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Michael Franck

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MIKE VENTS

As I have stated before, I am a huge supporter of the WCW and feel that, at times, they receive unfair treatment due to the ratings success of WWF. I honestly believe that WCW seems to be held to a higher standard than the WWF. If you have watched both RAW and NITRO the last few months, you'll realize that the WWF is in the beginning stages of committing the same deadly mistakes WCW has made in the past. If programming changes are not made soon, Vince and company will soon find themselves begging for ratings also.

I have told Zim before that everything moves in cycles and it is just a matter of time before the WCW again passes WWF in the ratings. It appears that both of these federations seem to spend way too much time gloating over the fact that they are better than the "other guys" as soon as they reach number one. This was evident with WCW when they refused to move b eyond the NWO thing (Black and White, Wolfpack, B-team,...I started getting confused!) along with the fact that the older guys were the only ones getting the push while young talent was being held down(they're still guilty of that).

The WWF appears headed in the same direction. The corporation angle has run its course. Vince has come and gone and come back again as the leader of corporate abuse. Shane fills in when necessary. The Rock lived the corporate lifestyle until Taker took over his role. The one (well actually two) constant in the whole thing was an outrageous abuse of power on the corporation side (although not as ridiculous as Flair's) and the fact that Bone Cold continues his struggles with the corporation. This has been going on for about a year or so now. Its time for a change.

This wasn't supposed to be an article about how the WWF is repeating the mistakes the WCW has made it is rather a plea that wrestling, as a whole, doesn't fall into the same pitfalls as it did in the late 80's to early 90's. With Bischoff and company still struggling for direction with lackluster/incomplete storylines and McMahan's WWF seemingly riding the success of being the dominate federation in terms of ratings, doom is just over the horizon.

Being a fan of wrestling I continue to search for as much information surrounding every aspect of the industry as I can. Unfortunately, by doing so I subject myself to constant repetition and some very ignorant, if not plain stupid, websites. However, throughout the many sources of information that I I have come into contact with, I have realized that wrestling is truly a form of entertainment. By that I mean that both wrestlers and organizers of both federations have turned their professional successes into some form of celebrity status.

This is what just appalls me. I always viewed wrestling as a form of entertainment made just for me and that the wrestlers I watch night in and night out were fairly grounded and aware that without hardwork and dedication to their profession they could easily be forgotten. Today's wrestlers have come to live for the celebrity status that comes with being a popular wrestler. Today's wrestlers have become exactly like the Hollywood actors/actresses who feel that they are above everyone else and should be treated better than the average person. Now, they have become exactly like the arrogant, egotistical Hollywood stars that I have come to despise. This was not always the case.

Living in Charlotte, I have run into the great Ric Flair a few times whether it be by accident or whatever. Once you see him, you can tell he is from another era of wrestlers. You hate him on T.V. and in the ring but away from it, you can't help but have respect for the man. He could just as easily take all the money he has made throughout the years and place himself on a pedestal (after all, he is one of the most influential people in wrestling history in terms of its success and popularity). Instead, Flair is just a regular guy. He jokes and has fun with his fans. I met him in a bar down in Charleston, SC once and he must've stayed in there for hours talking to everyone who walked in the door!

He has now become one of the select few.

I am so sick of turning on the TV or checking out either the WCW or WWF websites and discovering that another star of wrestling is on a talk show or taking batting practice or is appearing on a sitcom. Wrestler's of the 90's have become greedy and, well, snotty (for lack of a better word). Their ego's play a bigger part in the scheme of things these days. I realize that a wrestlers ego is what makes wrestling what it is but the ego's of these guys go way beyond wrestling.

When was the last time Kevin Nash sent a little to his fans on his website. He used to do so every week or so. I haven't seen one since about March. The only reason he started out so dedicated to his fans is because he was looking for popularity and money. Well he's got it and now his fans are left wondering what happened to the old Nash they used to Cheer for.

Hogan!! Do I even have to get into it with him? He has an ego that couldn't fit in both federations at the same time (probably ECW also!)!. The problem with Hogan is that he is a big reason why wrestling has become so popular (Although I hate to admit it) and he knows it.

Bone Cold has been showing up everywhere lately. I have seen him throwing out first pitches, taking batting practice with McGuire, on Leno, hell I even saw him on Howard Stern! If this isn't someone who'll do anything for a buck than I don't know who is.

They all say the reason they make all of these appearances is to promote wrestling or an upcoming event. Bullshit! It us done for their own self interests...money. Walk into a Mall, look at all the wrestling t-shirts, hats, etc. Flair, indeed, is one of a kind. He must hate what he's been watching lately.

This is where I meet my crossroads with wrestling. I love the sport, entertainment, and personalities but I can't stand all the commercialism. Of course, this is where the problem occurs. Without promotion, wrestling would not be where it is today. With all the promotion and commercialism, people discover that there is a dollar to be made in this industry and they will go to the extremes to get it (this whole WCW-surge thing has got to stop. That fatass who is all up in my area, as CRZ says, had a record with a Surge label on it...CMON!).

Is there an even playing field out there? One which still maintains the huge popularity of the sport we all enjoy so much but doesn't allow egoes and greed cloud the arena simply for their own financial successes.

This was not what I had planned on writing but last night I saw yet another blatant attempt of self-promotion from one of our esteemed wrestlers and I guess it is still in the back of my mind.

Let me know what you think.

Until Next Time

Michael Franck
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Guest column text copyright (C) 1999 by the individual author and used with permission