wrestling / Columns

Thursday Sports Entertainment News Report 12.13.12

December 13, 2012 | Posted by Sean Kelly

Greetings, folks, and welcome to another edition of Thursday Sports Entertainment! This week I’m pulling double-Thursday-duty as I’m one half of the contestants on the best game show the internet has to offer… 411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction! Witness me trying to obfuscate my lack of non-WWE current events with humor! I’m sure I’ll get grilled for that, but whatcha gonna do? Not everyone can watch every wrestling show out there. Still, all in good fun.

This is my third time participating in FoF, and I love it more and more every time I do it. What I like best about concepts like Fact or Fiction is the passionate, opinionated comments that it generates. So if you haven’t yet, take a gander at this week’s edition.

Let’s see what y’all had to say last week, shall we?

Why do you insist that Warrior is so necessary for the HoF?

He was a flash-in-the-pan who had a few hot years wherein he drew terrible gates for house shows, only had good matches when Rude + Savage were carrying him and the only memorable storyline he was in had Savage + Sherri do all the work.

Sure, he had Hogan put him over clean in the main event of WrestleMania, but the only reason Hulk did that is because he knew Warrior would flop since he couldn’t work or cut sensical promos.

The chump is lucky that he’s anything more than a footnote in wrestling history.

-Thunderlips

Oh please. What you’re doing is quoting a bunch of revisionist history, perpetuated by the people that can’t keep our Founding Father of In-Ring Intensity inside the little WWE box like everyone else. WWE has a history of attacking people that won’t play ball with them. Why else do you think the title of the Bret Hart DVD retrospective was changed from “Screwed” to “The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be” once Bret agreed to work with them?

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The fact is that match quality doesn’t matter much when making a legend. Hogan, Andre, and many other Hall of Famers performed at or near the same level as the Warrior-Man, and they’re some of the biggest household names in the history of pro wrestling. And that’s exactly what Warrior is, a huge household name. Ask non-wrestling fan whom Edge is and you’ll probably get “the guy from U2” as an answer. But they will all know who Warrior is, guaranteed! And THAT’S why he belongs in the Hall!

SPEAK TO ME WAR-YORS!

“Here’s the WrestleMania card I’d like to see:

John Cena vs. The Rock (c) for the WWE Title (sorry, but this is where the money is)”

I think the smark in you may be threatening the fan. Would you “like to see” Cena vs Rock because you’d actually like to see it, or because it would draw money? When I see things like this (or people using ratings as justification for disliking a wrestler), it has me worried for wrestling fandom (my own included).

-E. E. Faulk

It’s both. The reason why the money is in Rock/Cena II is because it generates huge interest, including mine. Remember, WWE puts up huge billboards and goes on a promotional blitz for WrestleMania – which pairing do you think will draw the most attention? Rock/Cena, or Rock/Anyone else on the roster? The answer is obvious. For your biggest event, you put your two biggest stars against each other. THAT’S what I want to see.

Hey, say what you want about Reks not that long ago we were all calling him a class act. All this does is take a little more shine off Cena. Do you see what’s happening to Cena? Starting with Kenny D, more and more people have been coming forward and showing that Cena might be a great “company man” on the corporate media circuit, but he’s as much of a backstage douche as HHH ever was. Just another reason for us all to hate him TBH

-Truthspeaker

I disagree. Anytime someone is the top dog there will be people taking potshots at him, especially those who failed to make their way up the food chain. Remember, there are two sides to every story and all you’re hearing are the whinings of a few ex-jobbers. There’s no way Cena is as clean-cut and wholesome as the character he plays, but I don’t think he’s the moustache-twirling political cutthroat that Doane and Reks would have us believe.

Crazy Neck!

-KipSmithers

I know, right? That was my favorite, too! Oooooooh yeah! Dig it!

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WORLD (WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT) NEWS TONIGHT

There has been speculation that WWE has been pursuing Sting for the WWE Hall of Fame and even a possible match at WrestleMania XXIX. This was due to Triple H recently mentioning him in interviews, WWE.com mentioning Sting more often than usual, and the fact that Sting’s yearly TNA deal ends at the end of 2012. According to a source in the writing team, there is no truth to the rumors that he is coming in. A source stated the following…

“The current TNA lawsuit has everything frozen for the moment. WWE will not even internally discuss Sting. That just won’t happen. Until this lawsuit settles, finishes or is dismissed, there’s no way any discussion about Sting is going to happen. His name has never come up, and I can practically guarantee you that it won’t.”

The source also added the following…

“The idea of Sting vs. Undertaker, Sting vs. Punk, or Sting vs. Cena was something a lot of the young writers were dreaming about until a senior member reminded them there’s not a chance of it happening this year.”

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This is just absurd. The lawsuit alleged that WWE was engaging in deceptive business practices because a former TNA employee tried giving the ‘E a hard drive full of TNA’s intellectual property. This has nothing to do with that. Remember, WWE is the one who informed TNA of what they received from the employee, who’s since been fired. I’m no lawyer, but it seems to me that TNA is on very shaky legal ground here.

Besides, this is completely different. Once Sting’s contract is up, he would be a free agent with no legal ties to either company. WWE would merely be picking up a free agent who’s on the market, so there’s no way they could have used any (alleged) illegally obtained information to coax him away from TNA.

Even if there’s some way WWE could be fined for signing Sting, it’s simple math. Here’s the equation:

(Amount of money Sting will generate for WWE) minus (Amount possible fines will be) equals Decision.

If Sting will generate a greater amount of cash than the fine could ever be, then sign him. If the fine would be so huge that WWE would lose a lot of money in the deal, then don’t sign him.

Something tells me that the DVDs, T-Shirts, extra buys and publicity would make the decision an easy one. But that’s just me.

There have been many rumored names for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame class, including Bruno Sammartino, Mick Foley, Paul Heyman, Owen Hart, Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth.

At this time, the word is that Randy Savage is off of the list, since his brother Lanny Poffo made it clear in discussions with WWE that the Poffo family would have to be inducted all together, because “that was Randy’s wish.” Poffo also discussed this in a recent shoot interview, and WWE reportedly stated that, “we don’t negotiate things like that.” The feeling from WWE is that thier audience wants “the WWE Macho Man Randy Savage” inducted into the Hall of Fame, not “Randy, Lanny, and Angelo Poffo as a family unit.”

A source stated that WWE writers were told that, “we’re passing on Lanny’s claim, and so Randy will have to remain out for now.”

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I covered this a little bit in Fact or Fiction, where I basically say that I think Lanny is full of shit and that Randy should be inducted as an individual. Here’s a few more thoughts

First – I don’t think the WWE needs permission from anyone to induct a wrestler into the Hall of Fame. Maybe I’m wrong, but if they did, wouldn’t Randy’s wife be the one to decide? Note to WWE: If you involve the wife, induct Miss Elizabeth at a later time.

Second – If you can’t induct Randy, induct Bonesaw McGraw!

Third – If you can’t induct Bonesaw McGraw, induct Randy into the celebrity wing for his contributions to the beef jerky industry. How many Slim Jims has the Genius sold, hmmmm?

A cast member of Bravo’s The Shahs of Sunset used Ric Flair’s name as a verb. He threatened to “Ric Flair” someone while threatening to beat them up.

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Sorry, cast member of Bravo’s The Shahs of Sunset, but you’re using the word incorrectly. Let me help you on this one:

A friend of mine has a neighbor. Let’s call him Stuart. Stuart was very wealthy – we’re talking millions. He was married to a faithful wife who gave him two kids – a daughter and a son. What Stuart decided to do was cheat on his wife with an underage girl. It just happens to be that the girl he cheated with was his daughter’s best friend. Oh, and that girl? The daughter’s best friend? She was also his son’s girlfriend. Needless to say, Stuart lost his freedom, his wife, his daughter, his son, his reputation, his dignity, and everything he owned in one fell swoop, all because he lacked the discipline and maturity to control himself. In other words, he really Ric Flair’d his life.

Understand now?

Colt Cabana posted the following on Twitter, from backstage at Raw last night…

Look who’s TOUTING! pic.twitter.com/J9kEqE8u

Steve Lombardi also noted on Twitter that Cabana is backstage at Raw.

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I don’t follow Steve “Brooklyn Brawler” Lombardi on Twitter, but I’d imagine his tweets went something like this:

“I dropped my gum wrapper and @ColtCabana was right there to sweep it up. Who knew he was such a good janitor?”

“A homeless guy broke in and was raiding craft services for food. Found out l8r it was @ColtCabana.”

“Suggested @ColtCabana start a new podcast: The Art of Leeching, w/ guest Ed Leslie”

“Wow, @CMPunk ‘s bags must be really heavy. How else would @ColtCabana stay in such great shape?”

Ah, you get the point.

Former WWE mid-card names could soon return to the company in the near future. There has been a push in recent weeks from several top talents in the company to bring back some former talents that were released but were also solid hands.

WWE management has taken the suggestion to heart as the company has been thin on talent as of late. Names that are being brought back will be able to populate the mid-card and work with the younger talents to help bring them along and also provide some solid experienced workers to the show. There is a short list of potential names the WWE is interested in, but the company has not yet started to contact them. This process could start at any time.

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This is good news for a number of reasons. We get some familiar faces back on our screen, and the younger talent gets to sit under the learning tree with a few experienced hands. Win/Win.

Here’s the Top 5 list of people I’d like to see back on WWE TV:

1) Goldust – The bizarre one brings a lighter element to the show, and there’s great history there with Booker T, Cody Rhodes, and more
2) John Morrison – This guy has so much talent and has been working on his mic skills during his time away. Please leave Melina behind, though
3) Shelton Benjamin – Maybe they can finally push him the right way!
4) The Boogeyman – Seriously. For the kids.
5) Lita – The Divas need star power and she could be a great role model for the talent and young audience alike. (As cool Lita, not slut Lita).

Whom would you like to see grace your TV screens again? For fun, make it a top 5, in order, and explain why.

Jey and Jimmy Uso recently declared on their Twitter account that they plan on making WWE history. They stated the following:

“We will be the first brothers to hold separate titles and Tag titles at the same time!! Mark our words!!! #HISTORY #USOOO.”

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Yeah! You go Usos! Aim high, baby! I fully believe that this will happen. You know that saying “I won’t hold my breath?” You use it whenever you think that something won’t happen. Well, I’m SO confident that the Usos WILL become BOTH tag team and singles champions RIGHT AWAY, that I’m willing to hold my breath until it happens! Who’s with me??

Ready.

Set.

GO!

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Oh man. What time is it?

And why does my face look like it’s been pressed against a keyboard for hours?

Word is that there is a big push within WWE to make the current product edgier. While not Vince McMahon’s idea, he is said to be on-board with listening for ideas as he recognizes numbers are down across the board. With ratings down, the goal is to give the audience something different compared to what they’ve been seeing over the last couple years. The report also says that going forward; fans can expect to see a more wrestling heavy programming.

While watching RAW the other night, there was a quick moment that brought me back to the attitude era. It was toward the end of the show where the Shield was running rampant in the ring and Ryback came out to a huge pop. When Ryback stormed out, the three Shield members were leaning over the ropes, goading him to enter the ring. Ryback took a ladder off of a tale and threw it at all three guys, hitting them in their faces simultaneously. It was an awesome, perfectly timed sight to behold. The thought that went through my head was “oh man, Ryback’s gonna kick their asses!” It was at that moment that I realized what’s wrong with the product today.

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People tend to attribute WWE’s creative woes to the shift from TV-14 to TV-PG, or that it isn’t “edgy” enough. That’s not the reason. The reason is that WWE programming has been missing that essential unpredictability factor for years. There used to be a popular saying that “anything could happen in WWE,” and that was largely true. We all fondly remember Stone Cold Steve Austin’s crazy antics, from his beer bath on the McMahons to filling Vince’s sports car with cement. People did outrageous things back then and we loved them for it. No one really does that anymore. Sure, it happens every now and again, but those instances are few and far between. I’m not even saying that WWE should do crazy elaborate stunts every week. Ryback throwing the ladder was enough to get me psyched for what was going to happen next, largely because I didn’t see it coming and it was such an innovative spot. WWE needs more of that “anything can happen” attitude.

Thoughts?

YOU’RE IN FOR A REAL TWEET

And of course, follow all the 411 stuff on Twitter! #spon

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SIGNING OFF

Thank you for making Thursday Sports Entertainment your go-to destination for Wrestling News, Opinions, Etc. Join us next week where I’ll share with you Awesome Ladybug Girl’s TLC experience!

Hasta Jueves,

This is Sean.

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Sean Kelly

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