Truth B Told 01.01.09: Year in B-View

Posted by Bayani Domingo on 01.01.2009

We’re all busy this Holiday season, some of us are even to busy to write a full column *ahem*, but this week TBT takes a few minutes to reflect on all the things we’ve learned in 2008 from the world of wrestling.


My guess is that 75% of the people reading this column right now are reading it either on Saturday morning or very late Friday evening. If you're bright eyed and bushy tailed enough to actually read anything longer than the directions on the back of the bottle of Aspirin then you clearly did not party hard enough on New Year's eve. Then again we're talkin' about wrestling fans here, so how many of us spent the evening ringing in 2009 with a marathon of the unopened RoH DVD's we got for X-mas or trying to actually unlock "Afro Thunder" on the TNA Impact game by playing for 12 hours straight? The answer is probably 15% of us. Okay, so I'm rounding down. Point is, we are all (and by "all" I mean 35% or so) busy people, so who has time to read a full column on New Year's Day, let alone write one before it? That is why I decided to save you all some time (and myself as well) by condensing this column into a nifty little gem you can polish off between bouts of puking up the rest of the Jaeger you had last night and trying to polish off the last of the Hot Wings you have left over underneath that pile of used red solo cups. So this week we have the annual "Year in B-view", aka, shit we learned by watching wrestling.

I realized this year that wrestling actually follows the same basic principles as most businesses during economic crisis. The WWE laid off some folks due to "cost cutting" in fact some real surprises this year as well as cutting down on the number of new Developmental Talents they are carrying, not to mention TNA also trimming a bit of "fat" during the worst recession we've had in recent history. An economic recession which has only been rivaled by HBK's follicle recession, MVP's career path recession, and ECW's jiggly titty recession. Seriously, we're down to Alicia Fox's and Tommy Dreamer as the only ‘boobs' left on ECW. PPV buyrates were on a roller coaster this year, but it looks like they will be down overall for the year, the stock prices in the "E" dropped like the testicles on a 13 year old boy, and TNA has been struggling lately to fill seats at their once very popular House Shows, even with the promise of as much Eric Young and Stone Cold Sharky as the crowd could ever want…which was about 28 seconds. Wrestling is no more safe from the economic cycle as an unattended cupcake is from JBL.

RoH is quickly becoming the "Little Indy Company that Could"…but never actually does. Now I understand I'm going to take some heat here because my own local Indy company, PWG, seems to be in a real world of flux right now, but the fact is that as much as PWG has seemed to fall short of expectations (problems with BoLA, no Japan show, very short show schedule), it was RoH that was poised to break out. They had their PPV deal, they were importing in more talent from Japan than the sex slave ring funded by Mr. Fuji and Funaki, they were debuting in even more cities this year than ever including some new Canadian venues, Cary seemed to be flirting with the idea of getting RoH on actual TV stations…like Oxygen or maybe a special hour of "Quacker Factory" on QVC, and not to be outdone they were poised to get a measure of publicity by being part of Mickey Rourke's big comeback movie "The Wrestler"…which also inspired one particular member of the roster that seemed to look eerily like the title character with a very similar career path…boy Grizzly Redwood really took that movie to heart didn't he? RoH just seemed to have a lot of moment going in it's favor this year, but sadly it seemed like that momentum really didn't turn into anything too tangible as the PPV numbers didn't do well, attendance was "good" but not great around the usual venues, but still struggled in some of the new territories they ventured out to. RoH also managed to completely avoid the West Coast again this year as it seems that they are almost a little gun shy after the perceived flops of the Las Vegas and California shows from a year ago. unfortunately the timing for an RoH return to Cali couldn't have been better as staging an RoH show featuring a "tag team" tournament would have worked nicely during the height of the "Prop 8" hysteria would have worked out nicely, or perhaps a slight tweak to Rhett "Addicted to Alternative Love" Titus' gimmick would have brought in a crowd.

It just seemed like RoH just hit a plateau about mid-year and couldn't gain any more traction. That's probably around the time that Cary Silkin knew that something had to change and the brain trust behind the "book", Gabe, had to go. I would love to say that "the company is clearly going into a new direction", but I'm not even sure what that direction is. Cary didn't need to hire Adam Pearce to book his company, he needed to hire TomTom. It appears that the new push is to book RoH with more gimmicks, characters, and more story driven angles than ever before and to slowly tone down the acrobatics a bit in the hopes of making RoH a little closer to the WWE than I'm sure any of their fans would feel comfortable with, but once again we can look back at the old axiom that "as long as it gets them on TV, they can eventually become a real "alternative" again". But remember how well that went for TNA? Some "alternative" that became. I guess you really can't trust any Indy company to really evolve into something bigger and more successful these days, even your own personal favorite local fed. As worried as I am for the longevity of PWG, it doesn't help when the "crown jewel of the Indy world" (no, not Prince Nana) is having their own trouble. I wonder if the "cost cutting measures" will truly mean less Morishima and Marufuji and more pick pocketing bums and Ninjas?

Sometimes the WWE just runs out of steam when it comes to mid-carders and runs out of storylines for main eventers. It's like sometime around the beginning of the "Road to Wrestlemania" the creative team just flips a coin and decides to start burying mid-card and lower card talent and pressing "reset" on the uppercard guys. MVP, Santino, Shelton, CM Punk, and Fit Finlay all seem to be kind of treading water lately. MVP is getting the "go ahead and quit if you want since we have nothing for you" nega-push, Santino was faring well as the IC Champion only to be shunted back down to lower-card jobber status, Shelton is…Shelton, CM Punk is now fighting tooth and nail for a mid-card title after previously holding two "World" championships, and Finlay is still stuck with a Leprechaun that makes it almost impossible for him to be taken seriously and even get a sniff of the ECW title, which is about the easiest damn "World Title" to win. At one point during the year it seemed like each man was going to take the next step to finally cement their status in the "main event" but none of them broke through. Now it seems like it will be months and months before the next "finally achieved his dream music video" tribute will be put together. As many guys as there are now in the "main event scene", simply adding the Hardy Boyzzz aren't going to cut it. Especially when one of them is pretty much relegated to ECW without a compelling rival for his title.

What's worse is that you are stuck with a group of main event guys who are kind of running around without any fresh ideas or match-ups. HHH has been surprisingly quiet this year as he's sort of stuck in neutral character-wise with the DX-stuff only managing to keep him somewhat relevant. Randy Orton is finding new life with his back-up stable, but that stable took so long to form and is still in so much flux that I'm beginning to get bored with it already. The problem is that you created a stable with potentially 7 or 8 (or more) members that could end up rivaling either the New World Order or…the Magnificent Seven…yeah…that last one was a "well thought out concept". Matt Hardy is already boring as the ECW Champion, Khali is a former champion turned cougar…er….Sabertooth Tiger bait, Undertaker's gimmick is "lather rinse repeat", Big Show is a stooge for Vickie, Edge got doughy, and the only thing "cutting edge" about John Cena has been his Gillette Fusion. The only real change I've seen or "refresh" of characters has been Y2J's return (thank God) and the JBL/HBK angle. Which is ridiculous. How the hell am I to believe that HBK is flat busted? Did the man put all his money into WWE stock and a small textile company specializing in pleather chaps? I know that the "e" tends to give HBK these vague motivations in angles and hopes his ring work and acting abilities to make it work. Usually he does, so I guess I'll have to reserve judgment for when Wrestlemania comes around because it seems like each year the "e" finds a way to try and showcase Shawn Michaels and this year it seems like they're going to try and give him a Texas-Super-Sized match-up. Wrestling is about trying to keep things "fresh" and it seems like the "e" needs a little more "Arm & Hammer" if they are looking to keep us excited going into the new year with some fresh matches.

Not to say that 2009 doesn't have potential. I liked what I saw out of the Punk/HBK match, the Orton/HBK pairing is still fresh, Jeff Hardy vs HHH has been okay, and Matt Hardy vs…um….err…, well let's just say that there are still some good matches left, let's not forget Batista has Orton to deal with, Cena to battle again, he has a continued feud with "Father Time" and HgH to comeback to. Basically the man has to get healthy and stay healthy, but if it means he has to drop the excess muscle and change up his…'supplemental diet" will he still be as popular as a less large than life "Animal"? Something I've come to realize is that "match style" has less to do with injuries than an individuals own "wellness level". Batista, ‘Taker, Mr. Kennedy, Cena, Orton, Mysterio, Edge, and Umaga have all missed significant time due to injuries. While a few of them were due to "mishaps and accidents" most of them were due to either nagging injuries or simply mysterious "muscle tears' due to "wear and tear" which of course had nothing to do with any sort of "nutritional supplements" some of them were rumored to be ingesting. It's a miracle that HHH managed to keep a clean bill of health. By comparison it seems like TNA has managed to avoid a bullet by keeping most of their roster relatively healthy for most of the year. Now is it because TNA wrestlers work a "safer' and less risky style of wrestling? Or is it because TNA wrestlers manage to keep their level of "wellness" in tact by more natural means? While Kurt Angle seems to be kept together by smoke, mirrors, and duct tape, the rest of the roster managed to stay in the ring and off of the surgeon's table, you have to wonder if at some point the pursuit of "physical perfection" that the "e" demands will start to catch up to them because the "e" needs to build up a whole new level of true "Superstars" to not only step in for the injured ones throughout the year, but also that top level that is getting close to or is at middle age, when wrestlers really hit the downside of their careers. HBK and ‘Taker can't wrestle forever…ask Ric Flair, he tried.

I've also learned that TNA is pretty stuck firmly behind the "e" and there is no real strong sense of them ever becoming "true competition". While they seem to have found a niche and will be able to exist for at least several more years based on the moderate success they have gained over the past few years, they aren't in the league of the "e". The WWE for all of their faults are still a global phenomenona and the standard bearer when it comes to wrestling. I don't care what you say about "work rate", match quality, or "heart", the WWE is still the "Gold Standard" world wide when it comes to wrestling and so far TNA has been unable to catch that same lightening in a bottle that will allow them to become a real competitor to the throne. I have no real answer for what they need to do either. Will better matches on TV do the trick? Maybe during a 2 hour wrestling show an hour can actually be wrestling? Are the increased schedule of house shows really translating to more viewers and PPV buys? Nope. I don't have an answer for TNA and I don't think Dixie, Double J, and especially Russo have a clue either, so I guess the question is if TNA should be happy with where they are as 2nd banana or whether they have to be bold enough to make a really big move? Wait, do we even know what that move is going to be? I wonder if TomTom can book two feds at once?

If you manage to lower your expectations a bit there are a lot of "bit players" and potential "entertaining wrestlers", maybe not "Super Stars", but good solid entertaining and hard working wrestlers that are starting to emerge. I think a lot of us are waiting to see who the next Cena, Sting, Flair, or Hogan is going to be, but perhaps the days of the true "Super Star" are behind us. I look at some of the guys I have really become fans of around wrestling like Santino, Jack Swagger, Morrison, Cody Rhodes, Kofi, Kenny Omega, Chuck Taylor, Tyler Black, Consequences Creed, and even Ricky Ortiz (yes, I AM ashamed) and realize that there is a good number of mid-card guys who I enjoy, almost more than the main event guys. I don't think we're in for a new crowning of the "next best thing" but rather a re-awakening of a more well rounded roster of players that make up a lot of good solid companies. There is really a good number of guys to "enjoy" in the coming year, but for some reason there hasn't been a lot to get "excited' about. Then again who knew that a scant 4 or 5 years ago a rookie crop of Cena, Orton, and Batista would turn into the majority of the main event of the WWE. While 2008 was a year of "promises that didn't deliver" I think of 2009 as a year of re-evaluation in the world of wrestling, don't be surprised if a company or two (Indy or not) take their balls and go home. No homo.

The Truth

We thought that '08 was going to be a break through year for wrestling, it wasn't. we saw wrestlers try to be actors and actors try to be wrestlers, I guess "The Marine" just isn't going to get the buzz that "The Wrestler" is getting. 2008 was a year of recession across the board while I see '09 being the year of "retention", just trying to hold your place in the industry and hope that '10 will bring prosperity. It was a "decent" year in wrestling all around, not the break through into main stream we were hoping for, at least not yet. let's just pray and hope that industry doesn't have to rely on Mickey Rourke for redemption….*shutters*.

Left Overs…

I've gotta recharge the jokes for '09…let's just assume this would have been a "Lita Joke", okay?

The Great Booty Debate 2009

To end a great '08 and usher in a fine '09 I'll throw you guys a bone and keep to the old GBD for the cumming year. Plus, for those of you with a ‘sweet tooth' who have been pleading for a taste of "chocolate"…enjoy. Almost makes up for the rest of the lazy ass column.

Random Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week



Nilanti Narain: India is still technically "Asia"…just like giving up "anal" still technically makes you a virgin. Hey, if you can convince her of that then (jimmy) hats off to you.

Random Latina Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week



Belen Rodriguez: Not the "head" I was thinking of her grabbing.

Random Black Chick Lookin' Good Pic of the Week



Lola Luv: She's fine and all, but even I'M not stupid enough to call a Black chick a "bitch", no matter what the TBT tradition is.

Things are not easy this time of year. Having columns go up on X-Mas and New Years day is a killer. Not to mention an impending business trip to China in two weeks, it looks like your buddy "B" is going to have to really figure out how to make this all work. Everyone has their rough patches, but I guess with all things you have to look at the oncoming year and prioritize. Hopefully TBT will run strong into '09, but you never know. So cheers to the hope and promise of a New Year and let's just hope I can keep it together long enough to see the road to Wrestlemania and not end up under it.

Till then, the Truth will set you free.

-B