Rikishi Phatu? Rikishi Phatu was the driver of the vehicle that ran down Stone Cold Steve Austin at the 2000 Survivor Series? Talk about coming out of left field. When this "investigation" started, I don't think many people thought that Rikishi would be even a suspect, but hey, as they say, "Anything can happen in the WWF." The reaction from fans and viewers so far is quite interesting, as either you loved the payoff to this huge angle or you hated it. At first, I was definitely thinking that there was a huge sense of confusion when this occurred, as I doubt anyone was thinking Rikishi when the night started, and now that we've had almost a day to digest it, I personally think that even though it came out of no where, in the long run, it was a brilliant move by the World Wrestling Federation. With Rikisihi as the driver, it actually gives the Rock an angle, which the People's Champ hasn't really had for a while (other than feuding with the likes of Benoit and the Undertaker), as this angle will be sure to intertwine the Rock with both Rikishi and Stone Cold once his short mini program with Kurt Angle wraps up at No Mercy. I definitely wouldn't be shocked to see a 3 way with Rocky, Rikishi, and Steve Austin at a future PPV as this angle starts to play out.
With Rikishi taking the blame completely and stating the Rock had nothing to do with the situation, this has obviously has elevated the 400 pounder into main event heel status for now, which is a great move by the WWF as the WWF has Stone Cold, Rock, Triple H, and the Undertaker as main event baby faces while only Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Kane, and now Riksihi Phatu as heels in the main event division. With that being said, it now opens up the possibility of matches between Rikishi and Triple H, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, and even Rikishi's cousin, The Rock.
With the Rock being tied to Rikishi in a sense that Phatu did it all for Rocky, it possibly guarantees that the main event for Wrestlemania 17 in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas will be Rock vs. Austin in a rematch from Wrestlemania 15's main event. The heel/babyface characters can go either way, and Wade Keller of PWTourch makes a good point, as he states that Austin could easily turn on the fans (ala Diesel did after he lost the WWF title to Bret Hart at Survivor Series 95) or vice versa, as Rocky could admit he had something to do with the Rikishi running Austin over and turning himself heel. Should be an interesting situation, and I for one can't wait to see the Texas Rattlesnake and the Bhrama Bull lock it up whether it be at Wrestlemania 2001 or not.
With Rikishi as the driver of the car that ran down Austin at the Survivor Series, I would assume that we'd be seeing Stone Cold taking Rikishi at No Mercy in addition to Rock/Kurt Angle and Triple H/Chris Benoit. With that being said, No Mercy is a PPV that is going to be hard to miss, with the return of Stone Cold to the ring, a possible match of the year candidate between Hunter and Benoit, and Kurt Angle's shot at WWF gold, it's gonna be a great PPV.
Last night on Raw, we also saw several returns to WWF Television, as not only did the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels make an appearance, but so did Debra, Linda McMahon, and even GTV. HBK, Debra, and Linda McMahon played a part in the "Whodunnit" angle, which was finally revealed last night, but GTV seemingly put the final nail in the coffin in the relationship between Chyna and Eddy Guerrero as Eddy G was seen showering with both of the Goodfather's former ladies, Mandy and Victoria. Classic line by the finally heel turned Eddy, "Two mamacitas are better than one."
Expect a program between the WWF IC Champ, Eddy Guerrero and Bad Ass Billy Gunn to start up due the former Degenerate, Gunn defending Chyna's honor (almost like a big brother) which should obviously lead to a Gunn/Eddy G match in the future. I don't particully think that the two styles will mesh well, but hey, maybe Latino Heat will pull off a miracle and make Gunn look good.
How much does Steven "William" Regal rule? His new persona has to be one of the best things the WWF has done in recent memory, and it just shows that the WWF in the year 2000 knows how to use their talent (in comparison to 1998 with Regal's Man's Man persona). The same goes for Edge & Christian. From surfing lessons to disguising themselves as the Conquistadors in order to once again try to cause the Hardys to lose the tag titles, Edge and Christian so totally rule.
In other WWF news, Thanks to Dj_StaR for the following tidbit that states that the band, Slipknot will be making an appearance on MTV's WWF Sunday Night Heat on the 29th of October. Now that should be very interesting to watch.
Moving on to some WCW news for today... I thought Nitro was a good show at best, with the highlight definitely being Jeff Jarrett's on key impersonation of the late 80s/early 90s version of Sting, and for a second there, I was almost fooled that Sting actually made a return to his old persona (which wouldn't be that bad come to think of it). With that being said, the Sting/Jarrett feud may just be the best thing in WCW right now, due to Jarrett's great impersonation of the Stinger.
Wasn't it amazing to see WCW work in front of a full house for once instead the usual quarter to half filled arenas that they usually work in front of here in the States? It'd be an understatement to say that the Aussie fans were some of the best fans that WCW has had in months.
WCW.com has a new look, and to be honest, it's not that great. For a major company like World Championship Wrestling, I'd expect something better, but then again, this is from WCW.
Here's the current card for WCW's Halloween Havoc on October 29th...
- Booker T v. Scott Steiner for the WCW title
- Goldberg v. Kronic
- Sting. v. Jeff Jarrett
- Lance Storm and Jim Duggan v. General Rection for the Canadian title
- The Franchise and Torrie v. Konnan and Tygeress
- A -Wall v. Reno for the Hardcore title
Thanks to both DoubleG and Derek Bonk for the following news on ECW's next Home Video/DVD, Path of Destruction which will hit stores on November 14, 2000. You can check out a cover shot of the video HERE.
The following matches will be featured in the video:
- ECW TV Title match from Heatwave 96:Chris Jericho vs. 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull
- ECW TV Title match in Buffalo, April 1998: Rob Van Dam vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
- Sabu vs. Sandman in a Stairway to Hell Match at House Party 98
- Taipai Fist of Glass Match from Hardcore Heaven 95: Ian Rotten vs. Axl Rotten
- Two out of Three Falls Match from the ECW Arena, August 95: Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero
- From Gangsta's Paradise 95: Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Psicosis in their ECW Debuts
- In a Three Way Dance from the November to Remember 99: Tajiri vs. Super Crazy vs. Jerry Lynn
Quick little link for all you "perverts" out there, as ECWWrestling.com's Jim Quigley has added some more Pervert Pics of the lovely Dawn Marie in the Hot Tub. Check them out HERE.
Couple of TPWW related plugs...
Adam Kirk has requested that I'd apologize on his behalf due to his recent disappearance. Due to moving to university in the UK, Adam was unable to write this week's edition of Nevermore. But have no fear... Adam, who, in my opinion, is one of the best columnists on the 'net today, will be back in no time with another edition of one of my favorites, Nevermore.
Guess the Theme is back, and once again, you have the chance to win a prize. Personally, if I won, I'd pick the new Steve Austin, 100% Hellraiser T shirt, but that's just me.
Well, that does it for today... But before I go, I'd make a little prediction... My New York Yankees will finish off the Seattle Mariners in 5 games, and go on to World Series to win their third consecutive world championship whether haters like Corey Silvia like it or not :-). Well, that's it until next time...