Tuesday, August 09, 2005
See Matt, That's how it's done.
Folks, last week on RAW Matt Hardy was given the opportunity to take the ball and run with it in one of the biggest "shoot" angles ever.....BUT, he dropped the ball.......and then tripped over it and was left looking like an idiot(which I covered in a previous post) His big dramatic line about hoping Edge "dies in a car wreck" was awkward and did nothing for his charcter or the angle. HOWEVER....Monday night Adam Copeland showed why he's earned his spot with one of the best promos I've seen on Raw in years, HE delivered the promo MATT should have last week. He brought out the 'shoot' aspects of the angle without slapping people in the face with it or killing the Kane angle not to mention completely handing him his ass by making fun of his promo last week, "this is your big moment you've been whining for for monthes, and THAT's the best you could do?" or something to that effect. Then the kicker, this is where Edge hands him his ass in a paper sack with a fucking bow on top. "I earned my main event spot while you were defending the cruiserweight title with you 'MF'ers' I was wrestling Angle, Benoit, Guerrero, Michaels. The only reason your now in a main event spot is because your girlfriend fell in love with a main eventer." People, worked or not that one had to sting a little bit. I hope Matt studies that promo very carefully over the next week and maybe he can deliver something close to it, or Edge may come out of this deal looking BETTER than he would have if Matt would have stayed at home.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Learn the terms, Smarks.........
Well a big debate took place over the weekend on the HJB board about jobbing and such resulting in one fucking genius comparing Rocker jobbing on tv to Jerry Lawler losing twice to Danny B. on a local show........Jesus Christ people there is a HUGE difference between JOBBING and PUTTING SOMEONE OVER. Let's look at the differences. First off, "jobbing" doesn't just mean "losing", in some circles it does as you'll read the Dave Meltzer's and Wade Keller's on the internet saying that "Hunter did the 'job' for Batista", jobbing is what they refer to as a "squash". Jobs or Squashs are matches where one opponent gets NO HEAT whatsoever. They may throw a stray punch here or there but the sole purpose of the match is to put over the "Star", it might as well be a sack of patatos in the ring. 'Jobbers' are simply in there to let the star show off his moves and get some wins leading to whatever match or angle the star is building to. Now I'm not gonna knock Rocker(I haven't seen any of the matches to even know if they qualify as a "job") or anyone else for doing jobs on tv cause tv exposure is a big deal in the business and half the guys who are knocking him would give Corey Maclin head in the middle of the ring just to say they've been on Memphis tv........BUT, the one person does have a point. If your one of the local fans who generally watch every bit of wrestling they possibly can, how does it make the local guy look if someone who was a seventy year old midget's(Bill Dundee) bitch this morning on tv, comes to the local Armory and beats(or even nearly) beats the guy you've been building as one of your "top guys". It makes both guys look weak.
Now on the other hand, the guy who tried to say that Lawler losing to Danny B. was the same thing is obviously fucking retarded. How can you possibly say that?? If Lawler(a wrestling legend) comes to Selmer(or wherever) and beats Danny B., then people say, "well Danny B. is good against these local guys, but he can't hang with a big time star." Who wins there? It doesn't give Lawler bragging rights, it's not like he's gonna announce on Raw that he beat Danny B. Good. But if Danny B. wins, it is a HUGE moment for both him and the promoter, cause now they can use that from now on, anybody who goes over on Danny in the future is beating a guy who beat a legend, therefore that win isn't only putting over Danny but everyone he works with afterward. And how is Lawler effected? Again, it's not mentioned on Raw, it won't be on the cover of PWI, just a handful of fans in a certain area know. Everyone wins, that is what is called DOING THE RIGHT THING! I highly commend Lawler for doing that cause he certainly didn't have to, and doesn't have a track record of doing it very often so it says a lot to promoters about Danny, and the show itself that he's willing to come there and do that.
So people if your gonna be critical and talk shit, at least have half a damn clue what your talking about.
GENE
(By the way, whoever BIB is, fuck you! you don't me and don't know shit about me. I'm not racist, I hate stupid assholes of all races and genders so eat shit and choke!)
Now on the other hand, the guy who tried to say that Lawler losing to Danny B. was the same thing is obviously fucking retarded. How can you possibly say that?? If Lawler(a wrestling legend) comes to Selmer(or wherever) and beats Danny B., then people say, "well Danny B. is good against these local guys, but he can't hang with a big time star." Who wins there? It doesn't give Lawler bragging rights, it's not like he's gonna announce on Raw that he beat Danny B. Good. But if Danny B. wins, it is a HUGE moment for both him and the promoter, cause now they can use that from now on, anybody who goes over on Danny in the future is beating a guy who beat a legend, therefore that win isn't only putting over Danny but everyone he works with afterward. And how is Lawler effected? Again, it's not mentioned on Raw, it won't be on the cover of PWI, just a handful of fans in a certain area know. Everyone wins, that is what is called DOING THE RIGHT THING! I highly commend Lawler for doing that cause he certainly didn't have to, and doesn't have a track record of doing it very often so it says a lot to promoters about Danny, and the show itself that he's willing to come there and do that.
So people if your gonna be critical and talk shit, at least have half a damn clue what your talking about.
GENE
(By the way, whoever BIB is, fuck you! you don't me and don't know shit about me. I'm not racist, I hate stupid assholes of all races and genders so eat shit and choke!)
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
A Tribute...........to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart
"And now here it is........your moment of zen."
Just kidding Leslie, I have to say I thought all those posts about you being an Elvis tribute artist were a work. But I checked out your clips and you sing it well. Best of luck with this I know it's long been a passion of yours and I'm sure you will be a success. Hope to see you at an XOW show one of these days, but I wonder which side of the XOW/IWF war I'll be on?? Hmm, something to think about. Take Care, Gene
Just kidding Leslie, I have to say I thought all those posts about you being an Elvis tribute artist were a work. But I checked out your clips and you sing it well. Best of luck with this I know it's long been a passion of yours and I'm sure you will be a success. Hope to see you at an XOW show one of these days, but I wonder which side of the XOW/IWF war I'll be on?? Hmm, something to think about. Take Care, Gene
Thursday, July 21, 2005
That other crap is fake but THIS IS REAL and The Ultimate Shoot
THE BALL IS DROPPED ONCE AGAIN....
Look I know shoot angles are a part of the business and I think if done correctly they can be very beneficial but WWE has totally dropped the ball on this Matt Hardy angle. First off, the guy has pissed and moaned and trashed them on the internet for monthes after being "fired", yet now here he is stepping out of Vince's limo and shaking his hand on live t.v. after being re-signed for showing up and "crashing" there shows...... O.k. I'll deal with that, but here's where they lose me. Moments after Good Ole J.R. tells us that Edge and Lita aren't here due to a heinsous attack from Kane, Matt tells us that the Lita/Kane marriage is all a work and tells us the shoot details of his relationship with 'Amy Dumas' and the betrayal of 'Adam Copeland'. Now I know everyone knows it's a work nowadays and that shoot angles are hip, but you cannot just flat out acknowledge that something you've put over huge(the Kane/Edge/Lita angle) is all worked bullshit, but THIS is real. Your shitting on everything else that is happening on your show, because not only is he shitting on the Kane angle but it's also saying that everything else you've watched(and will watch) on the show that night is bullshit, it kills the suspension of disbelief that is required to enjoy a wrestling show. Russo used to do that shit in WCW, like the deal with Hogan, where he had Jarrett lay down for Hogan and then Russo cuts the 'shoot promo' on Hogan using his 'creative control' and not wanting to 'put over' the other guys. Then the announcers tell you that was a shoot and was real and wasn't on the 'format', then we cut from that to a Vampiro/Kiss Demon graveyard match or some stupid shit, and now we're supposed to take the announcer's emotion seriously when they just acknowledged it was all scipted. I know that want to cash in on the realism of there situation but there are far more subtle ways to do it. Like Shawn Michaels for instance, there were shoot aspects to his promo on last weeks RAW, but they were thrown in there in a way where they were easy to pick up by the smart people, but do not slap the marks in the face with terms they don't understand or by flat out saying "Terry, I'm not gonna do the job and let you go over at Summerslam." "What'cha gonna do when the Heartbreak Kid won't lay down for you" can be interpreted in a shoot sense and a work sense. I enjoyed last week's promo very much but I thought the Larry King skit was way too simular to the old Billionaire Ted stuff to be taken seriously. But where does this leave Kane? You have to just go on as if the Edge angle never happened now? Don't you? I dunno. Right now the only thing I find interesting on RAW is the Hogan/HBK angle. I've tried but I just really can't make myself give a shit about Cena/Jericho. The Olympian vs. Special Olympian angle with Angle and Eugene is mildly amusing. I mean anything that gets Tatanka back on tv has to be pretty good right!?!? I will ask you all this: 1) What the fuck is the point of the Kerwin White deal? How may weeks do you think the new Rob "Bad Ass" Buff BagGunn" Conway will last?
And over on Smackdown: Eddie Guerrero reveals he is really Dominic Mysterios father(argh!) They debut a character who is a knockoff of the Austin Powers' Mole Character except instead of a mole it looks like a freakin' tumor hanging off the side of her face(yeah that joke won't get old), JBL is still poluting the main event spot, Orlando Jordan beat Chris Benoit......let me say that again ORLANDO JORDAN BEAT CHRIS BENOIT(cherish that copy of Wrestlemania 20 Chris cause it's all downhill from here)
And so ends my recap of WWE, now onto ......
THE ULTIMATE SHOOT!! (NOT EXACTLY)
Well I just got in a highly anticipated shoot interview with the "legendary" Ultimate Warrior. Folks, alot of people in the wrestling business unjustly get a bad reputation as either an asshole, or a flake, or a lunatic and the Warrior is certainly one of the people who has been called all those things at one time or another and after watching this interview I can only draw one conclusion......THEY'RE RIGHT! This guy is a fucking nutcase. For one thing, he is constantly refferring throughout about the "Ultimate Warrior Character" as if it is some deep complex character who was some sort of enigma or something.
Let's take a look at what embodied the 'Ultimate Warrior Character'. Well let's see: A big roided up guy with a painted face, shoestrings around his arms, who babbled LONG INCOHERRENT promos who threw clotheslines.....lots.....and lots......of clotheslines...........OK there you go there is the great 'Ultimate Warrior Character', didn't need a two hour interview to sum up Ultimate Warrior the wrestler, but Warrior the person..........is a whole other story. First off the man formally known as Jim Hellwig had his names legally changed several years ago to WARRIOR, his driver's license reads: WARRIOR. He says that his wife and children go by the surname: WARRIOR. How would you like to be his kids on graduation day ? Or his wife calling in a reservation for Mrs. Warrior. "Warrior, party of five." Anyways, he talks about his early days getting trained in California and how he and Sting bullshitted there way into the Jarrett territory with only 10 hours of training under there belt.(and GOD did it show, if you've ever seen the tapes)
He's got VERY defensive when the interviewer asked him about a "urban legend" about him being 'blown up' from his running, rope shaking ring entrances before the match even started. He yelled, "I never claimed not to be." and said he felt if you weren't 'blown up' in the ring you weren't giving the people their money's worth. He acknowledged that the 'urban legend' is true that New Japan originally came up with the Big Van Vader gimmick with him in mind rather than Leon White but White got the gig when opted to work for Vince instead. Something I found funny was when the interviewer asked him about people criticizing him for his limited moveset. He then proceded to name off every move he's ever done, "I've axehandles, wristlocks, armbars, atomic drops......" FUNNY SHIT!
He said he would get himself ready to go the ring by going off alone and screaming "fuck it, fuck it, fuck it" to 'get his head in the right place'. He would then visualize how he needed to run to the ring to avoid fans grabbing his strings. Much like Rob Feinstein(RF Video) the interviewer kept asking him, "What are you memories of (insert PPV here)" Warrior finally got pissed and bitched him out over his "obsession with memories" and started singing the song, 'Memories'. Funny, yet weird. What did he think was gonna go on during a shoot interview?
Says Jake Roberts is a liar and a loser. (no argument there)
Warrior isn't fond of Ric Flair, says he's two faced and thinks it's pathetic that he's still trying to wrestle at his age. (or there)
Says he didn't play 'political games' even though he walked out numerous before big events to try to hold them up for more money or to go over. Brutus Beefcake claims that Warrior threatened to quit the company if they didn't put the IC belt on him at SummerSlam '88
Says he believes there are no limits to the potential of the Warrior character outside of wrestling as an action hero, a video game based on completing challeges, comic books, he made fitness video, etc.
Fought a five year court battle that he eventually won to own the rights to the Ultimate Warrior name and character.
He are some things he said I agree with:
He feels the Montreal Screwjob was a work based on the fact they just happened to be doing a documentary that captured the whole thing.
He says he felt Hogan brought in the Renegade to draw him out to get him to come in. He thought the whole thing was funny.
Anyway this is just a portion of the ridiculous shit that's said during this shoot. If you want to hear the rest it's available at ringside collectibles.com or any of the shoots or wrestling videos I talk about in the column(I have over 300 dvds, and God only knows how many VHS) you can email me at genejackson@charter.net to purchase them for a reasonable price.
Look I know shoot angles are a part of the business and I think if done correctly they can be very beneficial but WWE has totally dropped the ball on this Matt Hardy angle. First off, the guy has pissed and moaned and trashed them on the internet for monthes after being "fired", yet now here he is stepping out of Vince's limo and shaking his hand on live t.v. after being re-signed for showing up and "crashing" there shows...... O.k. I'll deal with that, but here's where they lose me. Moments after Good Ole J.R. tells us that Edge and Lita aren't here due to a heinsous attack from Kane, Matt tells us that the Lita/Kane marriage is all a work and tells us the shoot details of his relationship with 'Amy Dumas' and the betrayal of 'Adam Copeland'. Now I know everyone knows it's a work nowadays and that shoot angles are hip, but you cannot just flat out acknowledge that something you've put over huge(the Kane/Edge/Lita angle) is all worked bullshit, but THIS is real. Your shitting on everything else that is happening on your show, because not only is he shitting on the Kane angle but it's also saying that everything else you've watched(and will watch) on the show that night is bullshit, it kills the suspension of disbelief that is required to enjoy a wrestling show. Russo used to do that shit in WCW, like the deal with Hogan, where he had Jarrett lay down for Hogan and then Russo cuts the 'shoot promo' on Hogan using his 'creative control' and not wanting to 'put over' the other guys. Then the announcers tell you that was a shoot and was real and wasn't on the 'format', then we cut from that to a Vampiro/Kiss Demon graveyard match or some stupid shit, and now we're supposed to take the announcer's emotion seriously when they just acknowledged it was all scipted. I know that want to cash in on the realism of there situation but there are far more subtle ways to do it. Like Shawn Michaels for instance, there were shoot aspects to his promo on last weeks RAW, but they were thrown in there in a way where they were easy to pick up by the smart people, but do not slap the marks in the face with terms they don't understand or by flat out saying "Terry, I'm not gonna do the job and let you go over at Summerslam." "What'cha gonna do when the Heartbreak Kid won't lay down for you" can be interpreted in a shoot sense and a work sense. I enjoyed last week's promo very much but I thought the Larry King skit was way too simular to the old Billionaire Ted stuff to be taken seriously. But where does this leave Kane? You have to just go on as if the Edge angle never happened now? Don't you? I dunno. Right now the only thing I find interesting on RAW is the Hogan/HBK angle. I've tried but I just really can't make myself give a shit about Cena/Jericho. The Olympian vs. Special Olympian angle with Angle and Eugene is mildly amusing. I mean anything that gets Tatanka back on tv has to be pretty good right!?!? I will ask you all this: 1) What the fuck is the point of the Kerwin White deal? How may weeks do you think the new Rob "Bad Ass" Buff BagGunn" Conway will last?
And over on Smackdown: Eddie Guerrero reveals he is really Dominic Mysterios father(argh!) They debut a character who is a knockoff of the Austin Powers' Mole Character except instead of a mole it looks like a freakin' tumor hanging off the side of her face(yeah that joke won't get old), JBL is still poluting the main event spot, Orlando Jordan beat Chris Benoit......let me say that again ORLANDO JORDAN BEAT CHRIS BENOIT(cherish that copy of Wrestlemania 20 Chris cause it's all downhill from here)
And so ends my recap of WWE, now onto ......
THE ULTIMATE SHOOT!! (NOT EXACTLY)
Well I just got in a highly anticipated shoot interview with the "legendary" Ultimate Warrior. Folks, alot of people in the wrestling business unjustly get a bad reputation as either an asshole, or a flake, or a lunatic and the Warrior is certainly one of the people who has been called all those things at one time or another and after watching this interview I can only draw one conclusion......THEY'RE RIGHT! This guy is a fucking nutcase. For one thing, he is constantly refferring throughout about the "Ultimate Warrior Character" as if it is some deep complex character who was some sort of enigma or something.
Let's take a look at what embodied the 'Ultimate Warrior Character'. Well let's see: A big roided up guy with a painted face, shoestrings around his arms, who babbled LONG INCOHERRENT promos who threw clotheslines.....lots.....and lots......of clotheslines...........OK there you go there is the great 'Ultimate Warrior Character', didn't need a two hour interview to sum up Ultimate Warrior the wrestler, but Warrior the person..........is a whole other story. First off the man formally known as Jim Hellwig had his names legally changed several years ago to WARRIOR, his driver's license reads: WARRIOR. He says that his wife and children go by the surname: WARRIOR. How would you like to be his kids on graduation day ? Or his wife calling in a reservation for Mrs. Warrior. "Warrior, party of five." Anyways, he talks about his early days getting trained in California and how he and Sting bullshitted there way into the Jarrett territory with only 10 hours of training under there belt.(and GOD did it show, if you've ever seen the tapes)
He's got VERY defensive when the interviewer asked him about a "urban legend" about him being 'blown up' from his running, rope shaking ring entrances before the match even started. He yelled, "I never claimed not to be." and said he felt if you weren't 'blown up' in the ring you weren't giving the people their money's worth. He acknowledged that the 'urban legend' is true that New Japan originally came up with the Big Van Vader gimmick with him in mind rather than Leon White but White got the gig when opted to work for Vince instead. Something I found funny was when the interviewer asked him about people criticizing him for his limited moveset. He then proceded to name off every move he's ever done, "I've axehandles, wristlocks, armbars, atomic drops......" FUNNY SHIT!
He said he would get himself ready to go the ring by going off alone and screaming "fuck it, fuck it, fuck it" to 'get his head in the right place'. He would then visualize how he needed to run to the ring to avoid fans grabbing his strings. Much like Rob Feinstein(RF Video) the interviewer kept asking him, "What are you memories of (insert PPV here)" Warrior finally got pissed and bitched him out over his "obsession with memories" and started singing the song, 'Memories'. Funny, yet weird. What did he think was gonna go on during a shoot interview?
Says Jake Roberts is a liar and a loser. (no argument there)
Warrior isn't fond of Ric Flair, says he's two faced and thinks it's pathetic that he's still trying to wrestle at his age. (or there)
Says he didn't play 'political games' even though he walked out numerous before big events to try to hold them up for more money or to go over. Brutus Beefcake claims that Warrior threatened to quit the company if they didn't put the IC belt on him at SummerSlam '88
Says he believes there are no limits to the potential of the Warrior character outside of wrestling as an action hero, a video game based on completing challeges, comic books, he made fitness video, etc.
Fought a five year court battle that he eventually won to own the rights to the Ultimate Warrior name and character.
He are some things he said I agree with:
He feels the Montreal Screwjob was a work based on the fact they just happened to be doing a documentary that captured the whole thing.
He says he felt Hogan brought in the Renegade to draw him out to get him to come in. He thought the whole thing was funny.
Anyway this is just a portion of the ridiculous shit that's said during this shoot. If you want to hear the rest it's available at ringside collectibles.com or any of the shoots or wrestling videos I talk about in the column(I have over 300 dvds, and God only knows how many VHS) you can email me at genejackson@charter.net to purchase them for a reasonable price.
Feedback from the "Good Wrestler" Column
Hey, I got some really great feedback on the "What makes a good wrestler" post from a few weeks ago but one of the more insightful responses I got was from Tim Long, here is what he sent me:
Thanks, Tim for for the response it's good to hear from someone with a knowledge of the business beyond the usual bullshit I've become used to reading most places.
I will be posting again in a couple of days on recent happenings as well as my thoughts on the recent Ultimate Warrior shoot that I watched(unFUCKINGbelivable)
So be sure to check it out, if your looking for shark talk and comic book pussy shit then you'll have to go elsewhere but if your looking for wrestling talk(and God forbid you expect wrestling talk from someone who posts on a WRESTLING website) then be sure to check it out.
GENE
"How ya doin? I know you don't know me, but trust me, I been around a looooong time. I was intrigued by your question about workers and wrestlers. Great wrestlers (pistols) more often than not make good to great workers. They have the athletic ability and competitive instinct to feel the crowd. And believe it or not, it's the competition factor that most dictates the talent of the worker. Even though pro wrestling is a work - it IS a competiton. It's a game played out in an arena between the workers and the marks. The truley great workers are very simply the one's with a true love for the game. Lawler is a grade A, number 1, first class, asshole. But he is arguably the best WORKER of all time. Being an asshole and wanting to get one up on the fans gave him that drive to out wit the marks. The art of telling the story is lost today. What makes a great worker is not just being able to tell a story, but rather being able to take a story idea and improvise and impr! ove upon it in the ring in front of the crowd. It's all for the love of the game. The passion for the game is weak now because most of the folks entering the business today don't take the biz seriously. It really breaks my heart. Getting back on the subject, in the day, the workers protected the entertainers. You know, the sideshow freaks that sold tickets but didn't have a clue how to work a crowd - ie, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Lex Luger, Austin Idol, Abduhla th Butcher, etc. Not that some of these entertainers weren't good guys, but they were NOT good workers. To combat this, the promotions (before cable) would bill the entertainers in the main event but then run that match in the midde of the card on the night of the show. Because they knew that the match would have a better than average chance of completely blowing, it would run before the semi. Then the semi and main ,or what ever they called the final 2 matches, would match up the best WORKERS on the card. This ! insured that the crowd would leave satisfied and excited. No one used this technique more often than Vince's father in the WWWF. The announcers were paid to create the persona of the entertainer so that he could sell the tickets. Because more often than not, the muscle bound entertainer could not get himself over. If the promotion did not believe in down carding at showtime then they simply would not put 2 entertainers together. Entertainers would only work programs with good workers, and were instructed to let the workers call the spots. When myself and Kenny Shane Hart were the "Streetwalkers" in ICW during the early 80's, there were several times that we were listed as the third match on the card, but at the show Randy Savage moved us to last because in his own words - they couldn't get over us - and he wanted to leave the crowd excited and happy. Savage was one of the better workers in the business but at the time he was running programs with the likes of Crusher Broomfield (ak! a WWF's One Man Gang) and the Barbarian. They were hugh powerful men and really nice guys, but not good workers. Well anyway, I could go on all night, but you get the picture. Now days, the announcers job is to put every body over because nobody can tell there own stories anymore. And though I hate to agree with Kevin Nash (another f-ing entertainer) he hit a home run with the statement referring to the non-WORKING writers trying to dictate matches and stories. Again I could go on and on, but it's easier to talk than type. This message has taken me over an hour to type. LOL
Thanks for the soap box. LMAO."
Thanks for the soap box. LMAO."
Tim "Allnite" Long
The 1 Bull Ryder Thanks, Tim for for the response it's good to hear from someone with a knowledge of the business beyond the usual bullshit I've become used to reading most places.
I will be posting again in a couple of days on recent happenings as well as my thoughts on the recent Ultimate Warrior shoot that I watched(unFUCKINGbelivable)
So be sure to check it out, if your looking for shark talk and comic book pussy shit then you'll have to go elsewhere but if your looking for wrestling talk(and God forbid you expect wrestling talk from someone who posts on a WRESTLING website) then be sure to check it out.
GENE
Monday, July 11, 2005
Recent News and Nash Shoots!
WWE CUTS CUTS AND MORE CUTS
Holy Shit, I haven't seen this many cuts since I watched that Abdullah vs. The Sheik compilation tape a few monthes ago. I know everyone else will do this in there column but let's comment briefly on each one.
"Daddy, Can I come back home, I won't do it again I promise"
Well after leaving the WWE and a six figure salary to pursue his "dream"(hope his 'dream' was making a total ass of himself cause that's what he did), Brock Lesnar has come crawling back to Vince looking for a job after realizing he can't get of the no compete contract that would keep him from wrestling anywhere else for another several years. After not making it with the Vikings and the NFL, Brock says he's matured and is ready for the fame and fortune that comes with being a WWE Superstar. But having walked away from a 'Triple H' sized push when the company needed him most, the question is, Will Vince be willing to forgive him? Will Vince do what's go for business and push him, or will he make an example out of him? Also, is it good for business to let someone who very publically showed he couldn't cut in the NFL to come back in and start dominating the WWE stars, what will that say about them? Anyway, this will be an interesting story to watch unfold in the coming monthes.
FINALLY!!! The real HBK comes home!!
I know the real test will be tonight on RAW to see how far he takes it as a heel, but I have to say I was thrilled to death to see Michaels superkick Ozzy, uh I mean Hogan in the mug last week. Michaels was one of my all-time favorite heels but I haven't really cared for his 'holy roller' gimmick he's had since coming back. I'm not looking for a return of DX or anything. Just a little more of the arrogant prick he plays so well.
Kevin Nash Shoots!
I recently got in the Kevin Nash shoot interview that was conducted at WrestleReunion in Tampa awhile back and I have to say I really enjoyed it. The first impressive thing about it was there was a set and both Nash and the interviewer appeared on camera rather than one of these taped in a 'Cum & Go Motel' with a Handycam shoots your used to seeing. Also they had former WCW announcer Scott Hudson conducting the interview which really helped cause he was there and actually had some clue of what the hell he was talking about and didn't just ask stupid mark questions like Feinstein always asks, "So what are your memories of the heat between Bret and Shawn?" I swear he asks everybody that fucking question, guys that didn't work in WWF at the time, and they look at him like, 'What the fuck?' Anyway, sorry about that rant. All and all a good shoot, way better than the DDP one they did the same day where Page answered half the questions with, "I'll cover that in my upcoming audio book." However you could tell they were on a strict time schedule cause everytime Nash would stray off topic, Hudson would reel him back in quickly. I'll let everyone watch it and draw there own conclusion, but here a few quotes I thought I'd share:
When asked about people getting mad at he and Scott Hall for leaving WWF:
"They call it the business, but as soon as YOU start to treat it like a business then your a fuckin' jackoff."
When asked about his thought's on WWE's current product:
"They used to give us bulletpoints on what to do, now they don't get bulletpoints, they get fuckin' scripts, It should be called Monday Night Contrived, it's the most unraw, scripted shit I've ever seen."
When asked about the WWE writers:
"You've got a bunch of people who've never been fucked or been in a fight trying to write a show about sex and violence."
Talking about people getting mad about the 'fingerpoke of doom'
"You were supposed to be mad, it was a fucking heel turn."
I'll be back in a few days with some more stuff. Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on "good wrestler" post, I'll get back to that soon.
GENE
Holy Shit, I haven't seen this many cuts since I watched that Abdullah vs. The Sheik compilation tape a few monthes ago. I know everyone else will do this in there column but let's comment briefly on each one.
- Joy Giovanni- "Who?"
- Kenzo Suzuki- "Decent but nothing to write home about, won't be missed."
- Matt Morgan- "I really don't understand why they spend so much money and time to develope some of these guys and then cut them so easily Cornette(another one who bit the dust this week) has made him his pet project and got him over both times he was in OVW but WWE just couldn't figure it out. Personally, with his size and lack of charisma, I would have put a masked monster gimmick(ala Kane back in the day) on him and tried to use him that way, and if he didn't get over they could have fed him to Kane or Snitsky or someone on his way out."
- Charlie Haas- "Good wrestler, I think they could have done something with him on RAW, perhaps put him back with Benjamin after Shelton dropped the IC belt to Carlito, to help get the tag team division off life support."
- Jackie Gayda- "One less pair of tits. That's about all she contributed."
- Marty Jannetty- "Janetty had a HELL of a match with Angle on Smackdown, I think they should have kept using him there, at least on the house shows to help the young guys learn how to work."
- Dawn Marie- "Another pair of tits gone, plus she's pregnant. No big loss here. I'm sure they can find a diva search bimbo who will work for less."
- Mark Jindrak- "I've never cared for this guy and after all this time in the business he still looks like the same power plant stiff he did when he was a so-called 'Natural Born Thriller'. Maybe he'll look better doing the job to Monty Brown on the internet feed of IMPACT."
- Maven- "Poor ol' Maven. He lasted longer than most figured he would. I always thought he would be funny playing the Rock's mini-me protege, trying to dress like him and do his lines and fuck them up. A way to keep the Rock's persona on tv while he's away. Oh well, Jindrak needs someone to split a room with in Orlando."
- Shannon Moore- "Moore is a talented guy who they couldn't figure out what to do with either, he was a good fit as Matt's MF'er, but nothing they did after that seemed to fit. Maybe the 'mattitude follower' can follow the 'Angelic Diablo'(WHAT THE FUCK?) to some indy bookings."
- James Yun (Akio)- "Who?"
- David Heath (Gangrel)- "The question isn't why did they realease him, the real question is, What the fuck was he doing back in the first place???"
- Billy Kidman- "Kidman is a great worker but I've never been able to make myself give a shit about him, apparently I'm not alone."
- Spike Dudley- "You knew it had to happen eventually. How much can you do with a WWE Superstar with the build of a 12 year old girl?"
- Kevin Fertig- "Hope you still got Corey Maclin's number. Well for what it's worth, when Memphis is so dead you have start running in MISSISSIPPI!?!? It's time to hang it up."
"Daddy, Can I come back home, I won't do it again I promise"
Well after leaving the WWE and a six figure salary to pursue his "dream"(hope his 'dream' was making a total ass of himself cause that's what he did), Brock Lesnar has come crawling back to Vince looking for a job after realizing he can't get of the no compete contract that would keep him from wrestling anywhere else for another several years. After not making it with the Vikings and the NFL, Brock says he's matured and is ready for the fame and fortune that comes with being a WWE Superstar. But having walked away from a 'Triple H' sized push when the company needed him most, the question is, Will Vince be willing to forgive him? Will Vince do what's go for business and push him, or will he make an example out of him? Also, is it good for business to let someone who very publically showed he couldn't cut in the NFL to come back in and start dominating the WWE stars, what will that say about them? Anyway, this will be an interesting story to watch unfold in the coming monthes.
FINALLY!!! The real HBK comes home!!
I know the real test will be tonight on RAW to see how far he takes it as a heel, but I have to say I was thrilled to death to see Michaels superkick Ozzy, uh I mean Hogan in the mug last week. Michaels was one of my all-time favorite heels but I haven't really cared for his 'holy roller' gimmick he's had since coming back. I'm not looking for a return of DX or anything. Just a little more of the arrogant prick he plays so well.
Kevin Nash Shoots!
I recently got in the Kevin Nash shoot interview that was conducted at WrestleReunion in Tampa awhile back and I have to say I really enjoyed it. The first impressive thing about it was there was a set and both Nash and the interviewer appeared on camera rather than one of these taped in a 'Cum & Go Motel' with a Handycam shoots your used to seeing. Also they had former WCW announcer Scott Hudson conducting the interview which really helped cause he was there and actually had some clue of what the hell he was talking about and didn't just ask stupid mark questions like Feinstein always asks, "So what are your memories of the heat between Bret and Shawn?" I swear he asks everybody that fucking question, guys that didn't work in WWF at the time, and they look at him like, 'What the fuck?' Anyway, sorry about that rant. All and all a good shoot, way better than the DDP one they did the same day where Page answered half the questions with, "I'll cover that in my upcoming audio book." However you could tell they were on a strict time schedule cause everytime Nash would stray off topic, Hudson would reel him back in quickly. I'll let everyone watch it and draw there own conclusion, but here a few quotes I thought I'd share:
When asked about people getting mad at he and Scott Hall for leaving WWF:
"They call it the business, but as soon as YOU start to treat it like a business then your a fuckin' jackoff."
When asked about his thought's on WWE's current product:
"They used to give us bulletpoints on what to do, now they don't get bulletpoints, they get fuckin' scripts, It should be called Monday Night Contrived, it's the most unraw, scripted shit I've ever seen."
When asked about the WWE writers:
"You've got a bunch of people who've never been fucked or been in a fight trying to write a show about sex and violence."
Talking about people getting mad about the 'fingerpoke of doom'
"You were supposed to be mad, it was a fucking heel turn."
I'll be back in a few days with some more stuff. Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on "good wrestler" post, I'll get back to that soon.
GENE
Sunday, July 03, 2005
What makes a "Good Wrestler"??
This is something that has bothered me for a while, but after reading the recent 'Rants & Raves" I felt moved to write about. Now I would like everyone who reads this to respond whether it be here, on Jimmy's board, through email or wherever. I seriously would love to hear people's logic on this, be it workers, fans, whoever.
What in YOUR OPINION makes a good wrestler? It's really hard to determine what people are looking for that makes a "good wrestler". Because the guys who are the most over and draw the most money are very rarely great "wrestlers" (at least by definition) however they are great "workers" (which is a whole different ballgame) It seems the "smart fans" go for the more technical type wrestlers (i.e. Benoit, Low Ki, Guerrero, etc.) while guys like Hogan and Goldberg have drawn more money but are looked down upon by the "smarks" for their lack of technical skills. Now, I'm not exactly talking about the ECW crowd that Burcham was refferring to, there a whole different breed of "fans" altogether. I'm talking about the people who criticize the "workrate" of the old school guys but jerk off to ROH tapes of Low-Ki and CM Punk.
First off, the term "workrate" was created by sheet writers and internet marks and didn't previously exist in the business. Back in the day, promoters didn't give a shit about who was the most technically sound, it was all about who put asses in the seats, and realistically the guys who put the most asses in the seats wasn't always the most 'gifted atheletes. Take Jerry Lawler for example, by the smart marks way of thinking, he is a piss poor WRESTLER, but by the numbers of how many years he stayed on top in Memphis, how many weeks he sold out the Mid South Coliseum(he outdrew freakin Elvis) and the ratings drawn for Memphis tv, he is one of the greatest WORKERS of all time. Kamala, Bruiser Brody, Andre the Giant, JYD, The Road Warriors and countless others sold out buildings all over the country for years and they never worked any one hour ironman matches, had little to no "technical" skills but made the business millions of dollars, but these smarks shit on there legacys because they can't match workrate with Bryan Danielson or AJ Styles!?!?! I think that's a crock of shit.
However on the flipside, for all these old people who bitch and moan about how they need to go back to the old days and how it's a shame wrestling is all about "entertainment"now. I hate to tell you but it's always been about ENTERTAINMENT. Maybe they have gotten out of hand with some of the stupid shit they try to pass off as entertainment but the fact remains, all the outragous characters who ever drew huge houses despite there lack of pure "wrestling" skills prove the business has ALWAYS been more about entertainment than wrestling skills (you old timers telling me midget matches didn't expose the business years before Vince did) and that's fine, if you want to watch 'WRESTLING', watch amatuer wrestling.
In case my point isn't clear, I think there is a need for all the different types of wrestling to be able to have something to suit everybody. At every show, there is someone in the crowd that came to laugh, someone who came to see a technical match, someone who came to see blood, and someone who came to see there's cousin's boyfriend who just got trained by a guy he works with at the local grocery story. So you need something for everyone. The thing that pisses me off is when people say "So and So sucks cause he only does four moves", or "That guy can't work" even though he's one of the most over guys in the promotion. What is your basis for these statements? So all this makes me wonder judging by all the crap you read on the internet bashing this wrestler and that wrestler. What the hell do you want?? What are you looking for that makes a good wrestler? Is it the number of moves he can do? Is it the fancy tights he wears? Is it the music he comes out to? What is it?
Please give me some feedback, either on the boards or at my email address genejackson@charter.net
I will discuss what I hear as well as who I think the top 5 workers of all time are.
Untill then,
GENE
What in YOUR OPINION makes a good wrestler? It's really hard to determine what people are looking for that makes a "good wrestler". Because the guys who are the most over and draw the most money are very rarely great "wrestlers" (at least by definition) however they are great "workers" (which is a whole different ballgame) It seems the "smart fans" go for the more technical type wrestlers (i.e. Benoit, Low Ki, Guerrero, etc.) while guys like Hogan and Goldberg have drawn more money but are looked down upon by the "smarks" for their lack of technical skills. Now, I'm not exactly talking about the ECW crowd that Burcham was refferring to, there a whole different breed of "fans" altogether. I'm talking about the people who criticize the "workrate" of the old school guys but jerk off to ROH tapes of Low-Ki and CM Punk.
First off, the term "workrate" was created by sheet writers and internet marks and didn't previously exist in the business. Back in the day, promoters didn't give a shit about who was the most technically sound, it was all about who put asses in the seats, and realistically the guys who put the most asses in the seats wasn't always the most 'gifted atheletes. Take Jerry Lawler for example, by the smart marks way of thinking, he is a piss poor WRESTLER, but by the numbers of how many years he stayed on top in Memphis, how many weeks he sold out the Mid South Coliseum(he outdrew freakin Elvis) and the ratings drawn for Memphis tv, he is one of the greatest WORKERS of all time. Kamala, Bruiser Brody, Andre the Giant, JYD, The Road Warriors and countless others sold out buildings all over the country for years and they never worked any one hour ironman matches, had little to no "technical" skills but made the business millions of dollars, but these smarks shit on there legacys because they can't match workrate with Bryan Danielson or AJ Styles!?!?! I think that's a crock of shit.
However on the flipside, for all these old people who bitch and moan about how they need to go back to the old days and how it's a shame wrestling is all about "entertainment"now. I hate to tell you but it's always been about ENTERTAINMENT. Maybe they have gotten out of hand with some of the stupid shit they try to pass off as entertainment but the fact remains, all the outragous characters who ever drew huge houses despite there lack of pure "wrestling" skills prove the business has ALWAYS been more about entertainment than wrestling skills (you old timers telling me midget matches didn't expose the business years before Vince did) and that's fine, if you want to watch 'WRESTLING', watch amatuer wrestling.
In case my point isn't clear, I think there is a need for all the different types of wrestling to be able to have something to suit everybody. At every show, there is someone in the crowd that came to laugh, someone who came to see a technical match, someone who came to see blood, and someone who came to see there's cousin's boyfriend who just got trained by a guy he works with at the local grocery story. So you need something for everyone. The thing that pisses me off is when people say "So and So sucks cause he only does four moves", or "That guy can't work" even though he's one of the most over guys in the promotion. What is your basis for these statements? So all this makes me wonder judging by all the crap you read on the internet bashing this wrestler and that wrestler. What the hell do you want?? What are you looking for that makes a good wrestler? Is it the number of moves he can do? Is it the fancy tights he wears? Is it the music he comes out to? What is it?
Please give me some feedback, either on the boards or at my email address genejackson@charter.net
I will discuss what I hear as well as who I think the top 5 workers of all time are.
Untill then,
GENE
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