Lots of award analysis + Dave losing his mind while possibly drunk and writing a hilarious analysis of the WWE HOF candidates + being 26(!) pages = quality.

I know I got a good laugh out of the posted star ratings for the TNA ppv.

I'll try and post some highlights tomorrow at work.

Nothing seems to piss off Da Meltz more than discussion of the WWE HOF. I have no idea why... well I do know why but it's kind of off putting (yet entertaining)

The best part of the WWE HOF feature might be Dave ranting about Howard Finkel not being an announcer anymore because he lacks sex appeal compared to Tony Chimel.

 

The running Von Erich jokes tying everything together were great, too.

Dave's ranting was funny but it seemed like he's always trying to bury the WWE HOF because in his mind only the WON HOF counts. It's not like he's breaking any new ground by pointing out it's basically whoever Vince wants to be inducted, but he mentions it every time like he's uncovered a state secret.

 

Also bonus points for him taking the time to swipe at JYD again (in the guise of correcting the Flair vs JYD in Mid South claims). Meltz vs JYD has to be one of the longest running feuds in wrestling. Even death can't stop it!

Boy, that is rich, espcially considering the fact that Da Meltz' HoF is pretty much a joke now, not considerably better than the E HoF and JYD is a better candidate than several people that have gotten in or gotten very close over the last couple of years.

Also bonus points for him taking the time to swipe at JYD again (in the guise of correcting the Flair vs JYD in Mid South claims). Meltz vs JYD has to be one of the longest running feuds in wrestling. Even death can't stop it!

 

Which is amazing since the JYD bio was on some levels one of the better ones Dave wrote. For a wrestler that he just didn't like at all, Dave set it aside and gave a good overview.

 

 

John

Bonus LOLZ for the story of someone suggesting they add someone to DX to give HBK a partner and maybe make a new star, only for HHH to immediately nix the idea.

I loved how Dave called out Heenan's potential first joke when/if he was to induct Bockwinkle.

The awards are just hilarous......

 

Worst Announcer -Todd Grisham? Is he even an announcer? I only ever see him doing backstage interviews and getting superkicked by HBK. Even if ECW wasn't so dull the show would still be unwatchable due to Tazz doing his "80s Vince McMahon with a Noo Yawk accent" color commentary. Seriously, all he does now is go "WHOAWHOAWHOA" and "NOTFORNOTHIN" about a hundred times a match.

 

Meltz seems really upset a luchador won Wrestler of the Year. I swear every mention of him is how he was lucky to be where he was to get his push and how it won't last, which may be true, but he's getting into JYD territory with the constant subtle burying.

 

Not to keep beating a dead horse, but it's really ridiculous to see UFC guys winning pro wrestling awards like "Feud of the Year". The whole argument seems to come down to "MMA is better because they drew more money" which makes no sense because if that was the most important criteria, boxers would sweep the awards every year.

 

Most Underrated - Shelton Benjamin. Second year in a row. First year, you can argue, this year....even Dave seems to think this is the wrong pick.

 

The Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic was a no-brainer, but looking back I think the "Savio and Invader I do a stabbing angle" was worse because even the WWE didn't go so far as having Benoit leave Chavo beaten in a hotel bathroom.

 

Honestly, a lot of the Best/Worst awards read like typical "WWE SUX, ROH RULZ" message board crap. RAW was the worst show of the year? Really? Even over ECW? I think a lot of people were just filling in the blanks and not really paying attention. Kinda like how I wonder how many people who voted Do Fixer vs Blood Generation as Match of the Year actually watched it (not that I'm saying it didn't deserve to win, it just got the "MOTY" buzz instantly and became one of those things you weren't even allowed to have a different opinon on).

Kinda like how I wonder how many people who voted Do Fixer vs Blood Generation as Match of the Year actually watched it (not that I'm saying it didn't deserve to win, it just got the "MOTY" buzz instantly and became one of those things you weren't even allowed to have a different opinon on).

Agreed 100%

 

Personally, I thought the Embassy tag match from the next night was much better.

I also liked how when recapping the X-divison match with Backlund as the judge on the ppv; he said it was a good "moves" match with him putting moves in quotations like someone making a point on a message board.

Worst Announcer -Todd Grisham? Is he even an announcer?

He does the announcing for the international version of Heat, so I assume he does it for the web version as well. I can't recall how much he sucks, but he does do the god awful catchphrase "It's time for the MAIN EVENT~!!" every week in an annoying Buffer-esque tone.

So then there's a good chance that most of the people who voted him worst announcer never heard him call a match? I mean, who watches the web shows?

I don't recall Dave ever commenting on the Awards like he did this year. He has on occassion done what he did last week - break down the WotY, though this was in more "detail" that he usually does. On occassion in the Post-Yearbook era he would the week before give his selections on all or most of the awards. But this was pretty new.

 

I sort of like it... though they were comments on a bunch of awards that I didn't really care much about. :/ I would have enjoyed similar style comments back in the 1991-2002 time frame.

 

The WWF HOF piece was good for a while... but the list was so long that it kind of ran out of steam down the stretch.

 

 

John

Yeah the MOTY category is a great example of how Meltzer influences the awards, as the Do Fixer/Blood Generation tag got absolutely insane accolades from him. I would have been stunned if anything else won, and yet most people I know who have seen it and alot of other ROH this year, don't even feel it was a top three match for the company.

Meltz seems really upset a luchador won Wrestler of the Year. I swear every mention of him is how he was lucky to be where he was to get his push and how it won't last, which may be true, but he's getting into JYD territory with the constant subtle burying.

I actually think he was really happy about it. While he might have voted for someone else #1 rather than Mistico, he did put him over strongly in the last two issues (and further back than that). He made a big point about the "historic nature" of a Luchadore and a Junior winning the award, both firsts.

 

I just think he's being "fair" in pointing to Mistico having shortcomings rather than being, in his eyes, a lucha equiv of Kobashi - the total package.

 

Other than that... I don't think he was overly enthused about the US candidates. There wasn't a Stone Cold, a Rock or even a HHH (in Dave's eyes) among the candidates. The business here had issues. He was basically looking for positives in Ege and/or Cena for their candidacies. There are some there, but they're relative to other problems the WWF is having.

 

I suspect that he'd be perfectly happy if an MMA guy won, similar to Mistico winning. But from the piece last week, he seemed to think it was a wide open year and a variety of candidates brough positives to the table. Mistico was one of them.

 

 

John

I was pleasantly surprised that Juan Manuel Mar came in 2nd for best booker without any pimping from Dave.