Out of the Ashes - The Fans Speak Submitted by BlazingPhoenix on Sunday, September 22, 2002 at 6:03 PM EST
Out of the Ashes
Howdy, all, and welcome back to Out of the Ashes. I am, as per usual, Blazing Phoenix, and I really don’t have anything to talk about this week.
“Then why are you writing this?” you may ask.
It’s quite simple, really. Last week, as you may recall, I wrote about the ever-increasing amount of sports-entertainment in the WWE, and how it has gotten out of hand. Following that column, I got a large amount of email regarding the subject.
To my surprise, it was entirely in agreement with my opinions. So I have decided to post three of the best emails I received. This is not to say that they were the only good ones, but I thought these ones made the best points, and were very interesting, and as you will see, from different perspectives.
So without further ado, I present to you...
Heated Arguments
DP from New Hampshire writes:
I had a thought, something in the back of my mind that i recalled after reading your article. I think that WWE's whole perspective is just wrong. Wrestling is not meant to garner massive ratings. I'm sorry, but it really is a niche show. I think the 98 'Austin feud' was a fluke. The stars and planets were just aligned in Vince's favor that year, and Austin was the right character at the right time in the right place. Non-wrestling fans were tuning in to see this employer vs. boss feud because it was so entertaining. The ratings went through the roof, WCW went out of business, it all looked like WWE was on the top of their game.
But it also raised the bar, i believe, forever in Vince's mind. He got a taste of fame, ego, and profits, after getting ratings higher than Monday Night Football. Obviously this all went to his head (XFL... need i say more?). Someone needs to tell Vinny Mac that you can't force lightning to strike the same spot twice. I hate to see wrestling being turned inside out because of Vince's ratings lust, and that's what seems to me is happening. Storylines and gimmicks, as i recall, used to be secondary to wrestling. In fact, for me most of the story is told in the ring, at least when you have good wrestlers with an understanding of psychology.
And as far as gimmicks... look, most good gimmicks are extentions of the actual wrestlers personality and/or in-ring style. Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Randy Savage, Flair, Jimmy Snuka, RVD... could you imagine Shawn Michaels with Austin's gimmick? Or Bret Hart with Flair's? It seems like WWE thinks "We need a pornstar... or we need a pimp... who can we slap this gimmick on? How about the world's strongest man? We haven't used that one before..." The problem in my mind is, they need new talent that can wrestle and say 'Bon Voyage' to those that are a burden to the show... the Big Shows, Tests, Rikishis, Undertakers (yeah right, thats just wishful thinking on my part), etc...
They need to, in my opinion, go back to 5 PPVs a year and actually take time to tell a story. They need to get writers who are actually old school wrestling fans, not somebody who wrote for 'All My Children' or whatever. And I know this just sounds like a lot of complaining, because I do appreciate guys like Angle, Benoit, and RVD, who work their asses off in the ring and keep the show watchable. I just wish that Vince would go back to his roots and do what he's always done best, not sports entertainment, not attitude, not ruthless aggression, just wrestling.
-Obviously, I’m highlighting some of the more key passages (in my opinion) that DP made. It’s true, wrestling is a niche sport. It’s not a major thing like football or baseball. When it was for a period of time, Vince loved it, and wants it back now. It’s not likely to happen again, and he should accept that and move on.
Mike from Tennessee writes:
I, like you, was not a fan and was kind of put out by the whole HLA thing on RAW, but it didn't really bother me as much because I saw a "three minutes" thing coming from a mile away. I do think that the notion of throwing that at us at a live show was a bad idea. I would have been really pissed off if I had taken my kids to that show and had to explain what HLA was all about all night.
I was also EXTREMELY miffed about the "commitment ceremony" on Smackdown. I guess they felt like they had to bring that angle to an end somehow, and that would be the way to do it. However, I want to include here an except from an email that I sent to WWF Fan Services on Monday, Sept 9, where I wrote the following:
"I am here to tell you that if I don't read in the spoilers that the "gay wedding" angle is not a swerve, I will not be watching. I am sure that countless thousands of others share my opinion. I am not anti-gay, nor am I gay myself, and I understand that none of the "participants" are either. I also don't care what the New York Times is doing about this controversial issue, because I don't live in New York. I simply have yet to see a wedding angle in wrestling that was worthy of watching or following, and I feel that whatever your sexual preference is it is your business and nobody else's. I really hope that I find out ahead of time that Eric Bischoff is going to show up, perhaps as the priest in disguise, and guarantee us that he would have these two hitched in "oh, say....three minutes?". Now THAT would be entertaining!"
OK, so maybe I saw that one coming too. The problem is that the storylines are so over the top that they are becoming too predictable. Remember when the Horsemen would go attack somebody for reasons known only to themselves? How the action told the story, and the wrestlers didn't have to be actors? Used to be we got a lot more action, wrestlers were believable, live matches were hot and many live matches would go for an hour. Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes did it for years. You can't tell me that a HHH or a Kurt Angle can't go that long and make a match exciting. TV matches for the TELEVISION title went for a 20 minute time limit. And wrestlers at the end of their match would cut a promo that lasted 60 seconds or less and could hype themselves and their feud in that time. They didn't have elaborate pyrotechnics and their own entrance theme like some Dudley Do Right cartoon, and those that did NOT have it played every time they showed up anywhere in the arena.
Who put all this into place? Who got it started? We are where we are because of Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan. Hogan was never believable, was never all that great of a wrestler even, but was somehow charismatic enough to make crowds love him all over the world. After Hogan, we had Steve Austin, who was more believable, and had a different type of charisma that crowds loved. Now, we have the Rock, whose popularity appears to be fading a little and besides that, he is off making movies.
WWE is looking for the next thing that clicks. Going the way they did was bad, and they should be ashamed for going with the gay angle and the HLA. They sure did get the TNN and GLAAD folks wound up into a tizzy, and they did not get themselves any more over than they were before in doing so. They are reaching, trying to get back to that place they were a couple of years ago, when all they have to do is let the wrestlers tell the story IN THE RING. Backstage promos, gay weddings, "3 minute" scenarios, and 20-minute opening promos aren't getting it any more, because they are too over the top.
Like the signs say every night.....SHUT UP AND WRESTLE.
- Once again, some very similar points made. However, Mike took a big step and let the WWE know how he felt. Perhaps it’s something we should all do. In fact, even the WWE’s own writers are realizing this (Read here ), and even made note of the same signs in the audience. Coincidence?
Finally, Julie from Michigan writes:
I just wanted to let you know that I agreed with your column 100%. Unlike many of the columnists on the net, I am very new to wrestling. My first real exposure to it came in January of this year as an invite to a PPV party being held by my brother-in-law. I was hooked from the start and proceeded to buy up many DVDs from the previous two years and borrowed as many tapes as I could get my hands on. I loved the storylines and the characters and was really looking forward to sustaining my enjoyment for quite some time. Lately, however, I have no desire to watch an entire episode of RAW (forget Smackdown, haven't liked that show since the brand split). I am appalled by the current gay/lesbian angle and the Unamerican angle is entirely inappropriate, in my opinion.
What I fell in love watching when I first became interested in WWE is only a shadow of the company as it's viewed today. I now tune in to see if my favorite will be wrestling and if he isn't, then I usually just wait for the recaps. I haven't watched a PPV all summer and by the looks of things this Sunday will be no different. I haven't given up on wrestling but there are many things that need to change before it becomes a must see on my tv.
It's nice to know other people feel the same way. I thought maybe I was still just an outsider learning what sold tickets and increased ratings. It's nice to know that my assumptions that it was the talent of wrestling not these ludicrous storylines that make the WWE successful and entertaining.
-This one really made me feel good. Typically, I get angry about the “newbie” fans who love all this stuff, and propagate Vince’s opinions about the product. But as long as there is one person who hates it when they’re suppose to love it, then it might spread like wildfire, and maybe FINALLY, someone will see the light and make the changes.
Dousing the Blaze
Thank you once again to all the people who wrote and expressed their opinions on the subject. Also, thank you for giving me the permission to use your emails. Yes, I do ask for permission. And I also obviously give credit. So if you were ever holding back because you were afraid I’d rip you off, you shouldn’t anymore.
For my next edition, I’m planning on doing a “Remember When?” Edition. Its format will be essentially one-liners about then and now.
Example: Remember when DDTs were devastating finishing moves and not transition spots?
That’s a pretty basic example, but that should help you get the drift. If you have anything like that, please send them to me, along with how you would like to be credited.
Of course, you’re free to send other thoughts or comments.
