Tag Archive: Ppvs

  1. Hey Hey It’s Wednesday!

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    Wednesday. The only day in the week where there is wrestling on your TV. Monday Nights are RAW, Tuesdays have ECW. Thursdays make an iMPACT. Friday nights have SmackDown! Saturday Nights are ROH and Sundays are for Pay-Per-View. Where does that leave Wednesday? Luckily, at BoredWrestlingFan, yours truly has completed your weekly wrestling fix.

    TNA Lockdown

    I’ve been promoting this PPV for weeks. I even talked about this PPV during Wrestlemania week, without talking about Wrestlemania. With all that said, did they let me down? Well, it depends on which way you look at it.

    For those who watched it, I’ve heard mixed reactions, although some of these reactions have come from the same TNA bashers each week who have watched previous PPVs in the past and think that the rest will be the same. However, right here on this very website, our very own Drowgoddess, thought the PPV was at least decent. Infact, she enjoyed it. I didnt watch it, and Drow did, so I will take her word on how good it was. But that doesnt mean I have nothing to say.

    How can Team 3D, have numerous ‘Rough Cuts’ segments, stating how they help the young guys, that they’re not there to be selfish and that they’re there to put over the young guys. Then why in the hell, did they NOT put over Beer Money Inc. at Lockdown? Was it because it was in Philly, your ‘hometown’ so to speak? Brother Ray, Brother Devon, since when did you guys become Bret Hart? It shouldnt matter if your ‘home’ or away, if the jobs to be done, then the jobs to be done. There is absolutely no reason why Team 3D should be the Tag Team Champions at this moment. It seems that you lie to your wrestling school, when you say you help the young guys, because all you done at Lockdown, was squash all the momentum James Storm and Robert Roode had. Thanks a lot Team 3D.

    Suicide needs to be someone new, and not guys like Daniels or Kaz. if Suicide was a new guy, then you could have guys like Daniels, Kaz and Suicide on the roster, whereas this way, only one of Daniels and Kaz can be on the roster, otherwise one will be pulling double-duty every night. Daniels has just come back to the roster as himself, but he also donned the Suicide outfit for Lockdown, which means he wrestled two matches in the night, when he shouldnt of had to. Many people could complain as to why you turned a video game character into a real-life character, but I’m not one of those. The only thing that upsets me about Suicide, is that it isnt someone new in that suit.

    Angelina Love won the KnockOuts belt. It gives Awesome Kong the chance for some time off, which is a good thing. However, is it such a godd thing for everything else. The Beautiful People is a good heel group in the KnockOuts division, especially since Kute Kip stopped hanging around, and they recruited Madison Rayne. The problem with Angelina Love with the belt is this, she has zero ability. It would be like, Lauren winning the belt. Thats how much ability she has, and plus, it will probably lead to a rift between Love and fellow members Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne, which will lead to the break-up of the group, which can only mean bad things for TNA. Sure, they have SoJo Bolt and Rhaka Khan as heels, but against the face core of Taylor Wilde, Roxxi, ODB, Kong, Raisha Saeed and Daffney, it is pivotial in this columnist’s opinion that they dont break up the Beautiful People over the title. But I suppose, like everything else in the world, only time will tell.

    MotorCity Machine Guns retained the belts. Nice to see TNA actually see them as a Tag Team champion, even if it is only the Junior IWGP Tag Team Champions. They’re still champions. A note to Team 3D, have these guys beat you for your Tag gold. Thats right, you say you help the young guys, but you’d just rather squash. Sorry for suggesting you actually lose clean.

    ODB won Queen of the Cage, thus becoming #1 contender for the KnockOuts title. Who is that guy with her? Since when did they hire Joe Dirt? JT would’ve been a better winner.

    Abyss, Matt Morgan, Tean Jarrett and Team Angle? Meh.

    Sting and Mick Foley. We have a new champion folks, and it’s Mick Foley. You know Mick Foley, he was thrown off a cage in 1996. He won his first major title as Mankind in 1998. It’s nice to see Sting putting over the young guys. Great job, Sting! I dont care how good the match may have been. It’s a joke that Foley is champ. Isnt he the Commish, or the Executive Shareholder or something like that? How can an authority figure win the belt? It’s like when Vince McMahon won the 1998 Royal Rumble, only Foley’s win makes no sense. Foley equals Ratings, bullshit. Pushing the young guys, and providing an actual wrestling show. That equals Ratings.

    WWE Backlash

    The Pay-Per-View is this Sunday. You think i’m lying don’t you? I promise you, I’m not. I wish I was though, because the matches they are providing doesnt exactly show a ‘great’ PPV. let me show you.

    The Main Event has the Legacy (Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes), face off against the team of Shane McMahon, Batista and the WWE Champion, Triple H. The stipulation is as follows. If any members of Randy Orton’s team wins, then Randy Orton wins the title, however, if any members of Triple H’s team wins, then Triple H retains the title. Judging by the tension between Shane and Batista on RAW the past weeks, and Batista’s spear on Shane during the Orton/HHH NoDQ match on RAW this past week, I can say with great security, that Batista gets the pin for his team, then lays claim to the title, and challenges Triple H.

    John Cena defends the World Heavyweight Championship, against the former holder, Edge, in a Last Man Standing match. Is it just me, or have these two feuded since New Year’s Revolution 2007, when Edge cashed in Money in the Bank, after Cena survivng the Elimination Chamber? This is about the only match that these two havent competed in against each other, besides Hell In A Cell. Cena doesnt interest me, and Edge, well, maybe with Vickie Guerrero on RAW now, he can become a heel on his own accord, rather than using the likes of Lita, and Vickie to help him get there.

    Jack Swagger defends the ECW Championship against Christian. Yes, really. The ECW Title is being defended on Pay-Per-View. Shocking. Anyways, after the four-way, three-match elimination process, which saw Mark Henry, Tommy Dreamer and Finlay eliminated. Christian winds up as number one contender. This gives them one-week, two shows (ECW and Superstars), to build this match into any insignificance. With Swagger’s poor performance at No Way Out, many say he’s being punished. If that’s the case, then Swagger has an uphill ride ahead of him if he wants to get back to the levels he’s at now.

    Chris Jericho vs Ricky Steamboat. It seems those in the WWE were impressed with Steamboat’s performance at Wrestlemania, that they’ve decided to book him in a match, against Jericho. Another match with pretty much zero buildup, which doesnt sound good. However, we know Jericho can go, it depends on if Steamboat can go at least ten minutes to make this match anything.

    Jeff Hardy faces his brother Matt in an ‘I Quit’ match. This sure seems to be the PPV for gimmicks, doesnt it? I thought their gimmick PPV was a entitled ‘Extreme Rules’ and it was in June? Hmmm, I must be mistaken. This looks like the match to end the feud between the Hardy Boyz, which has stemmed since the Survivor Series. The fans utterly adore Jeff, so let’s hope he puts over his brother Matt, to give him the push. Otherwise, it’s a TNA-story all over again.

    Khali kissing ‘Santina’ on Khali-kiss cam? Your kidding me, right? No? This is really happening. A guy in drag, is gonna kiss a big, useless guy whose claim to fame is being an extra in the re-make of the Longest Yard. I will use a quote, from US tennis great John McEnroe here when I say “You can’t be serious”.

    CM Punk vs Kane? Since when? Apparently, this match stems from the end of the Money in the Bank ladder match at Wrestlemania, in which Punk kicked Kane off the ladder, in order to grab the briefcase. The only other build-up this match has had, was a match on RAW between the two (remember, CM Punk and Kane were both drafted to SmackDown!, so why are they competing on RAW is my question), in which Punk countered the Chokeslam into a roll-up into a three count. Why do I get the feeling that Backlash is like one big jigsaw, that has been put together very rushed and all the pieces are in the wrong spot.

    This PPV doesnt make me think it’s a must-watch, or even a maybe-watch. Maybe it’s the PPV after Wrestlemania. Maybe it’s the rush job they have done in creating matches, or maybe it’s me wanting to watch SummerSlam ’99 again. Whatever the reason, I’m staying away from Backlash.

    WWE Vintage Collection

    This, I have to say, is the only WWE show, I enjoy watching. For those who havent seen it, it’s hosted by ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund, and it’s an hour log show, remembering the shows of yesteryear. Anything from past Wrestlemanias, to U.K. only specials, to weekly shows from the 80s. It’s an old-school fan’s delight, and now, starting this week, I am recapping this show for WorldWrestlingInsanity.com, due to leave taken by their usual recapper. Whether it’s only a part-time gig, or whether it’s a more permanent role remains to be seen, but my first recap from what I understand, will appear at WorldWrestlingInsanity.com today! Go check it out, and enjoy the Battle Royal at Royal Albert Hall from October 3, 1991.

    That’s it for another Wednesday. Be sure to check back each and every day for various columns and results from the fellow Bored Wrestling Fan crew. But, from this columnist, I bid you adieu.

  2. TNA “Lockdown” Review

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    Apologies for the lateness. Yesterday was rough. Let’s pretend it’s still Sunday night, and cross the line!

    Pre-show:
    Eric Young vs. Danny Bonaduce

    Danny Bonaduce actually looked fairly legit and cool, although someone should point out that having a motorcycle with skull-themed artwork does not automatically make the motorcycle’s owner a man to be feared. Way too many close-ups of that. Still, the whole “free pre-show” idea is a sound one, and TNA should look into doing it more often. This particular match may not have sold any ppvs, but the idea itself isn’t bad.Bonaduce busted out a set of nunchuku, and spun them all around. Don West pointed out that Bonaduce is actually a third-degree black belt. Bonaduce attempts some skullduggery with his nunchuku, but Young rolls him up and gets the pin in less than four minutes. The post-match doings were the bigger deal. Bonaduce shook Young’s hand, and Young turned his back on Bonaduce to leave. No. No, Eric. Bonaduce attacked him from behind, causing Rhino to rush the ring and plant Bonaduce with a Gore! Gore! I Voted for Gore! Putting this match on the pre-show made sense, if they were going to do it at all, but in the end, the hype seemed too great for a Rhino run-in to be the high point of everything. This match actually got more hype than the three-way IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team title match, so it just seemed unfulfilling.

    Winner: Eric Young


    We meet Dixie Carter on tv for the first time. JB points out that TNA is not owned and operated by an egotistical billionaire businessman, they are, in fact, owned and operated by an attractive mother of two from Dallas, Texas. Dixie came off well, very sweet and down-to-earth, sincerely thanking the fans and talking about what the company means to her. That she’s nice to look at (if you’re into the MILFy kind of thing) didn’t hurt. Please don’t make her an on-air character! On to the main show!

    Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles arrive together. Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett are nowhere to be seen. In contrast, the Main Event Mafia arrives (mostly) together.

    The Smashing Pumpkins song (“Bullets with Butterfly Wings”) plays again. Billy Corgan speaks the lyrics rather than singing them, and adds a line about “still just a rat in a steel cage.” Nice! 

    Match #1: X-scape match for the X-Division Championship Suicide defends against Sheik Abdul Bashir, Kiyoshi, Consequences Creed, and “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal

    For those with no previous X-scape match experience, wrestlers are eliminated via pinfall or submission until two remain. Then, the first man to climb out of the cage and land both feet on the floor wins. A perfectly sound concept. Referring to this match as a “fun” match with “some decent spots” isn’t really fair. A solid story was being told, as in this particular match, the champion was on his own, and the four challengers were actually two tag teams. Suicide did a neat “appearing in the center of the ring” entrance instead of flying in. Shaking up his entrance really helps the character, particularly before it can get stale. Jay Lethal eliminates Kiyoshi at between three and four minutes in with a top rope elbow drop, followed by a double-pin from Lethal and Creed. Lethal and Creed are extremely sloppy. Kiyoshi is better than this. Bashir plants Creed with the WMDDT (That’s one of the most ignorant, pointless, STUPID names for a finishing move ever! It isn’t a clever play on words. It’s just dumb.), and eliminates him. Now the team factor is gone, and Bashir and Lethal must go after Suicide on their own. Lethal squares off with Suicide, but is hit with the Suicide Solution. Bashir throws Suicide into the cage and steals the pin on Lethal, eliminating him at almost eight minutes in. Down to champion Suicide and challenger Bashir. Bashir tries to get out through the cage door, but Suicide is having none of it. Both men climb to the top of the cage. Suicide headbutts Bashir and causes him to fall, but not to the floor. Kiyoshi runs out and tries to climb the cage and stop Suicide, but several security members restrain him. Suicide looks down at Bashir, who is almost to the floor, and makes a beautiful “Suicide Dive” onto Kiyoshi and the security guards to hit the ground first.     

    Winner and still X-Division Champion: Suicide


    Match #2: “Queen of the Cage” match
    Sojo Bolt vs. Madison Rayne vs. ODB vs. Daffney

    The one problem with this match is that Daffney was the only one actually wrestling in it. Super cool look for Daffney, both in ring gear and make-up. Everyone piles on ODB at first, but she’s not even brawling in the style in which we know she can. She’s a cartoon character, even more so than she was before. Cody Deaner pours the liquid from the flask into ODB’s mouth, and she cleans house. Actually, she mostly slaps her own butt and boobs, but that’s neither here nor there. Don Wests complains that if ODB isn’t going to share with everyone, she shouldn’t be allowed to drink from the flask during matches because it isn’t fair. Pretty funny. At one point, ODB is down long enough for Daffney to outwrestle everyone else, and nearly pins Rayne and Bolt. Another flask shot sees ODB hulk up, spit the flask’s contents into the eyes of Sojo Bolt, hit Bolt with a power slam, and get the pin. ODB and Cody Deaner celebrate. TNA gets rid of Sonjay Dutt, Jimmy Rave, and Petey Williams and brings in Cody Deaner. Cross the line…. 

    Winner and “Queen of the Cage”: ODB


    Jeff Jarrett arrives alone. Tension!
    Match #3: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Title match
    Motor City Machine Guns defend against No Limit and LAX

    Regardless of who actually held the belts, there should have been more focus on this match. It’s hard to buy into the whole “international prestige” of titles from another company in another country, when you yourself (TNA) haven’t made that big of a deal out of them. A few short promos and/or video clips would have done wonders for this match. Show some clips from the matches where each team won gold, explain why they’re all fighting, and so on. LAX holds tag team gold in Puerto Rico. The Motor City Machine Guns hold tag team gold from Japan. No Limit used to hold the titles that the MCMG now hold, and want them back. This could have been “International Tag Team Domination,” for lack of a better term. I know. There was no time. If it was going on the ppv, time should have been made.  

    Some people seem to delight in referring to any TNA match not involving established main-eventers as “a fun little match with the usual cool spots,” or some variation thereof. This implies that no psychology, no storytelling, and no coherent plan are taking place. The aforementioned description does not apply to this match. “Texas Tornado” rules apply, which means that all six guys will be in the ring at once, and no tags have to be made. The big story here was both No Limit and MCMG going after Hernandez and trying to incapacitate him. This plan doesn’t work so well. Hernandez sends Sabin into the cage with a huge shoulder block. Ouch! Shelley and Sabin eventually try to double-team Hernandez with a suplex, but he reverses it and suplexes both of them instead. Hernandez is soon beaten down, and thrown into a corner, where every other guy takes at least one turn hitting him with a running clothesline. The double-team action can’t be done justice by trying to call it, so watch the match, already! All three teams look solid and strong throughout. At one point, Hernandez Cracker Jacks Sabin into the cage, and Sabin comes down head-first and painfully. Seriously, it looked bad, and I hope he’s ok. Shelley gets Border Tossed into the cage, and fares slightly less terribly than his partner. While the MCMG are down, LAX and No Limit go. Yujiro has Homicide on the top turnbuckle for something, but Hernandez gets Yujiro on his shoulders, and Homicide hits him with an Ace Crusher. The recovered MCMG take out Hernandez, and slam Naito from the top turnbuckle with the Made in Detroit combination. One! Two! Three! YES! It’s true! Don West actually says that now, TNA has to start considering the MCMG for a shot at the TNA tag team titles and a place in the division. Oh, ya think????   

    Winners and still IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions: the Motor City Machine Guns


    Match #4: “Doomsday Chamber of Blood” match
    Abyss vs. Matt Morgan

    In this match, the object is to make the opponent bleed, then he can be pinned or made to submit. Fair enough. I’m not a fan of these types of matches, so I can’t really say how it compares with others of the kind. After punching chairs and such, Morgan opens up Abyss first. Abyss can now be pinned or made to submit. Morgan only gets a two-count. Morgan opens a bag of glass, and tries to drive Abyss’s head into it. Then Morgan tries to stab Abyss in the head with a shard of glass. Abyss sends Morgan into the cage, then choke slams him, but since Morgan isn’t bleeding, the referee refuses to count it. Abyss cuts Morgan’s forehead open with glass. Both guys can now be pinned or made to submit. Dr. Stevie comes out, and is finally publicly revealed as Stevie Richards. He takes a chair away from Abyss, and yells at him not to engage in violence with weapons. Morgan uses this opportunity to hit Abyss with the Carbon Footprint, but only gets a two-count. Abyss gets a bag of thumbtacks from under the ring. Stevie tells him not to. Stevie takes off his jacket, enters the ring, and slaps Abyss around like a little bitch. Morgan low-blows Abyss while Abyss argues with Stevie, then plants Abyss on the thumbtacks with a spine buster for the win. Stevie gets his jacket and leaves. Curious as to where this is going. Not down on it, but curious.

    Winner: Matt Morgan


    Match #5: Knockouts Championship Title match
    Awesome Kong defends against Taylor Wilde and Angelina Love

    Velvet Sky and Raisha Saeed are at ringside. Angelina Love looks terrified after Kong advances on her, which is totally the thing to do. People were really into Kong, which is nice to see. This was brute power (Kong) against technical prowess and sneakiness (Angelina Love) against vaguely high-flying (Taylor Wilde). Storywise, a good idea. Taylor Wilde just isn’t that good. Angelina is much better in the ring and it shows. If you need one good reason to watch this match, Awesome Kong does a somersault splash from the top turnbuckle. Read that last line again. Awesome Kong. Somersault splash. Top turnbuckle. Yes, I was sober at the time. Great moment when Angelina tied what was left of Kong’s braids to the cage wall, with the help of Velvet Sky. Raisha Saeed tried to untie them, but ends up chasing Velvet Sky around the ring. Taylor Wilde has Angelina Love in a rear chinlock hold, but Kong kicks out at Wilde, allowing Love to roll Wilde over and get the pin on her.   

    Winner and new Knockouts Champion: Angelina Love


    Match #6: Tag Team Domination match (IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles vs. TNA Tag Team titles, winners take all)
    Team 3-D (IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions) vs. Beer Money (TNA Tag Team Champions)

    The rest of the wrestling world may disagree, but the wrong team won. For months now, the build has been just about perfect. Beer Money won matches. Team 3-D won matches. Beer Money are the TNA tag team champions for a long period of time. Team 3-D win the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles in Japan. Mutual respect. Wanting to know for sure who is the best. A great sit-down interview with Tenay. Lots of “Rough Cuts” packages on Team 3-D. The last-minute destruction of mutual respect, even to the point of echoing Team 3-D’s own line, “Because we can!” Near-constant promos, video packages, and vignettes about Team 3-D. This was the absolutely perfect “pass the torch” moment. They didn’t do it. Just about every odd that could be stacked against Beer Money had been spelled out. There was no way that they could beat Team 3-D in Philly, therefore having them do so would have been the perfect thing to do. Too much has been made about the Philly fans. What? Would they have burned down the building if Team 3-D had lost? Sure, you eventually have to give the people what they want. Eventually. When the time is right and it suits the story being told. To have Beer Money lose this match, regardless of how strong they looked in it, defies good storytelling and long-term planning. Did Team 3-D need this win? No. Was Team 3-D in dire need of getting over? No. Where does the tag team division go from here? Does Team 3-D retire and allow the “young guys” to have a tournament to claim the vacated titles? Oh, that’s ever so much more effective than actually having Beer Money defeat a legendary tag team on their own. Beer Money defeating Team 3-D in their adopted hometown, and at their own game, in front of the oh-so-terrifyingly bloodthirsty Philly fans was exactly what should have happened, and that it didn’t is quite simply wrong.       

    Winners and still IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and new TNA Tag Team Champions: Team 3D


    Match #7: “Lethal Lockdown” match
    Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, Booker T, and Kevin Nash) vs. Team Jarrett (Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe)

    Who was Joe talking to? By many accounts, it’s Tazz, which would be awesome. However, how many “mentors” does Samoa Joe need? We saw how well it worked out with Kevin Nash. The concept of “Lethal Lockdown” isn’t bad, but there were just too many bodies in the cage. A three-on-three match may have worked better. The AJ/Angle bit on the top was scary nice, and AJ’s landing looked pretty bad. This was not a bad match. It was simply too crowded, and the guys on Team Jarrett were limited in their movesets because of the cage. The Jarrett saga continues very nicely, and the chair shot to AJ looked completely accidental. Don West jumped all over it, which was great. Jarrett teasing the guitar shot to his own team, and then hitting Team Angle was ok, but it really gave off the vibe that Team Jarrett would not have won on their own. Again, the whole “We can’t do anything without Jarrett the Great to lead us!” only undermines the former Front Line even more. It was like, “Here, young guys, I am giving you this victory with this guitar shot.” Still, the drama of Jarrett’s true feelings has to keep going, and this was as good a way as any to do it. The appearance of Bobby Lashley as a possible ally of Angle and new member of the Main Event Mafia did nothing for me, but he is a former World Champion, and meets the membership requirements. I personally do not and have never cared for Lashley, and would just as soon he were not there, but the audience in Philly seemed pretty excited about his appearance. We shall see where this goes. 

    Winners: Team Jarrett


    Match #8: TNA World Heavyweight Championship title match
    Sting defends against Mick Foley

    Wow. I truly did not think that Foley would win this one. Things will definitely get interesting now, as the fallout from this title win could go in many directions and covers quite a lot of ground. The match itself was quite good. Yes, they’re both old and slow. And? That was the whole point, that this could be the last match for either one of them. Foley’s Gollum/Smeagol changes during the match were great, like making sure that the cage door was properly locked at the start of the match, and then demanding that the door be opened later after Sting had taken out his left leg. Kicking the camera man through the camera hole and trying to get out that way was certainly novel. Pulling the barbed wire bat through the hole was also a nice touch. Sting went after Foley with the bat repeatedly, which raised the question of just how far into Foley’s world Sting was willing to descend. Did anyone expect Foley to win? It’s certainly intriguing. And isn’t that the point?

    Winner and new TNA World Heavyweight Champion: Mick Foley
    FINAL THOUGHTS: Several of the other sites that I’ve visited are practically crowing about how feedback on “Lockdown” has been almost universally negative. If so, it’s not deserved. The only truly bad match in terms of wrestling was the “Queen of the Cage” match, and that’s only because three of the four women were not actually wrestling. Sting and Foley were slow, yes. So only legends currently employed by WWE can have good matches? Enough with the TNA bashing just because it’s TNA, already! Honestly, if the Sting/Foley match had happened in a WWE ring, people would be saying almost across the board that while it wasn’t as good as HBK/Taker, it told a very solid story, the ending was a huge surprise, and the two old guys can still go pretty well, all things considered. You know it. I know it. The American people know it. Foley’s title reign is not the doom of TNA, and does not harken back to the dying days of WCW, and does not prove that there is no hope for the company. Quite the opposite, in fact. I paid for “Lockdown,” and don’t feel ripped off. I actually enjoyed most of it.

    Join us later this week for “Impact” Impressions and the fallout from “Lockdown!”

    Peace out,
    Drowgoddess

  3. Why I hate: WWE Judgment Day

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    This is part three of what should be a ten part series on WWE Pay Per View events.  If this is your first time reading this series, please check out part one – “Why I  hate:  No Way Out” and part two – “Why I hate:  WWE Backlash“

    Having already stated my case against No Way Out and Backlash, two events that I feel strongly about because of their placement on the calendar in relation to WrestleMania, it may be difficult to write about Judgement Day.  Started as an In Your House event in October of 1998, the annual May Pay Per View event almost seems pointless to me.

    I present my arguments against WWE Judgment Day, after the jump! (more…)

  4. Why I hate: No Way Out

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    Note:  I was planning on writing about all of the Pay Per View events on the WWE Calendar outside of the “Big Four,” but it would have been way too long.  As such, I’m splitting it up in parts, which will be published every Sunday at noon (except for part three, which will be up next Wednesday) here on BoredWrestlingFan.com!

    I’ve been a wrestling fan for as long as I can remember.  The first promo I ever remember seeing was “Mean Gene” Okerlund interviewing Hulk Hogan about his upcoming steel cage match with King Kong Bundy a few weeks before WrestleMania 2.  The period where I started watching the shows religiously was sometime after WrestleMania IV.  I know this, because I remember all the hype about SummerSlam ’88 on Pay Per View.  Back in 1988, the WWF, as it was known at the time, only held three Pay Per View events – WrestleMania IV, SummerSlam ’88, and the second annual Survivor Series.  The following year, they added the Royal Rumble as a Pay Per View event (the first Royal Rumble event, featuring 20 competitors instead of 30, aired on the USA Network in January of 1998.), and we had “The Big Four” WWF Pay Per Views.  Save for the “Tuesday in Texas” event in 1991, these remained the only PPV events the WWF held until the addition of “King of the Ring”  in 1993.

    In 1995, when the competition from WCW started to heat up following the advent of WCW Monday Nitro, both companies started to air several more Pay Per View events.  Unlike WCW, who had full blown – and individually named – Pay Per Views every month, the WWF put on two hour events at a discounted price in the months outside of the five main PPVs, called “In Your House.”  The “In Your House” PPVs eventually grew into three hour, full priced shows before finally evolving into the monthly events we know today.

    With WWE’s purchase of WCW and ECW in 2001, they’ve experimented with holding up to two Pay Per View events per month, which didn’t work out too well, as we’re down now to 14 such events each year, the only two-PPV months being June with the newly re-branded Extreme Rules (Formerly One Night Stand) and Night of Champions, and November with Cyber Sunday and Survivor Series.  Still, I feel as though I’m already paying too much for cable without adding an extra $40 every month for Pay Per View events.

    In this series, I intend to convey my reasons why WWE – and by proxy, TNA – needs to cut back on the number of Pay Per Views a year, and do so on a per-event basis.  Safe from cuts will be the “Big Four” events – Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series.

    I present my arguments against No Way Out, after the jump! (more…)