaying the NeoCon gimmick, drawing in the babyface Booker, and they play the “vets who have never won” card.
We’ve got Flair’s retirement match against Leviathan. Flair and Steamboat, concerned that HHH-M is going to use his 2% voting power in a destructive way, concoct a plan to prohibit those inside the office from wrestling – this then is Flair’s last match, and he’s having it against his friend and protégée, Leviathan, who is managed by AA.
We’ve got the debut of Executioner Lashley, who is the hot commodity in the company, with everyone talking about his potential as the next dominant force in wrestling.
We’ve got Carlito against Nova. We’ve got the now babyface Dead Men Walking against MNM.
Match 8 is HHH v. HBK.
HHH-M, playing the role of heir to the McMahon fortune, throwing his 2% voting share around, leverages Flair and Steamboat into agreeing to a match between he and Michaels. Shawn’s fine with it – so that part isn’t complicated.
The rub is the stip – if Hunter wins – the Clique is dead.
Now, if you’re just hopping in, the Clique, from the days of Shawn/Razor/Diesel all the way through its pre Summer Slam incarnation of Shawn/Edge/Christian/London has been one of the poles upon which Counterfactual WWF sits atop.
HHH joined upon his arrival, working with Waltman as the JV and sent Razor/Diesel home in a loser leaves town. After Michaels’s loss to Owen in XIV, a HHH pedigree sent him into his retirement.
HHH/Waltman sent the Outlaws from the Clique – they worked the E/C/Trish swerve of the Hardys – and Hunter broke Spanky’s arm, sending him from the WWF and out of the Clique as well.
Now, Hunter says there is no Clique without him – and since he’s now a McMahon, he’s got a new family. When he beats Michaels at Survivor Series – that’s it for the Clique.
Flair convinces Michaels and Steamboat they need to go for it – first, because Shawn will clearly beat him; second, with the problems with the Clique (Edge’s turn at Summer Slam, which we’ll deal with momentarily) this is needed to gain control of the fracturing group.
So, they do it. Some type of garbage match, ‘cause that’s the only thing you want to see them do. We’ll call it a weapons match, let them hit each other with sticks.
Okay, we recap in a moment – let’s clean the rest of the fall up.
-JR, reminder, is gone. Josh Mathews is play by play until Joey takes over at Survivor Series.
-Taz, by fall’s end, is the only color man. Here’s what happens to Paul E.
At some point during the fall, the ECW music begins to periodically play with images of ECW coming over the TitanTron and the phrase, “Hey, Heyman…he’s coming back…”
Speculation is Van Dam – as, one recalls, RVD broke with Paul after the year long feud with Matt; RVD gaining the tag belts with Rey – but then Van Dam was taken out by Team Angle, who were paid by Heyman.
So, there’s a few weeks with Heyman freaked out at ringside whenever the clips play on the TitanTron – until one week when the message is: “He’s Back.”
And that’s when Stevie Richards superkicks Heyman as he sits at the announce table.
Stevie cuts promo – says that somehow, Paul thought he could get away with screwing him all those years ago – it was he, Stevie, who brought Stevie’s Hardcore Family, the Dudley Boys and Taz, to the WWF – and then Heyman, oily scumbag that he is, stole his life away, and he’s been toiling away in the backwoods of the company since.
But now, Stevie says, he’s back – oh, and if there are any fans disappointed that he’s not RVD, don’t worry – because Stevie’s not coming back to wrestle (unfortunately, Stevie’s excellent) he’s coming back to manage…and by the beginning of the year, the guy who he is managing…RVD…will return to the WWF.
So, by at Survivor Series, the announce becomes Joey and Taz, and going forward, that’s your permanent team.
Van Dam is going to come back for an angle before the Rumble, with Stevie as his manager – and that’s when we’ll start using the ECW guys who are now with the company, as they’ll be with Heyman, all aligned to stop Van Dam. Look for that program in 2006.
2 more.
We get a backstage promo, Fit, working in the office, is met by Dean.
Recall, Fit/Dean/Arn were the TitanTrust, who made the creative decisions prior to the move to the Steamboat/Flair angle. Arn is with Leviathan, Dean’s popped up in the Eddy/Benoit program, but neither man is a regular feature on TV.
Now, they are.
Dean proposes to Fit that they start a project. Fit is curious, like a business, a restaurant kind of thing?
Dean says nah – something involving wrestling.
Fit’s interested – like a school?
No, we’re going to stick to training just one guy, I think.
Fit’s confused – who?
And Dean pulls out a new Fit Finlay t-shirt – “you, Dave, you.”
And that’s how that starts. Dean and Fit, doing a sunshine boys thing, go into training, as Fit prepares to make his return to the ring. You can see the arc of this – he’s not good at the beginning, maybe he’s lost it, he loses a tv match, he thinks he’s going to quit, Dean gives him brutal pep talk – Fit starts picking it up – and by the end of the fall has started to pick things up.
After Survivor Series, Fit and Dean will be joined by Regal. Recall, Regal left Team Angle after being unwilling to support Kurt’s treatment of Benjamin – and is really nowhere now – but after Survivor Series, when Fit and Dean decide that he’s going to try to stalk a title – they decide that, if he’s going to take that step, he needs then highest caliber training partner – and that’s when Regal joins.
So, Dean and Fit are doing that – and Regal soon to join.
Finally, the big angle.
And we’ll talk about that big angle in part 3
Part II of our set up to the big Survivor Series in Detroit, coming at you in a month’s time.
What do we have so far…
Well, your main is Rey defending against Juvie, the LWO continues their assault on Rey – the set up was Flair as mouthpiece, as even though he’s a babyface, he and Steamboat have a disagreement about the value of Rey as Champ.
That’s a mistake though, too much heel for Flair – so, instead Paul E, who has always been a heel, can be their mouthpiece.
Flair and Steamboat are each part of the Angle/Benoit match for the vacant IC and for the Triple Crown. Given the history of their rivalry, we can draw parallels to the history of the Flair/Steamboat rivalry, and that’s a good program. Add in Angle’s continuing to squelch the career of S$, and you’ve got this.
Orton and Cena, now full heels as the crowd’s turned on them, meet GHB and Book – Bradshaw effectively downplaying the NeoCon gimmick, drawing in the babyface Booker, and they play the “vets who have never won” card.
We’ve got Flair’s retirement match against Leviathan. Flair and Steamboat, concerned that HHH-M is going to use his 2% voting power in a destructive way, concoct a plan to prohibit those inside the office from wrestling – this then is Flair’s last match, and he’s having it against his friend and protégée, Leviathan, who is managed by AA.
We’ve got the debut of Executioner Lashley, who is the hot commodity in the company, with everyone talking about his potential as the next dominant force in wrestling.
We’ve got Carlito against Nova. We’ve got the now babyface Dead Men Walking against MNM.
Match 8 is HHH v. HBK.
HHH-M, playing the role of heir to the McMahon fortune, throwing his 2% voting share around, leverages Flair and Steamboat into agreeing to a match between he and Michaels. Shawn’s fine with it – so that part isn’t complicated.
The rub is the stip – if Hunter wins – the Clique is dead.
Now, if you’re just hopping in, the Clique, from the days of Shawn/Razor/Diesel all the way through its pre Summer Slam incarnation of Shawn/Edge/Christian/London has been one of the poles upon which Counterfactual WWF sits atop.
HHH joined upon his arrival, working with Waltman as the JV and sent Razor/Diesel home in a loser leaves town. After Michaels’s loss to Owen in XIV, a HHH pedigree sent him into his retirement.
HHH/Waltman sent the Outlaws from the Clique – they worked the E/C/Trish swerve of the Hardys – and Hunter broke Spanky’s arm, sending him from the WWF and out of the Clique as well.
Now, Hunter says there is no Clique without him – and since he’s now a McMahon, he’s got a new family. When he beats Michaels at Survivor Series – that’s it for the Clique.
Flair convinces Michaels and Steamboat they need to go for it – first, because Shawn will clearly beat him; second, with the problems with the Clique (Edge’s turn at Summer Slam, which we’ll deal with momentarily) this is needed to gain control of the fracturing group.
So, they do it. Some type of garbage match, ‘cause that’s the only thing you want to see them do. We’ll call it a weapons match, let them hit each other with sticks.
Okay, we recap in a moment – let’s clean the rest of the fall up.
-JR, reminder, is gone. Josh Mathews is play by play until Joey takes over at Survivor Series.
-Taz, by fall’s end, is the only color man. Here’s what happens to Paul E.
At some point during the fall, the ECW music begins to periodically play with images of ECW coming over the TitanTron and the phrase, “Hey, Heyman…he’s coming back…”
Speculation is Van Dam – as, one recalls, RVD broke with Paul after the year long feud with Matt; RVD gaining the tag belts with Rey – but then Van Dam was taken out by Team Angle, who were paid by Heyman.
So, there’s a few weeks with Heyman freaked out at ringside whenever the clips play on the TitanTron – until one week when the message is: “He’s Back.”
And that’s when Stevie Richards superkicks Heyman as he sits at the announce table.
Stevie cuts promo – says that somehow, Paul thought he could get away with screwing him all those years ago – it was he, Stevie, who brought Stevie’s Hardcore Family, the Dudley Boys and Taz, to the WWF – and then Heyman, oily scumbag that he is, stole his life away, and he’s been toiling away in the backwoods of the company since.
But now, Stevie says, he’s back – oh, and if there are any fans disappointed that he’s not RVD, don’t worry – because Stevie’s not coming back to wrestle (unfortunately, Stevie’s excellent) he’s coming back to manage…and by the beginning of the year, the guy who he is managing…RVD…will return to the WWF.
So, by at Survivor Series, the announce becomes Joey and Taz, and going forward, that’s your permanent team.
Van Dam is going to come back for an angle before the Rumble, with Stevie as his manager – and that’s when we’ll start using the ECW guys who are now with the company, as they’ll be with Heyman, all aligned to stop Van Dam. Look for that program in 2006.
2 more.
We get a backstage promo, Fit, working in the office, is met by Dean.
Recall, Fit/Dean/Arn were the TitanTrust, who made the creative decisions prior to the move to the Steamboat/Flair angle. Arn is with Leviathan, Dean’s popped up in the Eddy/Benoit program, but neither man is a regular feature on TV.
Now, they are.
Dean proposes to Fit that they start a project. Fit is curious, like a business, a restaurant kind of thing?
Dean says nah – something involving wrestling.
Fit’s interested – like a school?
No, we’re going to stick to training just one guy, I think.
Fit’s confused – who?
And Dean pulls out a new Fit Finlay t-shirt – “you, Dave, you.”
And that’s how that starts. Dean and Fit, doing a sunshine boys thing, go into training, as Fit prepares to make his return to the ring. You can see the arc of this – he’s not good at the beginning, maybe he’s lost it, he loses a tv match, he thinks he’s going to quit, Dean gives him brutal pep talk – Fit starts picking it up – and by the end of the fall has started to pick things up.
After Survivor Series, Fit and Dean will be joined by Regal. Recall, Regal left Team Angle after being unwilling to support Kurt’s treatment of Benjamin – and is really nowhere now – but after Survivor Series, when Fit and Dean decide that he’s going to try to stalk a title – they decide that, if he’s going to take that step, he needs then highest caliber training partner – and that’s when Regal joins.
So, Dean and Fit are doing that – and Regal soon to join.
Finally, the big angle.
And we’ll talk about that big angle in part 3
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