The Royal Rumble is in the books and the card for Wrestlemania began to take shape with some of the key decisions on the pay-per-view. Still, there are some unanswered questions as the build continues for the biggest event on the sports entertainment calendar.
As I mentioned in an article last week, the Baron Corbin feud was nothing more than a placeholder for Roman Reigns, who I still think will be in the championship picture at Wrestlemania. The Falls Count Anywhere match was clunky and somewhat of a mess, as basic brawling around the venue to emphasize the stipulation became repetitive during the nearly 20-minute bout. While the interference from Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler along with the retaliation from the Usos made sense because it was a key to the feud, the multiple table spots and the Uso dive from the scaffold in the crowd seemed a little too over the top since none of it was used for the finish of the match. While there will probably be big plans for Roman, Corbin doesn't have much heat as a heel and appears to be typecast in a mid-card role. It's somewhat ironic that the original basis for the King of the Ring stipulation was used to propel a competitor, but in recent years, it more or less regulates the winner to glorified enhancement status.
I was a little surprised that Charlotte won the women's royal rumble match, but perhaps it shouldn't have been that surprising, as it seemed management wanted to pay homage to Ric Flair's Rumble win in 1992. All things considered, you have to win if this year's victory was a way to cover the initial plans for last year's Rumble when Becky Lynch spontaneously got over with the audience just before the start of Wrestlemania season to create the scenario that saw her win last year's Rumble instead of Charlotte. That being said, I think Shayna Bazler would've been the better choice to win the match, as it would've made her a star to the general audience, as opposed to just the niche audience that watches NXT on USA. Don't get me wrong, it's not a jab at Charlotte, but rather the opposite. Charlotte is already a star and considering that she's already won nearly a dozen championships in her WWE tenure, she's already as over as she's going to be with the audience so she really didn't need the Rumble win.
It appears that she will challenge Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's title since Bayley is also a heel on Smackdown. Becky and the second generation Flair can probably build up a decent angle with promos ahead of Wrestlemania, but the match has been done before, including on Raw and pay-per-views so it's not a fresh bout. Plus, technically WM isn't even a fresh stage for it because it's a partial rematch of the triple threat match last year. Decisions like this are why the star power for the WWE product are rather narrow because if Shayna got the win and elevated to a different level, it provides a fresh opponent for Charlotte, Becky, and others in the division. Aside from that, even as champion, Becky is less over now than she was when she won the title last year, which speaks volumes to the booking mishaps of Raw. It still doesn't make much sense that Becky and Charlotte were a tag team briefly because it wasn't used to further any angle.
Speaking of Becky Lynch, her match with Asuka was one of the best matches on the card. How Asuka isn't used more prominently and booked in a tag team as somewhat of a consolation prize is puzzling. In fact, a feud for the Raw Women's title between Kabuki Warriors would be very entertaining. Perhaps, the most glaring aspect to all this that again speaks to the lack of overall depth across the board, is that the Kubaki Warriors are probably the tag champions simply because there isn't another majorly solid team to win the belts.
Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan was one of The Fiend's best matches of his current run, which is another example of how great Bryan is as a performer. After the HIAC debacle soured many fans, this feud was needed to get Wyatt back on the right track. The contest did exactly what it was supposed to do, put as much heat as possible on Bray before Wrestlemania season, which is when I would guess Roman Reigns will get involved in the title picture again.
The Bayley/Lacey Evans match was a total train wreck and more proof that Lacey was rushed to the main roster based on her being a good representative for the company, not up to par for global television. Evans disappearing from TV following a lackluster feud with Becky Lynch was a way to give her a fresh start, but she'd be better off starting from scratch at the performance center because fans could reject her if she continues to botch most of her matches.
I still don't get the point of Brock Lesnar being in the Royal Rumble match if the title wasn't on the line, but if that was the path management was going to take then they booked this match almost perfectly for that scenario. Lesnar ran through everyone during the first half of the Rumble to set up for the elimination that propelled Drew McIntyre to be a contender. The only downside is, Brock eliminating several people almost immediately makes a major portion of the roster look like enhancement talent, but some of the usual Raw boooking does that anyway. Drew getting the victory was a surprise and it will be interesting to see if the audience buys him as a main event star after the initial novelty of the Rumble win, considering that not that long ago, he was a team with Ziggler, who hasn't been given a chance to do anything other than make his opponents look good in several years.
If management is truly going to run with McIntyre then they must avoid the pitfalls of others that were pushed toward the main event. Drew can't be shoehorned into a role that has tacky catchphrase that hindered much of Reigns' original push or the whiny promos that detailed Seth Rollins baby face run. In theory, the writing team would have to allow Drew to tell his story, which involves his WWE release from a comedy gimmick to his journey through the independent scene that got him back to the main roster. Basically, WWE brass would have to admit that maybe they made a mistake when they saddled McIntyre with the 3MB character and they possibly made a bigger mistake when they released him from the company. Granted, the release is what allowed him to evolve his persona, but the argument could be made that he wouldn't have needed the fresh start if the writing team didn't make him a rock star impersonator.
The narrative that the company might've given up on Drew, but Drew didn't give up on himself is something that the audience could identify with and rally around toward the build of Wrestlemania. However, if management is going to invest in him then they should fully run with him and give him time to establish himself as champion. For example, Kofi Kingston won the WWE title last year, is he anywhere near that level today? Kofi, very similar to Drew, has the talent to be a long term champion for the company, but the plan was ultimately to showcase Brock on the Smackdown debut on Fox. If booking Mcintrye as a main event talent in a relatively short amount of time is going to work, the WWE has to be willing to let him run with it, and at the same time, don't put him in situations that could hinder his status as champion for the company.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Thursday, January 23, 2020
The career of Dan Hooven
The world of professional wrestling is filled with an array of
eccentric or unique individuals. Originating from the sideshow circuit,
those that choose to pursue in-ring mayhem as a path into the
entertainment genre are certainly a different breed of athlete. What
could motivate New Jack to hurl himself from a balcony onto the concrete
floor below? What was the thought process behind Mick Foley’s legendary
dive from the top of the cell in 1998? How insane did Onita have to be
to invent the exploding barbed wire match?
What fueled this madness?
The same questions could be asked for someone that willingly spends the night in the Lizzie Borden house, the scene of a grizzly axe murder in 1892 or the Villisca house in Iowa, the site of another axe-wielding incident in 1912. Who exactly would volunteer to provoke activity in possibly paranormal sites?
Ironically, the answer to both scenarios from these completely different entities is usually the same, for the thrill of the action and the entertainment of the audience.
Daniel Hooven, a thirty-something business professional during the typical week day, has a unique combination of experience from both of these very untypical ventures.
“I spent some time in the paranormal world, back in 2011 my friend was filming paranormal investigations for his YouTube channel. I helped out with a lot of the marketing aspects of his documentaries, the social media, and website primarily. At this time the paranormal entertainment industry was pretty hot similar to the wrestling industry during the Attitude Era and there were a ton of opportunities, which we took advantage of. We were selected to film an episode of Travel Channel’s paranormal competition show “Paranormal Challenge” which we won and ended up being chosen as the series premiere,” Hooven explained.
Not long after that initial television success, Hooven found himself at Slippery Rock University in Western Pennsylvania along with Justin Plummer and Shane Taylor, an unknowing foreshadow for him of events down the road, on the Sci-Fi channel to investigate some of the famous urban legends surrounding the school. After hosting segments for the paranormal TV side on the Biography channel in 2012, Hooven completed his Master’s degree in business and found opportunities within the corporate world of Pittsburgh, which put him on the successful path of his studies.
Still, the Philadelphia native that was a dedicated ECW fan looked for more of an adrenaline rush on the weekends so he went toward the sport that he was a lifelong fan of as a way to escape the mundane routine of the office as a way to branch out with another one of his hobbies.
“During my time in television I had become a big fan of photography and with my free time was looking for opportunities to develop my photography skills. I knew Justin from college and that he was involved in a professional wrestling organization, so I reached out one day asking if there was any need for a ringside photographer, he connected me with Chuck Roberts and I shot my first show at Night of Superstars 3 in April 2014. From then on I was fortunate enough to be join the production team full-time and will always be grateful to Chuck and Justin for the opportunity,” he commented.
Roaming around ringside capturing frames of the action made Hooven a familiar face at International Wrestling Cartel events, one of the most well-known organizations in the steel city. Being so close to the bouts sparked a thought he had during his youth, could he ever step inside the ring ropes as a wrestler? After he traded college text books for meetings at the office, he hadn’t even considered such a task after he progressed into adult life.
“For me, I really value being in physical shape so I started changing my personal training program a year out from starting formal training, I wanted to show up in the best shape possible to show that I really wanted to learn the craft. I feel like being older when starting has its pros and cons. As somebody with real-world work experience and life experiences, you have the maturity and patience to accept constructive criticism,” Hooven said.
As is usually the situation within the world of professional wrestling, the line between reality and entertainment can be blurred to further a moment for the audience. Hooven’s status of the IWC ringside photography was used to springboard an impromptu spot at an event in 2017. Soon after that, he made his official debut in the squared circle, which he considers a personal highlight.
"My first match, this was a moment I had been always dreamed of and as my music hit and I came through the curtain, the whole thing was just super surreal and exciting. The match was a rematch for the IWC Tag Team Championships between the reigning champions, The Fraternity challenging myself and John McChesney. I will always be thankful for the opportunity to work with those men and all the advice they provided and continue to provide me to this day. They did more than they had to for a green guy and can’t say enough how much that moment meant to me,” Hooven remarked.
Since that time of finally lacing up his boots, Hooven maintains a strict workout regiment and continues his successful path in corporate business. As much as Hooven is known as an IWC product, his solid in-ring skills and enthusiasm have seen him become a fixture at various promotions around the tri-state area. A variety of regional championships decorate his wrestling resume and he continues to expand his horizons with new opportunities within the industry. While a “Wrestlemania moment” might not be in the cards for him, the story of Daniel Hooven is proof that dedication and determination can lead to success in a variety of different careers.
What fueled this madness?
The same questions could be asked for someone that willingly spends the night in the Lizzie Borden house, the scene of a grizzly axe murder in 1892 or the Villisca house in Iowa, the site of another axe-wielding incident in 1912. Who exactly would volunteer to provoke activity in possibly paranormal sites?
Ironically, the answer to both scenarios from these completely different entities is usually the same, for the thrill of the action and the entertainment of the audience.
Daniel Hooven, a thirty-something business professional during the typical week day, has a unique combination of experience from both of these very untypical ventures.
“I spent some time in the paranormal world, back in 2011 my friend was filming paranormal investigations for his YouTube channel. I helped out with a lot of the marketing aspects of his documentaries, the social media, and website primarily. At this time the paranormal entertainment industry was pretty hot similar to the wrestling industry during the Attitude Era and there were a ton of opportunities, which we took advantage of. We were selected to film an episode of Travel Channel’s paranormal competition show “Paranormal Challenge” which we won and ended up being chosen as the series premiere,” Hooven explained.
Not long after that initial television success, Hooven found himself at Slippery Rock University in Western Pennsylvania along with Justin Plummer and Shane Taylor, an unknowing foreshadow for him of events down the road, on the Sci-Fi channel to investigate some of the famous urban legends surrounding the school. After hosting segments for the paranormal TV side on the Biography channel in 2012, Hooven completed his Master’s degree in business and found opportunities within the corporate world of Pittsburgh, which put him on the successful path of his studies.
Still, the Philadelphia native that was a dedicated ECW fan looked for more of an adrenaline rush on the weekends so he went toward the sport that he was a lifelong fan of as a way to escape the mundane routine of the office as a way to branch out with another one of his hobbies.
“During my time in television I had become a big fan of photography and with my free time was looking for opportunities to develop my photography skills. I knew Justin from college and that he was involved in a professional wrestling organization, so I reached out one day asking if there was any need for a ringside photographer, he connected me with Chuck Roberts and I shot my first show at Night of Superstars 3 in April 2014. From then on I was fortunate enough to be join the production team full-time and will always be grateful to Chuck and Justin for the opportunity,” he commented.
Roaming around ringside capturing frames of the action made Hooven a familiar face at International Wrestling Cartel events, one of the most well-known organizations in the steel city. Being so close to the bouts sparked a thought he had during his youth, could he ever step inside the ring ropes as a wrestler? After he traded college text books for meetings at the office, he hadn’t even considered such a task after he progressed into adult life.
“For me, I really value being in physical shape so I started changing my personal training program a year out from starting formal training, I wanted to show up in the best shape possible to show that I really wanted to learn the craft. I feel like being older when starting has its pros and cons. As somebody with real-world work experience and life experiences, you have the maturity and patience to accept constructive criticism,” Hooven said.
As is usually the situation within the world of professional wrestling, the line between reality and entertainment can be blurred to further a moment for the audience. Hooven’s status of the IWC ringside photography was used to springboard an impromptu spot at an event in 2017. Soon after that, he made his official debut in the squared circle, which he considers a personal highlight.
"My first match, this was a moment I had been always dreamed of and as my music hit and I came through the curtain, the whole thing was just super surreal and exciting. The match was a rematch for the IWC Tag Team Championships between the reigning champions, The Fraternity challenging myself and John McChesney. I will always be thankful for the opportunity to work with those men and all the advice they provided and continue to provide me to this day. They did more than they had to for a green guy and can’t say enough how much that moment meant to me,” Hooven remarked.
Since that time of finally lacing up his boots, Hooven maintains a strict workout regiment and continues his successful path in corporate business. As much as Hooven is known as an IWC product, his solid in-ring skills and enthusiasm have seen him become a fixture at various promotions around the tri-state area. A variety of regional championships decorate his wrestling resume and he continues to expand his horizons with new opportunities within the industry. While a “Wrestlemania moment” might not be in the cards for him, the story of Daniel Hooven is proof that dedication and determination can lead to success in a variety of different careers.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Will Roman Reigns win the rumble?
This weekend's Royal Rumble event will officially kickoff Wrestlemania season, as the build to the biggest event on the sports entertainment calendar will take shape based on the key winners at this pay-per-view. Different from the past few years, there hasn't been much of an indication of what the actual WM 36 card will look like or where any potential storylines for the show will start to develop toward the pay-per-view. If I had to guess, I'd say the reason for the lack of any clear direction right now is that WWE brass doesn't necessarily have a nostalgia act or a novelty to boost the profile of the card this year. The Rock or Ronda Rousey aren't there to bring the spectacle to the event. This is one of the many problems when the current roster takes a secondary position to celebrities or part-timers for several years, you have a roster that are viewed as stars to the diehard wrestling fans, but not anyone that has the star power that transitions to the general public.
To be honest, the last performer of the modern era that had some of the crossover draw is still John Cena, who has shifted toward movies in recent years. Even if they bring Cena back for a major program based around Wrestlemania, isn't the still the same problem they've had when they booked The Rock or other part-timers for a surge of star power only for a short time? While Ronda Rousey worked a year under contract and much of the main event build last year was around her, she left afterwards following a botched finish that had a rather flat conclusion to the show. Granted, Rousey's run was successful because it made the company money and was one of the reasons they later secured the major Fox deal, but has any of that success truly carried over to the rest of the roster? Sure, Becky Lynch is a star, but was she a main stream star after she pinned Rousey? Furthermore, as much as management touted the first-ever female WM main event, is it even remotely possible that they would book the female athletes to close the show this year?
So, Ronda Rousey's run did more to give the company short-term publicity than it did to actually get the female performers on the roster over more for that future. Perhaps, that's the biggest problem with the WWE ideology today, nostalgia acts or novelty performances are used as a substitute for legitimate money-drawing stars currently under contract. Obviously, the structure of the product and the 50/50 booking aspect are major reasons why there's a ceiling on how over a competitor will get within the company. Remember when Braun Strowman was one of the most over athletes in the promotion a few years ago? Aside from injuries that have kept him off television, how much star power does he have today?
It's a harsh reality, but until WWE has direct competition that can take a noticeable portion of their audience and more importantly, the money those viewers spend toward the product, the corporate agenda can dictate the direction of the product without much consequence. While some fans can decide to stop watching, and the Raw ratings clearly reflect that some have tuned out, the bottom line is that if the casual fan wants to watch pro wrestling the overwhelming majority of them will watch the WWE brand, if for no other reason than it's the most recognizable and the most accessible in the United States.
A look at WWE's recent main event scene will provide insight into the scenario that has plateaued how over stars will be to the audience. A combination of Seth Rollins being scripted with whiny promos and his social media mishaps led to the audience rejecting him so a competitor that was initially framed as a baby face was turned heel because of subpar booking. Let's not forget the infamous HIAC match didn't do him any favors either. Speaking of which, that HIAC match did much to hinder the progress that Bray Wyatt, who was arguably the most over act in the company a few months ago. When management decided to put the title on him didn't maximize the win because it was done at the Saudi show in the afternoon when most of the domestic audience wasn't watching an event that is basically a glorified house show. The non-title match against The Miz on pay-per-view was a rather odd booking decision and didn't really do anything to further establish Wyatt as champion.
So, who wins the Royal Rumble to get a title match at Wrestlemania?
The announcement of Brock Lesnar's entry into the Rumble is puzzling because it appears that the belt isn't actually on the line. If the champion is in the match and the title isn't at stake it doesn't seem like there's a point for the match, but it's possible this scenario will be used to set up an eventual match. As much as some fans might not want to hear this, if I had to guess who I think management will book to win this year's rumble, I'd say the answer is Roman Reigns, who has treaded around the upper mid-card since his return from illness.
Make no mistake about it, WWE brass invested years of television time and marketing into the Roman Reigns project so he's still the top priority for the global publicly-traded company. While the writing team probably thinks that Reigns has spent enough time away from the title picture to get a fresh start in the main events without another rejection from the fans, it might've been more effective to book him in a championship role last year when his comeback story was fresh in the mind of the audience. Since there are two championships, there are different paths this could go to get Roman another title victory. At this point, I don't think the fans will buy another Reigns/Lesnar match at WM, but it's always possible that Vince McMahon decides to schedule it because Roman still didn't get the WM moment of defeating Brock on that stage. On the flip side, Reigns vs. The Fiend probably has a better chance of being the championship match that Reigns is booked for because it's a fresh contest and Wyatt has momentum as a heel ahead of the event. As solid and as entertaining as Daniel Bryan is, his baby face stint is probably just a way to get more heat on Wyatt ahead of the title match against Roman at WM, similar to the role that Mick Foley had prior to the Rock/Stone Cold bout in 1999.
The Roman Reigns/Baron Corbin feud is more or less just a placeholder until Roman is set to move further up the card. As far as why Roman is still the choice for the top spot at Wrestlemania, the reasons are simple. There isn't a guest star to take the spot this year and more importantly, there's not really anyone else on the roster that is exponentially more over than him right now. Part of the problem with the major push that Roman had is that if he's not booked around the main event, it looks like a glaring step down as far as his status within the company, which was the situation around his contest against Drew McIntyre last year. So, either things go full circle and Reigns finally gets a WM win against Lesnar or he will be the baby face to conquer The Fiend to win the title. I hope I'm wrong because Roman in the main event at WM has a been there done that atmosphere around it, but he's only 34 and still in the prime of his career so the office will want to feature him as the top star again. Unfortunately, Reigns getting another generic title match at Wrestlemania will probably lead to mediocre results. Let's hope for a surprise NXT win because Adam Cole as a main event star on the main roster could be a legitimately fresh star for the company, but don't be surprised if there's a Reigns Rumble win.
To be honest, the last performer of the modern era that had some of the crossover draw is still John Cena, who has shifted toward movies in recent years. Even if they bring Cena back for a major program based around Wrestlemania, isn't the still the same problem they've had when they booked The Rock or other part-timers for a surge of star power only for a short time? While Ronda Rousey worked a year under contract and much of the main event build last year was around her, she left afterwards following a botched finish that had a rather flat conclusion to the show. Granted, Rousey's run was successful because it made the company money and was one of the reasons they later secured the major Fox deal, but has any of that success truly carried over to the rest of the roster? Sure, Becky Lynch is a star, but was she a main stream star after she pinned Rousey? Furthermore, as much as management touted the first-ever female WM main event, is it even remotely possible that they would book the female athletes to close the show this year?
So, Ronda Rousey's run did more to give the company short-term publicity than it did to actually get the female performers on the roster over more for that future. Perhaps, that's the biggest problem with the WWE ideology today, nostalgia acts or novelty performances are used as a substitute for legitimate money-drawing stars currently under contract. Obviously, the structure of the product and the 50/50 booking aspect are major reasons why there's a ceiling on how over a competitor will get within the company. Remember when Braun Strowman was one of the most over athletes in the promotion a few years ago? Aside from injuries that have kept him off television, how much star power does he have today?
It's a harsh reality, but until WWE has direct competition that can take a noticeable portion of their audience and more importantly, the money those viewers spend toward the product, the corporate agenda can dictate the direction of the product without much consequence. While some fans can decide to stop watching, and the Raw ratings clearly reflect that some have tuned out, the bottom line is that if the casual fan wants to watch pro wrestling the overwhelming majority of them will watch the WWE brand, if for no other reason than it's the most recognizable and the most accessible in the United States.
A look at WWE's recent main event scene will provide insight into the scenario that has plateaued how over stars will be to the audience. A combination of Seth Rollins being scripted with whiny promos and his social media mishaps led to the audience rejecting him so a competitor that was initially framed as a baby face was turned heel because of subpar booking. Let's not forget the infamous HIAC match didn't do him any favors either. Speaking of which, that HIAC match did much to hinder the progress that Bray Wyatt, who was arguably the most over act in the company a few months ago. When management decided to put the title on him didn't maximize the win because it was done at the Saudi show in the afternoon when most of the domestic audience wasn't watching an event that is basically a glorified house show. The non-title match against The Miz on pay-per-view was a rather odd booking decision and didn't really do anything to further establish Wyatt as champion.
So, who wins the Royal Rumble to get a title match at Wrestlemania?
The announcement of Brock Lesnar's entry into the Rumble is puzzling because it appears that the belt isn't actually on the line. If the champion is in the match and the title isn't at stake it doesn't seem like there's a point for the match, but it's possible this scenario will be used to set up an eventual match. As much as some fans might not want to hear this, if I had to guess who I think management will book to win this year's rumble, I'd say the answer is Roman Reigns, who has treaded around the upper mid-card since his return from illness.
Make no mistake about it, WWE brass invested years of television time and marketing into the Roman Reigns project so he's still the top priority for the global publicly-traded company. While the writing team probably thinks that Reigns has spent enough time away from the title picture to get a fresh start in the main events without another rejection from the fans, it might've been more effective to book him in a championship role last year when his comeback story was fresh in the mind of the audience. Since there are two championships, there are different paths this could go to get Roman another title victory. At this point, I don't think the fans will buy another Reigns/Lesnar match at WM, but it's always possible that Vince McMahon decides to schedule it because Roman still didn't get the WM moment of defeating Brock on that stage. On the flip side, Reigns vs. The Fiend probably has a better chance of being the championship match that Reigns is booked for because it's a fresh contest and Wyatt has momentum as a heel ahead of the event. As solid and as entertaining as Daniel Bryan is, his baby face stint is probably just a way to get more heat on Wyatt ahead of the title match against Roman at WM, similar to the role that Mick Foley had prior to the Rock/Stone Cold bout in 1999.
The Roman Reigns/Baron Corbin feud is more or less just a placeholder until Roman is set to move further up the card. As far as why Roman is still the choice for the top spot at Wrestlemania, the reasons are simple. There isn't a guest star to take the spot this year and more importantly, there's not really anyone else on the roster that is exponentially more over than him right now. Part of the problem with the major push that Roman had is that if he's not booked around the main event, it looks like a glaring step down as far as his status within the company, which was the situation around his contest against Drew McIntyre last year. So, either things go full circle and Reigns finally gets a WM win against Lesnar or he will be the baby face to conquer The Fiend to win the title. I hope I'm wrong because Roman in the main event at WM has a been there done that atmosphere around it, but he's only 34 and still in the prime of his career so the office will want to feature him as the top star again. Unfortunately, Reigns getting another generic title match at Wrestlemania will probably lead to mediocre results. Let's hope for a surprise NXT win because Adam Cole as a main event star on the main roster could be a legitimately fresh star for the company, but don't be surprised if there's a Reigns Rumble win.
Friday, January 17, 2020
McGregor vs. Cerrone
After over a year away from the sport, Conor McGregor returns to the octagon this weekend in a bout against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone to kick off the year on pay-per-view for the UFC, which will see yet another price increase as the event will be $65 to order through the ESPN streaming service.
As unusual as it might sound, Conor McGregor, still regarded by many as the biggest star in the sport, could be fighting to remain relevant within the genre. The brash Dublin native was shoehorned into a position for the chance to win two championships by UFC management, which was designed to be a marketing strategy, but that didn't pay off for them. The charismatic slugger took his fame from the cage to the boxing ring to fight Floyd Mayweather for a rumored $100 million in 2017 while both of the divisions he held titles in completely halted. Eventually, he was stripped of both titles without actually defending either of them, making the entire concept of the double champion rather pointless.
The infamous bus incident last year, McGregor was arrested before he was ordered to complete community service. When he finally clashed with Khabib for the Lightweight title he previously held, it was a mostly one-sided contest that saw him defeated via choke in the fourth round. The rivalry between the two erupted into chaos with a post-fight brawl that resulted in fines and suspensions for members of both corners. The defeat exposed the fact that while Conor is a dangerous striker, his fight game is rather one dimensional because he doesn't have effective ground skills, which is why all four of his career losses are via submission. More importantly, aside from the post-fight brawl between corners, it almost got lost in the shuffle that the argument could be made that Conor might not be one of the top fighters in the UFC at this point. Granted, he has the star power to sell tickets, but is he as dangerous of a fighter as he was five years ago? Furthermore, if he suffers another one-sided defeat, would he still garner the same hype as he did previously?
He made the most of the two-year absence from MMA in terms of financial security with the mega payday from the Floyd fight, but his standing within the UFC is somewhat shaky because he hasn't won a fight in more than three years. As mentioned, the lop-sided defeat against Khabib Nurmagomedov didn't boost his status in the UFC and in the year since that time, he hasn't done himself any favors outside of the octagon either. Last March, when he was leaving a club in Miami, he grabbed someone's phone that he saw was recording him and smashed it. He was arrested and charged with robbery, but the case was dismissed. Just a few months ago, a video surfaced of him punching an elderly man at a bar in Dublin because he refused a drink of McGregor's brand of whiskey. McGregor later pled guilty to assault and paid a fine.
The point being, the only headlines that Conor McGregor has made recently were for unwise decisions outside of the cage instead of his accomplishments in the sport. Considering that he has complete financial security from the Mayweather bout, it's possible that Conor doesn't actually want to fight again, but he has to make better choices or he will became another precautionary tale in sports.
On the other end of the spectrum is Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, a gritty veteran that generated a fan following for his willingness to fight anyone with an all-action style. While Conor didn't fight at all in 2019, Corrone fought four times last year, putting him among the most frequent fighters in the organization. At 36, Cerrone is probably at the latter stage of his career because of the miles he put on his body throughout his career with his extensive 36-13-1 record in the sport.
Cerrone will often go for the slug fest approach, but is well-rounded with a jujit-su background as well. On paper, this is a bout designed to let Conor get some of his shine back with an opponent that will trade punches with the Irishman, but make no mistake about it, if Cerrone gets McGregor to the ground, he's very capable of a submission victory.
Usually, the selling point of a pay-per-view is based on what's at stake, is it a championship? Is there a specific ranking? Is it to settle a rivalry? However, this fight is more or less just being sold on the return of Conor McGregor against a fighter that is willing to exchange punches with him. There's nothing wrong with that in terms of a one-off event, but even if Conor wins, what does that really prove? Cerrone went 2-2 in 2019 with a two-fight losing streak prior to this fight so a McGregor victory doesn't exactly move him up the ranking. Don't get me wrong Cerrone is a very entertaining fighter, but again, in terms of the actual ranking, a win against him doesn't really change McGregor's status within the organization.
On the flip side, if Cerrone gets the win, it puts much doubt around McGregor's standing as the top draw for the company, especially because it would be a tougher sell of a $65 event if it's been a few years since he had an impressive performance in the UFC. That speaks to a greater problem with the company as far as marketing new athletes and the process of making new stars. With the ESPN deal, it was designed more to give the streaming service another a selling point to a broader fan base than to allow for more exposure for the MMA product. In fact, the argument could be made that the organization has less main stream exposure under the ESPN banner than it did previously. The majority of UFC programming is behind a pay wall and as harsh as it sounds, most of the casual MMA fans don't want to have to subscribe to ESPN+ just to watch a Fight Night card. Furthermore, the fact that UFC pay-per-view is exclusively distributed through the streaming subscription makes those events an even tougher sell than the increased price tag. The causal fan is only going to make that purchase with the easiest access to a show possible. If they can pick up the remote and order the show then it's a much simpler situation than the process to subscribe to a streaming service just to have the option to order the show. Regardless of the amount, the scenario where fans have to pay for a streaming service just to have the option to pay to order the event can be a hurdle for the pay-per-view buy rate.
Keep in mind, the surge in popularity of the sport over a decade ago was based on the fact that fights were widely available on cable television and that translated to the PPV buys. Now, the opposite approach is being used and I'm not sure how the economics of that will be successful. The argument could be made that one of the reasons the company has lacked star power the past few years is that besides the shaky structure of most of the divisions, the fighters just don't get enough main stream exposure to truly make a name for themselves to the general audience.
So, the event with the increased price tag is more or less a one-fight show and the commercials on ESPN to promote the pay-per-view completely feature Conor McGregor, but it will probably bring Donald Cerrone the biggest payday of his career. Even if it takes a card that lacks depth without much at stake, if it gets Cerrone paid then he earned it. As much as this show is built around Conor McGregor, the bigger story might be if he has another defeat on his record because despite very sporadic competition in the octagon, he's one of the few on the roster that boost numbers for the company.
As unusual as it might sound, Conor McGregor, still regarded by many as the biggest star in the sport, could be fighting to remain relevant within the genre. The brash Dublin native was shoehorned into a position for the chance to win two championships by UFC management, which was designed to be a marketing strategy, but that didn't pay off for them. The charismatic slugger took his fame from the cage to the boxing ring to fight Floyd Mayweather for a rumored $100 million in 2017 while both of the divisions he held titles in completely halted. Eventually, he was stripped of both titles without actually defending either of them, making the entire concept of the double champion rather pointless.
The infamous bus incident last year, McGregor was arrested before he was ordered to complete community service. When he finally clashed with Khabib for the Lightweight title he previously held, it was a mostly one-sided contest that saw him defeated via choke in the fourth round. The rivalry between the two erupted into chaos with a post-fight brawl that resulted in fines and suspensions for members of both corners. The defeat exposed the fact that while Conor is a dangerous striker, his fight game is rather one dimensional because he doesn't have effective ground skills, which is why all four of his career losses are via submission. More importantly, aside from the post-fight brawl between corners, it almost got lost in the shuffle that the argument could be made that Conor might not be one of the top fighters in the UFC at this point. Granted, he has the star power to sell tickets, but is he as dangerous of a fighter as he was five years ago? Furthermore, if he suffers another one-sided defeat, would he still garner the same hype as he did previously?
He made the most of the two-year absence from MMA in terms of financial security with the mega payday from the Floyd fight, but his standing within the UFC is somewhat shaky because he hasn't won a fight in more than three years. As mentioned, the lop-sided defeat against Khabib Nurmagomedov didn't boost his status in the UFC and in the year since that time, he hasn't done himself any favors outside of the octagon either. Last March, when he was leaving a club in Miami, he grabbed someone's phone that he saw was recording him and smashed it. He was arrested and charged with robbery, but the case was dismissed. Just a few months ago, a video surfaced of him punching an elderly man at a bar in Dublin because he refused a drink of McGregor's brand of whiskey. McGregor later pled guilty to assault and paid a fine.
The point being, the only headlines that Conor McGregor has made recently were for unwise decisions outside of the cage instead of his accomplishments in the sport. Considering that he has complete financial security from the Mayweather bout, it's possible that Conor doesn't actually want to fight again, but he has to make better choices or he will became another precautionary tale in sports.
On the other end of the spectrum is Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, a gritty veteran that generated a fan following for his willingness to fight anyone with an all-action style. While Conor didn't fight at all in 2019, Corrone fought four times last year, putting him among the most frequent fighters in the organization. At 36, Cerrone is probably at the latter stage of his career because of the miles he put on his body throughout his career with his extensive 36-13-1 record in the sport.
Cerrone will often go for the slug fest approach, but is well-rounded with a jujit-su background as well. On paper, this is a bout designed to let Conor get some of his shine back with an opponent that will trade punches with the Irishman, but make no mistake about it, if Cerrone gets McGregor to the ground, he's very capable of a submission victory.
Usually, the selling point of a pay-per-view is based on what's at stake, is it a championship? Is there a specific ranking? Is it to settle a rivalry? However, this fight is more or less just being sold on the return of Conor McGregor against a fighter that is willing to exchange punches with him. There's nothing wrong with that in terms of a one-off event, but even if Conor wins, what does that really prove? Cerrone went 2-2 in 2019 with a two-fight losing streak prior to this fight so a McGregor victory doesn't exactly move him up the ranking. Don't get me wrong Cerrone is a very entertaining fighter, but again, in terms of the actual ranking, a win against him doesn't really change McGregor's status within the organization.
On the flip side, if Cerrone gets the win, it puts much doubt around McGregor's standing as the top draw for the company, especially because it would be a tougher sell of a $65 event if it's been a few years since he had an impressive performance in the UFC. That speaks to a greater problem with the company as far as marketing new athletes and the process of making new stars. With the ESPN deal, it was designed more to give the streaming service another a selling point to a broader fan base than to allow for more exposure for the MMA product. In fact, the argument could be made that the organization has less main stream exposure under the ESPN banner than it did previously. The majority of UFC programming is behind a pay wall and as harsh as it sounds, most of the casual MMA fans don't want to have to subscribe to ESPN+ just to watch a Fight Night card. Furthermore, the fact that UFC pay-per-view is exclusively distributed through the streaming subscription makes those events an even tougher sell than the increased price tag. The causal fan is only going to make that purchase with the easiest access to a show possible. If they can pick up the remote and order the show then it's a much simpler situation than the process to subscribe to a streaming service just to have the option to order the show. Regardless of the amount, the scenario where fans have to pay for a streaming service just to have the option to pay to order the event can be a hurdle for the pay-per-view buy rate.
Keep in mind, the surge in popularity of the sport over a decade ago was based on the fact that fights were widely available on cable television and that translated to the PPV buys. Now, the opposite approach is being used and I'm not sure how the economics of that will be successful. The argument could be made that one of the reasons the company has lacked star power the past few years is that besides the shaky structure of most of the divisions, the fighters just don't get enough main stream exposure to truly make a name for themselves to the general audience.
So, the event with the increased price tag is more or less a one-fight show and the commercials on ESPN to promote the pay-per-view completely feature Conor McGregor, but it will probably bring Donald Cerrone the biggest payday of his career. Even if it takes a card that lacks depth without much at stake, if it gets Cerrone paid then he earned it. As much as this show is built around Conor McGregor, the bigger story might be if he has another defeat on his record because despite very sporadic competition in the octagon, he's one of the few on the roster that boost numbers for the company.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
What's the status of New Japan?
The year started off with some historic events as New Japan Pro Wrestling's traditional Tokyo Dome event, their version of Wrestlemania and biggest show on the calendar, expanded to two nights, drawing a combined 70,000 fans in attendance for the pair of Dome events. With 40,000 in the building and a five-hour presentation the first night, it's possible that the fans that chose not to attend the second night had simply seen enough wrestling for the weekend. It hasn't been announced if the double dome shows will return next year, but I'd say that it should depend on if there's enough depth on the card to justify a second event rather than just adding another show because it was done this year. Speaking of which, part of the reason a second show could be added was because the results of night one determined the main event of night two with a double title match as the main event so there was a link for the second show.
Since it would be difficult to summarize nearly ten hours or wrestling for these events, let's discuss the main angles and the direction of New Japan for the start of the year.
First, it must be mentioned that the legendary Jushin "Thunder" Liger retired after an eight-man tag match on night one with many legends involved in the match from throughout his career and then a standard tag team match on the second night. True to most tradition within the wrestling industry, Liger finished his career with his shoulders on the canvas, allowing for those that are going to continue their career to get a victory to use in the future. I could write an entire article about Liger's stellar career, but I think almost everything has rightfully been said by many people already and an article wouldn't truly summarize the impact of his 30-year career. Obviously, Liger is a pioneer of the Jr. heavyweight style and that influence can literally be seen around the world. Keep in mind, Liger's work in WCW, especially in the early 90s helped provide a blue print for the American cruiser weight style that became a staple of Nitro a few years later. At New Year's Dash, the event that usually follows Wrestle Kingdom, there was a very nice retirement ceremony for him where his family joined him in the ring and the New Japan roster celebrated with him. At 55, Liger was still in amazing shape and could still go in the ring, which is remarkable after such an extensive career. I hope Liger enjoys retirement because he certainly deserves it. Arigato Jushin "Thunder" Liger.
Jon Moxley, who won the IWGP US title in his New Japan debut last June, recaptured the title on night one and then successful defended it on night two. Moxley originally defeated Juice Robinson for the belt at the best of the Super Jr. Finals and competed as champion in the G-1 tournament in the months that followed. Moxley was scheduled to defend the title against Robinson in a rematch in October, but was unable to appear because the typhoon that hit Japan prevented flights into the country so New Japan stripped him of the championship. Lance Archer, who previously worked for TNA and WWE before he found himself as a performer in Japan, was added to the contest and won the title. From a storyline perspective, this made the best of a negative stipulation because there was a reason for Moxley to challenge Archer since he wasn't defeated for the belt and the second night delivered the previously delayed match when Moxley defeated Juice Robinson. Moxley/Archer was a solid match and probably the better of the two Moxley matches of the weekend.
Moxley, who left WWE this past April after a six-year run in the company, is in a unique scenario because the WWE TV exposure allows for the former Dean Ambrose to call his own shots in some ways. The well-documented tension between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan has prevented any type of official working agreement so far, but Moxley is basically a big enough star that he isn't grouped in with the animosity held toward the Elite stable that exited New Japan to form AEW last year. Much of the same can be said for Chris Jericho, who even as the AEW champion, can work New Japan and bring the belt with him because he has the star power to do it. After Moxley's surprise appearance at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May, most assumed his run in New Japan would be relatively short and basically just a stint until All Elite started on TNT in October. However, this title win and the angle that followed suggest that despite the full-time contract with AEW, he will continue to work for New Japan, which is one of the really unique aspects of the modern era. After his successful title defense, Moxley was confronted by the legendary Minoru Suzuki and it appears that he will be the next challenger for the title. It's an intriguing match-up because Moxley's character is unstable while Suzuki's in-ring persona is known for being a wild man, often attacking ringside staff after matches.
Speaking of Chris Jericho, he returned to New Japan for a match against Hiroshi Tanahashi, who carried the promotion on his back when it was on the brink of collapse and built a stellar legacy in the process. However, those years of the physical and risky style often seen in the company have clearly taken their toll on him, as he was plagued with injuries in recent years. The effects of his well-known knee injuries were seen during the course of this match. Still a solid match, it certainly held up to the standard of the two top-tier performers. Jericho and Tanahashi were also smart enough to add an extra layer to the match with the stipulation that if the New Japan star won, he would get a shot at the AEW championship. Usually, when the champion of another promotion is wrestling outside of the organization, it's almost always know that the champion wins to protect their reign as well as the value of the title. This stipulation added depth to the match-up because Jericho really has created an "anything can happen" type of atmosphere with his career. Granted, Jericho won, but the ability to allow for questions about the result made the bout more than just a predictable contest booked purely for the star power.
Kota Ibushi, who won the G-1 tournament to earn a title shot, challenged Kazuchika Okada for the championship on night one, which set up for a match against Tetsuya Naito on night two after he defeated Jay White in the semi-main event. Ibushi/Okada was a stellar contest, but at some points, it was very concerning to watch the risk they were taking in the ring. There are other ways than stiff strikes and dangerous bumps to build drama in a match. Unfortunately, as the envelope continues to get pushes further, it might be difficult for performers to scale down the risks, but I think some of the bumps that are common place in this main event matches could take years off of their careers. As mentioned, Tanahashi has clearly paid the price for his style and even Naito, who was involved in the main event on night two, spent a considerable amount of time of the sidelines last year because of injuries. It also must be mentioned that Shibata's career was cut short because of a stiff head butt last year.
I have to be honest, I think it would've been a better decision to either have Ibushi win both nights to solidify him as a main event talent or have Jay White challenge Okada at the second show to set up a classic top baby face/hated heel dynamic. Don't get me wrong, I can understand why Naito got the win and the championship because of his popularity, but the Okada vs. Naito match was already done at Wrestle Kingdom before. At the same time, Okada had such an extended and dominate title reign so he basically didn't have any fresh opponents so it makes sense to allow for some new title match-ups, but I still think Ibushi would've been the better choice to add more depth to the main event scene. Plus, as mentioned before, Naito had a lot of injuries recently so who knows if he can physically take the toll of another title run?
After his title victory, Kenta attacked Naito to set up an eventual title match. The logic works well because Kenta has a lot of heat with the audience from when he attacked Shibata and joined Bullet Club a few months ago. It also allows for Naito to get the win to start the title run. All things considered, it was a solid start for New Japan and it will be interesting to see the role that the company might have within the industry.
Since it would be difficult to summarize nearly ten hours or wrestling for these events, let's discuss the main angles and the direction of New Japan for the start of the year.
First, it must be mentioned that the legendary Jushin "Thunder" Liger retired after an eight-man tag match on night one with many legends involved in the match from throughout his career and then a standard tag team match on the second night. True to most tradition within the wrestling industry, Liger finished his career with his shoulders on the canvas, allowing for those that are going to continue their career to get a victory to use in the future. I could write an entire article about Liger's stellar career, but I think almost everything has rightfully been said by many people already and an article wouldn't truly summarize the impact of his 30-year career. Obviously, Liger is a pioneer of the Jr. heavyweight style and that influence can literally be seen around the world. Keep in mind, Liger's work in WCW, especially in the early 90s helped provide a blue print for the American cruiser weight style that became a staple of Nitro a few years later. At New Year's Dash, the event that usually follows Wrestle Kingdom, there was a very nice retirement ceremony for him where his family joined him in the ring and the New Japan roster celebrated with him. At 55, Liger was still in amazing shape and could still go in the ring, which is remarkable after such an extensive career. I hope Liger enjoys retirement because he certainly deserves it. Arigato Jushin "Thunder" Liger.
Jon Moxley, who won the IWGP US title in his New Japan debut last June, recaptured the title on night one and then successful defended it on night two. Moxley originally defeated Juice Robinson for the belt at the best of the Super Jr. Finals and competed as champion in the G-1 tournament in the months that followed. Moxley was scheduled to defend the title against Robinson in a rematch in October, but was unable to appear because the typhoon that hit Japan prevented flights into the country so New Japan stripped him of the championship. Lance Archer, who previously worked for TNA and WWE before he found himself as a performer in Japan, was added to the contest and won the title. From a storyline perspective, this made the best of a negative stipulation because there was a reason for Moxley to challenge Archer since he wasn't defeated for the belt and the second night delivered the previously delayed match when Moxley defeated Juice Robinson. Moxley/Archer was a solid match and probably the better of the two Moxley matches of the weekend.
Moxley, who left WWE this past April after a six-year run in the company, is in a unique scenario because the WWE TV exposure allows for the former Dean Ambrose to call his own shots in some ways. The well-documented tension between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan has prevented any type of official working agreement so far, but Moxley is basically a big enough star that he isn't grouped in with the animosity held toward the Elite stable that exited New Japan to form AEW last year. Much of the same can be said for Chris Jericho, who even as the AEW champion, can work New Japan and bring the belt with him because he has the star power to do it. After Moxley's surprise appearance at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May, most assumed his run in New Japan would be relatively short and basically just a stint until All Elite started on TNT in October. However, this title win and the angle that followed suggest that despite the full-time contract with AEW, he will continue to work for New Japan, which is one of the really unique aspects of the modern era. After his successful title defense, Moxley was confronted by the legendary Minoru Suzuki and it appears that he will be the next challenger for the title. It's an intriguing match-up because Moxley's character is unstable while Suzuki's in-ring persona is known for being a wild man, often attacking ringside staff after matches.
Speaking of Chris Jericho, he returned to New Japan for a match against Hiroshi Tanahashi, who carried the promotion on his back when it was on the brink of collapse and built a stellar legacy in the process. However, those years of the physical and risky style often seen in the company have clearly taken their toll on him, as he was plagued with injuries in recent years. The effects of his well-known knee injuries were seen during the course of this match. Still a solid match, it certainly held up to the standard of the two top-tier performers. Jericho and Tanahashi were also smart enough to add an extra layer to the match with the stipulation that if the New Japan star won, he would get a shot at the AEW championship. Usually, when the champion of another promotion is wrestling outside of the organization, it's almost always know that the champion wins to protect their reign as well as the value of the title. This stipulation added depth to the match-up because Jericho really has created an "anything can happen" type of atmosphere with his career. Granted, Jericho won, but the ability to allow for questions about the result made the bout more than just a predictable contest booked purely for the star power.
Kota Ibushi, who won the G-1 tournament to earn a title shot, challenged Kazuchika Okada for the championship on night one, which set up for a match against Tetsuya Naito on night two after he defeated Jay White in the semi-main event. Ibushi/Okada was a stellar contest, but at some points, it was very concerning to watch the risk they were taking in the ring. There are other ways than stiff strikes and dangerous bumps to build drama in a match. Unfortunately, as the envelope continues to get pushes further, it might be difficult for performers to scale down the risks, but I think some of the bumps that are common place in this main event matches could take years off of their careers. As mentioned, Tanahashi has clearly paid the price for his style and even Naito, who was involved in the main event on night two, spent a considerable amount of time of the sidelines last year because of injuries. It also must be mentioned that Shibata's career was cut short because of a stiff head butt last year.
I have to be honest, I think it would've been a better decision to either have Ibushi win both nights to solidify him as a main event talent or have Jay White challenge Okada at the second show to set up a classic top baby face/hated heel dynamic. Don't get me wrong, I can understand why Naito got the win and the championship because of his popularity, but the Okada vs. Naito match was already done at Wrestle Kingdom before. At the same time, Okada had such an extended and dominate title reign so he basically didn't have any fresh opponents so it makes sense to allow for some new title match-ups, but I still think Ibushi would've been the better choice to add more depth to the main event scene. Plus, as mentioned before, Naito had a lot of injuries recently so who knows if he can physically take the toll of another title run?
After his title victory, Kenta attacked Naito to set up an eventual title match. The logic works well because Kenta has a lot of heat with the audience from when he attacked Shibata and joined Bullet Club a few months ago. It also allows for Naito to get the win to start the title run. All things considered, it was a solid start for New Japan and it will be interesting to see the role that the company might have within the industry.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
The Tessa Blanchard situation
Social media can be a whirlwind scenario, especially within the world of professional wrestling, as more often than not, when someone is trending on Twitter outside of the time frame of a live event, it's usually not good news. What that might say about social media's immediate focus on a scandal or more generally the thought process of society is a different discussion for a different time.
Quite frankly, similar to why the tabloids sold steadily for years, the public can be fascinated to watch a train wreck or a scandal unfold on social media.
Less than 24 hours before Impact Wrestling's Hard to Kill pay-per-view, one half of the main event world title match, Tessa Blanchard, was trending on Twitter. Unfortunately, the stellar athlete had some rather serious accusations made toward her in response to her tweet that women should be more supportive toward one another, perhaps a reference toward her main event spot tonight. That tweet prompted NWA Women's champion, Allysin Kay to explain that Tessa hurled racist insults toward La Rosa during a tour of Japan a few years ago, which La Rosa later confirmed on Twitter. NXT star Chelsea Green chimed in and explained that Tessa had also been very rude and insulted her in the past as well. Several other female athletes took to social media to confirm these accounts of Tessa's alleged behavior.
As much as current society seems eager to "cancel" someone from their profession or public view, it's important to note that these are alleged comments that Tessa completely denied on Twitter. However, the story is making the rounds throughout the wrestling world and with the seriousness of the allegations, it's something that Impact management might have to take into account, especially considering the unique nature of the main event scenerio for their pay-per-view tonight. In theory, Tessa Blanchard defies gender stereotypes and becomes the first female world champion for a major promotion in the United States, which is a tremendous story and allows for a very nice moment. Particularly with the rightful spotlight on women's sports in recent years, she could represent something more than just a wrestling angle and stand as an example of female empowerment. From a business prospective, with as crowded as the current pro wrestling landscape is, the first female world champion gives Anthem something unique to promote for its newly-acquired Axis network.
On the flip side, if these claims are true, it taints not only the opportunity and sincerity of a genuine moment, but also completely refutes Tessa's original tweet of women supporting female empowerment. It's also a tough sell to try to get fans to want to support or rally an organization that would book a possible a racist as their world champion. (I'm still not sure why the WWE uses Hulk Hogan) Quite frankly, IF Tessa used racist language toward an African American performer then she doesn't the deserve the recognition or the accomplishment of being the first female world champion.
If this is true, it's extremely disappointing on many levels. Obviously, any form of racism or prejudice is completely ridiculous. From a wrestling context, Tessa Blanchard undoubtedly has the skills to be a main event star in the pro wrestling industry, regardless of gender. She's a top-notch athlete that performs at a main event level. Impact Wrestling, despite the departures of some of its best acts over the past year, still has a solid roster and would probably be the best choice for the promotion to have the first female world champion because of how it presents women on the roster. The women's division in Impact has always been featured as a priority and not an after thought. The concept of intergender wrestling was blended into the product so its not some type of novelty, but rather used as a regular angle that can draw money, which is what gives a storyline more substance than just a one-off match. Speaking of intergender matches, the Hard to Kill main event isn't the first time that the Sami Callihan/Tess Blanchard bout will be booked to close the show, as the two had a tremendous main event contest that told an emotional story at Slammiversary last year. More than just her family name, Tessa Blanchard is a nature in the squared circle.
At 24, she appears to have a seemingly bright future a head of her, considering that within just five years as a pro she worked in Mexico, Japan, WWE, and Impact. But, it's also somewhat odd that despite her talent, she wasn't offered a WWE deal after her appearance in the Mae Young Classic, and there were rumors online that her bad attitude prevented a contract offering. Granted, the pro wrestling rumor mill must be taken with a grain of salt, but the situation might lend some validity to the claims that she was very rude toward others. Ironically, Allysin Kay's response about Tessa's alleged racist comments were during a tour for Stardom a few years ago, which was rumored to be the reason she wasn't brought back to the group after the incident. Blanchard hasn't been booked for the company since 2017.
Sadly, when I read the story online about Tessa being rude to others, I wasn't too surprised because I actually met her during a show I was doing commentary for in Pittsburgh in 2016. Thankfully, 99% of the experiences I've had within the wrestling industry are good and I've met some of my favorite people and best friends through work on the local scene. I'm been very thankful to work with and call matches for some very talented people that have always been helpful and made my job easier. One of the things that I'm most proud of about my work as a commentator is that people I genuinely respect have complimented my work. That said, as a part of the preparation for broadcasts, I usually talk to debuting talent to get notes on their career or if there's something specific they would want mentioned during their match. I've always found it extremely important to emphasize the skills of the talent in the ring on commentary and try to have as much relevant information as possible to do that during the broadcast. At this local event, I introduced myself to Tessa and asked if I could get some of her background information and asked if there was anything specific about her match she would like the fans to know. Her response was, "don't you know who I am?" At first, I thought this might've been some type of joke, but there wasn't a punch line so I said that of course I knew her family name and most of the places she wrestled previously, but if there were any particular quotes as to why she pursued the family business it could give the viewing audience more insight into her character. She replied, "now this sounds like an interview and I hate interviews." At this point, her rude attitude suggested that she thought she was too important to provide information for the broadcast so I simply said, "Never mind, I can focus the story on your opponent." Tessa's response was "Well, she's going to lose." I walked away and continued with the work to be done prior to the start of the event. Apparently, the fact that Tessa was booked to win her one-off appearance at a local independent show was important to her.
Considering that much more tenured veterans such as Chris Hamrick, Chase Owens, and several other were very polite and appreciative that I asked them if they wanted anything specific mentioned on commentary last year, I don't think Tessa Blanchard is too big of a star to talk to the broadcast team before an event. But, maybe that's the problem? Blanchard is still young and perhaps her immaturity is based on her success in a relatively short time? Either way, the point being, I wasn't surprised to hear that Tessa might've been rude to others in the industry. That said, I truly hope that the claim that she made racist comments isn't true because it's a terrible thing to do at anytime. Since others have responded to attempt to confirm the story, it's difficult to believe that several random performers would randomly confirm it if it wasn't accurate.
How Impact management handles this situation or more importantly the booking of the world title match tonight could be a key decision.
It's tough to book Tessa Blanchard as the personification of female empowerment with the cloud of claims that she might've done the opposite outside of the ring over the celebration. Also, the organization has tried tirelessly to not only improve its image, but expand its distribution through Axis so the potential negative press surrounding this story wouldn't help that. The direction of this storyline would logically conclude with the baby face victory, but if the social media controversy leads to Sami Callihan remaining champion, where does that leave Tessa?
It seems like too often in modern culture, the general public looks to "cancel" someone or expect them to disappear from public view if they make a mistake. All things considered, if these things did happen and Tessa apologized, the public also always wants to watch a redemption story. Since Tessa flatly denies any of this happen, that doesn't appear to be an option in this situation. So, it will basically be a decision of if Impact management believes Tessa's story and if they think any of the story should affect their booking plans.
Obviously, nobody outside of those supposedly directly involved knows exactly what happened, but as I mentioned, at the very least, I wouldn't be surprised if Tessa was very rude to other people during her career. Unfortunately, this might be another precautionary tale of "too much too soon" in the wrestling business, and if nothing else, maybe this will give Blanchard a chance to consider her actions towards others in the future. Considering her age and talent level, it would be very disappointing if her ego or attitude derailed or hindered a potentially stellar career. It will be very interesting to see how this story unfolds going forward and if it actually plays a role in the results of the pay-per-view.
Quite frankly, similar to why the tabloids sold steadily for years, the public can be fascinated to watch a train wreck or a scandal unfold on social media.
Less than 24 hours before Impact Wrestling's Hard to Kill pay-per-view, one half of the main event world title match, Tessa Blanchard, was trending on Twitter. Unfortunately, the stellar athlete had some rather serious accusations made toward her in response to her tweet that women should be more supportive toward one another, perhaps a reference toward her main event spot tonight. That tweet prompted NWA Women's champion, Allysin Kay to explain that Tessa hurled racist insults toward La Rosa during a tour of Japan a few years ago, which La Rosa later confirmed on Twitter. NXT star Chelsea Green chimed in and explained that Tessa had also been very rude and insulted her in the past as well. Several other female athletes took to social media to confirm these accounts of Tessa's alleged behavior.
As much as current society seems eager to "cancel" someone from their profession or public view, it's important to note that these are alleged comments that Tessa completely denied on Twitter. However, the story is making the rounds throughout the wrestling world and with the seriousness of the allegations, it's something that Impact management might have to take into account, especially considering the unique nature of the main event scenerio for their pay-per-view tonight. In theory, Tessa Blanchard defies gender stereotypes and becomes the first female world champion for a major promotion in the United States, which is a tremendous story and allows for a very nice moment. Particularly with the rightful spotlight on women's sports in recent years, she could represent something more than just a wrestling angle and stand as an example of female empowerment. From a business prospective, with as crowded as the current pro wrestling landscape is, the first female world champion gives Anthem something unique to promote for its newly-acquired Axis network.
On the flip side, if these claims are true, it taints not only the opportunity and sincerity of a genuine moment, but also completely refutes Tessa's original tweet of women supporting female empowerment. It's also a tough sell to try to get fans to want to support or rally an organization that would book a possible a racist as their world champion. (I'm still not sure why the WWE uses Hulk Hogan) Quite frankly, IF Tessa used racist language toward an African American performer then she doesn't the deserve the recognition or the accomplishment of being the first female world champion.
If this is true, it's extremely disappointing on many levels. Obviously, any form of racism or prejudice is completely ridiculous. From a wrestling context, Tessa Blanchard undoubtedly has the skills to be a main event star in the pro wrestling industry, regardless of gender. She's a top-notch athlete that performs at a main event level. Impact Wrestling, despite the departures of some of its best acts over the past year, still has a solid roster and would probably be the best choice for the promotion to have the first female world champion because of how it presents women on the roster. The women's division in Impact has always been featured as a priority and not an after thought. The concept of intergender wrestling was blended into the product so its not some type of novelty, but rather used as a regular angle that can draw money, which is what gives a storyline more substance than just a one-off match. Speaking of intergender matches, the Hard to Kill main event isn't the first time that the Sami Callihan/Tess Blanchard bout will be booked to close the show, as the two had a tremendous main event contest that told an emotional story at Slammiversary last year. More than just her family name, Tessa Blanchard is a nature in the squared circle.
At 24, she appears to have a seemingly bright future a head of her, considering that within just five years as a pro she worked in Mexico, Japan, WWE, and Impact. But, it's also somewhat odd that despite her talent, she wasn't offered a WWE deal after her appearance in the Mae Young Classic, and there were rumors online that her bad attitude prevented a contract offering. Granted, the pro wrestling rumor mill must be taken with a grain of salt, but the situation might lend some validity to the claims that she was very rude toward others. Ironically, Allysin Kay's response about Tessa's alleged racist comments were during a tour for Stardom a few years ago, which was rumored to be the reason she wasn't brought back to the group after the incident. Blanchard hasn't been booked for the company since 2017.
Sadly, when I read the story online about Tessa being rude to others, I wasn't too surprised because I actually met her during a show I was doing commentary for in Pittsburgh in 2016. Thankfully, 99% of the experiences I've had within the wrestling industry are good and I've met some of my favorite people and best friends through work on the local scene. I'm been very thankful to work with and call matches for some very talented people that have always been helpful and made my job easier. One of the things that I'm most proud of about my work as a commentator is that people I genuinely respect have complimented my work. That said, as a part of the preparation for broadcasts, I usually talk to debuting talent to get notes on their career or if there's something specific they would want mentioned during their match. I've always found it extremely important to emphasize the skills of the talent in the ring on commentary and try to have as much relevant information as possible to do that during the broadcast. At this local event, I introduced myself to Tessa and asked if I could get some of her background information and asked if there was anything specific about her match she would like the fans to know. Her response was, "don't you know who I am?" At first, I thought this might've been some type of joke, but there wasn't a punch line so I said that of course I knew her family name and most of the places she wrestled previously, but if there were any particular quotes as to why she pursued the family business it could give the viewing audience more insight into her character. She replied, "now this sounds like an interview and I hate interviews." At this point, her rude attitude suggested that she thought she was too important to provide information for the broadcast so I simply said, "Never mind, I can focus the story on your opponent." Tessa's response was "Well, she's going to lose." I walked away and continued with the work to be done prior to the start of the event. Apparently, the fact that Tessa was booked to win her one-off appearance at a local independent show was important to her.
Considering that much more tenured veterans such as Chris Hamrick, Chase Owens, and several other were very polite and appreciative that I asked them if they wanted anything specific mentioned on commentary last year, I don't think Tessa Blanchard is too big of a star to talk to the broadcast team before an event. But, maybe that's the problem? Blanchard is still young and perhaps her immaturity is based on her success in a relatively short time? Either way, the point being, I wasn't surprised to hear that Tessa might've been rude to others in the industry. That said, I truly hope that the claim that she made racist comments isn't true because it's a terrible thing to do at anytime. Since others have responded to attempt to confirm the story, it's difficult to believe that several random performers would randomly confirm it if it wasn't accurate.
How Impact management handles this situation or more importantly the booking of the world title match tonight could be a key decision.
It's tough to book Tessa Blanchard as the personification of female empowerment with the cloud of claims that she might've done the opposite outside of the ring over the celebration. Also, the organization has tried tirelessly to not only improve its image, but expand its distribution through Axis so the potential negative press surrounding this story wouldn't help that. The direction of this storyline would logically conclude with the baby face victory, but if the social media controversy leads to Sami Callihan remaining champion, where does that leave Tessa?
It seems like too often in modern culture, the general public looks to "cancel" someone or expect them to disappear from public view if they make a mistake. All things considered, if these things did happen and Tessa apologized, the public also always wants to watch a redemption story. Since Tessa flatly denies any of this happen, that doesn't appear to be an option in this situation. So, it will basically be a decision of if Impact management believes Tessa's story and if they think any of the story should affect their booking plans.
Obviously, nobody outside of those supposedly directly involved knows exactly what happened, but as I mentioned, at the very least, I wouldn't be surprised if Tessa was very rude to other people during her career. Unfortunately, this might be another precautionary tale of "too much too soon" in the wrestling business, and if nothing else, maybe this will give Blanchard a chance to consider her actions towards others in the future. Considering her age and talent level, it would be very disappointing if her ego or attitude derailed or hindered a potentially stellar career. It will be very interesting to see how this story unfolds going forward and if it actually plays a role in the results of the pay-per-view.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
VHS memoirs Volume 8
Today marks twenty years since the ECW Guilty As Charged pay-per-view that was held in Birmingham, Alabama with nearly 5,000 fans in attendance. The event itself represents a unique period for the South Philadelphia-based organization, as the pressure of the competition of the industry began to squeeze the company, but at least for a short time, the promotion still had some of its trademark star power for this show. However, the glaring exception on the card was one of the group's most well-known stars, Tazz, who would debut for the WWF at the Royal Rumble at Madison Square Garden just two weeks later. Tazz was one of the cornerstones of the company and he represented much of the image of the group, similar to names like Sabu, Rob Van Dam, and Tommy Dreamer. Make no mistake about it, the departure of Tazz, who put over RVD at the previous pay-per-view, November to Remember 1999, was a major dip in the momentum and the star power of the organization.
The under card was decent, but nothing too spectacular. The opening match was CW Anderson vs. Mikey Whipwreck, who returned from a six month stint in WCW, where he only made roughly a dozen appearances for a contract that was probably offered to him more to take a performer away from ECW than anything they might've had planned for him in the disarray of WCW in 1999. It appears that his departure to WCW didn't put him in good favor with the ECW office because his return to the extreme group wasn't touted or featured and even after a memorable tag team run with Tajiri in 2000, Mikey never reached the level he had prior to the WCW run. The Danny Doring, Roadkill, and Simon Diamond vs. Nova, Kid Kash, and Jazz match was basic and was more or less just a way to get more wrestlers on the card. The Yoshihiro Tajiri and Super Crazy vs. Little Guido and Jerry Lynn tag team match was solid, but the downside was that this group of stars had been booked for matches against each other in various matches several times before so it was mostly a repetitive match. The more important aspect of this is, it's interesting to consider that this mid-card could've eventually been used to keep the company stable if it had continued more than just another year. Speaking of which, it's somewhat disappointing that CW Anderson didn't truly get a chance to make a name for himself because he only had about a year and a half working for a national company before the entire industry consolidated and there were a limited amount of spots on the national platform. Tajiri is another athlete that probably didn't get the credit he deserved for the peak of his career, and ECW seemed to suit his persona very well. Again, when the WWF was flooded with talent from the WCW buy out, the fact that Tajiri landed a job was more than most of the remaining ECW roster in 2001. That being said, as far as replenishing the main event scene, Tajiri had the in-ring ability and a unique aura that could've been used for a solid title run. An example of someone that did get a chance to make a leap further up the card prior to the shutdown was Steve Corino, who undoubtedly could've had an extended run as ECW heavyweight champion if the company didn't fold the following year.
The Angel/New Jack match was the typical brawl that you would think it would be, but there's some substance to this particular storyline. Despite his reputation after a series of unwise decisions throughout his career, New Jack was charismatic and had an authenticity that could've been used to draw money, even outside of the wild structure of ECW. New Jack was believable and his persona appeared to be legitimate, especially during the prime of his career. Obviously, his signature spot was tailored for ECW so he didn't necessarily wrestle official matches regularly, but he still had credibility for his character. So, when he was actually defeated during the course of this feud, it stood out and put Angel over as more than just another wrestler on the card to replace others that might've exited the company.
The RVD/Sabu match was really solid and provided some substance to the card. However, even this contest is an example of the lack of star power within the company after the departure of Shane Douglas, Tazz, and others. RVD vs. Sabu was booked several times previously and the decision to add it to the card was probably based on the fact that it was an easy way to make sure there was a quality match on the pay-per-view. Ironically, this contest was Sabu's last ECW PPV match, as he attempted to negotiate a return to WCW because of the financial problems the extreme group had and eventually quit the organization in early March. A dispute about his contract status prevented him from actually appearing for the Ted Turner promotion before it shut down a year later.
The Impact Players vs. Tommy Dreamer and Raven was a good tag match, but the continuous theme of eventual departures was seen here as well. Raven, who made a memorable return to ECW a week after its TNN debut a few months earlier, left the company just over a month after this event. Lance Storm decided to leave the company just three months later because he was owned money from the promotion. Storm debuted for WCW in June and actually had a solid push during the remainder of the year.
The main event of Mike Awesome vs. Spike Dudley for the heavyweight title might've seemed odd on paper, but it showcased both wrestlers relatively well. Awesome, who worked for the majority of his career in Japan, probably doesn't get the credit he deserves for the ability that he brought to the table because he was only featured on a national stage in the United States for a relatively short period of time. This bout allowed for Awesome to be showcased as a monster as he launched Spike around the ring and through several tables. Spike was always pushed as the underdog and ECW was known for its surprises so there was always the chance that there would've been a surprise title switch for a short run to allow for a memorable moment on pay-per-view. Instead, Awesome retained, but this was the only PPV he worked as the main event, as he squashed Kid Kash at Living Dangerously in four minutes before he made the controversial jump to WCW in April.
Overall, this event was probably the last major pay-per-view under the ECW banner as far as star power goes and in retrospect, it was somewhat of a definitive point in the history of the company because within just a few months the previously mentioned Sabu, Lance Storm, Raven, and Mike Awesome leave the promotion. Still, the under card of the show proved that there would've been talent for the main event scene if the promotion didn't shut down from the competition of the industry.
The under card was decent, but nothing too spectacular. The opening match was CW Anderson vs. Mikey Whipwreck, who returned from a six month stint in WCW, where he only made roughly a dozen appearances for a contract that was probably offered to him more to take a performer away from ECW than anything they might've had planned for him in the disarray of WCW in 1999. It appears that his departure to WCW didn't put him in good favor with the ECW office because his return to the extreme group wasn't touted or featured and even after a memorable tag team run with Tajiri in 2000, Mikey never reached the level he had prior to the WCW run. The Danny Doring, Roadkill, and Simon Diamond vs. Nova, Kid Kash, and Jazz match was basic and was more or less just a way to get more wrestlers on the card. The Yoshihiro Tajiri and Super Crazy vs. Little Guido and Jerry Lynn tag team match was solid, but the downside was that this group of stars had been booked for matches against each other in various matches several times before so it was mostly a repetitive match. The more important aspect of this is, it's interesting to consider that this mid-card could've eventually been used to keep the company stable if it had continued more than just another year. Speaking of which, it's somewhat disappointing that CW Anderson didn't truly get a chance to make a name for himself because he only had about a year and a half working for a national company before the entire industry consolidated and there were a limited amount of spots on the national platform. Tajiri is another athlete that probably didn't get the credit he deserved for the peak of his career, and ECW seemed to suit his persona very well. Again, when the WWF was flooded with talent from the WCW buy out, the fact that Tajiri landed a job was more than most of the remaining ECW roster in 2001. That being said, as far as replenishing the main event scene, Tajiri had the in-ring ability and a unique aura that could've been used for a solid title run. An example of someone that did get a chance to make a leap further up the card prior to the shutdown was Steve Corino, who undoubtedly could've had an extended run as ECW heavyweight champion if the company didn't fold the following year.
The Angel/New Jack match was the typical brawl that you would think it would be, but there's some substance to this particular storyline. Despite his reputation after a series of unwise decisions throughout his career, New Jack was charismatic and had an authenticity that could've been used to draw money, even outside of the wild structure of ECW. New Jack was believable and his persona appeared to be legitimate, especially during the prime of his career. Obviously, his signature spot was tailored for ECW so he didn't necessarily wrestle official matches regularly, but he still had credibility for his character. So, when he was actually defeated during the course of this feud, it stood out and put Angel over as more than just another wrestler on the card to replace others that might've exited the company.
The RVD/Sabu match was really solid and provided some substance to the card. However, even this contest is an example of the lack of star power within the company after the departure of Shane Douglas, Tazz, and others. RVD vs. Sabu was booked several times previously and the decision to add it to the card was probably based on the fact that it was an easy way to make sure there was a quality match on the pay-per-view. Ironically, this contest was Sabu's last ECW PPV match, as he attempted to negotiate a return to WCW because of the financial problems the extreme group had and eventually quit the organization in early March. A dispute about his contract status prevented him from actually appearing for the Ted Turner promotion before it shut down a year later.
The Impact Players vs. Tommy Dreamer and Raven was a good tag match, but the continuous theme of eventual departures was seen here as well. Raven, who made a memorable return to ECW a week after its TNN debut a few months earlier, left the company just over a month after this event. Lance Storm decided to leave the company just three months later because he was owned money from the promotion. Storm debuted for WCW in June and actually had a solid push during the remainder of the year.
The main event of Mike Awesome vs. Spike Dudley for the heavyweight title might've seemed odd on paper, but it showcased both wrestlers relatively well. Awesome, who worked for the majority of his career in Japan, probably doesn't get the credit he deserves for the ability that he brought to the table because he was only featured on a national stage in the United States for a relatively short period of time. This bout allowed for Awesome to be showcased as a monster as he launched Spike around the ring and through several tables. Spike was always pushed as the underdog and ECW was known for its surprises so there was always the chance that there would've been a surprise title switch for a short run to allow for a memorable moment on pay-per-view. Instead, Awesome retained, but this was the only PPV he worked as the main event, as he squashed Kid Kash at Living Dangerously in four minutes before he made the controversial jump to WCW in April.
Overall, this event was probably the last major pay-per-view under the ECW banner as far as star power goes and in retrospect, it was somewhat of a definitive point in the history of the company because within just a few months the previously mentioned Sabu, Lance Storm, Raven, and Mike Awesome leave the promotion. Still, the under card of the show proved that there would've been talent for the main event scene if the promotion didn't shut down from the competition of the industry.
Thursday, January 2, 2020
John Morrison returns
Just a few weeks ago, it was announced on the WWE Backstage show that John Morrison, former IC and tag team champion, is set to return to the company this year. Morrison, who went under several different names over the course of his nearly two decade career, was away from the WWE scene for over eight years so what does this return translate to for him?
A co-winner of a season of Tough Enough in 2002, Morrison was in the WWE system literally from the time he decided to pursue the wrestling industry. After he won the contract, he traded weekly air time on MTV for the gritty developmental system of Ohio Valley Wrestling, the WWE subsidiary at the time where he learned more than just the fundamentals that were shown on the reality show. That was always the double edge sword aspect of the Tough Enough concept, it provided a national platform to tell the story of each contestant and thus they can gain a fan following through the weeks of television exposure, but at the same time, most of the momentum is lost because there was such a delay between the reality show finale and the time the winner actually had the chance to get the experience to be ready for main roster TV.
As is well-known, Morrison's first successful stint on WWE TV involved a gimmick that was started in OVW, the MNM tag team. Along with ECW alumni, Joey Mercury, and his real-life girlfriend at the time Melina, Morrison's work was noticed after their debut in 2004. While their run was relatively short with just two years as a team, the paparazzi gimmick is still a memorable act from that era. After Mercury was released when he developed an addiction to pain killers from the horrific injury he suffered in a ladder match in 2006, (thankfully, he was able to overcome those problems) many thought that Morrison was on the path to be a main event star. He had the look, the in-ring skills, and the charisma that most assumed would fit the role of a WWE main event talent.
But, for whatever reason, that didn't happen.
When MNM concluded, he had a few runs with the IC title and always seemed a part of the conversation, but wasn't really a major priority in terms of a push further up the card. A nearly two-year run as a tag team with The Miz had most assume again that he would be the member of the team to eventually work the main event scene. However, he was again regulated to the mid-card with the IC title remaining as the ceiling for him in the company. In mid-2011, he was written off of television with an injury angle and his contract simply wasn't renewed.
The pro wrestling rumor mill would suggest that the Batista/Melina brief relationship and the status of Melina and Morrison at the time were factors that led to his decline within the organization. While it's possible that the "Melina heat" derailed Morrison's path, nothing was confirmed or really discussed other than Batista mentioned his short relationship with Melina in his book. It would be unfair to assume anything other than just rumors about the situation, and keep in mind, the laundry list of pro wrestling rumors claimed that Ultimate Warrior in 1992 was actually Kevin Von Erich wearing the face paint.
Regardless of the reasons behind the decision, Morrison was shown the door. Many thought TNA would be his next stop because that was the pattern for many former WWE stars, especially in that era. Instead, he opted to work the indy scene for a few years before he inked a deal to work nearly full-time for AAA in Mexico in 2015. As a result of that affiliation, he worked for the American spin off of the organization, Lucha Underground on the El Rey network. After a two and a half year run,he finished with AAA in early 2018. Just a few months before that, he debuted for Impact Wrestling at a time when the company was in a rocky transition from the Dixie Carter era. That was also around the time of the Global Force debacle and the promotion didn't have much brand identity after it switched names a few times within a relatively short time frame.
The problem that this created for Morrison is that since his WWE exit, he was still wrestling, but in terms of exposure, he was really under the radar, as far as the general fan base. The independent scene didn't provide him valuable TV exposure to keep his name around the American scene. Mexico is very much a platform of its own, especially considering that pure lucha only has a niche market in the United States, and even the LU stint didn't provide major publicity because El Rey doesn't have the TV clearance of other networks. That was basically the same problem during his run for Impact, when he finally got there, the company was on Pop TV with an average of 300,000 viewers a week so it wasn't as though he had a chance to get noticed there.
How this all translates to his WWE return is based on if he's booked for something meaningful or if he will be used as a glorified enhancement talent to get the next generation over. Don't get me wrong, if Morrison is getting paid good money then he should cash-in while he can, but as far as his prospects for what this run could be for his career, the options might be limited. At 40, he's probably at the latter stage of his in-ring career, especially because he spoke about injuries in prior interviews. Is management really going to want to invest major TV time into him?
Another aspect is aside from the nostalgia pop for his initial return, will the WWE audience still demand a John Morrison main event push? Again, in many respects he was under the radar for the majority of his post-WWE career so many casual fans might not be aware that he still wrestled after his WWE run in 2011. I really think the lack of American TV exposure in the past several years might limit his reaction from the current audience, but it will be interesting to see if he can garner the fan support again. At the same time, there's an entire NXT roster that can work a similar style to him and are younger so they have more time left in their careers. This isn't meant as a jab, but at this point, can Morrison really keep up with Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong, Matt Riddle or the others on the NXT roster?
If I had to guess, I'd say that eventually Morrison will settle into a role similar to what Rhino had a few years ago, as far as working with the younger talent and getting the occasional mid-card push. There's nothing wrong with that either because as mentioned, the ability to make the most money possible is the main priority in the business. Granted, that also doesn't answer the question about what Morrison could've done as WWE champion, but it appears that he just wasn't at the right place at the right time to get the push for it. Either way, it will be interesting to see how he's booked when he returns and what brand he's used for the company.
A co-winner of a season of Tough Enough in 2002, Morrison was in the WWE system literally from the time he decided to pursue the wrestling industry. After he won the contract, he traded weekly air time on MTV for the gritty developmental system of Ohio Valley Wrestling, the WWE subsidiary at the time where he learned more than just the fundamentals that were shown on the reality show. That was always the double edge sword aspect of the Tough Enough concept, it provided a national platform to tell the story of each contestant and thus they can gain a fan following through the weeks of television exposure, but at the same time, most of the momentum is lost because there was such a delay between the reality show finale and the time the winner actually had the chance to get the experience to be ready for main roster TV.
As is well-known, Morrison's first successful stint on WWE TV involved a gimmick that was started in OVW, the MNM tag team. Along with ECW alumni, Joey Mercury, and his real-life girlfriend at the time Melina, Morrison's work was noticed after their debut in 2004. While their run was relatively short with just two years as a team, the paparazzi gimmick is still a memorable act from that era. After Mercury was released when he developed an addiction to pain killers from the horrific injury he suffered in a ladder match in 2006, (thankfully, he was able to overcome those problems) many thought that Morrison was on the path to be a main event star. He had the look, the in-ring skills, and the charisma that most assumed would fit the role of a WWE main event talent.
But, for whatever reason, that didn't happen.
When MNM concluded, he had a few runs with the IC title and always seemed a part of the conversation, but wasn't really a major priority in terms of a push further up the card. A nearly two-year run as a tag team with The Miz had most assume again that he would be the member of the team to eventually work the main event scene. However, he was again regulated to the mid-card with the IC title remaining as the ceiling for him in the company. In mid-2011, he was written off of television with an injury angle and his contract simply wasn't renewed.
The pro wrestling rumor mill would suggest that the Batista/Melina brief relationship and the status of Melina and Morrison at the time were factors that led to his decline within the organization. While it's possible that the "Melina heat" derailed Morrison's path, nothing was confirmed or really discussed other than Batista mentioned his short relationship with Melina in his book. It would be unfair to assume anything other than just rumors about the situation, and keep in mind, the laundry list of pro wrestling rumors claimed that Ultimate Warrior in 1992 was actually Kevin Von Erich wearing the face paint.
Regardless of the reasons behind the decision, Morrison was shown the door. Many thought TNA would be his next stop because that was the pattern for many former WWE stars, especially in that era. Instead, he opted to work the indy scene for a few years before he inked a deal to work nearly full-time for AAA in Mexico in 2015. As a result of that affiliation, he worked for the American spin off of the organization, Lucha Underground on the El Rey network. After a two and a half year run,he finished with AAA in early 2018. Just a few months before that, he debuted for Impact Wrestling at a time when the company was in a rocky transition from the Dixie Carter era. That was also around the time of the Global Force debacle and the promotion didn't have much brand identity after it switched names a few times within a relatively short time frame.
The problem that this created for Morrison is that since his WWE exit, he was still wrestling, but in terms of exposure, he was really under the radar, as far as the general fan base. The independent scene didn't provide him valuable TV exposure to keep his name around the American scene. Mexico is very much a platform of its own, especially considering that pure lucha only has a niche market in the United States, and even the LU stint didn't provide major publicity because El Rey doesn't have the TV clearance of other networks. That was basically the same problem during his run for Impact, when he finally got there, the company was on Pop TV with an average of 300,000 viewers a week so it wasn't as though he had a chance to get noticed there.
How this all translates to his WWE return is based on if he's booked for something meaningful or if he will be used as a glorified enhancement talent to get the next generation over. Don't get me wrong, if Morrison is getting paid good money then he should cash-in while he can, but as far as his prospects for what this run could be for his career, the options might be limited. At 40, he's probably at the latter stage of his in-ring career, especially because he spoke about injuries in prior interviews. Is management really going to want to invest major TV time into him?
Another aspect is aside from the nostalgia pop for his initial return, will the WWE audience still demand a John Morrison main event push? Again, in many respects he was under the radar for the majority of his post-WWE career so many casual fans might not be aware that he still wrestled after his WWE run in 2011. I really think the lack of American TV exposure in the past several years might limit his reaction from the current audience, but it will be interesting to see if he can garner the fan support again. At the same time, there's an entire NXT roster that can work a similar style to him and are younger so they have more time left in their careers. This isn't meant as a jab, but at this point, can Morrison really keep up with Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong, Matt Riddle or the others on the NXT roster?
If I had to guess, I'd say that eventually Morrison will settle into a role similar to what Rhino had a few years ago, as far as working with the younger talent and getting the occasional mid-card push. There's nothing wrong with that either because as mentioned, the ability to make the most money possible is the main priority in the business. Granted, that also doesn't answer the question about what Morrison could've done as WWE champion, but it appears that he just wasn't at the right place at the right time to get the push for it. Either way, it will be interesting to see how he's booked when he returns and what brand he's used for the company.
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