Photo by Impact Wrestling

It has been the story of the week so far.I did some thoughts/predictions beforehand so it only seems fair to see if I was right and give out praise and scorn accordingly.

Austin Aries (c) vs. Brian Kendrick : X Division Title match.

This was a great match and the perfect way to start the PPV. These are the kind of matches we should be seeing more of in TNA. The crowd were firmly behind Aries which was funny considering he was meant to be the heel. The one minor thing I felt let the match down was Taz and Tenay not really discussing any of the build to the match or hyping up the X-division in general but other than that no complaints whatsoever.

RVD vs. Jerry Lynn (Full Metal Mayhem)

Another great match. Classic ECW style. No one seemed quite sure what Full Metal Mayhem meant and to be honest it didn’t make much difference. This was essentially just a No DQ match that featured two ladders and one chair and I guess you could include the guard rail. There were some good spots, some botched spots too but at the end of the day it was great to see these two guys go at it one more time and not disappoint.

Samoa Joe vs. Crimson vs. Matt Morgan:

I said before I had some doubts about this match and they seemed to come true. The match wasn’t bad but wasn’t good either. All three men are better than this and I still think a one on one match between any of those three guys would have been better. The chemistry wasn’t there and there didn’t seem to be any real driving force behind the whole thing which is why I think a stipulation like a title shot could have improved things. I guess this match was just meant to help move the feud along but I have no idea between who or why.

Bully Ray vs. Mr Anderson (Falls Count Anywhere)

Another great match. I said I thought this match had the potential to be very good and it certainly lived up to that. Both guys put their bodies on the line and there were plenty of painful looking spots sprinkled throughout. The falls count anywhere stip wasn’t really used much untill the end that seemed to get messed up when the table didn’t break but the recovery was good. This was probably the match of the night.

Winter(c) vs. Velvet Sky vs. Madison Rain vs. Mickie James: Knockouts Title match.

This was kind of a cluster which normally I wouldn’t consider a bad thing given who was involved. I said that I doubted the actual wrestling part of this match wasn’t a concern and it showed. The rules weren’t really made clear or at least weren’t followed. There was some good wrestling but Karen Jarrett seemed to suck all the momentum…out of the match. Exactly why she is on TNA programming so much is debateable and I understand the need for her or someone like her to be in this match but at the end of the day she is no Vickie Gurrero. Regardless, this was the feel good match of the night and I was glad to see Velvet Sky finally win the title.

AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels (I Quit)

This match suprised me. It wasn’t bad but didn’t live up to its potential. The fact it was the third NO DQ match of the night didn’t really help and the ending was kind of stupid. As you would expect the wrestling was fine but other than that it just seemed really flat. Again I feel the fact nothing was really at stake let things down and when compared to how sadistic Daniales tried to appear it didn’t work.

Hardy vs. Jarrett (Impromtu brawl) Yawn. Don’t care.

Hulk Hogan vs. Sting (Control of TNA):

In some ways this was worse than I thought it would be. This was meant to be the feel good match of the night but it just made me feel sick or maybe that was when Taz tried to justify Hulk moving around like a crippled old man as ‘ fantastic timing’. The face turn made no sense, nothing happened, Flair added nothing to things and I don’t get why Hogan kept doing the crotch chop. I would have much rather paid not to see this or I could have just gone to the bus sation and paid a couple of homeless guys to fight each other with a bottle of paint thinner going to the winner.

Kurt Angle (c) vs. Robert Roode: TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

A decent match but nothing too special really. I think the fact Roode found out late that he wasn’t going to win the title after all put a dampner on things as far as the match went. As far as the fans, I think they all wanted to see Roode win for no other reason as it was something new. Hogan coming out days before and saying he wasn’t the guy to carry the title was a stupid idea although that has never stopped him. For me personally I felt sad seeing Kurt get put in the crossface so many times becuase it just made me think of the great matches he had with Benoit.

Overall I think the PPV was a typical TNA PPV. Great undercard matches, poor main events and too many half decent moments ruined by run ins. If the running order was the other way around this probably would have been much better but unfortunately that kind of thing will never happen. Not for another two years at least.

P.S. No match lasted much more than 14 and a half minutes (the average was around 10 minutes) which to me is unacceptable considering the talent involved and the fact it was meant to be the biggest show of the year.

Photo By Impact Wrestling

So after some post Conclave down time I have returned to give my thoughts on the world of wrestling. First up is TNA’s Bound For Glory PPV this Sunday. This PPV is supposedly the biggest of the year, the culmination, their answer to WrestleMania. Well last years was rubbish and this one doesn’t look like it will be any better and if anything shows just how bad things in TNA are right now.

First off like a lot of wrestling fans I don’t watch (ignore) most of the story heavy segments of TNA programming. I do this mainly because I don’t get high anymore thus making it impossible to work out what is going on. An educated guess would be one group of people don’t like another group of people but someone is torn between the groups, joins one, turns on another but someone else already did but then didn’t but actually did or was playing them both off each other then joins someone else or did they…..So at the end of the day I know only what I read or hear in terms of the ‘plot’ . That said lets look at the matches.

TNA Tag Team Title Match: Mexican America vs. Ink Inc. This to me is a no one cares match. TNA has done a decent job of dismantling or devaluing the tag division as of late and it kind of shows in this match. Personally I like Hernandez and wish he would get a bigger singles push. The rest of the guys are decent and I’m sure this will be a decent match up. The shame is it won’t be anywhere near as good as a Beer Money vs. MCMG match and since GenMe are gone the division is running on empty.

Crimson vs. Matt Morgan vs. Samoa Joe: Again I like everyone in this match but can’t see it being any good. Crimson and Joe seem to have been going at it all year and despite having ok matches, never really wowed anyone. I assume Matt Morgan has been thrown in to allow someone, most likely Joe, to score an easy win. All of these guys have a decent claim to being in the main event picture and if the match was for a title shot it might be more interesting.

I Quit Match: AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels: This should be a main event match plain and simple. Both these guys stole the show at Destination X earlier in the year just like they always do. Again I feel if this was about more than pride this would be amazing. The one thing that really intrigues me is the I Quit stipulation. While both guys are great wrestlers neither has a recognised go-to submission move. On the other hand these two come up with some of the most innovative moves you ever see in a ring or anywhere else so I imagine it will be great no matter where it gets buried in the card.

Full Metal Mayhem: RVD vs. Jerry Lynn: I love both these guys and was a huge fan of ECW back in the day, so why am I watching this again. This match is a perfect example of two of the biggest things wrong with TNA

1) Hitting the same old nostalgia mine TNA always seems to dig up whenever they can’t think of something interesting or new to do.
2) A gimmick match.

Now I’m sure these guys will put on a solid match and even after all these years both men are capable of pulling something new out of the bag the question is will they?

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Bully Ray vs. Mr. Anderson: What a suprise another gimmick match. Not only that but who cares? I assume this has something to do with Immortal which means I automatically don’t care but not only that but it has Bully Ray in. Bully Ray isn’t terrible but he isn’t likely to do anything amazing or new. His match earlier in the year with AJ was great but that was mostly down to AJ. Anderson isn’t Styles but is compotent and prepared to put his body on the line in big matches so there is a chance we might be suprised and see something decent

TNA Knockouts Title Match: Winter vs. Velvet Sky vs. Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne. I like the Knockouts as much as anyone but this to me just seems like an excuse to get as many scantily clad women in the ring at once (sound familiar?). All of them can wrestle but I don’t think that was a concern when this match was booked. Again I see a cheap victory for someone.

TNA X-Division Title Match: Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick: I want to want to see this match much more than I do. Part of the reason is we have seen it pleny of times already this year. Aries has really been a revelation in terms of making the X-Division exciting again and Kendrick is good too. I assume this will be a ‘final chance’ sort of match which hopefully Austin will win and help rebuild the division. I don’t want to see this match ever again.

TNA World Title Match: Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode. I know this is the match that will be last but lets leave off on the other ‘main event’ for a second. TNA has one tried and true method of making new top guys and that is to put them in the ring with Angle. Angle has the name recognition and even at his age is still a phenomenal performer. The problem I foresee is that this match won’t end clean which is a shame. Roode has been pegged as a future star for years and if ever there was a moment it should probably be now. The thing is this all seems very rushed. The tournament to decide the No.1 contender was a mess as is every ounce of storytelling in TNA . Also lets not forget how huge it was when AJ won the belt, lost it shortly after and hasn’t been seen since. Plus Hardy is heading back so you know he won’t be away from the belt for long.

So I doubt it will be the feel good match to end the show it should be. That said both guys can wrestle which is more than can be said in the case of

No DQ Match: Sting vs. Hulk Hogan (If Sting Wins Dixie Carter Gets Control of TNA Back)

Jesus Christ are they actually going to do this! Seriously?! The problems with this match include but are not limited to:

1)Hogan can’t wrestle.
2) Hogan won’t wrestle. He has said repeatedly he won’t take a bump.
3) Sting can’t carry Hogan.
4) It’s NO DQ so he won’t have to.
5) It’s the fourth gimmick match of the night.
6) A match filled with interference AGAIN.
7) It looked interesting when Hogan might retire but ofcourse he won’t because he re-signed which is public knowledge.
7a) No one cares about Dixie Carter.

THIS IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH TNA. TNA is no longer a wrestling company. TNA has gone from an up and coming promotion to a promotion trying to use older big names to help build itself up, to just being a glorified wrestling convention/indy show that just happens to be televised and tours. That is all it is. Everything is based on nostalgia whether it be WWE,WCW,ECW and even TNA itself! Samoa Joe, Styles and Daniels are now being booked as veterans of a company that has never gone anywhere despite the fact that Hogan and co keep saying those were the guys they were there to turn into stars. Crimson is undefeated like Joe was all those years ago but Joe hasn’t done anything in years so why are they are trying to make that comparison. Styles vs. Daniels. Great! It isn’t like that was a feud that helped build the company and has been seen dozens of times. Jerry Lyn vs. RVD. Why not do that again?

It baffles me that no one in TNA knows what they are doing really. Why can’t we see Daniels vs Hardy or Styles vs Anderson? Why aren’t RVD and Samoa Joe feuding? Wasn’t that the point of bringing these guys in. Bound for Glory should be both a clean ending to feuds and a jumping off point for new ones. How much do you want to bet that won’t happen.

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Hi everyone, long time no ramble. I’m back and like everyone else I’m looking at the giant and almost certainly doomed PPV looming on the horizon. The entire show has been built around one angle. A rushed but still potentially great angle that begs the question, do WWE have the balls to have CM Punk go over Cena at SummerSlam?

The simple answer is they could. Punk went over Cena at the last PPV so why not this one. There lies one of many problems. Would WWE have Cena lose two PPV main events in a row? In a perfect world they would especially since Punk seems to be the guy on the up but as we all know WWE doesn’t often do what will make the best possible product for the viewers. I don’t say that just because I’m a Punk fan and like a lot of people have no love for Cena. Building longer storylines is something WWE needs to start doing more often and in the long run having Cena not come out on top all the time will pay off . So why do I have the feeling that this whole thing is about to collapse under a wave of bad decision making?

The first reason is Cena. We have a rough idea of what will be happening involving Cena and the WWE Title from now until WrestleMania next year and it seems unlikely WWE will keep him and the title apart for long especially when he spent most of last year out of the picture. Even if WWE does decide to keep Punk at the fore and put Cena on the back burner there isn’t really anyone for him to feud with that he hasn’t already or that would seem odd considering everyone is so much further down the card. By giving themselves a definitive end point WWE has painted itself into a corner and by their track record it is hard to believe they could cope with something unexpected happening like Punk taking off the way he has.

The second reason is the Miz. He was in a similar situation to the one Punk is in now and in my opinion his push hasn’t been a total success. People keep saying that WWE are pushing new guys and to an extent they are but probably not as much as they should be. Despite the fact Miz has come on really far in the last year including a lenghty title run and winning against Cena at WM27, Miz doesn’t seem to be the big star he was meant to be. Or at least not yet. Obviously he wasn’t going to be comparable to Cena or Orton after just a few months as a main eventer but still it seems like he has lost a lot of steam over the last few months and despite saying he was a guy the company would be built around WWE seem satisfied to just let him do the press stuff whilst wandering in limbo when it comes to actual shows. To me there is a good chance the same will happen with Punk. Like Miz he is stepping up and challenging the established order. Now he is going on to talk shows and having his face on posters but similarly he could just as easily go back to being in the gap between midcarder and maineventer so many talent gus have fallen ito in the last few years. It could happen and one of the reaons I think it might is…

Alberto Del Rio. We know WWE has huge things planned for him. No matter what anyone says I truly believe ADR will become WWE champion within the next year. Most people have probably heard the rumours that ADR is pencilled in to be Champion by the time WWE heads to Mexico towards the end of the year. Obviously from a business standpoint this makes perfect sense. The main thing that may cause a problem with this plan is…

The Rock. There have been plenty of whispers going around that claim Rock will make his return to WWE at Survivor in November. Whether that is true or not we don’t know yet. What we do know is by next April either John Cena or the Rock will be WWE champion. So where does that leave Punk? Punk is still considered a heel by WWE I imagine and so unless he makes a full face turn and/or Cena leaves for a while, he is going to be right back to where he started because the is no way Punk will be going up against ADR for the title especially when Cena is meant to be the one in the mix with Rock potentially added too. To me it also makes sense that Rock will be walking into next years WM as Champion. Unless Rock wins the title at ‘Mania and feuds with Cena untill next Summerslam (like I thought would happen this year) I can’t see him coming back to challenge for the title and at no pont winning it. To me Cena will challenge Rock and Rock will lose.

Another indicator of what WWE might do is the title situation on Smackdown. WWE didn’t want it’s golden boy on that brand to get booed or considered a proper bad guy again and so they turned the guy fans had been rooting for to ensure that didn’t happen. So now instead of a great feud between a good guy and a bad guy we have been stuck with two guys that in my opinion aren’t likeable. As much as I like Christian and think Orton is a good wrestler I honestly couldn’t cheer for either one at MITB to the point where I didn’t care about the match at all. They engineered a situation where they could say they gave fans what they wanted (Christian as champ/maineventer) but made both guys kind of tweeners or at least no clear good guy so it would be down to the fans to decide who was the good guy and who was the bad knowing all along the fans wouldn’t turn on Orton. Now signs seem to point to a face Sheamus possibly being the next contender to the title. If that is the case it will be interesting to see how each guy is positioned. To WWE’s credit they havn’t stacked the deck too much either way with Cena or Punk which is one of the main reasons the feud has worked untill now. But eventually and almost certainly at Summerslam WWE will have to show its hand one way or the other.

The final hurdle in Punks way to becoming a true main eventer is HHH. The man who has spent most of the last year or so behind a desk has decided to come back into the spotlight at what could be either the best or worse time. Regardless it’s HIS time….still. So far Hunter has not got too involved in things or at least not physically. This is probably a good thing all round especially as it isn’t needed. Reports circulated about the ideas ‘creative’ had for HHH and Punks return at least one of which involved Hunter taking out Punk. Anyone with common sense could see that would have been a disaster. When someone has as much momentum as Punk there is no good reason to stop it dead. And Hunter doesn’t need anymore help getting over. Eveyone knows him already and if he chooses to be a face or a heel COO the fans will go with it regardless. Hopefully everyone can see that and HHH won’t go after Punk or cost him the title.

So with all that in mind is it possible to stay optimistic heading into Summerslam? I would say yes. You may recall (you might) I was part of the minority who said for weeks leading up to ‘Mania that Miz would walk away Champion and I was right. The reasons I thought that might happen weren’t totally right but the outcome was and hopefully that could happen again. Unlike Miz there are several signs that WWE are truly ready to accept Punk as a face of the company. First he beat Cena for the title and by WWE standards he did it relatively clean. Secondly WWE spent money on getting his ‘new’ theme tune, money they are likely to recoup with all the merchandise sales Punk is making. And if there is one thing WWE likes more than wrestling talent it is selling talent. Also Punk’s pal Colt Cabana has had at least one dark match and been backstage at a few shows recently which can be attributed largely down to Punk. And ofcourse his girlfriend is getting another push. That might be down to how thin that division is now but still these are all classic signs they really value him right now.

With that optimism in mind lets hope Summerslam won’t be a total trainwreck. And when it is at least it gives us something to talk about.

P.S. While I have you here I have an idea for next years Mania. Punk is WWE Champion, Rock wins the WH title on his show Smackdown, Cena wins the Rumble and D-Bry has his briefcase ready to cash in. With all that combined we get a four way elimination match similar to ‘Mania 2000 or TNA Sacrifice where everyone had to give something up to be a part of the title match. Between them all they crown a new Undisputed Champion. What do you think? Too Fierro or crazy enough to work?

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In anticipation of The Ultimate Warrior releasing he shoot interview on June 17th about Hulk Hogan PLUS DJ giving his thoughts on the subject In The Room this coming week, I decided to wade in with my 2 cents in my usual manner.

I will start by saying I’m not trying to jump on some sort of anti-Hogan bandwagon. Just like so many other things like the anti-Cena, anti-WWE, anti-PG, anti-TNA and anti-Russo bandwagons there is a anti-Hogan sentiment amongst certain wrestling fans and people in wrestling in general. Now I know I am younger than some of the people that follow or contribute to the site but even so I was a fan of Hulk Hogan growing up. I was born in 1987 and never really got hooked on wrestling until 96/97. Despite that, wrestling was always something I was interested in. Despite no one in my family really being a fan and not having satellite or cable to watch the shows live I still had all the action figures of guys like Ultimate Warrior, Ted DiBiase, Roddy Piper, Jake the Snake, British Bulldog, The Road Warriors and ofcourse Hulk Hogan who was my favorite at the time. Even though I can’t remember watching many shows when I was that age I still had an idea of each guys personality, how important they were and what some of their moves were. So somehow wrestling has always been a part of my life which I chalk up to the power of the WWF but also Hulkamania. Ofcourse since my interest in wrestling has increased over the years so has my knowledge and thanks to modern technology I have been able to go back and watch things that happened before my time.

The problem is Hulk Hogan is no longer a favorite wrestler of mine and instead of looking at him like some sort of larger than life super hero role model, my feelings are now of contempt and even pity for a man who once towered above all others.

In Warrior’s shoot video that will be released shortly of which a clip has been released as a teaser, he makes alot of interesting points and accusations most of which seem to be at least partly true. Obviously I can’t say I know Hulk Hogan or anyone else in the wrestling business that well but I think I can get a decent read on people and this is what I think of Hulk Hogan now.

The first thing that needs to be talked about is respect and humility. One of the things that is really annoying about Hogan is that every now and then there are flashes of genuine respect for both the industry but also his fellow wrestlers that leaks out of the massive shell that is his ego. In the interview he did with ‘The Voice’ ironically on the day Randy Savage died, he showed some genuine respect towards a few people some of which he doesn’t even really like. He admitted he used to have no respect for the industry and those in it and it took Hiro Matsuda to purposely break his shin to knock some into him. Hogan also went on to thank Andre the Giant for helping take his career to the next level by allowing him to slam him at WrestleMania 3, something that hadn’t been done before. Hogan also gave his take on Andre as a person and addressed some of the rumours that surrounded him and what he said was a lot more understanding and positive than I think we had any right to expect. It would be easy to be cynical and say that he only did that to make himself look good and normally I would agree with you but on this occasion I think it was heartfelt gratitude for the most part. Lastly and due to the cruel circumstances of what that day will now be known for, Hogan also talked about Randy Savage. Now this is some of the stuff that really got people mad and inparticular Warrior. Essentially Hogan did bury him in the way he does but at the same time he said more than once that Randy was a great wrestler and the best he ever worked with. Again we can question why he said that after basically making the guy look like scum but in the end he did pay Randy as big a compliment as he could and he had no real reason to do so.

I also think it was good of him to go to the funeral of Owen Hart when he was still in WCW. The only one I believe.

Talking of respect, no matter what is said and done people will always defend Hogan as being the biggest and best ever and will ask why it is he doesn’t get as much respect for what he did when compared to others who arguably achieved much less but also were well known for not being the greatest human beings that ever lived. This is something else that I think people find depressing about the Hulk Hogan story. We all know that no human being is perfect. Everyone has both a good and bad side to them and it is which side they try and stay on that defines them. It is also true that to be a wrestler or entertainer in general you have to have if nothing else a large ego. Hogan was the biggest ever and so it seems likely he had the ego to match which is understandable. I think it is naive to pretend that most of the guys that find themselves at the top of the WWF/E don’t let it go to their head at some point. The thing that seperates Hogan from guys like Shawn Michaels, Austin, Jericho, Angle, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero and even Mick Foley is that yes they all made mistakes and yes they let fame go to their head. But unlike Hogan they all took a step back, realised they made mistakes, accepted reponsibility and then came back with a better attitude and tried to give back to wrestling often fairly selflessly. That is something Hogan has never done or at least did for more than five minutes then bailed once he got what he wanted. Hogan rarely sincerely admits any sort of mistake on his part. The only time I can think he has was recently he said a couple of times that he should have quit wrestling about ten years ago. True, but there aren’t any prizes for saying the blatantly obvious especially when it wasn’t really that bad a mistake. Even his pal and partner in crime Eric Bishoff has admitted that some of the blame for the mess that was latter day WCW was down to him. He may have been under WWE contract at the time and said it through clenched teeth but still he said it.

This is why Hogan will never truly get the respect he deserves. No matter what bad things happened because of him or that he contributed to he will never admit fault. Someone else is always to blame and never him. It is because of that refusal to truly admit who Hulk Hogan is as a peformer and as a man that he will never be respected in the way that he should for his gargantuan contribution to wrestling. And lets be clear about this. The list of terrible things that can be levelled at ‘Legends’ of the wrestling business include but are not limited to:

Drug abuse/selling drugs
Driving under the influence
Infidelity/domestic abuse/misogyny in general
Assault/murder

and ofcourse the lying, cheating and manipulation that unfortunately are part and parcel of the wrestling business to name but a few.

The thing is while others may have done bad things, fans can move past those not just out of blind loyalty but because some of those people repented, learned from those mistakes and tried to become a better person even though some of the things they did aren’t truly forgivable. Hogan never has.

On the subject of respect for others lets talk about some other people Hogan seems to have some sort of issue with.

Firstly Shawn Michaels. I imagine DJ will be able to talk about this particular subject a lot better on In The Room this week and I look forward to it. Here are my thoughts. The only people who really know what happened between those two is probably them and Vince. What I will say is I prety much entirely side with Shawn on this one and given that I havn’t always been a fan of Shawn the person that is saying something. Firstly it is clear jealousy is involved. Now I don’t think that the older wiser Shawn is or was truly jealous of Hogan. The younger more messed up Shawn perhaps a bit but none the less. No matter what anyone tries to claim, Shawn was the greatest in ring performer of all time even when he was messed up. Hogan should have handed the torch over to Bret or Shawn back in the early nineties but didn’t. Instead he decided to just turn up when it suited him and leave again. Bret and Shawn then had to help carry a company whose talent was jumping ship and without any real endorsement from those that came before them. Luckily they chose to become the greatest in ring performers wrestling has seen and their matches especially those between each other will be remembered forever.

So given that, I can understand why Shawn might have had an issue putting Hogan over in 2005. Hogan was long past it and nostalgia aside had no good reason to be near a ring. Shawn was still the best performer in WWE despite his age and after all his various injuries. I know a wrestler should always put over who they are told but I understand Shawn not wanting to do it (if that is what happened). And Hogan is certainly deluded as to his worth to wrestling in the modern age. I know he thinks that by having someone who used to be huge (in this case him) constantly beat a younger guy it will get the young guy over but it doesn’t. Putting Warrior over all those years ago was the right thing to do and a great moment but it is the best he ever did. Who did he get over in WCW that wasn’t established already? Goldberg perhaps but no one really unless you count Billy Kidman…….. 15+ years of doing it in WCW and TNA and he still can’t figure it out.

The other texan Hogan has a major issue with is Steve Austin. Hogan only ever seems to want to put Austin over if he thinks it can somehow get him over too or if he is putting someone else down he doesn’t like even more. Now while there is an amount of mutual respect for what the other did for wrestling it is clear they aren’t fans of each other. I may not be the first to say it but Hogan can’t stand Austin. He hates the fact there is someone out there that managed to reach his level and that can be talked about in the same terms. Austin got fired from WCW and went right to ECW where in the early hours of the morning, in Paul E’s basement he looked straight down the barrel of the lens and said totally believeing it that ” Screw WCW, Hogan and Bishoff. I’m going to be the biggest thing wrestling has ever seen” and he did it. Hogan and Bishoff thought they had Vince over a barrel and it was only a matter of time before WWF went bust. Unfortunately Austin blew up bigger than anyone ever imagined. He kept the WWF alive and breathed new life into it which helped turn the tide in the war between Raw and Nitro. Not only that but Hogan had nothing to do with it. He was nowhere to be seen. Hogan has been a part of many defining things in wrestling history but this wasn’t one of them and in the end he was on the losing side.

It is also worth mentioning WrestleMania 18. It was suppose to be the ultimate dream match: Hogan Vs Austin. Obviously that match never happend and instead we got Rock vs Hogan and Austin vs Scott Hall. The reason given for the match never happening was that they couldn’t agree on the finish. So why is it Hogan has no problem putting Rock over (and Shawn Michaels supposedly) but not Austin? Well Hogan says, and most fans seem to agree that by facing Rock he was being brought up to Austin and Hogan level. Personally I don’t agree with this. I think Rock was as big a star as he was going to be at that point and that the match was just a nice nostalgia cherry on top.

So if losing to Rock was okay because he wasn’t on his level then he is finally admitting Austin IS on the same level as him surely? If not and if he doesn’t think Austin was quite on his level because Hulkamania is so huge, why didn’t he give Austin the rub like he did Rock? Why couldn’t he come out as the heel he was and lose in the centre of the ring to Austin who had saved the WWE all those years ago and then shake his hand? If it wasn’t for Austin there wouldn’t have been a WrestleMania 18 to have the match at. Clearly he felt that if Austin was on his level that given he had been bigger longer he should win and not lose face, which if he was as big as he thought he was he wouldn’t have anyway. Ofcourse Vince has to be taken into consideration. Now we know he will do whatever he has to for business no matter how bad he might look. We also know that Austin did get a bit big headed and full of himself on at least one occasion and refused to job (to a green Brock Lesnar). Even so I find it hard to believe that if Austin had a problem losing to Hogan because of the history and rivalry between him and the WWF (that Austin saved) that Vince wouldn’t side with Austin because lets not forget that Hogan tried to put Vince out of business and in prison. The only way I can see Vince wanting Austin to lose like that is if the plan was for Hulk and Austin to go at it at SummerSlam too but since that never gets mentioned it seems unlikely.

Maybe they thought the fans would turn on Austin. I guess we may never know the truth but you can bet no matter what it ‘WASN’T’ Hogans fault.

So looking forward, if you havn’t seen any of the videos Warrior has put out recently check them out. He pays a great amount of respect to Randy Savage and is very honest with what he has to say about him and Hogan. From the teaser he released and can be seen on DJ’s Facebook his shoot on Hogan looks to be genuinely interesting and not just another piece of poor self promotion by a jaded bitter wrestler. One thing Warrior does say is something we all should be able to agree with and that is none of us wanted to see our childhood idol rot away and become a washed up bitter has been who has done more to damage his own legacy and whore himself to anyone with cash or a camera in the way Hogan has and continues to.

If you watch it or not be sure to listen to In The Room this week (Why else would you be here….other than me obviously) and check out the guys take on the matter.

Photo by WWE

Having been away for a few weeks and after no one showed any signs they missed me I have returned. Instead of picking on one main subject I thought I would write about several I have thought about recently.

1) WWE know what is wrong with their shows which is why heels say it: If you pay attention to WWE TV you will notice that they are often harsh critics of their own product. The problem is the only people that ever say anything negative that rings true is the annoying heels. R-Truth, CM Punk, John Morrison, The Miz and of course Michael Cole all say things that are spot on about the product like it is all about Cena and Orton, no young guys get a real chance, the Divas suck (ha ha) and a lot of guys don’t have great in ring skills or can’t talk. Because it is a heel that either no one likes or has no credibility that is saying it it gets dismissed and the point becomes invalid. I call it indoctrination or propaghanda. WWE want fans particularly the younger ones to think that everything that is wrong with the shows is actually right and that by criticizing the shows you too are a loser. In some ways that is a smart business decision but on the other hand it shows that at least someone backstage knows what the problems are and instead of dealing with them they just rebrand them as positives and hope no one says anything.

2) Over The Limit Is Cursed: Don’t believe me? When the name debuted a year ago some people thought it was too much like Over The Edge which was the name of the PPV Owen Hart died at. Well getting passed that, at that PPV Orton got injured AGAIN at the hands of Edge (One of five real injuries that night) and Batista got hurt so much during his match he came down to the ring next night in a wheel chair and quit the company (storyline obviously). Fast forward a year and the poster boy for OTL ’10 (Edge) had to quit a month before OTL’11 so he didn’t legitimately end up in a wheel chair. Added to that just days before the driving themed PPV one of wrestling’s genuine legends died in a car crash. It is easy to say all those things were just coincidence and you are probably right but still, maybe they should change the name.

3) Ring Of Honour will never succeed the way people want it to: I havn’t been keeping up with what is going on in the internet wrestling world lately but I gather ROH has been sold and people are excited. On this I’m going to claim almost total ignorance so if I sound completely stupid blame it on that. I don’t know who it was sold to, if some sort of tv deal is in the works or what sort of investment is planned. What I do know is for a while at least fans have been talking about this being the moment ROH really starts to grow and some even going so far as to say it could one day rival TNA or even WWE.
Lets face facts…

ROH for all intense and purpose is a small time promotion and has a cult following. Now I say that with nothing but the greatest respect for all those that work there and a lot of those that have previously. There are many aspects to running a wrestling promotion and many factors that decide why some succeed, some fail and some just manage to survive. Something we should all be able to agree on is ROH has always gotten by on its niche appeal. That appeal may have grown in its lifetime and may continue to steadily but overall there is a limit to those that want to watch or pay for it. Something that dedicated wrestling fans need to accept is that for a company to truly take off and succeed they have to attract the mainstream casual fans and without that that promotion will never be more than well….a ROH type promotion.

If WrestleMania achieved anything this year it was to show just how much of a gap there was between wrestling fans. Some are totally on the side of spectacle and entertainment. Others are sick of that and are far more interested in the wrestling aspect. I maintain that the two are not mutually exclusive and that the true legends of wrestling were capable of combining the two. No matter how you feel about it the facts remain the same. To compete with WWE you need to have a decent amount of the sports entertainment side of things which pretty much goes against the whole ROH philosophy. Now you could easily turn around to me and say that there are lots of fans out there that want to see a more wrestling focused product and once they see what ROH has to offer the company will grow. That is true but it will never get to the size where it could compete.

For ROH to grow and compete with WWE or even TNA it will have to do what TNA did which is try and hook in new fans by changing its product to fit in with what is over with casual (WWE) fans. By doing that ROH will stop being the ROH its fans know and love. It will turn into what TNA is, a product that doesn’t really please its hardcore fanbase much anymore and certainly doesn’t please anyone else.
And even if it showed signs of competing WWE would easily destroy it.

Side Note:It does really depress me how popular TNA is here in the UK but until I’m put in charge there is nothing I can do.

4) WWE is built too much towards casual fans which could go bad quickly: Now this is obviously something we all know. There is no escaping it and to be fair it has been the case throughout wrestling’s history. The problem is just how much emphasis is put on what casual fans want and how prepared or unprepared WWE is for when little Johnny starts getting bored and changes the channel.
Now we all have a good idea why WCW folded. We have all read the books and the stories, watched the shoot interveiws and heard the podcasts. Even now the main players in that story still argue over just who it was that made the stupid decision that caused the house of cards to collapse. The thing that never really gets said though (not outright at least), the reason why the fans lesft in their millions and have never been seen since is simple. They were mostly casual fans.

How can that be said with any degree of certainty? Because everything about the boom period of WCW, the whole Bischoff and much later towards the end Russo philosophy, the whole “Controversey creates cash” mantra was designed to appeal to a casual fan base and for a while it did. Hell, the thing was pretty much just another attraction at Universal Studios.

Decent story telling of any kind is all about keeping the audiences attention both in the short term and in the long term and it is an art form. WCW became more and more about the short term because that was what worked for a brief period during the 90′s. Short sharp shocks are what people wanted every week they tuned in. The problem is that when that is done for too long, when the short term goes on long term things falls apart. With all due respect, casual fans are like magpies to a degree. They follow what is the latest shiny popular thing untill something else that shines better comes along. And even they can get bored of the same old thing being put in front of them. What characterized WCW:

Titles that meant little if anything.

Over booked matches/matches not starting or finishing.

Too much interference.

The same exact people having the same exact matches.

The same guys on top never moving with the guys below stuck in their designated spot.

People breaking up and getting together with little notice or reason.

Stipulations that meant nothing.

Every show feeling exactly the same in so much as it bore no relation to what came before it and would have little if anything to do with what came after it.

This is exactly what WWE has become. The difference is WCW had no idea how to get out of that mindset and change when it was needed. WWF/E have always managed to adapt to changing moods and trends and hopefully will be able to when the time comes.

5) No one is bigger than WWE: I mention this because I know lots of fans are sick or Orton and Cena being on top and the way guys like Miz, Del Rio, Christian, Morrison, Ziggler, Barrett get treated.
Something Kurt Angle said once about the difference between TNA and WWE right now is that TNA want to have global stars that are bigger than the company in order to help bring attention to both wrestling and in particular TNA.

A hard as it is to believe WWE don’t want anyone to be a huge mainstream star in that way.

Part of the reason guys are booked how they are and kept in spots they are better than, why WWE owns their names and everything about them, why they all have to go to develpomental to learn to wrestle the same way and cut the same promos is so no one can stand out and take off without WWE say so. They even have the guys that could cross over appear in their own crappy movies partly for that reason. WWE want to control every aspect of wrestling possible. If someone did what Hogan/Austin/Rock did then WWE wouldn’t be in control of what that person did or said and that person wouldn’t need WWE anymore. In Orton and Cena they have found two guys that are very over but are also loyal/smart enough to not push their luck and try and garner any real mainstream success. No matter what they do the fact they are a ‘WWE Superstar’ comes above all else and that is how it will remain. So until fans get bored of Cena and Orton don’t expect anyone to seriously step into and challenge the established main event order.

6)The E is for Experience: For a while now it has been clear that the audiences at WWE live shows spend long periods not really into anything going on in front of them. It is easy to say that the product is so crap that even the people that pay to see it think it sucks and there is almost certainly an element of truth to that. I on the other hand think there is a different issue which is the fan base are both mostly casual fans but also thanks to many years of kayfabe being broken and the rise of internet sites and social networks the fans are too cynical and smart . They are smasual fans (I’m sure it’s a word).

Long ago in the simpler times when wrestling was huge and everyone was into it, men and women across all demographics would tune in and no matter how much controversey there was and how much kayfabe was broken, fans were willing to see past that and suspend disbelief. They loved wrestling and being a part of it. Now when you watch the fans the attitude has shifted somewhat. When fans used to see a wrestler they liked they cheered and when there was one they hated they booed regardless who was meant to be face or heel. When wrestlers were near by all the fans would get up and be like ” Holy shit it’s Shawn Michaels…..I hope you get you ass kicked pretty boy!” or ” WHOOOOO Stone Cold, kick his ass!” Things like that rarely happen to that degree anymore. When wrestlers leave the ring and go near the crowd far too often the fans, that paid to go and even have the t-shirt just kind of sit back and regard what is going on in front of them as some kind of exhibit and are much more ” Hey look an actual WWE Superstar” like they are at the zoo or back in Universal watching WCW. Often when the camera is on the crowd you can see people visibly embarassed not just because they are on tv but because they are at a WWE show live. It is though WWE has become a parody of itself and people of a certain age are in on the joke but not in a fun way. I blame WWE for depersonalising the whole experience for fans. Added to that WWE are trying to mix an old school mentality to a newer modern product and it is a mess.

WWE now sells itself as just an experience. That is why so many tv shows and even PPV’s like WrestleMania are glorified house shows. They have the exact same format every week regardless. Matches don’t matter anymore. All the fans want is to see guys like Cena, Orton,Kofi, Rey come out, hit their signature, win and leave and then go home and say they went, so WWE gives it to them. They don’t want long feuds where they have to tune in every week. They don’t care about a story being told in the match as opposed to simple three minute vignettes.

The problem is now WWE are giving less and less time to guys the fans might not really like but would if they saw them. That and younger fans aren’t ever going to get educated about wrestling or its history because they have no reason to do so. They will hear the names of guys like Bret, Shawn, Austin, Flair and Steamboat. They will even cheer when those guys show up. But why would you go and look back at those guys matches when you aren’t ever going to see them, have no idea what they did and are told little or nothing about why you should find out what made them great. WWE has an huge chunk of wrestling’s history which it will only release when it feels like it and even then only older fans will buy it. I only buy the best ofs and career sets but I doubt any John Cena fan cares about the career of Shawn Michaels or history of WCW or NWA. The worrying thing is the product by anyones standards is so forgetable that in fifteen years time John Cena fans aren’t likely to talk about one of his matches or a PPV he headlined in the way all of us talk about the wrestlers we saw growing up and that is kind of sad.

SPOLER WARNING: IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS ON THIS WEEKS SMACKDOWN DON’T READ.

Okay. So those of you that spend your time looking up wrestling spoilers and rumours like me will know that just a few days after winning the World Title for the first and only ever time Christian has lost it to Randy Orton on SmackDown during this weeks tapings. Now I’m sure a lot of WWE fans were very happy when Christian finally won his first World Title after all these years and likewise I’m sure most people will be sad to see him lose it in such a short space of time and in the way that he has. As easy as it is to get mad at WWE for doing things like that there are things that need to be considered before everyone gets their panties in a wad. Now believe it or not, every wrestler isn’t trying to be the next Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold. Sure if they were given the oppurtunity to main event shows and carry the big titles I’m sure they would all jump at the chance and give it everything they had but that isn’t the shared goal of every man and woman that has ever laced up their boots and stepped into a wrestling ring. A lot of them just want to be able to do what they love full time and make a living out of it.

Something that has stuck with me since I heard it was something Mick Foley said in an interview not long after he joined TNA. The interviewer started by saying somewhat jokingly ” I guess you don’t care about going into the Hall Of Fame then” Mick replied lightheartedly but at the same time making a point in the way he does by saying ” I have never let Vince McMahon or anyone else define what ‘Success’ is for me.” Now that could easily be seen as an ex-employee just being childish and acting like he doesn’t care what other people think, but he has a point. It is easy for us as fans to get too focused on more than just the matches. Discussing who should be a top guy, who is crap, who is showing potential, who is the best worker etc is all part of the fun of being a wrestling fan. The problem is sometimes we focus too heavily on that aspect and forget that the whole thing is just meant t be fun not only for us but for the wrestlers too.

A good example of someone who only cared about his goals is Chris Jericho. If you have ever read or heard him speak about what he wanted to achieve in wrestling it normally boils down to three things.
1) Be as near to Shawn Michaels as possible.
2) Win the Intercontinental title because Ricky Steamboat did it.
and
3) Form a tag team with Owen Hart.

Now while he didn’t achieve all of those goals to the degree he would have liked, he did do pretty much everything he wanted. Everything else, the things most people will remember him for like being the first ever Undisputed champion or holding the Intercontinental title more times than anyone else were really just a rather large blob of icing on an otherwise whole cake. And when he felt it was time to leave and do something else he did that. This is the kind of thing we should want to see as opposed to people who just stick around, overstaying their welcome just because they want money or they can’t bare not being in the spotlight or worst of all, because they have nothing better to do with their lives.

There have been a lot of men and women throughout wrestling’s history who didn’t achieve the recognition or respect (at least publicly) that either we or they themselves felt they should have and it seemed like Christian was going to be another one of those people. No matter whether or not you think is suited to being a main eventer or World Champion it is hard to argue that he isn’t a great wrestler or entertainer. He has had great matches not only as a tag team guy but also as a singles wrestler. He has also been a part of some of the funniest non wrestling moments over the last decade or so. I can understand why some may not think he is a ‘Superstar’ like Cena or Orton or hell even his best friend Edge but at the same time he has held several titles, has worked well up and down the card and has usually always had something to do the entire time he has been in the WWE. And while it is easy to scoff when someone says this, he did a lot of great work in TNA and showed that given the chance he could be a top guy in any wrestling company.

Like I said, not every wrestler has the same goals and definition of success as everyone else and that includes us, their fans. While we want nothing but the best for them we shouldn’t put too much emphasis on what WE think they should be doing. It can taint our memories and put a negative slant on what should be a positive career. I myself for example have and will continue to argue that Owen Hart could and should have been WWF champion if only for a little while. I personally think it is stupid that he never got the chance to get the ball and run with it. At the same I try and remember that either way me and a lot of other people loved watching him wrestle, he won several titles, had many great matches and feuds, is respected by both his peers and fans alike but more importantly he had a whole lot of fun doing it. That is what I try to remember and Christian is a similar situation.

I think one of the biggest problems when it comes to judging who should and shouldn’t be where on a card has always been WWE. People are well aware that it isn’t always how good a wrestler someone is or how much the fans like them but more who they know and backstage politics that dictate their careers. Unfortunately those are the facts of life. Those who work hard and do everything right don’t always get what they deserve and likewise those who lie and cheat often come out of things much better than they shoud have. Wrestling is no different. With the amount of money and fame up for grabs there are a lot of people out their trying to make it to the top by fair means or foul and don’t care about who they have to tread on to get to the top. This is one of the biggest reasons fans and wrestlers get annoyed about how people get used. The sad thing is the only man you really need to impress is convinced pretty much everything he does is right and it is hard to make him change his mind once it is made up.

Regardless of what you think about Christian and his title reign it was great to see someone rewarded for their years of hard work. Kane was in a similar situation last year when he won the belt. Shawn Michaels too could be put into this boat given he won only one World Title in his entire eight year second run. While we as fans may have wanted more for them they were happy. There are lots of wrestlers out their that are or would be thrilled just to work for WWE. There are plenty of wrestlers who are perfectly fine with being a perenial mid-carder and using that as some sort of insult seems kind of stupid. There are those that are fine with just the one title or just a short time in the main event. Even winning isn’t everything. The Sandman was one of the most popular wrestlers in ECW ever and as he will say openly, he lost about 75% of all his matches and his title reigns lasted minutes more than months. But he was happy doing what he did and the fans were too.

I don’t know what Christian hoped to achieve in his career but if winning the title just once after all the years of hard work and up hill struggles, if standing in the centre of the ring atop a ladder after a really great match with his best friend looking on is enough for him, then I don’t see the point in looking at it negatively that he then lost the title only days later.On the other hand if you want to get mad because it seems like a stupid creative decision or you are sick of Randy Orton go for it. While great careers are few and far between they do exist and I hope both Christian and wrestling fans will look at the postives as opposed to what could have been.

Photo by TNA

If you listened to ITR this week (why wouldn’t you?) they brought up a very good point I think a lot of people agree with which is that in the top two promotions, the two biggest and most well crafted feuds just happen to revolve around people no one gives a damn about. This leads to two questions. First, why are they doing it? And secondly, why can’t they put all that effort somewhere else where it is needed?

First off TNA’s #1 angle which ironically is the Jarrett-Angle angle. Now I have said before that I am not the biggest fan of angles that revolve around wrestlers real life problems. I have heard many people say that any angle like that can be a good angle if it sends the right message to the audience and maybe there is some truth to that. Maybe even some R-Truth if you have read what WWE is going to do with that smoking angle. My point is nothing good can come from an angle about what is basically a long drawn out divorce/workplace romance mess. It is classic exploitation and that is all. Internet fans who heard about the whole thing before it became public will get excited to see if any shoot stuff happens but other than that who cares? People still like Kurt for the most part but no one really cares about Jeff Jarrett and they especially don’t care about Karen Angle. People like to say pro wrestling is a ‘soap opera’ and it is, but every soap good or bag has crap storylines every now and then and this would be one of them.

On their Lockdown match which I think most people thought/hoped would be the decider, it was very entertaining in some ways and typically stupid in several others. Firstly I think a new rule needs to be put into action and it is this:

KURT ANGLE SHOULD NEVER BE INVOLVED IN ANY SORT OF CAGE MATCH.

This is for his benefit as much as ours. I can think of four cage matches Kurt got involved in that were bad for him in some way. First there was the one where Kurt was meant to interfere in a cage match between Brock Lesnar and Vinnie Mac which went horribly wrong when Kurt couldn’t open the door and had to climb up the outside while everything came to a screeching halt. Then there was the one between him and Chris Benoit where both essentially tried to see who could be crazier and hurt themselves the most (history will show Kurt lost that one overall). Then came the match Kurt had with Mr Anderson at last years Lockdown which was pretty brutal and made it clear Kurt had clearly given up on that whole ‘physical well being’ thing most of us seem to care about, shown best by him moonsaulting off the top of the cage. Finally there was this years Lockdown in which Kurt was equally psychotic if not a bit more so. Not only did he perform a hurricanrana off the top rope where he almost broke his neck AGAIN but he also did another cage top moonsault.

On a side note, why does Kurt do moonsaults? I heard him joke once that Lesnar could hit a shooting star press across a ring time after time but when the moment came for him to do it on one of the defining nights of his career he froze and messed it up. Well Kurt has never done a great moonsault. The only time I think of ‘Kurt Angle Moonsault’ and ‘hit’ I also think ‘Hardcore Holly’ and ‘broken arm’ so maybe he should consider giving them up for a bit.

As you would expect from a TNA anything, it ended poorly. A major problem with cage matches where the point is the heel can’t escape, is the door. Having it so the point is the heel is going to try and escape while the face tries to get revenge is fine. The problem comes when the face has the match won but chooses to re-enter the cage from a winning position. So many times I have seen that situation and so many times it has pissed me off. I know it is meant to create tension but it is stupid. There was literally nothing stopping Kurt from walking down two steps, winning the match then doing a 180 and going back in the cage seconds later. Angle going back in to hurt Jarrett some more and ending up losing the match just makes him look stupid. It is kind of like ‘Autumns Piano’ (look it up). He could have had both. If the door wasn’t there and you had to climb out of the cage to win, this whole thing would make a bit more sense. Standing on the top of the cage and seeing a match won on one hand and revenge on the other makes some kind of sense because then Kurt would be forced to choose which one he wanted instead of just not winning and beating Jarret up some more.

Alas, it seems this feud will continue thanks to Karen Angle and ‘Some Kind Of Spray!!!’ If you have read any spoilers, it seems TNA are going to try and either give Angle a girlfriend or bring up the not so secret rumor of him cheating on Karen with Angelina Love. I’m sure it will be great. Everything else will suck but people won’t care once they see this.

Next there is WWE and their best feud, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler. Considering this is their hottest feud they have done a great job of slowly killing it. Instead of having Cole lose and get his ass kicked at Mania they just used that as a chance to further the storyline which no one wanted to see. In fact all of Mania seemed to just be another part of a bigger storyline. Triple H vs Undertaker was basically building a match down the line and even the main event was basically just setting up next years main event (?) Remember when WWE PPVs had closure to them? Me neither.

No matter what, this needs to stop. Cole is too annoying and basically takes up more of WWE programming than Cena and Orton combined. It isn’t fun anymore so please let it die. Use that energy to build new stars and give titles meaning again.

While I’m here a few words on Cole getting ‘Knighted’. I changed channel when his foot came out but saw before and after. Several people have commented on the London crowd’s reaction to the fake Queen. Obviously I can’t speak for everyone and I wasn’t there but I put it down to two things:

1) It isn’t often we get to see much pro wrestling over here so we will go along with whatever we get which in some ways is the general mood of all WWE fans.

2) The whole Queen/Royal family thing is so boring and cliche I imagine a lot of fans were just thinking “Really? You’re actually going to do the whole British people/Queen bit? Okay. Whatever”

There are so many better ways to get heat and take the piss out of us over here. Try harder.

And I heard quite a few people say that Mason Ryan didn’t have a match or get over because WWE didn’t want the British fans to cheer for him when he is a heel. To those people I would say, London is in England. Mason Ryan is from Wales. They are different countries. Look up Britain, England and Wales and the relationship between those things. If you thought people didn’t care about the Queen whether she was real or fake, you have no idea how little a random London audience would care about someone who just happens to be Welsh let alone a Welsh guy who uses too much product and hair looks like it’s plastic. And he is in Nexus and who gives a damn about them.

Regardless, WWE keep showing signs they know how to build up fueds, storylines and matches AND have them be entertaining at the same time. I feel the only reason they don’t do it more often is because of this never ending quest to be taken seriously as an entertainment organization. They always were except we just used to call it wrestli…oops! Forgot we don’t use that word anymore.

Photo by TNAWrestling

A news story that seems to be causing a bit of a stir at the moment is that of Scott Hall turning up to a show wasted and making a fool out of himself. Now I have read a few bits and pieces including what a certain someone thinks over at the site that shall not be named and I feel the need to go on another one of my self-righteous rants again.

Firstly, why this came as a shock to anyone is beyond me. Scott Hall’s problems are well known and the fact he is/was still trying to overcome those problems is also well known. Booking him for an event at this time was obviously a mistake and really all those involved should feel foolish. On the other hand who is to say the promoters didn’t book him well aware of what probably would happen. The story has certainly got their name out more than the event simply going off without a hitch. I doubt it but you never know.

Secondly and more importantly, this whole thing about paying to watch the video of the incident is really sick. Why would anyone want to watch that? The more pressing question is why is the promotion involved doing it? I know some people are saying it is business and the promotion is just trying to get their money back, well…

A) Anyone stupid enough to hire someone in Scott Hall’s condition deserves what they get. The guy is an alcoholic. He turned up drunk. WHAT A SUPRISE! Dont take a gamble if you can’t afford to lose.

B) Call it what you want but selling clips of the thing is sick as is watching them. The word that describes the situation is exploitation. Not of an opportunity but of a human being. You can call it business or whatever you want but at the end of the day what you are doing is trying to make money off a pathetic, sick, old man in a vunerable state. Would it still be a money making opportunity if he shit or pissed himself in the middle of the ring? Would it have made for good business if he fell down dead on the mat? Two wrongs don’t not make a right and there comes a point where money has to take a backseat to basic human compassion.

A simple mantra I try and live by is ‘How you treat the weak is your true nature calling.’ (From a Jane’s Addiction song) Regardless of where it comes from it rings true. If someone desperately is in need of help and all you do is try and make money off them, that tells you the type of person that you are. If all you can do is judge or scorn or mock someone at a time of weakness, that is who you are. Plain and simple. I try my best to be if nothing else understanding and patient. I may not always accomplish that but I do my best.

I have mentioned before that I have pretty much run out of patienece with Jeff Hardy which may sound hypocritical. Maybe it is. But whereas Jeff has never admitted he has any type of problem and infact has said and tried to act to the contrary (and insulted concerned fans), Scott Hall has admitted he has a problem and is trying to seek help. This is somethig else that bugs me about the whole thing. I don’t know what people think happens when you try and overcome an addiction but it isn’t as simple as just deciding you want to. Recovery is a long process and admitting you have a problem is just the first of many steps that will continue probably for the rest of that persons life to some degree. “One day at a time” may sound cliche but that is the reality of the situation these people find themselves in.

People don’t get addicted to drugs, alcohol or whatever simply because they enjoy the way those things make them feel. The reason they get truly addicted is because those things are the only way they feel they can cope with their lives. Unless someone gets to the root cause of why they drink or do drugs then recovery is impossible. Do I or anyone else know why Scott does what he does? No. Does Scott himself? I have no idea if he does or he doesn’t which is why I will try and give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

As I have said before, we as fans and as people have a responsibility to the wrestlers that perform for us. Yes it was wrong what Scott did in taking the money and showing up in the state he did, but putting pressure on him to turn up to things such as the Hall Of Fame or any other show when he clearly isn’t ready isn’t helping. Fans and promoters should let Scott go away and get serious help for quite some time before thinking about booking him again. I understand it is hard to be patient with someone when they keep making mistakes over and over again and yeah there probably are some people that are simply lost causes, but imagine what your life would have been like if everytime you made a mistake those around you just washed their hands of you.

Photo by WWE

So WWE finally did it. No longer are they World Wrestling Entertainment but rather just WWE inc. This is something that has been talked about for quite some time, that WWE were going to take another big step away from being a professional wrestling organization. Ironically though they have also removed the ‘Entertainment’ part from their name and to me that is the real thing they are lacking right now.

Now if WrestleMania achieved anything it was reigniting the debate of ‘Wrestling’ vs entertainment. Everyone has an opinion on it. I personally feel that a company can have both technically sound wrestling matches as well as more story driven or comedy aspects. Really that is one of the main reasons the ‘Attitude’ era of pro wrestling worked so well. A standard card would be a total mix between big names stars, smaller named technicians, high flying cruiserweights,tag teams, women and hardcore wrestling etc. Whatever you liked would be somewhere on the card and most parts were given a decent amount of attention. I still think the best wrestlers are those that can combine being the ‘Superstar’ entertainer as well as a good in ring performer. Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Ricky Steamboat are all considered legends, all drew money and all could wrestle as well as be the larger than life character they needed to be to get over. And there are many more besides them.

The biggest negative about Mania was how it wasn’t great in any aspect. There wasn’t really too much wrestling involved and the best people that liked it will say is, overall it was ‘entertaining’.

My first question is when did merely being overall entertaining become WWE’s goal? This may sound like my standards are too high but that is only because WWE have set the bar so high previously. And If my standards have somehow become higher than Vince McMahons isn’t there a real problem.

I don’t think having high expectations of WrestleMania is wrong at all. If WWE are going to constantly tell me that it is the biggest and best show on earth, the ‘Showcase of The Immortals’ where every man and women there tries extra hard and gives 110%, then I feel I am justified in saying it was crap when it didn’t even come close to being what they promised it should and would be. This years WrestleMania with the exception of Undertaker vs Triple H, was just an episode of Raw that went on for two hours too long. The event took place in a bigger venue (though lacked atmosphere) and was completley forgetable and that is exactly what WWE wants it to be.

Lots of fans and older wrestlers say that the problem is overbooking. There aren’t any stories anymore and instead there are too many random skits thrown in. It’s the writers fault. They don’t know anything about wrestling and if people that knew about wrestling were in charge things would be better. The thing is a lot of people think WWE is like this either because of negligence or simply being out of touch. I would argue the product before us right now is exactly the one WWE wants people to see and they know the quality of it. We know they can put on decent shows because they did it with the retro edition of RAW.

This may sound like a paranoid person coming up with conspiracy theories but WWE is now essentially Big Brother in their own little version of 1984. WWE have engineered a situation where they have pretty much total dominace of not only the current pro wrestling scene but more importantly wrestlings history. The reason all the shows suck and are indistinguishable from every other one is by design. They have conditioned wrestling fans to accept that their shows are occasional, mildly amusing little segments that have no connection. Why? Because now WWE is in total control. They want us to remember only what they want us to and forget everything else untill it suits them. They know they can put out whatever they want and people will watch it and if they don’t like it they will automatically forget about it and move on to the next one. We could miss every WWE show from now untill WrestleMania 28 and it would make no difference whatsoever to how we felt about the PPV. The Miz could be champion for the next year or the belt could bounce from one person to the next each week and things would be exactly the same.

For me personally one of the most worrying things is WWE has the power to erase almost anyone they want to from wrestling history. Now while there may be situations were that is a good thing (naming no names) it also means everyone working for them is disposable and replacable. If you do something WWE doesn’t like you will be erased as though you had never been there and there isn’t a thing you could do about it. WWE could tomorrow remove all traces of Hulk Hogan from the history books and things would go on just fine. No one would complain. No one would boycott. All that would happen is those who knew the truth would say “Looks like Hogan’s gone” and that would be it. He would fade into being just a memory.

Wrestling is now another one of those dirty words people are meant to frown upon. Unfortunately not everyone is too happy about that. Melina tweeted that the Divas could wrestle as well as anyone else given the opportunity. The point is they aren’t there for that. Like everyone else they are simply a pretty five minute distraction before the next one. Really the men and women that wanted to be wrestlers are now screwed. Imagine growing up wanting to be the next Ric Flair, learning how to wrestle, travelling around the world to build a name for yourself and when you finally get to WWE they tell you that everything you have ever done meant nothing, that no matter how talented you are you will wrestle their way and if you do something they don’t like or they simply get bored of you, then anything you did while there will be forgotten. It is easy to see why some wrestlers wouldn’t want to give 100% when they knew they were living on borrowed time. It is also understandable why some that are faced with that reality turn to things they shouldn’t like drink or drugs to get through what some may consider a hollow existence. Maybe Hunter can help now he is in charge of bringing in new talent.

While the wrestling has certainly gone, WWE still believe they are capable of being a giant entertainment organization and I think they are out to prove that. I don’t know what they want to put on their own TV channel but I doubt it will be great. The crappy movies will keep coming and so will the action figures and video games. And people will but them because…..it’s WWE. George Lucas once said the Star Wars movies only existed to create backstory for the characters of the toys and I think that is what the modern day wrestler is. They are simply a name, a look, a moveset and a catchphrase for kids to buy into. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you can do in the ring, as long as you have the right look and a logo or catchphrase they can put on a T-shirt you will have a long career in WWE. Wrestling has always had an element of that about it but never in such a corporate way.

What I say might sound a tad extreme but look at it like this, what is the difference between TNA and WWE? The honest answer to that is really nothing except people watch WWE because it is ‘The WWE’ and we know they CAN do better but choose not to. TNA’s problem is they SHOULD do better but won’t. And WWE shouldn’t worry about destroying TNA. TNA is wrestling’s answer to communism. On paper it sounds like an okay idea but in practice it falls apart because those in charge are selfish idiots and eventually it will destroy itself. For now WWE are the capitalist king-pins slowly buying up the world one bit at a time and we are just caught in the middle. Looks like Cornette was right all along.

Photo by WWE

I like everyone else just watched WrestleMania 27 and while it wasn’t the worst PPV I have ever seen (this year) there were certainly a whole lot of things wrong with it. From the bottom of the card to the top, planning and execution was bad and I don’t think there is any real excuse for it. Now obviously I can’t pretend to understand the complexities of running a live event the size of WrestleMania. What I can say however is that WWE do and should still know how to do it right.

First off, the order: I don’t know who Sheamus and Bryan have pissed off but they must be pretty annoyed to not even get on the actual show itself. I don’t know if it was for timing reasons or political ones but this made no sense. Two of the hottest young talents that should have a big future in the business, who are meant to be having a title match just disappear. There was a no one cares battle royal though.

So what opened the card instead? The World Heavyweight Title match: I’m sorry but I really don’t get the thinking behind that. Actually I do.They wanted an unimportant title match with a face win to start the show and since Sheamus and Bryan clearly didn’t fit the bill this was all that was left. To me this was one of many disappointments of Wrestle Mania. It made so much sense for Del Rio to achieve his destiny but instead he just had a reasonably decent match with Edge. Nothing wrong with that except all the promise and momentum going in has now gone. The Royal Rumble was a waste. Del Rio hardly even acted upset at losing the match and Christian did nothing. All the possibilities between the three men hit a brick wall. Not only that but after the match a bunch of time was wasted on scratching a car. Given how much of a flop the match turned out to be and how short everyone was on time supposedly, I have to ask what the point was.

Next up was Cody Rhodes vs Rey Mysterio: Like we all suspected this was a good match. I wasn’t suprised Cody won and I enjoyed it for what it was. Considering I missed most of the build I think they did a good job. My only problem was Cole. How much of him talking is the heel character and how much is simply him being an asshole is hard to determine. Either way he spoiled most of the matches he called. I know everyone says he is the top announcer and pretty much eveyone else sucks but that is only because he talks over everyone. He always interrupts points people are trying to make which are often good and have something to do with the match, and his come-backs to jokes were terrible. To me Josh Matthews and someone with a bit more charisma like Booker T for example are a decent enough team. When J.R joined those two it was great so clearly they can do it.

I think Cody botched the ending by throwing the brace into the ring right in front of the ref which they then cut away from and it disappeared seconds later.

Next came The Corre vs Bigshow et al: I went to get a bite to eat and when I came back five minutes later it was over. Thank god for small mercies. A smart move, though why this wasn’t the dark match is a reasonable question to ask. Oh and The Corre took out Kozlov earlier in the day (not sure that got a mention) so Kofi was there.

Orton vs Punk next: This was one of the matches that supposedly got cut for time. That is a disappointment considering it was meant to be one of the few good matches on the card, again featuring two of WWE’s biggest names. Despite that both guys did good considering the circumstances. Allegedly Randy got mad whe he found out their place on the card and they were cut for time. Good to see he still has it in him. Again commentary was a let down, trying to argue who was more sadistic and yet more deserving of sympathy. Attacking Randy infront of his second fake wife wasn’t enough to make Punk the bad guy in my eyes. Hopefully Nexus is dead now.

Michael Cole (with Jack Swagger) vs Jerry Lawler: This match seemed to last forever. If there was one macth that could and should have easily been cut for time it was this. There were some nice moments here and there but it dragged on. Not quite as bad as Bret vs Vince but getting close. And what was the point of the screw you ending. I know when you retire you are meant to lose but since King didn’t announce his retirement why do this. No one wants more and this was meant to be the feel good match that did make you feel good so this must be a way of maintaining friction between the two. It also didn’t make any sense when you look at how many times Austin didn’t force a rope break when he should have when Cole was in control. The RAW GM needs to go. Commentary was good though.

Undertaker vs HHH: It was what we expected and a bit more. And HBK less. Again I know how important entrances are to Wrestle Mania and they were cool but if time is a factor couldn’t you speed things up. Some people don’t like the ending. I would say…

1) Undertakers shoulders were clearly both down for quite a while.
2) HHH may have walked out but he did dominate most of the match which the build up suggested he could and would.
3) He still tapped out. If he was that dedicated to looking tough wouldn’t he just pass out.

And finally it only played out like it did so at least one of them can take time off and probably set up a retirement match down the line. It was knd of a shame Shawn wasn’t involved but at the same time I have never liked the idea of him having one more match with Hunter. As I have said before, when you go out like he did (the last run, WM 26 and the RAW after) going at it one more time would ruin things in my opinion.

Again WWE were smart to cut the mixed tag down: It was quick and Morrisons Starship Pain to the outside was cool. Even Snooki suprised me and looked good or at least more mobile than I expected.

FINALLY THE MAIN EVENT: The Miz (with Alex Riley) vs John Cena. THIS WAS TERRIBLE. The Miz’s video package was really good and I think did more to build him up as a top guy than anything WWE had done since he became Champion. That said when he came to the ring he wasn’t his normal self. Then came the choir for Cena’s entrance. I feel sorry for them and a lot of people say they only go booed because people hate Cena. WELL THEN DON’T HAVE HIM COME OUT TO AN ENTIRE CHOIR THEN! It was staggering to watch beacuase of how ludacris it was and how obvious it was that it wouldn’t go down well. Neither Vince nor Cena are masters of subtlety but come on. At least his new T-shirt looks nice.

Now I don’t know why Cena wasn’t happy but he clearly wasn’t. Again the lack of time theory comes into play. I’m sure some will say it is because he was going to lose but he has lost big matches before. He is also no matter what you think a renowed pro. I think if he had to lose to help Miz and get a match against Rock out of it he would be fine with that. His video package reminded me of the one just before he got ‘fired’ when he was the guest ref which should have been a sign. Either way the match was meh. It was atleast 60% Miz all the way through(again). The interferences from Riley did sometimes seem rushed or uneeded ike they had to cram it all in. The first ending was stupid and we all knew what would happen. When Rock re-started and said NO DQ my hopes were high but Cena supermanned up for twenty seconds and I was worried. But then Rock cost him the match and again it felt like an enternity was spent on Rock not doing much than beating up Miz. Goodnight.

I don’t think time is a good enough excuse. WWE had an extra hour of uninterrupted commercial free air to fill and messed it up. If this show was a normal three hour show then yeah I can understand the rush to get it all in on time, but considering how many matches there were, how many were really filler or simple blow off matches there isn’t a reason they couldn’t have put things together better. Have WWE forgot? Have they spent too long doing the same old boring stuff that when it is time to step their game up they just fall flat. I think the worry is that like so many things WWE does nowadays they either don’t really know or care about doing things properly so fans go home happy and that is something I never thought I would see. When you get ‘Bullshit!’ chants and you aren’t Vince Russo or Eric B, you need to take a long hard look at yourself.