Cody Boland
Issue date: 9/13/10
Section: Opinion
It's often out of ignorance that people never learn to appreciate a certain type of entertainment. Though understandable, it is sad that live theater is not appreciated by enough people, either due to its cost of admission or because of preconceived notions. It is in this same vein that it can't help but tickle me when I hear people my age talk about professional wrestling with the same analytical skills they used in middle school.
Professional wrestling was at its pop-culture peak in the late '90s/early '00s. Considering that anyone in my generation was still excited by the taboo of seeing an R-rated movie at that time, they really should try to keep that in mind when thinking about how they saw entertainment back then.
There are two ways to enjoy professional wrestling: as a child, or as an adult.
A child sees a hero and a villain in the ring, battling forces of good and evil. To a kid, everything is Power Rangers, and we all remember that time.
Adults think of entertainment differently, and an adult wrestling fan understands the show.
Professional wrestling is a unique improv theater. A story of battle is told with a vast cast of colorful characters. Storylines of feuds give way to long periods of very real physical contact where there is nothing fake about the falls, cuts and scars.
Not liking professional wrestling because it is cheesy and over-the-top is fine. I don't like "Family Guy" for the same reason. But not liking the event because it is "fake" is like saying the only reason that somebody hates "Twilight" is because Stephenie Meyer made the whole thing up.
Professional wrestling has not claimed to be a sport for the better part of 20 years. A large part of this decision is because admitting the event is "staged" frees the promoters from being required to provide participants with the kind of medical benefits and securities that professional athletes have the right to.
Professional wrestling is a blend of circus and improv theater. This testosterone-laden melodrama has very real physical consequences for the performers. People don't go to Broadway shows for a variety of reasons, but never because the events will be "staged."
Sure, it was decided before the match that the new World Wrestling Entertainment champion would fight off three henchmen with a bleeding crimson mask, but the twenty minutes of back-and-forth physical storytelling in front of a giant crowd reacting along with the action all happened too.
Using the word "fake" is simply silly. Just because the storylines of professional wrestling are as fictional as an episode of "30 Rock" doesn't mean they can't be enjoyed just as much by an extensive fan base.
It may be a quirky thing to wax poetic about for so long, but if one of the most iconic wrestlers calls himself the "Dead Man," and walks slowly to the ring in darkness as fog swirls around him, I appreciate the fact that to understand and enjoy certain types of performances, it is necessary to embrace the unusual.
I don't expect to make any wrestling converts. Instead, I'm appealing to those that will speak of it later in a negative light to do so because you are an adult who has a different taste in entertainment. Not because you are still thinking like a middle-schooler upset that the Hulkster got his muscles from more than vitamins and milk.
http://media.www.westerncourier.com/media/storage/paper650/news/2010/09/13/Opinion/Love-Or.Hate.Pro.Wrestling.As.An.Adult-3930453.shtml
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
David Lagana: "Is This The End For Ring of Honor?"
This Saturday Night September 11th in New York City, Ring of Honor returns to the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center for Glory by Honor IX, a show that is being made available live on iPPV via www.gofightlive.tv, and yet the hype has raised a lot of questions.
Ring of Honor was created in 2001 out of the ashes of the end of the Monday Night Wars, which saw two national wrestling promotions (WCW and ECW) close its doors within one month of each other. Give credit to GABE SAPOLSKY, who saw the need in the marketplace for a unique product like ROH and helped create it; without him the question of “Is This The End?” would have been asked in the early 2000’s regarding the death of alternative wrestling.
I’m no Ring of Honor historian. I came late to the game in early 2009 when Adam Pearce called me to help launch the Ring of Honor TV show on Mark Cuban’s HDNet. I know a lot of people asked the question, “Is This The End?” when Adam Pearce took over the booking of ROH from Gabe Sapolsky in 2008. Pearce faced the challenge of following a person whom the audience had very passionate feelings about. His success came in the quality product he created, and one he should be proud of.
I went through a situation like that in my time in WWE. In 2006, WWE re-launched ECW as a full time company after the success of ECW’s One Night Stand in 2005. There was so much hope and excitement around the return of the innovative hardcore product created by Paul Heyman. It wasn’t long that it became plainly obvious that the WWE version of ECW was not going to be the same product. So when Paul Heyman couldn’t stand it any more and parted ways with WWE in December of 2006, I was left with the nearly impossible challenge of being the first person who wasn’t Paul Heyman to be the lead on creative for ECW. I know many people then asked, “Is This The End?” While not the same product we all had loved in the 90s, 2007 ECW saw stars like CM Punk, John Morrison, Elijah Burke, The Miz and Kelly Kelly flourish and make their first impressions on a national stage. That’s something I know I’m very proud of.
Now it’s 2010, and I’ve heard that same nagging question about ROH, “Is This The End?” Glory By Honor IX marks a very unique set of circumstances. Most notably, ROH World Champion Tyler Black signed a contract with Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment in August. The reigning champion of ROH scooped up just as he’s hitting his stride by the big, evil corporation. How could this happen? Does this mean the ship is sinking and everyone is running for lifeboats? It was this same time last year when WWE announced signing Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness away from ROH and everyone predicted doom and gloom for the promotion. Ring of Honor’s legacy just might be just like that of ECW’s in the 90s … creating an alternative product from the big two and a place for talents to make their first -- and for some, most memorable -- splash with a national audience. ROH has “lost” talents like CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Homicide, Matt Sydal, Low Ki and others over the years. Those performers have gone on to show that their success in Ring of Honor set them up for great things in greener pastures. This Saturday, Tyler Black faces Roderick Strong in the main event for the ROH World Championship. Will Tyler walk out of the Manhattan Center as ROH champion? Don’t think it’s possible?
Point of reference, Vince McMahon met with Harley Race before the very first Starcadde in 1983 in an attempt to steal the NWA Champion and screw with Jim Crockett’s biggest show to date at that time.
Whenever a wrestler is “wished the best of luck in their future endeavors” from WWE, the talents ask themselves “Is This The End?”
Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin were both released by WWE in early 2010 and yet on this Saturday night, they walk into a new challenge. Charlie has said that they are “released and unleashed,” while Shelton has said “I've proven myself more times than I can count … This weekend will simply reiterate.”
On the other hand, The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) do believe they have something to prove this weekend. As the ROH World Tag Team Champions, the duo recently resigned with ROH and they want to show the world exactly how great they are. It’s a simple story … two teams with chips on their shoulders in a match to prove who is better.
So …
Is This The End?
Yes!
At least, for this chapter for Ring of Honor. Where ROH … and the wrestling business, for that matter, go from here is in the hands of those working in it. It’s an exciting and scary time. This Saturday’s Ring Of Honor show at the Manhattan Center is something I’m personally looking forward to working on (I’m directing the iPPV show), and anyone who is a wrestling fan should check it out at www.gofightlive.tv When people think it’s really the end, it’s usually the start of something special.
I’m no Ring of Honor historian. I came late to the game in early 2009 when Adam Pearce called me to help launch the Ring of Honor TV show on Mark Cuban’s HDNet. I know a lot of people asked the question, “Is This The End?” when Adam Pearce took over the booking of ROH from Gabe Sapolsky in 2008. Pearce faced the challenge of following a person whom the audience had very passionate feelings about. His success came in the quality product he created, and one he should be proud of.
I went through a situation like that in my time in WWE. In 2006, WWE re-launched ECW as a full time company after the success of ECW’s One Night Stand in 2005. There was so much hope and excitement around the return of the innovative hardcore product created by Paul Heyman. It wasn’t long that it became plainly obvious that the WWE version of ECW was not going to be the same product. So when Paul Heyman couldn’t stand it any more and parted ways with WWE in December of 2006, I was left with the nearly impossible challenge of being the first person who wasn’t Paul Heyman to be the lead on creative for ECW. I know many people then asked, “Is This The End?” While not the same product we all had loved in the 90s, 2007 ECW saw stars like CM Punk, John Morrison, Elijah Burke, The Miz and Kelly Kelly flourish and make their first impressions on a national stage. That’s something I know I’m very proud of.
Now it’s 2010, and I’ve heard that same nagging question about ROH, “Is This The End?” Glory By Honor IX marks a very unique set of circumstances. Most notably, ROH World Champion Tyler Black signed a contract with Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment in August. The reigning champion of ROH scooped up just as he’s hitting his stride by the big, evil corporation. How could this happen? Does this mean the ship is sinking and everyone is running for lifeboats? It was this same time last year when WWE announced signing Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness away from ROH and everyone predicted doom and gloom for the promotion. Ring of Honor’s legacy just might be just like that of ECW’s in the 90s … creating an alternative product from the big two and a place for talents to make their first -- and for some, most memorable -- splash with a national audience. ROH has “lost” talents like CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Homicide, Matt Sydal, Low Ki and others over the years. Those performers have gone on to show that their success in Ring of Honor set them up for great things in greener pastures. This Saturday, Tyler Black faces Roderick Strong in the main event for the ROH World Championship. Will Tyler walk out of the Manhattan Center as ROH champion? Don’t think it’s possible?
Point of reference, Vince McMahon met with Harley Race before the very first Starcadde in 1983 in an attempt to steal the NWA Champion and screw with Jim Crockett’s biggest show to date at that time.
Whenever a wrestler is “wished the best of luck in their future endeavors” from WWE, the talents ask themselves “Is This The End?”
Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin were both released by WWE in early 2010 and yet on this Saturday night, they walk into a new challenge. Charlie has said that they are “released and unleashed,” while Shelton has said “I've proven myself more times than I can count … This weekend will simply reiterate.”
On the other hand, The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) do believe they have something to prove this weekend. As the ROH World Tag Team Champions, the duo recently resigned with ROH and they want to show the world exactly how great they are. It’s a simple story … two teams with chips on their shoulders in a match to prove who is better.
So …
Is This The End?
Yes!
At least, for this chapter for Ring of Honor. Where ROH … and the wrestling business, for that matter, go from here is in the hands of those working in it. It’s an exciting and scary time. This Saturday’s Ring Of Honor show at the Manhattan Center is something I’m personally looking forward to working on (I’m directing the iPPV show), and anyone who is a wrestling fan should check it out at www.gofightlive.tv When people think it’s really the end, it’s usually the start of something special.
David Lagana is a producer/director for Ring Of Honor and ROH on HDNet. His resume includes Lead Writer tenures at World Wrestling Entertainment’s version of ECW and WWE Smackdown, as well as a writer for one season on NBC’s “Friends.” You can follow David on Twitter HERE
WWE Night Of Champions Predictions
By Rachel Miller (Contributor)
on September 9, 2010
WWE's Night of Champions is coming up on Sunday, September 19 in Chicago. And so without further ado, here are the announced matches so far:
WWE Championship Six-Pack Challenge
Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett vs. Triple H
Prediction: Triple H. After Triple H wins, the Miz tries to cash in his briefcase but Daniel Bryan steals the briefcase. The Nexus will try to interfere and chase Cena, Sheamus, Orton, and Edge but Darren Young will distract Wade Barrett.
World Heavyweight Championship
Kane (c) vs. the Undertaker (No Holds Barred Match)
Prediction: The Undertaker.
United States Championship
The Miz (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Prediction: Daniel Bryan but the Miz retains the US title after a DQ.
Divas Unification Match
Melina vs. Michelle McCool (Lumberjill Match)
Prediction: The match ends in a draw after the Lumberjacks distract both competitors.
The Big Show vs. CM Punk
Prediction: The Big Show
Intercontinental Championship
It is very likely that it will be Dolph Ziggler defending his title against Kofi Kingston but with Vickie Guerrero banned from ringside (expect her to be involved in the Divas match instead), Kingston will win as a result.
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Hart Dynasty have been tag team champs since April, but the only other tag teams are the Usos, Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov, the Gatecrashers, and the Dudebusters; all of whom are not viable contenders. Expect the WWE to throw in some big names in this match like "Dashing" Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre who have a great chance at ending the Hart Dynasty's five month reign as world champs.
LordsOfPain.net - WWE News & Results » WWE Going Head-To-Head With Impact Taping, Styles “Shoots” On NXT
– WWE Monday Night Raw on November 22, 2010 will be held at the new Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Tickets go on sale Saturday, September 25, 2010.
TNA Wrestling will be holding a television taping the very same day in Orlando. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
– As of Wednesday, former ECW announcer Joey Styles is offering live chat commentary of the weekly NXT replay on WWE.com. For those who missed it, WWE.com has posted highlights of Styles’ quips. Highlights include:
* “Too bad about Aloisia. I’ve been told she was very photogenic.”
* “AJ worked as a WRESTLER (dirty word) for 3 years to get to WWE. She’s not just a model or fitness competitor we found. (ouch)”
* “AJ wrapped the tie around the neck. She’s fired!”
* “WWE has a new movie coming out? Really? What’s it called? Who’s in it? I wish myself the best in my future endeavors.”
* “Regardless of what you thought of NXT, I think we can all agree on one thing. This chat was more entertaining than TNA. OH MY GOD! Goodnight.”
– NXT Rookie Diva Kaitlyn is among the most searched for topics on Google.com today as her real name, Celeste Bonin, garnered a large amount of queries.
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