Welcome to the latest and not so greatest edition of the No Smark Zone. Now, I know it was a looooooooooooong time ago; but do you, my loyal readers, remember what I did last time? Way back when about 2 weeks ago? I 
praised TNA! And you know what, I am going to continue in that vein of messing with perceptions of “Papa Kaedon”, and tear into the WWE. Specifically, I will do it over how I think they are shitting all over what the Survivor Series was meant to be originally. I will also talk about the role of “gimmicks” in professional wrestling as opposed to characters. Finally, I will talk about the illogical use of “swerves” in the WWE. But first thing’s first, it’s the return of the NSZs most popular segment….Fact or Fiction!
CM Punk is being shat upon with his recent demotion to the midcard when he could clearly be used better in the main event as opposed to the WWE giving us Jericho/Cena for the 90th time.
Soulpower- Fact:I used to disagree with you when you (Kaedon) would say that Punk would never win another World Title. Now, I have to agree. Other than winning the tag titles (Which isn't worth all that much), he's done NOTHING of late... You know, except being Orton's bitch. I don't know who Punk pissed off, but it doesn't look like things are going to get better for him anytime soon.
Scotty_Goldman- Fact. Punk was sent straight to Mid before even getting a rematch clause. CM Punk had won the title with so much momentum starting at Wrestlemania winning the money in the bank and then suddenly beating the ultamite oppertunist Edge. Then when Randy Orton kicked him in the back of the head 'injuring' him Punk never got a match with Orton or a match with the Champ after him Jericho thus being screwed out of his main event spot and thrown into the tag team division.
monkeystyle- First off I just want to say I disagree with the assesment of the Jericho/Cena match being repetative. They had one feud. Anyway, fact. Only because he got no manner of revenge over Randy Orton thus far and I'm pretty sure he's not going to be getting anymore. Even if he somehow gets the pin on Orton at SS, it won't mean as much as it would've if he got even one good one on one win.
Montana- Fiction: He’s wearing gold, that’s all I know. He’s fueding with Randy Orton a top guy. I don’t feel he has been all that demoted. He may not be headling PPV’s but he is certainly still a top guy on the raw brand. It’s the fact Cena is a bigger draw than Punk, and that’s why Cena/Jericho would likely be a more appealing match. Plus their history.
Kaedon- I have been saying this since the day after he won, he will never EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVARRRRRR get the title again, and I stand by that. Unless the roster gets really effing thin or there is a magical convergence of the stars, there is no way in hell he’s a world champ again. Is he being shit on? FACT. I think he is. He could be utilized so much better in the main event scene with Batista, Orton, Cena, and Jericho. He COULD inject a breath of fresh air. Unless this is all part of a long term year long plan, Punk is getting completely fucked over.
Sticking with the tag team theme, the WWE are finally using Carlito properly for the first time in a long time, by teaming him with his brother Primo over on SD.
Soulpower- Fact:Carlito has been as entertaining as he's been since his first run as a heel. Not only that, but he's looked motivated in the ring, add in the fact that his presence gives Primo someone to play off of, and this is one thing that WWE is doing right at the moment.
Scotty_Goldman- Fact. The last time Carlito had a title was in 2006 being the IC Title other then that he was used inproperly and put in the 'dog house' so to speak. Carlito is a great character and he can go all out in the ring and have great matches but this may be his chance to shine because he has not done anything worthwile or memorable in his whole career since beating John Cena on his first night here in Dec 04 for the US gold.
monkeystyle- Both, I guess it depends on your outlook. Essentially the way I see it is, Carlito is being used to build up Primo, who comes off as much like Carlito but harder working. Which has been the top issue between Carlito and the WWE. This ends with Primo getting the push and Carlito getting the shaft imo.
Montana- Fiction: He’s been used correctly in the past. I thought him teaming with Flair was a decent angle. His debut run was solid. As holder of the US/IC belts he’s done well. I do think him and his brother sync up really nice though. Everything they do, seems to fit.
Kaedon- If there was a way to say something more potent than FACT, Id say it. I cant say this enough, this is the best he has been used ever. I know others might disagree, but I’ve never seen him look so crisp in the ring and better on the mic. He’s always been a funny guy, but now its better somehow. I think it might be because he is playing off his brother and it seems more authentic than when he was working with MMMMMM….MMMMMM……Matt Morgan.
The, now probably, return to the WWE of Christian will give the company a shot in the arm it sorely needs.
Soulpower- Fiction:Will it make for a nice change in the Mid to Upper Card? Yes... But that's about it. Christian will get sell some shirts, and get some cheers, but his impact (DID U C WHAT I DID THAR?) in the company won't be that big.
Scotty_Goldman- True Fact, Christian has picked up a lot of momentum from when he left WWE in 05 and if he comes back it will give a good bost to whatever brand he would go to as before he left he was a mid carder and now coming in again he has a few TNA heavyweight championships under his belt. If he comes back to the WWE he will have those new credentials and will be a big time player in the Main Event scene. Hopefuly over to Smackdown where he can meet up wtih his brother Edge.
monkeystyle- Fiction and anyone who disagrees is an idiot. Unless your name is The Rock you are not going to make a difference in ratings for an extended period of time. Ever.
Montana- Fact: Christian will likely bring some fresh air to the WWE. Hopefully the booking is done correctly. It took Jericho a while to catch on again. I don’t think JBL or Big Show really added anything with their returns. I don’t see that being the case so much with Christian. I can see him coming in like a ball of fire.
Kaedon- I think MS took the question the wrong way, or statement I should say. It is a FACT that Christian will most definitely give the WWE a shot in the arm no matter where he goes. He wont shake the foundation of the WWE because no one other than The Rock and Austin can do that anymore. Maybe Sting if he signed on for a dream match with Taker, HBK, or HHH, but that’s it. Christian, however, will definitely provide a breath of fresh air. Frankly, I’d like to see him end up on Smackdown because the main event scene there is quite frankly in the toilet. Even with Edge back, its still only him and Big Show as the top tier heels. If he came back and reformed the EnC connection, Id be a great thing for the blue pill.
The Main Event Mafia is the best angle TNA has ever done.
Soulpower- Fact:By default. Seriously, what other long-term angle has TNA ever done that was actually good?
Scotty_Goldman- Fiction, don't you want to phrase that 'MEM is the best thing TNA has taken from WCW?' other then that TNA has come up with better things. The thing is TNA wants to be in the WWE's spotlight so bad and be like WWE that they put the WWE's wrestlers like Steiner, Angle, Booker, Nash etc. over guys that they have that will be the future over these old people. TNA was better before people came over and they had AJ and Joe and Sabin running X Division that was the prime of TNA this is just sad that Russo can't do anything new so he takes an idea he used on WCW in the mid 90's that FAILED.
monkeystyle- Fact. What else can I say? I'm actually watching.
Montana- Fiction: Angle/Joe was a pretty damn good angle in my opinion. That led to a blockbuster match of the decade, where is the MEM going to lead? As far as a storyline perspective, its one of the best. But on the same note, Angle/Joe brought a lot of new viewers to TNA. We really haven’t seen the benefit of MEM yet.
Kaedon- FACT. Wow, I’m pretty positive for this one. I love this MEM angle for two reasons. One, I love stables. Ever since I was watching the 4 Horsemen and the nWo I loved them. So I am just a “faction mark”. But also, it creates a good way, in fact a GREAT WAY for the younger talent in TNA to get over. I think Vince Russo desperately wants to get rid of the stain of that FAILED Millionaires Club angle that was the death nail of WCW. And this time, with the direction of Jeff Jarrett and Jim Cournette; guys who, you know, KNOW WRESTLING, it could be a more memorable angle in WRESTLING history, not just in TNA.
The WWE would be better off leaving the “Vince McMahon” character dead and/or out of commission forever as he has pretty much lost the response he originally had with Austin.
Soulpower- Push:It doesn't matter. It the not so distant future, Vince will make his "triumphant" return to WWE television, and he'll dominate RAW, while taking away time from the actual wrestlers.
Scotty_Goldman- Fact, sure he is a genious at what he does but he should just give the on screen things to his children so they would be atleast over when he dies and someone will take the spot with a bit of authority and respect around.
monkeystyle- I dunno, I'm indifferent to this. If there is a good idea, then use him, if not then keep him off TV.
Montana- Fiction: He’s one of the greatest characters in wrestling history. He adds a lot to each show. I think a return would add to the program. There really wasn’t a proper end either. If it was the car blowing up, maybe. But not they way he went out.
Kaedon- FICTION. Finally I snuck one in there. Vince McMahon is one of the greatest characters in the history of the business, hands down. You can say he’s boring, annoying, this, that, and the other, but the fact of the matter is, people hate him. I hate him. I cant name more than a handful of times he was on screen that I was going “I wish someone would punch him in the fucking head.” The guy is a heat magnet. It may have tapered off since the Attitude Era, but the heat is still there. And I can say with all certainty in my mind that if he came back tomorrow, he’d be as hated as he was the day he left.
This weekend was what used to be, by far, my favorite WWE pay per view; the Survivor Series. I remember when I was a kid, and didn’t have cable (imagine that kiddies, NO CABLE!) I used to have my parents take me to the video (HEAR THAT VIDEO) store where I would rent every wrestling tape I could get my hands on. I actually had a fine video collection going until those shrewd marketers rolled out the digital video disc. But I’d get everything I could and the ones I’d find myself renting over and over again was, besides the special videos that had one off match ups between guys like Tito Santana and Dino Bravo or (later) Razor Ramon defending his IC title vs. Ludwig Borga, was the Survivor Series. The first time I remember seeing the PPV was the first Survivor Series of 1987. I didn’t know any of the characters, because by that time, this was around 1992 or 3, almost all of the guys who were players in the PPV, and even bit players, were gone. The first match I saw was a TEN TEAM, and therefore TWENTY MAN tag match. It was…Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel), The Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers), The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond), The Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell and Brian Blair), and the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart), The Islanders (Haku and Tama), Demolition (Ax and Smash), The Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov) (w/Slick), and The New Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo). Now think of this from my little kid perspective. I had never, EEEEEEEEEEEEver seen anything like this before. I think I had seen a Royal Rumble and a few of these meaningless battle royals they had on the Coliseum Video Exclusive Videos, but this was something that was beyond my comprehension. “Wait, what? TWENTY GUYS!?” I was hooked. That was it man. The main event of the night was the old Anti-Hogan alliance of Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, Butch Reed, Rick Rude, and The One Man Gang vs. Hogan and his Hulkamaniacs Paul Orndorff, Ken Patera, Bam Bam Bigelow, and the ORIGINAL “Rock” Don Muraco. I had no idea who any of those guys were except for Hogan, Bundy, and Andre. But I did know that fuck, these guys were all monsters and they were gonna go at it. And the heels were billed as the largest collective team in the history of wrestling, and shit like that sold back then. As the years progressed, at least until 1990, there was always a Hogan team vs. the Anti-Hogan team, because he was the shit back then. Then in 1991 the dynamic of it all was changed when Hulk Hogan was no longer on a team, he defended his title against The Undertaker. We still had our tag matches, but it was somehow different. And it continued this way, with there being more and more singles matches, and less and less tag matches. But it wasn’t until the 2000’s that the WWE really started treating this show like it was just another PPV.
The WWE, now a days, are shitting all over what the Survivor Series used to be, and it was two fold. One, it was a place to settle major scores. The Ultimate Warrior was perused by Bobby Hennan for close to 5 years, and every year at the SS, there was a Heenan team (or mostly thereof) taking on a Warrior team. It was also a major place to have an exhibition of matches (one on one within the context of the 5 on 5 or 4 on 4) that you would never get to see anywhere else. Through the 1990s, the major feuds involved Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler, The Undertaker and whatever guy was coming after him at that time, along with the always classic American vs. Foreign team. So what makes now any different? Well I think it can all boil down to ONE thing, laziness. The WWE have become outright fucking lazy when it comes to this. For the past, we’ll say eight years, since 2000, the WWE have just given us token SS matches and built the PPV around a big singles match, or in the case of 2002, I believe, it was the first ever Elimination Chamber match. No longer will a team captain go out and look for “help” for his team, he is just assigned guys. It’s a foregone conclusion. Why is Rey Mysterio teaming up with HBK? Because Kane is teaming up with JBL. Why is Kane teaming up with JBL? Because Rey is teaming up with HBK. Do you see the circular logic here? Just like the Congress said to those moron CEOs “give us a reason to give you this money”. Give me a reason to have these guys on these teams, and that’s what the WWE isnt doing anymore. And they are therefore shitting on the Survivor Series legacy from 1987-1999 and perhaps in 2001 when the WCW and ECW invaded.
Finally, this topic came up in the forum about how the WWE needs to bring back more “gimmicks” to the business. It is a great topic for discussion. In my not so humble opinion, the WWE doesn’t need more “gimmicks”, they need more “characters”. And there is a distinction. A gimmick is a very flat, 2-dimensional thing. He/she is very transparent and what you see is what you get. No depth. A great example of “gimmick” wrestlers can be seen in the mid to late 90s with guys like Duke “The Dumpster” Drose, The Godwins, The Friar, Mantaur, Bastion Booger, Max Moon, Skinner, The Goon, The Pug Alex Porteau, and I could go on and on. None of them stuck, because they are just that, gimmicks. Short term, thin, transparent entities. Characters, on the other hand, are completely different things. Characters are very deep, usually pretty complex, and you have no idea what they are totally after only seeing them once. You may be able to put them in a box, as you can do for anything else, but as you watch them over time, you see that they don’t fit in the nice neat little box. Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, all started out with a “gimmick” and turned it into a character. That’s not to say characters cant come from gimmicks, but it is very rare. And there are, of course, exceptions. I will go through a few that are an obvious gray area, if not outright exceptions, because there are some to every rule.
Mankind- The wise and powerful Montana brought this one up in the thread. I think this is a clear example of how a person can start out with a gimmick, and lets face it, that’s what early Mankind was, a gimmick. He was a monster, plain and simple. And for a while there wasn’t much else to him until he hooked up with Paul Bearer. He was just an animal, literally. He was deformed so he didn’t look human, and he wore half a mask. But then when he hooked up with Paul Bearer and started getting deeper into his feud with Undertaker, we learned he wasn’t an animal, but a broken, beaten, and scarred man. And he developed from there. Mandible claw on JR, hitting himself in the head with a chair, and god knows what else; the guy was an enigma with a mask on.
Goldust- Man did Dustin get hosed or what? Christ, can you name a worse gimmick to be slapped with? And, to his credit, he made the shit work. He made it work so well, he was able to turn Goldust FACE!! He started out as a freak, really and became this guy who was a staple of the WWE program who could have longer matches with anyone because, despite what his gimmick may have lead you to believe, he was a hell of a hand in the ring. And not only did he get an initial IC title push, we went on to win other titles, as well as be involved in one of the more memorable feuds in Wrestlemania history with Roddy Piper.
The Ultimate Warrior- If ever there was a man who went to the top on style and no substance, it was the Ultimate Warrior. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was a huge fan of his, so what he did worked, but how much depth was there to the Warrior? When you ask what is cool about him, most people say the paint, the music, or the fact that he went in there and just obliterated anyone who got in his way. That’s all there was to him. The only time they got close to adding more to him was when he was feuding with Macho Man, which culminated in one of the greatest WM matches of all time. He had Mach beat and he started looking up at the “gods” or whatever and you, for once, went “what the fuck is he doing?” You could question him as it being more than just the power and the paint. But, what can I say, it got over like nobodies business and he was, and always will be remembered as, one of the top stars in the business. If the WWE ever make him really well in a video game, I will gladly use him to beat the fuck out of people!
The Honkey Tonk Man- This is another close one. Like Mankind and to a lesser extent Goldust, The Honkey Tonk Man started out as a gimmick, an Elvis rip off, and holy shit did he get over. If I’m not mistaken, he was a major, if not the major player in Mid-South wrestling back in the day. This greasy haired, shiny suit wearing guy CARRIED A TERRITORY. He then came to the WWE and was a staple in the IC title division for god knows how long and held the title for almost, what, 9 months? There is NO WAY, that enough people just looked at him and said “hey its Elvis” and stayed that over for that long. So what did he do? He showed his personality and at WM 3, he “showed his ass” when he turned heel on Jake The Snake who turned face at the same time and became a really hated heel. He’s told stories of how he’d have to fight his way out of bars at times because of how much heat he had. So he could be another exception to this rule.
The Undertaker/Kane- I lumped these together because they are, for the most part, pretty much the same thing, as far as development from gimmick to character goes. The Undertaker and Kane both debuted as these invincible supermen. The Undertaker had a distinct advantage in that there had never been a character like him in the history of the business. Kane was basically Undertaker 2, only a lot edgier. The Undertaker had to take years to develop depth to his character with the addition of Paul Bearer, the funeral parlor talk segment, the making of caskets thus playing on the fears of his foes. The one advantage Kane had was he walked into a ready made storyline, so he had instant depth to him as soon as he came out. More than just being a monster, he was the bastard brother of the cornerstone of the WWE, and he was pissed. But if he just came out as a monster in red, ran through people, set them on fire or whatever, there is NO WAY he would have gotten over as strong as he did. The WWE have been doing that for years with gimmick guys, and they never ever get over (with the exception of the Warrior). Snitsky, Giant Gonzalez, Kurrgan, Khali (no he’s not that over) that other huge douchebag in the oddities; a guy who is big and imposing can only take you so far. You need to have more to them to make it sell.
So what is my point? Gimmicks generally don’t sell or bring people in, but characters do. Instead of the WWE bringing back TL Hopper or Techno Team 2000, lets focus on developing characters people can identify with. And with that, you follow the KISS methodology; “Keep It Simple, Stupid!”
Finally, before we go, Id like to comment on this recent trend I see happening in the WWE. It’s been happening in some form or another, really, since MITB I. This idea of a surprise or swerve title match or contender. I got really pissed off when Chris Jericho won the world title at Unforgiven. He wasn’t advertised at all and was basically a last minute replacement for no good fucking reason. The same thing happened last Sunday with Edge at the Survivor Series. Is it me or is the WWE basically shitting all over our minds saying “well we will just throw whoever we want into whatever match we want, no matter how dumb it seems. I mean it makes sense that MITB guys like Punk and Edge would cash it in and win. But there is little reason for Vickie to throw Edge in there other than the fact that she can. And really, who gives a shit if she can? Vince McMahon CAN come out on Raw next Monday and name his daughter Stephanie the new World Heavyweight Champion and mandate that she doesn’t ever have to defend it, but he wouldn’t. Why? IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!! This is the kind of booking I’d expect from TNA, not from the WWE. I just don’t get it at all. If we are going to believe in the “rules” of wrestling, they have to be obeyed the majority of the time, otherwise when you break them, it means nothing. This goes back to what I was saying about the Survivor Series. Its fucking meaningless because they don’t pay attention to the small stuff anymore. How much would it have taken to do some small bits of foreshadowing of Punk being out of his match or Jeff Hardy being out of his match? Not much. But throwing up “Oh he’s now out and this guy is now in” or in the case of Edge being in the match, he could have just been in the match itself, making it a triple threat because the fans SHIT ALL OVER Kozlov vs. HHH. And with good reason, the match was the shits. But they had to save their swerve. To be fair, adding Edge to the match might not have made it THAT MUCH better, because the shock value was up there, but I don’t think so. I didn’t believe it when some people were saying this back when Raw was “unpredictable” after Punk won the title, but now I think they are doing swerves for the sake of swerves. A good angle is shocking AND makes sense. It’s a fine line, but the WWE has assuredly done it before. I think they are just being plain lazy.
And that is gonna do it for this edition of the No Smark Zone. Thanks for reading all of it, if you did. If not? Fuck you, you lazy bastard! :gun_rifle:
praised TNA! And you know what, I am going to continue in that vein of messing with perceptions of “Papa Kaedon”, and tear into the WWE. Specifically, I will do it over how I think they are shitting all over what the Survivor Series was meant to be originally. I will also talk about the role of “gimmicks” in professional wrestling as opposed to characters. Finally, I will talk about the illogical use of “swerves” in the WWE. But first thing’s first, it’s the return of the NSZs most popular segment….Fact or Fiction!CM Punk is being shat upon with his recent demotion to the midcard when he could clearly be used better in the main event as opposed to the WWE giving us Jericho/Cena for the 90th time.
Soulpower- Fact:I used to disagree with you when you (Kaedon) would say that Punk would never win another World Title. Now, I have to agree. Other than winning the tag titles (Which isn't worth all that much), he's done NOTHING of late... You know, except being Orton's bitch. I don't know who Punk pissed off, but it doesn't look like things are going to get better for him anytime soon.
Scotty_Goldman- Fact. Punk was sent straight to Mid before even getting a rematch clause. CM Punk had won the title with so much momentum starting at Wrestlemania winning the money in the bank and then suddenly beating the ultamite oppertunist Edge. Then when Randy Orton kicked him in the back of the head 'injuring' him Punk never got a match with Orton or a match with the Champ after him Jericho thus being screwed out of his main event spot and thrown into the tag team division.
monkeystyle- First off I just want to say I disagree with the assesment of the Jericho/Cena match being repetative. They had one feud. Anyway, fact. Only because he got no manner of revenge over Randy Orton thus far and I'm pretty sure he's not going to be getting anymore. Even if he somehow gets the pin on Orton at SS, it won't mean as much as it would've if he got even one good one on one win.
Montana- Fiction: He’s wearing gold, that’s all I know. He’s fueding with Randy Orton a top guy. I don’t feel he has been all that demoted. He may not be headling PPV’s but he is certainly still a top guy on the raw brand. It’s the fact Cena is a bigger draw than Punk, and that’s why Cena/Jericho would likely be a more appealing match. Plus their history.
Kaedon- I have been saying this since the day after he won, he will never EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVARRRRRR get the title again, and I stand by that. Unless the roster gets really effing thin or there is a magical convergence of the stars, there is no way in hell he’s a world champ again. Is he being shit on? FACT. I think he is. He could be utilized so much better in the main event scene with Batista, Orton, Cena, and Jericho. He COULD inject a breath of fresh air. Unless this is all part of a long term year long plan, Punk is getting completely fucked over.
Sticking with the tag team theme, the WWE are finally using Carlito properly for the first time in a long time, by teaming him with his brother Primo over on SD.
Soulpower- Fact:Carlito has been as entertaining as he's been since his first run as a heel. Not only that, but he's looked motivated in the ring, add in the fact that his presence gives Primo someone to play off of, and this is one thing that WWE is doing right at the moment.
Scotty_Goldman- Fact. The last time Carlito had a title was in 2006 being the IC Title other then that he was used inproperly and put in the 'dog house' so to speak. Carlito is a great character and he can go all out in the ring and have great matches but this may be his chance to shine because he has not done anything worthwile or memorable in his whole career since beating John Cena on his first night here in Dec 04 for the US gold.
monkeystyle- Both, I guess it depends on your outlook. Essentially the way I see it is, Carlito is being used to build up Primo, who comes off as much like Carlito but harder working. Which has been the top issue between Carlito and the WWE. This ends with Primo getting the push and Carlito getting the shaft imo.
Montana- Fiction: He’s been used correctly in the past. I thought him teaming with Flair was a decent angle. His debut run was solid. As holder of the US/IC belts he’s done well. I do think him and his brother sync up really nice though. Everything they do, seems to fit.
Kaedon- If there was a way to say something more potent than FACT, Id say it. I cant say this enough, this is the best he has been used ever. I know others might disagree, but I’ve never seen him look so crisp in the ring and better on the mic. He’s always been a funny guy, but now its better somehow. I think it might be because he is playing off his brother and it seems more authentic than when he was working with MMMMMM….MMMMMM……Matt Morgan.
The, now probably, return to the WWE of Christian will give the company a shot in the arm it sorely needs.
Soulpower- Fiction:Will it make for a nice change in the Mid to Upper Card? Yes... But that's about it. Christian will get sell some shirts, and get some cheers, but his impact (DID U C WHAT I DID THAR?) in the company won't be that big.
Scotty_Goldman- True Fact, Christian has picked up a lot of momentum from when he left WWE in 05 and if he comes back it will give a good bost to whatever brand he would go to as before he left he was a mid carder and now coming in again he has a few TNA heavyweight championships under his belt. If he comes back to the WWE he will have those new credentials and will be a big time player in the Main Event scene. Hopefuly over to Smackdown where he can meet up wtih his brother Edge.
monkeystyle- Fiction and anyone who disagrees is an idiot. Unless your name is The Rock you are not going to make a difference in ratings for an extended period of time. Ever.
Montana- Fact: Christian will likely bring some fresh air to the WWE. Hopefully the booking is done correctly. It took Jericho a while to catch on again. I don’t think JBL or Big Show really added anything with their returns. I don’t see that being the case so much with Christian. I can see him coming in like a ball of fire.
Kaedon- I think MS took the question the wrong way, or statement I should say. It is a FACT that Christian will most definitely give the WWE a shot in the arm no matter where he goes. He wont shake the foundation of the WWE because no one other than The Rock and Austin can do that anymore. Maybe Sting if he signed on for a dream match with Taker, HBK, or HHH, but that’s it. Christian, however, will definitely provide a breath of fresh air. Frankly, I’d like to see him end up on Smackdown because the main event scene there is quite frankly in the toilet. Even with Edge back, its still only him and Big Show as the top tier heels. If he came back and reformed the EnC connection, Id be a great thing for the blue pill.
The Main Event Mafia is the best angle TNA has ever done.
Soulpower- Fact:By default. Seriously, what other long-term angle has TNA ever done that was actually good?
Scotty_Goldman- Fiction, don't you want to phrase that 'MEM is the best thing TNA has taken from WCW?' other then that TNA has come up with better things. The thing is TNA wants to be in the WWE's spotlight so bad and be like WWE that they put the WWE's wrestlers like Steiner, Angle, Booker, Nash etc. over guys that they have that will be the future over these old people. TNA was better before people came over and they had AJ and Joe and Sabin running X Division that was the prime of TNA this is just sad that Russo can't do anything new so he takes an idea he used on WCW in the mid 90's that FAILED.
monkeystyle- Fact. What else can I say? I'm actually watching.
Montana- Fiction: Angle/Joe was a pretty damn good angle in my opinion. That led to a blockbuster match of the decade, where is the MEM going to lead? As far as a storyline perspective, its one of the best. But on the same note, Angle/Joe brought a lot of new viewers to TNA. We really haven’t seen the benefit of MEM yet.
Kaedon- FACT. Wow, I’m pretty positive for this one. I love this MEM angle for two reasons. One, I love stables. Ever since I was watching the 4 Horsemen and the nWo I loved them. So I am just a “faction mark”. But also, it creates a good way, in fact a GREAT WAY for the younger talent in TNA to get over. I think Vince Russo desperately wants to get rid of the stain of that FAILED Millionaires Club angle that was the death nail of WCW. And this time, with the direction of Jeff Jarrett and Jim Cournette; guys who, you know, KNOW WRESTLING, it could be a more memorable angle in WRESTLING history, not just in TNA.
The WWE would be better off leaving the “Vince McMahon” character dead and/or out of commission forever as he has pretty much lost the response he originally had with Austin.
Soulpower- Push:It doesn't matter. It the not so distant future, Vince will make his "triumphant" return to WWE television, and he'll dominate RAW, while taking away time from the actual wrestlers.
Scotty_Goldman- Fact, sure he is a genious at what he does but he should just give the on screen things to his children so they would be atleast over when he dies and someone will take the spot with a bit of authority and respect around.
monkeystyle- I dunno, I'm indifferent to this. If there is a good idea, then use him, if not then keep him off TV.
Montana- Fiction: He’s one of the greatest characters in wrestling history. He adds a lot to each show. I think a return would add to the program. There really wasn’t a proper end either. If it was the car blowing up, maybe. But not they way he went out.
Kaedon- FICTION. Finally I snuck one in there. Vince McMahon is one of the greatest characters in the history of the business, hands down. You can say he’s boring, annoying, this, that, and the other, but the fact of the matter is, people hate him. I hate him. I cant name more than a handful of times he was on screen that I was going “I wish someone would punch him in the fucking head.” The guy is a heat magnet. It may have tapered off since the Attitude Era, but the heat is still there. And I can say with all certainty in my mind that if he came back tomorrow, he’d be as hated as he was the day he left.
This weekend was what used to be, by far, my favorite WWE pay per view; the Survivor Series. I remember when I was a kid, and didn’t have cable (imagine that kiddies, NO CABLE!) I used to have my parents take me to the video (HEAR THAT VIDEO) store where I would rent every wrestling tape I could get my hands on. I actually had a fine video collection going until those shrewd marketers rolled out the digital video disc. But I’d get everything I could and the ones I’d find myself renting over and over again was, besides the special videos that had one off match ups between guys like Tito Santana and Dino Bravo or (later) Razor Ramon defending his IC title vs. Ludwig Borga, was the Survivor Series. The first time I remember seeing the PPV was the first Survivor Series of 1987. I didn’t know any of the characters, because by that time, this was around 1992 or 3, almost all of the guys who were players in the PPV, and even bit players, were gone. The first match I saw was a TEN TEAM, and therefore TWENTY MAN tag match. It was…Strike Force (Tito Santana and Rick Martel), The Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers), The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond), The Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell and Brian Blair), and the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart), The Islanders (Haku and Tama), Demolition (Ax and Smash), The Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov) (w/Slick), and The New Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo). Now think of this from my little kid perspective. I had never, EEEEEEEEEEEEver seen anything like this before. I think I had seen a Royal Rumble and a few of these meaningless battle royals they had on the Coliseum Video Exclusive Videos, but this was something that was beyond my comprehension. “Wait, what? TWENTY GUYS!?” I was hooked. That was it man. The main event of the night was the old Anti-Hogan alliance of Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, Butch Reed, Rick Rude, and The One Man Gang vs. Hogan and his Hulkamaniacs Paul Orndorff, Ken Patera, Bam Bam Bigelow, and the ORIGINAL “Rock” Don Muraco. I had no idea who any of those guys were except for Hogan, Bundy, and Andre. But I did know that fuck, these guys were all monsters and they were gonna go at it. And the heels were billed as the largest collective team in the history of wrestling, and shit like that sold back then. As the years progressed, at least until 1990, there was always a Hogan team vs. the Anti-Hogan team, because he was the shit back then. Then in 1991 the dynamic of it all was changed when Hulk Hogan was no longer on a team, he defended his title against The Undertaker. We still had our tag matches, but it was somehow different. And it continued this way, with there being more and more singles matches, and less and less tag matches. But it wasn’t until the 2000’s that the WWE really started treating this show like it was just another PPV.
The WWE, now a days, are shitting all over what the Survivor Series used to be, and it was two fold. One, it was a place to settle major scores. The Ultimate Warrior was perused by Bobby Hennan for close to 5 years, and every year at the SS, there was a Heenan team (or mostly thereof) taking on a Warrior team. It was also a major place to have an exhibition of matches (one on one within the context of the 5 on 5 or 4 on 4) that you would never get to see anywhere else. Through the 1990s, the major feuds involved Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler, The Undertaker and whatever guy was coming after him at that time, along with the always classic American vs. Foreign team. So what makes now any different? Well I think it can all boil down to ONE thing, laziness. The WWE have become outright fucking lazy when it comes to this. For the past, we’ll say eight years, since 2000, the WWE have just given us token SS matches and built the PPV around a big singles match, or in the case of 2002, I believe, it was the first ever Elimination Chamber match. No longer will a team captain go out and look for “help” for his team, he is just assigned guys. It’s a foregone conclusion. Why is Rey Mysterio teaming up with HBK? Because Kane is teaming up with JBL. Why is Kane teaming up with JBL? Because Rey is teaming up with HBK. Do you see the circular logic here? Just like the Congress said to those moron CEOs “give us a reason to give you this money”. Give me a reason to have these guys on these teams, and that’s what the WWE isnt doing anymore. And they are therefore shitting on the Survivor Series legacy from 1987-1999 and perhaps in 2001 when the WCW and ECW invaded.
Finally, this topic came up in the forum about how the WWE needs to bring back more “gimmicks” to the business. It is a great topic for discussion. In my not so humble opinion, the WWE doesn’t need more “gimmicks”, they need more “characters”. And there is a distinction. A gimmick is a very flat, 2-dimensional thing. He/she is very transparent and what you see is what you get. No depth. A great example of “gimmick” wrestlers can be seen in the mid to late 90s with guys like Duke “The Dumpster” Drose, The Godwins, The Friar, Mantaur, Bastion Booger, Max Moon, Skinner, The Goon, The Pug Alex Porteau, and I could go on and on. None of them stuck, because they are just that, gimmicks. Short term, thin, transparent entities. Characters, on the other hand, are completely different things. Characters are very deep, usually pretty complex, and you have no idea what they are totally after only seeing them once. You may be able to put them in a box, as you can do for anything else, but as you watch them over time, you see that they don’t fit in the nice neat little box. Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, all started out with a “gimmick” and turned it into a character. That’s not to say characters cant come from gimmicks, but it is very rare. And there are, of course, exceptions. I will go through a few that are an obvious gray area, if not outright exceptions, because there are some to every rule.
Mankind- The wise and powerful Montana brought this one up in the thread. I think this is a clear example of how a person can start out with a gimmick, and lets face it, that’s what early Mankind was, a gimmick. He was a monster, plain and simple. And for a while there wasn’t much else to him until he hooked up with Paul Bearer. He was just an animal, literally. He was deformed so he didn’t look human, and he wore half a mask. But then when he hooked up with Paul Bearer and started getting deeper into his feud with Undertaker, we learned he wasn’t an animal, but a broken, beaten, and scarred man. And he developed from there. Mandible claw on JR, hitting himself in the head with a chair, and god knows what else; the guy was an enigma with a mask on.
Goldust- Man did Dustin get hosed or what? Christ, can you name a worse gimmick to be slapped with? And, to his credit, he made the shit work. He made it work so well, he was able to turn Goldust FACE!! He started out as a freak, really and became this guy who was a staple of the WWE program who could have longer matches with anyone because, despite what his gimmick may have lead you to believe, he was a hell of a hand in the ring. And not only did he get an initial IC title push, we went on to win other titles, as well as be involved in one of the more memorable feuds in Wrestlemania history with Roddy Piper.
The Ultimate Warrior- If ever there was a man who went to the top on style and no substance, it was the Ultimate Warrior. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was a huge fan of his, so what he did worked, but how much depth was there to the Warrior? When you ask what is cool about him, most people say the paint, the music, or the fact that he went in there and just obliterated anyone who got in his way. That’s all there was to him. The only time they got close to adding more to him was when he was feuding with Macho Man, which culminated in one of the greatest WM matches of all time. He had Mach beat and he started looking up at the “gods” or whatever and you, for once, went “what the fuck is he doing?” You could question him as it being more than just the power and the paint. But, what can I say, it got over like nobodies business and he was, and always will be remembered as, one of the top stars in the business. If the WWE ever make him really well in a video game, I will gladly use him to beat the fuck out of people!
The Honkey Tonk Man- This is another close one. Like Mankind and to a lesser extent Goldust, The Honkey Tonk Man started out as a gimmick, an Elvis rip off, and holy shit did he get over. If I’m not mistaken, he was a major, if not the major player in Mid-South wrestling back in the day. This greasy haired, shiny suit wearing guy CARRIED A TERRITORY. He then came to the WWE and was a staple in the IC title division for god knows how long and held the title for almost, what, 9 months? There is NO WAY, that enough people just looked at him and said “hey its Elvis” and stayed that over for that long. So what did he do? He showed his personality and at WM 3, he “showed his ass” when he turned heel on Jake The Snake who turned face at the same time and became a really hated heel. He’s told stories of how he’d have to fight his way out of bars at times because of how much heat he had. So he could be another exception to this rule.
The Undertaker/Kane- I lumped these together because they are, for the most part, pretty much the same thing, as far as development from gimmick to character goes. The Undertaker and Kane both debuted as these invincible supermen. The Undertaker had a distinct advantage in that there had never been a character like him in the history of the business. Kane was basically Undertaker 2, only a lot edgier. The Undertaker had to take years to develop depth to his character with the addition of Paul Bearer, the funeral parlor talk segment, the making of caskets thus playing on the fears of his foes. The one advantage Kane had was he walked into a ready made storyline, so he had instant depth to him as soon as he came out. More than just being a monster, he was the bastard brother of the cornerstone of the WWE, and he was pissed. But if he just came out as a monster in red, ran through people, set them on fire or whatever, there is NO WAY he would have gotten over as strong as he did. The WWE have been doing that for years with gimmick guys, and they never ever get over (with the exception of the Warrior). Snitsky, Giant Gonzalez, Kurrgan, Khali (no he’s not that over) that other huge douchebag in the oddities; a guy who is big and imposing can only take you so far. You need to have more to them to make it sell.
So what is my point? Gimmicks generally don’t sell or bring people in, but characters do. Instead of the WWE bringing back TL Hopper or Techno Team 2000, lets focus on developing characters people can identify with. And with that, you follow the KISS methodology; “Keep It Simple, Stupid!”
Finally, before we go, Id like to comment on this recent trend I see happening in the WWE. It’s been happening in some form or another, really, since MITB I. This idea of a surprise or swerve title match or contender. I got really pissed off when Chris Jericho won the world title at Unforgiven. He wasn’t advertised at all and was basically a last minute replacement for no good fucking reason. The same thing happened last Sunday with Edge at the Survivor Series. Is it me or is the WWE basically shitting all over our minds saying “well we will just throw whoever we want into whatever match we want, no matter how dumb it seems. I mean it makes sense that MITB guys like Punk and Edge would cash it in and win. But there is little reason for Vickie to throw Edge in there other than the fact that she can. And really, who gives a shit if she can? Vince McMahon CAN come out on Raw next Monday and name his daughter Stephanie the new World Heavyweight Champion and mandate that she doesn’t ever have to defend it, but he wouldn’t. Why? IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!! This is the kind of booking I’d expect from TNA, not from the WWE. I just don’t get it at all. If we are going to believe in the “rules” of wrestling, they have to be obeyed the majority of the time, otherwise when you break them, it means nothing. This goes back to what I was saying about the Survivor Series. Its fucking meaningless because they don’t pay attention to the small stuff anymore. How much would it have taken to do some small bits of foreshadowing of Punk being out of his match or Jeff Hardy being out of his match? Not much. But throwing up “Oh he’s now out and this guy is now in” or in the case of Edge being in the match, he could have just been in the match itself, making it a triple threat because the fans SHIT ALL OVER Kozlov vs. HHH. And with good reason, the match was the shits. But they had to save their swerve. To be fair, adding Edge to the match might not have made it THAT MUCH better, because the shock value was up there, but I don’t think so. I didn’t believe it when some people were saying this back when Raw was “unpredictable” after Punk won the title, but now I think they are doing swerves for the sake of swerves. A good angle is shocking AND makes sense. It’s a fine line, but the WWE has assuredly done it before. I think they are just being plain lazy.
And that is gonna do it for this edition of the No Smark Zone. Thanks for reading all of it, if you did. If not? Fuck you, you lazy bastard! :gun_rifle:
therefore less Viagra being used