I Like Old People

One constant criticism I see coming up against TNA these days is that they push fossils and overlook the younger talent. I disagree.

Look at what TNA is trying to do. They are actually trying to compete with the WWE. There is nothing wrong with that. Problem is, how should they go about it? Frankly, if all they feature is good wrestling among names that are not very popular in the mainstream, they may never make it at all. Even I, a wrestling fan for so long, would have rather watched WWE over TNA in any given week at one time. Kurt Angle did not draw me. Knockout hype did not actually make me tune in. Mick Foley, one of my first favorite wrestlers, could not break my habit with the WWE. If anything, I would just read spoilers and watch what I wanted on Youtube. I occasionally would watch a segment or two of Impact, but I never stuck around for long.

I fell for the Hogan hype. On the day he was to make his big return, the WWE planned on the return of Bret Hart. Like it or not, fossils still seem to be a draw. But I actually was more interested for Hogan than Bret. I was never a huge fan of Hogan. I never gave him that much thought at all. I prefered Ric Flair. For some reason beyond me, it was still Hogan I was interested in at first, not even Flair. Back on WWE, I knew what to expect from Bret Hart. He was coming back to end what started a decade ago. I did not know what exactly to expect from Hogan and his crew. I only knew they would be sticking around. I actually felt the hype over on TNA. On Raw, what happened that night was a big disappointment for me. No huge swerves. Nothing really exciting. One kick, show's over. I did not like how the rest of the feud was developed, not to mention Bret's matches against Vince McMahon and equipment.

Am I happy that almost every impact seems to end with Hogan now in some way? No. Am I glad that Ric Flair refuses to leave the memories alone. Honestly, I would have respected him more if he did stay out, but I have not lost respect for him since he did return. He may not be exactly what he used to be, but I like to know he is still a part of the show, if he truly feels that is what he wants.

Last time I checked, the fossils have not been winning the TNA title since they came back a few months ago. They are not here for that. And new guys are being built up. I see it. I never knew what to think of AJ Styles, but after seeing Impact for a few weeks, I am liking this guy. I used to think Desmond Wolfe was completely overrated. After seeing him, some people may still overrate him, but I am liking him too. These are guys who never made a name for themselves in WWE and went to TNA. These are guys who made it in TNA. That is what TNA is going for. Draw the casual fans with big names like Hogan and Flair, but push the younger talent in a good way to create the hype in the next generations.

It is not like the WWE lacks fossils as well. Maybe not as old as Hogan and Flair, but the shows are built around the same draws. Cena? Triple H? Rey Mysterio attracts the Hispanic audience. And I am not even liking how they are pushing the younger talent in the WWE. They seem so generic so often. Many times, they just do not seem built properly. But the idea is still the same. The idea behind NXT was that top guys like Jericho and Christian would be involved, so the fans can think some star power would be there. You tune in for the draws, but also fall in love with the rookies. Last time I checked, NXT is not doing so well.

Impact may not be doing so well either, but the WWE had a huge head start over them. Will they ever catch up? I do not know. Whether they do or not, I do not latch on to the flavor of the week. I am a fan of what I enjoy. I am enjoying TNA. I will still watch parts of Raw out of habit. I am going to ignore Smackdown entirely from now on. No draw there for me. I can just read spoilers. Nevertheless, I am still waiting on something more refreshing. I think it is possible.

Everything Evens Out In The End

Now that all the names have been traded around, and ignoring any bodies that may not make it to their new homes or make it just to be released soon after, I seem to notice two directions things may be going.

First, I know a lot of people will claim Smackdown is dead now. Others will say that Smackdown is now free to make new stars. I am in the latter camp. In case you missed it, Smackdown lost both Edge and Jericho. That was the Smackdown main event at Wrestlemania. Undertaker does not work a full schedule anymore. Who are your top faces and top heels? The answer is that they will have to rotate men who they have been using in the upper-midcard recently, like CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. Jack Swagger will continue to be pushed. Too soon for him? That is another issue. You can now potentially see the rise of Kofi Kingston or Christian, who were drafted themselves. Big Show, hopefully, will not be treated as some guy's tag partner. Whether he ever wins a World title soon or not, he belongs closer in the title hunt. This should be fresh.

Over on Raw, John Cena now has fresh, or slightly fresh, heels to overcome. Jericho is back. Edge looks to be starting a feud with Orton. Edge is heel again so fast? Both of these guys know what it is like to lose to Cena in title matches. Sheamus has never been pinned or made to submit to Cena in a televised match. Batista is focused on losing to Cena three pay-per-views in a row. The other guys sent to Raw, like Morrison and R-Truth, will fit in nicely in the midcard for now. Their characters may fit well with guest host crap or other segments and storylines. I cannot picture either of these two faces winning the WWE title so soon on a show that still has John Cena, Randy Orton, and Triple H on the roster. It may not be really fresh once you think about it, but at least Raw is stacked with big guys.

Now for the second direction. It may not be mutually exclusive to what I just said. One may feed off the other in some way. Thing is, I feel the two shows may now be balancing out. Raw just gained some guys who can wrestle a good match and are allowed to do so regularly. Hart Dynasty? I cannot picture them being wasted. The WWE cannot be that stupid. I am sure they must allow those two guys to raise the bar a bit. However, Santino is still around too. Over on Smackdown, comedy gold may be heading there. Hornswoggle? Reunion with Finlay? New push for Finlay? It could happen. Smackdown lost Khali to Raw. That somewhat negates the idea that Raw will feature good wrestling. Smackdown will definitely help good wrestlers who have been broken a bit on Raw, like MVP. But will Raw do the same for the good talent it just gained? I feel, or want to feel, that it must. Santino will still be doing his act on Raw. I look forward to seeing how far Hornswoggle will go on Smackdown. Did I forget to mention that his favorite personal jobber, Chavo is heading there too? Yeah, that doesn't make me too hopeful for Smackdown.

Maybe what I am trying to say is more clear if you consider the Smackdown diva division. Natalya is going to Raw. From Raw, Smackdown gains Rosa Mendes, plus Kelly Kelly, who moved on Monday. Two women without real wrestling experience take the place of one woman with wrestling experience? Natalya is definitely a step up for the Raw division, depending on how they treat her. But Smackdown? Raw was the show for crappy diva matches and segments. Smackdown focused on serious action and better developed angles. Can you see how Natalya does not seem to fit into the past Raw landscape? Two eye-candy divas going over to Smackdown do not fit that landscape. Why? I think it is stupid. Outside of the two women already involved in the title feud on Smackdown, I cannot easily suggest who can step in after one of them steps out, based on wrestling credibility and current angles going on. How much longer will Serena be tied into SES? I can say that Rosa will be released soon, but how much will that really fix? Is Raw good now that Natalya is there? Is Smackdown bad now that Rosa is there? In some way, have things just been evened out a bit?

Overall, the landscape has been changed. You have to admit that. Fresh stars can be pushed on Smackdown to become main-eventers (again). Built main-eventers can now face each other in matches that should not be too hard to hype over on Raw. The bar may have been raised in some ways. This past Raw featured many good matches. That can be a new norm? I won't hold my breath. The diva division seems like crap. This is where the landscape was not really changed. None of the women moved have ever held a title in the WWE. None of them are consistently featured in title feuds. None of them have proper spotlight on them regularly at all. Nothing was shaken up. Am I wrong? Then again, why bother taking diva matters seriously? They are not the main draw.

The Eulogy

I am done with my blog devoted only to the women of pro wrestling. I am now going to switch to just focusing on wrestling in general. I am going to enjoy being able to talk more about TNA. But right now, I want to do two things. First, explain exactly what the last straw was. Second, give a eulogy.

The diva match featured McCool/Layla vs. Eve/Maryse. On a normal night, I would be talking about how interesting it is to have the two Raw enemies going at it. But I was looking for absolutely nothing crappy. I was sick of it for so long. First, most of the action of this match was just too basic. If it was a short match, I may have been able to overlook that out of fairness. But this match just dragged on too long for me. Almost all the matches with the guys were better than this. The only exception was Hornswoggle/Ziggler, which was not given time to be anything but a joke anyway. The diva match was given time to be something, it failed. As I was trying to concentrate on the action, I kept getting annoyed by the infernal screaming. I am not talking about the fans. I am talking about whichever of those women would not shut up. I do not mind battle cries or anything like that, since it does sometimes put emotion into the match, but this thing was just too continuous, not even done to further selling, which would have been another good reason, and just did nothing. Things like this make me lose interest. I thought that would be the final kicker. I was wrong.

Smackdown won Kelly Kelly. If people they really plan to push get drafted on Raw, this means Kelly Kelly may get a real push on Smackdown? They want to push her as being so important? If a Raw diva had to go with hype on them, I would have rather it have been a woman who knows how to wrestle solidly, consistently, and with the experience and credibility. If not that, I would have rather it been one of the eye-candy divas they have already been pushing. I talked about Kelly Kelly being sent to Smackdown, true, but in the supplemental draft. I did not view her as a potential big deal. I do not think she should be in the same class as Edge, Big Show, and Morrison as people who get their moves hyped on the Raw special. I know she is popular, but the changes for the women may end up not shaking up anything at all. And if the only shake up is Kelly Kelly potentially becoming Women's Champion, I am glad I am quitting this now.

When Mickie James was released last week, I said that I would not write an eulogy. I am not. I am not going to write a eulogy for Mickie James. She is not done. She still has a lot of life left in her to live. Whether she chooses to follow music or get back in the ring just one more time, that is her choice. However, speaking for myself, please do return to the ring. Do not let it end like that. You deserve better. The WWE quit Mickie James. That does not mean Mickie James must quit wrestling. She watched the WWF as a child, not TNA. I understand that. It was her dream to work to get into the WWE. She did it. It is a shame the WWE treated her like they did for so long. Her spirit is not beaten yet. The WWE could not do that.

But I am going to write a eulogy for something else. Time to say goodbye to my hope and desire to see the WWE use their women better.

For those few who have followed my blogs from today.com to blogdog.com to here, you know most of this story already. I have been watching pro wrestling devotedly since 1998. For years, when it came to the women, I could appreciate them for making me drool and putting on a good match at times, whether because they are putting it on as solidly as some of the men can or rolling around in their undies. I did not always care about great wrestling from them. Some of my "favorites" have been Sunny, Chyna, Lita and Stephanie McMahon. Only two in that group was treated as tough wrestlers. I think you know who. Fact is, my interest was only casual. I never watched any wrestling show just for a female wrestler or eagerness to see a female match or segment. If it happened, it happened. Whatever happened, happened. I will admit it, looks really were the main factor for me. There are very few WWE divas that I have ever found unattractive. No one could simply really grab my interest to make me really invest in them or wanting to see better from the divas. As you can tell, that changed.

I was not a Mickie James fan before her WWE debut in 2005. I was not a fan after she debuted in 2005. I was not her fan in 2006. I did not hate her. I just never had an interest to really care for any of these women before, so I did not make too much of her. Wrestlemania 2006. I watched it. I was eager to see matches involving Ric Flair, Mick Foley, and Randy Orton. These guys are three of my all-time favorites. In all honesty, none of their matches stole the show for me that night. Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus was the match I enjoyed the most that night. I was not a huge Trish fan, as if to say she made me so interested in the match. Same goes for Mickie. I respected both, and I was liking the psycho angle and Mickie's character, but I still was not ready to invest.

For most of 2007, I still just went through diva matters casually. Summerslam of that year. The match that I was really interested in was Orton vs. Cena for the title. There was a diva battle royal. The action was not interesting at all. Two things did interest me. One was the deafening silence Beth Phoenix got when she won. The other was the noticeable boos when Mickie James was eliminated. I do not know if I had never noticed Mickie's regular pops before or what, but I noticed that. What the hell happened? She was not being pushed very well at the time. She was not even in the final three of the match, as if to say the story of the match was building up anticipation for her. Smark crowd being smarky? I was still surpised. I did not immediately jump on her bandwagon just because I got the idea she was popular. I have heard pops for pushed superstars before and never made them one of my favorites. Austin, Jericho, The Rock, and many others. I knew why they were popular, I could respect that, I could respect them, but they just never did it for me all the time. Point is, I actually started to consider this woman, Mickie James. I paid more attention. She was sexy, which had seemed to be my top criteria for liking divas, but there really was something special about this woman. I liked her charisma. I liked her energy in the ring. I liked that she was actually a credible wrestler who can still have that kind of spirit. She was refreshing. She got me to care.

After that, Mickie James had become my favorite diva. I came to the dance late, but I liked what she was as a wrestler. I watched her get pushed, depushed, pushed, and depushed. I read a whole bunch of rumors. I saw what the WWE was doing with her. I smartened up and decided to really look at this more critically. I realized why things were going on. It was often clear that dirtsheets really were full of crap that the fans buy. I saw mistakes the WWE was making in how they treated their women, not just Mickie. It did not seem like they were really interested in giving the fans what they wanted at all. That is when I started writing a blog about it.

Less than two years later, my interest is dead. For a long time, things I have been seeing have just been getting more frustrating. Eye-candy divas were being treated too well. Maybe the old me may not have minded. The old me may have complained about the lack of skin and too much stupid crap. But it just killed my spirit. In the time since Mickie James became my favorite diva for what she could do in the ring and everything else during kayfabe, which is where I look to decide who my favorites are, I also learned more about her as a person. She really did have a good heart in her. Her spirit was not just an act for kayfabe. She was serious about putting on a show for the fans, but very nice to the fans and would not have her spirit broken easily, despite how the WWE treated her and the division. She really was enthusiastic about doing her job. She was loyal to the WWE.

The WWE was not loyal to her. I will not even mention how they released her while she was promoting THEIR Draft. What really showed her character for me was her infection a few months ago. She was willing to risk a lot for the sake of going out there for the WWE and the fans. She had two surgeries in one week. Two weeks of recovery. She got the stitches out. A few days later, she heads to the airport already. Her first stop out of Virginia is Arizona, not Tennessee. She wanted to be at Wrestlemania. That is loyalty. I had my doubts about her coming back so fast. I know many Mickie fans did. She proved me wrong. She did not do much in the ring, but she did something. She got physical before, at, and after Wrestlemania. No problems. THAT is a reason to respect Mickie James, not how many title reigns she got handed.

And they released her. People want to say she missed a bus more than once? Please! They made it sound like she did it just out of arrogance. Not the Mickie James I know. If she did miss a bus more than once, keeping people waiting, I want to know why she was late all those times. This may end up having as much credibility as CM Punk's loss to Taker at Hell in a Cell last year being due to a dress code issue. Seriously, stupid reasons that make the WWE look childish. And then people want to say Mickie had an attitude problem. Funny. Very. I know very well that Mickie James has friends in the WWE. So Mickie did nothing but make friends with people who could not help her and enemies with officials and those with influence? Sounds like a retarded version of Robin Hood. Either there are a lot of details missing in that story or the story is garbage and false. That is the thing, rumor makers often leave a lot of connecting dots missing, making a lot of things awkward if you really think about it. Why was Mickie released? I am not sure. I have ideas. I sure as hell am skeptical about some of the crap out there.

I tried to be fair. My interest in the divas being treated right did not have to rest on Mickie James. But being hopeful when crap never changes gets old. I gave WWE a few more days to see how they can pick things up, knowing they lost their most over diva and a great worker. I gave Extreme Rules the benefit of the doubt. Raw was the end. It is over.

Thank you, Mickie James, for making me interested in the women of wrestling for something more than just sex appeal. Thank you, WWE, for ruining it. I am going to still enjoy writing about diva matters. Yes. I am going to enjoy ripping it to shreds. No more need to be hopeful and nice.

Why Has The WWE Lost That Feel? 4

Themed PPVs. A lot of fans criticize them. They have won for the Elimination Chamber match, extreme rules-related matches, Hell in a Cell, Tables, Ladders & Chairs, and more. They really started pushing this rebranding last year. Hints of it started prior, but things really took an obvious turn in 2009.

I think it is a problem too. If it works in drawing viewers, fine. In my opinion, it is one of the reasons the WWE just does not feel as great as it used to be. You need to rely on gimmick events to draw viewers? I would rather interesting storylines, feuds, and characters, not to mention really bringing it in matches, draw me in. The last pay-per-view I ordered was Elimination Chamber. I enjoyed it overall, but the EC matches themselves just did not grab me. I saw the first ever Elimination Chamber. I have seen highlights of certain other Elimination Chamber matches, if not seen the full match. I just do not feel like they are pushing the hardcore aspect enough. I do not want anyone to die or get injured seriously, but a simple weapon being brought into play to knock out Orton and used on Cena does not need to be overvalued. It was not that great. MVP vs. Miz was more hardcore, violent, extreme, or whatever word you want to use, for me than either of the EC matches. They seemed so systematic. One guy eliminated someone and got eliminated after. Boom. The entire event did feature some good feud development, like Batista taking the title from Cena. I did not think Cena really went through that much hell to win the match before he lost to Batista, but whatever. Point is, the theme did not end up being that interesting in the end. It was still the usual stuff that interested me. For me, the WWE may just be wasting their time, and even pushing themselves into a rigid system through these type of events.

What is with these names? How much thought did they put into this stuff? Elimination Chamber? Hell in a Cell? When I first heard about Breaking Point, I was looking forward to every match being some kind of submissions match. Nope. Needless to say, not every match at Elimination Chamber was contested in EC matches. The names just lack any creativity in a lot of cases. Dry. Boring. Feels just like how I have been viewing the WWE for a while. Some themed names I do not mind. King of the Ring. Not every match at that event revolved around the tournament. Still, it was a good name for a PPV. Moreover, with the way the WWE does things now, it might have been called WWE Tournament.

Beyond names and the events themselves sometimes not living up to the hype, I also do not really like the idea of certain matches being overused. Hell in a Cell. TLC. Matches like these really do have history to them. I think they really should be left for special occasions, not just because DX had never won a TLC and wanted tag titles. Challenging someone to a Hell in a Cell match used to be something exciting to me. I remember when Mick Foley faced Triple H in one. Mick Foley, after what he went through in this match against Undertaker, wanting to face Triple H in the same match just hyped me. Now it will just seem forced and routine. Everyone will know it is coming. Hearing Randy Orton try to sound like he was a master of Hell in a Cell, even though he had only been in one and lost to Taker without as much of a story as Mick Foley endured, just sounded stupid when he was building his match against Cena. Not every main feud around that time of year should have to be inside a Hell in a Cell. When something is overused like this, it may actually lose meaning, not gain it. Instead of a select few stepping in to some of these matches, everyone and their grandma is.

There are some themed events that I like. Royal Rumble, King of the Ring, Survivor Series. Those are from an age long ago, if still around. More recently, I like One Night Stand/Extreme Rules. I think the PG concept is going to make it stupid, but the event idea was good. Moreover, it at least started out with an interesting name. I also liked Cyber Sunday/Taboo Tuesday. Giving the fans the power to choose? I think that is a great concept. I hope they would bring that back. Once again, I did not mind the names it went through. Survivor Series had tradition to it. They can probably make a tradition out of these newer events, but the old man in me does not want to see this event go. The name may sound generic too, much like King of the Ring, but I guess I could stomach it because it was around for so long and not every PPV had a name that simply imitated a gimmick. That is what things are now turning into. Almost.

At least some pieces of tradition are still being kept. Wrestlemania is still here. So is the Royal Rumble. If the WWE really wants to push out the old and bring in the new, we will see how it goes. No more J.R., heh?