Being Valentines Day, though, let's discuss something. Many criticize my "love" for professional wrestling, meaning that my so-called "negative views" mean that I HATE professional wrestling. Well my friends, that's entirely wrong.
Ever since I started the Phat Daily Column in late October of 1998, it's been about critiquing shows and giving opinions on everything. So really, it was never meant to be a Kiss Ass approach to writing columns, like I see many doing today. You know, the ones who act all happy and mark out the whole times in their columns. Oh no, that's not what my column is about.
I give my views, and anything I say, is meant for something to possibly improve on. It's not meant that MY ideas are the ways, but this column says "Mr. Tito's", which means that it's a column based on MY opinions. Now if you or others don't like my opinions, then that's fine. We are all entitled to our own opinions on the sport, which I freely do in MY column.
But I love wrestling. It's the main thing I watch on television (mainly because the other TV Shows suck!), and getting that overexposure of wrestling makes you critique everything. It's been of MY OPINION that wrestling is in a low point right now, and the ratings/attendance prove that. I've been just stressing some factors of that, which appears me to be negative. I'm just tracing out possible faults, and I'm NOT bashing wrestling on purpose. If I was against wrestling, I'd join the Parents Television Council and help pressure advertisers to get away from the WWF.
If I didn't LOVE wrestling, then I'd gladly stop writing this column, period. End of story, on to the PDC.
Today's PDC
*Ratings Analysis
*ECW Superstars in the WWF
At the very bottom: XFL Gazette (NBC making Changes?)
Ouch. If one could make an argument about the downward trend in wrestling this year, he/she could prove it by this week's ratings. Again, without any competition whatsoever, both federations drop even lower in the ratings. WCW really hit Rock bottom this week, with an especially low first hour, and a terrible rating for the second hour. I felt that show was very boring, as I stated in my column yesterday. Obviously, there's some agreeing with me there, thanks to the ratings.
I expected RAW's ratings to jump this week, especially with the already booked matches. It didn't quite do that. I guess the main event scene with the weaker undercard just isn't sparking the interest the WWF needs, especially during a time where their resources are wearing thin from the XFL. Smackdown is getting hit hard too, but there some powerful competition there. But otherwise, RAW's ratings have dropped two weeks in a row by significant numbers, and that's trouble.
But the sad thing is that I thought each show was good. This week's RAW had a few surprises too, with Xpac returning and Justin Credible's return. Maybe that and Triple H's decision on the stipulation could spark Smackdown. By the way, RAW, some could say, was a walking ad for Smackdown this week, which could be what drove away some fans? I don't really know here.
Nothing on Nitro sparked interest, whatsoever. The 8:30-9:00 segment was the only higher one for Nitro, and that was 2.4 and 2.5... which are unexcusable in the first hour for being the highest. Not a damn thing in the second hour did anything in the ratings, either.
The scary thing about Eric Bischoff is that when he's down, he strikes deals with certain people to spark the ratings. Mainly Hulk Hogan, who he's relied on for many short run ratings sparks in the past. I bet you that he'll be coming back very shortly. Also, I bet you that Scott Hall will probably be rushed back into the federation too, meaning more trouble for the morale of WCW. I thought WCW was going to change their ways under Bischoff?
Get this... the interview did a LARGE 3.9 rating! That's sports entertainment for you, always getting the RAW shows off to a slow start. First Hour of RAW was all under 5.0, which usually doesn't happen for RAW. At least the 9:45-10:00 segment goes passed it, but not this week with the Edge/Christian vs. Kane/Undertaker clusterfuck match. You want to know the most scary thing of the night? Triple H vs. Billy Gunn was the highest rated segment of the night, with the 5.2 rating. I hope that doesn't get translated the wrong way.
But otherwise, LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, wrestling seems to be on this downward trend. Whether it continues, then that's up to the federations.
Livewire and Superstars did pretty well with their 1.2 ratings. That's always good to see for the WWF. They should promote those shows more though, but oh well. Speaking of promoting, Mtv and the WWF worked hard to promote this week's Heat, by adding Kane, Undertaker, and Angle to wrestle, and Edge/Christian to host the show. It just got a 2.1 rating. But I'd say it's safe to say that any wrestling show on the WWF will do bad.
But if they do specials on Mtv, like "True Life: I'm a Pro Wrestler" or others, they do well. Mtv has an audience with a very short attention span, meaning that if they don't get their N'Stync or Backdoor Boys videos, they will change the channel. I think they should follow up on the Edge/Christian attack on Carson Daley. What male wrestling fan wouldn't pass up a chance to see Carson getting his ass kicked on Mtv? That's the truth.
Plus, it's an odd time to have it on Mtv anyway. 7:00 on USA was great because USA Networks made damn sure that they promoted it it well, for the rest of the night's programming. Plus, the WWF had more control over advertising on USA. Mtv has WAY TOO MANY commercials during all of their programs, which Heat unfortunately goes through. I guess Mtv needs extra capital for all of the failed shows they have tried over the years.
Justin Credible: The alliance could form a 'new' DX, but I doubt that. But they'll use a lot of Clique referenes, since Xpac was officially in the Clique, with Aldo Montoya (Credible now) being a little pal of the group. I'm thinking that they will possibly go after the tag titles, unless Xpac eventually gets the IC title from Jericho. After a while, I see a small push for Credible because I think that Vince McMahon feels bad for what he did to Credible. He made him a fucking masked wrestler, and a bad one at that. Watching Credible turn into a decent (but hated by Tito) Superstar in ECW probably made Vince McMahon shake his head after all of these years, to think "what if" for him.
Jerry Lynn: I see the WWF possibly putting him in the Lightweight division, or just putting on technical classics with Benoit or someone like that. A match with Benoit would make all of the technical fans cream, while all of the newer WWF fans from 1998 will wonder where the "sports entertainment" is. It should be noted that Jerry Lynn turned down the invitation in 1997 for the Lightweight tournament in the WWF, in his early days in ECW. Could he play off that?
Rhino: I think ECW pushed this guy way too early. I'm very sure that the WWF will take time with Rhino, and develop him into a monster. Shit, Rhino is only like 23, 24, or 25 years old. Somewhere in there. He's got LOTS of potential in this business, and told the right things about the business, he could be the NEW monster heel that the WWF could use. I think he'll spend some time in Memphis or Ohio Valley Wrestling to mature. I would have thought he would be better off in WCW, where he could be built into a monster rival of Bill Goldberg, but oh well now.
If Tajiri comes into the fed.... I see him as a Kaientai member, but a very crazy one with TAKA and Funaki questioning how to control him. If not, Malenko better watch out, because he'll go for that Lightweight title.
Hey, what about Rob Van Dam?!?!?!?! Only he knows for sure about his future.
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@That's all for today. I'll be back, tomorrow, with MORE PDC THAN YOU CAN HANDLE.... or just WCW Day. Just chill till the next episode.
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Take Care, and Thanks for Reading.
NBC is apparently furious with the XFL for delaying Saturday Night Live, so to never let that happen again, they are enforcing that the pregame shows be cut by 5 minutes, shorten halftime breaks, and just keep the clock moving at all times.
Also, NBC has said that despite the much lower ratings for the second week, they will still show the whole season as planned. They own half the league, you know.
Yahoo! News
The TNN game between the NY/NJ Hitmen against the Birmingham Thunderbolts drew a decent 2.4 rating. TNN hails it as a victory, because nothing in their lifetime has scored a high rating in that 4-7 Saturday timeslot. Well, congrats to TNN then! (Wrestlingobserver.com)
Just remember with TNN, as I reported earlier, they promote the hell out of the XFL. They have a little icon on the bottom right of the screen that says "XFL coming in (insert number) days" for all day on their shows.
Nothing else out there.