Truth B Told 11.28.08: Thanks for Nothing
Posted by Bayani Domingo on 11.28.2008
“Push” new wrestlers, but “Book” the old…one is silver and the other’s gold. Which makes Jim Duggans…pewter?
I'm not a history major, never claimed to be. In fact my knowledge of the first Thanksgiving boils down to what I vaguely remember being taught in 1st grade. From what I understand the pilgrims came to this great landmass we now call America to escape religious persecution. They landed on Plymouth Rock and looked to start a new life away from those who they felt oppressed their way of life, their morals, and their values. They were fairly surprised to find that the "natives" weren't quite as savage as they initially expected and with the help of some of the Native's of the indigenous Patuxet they managed to survive the long hard winter and in celebration of their perseverance they celebrated the harvest with a Thanksgiving feast. Never mind that years later the settlers and other settlers from Europe would help to all but completely exterminate the Native Americans from this land and push them into small reservations, it made for a heartwarming story of perseverance and celebration that ultimately ended up giving us the gift of 50% off sales at 5 am on a Friday morning.
Now while I could have done the sappy "Things I'm thankful for" column this week I was thinking about the story of Thanksgiving and realized that the story sounded awfully familiar. Let's see, a group of people who left (or were exiled) from their past home in order to find a place where they would not be persecuted for their religious (or wellness) beliefs. They found a land that was already inhabited by people they considered "primitive" or "uncivilized" a people who, although happy and seemingly prosperous, seemed to be lacking civilization, true purpose of direction, and the knowledge of "ring psychology". They came to this land in order to find a new home and happiness and were first treated with trepidation and fear towards the newcomers and eventually there were a small contingent that decided to help them adjust to the harshness of the new environment and eventually they thrived, even winning the TNA World Title several times. Wait…did that last part give it away? I know the there is going to be a new name for the "TNA Originals" today, but you might as well call them the TNAtives because this is more than just little coincidental.
You guys remember last year when Kurt Angle dressed up like a Pilgrim and hosted a Thanksgiving dinner? You telling me that ain't a little foreshadowing? The Main Event Mafia are more or less a group of wrestlers who came from the WWE and were either released or asked for their release for various reason, either due to differences in "supplemental diets" or because they didn't fit into the beliefs and philosophies of the company and bookers. They came to TNA as castoffs and vagabonds and were met with both open and folded arms. Eventually most of them have thrived and many of them have become successful with both the help and at the expense of the "Natives" of the company. While some of the wrestlers who helped forge the way in the "wilderness" have benefited from these "travelers and refugees" most of them haven't and have been all but herded into cramped corners of their once vast land. You could call them reservations, but I prefer to call it the "mid-card". Sadly the struggle still wages on as we wait to see whether history repeats itself or whether the TNAtives will re-write it and find a way to triumph over the "pale faced devil". The way they have by sucking up all my money in casinos a couple times each year. Well at least the "firewater" is free at the Blackjack tables.
There is a great storyline playing out in TNA that isn't original, it's not original in history and it isn't even original in wrestling. We can however hope that it doesn't end up as piss poor as it did in WCW as the Millionaire's Club treated the New Blood as their personal bitches. This is more about the "Old" vs the "Young", this is also about those who have paved the way and those who are benefiting as a result of it. The MEM think they are the pioneers, wile the TNAtives think it is they who kept the company alive in the first place to even allow the MEM a place to try and dominate. So who is right and who is wrong? Well can't they both be?
The WWE was running with a similar storyline a few short weeks ago when "Simply Priceless" and the Sloppy 2nd Generation started to tear down the "legends" and it became about "respect" and "paying dues". Suddenly Teddy DiBiase was concussed out of the WWE and now it appears that the 2nd Generation angle has been put on ice. Similarly RoH recently invited Samoa Joe back to compete against a couple of handpicked opponents and while some wrestlers looked at this as an opportunity to go another round with Joe, take on the RoH legend for a first time in an attempt to make a name for themselves, or as Tyler Black and the AoTF did, look at it as a wrestler trying to live off his own hype and come back into RoH to try to show up all of the guys who have been running with the torch since he left. Not exactly a "Pilgrims vs Indians" type program but it kind of leave Samoa Joe in a kind of Squanto situation where there are people on both sides that mistrust him while trying to make his return "home". In that case it's like TNA being the "pilgrims" and RoH being the natives, at least in the landscape that a good portion of the TNA roster once called RoH home and now those wrestlers have accepted God into their lives and learned the true meaning of the word "body shame". Or something, maybe I'm mixing up missionaries, but you get the idea.
There is this real sense of "who is the real savage" mentality when it comes to wrestling. Some wrestling angles revolve around who is the true "pioneer" and who is really riding whose coattails. In TNA the storyline is fascinating because a case can be made in either case. Either you side with the "legends" who have laid the foundation for future wrestlers and helped carry the industry so that there would be an industry to even enter now. But you also have the guys in TNA who have been riding buses and packing 4 guys into a rinky dink hotel room just to keep the company afloat while the other "Big Shots" come in with their abbreviated work schedules and fat contracts. RoH welcomes back a "legend" like Samoa Joe and now he's getting the prime spots on the card, he's wrestling in main events and jobbing guys who have been toiling and working to keep RoH above board other stars have been having starring on television. Is everyone in the company supposed to just welcome back guys like Joe, Homicide, and the MCMG's and be happy their spots in the company are so disposable? In the WWE you have the 2nd Generation stars who felt they didn't have to pay dues the way that the old-timers did because it was a different time. Did Cena pay his dues? Did Batista pay his dues? Did I pay my dues in Cub Scouts? Hell no. And THAT is why I never made it past Webelos. But I digress. There has historically been a pull between those who were happy as they were until someone else drops anchor and tells them differently. In wrestling it's no different, only this struggle doesn't have a "right and wrong" only a side that gets booked to go over. Let's hope this time history lets the "natives" stand tall after the final bell.
The Truth
Is there room enough for "veterans" and "young guns"? Sure there is, problem is that there is not enough room in the main event scene for them all. You need to have the proven veterans around to keep fans interested, yet you need to accept the fact that there is a new era of wrestler and style of wrestling that will have to pave the way to the future. You have the old school "legends" and vets that think that young guys don't know how to tell a story. Then you have younger wrestlers who have the God given ability and athleticism that wasn't there in the old days that and they can do things in the ring that some of the older generation could never dream of, so why would they not take full advantage of that in order to blaze their own path and evolve the business? There is no right, there is no wrong, there is just differences of opinions and a differing belief that there is the "my way, or the highway". Then again, isn't the highway to hell paved with good intentions?
Coming Up Short
Remember that whole discussion about the value of a championship coming up short when it changes hands too many too many times in a short amount of time? Well it looks now like we almost HAVE to hope for a long John Cena title reign now. Wow…not something I thought I would ever write.
6 Degrees of…
Thanksgiving Themed of course…
Demi Moore once played a Puritan, which is kind of like a Pilgrim right? Well instead of going all predictable and linking her to Tatanka, Wahoo McDaniels, or Paul London (okay, he looks kinda close right?) I'm linking up a different kind of "Chief" to the OG Hollywood Cougar….
Chief Morley. Yeah, it's not like there was a whole boat load of other options right? You'd think there would have been more than maybe a handful of notable "Indians" in the past few decades of wrestling. Then again when is the last time you saw a wrestler with a Pilgrim gimmick?
Whatchu talkin' bout readers?
Stirred up a little controversy lately?
Paul London never injured anybody with a SSP, that was Billy Kidman...and he did it a lot.
Is the Briscoe's thing a joke? If it is, its not funny. If it isn't, its dumb.
Also, how can you mention Kingston, Ruckus and Sabian but leave out Joker? they are the BLK OUT you know.
Posted By: Curtis (Guest)
Again, it just must be my odd sense of humor, but I figured everyone knew the inside joke about Paul London being blamed for having the top rope moves banned in the WWE, but it was Kidman who landed on Chavo's head. Actually I wasn't aware or any other time where Kidman's SSP was a menace to other wrestlers, then again…I wasn't really aware of Kidman whenever he was actually in a ring. Why he ever gave up that gimmick with him having crabs is beyond me. Plus the Briscoes joke…well…I have no idea what those guys are. I mean, they gotta be mixed with something right? maybe part white…Puerto Rican…autism?
i don't if i should threaten you with violence or commend you on your big balls... anyway... just becuase a wrestling show would be on BET does not mean that the characters all have to be black or that all the whites would be heels... blacks already watch professional wrestling, remember? putting a show like that on BET would probably only fuck up BET's reputation moreso than it is now
Posted By: Guest#2572
I would go with threatening me with violence, just cuz' it always sounds funnier. "Man…I am going to kick your ASS for writing a column that made jokes about Black wrestlers, how DARE you not treat them with the respect, dignity, and seriousness that the rest of the televised wrestling world has. Boy…somebody better call my MAMA!!" also the point of the column wasn't to find a show to get on BET, it was around a show that was marketed to and featured Black folk. The point of this was kind of like that skit on the Chappell show where they had the opposite "Real World" where everyone was Black except for that one white guy. Besides, Asians watch wrestling too, but I'll be damned if I wouldn't make time to see a show on TFC that didn't feature mainly Filipino or Asian-Am wrestlers. Oh and in terms of BET's reputation…do they still run re-runs of "Smart Guy"? Exactly.
i know your more mature and professional than this. I used to admire you until i read this today. lost a fan bro.
Posted By: ubsclusives
Well…um…I'm not. Sucks though cuz' now that I lost a fan, I've got like…let's say…8 left? My mom still counts right? Even though she doesn't actually READ the column. Oh and guys…you need to lighten up about such a dark subject here. Damn it…I guess I can't stop making racist jokes. C'mon though, you really expect me to be able to keep it serious about a subject that no one who actually books these guys can? But in all seriousness, my intent was never to offend anyone or give anyone the impression that I was truly prejudice against any ethnicity, but you know…it's my style. I'm going to make someone laugh, even though I'm going to piss off the other two people behind him. My bad.
There were way too many black jokes...that being said, I could see BET* having a mostly black wrestling federation. They did have a Ultimate Fighter type show called the Iron Ring. It featured mostly black and latino american fighters. it was decent. The only thing with an all black promotion or a predominantly black promotion is that it shouldn't be billed as such.
SMH at the voice announcer saying something like: " BET presents BlackStar Wrestling"
It would have to be something that evokes urban. Fight Club Wrestling???
Posted By: bighustle
I'll give you that, maybe I should have saved one joke for this week and a "Black Friday" reference. Wait a sec, any chance MVP will start his own stable on Smackdown with that name? Okay, anyways I agree that the billing isn't as important as the overall roster and something tells me "Fight Club Wrestling" is going to guarantee we have Kimbo Slice as Champ.
Bayani:
I really appreciated your article. Most wrestling sites usually never talk about the Black demographic within wrestling. Anyway, as a fellow and PROUD African-American and longtime wrestling afficionado, I can tell you that a Black-owned group was something I always thought about and/or taked about with other folks for years.
I looked into this idea of yours, and I learned a few things:
1. Back in the old territory days, there were some promoters that would feature Black wrestlers (think of it as the equivalent to the Negro League in baseball); of course, this was during the 1950s or 60s (I think).
2. Some of the old school Black wrestlers, such as Tiger Conway, Sr., Jim "Black Panther" Mitchell, and others held what was referred to as the "Negro" Championship.
3. In recent years, there were various companies that were Black-owned that attempted to run nationally. Example:
a. Back in 2000, BET actually was going to showcase a group called "Urban Wrestling Alliance". It was supposedly
organized by Rocky Johnson. However, the network never showed any episodes. UWA was shown in syndication
in some parts of the country. Those who have seen this show can tell you that it featured a diverse group of
wrestlers (some well-known on the Indy level, some up-and-coming) such as Orlando Jordan, Mike Modest,
Tony Jones and others.
b. There's an old-school wrestler named Tom Jones that ran his Indy promotion as far back as 1998. The name
escapes me right now.
c. ECW/WWE alumni Jazz and her husband Rodney Mack set up their own company in the New Orleans area.
d. Booker T, of course, has his group and school outta Houston ("Pro Wrestling Alliance").
e. There was a company back East, in DC or Philly, called Urban Wrestling Empire. They combined Hip-Hop music
and its imagery with wrestling and featured some wrestlers that have appeared in Roh, CZW, Jersey All Pro,
etc.
4. For an in-depth look into this issue, pick up the book "Black Stars of Professional Wrestling" by Julian L.D. Shabazz.
As a matter of fact, Shabazz appeared along with Booker, Sharmell and Ernest "The Cat" Miller on an old BET show,
that was similar to Larry King's show, called "BET Tonight" that was hosted by Tavis Smiley back in 1998 or 1999.
5. Since I'm in a BET mood now, I also recall BET doing a documentary type show "How I'm Livin'" that featured
D-Von Dudley, Jonathan "coach" Coachman, and Jazz. I aslo remember Elix Skipper and Sharmell making an
appearance on another BET show (when WCW was still around). Booker hosted an edition of "BET's Rap City Top
25". Furthermore, I aslo saw some cats from WCW (Buff Bagwell, Scott Norton, Nash and Hall I think) showing up
on BET. I can't rememebr the show name, but it was surprising to say the least.
6. BET, as far as I know, is not going out of business. They're owned by Viacom (since 2000 or 2001) and have
been somewhat profitable within the past 4-6 years. Since BET was bought by Viacom, I think this is why that
UWA show never showed up, because WWE had that deal with Viacom at that time, and I think no other
company was to be featured on any Viacom programming except Vince and 'em.
Anyway, it would be nice to see a group like BWE or whatever you named it. I'd watch. Personally, I call it something like "Urban National Wrestling", or UNW, and try to make it like a hybrid between the old ECW, Ring of Honor and MMA ("UNW - The New Way of Sports").
Make the group racially diverse, make the singles and tag-teams divisions strong as hell and add a bunch of lady valets/managers and wrestlers ("UNW's Fighting Sistahs" or something) and you got yourself a dope fed, IMO.
Well, I hope you enjoy this long-winded email. I'll be reading your ish and 411mania, in general.
Take care....PEACE!!!!
-Dereck Allen Phillips, AKA "DAP"
First off…those are some bad ass initials. And when it comes to badass initials I know a thing or two about it…considering I'm, BBD. Which is only one of 4 reasons I don't trust a big butt and smile. Big butt, perhaps, smile, sure…but both together? Never. I don't have much to add to what DAP has to say other than I could see a Black-centric or at least Black owned wrestling company doing fairly well on a small level only because I think there is such an untapped market, and yes I KNOW Black wrestling fans already exist in the current wrestling market, that really could emerge if a company featured more Black wrestlers. I have a feeling there are a good number of Black "casual fans" who might tune in more routinely if a company like BET was able to interweave more of the urban culture in a more "authentic" way into wrestling. Then again I also thought WSX would be around for another season so what do I know?
6 Degrees Results
Um….yeah.
Left Overs…
If Jericho's Championship Reign was any more "Transitional" it would be taking estrogen 3 times a week, growing it's hair out, and shopping for bras at Lane Bryant.
The "worked" Jeff Hardy angle was interesting to say the least as the "e" managed to fool at least a couple of legit news sources. WWE.com reported early Sunday that Jeff had been rushed to an undisclosed hospital after being found unconscious in a stairwell at his hotel. Everyone was embarrassed to find out later that this was merely part of Jeff's audition tape for "Bad Girl's Club". It should have been a dead give away after they also found a bottle of Stoli Vanilla, 2 cold slices of pizza and a dried chunk of jizz in his bangs.
TNA will be changing the "group name" of the TNA Originals, since some of the wrestlers involved are not technically "Originals", thanks a LOT Rhino. Well if they do change the name of the young baby face group then they should have to change the name of the "Main Event Mafia" too. Maybe something like, "Future Endeavor".
TNA DVDs will soon be available in France. So that rotten smell coming from over there is now either the cheese…or an Eric Young match.
Word from Orlando is that TNA is interested in signing Super Crazy once his no-compete clause is up. Chances are however he will be added to the "Beautiful People's" stable alongside "Cute" Kip with the name "Uso Crazy". They are already working on a pink sequined poncho as I type this.
We'll soon finally get a debuting Kizarny? That's just kizrazy!!
Dustin Rhodes recently returned to RAW this week and looked a little out of shape. The man looked like a gay "water weenie" in that outfit. Someone needs to sell him on the idea of "Relaxed Fit".
TNA is planning to bring back the "Feast or Fired" match for an upcoming PPV, where by the winners gets a "briefcase" containing a title contract or a pink slip. The alternate name of the match was going to be called "Package or Re-Packaged". Early betting has Consequences Creed losing and being repackaged as "Gumbo Guy".
TNA is looking to bring over a BIG Japanese female wrestler to perhaps wrestle Amazing Kong at the next PPV. Click HERE if you want to see the spoiler.
The Great Booty Debate 2008
You know what I love most about Thanksgiving? The pie. Yeah.
Random Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week
Cristal Vang: Nothing better than a double dose of side boob. Whoops, I forgot about full boob.
Random Latina Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week
Elvida Santos: When zebras attack…or did she attack it first…not sure.
Former WWE Diva Trish Stratus has had her Travel series "Stratusphere" was picked up for a second season by the Travel and Escape Channel in Canada.
Reid Flair's first match will be teaming with his brother David against the Nasty Boys. It's like a fine ass chick bringing 3 ugly friends to the club instead of the standard 1. I know you they make you look better by comparison, but that's just overkill.
Apparently William Regal was eliminated so quickly in the Survivor Series match was because he had either a cold or the flu. Which now means that CM Punk has a new version of his finisher called the "Nyquil". "Sleep like you did BEFORE you were caught with your 1st violation of the Wellness program".
You know what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving season? A fresh paycheck in the bank, a belly full of prime rib and pumpkin pie, and a my ass sitting in a casino in Las Vegas while you chumps are at home right now fighting over who gets the drumstick and why you have to watch "Yo Gabba Gabba" instead of the ‘Boys whoopin' the hell out of my Seattle Seahawks. Real talk, son. Real talk.
