Wrestling's Fact or Fiction: Paul Heyman, Hollywood Writers & Soap Opera Angles, Shane Douglas
Submitted by Phantom Lord on Tuesday, November 18, 2003 at 12:39 AM EST



Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. It is I Phantom Lord, your ring master of sorts for the debate you are about to read. As always joining us is LOP’s man who calls it right down the middle. The one and only Da Ref. Joining us this week is the current PWA World Heavyweight Champion and LOP Exhaulted Ruler…Villiano 187. I know this week shall be heat filled, so on to the first question.

Fact or Fiction: Paul Heyman should remain as the General Manager of Smackdown no matter if Stephanie McMahon comes back to Smackdown

Da Ref: FACT. I really think Heyman is better for the show on a whole because
unlike Stephanie, he's able to help get guys over more. When he introduced Matt Morgan and Nathan Jones as the first two members of Team Lesnar for Survivor Series, I actually believed that they were true superstars right then and there. I had forgotten that Nathan Jones was...well, Nathan Jones. Heyman has had the gift of being able to take anyone and elevate them with just a quick promo about them. Plus, isn't it time to just scale back on the McMahons? If we can't get rid of all of them, let's just hope there's only
one.

Phantom: Oh come on, you know this is a FACT. Smackdown has actually gotten better since the Billion Dollar Princess has left. Granted the show has become a haven for the BAH GAWD HOSSES, but over all I like the flow Paul Heyman gives to it. If the Wrestling Gods would just let Heyman have real control over Smackdown then maybe 2004 wouldn’t be doomed to be such a bad year. I just dread her return. We all know it will be her screwing over someone to get back into her Daddy’s good graces. It’s the typical McMahon Recycling Formula. Personally I don’t care if she’s on my tv, but if she is I would like her to be wearing a Leather Skirt and some boots. It’s the least she can do for us the long suffering wrestling fans.

Villiano: FACT SmackDown needs fresh characters, and Paul Heyman is a sigh of relief. He’s been great since becoming SmackDown GM, and the numbers don’t lie. The past 4 SmackDown’s with Paul Heyman as GM have shot up in the ratings. I don’t know if those numbers went up because of Paul Heyman’s presence or because of Steph’s absence, but I’m gonna give the credit to Heyman.

Fact or Fiction: One off appearances with guys like Lex Luger is a smart business move on the part of NWA-TNA to draw in older fans

Villiano: Folks will buy the initial PPV’s with these big names stopping by for one appearance, but NWA-TNA won’t get many long term fans from this age group they are trying to pull in. These fans like slower paced matches and hosses, they don’t like luchadores and smaller wrestlers with a fast paced match. That’s why the older fans won’t purchase the NWA-TNA PPV’s after buying it once to see one of their old heroes, which makes this FICTION.

Phantom: I’m going to say FACT on this one. Having people show up out of the blue works wonders for the whole “You never know what’s going to happen” factor. TNA has proven over the last year to be a much more compelling show then RAW and Smackdown. TNA gives you the factor of the unknown and someone like a Hacksaw Jim Duggan showing up is a welcome change to the same cookie cutter matches you get elsewhere. I think in the long run that will help TNA pull in viewers. As an added bonus you get to see the people you grew up watching get another shot in the spotlight.

Da Ref: I gotta go with FICTION. Bringing in guys for one appearance costs money. I know that a lot of people are looking at that and saying "Duh!" but let me explain. It costs the fee that the worker charges plus there are other things to consider. First of all, it's a crap shoot as to whether or
not their name will boost the buyrate of the show. Let's say that it does add a few more buys. What then? If the guy is only doing one show, how do you keep those extra buys? I realize the product should do that if it's good. That's not always true because a good number of wrestling fans will tune in if they hear that one of their favorites on the show but won't tune in again until that person is back. Plus, Luger was never really a favorite among the older fans.

Fact or Fiction: The decision to have Hollywood writers with no wrestling experience troubleshooting RAW and Smackdown is a bad idea for the WWE

Phantom: In the long run this is going to be a FACT. In the interview I did with fellow LOP Columnist Dumass on his own wrestling company, he said it point blank. Hollywood Writers who do not have a clue or want to learn the business have no place in it. Watching RAW tonight was seriously like watching a Soap Opera. I’m seriously waiting for someone to “die” just so they can come full circle on all this soap opera shit. I don’t mind sports entertainment, but if Hollywood Writers are going to only focus on the stuff in between matches then it’s going to screw the company over in the long run.

Villiano: The booking and writing should be given back to people with experience in the wrestling business, not Hollywood. The Al Wilson debacle, Katie Vick’s dead body being humped in a casket full of spaghetti, and many other angles you wish you had never seen came from the minds of these Hollywood writers, which clearly makes this a FACT. Bring back Ole Anderson. He may have been a crappy booker and writer at some times(see Black Scorpion), but at least he had a grasp of the business.

Da Ref: FACT. Here is the situation. The past couple of years have not been very good to WWE/F. Why? The writers that have been creating the programming have been people with no experience when it comes to wrestling. What's the solution? Well, let's just say that you don't fix a shotgun wound to the chest by shooting them in the leg with the same shotgun.

Fact or Fiction: Nathan Jones will one day live up to the hype surrounding his character as an unbeatable monster

Da Ref: FICTION. It's still Nathan Jones. You can give him long hair, tattoos, and have fresh blood dripping from his lips. However, it's still the same guy the company built up for months but was a huge disappointment.

Villiano: Fiction. You can hype the guy as a monster all they want, but when he’s doing the job every other week to a smaller wrestler, the fans aren’t going to buy it. Jones has some basic talent, but he hasn’t seemed to catch onto the system. Send this guy back to OVW so he can learn something, then bring him back with a lot of hype, don’t just have him show up one day. Play some vignettes and hype this guy coming back, then he may have a chance to get over. Unfortunately, this won’t happen.

Phantom: He’s an example of someone who’s all bark and no bite. So Fact on this one. Sadly after Chris Benoit wins the WWE Title, he will job it to Jones the next week on Smackdown because as we know, those big clumbsy guys like Jones are the wave of the future. Screw those midgets and Mexicans. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO A BIG BOOT AND POWERBOMB TO GET OVER IN THIS BUIDNESS BOY. For the love of god note the sarcasm in that one

Fact or Fiction: Diva’s like Nidia and Linda Miles (Shaniquia) getting implants sends the wrong message to female wrestlers and women in general

Da Ref: FACT. It's as if women need saline more than ability to be a part of the company. I've taken heat from readers concerning my stance on the women's division. Yet, things like this just make me believe more and more about what I've said. WWE isn't interested in creating a solid women's WRESTLING division and the fact that a large number of women have had breast augmentation surgery backs that up.

Phantom: Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for hot chicks and lots of cleavage, but when I see Linda Miles (Who I think has a great body) come back after a couple week’s and suddenly she had larger breasts and then Nidia who has a great body to begin with has just gotten them, I think something is seriously wrong. So I’m gonna say FACT on this one. Basically the WWE is sending the message to every Female wrestler that if you sign with us, your going to be getting an upgrade. Sure some women need it but others do not. I dread seeing Nidia when she comes back because she probably has Double D’s now. I’m afraid of what will happen with Alexis Laree. She hasn’t been around for a while. Is she suddenly going to look “bigger” when she debuts? It’s just sending the wrong message. God forbid these chicks get over on their own merits.

Villiano: The WWE treats women as objects, so this is a FACT. Vince doesn’t think a woman can get over unless they have a C cup. Look at almost every instance where a female has been pushed. The female usually gets a little air time, gets ‘injured’(Vince’s favorite excuse to get the women off camera), then comes back with implants and gets a huge push. Chyna is the perfect example of this. Vince is sending out the message to women that no matter how good you are at what you do, noone will notice you unless you have a nice rack.

Fact or Fiction: Having cruiserweights wrestle the less is more heavyweight style is a bad decision for the company

Da Ref: I'm gonna go with FACT AND FICTION on this one. I believe that the Cruiserweights should be allowed to go for it all in their matches and be given the time needed to really make the matches good. However, the WWE's booking styles focuses on the heavyweights and that is where the hype goes. So, going all the way full blast when the writers won't hype you up is pretty much spinning your wheels. On the other hand, going full blast at a PPV that can go at least 10 minutes where the fans pay serious money to see you go and turning in a match that blows away most if not all of the other matches sends a message that the smaller guys can maybe do something.

Villiano: Cruiserweights don’t wrestle the same style as the hosses, so this is FACT. The small guys’ specialties are the fast paced matches and high flying, but Vince doesn’t like that type of wrestling, so the talent has to either alter their style to get tv time or face the consequences of being left off of tv, which has happened to great cruiserweights like Ultimo Dragon and Brian Kendrick.

Phantom: Having Cruiserweights wrestle like Heavyweight’s defeats the purpose of them being Cruiserweights. FACT on this one. WCW proved you could make money with the fast in ring matches opening the show. Let’s be honest. The less is more style for guys like London and Spanky is so guys like A-Train and The Big Show can look all big and strong when they squash them to the delight of McMahon and his stooges who believe the dull 1980’s WWF style is the way to go.

Fact or Fiction: Having Chris Jericho in a soap opera angle with Trish Stratus will hurt his credibility as a heel in the long run

Phantom: I get to touch on the soap opera’s even more…go me. FACT on this one. Ok sure it’s fun to see Chris stretch his acting chops and be all lovey dubby with Trish. A lot of guys would love to be in his position (me included), but what the hell does it do for Jericho himself? At the most it’s gonna confuse some of the common fans because one minute he’s going to be The King of Bling Bling and then the next he’s gonna be like a teen with his first crush on the hot cheerleader. But on the flip side, I marked out for Matt dumping Lita. I got a good laugh from that. I still think in the long run that’s what Jericho will do so he can win the Asshole of the Millenium award.

Da Ref: I lean a little toward FACT on this one. When Chris Jericho saved Trish Stratus from a beatdown by Stevie Richards and Victoria, I was confused for a second. Then, I remembered that Steve Austin had given Stacy Keibler a stunner earlier in the night and I realized what the deal was. Jericho was trying to make Austin look bad by saying that he wouldn't dare allow a woman to be beaten up by a man. I got that and thought it was a nice little bit to further the angle between the two of them. However, it's now gotten to be a little confusing. Jericho is still acting like a heel...except when Trish is around and then he's trying to be a nice guy. Where do you take this angle from here? The whole thing just lacks direction which shouldn't be a surprise.

Villiano: I think this angle is interesting, and I want to see more of it. This angle is showing that Chris Jericho is human, and this will help the fans bond to him more. Imagine how big of a heel he could be if he turns on Trish. The fans would want him dead, cementing his spot as one of the top heels in the business today. Lets see how this rides out, but right now I say it’s FICTION.

Fact or Fiction: If Mick Foley comes out of retirement for Wrestlemania 20, his match should be against Triple H

Da Ref: FICTION. Foley's name is very big in the business and should be used nowadays to help younger talent get over. Having him face Helmsley would be just to boost "The Game"'s ego even more than it is. Since they set something up already, I think the better money would be for Foley to face
Randy Orton. If the company is seriously interested in making this guy a superstar, a match against Foley would be the way to go.

Phantom: It’s Triple H feeding his ego if he gets this match. We all know he wouldn’t put Foley over. It would just be another spot fest so that Triple H can say “I can still wrestle like it’s 2000 when I have to”. If Foley has to wrestle one more match, have it against Orton in a Deathmatch. No, not like the fun one’s in Japan…but something along the lines of the one he had with Vader in 93. Just something real violent to go out on a high know for Blood thirsty New York fans like me. So this is FICITION

Villiano: FICTION. Yes, Mick does have a big history with HHH, but I’d rather see him go against the Undertaker. These two guys have put on a few classic matches, and I think they’d put on a better match than another HHH/Foley.

Retro Fact or Fiction: Had Shane Douglas not thrown down the NWA World Title in 94 and created the ECW World Title in it’s place, the NWA would of risen back to prominence before the end of the decade

Da Ref: FICTION. If Douglas had stayed the NWA World Champion, that would've
taken away the defining moment ECW's history. When Douglas threw the belt down, the company was Eastern Championship Wrestling. I realize that a lot of people already knew that but how many people beyond the northeast area watched ECW during those days? Not many and the reason why was because they were an indy during those days. (A number of people will argue that they were an indy when they shut down but that's a whole new argument.) When the "E" in ECW was changed from "Eastern" to "Extreme", that was when the company started to see its following grow. It's like every movie out there
about time travel. When you change one moment in time, you immediately take out the events that occur because of that. If Douglas throwing the belt down never happened, the company would still be known as NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling and they would be just like NWA Wildside, NWA Southwest, and every other NWA affiliate. Meanwhile, the NWA would be in the same place they were before.

Phantom: I think had Shane Douglas gone a different route and stayed the NWA World Champion but he had still become the Franchise I think it would have been just as great as the whole ECW Revolution. He could of done a shoot after his win and said “I don’t need the NWA…The NWA need’s me and that’s why I’m your FRANCHISE”. He would of still gotten all the heat he did and it would of worked wonders for involved. ECW was always bound to be something special and I think fate would of led it down the same long road where it ended up. The only good thing would be that ECW would of never went out of business since it would have been the flagship of the NWA. So I’m gonna go against the grain and say FACT on this one.

Villiano: It didn’t matter what Shane Douglas did, the NWA was sinking fast. Yeah, him throwing the belt down didn’t help much, but it wasn’t the largest cause of their demise. NWA just couldn’t handle the competition, and that’s why they didn’t come back up. FICTION

Retro Fact or Fiction: 2003 would have been a better year wrestling wise on RAW had Shawn Michaels beaten Triple H in their re-match in December of 2002

Villiano: I’m always for fresh faces getting a push, so I’ll say FACT. The WWE’s problem is that they keep force feeding the same guys to the fans every week, while other talented guys get little to no air time at all. And when these new faces in the title scene are finally getting their chance, they are usually crushed when they finally get to the PPV, or the new guy gets the win, but always loses the feud in the end. If Michaels would have retained, he could have started another great program with Chris Jericho, which could have carried the feud to Wrestlemania, where Jericho would win the World Title. That’s more interesting to me than Triple H holding the belt for another 8 months straight with no serious competition.

Da Ref: FICTION. Earlier this year, we were asked whether or not Angle/Lesnar at Wrestlemania XIX would be Match of the Year if Lesnar had hit the Shooting Star Press. My comment for that question can be used here. It takes more than one moment to change something from good to bad. Michaels could've
won or lost at Armageddon and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference when it comes to the in-ring work on RAW.

Phantom: His match with RVD for the World Title a week after he won it is proof that this is a FACT. Imagine if the feud with Jericho/HBK was for the World Title. Their match would have been the legit match of the year had it been a world title match. HBK unlike Triple H will still make who ever he is facing look good in the ring. Had he been champion I am certain that RVD, Jericho, Booker T, and even Stiener would be in a better spot today then where they are now. But of course for all that to happen, Hell would have had to have frozen over and Vince would have had to say NO to the his little girl’s play toy…so FACT on this one.


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