The Wrath of Tito - I was wrong about DX, ECW on Sci-Fi thoughts, and more
Submitted by Mr. Tito on Sunday, June 25, 2006 at 12:24 PM EST
Now seriously, when am I going to write another Wrath of Tito?!?!? Welcome back, kiddies, to another delightful edition of the Wrath of Tito. My excuse for the long delay? Grown-up stuff, seriously. Trying to buy a house, arrange stuff for a wedding, going out with my fiance, working, working, working... you know, stuff that doesn't allow you to name yourself as "Mr. Tito". With my internet usage these days, they are like in 30 minute spurts. I can never get the full 2+ hours I need to write this badboy every week like I used to. That's why I'm retiring after Wrestlemania 23... But with this column, I just can't write it in segments. I can't write half or a fourth and then come back to it. I usually have a bunch of thoughts built up and then I spill them all over Wordpad (the program I've always used for writing columns) for what usually takes me 2 hours.
Enough of my opining already... let's lighten the mood with something funny... then again, that video could make things worse.
Heck, this might even lighten the mood. I am about to put my FOOT in my MOUTH for Degeneration X. A few months back, when the idea of reuniting DX was in the air, I was a bit iffy on the idea. I believe I said at the time that I'm all for a Michaels-Triple H union, but to call them DX or to have them act like DX could be a mistake. Why would I say such a thing? Well, I was a fan that enjoyed the Michaels-HHH version of DX during 1997-1998 and thought it would be hard to replicate that hilarity. I used this idea on the fact that the reunions of the New World Order, for instance as an example of a wildly popular group that reunited as its original core, have failed. Then, I watched Monday night for the official DX reunion... And boy did I laugh.
And then it hit me. This DX reunion is going to work, bigtime... And not only will it work, it's going to draw. Back in the day, HBK and Triple H were the badguys. Their drawing ability was based on feuding with Steve Austin in 1998. I would suggest that DX really hit their strides after Wrestlemania 14 when they became faces. When they were good guys, that drew in all of the younger fans and the WWE's fanbase grew like wildfire. If you get all of the teenage/high school fans liking the wrestling product, then it will see about a 4 year window of success. WWE did that in the late 1980's and they did so through late 1990's and early 2000's. When you went to school, all of the male students were talking about what was on RAW the previous night. It was cool to watch wrestling during those times.
The reunion of DX with HBK and Triple H represents something new... They are faces. This presents a huge marketable product because during 1997-1998, fans WANTED to cheer DX, but damn did Shawn Michaels get under their skin. When HBK cuts a heel promo, he can insight riots. While DX was remotely popular, it was very overwhelming that the fans were in favor of Steve Austin. Now, it's time for Degeneration X to shine as the TOP face draw in professional wrestling. And here why: it's a matter of character.
Fans, since late 2004, have wanted to cheer for Triple H. However, whenever he gets cheers, he usually steps up his heel antics. It never works, for he, as a WWE creative team member, always keeps himself in the spotlight as a heel and fans have no choice but to root for the guy they see the most often. Whenever someone else is the champion, the focus is always on "when will HHH get it back" instead of on the current champion. That's the culture that has been created and HHH has got some cheers for being the most recognizeable star on the show. Then, you have Shawn Michaels. Michaels is at his best when he has an edge to him and fans absolute ate up his promos that he said about Hulk Hogan heading towards Wrestlemania. This includes HBK's multiple promos that he cut in Canada that nearly insighted riots. However, HBK has still played up the good guy and strong-on-faith character he's played since returning to the WWE in 2002. Many fans who loved DX in 1997-1998 have been begging for HBK to get a little bit of an edge to his character.
So for this demand for change of both the characters of HHH and HBK, it only makes sense to bring Degeneration X back. Now, fans can finally and officially cheer for Triple H. For the first time ever, HHH will now draw as a face. He's been craving this moment for a while and now he can achieve that. HBK can get the edge back that his fans have been craving for a while (though I sense he'll retain some Christian stuff, as seen by the blindfolding when the cheerleaders came out). This is going to work and all the WWE has to do is to repeatedly throw heel after heel after them. Why not reform the Corporation while you're at it? The central conflict will probably be DX vs. the McMahons all summer, therefore, start turning guys heel and send them DX's way. If I were the WWE, I'd turn John Cena into a corporate kiss-up and officially give a reason for all fans to hate his guts. DX members vs. Cena, in that light, could draw money. Make Randy Orton, even, a corporate kiss-up and now fans can officially cheer and jeer the right persons between HHH vs. Orton, which they couldn't before when Orton was supposed to be the face and HHH was supposed to be the heel.
I'll completely take back my words. This is going to work. They were absolutely funny on Monday and the fans were going berzerk. It's been 8 years since we've seen them together in an official capacity as we're seeing them now. Time has passed and the timing for the reunion was perfect. The fans were into it, as they anticipated this reunion for months and were begging for it to happen each night. DX could become a huge draw that the WWE has been lacking to go above and beyond the business they are doing now. With DX back, wrestling will be officially cool again to talk in the mainstream and ratings will only go higher... at least in the case of Monday Night RAW.
Speaking of ratings, and in a downward way, ECW on Sci-Fi was down this week... but slightly. When attempting to obtain the male demographic, you need to do it on a night WITHOUT the NBA Finals on the same night. If this were last year, it wouldn't matter. However, the NBA is back! This year's playoffs and finals have seen increased business. It's kind of like the WWE... Before, teams outside of the Lakers just didn't draw. The Pistons were a great team, but they had nobody dynamic to root for. I like the Spurs, but Tim Duncan has zero charisma or personality for fans to cling onto. Allan Iverson scares a lot of fans and his attitude is piss poor (practice?). This year's NBA, however, was AWESOME. I think the dresscode cleaned things up from the get-go, but this year saw a bunch of stars that fans could hero-worship for the first time since Jordan left the Bulls the second time. You had the likes of Dirk, Lebron, Wade, Nash, and even Shaq still has the drawing power. The NBA seemed to prompt a more team-oriented game, as well, for the first time since Jordan left the game (I hate how Jordan influenced a generation of ball-hogging). The NBA has stars and fans flocked to arenas and televisions to watch them (NBA Finals were up 12% from last year).
Therefore, poor ECW... The show went from a 2.7 to a 2.4. That's not that significant and I'm sure the WWE will take that in the light of a heated Game 6 between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks (people tuned in to see a possible new champ crowned, but at the same time, it's been a good series). Therefore, if I were the WWE, I would NOT hit the panic button just yet. If ECW on Sci-Fi declines again next week, without the NBA excuse, I'd panic. If this show goes below a 2.0 rating, I'd absolutely panic.
I haven't really expressed my ECW thoughts yet in this column based on their new show. Given my time, I've posted a few things on my BLOG and gave some analysis on the Shawn & Chase radio show. My thoughts are exactly what I predicted the show to be: it's too WWE-like. In fact, I'm willing to say that ECW on Sci-Fi has more "sports entertainment" moments than RAW or Smackdown, maybe even combined. Additionally, it's the WWE wrestlers who matter on that show. The ECW roster is filled with former ECW guys and the WWE refuses to slowly introduce those guys on camera. However, they don't mind allowing the Big Show to destroy everybody in sight, the likes of Edge, Orton, and Cena to constantly invade their shows, and the biggest ECW star becoming Kurt Angle.
The show is a joke, at least in the light of Extreme Championship Wrestling. If that's the product you're looking for, then the show on Sci-Fi is not what ECW used to be. If, however, this is a new direction, then it should be stated as such (it's implied with the "new breed unleashed", but where are the new wrestlers?). We're seeing the same old WWE superstars dominating the show as we have the last 5 years. Nothing new. Meanwhile, the ONLY old ECW star that matters is Sabu. As I've suggested since Sabu's return, Sabu is officially back. He's finally healthy again and he's got the hunger to become a top star in the business. This is different, however, from the Sandman who has the WWE fans clueless as to who he is (buy the damn Metallica music or at least let a band make a theme for him instead of the junky stock theme). Tommy Dreamer suffered serious injuries on his way out the door from ECW and quickly retired after a very brief WWE run, and it shows in the ring, unfortunately. And Rob Van Dam? If there was ever an ECW star that regressed, it's RVD. What's completely hypocritical of the ECW fans was their chants of "Same Old Sh*t" towards John Cena when Rob Van Dam was actually the more repetitive wrestler out of the two. RVD does the same moves for every match and he doesn't have that youthful energy that carried him during the late 1990's. Duuuuude, RVD no longer has it.
Just odd stuff happening on the show... The Kelly exhibitionist stuff is just stupid. Sure, Kelly is hot and I'd destroy her on any day that ends in "Y", but her segments are pointless to the directional flow of the show. I worry about the Vampire gimmick, especially with Mordecai, the guy who couldn't wrestle on Smackdown for a damn, being the leader of that group. Tarot reading cards? The "Extreme Battle Royal" on Week 1 was one of the worst things I've ever seen. Actually, go back to Wrestlemania 16 for an actual better version of this match. Big Show, as shown by this battle royal and destroying Tommy Dreamer, is completely out of his league and should be shipped to RAW or Smackdown, ASAP. It's great to see former World Champions, Justin Credible and Tommy Dreamer, just get destroyed by WWE champions. Though, in my mind, it makes sense because Big Show/Kurt Angle are *that* much superior than Credible/Dreamer, credibility would be nice for ECW to maybe have independently of the WWE.
In my opinion, the show is already running on fumes. It's relying too heavily on WWE stars and the RAW rub to increase the ratings INSTEAD OF earning their stripes by their own merits or superstars. The show is already in trouble. Where are the new superstars that the "new breed unleased" hinted we would be seeing? I thought OVW and DSW developmental wrestlers were going to get a shot in the new ECW? I sense that ECW will hit a significant amount of growing pains in the next few weeks, and if this show keeps it up at the ridiculous pace their going with their product, expect ECW to lose their Sci-Fi deal by the end of summer. However, I will give props to the WWE for probably boosting Smackdown attendance by having the taping on the same date/arena of the Smackdown taping. It not only keeps costs down, but it increases house sales. However, I will still insist that for ECW's health, they need to be in smaller arena settings, such as what we saw on ECW's One Night Stand 1 and 2.
I will say this... I absolutely LOVE the idea of creating stupid gimmicks to be jobbers. At first, I didn't like the Zombie... but the more I watched it, the more I laughed, especially with the promo he cut and the fact that he was covered in dirt. Then, Macho Libre was hilarious on this past edition. He did a pretty killer Macho impersonation. These guys fit in the mold of the Brooklyn Brawler. The Brawler was a jobber, but people, to this day, still remember him. It was such a ridiculous gimmick that it allowed Steve Lombardi to keep a longstanding position in the WWE. Keep wheeling these goofy jobber gimmicks out. In fact, jobbers made up of purely science fiction characters would be great. I'd rather see a goofy character as a jobber than just some dude in tights.
In short, I'm very concerned about the ECW show... I want it to succeed, but I worry about the WWE's fingerprints being all over it, which I said from day 1.
~Apple Dumplings~
-Regarding my Wrestlemania 1 through 18 and my book collection. I think what I'm going to do is to put them on Ebay. I'll slap a "buy it now" on them for the price I'm looking for, and if someone wants the collections that badly, they can buy it quickly before someone else does. This method will actually keep transaction costs low and efficient for yours truly. Let me figure out an action step and then we'll go from there.
-Good DVD idea by the WWE to have Royal Rumble and Summerslam sets. I believe that the Royal Rumble set will sell better than Summerslam, only given how important the RR has become to Wrestlemania. Summerslam, in my opinion, is the better "old school" collection. I wouldn't suspect that Survivor Series will get the same box set love, given how much that show has regressed in recent times. Does anybody remember when a show packed of 5 on 5 matches actually drew well? The concept, in its infancy, was huge and eclipsed the Royal Rumble and even Summerslam back then.
-Speaking of DVD's, the cover art of Vince McMahon's DVD is hilarious!
-Good news to further the foot in my mouth about DX's return: their overrun did a 5.2 rating. Holy cow.
-I swear, Randy Orton is made of glass. On ECW, Orton began to greatly favor his right shoulder. From the way he walked around, it looked like he tore his rotator cuff. I was thinking he separated his shoulder, but if he did that, you'd have to play Eric Roberts in the movie "Best of the Best" by popping it back into place to continue the match ("pop it! pop it!"). With a torn rotator cuff, at least from what old man Tito told me, feels like you're getting stabbed but you're still able to move it. Plus, with a dislocation, you should be able to see it, much like the late Eddie Guerrero dislocating his elbow in 2000 after a botched Froggy splash or Chris Webber in the NBA with his shoulder. Regardless, I've always said that Orton should not be pushed for what two reasons? Durability and Maturity. He's just not durable, which is shocking at his age of 25 or 26 (whatever it may be). Keep your eyes peeled for his injury news, for I sense, based on the way Orton was favoring his shoulder, that it could be worse than the WWE is letting on at this point.
-Amazing how Goldust already got himself fired after yet another comeback. What's with Dustin Rhodes? What's funny and very ironic about Dustin is the fact that he was fired no-showing a recent RAW due to appearing in court to tend to issues regarding his second ex-wife. Now, it's not funny/ironic that he was fired, but it was about his court appearance. Do you remember his Howard Stern appearance a few years ago when he was mocking how much of a mess his ex-wife, Terri, was and how her recent marriage was already in trouble? Oh, how sweet redemption must be for Terri over that interview. Dustin Rhodes has a few screws loose, so to speak, which makes me wonder who officially came up with the Goldust gimmick?
By the way, looking up some info on Terri Runnels/Marlena... It struck, to me, how damn fine she looked back in the day. The poor lady had to compete with both Sunny and Sable in their primes. Just go to your favorite search engine and type in her name to see what I mean. Damn!!!
-Good newsbyte about WWE Bookscans over the last year. I completely recommend Shawn Michaels's book, which was the top seller within the last year. I rank it #2 behind Foley's first book, with Flair and DDP's books right behind HBK (I'm keeping my top 4 books!). HBK's book is so well detailed that it's a must read, in my mind, for WWE fans. The price on the hardcopy has been marked down on Amazon.com and the paperback is available for a cheap price as well. Don't miss this book!
I've got nothing else, brothers. Enjoy your week.
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