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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Monday, February 5, 2007 at 3:40 AM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – Who Will The Undertaker Choose? Greetings! Welcome to another edition of Ridin’ With The Bossman! The only column that is breaking the news that Mark Henry will be back soon. That’s right, Mark Henry. Still with the company, and now doing promotional appearances. Like the Fan Axxess Tour. The lucky people in St. Louis will be granted the privilege of meeting Mark Henry and Ron Simmons on February 25. You lucky bastards. I didn’t attend the festival here in Phoenix, so, I have no idea if anyone asked Val if he still wakes up in a seat from a nightmare of Sony Oono chasing him with a samurai sword. Well, it was a very busy week of wrestling. WWE wasted no time after the Rumble. Undertaker showed up on all three shows, looking at their champions. Who will he choose to face at Wrestlemania? Let’s find out, shall we? WWE TV – The Series Raw Recap courtesy of Chad Matthews HBK Opens the Show HBK says he lost at the Rumble, but that he was still going to WM, and wrestle in the main event. Cena came out, and said basically “Oh yeah?” Edge then showed up, then Orton. Everyone wanted to be in the main event. It looked like a fight was going to break out, when Vince showed up, and made a match. Edge and Orton vs HBK and Cena. Vince and Melina Vince has a plan, and he’ll be remembered forever because of it, and Melina has to take advantage of her opportunity. Vince kept his pants on, will wonders never cease? Melina vs Maria<br> Short match, but Maria has learned some skills. She’s not polished, but she did well. Melina is now the #1 contender to the title. Shawn Michaels Interview Cena is no Triple H. That’s for damn sure. #1, Cena actually wrestles. Get well soon H. But don't rush it. Super and Crazy, SUPERCRAZY! Supercrazy is talking with Mickie and reminds her of the good old days, when she was crazy. Ah, yes. Supercrazy then says he’s Super and Crazy! Melina then shows up, and smack talks Micke AND Supercrazy. Supercrazy then takes Mickie’s hand and slaps Melina with it. HA! That was classic. Catfight! Cade, Murdoch, and Edge, best buds. Cade and Murdoch are talking with Edge, saying how he’s the guy with the most talent and that Randy sucks. Edge defends Randy. Odd, aren't Cade and Murdock a tag team? Shouldn’t they want the titles? I guess not. Unless, it was some kind of mind game…..from those two? Please. Val Venis vs UMAGA Squash city. Well, Val did get on TV, just in time for his appearance this weekend. And that was it. Umaga leaves, never to be seen the rest of the show. Vince Skit I know I shouldn't be surprised at how Gerwitz can make a good idea suck so bad, but the guy keeps surprising me. He and Johnny Ace must have something on Vince to keep their jobs this long. But here’s the skit: Vince came to the ring in a Cowboy hat, passing Umaga on his way out. Vince then said it was fan appreciation night. Vince said he hated people who wear cowboy hats, and since it didn't look like anyone in the audience was, he changed it to anyone who wears a hat. He then took off his cowboy hat and stomped on it, to no reaction. He then picked a hot plant, sorry, I mean a totally random stranger, out of the audience and brought her to the ring, and gave her a blown up picture of Vince on the cover of Muscle and Fitness, from two years ago, I believe. Boos that seemed piped in. Vince is ranting and then Trump shows up on the Titantron. He say that Vince is nuts, and has no idea what people want. People want value. Trump will give them value, and then apparently, real money falls from the rafters. Tens and Twenties from the look of it. Crowd goes quiet? Why? They’re scooping up the money! Vince looks pissed and demands that the fans give their money to Vince. Vince storms off. Next segment sees Vince leaving the arena, saying he’s never been that embarrassed in his life. Limo speeds off, and the announcers are left to say how embarrassing it must have been for Vince to have Donald Trump give away money on Vince’s show. Now, what was so embarrassing about it? It’s a good thing. For Vince. It wasn’t Vince’s money, if done right, Vince can draw MORE people to his events, with the promise of more money being given away by TRUMP. The whole segment made no sense, and only by having Trump actually appear, does the segment have any value whatsoever. See, Vince could have countered easily. Money from the ceiling? No problem! That’s money you can spend at the merchandise stall, where, for a special time, the VINCE MCMAHON DVD IS NOW A DOLLAR OFF! The hat bit was probably a dig at JBL, since JBL wears a cowboy hat, and Gerwitiz is probably sticking up for Johnny Ace. Trump’s words were carefully written out for him, and again, probably not by WWE. He was very non-committal. More vague in intent than anything, since the showdown is weeks away. Carlito and Supercrazy vs Masters and Kenny Pretty quick match. Torrie was looking good, and trying to rally the crowd at ringside, but they were still hunting for money. Yeah, that tactic pretty much subdued the crowd. Some pretty solid action in this match, but it was over just as it seemed to be getting started. Carlito and Supercrazy won. Randy Speaks He wants to win, and that’s about it. Khali vs Jeff Hardy Title is on the line. Jeff just bounced off the big goof. Squash match, and Khali won, but by count out, so Jeff is still the Champion. Cena and Ric Ric and Cena are talking and Ric says it’s great that Cena and HBK could become tag team champions, but that Shawn wants the World Title and that once their hands are raised, BOOM, superkick, to make a statement. Very well done. Rated RKO vs Cena and Shawn Michaels Good, solid match. Ending was really well done too. After the match, Cena and HBK were side by side, and raised up their belts, and then Cena shot a glance over at HBK, and backed off, expecting the Sueprkick, and called HBK on thinking it. Nicely done. Undertaker then came out, and it was suspicious looks all around. Strong ending to the show. In fact, the whole situation with HBK and Cena, Edge and Orton, and Taker is being done well. There’s just one pet peeve of mine. Dual Champions I don't like it when some one has more than one belt. Especially the Big Belt and a Tag belt. I know what the purpose is. Partly, it’s to elevate the tag belts, since those have been buried, and have been for years. It’s a way to get them some exposure, and some meaning by association, having the World Champion be a Tag Team Champion. However, it doesn't seem to work that way to me. See, I have no problem with Cena and HBK as tag champs. Relax, HBK marks. You have a reason to be happy. HBK is wrestling, and speaking, and doing an excellent job at both. As a team, Cena and HBK are damn good. And as Tag Champs, excellent. Edge and Orton were solid as well, but they rarely got a chance to show that, in terms of defending the belts. They just held them. Cena and HBK defending against Orton and Edge will be solid, and help the tag titles. But the Main Title is in the mix. And that is just a prop for this feud, and that’s not good. The Raw Title has been defended and done very well, for a while now. It means something. Now, it’s not going to be defended, and that shouldn't be the case. You see, it all boils down to the match at the Royal Rumble. Cena vs Umaga was a great match. It was brutal, it was emotionally charged. It was the perfect situation to make a title switch. Especially if WWE knew they were going to put the tag belts on Cena and HBK. It was a perfect set up, looking back over the results for the Rumble. All the champions retained from Smackdown and ECW. One switch wouldn't have hurt, and might have helped. Umaga has been built into a worthy monster. He may not be a good long-term champion, but with championship level wrestling going to be happening in the tag ranks, the big belt can withstand a little less than stellar wrestling, which I don't think would be the case, but just in case. Umaga could have won the belt, and just steam-rolled, or bull-dozed over some competitors until Cena or HBK takes it back later, say a month or two. No harm done, and in fact, some good build could have happened. See, the #1 Contendership could have been just as effective in this angle. Both men want the title. Hell, all four want the title, and plenty of singles matches could come out of it. I get the feeling that they will anyway. Meanwhile, Umaga could get a boost holding the belt. You know, solidifying a new star. The other thing about this angle is that it’s the same plot. Not only on Raw, but also on Smackdown now. Tag Team mistrust. Edge doesn't trust Orton, Cena doesn't trust HBK, and now Batista doesn't trust Undertaker. I hope this doesn't turn out like the Benoit dual championship run. Benoit lost the belt to Randy Orton, who lasted only a month before H took it from him. Wait and see I guess. ECW Recap courtesy of Eddie Martin Vince is at the show. For the first time, he’s on camera. He runs into Monty Brown and says he’s just what ECW needs. He then sees Sandman, and says Sandman is a disgrace. CM Punk vs Matt Striker Striker wins. He grabs the ropes right in front of the ref, and gets the pin. Vince and Dreamer Vince makes fun of Tommy Dreamer. RVD vs Hardcore Holly Hardcore tries any times to hurt himself during this match. I had a question when Holly went to the top ropes. What’s Hardcore going to do from there? Does he even have a top rope move? Well, the answer was moot, as Holly threw RVD off the top, and then jumped down awkwardly. I thought he might have blown a knee, but apparently not. Bad looking Alabama slam, take two, and Holly picks up the win. McMahon runs into Sabu Vince at first thinks he recognizes Sabu. Wasn’t he arrested in Ohio for pot? Vince is scared of Sabu, but still makes fun of him. He then tells Sabu to stay away from him. Vince and Balls Vince then runs down Balls Mahoney. ECW Nitro Girls They look hot, but it’s just so out of place. It’s a sideshow thing, not a feature attraction. Vince comes out and introduces Elijah Burke. Vince puts over Elijah, big time. Elijah starts to speak when Dreamer, Sabu, Sandman, and Balls charge the ring and beat up Elijah. Tangent Sabu was last. I had a funny thought that Sabu would turn on the others, grab the mic and say “Thank you for this job, Mr. McMahon.” Brought me great amusement. And would have been interesting, at least for me. But no, table spot on Elijah, and that’s it. Bobby Lashley vs Test Test in the main event, so I paid little attention. Booby won, and then Undertaker came out, and Bobby acted like a pussy. Well, it looks like there is a plan for ECW. The Mainstays vs the Newcomers. It’s not much right now, but it’s something. Also, on the plus side, ECW got Vince and Undertaker to show up. Smackdown Recap courtesy of Rudi Pavani Show opens with a recap of the Undertaker showing up all over the place, scoping out the champions. Benoit vs Finlay Then we go straight to a match for the US Title. Very solid match, that wasn’t quite up to par with the previous Benoit fest, but still a damn good match. At one point during the match, Finlay goes to get his leprechaun, but the midget having trouble. Boogeyman is under the ring as well. So the midget finally gets free, and runs amok, with Boogey chasing him. After the match, Finlay tries to throw the midget back under the, but he won’t go. Kristal and Vicki Did you know that Kristal just moved to New York? Apparently she lost some stuff. So, be on the look out on Ebay for Kristal’s stuff being sold. Anyhoo, Vickie Guerrero says that Kristal has been a good friend and that she, Vickie, is still recovering from whatever it was. Deuce and Domino vs Paul London and Brian Kendrick New masks for the champs. Not good. What happened to the Goldface masks they had? Anyhoo, pretty much a punch kick fest, with London and Kendrick doing some moves. Deuce and Domino overpower the tag team champions, and get the win. Not a bad match, but pretty standard stuff. King Booker Rules Booker is presented with the key to the city of Houston. He accepts with dignity, and almost goes face, but then turns total heel. Beautifully done. Sharmell also played her part perfectly, and Booker is one lucky man. Booker even went after Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and did it the right way. Taunt the guy, and then get away from them. Don't try and get physical. Kane ends the bit. Booker gets scared, and throws the jobbers in Kane’s way, so he can run away, leaving Sharmell behind, but she runs off after Booker, and is unharmed. Really well done skit. Vito vs Mr. Kennedy Another guy who is now lost. Kennedy was going for the title, and now, who knows. If Undertaker does go after Batista, putting Kennedy in the mix will disrupt the balance. More on that later. Kennedy dominates Vito, and gets the win. Bikini Contest Starting up a chick feud, which I don't see as a bad thing. Apparently, there’s a talent portion to this contest, and Jillian sings horribly. Ashley and Kristal laugh at her, and JBL makes fun of her as well. Jillian gets pissed and attacks Ashley. Teddy and Kennedy, best Buds Well, that answers my question about what’s going to be done with Kennedy. Apparently, he’s still going after Batista. Miz vs Hardy Not bad. Miz is improving, but it seemed like the crowd was really into Matt. Joey mercury then ran in, and Miz got the win. Everybody Wants Some Batista comes out and demands an answer from Taker about which title he’ll be going for. Cena then comes out, and so does HBK. HBK actually wants to face Taker for his title shot. Vince then comes out and rambles on, and eventually makes a match. Cena and HBK vs Batista and Taker. Which will happen on…the February PPV. Well, that boosted the card for No Way Out. Yet, all the main title holders showed up, but no Lashley? Guess that wasn’t part of the plan. WWE has stacked the deck. They seem to really be trying to make something happen, ratings and interest wise. And it’s working. HBK and Cena as a team is good. Batista vs Undertaker could be good. The undercard for Smackdown is still in shape, and there’s plenty of angles and feuds to go around, it’s just a matter of picking which ones. I like King Booker vs Kane. That could be good. At least on promos. I just hope that the titles aren’t forgotten about. WWE has an angle in play that is putting attention on ALL the big title holders. Time to make those big gold belts really shine. I missed TNA this week. Here’s some quick results: Austin Aries defeated Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley, Sonjay Dutt, & Jerry Lynn in a five-way match. Samoa Joe and Christian faced off, verbal wise Bobby Roode beat Petey Williams. Jim Mitchell spoke out about Sting Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles No winner due a Rhyno run-in. Mayhem as Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Christian, and AJ Styles all attacked each other. Well, it looks like I missed an interesting show. Pity. Maybe I’ll pick it up off of iTunes. They sell the show, you know. Whoops, they only go up to 1/24. I’ll have to remember to check back later. $1.99 for the show. Now that’s a bargain. Commercial free too. I’ve bought the shows before, and was well satisfied. Now, for that plug, send some free videos my way TNA. I’ll even review them. Think of the free publicity! Hey, it’s worth a shot… Over-Analyzing Wrestling Today’s Topic: The Future Of the Business Part 2 Last week, I took a stab at trying to define just what the wrestling business is. This week, I’m going to try and examine some possibilities of growing the business. To briefly recap, wrestling seems to be a strange hybrid of Television show and Live event business. The goal appears to be to get people to attend the events, and if they can't attend the show, since it may not be in their area, to watch the show. So that when the show does come to their neck of the woods, they want to go to the show. That’s where marketing comes into play. Let’s talk a bit about that. Think of it like this: When a music act goes on the road, the goal is to get people to go to the concert. That’s where a good chunk of change is made. To promote the show, the performer’s music is usually played on local radio stations, the performer usually visits local stations, mostly radio, but sometimes television, and promotes the concert, and/or album. To cover more ground, the performer often appears on national talk shows, which reach a broader audience than the local, and also helps promote upcoming events, instead of focusing on just the local show. Television performers also operate the same way, promoting locally and nationally, so that the word gets out, in advance of the show’s airing. It’s marketing, and it’s the way the shows survive. Promoting wrestling shows is the same way. If no one knows that a show is going to happen, no money is made. TNA has an advantage in that they tape their shows at an amusement park, and can draw on people who came to the park, and may be interested in attending a wrestling show. Kind of like a different type of ride, or an exhibit that catches their curiosity. Also, habit can be a factor. If the show tapes every week, the loyal fan can just show up, and hope that they get some wrestling. WWE is always on the move. Indy promotions may not run a frequent house, or have a show in a different location. Promotion is key to a successful wrestling event. For WWE, they just have to use the letters WWE. For the lesser know promotions, a good tactic is to use a name that people recognize, since in an attempt to draw a large audience, the initials or name of the promotion may not be that well know to the populace at large. A problem with advertising names people know, is that names from years ago may draw recognition, and provoke a curiosity factor, but when it comes to actually plunking down cash, the motive may not be there. The product being offered is after all, wrestling. Modern professional wrestling offers a combination of sporting event and theatre. When it comes to the sports entertainment part, from the smallest to the biggest, it’s nearly the same thing, just the scope differs. There isn't much other than wrestling that can be offered. Wrestling is limited in what they can present. There’s a ring, some backstage stuff for the viewers at home, and a plot, or story. In other words, sports entertainment. Sports Entertainment is the easiest to change. Changing plots is simple. It’s basically just a thought process. That means that a character substitution, a tweak in motive, a different outcome to a match, or what have you. Since it’s all just thoughts in a person’s head, there is nothing that has to be physically done. It should be based on what has gone before, in terms of story, but does not always do so. With the actual characters, such as in the case of an injury, some physical changes will be made, but it’s the motive or back story that needs tweaking, and for the most part, that’s just words. When it comes to these two aspects of wrestling, sports entertainment, and wrestling, it’s the presentation that could be adapted to a more modern style. There are a wider variety of wrestling styles today than there were twenty years ago. High flying no longer means just coming off the top rope with an elbow, or a splash. Technical means more than just a chinlock. Submission is a fairly new term. Brawler is still the same, but the style of brawling means more than punch and kick. It means using objects as weapons, and working through a crowd, and bleeding. Well, that one hasn't changed much, but the props have. Cameras are more portable for one thing, there’s a soundboard, and so on and so forth. Technology has advanced, and so has the ability to mimic devices and rig landing zones for falls. As the world has drawn closer, different cultures has been introduced, and with them, some different styles of wrestling. Japanese wrestling is available to a broader audience, as is Lucha for example. An interested fan can look into the background of a wrestling from another country of federation with relative ease. That’s both good and bad. The current hot fad right now is mixed martial arts. UFC is the leader, but there’s also Pride, K1, Hero, and a bunch of start-ups in the works. UFC presents a realistic style of fighting. The matches are short, and can be quite brutal, but not pre-determined. It’s two guys trying to beat the other. In other words, it’s a real sport. Mixed Marital Arts is just that. Kicks, punches, and submission moves are allowed. It offers a more combative feel than boxing. A more reckless atmosphere. It’s more a legit fight, than a duel, with fixed rules and setting. Wrestling has picked up the pace and intensity from days gone bye. The moves have gotten more complicated. The styles have become more integrated, mixing and matching, presenting a large variety. The wrestlers themselves offer a different look and possible combination (Big man vs small man, ground technician vs high flyer, and so on). There is nothing fake about the level of athleticism in wrestling. The level of skill it takes to be called a good wrestler has increased dramatically. An unskilled wrestler can be protected to a certain degree, but the overall knowledge available in mass to the public has grown. Sports Entertainment has also become more complex. In the past few years, creating controversy was the name of the game. Yet, the “buzz” generated by controversy has decreased in all areas of entertainment, not just wrestling. Consider the incident with Michael Richards. He made a racist comment. It was controversy. Yet the “buzz” or attention paid to said action by the public and media, lasted for only a few weeks, and has now faded from the spotlight completely. Mass media has a greater source for controversy than back in day. Now, due to channels of communication, a new controversial story can be generated daily, sometimes, even hourly. There’s always something new to talk about. Another example is the Rosie O’Donnell – Donald Trump feud. It’s now old news and over. It lasted about a week total. The public has moved on. Generating controversy that lasts beyond a day is hard work, and frankly, in my opinion, not worth the hassle. Shock TV, similar to Controversial TV, yet slightly different, is TV designed to create a buzz, and then make people feel compelled to watch the next week. Controversy dealt with a topic, while shock deals with a single incident, that the creators hope will make the audience think they are going to try and top it. Controversy maintains a certain level, Shock keeps trying to build on the previous instance. Eventually, both reach a burn out point, shock quicker than controversy, since there are standards that a network cannot go beyond. Shock and controversial tactics are still of use, and can be key parts of an ongoing storyline, but those are the keywords. Ongoing storyline. Without the story, it’s just stuff that happened. That’s where I think wrestling can really improve and change and grow. With the angles. There’s just not that much that can be done to change the wrestling itself. Variety is needed. And aside from going to just throwing untrained people into the ring against each other, there’s not much that hasn't been shown. Arranging matches allows the opportunity to present potentially exciting matches each and every week. The Mixed Martial Arts promotions can't really present new matches every single week, since the style of match requires time to heal up and train for specific opponents. Real injuries do occur. The talent pool is just not there for a weekly series of fights. It’s growing, but not yet. Also, the big names can't be involved every single week. Wrestling has the edge. Sports Entertainment, and the way it’s presented seems to be the best opportunity to evolve into the next level of wrestling, and present the best chance of growth. With Sports Entertainment, marketing benefits the most. Action is action, but a celebrity can make all the difference, and with a good story? Sky’s the limit. Star Wars had a good story, and became legend. Snakes on a Plane had hype, celebrities, but story? Meh. And that’s something to look at another day. Which means that’s all for today. Superbowl is over and done. Colts won, and my beloved Bears lost. Damn you Rex Grossman. I also lost the bet. But, the winner of said bet has not shown up with his material yet. Next week hopefully. But, it’s time to call this a night. Quick Plugs and I’m outta here. Quick Plugs! LOP Forums Sports news! E-feds! Insulting strangers! Raging Politcal Debates! Video Game Discussion! Movie Talk! Oh, and Wrestling! Plenty of Wrestling! Sign Up Today! LOP Column’s Forum Wrestling columns and discussion. The Movie Bar! Movie news and clips! The Project Home of excellent writing, a forum for intelligent discussion about todays events. Social discussions as well. Very educational video about spiders is now on the mainpage. Check it out and learn something. The PWA Best E-Fed on the net. Period. That's all for today. Thanks For Readin' And Thanks For Ridin' Please label all feedback as "FEEDBACK". Thank you. Email mrwevv@mac.com EXCLUSIVES: Top 10 Trish Stratus Moments, Top 10 WCW Cruiserweight Matches, MORE!
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