Powell's Blog Various thoughts Mick Foley taking over as the new WWE Smackdown color commentator By Jason Powell Apr 27, 2008 - 03:55 PM CLICK FOR BIO Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Sunday, APRIL 27 - 3:55 P.M. -I love the late addition of Mick Foley to the Smackdown broadcast team for tonight's WWE Backlash pay-per-view. The move provides fans who were on the fence about ordering tonight's show with a final nudge. I'm looking forward to seeing how Foley does in his new role. He's been underutilized by WWE over the last few years and it will be nice to see him around the product on a weekly basis again. -Of course, if you can't order the show for any reason, you can always follow along with my "live coverage" right here at Prowrestling.net! Thanks for inspiring that tease, Mick. -It will be interesting to see whether Foley can settle right in. Unlike Mike Adamle, he knows the product and has a passion for the business. That being said, I have no idea whether he's kept up on the product in recent months or how he's approaching his new role. Either way, it's a welcome change because the broadcast team of Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman was just plain boring. -I feel bad for Coach, though. No, really, I do. Vince McMahon was really tough on him because he wasn't as good as JBL. I've spoken with people who say Coach knew he wasn't good on color commentary and lost all confidence when Vince started picking on him. -By the way, I I can't wait to see how Foley reacts to Vince blowing up on him through the headsets. Vince will probably give him a honeymoon period, but it's only a matter of time before Mick catches the old man on one of his many bad days. -I just hope Foley isn't too cute for his own good. It's no longer about him getting cheap pops or pulling out Mr. Socko. His new job is to put over the storylines and in-ring action, not himself. Of course, he still needs to have some fun and reestablish his personality, but it can't be all about him. -Here's hoping Foley takes his job seriously and sets out to be the best color commentator in the business, assuming this is a long-term move. I really hope this isn't something he's doing just because it sounds fun. He needs to bring the same passion he had as a wrestler to his new position if he wants to excel. I also hope he inspires Cole like JBL did. Cole has been going through the motions for months (some would say years) now and it would be great if Foley helped pull him out of this funk. -I've enjoyed the NFL draft, as always. It hasn't all been pretty, though. My friend and former coworker John Tuvey ran through the Day One Draft Lowlights in blog at the TheHuddle.com. John is as knowledgeable as anyone when it comes to the NFL draft and he's as good as it gets for fantasy football writing. His blog is a must-read for any serious fantasy football player. Saturday, APRIL 26 - 2:37 P.M. -It's NFL draft day and I have some time to kill because the Dolphins selected Jake Long with their first overall pick days ago. By the way, is there a reason the NFL Network isn't broadcasting in HD? Let me get this straight, I can watch ECW in HD on a weekly basis, but the NFL can't afford to broadcast their own draft in HD? Wait, I just found it on the third of the three NFL Network channels on my cable system. Most areas can't get NFL Network, yet I have it on three channels. Go figure. -I had fun writing a Backlash preview for UGO.com. I'm also going to be writing a recap article for the UGO gang that will appear on the site on Monday morning. -I postponed watching WWE Smackdown last night because my niece begged me to take her to see the new Harold and Kumar movie. No regrets. I don't have kids, so I spoil my niece every chance I get. The movie was fun. If you like the first episode, you'll enjoy this one. Yes, Neil Patrick Harris is back. By the way, stick around until the end of the credits for a fun clip. -Although I didn't review Smackdown live as it aired, I watched it when I got home and I really enjoyed the show. As I noted in the Hitlist, MVP is going to be a main eventer for WWE. He's slick on the mic and he just keeps getting better in the ring. This guy has an amazing story in that he turned his life around after doing over nine years in prison for armed robbery, and I can't believe WWE hasn't done more with that. Maybe they're saving it for his eventual babyface turn. I can't even imagine how great this guy could be if he had started wrestling when he was younger. -The Nigel McGuinness vs. Claudio Castagnoli main event of Ring of Honor's show at the Hammerstein Ballroom should be excellent. McGuiness is doing great work as the ROH Champion and his recent in-character sitdown interview on ROHWrestling.com was tremendous. I'd hate to see him leave ROH, but I'm shocked that WWE and TNA haven't tried to snatch him up. -I'm going to a couple's wedding shower tonight. No, I'm not making this up. The shower is for my sister and her fiance. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for the happy couple and I'm honored that they asked me to be in their wedding, but don't they know it's NFL draft day?!? By the way, what metrosexual whack job decided men should be invited to wedding showers? I am looking forward to counting the repeat cards. The pharmacy I went to had one card for couple's wedding showers. I'd promise a full report tomorrow, but I have a feeling this entry is already going to earn me a few dirty looks tonight. Friday, APRIL 25 - 12:53 P.M. -I gave the two most recent matches between Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle positive reviews and I really did enjoy them, yet they still didn't blow me away. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't get the sense that fans have been standing around their office water coolers telling their coworkers about the two classic matches they missed out on. Admittedly, I have very high expectations for these two. When I think Angle vs. Joe, I expect them to deliver a match worthy of the WrestleMania main event slot. Their last two matches have been very good, yet have still been a notch below that level. There's just something missing. Perhaps it's not so much a problem with the execution in the ring as much as it is the way the matches are planned out. They just haven't had those classic WWE staredowns or the big spots spread throughout the matches. Most importantly, they've lacked the truly memorable finishes that the best WWE matches generally seem to have. Again, I'm not knocking the Joe vs. Angle matches because I really have enjoyed them, I just don't think they've reached their full potential yet. I'm hopeful that the best is yet to come. -Joe's character is lacking right now. He's very one dimensional. It may seem odd to say that Joe clicked as the silent shooter character he played early in his TNA run given my complaint about his current one dimensional character, but I think there was an aura of mystery that is missing now. Somehow, he's almost taken a step backward since he started talking. As a viewer, I think Joe's cool because of his in-ring style, but I'm just not connecting with his character. Joe should be the subject of the next Rough Cuts segment. What are his goals? What makes him tick? Who is he? Right now, he's a badass in-ring performer who just yells about Angle and bitches about his contract. -TNA should seriously consider revamping the Friday versions of their "TNA Today" video features. They have the right idea with their post-PPV editions of the show, which feature Jeremy Borash interviewing the main event performers as they leave the ring. It would be cool to know that on Friday morning (or even immediately following the show on Thursday night) that Borash would host a post-game show with interviews and commentary that make the broadcast seem like a major event. No, a post-game show with Don West is not a good idea. We get more than enough of him during the show, not to mention that he's all over TNA Today pimping merchandise. -Please tell me that West and TNA aren't going to sell pieces of the cage that was used at Lockdown. TNA sent out a text message to their mobile subscribers on Thursday that teased West was shown near the Lockdown cage with wire cutters. -I'm looking forward to the NFL draft tomorrow. I've been so consumed with pro wrestling since I launched Dot Net back in February that I haven't had a chance to follow the NFL as closely as I usually do. I'm going to use this weekend to catch up on everything that's taken place over the last few months. I need to catch up quickly because I'm going to be writing a weekly fantasy football article for FantasyFootballChamps.com beginning in early May. Most of my former Fanball colleagues have made the jump to FFC, so add them to your list for draft coverage this weekend and great fantasy football advice. Wednesday, APRIL 23 - 11:16 A.M. Michael Hayes is lucky to still have a job. He was suspended for 60 days for using a racial slur that several sources claim is a word he uses on a regular basis. This should be a lesson to the office workers and wrestlers in every company and at every level. I don't think anyone can say they've never used inappropriate language in select company. I think it really depends on the comfort level you have with certain friends. I know I routinely call my friends names (and they return the favor) that I wouldn't say in public. Let me stress that I don't use the word Hayes throws around, but I think many people would admit to using questionable language while joking around with friends that they wouldn't use in public, let alone in a corporate environment. For whatever reason, though, Hayes felt comfortable using this word in most settings. I've been told he's uses the word in public and while on the job routinely. Some coworkers don't believe there is any malice intended (others disagree in some specific cases), but I think they also realize that he needs to wake up and come to grips with the fact that it's 2008 and he's working in a corporate environment. It doesn't matter how comfortable Hayes feels with certain talent or colleagues. He holds a power position. There are wrestlers and colleagues who have been offended by his racial slurs, yet bit their tongues because of his stroke within the company. Others have been vocal about Hayes in the past, so it's troubling that it's taken the company this long to punish him. As an employee, Hayes must realize that he puts himself and the company at risk by using racial slurs regardless of his intent. Hayes and everyone else in the industry must come to grips with the fact that a judge isn't going to accept the "I was only joking" excuse for using a racial slur. It's really just common sense. Tuesday, APRIL 22 - 11:09 A.M. -There's no denying that WWE pulled off a major coup by getting the Presidential candidates to record messages for Raw last night. However, this was hardly one of those "made me proud to be a pro wrestling fan" moments. Rather, it made me embarrassed to think that I'll be voting for one of these people in November. Is there any piece of copy they won't read? HIll-Rod? The Mac? Ugh. I think all three candidates deserve the criticism they're getting in some circles. They're really no better than a cash-strapped actor who shills for any company that is willing to meet his financial demands. I'm sure some people will defend the candidates by commending them for not taking themselves too seriously. Call me crazy, but I guess I like the idea of a President who takes himself seriously. -Am I alone in thinking that if the Mamajuana website had enough visitors, the candidates would have happily appeared in some type of video on the site and read some type of plug for his love potion? Yes, there's a Hillary Clinton joke that would tie in nicely, but I'm not going there. -By the way, I'd love to hear from someone who has tried Mamajuana. Was it everything you and your significant other hoped it would be? By the way, does the bottle say anything about flabby man boobs being a possible side effect? -Note to Mamajuana users: Clicking on the advertisements here at Dot Net will also increase your libido. Yes, I'm joking. -Monday's Raw did nothing to make me want to order the Backlash pay-per-view. Of course, I'll be covering it here on Dot Net, but Shawn Michaels vs. Batista is the only match I'm really intrigued by. I'm sure there will be some good action in the two title matches, but one is a WrestleMania rematch and the other is a glorified WrestleMania rematch with Mr. Mamajuana added to the mix. Keep in mind that I originally endorsed the early pay-per-view lineup. Somehow, WWE has managed to make me lose interest in Backlash over the last few weeks. -TNA had the right idea by sending out a series of text messages on Monday. There's a ton of interest in pro wrestling on Mondays due to Raw, but TNA really drops off the radar unless they had a pay-per-view the night before. I'd like to see them to launch a newsworthy edition of TNA Today on Monday. Perhaps Jeremy Borash could conduct a short interview segment with one of the wrestlers and offer a legit news item or two. Yes, it should be more than clips from a house show, a pay-per-view ad, and Don West shilling merchandise on Mondays. Monday, APRIL 21 - 12:09 P.M. -I admit that I'm probably being paranoid by keeping my guard up for some type of swerve from WWE regarding the presidential candidates appearing on tonight's Raw. After all, it only requires one candidate cracking before the other two follow suit. If they do appear, it will be interesting to find out which candidate agreed to appear first. WWE spokesman Gary Davis stated that they contacted John McCain last, so it's probably safe to assume that Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton committed first. -Honestly, I couldn't care less about the candidates appearing on Raw. I realize it's a big deal for WWE and I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy it, but I'm much more excited about the King of the Ring tournament. King Kennedy has a nice ring to it, but so does King Santino. No inside information here, folks. Those are just two guys I'd like to see win the tournament. -I hope WWE has more than one goal in mind for this tournament. A good wrestling tournament does more than simply elevate the winning the wrestler. ROH did a great job of elevating more than one wrestler in their Race to the Top tournament last year. Here's hoping that WWE books one wrestler in a manner that surprises viewers by pulling off an upset or two even if he doesn't win the actual tournament. Really, it's like any sports tournament or playoffs. Ultimately, the history books only remember the winner, but that doesn't mean the fans aren't talking about how good that young team that made the surprising run could be in the future. -Am I the only one who is looking forward to tomorrow night's ECW show a lot more than usual? It will be interesting to see if Mike Adamle spent the entire week catching up on all things WWE, which he should have done to begin with. For that matter, I'm curious to see whether he can hold his own in a live broadcasting situation even if he is familiar with the product. Remember, Adamle has a bad reputation in Chicago for struggling in live situations stemming from his work as an on-air sports reporter. -It's time for TNA management officials to put their issues with Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley aside. These two are capable of carrying the TNA tag division and I think I speak for most fans when I say I'm ready to see a Motor City Machine Guns vs. LAX feud. TNA could get at least six months of great matches out of those two teams if they booked them in a carefully crafted six month program. -Speaking of the Gun and LAX, I suggest turning over the booking of their feud to Jim Cornette, who knows a thing or two about long-term tag team programs. I know TNA officials see Sabin and Shelley as a babyface duo, but they've both been more effective as heels throughout their careers. I was excited to hear them say during a recent interview that they've been watching classic Midnight Express tapes because that's exactly the type of team they could be for TNA. -Sorry to hear about Mark Briscoe's wrist injury. The Briscoes are always among the highlights of Ring of Honor shows and it sounds like it will be at least a few months before they are able to team again. That being said, it will be fun to see whether ROH gives Jay Briscoe a singles push while his brother is recovering. 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