Main
BLAH |
THE JOHN REPORT
Raw, The Best of the Radicals, My Play to Help WCW, The Mailbag and More
I have quite a few things to cover in this week's column but I want to save
a lot of the major stuff for the PPV preview later in the week. I will
deliver the usual WWF thoughts, share some email that I have received lately
and share five things I would do in order to fix the mess that is WCW.
Speaking of WCW, I came away with an 8-3 record in the Superbrawl preview
while by partner drqshadow had a record of 6-5. There is no bet but a
two-match margin of victory is very nice and I hope to capitalize on that
after the No Way Out PPV this Sunday. Anyway, I'm going to take it easy on
WWF opinions and save them for the preview later this week just cause I
don't feel the need to repeat things over and over. Let's get this column
going with an email, one of about 215 I received in the last week, regarding
my latest column. Here she blows...
Ken liked my article on Hell in a Cell #1 so much that he
canceled a date with his girlfriend (Have you ever done that CRZ?). Read
this for yourself:
hey,
just wanted to say that was one hell of a piece on the HIAC at badd blood.
i'm pretty new to the oratory, but its the damn most entertaining site out
there. your column persuaded me to call up my girlfriend, say "sorry honey,
i'm not feeling too good tonight. can we go out tomorrow instead" and get
out a phonebook, map every video store in the county, and not come home till
I get that damn video. anyway, can't wait till the next one. i'm really
curious as to what match you picked. can you give me any hints, ten days is
a long time to wait. anyways, take care G, thanks for the entertaining read.
peace outty,
ken
Personally I don't think a wrestling tape is worth putting off a date with
your girlfriend but I guess every guy is different. Ken wrote me back and
said he really enjoyed the tape of the match which made me happy because
that is the purpose of me writing it in the first place. I am not going to
tell you what the next one is but I will say it is a match from WrestleMania
and that's all the info I will share at this time. I am not trying to be a
dickhead about it; I just want it to be somewhat of a surprise even though
the people that know me are aware of the match I am talking about. I'll
probably post it next Wednesday so make sure to tell your girlfriend that
you are feeling ill on that day too. I was overwhelmed with all of the email
I received from readers in regards to my column about HIAC #1. I think I
took care of 80% of the emails and I am still trying to reply to the other
ones. Thanks to everybody who sent something in because I always welcome
email whether it's good or bad. Thanks again Ken, I really appreciate it.
Eddy Gets the Chance to Shine
I want to talk about my second favourite wrestler in the WWF, Eddy Guerrero
because he has turned into the best of the four radicals. I have seen Eddy
(I spell it this way rather than "Eddie") in NJPW, ECW and WCW over the past
decade but the heat he got this past Monday on Raw was tremendous. The WWF
has done a remarkable job getting Eddy over despite the fact that he
suffered a serious arm injury. One of the best WWF segments in a long time
happened on Smackdown last week after Eddy & friends took out Rikishi's
ankle. After taking out Too Cool on Smackdown, Eddy, Saturn and Malenko
mocked the Too Cool pose which was pretty funny. After the commercial Eddy
was standing in the ring challenging Rikishi to a no DQ match but Rikishi
was in the ambulance meaning Eddy had won the match. Being the terrific heel
that he is, Eddy forced the ref to raise his hand as the crowd booed him
mercifully. Eddy could have ended it right there but he pissed the crowd off
more by sitting on the shoulders of Malenko & Saturn while taunting all the
fans in attendance. I mention this because it's the perfect example of heel
heat. Eddy is jeered more than any member of the Radicals and it's because
he LIKES getting booed by the fans. Benoit and the others are getting good
heat too but Eddy is surely impressing McMahon thanks to the way he enjoys
"hearing it from the crowd" (credit Marv Albert).
By no means am I saying that Eddy should or will get a higher spot on the
roster than Chris Benoit but I do think he has done the best job in terms of
actually getting heel heat. I could tell Eddy was unhappy in WCW because
they were trying to make him a face and it sucked cause he's so much better
as a heel. Anybody who has followed this business can tell you that Eddy is
one of the best heels when he is actually motivated. He has the look, the
swagger and the abilities in the ring to get over big time. Finally he has
done it even though he has had one real match in the WWF and that was the
match where he suffered that arm injury. I really think he will be a big
factor in the WWF because of his sheer talent and Lord knows he deserves it
after the horrendous car accident he suffered a year ago. He will be
wrestling in a few short weeks and I am hoping he has a chance to shine at
WrestleMania in several weeks. Eddy Guerrero has been a star all of his life
and I am glad somebody finally realized that.
Random WWF Thoughts
Raw was a good show this week but nothing spectacular came out of it.
Often times the wrestlers take it easy the week before the PPV because they
do not want any sort of injury before they head into their match. It was not
a spectacular show but the big crowd made up for it due to their enthusiasm
in the six man main event. The Rock's mocking of Triple H on the mic was
pretty funny but he does not impress me in the ring. However, you can not
argue with the fact that he is the most popular guy in the business right
now even though I am getting a little tired of the act.
The main event at No Way Out has the chance to be a very special match in
what may possibly be Cactus Jack's last PPV win. For a big spot I think it
will be what Foley said he is going to do and that's jumping off the top of
the cage onto HHH who will be on a table or something that will break his
fall. I am not as worried as I was when this match was first announced but
like I said a while back, when Mick Foley is in the ring his adrenaline gets
pumping and often times he does regretful things. Lets hope he comes out of
it safe and healthy this time around not just for you or me but for his
family.
The WWF tag team scene is really hot right now but like I have been saying
for weeks, putting the world title on the New Age Outlaws for this long has
been a bad move. I would like to see these guys turn face because they are
horrible as heels I'd prefer it if the Radicals were with X-Pac and Triple H
to make a stable of six guys so the Outlaws can be the babyfaces they want
to be. They better put the belts on the Dudleys now while they are hot
because they could have a big money match at WrestleMania with the Hardy
Boyz as the probable opponents. The WWF tag scene is so hot right now I
think if the Headbangers were in WCW they'd be the best team there even
though they are WWF jobbers now which is where they should be. To the people
who think the Dudleys should have never left ECW I have just one question:
Do you think THEY regret that move now?
I hope the Jericho/Angle feud continues towards WrestleMania because these
two are probably the best mid card talent the WWF has right now (Benoit
too). Jericho, of course, is my favourite of all the wrestlers and I will
admit that he has not been real sharp in the ring lately. However, his match
with Jeff Hardy on Heat was very good and I have a feeling that his match
with Angle on Sunday can be pretty special too. They need a kickass feud in
order to bring prestige back to the Intercontinental title and this is the
one that can do it.
I'm a big fan of Al Snow and although some people think I hate Steve
Blackman I always thought he was talented in a ring. Snow is definitely one
of the funniest guys in the business whether he is in the ring or cutting a
promo the guy knows how to make us laugh. You need laughter in wrestling and
Snow is definitely up there with the likes of Foley and Jericho. Headcheese
is really getting these two over and it's great to see because they have a
lot of untapped potential.
I am guessing that Tazz may face Prince Albert at the PPV this Sunday. I
had the privilege of seeing PA in the indy circuit before he made it in the
WWF and he truly is a talented big man. He is also one of the guys that I am
sure will be willing to sell all of Tazz' suplexes so it could be a good
match if the WWF decides to add it. I am not the world's biggest Tazz fan by
any means but the guy has potential and the WWF should definitely use it.
The WWF took a while to build the Dudleys but now that they have become the
most over tag team in the company and I truly believe they can build Tazz up
in that way too.
RAW Magazine has "attractive" pictures of Chyna. I never thought such a
thing existed but I guess that is what happens after you spend thousands of
dollars on your "amazon" body. What is next, are they going to unveil what
Viscera is hiding underneath his big black jacket? Ugh, you can all throw up
now. Looking at Chyna makes you really appreciate the beauty of B.B. and
Terri.
Finally, I want you to keep your eyes open for the first appearance of my
friend Caryn Mower. I have known Caryn for over a year now and she's
definitely one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. She has been
at the last few TV tapings and she will be debuting in the weeks leading up
to WrestleMania. She was noticed by the WWF at a tryout camp last March and
now, nearly a year later, she will finally get her big break. After she
debuts I will do an interview with her that I can post and let you know of
ways to contact her via email as well as visiting her web page (that should
be up in a few weeks). Did I forget to mention that she is very beautiful
too? I shouldn't need to tell you that because that seems to be a
pre-requisite for WWF women these days. Take my word for it, you will enjoy
watching Caryn on screen and I know for a fact that she is ecstatic about
performing.
Some Stories on the Net Bother Me
I know net reporting is inaccurate a lot of times but there is no reason why
the people reporting this stuff can do this without using their brain. Two
"reports" stand out in my mind and I thought I would mention them here cause
they really have bothered me.
I have read several posts from people claiming that WCW is planning on
booking Tank Abbott vs. Goldberg for Starrcade 2000. This is absolute crap
on par with the reports of WCW wanting to book Bret Hart vs. Hogan at Mayhem
'99. Let me get this straight, they are booking a match that is 10 months
from now and people actually think it is going to happen? First of all, WCW
needs to worry about things for the present and something that they hope to
happen ten months from now. Secondly, Tank Abbott has no right NEAR a main
event but I will talk about that later. Thirdly, how can anybody that
reports this sort of thing be considered credible? This is like saying the
WWF is going to have The Rock vs. Steve Austin at Survivor Series. I
remember reading stuff saying that it would Austin vs. Big Show at
WrestleMania and obviously that isn't happening. Just because you say the
match is going to happen does not mean it will happen because you must take
injuries into effect. Finally, if Starrcade is WCW's "granddaddy of them
all" somebody should have told me that two months ago cause Starrcade '99
was just plain horrible. Bottom line: Unless somebody is reporting a main
event for a PPV one or two months down the line do NOT believe it cause it
is bound to be wrong.
The other thing that has bugged me are posts saying who will hold the WWF
title in the year 2000. In one post that I read, the "reporter" will remain
anonymous, it stated that The Rock, Triple H, Cactus Jack, Kane, Big Show,
Rikishi, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, Chris Benoit and The
Undertaker will all hold the WWF title in this year alone! There are eleven
names right there meaning that the genius that posted this actually believes
that title changes will happen every month. The Big Show and HHH have had
the belt this year and it seems obvious that The Rock and Cactus will too
but not all of these guys. Maybe six of these guys will hold the belt and
even that is stretching it because I have a feeling the WWF will keep the
belt on Rocky for four or five months this year.
My point is this: If you are one of these people that "reports" the news
please read what you are writing carefully and make sure it makes sense.
Also, to the people reading these posts I hope you can think about some of
these posts too rather than emailing me asking "when is Jericho going to
have the world title?" Be careful of some of the stuff out there and when in
doubt you should ask yourself: "does this make sense?"
Next up I want to take a look at an email I received after he read the
Superbrawl preview last Saturday. It comes from Michael Barker and this is
what he has to say:
From: Michael Barker
Subject: What the hell happened to WCW? =(
Guys,
I'll have to agree with you on this one, hand Superbrawl a straw because it
sucks. I have been a long time WCW fan, and I can't believe how crappy it
has become. I have yet to get a PPV because I am waiting for a decent one.
There was a real good point brought up in your preview. "Push the guys the
people like." Shit, Hogan's act is OLD and from what I hear, he's a major
Tracy (Dick Tracy). God, why couldn't they have pulled their heads out of
their ass and kept Jericho, Benoit, and the rest? I would rather watch "The
Giant" than Sid. Anyway, this Bud's for hoping there's a light at the end of
the tunnel. (And that the light isn't China from digging themselves such a
big hole.)
Later,
The Mike
This email inspired me to write a column about some of the minor things I
would do if I were in a higher position with WCW. If a guy like Mike,
someone I have known for a while, has a bad taste in his mouth about WCW
then it must be really bad. I still watch WCW even though they lost several
good wrestlers and they have few people I actually enjoy watching. I never
thought things would get this bad but it has gotten bad so here's a look at
five simple things, in no particular order, that I would do to help out WCW.
MY PLAN TO HELP WCW
5. Push wrestlers that fans like
I cannot stress this enough but WCW seems to be deaf when it comes to
delivering what their fans enjoy. The fans have always and will always
dictate the course of a wrestling promotion and if you go against the wishes
of the fans you will not be in a profitable situation. To add to the point I
made about "pushing guys that people ACTUALLY LIKE" just take a look at what
happened at the PPV. Norman Smiley lost and so did Booker even though Norman
lost to three people and Booker lost to 3 fat guys they still could have
used a win. If I could name the five most over guys in WCW these two would
be on that short list yet they do the job consistently. I find it amazing
how The Wall and Tank Abbott get pushed to the damn moon yet they have done
NOTHING in this business while Smiley and Booker have done everything for
WCW over the past several years. In terms of charisma and ability Smiley and
Booker are so much better than the aforementioned slugs yet they toil in the
midcard for some strange reason. If it is an issue of race then WCW has more
problems then I care to discuss. You should not push a guy because he is
your friend; you should push a guy who the fans actually enjoy watching
because in the end they are the only ones that matter.
4. If a wrestler does not follow the rules you must fine or suspend
him
This is a simple thing that has been practiced for years in many places
ranging from the home to the workplace and even in the business of pro
wrestling. Lately they have suspended Scott Steiner and Konnan for negative
WCW comments but in my opinion it happened way too late. If you are going to
suspend Konnan for saying negative remarks about Hulk Hogan or WCW than why
not suspend Hogan for saying negative remarks about Kidman or Kanyon? It's
true that Hogan helped make professional wrestling but he is also a key
contributor in WCW's downfall right now. If he was one of the main reasons
for WCW losing "The Radicals" and possibly Kanyon then why do you keep him
on the roster? Is one man going to bring in more viewers than five younger,
better wrestlers? The answer to that is a very emphatic NO and I hope WCW
comes to their senses before they bury themselves further.
3. Get rid of Tank Abbott
This is very simple and I am sure even the geniuses that run WCW can figure
this one out. What is the point of keeping a guy that refuses to learn a
wrestling hold? The guy won't even pin a wrestler; he just walks out of the
damn ring! There is nothing wrong with having a guy that is tough but this
is wrestling and he needs to adapt to the business or get the hell out. Oh
yeah, did I mention the fact that he took a knife to a guy's throat on live
TV. Yeah, that's REAL good for the business. It has come to the point where
I would rather watch Hogan or Sid before Tank because he has a huge ego yet
he has done absolutely nothing to impress me.
2. Follow up on storylines
Sting and Piper came back at Superbrawl on Sunday yet absolutely nothing
happened with these two on Nitro and neither will be on Thunder. Why the
hell were they used if they are not a part of immediate storylines in the
first place? This kind of stuff is what pisses the fans off because people
actually like Sting yet they refuse to use the man. Why did Sting not come
out at the end of Nitro as the yellow llama was taking a beat down from
Luger and Flair? You need to follow up on storylines or else you are going
to lose even more fans, even the diehard ones.
1. Use Injured Wrestlers at all times
This is the one that puzzles me the most because I see no reason why WCW
continually fails to use its top stars. The three best wrestlers in all of
WCW are arguably Goldberg, Sting and Bret Hart yet none of these guys have
been used in the last month. If Bret and Sting are healthy enough to fly
overseas to Germany then why can they not fly into Nitro, Thunder or a PPV?
Goldberg has a bad arm and he's probably wearing a sling but as long as he
can talk and walk why not use him? Like I said in the paragraph about Eddy
Guerrero, a wrestler can definitely get over by use of mic skills and
physical action. If WCW wants Goldberg vs. Jarrett to happen when Goldberg
gets healthy then lay the groundwork for that feud now by having Goldberg
punk Jarrett and vice versa. Do you think Hogan would be getting the biggest
pop if WCW were actually smart enough to use Goldberg, Sting and Hart while
they are hurt? Oh hell no! A lot of fans could care less whether or not the
person actually wrestlers but the mere presence of Goldberg cutting a promo
or sitting at ringside is enough to bring in a few more viewers. Is this
really difficult to comprehend? Sometimes I wonder how the bookers actually
get their jobs because a lot of times, especially in this case, they are
absolutely clueless.
Keep in mind that the things I mentioned above are SIMPLE things that WCW
can do. I did not even getting into the issues of Kevin Sullivan booking,
Sid as world champ or Hogan doing everything in his power to hold guys back.
You need to keep things simple rather than trying to overhaul the entire
company with one big move because it takes a while to build a company up to
elite status. Just ask Vince McMahon, it took him about several years to
make a significant profit on the WWF after the boom in the late '80s. Just
be patient, keep things simple and chances are success will come back to you
in one form or another.
In Closing...
I have nothing clever to say right now other than I hope you check out the
No Way Out preview this Friday cause drqshadow and myself are excited about
this event therefore it should be our best preview to date. Be sure to check
out the Oratory
because we will deliver another major, two part article in a few days.
Feel free to mail me at wwfjohnc@hotmail.com with any
comments or questions. I am getting enough email that I am thinking about
posting a weekly column featuring your emails so keep writing and I will
strongly consider that. Have a great week and I hope to hear from you soon.
Smell ya later,
John C.
Big3 Oratory
Mail John C.
AOLIM: JohnC1104
Mail drqshadow
Visit Big3 Oratory
|
BLAH |