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/wrestling /guests /Fury |
| Guest Columns | Travis Fury |
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VAMPIRO: THE FUTURE OF WCW? Now, I know alot of you are looking at that title and thinking "uhm, isn't GOLDBERG the future of WCW?" No, Goldberg is the future of the WWF, where a person who knows like 3 moves can flourish. Actually, he's REALLY the future of NJPW where white folks who don't speak Japanese go over rather well as heels. Just ask the fake Razor Ramon and poor Mike Rotunda. Anyhow, back to the Canadian in question, Vampiro. Of all the tomfoolery going on in WCW right now, bookerman Nash and his merry crew are doing just one thing right: pushing Vampiro. Pairing him with the ICP gives him immediate "name" status (remember the Oddities? well, me neither...haha), and having him beat the shit out of Konnan mad him an internet darling (though the ICP actually got fatboy off of our TVs for a few weeks, but it's all relative). The fans love Vampiro. He sells his gimmick to perfection: namely, he goes out there and you believe he's a punk-rocker who likes to beat people up. Because he pretty much is. Read his MiCasa interview (which is linked on the [slash] home page and also right here). When asked about his use of Juvi's finisher, Vampiro replied, and I quote: "Fuck Juvi". Samuda suggested "Maybe I can put 'frick'." Vampiro's response: "No, put fuck. Fuck Juvi." He's a guy alot of the fans can relate to. "Rednecks?" No, the rest of us wrestling fans. Those of us who wanna slit our wrists everytime Konnan gets the stick. Those of us who think Dallas Page would be 100% better if he NEVER SPOKE AGAIN. Those of us who watch Kidman and Kaz Hayashi work an incredible match, praying the entire time that Randy Savage doesn't come out and get put over the both of them. The people who CHEERED the Headbangers and booed the shit out ofthe NOA. Those of us who wonder "whatever happened to Tokoyo Magnum and Alex Wright?" Well, that might just be me, but whatever. The internet "smarts" are swiftly becoming a big portion of the wrasslin' fanbase. Do you seriously think WCW brought in Shane Douglass (however you spell it) because all of the rednecks remember the "Dynamic Dudes?" If that was the case, Johnny Ace would have showed up at the same time to beat Hammer and Riggs' asses for stealing his finishers. But we all know who the target audience for our stout friend Shane is. It's the same people who whine and bitch everytime Benoit jobs. The other appeal Vampiro has is with the 18-23 year old fans. The kids who go to punk shows in La Parka masks and who write 'zines about hardcore music and ECW. This group is also known as "everyone who thought the Flock was cool, and still shudder at the memory of Goldberg beating all SIX of them." Punk rock and wrestling are tied together. Many local bands here in the D.C. area incorperate wrestling themes into their acts. Hell, at one show, the lead singer of a local act chokeslammed me (I'm just lucky I remembered how to sell a chokeslam, or else he would have just stood there throttling me). The crowd ate it up with a spoon. And if WCW has finally figured this connection out (hey, it could happen!), they're taking some steps in the right direction. Teaming Vampiro with Raven automatically put him into that category of "tweener": guys the dumb rednecky fans hate, and all the "cool" fans can't get enough of (see also: Jericho, Eddy Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, hell ALL the luchadores. Well, except Juvi. *Nobody* likes Juvi). WCW only needs to do one thing: not screw it up. Raven was a crappy babyface a few months ago. Eddy just doesn't make sense in his current pairing with Rey Misterio. He's supposed to hate Rey with a passion. Remember when he made Rey wear that big ass LWO shirt? Of course, that was when Rey was tolerable (pre-"Hoody Hoo!"). If they equate popularity with face status, they'll kill Vampiro's character, and disappoint the shit out of his fans. Vampiro has no choice. His future is basically tied to WCW. Why? Because noone in WWF could sell his moves. They'd either have to change his finisher to something like a powerslam, or feud him with the Hardys and the Brood...for the REST OF HIS CAREER. Seriously, I think that's part of the reason Marc Mero jobbed so much towards the end of his run- nobody knew how to sell the TKO. That and the fact that his gimmick blew. Jim Ross actually said this to Triple H a few weeks ago: "well, you *are* one of the finest techinicians in our sport, I'll give you that." I didn't realize that being a techinician meant "doing a lot of knee-lifts." Go fig. Right now, Raven and Vampiro are very popular, probably even more so than guys like Nash, Sid and Hogan. They've already eclipsed many "established" acts like Hennig and Steiner in terms of crowd reaction. They have a spot that talented guys like Norton have been lusting after for years. The only question is: "where do they go from here?" As far as I'm concerned, they ought to leave well enough alone. It's been suggested that Alex Wright will be added to the "Dead Pool" upon his return. That would work if Wright didn't work the mic, and let his ability as a credible worker do the talking (much like Vampiro does now.) Short of adding the Great Muta to the stable (I know I'm not the only one who wishes he would come back), there's not alot of "re-tooling" that would be productive. Based on his interview, Vampiro's a pretty smart guy. He knows who to respect, and who his friends should be. If he shows as much respect to the "establishment" as he did in that interview, he should continue to be pushed, and not put in the "Hugh Morrus/Chavo Guerrero/Norman Smiley" doghouse- talented people who are kept around, paid okay, but prevented from being relevant because of their attitude of refusal to do (or stop doing) goofy things. In any event, it will be very interesting to see how WCW uses Vampiro in the next year or so. Let's just hope they don't "frick" it up. Comments? Questions? Email me, or check out my homepage. Wish me well, I'm moving to Seattle this week. Cheers, be safe. Travis Fury freelance Mail the Author Visit my homepage |
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