I could write this as a Ringbelles piece. But honestly, I don't have the patience to iron out a reasonable piece. Not when it's something like this.
We all know WWE isn't a great place to work if you are a woman or a minority. We can point to the hundreds upon hundreds of mistakes, outrageous storylines, and shocking depravity in the company's long history. We can tick off the names of people that Vince and Co. have done wrong by.
I get that. I truly do.
However, when WWE decided to go PG and present John Cena as it's superhero-type good guy who triumphs over all evil and align itself with an anti-bullying campaign ("Be a STAR"), the rules (supposedly) changed. Gone were the mud matches, the cursing, the other things that ruled WWE during the Attitude Era. In other words, a company that Linda McMahon could point to in her quest to become the senator from Connecticut and say, "Look how we've cleaned everything up! Nothing to be ashamed of here." Interestingly enough, it's rumoured that she will be running for office again in the near future.
Which is part of the reason why I'm so confused, disgusted and in disbelief at what happened on RAW 2/20. You've seen it by now, with Eve and John Cena in the ring and the 10 minutes he spent running her down. The storyline went like this:
Ryder likes Eve. Ryder tries to court Eve. Ryder & then Eve are targeted by Kane. Cena comes to Ryder and Eve's defense. Kane hurts Ryder (repeatedly). Eve cries, blames Cena for Ryder's pain due to his feud with Kane. Kane tries to kidnap Eve. Eve jumps out of ambulance into Cena's arms. Eve kisses him, Cena kisses her back. Ryder sees this, is hurt. Eve says it was a "heat of the moment" thing, wants to be friends with Ryder. Kane hurts Ryder again even more seriously this time. Eve cries, Cena gets angry. Cena defeats Kane in ambulance match. Eve tells the Bellas that her plan was to use Zack to further her career, now she's jumping to Cena. Tells this infront of a tv camera, and is caught by Cena. Cena spends 10 minutes in the ring degrading Eve infront of her, the crowd and a live television audience, encouraging them to yell "Hoski" at her while she cries.
So, essentially, to help Cena get cheered in his upcoming feud with the Rock, Eve is sacrificed because we are supposed to forget that just 7 days ago Cena kissed Eve back, even wrapping his arm around her. We are supposed to forget that he wasn't innocent in this thing.
Others have put it far better than me, such as Lee in this week's Ringbelles Roundup (http://ringbellesonline.com/2012/02/21/ringbelles-roundup-21-february-2012/), Cageside Seats (http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/2/21/2815080/on-eve-john-cena-bullying-and-the-problem-with-misogyny-in-the-wwe), Rae with Wrestlegasm (http://thegasm.tumblr.com/post/18036148183/goodnight).
(And I've tried to get those links to work, but apparently Blogger doesn't like me. Copy and paste, they're worth the read.)
The point isn't that WWE have done far worse things (because we know, they have). The point isn't that women are supposed to be up in arms about this just because we're women (because every woman will see this differently, and that's fair enough - I'm not judging them).
The point is that in this PG era, WWE has set itself on a higher level. They are touting the fact they are partners in an anti-bullying campaign, they are a family friendly company, and we should bring our kids to the events. If I had a daughter, I sure wouldn't let her watch this, nor would I bring her to a show. I would feel uncomfortable exposing her to a man who is supposed to be a role model for young kids degrading a woman in front of the world.
And to be fair, I wouldn't be comfortable exposing her to the Rock due to his repeated use of anti-gay slurs.
Besides, if you think about it long enough, this could have gone another way to turn Eve heel. Why not the traditional way (if you have to, as overplayed as it is), where Eve is attracted to Cena, tries to court Cena, Cena rejects her politely, Eve wants revenge and partners with someone to help take him out. You keep Cena face and a hero for the kids, you give Eve a badly needed heel turn and get a couple of mixed tag matches out of it since Cena would need someone to tag with (Kelly? Alicia?). Sure, Eve would still come out of it looking bad, but we most likely wouldn't have gotten the slut-shaming promo that we got last night.
The crux of it is having your role model, wearing a "Rise Against Hate" t-shirt no less, shaming a woman. It's misogynistic and it's an example of hypocrisy. Or I should say, ANOTHER example of hypocrisy.
If you are a female and you don't see anything wrong with this, then that's your right. I'm not judging you, nor am I saying that every female should be against this just because you're a woman.
I'm saying that this is another example of WWE's hypocrisy and is another reason why it's been two years since I've spent any money on anything WWE-related. The last PPV I bought was the one where HBK was retired by UT. Otherwise I've attended no shows, bought no merchandise, don't want to watch it on tv (and give them ratings) and don't buy their PPVs. If I want to see something, I YouTube it or I stream it - and yeah, I stream their PPVs. I save my money for promotions that need it and have earned it.
Plus, John Cena is in a position where he could refuse to do or say something and creative would back down. You can't tell me he isn't. He is their go-to man, has been for a few years now, and you don't get to that spot and not accumulate some influence. You don't. Cena has a rep for being a truly nice, decent man who does a ton of charity work with my favourite charity, the Make a Wish Foundation, and has busted his ass over the years. He's gotten a lot of respect and a lot of leeway with the company.
Plus he is intelligent. You can't tell me he didn't see the problem with this scenario. If he had a problem with it, that's something we may never know. But he's not stupid. It's disappointing to think that he had no qualms about going through with this, knowing that his young fans would be watching and taking it in.
It continues the image of women in wrestling being objects to taunt, degrade and bully. By their top star, no less.
And as I'm writing this, the whole CM Punk/Chris Brown thing may or may not be being talked about on WWE television. I thought that perhaps it was something Punk was doing on his own initiative and was willing to give props to Punk. But if this turns out to be a publicity thing for Wrestlemania or another time and they are planning to have Brown on one of their shows...
Well. I honestly don't know what I would say to that.
No, I do know what I would say. To all of us who are disgusted with WWE, put your money back in your wallet. Stop supporting them. If you don't want to support other promotions (because if you love wrestling, then I promise you, there is a promotion out there in the world that you will love IF you look for it - there is THAT much diversity out there), then put the money towards a charity. How about a charity that works with women who are domestic violence survivors? Or a charity that works with abused children?
Change the channel and refuse to come back until WWE makes real changes and sticks with them. Call them out - tweet, facebook, write, email, whatever. If you feel that strongly, then speak out. Don't remain silent. Silence is acceptance.
If you don't like it, if it makes you uncomfortable, don't accept it. Period.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Thoughts on Pro-Wrestling EVE iPPV "No Mans Land"
Warning: There be spoilers ahead!
On February 18th, Pro-Wrestling EVE presented the first European internet Pay Per View entitled "No Mans Land." It was hosted by Diva-Dirt.com and the company that did the tech work was iMediaLibrary. I believe it was iMediaLibrary's first time doing an iPPV, which would account for the technical difficulties that occurred during the first half of the show.
It was 9.99 pounds, which equated to $16.03 in American money. Worth every penny in my opinion. The following isn't so much a professional review as my thoughts and feelings.
The show started late due to technical difficulties but that was to be expected. I heard a bit of complaining about it, but if you ordered it, you could either stick it out until the second half (which was MUCH better quality wise) or watched the replay. Either way you should get your money's worth. I know I did.
Every woman worked their heart out. They knew they were live to anyone in the world who chose to order it, and not one woman half assed it or "phoned it in" - they knew they were being given the ball and they ran with it. There was not a bad match on the show, period. Everyone looked like gold.
The commentary was a bit hard to hear, but to be honest, a lot of shows I watch I tune out the commentary unless it's a boring match and I hope the commentary can improve it. Since I wasn't bored, I admittedly tuned it out. When I buy the DVD though I'll make sure to listen, if only for Mean Girls quotes!
The place was well lit, meaning you could see the front row crowd, the stage and the ring. It's an intimate setting that I prefer personally over huge places - you feel more into the action and closer to the athletes. Camera work was good, a few strange spots (crowd shots when there was action in the ring) but nothing that couldn't be overlooked. No mic problems, you could hear the promos and the taunting in the ring. The only thing was during the first half the connection was a bit laggy and when a match would pick up, it would pause. But that problem evaporated for the most part in the second half of the show. It was disappointing that we didn't get to see the bonus matches, but Dann has said those will be put up for free at some point, so there's no issue there.
The booking was a bit confusing in some points. Nikki Storm should have gotten at least one clean win, preferably over Kay Lee Ray considering Ray was injured. Heel Viper versus Heel Storm was strange but I'm not someone who minds face v face or heel v heel matches sometimes. Having the Blossom Twins v the Glamour Gym so soon was also strange but with the Gym stealing the win, it sets the stage for a further rivalry that will grow even hotter with the addition of EVE Tag Team Titles. Nothing that detracted from the show honestly.
Now then...the matches. Oh the matches. When I say there wasn't a bad match on the card, if you disagree, I will refund you the money you paid, be it for the iPPV or the ticket either one. I liked every one of them, and there aren't many promotions/shows I can say that about. Instead of dissecting each match, I'm going to give some thoughts about each of the women involved in the show.
Hannah & Holly Blossom. I haven't seen their ChickFight work, so the only thing I had seen was their work in Ohio Valley Wrestling. They were the best women on the roster at OVW, so I was eager to see how they would do against women with a bit more experience. A feud with the Glamour Gym was inevitable. I was highly impressed with their work, first Hannah against Nikki Storm, Holly against Sara Marie Taylor, and then both women against Sara and Carmel Jacob. They have a distinctive look and give EVE another tag team for the division.
Sara Marie Taylor & Carmel Jacob, the Glamour Gym. I hadn't seen these two since the first EVE shows in 2010, but it looks like they have improved leaps and bounds. Carmel faced Kay Lee Ray and given the fact that the two have faced each other numerous times, that match was one of the stand outs of the show. Marie is a tremendous heel and has the "prettier than you" gimmick down pat, from the hair brush to the hair spray. These two were hilarious...and I'm pretty sure Sara's shorts stole the show for many guys out there.
Alpha Female. Powerful. Intimidating. Terrifying. Alpha is all these things and more. Her look, her power, her determination, all of it combines to make up one ferocious woman. She did not disappoint in her match against Jenny Sjodin. It was power versus skill. Alpha will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Viper. I'd never seen her before, but she was decent for a woman of her size and stature. It was a good move putting her into a threeway against Kirsty Love and Janey Britannico, it gave her two smaller opponents to dominate.
Kirsty Love. Another lady I had not seen before, but had heard a lot of good things after the EVE v ICE shows. Her personality is awesome, she is charismatic and bubbly, extremely outgoing and engages the crowds easily. Plus, she had one of the strangest and most interesting billings I'd ever heard - she was announced as being Elvis, alive, kicking and had a sex change. Definitely unique! Looking forward to seeing more of her in the future.
Janey Britannico. This lady has gone from being the mousey-looking assistant to the Glamour Gym, to Super Janey B, and finally to the masked Janey Britannico. Admittedly I'm not sure why the last change happened, but even if there was no reason it's still refreshing to see someone constantly reinventing themselves as a character. It makes her stand out from the pack. She did well in the three way and I'm interested to see how she continues to progress.
Nikki Storm. I adore her Scottish accent, let me say that right now. When I saw her on the first EVE show, she stood out and in between then and now she has become even better in the ring and a full flown mouthy heel. She's great at getting the crowd riled up. She changed gear for all of her matches, which was a nice touch. Her versus Jenny Sjodin and/or Alpha Female will be excellent to watch.
Kay Lee Ray. Her match against Carmel was the first time I had actually seen her wrestle. I had heard a lot of great things and she did not disappoint. Her look, her athleticism, and her move set makes her stand out from the pack. (Personally I'm partial to redheads. Biased!) And I'd never seen a female do a Swanton Bomb as their finisher so that was particularly impressive. I am very interested in watching her career progress. As I said, her v Carmel was one of the highlights of the whole show. Kay Lee was fun to watch!
Rhia O'Reilly. O Really? O'Reilly! I've seen this graduate of the Storm Academy on the first EVE show, come to the SHIMMER pre-show SPARKLE (on her own dime no less, Dave Prazak didn't fly her over or pay her hotel costs - she did) in April 2011, and now I've seen her live on iPPV. Here she took on April Davids in a quarter final match in the Queen of the Ring tournament and to say she has improved would be a vast understatement. She is very self confident as a heel, her wrestling has gotten stronger, and she is coming into her own. I'm very proud of how far she's come - she is definitely one to keep your eye on. I thought her match against April was one of the best on the card. Plus, she's also a redhead.
April Davids. This woman is one of the very best Britain has to offer. I first saw her on the debut EVE DVD in 2010 and was impressed with her then. At the iPPV, her match against Rhia was one of the best on the show. She is so determined, so intense, and I thought for sure she would be a finalist in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Her time in Japan has served her well, and I can't wait to see her on the Ice Ribbon DVDs as well as her work in the future. Absolutely brilliant woman.
Jenny Sjodin. This lady is a warrior. I was impressed the first time I saw her, on the first EVE show in 2010 taking on April Davids in a Catch Division match. I'd never seen that style of match, and those two blew me away. Jenny has only grown better and more intense over the past two years, and she was fully a match for Alpha Female. A lot of folks were sure that Alpha would dominate the smaller Sjodin, but Jenny not only held her own, she gave a fight that showed she was every bit Alpha's equal. It was strength versus skill, and Jenny's skill was at 110% that night. Only after both women went through a table was the match stopped and counted as a draw, neither woman able to gain a clear win. The ending was clearly designed to get people frustrated and wanting to see a rematch with a decisive winner. It worked - the two are set for a rematch which is sure to be every bit as good as this one was. Jenny is an amazing champion for EVE, she is strong, intelligent, tenacious and intense. Her bout against Alpha proved she can take on anyone, no matter how strong or intimidating. My hat's off to her.
Overall, the show was phenomenal. Like I said, every woman gave their all and it showed. EVE continues to provide great matches and I can only hope that many people worldwide shelled out the money to see them on iPPV. If you aren't satisfied with what you see on television, trust me - this was a cheap and better alternative. Congratulations to Dann & Emily Read, everyone involved backstage and all the women who wrestled, and thank you for an incredible show! And thank you to Diva-Dirt for hosting it!
On February 18th, Pro-Wrestling EVE presented the first European internet Pay Per View entitled "No Mans Land." It was hosted by Diva-Dirt.com and the company that did the tech work was iMediaLibrary. I believe it was iMediaLibrary's first time doing an iPPV, which would account for the technical difficulties that occurred during the first half of the show.
It was 9.99 pounds, which equated to $16.03 in American money. Worth every penny in my opinion. The following isn't so much a professional review as my thoughts and feelings.
The show started late due to technical difficulties but that was to be expected. I heard a bit of complaining about it, but if you ordered it, you could either stick it out until the second half (which was MUCH better quality wise) or watched the replay. Either way you should get your money's worth. I know I did.
Every woman worked their heart out. They knew they were live to anyone in the world who chose to order it, and not one woman half assed it or "phoned it in" - they knew they were being given the ball and they ran with it. There was not a bad match on the show, period. Everyone looked like gold.
The commentary was a bit hard to hear, but to be honest, a lot of shows I watch I tune out the commentary unless it's a boring match and I hope the commentary can improve it. Since I wasn't bored, I admittedly tuned it out. When I buy the DVD though I'll make sure to listen, if only for Mean Girls quotes!
The place was well lit, meaning you could see the front row crowd, the stage and the ring. It's an intimate setting that I prefer personally over huge places - you feel more into the action and closer to the athletes. Camera work was good, a few strange spots (crowd shots when there was action in the ring) but nothing that couldn't be overlooked. No mic problems, you could hear the promos and the taunting in the ring. The only thing was during the first half the connection was a bit laggy and when a match would pick up, it would pause. But that problem evaporated for the most part in the second half of the show. It was disappointing that we didn't get to see the bonus matches, but Dann has said those will be put up for free at some point, so there's no issue there.
The booking was a bit confusing in some points. Nikki Storm should have gotten at least one clean win, preferably over Kay Lee Ray considering Ray was injured. Heel Viper versus Heel Storm was strange but I'm not someone who minds face v face or heel v heel matches sometimes. Having the Blossom Twins v the Glamour Gym so soon was also strange but with the Gym stealing the win, it sets the stage for a further rivalry that will grow even hotter with the addition of EVE Tag Team Titles. Nothing that detracted from the show honestly.
Now then...the matches. Oh the matches. When I say there wasn't a bad match on the card, if you disagree, I will refund you the money you paid, be it for the iPPV or the ticket either one. I liked every one of them, and there aren't many promotions/shows I can say that about. Instead of dissecting each match, I'm going to give some thoughts about each of the women involved in the show.
Hannah & Holly Blossom. I haven't seen their ChickFight work, so the only thing I had seen was their work in Ohio Valley Wrestling. They were the best women on the roster at OVW, so I was eager to see how they would do against women with a bit more experience. A feud with the Glamour Gym was inevitable. I was highly impressed with their work, first Hannah against Nikki Storm, Holly against Sara Marie Taylor, and then both women against Sara and Carmel Jacob. They have a distinctive look and give EVE another tag team for the division.
Sara Marie Taylor & Carmel Jacob, the Glamour Gym. I hadn't seen these two since the first EVE shows in 2010, but it looks like they have improved leaps and bounds. Carmel faced Kay Lee Ray and given the fact that the two have faced each other numerous times, that match was one of the stand outs of the show. Marie is a tremendous heel and has the "prettier than you" gimmick down pat, from the hair brush to the hair spray. These two were hilarious...and I'm pretty sure Sara's shorts stole the show for many guys out there.
Alpha Female. Powerful. Intimidating. Terrifying. Alpha is all these things and more. Her look, her power, her determination, all of it combines to make up one ferocious woman. She did not disappoint in her match against Jenny Sjodin. It was power versus skill. Alpha will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Viper. I'd never seen her before, but she was decent for a woman of her size and stature. It was a good move putting her into a threeway against Kirsty Love and Janey Britannico, it gave her two smaller opponents to dominate.
Kirsty Love. Another lady I had not seen before, but had heard a lot of good things after the EVE v ICE shows. Her personality is awesome, she is charismatic and bubbly, extremely outgoing and engages the crowds easily. Plus, she had one of the strangest and most interesting billings I'd ever heard - she was announced as being Elvis, alive, kicking and had a sex change. Definitely unique! Looking forward to seeing more of her in the future.
Janey Britannico. This lady has gone from being the mousey-looking assistant to the Glamour Gym, to Super Janey B, and finally to the masked Janey Britannico. Admittedly I'm not sure why the last change happened, but even if there was no reason it's still refreshing to see someone constantly reinventing themselves as a character. It makes her stand out from the pack. She did well in the three way and I'm interested to see how she continues to progress.
Nikki Storm. I adore her Scottish accent, let me say that right now. When I saw her on the first EVE show, she stood out and in between then and now she has become even better in the ring and a full flown mouthy heel. She's great at getting the crowd riled up. She changed gear for all of her matches, which was a nice touch. Her versus Jenny Sjodin and/or Alpha Female will be excellent to watch.
Kay Lee Ray. Her match against Carmel was the first time I had actually seen her wrestle. I had heard a lot of great things and she did not disappoint. Her look, her athleticism, and her move set makes her stand out from the pack. (Personally I'm partial to redheads. Biased!) And I'd never seen a female do a Swanton Bomb as their finisher so that was particularly impressive. I am very interested in watching her career progress. As I said, her v Carmel was one of the highlights of the whole show. Kay Lee was fun to watch!
Rhia O'Reilly. O Really? O'Reilly! I've seen this graduate of the Storm Academy on the first EVE show, come to the SHIMMER pre-show SPARKLE (on her own dime no less, Dave Prazak didn't fly her over or pay her hotel costs - she did) in April 2011, and now I've seen her live on iPPV. Here she took on April Davids in a quarter final match in the Queen of the Ring tournament and to say she has improved would be a vast understatement. She is very self confident as a heel, her wrestling has gotten stronger, and she is coming into her own. I'm very proud of how far she's come - she is definitely one to keep your eye on. I thought her match against April was one of the best on the card. Plus, she's also a redhead.
April Davids. This woman is one of the very best Britain has to offer. I first saw her on the debut EVE DVD in 2010 and was impressed with her then. At the iPPV, her match against Rhia was one of the best on the show. She is so determined, so intense, and I thought for sure she would be a finalist in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Her time in Japan has served her well, and I can't wait to see her on the Ice Ribbon DVDs as well as her work in the future. Absolutely brilliant woman.
Jenny Sjodin. This lady is a warrior. I was impressed the first time I saw her, on the first EVE show in 2010 taking on April Davids in a Catch Division match. I'd never seen that style of match, and those two blew me away. Jenny has only grown better and more intense over the past two years, and she was fully a match for Alpha Female. A lot of folks were sure that Alpha would dominate the smaller Sjodin, but Jenny not only held her own, she gave a fight that showed she was every bit Alpha's equal. It was strength versus skill, and Jenny's skill was at 110% that night. Only after both women went through a table was the match stopped and counted as a draw, neither woman able to gain a clear win. The ending was clearly designed to get people frustrated and wanting to see a rematch with a decisive winner. It worked - the two are set for a rematch which is sure to be every bit as good as this one was. Jenny is an amazing champion for EVE, she is strong, intelligent, tenacious and intense. Her bout against Alpha proved she can take on anyone, no matter how strong or intimidating. My hat's off to her.
Overall, the show was phenomenal. Like I said, every woman gave their all and it showed. EVE continues to provide great matches and I can only hope that many people worldwide shelled out the money to see them on iPPV. If you aren't satisfied with what you see on television, trust me - this was a cheap and better alternative. Congratulations to Dann & Emily Read, everyone involved backstage and all the women who wrestled, and thank you for an incredible show! And thank you to Diva-Dirt for hosting it!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Random Thoughts
These are some of the random thoughts that go through my head. Most often I tweet them but here I figure I'll expand on them.
*While I recognise her role and place in wrestling history, I really don't care for or like Miss Elizabeth's character. Some have characterised her as the "first Diva" (although more put that on Sunny including Sunny herself but honestly - is that really something you'd want to be known for in wrestling?), but she's not even that to me. Savage brought her in after a bunch of people had been wanting to manage him, saying he'd found her but she never managed him, not in the way that Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Mr. Fuji, etc were managers. She was just a valet, and a shadow of a valet at that.
Before he turned face, Macho Man berated her, terrorised her, and basically was the abusive spouse that he was rumoured to be behind the scenes (not going to go into that, as I don't know all the details). She was weepy, cringing and basically the damsel in distress 24/7. Which, that was her role and she played it to a T. But good grief, it got tiring. I greatly preferred Queen Sherri and King Macho because Sherri wasn't afraid to get in there and go after Savage's opponents.
However, I do understand her role as a foil for Macho Man. She's just too passive for my tastes. When she came to Randy's aid and clobbered Sherri, that's the first time I cheered for her. I suppose it's the era I grew up in but I don't want women in wrestling to be passive wallflowers. And that's what Elizabeth was, to me. That said, I hope that one day her and Savage will be inducted into the Hall of Fame together.
*Jimmy Hart is the absolute worst manager, ever. He's annoying but not in the "get heat" way (at least, he doesn't get heat from me) - he's "Michael Cole" annoying. Which isn't good. I find his voice annoying, his mannerisms annoying and his outfits horrid. True, he gets in there and does what a manager should do, help his clients win, but damn. ANNOYING.
*When did Wrestlemania stop being the "Grandest Stage of them All" and start being the "Stage Where Every Tom, Dick and Harry Gets On the Card"? Granted, I've not seen them all, and I'm not as good of a historian as other fans, didn't it used to be that there were fewer matches, and the ones that got on were ones that had build and backstory and such? Or am I completely wrong? When the 12-man (I think) tag match was announced for this year's Wrestlemania to determine who gets to be General Manager (or whatever the reason for having it is), I thought, "Wow. That's a great way to shove everyone who doesn't have a match onto the card for one big cluster fuck." For all the talk of "Wrestlemania Moments" and "Grandest Stage" and people working their "whole lives" to wrestle on the show...trying to find a way to shoehorn everyone on the roster onto the card doesn't make it feel special. It makes it feel ordinary, and even lackluster. I appreciate the roster wanting to get that Wrestlemania payday, but when you have too many matches, some of them have to be cut shorter to make room for others, and then no one gets the chance to shine.
I could be wrong though, and it was always this way. I'm hoping someone can inform me either way.
*Watching Ric Flair in the 80's and late 90's makes me sad to see how far downhill he has gone now. I understand needing money, but surely he could have stayed with WWE as an agent or something else behind the scenes. The sendoff they gave him was unparalleled. Even HBK's was much more humble, possibly due to his request. But I do wish he would leave TNA totally. Perhaps after being inducted into the Hall of Fame twice he will.
*I finished watching a four disc DVD set that Steve burned for me. It featured matches involving the Kliq (HBK, Scott, Kevin, Sean and HHH) and a bit of discussion at the end about the "Curtain Call" incident. Steve's attention to detail is tremendous, he took matches from their original tape or DVD and combined them with matches that were from recent WWE compilations and put them in chronological order. I didn't know some of the stuff that had happened, and I hadn't seen most of the matches, which were awesome. Of the five, I think Kevin was the most limited. He had mic skills and charisma, but if he wasn't wrestling someone who could carry him, it showed. The others were all great in the ring.
Steve has been wonderful enough to burn me a ton of DVDs that are catching me up on my wrestling history. I didn't think I'd be into some of the stuff from the 80's or early 90's, but I am. Flair, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Savage, Steamboat - I'm convinced that Savage and Steamboat never had a bad match. This isn't news to a lot of people but it is to me. I'm an amateur historian as it is, so whenever I get into something new I like to learn the history behind it. Wrestling has been no different, and it's fascinating to watch something from 20 years ago the same day as I watch something that's current. Makes it clearer what has changed from then to now. I'm currently making my way through a Macho Man set, and still have the year 1997 that he's burned of PPVs and highlights from RAWs.
I can't thank him enough for making all these for me! It's been fantastic learning what I've missed and didn't know about! Between him and Lee, I've gotten a lot of knowledge in the past year alone. Definitely a good thing.
*While I recognise her role and place in wrestling history, I really don't care for or like Miss Elizabeth's character. Some have characterised her as the "first Diva" (although more put that on Sunny including Sunny herself but honestly - is that really something you'd want to be known for in wrestling?), but she's not even that to me. Savage brought her in after a bunch of people had been wanting to manage him, saying he'd found her but she never managed him, not in the way that Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Mr. Fuji, etc were managers. She was just a valet, and a shadow of a valet at that.
Before he turned face, Macho Man berated her, terrorised her, and basically was the abusive spouse that he was rumoured to be behind the scenes (not going to go into that, as I don't know all the details). She was weepy, cringing and basically the damsel in distress 24/7. Which, that was her role and she played it to a T. But good grief, it got tiring. I greatly preferred Queen Sherri and King Macho because Sherri wasn't afraid to get in there and go after Savage's opponents.
However, I do understand her role as a foil for Macho Man. She's just too passive for my tastes. When she came to Randy's aid and clobbered Sherri, that's the first time I cheered for her. I suppose it's the era I grew up in but I don't want women in wrestling to be passive wallflowers. And that's what Elizabeth was, to me. That said, I hope that one day her and Savage will be inducted into the Hall of Fame together.
*Jimmy Hart is the absolute worst manager, ever. He's annoying but not in the "get heat" way (at least, he doesn't get heat from me) - he's "Michael Cole" annoying. Which isn't good. I find his voice annoying, his mannerisms annoying and his outfits horrid. True, he gets in there and does what a manager should do, help his clients win, but damn. ANNOYING.
*When did Wrestlemania stop being the "Grandest Stage of them All" and start being the "Stage Where Every Tom, Dick and Harry Gets On the Card"? Granted, I've not seen them all, and I'm not as good of a historian as other fans, didn't it used to be that there were fewer matches, and the ones that got on were ones that had build and backstory and such? Or am I completely wrong? When the 12-man (I think) tag match was announced for this year's Wrestlemania to determine who gets to be General Manager (or whatever the reason for having it is), I thought, "Wow. That's a great way to shove everyone who doesn't have a match onto the card for one big cluster fuck." For all the talk of "Wrestlemania Moments" and "Grandest Stage" and people working their "whole lives" to wrestle on the show...trying to find a way to shoehorn everyone on the roster onto the card doesn't make it feel special. It makes it feel ordinary, and even lackluster. I appreciate the roster wanting to get that Wrestlemania payday, but when you have too many matches, some of them have to be cut shorter to make room for others, and then no one gets the chance to shine.
I could be wrong though, and it was always this way. I'm hoping someone can inform me either way.
*Watching Ric Flair in the 80's and late 90's makes me sad to see how far downhill he has gone now. I understand needing money, but surely he could have stayed with WWE as an agent or something else behind the scenes. The sendoff they gave him was unparalleled. Even HBK's was much more humble, possibly due to his request. But I do wish he would leave TNA totally. Perhaps after being inducted into the Hall of Fame twice he will.
*I finished watching a four disc DVD set that Steve burned for me. It featured matches involving the Kliq (HBK, Scott, Kevin, Sean and HHH) and a bit of discussion at the end about the "Curtain Call" incident. Steve's attention to detail is tremendous, he took matches from their original tape or DVD and combined them with matches that were from recent WWE compilations and put them in chronological order. I didn't know some of the stuff that had happened, and I hadn't seen most of the matches, which were awesome. Of the five, I think Kevin was the most limited. He had mic skills and charisma, but if he wasn't wrestling someone who could carry him, it showed. The others were all great in the ring.
Steve has been wonderful enough to burn me a ton of DVDs that are catching me up on my wrestling history. I didn't think I'd be into some of the stuff from the 80's or early 90's, but I am. Flair, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Savage, Steamboat - I'm convinced that Savage and Steamboat never had a bad match. This isn't news to a lot of people but it is to me. I'm an amateur historian as it is, so whenever I get into something new I like to learn the history behind it. Wrestling has been no different, and it's fascinating to watch something from 20 years ago the same day as I watch something that's current. Makes it clearer what has changed from then to now. I'm currently making my way through a Macho Man set, and still have the year 1997 that he's burned of PPVs and highlights from RAWs.
I can't thank him enough for making all these for me! It's been fantastic learning what I've missed and didn't know about! Between him and Lee, I've gotten a lot of knowledge in the past year alone. Definitely a good thing.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Thoughts on The Survivor Series Anthology 1992 - 1996
I'm finishing up SS '96 and truly the changes the WWF went through during this time period are striking. In 1992 you had Hulk Hogan sitting out of the company due to the steroid allegations that were coming to light; goofy gimmicks such as The Natural Disasters, Nailz, Kamala and The Headshrinkers; and two men who were struggling to make their mark as smaller guys among the powerhouses - namely, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. In a twist of irony, this anthology has them facing each other for the WWF title at SS '92 in the main event (Bret was champion while HBK was Inter-Continental Champion). I say ironic, given what happened at SS '97. But this was Bret's first pay per view title defense after winning it from Ric Flair in an untelevised match on Superstars. This SS also had your big names such as Flair, Mr. Perfect, Undertaker and Randy Savage.
Fast forward to SS '96 and you have HBK as your champion, Bret Hart feuding with a fiery, brash upstart named Stone Cold Steve Austin, Undertaker and Mankind tearing the hell out of each other - much more violent, much more 'real' things mixed in with the vestieges of the "family friendly" product of the early to mid 90's. There were still goofy gimmicks galore - The Godwinns, Crush, Flash Funk and arguably the stupidest of all, the fake Diesel and the fake Razor Ramon. (Which, hearing Jim Ross wonder outloud why the Madison Square Garden crowd was booing Razor, made me face palm. By this point, Razor {Scott Hall} and Diesel {Kevin Nash} were running wild in WCW alongside Hulk Hogan as the New World Order - the two fakes weren't fooling anyone in the Garden.)
Plus, who's stupid idea was it to put Barry Windham in a gimmicked name/identity? This guy was an original Horseman, yet he came into the WWF as "The Stalker." Give me a break!
I could feel the shift as I went from one disc to the next and by 1996 the Attitude Era was ready to bust out in full force. There was more violence, more aggression, more sexuality and even Bret Hart, who was the ultimate family friendly babyface, showed far more aggression first in '95 against Diesel but even moreso against Austin in '96. The times were changing. The lines were starting to blur between heel and babyface - despite Austin being the heel and Bret being the face, people were starting to cheer Austin. Same with Sid when it was him v Shawn (although HBK's pop clearly outdid Sid's).
I marvel at how they kept Undertaker's character fresh and interesting. Going from a silent, supernatural zombie, to a mortician, to a force of nature, to betrayed and tormented by Paul Bearer and Mankind.
I also marvel at how Shawn Michaels went to an egotistical, narcisstic heel who was hated by men and women (but also desired by both), to a strong, persistent, underdog babyface who still oozed sexuality but also portrayed as coming from humble beginnings to achieve his boyhood dream of becoming WWF Champion. The addition of his mentor and trainer, Jose Lothario helped in this transition. Hearing his ovation at The Garden when he came out for his match against Psycho Sid was interesting - and seeing him prance and grind, his raw sexuality fully on display, hearing the screams of the women, I could fully understand it. He looked amazing in the mid '90s.
Whereas I think Scott Hall had skill, Nash and Sid were those who were only as good as the people they faced. Good characters, good charisma, good promos but put them in there against someone that couldn't work and it fell to pieces. Austin, however, surprised me. I've been accustomed to seeing his work from 1999 onwards, so the fact he could be very technical in the ring as opposed to just out and out brawling shocked me. I enjoyed the hell out of him v Bret Hart and although I couldn't understand why Bret chose Austin to induct him into the Hall of Fame before, I sure do now. It was also surreal, seeing the past versus the present in this match and the feud overall.
I can't help but wonder at the changes, and seeing HBK in Bret's position and knowing what happens in '97. But normally wrestling doesn't have very many happy endings, and in this case I'm very glad both men have resolved things and are now friends.
I actually bought this anthology (and the one before it) because each had a year that had female teams in SS-style matches. I know, silly to buy a package for one thing, but both turned out to be good purchases since I've enjoyed watching more than just the female matches. However, I couldn't pass up the chance to see legends such as Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue, and Lioness Asuka. The match was shorter than I would've liked, yet compared to what we get from the "Divas" today it was stellar and given more time. The exchange between Alundra Blayze (aka Madusa) and Aja was great and I do wish they could have had a proper program. I've heard rumours that some of the boys around that time didn't like being upstaged by Alundra and the other Joshis, which is what led to the end of the women's division after the former left. I can fully believe that. Alundra versus Bull Nakano or Lex Luger versus Tatanka? No contest in my eyes.
The very end of Sid v HBK highlighted the change clearly. Sid hit Shawn with a camera after hitting Jose with the same camera - and the crowd cheered. Some didn't, admittedly, but if it had been maybe just a year or two ago, that would've equated Sid as a full fledged heel. But in 1996, it only got him applause and the crowd really did go nuts when he won the belt. He played to the crowd, bumping fists around the ring and was even pulled into a hug which he returned. For me, this really brought home how times were changing in the WWF. You could start having faces with rougher edges, tweeners, anti-heroes - the lines were starting to blur.
The Attitude Era was coming.
I enjoyed this anthology more than the first, mostly because I knew more of the people therein, and a lot of the matches were faster paced. Even though I bought it for one match on one disc, I got a lot more entertainment out of the whole thing. A worthwhile purchase.
Matches I enjoyed:
*Ric Flair & Razor Ramon v Mr. Perfect & Randy Savage (1992). Great backstory to this which shows how they were able to turn Perfect so quickly so he could fill the fired Warrior's spot as Savage's partner.
*Bret Hart v Shawn Michaels, WWF Title (1992).
*Razor Ramon/Randy Savage/Marty Jannetty/1-2-3 Kid v Irwin R. Schyster/Diesel/Rick Martel/Adam Bomb (1993).
*Shawn Michaels/Diesel/Jeff Jarrett/Owen Hart/Jim Neidhart v Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid/British Bulldog/The Headshrinkers (1994).
*Jerry Lawler/Cheesy/Sleazy/Queasy v Doink/Dink/Wink/Pink (1994). This was a lot more enjoyable than I had originally thought it would be. Lawler's teammates turning against him and teaming up with the clowns was funny. Other people I've talked to have the opinion that Doink was a good wrestler in an originally creepy gimmick, who then turned face and was never really taken seriously. I agree.
*Undertaker v Yokozuna, casket match (1994). The addition of Chuck Norris was a nice touch. He got as loud a pop as their most popular wrestlers.
*Alundra Blayze/Kyoko Inoue/Sakie Hasegawa/Chaparita Asari v Bertha Faye/Aja Kong/Tomoko Watanabe/Lioness Asuka (1995). If it exposed at least one person to Joshi, it was worthwhile.
*Owen Hart/Yokozuna/Dean Douglas/Razor Ramon v British Bulldog/Psycho Sid/Ahmed Johnson/Shawn Michaels, Wild Card match (1995). This match basically mixed babyfaces and heels and it worked really well with the various conflicts adding to it.
*Diesel v Bret Hart, WWF Championship (1995). I don't know if it started here, but between Bret in '94 and here, he showed a lot more aggression in his character and wrestling style, which suited the match with Nash.
*Bret Hart v Steve Austin (1996).
*Shawn Michaels v Sycho Sid (1996).
Fast forward to SS '96 and you have HBK as your champion, Bret Hart feuding with a fiery, brash upstart named Stone Cold Steve Austin, Undertaker and Mankind tearing the hell out of each other - much more violent, much more 'real' things mixed in with the vestieges of the "family friendly" product of the early to mid 90's. There were still goofy gimmicks galore - The Godwinns, Crush, Flash Funk and arguably the stupidest of all, the fake Diesel and the fake Razor Ramon. (Which, hearing Jim Ross wonder outloud why the Madison Square Garden crowd was booing Razor, made me face palm. By this point, Razor {Scott Hall} and Diesel {Kevin Nash} were running wild in WCW alongside Hulk Hogan as the New World Order - the two fakes weren't fooling anyone in the Garden.)
Plus, who's stupid idea was it to put Barry Windham in a gimmicked name/identity? This guy was an original Horseman, yet he came into the WWF as "The Stalker." Give me a break!
I could feel the shift as I went from one disc to the next and by 1996 the Attitude Era was ready to bust out in full force. There was more violence, more aggression, more sexuality and even Bret Hart, who was the ultimate family friendly babyface, showed far more aggression first in '95 against Diesel but even moreso against Austin in '96. The times were changing. The lines were starting to blur between heel and babyface - despite Austin being the heel and Bret being the face, people were starting to cheer Austin. Same with Sid when it was him v Shawn (although HBK's pop clearly outdid Sid's).
I marvel at how they kept Undertaker's character fresh and interesting. Going from a silent, supernatural zombie, to a mortician, to a force of nature, to betrayed and tormented by Paul Bearer and Mankind.
I also marvel at how Shawn Michaels went to an egotistical, narcisstic heel who was hated by men and women (but also desired by both), to a strong, persistent, underdog babyface who still oozed sexuality but also portrayed as coming from humble beginnings to achieve his boyhood dream of becoming WWF Champion. The addition of his mentor and trainer, Jose Lothario helped in this transition. Hearing his ovation at The Garden when he came out for his match against Psycho Sid was interesting - and seeing him prance and grind, his raw sexuality fully on display, hearing the screams of the women, I could fully understand it. He looked amazing in the mid '90s.
Whereas I think Scott Hall had skill, Nash and Sid were those who were only as good as the people they faced. Good characters, good charisma, good promos but put them in there against someone that couldn't work and it fell to pieces. Austin, however, surprised me. I've been accustomed to seeing his work from 1999 onwards, so the fact he could be very technical in the ring as opposed to just out and out brawling shocked me. I enjoyed the hell out of him v Bret Hart and although I couldn't understand why Bret chose Austin to induct him into the Hall of Fame before, I sure do now. It was also surreal, seeing the past versus the present in this match and the feud overall.
I can't help but wonder at the changes, and seeing HBK in Bret's position and knowing what happens in '97. But normally wrestling doesn't have very many happy endings, and in this case I'm very glad both men have resolved things and are now friends.
I actually bought this anthology (and the one before it) because each had a year that had female teams in SS-style matches. I know, silly to buy a package for one thing, but both turned out to be good purchases since I've enjoyed watching more than just the female matches. However, I couldn't pass up the chance to see legends such as Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue, and Lioness Asuka. The match was shorter than I would've liked, yet compared to what we get from the "Divas" today it was stellar and given more time. The exchange between Alundra Blayze (aka Madusa) and Aja was great and I do wish they could have had a proper program. I've heard rumours that some of the boys around that time didn't like being upstaged by Alundra and the other Joshis, which is what led to the end of the women's division after the former left. I can fully believe that. Alundra versus Bull Nakano or Lex Luger versus Tatanka? No contest in my eyes.
The very end of Sid v HBK highlighted the change clearly. Sid hit Shawn with a camera after hitting Jose with the same camera - and the crowd cheered. Some didn't, admittedly, but if it had been maybe just a year or two ago, that would've equated Sid as a full fledged heel. But in 1996, it only got him applause and the crowd really did go nuts when he won the belt. He played to the crowd, bumping fists around the ring and was even pulled into a hug which he returned. For me, this really brought home how times were changing in the WWF. You could start having faces with rougher edges, tweeners, anti-heroes - the lines were starting to blur.
The Attitude Era was coming.
I enjoyed this anthology more than the first, mostly because I knew more of the people therein, and a lot of the matches were faster paced. Even though I bought it for one match on one disc, I got a lot more entertainment out of the whole thing. A worthwhile purchase.
Matches I enjoyed:
*Ric Flair & Razor Ramon v Mr. Perfect & Randy Savage (1992). Great backstory to this which shows how they were able to turn Perfect so quickly so he could fill the fired Warrior's spot as Savage's partner.
*Bret Hart v Shawn Michaels, WWF Title (1992).
*Razor Ramon/Randy Savage/Marty Jannetty/1-2-3 Kid v Irwin R. Schyster/Diesel/Rick Martel/Adam Bomb (1993).
*Shawn Michaels/Diesel/Jeff Jarrett/Owen Hart/Jim Neidhart v Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid/British Bulldog/The Headshrinkers (1994).
*Jerry Lawler/Cheesy/Sleazy/Queasy v Doink/Dink/Wink/Pink (1994). This was a lot more enjoyable than I had originally thought it would be. Lawler's teammates turning against him and teaming up with the clowns was funny. Other people I've talked to have the opinion that Doink was a good wrestler in an originally creepy gimmick, who then turned face and was never really taken seriously. I agree.
*Undertaker v Yokozuna, casket match (1994). The addition of Chuck Norris was a nice touch. He got as loud a pop as their most popular wrestlers.
*Alundra Blayze/Kyoko Inoue/Sakie Hasegawa/Chaparita Asari v Bertha Faye/Aja Kong/Tomoko Watanabe/Lioness Asuka (1995). If it exposed at least one person to Joshi, it was worthwhile.
*Owen Hart/Yokozuna/Dean Douglas/Razor Ramon v British Bulldog/Psycho Sid/Ahmed Johnson/Shawn Michaels, Wild Card match (1995). This match basically mixed babyfaces and heels and it worked really well with the various conflicts adding to it.
*Diesel v Bret Hart, WWF Championship (1995). I don't know if it started here, but between Bret in '94 and here, he showed a lot more aggression in his character and wrestling style, which suited the match with Nash.
*Bret Hart v Steve Austin (1996).
*Shawn Michaels v Sycho Sid (1996).
Introduction.
My name's Jennifer and I love professional wrestling. I've been a fan for 13 years and have grown from being a fan of only WWF (now WWE) to being a fan of almost all of it. Old WWF, WCW, NWA, AWA, Japan, UK, etc. I favour female wrestling moreso nowadays, SHIMMER, NCW Femmes Fatales, Chikara, Anarchy Championship Wrestling, etc.
I used to write about wrestling in my personal blog but nowadays it seems almost everyone has a wrestling blog. So I figured...why not me too? This won't really be too organised, I figure I'll put my thoughts on whatever I'm watching (DVD, tv-wise, etc.), whatever I'm into at the moment, various rants and praise and what have you.
I contribute to a female wrestling website called ringbellesonline.com and that's where most of my writings are at the moment. This blog is more scattered and also a place that I can write about anything outside of female wrestling.
Incase you're wondering, the html "The Dangerous Queen" is a reference to one of the best wrestlers ever - Akira Hokuto. If you've not heard of her, Google her immediately. She is a true legend not just in Japan but world wide.
So there you have it. Read and enjoy.
I used to write about wrestling in my personal blog but nowadays it seems almost everyone has a wrestling blog. So I figured...why not me too? This won't really be too organised, I figure I'll put my thoughts on whatever I'm watching (DVD, tv-wise, etc.), whatever I'm into at the moment, various rants and praise and what have you.
I contribute to a female wrestling website called ringbellesonline.com and that's where most of my writings are at the moment. This blog is more scattered and also a place that I can write about anything outside of female wrestling.
Incase you're wondering, the html "The Dangerous Queen" is a reference to one of the best wrestlers ever - Akira Hokuto. If you've not heard of her, Google her immediately. She is a true legend not just in Japan but world wide.
So there you have it. Read and enjoy.
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