The MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks: 10.30.09
Posted by John Meehan on 10.30.2009
WWE does battle with Monday Night Football while a rival promotion pulls out all the stops. What is this, 1996?
Well ya' know somethin, Mean Gene 411 readers...
Welcome back to the regularly scheduled week-end news report. There's been a lot of talk this week about professional wrestling being turned on its head, brother. And there are a lot of people out there saying that this week is going to change the face of professional wrestling as we know it.
But what's it all mean, brother? What's it all about?
Well Mee and my little Hulksters Meehanamaniacs, brother, we're gonna' tackle all of these topics and more in this week's column. We're gonna' stare 'em right in the eye, we're gonna' lift 'em up high over our heads -- all five hundred pounds of 'em, in front of 93 thousand screaming fans -- and we're gonna slam 'em right through the center of the floor, brother! And we're gonna' prove once and for all that the dominant force in professional wrestling coverage will live FOREVER!
So whatchagonna' do when the MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks runs wild on you?!?
(Alright, that's enough of that. Sheesh -- no wonder the guy was depressed.)
Let's get to it...
The SELL of the week goes to Drew McIntyre. In a moment that wasn't remarked on by the Smackdown! announce team, McIntyre really did a great job of selling his longstanding rivalry with Ron "R-Truth" Killings when the rapping superstar made his way to the ring last Friday night. As R-Truth made his entrance, the cameraman caught a brief glimpse of Drew McIntyre, who was shown gritting his teeth in frustration and shaking his head, almost as if he was ready to explode. The greatness of this momentary expression, of course, is that McIntyre's entire gimmick since his debut has been that of an ass-kicking newcomer with an axe to grind against the bigger-hyped and better-established stars. As a result, it was a great little touch to see McIntyre grimmace in frustration as R-Truth hit the ring in his trademark fashion -- especially because he was fighting in a match to prove that he (and the rest of the Smackdown! team) really did deserve the chance to represent the Blue Brand while so many of his overhyped opponents did not.
The TELL of the week goes to Melina for whatever that mess of a maneuver was supposed to be during her mixed tag match on Monday night. Even though I try to stay positive towards just about every new performer as they make their way through the ranks, I've just never been what one might call a "fan" of Melina's during her WWE tenure -- and this week's flub did little to change my opinion. The WWE Divas have been pretty notorious for their botches in recent weeks, and as the Divas Champion, Melina pretty much holds the responsibility to deliver the best of showings whenever possible so that her fellow performers can learn from her example. Unfortunately, she can't consistently manage to hit either of her two finishing maneuvers in a convincing fashion -- and that goes a long way in exposing just how bad the overall state of women's wrestling in WWE has become.
Desmond Wolfe - former Ring Of Honor champion Nigel McGuinness made his official debut on TNA programming last Thursday under the name "Nigel Wolfe." The newly renamed Wolfe immediately set out to make a name for himself in the TNA ranks, and was instantly launched into a program against resident TNA top-dog Kurt Angle by way of not one but two separate and devastating onscreen beatdowns.
Here they are once again, for your one-stop viewing pleasure --
Now then...
We talked at length about Wolfe's signing in last week's column, but from an ONSCREEN perspective, it's pretty hard to come in with a bigger bang than the man formerly known as Nigel McGuinness did this past Thursday night on iMPACT! While Kurt Angle may no longer be the current TNA Heavyweight Champion, there is really no denying that he is the veritable face of the promotion (well, prior to Tuesday morning, at least), and thus he remains ever-present at the forefront of the company's storylines and live events. By throwing down with the Olympic Gold Medalist, it appears that Nigel Desmond Wolfe (Edit: Old habits die hard!) will soon be joining Angle in such a high-profile role.
That is, of course, unless TNA signs another new performer of even greater stature.
Oh wait...
(Much, much more on that in "The Developments" section below).
Tomko - Former TNA, WWE, and IWGP star Travis Tomko made his return to TNA programming last week when he ambushed current TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles in a backstage segment during the most recent episode of TNA iMPACT! Though Tomko was not identified by name, it is believed that he will resume working for TNA in the immediate future, and be revealed as the "mystery assailant" behind last Thursday night's attack.
"Which attack," you ask? (Since there certainly were a number of 'em)...
This one...
As a longtime fan of Tomko's work, I am most definitely intrigued to see how he will find his way back into the upper-midcard of the TNA roster. When paired with the proper opponent, he's pretty much as passable a "big man" as you're likely to see in a TNA ring. Plus the guy obviously has a history of unfinished business with Samoa Joe and AJ Styles dating well back into the era of the Christian Coalition and Team Angle, and he's most definitely as impressive a physical specimen as the TNA roster has ever seen -- save perhaps the exception of Matt Morgan.
Wait a second, that just might work.
Sure, Morgan/Tomko will be something of a "HOSS-FEST SLOBBERKNOCKER!" (TM, Jim Ross), but these two guys are big, brawly, and brutal -- and it could easily give each man something of note to do while TNA's remaining crop of "main event talent" pairs off in other showdowns for the forseeable future (Angle vs. Wolfe; Styles vs. Daniels vs. Joe). Actually, Tomko could make for a great "monster heel" addition to the roster in order to help establish the staying power of TNA's current slew of main-eventers-on-the-rise (think "Kane with tattoos").
From there, we get perfectly acceptable upper-midcard and sub-main-event contests like Tomko versus Morgan, Tomko versus Hernandez, Tomko versus Abyss, and (the obvious) Tomko versus AJ -- which offers the TNA faithful a solid schedule of "fresh" matchups to help solidify their new stars as they power the company through the 2010 booking cycle.
Byron Saxton - Florida Championship Wrestler Byron Saxton (a.k.a. Bryan Kelly) made his official main-roster debut this week as he joined Josh Matthews behind the ECW announce table. Saxton takes the place of former ECW color commentator Matt Striker, who has been moved to the Smackdown! announce booth alongside Todd Grisham to fill-in for ailing WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross, who is currently on medical leave while recouperating from a third bout with Bell's Palsy.
Wow, that sentence was long.
Since he's only had one televised appearance, it's obviously too early to judge just how well Saxton will fare as a long-term investment for World Wrestling Entertainment. For what it's worth, however, the WWE website has been updated and Saxton's profile has been added, which could indicate that the company has every intention of keeping him around at least for the forseeable future while JR continues to work his way back to full health.
Raisha Saeed - Awesome Kong's one-time manager/handler/associate Raisha Saeed appears to have been written off of TNA programming indefinitely after finding herself on the receiving end of an Awesome Bomb from off the side of the entrance stage during this past Thursday night's episode of TNA iMPACT!
In case you missed it...
(My favorite part comes at around 2:36, when Saeed totally "breaks character" and tells the trainer that her neck's "not broken, but I'm gonna' have a bruise.")
In all seriousness, however --
The angle was presumably shot so as to eliminate the Saeed character from the TNA landscape indefinitely, which will then free up Melissa Anderson, the performer underneath the guise, to continue working for the company in her unmasked role as TNA Knockout Alyssa Flash.
None - In a welcome development, there are no new injuries to report in the past seven days' time.
In this segment, I'll be firing off a handful of micro-commentaries at some of the industry's biggest stars and stories. Where appropriate, I'll even try incorporating some one-liners from the week that was in the 411 wrestling zone's comments section.
For those of y'all who aren't familiar with Twitter-style posting, the format is simple:
@Recipient's Name - 140 character message goes here. #MessageTopic
And before you ask: No, these aren't actual tweets.
FAKE TWEETS OF THE WEEK
@RAW Guest Hosts - Kofi Johnson + Jeff Harvey at SummerFest. Book it! #TooEasy
@Brutus Beefcake - Get your working boots ready, Booty Man. #Nepotism #NewXdivisionChamp
@Chris Jericho - Owen Hart called. He'd like his trophy-hog gimmick back. Ps: Watch out for rafters. #
@Bobby Heenan - Hulk Hogan to TNA? "But who's side is he on!?!" #HistoryRepeating
@Kofi Kingston - When jumping around in slippery paint, be careful not to dye. #SeeWhatIdidThere
@Chris Benoit - Triple Threat with Shawn and Hunter for the belt. A WWE first! #RevisionistHistory
@Batista @Hulk Hogan - A heel turn and a TNA signing with new DVDs on the way. Which business decision is more poorly timed? #HolidaySalesFail
@Randy Orton - Loved your maniacal switch-flipping and button mashing. Studying old tapes of Frank N. Furter, much? #RockyHorrorPictureShow
@Tiffany - OMG a Zombie! Wait, no... that's just your "acting." #Halloween
@Mickie James - Hope you can hit those notes better than you hit those dropkicks. #Truth
Mickie James - On Tuesday, it was announced that WWE Diva Mickie James had signed with Nashville-based management agents James and Sherry Massaro of Skyline Management Group, who specialize in the development of country music stars. The former WWE Women's Champion also appears to have signed with Absolute Publicity to handle her public relations. Sources close to the matter indicate that Mickie will announce her intentions in the coming weeks.
MeeThinks?
Two weeks ago, Mickie was in the WWE doghouse and chipping her teeth about her lack of exposure on WWE programming. Flash forward to this past Tuesday, and the former Women's Champion has gone ahead full-steam and contracted an outside public relations and talent management firm so as to ensure that her career is headed in the right direction for the forseeable future -- even if that direction just so happens to lead her away from a WWE ring.
While it is always sad to see a performer move away from the professional wrestling business, it seems as if this move has been a long time coming for Mickie James, and that it is really just a matter of time before she makes things official and announces that she'll be leaving the wrestling industry in hopes to begin a full-time career in country music. Obviously such a venture is an uphill battle and will require a tremendous amount of time, effort, and dedication -- and if Mickie is "serious" about making it in the music biz, then she really has no other alternative than to commit herself to a full-blown pursuit of country music superstardom.
The good news is that Mickie never quite managed to become the "face of women's wrestling," and thus her (impending) departure will hardly derail the current momentum of WWE's women's ranks (even if there really isn't all that much momentum in the first place). From Mickie's side of things, despite her inability to achieve "poster girl" status among the elite realm of the best-known female performers in WWE history, her years of exposure in World Wrestling Entertainment have most certainly opened doors to music industry contacts and managed to get her a look from talent scouts that she might otherwise never have gotten the opportunity to encounter. Hopefully for her sake, she will acclimate to this new career path and see her hard work rewarded in the months and years to come.
Kevin Nash - Big Daddy Cool is serving a brief suspension following remarks made at last week's TNA tapings. As we reported last week, Nash sounded off backstage at TNA management for allowing the match to continue between Team 3D and The Motor City Machine Guns even after Chris Sabin suffered what appeared to be a serious neck injury midway through the contest. And when the time came for Big Daddy Cool to step foot in the TNA ring for a regularly scheduled interview, he broke from the script and launched into an unscripted "shoot" promo in which he ran down TNA management for not showing better more concern for the health and safety of their performers.
MeeThinks?
Again, we talked about this last week, but it's really hard to blame Nash for sticking up for the safety and concern of a fellow performer and a friend. That said, there is a proper way to do these tings, and TNA Management was well within their rights to discipline the guy for having chosen the opposite. Partly because he was out of line in breaking character in the ring, and partly because no successful company (wrestling or non) has ever survived by allowing public acts of insubordination to continue unchecked. Though Nash's intentions were noble, TNA really had no choice but to sideline him for a few weeks to cool off in order to prove their point.
In short -- it "shows the talent who's boss."
And given the fact that Hulk Hogan is soon to be arriving in TNA, "showing the talent who's boss" is an absolute MUST.
So four weeks ago, I compiled a season-long guide to the Monday Night Football matchups and attempted to venture an educated guess as to how WWE's ratings would likely fare against each game accordingly. Sure, things can change as the season wears on. But basically, I tried to size up the relative appeal of each Monday Night Football offering and anticipate what sort of effect it might have on WWE's audience as a result.
I've found that this helps us set reasonable, positive expectations for each new week's broadcast. And for seven of the first eight weeks running, the predictions have been dead-on. The goal is to give wrestling fans a good idea of what they're up against (based on the strength of the competition), and the hope is to save us from the typical "sky is falling" knee-jerk pessimism that is often so rampant among internet wrestling fans.
LAST WEEK'S PREDICTION:
WEEK 6 (Oct. 19): Philadelphia at Washington | Remember what I said about West Coast football being a ratings stinker? Scratch that completely when talking about teams hailing from the East Coast, and double-scratch that when talking about teams in the NFC East. The 'Skins won't be great this year, but this is the nation's first shot at seeing Michael Vick on Monday Nights in a 'Birds uniform. Whether this is the night after Bragging Rights or not, Halloween week ain't looking pretty for WWE.
ACTUAL RESULT:
WWE Monday Night Raw scored a 3.7 rating, up from last week's 3.3. Raw's main competition, Monday Night Football, scored a 9.35 rating -- a slight decrease from last week's 9.6.
BOTTOM LINE:This week's RAW rating was a resounding success, which is a pretty big surprise "on paper" when you consider the fact that they were airing directly opposite a Monday Night Football game featuring two storied NFC East rivals. In short, the total collapse of the Redskins season pretty much wiped away what should have been a guaranteed ratings-getter for RAW's biggest competition.
Still, NFL's loss is RAW's gain, and serious kudos appear to be in order to the WWE flagship for drawing an unexpectedly larger crowd in a week where they could just as easily have seen a serious ratings plunge. Certainly caught Mee by surprise!
(Phantom edit: yup, that means I'm 7-1).
Looking ahead, we're officially halfway through the Monday Night Football schedule, and a slew of early-in-the-season shakeups will probably mean that the three of the next four weeks of competition aren't going to fare quite as we'd expected at the season's outset. These things can happen, of course, and in order to keep proper tabs on the relative appeal of the Monday night programming options, now seems like as good a time as any to size up the remaining eight weeks of play in order continue setting reasonable, positive expectations for how WWE programming is likely to fare against its biggest competition for the remainder of the calendar year.
Next Week: The Saints and the Falcons are each playing some of their best football in years, which means that this previously-unattractive Monday night offering should turn out to be a surprisingly big draw.
November 9: Monday Night Football lucked out huge with this one, as Pittsburgh and Denver pits the defending Super Bowl Champions squaring off against the Cinderella Story of the year -- and that typically translates to some respectable ratings to boot. As such, November 9's matchup might even draw bigger numbers than the Saints/Falcons showdown from the week prior (which means bad news for RAW).
November 16: Week 10 remains as unattractive today as it was at the season's outset. Cleveland is just as terrible a team halfway through the season as they'd promised to be from week 1, and win or lose, the Ravens are playing some of the sloppiest, most uninspired football in the franchise's history. As we'd predicted in week 1, this means that November 16 should turn into a solid ratings-getter for NFL alternatives (read: Monday Night RAW).
November 23: At the season's outset, Tennessee was supposed to be fantastic while Houston was all but forgotten. Flash forward eight weeks, and it's the Titans who are struggling while the Texans (particularly their offense) rack up some of the best stats in the entire league. Still, the "on-paper" lopsidedness of the showdown probably means that the game won't have that same level of nation-wide appeal as other MNF offerings. As such, this should be another strong week for RAW.
November 30: Brady. Brees. Monday Night. Like I said before the season began, I would not want to be in WWE's shoes attempting to counter-program against this one. Should be a monster night for Monday Night Football, and a virtual assurance of a ratings drop for anything that dares to broadcast at the same timeslot.
December 7: Once again, the Ravens take the Monday Night Football stage. But this time, their rivals are in the form of the wildly-popular-and-much-more-likely-to-make-the-postseason Green Bay Packers. As a result, this game will almost assuredly draw bigger numbers than Baltimore's earlier MNF appearance from three weeks prior -- but coming off the heels of what could be one of the highest-rated Monday Night Football games of the entire year? Expect MNF's numbers to drop, which means that RAW will almost assuredly win back a few wayward ratings points.
December 14: Arizona and San Francisco are two solid, middle-of-the-pack NFC franchises that will likely be fighting tooth and nail to secure a playoff spot by the second week in December. It won't be a ratings juggernaut, but it will draw a crowd. Still, RAW should be in pretty good shape provided they can build from the momentum from the previous night's TLC pay per view.
December 21: The first eight weeks of play seem to indicate that I was dead-on in pegging the G-Men as division-leaders and the Redskins as a rag-tag mess of playoff "spoilers" at best, and the audience of this game will really just depend on whether or not Big Blue has anything to lose by fielding their "A-Team" in Week 15. With the Cowboys and the Eagles close on their heels, I suspect they will -- and that means this game could draw at least a handful of viewers back away from the WWE programming for the night (especially in the early going of the contest).
December 28: Fittingly, the 2009 Monday Night Football season of broadcasts ends with what could well be the final nationally televised regular season game of one of the NFL's biggest stars in Brett Favre. The Bears have no business in the playoffs, but Favre & Co. have impressed and will likely be ending their season with a point to prove. If the Giants/Skins game from Week 15 is a blowout, then this game will fare much better when the Nielsens are tallied. If -- by some miracle -- the previous week's game ends up being CLOSE, then I really just don't see the Vikes/Bears game stealing too big of an audience from Monday Night RAW.
Hulk Hogan Signs with TNA Wrestling
This story will probably claim end-of-year honors for the biggest development of the past 365 days (and that's saying something, with an in-ring death of a legend AND a WWE-departure of a McMahon also in contention), and so it seems only fitting to close out the regular portion of this week's column by focusing the whole of this section on the story that's been taking the professional wrestling world by storm.
On Tuesday, it was announced that former WWF, WWE, and WCW Champion Hulk Hogan had signed a contract to become a part of TNA Wrestling. The deal was made possible through the efforts of former WCW honcho Eric Bischoff, who will likewise be inbound to TNA Wrestling as a result of this agreement.
Word of this acquisition immediately swept the media airwaves (both inside and out of the typical professional wrestling circles), and a great number of critics and detractors sounded off in full force at the news that two of the men so closely associated with the "Death of WCW" would now be joining the ranks of the number two promotion in North American professional wrestling.
MeeThinks?
We'll start by tackling the negatives here:
Yes, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff each have a terrible track record of cronyism, politics, and poor business decisions. In addition, there is no denying that each man's respective (and collective) ego has played a large role in bringing about the demise of at least one major professional wrestling promotion in the past -- and recent interviews from both men seem to indicate that each may have learned a thing or two from his mistakes, but niether is particularly humbled by the experience or unwilling to take similar risks again in the immediate future.
(Frame of reference: After watching his own family all but destroyed thanks to the public spotlight, Hulk Hogan has actually gone on record as saying that he is open to the idea and looks forward to trying out another Reality TV venture).
Second problem point?
Hogan's deal is structured so that he will have what I'm assuming the biz calls "reasonable creative control" over how his onscreen character is booked. Similarly, he will have the ability to suggest potential talent acquisitions for the company in the future. And likewise, he will probably have a great deal of political leverage when it comes to what Hogan-related (and perhaps UN-related) storylines actually make it to TNA programming.
While TNA management retains ultimate veto power from a creative standpoint, this is pretty much as close to "full creative control" as one can get without being the sole booker and creative force behind a promotion's day-to-day activities.
(On the bright side, however -- this pretty much overrides just about anything Vince Russo might have to say to the contrary. And since he and Hulk have such a notoriously checkered past, its hardly a bad thing that their real-life political wranglings will -- hopefully -- be kept away from actual onscreen TNA programming).
Final problem point?
Hulk Hogan recently celebrated his fifty sixth birthday. He has had numerous corrective surgeries on his knees, back, and hips, and was never really known for being all that athletic or competent in terms of actual in-ring ability to begin with.
ALL THAT SAID --
There are obvious roadbumps when bringing in Hulk Hogan. The cronies, the politics, the penchant for putting himself over, and the obvious likelihood of him actually wrestling (and holding TNA gold) are more than enough reason for TNA to proceed with the extremest of caution when bringing him onboard with a band of supporters (like Eric Bischoff) who have pretty much made a career for themselves by sticking close to the biggest name that the professional wrestling business has ever known.
But in the end -- that is also Hulk Hogan's single greatest appeal.
Inarguably, "Hulk Hogan" is the single most well-known professional wrestler of all time. The *best* wrestler of all time? Hardly. But the most well-known? Without a doubt.
Old-school fans know who he is. Newer fans have heard his name and seen his image in archival footage for years. Reality TV junkies and B-list "celebrity" gossip rags hang on every new wrinkle of the man's professional dealings and personal life. And out-and-out non-fans of professional wrestling can still rattle off the name "Hulk Hogan" when you ask them to give a sentence-long description of sports entertainment.
The guy's been featured in Trivial Pursuit, People Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and countless mainstream media outlets for the better part of thirty years. In short -- he has truly become "bigger than the business" itself, and his name, fame, and notoriety transcend the traditional boundaries attained by even the most successful of professional wrestling's alumni.
(Save, perhaps, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- but his non-wrestling career is still relatively young in the grand scheme of things, and time will only tell if *his* staying power and worldwide fame will likewise endure the test of time).
But getting back to The Hulkster --
Love him or hate him, he is the biggest name in all of professional wrestling. Maybe not to us "hardcore" internet-types, but most certainly among casual fans, non-fans, curious passerbys, and former members of the viewing audience alike. And by adding Hulk Hogan to their roster, TNA has made it clear that they are finally 100% serious about being seen as *THE* legitimate competitor to World Wrestling Entertainment. And in firing this shot directly across the WWE's bow, it is officially "put up or shut up" time for Total Nonstop Action.
For years, both TNA supporters and WWE fanboys alike have begrudgingly acknowledged that Total Nonstop Action is nowhere near in the same league of competition as World Wrestling Entertainment. Respectable though they may be for an "upstart" promotion, their television ratings are meager, their live gates are small, their worldwide recognition is minimal, and their PPV buyrates have -- at times -- treaded perilously close to laughable. Routinely, any television rating higher than 1.1 has been viewed as a resounding success -- while critics are so quick to pronounce the imminent death of their closest competitor's "flagship" broadcast the moment Monday Night RAW's Nielsen figures dip anywhere below THREE TIMES as large an audience as the biggest that TNA has to offer.
To that end --
The TNA faithful have consistently maintained that their "little company that could" is just one big break away from making a run at the resident top-dog crown that is currently held by World Wrestling Entertainment.
"Once we get a weekly cable television deal..."
"Once we sign Kurt Angle..."
"Once iMPACT! expands to two hours..."
"Once we sign Mick Foley..."
Like a broken record, the TNA supporters have said time after time that this fledgling promotion is merely a step away from full-blown success. And like a broken record, each new "big break" or "big announcement" that the company has promised has ultimately accomplished little-to-nothing in improving the overall buyrates, television ratings, or worldwide profile of the company in spite of their best efforts.
This ends with the signing of Hulk Hogan.
Good, bad, or indifferent, TNA has officially played the ultimate gambit and gone out of their way to sign *THE* (long-sounding "eeee") biggest name in the history of professional wrestling. No longer will passerbys in Universal Studios choose to skip out on "that wrestling show with a bunch of guys I've never heard of," TNA now has the single most recognizable professional wrestler of the modern era added to their fold. And simply put -- if Hulk Hogan can't increase the local, national, and international visibility of this "small but mighty" second-tier promotion, then they are in far worse shape then even their loudest of detractors would admit, and there are simply no further excuses to be made should the company fail to give WWE a run for its money in the months and years to come.
Let Mee be clear:
Hulk Hogan's best days as an in-ring performer and as an internationally marketable professional wrestler are almost assuredly behind him. But the man is one of a precious few who can legitimately lay claim to being "bigger than the business itself," and if The Hulkster can't help TNA attract a bigger following, then nobody can.
(Well, nobody who will likely be looking for work outside of a WWE contract anytime in the forseeable future, that is).
You have to give TNA credit --
The move is gutsy, and it lays everything out on the line. It has a well-documented "risk factor" associated with it, and a serious potential to backfire should a longstanding pattern of history repeat itself. That said, this makes it clear that TNA is simply not content with nursing their meager ratings, throwing their poorly attended monthly PPV events, and being perceived the world over as little more than a "halfway house" for each new WWE firing or an "unincorporated developmental territory" for guys who will ultimately sign with WWE once they've had enough experience.
Yes, Hogan is old. Yes, he has a track record of bad business and even worse politics. And yes, the sudden arrival of The Hulkster and his clique of cronies could be an absolute nightmare in upsetting the momentum and established order among the TNA ranks.
But if it works?
(And let's be clear, that is a BIG "if")...
TNA has legitimately positioned themselves to be the biggest threat to the WWE empire since World Championship Wrestling. And even if there is still tremendous work to be done if they are ever to become and remain relevant as a national wrestling promotion, it seems as if all parties involved want nothing more than to avoid the same fate that befell the last organization that challenged Vince McMahon.
And if competition breeds success all around?
Then everybody ends up a winner in the end.
Last week's South Park did a wonderful job skewering the cliches and foibles of this pseudosport we all know and love so well, but let's see if Mac, Dennis, Charlie and the gang can one-up them with this week's wrestling-themed episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
Sadly, I can't really say much more about this week's random 'rasslin reference at this time. The video trailer was not embeddable, and this column was written before the episode actually aired.
Regardless -- "Sunny" is consistently one of the best comedies on television, and *anything* involving Rowdy Roddy Piper pretty much gets an automatic "win" from where I'm sitting. We'll check back on how the episode fared in next week's column.
Though I will say, it's a shame that Green Man made his return in *LAST WEEK's* episode. Because Charlie donning a full-on emerald green bodysuit and kicking his opponents in the groin would pretty much translate to the best new gimmick since Hade Vansen.
(You remember him, right?)
And With That, I'm Outta' Here
And so ends another week of these wrestling-themed shenanigans. If you're the type to celebrate the season with friends and family, be sure to enjoy the candy and have a safe and happy Halloween. And if you're stumbling around the Washington, D.C. suburbs -- keep an eye out for a certain fedora-clad mini-man...
(Yes, the whip is in the bag).
Gotta love Halloween!
See you next Friday, have a great holiday, and always stay positive.
TNA will reap some short term benefits, ala WCW, but will come to regreat picking up Hulk Hogan.
Posted By: NICKY (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:04 PM
Most are talking about who will follow Hogan to TNA. I looks at the flip said of this story, who will want to leave TNA not with Hogan there?
Posted By: Point (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:05 PM
Lego man rules!!
I am surprised that WWE RAW had a much higher rating this week then last week.
Gotta love Nascar.......
Posted By: SWEET (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:06 PM
Nash being suspended does send a message to the TNA locker room. Good move Dixie. Now if only we could get a Wellness policy and not have Hogan run the show, and we'll be cooking.
Posted By: The End? (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Enough comparing TNA to WCW.
You people do realize that WCW was already an established brand for years before Hogan came in, with years and years in its' books already...?
TNA is still starting up, and getting Hogan somehow gives some the impression they can jump to Monday nights and challenge WWE?
With what? Its 1.0 rating? On a good night? With no WWE against it?
How about going to Tuesday for a one hour Knockouts or X division show to go against ECW? That is more interesting if you ask me.....
Posted By: Not even close (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:10 PM
Do people consider Halloween to be an actual holiday in the US?
Posted By: Question (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:13 PM
that photoshop with Hogan in the #4 Vikings jersey is pure win!
Posted By: da juice (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:21 PM
"@Chris Benoit - Triple Threat with Shawn and Hunter for the belt. A WWE first! #RevisionistHistory"
PS. If you would like to see the definition of "Revisionist History" please see the New Monday Night War Section in this column.
C'mon Mee, don't make "on paper" excuses, say you were wrong about this week and move on. What you were trying to do was damn near impossible (predicting a full NFL season in advance) and most of us know that. We respect the fact that you tried and you are basically 7-1 at this point. 7 AND F'N 1! Be proud. Don't wimp out and give forshadowed excuses for the weeks to come.
Posted By: Knee Jerk (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:25 PM
While I like your name you use... Nigel Wolfe, its actually Desmond Wolfe.
Posted By: kid (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:25 PM
I didn't catch the Nigel Wolfe name deal but what's up with the cut and paste clothsline on Angle at the end of their match? And is it only me or does his new look and bomber jacket seem remanicent to Ian Stuart to anyone else?
Posted By: hateman (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:46 PM
I didn't catch the Nigel Wolfe name deal but what's up with the cut and paste clothsline on Angle at the end of their match? And is it only me or does his new look and bomber jacket seem remanicent to Ian Stuart to anyone else?
Posted By: hateman (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:50 PM
What's my muthafuckin name?
Posted By: Nigel wolfe (Guest) on October 29, 2009 at 11:56 PM
I love being made fun of for my dorky quirks. That pretty much includes wrestling and Guitar Hero, and unfortunately, if you ask me, South Park really dropped the ball on both of those opportunities. Their parodies of both things just...weren't relevant or even really funny at all.
That being said, tonight's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a must-see for wrestling fans. They hit every note perfectly and always make fun of themselves more than anyone else. It came across hilariously and the best part is: it's not even the best episode this season! That show has just been great in it's 6 or so episodes it's put out this year. Viva la Sunny!
Posted By: Empire Of Ownage (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 12:20 AM
TNA is not "still starting up". They've been around longer than WCW (not the NWA, just WCW itself) was when Hogan rolled in. Get your facts straight before you start babbling nonsense.
Posted By: Steve307 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 12:40 AM
tnas problem is the fact that its a new federation.most people grew up knowing wwe from their parents and so on.give tna another 5-10 years it will be a household name.
Posted By: Guest#1612 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 12:50 AM
the acquisition of hogan continues to show how tna has zero confidence in their own talent.
Posted By: rey (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 01:05 AM
I remember laughing out loud once when I read that not even the earthly reappearance of Jesus Christ on TNA would ensure that it would go higher than 1.2 more than a month later ...
As Hogan is the closest name in Wrestling that TNA can get, I guess we are about to see ..
I apologise to the person who wrote it that I cannot remember who you were ..
Posted By: Northants Grecian (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 08:17 AM
I'd rather have a small compnay full of awesome and headed by Kurt and AJ than a massive pile of shit with Hogan vs the Bootyman at Bound For Glory.
But then, I'm not Dixie Carter.
The company is called Total Nonstop Action, and old man Hogan hobbling to the ring is the antithesis of that sentiment.
Posted By: Quimby (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 08:49 AM
As much as I enjoy TNA, I can't help but feel this was a kneejerk reaction to fear of low buyrates and the fact we are in a "gotta have it now" mindset of today's wrestling fan.
TNA should've taken the patient route and allowed AJ Styles to grow as World Champ, now he will be overshadowed by the Hogan situation. This would've been the perfect opportunity for fans to get used to Matt Morgan, Samoa Joe, the MCMGs and Hernandez as the big dogs of the company.
Also, one more question: what does this mean for Kurt Angle? Now that he is no longer the top dog in the company will he head back north? He has done such a great job of putting over the younger talent that it would be a shame for all of that to go to waste because Hogan feels the need to put himself over the business.
BTW, Nigel Wolfe sounds cooler!
Posted By: Orlando (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 09:41 AM
So lets see .... Hogan, Bischoff, Russo and Ferrara all a part of TNA now? LOL. It ain't 1996 anymore.
Posted By: MDK (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 09:43 AM
Good coloumn, although I really think you're downplaying some of the success TNA has already seen. If you compare the first 2-3 years of TNA, when it felt like a glorified indy promotion with big names passing through to lose to Jeff Jarrett, to the product as it stands today you can't deny that it's grown considerably. The move to Spike TV,signing Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, expanding to 2 hours, moving PPVs out of Orlando, releasing a video game. Granted, as a company it's nowhere near to competing commercially with the multi-billion dollar WWE but it's definitely developed at a reasonable pace and I think it's unfair to deny it as an established brand, regardless of your feelings towards the product quality.
Hogan will undoubtedly give them further credibility and more people will tune in to watch how it plays out but ultimately, as has been said SO many times, it will be new stars and a better wrestling product that will make people stay after the buzz dies down.
Posted By: Russo (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Hell, I just loved McWolfe flipping off the crowd British-style at the end.
Posted By: Steve B (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 10:19 AM
The Hulkster is as old as my dad. Is he heading to TNA to be an active performer? He was used up back in '97. That was 12 years ago. He won't have his music, he won't have his same ring attire. It is a bad situation, of all wrestlers from back in the day, I never thought Hulkster would be a wrestling tradgedy.
Posted By: Matt Dawson (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 10:51 AM
That Indy costume kicks all kinds of nerd ass. And thats a good thing my man.
Posted By: APrince66 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 11:04 AM
To Question: it depends who you ask. Some people treat 4/20 as a holiday too
Posted By: M:-X (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Who's to say this will even garner mainstream promotion for TNA? People are interested in Hogan himself as a novelty celebrity, not really where he goes or what he does.
Posted By: Guest#7309 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 11:45 AM
"TNA is not "still starting up". They've been around longer than WCW (not the NWA, just WCW itself) was when Hogan rolled in. Get your facts straight before you start babbling nonsense."
The stupidity that TNA-haters come up with is astounding. And I thought that yesterday, I heard the dumbest comment ever. I guess I was wrong.
You're taking a name change from NWA to WCW as your sign that they were a "new company"? Seriously? Are you really that stupid? Same performers... same announcers... same angles as before the switch, and you're dumb enough to say that TNA is "older" than WCW was?
Well, in that case, I can't believe that Vince McMahon can't build his own stars! How DARE he steal performers for his "WWE" from the "WWF"?!? Seriously, why did he grab a bunch of has-beens like the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels from the WWF when he should be building his own talent for WWE?
Posted By: Jimbob Jones (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Melina sucks in the ring. So does Mickie. Neither one of them are beautiful. The diffrence is at least Mickie will be remembered because of her feud with Trish Stratus. She gave Trish her best non-Lita feud, and that's pretty impressive. What the hell is Melina going to be remembered for, being the manliest and homeliest diva ever?
I doubt Mickie will make it big in country music. Her voice doesn't seem like it would translate well to singing, and again, she's not pretty enough to make it purely based on looks. But good luck to her.
Posted By: Guest#2544 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 12:27 PM
About Mickie James - she's been pursuing that country music thing for months, JR even mentioned it in a blog back around June I think it was. I don't think is some kind of knee-jerk reaction.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Raw's rating up well this week too, the MNF predictor has been very reliable so far.
Posted By: Ryushinku (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 12:28 PM
that sports illustrated cover is gold...GOLD!!! GOOOLLLDDDD!!!
Posted By: James T. (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 12:38 PM
It's a bummer what a wasted opportunity this week's Always Sunny was for the WWE. Imagine if instead of those two Nascar goofs the show had opened up with the Birds of War entering the ring. Raw could have actually had entertaining guest hosts for once, but instead they continued their tried and true path of irrelevance. I can't wait for Ozzy to host next week, maybe the week after that they can get the original cast of the Brady Bunch or Willy Tyler and Lester.
Posted By: Smorkler (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 01:26 PM
Give Melina a break. It's not easy pulling off those maneuvers when you're trying to keep certain "appendages" tucked away.
Posted By: Larry King (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 01:56 PM
Re: Mickie James
Wait--the "J-E-double F-J-A-double R-e-double T" track to country music actually works?
Posted By: The Road Dogg (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 02:18 PM
Good riddance to Mickie. She won't be missed by WWE. For those of you that say she's been "carrying" the women's division for three years, need I remind you it's been total garbage during that time. So what exactly has she been carrying? It'll be just as bad when she leaves, no better or worse.
She wanted SO BAD to be the next Trish Stratus, you can see it with her moveset. But there will probaly never be another Trish. She had everything you could want, plus that elusive "it factor" that I don't see in anybody anymore. And she made every woman in the business look like dog shit in comparison when she came back to host Raw last month. You can talk about how "hot" some of the divas are. I don't buy it with most of them. Trish,on the other hand, now that is a beautiful woman. Fucking gorgeous.
Mickie? Sort of a horse face, looking more and more like an aging stripper every time I see her. When the music career dries up, I think all her fans can look forward to her doing smut magazines again.
Posted By: Guest#9853 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 04:07 PM
Mickie has been the face of women's wrestling in the WWE and her leaving would be a terrible blow to an already ailing division.
Despite never been given the ball in the same way the likes of Trish were Mickie has remained over and is still one of the best all-rounders female performers in the WWE. She seems to have lost a step recently but she's still miles ahead of the average diva.
Those who think otherwise are absolutely clueless.
Posted By: Guest#5525 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 05:45 PM
People keep saying that Hogan is the biggest name in wrestling but i say nah. He's thrown it all away with pastamania, that hogan show, all that bubba love sponge crap, crappy films etc etc. He's still seen as a wrestler though, an old broken wrestler. However if THE ROCK signed for TNA, that would be on the BBC news!!!!! Biggest name ever associated with wrestling.
Posted By: Fact! (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 05:53 PM
I'm hardly a Kevin Nash fan, but you justifying his suspension is bullshit.
Bubba took a safe move and, let's face it, screwed it up badly. They should have stopped the match, period.
Nash speaks up, and they "suspend" him to "send a message". What's that? Operate as mindless nazis? It's bad enough wrestlers have no union and uniform health benefits, but when they DO speak up, they are treated like Nash?
Fuck TNA.
Posted By: jay (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 06:47 PM
God the Mickie haters are pathetic.
Posted By: Guest#8853 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 07:11 PM
"However if THE ROCK signed for TNA, that would be on the BBC news!!!!! Biggest name ever associated with wrestling."
Perhaps The Crock signing with TNA would make the BBC news. There's no accounting for taste, mate. But your statement that he's the biggest name ever associated with wrestling is akin to George III's most famous malady: madness.
Posted By: Stormbreaker (Registered) on October 30, 2009 at 11:06 PM
Despite never been given the ball in the same way the likes of Trish were Mickie has remained over and is still one of the best all-rounders female performers in the WWE. She seems to have lost a step recently but she's still miles ahead of the average diva.
Those who think otherwise are absolutely clueless.
Posted By: Guest#5525 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 05:45 PM
Being "given the ball" is bullshit. You take it and run with it. If Mickie was charismatic enough, if she was a good enough of a talker, and if she was attractive enough, she would have become the star some of you thought she was going to become. Let me ask you a couple of questions:
If we're talking in terms of beauty, you going to put her near the top of the food chain in WWE? I'm not even talking about all time hotties in wrestling, like Trish, Stacy and Torrie, I'm just talking current women. Her body is appealing to some, but look at her face. She's one of the most average looking women on the roster.
Are her talking skills that great? You hear her on commentary recently? Fucking brutal. She's as wooden as every other current diva.
She gets decent pops(by today's standards), but I don't buy that she would be greatly missed by most fans in attendance. Most of her matches get no reaction, and every single diva on the roster is looked as filler. From 2002-2006, Trish and Lita were treated as two of the biggest stars on Raw. Huge diffrence.
And this is the crushing blow. She's not that good in the ring anymore. She has been part of some of the most infamous matches this year. Mickie/Maryse, Mickie/Gail, Mickie/Alicia. Hmmm, what do all those matches have in common?
The women's division is dead. She might as well get out while the getting is good.
Posted By: Guest#9102 (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 12:33 AM
Mickie? Sort of a horse face, looking more and more like an aging stripper every time I see her. When the music career dries up, I think all her fans can look forward to her doing smut magazines again.
Posted By: Guest#9853 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 04:07 PM
She's probaly made enough money not to have to do porn anymore. But I agree about the stripper comment. That's exactly what she looks like. Although I think most strip clubs have at least a few chicks that are prettier. Sorry Mickie fans, but it's true.
Posted By: Guest#5703 (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 12:39 AM
God the Mickie haters are pathetic.
Posted By: Guest#8853 (Guest) on October 30, 2009 at 07:11 PM
I like how as soon as somebody points out that she's overrated in the ring, and not that hot, that automatically makes them a "hater". Yet it's perfectly fine to make fun of every other diva, because they don't have as many nerds worshiping them. I don't even dislike Mickie(that much), but I haven't read one comment that wasn't true.
Posted By: Guest#2400 (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 01:03 AM
Guest#9102 Has Mickie been given anything to really say or do other than 'me want title' since her storyline with Trish ended? No, she's been given generic things to say and nothing much to make her stand out from the crowd. This is not her fault, it's the writers fault. They haven't given the other mid-card acts much to do either.
Considering she hasn't had much to say she's been absolutely fine on commentary and always comes off as charismatic.
As far as looks go I think she's easily one of the hottest divas on the roster and from other comments I'm not the only one.
Her pops are always decent at least and it's obviously her opponent who kills the crowd reaction as they always cheer her entering and winning.
She's still one of the best in the ring. Mickie was able to carry Alicia to something watchable while Gail knocked herself silly knocking both divas off their game and Maryse is just awful in every way. Meanwhile Mickie vs Beth a month or so ago was easily one of the best diva matches of the year.
Posted By: Guest#5290 (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 08:35 AM
"Enough comparing TNA to WCW.
You people do realize that WCW was already an established brand for years before Hogan came in, with years and years in its' books already...?"
You People?...what do u mean u people?...u fucked up now!
Posted By: Johnny Blaze (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Hey Mickie:
You suck in the ring, are out of shape, and your face looks like the last turd I left in the toilet. The only reason you have had a good career in WWE is because you got to work with the Canadian Goddess as soon as you entered the company. And those same morons that cheered for you and booed Trish at Wrestlemania would probaly kill to have her back in the company now. But Trish has actually been succesful since leaving WWE, because she's beautiful, talented, and classy. Three words that don't describe you at all. Your more like Lita, a washed up slut. Your music career will vanish faster than your overrated wrestling skills have. But good luck with that farm you want to open. When the kids come to ride horses, be sure to remind them that, despite your appearance, your not for riding.
Proud Mickie Hater 4 Life
Posted By: Guest#6420 (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 03:36 PM
Hey there Mickie Hater 4 Life
Please choke on the shit that's coming out of your mouth and good riddance to your worthless corpse.
Hugs and kisses anyone with a drop of sanity.
Posted By: Guest#0456 (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 04:19 PM
Yet another column that has turned into a Mickie bashing/Mickie loving debate. I have my own theory over why this is happening. Mickie, who has clearly lost a step and never quite lived up to the hype, still continues to get super praised by some people on the net. Because many people don't see what's so great about her(count me in), the angrier people out there have started to get sick and tired of the Mickie lovers. And so now they are trying to come up with the meanest stuff possible to balance things out. Both sides go too far IMO.
Meehan got it right. She's been a solid performer, but she never became the IT girl like Trish, and Sable, Chyna, and even Lita did before her. Trish was pretty much the pinnacle of the divas, and everything that followed was going to look second rate. Mickie just never had the tools to get it done. I think the main reason she should get out though is because she just doesn't have any passion anymore. Look at her face, she's always going through the motions. If she's a half way decent singer, maybe she can even do alright for herself. Can't be any worse than the Luchagors.
Posted By: Guest#3381 (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 04:43 PM
Mickie James isn't fat. But she is ugly. Did anybody see how pathetic she looked on Smackdown, dressed as Elektra? It amazes me how so many people still treat this piece of white trash like she's something special. She'll be exposed the second she leaves WWE. Maybe she can join Lita's band. Two skank singers and their virgin fans.
Posted By: Guest#2904 (Guest) on October 31, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Anyone bashing Mickie is flat-out insane.
Posted By: Guest#3787 (Guest) on November 01, 2009 at 08:57 AM
at least Mickie will be remembered because of her feud with Trish Stratus. She gave Trish her best non-Lita feud, and that's pretty impressive.
OK..Guest#2544 ..first of all..Victoria's feud with Trish was better than Mickie's or Lita's. (hands down!!)
But more to the point.. the writing was WAYYY better for Trish and Lita than it has been for Mickie. Her and Beth work great in the ring together.. but there was never any decent story development for them.
Posted By: Nicole (Guest) on November 01, 2009 at 04:10 PM
Anyone bashing Mickie is flat-out insane.
Posted By: Guest#3787 (Guest) on November 01, 2009 at 08:57 AM
Yes, how dare you have your own opinion. Maybe some of us just saw through this overrated whore a LONG time ago. Her name has been linked to at least four or five guys in the locker room, yet she doesn't get crucified like Lita did. She's homely as hell without makeup(and doesn't look much better with it). She never was that great in the ring, but now she's laughable. She's a bad actor even by diva standards. Her voice is irritating as shit, which makes her new career choice sound hilarious. And guess what? Her cheers are piped in. You ever notice when her music hits, it sounds like the same four or five girls cheering for her? And then when she comes out nobody reacts, especially during her shitty matches. Some of you people act like she's some sort of phenom, but the only thing phenomenal about her is what a waste of space she is. She also has zero class, and even her fans won't try and deny that. Like every other overrated internet fad, expect her to completley fade into obscurity once she does leave the bullshit world of pro wrestling. If you think she'll even have half the success that somebody like Trish, or even Stacy, has had, then YOUR insane. Because there are much higher standards outside of wrestling, and only the beautiful and/or talented survive. She's neither.
Posted By: Guest#4235 (Guest) on November 01, 2009 at 04:41 PM
OK..Guest#2544 ..first of all..Victoria's feud with Trish was better than Mickie's or Lita's. (hands down!!)
But more to the point.. the writing was WAYYY better for Trish and Lita than it has been for Mickie. Her and Beth work great in the ring together.. but there was never any decent story development for them.
Posted By: Nicole (Guest) on November 01, 2009 at 04:10 PM
I agree the writing was better, but another thing you left out: Trish and Lita were MUCH more popular than any woman currently in WWE. Beth isn't over at all, and Mickie isn't half as popular to WWE fans as the IWC pretends she is. I actually cared about storylines with Trish, and to a lesser degree Lita. They had the charisma, and Trish was a pretty good actress.
Her best feud was Lita. It started pretty much the moment Trish entered the company, and didn't stop until she retired. Trish's first match in WWE was against Lita, which she won. Her last match in WWE was against Lita, which she also won. Lita had a much better win/loss record, but Trish won most of the big matches(outside of the Raw main event). That was a pretty epic rivalry, not just for women, but in wrestling period. Sort of the Rock/Austin for women. Lita was the tough and cool one, like Austin, while Trish was the glamorous and cocky one, like Rock. All the other feuds pale in comparison.
Posted By: Guest#4121 (Guest) on November 01, 2009 at 09:37 PM
Meehan, one thing that you did not factor in for your write-up on the monday ratings for this week is that while the MNF game does feature the Saints and the Falcons, there is also the World Series out there too, particularly since it is a potential series-clinching game. I have no idea what sort of numbers they have been pulling down, but considering the game will be winding down during the second hour of Raw, that's another indication that Raw's rating could take a hit, even though I think you've been more focusing on the head-to-head ups and downs of Raw and MNF.
Posted By: Guest#8922 (Guest) on November 02, 2009 at 02:30 AM
