Twilling's Blog The current MVP of WWE and the MLB American League, NFL opening day, Steely McBeams By Rich Twilling Sep 7, 2008 - 04:00 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Sunday, SEPTEMBER 7 – 4:00 P.M. (CT) -As everyone knows, today is the true opening day in the National Football League. As a result, I am taking advantage of the television at my desk and watching the games. So far, things are going well for my fantasy team, the Steely McBeams, but unfortunately, the guy I am playing today is having a career day. -With the end of the baseball season coming soon, debate over postseason awards really start to build steam. Let me place my vote for American League MVP for Boston Red Sox second baseman, Dustin Pedroia. You could say I am biased here. The Red Sox are my team. On top of that, Dustin graduated from Woodland High School, about 20 minutes away from my house. I actually played with him and coached him. Dustin is a great guy and great player. He is also the pulse of that team. I predict the Sox will catch the Tampa Bay Rays and when they do, Dustin should receive some serious consideration for MVP. This is his second year in Major League Baseball and he has been impressive thus far. Last year, he was the American League Rookie of the Year and of course, a World Series Champion. This year, he could win the MVP, the batting title, and hopefully a second ring. -Speaking of MVPs, over the past few weeks I have been unofficially praising someone as the MVP of WWE. Jason Powell has written in his blog that he feels Shawn Michaels is the MVP of WWE this year. It is hard to disagree with that assessment. Chris Jericho would also be a good choice. However, the current MVP of WWE right now in my opinion is the ECW Champion, Mark Henry. Earlier in the year, Chavo Guerrero was the ECW Champion. Chavo is a great worker, but he has always been sort of "blah" and definitely did not deserve the title. Kane was given a run with the title as sort of a "lifetime achievement" award and because he will most likely not hold one of the two "real world championships." Once Kane moved to Raw, Mark Henry won the ECW Championship without much buildup. However, while many wrestlers need a belt to elevate them, Henry surprised most of us and has drastically elevated the ECW Championship. On top of that, he has elevated ECW as well. ECW used to be a throwaway hour. ECW used to be a show that pretty much sucked. Then Henry came along and blossomed into an amazing performer. He has moved from being a liability to his opponents in the ring to someone who is getting over (and the fans are noticing) with his immense strength and power. On top of that, he is a fantastic interview now too. I absolutely loved it when Matt Hardy was verbally bashing his Scramble opponents and when he turned to Henry, Henry completely squashed the idea of Hardy saying anything about him. Hardy had a look on his face like he just pissed his pants. Great stuff. I am not sure why WWE would want to take the ECW off of Henry at this point, but if they do, WWE would want to keep Henry looking strong. Thus, he could lose the title tonight without being pinned and while completely dominating the match beforehand. However, I hope he keeps the title and holds it for a long time. With the reaction he is getting from the fans, the right babyface pinning him for the title would pop the crowd huge and the chase could be money. Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 2 – 8:23 A.M. -Oftentimes, wrestling fans will clamor for the next big "boom period" and it is commonly agreed to that the last one was during the Attitude Era. It could be argued that before that, the mid to late 80s was the closest thing. The capability is there, but capturing lightning in a bottle is something that just happens. This is not Back to the Future and you cannot plan to catch said lightning. Steve Austin, The Rock, and Mankind came along and peaked together. It would be nice if a group like that could come along today. Back before weekly television shows reminiscent of Saturday Night's Main Event and monthly pay-per-view events, simply seeing an interview from someone like Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair was a big deal. If they were in action against a jobber, it was a big deal too. Nowadays, the champion is oftentimes just another person on the show and in the case of C.M. Punk, not even the main draw. When WWE decided to split into two and then three separate brands, they did so in the hopes of creating new superstars. In my opinion, it has worked. Without the brand split, it could be argued that Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, JBL, and Punk would have never become world champions. While the brand split has been positive in that sense, it has its holes too. Granted, it would be difficult to compare today's roster to that of the Attitude Era. However, imagine if everyone was on the same show. Say Triple H, The Undertaker, Edge, MVP, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, John Cena, Chris Jericho, and all of the up and coming young stars were on the same shows every week. If a boom period were to happen, recombining the brands would be a good start. However, the progress made by splitting the brands and creating new stars would most likely be halted. It is definitely an imperfect science. Another problem with the three rosters is injuries. Injuries always come at inopportune times and right now, WWE is ravaged with injury problems. Cena, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Umaga, and Kennedy are all out right now. Edge missed both Wrestlemania 19 and 20. Batista missed Wrestlemania 22. Triple H missed Wrestlemania 23. Cena was supposed to be out last year. Imagine again if the entire roster was healthy at Wrestlemania time; the card would be (should be) very memorable. Injuries allow other people to step up, but I doubt Vince McMahon is ever glad to see one or more of his top stars go down at the same time. There is definitely room for everyone to shine if they are capable. I feel that main eventers wrestling in middle or low card matches elevates the status of the middle and low card. Not everyone can be involved in the main event and/or title picture at the same time, but main event guys can bring prestige to the entire card. Monday, SEPTEMBER 1 – 9:59 A.M. -First and foremost, I spent the last part of the week and weekend in Los Angeles. Besides falling down the stairs carrying a box speaker because I thought I was already on the bottom step but actually had one to go, I had a nice time. I cannot straighten my arm and my leg is killing me, but oh well. I did find it humorous that every bartender and bar regular at TGI Friday's thought he or she was an actor or an agent. Reach for the sky! Actually, those of you I ran into should probably find something to fall back on. -With the wave of injuries in World Wrestling Entertainment, I definitely wanted to address the issue; however, I am going to watch Raw tonight first. For those of you who have not read the spoilers, well, let's just say WWE has some scrambling (no pun intended) to do for the pay-per-view. -Instead, I want to focus on TNA and their inability to look at the future. While the situation regarding Tomko seems to be up in the air, it still looks as though he is leaving the company. The woman who put the Knockout division on the map, Gail Kim, could be on her way back to WWE. The contract status of Christian Cage and Team 3D is up in the air. In the past, I have expressed bewilderment over Sting and what exactly about him makes him so special. I have seen and followed Sting for his entire career and while he is a star, I see him as an upper mid-carder at best. Let's call a spade a spade here; TNA is still in its development stages and they need to establish an identity. When the X-Division was flourishing, TNA had something that WWE did not have. However, they have slowly become a bad version of WWE programming. For some reason, they continue to bring in Sting, pay him a lot of money, and see nothing in return. By letting Gail Kim and Tomko go, they are sending a message that they are not sure what they are doing. Young talent with upside should be held onto. In Cage's case, I find him to be the most entertaining person in TNA. He is a veteran but still young enough to carry the ball for years to come. If they let him go, they are essentially pulling apart the glue that helps hold TNA together. Team 3D is on the backend of their career, but they still work hard, give good promos, and have a lot to offer. If TNA is going to keep older talent, Team 3D should be on that list. We all know that Mick Foley is headed to TNA. I love Foley and I think he will do some positive things for the company, but is this a good hire? TNA has landed a lot of WWE castoffs and a few of them were big names, such as the aforementioned Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, and Booker T. However, after the initial buzz, these men did not do anything for television viewership or pay-per-view buys. I am not sure what Foley can bring to the TNA table at this point in his career. Sure, he is a great talker and if given the chance, would be a welcome addition to the announce booth. He has the ability to be a part time in ring talent who can elevate the right guy or guys if given a platform in which to shine. However, he may end up being another Sting to the company and that is the last thing TNA needs right now. That being said, I am curious to see Foley in TNA and wish him the best, but once the bloom is off of the rose, will it turn out to be a good signing? Vince McMahon has flipped the script a little bit and is pushing either homegrown or former ROH talent. It has always been said that TNA should not try to be "Diet WWE." They have the talent and ability to be a distinct company, like ROH or the old ECW, and they should really think about moving in that direction. They will stay in business, but until things change, they will not make much of an impact (some pun intended). HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! BECOME A MEMBER AT OUR CHARTER RATE OF JUST $5 A MONTH - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SHOWS, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AD-FREE MAIN LISTING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO) GOT AN IPHONE OR IPOD TOUCH? THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE iPhone APP: (click here!) 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