So, in case anyone noticed. Last week's article was about the XFL and Ron didn't write it… I did, but whatever.
Originally, I wasn't even going to watch Judgment Day this weekend. Instead, I was set to watch the X-Files season finale with the girlfriend, tape the Sopranoes, and watch it right after. Then, they had to go and announce Benoit and Angle going two out of three falls and Jericho having a "mystery partner." So, I had to call the girl, duke out a late cancellation, and agree to get up early for breakfast Monday morning. Basically, Judgment Day had to be damn good. According to Maxim, I traded in, at minimum, 425 points for wrestling.
Luckily, it was a good show. Minus a couple of production errors (seeing the arena ceiling in "McMahon's Office," missing the Gore in the Hardcore match, completely missing the finish in the main event… I swear, they must have hired WCW's cast-offs), I think it was strong.
I was shocked at how early they placed Benoit vs Angle. I didn't want Benoit to lose this, but I knew he had to. I just hope they move him and Jericho into a solid feud with the Two Man Power Trip and actually, you know, let them win a couple matches here and there. I never thought Benoit would be as big in the WWF as he is. He's a small guy, but dammit he makes a believable ass-kicker.
I didn't have high hopes for the Lita/Chyna match. If Jericho or Jeff Jarrett couldn't pull a good match out of Chyna, then Lita certainly wasn't. The only thing I was looking forward to was Chyna losing the belt. Does it make any sense to have a woman's champ that just squashes all the women in the federation? Especially one who isn't particularly over? Anyway, that's probably just bias talking, because I'm a much bigger Lita fan than Chyna fan.
Where to now?
The Two Man Power Trip is falling apart. Austin cost HHH the IC belt and HHH cost them both the Tag Titles. The front office has now, officially, handed the ball to the "younger guys."
I see a problem, though.
The industry is declining. I'm not the first to say it, and I certainly won't be the last. Raw still sells out all their arenas, but their ratings are certainly sliding. Wrestling shirts, two summers ago, were on sale in every souvenir and T-shirt shop you came across. You couldn't go three days without bumping into an Austin shirt. Wrestling, for a bit, was cool to like.
But the buzz is wearing off. Much like South Park enjoyed its fifteen minutes, wrestling has enjoyed its for the next few years. Wrestling, right now, is kind of like the New Kids on the Block's fourth and fifth albums. The fans know it's there, a lot of people are aware of it, but not so many people care. The fair weather friends are disappearing, finding other things to watch. The people who were WCW fans are choosing no wrestling to WWF wrestling.
So they finally give Benoit and Jericho a shot at the top. The problem is, I think there sending two guys out there to take a fall. Not on purpose, mind you, but I don't think anything's going to save the sinking ship at this point. The WWF is like the current stock market. A lot of people invested a whole bunch of money in Internet business and the market flew. Now, all that money is coming out. The bloated market is deflating. In the WWF, a whole bunch of people who weren't fans started watching. They don't like it anymore, and the fan base is deflating. The ones who were just there because it was cool for a while are going away. But, as it's deflating, they're trying to keep those excess fans.
When in doubt, listen to what the fans are saying. What fans do they have the best chance to listen to? Why, us of course. The Internet's been screaming for the Chris's to be at the top and stay there. But now they're being given the helm of a ship at red alert. Can they save the ship from sinking? I hope so. Will they be blamed for the ship continuing to sink? I certainly hope not.
Then again, I could be completely wrong. On Monday, Shane appeared to begin the WCW Invasion angle, or something of the sort. They might be building up toward the July "Invasion" show. Any Invasion angle is going to be compared to the New World Order. The N.W.O revitalized wrestling, ushering in this boon in the industry. Can they do it again? Maybe. Interest among the Internet folks runs high in a WCW vs WWF feud. Problem is, most of the dream matches we've wanted can't happen.
Goldberg/Austin? Nope. Mr. 'Berg is done with the business. He'll milk his contract from AOL and be done with it all.
Sting/Rock? Nope. Sting seems pretty well disgusted with wrestling in general. I don't think we'll ever see him in the new WCW or in the WWF.
Flair/HHH? Possibly. If Flair takes his buyout.
With Paul Heyman booking a WCW Invasion, this could be a very good time to be a wrestling fan. I just hope the WWF doesn't hit the EJECT button if the ratings don't take a swift upturn. I think it'll start to balance out soon, when we find out how many "extra" fans they get to keep. Otherwise, I think we'll have to be satisfied with whatever story Paul E decides to give us.
I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend, and I hope you all have better weather than we're expecting up here in New York. Keep yourselves safe.
