Monday, March 26, 2018

Vince McMahon buys WCW

On March 26, 2001, Vince McMahon began that week's episode of Monday Night Raw with the announcement that he bought Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. The announcement came after a rivalry the previous five years for weekly ratings in the "Monday Night War." The head-to-head competition fueled the biggest boom in the history of the industry with record-setting ratings and pay-per-view buys.

The war was five years in the making, but that night in March of 2001 changed the business forever.

The closure of World Championship Wrestling saw the conclusion of a history that extended as far back as the lengthy accolades of the National Wrestling Alliance. When Jim Crockett Promotions spent itself too far in debt in an attempt to keep pace with Vince McMahon's national expansion, Ted Turner, the owner of the TBS network that aired NWA programming, bought the organization to keep wrestling on his channel. Pro wrestling was a staple of Turner's media umbrella and a cornerstone of TBS when cable television became a national entity. Turner actually provided the genre with its first national TV platform when Georgia Championship Wrestling was broadcast on the network in the mid-70s.

Professional wrestling was good to Turner and he kept it on his network when Crockett was near bankruptcy in 1988. The Turner purchase that year led to the creation of World Championship Wrestling as an organization that replaced the letters NWA. The post-Crockett era was rather lean for both WCW and the business as a whole. The early 90s saw a lack of direction with a revolving door of authority figures, including Bill Watts and Jim Herd for brief stints in the office. Watts was too far behind the times to realize his 80s style of booking wouldn't get over with the audience or the roster in the 90s. Herd was so clueless that he should've stayed at Pizza Hut to sell bread sticks. The WWF steroid scandal of that era that caused a slump for the entire sport didn't help either.

In the first five years that Ted Turner owned the wrestling league, it didn't make a profit and was kept on the air simply because Turner wanted to keep the sport on his channel. By 1994, there was an initiative for the group to make money and it led to a new direction. Eric Bischoff, a former AWA announcer that became a third-tier WCW interviewer, was named the new executive vice president of World Championship Wrestling. Bischoff was smart enough to realize he needed legitimate stars to draw viewers to his product and a plan to garner a piece of the market from McMahon.

Hulk Hogan, the former top star for McMahon, left the WWF in 1993 following the steroid scandal to pursue an unsuccessful acting career. When "Pastamania" and a "Thunder blender" didn't take off either, Hogan listened when Bischoff approached him in 1994 about another stint in the ring. Randy Savage was phrased from the squared circle in favor of the broadcast desk in the WWF, but still wanted to wrestle so opted to sign a Turner deal as well. Other WWF mainstays like Bobby Hennan and Gene Okerlund decided the lighter WCW schedule suited them better in their latter career. Eventually, when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, a pair of WWF stars in the prime, were lured away for more money with less required appearances in 1996, the sports entertainment tide shifted for the first time in history.

The perception of the "Outsiders" invading WCW territory for a hostile takeover created intriguing TV. In many ways, it was a refreshing change in comparison to the cartoonish era previously. The Yeti and Mantaur made people shake their heads and change the channel. Hall and Nash were cutting edge and made viewers tune in to see what happened next. Hogan turned heel to form the New World Order at Bash of the Beach that year and rejuvenated his career for a fresh run. The concept of wrestling's all-time hero as a heel made the general public take notice. The cool heels of The Outsiders kept them watching Nitro. At the same time, the WWF was on the ropes, finishing in the red for 1996 and the future of the company was very much in doubt in 1997. Basically, Nitro was current and much more contemporary than Raw at the time.

Vince McMahon knew he needed a drastic change if he wanted to maintain his sports entertainment empire and that ushered in the Attitude Era. As I've written before, you can't plan or book a boom period in the industry. The right opportunities have to present themselves at the right place at the right time. Steve Austin was set to become the biggest star in the industry around the same time that Vince McMahon became the top villain in the business after the Montreal incident. You couldn't plan that or the situation around it. While WCW was cutting edge for a period of time, McMahon knew that Nitro had strict guidelines because it was a Turner product. Essentially, the WWF became more shocking and pushed the envelope further than Nitro could with its Turner group limitations. In retrospect, some of the Attitude Era content was probably too lewd for sports entertainment, but it suited much of the pop culture of the late-90s. Howard Stern was arguably at his peak with millions of listeners on a national radio show while music and TV were also more edgy at the time. Quite simply, the WWF became current and relevant again.

The combination of the popularity of the WWF and WCW created the previously mentioned weekly ratings competition. That competition, similar to most business, generated the best product possible from both companies. Every week, each organization tried to produce compelling television to keep viewers from changing the channel to the other show. Extreme Championship Wrestling provided more variety for fans, and more booking concepts for the bigger promotions. Let's not forget that the rosters had depth. Each group had a cast of popular mid-carders as well. The lucha libre and cruiser weight stars gave Nitro something unique to promote and in many ways provided substances to go along with the sizzle that the older stars gave the product.

The story about the shift of the wrestling war is well-documented. Vince McMahon was smart enough to create a new group of stars and allowed business, not a political agenda to dictate the direction of his product. Mick Foley was everything that a typical "superstar" wasn't, but he connected with the audience so he was elevated to a main event level. On the flip side, WCW tanked because politics, not fan demand, determined the product that was booked. The New World Order had a good two year run before it became a stale act. Fans already watched the stable do everything from 1996-1998. Bill Goldberg was a lucrative commodity, but was booked terribly and it led to another stale act. The biggest star for the Turner group in 1998 was a repetitive segment by 1999. Again, politics and inflated contracts decided the direction of WCW, which ultimately led to the down slide. Plus, those talented mid-carders on Nitro were stuck at that level and not booked further up the card to evolve the organization as the new millennium approached.

While the WWF rode the momentum of 1998 through a rather lackluster 1999 until the fresh tag division became tremendously popular in 2000, the Turner organization took a much different path. When Vince Russo, the former magazine writer that eventually wrote WCW into bankruptcy, jumped ship to the Turner group in late-1999, the wave of popularity that Nitro had previously declined exponentially. There are many theories about what caused the demise of WCW, but it was undoubtedly a combination of several things. Some claimed the AOL/Time Warner merger was the deciding factor, but the bottom line is, if the company made a profit in the year 2000 then it wouldn't have been sold. The fact that the promotion lost $60 million that year is why it closed.

Ultimately, the night of March 26, 2001 saw the end of an era as well as the consolidation of the industry, similar to the conclusion of the previous boom in business.

Eric Bischoff, the same executive that put McMahon on the ropes, attempted to buy the WCW franchise with plans to relaunch the brand in May of that year. But, the TBS suits were soured on sports entertainment from the dive that Nitro took in the final year of the organization and they didn't want to air pro wrestling again. Without the TV time slot, the Bischoff group cancelled the deal. As a result, Vince McMahon bought the promotion, including the video library and trademarks for pennies on the dollar. For around just $2 million, Vince owned the competition that was the biggest threat to his business just a few years earlier. With many of WCW's biggest stars under contract to the Turner organization, not the wrestling company, most of them opted to stay home to collect the money of their guaranteed  deals. Without the top stars, the invasion flopped, and when WCW closed, much of its audience simply stopped watching professional wrestling. After the "super bowl of professional wrestling" fell so flat, sports entertainment wasn't must see TV. Similar to the post-boom period of previous eras, there was a decline in business in the mid-2000s.

A monopoly developed in the years that followed, a monopoly that still affects the industry today. The WCW purchase was the start of the collection of the video libraries of nearly every major promotion that existed in the history of the genre in the United States. It's a harsh reality, but WWE paid the owners of the territory footage much more than they could've made trying to distribute themselves so it was a smart move to take the deal. The acquisition of historic footage was the foundation of the network that distributes pay-per-views today. But, the monopoly of the WWE as the example of the sport in America extends beyond just the assets they bought after the Monday night war.

As cliche as it sounds, those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Remember the scenario where corporate agenda, not fan demand, dictated the direction of Nitro? It sounds very similar to the forced push often used in WWE today. How about those underutilized mid-carders that weren't elevated to the main event in WCW? How many great talents flounder on the roster in WWE now? Is that to say that WWE will implode? Absolutely not, but without the competition to push management to put the best product on TV, a certain level of complacency has developed with the current product.

So, the ripple effect of the events around March of 2001 set the stage for the consolidation of the industry and the expansion of the WWE as the only major main stream sports entertainment company. This was further proven when TNA failed to become any legitimate competition during its original run. Today, the WWE uses its reach as the only major sports entertainment option in America as a way to continuously expand, both with distribution and new demographics. The fact that World Wrestling Entertainment is so far ahead of any other option has allowed them to sign almost all of the top talent of the current generation. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Eric Young, Adam Cole, Chris Hero, War Machine, Nakamura, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and many others signed WWE deals after they made a name for themselves elsewhere. Quite simply, when the WWE offers a deal, most decide its the right move for their careers. On the flip side, that same monopoly is why its extremely important that New Japan provide an alternative for wrestlers and fans so that there are options. In many ways, New Japan isn't necessarily competition to the WWE, but rather compliments the sports entertainment genre with a different style.

Still, the industry arrived to where it is now because of the events of March 2001. If WCW didn't close, CM Punk could've walked out of Raw and onto Nitro, the audience wouldn't have to revolt to get Daniel Bryan a main event spot, and maybe an anointed champion wouldn't get a forced pushed four years in a row at the biggest event of the year.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan

This past weekend marked 16 years since Wrestlemania 18 took place at the Sky Dome in Toronto with nearly 70,000 fans in attendance. In retrospect, the event and aftermath had a major effect on the industry in the years that followed. At the top of the card, Triple H defeated Chris Jericho to win the Undisputed title, a victory that ultimately cemented him as the top star in the next era, especially without Steve Austin or The Rock full-time in the mid-2000s. Speaking of Austin, his lackluster match with Scott Hall contributed to the walk out a few months later that eventually culminated with his retirement the following year after several injuries forced him to hang up the boots.

However, perhaps the most well-known development from that night at the Sky Dome was the reclamation  of Hulkamania. By 2002, WCW folded the previous year and the Invasion angle squashed any momentum that remained from the record-setting Monday night wars. Many of World Championship Wrestling's biggest stars were contracted to the Ted Turner media group, not WCW so when Vince McMahon bought the wrestling organization, many opted to collect their Turner paychecks at home for the duration of the deal. It was no coincidence that Flair, Nash, Hall, and others showed up on WWF TV around the same time, as it was when their Turner contracts finally expired. Hulk, one of the biggest and most political stars in the history of the industry, saw his profile minimized post-WCW. A dispute over his creative control clause led to the infamous Bash At The Beach incident that saw Jeff Jarrett go to the mat for a three count and Hogan got the win he insisted on. Vince Russo, the former WWF writer that wrote WCW into bankruptcy, cut a "shoot promo" and fired Hulk, who later filed a lawsuit. It was Hogan's final WCW appearance, and after Jimmy Hart's XWF didn't secure a TV deal in 2001, the WWF was the Hulkster's only option in the United States.

Much like his WCW run, Hulk had a rocky past with the WWF. He abruptly left the company after the steroid scandal of the early 90s and refused to put Bret Hart over before his exit. Hogan thought if he did the job to a wrestler that wasn't a monster, it would hurt his drawing power for the classics like Thunder in Paradise and Mr. Nanny that he starred in after his departure. With all that happened at Bash At The Beach, Hulk's profile was probably at its lowest before he reemerged on WWF TV in 2002.

While the New World Order revival was mostly doomed to from the start, it provided an introduction for Hulk and set the stage for his return to Wrestlemania, where he hadn't competed for nine years. Hulk worked the main event of WM several times, including the first WM in 1985 that secured the WWF's national expansion in the "Rock 'N Wrestling" era. As mentioned, Steve Austin was dissatisfied with the creative direction of the promotion at the time, which probably wasn't helped when his heel turn the previous year fell flat. So, the dream match of Austin vs. Hogan wasn't a realistic option from a political stand point. Therefore, The Rock was the opponent for Hulk's return to WM.

In the lead up to Toronto, the NWO attacked Rock in the most devious ways possible, including hitting him in the head with a hammer and ramming an ambulance with a semi truck in a rather outlandish scene. But, none of that mattered to the 70,000 in attendance when the "People's Champ" squared off with "The Immortal" Hogan.

The crowd wanted to see Hulk back at the event he helped build and in some ways, it was nice to see him presented as a legend after he faded away from WCW in rather disappointing fashion. It was years since the classic red and yellow Hogan "Hulked" his way around a WWF ring and the nostalgia of it all created a memorable scene at Wrestlemania 18. The fans accepted Hulk back into the WWF and went wild for anything the supposed heel did. Being the pros that they are, The Rock and Hulk flipped the script and performed an impromptu match that suited the fan reaction. The audience in the building and at home wanted the hero persona of Hulk Hogan and that's exactly what the two in the ring presented that night. The Rock was smart enough to resent the reaction the crowd gave Hogan, and it only added to the drama as Hulk rallied toward the end of the match. The audience turned Hulk baby face again and that tremendous reaction led to one last title run a few months later. Was the match a five-star contest? No, the 48-year-old Hogan was at least five years past his prime at that point, but it didn't matter. The Rock/Hogan bout was a sports entertainment classic that generated a legitimate reaction from the audience.

However, don't make any mistake, Hogan did the job to The Rock at Wrestlemania 18 because he had no leverage otherwise. At that point, Hulk needed the WWF much more than the company needed him. But, it was great to see the organic and spontaneous reaction that reclaimed Hulkamania that night.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before Hogan would be typical Hogan again. He left WWE in 2003 because of creative disputes, insisted on beating Shawn Michaels at Summer Slam in 2005, ironically had a knee injury in 2006 when he was supposed to lose to Randy Orton before the finish was changed, and became a tabloid circus in the years that followed. Plus, the disgusting racist comments Hulk Hogan made that surfaced a few years ago led to him being removed from the hall of fame.

Still, Wrestlemania 18 was a memorable event and a prime example of the moments that can be created by an organic and spontaneous crowd reaction.

Monday, March 12, 2018

The Career of Magnum CK

By 2009, Chris Parsons found himself on a friend's couch, ill and unemployed. The aspiring grappler spent a few years prior to that driving a beat up Bonneville around the mid west to chase the professional wrestling glory that he saw as a child. Growing up in extreme poverty, resources and family support were limited. In his mid-20s, Chris was virtually homeless and struggled to find direction in his life. Once he recovered, he worked night shifts and enrolled in his local community college, determined to get himself out of the slump.

After he picked himself up, he found a local theatre troupe and joined, drawing from the experience he had on stage from his time in the genre in high school.

"Theatre came to me in my senior year of high school. A theatre teacher needed males in her shows and she saw my natural timing and ability. I did a few shows senior year and then I did a few plays in college as well. I had a really great community theatre in my home town and I got in there around 2009. After a few plays, they announced auditions for The Rocky Horror Show. I remember that 7-11 had a promotion at the time where you could get WWE plastic cups and on my way to the audition, I grabbed a Roddy Piper cup. My knees were literally knocking as I sang my song. I glanced down at Piper and sang even louder. That weekend I was cast in the lead role as Frank N. Furter," Chris said.

The "Rowdy" Roddy-inspired audition provided a sense of accomplishment and stability for Parsons, and his teachers thought enough of his skills to recommend that he pursue the stage further. About a year after he began his venture into the small local stage, he invested himself fully into the art form, moving to Chicago, a city known for its ability to provide hopefuls with a chance to be discovered. Once he arrived in the Windy City, Chris studied at the famed Second City comedy company. Alumni of the group read like an all-star team. Names like Farley, Belushi, Candy, Colbert, and many others that went on to impact show business honed their craft under the Second City banner.

"I lived in Chicago for a few years and studied improv at Second City. That opened me up to working with other performers so much. Also, if you can stand up in front of hundreds of comedy fans with no script and make them laugh, you can do anything. After leaving wrestling, doing tons of theatre, and then stepping back into the ring, it all clicked. I remember standing in the ring on my first match back in 2016 and it was like wrestling is theatre. This ring is a stage. After that, it all seemed so much easier."

After dozens of roles for stage productions, including Young Frankenstein, Hair Spray, and All Shook Up, Parsons decided to move back to his hometown in Ohio, but another production soon played a major role in his path back to the ring. His friend and filmmaker, Mike Rhodes planned a feature about professional wrestling and requested his help with the project.

"He heard I was moving back to Ohio and he hit me up for a 45 minute film he was interested in making. We made a few fun film projects and then decided that a short, 10-minute documentary about a local wrestling group would be fun. The night we had the idea, it snowballed into a multi-city, full-length documentary that ended up including Stan Hansen, Ric Flair, Ruby Riott, EC3, and many more. We chronicled wrestling fans and wanted people to tell their stories. What we ended up with was a fun, full-length, one of a kind doc," he explained.

The documentary titled, "Marking Out" reignited a passion for the ring, a place Parsons spent nearly seven years away from before he took the leap to pursue it again. However, this time, a much healthier, stable, and confident performer laced up the boots in 2016.

 "My wife, Alexis, saw the passion in my eyes when I talked about wrestling. As we started making Marking Out, she saw the the passion for wrestling that I had held down for so many years. She started asking me about why I left wrestling originally and then she pointed out that my life situation had changed drastically for the better, I was still young, and there was no reason why I couldn't make a run for it. I ordered new boots and tights, contacted Adam Johnson from Remix Pro wrestling, and within 20 minutes, I had set up my return to the ring for my 30th birthday. Alexis has supported me every step of the way and I can not believe how far the last two years have taken me," Chris recalled.

A dedicated fan of the NWA as a youth, Chris idolized many larger-than-life personas of the 80s. In fact, one of his first wrestling VHS tapes, a grainy collection of Ric Flair bouts, eventually unraveled after it was viewed hundreds of times. Blending his passion for throwback professional wrestling and his skills of the stage, Chris formulated a new character for his return to the ring. Magnum CK was a flashy, over-the-top villain that was so devious that even the legendary Andy Kaufman would be proud of his underhanded tactics in the squared circle.

Most importantly, Magnum CK was entertaining to the audience and not long after he emerged back into sports entertainment, fans and peers took notice of his ability on his new stage. Soon, he began to get offers to compete around the tri-state area and spent the remainder of 2016 building his new persona as a performer to watch evolve with a renewed sense of purpose in the ring. His success continued the following year and he had the chance to expanse his resume to another country when he debuted in Canada. He also made progress on his home turf, debuting in a role almost custom made for him. Absolute Intense Wrestling, Ohio's most well known independent promotion, put together "The Production," a stable of villains that used classic theatre as their inspiration in the ring. Along with Derek Direction, Frankie Flynn, and Eddie Only, Magnum CK brings a unique brand of entertainment to the diehard AIW fan base.

 "I was so nervous that the AIW audience may be skeptical but they immediately took to me and they have become my favorite crowd on earth! We have done nothing but evolve since. AIW has become my home and I could not be more proud to represent their brand. Absolutely my favorite place of all time."

Despite the rave reviews from the ring to the stage, Magnum CK remains humble and appreciative of the opportunities a stable life brings him. Aspirations of work in Dave Marquez's Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, and even as far away as Japan keep him motivated to make ever performance memorable.

"I absolutely love pro wrestling, but it is not my right; wrestling is a privilege and I treat it as such. I was raised to respect wrestling and all of the people in it and all of its fans. I will spread my positivity, hard work, and unique brand of wrestling as far and wide as I can until I can't do it anymore. I positively adore wrestling and don't know what I'd do without it. But I am sure I will figure out something when my time comes to an end," he said.

From the time he began in wrestling as a young dreamer in 2004 to his performances on the stages of Chicago, Chris Parsons took a rocky, but enlightening personal journey toward the persona of Magnum CK. More than anything, the entertainment of CK is a representation of a determination to grow as a performer and a person. It's quite ironic that the hallowed halls of the Second City Company led Magnum CK to the stage of the squared circle for a performance on the canvas.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Paul Heyman sells Wrestlemania

Paul Heyman is the best talker of the modern era and undoubtedly cuts the best promos of anyone in the WWE today.

Weather that is an indication of the lack of money-drawing talkers on the roster or simply reaffirms Heyman's ability depends on perspective.

Ahead of Wrestlemania 34, very little feels special or organic and that creates the possibility for a rather disappointing five-hour event next month. Granted, management has roughly five weeks to build anticipation so maybe the perception will shift before the event goes live on the WWE network.

Aside from a concrete card, the biggest show of the year seems to lack the spark that generates that "big event" atmosphere. The Roman Reigns superman push was so predictable that the graphic displayed on television to advertise the bout is met with a shake of the head, not eager anticipation. If you already know the ending of the movie, are you going to be invested in the journey of the film? We know how this story ends, Roman Reigns poses with the championship while pyro lights up the background, and the entire scene will be met with a lukewarm reaction. The anointed corporate champion is an angle that is so manufactured and artificial that it doesn't draw the audience to the match.

However, Paul Heyman brought the spark this past week on Raw, and in the process, evaluated the perceived importance of the contest. Heyman, the photographer that talked his way backstage in Madison Square Garden at the age of just 14, emphasized the importance of the Universal championship. That theoretical importance is sometimes lost in the shuffle of Brock's very limited schedule and WWE's marketing strategy that promotes the brand as a whole rather than any specific aspect of the product.

The former leader of Extreme Championship Wrestling also enhanced the rivalry of the main event of Wrestlemania, making it a personal dispute between Lesnar and Reigns, not just a "passing of the torch" scenario. Keep in mind, the Reigns push is artificial, but Heyman presented this match-up as a direct clash between two athletes, which gives depth to the angle. The concept that Lesnar wants to keep the title because he wants to use it to make the most money possible contrasted with the theory that Reigns wants to prove himself on the big stage against the biggest opponent is much more intriguing than "Roman wins because that was the plan all along."

Up until this point, management hasn't given the fans anything to invest into other than the story of another Roman title win, which hasn't worked thus far. Emphasizing the personal aspects of the confrontation adds another layer to the storyline. The presentation could consist of, "If Roman wants the keys to the castle, he has to earn the spot" and that creates the platform for a physical, hard-hitting contest that showcases Roman in a different light.

If someone takes a dozen suplexes from the former UFC Heavyweight champion, who can argue that they didn't earn their stripes? That being said, much of the perception of the main event of WM 34 depends on the structure of the contest itself. If Roman throws 38 superman punches and uses five spears, it more or less puts him in the same spot that the audience views him already.

The mad scientist of hardcore also went as far as to speculate about the future, which at the very least, gives the audience some "possibilities" of potential results. Obviously, everyone knows the plan is Roman wins, but just for fun, what if it isn't? Heyman mentioned the UFC so what if Brock legitimately fought in the octagon while he was still the WWE champion? The cross-promotion and potential money to be made would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Could that be enough of an opportunity to delay the Roman plans for a few more months? Probably not, but creating and selling those questions to the audience is a much more intriguing way to promote the match. Plus when Paul Heyman makes the sells pitch, it at least sounds like a possibility.

The bottom line is, Paul Heyman was the perfect hype man for the job because he enhanced the perception, potential, and importance of the main event. That being said, you have to wonder why WWE brass doesn't see the value in managers, but that's another discussion for another time. Let's hope that  Heyman's soliloquy to sell WM 34 puts a focus on the event that can build for several weeks. Right now, most of the roster doesn't have a clear direction and that doesn't help with momentum going toward the event. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, two stellar performers that played a major role on Smackdown in the past year, don't have an angle to lead to Wrestlemania yet. Rusev, one of the most over performers in the company, doesn't have a plan for the event either.

But, the top of the card is the biggest piece of the puzzle for the biggest event of the year and Heyman sold Reigns/Lesnar as just that. If the in-ring contest translates or not is a different matter, but as far as the hype, he was tremendous in the role. There's speculation that Heyman might exit the organization if Brock doesn't sign a new deal after WM, but hopefully, he can stay around regardless of Lesnar's status because there are very few in the industry today that can sell a match at that level.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

The Sami Callihan incident

Professional wrestling, similar to most things in life, is based on timing and opportunity.

Historically, the examples are there, events that took place at certain times that couldn't be booked to happen, but their naturally occurrence led to opportunity. The New World World's two year run that made WCW formidable competition to Vince McMahon was facilitated by the availability of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. There was no way to plan that Razor Ramon and Diesel had contracts that happen to expire just six days apart. The timing of their exits led to the opportunity to bring them to Nitro within just to weeks of one another to create the basis for the NWO hostile takeover that drew record ratings for WCW. Ironically, that series of events led to another organic shift in the industry the following year when Ted Turner's success put pressure on Vince McMahon, who struggled to keep his wrestling empire afloat during the wave of Turner's spending to sign talent. Eric Bischoff, a former AWA interviewer, found himself as executive vice president of WCW in 1994 after a revolving door of authority figures took the organization nowhere. For all of the mistakes that he might've made, Bischoff knew enough to use the resources within the Turner media umbrella to take a noticeable portion of the market. Along with Hulk, Randy Savage, Hall, and Nash, Bischoff attempted to lure Bret Hart away from the WWF. Bret, one of the most tenured and loyal performers on McMahon's roster, was one of the company's most skilled and biggest stars. When the steroid scandal of the early 90s put the future of the WWF in doubt, Bret was one of the cornerstones of the promotion to keep it above water. The WCW offer was very lucrative, guaranteeing the WWF champion a seven-figure contract and less required appearances per year.

McMahon had finished in the red for 1996 and couldn't afford to match the offer, despite initial suggestions of a potential 20-year deal that would've paid Bret more over a longer period. The tense negotiations were documented in "Wrestling with Shadows." Finally, Vince allowed Bret to negotiate with WCW, and the infamous Montreal incident sent Hart to Turner's group while the WWF appeared to unravel in late-97. Vince used the events of Montreal to spin a narrative that he was the ruthless promoter that did what needed to be done and insulted the Canadian hero who had worked tirelessly to draw him money for a decade previously. That presentation was a gamble and there was no way to be sure the fans wouldn't reject the WWF entirely or that Hart might've excelled on Nitro. Thankfully, a brawler named Steve Austin had found himself as a persona and reached his peak as the defiant employee at the same time that McMahon was vilified for his actions against Hart. The Austin/McMahon feud saw the biggest ratings in the history of the industry and ultimately won the Monday night war. Again, you can't book or plan that.

Both of those scenarios were based on timing and opportunity. Furthermore, a potentially negative real-life situation was used to draw money within sports entertainment.

The same still applies today, both in life and in sports entertainment.

When the Canadian duo of Don Callis and Scott D'Amore took over as Executive Vice Presidents of Impact Wrestling in January, it created the first sense of optimism around the brand in easily 5-6 years. When extensive TV tapings took place, news was made for the exits and debuts as the new regime looked to start with a clean slate. Among the headlines that surfaced was a very serious eye injury to Eddie Edwards after a wild swing directed at a chair from Sami Callihan. Graphic photos of Edwards at the hospital were posted online after the tapings, fueling speculation about exactly what happened.

When the Callihan/Edwards match finally aired last week, the violent footage caused quite a stir within the world of professional wrestling. Jim Cornette, the legendary manager that seemingly always has a Twitter feud with someone, used his trademark eloquent profanity to express his disapproval. Callihan responded, which further incited those that criticized him previously. The "baseball bat" incident was even picked up by TMZ Sports, and Callihan released a statement to the outlet to address the controversy.

Callihan made it extremely clear that he's not sorry for the injury to Eddie Edwards, drawing the ire of fans and peers. But, remember the timing and opportunity dynamic?

I'm extremely surprised at the reaction the injury footage received, especially from those within the industry. Does anyone honestly believe that Sami Callihan intentionally wanted to hurt Eddie Edwards? Callihan has done shoot interviews in the past and those give an insight into his prospect of the genre. It's a physical performance and accidents happen, that doesn't mean that Callihan is happy that one of his co-workers were injured. If anything, it doesn't make business sense for Callihan to want to hurt Edwards because the follow-up matches will undoubtedly have more of a spotlight because of the stir the injury caused. This is just my two cents and I could be wrong, but I'd guess that Callihan never wanted to injury Eddie Edwards.

But, it generated such a strong reaction, why not go with it? Callihan as an unhinged "dangerous" wrestler blurs the line between what's scripted and what's real-life, which is theoretically the entire point of the wrestling business. Maybe Callihan doesn't care that Edwards was injured? It certainly appears like he's not remorseful and he seems to have convinced many of that.

The timing of this is where the negative of the Eddie Edwards injury can be used as a positive. The new management of Anthem's Impact has a situation that generated more talk about the promotion than anything that happened during the final years of the Dixie Carter era, and the ratings during the first quarter of the year have steadily improved on a weekly basis. Eddie Edwards, a former ROH and Impact champion, had a main event run in the Impact zone when the promotion was on the brink of collapse and drew dismal numbers. Sami Callihan is a dynamic performer that had a run in the WWE developmental system, but never had the chance to showcase himself. At this point, a renewed spotlight can be shined on Sami, Edwards, and Impact as a promotion so there is a positive aspect to the whole situation.

When Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan are in the ring again, it will be an anticipated confrontation because the controversy has created intriguing questions. Maybe Eddie will legitimately punch Sami in the face on live pay-per-view and end the match in thirty seconds? Maybe they will have an uncooperative match that continues to fuel talk that Callihan is unhinged? Maybe they will have a hard-hitting bout that fans will discuss as one of the best on the show?

Either way, this unfortunate injury generated a lot of press for Impact and while you never want to see an injury, at least the potential is there for this to become a positive if Sami and Eddie become bigger stars from it. Maybe Sami is a dangerous wrestler or maybe he's smart enough to work everyone so that an unfortunate situation becomes a bigger platform? You can bet fans will watch the rematch to find out what happens next for the Callihan/Edwards feud.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Will Chuck Liddell sign for Bellator?

When I saw the news on that Chuck Liddell was rumored to have signed a deal with Bellator MMA, I shook my head. Reports speculated that the multi-million dollar contract was offered to schedule a trilogy with Tito Ortiz, who Liddell defeated twice during his prime in the UFC.

Retired since 2010 after he lost 6 of the last 7 bouts of his career, "The Iceman" will have to ask himself if those millions are worth the risk to his legacy?

The 48-year-old slugger was the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship when the organization emerged from obscurity and exploded in popularity to alter the course of sports history. Along with the Rocky-style brawl that Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonnar delivered on cable TV in 2005, highlights of Liddell's haymakers became an intriguing selling point as the general public discovered mixed martial arts. Keep in mind, the Liddell/Couture trilogy was built around the original season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show that propelled the company into the main stream.

The former UFC Light Heavyweight champion started his MMA career in 1998, long before big money or fame accompanied those that stepped into the octagon. Surviving the lean years, Liddell used his background as a Division I amateur wrestler and kick boxer to utilize the "sprawl and brawl" tactics. A combination of windmill punches and takedown defense brought him notoriety as the sport that was once an underground niche began to draw big numbers on pay-per-view in the mid-2000s.

During the first eight years of his legendary career, "The Iceman" generated an impressive record of 20-3, most of those victories were by thrilling knockout. Perhaps the highlight of the pioneering grappler's career was the vicious KO of the legendary Randy Couture to claim the 205 LBS title in 2005. On top of a crowd-friendly style, Liddell had the perfect look to market an MMA fighter, sporting a Mohawk to accompany the Chinese letters tattooed on his head. As Chuck racked up victories in the cage, he also drew at the box office, including his 2006 pay-per-view KO of Tito that still ranks among the top ten best-selling events in the promotion's history with over a million buys.

While that second KO win against Ortiz was the peak of his drawing power, it proved to be the peak of Liddell's career as a fighter as well. After Zuffa bought Pride in 2007, the sport saw a drastic shift as another wave of established fighters joined the UFC, which eventually saw the sport continue to evolve. Just five months after his second win against Tito, Liddell was knocked out in less than two minutes by Rampage Jackson at UFC 71. The argument can be made that Liddel was never the same inside the cage after Rampage's looping right hook sent him crashing to the canvas.

The popular athlete finished the year with a split decision loss to Keith Jardine before he won via unanimous decision in an epic brawl with Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79. The violent spectacle with Silva wasn't an indication of a return, but rather the last glimpse of "The Iceman" that soared to fame when the UFC surged in popularity.

Three consecutive KO losses followed in the next three years against Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, and Rich Franklin respectively. The brutal fashion of each knockout caused concern and a call for his retirement. UFC President and close friend, Dana White insisted on Chuck's retirement, which was officially announced at a press conference in 2010.

Liddell later acknowledged it was a tough decision to hang up the gloves, but most agreed with it so that he could avoid any further damage. The contrast of sports, especially combat sports, is that the decline from the peak can be just as disappointing as the thrill of the rise to the top. We watch sports heroes with anticipation as they excel with incredible skill, and in most cases, watch with some sadness as their decline is an indication that it's time to conclude their careers.

Nobody wants to see a fighter stay in the sport too long, mostly because of the danger it can pose to their health. Perhaps, the toughest test for any athlete in any genre is to know when to hang up the boots to preserve their health and their legacy. The examples are numerous, but the common theme is sadness as an audience watches all-time greats compete as a former shell of themselves. Sometimes the motivate is for the money or simply that those that have competed their entire lives can't step away from the sport. One of the most well known examples of this was the Ali/Holmes fight in 1980 that saw Ali's former sparring partner defeat the icon when the contest was stopped in the 10th round. The 39-year-old Ali took a tremendous beating before his trainer, Al Dundee screamed that the fight was over to rescue his fighter from more damage. The incredible punishment that "The Greatest" took during his heroic career had taken its toll. Larry Holmes, who retained his title, wept in the dressing room after the bout because he didn't want to cause damage to the aging legend.

The unfortunate example of this in  MMA is Ken Shamrock, who was one of the originals of the first UFC tournament, but is much more well known for fighting well over a decade past his prime. The low point of this was probably 2010 when he lost to Pedro Rizzo via TKO at a sparsely-attended upstart event in Sydney, Australia. He also signed with Bellator in recent years, first for a loss against the late Kimbo Slice in 2015 and then another loss to Royce Gracie the following year. Shamrock tested positive for steroids after the Gracie bout and his license was revoked in 2016. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" didn't choose to retire, but instead prostituted his legacy until he was forced out of the sport.

I'm concerned about the potential pitfalls of a Chuck Liddell comeback to MMA. While he retired because he couldn't take the punches he had previously to set up for his own devastating counter punches, the decline is not unusual for combat sports. The general consensus was that Liddel hung it up at the right time and left a legacy he could be proud of intact for the history books. Following his retirement, he was named Vice President of Business Development for the UFC and continued to appear in film and television roles.

Assuming this isn't just about the money, what does Liddell expect to prove here? What does beating Tito for a third time really prove? Does a victory somehow indicate a comeback at 48 years old? Considering that Chuck hasn't won a fight since 2007, the odds are this potential return to the cage won't be successful. More than anything, this is a risk of his legacy, a career that helped build the sport to where it is today.

Is this Bellator deal really worth the risk to tarnish a legacy?

Chuck Liddell is the only one that knows the motivation behind this contract. Maybe it's because he needs the money, or maybe the athlete that KO'ed his way to the top of the UFC thinks he has one more run at stardom. However, at this point, I hope that Liddell reconsiders this move because nobody wants to see another Ken Shamrock situation.

Friday, March 2, 2018

The Reigns narrative

Just 24 hours after WWE brass shoved the narrative that Roman Reigns is the "best" wrestler in the company at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, a new spin was added toward the build of Wrestlemania 34.

Braun Strowman, the agile big man that organically got over with the audience, was featured as the unstoppable monster in the elimination chamber, defeating almost the entire field of competition. Braun couldn't be pinned by several finishers or dives, but a few repetitive superman punches finally did it. Nobody could slay the monster, except "Big Dawg." In theory, since Roman was the only one that could beat Strowman, he's the "best" on the roster. In reality, Reigns is only the "best" because Vince McMahon approved the script.

Not surprisingly, this scenario to "make Roman look really strong" only increased the hostility toward him because it's the exact reason why fans boo him in the first place. As I wrote earlier this week, winning scripted matches doesn't sell fans on a particular star in 2018. When the audience knows that the office makes the decisions and WWE documentaries even shine a light behind the scenes, the crowd is aware of when their voices are ignored. It's a completely different dynamic than in years prior that makes it even more important that a sports entertainer identify with the audience. The biggest stars in the history of the industry were major draws because they connected with the fans that paid to see them. Austin was the anti-hero that stood up to the authority figure, something that the general public could identify with and rally around him. Dusty Rhodes was the blue collar hero that made others believe that they won when he won. Daniel Bryan had a passion for the industry that the fans appreciated, and they knew that he appreciated their support as much as they appreciated him.

There are several other examples, but the common theme is that there was a spontaneous and organic connection with the audience. The crowd identified with those stars and were willing to spend money to follow their journey. There's nothing organic about the Roman superman push because the audience didn't get a chance to cast their vote on it. In fact, the decision to present Reigns as the next John Cena was made long before the forced push started.

This past week on Raw, the writing team tried to spin the narrative to suddenly portray Reigns differently a head of Wrestlemania.

Now, Roman Reigns cut a promo to imply that he's the "dedicated" WWE star that shows up when Brock Lesnar decides to stay home because his contract allows him to work part-time. This is basically the exact same type of promo that Cena cut against The Rock during their pair of Wrestlemania matches. The difference being that Cena already had a track record of nearly a decade as the company workhorse, proving the point. Management publicly acknowledged that Brock's deal was for limited appearances in the past so it wasn't much of a revelation. On one hand, it's a wise move to vilify Lesnar because he might be done with the company after his current deal expires so winding his profile down makes sense. On the other hand, the fans aren't going to buy Roman as the one that had to claw his way to the top either. As mentioned in the article earlier this week, Reigns was signed to a WWE developmental deal because of his last name. Furthermore, the only reason that Roman pursued professional wrestling is because he failed at a career in the NFL.

Don't get me wrong, he works hard and puts in the effort, but he had a relatively easy road to get to this point in his career. While other athletes work years just to get a WWE tryout, he started in the WWE system because of his last name. He was given the keys to the castle and more pushes after failure than anyone else in recent memory so what tough road did he travel? Sure, Brock is given a lighter schedule because of the star power he brings to the table, but Roman was handed just as much, if not more, without the proven track record that Lesnar has in his career.

Keep in mind, the fans rejected Roman because they are aware that the office wants to shove him as the top guy and for the same reason, the crowd will notice this attempted spin for its lack of credibility. In the view of the fans, Reigns hasn't "earned" his spot, and at this point, trying to sell that he has will be viewed as another attempt to force him as the top star. I could be wrong, but I don't think the audience will embrace Reigns at this point because management has done too much that caused resentment toward him. The bottom line is, Roman was given more than anyone else on the roster and it's difficult to expect the audience to rally behind that. Reigns has the stain of failure upon him and it remains to be seen if WWE brass can erase it. The superman push won't get over and it's doubtful that the "dedicated" Roman narrative will get over because both angles lack credibility.

How the WWE handles the hostility at WM 34 remains to be seen, but it might all be a moot point. As I wrote before, without competition, WWE has reached a certain level of complacency. The lack of competition and domination of the market in the United States allows for corporate agendas, not demand to dictate business. Vince McMahon says Roman Reigns should be the top star so "Big Dawg" will main event WM for the fourth year in a row. The ripple effect remains to be seen, but clearly, others that have the momentum to be elevated as bigger stars will be kept at a level below Reigns so that he can celebrate with confetti around him again this year.

The fans will remain hostile and it won't make a difference because it won't affect revenue. However, it's certainly disappointing that the company has arguably the best roster in over a decade in a half, but the product often remains stagnant. So, WWE brass will try to spin a new angle for Roman Reigns, but it won't get over, the same way the super push didn't get over the past few years.