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Greetings lop.net. It is an honour and a privilege to be able to write for you all today. After briefly flirting with the main page last month in Fact or Fiction, some of you may already be aware of whom I am. For those of you that are not, I am priest, and this is The Lord’s Lowdown. Reminiscing is always a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can be quite warming and uplifting to remember a time when you were happier with the way things used to be, but this can also lead you to become bitter and resentful that the present is not as pleasing as the past. The advantage of youth is that you do not have to find the balance between the two, as you have nothing to reminisce about. It is one of the many advantages of being young. The PG shift for the WWE in recent years is another. In many ways, the feeling of neglect endured by much of the IWC is a smokescreen for its jealousy. We all remember what it is like to be catered to by the WWE. And we want it again. We want to feel wanted, to feel needed. In a realistic world, many want a demographic change from the WWE so we would no longer have to reminisce about the past. But in an ideal world, I’m sure we would all choose to be young again. Not only would we enjoy the WWE product more, but we would have that innocence and vulnerability that made wrestling so great in the first place. But, are things really so bad? Are we really so neglected? Perhaps we have been blinded by our resentment, as from where I’m looking, we haven’t been the ones that have been neglected recently at all. Perhaps you should take a moment and look at it through a different perspective.  Monday Night Raw, 15/11/10 From the Diary of altar_boy… Although the recent ‘Old School’ edition of RAW may have seemed like a randomly thrown together episode, it actually served an important purpose. The most obvious purpose was hyping the main event of Survivor Series through the episode of Piper’s Pit, which was expertly done. But the more subtle purpose speaks to why the episode took place in the first place. All the effort the WWE went to, the logos, the opening video, the steel fence as a barricade, who exactly was it for? The majority of the younger fans in attendance would have had no idea how it was relevant to RAW, or who most of the legends were. They would have been completely lost at the nostalgia of the episode. Instead, we were able to reminisce at what RAW used to look like. We were able to remember some of our favourite wrestlers of the yesteryear. In truth, it was a touching trip down memory lane that we all enjoyed. Although perhaps some of the legends used in the episode were not exactly hall of famers, they all served their purpose in terms of entertainment and putting over the new talent. More than this, guys like The Brooklyn Brawler and Mark ‘Sexual Chocolate’ Henry provided us with the comedic relief the mature audience sometimes isn’t given. The episode was a refreshing change from the usual format, and should have gone some way to appeasing the members of the IWC who have felt neglected in recent years.  Monday Night Raw, 22/11/10 From the Diary of altar_boy… This was probably the most memorable episode of RAW for a while. The cash in of a Money in the Bank contract is always a mark out moment, but perhaps this was more so than others due to the shock and unpredictability of its nature. As members of the IWC, many of the WWE’s surprises are leaked out or speculated upon long before they have chance to surface. But, in that respect, perhaps it makes it more special when these shocks do occur. Perhaps it allows us to appreciate them more. The addition of CM Punk to the RAW commentary team has been universally acclaimed. There’s no doubt he has a natural charisma and wit that is a refreshing change to the usual formula of Cole & Lawler. But perhaps the most entertaining aspect of his commentary has been the inside jokes he has made, most notably at the expense of Alex Riley and his driving under the influence charge. Taking this into consideration, why exactly has Punk been given commentary duties? Is it really just a way of keeping him fresh in our minds? I’d argue not. It’s no secret CM Punk is a darling of the IWC from his ROH days. His promos in particular have been widely praised. It is only the mature audience of the WWE universe that can truly appreciate Punk’s commentary. The internet gives us an outlet to express our feelings and gain a wider knowledge of our hobby, but the WWE showed in this episode that there will still be surprises for everyone, even for the most vigilant IWC members.  Monday Night Raw, 29/11/10 From the Diary of altar_boy… The King of the Ring has long been adored by wrestling fans. Whereas a standard main event will see a select number of participants, it is one of the few times where we genuinely have little chance of correctly predicting the outcome due to the sheer number of possible winners. This year’s competition was no exception, with numerous avenues for the WWE to explore. The great thing about the King of the Ring is that all ages can enjoy the competition. But perhaps only the older generation can appreciate it. We have seen how it can make a guy's career in the past and help elevate him to new levels. The younger generation are not as aware. Although they can still be entertained, it does not carry the same level of prestige that it does for us. For me, this made the 2010 King of the Ring tournament all that much more enjoyable than if I had been a new viewer I can understand the frustration. I, too, sometimes get frustrated with the WWE. But sometimes this frustration can build and will mask the good things that the WWE does. The WWE may be focusing on a younger demographic, but that’s not to say we have been completely ignored or that we cannot enjoy its product anymore. After all, there has to be a reason why we are still watching. Just because the current rating is PG it doesn’t mean the product can only be enjoyed by children. Films such as Shrek can be enjoyed by the whole family. Why can’t the WWE be the same? I started this column by saying that reminiscing can be a double-edged sword. Well, that depends on what type of person you are. Some may be able look back fondly and remember the past for what it was. Others use it as fuel to vent their frustrations as to why things aren’t like that now. The truth is, a typical episode of RAW, as subjective as it is, is never going to please everybody. But I think at present, the WWE is doing the best it can to cater for everyone. Maybe you believe the past generations of the WWE were more entertaining. That’s fine. But when you are reminiscing about the good times of yesterday, don’t let this blind you into ignoring the good the WWE is doing today. After all, what are we going to reminisce about tomorrow? Thank you to all who have taken the time to read today’s column. For those of you who do not visit regularly, I would strongly recommend dropping by the Columns Forum from time to time. There are some great writers there, from former main pagers such as Mazza, CotM winners such as Shane and ChrisBear, and some of the new guys like jovanbkt and The Watcher. I’m sure you will be hearing a lot more from these guys in the future. If any of you would like to contact me with your views on today’s column, you can do by emailing me at [email protected], or by using the Facebook option below.
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