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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Monday, October 8, 2007 at 5:19 PM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman – Dark Days Of Fandom Greetings! Welcome to another infrequent column by one of the last remaining old crop of writers on LOP. Chris Dailey, one of the originals I believe has retired and I wish him well. It’s a shame to see ya go Chris, but I wish you the best. Now, it’s just down to Davey and myself. We both came up to main page around the same time, Davey long before I, but we’re both in the same class, so to speak. Where does the time go? But, life goes on, and so does this column. As the title suggest, I’m feeling rather under the weather when it comes to fandom these days. Not just in wrestling, but in fandom in particular. You see, I may live in Phoenix, Arizona, and have for five years, but home will always be the Windy City. Chi-Town. The City by the Lake, Chicago. And as all good Chicagoans are, I’m a Bears fan. So far this year, it’s been a bumpy ride. Now, it’s something that all Chicago sports fans are used, whether it be the Bulls, the Sox, and the Bears. Not Cubs fans. The Cubs suck, and it’s about time people realized it. I’m a Northsider too, and frankly, not a baseball fan period. So the Cubs losing makes me happy. Especially since Arizona needs a winning team. Go D-Backs. But it’s the Bears I want to talk about as a preamble into the column proper. Yes, I will get to wrestling in a bit. After all the TNA Two Hour Debut was last week, and then there is the Cena incident, and there is a PPV tonight. To put it bluntly, the Bears are not doing too good. Again, this is being written before the Bears-Packers game. To Packer and Bears fans, it’s like a PPV. Luckily, I will be heading to a place where I can see both. The Bears made it to the Superbowl last year. Once there, they got blown out by the Indianapolis Colts. It was hard to watch after the first half. The Bears offense was non-existent, except for the interceptions. Thomas Jones ran for all he was worth, but the Colts D figured out that was all they had to worry about. The Colts offense, facing a tough Bears D, figured out how to work them too. Let them come, they’ll get tired, and then we can score and win. Which is pretty much what happened. This year, other teams have taken a page from the Colts and applied the same technique, with pretty much the same result. The Bears D starts strong, but since they’re always on the field, they wear out, and then victory is possible. And Dallas has started to try and crack the Bears special teams unit, in particular Devon Hestor and his amazing returns. It’s working, but still needs a bit of fine-tuning. So, it seems like the Bears are going to have to rely on offense, which is not the Bears strong suit. We made it to the Superbowl in spite of Rex Grossman, not because of him. Rex is a bad quarterback in my opinion. His faults are many, and there are even those who will rush to his defense, but the fact is, he ain't good. He runs yards back behind the line, and like Madden just pointed out, it’s to the same spot. Rex is also a lobber. He lobs the ball up, and while it has distance, it does not have precision. It’s first come, first serve. And it’s usually the defense that gets there first. The Bears running game is weak, since Jones was traded away. Basically, the Beats aren't looking good. As a fervent Bears fan away from the hometown I am not alone. Phoenix has a lot of people from Chicago. And a lot of people from Cheesehead Land, unfortunately. So, the questions are asked (Most of my T-Shirts are Bears shirts, so I am in a sense asking for it), and it’s all about the fandom. “What do you think of Griese?”, “What did you think of that Cowboys Game”, “Man those Bears suck.” And perhaps the most painful of all ?””Did you see that Detroit Game? The Bears got their asses kicked by DETROIT!”. Yes, the Bears got whomped by the lowly Lions. The whipping boys of the NFC North. But, I’ve been a Bears fan through the dark days. I was there, rooting for them when all I had to keep hope alive was Craig Krenzel and his three game winning streak. I was there when Kyle Orton repeated the same thing the next year. Then, the Bears got better, and man, it was a great time. From a so-so team, mocked for fondly remembering the glory days of 1985, and our last Superbowl win, to now being a legit contender. And now, it’s time to face our greatest rivals. One of the longest, if not THE longest, rivalries in football history. The Packers are 4 and 0. The game is in Lambeau Field. Cheesehead Central. One thing non-native folks may realize is that it doesn't matter what the season record is, as long as the Bears beat Green Bay. It’s true. How do you think Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron kept their jobs so long and with such bad records? It’s because, out of those 4 wins, at least one of them was over Green Bay. I am so looking forward to that game. Go BEARS! WWE No Mercy – Pre-show Thoughts So, it’s panic time for WWE again. A critical injury days away from a PPV has cast the plans for Raw into serious trouble. John Cena got hurt. He’s out for at least six months, and possibly for as long as a year. That’s a huge blow. Cena was their go to guy. The top dog. Champion for what seems like forever. H-Like push, except for a few key differences. Cena was a fighting champion. Every week it seemed like he had a match. And not just the quicky punchy-punchy-kick affairs that H tries to pass off as a real match, but long drawn out affairs, with big spots, and by god, actual wrestling. Say what you will about Cena, the guy sells with the best of them, and isn't afraid to take the big bumps. The guy can bring the drama, and can draw an audience. To boo him, to cheer him, doesn't matter. They pay to see Cena. They pay to get Cena merchandise. Orton vs Cena was a solid feud. In my opinion, it’s gone on way too long, but it’s gone on so long, it’s past it’s stupid points. Cena’s Dad? Come on. Now, if it was Al Wilson, I’d be behind it 100%, but Cena’s Dad is no Al Wilson. I mean really, I even read a rumor that said they were going to bring back Cowboy Bob. Cena’s injury may have been a blessing in disguise. But But it also raises some big questions. And a lot of dread. There is also another big rumor floating around that should fill me with joy, but actually does the opposite. The possible return of Chris Jericho. Jericho is rumored to be the guy that those cool and snazzy viral videos are supposed to herald. Why do I say suppose? Because it’s WWE, and I second guess everything they do. It’s due to my Russo Syndrome. After being subjected to Russo booking plans, I now always look for the swerve. Why do I dread Jericho’s return? For one simple reason. H hates Jericho. The only person I think H hates more is the Rock, and the Rock ain’t coming back for sure. Tangent Rock has partnered up with Disney. Dis-mother fucking-Ney! His latest movie, Game Plan has already made in two weeks about as much as his other movies have in their entire runs. 40 Million. Rock is showing up all over Disney programming plugging the movie. The Rock knows. Replace those lost wrestling fans with new ones. Good for you Rock. Stay away. There’s nothing WWE can do for you, except bury you. I’m sure wrestling fans would love to see Rock come back. But as soon as he’s gone, everything he did will be stripped bare and fed to the H machine. Seen it before, and there’s nothing to make me think it wouldn't happen again. Back to Jericho and H. The news of Cena being put on the shelf and the return of Jericho would normally be a good thing. Cena is gone, and here comes another big star to help fill the void on Raw. Hell, the whole WWE. From fan reaction people are expecting good things. Jericho would be welcome to come back. But it’s all based on the idea that Jericho is going to be pushed and allowed to be a main-eventer. Which may not be the case. It makes perfect sense that Jericho should now come in and face Orton for the title. It’s just that if the past is anything to go on, Jericho will not get near that belt except to job. Rey Mysterio came back and got his big return shot, lost, and now is back down in the midcard. And looking at a feud with an announcer as his future push. A freaking announcer. JBL is a talented guy on the mic, true. But, and was a draw as a wrestler. Which was a long time ago. Then again, when push comes to a shove about who should win that match, who’s the guy riding the private plane with Vince? Yep. The announcer. I’m using Rey Mysterio as an example that what folks might expect may not be what they get. In other words, I’m expecting WWE to use Jericho in a similar fashion. A stepping stone for the guy they want to push, not the guy they have to push temporarily. IN other words, Jericho will be fed to H. That’s not what I want to see. Again. But I do want to see that PPV, if only to see what the hell WWE does when it hits the fan. Cena, out for six months. Damn. That really does suck. And honestly, who do they have ready to step up to take his place other than H and Jericho? Umaga? He just came back, squashed some jobbers, and then ran away from H, after H no-sold his offense. Sledgehammer my ass. H got beat up enough to where he should have been desperate to get that thing and hoping it would scare off Umaga. Not standing alone in the ring, looking fresh as a daisy. Carlito? HAHAHAHAHA! Carlito has been Spirit Squadded. And that leaves only Vince. Who is not a wrestler and has been pussified by H for over a year now. So, the answer is, no one. Let’s see how this show goes. Come on Bears, gimme something to be happy about, as this PPV isn't looking too hopeful. TNA – TWO HOUR SPECIAL Full Recap Info courtesy of Patrik Pena To simulate a time lapse in which I went to the sports bar to watch the PPV AND the Bears game, I will talk about the supposed alternative for those fed up with WWE and looking for something to fix their wrestling craving. Good old TNA. Over five years of being the but of jokes. Five years of prognosticators saying that TNA would not last out the year since their inception. TNA, the place where fired and/or disgruntled WWE superstars go to collect a paycheck. Total Non-Stop Action, the place where Independents go, fooling themselves into think they made it to the big leagues, and where the aforementioned disgruntled/fired WWE superstars hope that WWE will call them back about being rehired. For over five years TNA has survived. And dare I say grown as a company? Yes, I do believe they have. And for the first time since they left PPV only television, they go two weekly hours of show to fill. And it’s on Prime Time on a legit cable station. That’s a big step up. Are they a profitable company? No, but the amount of money they were spending is no being somewhat eased by a network backing them, and the potential of advertiser to spend money on TNA, not just Spike. One of the biggest excuses/complaints about TNA is the rushed storylines. It was blamed on not having enough time to tell a story, thus establish a cohesive angle. Now, TNA has that time. So, how did TNA do? Not bad. Not bad at all. Some things really clicked for me, and some things didn’t. Only one thing was truly bad, and that one thing can be washed out as a personal preference, so that forthcoming bitching can be written off. So, without further ado, let’s take a more detailed look at what TNA offered for their grand debut. Black Reign vs Rhino I still think of La Parka when I see Goldust in his new costume. Rhino wins, when Raven shows up at ringside and tries to get involved. Abyss shows up and it’s a melee. Kurt Angle – DDP Protégé Angle is stalking Sting’s son. He’s at Sting’s son’s football game in California. There are segments all show long with Angle talking about Sting’s Son. Russo loves Stalkers. I guess Sting does too, since this is the second time he’s been talked on TNA. First Alex Shelly, and now Angle. Sting sees Angle and goes nuts, running to the production truck and telling them to get Angle up NOW! He apparently doesn't have a cell phone. So, what happens? We go to commercial, and what’s the commercial? TNA cell phone updates. Unintentionally hilarious. That chance programming was better than this whole angle, pun fully intended. Gimmick Cruiserweights talk Team Three D bursts onto the scene and beats them down and drags them to the ring. I liked this. Why? Because Team 3D want the titles and are showing they want the titles. It’s a simple thing, and it’s effective. Shark Boy runs in to get beaten up. Robert Roode Speaks He tries to get himself over, and he does so by berating Tracey Brooks. Leticia shows up and yaps at the other piece of eye candy and we got ourselves an announcer feud with a twist. Two hot chicks. I’ll say this about Russo, he always puts hot chicks on TV, with is OK with me. Shallow? Yes, but enjoyably so. Gail Kim vs Jackie Moore Kim has some great moves. Jackie tried to keep up. Gail wins and then Roxie and Christy come out to beat down Gail. Hype for the PPV match. Cornette and Team 3D They get their title shot. End of story. Team Pacman vs Team 3D Ron Killings has some really flashy moves. He’s athletic too. It’s a pity that he’s stuck with Pacman, who most know can't do anything, and for those who may not read the net, they can tell. He doesn't do a damn thing in the ring. I’ll give credit to whoever came up with the football bit. That was hilarious. Basically this match was highly scripted. It was to make Pacman still look like a threat, which is impossible, and push the envelope on what the NFL will allow him to do. So, it ends with Team Pacman winning by DQ when VKM run in and attack Killings, since a title can change hands on a DQ. The Steiners then show up to chase off Team 3D. Raven Speaks Gauntlet Match James Storm, Kaz, Eric Young, Jimmy Rave, Robert Roode, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelly, Lance Hoyt, Chris Harris Basically a way to show off the X-Division guys. Exciting match, with some really cool spots. Some outside hijinks as well, but overall, a solid match. Eric Young wins. Ultimate X Promo I hate the concept of the Ultimate X. It just seems designed to me to be a way to let guys fall from high places. Rather pointless. TNA is well known for it’s goofy and confusing gimmick matches. This one is simple, but still rather unappealing. I’d rather see a ladder match. Still, TNA can say they have the last laugh, as they forced WWE to come up with the Punjab Prison match concept. When boiled down, the Ultimate X is just a couple of cables, while the Prison is made up of bamboo. Cost to WWE, a lot more than the cost of Ultimate X to TNA. Winner: TNA. Homicide, Hernandez, Samoa Joe, and Junior Fatu (Rikishi) vs Christian, AJ Styles, Senshi, and Christopher Daniels Another match designed to get as many people on the show as possible. Pretty good match, but nothing special. Homicide had a great move, a tope con hilo to the outside where he rolled off the back and landed on his feet, and charged the announce desk. Awesome. Winner was Joe and the Gang. And that was it. A pretty good show, that was designed to get as many people exposure as possible, and it did so in a way that wasn’t glaring, but it was noticeable if you were looking for it. But the extensive angle advancement wasn’t there, other than the Sting and Angle bits, and well, stalking never helps in those cases. Some hints were thrown out, but not full blown advancement. For a first run two-hour show, I will give it a thumbs up. It presented the characters, gave enough background to get acquainted, had some good to great wrestling, and more importantly, did not insult my intelligence with hackneyed angles and just pain goofiness. Hell, even the Angle-Sting stuff makes sense, it’s just not that good. The Sports Entertainment was confined, and it was pretty much just a wrestling show. Which is a good thing. Perhaps the most important thing is that this show was about TNA. Not about stuff that happened elsewhere. Can TNA keep it up? That remains to be seen. I’m sure this show’s plans were gone over with a fine tooth comb before it made air. This week’s show? With the final push for the PPV? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see. But for once, I will say that TNA is actually looking like a viable alternative to WWE. Back From the Bar Hell of a game. Bears really pulled through. F those Packers. Cedric Benson actually did some running, Greise actually made a passing game, and the defense stepped up and did a great job. Final score, Bears 27 to Packers 20. Go Bears! Back to the Superbowl! Why not start the train rolling? Stranger things can happen. As for the PPV, it was a mixed bag. Some good wrestling and some terrible sports entertainment. To put it bluntly, it was the H show. No doubt about it. He wrestled his ass off, in fact I think it was the most action H has seen in years. Three honest to goodness matches in one night. H didn’t slack in any of them. But then again, he shouldn't have. When you get an extended promo, a title shot, a victory over the newly announced champion, another victory over a Main Event challenger, and then a close loss to the guy you beat earlier, all in the same night, you should work your ass off. See, Orton was announced as champion to start the show. Funny part was when Vince was leading up to H coming out, and talking about giving the fans what they want, the crowd was going nuts for Jericho and Vince had the line of the night. “You’re not getting that.” Classic. H then came out and said he wanted a title shot, and in less than half an hour from the start of the show, H was champ. About an hour later, H was facing Umaga for the title. H won. Again, H wrestled and actually took some big bumps. In fact, I think he hurt his wrist in that match. Maybe he was messing with the fans, as it looked similar to Cena’s injury, in the way H carried his arm. Well, H is injury prone. So, it’s two victories for H. Vince then said that H would face Orton, due to Randy cashing in on his rematch clause and it would be a Last Man Standing Match. Which Randy won. Barely. The main event for the PPV was a brutal affair. Blood, great spots, and near count outs, and was a solid main event. We also got a great six man tag, an entertaining until the end Rey Finlay match, a pizza eating contest between Matt Hardy and MVP, A CM Punk squashing the likes of which haven't been seen in years. Welcome home, CM. We also got a woman’s match that was sloppy, and Beth Phoenix won, and then gave a speech that no one cared about. And the Punjab Prison match, where the best move was Batista jumping from one cage to another. It was a unique idea, the title hot potato, and done on a PPV no less. It made it memorable, but it also raised some rather unpleasant memories. The problem was H. H beat the new champ, who had the strong angle going in. He beat the guy out for revenge, fresh off his return on Monday, and on his big PPV night. He then went toe to toe with the former champ. All for what? So he can feud with Orton, who is now a non-issue? Feud with Vince? Again? One of the biggest pops for the night? When Randy nailed H with the RKO on the announce desk in the main event, the crowd went nuts. But Randy now looks significantly weaker than before, while H looks bigger than he did before. Which is impressive, in it’s excess. Time for a look at H. He’s been back, what, six, seven weeks? He came back at Summerslam. In that time he’s: - Had three really horrible comedy segments instead of matches - Beat the tag team champions. - Beat up the #1 contenders to the tag team championship - - Same match. He had a three count on Cade and Murdoch when London and Kendrick ran it. He beat them up because he could. - Taken out Umaga - Defeated a returning Umaga - Beat a guy who had a win over H, ignoring the fact that H buried that guy years ago. So, trivia fans, mark this down. It was Shelton Benjamin. - Made Carlito into his bitch - Wrestled in two matches against Vince - Had two and a half real matches against real opponents. And now, he’s won the championship belt, and lost it, but more importantly, he’s closer to beating Ric’s record of amount of times he’s held the belt. Was the Last Man Standing match a good match? It was. It was utterly pointless, but it was good, and thank GOD there was a winner. For a second there, I was sure they were going to do the no-winner bit. An impressive outing from H, it’s just that in the larger scheme of things, I think it did more harm than good. I’m dreading tonight’s show. I’ll be watching, but it’s just to get an inkling of how bad things will get. I really hope Jericho isn’t coming back now. I can't imagine a worse time to return to WWE. Here’s hoping he goes to Smackdown instead, and escapes the whirlwind of crap that seems about to erupt on Raw. H knows only one way to book himself and that’s squash, squash, squash. I’m sure thoughts of Mick Foley and what he’s done since he came back the first time are running through Jericho’s head. Oh well, at least I got a Bears victory to make me happy. And I think I learned a lesson. My loyalty to the Bears was tested. Not a big test, just a slight one. Enough to get me thinking. If the Bears had a bad season, would I have jumped from the bandwagon and just gone for another team? No, I wouldn't have. The Bears have a rich and long history, and have given me some of the best football memories. Superbowl Shuffle, Superbowl 1985, and my leading favorite, the Arizona – Bears game last year, which I saw in sports bar filled with fans of both teams and a great comeback victory by the Bears when it looked like it was over. I still laugh about that. Wrestling has also given me a lot of great memories. Unfortunately, it’s also given me a lot of bad ones. More so than football. The biggest difference is that I know it didn't have to be that way. Football is a real sport, while wrestling is not. Wrestling just chooses to suck more often than not. Wrestling fandom is different than football fandom, but it has a lot more in common than it has differences. Damn straight fans can be loud and obnoxious when the team/wrestler wins. Who knows when it may come around again? Damn straight we can bitch and moan when the team/wrestler looses. Armchair quarterbacking/booking is part of being a fan. Only thing is, wrestling can act on it, while football can't. My opinions for both? Football: Keep Grossman out of there, and keep Griese in. Griese is working on his passing game, Benson did some actual running, and the offense is improving, which helps the defense. 2 and 3 record? No problem. I’m in it for the long haul. There’s always next year. Wrestling: You know when H had his best success in the past five years? When he was loosing. People like to see H loose. Period. Not the pussy kind H loves, where he gets his heat back immediately and the loss means nothing. The kind where H looses and that’s it. Maybe even an H squashing. Where H gets squashed, not the other way around. It’s something that hasn't been tried in half a decade. I think that will get fans talking. If not, well, TNA is looking pretty good. H will hurt himself sooner probably than later, and be out for another extended period of time. Maybe this time, they’ll actually let more than one person be a superstar. And I’m not talking about Undertaker, who is in a category all his own. Fandom can take it’s toll, and everyone has a breaking point. My Bears fandom is stronger than I thought. My wrestling fandom? Not so much. But then again, there’s always next year. But if I keep saying that, I’ll start sounding like a Cubs fan, and that’s not anything to be even remotely proud of. Would you like to be know as a one time champion or a lovable loser with a 100 years of history to back up your loserdom? I’ll take the former. Some miscellanous bits, quick plugs, and then that’s a wrap. HBK has been asked to come back. HBK is still out with injury and is reported to be enjoying spending time with his family and also his work with his church group. He is said to be in no hurry to come back. I can't blame him. He left on a high note, having one of the best years in his career. He earned my respect, which is not as easy as it may seem. Still not a fan, but I do respect him. He worked his ass off. The only thing is, he has a reason to come back. 1.5 million of them to be precise. For a couple more years, I think. Brother. Yet I can understand him not wanting to come back. DX was a failure. Not in terms of selling merchandise, but as an angle, ratings tool, and nostalgia run, yes. It sucked. Hard. And if HBK does come back, you can bet that H will be wanted to stand next to, or on top of, HBK. Hogan signs deal with American Gladiators The Hulkster signed a deal to be the host of the NBC remake of American Gladiators. I’m sure Hogan haters are lining up to blame the failure of the show on Hogan and ignore the fact that it’s an American Gladiators remake. But, as a Hogan fan, all I can say is. HOGAN GOT PAID, BROTHER! Hogan is still my idol. Hogan never booked himself to win a championship match and then a title defense and loose it while looking like the greatest wrestler of all time on the same show. He may have protected himself in booking, but he at least knew that it was important to have guy who looked like he could actually beat you be your opponent on the next PPV. Quick Plugs! RWTB TV # 5 The Truth Is Out There….Really Out There.  LOP Forums The Movie Bar Until next time, Thanks for Readin’ and thanks for Ridin’ Wevv Mang Please label all feedback as FEEDBACK. mrwevv@mac.com *NEW GALLERY* AMAZING!! More Uncensored Kelly Kelly Bikini Photos! Very Rare!
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