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Well Jericho and Rey Rey stole the show again this past Friday night with their match on Smackdown. I see some future with several of the young guys but also sometimes when they are matched up against one another the match has no life but is just a series of moves and bumps that were choreographed earlier in the locker room (Crime Time, Ziggler, Hart Dynasty are examples).
It goes back to those with very little experience needing a veteran to craft and lead the match. Also when these guys are trying to remember how their moves were choreographed then they can’t concentrate on the pacing, flow, body language or facials; which are little things that are so extremely important in making fans buy into the match and the story they are trying to tell (refer to brief Ricky Steamboat appearances this year, and as Jericho states; he is BETTER then 80 percent of the roster due to these small factors). Putting a match together on the fly/calling it while it is in progress does have its advantages.
Kane has been a hard working mainstay with the company for a long time and now is harnessed with trying to get Khali over as a babyface (getting him over period has proven to be of not much value) and putting Punk against him was just the same over use of big guy/average guy which means little or nothing since it has been done again and again. It also did nothing to enhance the champion’s position.
While speaking of done again and again Million Dollar Man was a strong guest host on Raw, but announcing that Orton would have to defend his title in a three way match was another classic example of the done to death thing myself and many others see not much value in. There is nothing special about three way matches any longer, just like so many stipulation matches which are used with no rhyme or reason over and over. The shame of this is that the people trying to create interest wear out their options and then have nothing to make matches special in the eyes of the fans.
Ron Killings/R-Truth. OK, he is a fine athlete, good entertainer, and instead of pushing him 85 percent as a wrestler and the other 15 as an entertainer, let’s give him bad teeth, turn him into a goof, change his name and add more sophomoric silliness to the product. No one seems to recognize him but the announcers so he can’t finagle his way into the building and he is under contract to this corporation. I can’t wait to see the revelation this brings and the sound reasoning that will tell us why this has happened. Don’t care whose idea this was, it isn’t solid productive use of the man or his talents.
I know I sound like I’m singing the same old story, but the more frequently you use the same things over and over they lose whatever impact they had when they were special on a limited basis. Also off the wall type characters lose their appeal when there always seems to be a new one around every corner. Simply, as you use the same scenario again and again so frequently then it becomes ineffective, shock value decreases and interest wanes, and somebody will wonder why business isn’t increasing.
Then let’s go to UFC 100 and see that no matter your personal opinion of Brock Lesnar he has his act down pat and it equates into drawing money for the promotion and feathering his own nest.
As a dominate athlete Lesnar controlled Frank Mir for one and a half rounds and retained his heavyweight title. Actually, he ate Mir’s lunch! He was booed heavily by those in attendance and brought the crowd to fear pitch by flipping them off as he celebrated his victory, and then cut the pro wrestling promo of his career and had some of them switching to his side. Think what you want about the man, and the rant; crude, rude, whatever, but it had an effect (for those paying attention it’s called an emotional roller coast ride). Brock is an intense athlete who wants more then anything to excel and his emotions come pouring out, and often without any forethought of the result. The outburst Saturday night could have been due to the lack of respect he seems to have been getting from some other MMA athletes and writers about his involvement in the pro mat game.
People need to realize as Lance Storm stated in a blog earlier this week; Brock is representing himself and not our business. He’s not the first UFC athlete to cut a pro wrestling promo, but his may have the strongest impact money wise. Here’s some food for thought, when Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz exchanged pro wrestling promos pre-fight it didn’t get such negative reaction or a lot of reaction at all. Could the uproar now be because our product has changed so much toward a more vaudevillian image and commands less respect?
As my pal Jim Cornette says; UFC presents our product better then we do, and it shows. If you happen to watch the one hour lead in aired last week on Spike for this pay per view then you also realize they know how to create interest. Their fighters aren’t just one dimensional, but offer enough sides of the coin to give casual viewers and serious fans all something to relate to and grasp.
During build up and post event interviews the athletes had funny asides and comments, but once the PPV kicked off it was business and by them being serious then you as a viewer bought into that mind set. Yes, it’s real, and we’re not, but as I have said so often in the past you can’t be a super badass and stumbling goof all at the same time. Either you’re Robin Williams, or Clint Eastwood and when you attempt both then you put those watching in the position of choosing one mind set or the other, or even worse you dilute your effectiveness in both categories which I think is the current case more times then not with our business.
This is not brain surgery here; it’s simply some professional wrestling common sense, and by understanding and following it the practitioner gets more positive results out of everything they do, and more longevity for their effort, and as important they don’t burn things out at such a rapid rate, and render them meaningless.
Train hard and master your craft.
Till Next Time,
Les
Les and Harley Race form Elite Pro Wrestling Training along with the principles left by former staff members Ricky Steamboat and Dr. Tom Prichard. For details on the company go to www.epwt.com . To book an EPWT seminar, training camp, or trainer contact Les at les@epwt.com .
Get your copy of “The Professional Wrestler’s Workout & Instructional Guide” by Harley, Ricky, Les, and Alex Marvez published by Sports Publishing LLC at your local bookstore or The PWInsider Superstore.
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