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Submitted by Degenerate on Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 10:35 PM EST
What's up, people? Welcome to another edition of Struggle For Power, the column that wishes that The Great Khali spontaneously combusted in order to feel good enough to write something. Oh wait, that's just about every single column out there. Never mind. Thanks for clicking the link and stopping by for yet another couple of minutes of good reading. I'm the usual writer, Degenerate, back again after a brief hiatus. It's been a couple of weeks since we gathered here, but I hope to deliver again with something you all can stop and think for a while. I took this time to write because the summer is heating things up, even though I haven't noticed yet since it's always heated up here in Puerto Rico. But at least things are heating up in the wrestling world, after what I think was a usual dry spell after Wrestlemania. It always seems the same, doesn't it? The first four months of the year are hot, with the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania headlining things. Then from April to July, it's kinda like the business is just scraping by, waiting for the August to roll around. Then it cools down again until December, then we start again. If you're like me, you'll most likely have a tremendous memory for things that have occurred during the hot periods, but fail to remember anything in between. Eh, my brain is fried as it is, no need to put any additional strain on it. Before I go way out on a tangent again, I'll just start with the column already. * Lots of great matches, lots of old timers on the show, lots of upsets and certainly lots of action last night on Monday Night Raw. I was about to pass out before 9:00 PM (from sleep deprivation, not from intoxication of any kind), but decided to stay up to watch the show, and I'm glad I did. There was a fair amount of wrestling going around - good wrestling, at that. The women rocked the house (except Maria, who was looking as hot as ever, but can't seem to grasp enough wrestling knowledge to have a decent outing), the "old timers" Lawler and Slaughter were looking well enough to at least play their roles decently, and the upsets of both Lashley and Cena surprised me. Anything to elevate the younger generation. * Raw's talent pool is pretty damn good, if you ask me. Many people bitch about them being stacked, while the other brands are lacking, but that's okay by me. I think every show has its role. Raw is the crown jewel of the company, Smackdown is more of a developmental territory, yet allowing others stars shine, whereas they would've never gotten a fair shake in Raw, and ECW is... well, ECW. Seriously, if they're not a developmental brand, what the hell are they? A lame attempt at making a couple of more bucks? I don't know. I don't even watch the show on Tuesdays anymore. Thanks to the wonders of Bittorrent sites, I get to see them later on in the week, when I'm REALLY bored. * In some ways, I fully understand why TNA is signing up suspended football players to appear on their shows. The notoriety alone of Adam "Pacman" Jones should bring in some attention to the company. In any case, having a sports star, or any other random celebrity for that matter, on a wrestling show should help in the short run. However, in the long run, I don't think it'll help much at all. Generally, these celebs get paid much more money to appear on wrestling shows than full-time wrestlers, yet they do much, much less. The initial ratings spike is almost inevitable, but it normally doesn't stay that way for long. Does anyone remember the "impact" in the ratings that Kevin Federline late last year? I don't either. To me, I wouldn't bother much, especially for a sports star who's used to getting paid millions of dollars for doing less work than a professional wrestler. * Seems like the good ol' government is seeking some juicy information on the WWE Wellness Program, particularly the records of the testing that has taken place. I really don't know what to think about this. If the WWE is cheating by saying that they're giving their drug tests fairly, yet they really aren't, then I hope they're exposed, simply so they can take drastic measures to fix these issues up. When the Wellness Program was first installed in the company, I truly wished that it was for real and that violations would be taken seriously. I think a real drug-testing policy is there to save lives, not to rat out someone who's on the juice. If this is merely a P.R. stunt just to get some people off their backs, I wish this opens the door to stronger drug policies, even if it's at the cost of some current WWE employees. * Week after week, it just hurts to watch TNA. No, it's not because of the retarded "holier-than-thou" gimmick used by Kurt Angle, or the fact that the Dudley Boys, Steiner Brothers and Voodoo Kin Mafia are bitching about who the supposed best tag team in history is. No, my pain stems from the fact that A.J. Styles is playing the role of the spineless lackey from Christian Cage. In a perfect wrestling world, A.J. Styles would follow no one. He's been in the company since the very beginning and has never left. He's been World Heavyweight Champion, X-Division Champion and Tag Team Champion - multiple times each. He's just an incredible performer who has done it all in the company, and he's only 29 years old. Sure, his mic skills are sometimes awful, but his in-ring work just compensates for it all. TNA, why do you make me suffer, watching a three-time Triple Crown champion - the only one who has done it at least ONCE - become second-fiddle to lowly Christian Cage? I really don't understand that logic at all. As I do a lot of the times, I'm going to start with a story from my personal life. As many of you know, I'm a software developer (probably the geekiest profession out there outside of rocket science). That means that many times I'm either working until late with a current project, staying up at night working on some new idea that popped up in my head, or just trying to expand my current knowledge. See, I told you this was a geeky career. In any case, these past two weeks were my turn to finish a project at work, then continue to support it by putting my neck on the line every time a user had a problem. I'm an introvert by nature (probably by design, I don't know yet), so I'm usually the quiet, laid-back type who prefers to be in a quiet environment rather than socialize with large crowds of people. This means that I dread having to be the one - in this case, the only one - who communicated with new users who didn't understand certain parts of the program (in this case, a database-driven website). I don't have a problem with this, but it's like these users are some of the dumbest people roaming the planet. I'm also usually a straight-forward type of dude, which means that I hate acting hypocritical, and I usually tell people what I think truthfully. Of course, if I wanted to keep my job, I needed to be a hypocrite, calmly helping people, even though some were dumb as dirt, while others were outright rude. After the third day of this, I suggested to my boss that my other projects weren't getting enough attention, and would fall way behind the non-existent schedule we had. This was a huge mistake. He sat me down and gave me one of the hokiest pep talks ever. However, he said something along the line of the following: "With a project of this scale, I'm really proud of the work that was done here. But as you know, getting to where you want to be is the easy part. You'll need to continue to struggle to stay there. That's what separates the men from the boys. You need to step up and become the champion, the one who is willing to put everything on the line and pay the price, just to stay on top. Be that champion." I had never wanted to slap him across his nearly-60-year-old face as bad as I did last week. "Champion?, I thought. "If I'm the champion, where are my earnings for busting my ass for you? At least get my a spinning, shiny belt that I can carry around the office." When I thought of spinning, shiny belts, my obvious first thought was of John Cena. No, I don't fantasize about buff wrestlers at all, but I couldn't help but compare the hocky pep talk to Cena. From what I understand, John Cena is the quintessential company man. For the past 2+years, Cena has been world champion in a business where the guy on top needs to work twice as hard as the rest of the group (except Khali, but I digress). In addition to that, Cena has made a rap CD and appeared in a full-length feature film, which are tough as hell to promote with all the personal appearances needed to make all over the United States. He did all of that while still wrestling a full-time schedule. If you only judge Cena by his accomplishments in the ring, with his few shortcomings in the actual wrestling part of the equation, it's no wonder why many people are calling for his head, waiting for him to drop the title to anyone. But if you take what he does outside the ring along with the in-ring work, you can truly appreciate why this man deserves to be called champion. He seems to be one who goes the extra mile to make the wrestling business as popular as it can be these days. He's the one taking the enormous amount of pressure, who's putting his entire life on the line and paying the price. Using the definition from the lame pep talk, I'd say Cena qualifies. However, it pains me to see that the person who supposedly is next in line to hold the title falls very far behind in that definition. Randy Orton, who according to the rumor mill will come out victorious on Summerslam, doesn't embody a true champion. Okay, he's pretty damn good at wrestling, I'll admit that. But this is someone who has had countless problems outside the ring, where a champion should shine. He's failed drug tests, trashed hotel rooms, terrorized a few Divas, yet he still gets to be called champion. To be fair, this could change is Orton is champion. I can't read the future. But if the past counts for anything, Orton will be champion, but only because he's the one with a shiny gold belt around his waist. Of course, I don't mean that all champions should be nice, non-troublesome folks. That would be asking for way too much. Take Ric Flair for example. The stories of his life outside of the ring during his Four Horsemen days and earlier while NWA Champion are legendary. Here's someone who would go out at night to Las Vegas or somewhere else on a chartered plane, partied all night with booze and women, to jump on the chartered plane again the next day, probably without any sleep, to wrestle for 45 minutes or an hour, then go out again and repeat the entire story. And this was back in the days when the NWA Champion wrestled six or seven days a week, all over the globe. Still, Flair was a true champion in my view, simply because he did his job inside the ring well, and worked his ass off. With that party lifestyle he had, Flair had to have a nearly-impossible to follow work ethic. I'm 26 right now, and I'm went out for two nights in a row last week until the wee hours of the morning, and felt like crap the next day and could barely program, much less try to do anything physical. Outside of that lifestyle, I don't think Flair was ever suspended for drug use or anything else. It takes a special person to handle the rigors of not only being a professional wrestler, but being the guy on top, the main man, the person who leads by example. I don't think Orton could do it for long. I remember back in 2002-2003, when people were actually wishing death on one Triple H for being champion too long when others deserved it more, because he was too stale, boring or whatever. After being awarded the World Heavyweight Championship by Eric Bischoff in September 2002, Triple H held the championship for 16 of the next 18 months, losing it twice (to Shawn Michaels and Goldberg) and regaining it back quickly the following month. He basically destroyed everyone on the Raw roster during that period. Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane, Ric Flair, and many others were some that people thought deserved to be the next champ, but it never happened. However, looking to that era, I think it was okay for Triple H to hold the championship for that amount of time. I don't think any of the aforementioned men were in the right place at the right time to be champion (as shown later on, when RVD and King Booker eventually won the big one). But also during this time, Triple H was sort of like John Cena - someone who busted his ass with a great work ethic, sustained all the pressure of not only being champion, but I can also imagine going through intense scrutiny from his fellow wrestlers, and was someone who truly lived the business. Any other of the aforementioned wrestlers could've helped the belt, but none could be a true champion like Triple H was. It doesn't take a man to be like Cena, Flair and Triple H. A prime example I like to use a lot in this argument is that of Trish Stratus. Trish was hired to simply be eye candy. But she decided she wanted to be more than that. She worked hard, probably harder than most male wrestlers, and was not only multiple-time Women's Champion, but she brought respect to a division that was usually shoved aside as a T&A spectacle. From what I've read, not only does she respect he peers in the present, she also respects the past women wrestlers who helped make women's wrestling a reality, like The Fabulous Moolah. This is yet another sign of being a true champion. During the time period that Edge was in his second reign as WWE Champion, when he changed the title belt to a spinner belt with his logo on it, I wrote a column about it. A lot of people on the Internet were pissed off about this move, saying that Edge's belt, along with Cena's, were ruining tradition, as if the world championship belt were some type of sanctified entity. My column basically stated that while having that belt around your waist is awesome, it doesn't make you a true champion, and that the belt is just another prop in the world of professional wrestling. A lot of people will still disagree with me to this day, but I stand by what I say. In this case, whoever's holding the belt should truly be a champion for the professional wrestling business inside and out. Right now, there are a couple of people who (using my definition) qualify as being called champions in the business, even though they aren't holding belts right now. The previous two World Heavyweight Champions come to mind. The Undertaker has been helping others, especially youngsters, get ahead in the business for years, while Edge is someone who proved that years of sacrifice and overcoming personal obstacles lead to great rewards down the road. Also, Kane is someone who has unselfishly been used as a stepping stone for years, with only a one-day title reign to show for it. These are guys who should be called champion without having the physical prize to show for it. As former (as in 1920's) boxing champion Jack Dempsey once said, "A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t." You think Orton will get up when he can't? Nope, he'll probably lay down, smoke a joint, and hope something good comes out of it. Just because someone has a leather strap with shiny plates means they're a champion. Hell, I can drop $1000 to order a cheap replica of Cena's belt. Does that mean I'm a champion? No, it means I'm an idiot for spending so much money on a belt that means nothing. And if a wrestler doesn't show respect for the business he works in, character outside the ring, and a strong work ethic inside the ring, he'll be just some douche with a belt. Don't be a douche. Be a champion, always. I thought this would be a rushed and crappy column, due to my apartment nearly being flooded by the next door idiot making some unauthorized construction work to his house, then busting one side of my apartment, and leaving it a bit open for some torrential rainfall this afternoon. Just imagine how I felt when I saw some water seeping under my door when returning from work. Luckily, nothing was damaged. However, I spent three good hours taking everything to another room, drying the floor up, and chewing my neighbor's ass off. Maybe I'll say my computer was fried, just to have the asshole have to pay for some new hardware. While I think of some ways to make some old computer parts - circa 2000 - look like they were drowned in a dreaded one-inch pool of water in exchange for a nice 64-bit setup, I'll just send you along the way to three kick-ass columns from the Columns Forum: Hardtime #101: L-edge-nd By RIPbossman With the recent tragedy of Edge having to relinquish his World Heavyweight Championship without losing it in a match, the awesome RIPbossman reminisces about Edge's place in history now, comparing him with former greats who also lost their titles outside of the ring. If anything, it's awesome because this is the first time I've seen someone use Saved By The Bell as an analogy into a wrestling column. The Superfiles!--edition 10.0: The Odd Couple By SUPERFAN! I remember once trying to watch a wrestling match on DVD without sound because of a mishap in my computer setup, and I hated it. I'm not alone, as my man SUPERFAN! talks to us about the importance of the announcers in wrestling nowadays, and how they can make (and in my cases, break) a televised show. Closure By dayunggun3r Do you remember the time when you turned from unknowing wrestling mark to the apparently omnipotent wrestling smark? The coolest (and only) Puerto Rican from the CF, dayunggun3r, takes us through his interesting journey from mark to smark, one journey I'm sure most of us have taken in the same way. I'm really proud of the guys holding it up the Columns Forum. They're doing a really great job. If you like reading what's posted on the Main Page of LordsOfPain.net, I'd suggest heading over to the Columns Forum one day. There are a lot more columns there, and many of them are good reads. If you like writing too, then feel free to start your column writing career. You can probably be writing here one day. It all starts with a dream. Thanks for sticking around for another edition of this column. I'm glad you read it. As usual, you can send all the messages, nice or naughty, through E-Mail at dennmart@gmail.com, or head over to my feedback thread over at LOPForums.com. Even if you don't go to the forums to leave feedback, you should stop by anyway, since it's a cool place to roam on the Internet. I don't know when I'll be back, but hopefully I get the time to have something awesome for you all next week. Take care, y'all, Degenerate ***DIRECT LINK*** Hot New Photos of New WWE Diva & PB Model Beverly Mullins!!!
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