Monday, December 12, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The death of the WWE
I would like to start off by saying that I am a pro wrestling play by play / commentator, and I have been for 11 years. I'm sure there are plenty of workers on the indies that would love to get a "dream job" with the WWE. Well, count me not among them. Because, I'm a pro wrestling commentator, not a "Sports entertainment" commentator. And if I did have Vince or someone in my ear telling me what to say, or to not call a move by a wrestler in the ring, I'm going to ingore said person. Matches about the guys in the ring, when there is a slow spot, then you hype the angle, not while a move is being performed!
I have come to the conclusion that while the WWE won the monday Night Wars, the fans lost. We lost because there was no one to compete with the WWE, and force the company to have a quality product. Instead, we've been force fed guys like John Cena, Randy Orton, and have seen the tag team division killed off like co-eds in a horror movie.
TNA tried to run shows on Monday Night, and failed badly. ROH doesn't have the capital to pull it off. In fact, ROH has its place in the role of ECW, that fed that builds a cult following, and a very talented roster full of young stars. Wrestlers, not sports entertainers. Wrestlers, not people made over in a cookie cutter factory known as the WWE.
How many workers like Matt Sydal, Tyler Black, and others have been repackedged? Colt Cabana, not no more...you're now Scott Goldman. Shawn Spears...nope, your name is Gavin Spears. Great marketing, brian trusts.
And how the hell do you take a well known name like Colt Cabana, re-name him, and give him a bland gimmick? But wait, this isn't anything new. In 1990, the WWE brought back Tony Atlas, only they gave him an aweful, and somewhat racist gimmick. He wasn't Tony Atlas no more, he became Samba Simba, a generic African Bushman. Yeah, why build on his legacy as one half the former tag team champions. Nope, remake him. Kerry Von Erich? Nope, he became the Texas Tornado. It took a few months before the WWE acknowledge him as Kerry Von Erich. How the hell do you take someone as well known as Kerry Von Erich was, and give him such a stupid moniker? He's was a Von Erich for christ sake, one of the biggest familes in wrestling history!
There was a time you could watch Raw, and see a match like Owen Hart v. Marty Jannetty. There was no angle, just two wrestlers going out and having a match. Nope, now we get bullshit pretaped backstage segments. Or there are the long winded, boring in ring promos, which have became so paint by the numbers that when said segments air, I usually walk out of the room, because I'm not going to miss anything. And even if I do, the WWE is going to run the footage into the ground over and over again. Hell, you're not going to miss anything, because instead of having matches, we'll get highlight footage! Yay, fun!
Yoshi Tatsu, Kurt Hawkins, all these under card talents banished to limbo because the bookers would have yet another bullshit promo, instead of a match. I don't tune in to a wrestling show to see two guys have a debate, I tune in to watch wrestling matches. And besides, unless said 20 minute promo is being done by CM Punk, don't even have the segment, because no one on the WWE roster can keep the audience entertained in 20 minutes of talking, and yes, I'm including guys like Triple H in that comment.
Okay, my first rant is over, and I'm feeling a little better right now. I just want to close by saying to hell with the Undertaker, and his stupid wrestlemania streak! Not fair to everyone who spends a year on the road for a wrestlemania spot be handed to a part timer simply because he has a "streak"
Sincerely,
"Handsome" Randall Burton.
I have come to the conclusion that while the WWE won the monday Night Wars, the fans lost. We lost because there was no one to compete with the WWE, and force the company to have a quality product. Instead, we've been force fed guys like John Cena, Randy Orton, and have seen the tag team division killed off like co-eds in a horror movie.
TNA tried to run shows on Monday Night, and failed badly. ROH doesn't have the capital to pull it off. In fact, ROH has its place in the role of ECW, that fed that builds a cult following, and a very talented roster full of young stars. Wrestlers, not sports entertainers. Wrestlers, not people made over in a cookie cutter factory known as the WWE.
How many workers like Matt Sydal, Tyler Black, and others have been repackedged? Colt Cabana, not no more...you're now Scott Goldman. Shawn Spears...nope, your name is Gavin Spears. Great marketing, brian trusts.
And how the hell do you take a well known name like Colt Cabana, re-name him, and give him a bland gimmick? But wait, this isn't anything new. In 1990, the WWE brought back Tony Atlas, only they gave him an aweful, and somewhat racist gimmick. He wasn't Tony Atlas no more, he became Samba Simba, a generic African Bushman. Yeah, why build on his legacy as one half the former tag team champions. Nope, remake him. Kerry Von Erich? Nope, he became the Texas Tornado. It took a few months before the WWE acknowledge him as Kerry Von Erich. How the hell do you take someone as well known as Kerry Von Erich was, and give him such a stupid moniker? He's was a Von Erich for christ sake, one of the biggest familes in wrestling history!
There was a time you could watch Raw, and see a match like Owen Hart v. Marty Jannetty. There was no angle, just two wrestlers going out and having a match. Nope, now we get bullshit pretaped backstage segments. Or there are the long winded, boring in ring promos, which have became so paint by the numbers that when said segments air, I usually walk out of the room, because I'm not going to miss anything. And even if I do, the WWE is going to run the footage into the ground over and over again. Hell, you're not going to miss anything, because instead of having matches, we'll get highlight footage! Yay, fun!
Yoshi Tatsu, Kurt Hawkins, all these under card talents banished to limbo because the bookers would have yet another bullshit promo, instead of a match. I don't tune in to a wrestling show to see two guys have a debate, I tune in to watch wrestling matches. And besides, unless said 20 minute promo is being done by CM Punk, don't even have the segment, because no one on the WWE roster can keep the audience entertained in 20 minutes of talking, and yes, I'm including guys like Triple H in that comment.
Okay, my first rant is over, and I'm feeling a little better right now. I just want to close by saying to hell with the Undertaker, and his stupid wrestlemania streak! Not fair to everyone who spends a year on the road for a wrestlemania spot be handed to a part timer simply because he has a "streak"
Sincerely,
"Handsome" Randall Burton.
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