Even though it is claimed in the run up to nearly every PPV title match, it is unlikely that the ramifications of a wrestling match will ever ‘shake the foundations of the industry’ and have a wide-reaching effect on the direction of the sport. You could say that Hogan’s first run with the WWF belt changed the way the mainstream media viewed pro-wrestling or that Austin’s stint as top man in the company altered the way we perceived the heel/face divide but the general nature and image of wrestling has stayed constant throughout the years. There are however battles going on right now in the wrestling world that could have a serious impact on the way in which it is determined and ultimately presented to the fans. And these battles are going on unnoticed.
TV v PPV
For roughly the first ten years of WWE PPV’s it was clear which format took precedence, the PPV was king and television would have to suffer as a consequence. With the only notable exception being Saturday night’s main event, the WWF television shows were dour, meaningless programmes with few top names and often no big match finale. New talent was hammered down the throats of viewers for six months in nothing but squashes so that the fans were legitimately screaming out for someone to test them come their first supercard outing. PPV’s were spaced out sometimes four or five months apart so that expectation levels were as high as possible during the build up and tv was used mostly as advertising for these events. Everything was done to ensure that the PPV’s seemed more important and more exciting than anything you would see on a weekly basis and it could not be missed. But Raw changed all that.
Raw started off in much the same way. A one-hour show with some squashes, a couple of non-wrestling segments and a decent main event that usually involved at least one member of the mid-card. But then three things happened that meant Raw had to become a unique concept that could exist on its own merits; the In your house PPV’s took the number of WWF supercards from five up to twelve, Raw became a two-hour show and the emergence of WCW Nitro in opposition. This latter issue caused the biggest shift in balance. Thanks to the Monday night wars dvd almost every fan is aware that WCW beat the WWF in the tv ratings for eighty-plus weeks back in the mid-nineties but (without looking it up) can anyone recall the PPV buy rate comparisons? I’d be surprised if many people can. During that period it became obvious that television had become the new battleground for dominance in the wrestling world and the grandiose sanctity of PPV would be sacrificed for the Monday night bragging rights.
I’m not surprised that the WWE didn’t resort to the old television format once it swallowed up its competition, Pandora’s box could not be closed once it was open. If anything, the main event circle still benefits from teasing storylines. The heavyweight title protagonists will only fight in brawls or tag matches in the run up to PPV defences which will probably last twenty to thirty minutes on the supercard, far longer than their encounters on Raw or Smackdown. It’s the mid-card that suffers the most. Given ten to twenty minutes on the PPV, only slightly longer than their usual tv time, they are expected to put on a supercard quality match without the benefit of motifs normally reserved for the final match (run-ins, blading, tables) for fear of overshadowing it. The WWE is going to have to decide which branch of its output it favours and amend the other accordingly to make two disparate concepts or fans will conclude that it’s not worth paying for something that you can see for free, four times as often.
SIZE v ABILITY
‘Land of the giants’, we’ve all heard that expression before. Despite there being plenty of evidence to offset the theory, it is true that the WWE does seem to hire certain people based on their size rather than their wrestling ability. I’m not suggesting that these wrestlers have zero talent but it is obvious that they don’t have as much talent as the smaller, more athletic performers. All of the legitimate ‘giants’ over the last decade (Kevin Nash, Giant Gonzalez, Big Show, Nathan Jones, Matt Morgan) have suffered from restrictive physical limitations to the point where their clumsiness has caused injury to either themselves or others. Those just under that perceptive benchmark (Undertaker, Kane) have prospered due to a successful gimmick or a solid foundation of wrestling knowledge, not their height. It’s a throwback to the ‘circus’ days of the WWF where Vince felt the need to have wrestlers representing his product who were bigger than, taller than, stronger than and paid little attention to the skills that a performer demonstrated. The tide turned after the steroid scandal in 1992 when the baton was taken from Hogan (who was bigger than) and Warrior (who was stronger than) and was handed to guys like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart who were hard working wrestlers but looked physically believable. Even though Jim Ross will sometimes vaunt the extraordinary dimensions of the larger wrestlers, I don’t think fans are automatically impressed with great height or muscularity anymore. When Batista made his debut (as the monster, not as the Deacon) he was visually stunning but a lot of fan comments about him centred on his lack of ability (at that time) and the one-dimensional nature of his character. It was only when he returned from injury with a better work ethic, a cooler demeanour and a line in tailored suits that he caught the crowd’s attention.
Take a look at the recent WWE greenhorns: Super Crazy, Juventud, Psicosis, Romeo, Antonio, and Mercury. In fact, with the exception of Chris Masters, you have to go all the way back to Gene Snitsky’s debut back in September 2004 to find a rookie above 6ft 5”. Granted, probably none of the recent additions will be a main title-holder and most will rarely venture out of the cruiserweight or tag divisions but there are positive signs. Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero have shown that if you take the focus away from your height by being quicker than, more skilled than and just plain better than then there is no glass ceiling based around your size. Good news for the respective futures of Shelton Benjamin and Mohammed Hassan.
THE BUSINESS v THE INTERNET
Before I go on, I in no way consider myself a part of this battle. I am a fan, I write a column. I don’t make a living or derive a sense of importance therefrom. But there is a substantial parasitic industry on the Internet based around the idea of pre-empting, spoiling and ‘insider’ critiquing pro-wrestling that seems to fuel Vince’s hatred and creativity in equal measures. Just like the ‘paparazzi’ element of celebrity, there is an amount of symbiosis in the relationship as long as everyone knows their place. It is mostly when Internet writers flatter to deceive themselves that the wrestling business pulls up its drawbridge and retreats into the ‘between the ropes’ stance that served it so well during the days when the code was still intact.
For example, Matt Hardy’s intro being played during the Edge/Lita wedding angle last week on Raw. Any wrestling fan who has never been on the Internet (there must be some) would be mystified as to why it happened and the reasons for Edge and Lita’s hyperbolised reaction. In sticking two fingers (one if you’re American) up at net users, and specifically Matt’s fans who have been clamouring for his WWE return, Vince has pandered to that which he claims has no value and allowed it to shape his product. He understands that old Oscar Wilde quote, “The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about” but he can’t keep ‘going public’ on situations where he fired someone for ‘going public’ or he’ll lose his reservation to the higher ground and have to scramble around down here in the dirt with the rest of us. Of course, Vince would probably just buy the higher ground and erect a WWE theme park in its place. If he does, I recommend going on the ‘Diva rollercoaster’. It may be slow and it doesn’t go all the way to the top but it’s an enjoyable, cheap ride.
Unless there is a dramatic change to the way the world works, wrestling personalities (whether it’s Vince, JBL, Meanie, Weber, Smothers or Hardy) will use the Internet as and when it suits them and condemn it if it dares to question the position that puts food on their tables. And those people with vested interests attached to the Internet will claim to have reliable sources, semi-reliable sources, rumours and certainties just as long as you click on the advertising or follow the link to ‘Stephanie’s hot pink thong’. My advice to fans? Form your own opinions based on common sense, good judgement and information that has been corroborated by both sides. And don’t follow the link.
Lee
