We are being pay-per-viewed to death. Is that a surprise to anyone? It can’t be if you are one of those fans who always tries to purchase, or at least go somewhere and watch, all of those PPV’s. If you include the month of May as the beginning of summer, as many do, between the WWE and TNA there are three weekends out of four in both May and June that have what used to be considered that ‘special’ show. Putting the money aside, just how many of these can actually be considered exceptional or unique? That’s right, not too many. TNA only puts on one show per month – thank you! But true to form, if a little taste is good than to gorge must be better, and the WWE and it’s leader Vince McMahon continues to try and force-feed us. Several times this year they give us two shows in one month. Admittedly, one of those in June is the ECW One Night Stand, which at this point is the only one I will be ordering. That one has the potential of being exactly what a pay-per-view is supposed to be.
While I’m criticizing the McMahon decision-making, let me mention the most recently scheduled Meet and Greet session. I get emails from the WWE keeping me up-dated on events, tickets sales and the like. For the upcoming Judgment Day I was informed that there would be a Meet and Greet and that I could happily purchase tickets for it for, are you ready, $100! Now, hypothetically, I have just spent a good amount of money for tickets to the event in the first place, and now they want another bill so that I can get some autographs? What a surprise when the session was cancelled due to a lack of interest! Now, let me quickly add that I have attended pay-per-views out of state (and the country as well) and have bought a package that was offered. This included tickets to the event, the Meet and Greet, usually a breakfast, and I believe two nights at a hotel. While this wasn’t cheap, everything was included in this package, so perhaps it was a bit of a mind game with money. I enjoyed the brief meetings with the superstars, but I can damn well guarantee you that if I had to fork out another $100 I would have skipped that. Isn’t the point to allow the wrestlers to be fan-friendly? Wouldn’t it have been better to drop the price (it certainly doesn’t have to be free, I’m not saying that) and get the people in there in the first place? Money would have been made, of that I’m certain. (And don’t try the argument with me that sometimes one has to pay $40 or $50 bucks for just one autograph at a book signing, or the like. I think that’s crap, too!)
Raw’s Gold Rush to see who will face Batista for the World Title at Vengeance was a really good idea, and I was happy to see Triple H lose in the first round. That was great. But the posters that are out for Vengeance show HHH and Batista. Going further, it seems as if there will be a Hell in a Cell match for the title, again advertising the Batista / 3H pairing. What I would really love to see here is a complete work and this will not be happening at all, but I’m sure that is not the case. So why should fans watch the Gold Rush matches? Why get exited with the upcoming match between the final winners Edge, who defeated Shawn Michaels (giving him a legit concussion, I might add) and Kane, who bested Chris Benoit? The only surprise will be to see how they make the Batista rematch with HHH when someone else is slated to be the star of the show. This is not a Triple H bash, but rather a jab at just how things have been and are being done.
Over on SmackDown! it seems to be even more lackluster. John Bradshaw Layfield is like HHH – it seems that he will be involved in the title picture over and over again. John Cena generated some excitement when he won the belt from JBL, but for whatever reason that has seemed to diminish rapidly. I can only hope that the upcoming draft will bring us out of the doldrums that have become the shows of late. I love being a wrestling fan first and foremost. I write these columns because it allows me to incorporate two of the things that I really enjoy, and it does not make me happy to criticize the product that I want to be upbeat about. I can only hope for some changes.
Be safe and God Bless,
Barb.
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