Truth B Told 4.26.07: Total Non-Stop Acrimony
Posted by Bayani Domingo on 04.26.2007
TBT is busting out the big $2 words this week as we take a big picture look at TNA. A little TNA hope and hate all at the same time. Something for everyone to enjoy. Like hooking up with a hermaphrodite.
You remember back in the day when TNA was like the new hot girl in class. For the past few years you sat in your Economics class wondering how it become such a bastion of geeks, freaks, and fattys. But then one day at the start of the spring semester this new face is seated a few rows from yours and all of a sudden you start to get a little excited. As the class goes on you become more and more infatuated with her, she seems like an angel. It seems like each passing week get you more and more giddy with the possibility of something real and lasting coming to fruition. But just as you are ready to seal the deal, tragedy strikes in the form of a big dumb jerk stealing her away from you. Now all seems lost. She no longer seems as accessible to you as she acts more and more like she's not only too good for you, but anyone telling her any differently is a moron. She resembles nothing of that beautiful creature that captivated your heart, but you know somewhere underneath that now increasingly trashy and unappealing exterior is that fresh faced girl you made googley eyes over all semester long. Damn that Vinny Ru with his tricked out Mustang and devil-may-care attitude.
Love hurts, and sometimes, well most times, so does Vince Russo's booking. But let's be fair. It's not as if when Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantel had the booking before, it was all roses and **** matches. Still, something has to be said for the meteoric fall from grace that TNA has had in the eyes of the IWC at large. I think as fans we tend to get caught up in the hysteria of things, we jump on and off bandwagons so much it is hard to remember what we're actually riding most of the time *go ahead and craft your own Lita joke to insert here…I'll wait*. But as I read a lot of columns on 411mania there seem to be a real point of convergence when it comes to TNA that up until a few months ago really wasn't all that unanimous. Right now TNA is just NOT living up to its potential. Even your usual TNA-backers are beginning to groan every time they turn on the TV to see another nonsensical episode of Impact! I'll admit it; I do the same thing most Thursdays. This is really something considering Impact! used to be a must-see for me and now becomes a luxury if time permits. But I think this bares a more in-depth look at TNA because I think I might have nailed down the one thing that is holding TNA back from becoming relevant again. This time, it's not just Russo.
On a very personal note I have a lot invested in TNA. In a little less than a year I will be moving back up to my hometown of Seattle, Washingon permanently. I will be leaving behind my beloved PWG and the SoCal wrestling scene and from what I gather the quality of Indy wrestling in Seattle ain't exactly World Class, on top of that I don't have even one friend up there who enjoys wrestling. Yikes. Sure I'll still buy the occasional PWG or RoH DVD and maybe catch a show in LA twice a year or so, but I've resolved myself to realizing that my wrestling diet will subsist mainly of WWE and TNA. So for me, TNA really has to step up its game in order to make up for the lack of a great Indy scene. I think this goes for a lot of people who don't have a PWG, RoH, IWA:MS, JAPW, or even CHIKARA around to supplement their televised wrestling needs. TNA's success and popularity not only helps their own company and provides fans an additional source of much needed FREE wrestling, but also benefits the WWE, the workers, and the industry as a whole.
If you look at what the climate would be without TNA, then Indy workers really only have three choices when it comes to advancing their careers. Either they can be one of the few in hundreds to make it to the WWE, which for most is a long shot at best, or they can go to Japan or Mexico. To be honest, Mexico isn't really high on a lot of people's priority lists anymore. I think the natural progression amongst most Indy workers is to train, becoming successful in your local Fed, get promoted to the biggest local Fed in your time zone, get a spot in RoH, do a tour of Japan, then hopefully get signed to TNA or WWE. With of course, more emphasis on going to the WWE. TNA also provides an alternative for workers who are expelled from the WWE or looking to get noticed and possibly hired (Monty Brown) there. Plus the more options a worker has the better off his situation becomes.
More competition for employment just means that you gain more bargaining power in negotiations. When you graduate from college, or a trade school, or Hamburger U., the more options you have and more job offers you field the better your bargaining position is to get a better salary and better benefits. If an Indy worker like Samoa Joe or CM Punk has two options instead of one, his leverage is that much greater in negotiating. A monopolistic system where only the WWE exists would mean that they pretty much set the market for salaries, benefits, and work conditions. Not exactly ideal from an economics or fan perspective especially if they set the tone for "Style" of wrestling, look at what we now consider to be "high risk" in the WWE. If we examine the new rumored salary structure for WWE Developmental Deals where each talent is given a $30,000 a year contract and relocated to OVW or wherever they pick to replace DSW. Now $30,000 is pretty good for your average Indy worker, but isn't exactly raking in the bucks. Still $30K is fairly low considering what some of the top shelf Indy guys can make on the Indy scene and in Japan, options are never a bad thing.
I think health and family-wise TNA is a great alternative for guys like Kurt Angle and Christian because they can work close to home and their travel schedule is nothing like it was in the WWE. Dixie Carter had it right when she said that an easier work schedule can help extend a wrestler's career by years. Also because TNA doesn't necessarily put as much emphasis on "size" as the WWE does there aren't as many Test's, Master's, and Snitsky's sticking needles in their asses to maintain their size and that also helps extend wrestlers lives past the time they step out of the squared circle for good. Also as a result the smaller wrestlers like Low Ki, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal, etc. get a chance to show off their skills because unlike the "e", TNA does (somewhat although less increasingly) value their smaller "wrestlers" not just the muscular "sports entertainers". So you have health benefits, financial benefits, and job opportunities as a reason TNA is important to the wrestling community at large. That pretty much sums up why TNA's success is so important to wrestling, but it doesn't explain why the product is so bad right now. Why is it that TNA just makes you hate them so much when all we want to do is love them?? Why won't you let me LOVE YOU????
Well let's go to the top here and take a look at the backlash that TNA President Dixie Carter herself has been getting from an interview that appeared in the "Sun" in the UK 2 weeks ago. A lot of people, myself included, took her comments as saying that "TNA fans don't know what they want". A very McMahon-ish comment that Vince himself has spouted off on RAW before (kayfabe or not) that we don't tell him what we want to see, he tells US what we want to see. But I looked for a quote that backed up the criticism of Dixie and all I got was this:
"I love the passion of wrestling fans but there is just so much that they get wrong, that they perceive to be one way when it's not….It's interesting that at our last PPV during the Sting v Abyss match they started that chant….First of all that match was something Vince had absolutely nothing to do with…Second of all it wasn't 120 seconds later that the crowd were jumping up and down screaming 'holy s***' and 'TNA'…Vince is human, and has one of the best hearts in this business, so I am sure the chants hurt him. They hurt me for him…But it's amazing how off the mark these folks are…One thing they blame him for is that we sometimes try and cram too much into our TV shows, as we only have 42 minutes, but Vince has actually been a big part of helping me slow that down and make positive changes…But the hardcore fans don't see it and there's no telling them any different."
If you piece that all together, then…she's actually pretty much on the mark. That is if you believe that V-Ru actually learned something from his last TV run and he's trying not to be as spastic as he was in WCW. To be fair, he's part of a booking "team" now so you can't really blame him for everything. We can't be sure what Russo is or isn't a part of and I'm sure he isn't in charge of every single angle and every single match. Hardcore TNA fans are what people call "smart-marks" or as I call "wrestling geeks". They, like me and probably you, are very passionate about wrestling. No doubt, they are fickle and are quick to let their feelings be known about a match or angle, but are just as quick to change their minds if something amazing catches their eye. But you know, they also are quick to point out that a lot of what is happening isn't to their liking and to be fair, TNA doesn't have any "casual fans", just hardcore ones (and you know my feelings on the so-called existence of "casual fans") so the fact that "hardcore fans" don't like your product should count for something. I think the problem with TNA is that while they do acknowledge their fans and their opinions, they don't necessarily know what to do with that criticism.
I'm sure you've seen the news bit where supposedly the booking team is hearing the chants and reading the negative feedback and chalking it up to "WWE plants" or "Smart mark attention whores" who are trying to either sabotage TNA or get themselves over. Then they're basically ignoring it all together. Well it also seems like Austin Aries and Samoa Joe may have rubbed a few people the wrong way by being a bit too vocal backstage and at RoH events and gotten themselves in a bit of a ‘sticky wicket' so to speak, Aries especially since he was suspended for 90 days. His second such suspension I might add. It even looks like Aries might be gone from TNA for good at the expense of the X-Division and us Impact! viewers. Still there are obviously rumbling and grumbling from in-house that are not being taken as seriously as they should. I think that's the reason why so many fans are concerned. Then again, I think Vinny Ru and JJ know that letting the "inmates run the asylum" and not cracking down on egos can have a crippling effect on a company's *coughWCWcough* future.
As much as I hate, and I mean HATE Vinny Ru's new vision of TNA, I actually have to stand besides the decision to not fire him…yet. Because for better or worse (definitely worse) Dixie Carter listened to the fan's criticism early on that TNA was too much flippity flop and not enough storylines and hired a guy who is well versed in story over substance. So to fire him now without giving him a little more time to work things out and find a good equilibrium (I'll give it another 2 months TOPS) probably isn't in the best interest of TNA because at least TNA found more personality. Problem is that it has multiple personalities now. The thing is that when you look at ECW right now they are finally finding their pace. They're a 1 hour show that usually has about 3 matches per show and has a core roster of about 14 people. Sure they really only have about 2 angles going on, but that's okay because they have a small roster and really only about 6 guys that they can feature that people will care about. But when you look at the manic pace of TNA, they try to fit at least twice as many people and angles into each 1 hour show. So to be fair, if they DID in fact get that second hour, you could see a hybrid of RAW and the current Impact! in that you'd still get 5 angles a show, but at least this way you'd get 2 more matches and 5 mins per match (hopefully). Then again, it could just be like two episodes of Impact! back to back which would kill all hope for the IWC.
I think the hopes, dreams, and future PPV $'s of many fans are riding on that promised 2nd hour of Impact!. With the thought being that hopefully a 2nd hour would bring us another match or two and an extra 5 minutes on each of the 3 clusterfucks that we already get. I'd say one 15 min. match, two 10 min. matches, and a couple of 5 min matches seem in line with what would satisfy the "work rate fanatics" and Vinny Vu's hard on for fitting 4 or 5 angles on each show. That gives you a good amount of time for promos and angle advancement and gives you 2 matches for the Main Event level guys, 1 for mid-carders, and 1 for Tag teams and X-Division guys each. Or you can mix and match and rotate the Mid-card/X-Division slot. Either way, it's a great formula. I think Impact right now is booked as a 2 hour show but in a 1 hour timeslot, which hurts the pacing and matches a lot, but at least it's something that will translate over well in 2 hours. Too bad right now it makes the show look like WSX without Sara Del Rey in a mask. The problem with this theory is that TNA has had 3 hour PPV's to make up for bad Impact! episodes and even some of them have been disappointments lately. Overbooking and over gimmicking matches have hurt them in past PPVs. Most people think that is what hurts TNA the most. But I'm not convinced that's it.
It seems like bad TV leading us to good PPV's was a reasonable trade-off, but it's not anymore. It is one thing for the ratings to be steady at 1.1, but the PPV numbers are what really tell you how a company is doing. Too bad those numbers aren't reported very regularly. It's a double edged sword because you want to support TNA and keep their ratings and buy rates up so that Spike TV will give them a second hour, but you don't want to let them think you like what they are doing because then it just validates that Vinny Ru and JJ are doing something right. I think in this case you almost have to keep watching and buying PPV's until they get that 2nd hour because then that gives them just enough rope to either hang themselves or climb up to that next level. I think TNA has all the talent to do just that, in fact maybe the most talent of any one "brand" on television.
Hard to believe that TNA might just have the best roster of guys right? Well individually if you put them against RAW, and it's fair to say RAW is the #1 brand right now, then you probably aren't going to topple them. With John Cena, HBK, Edge, Orton, and a soon to return Triple H, RAW is so top heavy that TNA can't compete. However, top to bottom TNA has a very stacked roster if they just trim some "fat" shall we say and make a few alignment changes in the X-Division and Tag Division I think they compare very favorably. While the talent doesn't leap out at you, right now I think from a "wrestling talent" point of view TNA edges RAW. Name the top 7 workers on RAW (Shelton, HBK, Edge, Haas, Umaga, and Matt Hardy) and then pit them against the best workers on TNA based on their work in TNA or outside of it (Angle, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, and Alex Shelley). While some people will argue that most of TNA's guys have only put on good matches in RoH, that doesn't dismiss their potential in TNA. Vinny and JJ have a TON of talent to work with, in fact talent that drew in a good deal of interest from Indy fans. Fans that would pay through the nose to see them get 20 minutes in a schmozz-less match on PPV. So since it's not the talent what about that booking again?
The goods are there but the execution is lacking and THAT is what is bringing down TNA. What TNA's problem is are their lack of direction and execution. They are being followed by a "smark" i.e. "wrestling geek" audience, but they are marketing to a mainly "mark" audience that disappeared after The Rock and Stone Cold retired. They can't embrace the fact that audiences that tune into them don't want them to try to out "WWE" the WWE, they want something almost totally different. The "different" being just straight up wrestling with guys they can't normally see on USA and the Sci-Fi channel.
It is a weird dichotomy to have but TNA is so focused on converting WWE fans, that they are now alienating their hardcore, loyal fans. It's like when you break up with a girl and your friend tries to set you up with a chick almost exactly like her, but he swears she is "better than the last one". Well more often than not it wasn't just 1 thing that went wrong with the relationship it was a number of things, hence you need someone with enough differences that not only do they provide you with what the other arrangement didn't, but it won't have you comparing the two every time you perceive a shortcoming. TNA fans are Indy fans who just want to see some free TV, I don't see why TNA can't see that. I wish to GOD some days that they had a 4th person on the booking team in a part time or consultant role. No, not a Paul Heyman, not a Jim Cornette, but someone totally different who is more in tuned with the Indy scene and hence the TNA hardcore fans. I'm talking about a Dave Prazak, or Gabe (tell me your head wouldn't explode if they managed to parlay those guys' NOAH and Dragon Gate connections into some televised "featured matches" like the used to do), or anyone who is well versed enough in the Indy scene to add a new perspective. I think the problem is that they don't want any "marks" having too much feedback, but the thing is, you don't need another guy who knows the "business" you need a guy who knows the "fans". The business ain't paying $30 to see AMW blindfolded in a ring. Right now TNA needs to revolutionize a part of the business that vitally needs it, the booking committee.
Right now I think TNA is putting their hopes on having all these random turns and storylines will make Impact! a "must watch TV show" since you don't know what will happen next. When in reality it becomes a "can't watch TV show" since you can't follow the storylines or get behind the angle since they change so often without any sense. The "Mondy Night Wars" were the peak of television ratings because you kept tuning in to see how one company would respond to the other and how they'd top each other. But for now the WWE is largely ignoring TNA and for good reason since they aren't a viable threat yet. Instead of TNA trying to catch up to the WWE's game, they need to make the WWE play their game, namely booking great matches and letting the in-ring work speak for itself. As much as Dixie, and Vinny, and Jeff use the excuse that people need a real back story to care about why these guys are fighting, there are 4 shiny gold belts that seem to be reason enough to want to pin another man's shoulders to the mat. Remember, every other sport features rivalries based on past win and loss records against each other and championship history, not whether Whitaker stole De La Hoya's girlfriend and MJ blinded Magic with a beer bottle. Sweet sassy molassy it's like Dixie Carter WANTS to do right by the fans, but she's such a ‘mark' herself that she just let's JJ and Vinny run roughshod over her and snow her into thinking everything is okay.
It puzzles me how a company that had been getting so many converts and so much praise for their in ring work decided that they needed more character development so they sacrificed the one thing they had going for them which was original and then became a second rate imitator to a company they'll never quite catch up to. TNA went from Total Non-Stop Action, to Total Non-Stop Agitation. TNA needs to stop trying to be what it can't be and embrace what it can be. You don't need to give every guy on the card a "push" as long as you give them the opportunity to put on great matches. Do you really think backstage complaints are coming from guys because they want a title shot or because they want to actually go out and do what they do best? If you know you have a "smart" audience, then by God put on a "smart" show. If the crowd and fans wanted WWE-lite, then they'd turn off RAW half way through the show. TNA has the talent and fan support to do big things in the industry, so long as they're willing to stop trying to get a piece of the "e's" pie and make a new pie for themselves. You can put on a "Wrestling Show" without turning it into a "Show about Wrestling". Now THAT is an alternative worth exploring.
The Truth
I'm going to put a radical idea on the table and you guys let me know what you think: TNA should actually pander to the audience it HAS and not the audience it wished it had. Right now TNA is an alternative to WWE only to the people that don't get USA and UPN in their cable network. No one is going to be more successful at being the WWE than the WWE is so maybe TNA needs to play to it's strengths and not worry about being looked at as a "glorified televised Indy fed" and embrace it. Don't be afraid of keeping the storylines simple and subtle in favor of having to spell out every nuance for us and beat us over the head every damn week. Us "wrestling geeks" aren't the rubes and ‘marks' we were back when Vinny Ru's booking was actually innovative and Jeff Jarrett wasn't overexposed. Sometimes we just want to see two guys fight because the match would rock. Angle wanting to face "the best" i.e. Samoa Joe, was a great storyline, but it turned into a soap opera. TNA can't just let the competition and wrestlers speak for themselves without having to add more story to the matches themselves. Damn it, sometimes I just want to see guys duke it out, I don't give a shit if Tim Duncan's sister was knocked up by Baron Davis, I don't care if Matt Serra knows Matt Hughes' mom is an alcoholic who killed their pet Iguana in cold blood, I just want a good fight.
It is ironic that the only thing holding TNA back from getting a true cult following is themselves. The booking is just horrible. The sets aren't bad, the current time slot isn't bad, the roster isn't bad, but the booking is. Basically it is 3 men sitting in an office deciding that because they have so much experience and "success" everywhere else that they are too smart for even the fans to get. It is an ego trip and they've lost all touch with what the fans truly want. If Dixie was smart, she'd pull in some new guys with new ideas without allegiances to any of the old WWF cast offs and WCW also rans, some people who just know how to book wrestling and understand that just because a few fans recognize a wrestler, doesn't mean they still want to see them. TNA is a critical component to not only Indy wrestling, but also to the WWE feeling some pressure and stepping up their game. Right now the "e" is too busy laughing at TNA to seriously take the time to consider cleaning up their own back yard.
Be a fan of TNA. There is nothing wrong with it because there are a lot of guys on that show worth supporting. But at the same time, don't be afraid to keep speaking up about what you think could actually HELP them. Not just bitching and complaining, but something constructive. Who wants to hear criticism when you can offer help. But another thing, don't go thinking you don't have a voice just because you don't have one of those Nielson boxes, you also have a little button on your remote that lets you buy TNA PPV's…or not. Feel free to keep your finger off that and let Vinny and JJ know we mean business. Btw, if anyone knows Dixie's e-mail, go ahead and shoot her over a link, she might even like the hot Asian bitch this week.
Coming Up Short
Oh Randall, you put us in quite the pickle young man. Although I guess because of your match being pulled from RAW we were treated to a heck of a Cena/HBK match that doesn't excuse your behavior you rapscallion. With only days left to go until Backlash you have thrown the entire Main Event into a tailspin. For the better part of 3 months the story had been HBK vs John Cena and you vs Edge. Now your little (drug induced?) tirade in a German hotel has clouded not only the booking but the participants of the Main Event. I could understand it if you got upset that the German schizer video you wanted to film with those underaged girls just wasn't working out too well because they kept laughing, or even if you got a hold of some tobaccy even too whacky for you, but c'mon Randykins you should know better than that after all those previous run ins. Well according to "Booking 101" it looks like since HBK went over in a RAW classic this week he won't be going over on Sunday. Considering Edge is still recovering from a broken jaw and has literally NO interaction with Cena for the past few months I'm assuming that Super Cena will retain again. Wow, just wow Randy. Unless this is one of the most amazing "works" ever by Vince and the boys to throw us all off and have Randy win the whole kit and caboodle as a mega-face and Cena slayer, I think Mr. RKO you have left this whole situation and company coming up short.
6 Degrees of…
Greg Pryor had to take a second swing at his entry this week after I regretfully informed him his last choices were already re-runs:
Hmmmmm okay B, better go for another animal type thing then!! Link Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles to another guy who once hung around with rats...The late Bad News Brown.
Wow, from a turtle loving Ninja Rat, to a Rat loving Judo Black man. Interesting. Well, hey, to each their own. But if you give a "rat's ass" about this week's contest…get ‘er done.
Whatchu talkin' bout readers?
Chris Jacobs clears up last week's mysterious Misterio comment:
On the comment that I said, It is MYSTERIO?!?!?!?!?! Not really annoyed, just joking. I said somethin along those lines, but it was in reference to spelling his name wrong, I believe it was Misterio or something, who knows.
Well damn it Chris you have every RIGHT to be annoyed, you're a wrestling geek and you just won't take anymore of 411's haphazard way of flip flopping on Mysterio's name any longer. It's like John Kerry is running this ship. But seriously, good catch, I have seen it spelled both "Mysterio" and "Misterio" in a lot of different places, WCW spelled it with a "y" and I've seen it spelled with an "i" when referencing his lucha career. Hell, sometimes I add the "jr." sometimes I don't. Then again you ever thought that perhaps his real name was "M and Sterio Jr." in Espanol? Hmm? Some fruit for thought there huh C-Jac?
Hey there,
I thought your article on smart-marks was awesome. You know, I think the whole thing about marking out is that often it's more subtle than what usually comes to mind. When I say I marked out I usually refer to an instance when I get really into a match, really involved in who is winning or losing, and generally excited as pinfalls get closer and closer to the end. Or shit just happens that blows me away and I can't help it..like when Hogan hulked up in Wrestlemania 18, probably the biggest markout moment of my life because I actually tossed my drink at the screen when Rocky won. But back to my point...I didn't realize until yesterday, actually, that the Koloff brothers weren't actually brothers. I never even thought about it before...I just remembered there was Ivan, there was Nikita, they are both Russian, that's good enough for me. It never occurred to me that the whole thing was just two random guys made out to be brothers. Hell I still don't know if they are really Russian or not. That's not a traditional markout moment, but it's a subtle element of plot that, if taken for granted, does constitute a kind of marking, if you will; and I think what's interesting is that who knows what other very subtle things are planned out that we simply take for granted without knowing it. In many ways, that's seems a very underrated aspect of booking. It's plotlines and characters and matches, but there's also the subtleties that we take for granted that might simply be made up all along. I think the Internet makes that part very different, much harder to do...but for example...pre-Internet how would anyone know whether or not the Andersons were related? Or even the Harts, for that matter (to flip the coin)?
Anywat that's a long rant, but even if it doesn't make sense, it's in appreciation of your article.
Best, John
I think the difference between what people consider to be "smarks" and what I consider to be a "Wrestling Geek" is different in the fact that while people say "Smarks" are assholes who criticize everything and are never happy with anything, where as a "Wrestling Geek" just can't help but "Mark out" at times. Even if it's momentarily. I think there is a bit of "mark" in us all and I know way back when I legitimately thought that Yokozuna was an ex-sumo wrestler and was in fact just a big Japanese dude. But thanks to the internet we have basically gone beyond our need to be "marks" as all the info you'd ever want on a wrestler is right there at your finger tips. Or naked pics of divas, either/or.
Rcolemanjr offers up some interesting thoughts on Cena that I never really concentrated on:
Hey Bayani,
I've been thinking about this for a long time, and maybe there is a completely different and deeper reason why the Italian fans in Milan tried to boo John Cena out of the building. It's not their "smark-iness", it's their politics. Follow me through here.
I'm a wrestling geek (thank you for the term), and I hate ALMOST everything about Cena. The belt, the gimmick, the fact that he's more a marketing tool than a personality, I could go on all day. The one and only thing that I DO like about him is that he truly seems to support the troops in Iraq and the war effort there. I supported the invasion, and I still support the war dispite what many Americans (and I'm sure more than a few wrestling fans) might think. And so does WWE in general, at least on the surface. But, espeically since The Marine came out, many fans have turned against Cena because of (at least the perception of) his pro-war political stance and the fact that he shows it in his mannerisms and ring attire. Since Italy is one of the many hotbeds of European Anti-Americanism right now, it shouldn't come as a suprise that they would turn hostile toward Cena, not because they don't like HIM but because they don't like what he represents and they're showing their distain for Americans/US Troops/George W. Bush/et al.
Some of that shows in American crowds as well. I was at WM22 live, and the crowd was 70-30 against Cena. Chicago has a VERY liberal, blue-state mentality, and almost everyone I saw who were "non-traditional" fans like Goth kids, Urbanites, and what have you, just couldn't STAND Cena and wouldn't give him the slightest chance all night. In almost all cases, the only people cheering ANYTHING involving Cena were women and kids. Contrast that with other Mid-Western or Southern red-state venues like Indianapolis or Altanta, and you get a 70-30 positive reaction, and that may have quite a bit to do with the dominating political viewpoint.
I'm not saying that the war issue or politics in general is the MAIN reason people love or hate Cena, but I think it's becoming a measurable issue for the character. Wrestling fans, and definitely "smart" fans are as politically divided as the rest of the country right now, and that fact can color their choices. If you're a workrate fanatic AND you're anti-war, you'll hate Cena just that much more. If you have other reasons to hate Cena and yet you support the war, you might cut him a little slack on that basis and at least try to enjoy the matches he's involved in.
I don't know if there's some kind of unscientific poll 411 could do to find this out, but I would love to test this theory: are the popularity of John Cena and the Iraq war significantly linked, espeically in places overseas (i.e. Milan, Italy)?
Anyway, that's my theory. Let me know what you think.
I actually remember talking about this in passing with my girl once during an episode of RAW when I noticed John Cena went from the "Dr. of Thuganomics" to the "Patriot" in a matter of weeks leading up to the release of "The Marine", I myself am not a supporter of Bush or the war, but I would never say I don't "support the troops", I merely would rather "Support" them by bringing them home, because after all, what the hell are we really doing and accomplishing over there. Yeah, I'm a bleeding heart liberal. But that's a good point. I think I the mid-west and "red states" you'd see more support for Cena than usual because of the politics of "supporting the troops", but perhaps in other countries that think our president is a moron, his act wouldn't play as well. I think politics is a very valid reason why some, not a huge percent, but some people may react to Cena. Look at Stg. Slaughter during his Iran Sympathizer gimmick run. Or Muhammed Hassan. Okay, not stop looking at Hassan. I guess we could do a poll on 411, but I'm sure the majority of most "oversees" fans hate Cena more for the lack of moveset and Superhuman Strength and Teflon booking than his politics.
Check the Internet Movie Database. The first Superman of the movies was Kirk Alyn, who played the Man of Steel in the 1948 serial "Superman" and again in the 1950 serial "Atom Man vs. Superman". In tribute, he appeared in a cameo as Lois Lane's father in Christopher Reeve's first Superman movie.
Allen Shock
Um, thanks Allen. I still stand by my assertion that Christopher Reeve is the only TRUE Superman for us wrestling fans. Who the heck has ever seen the "Man of Steel" in 1948 and still roots for wrestling now?? That would make them like…I dunno…70 at least? So maybe Ron Gamble. That's about it.
Whats up Bayani,
You made my day with that thing about RVD having two left hands. I am still laughing about that. Oh, and you never followed thru on the RHLBPOTW (Random Hot Latin B. Pick Of The Week). It wouldnt be so bad to place a latina pic under an asian one. An asian on top of a latina, I'll leave the joke to you.
Thank you, Chris Brooks
Hey, I'm with ya buddy, having Random Hot Bitches of any Race, Religion, or Sexual preference is a plus. I know a pairing of hot Asian and hot Latina women could be nothing but GOLD in TBT. Although, it's gotten to the point where I'm trying to really legitimize this column into a more serious weekly affair. *Tick….Tick…Tick…* Well that didn't last very long, okay, you win enjoy this week's BONUS feature. Yes, B is a man of the people…the very very lonely people.
Hello B, this is....B Brandon actually but there are like 58 Brandon's in 411 wrestling alone so I'll just go by my xbox tag B M PUNK. Anyway I've been reading your column a long time along with a few others, never written in before. The main reason I am this time is to say this week was hands down the best TBT you've done ever. I always seem to agree with your opinons, and espeacially this weeks column. I also proudly embrace the term " wrestling geek", and I think all the other "smarks " should as well. I believe the column sends a important message to all the smart marks out there, and that is " get over yourself". If we ever really want things to change like we say we do we should stop all the infighting and work together. Everyone has their own opinons, but the one thing we all do have in common is the love of the "sport" so to speak. If you hate the creative
direction of the E right now don't take your hatred out on the 3 people, that actually enjoy the Great Kahli. Focus your energies toward the source of the problem, start email or letter writing campaigns. Sure the first 3000 emails will be ignored but after that maybe Vince, will think "hey wait a minute they might be on to something." Sure Vince makes all the decisions and has the money, and the talent, but the fans have the real power. Prime example- Stone cold steve austin. In 1996 the E was going to put all their
marketing power behind one Mark Henry, Steve Austin was largley ignored.Then the fans took over and turned a "low-mid card heel" into "the biggest draw in the last 15 years". Again I thought the point of the column this week is really one worth making. Perhaps future columns can explore just how and what we can do to try and make the changes we all want to see. If you would like to discuss this more, I'm more than willing to help a follow geek anyway I can. Hell with you on the west coast and me out in the east coast we could start a movement that sweeps the nation! Or we can just swap dirty
Lita jokes and naked Asian girl pics. Either way, keep it real, damn real.
B M PUNK
Um…I could be wrong but isn't "BM" universally known as a "Bowel Movement"? Well, in that case BM Punk, you're the ‘shit'. But as far as the "grass roots" movement, there are plenty of cases when it worked out. Stone Cold's ‘tweener turn, Rocky Maivia going from bland baby face to legendary Heel/'Tweener, the Hardyz/E&C/Dudleyz being boosted to the top of the card. The only problem is, with those successes I think Vince took more and more credit for them and didn't give enough of it to the fans who not only screamed for it to happen but supported it. He basically stopped listening to the fans at some point. My guess is once WCW shutdown because the "e" IS the entire business now. At least in his mind. Well it's good to know that the "Truth Commission" has another foot soldier in the fold. I'm tellin' ya one of these days we're going to make Spanky the World Heavyweight Champion.
what is interesting to me is that, if smart marks know it fake or staged, why does it bother them so much? The Matrix was very fake and unrealistic yet people swarm to it. Where were the smarks saying 'you know Neo can't really dodge bullets, it's just a show'? Only in wrestling is there ever a debate on realism and stage performances. Me personally think smarks and marks both need to sit back and enjoy the show, because that's what it is.... a show.
Hey Bayani,
Just finished your article. Nice piece of work. I am one of those internet fans who still loves wrestling. I know, weird, right? Anywho, I have only recently gotten into the indy scene. I live in the Antelope Valley, about an hour out of Los Angeles. A few weeks ago, I got tickets to PWG's All Star Weekend - Night 2. This was such a great experience. Seeing Samoa Joe versus Low Ki was just awesome; I had been talking about that one match for a week before-hand. I was definitely impressed with the card. However, the reason I am writing is in regards to this comment from your article.
"Hell, I go to PWG shows and HATE this group of fans who I think are attention whores and nothing more..."
Just in case you didn't attend the PWG show I went to, I thought I'd share a tidbit with you. After Davey Richards and Super Dragon said their piece about the upcoming tag tournament, I witnessed the funniest shit I've ever seen at a wrestling show. There was a group of fans in the front row, who were obviously regulars. They were heckling a lot of the wrestlers, especially Super Dragon. One kid in particular (a kid like 19 or 21) was hassling Dragon about his weight. Chanting fat names and asking who knocked him up. Well, my girl says that Dragon slapped this guy's hat/cap/doorag off his head and walked away. I didn't see that part. What I DID see was Super Dragon come around the barricade and start heading to my section. He grabbed a chair and started ripping this kid a new one. Security, the ref, some fans, even his partner Davey Richards were trying to get in between Dragon and the kid. I was standing on my chair just taking the scene in. It looked like Super Dragon was about to walk away. Then, out of nowhere, he just chucks the chair at this fan's face and walks away. Richards looked like he got a big kick out of it; the fan sat down and his friends were on him. They probably thought it was cool. Personally, I think Super Dragon took it too far, but that's just me. To the fan's credit, he took it like a champ. He didn't even flinch, just let the chair bounce off his face. So, apparently, dragons don't like attention whores either. I thought you might enjoy this as much as I did.
- David James
BTW, I totally recorded the whole thing on my digital camera, so if you wanna see it, let me know. I'll see about emailing it to you. It's not the match, just the incident afterward.
This e-mail was followed up by myself of course and Furry (don't ask), was kind enough to send me the clip on e-mail. Which was…HILLARIOUS. Man, that Super Dragon, most days I hate that guy for being a fan abusing prick, but in this case…awesome.
Oh and for a bit of history on those guys, the guy in question is known as, Blue Tooth Guy, or Blue Tooth for short. This is from way back last summer during the show called "Don't Call it the O.C." which is where that guy first "debuted". He had a Blue Tooth on the whole show…yeah. Douche. So anyways, this guy was chanting random stuff all night long and especially during the Super Dragon match to the point where when Dragon was over by him he got into his face. Dragon looked like he wanted to kill him as they were jawing back and forth.
He's also part of a group that regularly jaws at Davey Richards and I guess since Dragon and Davey are partners again now that kind of set things off. Can't say whether the "heat" is legit or not. All I know is Blue Tooth is an ex-army guy, so he's got to be old enough to know where to draw the line in cheering or jeering a wrestler. Did Dragon go too far? Probably, because it's technically "Battery", but you know… screw it. I got a kick out of it when I saw it live and talking to the guy after the show he wasn't hurt, but amused for the most part so no big deal. I was hoping for a curb stomp, but I guess I'll settle for a chair to the face.
Boy there is no pleasing some people. I know Robert Komisar didn't love ASW5 when he went to night 2, but c'mon buddy, let's be friends, I'll buy you a 3 Musketeers bar at the Tag Tourney. Or not, those things are like a buck a piece, we can split one:
Dude, you are not doing yourself any favors. If you are not sure of some of your information, then you need to check it prior to writing an article.
On the question of whether RoH and PwG could develop a working 'relationship', ala RoH and FiP, and whether this would be a good thing...RoH and FiP DON'T HAVE a 'working relationship'. RoH OWNS FiP. FiP is like RoH's sister promotion. It is even referred to in that way by Gabe Sapolsky and the other brass from RoH. They are not separate entities that signed an agreement. Unless the six owners of PwG are looking to sell it, don't look for RoH to develop any type of 'working relationship' with PwG.
I looked up two different sources last week before I did the "Buy or Sell", WHICH was fantastic by the way, go read it right after you jerk it to the half naked chicks at the end of the column… just kidding. You can just open another window while you're doing it. But anyways, I figured I should get an "expert's" opinion on this and went to none other than Column of Hero…I mean Honor's, Ari Bernstein:
Okay, so far as I know they are owned by two different people. Ring of Honor is owned by Cary Silkin. Meanwhile, FIP is owned by a guy by the name of Sal. Just looked it up on OWW...actually his full name is Salem Hamaoui. I think CM Punk mentioned in his shoot (w/ Joe) that Sal is the guy who owns the strip club where many of FIP's inital shows were taped (a back room, not in the boom boom room of course). So yes different guys owning the promotion. They're "sisters" or "brothers" or whatever family desgination you choose to give it because Gabe Sapolsky books both promotions. ROH and FIP have a pretty good relationship as far as promoting talent, bringing some FIP guys up to ROH and promoting FIP on the ROH Website. So there you go. Your emailer is wrong.
Boo-YAH!! Not only do I have Wikipedia's and Obsessed with Wrestling's (there's your plug JT), but also the most Kosher RoHbot on the planet to back me up. FiP isn't owned by PWG, but they are "sister"…maybe "brother" is better, Brother companies booked by the same guy. So in fact they are separate companies. PWG wouldn't have to be booked by Gabe to get in on it because he doesn't book SHIMMER, but they could work something out in terms of maybe splitting bills for bringing Japanese or European wrestlers over, or not overlapping shows. I didn't say "Copy the FiP/RoH relationship", but I did say PWG and RoH might consider opening up some communication. Hell, maybe they already have some kind of agreement, I don't know, but there is nothing wrong with trying to work something up that could benefit both companies. Oh, and no need to apologize Robert, let's just say that 3 Musketeer bar will be on you.
6 Degrees Results
Honorable Mention
Hey B, here's just a novelty entry for this week, apart from the first degree which I looked up the rest came off the top of my head!
1)Kevin Von Erich feuded with Chris Adams
2)Chris Adams was the trainer of Steve Austin
3)Steve Austin parodied the movie gladiator (Wrestlemania goes Hollywood)
4)The original gladiator was played by Russell Crowe
5)Russell Crowes first Hollywood film was La Confidential with Kim Basinger
6)Kim Basinger was married to Alec Baldwin.
Greg Pryor
#3
1.Alec Baldwin co-starred with Robert DeNiro in The Good Shepherd
2. DeNiro starred in one movie in The Godfather Series
3. The Godfather was once a WWE Superstar and used to be Kama Mustafa
4. Kama was in the Nation of Domination with Former Intercontinental Champion, The Rock
5. Another IC champion was Kerry Von Erich
6. Kerry Von Erich was the brother of Kevin
-Scott Haynes
Simple, solid, straight to the point, but you know, forgetting to mention that he was known as the "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich seemed a little flat. I always wanted to have the "Texas Tornado" and Hurricane Helms join Typhoon and Earthquake in a TRUE Natural Disasters stable. Of course they'd be managed by Gorilla Monsoon.
#2
Mark Satrang
B--
6DO - Baldwin to Von Erich
1) Alec Baldwin and Christopher Walken are reportedly the only two people who have standing invitations to host Saturday Night Live whenever they want to...
2) One of Walken's most famous SNL skits was the "more cowbell" Blue Oyster Cult one with Will Ferrell...
3) Ferrell does a mean impression of Robert Goulet...
4) Goulet performed "O Canada" at WrestleMania VI, an event which saw DDP drive his pink cadallic to the ring for Rhythm & Blues...
5) DDP was the manager for the Fabulous Freebirds (Garvin & Hayes version) in WCW in 1991...
6) The Freebirds (Hayes, Roberts & Gordy) tore up WCCW in the mid-80s with their six man tag battles against the Von Erich boys, including Kevin Von Erich...
Mark has caught the 6DO fever and the only cure is… More Cowbell!! Love that skit, personal fav and one of the last times I ever watched SNL all the way through. I have no idea who is even on the show anymore. My guess…1 black dude. That's it. That's all I'm putting my money on…one black dude. Okay...maybe a 2nd.
#1.
Wow, second place again. If i had a nickel for every week I've ended up in second I'd have, um, 30 cents. Never mind. Here's my entry this week that hopefully will vault me back into the winner's circle:
1. Kevin Von Erich teamed with his brothers in World Class Championship Wrestling, and had a long-standing and legendary feud with The Fabulous Freebirds.
2. The Fabulous Freebirds spent a few months in the American Wrestling Alliance in the early 80's, feuding with The Road Warriors for the AWA World Tag Team Titles.
3. The Road Warriors' last television appearance as Hawk and Animal happened on a 2003 edition of Raw when they had a tag team match against Rob Van Dam and Kane.
4. Kane is the half-brother of The Undertaker, who fought Brock Lesnar in a biker chain match during No Mercy 2003.
5. Also on the card for No Mercy 2003 was a 'Father-Daughter I Quit Match' between Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon, made after a long period of feuding between Vince and Stephanie.
6. Another now-popular father-daughter feud has Ireland Baldwin versus her father, Alec Baldwin.
Double C (Corey Cotton)
Well Double C, deposit that $.30 because you hit the JACKPOT this week. You and Mark were neck and neck, but I'm a sucker for current tabloid links. I'll be honest, I don't see anything wrong with Alec yelling at his daughter. What kind of a namby pamby society do we live in where yelling at your kid is such a sin, I was yelled at plenty of times I was also spanked. Now we have "time out" and "Children's Therapy" geeeeeeez… no wonder we have former child stars and teen idols running around with no panties on and shaving their heads. My guess, Randy Orton was never spanked either… which explains what he might have been paying for at the time of him destroying that hotel room in Germany. Shizer!! Okay CC, get to it for next week's entry. Oh and for those of you who read this section but never try…what the hell are you waiting for??
Left Overs…
Word has it that "Hot Topic" is going to carry TNA merchandise. For those who don't know "Hot Topic" is a mall store catering to the mostly E-mo, you know, kids who buy Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance T-shirts and diaries *coughWilcoxCough*. The great thing about emo stores like that are the great sales, even the prices cut themselves.
Colt Cabana is leaving RoH this weekend in St. Paul and Chicago. Oddly enough, Chicago is going to be the "2nd city" on the card. Colt has asked to take on Adam Pearce in his final match, skirting his long time rival and arch nemesis Colt Cabunny in the process. But Colt is leaving that ridiculous Indy stuff behind him as he'll soon be shoulder to shoulder with such greats as Gene Snitsky, Balls Mahoney, and Extreme Expose. Well at least Colt is headed to the WWE for some "Good Times, Great Mammary's".
I love the name "The Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew", consisting of Lacey and Rain. They debut in RoH this weekend vs Sara Del Rey & Allison Danger. I was hoping they would replace Sara Del Rey with Daizee Haze so she could team with Allison Danger, or as they're also known "Slim to Nun".
With Shelley and Sabin now debuting as a tag team in RoH after tagging in ZERO-1 and PWG for sometime, it also looks like TNA may be pairing them together as well. No word on whether they'll be using the same name in TNA as they've been using in Japan and on the Indy circuit, "Motor City Machine Guns". I just thank God almighty for Copyright laws because if not for them you just KNOW Kip James would be a part of that Stable.
He's Super…He's Injured….He's….SUPER INJURED. Hey, don't blame his "High Risk Style" which is tame by any standards other than the "e", Super Crazy is Super Chubby and my guess is his Super knees finally gave out after his repeated Super Sizing.
Abyss selling the beat down? Novel idea, looks like he'll be taking the next few Impact episodes and possibly the PPV off. My guess is TNA is paying the medical bills and for his time home, other way that's a pretty raw deal on his part. I was really hoping to see those vignettes with Abyss sitting at home while James Mitchell is yelling at him on a cell phone and a duck keeps walking through the frame yelling "AFLAC".
I'm confused as hell with this whole CM Punk situation. WWE.com is making it seem like Punk is out of the New Breed and will go it alone…meaning he'll probably have the NB back him up and Elijah will be the lone wolf. SWERVE. Then again who knows? Maybe CM KENTA will go it alone and then we are back at square one. Which was an elaborate 2 week plan to get him back to where he was. Damn, at least they could have strung this out a little more. Instead of fast forwarding everything as it was becoming the most interesting angle in the "e". I'm hoping he ends up having Colt and Ace Steel back him up by June for ECW: Booty Call. Since they probably won't use the "Second City Saints" moniker, expect a catchier stable name like, "The Punkateers".
So apparently that Maryse (what the F*ck does she do again??) chick from Smackdown is going to be featured in the current "Blondes, Brunettes and Redheads" issue of Playboy Magazine. Wow, how f*cked up is that? The only party list Britney Spears can't get on now a days.
Random Question of the Week: How long do you think it would take to finish a 30 Midget "Over the Top" Battle Royal? I've always wanted to see one of those things, but I can't imagine having a free 12 hour block to sit down and watch one on PPV.
The hell was Trevor Murdoch trying to do againgst Matt Hardy on Monday night? Was it an attempted "Texan Destroyer"? A "Code Red-neck"? Hell, I think we'll just call it a "Flab, Flop, and Fall". If you weeeeeeeeeell.
Random Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week
I know Fat Joe says "Lean Back" but forward ain't bad either
Is Austin Aries a locker room leader or a whiny a-hole? I don't know for sure, the one time I got to meet him at a PWG show he didn't seem all that thrilled to be there. But maybe it was jetlag? Then again, they did give Jay Lethal a gimmick that was fairly close to the one he had. I really wish they would have run an angle where they feud over Miss Valizabeth. Then again, you know how that would have ended up, yep, Chris Masters signing on with TNA and us finding her dead in his apartment. Tragic.
Since Austin Aries picked "Resilience" as his stable name in response to Roderick Strong picking the "No Remorse Squad" as his group, but is now being referred to as the "NRC", Jack Evans is reportedly calling his group the "TBD".
Bonus Random Latina Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week
Ya happy now Chris Brooks?? Hopefully we can put this all behind us now... or just behind her. Papi like.
Pimpin' In High Places
Being here on Thursdays, well, it's kind of a badge of honor for me because TBT has been the single longest non-Fact or Fiction column on this most holy of weekdays. Not to mention being the "Ric Flair of the Thursday Horsemen". Don't forget about Michael Weyer, Rob Halden, and the occasional Sammy Berman Roundtable appearance. They're like the Jeff Jarrett, Paul Roma, and Mongo McMichaels of the group. Wait… maybe that's not what I'm going for…damn, oh well. Ride on Thursday Horsemen!! Now go check out the other writers who the mighty…um…might…of Thursdays.:
Ask 411 is the best mystery solver around. It's like having your own private detective, but everyone gets to hire him. Making Cook one hell of a dic to the public.
Jules has his Top 10 Backlash matches. How many of them include "Mighty Molly"? you'll just have to click the link to find out. *Spoiler* None. But click it anyways.
Buy Or Sell Featuring ME!!… and Byers too. Byers is such a silly boy, doesn't he realize Lucha shows in SoCal aren't what they used to be. When they're recycling an old WCW feud as main event material (Kidman vs Psicosis), maybe it's time to pony up for a few more Villano's.
Evo Scheme is Super Sized this week. Which it needs to be if he's talking about Viscera. Or Missy Hyatte's vag...nevermind.
Too $hort navigates the Budokan show. For those who don't know what that mean.s, take the root words: Bud- meaning weed and o'Kan- meaning the Irish arch nemesis of Captain James T. Kirk. Yeah, you figure that out laddie.
El hijo de Adam talks about some homegrown talent in Japan. Which means somewhere there is a Japanese Harajuku girl pop star with 4 dancing blonde white girls behind her while she yodels. Or puro. Maybe it's about the puro instead.
CoH is bidding a fond farewell to Colt Cabana as he makes his last hoorah in the Twin Cities this weekend. Hey Ari, is it just me or was Colt the last Jew standing in RoH? Sad that such a noble people are now all but extinct. I wonder if Ari can convince Delirious to convert?
Me-Not-Tee Looks at potential champs. Which…is his gimmick. Um…and will continue to be until he's gotten down to Scotty 2 Hotty and Maverick Matt Martyr Bentley. In which case he'll simply retire.
Z-Cal tells us why he watches wrestling. Which is good, because if he didn't, we'd kick his ass over to the Games section…or politics. Maybe start up that "Hentei" section I've been pushing.
Berman can't seem to get off CM Punk and Raven…which is why he asked Lita to step in as a special guest. Or not. I just felt this week's column was a little light in the Lita jokes.
Larry Legend had his 3 R's. Funny thing I just noticed, "Marking out" and "Making out" are just an "R" away from each other. Which one do you think your average wrestling fan does more of?
D-Dubya is working a slightly different Angle. Eric Angle to be exact. I wonder how long till Russo realizes he forgot to recycle that gimmick and pits Samoa Joe in a "Right Angle" match where both brothers are covered by masks?
So it came to my attention this week that my column sparked a bit of controversy on
>another website's message board last week. I can't believe I got so much hate on a forum I actually read from time to time to catch up on Dragon Gate stuff. It's funny how some people read into things what they want. It's okay, we all have opinions, and if someone interprets something in a different way then that's okay. But clearly the guy didn't read the whole article because I didn't in any way stick my nose up at "smarks". Just offered up a new term. Still, gotta love those puro-ists and their whacky whack ways. I mean, c'mon, Johnny Stamboli as a draw?? Someone go get Short and Adamson to put a leash on their ‘peeps'. Oh and by the way, I have a chance to see some either mediocre Indy wrestling live on Satuday or some WWE wrestling on PPV at a bar with mediocre waitresses on Sunday. Which is the lesser of two evils? You decide!!
