Corner to Corner: Is that right?
Submitted by Stan Grubb on Thursday, March 27, 2003 at 9:34 PM EST



Sometimes, you just can't help but ask. You hear the words, you see the transcripts, hell you probably watched the promo. Still, you just sit there, wondering, IS THAT RIGHT? Could it be possible? Is there a way that will really take place?





Corner to Corner: Is That Right?




Greetings and salutations everyone! Welcome back to Corner to Corner! This week we're here for that all too important look at the Pre-Wrestlemania NONSENSE that has already flooded the internet and television. Call me the trash man, because tonight I'm taking it OUT. So join me, Stan Grubb, as we take a gander or two. Ready?


OFF WE GO!




Hype does wonders, doesn't it?


As usual, the WWE has been flooding us with the usual pay per view nonsense. What disappoints me this time around is that Wrestlemania is pretty much a predictable show from start to finish. I think we can all envision any possible ending for each match. I think it's clear that Hogan will probably trash McMahon, and some lame swerve will result. I think we can all be comfortable in expecting Triple H to lose to Booker T. Well maybe not THAT comfortable. Anyhow, the point is we all seem to have a grasp on what will happen this Sunday.


I read Vince is concerned with the ratings dropping. I would be too. They are hyping a show that seems to be based upon PAST successes. The only exception seems to be Angle vs Lesnar, and we all seem to wonder how that will go. Austin vs Rock won't be any less entertaining than last time, but I feel that we the fans will not want it as bad as we did before. Why? It's the third time we've seen it at Mania. What else is there to prove? So what if Rock pins Austin. Who cares? Why should anybody want to see two guys who for the better part of a year didn't compete? One guy needed a break and the other guy was making movies. Do I care that either one wants to prove something? Not in the slightest. Hype doesn't make a show guys and gals. WORK, TALENT, and the biggest deal of all INTEREST makes a SHOW.



I'm interested in watching HBK vs Jericho. I'm interested in the Smackdown title bouts. I'm interested in Kane/RVD vs Storm and Morely for the Raw Tag straps. And WHY? Each match WAS built correctly and gave us reason to care. HBK vs Jericho will be good simply because both men have done so well in keeping us watching their back and forths since the Royal Rumble. The Smackdown titles have been built and handled very well. The tag title three way will have us on our feet simply because of the STACKED talent involved. The story behind it has us interested because of how Benoit has been trying to get to Angle while Haas and Benjamin keep him at bay. He gets Rhyno as a partner and now they're primed to eliminate the problem. The Guerreros are involved because of how they lost the belt sand they want revenge. It will come full circle and we can finally enjoy a culmination of efforts from all six men. I, for one, feel this may be the match of the night.



Then we get to Angle vs Lesnar. How can you not want to see the two best wrestlers in WWE (next to Benoit) compete at the biggest show WWE has to offer? With this match, we have a very solid buildup, the talent, and definitely a solid amount of interest. This should be the main event, but with McMahon vs Hogan all we'll get is the Triple Main event routine. How messed up is that? Angle may well be wrestling his last match ever and we have to have it slid down the card so two 50 year old men can have a street fight?



I respect Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon for what they have both done for this business. Let there be no mistake. That, however, is where it ends. I have never wanted to watch Vince McMahon compete at Wrestlemania. YES, it is a fight that we will all enjoy, but is it really necessary? Why not have it at a different pay per view? I think it just bugs me that we could have some other stuff take place, other talents perform, before having to watch them both go at it. Still, since it's the Wrestlemania of past successes, I suppose it's just following the pattern already set forth.



I just want to see a good show. I want Wrestlemania to not suck like these stupid shows have sucked before. RAW and Smackdown both have been slipping and improving in such sporadic increments, we don't get a chance to really enjoy or understand their work. I mean, Rodney Mack gets on RAW and then he's gone. The Hurricane and The Rock have AWESOME segments only to have Hurricane not compete following a big win against the Rock. Hogan gets his head smacked in almost all the time now, and all it does is make me wonder why he's still competing. There was no buildup for his match with the Rock at No Way Out, and yet he's wrestling at Mania. The Big Show and A-Train are facing Nathan Jones and The Undertaker, and we don't have a damn clue as to why ANYBODY should give two craps about that one. The bottom line here is that the inmates are STILL running the asylum.



It's high time Triple H McMahon shit or got off the pot. It's time for The Big Show and the A-Train to go. There are many people out there more deserving of these positions. It's time to just put them there. Why the hell would signing Goldberg be a good thing? Why should anyone want to watch a man who's sole concern is that his paychecks are bigger each time out? Sure, he'll spike ratings for a bit. And SURE he will get the interest of fans until his popularity wanes. IT will too. He didn't give a damn about coming to wrestle for the fans, because if he did he would have signed up LONG ago. He didn't give a damn about the WWE because he was clearly ignorant about their efforts in MULTIPLE causes. He wanted paychecks and he wanted to criticize the WWE's direction with HLA and such. He claimed he would have no part. Well gosh Bill, maybe the Ultimate Warrior and you could start a tag team. You can call yourselves the HYPOCRITES! Piss off Goldberg. I, for one, don't have any desire to watch a hypocritical money-hound. Don't misinterpret these words either. Corner to Corner is not a column that cares about what religion a wrestler has, what race he/she is, or any of that nonsense. All I care about in this column is the BUSINESS.



A word about last week
Last week, I came out and talked about the war. Why? Simple. The fact that we are in a war, puts the business in a spot. It must be recognized that whether or not the war is necessary, we're there and it is happening right now. I don't want to debate on whether or not war is right and whether or not we're being tyrannical. It's a moot point now. We're there, and unfortunately, no protest will stop that. The best of intentions are surely on everyone's mind, but I feel our best move is to say a prayer for the troops and pray this war ends soon. That's all I have to say on that.



RAW and Smackdown's Individual PPVs



Recently, I read that WWE will be giving Raw and Smackdown their own ppvs, respectively. Does this mean we will be seeing better quality shows? Will the WWE finally go all out and bring back the mid card titles? I think so. It's difficult to predict things that are on such a broad scale, but in this columnists opinion, the time is right for a full scale expansion effort. That means, bring back the US and IC titles. It means, make some mid card and undercard feuds. Give the fans reasons to care about your shows. Stop promoting talk-a-thons with Triple H McMahon and start promoting title bouts and intriguing plot twists. I'm starting to agree that the WWE needs to have only a few writers per brand and not an entire team. If they keep the team, they need to give the wrestlers a more active role in how their fueds work. Steve Austin may very well be a lot of things, but I don't feel he is a selfish worker like some of the others out there. It's just time they got this crap right, because their ratings are dropping regardless of anything they do. It's time to take the fight to the people and start busting ass like they did in 97-99. Nobody wants to see nostalgia all year long. It's time we got our money's worth folks. Now is definitely the time.



WOW! What a mouthful this week. I hope you all enjoyed it as I always enjoy sharing my thoughts with all of you. Thanks again for reading and hey, if ya get a chance, drop me a line and give me YOUR thoughts! Catch ya later!



--Stan Grubb--


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