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WRINGING IN THE NEW YEAR – DECEMBER 26, 2006

WRINGING IN THE NEW YEAR – DECEMBER 26, 2006

Wow!  This year has seen some major changes in the wrestling landscape.  We added a brand, major talent has “switched sides”, and Smackdown got a new night, time, and network.  Let’s “Wring” the New Year in right, with a look back at 2006.

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Wringer Year-End Awards for 2006

Feud of the Year – Edge vs. Cena.  Edge is the best heel to come along in quite a while.  His chemistry with John Cena was excellent.  Too bad the company blew it, by giving the belt back to Cena when The Marine came out.

Most Useless Feud –  Vince vs. God.  God WINS!  What a surprise!

Best Use of Power – Vince giving the Raw Heavyweight Belt to Edge.  Too bad he screwed it up…twice!

Worst Use of Power –  Blaming Paul Heyman publicly (storyline or not) for the December to Dismember pay-per-view, and “destruction” of the ECW brand.

Best “Spin” Artist – Whomever decided to blame Heyman for ECW’s faults – complete with “low ratings and disgruntled talent” as reasons for his dismissal.

Worst Use of Real Estate – The office of Vince Russo at TNA.  Since his arrival, the product has gotten really bad.  After several months of promise before his arrival, he came and put his fingerprints all over it, resulting in “WCW-TNA”.

The Irony Award – Smackdown moves to a “new” network, with a new timeslot, and ultimately becomes the strongest WWE brand (with a few exceptions)…at least at the end of the year!

Moronic Decision of the Year – Whomever decided Vince Russo could enhance/add to/better the TNA product, and hired him.

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Answers for the Unanswered Questions of 2006

Will Smackdown be around at the end of 2006?

Obviously, the answer is “yes”.  And at the end of the year, it turns out to be the strongest of the three WWE brands.

Will Bret Hart be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year?

Indeed, he was inducted this year, but did not appear at WrestleMania, despite attempts by WWE to get him there.  His speech was one of the best parts of the Hall of Fame ceremony, and added some closure to his tenure in the company, and to his wrestling career in general.

How many performers will be punished under WWE’s new drug policy?

Well, we saw Randy Orton punished for sure.  Others had “issues”, but it wasn’t a lot, the violations weren’t clear/announced, and they all mysteriously came from Smackdown/ECW.  Strange, huh?  And while some performers seem to have “gone back to their old ways”, no further “official” punishments have been announced for some time.

How many other key WWE performers will leave the company voluntarily?

Well, the biggie this year was Kurt Angle, who moved over to TNA.  There was also Trish Stratus, and Lita.  In the case of the latter two, I think the move was a good one.

How many other cheesy, 1990’s-era characters will we see debut in the company?

Well, we had Paul “The Pirate” Birchall (who I was starting to get into when they killed it).  The Boogeyman returned, to my utter dismay. We also have the Highlanders, Cryme Tyme, Jimmy Wang Yang, and Umaga to add to our “90’s Retro” wrestler list.  I don’t really like any of the names/gimmicks here, but Jimmy Yang does have great matches! 

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Unanswered Questions for 2007

Will ECW be around at the end of 2007?

What promotion, if any, will Paul Heyman be working for in December 2007?

What match, if any, will Hulk Hogan be a part of on WrestleMania 23?

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Top 5 Reasons to Watch ECW Now That Paul Heyman is Gone?

5)  The Mystery of the ECW Title…Will Lashley keep it long, and if not, who’s next?

4)  Bet on how long Sabu’s attitude keeps him in the company!

3)  Bet on how long all the remaining ECW originals stay in the company!

2)  Watch, hope, and pray that some of the former glory of the original ECW will make its way onto television!

And the number one reason to watch ECW now that Paul Heyman is gone…

1)  Watch in fascination while Vince runs the company into the ground, with more crossover Superstars, bad gimmicks, and ridiculous storylines.

Have a safe and happy New Year everyone!

You can send all comments, praise, and hate mail to me at:  ritingfool@cableone.net.