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NoDQ.com > Columns > The Shooting Range: Future Endeavours Hotlist
Posted by Michael Clancy on 05/07/2009 at 12:26 PM

The Shooting Range:
Future Endeavours Hotlist

History has taught us a great many lesson; like if you’re going to elect a president named Bush, the chances are you’re going to end up going to war in the Middle East. But in terms of recent wrestling history, the lesson to learn is that after every WWE Draft comes a summer clear out of firings. What follows is The Shooting Range’s hotlist of who can expect their pink slips in the coming weeks and months. Now this may feel a little morbid and bleak predicting who’s going to get fired in the near future but this is nothing more than harmless speculation, with no offence intended to the featured entrants in the hotlist; I will be more than happy to be proved wrong. It is also worth pointing out that this is a firing hotlist, not a wish list, if I were constructing one of those the likes of Mark Henry, Great Khali and Mike Knox would be topping that list. Instead this list features superstars who I cannot see having any future in the WWE.

Charlie Haas

We begin with a wrestler who is no stranger to being handed is marching orders from Vince McMahon. To give credit where credit is definitely due, Haas is not short of in-ring talent, yet has suffered from being chronically misused since returning to the WWE fold in 2006 Haas has done next to nothing. Featuring in one pay-per-view since his return Haas has added very little to the Raw programming in the 3 years he’s been back. The return of the World’s Greatest Tag Team recaptured none of the spark that made the duo so hot when they first debuted in 2002, whether or not that is because they didn’t have Kurt Angle to back them up is debatable. The less said about his comedy gimmick impersonating other wrestlers the better. Going nowhere on Raw, being drafted elsewhere was not only predictable but downright necessary to save the guys career but considering his drafting wasn’t even mentioned on Friday night Smackdown it seems that he will be as surplus to requirements on the blue brand as he was on the red. Proof if proof were needed that it takes more than just good technical wrestling ability to succeed in the WWE.

Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins

It’s two for the price of one with this offering. Now I’m of the opinion that the WWE tag team division needs all the teams they can get to help it along, but these guys can barely be regarded as a formidable team if recent form is anything to go on. However the former Major Brothers did have potential when they first arrived on Smackdown; being grouped with Edge gave the guys an identity that image that they had been badly missing. However they seem to have severed ties with the Rated R Superstar and their careers have suffered accordingly. My most recent memory of them is being squashed in a handicap match against The Great Khali and even that feels like a long time ago. As much as they were a complete non-entity as a tag team I fail to see how splitting them up in the draft is going to help their careers, it just means they will struggle to establish themselves individually rather than as a team. Splitting up faltering tag teams didn’t work for La Resistance, it didn’t work for The Bashams and it sure as hell ain’t going to work for Ryder and Hawkins, I would be immensely surprised if either of these two were still employed by Christmas.

Ricky Ortiz

The supplemental draft is often a chance for the smaller names in WWE to get a fresh start on a new brand. However in the case of the Big O it is difficult to see how they’re going to find anything for him on Smackdown. His gimmick involves waving a towel around as he comes to the ring and despite a distinctive look there is not much that make Ortiz stand out. I can’t help but feel that had he been kept on ECW he might have been given a chance to develop his character more and people may have started to take notice. Now however it is difficult to see where Ricky will fit in amongst Khali Kiss-Cam and Cryme Tyme’s dance competitions. It is a shame because from the little I’ve seen of him he appears to be a decent in ring performer but it looks as if all he can look forward to is being fed to Umaga in squash matches before he too is made to walk the plank.

Hornswoggle

The inclusion of the loveable leprechaun may seem like a controversial choice given the little guys popularity but when you think about it just what do they hope for him to achieve on Raw. Yes he is good entertainment for anyone under 10 years old but there is only so many times he can pop-up from under the ring and still produce surprise or laughter. Now that he is away from Finlay I just don’t think there is much more they can do with the little bastard and I don’t think there is enough sentimental attachment for him to keep him around when his act gets stale.

Sim Snuka

Why this guy wasn’t sacked when Manu was given his marching orders a couple months back is beyond me. With no gimmick, no tag partner, and no fan base I see no reason to keep him around.

Jesse

Like Ryder and Hawkins and countless others before him, Jesse is going to suffer from the separation anxiety now that his more noticeable and interesting tag partner has jumped to Raw. Festus’ truly awful appearence on Raw Monday night suggests that things aren’t looking great for him either but without the corn fed colossus on Smackdown Jesse has become very much surplus to requirements. Expect him to team with Jimmy Wang Yang for a week or two before the inevitable happens.

Goldust and Hacksaw Jim Duggan

I don’t want to say too much about these two and whilst I respect their contribution to the world of wrestling in the past, they have had their days and there is just no room for them in the modern WWE. It would be best for them to bow out gracefully before besmirching their fine reputations.

Jamie Noble

Like Goldust and Duggan I have a great deal of respect for Noble, he is very watchable in the ring and can be very entertaining out of it. I don’t think anyone has suffered more from the abolishment of the Cruiserweight division than him because he just looks a bit lost in the ring now. The creative team just don’t seem to be able to create anything for him and sticking him in a tag team with Chavo Guerrerro is not going to do his career any good. I can see him achieving great things in TNA’s X-Division however should his WWE pink slip ever arrive.

That completes the first annual Shooting Range Future Endeavour’s Hotlist; whether you agree or disagree with entrants, or wish to nominate others for inclusion on the list your opinions will be gratefully received at shootingrange69@aol.com

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