In just two short days a little bit of wrestling history will be made. Granted, this is nowhere near as important as political elections, Third World poverty or exam results...but for the WWE and its loyal fans, this could definitely be something worth remembering.
I know we hear it all the time... “Tonight, for the first time EVER we will have a ‘Last Ride’ match, followed by...the INAGURAL ‘Weapon Of Choice’ match, and to top it off, we have devised the very FIRST ‘Pin The Panties On A Diva Match’...” Its farcical sometimes, even I will admit that. But for all their downfalls, the creative team have managed to bring us (amongst other things) the beloved steel cage, Hell In A Cell, Elimination Chamber and TLC matches. And now in another ‘worthwhile first’, the WWE has decided to export their flagship shows Raw and Smackdown. I’m not just talking about the syndication of their TV programmes, as this has been an ongoing occurrence for many years. No, now the whole weekly package will emanate from foreign shores. On Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th of October, Raw and Smackdown (respectively) will be coordinated, choreographed, taped, and eventually broadcasted from Manchester, England.
At first glance, this may not seem much. It may not mean a great deal. Just another financial brainchild from the McMahon dynasty? A cheap gimmick to satisfy the UK fans? Or a clever marketing ploy in order to sell more merchandise and television rights to Europe?
Maybe, maybe not. Yes, these are all contributing factors as to why this trip must make good business sense. After all, the WWE is a multinational corporation that is profit driven. If they stopped selling t-shirts and selling out arenas, believe me they would pack up shop. There would be none of this ‘we are doing it for the fans’ malarkey. But kudos to WWE management for having the sense to go ahead with this so-called ‘Brand Initiative Plan’. Building on the success of previous tours that saw the production of fantastic live pay-per-views like Summerslam 92, Insurrection, Rebellion, One Night Only and Mayhem In Manchester, the WWE has decided that an ongoing ‘global expansion’ of its business is imperative. The in-school visits, the book signings, the chat show appearances and suchlike are all pieces in the puzzle that will enable the WWE to secure a significant increase in presence for their cooperative licensees, retailers, promotional and media partners.
I think this is a fantastic concept, I really do. I mean just think...this week we are in Manchester, England (at the largest UK indoor arena), the next we could be in Paris, France (entertaining 80,000 fans at the Stade de France), or equally the Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The travelling schedule would be hectic, but imagine if for one or two months a year the WWE went on tour in an attempt to ‘cross bridges’ and ‘tap into different cultures’ like only the WWE knows how. Putting money aside, think how great it would be for the wrestlers and management alike to see these new places, asborb a bit of their changing surroundings and come back to America with some new ideas; new ties with foreign development territories; and business arrangements with stadiums and other sporting teams.
Thankfully, the WWE has finally set out on this ubiquitous world assault and the first stop is the U.S’s political ally and EU-independent nation: the United Kingdom. You may be thinking that it was a case of relative geographical closeness that has brought about such a decision, but there is more to this story. The American-based WWE has always had its ties with the UK. You could say that the WWE has a soft spot for this small nation across the ‘pond’. And the history books may just support me on this one. Take a moment to think of how the WWE and the UK are interchangeable...I’m sure you thought of the William Regal in that pause...and Yep, there you go, I’ll give you The British Bulldog as well. Now that we have got the ball rolling, I think I might just carry this on and let you know about a couple of special wrestling moments that have the WWE-UK relationship embedded within.
--- SUMMERSLAM 1992
For those of you that don’t know about Wembley Stadium, let me enlighten you. This is ‘Mecca’ for every English boy (and girl) that grows up playing football (soccer). This is the Madison Square Garden for English football. Pele, Charlton, Eusebio, Maradona...right through to David Beckham...all the greats have played here. And in 1992 when the WWE thought about taking the ‘Summer Games’ to another country they had to look no further than England’s capital, London, and more specifically: Wembley Stadium. And what a good decision it was. Each and every one of the 80,000 fans in attendance was on the edge of their little blue, white and red seats as arguably the best ever Summerslam match unfolded in front of their eyes.
England’s very own British ‘Davey Boy Smith’ Bulldog was up against possibly his toughest opponent ever: Bret Hart. And the stakes could not have been any higher as the man in pink and black was putting his Intercontinental Title on the line. This was a match of massive proportions. These two were greats. These two were prime in-ring performers. And not only that...these two were family.
Wrestling at the top of a bill, that featured fellow legends such as the Undertaker, Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels, the emotions were running high. It’s a good job Wembley is an open-air stadium because as the old saying goes: ‘the roof would have been blown off’ otherwise. The match went back and forth; it was nip and tuck all the way, until Bulldog sealed the win (and the Title) with a roll-up. The place went berserk; the fans were jumping and hollering. As you can imagine it was a truly special occasion for the Smith family, the Brits, and all the WWE employees that made it possible.
RIP Davey Boy. You are sorely missed.
--- ONE NIGHT ONLY ’97 PPV
One month removed from the official formation of the original D-Generation X stable, there was a memorable incident involving its members as Shawn Michaels defended his WWF Title in England at ‘One Night Only’ against non other than (once again) Englishman British Bulldog. With the Bulldog on top, HHH and Chyna unexpectedly made an appearance on behalf of Michaels in order to take down the ‘home’ man and consequently give Michaels the chance to pick up the win. The backlash from the British fans was (as you would expect) phenomenal, as the ring filled up with thrown rubbish and the air filled with thunderous roars of hatred aimed at Michaels and Co. Incidentally, this was intended to be a UK-only PPV, however due to the intervention of Bret Hart he was able to make sure that Canadian cable television was able to view the event. What a nice guy, eh? Doing his bit for his country. But by all accounts, this was not only a match, but also a whole PPV that was deserving of a worldwide audience. Especially being at a time when one of the greatest stables of all time was just starting out.
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Well, there you have it: some incidences of British interest for all you WWE fans around the world. The UK has hosted Summerslam; numerous pay-per-view events; dozens of live house show tours; and has of course produced some exceptional wrestlers like Davey Smith, The Dynamite Kid and William Regal; along with (I must add) the not so revered ones like Norman Smiley (remember him in WCW!?)
They say that ‘you get out of life what you put in’ and the WWE is really starting to apply that to its foreign markets. With English, Irish, Japanese and German tours already completed earlier this year; next week is just the next step in the ‘global expansion’ and inevitable domination of the world in wrestling terms.
Why do I care? Well I am going to a part of this momentous occasion. I will be at The Manchester Evening News Arena on both nights. Having been to a number of UK events in my time; having witnessed Shelton Benjamin win the Intercontinental Title from Randy Orton (only for Bischoff to make the match a 2 of 3 falls bout, after the fact); having seen Goldberg jackhammer Steiner; and Sting descend from the roof...you could say I know what to expect. Especially as many of my live wrestling experiences have been provided by the very same building that will play home to YOUR next wrestling fix. But that’s the thing...when it comes to the WWE you can NEVER say never! What will happen? I don’t know. Will this tour go down in the history books as a memorable event; will we see any special appearances; any incidences that might set to tone for the upcoming months leading towards Wrestlemania 21; any titles changing hands?
I just don’t know.
But what I do know is...
It’s next stop...Manchester!
And in some way or another, I will ‘see’ you there...
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My Readers’ Corner
Last week I talked about the touchy subject of wrestling as a socially accepted passion. Mixed with that I offered the reasons why I (an ‘Attitude Era’ freak) am still enthralled by wrestling today. It was an emotive piece that took me down some sentimental avenues...and I’m glad to say that many of you contacted me with your stories and past experiences. I could have devoted a whole column to each of the emails I received, as the stories you shared were amazing. I thank each and every one of you that took the time to go back in time and inform me of your struggles or endeavours as a wrestling fan growing up. Your favourite matches of the late 90s were truly awesome and the condolences for Ray Traylor were good to read. So to the following people: ‘cheers’...
Roland Cordaro, Dylan Mellon, Jim Mim Marks, Jerry Allen, Matthew Geddes, Joel Ralston, David Martin, JaY*aRe, Dave K, Bradley Springer, ‘A Bowl Of Cereal’, Dave Capuana, Tyson, Rajan, ThuganomicsMv (Jim), Carl Unger, Daniel Smith, Mitchell Mcgarr, Tim W, Big TimBowski.
So until next time...just send any opinions you may have on the England tour, seeing wrestling live, or the ‘global expansion’ plans, to DoubleAreport@yahoo.com
Take care,
‘Double A’
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