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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Monday, August 15, 2005 at 2:55 AM EST
RWTB – Wevv Week – The TV Series Greetings! Welcome to Wevv Week! It’s a special presentation of Ridin' With The Bossman, as Calvin, Webmaster of LOP has graciously allowed me to celebrate my anniversary of writing for the main page with special editions of my column all week long. The fun starts NOW! Today’s special edition will focus on the WWE product. As observed by my fellow writers and a special guest appearance by Velocity recapper Chad Matthews. I’ve also got a special appearance by former LOP Columnist, TNA recapper, and Web Goddess Tina Ali. I would like to say thanks to these folks. Their willingness to take part means a lot to me. I’ve asked them three questions, some with multiple parts. Let’s read what they have to say. BC 1,000,000 BC is an LOP Columnist. His recent work has been a series of columns called BC Screws TNA. His dedication to bringing down TNA has caught my attention. I wondered why he would want to destroy TNA? Why not WWE? So I read his columns and see what he is trying to do. I was impressed. So, I decided to ask him my questions. Once upon a time, he also gave me this great sig.  His latest column can be read here 1) What is your opinion on the state of WWE TV? WWE TV today, for me, is fewer hits, more misses. As a die-hard wrestling fan, I tune in week after week, but often I find myself wondering why by the time the show comes to an end. The wrestling, for the most part has become non-existent, giving way to a slew of other crap that, for whatever it is, isn't wrestling. I've often found myself wondering, after a show featuring three matches, all ending in less than ten minutes... where the hell did two hours go? As I said though, I still tune in. Even their biggest detractors can't deny the truth. WWE has the greatest roster in the history of wrestling below them and a ring. That's all they need to have a great show, week after week, every week. Just because they didn't, doesn't mean they can't... or won't. At least that's what I tell myself every Monday and Thursday. Lately though, I've grown expectant of WWE's "tricks". If they're not hitting the mark, I don't hesitate to shut them off or check another station. I've also abolished my "Monday & Thursday are for wrestling" attitude. If there's a concert or party or something, I'm not about to miss it on the off-chance WWE might actually entertain me for a change. Long story short, I start off every WWE show with low expectations and they are usually met. 2) What angles work for you? Since the beginning of the year, do you think they have gotten better, worse, or stayed about the same? I'll address these one-by-one... Hulk Hogan's return and HBK's return to heeldom: I loved it, especially how it elevated Muhammad Hassan's character. Sure he never beat Hogan, but being in the ring with an icon of that level raises anyone's stock. As for the HBK dream team and subsequent dream match to come... yeah, mark me down as favoring this one. Kurt Angle's various angles: Who did he piss off? The whole feud with HBK was tough, considering the brand extension limited it to a war of words for the most part. They pulled it off as really only they could, but after that, he became Kurt "I Crave Anal" Angle. What the fuck? I'm all for pushing Booker, but now if it means I have to suffer through that crap. This current deal he's got with Eugene looks promising, though. The Undertaker vs. guys who lose: He crushed Heidenreich. He crushed Orton. He crushed Hassan. We get the point. Whoever finally beats this guy is going to be a made man, but by the time they pull the trigger... will there be anybody left? Fozzy: It got kind of crapped on, but I liked the Jericho heel turn. Even as a babyface, Jericho's never been one to shy away from self-praise, but it's not all that unfathomable that he truly buys into the whole "rock star" thing. John Cena's quite a good foil for it as well and the alliance with Bischoff and Carlito... hell, anything that has Jericho doing something is a welcome change from the past few years. Batista vs. HHH:Started off okay, but after the Royal Rumble was very rushed. It just felt like Batista was benefiting from Orton damage control. As it progressed as H was forced to be booked as a complete joke, just to make a Batista win seem possible, it exposed him as not ready for the spot. Since then, little has changed. He gets great crowd reactions, but so does Hardcore Holly. Deep down, nobody cares. As for HHH, say what you like about him, but I doubt anyone believes he should be off of TV completely. There is definitely a role for the #1 full-timer in WWE, no matter what. Eddy vs. Rey: Went from a pretty decent friendly rivalry to a really great heel turn to... full-blown WrestleCrap. That kid looks nothing like Eddy. For Christ's sake, WWE... get Eddy's kid to play the kid! It's not like we give a shit either way. With better execution, this feud could have solidified Eddy as a great heel. Instead, it's just a lot of chatter, which is what you want from these two. I suppose I could be happy knowing I got to see Eddy and Rey in the same ring for about 30 minutes tonight on SmackDown! Chris Benoit: He did something this year. Don't recall what, but I do know it was important. JBL: I've been surprised, but JBL's truly evolved as a performer. His matches with Big Show and Cena were show-stealers at the SmackDown PPVs and he's managed to stay in the title picture without relying on his former champion status to keep him there. I really expected him to return to the mid-card, but he hasn't. Although the SD main event scene has plummeted to mid-card level, really. John Cena: He's the closest thing WWE could have to the Austin/Rock type of attraction, but he too has fallen to a midcard spot on RAW. I really think they're sitting on a gold mine... and sitting... and sitting. The time to pull the trigger on it has come and gone, but it's not too late. With one of the shows focused around Cena, the other can showcase the matches some say Cena can't deliver. Still, Cena's a likable guy. I like him and I don't like anybody, really. Really. Hardledgita Gate: If Lita wanted me to care about who she fucked, she'd fuck me. Shoot? Perhaps. Work? Yeah, now. Boring? Mostly. I'm a pretty big Matt Hardy fan, in as much as I like to watch him wrestle, not as in I know how many miles it is from his house to mine, but this whole thing has been just too confusing. I'm a big fan of TNA and RoH, so when I hear one of my WWE favorites gets canned, I don't sweat it too much because I know I'll likely see them again in three months. Hardy's WWE return actually disappointed me. Those are really the only storylines that have been showcased in any discernable way. Christian has his little segment so people can clamor on about how underrated he is and whatnot, Masters has the full nelson challenge that nobody really cares about, Eugene's still 'tarded but he gets bitches, Chavo's white now, Shelton's getting a sitcom on CBS and Heidenreich's a Road Warrior. That about sums up all of WWE in a nutshell. 3) What match would you like to see on TV, and what feud would you like to see happen (A feud being a series of matches, promos, etc)? As every fan does, I have a few dream feuds and matches I'd like to see WWE crank out. And as every fan's dream matches go, you don't want to see mine and I don't want to see yours, which is why none of us are writing the deal. However, since I was asked, I'll hip you to mine. First off, I'll only be going by stuff that would make sense from a brand extension situation. However, without those limits, I'd love to see a face Heartthrobs take on a heel MNM. With that out of the way... Triple H vs. Kurt Angle (RAW): Basically, I'd like to see HHH as a face in some capacity. I think it could spark something big, provided the wannabe insiders don't crap on it (which they will). I think they could deliver a good mix of both great matches as well as other assorted feud segments. Chris Benoit vs. Nunzio (SmackDown!): I just like them both and would like to see what they could do in the ring together on a pay-per-view. It's one of very few matches I've never seen that I think could actually be good. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kerwin White (RAW): The racial salaciousness is just too tempting, but I bet these two could have great matches as well. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Super Crazy (SmackDown!): They had one match, but I'd like to see a prolonged program between them. Something like the Mexicools' failed attempt to recruit him, then beat him up, then one joins his side and a tag feud... something. I've seen enough Rey/Juvi matches and Rey/Psicosis matches, but one Rey/Crazy match is just not enough. My ultimate dream feud would have to be the one I absolutely KNOW is coming, and soon... John Cena vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage (RAW): Somebody's got to teach this cracker how to rap. Next we have Chad Matthews, Velocity recapper. Chad lucked out. What started as a throw away show has turned into one of the best wrestling shows on TV. As a recapper, Chad must pay close attention to what goes on and faithfully recap those events to his readers. Something he does with style. His latest recap can be read here Chad Matthews 1) What is your opinion on the state of WWE TV? -To be honest, the state of the television shows is something I change my mind about every month...but quite frankly I find that RAW is always, at the very least, fairly entertaining. With RAW you get a mixed bag that's mostly filled with garbage, but is saved by a few segments/matches per show that make it feel worth while. Fortunately, they have the talent roster to pull that off on a weekly basis...Unfortunately, SD doesn't have that luxury. SD must rely on a smaller group of performers to keep the show entertaining. For the most part, I actually think they manage to do that quite nicely considering their B-show feel (which I've only now really started to buy into). At this point in time, RAW is riding on a wave of fresh feuds at the top of their card. You've got no Triple H to hog the limelight, so it's allowed Jericho to step up and be a major player again and then of course HBK and Hogan are there to dazzle you with a what's been a fantastic feud, imo. Frankly, it just all feels so fresh on RAW right now...Yet on SD, you have JBL still in the main-event after 16-17 months...and that's hurting that show. Hell, I don't even watch SD anymore as a result. Then, you've got Guerrero-Mysterio that's been going on since before Wrestlemania, Orton vs.Taker which has been off and on since before Wrestlemania, and then the same old lack of a mid-card and misuse of top talent. Overall, though, I'd say RAW is in good shape...they've got fresh feuds, hot storylines, and a champion who could be a catalyst in leading the next charge in a new wrestling boom. I'd say SD will be fine (but not much better than that) once JBL gets out of the main-event. 2) What angles work for you? Since the beginning of the year, do you think they have gotten better, worse, or stayed about the same? - I've never been a big fan of soap opera angles, and there seems to have been quite a few of them since what I felt was an extremely well-hyped Wrestlemania. However, some people pull off the soap-style angles really well...take Mysterio and Guerrero, for example. They've done a great job with their feud despite it being a little too long and over the top (here lately, anyway). Then you look back at Booker vs. Angle...their feud was just too much. There is one trend that we are starting to see more and more of as time goes on that I find to be very intriguing...and that's a move toward bringing out more real life scenarios and drama into wrestling angles. The Edge-Hardy feud, imo, has been brilliantly booked...and it may very well be what makes Edge over enough as a heel to main-event PPVs in the near future. Obviously the reason that this feud has been successful (in my eyes, anyway) is the use of the real life situation. Then you have the Hogan-HBK feud, which has brought several strikingly real comments from each guy...and I've loved every second of it. I don't think wrestling angles as a whole have gotten better as the year has gone on, though. I do think that Summerslam may very well be the best hyped show of the year, but the WWE is so back-and-forth with how well they write their storylines that it's hard to say if they've done better or worse since the beginning of the year. 3) What match would you like to see on TV, and what feud would you like to see happen (A feud being a series of matches, promos, etc)? - Oh, there are several, but the one that I get most excited about is the prospect of a Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena match on TV. The thing is, I’d love to see them in a full-fledged feud, but I'm not too sure that HBK is going to stay heel long enough for that to happen. During his feud with Hogan, he's been borderline babyface with the comments he's made, so I'll go ahead and call that the match I’d like to see on TV. In terms of a feud, I’d have to say Shelton Benjamin and Kurt Angle. Benjamin has hit a bump in the road in his career since becoming careless and botching several of his once fluid high risk moves, but there's no doubt he could be the next great worker. Angle and him could really do some great work together, imo, and Kurt could very well be the one that could put Shelton over the top as a main-eventer/top guy on RAW. Jennifer, or XtremeGirly789, is a newcomer to the columns forum. She is also a girl. I wondered what a new member of the IWC thinks of the current product, before the cynicism kicks in. Her latest column can be found here XtremeGirly789 1) What is your opinion on the state of WWE TV? I’m actually writing a column about that issue. Frankly right now it’s not good. It’s the same old story again and again. I don’t think that they are trying anymore to make good TV. 2) What angles work for you? Since the beginning of the year, do you think they have gotten better, worse, or stayed about the same? The Lita Kane Edge angle is really the only one that has worked for me. Because they where able to capitalize on a real life situation. I personally think they have gotten worse and worse as the year has gone on. 3) What match would you like to see on TV, and what feud would you like to see happen (A feud being a series of matches, promos, etc)? I would love to see The Undertaker and Mankind in a buried alive match. Because they are great performers and work really well together. As for feud I would like to see a Victoria and Lita feud with Trish being in the middle. Because we need a good female feud. Tina is a former LOP regular, before taking over duties as Webmistress for the official TNA Bulletin Boards. Her column “The XY Files” was and still is a great read. Sadly, her current duties seem to keep her from writing. Yet she was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions from her old buddy Wevv. Tina, you’re the best. I’m not sure about linking directly to her boards, but I will tell you how to get there. You can visit with Tina at the community section of the Official TNA site, which can be found here: TNA Wrestling. Tina Ali AKA Miss Jess What is your opinion on the state of Wrestling TV? If you would, compare the differences in style between TNA and WWE and how they present their product. “Only after disaster can we be resurrected.” Sure Fight Club quotes are so overused but I really can’t think of a better one to describe the current state of wrestling (or at least wrestling over the past six months.) I personally believe that the disaster has already occurred and right now the fans are in the envious position to witness wrestling’s resurrection. Right now we are the cusp of a new era in wrestling. Not only is WWE really trying to pull out some new approaches to their current product but we’ve also got TNA debuting on Spike TV come October 1st. There’s also the rumors of Dave Nelson’s WWWA potentially debuting on national television via ESPN. Granted that’s still rumors at this time and Dave Nelson doesn’t exactly have a wonderful, believable reputation but at least its some interesting smoke being blown. My point is that for the first time in years wrestling fans are going to have a choice. We all know that competition makes everyone step up and when it’s on a national stage you should be damn excited about it. Even if you don’t consider TNA competition to WWE’s product (which is fine) you have to admit that having another wrestling product on television is a momentous occasion. Everyone talks about how wrestling has been in a downside for a while but the tides are changing. We are on the beginning of a new upswing and no matter who comes out on top in the end one fact remains- the fans win. If you are a wrestling fan first, instead of being a one-sided loyal to a fault fan of a single promotion, you really should be celebrating right now. While I am not personally a fan of some of the currents attempts at WWE I am still looking forward to seeing what Vince is going to start doing now that someone else is in the rear-view mirror. On one hand we have the WWE giving us an intensive storyline based product. Sure, the internet complains about most of these storylines and I can’t say I’m too huge of a fan of them but the fact remains that there must be some people interested in it because people are still tuning in every week. Even if you are only tuning in to heckle what’s going on, you are still tuning in. On the other hand we have TNA bringing the sports driven focus back to wrestling. You may not care for their lack of storylines or the so-called “spotfests” but you can’t deny that it is a more athletic approach to wrestling. By taking away gimmicks and silly storylines (not all of them of course) you are getting a focus on actual wrestling. Production-wise right now of course WWE is the winner. They have a huge staff and tons of cash to invest in this area. They also have years upon years of experience on television but TNA has really stepped up in this area as of late. Sure their production quality is not up to par with the WWE’s but again WWE has tons of experience in this area… a jumpstart if you will. TNA’s production has increased drastically since they acquired Dave Sahadi and now he has just brought in one of his favorite people to work with, Kevin “Not the Wrestler” Sullivan. If you haven’t tuned into the product lately I highly suggest heading over to tnawrestling.com and seeing for yourself. Since they left FSN they have been working hard to get ready for Spike TV. The additions in the production area and the change in booking have given TNA a new lease on life. What angles work for you (in WWE)? Since the beginning of the year, do you think they have gotten better, worse, or stayed about the same? Tough question. I’ll be honest; I hadn’t watched RAW since Snitsky dropkicked Lita’s Fetus into the crowd. That pretty much ended it right there for me. It’s a wrestling show and when I tune in that’s exactly what I want to see. If I really wanted soap opera crap I could easily tune in during daytime television and watch any number of them since I am home… but I don’t. If I don’t want to watch it during the day, why would I want to see it with my wrestling at night? Exactly. Now I admit to watching again recently. I wanted to see how they handled the whole Matt Hardy scenario and that very first night that he ran in was great. It hooked me into tuning in the next week. I was really interested in seeing how they managed to pull it off after that first run-in. Too bad they had him run in again… and again. It killed the shock value completely. Regardless of how you feel about this angle though it’s an interesting take and acknowledges that the internet audience is growing. See, the only way to really pull this off was to involve the internet and they knew it. Granted, they’ve managed to completely screw up an angle that was literally writing itself. All the build up, intrigue, swerving of oversized fangirls and glow in the dark boys was fantastic… and then it bombed once it was on TV. Sad really because this was something that I was interested enough in to actually turn my TV on Monday nights. Does it count if I wanted it to work for me? It hasn’t really gotten any better for me but I have to give them credit for trying. Tying in the past with angles such as HBK and Hogan as well as the “reality/ shock TV” feel of the Hardy mess are good ideas. They’re at least getting some better ideas that are almost original (in a sense) and that’s refreshing. It’s the follow through that could use some work. Right now they really aren’t giving me a real reason to tune in. I skim through the recaps when I’m bored but I’m hoping really soon that I am skimming through and something jumps out enough that I want to tune in again. The flesh is willing but the product is weak. What match would you like to see on TV, and what feud would you like to see happen (A feud being a series of matches, promos, etc)? If only TNA, please list one WWE. Maybe I’m an odd type of fan but as far as fantasy booking I can’t really say there is one specific match that I’d really love to see, at least nothing that hasn’t really been done before or discussed before. Matches I would have liked to see aren’t a possibility now due to the cuts. Haas vs. Shelton Benjamin would have been a great feud. Will we see it now? Nope. Farooq coming back and laying into JBL would be nice. Not that I’m a huge fan of Farooq but the fact that the APA and JBL’s current character couldn’t be farther apart would make it great. Have Farooq show up and ask JBL what happened to him. When did he become such a stick in the mud? What happened to the cigar smoking, beer drinking, poker playing guy that he used to be? Now JBL is running around using Orlando Jordan as his servant boy. Since they are currently bringing back some “old timers” it’s not outside the realm of possibilities I suppose. I know I personally enjoy when characters are connected to their past again and no matter what JBL becomes he can’t deny all the time he spent in APA. There are a lot of possibilities here and if given the time I think this could be a pretty interesting feud even though I’m not exactly a JBL fan. This might make me care for a moment though. Once again, I would like to take the time to thank each and every one of the participants. I truly appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I also enjoyed your answers, as they provided great diversity and insight. Next on the docket for Wevv Week is this Wednesday, we have a special installment of Kane’s House. One year ago the segment was born. Could this be the final chapter? Find out this Wednesday. Wevv Week continues. QUICK PLUGS! The Movie Bar! The Movie Bar Forums The Project LOP Forums! LOP Columns Forum! LOP's Very Own PWA, Best E-Fed on the net. Period. Until Next Time, Thanks For Readin' and Thanks For Ridin' Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com Please label all email FEEDBACK.
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