Note: I forgot to credit Brett Redmayne for the great Eric Bischoff banner yesterday. Sorry.
Another instance of crazy ideas came with Vampiro. They asked him to do a spousal abuse angle, after his family had history of it. Now that's personal stuff they are trying to get this man to do, and he's probably going to get forced into it just like Big Show was forced into the "father" angle. Like the WWF, we will be seeing this forced garbage upon wrestlers who actually had certain instances happen to them in real life. But who cares, they are just wrestlers right? We will put the wrestlers' self being behind what *could* draw ratings. (I'm not just blaming WCW here. I ripped the WWF each week for their instance like this. Ok?)
The whole company is in bad shape now in Russo/Bischoff's system. This isn't like the last time Russo was around, when the younger talent loved him. Oh no, it's not that. This time the younger talent sees what is actually going on. Russo has now become an older talent lover, and he keeps this belief for younger wrestlers alive by throwing them into angles throughout the show. It's so tricky by Russo, but many are picking up on it immediately, and thus the whole morale is down for those guys. The older guys have problems with the outrageous angles Russo is asking. Why do you think Lex Luger is gone now? He didn't like where his career was going with these outrageous angles, so he refused. Now he's paying for it by sitting at home...well, probably enjoying it!
It gets even more crazier when the ones who can actually "wrestle" are getting put into bad positions, while the ones with no talent go into the ring each night. Look at Mike Awesome. That man is soo talented, it's ridiculous. Instead of letting him have brutal matches with someone, they have him driving ambulances and running around with Kimberly. Booker T only wrestles here and there, and he's usually running down and saving the day for someone. Kanyon was shoved into an injury angle just to hold him back from wrestling the great matches he USED to have. DDP too, is more caught up in angles than "wrestling". Then we have Sting, who was stuck in this long feud with Vampiro. However, when Sting wrestled someone like Jeff Jarrett, Sting pushed Jarrett to his limit, thus producing two great matches. But hey, this whole 4 paragraph rant on Russo is just my opinion.
Speaking of Sting, I've heard several people claim that he's coming back as the blond, surfer Sting. Well, there is NO OFFICIAL word on it yet, but I wouldn't doubt it COULD happen. But I don't think it could work in this day and age. Especially in Russo's system, where the Blond Sting would act like a pimp, and offering women to wrestlers. Oh wait, that's the Godfather in the WWF, which Russo probably made up and the WWF keeps recycling. I'm kidding on those sentences. Anyway, the new Sting is stillworking very well, and something like the Blond Sting would be much better during Sullivan's era.
One more thing on Hogan, which I forgot to comment on from yesterday. The biography said he left the WWF because the WWF wanted Hogan to put over up and coming talent. Yep, that's what it said! That's his main reason for leaving the WWF, and retiring temporarily. So he later joins WCW, and since WCW could use a name like Hogan in their federation, it's good business. They even took it to another level when they turned him heel. Again, great business! Then as Hogan seemed to be slowing down in his old age, the same pattern developed here, and WCW wanted Hogan to job to younger up and coming wrestlers. Besides Goldberg in 1998, he was very hesitant on this asking by WCW. Therefore, he used his creative power that WCW gave him to his advantage..and thus, here we are today, and Hogan will get the title later on, next month at the Bash at the Beach. Do you remember the reasoning behind the Goldberg loss in 1998? The conditions were that Hogan was supposed to be the first man to defeat Goldberg if he dropped the strap to him. Maybe that retirement erased that promise, but I bet Hogan will hold that against Goldberg once Hogan defeats Jarrett, thus setting up a Face Hogan versus a Heel Goldberg.
You know what cracks me up? If you've read this column, I've bitched for months about how the WWF has those long and boring opening interviews to set up the rest of the night. I've done them ever since they really started getting out of hand in late 1999, and now I see everyone else noticing this as well. Geesh. That's one thing, I think, that helps to add to the "staleness" at times for the WWF. Their shows are like the following: Opening interview-midcard-midcard-Set up Match from interview-midcard-Set up match-midcard-midcard-midcard-TWO Set up matches including main event. Ok, that is a rough pattern, but that opening interview always seems to set up the same things, each week. Of course, this is solid way to book each time, ensuring no half-assed booking...BUT, it can get old for a while. The WWF is so lucky to have the talent work hard in the set up matches, and lucky to have great wrestlers in their midcard matches. So lucky.
Alright, Smackdown is TONIGHT, and here is your NON Spoiler line up.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
Grandmaster Sex-ay vs. Edge
T&A vs. Hardy Boyz(4th meeting ever)
Scotty Too Hottie vs. D'Lo Brown
Chris Benoit vs. Kane(WOW!!)
Dudley Boys vs. Edge/Christian
Bull Buchanan vs. Chris Jericho
Rock vs. "a mystery opponent"
This looks like your typical WWF Smackdown show, with a certain (WOW!!) match to look foward to. I just hope the WWF adds some strange twists to certain matches so that it is good like it was for RAW. We'll see tonight.
@That's all for today. I'll be back tomorrow with the usual and wonderful Friday PDC, so just chill.........
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