I've been a wrestling fan for 20+ years. My first exposure to wrestling was back in the beginning of Hulkamania. The wrestling world was covered in kayfabe, and most fans really thought it was real. I can remember as a youngster, sitting down to catch WCW Saturday Night on TBS - usually right before an Atlanta Braves game. It was those WCW weekends that brought me what I now recall fairly well, and have always considered my favorite angle - ever.
Enough suspense? OK! The feud between Sting and Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk and The Great Muta ranks as #1 in my mind. It was full of the essence of WCW (Flair and Sting), hardcore blood, and just seemed well-written. It brought two major feuds of the year (1989) together, merging Sting vs. Muta with Flair vs. Funk. At the time, Sting was in his second year with what was then technically still Jim Crockett Promotions. Muta was one of the megastars in Japan. Funk had retired (the first time) about 6 years earlier, but had returned and was at war with The Nature Boy. The late Gary Hart served as manager to Muta and Funk, while the oft-maligned Ole Anderson was in Flair and Sting's corner.
For those who are not aware of the way these feuds had begun, Funk had made some rather disparaging remarks about Flair after being a judge during Flair's match against Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar. He challenged Flair for the title, coming out of retirement to do so. Flair retorted that Funk would have to climb the rankings and earn a title shot, to which Funk responded by delivering a stiff-looking piledriver on a table to Flair. It broke Flair's neck. In the case of Sting and Muta, the two had been battling over the Television Title since Muta had arrived from Championship Wrestling from Florida earlier in the year.
Not long after the Great American Bash, Flair and Sting united forces. Funk and Muta ran-in on Sting and attacked him during a tag match, and Flair made the save. At the time, I cannot recall a single fan who could honestly say they saw this coming. This is why it worked so well! Eddie Gilbert, who had been Sting's partner during the match he was attacked, couldn't seem to hold back his smile during the interview segment that followed. A young Jim Ross got comments from Gilbert, Sting and Flair to close the show, leaving fans wondering what was next. What was next was some of the wildest, bloodiest brawls WCW had ever produced - almost unheard of in American wrestling at the time.
As I scour the Internet for footage and writeups of the events that followed, I am reminded of how insane Halloween Havoc was back in '89. If you consider yourself a wrestling fan and you've not seen this event (October 28, 1989), find it! The match between Flair/Sting and Funk/Muta has been given rave reviews by many, and garnered a 4 * rating.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – Changes of Honor…
Ring of Honor. In the modern era, no independent promotion has captured the imagination of wrestling fans like ROH. It’s caused sweeping waves of controversy among the IWC, with loyal fans mockingly referred to as ROHbots by the uninitiated, although many of these dedicated fans look down their noses at “sportz entertainment” watchers for not being true pro wrestling fans. It was almost exactly two years ago that I became a ROHbot myself, so this week we’ll take a look at what’s changed in ROH since that fateful day, 21 September 2007.
TODAY’S ISSUE: Changes in ROH in the past two years.
Since I started watching ROH, several changes have been made. A bunch of factions have come and gone, for example, the No Remorse Corps, Sweet & Sour, Inc., Resilience, Vulture Squad, HANGM3N, and the Age of the Fall are no more. In addition to the stables that have dissolved, some wrestlers have departed the promotion permanently. Arguably two of the biggest stars of the company are now on their way out the door, as Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, both former ROH world champions, have signed contracts with World Wrestling Entertainment where they will join fellow ROH alumni CM Punk and Matt “Evan Bourne” Sydal. Matt Cross and Bobby Dempsey haven’t been heard from much lately, and Mitch Franklin has mysteriously disappeared, although a young man with similar size and shape has emerged on the scene, but the less we mention the littlest lumberjack the better, right?
Speaking of Grizzly Redwood, Ring of Honor owner Cary Silken released his greatest storyteller, Gabe Sapolsky, back in October of 2008 and Gabe quickly turned around and helped launch Dragon Gate USA. This American arm of the Japanese Dragon Gate promotion scooped up ROH’s ppv deal with G-Funk Sports and Entertainment and loads of hot indy talent, and started producing shows that have the wrestling world standing in awe of such phenomenal performances. The only bright side for ROH is that Gabe’s departure opened the door for their weekly television show on HDNet, but since the show isn’t too hot (especially compared to how good an ROH television show could have been if properly booked) and isn’t drawing significant amounts of new fans to live events or increasing DVD sales, I wouldn’t consider the HDNet show a “win” for Ring of Honor. Not to mention the fact that while ROH had two fantastic commentators who worked well together, they left Lenny Leonard behind when they went to cable TV, and his replacement, the annoying, un-wrestling-educated, grating Mike Hogewood is a horrible play-by-play man who simply doesn’t “get it”. What the heck does “Slap the porpoise!” mean anyway?
A monumental change in ROH’s recent history is that there is now a two-time world champion in the person of Austin Aries, the first ever to hold that distinction in the nearly eight-year history of the promotion. The show that made me a fan was the first Driven ppv, and the specific segment that caught my eye was Aries’ excellent return to ROH after his disastrous run in TNA. Since that moment, Aries has become the Ace of the company by defeating Bryan Danielson in a best-of-three series comprised of three of the greatest matches I’ve ever witnessed. He was pursued by AoTF to become a new member, stole Lacey away from Jimmy Jacobs, endured a bloody war against the emo warrior, and turned heel to become “A Double”, the MV3 (Most Valuable, Vascular Vegetarian), quite possibly the greatest man to ever live. It’s a pretty tried-and-true heel character, the guy who’s in love with himself and thinks he’s better than everyone, but it certainly works.
Another character who has undergone radical changes is Chris Hero. Once an annoying goof who loved to show off his alleged skills and prowess by horsing around during his matches and making an ass of himself, Hero has tightened up his physique and gotten serious about wanting to win matches, dubbing himself “That Young Knockout Kid”. Hero now achieves victory by throwing a devastating elbow protected with a possibly loaded pad, and the change is certainly for the better in my book. The lovable, off-beat Delirious went through some big adjustments during this timeframe, too. After being spurned by Daizee Haze, the dejected Lizard Man was ripe for Jimmy Jacobs’ manipulation, and before you knew it there was a new member of the Age of the Fall. But eventually Delirious realized he was being used and abused, and he’s now once again the green and black gilded entertainer you know and love.
Speaking of new characters, Kenny King, Kenny Omega, the Dark City Fight Club, Bison Smith, Brodie Lee, D-Lo Brown, and several other grapplers have arrived in Ring of Honor since they debuted on pay-per-view, and none other than respected veteran Jerry Lynn had a run with the top strap. Davey Richards has evolved from exciting rookie to one of the top athletes anywhere in wrestling, and his fellow American Wolf Eddie Edwards has risen to the occasion as well. Colt Cabana left for WWE and has already returned to ROH, although rumor has it he’s working on jumping to TNA next. I hope Boom-Boom finds what he’s looking for wherever he winds up. Jimmy Rave likewise left Ring of Honor for TNA since I first tuned in, and has also made his way back to the welcoming arms of Silken’s indy fed.
While several elements of this new ROH are quite different from the Ring of Honor that I originally fell in love with, it’s been an interesting ride watching them develop while I kept up with current shows and simultaneously went back to explore their early history, too. In fact the oldest show I own is the original Unscripted event which ironically took place on 21 September 2002. There must be some special significance to that date or something.
The great thing about discovering a promotion like Ring of Honor when all you’ve ever truly known is the mainstream televised stuff, is that an introduction to ROH indirectly becomes a view through the looking glass. Because of Ring of Honor, I’ve learned about FIP, DGUSA, PWG, CHIKARA, and several other feds that are all well worth checking out, especially for those of us who value in-ring action over all the other ga-ga that comes with big-time “sportz entertainment” type programs. So even though ROH isn’t quite what it once was, it’s still a gateway into the rest of the pro wrestling galaxy. And besides, Ring of Honor at less than it’s best is still far and away a better wrestling promotion, top-to-bottom, than WWE and TNA, in my humble opinion. Many of us ROHbots are looking to the future, wondering what will be next for our beloved indy sensation.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” - John F. Kennedy
TODAY’S ISSUE: Changes in ROH in the past two years.
Since I started watching ROH, several changes have been made. A bunch of factions have come and gone, for example, the No Remorse Corps, Sweet & Sour, Inc., Resilience, Vulture Squad, HANGM3N, and the Age of the Fall are no more. In addition to the stables that have dissolved, some wrestlers have departed the promotion permanently. Arguably two of the biggest stars of the company are now on their way out the door, as Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, both former ROH world champions, have signed contracts with World Wrestling Entertainment where they will join fellow ROH alumni CM Punk and Matt “Evan Bourne” Sydal. Matt Cross and Bobby Dempsey haven’t been heard from much lately, and Mitch Franklin has mysteriously disappeared, although a young man with similar size and shape has emerged on the scene, but the less we mention the littlest lumberjack the better, right?
Speaking of Grizzly Redwood, Ring of Honor owner Cary Silken released his greatest storyteller, Gabe Sapolsky, back in October of 2008 and Gabe quickly turned around and helped launch Dragon Gate USA. This American arm of the Japanese Dragon Gate promotion scooped up ROH’s ppv deal with G-Funk Sports and Entertainment and loads of hot indy talent, and started producing shows that have the wrestling world standing in awe of such phenomenal performances. The only bright side for ROH is that Gabe’s departure opened the door for their weekly television show on HDNet, but since the show isn’t too hot (especially compared to how good an ROH television show could have been if properly booked) and isn’t drawing significant amounts of new fans to live events or increasing DVD sales, I wouldn’t consider the HDNet show a “win” for Ring of Honor. Not to mention the fact that while ROH had two fantastic commentators who worked well together, they left Lenny Leonard behind when they went to cable TV, and his replacement, the annoying, un-wrestling-educated, grating Mike Hogewood is a horrible play-by-play man who simply doesn’t “get it”. What the heck does “Slap the porpoise!” mean anyway?
A monumental change in ROH’s recent history is that there is now a two-time world champion in the person of Austin Aries, the first ever to hold that distinction in the nearly eight-year history of the promotion. The show that made me a fan was the first Driven ppv, and the specific segment that caught my eye was Aries’ excellent return to ROH after his disastrous run in TNA. Since that moment, Aries has become the Ace of the company by defeating Bryan Danielson in a best-of-three series comprised of three of the greatest matches I’ve ever witnessed. He was pursued by AoTF to become a new member, stole Lacey away from Jimmy Jacobs, endured a bloody war against the emo warrior, and turned heel to become “A Double”, the MV3 (Most Valuable, Vascular Vegetarian), quite possibly the greatest man to ever live. It’s a pretty tried-and-true heel character, the guy who’s in love with himself and thinks he’s better than everyone, but it certainly works.
Another character who has undergone radical changes is Chris Hero. Once an annoying goof who loved to show off his alleged skills and prowess by horsing around during his matches and making an ass of himself, Hero has tightened up his physique and gotten serious about wanting to win matches, dubbing himself “That Young Knockout Kid”. Hero now achieves victory by throwing a devastating elbow protected with a possibly loaded pad, and the change is certainly for the better in my book. The lovable, off-beat Delirious went through some big adjustments during this timeframe, too. After being spurned by Daizee Haze, the dejected Lizard Man was ripe for Jimmy Jacobs’ manipulation, and before you knew it there was a new member of the Age of the Fall. But eventually Delirious realized he was being used and abused, and he’s now once again the green and black gilded entertainer you know and love.
Speaking of new characters, Kenny King, Kenny Omega, the Dark City Fight Club, Bison Smith, Brodie Lee, D-Lo Brown, and several other grapplers have arrived in Ring of Honor since they debuted on pay-per-view, and none other than respected veteran Jerry Lynn had a run with the top strap. Davey Richards has evolved from exciting rookie to one of the top athletes anywhere in wrestling, and his fellow American Wolf Eddie Edwards has risen to the occasion as well. Colt Cabana left for WWE and has already returned to ROH, although rumor has it he’s working on jumping to TNA next. I hope Boom-Boom finds what he’s looking for wherever he winds up. Jimmy Rave likewise left Ring of Honor for TNA since I first tuned in, and has also made his way back to the welcoming arms of Silken’s indy fed.
While several elements of this new ROH are quite different from the Ring of Honor that I originally fell in love with, it’s been an interesting ride watching them develop while I kept up with current shows and simultaneously went back to explore their early history, too. In fact the oldest show I own is the original Unscripted event which ironically took place on 21 September 2002. There must be some special significance to that date or something.
The great thing about discovering a promotion like Ring of Honor when all you’ve ever truly known is the mainstream televised stuff, is that an introduction to ROH indirectly becomes a view through the looking glass. Because of Ring of Honor, I’ve learned about FIP, DGUSA, PWG, CHIKARA, and several other feds that are all well worth checking out, especially for those of us who value in-ring action over all the other ga-ga that comes with big-time “sportz entertainment” type programs. So even though ROH isn’t quite what it once was, it’s still a gateway into the rest of the pro wrestling galaxy. And besides, Ring of Honor at less than it’s best is still far and away a better wrestling promotion, top-to-bottom, than WWE and TNA, in my humble opinion. Many of us ROHbots are looking to the future, wondering what will be next for our beloved indy sensation.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” - John F. Kennedy
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Rant Of The Week: Reaching My Breaking Point
Greetings conversationalists all across the fruited plain it is I your personal Harvester Of Sorrow the one and only Phantom Lord and this is the ever important Rant Of The Week. Summer is rapidly ending and September is now upon us and the first couple of weeks are usually not the most joyous of times for me. There are a couple of anniversary's for death's in my family including now an Uncle who just passed away. Plus there's that 9/11 thing just passed by. I mean no jest by saying it like that, but I honestly think that's how a lot of people especially ones who don't live here in New York or lost someone feel. But hey the WTC Memorial might be half done by 2011 and it's gonna be under a billion dollars. Of course there is the matter of that eye sore the Freedom Tower but that might not be done until 2018.
So yeah I'm not fond of the first couple of weeks of September for various reasons, but I'll try to keep chipper as there's plenty of news out there that's making me laugh. As usual the WWE and TNA find new ways to do something good and then find some way to screw it up.
We start with the Rey Mysterio situation. As you know by now Rey Rey failed a drug test and he managed to piss Vince off in the process. Never a good idea as we know since Vince is the kind of guy to hold a grudge till death and then some. Rey did an interview with some Mexican paper and claimed he had a valid prescription for some painkillers but the WWE didn't give him enough time to send a copy. I personally don't buy that because I would have to assume that Rey owns a scanner or a fax machine. If he doesn't then I'm sure he must have heard of a little thing called Over Night Express Priority Mail. If it were me and they told me I had less then 24 hours to provide proof, I'd make the appropriate calls and get that information to them. The WWE wellness policy I'm sure is seen as a pain in the ass more then something good. You can debate who actually falls under wellness guidelines and gets tested. But if Rey's version of things is true, then it's obvious it needs some major retooling. This little 30 day vacation is going to cost Rey in the neighborhood of $100 thousand dollars. That's a pretty big hit for not sending in a damn prescription.
If there was some good to this it was cooler heads prevailed and Vince didn't have Rey turned into a human pinata last week on Smackdown. What we got was one of the best tv matches in ages between him and John Morrison which saw Morrison shockingly win the Intercontinental Title. Personally I don't see why they have to take the belt off someone just because they were suspended. There's the old 30 day rule for title defenses so milk that. Have Rey “injured” and then build it up that if he doesn't make it to the PPV to defend the title then he will be stripped and so and so will be the new champion. It would dare I say make some of these throw away PPV's interesting again and provide some drama into a match.
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that the WWE were trying to get Hardy to sign a new contract up until the very last second. The WWE agreed to every request Hardy made, to the point where they would allow him to only work TV tapings and pay per views, with zero house show appearances. It is expected that they will have to give this deal to Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker next, as they have been asking for similar workloads for years. After it became evident that Hardy was leaving, the WWE then attempted to sign Jeff to a merchandise deal, allowing them to continue marketing and selling merchandise with his name and likeness on them. This would have also effectively stopped him from working from TNA, as they would not be able to produce Hardy merch. Jeff also said no to this contract.
It is believed that, while Hardy will be making appearances at wrestling shows, he will not actually be performing. He is evidently concentrating 100% on getting his reality show up and running.
Credit to www.f4wonline.com & www.cagesideseats.com
LoL boy they must be glad they dodged that bullet. I mean AMIRIGHTORAMIRIGHT?
I sincerely hope for Jeff's sake that that vast amount of pills was for his own personal use. Now it's not out of the question for someone to have drugs in bulk especially if they have to take more then a couple a day. Plenty of people get a three or more month supply. It's just a matter of did Jeff have the prescriptions for them. Personally I think this will all fizzle out and all charges will be dropped and Jeff will be free to do all the shitty poetry and bad industrial music that he wants.
Odds are I could probably write more about Jeff and his situation, but I don't really care. If all those drugs are his I can understand why he's popping that many pills. Years and years of jumping off ladders and landing on the hard mat or even harder concrete floor probably have taken it's toll on him. Painkillers are such an easy thing to get hooked onto it. Me personally I've only used Vicodin a few times in my life (I had a prescription). I honestly didn't feel any different while taking it but we all have different tolerances. Obviously mine is different then that of say Jeff's where he falls straight on his ass from 12 feet up. Point is, if Jeff needs that kind of serious medication just to make it through the day then that's his deal. Now a good attorney would hit away at tip that started all of this. Credibility of the person who did it, what did they have to gain by doing so and so forth. I'm guessing someone gave this tip to save their own ass. Now unless Jeff is the lynch pin in some Mexican trafficking ring that funnels pills through Cameron, North Carolina to the rest of the upper Mid-Atlantic I believe Jeff's chances are fairly good here. At the most if it goes far enough that he has to cop a deal, I'm calling probation and rehab. There is no way it will go so far as to even warrant a trial. If it does then Jeff really is an idiot just like he is for apparently turning down that insane deal where he would only have to work tv tapings and ppv's.
At the Breaking Point PPV last weekend (yes there was a PPV a week ago...though it's not like they did anything to make you want to order it) CM Punk cut another great promo where he danced around the Jeff Hardy bust. If there's one good thing in all of this it's that CM Punk is single handily carrying Smackdown and making it the best show in the WWE right now. I'm sure certain people within the WWE hate that Smackdown is universally praised while RAW is hit or miss at best. They try to load down RAW with all the sports entertainment stuff and Smackdown sticks to that lowly wrestling stuff and does better. CM Punk as the centerpiece of Smackdown is great stuff. He is truly starting to shine as a great heel thanks to him being such a great asshole. I have no doubt that what you are seeing is the real CM Punk. A lot of straight edge folk tend to come off holier then thou especially when they are being all preachy.
CM Punk has managed to prove everyone wrong. A lot of people thought Punk would linger in development or be brought up and be given a stupid gimmick. But here he is pretty much the same wrestler he was in ROH and elsewhere...just more refined. Now granted if he ever faced Captain America John Cena we all know what would happen as would any match with Triple H. But the fact that he is now the top heel on Smackdown speaks volumes about him and it's only up from here for him. Well I say that as long as he stays on Smackdown because if he were ever drafted to RAW it would be a death nail for him. It's a death nail for anyone drafted from Smackdown to RAW. People also get drafted from ECW to RAW but does ECW really ever count? Well my point is if you are any show and get sent to RAW it's curtains for you. You can name a who's who of people who were on Smackdown or ECW and were sent to RAW and just never were able to breach the glass ceiling.
There is a fear that recent signees Brian Danielson and Nigel McGuiness will not fare as well as CM Punk. Thought it has been reported they will skip “development” and head right to the main roster, if either of them head to RAW I would not have much hope for either of them. On ECW or Smackdown people can progress and actually show promise. On RAW you are either a mid carder or cannon fodder for Cena. Granted guys like Kofi Kingston, Jack SWAGGAH, and The Miz have managed to become successful and make the United States championship worth a damn again. But as much as those guys are succeeding you have guys like MVP, Chavo Guerrero, and Evan Bourne who have more or less been in limbo. Yes MVP is now in a feud with Mark Henry against Jerishow for the Tag Titles but before that he was doing nothing. So many hope Danielson and Nigel don't end up on RAW with some stupid gimmick that will end up going nowhere and they'll be those guys hanging around in the background as someone's walking to the ring for a match.
Honestly I'm surprised there hasn't been a wave of mass suicide's at the ROH shows where Danielson and Nigel are doing their farewell to the Indies tour. Some people just can't understand why would they sign with the WWE. Well aside from not having to kill themselves in front small crowds and work a style that will ultimately shorten their career due to injuries, in the end it all comes down to money. Say what you want about the WWE, but being the guy standing around in the background doing nothing pays a hell of a lot better then being the top guy on some Indy show. It was a smart business decision for both of them and if they don't end up like CM Punk, they can end up making more money in the future as “Former WWE Superstars”. So it's really win win no matter what.
It's amazing that after all these years Vince still loves to fuck with anyone running against him no matter how big or small. It's been widely speculated that the WWE is going after ROH guys simply because ROH's show on HD Net is now on Monday Night's at 8PM. Of course considering it's HD Net it's ratings are very minuscule at best. But Vince just loves to crush people for his own personal amusement so taking ROH's two top guys because he can is part of his game. Personally I can't wait for the day that Vince starts going after some TNA guys. Ah that will be a fun day to say the least and as a certified member of the IWC, it will be great watching the Internet explode.
Speaking of things exploding, last week the Interweb was a buzz when it was announced that TNA had released Jim Cornette. Rumors flew around that Cornette went ape shit at a meeting because of something Vince Russo had come up with. It's no secret that Jim hates Vince Russo from a creative standpoint and knowing Jim's shall we say volatile personality (Dairy Queen anyone) it's not to hard to believe that Cornette finally had enough and went on a muck.
Well TNA put out a press release a couple days later saying that the story attributed to The Sun of the UK was basically full of shit and the other day on the Who's Slamming Who podcast Jim did his weekly commentary and said that what was reported on the Internet was all false.
Basically what he said was it came down to this. Dixie Carter wants people who are 100% behind creative and TNA's direction under Vince Russo and Jim said that just wasn't going to happen. He wishes TNA the best of luck but and I quote “Sarah Palin and Barak Obama will be making out on the steps of the Capitol before me and Vince Russo ever get along creatively”.
On a side note it amuses me greatly that Jim Cornette is a flaming lib. I mean I would have never guessed it.
What really sealed it for Jim was the fact that Ed Ferrara is now back with TNA. He came back to work with them at the No Surrender PPV this past Sunday (yeah there actually was a PPV the other day). So the duo that most agree put the final nails in the coffin of WCW are now the creative direction of TNA.
I was going to do this in my last column, but I passed on it for some reason. Well now I see no reason to pass on it.
Dixie, You Ignorant Slut.
Is it any wonder that TNA can not get above a 1.3 in the Nielsen ratings. You had a GOLDEN opportunity to fundamentally change the direction of the company when you sacked Jeff Jarrett as head of TNA creative and instead of doing what has been desperately needed for years you are continuing on the same path of destruction that TNA has been on for a long time.
Yes once upon a time Vince Russo did revolutionize wrestling on television and the WWF saw insane ratings for what was insane programming. Granted he was with the WWF during a once in a lifetime era when a couple of guys named The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were the main attractions. Dixie, you do not have a Rock or Stone Cold. What you have is Kurt Angle who is a few French fries short of a happy meal, Mick Foley who is doing his damnedest to make everything work, Kevin Nash who is up front about only being in it for the money, and a cast of assorted vanilla midgets, women, and other WWE cast offs.
I remember the Attitude era which is what Russo has been trying to do redo ever since he left the WWF to work for WCW. Aside from the stuff with The Rock and Stone Cold, 85% of it was horrible.
TNA needs to stop trying to be the WWE. TNA needs to stop being WCW. What TNA needs to do is be T N A.
Dixie it's very simple really, but I'm guessing it's going to take a little bit longer for you and your brain trust to figure this out.
See this is why Wrestling is getting so boring and frustrating to watch. There is always something good, but like I said above about 85% of it is horrible.
If you need to wonder about what would fall into the 85% I mention, look no farther then the “Hell In A Cell” PPV coming up. First off has the WWE really hit the bottom of the creative barrel that they are just naming PPV's after the matches on them? Personally if it were me and seeing how I have some old WCW names just collecting dust and since it's October I would dust off Halloween Havoc. You could still do the Hell In A Cell match but at least Halloween Havoc is a name with some appeal to it.
With this PPV being Hell In A Cell, one must wonder just how do you pull off a PPV like this on three weeks notice. Well believe it or not, but WWE Creative is not to fond of this one.
WWE creative is not too fond of the Hell in a Cell PPV format because of the issues with having to do three Cell matches on one card. Some are dreading it because of the idea of three Cell matches with no blood allowed, if they go that route. The current plan is to have the Cell matches take place back to back with DX vs. Legacy first, Undertaker vs. CM Punk second and John Cena vs. Randy Orton last.
Credit to www.f4wonline.com
You know things are bad when the trained monkeys at the typewriters hate the whole idea to begin with. I can't really blame them because one match is more then enough. Two is pushing it but three is overkill plain and simple. And what's going to happen when this PPV draws a piss poor buyrate (I'm sensing somewhere in and around 150K)? What does Vince do? Just scrap the whole thing and throw some more darts at a wall for next time around?
The worst thing about all of this is there is now a strict no blood policy in the WWE thanks to that TVPG shit. You know it's funny on cable there is a a lot a show can get away with in the bounds of TVPG, but some how something that has always been part of the business is now a cardinal sin. I mean really how the hell can you do a PPV featuring the Hell In A Cell and have no blood what so ever? Since the cell was resigned a couple years ago and they made it bigger and taller that kinda takes away the possibility of anyone doing a huge move off the top of the cage (plus Jeff Hardy is gone so he would be the only one dumb enough anyway). The blood was the only worth while thing left and now because of everything having to be clean to draw in the kids and cougar mom's who like to fantasize to the lean looking wrestlers what point is there in having these damn matches to begin with.
Now when it comes to TV PG I am softening just a bit. I am 28 years old so I saw the highs and lows of ATTITUDE and believe me I don't want that. It's bad enough we have Triple H and Shawn Michaels both trying to be DX in this day and age (doesn't everything about DX contradict TV PG to begin with). But I have no problem with TVPG for the most part. I just hate John Cena and his Howdy Doody Captain America Superman act. At Breaking Point when Randy Orton had him hand cuffed to the ring post and he was whipping him with the kendo stick the only thing missing from all of that was some Vietnamese Colonel screaming “WHERE ARE THE PRISONERS BRADDOCK”. You know I wouldn't be surprised if Cena ends up in a remake of Missing In Action in the near future. So I shouldn't probably joke about that because if they did do that it would make all the hype for 12 Rounds seem pail in comparison. It makes me laugh though that in this era of TVPG you have what amounts to a pseudo S&M session on PPV. It's perfectly fine to torture someone but if theres the tiniest bit of blood well then that would just be to horrible for all the little kids.
I wish I could get tickets for this PPV. Since it's in Newark it's not to far from here as it would only be a trip to Penn Station to get on a NJ Transit Train to the Newark Station. The Prudential Center is like five blocks away so it's a good deal and you don't have to deal with traffic on the turnpike or Garden State Parkway. If I were going I would make it a point to get a WE WANT BLOOD chant going. Hell better yet if anyone reading this column is going or knows someone going to the show, get a WE WANT BLOOD chant going.
I still can't believe they are doing this PPV and then three weeks later it will be another PPV of some sort called BRAGGING RIGHTS. I think its supposed to be what's left of Cyber Sunday. That PPV concept died a painful death when they took away free Internet voting and moved to pay per txt voting. I've said this so many times, but the WWE really gives us no reason to want to order these things. If for some reason you order Hell In A Cell and Bragging Rights then that's $80 right there on what is all ready a bloated cable bill. The least the WWE can do is if they are going to do these PPV's so close to each other just lower the damn price.
I think I am done for this week. I just don't have anything left in me. I mean I could do some more TNA bashing but that gets boring after a while.
I read an article floating around on fine news sites just like this one that allegedly Bret Hart is warming up to coming back to the WWE. Now Bret is one of my all time favorite wrestlers. If I could be a wrestler, someone I would pattern part of my ring style after it would be Bret Hart. So the prospect of Bret MAYBE...POSSIBLY coming back someday is a good one. One would have to assume he would be best suited for Smackdown just because I don't want to see Bret and Shawn Michaels anywhere near each other. Though the article said in 2006 Vince was trying to get Bret to come back and he was so confident he was going to get him to sign that he penciled in a street fight between himself and Bret for a PPV. Sometimes I have dreams where I'm watching something and I've had a couple where I was watching Bret Hart facing Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania. Bret's in his traditional ring gear and it's a pretty good match. Bret even takes a piledriver at one point in the match. I never did see the ending so I have no idea who wins, but I'm sure a lot of us who were Bret Hart fans in the 90's especially after the whole Montreal thing would just love to see Bret come back and stand in the ring against Vince and then kick him in the balls and lock the Sharpshooter on him.
I won't believe Bret Hart is in the WWE until I see him actually in a WWE ring getting a 20 minute standing ovation. But it is something to hope and wish for especially if they are going to be building an angle around The Undertaker being screwed in Montreal where it's apparent Vince masterminded the whole thing.
If the WWE did all that then I would forgive them for a lot. But with Linda McMahon running for Senate, if you thought TVPG was bad now just wait if she manages to snag the nomination or worse some how win.
I said it before and I'll say it again. If anyone in Connecticut has any sense, they will vote for Peter Schiff in the primaries and hopefully in the General Election in 2010.
Before I go, I want to implore everyone in the Atlanta, Georgia area to check out Platinum Championship Wrestling
Shows are taped every Wednesday Night at 8PM at the Sam Stone Studios at 860 Hank Aaron Drive in Atlanta, Georgia. The TV show is hosted by “Above Average” Mike Sanders and Stephen Platinum and it's on ION Ch 14 in the Atlanta area at 11:30PM on Friday Nights so do check it out. With TNA and the WWE phoning it in, it's going to be small groups like PCW that will inject new life into Professional Wrestling over the next decade.
On that note I am done for this week. With any luck I'll be back sooner rather then later but we'll see what happens. I'm not making any promises especially with Cena as champion again. So until then take care and remember someone has to give you this information and it DAMN well has got to be me.
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Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling - Fallen Angle...
At one time, not very long ago, there was a one-of-a-kind American athlete by the name of Kurt Angle. Nobody was more focused, driven, talented, dedicated to his craft, or inspirational than the freestyle wrestling champion. After all, it takes an amazing man to defeat a significantly larger opponent while suffering from a severe neck injury to claim an Olympic gold medal, and that’s exactly what Angle accomplished in 1996. Tales of Angle’s triumph over tragedy gave me chills when I read his autobiography, and the story doesn’t end on that podium in Atlanta. A short time after his gold medal victory, Angle went on to master the unusual athletic theater known as professional wrestling as quickly as any rookie in the history of the business, and soon became one of the very best in the world. But fast-forward 13 years and oh my, how the mighty have fallen.
TODAY’S ISSUE: The decline of Kurt Angle.
In a sad tale of self-destruction, Kurt Angle went from Olympic phenom to pro wrestling prodigy before being released from his World Wrestling Entertainment contract by Vince McMahon in August 2006 for “personal issues” likely related to a painkiller addiction. Those “personal issues” are remarkably similar to the Vicodin addiction he suffered from ten years earlier as a result of his severe neck damage and the added strain of continuing to wrestle at a world-class level while so badly injured, but he rid himself of that particular demon years before he became a pro wrestler. When Angle signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling a few weeks after his WWE contract was nullified, many saw that as evidence that TNA cared little for Angle’s long-term health, since it was clear WWE wanted him off the road and away from the grind for his own good.
While statistics and title wins would indicate that Angle’s had a very successful run in TNA these past few years, his personal life has rapidly deteriorated. His wife Karen filed for divorce, he’s been arrested once for driving under the influence and again for driving with a suspended license while in possession of prohibited substances and “stalking” a former girlfriend after she filed a Protection From Abuse order against him. The one common denominator, of course, is the professional wrestling industry.
I truly believe that every adult is responsible for his own actions and choices, but it’s difficult to deny that living the lifestyle of a pro wrestling superstar played a hand in Angle’s decline. If after his Olympic wrestling days Angle had gone on to do endorsements, write books, coach the US team, or any other career besides pro wrestling, I can’t imagine him spiraling out of control the way he has. Karen only divorced him after she was dragged into the pro wrestling circus as an on-screen character, and now there are rumors that she’s involved with Jeff Jarrett, who just happens to be one of the owners of TNA. What a tangled web we weave…
What is it about pro wrestling that entices people to act out in such ways? Is it all the physical abuse they suffer, damaging their brains night after night? How about the laundry list of harmful substances they ingest to look good, to endure the pain and agony of the endless bumps they take, to slow down at the end of yet another crazy night so they can get some sleep, or to pick themselves back up for that early morning flight or the next big show? Could it be the insane levels of stardom they earn for their efforts, living like rock stars and being adored by men, women and children alike? Many wrestlers party like college kids on Spring Break for over 200 days a year, which isn’t going to work out for most people.
I have been a huge fan of Kurt Angle the pro wrestler and far more importantly, Kurt Angle the man for the past thirteen years, but lately it’s become tougher and tougher to feel anything but contempt for the person he’s become. This is a man who, fresh off his Olympic victory and riding a wave of superstardom that might have taken him anywhere he wanted to go, was so disgusted by Raven “crucifying” Sandman at an Extreme Championship Wrestling event he was scheduled to participate in that Angle walked out on a potential ECW contract and threatened to sue Paul Heyman if he ever associated Angle’s name, likeness, or voice with ECW.
And now his real life persona would be a perfect fit for the original hardcore company; it’d be interesting to note, if it weren’t so sad. Where’s his moral outrage now? Was he only concerned about marketing his image back then, or did those ECW antics truly offend him? If so, he’s lost something of himself in the last 13 years, because the way he lives now produces the same disgust and outrage in his fans that he once felt watching a make-believe event, but his actions are all too real. Angle was once a great American, and now he needs to get his house back in order before he loses everything important, including the most precious thing a man possesses – his self-respect.
I just watched a match from April of this year in which Angle challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in Japan. In the process of doing the right thing and putting over the local guy clean as a whistle in the middle of the ring, Angle performed a solid, US television-style match against the reigning champ, proving he’s still a good enough athlete and entertainer to carry on in TNA or WWE, should he ever return to the promotion that launched his pro career. If only he could get his personal life in order, Angle could be the sort of veteran to continue making an impact wherever he goes for years to come. There’s always another World’s Greatest Tag Team out there who could benefit from the rub a former multi-time world champion could give them, as long as Angle is in control of his issues enough to stay out of trouble outside the arenas and not become a liability to the organization for which he works.
I don’t judge Angle for the things he’s done because that’s not my place, but I do hope he figures out what he’s lacking in life that makes him act in such a self-destructive way, and that he finds a way to cope without doing any more damage to his legacy. It’s tough to understand why a guy who seemingly has it all would live as if he’s got nothing to lose, but that’s how Angle’s choices make me perceive him. I want to see him on top of the world once again, not locked up in a holding cell while law enforcement officials decide his future, or suffering from a fate far worse than prison. He’s too special of a man for that, if only he’d remember who he is, where he came from, and what he was once all about. He has overcome amazing odds in his storied life, and I hope to see him overcome the odds currently stacked against him, which unfortunately point to him eventually becoming another pro wrestling tragedy. I wish you nothing but the best, Mr. Angle; please get it together.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “But to him who tries and fails and dies, I give great honor and glory and tears.” - Joaquin Miller
TODAY’S ISSUE: The decline of Kurt Angle.
In a sad tale of self-destruction, Kurt Angle went from Olympic phenom to pro wrestling prodigy before being released from his World Wrestling Entertainment contract by Vince McMahon in August 2006 for “personal issues” likely related to a painkiller addiction. Those “personal issues” are remarkably similar to the Vicodin addiction he suffered from ten years earlier as a result of his severe neck damage and the added strain of continuing to wrestle at a world-class level while so badly injured, but he rid himself of that particular demon years before he became a pro wrestler. When Angle signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling a few weeks after his WWE contract was nullified, many saw that as evidence that TNA cared little for Angle’s long-term health, since it was clear WWE wanted him off the road and away from the grind for his own good.
While statistics and title wins would indicate that Angle’s had a very successful run in TNA these past few years, his personal life has rapidly deteriorated. His wife Karen filed for divorce, he’s been arrested once for driving under the influence and again for driving with a suspended license while in possession of prohibited substances and “stalking” a former girlfriend after she filed a Protection From Abuse order against him. The one common denominator, of course, is the professional wrestling industry.
I truly believe that every adult is responsible for his own actions and choices, but it’s difficult to deny that living the lifestyle of a pro wrestling superstar played a hand in Angle’s decline. If after his Olympic wrestling days Angle had gone on to do endorsements, write books, coach the US team, or any other career besides pro wrestling, I can’t imagine him spiraling out of control the way he has. Karen only divorced him after she was dragged into the pro wrestling circus as an on-screen character, and now there are rumors that she’s involved with Jeff Jarrett, who just happens to be one of the owners of TNA. What a tangled web we weave…
What is it about pro wrestling that entices people to act out in such ways? Is it all the physical abuse they suffer, damaging their brains night after night? How about the laundry list of harmful substances they ingest to look good, to endure the pain and agony of the endless bumps they take, to slow down at the end of yet another crazy night so they can get some sleep, or to pick themselves back up for that early morning flight or the next big show? Could it be the insane levels of stardom they earn for their efforts, living like rock stars and being adored by men, women and children alike? Many wrestlers party like college kids on Spring Break for over 200 days a year, which isn’t going to work out for most people.
I have been a huge fan of Kurt Angle the pro wrestler and far more importantly, Kurt Angle the man for the past thirteen years, but lately it’s become tougher and tougher to feel anything but contempt for the person he’s become. This is a man who, fresh off his Olympic victory and riding a wave of superstardom that might have taken him anywhere he wanted to go, was so disgusted by Raven “crucifying” Sandman at an Extreme Championship Wrestling event he was scheduled to participate in that Angle walked out on a potential ECW contract and threatened to sue Paul Heyman if he ever associated Angle’s name, likeness, or voice with ECW.
And now his real life persona would be a perfect fit for the original hardcore company; it’d be interesting to note, if it weren’t so sad. Where’s his moral outrage now? Was he only concerned about marketing his image back then, or did those ECW antics truly offend him? If so, he’s lost something of himself in the last 13 years, because the way he lives now produces the same disgust and outrage in his fans that he once felt watching a make-believe event, but his actions are all too real. Angle was once a great American, and now he needs to get his house back in order before he loses everything important, including the most precious thing a man possesses – his self-respect.
I just watched a match from April of this year in which Angle challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in Japan. In the process of doing the right thing and putting over the local guy clean as a whistle in the middle of the ring, Angle performed a solid, US television-style match against the reigning champ, proving he’s still a good enough athlete and entertainer to carry on in TNA or WWE, should he ever return to the promotion that launched his pro career. If only he could get his personal life in order, Angle could be the sort of veteran to continue making an impact wherever he goes for years to come. There’s always another World’s Greatest Tag Team out there who could benefit from the rub a former multi-time world champion could give them, as long as Angle is in control of his issues enough to stay out of trouble outside the arenas and not become a liability to the organization for which he works.
I don’t judge Angle for the things he’s done because that’s not my place, but I do hope he figures out what he’s lacking in life that makes him act in such a self-destructive way, and that he finds a way to cope without doing any more damage to his legacy. It’s tough to understand why a guy who seemingly has it all would live as if he’s got nothing to lose, but that’s how Angle’s choices make me perceive him. I want to see him on top of the world once again, not locked up in a holding cell while law enforcement officials decide his future, or suffering from a fate far worse than prison. He’s too special of a man for that, if only he’d remember who he is, where he came from, and what he was once all about. He has overcome amazing odds in his storied life, and I hope to see him overcome the odds currently stacked against him, which unfortunately point to him eventually becoming another pro wrestling tragedy. I wish you nothing but the best, Mr. Angle; please get it together.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “But to him who tries and fails and dies, I give great honor and glory and tears.” - Joaquin Miller
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
It Goes Digital
In the last 20 years, wrestling has moved from your television, to VHS tapes, to DVDs, to digital media such as live streaming and YouTube. However, that's not the end.
The wrestling industry has become linked to social media sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, and Twitter. Droves of fans, wrestlers, and various members of promotion's staff have opened accounts on these sites to interact. Jeff Hardy's Twitter has been suspended (or perhaps deleted) due to his recent legal issues. Linda McMahon has decided to run for Senate next year, and opened a Twitter page along with a personal website for her campaign. Steve Corino, Stevie Richards (using his given name of Michael Manna), and Jimmy Cicero now have Facebook accounts. The Internet has revolutionized the way people can interact, and altered the way fans see wrestling. Ever wondered what's up with Matt Hardy's new pants? Tweet it and ask him! Want to discuss baseball with Corino? Leave him a note on his Facebook Wall!
Where will technology go next, and where will it take our beloved wrestling? Will wrestling continue to go where it is pushed? Only time will tell! In the words of Vince McMahon, "anything can happen."
The wrestling industry has become linked to social media sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, and Twitter. Droves of fans, wrestlers, and various members of promotion's staff have opened accounts on these sites to interact. Jeff Hardy's Twitter has been suspended (or perhaps deleted) due to his recent legal issues. Linda McMahon has decided to run for Senate next year, and opened a Twitter page along with a personal website for her campaign. Steve Corino, Stevie Richards (using his given name of Michael Manna), and Jimmy Cicero now have Facebook accounts. The Internet has revolutionized the way people can interact, and altered the way fans see wrestling. Ever wondered what's up with Matt Hardy's new pants? Tweet it and ask him! Want to discuss baseball with Corino? Leave him a note on his Facebook Wall!
Where will technology go next, and where will it take our beloved wrestling? Will wrestling continue to go where it is pushed? Only time will tell! In the words of Vince McMahon, "anything can happen."
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling - Friends and rivals...
It’s an old story that we all know quite well. An underhanded, diabolical villain with only acquisition and power on his mind forces the hand of a heroic do-gooder via a cowardly attack, theft of something precious, or some other nefarious means. The two engage in a series of battles with each experiencing ups and downs, enjoying triumphs and suffering losses along the way, until the virtuous hero emerges from their final confrontation victorious and all is right with the world once again. Although this common storytelling concept is the basis for most pro wrestling feuds or angles, every once in a while promoters take a different approach in the form of the friendly rivalry.
TODAY’S ISSUE: Friendly rivalries.
In the (kayfabe) highly competitive world of professional wrestling, the athletes who battle between the ropes want to win. Most characters, and the wrestlers who portray the characters for that matter, train for the ring with visions of championship gold, fame, and fortune dancing through their heads even while their bodies are battered by abusive trainers and fellow students as they learn their craft. Not many green rookies dream of one day becoming a sidekick, or backup for some other guy who gets all the glory, or the tag team partner of the breakout star who moves onto bigger and better things while leaving his former pal behind. Most want to be the big dog, the champ, the man.
Think of how many times in your wrestling fandom you’ve witnessed friends turning on each other if they thought it might earn them a title shot or a chance for something else they value. For example you often see tag team partners, stable-mates or even family members double-crossing each other in a battle royal when something important is on the line. Even the best of friends, within the storyline, will be forced to consider their own personal goals over allegiance to one another when the stakes are high enough, and that inner motivation for individual success can drive some fun dramatic twists as these arcs unfold.
A face-versus-face scenario opens new creative doors for wrestlers to tell a unique story between the ropes. One of the great plot devices available when friends square off is that if tempers start to flare, as they inevitably do, it comes as a shock and the intensity is triple what it would be in a standard face/heel contest. It’s so unexpected and out of character when two good guys start getting excessively aggressive with each other, and fans are drawn to the new personality developments occurring before their eyes. After all, nice guys finish last and the wrestler who follows the old Scott Hall axiom is more likely to gain success than he who stands aside and allows his pal to grasp the brass ring.
According to Hall, an old-timer once gave him a bit of advice when he was a young rookie. The veteran said, “In this business you can either have friends or make money”, and when the former Razor Ramon made his decision to jump ship from Vince McMahon’s then-WWF to join rising mega-promotion WCW and begin the legendary nWo storyline, Hall claims his thought process was, “I already have some friends, now I’d like to make the money”. While this wasn’t the actual character talking but rather the real life performer, his logic was still sound. And while several of Hall’s other personal and professional choices might not pass the same test of logic, his decision to sign with Ted Turner’s promotion rather than remaining with McMahon certainly cemented his own iconic status in the business, and likely made him that money he was looking for as well. This is the sort of decision pro wrestlers are faced with when a friend stands across the ring from them.
When two buddies find themselves as opponents who both really want or need a victory, the matches inherently possess an extra degree of intrigue due to the “will they/won’t they” factor regarding following rules, being sportsmen, and going in for the proverbial kill. Sure they’ll play fair at first, avoiding shortcuts like illegal weapons or attacks on the outside, for example ramming their opponent’s shoulder into the ring post, and go for the victory in the least physically harmful way possible. You’ll see lots of roll-ups and pinfall attempts in place of the usual big maneuvers and knockout strikes, especially in the early going. But once their tempers flare and their natural intensity begins to surface, their passion and will to win may boil over and get out of control. That’s when things can get interesting.
Should a friend attack a known weak point even if he realizes it could force his pal out of action for a while? Certainly he’d go after an injured body part on another opponent, but it’s a tougher decision when the aggressor truly cares about the well being of his buddy. Taking it a step further, what if it’s the very friendship with the injured opponent that allowed the guy on offense to find out just where to strike? There’s clearly an ethical dilemma there, but if a wrestler wants to win a match badly enough and knows ahead of time about a particular strategy that’s likely to succeed, like targeting a bad leg or focusing on an injured neck, he should utilize that knowledge to earn a victory. It’s difficult within kayfabe for a wrestler to climb the ladder and advance his career, which he’s worked so hard to build in the first place, and unless he’s willing to be a ruthless bastard the way Stone Cold Steve Austin did during his meteoric rise to the top in the WWF, he risks becoming an afterthought, a George McFly (before Marty taught him to stand up for himself) who stays out of everyone’s way and never realizes his dream of reaching the top of the mountain.
After all, when people remember the Rattlesnake character today, they don’t talk about what a jerk he was for stunning his partners after tag team matches or attacking innocent non-wrestling employees whenever it suited him. They talk about how incredibly successful he was throughout his WWF career, the caliber of men he defeated, the championships he earned, his connection to the fans, his in-your-face attitude, and his tough-as-nails demeanor. Even when Austin-lovers do recall his more infamous deeds, like attacking the late Brian Pillman in his home, challenging Mike Tyson with dual middle fingers on RAW, or destroying thousands of dollars worth of other folks’ property, it isn’t with disgust and hatred, but with a kind of respect and admiration for his unwavering ability to look out for number one. “Don’t trust anybody” was much more than a catchphrase for another Austin t-shirt; it was a way of life for the character, and a very successful one at that.
But for those wrestlers who wish to emerge from matches against one another with their friendship intact, they have to walk a fine line between competition and aggression, forced to consider adjusting their standard arsenal and thinking of a lot more than how to earn a victory. That’s what makes face-versus-face matches and feuds so uncommon, because it’s incredibly difficult to execute such a subtle angle without allowing it to degenerate into a situation in which one face turns heel and the storyline reverts to your typical good guy/bad guy affair. When you do get to see a friendly rivalry unfold between two grapplers, it’s certainly fun to watch and definitely keeps things fresh and interesting.
Within the simulated world of professional wrestling, we fans should realize that these characters work together, travel together, eat, hit the gym, watch DVDs, go to movies, and hang out “off duty” together, so it only makes sense when they become friends and develop their own groups or cliques. If you had to go on a business trip tomorrow that involved three coworkers joining you for a long drive, then finding a hotel in a strange town, looking for a place to eat, and doing whatever you do for a living there before starting the whole journey to a new location the night after, I bet it wouldn’t take too long for you to think of the folks with whom you’d like to share those miles, and even less time to name the people with whom you’d rather kill yourself than have to spend all that time in tight quarters.
And what would you do if, after all that bonding and closeness from the long road trips and shared experiences, the boss told you that the best employee would get a big raise and a company car, but it might mean one of your buddies would be demoted to the mail room and out of contention for promotions and bonuses for the next six months? Would you drive as hard to the hoop as possible? Would you think only of yourself, or would you remain true to your good friend? These are tough questions, and you don’t even have to consider locking your buddies in painful submission holds or kicking the crap out of them for that promotion. That’s why friendly rivalries can be so intriguing, and are well worth the time to watch and enjoy when properly executed.
One such “civil war” was the recent friendly rivalry between Jay Briscoe and Roderick Strong. Based on mutual respect as well as a desire to show their toughness and wrestling ability, the feud saw each man win a match, the first at Stylin’ & Profilin’, and the second on part two of Double Feature II, and the rubber match took place on the ROH on HDNet cable program. Their battles featured the exact sort of sophisticated storytelling and great in-ring action you’d expect from a war between two evenly-matched opponents who respect each other enough to play fair while still giving their all to try to win.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” - Abraham Lincoln
TODAY’S ISSUE: Friendly rivalries.
In the (kayfabe) highly competitive world of professional wrestling, the athletes who battle between the ropes want to win. Most characters, and the wrestlers who portray the characters for that matter, train for the ring with visions of championship gold, fame, and fortune dancing through their heads even while their bodies are battered by abusive trainers and fellow students as they learn their craft. Not many green rookies dream of one day becoming a sidekick, or backup for some other guy who gets all the glory, or the tag team partner of the breakout star who moves onto bigger and better things while leaving his former pal behind. Most want to be the big dog, the champ, the man.
Think of how many times in your wrestling fandom you’ve witnessed friends turning on each other if they thought it might earn them a title shot or a chance for something else they value. For example you often see tag team partners, stable-mates or even family members double-crossing each other in a battle royal when something important is on the line. Even the best of friends, within the storyline, will be forced to consider their own personal goals over allegiance to one another when the stakes are high enough, and that inner motivation for individual success can drive some fun dramatic twists as these arcs unfold.
A face-versus-face scenario opens new creative doors for wrestlers to tell a unique story between the ropes. One of the great plot devices available when friends square off is that if tempers start to flare, as they inevitably do, it comes as a shock and the intensity is triple what it would be in a standard face/heel contest. It’s so unexpected and out of character when two good guys start getting excessively aggressive with each other, and fans are drawn to the new personality developments occurring before their eyes. After all, nice guys finish last and the wrestler who follows the old Scott Hall axiom is more likely to gain success than he who stands aside and allows his pal to grasp the brass ring.
According to Hall, an old-timer once gave him a bit of advice when he was a young rookie. The veteran said, “In this business you can either have friends or make money”, and when the former Razor Ramon made his decision to jump ship from Vince McMahon’s then-WWF to join rising mega-promotion WCW and begin the legendary nWo storyline, Hall claims his thought process was, “I already have some friends, now I’d like to make the money”. While this wasn’t the actual character talking but rather the real life performer, his logic was still sound. And while several of Hall’s other personal and professional choices might not pass the same test of logic, his decision to sign with Ted Turner’s promotion rather than remaining with McMahon certainly cemented his own iconic status in the business, and likely made him that money he was looking for as well. This is the sort of decision pro wrestlers are faced with when a friend stands across the ring from them.
When two buddies find themselves as opponents who both really want or need a victory, the matches inherently possess an extra degree of intrigue due to the “will they/won’t they” factor regarding following rules, being sportsmen, and going in for the proverbial kill. Sure they’ll play fair at first, avoiding shortcuts like illegal weapons or attacks on the outside, for example ramming their opponent’s shoulder into the ring post, and go for the victory in the least physically harmful way possible. You’ll see lots of roll-ups and pinfall attempts in place of the usual big maneuvers and knockout strikes, especially in the early going. But once their tempers flare and their natural intensity begins to surface, their passion and will to win may boil over and get out of control. That’s when things can get interesting.
Should a friend attack a known weak point even if he realizes it could force his pal out of action for a while? Certainly he’d go after an injured body part on another opponent, but it’s a tougher decision when the aggressor truly cares about the well being of his buddy. Taking it a step further, what if it’s the very friendship with the injured opponent that allowed the guy on offense to find out just where to strike? There’s clearly an ethical dilemma there, but if a wrestler wants to win a match badly enough and knows ahead of time about a particular strategy that’s likely to succeed, like targeting a bad leg or focusing on an injured neck, he should utilize that knowledge to earn a victory. It’s difficult within kayfabe for a wrestler to climb the ladder and advance his career, which he’s worked so hard to build in the first place, and unless he’s willing to be a ruthless bastard the way Stone Cold Steve Austin did during his meteoric rise to the top in the WWF, he risks becoming an afterthought, a George McFly (before Marty taught him to stand up for himself) who stays out of everyone’s way and never realizes his dream of reaching the top of the mountain.
After all, when people remember the Rattlesnake character today, they don’t talk about what a jerk he was for stunning his partners after tag team matches or attacking innocent non-wrestling employees whenever it suited him. They talk about how incredibly successful he was throughout his WWF career, the caliber of men he defeated, the championships he earned, his connection to the fans, his in-your-face attitude, and his tough-as-nails demeanor. Even when Austin-lovers do recall his more infamous deeds, like attacking the late Brian Pillman in his home, challenging Mike Tyson with dual middle fingers on RAW, or destroying thousands of dollars worth of other folks’ property, it isn’t with disgust and hatred, but with a kind of respect and admiration for his unwavering ability to look out for number one. “Don’t trust anybody” was much more than a catchphrase for another Austin t-shirt; it was a way of life for the character, and a very successful one at that.
But for those wrestlers who wish to emerge from matches against one another with their friendship intact, they have to walk a fine line between competition and aggression, forced to consider adjusting their standard arsenal and thinking of a lot more than how to earn a victory. That’s what makes face-versus-face matches and feuds so uncommon, because it’s incredibly difficult to execute such a subtle angle without allowing it to degenerate into a situation in which one face turns heel and the storyline reverts to your typical good guy/bad guy affair. When you do get to see a friendly rivalry unfold between two grapplers, it’s certainly fun to watch and definitely keeps things fresh and interesting.
Within the simulated world of professional wrestling, we fans should realize that these characters work together, travel together, eat, hit the gym, watch DVDs, go to movies, and hang out “off duty” together, so it only makes sense when they become friends and develop their own groups or cliques. If you had to go on a business trip tomorrow that involved three coworkers joining you for a long drive, then finding a hotel in a strange town, looking for a place to eat, and doing whatever you do for a living there before starting the whole journey to a new location the night after, I bet it wouldn’t take too long for you to think of the folks with whom you’d like to share those miles, and even less time to name the people with whom you’d rather kill yourself than have to spend all that time in tight quarters.
And what would you do if, after all that bonding and closeness from the long road trips and shared experiences, the boss told you that the best employee would get a big raise and a company car, but it might mean one of your buddies would be demoted to the mail room and out of contention for promotions and bonuses for the next six months? Would you drive as hard to the hoop as possible? Would you think only of yourself, or would you remain true to your good friend? These are tough questions, and you don’t even have to consider locking your buddies in painful submission holds or kicking the crap out of them for that promotion. That’s why friendly rivalries can be so intriguing, and are well worth the time to watch and enjoy when properly executed.
One such “civil war” was the recent friendly rivalry between Jay Briscoe and Roderick Strong. Based on mutual respect as well as a desire to show their toughness and wrestling ability, the feud saw each man win a match, the first at Stylin’ & Profilin’, and the second on part two of Double Feature II, and the rubber match took place on the ROH on HDNet cable program. Their battles featured the exact sort of sophisticated storytelling and great in-ring action you’d expect from a war between two evenly-matched opponents who respect each other enough to play fair while still giving their all to try to win.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” - Abraham Lincoln
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
A Handle on Things
When I created this blog, I decided it would be a place for an "insider's look." It would be views from "marks," "mega-fans," or whatever term others choose to utilize. Now, I admit I am not an "insider" in the sense that I have never worked for any wrestling promotion or been backstage at any wrestling event. However, I am what insiders would consider a "mark." While that term isn't always endearing, to me it means I have a decent handle on the business. I understand shoot vs. kayfabe vs. "you f***ed up!" I understand The Undertaker isn't his real name. I understand the word "fake" is mis-applied to wrestling by non-fans. However, most of all, I understand the weight of backstage politicking.
Way back in the months before Scott Hall mysteriously appeared on WCW television, proclaiming that if WCW wanted a war, they'd gotten one, there was a little incident in New York that became known as "The MSG Incident." It proved to many that "the Kliq" had a lot of influence up north. Shawn Michaels, Triple H (then not even yet dating Stephanie McMahon), Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, and PJ "Justin Credible" Polaco were in Vince McMahon's...ear. However, it also proved that they weren't above punishment.
I won't get into the happenings of "the Incident," but the result was: Triple H stuck in a cheesy feud with Henry Godwinn instead of rising to the top, winning King of the Ring, and becoming the next main eventer. Steve Austin got that opportunity and the rest is history. It made fans who were aware of the situation realize that kayfabe still had some validity to McMahon. By bringing their real life friendship out infront of the fans during a show, "the Kliq" had broken a cardinal rule - do not break kayfabe, and don't talk about it. You're a character working a show until the show is over.
Backstage politics is a major thing that can make or break a career. Skill, appearance, manners, and knowledge of wrestling history don't matter when you do something that violates the oft unwritten rules of backstage conduct. WWE's "wrestler's court" is known to be serious business. Guys like The Undertaker, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Triple H, and Bob "Hardcore" Holly have held unofficial positions as veterans in the past, taking younger stars to task for varius offenses. Working too stiff or too showy, being deadweight, not pulling punches, or ribbing a veteran have all been tagged as punishable offenses in "wrestler's court." In some cases, the punishment has been handed out in the ring, in the form of a stiff shot or a tongue-lashing on live TV.
While order, common sense, and rules do have a place in every line of work, wrestlers often find ways to use their wrestling ability or their intimidating size to get their point across and execute a "sentence." Imagine being a rookie and hiding Big Show's gym bag in the women's locker room. Now, imagine the consequences when he finds out you did it! Even if he's very fond of you as a person and thinks you've got potential as a wrestler, it's just not something you risk doing. It could cost you, and you would not want to deal with the penalties.
So, the weight of backstage politics is clearly a heavy one, and one not to be messed around with.
Way back in the months before Scott Hall mysteriously appeared on WCW television, proclaiming that if WCW wanted a war, they'd gotten one, there was a little incident in New York that became known as "The MSG Incident." It proved to many that "the Kliq" had a lot of influence up north. Shawn Michaels, Triple H (then not even yet dating Stephanie McMahon), Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, and PJ "Justin Credible" Polaco were in Vince McMahon's...ear. However, it also proved that they weren't above punishment.
I won't get into the happenings of "the Incident," but the result was: Triple H stuck in a cheesy feud with Henry Godwinn instead of rising to the top, winning King of the Ring, and becoming the next main eventer. Steve Austin got that opportunity and the rest is history. It made fans who were aware of the situation realize that kayfabe still had some validity to McMahon. By bringing their real life friendship out infront of the fans during a show, "the Kliq" had broken a cardinal rule - do not break kayfabe, and don't talk about it. You're a character working a show until the show is over.
Backstage politics is a major thing that can make or break a career. Skill, appearance, manners, and knowledge of wrestling history don't matter when you do something that violates the oft unwritten rules of backstage conduct. WWE's "wrestler's court" is known to be serious business. Guys like The Undertaker, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Triple H, and Bob "Hardcore" Holly have held unofficial positions as veterans in the past, taking younger stars to task for varius offenses. Working too stiff or too showy, being deadweight, not pulling punches, or ribbing a veteran have all been tagged as punishable offenses in "wrestler's court." In some cases, the punishment has been handed out in the ring, in the form of a stiff shot or a tongue-lashing on live TV.
While order, common sense, and rules do have a place in every line of work, wrestlers often find ways to use their wrestling ability or their intimidating size to get their point across and execute a "sentence." Imagine being a rookie and hiding Big Show's gym bag in the women's locker room. Now, imagine the consequences when he finds out you did it! Even if he's very fond of you as a person and thinks you've got potential as a wrestler, it's just not something you risk doing. It could cost you, and you would not want to deal with the penalties.
So, the weight of backstage politics is clearly a heavy one, and one not to be messed around with.
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – Who’s next?
Mere days after my recent column discussing Bryan Danielson’s impending move to WWE, the news broke that another former Ring of Honor world champion, Nigel McGuinness, was right behind the American Dragon in his move to McMahonland. As the British Bruiser fine-tunes his WWE contract, many are speculating about Vince’s interest in other ROH talent. Which members of the Ring of Honor roster might catch McMahon’s eye?
TODAY’S ISSUE: Other ROH talent Vince McMahon could hire.
Considering what we know about the sort of performer McMahon usually prefers to showcase in his “sportz entertainment” version of pro wrestling, it’d be easy to peg guys like Claudio Castagnoli and Kenny King as prime targets for the WWE roster. Claudio is a big, physically impressive stud with a built-in gimmick (Vince has always loved foreigners) and a well-defined personality. In fact, he was once under a short-lived developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, so you know he’s somebody they’ve wanted to bring to TV in the past. King, who competed on WWE’s Tough Enough reality show, is similar to Shelton Benjamin in terms of athleticism and agility but he possesses much more natural charisma and attitude, which is always a hit with WWE crowds.
But lately, the success of a smaller, more “wrestling-oriented” performer like reigning World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and the signing of Danielson, who some might consider a tad vanilla in the personality department, has left me wondering who’s making the hiring decisions in WWE at the moment. Could it be that Vince suddenly sees the business in a different way now, and a whole new era will dawn in the mainstream U.S. industry, or has McMahon simply started allowing his talent scouts to try new things? Either way, the prospect of more focus on in-ring quality versus caricatures in WWE is certainly appealing, and leads me to question who else on the current ROH roster might be in line for a shot at the “big time”.
Rumor has it that after McGuinness, McMahon has his eye on as many as three other Ring of Honor mainstays. If that’s true, the question becomes which three? Who might Vince be hearing a lot about? Which performers are the talk of Titan Towers? What three ROH warriors might Vince and company be watching on HDNet and DVDs, trying to concoct a role for them someplace on the RAW, ECW, or SmackDown! rosters? There are several folks whom I believe could thrive in WWE under the right set of circumstances, but as far as who’s most likely to get the call, here’s what I’ve come up with:
Tyler Black. A young, strong, agile, explosive, dynamic athlete, with heartthrob qualities and the ability to sell like he's being tortured in the ring, Black could bring a great deal to WWE. He’s amassed an impressive amount of experience for such a young performer, and shows a lot of poise and ring-generalship while working with some of the most capable and skilled wrestlers in the world today. His match against then-ROH champ Nigel McGuinness at the Take No Prisoners ppv in early 2008 made him a star overnight, and created a wave of momentum that only slowed down when ROH ruined it with bad booking by failing to pull the trigger on his “big win” once the time was right. If they hadn’t slowed him down themselves, Black might be the biggest name in ROH today. Fans quickly learned to see him as a cut above the average wrestler, and cared deeply about his successes and failures. That, my friends, is the kind of guy you want in your promotion.
Davey Richards. Other than height, which may not be an issue in the “new” WWE with guys like Punk and Danielson roaming the landscape, Davey Richards has it all. He’s got a great looking, muscled-up physique covered in cool tattoos. He boasts an intense, wicked mean streak, good promo skills, a deep moveset of striking, suplexes, and submission holds, and enough charisma to bring it all together and reach the crowd. Richards is quick, tough, and devastatingly brutal between the ropes, and he would do well in the Jamie Noble or Shane Helms roll of the cruiserweight who doesn’t wrestle a high-flying style, but gets it done on the mat instead. His lightning-in-a-bottle, eruptive style could really light a fire on WWE programming.
Delirious. Nobody in ROH screams “sportz entertainment” more than the Lizard Man. While his offbeat gimmick and outrageous antics would be a perfect fit in the land of crazy characters known as World Wrestling Entertainment, Delirious is also an incredible in-ring performer, and if given the right opportunity he could really get over with WWE crowds. After all, another great wrestling technician encased in an unusual character got over once before, in the person of Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore, so the template is there. While WWE fans would first find him a conundrum, Delirious could eventually have them chanting, “Bah! Bah! Bah!” along with him, and I’ll bet he’d sell a lot of green-and-black merchandise before too long. We all know how much Vince loves wrestlers who push merch.
One might say that since King and Castagnoli have already had their chance in WWE, they are out of consideration, but as the old saying goes, “never say never”. And while his initial run in WWE didn’t go so well, an all-around performer like Brent Albright would always be a solid addition to any one of the three WWE rosters, so who knows? The scary thing for indy fans today is that if wrestlers who don’t fit the usual McMahon mold are suddenly getting contracts, then nobody’s safe, and guys like Austin Aries, Kenny Omega, the Briscoes, and Roderick Strong could get the call at any moment. Of course, as I stated last week, I understand why each and every one of them should jump at the chance for guaranteed money and a less physically demanding style, but it could certainly damage ROH if enough of their big stars take the plunge at around the same time.
Hopefully Vince will continue his policy of “future endeavoring” good performers on his roster as he brings in new meat, so guys like Colt Cabana and Brian Kendrick are available to fill the gaps created by the departures of Danielson, McGuinness, and whomever else McMahon brings into the fold. A revolving door of wrestlers who do their time up north and then return home to Ring of Honor and other indy feds actually freshens-up characters and gives more young lions a chance to step up to the plate and see if they can hit, which is never a bad thing. Whatever happens, this is certainly an interesting time to be a wrestling fan. Stay tuned.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Be ready when opportunity comes… Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet.” - Roy D. Chapin, Jr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The original version of this syndicated column, titled Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic, appears each Monday morning on Pulse Wrestling.
Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…
Chris Morgado is back with week #3 of The Column With No Name, this week focusing on the “little things” that make a show great.
Will Pruett and Dale Clarke each give their views on gimmick-themed pay-per-view events.
Here are your official Pulse Wrestling rankings for WWE, TNA, and ROH.
Tess Nolde brings another WWE Vintage Collection Recap.
Brian Eison recaps the SmackDown! episode that featured the very good IC Title bout between Rey Mysterio and John Morrison.
Marshall ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie. Here’s the latest Total Nonstop Weekly.
Speaking of TNA, Jon Bandit reviews their Destination X 2009 event.
Finally this week, Charlie Reneke toils over the Way Too Long Review of both the documentary portion of the Rise and Fall of WCW multi-disc set, and Disc Two. His Way Too Long Review of the third and final disc in the set is forthcoming.
TODAY’S ISSUE: Other ROH talent Vince McMahon could hire.
Considering what we know about the sort of performer McMahon usually prefers to showcase in his “sportz entertainment” version of pro wrestling, it’d be easy to peg guys like Claudio Castagnoli and Kenny King as prime targets for the WWE roster. Claudio is a big, physically impressive stud with a built-in gimmick (Vince has always loved foreigners) and a well-defined personality. In fact, he was once under a short-lived developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, so you know he’s somebody they’ve wanted to bring to TV in the past. King, who competed on WWE’s Tough Enough reality show, is similar to Shelton Benjamin in terms of athleticism and agility but he possesses much more natural charisma and attitude, which is always a hit with WWE crowds.
But lately, the success of a smaller, more “wrestling-oriented” performer like reigning World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and the signing of Danielson, who some might consider a tad vanilla in the personality department, has left me wondering who’s making the hiring decisions in WWE at the moment. Could it be that Vince suddenly sees the business in a different way now, and a whole new era will dawn in the mainstream U.S. industry, or has McMahon simply started allowing his talent scouts to try new things? Either way, the prospect of more focus on in-ring quality versus caricatures in WWE is certainly appealing, and leads me to question who else on the current ROH roster might be in line for a shot at the “big time”.
Rumor has it that after McGuinness, McMahon has his eye on as many as three other Ring of Honor mainstays. If that’s true, the question becomes which three? Who might Vince be hearing a lot about? Which performers are the talk of Titan Towers? What three ROH warriors might Vince and company be watching on HDNet and DVDs, trying to concoct a role for them someplace on the RAW, ECW, or SmackDown! rosters? There are several folks whom I believe could thrive in WWE under the right set of circumstances, but as far as who’s most likely to get the call, here’s what I’ve come up with:
Tyler Black. A young, strong, agile, explosive, dynamic athlete, with heartthrob qualities and the ability to sell like he's being tortured in the ring, Black could bring a great deal to WWE. He’s amassed an impressive amount of experience for such a young performer, and shows a lot of poise and ring-generalship while working with some of the most capable and skilled wrestlers in the world today. His match against then-ROH champ Nigel McGuinness at the Take No Prisoners ppv in early 2008 made him a star overnight, and created a wave of momentum that only slowed down when ROH ruined it with bad booking by failing to pull the trigger on his “big win” once the time was right. If they hadn’t slowed him down themselves, Black might be the biggest name in ROH today. Fans quickly learned to see him as a cut above the average wrestler, and cared deeply about his successes and failures. That, my friends, is the kind of guy you want in your promotion.
Davey Richards. Other than height, which may not be an issue in the “new” WWE with guys like Punk and Danielson roaming the landscape, Davey Richards has it all. He’s got a great looking, muscled-up physique covered in cool tattoos. He boasts an intense, wicked mean streak, good promo skills, a deep moveset of striking, suplexes, and submission holds, and enough charisma to bring it all together and reach the crowd. Richards is quick, tough, and devastatingly brutal between the ropes, and he would do well in the Jamie Noble or Shane Helms roll of the cruiserweight who doesn’t wrestle a high-flying style, but gets it done on the mat instead. His lightning-in-a-bottle, eruptive style could really light a fire on WWE programming.
Delirious. Nobody in ROH screams “sportz entertainment” more than the Lizard Man. While his offbeat gimmick and outrageous antics would be a perfect fit in the land of crazy characters known as World Wrestling Entertainment, Delirious is also an incredible in-ring performer, and if given the right opportunity he could really get over with WWE crowds. After all, another great wrestling technician encased in an unusual character got over once before, in the person of Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore, so the template is there. While WWE fans would first find him a conundrum, Delirious could eventually have them chanting, “Bah! Bah! Bah!” along with him, and I’ll bet he’d sell a lot of green-and-black merchandise before too long. We all know how much Vince loves wrestlers who push merch.
One might say that since King and Castagnoli have already had their chance in WWE, they are out of consideration, but as the old saying goes, “never say never”. And while his initial run in WWE didn’t go so well, an all-around performer like Brent Albright would always be a solid addition to any one of the three WWE rosters, so who knows? The scary thing for indy fans today is that if wrestlers who don’t fit the usual McMahon mold are suddenly getting contracts, then nobody’s safe, and guys like Austin Aries, Kenny Omega, the Briscoes, and Roderick Strong could get the call at any moment. Of course, as I stated last week, I understand why each and every one of them should jump at the chance for guaranteed money and a less physically demanding style, but it could certainly damage ROH if enough of their big stars take the plunge at around the same time.
Hopefully Vince will continue his policy of “future endeavoring” good performers on his roster as he brings in new meat, so guys like Colt Cabana and Brian Kendrick are available to fill the gaps created by the departures of Danielson, McGuinness, and whomever else McMahon brings into the fold. A revolving door of wrestlers who do their time up north and then return home to Ring of Honor and other indy feds actually freshens-up characters and gives more young lions a chance to step up to the plate and see if they can hit, which is never a bad thing. Whatever happens, this is certainly an interesting time to be a wrestling fan. Stay tuned.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Be ready when opportunity comes… Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet.” - Roy D. Chapin, Jr.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The original version of this syndicated column, titled Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic, appears each Monday morning on Pulse Wrestling.
Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…
Chris Morgado is back with week #3 of The Column With No Name, this week focusing on the “little things” that make a show great.
Will Pruett and Dale Clarke each give their views on gimmick-themed pay-per-view events.
Here are your official Pulse Wrestling rankings for WWE, TNA, and ROH.
Tess Nolde brings another WWE Vintage Collection Recap.
Brian Eison recaps the SmackDown! episode that featured the very good IC Title bout between Rey Mysterio and John Morrison.
Marshall ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie. Here’s the latest Total Nonstop Weekly.
Speaking of TNA, Jon Bandit reviews their Destination X 2009 event.
Finally this week, Charlie Reneke toils over the Way Too Long Review of both the documentary portion of the Rise and Fall of WCW multi-disc set, and Disc Two. His Way Too Long Review of the third and final disc in the set is forthcoming.
Friday, September 04, 2009
The Curious Case of...
No, not Benjamin Button. Not even Brad Pitt. Let's examine the curious case of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair. He's a household name to most wrestling fans, both young and old. However, Richard Morgan Fliehr didn't exactly have a smooth ride to stardom, to being a legend, or to WWE's Hall of Fame. He's met his match, had his demons, and experienced lots of hardships on his way to success (after success). Let's not go into great detail, but let us examine the curious case of Ric Flair.
Richard Morgan Fliehr was born on February 25, 1949. He was adopted, went to boarding school in Wisconsin, and met Greg Gagne at the University of Minnesota while playing football. Through Ken Patera, Fliehr met Verne Gagne, and his journey as Ric Flair began. It almost ended as quickly. In October 1975, Flair broke his back in an airplane crash that ended the life of Johnny Valentine. Flair was told he'd never wrestle again. He didn't consider that. Flair changed to a more technically sound style, and returned to the squared circle in less than a year. Over the next 15 years, Flair would become a mainstay in multiple NWA territories, a multi-time NWA (and WCW) champion, and one of the top draws the business had ever seen, and that's only half of his career.
In 1993, Flair returned to WCW after a short stay in the WWF. He made his mark on the Monday Night Wars, feuding with the New World Order, Konnan, and even his son David. When WCW was purchased by the WWF, Flair returned to the spotlight again, becoming a figurehead on Raw as "the consortium" the McMahon children had sold their WWF stock to. Over the next years, Flair would have a prominent role on Raw, before being drafted to Smackdown!. This drafting, however, did not have much of an effect. Flair returned to Raw and feuded with Mr. McMahon up until his loss in his retirement match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV.
For all of Ric Flair's in-ring success, he's endured plenty of turmoil outside it. There was the airplane crash and the broken back, being forced to change his wrestling style, multiple marriages and divorces, failed business ventures, etc. But as Ric Flair the wrestler disappears into memory, Richard Fliehr the person trudges on. It's curious. What would Richard Morgan Fliehr have done if he had not broken his back in 1975? Would his career have been even greater? What if he'd never returned to wrestling after breaking his back? What would he have spent the last three decades doing? As a wrestler, Ric Flair always quipped, "To be 'the man,' you've gotta beat 'the man.'" Well, for over 30 years, Richard Fliehr worked hard to make Ric Flair "the man" and I'm grateful to have experienced most of those years. Whooooo!
Richard Morgan Fliehr was born on February 25, 1949. He was adopted, went to boarding school in Wisconsin, and met Greg Gagne at the University of Minnesota while playing football. Through Ken Patera, Fliehr met Verne Gagne, and his journey as Ric Flair began. It almost ended as quickly. In October 1975, Flair broke his back in an airplane crash that ended the life of Johnny Valentine. Flair was told he'd never wrestle again. He didn't consider that. Flair changed to a more technically sound style, and returned to the squared circle in less than a year. Over the next 15 years, Flair would become a mainstay in multiple NWA territories, a multi-time NWA (and WCW) champion, and one of the top draws the business had ever seen, and that's only half of his career.
In 1993, Flair returned to WCW after a short stay in the WWF. He made his mark on the Monday Night Wars, feuding with the New World Order, Konnan, and even his son David. When WCW was purchased by the WWF, Flair returned to the spotlight again, becoming a figurehead on Raw as "the consortium" the McMahon children had sold their WWF stock to. Over the next years, Flair would have a prominent role on Raw, before being drafted to Smackdown!. This drafting, however, did not have much of an effect. Flair returned to Raw and feuded with Mr. McMahon up until his loss in his retirement match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV.
For all of Ric Flair's in-ring success, he's endured plenty of turmoil outside it. There was the airplane crash and the broken back, being forced to change his wrestling style, multiple marriages and divorces, failed business ventures, etc. But as Ric Flair the wrestler disappears into memory, Richard Fliehr the person trudges on. It's curious. What would Richard Morgan Fliehr have done if he had not broken his back in 1975? Would his career have been even greater? What if he'd never returned to wrestling after breaking his back? What would he have spent the last three decades doing? As a wrestler, Ric Flair always quipped, "To be 'the man,' you've gotta beat 'the man.'" Well, for over 30 years, Richard Fliehr worked hard to make Ric Flair "the man" and I'm grateful to have experienced most of those years. Whooooo!
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – Exit/Enter the Dragon…
Greetings, readers of Behind the Curtains. I'm syndicated pro wrestling columnist Vinny Truncellito, and I've been invited to post my weekly opinion columns here.
Originally written for and posted at Pulse Wrestling as "Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic", and syndicated as "The Vin Sanity of Wrestling" all over the 'Net, I've produced this column for about four and a half years now. I hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to post comments.
To read this week's column, click the link above or just read below.
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The Vin Sanity of Wrestling - Exit/Enter the Dragon...
By now, anyone who’d be interested in the news already knows; independent wrestling legend “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson has taken the plunge and signed with World Wrestling Entertainment. What will this major change mean for his career?
TODAY’S ISSUE: American Dragon signs with WWE.
I know I can always be counted on for a sarcastic, jaded comment about anything that emanates from WWE, but I’ve got to be fair about this. CM Punk has fared well in his “big league” tenure so far, at least as well as a smaller, non Hogan-ish performer can be expected to fare in WWE, so Danielson might have a chance. Maybe he won’t be buried or forgotten after a few weeks on the air. My worst fear is actually that Vince and company could treat Danielson like a joke, but again, using Punk’s surprising success (not surprising to indy fans, but surprising that a guy like him would be pushed by McMahon) as a model, maybe Dragon won’t be given some stupid gimmick and dumped into crappy storylines from the get-go. Perhaps he’ll be allowed to be who and what he is, and given a chance to shine between the ropes and entertain the fans with his outstanding wrestling ability. Imagine that…
If the American Dragon could somehow wind up in the same brand as Punk and Matt “Evan Bourne” Sydal along with a couple of Vince’s good young talents like Jack Swagger, Paul Burchill, or them Hart boys, that might be a show worth watching. And isn’t James “Jamie Noble” Gibson still on the roster, too? And Shane Helms, and Jimmy Yang? Hmm… these are all performers who could put on good matches against Danielson. I’d also like to see what Shelton Benjamin would do against the American Dragon, and it’d be something special to watch him go strike-for-strike against a respected veteran like Fit Finlay, or hold-for-hold against a legend like Chris Jericho.
Don’t misunderstand, I’m certainly not about to get optimistic about Danielson’s WWE run, especially considering that while incredible performers like Paul London and Brian Kendrick “couldn’t cut it” in WWE, their current roster is littered with no-talent hacks who happen to posses impressive size, like the Great Khali, and television time is routinely wasted on ridiculous nonsense like Hornswoggle, Shaq, and outdated characters like Goldust. But who knows? Maybe Vince will be willing to let just one brand stand out for its wrestling style and longer matches. I’ve always thought ECW was the perfect place for that sort of atmosphere, and since William Regal, current #1 contender to the ECW Championship, just happens to have been one of Danielson’s trainers, it would make Tuesday nights the ideal place for the “real wrestling” hour among WWE’s many weekly television shows.
The concept of ECW becoming the “wrestling” show in their lineup would be especially effective if WWE would learn to take a less hands-on approach to the in-ring product and just let great performers go out there and tear it up in 20-minute matches. I know, you doubters and WWEirdo apologists will say that mainstream wrestling fans don’t have the patience to sit through a match that actually tells a story, but I say any crowd can appreciate quality when it’s presented to them as a superior product, and WWE fans could learn to love longer, slow-developing matches under the right conditions. They need to be reminded that a painful hold is just as devastating as a punch in the mouth and that, within the context of a match with well-executed psychology, the same hold can have a much longer lasting and devastating effect.
For instance, if a true technician takes apart his opponent’s arm for 10 straight minutes before applying a crowbar or something like Nigel McGuinness’ London Dungeon, and if the man absorbing the beating sells properly throughout the match while the commentators actually discuss the focused attack and the devastating damage being done (instead of nattering on about everything but the contest, as WWE announcers tend to do), once that submission hold is locked on and the victim starts screaming in agony the crowd will realize they’re witnessing a great story, and start to care. And fans who care spend their money to watch that guy, once recovered from his arm injury, going after the man who wrenched his shoulder out of the socket and trying to score a victory to settle the score and regain some degree of pride after the loss. That’s really all it needs to be about. No child custody suits, supernatural beings, marital affairs, or hackneyed evil authority figures are required to sell pro wrestling to us wrestling fans. Set up a simple story and let the in-ring action tell it. And nobody’s better at delivering the wrestling side of an angle than Bryan Danielson.
If you are among those who think “sportz entertainment” can’t endure such a shift in philosophy, just think about the built-in psychology at SummerSlam 2002 when Shawn Michaels returned from his career-ending back injury and battled Triple H in a non-sanctioned lights-out match. Every time HHHis HHHighness even touched HBK’s back the crowd cringed in agony; the mere thought of Michaels’ damaged back being attacked like that cranked up the emotion of the contest and drew the fans in, and that doesn’t have to be a one-time thing. In the past, real wrestlers like Kurt Angle, the late, great Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, and Chris Benoit were able to get wrestling over when given the opportunity. And there are enough other competent performers on the WWE roster that they could do it again.
Bryan Danielson’s wrestling acumen could set the stage for a revival of in-ring performance in WWE that would actually allow the so-called creative team to do a lot less work. Imagine the run-sheet for a one-hour ECW broadcast that called for a short interview, then a 20-minute match. With intros and commercials, that’s half the program already. See how easy that is? And the less writing they do, the less silly stuff they’ll be forced to throw in and the product might actually become appealing to old-school fans again. And the beauty of it is, they’d never have to compromise their new slant toward PG programming. There’s nothing inappropriate about great wrestling matches; it’s all the talking and bikini contests and such that change the type of show they produce.
For storyline purposes, I’d like to see Regal bring in Danielson as a former student with the intention of having him join his band of merry men, but Dragon quickly tiring of being used as canon fodder and working solely for the good of Regal at the expense of his own potential advancement. If he were being abused and treated unfairly by Regal and company on television, it wouldn’t take long for the fans to get behind Dragon, and if he had to go through Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Koslov to get his hands on Regal that arc practically writes itself. It’d be a great way to introduce Danielson to WWE crowds, and put him over as a serious upper midcard threat right out of the chute.
I don’t know how likely it is that Bryan Danielson will be the recipient of such a warm welcome in McMahonland, but I guarantee that if given a chance to truly demonstrate his wares to the WWE audience, he’ll connect with them on a level like Punk has. They’ll see him as the real deal, not a performer portraying a character. They will learn to understand the role in-ring psychology plays in a storyline, and appreciate what an amazing athlete Danielson is. It might just be enough to earn him a following, sell tickets, merchandise, and ppv buys, and create a new star for Vince toexploit showcase, and that’s what it’s all about, right?
Yes, we indy fans will miss having one of our legendary performers around, but perhaps if the stars align right and if Vince and company take Danielson seriously, some small element of WWE programming might just become watchable again. I’d love to see that happen. I wish you good luck in the bizarre land of sportz entertainment, Mr. Danielson, and I hope you don’t need it.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” - Seneca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The original version of this syndicated column, titled Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic, appears each Monday morning on Pulse Wrestling.
Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…
Brian Eison recaps SmackDown! and SuperStars.
Paul Marshall brings you Total Nonstop Weekly.
Jon Bandit provides his 10 Thoughts on iMPACT! for your reading pleasure.
Brad Curran has an Unsolicited Review of WWE’s SummerSlam 2009 event.
Puro wizard David Ditch has another brilliant Puroresu Pulse, focusing on Mitsuharu Misawa.
Hack Johnson covers This Week in Indies.
Finally this week, Chris Morgado returns with episode 2 of The Column With No Name, discussing CM Punk.
Originally written for and posted at Pulse Wrestling as "Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic", and syndicated as "The Vin Sanity of Wrestling" all over the 'Net, I've produced this column for about four and a half years now. I hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to post comments.
To read this week's column, click the link above or just read below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling - Exit/Enter the Dragon...
By now, anyone who’d be interested in the news already knows; independent wrestling legend “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson has taken the plunge and signed with World Wrestling Entertainment. What will this major change mean for his career?
TODAY’S ISSUE: American Dragon signs with WWE.
I know I can always be counted on for a sarcastic, jaded comment about anything that emanates from WWE, but I’ve got to be fair about this. CM Punk has fared well in his “big league” tenure so far, at least as well as a smaller, non Hogan-ish performer can be expected to fare in WWE, so Danielson might have a chance. Maybe he won’t be buried or forgotten after a few weeks on the air. My worst fear is actually that Vince and company could treat Danielson like a joke, but again, using Punk’s surprising success (not surprising to indy fans, but surprising that a guy like him would be pushed by McMahon) as a model, maybe Dragon won’t be given some stupid gimmick and dumped into crappy storylines from the get-go. Perhaps he’ll be allowed to be who and what he is, and given a chance to shine between the ropes and entertain the fans with his outstanding wrestling ability. Imagine that…
If the American Dragon could somehow wind up in the same brand as Punk and Matt “Evan Bourne” Sydal along with a couple of Vince’s good young talents like Jack Swagger, Paul Burchill, or them Hart boys, that might be a show worth watching. And isn’t James “Jamie Noble” Gibson still on the roster, too? And Shane Helms, and Jimmy Yang? Hmm… these are all performers who could put on good matches against Danielson. I’d also like to see what Shelton Benjamin would do against the American Dragon, and it’d be something special to watch him go strike-for-strike against a respected veteran like Fit Finlay, or hold-for-hold against a legend like Chris Jericho.
Don’t misunderstand, I’m certainly not about to get optimistic about Danielson’s WWE run, especially considering that while incredible performers like Paul London and Brian Kendrick “couldn’t cut it” in WWE, their current roster is littered with no-talent hacks who happen to posses impressive size, like the Great Khali, and television time is routinely wasted on ridiculous nonsense like Hornswoggle, Shaq, and outdated characters like Goldust. But who knows? Maybe Vince will be willing to let just one brand stand out for its wrestling style and longer matches. I’ve always thought ECW was the perfect place for that sort of atmosphere, and since William Regal, current #1 contender to the ECW Championship, just happens to have been one of Danielson’s trainers, it would make Tuesday nights the ideal place for the “real wrestling” hour among WWE’s many weekly television shows.
The concept of ECW becoming the “wrestling” show in their lineup would be especially effective if WWE would learn to take a less hands-on approach to the in-ring product and just let great performers go out there and tear it up in 20-minute matches. I know, you doubters and WWEirdo apologists will say that mainstream wrestling fans don’t have the patience to sit through a match that actually tells a story, but I say any crowd can appreciate quality when it’s presented to them as a superior product, and WWE fans could learn to love longer, slow-developing matches under the right conditions. They need to be reminded that a painful hold is just as devastating as a punch in the mouth and that, within the context of a match with well-executed psychology, the same hold can have a much longer lasting and devastating effect.
For instance, if a true technician takes apart his opponent’s arm for 10 straight minutes before applying a crowbar or something like Nigel McGuinness’ London Dungeon, and if the man absorbing the beating sells properly throughout the match while the commentators actually discuss the focused attack and the devastating damage being done (instead of nattering on about everything but the contest, as WWE announcers tend to do), once that submission hold is locked on and the victim starts screaming in agony the crowd will realize they’re witnessing a great story, and start to care. And fans who care spend their money to watch that guy, once recovered from his arm injury, going after the man who wrenched his shoulder out of the socket and trying to score a victory to settle the score and regain some degree of pride after the loss. That’s really all it needs to be about. No child custody suits, supernatural beings, marital affairs, or hackneyed evil authority figures are required to sell pro wrestling to us wrestling fans. Set up a simple story and let the in-ring action tell it. And nobody’s better at delivering the wrestling side of an angle than Bryan Danielson.
If you are among those who think “sportz entertainment” can’t endure such a shift in philosophy, just think about the built-in psychology at SummerSlam 2002 when Shawn Michaels returned from his career-ending back injury and battled Triple H in a non-sanctioned lights-out match. Every time HHHis HHHighness even touched HBK’s back the crowd cringed in agony; the mere thought of Michaels’ damaged back being attacked like that cranked up the emotion of the contest and drew the fans in, and that doesn’t have to be a one-time thing. In the past, real wrestlers like Kurt Angle, the late, great Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, and Chris Benoit were able to get wrestling over when given the opportunity. And there are enough other competent performers on the WWE roster that they could do it again.
Bryan Danielson’s wrestling acumen could set the stage for a revival of in-ring performance in WWE that would actually allow the so-called creative team to do a lot less work. Imagine the run-sheet for a one-hour ECW broadcast that called for a short interview, then a 20-minute match. With intros and commercials, that’s half the program already. See how easy that is? And the less writing they do, the less silly stuff they’ll be forced to throw in and the product might actually become appealing to old-school fans again. And the beauty of it is, they’d never have to compromise their new slant toward PG programming. There’s nothing inappropriate about great wrestling matches; it’s all the talking and bikini contests and such that change the type of show they produce.
For storyline purposes, I’d like to see Regal bring in Danielson as a former student with the intention of having him join his band of merry men, but Dragon quickly tiring of being used as canon fodder and working solely for the good of Regal at the expense of his own potential advancement. If he were being abused and treated unfairly by Regal and company on television, it wouldn’t take long for the fans to get behind Dragon, and if he had to go through Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Koslov to get his hands on Regal that arc practically writes itself. It’d be a great way to introduce Danielson to WWE crowds, and put him over as a serious upper midcard threat right out of the chute.
I don’t know how likely it is that Bryan Danielson will be the recipient of such a warm welcome in McMahonland, but I guarantee that if given a chance to truly demonstrate his wares to the WWE audience, he’ll connect with them on a level like Punk has. They’ll see him as the real deal, not a performer portraying a character. They will learn to understand the role in-ring psychology plays in a storyline, and appreciate what an amazing athlete Danielson is. It might just be enough to earn him a following, sell tickets, merchandise, and ppv buys, and create a new star for Vince to
Yes, we indy fans will miss having one of our legendary performers around, but perhaps if the stars align right and if Vince and company take Danielson seriously, some small element of WWE programming might just become watchable again. I’d love to see that happen. I wish you good luck in the bizarre land of sportz entertainment, Mr. Danielson, and I hope you don’t need it.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” - Seneca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The original version of this syndicated column, titled Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic, appears each Monday morning on Pulse Wrestling.
Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…
Brian Eison recaps SmackDown! and SuperStars.
Paul Marshall brings you Total Nonstop Weekly.
Jon Bandit provides his 10 Thoughts on iMPACT! for your reading pleasure.
Brad Curran has an Unsolicited Review of WWE’s SummerSlam 2009 event.
Puro wizard David Ditch has another brilliant Puroresu Pulse, focusing on Mitsuharu Misawa.
Hack Johnson covers This Week in Indies.
Finally this week, Chris Morgado returns with episode 2 of The Column With No Name, discussing CM Punk.
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