The Shimmy 4.16.07: The Alternative to the Alternative

Posted by Andy Clark on 04.16.2007

Is it time for someone to step up and take on TNA? Read The Shimmy to find out!

Yeah, yeah, I know this was supposed to be week two of the Interpromotional Matches series, but time constraints and some breaking news last week put this column up this week. The Interpromotional series will be back next week for those that were interested.

This week I'd like to examine the possibility of creating a wrestling alternative. I'm not looking for an alternative to WWE, however. We all know what to expect from them. Some like it, some don't, and that's fine. But what I'm proposing is an alternative to the alternative. Yes, an alternative to TNA. Now I know what you're saying, "Oh, yay, the WWE homer is gonna bag on TNA." But just because WWE is my number one company doesn't mean I don't enjoy TNA. I've certainly enjoyed having TNA around these past five years. I followed them through internet reports when they were on PPV, I tried to catch them on FSN, and I watched their internet shows. I was excited for them when they got on Spike and last fall I was really digging the product. But then something happened. Blame Russo, blame management, blame the fans, I don't know, but something happened. It seems that no matter what TNA does they are merely in a holding pattern. Even things that should be sure money for the company like potential dream matches with Sting, the Kurt Angle-Samoa Joe feud, and the eventual Samoa Joe title win just don't seem as big as they used to. I would wager that Raven's NWA World Heavyweight Title win will be more monumental then when Joe finally gets it. Hell, AJ Styles' third title win will probably be considered bigger.

I'm not here to pass blame on TNA. They're a decent product that certainly has the talent to be much better. Who knows, in a year's time maybe I'll look back at this column and wonder "What was I thinking?" as TNA pull in big ratings on its two-hour primetime TV show. Still, there is an opportunity out there to recreate the potential of early TNA; a way to help create something new, perhaps a second chance for the real alternative. The focal point of this opportunity would rest on the burly, suntanned shoulders of one "Immortal" legend, but there could be so much more.

Yes, I am aware of Hogan's last attempt at running a wrestling promotion in the XWF. Actually, the more I hear about the company the less and less I really think he had to do with it. As you know by the lack of an XWF TV show that project didn't work out so well. Even still, the basic concept was a good one. Use superstars from wrestling's past to give the new promotion some name value and marketability and use younger, more talented wrestlers to build the promotion's foundations on. I think there is a much better talent pool available and possibly more opportunities for something like this to work out.

First, let's start with the mainstream talent. This past week the scheduled Hogan-Lawler confrontation in Memphis was scrapped due to involvement from WWE. The replacement? Hogan vs. Paul Wight (the former Big Show for the uninitiated). Looking back at 2002 there was not really another superstar available the caliber of Big Show when either the XWF or TNA were getting off the ground. Some of this was due to the AOL-Time Warner contracts that a lot of big name WCW wrestlers had that had yet to expire. Some of it was the fact that WWE gobbled up many of the top stars. In any event, having Big Show, alongside the biggest attraction the wrestling business has ever seen, as your top two stars is a good way to start. Of course there are any number of old guys that would probably love a shot at getting in there. Kamala, Rick Steiner, Haku, Kishi, Dustin Rhodes, Diamond Dallas Page. Buff Bagwell has recently announced his reunion with his two former tag team partners Scotty Riggs and Scott Norton. You could probably even dig Terry Funk up and see what he can do. Obviously these wrestlers wouldn't be in peak condition (some of them never were to begin with) or be able to put on great matches. Nor would they be expected to. They would simply help pull in the fans, allowing the other talent to shine. They would do their things, go through their acts and entertain the people. Hermie Sadler's UWF (the former base of operations for the TNA house shows) has been running shows with these older wrestlers ever since TNA bailed and they seem to be doing OK. Imagine if there was more to it than that?

Another thing they have in their favor is the recent failure of Wrestling Society X. WSX may not have been a success, but it did introduce the young American public to some great talents. Teddy Hart, Matt Cross, Jack Evans, Matt Sydal, and Human Tornado are just a few of the talented indy wrestlers they featured. Jack Evans in particular came out looking like a star. Think of the tag teams that WSX had that could be featured elsewhere: DIFH, Keepin' it Gangsta, Los Pachos Guapos, the Trailer Park Boys, That 70's Team, as well as the already mentioned Hart-Cross Filth and the Fury tag team. WSX also reacquainted the viewing audience to the likes of Sean Waltman and Vampiro. Unlike some of the other older stars, when motivated these two can still go, Waltman in particular. Vampiro also carries some weight in Mexico which could establish a good international base for a new company. Waltman could also either tear it up with some of the young guys or hook up with fellow Klique member Scott Hall who is allegedly trying to get back in the game.

In the same vein as Wrestling Society X, the ECW appreciation still lives. Despite having the ECW name pretty much devalued by WWE (at least for what it used to stand for) there is still a sizable following for old school ECW. Many of those stars are available to wrestle. Steve Corino (who will be facing Dustin Rhodes in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at the UWF show in Richmond this Friday, I may be attending), Justin Credible, New Jack, and Lance Storm are the names that come to mind immediately. Corino and Storm in particular would be great additions to any roster. Plus, there is always the rumor that the ECW Originals will be out the door from WWE any day now and this list can grow. The ECW fanbase is a faithful, if not slightly psychotic, bunch and would be a valuable asset to a new promotion. TNA once had the ability to capitalize on that, but I think that is something that they've lost.

Another thing that TNA has lost is the upward mobility for talented indy workers. I've always contended that Bryan Danielson would actually fair better in WWE than in TNA because he might actually be able to go somewhere. Had Danielson joined TNA say three years ago, maybe even two, he would have been a star. Not now. Now he'd be in there toiling away in some inane midcard feud with the likes of other talented guys like Senshi, Austin Starr, and Jay Lethal. A new company with a clean slate would be the perfect place for some great, young indy talent to emerge. A new company could easily just raid the ROH roster. Besides Danielson there would be Delirious, Nigel McGuinness, Roderick Strong, Davey Richard, the Kings of Wrestling, and the Briscoes, among others. A new environment for guys like this to thrive, on a national stage even, would be great. Come on, who wouldn't mark out to see Hogan vs. Danielson?

Of course any new promotion will have its fair share of WWE rejects. I will say that there are some pretty decent names out there to be had if they look in the right places. Guys like Doug Basham, The Damaja, Orlando Jordan (yes, OJ), D'Lo Brown, Kid Kash, and Andrew Martin are quality pickups for a new promotion. Plus with WWE's yearly spring cleaning you pretty much have your pick of underutilized midcarders that you can help mold into stars. I'm obviously not endorsing signing everybody that's ever had a WWE contract but there are more than enough talented guys out there that have that WWE experience to back them up.

Finally there is also the international presence. Recently some of the top stars in Japan have made the trek oversees. NOAH standouts Takeshi Morishma, KENTA, and Naomichi Marifuji have all had several matches for ROH. Meanwhile some of the top guys from the Dragon Gate promotion have worked for ROH, PWG, and Wrestling Society X. The Dragon Gate wrestlers in particular can be quite marketable in America and the NOAH stars would add some serious credibility to the promotion. What about El Hijo del Santo? This Mexican wrestling legend is currently a superstar without a home in Mexico. Perhaps a new American promotion could be just what the doctor ordered.

Now obviously I would not want just anybody running this show. Many men have tried to run organizations since the fall of WCW and most all of them have failed. There are three men that come to mind when thinking of this project, however. All three are currently under contract elsewhere but I have to believe that that will be ending soon. The first, and least likely, is Jim Cornette. Many of you may know that I am not a fan of Cornette as an on air personality. That doesn't mean that I don't respect his work booking a promotion. Cornette would be a great man to have backstage running the show, even if some feel that he is too old fashioned.

The other potential two man team would be a dream come true. Imagine if you will a wrestling promotion being booked by Paul Heyman with Eric Bischoff handling the business end. Yeah, I know that would be a longshot but just imagine what a great combination that would be. Add the attraction of Hulk Hogan and the workrate of America's top indy workers and you could have a smash success. Bischoff has the Hollywood connections that the company would need to get on TV (and having name superstars like Hogan and Wight would certainly help) and we all know what a genius Paul Heyman can be when booking. Hell, Heyman could even do color commentary for the show to make it get over even more.

In the end this is all just wishful thinking on my part. I would love to see a promotion with this kind of potential rise up but I'm fairly sure that that will not happen. The best we may get is a Hulk Hogan World Tour which will undoubtedly not have quite the depth, or the creative power, that I am proposing here. Who knows, maybe something great is in the works right now, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Anybody who's with me in this idea I welcome you to send me an e-mail. Think its crap? E-mail me too. Let me know what you guys think and what you would do if you had the ability to pull the strings.

Andy! Andy! At Last You Have Some Feedback!

Chris Jacobs questions my feelings on the MVP-Benoit match at Mania:

How can MVP's loss to Benoit be called Jobbing out? It's Chris Freakin' Benoit, did anyone really think that a newbie would walk in a mere six months on the program and go over Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania? For a title no less? I would have to say Benoit's win was expected, and I think that match did nothing but good for MVP's character because he hung in all the way til the end, even keeping up with Benoit's technical offense and firing back with a impressive arsenal of his own.

I consider that "jobbing out" due to the way he lost. I actually don't mind that MVP lost (even though putting him over at Mania would have been huge), but to the flying headbutt? The most recent time anybody seems to remember Benoit winning with that move was seven years ago. If they were going to have MVP lose then they should have had the wily veteran Benoit outsmart him. I was particularly fond of Benoit reversing the superplex into a small package.

Don Rogers has some questions:

My name is Don Rogers and i have 2 questions for you no need to print them unless you want to but please email me back on both when you have time

#1 was i the only one in the world that herd ecw promo a match with kurt angle last weekwhats up with that

#2 15-20 years ago the was a show that took place in toronto called the big event andme and my friends are exausted trying to find a copy of the
footage can you help us in our search my one friend was there as a young boy
and just wants it for old time sake

Sorry, Don, but I heard no such ECW announcement. As for The Big Event, I'm not exactly sure where to find a tape of that. I'd shoot a line over to our Ask 411 guy Steve Cook or maybe even the big boss Larry Csonka himself. I know WWE 24/7 has shown it before so I'm sure somebody has the thing recorded.

Jim Nardecchia give another live report of WrestleMania:

I read your initial comments last week about Wrestlemania 23 and I was somewhat surprised to read what you had said about the crowd. I had gone to the show and so I figured maybe the giant stadium made the noise not come across so well on tv. After reading the feedback from your latest column I thought I would chime in with my experience.

Before I start, I do have to say I have been able to watch the broadcast and I really think the crowd level didn't come across as well on tv. That being said, I have some more specific points to bring up.

First of all, the crowd was hyped as hell before the show, all you could hear outside the stadium and inside on the concourse was people trying to be Ric Flair, the "WOOOOOOOO"s were contagious in there, I gotta admit even my friend and I got involved. We got in our seats about half an hour before the show started and you would hear a section of people just start going crazy, I thought maybe someone was coming out but that was never the case, this happened a few times.

Now, taking the entire show into account, it was quieter than I had expected. It did get as loud as 80,000 people can be at some points, but only at the biggest points of the show. During the other matches you would get packets of people cheering and packets who probably had no idea what was going on. I honestly wonder how much of this can be attributed to the somewhat substandard 'hype' for the non-title, non-BotB, non-MITB matches during the road to Wrestlemania this year.

I'm going to sidetrack for a second here to give an example that I think might be helpful. As you probably know, the Lions suck and have sucked for a long time. Well a few years ago they actually started the seasons with two good wins, and in week 3 they were at home facing the Philadelphia Eagles (who were also 2-0). I was at that game, and people thought that they could make a big statement by beating Philly and starting the season 3-0, that place was incredibly loud that day (until it became apparent that we were going to get smoked, which was probably early in the 2nd quarter). I gotta say that at some points, WM23 was that loud, just not consistently.

I guess my major problem is when I've read people say that the crowd was mostly dead for the "other 4" matches, but I think there are good reasons for that.

-Kane vs. Khali, yeah I would rather watch Cruiserweights pick their own asses than watch Khali do anything, and I think that is the common sentiment.
-Benoit vs. MVP, this deserved more for sure (Benoit got good pops), but remember that A) Smackdown is not Raw, and MVP may be unfamiliar to a lot of people and B) Most people aren't members of the IWC who root for MVP because he's a good worker.
-ECW match, ECW is a newer brand and this feud isn't exactly tearing it up on its own show either. There were quite a few ECW themed chants thrown around, but the match was really sub-standard, especially after watching the vastly superior one they did on free TV two days later. I do think that a lot of people didn't give this one a chance to begin with though, which was unfair.
-Diva match, it sucked, it was poorly placed, can't fault anyone here.

I guess in conclusion I gotta say I was slightly disappointed with the crowd as well, although it was much more lively in person, but I can't really fault anyone either. They popped for the big matches, and the other matches they had reasons not to. I really don't think this should reflect badly upon the Detroit wrestling fan, especially since there were a lot of out-of-towners (I'm sure it was still mostly locals though). Also I think
there were a lot of people who don't really watch Wrestling these days but used to, and couldn't pass up the chance to be at Wrestlemania, I personally know a few people who did exactly that. Lastly the Smackdown/ECW show I went to in order to pre-order my WM tickets was very lively, of course in a much smaller venue.

Sorry I wrote so much, I didn't expect to :-)
Keep up the good work
-Jim

p.s. For reference, we were in the 5th row in the lower bowl, If you saw the ECW originals entrance, I got to pat Tommy Dreamer on the back as he was walking down to the ring.

It's amazing the different reports I've gotten. I think your Detroit Lions analogy is actually pretty good. In the end I think that it's just that 60,000 hardcore fans and 20,000 non-fans just can't stay up for quite as long as 20,000 true fans can. Glad you had fun, though!

Angelo Velotta has some ideas to revitalize the Brand Extension:

I'm tired of people being tired of talks of ending the brand extensions. However, they can't go on in their current state. So here is a proposal to spice them up, fix them up, and breathe some life into the system.

McMahon comes out on Raw and said he is sick of making the same people's lives a living hell, and wants a challenge. Therefore, the rosters are getting a shake up. Only champions will remain on their roster, ie...Cena, The Hardys, Umaga and Melina on Raw, Lashley on ECW, and Taker, Benoit, Londrick, and Chavo on Smackdown. There will be the following trades, two men from Raw to ECW and 2 to Smackdown, two men from ECW to Raw, and 2 to Smackdown, and two men from Smackdown to raw and 2 to ECW.

From Raw to ECW
Johnny Nitro and Carlito

From Raw to Smackdown
Randy Orton and Edge

From ECW to Raw
Rob Van Dam and Elijah Burke

From ECW to Smackdown
CM Punk and Sabu

From Smackdown to Raw
Batista and Ken Kennedy

From Smackdown to ECW
MVP and Mark Henry

From here you can start a Summerslam program between Ken Kennedy and John Cena, a poor wrestling but well booked feud between The Great Khali and Batista, after Batista defeats Umaga (one monster) for the IC Title. You can then have Batista defeat Khali and get primed for the world title hunt. Kennedy can win the title from Cena only to lose it back, to set up a world title vs ic title match between Batista and Cena. From there Kennedy can feud with Flair until the Batista/Cena feud is over, with Batista coming out on top, Kennedy being the underdog and taking out Batista, only to eventually lose the strap back to Cena.

On ECW, build up MVP as a real player giving him time to shine his skills, as Mark Henry comes to feud with Lashley. Have Lashley get the best of Henry only to drop his title to MVP. Meanwhile, a feud between Carlito and Nitro on ECW would be a nice change, with some cool stipulations thrown in such as a brawl and a ladder match. Meanwhile, Lashley can win the title back from MVP, but is then locked in a feud with Nitro. Carlito can then feud with Cor Von, which would be interesting. Many routes here.

On Smackdown, we have CM Punk work his way up in the US division and give us a classic feud with Benoit, while Orton and Edge enter the main event picture with Orton feuding with Taker for a while, while Edge feuds with Kane. Orton and Edge decide to reuinite to fight with the bros of destruction for a while, but after Edge and Orton take Kane out of action, Taker dissappears. This leaves Orton and Edge to dissolve and fight for the title, with Orton originally coming out on top, only in time for Edge to win in back before Mania and feud with a returning Taker. We then get the battle of unbeatens, as Edge claims he's never been pinned or lost himself. We get the classic match we've all been dying for with Taker coming out on top and shutting up Edge once and for all, gaining one last title run, where he can drop it to Orton now who can hotshot later that year to Punk for the kid's first big win.

While I disagree with some of your picks to send to other brands, for the most part I really agree with you. There should be a mix up of the talent upcoming as it could do many of them well. I especially like moving Carlito to ECW. Good thinking there.

500 Good Words w/ Matt Adamson

Champion vs. Champion – Part 3

If you were confused about the state of things during the early 1960's you are about to get a little relief from the confusion. In January 1963, The Capitol Wrestling Corporation, which was the Northwest territory of the NWA would split from the board and become a promotion unto itself. It would change its name to the World Wide Wrestling Federation, and the owner Vince McMahon would name their first champion Buddy Rogers following a fictitious tournament in Brazil. While McMahon would still sit on the board of the NWA, his promotion and its champion would not be recognized by that governing body.

From the early 60's to the late 70's there were a very few scattered Champion vs. Champion matches involving the WWWF Champion and the NWA Champion, usually ending in a time limit draw, count out or DQ. Come 1978 the trend of Champion vs. Champion matches would change when the WWWF would somewhat become a part of the NWA once again. This relationship would be an interesting one as the NWA still refused to acknowledge the WWWF Championship as being a legitimate World title, which led to both the NWA and WWWF running Champion vs. Champion matches all over the eastern U.S. for the next 4 years.

The first really important Champion vs. Champion match of this era happened at a show in Tampa for the Florida territory of the NWA. The show was dubbed, "Superbowl of Wrestling" and took place on January 25th 1978. The WWWF Champion at the time was a charismatic individual who had taken the wrestling world by storm just a couple years prior. He was one of a kind and would go on to influence some of the greatest wrestling personalities ever including Jesse Ventura and Hulk Hogan. That man was "Superstar" Billy Graham. His opponent was a multi-time NWA champion who was and still is considered by many to be the toughest wrestler ever to live. His name was Harley Race. The match was so big that each organization brought in a referee to represent their company. The WWWF brought big man Gorilla Monsoon and the NWA provided Don Curtis. What was expected to happen in this match was that the referees were going to fast count their company's guy so he'd get the win, but that never went down as the one hour time-limit expired. Yes, Billy Graham wrestled to a one hour draw with Harley Race.

Shortly after that epic match Graham would lose the title to the unlikeliest of competitors, Bob Backlund. When Backlund held the title, the idea of Champion vs. Champion matches between the WWWF Champion and the NWA champion would become commonplace, and we'd even see a AWA vs. WWWF Champion vs. Champion match during this period. The first of these bouts was again in Tampa when Backlund wrestled Harley Race to a one hour draw on February 23rd 1978. The result would be the same for the next bout between the two, which happened 8 months later in Tampa. Things would change with the following Champion vs. Champion match as history would be made when two rival promotions worked together.

To be continued….

Well, another round down, several more to go. Next week I'm going to discuss one of the rarest of occasions during this rather unusual period in professional wrestling. I'll finish off the Backlund era and close the door on cross-promotional shows with a legendary show in my home town of Portland, Oregon. Professional wrestling would come to a crossroads and it would never be the same again. Don't miss next week if you are interested in more about Backlund, Bockwinkel, Ric Flair, Harley Race and wrestling in the Pacific Northwest. There is a lot of history to cover and I have a long time to get through it all.

Send me an email at [e-mail], I like to hear from readers. Also, make sure to check out my column "Destiny" on Sundays as well as 411's Buy or Sell, which was posted on Friday last week. In that column I took on Ryan Mancuso in a blood bath discussing Puro, ROH and CM Punk. Until next time.

The Shimmy Likes It Raw!

What's on tap for tonight's show?

Handicap Match: John Cena vs. Rated RKO; Could this be Rated RKO's last stand together? More importantly will Larry's head explode when we get another Handicap Match?

Well that does it for this week's column. Next week I'll get back to the Interpromotional Matches series, focusing on the 2005 war between the brands. I may even have a review of the UWF Richmond show which features Steve Corino vs. Dustin Rhodes in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, Christy Hemme vs. Amy Dumas for the first time ever, Jerry Lynn vs. Austin Starr, Scott Steiner vs. CW Anderson, and an Open Challenge from Team 3D. Until next week, don't die. Clark…out.