So Vince goes on about nobody in the current era (aside Cena of course) going for the "brass ring". But then we have the blatant examples of Zack Ryder who made himself into the most over guy in the world and was promptly crushed because... ? Daniel Bryan turned a one-word catch phrase into a movement without any help from upper management and Punk before them. Cesaro even got himself over by sheer force with the swing and his balls were promptly cut off after Wrestlemania. Imagine if Austin spent months on Raw jobbing and getting beaten down after his KOTR speech. Or HHH reforming DX then being left off the next 3 ppvs? Why doesn't anyone (Austin, HHH) point this out to Vince? You grab the brass ring, you're reward is getting jobbed out and humiliated until the crowd learns not to "like" you, then it's your fault
I think in a more general sense that there's no "brass ring" to grab anymore. The system is specifically engineered to make the brand a bigger deal than the individual guys, and the 50/50 booking means that even if you start to get over as a big deal (Dean Ambrose) you're just going to be used to attempt to make someone else a big deal as well (Bray Wyatt). And then neither person is a big deal. This is decidedly the WCW booking philosophy and part of what killed the product for them. The only exception is Roman Reigns, where they've already decided in advance that he's going to be The Guy and so none of the rules apply to him and he gets to bypass all the same criticisms thrown at Cesaro (can't talk, doesn't connect with the fans). So then they don't bother to make anyone else and if Reigns gets injured, we get four god-awful boring months of bullshit like we're stuck in now. Oh, and you also get shows like Hell in a Cell, which did 20,000 buys. That's TNA numbers. And if their plan to have Brock turn Reigns into the big star at Wrestlemania doesn't work, then what? Cena v. Orton again?
Sadly, probably yes.
God, that "brass ring" line was far and away the most frustrating part of that interview. I don't think it's so much that he doesn't recognize the work of a Ryder- much less a Punk or Bryan- as much as how he's defining that is at best byzantine, and at worst totally undefinable.
ReplyDeleteWhat is "the brass ring" in this context? Money? Fame? The honor of being at WWE'S beckon call 24/7?
ReplyDeleteThe 'brass ring' is getting the right people to like you, which is mostly based on connections, nepotism, physical appearance, things you have little if any control over. Similar to most jobs. Reigns won the lottery in these attributes, good for him.
ReplyDelete"Oh, and you also get shows like Hell in a Cell, which did 20,000 buys. That's TNA numbers."
ReplyDeleteCome on, are we really going to measure the success of a PPV in the Network era through buys? You're better than that, Scott.
The "Corporate Brass Ring" is what it should be called
ReplyDeleteBut Scott, is it really fair to judge a PPV's success/failure on number of buys in the Network Era? Yeah, 20,000 buys is a joke number, but how many of the 700,000+ Network customers watched the show? We don't know because they never tell us.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the rest of your point is accurate. There is definitely a double standard for guys they "like" as opposed to guys they "don't like".
It's quite possible we're watching the slow, sad tailspin into self-destruction of the entire company just like WCW, only WWE got so big for a while that it's just taking a much longer time to happen. But I mean, look at all the bitching we did from 2002-2005. Scott milked like 3 books out of that period. Did anything come back around? Nope, it got worse. And it got worse because yes, it's a different industry now due to a myriad of reasons...but because it's so different, so all about being a brand and a corporate entity, I think they may have stumbled into a slow, sad descent that we always thought they would somehow manage to just float above, forever.
ReplyDeleteOr, maybe just shit sucks so bad now I'm wrestle-depressed and moribund and 10 years from now they'll be back on track and making...I dunno, laser blurays about the early years of the greatest wrestling superstar of all time, Roman "Empire" Reigns. Whatever.
He's really not. The sarcasm and snarkiness is his signature.
ReplyDeleteAndre WAS the main event scene back in 1988 dude. If you were programmed with Andre during that time, you were headlining shows. Once 89 rolled around, Andre was down to mid card.
ReplyDeleteI remember attending shows during the dead era of 93-96 and people STILL HOOOOOOOOOOOOO'ed before and during the shows. Constantly. He left such an impression on fans of the era.
ReplyDeleteYupp--replaced by Hillbilly Jim after that (I went to the Nassau show with their match). Studd was more pissed at his pay though.
ReplyDeleteThat's the company line now--Bruce Pritchard has stated many times that Vince gave him the opportunity to create and live the Red Rooster gimmick but Terry felt it was a rib and half assed it. I disagree but that's what those in power thought of that stupid gimmick.
ReplyDeleteWell who knows if that was why. They were together like a decade.
ReplyDeleteAllegedly he was up for the Mr. Perfect role. I get the feeling he would have bombed in that role if he played it instead of Curt Hening.
ReplyDeleteStorytelling!
ReplyDeleteOnly Lex Luger can make an insane nut like Macho seem like a better life choice...
ReplyDeleteSon of Lou?!
ReplyDeleteIm pretty sure Andre called him Jigsaw Duggan too....
ReplyDeleteI was always fascinated with Cheryl, guess she was a big ho. Never can find much stuff about her out there though...
ReplyDeleteBeing wrestlers, I'm guessing they took a dump on the snakes.
ReplyDeleteEvery house show I went to up until about 1997, people were HOOOOOOing in the parking garage on the way to the arena. Good times.
ReplyDeleteSaw it as it aired...LOVED Duggan under Watts back then. Pissed me off that they turned him into a moron in the WWF (which I maintain to this day was Vince punishing him for the bust)
ReplyDeleteHooooooooo....wanna play a game?
ReplyDeleteNo, I will grant you that some guys are jealous. No argument there.
ReplyDeleteCall me naive but the way most wrestlers treated some of the animals makes me sick. Great characters in the ring, shitty persons in real life.
ReplyDeleteDuggan even says in the shoot "she was into guys that treated her that way" ... and to be married that long while working full time in 1980s professional wrestling i'd say she was fine with it... and even after the divorce still worked with him again in WCW... its an adult thing
ReplyDeleteNassau in 89? since they recorded the show it would have been great to get one last chance to see Andre rough up Studd
ReplyDeletedid you make it to the Bunkhouse Stampede show at Nassau in Jan 88? I love that awful show
A good workout can help you sweat out the hangover but it is not pleasant. if you focus on the fact that you're going to feel better afterwards it is actually easier to get motivated.
ReplyDeleteI only saw the hillbilly match :( no.my first live show was Dec 88
ReplyDelete