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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 2:45 PM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – Bossman Lives On Greetings! Welcome to a somber edition of Ridin' With The Bossman. In case you haven’t heard, Ray Traylor, the real Big Bossman has passed away. I have a lot to say on the subject, but then again, there is the weekly TV happenings and the fact that I was in attendance for the Smackdown tapings. There is some news I’d like to get to, but it all seems rather small now. One of the biggest influences on my writing career has passed away. So, I think I’ll mix things up a bit this week. It’s been a long brutal week. It’s Friday night, and I am finally getting to my email. That’s the kind of week it’s been. Work has been a long haul, but oddly enough, Thursday wasn’t bad at all. I like to think that Bossman was smiling down from Heaven on me. Thanks Ray. So Nolan, Ben, Tom, Matt, Dave, Justin, and the others, I did get your email, and I liked what you sent in, but I didn’t have time to write a reply giving the level of feedback you deserve. I apologize, and would like to let all of my readers know what my plan is. Before Taboo Tuesday, on that Sunday, I’ll turn the column over to you. Write whatever is on your mind. If it’s wrestling, go for it. If it’s a recipe for making soup, go ahead. Whatever you want to write about or share with others, go right ahead and send it in. Just limit it to five hundred words please. WWE wants to know what you’re thinking, and so do I. Let them know. Just title the email SE Sunday. SE for Sports Entertainment. Now, Let’s take care of this. WWE TV – The Series Raw Recap Info courtesy of Steven "Rommel" Schaeffer Sorry, but there’s really nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said by so many others and myself. Christy won, thus ending the rumors of a fix, or because there were rumors of a fix. Time will prove what the real reason was. Kane and Lita lost their love child, and man, Lita looked scary in the final scene. Smackdown Recap info provided by Chad "CMV1" Matthews Another lackluster effort. Just some brief thoughts. Hot Chicks – I was stoked for the hot chicks. I got old broads with the hot chicks instead. Why? Sweet lord, WHY? DAMN YOU WWE! Kurt Angle gives a Smackdown moment So, what is a Smackdown moment? A really good wrestling match? HELL NO! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU? DON’T YOU KNOW THAT SMACKDOWN MOMENT IS A PIECE OF CRAPPY SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT? Yes folks, even after playing that great clip of a ring collapsing, which was an awesome spot, we got a tranq gun and a head shaving. What could have been a TRUE wrestling moment, with Big Show pounding Angle, and taking out Eddy, and yet, still being overcome by Kurt’s superior wrestling skill, was washed away in a sea of blah. But the lesson was learned. Smackdown is not about putting on good wrestling matches, that fans may like. It’s about giving them the exact opposite. Bad drama. Got it now, thanks WWE. I should have kept my money. You know, this week has really gotten me thinking. I’m a wrestling fan, who is hooked on wrestlecrap. One of the reasons I keep watching is to see how bad it will get. Maybe that is the method to WWE’s madness. But to fully explore this topic, I have to pay tribute to the man who made it all possible. To The Big Bossman, Thanks For Everything Ray Traylor, the Big Bossman has passed away. He died Wednesday night, at the young ago of 42. He has left behind a vast wrestling legacy, his wife Angela, and two daughters, Lacy and Megan. Ray tried, and succeeded, to make a difference in his community. He ran for Co-Committee Chairman in Paulding County (thanks again Chris), but didn’t win. He was involved in charities and trying to better his community. He helped get air purifiers in schools, helped a nature trail get built, and was involved in his local PTA. He made a life for himself outside of wrestling, and had a promising career ahead of him. Ray tried to help those around him. It made me proud to read about Ray’s off screen activities. If anyone would like to offer any assistance to Ray Traylor's family, please call RWT Enterprises at 770-445-9029. You can also contact the webmaster of RayTraylor.net to pass along any condolences webmaster@raytraylor.net The Bossman Effect My column was dedicated to one of Ray’s most memorable moments. At least for me. As the Big Bossman, Ray was one of wrestling's most recognizable stars. If you asked some one on the street if they knew who Big Bossman was, they’d probably answer ‘He was a wrestler, right?" He was indeed. His name was catchy, and during one of wrestling’s boom periods, he was a main character. I’m not a wrestling historian. So forgive me for not listing all of Ray’s wrestling accomplishments. I’m a casual fan, who writes a column. Ray’s Bossman had an impact on my life. Not the kind of life altering, save your soul kind, but it was an eye opener for me. I’ll talk about that a little later, but first, let’s get some background. I watched wrestling for most of my life. I liked the action. I liked the matches, and never really paid too much attention to the angles. As I grew older, the angles came into play a bit more. Ray was a name I knew, and his character the Big Bossman, while to me, never a main player, was one of the guys I grew to "know" and when he was on the screen, I watched him. He had some good moments, and some bad ones, same with matches, but the impact he made lasted to my impressionable mind. Whenever I thought of a prison scene, or jail, there was a "Bossman" there, who would bear a striking resemblance to Ray. He was the Bossman, a prison guard, a law officer, who was rough and tumble and ready to bust some heads to keep order. While Ray’s early work may have faded in my mind to obscurity, his later work sticks out like a beacon. And it started when one half of my column sidekicks came to WWE. I had taken a break from watching wrestling, since it had moved to cable, and college was happening, and started the daily work grind. I got back into watching it, simply because I overheard some classmates talking about the nWo. I tried to catch up and find out what was going on. Wow, the shows sure had changed. Hogan was still wrestling? Macho Man? Who’s this Kevin Nash guy? Sting and Flair? Wait a second, these guys are all on the same show? Then I heard some radio announcers talking about Mike Tyson and my curiosity was piqued. I asked a friend if he still watched wrestling. He was probably leery of what I was going to say, and when I asked if I could watch it with him sometime, a bit relieved. So began a weekly ritual, and the beginnings of one of my best friendships. I was amazed at the changes that had taken place in the business. Who was that guy? "What’s going on?" and so forth. I had bits and pieces, but nothing concrete. So, as I slowly grew accustomed to the new age, I still had some of my old time favorites around in WWE. Undertaker was one. I had no idea who Mick Foley was. Stone Cold was this guy everyone was talking about and he sure was outrageous. Bossman was still there, but beneath my radar. I liked what he did, but wasn’t gonzo over him. When the Ministry formed, it seemed natural. He was a big tough guy, who was the perfect bodyguard. When Big Show came to the WWE he came in big. He then quickly faded. A new feud needed to be found for him. Bossman was that man, and history was born. Bossman was the bad guy. He seemed to take his normal heel promos and go even more out there. Bossman became the Villain, and more than that. He became the template for w whole new generation of heels. It all started with a little poem Bossman said to Big Show after news of his father’s death. "With Deepest Regrets and tears that are soaked, I’m sorry to hear that your dad finally croaked. He lived a full life on his own terms, Soon he’ll be buried and eaten by worms. But if I could have a son as stupid as you, I’d have wished for cancer so I could die too. So be brave, and be strong, get your life back on track ‘Cause the old bastard is dead and he ain’t coming back!" While this was a funny moment, it was still only the beginning. It did grab my attention. This wasn’t the Bossman that I knew. This guy was slightly off. The next skit was Bossman interviewing Big Show’s Mama. Holy crap, what was this? A brutal segment, that ended with Big Show’s mama in tears, and Bossman having a grand old time of it. I laughed out loud at the end. The pinnacle was when the funeral for Big Show’s Daddy. That was the turning point. Bossman showed up at the funeral and made off with the casket containing Big Show’s Daddy. It was one of the funniest moments I’ve ever seen. I started groaning when the skit started. When Bossman showed up, I started laughing. By the end, I was in tears. From laughter. It was so ridiculous, so over the top, that I found it hysterical. There were the family members, watching this scene, and totally accepting it as just something that happens. It was in broad daylight, in a real life cemetery. I could just picture the guards at the gate watching Bossman roll in, and then out. With the casket. I pictured people visiting loved ones graves, and seeing this crazy guy perform his stunt. Police officers driving by, and seeing it, and just taking it in stride. It was ludicrous. It was hilarious, and it was a defining moment in WWE history. The Beginning That spot was the real beginning of the Attitude. This was the moment when I realized that WWE had truly lost it’s mind. Nothing was off limits. They would go to any lengths to shock it’s audience. You can say that Austin and Rock were the true pioneers of the Era, but what they were doing was believable. To a degree. But Bossman's antics were not even remotely believable. Oh sure, some where, some one may have done something similar. But not on TV. On regular TV that is. The fan reaction was aghast. This was something that they had never seen before. After this, the door was thrown wide for even greater spectacles of sports entertainment. The Ministry could get even more Satanic. Austin could use his famous finger at will. Rock could talk about shoving things up guy’s asses. Why? It didn’t even compare to Bossman performing a body snatching in broad daylight in front of witnesses. Or Big Show being dragged on the casket. The line between reality and fantasy was broken. Long live Sports Entertainment. To me, Bossman seemed to relish this role. It was so far out there, that Ray had a chance to put his own stamp on the new direction he was given. Bossman embraced his evil ways and became more than just a bad guy. He became an evil son of a bitch. A mad genius who would think of a crazed stunt and then simply go WAAAY out there. After that, if I saw Bossman on my TV screen, I knew something was going to happen. I had no idea what, but man, it was going to be crazy. He didn’t let me down. Al Snow was his next victim. Bossman kidnapped Al’s dog. He then killed the dog, cooked him, and fed him to Al Snow. Holy shit. It was Bossman’s glee when he performed these acts that captured my attention. He seemed to like what he was doing. Maybe it was Ray just having fun with the character, but to me, it came through the screen. Speaking in his Southern drawl when he would yell "bastard" or give his evil laugh at the misery of his victims. The guy was evil. He could shift from nice, sincere guy to raving lunatic in a heartbeat. It was that sudden transformation that kept me enthralled and entertained. I’ve never seen anything like it. Here is a link to some of Bossman's work. http://www.raytraylor.net/Multimedia/Movies/movies.shtml Bossman: I know we’re supposed to be enemies, but at a time like this, with your friend missing, I just want to say I feel your pain. Dupe: Thank you Bossman, that means a lot to me. Maybe you’re not such a bad guy. Bossman: I got you a little something to help you through these troubled times. Dupe: Thanks Bossman! Wow! Dupe opens the gift wrapped present, and then reacts in horror. Bossman: It’s your buddy’s head! Now he can be with you forever! HAHAHAHA! It’s his head in a basket! Say hello to your friend! HAHAHAHA! You see? It’s that rapid shift from nice guy to monster that to me makes Bossman a classic. Ray had a gift. You get that feeling that this isn’t what it seems, but have no idea what it’s going to be. But when it does, it shocks, and Bossman could cover the horror with his over the top antics, and thus prevent what would have been just another crappy sports entertainment moment and make it entertaining. Well, if you have a weird sense of humor like me, it makes it funny. The boundary between reality and fantasy is kept intact. But for storylines, it still keeps that element of realness, but doesn’t have the impact of true horror or drama. It was a fine line that Bossman walked, but he did it with style and grace. No one could play a villain like Bossman. Not even Vince could make himself out to be a bigger bastard than Bossman. Ray was awesome. He made these angles work, when it would have been career suicide for anyone else. Ray’s antics were laughing stocks, but in a good kind of way. I think he knew that. I don’t think anyone took his antics as "real". I think that Ray had enough presence of mind to realize that this was just something that happened, and years later, folks would be laughing about it. It’s been years, and I still smile when I think about that cemetery scene. I had always hoped to have him appear on my TV one more time. Just to see hear that old evil laugh, and see his crazy antics and wonder to myself "Oh man, what is he going to do this time?". I’d hoped that with the return of the Ministry, Bossman might make an appearance Ray touched the lives of those around him. His presence will be greatly missed. Bossman inspired me. Now, every time I need an evil antagonist, I think of Bossman. What would Bossman do? How would Bossman handle this? Bossman did have a strong influence on my life. . Now, I feel his absence stronger than ever. With the Kane and Lita angle, I can’t help but think that Bossman would have helped this angle. For every sports entertainment moment, I think to myself, "Bossman could make this work". Bossman was a classic. A true character. His transformation from just a bad ass thug to a crazy casket dragging, dog feeding wacko was one of the more surprising. But it was a change that I think helped Ray secure his legend. The Bossman of old may have been memorable, but the Bossman of recent past was the one that will stick out in my mind as one of the greatest characters to ever grace my TV screen. He did the most with what he was given, and carved a niche that may never be filled. He’s one of the unspoken greats. He helped define an era, and did it with gusto and style. I’ll miss Ray Traylor. I feel his loss greatly. I’ve tried to highlight what I saw as one of the highlights of his career. I’d like to think Ray had an inkling of my work. I hope he didn’t mind it. It was never meant to be harmful, or mocking. I hopefully captured the spirit of his character. I’d like to keep doing that. I’d like to keep the memory of one the funniest scenes I’ve ever seen alive. To remind folks that Bossman was more than just a note in the history books. That Bossman helped shape the face of the company. That Bossman was more than just a flunky or bit character. That he was more than the guy who fed a dog to another wrestler. That it never paid to underestimate Bossman. Just like it doesn’t do Ray justice to think of him as just a wrestler or a character. He was more, so much more. Ask the people he helped in his community. Ask the folks who worked with Ray in the ring, behind the scenes, traveled with him, talked with him. Ask his friends and family. They’ll tell you. Ray Traylor was more than just Big Bossman. He was Ray Traylor. Inspiration. I’ll miss both of them. I’ll think of them both whenever WWE has a scene in a cemetery. I’ll remember it as one of the best things I’ve ever seen. So, while Ray gave Bossman life, maybe as Bossman lives on, he can give back a glimpse of the real Ray after his death. Goodbye Bossman. Goodbye Ray. You gave me so much, that even after all these words, I still can’t describe the impact you had on me. God Bless. You will always have a special place in my heart. Until Next Time, Thanks For Readin’ and Keep On Ridin’ Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com
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