The Wrestling Factor: The Fantasy Shooter
Posted by The Stinger
on 12/01/2006
I made the mistake the other day, and believe me that doesn’t happen often, of following a link from a wrestling message board to a video posted on YouTube. It wasn’t a wrestling match or tribute video, or anything good like that… it was a fan video. I’m not going to mention the name of the guy, because quite frankly he isn’t worth getting a mention in this column, he’s a “fan” of wrestling, nothing more. Yet, I’ve seen this guy mentioned on several message boards, people discussing his videos and such. Most seem to grasp that the guy is an idiot, but still I’m amazed that people subscribe to and continue to watch his crappy videos.
Now, I’m all for wrestling fans trying to express themselves. Well, I take that back. I’m all for
intelligent wrestling fans expressing themselves, not kids showing that they’re losers. I read all the time about WWE or TNA doing something to make people be embarrassed to be a wrestling fan; many fans make me embarrassed to be a wrestling fan. I’m ashamed to even be associated with the same group as these morons.
Now the guy I’m referring to is a TNA mark, and is quite possibly the dumbest person I have encountered on the Internet, which is a huge feat considering the amount of stupid people who plague wrestling sites and the like. It’s one thing to host your wrestling radio show or pod cast, which I support because they’re usually done well. It’s another thing to make crappy video’s and upload them to the Internet via a popular site like YouTube and show the entire world what a moron you are. This guys parents must be so proud that their son waste his time making pointless videos about how “WWE sucks, TNA rules”. Some people have no shame.
The thing that makes you laugh most though, is that guy uses the term “shoot”; he’s shooting on the WWE. Here’s the thing, you’re not in the business, you’re a fan of the business, nothing you do is considered “shooting”. Saying that you are shooting shows you’re a mark who knows a few “insider” terms, of which you find on almost any wrestling site.
Now I know there’s got to be a few people reading this column who thinks I’m a hypocrite for basically bashing a fan for making some videos when I myself write columns. The difference is I love wrestling and I love writing, so therefore I’d naturally want to write about wrestling, and the Internet provides an audience that I wouldn’t otherwise have. And hell, I like to think I have some talent at this whole writing thing and could do it for a living, though probably not writing about wrestling; whereas this “shooting” guy absolutely sucks and has a horrible voice, so there’s no future for him in anything that involves speaking, let alone intelligently. And the other difference is, I don’t verbally stroke what I like and constantly bash what I dislike. Like the influence of this column’s title, I run a “no spin zone” and present things in a “fair and balanced” manner. My criticisms of both WWE and TNA in past columns, have all been warranted, not simply because I’m a TNA mark or a WWE mark. In my unbiased writing, I never even write about Ring of Honor, of which I am a huge fan of and call my favorite promotion. But you don’t see me writing about them, and there’s a reason for that.
Ring of Honor does things the right way, and there’s shows prove that. If you like wrestling, then you like ROH and you’ll seek it out if you have the opportunity. So why write about it? I’d rather write a kayfabe style article to try and hype a pay-per-view match, or write a kayfabe article comparing wrestling or a wrestler to something mythology, usually Greek, related. And I’d rather use my forum that is this column to try and get folks to respect all wrestlers, certain wrestlers, and the business itself. Those columns like “The Price They Pay”, “Shattered Union”, “Beyond The Ring”, and “Mighty Nora Greenwald” have all done that. My columns like “Rebuilding A Dynasty”, “I Thought Vince Bought WCW”, and “Six Sides of TNA” have all been meant to try and point out flaws that specific companies have and ways they could improve them, in my opinion. There’s been no bashing of either, and there never will be… because if something is to the point where I can do nothing but bash it, I’m going to stop watching and stop writing, that’s the just the way I am, and I did earlier this year when I was frustrated with WWE and TNA at the same time.
I feel dumb for having listened to the guy, my IQ literally dropped. It was a train wreck of stupidity to say the least.
Too many guys like the guy in question here think they’re part of TNA and that their videos are doing something to help TNA. But they don’t state facts, it’s usually opinion or they throw out partial truths and leave out the parts that destroy their argument. You’re not going to be taking credible when you do that. You come off looking like a fan boy, and an idiot at that.
Fact: TNA says they are wrestling. They also say they are the new face of wrestling and are in fact total nonstop action.
Fact: VKM going to Stamford and taking up roughly eight to ten minutes of a forty-five minute show every week, isn’t wrestling and it sure as hell isn’t “action”. It’s every bit as dumb as “Dumb to the Xtreme” skits.
Fact: TNA push WWE guys coming in much harder than they do their own guys. Monty Brown and Ron Killings both were or were being pushed as main-event guys, whose spots were taking by WWE guys. One has already signed with WWE, the other wants to. Continue bringing in the WWE guys and making them the focus, and the trend of upset YOUNG TNA stars wanting to leave will continue.
Fact: There is no war, and WWE has no reason to “fear” a company bring in .9 ratings.
Fact: You see more and
better wrestling on WWE Smackdown.
Opinion: TNA is the greatest promotion going.
My Opinion: Even ECW on Sci-Fi is better than Impact; having said that, ECW is a good show.
Opinion: TNA has all the young talent.
Fact: Most of those young talent are misused in favor of the WWE castoffs.
Fact: WWE has just as many young guys as TNA.
My Opinion: WWE’s young guys are overall better performers than most of TNA’s.
Fact: There’s three in particular, “YouTube shooters”, that need to get a life. Somebody hook these guys up with a chick… or a dude, they might swing that way.
I could go off on a wild rant on this guy and the others, but I won’t. Someone already did it for me. The below is a quote that someone left on the website (and no, you’ll get no plug from me) of the guy I’ve been talking about, I’ve added nothing to it or taking anything out of it.
“Look, I'm going to try to be as civil as I can with you. Hmm...where to start. Your hatred for WWE is not only pathetic, it's also downright weird. You do realize that this is professional wrestling, right? This is a form of entertainment. Now I agree with you, WWE is leaning way too much on the entertainment side of thing. However, your problem is that you're coming off as an uneducated obsessived dork. Anyone who is a legit wrestling fan KNOWS that WWE is at a low point. You gloat on about TNA all the time like a hypocrit. They do the same thing WWE does half the time it seems. This VKM shit....stupid backstage gimmicks...short matches. When WWE does it, you get into Super Wrestling Dork mode. When TNA does it, you suck their cock dry. What gives? Do you realize that you're not this big star you claim to be? People know about you because they hear how apeshit ridiculous you are. You're a laughingstock, dude. Seriously. Nobody with half a brain takes you seriously. Nobody cares enough to take your rants seriously...you're just some immature kid obsessed with the drama and politics of pro-wrestling. Just stop...it's embarassing to know people like you are out there supporting the dumb hick stereotype of wrestling fans. Just...stop. Please? Well, I'll let you go...you're mom is probably coming home in the middle of one of your trite wrestling promos on the internet. Better check that window TWICE this time.” - Anonymous
TNA Wrestling Productions
Distributed by Navarre
Released on October 10, 2006
Runtime of 240 minutes
1 DiscThis DVD release contains two parts, the first and longest being a complete collection of Sting’s return to TNA wrestling beginning in late 2005. His pay-per-view and Impact matches are shown in order, with most of them being the entire match. It should be noted that the Lethal Lockdown match picked up shortly before Sting entered the match, and he was the last person to enter the War Games style match. The second part, while good, is a little too short in my opinion, considering it could’ve and should’ve been the focus of the DVD. Sting talks about his career, the wrestling business, his life, and we also get comments from some of Sting’s peers.
Sting & Christian Cage versus Jeff Jarrett & Monty BrownThis was Sting’s return to wrestling following a three year hiatus at the Final Resolution ppv, and he showed that he could still go, albeit not as he did in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. At one point in the match, the fans chanted “You’ve Still Got It”, which was well deserved. Overall, it was a pretty good tag match that wasn’t anything overly special or above average.
(***)Lockdown: Sting’s Army versus Jeff Jarrett’s ArmyIt’s a shame this match picked up right before Sting made his entrance into the match, as it would’ve been a great match to have in it’s entirety on the DVD, though I can see why they didn’t. This was a War Games style cage match that saw Sting’s Army (Sting, AJ Styles, Ron Killings and Rhino) vs. Jeff Jarrett’s Army (Jarrett, Steiner, and America’s Most Wanted) battle in a cage with weapons hanging from a roof that was lowered shortly after Sting entered the match. The match was highlighted by AJ Styles delivering a splash from the rafters onto James Storm through a table on top of the cage. A great brawling match.
(****)Sting & Samoa Joe versus Jeff Jarrett & Scott SteinerFrom the Sacrifice event, yet another tag team main event involving Sting and Jarrett. This one was actually better that the Final Resolution match, though not by a hell of lot. Sting and Joe worked well together, and Steiner worked much better than I would have thought possible at that stage in his career. Of course Sting and Joe got the win and shook hands, but after the match Jarrett and Steiner beat down Sting while Joe looked on from the ramp before walking off and allowing the beating to continue.
(*** ˝)Sting & Christian Cage versus Jeff Jarrett & Scott SteinerThis match was straight from TNA Impact and was an average “TV” match at best. Take it for what it’s worth, but I just had a hard time getting into this match, possibly because it was a Impact match and few of them strike me as being anything good. This match was no different, just the same old stuff we’d seen countless times before only shorter than those times. It certainly isn’t a selling point to the DVD, like they may have some believing by listing it on the back of the case.
(**)Sting vs. Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe vs. Scott SteinerThis was the main-event of Victory Road and featured the stipulation that the winner would wrestle Jeff Jarrett at Bound For Glory for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Sting was taking out of the match fairly early when Jeff Jarrett, dressed as a cameraman, sprayed gasoline in Sting’s eyes, which then set up the predictable ending… Sting coming back out close to the end of the match and getting the win. Still though, I can’t knock the match as it was pretty damn good, falling just short of four stars.
(*** ˝)If you’re a fan of Sting, which I obviously am, then this is certainly worth the $15 it cost at the beast known as Wal-Mart. If you’re not a fan, you’ll most likely pass it up and not really be missing out on much of anything. If you’re looking for a few good Sting TNA matches, as well as a good interview with Steve Borden, then you should definitely add it to your collection.
Overall Factor Rating: (***)- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And that’s going to wrap-up this edition of
The Wrestling Factor. I will see you all next week (hopefully) with another edition of TWF. Sometime in the next few weeks, I’m going to decide on a posting day, and then I’ll work towards getting a new column posted every week on whatever day I pick. Feedback is greatly encouraged, I’d love to hear what you readers think as that’s really how the column can get better, plus I’m open to column suggestions, so if there’s something you’d like to see me write about it, email me and let me know and I may write it. You can email me at
wrestlingfactor@gmail.com or you can hit me up on AIM @ TheStingerWF, or if you have a
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http://myspace.com/wrestlingfactor. You can also click the links below and support my sites and communicate with me at the UWF/TMM Forums, which if you like my column, then you should sign up at. Until next week peeps, stay safe and remember that the Sting stops here!
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