In Defense Of Professional Wrestling

Professional wrestling is perhaps the most polarizing form of entertainment known to man. It's a TV show, yet people have been known to hide their fandom like an alcoholic hides his flask. Sadly, many fans are embarrassed to be identified as such, afraid that someone will blindly, arrogantly dismiss the medium as "stupid" or "for children."

Before I go on, let me address wrestling's most time-honored criticism.

"It's fake!"

Yes, yes it is. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence is well aware that the outcome of any wrestling show is predetermined. But guess what? The same can be said for each episode of "Modern Family," "Homeland" or "Rizzoli & F*cking Isles." Professional wrestling is a scripted athletic sideshow that, at its best, is a gripping, dramatic and often hilarious broadcast.

Is it always good? Hell no. On the last "Monday Night Raw," while the awesome main event featured modern day standouts like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, it also featured a segment that was, well, an in-ring game of musical chairs. Gripping? Dramatic? More like dogsh*t. Sadly, WWE often presents segments would make an existing fan bury their head in the sand, and that could in no way convert a detractor.

But I, as a true fan, never throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater...More?

source: guy code blog

Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards Get WWE NXT Names, New Tag Team Name Revealed

At last night's WWE NXT taping, former Ring of Honor stars Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, known as "The American Wolves" in ROH, made their WWE NXT TV debuts.

The group will be known in NXT as "The American Pitbulls," and their names are John Cahill (Davey Richards) and Eric Philbin (Eddie Edwards). You can view video their NXT debut here. (Not sure how long it will be on YouTube.)

Dixie Carter On TNA's Profitability, What They Would Change With Hulk Hogan, Recent Releases

Loretta Hunt has a great story at Sports Illustrated about TNA President Dixie Carter. The piece looks at Carter's humble beginnings, investing in TNA, becoming an on-screen character and more. Here are a couple of quotes from Dixie from the article.

Getting on Spike TV: "Once we got on Spike, we changed a lot of things and our revenues grew. We've been cash flow positive for the last four or five years. After that point, Panda stopped putting money in the company. We've funded it with every dollar we've made and maybe that's kept us from growing quite as fast."

Recent talent releases: "Some people were let go... They didn't resonate. They didn't move the needle or the contract they wanted wasn't something that was good for this company. Sorry, but this company has to be in business in 10, 20 years from now. I have to run a company and grow it. I'm to the point right now where things have to be a certain way for us."

Going on the road: "We went on the road thinking if we could sell 1,500-2,000 tickets, we'd be good. We went in with a very conservative budget. We didn't come out here thinking we'd sell out arenas. The truth is we exceeded those budget numbers. We hit our revenue numbers, but we overspent when it came to loading out of the Universal studio. There was a two-month overlap that cost us... I think we've learned a lot from this. We learned that the show has to be shaken up, not the venue."

If signing Hulk Hogan was worth it: "Yes, I think Hulk has been worth it. He's opened a lot of doors for us. When you're about to lose a deal in an international territory and one phone call from Hulk Hogan makes a man who doesn't even speak your language melt and you get your deal back, that carries a lot of weight. There's not another guy out there who could do that.0/dixie-carter-on-tna-profitability/#TOFYgmVDAMLMLiiE.99

"Total Divas" gets picked up for a new season by E!

The E! Network has ordered another season of "Total Divas" according to multiple wrestling media reports. WWE made the official announcement during Main Event on Wednesday. The company has already started filming footage for the new season.

Hey, Ladies - WWE's Growing Female Audience

Did you know that nearly 40% of WWE’s audience is female? A little something we learned from the company's evp, creative Stephanie McMahon at CableFAX’s Most Powerful Women in Cable event Thurs morning in NYC. During a Q&A, the exec said increased popularity with the ladies is in part due to its strategic move to PG-rated content. It didn’t lose any fans from the move, and even gained some. Another reason WWE is more amenable to females: “We’re story-based,” and that kind of content attracts a female audience, she said.

Speaking of girls… Inquiring minds want to know: What’s it like growing up as Vince McMahon’s daughter? One of the most important lessons she learned from her father: “As long as I could look in the mirror and look myself in the eye and know that I was a good person,” that’s all that matters. Back to WWE…“Our company is on the verge of doubling or tripling its size,” she told the crowd. With the annual PPV event WrestleMania, popular programs like the live Monday Night Raw and SmackDown—the value of which will be the topic of upcoming programming negotiations, she intimated—and WWE’s network launch, the company is poised for huge growth, she said.

On how WWE is perceived, McMahon said her goal is to “educate the market that we are entertainment…We’re never going to have a bad bout” or a boring match-up, and that adds value. It's also family-friendly, she added. Interestingly, more than 40% of people who come to live WWE shows are families.

On her mentors, McMahon pointed to her mom (literally… she was in the audience), calling her “a leader and a pioneer.” With her as an example, “it never occurred to me that women wouldn’t be leaders,” McMahon said, choking back tears. She thanked Bonnie Hammer as well, whose mentorship taught her “the importance of giving back and reaching back” to others—something McMahon vowed to continue herself in the future at WWE.

source: cablefax.com

Jim Ross Gives Detailed Explanation Behind “Good vs Evil” In Pro Wrestling

How many great movies or TV shows have you seen or how many books have you read to where there wasn't a definitive hero or villain. Villains can take many shapes and forms whether it be war, disease, a bully, a coward, a cheat, etc. Great villains in the sports entertainment genre are people that a fan will pay to see them get their ass beat.

It's a simple formula that is timeless.

Obviously, today's pro wrestling villains come in different presentations, more often than not ill planned, but nonetheless having antagonists who people want to see get their mouth shut and ass whipped still sells.

In real life there is a fine line, in many cases, between good and evil. However, TV wrestling isn't real life. It's show biz and most every show biz presentation that you or I have ever enjoyed had a hero and a villain component.

These two entities, the good guy and the bad guy, both from opposite sides of their own exclusive fences come together to eventually compete for championships while along the way they have a clearly established personal issue with which the average viewer can relate.

WWE How Did Edwards and Richards Get Another Tryout with WWE?, More News on Their Future

We noted before that Ring of Honor stars Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards were not offered a WWE deal after their tryout because Triple H felt they were built from the same mold as guys like Sami Callihan, Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan or CM Punk, and WWE has enough "indie-looking" guys. A WWE source said, "Triple H feels we have enough Tyson Kidds."

With Richards and Edwards currently at the WWE Performance Center for a week-long tryout, many fans have been wondering what led to WWE bringing them back. Word is that William Regal went to Triple H and really fought for Richards and Edwards, explaining that they are really good in the ring and deserved to get another look.

Many feel that this week-long tryout may be a precursor to Edwards and Richards being signed to a short three-month deal. The duo may be finishing up with Ring of Honor at the December 14th Final Battle event.

WWE Hall of Famer Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon Passes Away

Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon, one of the greatest heels of all-time and a former Canadian Olympic wrestler, passed away this morning at 4 a.m. in Omaha, Nebraska. He was 84 years of age.

He had been in poor health for many years, much of it stemming from a 1987 hit-and-run accident, where Vachon was struck by a driver, which resulted in the amputation of his leg. Most recently, he battled memory issues.

This Day In Wrestling History

Bret Hart wins the WCW World Title by defeating both Sting and Chris Benoit in 2 matches on the same night.
November 21, 1999

World Wrestling Entertainment announced on their website that details of a new drug policy being instituted by Vince McMahon.
November 21, 2005

The Official Title Of The WWE/Scooby Doo Animated Film Is....

The WWE/Scooby Doo animated crossover film, which will be released to DVD in March 2014, has been officially titled "Scooby Doo and the Curse of the Ghost Bear."

The story will see the Mystery, Inc. gang win tickets for Wrestlemania, only to find the show threatened by the appearance of well, a ghost bear.

Triple H, John Cena, Kane, The Miz, Vince McMahon, Brodus Clay, Santino Marella, Sin Cara and AJ Lee will appear in animated form and lend their voices to the project.

More on WWE Focusing on Tag Teams In 2014

Triple H is really pushing the idea of more tag teams for 2014 as a way to bring developmental talents to the main roster. There is talk of doing a three-day tryout camp next year just for tag teams.

source: f4wonline.com

More Rumors on the Release of Kassius Ohno

Regarding Kassius Ohno's WWE departure, word is that in confidence, he told some of his co-workers that he couldn't understand why he wasn't being pushed at the level of guys he thought he was better than. Those co-workers then told WWE management what he had said and that sealed his fate with the company, combined with his age and the fact they had no immediate plans or ideas for him on the main roster.