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2006 NEEDS TO BE A YEAR OF REBUILDING FOR WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT...OR ELSE

WHAT'S THE POINT?

Without giving away anything from last night's Smackdown taping, there was no mention of the Tim White "incident" from the Armageddon PPV. Now, I don't worry about giving that away, since I doubt many fans are waiting with anticipation on what the next move for the storyline will be (and make no mistake, there was a plan to follow this up with more), but if WWE isn't going to follow up, what was the point in doing it in the first place?

What PPV buys did this sell for the replay? What merchandise did it move? What ratings did it skyrocket? Hell, it didn't even turn into WWE.com impressions - why the heck was it done?

Much like the heel turn of Linda McMahon, the return and disappearance of Steve Austin, the older names tossed into the mix, and the continuation of Vince McMahon masturbatory egofest segments (Yes, Vince McMahon, who tore both his quads GETTING IN THE RING, can take Bret Hart, stroke or no stroke) that do nothing to sell PPV, tickets, or move ratings.

Forget Christmas, this is beginning to look a lot like WCW. Things are happening for no reason beyond ego and the ability to throw crap against the wall on national television, and that scares the hell out of me.

This is the same Vince McMahon that used to book months in advance and knew what the main event for Wrestlemania was a year into the future? My, how things have changed. I know it's easy to blame Stephanie and HHH for all the horrible things that have happened in the last year and for the state of the company in general (and they deserve it, too) but the bottom line is Vince McMahon. It all comes and goes through him. If you don't believe me, read JJ Dillon's book.

MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS

I hope the 2006 new year's resolution within WWE is try to emulate something better then the dying days of WCW.

For every management ego out of control (the removal of Jim Ross), for every rising star ruined by bad booking (Randy Orton), for every star who is saddled with a horrible gimmick that kills their momentum (GI Bro, meet Shelton's mom), for every bait and switch (Next week on the Cutting Edge, Ric Flair, honest!), for every wrestler who walked out (Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Christian, Tajiri), for every undercard performer ignored and jobbed instead of being built and protected (Shelton Benjamin, MNM, Paul London, etc.), for every instance fan interest was peaked only to be squashed (ECW), for every dream match given away on TV (Benjamin vs. Michaels, Cena vs. Michaels), WCW's bubble grew until it burst.

Look at all the instances I just mentioned from over the last year. The similarities are truly frightening when you look at them. I hope in 2006, WWE finds something better to emulate, like a company that was selling out house shows and setting the world on fire. Like WWF in 2000.

Back to the WCW bubble, after that shattered, no one wanted it. No one except Vince McMahon, because now he could control how history was written and make revenue off of the same history he once attempted to stamp out during his national expansion. Well, in the worst case scenario that the WWE bubble bursts at the end of their NBC Universal deal, who is going to want it? I'd hope none of us ever find out the answer to that question.

NO FUTURE IS CAST IN STONE

2006 should be and needs to be a period of rebuilding World Wrestling Entertainment. Sure things are great from the aspect of a stockholder's dividends (right Vince?), but from the point of view of a wrestling fan who just wants to be entertained, WWE just isn't making the grade. That needs to change, because wrestling fans will always be the last ones out the door. When they get turned off and start leaving, the ship is sunk. It's just a matter of time.

Here's to hoping that for all the good things we did see in WWE this year, they are multiplied a thousandfold, and all the horrible angles of the year (Hassan's attack on Undertaker, Dr. Hynie, Guerrero's passing used to put even more nonexistent heat on Randy Orton) are long forgotten, not repeated ad nauseum.

Here's to hoping that new stars get to break out, that more good wrestling is given the chance to take the spotlight over silly vignettes and suicide, murder, and rape-related angles.

Here's to hoping that house shows feel like something special, not a paint by numbers production on tour.

Finally, here's hoping that the wrestlers that are sitting in the back, getting mentally mindf**ked by a creative team that has nothing for them get their chance to break out and do their best, no matter what their position is in the company. The William Regals, Val Venises, Stevie Richards, Paul Londons, MNMs, and Bob Hollys of the world deserve better. WWE's mentality in 2006 should be to let the good wrestlers have good matches, not to have creative create ways to make them ineffective.

The feudal system that keeps everyone from the wrestlers to management sitting in park on a treadmill that gets nowhere fast needs to be shattered. Put everyone into third gear, hit the accelator and let them go. Entertain the fans that are still watching in hopes that it will lead to more fans watching. In a worse case scenario, the ratings don't shoot back to 7s and 8s, but the morale of the wrestlers improves and you have a crew that wants to go to work instead of dreading going back on the road.

2006, WWE management, it's on you. It's time to play the game - but are you going to play the game of ego stroke or the game of making more money for everyone in the company while entertaining your fans?

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.

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