So far the feedback for the Vince McMahon's death article has me catching a lot of flak from readers. But with the sad news today of the passing of 'Sensational' Sherri Martel, I just simply can't work out how the WWE are going to handle this.
Sherri had a HUGE role in WWE programming when I was growing up, broke new ground for women in pro-wrestling and managed the likes of the Honky Tonk Man, Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels in WWF, Shane Douglas in ECW and Ric Flair and Harlem Heat in WCW (to name just a few).
She deserves to be featured and remembered on today's programming....but how exactly are the WWE going to do that while they're simultaneously milking a fake-death for storyline purposes?
Last week I said the ‘death of Mr. McMahon' was disrespectful and reckless in an industry haunted by the deaths of so many of its brightest stars. Mere days later another talented performer met a tragic death. Can the WWE mourn the passing of one of its cherished superstars? Well, yeah, but just as long as it doesn't get in the way of this cool death angle they're doing.
Reports have buzzed around the internet that following the woeful 2.4 rating of Smackdown, and the death of Sherri Martel, several people in McManagement were lobbying to end the death storyline. Obviously, this would never happen. At one stage the direction was going to be a full tribute to Sherri Martel running right alongside the FBI investigating McMahon's death, and Stephanie crying on live TV. Reports indicate that Kevin Dunn, the WWE's television produced, changed this decision at the last minute. Instead of a touching tribute, we got a graphic displayed for a few seconds before the Women's match on Monday. Then it was right back to Law & Order: Raw.
The graphic logo is the godamn same as the one they're still using for Mr. McMahon.
The tribute video has gone up on wwe.com…right above the mobile wallpaper you can buy of Mr. McMahon's fiery death.
But hey, Raw did a 4.2 so who gives a fuck, right? Roll on next week with another three hours of McMahon's death. Sherri who? Eddie what?
And this black hole that surrounds Raw, Smackdown and ECW, sucking all attention and TV time away from actual wrestlers, sure as hell ain't gonna end now they've pulled a 4 plus number out of the bag. Hell, I completely forgot there was a Five-Way for the title at Vengeance, something I'd be excited about normally. I don't even remember it being announced. Maybe it has something to do with the MURDER INVESTIGATION making a wrestling match seem secondary.
You're An Idiot Because – You're Making Light Of The Dead
Let's see who's been PMS'ing this week.
Jay Smith Wow Rob, I happen to think with your rant that you might be the idiot of the week this week. Jackass was and is a great show. Yeah, they do pointless, tasteless crap all the time, but that is EXACTLY why they should be doing stuff with wrestling. Hello? I mean, what is more tastless, stapling your nutsack to your leg, or McMahon V God? And as far as Jackass only being relevant five years ago, well, where the hell have you been? Number 2 came out last fall, Viva La Bam has been on MTV for the past 5 years, WildBoys is still running, AND they are making a third film. And if you have seen the numbers for both Jackass films, you would know that they are as relevant now as they have ever been. Plus, of all celebrities to do cross-promotional work, these guys are taylor frickin made for it. They are really the only celebrities (other than athletes, but even that is tricky when you take into account pro contracts) that can ACTUALLY TAKE A BUMP. Personally, I would rather see Benoit or Finaly beating the hell out of Johnny Knoxville than to EVER, and I repeat, EVER, see Donald Trump get the stunner. These guys are hilarious, and I am looking forward to this celebrity angle more than any other. Your an idiot and here's why: You have no idea how good Jackass really is.
Yeah, it's a piece of shit. And guess what? Flogging a dead horse for six fucking years doesn't make it relevant.
Kenny F How dare you take what could be the greastest WWE storyline ever and shit on it? Your column was so-so at best with your explantion and I think you should grow a pair and not bow down to the editors on this site like the rest of these jackasses do.
Get a grip and enjoy this storyline like everyone else or go watch TNgay and Ring Of Homos.
Zombie
I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark here and suggest that you, my friend, are under the age of 19. How did I know that? Well, I'm a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. How exactly could this become the "greastest WWE storyline ever"? Maybe at the end Vince McMahon will wake up in the shower and this will all have been a dream. Seriously, what conclusion do you think we're going to get? Shane did it, Stephanie did it, Triple H did it, Vince is still alive, blah blah blah. How about we spend some of that multi-million dollar budget and the room full of monkeys called a ‘writing team' and spend some time on them…whadda they call ‘em? Wrestlers.
Scott Sumner You're biggest problem with this angle seems to be the fact that it's "not tasteful". Of course it's not, the greatness of this angle is that it's so blatantly and in your face tasteless that it's entertaining. Remember when Paul Bearer was buried in cement and "killed" (only to have WWE later say that he was just injured after hearing the big backlash)? That was tasteless AND stupid. Nobody gave a flying shit about Paul Bearer, and nobody gave a flying shit about the Dudley's...nobody gave a flying shit about the main event of that PPV, and nobody could fathom a realistic situation where a man would be allowed to build this giant machine that buries people in concrete, hold a man hostage, and then kill him on PPV (while telling everybody of his intentions for weeks!)....why didn't anybody stop him? That angle had serious logic flaws, and would've been hilarious had it not been the main event angle for a PPV.
This Vince shit is alot different. First of all, it was topical in the sense that the Sopranos finale just happened, and a lot of people thought that it was a weak ending. The production was great. It was a complete and total suprise. To top it all off, it gives the usually dull summer WWE programming, an interesting angle that will have a huge payoff if it leads somewhere.
Yes, the WWE doing a mock 10 bell salute does leave a bad taste in my mouth, but they're trying to go full fledged kayfabe here, and the 10 bell salute needed to be done in order to add to the realism. Of course, nobody really believes that Vince is dead, so it came off poor on TV. I disagree that this is teaching the newer fans how they should act during a real situation like that, because the purpose of the 10 bell salute is to show respect for somebody that you feel deserves it, not to pretend that you care that they died.
Above all, this angle is great because it rids the show of Vince McMahon. Sure, they'll spend alot of time talking about him for the next few months, but there's no more "kiss my ass club", there's no more Vince McMahon: ECW Champion, there's no more Vince vs. Lashley. Not only is Vince gone from the show, the angle is not open for a return (unless they decide to just ruin it all by having a suprise return or some shit). + Whoever did it will end up being a MEGA heel because...well how many heels have killed the biggest name in pro wrestling?
My biggest problem with this angle is that it's fucking retarded, and not in a good way. Look, I want to lose myself in a world of entertainment. If I'm sat watching a cop movie, and all of a sudden the mob boss jumps into a space-ship and flies off to his home planet, that takes me out of the movie and out of the narrative. It doesn't matter how great the effects are and it doesn't matter that it's "only a story". This angle backs me into a corner and bludgeons me about the head until I'm forced to admit that it's all just a big fake TV show. That's crap. That's crap of the worst kind. This is wrestling, not CSI. A wrestler was so upset at losing a match that he planted a bomb in a car and killed someone? Fuck. Off.
Ron M straddles the fence. I disagree with the first part of your column. Personally I tend to enjoy the over-the-top moments like you mentioned (given that they only occur once in a while). That's what I thought of when I'd heard about the explosion- Stone Cold getting run over and so on. I just thought "that's classic McMahon". A qualifier I'd like to add relates to the adage that there's no poor concept, just poor execution. In wrestling though that includes not just the event and angle itself but the subsequent feud and match it leads to. That's where WWE has always dropped the ball on these things. Too much time passes by and/or the feud is lackluster. We'll see what happens.
As for the other part I totally agree. Making a mockery of the deaths in wrestling is the sort of thing that turned me off watching WWE. It's possible to do that without including real-life elements. This isn't something like the using 'X' gesture for a fake injury that you can kind of overlook. I mean, Eddy just died for REAL two years ago.
I can't believe it's been two years.
Also, there are many, many poor concepts. Viagra On A Pole? Shocker? The Humpbacks?
And the rest of you were Geniuses. Well done you.
Blaine Thompson Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
You are the first person I've seen that gets it. I watched on Monday night and couldn't not believe the lunacy of actually doing a death angle. I come online to find nearly everyone proclaiming it the greatest thing they've ever seen. I think it goes to show how Vince has changed the audience. The argument I saw time and time again from the supporters was "wrestling isn't real" . Well, no it's not, but it also isn't the same thing as 24 or Scrubs. Wrestling is its own artform, it is a performing art.
Oddly enough, I think one of the best quotes regarding the nature of wrestling comes from Vince himself from A&E's The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling:
"We're like a magic show. We make you believe these things, but we don't tell you how we do it."
What if David Blaine was seen shopping in LA when he was supposed to be frozen or submerged or on fire in New York? Kinda ruins the whole thing.
With beatdowns and attacks you can suspend disbelief and say, "Well Dusty didn't press charges on the Horsemen because he wants them in the ring!" You can't reasonabley believe that a murder or even attempted murder would be allowed to be settled at Wrestlemania.
I've never even liked the use of police in angles on any level, even back in Austin Vs McMahon. It is a no win situation. If Austin gets carted off to the slammer, it defies his anti-authority character. If he kicks the cops asses, then he would go to prison.
Anyway, I'm sure you'll get about 100 emails from brainwashed WWE fans screaming that you don't understand sports entertainment, so here's an email that says you totally get professional wrestling.
Montaego24 You are the man! That was one of the best articles, ever on the site! 411 rocks, keep doing what youre doing!!!
Victor Luna Thank you for your great column on why McMahon is an idiot. I have been dumbfounded to read your fellow writers praising this angle, when in the past, they have shit all over type of things like this, especially for the reasons that you gave in your column. You are one of the few writers I like at 411 Mania because you take a different stance.
Also, Vic signed his e-mailed -Vic "F-Csonka" Luna which I'm sure the Boss will like.
Don Nelson I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding the "Death of Vince McMahon" angle. It is stupid, tasteless and disrespectful. Let's not forget the night that Steve Austin broke into Brian Pillman's house where Brian awaited with a "loaded"gun. Also, there was the time that Big Bossman disrupted the funeral of Big Show's father. I can remember seeing Vince on several occasions doing promos whre he claimed to do everything he does for the fans. What a crock! The only thing that drives McMahon is his ego. One has to wonder when Vince will finally cross the line. It does seem from your column that not everyone is buying this latest outrage. Finally, how ironical it is that Sherry Martel passes away only a few days after the car bombing? Hopefully, a real wrestling death will not be overshadowed by a fake one.
Yeah, well, hope don't spring eternal in the WWE.
Don't forget to check The Fink's Payload on a Monday to see me calling more people Idiots, and check in with my 411mania blog for more updates throughout the week*
