Inside Pulse Wrestling | DCâ€™s Book Review â€“ Did The Booking Reach Itâ€™s Breaking Point?

DCâ€™s Book Review â€“ Did The Booking Reach Itâ€™s Breaking Point?

by Dale Clarke on September 17, 2009

Okay, so the title is lacking a bit in originality but that isnâ€™t what weâ€™re here for. This week, instead of taking one aspect of the booking, this column will focus on looking at the entire booking of the Breaking Point pay per view. Now bare in mind that this review strictly looks at the booking of the pay per view, not the quality of the match itself.

CM Punk vs. The Undertaker â€“ With this one, it all comes down to the finale. Okay, so the feud booking has been solid if not exceptional and these two have been entertaining but when it came to the booking of the end of this match then everything changed. It all comes down to whether youâ€™re looking at this from a new wrestling fan or an older wrestling fan. As a person who watched the 1997 Survivor Series the ending to the CM Punk/ Undertaker match at Breaking Point just seemed disrespectful and unless there is a seriously good booking explanation for it then it was just a complete failure booking wise and could bring the entire CM Punk vs. The Undertaker feud down with it.

Verdict: Undecided

Randy Orton vs. John Cena â€“ Letâ€™s get started with stating that this feud isnâ€™t getting any more exciting. Itâ€™s not solely that the feud just hasnâ€™t had any segments worth watching or matches worth viewing but also because this isnâ€™t a new feud, itâ€™s a feud weâ€™ve seen time and time again that just doesnâ€™t seem to be coming to an end and thats a shame, because there are plenty of other superstars capable of working the main feud on RAW if given the chance so to go with the exact same workers week after week, month after month just isnâ€™t acceptable. Sadly, if WWE are going to continue using the same titles matches for pay per views then Iâ€™m going to continue giving them misses.

Verdict: Miss

Christian vs. William Regal â€“ This feud has been building up for the past two months and this match was very likely the blowoff so I have to ask, why wasnâ€™t it used more effectively? Looking back on the past two months this feud has been very underwhelming. There was little involvement by Vladamir Kozlov and Ezekial Jackson that was actually made to matter despite the fact that they were aligned with William Regal throughout this feud. The feud between these two just seems to be a missed opportunity for something and whether it was bad booking or just that it didnâ€™t come off well on tv, this feud has had very little impact on either wrestler.

Verdict: Miss

Kane vs. The Great Khali â€“ Iâ€™m of the same opinion as I was at Summerslam. This feud has been horrible and the only thing it succeeds in doing is taking away time from other more deserving superstars. This doesnâ€™t even deserve a pay per view match.

Verdict: Miss

Legacy vs. D-Generation X â€“ Now this is what this feud needed â€“ a match in which the young cocky heels beat the established faces. One thing that RAW has struggled with this year is building up fresh young stars, the brand just doesnâ€™t seem capable of giving young new guys a chance at the main event. However that doesnâ€™t seem to be the case for Legacy, who have received a big feud here and an even bigger win. The booking for this feud is a definite hit, mainly because Legacy are finally getting the push he deserves.

Verdict: Hit

Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz â€“ While this match was obviously added as a last minute replacement to the Intercontinental Championship match it didnâ€™t come entirely out of left field since these two guys have been feuding for a while now. Both of these men have been impressive recently so either holding the United States Championship is a plus and as long as RAWâ€™s undercard is going somewhat strong then at least the show is worth watching for something.

Verdict: Hit

Chris Jericho & Big Show vs. Montel Vontavious Porter & Mark Henry â€“ This match screamed terrible booking from the moment it was made. Other than giving two guys something to do what was the need to throw two singles wrestlers into a makeshift tag team? The only worthwhile point to this match would be to give MVP and Henry the titles, so that Jericho & Big Show donâ€™t look too bad losing them to a lesser team, but they donâ€™t even do that. Sooner or later an actual tag team will get the push and I can only hope that it is the Hart Dynasty.

Verdict: Miss

Tags: Breaking Point, DC's Book Reviews, WWE

Dale Clarke

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Walter Kovacs

On Taker/Punk:

From a booking perspective, while the feud has been doing well, it would be too soon for Taker to beat Punk and take the title. Giving Punk his ‘comeuppance’ in his first match back would be anti-climactic. Unfortunately, because of the gimmick restriction of the PPV (which was in Montreal for a reason) they needed to give Punk a means of winning the match through underhanded means.

Having Undertaker win clean would be anti-climactic … Punk being dethroned is something to be built up to. Punk beating the Undertaker cleanly via submission would not only be outside the realm of plausibility, but also would effectively end the feud, as Punk is the heel underdog, effectively, in the feud.

It’s pretty much booking 101 when Taker goes up against a new champ.

It may not be great booking, but when the Undertaker is involved, the booking team has it’s hands tied, especially as the first match in what will probably be a series. [Although, with Batista back, it may only be a couple of pay per views before they put someone else into a feud with Punk].
Brad Curran

“Other than giving two guys something to do what was the need to throw two singles wrestlers into a makeshift tag team?”

1. DX is busy. That’s the money feud for JeriShow.

2. They should alternate between Raw and Smackdown for challengers.

3. Hart Foundation work too well as heels to challenge JeriShow any time soon. I’d be all over HD vs. DX, though (and so would the Harts, according to what they said on X Play).
scott m

“Punk being dethroned is something to be built up to. Punk beating the Undertaker cleanly via submission would not only be outside the realm of plausibility, but also would effectively end the feud, as Punk is the heel underdog, effectively, in the feud.”

I think the above quote and Brad’s response to Dale’s tag-team question highlight two very tangible problems with the booking.

1. The fact that it seems implausible for Punk to defeat Undertaker in a submission match is a REAL problem. It’s not like they didn’t see the PPV coming. Selling the Anaconda Vise as a viable submission hold should have happened months before the PPV, not weeks. It should have been given the same respect as Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter or the sleeperhold in the 70s and 80s. The perception should have been that once it’s locked in the match is over. The creative team failed to plan ahead. Plain and simple.

2. The tag-team division is woefully weak. You’ve got Jerishow, Cryme Time and the Hart Foundation. Where else was Jerishow going to go after Cryme Time? You don’t think creative was AWARE of the deficit of viable babyface contenders for the Tag Title? Again, a lack of due diligence in their planning.

That WWE creative somehow booked themselves out of their respective corners doesn’t excuse them from creating those dilemmas.

If I bounce a check and somehow manage to pay off the fees and get back in the positive, it does not make me a great money manager.

Similar with the booking for Breaking Point.

The fact that the World Champ (nominally CM Punk) doesn’t seem like he could be a viable competitor to Undertaker and Batista is a real problem. Not only should he seem viable. But, at this point, there should be a real question of who could come out on top in a match between them.

That’s what generates interest. That’s what sells main events.

That Punk doesn’t appear in the same league as an octogenarian Undertaker (who’s looking slower and older than ever) and a Batista who can’t seem to stay healthy for more than a month hurts only Punk and (long term) the WWE.

At this point, they need a stable of main event possibilities on both Raw and Smackdown. What do they have?

Pretty much the same half-dozen between BOTH shows that they’ve had for the last 7 years.

And again, another failure of creative in not knowing how to book someone to that level. Other than, of course, the RoadWarriors-Goldberg-squash school of booking ala Umaga or Snitsky after his hair fell out and he fired his dermatologist.