The Happy-Go-Sucky Wrestling Report: 05.20.09
Posted by Steve Sullivan on 05.20.2009
Denver drops the ball, Flair wants to wrestle, WWE's newest pay-per-view concept, and Kurt Angle contacted by Dancing With The Stars!
So I should warn you this week. I've spent a little time learning html, and I'm anxious to use it. In fact, I've spent so much time trying to figure out html, I ran out of time to think about what I was going to write here.
So enjoy the most html coded, picture filled, Happy-Go-Sucky Wrestling Report yet! Speaking of code…Cue Banner!
News: The WWE may move Raw to Colorado Springs in light of the Denver Nuggets game next Monday.
Happy: Why does it seem like every time Kobe Bryant comes to the state of Colorado, bad things happen?
The positive here is that at least the WWE has a backup plan and aren't really getting beat up by the media. In fact, from what I've read and watched on TV, it seems like almost everyone is actually on the WWE's side, including ESPN, which is a bit shocking.
I'm not an expert on Colorado's geography or anything, but I am pretty sure that Colorado Springs isn't that far of a drive from Denver. So the majority of those 10,000 tickets that were sold in advance should be in good shape.
However, if Vince decides to be stubborn, as he should be, Vince has said he will send his trucks to Denver regardless of whether the NBA will change the date for the game or not. In fact, Vince has said that he would "hold it in the parking lot if he had to". And I have to tell you, I think that would be the greatest thing to ever happen in the WWE. It would be interesting to watch and after all the publicity the WWE has got from this little conflict, people would watch. The WWE has the chance to cash in on some rare good publicity, so I'm all about that!
Not to mention it would be a GREAT way to promote the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
And can you imagine all the skits the WWE could pull off? They should totally send Santina Marella to the game and have "her" flash Kobe. Wait, it's Kobe…in Colorado…that might not be a good idea.
Go Sucky: It's really kind of tough to see anything positive coming out of this, especially from a wrestling fan's point of view. The truth is, no matter how "big" a game Game 4 may be for Denver, the WWE would probably still outdraw them. This is in no part the WWE's fault, especially since they signed the contract and did all the legal mumbo jumbo way back in August.
The real blame goes on the arena's owners. You want to talk about shaming your city and your venue. Back in August, the NBA season hadn't even STARTED, and they were already assuming that the Denver Nuggets wouldn't be in the NBA finals.
And the NBA has been pretty useless too saying they can't change the date and they are sure the Nuggets and the WWE will find a way to deal with it. That says to me that the NBA is pretty much saying, we ain't doin' jack and you're out of luck Vince. It's the NBA and the venue who screwed this up and they should be the ones forced to find "alternatives", not the WWE.
So I wonder who Vince is rooting for this year?
By the way, does anyone else think this is the work of Owen Hart's ghost? Maybe a little payback for all those times we called him a Nugget? What's even weirder is all this will happen just 2 days after the 10th anniversary of his death! Spoooooky!
News: Ric Flair wants to return to wrestling.
Happy: No matter how old Ric Flair gets, and how less coherent he becomes, Ric Flair will never EVER be able to walk away from wrestling forever. I think we all knew this was coming and I think a lot of wrestling fans will welcome him with open arms. There's a lot of unfinished business the WWE can pull off with Ric Flair, including making Ric the oldest WWE Champion of all time (perhaps by beating the youngest WWE Champion of all time?).
The positive I can find in this news bit is thinking about the WWE "reorganizing itself", which we talked about last week. A lot of younger guys, if the WWE holds true to its word, will be making their way up the ranks fairly quickly. A lot of guys from FCW will be on their way up and the WWE may be adding a 5th show, and who knows if they'll make it into a 4th brand. (With a Rise and Fall of WCW DVD coming out soon, I wouldn't be surprised if we had a WCW brand with Ric Flair heading it up).
But I digress. Who better to learn about the business than a walking wrestling museum in Ric Flair? Even if Flair is only in the occasional wrestling match, I don't see it being such a bad thing. Especially if it's what's best for the company and is helping mold younger wrestlers.
Besides, who else will we ever be able to get Evolution vs. Legacy? I sure hope they come out to the old Evolution theme!
Go Sucky: I'll go ahead and state the obvious here. If Ric Flair returns to wrestling, and starts jobbing out to young nobodies, then his Wrestlemania 24 sendoff will be eternally tarnished, as will his Raw tribute the following night.
I understand Flair has burned out of his tour de gymnasiums, and that's fine and good. But he doesn't have to actually WRESTLE. There are GM positions opening up on a regular basis these days. Flair would be PERFECT for a GM role again.
Better yet, I'd love to see Ric Flair become the mouthpiece for a young up and coming superstar. Someone like Jack Swagger. The two of them cutting promos together would be fun…and slippery.
There are so many things that Ric Flair could do to protect his legacy and still be involved in the wrestling business. I really hope he changes his mind and stays out of regular competition.
News: No titles changed at Judgment Day this past Sunday.
Happy: Well it's about freakin' time! After all of them changing hands just 3 weeks ago at Backlash, if they had all changed again (like many thought they would), I would have just given up on prestige!
I see a lot of people leaving comments every time ratings go down that the champion of that brand should change. But I disagree. I think more people would watch a brand if the champion had been champion for awhile and there might be a slight chance that they may get beat. This will hopefully mean that by the time Extreme Rules comes about in a few weeks, all the champions will have at least held the title for over 30 days (which is a lifetime in Edge years). That idea, mixed with the Extreme Rules of the pay-per-view, should make for a better pay-per-view than Judgment Day for sure.
Go Sucky: The WWE really dug itself into a hole when they changed all 3 titles on a B-list pay-per-view in Backlash. It's my opinion that people who spend the money on pay-per-views want to see one of three things when they spend that 50 bucks or so. They want to see good wrestling, good spots, or a title change. They can get decent wrestling and decent spots for free and of course the occasional title change. But when you spend that kind of money and nothing of note happens (excluding Flair's return), it leaves you with an empty feeling and makes you think twice before spending that kind of money on a wrestling pay-per-view ever again.
Shows like Wrestlemania, The Royal Rumble, Summerslam, and Survivor Series are all wrestling staples, and are usually annually worth the money. But when you're talking about shows like Backlash, Judgment Day, Cyber Sunday, No Mercy, and so on, you're talking about shows that aren't always going to get good buyrates. So these shows need something a little extra to boost their buyrates. Bad wrestling, little storyline movement, and no title changes really won't help these "smaller shows" in the long run.
News: TNA is apparently no longer booking Bobby Lashley until he signs a contract.
Happy: Well dur dur dur TNA! Why would you do that in the 1st place? Lockdown was a good pay-per-view for TNA and the fact that they had Lashley come in and hyped this "former world champion signing with TNA" to get people to buy the pay-per-view, only to have him not sign at all is just retarded.
Bobby Lashley really has nothing to offer TNA and the fact that he showed up and pointed at people a couple of times would be well worth forgetting ever happened. Lashley really turned some heads last week with his third MMA victory. If he has more victories like that, he won't need wrestling anymore. He can just take a look at Brock Lesner and see his future.
Go Sucky: I have a pet peeve about not finishing storylines. Imagine how I felt when ABC cancelled Pushing Daisies before I ever found out if Chuck's dad was ever killed again?
We may never know if TNA was pushing Lashley toward joining the Main Event Mafia, or the Front Line. And to have that happen during one of the most popular periods for TNA is just bad business. TNA will hopefully learn their lesson from this and move forward like it never happened. Contracts are our friends mmmkay?
Mmmmkay.
News: The WWE may be heading toward a new "submission style" pay-per-view. Names being discussed for the event include WWE Submit & Quit, WWE Total Submission, WWE Submission Sunday and WWE Breaking Point.
Happy: I'm digging it. I'm not sure if I particularly like the names of the pay-per-views, but that's the last thing I care about when it comes to a wrestling pay-per-view. (Unless of course it's Wrestlemania, then I care.)
The fact that the WWE is planning an event like this is a positive step toward them keeping their word about "re-making" themselves. Last week, the WWE said they wanted to focus more on wrestling, and with a submissions only pay-per-view, they'd have no choice!
Not to mention that one of those "small, minor" pay-per-views we talked about earlier might actually take on some meaning. One Night Stand/Extreme Rules has done really well for the past few years and I can see an MMA crowd who also watches wrestling being attracted to this kind of match. So we get rid of one crappy pay-per-view, and get something different. It's a winning situation in my opinion.
Go Sucky: However, a full night of nothing but submission matches may just overwhelm wrestling fans. I mean, we're not really used to this much WRESTLING are we?
Honestly, that's all I got. Other than the quality of finishes, which we've all come to know and loathe with the WWE, this is a pay-per-view that should really help change things around for the WWE, at least once a year.
Rapid Fire!
News: Lacey Von Erich was diagnosed with meningitis over the weekend after being hospitalized for a massive migraine headache.
God bless the Von Erich's. What is it about tragedy following the Von Erich family? Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Lacey.
News: Raw scored a 3.6 rating, up from 3.3 last week.
Vicki vs. Santina = Win!
News: The Great American Bash will just be called "The Bash".
Soon to follow, pay-per-views named "Rumble, Way Out, Series, Mercy, and Cyber". Although I expect that last one might be trademarked by some porn studio.
News: Jeremy Borash Twittered that Kurt Angle was recently contacted about appearing on next year's Dancing With The Stars.
If Flair comes out of retirement, Arn gets bigger glasses, zombie cyborg Chris Benoit does his thing and my knee doesnt explode like a hand grenade The Four Horseman are back. Hell with as over as Roma is right now we could have The Five Horseman. Legacy and the rest of all of professional wrestling would fear our saggy man boobs.
Posted By: Steve Mongo McMichael (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 01:19 AM
The only way the submission ppv would work is if Waylon Mercy got involved somehow. Just sayin.
Posted By: Some Guy (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 01:59 AM
Flair seemed very dustin hoffman-like when he was talking to batista on raw.
Posted By: Guest#1769 (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 04:09 AM
After all this hype and McMahon throwing his toys out of the pram, WWE better put on a DECENT Raw this Monday...
Posted By: Probes (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 06:51 AM
JIBJAB!
Posted By: Freeman (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 06:52 AM
I'm going to let you in on how arenas work. If they are not booked on a given day, they lose money. That is why every arena in America tries to book as many dates as possible. It makes no sense to hold a date on the possibility that the local team will be one of the 4 out of 30 that is still playing basketball in the last week of May.
Therefore, you book concerts, circuses, rodeos, conventions, wrestling matches, what-have-you to fill those dates. Are we clear thus far? Good.
Next, most arenas have what are called "anchor tenants." These tenants are usually determined by two things...seniority and ownership. Because the Nuggets are the anchor tenant and Stan Kroenke owns both the team and the building, he can pretty much do anything he damn well pleases in regards to the dates.
I'm sure Mr. Kroenke will have to pay a cancellation fee to Mr. McMahon, but that is nothing compared to the negative feedback from the Denver area if he allowed the game to be moved, especially when the team is trying to make the finals for the first time ever.
Do you honestly think that WWE would outdraw the local basketball team? Even if WWE didn't have to paper the area...you have to concede much of the Denver community would be parked in front of a TV watching basketball, not RAW.
Lastly, 3 weeks ago the WWE was prepared to move it's Extreme Rules PPV in case the New Orleans Hornets made the NBA Finals, why pitch a fit now? To be honest, Vince should be thankful the Nuggets beat the Hornets...otherwise he would have to move a PPV instead of just an episode of RAW.
This is the WWE's fault. They should remember this next year when booking dates during the NBA and NHL playoffs.
Posted By: Gypsy (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 06:54 AM
The WWE will outdraw an NBA playoff game.
Heh. Funny man.
Posted By: Jake Fury (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 08:32 AM
"Lastly, 3 weeks ago the WWE was prepared to move it's Extreme Rules PPV in case the New Orleans Hornets made the NBA Finals, why pitch a fit now? To be honest, Vince should be thankful the Nuggets beat the Hornets...otherwise he would have to move a PPV instead of just an episode of RAW.
This is the WWE's fault. They should remember this next year when booking dates during the NBA and NHL playoffs."
The difference is that the Orleans arena included a clause in the contract in the event of the team masking the playoffs where the Denver facility did not. That makes it the Nugs problem and NOT the WWE's. It is so basic of a concept I do not understand how you kids don't get it. If he wanted to have a legal way out of the contract ont he contingency that the team made it this far in the playoffs, then they had to include it in the original contract.
Posted By: Stinkylicious (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 09:27 AM
santina and angle look so hot together wonder if they like a 3 way me loves me some man-boobs
Posted By: santina lover (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 09:40 AM
Flair could easily fit into the Jerry Lawler in-ring role - which is to beat up a youngster for about a minute and then take a beat down (to elevate that youngster).
Posted By: BobbyC (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 10:03 AM
"Shows like Wrestlemania, The Royal Rumble, Summerslam, and Survivor Series are all wrestling staples, and are usually annually worth the money..."
Last year the latter two of those shows were downright horrible. Let's hope we don't get a repeat this year, despite the drudgery of WM XXV...
Posted By: KanyonKreist (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 10:38 AM
It's too bad Flair's kids and some of the other 2nd & 3rd generation guys aren't ready yet, Flair could bring up his own group of young guys to face Legacy. He would strictly be a manager, sure he would get involved physically, but he wouldn't wrestle.
Posted By: DC (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 10:46 AM
I agree with Gypsy completely and it weird how Vinny is ok with moving a PPV for a round one Game instead of a RAW taping for a Finals game. Also RAW has a house show in Loveland,CO the day before at the Budweiser Event Center that holds 7,200 people and its one hour away from Denver. The Pepsi Center holds 7,400 and I know for a fact that the Denver taping is not sold out. So why would they move it to Colorado Springs 6 hours away and make families drive that far on a MONDAY! Come on Vince is not the most common sense person but come on! I just don't understand.
Posted By: Chongtron (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 11:04 AM
I don't know where you're getting 7,400 from...wikipedia's entry on Pepsi Center lists the following...
"Capacity for the building is listed at 19,309 for basketball games, 18,007 for hockey and lacrosse, and 17,417 for arena football games."
Pretty sure I've seen a lot of Monday Night Raws where the crowd was a hell of a lot more than 7,400.
Posted By: Shaun (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Ric Flair is a limelight-hogging egomaniac. Now me and the countless others who laughed at all the emo faggots who cried last year for Flair's cynically manufactured "retirement" have been proven right (and by the way, what kind of grown man actually cries at a pretend fighter retiring? You pathetic little parasites ought to be ashamed of yourselves.)
Flair just can't let go. Yes, he is one of the greatest of all time... but the fact is he is a broken-down 60 year old... I'll repeat that again for emphasis, a BROKEN DOWN SIXTY YEAR OLD MAN who has no business making promising youngsters less than half his age look like chumps because he can't let go. Have you all forgotten how awful he was in the ring before he retired? HBK was the only person on the roster who could pull a good match out of him, and frankly that's only because HBK could pull a good match out of a broom right now.
It's hilarious how everything Chris Jericho said in kayfabe in his fued with the legends is proved true in reality.
On a final note, it's revealing of how hypocritical the "IWC" is that it HATES men like Hulk Hogan for being egomaniacs, but WORSHIPS Flair, who is possibly the biggest egomaniac of them all. FUCK FLAIR.
Posted By: ShockMaster (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 04:53 PM
The best role possible for Ric Flair would be that of a J.J. Dillon for a heel Horsemen stable. In the Ric Flair role...Chris Jericho.
Posted By: Andrew (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 05:57 PM
I like the name "Breaking Point". I don't like that their changing "Great American Bash" to the "Bash". It's a bit meh. and "Great American Bash" has a lot of history behind it..
Please Ric give up on that 17th title and just die.
Posted By: Propagandhi (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 06:31 PM
"what kind of grown man actually cries at a pretend fighter retiring? "
The same kind that goes on an angry rant about it.
Posted By: J.D. Dunn (Registered) on May 20, 2009 at 06:58 PM
"Ric Flair is a limelight-hogging egomaniac. Now me and the countless others who laughed at all the emo faggots who cried last year for Flair's cynically manufactured "retirement" have been proven right (and by the way, what kind of grown man actually cries at a pretend fighter retiring? You pathetic little parasites ought to be ashamed of yourselves.)"
Posted By: ShockMaster (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 04:53 PM
That's how I make points too - being a thickheaded, hateful little prick really gets people's attention, doesn't it?
Posted By: sarcasm (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 08:14 PM
As long as Flair doesn't have an official match ala Austin post 2003 then I'm fine with him working for the company. He could make an awesome Manager to help elevate some younger talent or even as GM he would be great.
Flair has to find a middle ground but he'd regret it long-term if he actually wrestled now.
Posted By: Andrew Barbarash (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 10:25 PM
"If Flair comes out of retirement, Arn gets bigger glasses, zombie cyborg Chris Benoit does his thing and my knee doesnt explode like a hand grenade The Four Horseman are back. Hell with as over as Roma is right now we could have The Five Horseman. Legacy and the rest of all of professional wrestling would fear our saggy man boobs.
Posted By: Steve Mongo McMichael (Guest) on May 20, 2009 at 01:19 AM"
You sir, win this comment section.
Posted By: Steve307 (Guest) on May 21, 2009 at 12:32 AM
I have an idea for a WWE stable that will get some big names back on our screens.
Ric Flair, JBL and Dusty Rhodes form a new stable known simply as "Boobs".
Their entrance music is the bouncy theme from the sorcerers apprentice.
Signature moves: the figure four booblock, the manbreast from hell and the bionic moob.
Vince whaddya think?
Seriously, Flair, stay far away from a ring. WWE's classy retirement of you from in-ring action will have been a complete waste.
Posted By: DVR (Guest) on May 21, 2009 at 04:07 AM
Ric Flair WILL BECOME the JJ Dillon style manager of Legacy with Reid Flair filling out the fourth spot.
You've all been told and it will be awesome.
Posted By: Insider (Guest) on May 22, 2009 at 12:31 AM
