wrestling / Columns
The Shimmy 05.11.09: Once and Future Kings
Greetings, everybody. Welcome to the last edition of The Shimmy as written by a non-college graduate. By this time next week yours truly will have earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees after five long years. In the words of Zach Ryder, “Woo woo woo!”
Now I know you guys don’t care, I just needed an intro to the column and that was it. With that out of the way let’s move onto the wrestling portion of the column. In a few weeks I’ll have the good fortune to travel to Charlotte, North Carolina for a three-hour Raw show. Good price on the tickets and all. Now with the 2009 WWE Draft already in the books many people are looking for this show to feature the 2009 King of the Ring tournament.
With all the recent roster moves there are a few people that would be perfect for the role of King of the Ring. William Regal actually took off following his out-of-the-blue King of the Ring win last year up until he received his suspension. Provided this year’s winner stays on the straight and narrow they may be able to catapult into a nice summer push. This week I’ll take a look at who I think are the top ten contenders for the 2009 King of the Ring crown. Now winning KOTR is not as simple as just being an up and coming star (which is why guys like John Morrison and MVP did not make my top ten). I looked at superstars that could use that extra oomph to make themselves bigger deals, whose characters would work best with the “King” moniker, and yes even in some cases how good the name “King So-and-So” sounded. Without further adieu, my royal ten.
10. Chris Jericho
Jericho is this low on the list because of all these people he really doesn’t need it. If Jericho were going to win the King of the Ring it would have been nine years ago and it didn’t happen then. Still, if there is a character in WWE that could run with the King gimmick it’s the former Y2J. It would give Jericho yet another impressive credential to add to his resume and something to lord over the fans and his fellow wrestlers. A record breaking Intercontinental Champion, the first ever Undisputed Champion, the man that beat Stone Cold and The Rock on the same night, the 2008 Superstar of the Year, the man that beat three Hall-of-Famers and their Hall of Fame manager at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, as well as being the 2009 King of the Ring is an awful lot to put out there against your detractors or opponents. A royal video package set to his old “King of My World” music could be a nice touch as well.
9. Hornswoggle
I know, I know. This is likely to be unpopular amongst you guys out there in internet land. I’m not even saying it’s a good idea or one that I support. I do think it stands a chance of happening, however. With Hornswoggle moving to Raw in the draft he is no longer just the sidekick of Finlay. After serving primarily in a managerial position, almost as a mascot, for months after his big push last year WWE has seemingly reignited its interest in making him a legit wrestler, as evidenced by his matches with Tyson Kidd and Natalya. Getting a leprechaun over as a legit wrestler would be a hard feat. The chances the IWC ever buys into it are slim to none, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the wrestling world won’t, especially the kids that make up a heavy part of WWE’s demographic. Having Horny be the upset winner of the tournament could be what they use to springboard Hornswoggle up from comedy sidekick to actual wrestler. Again, I don’t endorse the idea and they’d have to be pretty creative to get by all of his opponents but I wouldn’t be too shocked to see something like this happen.
8. The Great Khali
The Great Khali was my pick to be last year’s King of the Ring. King Khali has a nice ring to it and I think he’d pull off the gimmick well. Khali has settled into his role as the Punjabi Playboy and has moved on down the card over the past year and a half but a KOTR rebranding could help beef up the face side of the SmackDown main even scene. Right now Khali is pretty much a mixture of Big Show and Viscera’s “World’s Largest Love Machine” gimmick. Making him more kingly might help build him back up should WWE want to utilize him in a higher profile fashion.
7. Mr. Kennedy
The potential for alliteration continues as Mr. Kennedy returns. Regardless of whether Kennedy returns as a face or heel (a face run vs. Orton could be fun but a heel run makes sense given the face-heel balance on Raw) he could desperately use a momentum builder to recapture some of the magic of a few years ago. After spending so much time on the injured list Kennedy will need something to reestablish himself on a big stage. The last images of Kennedy fans will have in their minds is a lackluster feud with William Regal and a series of annoying guest spots to promote Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia. With Kennedy slated to make his return to the ring soon this is the kind of instant impact that could help boost his stock right out of the gate. There’s also the chance that Kennedy would actually take this as a real honor and run with it considering how much he is said to admire Stone Cold Steve Austin and knowing what King of the Ring meant to Austin’s career.
6. Kofi Kingston
And we have yet another K-name to add to the list. It’s rare to find a face that really fits the King of the Ring mold as ever since the modern incarnation of the KOTR tournament (starting with the PPV era in 1993) only two faces have won the tournament (Bret Hart in 1993 and Ken Shamrock in 1998). Kofi has the skills to be a big star and he really got to show that off a few weeks ago in his match with Edge on Superstars. Unfortunately Kofi has been the recipient of some rather uneven booking ever since coming to Raw in the 2008 Supplemental Draft. Some weeks he looks like a legit player, other weeks he looks like a fluke underdog. Winning the King of the Ring tournament could give him some consistency or at least something to hang his hat on. It would also provide Kofi with a grudge to carry into a feud instead of just having a random midcard feud.
5. Mark Henry
Ever since losing the ECW Title to Matt Hardy last September Mark Henry has seemingly lost his purpose. His act with Tony Atlas was a good one while he was champion but there hasn’t been a real good opportunity for Henry to stick out again. WWE tried to feature Henry again when they included him in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania, but ultimately Henry is being lost in the shuffle on ECW. King of the Ring is the place where he can regain his purpose. Just imagine Tony Atlas singing the praises of the “World’s Strongest King” every Tuesday night. Mark Henry would look awesome with a crown and a royal robe, ruling over the extreme brand and vanquishing such vile knaves as Christian and Evan Bourne. Better yet just imagine a regal remix of Mark Henry’s wig-splitting theme song.
4. Ted DiBiase
Hints have been dropped recently about some dissension in the ranks of Legacy, with Ted DiBiase fielding some criticism at Randy Orton. For what it’s worth criticism is the least he should be offering Orton considering he got punted in the head and sidelined for months thanks to him. In any event should there come a time when Legacy is indeed split DiBiase’s success in the King of the Ring tournament could be one of those contributing factors. Randy Orton was ousted from Evolution after he won the World Title that was believed to belong to Triple H. While I would not expect DiBiase to win Randy Orton’s WWE Title I could see Orton feel threatened and angered by DiBiase’s solo success. King of the Ring has been the launching pad for a few careers in its day, perhaps Ted DiBiase could be the next one.
3. Vladimir Kozlov
Ever since Vladimir Kozlov’s undefeated streak was broken shortly before WrestleMania he’s sort of been floating around aimlessly from match to match. His recent arrival in ECW signaled a change of scenery and renewed push, but three wins over quality opponents and the King of the Ring mantle could help in that rebuilding process tremendously. Kozlov could even be the first ever “Czar of the Ring” although that wouldn’t seem to match his more militaristic gimmick he debuted last week. Brock Lesnar rode his King of the Ring momentum all the way to championship gold back in 2002, might another monster do the same in 2009?
2. The Miz
Since being drafted to Raw The Miz has made an impact by calling out John Cena for two weeks. His mic work has been great and he is exuding the kind of heel star power WWE would surely want to have on Monday nights. Still, without some big victories no one is really going to take Miz seriously as a main event threat. I think most people expect John Cena to squash The Miz when he finally man’s up and answers the challenge, so after that has happened the “Chick Magnet” will need something else to hang his hat on. Being King of the Ring could be just that. He’s already smarmy and obnoxious, imagine how bad he could be as royalty. If anyone could really use the spotlight of three hours of Raw dedicated to him as well as a momentous wrestling achievement to add to his resume it is indeed The Miz.
1. Matt Hardy
Truth be told I think I could have switched this spot with The Miz. Raw needs both superstars to step up and be money players on the A-brand and a King of the Ring victory could help either of them do that. Matt Hardy is not quite the unproven commodity someone like Ted DiBiase is or an established big time main eventer like Chris Jericho. Hardy has been around and been a big enough star that this could just signify elevating him to the next level. In many circles the Hardy vs. Hardy feud was compared to the Hart vs. Hart feud from 1994 (with the Hart feud obviously being the superior) but the dynamics of the heel brother could be similar. Owen Hart became King of the Ring in ’94 and carried that over into a heated WrestleMania main event. While I would not necessarily expect the same kind of results for Matt Hardy I could see an event like King of the Ring being a big credibility booster for a burgeoning main eventer. With Jeff Hardy on another brand Matt will need something new to hang over the fans’ heads other than all the bad things he did to Jeff and being King of the Ring could be just that.
The Shimmy Likes it Raw!
What’s on tap for tonight’s show?
Well that does it for this week’s column, everybody. Have a good week. Until next time, don’t die. Go Pens! Clark…out.
