The End

[The End]

THE END

It was made quite clear to me that my understanding of the message board rules and regulations is lacking. Rather than try to understand them better, I decided it would be more fitting to rant and rave in the one corner of this site that is dedicated to just that. So with that in mind, I welcome you all to the beginning of the end.

Where to start? Well, I guess I should let you know that I am a long time fan of professional wrestling. I've been watching World Wrestling Entertainment since 1987, and followed World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling back when said promotions were popular and in business. I look in at TNA and ROH to see how they're coming along these days, but neither one is to be taken seriously. I've never wrestled or attempted to. I don't pretend to be a "smark," but it's been a long, long time since I've been a mark. I know what interests and entertains me, and that is what led me to the LOP forums. You see, I've spent the better part of a decade looking at the internet wrestling community from a distance. It disturbed me that people who dared call themselves "fans" would go about posting spoilers, results, and backstage gossip. I'm far from ignorant. Even in the 1980's any sensible person knew that it was a show, or a "work" if you prefer. However, sensible people have long known the same about magicians. For a portion of IWC members (especially during the rise of the internet as we now know it) the fun came from the fact that they could look behind the curtain and see the illusion. It was and is sad that there are people who get their jollies by pulling off the mall Santa's beard, but that's just what the internet has brought to the world. C'est la vie.

Please, don't get me wrong. I am not going to sit here and write about kayfabe or taking wrestling back to a bygone era. That's clearly not what needs to be done with today's product. Nor will I bash or decry the IWC, as I am now officially a member. What I am here to do is talk about what is interesting and entertaining. What is not currently entertaining is what the WWE is shitting out every Monday. When I first saw the RAW forum here, I was fucking appalled by the number of apologists there were. Granted, there are probably many young fans here to whom what they see now is what they identify with. I can understand and almost relate to those youngsters, however I also feel bad for them. I feel bad for them because, if this is what it takes to entertain them, the future is certainly fucked. (Now is the time to learn how to be discerning, kids.)

For too many weeks, Raw was a billboard. A famous person with something to plug grabbed the mic and wasted our time. That trend has been bucked, and it is my hope that that aspect of this guest host nonsense is completely over. I'm positive it's not, but we'll see. Unfortunately, this guest host nonsense as a whole continues. I can not stress this point enough- if a guest host or any sort of celebrity cameo is the reason you are watching professional wrestling, you have earned my contempt. If you think I'm an asshole, let me give you an example. I don't like reality TV. If my favorite celebrity was on Survivor, I still would not watch that show. I understand WWE's thinking from a business standpoint. This angle gets them attention from mainstream media, which (in their hopes) gets them new viewers. How likely it is that these new viewers will stick with it is debatable. What isn't debatable is that long term fans are just being cast the fuck aside. Those of us who are interested in the feuds, the characters and their growth, and the in-ring competition are forced to sit through 30-40 minutes worth of guest host. Our favorite wrestler ignored, our most intriguing feud truncated.

So, Raw isn't entertaining. It's not the first time. I'm here to talk about what's interesting as well, though. And what is not interesting is what WWE is providing as a whole. The WWE has aimed its product at a PG audience. At least, that's what they told us. I'm not a parent, but there isn't one WWE program I'd let a child under 14 years old watch. They've ditched the blood and Playboy tie-ins, but they've kept the over-the-top violence and overt sexuality. I actually can't figure out who the hell this shit plays to. It's too kiddie for adults and too adult for kids. (By the way, if you let your youngsters watch or you're an adult who enjoys this bull, go watch the Mike Judge's Idiocracy to get a look at your descendants. Great movie.) Smack Down!, as many have said before me, stands out among WWE programming. "More wrestling than Raw, hooray!" And those who take that viewpoint are right; except for the fact that it's current headlining feud undermines the PG direction, and is only interesting in that it shows how ignorant people are behind the scenes and in the stands. Main page columnist, Hustle, wrote a great piece recently pointing out how the booing of CM Punk versus the cheering of Jeff Hardy is off putting, as Punk's message is one that is good for youngsters. So while Raw offers nothing that is really fun for the grown-ups, SD! offers an angle that is possibly detrimental to kids. ECW is just plain shitty, however at times the in-ring action can wash the bad taste of a Monday night Raw out of your mouth. What the WWE is vomiting on us is fucked up, disingenuous and unfair.

Wrestling fans of all ages are not the lowest common denominator they are made out to be. At least, I'm not, and I hope you aren't. However, we let the number one power in the industry continue to play us for fucking rubes long after they've let the cat out of the bag as far as the illusion goes. We're ignorant consumers being told to watch The Goods or Shaq VS on Monday night, and we're pot smoking drunks who cheer pot smoking and drinking on Friday nights. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we're just fucking suckers. A lot of folks have cried "boycott" for Raw. I'll be right there with you when Monday Night Football starts again. As for the product as a whole- the WWE can and should do better. It's not strictly about having a crew full of Bret Harts who put on five star matches or a crew full of The Rocks who give five star promos/sketches-- it's about playing to your audience, young and old. If you're honestly interested in and entertained by the current WWE, good for you. You're who they're aiming for. For the rest of us, I can only hope that this isn't the beginning of the end.

[The Maz]

Welcome to the CF. I actually liked this and could certainly see exactly where you are coming from which is really nice. Oh, and never say you are not a Smark again as this was a VERY smarky column. Writing wise this was good. Short, short sentences, said what you had to say and got out. I would love to see you develop this now. What should WWE be doing with Raw, how can they fix it, is it fixable. I agree with most of what you said but not quite as strongly. We have been watching wrestling for a similar length of time but I have just accepted to go with the flow despite the product right now being far from tip top.

If this was just a one off rant, fair enough but if you will continue to write a few columns I suggest you get out there and read and feedback a few columns, get some ideas and hopefully we will see you again soon.

[The End]

Thanks, Mazza.

This was largely a rant. I didn't even watch last night's Raw. I'm glad my writing (just as far as prose is concerned) is decent. Honestly, just a fan here, despite my abrasiveness or rudeness, I want the best product they can bring because I know they can bring it. I'm thinking the definition of "smark" is someone who knows more than me, because if it weren't for this site, another IWC site, and wiki, I'd not know much more than what I can assume for myself.

I really feel like we're being played for rubes, though. We wrestling fans are the biggest niche audience in the world (except maybe Star Trek geeks or some shit) and we aren't being served. Even at WWE/F's worst, they never abandoned the core like they're doing on Raw right now. It's a grand "F you," to those of us who have invested in the Jericho's, Cena's, and Orton's for years, and are working to identify with the Kingston's, MVP's, and Swagger's.

So, for what it's worth, I'll be back here in columns, reading and writing.

[Uncle Joe]

Like Mazza said, your writing is pretty decent. Just fix somethings;

1. The big wall of text killed me; break them up.


2. Put in a few pics for pic sake. Just throw in some random dog porn.


3. Read ad feed others, but you already on the right track.

[steve bullshit]

I'm not a parent and i do a lot of drugs, so i don't care what's good for the kids

The only important thing about the PUNK/JEFF program is the great heel turn of Punk (I think is the highlight for the WWE this year) and the little things he do to make it work (like elbowing Morrison in the face after the pin this last friday). The other great thing about it is that JEFF has establish himself as a the most important face in the company (even more important than CENA)

The other stuff is what most of us think of the WWE

This was very well written and for a first timer was really clear and good

Read you next time

[Super Chrisss]

Awww I get it. "The END" is kind of like the new Black Eyed Peas album. It's not "The End" for them, it's a beginning. Thanks for fooling me.

Seriously, great debut column man. It was lacking some supporting examples and color, but I can't blame you for that. I'm anxious to see what you come up with next time.

[XanMan]

In other words, you're preaching to the choir, but you didn't hit any sour notes.

[Little Sneak]

No offence but I found this very similar to another column recently about the internet and its effect. So i found this a bit boring. I would like to a bit of a conclusion aswell and an intro. Others seemed to like it but and that is good.

Miss Sneak

[Vikodin]

I'll get to the writing in a minute, but I think your wrong about the Jeff Hardy vs CM Punk feud; I think it is sending kids a good message as it's teaching them that you can always come back from your demons and it's never over and that you can always achieve your dreams and all that crap.

Now that that's out of the way, I think your writing here was pretty decent. There weren't any spelling mistakes that I noticed or any real grammer errors that I noticed, so well done on that front. I do think that you need to work on your presentation. Big bodies of text are very off putting to read, so maybe you should try to break it up somehow, maybe with a picture, or even just break your paragraph's up into halves.

That said, this was pretty good for a debut, and I found myself pretty much agreeing with everything here, except of course boycotting Monday Night Raw for Monday Night Football as we don't have Monday night football here in Australia because we have realised that it is stupid to have monday night football.

Well done, will read you next time.