WWE vs The Investors

WWE Stock has been on a downward spiral.  WWE’s Stock went down by 40% this week.  It was also reported that Vince McMahon was no longer in billionaire status after losing $340 million in one day.   That’s about a third of his own fortune that is now up in smoke.  This is all following the announcement of WWE’s new deal with NBC Universal.  Bottom line is that the WWE’s investors are not happy.  In fact, it may be a safe bet to go as far as to say that the WWE’s investors are pissed.

Lemelson Capital is calling for the removal of WWE’s Executive Team or even the selling of the WWE itself and it all ties in with the Network.  Lemelson has asked the board of directors for the removal of their executive team following what they called a period of consistent losses as well as WWE’s inability of explaining or promoting of the WWE network and the feeling that the company can lose between $45 to $52 million this year. Lemelson has gone as far as to refer to what’s been going on with WWE as ““material misrepresentations by the company about both performance and operating profit model of its WWE Network, which the company has wrongly labeled a ‘home run.’”

In other words, the WWE lied to the investors.  Vince McMahon lied to the investors or at the very least, tip-toed around telling the investors the complete truth.  I’m not going to be one of those people that are saying this is the downfall of the WWE or the demise of the WWE because it isn’t.  It does go without saying that this is a very bad situation.  Vince McMahon may see himself as invincible after beating  the steroid allegations and even toppling WCW, but the fact is that this is not scripted wrestling and this is not some storyline he cooked up.  It’s the financial world, it’s Wall Street and that is a world that is “Kill or be killed” and “Survival of the Fittest” and it will eat you alive if you’re not careful.  In that world, no matter how rich or poor you are, all are accountable in it and that includes somebody like Vince McMahon.

WWE is trying to think of the long term for the WWE Network and they have a set plan in mind for the long term but only if the set number of subscribers are met.  The key word being “If” because right now, the WWE Network’s subscribers has not even surpassed a million.  It hasn’t even broken 700,000 and it needs that number and 700,000 more because WWE is without PPV revenue now and that’s a good amount of cash that WWE has relied on for some time and they no longer have the ability to rely on.

So, to sum it all up with the WWE’s situation right now.  They promised to have a million subscribers after the launch of the WWE Network, they don’t have it.   They promised to have a new and bigger TV deal, they don’t because their new deal is just the same old song and dance they had before.  What they do have is empty promises that they couldn’t fulfill and goals that they failed to meet.  It’s no wonder why the investors feel lied to and are pissed off.  It would be one thing if this was just Vince McMahon’s money alone, but now you have investors involved in this and it’s their money that is being gambled with here.

A lot of people said that the WWE was in over their heads with the WWE Network and I was one of those people and what’s going on right now is exactly one of those reasons why.  The Network is designed for the hardcore fans and die-hard fans, but with wrestling the way it is these days and facing an uncertain future, who knows how many of those are really left anymore.  The future of pro wrestling is hard to predict right now.  Extreme Rising pulled the plug and TNA with Dixie Carter’s bad decisions, stiffing her staff of their paycheck, and an continuously shrinking roster, are just delaying the inevitable.  Ring Of Honor is on stable ground due to the amount of baby steps that they take and their new deal with New Japan which seems to be working out for them.

WWE and even Vince McMahon himself have simply bitten off more than they can chew.  It’s hard to imagine that they took into consideration the costs of the network and what it would take for it to be successful.  I’m not calling the WWE Network a failure, but it’s definitely failing.   Vince may have been able to overcome a lot over the years, but at age 68 and investors that are pissed off because they feel he’s treating their money as if it were Monopoly money, there is a lot of damage control to be done come the meeting with the investors.  When the smoke clears, it’s gonna come down to how this is gonna effect the current product itself, much like we all pondered the when the network was announced.

What Does “Best In The World” Mean?

Certain titles and names have been thrown around a lot over the years in the world of pro wrestling.  One of them is the title of “Best in the World.”  Chris Jericho calls himself the best in the world at what he does.  Bryan Danielson aka Daniel Bryan called himself that and the fans in ROH and the indies chanted that when he came out.  Davey Richards has been called that and CM Punk even calls himself that.  He even sports it on his shirts.

So the point of this pipe bomb, who exactly IS the best in the world or better yet, what does the term even mean? From my standpoint, the term “Best in the World” represented a certain group of wrestlers and not just one individual.  To me, it represented a new breed on the rise and that includes the likes of guys like Kevin Steen, Bryan Danielson, Michael Elgin, Roderick Strong, Adam Cole, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, El Generico, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Eddie Edwards, Tyler Black, Dolph Ziggler, and the list goes on and on.  The very definition of what defined the best world has changed.  Back in the days of guys like Ernie Ladd, Gorilla Monsoon, Freddy Blassie and Bruno Sammartino, it was the bigger the better and getting the crowd to cheer you or hate you.  Then the next generation came where you had guys like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, Ric Flair and then past that to The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and others in creating figures that were larger than life.

Now, we have the guys that I mentioned earlier as part of the new breed who do moves that defy belief and put on matches that leave the crowd chanting “that was awesome” or “we want more” adding a new element of athleticism to the dynamic of pro wrestling.  You can make an argument over who is the best in the world and the answers will always differ but despite the rules of the game being changed, one rule that is etched in stone no matter the changing eras is putting on a show for the fans, to entertain.  Even if some places have forgotten how to do that.

Where’s the Professionalism?

For those that were unable to hear what I was saying in my Shark Bite last night, this is what I had said.

A story broke out about ROH Stars at an indy show stiffing the promotion and refusing to wrestle.  According to a report at a show called Adrenaline Pro Wrestling that was taking place in Iowa, ROH stars Davey Richards, Kyle O’Reilly, and Tony Kozina were advertised for the show.  The report goes on to say how they showed up well after the opening bell, bullied & threatened the promoter about their matches and demanding payment up front and that while their opponents waited in the ring, they up and left and reports have indicated that they’ve been bragging about it online and calling themselves Team Bandits as opposed to Team Ambition.  Wrestler for the promotion Jaysin Strife went off on the group in the ring in front of the crowd on a microphone. Strife went as far as to say that those guys can go and die, and that he felt they disrespected himself, the company and what he does. He referred to them as snakes and thieves.   Strife was irate for the fact that they demanded money that they didn’t earn because they didn’t do what they were paid to do in going out there and entertaining the crowd and felt disgusted to have been in the ring with those guys and that he wouldn’t rest until companies finally saw these guys as the snakes they are and how they were anything but professionals.

I always strive to maintain a professional and unbiased sense, even for those that I may not respect or like.   When I first started doing this, one of the first guys I wanted to interview because I admired his talent, his skill and I felt he deserved to win the ROH world title was Davey Richards.  I requested the interview and he said to me “Sure man. 100 bucks.”  Whatever respect I had at that point, died out because of this.  100 bucks for what? Because you’d be voluntarily giving your time for an interview?  To loosely quote Jeff Daniels on “The Newsroom”, I don’t have subpoena power. Everybody that I interview or that comes on this show does it voluntarily and none of them are demanding any payment up front or afterwards for it.  It’s one thing to no show an event but demand payment upfront and bail is just a whole new low.

In the time that I’ve done this, I’ve been fortunate to interview who I have during the course.  Kevin Steen and Prince Nana were two of my first interviews.  The first phone interview I ever did was “Scrapiron” Adam Pearce.  “The One Man Militia” Matt Justice and even more recently Adam Cole are among names I’ve had the privilege to interview.  I respected those men and others I’ve interviewed for taking the time out of their schedule voluntarily to let me interview them.  Kevin Steen was my first interview. Prince Nana after and even earlier this year when I suffered a loss in my family, Prince Nana was gracious enough to send his condolences to me. He didn’t have to do it nor was I expecting him to, but he did it anyway and to which, I’m grateful.  Matt Justice when he replied back with the answers to my questions, apologized for the time it took to get them.  He didn’t have to do it, but he still showed the class and professionalism for it. Adam Pearce was prompt in the time he called and is one of the biggest class acts I’ve had the privilege to talk with and is as good as they come.  Adam Cole in the time that I talked with him, showed a certain amount of respect, class, professionalism, and was vocal about the love, passion and honor that he holds towards what he does as a professional wrestler.

So why this you may ask? Simple, where the hell is the professionalism with some people and especially in guys like Kyle O’Reilly, Davey Richards, and Tony Kozina? This is why I have a beef with some guys like Brock Lesnar who don’t have a love or passion to be in the business.  If you don’t want to be there, than don’t be there and stop wasting your time, the guys in the back’s time and the time of the fans because you guys are getting to do what some of us fans could only dream of doing and you’re doing what other guys who are working their asses off to get a taste of even a glimpse of the limelight you guys have. Some of these guys never get to that point, but they keep doing it. Gregory Iron has a gimp hand due to cerebral palsy, but he still goes out there and wrestles.  Zack Gowen still wrestles in the indies and the guy has only one freaking leg.  You guys have no limitations physically unless in the case of what took place in Iowa, you count greed and ego as a physical limitation.

Now, I may not have the physical prowess to be a pro wrestler.  But, if I was taller, more fit and offered a job as a professional wrestler, would I take it? In a New York Minute and the difference is that when I’m paid for doing my job, I earned the pay because I did what was asked and what was expected of me. I don’t go taking the money and run and then brag about it like I nailed the head cheerleader in high school.  The difference in a guy like Brock Lesnar and in guys like Richards, Kozina and O’Reilly did is that we expect as much from Lesnar, but we expect more out of guys like those 3. There’s nothing professional about acting like a bunch of unprofessional parasites and then bragging & laughing about what you did like a jackass.  Bottom line is not only did they steal the money from that promotion, money they didn’t earn that night, but they screwed the fans over that paid for those tickets to see great wrestling from 3 guys they thought would deliver, but instead all they got was three punks who stole their money and wasted their time.

Wanna know why Adam Cole got the pin over Davey Richards at the ROH Anniversary Show or why Eddie Edwards won the TV title over Davey Richards or won the World Title before him or why Kevin Steen holds that belt now? Maybe it’s because they’re just simply better or maybe it’s because they haven’t forgotten what the word “Professional” in professional wrestler means.

The State of Ring of Honor Wrestling

I read an article off of Wrestlezone where one their writers (I’m not particularly fond of the guy which is why his name will get no plug on here) and in his article, he talked about how ROH is doomed for failure.  The basis of his claim was that the attendance for an ROH show in Pittsburgh recently only had about 500 in attendance.  Just because that was the attendance for one, doesn’t mean that’s the attendance for all.  People have said that ROH is in danger of going under for years and many said that about TNA also.  I have on several occasions said that TNA was doomed to fail, mostly because of acquiring Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan and Vince Russo, but it’s still standing even as I’m writing this.

I’m not saying that ROH is perfect.  It’s not without its faults and one of the biggest problems that it’s had over the years is the internet PPVs.  Technical problems have plagued those shows for the last few years.  Border Wars was the first iPPV that ROH had and they had it streamed from their website.  That was also the first PPV that ROH had streamed that was outside of Go Fight Live which was never able to get past the streaming issues.  Best in The World took place last weekend and a lot of people were able to watch for free as a token of appreciation to the fans and an act of redemption for the technical problems at Border Wars.

The location for streaming their internet PPVs as well as the quality for the streaming was not the only fault for ROH.  Sinclair Broadcasting in my opinion is not fanning out like I hoped it would and probably not like ROH was hoping it would.    The biggest problem is that Sinclair Broadcasting doesn’t have the strongest base on the West Coast.  In other words, even if fans of ROH on the West Coast want to see it, we have to do it through ROH’s site with or without a subscription.   The problem with that is that while it’s still accessible, many would rather watch it on TV and for those on the West Coast, that’s just not possible.  However, going back to my problem with the article that I read, it was claimed that Jim Cornette has been “Brooding” as of late and that Davey Richards has been looking at other work such as a firefighter.  My message to this writer is this: Who the hell do you think you are? Professor X? Did you wiretap the phones of Jim Cornette and Davey Richards? What’s your encore? A timeline on John Cena’s marriage?

I will agree that wrestler past and present that I’ll consider amongst the elite in ROH are guys like CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, Davey Richards, Kevin Steen and of course Nigel McGuinness.  There are probably others that I’m leaving out but I’m hoping the point was made with the names that were mentioned.  I get that the article is an opinion piece, but most columnists try to input more facts into their work rather than conspiracy theories.  The bottom line is that this guy knows about as much about the status of Ring of Honor as I do about what ended John Cena’s marriage.  In other words, a whole lot of nothing but it’s what you can expect from washed up announcers.  I don’t know what the status is for ROH one way or the other, but last time I checked, one bad show doesn’t equal a death sentence.

New Champion is Crowned, New Era Begins

 

KILL STEEN KILL!!!!! KILL STEEN KILL!!!! KILL STEEN KILL!!!

You might as well get used to those words because a new era has now begun in Ring of Honor.  At Border Wars 2012, a new champion was crowned.  “The American Wolf” Davey Richards fell to “Mr Wrestling” and “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen.  One Package Piledriver and that was all she wrote as Kevin Steen ended the title reign of Richards that lasted nearly a year.  I had written last week about how this needed to happen. I said that Kevin Steen needed to win this match and not only am I happy that it did happen, but I can’t think of a guy who is more deserving of holding that belt than Steen.  The last time that Kevin Steen had a shot at the World Title was when he wrestled Nigel McGuinness, only to not come out on top in that match. That was not the case this past Saturday as this was meant to be Steen’s only title shot against Richards, but clearly one shot was ALL that Kevin Steen needed.

I have nothing against Davey Richards. I really don’t and I was happy when he won’t the belt last June. The only problem however, was the fact that while Richards was the face of the company, he also wasn’t there a lot.  In fact, for a guy who held the world title for almost a year, he only defended the belt nine times.   Considering that the Sinclair deal was reached last year and first impressions usually count for a lot in wrestling, it’s not the best move from a business standpoint to have the guy you deemed as the face of your company always touring overseas.  Whether you like him or hate him, the fact is that Steen was there on a more regular basis than Richards.  All the touring overseas damaged his credibility as a champion.  It’s not to say that Richards was a bad champion or that he put on bad matches because neither of which is true. We know the guy can wrestle and we know that he can put on great matches, but we need to see it a lot more and don’t want to hear about him touring overseas all the time.

Back on the subject of Kevin Steen, the popularity for Kevin Steen hasn’t diminished one little bit.  The chants of “Kill Steen Kill” only got louder and louder from the crowd about as much as the “YES!” chants for Daniel Bryan.  ROH needed something new in terms of the World Title picture and having a heel champion might just be the right move. Given, they had that at one point with Roderick Strong, but the last time that ROH had a strong heel champion was Nigel McGuinness.  Having Steen as the champion leaves the door open for so many possibilities and options for challengers.  Jay Lethal can move up and go after the World Title or have Eddie Edwards back in the hunt again.  Of course, you can also have El Generico and Kevin Steen resume their old rivalry.  We saw how good that feud can be when it’s the two just fighting because they hate each other.  How good would that fight be if you had those two fighting not only because of the history between the two, but to have the world title on the line?

It doesn’t matter how it came to be or when it started, but what is important is the fact that Kevin Steen has a following and attracts a crowd a lot better as of late than Davey Richards.  It’s not to say that the guy can’t become popular again, just wrestle more for ROH than you do overseas and the problem is solved.  Steen is over with the crowd and even though he’s supposed to be a heel, he’s the kind of heel that you kinda love to hate.  The guy comes off as crazy as hell, but you almost want him to get that crazy and beyond.  The crazier he gets, the better the match will be because fans of Steen love to see the guy act as crazy, sick and downright psychotic as possible.   Kevin Steen promised in a promo before Border Wars that when he wins the belt, the true payback begins towards Jim Cornette, Cary Silkin and ROH itself.  I look forward to seeing what transpires and hoping that at the very least, we’ll end up with some of the best damn title matches we can imagine to come out of the title reign of one Mr Wrestling.

Why Kevin Steen Must Win the ROH World Title

 

With Border Wars on the horizon, there’s a lot of speculation with the world title match.  This is a match that many have been wanting to see, myself included and I’ve had a lot of time to think about the match.  I’ve talked with a lot of people about who will come out on top.  I’ve said numerous times that Kevin Steen will walk out as the ROH World Champion.  It has gotten to the point for me that not only do I think it will happen, but right now Ring of Honor needs to have that happen.

I was rooting for Davey Richards to win the belt in the first place.  Ring of Honor picked him to be the face of the company in the dawning of the new era with Sinclair Broadcasting. The problem is that at the same point when this happened, he was doing all the tours in Japan.  That hurt his credit as a champion considering he only defended the belt a total of nine times. Whether it’s in boxing or MMA/UFC or in pro wrestling, people will always be more attracted towards a fighting champion.  Davey Richards can put on great matches, nobody is going to deny that in the least.  The problem is that he’s not there on a more frequent basis. When you’re the face of the company and the first year under a new deal with a new owner is always crucial.  When you don’t have your top guy there on a more frequent amount of time, that damages the appeal of that top guy and of the company.

That leads to Kevin Steen and why not only will he walk out with the belt, but why he needs to walk out with that belt.  Kevin Steen has been there more frequently and he has a tremendous following going on right now.  It hasn’t died down and that is good news for ROH.  I’m a believer in striking while the iron is hot and the iron hasn’t cooled down for Kevin Steen.  The guy doesn’t know how to put on a bad match. All the times where the guy has called himself Mr Wrestling, there’s been a reason for that.  He’s one of a select breed that believes in the craft of pro wrestling and one of those guys that go out there to prove that it’s a craft that still exists. Setting aside that you have Steen with the home field advantage, you also have the fact that by having him win the belt, you’re left with so many more options for who to have him take on as champ.  Having a top heel as champ adds more options for feuds and rivalries with contenders like El Generico, Jay Lethal, Eddie Edwards and others.

I’m not raining down on Davey Richards in the least.  I was for him winning the belt, but he picked touring in Japan at the worst possible time.   I get that it’s part of the business to tour overseas, but the fact is that having him overseas and defending the ROH belt against few opponents and fewer times damages credibility in being a fighting champion.  People know how good a wrestler and fighter he can be, but they want to see it.  The one upshot is that this match is finally happening because I don’t think ROH could’ve afforded to have this match happen any later.  Whether it’s MMA/UFC, Boxing or Pro Wrestling (keep in mind, leaving the realistic factors aside), people look at championship matches and expect to see a fight.  Luckily, this match has all the elements to be just that, so let’s see if ROH can give the fans what they want, in more ways than one.

Top Ten Finishing Moves

I decided to come up with my now top ten list of finishing/signature moves.  I graded these moves as I will explain for each of them based on style, impact, and history regarding the moves. I went with the moves that I felt were the most meaningful and personal favorites and not all time favorite moves.  So without further delay, here’s The Shark’s Top 10 Finishing moves.

10.) The 3-D/Dudley Death Drop (The Dudley Boyz) : To this day, the fact that there have only been two people to actually kick out of this move shows you something.  When the move debuted in ECW, it was considered as devastating as an F-5.  It was known for several things in its history such as breaking up The Eliminators, breaking up The Gangstas, putting the Sandman in the hospital, putting Beulah out of wrestling, and the fact that Chris Sabin and Masato Tanaka have been the only guys to ever kick out of that move, just shows how much of an impact that move has made in wrestling considering that except for those two guys, everybody else who was hit with that move was down for the count.

9.) Sweet Chin Music/Superkick (Shawn Michaels) : The very sound you hear when that move just cracks against somebody’s head, you’d expect the head to go flying off. Look at Bret vs Shawn at Mania where we saw HBK take an announcer out with that move outside the ring. Yeah it’s not really a new move, but the fact that we’ve seen HBK make the crowd ooh and ahh over every single time he has connected with that move says something.

8.) Doomsday Device (Legion of Doom/Road Warriors, The Briscoes)- Let’s face it, LOD were the ones that got the ball rolling with that move. But the fact remains that the legacy among that move being used in Tag Team wrestling is carried on by The Briscoes.  Whether it’s using the springboard method like Mark Briscoe used to do or just going with the traditional, the fact is the move still works and still wows the crowd.

7.) The Spiral Tap (AJ Styles)- The first X-Division championship match, we saw AJ Styles beat Jerry Lynn with that move.  The timing and the precision use gave us a glimpse as to what AJ Styles was capable of in the ring and how he earned the title of “The Phenomenal One.”   You don’t see many guys pull off that move and that just kinda adds to the ability of one AJ Styles.

6.) The Diamond Cutter/RKO (Diamond Dallas Page, Randy Orton)- Randy Orton has made a habit with the RKO to hit that move from any point, any position and any time and he’s made it work because it does do its job in dazzling the crowd when he pulls off that move. But DDP was the one that kickstarted that with the move.  He was wowing people with that move on Nitro long before the move came to be in the WWE.  DDP always said that when it came to the Diamond Cutter, you never saw it coming.  He was good at pulling that off just as Orton is now with the RKO.  But no matter who owns that move or what name its had, it has laid out plenty.

5.) The 630 Splash (Jack Evans)- To this day, I’ve only seen Jack Evans pull off this move.  It was one of the things that made me take notice when Wrestling Society X debuted on MTV.  I’ve seen both the normal version and the Phoenix 630 Splash and much like with the Spiral Tap, the amount of timing to get the move to look right takes skill.  Not enough spinning, it just looks like a 450 Splash and that move is hard enough, but the guy pulls off the right amount of spins like it is second nature to him, is just talent.

4.) The Top Rope Brainbuster (El Generico)- I’ve seen this move and every time I see the move, I keep wounding how the hell somebody’s neck hasn’t snapped from doing that move.  A Brainbuster is dangerous enough as is, but you’re dropping the guy’s head on the top turnbuckle for god’s sake.  The only thing that has amazed me more than that move is that guys are still walking after it’s done.

3.) The Muscle Buster (Samoa Joe)- There have been people that gotten out of submission moves, especially from Samoa Joe but very few if any have been able to kick out of the Muscle Buster. The Muscle Buster has been one of those things that just add to why Samoa Joe is as good as he is.  There is risk with the move as the wrong landing could seriously cripple somebody, but last I checked, whenever Joe has gone with the pinfall option as opposed to submission following the Muscle Buster, very few people if any have kicked out of it.

2.) Canadian Destroyer (Petey Williams)- Yet another move that I’ve very rarely seen people kick out of and there is plenty of risk with that move just as there is for any piledriver. The speed and timing of the move is key and I remembered when WWE tried to have Trevor Murdoch do the move and bombed at it, just shows that there are only certain people that can do that move the right way. The only person I’ve seen do the move or a variation of it is Teddy Hart when he did the Double Arm hook-up first and then the move.

1.) The Package Piledriver (Kevin Steen)-  The reason that this move gets the top spot is one word: variation.  Steen has done the move in the ring, on a chair (flattened and folded out), on tables, on both chairs (folded or otherwise) on top of a table, off the top rope and off the ring apron onto the outside.  And the move looks brutal every single time he does it.  The way is move is done is one thing, but the style in which Steen uses that keeps the move looking fresh, new, and an impact maker to the point where every time he does the move, you don’t think the guy is getting up and in the rare occurrence where you see the opponent, it adds to the drama as you are left wondering how the hell that person kicked out. For that reason among every other, that is why the Package Piledriver stands above the rest.

Interview with ROH’s own Nigel McGuinness

Not too long ago, I had the honor and privilege to talk briefly with a man who holds a record  as being one of the longest reigning world heavyweight champions in Ring of Honor history.  He is now one half of the announce team that provides the voice for ROH TV in Nigel McGuinness.  Here’s how the interview went:

THE SHARK:  This is “The Shark Attack.” I am Sean Williams and I’m talking to a man who holds the record as being one of the longest reigning world champions in Ring of Honor history.  He currently provides the voice for Ring of Honor TV with Kevin Kelly and the master of “The Tower of London” and the Lariat. I’m talking of course about Nigel McGuinness. Nigel, it’s truly an honor to be talking to you. Thank you so much for your time and welcome to the Shark Attack. How are you?

NIGEL: Great.

THE SHARK: You’ve been back with Ring of Honor for quite a while now. How has the transition been for you thus far from in-ring competitor to broadcaster?

NIGEL: It’s not easy. But I get a little more comfortable each time. And working with Kevin, Jim and Delirious is awesome and helps me out no end.

THE SHARK: Over the years, the definition of a “heel” in wrestling has changed in most companies   Having spent a lot of your career as a heel, what has been the secret for you in being a heel and in your opinion, why has the definition of a heel changed?

NIGEL: Be yourself, well the part people don’t like. Everything has evolved since the eighties. Wrestling was just last to evolve.

THE SHARK: Is there a part of you that misses being in the ring and if you could wrestle one more match, who would you want your opponent to be out of anyone in the ROH roster right now?

NIGEL: I do miss it sometimes.  I was lucky enough to wrestle Eddie on my retirement tour. Either him or Roddy or Ciampa or Bennett or Jacobs.

THE SHARK: If circumstances were different and you were wrestling right now in ROH, would you have loved to win the ROH World Title one more time and break the record of your previous title reign and the title reign of Samoa Joe?

NIGEL: Hell No. I’d never have survived.  🙂 

THE SHARK: You left Ring of Honor to join TNA (aka Impact Wrestling) and became Desmond Wolfe. How did that environment compare to the one you left in ROH?

NIGEL: It was more commercial. Less of a family. But still welcoming as I knew so many of the guys there already. I was really happy to be there at first.

THE SHARK: Your first PPV match in TNA was against Kurt Angle. Was there pressure in having your first match be against a wrestler the caliber of Kurt Angle?

NIGEL: I never feel pressure for my big matches because I’m confident of my opponent’s ability. Kurt was as better than I could have possibly imagined. The Best.

THE SHARK: If you had stayed in TNA, what is something you would’ve loved to do that you weren’t able to do while you were there?

NIGEL: Punch Hulk Hogan in the face. Just kidding. I wished I’d have had a Title Shot on a PPV.

THE SHARK: How much of the opposition such as TNA and WWE do you watch at the moment and who are your favorites to watch?

NIGEL: I can’t watch WWE or TNA. For different reasons.  But I read about them and hearing about my friends makes me happy.

THE SHARK: As mentioned, you had one of the longest world title reigns in ROH history.  Why do you think that these days, most wrestling don’t seem to favor having anything long term whether it’s title reigns or rivalries?

NIGEL: Its what people learnt in the Monday Night Wars I guess. But the effects are being seen now. 

Check your local listings to find an affiliate of Sinclair Broadcasting to find Ring of Honor TV.  Big thank you to Nigel McGuinness for taking the time to answer my questions.

Looking Back at Announcers in Wrestling and Looking at It Now

Those of you that read my work know my feelings about announcing in wrestling and especially with regard to my disliking of Michael Cole’s character. That and topped with my strong desire to see Jim Ross back at the announcer’s table where I feel he belongs.  But this article is not about my love and respect for Jim Ross and my deep hatred of Michael Cole and his butchering of the art of journalism.  I’m one of those that believes that play by play is essential to wrestling just as it is in professional sports.  I grew up as a Lakers fan listening to Chick Hearn doing commentary for the games and have seen guys like Marv Albert do it as well and some that I hated like Jeff Van Gundy simply because I think he’s a biased prick.  The same can be applied with the names that I’ve witnessed at the announcers table as I grew up watching wrestling.

When I first started watching WWE during its WWF days, I saw a younger Vince McMahon with Jesse Ventura on the Saturday shows while I saw Gorilla Monsoon with Bobby “the Brain” Heenan and sometimes with Tony Schiavone.  When I first started watching WCW during it’s NWA days, I was witnessed to Jim Ross and the Hardcore Legend himself Terry Funk.  Back then you had a heel announcer and a face announcer and that was common for wrestling at that time.  These days, like with the WWE, you have them trying to do the same thing but the only problem with that is that the heel announcers back then still did their job in selling the product and that has been one of my biggest problems with having Cole as a heel announcer is that he’s inconsistent as he jumps between calling matches and being the heel announcer. That and the fact that he doesn’t put anyone over while guys like Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan in their own way found a way to do that even with the guys that they didn’t favor.  The point being is that while the heel announcers had the job to dislike anybody who wasn’t a heel, they never forgot that they still had a product to sell the audience that were buying tickets and tuning in to watch it.

Before some of you question what I’m talking about, keep in mind that I’ve seen a long list of names that were at the announcers table.  I’ve seen names varying from Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Gordon Solie, Bobby Heenan, Jesse Ventura, Missy Hyatt, Paul Heyman/Paul E. Dangerously, Terry Funk, Jim Cornette, Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon, Tony Schiavone, Roddy Piper, Curt Henning/Mr Perfect, Mike Tenay, Mark Madden, Josh Matthews, Tazz, Todd Grisham, Jonathan Coachman, Mike Adamle, and the list goes on and on.  Some are of course bigger than others and I’m pretty confident with which ones those ones are.  Some of these guys that were heel announcers or announcers in general didn’t stay that way.  Some of it was because the kind of energy that they generated couldn’t be contained forever at the announcer’s table.

Bobby Heenan outside of the announce table is one of the most infamous managers in wrestling and has managed many talents in his career including the late great Andre The Giant.  Paul E. Dangerously went from the announcer’s table and managed one of the best collections of wrestlers in the Dangerous Alliance which featured names such as Rick Rude, Bobby Eaton, Arn Anderson and Steve Austin. Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff both went from being face announcers to be the “despised boss” characters and ran with those for many years. If there’s one thing that I can say in the way Cole generates heat, it’s that it’s a waste of a heat magnet.  I admit that the guy knows how to get himself hated on, and sometimes it’s borderline desperation to the point where it’s just pathetic, but something like that can’t be contained at the announcer’s table.  The examples used with Paul Heyman, Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff should be proof of that in itself.

One of the biggest arguments and debates over the years has been whether or not wrestling is a sport.  The thing that was unique with the announcers was that it helped blur the line that separated it between sport and non-sport.  It served in maintaining the illusion of it be somewhat like a sport.  When you had the announcers calling the action in the ring, it seemed less like a job and seemed like they felt honored and privileged to be calling the action in the ring and made the viewing audience envious to where they wished they were there live to watch it.  When you’re doing what the WWE has been doing with guys like Michael Cole and the constant bickering back and forth between him and other announcers, it’s as if the announcers don’t give a damn about the very product they’re supposed to be selling. Thus, if they don’t give a damn about it, then why the hell should the rest of us?  A good percentage of those that are there in live attendance are those that have watched on TV and wanted to experience it live.  Now, they see what they do on TV and what they hear on TV and it’s like those fans are thinking “If this is what they’re going to give us live, then I’m paying the money for it.”

The keyword here in all this is “sell.”  The announcers sell the action in the ring and the guys that are delivering the action in the ring.  You have your champions and your good guys and bad guys and this is also part of the announcers job and what it should be in the first place.  These are the champions? Show the audience why they are. These guys are loved the crowd or these are hated by the crowd? Elaborate on it and show why they’re loved or hated. Get the viewing audience into the action going on in the show.  That’s the problem with what the WWE is doing with their announce team is that their team is so busy bickering with each other and taking away from the show that it’s become a distraction that leaves some of the viewing audience wondering which is the show and that if the show is the one at the ringside table, they don’t want to watch it. The announcers are supposed to be the voice that helps to tell the story in the ring and that is the only story that they should be telling because the story going on in the ring is the only one that the audience cares about in the first place.  In the case of the WWE, one of the first solutions to your problems is to find your voice again because the one they’re using isn’t working.

Kevin Steen vs Steve Corino: When Evil Meets Evil

At Final Battle 2009, Kevin Steen turned against El Generico thanks to the advice and tutelage of one Steve Corino.  At Final Battle 2010, after making Generico’s life a living hell and even snatching the mask right off his head, Steen and Generico fought in a hellacious battle full of emotion and brutality at its finest that led to El Generico reclaiming his mask and Kevin Steen without his spot in Ring of Honor.  A year has past since then and now this year at Final Battle, Kevin Steen will go from losing his career to fighting to regain it, but in order for him to do so, he must go through the man who he once called a friend in Steve Corino in a No DQ match.

Following the events of Final Battle 2010, Steve Corino for over the last year has been on a path of trying to redeem himself and atone for what he has done not just in ROH but for all the wrong he had done in wrestling. Top that off, he’s been doing so with the help of a man who was once the leader of the group known as “The Age of the Fall” and has done his share of damage and evil in ROH and of course I’m speaking of Jimmy Jacobs.  In the path to redemption for these two, Corino sent an open invitation to Kevin Steen, to attempt to follow them on the same path that they were on in attempting to redeem themselves.  Steen showed up at the Best in the World PPV, but he would have none of that as he attacked Jacobs and leveled Corino with the Package Piledriver before being carried out of the arena by security to the sound of a screaming Jim Cornette who swore that Kevin Steen would never be seen in a Ring of Honor ring ever again.  That all came to a head when Steen brought in lawyers and demanded to be reinstated into Ring of Honor.

An ultimatum was reached as Corino had given a warning to Steen that if he had continued on the same path he was on, he would be the same as Corino once was, admitting that what happened with Steen and El Generico was Corino’s fault and that because of that along with a long list of things he had done wrong in the business, he has no friends and people that were looking at him with disgust rather than respect and admiration for any accomplishments he had done in his wrestling career.  Steen would not listen to any of that believing that both Jacobs and Corino have become neutered, even tame, and that Steen himself feels he could never and will never be tamed or controlled by anyone from ROH or anywhere else.  This led to the match set for Final Battle as Steve Corino will fight Kevin Steen in a No DQ match with Jimmy Jacobs as the referee and Jim Cornette at ringside.  The stipulation is that if Kevin Steen should win, he will get his spot back in Ring of Honor.

In the story of Frankenstein, the monster turned against his creator.  Steve Corino accepts the responsibility that he was the one that molded Kevin Steen into what he’s become now ever since Final Battle 2009 and even feels that he himself has created a monster in Steen.  In fighting Steen in a match where there will be a winner whether by pinball, submission or KO, Corino is fighting Steen on a level playing field.  To fight somebody with the mentality, viciousness, and ferocity of Kevin Steen, Corino realizes that he will have to go to some very dark places to stop Steen.  In doing so, Corino has even proclaimed that at Final Battle for one night, Corino will be that evil person again and has said that at Final Battle, “Hell Has No Honor.”  I think it’s safe to say that for Steve Corino heading into this match, he realizes that for what he must do to Kevin Steen to overcome him, there be may be no redemption for it and no redemption for where he must head to get there.  On his path of redemption, this may be one time where he not only is not asking for redemption, but also doesn’t want it for this.

Then you have Kevin Steen, this is a guy who is not afraid of not holding back no matter who he’s fighting.  The guy is hungry and out for blood and he wants his spot back in ROH. He needs his spot back and he doesn’t care if he has to tear through Corino, Jacobs or even Cornette himself to do it.  And all the while as Corino has been fighting to wipe the slate clean and break free from the evil he used to be, Steen is one with his own evil and refuses to part with it.  In an interview I had done with Kevin Steen, he has said that when he’s back in Ring Of Honor, he’s taking EVERYBODY out.  In Steen’s eyes, it doesn’t matter if it’s Corino, Jacobs, Generico or even Davey Richards because Steen is out for blood and in his eyes, everybody is a target.

In Corino’s eyes, he’s aware of what’s at stake in the event that he fails to stop Steen.  If Steen wins and is reinstated, there will be absolutely nothing stopping him.  It would be the bull in a china shop effect and Corino knows this.  That is why Corino feels he is in a position where he doesn’t know how to fail and refuses to learn it because he knows that he must hold nothing back in order to win this match.  It’s one of those times where it’s the unstoppable force meets the immovable object and in this case, it’s Steen’s bloodlust vs Corino’s redemption.  Corino believes that he started all of this back in 09, and that this Friday at Final Battle will be where he makes things right and finishes it.  Both will have to go to very dark places to beat the other, but Steen is already in that dark place and likes it there.  Anybody that’s looking at this and calling it a match needs to forego that thought right now because what this will truly be is a fight and when the smoke clears, only one is gonna be left standing in a battle that will determine the greater of two evils.