Word 'round the webz these days is that ECW's current host network, SciFi, isn't necessarily all that keen on picking up WWE programming for a new contract. Of course, ECW on SciFi continues to be the network's highest rated program (and with Battlestar Galactica's end in sight, things don't seem likely to change any time soon)... but with ratings for ECW rarely breaking the mid 1-point-somethings, SciFi might just be looking to "start over" with a new slate of programming in the very near future. Further evidence that WWE's days on SciFi might indeed be numbered came out of WWE headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, when it was announced that starting this week, fans could now catch new episodes of ECW on WWE.com every Tuesday night.
Additionally (as we'll cover in more detail in the TNA section on down the column), TNA wrestling is reported to have scheduled PPVs for December 2, 2007 and January 6, 2008 -- the very same Sundays that had previously been reserved for WWE's "ECW-inspired" December to Dismember and New Year's Revolution, respectively.
In other words?
All signs are suggesting that ECW's days as a viable "third brand" of WWE television could be numbered.
As a result (and in an attempt to bolster ECW's ratings through cross-branded matchups), WWE launched a storyline where ECW General Manager Armando Estrada came to a "talent sharing" agreement with Smackdown Interim General Manager Vicki Guerrero to allow stars from each "brand" to appear on the rival television program. This cross-show talent exchange took effect this past Tuesday night on ECW television, when Smackdown stars Kane, Jesse and Festus each made their respective debuts on "ECW on SciFi" television.
All in all?
While a LOT of 'Net know-it-alls are bemoaning this as "the (second? third?) death of ECW," I for one have absolutely zero problem with this latest development. Here's five quick (and relatively major) reasons why:
1) The cross-promotional talent swap program has a viable kayfabe explanation. Namely, Vicki and Armando (amigos that they are) decided to work together in order to put on the best shows possible for each of their "brands." This way, rather than making a (further?) joke of the "brand extension" by randomly having other shows' stars show up to boost ratings with no real on-camera explanation as to WHY they're making a cameo in the first place (remember Umaga on ECW? Lashley on RAW!? Etc.), fans have been given a perfectly viable storyline to explain what we're seeing on television. Even if the story line is little more than "damage control" at this point, it's a perfectly plausible effort all the same.
2) Thanks to injuries, walkouts, family tragedies, contract expirations, Wellness issues, and general "bad luck" (because in all honesty, NOBODY could have predicted that WWE would have lost Angle to Wellness, THEN RVD and Sabu to Johnny Law, THEN Big Show to retirement, and THEN Benoit to a breakdown -- and that's just scraping the surface), the ECW roster has been floundering from day one. WWE tried to give the show a much-needed breath of fresh air early this summer when they swapped Chris Benoit over to the brand, but after he went AWOL, WWE pretty much realized that the brand was stuck in limbo.
3) Last month at this time when it was announced that WWE had suspended John Morrison and fired Marcus Cor Von, I pointed out that the actual number of "active" on-screen wresling personalities on the current ECW roster came up to a whopping total of TWELVE. Even with the best booking in the world, it is tremendously difficult to keep fans' attentions when all you've got to entertain them is a mere handful of performers. Sure the TV time was limited, but even in the best case scenario, you were left with only a half-dozen "winners" on any given night... which meant that the other half of your roster was (quite literally) a bunch of losers (not exactly an easy sell when trying to make your show look impressive). But now that Smackdown roster is open to ECW, you can give the Extreme guys some cred *without* having them simply beat jobbers like Nunzio and Mike Knox on a weekly basis.
4) If (and when) the SciFi deal ultimately falls through, WWE has a ready-made contingency plan in the works for the ECW brand. It's often been said that ECW is really little more than a "developmental territory with a TV deal" (hey, it's Linda McMahon's words -- not mine!), and so now that they're (likely) destined to spend a fair chunk of their time online, the webisode format (while hardly ideal) will definitely help some of the brand's younger talent develop their skills before receiving regular weekly exposure to a much larger televised audience. Kinda like HeAt, come to think of it.
5) If (and when) ECW is inevitably absorbed into the larger Smackdown umbrella, WWE can still put third brand's "demise" for good use, as they've already laid the groundwork for a larger on-camera storyline between the two shows. Maybe some variation of a winner-take-all "SURVIVOR" Series showdown between ECW and Smackdown? Hey look, there you go. Looking instead to turn Vicki Guerrero into a power-hungry megaheel? No problem. First she tricks Teddy Long into giving up the reigns to Smackdown, then she tricks Armando into signing away ECW. Two perfectly acceptable storylines, right there (one a classic payoff to the Survivor Series theme, the other a perfect fit to one character's "lie, cheat, and steal" legacy) -- and either can make for seemless on-screen transition if you need to explain away why the third brand is wiped out of existence.
As always, stay tuned (and stay positive) on this story as more develops in the days and weeks to come.
We already covered the possibility of this story turning out this way a few weeks back, but for those of y'all who might have missed it the first time around -- here's how we got to where we are today:
1) Booker T's WWE contract was set to expire within a few weeks to begin with.
2) Booker had invested his money well, and was considering retirement.
3) WWE offered him a sweet deal with plenty of perks if he'd reconsider.
4) Booker T reconsidered, and was close to signing on the dotted line.
5) The Signature Pharmacy steroid scandal broke, and Booker was among the guilty talents.
6) To save face before Congress, WWE had no choice but to suspend Booker T.
7) Booker said "thanks, but no thanks" and told WWE he was done altogether.
8) WWE said "take some time to think this over" (i.e. - the length of the suspension).
9) Booker thought stuff over.
10) Booker called it a day and said he was done.
Early on Wednesday morning, Booker T himself issued a statement on the matter via his website:
We want to begin by thanking the many wonderful WWE fans that we have had the privilege of entertaining over the last eight years. Sharmell and I have enjoyed the opportunity to put smiles on your faces night after night. We also want to thank everyone in the wrestling community for their support of our very own P.W.A. (Pro Wrestling Alliance). The dream of bringing professional wrestling back to my home town of Houston, Texas is coming to fruition, and we have you to thank for it.
I want to address something that has been on my mind for quite some time now in regards to my recent suspension from WWE. I want to state for the record that I was not taking any illegal substance, or anything outside of my physician's care, and that the suspension was unwarranted. However, rather than fight the suspension or publicly voice my discontent, I used this recent hiatus to rest, work with the P.W.A., and reflect on the direction of my career as a professional wrestler. I also, for the record, have never at any time ordered anything from "Signature Pharmacy". This allegation is upsetting, and the careless and slanderous reporting of this matter is currently being addressed by my legal counsel.
I would like to also address any possible rumors or misinformation regarding our release from WWE. I had been unhappy for quite some time with the direction that the Company was going in. In fact, I asked for my release back in July for that very reason. However, after further contemplation, I decided to continue on with WWE because of my passion for this industry and my desire to entertain the fans. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that my unhappiness with my work environment was beginning to take a great toll on other aspects of my life.
I knew that it was time to make some extremely tough decisions. Therefore, in the interest of my mental, physical, and spiritual well being, I along with my wife, asked for our release from World Wrestling Entertainment for the second time within months. We were graciously granted our release and we have since amicably parted ways.
While the business relationship between ourselves and the WWE has ended, we will continue to be involved in Professional Wrestling. We hope that our loyal fans will follow us as we make this transition.
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, and we will see you soon!
- Booker T. and Sharmell
Now then --
On the surface, I'll be the first to say that it's pretty lame that Booker T is willing to "do the crime" (doping/supplements), but is ready to up and leave once he's forced to "do the time" (even if WWE wasn't really all that keen on suspending him in the first place). However, given the fact that Booker was already hesitant to stay in the 'rasslin biz even *before* all of this story broke... MeeThinks it might be for the best for everybody involved that the two sides just parted ways at this point and called it a day. Yes, he's a ring veteran. And yes, he was on par to become one hell of a road agent/color commentator on down the road -- but "never say never" in this wacky world of pseudo combat, you know.
*Memo to TNA: If you want to shake that stereotype that you're more than just a "WWE castaway island," then PLEASE do yourselves a favor and *don't* rush out and sign Booker T. Yes, he's a quality talent, and I'm sure he's a tempting "free agent" -- but you simply don't need him right away. With a second hour of TV, TNA is just NOW getting around to "finding room" for the bulk of their homegrown undercard/midcard. Importing a(nother) WWE-ject (and aNOTHER steroid suspect) onto the roster and immediately rocketing him to the top of the show is a great way to piss off a lot of homegrown talent in a hurry.
Though Shawn Daivari was a skilled performer and an entertaining one at that, his days were pretty much numbered from the moment that UPN laid the "smackdown" (har har) on Mohammad Hussan. Since then, we've seen Daivari: Kurt Angle's evil referee; Daivari: Kurt Angle's wacky heel manager; Daivari: Persian mouthpiece for a Punjabi giant; Daivari: EXTREME token foreign heel; Daivari: Smackdown cruiserweight jobber; and, most recently, Daivari: RAW enhancement talent and HeAt mainstay.
Yeah, it's been a wild ride.
On the bright side -- Daivari lasted a full TWO YEARS longer than he probably ever had any right to. From day one, the Daivari character was never intended to be any more than a sidekick to Muhammad Hassan. And when Mark Copani (a.k.a. Muhammad Hassan) decided to depart the 'E for greener pastures, there was really quite little else that the company could do with Daivari aside from saddling with whatever resident baddie-du-jour they were trying to make "EXTRA" evil on the way to some high-profile PPV loss.
That said, diehard Daivari fans ("Daihardvaris?") can take solace in the fact that even though Shawn probably wasn't ever really banking on any "big time" or long-term success in WWE, he *did* manage to score himself at least one rare PPV win before receiving his walking papers. See? Toldja' "December to Dismember" wasn't *entirely* a bad thing, right? ;-)
After last week's RAW broadcast hit a "scary low" (thanks to a double whammy of MLB and NFL action), many an internet know-it-all decided that this was surely a sign that WWE's flagship show was doomed. I wasn't nearly convinced, and so I thought it might be a good idea to take a quick step back and size up some reasonable, "big picture" expectations for what all the red brand could expect over the next few weeks.
Here's MeeThinks from last week. I've bolded the most important part:
With the Vick-less Falcons off to a miserable 1-4 start, don't expect MNF's ratings to be *nearly* what they were this past week when "America's Team" almost lost their unbeaten streak to a longtime rival in the Buffalo Bills. The American League contest should draw a decent audience, for sure... but the NL game will suffer both from it's later time slot and the fact that neither team is *nearly* as popular as their storied AL counterparts in "Cinderella" Cleveland and "The Franchise" Red Sox. With Shawn Michaels having made a surprise return to WWE, expect at least a handful of those casual fans to check out USA network between 9 and 11. As a result, MeeThinks we can expect RAW's rating to rebound anywhere between .2 and .4 points by next Monday.
Now for those of y'all keeping score at home, last week's RAW scored a 2.8, while this week's RAW pulled a 3.3 overall rating, with hourly scores of 3.2 and 3.4.
Hey, whaddayaknow?
That's a baseline increase of .4 (and an average increase of .5) from last week's show :)
Proof once more that "positivity pays," people.
Next week's Monday night television schedule features a solid contest between NFL's Colts and Jags, but a bye week from MLB as teams prepare for the World Series. So like I said last week, MeeThinks all us "concerned" wrestling fans can reasonably expect a RAW rating above 3.2.
We covered MeeThinks on Teddy Hartthree months ago, so I'll spare you any "I toldja so" redundancy. What I will say is that Teddy Hart is his own worst enemy in this one, and that he really has nobody to blame for his troubles but himself. He's been canned from WWE's developmental program at least twice, he's flaked out on Ring Of Honor, and he's burned bridges with TNA -- all because his ego is bigger than his drawing ability. YES, Teddy is talented (his brief stint in the likewise brief WSX promotion proved as much) -- but until he grows the hell up, MeeThinks we shouldn't expect to see *this* Hart on any major North American wrestling program any time soon.
As for those he's "left behind" in the ranks of WWE's developmental territory --
The fact that Teddy Hart (the one guy with a "Hart" last name) is now gone by the wayside pretty much tables the future of a so-named "Hart Foundation 2.0" stable indefinitely. Though plenty of IWC fans are thoroughly bummed at this development as a number of second-gen Harts/relatives/hangers-on are chomping at the bit and waiting for the chance to be called up to a main WWE roster (Nattie Niedhart, TJ Wilson, Ted DiBiase Jr., and Harry Smith) -- in the long run, the loss of Teddy Hart might actually benefit many of these talents when all's said and done.
Why's that?
Well with Teddy "HART" in the fold, these erstwhile "HART Foundation 2.0" members were pretty much relegated to second-fiddle duty as the stable formed around the guy in the group with the most famous last name (sure, Teddy's not *technically* a "Hart" by his real life last name -- but that's beside the point). The point is, with the way that professional wrestling works, any "HART"-named stable was simply committed to showcasing a likewise-named performer (Teddy) as the group's leader, and so the remainder of the extended Hart family (particularly Nattie and Harry) would likely have done little more than serve as Teddy's backup (because let's face it -- stables traditionally work best in helping to protect and elevate their "leader" -- e.g. Hogan/nWo, The Rock/N.O.D., Flair/The Horsemen, Triple H/dX (after HBK), etc.). Hey, I don't make the rules -- I just callz 'em like I see 'em.
But now that Teddy's gone?
Whether it be as singles (non-stable) competitors or as another attempt at grouping these second-gen-talents on down the line, folks like Smith, Neidhart, DiBiase and Wilson no longer have to worry about fighting to steal the spotlight away from the "leader" with the famous last name -- who -- like it or not -- would have inevitably cast a VERY big shadow (by no actual merit of his own, of course). Like I said WAAAY back in March of this year, if WWE wants these guys to succeed, then they'll HAVE to find a way to get people to accept them on their own merits (and not just those of their famous relatives or the people they stand around next to). Even though he had the "legacy," Teddy Hart also brought the group a tremendous deal of excess baggage -- both in terms of backstage antics and
in terms of the stable's "name" value.
Now that he's gone, perhaps the rest of the woulda-been-Heart-Foundation-2.0 folks can focus on being taken seriously based on their *individual* abilities (which, by all reports, are light years ahead of many other current WWE superstars), and on their *own* merits from here on out.
What I will say about this one is "wow, what a difference a year makes." Late in 2006, Punk inadvertantly landed himself in the WWE doghouse for (so the story goes) constantly sucking face with his then-girlfriend (RAW diva Maria Kanellis) during the WWE's Tribute to the Troops tour. Flash forward to 2007, and we're looking at CM Punk: ECW Champion, and fans learn that Punk and Maria haven't been an item for months.
I guess you can call this the (Jimmy Wang?) "yang" to last week's Krissy Vaine/Ryan O'Rielly "yin." Last week, two WWE up-and-comers (Vaine and O'Reilly) decided that their relationship with one another was more important than a career with the 'E, and so they gave their notice and went on their merry way. "Romance before work," right? This week, we see an interview with a RAW diva currently receiving *major* television attention (Maria), and we learn that she and her longtime boyfriend (fellow WWE superstar CM Punk) decided to call things quits between them and "focus more closely on their careers" just about four months back.
"Work before romance," no?
Now sure, for fans of true love and the personal connection between Punk and Maria this one is obviously a bit of a downer -- but for fans of each of these superstars as individuals (both as "real people" and as the characters they play on television)? You can't help but notice that the last four months of "focusing on career" seems to be paying off for both performers. It can well be said that the Maria/Punk split has actually been pretty darned beneficial to BOTH folks involved, as Punk and Maria are each currently riding the biggest pushes of their respective WWE careers to date.
Steve Gerweck of Gerweck.net (one of the *least* spell-checked websites in all of the internet) is reporting that TNA Turning Point will be held on Dec. 2 of this year, and that TNA's Final Resolution will be held on Jan. 6, 2008. Why is this a big deal? Because prior to this year, WWE had traditionally secured those dates for "December To Dismember" and "New Year's Revolution," respectively.
Well, there you have it.
Even though this is "TNA News" (since TNA scored the spots formerly occupied by WWE), it's really just an outgrowth of "WWE News," as TNA isn't adding or dropping PPV events of their own (they're just rescheduling the dates) -- but World Wrestling Entertainment most certainly *is*.
For the past six months or so, head honchos from WWE have made it clear that they were looking to phase out "at least" two pay-per-view events by year's end (leaving them with a much more realistic calendar of just north of ONE per month), and the discontinuation of D2D and NYR pretty much sums up which two pay per views the 'E is looking to drop by the end of the first quarter in 2008. There was talk several months back that WWE's trademark for the phrase "Cyber Sunday" (originally "Taboo Tuesday," as you might recall) had expired and that the 'E wouldn't be renewing it for next year's PPV calendar -- but the interactive Sunday supershow might just have dodged a bullet with this recent round of cuts, as it now appears that WWE will be dropping the two aforementioned PPVs instead.
Now then --
For the WWE ppv calendar, while I still think that 14 shows (at $40 or more a pop) is probably just a *tad* too many for your average fan, I definitely think that what we're left with is a pretty solid lineup. Thanks to the deletion of the "lame duck" year-end PPVs (both of which tended to rely extensively on gimmick match main events in years past), WWE's calendar year now looks something like this M(more or less):
Royal Rumble
No Way Out
WrestleMania
Backlash
Judgment Day
One Night Stand
Vengeance
The Great American Bash
SummerSlam
Unforgiven
No Mercy
Cyber Sunday
Survivor Series
Armageddon
Rumble and Survivor Series are "cornerstone" pay-per-views that naturally lend themselves to "big time" gimmick matches. 'Mania and SummerSlam are the "big two" shows that pretty much begin and end each of the year's major programs every six months. Sprikled in between these four major shows, you've got "gimmick" PPVs that really aren't overwhelmingly "gimmicky" (every match in a cage = bad idea and watered down, but Vengeance = All Title Matches, One Night Stand = All "No Rules" Matches, and Cyber Sunday = All "Fans' Choice" Matches makes for a welcome change of pace, from time to time).
At this rate, MeeThinks we can probably expect to see the 'E shed at least one (if not two) more PPV's before all is said and done -- as there's a pretty long (and relatively mundane) stretch of "same old, same old" PPV showdowns every three weeks or so between WrestleMania and SummerSlam. But in the long run? Losing these two winter PPV's will really help WWE tighten up their writing and focus more closely on the "major" shows that should help sew the seeds for WrestleMania.
YouThinks Reader Mail
Jadd gets us started this week with a conspiracy theory 2-for-1 on those cryptic "Save_Us" videos:
Hey man, first off I just wanted to say that I look forward to your column every week! You guys are running a great site here and your columns is one of my favorites dude, so pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
No I'm serious...do it. Right now.
Atta boy. Now that we have that taken care of, I've read pretty much everyone's take on the whole SAVE_US.222 videos and the rest of them, and obviously everyone's consensus is that they think it's Jericho. And I'll agree, it's what makes the most sense. And seriously, kudos to everyone for dissecting every single bit of each video that has come out because they came up with some really good theories. And I'm sure this is what the WWE was hoping with this whole angle, and I really hope they find more interactive ways for us to get involved like this. Here's the thing...I do agree that the videos partially have to do with Jericho, but I think there's more to it, and the answer really is right in front of our faces.
At the time I'm writing this to you, WWE has put out four videos, which they title on their webpage "SAVE_US.222", "SAVIOR_SELF", "2nd_COMING", and the most recent, "SAVE_US.229". This is going to sound pretty crazy and "JaddThinks" that this onslaught of cryptic messages actually covers different superstars, one of which we have already seen. More on that to come.
When the first video came out, I was all over the internet the next day like the rest of you trying to figure out what it could mean. I hopped on YouTube so I could go through frame by frame to pick out clues and see other clues that others have come up with. Now I have to say that I bought into the first video being one for Y2J, especially since someone came up with the idea to reverse the video and it sounded a bit similar to Jericho's entrance, not to mention it sounded like in the reversed video, you could hear a voice saying "Come On!" -- the same voice that says "Come on...you know I gotcha...BREAK THE WALLS DOWNNNN!!" in Jericho's entrance. I'll leave this open-ended right now, because I'm going to link this video to another one in a bit.
Moving onto the second video, at first it didn't make sense to me, because it had the same musical track behind it but a new message. "8.2.11/SAVIOR_SELF" -- obviously my first instincts were that it was a date, but obviously 2011 hasn't happened yet. Then I noticed what other people noticed. H is the 8th letter in the alphabet, B is the second, and K is the 11th. So... 8.2.11 = HBK, and we all know that HBK is hardcore into religion now, and he feels like he saved himself, which makes him his own savior, which fits the SAVIOR_SELF part. And what do you know...the next week, he came back.
Fast forward to the third video, and this is where I started taking a different approach to the messages. The SAVE_US.222 reappearted, and was joined by two new messages...REV_22:12 and 2nd_COMING. Someone said that in the Book of Revelations, the entry for 22:12 is "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." So basically it talks about someone coming, and then we get the message of 2nd_COMING. Granted, if these are all about Jericho, it would be his "second coming" to the WWE, but it almost seems like a stretch. But here's something that made sense to me...and it's a link between SAVE_US.222 and 2nd_COMING. There's been talk about bringing back the Hart Foundation with the main concentration of Harts being Teddy Hart (Bret's nephew...I think), Harry Smith (Davey Boy's son), and Nattie Neidhart (Jim's daughter). Each of them are second generation wrestlers...222. And it would be the rebirth of the Hart Foundation, or...the 2nd Coming. Obviously since that video has come out, Teddy Hart was released and there's a chance the whole Hart Foundation rebirth has been scrapped. So I was interested to see what the new video would have on the Oct 15th edition of RAW. And here's where it gets interesting.
The fourth video switches over to SAVE_US.229, has REV_2:25 (Book of Revelations 2:25 says "Only hold on to what you have until I come"), and 2nd_COMING is back in the mix. I'm at a bit of a road block with this one because I have two ideas. The first of which being that since Teddy Hart got released, they've scrapped the Hart Foundation idea which is why they switched the numbers after SAVE_US (so Jericho had his own unique number), and the 2nd_COMING is actually Jericho's second coming. As far as the "Only hold on to what you have until I come" -- could serve notice that he's entiring the chase for Orton's title (because they sure as hell wouldn't throw him on Smackdown). But while I was writing this, I just realized that the Hart Foundation deal could STILL be on, because Harry Smith and Nattie Neidhart worked dark matches this week. And with Teddy Hart out, that leaves Harry, Nattie, and Ted DiBiase Jr. and TJ Wilson (Nattie's boyfriend) left for the Hart Foundation. Harry and Nattie are still second generation stars and Hart family members (which fits the 22 sequence in the number after SAVE_US), but Wilson and DiBiase Jr. (even though he's a 2nd generation wrestler, he's not a member of the Hart family) are the odd men out. 9 is the odd number out in SAVE_US.229...it would still be the second coming of the Hart Foundation, just a different version of what they originally had.
This is probably all far-fetched, but my mind is racing with all of this as is everyone else's. Which is the point of this angle and why I love it so much and hope we see more of it down the line!!
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and keep rockin' the column!!!
- Jadd
Interesting and in-depth analysis there, Jadd, and thanks for submitting YourThinks to the column. A few minor glitches with the whole thing, of course (some of which you already mentioned):
1) Teddy Hart went "bye, bye, bye." That means any stable bearing a "HART" moniker is a longshot at this point.
2) Ted DiBiase Jr. isn't a second-gen wrestler -- he's actually a *third* gen wrestler :) Still, this "odd" number (3) could easily be explained by your "odd man" out theory.
3) The variations between the hype videos, while slight, *might* just have been *toooo* too slight for your average wrestling fan to a) pick up on, and b) buy into. There's an old saying that when writing for television, you always have to make sure that even the "dumbest viewer in the room" can pick up on what message you're selling -- and professional wrestling is certainly no different. As a result, wrestling angles (and characters, etc.) are "larger than life" -- so much so that there is meticulous detail paid in creating as MAJOR a differentiation between individual characters as possible. From the overall "branding" and "look" of each of these superstars, right down to the minutiae like their in-ring attire, entrance videos, merchandise (colors, in particular, are a big thing), and overall "look" (example: Fans see neon green and black, they immediately assume dX. Cena merchandise? Orangey-red and black. Batista? Crimson, black and white. Fans see blue? They immediately think Smackdown. etc.). In other words, if the "Save_Us" videos are indeed being used to hype a Jericho return -- odds are probably pretty darned good that they won't *also* be used to hype a completely different and separate set of superstars as well.
All in all --
STABLES are made to "look alike" (matching trunks, theme songs, entrance videos, etc.), and singles' wrestlers are made to look distinct from one another. If Jericho's newest "look" from the PR department is based on the "Save_Us" hype vignettes, then it's not likely that the very same video won't be used for anybody *not* associated with the guy. Of course HERE's a major "what if" curveball for ya' that could easily kill two birds with one stone:
A major new stable along the lines of "Chris Jericho and the Second Coming," consisting of Y2J as the leader, and the rest of the "Hart Foundation 2.0" gang (minus Teddy) serving as his backup to help "save" the company thanks to their famous roots. Megaheels 101, right there.
It's not likely to happen, of course (like you said, "Save_Us" -- WHOEVER it/he/they/etc. may be -- is TOTALLY headed to RAW), but that would indeed play nicely into *both* of your above outlined theories, no?
Next up, corporate trainer Kent Kairow, who shows some love for Mee and 'Da Champ:
Meehan,
Mee Thinks consistently the best thing on 411 these days. I will give Prag's Hamilton Ave report its due as I am a business news junkie, but as it's new, you hold the crown.
What gets me writing, besides the "a "smart" fan (you know -- the ones who write 'rasslin columns online, but are "too cool" to wear a pro wrestling t-shirt in public)." which my one lone wrasslin buddy and I laughed at for quite a while, is your consistent praise of Cena.
He's the top guy. Period. He is the public face of the company and he deserves to be. He stays, for the most part, injury free. He's doesn't appear to be the fodder for back stage politcial gossip. He hasn't been caught up in steroid scandal. He sells merch, which is huge. His heat, which is really from smart fans and guys who wish their girls didn't cheer for him (mine included), is far from say......X Pac heat. Why wouldn't you put the belt on him?
Yeah, I can call his matches before they happen. Big right hands, shoulder block, FU from a reversal. I do still mark for his fisherman suplex though.
Here's the thing. Ask a non wrestling fan to name 5 wrestlers and see who they say.
I am a cooperate trainer, and use, as as brainstorming game, asking groups of 15-20 people to name as many professional wrestlers as they can. It's to break up long training sessions, but mostly to see if I have a fan in the room.
Here are the names I hear most frequently:
Hogan (duh)
Piper
George Steele (weird Huh?)
Ultimate Warrior
Goldberg
Andre
Taker
Stone Cold
Chyna
AND John Cena
These are the people that don't watch wrestling. I can always tell when I have a wrestling nerd when one team has 15 names and the other has 50.
When I see names like Sabu, Lance Storm or (my favorite of all time) B Brian Blair, I know that guy is a fan. (and it's funny as hell to see him back pedal, saying his kid watches)
No Edge, No Eddy, no Angle, no Sting, no Nash, no HHH.
Cena, with the exception of Taker is the only name of active wrestlers that gets mentioned.
I am sure that Vince has marketing groups doing just the same thing. Cena is instantly likable, which is why we were all so hot on him in the first place. He's got the look, he's magic on the mic, and the girls love him. By getting the girls on board, you double your potential audience. Why not put him up there?
As hard core fans, we can't see the forest for the trees. We are so busy looking for hidden highlights, sick bumps and breaking kayfabe we lose sight of what it's like for newbies. If you can't mark, you aren't trying hard enough. Suspend belief and enjoy.
Again, thanks for the positivity. It's long past due.
- Kairow.
Thanks for writing, Kent. And you are absolutely right -- "non-fans" really are hard-pressed to name many other wrestlers than the ones you've listed above. My office filled with five "non-fan" coworkers could only come up with:
Goldberg (he was the cousin of one of my coworker's room mates in college)
Benoit (but only because he killed his family and made national news)
The Rock (surprised this one doesn't come up more often in your experience!)
Undertaker (from the "creepy" television commercials during football games)
Hogan (from the Vh1 TV show), and...
(yup)
JOHN CENA.
Maybe it's because of the Subway commercials, or maybe it's because just about every NFL team has at least one or two players always waving their hand in front of their faces in a "YOU CAN'T SEE ME!" motion after a big play -- but the bottom line is that for WHATEVER reason it is, Cena most definitely has that intangible "it" factor that is able to transcend and connect with both uberfans and non-fans alike. The guy is likeable, attractive, well-spoken, marketable, PR-savvy, and nowhere near as "shady" as so many other characters in this carnival-rooted pseudo-sport we call professional wrestling. And for that reason alone (not to mention the fact that he's busted his ass and been a total class-act, incident-free, company man from day one), he absolutely deserves all of the success he's witnessed thus far and more, if you asked Mee.
Here's hoping 'Da Champ has a speedy and safe recovery, and that he's back in a WWE ring before the "casual" fans lose interest in the product without him around to keep their attention. Because let's face it, folks, until 'net dorks start buying T-shirts and STOP illegally downloading hacked streams of PPVs, casual fans will continue to comprise the largest chunk of WWE's income -- and so the onscreen product will continue to make sure that *they* are the ones going home happy when all's said and done.
Fellow Catholic U alum (and aspiring law student) Mike Holman had some Thinks of his own this week:
Meehan,
Congrats on your upcoming M.A. from our dear alma mater, all us CUA WWE fans are proud of you. Now, after watching far too many Youtube clips of various finishing moves from TNA, Puro and WWE, I'm trying to figure out the rationality of comparative values of finishing moves. I know that the 'E has banned many "high impact" moves like piledrivers and the derivatives, which considerably limit the available finishing moves/move types for the superstars. However, it seems that many finishing moves are just transition moves with some theatrics or additional steps that do NOTHING to enhance the impact.
For example, a fan is supposed to believe that an FU is grossly more powerful than a scoop slam. In all honesty, the FU really is just a scoop slam done to the side (do not try and tell me its a DVD). No, I'm not a Cena hater. I'm an equal opportunity hater. Look at the Rock Bottom, which was a very devastating finisher in its day..but how is it so much more powerful than a spinebuster, which again is a transition move (albiet a more damaging one). Both of them have similar impact, and honestly I'd say a spinebuster is MORE damaging because of the additional force added by the shoulder driven into your sternum and the body slamming down on top of the victim.
I don't want to really get into believing that Edge's spear (running-hug as it is now labeled in SvR 2008) is as damaging as Lashley's or Batista's. Admittedly, either of the Big Boy's spears tend to spell the closing sequence or a near-fall, but how is a SMALLER guy's spear a FINISHER? Punk's G2S is a great looking move, but seems so much better suited as a transition move than a finisher. Go back to the uru-nage and Vise, Straight Edge Superstar!
I guess I'm through ranting and perhaps it became a ramble, but do you have any thoughts on this matter? Are there really not enough viable finishing moves left that 1) are not just glorified transition moves 2) are not banned by WWE's steadily increasing "safety protocol"? BTW: I'm all about safety. Some of those Puro moves look like they'd kill a guy when done PROPERLY let alone botched.
-Michael
Great letter, Mike, and thanks for writing.
While I will agree that many a mainstream wrestling "finishing maneuver" most definitely looks WAY too similar to your average "transition" move, I will say that I've always liked it when wrestlers (and announcers) can work (together) in order to rally hammer home their in-ring offense and psychology throughout a match in order to sell just how devastating that finishing maneuver (commonplace though it otherwise may be) can be when applied by a wrestler who's made a particular move his "specialty." Kinda' like how JBL constantly mentions how Chris Masters' massive upper physique makes his particular variant of the Full Nelson all the more devastating. Sure, it's vaguely homoerotic -- but it definitely gets the job done.
Take when DDP used to hit the Diamond Cutter, for example -- wrestlers (and announcers) went to great lengths to really help put over the fact that the guy could literally hit his finishing move FROM ANYWHERE in the ring, with little to no notice whatsoever. For that reason alone, it really made DDP matches all the more interesting, as there was always this element of surprise that "oh snap, Page could TOTALLY jaw-jack that dude and put this one away in a second!" at practically every turn in the match.
For other wrestlers (old school ones, in particular), there was a strong trend in finishing maneuvers where the ebb and flow of the contest usually led up to a big "house of fire" finishing sequence where the superstar would finally mount an offense and nail a series of big moves leading up to his patented finishing maneuver (think Hogan's "Hulk up" routine, or Bret Hart's "five moves of doom" leading up to the Sharpshooter). Even though this route was a bit more "hokey," it definitely helped to sell the drama and establish the fact that the wrestler was well on his way towards weakening his opponent just so he could set him up for the big payoff hold that everybody knew would spell the end of the match.
And then we get to those sorts of finishers which, as you said, are really no more than "average" moves with a bunch of theatrics thrown in. But if done properly (think Rock Bottom), these suckers can TOTALLY work to perfection. Randy Savage was particularly good at this sort of thing, if ya' ask Mee -- as the guy probably landed a good dozen or so top rope elbows, forearms, and splashes throughout the course of your average match. BUT when he slowly climbed to the top rope form the OUTSIDE of the ropes (oooooh!), and then took a quick second to pose from atop the ropes while ARCHING HIS BACK ever so slightly -- you just knew that you were in for a 1-2-3. Unless the guy he was pinning was Hogan, of course.
As for which moves in modern wrestling actually look *more* kickass than your average "transition" maneuver with a bunch of theatrics thrown in (I'm guessing this would eliminate Petey Williams' Canadian Destroyer, even though you could probably argue that the added flip creates an attitional surge of downward force when hitting a piledriver) -- I'm going to have to give the nod to both members of the Latin American X-change down in TNA. Since he's pretty darned tall by TNA standards, I can't help but think that getting a Border Toss (Razor's Edge-esque crucifix powerbomb, with an added "oomph") from off the top of Hernandez' shoulders before plunging a good seven-plus-feet to the mat would be pretty devastating. And as for Homicide? When he hits the Gringo Killa' (Vertebreaker), there is absolutely NO reason why an opponent should *ever* get up from that one... let alone by a count of three!
And With That, I'm Outta' Here
That'll do it for Mee for the next seven days, folks. Next Friday I'm hoping that all my cramming for the M.A. comprehensive exam in English language and literature will FINALLY pay off -- so here's to seven more days of solid studying (groan... but necessary) and some much-needed rest. 'Till next time, have a great weekend, be sure to catch 'DA CHAMPZ beat the Dolphins (both in wrestling and beyond, ya' gotta' love indistructable "franchises" from Boston, no?), and always stay positive!
