Greetings conversationalists all across the fruited plain it is I your personal Harvester of Sorrow Phantom Lord and this is the all mighty Rant Of The Week. As always I am coming to you from my bunker in the urban slum that is Brooklyn, New York and it’s a loaded column just chock full of opinion on all the breaking news stories in the world of professional wrestling.
Now you all know how much I love WWE 24/7. I enjoy watching all the old ECW’s and Nitro’s and I love being able to see WWE PPV’s on it a couple months after they air this way I don’t have to spend $39.95 for the PPV. One of the good things they have is the Pick Your Big One poll on the website. There you vote for which classic PPV you want to see. Some months compared to others are slim in the pickings, but either way you’re guaranteed to see a classic show.
This month’s pick your big ones are for the King of the Ring. Up for voting is 93, 95, and 96. Now some of us believe that the WWE shall we say rigs the poll so one ppv wins out over the others. I took a screen cap of the website and as I type this it still has not been fixed.
I think it’s pretty obvious 96 will win since it’s the birth of Austin 3:16, but I found it funny that they mixed up the pics. The 95 KOTR is by far the worst one all of the tournaments (though the one where Billy Gunn won forever tarnishing the crown is a close second). So kudo’s to the WWE Web design team for that one.
Speaking of Kings, my favorite angle and gimmick at the moment has come to an abrupt end as King William Regal was suspended for 60 days for failing another drug test. God I’m starting to hate that wellness policy. Yes it’s a good thing that they are being checked for stuff that will ultimately kill them someday, but on the other hand it is a nuisance. According to some reports, it’s believed that Regal got popped for using some sort of illegal supplement. If that’s the case then the wellness policy needs some fine tuning.
I know over the years many Olympians and college athletes have gotten nailed for drug violations for using supplements that were banned. I mean it’s messed up how in one professional sports league something is perfectly fine and in another it’s a big no-no. I just hope for Regal that it was as it’s reported and him saying it was a supplement he didn’t realize he could take. I would hate to hear that Regal has fallen off the wagon because of temptations and stuff on the road.
Me personally, Regal has been one of my favorite wrestlers for years. I remember seeing him in WCW in the early 90’s and I thought his style was different. I can remember WCW Magazine had this article on Regal about him using the Marquis of Queensbury rules and they quoted Stu Hart as saying he never heard of anything like that. I also remember them having this huge thing on the Regal family line about how he was really a royal blue blood. It’s just those little things you don’t really see anymore in wrestling. So I hope Regal is fine, but it just goes to show you that even the best system isn’t perfect.
I also hope when he does come back once this suspension is over the go back to right where they left off. At the most they should continue the Regal/Kennedy feud because it has been fun. Kennedy gets a lot of shit from people saying he’s over hyped, but when he’s got the right opponent the guy is gold. I mean I can just imagine Regal coming back and cutting a promo about how he was sitting at home in dreary old England just waiting for his opportunity to come back and to destroy Mr. Kennedy. It would be a pretty good old fashion blood feud if it were given a chance to really develop. Of course by really develop I mean it lasts more then a couple of weeks and a hot shotted match at the next PPV.
Moving along, has anyone heard the Nick Hogan jail tapes? TMZ.com has a whole bunch of them and I always knew Hulk Hogan was probably the most conniving person in all of professional wrestling, but there really must be a special place in hell for him after listening to them. First off they all are blaming the victim in the car crash saying insane stuff like God was punishing him. Hogan has touted his faith for as long as I can remember. To say God was punishing the kid for his life is just unimaginable. By that logic God is also punishing Nick for the life he has led so far. But at least Nick when his stay in the big house is over, he can walk out and start over. The victim John Graziano is not so lucky. Baring a medical miracle or perhaps a biblical one, he will be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. All The Hogan’s are concerned with is how they can spin this for their own benefit. All I know is, I hope the Graziano’s take Hogan to the cleaners.
It would be an ultimate irony of sorts if Hulk Hogan had to pay out such a huge settlement that he would have no choice but to start taking Indy bookings.
Hulk Hogan coming soon to the West Memphis Pork Pavilion.
A point goes to anyone who gets that reference.
Now as we know, ratings for the WWE as a whole have been in a decline lately. They just aren’t getting those huge numbers they want no matter what they do. RAW is always expected to pull at least a 4.0 in the ratings but for the most part it’s in the 3.2 to 3.6 range. Some shows are higher then others, but for the most part it stays in that range. So this week on RAW it was hyped that there was a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT. I figured it was a given they would be announce the draft because they have a three hour RAW coming up in a few weeks and its time to “shake up the roster” anyway.
When RAW started we saw Vince in his office talking about how much the fans needed to be shown they were appreciated so later in the night he would make an announcement for something never done on television before.
I found it ironic that the show started off with a FACE OFF OF DOOM with Randy Orton and Triple H. I mean those face off’s…yeah those sure make for riveting television.
I like Randy Orton, but every time he’s put into one of these stupid debate things he comes off looking like a dumbass. Orton is great in the ring. He’s vicious and calculating and will do anything to win. On the mic…not so much. Triple H pretty much verbally owned him and all Orton could do is just stare at him. If Orton could just figure out how to cut the killer heel promo with out getting distracted from the crowd or sounding goofy he would be set for the next 15 or 20 years.
They eventually got to the end of the show and Vince had everyone come out as he made his huge announcement. He reminded us that he’s all about the MON-AY. So he came up with this idea to give us the viewer a cash prize each week.
NoDQ posted the following so I assume it’s from The Observer or Torch.
The WWE site has an article on Vince McMahon’s $1 million giveaway. To clarify, the sum of the total giveaway over the next few weeks will be $1 million, not $1 million every single week. WWE.com plans on posting further details regarding the contest as soon as they get them.
See Vince was smart enough to say the SUM of $1 million dollars. I mean we all know Vince can be bat shit insane at times, but I didn’t think he would be crazy enough to give away a million dollars a week.
It’s an interesting concept and I sure as hell will try my darndest to win when the official rules and how to’s are released. But lets face the facts here for a moment. It’s a desperation tactic from the WWE. Honestly I’m surprised TNA hasn’t come up with something on this level to get people to watch. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. I mean everything needs a hook, but its obvious that the WWE just might be tapped when it comes to brand new ideas.
OH NOES WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS
(Source: PWInsider.com)
WWE better hope its million dollar giveaway and draft announcements revitalize the product, as the most recent RAW rating reflects a dangerous trend.
While some viewership loss could be blamed on the Memorial Day holiday, the 2.9 rating for the show is still well below any historical trend. Aside from major holiday editions of RAW, the only show to have done worse since 1997 was the October 8, 2007 show (2.8) that went against Monday Night Football and an MLB playoff game.
The show did hours of 2.87 and 2.94, with only three segments hopping the 3.0 barrier.
Oh man, the WWE just entered WCW territory. Vince probably is so irritable and crabby right now it’s not even funny. I guess because of this on RAW next week he will give away an actual $1 Million dollars. I’m also guessing right now the entire creative team is scrambling to think of something “original”. They’ll probably just hot shot the belt back onto Cena and act like nothing is wrong. That’s what the WWE always does anyway.
If you need proof of that theory, I give you the abortion that is ECW on Sci-Fi. Now granted the show has its highlights, but no one is watching it. Its ratings are just about on par with those of Impact. So the WWE in panic mode has decided the problem must be ECW being paired up with Smackdown (well that’s just an assumption on my part).
ECW is moving, Heat is out…
WWE is planning to end the WWE.com Heat series and move the ECW On Sci-Fi tapings to the RAW tapings starting in June following the promotion’s tour of Australia.
ECW will be taped prior to RAW broadcasts and, we can assume, will also be part of RAW house shows. Smackdown tapings and house shows will then only feature Smackdown talent. WWE is hoping that mixing ECW in with RAW will help increase ECW ratings.
WWE has already informed their international TV affiliates that a new WWE Classics series, featuring old WWE footage, will be replacing Heat soon.
Credit: PWInsider.com
See I don’t know how many times I or anyone else will ever have to explain it but here we go again.
The reason why ECW tanks in the ratings is because there is nothing remotely ECW about ECW. Yeah I know its Vince’s vision of ECW…blah blah fricken blah. I mean everything that was ECW is now gone. It might as well just be called WWE on Sci Fi because that’s all it really is. The WWE now going to mix it up with RAW so we can get Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, and even Triple H onto ECW on a regular basis.
It does not matter WHO is on the show. ECW was a different animal all together and no amount of tweaking will ever save it.
If the WWE truly wanted to do something original they should just have Vince say he gave ECW its chance, but because he owns it he can do what ever he wants with it and now ECW is WCW. I guarantee if you brought back WCW it would do marginally to significantly better then ECW right now. Hell if you really wanted to have fun just rename it the AWA or World Class just too really stick it to all the old school fans.
Of course there is always hope. I mean someone with the right vision and direction could easily save ECW and at least get that rating up another point or so where it belongs.
WWE you have my contact info…make the call.
But seriously, between ECW becoming a joke, Smackdown ending up on a budget network, and Vince resorting to a WCW gimmick to save RAW something big needs to change and just reshuffling the cards isn’t going to cut it.
Before I go, I have to post this one. Gerweck posted it but had no source so take it with a giant grain of salt.
I have heard that several wrestlers have had it with Triple H, and many backstage are described as being on “pins and needles” when it comes to Vince McMahon’s son-in-law. Triple H’s name has been mentioned as a possible move to Smackdown during the WWE draft on 6/23, and there are plenty on the Raw roster that would applaud the move. If Triple H is indeed moved to Smackdown, a possible switch would have Undertaker moved to Raw.
Triple H to Smackdown?
Excuse me for a second…
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Triple H working on Tuesday Nights…Oh God now that is a good one.
If Triple H goes to Smackdown and there aren’t any “trades” to return him to RAW then I’m pretty sure that would be a sign of impending doom.
Then again who knows, maybe he would go to Smackdown. It has his big gold belt. You know it must be killing him to wear that piece of shit title on RAW.
On that humorous note I am done for this week. As always take care and remember someone has to give you this information and it DAMN well has got to be me.
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