Last week, many of you witnessed a new era in “The X-Factor”. After months of doing weekly (or bi-weekly, or perhaps tri-weekly) columns on Monday Night Raw, and the occasional Smackdown column, I did a lot of fine-tuning and a bit of tweaking to “The X-Factor”. I added in “dividers” to each of my thoughts and opinions, and added the MVP of the Week, a concept that I’ve taken as mediocre at best. I find it to be a tad overused, and it’s almost as if I am awarding the employee of the month to someone, even though I don’t work with any of these people. Anyway, the Raw and Smackdown stuff has been getting to me. I’ve found it boring to continually cover a show, right down to the lower-card matches that find their way onto Raw or Smackdown. I can only begin to imagine how boring it was for you, the reader, to see how much of a true professional I could be, by dissecting a 3 minute match between two guys who probably would be better working dark matches than Raw matches. How great of me to give those performers pointers on how to stop being on TV, right?
Well, this week, more changes are surfacing. While Raw (and Smackdown, to an extent) will still be a large basis to my columns, I’m not going to specifically talk about the matches anymore. Since I began in August, I have really tried to improve what I have week in and week out. It’s tough work, because I’m not even past my first year as a columnist for this wrestling site, or any other wrestling site I currently work for. I’ve taken suggestions from Dougie Nunny (not personally, just from what I have read him say to others), as well as looked at other columns that I consider great, and ventured onto the NoDQ forums. Starting this week, my focus will be less on Raw and more on WWE. In the words of Jake the Snake, “y’understand?” Good, I’m glad we’re all on the same page. If you’re on a different page, you probably aren’t reading this right now.
Veteran Days II: The Veterans Strike Back! If you’re a wrestling fan, who happens to watch either WWE or NWA, you don’t have to wait very long before a wrestling veteran (or legend, if the term applies) graces your television screen, with a slightly wrinkled smile, gray hair, and the lack of that great physique they once had. Perhaps on WWE, you have seen the likes of Superstar Billy Graham, Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair, Harley Race, and just recently, Jake the Snake Roberts and Marty Jannetty (someone I’ll talk about later on). NWA seems to be overflowing with veterans, like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Roddy Piper (I believe he worked for them a few months ago), Randy Savage, Diamond Dallas Paige, and no doubt many more in the future. I’m almost positive that WWE or NWA would like you to believe this is out of respect for these guys, but let’s face it, we all know it’s to draw money.
Let’s rewind to two years ago, WWE in 2003 (it rhymes, but the fun ends there). Well, we can pretty much go to any year in WWE and find some old-timers coming back to wrestling, even in a non-wrasslin’ role. But, in 2002, it started: The Era of Nostalgia. Names like Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Shawn Michaels started showing up. In 2003, it only continued: Hulk Hogan made a triumphant return, but very quickly became Mr. America (a gimmick so horrible, even I can’t talk much about it), Roddy Piper showed up, Mick Foley refereed a Hell in a Cell match, Steve Austin returned to the company after a brief hiatus, Sable made her “impactful” debut (seems like everyone Is looking to make an impact nowadays). Big names, big gimmicks, big careers to look back on… but, let’s face it: this was a major downtime for WWE. These names were once synomimous with greatness, with power, and these names all drew money. But, upon their return, some of these people tried to come back into the ring and fight. None of them were up to the challenge, and none of them had the ability to wrestle anymore. Their age caught up to them.
Where does this lead? What is my point? My point is that WWE got out of that phase. They moved on, and in 2004, it seemed WWE had a clean slate. With most of these names all gone, WWE had to start relying on real talent. Now, a year later, we watch as the future of WWE rides mainly on the shoulders of Dave Batista and John Cena, among MANY others who also hold their own. The WWE has proved that they learn from their mistakes. But lately, Vince seems to be bringing in more of those veteran names as draws, especially the Hall of Fame, which is being played up A LOT on TV. Yes, I know… it’s Wrestlemania time. But, I really hope WWE doesn’t fall into this trap that they once fell into.
The NWA is suffering greatly from this problem. Do I watch NWA? No, I actually don’t. Do I have the right to fully criticize NWA? I surely do not. But, one look of their shows, and you can clearly see a company that is trying (cannot take that away from them), but they’re trying too hard. I see WCW in NWA. For starters, Jeff Jarrett has been champion the majority of NWA’s return to TV since 2002. Horrible, horrible thing for NWA to go through, because they could use different champions. So, instead of pushing the young guys to be stars, they’re pushing the older guys, who can’t wrestle as well as they used to, and can’t draw as well as they used to, just to pull in a few extra people who will follow these veterans to hell and back. Seeing names like Diamond Dallas Paige and Kevin Nash on NWA’s PPV events makes me not want to watch their product. I expect fresh, young guys, with potential. If I want to see Diamond Dallas Paige or Kevin Nash in action, I’ll watch old tapes of WCW or the World Wrestling Federation.
There are exceptions to everything. The exception here is someone who can actually work well, and can be considered a veteran. The one (and possibly only one) guy that can do that is Marty Jannetty. Seeing the former Rocker wrestle on Monday night was extraordinary. The match was not a lengthy one, but he put on a hell of a match with HBK, that leads me to believe that Marty could easily be another HBK, if WWE really wanted him to be. Look at it this way: they have given Viscera a second chance, even with minimal talent and no drawing power, so why not give a veteran with talent still left in him a second chance, too? If done right, he could be a big name like HBK in WWE. Where can he go? Smackdown, of course. I think he would make a great addition to the show. So, how about it Vince? Marty has proven himself. That goes beyond what many of the veterans have shown in the last year or two. And, I think he could even be a good draw, if done right. Rock on, Jannetty!
Hey, I didn’t ask for your life story… or did I? Switching gears, but staying on the topic of veterans, over the past year, I have been able to read three autobiographies written by WWE superstars and legends. I have finally read Mick Foley’s first of two attempts (currently reading his second book), as well as Steve Austin’s short, yet sweet book, and I have also just finished Ric Flair’s excellent look back at decades of the Nature Boy’s career. Anyone who has avoided ANY of these books for whatever reason should seriously reconsider, and I’ll tell you why.
I have been dead-set against calling Ric Flair great or a legend, because what I have seen in the ring hasn’t always been great (and my opinion has not changed on that very much). But, when I started reading Flair’s book, I knew I was reading something special. And while the Ric Flair I know from WWE as Evolution’s manager and the brief co-owner of WWE is far from the legend that is Ric Flair, I can tell he was a hard worker, and to do that for so many years deserves to be great. Legend? I would need to see his oldest work to judge there. If I ever do, I’ll let you know if I think he is (not whether he actually is, which are two different things, since I rarely hold the answer to everything). My point is that even though I disagree with a lot (and I do mean a lot) of what Ric Flair says, including his feelings on Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino and Mick Foley, I find the book insightful, entertaining, and an overall great read. I find it a lot better if I agree and disagree with someone, and read what they have to say, rather than read a book by someone that I agree with almost always. Ric Flair, you may very well be the man!
Steve Austin is a great guy, and I have a lot of fun watching him on TV. His book is a fun read, but it lacks any real insight into his career. It’s almost halfway between in-depth and “in-a-nutshell”, with most of the events. I would love so much more details about his rise in the “Attitude” era, as well as even a bit more on the incident that nearly ended his career (his match with Owen Hart a few years ago), even though that is probably one of the most prominent parts of the book. When you boil it down, the book still gave me a bit more into the life of Stone Cold Steve Austin, and I was still very happy to have read it. Austin fanatics will love anything from Austin. I would personally love to see another book someday by the Texas Rattlesnake, and this time, a little more in-depth.
Mick Foley: A born storyteller. Face it, if you’ve seen Mick Foley go on a tirade on wrestling, or just seen him talk about his own career, Mick has a certain quality about him that makes you want to listen. His books are no different from watching him talk on television. His subtle wit is carried throughout the two books, along with the most detailed look back at his career that you’ll ever find. Austin didn’t go as far into his career as I would have hoped, and Flair was better-suited for a casual wrestling fan or just a mild Flair fan, like myself, but Foley caters not only to non-wrestling fans, but also his hardcore fans. He gives you nearly every detail, like you were reliving the event. The sole problem about that is that while the humor and the detail still accomidates to a casual/non fan of wrestling, it’s his true fans that really will enjoy this to its fullest extent. Overall? It’s a great read, and a long one, too. Both books are. So far, the second is a bit all over the place, while the first was mainly chronological. Foley wins the autobiography race of these three fine selections.
Well, what do you know? A bit different this week, I know. I’m trying to steer away from the Raw/Smackdown review stuff, and I hope it doesn’t just make me another run-of-the-mill guy. This weekend, I hope to prove to be more than just another pretty column, when I tackle another issue that seems to plague wrestling to its very core. A few months ago, you’ll recall that I went after the modern-day feud that seems to be brought up more and more: The WWE and The Internet. I am still proud of that editorial, and I think I did a fine job of proving that not every internet wrestling fan is some nerdy, geeky, arrogant kid, who thinks he knows everything about wrestling, while still acknowledging those nerdy, geeky, arrogant kids, that think they know everything about wrestling. This weekend, I hope to tackle… The WWE and The Media. Yes, it’s widely known by wrestling fans that our love of this form of entertainment is almost unacceptable to some people. Even mentioning that I like wrestling to friends causes a burst of laughter, followed by ridicule, and hurt feelings (note: feelings never actually hurt). But, aside from wrestling being thought of as a dumb form of entertainment, the media itself never has given wrestling a fair shake. From violence in wrestling to whether or not it’s fake or choreographed (depending on who you’re talking to, and how big of a fan of wrestling they are), right down to “backyard wrestling”, a rather loose term that applies to both the fun-lovin’ form of wrasslin’ that you and your friends had fun doing when you were 10, as well as the “hardcore” wrestling of some truly devoted fans, who will do anything to be noticed, even at the risk of their own life. Big topic, huh? Here’s hoping I can do my best with it. Until then, I’m Mr. X. Buh-bye!
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