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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Monday, August 16, 2004 at 10:41 PM EST
RWTB – Wevv Week – WWE The TV Series Greetings All! Welcome to Wevv Week! It’s a special week for my, as Calvin has graciously allowed e to celebrate my anniversary with a Week of Wevv Madness! I have always tried to view WWE programming in the context of a TV show and tried to measure it up against regular, standard programming. Yet for all the attention I pay to WWE shows, there are other folks who pay even closer attention. The loyal recappers. They have to watch the show and then write down what happens. It’s not easy. In fat, writing the reviews from my columns, where I have the freedom to skip parts, is frequently the hardest part. It should be easy, since I have the very talented and witty Rommel and the excellent and opinionated Chad. What goes through these folks minds when they watch WWE? How does WWE stack up as a TV show? I asked these fine folks, and the wild card Tina, a few questions about the nature of WWE programming. My guests are: Tinaali Forums Columnist (The XY Files) / Retired TNA PPV Recapper Favorite Shows: CSI, Navy NCIS, Dawson's Creek *sniffle*, Adult Swim, The Daily Show Oh yeah, and TNA :) Chad Matthews Smackdown reviewer Favorite shows other than wrestling: Family Guy, South Park, CSI, Playmakers (pity they cancelled it), and Sportscenter Steven "Rommel" Schaeffer Raw Reporter The O'Reilly Factor, Law & Order, All of Adult Swim, Sportscenter Steve Avigne, Sunday Night Heat reporter Favorite shows Aqua Teen Hunger Force, South Park, Sportscenter, The Assistant, and all the Real World/Road Rules shows. Billy Arceneaux Velocity Reporter Favorite Shows: The Simpsons, Family Guy, Chappelle's Show, Mystery Science Theater 3000, South Park, Malcolm in the Middle, Reno 911. basically anything that is off the wall. First off, I see a lot of cartoons listed as favorite shows. Most can be classified as comedy. Does it help to have a sense of humor when watching wrestling? Billy: I completely agree. Having a good sense of humor towards wrestling(and almost everything else)will in fact cause you to be less angry. For example, the HHH/Kane necrophilia angle. I was actually into this feud, as both men had put on an awesome match the previous night at No Mercy. When I saw the....."footage".......of HHH......"loving".......a dummy, I had to laugh. It was completely ridiculous, and I enjoy things that are off the wall. I don't think it was necessary, but it was funny. Whenever that incident is brought up, I usually get pissed, but then I just remember how funny it was, and laugh instead. To quote Roger Rabbit - "If you don't have a sense of humor, you're better off dead." Chad: Yes, I suppose it does, but not even a good sense of humor can make me laugh at some of the things that the WWE decides to do. I mean, are we talking about finding the humor in Triple H dressing up like Kane and simulating sex with a "dead girl". With something like that, I suppose having a sense of humor helps, but considering that was a low point in WWE history...shaking your head in disbelief, rather than laughing, is the more appropriate reaction. On the other hand, finding the humor in certain aspects of wrestling can help. For example, when I first heard about Eugene...I was, well, less than thrilled. However, when he debuted, I tried to stay positive and I was laughing out loud at him just running the ropes during the La Resistance vs. Superheroes match at Backlash. Tina: Without a sense of humor you shouldn't be watching professional wrestling. When Lance Storm asked us if he could be serious for a minute that didn't mean for us to be. I think one of the main problems with wrestling fans, at least the smarky ones, is that they have lost their sense of humor. Not everything is supposed to be serious. A perfect example of this is going on now in TNA (yes, I’ll be using a lot of examples from them, that’s my job!) Almost everywhere I look I see people complaining about how stupid D-Ray 5000 is. Honestly they are missing out. He’s supposed to be a fun character- to the point of being cartoonish in nature. His antics are light-hearted and silly and are supposed to remind us why wrestling is FUN to watch. Right now he is basically a jobber that is over with the crowd so obviously some people are getting the joke even if they aren’t netizens. I don’t know about the rest of you but I prefer my jobbers amusing instead of just another random guy in black tights. Steve A.:I think, to be a wrestling fan, you have to have a sense of humor. I remember one time where Chris Jericho went to kick Val Venis and missed him by a mile, yet Val still sold it. The wrestlers are professional about it, and go on, and instead of criticizing it, we as fans must laugh it off and understand that everyone makes mistakes. I've been through wrestling school and have a new respect because unless you actually do it, you have no idea how hard it is. Just for a wrestler to make it through 4 months of wrestling school shows their dedication and heart. Rommel: When this great nation was founded the human mind was understood in the form of "Humors." This was an early attempt at achieving a separation of the mind from the brain without including the soul; beyond the lymphatic secretions that the more medically inclined would associate with the word. Indeed, the great work Orlando and Shakespeare's far greater Hamlet both feature one’s humors as central themes, extolling the mass acceptance of those philosophical psychologies. Though Orlando dealt with gender issues as well, to a point of transgender transmutation, melancholy was discussed at length under the typical understandings of their time. Over time, the modern understanding of the mind evolved thanks to the work of a man named Sigmund Freud; who renamed the humors and related that our inner most desires were to have sex with our mothers and to kill our fathers. Still, the older definition of humor must still be taken into consideration whenever a question of its merits in relation to any medium of entertainment is raised. Of course, the above paragraph has absolutely nothing to do with the spirit of the question asked. I simply wanted to present yet another example of why I am smarter than all other, lesser, peoples. Also, I positively revel in any opportunity to use the phrase "Transgender transmutation", and the subjects of incest and patricide are not ones I often am able to fit into polite or intellectual conversation. One should still read the two mentioned works listed above anyway, as they are part of English canon with good reason. Just do not expect doing so to improve your standing in my xenophobic, superior zeitgeist though. The relevance of humor in wrestling conforms to the least of all its definitions, and is incredibly important. It is not simply the comical definition of humor that one must attest to if they enjoy wrestling, but the fuller (if still third) Merriam-Webster bullet point, which encompasses the entire abstract nature of the product. Wrestling is neither play nor sport, and somehow both. No truer example of the absurdly incongruous nature of man’s pleasure exists to my knowledge, which the possible exception of Hockey. It is a rigged sport, with viewer’s turning on their televisions and flooding arenas to reasonably disbelieve all the world has taught them and cheer for men acting utterly ridiculous. If it does not appeal to this method of human satisfaction, then it is impossible to watch with any enjoyment. Has watching wrestling influenced the way you watch regular shows? For example, can you "spot the swerve" in other shows? Chad:Not particularly...I have always held wrestling to a higher standard than I have other shows, in that I watch WWE programming in the same mindset that I would when I watch my favorite sports teams play: I hope they put on a great performance and leave me feeling happy when it's over. In other words, I just have never made a connection between other shows that I watch and pro-wrestling. Billy: Wrestling has somewhat changed how I watch other shows. It is true; spending most of your time watching a show with lots a "soap opera" can help you anticipate other events in other TV shows. But the thing is, I've almost always been able to do this. Before wrestling, I was a movie buff (still am). Wrestling has just sharpened my swerve detection skills, is all. Plus, during wrestling, I'll sometimes say something regarding a match (like MST3K), but really, I do that with almost everything. Even REAL conversations. Tina: Wrestling influences more than just how you watch other television shows. Who hasn't been ticked off at someone and thought about how great it would be to hit him or her over the head with a steel chair? Better yet, who wouldn’t love to chokeslam their "favorite" authority figure through a table? My point is that once you become a wrestling fan you can't help but see the swerves a mile away. It's like it reprograms the way your brain thinks and there is nothing wrong with this no matter what your shrink tells you. It's a healthy outlet but it takes a special kind of person to enjoy and understand it. Rommel : Wrestling writing has not increased my ability to catch plot twists in other programming. Quite the contrary, other programming such as Law & Order, Case Closed or The Twilight Zone has aided my ability to catch the coming "Swerves" apparent in wrestling. I do not reason this to be due to any precognitive abilities or natural sleuth skills but my ability to mesh with my hobbies. I have a knack for picking up on a show’s formula, or modus operandi, and that ability has allowed me to follow the subtle hints and foreshadowing not to their reasonable conclusion, but the reasonable conclusion as presented by the product. What is your best wrestling recapping moment, and what is your worst? For Example: A match or event that you had a blast recapping, and a match or event that you hated recapping. Chad: Well, granted I've only been at this for a little over two months now, but easily my worst moment thus far, was recapping what I already knew to be a far below average Smackdown on July 1.The show was in Fayetteville, NC, so being an hour away, I attended. So, I had already seen how bad it was once, and I was sitting there trying to review it as if I had not. It was a boring two hours...(this was the show, by the way, where Bradshaw faced Spike Dudley in the main-event and Luther Reigns "wrestled" referee Charles Robinson) The best moment, however, came just two weeks later during the July 15th?Smackdown featuring the cage match between John Bradshaw Layfield and Eddie Guerrero. I thoroughly enjoyed that match and thought both did such an excellent job in making it as good as it possibly could have been considering the limited talent of the current "the champ." With that in mind, I really just let it flow when I was writing the review, and since there were so many high spots during the match's 28-minute duration, the recap of that match alone was a page long or more. It was nice to get a chance to review what was, in my opinion, a PPV-level match. As an added bonus, this was also the night Kurt Angle made his return, which instantly boosted my excitement for the show. Anyhow, I thought I captured the excitement of that match pretty well, and consider it to be my best stuff thus far. Billy: I've been recapping since around Fall 2003, so let me think. The best moment I ever had was basically whenever Spanky was on the card. No matter who he was fighting, Spanky would get the crowd rolling, and give me that boost of fire to write even better. I don't believe I've had a worst moment quite yet. No matter what may be going on in the wrestling world, I'm always able to just focus on Velocity, and concentrate on the story, and notice the athleticism of the "forgotten" talent. Tina: The match I dreaded the most actually ended up being the most fun in the end. It was also the last one that I did here at LOP. The show was the June 2nd TNA PPV that featured the King Of The Mountain match. When they first announced this match the first thing I thought was "Great. How am I going to be able to explain something I don't even understand myself?" However, it ended up being the exact opposite. While the match sounded way too overbooked in reality it showed how innovative TNA can be and was definitely a great way to show TNA at its best. Once the match started everything became and it actually ended up being a ton of fun. That whole show was really great to sit down and recap because now it will forever be engrained upon my brain. Good times. As for the worst, well with TNA having so much fast paced action recapping their PPV's were always a challenge. I can't say I ever hated doing any of it in retrospect although there were quite a few shows that pushed me to my limit but I don't see that as a bad thing at all. My love for the product probably made me go overboard a bit with the recaps from time to time because I wanted to convey all the excitement I felt watching to the reader. If I had to do it all again I wouldn't change a thing. Rommel: Due to the nature of reporting on a live broadcast with little or no editing time, I am perpetually displeased with the result of my writing. One might chalk it up to impossible standards I have placed upon myself. Still, one moment sticks out above all others. During my first stint with Lordsofpain.net I was instant messaged by a fan that had been experiencing problems in his life which preventing him from enjoying wrestling, one of his past times which I was able to give to him still via proxy. I wish I was better at expressing how much his few sentences meant to me at the time. He also had some honest criticism to improve my work, which I like to believe I have implemented. The conversation can be found in the archives, but I will allow the readers to hunt it down because I am simply not nice enough to give a link despite knowing the date and having the HTML ability to do so. In the interest of conformity, I do have a favorite and a least favorite time of actual transcription. The favorite was in the form of match between The Big Show and Hardcore Holly. I did not describe the match at all, instead opting to describe its similarities to the taste of testicular perspiration. I stand by that review to this day. My least favorite comes in the form of any Battle Royal, especially the Royal Rumble. I did a fairly good job with this year's Rumble, I believe, but it is simply impossible to report the intricacies of a match of that nature. Also, the pace at which those matches force me to type prevents masturbation for a good amount of time. In comparison to other TV shows, how do you think wrestling stacks up as a show? Chad: Thanks to Mr. McMahon, it's unfortunately way too much like some other TV shows at times, with it's soap opera-like angles and love stories. However, wrestling at it's purest easily matches the excitement, drama, and at times, comedy of any other popular TV show. You want excitement and drama?? Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit wrestling for 20 minutes is certainly as exciting and dramatic as an episode of any primetime TV show. You want comedy?? Angle and The Rock on a microphone for ten minutes can be every bit as funny as a watching some other comedic sitcom. Of course, the WWE has it's bad moments, but there's a reason that I've been watching wrestling off and on for 16 years, but have never managed to stick with any other show for half it's TV-life. Billy: Being that I am a huge mark for wrestling, I would say that in general, wrestling is a damn good TV show. As far as Velocity goes........The Simpsons are better. Don't get me wrong, as the wrestling on the show is awesome, and very underrated. But as a TV show, it can't touch The Simpsons. But, to be honest, I watch both shows religiously, so I dunno. I guess as far as importance to society goes, Unbiased News is higher than Velocity. And, in my opinion, Velocity is sometimes much better than its Mother show, Smackdown! Just my thought. Tina: Ah, the only hard question. There had to be one. Personally I can't compare it to other shows just because wrestling is in a class all of its own. If I compare it to a soap opera then it's mediocre at best. If I compare it to a drama, well again- it just doesn't fair too well. See, wrestling is a little bit of everything from real life so the closest thing you can compare it to is reality television, which, with the exception of this year's Joe Schmo, I just don't care for. The only reason I got sucked into that show is because who can resist a show where contestants much each other's boxes and ask permission before presenting someone with a pearl necklace. The cheese factor just sucked me right on in. So I guess to answer the question completely I have to honestly say you can't compare it to anything other than another wrestling show. You can try all you want to try and compare it to the rest of television but it just doesn’t fit anywhere. It's not a sport. It's not a drama. It's not a comedy? It's a little bit of everything. Wrestling is wrestling- plain and simple! Rommel: Wrestling is its own beast in the world of sports, in that its rigged nature is known and it features written story lines. I remember an edition of Wrestling Observer Live in which Dave Meltzer detailed that wrestling has a luxury that no other sport has, the ability to create stars regardless of an abstract nature of whom is the best or what makes one so. The PGA could not have made Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson stars if they were not actually great at golf. Without them, however, golf would lose interest in this country. Wrestling can make stars, and should never lose interest with its fans for lack of them. As for how it stacks against non-sport programming, I would say it is not at par for several reasons. Wrestling has physical and live elements involving trained stunt men and performers that are not trained actors. A number of their writers have less written instruction than the Internet critics they so despise. These factors combine to produce what is, in reality, a below average soap opera. What do you think WWE's biggest competition as a TV show is right now? The answer need not be limited to sports or other wrestling companies either. It can be just about anything, so feel free to roam with the question. Rommel: The WWE's biggest competition is not found in the form of any one show. Rather, it is in the future of broadcasting. As more and more options bombard the viewing audience and narrow band scheduling continues to rule the day, the WWE faces a depleted audience base. While people continue to increase the variable in the algebra equation of X many channels and nothing is on, the WWE still has an ever increasing "X" to deal with. Whether or not the man covered in animals draws huge ratings, the plethora of entertainment has left the WWE with a fan base that will constantly want newer and greater things which I do not think can possibly be achieved in the wrestling medium. Billy: I don't think WWE has a specific competitor as far as TV shows are concerned. People typically follow trends, so whatever the big trend is (not wrestling at the moment), then I would have to say that. For WWE to be successful on TV, they just need to stay where they are (SpikeTV and UPN are perfect for the male/urban demographics), and produce more interesting and competitive matches, along with big time feuds. Tina: Right now the only thing that is giving any show a run for its money is those stupid reality shows. Besides that the only other shows that are giving the WWE are crime dramas. Those are the ones to beat in the weekly ratings (at least until Monday night Football returns again.) The problem see though is that not everyone is going to be interested in wrestling. it’s just not for everyone. The more they try and appeal to a wider audience things like the Diva search the more they are upsetting their core audience. Sure that may sound like a typical IWC complaint but let’s be realistic for a moment- ratings don’t lie. I think the decrease in ratings that both Smackdown and RAW are seeing right now is something they really need to be concerned with. During the summer months most shows are in repeats. If people are tuning into something they already saw instead of a show that is supposed to give you something new each week then you need to take a hard look at your product because something needs done and fast. They need to take the opportunity to fix it now because once we get back into regular season there is going to be all kinds of new competition Chad: The WWE's biggest competition in my opinion is football...whether it be Monday Night Football (pro), Sunday Night Football (pro), or Thursday Night football (normally college, but occasionally pro as well), I would venture to say that a large number of those who enjoy pro-wrestling also enjoy sports. Football season provides an opportunity for fans to split their interests, creating for some stiff competition for WWE. Sunday Night and Monday night football start at the same times that PPV's and episodes of RAW begin, while most Thursday Night games go on during the entire 2 hours of Smackdown. With that in mind, if the WWE product is nothing special at those times, then why not change it to football... One might be able to make a case for baseball, since the MLB games will occasionally pre-empt one of the WWE's programs in order to broadcast their stuff. However, Football has always been competition for RAW and PPV nights, as they always go head-to-head with each other. Is WWE appropriate for kids? Rommel: As did all children of the eighties, I was a bona fide Hulkamaniac. I had the weight set, the action figures and even a sweatband I wore when riding my bike. The WWE still puts out products similar to these, but I am not certain to whom they are targeting. The WWE is far too risqué for children. While there are many things they might enjoy, I do not believe the programming is suitable for younger viewers as a whole. Neither is the news or the New Jersey legislature for that matter. The logical conclusion is simple, the WWE can not decide with whom they wish to target their demographic. The eighteen to thirty-five year old male audience is one of the most lucrative in television, but sponsors are still wary to be associated with the product. Children have been proven to be an extremely powerful consumer force, yet the WWE consistently offers a show too adult for right-thinking parents to allow in their home via a television screen. I could offer suggestions on how to fix both these problems, but that is another subject entirely. Billy: That is up to the parents. Being that I am single with no children, it would be hard for me to answer. I do have two very young cousins, so I suppose if I were in charge, I would not let them watch a FULL show. I think if I were to watch a match before them, I could determine if it is suitable (some matches are more graphic than other), and if my cousins were to perform the moves on themselves. I think as long as the parents talk to their kids, and watch shows with them, we will all be ok. Tina: Good question Wevv. I love questions like this. First off you need to consider your child’s age as well as maturity level so it’s not something that can be answered with a general yes or no. There are many shades of gray here. Is it okay for my kids? YES! The reason why is because I watch it with them. Any questions that come up I am right there to answer. When I first started writing in the forums about a year ago I covered the same thing in my 2nd edition. It was originally posted on September 3, 2003 and looking back at it now, I still stand by my words. I figured I’d share it with you. This was right after RVD was caught blading by a cameraman on RAW. I am sure there are parents writing letters about this senseless act of self-mutilation and what kind of role models are you blah, blah, blah? Hey parents!! It’s up to you to censor the world for your children. Don’t like it? Tough. Don’t plop your children down in front of a TV and then get mad when they see something you don’t think is appropriate. I’ve got two of my own and personally I would rather they see for themselves that the world isn’t a perfect place. Seeing some violence from time to time doesn’t hurt children. Actually it gives you a chance to discuss bad things in a safe environment. My oldest son (he’s about to turn 7) and I watch a lot of Law & Order together. There was an episode on about a child molester. The good part of that show was the fact that he had a chance to see the bad guy caught and that you need to tell an adult so you can be protected. I think seeing the show hit home a lot more than a discussion alone. Raising children in some fairy tale world only leads them to inevitable disappointments down the road when that reality check hits them like a load of bricks. The fact that these guys get hurt and bleed on wrestling sends a stronger message to children than don’t choke slam your brother off the couch dear. You’ll get hurt. Chad: Well, I have been watching wrestling since I was four, but a lot has changed since then. I would say that the WWE is still appropriate for kids, though. Yes, they do have several sexual innuendoes every now and again, they do have some guys who use profane language, and the matches can occasionally get very violent. However, as long as it's made very clear to young kids that this stuff is, in fact, entertainment (so that they don't run around pulling a Mick Foley and jumping off of a roof for fun), then I say it's fine. It's really just a parents' preference though, as my parents never saw fit to take wrestling off my TV, but I'm sure that some don't want their kids exposed to it, so to each his own. Do you still see yourself watching wrestling in five years? Rommel: With the exception of a brief period in the early to mid-nineties, a common statement among fans, I have been watching wrestling for my entire life. I see no reason why this should change in the next five years, but at most I would expect nothing more than another decrease in viewing for a time, followed by renewed interest. Billy: Yes, I do. No matter how silly the WWE can get, I know that they can pull off that one big show. If you watched Summerslam, the previous statement should read true. Besides, if I ever get bored with WWE, there is always Ring of Honor to fall back on! And if that fails, TNA! And if that fails, PWG! And if that fails, NJPW! And if that fails......... Tina: Yes I do. It may not be wrestling as we know it right now but it will still be on. I may not watch religiously but wrestling is one of those funny things. Once its in your blood you can’t help but tune in once and a while to still watch. You always go back to it. I will admit my household isn’t watching WWE like we did a year ago. However we haven’t written it off completely. We’re just giving it a rest and when something happens that we are interested in again we will go right back to taping every show so we don’t miss anything. We enjoy wrestling too much to ever give up completely. We just might have to look a bit harder to find what we want. I for one can’t wait to see where the business is in five years. So many changes are taking place right now. We have rumors of Ted Turner making a comeback, TNA on the rise and the WWE building up its newest crop of superstars. Something tells me in five years wrestling is going to be quite exciting with lots of choices again. I can’t wait to be there watching it! Chad: I most definitely see myself watching wrestling in five years. I can't guarantee that I'll watch wrestling all the time in between those five years, but I can definitely see myself watching down the road. I've watched wrestling for a long time, but taken 6 month to one-year breaks from it and then come back. There's no reason for me to believe that I won't continue to come back to it for several more years. The fact of the matter is that wrestling is something I've always thoroughly enjoyed. I love seeing great matches and killer promos, and love to see the product as a whole thrive. After enduring some of the worst times in WWE over the years, I'd be foolish not to want to stick around for the good times that could come in the future. I’d like to take the time to thank everyone who took part. I’d also like to apologize to Steve the Heat Guy. I lost your emails. It was crunch time, and ….I could go on and on making excuses, but bottom line is I screwed up. So here is my offer to you. Write whatever you want. I’ll put it in my Sunday column. Keep it to about four or five paragraphs please. That’s all I ask. And please accept my apologies. Well, I think Wevv Week is off to a great start. I’ll be back Wednesday with something completely different. Quick Plugs! LOP Forums! They’re back! What are you waiting for! Get to Posting! LOP Merchandise! Not only reasonable Priced but stylish too! LOP Creative Writing Forum! See what all the fuss is about! Wevv Week begins Continues.  Until Next Time Thanks For Reading and Thanks For Ridin’ Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com
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