Welcome, one and all to this week's Two Sheds On TV column. This week I am debuting a new format, brought on by the fact that the majority of TWC's output will be repeats for the next few weeks. So here goes.
WWE
Once again Raw centred around the fate of the World Heavyweight title, with General Manager Eric Bischoff returning from his holiday having to make a tough decision. In the end it was hardly surprising that the New Year's Revolution pay-per-view will feature an Elimination Chamber bout for the vacant title. It will be good to see this kind of match again after a fifteen month absence.
As Daniel Puder won the $1,000,000 Tough Enough contest on Smackdown, I breathed a sigh of relief. However, allegations of fixing will continue, mainly because a number of the contestants now have developmental deals.
And once again the Big Show is pushed to the top of the card as JBL's next title challenger. Am I the only one who would have preferred Kurt Angle as the number one contender.
American Independents
TWC Spotlight gave British fans a first look at Live Action Wrestling. I know next to nothing about this promotion, but I was highly impressed with what I saw. Good production values were matched with a good in-ring product, although I do wish that David Flair would try to find his own promo style, instead of trying to emulate his father.
A repeat of TWC Bloodbath saw two brawls between Raven and the Sandman, one from TNA, and one from 3PW. Good as they were, nothing will compare to their classics in ECW. The show was rounded up with a Taipei Death Match from CZW, featuring Zandig and Ian Rotten. The less said about this the better. I doubt if I'll be catching much of TWC Bloodbath again. It's not really my style of show.
Great Britain
World of Sport featured a Pakistani wrestler by the name of Majid Ackra, and the first time I had ever seen platform wrestling boots. Ackra looked like a big guy, so I have no idea why he needed to look any taller.
The highlight of the show was a catch weight bout between Bobby Barnes and Catweazle, two distinct wrestling personalities who couldn't be farther apart, but a great bout nonetheless.
I'm still having trouble getting into the FWA Academy shows. While the announcer certainly knows his stuff, at times he sounds like a certain Dr. Who enemy.
One thing I wondered about on this show was the profile of Tyrone Johnson. There's no doubting this youngster's ability and potential, but why profile someone who hasn't actually made their professional debut yet?
The FWA Academy also featured on this week's edition of U.K. Round-Up, which again left me confused about the show's direction. But if I am to be honest, the show is certainly improving five weeks into it's run, and the main event pitting Ricky Knight against Dirk Feelgood was certainly worthy of this spot.
But once again I'm left to wonder if Mo Chatra is really needed on this show. As a link man Chatra's performance leaves a lot to be desired. He may be a good writer, but he's not a good television personality, and I'm not the only one who thinks that U.K. Round-Up may be better off without Chatra as a presenter, or without a presenter at all.
Then we have Ready Steady Cook. No, Tinselly Harriott isn't training to become a pro wrestler, although I'd gladly pay Low Ki and few quid to kick his arse any day. Two British stars appeared on the show this week. Sadly I only caught a few minutes of the show, and I have no idea who those guys were, but I had to mention them.
Supercard Sunday
This week we were given the Best of America's Most Wanted. AMW are probably the best team in North America outside of the WWE right now, and although I'm a fan of Chris Harris and James Storm, this four hour tribute seemed two hours too long for me. I know TWC are trying to cut costs at the moment, and these types of compilations are a good way of doing this, but I'd rather see two two hour compilations than an extended four hour tribute
dedicated to one team or wrestler.
That's your lot for this week. I'll be back after Christmas with a look at wrestling on TV over the festive period. Merry Christmas!
WWE
Once again Raw centred around the fate of the World Heavyweight title, with General Manager Eric Bischoff returning from his holiday having to make a tough decision. In the end it was hardly surprising that the New Year's Revolution pay-per-view will feature an Elimination Chamber bout for the vacant title. It will be good to see this kind of match again after a fifteen month absence.
As Daniel Puder won the $1,000,000 Tough Enough contest on Smackdown, I breathed a sigh of relief. However, allegations of fixing will continue, mainly because a number of the contestants now have developmental deals.
And once again the Big Show is pushed to the top of the card as JBL's next title challenger. Am I the only one who would have preferred Kurt Angle as the number one contender.
American Independents
TWC Spotlight gave British fans a first look at Live Action Wrestling. I know next to nothing about this promotion, but I was highly impressed with what I saw. Good production values were matched with a good in-ring product, although I do wish that David Flair would try to find his own promo style, instead of trying to emulate his father.
A repeat of TWC Bloodbath saw two brawls between Raven and the Sandman, one from TNA, and one from 3PW. Good as they were, nothing will compare to their classics in ECW. The show was rounded up with a Taipei Death Match from CZW, featuring Zandig and Ian Rotten. The less said about this the better. I doubt if I'll be catching much of TWC Bloodbath again. It's not really my style of show.
Great Britain
World of Sport featured a Pakistani wrestler by the name of Majid Ackra, and the first time I had ever seen platform wrestling boots. Ackra looked like a big guy, so I have no idea why he needed to look any taller.
The highlight of the show was a catch weight bout between Bobby Barnes and Catweazle, two distinct wrestling personalities who couldn't be farther apart, but a great bout nonetheless.
I'm still having trouble getting into the FWA Academy shows. While the announcer certainly knows his stuff, at times he sounds like a certain Dr. Who enemy.
One thing I wondered about on this show was the profile of Tyrone Johnson. There's no doubting this youngster's ability and potential, but why profile someone who hasn't actually made their professional debut yet?
The FWA Academy also featured on this week's edition of U.K. Round-Up, which again left me confused about the show's direction. But if I am to be honest, the show is certainly improving five weeks into it's run, and the main event pitting Ricky Knight against Dirk Feelgood was certainly worthy of this spot.
But once again I'm left to wonder if Mo Chatra is really needed on this show. As a link man Chatra's performance leaves a lot to be desired. He may be a good writer, but he's not a good television personality, and I'm not the only one who thinks that U.K. Round-Up may be better off without Chatra as a presenter, or without a presenter at all.
Then we have Ready Steady Cook. No, Tinselly Harriott isn't training to become a pro wrestler, although I'd gladly pay Low Ki and few quid to kick his arse any day. Two British stars appeared on the show this week. Sadly I only caught a few minutes of the show, and I have no idea who those guys were, but I had to mention them.
Supercard Sunday
This week we were given the Best of America's Most Wanted. AMW are probably the best team in North America outside of the WWE right now, and although I'm a fan of Chris Harris and James Storm, this four hour tribute seemed two hours too long for me. I know TWC are trying to cut costs at the moment, and these types of compilations are a good way of doing this, but I'd rather see two two hour compilations than an extended four hour tribute
dedicated to one team or wrestler.
That's your lot for this week. I'll be back after Christmas with a look at wrestling on TV over the festive period. Merry Christmas!
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