Wrestling in 2011: The betterment of the business?

With 2011 almost over, and the last WWE PPV event, TLC, done and dusted, this blog is going to look at what wrestling offered its vast audience in 2011, and whether the rising stars have bettered the business forever. For me personally, this was the year when a hardcore TNA fan said enough was enough, and the WWE became a better alternative without doing it. A year where the Wrestlemania limelight was hogged by two men who hadn’t been on TV for long prior to their match. More importantly, 2011 will be remembered, The Rock’s return has solidified what people will remember about 2011, with people remembering that and a few events and happenings. I’m going to answer some of my own questions which say why 2011 wasn’t a waste for some, and a tragic failure for others.


Has the Rock’s return changed wrestling forever?
Yes. By coming back, people have remembered how awesome Dwayne Johnson is. He’s been exposed to newer, young audiences who love him as much as the current crop of WWE stars. Rock’s return has changed the business because he, unlike the WWE booking team has single handily changed John Cena. After years of static boredom and pointless title reigns, The Rock has forced change, using only his strong words and manly charm. The only person who could shoot down John Cena the way every male wrestling fan has wanted too since his Cenation began is The Rock. He’s the only person the WWE would allow to go out and actually bring Cena to his knees. It’s because of the change forced on John Cena that the business has changed forever. A new strategy entirely is needed, John Cena is no longer the alpha dog, even if the Rock isn’t in the WWE on a full time basis.

Is TNA doomed?
There are still a lot of people who value TNA’s work, but for me, the biggest change in wrestling over the last twelve months is TNA’s failure to impress. The company is all talk, no action (If you watch the show, literally no action). Off the top of my head, I can’t recall what happened two weeks ago, let alone what transpired at their earlier PPV events. Robert Roode’s run as TNA champion marks the eleventh title change of 2011, and that happened in September. TNA changed their world title three times over the space of twelve months, and for the titles they do have, bar the last two months, what the hell happened to the Television Championship? Equally as important was the stream of CONSTANT title defences for every title, most of which either changed hands or was a squash match, which have devalued the titles to the point where TNA titles not only look awful (The TNA title is held together by PVA glue and duck tape), but now they mean nothing. More importantly, 2011 was just another year of Hulk Hogan. A man nobody wanted in TNA, a failed wash up whose clinging onto the last strands of a pay check. His presence in my opinion has brought TNA down to its knees. Dixie and her company laid down and sold out to a man who has a history of destroying companies. I can’t give TNA any credit. They have continually gone against the wishes of their fans, and are still promoting ex WWE talent as their main talent. Furthermore the lack of content control means the product has become increasingly cringe ridden, a swearword once in a while is fine, but then it takes place every other segment, that’s not funny, humorous or entertaining. The company now screams second rate. I’m not a fan of everyone’s theme music sounding exactly the same, and nobody is a fan of the heel/face changes which take place every other week. Their wrestlers have no pride or respect, in particular the real face of Kurt Angle, a former hero of mine has arisen. He’s not the hero many want to make out, rather his constant immature ways, selfishness and stupidity online has eroded all respect I’ve ever had for Kurt Angle. It’s gotten to the point where I no longer watch the product because of people like Eric Bischoff who openly slate and demoralise THEIR OWN FANS and consumers, and because of my next topic, Jeff Hardy.

Why should Jeff Hardy be given another chance?
My argument about Jeff Hardy is simple, he shouldn‘t. The biggest reason I don’t watch TNA anymore is because of that name. Jeff was out of the game for six months because he’s an irresponsible, drug ridden junky, who combined with his brother make up the poster for 2011’s biggest embarrassments. Jeff was so high and out of his own mind he couldn’t compete at Victory Road against Sting, for the world title may I add, a match which lasted for no more than ninety seconds. Call me petty or whatever you like, but Jeff hardy is a disgusting, embarrassing disgrace. He’s not a role model, he’s a man who leads a negative lifestyle. TNA should not be applauding this with his return purely for the sake of lining their own pockets with money. It doesn’t matter if he’s marketable. He’s a douche. He should have been fired and forgotten. He also doesn’t have any morals, codes or ethics, inside and out of the wrestling business. If mothers want their children to grow up idolising Hardy, they might as well pre-book a place in rehab for their children, They might as well buy them their very first needle, because that‘s the effect people like Hardy could have on young people. Hardy’s name has become a mockery. I have refused to watch any segment Hardy related because I am not going to buy into the whole charade of “one more shot”, I can’t believe TNA are trying to shove it down our throats and convince me that he or the company have changed.

Has social networking damaged wrestling shows?
There is too much social network referencing on all wrestling television. It’s a double ended sword, which ultimately benefits and disadvantages fans and the wrestling product. On one hand it’s great for companies to promote themselves on different sites on the internet, a feature which fans use, but on the other hand, Twitter and Facebook are mentioned far too much. The amount of referencing is sickly at times, and it really does devalue the product. Even when The Rock talked about ‘Twittertainment’ it was too much and made that particular promo weak in comparison to his work in 2011. On the shows itself it’s vital to get the word across for the betterment of the business, wrestling like many other platforms now relies on the internet to survive, but unfortunately it slightly damages the viewing experience for casual viewers who have no interest in going on the websites.

Who was the breakout star of the year?
Linked to social media, the only option for breakout star is Zack Ryder. All other options are ultimately redundant, because Ryder is the first wrestler or superstar to effectively harness the power of the internet. At the beginning of 2011, the only option for Zack Ryder was to take control of his own career or be fired (and probably be offered a contract by TNA). But in the space of one year to go from nothing into something is a feat that very few people have accomplished. The WWE have done the right thing with Ryder: nothing. The less the company does is always better, because it means Ryder has had no filter on what he can and cannot do. Ryder has been able to shape his career because of his online show: Z! True Long Island Story. More impressively, during his six month feud with Dolph Ziggler, Ryder’s chase for the United States Championship, and the desire for him to capture the belt, and for Ziggler to retain has added a layer of prestige to the belt. The title belt felt like it was worth something for the first time in a long time, and when Ryder won it, due to the event, the timing, and the emotion from Zack’s Dad after winning the title belt, the US title actually felt like it mattered.

Who in the WWE failed to impress during 2012?
Despite his awesome match with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, I’m going to go with Triple H. I was never a fan of HHH coming back and stealing the spotlight from guys like Wade Barrett and The Miz who were really overshadowed in the middle period of 2011. HHH’s angles with Vince McMahon were poor, the entire Walkout segment was horrific, and his feud with Kevin Nash was mediocre. HHH for me just doesn’t fit into the current WWE mould. His smash and grab, destroying everything, raise hell attitude is something the WWE have tried to move away from, but HHH still shows the aggression and attitude of somebody from yesteryear. Not to say that’s a bad thing, because it’s not, but rather, Triple H’s intensity looked out of place, and his hogging of the spotlight during the summer wasn’t deserved, even with that spotlight, it’s been none of his memorable work. Forgettable yes, memorable, no.

What can we expect in 2012?
I think this question is self explanatory for the ‘IWC’ (internet wrestling community), TNA will continue to expand globally despite having a piss-poor product, and remain stuck in the 1.0 ratings, whilst the WWE network will possibly expand the realms of wrestling popularity once again. But as far as viewing goes, I think the increase of social media influences such as Twitter and Facebook will continue to affect viewing, whilst as far as the product goes from both TNA and WWE go, expect more of the same.
　
　
Robert Austin
“In Ring Issues”

Is continuity a thing of the past?

Continuity, a word that has inspired this entry into In Ring Issues for me is a big subject, and a very important issue in the world of wrestling. Continuity in wrestling terms is the permanence of one thing, for example the WWE. We know they’ll always be there, continuous. To balance this out, something which has no continuity for example is the direction and booking of an organisation, constantly adapting and constantly changing to suit the current era, unless you’re TNA who are stuck in a wormhole somewhere between 1996 and 1999. Continuity is the subject because over the past month many wrestling fans have witnessed huge on screen change in terms of the product, and for me it is questionable that the current direction and continuity of wrestling in its current state isn’t as good as what it could and should be.

To examine this, I have two main talking points. One refers to WWE’s current direction with CM Punk, John Cena and the WWE Championships credibility as a whole, and the other looks at that ‘other’ company, brother! More specifically I am looking at the Kurt Angle heel turn, and why TNA hasn’t even learnt the word ‘continuity’.

We begin with recent events leading into Summerslam 2011, with the “Champion vs. Champion” match between John Cena and CM Punk. Let’s begin by saying that when Cena won the ‘fake’ WWE Championship on RAW two weeks after the Money in the Bank PPV, for me it was cringe worthy. Not only did it appear they were given John Cena another pointless world championship reign, but it further indebted the view that the WWE Championship means nothing anymore. Following the short lived leave of CM Punk who was also champion, seeing Punk return a mere two weeks after ‘leaving’ made me feel stupid for watching RAW and WWE TV programming up until Money in the Bank and beyond, because, well it was another shot in the foot for educated wrestling fans who are continually slapped in the face by wrestling bookers and promotions for having half a brain cell when it comes to wrestling. I always forget that we’re all supposed to be clueless goons who have no recollection of the events from two weeks ago.

My point regarding the championship is simple: Lack of continuity has completely ruined the title belt and the competitors in the process. Why did Rey Mysterio need to win a tournament on RAW for the strap? Why was there a tournament? Why did John Cena get a shot against Mysterio? Why were there two belts once Punk returned? Are the WWE Champion’s so awful that none of them can defend the belt? Will Cena be a seventeen time world champion before Wrestlemania XXVIII? The lack of continuity has been frustrating, because they are parading the title belt as if it is the be all and end of the WWE, when in reality, there were two decent performers in CM Punk and John Cena caught in a feud over who wants the horribly designed, ‘Word Life’ WWE Championship. I could not personally wait until Summerslam was over. I’ve “Cena nuff” in regards to the lack of continuity that RAW had, but that was not meant to be.

I know the WWE are trying to be more unpredictable with their current direction, but there should be a limit that should not be crossed, for business sake. Right now, CM Punk is the man. Not Cena. Not Rock. Not the limelight stealing Triple H. After the historic CM Punk promo on RAW, there was no going back. It’s simple though right now: CM Punk = money. Punk should be the focus on television, and not Alberto Del Rio who cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the title at Summerslam. It’s not the fact Del Rio shouldn’t be champion, it’s the fact that by WWE having Del Rio cash in, they have completely pissed on the fire CM Punk has created, and all for what? A feud with Kevin Nash? An eventual feud with Triple H? All this whilst John Cena retains his place at the top of the WWE food chain, fighting for the WWE Championship belt he doesn’t need anymore. So that’s my problem with continuity at the moment. We have got to love and adore the CM Punk character for over two months, and just when he is taking centre stage on Monday Night RAW where he belongs, and people have finally come to terms with that fact that he is the very best in the business right now, they have taken that away from every fan watching, by having the over-rated Kevin Nash go over Punk like a green rookie who hasn’t been in the business for five minutes. Now that Punk isn’t the main focus on WWE TV, whilst Del Rio and Cena who aren’t as over as Punk hogs the main event spot light, for a title CM Punk should hold, it might have left a bitter taste in some fans mouths.

And then we have the other talking point. “Impact Wrestling”, the Hulk Hogan show or whatever you want to call it. The name change alone shows ‘TNA’ have no continuity, that they are creatively stuck in all departments. They are so desperately trying to restore continuity in terms of the word ‘wrestling’ that they have changed, and potentially hindered themselves as a company. I’m not here to talk of the inner workings of that company though; I’m here to talk about Kurt Angle as an issue of continuity of wrestling.

Following Angle’s victory over champion Sting at the Hardcore Justice 2011 PPV for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, a title which itself has little or no meaning anymore because of the number of title changes since RVD held the title in 2010 (Yes that was only one year ago), and most importantly the number of different title designs that the belt has had since October alone when Jeff Hardy was presented the ‘Immortal World Heavyweight Championship’ belt on Impact, a belt which is a look alike to the Diva’s title over in the WWE, the thought of Kurt Angle as champion once again was not only surprising, but completely off. TNA by having angle win the belt ruined the continuity of Sting’s feud with Hulk Hogan’s Immortal, a feud which is transpiring into nothing more than a Sting vs. Hulk Hogan match at Bound for Glory in October, a match that is not only silly on paper due to Hogan’s back problems, but one stupid on television as well.

Since his face turn at Bound for Glory two years ago, Kurt Angle has been  a successful face, and a person who actually gets cheered in the ‘Impact Zone’ where TNA films. We got to finally see some continuity in Kurt Angle, and because of his real life issues with Karen and Jeff Jarrett, his face persona was completely believable and understandable. When Kurt won the World Heavyweight Championship against Sting, many thought it would be Kurt’s first face run as champion, but the continuity was ruined as he randomly, yes RANDOMLY turned heel, just because Hulk Hogan told him a lie about Dixie Carter. Two years of good continuity ruined, Kurt’s great in ring presence ruined, the TNA title ruined. There’s going in a different direction, and then there’s TNA’s out of this world direction. There is and there’s hardly been any continuity on their product, so they went ahead and turned an icon into a rip off of the Joker from Batman, and the baby face world champion into a monster, for literally no reason, thus ruining the only continuity TNA had.

Now we’re left in a predicament in TNA where nearly all the heels are somehow aligned with Immortal, and all the faces are getting no air time or presence on TNA television. With Bound for Glory coming up though, expect TNA to go in another direction, which will most definitely ruin the last shreds of continuity and permanence they ever had. However, don’t look down and think of me as a negative wrestling commentator, I’m merely a wrestling fan being forced away by the powers that be because they don’t know what the wrestling fan like myself wants anymore, as I recalled in my last blog vouching for an audience that doesn’t exist. But no, I’m looking forward to the future. There is permanence in wrestling, one we should all embrace and love, because for the foreseeable future, the only constant is the near fact that for the next ten years we’re going to see Hulk Hogan wrestle and entertain the few fans wrestling will have left, dropping elbows and the atomic leg drop. Dixie Carter, take a bow, you really know how to pick em’.

Robert Austin

In Ring Issues

Booking into oblivion, you know it.

Whilst contemplating my next extract for In Ring Issues I trolled through possible ideas and topics for this piece of writing, but it was only after events in the last month, mostly involving the WWE, I have been building towards this blog, because it is possibly the single biggest in ring issue in wrestling today: Booking. No I’m not going to talk about TNA head writer Vince Russo, because any logical, understandable wrestling has heard this symphony one hundred times too many, rather I am going to give my own two cense as to why booking and company policy is stifling wrestling of another golden age.

I open by saying that most fans know where they stand with their wrestling opinion, it rarely ever changes, which makes this topic interesting. Wrestling is changing, and in my opinion there is a growing taboo amongst wrestling fans that this change is not good. Shifting towards an audience that doesn’t exist. Moving in a way which is seriously concerning those in and out of the ring. No, I’m not sounding over the top or dramatic, because in the past eight or so years how many comments have there been about the issue of booking? Countless. What has been done on the part of wrestling organisation to rectify this? Well, you could argue nothing at all or in the case of TNA too much of pretty much everything.

It’s a well-known fact that the WWE in particular pays little or no attention to their fans. Chairman Vince McMahon even cut a promo on the 14^th June 2011 edition of RAW to talk about how none of the fans matter in an angle which is supposed to reflect real life circumstances with the heavily talented and underutilized CM Punk leaving WWE when his contract expires on July 17^th 2011. My issue goes far deeper than saying that one angle can affect an entire company, my issue goes right to ‘yes men’ bookers and ignorant WWE representative who are slowly but surely booking western wrestling into oblivion, because let’s face it, TNA, Ring of Honour and every wrestling promotion in the western hemisphere combined couldn’t survive without the WWE’s mega presence. The problem is this continuing presence books seven foot, Indian icons such as the Great Khali to wear a Tooth Fairy costume, makes credible wrestling and wrestlers such as Daniel Bryan irrelevant on every platform, but most importantly turn their noses at what the fans want.

For me, this ignorance by bookers and management was confirmed for the very last time with the failure to elevate and push the much loved internet sensation Zack Ryder. Unlike other WWE superstars Ryder decided to self-promote himself via YouTube and Twitter with videos called “Z Long Island True Story” all in the name of television time on Monday Night RAW. These continuing videos have garnered over 2,000,000 views and well over 140,000 followers on his twitter account (www.twitter.com/ZackRyder). Despite Ryder appealing to a younger and specific audience such as viewers from Long Island, even when WWE hosted a live RAW in Long Island, Ryder failed to make the cut for the show. Now I don’t know if WWE has problems with Ryder self-promoting, or whether it’s because of the occasional hate in his videos, or more to the point, the fact that the RAW booking team have no intention of pushing Zack Ryder and never have, well not more than a comedic character anyway, the bookers are ignorant because they fail to give a vast audience what they want, thus they are purposefully limiting their own potential just because the WWE want nobody but themselves pushing talent such as Zack Ryder or other mid-card performers, they still take precedence and convene in a destructive manner. Who knows, what if Steve Austin made a promotional video which promoted “Stone Cold”, there is a possibility that we might have never gotten one of the greatest performers in wrestling history doing what he was doing week in, week out.

This entire situation has led to a cluster-bomb of mid-card talent stuck doing little or nothing because of company procedure, unable to create a name for themselves without the company’s say so. Current stars like Cody Rhodes, Ryder, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Wade Barrett and a host of other wasted mid-card talents, wrestlers usually with little or no airtime are forced under the thumb of WWE creative, whilst the main event scene continues to whittle down to nothing more than John Cena and Randy Orton. And what happens to these wasted mid-card performers which packed up and left? Well you can check TNA’s webpage 24/7 for their never up to date roster.

On the flip side, TNA have been trying to force feed their audience that wrestling once again matters, all as a counter response to WWE action. The problem is TNA are trying to appear as a real alternative and be opposite than their competition, when in reality because of the booking decisions made at WWE HQ, TNA’s product has actually gone downhill because instead of focusing on their once great X-Division and Knockouts divisions, air-time is now all but taken by the ranks of Hulk Hogan’s Immortal and the most irritating TNA World Heavyweight Champion in history, Ken Anderson, and no not irritating as he works as an effective ‘asshole’ in an effective way, but because of how Anderson’s constant and persistent use of the term ‘asshole’ has led viewers to become dissatisfied and detached from another superstar, only this time he’s stuck as TNA champion!

The latest blunder in creative decision and booking has come during this current era dominated not by John Cena, but by CM Punk who cut arguable one of the greatest shoot (non-scripted) promos on the 27^th June 2011 edition of Monday Night RAW. After using sacred, never to mention names such as Paul Heyman and Brock Lesner, for the first time since the Nexus invaded RAW, WWE genuinely made a great decision allowing CM Punk to be allowed to exercise his freedom of speech. The only problem, seven days later the entire reality of the situation was blown out of proportion when Vince McMahon announced Cena would be fired if he lost to Punk, thus for me limiting the potential to the Cena, Punk storyline, especially as Cena had a loser leaves match against the Nexus’s original leader Wade Barrett only months ago. Most importantly though, CM Punk is not getting resigned to a new contract, thus meaning creative are more than  happy to let own of the world’s bests performers walk away, all because CM Punk thought that the booking team was holding him back from becoming a top superstar.

I continue this pessimistic blog by stating that I believe it is the WWE’s failure to acknowledge anything outside the WWE universe, and in particular, failing to acknowledge the wider wrestling society, which as a result is slowly crippling wrestling on a global scale. Instead of generating competition and interest, WWE are more than happy to cash their dwindling checks, knowing full well their actions, sometimes immature and damaging and shaping wrestling in their own vision, something that wrestling fans simply shouldn’t trust. It’s not only WWE though, TNA’s Eric Bischoff recently went on record stating that the 10%’ers (The internet wrestling community) doesn’t matter, that the IWC is irrelevant and that our valued and educated opinion means nothing, even to a federation who quite simply needs every bit of help it can get. Low-Ki even stated he hates having his intelligence mocked, so it might just not be some disgruntled IWC members like myself upset and challenging the current direction Vince McMahon and WWE are pulling wrestling in.

With many questioning the continuity and deliverance, you must remember it is the booking team who decide what you the viewer sees. Without these writers wrestling wouldn’t have been evolved as much as it is today, but many fear we are about to hit a period of de-evolution. Wrestling now matters less more than ever, and for me it’s down to the ignorance WWE has, particularly with its creative team and headquarters to help advance wrestling. Wrestling might be in a taboo, and the only way to break the cycle is to turn what wrestling there is available loose on each other, and let the wrestlers do the talking and the action, instead of the booking oblivion of writers and chief executives. Either that or you can be an inspiring wrestler, signed up to the biggest wrestling organisation in the world, driven and determined to break the cycle of mediocrity and do something different, merely relegated to make embarrassing, desperate home videos. Woo Woo Woo, you know it.

Robert Austin

“In Ring Issues”

Wrestling's Grim Reaper strikes again...

The last five to six years in wrestling unfortunately have been filled with death, severe injury, controversy and more death. Six days ago “Macho Man” Randy Savage joined the club of wrestlers to die prematurely, joining the likes of Chris Canyon, Eddie Guerrero and WWE’s forgotten man, Chris Beniot in a continuing list of deaths in a period which will certainly be overshadowed by these deaths, and rock the wrestling world forever. I could go on and on with the list, “Mr Perfect” Curt Hennig died in 2003 with a cocaine overdose, Chris Dandido in 2005 died of a blood-clot after braking both his tibia and fibula bones. After a long battle with painkillers, in 2005 Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room by his nephew, who immediately called Chris Beniot, who himself committed suicide after killing his wife and son with gym equipment.

It goes without saying, wrestling’s Grim Reaper has struck again, and once again wrestling has been thrown into the limelight not because of an amazing show or anything good in fact, once again, the wrestling plague of death has cursed the industry with further negativity, even more bad press, a feeling that superstars from the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s weren’t protected enough by the influence of drugs and steroids, and an increasing feeling that if you’re a pro wrestler, you either die early, or die young.

I think it’s appropriate that this week my In Ring Issue is death, mainly due to The developments this past week involving “The Macho Man” Randy Savage. On May 20^th 2011 driving with his long term girlfriend and wife Barbara Lynn Payne, Savage reportedly suffered a heart attack whilst driving, and as a result the single automobile crashed straight into a tree, resulting in the death of Macho Man. Luckily, his wife Lynn escaped with minor injuries. Savage’s brother, Lanny Poffo confirmed the story following the autopsy of ‘Macho Man.’

Macho Man is a ten time world champion, including two WWF Championship reigns and four WCW World Heavyweight Championship reigns. Due to his impressive runs, WWE named Savage as the greatest champion of all time, for conveying "a higher level of credibility to the title through his amazing in-ring performances." Upon his death, almost every wrestling superstar has commented on his death, this is how much Savage meant to the world. Among his credentials, he wrestled for WCW, WWF/E and TNA, where he had his final match at TNA Turning Point 2004, where Savage teamed up with AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy to defeat the ‘Kings of Wrestling’, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Savage was going to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Jarrett, but Savage left TNA due to their creative direction with his program with Jarrett.

WWE paid tribute to “Macho Man” Randy Savage on May 23^rd during Monday Night RAW (And not at the WWE Over the Limit Pay-Per-View the previous night) with an emotional filled promo package featuring his wrestling career, a move which has got the internet talking. George “The Animal” Steele reported that Vince McMahon and Randy Savage had extreme heat because of Savage’s decision to jump ship to from WWF to WCW in 1994. Steele states that McMahon and Savage were close, with Savage almost like a son to the McMahon family, until one day at a TV meeting, when Vince McMahon stated he would no longer do business with Savage, and felt hurt and crushed because of his departure and move to WCW. The McMahon/Savage mystery continued when Roddy Piper claimed on Twitter that Savage slapped McMahon in a bar. However, the mystery is not over there, Dave Meltzer, the editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that both Piper and Steele are wrong with their claims. According to Meltzer, Vince McMahon told Savage he could return to the WWF/E “with open arms”, and states that McMahon’s heat with Savage was either from an incident after 1996, or something previously McMahon found out after 1996.

Nonetheless, I have my own issues with McMahon’s and Savage’s heat. It is a well-known fact that WWE hate promotion of wrestlers of superstars not in the WWE (Unless it’s The Rock or “Stone Cold” Steve Austin). Since Savage’s departure from WWE, it appeared Vince and Savage never quite reconciled on their previous issues, but in death WWE parade Savage on RAW like nothing was wrong, as if people have suddenly forgotten everything in the past. I have the feeling that if there is heat between the two, then Vince is either just milking the entire death, seeing as it has worldwide news coverage with the tribute to Savage on RAW, or that Vince is just trying to promote WWE through his death in a “Yeah, look at us, we’re the WWE, we made Savage, we created him, we made him what he is, and what he was, we’re the reason he’s famous, now give us some goddamn attention, we could really use some right about now” message. However, here’s hoping that the video package really is just a tribute to a one of a kind, world famous wrestler who helped put WWE on the map, and that in death, McMahon and his executives forgave and forgot. Here’s hoping the tribute was out of respect to “Macho Man” Randy Savage and his millions of fans worldwide.

The death of Randy Savage has shocked the entire world. Wrestling fans and promoters alike were hoping that they were done with the death, that wrestling in general was done with the negativity and bad press, especially as the Chris Beniot issue has quietened, but yet again, Wrestling’s Grim Reaper has returned stronger than ever to remind all wrestling fans and promoters a like that we have to change the industry to protect the athletes who literally risk their bodies for us all, and the performers who entertain us all each and every week face a daunting, short lived future. WWE believe they have the right precautions in line to deal with death and long term injury. With drugs and steroids outlawed in the top wrestling promotion, hopefully lower federations such as TNA follow suit with their message of safety, but you try telling that to a federation who seemingly have no regard for their wrestling talent.

We have lost another wrestler prematurely, another heart attack, another death. Is it not time to wake up and smell (what the rock) is cooking? My main concern is that there is more to follow, I believe the wrestling Grim Reaper is still around, haunting Scott Hall and stalking retired 80’s and 90’s wrestlers, whom some are still likely suffering from the effects of drugs and steroids they took whilst wrestling in WWE and other place. Maybe it’s time to keep closer attention and care of those who paved the way for wrestling to hopefully one day be drug free, and for WWE in particular to stand up and help those haunted by wrestling’s Grim Reaper.

Like everyone else, Rest in Peace “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

OOOOHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHHHHH!

Robert Austin

“In Ring Issues”

Identity Crisis: The rebranding of TNA

I have been away for a while focusing on other areas of wrestling writing, but In Ring Issues is back, and on my return to the blog, one thing which has really intrigued me over the past few weeks is the possible rebranding of Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling, you know that spin off of Hogan Knows Best, or that rip off of that ‘Sports Entertainment’ company based in Connecticut. If you don’t know them yet, there that second company, you know the one on that Spike TV Network, you must know, the one all the way at the bottom of the US TV listing.  No? You still don’t know what I’m on about? Well they’re the company with all the WWE cast-offs, the guys who just want a pay check, with loads of wrestlers we don’t actually want to watch every week. No? You still don’t get me? It’s run by a Woman who most wrestling fans have no respect for, and has that Bischoff guy, you know the one, that guy who likes to kill federations? NO!!! What do you mean you still don’t know what I’m on about? Ok, I’ll say it as simply as possible… Tits N’ Arse. Ohhhhhhh, now I get ya’, that wrestling company with Hulk Hogan.. There we go, you’re learning.

Well it turns out company killing Bischoff, and Mr thinks he knows best, along with the mediocre men’s TV network Spike TV are rebranding TNA, and have recently filed a trademarks of “Impact Wrestling”. With many questioning the very future of TNA, it appears the three letters of TNA are set to be extinct by the end of 2011, with many wrestling commentators, nerds, fan webpages and dirt sheet websites and regular educated viewers are under the impression that TNA’s rebranding is down to the WWE ‘rebranding their own company’. Many who are educated will know that TNA recently has been trying to emulate the WWE right down to the bone, first off by taking in all their fired, released or former talent, to the way their shows are produced, and now they are trying to play Vince’s company move by move, even to the extent that the Spike TV executives wanted to have their own new masked Mexican luche libre star to combat the arrival of Mistico (Now known as Sin Cara in WWE). And no, TNA’s equivalent Sangriento isn’t like Sin Cara, in fact it’s just the extremely talented Amazing Red with an awful attire and Mexican style mask.

It was confirmed, on the 12^th May 2011 TNA iMPACT, Mick Foley returned and announced he was the ‘Network Representative’ who was making Hogan, Bischoff and Immortal’s life hell in TNA. He announced TNA was now going to be all about wrestling, and TNA now have the catchphrase ‘Wrestling Matters Here’. First off the bat, did wrestling not matter before? What did wrestling mean before this? And of all the times, when the in ring talent TNA have simply aren’t ‘through and through wrestlers’, and better at talking, rather than wrestling, then what the hell are TNA thinking in making such a bold move? Yeah, in 2005, 2006 or even 2007 they could have gotten away with focusing the product on wrestling, the series between debuting Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe in the late 2006/07 period was all about wrestling, and is a key example of how it would work, but not now. Not when your show barely exceeds thirty minutes of in ring time for a single show… Not when house show performances have slipped, and the talent at your disposal is older than ever before.

One of my biggest concerns is simple: What will TNA actually change? I can’t see them moving out of the iMPACT Zone because of the financial costs that it burden TNA with, also because the fans that attend the tapings for free in short, are crap. Even if they redecorated the iMPACT Zone, painted it pink from head to toe, brought back the six sided ring or whatever, TNA will still carry the nametag of the “2# professional wrestling company” and due to the wrestling talent the company have at their disposal, nothing seems concrete to change. TNA fans watching “Impact Wrestling” will simply look at TNA still in the Impact Zone and think same old, same old.

Furthermore, Hogan is still there, Bischoff is still there, head of creative Vince Russo is still there, and most importantly, Dixie Carter is still there, still not listening to fan criticism, still turning a blind eye to what we the fans really want. When companies talk change, they mean it, but it seems TNA is trying to repackage an old Christmas present from last year, trying to pass it off as brand new. It’s frustrating because like any company it starts from the top down, and the people in power call the shots, with Hogan and Dixie in charge, and more importantly Vince Russo booking TNA, nothing good will come good from a TNA brand change. Change means getting rid of Vince Russo, who has been holding TNA back from being something much bigger, getting rid of Hogan and ALL the golden oldies, and if TNA are serious about ‘Wrestling Matters’, do what they originally did and let hard hitting Women and the high flying, death defying X-Division steal the show with fantastic matches, not the questioned Mr Anderson, and an ageing World Heavyweight Champion Sting. It’s simple, wasn’t this the same company who wanted to ditch the X-Division and its championship less than a year ago? The same company which fired Jay Lethal, an actual wrestler, the same company who employed an overweight, half as talented ‘no one cares about him’ Chris Harris.

It might seem like TNA are going toe opposite direction from WWE, but let’s look at this more obviously. WWE creates masked Mexican wrestler, TNA does the same. WWE releases a star; TNA more than likely signs him. WWE rebrands so does TNA. WWE jumps off a cliff, Dixie Carter jumps head first into a pile of washed up rocks just like WWE. I see this rather as a case for emulation, rather than innovation, the last bit of innovation TNA ever had was about a year prior to letting Hulk Hogan and his army of mediocre wrestlers take over. For me, a loyal TNA fan, I see this as a change to the “WWE style”. Wrestling in TNA’s terms will become something more of a sceptical. TNA stars will compete in WWE style matches and then boast about being better than the “WWE Style”. For me it’s a change to a new form of wrestling, one which in many people’s eyes doesn’t really benefit TNA.

There is also the issue of TNA’s fan-base. It is unknown yet whether this move to “Impact Wrestling” will be worthwhile; the question is obviously about ratings. Will TNA do better as a result, or will TNA lose even more of their fan-base? For me, it’s simple: No. As long as TNA are stuck on Spike, they will not get high ratings on a full time basis, ever. It’s always been about the network. TNA think Spike TV are amazing, the reality is as long as there on Spike TV, it doesn’t matter what they’re promoting, they might as well be pole dancing, they will only pull in a niche demographic, and no more. This change to “Impact Wrestling ”has more chance of being a-part of the failed TNA experiments such as "Monday Night Impact" and “Total Nonstop Hogan” than it has of completely reinventing the company. It simply won’t have a ripple effect, and people will lose interest soon enough.

TNA also simply haven’t been clear about anything, so this whole transition has possibly been the most frustrating thing in pro wrestling for a long time. Only TNA could make a simple brand change so hard to understand, maybe Vince Russo gave them the idea, no one knows, but who are TNA? Is it TNA? It is “Impact Wrestling”? Is the show just being rebranded? How are TNA going to actually change anything? This is another sign of the bad marketing and PR that TNA possesses, another sign that they are completely non-committal on a set idea as of yet, another reason for a fan to turn the channel over.

I will conclude with saying, do TNA need to change their name? It’s obvious, this isn’t really TNA this is a mere extension of MTV’s hit TV show “Hogan Knows Best” ft. Immortal. Maybe change will be good, because TNA die-hard fans won’t have to associate those three letters anymore with Hogan, Flair and Bischoff and a lot of the current roster, and I don’t think a lot of TNA recently has been “Total Nonstop Action”. However TNA are an established company, people can associate with those three letters; it rolls off the tongue and is easy to say. I’d rather have someone laugh at me when I say I’m a wrestling fan and laugh the words Tits N Arse, but the wrestling talent be good, rather than that same person watching and laughing at how poor and lacklustre the current TNA is, it’s that damn simple.

Gone in ninety seconds: The rise and fall of Jeff Hardy

For millions of young kids around the world “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy is a role model. Millions of people around the world, adults included look up to Jeff Hardy as a wrestling god, a great person, and a cultural icon. For those who don’t know, Jeff Hardy has become one of the biggest wrestling superstars of the past decade, known for his work in the WWE, and to a small extent TNA Wrestling. Like John Cena, he draws in the younger audiences with his multi coloured wrist and armbands, painted face and well known move set. For a young fan, Hardy is easy to love, but for older fans, especially now in 2011 Hardy is easy to hate. Now in 2011 Hardy is “The Antichrist of professional wrestling”, a name he acquired after winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time at Bound for Glory 2010. Life as Jeff Hardy isn’t all glitz, glamour and coloured armbands; could we be witnessing the very fall of Jeff Hardy? An eighteen month drug case, a seemingly failed career in TNA and limelight being away from him in the WWE suggests Jeff Hardy is on the brink of extinction. I’ll be looking at the ‘In Ring Issues’ which could make or break the charismatic one.

Hardy won his first world championship in December 2008 at the Armageddon PPV, defeating champ Edge and Triple H to win the WWE Championship, signalling the highest point in Hardy’s wrestling career, the moment which put Hardy in the history books forever, especially with the younger members of the WWE universe. Later that year after dropping the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble to Edge, thanks to interference from Matt Hardy, Jeff won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship two times. The first against Edge at Extreme Rules in a Ladder Match, only to lose it that night against CM Punk who cashed in his seconds Money in the Bank briefcase. Secondly he won his second World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions won the title back from CM Punk.

I bring up these points about the WWE and Jeff Hardy because the WWE made Jeff Hardy the megastar he is today. Under the strict regime WWE has in place, Hardy was at check all the time, his performance, his health and fitness, as well as his mental stability were being well kept after, and as long as Jeff Hardy was in the WWE, then there would be limited issues, with issues such as steroids and drugs right?

This brings me nicely onto my next point. For the past eighteen months, for those that know Jeff Hardy has been in a long drug case. In September 2009, a few months after Hardy left the WWE, a search in his house found 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. As a result Hardy was arrested, and a court ruling is still pending, mostly because each and EVERY month there has been a continuation of the case, but despite these continuations there is a belief Hardy will plead guilty, meaning he will have to serve a minimum of forty four days in jail, and could get numerous years locked up behind bars. To say the least, this case has been the fuel for wrestling commentators for the last eighteen months, and in doing so has contributed a lot of negative press towards Jeff. Every time Jeff goes out of line it only adds to the negative press made about him. The court case itself though, has affected in in ring career, especially in TNA.

Jeff re-joined TNA on January 4^th 2010, the night Hulk Hogan debuted in TNA, a night which has since then forever changed the company for all the wrong reasons (FYI, Hardy made his TNA debut at their second anniversary show in 2004 against AJ Styles for the X-Division Championship, and was with TNA until November 2006, when his last appearance was against Monty Brown). Ever since he joined TNA Jeff Hardy was a baby-face wrestler, but it wasn’t until the April 5^th Impact where he made his in ring return against AJ Styles (again), this time defeating Styles. Hardy done nothing of great importance and was rather lacklustre, predictable and boring up until the seeding of the Immortal storyline. Jeff Hardy finally had a good match when he and Kurt Angle faced off at No Surrender in semi-finals of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship tournament, which was set after (Undeserving, mediocre, boring) TNA champ RVD was attacked by Abyss and his weapon Janice (Who was a 2x4 with HUGE nails in it) and had to vacate the title.

This led up to Bound for Glory, when it was Mr. Anderson v. Kurt Angle v. Jeff Hardy for the TNA World Heavyweight title, a match Hardy won after “THEY” were revealed to be Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and Abyss. Hardy won his first TNA title, but I say this contributes to the fall of Jeff Hardy because he never, EVERRRRRRRRRR to win the title in the first place. As I said, since coming back to TNA he only managed to have mediocre, overrated matches against people who looked better than Hardy. His promo work was sloppy; he still hasn’t cut a good promo in TNA. Jeff in my eyes and those of educated fans only won the belt because of his name. TNA, who are trying to imitate everything WWE is doing saw that Jeff Hardy was a good world champion in WWE, so they shoved the title on him thinking they could do the same. The only difference was that Hardy is now a heel, a move which still isn’t convincing too many fans, and the fact he looked more ridiculous by the day. 

It appears that coming back to TNA has only dampened Jeff’s career. TNA, unlike WWE don’t have the same measures of protection for their superstars. Not only that, they are open to storylines, and with someone like Hardy, he can probably make his own storylines and have his own demands, but this could be bad, simply because how does Hardy know what’s good for him? The only way he made it to the top was because of WWE’s strict policy and ruthless booking. In short, TNA’s made Hardy look crap, and vice versa, Jeff Hardy has made TNA look second rate. And the worst of it all? Despite growing merchandise figures in Hardy’s favour, Jeff Hardy of all people, one of the biggest draws in wrestling can’t improve TNA’s ratings. A man with millions of fans in America can’t even get cable ratings improvements of 0.1. How much are TNA paying him and all the other WWE castoffs, for this privilege? Lord only knows.

The drug case has affected his in ring status, because every month when he is due in court, usually are just after TNA Pay-Per-Views, or just before them, and Jeff’s 2011 so far with TNA proves it. At the Genesis PPV, Hardy lost his TNA World Heavyweight title to Mr. Anderson, a match where he came down in street clothes and smoking on the entrance ramp (Role model huh?) after Anderson had his number one contender’s match with Matt Morgan. After the court case was postponed, Hardy won the title back at the very next Pay-Per-View, Against All Odds, in his signature Ladder match, defeating Anderson, however, TNA officials were still worried Hardy wouldn’t be able to hold the belt, so two weeks later on March 3^rd 2011 he drop his custom made TNA title to the returning Sting. After dropping the belt for a second time this year because of non-wrestling related issues, Hardy then would have his rematch at Victory Road 2011, a PPV TNA barely even promoted, but now will go down in the history books as one of the biggest jokes in wrestling history, a PPV which will be talked about for a long time to come.

With the Hardy/Sting rematch on, there was another serve. With just over half an hour of the PPV left, TNA officials deemed that Jeff was in no condition to wrestle, which led to Sting completely destroying Hardy within NINETY seconds, finishing Hardy off with the signature Scorpion Death Drop. Fans chanted “Bullshit” whilst TNA Champion Sting looked like he was seething all over, obviously pissed off at Hardy and the decision. The following night at the Monday 14^th February iMPACT taping Jeff Hardy was sent home for reportedly collapsing in a bathroom. When it comes to Jeff Hardy, do TNA have any ethics, or are they happy about using and abusing Hardy until he hits rock bottom? It’s disgusting that TNA aren’t giving Hardy the help he needs, but instead making him compete when he’s clearly unstable, and secondly Hardy is a fool for not taking some time away to resolve this court case. If you were a part of any other company, you’d be given help and support, but no, this is TNA. Instead they tell him to go out and have half an hour matches with Mr. Anderson and Sting, all in the name of ratings, without knowing what Jeff could be on, or what as a result of these incidents, he COULD be on. I know this is very pro WWE, but they would never do this to a superstar, and the stars that go down the troubled end, they attempt to fix and better. But this isn’t favouring one brand, this is about the wellness of wrestlers, and it’s apparent that TNA quite simply HAVE NONE!

So what is the future of Jeff Hardy? At the 14^th February TNA tapings, Hogan and Bischoff seemingly wrote Hardy out of plans with Immortal and TNA, and he might be going home for an extended period (Or jail maybe if he does plead guilty), but the problem is deeper than that. Jeff needs help. I might not like him or what he stands for, but Jeff needs to take some time away and come back reinvented, or if the wrestling business is so destructive on him then quit altogether. The last thing we need is his brother Fat Hardy to reassure us he is ok, because Jeff needs a Twist of Fate, not a Twist of Hate, and to get there TNA need to support Jeff, and not make him a tool for ratings. People need to see this is somebodies life, and not just a famous face on TV. But the true picture is clear, the Jeff Hardy many knew and loved is over, and at Victory Road, maybe it put the final nail in the coffin for Jeff Hardy, who was gone in ninety seconds.

Robert Austin

“In Ring Issues”

King of all Kings: Can Triple H be trusted in WWE management?

We all know his name. Apparently we all want to watch him. After thirteen years of non-stop pushes and thirteen times a world champion (And a pretty poor movie career) I can only be talking about one individual, “The King of Kings” Triple H. The former body building champion and workaholic to the WWE had been out of action ever since Sheamus ‘ended’ the career of “The Game” at the 2010 Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View in a return (and so much better) match from Wrestlemania XXVI. Since his departure the man who loves the limelight shining on himself has seemingly taken a backseat in the world of WWE. Maybe it’s his wife Stephanie finally handcuffing him to his family commitments, or maybe Triple H is ready to pack in his wrestling career. Either way, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of HHH in the ring or out of the ring more importantly.

The topic of Triple H is one of utmost importance. ‘The Game’ is an In Ring Issue for one reason alone amongst others. This man one could one day become WWE Chairman, and no I’m not joking.

At first sight, the thought of Triple H being fed French red grapes and fine 18^th century vintage wine in WWE Headquarters, sat courteously in the Chairman’s office using castoff jobbers such as Zack Ryder and Chavo Guerrero as butlers is a scary, and very blunt thought. I say this because after thirteen years of rocket-up-your-ass style pushes and endless title victories, it appears HHH is all out for himself when it comes to the WWE. Not only is he one of the faces of the company, but he is loved by millions for his antics with Shawn Michaels in DX, and his long, exhausting solo career which has seen him rise up to the very top of the food-chain, to the point where he is now related to the McMahon’s. We wrestling fans aren’t stupid. Hunter Hearst Helmsley has a distinct advantage over each and every single member of the WWE world, he can influence more than any wrestler could ever hope, and yes, the cold, calculating game could make or break careers.

Triple H’s current role is the ‘Senior Advisor’ to Vince McMahon (The Chairman of WWE for those unfamiliar). Triple H does a lot of work backstage at tapings, in particular grooming stars for their roles; he suggests storyline and even with his current storyline with The Undertaker, creates his own storyline, and of course he reports back to McMahon and gives him his views, opinions on who is doing well for the product, and who’s doing bad and much more. In short, many on internet forums, websites, news reels and magazines believe Triple H is being groomed to become WWE Chairman, a thought that many die hard wrestling fans are torn about.

One of the main advantages of having HHH as a backstage role is that he is one of the only veteran stars working for the company on a full time basis. Over the last few years the WWE have lost big name, seasoned talents like Shawn Michaels, Batista, Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesner, JBL and a few years before “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock to name just a few. It appears that among a current young and youthful locker-room Triple H is one of the only trusted backstage figure who knows how to get someone to the top of the WWE food chain (Even though everyone can’t sleep with the boss’s daughter). Triple H then has become even more vital, because in the last year in particular everyone watching the WWE product knows that there is a youth movement in progress. With high profile talents either leaving, jetting off to Hollywood, retiring, joining TNA or for their own reason, the WWE has had no option but to focus on younger talent like The Miz and Alberto Del Rio, who without a doubt are the future for Vince and Hunter. HHH is even more important though, because other seasoned veterans such as The Undertaker don’t work full time schedules, and those like The Big Show, Edge and even Rey Mysterio that do work full time simply don’t have enough leverage with management or backstage presence to command such respect as Triple H, and in turn effectively help or mentor young talent.

The main problem however though is many like myself believe that Triple H is nothing more than a showboating, career killing egomaniac on a path of needless and unrealistic torment, putting everybody under to his delight. That may not be the case, but after endless main event programmes, thirteen world titles, two European Championship runs, five reigns as Intercontinental Champion , and winning three sets of Tag Team titles, two with Shawn Michaels (HBK) and the other with Steve Austin. Triple H has won the 1997 King of the Ring during the time KOTR had prestige and people actually cared about it, and won the 2002 Royal Rumble. You’d think that with the endless pushes and triumphs in his seventeen year

Professional wrestling career, he would be more than the ‘King of Kings’, but rather emperor of the universe or at least God. In fact with all Triple H has achieved, he should be recognised as the greatest wrestler of all time, but somehow I don’t think many view him as the best ever, and I don’t think many hold him in high regard.

With his expert knowledge of the WWE, you’d think Triple H would be able to better and profit the company in the long run, but my fear is if Triple H was left to his own devices as WWE Chairman once Vince either steps down or pops his clogs that Hunter wouldn’t simply know how to do so. If Hunter wasn’t able to make the most of his pushes and his main event level status in WWE, how could he run the company with as much emphasis as Vince McMahon? Or one step further, how would HHH stop a slightly slipping wrestling promotion maintain profits and fans attention?

This brings me nicely onto my next point. After the youth movement of young stars such as Sheamus, Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, The Miz (To a small extent), Alberto Del Rio, Evan Bourne and the mega push of Dolph Ziggler, for me it all seems like a waste of time now, nothing more than filler television, especially in Wrestlemania season. Triple H returned to RAW on February 21^st, interrupting The Undertaker’s 2/21/11 comeback. Not only did this put the efforts of the young Wrestlemania hopefuls to one side, but it was the following week on February 28^th which really put the final nail in the coffin for young talent hopeful of a bright Wrestlemania filled future. Sheamus came out to interrupt Hunter, this led to Triple H completely and utterly annihilating Sheamus, eventually hitting his trademark “Pedigree” finisher through the RAW announce table. It was horrible to watch. How can we trust HHH in higher management, if all he is going to do is killing of the young, fresh, exciting talent such as Sheamus? It’s hard to believe the fans cheered for it. Now where is Sheamus? On the losing streak of his life, having to fight another brilliant, underutilised wrestler Daniel Bryan (Who has also been completely buried time and time again by the RAW booking team) for the United States Championship.

It appears that every time it hits Wrestlemania season, it’s almost like the hard work and effort by the younger stars is completely played down and underappreciated. Triple H and The Undertaker have WALKED into the main event Wrestlemania XXVII this year. Every year the WWE has gone back to the big name players just because WWE management know it’s a reliable source of information. For me, Wrestlemania should reflect the year just gone in the WWE, and they should focus on the stars that have been on your television screens for the past twelve months, and for the wrestlers, it should be a massive payday and bonus, a thank you for the past twelve months. But no, we get Triple H. We get The Undertaker. The fear is Triple H (If and when he becomes a higher WWE official) will keep to this Vince McMahon formula of pushing big, oversized talents as the main event players. Triple H naturally holds wrestlers back, it’s what he does, but just imagine the damage he could potentially cause with more power in management, it would be terrifying for young prospects hoping to forge a career in the WWE universe.

If WWE management and Triple H in particular don’t stop with this constant pushing of Hunter and other big names stars such as John Cena, then there simply won’t be a future for WWE, or the one that there will be will be bleak, and very, very grim. New worldwide megastars stars are hard to come by as fans have seen, but when they do, Triple H just can’t help poke his massive nose in their career and Pedigree them through an announce table. It goes without saying Triple H is truly the “King of Kings”, but my concern is that he will one day be the King of a one man empire, and he’ll only ‘The Game’ to blame.

Robert Austin

“In Ring Issues”