As both wrestlers & wrestling fans around the world continue to buzz this afternoon about CM Punk's "shoot" on RAW last night, I offer the question: WHAT IF....CM Punk stays, & John Cena becomes a heel?
Cena turning heel has been a subject broached by many, largely due to the reactions he gets on Tv & PPV. While Cena is huge source of merchandising income, due to his rabid popularity with kids, the PPV audience, is largely compromised of 25-40 year old males, to which he does not appeal.
Momentum is a huge thing in any form of entertainment, & wrestling even moreso- how many times has WWe failed to capitalize these past few years on a performer who had tremendous momentum? If you said alot, you would be understating it.
Failing to capitalize of such momentum, due to their own stubborness & narrow view of what a "top guy" should be, has cost the WWE millions in revenue these last several years ( something that Punk essentially pointed out last night)
but lets pretend for a moment that the next several weeks are done similiarly ( but not exactly) like the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1997- shows filled with Punk asserting his beliefs, while interviewers are asking questions of Cena, similiar to how celebs & politicians are hounded? How about an interview with Vince himself, with a photo of him & Cena posing together....at the gym together....fishing together...you get the point.
Cena would ultimately have to face the accusations front & center, "half heartedly" trying to convince us ( actually, his usual promo style would probably do fine- and if at all possible, " overscript" the overscripting- in other words, take the lame material provided for him, & amp it up, so it becomes obvious that hes trying "too hard" to convince us he isn't a puppet or kiss ass.
Most likely, the direction is already set- but imagine this: during the end of their upcoming bout, Cena wen tfor the FU- but Punk's foot nails the referee. Cena goes to help the ref, but Punk hits the GTS- still no ref. Punk helps the ref this time, Cena hits his move again,but Punk kicks out,and on the kick out, Cena lands on the ref.
The groggy ref is helped away, and the match continues....and a new ref is sent. During the ensuing chaos, where agents & officials are ringside, someone very important remains- Vince McMahon. Punk once again hits the GTS, but McMahon hits the ring, in an attempt to protect his "Boy"...Punk pops Vince, but Cena, groggy & obviously beaten, gets handed a weapon- by none other than Triple H.
Cena retains the title, while flanked by the men who represent his current boss & his future boss- VKM & Triple H.
Punk leaves as he siad he would, but ideally, the fans would create a huge stir, demanding his return, & his just due return match with Cena for the title- at Summerslam!
What you think? Throw the ideas ot here folks!
SSS
A second ref is ordered down to the ring- not by Vince, but
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
I started my tuesday morning pretty much like I do every week- I got breakfast,came to work, & read the report from last nights RAW ( since I havent watched in nearly a month)....and the report was strong.
CM Punk, weeks away from leaving the WWE, cuts what was probably the best promo anyone has done on any national tv wrestling show in a decade, making references to A variety of people & subjects, all under the "he's shooting" & "this isnt supposed to happen" motto.
Punk has reportedly been unhappy for some time, & the intention, at least a few weeks ago, was for him to leave when his contract was due, which is in fact next month.
I have mixed feelings about the entire "shoot" interview style- all too often, they have nothing to do with business, & usually involve some red assed former WWE/TNA talent who takes a big shit on his former employer, talking about how underutilized he was, etc etc etc, all to get a crowd pop from the "hardcore" fans that are "smart" to how wrestling works.
These interviews usually take place in front a small but rabid crowd of so called "smart marks" who usually think they know & understand the wrestling business far more than they actually do...these particular fans, admittedly a very devout bunch, also usually delude themselves into thinking that every guy who they think is great should be on top in the big promotions, usually overlooking their lack of stature,charisma, or promo skills- things that are kinda important when your working for a promotion thats fanbase spreads the globe.
Worse yet, alot of these niche promotions will set up angles where they intentionally " go against the script", with the guys "shooting" while the promoter & his assistants run down the aisle screaming "they're shooting! they're shooting" like a bunch of petrified teenagers.
In reality, these fans, supposedly "smarter" than the alleged backwoods, toothless, redneck , & dumb fanbase of WWE,TNA, Etc fall victim more easily than the aforementioned- but in their own perverse way, they still think they don't- much like in days of past, when "maybe the undercard was fake, but that main event sure wasn't" mentality ruled the roost.
By the way, I'm not knocking anyone who "believes" what they are watching- thats the biggest element thats missing in wrestling now- and the more people believe, the more they pay, react, etc- which is what this business is built upon- I just take certain exception when a small group of fans looked down on the broader base of fans...while generally understanding it about the same, if not less.
The Punk promo, while obviously inside, & over the head of many, if not most, of the fans, does what angles & promos like these are supposed to do: create a stir, get people talking, & bring them back in.
Now, make no mistake: this interview was fully endorsed by Vince McMahon- but, thru the delivery & references, its designed to make you think its real ( and every indication is most of these are Punk's true feelings) & make you believe its really possible not only for Punk to win the title, but leave & never return-& taking the top prize with him as well.
Many of you may be aware that Punk did this exact angle when he left Ring Of Honor (ROH) right before he signed with WWE- and for that crowd, it worked quite well- he won the title on his last night...allegedly never to return. However, he did return, lost the title, & went on to have a great run in WWE.
Wouldn't it be a huge breathe of fresh air if WWE played this out similiarly- with Punk winning the title? Can you imagine the exciting possibilities of spending the next 6 weeks, leading up to Summerslam, with WWE & Cena trying to woo Punk back for one last match? Its enough to make a booker salivate, & probably enough to bring some disenfranchised fans back into the fold. Would it work for you?
Until next time...
SSS
CM Punk, weeks away from leaving the WWE, cuts what was probably the best promo anyone has done on any national tv wrestling show in a decade, making references to A variety of people & subjects, all under the "he's shooting" & "this isnt supposed to happen" motto.
Punk has reportedly been unhappy for some time, & the intention, at least a few weeks ago, was for him to leave when his contract was due, which is in fact next month.
I have mixed feelings about the entire "shoot" interview style- all too often, they have nothing to do with business, & usually involve some red assed former WWE/TNA talent who takes a big shit on his former employer, talking about how underutilized he was, etc etc etc, all to get a crowd pop from the "hardcore" fans that are "smart" to how wrestling works.
These interviews usually take place in front a small but rabid crowd of so called "smart marks" who usually think they know & understand the wrestling business far more than they actually do...these particular fans, admittedly a very devout bunch, also usually delude themselves into thinking that every guy who they think is great should be on top in the big promotions, usually overlooking their lack of stature,charisma, or promo skills- things that are kinda important when your working for a promotion thats fanbase spreads the globe.
Worse yet, alot of these niche promotions will set up angles where they intentionally " go against the script", with the guys "shooting" while the promoter & his assistants run down the aisle screaming "they're shooting! they're shooting" like a bunch of petrified teenagers.
In reality, these fans, supposedly "smarter" than the alleged backwoods, toothless, redneck , & dumb fanbase of WWE,TNA, Etc fall victim more easily than the aforementioned- but in their own perverse way, they still think they don't- much like in days of past, when "maybe the undercard was fake, but that main event sure wasn't" mentality ruled the roost.
By the way, I'm not knocking anyone who "believes" what they are watching- thats the biggest element thats missing in wrestling now- and the more people believe, the more they pay, react, etc- which is what this business is built upon- I just take certain exception when a small group of fans looked down on the broader base of fans...while generally understanding it about the same, if not less.
The Punk promo, while obviously inside, & over the head of many, if not most, of the fans, does what angles & promos like these are supposed to do: create a stir, get people talking, & bring them back in.
Now, make no mistake: this interview was fully endorsed by Vince McMahon- but, thru the delivery & references, its designed to make you think its real ( and every indication is most of these are Punk's true feelings) & make you believe its really possible not only for Punk to win the title, but leave & never return-& taking the top prize with him as well.
Many of you may be aware that Punk did this exact angle when he left Ring Of Honor (ROH) right before he signed with WWE- and for that crowd, it worked quite well- he won the title on his last night...allegedly never to return. However, he did return, lost the title, & went on to have a great run in WWE.
Wouldn't it be a huge breathe of fresh air if WWE played this out similiarly- with Punk winning the title? Can you imagine the exciting possibilities of spending the next 6 weeks, leading up to Summerslam, with WWE & Cena trying to woo Punk back for one last match? Its enough to make a booker salivate, & probably enough to bring some disenfranchised fans back into the fold. Would it work for you?
Until next time...
SSS
Monday, June 27, 2011
When I was growing up, one of the more fasinating aspects of pro wrestling was tag team wrestling- I was always drawn to it, & I would dare say that I enjoyed tag team matches more than singles matches.
There was a point in time, from 1983-1990, that every promotion had 6-8,sometimes even more, tag teams on its roster, most of which had been together for several years, traveling together,staying together, switching offices together. In a very real sense, the duos were "married"- and ultimately, like many real marriages, they broke up in a spectacular fashion, with their "dirty laundry" aired out for the consumption of the viewing public.
Traditional tag team matches ( known in some circles as "Australian Tag Team " matches) is puportedly the brainchild of one Joseph "Toots" Mondt, an early 20th century wrestler who became a vital cog in the wheel that is professional wrestling. Mondt, an idea man, developed many of the essential concepts that remain in wrestling to this day, which in his time, meant that everything that was done during a match should create excitement ( highspots, double Dq's, & gimmick finishes and gimmick matches) as opposed to the slow,out of date plodding style of the early 20th century.
The idea was simple: if 2 wrestlers going at it excited you, just imagine how much excitement 4 wrestlers in the same match would create? Of course, 4 men tags eventually brought us 6 man tag matches, then 8 mans, 10 ,etc. How many of you remember the first WWE Survivor Series, when 5 TAG TEAMS faced 5 Tag Teams ? Thats right, a 20 man tag team bout!
Some of the biggest stars ever in the history of this business cut their teeth so to speak in tag teams- it helped them develop, helped them learn important aspects of working- and in some cases, it helped protect them & cover their limitations.
This is a variant of pro wrestling that almost literally has no limits; you can do them so many ways, for almost any occasion.
However, I'm sorry to say, the art form, for a variety of reasons, is dying. There are several obvious reasons, largely promoter (VKM) indifference, but lets cut thru the chase here: the young guys are not taught the art properly.
I'm not talking about guys being able to put together 2-3 complicated double team moves- while that does help, thats a lesser important element than the simple fact that, to make a tag team match work, two things must take place: 1) one guy on the Babyface team has to be willing to sacrifice himself to make his partner look strong, & 2) the heel team has to be exceptionally underhanded, and do so without getting"caught" by the referee.
In tag teams, you just can't be in the match for yourself; you have to be mindful of your partner as well, keeping both in the mix. Thats the part that makes creating quality tag teams so difficult- the mentality that you can only look out for yourself, & that you are the only one that matters.
Creating the idea that one member of the team is willing to sacrifice himself for the "greater good" was best evidenced by none other than Ole & Gene Anderson, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, one of the dominant tag teams of the 1970s.
The Andersons were a menacing pair, mean, ornery & nasty to the bone. They made clear their only intentions were to be the top tag team in wrestling- which meant they were after the NWA World Tag Team titles, which they held numerous times over the period of 1970-1981.
Both were bruisers, but Ole was the talker- historically,a better heel promo you will have a hard time finding. One particular interview, during a series of matches vs the tandem of Paul Jones & Wahoo McDaniel, illustrated the "all for one" motto. During the finishing sequence of one particular match, a clip was shown where Ole grabbed Jones by the head, and rammed Jones' head into Genes, knocking Gene unconcious to the floor- it also knocked Jones out, allowing Ole to score the pinfall to regain their title belts.
Ole referred to it as the "Supreme Sacrifice"; Ole, with Gene by his side, explained that they expected the other to, if necessary, sacrifice the other, if it meant obtaining their goals of victory & championship glory- and they suceeded.
I couldn't imagine anyone contemporary tag teams doing such a spot, much less such an interview....it may have been a different time, but the principle remains the same: the team comes first, not the individual.
Until next time...
SSS
There was a point in time, from 1983-1990, that every promotion had 6-8,sometimes even more, tag teams on its roster, most of which had been together for several years, traveling together,staying together, switching offices together. In a very real sense, the duos were "married"- and ultimately, like many real marriages, they broke up in a spectacular fashion, with their "dirty laundry" aired out for the consumption of the viewing public.
Traditional tag team matches ( known in some circles as "Australian Tag Team " matches) is puportedly the brainchild of one Joseph "Toots" Mondt, an early 20th century wrestler who became a vital cog in the wheel that is professional wrestling. Mondt, an idea man, developed many of the essential concepts that remain in wrestling to this day, which in his time, meant that everything that was done during a match should create excitement ( highspots, double Dq's, & gimmick finishes and gimmick matches) as opposed to the slow,out of date plodding style of the early 20th century.
The idea was simple: if 2 wrestlers going at it excited you, just imagine how much excitement 4 wrestlers in the same match would create? Of course, 4 men tags eventually brought us 6 man tag matches, then 8 mans, 10 ,etc. How many of you remember the first WWE Survivor Series, when 5 TAG TEAMS faced 5 Tag Teams ? Thats right, a 20 man tag team bout!
Some of the biggest stars ever in the history of this business cut their teeth so to speak in tag teams- it helped them develop, helped them learn important aspects of working- and in some cases, it helped protect them & cover their limitations.
This is a variant of pro wrestling that almost literally has no limits; you can do them so many ways, for almost any occasion.
However, I'm sorry to say, the art form, for a variety of reasons, is dying. There are several obvious reasons, largely promoter (VKM) indifference, but lets cut thru the chase here: the young guys are not taught the art properly.
I'm not talking about guys being able to put together 2-3 complicated double team moves- while that does help, thats a lesser important element than the simple fact that, to make a tag team match work, two things must take place: 1) one guy on the Babyface team has to be willing to sacrifice himself to make his partner look strong, & 2) the heel team has to be exceptionally underhanded, and do so without getting"caught" by the referee.
In tag teams, you just can't be in the match for yourself; you have to be mindful of your partner as well, keeping both in the mix. Thats the part that makes creating quality tag teams so difficult- the mentality that you can only look out for yourself, & that you are the only one that matters.
Creating the idea that one member of the team is willing to sacrifice himself for the "greater good" was best evidenced by none other than Ole & Gene Anderson, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, one of the dominant tag teams of the 1970s.
The Andersons were a menacing pair, mean, ornery & nasty to the bone. They made clear their only intentions were to be the top tag team in wrestling- which meant they were after the NWA World Tag Team titles, which they held numerous times over the period of 1970-1981.
Both were bruisers, but Ole was the talker- historically,a better heel promo you will have a hard time finding. One particular interview, during a series of matches vs the tandem of Paul Jones & Wahoo McDaniel, illustrated the "all for one" motto. During the finishing sequence of one particular match, a clip was shown where Ole grabbed Jones by the head, and rammed Jones' head into Genes, knocking Gene unconcious to the floor- it also knocked Jones out, allowing Ole to score the pinfall to regain their title belts.
Ole referred to it as the "Supreme Sacrifice"; Ole, with Gene by his side, explained that they expected the other to, if necessary, sacrifice the other, if it meant obtaining their goals of victory & championship glory- and they suceeded.
I couldn't imagine anyone contemporary tag teams doing such a spot, much less such an interview....it may have been a different time, but the principle remains the same: the team comes first, not the individual.
Until next time...
SSS
Thursday, June 16, 2011
TNA had a ppv this past sunday...WWE has one this sunday...I haven't watched either of their programs in weeks...Didn't watch the former, safe bet that I won't be watching the latter.
I got to thinking a few minutes ago that some of you might be interested in how to "build an angle" that draws people into the building; now, keep in mind, that drawing money for an independent wrestling outfit is far different than a major national company to do so- That in mind, I want to revisit a angle that played out in CPW during 2007-2008: Leslie Leatherman vs. myself, Sexy Shane Shadows.
What we had here, for wrestling fans of the Keyser-Romney-Moorefield, Wv were two totally opposite wrestlers: LL was a big powerful brute, akin the the "old school" brawlers of yesteryear. Myself, while not small by any means, comparatively smaller, but the face of the franchise, if you will, in this case the perrenial crowd favorite, a real throwback babyface that tried to represent the people on every occasion.
We had a backstory: LL won the CPW title from me when he worked over my injured knee ( courtesy of a match with WWE Hall of Famer Greg "The Hammer" Valentine earlier in the day) &, during an ill advised bodyslam attempt, the knee buckled and ended my championship reign.
At this point, LL had held the CPW for over a year, but recently lost to Jake Davis, his former partner in The Highwaymen tag team. A year long build up to their break up lead to a series of matches that were known in the area for their brutality & lack of control...referees were injured in consecutive return bouts. Enter SSS.
I was "Appointed" special guest referee for what was slated to be the final bout in the series-special referees, when used properly, can & usually do lead to the next programs....and this time, we were gonna create two new top programs for CPW- Jake Davis vs. Griffen, the big monster, & SSS vs. LL.
After my officiating lead to Davis successfully defending the title, a series of events unfolded which lead to the four aforementioned competitors in a "Anything Goes" tag team match, Texas Tornado style, which meant their would be no tags required & all weapons were allowed.
This was a particularly tough match, which ended when LL gave me not one, not two, but THREE piledrivers on a metal chair, causing me to get carried away on a stretcher & potentially ending my wrestling days.
I sat out the following event, which was to be a Four Way match for the title with the three aforementioned; I didn't even make an appearance, & the local fans were told that I was likely finished- they had seen the last of me, of which Leatherman gloated.
WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy "Booogie Woogie Man" Valiant made an appearance at the following show, not to wrestle, not the referee, but to talk about what had happened to me & why it was so close to his heart.
See, Valiant explained to the CPW fans, that when he was a younger man, wrestling out west, he used this particular piledriver & permenantly injured another wrestler, and he had lived in regret with it ever since. Not only that, SSS was a close friend , & he wanted the chance to tell LL how he felt.
Leatherman enetered the ring, full of the type of pride only a man that hunts for thrills can have; cocky,boastful, proud of his achievements. LL then told Boogie that, as a child, he was a big admirere of His, but...that he wasn't a child anymore & that, unless Jim wanted hurt, perhaps he should mind his own business....Valiant basically told everyone that he "said his peace" & tried to walk away...until Leatherman tried to assault him, to which Boogie responded with several haymakers that brought the crowd to its feet, until LL cut him off & went for the killing blow: the piledriver.
As LL got the Hall of Famer in position for the dreaded move, the same move that severely injured SSS two months before, a collective sound of horror hit the room..then, unexpectedly, & wearing street clothes, SSS hit the ring, saving Valiant, & we traded punches to each others head that can still be felt to this day.
The locker rooms emptied, referees were thrown across the hardwood floors, but this thing was not yet over- and as I told the crowd in Keyser that night, it had only just begun.
I thought Valiant was a key aspect to getting this over as a serious issue: known for being joival & comical in all his appearances, Valiant's low tone conveyed what serious business this issue was: he told us, convincingly, that the piledriver used to be banned in 18 states. He wasn't there to play this night.
Part Two coming soon...
Until next time
SSS
I got to thinking a few minutes ago that some of you might be interested in how to "build an angle" that draws people into the building; now, keep in mind, that drawing money for an independent wrestling outfit is far different than a major national company to do so- That in mind, I want to revisit a angle that played out in CPW during 2007-2008: Leslie Leatherman vs. myself, Sexy Shane Shadows.
What we had here, for wrestling fans of the Keyser-Romney-Moorefield, Wv were two totally opposite wrestlers: LL was a big powerful brute, akin the the "old school" brawlers of yesteryear. Myself, while not small by any means, comparatively smaller, but the face of the franchise, if you will, in this case the perrenial crowd favorite, a real throwback babyface that tried to represent the people on every occasion.
We had a backstory: LL won the CPW title from me when he worked over my injured knee ( courtesy of a match with WWE Hall of Famer Greg "The Hammer" Valentine earlier in the day) &, during an ill advised bodyslam attempt, the knee buckled and ended my championship reign.
At this point, LL had held the CPW for over a year, but recently lost to Jake Davis, his former partner in The Highwaymen tag team. A year long build up to their break up lead to a series of matches that were known in the area for their brutality & lack of control...referees were injured in consecutive return bouts. Enter SSS.
I was "Appointed" special guest referee for what was slated to be the final bout in the series-special referees, when used properly, can & usually do lead to the next programs....and this time, we were gonna create two new top programs for CPW- Jake Davis vs. Griffen, the big monster, & SSS vs. LL.
After my officiating lead to Davis successfully defending the title, a series of events unfolded which lead to the four aforementioned competitors in a "Anything Goes" tag team match, Texas Tornado style, which meant their would be no tags required & all weapons were allowed.
This was a particularly tough match, which ended when LL gave me not one, not two, but THREE piledrivers on a metal chair, causing me to get carried away on a stretcher & potentially ending my wrestling days.
I sat out the following event, which was to be a Four Way match for the title with the three aforementioned; I didn't even make an appearance, & the local fans were told that I was likely finished- they had seen the last of me, of which Leatherman gloated.
WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy "Booogie Woogie Man" Valiant made an appearance at the following show, not to wrestle, not the referee, but to talk about what had happened to me & why it was so close to his heart.
See, Valiant explained to the CPW fans, that when he was a younger man, wrestling out west, he used this particular piledriver & permenantly injured another wrestler, and he had lived in regret with it ever since. Not only that, SSS was a close friend , & he wanted the chance to tell LL how he felt.
Leatherman enetered the ring, full of the type of pride only a man that hunts for thrills can have; cocky,boastful, proud of his achievements. LL then told Boogie that, as a child, he was a big admirere of His, but...that he wasn't a child anymore & that, unless Jim wanted hurt, perhaps he should mind his own business....Valiant basically told everyone that he "said his peace" & tried to walk away...until Leatherman tried to assault him, to which Boogie responded with several haymakers that brought the crowd to its feet, until LL cut him off & went for the killing blow: the piledriver.
As LL got the Hall of Famer in position for the dreaded move, the same move that severely injured SSS two months before, a collective sound of horror hit the room..then, unexpectedly, & wearing street clothes, SSS hit the ring, saving Valiant, & we traded punches to each others head that can still be felt to this day.
The locker rooms emptied, referees were thrown across the hardwood floors, but this thing was not yet over- and as I told the crowd in Keyser that night, it had only just begun.
I thought Valiant was a key aspect to getting this over as a serious issue: known for being joival & comical in all his appearances, Valiant's low tone conveyed what serious business this issue was: he told us, convincingly, that the piledriver used to be banned in 18 states. He wasn't there to play this night.
Part Two coming soon...
Until next time
SSS
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Did the right guy win Tough Enough last night?
Tough Enough, of course, is the WWE sponsored reality show, where contestants of varying degrees of wrestling skill, charisma & personality vie for the opportunity to win a WWE contract.
I watched every episode, and it became pretty obvious about 4 weeks ago that Andy Leavine, this seasons winner, was being groomed for the spot...and why? Well, because he's a legit 6'5, that why.
In terms of overall talent, ring performance & personality, runner up Luke Robinson was far & away the better choice- however, they most likely saved Luke Robinson's future career by not giving him the nod.
RObinson is the kind of personality that people instantly hate- and I don't think its a work at all. By putting Robinson in the developmental program, where they can help him mature & hopefully make him understand the unwritten codes of wrestling, they may be guaranteeing him a healthy career.
Leavine, on the other hand, will get numerous opportunities, regardless of his overall lack of charisma, due to his size. When all else fails, you can bet the house Vince McMahon will choose the big guy over the smaller guy ( Robinson is 6'0) regardless of potential & quality of performance.
I wouldn't go so far as to say Leavine was an unworthy winner, but based on the grading scale they claimed to be following, he wasn't a slam dunk choice.
*********************************************
Tough Enough's finale lead into RAW last night, which provided us a 20 minute segment that proved my theory that there just isn't very much heart & soul in todays professional wrestling.
Of course, I used the term "Professional wrestling", however the powers that be, aka Vince Mcmahon, prefere the term "sports entertainment", which I guess means that they use wrestling matches as a background for stupid skits, over written material, & lame jokes.
This is such a broken record- I truly don't like to criticize everything that goes on, but seriously.....R
Truth seceding from WWE? Was this an idea for a n angle, or just some silly piece designed to make this months top challenger for the WWE title less credible than he already was? If that was the goal, then by God, they finally accomplished something.
*************************************************************
Two different times over the weekend, the topic of a few shows I did for the Semi legendary Savoldi wrestling family was brought up, so, since theres only so many times one can write about WWE & TNA's bad tv shows, I offer you this "gem", coming to you directly from 1993....
First, a little background: The Savoldis were a family of small statured, loud talking Italians that promoted wrestling in various smaller towns in the Northeast, later Florida, and even later were involved in the IWA booking office in Puerto Rico.
Angelo Savoldi was a veteran wrestler who, while the WWF was principally owned by Vincent J McMahon ( father of Vince K McMahon) was a minority owner ( 2-5%) of the office.
After VKM bought out all the partners in his fathers organization ( Savoldi,Gorilla Monsoon, Phil Zacko, Arnold Skaaland ) S
Tough Enough, of course, is the WWE sponsored reality show, where contestants of varying degrees of wrestling skill, charisma & personality vie for the opportunity to win a WWE contract.
I watched every episode, and it became pretty obvious about 4 weeks ago that Andy Leavine, this seasons winner, was being groomed for the spot...and why? Well, because he's a legit 6'5, that why.
In terms of overall talent, ring performance & personality, runner up Luke Robinson was far & away the better choice- however, they most likely saved Luke Robinson's future career by not giving him the nod.
RObinson is the kind of personality that people instantly hate- and I don't think its a work at all. By putting Robinson in the developmental program, where they can help him mature & hopefully make him understand the unwritten codes of wrestling, they may be guaranteeing him a healthy career.
Leavine, on the other hand, will get numerous opportunities, regardless of his overall lack of charisma, due to his size. When all else fails, you can bet the house Vince McMahon will choose the big guy over the smaller guy ( Robinson is 6'0) regardless of potential & quality of performance.
I wouldn't go so far as to say Leavine was an unworthy winner, but based on the grading scale they claimed to be following, he wasn't a slam dunk choice.
*********************************************
Tough Enough's finale lead into RAW last night, which provided us a 20 minute segment that proved my theory that there just isn't very much heart & soul in todays professional wrestling.
Of course, I used the term "Professional wrestling", however the powers that be, aka Vince Mcmahon, prefere the term "sports entertainment", which I guess means that they use wrestling matches as a background for stupid skits, over written material, & lame jokes.
This is such a broken record- I truly don't like to criticize everything that goes on, but seriously.....R
Truth seceding from WWE? Was this an idea for a n angle, or just some silly piece designed to make this months top challenger for the WWE title less credible than he already was? If that was the goal, then by God, they finally accomplished something.
*************************************************************
Two different times over the weekend, the topic of a few shows I did for the Semi legendary Savoldi wrestling family was brought up, so, since theres only so many times one can write about WWE & TNA's bad tv shows, I offer you this "gem", coming to you directly from 1993....
First, a little background: The Savoldis were a family of small statured, loud talking Italians that promoted wrestling in various smaller towns in the Northeast, later Florida, and even later were involved in the IWA booking office in Puerto Rico.
Angelo Savoldi was a veteran wrestler who, while the WWF was principally owned by Vincent J McMahon ( father of Vince K McMahon) was a minority owner ( 2-5%) of the office.
After VKM bought out all the partners in his fathers organization ( Savoldi,Gorilla Monsoon, Phil Zacko, Arnold Skaaland ) S
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)