I'd really like for this blog to be about your participation as much as mine. If you have questions, or your own opinions on something I've written about (and I'm sure you will...), or even if you want to shout out your thoughts on what's going down in the weeklies or the PPV's, drop an e-mail to:
eastcoastwrestlingcollective@hotmail.co.uk
It can be about any company or brand, and if it's worth putting up here I'll quote it and credit it to you along with any internet link (your Bebo or Myspace etc) you want posted alongside it. My focus is mainly on WWE, so input about everything else will always be much appreciated. So with that out of the way, a little bit of background...
I've been a wrestling fan for as long as I can remember. When I was around five years old I recall my Dad taking me to some kind of wrestling show in the King's Hall in Belfast. I'm convinved it was WWF, because I'm sure I watched Tatanka and Kevin 'Diesel' Nash wrestle, although it could well have been one of those travelling promotions that dress wrestlers up like the current WWE main-eventers. I also remember buying my first wrestling magazine around this time. It had black and white pages. I think Bret Hart was on the cover. It was non-kayfabe, and I didn't have a clue what it was on about.
Over the years it's safe to say I've smartened up a fair bit. I spent the infamous 'Monday Night Wars' on the side of the WWF as the attitude era exploded, taking every young male teenage mind that I knew with it. It was incredible, everything a young teenage boy could have ever dreamed of. My brother and I would base our weekend around watching Raw Is War on a Friday night, and then the new show, Smackdown, on a Saturday Morning. As the new millenium arrived, we were just switching off the TV as Raw ended. That's dedication. I never liked WCW, and I'd seen very little ECW at this point. It was hard to find in Northern Ireland as far as I'm concerned.
During the disastrous Invasion angle that occurred between WWF/E and WCW, then eventually ECW, my passion for the art that I had grown up around began to dilute. It became painfully obvious that the Attitude Era was over, and without any real competition to spur it on, the WWE was becoming stale. It's ironic that the victory Vince McMahon spent years fighting for has been the catalyst that has sent his company into turmoil. The tri-branded split (Raw, Smackdown, ECW) was the only realistic move at the time, but the WWE has never fully recovered from toppling Ted Turner, Paul Heyman et. al.
So, where do I stand now? Well, I guess I'd better tip over this apple cart right from the get-go. Unlike many people who have known the industry that I knew as a kid, and are still around watching today (i.e. males over 20), I am PRO-JOHN CENA. That's right. I said it. Here's something I wrote on Bebo a few weeks back:
"Say what you want about Johnathan Cena, but I'm glad he's back. The problem with the WWE right now is that they don't have the all-rounder characters that made the attitude era so successful. Who on the roster now can cut a promo like The Rock could? Bar Y2J, and Mr. Cena...no-one. The man is a 24/7 work horse, and his in-ring ability, although not Benoit esque in it's technicality, is solid and clean, AND improving by the month...remember, 'Rocky Miavia' had to endure years of 'rocky sucks' chants as he tried to save face and pretend the smarks [probably the older brothers of the Cena-haters] loved him. He became one of the all time greats. Add 2 and 2 you swines."
The only man capable of carrying the company today...is that a sad reflection?
I think the WWE today is a sad state of affairs. The Benoit tragedy has certainly played a major part in this, but I think the fact that the company has no real competition (TNA are a few years off it yet...and no, I haven't forgotten about them) has led to poor booking, repetitive storylines and no real sense of direction. Vince McMahon's idea of wrestling, and that of the majority today, are somewhat different. With a few exceptions, gassed up roid' museums like Big Dave Batista and genetic freaks like The Great Khali are topping the bills at PPV's, while true fan favourites (or truly hated heels...and therefore still technically fan favourites), pure-wrestlers like Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, Chavo Guerrero, Shelton Benjamin, MVP and Jimmy Yang are left in Intercontinental hell, ECW hell, Smackdown hell and ridiculous gimmick hell respectively.
There are TWELVE, count em', TWELVE Pay-Per-Views in a year, with little incentive to buy into them save for the Rumble, Summerslam and the Grandaddy of em' all. Storylines are shoddy and short term, and we see the kind of matches at Raw or Smackdown that we are made to pay for at the end of every month anyway...so why bother?
...and this is only the tip of the iceberg. Bookmark this blog my friends.
With all of that said though, there are the occasional moments of genius, and the very rare 'mark-out' moment that make it all worthwhile (Jeff Hardy v. Y2J on Raw this week for instance), but I sense some re-formative years ahead for the backroom boys at Titan Towers. Watch this space...
So, welcome to the blog. Check back regularly, and get e-mailing. I figure we have a lot to talk about.
...I might even mention TNA.
Till next time,
Joel
1 comment:
Joel, nice one buddy. True that Cena is the best around at the moment. Watched Smackdown on Saturday and it was tragic to watch.
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