The MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks 11.02.07
Posted by John Meehan on 11.02.2007
Three Divas Depart and WWE Sets Up Shop for THE GRANDADDY OF THEM ALL!
Welcome back to your regularly scheduled week-end dose of interwebz optimism. Tons of news this week (and a slew of departures to cover), so let's cut the jibber jabber and see what we've got...
Big news this week for wrestling fans the world over is that tickets to WWE's annual WresleMania pay-per-view go on sale to the public TOMORROW morning (Saturday, Nov. 3) at 10 a.m. eastern. For those of y'all wishing to purchase tickets online beforehand, the internet presale (which opened yesterday morning at 10 a.m.) runs through tonight (Friday, Nov. 2) at 5 p.m. eastern (pre-sale password: "MOTA").
The venue for the show, of course, is the Florida Citrus Bowl -- a football stadium located in downtown Orlando with a seating capacity of just upwards of 70,000. And if past years' ticket sales are any indicator, the venue should most definitely sell out by the time WWE airs its next episode of RAW on Monday.
As for Mee?
Happy to report that I was one of the first in line (online) to score my tix to the big dance yesterday morning, and that Mee and the rest of the Meehan clan will be LIVE in attendance for the Grandaddy of Them All when it rolls through the most popular vacation destination city on earth next March.This will be the fam's second WrestleMania trip (we made it to Madison Square Garden for WrestleMania 20 some four years ago), and the fourth PPV I've been able to personally attend (in addition to WM20, I also had the chance to be in live attendance for SummerSlam 2005 and Cyber Sunday 2007). Six seats in the 200 section (214, to be exact) puts us right in the middle of the action -- and so I am thoroughly pumped to be headed back down to O'Town for the WWE's annual ubershow.
*Also -- for the fellow Disney buffs at home -- this return-trip to the Sunshine State will mark my fourth visit to The Mouse house in the past calendar year. Fifth if you count back to 2006.
Some people are addicted to booze and drugs. Mee? Mickey Mouse and professional wrestling. Though with ticket prices being what they are these days, I might wanna' look into picking up a crack habit instead. It might be cheaper. :)
This is a pretty significant update to WWE's controversial Wellness Initiative, which has long been shrouded in secrecy and has most recently drawn heavy criticism in light of the Benoit family tragedy earlier this summer and the slew of wrestler suspensions that followed. In short, the new policy change states that from here on out -- if a performer gets busted for doping, fans and critics alike will be the first to know, as the performer's name (and cause for disciplinary action) will be published front and center on the WWE (corporate) web page.
Kinda' like Hester Prynne for the 21st century.
Obviously this is a HUGE deal for wrestling fans and haters alike, as it helps to remove one of the most "secretive" and oft-criticized elements of WWE's existing Wellness policy. If what the 'E is saying is true, then from here on out there should be little question or doubt as to exactly *which* performers are violating the company's drug policy, and exactly *what* supplements they're using to do so. This works on three key levels at once:
1) It removes an extra level of suspicion. Since WWE is a publically held company, it can only benefit their best interests to make shareholders feel that they aren't being mislead or deceived. Steroids and drugs are a hot-button issue these days -- so it's much better to say "yeah, there are problems... and HERE's what and WHO they are" rather than to just blindly keep denying that a problem exists in the first place.
2) It acts as a deterrent. These days, it's only the IWC know-it-alls who keep taps on who's doping, on what, and when -- and we pretty much have to rely on the "dirt sheets" and insider rumor mills in order to obtain this information (which is still pretty much suspect, at best). But once this info is made public? Branding Wellness violators with a "scarlet letter" makes it all the more damaging for a performer to get caught breaking the rules. Think parents will be so eager to buy their kids Jeff Hardy gear if they find out he's a repeat drug offender? Think again.
3) It sets a precedent. Though anybody can tell you that what a coach/team/employer says *behind closed doors* and what they go on record as saying *in public* could easily be two very different things (example -- professional modeling industries and college wrestling coaches continue to swear up and down that their people aren't forced to starve themselves to cut weight)... it makes a very clear public statement that, as a company, WWE is more willing to call performers out for breaking the rules (and, in turn, more willing to suffer the public embarrassment and/or monetary loss associated with this revelation) than they are to help foster these problems behind closed doors.
Now sure...
Many folks will argue that this latest revision to the Wellness Initiative is really little more than a classic case of "closing the barn doors after the horses have already been let out" (after all, just about 75% of WWE's active performers have already been nailed for drug violations BEFORE the Nov. 1 "public reveal" deadline) -- but this policy could most definitely help to prevent against similar abuses and infractions on down the line.
I mean, just think about it for a second here --
If a dozen more performers all get nailed at once for breaking the drug policy (as was the case with the Signature Pharmacy scandal of some two months ago), and if WWE is forced to reveal the names of each of these performers in a clear-and-easy-to-read press release on the company website, you can BET that major media outlets will be more than happy to pounce on the news and use it for additional fuel to their ongoing "drugs and wrestling" fire. WWE, in turn, looks like the good guy (well, the "less bad" guy, at least) -- since they're more than willing to reveal who all is breaking the rules... and performers themselves have all the more reason to stay off the 'gas for fear of finding themselves at the center of a media (and Congressional) firestorm.
The message is clear:
WWE doesnt' condone drug use, and it will be MORE than happy to throw performers under the bus of public opinion and ridicule and hang folks out to dry if they're unable to stay clean, safe, and sober. The company offers regular drug and cardiovascular testing, and has gone on record with a public offer to pay for rehab services for ANY performers (past or present) who might need help kicking the habit.
Short of offering an organized system of health care or the opportunity for a worker's union (both of which are, without question, similarly noble pursuits for another day), that's where WWE's responsibility *ends* and each individual performer's personal responsibility *begins*.
Well, it's "add one, lose one" time for WWE again -- as the 'E gained one new female employee thanks to this year's Diva Search (Eve, is it?), and released another Diva to make room for the newbie.
Can't say fans will really miss Brooke all that much, in the long run, as she has done *zero* of note since arriving in WWE last year (and yes, I'm totally counting the Timbaland video). Let's face facts, all -- Kelly Kelly is and always has been the "diva" of the new ECW, and Extreme Exposé was consistently one of the weakest (and most pointless) segments on ECW programming for months. Hate to sound like a downer here, but the bottom line is that the group was so stale by the time that the Miz was introduced to their angle (shudder), that fans had pretty much taken any segments that began with a song chanting the words "Holla, holla" as their cue to head for the rest rooms and concession stands.
Tough break for Brooke, but life goes on. Best wishes to Brooke as she continues her career outside of WWE.
Sources all over the world wide webz have come forward this week with new details regarding the rather quiet and unexpected release of (former) WWE Smackdown! diva (and former Teddy Long love interest, according to storylines at least), Kristal Marshall. Seems as if the lady had a problem taking advice from the people writing the shows -- and that she'd regularly "take a beating" on television and in house shows only to pop right back up and slap hands with the fans at ringside as she made her way to the back.
Not the best way to sell your opponent's offense, eh?
Problem numero dos was that Kristal had a nasty habit of flat out *lying* to the writing team. On more than one occassion (so the story goes), she'd field comments from writers, mull 'em over for a bit, and then go *BACK* to those same writers saying that fellow performers (Teddy Long, Vicki Guerrero, etc.) weren't too pleased with the angles that the writers had proposed.
Problem was?
She never actually *spoke* to her fellow performers before going back to the writers and pretending to "speak for them." And in an industry where you pretty much live and die by the friends you make and the backstage trust that your fellow performers can place in you -- it was pretty clear that Miss Kristal was not all that long for a WWE contract.
Let's be honest about this one, folks --
If a performer has a history of lying and/or stretching the truth in order to serve their personal interests, one could *probably* say that this performer isn't exactly the type of person that a fellow employee would like to put his or her trust in, right? Fair enough. But since this entire "fake fighting" pseudo-sport is almost entirely based around the ability of one performer to TRUST their on-screen "opponent" (so as to depend on one another not to get hurt while in the ring, etc.) -- it's probably just as fair to say that a person who you *can't* trust isn't going to make for the type of person who you'd want to face when the cameras are rolling.
Hate to see a quality performer let go under such shady circumstances, but given the particularly sketchy nature of this case, it's probably the best course of action for ALL parties involved when all's said and done.
Seems like firings are the talk of the town this week...
Word out of TNA this week is that backstage interviewer Leticia Cline's bio page and photos have been removed from TNAwrestling.com. Since posing for the cover of Playboy magazine two months back, Letica has all but disappeared from the promotion, and has made only one appearance on TNA television (where she got into a scripted scuffle with Crystal Louthan, TNA's new backstage interviewer).
According to her MySpace page, Leticia had this to say regarding her release:
"So many wrestling fans have been emailing me questions about my status with TNA Wrestling. TNA's Terry Taylor stated that if any of TNA's talent was unhappy with TNA and their role within the company that they would be granted their release. With that said, I have asked for my release from TNA and it has been granted as of November 25th. Believe me when I say, I LOVE TNA and all that TNA has given to me in the past, but things have changed and unfortunately until I am officially released on November 25th, that is all I can say."
Now then...
Many have said that TNA has "missed a golden opportunity" by letting Leticia go, but MeeThinks her departure really isn't all that big of a deal. By trade, Leticia was a model, and word has it that she was never much a wrestling fan to begin with -- and so a career in professional wrestling was never really in her plans from day one. Couple that with the fact that there's a brand new Women's Division in TNA that's absolutely brimming with engaging and talented in-ring performers (AWESOME KONG!!!), and you can pretty much see that the loss of a pretty face and a nice smile here or there is really nothing to write home about.
Regardless -- all the best wishes to Leticia as she makes her way in a career outside of the squared circle.
First Rikishi shows up and delivers what could well be one of THE ABSOLUTE WORST promos of the year (simultaneously burying Rick -- err, "Robert" -- Roode AND the "Fight for the Right" tournament), and then he doesn't even have the decency to fill out the remainder of his appearances with the company at the wage he'd agreed to work for in the first place.
Nice move, 'Kish.
While this is a(nother) perfect example of why TNA should sign performers to contracts BEFORE putting them on television (think Hogan, Savage, and to a lesser extent, Shannon Moore, etc.) -- the loss of a guy like Rikishi is absolutely not something worth getting upset over, as the guy clearly didn't have the best interests of anyone but himself at heart. TNA and its fans are better off without him.
Which brings Mee to my next point --
Last week, I mentioned that Booker T is a free agent and is (in all likelihood) considering a jump to TNA. While I can totally understand bringing in The Booker-man for his "name" value and drawing ability, again I think that it bears repeating that TNA should *not* continue to build their reputation as a company "vacation home" for former WWE stars who are either too old, too drugged out, too beat up, or too irrelevant to land work anywhere else. Those guys aren't jumping to TNA to "help the new guys out" or to "put the new company on the map" -- they're jumping to score a few easy paychecks with a significantly reduced work schedule.
In other words --
They're only in it for themselves.
This is *not* the type of thing we saw in the mid nineties where "old timers," "outcasts" and "rejects" the world over made the pilgrimmage to ECW in order to help out the young bucks and Paul Heyman turned 'em back into stars. Likewise, this is *not* like the bidding wars of the early "Attitude Era" where WCW and WWF were throwing money around like crazy as each company hoped to "one-up" the other by signing the hottest new free agent. What this IS, however, is dangerously similar to the dying days of WCW.
1) Old stars pushed at the expense of new stars.
2) Established talents cycling into the main event instead of new stars being added to the mix.
3) Guaranteed paydays for "big names" with limited work, while undercard guys scrape and infight for smaller wages.
MeeThinks?
TNA continues to run its programming (and its promotion) in a manner that seems suspiciously close to one of the absolute WORST and least successful business models in wrestling history (late-era WCW). For every major success the company can pull off (a great PPV, a two-hour timeslot, etc.), it seems as if they are just as hell-bent on running out to sign the very next WWE-ject castaway, and by doing so they only manage to top-load their roster with a bunch of performers (talented though they may well be, on an individual basis) that only makes the overall TNA brand look like little more than a WWE retirement home. The homegrown stars take second fiddle to the latest WWE-import, the cycle reboots itself (newly signed ex-WWE star dominates TNA roster, rinse and repeat), and ratings stay in EXACTLY the same place as they've been for the better part of six months solid.And if they want to succeed, they're going to need to do a lot better than that.
Say what you will about WWE's programming, but in the past five years alone the company has managed to make bona-fide main-eventers (and certifiable draws!) out of a tremendous number of performers who were otherwise untested or unknown on the mainstream stage of North American professional wrestling -- Cena, Batista, Orton, Lashley (and similar argument for Punk, Umaga, Edge).
Who's been a TNA champion in the company's five years of existence?
Ken Shamrock, Ron Killings, AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Rhino, Abyss, and Sting.
Lots of old-timers, WWE-jects, and established talents there. And if you eliminate Killings from the list (who's sunk back to "midcard at best" status since dropping the gold), all you're left with is A.J. Styles (likewise back in the midcard) and Abyss (who's struggling to stay above the midcard as we speak). Samoa Joe has had countless shots at the champs, yet he's never held the TNA World Title. Christopher Daniels has all but disappeared from the World Title picture. Bobby Roode is probably the next best homegrown prospect for a shot at the belt these days, but he's barely passing for a jobber-to-the-stars.
All in all --
So long as TNA continues to "rinse and repeat" in bringing in new WWE castaways (and replaying the same "new guy walks in on top" angle over and over again), they shouldn't be surprised in the least when their ratings (and their audience) continues to be in the exact same place as they were before the latest "free agent" acquisition.
TNA, if you want to "stay positive" and keep your momentum strong -- *don't* make the same mistake with Booker T in the weeks to come.
It's time once again for The MeeThinks PPV Poster Showdown! Sure, a lot of the reason why people order a big show is based on the actual makeup of the card itself... but sometimes all it takes to garner fans' attention (and take their $$$) is little more than a clever bit of marketing. Last month, TNA's "Genesis" poster narrowly edged out WWE's "Survivor Series" -- so let's see if the 'E has a comeback in store for this time around.
Information: Have to call this one a tie, as both posters do a fine job of conveying the "what" and "when" of the show they're trying to promote. TNA's strategy is the more direct of the two, listing date, time and the fact that it'll be on PPV in one fell swoop. WWE, on the other hand, cleverly incorporated a "teaser" date into the Armageddon logo itself (pretty cool idea with the biohazard symbols!), and then they spelled everything out in more detail at the bottom of the poster.
Impact: While I'm not the biggest fan of how shiny Batista seems to be in the Armageddon poster, I'm gonna' have to give the slight edge to WWE on this one. TNA's background "wallpaper" looks more like a cheap sofa than a hardcore holiday, and though WWE's bombed out city smacks of 9/11 (and, in that regard, kinda' borders on crass), the superimposed wrestling ring in the lower left of the photo is a pretty sweet touch to help sell the fact that we're talking about a WRESTLING show. An earlier version of the WWE poster featured Batista holding the World Title (instead of the gas mask), which was an even more effective way to sell the "wrestling" aspect of the show -- but the gas mask works just as well in conveying the message that the guy holding it is "going to war" at this show, so to speak.
PPV Logo: Armageddon wins this one hands-down. The Turning Point logo incorporates what appears to be tiny screws (or thumbtacks?) throughout, suggesting both the brutality and the "turn" which the PPV name implies. That said, however, the "Silent Night, Bloody Night" tagline seems to be trying to meld "Halloween" with "Christmas" -- and it comes across like a crappy tagline to an even crappier B-rate horror flick. Not exactly what I'd call motivation to drop $30. WWE's logo, on the other hand, is a slick blend of "runes" and "ruins" -- and gives the event a stark, apocryphal feel. Plus WWE's font for the word "Armageddon" is called "Dreaming of Lillian"... which is pretty freakin' awesome.
On-Ad Talent: Again, I have no idea why Batista is shimmering like that -- but he most certainly looks a lot more like a professional wrestler (or non-hetero superhero?) than any of the three fellas shown on the Turning Point promotional materials. That's not a knock on any of those guys performing abilities, mind you -- it's just a statement of fact. One poster features a shiny superhero in spandex, the other looks like three B-movie villains. Advantage, WWE.
Overall Effect: TNA earned a big win last month with Genesis over Survivor Series -- but the 'E is back in a big way this time around, leaving us with a clear and decisive victory this time for WWE.
YouThinks Reader Mail
Jeremy Bourbeau gets us started with some quick 'Thinks on last week's banner:
Great column again this week. But as I was trying to identify the faces (I got nothing) I noticed that there were 19 faces. We take you out of the equation and that leaves us with only 18. Just figured I'd give you a heads up.
- Jeremy Bourbeau
Let's see about that...
Taking Mee out of the equation and starting from the far left and working our way to the right -- William Blake (tiny bald guy), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (sweet mutton chops), Ben Johnson (looking bloated), Walt Whitman (love the beard), W.B. Yeats (nice glasses, Beaker), William Faulkner (raised eyebrow), Emily Dickenson (pale and wan, as usual), W.H. Auden (looking like a 1950's detective), Edgar Allan Poe (that one's a gimme), Langston Hughes (the black guy), Ezra Pound (killer moustache), Ted Hughes (looking lovingly), Percy Bysshe Shelley (looking *woman*ly), F. Scott Fitzgerald (side profile), T.S. Eliot (looking sneaky), Sylvia Plath (another easy spot), Ernest Hemingway (bottom right), and William Shakespeare (top corner).
Hey look -- 18! Good catch dude.
A number of readers took issue with Sean Comer's "Thinks" from two weeks back. Here's three such letters:
I am not sure at all about Daivari's background, but the respondent that wrote about it being odd that he is a Muslim while Khali is Hindu is slightly off on his info. He is correct that Hindu and Muslim are often at odds in India, but Khali is not Hindu...he is Sikh.
The Sikh number about 16 million globally and many live in diaspora. The majority of all Sikh live in the Punjab (hence, the Punjabi Prison match) region of northern India, near the river basin at the bottom of the Himalaya. This is where Khali is from. His surname is Singh, which is the last name of all Sikh people, based on their most revered guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The Sikh are very typically very peaceful people (...look up Sant Jarnail Bhindranwale/Indira Gandhi/Golden Temple at Amritsar for informations sake...). and other than a few instances, are not involved in the religious violence that Muslims and Hindus are in that area. They are a VERY small minority (only 16 million Sikh in the whole world) in India (over a billion people), so they kind of keep to themselves. In fact, if Sikhs were to hate anyone, they would be more likely to hate Hindus. They pretty much keep to themselves for the most part. Hope that helps clear that up.
As for the original respondent: Keep up your studies of International Relations. You just need a little bit more knowledge before speaking about such subjects ;) I am currently in my 2nd year of a Phd program, and have an MA in International Relations w/ emphasis on Global Peace and Security, and a couple other minors, as well...not to suck my own dick or anything.
-RSK
Sean Comer's wrote in…
"Daivari is an arab Muslim. Khali is from India, likely Hindu, I would wager. Go to ask.com and ask "How well do Pakistani Muslims and Indian Hindus get along?"
It's almost as bad as giving the supposedly-Arab Sabu the hometown of "Bombay, India" before wising up and realizing India's largely populated by the seeming natural enemies of Hindus: MUSLIMS. Sorry, I simply find that amusing. Does NOBODY in that company have a Political Science degree??? By the way, in all fairness, it's my minor and International Relations happens to be my favorite class."
Minor nitpick (or, major if you're Persian, and isn't that the point of the above rant, nitpicking?). Shawn Daivairi is Iranian, therefore his ethnicity is Persian, not Arab. He speaks Farsi, not Arabic.
BTW, India has a 13% muslim population, 17% in Bombay. That's like being amused and surprised that an African-American is billed being from "Los Angeles, CA", as that's around 11% of the LA pop.
If you're going to call out the writers….
Regards,
- Ted
hi,
I'm from India & i find the site as my one-stop-spot for all the wraslin news. I generally don't write, but i had after reading a certain segment of your last column. in you last reader feedback segment;
Finally, Sean Comer had some thinks on all sorts of issues:
Hey Mr. Meehan,
Couple of quick words....
First of all, I just uncovered something that bugs me about Daivari/Khali....
Daivari is an arab Muslim. Khali is from India, likely Hindu, I would wager. Go to ask.com and ask "How well do Pakistani Muslims and Indian Hindus get along?" It's almost as bad as giving the supposedly-Arab Sabu the hometown of "Bombay, India" before wising up and realizing India's largely populated by the seeming natural enemies of Hindus: MUSLIMS. Sorry, I simply find that amusing. Does NOBODY in that company have a Political Science degree??? By the way, in all fairness, it's my minor and International Relations happens to be my favorite class.
This was the mail you got for which you replied saying, "You are absolutely right regarding the Khali/Daivari pairing."
Now normally, i'm not someone who rants or likes to be negative, but let me dispel some hallucinations that one of your reader SEAN has:
Firstly, you sounded as if you wanted to say India is made of MUSLIMS: its 80% Hindus & a good 13% muslims. India is a secular country, not a Hindu nation. Indian's do not hate Pakistanis in general or wise-versa. We did have our conflicts, but we are not irrational fools like you are to fight in this time & age.
MUSLIMS & HINDUS ARE NOT NATURAL ENEMY'S....its like making a statement saying "in America Blacks & Whites are natural enemies". Sounds very uncivilized, does it not? Despite India being a Hindu majority nation, e had two Muslim presidents in our 60years of being an independent republic & we have the Chief Justice of Supreme Court of this country as a Muslim.
You say you have a minor degree in political science & you love international relationships class. Maybe you should try sticking to personal relationships you idiot. If your country places anything international in your hands, then you are bound to take it down with you. TEAR UP YOUR BLUDY DEGREE.
By trying to be a pompous ass & not sticking to what you know, you made an idiot out of yourself. Don't conclude without proper info.
By questioning the "E", you yourself have shown that you are a dumb-ass, who wants to put his little talent over much like the WWE diva search contestants...atleast they look hot, so next time you don't know somethin, don't talk about it, shut your ass up & Meehan, i don't blame you much cos you write about wrestling not politics.
I just wanted to drop in a question to you though. Do you think we can ever see another HBK title run? & why does the "E" not push Shelton enough? He would suit them perfect during all this drug's mess? He has the talent, so what is the probs there? did i miss somethi with shelton?
-sameer kumar
Thanks for writing, fellas. In fairness to my response on the matter -- I was only pointing out that Sean was "absolutely right on the Daivari/Khali pairing" in regards to the fact that WWE shows *zero* in the way of cultural appreciation or sensitivity when lumping together two performers of non-American descent.
Like I said in my last column, the white/Oriental "Kim Chee" and the "Ugandan Giant" Kamala is another classic case of this sort of thing. Ditto for the SAMOAN Umaga and his original CUBAN handler, Armando Estrada.
This is not to say that the people who hail from each of these countries inherently like or dislike one another, mind you... it is only to say that, in the world of professional wrestling, "foreign bad guys" are pretty much an interchangable lot amongst themselves.
Kinda like the Cobra troops and Dreadnoks in the old GI Joe cartoons, come to think of it. Aussies, Scots, Brits, Russians, ninjas... you name it. "UnAmerican" automatically meant "works for the bad guys" (no disrepsect to American sympathizers like Quick Kick, Snake Eyes, and that Australian fella' who locked that poor kid in the freezer, of course).
You know the guy I'm talking about...
As to the question regarding another Shawn Michaels title run? I'd say the odds are better than not, actually. So long as Shawn can stay healthy, he can *easily* stay in the main event picture for another 3-5 years. Though he's obviously not at the stage of his career where he NEEDS another world title run, he's still a tremendous performer and the perfect sort of go-to-guy to help put over the "big time" title win of a newer star, if need be.
As for Shelton?
The guy seems to be his own worst enemy. Years and years of "A-Show" exposure have done little to improve the guy's charisma and microphone abilities, and while he's pretty damned impressive once the bell sounds, he's had more than a few high-profile slipups (sometimes with disasterous results) when the lights were shining most brightly his way. Dunno if the ship has officially "sailed" or not on Shelton as of this writing, but MeeThinks he's got a long way to go before he'll be taken seriously as anything higher than an Intercontinental-level threat at this point. The way things have been going for him of late, he's probably got a fair bit of ground to make up before he'll even be considered a credible shot at *that*.
Mark Kohn was in the neighborhood for Cyber Sunday
Hello John,
I read MeeThinks every week and am really impressed with your positive attitude. I noticed you will be going to Cyber Sunday. I will also be going to Cyber Sunday. I was wondering if you would like to meet up for late lunch or something before the PPV.
Mark
Thanks for writing, Mark. Unfortunately (as you've probably deduced by now, I am sure) I didn't receive your e-mail until *after* the PPV this past Sunday, and so I missed the chance to catch up with a fellow fan in D.C. Thorough bummer, too, as I've had some great fun catching up with fellow wrestling buffs before, during and after shows in the past. Next time, I'm most definitely game though -- so Mark and any other D.C. wrestling fans who wanna' catch up beforehand, let's plan on it in advance, yes? I'm thinking Chipotle...
Gary Graham was likewise looking for a Cyber Sunday connection:
Hi,my name is Gary Graham and I'm a freind of Randy Orton's(since 2003-I can tell you how we met if you want or you can ask JP Prag from 411 if you want)and I saw you went to the PPV lastnight and I was wondering if you took any pics of Randy from the show?I ask because I'm doing a career record book/photo album w/ all his match results and match info and as many pocs of him I can get from his matches so thats why I was wondering if you did get any pics of him is there anyway I can maybe get copies(or the originals)of them?I'll pay you for them if you want,just let me know how much.If you can help me out please let me know.
Thanks.
Gary
Thanks for writing, Gary. Sadly, I left my camera at home for Cyber Sunday, and so the only photos I have of the event are the ones I was able to take via "mental snapshot." I'm pretty sure that at least one of the readers out there was likewise in attendance and saw the show live (Mark?) -- and so I'll be more than happy to put you in touch with anybody willing to provide you with what all they were able to come up with if you'd like.
Readers in the DC area -- care to hook this fella' up?
Finally, we'll close with some 'Thinks from Asim Baig, who chimes in with his two cents on 'Da Champ:
Hi,
I haven't written to you before but have always enjoyed your column. I just thought of something that would sit well with the positive attitude of your column.
I don't think anyone has ever mentioned this point and Don't take me the wrong way, I wish John Cena the best of luck in his recovery, but in some respects the injury to John Cena can be taken in positive light.
He was built as the superman who cant be beat and even with his current Orton program WWE was having problems in making sure Cena lost (which I believe they wanted) but still looked good.
I mean he basically won every type of gimmick and regular match under the sun for last couple of years and against some of the biggest monsters currently on active duty.
He was in fact becoming Goldberg of sorts where losing a normal match would have hurt his character a lot.
There would have had to do a very brutal beatdowm of Cena to
convince the crowd that Orton could beat Cena in last man standing match. I would say something along the lines of Rock - Mankind LMS match with over a dozen handcuffed chair shots.... and I don't think WWE could have gone in that direction under the current situations they are facing and besides that would have kept the attention on Cena instead of pushing the new Champ.
But by getting injured he *didn't* lose so he can come back to an
instant feud with either Orton or Kennedy. He can come back fresh and can be reset so to speak and it provides us with some newer match ups. Although this means WWE has to do a lot of leg work to compensate for the loss. I would again like to mention that I don't think that injury of any kind is good its just that every coin has two sides and I though of looking at the positive side of the coin for once......
I have already written a very long and laborious rant so I will stop now and maybe someday I can send you an email with my ideas about what they can do with the remaining members of the now disbanded new Hart Foundation.... :)
Keep thinking positively
- Asim Baig
Spot-on, Asim! And thanks for writing.
You make a very good point in noting how Cena had really developed into something of a Superman, of late -- so much so that it really *did* seem kind of far-fetched to think that ANYONE (yes, even Triple H or Shawn Michaels) would actually have a shot at beating the guy fair and square in a one-on-one contest when the gold is on the line.
With the injury, however, they can spend the next few months developing a solid crop of Cena-substitutes in the main event. Though these guys don't need to be invulnerable by any means, they could most definitely afford a few high-profile wins in order to re-establish momentum prior to The Return of Da' Champ next spring/summer. Plus, announcers and opponents alike can play off of the whole "ring rust" angle in order to explain it away when and if Cena isn't quite as "Super" as the last time we saw him. This way, you play off of his injuries and time away, you use his "vacation" to build credible new opponents for his return, and you give the guy some much-needed *vulnerability* -- which can really go a long way in winning him back some fans.
And With That, I'm Outta' Here
That does it for Mee this week, folks. Here's hoping many of y'all find similar success in nabbing 'Mania tickets as I was able to do yesterday morning. 'Till next week, enjoy the fall weather, brace yourself for one HECK of a football weekend (GO PATS GO!), and always stay positive!
