By The Troublemaker
WrestlersRamblings.com
wrestling blog

I’m not sure live wrestling will ever capture my imagination again as long as it is geared towards the viewing audience at home as opposed to those paying for a ticket. Such was the case last night as both Smackdown and ECW invaded the Joe Louis Arena, on the shores of the picturesque Detroit River. Seated just nine rows back from the action, WrestlersRamblings.com was indeed well represented and ready to issue a full report on a night of action that held some peaks and valleys.

The affect of this event being available to those at home was never more evident than in the obvious lack of ticket sales. Perhaps Vince and the boys should consider blacking out TV tapings locally to ensure a better gate. A rough estimate by W.R staffers pegged the attendance at no more than 10,000. When you think that once monthly house shows used to sellout this venue a couple decades ago, that’s pretty pathetic. Several black curtains draped the upper bowl of JLA to mask the fact that despite only a handful of shows a year in this wrestling hotbed, a decent crowd wasn’t even really expected from the get-go. Is it like this everywhere?

Even though we had some of the best seats in the house, the urge to turn around and checkout the Titan Tron presented itself several times during the card. Unlike years ago when most of the action stayed in the ring, the propensity of todays’ wrestler to operate on the outside really makes it difficult for the fan to keep up with what’s going on. On that count I’m glad the big screen is available. Without stealing Mr Mal’s thunder, I will give you a few quick hits on what I thought were the nights top moments, and the results from both shows.

SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!

Anarchy in the U.K - Finlay vs Regal
The night really started for me with this tilt between the two foremost masters of ring psychology. From the pre-match interview, leading to the predictable outcome, this match was card’s best bet. While Finlay carried most of the action with an assortment stiff, blunt-force manuevers, the facial contortions and counter moves by the polished Regal brought you back to the days when grapplers didn’t need flashy pyrotechnics and chair shots to woo the crowd. Great pops all around for both seasoned vets. This market knows a couple of pros when they see em’. A brief appearance by Finlay’s leprechaun (who I believe found his pot of gold) resulted again in the downfall of Regal. I think the return of the Duchess of Queensbury is imminent.

All bang and no buck
Dave Batista may be back - and he looks great - but coming back and losing again to Ken Kennedy was hardly impressive under any circumstances. His pyro was the most-memorable feature of his performance.

The Coronation of King Booker
I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a finer ceremony or a more appreciative man with blue-blood coursing through his veins. Though the event was cut short by the sour-grape eating midget Rey Mysterio, I was still honored just to be in the presence of Royalty.

Mike Knox and Kelly Kelly
Youzers! If that skirt gets any shorter on this hot-to-trot blondie, the Troublemaker might yet resurrect those childhood dreams of getting in that ring to work a few matches. Just having the prospect of a possible inter-gender match with his hottie is enough to inspire this hooded hero. I’d lay down (and put her over) any time she wanted. Kelly Kelly - the diva so hot they named her twice.

ECW - Introducing Vampire (with Ariel)
Some of the nights best pops and wrestling moves were found in this Eddie Munster look-alike vs Little Guido match up. Though Guido suffered a pre-match beating at the hands of Paul Hayman’s henchmen, it didn’t take away from the overall feel Vampire displayed in commanding the crowds attention. Ariel, an obvious disciple of the S&M scene, (think Fallen Angel) drew a more passionate pop than the Divas running around earlier playing musical chairs. Following a perfectly executed Razor’s Edge, Vampire hooked the leg for the clean three-count.

Encore, I say, Encore
The hollow feeling left by the nights main event, (I’ll let Mal let you in on that one) was quickly replaced by anticipation, as Khali and the Undertaker made an appearance for more than just a little post-match brawling. A ten minute tag-match featuring Kane and ‘Taker vs Khali and the Big Show was nice bonus, even if Khali only left the apron to abandon his partner into the arms of double choke-slam.

All in all, given the great seats, and the chance to see Regal vs Finley, I’d rate the show a solid seven out of ten. The rest of the nights results are as follows: Vito def. Simon Dean, Sylvan def. Tatanka, Michelle McCool def. Jillian, Sylvester Turkey def. Matt Hardy, King Booker def. Rey Mysterio. In ECW- Sandman def. Mike Knox, Justin Credible def. Balls Mahoney by DQ, Big Show def. Kane in an Extreme Rules main event.

For more on last nights show, check Mr. Mal a little later.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 26th, 2006 at 12:30 pm and is filed under WWE News and Views, Troublemaker's Tirades. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.