Shades Of Gray #13

In this week’s column, I’ll discuss Ric Flair’s surprise appearance on “Raw.” Was it unnecessary or was there something gained from the former 16-time World Champion showing up on Monday night? Did the appearance set the groundwork for a future program? I’ll also discuss Lance Cade’s potential as a main event player on “Raw.” Does the tag team wrestler have what it takes to make the next step?

In the “Links of the Week” you’ll catch up on the major happenings in the world of professional wrestling, including Flair’s appearance, Tyson Duxx’s debut match in TNA, and the main events of “Raw,” “ECW,” and “SmackDown!” among other matches. In “Extras,” you’ll see a vulnerable Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels impersonating Hulk Hogan, the always (unintentionally) funny Ultimate Warrior, and much more.

Ric Flair’s appearance on “Raw”

D.J.B in “Tha Raw Report” and Donnie on Rated O Radio both said that they disliked Flair’s appearance for the same reason: it wasn’t done for anything worthwhile, and it was a one-time thing. And I agree, in part. It seems foolish to waste Flair’s return (and pop) on putting over Jericho’s match with HBK at Night of Champions and setting up the main event of “Raw,” Triple H vs. Chris Jericho.

But as I wrote in the column last week, “Raw” rarely surprises its audience. During its glory days, the perception was that anything could happen - now, something like the return of Cryme Tyme feels like a big deal (oops). So perhaps Flair’s surprise appearance is a preview of a more exciting, unpredictable show on Monday nights.

Also, it doesn’t bother me that the appearance appears to be a one-time deal because Flair’s retired, and they sold that by having Vince throw him out of the building. And by doing so, WWE planted the seeds for a program with Vince, perhaps with Flair filling the vacant General Manager role. So maybe it wasn’t a one-time deal afterall.

Although I don’t disagree with the appearance in theory, there were a few problems in its execution. For one, they cut to commercial after Flair appeared on the entrance ramp - they should have let the scene play out. Personally, I always change the channel during commercials, and there’s been times when I’ve got so caught up in something on another channel, that I forget what I was watching previously.

After the commercial break, it looked like neither Jericho or Flair knew who was supposed to talk first. This led to what seemed like minutes of awkward silence, until finally, Jericho blatantly told Flair to take the mic away from him.

Having Flair tell Jericho to meet him in the parking lot was weird too. Being retired shouldn’t have prevented him from throwing some punches (or chops) in the ring - it wasn’t a sanctioned match. The worst part was when (like Jericho said) Triple H played “the knight in shining armour” role, not only standing up to Jericho on behalf of Flair, but Shawn Michaels too.

Overall, I think Flair unexpectedly showing up on “Raw” can contribute to a more unpredictable feel for the show. Fans could think that even though something is booked one way (i.e. Jericho’s promo), it could go in an entirely different direction. With that being said, Flair’s appearance clearly could have been executed better.

Lance Cade as a Main-Event wrestler

Speaking of the unexpected, Cade (ummm . . . ) unexpectedly helped Jericho attack John Cena and Triple H. The two heels were standing tall to end the show. A few weeks ago, I predicted either Cade or Trevor Murdoch would be drafted to “SmackDown!” Ultimately, I chose Cade, but it appears as if Cade will be pushed on “Raw.”

He has the look of a young Steve Austin, back when Austin was “Stunning” in WCW. And like Austin (who teamed with Brian Pillman), Cade has been part of a tag team in the early part of his career. He first teamed with Mark Jindrak, and after he was “re-called” from OVW, he formed the redneck team with Murdoch. Needless to say, if Cade is half as successful as Stone Cold, people in the WWE office will be more than pleased.

Clearly, Cade has the look of a star. Does he have the charisma? The promos hyping the debut of Cade and Murdoch as a tag team suggest that he does (check out the promos in “Extras”). I think he’s suffered from Vince’s lack of interest in the tag team division, resulting in virtually no mic time. This may have hurt his confidence too.

He has some credibility issues as well. It seems like a pretty big jump, moving from tag team/bit player, to wrestling the likes of John Cena and Triple H. Consider too that Cade and Murdoch were inexplicably split up in late 2005, re-formed in 2006, and then made to wear ridiculous robes that clashed with their redneck gimmick. Still, these credibility issues are nothing a few victories can’t erase.

He’ll need mic time to get himself over too, especially since it doesn’t appear as if he has any sort of gimmick. Hopefully the charisma he showed in those taped vignettes can transfer to the live crowd as well.

If you follow my writing, you know that I’ve been calling for some fresh faces in the main event scene for over a month, and Cade certainly fits the bill. I’d liked to see Murdoch get a similar oppourtunity as his former tag partner, even if it comes on another brand.

What do you think, O-sters? Does Lance Cade have what it takes to be a main-event player on “Raw”?

Links of the Week

1. John Cena vs. Umaga in a Street Fight
2. Ric Flair’s surprise appearance on “Raw”
3. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho (Part 1; Part 2). Anyone else surprised they gave this away for free?
4. CM Punk beats John Morrison in the main event of “ECW” . . . can you believe it? (Part 1; Part 2)
5. Samoa Joe needs to turn it down a notch in his promos
6. Tyson Duxx’s debut appearance on “iMPACT!” (Part 1; Part 2)
7. A look back at the career of Gail Kim, including some words from TNA agent, Scott D’Amore
8. The return of the Rough Cuts segment with Matt Morgan
9. There was a hint of a face turn in the MVP Lounge this week
10. MVP’s punishment for disrespecting Vickie Guerrero
11. Chavo Guerrero vs. Batista (with a Special Guest Referee)

Extras

12. Cade and Murdoch's debut promos (Part 1; Part 2)
13. One of the best moments in WWE history: Vince McMahon tearing both his quads at the same time and then giving orders from his ass
14. The first night of the failed New Blood storyline in WCW
15. Shawn Michaels’ hilarious impression of Hulk Hogan, leading to their match at Summerslam 2005
16. John Cena vs. Bryan Danielson from “Velocity” - as a bonus, Ernest “The Cat” Miller is on commentary (so ya, there’s someone worse than Coach)
17. If this doesn’t stop you from smoking, I don’t know what will (I think there’s some irony in here, but I can’t quite put my finger on it)
18. Ultimate Warrior comes out of the closet (not a Rick Roll)
19. Remember when Batista was over?

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