Anyone for Tennis?

Jim Cornette left Ring of Honor under a cloud last year, the result of a blowup backstage that came about because Corny disagreed with the direction of the company. Yes this is the same Jim Cornette as had been guiding the promotion for around a year and a half. He had been relieved of his duties but was sticking around as a consultant. The aforementioned blowup likely occurred because Jim's opinions weren't carrying the weight he was used to them carrying.

This disagreement means it's unlikely Cornette is to do business with ROH any time soon. This is great news from a booking standpoint, Delirious has turned the company around in the space of months. ROH is now a federation worth watching again.

It does mean we will probably miss out on what could be an enjoyable return story though. Not an essential return story, but an enjoyable one.

Cornette's public split from ROH is the perfect excuse to have him come back as an on-screen heel. His past as a manager is well known. He could return to manage a disenfranchised member of the locker room or invade alongside one of his old pals. For some reason I can't get the image of Cornette managing Vader in ROH out of my mind. I'm sure something better than that could be concocted, but it's a decent example of the sort of guy I mean. A veteran who wouldn’t seem out of place in the territories of yesteryear.

"Close the door, dammit! We're having a private moment!"

Obviously there's a strong similarity to the SCUM plot, which puts the kibosh on the entire thing (as does sanity). A Cornette return while that faction is still doing the rounds wouldn't work. It would create two heel forces set on the destruction of ROH. Nobody needs to see that (ain't nobody got time for that).

Something else that would make a Corny return unlikely while they're still around is that a large part of the reason SCUM exists is because of the group’s dislike of Corny. Corino's gang and Cornette feuding with ROH at the same time would possibly make the world collapse in on itself due to lack of logic.

The idea could be used for a DVD taping. A one off appearance of Cornette would lend itself nicely to a one night only setting. It could be announced that he's signed a client to help him get his revenge on the company. As it wouldn't be an ongoing story pretty much anyone who fits the bill of a "Cornette guy" could be used. That includes Vader. Yes, he does still wrestle. I checked.

If not used for a DVD taping it could be held off until the latter half of next year. Waiting much longer than that would make it a dead and pointless story. Doing it sooner would coincide with SCUM which would be a bad idea, as I've mentioned.

It’s not going to happen anyway, of course. Cornette was fired and, in a typical move, has slated the company for the decision. Never mind that it's what fans had called for or that it was the right thing for Ring of Honor’s continued growth. Cornette's reaction to being let go, and indeed ROH's decision to get rid of him in the first place, means that it’s almost guaranteed that we’ll never see this scenario play out.

It doesn’t matter. SCUM's a better idea anyway.

NXTweet 17.10.12

One of the things I like about NXT is that it gives us the chance to see WWE’s developmental crew wrestle. Because of this I tend to be disappointed with instalments that rely heavily on members of the main roster. Unfortunately this week presented us with one of those episodes.

The opening contest saw improbably over Alex Riley lose to Three Man Band founding member Jinder Mahal. Sighting of the Perspex box aside it was a disappointing way to start off a show that is supposed to showcase wrestlers trying to get themselves onto the main roster. Mahal v Riley would have been more appropriate booked on an episode of Superstars.

The Jake Carter versus Trent Barreta match was an improvement from a showcasing point of view but it wasn’t exactly an electrifying contest. Barreta has been featured on SmackDown and Superstars before now and Carter appears to be little more than a jobber-in-the-making. Both men would have benefitted from different opponents.

The appearance of ‘The Intellectual Saviour of the Masses’ Damien Sandow improved things considerably. Sandow received a big cheer when his music hit but by the time he reached the ring he’d managed to convince the fans to boo him with an effective promo.

You need only watch his performance here to see why he’ll be a regular on WWE television for years to come: he understands the character he’s portraying and how to make people dislike him. Touches like refusing to perform a victory cartwheel (because the fans were chanting for one) and pulling a smug pose while getting the winning pinfall are the sort of thing that too many WWE guys overlook.

 

That thick, lustrous beard and winning smile will be on WWE television for a long time to come

 

The six man tag team main event was the show’s saving grace. The inclusion of the Usos may have stopped it from being the all-developmental match it should have been but seeing Richie Steamboat, Kassius Ohno and The Ascension more than made up for that. The six men put on a lengthy and entertaining match with a very nice finish: Steamboat hit the ropes to build up steam for a dive to the outside and got caught with Ohno’s One Behind the Ear elbow smash finisher.

NXT needs to stick to matches like the main event if it is to retain its appeal. Too many main roster stars will cause the show to lose its uniqueness.

Opening recap video

Tweet 1: NXTweet.

Tweet 2: Briley Pierce looks familiar... #Dolphsbrother
Tweet 3: The CM Punk recap was nice and all but where's it going to lead?

Alex Riley v Jiner Mahal

Tweet 4: They're starting off with an Alex Riley match. Not a good sign.

Tweet 5: JINDER MAHAL'S PERSPEX BOX!!
Tweet 6: I think this is the first time I've wanted to skip a match on NXT.
Tweet 7: You can tell this was filmed before the 3MB idea. Jinder's still wearing his purple and turquoise trunks.
Tweet 8: This referee looks like Sheldon Cooper.
Tweet 9: Riley wins a generic match with a generic rollup. I feel cheap having watched this.
Tweet 10: Post-match camel clutch there. The babyfaces of the locker room either fear Mahal or hate Riley because nobody made the save.
Tweet 11: I like to think they all hate A-Ry.

Jake Carter v Trent Barreta

Tweet 12: It’s Carter time!

Tweet 13: Regal is telling a story about Vader refusing to take Jake to the park unless he did 1000 push-ups. Nonsense yes, but funny nonsense.
Tweet 14: Don't try and get Barreta over as a striker. You're doomed to fail.
Tweet 15: Nice belly to belly suplex.
Tweet 16: Carter has two watches on his trunks. One says "It's" and the other says "Time". Oh dear.
Tweet 17: Surprised Carter lost that to be honest.

Brandon Traven v Damien Sandow

Tweet 18: The NXT Arena pops for Sandow. They love an intellectual savior.

Tweet 19: "Don't boo me, I'm simply asking questions" - Damien Sandow
Tweet 20: Brandon Traven was trained by Harley Race. According to Saxton that's all that needs to be said.
Tweet 21: It doesn't matter who trained him, Traven isn't going to beat Sandow.
Tweet 22: Those rumours of a confrontation between Race and Vader at a wrestling convention should be used as the basis for a Traven v Carter feud.
Tweet 23: I won't lie, I'm a bit creeped out by Regal talking about Sandow's hip action.
Tweet 24: Since when do audiences react to a drop kick so loudly?!
Tweet 25: No cartwheel for that audience. Solid bit of heat there.

The Ascension and Kassius Ohno v The Usos and Richie Steamboat

Tweet 26: Remember when Conor O'Brian was a babyface who likened himself to a rat? I do.

Tweet 27: It's Kassius... OHNO!
Tweet 28: The Usos need to work on their choreography.
Tweet 29: From a distance Richie Steamboat looks a little like Paul London.
Tweet 30: I miss the Kings of Wrestling.
Tweet 31: #kravat
Tweet 32: JR couldn't tell the Hardys apart, what chance does he have with actual twins?
Tweet 33: OBE from the outside was a nice finish.