Hey everybody thanks for all the feedback from the last column. Sorry about the amount of time it's taken to get this one done. At first I was going to write about the TWV 100, which I ran on the wrestling voice in June and July of this year more specifically about the top 10 workers that came out of that list. I figured though since I want to go pretty in depth with that topic I would build it up over the next few weeks and it will probably be my 7th or 8th column.
Enough of the yakking then, for this column I have two topics. The first is the Internets place in wrestling. Mike Steele co-owner of the wrestling voice wrote a column about this subject a few days ago, which I felt was very negative, bashing the internet and seeing it as a detriment to the business. In my opinion there is not a whole lot of truth in what he said. From what he did say I think his opinion has been fully formed round the fact that it is the WWE's biggest detriment.
It seems strange though that there are 4 pretty big promotions in Japan equally as big as the WWE is in America which don't suffer from the same fate as WWE. How can this be? Wrestling in Japan is pretty big and still regarded very much as a sport rather than sports entertainment. That’s the point I want to focus round while talking about WWE. I think because WWE is more for entertainment value rather than classic wrestling. In my opinion that’s how the likes of Meltzer and Keller see it and that’s why I think they pick no bones about leaking stories. I think if WWE prided themselves into trying to bring out the sporting side of wrestling less people would want to know outcomes.
For instance between April and July I was quite excited about the WWE product I liked the competition there was on Raw and I felt WWE was picking up. Once I got to the end of May I was watching less independent wrestling than Raw. Also by this time I had stopped checking the Raw results to see if I wanted to watch the show on Friday night (Raw airs Friday in the UK) Slowly though the product slipped back to sub par and I haven't watched a full WWE show since the Raw with the 1 hour Iron Man. This was because I had slipped back into checking the results. Which were not to my taste to say the least.
Of course the spoilers are deemed a detriment to WWE because their stories run very quickly compared to other promotions and quicker than they used to in WWE. I think the way WWE have set themselves in recent years is detriment to themselves. Too much wrestling in too little time. The fact is the fact they run so quickly now is a detriment to the WWE and 16 PPV's a year as well is just asking too much of wrestling fans as well as casual marks.
Going back to my comparison of Japan each promotion has one TV show a week. PPV's around every 3 or 4 months I maybe wrong there with AJPW not totally sure though but there is a lot less. Okay I have to say the Japanese promotions have quite a few house shows but it doesn't detract from their products because they actually don't give people title without them deserving it. Everything although worked is the performance in the ring has to be top notch and every little detail about each workers character has to be up to scratch.
Going away from how it affects the WWE because the only way is negative for a promotion that size but they have ways to fund themselves without the Internet. Companies like Ring of Honor, IWA Mid South, Combat Zone Wrestling; Pro Wrestling Guerrilla could not survive with the amount of tape sales from each show. The fact is Ring of Honor or any other wrestling independent with the exception of TNA sell more video tapes for each of their shows than they sell tickets. TNA I think would have a hard job selling anything more than best of tapes because their shows rarely amount to much.
So without the Internet in wrestling there would be a lot less tapes sold. Hell I wouldn't even be writing this column to the extent I am now if it wasn't I wouldn't know about ROH, IWA MS, CZW etc. I would know about WWE and the deceased companies of WCW and ECW. ECW another company who heavily relied on the Internet in the formative years of the promotion.
I've not come to the conclusion about this topic. Without the internet the wrestling world would be a very boring place with a huge decrease in the amount of true fans who have become disillusioned with the WWE. Although arguably the magic might have been there without the internet. I feel it is very much a vicious circle. Since there is a huge gulf between WWE and the independents what is good for one is not going to be good for the other. The recession in wrestling is bad for WWE compared to the business they did in the late 90's. On the other hand it's good for independents since a lot of fans are being drawn in by their local independents.
My second topic today circles around news from inside the WWE this week.
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Credit: PWInsider
Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero got into an altercation backstage at Smackdown last night after the final segment of the show. As they came through the curtain, they exchanged words, loudly, in front of everyone at the Gorilla position. It quickly escalated from verbal to physical.
The word was that Angle grabbed Eddie in a face lock and took him down to the ground, incapacitating him, before being pulled off by Johnny Ace and some of the agents. Then, they apparently got into it again further in the back before getting broken up again. From what I was told, Vince McMahon talked to both men about the incident before leaving the building.
The rumour making the rounds was that Eddie missed his cue in the final segment, which made Kurt’s character look weak. Given the fact that Eddie hasn’t been himself lately, with some people thinking he hasn’t fully recovered from his recent concussion, the story I heard is that Angle grew frustrated and told Eddie to basically get his head in the game, and it escalated from there.
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Personally I think Kurt took it too far. For a supposed locker room leader. That’s no way to act. You don't hear about HHH doing it, you don't hear about Taker doing it. It's not the first time Angles been guilty of it either at the start of 2003 he apparently deliberately botched a German Suplex so Mysterio would legitimately land on his neck because Mysterio missed a spot. As well as various times that I've picked out where people botch spots and Angle adds extra oomph to clotheslines, which are so obviously not worked.
There has been speculation for weeks, actually months that Eddie hasn't been right. Since Guerrero pulled that massive blade job at Judgement Day 2004 against JBL, Guerrero hasn't been his usual sparky free flowing self in the ring. Of course Eddie is too proud to ask for time off and I have heard rumours Vince is worried of offending Eddie if he gives him the time off.
At the end of the day it's human nature to make mistakes. Then with Kurt Angle's reaction to this incident reports in recent weeks that he considers himself one of the biggest assets to the WWE and he considers himself better than most of the WWE locker room. To me thats not a good locker room leader. For all their faults Taker and HHH actually seem to help the young guys. They don't put them over hugely but thats a different story.
The second and last piece of news I wanted to discuss about the WWE is the release of Jamie Noble. Despite being a heel he was extremely popular because of his great work ethic and awesome wrestling skills. I'm sure he will be missed as part of the WWE by many fans. Although I'm somewhat sceptical of why no reason was giving for his release. I read earlier today it could be, because he didn't comply to the new dress code that the WWE has.
If this is true I think is totally unprofessional of the WWE. In my opinion wrestlers having to follow a dress code is for lack of a better term stupid. It is uncomfortable to travel long distances in very uncomfortable clothing. I also thought America was a land of oppurtunity and freedom of expression. If so the WWE is going against America's constitution in enforcing this rule. I'm also pretty sure the workers are contractually obligated to conform to the dress code. I found a post at a forum called the UKFF which I agree with
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Credit: UKFF Forum
If all of this true, then the WWE really needs to sort out the heirarchy within the company. It is not fair for someone, just because they are a veteran, to adhere to their own set of rules, and yes that includes the Undertaker. Wouldn't Nick Dinsmore (Eugene) wearing a suit conflict with his character, as he can hardly dress himself when he's actually performing. Vince may want to rule his company with an iron fist, and that is understandable, but I feel that these sort of rules are completely unneccessary.
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Well that's me done ranting for this week. Just two things too go. Two new features if you weeeeel.... Sorry couldn't resist a Dusty Rhodes impression. First off.....
Match Of The Week (MOTW): This is from all the wrestling in the past week that I've watched and my favourite match. This week it goes to Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue from Pro Wrestling NOAH's from what I am led to believe is from NOAH's 8/1/2004. This match was intense, hard hitting, had Taue trying to reclaim to glory from his prime in the early 90's. Misawa was the best I had seen him in the past 18 months. I was entralled from start to finish and I think this might be just about the best 30 minute draw I have ever seen.
Secondly and this is where I will say goodbye to leave you with the full force of what is said and it truely defines Get The 'E' Out until next time this is goodbye from Matt Green .....
Quote Of The Week (QOTW):
Jim Cornette: The pinnacle of this icon garbage came in last night's cage match between Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper... WCW had the gall to say this was the greatest cage match in history... You've got a 46 year old bald movie star wannabe, who looks like Uncle Creepy with a good build, taking on a guy with an artificial hip who hasn't wrestled a full schedule in ten years. It's a tribute, in my mind, to the massive egotism of both men and an indictment of WCW's promotional policy that this match even took place, much less in the main event, when the card was probably the best WCW is capable of having. At the ten-minute mark, they were sucking wind so bad the first three rows passed out of oxygen depravation. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad... I'm sick of guys claiming to be the icon especially when it usually comes from guys who jus just didn't know when to quit. Roddy Piper was my idol when I was a teenager, but that was 20 years ago. Hulk Hogan during his best years was 50% media creation and that was long gone. This match was a slap in the face to every wrestler that takes pride in his profession... On a personal note to Hulk Hogan, you are a household word but so is garbage and it stinks when it gets old too.
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