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Roddy Piper....Bret Hart
Hulk Hogan...Ric Flair
The Original Brood...Kevin Nash
Mick Foley...DDP
Buff Bagwell... Lance Storm
Scott Hall...Chyna
Raven...Taker
Kane...Randy Savage
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Eddie Guerrero Triple H
Kurt Angle... Steve "Mongo" McMichael
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Is going to change....again. With TNA moving to Thursday nights, in a reasonable time slot, things appear like they're going to heat up in the wrestling wars. Although it is so far removed from the heyday of WCW Nitro, and WWF RAW, this could be an interesting turn of events, and could heat things up at least a little bit.
For far too long the WWE has had a monopoly on the world of professional wrestling. They controlled nearly everything and nobody was standing in their way. They could sign any talent they wanted, and everyone who thought they had something to offer wanted to work for them. If you wanted to make a name for yourself in the world of professional wrestling, the last three or four years you only had one choice for national exposure; the WWE.
Something funny happened to Vincent Kennedy McMahon on the way to total domination of the world of professional wrestling. Stars got tired of him and left, the WWE started putting out less than compelling television, and wrestlers started feeling that they could make a name for themselves on the independent circuit. In general, things in the WWE weren't nearly as harmonious as they should have been.
The days of Stone Cold and the Rock were coming to an end, and the men who were supposed to take over for the Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho didn't live up to the previous talent, for various reasons. HHH who was a great foil to the Rock and Stone Cold was forced to become the face of the WWE, and it really didn't work with the fans. For whatever the reason (ie; a villain being the main man, backstage politics, favoritism, marrying the bosses daughter) people grew disinterested with the WWE, which opened the door for someone else to step in and create a niche for another league.
Enter the TNA. With the dissolution of both the WCW and ECW, there was nowhere else to turn. Jeff Jarrett steps in and with his dad creates the TNA. It starts small, doing ppv based out of Tennessee and tries to create a fanbase. Now it is time for them to take the next big step.
Is the WWE in a vunerable situation? Well, they are hardly going to be overtaken by TNA at this point. TNA is nowhere near the level that WCW was when they introduced the NWO to the world.They still have a small fan following and there are already grumblings about Jeff Jarrett that plagued the NWO after they started their run. He's involved with everything, and he is in the title mix quite a bit. Still, people who are tired of the McMahon antics can tune into alternate television with TNA. They may see quite a few former WWE players in there, but the ring is different, the X-division is exciting, and there are a number of differences that seperate them from the WWE.
TNA is still seen as the junior league however. The production values aren't on the scale of the WWE, the mic skills of a number of the talent isn't what it is in the WWE. The announcing is okay, and the ring is still a big question mark. Even the fans are seen as second rate when compared to the fans of the WWE. They have a lot of issues that will need to be resolved before they are even to be considered a threat to the WWE.
That doesn't mean TNA can't make the move. They have some interesting talent and some wrestlers who could break out. They already have some sex appeal from the ladies, and now they are starting to steal talent from the WWE. Stealing Kurt Angle away was a huge coupe and it was actually a huge surprise. The difference from the days of the NWO was that everything makes it to the computer before you see it on television. If it was eight years ago, Kurt Angle could have shown up on TNA and surprise the world. Unfortunately, you can't do that, so they have to do the next best thing. Have him show up and not know what side he is going to be on. Since he has been a face and heel successfully in his career, that is the best twist TNA could throw at people.
Before Angle, TNA had quite a number of wrestlers that were former WWE stars. The difference between now and then however, was the former WWE wrestlers they had on their rosters were people the WWE didn't want. I don't know the whole story between Angle and the WWE, but he wasn't the guy they just wanted to let go. He was going to head up the new ECW and they were playing him up huge there. Then suddenly there is another crippling injury and he is set to retire. They let him go and then just as suddenly, he is in TNA. Wild, and pretty exciting.
TNA can start to make a move with their new television program. There are a few things they have to do to take themselves to the next level, but getting the show moved to a time and day where wrestling fans may just decide to tune in is a huge step in the right direction. But having the show on in a reasonable time slot isn't going to be enough.
The things that TNA has to do is create a fan interest. They have a small fan base, and they need to create a national fan base. The way to do that is create buzz. They have to create a reason for people to watch their program. They have to have people talking about their program, and have people telling other wrestling fans "man you got to check out what's going on over there". WCW and WWE had that going for them during their run during the days of the Monday Night wars. It was great and you would flip back and forth between the two just to see what would happen next. Even if you didn't like one or the other, you would still tune in just to see what was happening next. People would pop up, matches were great and it was a great time in wrestling. TNA can do that, except they won't be in direct competition with the WWE. They will be on a different night, but they can still make an impact. It will take time, but they can do it right. ECW tried to go primetime, but unfortunately, it was well past their prime with most of their top stars already gone. It looked bad and being on TNN didn't help them either.
TNA is going to have to create their own stars, rather than completely relying on guys from WWE. Angle can be a big help, but if TNA is seen as nothing more than a junior league WWE (which is kind of what the new ECW is being look at as) the interest won't last too long. They have started to build up some of their own, namely Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe, but they're going to need more. Having a national time slot should help. Their ppvs are still doing pretty well, although they still have a way to go before they even reach WWE level. Again, right now it isn't fair to compare them to the WWE, but in a year or so, I would like to be talking about them in at least the same breath.
Regardless of the outcome of the move of TNA, one thing is for sure; this has the potential to be the most exciting time in wrestling since the days of the Monday Night wars. It almost assuredly won't surpass them, but at least it could create buzz around the world of professional wrestling. ECW is back, although it will never be better than the raw intensity and excitement of the first one. It was special, and it was like a private club, with the guys who watched ECW. The shows were as exciting as they were on television. It was a lot of fun, and it was definitely the best alternative to anyone who thought WWF and WCW were too mainstream. They were raw, violent, racy, and charged up. More importantly, they loved what they were doing, and it showed. Now, ECW is just a minor league version of the WWE. Wrestlers who the WWE doesn't want on the main roster, they ship down to the ECW. They don't have the potential to have matches break out all over the place, and in fact they have to make matches called ECW rules or whatever. Hitting with a chair can be call for a disqualification, and Kelly is great to look at, but seems to have the personality of dishwater. She certainly isn't in the league of Dawn Marie, Beulah and of course Francine. She may look better than any or all of them, but she is just window dressing.
With all of that being said, this could be a fun time for wrestling fans. You have the WWE with DX back and a cool feud between Edge and Cena developing quite nicely. There are a lot of positives in Smackdown and RAW, although RAW is still clearly better than Smackdown right now. They have tried different wrestlers in the top spot, and placed HHH on the back burner, although he is still a headliner with DX. I think it as a great move, and it should keep everyone happy for a little while.
You also have ECW back. Now, after what I said about them up above, you might be scratching your head wondering why I say that this is a good thing. ECW was never going to come back the way it was. People should understand that and simply accept it. McMahon owns it and it was never going to have the raw, bingo hall look to it that it used to have. However, having ECW back in some form is better than not having it at all, in my view. Seeing Sabu, Sandman, and Dreamer back in the roles that made them famous is great. Giving Big Show a push that he deserves is good, and who knows maybe someone like Holly, Test, or Dupree may break out and we see them as better wrestlers. Holly already deserves credit for continuing even though he had that Sabu like gash across his back. I think he officially has earned his nickname Hardcore.
And TNA moving on up could give fans something to watch four nights a week. That would be great. Watching wrestling on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. It used to be like that with ECW, WWF, and WCW, but that was long gone. I want to see it come back even if it doesn't reach the heights that it used to. It would be fun to watch, as long as they don't put anything on Wednesday (Lost you know) it could be a great little run. Taking away Kurt Angle is a great first step, but now let's see what happens from here on out.
Well, until I win something autographed by Maria, and she delivers it personally, keep reading....
sincerely the Novak Notebook.
Well, we are starting into a new year, and it looks like things are
turning around a bit for the WCW; on paper at least. A new company has
bought them and they immediately placed Eric Bishoff in as President.
What this means is that Hulk Hogan and most likely a whole slew of
changes are on the way. I say wonderful.
Now I've been a longtime WWF fan and supporter. I've been watching the
WWF since the days prior to the first Wrestlemania and the War to settle
the Score between Hot Rod and Hulkamania. So, you may ask yourself why
on God's green little planet would I want to see the WCW get better than
they are now? Simple. Competition. Without it, nobody will care about
wrestling, and the industry as a whole will go belly up.
Sounds pretty apocalyptic doesn't it? Well, consider the ratings the
last several months of both WCW and WWF. The WWF has slipped quite a
bit, and in other markets as well. They aren't as searched for on the
internet anymore, the merchandise isn't as hot as it was several months
ago, and their tickets are selling out as fast as they were a year or so
ago, except for their big ticket shows. Overall, the public interest is
starting to wane.
And the WCW? Well, they've barely showed up on the radar screen. How
many people even know Goldberg's book is out? DDP's book hasn't been
heard of since the days Kanyon carried it around. See, the competition
is what drives the interest, because it makes these two companies strive
harder to put out a better product and try and outdo each other.
Sometimes the results can be tasteless, but they do manage to grab your
attention and that is what they want.
Remember three years ago? Height of NWO, McMahon reaching new lows in
tastelessness, and people tuning in to see what he would do next, and
ECW gaining a foothold in the door to wrestling elite. Look at it now.
WCW almost a memory, ECW is a memory, and WWF on cruise control. They
need the competition and WWF needs WCW to get back on their feet so they
can push each other once again. So, I say bully for WCW and here's
hoping Bishoff can rekindle the magic he had when he created the NWO.
Sincerely
Here we are at another edition of the Novak Notebook, and I had a
couple of things I was pondering while I watched the Royal Rumble last
night on PPV.
Can Bischoff Rekindle the Magic??
The Novak Notebook
Royal Rumble
First off....finally Chris Jericho gets a win on a ppv. For awhile
there everyone was wondering who he ticked off to continue jobbing as
much as he has been lately. He had one of the biggest, splashiest
entries in recent WWF history, and yet he seems to be always on the
losing end of the fight. So, I'm glad to see him pull out a victory in
what is sure to be a match of the year contender.
On the flip side, what the hell is with the Tazz thing? He runs in and
makes Bushwacker Luke(or whichever it was)stay in the Royal Rumble look
like an eternity. Five seconds? I think he deserves better, and I'm not
so sure about good Ol' JR saying his standing in the company is fine.
The surprises? Well, it was cool to see Honkytonk Man and Haku back,
but it wasn't much more of a novelty than anything else. Neither had
much impact on the match, and neither did the Big Show's return. It was
only an excuse to knock the stuffing out of the Rock for awhile, and
that was it.
And now that we have all the obligatory Rumble update stuff out of the
way.....my one big burning question lately is this....where have all the
fat guys gone?
I mean we had one big fat guy with a thong of all things in the ring,
and that was about it. It used to be for every Snuka, there was a
Kamala. For every Savage, there was a King Kong Bundy. For every Road
warrior, there was Akeem the African Dream.
Where have all these fat guys gone. I know most of them still wrestle
in Independent feds and all that, but I think the big two could use a
few more fat tough guys. Bring back monsters like Vader, One Man Gang,
Earthquake, Kamala and all of these guys. These guys made the Hogan's,
Flair's, and Sting's tremble in their boots. Now we have a diaper
wearing guy who really doesn't look all that big to begin with.
They've gone and made Big Show, Mark Henry, and others go to the fat
farms and thin down. I can understand if their health is in jeopardy(ala
Yokozuna)...but why make them trim down otherwise. Being big is part of
their appeal. They can't be hurt, they can't be stopped, they can't be
bargained with, and they will never ever quit...oh sorry got carried
away there. But you get the idea. They are a force of one. An army unto
themselves. Sure they're supposed to eventually lose the good fight, but
they make the face look a lot better doing so.
So, ladies and gentlemen, my battle cry for the new year is bring back
the fat guys, because we sure need them. At least they make the rest of
us feel a little thinner. Until later....
Sincerely
The Novak Notebook
This week, the Novak Notebook goes to the movies. And not just any movies....movies with wrestlers in them. No, we're not going to talk about Ready to Rumble, or Hulk Hogan and his attempts at cinema. We're also not going to talk about Roddy Piper's movie They Live, which is still the only movie a wrestler has been the star of and has opened number one at the box office(just a little bragging there).....but we're just going to talk movies in general.
There are quite a few wrestlers now who have interests outside of wrestling. Randy Savage is going to be in the new Spider-Man movie, The Rock is in the Mummy 2, and The Scorpian King, and others like Stone Cold, Undertaker, and Chyna have found success on the small screen. The question is why? Why have wrestlers suddenly found success outside of the wrestling world.
Well, first off, this isn't exactly new. There are a ton of films with that old Mexican Wrestler, El Santo, in a huge variety of films facing off against all kinds of super hero types. The plots weren't much, and overall the movies were fun to watch, if nothing else, but it did show people could watch wrestlers doing other things. Orignally, when a wrestler was in a movie, he played a wrestler. Nothing else.
However, Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper ushered in a different type of wrestler, that didn't want to appear in just wrestling movies. They actually wanted to branch out and do other things in movies, such as (gasp) act!. Since Hogan is such a characture, Piper has succeeded more at this level than any other wrestler in history. Some of his best work hasn't even made the big screen, the way They Live did. I personally think Sci-Fighters is a great little movie and recommend it to anyone, especially Piper fans.
Probably the two best known movies, outside of They Live are Andre the Giant's Princess Bride, and Jesse Ventura in Predator. Neither was the lead actor, but neither one is forgettable either. In fact, Ventura's line "I ain't got time to bleed" is much more memorable than anything Arnie said in the movie. And Andre is just wonderful in Bride, and showed his true nature, and the kind a decent person he was(remember at the time he was playing a heel to Hogan). He also showed he had a wonderful sense of humor and was able to relay that despite trouble understanding him at times in the movie.
Hulk Hogan really hasn't gotten past the fact he's Hulk Hogan in most of his movies. He usually plays some type of personality that is close to himself. That's why when people wonder why Piper took on such movies as Hell Comes to Frogtown, Buy and Cell, Terminal Rush, or a few others...he was at least trying to branch out as far from himself as he could, and stretch. He isn't quite where he wants to be(by his own admission), but he's further ahead than any other wrestler out there.
Now, some memorable wrestlers in their roles.
King Kong Bundy in Moving, and Married...with children....he was just
absolutely hilarious when he showed up on Married. I nearly cried when
that show was over.
Paul Wight in The Waterboy. A small but pretty funny role, where he's a
wrestler(typecast I know) and Adam Sandler calls in. Pretty funny.
Stone Cold on Nash Bridges. The only reason to watch the show, except
for Jodi Lynn O' Keefe. He is great and seems to have a natural
chemistry with Don Johnson.
Now, if you want to watch movies about wrestling, please avoid Body
Slam with Piper(cute, but very badly done)..and definitely check out
Beyond the Mat. Excellent type of documentary and some parts of it just
make you shudder when you see how far some of these guys have fallen.
Goldberg in Universal Soldier 2? Never saw it. Didn't hear much about it
either. Don't even know if I want to see it, but I imagine Goldberg is
better than Van Damme.
As you can see, wrestlers in movies aren't a new phenomenom, much like in the 70s, when football players such as Jim Brown and Alex Karras were being hired for movies simply because of who they are. People in Hollywood realize these people have some talent in acting to put on the performances they do night after night and have such a huge following. I'm hoping that eventually, guys like Piper will get a chance at the big screen again and show what they can really do, because a lot of these guys are far better actors than the ones we have. Who would you rather see? Rock or Seagal? Austin or Van Damme? Piper or Lambert? Most of the wrestlers can outact the actors. They just need some breaks is all.
Next time the Novak Notebook will give his review of some of these movies....and if you agree, you're in good company...if not....you're loss ;-)
Sincerely
The Novak Notebook
More Movie Reviews!
Now, you're probably asking yourself why are you doing movie reviews while there is so much going on in the world of wrestling. Not to mention the kickoff of the XFL. I mean we can talk about the on again, off again rumors about the WCW being bought, then the company backing out, or the XFL doing well it's opening weekend, or the XFL cheerleaders, or Shawn Michaels looking to return, or Piper returning, or say....did I mention those cheerleaders?
But I'm sticking to my guns and reviewing wrestlers in movies. Two in particular. One is Rowdy Roddy Piper, and the other is a surprise. Maybe in the next week or so, I'll talk about those cheerleaders.
The first movie we're going to look at is probably one of the worst
ever made. I could talk about a lot of other Piper movies, including his
really good ones(They Live, Sci-Fighters, Jungleground), or some of his
not so good ones(No Contest, Body Slam, Immortal Combat), or his
cult(yes he does have one) classic, Hell Comes to Frogtown. But I'm
going to talk about probably the worst one he's been in since that damn
Love Boat Special he did.
It's called Terminal Rush, and this movie is terminal from the getgo.
It should've never been released, and it isn't even good for a few
laughs. The only good thing about it is Piper and the other bad guy, and
I do believe a woman gets naked in it, but it was so bad I really don't
remember.
The movie stars Don "I wish I could act like Segal" the Dragon Wilson.
He plays some type of Indian or something, and he's always praying and
not doing a whole lot else in this movie. I'm not going to knock his
background(I really don't know if he is American Indian or not), but the
only time he looks authentic in this movie is when he's praying. Every
other emotion for this guy is a stretch.
Apparently he and his girlfriend in the movie are having some kind of
argument about whether to stay where he's at or move somewhere else. I
guess she figures he could get better parts if he took acting lessons or
something. Anyway, as this battle rages on, Piper and the guy he is
working for show up and take over the Hoover Dam. That's right the
Hoover Dam. They take a bunch of people hostage and make ridiculous
demands.
Don't ask me why the Hoover Dam, because I'm still trying to figure out
why Roddy is wearing paint around his eyes that make him look like he
either got hit really hard, or is trying to be a racoon. Anyway, it so
happens that Donnie's Daddy works at the Dam and gets kidnapped along
with everyone else.
Now, this could've been a fun movie if they would've had a budget and
could've done some cool stunts off the Dam. But not one person falls
from the Dam, and I believe they spent the whole budget blowing up one
model helicopter toward the end. Don Wilson is just horrible, and
painful to watch, while Piper and crew eat up the scenes. Overall it is
just a really bad movie, and one I'm sure Hotrod doesn't put on his
resume.
On the flip side, a rather funny movie(at least in my view), has cameo appearances by announcers Jesse Ventura, and Mean Gene Okerland. The movie is called Repossessed, and it is a spoof of the Exorcist movies, starring Linda Blair and Leslie Nielson.
It could be seen as stupid I suppose, but I am always a sucker for these types of movies. They have to hit you right and they don't try and pretend to be anything more than they are. Linda Blair is now a normal average Mom of two and then she gets possessed again. Well, the young priest goes on the search for the old priest(played by Nielson) in hopes of getting him to exorcise the demon once again. The gags are numerous and I think a lot more hit than miss. The best is toward the end when Nielson and Blair have the showdown between God and the Devil....and our beloved announcers come in to do the play by play. They call all the moves and yell out whether something was fair or illegal. I thought it was the best part of the movie, especially when Mean Gene yells out something about steroids not being used in wrestling anymore, and Jesse gets that look on his face while he's feeling his muscle and whispers over "they're not used any less either". A funny film, and a great cameo by our dynamic due.
So, there you have another installment of the Novak Notebook at the movies. I hope you enjoyed this view from the balcony, and until next time....go rent a movie with a wrestler in it, and tell us what you think. If you have any suggestions for movies for me to watch and then write about...e-mail me.....take care, and remember, if you agree with me...good for you....if not...your loss....sincerely
The Novak Notebook
Well, there is plenty
I could talk about this week. The PPV for this month has just ended for the WWF(No Way Out)...and it was one of their better PPVs in a long time. The matches were really good, although a few were over hyped, but overall a very solid and entertaining PPV. Only beef, why would you put your best match(Austin v. HHH was great) in the middle of the PPV and kill the momentum you were building?
I could talk about the XFL cheerleaders...told you I was going to get
to them. I also could talk about the XFL in general and how it looks
like it will be very lucky to hang around more than one season.
I could also talk about "Buff" Bagwell's movie debut in something
called "Terror Tract". It is a very funny movie and worth the watch, and
"Buff" Daddy has a whole three minutes in the movie. Also could talk
about DDPs made for TV movie, trying to follow in the footsteps of the
immortal one by placing a whole lot of paint on his face to cover his
bad acting....I could talk about any one of those.....But no fans and
otherwise...the Novak Notebook is going to take the road (Hardly) less
traveled...and talk about:
ANNOUNCING TEAMS.
I knew that would grab your attention.
Now why talk about this subject, other than I had nothing else better
to write about(just be thankful this isn't about those cheerleaders)?
No, I'm writing this because an announcing team is as
important(sometimes even more so depending on the match) to the match as
the match itself. It creates the tension, the anxiety, and lets you
forget about what you're really watching, because if they're good, they
sound like they believe it, and therefore you get caught up in it, and
you believe it.
Also the reason I bring this up is because the WCW right now is trying to undergo major changes. They have a chance to start fresh, and I'm sorry...but having Tony Schivione and Scott Hudson doing the announcing isn't going to cut it. Tony has always been over-rated, and Scott just doesn't have a clue. He has a great voice and presence, but he doesn't know whether he wants to be a heel announcer, or a face, or both. So he sounds bad. Say what you will about Mark Madden, but he at least tried to stay a heel announcer which does add to the show. He had other problems, but that's for another time.
In my opinion the best announcing team I ever heard was Gorilla Monsoon, and Jesse Ventura. Why? Because they complimented each other so well. Gorilla was all face, and Jesse was all heel, so you had all factions covered. Gorilla pulled for guys like Hogan, JYD, Superfly while Jesse rooted for Piper, Orndorff, Orton, Muraco and those guys. And whenever someone turned heel or face, they would instantly support him without asking why. It was great, and it worked. You didn't need a play-by-play man, because Gorilla knew a lot of the moves. The best part was the banter back and forth between them. If the match was boring, they could get under each others skin easy enough by harping on the other's loyalties. They were perfect, and many have tried, and many have failed to duplicate that stretch. Even these two with various partners.
Now, the worst announcing team? Sorry, but it had to be mid-90s with Macho Man, Hot Rod, and Vinnie Mac in the booth. Not only was the talent not at it's greatest level, but these guys couldn't hold together a sandwich if you glued the bread together. They were all too individualistic. Vinnie Mac was not a play-by-play man, and he never learned the motto, "Just because you scream louder doesn't make it sound like you know what you're talking about". Meanwhile, Piper and Savage would just rattle on about different things, and it sounded like they would talk above Vinnie Mac's head quite a bit. They hardly ever called the action, except to say "oohh" or "That hurt", and they were too involved in their own fights to be worrying about other people(Piper with Flair and Savage with Undertaker/Jake the Snake)
Now, some other tidbits and loose ends(from a guy with a few screws loose) about some wrestling announcers.
Gordon Solie....only heard some of his matches, but he set the bar for other play-by-play guys, and some of his insightful commentaries during the matches created a terrific balance between fight/human interest story. A class act and surely missed. All other announcers owe a lot to him.
Mean Gene Okerland....a truly great announcer who's very much under utilized right now. He should just step aside if they continue to use him they way they have been in WCW. Also very funny in Repossessed(see last article).
Lord Alfred Hayes....underrated because even though he was mostly a heel announcer, he could call a match fair and square, which was rare in WWF in the 80s. Had to get used the accent, which some people didn't like...but very knowledgeable and astute.
Dusty Rhodes...not much of an announcer, but he was fun and entertaining to listen too. He had some great dialogue, and every time he said "Bring it on home to the mother ship" I just wanted to crack up.
Mike Tenay...kinda like Dusty...not. He is very astute and does know his stuff, but he's kinda bland as an announcer. Good man to have as an analyst(in case you really need one). He's a good third wheel.
Bobby Heenan...his best work was with Gorilla, who raised his bar. Stumbled badly over in WCW(although he still came up with some of the best one-liners). They pushed him everywhere, and finally he was completely wasted. Hopefully, he'll either retire graciously, or come back to the WWF and tear the place up.
Larry Zybsko...okay as an announcer, just not my style. He kept saying the same lines....over and over and it got kinda tiresome. Toward the end I really didn't know where Larryland was, and didn't really care.
Those are just some of the announcer around, and yes, I still think JR and the King do the best job right now. They know how to work with each other, their timing is good, and they can make a boring match funny with their jabs back and forth. Although I liked it better when the King was a straight heel announcer. Michael Cole has a lot to learn...still tries to call wrestling like a baseball game.
Well, until next time, when I might actually get to some wrestling or those cheerleaders......keep watching and reading my column...remember all others are mere imitators of the real thing...sincerely...
The Novak Notebook...
Before I start...
I just want to say that with Wrestlemania coming up, it seems to me it would be the perfect time for the WWF to throw out all the old matches that meant something at all the old Wrestlemanias, but when they do those quick flasbacks, it usually involves a current WWF superstar. Neither Federation seems interested in it's past, and only sells it's present. what they don't realize is that soon enough, the present becomes the past and unless they can connect the two together.....the new present won't mean a thing. For instance, Would Mark McGwire's record of 70 Home Runs meant anything had people following the game hadn't heard of Ruth, or Maris? The WWF should be showing maybe one old Wrestlemania Match a week(even if it's on MTV) to get everyone pumped up for the big event. Instead of talking about past greats like Hogan, Savage, Steamboat, Piper, and whoever, they just keep trouncing out Rock and Austin into a staredown. I know you need to sell this one, but the older fans want to be catered to a little bit, and they're more apt to remember older Wrestlemanias than these guys. Anyway, without further babbling...just a list I thought of of things I miss in wrestling....
>Illegal Double teaming(and the fans getting excited)....double teaming is expected nowadays
>The Heel looking to the crowd for support after an illegal move
>Andre the Giant, Owen Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, Rick Rude and many others
>Piper getting Rowdy on some fan favorite
>The original NWO
>ECW
>Beulah, Ms. Hancock, and the Nitro Girls
>A healthy Jake "The Snake" Roberts
>A villianous Stone Cold
>Macho Man running wild
>Gotta miss George the Animal
>Anything Bruno tried to commentate on
>Jesse and Gorilla
>Bobby Heenan
>old days of Funk v. Flair
>where have all the jobbers gone
>speaking of above, miss when you make star out of nobody (1-2-3 Kid pins Razor Ramon and becomes hit, Brooklyn Brawler, Barry Horowitz)
>Fake tags behind ref's back
>Need a good midget match every once in awhile, gives the ref's someone to toss around
>How about a midget Hell in the Cell match
>Mick Foley in any way, shape or form
>The British Bulldogs and some of their great tag matches with Hart Foundation
>JYD
>Snuka flying off the top(although steel cage against Jarrett was great-unless you were Jarrett)
>Long running feuds(they seem to last through one ppv or maybe two)
>People switching from heel to face and it being the event that shakes the wrestling world to it's very foundation
Now for a few things coming up that seem intriguing and at the very least have my interest......
>Big Show tearing into everyone and everything should be cool, if they keep it up
>Benoit face turn....not too many faces right now, so he might be able to pull this off. Hopefully elevate him back into top contention. He's actually three time world champ(1 in WCW and 2 WWF) but has held the belts for about 9 minutes total.....needs to be a big time champ run somewhere down the line for this guy.
>Angle major heel..don't know if this will be as successful, because he was pretty good as a wussy heel. Have to wait and see on this one.
>Demise of ECW....wonder where all the talent is going...if they were smart, they'd wait and hed over to WCW...become major players right away after Bishoff is allowed to sign some people.
>Hold up of WCW sale....could hurt, because Bishoff wants to sign people now, and he can't....longer it goes on, more people will not watch WCW. It is holding people's interest now, but with no influx of talent, don't know how long that will hold up.
>Steiner as champ...I like him as champ, but the field is seriously depleted of serious contenders. Want to see how much he sticks out if/when the talent pool becomes populated again with lots of big names. See if he still can etch out a place for himself.
>Hall in Japan...sounds like he's cleaned up his act, and wants to get moving on other things. I say leave him there a little longer, just so he doesn't think it's that easy to come running back. Make him work on it a little, but I hope he is on the right track, because I always thought he was more talented than Big Sexy anyway.
>Heyman replacing Lawler....will definitely be different, and Heyman does have a distinct voice. Let's see if he can do the commentating and keep it interesting, without mentioning ECW too many times.
>Lawler....did he bury himself, or was he a modern day Gladiator by running to his wife's defense. Time will tell where he goes and where he'll end up, but anytime you end a demand with an "or else" while talking with someone who has more power than you, chances are good you're going to lose....remember, there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity
>Shawn Michaels...will he or won't he be back. All the hints the WWF are throwing around seem likely he'll be back in some capacity, however, if it is anything short of an actualy match, most fans are going to be truly disappointed.
>Goldberg, Sting, Sid, etc.....all wounded and on the shelf. Question is when will they be back. Nobody seems to know, and they keep saying they have big plans for Goldberg, but the timing has to be right. Ummm, not to nitpick or anything but you guys aren't exactly winning a ratings war here, and might want to speed things up....soon.
Well, that's it for now.....hope you like the ramblings you read here, and maybe each of these brought back a memory for you. Until later, take care....and keep reading...
sincerely The Novak Notebook
A Mixture of Things...
The Novak Notebook is going to be a mixture of things, since there is so much to write about. First I'd like to say I am very excited that Tripod put the Retro back up, and I'd like to thank everyone I write with here who has worked hard. Hitman, Krash, Heather, Karma herself, Pandora, and anyone I forgot to mention. They work hard to bring you interesting columns and insight to the world of wrestling, not to mention the best updates possible. This sight was almost lost, and that would've been a shame. There is a lot of talent here and to lose it for unknown reasons would have been a travesity of justice. So, I am grateful the sight is back up and running...and let's keep up the great work.
Moving on, wow what a difference a couple of years make. A few years
ago, the NWO was running wild, the top stars in the industry were
Goldberg, Hogan, Nash, Hall, Austin, and the Rock. Nobody had even heard
of Kurt Angle(unless you lived here in Pittsburgh). ECW looked to be
ready to break-out thanks to signing on with TNN, and WCW, although
sliding was still in pretty good competition with WWF. Now, ECW is on
the verge of folding, and WCW isn't much better. Both are about to be
shut down, and the WWF will be top dog, and from all appearances the
only dog. This is not good for the business. I have stated this before,
and I will do so in the future. Having competition is the only way to
keep fans interest at a fever pitch. You can build for so long, but when
you're the only dog barking, eventually everyone will tell you to shut
up. I think that's why McMahon is continously comparing the WWF to soap
operas(and has added for of a soap opera feel since 1998), because he
realizes he's going to have nothing to compete with, and people will get
bored. There's no one to root for. Look at soaps. Everyone has a
favorite, and some like more than one. But what if there was only one?
You'd either have people watch or not. They wouldn't tune in to see what
shocking stuff they were doing, because you'd only have the one to
watch. The WWF will suffer if WCW and ECW fold. It will be just as bad
if the WWF takes over the WCW, because it will become just WWF junior.
Competition is sorely needed, otherwise all of these wrestlers the WWF
is buying up will be for not.
By the way, loved seeing the return of Spike, and hooking him back up
with the Dudley's. A great move. On the contrary, I cannot figure out
why they hooked Rhino up with Edge and Christian, and have him doing the
old Berzerker move. It didn't work before, it probably won't work now.
Wrestlemania is starting to build nicely, with some interesting
matches, and they are working the Austin, Rock angle very well. It looks
like it will be a blast, although I would love to see some actualy
surprises. I want to see the appearance of some wrestlers not on the WWF
payroll. With everyone else folding, they can do that now. No Jerry
Lynn, or Tajiri showing up and everyone being surprised. Spike was a
surprise, but how about a Rowdy One, or the Macho Man, or even the
Hulkster himself. Someone coming out of nowhere would make it all the
more special and separate it from all the other ppvs.
Lastly, some more thing I miss from days gone by. I thought about it some more, and I had to add some more, otherwise it wouldn't be fair. They may not be as good as my first list, but they are still things that were really cool...so bare with me.
Freddie Blassie calling someone a pencil neck geek.
Mr. Fuji's smile, and salt...Jimmy Hart's megaphone
Managers in general.
Barbed Wire matches
Cowboy Bob's cast, and Iron Mike's wrist brace...damn those things took
forever to heal.
Harlem Heat
Tammy Lynn Sytch...she was sexy, blonde, and attractive, and she blew
it big time.
The Triple Threat
The Four Hoursemen (without Steve McMichael)
Tully and Arn as a tag-team
LOD...not to be confused with LOD2000
Iron Shiek loading up his boot
The Million Dollar Man
Dramatic heel/face turns...just doesn't happen like it used to
groups of wrestlers hooking up together and forming a group....like the
NWO, Horsemen, Dungeon of Doom, Nation of Domination, some worked..some
didn't...but they were fun to watch...only one around right now is Right
to Censor, and you have to admit...they are more fun to watch
collectively, than they would be individually.
NOW FOR A FEW THINGS I DON'T REALLY MISS AT ALL
WWF mid-90s....I mean Skinner, Dink, Doink, Outback Jack?
Koko B Ware...kinda started the whole ridiculous trend of characters in
the mid-90s...Guy with a bird threatening? Don't think so!!!
The over the top rope DQ. Stupid and used only when they wanted.
NWO totally ruling everything. I liked the NWO, but when it got to the
point where they did whatever they wanted, and took whatever belts they
wanted....it was silly. You could map out the whole show, and they never
really did get theirs now did they?
All the Piper's Pit rip-offs. C'mon if you're not going to do it
right...don't do it.
Roaddog. Just couldn't wrestle, and he won't be missed.
Sable....who did she think she was. Her "acting" career died off rather
quick. Now reduced to trying to make a second rate comic book. Got waay
too big for her britches.
DJ Ran(or whatever his name was) and Ricky Rachman(or whatever the hell
his name was). This was a big flop, and the only good thing that came
out of this was the "Wrap is Crap" routine by Curt Hennig. Showed the
WCW really didn't know where their demographic was.
Well, that's it for now, so to all you out there who think the WWF would be better off alone.....you're just wrong. Until later take care, keep smiling, and watch out behind you. Remember, you really aren't paranoid if they are out to get you......................
Sincerely, the Novak Notebook.
Another Novak Notebook....
This is almost a state of the union, since we had such a momentous occasion last week. That being, of course, Vince McMahon showing up on the last Nitro on TNT. Now the questions, rumors and surprises will start filing in. But, a few things first....
I was very disappointed in the WCW broadcast overall. With it
supposedly a night of champions, Vinnie buying the WCW really screwed up
what could have been an interesting night. I was expecting to see some
wrestlers I hadn't seen for awhile, even if it was for one night only.
Hogan, Race, Dusty, Savage, and maybe a few others. I wasn't expecting
all of these guys to show up naturally, but none of them showed to to
Vince buying the company.
Instead we were treated to a heaping helping dose of Vince in the back
with Trish. At first when he came on, it was great, but as the program
wore on, it became downright boring. It wasn't funny, or even pertinent
to the situation. And how badly can you screw up a live feed??
Now some quick cudos to Ric Flair, Sting, and Big Poppa Pump who
seriously look to be out of a job, but went out there and gave good
performances. It was great to see some wrestling on the last broadcast,
and these guys showed what true professionals they were.
What I don't understand is that it was said that there were going to be
either a few WCW wrestlers at Raw, or a few WWF stars at Nitro. Neither
happened. Was I the only one who was totally bummed by that? Don't get
me wrong, Shane's okay, but once Vince started ranting and raving, you
could see that one coming a mile away.
Loved the return of Mic Foley. The WWF needs him back big time.
Now for some predictions and possibilities of what may or will happen
with the new WCW.......
First off, it's on Saturday Nights. Now before anyone moans and groans
about how they will have to stay up until 1(learn how to set your damn
VCRs to record while you're not there)....I think they need this to get
themselves back into some kind a shape. They are a wreck, and most
people don't realize how bad a shape they're in. They need to get their
act together, before they head back into prime time. Plus it gives them
a chance to be a little more wild, and risque...trying to steal the
Saturday Night Live crowd away.
Ms. Hancock is going to get naked before the year's out. To hell with
the XFL cheerleaders...this is the one I want to see.
Big Poppa Pump will stay with the company. Jeff Jarrett, Lex Luger, and
Buff Bagwell will be working local college gyms in the near future.
Hulk Hogan will open his own wrestling fed, and it will take off. For a
couple of years it will even be competitive, but McMahon's money will
squash them, and lack of funds or ability to match what Vince can give
new talent will send the company the way of ECW in the near future.
Paul Heyman will try and start up another ECW within two years.
Tony Shivaone will show up at a future WCW event, totally out of his mind after getting fired. He will be running through the crowd naked with an Uzi, mowing down everyone in sight. Then he will take Scott Hudson hostage, and nobody will notice.
Bobby Heenan will be back. Dusty Rhodes will not.
My one friend thinks the whole thing with Lawler is a work, and he's going to end up working over in WCW as an announcer. We'll see.
Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, Eddie Guerrero, Val Venis, Tazz, Test, and Albert are going to end up in the WCW.
Mike Awesome, and Lance Storm are heading to the WWF.
HHH will go over to WCW in the biggest shock of the year, and grab the heavyweight title.
There will be a title unification match within a year. Maybe at next year's Wrestlemania???
Goldberg will be seen asking customers if they want fries with their meal.
Kevin Nash is going to be telling people not to step on his big feet, or squeeze his big, funny, red nose while he's trying to make an animal balloon.
Scott Hall will be back.
Randy Savage will not, unless he signs with Hogan.
Much more usage of the Nitro Girls, and a rehiring of some of the women they fired.
Mike Sanders is going to be built up as the next Ric Flair, and Ric Flair may come back to form the Horsemen, but only to manage. I believe most of his wrestling days are over.
Shane McMahon will have quite a few WCW wrestlers with him at Wrestlemania.
Well, that's it for now. You see for yourself how many of these predictions come true. If you believe in me let me hear ya, let me see those hands waving in the air, and sing out loud.....and we'll see ya after Wrestlemania.....
Until then Sincerely,
the Novak Notebook
Well, another Wrestlemania
Has come and gone, and what are we left with? A good Pay-per-view or a company that is now taking it easy, knowing it has no competition?
First off let me rag on the cable companies. Apparently there were
problems everywhere in the country, but still. We missed 45 minutes of
the beginning of the biggest ppv of the year. The house was full, the
joint was rocking, and we were reduced to watching the TV Guide channel
for 45 minutes. That wasn't cool at all.
Unfortunately, I can't really comment on the first few matches on the
ppv. Our cable came on right as Kane, Big Show, and Raven were fighting,
so that is where I have to pick it up from. Also, unfortunately, instead
of having Chyna and Ivory opening the ppv, we were unlucky enough to
have to sit through that match.
Overall the ppv was exciting and great fun. I was surprised not to see
any WCW stars do run-ins, but that was okay. The ppv was great besides
not having many surprises.
Too bad no Pete Rose. I was not sorry to see that Limp Bizkit couldn't
make it however. It was cool to see Motorhead...not so for thte
Gobbledygooker.
The best bump of the night had to be Shane flying across the ring, and
smacking his dad in the face with the trash can he was holding. I didn't
think he'd make it across, and it did look like he might've hurt himself
when he landed, but it was a great move nonetheless. I think if Shane
went at it, he could become a really good wrestler.
The TLC II match was really awesome too. Just when you thought these
guys couldn't do any more, they seemed to top themselves at all turns.
Adding Lita, Rhino(I know old spelling, but who cares), and Spike to the
mix was great too. Didn't know which way it was going to go for quite
some time. And the stunts just kept getting bigger and bolder, to the
point where Christian actually looked like he got seriously hurt falling
off one of the ladders.
Cudos to Angle and Benoit for putting on a wrestling clinic. You
expected something like that from Angle(considering his background),
however it was great to see Benoit keep right up with him. And Angle
finally gets a big win on a ppv!
Not to happy with the Test v. Guerrero match. The match itself wasn't
bad, but Test needs a big push and this could've been a big opportunity
for him to get a victory of a more serious opponent.
Still undefeated. Undertaker gets the pin over HHH. Great move by HHH
and the match was a great effort by both, considering how limited each
one is. This might be the start of HHH moving over to WCW and taking
over down south.
Ivory v. Chyna....uhh bathroom break......next.
Kane, Big Show, and Raven.....fun match to watch, but still don't know
what they're doing with Kane. He hasn't been used very well, since he
ended his first feud with his brother.
The gimmick battle royal was fun to watch, and the entrances were
great. And one of the truly surprising parts of the night when Mean Gene
and Bobby the Brain came out. We just went nuts. It was great. Don't
even know alot of what they were talking about, because we just kept
talking. The Iron Shiek won, but nobody cared. We were just happy they
all made it through without anyone having a heart attack. It was short,
but with some of these guys' age, it had to be.
Stone Cold a bad guy? Was he ever a good guy? He never seemed like a
good guy to me....oh well, it must've been me. I must've missed
something. Anyway, that match was pretty good, but since everyone was
rumoring the heel turn, it was sort of anti-climatic. Still, lots of
blood, and chair shots.
Lastly, the McMahon's match was pretty good, with Shane taking some
huge bumps. His dive across the ring was great. Mick Foley was cool, and
Linda standing up, although predicatble was still fun. Trish chasing
Steph was cool too.
Well, that about wraps it up. The theme for the night...beat up the
ref. Undertaker and Vince really pummeled the refs, but I think they
pretty much got knocked out in every match there was. It was not a safe
night to be a ref. Well, until refs become endangered species.....see
you later....and remember, don't go mouthing off to eight men when all
your packing is a six shooter.
This week,the Novak Notebook
Looks at atrocities in this here country.
This is supposed to be a land of the free and the home of the Braves,
but how much freedom do we really have? This is a question that has
plagued this great nation ever since our founding fathers dumped tea
into the Boston Harbor because they didn't want to pay their taxes. If
we tried that today, we'd all be seen as criminals.
Did you actually think I was going to address some type of national
issue of importance? Well, I am. Is the Stone Cold heel turn working,
and if it is how long can they keep it up. Actually, the first paragraph
will make a little more sense later on.
Stone Cold, I believe was most likely getting a better reaction from
the crowd than the Rock. So, the question going into Wrestlemania was
could they make the Stone Cold turn look convincing? So far, the results
are mixed.
At first it looked like it was going to be a complete failure. They had
Stone Cold aling himself with Vince at Wrestlemania, and that couldn't
even convince some of the fans to boo him. They were still cheering him
when he was hammering the Rock with a ton of chair shots. So at first it
looked the the WWF had miscalculated big time.
After that, they followed the formula that most recent heel turns have
followed. Align with McMahon, turn on the fans, and beat up Ol' JR. It
works time and time again, but it almost didn't work. I was watching Raw
this past weekend, and there were still people cheering Stone Cold even
though he had just teamed up with HHH at Smackdown the previous week.
Finally, Stone Cold did the only thing he could do to get himself over
as a heel. He beat up Lita. If he hadn't beat the snot out of her, his
whole heel thing would've been borderline at best. Kind of like a Ric
Flair heel turn where the people are supposed to boo him, but cheer him
at times.
So, he beat a helpless woman....and Lita to boot. She's hot, so that
makes him a very bad man. That, now coupled with beating Ol' JR, keeping
company with Vince and HHH will make him the top heel for as long as
they want him to be.
Now the question is...how long will he be the big heel? With the Rock
out making a movie, the WWF needs a top face. Right now they don't have
one. They have an overabundance of heels. Stone Cold, HHH, Big Show,
William Regal,Vince, RTC, Kurt Angle and many others. What faces do they
have? Chris Benoit could be a top face, but they have him feuding with
William Regal. Chris Jericho isn't there yet, but with a little more
push, he could be. Undertaker and Kane don't seem to have any set plans,
so why not move them up to top faces instead of feuding with Big Show?
They don't have too many that can fill Rock's shoes. They are going to
need someone, and the rumor is HHH. Who wants to see a summer of HHH v.
Stone Cold? I'd much rather see Benoit and Stone Cold, or something
fresh and different. Plus, it defeats the whole point of that whole feud
they just had. HHH being sick and wanting him on his side just doesn't
cut it.
And that's the weakest part of the whole turn is the explanation.
Why?
Because he wanted too? Doesn't make any sense, which is why the fans
were still cheering him. He does what he wants. Well, he kinda always
did that anyway, which is what the fans loved. They no longer care as
much about..."well, I'm fighting the guy the fans love, so they'll
naturally hate me." It doesn't work like that anymore. You need more,
and they will have to flesh this out a little more, or drag Lita out
from the back every week t get her cute butt kicked so Stone COld can
stay heel.
Now as for the first paragraph...how does it pertain to wrestling?
Think about it....Vince McMahon now has a monopoly on the important
factions of wrestling. If a wrestler wants to make a name for
himself...he has to wrestle for Vinnie. He gets paid what Vinnie tells
him and that's it. He can wrestle in the indies, but he'll most likely
never be shown on national TV, or anything like that. So, Vince McMahon
rules wrestling. Is that a good thing? Right now, I'd say yeah, because
the WCW was a sinking ship, and nobody wanted it. So, he saved it and
hopefully can make it interesting once again. In the long run...I see
someone else coming in with their own federation, and there's enough
people out there who love wrestling, but hate McMahon that will watch
and keep it on the air.So, I don't think the long term will be affected,
unless nobody steps forward. But there is already talk of a few
federations stepping forward, so I don't see a vacant spot for long.
Now if we just could dump tea in the Boston Harbor to get rid of our
taxes, everything would be fine. Until we all have to run around with
horses and funny hats, and long rifles.....make yours the Novak
Notebook.....
Is it Mick Foley's fault?
That seems to be the question that everyone
is asking. Since some of these other sights don't have anything better
to write about, they are asking the question of who's fault it is that
the bumps are becoming bigger and badder in the wrestling world today.
Rather than just admit it is probably a progression of the times, they
choose to try and place the blame on someone. It's like placing the
blame of the cost of a movie on any one movie. Hey they cost $100
million to make, and it isn't Titanic's fault anymore than it is
Waterworld's fault. That's just the way it is. So is Mick Foley
responsible for the bumps, blood, and nasty
falls you see in pro wrestling today? The answer is not really.
The WWF has a problem right now, and I'm not sure whether they know it
yet or not. They have HHH and Stone Cold as the top two heels going
right now, and they're tearing up everyone and everyplace. They are
laying waste to everyone from Lita to the Hardy's to Kane and
Undertaker. That in and of itself isn't a bad thing. The problem
is....who is going to stop them?
As there really isn't much going on
in the world of sports entertainment.
Well, the Rock is only the second wrestler to co-star in a movie which
was number one in the box-office. Guys like the Giant, Hogan and those
had cameos in number one movies, but that was about it. Rock was in at
least the first five or so minutes of the movie, and so you can at least
consider him a co-star. Can you name the only other wrestler who was the
star of the number one box office movie for the week in which it opened?
Answer at the end.
And lastly, since there really isn't much going on in the WWF right
now, there is a package of video tapes recently released that I strongly
urge fans of wrestling to watch. The videos are put out by Kit Parker
films, and are titled "Wrestling Gold Collection", each tape of the
five tape collection has a different theme. I've watched two so far, one
called "We like to Hurt People" and the other was titled something like
"No More Mr. Nice Guy" or something like that. The hosts of the tapes
are Jim Cornette and David Meltzer, who introduce each match. Sometimes
they talk about the match while it is going on, if the announcers
couldn't be heard, but for the most part you get the announcers with the
different matches.
The quality with these two-hour long tapes runs from extremely good, to
barely visible, but they are fun to watch. Most of the action takes
place before the Vince McMahon run WWF, and a lot of it takes place in
the late 70s. The real fun of watching these tapes is watching guys like
JYD, Terry Funk, Rick Rude, Randy Savage, and Harley Race before they
made it into the WWF or WCW that I remember from the 80s. You get the
different regional wrestling, like Southwest, Memphis, a lot takes place
in Toronto, and just about everywhere. Also fun is watching guys I never
got to see, but always heard about like the Shiek, Austin Idol, Manny
Fernandez, Ox Baker, Bruiser Brody and many others. They are fun so far,
and I'm going to go back and watch the others. So far the most fun was
watching Jerry Lawler wrestle King Kong Bundy, Lawler and Savage team
up, Savage and his brother Lanny Poffo team up to face the Rock n Roll
Express with Angelo Poffo outside the Ring. Also realizing the Jimmy
Hart has managed just about everyone as he's in most of these matches.
Other highlights: Bobby Heenan bitching about getting into the ring to
wrestle, with the Blackjacks in his corner, Tommy Rich getting really
busted open, seeing the Sheepherders being especially cruel, and a
classic fight between Andre and the Shiek, where the Shiek wins by DQ.
Overall, loads of fun for longtime fans, and I highly recommend them. SO
look for them, buy them, or rent them....but watch them!
PS....the answer to the question was Roddy Piper with
They Live....as if you didn't know that!!!!
>>> Just some side notes before leaving
>It was great to see the "start" of the WCW invasion. Seeing Lance Storm show up was great.
Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit are still going strong in my view
despite the puzzling treatment of the duo during this past week's
Smackdown. Usually heading into a PPV you want to give your main
eventers a push of some kind to give them momentum. Or if they lose,
they have retribution on their mind at the ppvs(this is usually used if
the babyfaces lose to the heels during the weeks leading up to the
ppvs). However, not showing the faces during the entire broadcast, and
then have them lose the tag belts to the Dudleys(Admittedly with help
from Austin) doesn't make much sense. They have no major feud with the
Dudleys, and so they lose a little momentum going into the ppv in my
mind. Does this mean Austin will come out of the show with the belt? In
my mind, yes he will still be champ. Hopefully, Benoit and Jericho won't
be forgotten men after the ppv in all the upcoming big events like the
crossover of WCW and WWF, the return of the Rock, and HHH coming back.
They proved they can hang with the big boys, let them play for awhile.
Having DDP as the stalker was great. It wasn't the Big Show, Kane, or
someone stupid. It was a real challenge and a good surprise to boot. It
caught almost all the internet spies off guard, and surprised most fans
too. Now granted, his rantings went on a little too long, but unlike
Austin's heel turn, DDP explained himself, made his point and
established his character. He is a good person to match up with the
Undertaker, since he's a pretty big name, although not a huge superstar.
He can be taken seriously, and he's never fought the Undertaker before.
He's older but looks like he's still in good shape, so he should put on
a solid program, which he usually does. A good choice, and for a change
a nice surprise.
In closing, the WWF is in a prime position right now. Almost each and
every week, they could surprise the audience with whoever they want.
Hopefully they will take advantage of this, and keep audiences guessing.
It could make for an entertaining run through the summer and things
could really be kept hopping. We'll have to wait and see if they do
that, or stand back and do nothing. Until I figure out how to get back
from one side of Pennsylvania to the other
Is almost upon us, and this one is called
Invasion. Now, I'm not sure whether or not the WWF plans to keep the
title of this pay-per-view and every year have someone else(be it a
person, place, or organization) invade, but if they do, let's hope it
doesn't go the way of several other of their top ppvs.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away there used to be five top
ppvs the WWF would put on each year. They were; the Royal Rumble,
Wrestlemania, Summerslam, King of the Ring, and Survivor Series. Now
Wrestlemania and Summerslam didn't have any particular themes attached
to them, they were just chock full of solid matches. The other three,
however, definitely had themes running through them which over the years
have gone by the wayside and that's a damn shame.
In case you don't know, Royal Rumble was a battle royal with a twist.
Each two minutes a new stuperstar would enter the ring and fight whoever
was standing there, and they would fight for two minutes until someone
else would come out. So on and so forth, until only one person was left
in the ring. They pretty much have kept that the same, but the Royal
Rumble has other issues, which I'll address later.
Now for whatever reasons, be it the by-rates or general lack of
interest or something, the other two ppvs have totally lost the meaning
behind them. The King of the Ring used to be an 8-16 man tournament
where someone would fight three or four times that evening to be crowned
King of the Ring. Now, Edge fought twice and is considered the King of
the Ring? Why? What did he do that was so terrific? Beat Rhyno and Kurt
Angle? Big whoopie doo. It has totally taken the meaning out of the ppv,
just so they can throw on extra matches to pump up the by-rate. Instead
of pushing the next Owen Hart, Steve Austin, or Bret Hart, you get Edge
wrestling two "tough" matches. What a waste and loss of focus.
Now Survivor Series was always cool, I thought, because you could throw
everything out the window. You had teams of four match up against each
other in an elimination tag-team match and whoever was left at the end
was considered the survivor. Pretty neat I thought, until you had teams
like the Holleys teaming with Blackman and Al Snow or whatever. It used
to be everyone was involved, but now they just throw on a couple of
those matches with the lower rate guys just so they can justify keeping
the name survivor series I guess.
Okay, you heard my beef with these two ppvs(and I will get back to the
Royal Rumble), and everyone is saying....okay, but what do you do about
it? Simple, you make winning the matches worth something. I mean look
what winning the King of the Ring did for Austin, Bret, and Owen. It
propelled them to the next level. You can do it on a more simpler basis,
and have the winner of the King of the Ring take on the champion of his
choice the next day at Raw, or on the next Smackdown. Why wait until the
next ppv? Or he can have the match that night. Or he gets the right to
rule the ring, and choose his opponents he faces for the next year.
Something like that would be very interesting, and could make winning
King of the Ring very worthwhile, so you don't have anymore Billy Gunns.
Or, how about making it a title belt that is only defended the one time
a year? However, right after the previous ppv, the matches begin to
determine who will be the King of the Ring. So, you get almost say four
weeks worth of matches and pare it down to the final 8 or 16. There
definitely has to be more than two fights on the ppv, and at least four.
It needs to get back to that old system of having to fight four times to
make it worth anything.
Okay, now onto Survivor Series. Either dump it or go back to where
everyone is paired up. But you could make it a kind of lethal lottery,
where you don't know who your partners are going to be, or your
opponents. All you have is eight names, and what the potential is. Throw
them into a hat, and pick out who goes on what side. Again, as with any
gimmick ppv, you have to make winning mean something, so again, use the
ppv as a springboard for the next week's programing. Usually I'm not in
favor of using the ppv to set up the television shows, but that only
upsets me when things aren't resolved. This is a case where you resolve
who the opponents are going to be and then send them off into matches
later in the week. Or, you could do it kind of like King of the Ring,
where each team has to keep fighting until they've been elminated, and
at the end of the night, the winning team can be put into a four corners
match, triple threat match, tag title match, or something where the
belts are on the line. But it is a great concept and shouldn't be
relegated to the back-up players on the roster.
Now I'll admit, keeping the King of the Ring and Survivor Series as
they are, without any incentive for winning, is past its prime. People
will not tune in and watch, which is why you have to spice them up. I'm
also in favor of bringing back the lethal lotteries(Hitman and I talked
about a lot of this, so he knew this article was coming), and making it
a ppv. Again, you have an incentive, where at the end of the night, the
winning team gets put into a triple threat match with the champion. That
would be great. You could also watch some great pairings form, some
feuds born, other feuds rekindled, people who hate each other try to get
along, and some break-ups as well. Could make for an interesting ppv.
Now with the Royal Rumble, they do have an incentive to win, like I've
stated above. The winner gets a title match at Wrestlemania. Now what is
the problem with this? You already know who's going to win before the
match started. This pretty much started in 1992 when Flair won the belt
at the Royal Rumble, when winning was actually winning the vacant title.
Since then, the winner usually gets a title shot. So, that means you can
usually elminiate 27 other guys, and figure on the top three who may
have a shot at winning. Takes some of the drama away from it. Why can't
they just make it at the next ppv? Or at Raw? Or at Smackdown, this way
it opens the field up a little, and gives some other guys a shot. You
can mix and match and change the rules around a little each year(they've
already proven that when they let Stone Cold roam around outside after
his time was up, yet a few years ago guys like Savage and Owen were
eliminated because they left the ring or never made it in). They could
make it a bunkhouse battle royal once in awhile, or change it up every
so often. They need to make it less predictable.
Now does all this mean the WWF will drop what they're doing, and listen
to me? They should, but they won't. Chances are good they'll keep doing
what they're doing, but I think they'll be making a big mistake. Why you
ask? I'll tell you why. These gimmick ppvs are a good way to push
someone you're really unsure of. Like I mentioned above, Bret, Owen, and
especially Austin 3:16 got their big breaks at King of the Ring. Jake
got a major push until he lost to Austin in the finals, and Kurt Angle
was establishing himself as a contender with his win last year. You can
test the waters, and if the guy doesn't work....so what? You haven't
lost a whole lot, and you didn't take a huge risk. It's not like you
gave him a title run that didn't work, and now you have to figure a way
out of it. But it could be the opportunity for your next big break-out
star if you do it right. Others who got their big starts are guys like
Undertaker as part of DiBiase's team in Survivor Series(don't know if he
actually started there, but it was a huge push for him as he killed the
other team), Rocky Mavia got his start at a Survivor Series, and it can
also mark the return of some one like Jake Roberts. They are still ppvs,
and can be a showcase for returning talent, or new talent, instead of
getting rid of these gimmicks, and going strictly with matches, the WWF
should be embracing them and working them for as much as they can.
Isn't one theme I'd like to talk about right now, so
since it's my column and my time, I'm going to talk about whatever I
want.
When Raw and Smackdown happen and they tell you you're going to WWF New
York(Unless either is actually taking place in NY, or you're
hurt).....you better start looking for another career, especially if
they want you to stay awhile.
I haven't seen Tough Enough yet, but I hear it's great....don't go by
what I watch though, because I haven't watched Survivor, Millionaire,
Big Brother, Fantasy Island(Or the Temptations, whatever it was called),
Boot Camp, or the other million and a half reality shows. I have enough
reality in my own life, why the hell would I want to watch someone elses
reality(although it is a made up and forced reality, if that makes any
sense). The only one I catch occasionally is Fear Factor,,,,just to see
what people will put up with. I figure it may help me later on in life
if I become an administrator and people really want to keep their jobs
;-)
SO far the movie of the year was Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon...should've won best pic over Gladiator(Although I still contend
Shawshank Redemption was a hundred times better than Forrest Gump and
that lost too). This year the best pic I've seen is Memento. If you
haven't seen it, find it and see it. Wonderful movie. Now, why you ask
am I bringing all this up? Well, with the Rock just coming back from
Hollywood, and eventually thinking he can actually act....and even
though I like the Rock, and love wrestling, I just have a gut feeling
you will never ever ear the Rock utter those immortal words "I'd like to
thank the Academy....". Just a hunch.
Well, until Joe Namath comes out of retirement thinking he can still
play quaterback......keep reading, don't cross traffic while cars are
still coming, and use your head....unless you're crazy...
And in the midst of moving(September
first is the day), there are a few things I must address right now that
are happening in wrestling.
Speaking of Summer Slam, the best match of the night was a tough call.
Overall, I thought the ppv was really well done and had very few weak
spots. Van Damm and Jeff Hardy again put on a great show, but Angle v.
Austin was a wonderful surprise, considering the WWF usually doesn't
have great main event matches. The worst match was probably the steel
cage match. No big bumps, not a lot of blood, and what the hell did they
take the best performer of the four(Kanyon) out of match so damn early
for? The biggest disappointment was probably the Tajiri v. X-Pac match.
Not that X-Pac won(even though we all hate him), but it was much too
short, not real exciting, and the ending sucked. X-Factor is one of the
worst finishing moves of recent memory. They
need all the followers they can get, and cutting some of them off
voluntarily isn't the best thing for them right now. Guess we have to
wait and see what the WWF decides to do in the long run.
So, until Stone Cold cuts a country album, keep reading.....you Novak
Nuts
It is very difficult to believe that the
events which took place at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
happened a mere 5 days ago. In some ways it feels like it happened
yesterday, and in other ways it feels like it happened a lifetime ago.
Now I will always remember where I was and what was happening when
these events unfolded, and they are forever burned into my memory. I
work in a department with a television for the patients, but that day
everyone was watching what was going on. Three of us, including myself,
were watching stories come out about the first plane attack when we saw
the second plane hit the Trade Center live. The feeling was
unbelievable, and you kept shaking your head, thinking you were watching
some kind of action movie. The rest of the morning, while I was treating
patients, there was always someone in the waiting room watching the
television. In between patients I ran down there to see what else was
going on. As the day progressed, the news kept getting worse. The
Pentagon was hit. Then the Trade Centers collapsed, along with various
inaccurate reports that came along. Overall, a very surreal day to say
the least.
And it wasn't over. It still isn't over. Coverage has been nonstop
since Tuesday, and every media outlet has it as their top stories.
Saturday was the first day there was anything resembling normal
television events broadcasted for three or four days. It has been
chaotic, hectic, mind boggling, and gut wrenching all rolled into one.
Yet it is also a time of reflection. What we think about other people,
and ourselves. Do we tell the ones we care about how much we actually do
care about them? We should, before it's too late. We shouldn't live by
the phrase "they know how I feel". Tell them. Do we do what we say we're
going to do with our lives, or at least try? No more of this potential
nonsense. Do it, or at least try. You may never get another opportunity.
This is a difficult time, yet the country has banded together like never
before, or at least not in fifty or so years. Our world seemed to be
crumbling apart that day, yet the strength of the people in this country
is going to prop it back up. And we'll do it together. Where I work(like
many other places) we had a prayer service that day, and one Friday for
the victims and their families. Those families couldn't see what we were
doing, but I'd like to think they could feel what we were doing. I hope
and pray it gave them something of an inner strength to keep going,
searchin, praying, or whatever they need to do. I did what I could do,
although like many I wish I could do more.
Now I realize this is supposed to be a wrestling column, and I haven't
mentioned anything about wrestling, such as what I think about Vince
McMahon airing Smackdown live on Thursday. Honestly, I don't think much.
I saw it, and wasn't impressed one way or the other. I think Stephanie's
comments were way off base, but other than that I didn't think much of
the show. Some of the wrestlers were obviously not into it as much as
they could've been otherwise, and that was understandable. To knock
Vince down a few pegs for his patting himself on the back is
understandable, but I think things got too blown out of proportion. Just
like I heard they are stopping the Spider-man film because it had the
Trade Center in it(although not blowing up), I think people are
overreacting to things that don't matter much. Does it really matter
whether the movie has the Trade Center in it or not? It was there, and
it was there for over twenty years. It was a momument, and if anything I
think they should've left it in, and paid a special tribute at the
beginning of the film(or give victims a portion of the profits). In the
grand scheme of things does it really matter whether Vince aired
Smackdowntwo days after the bombings? People already have an opinion of
him one way or the other, and he probably didn't change anyone's mind by
what he did. I feel for any wrestlers who didn't want to get out there
and perform but did. I hope they were given an option of whether to go
out or not. I mean plays went on, restaurants stayed open, and Smackdown
aired. Does it really matter? Whether it was right or wrong isn't for me
to say, but up to each individual to judge for himself, which is kind of
a neat thing about this country. Each person is entitled to their own
opinion. So judge for yourself, keep praying for those still looking,
and hope this is all over soon
Another episode of Smackdown and was pondering some
things, when I came across the idea for my next article. Actually, it
was inspired by the poll we took from the Hitman, and I've just thought
of a few things from the poll which I'd like to expound upon.
While the question rages of who made wrestling what it is today, and
even though my answer was Vince McMahon, I totally agree with anyone who
says that wrestling today was not made by one man, but by a legion of
people who came before the stars and promoters of today. They forged the
way for the men and women who grace the squared circle, and gave them
ideas of where to go from where they left off. For every Stone Cold,
there was a Hulk Hogan. For every Hulk Hogan, there was a Bruno
Sammartino. For every Bruno, there was a Lou Thesz, and so on down the
line. For every Roddy Piper, there was a Killer Kowolski, for every Ric
Flair there was a Gorgeous George. For every Vince McMahon Jr. there was
a Sr. and so on and so on. These men and women of today did not create
the brand of wrestling we watch and love or hate today. They expanded on
whatever was done before them, and it has reached heights never before
seen.
Now why am I bringing this all up, other than the fact that I am long
winded. Well, I was thinking of the question while I was watching the
main event for Smackdown, Austin v. Undertaker. It then struck me that
while Vinnie Mac may not be the man responsible for wrestling of today,
he certainly has a way of turning other people's leftovers into stars.
Think about this. The Undertaker was in a dead end as Mean Mark
Callous. He had the talent and the ability, but not the gimmick. He
comes to the WWF and he becomes one of the longest lasting stars of the
modern era. Stone Cold had some success as part of the Hollywood
Blondes, was a blip on the screen in ECW, and even early in the WWF he
was getting beat by Savio Vega. Now, however, Stone Cold is one of the
WWF's biggest stars ever. Want more proof? HHH was part of the Blue
Bloods in WCW but hardly worth mentioning. He even lost to Ultimate
Warrior in the WWF, but became huge as part of Degeneration X. Kurt
Angle has reached heights no other Olympian has since Ken Patera.
Okay, you say over the years that Vince has gotten a knack down. True,
but it traces back farther than that. Nash and Hall were huge as the
NWO, but they both had spots in WCW before they came back, and were big
disappointments. They go over to the WWF as Diesel and Razor Ramon, and
become two very big stars. That was the only thing that allowed the NWO
to work in the first place, was that they were big stars to begin with.
And it goes back farther than that. When Vince in the 80s saw where he
wanted to go with the WWF and make it national rather than regional, he
took some of the best talent out of what was then the independent
leagues, and turned them into the biggest stars he could. Hulk Hogan,
Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, and many like that were pretty well known and
popular in their respective organizations, but none of them were hardly
superstars in the same league as Billy Graham, Andre the Giant, Bruno,
and even Bob Backland. They were known, and Vince ran with that and made
each and every one of them huge. He turned as many of them into icons as
he could. And it kept going. Jake Roberts slithered out of Smokey
Mountain Wrestling, Ravishing Rick Rude came over after the initial
surge proved to be very lucrative and successful.
Vince did have some weak spots in the gimmick oriented early ninties.
This was when the Undertaker came on the scene and thoroughly captivated
audiences who had never seen anything like him. He was big, agile,
strong, and couldn't be hurt. And most importantly to Vince, he had the
perfect gimmick. Soon everyone needed a gimmick to survive in the 90s.
Macho Man became the Macho King. We had the Mountie, Skinner, thte
Berzerker, and the bad gimmicks just keep rolling, rolling, rolling.
Vince wisened up and realized that talent could actually sell tickets
as well. This was when he started with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels as
top talent. Neither of whom had a career outside of the WWF(they both
wrestled outside the WWF-but neither was a top draw). Unfortunately,
this was when Eric Bishoff(who I believe gets way too much credit) was
buying up known talent and using them to push the NWO and the fight
against it. This led to old rivalries being renewed(such as Piper v.
Hogan) and this much credit to Bishoff, seemingly resolving things the
WWF had left hanging.
Vince was losing in the ratings, but in the meantime, the WCW couldn't
afford to keep everyone, so the lesser people were being sent away, so
they could bring in the top name talent. This worked for a few years,
but what the WWF did was bring in that talent, and start using it. They
developed the characters of Stone Cold, The Rock(who did wrestle outside
the WWF-although briefly), HHH, and many others and let the fans grow
with them. Vince suddenly switched gears from the short term to the long
haul. And it paid off, big.
Now Vince isn't a complete genius. His biggest problem is what to do
with already known talent. He still hasn't decided what to do with the
Big Show, who was the biggest free agent at one time. The Radicalz,
outside of Benoit, have been a major disappointment. He used Ric Flair
for a couple of years way back when, but even that left a bad taste in
some people's mouth. So, I can see what some top talent, such as Sting
and whatnot might be a quite bit hesitant to come over to the WWF. Vince
doesn't know what to do with people who are already known, because they
already have a character. Look at the problems he's had with Booker T.
He wasn't as big as Goldberg or whatever, but he definitely had a
character over in WCW and he was very popular with crowds. I still don't
know whether he's main event material, but who would've thought after
seeing Austin in WCW or ECW he would've been main event material either.
Now before I leave, just some thoughts floating around in my head that
the voices said I needed to get out.
Mick Foley certainly heightened the awareness of all of these types of
falls and possible injuries when he came to the WWF some five years or
so ago. However, he was not the first one to try these types of moves,
nor was he the one to bring them to the attention of the world.
Vince McMahon has always thrived off of nasty looking falls, bumps and
whatnot. Always. What he saw in Mick was someone who was willing to go
along with him. And the critics who say mick couldn't wrestle, or taking
those falls was all he was good for obviously haven't been following his
whole career.
First, Mick connected with the fans, even when he was a heel. He could
get a reaction out of a crowd whether he was taking a fall, or ripping
fake hair out of his head in the corner of the ring. The fall usually
culminated after a nasty feud, and the only reason he got such a
reaction from the fall was because the crowd either loved or hated him
so much to begin with. If Steve Blackman takes the fall, not too many
people will say anything. You have to have the connection to the crowd
before you take the fall, which is the biggest mistake made by most of
the wrestlers today. They take the fall first to connect with the crowd,
and that will impress the crowd initially, but they will want a
connection after that. If you don't give them the connection, the fall
will fade.
Next, as for Mick bringing it to the spotlight of the world? That's
ridiculous. Has anyone heard of the luchidores, who were doing crazier
and even more dangerous things over in WCW before Mick took the plunge
off of Hell in the Cell? Ask Mysterio how his knees feel after some of
those moves. Some of his in-ring moves were for more risky than brawling
out into the crowd(where there is security and they usually set-up the
stunt). Has anyone heard of Terry Funk, who was doing most of these
types of "crazy" moves before Mick was even on the wrestling scene?
And
the man is still doing them.
So, blaming Foley for all of this is
utterly absurd. Foley has never come out and endorsed his style(in fact,
he has slammed it a few times), and I'm assuming he's never told
everyone backstage to try and go and outdo him. He had a style, pure and
simple. And there are plenty of wrestlers who are far more over than
Mick Foley, who hardly ever venture into the dangerous territory. Austin
doesn't do aerial work, Hogan barely got off the ground, Flair, Sting,
Piper, and so on and so on. Each had a style, and more importantly, each
connected with the fans first.
Another thing, does anyone remember brass knuckles? Those have been
around as long as wrestling. There have been foreign objects involved
forever. One of the best matches of Wrestlemania history is considered
to be Steamboat v. Savage at WMIII. Does anyone remember how that feud
started? Remember the high flying Savage jumping out of the ring and
onto the prone Steamboat with the ring bell in his hand, crashing it
down onto Steamboat's throat. That was waaaaay before Mick Foley, and
yet evolved into a classic feud. You had foreign objects, dangerous
moves, and all kinds of other stuff in that match. Again, it connected
with the fans, and the WWF milked it right.
It is time to stop with the risk taking first.
Develop a connection
with the crowd before you do anything like that, otherwise it will be
wasted. But to blame Mick for everything is just plain ignorant of the
history of wrestling and stupid.....
Sincerely
the Novak Notebook
Where Have All the Faces Gone??
The way the WWF has it set up right now, it looks as though Linda
McMahon is going to have to stop the two man power trip. The Rock is out
filming a movie, and Kane and Undertaker just had the brains beat out of
them on Raw the other night. The Hardy's are minor foils at best, and
the other possible top faces(Benoit, Jericho, Raven) are in other feuds.
Also, there aren't many possible top faces out there right now. The
above three are about the only ones you can think of off the top of your
head, and you have to reach to consider Raven a possible top face. On
top of that, there is talk they want to turn Bubba and Devon heel to get
them over even more. Then you'll have the same problem in the tag ranks
that you have in the single ranks...not enough faces.
The WWF is going to have to do something and do it fast, otherwise this
summer is going to be long and boring, and everyone will be flipping
over to WCW once it returns because they'll be tired of WWF. Bringing
back the Rock is an option, but then what? Rock vs. everyone? You could
elevate some of the mid-carders, but there is a reason they're usually
midcarders. Another thing they could do is dump the feuds Jericho and
Benoit are having and put them against HHH and Stone Cold. This would be
a great move, since they both have pasts with the heels(Jericho with HHH
and Benoit with Stone Cold), and this could carry them through the
summer. Hell, even a title change here and there wouldn't be too bad. I
would love to see either HHH or Stone Cold drop their belts to these
guys. I think this is the thing the WWF has to do, and then worry about
finding things to do with Regal and Angle later. Regal and Angle aren't
the ones selling the tickets right now, and to have good heels, you need
someone for them to feud with.
The other thing the WWF could do is bring in a couple of people from
WCW. It looks like the new WCW is going to be mostly young guys from the
looks of the roster they're keeping, so they might be able to bring in a
couple of the veteran guys(DDP, Booker T, Big Poppa Pump)for a feud or
two with the two heels. It would definitely be interesting, and would
get them through the summer. Plus if they did something really
interesting like sign Flair of Hogan for just a summer run, then it
would be real interesting to watch.
Right now the WWF has a lot of choices which direction it wants to go,
but they need to remember something. They need more than one face to
keep the company going. They have two top heels, but also have several
people that could fill that role if one goes down(Regal, Angle, Big
Show, etc.). They don't have any top faces after Rock and Undertaker.
They need to build up a solid foundation of faces so they can keep it
entertaining for the long term, otherwise you're going to be watching a
lot of Rock v. someone matches....or HHH v. Stone Cold matches when HHH
has his face turn. Sounds exciting huh?
Well, Until later......remember
win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.....
Sincerely, the
Novak Notebook.
Just some odds and ends this week
First off, I read somewhere that Jerry Lawler is sort of taking
responsibility for the slide in the ratings. Really, has anyone noticed
that Lawler and his war cry for puppies is gone? Heyman is doing a great
job behind the mic, and his barbs and jabs at JR have only gotten better
over the weeks. I mean it isn't possible the slides in ratings could be
due to the fact the Rock is taking a hiatus, making a movie could it? It
couldn't be that outside the Undertaker, the WWF has no top faces(until
they turned Rikishi)? It couldn't be that since Wrestlemania the WWF has
been on cruise control could it? It couldn't be that the WWF has too
many other things to juggle(Like WCW and the now defunct XFL) could it?
For Lawler to even remotely take some of the credit is giving the man a
little too much credit himself. He is a legend in the ring, and he is a
good announcer, but numbers to not rise and fall due to the replacement
of an announcer, unless the guy replacing him is completely awful.
Period.
Sincerely, the
Novak Notebook.
Are finally getting the huge pushes they
deserve. Now they are getting main event feuds with Austin, HHH, and
Regal. They are getting title shots, and even though they are only in
possession of the tag title matches, I have a feeling one of them if not
both of them will be holding the WWF Title sometime in the near future.
I say it couldn't come at a better time.
If you recall, I wrote a little while back that the WWF needed to do
something and do it quick. They had too many heels, and not enough faces
after the Rock had left. I gave some choices, but I said the best thing
for them to do would be to promote guys like Jericho and Benoit. And
poof, they did it. Both are getting huge reactions all over the place,
and the Rock isn't on the front of everyone's mind. They can relax and
bring the Rock back when they need to, and don't have to worry about
rushing him back to feud with Austin and drive ratings up. They can work
Benoit and Jericho and build them up to be big stars and then when the
Rock comes back, you'll really have something.
Both Jericho and Benoit have definitely paid their dues. Jericho has
been in the WWF for awhile now, and feuded with just about everyone. He
had the biggest production entrance of all-time in the WWF and was
probably one of the most hyped. They put him in immediate verbal
confrontations with the Rock, Undertaker and the like, but he has kind
of faded into the background and muddled around feuding with the likes
of Chyna, X-Pac, and the Big Show. They tried elevating him a couple of
times, but he never seemed to rise above Intercontinental title chances.
To me he is a wonderful talent on the mic, even if his in-ring work is
at times spotty. His career has been marked with highs and lows, ranging
from being barely known in ECW to the Lionheart gimmick which really
didn't work for him in WCW. The only thing that really paid off for him
was when he snapped in WCW and really played it up as a heel. He had the
memorial service for Dean Malenko's career, had his hair in all kinds of
positions, wore stuff from wrestlers he beat like Mysterio and Prince
Ieukea(or however you spell his name). But he came into the WWF with all
kinds of hype, and they didn't do anything with him. Now, he's getting
his shot and here's hoping it lasts for some time.
Benoit on the other hand is a wrestler I've always liked. I just loved
the style he has in the ring, and if he was a little bit bigger, he
would've been a huge star by now. I have followed him since his days in
the ECW, and through his Horseman, Sullivan days over in WCW. I always
thought he was one of the best wrestlers around, whether he was a face
or a heel. He was just simply that damn good(to borrow a phrase) as a
wrestler that you couldn't help but respect the man. Kinda remind me of
a mechanical Roddy Piper in that he'll fight anyone at anytime. If he
had a touch more height and personality, he'd be even a bigger star. I'm
hoping this huge push makes people realize what a tremendous athlete he
is. Are Jericho and Benoit the next biggest thing that's going to come
out of the WWF? Wait and see.
>Kurt Angle is the best thing going right now in WWF. Regal is a close second. Both are very funny and can carry a conversation, and the faces Regal makes are priceless.
>Despite what I think of HHH as a wrestler, I have to give the man credit. He finished a match, when nobody would've faulted him for staying on the outside clutching his leg. It showed not only a lot of guts, but love for the industry when a hobbled HHH climbed back into the ring to finish the match. HHH gets AAA+++
>Is Steve Austin over as a heel? It seems sometimes yes, sometimes no. I still say the weak reason for him turning heel(no reason-get it)is the reason the people have reacted the way they have. Even having him turn greedy and become a heel for McMahon money or something would've been better than because I can.
>I'm not big on romance in wrestling(especially when it deals with Mark Henry and Mae Young)...but I do think the Spike Dudley, Molly Holly thing is not only cute, but a good story line ripped right from the Hatfields and McCoys. Gives both teams heat, a push, and a good feud.
>Conversly, I don't see the point of Lita and Matt Hardy, other than to boost Matt a little bit over his brother Jeff. No feud no nothing has taken place, so what was the point?
That's about it for now...so take care and I'll be writing again
soon(trust me it's not only a threat, but a promise)..
until that
time........
Sincerely the Novak Notebook.
Until after the King of the Ring to write my
report, but since I'm going away for a week and will miss the King of
the Ring(coupled with having to write a paper for school when I get
back), I have decided to comment on the things happening right now in
the WWF.
Tajiri has made an impact already. He was great in ECW and now he gets
to showcase his talents for a bigger Federation. The WWF should keep him
around and use him wisely. He has potential and he is wonderful to
watch. Can't wait for the Tajiri v. Jeff Hardy feud.
William Regal has got to be kept around as commisioner, even if Foley
wants to come back. The way to resolve this is make the commisionership
part of the divorce. Regal on Vinnie's side, and Foley on Linda's side.
So, you end up with duel commisioner's. One makes a ruling and the other
can't overturn it, but can up the ante. It would be fun to watch Foley
and Regal go at it all the time. It would certainly liven up the
segments in between matches.
....Sincerely the Novak
Notebook...
Well another Pay-per-view
So, until Stacy Kiebler comes to your door and asks you to go dancing
with her.....keep reading...
sincerely the Novak Notebook.
Since there really ...
Funniest sideshow to the actual wrestling so far this year; the Kurt
Angle and Stone Cold segments were hilarious, and we're all going to be
missing them soon. They were classic, and more importantly, they were
actually funny....
Rob Van Damm v. Jeff Hardy at Invasion is already an early candidate
for match of the year. However, I think Van Damm is going to do what
Chris Benoit did last year, and be in quite a few of the "Match of the
Year" candidates. He got a late start this year, but he's going to be on
quite a few cards where he can excel, so look for him in quite a few
qualifing for match of the year.
The tag-team without a name that nobody really cares about; Big Show
and Billy Gunn. Yeah these two have showed some chemistry(But so have
Perry Saturn and the mop)...and might end up making a half way decent
tag-team, but nobody cares about either one of these guys right now.
They've both been hyped early on, nobody cared, and then they weren't
used right, and nobody still cares. Maybe as a tag team they'll generate
more heat, but the Hollies get more heat than they do right now and
that's saying something.
Does Goldberg seriously think he'll get Austin like money from the WWF?
Makes you wonder if he has gone and kicked himself in the head and given
himself a concussion?
Also wouldn't bet on any wrestling themed movie to ever be nominated
for an Academy award. It's like trying to get a Stephen King movie
(Shawshank, and The Green Mile) to win one. Just isn't going to happen.
But could you imagine the speech someone like the Rock, or Hotrod would
give if they got up there. Everyone voting for Oscars would have to be
replaced the following year after each of them has a heart attack.
Best ever acting job by a wrestler in a movie. Roddy Piper in They
Live. Best acting job by a wrestler. Jesse Ventura as Governor of
Minnesota. Worst acting job ever by a wrestler. Hulk Hogan in anything.
Best acting job ever(inlcuding wrestlers). Ronald Regan as President.
And somewhere I heard the Rock returned. What is my reaction to this?
Too bad. Why you ask? Well, it's really none of your business, but I'll
be polite and answer it for you. Kurt Angle is building momentum, and he
is over big. The Rock coming back is going to way diminish that, and
Kurt is going to be pushed into the background, which is too bad. He's
great on camera(the whole Austin thing was great), he's a great
wrestler, he's getting cheered, and more importantly, he's from
Pittsburgh PA dammit! They need to push him against Austin for awhile,
but now he's going to get stuck in the feud with Booker T, while we see
Rock v. Austin.....again. Yeah it's fun and they do well, but we just
saw this feud at Wrestlemania this year, last year, and a few years ago.
It isn't new. Angle is fresh as a face and could at least have a decent
run...then let the Rock, Austin and eventually HHH come back and take
some of the spotlight. But give some to Angle, because he has earned it
to say the least.
sincerely the
Novak Notebook
Despite not feeling very well,
The Austin Appreciation night was hilarious. All the bad singing, and
even worse gifts(not to mention Terri almost losing her top) were great,
and when Angle came out in the truck and threw milk cartons at everyone,
and then hosed them down....it was downright classic. Not only that, but
they've been mocking Bret Hart a lot lately, and to see them mock
something Austin made famous was even better.
I can't imagine how good it will be when HHH and Benoit get back. Also,
I can't imagine what they will do with either of them, or where they'll
fit them in.
Booker T has gotten better, and despite some of the knocks against
him(some deserved and others not), it is still refreshing to see the
Rock face someone rather than Stone Cold or HHH. However, it is very
clear Booker T is not main event status and for the WCW to survive on
its own, they're going to need to go out and get someone, or keep Stone
Cold with them.
Jericho has been royally screwing up moves for years, but on the
ppv...I believe a lot of those slips were not his fault. At first I
thought he was just going through the motions yet again, however several
other matches proved that the ropes were not top quality and had a lot
of slack in them.
Now on to the big topic of debate, and that is the direct TV contract.
Now I'm not a person who has direct Tv, so I can't speak from a personal
standpoint, but from everything I read I can't help but think thte WWF
is trying to play one too many cards.
Sure in terms of ppv television, there is nobody who holds a candle to
WWF television in terms of buyrates. Boxing is a joke, and now they're
scrambling to have three or four matches on a card, instead of one big
match that lasts 26 seconds and everyone shells out 50 dollars for. PPV
movies are a lot cheaper, plus they are in direct competition with
Lackluster and Hollywon't video(I have whole issues with those two
companies). PPV concerts quite haven't taken off yet, although they are
starting too, so what else is there for ppv television?
However, without any competition the WWF doesn't really have anywhere
else to go. There are the normal ppv outlets, but that doesn't broaden
your base of support. Direct TV was giving them whole new fields and
markets, and now with them cutting off their nose to spite their face,
they going to lose a good portion of they're followers who now won't be
able to get the ppvs. This might also affect the Raw and Smackdown
ratings since these people might not tune in since they won't be able to
get the ppvs anymore. I'm not real sure what the long term ramifications
will be, but if I were the WWF I would try and get myself everywhere I
possibly could right now, since they are starting to struggle
apparently(I mean Vinnie Mac had to take a pay cut for Heaven's sake).
So, now is not the time to be trying to take a stance. Not when you are
trying to get the WCW off the ground, and your numbers for your big
shows are slipping. They still have a lot of talent, and the writing
seems to have gotten sharper and crisper, so now is the time to expand
and show as many people as you can that it can be entertaining to watch
the WWF. Once they get a bigger audience, they can always go back and
make more and more demands, like they did with the USA channel(which I
still think was a huge mistake). But they can't do that right now.
....sincerely the Novak Notebook.....
Well, as I sit here today,
...sincerely the Novak Notebook
I have just watched
---Who in their right mind would've honestly thought the Kane character
would've lasted this long?
---Again, Vinnie Mac with a known staple. What is he doing with RVD? IS
he planning something huge or not?
---Turning Kurt Angle heel was the worst thing Vince has done recently.
It might be good for the Alliance, but Kurt could've been as popular as
Hogan and sold millions of shirts with the way the country feels right
now. We could've used him.
---Here's hoping Eddie Guerrero has gotten his act together. He's gone
through a lot over his years, and he has way too much talent to piss it
away on painkillers.
---I like what their doing with Test, but He needs a new name, and he
needs to do more of it.
---The WWF is where the WCW was a few years ago. Too much talent and not
enough air time. Albert was supposed to be one of the biggest things
coming up through the ranks...where is he? Also, any of these names ring
a bell....Crash, Chavo, Kanyon, and I'm sure there are many many more.
---I actually like the Hurricane gimmick. I think it is hilarious, so
sue me.
---Okay, here was something it took me all of three and a half minutes
to figure out. The WWF has all these women it doesn't know what to do
with, like Trish and whoever. They already started to hook up some of
them with teams or people(like Torrie Wilson with Tajiri, and I like the
Stacy Kiebler with the Dudley Boys), so why not have Trish hook up with
someone who's fighting them just so she can be on opposite sides with
women she hates.
---I can't wait to see what happens when Benoit and HHH get back.
---Kinda forgot Val Venis and Rikishi were on the Disabled List huh?
---Does Taka Michinoku know how to land right? Every time he gets thrown
over a rope, he's out for four months.
---Sad to say, but as many serious injuries as Bob Holly has had to his
arm, I think he should retire.
---I hear Buff Bagwell turned his back on $1,000 a week to wrestle in
the indies, so he could stay in Australia and wrestle crocks for $25 a
month. Does his mom also do his financial planning. He's the Daryl
Strawberry of wrestling.
----Well, until I have a 24 hour wrestling station, and never go to work
afraid of missing the next big match...tune in and make it
the Novak
Notebook....
Today the Novak Notebook
The first interview was conducted by world renowned Josh Cronin. His target was the Mighty Cowboy from Hell, who has been beating the hell out of people for many years. He is the ultimate in beer swilling, hell raising, whooping ass types there is. He has never met a beer or a bike he didn't like, and barmaids know him by name. A good time at the bar is never complete without an all out bar fight, and him walking out whistling Dixie.
1. Hello there Cowboy Bob, my name is Josh Cronin. Can you tell me how you started your career in wrestling?
Firs' off, Josh, Cronin, my name s' not "Cowboy Bob", s' "Cowboy From Hell". I git mah start n' wresslin fur be'n da most feared man n' de mosh pit at Pantera shows. Der ain't nothin' dat comes betwa'n mah boys n' me. Dey wuz just about tur hire me tur der security staff when de wresslin called firs'.
2. Well, that was interesting, I guess. I just want to know one thing, Dusty...when did the steroids kick in?
Der's no need fur name calling, Jossie-pooh. I dun' use steeruds. Why poke dat der needul' in yusself when all yus' need s' a cupul Ass-preen tur dull yus' pain? I dun' work out, needer. All mah's work comes fur bangin' into udders at de shows.
3. Yeah, right. Are you telling me you never took steroids? Do you want to see the old photos?
What yus' say? I keel yus' if yus' shows dem fotos!!
4. I didn't think so.
Shows me dem fotos n' I's shows yus' a man whus' breath can nok a dawg over dead!
5. Let me ask you this Mr. Blackjack. Why is it everytime your little sidekick, Shotgun Annie, comes back from an injury, her boobs are bigger?
Are yus' sayin' dat Shotgun Annie git' husself a boob jawb? Nah....duh swellin' in huh chess ain't gon' down yit.
6. Do you fancy yourself a John Wayne type, or the man in black?
Needer. I dun tol' yus' once, man....iss'a Pantera ting. But if dey wanna keep me on dis Wessern ting, I gis dey'll keep me on a man in black ting. Whas' nix, I becums Billy de Kid or sumpin?
7. The horse you ride in on has bitten several people
as of late. Don't you worry about the fans
retaliating?
What yus' say?
8. Oh, I'm sorry...I mean the fans getting even with
you?
Dat's betta. Nah, dey paid der gold nuggits tur git
'n, so 's der own fawt 'f dey git tur close to mah
haws.
9. Another thing I want to know is why you insist
every match be a bunkhouse battle royal?
Caus' I git's tur use mah gear n' all n' de matches.
Where els' cun I git tur use mah spurs, mah boots, mah
Cult furty-fahv, n' mah bull ripe?
10. Can you talk about the last match you had, when you lost six of your teeth?
I ain't los' nun six tath!!!
11. Yes, it was six...we counted.
Hmmmm. I gus' I shud be mahd at dat, but I'm naut....yut. I never nahtice 'ntul it's ovah.
12. But didn't it hurt?
Naun as I cun tul.
13. Even a little?
Naun.
14. I see, Okay Hillybilly Jim, what happened two weeks ago when you asked Stacy Kiebler out on a date? Whatsup with that?
Dat der be de swatest ting tur evah gras Gawd's green awth! She be one pussacat who cun claw mah enah-tahm!
15. Did you actually expect her to say yes?
Well, I figgured it culdn't haht tur ask.
16. Kinda got little Shotgun Annie mad didn't it?
Dat be Shotgun Annie's problem, den.
17. But it looked like it was more your problem. I mean that looked like it kinda hurt what she did to you there.
Man, talk about a doo-zee! *(groans while looking at his "manhood")*
18. What's the worst thing about being a wrestler there Dustin?
Ah, jus' dat dey stuck an esstra cover ovah mah attar, kina' lahk Clint Eeswood in doz Man Wit No Name movees. Dat and dey insis' on Shotgun Annie tahkin' wit de commentatahs while I's wressle.
19. Well, you are supposed to take more than just your wrestling gear with you when you go from town to town. I'm no wrestler, but at least I would think so anyways. And I really don't think listening to Shotgun is the worst thing that can happen in one of your matches...
Dat's yur opinyun.
20. Yeah it surely is.....
Yissurree Bob.
21. Okay, last question here Tex, so do you expect to win any matches in the near future? I mean you have a worse streak than the Brooklyn Brawler.
If yus' calls mah anyting Wessern again, I's has tur shut yus' up. Yes, I's esspek tur win sumtime soon. Maybe againss Brawlah hisself.
22. Thanks alot there Slim Witman. There you have it, the start of a new career. I'm Josh Cronin and you're not.
Okah, dat's it! *(CFH powerbombs Josh Cronin, who is now unconscious)* Let dis be a lesson tur all yus' who mess wit' de Cowboy From Hell.....stand back, or yus' will fall victim tur de "Trendkiller".
Yet another interview with one of the up and coming stars in the world of professional wrestling. The interviewer is the legendary Skip Lawson, and he tackles the rookie wrestler from Greece. The 286 pound mammoth of a man, Alexander the Great to find out what it's like for the new rookies on the block. Skip had his work cut out for him as it was a struggle to get anything out of the man. For his muscles may be many, but everything else needs some work.
10 QUESTIONS WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT
SKIP LAWSON: Hi Alexander. Nice to meet you. By the way....nice outfit.
1. My first question is, what's with the getup, anyhow?
YOU DON'T LIKE MY OUTFIT. I CURSE YOU AND THE GROUND YOU WALK ON TEN THOUSAND FOLD. I GUESS THONGS ARE NOT IN STYLE NOW AS THEY WERE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO IN GREECE.
2. Uh.....OK. But wasn't Greece conquered some 3000 years ago?
IT MATTERS NOT WHETHER GREECE WAS CONQUERED OR NOT. IT WAS STILL THE GREATEST CIVI....CIVIL...PLACE TO BE AT THE TIME. PARTIES ALL THE TIME, AND EVERYONE WAS AN ATHLETE. YOU DIDN'T HAVE CARS BACK THEN BIPPY
3. Cool. Do you own any exotic animals that you plan to bring to the ring with you...that is, can we expect to see you bring a tiger or a lion out? Because if you are, aren't you at all worried that they might endanger the fans?
I HAVE A MIGHTY ARMY OF ANIMALS. WHAT I CHOOSE TO BRING TO THE RING TO HELP DEFEAT MY OPPONENT DEPENDS ON THE MAN I AM FACING. I CAN BRING TIGERS, LIONS, OSTRICHES, CHIMPS, BEARS, ELEPHANTS......
4. Uh.........
YOU DARE TO INTERRUPT THE GREAT ONE WHILE HE IS TALKING. YOU BEST NEVER DO THAT AGAIN YOU PUNY LITTLE MAN YOU.(spittle starts flying out of his mouth, and Skip takes a few steps back to get out of the way).
5. .....OK. Now, do you have any props or weapons you bring to the ring with you?
WEAPONS I HAVE. I KNOW NOT WHAT A PROP IS. I HAVE A FIERY SWORD THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME BY MANY GENERATIONS OF MEN FROM WHENST IT CAME. IT HAS BEEN HANDED DOWN FROM THE LADY OF THE LAKE HERSELF TO ONLY THOSE THAT ARE WORTHY ENOUGH TO CARRY ITS MIGHTY BURDEN.(more spittle, and little chunks of food fly out, and Skip starts looking for a rain slicker).
6. Nice. So, what do you do outside the ring, for fun?
EAT CHEETOS AND WATCH BRITNEY SPEARS VIDEOS.
7. Hmmmm. OK, what's the weirdest thing you've seen another wrestler do backstage?
IT INVOLVED TWO WRESTLERS ACTUALLY. I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THEY WERE DOING, BUT IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE PRACTICING SOME MOVES ON EACH OTHER, AND SINCE I DON'T NEED ANY HELP, I LEFT THEM ALONE.
8. Alex, who's the toughest opponent you've faced?
THERE IS NOBODY TOUGH ENOUGH FOR ALEXANDER THE GREAT. IT IS NOT ALEX, BUT ALEXANDER. THE GREAT ONE. THE ONLY GREAT ONE. HE WHO HAS CONQUERED EVERYTHING. DON'T YOU GET IT.(he raises his arms to the skies, and Skip curls his nose at the stench)
9. All right, Big Al....what's next on your agenda?
PROBABLY A TITLE SHOT, AND I'M WARNING YOU NOT TO CALL ME SUCH NAMES. THOSE PEOPLE WHO HOLD TITLES ARE FEARFUL OF ME AND WHAT I CAN DO TO THEM, SO THAT IS WHY I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A TITLE SHOT IN OVER TWO YEARS. I THINK. KINDA WOULD LIKE BRITNEY SPEARS AS MY VALET, OR EVEN THAT STACY KIEBLER.
10. Thank you for your time, Allie.
I HAVE HAD ENOUGH.....and with that Alexander the Great lunges at Skip, but somehow trips over the sword latched to his side and falls off the interview platform and into the crowd. He falls on a big fat guy eating three hot dogs and pierces the man with the sword, while landing on his side, breaking his hip. Hence another great career cut short by a freak injury.
Well, I hope you enjoyed these thought provoking interviews. It does
warm the heart to know that these athletes can take the time out of
their busy schedules to let the common man know what it is like to be
them. The pain, anguish, sorrow and joy they feel, we can now feel as
well. Until the time when XFL gets confused with the XWF
...make yours
the Novak Notebook....
Now I don't know
About all of you, but after watching Smackdown this
past week, one question has been brought to mind....what the hell was
the Invasion angle all about????
I mean, first off, they kept RVD, Christian and a few others like the
Dudleys from the Alliance right after the Invasion angle ended. Fine, I
can buy that....those guys being champions and all. However, why wasn't
this mentioned before the Invasion angle took place, and then all of the
titles would have meant something, as nobody would want to be left
without a title. That would have been the WWF's way to bring meaning
back to the titles, and have everyone scramble, not wanting to be left
out without a title to hold on to. But I digress.
Bringing back Lance Storm, Booker T, and the Hurricane doesn't make any
sense. Having Hugh Morrus cut a "wishing everyone a Merry Christmas"
promo doesn't make any sense either. Didn't these guys lose their jobs?
I don't think adding Ric Flair as the other boss was the problem
however. I think that was a great move, and creates a perfect foil to
the Vince McMahon character. However, the last time I checked, I was
watching the WWF not As the World Turns. Those little skits are fine and
dandy, but they are taking up way too much time. The WWF has way too
much talent to be sitting there watching Vince get his ass kissed, or
watching the WWF from a skybox. The WWF world should not revolve around
Vince McMahon. Or if it does, have him in the background, not the
forefront. Let's face it....who are you paying money to see?
Now I will admit that the Booker T/ Steve Austin routine was great on
Smackdown, ending with the grocery store brawl. But that is where
wrestling is at it's best. It is building toward a climax, and using the
wrestlers to do it. Using outside themes to heighten the feud is nothing
new. But adding Vince McMahon and Ric Flair...now did that really add
anything to it. It should've been cut way down. Show Booker T and Vince
going to the skybox, Flair promising them a good time, and then they sit
and watch the show. Then later on, boom....Steve Austin shows up. What?
I said Steve Austin shows up, and you don't need to build up to the fire
thing, just have the firefighters come in announcing that someone
reported a fire. Austin is there and starts ti kick the crap out of
everyone in the room. The little segments in between the grocery store
finale were useless, so just show them heading out into the parking lot,
and then the next time you show them, they are in the grocery store.
This way you can either add a lot more time to the matches you already
have, or add more short matches involving more wrestlers, and keeping
everyone as happy as you can. At least that's my suggestion.
The bottom line is having Flair as a boss is fine. Having him feud with
Vince is great. But this all needs to be a background story, not the
main event. have a segment here and there, don't have a segment show and
a wrestling match breaks out every now and then. That is just
ridiculous. The WWF is too loaded with talent to be doing that, and
instead of creating and building good to great feuds, you show McMahon
with his ass hanging out yet one more time.
So, until I am the first in line to join the Stacy Kiebler kiss
anything on me club....
A bit here. The WWF has been blamed for some
rather bad television lately...and what do they do? They turn around and
make it part of the show!!! Is this really a good idea or not?
I mean not long ago, we got Mick Foley on the mic telling everyone how
bad WWF programming was and how he hated watching it. Now even though it
was mostly a work, he's gone. We've had the Rock come out and address
the Vince McMahon, "hey I know I'm vain, but I'm the only game in town
and you have to watch all the crap I put on" Kiss my Ass club, and say
how ridiculous it is. And last night, we had Ric Flair come out and tel
us how inane it was seeing Vince McMahon come out week after week and
spout off. Now my question is....what in the blue hell does the WWF
think its doing???
This is the ultimate in a double edged sword here. You have the fans
who already think the programming sucked, then the WWF comes out and
acknowledges it...but doesn't say it's going to get any better. If
anything, they seem to be embracing the suckiness of the
programming....so these fans are going to tune out really quick. They
may tune back later on, either because they are addicted to wrestling
like the rest of us, or they want to check in and see what's going
on(kinda like peaking in on a soap every now and then), but for the most
part these fans are going to see no reason to keep watching.
Then you have the fans who thought these programs were great.....guess
what bubba....you just insulted all of them. They may be too stupid to
know they were just insulted, and those ones will keep watching...but
the majority of them are going to be mad that the people who put out the
shows are even admitting they suck, well they're going to be a tad bit
upset after that. Then they may tune out and not watch anything anymore,
because they feel embarassed they were the only people who liked what
was being put out.
The bottom line is, the WWF is screwing up big time. They started to
cut their throats by discontinuing the ppvs with Direct TV, then it
happens that now you can only get the ppvs through digital cable,
further cutting down the people who are going to watch. Sure they're the
only game in town, and therefore people who love wrestling are probably
going to watch, but that doesn't excuse insulting your own fan base and
telling them that what they've been watching has been crap and that's
just too bad. Every match on Smackdown and Raw should mean something.
They should all be main event calibre matches, and thus give the ppvs an
extra spark. Instead...the only thing of meaning they've done lately is
have Ric Flair almost ball his eyes out last night, before he clocked
Vinnie Mac. It was a good little segment, but the WWF is sorely lacking
in good little segments full of emotion. The WWF starts feuds because
they have too. What emotion is involved with any of the feuds they have
going right now? Booker T v. Austin??? Because Booker stole Austin's
truck? Yeah, it's upsetting, but so what? Undertaker v. Big Show?
Nothing there yet? Van Damm v. Jericho? Name calling? Please. Rock v.
Angle is the only legitimate feud they have going that is really worth
anything, because it is long running. But let's face it...these guys
have teamed and reteamed together so many times, it's hard to believe
they actually hate each other. Just a few months ago, these guys were
drinking milk together. If that's not bonding then I don't know what is.
The upshot of all this is the WWF is dropping the ball big time. They
have no major feuds worth any interest, because there is no emotion
involved in the WWF anymore. The writing is poor right now, and for
every good show they put on, ten bad ones pop up, and then they turn
around and remind you of them. The mid card area is more interesting
than the top level guys(Let's face it, everyone is looking forward to
returns of Benoit, and to see what Regal does to Edge when he comes
back). HHH returning will help, but the way the WWF is going right now,
they could very well screw that up as well.
You don't believe me on the last part? All you have to do is look back
several months ago when the whole invasion angle started. Instead of
starting off with a bang, and keeping it up...they started off with Hugh
Morrus doing a somersalt off the top rope. Now I like Hugh, but why
would you start off with him. They killed the DDP character by putting
him against the Undertaker...instead of bringing him in initially and
having him squash a few people under the Taker. In fact, if I had been
the WWF, I would've brought in Van Damm, Booker T, and DDP to start
with, and have them wreak havoc all over the undercard. The top tier
wouldn't say anything initially, because they haven't been bothered yet,
but the Invasion is gaining momentum. Then I would've brought in guys
like Hugh to pick up where the other three left off, and have them start
climbing up the ladder. That's how it should've been done. Give these
guys some wins, some credibilty, and then move them up. But the WWF
screwed it up. And what do the fans get as a thank-you? "Yeah, we know
are programming sucks, but what are you going to do about it?" That is
wrong and unfair to the fans of the WWF, and needs to be changed real
soon. So, until Stacy Kiebler gets me in a gravy bowl match....keep
reading...
It was the best ppv of the year. I know that the WWF has only had one
ppv this calendar year, but this was their best one is quite some time.
Some of the others they held late last year were solid, or downright
surprising considering you didn't expect much out of them, but last
night.....top to bottom, it was a very strong card.
Kudos to Ric Flair and Vince McMahon for two fifty plus year old men
putting on a good solid match that lasted fifteen minutes. It's just sad
to think that nearly ten years ago, Flair won the Royal Rumble by
surviving over an hour to win the title, and now he's reduced to
wrestling McMahon.
Kudos to Jericho. It was nice to see the December champion last past
the next ppv. Jericho got a good win, the Rock didn't lose any of his
momentum, and the heel champ keeps going.
Kudos to the Undertaker for pushing Maven. Now it has been rumored that
the Undertaker doesn't job to anyone, especially new talent. So,
needless to say after the Undertaker came in an cleaned house, and Maven
hit the ring, everyone thought he was dead meat. And low and behold,
Maven gets the Undertaker out of the ring! It was a nice surprise, and
the Undertaker didn't lose anything, because then he turned around and
mopped the floor, the backstage area, and the popcorn machine with
Maven. But what a hell of a trade-off for Maven.
Kudos to the Women's title match. Actually, a really good match, with
momentum switching back and forth. Great moves, and neither girl backing
down. Only down side was Trish beating Jazz with a bulldog. After a
match like that, you need a much better finish.
Kudos to Regal and Edge for trying. Their styles are way different, and
they do not compliment each other at all. However, they tried and put on
an interesting match. I wouldn't say it was a good match by any stretch,
but it did hold your interest.
Kudos for some titles not switching hands. Everyone thought Tazz and
Spike were dropping the belts, as well as Jericho. Both managed to come
out looking good, and keeping their belts. It's about time the WWF let
some of the mid-carders shine. After Jericho's promo, he should get a
lot more air time with stuff like that.
Kudos for the returns of Mr. Perfect and Golddust. Both looked
great(especially Mr. Perfect-I heard he looked ancient, but that
couldn't be further from the truth). Both had realy good outtings, and
held on for quite some time. Mr. Perfect actually held on until the
final four, and had a hand in getting rid of Stone Cold. While it was
neat to see Val Venis and the Godfather again, neither one was as high
on the food chain in their careers as either Mr. Perfect or Golddust,
and so their entrances, while entertaining, were about the only good
things they had going for them. So, everything was the way it should
have been.
Kudos for allowing Kurt Angle as good a showing as he got. It's been
disappointing lately to see the WWF seem to lose Kurt Angle. Yeah he
came back and interrupted HHH, only to get squashed. This is a guy who
could be larger than life, and they just don't seem to know what to do
with the guy. Keep him a cartoon character or making him a fighting
machine? So, it was nice to see him last as long as he did in the Royal
Rumble. It shows the WWF still thinks highly of him, and maybe will use
him better in the long term.
Kudos to Stacy Kiebler for the outfits she wears. Short skirts, jack
boots, and little tops. She has the look, as long as they don't make her
get a boob job(please don't let that happen-write your local
conggressman to prevent that travesty)to go very far in the business.
Hopefully, she'll be around for some time.
Well, that's about it for now, so until you start realizing your Hulk
Hogan Underoos are nearly twenty years old, keep reading....
Also this year, Jennifer Capriati surprised everyone and repeated at
the Australian Open. The Diamondbacks surprised a few people and beat
the unbeatable Yankees. There were quite a few surprises in sports, team
wise, as well as with individuals.
So, what's my point and how's that related to wrestling? Well,
wrestling has become interesting and exciting again. Why? Because, for
the number of times that the WWF has promoted that anything and
everything can happen, it usually delivers what is expected. Nothing
more and nothing less.
Lately, however, that has begun to change. Maven eliminates the
Undertaker of all people from the Royal Rumble. Then he turns around and
beats him for the Hardcore Championship. Sure, it isn't the
Intercontinental Belt, but it is a major victory nonetheless. Goldust,
Curt Henning, and other appearing at the Royal Rumble, and actually
doing very well. Tazz and Spike holding the tag belts for more than a
week. Chris Jericho especially holding the belt as long as he has. Never
expected him to do it, and hold it as long as he has.
This all brings excitement and the feeling of anything can happen.
Along with good storylines, the feeling of possibly missing something is
what brings people back to watch wrestling. Give them what they expect,
and they'll go to the internet to find out what happened.
Bringing back the NWO and Stephanie having a baby could be seen a mile
away(unless you know nothing about wrestling, or soap operas), but with
the added mix of not knowing what to expect, even these angles could
have possibilities. The WWF has already made them exciting, even though
both are in their primary stages of development. Fans want to see what
happens next, because they could miss something if they don't tune in.
They may end up missing nothing, but by the time they realize that,
it'll be too late, and the angle will be over.
By adding the unexpected to everything, the rumor mills have picked
up(notice the Rock v. Goldust rumor as seen on this sight), and interest
has picked up as well. It is difficult to keep the fans guessing and to
keep ahead of them, but the WWF is on a role right now for doing just
that. Fans are interested, and the mid card level has even gained some
interest. They have added interest to Tazz, Spike, Chuck, Billy, Maven,
Van Damm, Edge, Regal, and many others. It might not be to everyone's
liking, but there is enough for everyone. They have definitely turned up
the titilation factor with all the divas, but they haven't gone
overboard with it. They have the right mix and blend and are doing
everything right. Or, as right as can be expected.
Hopefully, the WWF will keep up with the surprise factor. It is
difficult, but they have the talent and roster to do it. Dragging out
the NWO should be interesting, as will Ric Flair's reaction and how he
handles it. The WWF has no serious competition right now, but that
doesn't mean they should act like nobody is on their tails. The only one
who can hurt them is indifference to the fans. If they don't care about
the fans, the fans will stop caring about watching. So keep up thte
writing, and hopefully it will get better. Keep up the surprises, it
makes for good television. So, until the WWF has Torri and Stacy kiss on
screen, keep reading.....
First off, Wrestlemania is the biggest ppv of all-time for a number of
reasons. It is the one that kicked off wrestling as we know it today.
Without the success of the first Wrestlemania, we probably would not be
watching wrestling as it stands now.
Everyone seems to bring their game up a notch during Wrestlemania,
because it can make or break a career. It has made stars out of many
people, and everyone in the business knows that even sometime fans will
most likely pay attention to what happens during Wrestlemania. So, they
figure if they take their game a notch, more people will notice them and
pay attention to them in the future.
It seems like everyone has heard of Wrestlemania, and has favorite
Wrestlemania moments that they are more than willing to share. My
personal favorite involved King Kong Bundy slamming a midget during his
match with Hillbilly Jim and his two midgets. Bundy lost, and flipped on
the midget, picking one of them up and slamming them. The other midgets
tried to get in there, but it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. I
still remember it to this day. Many have favorite matches, incidences
(Pete Rose, Liberace, Piper's Pit, etc)....and there are plenty to
choose from.
Outside of Starrcade, Wrestlemania has the longest tenure and therefore
the richest history of a wrestling card. It has seen many greats come
and go, Hogan, Piper, Savage, Undertaker, Roberts, Steamboat, Flair,
JYD, Studd, Hart, Michaels, Austin, Rock, HHH, and of course Andre,
along with many, many others. It is not only a tradition, it is now an
institution. You can usually count on one or two surprises at Wrestlemania, and it
even gets media coverage outside of the wrestling scope. The "real"
media realizes it has some impact and therefore they cover it. Stars
realize they could get some free exposure and therefore a few each year
jump at the chance to appear at Wrestlemania. Very rarely has there been
a poor Wrestlemania. There's been a few over the years that have been
disappointing, but not too many you could say were poor.
So, sit back, relax and enjoy another great ppv coming up. I am
expecting it to be exciting, and truly enjoyable. The only complaint I
have is that with its four hour running time, they should start it at 7,
instead of running until 12. Some of us have to get up and go to work
the next day. But it should be great and fun to watch. Now, with that
being said, here's what I'd like to see, or why I think it's going to be
fun.
I would love to see Chris Benoit come back, even if he doesn't wrestle.
He could either go after HHH or Jericho, and have an instant top card
feud. He is truly missed, and it's unfortunate that the WWF has not
plugged him nearly as much as they plugged the HHH return. Granted, he
isn't where HHH was when he went out, but he deserves more recognition
than he's been getting.
The Rock v. Hogan should be fun. Whatever anyone says about Hogan(and
believe me, I've said my share of things), he does draw a crowd, and
creates a buzz wherever he is. The response since he's come back is
amazing, and even he's been overwhelmed by it. Hogan looks to be in
great shape(better than Nash anyway), and could make this a very
interesting match. Rock gets to jump into an elite territory, although
Hogan's last few years in WCW, he jobbed to nearly everyone. He still
draws, and can carry a program, so we'll see what he can still do in the
ring. The only thing going for Hogan is that he didn't have much in the
ring to begin with. Rock might be limited, because he seems to play to
his opponent, and doesn't seem to have the ability to rise above a
mediocre opponent. It could be a good match, or a complete stinker.
Austin v. Hall should be really good. Hall, when he's on can deliver a
good performance, and Austin seems rededicated to wrestling as of late.
His promos are the best they've ever been, and he seems to be enjoying
himself once again. This could actually be the sleeper match.
Undertaker v. Flair....just one question.....why?
APA v. Chuck and Billy, should be a complete squash for APA
Jericho v. HHH should pick their feud back up right where it left off
before HHH's injury. This was a pretty good feud, although HHH pretty
much squashed Jericho almost every match. I'd like to see Jericho walk
away with the title, simply because it can set up more feuds with
Austin, Rock, Angle, and even HHH later, but I doubt that will happen.
Jericho has been getting better, but I'd like to see him win clean
against the lesser opponents every once in awhile. I mean, does he have
to cheat to beat Kane, and Rikishi?
Regal v. Van Damm should be Van Damm's first taste of "real" gold in
the WWF, and God willing, hold the title for quite some time and bring
respect back to the belt.
Some surprises....I'm predicting at least one, if not all three of
these people showing up at Wrestlemania....Shawn Michaels, Scott
Steiner, and Bret Hart. You may laugh at the Hart thing, but you just
never know.
Something I don't want to see......any Rikishi ass kissing, thongs on
Patterson or Brisco, or Chuck and Billy doing the wild thing.
Wouldn't mind seeing, Stacy Kiebler and/or Torri Wilson in a thong, or
just damn naked for that matter. Would love to see a Light Heavyweight
round robin tournament or something with lots of little guys flying
around. It would be pretty cool. Let's face it, they have so under used
Tajiri, and the Hurricane that it isn't even funny.
Another prediction....going to use Wrestlemania to decides who goes
where when the league splits into two. COuld happen, since Vince has
talked about it for some time, and it could add a lot of interest to
some of the lesser matches that don't have any heat. Well, we'll wait and see what happens I guess. I'm kinda anxious to see
if another memory develops that takes over for the King Kong Bundy
squashing a midget match in my mind as the best/funniest wrestling
moment at a Wrestlemania. Until they go into the wee hours of the
morning with a Wrestlemania all day long affair, keep reading the
While the draft itself didn't exactly stir any emotions from me, it was
played out about as well as could be expected. It was a draft.....not a
fight. People kept telling me up until the day of the draft that the WWF
was going to make it really cool, and it wouldn't be like the draft from
football or basketball. Well, it wasn't quite as bad as watching the
drafts from football or basketball, but it wasn't exactly entertaining
either. Vince drafting the Rock, and Flair drafting Undertaker and the
NWO may have been surprises, but they had to have some surprises
otherwise it would've been a total waste of time.
The only thing I enjoyed about the draft happened days after the draft.
The APA and Dudley Boys breaking up is something which should make each
one stronger in the long one when both teams get back together, however
to watch them in their last few moments was good television. D-Von and
Bubba hugging afterwards made you believe they were splitting up for
good, and I'm sure they will truly miss each other. They have been one
of the best teams going for nearly a decade. And the APA closing the
doors on the Agency was just a cool moment.
One of the questions that will naturally be raised is whether each
program will get their own titles, since only the men's and women's
titles Heavyweight titles are in both leagues. This may be a way to
bring the defunct WCW titles back, and have nobody question them. I'm
not sure how they will handle this, but it should be something worth
watching. Also, what will they do with the Pay per views? Are they going
to have people from both programs(which they will) or are they going to
have just one program and alternate. Is this the only time people from
both programs will get together and fight? If this is the case, then it
poses a serious problem. How are they going to build feuds to the ppv?
Unless they have the other program continuously invade(which already
looks like its going to happen with Vince showing up on RAW) and
therefore negate the effect of the roster split, how are they going to
build to the ppvs if the people never meet until the night of the PPV?
This is a serious flaw and one that needs to be addressed, unless the
WWF is planning on slotting matches for each program. For instance RAW
gets 6 matches and Smackdown gets 5 or something along those lines. If
they do this, this could be more interesting and more important than
titles. If they make it where you have to win so many matches or defeat
so-and-so to get on the ppv, it could make watching RAW and Smackdown
more compelling.
I'm looking forward to see where Stone Cold actually ends up. Say what
you will about the man, but he is a performer and he would be missed if
he doesn't show back up in wrestling. However, I wouldn't recommend the
WWF drag this storyline out too long(maybe just until the ppv),
otherwise fans will lose interest.
Now how long does the WWF plan on sticking to this idea? This could
work, and could give a lot more wresters different air time, if it is
done right. Already Raven, Brock Lesnar, and quite a few others have
showed up on air that otherwise would've been pushed into the
background. If the ratings start to dip, however, will the WWF pull the
plug on the experiment, and go back to one roster? I don't know whether
Vince will give it a fair shake or not, but he should at least stick
with it for four months or so, to see if it works. It will give a chance
for new talent to develop and give the wrestlers already there someone
new to play with, plus it gives the top stars a break from having to
show up on two programs rather than one. It gives the WWF more
flexibility in their scheduling. Rather than having to have one night in
Pittsburgh and the next night in say Eerie, they can have RAW in
Pittsburgh, and Smackdown in Phoenix. Whether they go to a live
Smackdown or stick with the taped one is another question, since I'm
sure the wrestlers on Smackdown will complain that even before the
program airs, the results are all over the internet. This wasn't a bad
thing when the wrestlers were showing up on two programs, but it does
raise an important question when these guys are busting their butts and
before anyone gets to see it, it is splashed all over the computers
everywhere. What the WWF does to address this issue will be important
not only to these wrestlers, but I think wrestling in general in thte
long haul.
Overall, I am excited about the direction the WWF is taking. They are
taking a risk, and it is something worth taking. Ratings and fan
interest are in a steady decline, and this could not only boost
viewship, but make for many more exciting feuds in the long run. The
draft, while boring on the whole did have its moments. Vince and Ric
fighting over Lesnar only means good things for that man. He is a
monster(looks a little like Sid) and he will rule the ring. It was nice
to see Lita, Benoit, Brock, and those guys get drafted in the top 20,
but Mark Henry??? Don't get that one at all. Yes, the split does thin
down the talent, but I'd rather see the WWF try and use everyone, rather
than have all of these wrestlers, and only use HHH< Rock, Austin, and
Undertaker.
If you think for one moment that you're going to take the world of
wrestling by storm and not step on anyone's toes along the way, you are
sadly misguided. You certainly will make an impact in the WWF, and bu a
huge star, hopefully for years to come. But if you think you will be the
overnight success everyone is building you up to be, and it will last
your entire career, I have one name for you to keep in mind; Bill
Goldberg.
I believe Andy Warhol had Mr. Goldberg in mind when he talked about
everyone being famous for fifteen minutes. Goldberg certainly had a run
that nobody can touch in the history of wrestling, and his presence was
awe inspiring. However, I believe he now resides on the side of milk
cartons, as the rest of the wrestling world rolls merrily along. Ask
most superstars if Goldberg is missed, and most would say yes. Ask them
if the business has suffered without his presence, and they would be
hard pressed to answer yes twice.
Goldberg was a phenom. Much like the Undertaker early in his day, all
Goldberg had to do was show up and he would create a stir. He was
dominating, and had a wide array of moves for a man so new to the
business and for his size as well. He went on his run of 180-0, and the
rest was history.
Guys like Undertaker, Angle, Van Damm, and others were hits right out
of the box as well, but nobody can touch Goldberg's status. He was hot,
not only in the ring, but with the fans as well. They tried to turn him
heel, and it didn't work. They tried to take the title away, and it
didn't work. He beat Hogan, Nash, Hall, and everyone else in WCW at the
time.
He was a ratings saver as well. WCW was losing lots of steam over the
whole NWO, wolfpack, LWO, or whatever O they were up to by that point,
and Eric Bishoff looked at Goldberg and saw money. He saw the next big
Superstar of the world of professional wrestling, and marketed the hell
out of him. It worked, and Goldberg saved the WCW, albeit temporarily,
from falling to the WWF.
While guys like Austin, Rock, Angle, HHH, and others in the WWF would
win, they would lose as well. Their feuds were great as a lot of these
men battled back and forth for various titles over that time period.
Meanwhile, Goldberg just kept winning, and was billed a monster. He was
unstoppable, couldn't be beaten, the immovable object, a machine, or
whatever tag line the announcers could throw out that night. Nothing was
bigger than Goldberg. What happened?
Where is Goldberg now Mr. Lesnar? I believe he just broke his hand in a
celebrity race involving cars. He no longer wrestles, although he admits
his contract with Time Warner is too big for him to work for McMahon.
What does that mean? He doesn't want to wrestle, he wants to make money.
If he ever got back into wrestling, he'd have to work for McMahon to
make a name for himself, which he seems like the type that would want to
do that. I don't see him wrestling the independent circuits for little
money, or working for another federation where he wouldn't have nearly
the time in the spotlight he could receive in the WWF. However, if he
did work for Vince, I have a feeling Vince would push him immediately
and then after the luster wore off, he would be jobbing to everyone from
Mr. Perfect to Spike. You don't believe me? Ask the NWO. Who have they
beaten recently? The only reason Hogan isn't jobbing to Tazz is because
he was a huge name before(and Vince probably thinks he owes him) and the
fan response has been huge. What's Goldberg's response going to be in 3
years? Anyone going to remember him? Anyone going to care? That
Austin-Goldberg match won't look so enticing after all those years.
And as him being a celebrity, that is just ridiculous. He was in the
business for three years(maybe a little longer). Even in the wrestling
world, that is hardly worth mentioning. He shouldn't be mentioned in the
same breath as Piper, Hart, Sammartino, Foley, Michaels, Blassie, Brody,
Funk, or many of the others gone or retired. Hell, Sid has had a much
longer and in many ways fruitful career than Goldberg. And I would in no
way put Sid at the top of the list of superstars of wrestling. In terms
of Hollywood, or whatever, I guess he's a celebrity. I mean when Barry
Williams, Gary Coleman, Steven Segal, Hammer, or whatever other
celebrities whose fifteen minutes is way past its time, can't be found,
you need someone to fill in the space.
Just remember these words Mr. Lesnar as you embark on your wrestling
career. If you play your cards right, you could be the next phenom ala
the Undertaker. You could have Brockamania running wild for a number of
years. You could be larger than life the way Andre was. However, you
could be the next Big Show. You could be the next Giant Gonzales. Or you
could be the next Goldberg.
Sincerely,
Of the notebook, one has to wonder where all the superstars have gone? well, we don't have to wonder anymore now do we, since it looks like they're all going to be popping up on RAW over the next few months. i mean vader and golddust were really needed? vader looked as if he ate a few people, and looked downright silly as he fell trying to get out of the ring. golddust looked okay, but he was a minor character during his last few days in the WWE. he was an Intercontinental champ, but not much more beyond that.
I love the return to the USA network, and i love the idea of trying to bring back some new and some old characters, plus they're trying to bring back some of the humor they seemed to have lost recently. i don't know if i like king as a face announcer, but we'll have to wait and see how that works out.
HHH is back. yea isn't it great? we're back to the twenty minute conversations about how great he is, and how he has beaten everyone and putting people out of their misery, yada yada yada. boring and more boring. he is being forced upon us once again, and once again we have to endure a lot of hhh to watch a little wrestling. hopefully, he'll fall down and tear his other quad.
Stone Cold had the funniest line ever. when he was talking about steph and her balls, it was just hysterical. it was so funny, that even she had a hard time trying to keep a straight face. whether you like stone cold or not, you can't deny he is someone you turn wrestling on and watch what he is doing. he is a true entertainer.
Bumped into virgil/vincent the other day here in cleveland. there was a sports card show, and he was there in the mall signing autographs and a bunch of people were coming up to him talking about the old days. i talked with him briefly, but mostly stood and listened as he talked to kids and the importance of school. i asked him if he missed being in wrestling. he said no because when he was in it, it was a lot of fun. he had some issues with Vince McMahon, apparently McMahon wanted him to take some sort of buy-out and he wouldn't do it. he talked about some of the wrestlers he hung out with and he seemed to plan things out very well because he has a nice house and seems to be doing okay. he was talking to the kids about going to school, getting an education and going to college. he told them that even with wrestling, if he didn't have the education to fall back on, he wouldn't be doing as well as he was. he also talked about his mom being tough on him with not only his grades, but around home as well. she pushed him to the point where if his bed wasn't made so a quarter could bounce on it, he was going to hear about it. he said that she showed him a lot, and it definitely helped him later on. he didn't seem all that impressed with the new style of wrestling. i didn't get to ask him whether or not he liked the NWO era of his career better than the Virgil, but while he was there, he was showing the Survivor Series match he had with Piper, Hart, and those guys against Flair, DiBiase, and the Warlord. Overall, he seemed like a pretty nice guy.
Now that i finally figured out where TNA is (saturday nights-repeat monday nights), i'm looking forward to watching some of the shows and seeing if it even holds a candle to the WWE. i should be good for some fun and just a nice change of pace from the RAW v Smackdown fake heat surrounding all of that. i mean it's bad when mcmahon has to create the competition for himself. hopefully, with TNA now on regularly, it might create a little niche for itself the way ECW did. although it doesn't have the rough edge and coolness that ECW had, it should have the stability and longterm viability that ECW didn't have.
Here's a little something, something i found out the other day. mr. ted turner's no compete contract runs out next year, and apparently he is very interested in getting back into the wrestling business. if he gets someone good to run it, he could make things very interesting very quickly. all he would have to do is make sure he gets someone that can distance himself from the program a little bit better than bishoff did. he might even be able to do something along the lines of grabbing up a paul heyman and have EPW (extreme professional wrestling) or something along those lines. who knows? but hopefully, with TNA and turner, things might be perking up in terms of competition for vincent kennedy mcmahon.
Well, that's the short and sweet of it this time around. just remember what my mamma always told me; a pat on the back is only 18 inches away from a kick in the pants. so keep your head up and your ears and eyes open......until i open my mouth again...sincerely the novak notebook.
The WWF is making it too easy for these guys to come back. Couple that
with basically promising a HHH return and delivering a montage of
scenary to the tune of U2 probably has a lot of fans confused, if not
downright upset.
make yours the Novak Notebook....
Okay, so I'm confused
sincerely the Novak Notebook.
As you may or may not
Have noticed, I've been straying away from merely
commenting on the ppvs in my more recent reports. While it is nice to
comment on what transpired the previous night on the biggest nights of
the month for the WWF, I didn't want to be known as the writer he merely
likes or dislikes a pay-per-view. There are many other topics out there
to discuss, and I'm trying to branch out into as many as I can come up
with, and deliver my own skewed perspective as only I know how. With
that being said, here is what I thought of the Royal Rumble which was
just held less than a mere twenty-four hours ago.
Sincerely
the Novak Notebook...
Hmmm, Patriots surprised the world
And become the Super Bowl Champions.
Along the way, they overcome heavy odds against such heavily favored
opponents such as The Raiders, The Steelers, and The Rams. All were
favored and all were expected to win against the no name Patriots. Yet,
in this season, after September 11th, a team names the Patriots, with
the colors red, white, and blue overcame all the odds and became the
world champs in the biggest Super Bowl upset since Joe Namath guaranteed
a victory way back in Super Bowl III.
sincerely, the Novak Notebook.
Well, Wrestlemania is coming up fast,
And what better time to reflect
on what's going on, what's happening now, and what may happen in the
future than around the biggest wrestling ppv of all-time.
Novak
Notebook....
Ahhh, the draft
Has come and gone. It will be interesting to see how
the WWF will handle the two programs and how long they will stick with
the "One roster on one program and the other on the other program". They
have a tendency to stick with really stupid ideas for far too long, and
pull the plug on anything remotely interesting if it doesn't generate
heat right away.
So, sit back, wait and see what happens.
Until next time...keep reading
the Novak Notebook.
MEMO TO BROCK LESNAR;
Dear Mr. Lesnar,
It certainly appears that your future is brighter than that of any
other up and coming WWF Superstar. It appears brighter than some of the
superstars already working for the WWF long before you arrived. You
seemed destined for greatness and the next big thing in wrestling. This
is a point no one would dispute. However, this letter is a word of
warning.
The Novak Notebook
Finally, the Rock
Has done something no other wrestling star ever has.
He has been number one at the box office two weeks in a row. That is a
tremendous honor, even though Spider-Man is sure to wipe him off the
planet, and should not go unnoticed.
All of the other wrestlers who ever were on the big screen can not make
a claim such as the Rock. Not Goldberg, not Hulk Hogan, not the cast
from Ready to Rumble, not Stone Cold, not even the Rowdy One can make
the claim of winning the box office derby two weeks running. Only the
Rock can say that, and it looks as if he might be saying it for a few
years to come.
Sure, the media is already saying the Rock is the next Arnold
Schwarzenegger, and that could mean more media backlash. How many others
have been labeled as the next big thing in action movies? Do the names
Van Damme, Segal, Chan, Li, or any of those ring a bell? All of them
have had hits(Chan and Li are still fairly new to the American crowds),
and have been labeled the next big action star, but Van Damme and Segal
are lucky they can get prime parts in straight to video movies anymore,
let alone big blockbusters.
The Scorpian King has grossed over 60 million in its first two weeks,
surely an impressive number. Blade II, which opened just a little
weaker(around 33 million its first week) is hovering around 80 million
right now, and the Rock should surpass that in a few weeks. The Rock has
the build, the look, the charm, and the talent to be huge in Hollywood.
However, with talk of another Scorpian King looming large, my advice to
the Rock would be to hold off on a sequel. Do a few other films first,
and then go back to the Scorpian King. Prove to the world that you can
be something other than the Scorpian King, and start to be taken
seriously as an action star, rather than a one hit wonder.
The Rock looks like he's secured a deal to star in another movie,
titled Helldorado. This would be a good move. Eventually, the Rock is
also going to have to decide whether he wants to be a full fledged
action star and work on some R rated pictures. Name one action
star(other than Jackie Chan-but his are mostly comedy) that doesn't work
on R rated movies from time to time. I was hoping the Rock would get to
star in the Duke Nukem movie, but that looks like it may be out the
window. But he should definitely build up a resume before returning to
the Scorpian King. Even if the luscious Kelly Hu is in it!
Why you ask? I'm glad you asked that. Most stars who seem to build
their careers on their first movie or so, don't last very long. Stallone
is being called the biggest action star of the century, but really what
has he done in the last 15 years? Name one good action movie he has done
over that time span. The Demolition Man and Tango and Cash were pretty
good movies, but they were at the beginning of the nineties, and both
had stars other than Stallone in them. He built his reputation on Rocky
and couldn't shake it for a number of years. He tried all kinds of
different roles but the audience just didn't buy him. Then along came
Rambo. He thought it would be better, but it actually made things worse.
He's up to five Rocky movies, three Rambo movies, and not much else in
between.
Arnold is another matter. He did a Conan sequel, but he was working on
other movies in between. He worked on a little movie called the
Terminator, and another one called Commando. He got it right. He
basically played the same character in all of his movies, without
actually playing the same character. He was type cast as an action star,
but he was himself. Much like John Wayne, Arnold knew his abilities were
limited, so he usually just played himself. He just stuck himself in
different roles, instead of latching on to a character and riding it
out. He didn't play the Terminator again for nearly eight years.
Even Paul Hogan was affected, and he isn't even an action star. Who is
he you ask? Remember Crocidile Dundee? That was him. What did he do
after the runaway success of the first one? Made another one. What has
he done since? Not much, unless you count Subaru Outback commercials. He
tried to return to the character for a third time, but it didn't
register with the crowd, and he will be fading into the sunset.
I believe the key to acting is not get type cast. Working on Saturday
Night Live has helped out the Rock quite a bit. The Scorpian King was a
good movie, although not a great one. It has helped the Rock get a foot
in the door, but from here on out I think he's going to have to show
what he's made of. Working on as many different movies as he can will
help him immensely. Stallone realized that too late in his career when
he tried to do Oscar, and Stop or My Mom will Shoot. Arnold mixed it up
and did Twins and Kindergarten Cop when he could've done any movie he
wanted. If the Rock wants to be just an action star that's fine, but at
least do many different types of characters. Look at guys like Clint
Eastwood, Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson or Wesley Snipes. Each of these men
has had a long career in action movies, where their bread and butter is,
yet each of them can act. None of them is type cast into a role,
although we may remember Harry Callahan, John McClane, Martin Riggs and
Blade, those men go beyond those characters. They don't always have
hits, but they bounce back a lot faster too. They aren't seen as done or
over, because they can try a different type of movie. They can do a
Space Cowboys, Sixth Sense, What Woman Want, or White Men Can't Jump.
The Scorpian King was a good movie, but the Rock has a long way to go.
Some of his acting was stilted and seemed forced. Although he was better
than quite a number of first time actors, and will get even better with
time, he cannot rest on his laurels. I think the Rock realizes this, and
that is why he signed up for another movie right away. If he can, he
should also try and get a few parts in even bigger movies as a co-star.
This could help him out as well. Dwayne Johnson looks like he has a
great career ahead of him, and he's certainly off to a great start. I'm
already waiting to hear what Helldorado is about, and look forward to
seeing it. Hopefully, the Rock will transcend wrestling and be a box
office draw with everyone, not just wrestling fans. The Rock finally
toppled Roddy Piper as the only wrestler to appear at the top of the box
office, and now the Rock can make the claim he's the only wrestler to do
it two weeks in a row. So, until Kelly Hu comes knocking at my door and
demands I go out with her, keep reading
.....Sincerely the Novak Notebook
In this new adventure
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