So we have arrived at that time of the year that Vince McMahon makes his way to the ring and screams: ‘It’s about time that we had a shake up around here’. Yes WWE are going roster crazy again, with their annual firings, hiring’s and promotions from OVW.
You now that these happenings are not far off when WrestleMania is done and dusted for another year. Then comes the dreaded axe (which seems to be swinging with more ferocity than ever before and at a more frequent rate).
This year we have already said a big goodbye to Matt Hardy (who lets face it, is very talented and charismatic. The reaction Lita got on Raw last week should have told the WWE what a mistake they made); Rhyno (well he has seen better days, but that is not his fault); Jesus (who never got a chance due to his neck injury, but is another poor piece of PR for WWE, releasing an injured man); and Chilly Willy and Molly Holly (who apparently negotiated a contract release on her terms).
Big losses you may note. But apart from the Matt Hardy case, I think this now-annual dose of spring-cleaning does the WWE the world of good. Added to that list could (and maybe should) have been: Sylvan Grenier, Robert Conway, Rosey, Kenzo Suzuki, Chris Masters, Gene Snitsky, Mark Henry, The Dudley Boyz and Hardcore Holly. Ok, maybe that was a little over the top, but I wouldn’t miss any of these. Would you?
But what about the talent that have been promoted thus far? At the moment, the most impressive has to be the new WWE Tag Team Champion, MNM. So Johnny Nitro has been a part of Raw in the past, and has proved his worth on the red side, but now he should have more time to shine in the ring. Anyone who watched Tough Enough would know what he is capable of, and for someone with still very little experience, I will go out and say he is one to watch for the future.
Joining Nitro in MNM is Joey Mercury, who many of you will recognise as Joey Matthews. A veteran of nine years on the indie circuit taking in promotions such as OMEGA and 3PW, Mercury is the one who will be the backbone of the side, lending an experienced head to the duo.
Completing the line-up on Smackdown’s coolest team is Melina Perez. A hot little number, she looks great on the arm of Nitro and Mercury. Apparently she can wrestle a bit, too.
Then there is Matt Morgan. He was called up over a year ago, but was deemed to be unprepared for the main stage at that point, despite out-performing Nathan Jones each week. He is also a lot better than guys like Snitsky and Heidenreich. Unfortunately for the former Tough Enough II student, he is now lumbered with the stutter gimmick, which died on Bubba Ray Dudley six years previously.
Over on Raw we have the so-called Heart Throbs as the new tag team, who are bound for glory at some date in the new future. Antonio and Romeo are looking like the new Billy and Chuck and being only very young lads with a few years experience each, I don’t fancy their chances of becoming major talents in the coming years.
I suppose you could also add Khosrow Daivari and Muhammed Hassan to this list, but you all know what I think of their gimmick.
So what does the future hold for these guys? And will the draft lottery manage to jump around the shows and give them some new excitement? Well if it is on par with last year’s then the answer is probably no.
I think that this year we need a completely new look from both shows. Hopefully if Super Crazy and Psicosis make their way to WWE TV, a serious cruiserweight division could be launched at last and even though he won’t move due to being champion, a heel John Cena would be a crucial addition to the Raw roster. Christian to Smackdown! would make sense, and was teased last week. He could be a serious title challenger with the blue brigade.
Whatever happens, lets hope it makes for some exciting television. We deserve it.
Andrew Morris