Greetings pilgrims and welcome to another week of the Wrestling Sandwich.

This a bite from last weeks Sandwich…

While this comment didn’t create too much of a stir I did get a couple of emails (how very 10 years ago) and a couple of comments that did a spit take. I guess this one would most likely sum of the dissenters…

100% agree back in 2008-09 Randy Orton and Chris Jericho were the best heels going. However, we are in 2012 and the key words from my statement are in years and I 100% stand by my whole statement since it’s been multiple years since those days. Of course this is totally my opinion and I could actually give some lip service to Bully Ray in TNA as being a pretty great heel as well, but I think Bryan is the #1 heel right now.

I will compare him to last years great heel wonder The Miz. Both back-doored themselves into their title wins cashing in their Money in the Bank briefcases and truth be told The Miz and his win created quite the little stir.

It was a spectacular start to what was a wholly disappointing reign that saw only THREE televised, successful title defenses from Miz in nearly 5 months. By the end of his run he was an annoying eunuch champion much like Chris Jericho’s first title reign and ended up playing second fiddle in the headline match to someone else not even participating.

Daniel Bryan was a little different in that his title win came just as cheaply but with more subtle overtones. He was a tweener at the time, slowly morphing into a heel adding new layers of dick-ish behavior each week. His actions are almost always more slimy than asshole and centered around one thing…keeping the World Heavyweight Championship. His reactions to winning and keeping the title are always outrageous and entertaining and his heel promos are designed to bring sustained heat instead of the cheap kind that doesn’t last.

Yes, just like Miz, Daniel Bryan has not won many matches but he’s been booked about a million times better to take advantage of Bryans superior ability in the ring to tell a story. He has many cogs to his emotional gears and can run through them smoothly. Miz, has just one…annoying. There is no subtly there and after the buzz of his win died down he became a lame duck champion and after his title lose has wallowed for months. If Bryan loses the title, his new heel character has legs that can sustain a push near the top of the card and work well with most anyone.

I also want to touch on another comment I made…

Which drew this response…

To be fair, this is a fact that has not been widely reported on. I’ll try to sum it up quickly.

Since Punk regained the WWE Title the WWE has been giving him a sustained main event push in the hopes of him catching fire to the extent the WWE would not have to rely on John Cena for ratings. Except that Punk, even back last year when he was at his hottest, has not moved ratings and usually cost the WWE viewers.

The three big hot ratings period for any RAW is the opener, the top of the first hour match and the main event slot plus its overrun. The top of each hour has always been the big key as this is when you start getting your influx of viewers and the overrun spikes this even higher. John Cena for years has been king of the overrun spots and NO ONE in the company has come close except for Randy Orton on occasion. He pops rating and even that god-awful Kane feud always created big ratings jumps.

Whenever Punk gets near a main event ratings tank and his appeal to females and children is almost non-existent. He always moves the key demo of young males but that’s about it. Here’s a breakdown of some RAW ratings according to the January 30th Observer…

And this from the February Observer…

That 2.77 rating is the lowest rated segment on RAW since 2009 and the lowest rated main event since 1997 (reported but I could not verify). As much as Punk is my favorite wrestler right now the man does not attract ratings like the WWE would like. In recent weeks with his mini Daniel Brian feud that has turned around somewhat but back in December there was serious talk of aborting this sustained push based on the poor ratings as champ.

Every one with an opinion has had their two cents worth about The Rock taking up a WrestleMania slot at someone else’s expense, so I might as well give mine.

If anyone thinks that Rocky coming in to pop the “territory” is anything less than business as usual is in dire need of a history lesson. This practice has been a long accepted, often performed and welcome money-spinner for almost any promotion in the history of wrestling. The NWA Champion and his role was to literally do this every time he performed.

Why’s this any different now?

Cause I tell you, The Rock coming in and lining every ones pockets with more money is a much better scenario that Lawrence Taylor headlining (and beating) Bam Bam Bigelow at WM11. If I need to explain that particular point as to why then you can stop reading right here because you have no concept of wrestling.

Big wrestling gates have always been built around the “visiting attraction” and guys like Andre The Giant were often paid large parts of the gate at any event they appeared at as they drew so much additional money. As I referenced before, the NWA territories would spend all their time building up a credible local wrestlers (usually a face) for weeks or months on end in anticipation of the World Champion coming in, popping ratings and the gate and everyone walking out with bags full of money. No one begrudged these men for the money they made or the “spot” (main event or otherwise) they took on the card because this is how the wrestling business works.

The Rock is being brought in to make people money. He is a massive star and his ability to draw in casual fans is the incentive for most of them to fork out a rather large sum of money at a time of great financial uncertainty for a wrestling PPV. It’s exactly why Rocky is here. Secondary is the work he is doing with John Cena and if that happens to go according to plan it will still make everyone more money as Cena will be a bigger draw than he ever has been.

If anyone backstage has an issue over this then they have no understanding of the business they pretend to love. As an outsider and proud “mark” even I got the thinking and reason behind The Rock headlining WM. Even though it has gone off the rails somewhat, wrestling has always been about tradition and those that understand and adhere to those traditions will always go far in the WWE and once HHH finally takes over this will be more evident than ever.

HHH LOVES wrestling. He’s a wrestling guy and proudly wears this regardless of what people think or say. All feedback that has come from the times he has been in control of TV, house shows and tours is that the atmosphere is much more relaxed than when “crazy” Vince is kicking about. Once Trips is no longer looking to protect his spot he will be looking to protect the WWE and he will remember every crybaby, moaner that complained about things they should’ve just shut up and moved on from. He respects wrestling tradition and has little or none of the hang-ups Vince has about so many random things. He will be looking for guys that respect the business and will uphold the legacy of its past.

But I have gotten off track…

The Rock coming in is the best business sense the WWE has shown in a long while. He doesn’t need the WWE but they sure need him and his considerable star power will carry the company for a few months yet to the benefit of everyone.

I have never been an ROH fan before. I certainly sought out matches that created industry buzz and it’s easy enough to keep up on ROH news but making a concerted effort to go out and catch any of their TV or PPV’s has never been a high priority. However, since their shift to the Sinclair Network and now that they allow access to their TV via their website free of charge (on delay) I have made the effort to watch some of their TV.

Hands down, this is the best wrestling TV show in wrestling right now.

For starters, the ROH style is not really my cup of tea. Call me a grumpy old man but some of the high spots do as much for exposing the business as Tough Enough. The idea is that this is supposed to be a fight and when you can see two “hated” enemies fighting each other clearly co-operating, it does ruin the illusion. However, I have this complaint in every promotion so that’s just a quibble. I can for the most part enjoy most ROH matches on a purely wrestling level.

It’s the TV that really gets me excited. Why? Because it’s the only wrestling show on right now that actually doesn’t insult my intelligence and focuses on one thing…providing quality TV. We always get two good matches, a thorough rundown on the major feuds, spotlights on the lesser known talents, decent promos and a concerted effort to build the awareness of fans to the overall product that is ROH all sprinkled with a commentary team that focuses on wrestling and getting everything over.

Granted, the production leaves much to be desired sometimes and little things like watching KEVIN KELLY interviewing their world champion and standing so much taller than him…bush league. Stand Davey Richards on a box for heck sake. You don’t have to be a genius to figure this out.

Seriously, I’m not trying to be a shill here but if you head on over to the ROH website and check it out for yourself. All you have to do is register (which is free) and you can watch each week’s episode. It’s only an hour of your time and you can have it on will doing something else on your computer. It’s certainly a refreshing change.

Speaking of indy feds, I have also devoted some downtime to watching CHIKARA. I truly have had no prior interest in watching them but again, since I’m back to writing regular wrestling columns I figured I would hit youtube and watch some stuff. After reading Wikipedia I looked up Chikarasaurus Rex: King of Show.

Now if ROH isn’t my cup of tea than CHIKARA is not even on my planet…literally. Stuff like The Colony and The Osirian Portal left me scratching my head more than a little. Clearly they are aiming their product at a certain segment of the wrestling audience and the matches themselves baffled me. Some of the action was terribly indy and almost had me reaching for the “spot monkey” tag. The lack of consistency of selling really bothered me on occasions and I have issues with the “you hit me with your stuff and then I will hit you with mine” philosophy of wrestling. It really irks me.

Then I was playing RAW vs. Smackdown on the Wii and literally the light came on and I got CHIKARA. If you watch their matches as if you are watching a wrestling video game and expect the same sort of action, then you will know exactly what you are going to get. Each side hits their stuff, the other hits theirs, they go back and forth with no real psychology behind anything until one side finally hits the finisher and gets the win. Great! Of course, when you have some of the more accomplished wrestlers in there the matches tend to be more traditional but if you watch the more cartoony stuff through the “video game” filter, you can enjoy the hell out of it.

To be fair, I haven’t turned into some CHIKARA disciple or even a ROH one. However, after giving each promotion the chance to entertain me they have in there own ways. Sometimes you can forget there are real alternatives out there to TNA and WWE.

The rehabbing of TNA is continuing as we speak.

Those that believed that Vince Russo getting fired was going to be the cure-all the company needed hopefully will understand he was only part of the problem. For a while now he has only been the head writer, crafting ideas of the others into the television we saw and while the man couldn’t draw a straight line between two points without drawing a square as a swerve, it has proven that there are deeper issues at hand. From the top down this a company that has made baffling decision after baffling decision and stubbornly refuses to learn from there own mistakes.

Fans, including myself, are willing for this company to finally realize the potential they have at their disposal but the bigger fear is once they get their house in order that they may have burned all the goodwill the fans have wanted to extend. Just remember, the first night they went up against the RAW live they pulled in 3,000,000 viewers doubling their core audience and RAW’s rating didn’t suffer. These were likely old fans coming to see what the fuss was about but left with a bitter taste in their mouth yet again.

The big problem for TNA is that even with poor booking and terrible television, their income stream never suffered from the poor storylines. Usually you booked your TV to make sure the house shows were packed and if your TV sucked and no one watched then invariable your house shows failed to draw. If you were the booker then you quickly found yourself out of a job without that many friends.

For whatever reason 1,500,000 people every week tune into TNA and will watch whatever they are presented and keep coming back. Because of this Spike has continued to pay TNA the revenue necessary to keep the company being a complete financial sinkhole and thus keep Dixie Carter and her family’s money behind them. If ratings had taken a hit and Spike closed the purse strings, Russo would have fond himself on the outside years ago.

So what is the way forward? If I were TNA I would keep the title on Robert Roode for a LONG time. I would feed him challenger after challenger and keep him as strong as you can. I would continue to promote the Knockouts as your special attraction as they regularly out rate most other segments on IMPACT. I would rehab the fuck out of the X-Division, as this was a highlight of most shows and PPV’s for years. I would pick a talent from the current roster that hasn’t been completely burned out (or open the pocket book and buy a legit WWE main eventer) and protect the hell out of him and build him parallel to Roode as your challenger. My choice would be James Storm and while not a fantastic worker he has an abundance of charisma, a fantastic look and a great work ethic. Build the feud for a year and work towards a singular PPV payoff.

As for the TV itself, keep it simple. Everyone that’s a heel right now stays a heel and same goes with the faces and if the fan turn someone that it all well and good. No swerves, no surprises, no bullshit. Give the fans what they want for a good long while and build back up good faith. Your fan base is a LOYAL bunch and need to be treated with due respect.

Also focus on little things…

– Keep Kurt Angle away from the ring for a year and let the man rest and heal. His string of DUI’s and general craziness needs to be stopped or at least slowed. TNA has been his enabler for far too long.
– Limit Abyss and his TV time and for his sake, only let him do the hardcore stuff a couple of times a year.
– Use OVW better. Garrett Bischoff should be there right now. He is an obvious talent and a couple of years under Danny Davie will do nothing but good things for the man.

In fact continue the development of the younger talent, as this is your future. The fans have been burned on the main roster and guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels have been so thoroughly ground under stupid booking that any hope they have to be a legit long-term draw is long gone.

When WCW closed down in 2001 millions of wrestling fans tuned out and never returned. Even the WWE has lost a large segment of its audience. These fans want something and TNA is the best placed promotion to take advantage of this. I only hope that Dave Langana and Brice Pritchard are in for the long haul as TNA will need a year to gain traction to get back in the fight.

I remain cautiously optimistic.

Tajiri vs Dave Finlay (SMASH)

Have a look at this match from Japan, which is getting a bunch of MOTYC talk. I did and was thoroughly entertained but I was also sad in thinking that guys like Tajiri and Finley are no longer with the WWE. Talk about assets just going to waste.

While you will never hear me talk about how these guys should be main eventers, I would be getting a bunch of veterans of this ilk, put them on the road and make it mandatory that all the younger guys to travel with the really seasoned veterans. Actually, I would take someone like William Regal and pair him with someone like Wade Barrett for a good solid year and tell Wade to shut up and just listen and learn. Have them tag all the frickin’ time against a similar team set up with a veteran and a younger wrestler that has an abundance of potential.

There is a precedent for this type of thing…Dave Batista. Dave was a huge, athletic man who was as green a grass when he was brought up to the main roster. He will tell you himself he owes so much to Devon Dudley who showed him the ropes for the first period of his career and then hit the jackpot when he got to go on the road and team with Ric Flair and HHH against guys like Edge, Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit. In that first year he was with Evolution his improvement was exponential and it was not coincidence he became so good in the ring is a direct result of this.

Veterans decry the lack of a territory system these days as so much about the business was learnt in long car rides and working with the older generations of wrestlers. I’ve for a long time said that the WWE or any major promotion would be wise to invest infrastructure to resemble those days. Someone like Mason Ryan is not going to learn the business riding with Justin Gabriel. He would be much better off shadowing Fit Finlay and being taught how to be a monster 4 times a week at house shows.

For those of you that may not have caught this news grab about a week ago, this is an interview Boris Zhukov did on ClunWWI.com…

Okay, so if I’m reading this right Boris is complaining that Vince would not let an under contract wrestler leave to work for another (and main rival) company even while offering him TV work and payment that included car and room rental?

The unmitigated GAWL of Vince McMahon.

I also though Boris and his rather large head was just nature playing a cruel joke but it seems that it got that way as a defense to repel common sense.

Dude, you were a jobber at the time and nothing else. Vince was going to give you money to keep doing what you supposedly loved doing and offered you sweeteners that no other wrestlers were getting. By the sounds this may have even worked in you favor as you were going to go do much the same for Dusty and maybe you would have earned a couple more bucks but your hand was forced and you actually got yourself a career after wrestling.

Vince is an egomaniacal, control freak that is so paranoid about anyone elses original ideas that he will cut his nose of to spite his face rather than concede others may be right. You do not need to make rubbish up like this to paint Vince as a bad man. Boris, you come off like a big cry baby.

Brian Kendrick You Funny Man: From the PWIndider…

I bring this up after my little rant against Brian last week but this has bad idea all over it. Kendrick literally burned the WWE to the ground when he did a couple of shoot interviews after leaving the promotion last time and not so subtly buried The Undertaker.

Yeah, UT is just the forgiving type.

++++

The Age Of Santino Is Upon Us: From RAW this past Monday…

The greatest thing about this is Santino and his celebration. The absolute joy he displays is just awesome. This guy is over and the pop for his win was one of the loudest of the night. I don’t care if he’s a below average wrestler, he’s turning into a good worker right now that has the crowd on his side and buying EVERYTHING that he’s doing.

Santino for 2013 Royal Rumble Winner!

++++

Kurt Angle Plays With Twitter: This is one recent Kurt Tweet…

Kurt making sure that his contract status with TNA is okay, maybe? I will laugh if he comes out and says that his account was hacked again. Or maybe he’ll wake up drunk and be all “what the heck have a i done now?”. Actually I have the answer to that…

**FACEPALM**

++++

Steve Lombardi: Evaluator of Wrestling Talent…Oxymoron Is Alive & Well: from 411mania…

So much to say but really that whole news bite speaks volumes. Common knowledge states that Lombardi has any sort of job with the WWE largely thanks to his “association” with Pat Patterson. Of all the talent that the WWE could draw on Steve F’n Lombardi is someone you send down to evaluate talent? Does Patterson’s wang have that much power?

The idea of people writing out ideas for humiliation…well all I could think of is that Vince is in short supply of original humiliations and needs talent to think of their own. Personally I would have put down being WWE Champion.

++++

Speaking of Pat Patterson…: Old school batman Adam West made a guest shot on Legends House and put this on his Facebook page about the experience…

No mention if Pat got him to dress up in costume. Here’s pic of the whole deal.

Mean Gene in shorts may turn Pat straight.

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