Unlimited. According to a certain, trusty dictionary site, it means “Having no restrictions or controls” or “Having or seeming to have no boundaries; infinite”. According to WWE.com, the official website for the company, it means giving the fans anything and everything we would want and need to know about the WWE. Well, I derived that from all of their latest features, but it’s most likely that’s what the WWE is going for. At your fingertips, you can watch some of the greatest and most memorable matches in WWE, ECW, and WCW history on WWE 24/7 Online. Be forewarned, it does come with a subscription fee. Each and every Monday night, you can check out photos from backstage, where we see the likes of Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Eugene, and the Big Show performing all of their pre-RAW duties. Heck, before, during and shortly after RAW, you can check out videos of what goes on during the commercial breaks on RAW, including Lillian Garcia singing the national anthem, wrestlers making their way backstage, and wrestlers turning heel (one instance of that with Hurricane, but I guess we can only hope for more surprises on WWE.com in the future). Mix that with insider news and interviews, and you have WWE Unlimited.
Unlimited was introduced mainly at WWE Homecoming, with backstage photos of all the WWE legends, videos of everything during the commercial breaks, and interviews that kept you entertained for, well… minutes. I, like many others, assumed this would all be a one-night only thing, however it has become the most important feature on the company’s website. But, is Unlimited going too far? Pardon the lame sentence, but is there a limit to the Unlimited? The WWE is giving us something big, and I appreciate the gesture, but there’s a certain level of imagination we have to use in order to watch wrestling.
Let’s get this out of the way: wrestling is fake. Okay, I hate the words fake and wrestling put together. It’s like nails on a chalkboard for me (which, coincidentally, I don’t find all that irritating). For the sake of simplicity, wrestling is fake, but for the sake of my sanity, I will say that wrestling is pre-planned. I’m a big fan of George Carlin, and I’m sure that “pre-planned” would make his head explode, but I’m going with it for something I care deeply about.
When we watch wrestling, we know everything about the show is pre-planned. Pre-determined. The matches, the dialogue, everything. But do we acknowledge it? Do we let them know that we know it’s fake? No, we don’t. It’s the fun of being a wrestling fan. We know it’s all pre-planned, and the WWE knows that we know that it’s pre-planned. But we don’t confront it. Ever. We pretend, we imagine, and we enjoy. But the WWE seems to be going in a whole new direction. It’s not so much the WWE, but WWE.com that is going in a direction that may end up being a bad path.
Remember when Vince McMahon wouldn’t comment on something for his own website? What the heck was that about? That was one of the first clear signs that WWE wanted their website to be the “unofficial” official website for the WWE. Are you following? I hope so, because I’m suffering from a little confusion myself. The WWE wants to have the definitive wrestling website, and it seems they want to bring us everything from shocking news stories to backstage photos to interviews. That’s all well and good. But now, instead of pretending that wrestling is ENTIRELY real, they want us to pretend their website is an unofficial site.
Take the departing Christian interview, for instance. The headline read “Christian ‘shoots’ on WWE”. How? How can someone “shoot” on a company on their official website to an interviewer that is employed by WWE? It’s not possible, and to be honest, it hurts my head thinking about it. You shoot on a company somewhere else besides on the company’s website, where they allow you to do so. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? The WWE means well by trying to stay ahead of the game (aka staying ahead of the many internet wrestling sites, like the site where you’re likely reading this), but it doesn’t work that way. What’s next? Giving away spoilers to their TV shows and PPVs?
When I read an interview on WWE.com, I don’t expect to read the wrestler in character. But, I surely don’t expect to hear about someone “shooting” on the company. I come to expect an interview that’s very real, without being too real. I think that makes sense. I just don’t see the point in pretending you’re Star Magazine, getting the inside scoop on today’s wrestlers.
The Pre-RAW photos were special for WWE Homecoming. There were photos of all the WWE legends, the WWE superstars of today, and some future hall-of-famers (Steve Austin, Mick Foley, etc.). I thought it was a pleasant surprise on the day of Homecoming, and it was deeply effective. However, in recent weeks, WWE.com has kept up with the pre-RAW photos, and I can’t help but think they’re overstaying their welcome. I think it’s much better to have photos of the live shows, during matches and in-ring segments, than photos from backstage pre-RAW.
Okay, I know what you’re wondering. “But Joey, where’s the harm in photos from backstage? Is there really a problem?”. Yes, there is. I have noticed several photos where Eric Bischoff, Edge, and Snitsky have been seen reading several papers stapled together, which can only be assumed to be the scripts for the show. Isn’t that a little TOO real? A few weeks ago, we were treated to a photo of Nick Dinsmore (Eugene) chatting away on a cellphone. I’m not one to judge on what Eugene could or could not accomplish if he was real, but it still felt like we were seeing Nick Dinsmore and not Eugene. We know he’s not really Eugene, but we don’t need pictures reminding us. I’m waiting for the photo of John Cena and Kurt Angle, having a good time laughing backstage. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened.
Last, but certainly not least, is the truly Unlimited experience. This is what WWE really classifies as Unlimited. I’m talking about the video footage before, during, and shortly after RAW. We get to see Lillian Garcia sing the National anthem before RAW, we see what happens after RAW (although, there have yet to be any dark matches, which I believe deserve to remain a special match for the audience in attendance, and I hope it remains that way), and we see everything that happens during the commercial breaks.
I don’t directly oppose, because it does a good job of keeping fans interested in the website (which is probably something the WWE has had trouble with in the past). I don’t recall having much reason to visit the official website before, but I usually check out the Unlimited videos after RAW. But, like everything else, there’s a slight issue: there’s very little reason to watch these videos. The national anthem is never posted on the website after RAW, just the in-between and shortly-after videos. And, my God, what boring videos these usually are. 75% of the videos are Todd Grisham and Maria doing interviews and talking with the fans. Oh boy. I’m on the edge of my seat with pure excitement, WWE. We just don’t see enough of these two on RAW, I have to see more and more of them on WWE.com.
Okay, calm down, I’m not just going to keep complaining about this whole “Unlimited” thing. It’s a good idea in itself, but there should be extra effort by WWE to keep the fans watching during the commercial break. Take the Hurricane heel turn for instance. That was an amazing addition to Unlimited, and it really added to the importance for the special feature on the website. I’m not saying we should always have heel turns or face turns, but aside from the match continuations (which make up for so many damn commercial breaks in between the matches on RAW), I would like to see a few clips that would make Unlimited a bit more important. I don’t necessarily mind the interviews conducted by Todd and Maria, but keep them to a minimum with the match continuations, and perhaps add some backstage interviews with the wrestlers BEFORE their matches, not just after their matches (as usually seen on RAW itself).
I guess it’s difficult to find a perfect blend for Unlimited so that it seems significant enough that we want to and have to tune in during the commercial breaks. I say that the WWE should remember that WWE.com is the official website, and forget about pretending that they’re the haven for insider news. Drop the “shoot” interviews, like with Christian. Post pictures and videos of the live shows (RAW and Smackdown), and forget about letting us see backstage pictures of the superstars. Most importantly, put a lot of thought into what you do with Unlimited. Myself, I enjoy the RAW experience as it is. It’s a television show, that I enjoy seeing, and I think anything else that happens off the air should be a special treat for the fans. But, if you’re going to continue posting videos in between commercial breaks, try to make a few of them special so there’s a need to actually watch them every week.
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I want to comment on the death of a wrestling legend, Eddie Guerrero. This morning, Eddie passed away at the age of 38. He was one of the most gifted and talented superstars, not just of modern wrestling, but in the history of professional wrestling. We were given an unforgettable experience everytime he set foot inside the squared circle. My knowledge of Eddie is limited to his WWE days since 2002, but in that short three-year time span, he has rewarded me with some of the greatest moments and matches that I’ve ever seen. Men like Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, JBL, Triple H, and Batista have all faced “Latino Heat” in that time. Eddie knew how to put on an incredible match with anyone and everyone.
When I read the tragic news of Eddie’s passing, I refused to believe it. In loss, you go through denial, anger, bargaining, grief, and acceptance. I guess I’m caught in the middle. No, I didn’t know the guy. I saw him wrestle live in my hometown in May 2003, teaming with Chavo against Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas. People often tend to overexaggerate certain things about the deceased when they’re gone, but that night, he helped put on the match of the night, and every single night he wrestled, he was one of the top performers, if not the best of the night. He was one of the best in the business. There’s no denying his talent and his abilities.
I still refuse to believe that the man is gone. I want to wake up and find out it was all a bad dream, but I won’t. No one will. I don’t know what happens when we die, and I don’t know if we go anywhere after our lives. But before he died, leading up to this tragic day, he has had one of the best careers in professional wrestling. He cleaned himself up, and has been sober for four years this week. He’s put blood, sweat and tears into the business that we all know and love, and I truly, truly thank him for that. His passion for the business and his determination to put on quality performances every night is admirable. His motto was “Lie, Cheat, Steal”, but he never had to lie, cheat or steal to put on a memorable match. It came naturally. And we are all a little bit better for having the privilege and the absolute honor of seeing Eddie Guerrero perform inside the squared circle.
I wanted to write a full-length column on Eddie, but I know there will be a lot of columns this week devoted to him and devoted to his life. Even in a short 38 years, he still has given us plenty to talk about, and I’m sure my fellow columnists will put it into words that will surely prove he was a legend of the business. But, it doesn’t matter whether anyone writes 30 words or 3000 words about him, the thought is still there. My thoughts and prayers are with the Guerrero family, and knowing that he lived an incredible life must ease the pain a bit. Wherever he is, Eddie can feel proud knowing he was a legend of the business, that he touched many people’s lives without knowing it, and that he will be greatly missed. Viva La Raza! Lie, Cheat, Steal. Rest in Peace, Eddie.
Chant it with me ... Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! ...
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