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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Sunday, May 7, 2006 at 9:01 PM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – ECW +TNA +WWE =One Crazy Summer Greetings! Welcome to another edition of Ridin’ With The Bossman. The Column that isn't afraid to support Mark Henry. Man, it’s been a long, brutal month of work, and thank goodness a real vacation is right around the corner. Not a vacation from column writing due to working insanely long hours, that fry my brain, but a vacation where I can actually leave Phoenix, and go hundreds of miles away from work. I feel bad about phoning it in last week. So much to talk about, and no time to do it. But I think last week’s audio show went pretty well, with some good content. Be sure to check it out. Now, shameless plugs aside, let’s get down to it. WWE TV – The Series WWE had a PPV that featured the in-ring debut of God. Well, that’s what they claimed, and did they do something clever? No. It was a joke. No one showed up to play to the role of God. No cheesey special effects. Just, nothing. Which was probably better than trying. John Cena kept his world title and H and HBK are teasing a DX re-union. On Smackdown, Booker continues his push to the King Of The Ring, Rey Mysterio is still barely champion, and JBL has stopped wrestling, but is still getting TV time. If Undertaker can do it, then why not JBL? The HooliganZ and MNM are still lighting up the show with top-notch matches. In other news, Trish suffered a separated shoulder. Get well soon Trish. Now, that about brings us up to speed on this week’s TV. Raw Recap courtesy of Carl Walsh Vince opens the show. He gloats about beating HBK and God. He says that as punishment for our sins, we get the Spirit Squad running the show. Well, it was like that. But I gotta admit. The Spirit Squad did not suck. They were good. Divas in a Cheerleader match? Nice! The main event? Kenny vs John Cena? Well, doesn't sound too good, but we’ll see. Hot Chicks Torrie Wilson, looking amazing came out first. Seriously, why would they want to fire her? The chick is hot, knows what to do, and has a following. She’s been in Playboy 3 times. Sloppy match, but hey, hot chicks. Trish came out and cost Vicki and Micki the match. Afterwards, Micki attacked Maria. Spirit Squad vs Snitsky, Goldust, Eugene Hijinks galore, as the rest of the Spirit Squad kept popping into the match. Spirit Squad wins. Eugene Speaks And bashes Eric. Matt Striker then attacks Eugene. The Squad Gives HBK Spirit Shawn is announced as reffing a match tonight. Rob Conway vs Kane MAY 19TH! I can't deny it. I love the promotional tactic. It’s hilarious. And effective. Kane destroys Rob, while HBK over-acts. But it’s good. Umaga vs Ric Flair Armando speaks, and says Umaga is good. No one believes him. Ric Flair loses. Cutting Edge Mick Foley is the guest. Edge rips on Joey Styles before Mick comes out. Mick Foley says that he and Edge had a great match at Wrestlemania. True. Foley then challenges Edge to a match tonight. Edge says no. Edge says next week. Mick says OK, and Bang Bang. Not a bad segment. Masterlock Challenge RVD, Mr. Money In The Bank and Intercontinental Champion will accept the challenge. Masters gets the lock on, Shelton comes out to beat up RVD, Carlito makes the save, and we get ourselves a tag team bout. RVD and Carlito vs Shelton and Masters Charlie Hass makes an appearance, and RVD and Carlito pick up the win. The Joey Styles Incident Joey got harassed by the Spirit Squad. They told him he lacked spirit. So, King jumped on the bandwagon, and made fun of Joey. Joey got upset, attacked King, and then left. He later returned, after King offered an on-air apology. But Styles had something to say. He ripped the WWE product. He ripped the way he was told to do his job. He got cheered. He then ripped the fans, and said he quits. Kenny vs Cena Todd Grisham joined King in the booth. H is the special guest ref after pointing out that Vince likes to grope chicks. H just milled about the ring during the match. He laid out Cena and Kenny and left. HBK came out, still wearing his ref shirt, and helped Cena get the win. H and HBK stared at each other as they crossed paths on the ramp. Smackdown Recap courtesy of Chad Matthews Rey opens the show, and says he likes being Champion. JBL then comes out and does his illegal alien shtick. You know the one, as I’m sure you’ve heard it plenty of times before, all the way back to Eddie Guerrero’s run as champion. Rey says he is a fighting champion and will face anyone. So, JBL challenges him to face Mark Henry. Rey says yes. Booker vs Gunner Scott Booker wins. Good match. After the match, Booker says he could have beaten Kurt and that this tournament is his for taking. I hope so. MNM vs London and Kendrick MNM sneak in through the crowd and beat up Kendrick and London. There was no match. Benoit vs Finlay A mat classic. Great stuff, though it probably didn't go over too well live. But you could see everything on TV. Built to a solid ending. Benoit took control, Finlay went to cheat with the club, Benoit took it from him, Finlay used the distraction to get a chair and whack Benoit. Finlay then got the pin. Like I said, a great match. Cruiser Lovin’ #1 contenders match for the Cruiserweight Championship. It’s Kid Kash, Super Crazy, and Nunzio. A few high spots early, but then that big goof Khalil came out and squashed everyone. -Tangent I just read that Jimmy Yang has resigned with WWE. That’s great news, as Yang is a hell of a wrestler, and I never understood why they let him go. The reason they gave was the creative couldn't come up with anything for him. So, a guy who can really wrestle gets nothing, while a big guy who can't wrestle, and can't talk, but my GOD is he big, gets TV time and an angle. Tatanka We get a long, in-depth description of Tatanka and the Indian heritage surrounding sweat lodges. All I will say is this. Tatanka looks a lot smaller. And why is he getting an intro months after his debut? What does Tatanka have on Johnny Ace? Maybe, maybe, it wasn’t Vince in that tanning salon….maybe…it was Johnny Ace telling that chick he was Vince McMahon and that Johnny is the guy with nude photos of himself on his cell phone….maybe….probably not. Bobby Lashley Speaks Bobby has got it down. Low voice, right emotion, confidence, yep, a future star. Too bad he’s black. But, on the plus side, it could have easily been Lashley vs Undertaker. Which wouldn't have done his rising star power any favors. Rey Mysterio vs Mark Henry Actually, not that bad of a match. Mark tries, and that makes a difference to me. Mark is willing to work with his opponents, and gives it a solid effort. I mean really, Undertaker got all kinds of praise for a dive out of the ring. Mark Henry jumps off the apron through a table. He’s also jumped from the ring through an announce table. The guy takes big risks for a big man. Kurt was already hurt, and needed that time off. And in this match, he let Rey work his magic on him. And Mark won. So….that would make Mark the #1 contender. Which is good. If Rey is going to drop the belt to JBL, then it’s only fitting that Mark and JBL have a nice long feud. JBL will blame Mark for having bad matches, but from what I’ve seen of Mark’s work so far, I know Mark will be trying. Mark is a main event threat, and that’s a good thing. It’s taken ten years, but he’s finally gotten there, and the fact that he survived his loss to Undertaker proves he’s got some staying power. So, that was the week in wrestling, excluding TNA. Let’s include TNA shall we? TNA Recap courtesy of BC Tag Team match AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels formed a Tag Team to take on America’s Most Wanted who have TWO valets, the smoking hot Gail Kim, and Jackie Haas. Solid match, and Daniels and Styles seem very over. World X-Cup match It’s a tournament, featuring teams from around the world competing in highflying spotfest matches. Not a bad thing. Low Ki has returned. As Shenshi. Sting is torturing Jeff Jarrett and the fans by bringing out old crufter that no one cares about. This week, Ric Friggin’ Steiner. Nash is burying the X-Division Christian defends the NWA Title against Alex Shelly Good match. It’s for the title, even though Abyss and James Mitchell are running around with the actual belt. So, yeah, some really good wrestling, so bad segments, and some promise. And it’s also exactly like WCW Thursday Night Thunder. Some good matches that get buried under some bad sports entertainment. Old farts running over everything that shows a glimpse of promise. And HEY! IT’S THE SAME GUYS! Only we have Jeff Jarrett and no Scott Hall. And less hot chicks. I miss the Nitro Girls. So, it looks like TNA is trying to drum up some viewers, with bringing out old names. Only problem is, no on has been clamoring for these guys to return to TV. From scattered comments on the TNA message board, some have given Big Poppa Pump some praise, but not that many. Lex Luger? Buff Bagwell? Ric Steiner? Kevn Nash? Good grief. Lex is buddies with Sting, or at least, he was. Buff is/was friends with Scott. Ric and Scott, brothers. Nash? Well, if DX is rumored to be coming back, and Nash wants another half million dollar, no work, contract with WWE, he better get back on TV. And what better way to earn some brownie points with WWE than by burying the one thing TNA fans can agree on, that the X-Division is fantastic. And Nash can play TNA like a fiddle. There are rumors, rumors mind you, of Jim Cornette going to TNA. Please, keep in mind, TNA says a lot of things, but they rarely gets things in writing first, before making an announcement. And, according to one news source, Cornette is going to have knee surgery, and be out for a while. At this point, it’s still a rumor that Cornette is going to be joining TNA. But it’s a big move if they do. A good move? Maybe. A bad move. Could be. But let’s get to a big fat, Over-Analyzing Wrestling, to make a final call. Over-Analyzing Wrestling Today’s Topic: Summer Heat It’s that time of the year again. Colleges across North America get ready for the end of the scholastic year. Summer heat starts to make it’s way across the country. Gas prices rise. Movie makers are crossing their fingers, hoping that this years crop of “blockbusters” are exactly that. And television networks roll out their final episodes for the magical time known as Sweeps, before re-runs and filler program start to take over network television schedules. First things first. CBS is the ratings leader. Out of the top twenty shows, which can be seen HERE, CBS has 11 shows, across the span of the week. Fox has 3 (in the top five no less), NBC 3 (Deal Or No Deal is a huge, beating out ER), and ABC has 3. CBS is clearly in control. The top rated show for the week of April 24 – 30 is 17.1, with roughly 28 million viewers. The bottom of the top twenty is 8.2 with 13 million viewers. That is for network television. Now, for Fridays, when Smackdown airs, the ratings go something like this for May 5th. Smackdown got a 2.3 average rating. The pack looked like this: CBS earned a 7.4 rating/13 share in primetime, topping NBC's 5.9/11. ABC took third with a 4.3/8. FOX's 2.8/5 was good for fourth, beating out UPN, 2.3/4, and The WB, 1.4/3. – Zap2it.com Let's not forget that this is the build up for Sweeps, which is basically the month of May. Every show goes all out to get the highest rating possible. Why? To avoid cancellation, get a better time slot, or keep their time slot, pick up extra seasons, charge higher ads rates, basically, to make their shows more valuable to the network that owns them. Also, with the trend in having season DVD’s released, a higher sweeps rating, means more DVD sales. Higher syndication rates as well. In essence, the higher the sweeps rating, the more money is in play. What does this mean for wrestling? I’m getting to that, but there’s more set up. WWE has unveiled a plan to release original content for mobile phone users. The plan calls for 75 unique video clips to be available to all phone network users, with the potential for delivery of 70 more features for premium subscription users. Video content for phones is a growing business. The news release can be read in it’s entirety here In related news, TNA has decided to take advantage of web video servers like YouTube. A new show, called Global Impact, hosted by Christy Hemme, and Jeremy Borash, can be seen from the TNA website, which is HERE I gotta say, that show is good. I like it better than Impact. And they have a sneak preview of the TNA Knockouts video, which is very sweet. What does this mean to wrestling? One more newsbit first. iTunes video services, and other small screen providers That newstory offers some great perspective. Ready now? This summer has the promise to become one of the most heated in recent memory. WWE is about to try something new, in bringing back not a new r old wrestler, but an entire promotion. TNA is expanding there content. They are looking for ways to get their product to the fans, and grow their fanbase. They brought back Sting, for a huge amount of money. Spike is trying to help them out, but that help now seems circumspect. WWE is teasing a return of an old favorite stable in Degeneration X. With gas prices reaching three bucks a gallon, sometimes more in parts of the country, which means that travel could be limited. That means more people staying at home, and that means a chance that people will be watching more TV. I can't find the link, but I did read something about how cable is taking away from network programming, in that it offers more variety. No one station benefited, as it was a widespread effect. Loose translation, it’s anyone’s game. And wrestling has a dedicated fanbase, that will change it’s patterns to watch the shows. With the advent of multiple outlets for content, like the web, mobile phones, and the option of downloading shows, to watch at a time of the viewers own choosing, the race is on for unique content. And content with a built in fan base is prime real estate. Like network television shows. Or wrestling. So, who has the edge in this brewing war? Let’s take a more in-depth look. WWE The biggest thing going on right now is not John Cena, but the rumored return of Degeneration X. The outlook seems to be positive right now. As WWE has only thrown the option out there. Triple H and Shawn Michaels are the only two members of the group currently under contract. But they are amongst, if not the, biggest stars on Raw. Pros: Nostalgia. A great worker in HBK. Two great talkers. Potential fever pitch of guessing who will join next. Two generations of attitude colliding in John Cena and friends vs H and HBK. Negatives: All the fan boys who heard about them, and watched whatever clips they could find. Degeneration X is nearly ten years gone from it’s first appearance. The group disbanded in early 2000. These folks have seen the best. I don't know if they got to see the bad. Probably not. H all over the show. It wasn’t that long ago that we tried that. It didn't work then. It may not now. Expectations built up very high on potential only to fall flat in execution. ECW This one has the potential to be really big. But the main thing about ECW, that WWE doesn't seem to quite understand, is that it was more about attitude than about crazy hardcore matches. It was an idea, more than a type of wrestling. Pros: Ideas. If Paul Heyman is allowed to guide the show, without interference from management, then this could be the spark that WWE has been looking for. Paul knows how to inject emotion in your generic feud. There is still an ECW fanbase. While the numbers for the PPV last year were not monstrous, the sales of the DVD were. The competition between ECW (as a separate brand) and WWE will help spark the company. Cons: Tons. If it’s just WWE playing ECW, then the whole point is moot . There are already people willing to boycott the offering, basically because they refuse to believe that it won't be “real” ECW. Holding onto the past. There is also the factor that if ECW succeeds, that upper management will bury the product. Pettiness is a common trait amongst management, and if the idea didn't come from them, it must not be good. Vince has made decisions before, and they were followed to the letter, right up until the time they flopped and then the blame game began. A lot of the old timers from ECW have been signed, it an attempt to lend weight to the claim that this is the REAL ECW. However, these guys were last seen on ECW TV six years ago. They took quite a beating. Six years later, it’s questionable what shape they're in. Can they take the same kind of punishment they once did? I somehow doubt it. TNA They’re trying to get their name out there, and make contact with the fans. They have signed new talent. Christy Hemme, Low Ki, and then there’s the old farts they have brought back. But, they are working on expanding the product beyond what they’ve bought with Spike. Pros: Perseverance. Not being WWE. A great deal of talented and dedicated workers. Connections to sports organization that haven't been tainted by their CEO going “Just Plain Nuts and Creepy” on them. Underdogs. Cons: Plenty. But it all boils down to this. MONEY TNA has none, and WWE has tons. The names TNA has been able to drag onto their shows are not big, and if they were, WWE would have used them. Honestly, who’s left from the bygone days that they can drag up? Not many. Macho Man. Mike Rotunda? Muta? Terry Funk? Sid Viscious? Those guys may show up, but they have their eye on making it back into WWE. Just like Nash. Just like Big Poppa Pump, and the rest. WWE called, and they said yes. They will again. It’s just a job to them. It’s not a knock, it’s just the way it is. The show itself got moved to a bad time slot. It is. Explain about the lead in all you want, it doesn't change the fact that it’s 11PM on a Thursday night. And most people have A: School or B: Work, the next day. TNA fans read spoilers too. WWE seems to have no plans for a big summer angle for Smackdown. I’m guessing that the ECW angle will be primarily Raw vs ECW, with Smackdown chiming in every now and again. But Smackdown does have some big things on the horizon. Smackdown Batista Returns. Randy Orton returns. Which reminds me. Raw Divas Search. Start a pool right now, How many big titted blonde chicks make the cut? I’m betting at least 75%. With at least two minorities. Because WWE doesn't have enough big titted blonde chicks on the roster. And if they go below 50 % the world will end. But back to Smackdown. Smackdown’s cruiser’s should play a huge role in the new ECW. It’s been said for years that WWE has no clue how to use their cruisers, and well, it’s been proven true. Also, the plan right now seems to be that ECW will take the place of Smackdown, which means the show will be taped before Smackdown. You'd think it would be against Smackdown don't you? Have you learned nothing from the Invasion Angle, or the Raw vs Smackdown angle? Smackdown is the one that ECW will gets it’s wins over, while Raw saves the day. Thus, Smackdown is further buried. ECW will not just spawn out of nowhere. Not if Paul E has anything to say about it. Or anyone with a brain for that matter. It will be an angle. It will effect both shows. Talent must be scooped up from both shows. And it will happen on-air. What’s funny about ECW coming back, is that the concept of ECW is being discussed at length across the IWC, and what strikes me the most, is the thought that this is what TNA should have been about. An alternative to WWE. Instead, it’s become WCW. Old school thinking and booking the promotion like it was a territory, not a national promotion. That line of thinking still holds true. I’ve heard the complaints that they should get out of Orlando, and they should go out and experience the reactions to a new audience. It would be costly, but they could do it. The Northeast would accept them. Especially if they partnered with ROH. They have TV production equipment you know. But TNA is trying. They’re getting desperate. And WWE bringing back ECW means that the stakes have gotten higher. Because ECW is what TNA is meant to be. Now, to tie in the links and news from earlier. There are more options for a wrestling company to get their product out, and make a profit than before. The web has finally caught up to the expectation at the turn of the century. Video content is being distributed across the web. Portable technology is now able to run the content. Video iPods, Video phones, net speeds, and hard drive space is plentiful for a consumer to have a variety on their computer and not worry about space. Systems are now in place to stream the content, for a fee. Laws are being enforced concerning pirating, and illegal distribution. Not very effectively, but for every hub shut down, a legal precedent is set for the next one. Which makes it harder to distribute movies, music and so forth. Oh, it will adapt to something new, but catching up will take a while. And wrestling? Wrestling is poised to make a big splash. It’s not the Invasion. It’s possibly three companies duking it out to see who is the best. One has a huge lead. One has the backing of the big dog. And one just won't die. Just like the glory days of wrestling. In theory at least. Potential for a stretch. And for the fans, it’s mostly in their minds. But it could get people talking. And talking can lead to viewers. And viewers can lead to growth. After all, WCW had more money than WWE back in the day. And in 1997, it was being said that WWE was done. Over. Out of the running. But it didn't happen that way did it? Who was left standing? WWE. The ones who were supposed to lose. It’s still way too early to tell, but it looks like this is going to be a hot summer. That’s it for today. One last news blurb, and that’s a wrap. Midget Hired to Be Finlay’s Leprechaun Good grief, why? They guy has gotten over. How is this a good thing? Seriously? It worked so well before, with the Minis. I think they need to drug test their creative staff. QUICK PLUGS! LOP Forums! LOP Columns Forum The PWA, best E-Fed on the net, period. DVD Fanatic, the Ultimate DVD Resource Feeling Creative? Check out The Project. Until next Time, Thanks For Readin' and Thanks For Ridin' Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com
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