"It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business" -Michael Corleone.
That line in the 1972 masterpiece "The Godfather" was uttered on screen by the legendary Al Pacino, who played the Mafia Don's son and eventual successor. After an unsuccessful attempt on Don Corleone's life by con man Sollozzo with the assistance of corrupt police chief McCluskey, Michael planned their assassination, not out of personal anger, but rather a way to ensure the security of the family business. Michael took a measured approach to maintain their family empire.
This past Friday, the WWE presented the "Greatest Royal Rumble" event live from King Abdullah International Stadium in Saudi Arabia. The event drew a reported 60,000 fans, but the show would've been a finical success for WWE if there were 600 in attendance. The entire project was a bought show by Prince Mohammad bin Salman as a way to try to spin the public image of the country. In other words, the WWE signed a contract with the government of Saudi Arabia and gets paid a flat fee regardless of the amount of people that buy tickets to the show. Reportedly, the WWE inked a ten-year deal to bring shows to the region and while an amount hasn't been disclosed yet, there's speculation that it was for major money. All things considered, it had to be a hefty sum for the company to basically present an overseas version of Wrestlemania just three weeks after the biggest show of the year in New Orleans. Look at it this way, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, and Chris Jericho aren't going to travel that distance unless it was a very lucrative deal.
Unfortunately, that entire region has been very turbulent for several years because of several social and political problems. There are many conflicts and disputes. As a result, the WWE's partnership with the Saudi government caused much controversy among fans outside of that region. Granted, how someone views the laws and cultural restrictions of Saudi Arabia is their opinion and they have a right to their opinion. Some people will point out the harsh treatment towards women as a disservice to humanity, while others will explain that it's simply apart of the tradition of the country. Regardless of the opinion of the restrictions of the culture, it's understandable that some fans will voice discontent with the seemingly hypocritical business deal. The WWE made it a point within the past few years to market women empowerment, but then signed an extensive contract with a country where the women athletes weren't allowed to compete on the card.
Is that hypocrisy? Absolutely, but, it's just business, not personal.
This might sound too harsh, but management will make millions of dollars for this Saudi deal, and that is more important to their corporate portfolio than to take a stand for the women athletes on the roster. Is money everything? In my opinion, it shouldn't be, but the WWE is a business, and the dollars and cents are the bottom line. Women empowerment is a good marketing tool and a good PR spin, but the cash the Saudi government delivers and the impact of such a lucrative contract will have on the stock price is more of a priority for the WWE.
As far as the actual show, there's not much to discuss. It was essentially a glorified house show that was televised. With the event starting at noon on the east coast of the United States, nothing of consequence happened and there wasn't anything on the show that really progressed the product. Sure, a lot of star power was added to the card because that's basically what the Saudi government paid for, but the results of this card don't impact the current storylines. With the exception of the vacated tag titles, none of the championships changed hands, despite several being defended on the show so if a weekly viewer of Raw didn't watch the "Greatest Royal Rumble," did they really miss anything? In fact, isn't a battle royal the easiest booking in pro wrestling?
Braun Strowman won the battle royal, but what does that really accomplish? He's given another consolation prize because he's not Roman Reigns? Speaking of Roman, for a competitor that is such a priority for management to force as the next top guy, he continues to be booked terribly in some very critical situations. Theoretically, WM 34 was the time for him to win the title because management built to that moment for a year. That was the entire point of why Braun and Samoa Joe were defeated with one F-5 so that Roman could be the one to kick out of it. That said, I understand why they wanted to avoid the hostile reaction to the title switch in New Orleans, but what exactly was the reasoning here? If anything, Saudi Arabia is probably one of the few places that you can almost guarantee that there won't be a resentful response to another Roman Reigns title win so the entire scenario is puzzling to say the least. Unless WWE brass abandoned the Roman super push, which is doubtful, how exactly does another loss get him over? Yes, I understand it was booked as a fluke win, but even the match itself was sub par and underwhelming. The bout didn't tell a back and fourth story of the competition for the championship, but rather just a series of finishers and a fluke finish in under 10 minutes. In fact, The Undertaker, who is semi-retired, had a longer match at the show than the Universal champion.
In my opinion, this feud peaked at WM and the longer management stalls, the less effective the eventual title switch will be. You can't present the "Roman finally wins the big one" when he's already a three-time champion. Again, unless the writing team has other plans for the title, they should get Reigns as far away from this rivalry as possible. More than anything, this entire storyline portrays Reigns as the wrestler that gets all the opportunities, but still can't win the title. Truthfully, even Brock hasn't looked the best in this feud. He's stale and sloppy in the ring, almost as if he knows he's leaving soon so he would rather mail it in than risk injury. The whole situation just lacks buzz and has a "been there, done that" atmosphere to it.
So, the total of the Saudi Arabia show is that it makes the WWE look very hypocritical after they promoted women empowerment the past few years, it didn't progress any storylines, and it probably didn't help the Roman Reigns title push. But, it was the start of a very profitable deal for the company so from a business prospective, it was successful. Make no mistake about it, management will probably spotlight the women on the roster on Raw in an attempt to smooth over the situation, and then they will eventually run another show in Saudi Arabia that won't allow women to compete, which will make the company look hypocritical again. Since the WWE is already a global brand, it's obvious that they don't necessarily need the money, but Saudi Arabia is willing to pay major cash so the company disregards the controversy and signed the deal.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Fedor vs. Mir
This Saturday, arguably the greatest mixed martial arts heavyweight of all time, Fedor Emelianenko will make his return to the cage against former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir in the opening round of a heavyweight tournament. Bellator, the Viacom-owned MMA project, often tries to differentiate itself from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is a smart move because it offers something different to the viewing audience. Plus, the UFC is an MMA empire and an attempt to beat them at their own game has a slim chance at success. So, Bellator brings fighters to the ring via elaborate entrances, and presents an occasional wild sideshow fight. This formula yielded mixed results, considering that Dada-5000 should've never stepped away from throwing haymakers in front of a 7-Eleven to try to call himself a professional. At the same time, Viacom is worth millions so the Bellator stage provides a stable alternative for athletes to stay relevant if they leave the UFC, or for others to have a place to make a name for themselves. Rory MacDonald is a former UFC fighter that opted to seek a better contract in Bellator, while former WWE star Jack Swagger inked a deal for his start in the sport.
But what will this heavyweight tournament say about the promotion?
One of the main criticisms I've often had about the organization is that while they draw numbers on Spike TV, (now the Paramount Network) they always seem to get very close to "jumping the shark," so to speak. Their attempts to grab viewers can sometimes border on silly with results that might be considered embarrassing. For example, there was no reason to sign Ken Shamrock to fight a few years ago. The previously mentioned Dada-5000 collapsed during a contest with Kimo Slice and went into cardiac arrest before paramedics revived him.
All things considered, this heavyweight tournament might be more of an attempt to try to draw numbers with the sizzle of recognizable names than the substances of competitive bouts in multiple divisions.
In theory, this elimination format will be used to determine a new heavyweight champion. Vitaly Minakov, the Russian grappler that held the belt previously, was stripped of the title nearly two years ago because he didn't defend the championship. The last Bellator heavyweight championship fight was in 2014. So, either the HW division isn't much of a priority to Scott Coker and the rest of management or there isn't enough depth in the division to justify a championship, which really makes the group look like an incomplete organization. If I had to guess, I'd say the latter is the reason for a lack of a champion in the division, considering that half of the participants in the tournament haven't fought primarily in the HW division. Ryan Bader, who is scheduled to fight King Mo in a tournament contest in a few weeks, is also the current Light Heavyweight champion so if Bader wins in the finals, does that mean he will defend both belts? Is it possible he vacates the HW title since he's a natural LHW, which would make the entire elimination series pointless?
I'm not trying to be too pessimistic here, but it seems like management decided to put as much name value as they could in a tournament without much thought of what the eventual results could be. Doesn't the fact that the light heavyweight titleholder is in the tournament prove that there isn't nearly enough depth in the division? Sure, these names will garner viewers now, but how does this build the division in the future? Too often, names are thrown on the card for the short term boost instead of establishing rankings to create the stage to possibly make legitimate stars. Who are the biggest stars currently on the roster? None of them were discovered under the Bellator banner, but rather known from other companies.
Don't get me wrong, name value is extremely important, but Bellator has produced shows for several years and most of their biggest stars are aging athletes that are mostly past their prime. Mir, who lost six of his last eight fights in the UFC before he was released, was suspended for two years after he tested positive for steroids following a bout against Mark Hunt in 2016. The bottom line is, Frank Mir hasn't been relevant in at least 6-7 years so is there really a demand to see him compete again? At 38, Mir is at the latter stage of his career so even if he wins the title, it's not as though Bellator could build a division around him.
On the flip side, Fedor is an absolute legend, and there will always be a place for him to appear at an MMA event. But, it's risky for him to compete again, mostly because it's disappointing to see an aging icon defeated or take damage in the cage. His KO loss against Matt Mitrione last June was brutal and difficult to watch. Before that, Fedor won a few fights, but his most recent win against Fabio Maldonado was such a controversial decision victory that the result was later disputed by the World Mixed Martial Arts Association. Taking nothing away from the former Pride Heavyweight champion, but his victories in recent years were against less than stellar competition.
The point being, if Fedor beats Mir, he getss a win over a fighter that hasn't fought in two years and was on a losing streak before that. Granted, it would be great to see Emelianenko as a champion again because of his humble nature and status in the history of the sport, but the harsh reality is that one of the greatest ever to compete in MMA is not the same fighter that dominated Pride years ago. That's why if Mir gets the victory, it's just sad to see such a legend as a shell of himself. Nobody wants to remember Ali-Berbick or Liddel-Shogun. It's tough to see legends fall in any sport, and this tournament format could set the stage for a sad conclusion to Emelianenko's career. Maybe this is being too cynical for a discussion about combat sports, but the Russian grappler took a lot of punishment during his heyday in Japan, and I'd rather see him make an appearance to greet the crowd than the potential for another KO defeat.
So, I can't say that I'm very enthusiastic about the potential of this heavyweight grand prix, especially considering how lackluster the Chael Sonnen victory against Rampage Jackson was a few months ago. More than anything, the entire concept seems to be a main example of the company's lack of a plan to build each division with competitive bouts. Until proven otherwise, I'd guess that this tournament will bring a lot of sizzle with recognizable names, but will be underwhelming as far as the quality of the competition.
But what will this heavyweight tournament say about the promotion?
One of the main criticisms I've often had about the organization is that while they draw numbers on Spike TV, (now the Paramount Network) they always seem to get very close to "jumping the shark," so to speak. Their attempts to grab viewers can sometimes border on silly with results that might be considered embarrassing. For example, there was no reason to sign Ken Shamrock to fight a few years ago. The previously mentioned Dada-5000 collapsed during a contest with Kimo Slice and went into cardiac arrest before paramedics revived him.
All things considered, this heavyweight tournament might be more of an attempt to try to draw numbers with the sizzle of recognizable names than the substances of competitive bouts in multiple divisions.
In theory, this elimination format will be used to determine a new heavyweight champion. Vitaly Minakov, the Russian grappler that held the belt previously, was stripped of the title nearly two years ago because he didn't defend the championship. The last Bellator heavyweight championship fight was in 2014. So, either the HW division isn't much of a priority to Scott Coker and the rest of management or there isn't enough depth in the division to justify a championship, which really makes the group look like an incomplete organization. If I had to guess, I'd say the latter is the reason for a lack of a champion in the division, considering that half of the participants in the tournament haven't fought primarily in the HW division. Ryan Bader, who is scheduled to fight King Mo in a tournament contest in a few weeks, is also the current Light Heavyweight champion so if Bader wins in the finals, does that mean he will defend both belts? Is it possible he vacates the HW title since he's a natural LHW, which would make the entire elimination series pointless?
I'm not trying to be too pessimistic here, but it seems like management decided to put as much name value as they could in a tournament without much thought of what the eventual results could be. Doesn't the fact that the light heavyweight titleholder is in the tournament prove that there isn't nearly enough depth in the division? Sure, these names will garner viewers now, but how does this build the division in the future? Too often, names are thrown on the card for the short term boost instead of establishing rankings to create the stage to possibly make legitimate stars. Who are the biggest stars currently on the roster? None of them were discovered under the Bellator banner, but rather known from other companies.
Don't get me wrong, name value is extremely important, but Bellator has produced shows for several years and most of their biggest stars are aging athletes that are mostly past their prime. Mir, who lost six of his last eight fights in the UFC before he was released, was suspended for two years after he tested positive for steroids following a bout against Mark Hunt in 2016. The bottom line is, Frank Mir hasn't been relevant in at least 6-7 years so is there really a demand to see him compete again? At 38, Mir is at the latter stage of his career so even if he wins the title, it's not as though Bellator could build a division around him.
On the flip side, Fedor is an absolute legend, and there will always be a place for him to appear at an MMA event. But, it's risky for him to compete again, mostly because it's disappointing to see an aging icon defeated or take damage in the cage. His KO loss against Matt Mitrione last June was brutal and difficult to watch. Before that, Fedor won a few fights, but his most recent win against Fabio Maldonado was such a controversial decision victory that the result was later disputed by the World Mixed Martial Arts Association. Taking nothing away from the former Pride Heavyweight champion, but his victories in recent years were against less than stellar competition.
The point being, if Fedor beats Mir, he getss a win over a fighter that hasn't fought in two years and was on a losing streak before that. Granted, it would be great to see Emelianenko as a champion again because of his humble nature and status in the history of the sport, but the harsh reality is that one of the greatest ever to compete in MMA is not the same fighter that dominated Pride years ago. That's why if Mir gets the victory, it's just sad to see such a legend as a shell of himself. Nobody wants to remember Ali-Berbick or Liddel-Shogun. It's tough to see legends fall in any sport, and this tournament format could set the stage for a sad conclusion to Emelianenko's career. Maybe this is being too cynical for a discussion about combat sports, but the Russian grappler took a lot of punishment during his heyday in Japan, and I'd rather see him make an appearance to greet the crowd than the potential for another KO defeat.
So, I can't say that I'm very enthusiastic about the potential of this heavyweight grand prix, especially considering how lackluster the Chael Sonnen victory against Rampage Jackson was a few months ago. More than anything, the entire concept seems to be a main example of the company's lack of a plan to build each division with competitive bouts. Until proven otherwise, I'd guess that this tournament will bring a lot of sizzle with recognizable names, but will be underwhelming as far as the quality of the competition.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Impact vs. Lucha Underground
Professional wrestling promoters have never been able to work together. Maybe it's the threat of eventual competition between the two or simply the shark tank environment that usually is the wrestling business. Perhaps, the most well-known attempt at this was in 1984 with Pro Wrestling USA, the co-promoted project of Memphis, AWA, NWA, and the Georgia territory that tried to compete with its own national TV show to rival the WWF's expansion. In one of his books, "The Best Of Times," Jerry Jarrett detailed the disfunction involved in the decision-making process between the owners. Each promoter wanted to protect their champion and insisted that key angles were scheduled for their territory so that they could collect the potentially biggest gates. The project was short-lived and the agreement dissolved within a year. Gagne and Crockett, the owners of the two biggest promotions in the alliance, had several disagreements that led to the rest of the group's exit.
Following the flop of Pro Wrestling USA, there were several minor working agreements among various territory owners, but nothing materialized, as owners couldn't agree on anything. The lack of a long-term vision kept those promoters behind the times. Vince McMahon saw what was possible with cable TV exposure and used it to change the industry. The hard-nosed Verne Gagne was too naive to realize that his Minneapolis-based group couldn't compete with the pop culture association of the WWF. Since that time, McMahon beat the federal government, survived a Monday night war, and built his sports entertainment empire into a global brand. The expansion of programming and distribution allowed WWE brass to sign the majority of the top names of the current generation. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Adam Cole, EC3, Nakamura, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Bobby Roode, etc. all worked as main event stars before they arrived in the WWE.
Those signings along with 95% of the market share make it extremely difficult for any promotion to build themselves up in the United States. Sure, New Japan has done extremely well in recent years, but they have a solid fan base in their native country, and in many ways, they are a compliment, not competition to the WWE, which is actually a good thing because it provides more alternatives in almost every aspect of the business.
Still, how does a company make an "impact" in north America?
The problem of a domination of 95% the market is made exponentially more difficult when an organization has a negative perception. As I wrote previously, it's almost unbelievable that somehow TNA survived when the league was on the brink of bankruptcy, and after the GFW merger debacle, most assumed it was "new management, same story." It wasn't until late last year that Anthem Sports made possibly the best decision in their history of ownership when they announced that Don Callis and Scott D'Amore were the new executive vice presidents of the group. Fight Network executive, Ed Nordholm was smart enough to know that he didn't know the very unique wrestling business. As I said at the time of the announcement, Don Callis is one of the hidden gems of the industry, and the new duo provided the first legitimate sense of optimism around Impact Wrestling in years. There were some departures, debuts, and a few things that needed improvement, but overall, the general consensus is that Impact Wrestling is going in the right direction, which is represented with an improvement in ratings.
However, when Alberto El Patron, who was booked in the main event of the Redemption pay-per-view, no showed the Impact/Lucha Underground event during Wrestlemania weekend, it was a very disappointing situation. Shortly after he didn't show up for the event, he was released from the organization. Later, a video surfaced from the same convention where the show took place and it appeared as though Alberto was intoxicated during an interview. Management made the right decision, but there had to be some damage control because quite frankly, Impact still needs to earn the investment of the fans. For too long too many mistakes were made under the previous regime, and part of the process of turning the company around is to give the fans a reason to be optimistic about the promotion.
As a replacement, Lucha Underground stars, Pentagon and Fenix were added to the main event to challenge Austin Aries for the Impact championship. AAA wrestlers Areostar and Drago are also scheduled for a match. This concept of inter-promotional matches on pay-per-view creates a unique selling point, something that is needed to market traditional PPV at a time when the WWE network is sold for $10 a month. That goes back to the original point of WWE's market share. In 2018, can ANY company really take a piece of the WWE pie? Probably not, but that isn't to say that a group of companies can't form an "alliance" to present a product that offers something completely different from the WWE's empire.
One promotion might not be able to rival McMahon's global brand, that might just be the reality of professional wrestling in the United States in 2018. The goal for Impact Wrestling shouldn't necessarily be competition, but rather profitability. If Anthem Sports can find a profitable niche, that would be tremendous progress from where the organization was when they purchased it. For Impact to reach the level it obtained during the peak of its exposure on national TV over a decade ago will take years of the right decisions at the right time so that can't be determined at this point. But, Anthem and other groups know that beneficial working agreements are a better option for everyone. Sharing success with others is better than floundering in mediocrity on their own.
Callis and D'Amore already showed plans to move forward with the direction of today's wrestling. Sure, Pop TV is a much smaller platform than TNA had on Spike TV as far as TV clearance, but Impact's Twitch project increases their exposure, and at this point, allowing more viewers more access to the product provides more of a fresh start for the organization. The working agreements already used show that Impact management don't plan to make the same mistakes as the territory promoters of the past.
Specifically, Lucha Underground working agreement makes sense for both organizations. As I said previously, LU is a popular series, but it's strictly a television product with limited distribution and less revenue streams than a traditional company. El Rey is a smaller network so that brings in less ad revenue. The group doesn't run house shows so the TV show is basically the totality of the product. Plus, there always seems to be rumors about if another season will be filmed or not. That's not to down grade the quality of the show, but rather to explain that LU is not a full-time company. That would theoretically allow LU stars the flexible schedule to sign for Impact as well. The most important aspect is that since LU is strictly a TV product, there's no clash with the Impact schedule.
While Austin Aries provided some buzz for his return to Impact and his recent appearances on Ring of Honor pay-per-views, Pentagon might be the right choice to win the championship at Redemption. That's nothing against Aries, but rather that it could give Pentagon a platform to truly be discovered as a star. Aries is a former multiple time champion in many different companies so he's already established. Pentagon has done stellar work and has the character to be a major star, but hasn't had the main stream platform to be showcased as a featured athlete. If he wins the title, it gives Impact the chance to create a new star and it would be a good addition to the roster. That intrigue of if the lucha grappler will win the championship is the entire point of a main event of a pay-per-view because it gives viewers a reason to order the show. Regardless of if there's a new champion, it's nice to see that Callis and D'Amore understand the wrestling landscape and booked the Redemption pay-per-view to seem like a "special event" as opposed to just another show. If Redemption does a good buy rate at $40 remains to be seen, but the Lucha Underground working agreement certainly gives fans a reason to order the show.
Following the flop of Pro Wrestling USA, there were several minor working agreements among various territory owners, but nothing materialized, as owners couldn't agree on anything. The lack of a long-term vision kept those promoters behind the times. Vince McMahon saw what was possible with cable TV exposure and used it to change the industry. The hard-nosed Verne Gagne was too naive to realize that his Minneapolis-based group couldn't compete with the pop culture association of the WWF. Since that time, McMahon beat the federal government, survived a Monday night war, and built his sports entertainment empire into a global brand. The expansion of programming and distribution allowed WWE brass to sign the majority of the top names of the current generation. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Adam Cole, EC3, Nakamura, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Bobby Roode, etc. all worked as main event stars before they arrived in the WWE.
Those signings along with 95% of the market share make it extremely difficult for any promotion to build themselves up in the United States. Sure, New Japan has done extremely well in recent years, but they have a solid fan base in their native country, and in many ways, they are a compliment, not competition to the WWE, which is actually a good thing because it provides more alternatives in almost every aspect of the business.
Still, how does a company make an "impact" in north America?
The problem of a domination of 95% the market is made exponentially more difficult when an organization has a negative perception. As I wrote previously, it's almost unbelievable that somehow TNA survived when the league was on the brink of bankruptcy, and after the GFW merger debacle, most assumed it was "new management, same story." It wasn't until late last year that Anthem Sports made possibly the best decision in their history of ownership when they announced that Don Callis and Scott D'Amore were the new executive vice presidents of the group. Fight Network executive, Ed Nordholm was smart enough to know that he didn't know the very unique wrestling business. As I said at the time of the announcement, Don Callis is one of the hidden gems of the industry, and the new duo provided the first legitimate sense of optimism around Impact Wrestling in years. There were some departures, debuts, and a few things that needed improvement, but overall, the general consensus is that Impact Wrestling is going in the right direction, which is represented with an improvement in ratings.
However, when Alberto El Patron, who was booked in the main event of the Redemption pay-per-view, no showed the Impact/Lucha Underground event during Wrestlemania weekend, it was a very disappointing situation. Shortly after he didn't show up for the event, he was released from the organization. Later, a video surfaced from the same convention where the show took place and it appeared as though Alberto was intoxicated during an interview. Management made the right decision, but there had to be some damage control because quite frankly, Impact still needs to earn the investment of the fans. For too long too many mistakes were made under the previous regime, and part of the process of turning the company around is to give the fans a reason to be optimistic about the promotion.
As a replacement, Lucha Underground stars, Pentagon and Fenix were added to the main event to challenge Austin Aries for the Impact championship. AAA wrestlers Areostar and Drago are also scheduled for a match. This concept of inter-promotional matches on pay-per-view creates a unique selling point, something that is needed to market traditional PPV at a time when the WWE network is sold for $10 a month. That goes back to the original point of WWE's market share. In 2018, can ANY company really take a piece of the WWE pie? Probably not, but that isn't to say that a group of companies can't form an "alliance" to present a product that offers something completely different from the WWE's empire.
One promotion might not be able to rival McMahon's global brand, that might just be the reality of professional wrestling in the United States in 2018. The goal for Impact Wrestling shouldn't necessarily be competition, but rather profitability. If Anthem Sports can find a profitable niche, that would be tremendous progress from where the organization was when they purchased it. For Impact to reach the level it obtained during the peak of its exposure on national TV over a decade ago will take years of the right decisions at the right time so that can't be determined at this point. But, Anthem and other groups know that beneficial working agreements are a better option for everyone. Sharing success with others is better than floundering in mediocrity on their own.
Callis and D'Amore already showed plans to move forward with the direction of today's wrestling. Sure, Pop TV is a much smaller platform than TNA had on Spike TV as far as TV clearance, but Impact's Twitch project increases their exposure, and at this point, allowing more viewers more access to the product provides more of a fresh start for the organization. The working agreements already used show that Impact management don't plan to make the same mistakes as the territory promoters of the past.
Specifically, Lucha Underground working agreement makes sense for both organizations. As I said previously, LU is a popular series, but it's strictly a television product with limited distribution and less revenue streams than a traditional company. El Rey is a smaller network so that brings in less ad revenue. The group doesn't run house shows so the TV show is basically the totality of the product. Plus, there always seems to be rumors about if another season will be filmed or not. That's not to down grade the quality of the show, but rather to explain that LU is not a full-time company. That would theoretically allow LU stars the flexible schedule to sign for Impact as well. The most important aspect is that since LU is strictly a TV product, there's no clash with the Impact schedule.
While Austin Aries provided some buzz for his return to Impact and his recent appearances on Ring of Honor pay-per-views, Pentagon might be the right choice to win the championship at Redemption. That's nothing against Aries, but rather that it could give Pentagon a platform to truly be discovered as a star. Aries is a former multiple time champion in many different companies so he's already established. Pentagon has done stellar work and has the character to be a major star, but hasn't had the main stream platform to be showcased as a featured athlete. If he wins the title, it gives Impact the chance to create a new star and it would be a good addition to the roster. That intrigue of if the lucha grappler will win the championship is the entire point of a main event of a pay-per-view because it gives viewers a reason to order the show. Regardless of if there's a new champion, it's nice to see that Callis and D'Amore understand the wrestling landscape and booked the Redemption pay-per-view to seem like a "special event" as opposed to just another show. If Redemption does a good buy rate at $40 remains to be seen, but the Lucha Underground working agreement certainly gives fans a reason to order the show.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
The career of Bruno Sammartino
When I read the news that the legendary Bruno Sammartino passed away, I was shocked. Considering his age, this sad event might be described as expected or typical, but Bruno was anything but typical. Even at 82, it just seemed like the former WWWF champion was too strong to go. He was too mythical to be mortal. The stories of surviving illness as a child to his remarkable feats of strength to his record-setting title runs, made it seem as though he would always be around as the definition of a champion.
A native of a small town in Abruzzo, Italy, Sammartino survived many hardships during his youth before he found success in America. His father traveled to Pittsburgh for work with plans to bring the rest of his family to the United States after he made enough money to settle them there. At the same time, a Nazi invasion of Bruno's village during World World II forced his family to hide in the snowy mountains. Sammartino later recounted that his mother would sneak back into their house in the middle of the night to bring food back for him and his siblings.
Eventually, the remaining Sammartino family immigrated to Pittsburgh to join his father in 1950. The young Bruno was sickly from the harsh winters spent in the mountains and spoke no English upon his arrival. In an effort to improve his health, he began weight training at a local YMCA. As he grew up, his training earned him many accolades, winning many regional competitions. His impressive strength set weight lifting records and he was often featured on local TV shows to showcase his ability. It was on those local spots that he was discovered by local wrestling promoter, Rudy Miller, who encouraged him to pursue the sport.
After his debut in 1959, Sammartino worked the under card of Capital Sports events, which were promoted by Vince McMahon Sr. in the north east territory. A scheduling disagreement with McMahon Sr. led Bruno to seek work in Toronto, where there was a major Italian population. He became extremely popular among Canadian fans after he started there in 1962 and within the span of a just a year, worked with several top stars throughout the territory.
In the United States, McMahon Sr. found it difficult to draw major crowds with his new World Wide Wrestling Federation champion, Buddy Rogers, a grappler that was known for being notoriously difficult to work with during that era. McMahon Sr., a longtime respected member of the National Wrestling Alliance, created his own title to promote his organization as its own entity. He was so respected among his peers that he remained on the NWA board for several more years, despite running his own promotion. Buddy Rogers was a major star through the television exposure of the previous decade and had "won" the title through a fictitious tournament supposedly held in Rio De Janeiro, but failed to bring fans to the box office as champion.
Joe "Toots" Mondt worked as a trusted advisor for Capital Sports and negotiated a deal for Sammartino to return to the WWWF. On May 17, 1963, Bruno stepped into the ring to challenge Rogers for the belt. Rogers didn't want to drop the title and there was some question about if the bout would go as planned. It took Sammartino just 48 seconds to claim victory with the Canadian back breaker. There were few rematches planned because Rogers claimed he was injured.
Bruno held the belt for an unprecedented record-setting reign of nearly eight years, drawing major crowds everywhere he defended the championship, and through the press of wrestling magazines, generated a following around the globe. As far away as Japan, Sammartino worked matches against his longtime friend, Giant Baba in the late 60s. As the titleholder of the WWWF, he often defended his title against foreigner villains from that era, and crowds flocked to the box office to support the Italian strong man. The audience identified with the blue collar champion because he represented them. It's well documented that Bruno took his role as champion very seriously and saw it as his responsibility to be an honorable representative. He knew his place at the top of the card made him a role model to the fans that supported him and the humble grappler was always a respectful figure. The crowd that cheered him on in the ring connected with his story, they were hard-working, blue collar people that tried to accomplish the same goals as Bruno, to find as much success as possible in their chosen profession.
After almost eight years of continuous travel, Sammartino requested time off so that he could spend time with his family. It was decided that Ivan Koloff would take the belt to transition the championship to Puerto Rican star, Pedro Morales. On January 18, 1971, "The Russian Bear" dropped a knee from the top rope, and the referee counted three to determine the new champion. The sold out Madison Square Garden crowd sat in stunned silence. Those in attendance couldn't believe that the dominate Sammartino was defeated. As he made his way back to the dressing room, several fans in the audience were crying and said, "Bruno, we still love you." He later said in an interview that as he unlaced his boot in the dressing room that he felt extremely bad that he decided to take time off because he thought he left the fans down.
In late-1973, Bruno won the title again, defeating Stan Stasiak at the Philadelphia Spectrum. This time, he had a three-year run as champion and continued to draw sell out crowds. However, his second time at the top of the card wasn't without hurdles, specifically in 1976 when he broken his neck during a match against Stan Hansen. With just two months to recover, he returned to the squared circle for a rematch in Shea Stadium as a featured match on the under card of the closed circuit broadcast of Ali vs. Inoki bout. While the primitive mixed martial arts contest generated tremendous buzz in Japan, many American fans were unaware of who Inoki was at that time so advanced sales at closed circuit venues were low. The Bruno/Hansen rematch was added to boost sales in the United States and it did, which prompted a series of bouts in the territory after Sammartino recovered from the injuries.
But, the neck injury along with several other injuries during a nearly twenty year career led to the conclusion of his full-time career. In 1977, he dropped the belt to "Super Star" Billy Graham and took a reduced schedule after that. He remained a part of the organization, often times as a commentator for TV tapings, and did brief feuds, including a memorable storyline against Larry Zbyszko that culminated in a cage match at Shea Stadium in 1980. As the business changed during the national expansion in the mid-80s with Vince McMahon Jr. as the owner of the WWF, Sammartino disapproved of the direction of the industry. He made a part-time comeback to the ring in the late-80s to attempt to help his son, David get a push in the organization, but David simply didn't have the ability to make it to the level of the previous generation. Bruno had soured on the WWF product and left the organization in 1988, which led to many years of resentment.
Bruno remained an outspoken critic of the more vulgar aspects of the Attitude era and turned down Hall of Fame offers throughout the early 2000s. Finally, with the industry as a more much PG presentation and the WWE wellness policy in place, Triple H negotiated a deal with Bruno to be inducted the Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden, a venue he sold out an astounding 187 times during his career, in 2013. Since that time, he occasionally appeared at different WWE events and for shows on the WWE network. It was nice to see the WWE showcase Sammartino as the legendary icon that he that earned during his stellar career.
As I wrote in an article last year, I had the chance to meet Bruno on a few different occasions and each time it was truly an honor to get to speak to such a legendary figure. Regardless of if it was when I was only eight years old and only knew of Bruno as THE champion from stories that my dad told me or when I took a picture with him several years later, knowing his greatness, he always had a polite response. Bruno's remarkable story of survival and success it truly an example of the American dream. Bruno Sammartino was an icon and much of the foundation of the industry was built upon his tremendous popularity. Many fans from different generations were impacted by his greatness and legendary career.
A native of a small town in Abruzzo, Italy, Sammartino survived many hardships during his youth before he found success in America. His father traveled to Pittsburgh for work with plans to bring the rest of his family to the United States after he made enough money to settle them there. At the same time, a Nazi invasion of Bruno's village during World World II forced his family to hide in the snowy mountains. Sammartino later recounted that his mother would sneak back into their house in the middle of the night to bring food back for him and his siblings.
Eventually, the remaining Sammartino family immigrated to Pittsburgh to join his father in 1950. The young Bruno was sickly from the harsh winters spent in the mountains and spoke no English upon his arrival. In an effort to improve his health, he began weight training at a local YMCA. As he grew up, his training earned him many accolades, winning many regional competitions. His impressive strength set weight lifting records and he was often featured on local TV shows to showcase his ability. It was on those local spots that he was discovered by local wrestling promoter, Rudy Miller, who encouraged him to pursue the sport.
After his debut in 1959, Sammartino worked the under card of Capital Sports events, which were promoted by Vince McMahon Sr. in the north east territory. A scheduling disagreement with McMahon Sr. led Bruno to seek work in Toronto, where there was a major Italian population. He became extremely popular among Canadian fans after he started there in 1962 and within the span of a just a year, worked with several top stars throughout the territory.
In the United States, McMahon Sr. found it difficult to draw major crowds with his new World Wide Wrestling Federation champion, Buddy Rogers, a grappler that was known for being notoriously difficult to work with during that era. McMahon Sr., a longtime respected member of the National Wrestling Alliance, created his own title to promote his organization as its own entity. He was so respected among his peers that he remained on the NWA board for several more years, despite running his own promotion. Buddy Rogers was a major star through the television exposure of the previous decade and had "won" the title through a fictitious tournament supposedly held in Rio De Janeiro, but failed to bring fans to the box office as champion.
Joe "Toots" Mondt worked as a trusted advisor for Capital Sports and negotiated a deal for Sammartino to return to the WWWF. On May 17, 1963, Bruno stepped into the ring to challenge Rogers for the belt. Rogers didn't want to drop the title and there was some question about if the bout would go as planned. It took Sammartino just 48 seconds to claim victory with the Canadian back breaker. There were few rematches planned because Rogers claimed he was injured.
Bruno held the belt for an unprecedented record-setting reign of nearly eight years, drawing major crowds everywhere he defended the championship, and through the press of wrestling magazines, generated a following around the globe. As far away as Japan, Sammartino worked matches against his longtime friend, Giant Baba in the late 60s. As the titleholder of the WWWF, he often defended his title against foreigner villains from that era, and crowds flocked to the box office to support the Italian strong man. The audience identified with the blue collar champion because he represented them. It's well documented that Bruno took his role as champion very seriously and saw it as his responsibility to be an honorable representative. He knew his place at the top of the card made him a role model to the fans that supported him and the humble grappler was always a respectful figure. The crowd that cheered him on in the ring connected with his story, they were hard-working, blue collar people that tried to accomplish the same goals as Bruno, to find as much success as possible in their chosen profession.
After almost eight years of continuous travel, Sammartino requested time off so that he could spend time with his family. It was decided that Ivan Koloff would take the belt to transition the championship to Puerto Rican star, Pedro Morales. On January 18, 1971, "The Russian Bear" dropped a knee from the top rope, and the referee counted three to determine the new champion. The sold out Madison Square Garden crowd sat in stunned silence. Those in attendance couldn't believe that the dominate Sammartino was defeated. As he made his way back to the dressing room, several fans in the audience were crying and said, "Bruno, we still love you." He later said in an interview that as he unlaced his boot in the dressing room that he felt extremely bad that he decided to take time off because he thought he left the fans down.
In late-1973, Bruno won the title again, defeating Stan Stasiak at the Philadelphia Spectrum. This time, he had a three-year run as champion and continued to draw sell out crowds. However, his second time at the top of the card wasn't without hurdles, specifically in 1976 when he broken his neck during a match against Stan Hansen. With just two months to recover, he returned to the squared circle for a rematch in Shea Stadium as a featured match on the under card of the closed circuit broadcast of Ali vs. Inoki bout. While the primitive mixed martial arts contest generated tremendous buzz in Japan, many American fans were unaware of who Inoki was at that time so advanced sales at closed circuit venues were low. The Bruno/Hansen rematch was added to boost sales in the United States and it did, which prompted a series of bouts in the territory after Sammartino recovered from the injuries.
But, the neck injury along with several other injuries during a nearly twenty year career led to the conclusion of his full-time career. In 1977, he dropped the belt to "Super Star" Billy Graham and took a reduced schedule after that. He remained a part of the organization, often times as a commentator for TV tapings, and did brief feuds, including a memorable storyline against Larry Zbyszko that culminated in a cage match at Shea Stadium in 1980. As the business changed during the national expansion in the mid-80s with Vince McMahon Jr. as the owner of the WWF, Sammartino disapproved of the direction of the industry. He made a part-time comeback to the ring in the late-80s to attempt to help his son, David get a push in the organization, but David simply didn't have the ability to make it to the level of the previous generation. Bruno had soured on the WWF product and left the organization in 1988, which led to many years of resentment.
Bruno remained an outspoken critic of the more vulgar aspects of the Attitude era and turned down Hall of Fame offers throughout the early 2000s. Finally, with the industry as a more much PG presentation and the WWE wellness policy in place, Triple H negotiated a deal with Bruno to be inducted the Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden, a venue he sold out an astounding 187 times during his career, in 2013. Since that time, he occasionally appeared at different WWE events and for shows on the WWE network. It was nice to see the WWE showcase Sammartino as the legendary icon that he that earned during his stellar career.
As I wrote in an article last year, I had the chance to meet Bruno on a few different occasions and each time it was truly an honor to get to speak to such a legendary figure. Regardless of if it was when I was only eight years old and only knew of Bruno as THE champion from stories that my dad told me or when I took a picture with him several years later, knowing his greatness, he always had a polite response. Bruno's remarkable story of survival and success it truly an example of the American dream. Bruno Sammartino was an icon and much of the foundation of the industry was built upon his tremendous popularity. Many fans from different generations were impacted by his greatness and legendary career.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Wrestlemania 34 Review
The biggest show of the year is in the books and in many ways, it was a tale of two Wrestlemania events.
Since it would be too lengthy to cover the entire seven-hour show, let's discuss a few highlights and the impact of those moments on the direction of the product. The first two hours were solid. The IC title match provided good action to set the tone as a good opener, and Seth Rollins has a renewed push as the champion, which is something that can give his character some direction, as he floundered in some ways after Dean Ambrose's injury led to an abrupt conclusion to the Shield reunion.
Arguably, Charlotte/Asuka stole the show. The bout delivered in the ring and had a "special event" atmosphere to it that suited the WM stage. It was competitive enough that the end of the streak doesn't necessarily hinder Asuka's momentum, but much of that depends on where she goes from here. It seems like it's pivotal for her to be involved in a meaningful angle post-WM so that she doesn't get lost in the shuffle. Charlotte has evolved in the role of a star during the duration of her WWE career and continues to do extremely well as one of the cornerstones of the women's division. That said, it appears that an eventual Charlotte/Ronda Rousey showdown would be money on pay-per-view.
The US title match was very basic and more or less just a Smackdown TV match that was put on a bigger stage. But, it was kept short and didn't really affect the pace of the event. Perhaps, the biggest note from this contest is that despite the win, Jinder Mahal is less over now than he was when he was WWE champion.
The Kurt Angle/Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H/Stephanie match was a wild card because nobody really knew what to expect from the former UFC Bantamweight champion inside the squared circle. I was very skeptical ahead of this match, as Ronda's promos and selling were awkward on Raw. However, Ronda exceeded expectations and did very well, especially with the presence she brought to the match. Granted, the fact that Stephanie McMahon could block an arm bar, the same submission that trained MMA fighters couldn't escape, was ridiculous, but wasn't a surprise. But, the bigger story is Ronda made the transition and set the stage for a major match the next time she's scheduled for another pay-per-view. While she must be booked on a limited basis to protect her aura and cover her inexperience, even a few key matches a year will be enough to boost business for the WWE.
After the good opener, the stellar women's title match, and the thrilling Ronda debut, the event took quite the down slide.
The Smackdown tag title match was okay, nothing great, but nothing terrible either. It was similar to the US title bout, mostly because it was another TV match that happened to be on pay-per-view. The repackaged Bludgeon Brothers won the belts and definitely needed a new path, but haven't been over since their run with Bray Wyatt so time will tell if they make progress with a new gimmick. Don't get me wrong, Harper is an impressive athlete, but lacks the mic skills to get over on his own. Rowan is almost just another generic big man, but works well with Harper, who needs someone to work with so the duo are a logical team, but again time will tell since they were repackaged before without any long term success.
The Undertaker has an incredible presence and he might be the best character in the history of sports entertainment. I have a tremendous amount of respect for everything that he did during his legendary career. He's a prime example of what a true professional should be in the industry. That said, the very brief match was less of a way to see The Undertaker on the show and more of an indication that he can't perform a full time match. It just didn't make much sense that John Cena, one of the most accomplished performers of all time, was pinned in less than three minutes at WM. Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with "burying" Cena, he's bullet proof and could lose every match for the rest of his career and still be one of the most over on the roster. The short match just came across as rather odd and underwhelming, considering the star power involved in the contest. It's possible that this was booked to allow The Undertaker retire with a win, but if he continues with short matches in the future, it might've been a better option for him to retire after a main event at Wrestlemania 32.
Maybe it was just the length of the show or the booking of the match, but the momentum of the event halted during the Daniel Bryan/Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn match. The stretcher scenario wasn't what people wanted to see and it created the very predictable spot for Bryan to finally make his way into the ring so the crowd wasn't too involved prior to that point in the contest. Credit to Shane for wrestling injured, but his offense looked very sloppy. It's possible that this segment would've worked better if it was kept basic and set up for a tag for Bryan to lead to the conclusion in a much shorter span of time than the 15 minutes the match had for the show.
The Nia/Bliss title match was okay and told a good story from a storyline perspective, but again, was another bout on the card that seemed more like a TV match. This could be another effect of such an extensive show, and there's probably not much either competitor could've done to get more of a crowd reaction.
The WWE title match that was promoted as a "dream match" was decent, but didn't live up to the hype. It's possible expectations were too high for this contest, and while I didn't think they were going to recreate their epic bout from the Tokyo Dome a few years ago, I was disappointed that this match, at least in the context of a five-hour main show, wasn't a classic bout. It was more of an average pay-per-view match than the memorable WM match.
The tag title match really had no place on the show. The entire angle was more to give Braun Strowman something to do when he probably should've had a main event role than anything else. In the process, the tag division was completely buried because Braun defeated the entire division, and then a 10-year-old kid wins the title. Sure, there's the novelty of a kid involved in a match, but it was just too hokey and didn't translate on screen. The tag division was emphasized the past few years, but I'm not sure a tournament on Raw restores that credibility. More than anything, the tag titles were used for an attempted comical angle, but it was lame.
The main event had a surprise ending, but just because it was a surprise doesn't necessarily mean it was the right decision. The WWE invested an entire year for Roman Reigns to kick out of the F-5, the move that pinned Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, and when Roman kicked out, there was barely any reaction. The match itself seemed very sloppy and it was surprising to see that Brock appeared to mail it in instead of a stellar performance. It took six F-5 moves to finish the match, which really kills the credibility of the move. Maybe this is an attempt at reverse psychology for WWE to "force" Brock's repetitive offense in the main event, but that does nothing to get Reigns over.
The follow-up on Raw was just as flat, as it sounded as though Roman tried to cut a "worked shoot" promo. Reigns complained about getting a rematch against Lesnar, which doesn't make sense for a baby face. It's very possible that Brock drops the title at the stadium show in Saudi Arabia and WWE gets the moment to proclaim Reigns as the champion, but that won't be nearly as effective as a win at WM. Keep in mind, Roman might get a better reaction in Saudi Arabia, but 95% of WWE shows are in the United States so the hostile crowd reaction will continue even if Reigns wins it.
The bottom line is, the main event of Wrestlemania was underwhelming. At this point, the WWE is booked into a corner because they invested a year into the moment that Reigns wins, but there wasn't a pay off. Lesnar's effort is questionable and there's not much buzz around his part-time schedule. More than anything, it makes it difficult to book Raw on a weekly basis when the champion can't be used on the show. Does anyone want to see the same basic Brock match that he has done for the past two years? Especially when there are several talented performers on the roster that can deliver stellar in-ring matches. Where the WWE goes from here is anyone's guess, but if a year build up didn't get Roman Reigns over and four consecutive years didn't work, it might be time for management to finally change the plan.
Since it would be too lengthy to cover the entire seven-hour show, let's discuss a few highlights and the impact of those moments on the direction of the product. The first two hours were solid. The IC title match provided good action to set the tone as a good opener, and Seth Rollins has a renewed push as the champion, which is something that can give his character some direction, as he floundered in some ways after Dean Ambrose's injury led to an abrupt conclusion to the Shield reunion.
Arguably, Charlotte/Asuka stole the show. The bout delivered in the ring and had a "special event" atmosphere to it that suited the WM stage. It was competitive enough that the end of the streak doesn't necessarily hinder Asuka's momentum, but much of that depends on where she goes from here. It seems like it's pivotal for her to be involved in a meaningful angle post-WM so that she doesn't get lost in the shuffle. Charlotte has evolved in the role of a star during the duration of her WWE career and continues to do extremely well as one of the cornerstones of the women's division. That said, it appears that an eventual Charlotte/Ronda Rousey showdown would be money on pay-per-view.
The US title match was very basic and more or less just a Smackdown TV match that was put on a bigger stage. But, it was kept short and didn't really affect the pace of the event. Perhaps, the biggest note from this contest is that despite the win, Jinder Mahal is less over now than he was when he was WWE champion.
The Kurt Angle/Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H/Stephanie match was a wild card because nobody really knew what to expect from the former UFC Bantamweight champion inside the squared circle. I was very skeptical ahead of this match, as Ronda's promos and selling were awkward on Raw. However, Ronda exceeded expectations and did very well, especially with the presence she brought to the match. Granted, the fact that Stephanie McMahon could block an arm bar, the same submission that trained MMA fighters couldn't escape, was ridiculous, but wasn't a surprise. But, the bigger story is Ronda made the transition and set the stage for a major match the next time she's scheduled for another pay-per-view. While she must be booked on a limited basis to protect her aura and cover her inexperience, even a few key matches a year will be enough to boost business for the WWE.
After the good opener, the stellar women's title match, and the thrilling Ronda debut, the event took quite the down slide.
The Smackdown tag title match was okay, nothing great, but nothing terrible either. It was similar to the US title bout, mostly because it was another TV match that happened to be on pay-per-view. The repackaged Bludgeon Brothers won the belts and definitely needed a new path, but haven't been over since their run with Bray Wyatt so time will tell if they make progress with a new gimmick. Don't get me wrong, Harper is an impressive athlete, but lacks the mic skills to get over on his own. Rowan is almost just another generic big man, but works well with Harper, who needs someone to work with so the duo are a logical team, but again time will tell since they were repackaged before without any long term success.
The Undertaker has an incredible presence and he might be the best character in the history of sports entertainment. I have a tremendous amount of respect for everything that he did during his legendary career. He's a prime example of what a true professional should be in the industry. That said, the very brief match was less of a way to see The Undertaker on the show and more of an indication that he can't perform a full time match. It just didn't make much sense that John Cena, one of the most accomplished performers of all time, was pinned in less than three minutes at WM. Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with "burying" Cena, he's bullet proof and could lose every match for the rest of his career and still be one of the most over on the roster. The short match just came across as rather odd and underwhelming, considering the star power involved in the contest. It's possible that this was booked to allow The Undertaker retire with a win, but if he continues with short matches in the future, it might've been a better option for him to retire after a main event at Wrestlemania 32.
Maybe it was just the length of the show or the booking of the match, but the momentum of the event halted during the Daniel Bryan/Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn match. The stretcher scenario wasn't what people wanted to see and it created the very predictable spot for Bryan to finally make his way into the ring so the crowd wasn't too involved prior to that point in the contest. Credit to Shane for wrestling injured, but his offense looked very sloppy. It's possible that this segment would've worked better if it was kept basic and set up for a tag for Bryan to lead to the conclusion in a much shorter span of time than the 15 minutes the match had for the show.
The Nia/Bliss title match was okay and told a good story from a storyline perspective, but again, was another bout on the card that seemed more like a TV match. This could be another effect of such an extensive show, and there's probably not much either competitor could've done to get more of a crowd reaction.
The WWE title match that was promoted as a "dream match" was decent, but didn't live up to the hype. It's possible expectations were too high for this contest, and while I didn't think they were going to recreate their epic bout from the Tokyo Dome a few years ago, I was disappointed that this match, at least in the context of a five-hour main show, wasn't a classic bout. It was more of an average pay-per-view match than the memorable WM match.
The tag title match really had no place on the show. The entire angle was more to give Braun Strowman something to do when he probably should've had a main event role than anything else. In the process, the tag division was completely buried because Braun defeated the entire division, and then a 10-year-old kid wins the title. Sure, there's the novelty of a kid involved in a match, but it was just too hokey and didn't translate on screen. The tag division was emphasized the past few years, but I'm not sure a tournament on Raw restores that credibility. More than anything, the tag titles were used for an attempted comical angle, but it was lame.
The main event had a surprise ending, but just because it was a surprise doesn't necessarily mean it was the right decision. The WWE invested an entire year for Roman Reigns to kick out of the F-5, the move that pinned Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, and when Roman kicked out, there was barely any reaction. The match itself seemed very sloppy and it was surprising to see that Brock appeared to mail it in instead of a stellar performance. It took six F-5 moves to finish the match, which really kills the credibility of the move. Maybe this is an attempt at reverse psychology for WWE to "force" Brock's repetitive offense in the main event, but that does nothing to get Reigns over.
The follow-up on Raw was just as flat, as it sounded as though Roman tried to cut a "worked shoot" promo. Reigns complained about getting a rematch against Lesnar, which doesn't make sense for a baby face. It's very possible that Brock drops the title at the stadium show in Saudi Arabia and WWE gets the moment to proclaim Reigns as the champion, but that won't be nearly as effective as a win at WM. Keep in mind, Roman might get a better reaction in Saudi Arabia, but 95% of WWE shows are in the United States so the hostile crowd reaction will continue even if Reigns wins it.
The bottom line is, the main event of Wrestlemania was underwhelming. At this point, the WWE is booked into a corner because they invested a year into the moment that Reigns wins, but there wasn't a pay off. Lesnar's effort is questionable and there's not much buzz around his part-time schedule. More than anything, it makes it difficult to book Raw on a weekly basis when the champion can't be used on the show. Does anyone want to see the same basic Brock match that he has done for the past two years? Especially when there are several talented performers on the roster that can deliver stellar in-ring matches. Where the WWE goes from here is anyone's guess, but if a year build up didn't get Roman Reigns over and four consecutive years didn't work, it might be time for management to finally change the plan.
Friday, April 6, 2018
The Conor McGregor situation
Conor McGregor, the mixed martial arts fighter that got the biggest promotional push in the history of the sport from the UFC marketing machine, was charged with multiple counts of misdemeanor assault and a felony charge of criminal mischief after one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of the sport.
The Dublin native responded to an altercation between his teammate, Artem Lobov and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was scheduled to fight at UFC 223 for the Light Heavyweight championship that Conor was stripped off just two days previously. McGregor flew to New York, where the event will be held this weekend, with a group of his friends to confront Khabib. Following a media event yesterday to promote the pay-per-view at the Barclays Center, the former UFC champion showed up uninvited and found the bus that the fighters boarded after the press conference. His group threw trash at the bus, but the major damage was done by McGregor himself. He threw a moving dolly at the bus, shattering the window. Glass showered inside the bus, cutting Micheal Chiesa in several places on his face and head. Flyweight contender, Ray Borg sustained a very serious eye injury from the shards of glass. As a result, both fighters had to cancel their scheduled bouts at the event. Lobov was canceled from the event because of his initial involvement in the incident.
There are many rumors about how the situation will be resolved, but it was reported that Chiesa filed charges against McGregor. However, a civil lawsuit might be the least of Conor's problems at this point. As mentioned, the New York City police filed multiple charges against him and he turned himself in early Friday. His bail was set at $50,000 and his next court date is set for June 14, according to the Washington Post. He will be allowed to leave the country to return to his home in Ireland.
I wrote a few months ago that the UFC might've pushed Conor too much and shoehorned him into the record books as a double champion without the consideration of the potential downside. They made McGregor the face of the organization, gave him several opportunities that he might not have earned, and then he took that stardom to boxing to fight Floyd Mayweather for a rumored $100 million. Quite simply, the UFC marketed McGregor to become too big of a star in his own mind and it came back to bite them.
At this point, the fact that Conor hasn't defended either belt he won or fought in the octagon at all for over a year and a half is a secondary situation. The WME group that bought the Ultimate Fighting Championship for over $4 billion a few years ago saw nearly every major network air the clip of the UFC's most main stream star being led away in handcuffs. It's ironic that this entire incident took place in New York, where it took the UFC several years to get sanctioned to hold events. It took Zuffa years to show that mixed martial arts is a showcase of athletes, not a blood sport. The insane antics of Conor McGregor could do major damage to the perception of the sport. The actions of McGregor were criminal, not fight hype.
Some very narrowed-minded journalists attempted to claim this might be a staged stunt. Besides the fact that the notion is completely ridiculous, this incident didn't happen in front of an audience, and the charges that were filed against McGregor prove the authenticity of the assault that took place after the press conference.
Already, questions have surfaced, what will the future be for Conor McGregor?
Let's keep in mind, the former champion could be a convicted felon depending on the outcome of the court case. What he did was reckless, dangerous, and shouldn't be taken lightly by anyone. Does Conor McGregor really believe his own hype? Does he think that because he got signed to a Burger King sponsorship that he can cause injuries to other people without any consequence? Does he believe in the "gangster" person that he uses to sell pay-per-view?
This entire situation makes the sport look terrible and anything but professional. In my opinion, Conor McGregor crossed the line and doesn't deserve a spot in the UFC. This was a planned assault, and fighters that had nothing to do with the Khabib confrontation were injured. If management keeps McGregor on the roster, what message does that send about the company? Make no mistake about it, the 29-year-old fighter is skilled and dynamic inside the octagon, but there must be a standard of professionalism in mixed martial arts.
Even if Dana White allows Conor to return to the cage, would he actually sign for a fight? He didn't defend either title that he won prior to this incident and didn't have plans to fight again. Plus, would fans still want to pay $65 to see Conor McGregor fight again? The draw to Conor was his brash over-the-top persona that created an entertaining presentation, but he hurt innocent people in a planned assault.
Will Conor McGregor get cut from the UFC roster?
I doubt it, but again, what message does that send about the promotion? If nothing else, it speaks volumes to how far the standard was lowered in the past decade. Would legends like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddel, or Georges St. Pierre ever do something this outrageous? Keep in mind, Paul Daley was exiled from the UFC for his sucker punch against Josh Koscheck after the bell, and Roy Nelson was fired because he pushed a referee so how exactly will management justify McGregor's invitation back to the octagon?
Ultimately, Conor will probably be back at some point because there's still money to be made. That being said, I couldn't care less to watch him fight again because his antics are an insult to the fighters that helped build the sport into a commodity that could be distributed to the main stream audience. Aside from all the insanity, the actual fight card for UFC 223 is still undecided, as Max Holloway, who replaced an injured Tony Ferguson on less than a week notice, couldn't make weight. As of this writing, there isn't an opponent for Khabib in the main event. It will be interesting to see if the hassle and the possible negative effect of Conor McGregor's antics will ultimately be worth the revenue that he generated as champion in the company.
The Dublin native responded to an altercation between his teammate, Artem Lobov and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was scheduled to fight at UFC 223 for the Light Heavyweight championship that Conor was stripped off just two days previously. McGregor flew to New York, where the event will be held this weekend, with a group of his friends to confront Khabib. Following a media event yesterday to promote the pay-per-view at the Barclays Center, the former UFC champion showed up uninvited and found the bus that the fighters boarded after the press conference. His group threw trash at the bus, but the major damage was done by McGregor himself. He threw a moving dolly at the bus, shattering the window. Glass showered inside the bus, cutting Micheal Chiesa in several places on his face and head. Flyweight contender, Ray Borg sustained a very serious eye injury from the shards of glass. As a result, both fighters had to cancel their scheduled bouts at the event. Lobov was canceled from the event because of his initial involvement in the incident.
There are many rumors about how the situation will be resolved, but it was reported that Chiesa filed charges against McGregor. However, a civil lawsuit might be the least of Conor's problems at this point. As mentioned, the New York City police filed multiple charges against him and he turned himself in early Friday. His bail was set at $50,000 and his next court date is set for June 14, according to the Washington Post. He will be allowed to leave the country to return to his home in Ireland.
I wrote a few months ago that the UFC might've pushed Conor too much and shoehorned him into the record books as a double champion without the consideration of the potential downside. They made McGregor the face of the organization, gave him several opportunities that he might not have earned, and then he took that stardom to boxing to fight Floyd Mayweather for a rumored $100 million. Quite simply, the UFC marketed McGregor to become too big of a star in his own mind and it came back to bite them.
At this point, the fact that Conor hasn't defended either belt he won or fought in the octagon at all for over a year and a half is a secondary situation. The WME group that bought the Ultimate Fighting Championship for over $4 billion a few years ago saw nearly every major network air the clip of the UFC's most main stream star being led away in handcuffs. It's ironic that this entire incident took place in New York, where it took the UFC several years to get sanctioned to hold events. It took Zuffa years to show that mixed martial arts is a showcase of athletes, not a blood sport. The insane antics of Conor McGregor could do major damage to the perception of the sport. The actions of McGregor were criminal, not fight hype.
Some very narrowed-minded journalists attempted to claim this might be a staged stunt. Besides the fact that the notion is completely ridiculous, this incident didn't happen in front of an audience, and the charges that were filed against McGregor prove the authenticity of the assault that took place after the press conference.
Already, questions have surfaced, what will the future be for Conor McGregor?
Let's keep in mind, the former champion could be a convicted felon depending on the outcome of the court case. What he did was reckless, dangerous, and shouldn't be taken lightly by anyone. Does Conor McGregor really believe his own hype? Does he think that because he got signed to a Burger King sponsorship that he can cause injuries to other people without any consequence? Does he believe in the "gangster" person that he uses to sell pay-per-view?
This entire situation makes the sport look terrible and anything but professional. In my opinion, Conor McGregor crossed the line and doesn't deserve a spot in the UFC. This was a planned assault, and fighters that had nothing to do with the Khabib confrontation were injured. If management keeps McGregor on the roster, what message does that send about the company? Make no mistake about it, the 29-year-old fighter is skilled and dynamic inside the octagon, but there must be a standard of professionalism in mixed martial arts.
Even if Dana White allows Conor to return to the cage, would he actually sign for a fight? He didn't defend either title that he won prior to this incident and didn't have plans to fight again. Plus, would fans still want to pay $65 to see Conor McGregor fight again? The draw to Conor was his brash over-the-top persona that created an entertaining presentation, but he hurt innocent people in a planned assault.
Will Conor McGregor get cut from the UFC roster?
I doubt it, but again, what message does that send about the promotion? If nothing else, it speaks volumes to how far the standard was lowered in the past decade. Would legends like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddel, or Georges St. Pierre ever do something this outrageous? Keep in mind, Paul Daley was exiled from the UFC for his sucker punch against Josh Koscheck after the bell, and Roy Nelson was fired because he pushed a referee so how exactly will management justify McGregor's invitation back to the octagon?
Ultimately, Conor will probably be back at some point because there's still money to be made. That being said, I couldn't care less to watch him fight again because his antics are an insult to the fighters that helped build the sport into a commodity that could be distributed to the main stream audience. Aside from all the insanity, the actual fight card for UFC 223 is still undecided, as Max Holloway, who replaced an injured Tony Ferguson on less than a week notice, couldn't make weight. As of this writing, there isn't an opponent for Khabib in the main event. It will be interesting to see if the hassle and the possible negative effect of Conor McGregor's antics will ultimately be worth the revenue that he generated as champion in the company.
The rocky road to Wrestlemania
This Sunday, Wrestlemania will take place at The Super Dome in New
Orleans, and the biggest event of the year has nearly a week of
festivities planned around it, including the Hall of Fame induction
ceremony. With fans from all over the globe that make the trip to see
the WWE spectacular, many independent groups run events in the area as
well as a part of the Wrestle Con event. The entire scenario brings fans
several shows in the span of just a few days and the sum total of
everything presents what truly is the biggest weekend of the year in the
sport. All that is only possible because of the foundation that
Wrestlemania provides that draws fans from around the world.
However, the build up toward “the showcase of the immortals” has been rocky, to say the least.
There are over a dozen matches scheduled, with ten of those bouts to take place during the main five-hour show. I’ve written it many times, but a longer event doesn’t necessarily translate to a better show. In fact, booking what will ultimately be a seven-hour show when the kickoff event is counted, is a very tough task regardless of the line-up. As anticipated as a WM might be, is there a realistic demand for almost seven hours of wrestling? It appears that the show will drag on at some point, simply because it could be an unavoidable situation with such a lengthy pay-per-view.
The under card is mostly fine. Maybe there are too many multi-person matches, but that’s to be expected so that more athletes can get a spot on the card. But, many of the contests at the top of the card haven’t generated much buzz or anticipation thus far. The WM brand is what sells tickets because there’s a standard and sometimes the bar is set too high or there are unfair expectations. Still, the top-tier matches just don’t have that “must see” atmosphere ahead of show time.
Ronda Rousey is an incredible athlete, but her transition into the world of sports entertainment from the octagon hasn’t been smooth. Granted, her name value puts her under a microscope, but that goes along with the territory because that same name value was what allowed her to get a spot in the WWE. At the same time, the writing team did her no favors in recent weeks and she hasn’t been put into situations that cover for her lack of inexperience. She doesn’t sound comfortable on the mic and her promos are sometimes cringe worthy with forced cliches and awkward pauses. Her popularity will allow her a certain period of time to adjust to professional wrestling, but if she’s is going to have more than a brief stint in the genre, she must fully transition to the entertainment business. If her selling after the table spot on Raw is any indication of her sports entertainment skills, it will be a rough transition for her. I get the point of the Olympic tag team, and it’s a scenario that can camouflage her inexperience, but the involvement of Stephanie McMahon was cringe worthy. It’s almost as if Stephanie gets to work with Ronda as a way to allow her to get press as well. Don’t get me wrong, Stephanie is a solid villain on television, but she’s not nearly as effective as Vince was. At this point, Stephanie and Triple H have been overexposed on TV and the whole “heel authority figure” has become extremely stale. Maybe I’m too jaded, but I couldn’t care less to watch Stephanie get offense against Ronda just so that it can be a photo-op for ESPN. Stephanie, a non-wrestler, putting a former MMA champion through a table is ridiculous even within pro wrestling. If anything, the more logical story of the entire scenario should be that Stephanie escapes Ronda for weeks until Rousey finally gets her hands on McMahon for an arm bar. Ronda finished twelve opponents and never went to the scorecards during her mixed martial arts career, how is it logical that Stephanie could put her in jeopardy? Why is it even a priority for McMahon to look like she could put Rousey in jeopardy? Stephanie isn’t starting a full-time career, why does she need to “look strong” against a former UFC champion? Again, it makes more sense that the story of the match is the question of if or when Rousey finally gets her hands on Stephanie. Personal agendas seemed to dictate the way this storyline was presented to the audience. If McMahon gets offense against Ronda at WM, how does that maintain Rousey’s credibility for matches against full-time wrestlers?
The Undertaker/John Cena match is “technically” not scheduled, but rumors persist that it will take place at the show. If it happens, the set up for this one was confusing and bizarre. The whole premise of the angle is that The Undertaker won’t show up despite the demand of the fans. Doesn’t this make Undertaker look like he just doesn’t care enough to appear? Isn’t that an odd sell considering that he’s one of the most respected figures in the history of the industry. Is the angle supposed to get the Undertaker heat for not showing up or are the fans supposed to resent Cena for insulting the legend?
If the contest is designed to be a “surprise” bout, it’s doubtful that will be the perception at WM. Without any build up at all, what exactly is the basis for the match? Why did Cena decide to challenge The Undertaker? Despite a month of promos, there’s still no clear answer as to why this match is important to Cena. He could’ve claimed it was one of the few things he hasn’t accomplished in his stellar career. The writing team didn’t help this angle and if there’s a Cena/Undertaker match at WM 34, it will basically be a random bout, not the epic confrontation it could’ve been if it was built up as a major match. I just don’t understand how the way to sell a potential match is, “hey, there is no match.” If The Undertaker doesn’t wrestle at WM then why waste the TV time? Either way, the conclusion of this storyline could fall flat.
Another point is, if The Undertaker should work another match at all. While I wasn’t thrilled with Undertaker being used as a part of the Roman Reigns super push last year, at least it allowed him to possibly retire after a main event at Wrestlemania, which is the stage he earned for everything he contributed to the sport. But, the Undertaker showed his age last year, and nobody wants to see an underwhelming performance from such a legendary athlete so the retirement might be a better decision than another match. Either way, the entire storyline hasn’t done much to create any anticipation for the possible match.
The main event is perhaps the match with the least amount of buzz around it, simply because the result is predictable. Even with Roman defenseless last week, the beat down from Lesnar garnered, “you deserve it” chants. Reigns isn’t exactly the sympathetic baby face. As I’ve written several times before, Roman is the anointed champion and the fans resent it. The perception of the industry is much different in 2018 and the audience knows when a competitor is getting a forced push. But, WWE brass has too much invested in Roman Reigns to change course. Roman was built up from scratch within the WWE system so if he fails, what does that say about the performance center or the WWE philosophy of how to discover a “superstar?” In some ways, if management admits that Reigns failed to get over, the company itself admits failure. Nothing about the Reigns super push is organic and spontaneous, which is counterproductive to anything that decided the top star in prior eras. As I said in previous articles, most of that is a moot point. The WWE owns professional wrestling in the United States and there’s not competition to push them to present the best product possible. Corporate agenda, not fan demand, dictates the direction of the product. As a result a level of complacency happens, but even that doesn’t matter. Management touted record revenue for last year so why should they change their plans? Until it affects revenue, and it won’t, there’s no reason for WWE to change the plan.
Although, maybe the entire lack of a build up or anticipation for these matches is a moot point when you consider that a free month is offered for new subscribers in an attempt to boost network numbers. Instead of Wrestlemania subscriptions being a revenue source, improving the stock price seems to be more important. The stock price might be more valuable than the potential extra revenue from new subscribers, but it almost indirectly lowers the standard for the show. Shouldn’t the biggest event of the year be something that fans are willing to pay to watch?
However, the build up toward “the showcase of the immortals” has been rocky, to say the least.
There are over a dozen matches scheduled, with ten of those bouts to take place during the main five-hour show. I’ve written it many times, but a longer event doesn’t necessarily translate to a better show. In fact, booking what will ultimately be a seven-hour show when the kickoff event is counted, is a very tough task regardless of the line-up. As anticipated as a WM might be, is there a realistic demand for almost seven hours of wrestling? It appears that the show will drag on at some point, simply because it could be an unavoidable situation with such a lengthy pay-per-view.
The under card is mostly fine. Maybe there are too many multi-person matches, but that’s to be expected so that more athletes can get a spot on the card. But, many of the contests at the top of the card haven’t generated much buzz or anticipation thus far. The WM brand is what sells tickets because there’s a standard and sometimes the bar is set too high or there are unfair expectations. Still, the top-tier matches just don’t have that “must see” atmosphere ahead of show time.
Ronda Rousey is an incredible athlete, but her transition into the world of sports entertainment from the octagon hasn’t been smooth. Granted, her name value puts her under a microscope, but that goes along with the territory because that same name value was what allowed her to get a spot in the WWE. At the same time, the writing team did her no favors in recent weeks and she hasn’t been put into situations that cover for her lack of inexperience. She doesn’t sound comfortable on the mic and her promos are sometimes cringe worthy with forced cliches and awkward pauses. Her popularity will allow her a certain period of time to adjust to professional wrestling, but if she’s is going to have more than a brief stint in the genre, she must fully transition to the entertainment business. If her selling after the table spot on Raw is any indication of her sports entertainment skills, it will be a rough transition for her. I get the point of the Olympic tag team, and it’s a scenario that can camouflage her inexperience, but the involvement of Stephanie McMahon was cringe worthy. It’s almost as if Stephanie gets to work with Ronda as a way to allow her to get press as well. Don’t get me wrong, Stephanie is a solid villain on television, but she’s not nearly as effective as Vince was. At this point, Stephanie and Triple H have been overexposed on TV and the whole “heel authority figure” has become extremely stale. Maybe I’m too jaded, but I couldn’t care less to watch Stephanie get offense against Ronda just so that it can be a photo-op for ESPN. Stephanie, a non-wrestler, putting a former MMA champion through a table is ridiculous even within pro wrestling. If anything, the more logical story of the entire scenario should be that Stephanie escapes Ronda for weeks until Rousey finally gets her hands on McMahon for an arm bar. Ronda finished twelve opponents and never went to the scorecards during her mixed martial arts career, how is it logical that Stephanie could put her in jeopardy? Why is it even a priority for McMahon to look like she could put Rousey in jeopardy? Stephanie isn’t starting a full-time career, why does she need to “look strong” against a former UFC champion? Again, it makes more sense that the story of the match is the question of if or when Rousey finally gets her hands on Stephanie. Personal agendas seemed to dictate the way this storyline was presented to the audience. If McMahon gets offense against Ronda at WM, how does that maintain Rousey’s credibility for matches against full-time wrestlers?
The Undertaker/John Cena match is “technically” not scheduled, but rumors persist that it will take place at the show. If it happens, the set up for this one was confusing and bizarre. The whole premise of the angle is that The Undertaker won’t show up despite the demand of the fans. Doesn’t this make Undertaker look like he just doesn’t care enough to appear? Isn’t that an odd sell considering that he’s one of the most respected figures in the history of the industry. Is the angle supposed to get the Undertaker heat for not showing up or are the fans supposed to resent Cena for insulting the legend?
If the contest is designed to be a “surprise” bout, it’s doubtful that will be the perception at WM. Without any build up at all, what exactly is the basis for the match? Why did Cena decide to challenge The Undertaker? Despite a month of promos, there’s still no clear answer as to why this match is important to Cena. He could’ve claimed it was one of the few things he hasn’t accomplished in his stellar career. The writing team didn’t help this angle and if there’s a Cena/Undertaker match at WM 34, it will basically be a random bout, not the epic confrontation it could’ve been if it was built up as a major match. I just don’t understand how the way to sell a potential match is, “hey, there is no match.” If The Undertaker doesn’t wrestle at WM then why waste the TV time? Either way, the conclusion of this storyline could fall flat.
Another point is, if The Undertaker should work another match at all. While I wasn’t thrilled with Undertaker being used as a part of the Roman Reigns super push last year, at least it allowed him to possibly retire after a main event at Wrestlemania, which is the stage he earned for everything he contributed to the sport. But, the Undertaker showed his age last year, and nobody wants to see an underwhelming performance from such a legendary athlete so the retirement might be a better decision than another match. Either way, the entire storyline hasn’t done much to create any anticipation for the possible match.
The main event is perhaps the match with the least amount of buzz around it, simply because the result is predictable. Even with Roman defenseless last week, the beat down from Lesnar garnered, “you deserve it” chants. Reigns isn’t exactly the sympathetic baby face. As I’ve written several times before, Roman is the anointed champion and the fans resent it. The perception of the industry is much different in 2018 and the audience knows when a competitor is getting a forced push. But, WWE brass has too much invested in Roman Reigns to change course. Roman was built up from scratch within the WWE system so if he fails, what does that say about the performance center or the WWE philosophy of how to discover a “superstar?” In some ways, if management admits that Reigns failed to get over, the company itself admits failure. Nothing about the Reigns super push is organic and spontaneous, which is counterproductive to anything that decided the top star in prior eras. As I said in previous articles, most of that is a moot point. The WWE owns professional wrestling in the United States and there’s not competition to push them to present the best product possible. Corporate agenda, not fan demand, dictates the direction of the product. As a result a level of complacency happens, but even that doesn’t matter. Management touted record revenue for last year so why should they change their plans? Until it affects revenue, and it won’t, there’s no reason for WWE to change the plan.
Although, maybe the entire lack of a build up or anticipation for these matches is a moot point when you consider that a free month is offered for new subscribers in an attempt to boost network numbers. Instead of Wrestlemania subscriptions being a revenue source, improving the stock price seems to be more important. The stock price might be more valuable than the potential extra revenue from new subscribers, but it almost indirectly lowers the standard for the show. Shouldn’t the biggest event of the year be something that fans are willing to pay to watch?
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Wilder vs. Joshua
Last weekend, nearly 80,000 fans gathered at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales to watch Anthony Joshua's unanimous decision victory over the previously undefeated Joseph Parker. The win improved Joshua's record to 21-0 with all but the Parker contest ending in a knockout. The 28-year-old added another belt to his alphabet soup collection of championships, but more importantly, the stage appears to be set for a super fight with the other heavyweight champion in the division, the undefeated Deontay Wilder.
However, will the politics of the boxing business halt the road to a unified champion?
Arguably, the 1970s were the heyday of the heavyweight division. Ali artfully danced around the ring, landing jabs and hooks in a display that was as graceful as it was devastating. The iron-chinned Joe Frazier pounded opponents with hands of stone. The global presence of heavyweight legends was such a main stream draw that talented athletes like Larry Holmes were sometimes overshadowed by it. The 90s saw the controversial Mike Tyson maintain a spot for the heavyweight division among the general public. When "Iron" Mike walked to the ring, people watched. Ironically, the last major heavyweight boxing pay-per-view was Tyson/Lewis, generating nearly two million buys in 2002. Lennox Lewis sent Tyson crashing to the canvas in the eighth round for what ultimately was the beginning of the end of "Iron" Mike's career. Lewis' run was near an end as well, more specifically when he fought Vitali Klitschko the following year. A nasty cut on Vitali's eyelid stopped a bout that he was winning. The tough test prompted Lewis to retire before a rematch was signed.
Vitali and his brother Wladimir dominated the division throughout the early 2000s. The pair of Ukrainian fighters each held heavyweight titles. Vitali retired in 2012, vacating the WBC belt to pursue politics full-time in his native country. Wladimir continued to fight as the heavyweight champion until he lost the belt in 2015 to the eccentric Tyson Fury, who was eventually stripped of the title when he failed drug tests. Wladimir returned to the ring last year for a fight of the year match-up against Joshua. The younger challenger won via TKO and made a name for himself with the victory against the well known champion.
The Klitschko era was known for dominance, but also a lack of buzz as well. Partially, the reason was the sub par competition available for the brothers to fight, which isn't their fault. Both Klitschkos fought the contenders that were in the sport during their era. At the same time, Wladimir's European-based, almost robotic style didn't lend itself to entertaining fights. Wladimir used a jab so well that during some of his contests, he rarely threw the right hand. It's not to take away from his greatness, but mediocre opponents and some lackluster bouts kept him from gaining major popularity in the United States. In fact, the lack of notoriety in America, but major popularity around Europe led to most of his fight being held outside of the United States, further isolating him from that market and keeping the division out of the conversation among boxing fans in this country. It's a very unique scenario that Klitschko was a dominate champion for over a decade, but not featured on pay-per-view in the US. The Klitschkos have done a tremendous amount of humanitarian work for the citizens in the Ukraine and it's disappointing that most American sports fans are unfamiliar with their lengthy accomplishments in the ring.
Despite the dominate run the Klitschkos had, that era basically stalled the division in America. As mentioned, Joshua put himself on the map when he defeated the legendary Wladimir, and his recent bouts have packed stadiums in his home country. At the same time, Wilder continues to knockout opponents, with 39 of his 40 wins via KO. Wilder's wins on the Premier Boxing Champions series allowed more exposure and introduced him to more casual sports fans.
Basically, for the first time in nearly two decades a major heavyweight super fight can be presented on pay-per-view. There are two undefeated heavyweights that have KO'ed all their opponents except one respectively. The story writes itself, but the logistics are much more complex than that.
During the post-fight interview last weekend, Joshua claimed that he wants the fight to be hosted in England, which makes sense. When a fighter can draw 80,000 fans to a stadium, it's difficult to argue where the bout should take place. At the same time, because of the time difference, if the match-up is hosted in the UK then that might eliminate the possibility of a pay-per-view and its revenue in the United States. Maybe a compromise can be reached that puts the fight in the ring earlier than usual so that it can still be featured live on pay-per-view in the United States? Anthony Joshua is a much bigger star in the UK than Wilder is in the United States so maybe that gives the British fighter leverage during negotiations.
The much bigger hurdle is that outside of Klitchsko, Joshua hasn't fought anyone with major name value, and Wilder fought nobody of note with the exception of Luis Ortiz in his last bout. If Wilder KOs another ham sandwich-level opponent, it does nothing to elevate his status. It's possible that Joshua could get another opponent to draw a big crowd in Europe, but eventually, the draw of glorified exhibition bouts will decline. Quite simply, both fighters need each other to make the most money and fight on the biggest stage possible. The Canelo/Triple G thriller was proof of what a top-tier prize fight can do at the box office so hopefully the Wilder/Joshua bout is signed.
If the fight actually happens, Joshua will have the definitive technical advantage, as Wilder's sometimes sloppy style could allow the British competitor to land counter punches. On the flip side, Wilder only has to land one punch to end a fight. That contrast is the intriguing aspect and one of the selling points of the fight. To resolve the location of the fight, why not sign a contest for the UK and then a rematch in the United States? Make no mistake about it, if it takes years for this contest to materialize, the demand for it will decrease significantly. Joshua and Wilder aren't famous enough to go the Mayweather/Pacquiao path of negotiations. Plus, if either fighter loses before they sign to fighter each other, much of the intrigue around the bout decreases as well. With Wilder the top American, and Joshua the top British heavyweight, their individual promoters don't want to risk their biggest draw so it wouldn't be surprising if negotiations stall the deal. The bottom line is, there are two undefeated heavyweights that could fight for the unified title, if this bout doesn't get signed within a reasonable time frame, the sport could decline from some of the progress it made in recent years so let's hope politics don't hinder the sport again.
However, will the politics of the boxing business halt the road to a unified champion?
Arguably, the 1970s were the heyday of the heavyweight division. Ali artfully danced around the ring, landing jabs and hooks in a display that was as graceful as it was devastating. The iron-chinned Joe Frazier pounded opponents with hands of stone. The global presence of heavyweight legends was such a main stream draw that talented athletes like Larry Holmes were sometimes overshadowed by it. The 90s saw the controversial Mike Tyson maintain a spot for the heavyweight division among the general public. When "Iron" Mike walked to the ring, people watched. Ironically, the last major heavyweight boxing pay-per-view was Tyson/Lewis, generating nearly two million buys in 2002. Lennox Lewis sent Tyson crashing to the canvas in the eighth round for what ultimately was the beginning of the end of "Iron" Mike's career. Lewis' run was near an end as well, more specifically when he fought Vitali Klitschko the following year. A nasty cut on Vitali's eyelid stopped a bout that he was winning. The tough test prompted Lewis to retire before a rematch was signed.
Vitali and his brother Wladimir dominated the division throughout the early 2000s. The pair of Ukrainian fighters each held heavyweight titles. Vitali retired in 2012, vacating the WBC belt to pursue politics full-time in his native country. Wladimir continued to fight as the heavyweight champion until he lost the belt in 2015 to the eccentric Tyson Fury, who was eventually stripped of the title when he failed drug tests. Wladimir returned to the ring last year for a fight of the year match-up against Joshua. The younger challenger won via TKO and made a name for himself with the victory against the well known champion.
The Klitschko era was known for dominance, but also a lack of buzz as well. Partially, the reason was the sub par competition available for the brothers to fight, which isn't their fault. Both Klitschkos fought the contenders that were in the sport during their era. At the same time, Wladimir's European-based, almost robotic style didn't lend itself to entertaining fights. Wladimir used a jab so well that during some of his contests, he rarely threw the right hand. It's not to take away from his greatness, but mediocre opponents and some lackluster bouts kept him from gaining major popularity in the United States. In fact, the lack of notoriety in America, but major popularity around Europe led to most of his fight being held outside of the United States, further isolating him from that market and keeping the division out of the conversation among boxing fans in this country. It's a very unique scenario that Klitschko was a dominate champion for over a decade, but not featured on pay-per-view in the US. The Klitschkos have done a tremendous amount of humanitarian work for the citizens in the Ukraine and it's disappointing that most American sports fans are unfamiliar with their lengthy accomplishments in the ring.
Despite the dominate run the Klitschkos had, that era basically stalled the division in America. As mentioned, Joshua put himself on the map when he defeated the legendary Wladimir, and his recent bouts have packed stadiums in his home country. At the same time, Wilder continues to knockout opponents, with 39 of his 40 wins via KO. Wilder's wins on the Premier Boxing Champions series allowed more exposure and introduced him to more casual sports fans.
Basically, for the first time in nearly two decades a major heavyweight super fight can be presented on pay-per-view. There are two undefeated heavyweights that have KO'ed all their opponents except one respectively. The story writes itself, but the logistics are much more complex than that.
During the post-fight interview last weekend, Joshua claimed that he wants the fight to be hosted in England, which makes sense. When a fighter can draw 80,000 fans to a stadium, it's difficult to argue where the bout should take place. At the same time, because of the time difference, if the match-up is hosted in the UK then that might eliminate the possibility of a pay-per-view and its revenue in the United States. Maybe a compromise can be reached that puts the fight in the ring earlier than usual so that it can still be featured live on pay-per-view in the United States? Anthony Joshua is a much bigger star in the UK than Wilder is in the United States so maybe that gives the British fighter leverage during negotiations.
The much bigger hurdle is that outside of Klitchsko, Joshua hasn't fought anyone with major name value, and Wilder fought nobody of note with the exception of Luis Ortiz in his last bout. If Wilder KOs another ham sandwich-level opponent, it does nothing to elevate his status. It's possible that Joshua could get another opponent to draw a big crowd in Europe, but eventually, the draw of glorified exhibition bouts will decline. Quite simply, both fighters need each other to make the most money and fight on the biggest stage possible. The Canelo/Triple G thriller was proof of what a top-tier prize fight can do at the box office so hopefully the Wilder/Joshua bout is signed.
If the fight actually happens, Joshua will have the definitive technical advantage, as Wilder's sometimes sloppy style could allow the British competitor to land counter punches. On the flip side, Wilder only has to land one punch to end a fight. That contrast is the intriguing aspect and one of the selling points of the fight. To resolve the location of the fight, why not sign a contest for the UK and then a rematch in the United States? Make no mistake about it, if it takes years for this contest to materialize, the demand for it will decrease significantly. Joshua and Wilder aren't famous enough to go the Mayweather/Pacquiao path of negotiations. Plus, if either fighter loses before they sign to fighter each other, much of the intrigue around the bout decreases as well. With Wilder the top American, and Joshua the top British heavyweight, their individual promoters don't want to risk their biggest draw so it wouldn't be surprising if negotiations stall the deal. The bottom line is, there are two undefeated heavyweights that could fight for the unified title, if this bout doesn't get signed within a reasonable time frame, the sport could decline from some of the progress it made in recent years so let's hope politics don't hinder the sport again.
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