DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu #85 - Feedback, Streaks & What I Think Of Stone Cold & Eugene
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 at 4:23 PM EST




THE WRESTLING MENU #85

Welcome one and all to the 85th edition of 'The Wrestling Menu', the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

A slightly different Menu today. There's still 3 courses, but the 'Appetizers' & 'Dessert' will be a little more ranty than usual. I guess I'm just in that type of mood.

On with the show.....


APPETIZERS - #84 Feedback

Can't say that last week's feedback was the most I ever received, but it was still a strong number. As per usual, every person that e-mailed me would have got a reply, and I thank those that did send me their opinions, ideas, thoughts & questions. I stated 2 or 3 things last week that I thought may have gotten me a heap of negative feedback, but it didn't really come.

Firstly, I was surprised that everyone who has seen either or both of the 'Before They Were Superstars' DVD's actually liked them to a sufficient level. I suppose those that would rather not watch these types of compilations wouldn't go close enough to them, in order to comment.

More surprising was the support I received for my opinion on the Coach vs Tajiri match from Backlash. We all know it was a bit of a waste of time. We all know that Tajiri shouldn't be made to sell (even if it was his own mistake) to a non-wrestler. But the actual bout itself wasn't the total disaster that it could have been. Most people that sent me e-mails agreed, while still chastising the WWE for mistreating a talent such as Tajiri. Hey, I'm with you guys there. He was my 2002 most under-used wrestler award winner.

Now onto my thoughts on SmackDown & it's progress since the draft lottery; I received a lot more feedback here & it was generally mixed. I think I opened a lot of people's eyes to the fact that it wasn't exactly the draft lottery itself that has caused the major problems for SmackDown over the last 4-6 weeks. In fact, their biggest loss this year was the loss of the current World HeavyWeight Champion; Chris Benoit. And how did he move across to Raw again? Well, he just wandered on over, didn't he!!!

But many readers stated that when all the crap was cut through, there was simply not enough main-eventers on SmackDown that would sell shows. This statement is hard to argue with & definitely valid. There is no doubt that Kurt Angle was going to be heavily relied upon this year, as was the steadily improving Big Show. But with both of them injured, there is a big hole in the heel side of the SmackDown roster.

As I stated last week, that means that the WWE must make new main-eventers. This includes the likes of Booker T & Rob Van Dam who have previously had shots at the gold over on Raw. Plus up and comers such as John Cena. Furthermore, they have to give the fans something special on SmackDown. Such as better quality writing of feuds & storylines. Better technical wrestling. And/or something different in style (eg: the cruiserweight division). But it almost appears as if the WWE have gone completely in the opposite direction & is allowing SmackDown to further sink into the quicksand.

Another extremely valid point that a few readers had was the fact that SmackDown is taped & Raw is live. With the reduction in quality of SmackDown shows lately, the number of viewers who are now going to read the spoilers for SmackDown is going to increase. If they decide that it doesn't look like a great show is coming up, they are simply not going to watch come Thursday night. Where-as before, when (arguably) SmackDown was the better show, it roughly split it's ratings with the live Monday night show.

Finally, comes an interesting outlook from loyal reader Jay27 from the LOPForums. He states that Raw has improved significantly because of many wrestlers on it's roster having significant power to shape their own feuds. This is often seen as negative due to company morale, but could very well be a positive here. Think about it... The likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels & Mick Foley all have a great say as to what happens in the ring. The same, to a lesser extent, can be said of Chris Benoit, William Regal, Chris Jericho & Christian. In fact, I was surprised to hear how much say that Jericho & Christian have had in their feud. While over on SmackDown, it genuinely does seem like some kid out of writing school, who knows nothing about wrestling, is doing the booking of feuds, storylines & matches!!!


MAIN - Streaks

The UK (aka OZ) Perspective

As I stated a while back in edition #78, I want to try & get as consistent as possible (ie: approximately monthly) with my topic which is entitled 'The Oz Perspective". For those that don't recall, that is where I take something that has occurred in Australia (where I live) & relate it to professional wrestling. That something can be from sport, news or anything else really. I think this is a good way of (a) bringing a worldwide perspective to the WWE, and (b) looking at wrestling from a more realistic perspective. But today it will be a little different.....

I suppose I shouldn't be doing this now that we have 2 British columnists (Pt2 & Winter) here on LOP. But I thought of it, so I'm running with it. For one week only, I'm changing my 'Oz Perspective' topic to the 'UK perspective'. I know I have many readers who reside in the U.K, so I hope they appreciate this a little. I am a fan of worldwide sports. I like the NFL & I like the NBA. I also like English Premier League (EPL) Soccer.

Just this past week in the EPL, the Arsenal Gunners have wrapped up their championship win with 3 or 4 matches left in the season (there are no playoffs in the EPL. Whoever finishes on top of the standings are the champions). But Arsenal is also a team on a streak of epic proportions. They have yet to lose a game this season. Sure, there have been other teams in other sports go through seasons (or large parts of seasons) undefeated, but remember that the EPL season is 38 games long!!! Arsenal have only 3 or 4 matches to play before going through the entire season undefeated.

Now granted, it has to be taken into account that in the sport of soccer, there is often a drawn result. Arsenal have had a few draws this season. But I can assure you that it's still quite an achievement that Arsenal have right now. There are 2 factors that I want to take from Arsenal's streak & compare to professional wrestling; (1) The amount of positive publicity that the team has received, and (2) The heightened anticipation that seems to accompany each match that they play.

The publicity thing is simple & pretty much self-explanatory. The streak has received worldwide attention. To be honest, I'm not even sure that it's a record, or if an English soccer team has ever gone through a season undefeated. But whether that has happened or not, the publicity has been high, and just as importantly, it's been positive. To use the most obvious example in professional wrestling, Bill Goldberg's WCW winning streak was heavily publicized by the company at the time. While the positiveness of the situation doesn't quite hold as true in wrestling (due to the politics of the business & the overall negative thoughts that surround everything that occurs), it was still predominant. Whether we liked the angle or not, it gained attention & publicity. Now how does that old saying go: "Any publicity is good publicity".

Regarding the anticipation factor, well it also held true in the Goldberg example. Just as fans are anticipating (including guessing & betting on) when the next loss will come for Arsenal (especially when they play another top team), the same was being done back in WCW during Goldberg's long winning streak. This purely & simply causes fan interest & conjecture, which can only be good for the company. But furthermore, and this is where the real positive kicks in, the standard of the matches should theoretically improve, because the opponent will usually lift their standard & intensity, in order to strive to become the person/team that ends the publicized streak. So, from the one positive, many other positives can occur. Not only should the standard & intensity lift, but the publicity and/or push for the streak-ender should then also increase.

Now, of course, there is one other type of streak; The losing streak. The obvious example here is Matt Hardy, since he crossed over to Raw. Now, obviously, this isn't filled with positiveness. In fact, if it was a sports team suffering through a losing streak, then it's almost all negative. But in professional wrestling, I wouldn't say it was a 100% negative. A losing streak can actually turn into a positive, if the wrestler rebounds from it & uses it as a hurdle overcome. Remember it wasn't so long ago that Eddie Guerrero was on a small losing streak of sorts!!!

So, how should streaks be used in the WWE? My answer is "intermittently". They cannot occur, and be publicized, too many times throughout a year. In fact, I would say that 3 times would be the maximum. But what I would do is not publicize the streak immediately. Have a wrestler sneakily build up a winning streak, without much fanfare. Then when it's up to a decent number (say double figures or 3 months), start mentioning it then. Numbers don't even have to be mentioned. It could just be stated that the wrestler is undefeated since a specific ppv or month.

I like the idea of a streak sneaking up unnoticed, because it gets the point across without droning on & on for too long and getting boring. So who would be the best person to go on such a streak right now. Well, I think it would be perfect for a heel. One in the midcard. And one whose character could benefit from getting a little more cocky, not too dissimilar to The Rock or Randy Orton. Due to Orton being on Raw, I'd probably suggest a SmackDown superstar right now. No-one really stands out, but maybe a Chavo Guerrero, Mark Jindrak or Rene Dupree. I suppose whichever the WWE would best think could carry off the cocky character. Down the track, I'd love to see Doug Basham be chosen for the role.

So, in conclusion, streaks are good. However, there are a few "ifs" & "buts" that need to be kept in mind. They can't be used too often. They must be used sensibly. They should be used subtly. And the correct wrestlers need to be chosen for the role. The prime objective of a streak is the push for that wrestler. But this should indirectly result in better match quality, heightened anticipation of matches by the fans, greater fan conjecture, and pushes for other wrestlers involved in the angle.


DESSERT

What I Think Of .....

I'm unsure if this will become a permanent (monthly) topic in my columns, but I do feel it is a good way of me touching on a few points that I don't think I can write about in any great detail. Most of these will come from reader feedback, where a reader will just ask my opinion on something without me ever mentioning the topic in any of my columns. So to kick it off, I have a couple of very topical situations concerning the Raw roster.....

WHAT I THINK OF 'STONE COLD' STEVE AUSTIN & THE WWE PARTING WAYS:

I have to be honest & say that I'm not too troubled by it. While I have admired what Austin has done in the past, and thanked him for progressing professional wrestling to it's height in the late 1990's, I have not enjoyed much that Austin has done in the WWE since 2001. That's 3 years ago now, and I really don't see how he has improved the quality of the product since that time.

Sure, he's great for the live crowd. He brings intensity & atmosphere to any arena every time the glass shatters. But that's pretty much where the positives end. When he was still wrestling, he was way past his prime due to terrible neck & knee injuries. He was able to pull out sufficient performances on charisma & experience alone, but there was never going to be anything too special.

Then he walked out on the WWE because he purely & simply did not agree with a few things that the creative department decided to do. Examples were placing him in a match with Brock Lesnar without any build up, and not allowing wrestlers to have a great deal of say in what they do on screen. Now while he may have had very good points, his method of walking out did not go over well with myself. I think it was The Rock that said "he took his ball & went home". I couldn't have put it better myself.

And then the final nail in the coffin; Sheriff Austin. A combination of all of Austin's non-wrestling personas wrapped up into a nice babyface package. I hated it. Wrestlers were never pushed from the character, while any storyline advancements were so obvious that Bischoff could have been the cause. While even the dreaded "What" chant even returned. But DaveyBoy, what about the excellent ATV that Austin dragged out? Well, the most memorable moment about that was when Brock Lesnar was driving it. Man, he looked like he was having fun!!!

So I'm not too disappointed that Steve Austin is off my television screen at the moment. And to me the reason (the rights to the 'Stone Cold' moniker) is irrelevant. He might be back & he might not. If I was asked my opinion on that, I would probably say that it would be great if he could make the same amount of appearances as Mick Foley does. Maybe working 3-4 months consecutively every 2 years. At least that way his character could remain somewhat fresh.

WHAT I THINK OF EUGENE DINSMORE:

Well, forgive me if this is not the politically correct thing to say, but right now I'm not offended by this Eugene character that the WWE have come up with. I know that they are technically playing a serious health condition strictly for laughs, but as at this time, I'm not offended. Of course, that could easily change if the WWE doesn't tread very carefully with the way the character is written.

At the end of the day, people like Eugene do exist in all our communities. They might make us think how lucky we are. They might make us emotional. They might make us cry. And yes, they might even make us laugh. Treat the character & the situations he is involved in realistically & I see no problem with the idea of the character itself. Now obviously the WWE will concentrate on the humorous side of things. That's fine, but (a) don't go over the top & become tasteless & (b) throw in some sympathy & emotion for the character every now & then. If it's well written enough, it will actually add to the quality of WWE storylines in general.

Oh, and another thing that's important when it comes to Eugene. If the WWE are going to concentrate on the laughs, make it damn funny. There's no point doing it if the fans simply smile. We need to be laughing. It's a fine line & it's easier said than done, but the WWE have to hit a home run in the humor department with Eugene, without crossing the line into bad taste.

And how should the character progress come the end of the year...??? Well, I'm pretty much like everyone else here. Dinsmore cannot play the role forever. Sometime towards the end of 2004, it should be revealed that Eugene is actually a lot cleverer that we thought he was. He was the one pulling the strings & he's going to try & continue to do so. But this time, we know what he's doing & one other character will know what he is doing. Of course, whoever that character would be (probably Regal) wouldn't be able to convince anyone & would be chastised for attempting to do so. Maybe it's best if a face play the role. It could be a good reason for a heel turn.


Ok, that's it for edition #85 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. Feel free to give me your opinion on any of the topics which I have discussed today. Are streaks a positive in professional wrestling, or do they harm more than they help...??? Will you miss Steve Austin...??? And how about Eugene. Does the character offend you...??? As per usual, I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

There may be no 'Wrestling Menu' next Wednesday. It's not set in concrete, but it's a strong possibility. At the very worst, I will be back the week after on the 12th, with my predictions for Judgment Day, as well the continuation of my 1990's video review series. I'm up to 1998 & I think I will head back to WCW this time & take a look at what is most probably the most anti-climactic return to professional wrestling ever. All that & more, same Wednesday time & same LOP channel next week. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.













*NEW GALLERY* Brand New Photos of a PREGNANT Stephanie McMahon! VIEW NOW!

• Quick Links -
  [Back to LOP] [News Archives] [Results] [Columns] [Forums]