So I was sitting in front of my computer with RAW playing in the background, trying to control my urge to press PLAY and watch the episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION I’d taped earlier today. Now, since few of you, if any of you at all, remember this column. For a while in 2000 and 2001, I had written several editions of this column stating my opinions on wrestling at the time. Now it has been quite a while since the urge struck me to write this column but upon hearing Kane’s piss-poor confession about what had happened to poor Katie, it couldn’t be helped.
What the hell is wrong with WWE? I swear to God, I have had it with that company… I really have. Ever since the McMahon-Helmsley era, it has been going downhill. First of all, that whole marriage was based on a lie… yep, Stephanie McMahon and Hunter Hearst Helmsley were never married… he said both I dos. Yep… he did… meaning the marriage was never valid or legal… so it was all a big fat unnecessary lie!
But this era allowed Stephanie McMahon to take over the WWE creative team and I will never give her props for her writing. What have we seen in the last two years that really had us on the edge of our seats? The botched rebirth of DX? The loss of two great female wrestlers in Chyna and Tori? The missed Invasion angle? The losses of Shane McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin to WWF TV? Ticket sales are down, events are rarely sold out, merchandise isn’t selling well and fans are no longer enthusiastic about the product.
How can this be fixed? Well, fewer gimmick matches for one… HLA was fun but five minutes of Hot Lesbian Action doesn’t fill up a two hour-long show… Less convoluted storylines… so Kane killed Katie… boo hoo… who cares? How is that going to influence the outcome of his match against Hunter Hearst Helmsley? Are they bringing back her ghost? Are HHH and Ric Flair going to hold a séance and bring her back from the dead? Or is this another one of those angles that is going to die? Here’s another problem… story lines that never come to fruition. Remember Mighty Molly? I mean was Molly Holly that bad or unbelievable as a superhero? Was she that much less believable than Hurricane Helms? I think not. But the storyline was dropped and never heard from again.
Another BIG problem for the WWE comes in the persons of the Undertaker and HHH. Former locker room leaders, these two men’s reputations have been going down the drain according to many Internet sources. Bear in mind, I am not talking about all the little fights that have been going on backstage but from the way both of these men have been telling mid-carders to work harder. How hard has the Undertaker been working lately? When was the last time he put anyone over? When was the last time he jobbed to anyone? As for HHH, his stance seems a little hypocritical. Unlike 90% of the roster, he doesn’t have to job 60% of the time, nor does he have to travel halfway through the night after a live or taped show to the next location and make his own lodging arrangements in not so great motels. No sir… he flies first class, and gets first class lodging, thanks to his sleeping arrangements with Stephanie McMahon.
What else is to blame? The lack of competition. Let’s face it, during the Monday Night Wars, the WWE had to struggle to come up with good matches and storylines that would make the fans stay tuned to RAW instead of favoring NITRO. And what is their competition right now? NWA-TNA? Right now, as much as I am not a fan of the Jarrett family, I want them to succeed and raise the bar on sports entertainment because right now, that bar is right down there on the ground. But unfortunately, until their shows are free not only PPVs, they are not going to be solid WWE competitors.
The one good thing that has happened in the last year is the improvement of the women’s division. The divas don’t just preen, they wrestle. And Trish Stratus is definitely the most improved wrestler. She has gone from eye candy to multiple women’s champion and she has earned every one of those straps.
Unfortunately, not everyone is as lucky as Trish. Look at Jeff and Matt Hardy. Two years ago, no one was hotter than these two boys. The Hardy Boyz were beloved and golden as far as the WWE of old was concerned. But look at them now. According to Internet reports, he’s been fined numerous times for showing up late at various events and has apparently lost his passion and his drive for the business he loved so much. And he is the only wrestler whose burnout has been even slightly publicized. Chances are there are more than one but that the others are simply better at hiding it. As for Matt, the crappy Mattitude storyline is making him job like never before to the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, completely discrediting him. What a path for the former WWE Golden Tag Team.
All in all, I watch RAW out of habit because I know I will be disappointed by the overall show, as I was tonight. Watching HEAT is actually a better bet. The mid-carders are more aggressive and given a real chance to shine on that show. Trust me, if the main RAW heel, be it HHH was replaced by the main HEAT heel, be it Raven, I would watch RAW because Raven would give me something unexpected. HHH, as much as I love him, rarely does the unexpected.
Anyhow, that’s my Canadian Loonie… nothing guarantees that I am right… but it is my loonie…
Later, Kat
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