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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Sunday, January 23, 2005 at 9:35 PM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – Welcome to Canada! Greetings! Welcome to another edition of Ridin’ With The Bossman. Man, I love those Canadian fans. They keep WWE honest. Not as honest as the Florida fans did last week, with that beautiful "You screwed Chyna" Chant they got to chant right at a ringside Triple H, but those Canadians have a history of not messing around with the WWE. They tell it like it is. They loved Hogan and turned him face, and Rock Heel. Those crazy Cannucks have played havoc with WWE angles for years. You do realize that they have to take special precautions when the WWE goes to Canada right? The Canadians stick by their own. So it’s not like it’s only Ric Flair that has to cut that off air promo in Charlotte. It’s a bunch of wrestlers, who have to be kept down, because the plan certainly isn’t to get them over, no not at all. But this week, it seemed like the WWE tried to get back at Canadians for very vocally pointing out angles both past and present that sucked. They may ignore US citizens, and Australians, and Europeans, but my God, those Canadians have to pay! WWE – TV – The Series Raw Well, No Raw review was posted this week, so I’ll just head to the ol’ columns forum and see if anyone has a recap up. What the? No one? Oh well. I guess I’ll give the review plug to Tito. So here ya go. He also reviews the Surreal Life 4. The one with Chyna. Wrath Of Tito So, since it’s the start of the show, and in Canada, we start things out right. Highlight Reel Jericho opens the show. He starts off saying he qualified for the Rumble, but before we can go into it, Muhammad Hassan interrupts. What follows was a very solid outing by both guys. Jericho even works in a plug for Fozzy. Now why is Jericho not the champion again? What’s more, the points raised were valid and Jericho asked him why so grumpy? He’s out of the States and in Canada. . Hassan called Canadians cowards, Jericho then gives a verbal bitch slapping, before giving a physical one. Again, why is Jericho not champion? Daivari gets involved and turns the tide. Randy Orton Speaks He starts off strong. He says he wants to win. H then comes out to make sure that Randy doesn’t get over. Randy says H should prove him wrong. H then says a good line, but goes for the tease instead, which fools no one. He says Randy should come to him. He then leaves, and Randy runs after him only to get clocked at the curtain. Oh well, nice effort. Batista – Mellow? H is pissed and yells at Maria. He then says what about Batista. Well, Batista shows up and is all nice and calm. He does get a good finish off to his promo. HBK Coach is interviewing HBK. HBK hates Canadians because they keep reminding him that he screwed Bret. We also get reminded that HBK has won the Rumble twice. He wants to move on from the fact that he screwed Bret, but he wants another opportunity to screw a Canadian. Namely, Edge. Bischoff shows up and says that HBK automatically gets entrance into the Rumble, and then offers him a gift. A Canadian to squash. Christian. HBK vs Christian Very good match. Nice effort from Captain Charisma and Michaels. Ending saw Edge run in after HBK pinned Christian. Michaels gets speared and put into a Sharp Shooter, and of course, he doesn’t tap, because he will never tap to any submission move ever. Ask Bret Hart. Benoit vs Jericho Great match, and solid work from both guys. It gets plenty of time as well. Just think about what it would have meant if it had been for the title. Either way, Jericho gets the win, and after the match, they shake hands, but in a way that seems to say there should be a next time. Which I totally agree with. Chris Master OK, it’s week two of these vignettes. My reaction so far? OH great, what we need, another big goof. I have no idea who this guy is, but I do know he’s big, and to WWE that’s all that really matters. He’s using a gimmick I’ve seen plenty before, and did I mention he’s big? So is Snitsky, so is Mark Henry, and in case you haven’t noticed so is KANE. Who is getting the shaft again. So, what makes me think this guy isn’t another Heidenreich? Absolutely nothing. All I want to know is if he can wrestle, and judging from his physique, movement isn’t a priority. But he sure is big. Now wait, and see. This dude will be 6’1, which by WWE standards isn’t big at all. Trish Stratus Honey, you are fantastic. Great promo. Funny stuff. Kane comes out to defend his woman. He gives Trish a chokeslam. Then that big goof Snitsky comes out, and goes toe to toe with Kane. Aw hell, does this mean that Trish is going to be saddled with the goof? What the hell is with the Yappa-Pi Weight Belt? Does this mean that we’re going to get a Yappa-Pi Strap match? One of the deadliest in the world? At least according to Hogan it is. I still remember that promo where Hogan just made up the history behind the Yappa-Pi strap on camera. Hogan is the man. Though I do believe a Yappa-Pi Biker Chain match is the pinnacle of brutality from these native Americans. Come on WWE, at least try. In case you haven’t noticed, that was the Main Event. H gets another week off from wrestling, but at least tried to advance some angles. So, it was a wrestling heavy show, and that’s a nice change of pace, and there were some good bits of Sports Entertainment, but the angles that are getting pushed. Maven and Benjamin for example are flat, or have no build up (Benoit vs Jericho). Though in the case of Jericho and Benoit, there is now a solid foundation. Smackdown Recap info provided by Brandon Scott Berthalot Teddy starts the show off with a brief recap of the fooling of Show. Teddy tells us he must apologize to Joy or be removed from the Rumble. Eddie and Booker vs The Bashams Eddy is again too stupid to cheat effectively. He gets busted again. Remember the days where he was a genius? Ah well, that might get him over again, so that’s gotta stop. Is it really that hard to simply have the ref keep an eye on Eddy and stop him BEFORE he can hit some one? DQ results, Eddy and Booker have a face off, Eddy leaves and then the Bashams start beating on Booker with OJ. Eddy comes back and makes the save. Whoop-de-doo. You know, Eddy and Booker could be really good. I mean top notch, but this lame ass getting caught cheating is eating away at it. Big Show Wants Revenge He talks to Joy and then sends her away to beat up Angle, even though Teddy tells him it will cost him. Nope, he can’t wait five minutes, he wants to make sure that he gets punished. Thought, just a little, can go a long way and make for a much better story. Oh well, at least Joy looked great. Akio vs Scotty 2 Hotty (Yes, he’s still alive) Great match, and Jimmy Yang is truly amazing. The way he reversed that Irish whip, breath taking. Scotty still wins and Canada is not big on the worm, and frankly, I’m not sure the rest of the world is either. But the guy has put in his time, been through some rough spots, so I won’t begrudge him going to the Rumble. However, I’d seriously think about pushing Jimmy. That guy is just that good. RVD vs Jimmy? Awesome. Rey vs Jimmy? Love to see it. Funaki vs Jimmy, saw it and it was good. I still have no idea if Jimmy can talk or not, but he can’t be worse than Kenzo can he? Cena Well, I don’t remember anything about balls, so maybe he didn’t say it. I just remember his new catchphrase. "Come get some!" Which was said by some one else, though I can’t remember who. It reminds of Ric Steiner’s " You want some, come get some! You don’t like me, Bite me!". Rene Dupree comes out and what the hell happened to that guy? He looks gayer than ever. Perfect for Cena. He still has the damn dog too. Cena wins, which is no surprise. Carlito and Friend Carlito comes out with his petition. That guy has it. He really does. He’s always in character. That’s a good thing. He gets in the ring, and starts talking. Good stuff. Then that big goof Heidenriech comes out. OK, I have a confession to make. I was cracking up at Johnny. " It’s just that…damn…CAAASSSKKEETT!" Hilarious stuff. He’s over the edge stupidity, and that’s the kind of stuff I like. Ah ya big goof, I hope you win. Come on taker, do a firiggin job, and I mean a real one for once in two years. Let the Big goof pin ya clean, and take off until WM, like we all know you will. Oh wait, there’s a PPV next month as well. Crap. That means tons of promo and hype, but no actual wrestling until the Sunday. And then there’s WM, so he’ll get even more hype, since his streak is unbeaten, but on the plus side, Taker can then get his three month paid vacation until Summer Slam. As a locker room leader, I’m sure this is a good thing. I mean look, he’s already taught Angle and Bradshaw how to hog TV time without actually wrestling, so once the rest of the locker room figures it out, we can get back to nothing but squash matches and promos. Like the good old days. Rey vs Chavo The 619 cam is in focus this time, but few shots are used. I think because of al the signs that say what fans feel, and it’s not that good. Great match. Angle, Show, and Bradshaw Earlier in the show, Bradshaw approached Show and offered hi a truce. And a deal. Let’s get Angle. Well, Angle snuck into the building and went down to the ring to apologize. Joy shows up and liste3ns to Kurt’s words. She forgives him. Show appears and charges the ring. Angle runs off, and there is Bradshaw, waiting for him. Looks like trouble right? Now, what is the one action that makes the least sense? That’s right, Bradshaw and Angle are in cahoots. To get Show. So both stables charge the ring and attack Show. He fights off most of them, but they get him in the end. So that the week in wrestling. Even Smackdown got in on the Canadian bashing, mentioning that JR kept calling it "Bizzaro World". Yeah, that was working great. The shows did advance angles, and while I will and have complained, it’s more because I think they could have been done better. It was still good, and not horrible, but man, I just think that if they had thought a little bit, t could have been much better. Kane’s House The hearse pulls into the parking lot of the Green Frog Supermarket. Kane gets out of the driver’s side, and circles around to the passenger side. He helps Lita out. He scoops her up and helps her get onto his back. Lita: You know Kane, this wouldn’t be necessary if I could trust you to do the shopping on your own. Kane: But Sugar bumps! I told you I could be trusted! Lita: last time I sent you off alone, you came back with nothing but junk! We need real food Kane, and real groceries! Not just Spam and napkins! Kane: But honey! Lita:Don’t you honey me! I don’t care how many times you say they were on sale! Some one has to keep an eye on you! Kane: Yes dear. (He sniffs her arm, Lita whacks Kane on the back of the head) Kane and Lita go into the store, where the giant cardboard cut out of Booker T welcome shoppers. Inside, Booker greets them in person. Booker T:Welcome to the Green Frog Supermarket! Five Times the savings of anywhere else! Be sure to check out our special today. Five Hungry man dinners for Five bucks! MMM-HMM! You folks better get to them before I do! All that food, like chicken and mashed potatoes! You know I’m down with that dog! Lita and Kane start moving up and down the aisles, with Lita giving Kane a slap here and there, as he picks the wrong thing off the shelf. The cart is filling up. As they wander into the produce section, a familiar voice is heard. Voice: My, what nice melons. I like melons and yours sure look ripe and full, ready to be squeezed! Kane’s head snaps up, whacking Lita in the forehead. Lita: OW! What did you do that for- Kane: SSSHH! I hear something! Voice: What you don’t like melons? I like melons!~ I like to SMASH them and mash them! Lita: Is that-? Lita and Kane: GENE SNITSKY! They turn quickly, and see Snitsky looming over a woman who is picked out cantaloupes. Snitsky has a melon in his hand and is squeezing it, causing it to leek juices. He looks up to see Kane and Lita staring at him. Lita and Kane: GENE SNITSKY IS A DEAD MAN! Snitsky drops his melon and starts back up. Gene: Now hold on a second, it wasn’t my fault! Look at the rack on that broad! Some one had to say something! I swear, it wasn’t my fault! Kane and Lita snarl and start stalking forward. Snitsky turns and runs. Kane pursues him, with Lita egging him on. Snitsky grabs objects and throws them at Kane as he runs. He snatches a bottle of Gatorade from a shopper and throws it at Kane. It hit him in the face, and burst open, drenching him. Kane: ARRGGH! I’m Blind! Lita: keep going Kane, I’ll guide you! The chase rages all over the store, as fear drives Snitsky on. Lita keeps shouting instructions until her voice is hoarse. Kane pants for breath. Finally, Snitsky runs from the store. Kane follows on hands and knees, Lita breathing heavy in his ear. AS the sliding doors open to let them out into the parking lot, the pair comes face to knee with Big Show and Bossman, as they were entering. Big Show looks over at the pair, Lita riding on Kane's back, using her knees to nudge him on, Kane panting for breath, crawling. Bossman: Man, I had no idea you guys were this kinky! Playing pony in public like this! Hold on, let me get my camera! Big Show: Bossman, some things are too weird even for you. Let it go. Bossman: But Show- Big Show: Let it go Bossman! Just let it go. You know, why do we keep coming here? I bet this kind of stuff doesn’t happen over at McMahon-Mart. As the pair enters, Bossman says: Bossman: Have you ever been to McMahon mart? Trust me Show, if you think that was weird, you have no idea… The sliding doors cut off the rest of the sentence. Kane and Lita continue to crawl through the parking lot. Over-Analyzing Wrestling Today’s Topic: The Canadian Connection I’d say that the US and Canada have a sibling relationship. They get along, but it won’t stop them from taking playful shots at each other now and then.. Both speak the same language. It’s easy to get into Canada from the US. The culture is not that different, since they come from pretty much the same stock. Mexico can be an entirely different world. There are some fundamental differences, but nothing too drastic. But when it comes to wrestling, there are some big differences, at least, that’s how it looks from Stateside. Canadians like wrestling. They’ve named days after wrestlers. Benoit Day and Jericho day to name a few. They take their wrestling seriously. When WWE goes to Canada, they can count on hot crowds and big attendance. Wrestlers routinely appear on Canadian television, radio shows and interviews in newspapers. When in Canada, there is another aspect that WWE can count on. Support for the home team. Heel or face doesn’t seem to matter. They’re going to get cheered. It plays havoc with angles, but only for the short term. In the long run, it shouldn’t matter. In the past, there have been many USA vs Canada angles. With so many Canadian wrestlers active in the US, it’s an easy angle to do. Canada is close enough to travel too, and of course, it’s easy money, even with the exchange rate. Some have worked, and some have flopped, but it’s one of those cyclical angles that pop up every few years. When it does, it doesn’t seem to be taken seriously by both sides. It’s just another faction that comes from over there. So the home teams get supported. All in all, Canada isn’t that different from the US. I imagine that being a Canadian fan isn’t that different from being a US fan, or an Australian fan, or an English fan. It just seems like per capita, there are more Canadian fans than there are in the US. But there is one tradition in Canada that has spread to the States. The "You Screwed Bret" Chant. Canada seems to mean it, and not just as something to chant. They may still feel it more than most fans in the US. Bret was their man. Heck, he was one of my favorite wrestlers. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a tangent here and talk about that incident. Have you ever seen the film " Wrestling With Shadows"? I have, and it’s a damn good film. It tells one side o the tale, but in a more objective fashion than what WWE would have you believe. I can totally understand why Vince didn’t want it to air. From I can remember, Bret was offered a contract during a big down time in the WWE. This contract for a big amount of money for a long period of time. Bret said OK, but then Vince changed his mind. Bret had been contacted by WCW about work. They were offering a big amount of money that Vince wasn’t willing or unable to meet. Bret told Vince this. He told him flat out that WCW had contacted him. Brett wanted to stay in WWE. After the long-term deal fell through, Vince told Brett to take the WCW offer. Brett didn’t want to, but finally said he would. He worked out dates with Vince. There was a tour of Canada, and Bret was going to drop the title after that tour. The end of his contract was shortly afterwards. Bret didn’t want to drop the title in Canada. Vince agreed to it. What happened instead was the famous Montreal Screwjob. HBK got a fast count over Brett and won the belt. It wasn’t planned to end that way. Now, years later, it still won’t go away. It had that deep of an impact. But the passage of time has eased the scandal that surrounds that incident. It all came out OK right? The business picked up, it made people talk about wrestling. It helped turn the tide in the war against WCW, and WWE won in the end, and everything ended happily ever after right? Wrong. See, at the time, Vince had no idea how things would turn out. I imagine that Vince thought this was a good move, but I highly doubt he thought " This will turn things around for sure!". Oh I’m sure he thought it would get people talking and he still had his Golden Boy HBK, who was one of the biggest backstage manipulators ever seen. HBK hated Brett, and the feeling was mutual. Both complained about working with the other. Neither wanted to job to the other. However, Vince liked Brett’s loyalty, but he liked HBK more. I wonder who made the suggestion for the Screwjob to Vince? But such a call had further effects than I think even Vince imagined. It didn’t take long for Vince to try and capitalize on the incident. The very next night in fact. Vince proudly told people he screwed Brett. Now, let’s look at the time frame. The Attitude Era was just beginning. It hadn’t hit it’s stride yet. Oh sure, some aspects of the company were allowed to go over the top, but it wasn’t everybody and anybody. Brian Pillman had died in October, and that did have an effect, but it hadn’t reached full steam yet. Did the Screwjob cement the Attitude Era? In a way it did, but again, I don’t think it was that planned. See, it was the unintended consequences that helped shape the Attitude Era, and take WWE to the levels it reached. One aspect of the Screwjob was that it put almost all the wrestlers on edge. If Vince would do this to a fourteen-year WWE veteran, and World Champion no less, then it could happen to anyone. In Mick Foley’s first book, Mick described his reactions. He was pissed off and ready to quit. He states that many others felt the same way. See, with that one action, Vince had just about chased most of his talent away, right into the waiting arms of WCW. Who was hiring at the time. Eagerly so. I can bet that more than a few were on the phones to agents, lawyers, whatever, seeking a way out, contract or no. Such actions by an employer could be grounds for release. But they didn’t. Why? In the book, Mick talks about Vince Company frantically calling talent. He had to. If not, then he would be in worse shape than before. Things didn’t change overnight from that action. It would still be a while until the WWE started growing. WWE had to accede to the wishes of it’s wrestlers. Suddenly, a lot more leeway was given to it’s stars. Not just the main acts, but the rest. Talent who had a following could help shape the angles, instead of just following orders. They were given the room to grow. Now, the game had been changed on a primal level. Sure, wrestlers had been screwed over by promoters in the past, but on such a stage? In front of not just thousands, but millions? And able to call their buddies and tell them what happened? Hell no. Now, when contract time came up, guess what? Those wrestlers read every damn page, the fine print, and made sure they had some type of legal representation. Especially if had a lot of TV time. They had to, to protect themselves. But the negative reaction wasn’t just among wrestlers. The fans reacted to that event as well. I know I was pissed off about it. How dare screw The Hitman like that! Screw WWE! The message sent out was also that WWE didn’t give a rats ass about their fans. If a guy like Brett could be screwed over, who was liked, then what about Stone Cold? He’s pissed Vince off, so he could be next. At least in terms of angles. So fans did leave WWE, but curiosity seekers replaced them. So in the long run, the point was moot. But the lesson shouldn’t be lost because things worked out. Vince took a huge risk and it paid off, not by the actions of Vince, but by the actions of others who had to do damage control. The action got publicity, but if the others hadn’t stepped in, who knows where it could have gone. Vince’s dream of unleashing DX didn’t become the monster he wanted it to be. The Next Generation did that. HBK didn’t stick around, as he left not too long after, due to back problems. So that passing of the torch or cementing of the favoritism was lost. So in essence, was it a risk worth taking based on the plan at the time? Has it all blown over? Did the fans, with their only being able to handle three minutes of plot let it slide? Not in Canada. They haven’t forgotten. Indeed, it could be said that they have stepped up efforts to shape the direction of wrestlers careers. Benoit, Jericho, Trish, and even to a degree Edge and Christian all have benefited from the loyal fanbase. By supporting them, it’s given those wrestlers time to prove that they weren't just popular in Canada. They have caught on in the states too. It’s gotten to the point where wrestlers aren’t allowed to be from Canada anymore. In other words, it’s gotten ridiculous. Now it looks like WWE is started to get tired of Canada messing with it’s brilliant (HA!) angles. This time it feels different. This time, it’s not just the wrestlers who are starting to turn on Canada, but now the announces, the voice of the company, are taking sides. Against Canada. In the heavy ham handed fashion of WWE, it’s become a sticking point and s ore spot. In the fashion of crush and bad mouth, and basically ignore what works and what doesn’t on the crusade of never admitting a mistake. Or trying to learn from it. Like with Hogan. It was the right move, but this time, it may not sink in. What does it all mean? Nothing yet, or something that hasn’t been leaked to the net yet. But hopefully, this won’t result in another screwjob. Only this time, it may be the fans that get screwed. Well, that’s it for today. A late one, but I have my reasons. Let’s see, Writermania Promo and Intro, PWA promos, two of those, A TNA promo. So it’s been a lot of writing the past few days, and the wall is approaching. But lucky enough, this puppy is done. So, some quick plugs and that’s a wrap. QUICK PLUGS! Writermania Trash Talking Thread – Read about Wevv, IWC Celebrity Gone Amok! LOP Forums Column! PWA – The TNA Invasion is coming! LOP Forums! Thanks All for today, Until Next Time, Thanks For Reading and Thanks For Ridin’ Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com *NEW GALLERY* Photos of HULK HOGAN and His Hot New, MUCH YOUNGER Girlfriend!
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