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/wrestling /guests /Coale |
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/wrestling /guests /Coale |
| Guest Columns | Mark Coale |
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TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE You certainly cannot swing a dead cat on a wrestling website without talking about Vince "Monroe Doctrine" Russo and Ed "Did I Get to Make Fun of JR on TV Again?" Ferrera. Far be it from me to break the streak. So, here are some quick thoughts about the first program under the new regime in WCW. In the category of "If you can't beat them, join them" department, there's the long list (after only one show) of Raw staples that have already made their way to Nitro. The most glaring copy is the infamous "They're Walking" (Ô CRZ) backstage shot. And the obligatory backstage interview that eventually ends as a pull-apart brawl. How long before WCW installs a cyclone fence and oil drum for the interview set? A close second is the annoying "guest color commentator" device. Just how many people did we have joining Tony and the Brain at ringside Monday night? Okay, I may not personally like Shane Douglas, but I can acknowledge the fact he's good on the stick. But Lash LaRoux? Give me a break. Let's not forget the T&A. I'll give them credit for almost parodying the "evening gown match" concept with Madusa Miceli as an unwilling participant. But there was plenty of cheesecake to be found, thanks to Mrs. Page and Torrie Wilson. (Is it possible that of all the people employed by WCW, Torrie Wilson could the person with the most to gain by the hiring of Russo and Ferrera.) After one show, Russo is already proving his xenophobic views on wrestling. La Parka gets a joke win over Buff Bagwell for the sake of angle advancement, Juventud Guerrera gets wasted in an opening match (against Evan Koragis nonetheless) with a "sports entertainment" finish and Norman Smiley gets buried in a hardcore match for no good reason. Hello, extreme waste of Luchador talent. And don't give me the Latinos from north of the border (Eddy, Rey Rey or Chuck) as a counter-argument. I just hope Russo stays true to his isolationist ideology and abandons WCW's relationship with New Japan, allowing the latter to develop a new partnership with some other American company. Please spare us from the "Too Cool" antics of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. It was (usually) funny when the Outsiders engaged in frat boy hi-jinks. In 1997. Fellas, all you are doing now is going to back to some stale material that is a little disturbing, given what we know about their off-the-field proclivities. As I've ranted about before, there's a fine line between playing around with kayfabe and trampling it. It's one thing to throw out jargon in an attempt to tweak the smart fans, but it's close to crossing the line when you get on the mike, like Bagwell did, and address the booker. Especially after a match this is patently a work. Not that everything was negative. I may not personally care for "Crash TV," but it does give the show a better flow and faster pace, oh so important in the short attention span era of the 1990s. And so far, Russo has not managed to derail the entertaining antics of the Nature Boy. Memo to Vic Venom: Give a wide berth to Mr. Flair or all the quality programming you provide will not ease the wrath of the smart fan. The one-week grade from this corner for the New Nitro is a C-. Some good things, but the continuation of negative trends do not make for a positive precedent. Halloween Havoc will definitely be worth examining to see how these new "action adventure writers" will continue on their newfound path. Mark Coale O-Goshi Studios - Popular Culture Journalism for the Next Millennium Mail the Author Check out WrestleLine's Coale Column Archive Visit O-Goshi Studios |
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