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”
