The MeeThinks Saturday Spectacular 06.23.07
Posted by John Meehan on 06.23.2007
Sherri's Death: Sensationalized or Desensitized? Plus the NEW WWE Hollywood Star, Two TNA Releases, and much, much more!
Hey everybody, and welcome back to your week-end dose of 'rasslin with positivity. Tons of news this week, and plenty of YouThinks reader mail to round out this column. While we're at it, there's a PPV this weekend -- and I'm officially nursing something of a wicked sinus infection (note to self: Sudafed + Benadryl + Asprin = not the most coherent week for Johnny), so let's minimize extra keystrokes and get to the news, eh?
On tap this week:
Remembering Sensational Sherri
Vince McMahon Earns Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Trinity Shown the Door
Cena's Racing Show Burns Out
Lawler Charged with Assault
London in Hot Water
Ron Killings and Konnan Give Notice
The MeeThinks Pay Per View Tracker
YouThinks: Sherri's Death -- Sensationalized or Desensitized?
YouThinks: Whodunnit? A Bigfoot Powerwalk?
YouThinks: Whodunnit? Keep it Gay! Keep it Gay! Keep it Gay!
YouThinks: Whodunnit? Don't Wanna Go to London...
YouThinks: Whodunnit? Lashley's The Bomb(er)?
YouThinks: Whodunnit? A Blast (err, a Bomb?) from the Past!
YouThinks: Whodunnit? It's All About The Game...
YouThinks: Whodunnit? A Sensei and a Survivor
YouThinks: Whodunnit? Who Cares! How Dare They!
YouThinks: Whodunnit is "An Idiot"
YouThinks: Whodunnit in "A Spotlight"
YouThinks: Whodunnit? IT WAS ME ALL ALONG!
Before we get started, however -- just wanted to say thanks to everybody who was kind enough to shoot Mee an e-mail as to the correct spelling of the word "limousine." True story, I'm dyslexic. And so stuff like that tends to slip by every now and again.
So "!lla'y ,sknaht". And now -- the nwes. Err... news.
This one sucks for sure, as Sherri was always one hell of a performer and she still looked -- well -- sensational as recently as of the 2006 WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony, and then again a few months later when she made a one-off guest appearance with Robert Roode in TNA. Rest in peace, Sherri... and MeeThinks the "great wrestling supercard in the sky" just got a whole lot more interesting now that a talent like Sherri Martel is up there alongside performers like Miss Elizabeth, Curt Hennig, Owen Hart, Andre the Giant, and Eddie Guerrero.
*Note to self: Must buy tickets to wrestling supershow in Heaven.*
Now then --
In the wake of Sherri's very *real* passing, her former employer (WWE) has understandably caught a ton of flack for continuing on with their very *fake* "demise of Mr. McMahon" storyline. Understandably so, as many fans feel that whether you chalk it up to a simple case of "poor timing" or not... the bottom line is it does look pretty darn tasteless to play out a FAKE death storyline when there's a REAL one that you're ignoring.
But is it?
Over in the 411 forums, 'rasslin minds have been busy at work discussing this exact same topic for the better part of a week. It's no secret, of course, that having just recently lost his own father -- boss Larry is none too pleased with the "demise of Mr. McMahon" angle. But on the other end of things, there are more than a few writers and fans out there who've suffered similar losses in their own lives who've come out in a pretty vocal support of the angle in spite of it's admittedly "lowbrow" nature.
I made it pretty clear how I felt on the McMahon storyline as of last week's column, but in the wake of Sensational Sherri's passing in the week that followed -- here's MeeThinks on the matter to date:
A lot of people have been giving WWE flack for not dedicating more of their show to a Sensational Sherri tribute. Say, with a video package, a ten-bell salute, or something to that effect. But as my 411 colleague Nick Marsico so aptly pointed out over in the forums, "as for Sherri's graphic, that's exactly the same thing that the majority of people who aren't currently on camera get when they die, so there's nothing there for anybody to try to harp on."
Very true, Nick, and something that's easily proven by looking at what all WWE did for guys like Mike Awesome, Bam Bam Bigelow, Arnold Skaaland, and the rest of the recent additions to that "great wrestling supercard in the sky."
*Second note to self: Check with The Big Man Upstairs to make sure Bam Bam vs. Mike Awesome is on the card for an Extreme Rules match.*
Inevitably, however --
The question of a kayfabe "death" and a real-life "Death" (capital "d") draws the ire of some fans who feel that the McMahon storyline simply isn't in good taste.
To that, I'll pose the following scenario:
WWE is currently kayfabing a Mick Foley "skull crushing" injury. Now of course we all know Foley's fine... but regardless, the company is "working us" with a pretty serious injury storyline just the same (come to think of it, they're doing the same for HBK and RVD). Point being? Fake injuries that play to real human emotion have long been a staple of professional wrestling (hello, Abyss), right? Right. If so -- and by logical extension of the "fake death = cheapens real death" maxim -- doesn't each "fake injury", in turn, cheapen the real ones? After all, how dare they tell us "yes, this is entertainment... but the hazards are real" when, in fact, sometimes the hazards/injuries/etc. we see play out before us are, in fact, nothing more than part of the ENTERTAINMENT?
Point blank -- if faked deaths cheapen real deaths, then it's no stretch to say faked injuries cheapen real injuries. So three weeks ago when Scotty Steiner's larynx was crushed for real... did that mean TNA instantly had to kill the "Christian and his goons put Abyss out of action" storyline? After all, it's pretty callous of them to lie to their fans and continue to sell a guy's fake injury (when Chris Parks was no doubt alive and well, and yucking it up with the boys backstage) when another performer is LEGIT injured and stranded overseas because he's too hurt to board a plane.
Not to sound too much like a typical kid who debates on the internet here... but really now, "you can't have it both ways."
And (for all you grammar dorks out there) there is another small difference between the Sherri case and the McMahon storyline:
If you'll notice -- every single time anyone talks about the Vince storyline on TV, they are very careful NOT to say the words "dead" or "death" or "Vince McMahon." Note both the proper noun being used ("Mr." instead of "Vince") and the verb ("demise"/"loss"/etc. over "death"). And on the rare occassion that they *do* say the word "dead," then they are very careful to say "presumed dead."
So basically, instead of saying "death," they say "presumed death." And instead of saying "dead", they're saying "tragic loss" or "demise."
Now sure, even though they're implying "death" when saying things like "demise," it bears noting that NOBODY has come right out and said (on WWE TV, at least) McMahon "passed away" or "is dead." Yeah, they're saying "presumed dead" and stuff like that -- but if you listen carefully, that's simply not the case when *real* performers die (as was the case with Sherri), with the *real* tribute shows (Eddie, Owen, etc.) or when the company addresses the *real* deaths of performers who died while on WWE's payroll (Pillman, Crash Holly, etc.).
With Owen Hart? I remember it as clear as if it were yesterday -- "Owen Hart has died."
With Eddie? Instant press conference notifying press that the man had been found dead in his hotel room.
With Pillman? A somber, matter-of-fact announcement from J.R. to start the show having ZERO to do with the angle or that show's scheduled match (Pillman/Goldust).
But with McMahon?
Clever language ("missing and presumed dead"), over-the-top video recaps, furtive spin control ("tragic loss"), heavy-handed onscreen performances (Steph, Jillian, Kennedy, etc.), and flat-out kayfabe bombast ("demise of Mr. McMahon" -- not "death of Vince McMahon") to really hammer home the point that what all we're seeing unfold here is, without question, nothing more than another "pro 'rasslin angle."
Not to be too callous here, folks -- but let's face it:
If anything, the all-consuming, over-the-top way WWE is handling the McMahon storyline should be all the more proof of just how EASY it is to tell when something *really does* go wrong in the wrestling world, and precisely how easy it should be for fans to tell when a legitamate tragedy occurs. Pro wrestling is known for a LOT of things, but subtlety and nuances simply ain't it. As such, when something is "part of the show," it's usually quite clearly spelled out and (regrettably) quite poorly acted so that even the dumbest person in the room can figure out what all's going on. Look to the Kelly Kelly "Oscar-worthy" Miz romance storyline for proof. Since we're being beaten over the head with the "demise of Mr. McMahon" angle -- it's pretty obvious to even the dumbest person in the audience that yes, what we're seeing here folks is simply part of the show.
But when the company offers no more than a moment of silence and a quick tribute graphic to Sherri Martel? Just as quickly, the same "dumbest person in the audience" can tell themselves "oh crap, that one must be real!" and respond accordingly.
While we're at it, folks, you might wanna' check out Monday Night Mayhem, which recently featured an interview with the family and friends of Sherri Martel. And believe it or not? The Martel family & friends, while understandably awkward about the McMahon angle, actually came out and said straight up -- "Sherri would have wanted the show to go on anyway." Sounds an awful lot like what Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerero and Rey Mysterio said when Eddie passed away -- come to think of it. The point? Each of these people mentioned knew those deceased performers a LOT better than your average fan... and so if *they* see no problem with "the show must go on" mentality, MeeThinks we should check *our* sensitivities at the door, defer to *their* sensitivities on these matters, and let them continue to do what they believe is right.
Incidentally -- to all the critics who said that the only reason Vickie, Rey, Benoit and Chavo didn't speak out against the Eddie storylines after his death was "because they were on the WWE payroll, so of course they weren't gonna' say anything bad" -- what's the excuse now? Sherri's been off of the WWE payroll for quite some time now, and given the fact that Sherri was already "forever enshrined" in the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year, the family really has nothing further to gain or lose by speaking their mind on how they *really* feel about Vince McMahon and the WWE.
More on this in the YouThinks reader mail section, but for now...
First an honorary Ph.D., and now a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame -- minus that whole "being blown to smithereens" nonsense -- and it's pretty fair to say that it has been a banner year for the WWE and its chairman, Vincent Kennedy McMahon. This is a HUGE deal, folks, and expect WWE to make a HUGE deal out of it when they officially make the announcement on television. Technically speaking, they've got five years to stall on the announcement (according to the official Walk of Fame rulebook) -- but chances are Vinny Mac will be "alive and well" and back in the public eye for the awards ceremony which is scheduled for next year.
So to all of the haters out there who are immediately writing off this accomplishment as an excuse to prematurely end the "demise of Mr. McMahon" limo bombing angle, take it easy. WWE has plenty of time to disclose this information at their discretion -- and so there's really no reason to believe that things won't continue on as scheduled until then.
As sucky as this might be, I'm gonna' have to say that this one is a long time coming, and it was only a matter of time before WWE made it official here. Trinity has been totally phased out of WWE programming over the past six (eight? ten?!) months, and with Extreme Exposee already taking up more television time than ECW can afford to lose -- there was really no place for Trinity on the current ECW roster.
Nothing more to say here, except that Trinity is a decent talent with a good look -- so I'm sure she'll find work somewhere or another, sooner than later. Good luck to her, says I.
Here's a classic example of the Internet Wrestling Community just looking for an excuse to be negative on all things rasslin'-related. Why's that, you ask?
1) It's not "Cena's Show," it's "Fast Cars & Superstars" -- an ABC show that features a *TON* of celebrities (or more to the point, "c-lebrities") who are, on paper at least, a *LOT* more famous than John Cena. So if the show is/has failed... it's just as attributable to the drawing power (or lack thereof) of some legitamate "big names" like John Elway, Bill Cowher, Serena Williams, Jewel, William Shatner and the rest as it is to "that wrestler" John Cena.
2) On the "Armed & Famous" show from a few months back (which likewise bombed), a pretty good case could be made that Trish Stratus was probably the most recognizable face of the c-lebrity bunch (not just from WWE, but from her fitness and modeling career before that). But if you've been paying attention to the ad campaigns for *THIS* show (the few that there were), you can pretty well note that John Cena has been all but absent from them. Why's that? Chances are (as mentioned above) ABC simply didn't see Cena as "famous enough" to give him top-billing over the rest of his c-lebrity pack, as they were banking on the rest of the gang to sell the program. So in other words -- IT'S NOT "JOHN CENA'S SHOW." He's barely even been MENTIONED on any of the advertising spots, as a matter of fact.
3) Now sure, Cena's done the talk-show circuit to help plug the project of late... but when he's doing those interviews, 90% of the segment is devoted to talk of his WRESTLING career, and they barely mention the ABC show until the very end of his interview. What does this tell us? ABC knows they've got a dud on their hands, but Cena was already booked to work the media stump-circuit MONTHS in advance (I used to work in media relations, trust me on this one). And so once ABC realized the show was a flop, they merely let Cena (and the rest of the "Superstars") fill out their talk show obligations, but they did so without putting the screws to Cena, WWE or the media outlets to help sell the particular "Fast Cars & Superstars" program itself... because they knew from the get-go it was D.O.A.
This one kinda' snuck under the radar this week, but the long and short of it is that The King is in hot water for allegedly punching fellow grappler "The Big Cheese" Sal Corrente twice. Seeing as how the guy a) is involved in the 'rasslin business himself, and b) bills himself under such a classy moniker as "The Big Cheese," however... I'm sure you'll understand if we meet his claim of assault with a due degree of suspicion.
Now then...
Jerry Lawler (and his family) have been in and out of trouble with the law for all sorts of stuff over the years. From Brian Christopher's drug bust at the Canada border to The King's various run-ins with ladies of questionable age/legality, it's pretty fair to say that the Lawler family has seen a lot worse than some goombah (I can say that, I'm half Italian) threatening a lawsuit over little more than a carny-scuffle.
Paul London In Hot Water? RAW's Newest Star Breaks Character, Leaks Info
Here's the long and short of this one, courtesy of Daniel Pena (who I'm pretty sure reports for Rajah.com... but regardless):
Paul London has been telling his close friends that he was almost fired by WWE management last week after allowing the Ashley Massaro/Survivor information to get out.
What happened is that London ran into a fan at a Texas-based airport (close to where London lives) a little over two weeks ago. They talked for a few minutes and London mentioned that Ashley was "suspended" because she was going to take time off to be on CBS's Survivor. The fan posted his experience online, including the mention of Ashley going to Survivor, and well the news regarding that quickly spread online. Apparently, Ashley vouched for Paul to management and claimed he would have never intentionally leaked the confidential information.
If that wasn't enough, London had a huge smile on his face when all the WWE talent were present during Vince's final walk to his limousine. All of the WWE talent were told to treat the situation as serious and real, while London was doing anything but. Vince was furious at London afterwards, just adding depth to the hole of heat London finds himself in.
Well... this is... unsurprising.
Two weeks ago, London was in the doghouse for going forward with a banned move (the shooting star PLANCHA, to be specific) even after Vinny Mac told him to cut it out. Now this week, our favorite Shawn Michaels' protege has once more landed himself on WWE's proverbial "s"-list for his lack of professionalism.
MeeThinks?
London should be careful, as he's really pushing his luck with McMahon and company... and it's a well-known fact that WWE's "creative" team is notoriously fickle when it comes to pushing performers who stand any less than six-and-a-half feet tall. Sure it's just a few little infractions here or there, but the bottom line is that WWE is a BIG company which prides itself on professionalism (or, at the very least, the appearance thereof) -- and so acting like an indignant teenage hooligan isn't usually the best way to ensure job security... unless, of course, your name is Randy Orton. :)
I will say, however, that TREMENDOUS kudos are in order for Jerry Lawler (or the WWE writing team) for spinning a "negative" into a "positive" by implicating London as a possible suspect for smiling during the Vinny Mac limo lead-in. Stuff like that demonstrates smart thinking, and (damage control?) smart booking to make the best out of what otherwise might have been a pretty awkward situation.
Konnan requested his release from TNA before yesterday's iMPACT tapings, where it was apparently granted. However, contradicting what was earlier reported, Ron Killings has yet to be granted his release from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Killings requested to be released from TNA prior to the Slammiversary PPV this past Sunday in Nashville because he has been unhappy for quite some time with his status in the company. His most recent character direction has been considered awful by most fans. Nonetheless, he has not officially been granted his release from TNA, and while it is expected to happen, it has not as of this writing.
Eesh. Where to begin?
I guess we should start by noting that this isn't really "breaking news," as Killings and Konnan have been pretty vocal about their displeasure with TNA management since November of last year. That's just about eight months solid of a bad attitude, and so it's pretty much just a formality that this all finally came to a head this week. Regardless -- and I've said it before in cases of guys like Austin Starr -- TNA's locker room is simply *too small* to allow for backstage attitude problems to run wild. So if Konnan and Killings really were putting up a stink backstage for all of these months? Nothing against the two men, but for the sake of the company's overall morale -- it's probably better to cut your losses and just let 'em go.
Oh yeah --
And before somebody says "this reeks of late-90's WCW, with underappreciated homegrown stars like Malenko, Guerrero, Jericho and Benoit being overlooked for a main-event loaded with old-timers and imports!" -- a few things to keep in mind. First, neither Konnan nor Killings was "homegrown." Second, neither Konnan nor Killings are in the early stages of their respective careers. Third, TNA's main event picture features more than a few "homegrown" talents to round out the imports and old timers... (Joe, AJ, Abyss and Daniels are nipping at the heels of Angle, Christian, Tomko and Sting). And fourth -- and most importantly -- at this point in their careers, a Konnan or a Ron Killings is nowhere near as valuable a long-term investment as a Jericho, a Benoit, or a Guerrero was back in 2000.
Now then --
Konnan will be missed, but he wasn't an active competitor (and LAX has been shuffled away from the title picture for three months or more!)... so his departure (while disappointing) is nowhere near as devastating as it might have been say, a year ago when LAX was really depending on him to get them over. Konnan has done wonders for LAX, to the point where the duo has become a real hit with the Impact Zone crowd. Sure, they had Konnan to thank for much of that initial momentum (his pre-match promos were top-notch, and surefire crowd-poppers)... but ever since losing the tag straps -- Konnan or no Konnan by their side -- LAX has pretty much settled into a plateau. As such, while it definitely sucks to lose Konnan at this point, the fact of the matter is that he wasn't a regular in-ring competitor, and LAX is a LOT more over than they were last year at this time.
Konnan will be missed, and his contributions to TNA were invaluable. But as the old saying goes, "the show must go on."
Ron Killings, on the other hand...
Whereas K-Dawg used his potential to give the younger guys a rub before making his exit, The Truth has done a sum total of ZERO ever since dropping the NWA Title all those years ago (when the belt meant just about as much as the one around Santino Marella's waist). Though he's been an on-and-off mainstay in TNA's title hunt, the bottom line is that fans really couldn't care less about Killings for the past two years now... and aside from the obligatory cheers for his theme music (speaking of Santino Marella...), he did little to impress in the ring and even *less* to impress on the microphone.
"John Cena smells like doo-doo?"
"Stop smokin' for 2007?"
"Ron Killings goes Hollywood?"
Seriously, folks -- if that was the best they could come up with for the guy (and the best he was able to offer in return), losing Ron Killings at this point is no big deal. And that's The Truth.
The MeeThinks Pay Per View Tracker
The Summer PPV season continues with WWE Vengeance! Last week's TNA ppv was something of a mixed bag, so let's see how my prediction averages are holding up, eh?
WWW New Year's Revolution - N/A TNA Final Resolution - 3/7 WWE Royal Rumble - 2/5 TNA Against All Odds - 2/9 WWE No Way Out - N/A TNA Destination X - 4/9 WWE WrestleMania 23 - 4/8 TNA Lockdown - 7/9 WWE Backlash - 2/6 TNA Sacrifice - 5/9 WWE Judgment Day - 5/7 WWE One Night Stand - 7/8 TNA SlammiVersary - 3/8
Cumulative Total: 45/85 Percent Correct: 52.94%
Yahoo! The MeeStock is officially still above 50%, so let's see if we can keep the upward momentum with another strong PPV showing this time around!
Jimmy Wang Yang (start the show with a title switch!), Deuce & Domino retain (shenanigans!), Santino retains (Regalference?), MVP retains (sorry Ric), Candice for the win (with so many successful defenses, the show's due for a title switch), Cade & Murdoch retain, Benoit to win it (so much for Big Show being the only man to have held WWE, WCW and ECW gold!), Edge retains, and Cena retains.
YouThinks Reader Mail
David Pettyjohn poses an interesting payoff to the McMahon angle:
I had the thought that this was Vinces way of taking himself off television.
Then I had the thought hes getting plastic surgery. You see the explosion didnt kill him but disfigured him and he needs plastic surgery to "rebuild" his face. So that will be why he might look different when he comes back.
Also on the lighter side im wating for the Elvis style Vince sightings all over the country after they reveal that his body wasnt found. Maybe we might see that famous bigfoot footage redone but with Vince doing his power walk through the woods.
- David Pettyjohn
Power-walking through the woods = automatic ***** entertainment from Mee. As long as this doesn't end up with a modern spin on "Cactus Jack: Lost in Cleveland," I am all for however WWE chooses to take it.
Ronevsorg has something of an off-the-wall prediction of his own:
Pat Patterson: Keeping with The Simpsons whodunnit scenario, I'm sure many of us recall that Springfield's token "ambiguously gay" brown-noser was once a prime suspect.
What about Patterson and BRISCO?...kinda unusual they were shown on camera...AND at the end of the line. Patterson had resigned too a couple of years ago too.
-Ronevsorg
Brisco is an interesting addition -- but from what I could tell, both he and Patterson have been on the roster on-and-off for quite some time.
From what I heard, Pat Patterson ultimately re-signed with WWE a few years ago. Having been in attendance for the RAW battle royal in Washington, D.C. like six months ago -- I know for a fact that Patterson is still a pretty regular fixture backstage at WWE events, as he was standing stage-side during the battle royal match and sizing up how the talent was living up to expectations on a match that's known to be his "specialty." Heck, I even got him to wave our way!
Raymond Wong chimes in with hisThinks on the McMahon whodunnit:
Another longshot but here it goes: Paul London.
The big grin he had on his face when Vince walked past him did tell me something. London is angry at Vince for banning high flying arsenal moves he frequently uses such as 450 splash and shooting star press.
London revolted against authority performing the moves despite being banned. It caused Vince threaten to fire him on the spot if did the moves again. What else to get back at Vince than blowing him up to bits. This can tie to Shawn Michaels who help trained the kid. Where else to get the anti-authority attitude than Shawn himself?
- Raymond Wong
Interesting take, Ray! And all the more interesting because he beat WWE to the punch on this one, reporting on the "Paul London was smiling!" angle before WWE fingered the guy as a suspect on RAW last week. Let it be known, folks -- if Paul London winds up being the man behind the McBombing -- Raymond Wong was the first MeeThinks reader to call it!
Sam Everett lends us HisThinks on the whodunnit as well:
Hey there!
First off, you're right on about the whole angle. Why it even has to be defended shows how pithy and overly analytical internet wrestling fans usually are. But enough about them....
Awesome job on the list of suspects! Since I haven't really considered "whodunnit" it was good to see that. Of all the guys you listed, I'd have to go with Lashley, only because he's had the most recent beef with McMahon, he was stripped of the ECW Title earlier in the evening, AND he's got a well-documented military background that would at least make him more of an explosives expert than near anyone else on the
roster (notwithstanding The Undertaker or Kane, who we all know can control pyrotechnics and/or weather phenomena with ease! : ) ).
However, it's hard to go with Lashley, or any other established face, for this reason: unlike the Austin/Rikishi angle, whoever the "culprit" is this time around will be revered, not ravaged, by the fans for nearly killing McMahon. And Lashley already has a decent enough following. Unless they want to bump him up even more by making him a soft-spoken psycho, which could be interesting, I guess. But it actually seems more worthwhile and satisfying to use the angle to
turn a heel face, especially a younger guy, and I just don't know who they'd want to use in that role at this point.
Then again, it IS WWE, and it's entirely possible that even THEY don't know who the bomber is (though we have to give them credit for planning this storyline out farther in advance than most of late).
Once again, thanks for the thought-provoking column!
- Sam!
Thanks for the e-mail and for the kudos, Sam. And wrestling fans -- it's officially on record that Sam Everett was the first e-mailer to predict Bobby Lashley.
Iain Sutherland offers HisThinks on the whodunnit as well. It's a longshot, but it's a blast:
Who blew up McMahon? I got two words for ya: Adam Bomb.
Keep up the good work on the column, its always one of the more grounded reads.
- Iain
Bwahahahahahaha! Awesome work, Iain. This one officially takes the cake for the longest-shot of the bunch... but you earn mad props from Mee for the wonderfully obsure, old-school reference!
Switching gears, not *everyone* was so willing to play along with WWE's latest chapter of lowbrow. R Coleman Jr., for one, seemed a bit peeved at the whole thing:
Mr. Meehan,
You made some valid points about why the McMahon death angle is a good thing. I still completely disagree and think the whole thing is incredibly stupid and I refuse to watch it, but you made some valid points.
A few things I think you missed in this situation, though. Did it ever occur to you that the reason a lot of uber-fans aren't getting behind this is because they simply don't give a shit what Vince does anymore with relation to himself on the air? The fans in Philly weren't "playing along", they're just sick of this stuff once again making Vince (dead or alive) the primary focus of the product instead of the guys actually doing the work. Sure, you may be right about the delivery and the buzz being a short-term positive. Once that's gone, though, do you seriously think dedicated fans, the long-term fans, are going to keep sitting through the same old McMahon Family Hour that we've been subjected to time after time? I, for one, won't. And a lot of Smarts would probably agree, simply based on the fact that we're just sick and tired of ANYTHING involving Vince, whether on TV or not.
Now, this may sound callous to you, but I simply do not care where they go with this, whoever-the-hell-dunit. They could raise Buddy Rogers from the freaking dead to take the blame, and I could care less. Fact is, we've seen this too many times before when the WWE's scraping the bottom of the creative barrel because their writers suck and don't know how to put on a decent program with the talent they have. So, they're reduced to trying the same "HHH crushed in his car/Rock hit by a ambulance/Undertaker burned to death in a coffin" crap they've pulled out for years in the same situation for shock ratings. No matter how you want to spin this, it's a desperate temporary fix that will cover up the shitty booking for only so long. Maybe two months, maybe three, depending on which bunch of idiots they dig up to deal with this mess. You can give them the "benefit of the doubt" all you want, but I've lost any and all faith that the writers, or Vince himself, can come up with ANY good or logical direction to take this angle.
In regard to the ten-bell salute. Now that they've done this for an angle the same way they've done the "EMT/Concerned Announcers" stuff with injury angles, what do they do when the real thing happens again, like Owen Hart or Sherrie, who died just today? If they give Sherrie a "ten-bell salute" on RAW, how the hell is THAT going to look when they've already wiped their asses with the ceremony for the sake of this angle? Worse yet, because of this, are they going to now have to IGNORE when workers actually die for fear of the mainstream media or fans believing THEY'RE really not dead either? Short of completely stopping the show and saying point blank "this is 100% real, this person is really dead, please believe us this time," I don't see how this angle does anything except make it harder for we the fans to show our respect for the actual dead when they truly deserve it. There HAS to be a line somewhere, something that's in some way sacred, and tributes like that were as close as fans could come to it in this industry. Now, thanks to Vince's ego, that is now gone or, at the very least, tarnished.
Just thought that needed to be said.
Thanks.
- R. Coleman Jr.
Good points, dude. A few MeeThinks to your thinks, as best as I can guess:
1) Did it ever occur to you that the reason a lot of uber-fans aren't getting behind this is because they simply don't give a shit what Vince does anymore with relation to himself on the air? Yes, briefly. But the fact that the WWE audience "booed" the ten-bell but "cheered" at the limo explosion replay (and the burnt-out impounding) pretty much tells Mee that they're still playing along. Boo the bad guy, cheer for his demise.
2) do you seriously think dedicated fans, the long-term fans, are going to keep sitting through the same old McMahon Family Hour that we've been subjected to time after time? Yeah, I do. We're not "dedicated fans" for nothing ya' know -- and if you've managed to stay a fan through Katie Vick, Vince vs. God, WrestleMania 2000's "war of the McMahons!", the McMahon/Helmsley Facgime, Al Wilson, Billy & Chuck, and everything else that Vince & co. have thrown our way in the past decade plus... yup, I've got every reason to believe that you (and Mee, and folks like us) will probably stick around after the dust settles on this latest adventure in "entertainment."
Are we "tired of anything involving Vince?" Yes and no. Bottom line is the guy is overexposed, but on the flip side, injuries have made the top of the card pretty thin of late -- and he is one of the few remaining "established characters" that are INCREDIBLY over, and INCREDIBLY good at working a crowd into a frenzy. With very few exceptions, there is NOBODY who can elicit the kind of uberheel reaction that Vinny Mac can -- and so it's simply good business for him to keep popping up on TV from time to time.
Incidentally -- your question reminded Mee of something that dawned on Mee earlier this week while watching Mickie James lose in her hometown of Richmond, Va. You know that old question: "Why does the hometown guy ALWAYS LOSE?!"
It's simple, really... as bookers know that hometown heroes will ALWAYS be over with their native crowd, win or lose. As a result, they have nothing to gain by winning a match in their home town. If somebody BEATS them there, however, it's an instant rub. Same goes for Vince -- EVERYBODY wants to see him get his ass kicked, so much so that they're willing to cheer the hell out of ANYBODY who'll oppose him (even if they're as green in the ring as a guy like Bobby Lashley, who is certainly no better than John Cena)!
3)No matter how you want to spin this, it's a desperate temporary fix that will cover up the shitty booking for only so long. Maybe two months, maybe three, depending on which bunch of idiots they dig up to deal with this mess. Yes and no. If it runs for two or three months and makes for a few interesting subplots along the way (plus a few newly-pushed feuds/stars as a result)? Then it's not "covering" for anything... it's actually serving as something of a catalyst.
If it runs for three months and everybody else on the card gets lost in the shuffle along the way (like, if "special investigator Daniel Beck" and Stephanie McMahon scores more TV time than the three World Champions)? Then you're right, and it's nothing more than a summerlong distraction to help cover for a lack of ideas.
Regardless, this *is* summer time (a traditionally slow period for booking regardless) and so just about ANYTHING that WWE offers up -- even if it's just a goofy "whodunnit" -- is likely to prove more intriguing than the usual slew of rematch-laden, B-level PPV's between WrestleMania and SummerSlam. One Night Stand = all extreme rules? Total gimmick. Vengeance = night of champions? Total gimmick. McMahon whodunnit? = Total gimmick. But in each of the three cases -- I'd wager that most fans would *much* rather tune in for a "gimmicky" program than to waste their time on just another throwaway show.
I mean, can you honestly name two matches from last year's Vengeance off the top of your head?
Exactly.
Like it or not, "gimmick shows" and "gimmick storylines" are an easy sell.
4) In regard to the ten-bell salute. Now that they've done this for an angle the same way they've done the "EMT/Concerned Announcers" stuff with injury angles, what do they do when the real thing happens again, like Owen Hart or Sherrie, who died just today? Like I said above, I don't really think there's an issue here at all. Fans know fake from real, and if they're willing to show "fake" emotion for a "fake" injury (like Foley's skull, or RVD's concussion, etc.) while at the same time managing to show "real" concern for "real" injuries -- then the only problem here is in the eye of the beholder.
5) I don't see how this angle does anything except make it harder for we the fans to show our respect for the actual dead when they truly deserve it. No disrespect, dude -- but this point is pretty weak. You're a grown adult capable enough to draft a well-constructed and articulate e-mail, so chances are you're likewise old enough to "show your respect for the actual dead when they truly deserve it" without Vince McMahon leading you by the hand and showing you precisely how to do so. You know Sherri died, show your respect in your own way. Bring a sign, make a YouTube tribute, post on a forum, write a letter, make a donation to her family, etc.
Bottom line -- Vince's treatment of Sherri's death (and his "death") shouldn't dictate how much respect WE, as fans, show to those who are actually departed. You might not personally be all that thrilled with Vince's "taste" (and that's totally understandable, given the circumstances) -- but don't blame him for any personal inability to pay your respects.
Fellow 411'er Rob Halden was likewise unimpressed with the McMahon angle from the get-go, but MeeThinks he mighta' changed his tune thanks to last week's column:
Great column this week. We should really thank the WWE when they give us material to work with. I've been treading water for a few weeks now.
Whilst I called shennanigans on the whole thing over at "You're An Idiot....." you made great points as ever.
But you're missing off 2 HUGE suspects from your list.
Ashley & Matt Hardy
Whilst Ashley immediately gets the finger of blame because they had that weird, rushed, "suspended" angle over hot coffee.....there's no upside to giving a push this big to her. BUT if it turns out that her boyfriend/protector Matt Hardy was behind it all, it could finally get the Mattster up there onto the A-List.
- Rob Halden
Great letter, Rob. Matt Hardy and Ashley Massaro = officially added to the list!
(In fairness, though -- we all know how expertly the LAST big Matt Hardy storyline played out. So perhaps Adam Bomb is a smarter bet, eh? :)
Great minds must think alike, as Jon Bennett likewise has the Sensei of Mattitude on the brain:
Personally, I think it was Matt Hardy and I'll explain why.
#1. Vinny Mac did suspend Ashley (no doubt to allow her to go to the minors and allow her to get her wrestling timing back)
#2. Matt Hardy never dies and has a massive fan following.
#3. Hardy never really has been given a crack at main event status, though he did hold his own against Orton the other night.
Though, hows this as a welcome back plot.... Chris Jericho?
But as you stated, there are a million and 1 suspects, but my belief is its either Hardy or HBK.
Only time will tell, great job on 411, love it.
- Jon
Great letter, Jon! Here's MeeThinks to your numbered points:
#1) Ashley was "suspended," alright -- but not for more 'rasslin training, rather to compete on the next season of Survivor.
#2) Matt Hardy never dies, but a lot of folks think that he dropped the ball in his "big money feud" against Edge two years ago. Do I agree? Tough call, as Matt Hardy is one of my longtime favorites... but the bottom line is that, whether it has to do with bad booking, spotty promos, or just crappy backstage politics -- the ship might have sailed on Matt's time to shine. Let's hope not, but the fact remains -- he's probably a longshot on this angle.
#3) With Smackdown! being strip-mined by this year's draft (and injuries to Mysterio and 'Taker to boot), Matt Hardy might figure in the WWE main event picture sooner than you think. Unfortunately for him, he'll likely be doing it exclusively on the "blue brand" -- and from the best that I can figure? If RAW *is*, in fact, WWE's "A-show" -- odds are probably pretty good that they'll look to the red brand's roster first when looking to deliver the big payoff to this summer-long angle.
#4) Chris Jericho? Holy crap, that would be awesome. And if ANYTHING could win back the IWC haters -- a Y2J payoff is surely as good a chance as any.
Stephen Straka has a Think or two on a suspect that might just be out of the running:
Knowing the WWE they might not care anyway but as I recall, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon still kinda hate each other, making a Steph/HHH Facgime unlikely as a result of Vince's death.
- Stephen Straka
Good thought, Stephen -- but I'm pretty sure the last McMahon/Triple H onscreen interaction we saw on WWE television also just so happened to be on December 5, 2005 when the Billion Dollar Princess ran into The Game backstage, whereupon Vince "re-introduced" the two of them and the duo smiled at one another in a sheepish, "yeah, I'd still hit it" manner as the camera faded to black.
Coincidentally, seven and a half months later (July 24, 2006), Steph gave birth to her daughter and Hunter was "mysteriously absent" from RAW that night. So while "technically" speaking, in kayfabe terms, Steph and Hunter *did* end things with something of a nasty divorce... WWE has sort of hedged their bets since then, so I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
Couple that with the fact that 99% of ALL WWE storylines usually end up with a payoff involving SOMEBODY in the McMahon family, and well -- let's just say the precedent is there, eh?
Somebody else who had Triple H on the brain is JoeWCO:
I posted a similar blog on MySpace, however I did not think about the Jackasses. Lashley will be the guy that everybody believes did it. The face anyway. Coach will be the heel that everybody thinks did it. Personaly, I'm suspecting them pushing Shane to the top heel status again. Although Triple H is just as likely, expecially considering his nickname is, "the Cerebral Assassin" .
As far as going too far, to me thats horse manure. They've burried, burned, and crashed The Undertaker in a casket how many times right?
You forgot one person. A big suspect. In my eyes maybe the exact one. The Maggie Simpson like suspect. I noticed on Smackdown, they really took alot of time out to have McMahon suspend...Ashley Massarro. She could be revealed to be the culprit, and become an ultra heel, expecially if she is associated with someone else, like a CM Punk for example.
Matt Hardy and Ashley. Matt Hardy will get the push, they've been pushing him in singles. He was there at the time of Ashley's suspension, Vince had been putting him through hell the whole week. Its them. Thats my suspect!
-Joe WCo
Thanks for the e-mail, Joe. Since we've already tackled the Hardy/Ashley topic (and since I'm pretty sure they called it quits as a real-life couple quite some time ago), let's skip to your other points.
You're absolutely right that the main suspect is likely to be Lashley, at least for the early-going. With the army training and the history against the McMahons, the motive on this one pretty much writes itself. As for him being the culprit? Doubtful, as the Lashley/McMahon program has pretty much run its course.
Can't help but find it funny (and somewhat accidentally racist) that Coach is currently the leading heel suspect. Between Coach, Lashley, and the fact that the first two superstars to be interviewed on RAW just so happened to be Shad and JTG -- WWE might have inadvertantly written themselves into a Mark Fuhrman-like investigation with "Special Agent Beck" at the helm. Should be interesting to see how they play that one off...
Thanks for the back-up on the "not going too far" front, by the way.
I was planning on touching on this in my column this week, putting it in perspective against over moves involving fake deaths (WCW did a few and then there's Fritz Von Erich's treatment of the real death of son David). But you raised great points with the "injury" thing. I did think that the 10-bell salutes was pushing it but this put it in better perspective. And for those who say they'll never watch WWE again after this, just remember how the Rosie-Trump fake fights led to the big payoff at Mania. There's a method to his madness and we just have to enjoy the ride. So good work putting a more positive spin on this and getting it in perspective for some fans. Keep up the great work.
- Michael Weyer
Shining a Spotlight
Thanks for the support, Michael. And you're absolutely right -- "hardcore" fans will watch no matter WHAT the company churns out, while casual fans only seem to come around when there's big event (ala WrestleMania), a particularly marketable character (Cena, Austin, etc.) or -- as we're seeing now -- a "buzz-generating" storyline (the nWo invasion of WCW, the McMahon limo bomb, etc.).
As for why so many IWC'ers are so sore at this angle? Chances are (though they'll never admit it) -- yeah, they're pissed that it's "lowbrow" -- they're REALLY pissed that it's making "average joes" talk about pro wrestling for something that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with wrestling itself. You know how IWC kids go... workrate purists, in-ring psychology freaks, marks for the smaller/technical wrestlers, etc. -- so it absolutely KILLS them to see people tuning in/loggin on/etc. IN DROVES (look at RAW's rating after the bombing, or at WWE's site traffic) to pay attention to pro wrestling for what they believe is "all the wrong reasons."
David Burcham gets all literary on us with a Tolkein allusion:
Let me start by writing something I already should have. I really appreciate a wrestling column that isn't constant whining and moaning.
I believe Mr. McMahon has pulled a Lord of the Rings "Bilbo Baggins" disappearing act. Mr. McMahon (Bilbo) prepared a huge, three-hour televised event (birthday party) with as many fans watching as possible AND all three WWE rosters (Hobbits of the Shire) to serve as witnesses. In doing this, McMahon has left the burden of running the WWE (possessing the one, true Ring of Power) to his heir Shane-O Mac (Frodo Baggins). Unlike Frodo, Shane-O is going to screw things up royally (hopefully, in an entertaining fasion). Vince will finally have to come back from his Howard Hughes/Marlon Brando self-imposed exile (returning with long hair, beard stubble, and tropical print shirt would be a hilarious plus) to bring order back to the WWE.
Right around WrestleMania time.
- David Burcham
As far as well-scripted conspiracy theories go, David, yours is certainly as good as any I've seen out there. It seems that a LOT of web analysts are pegging Vinny Mac as the man behind the bombing in all of this ("IT WAS ME AUSTIN! IT WAS ME ALL ALONG!!!") -- and really when it comes to heelish misdeeds, there are really few better than Vinny Mac -- but since you threw in the Heart of Darkness-esque return from exile, I'll officially give you all of the credit should WWE decide to pay off the angle with a Vinny Mac "big reveal."
And With That, I'm Outta' Here...
If you made it this far, thanks. With a wonderful cocktail of pharmeceuticals spinning around in my head, I'm officially skipping the proof-reading portion of this column, so please don't feel the need to shoot Mee an e-mail on the misspellings this week, yes? Thanks in advance, enjoy the NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS this weekend, and always stay positive!
