Let’s do this. Again.
Take Two
One of the best things about writing a weekly column is that if you turn in an effort that you consider subpar in hindsight, you have another week and another column to make a better effort. This is much better than, say, writing papers for a college class where you know that once you hand that sucker into the grader, it’s all said and done. Well, unless they give you a chance to rewrite it. But who does that?
Last week, I made some very general comments about the women’s division and what is wrong with it. The main points were that Victoria was a more deserving champion based on her efforts in the ring and that Gail Kim has a lot of potential but debuting her in the fashion of the upstart who wins the title in her first bout probably hasn’t got the legs to make a good run, especially when you take history into account. This is, of course, a very biased set of views and were written primarily out of frustration that the Queen of the Column isn’t being put on a pedestal for a prolific battle with Lita upon her return.
There is much more to say now that I’ve had time to think about it over a lunch or two at Arby’s and in between a few drinks here and there over the weekend.
Firstly, in even entertaining this argument, I have assumed that women’s wrestling is a viable product that belongs on television. To the couple of you who wrote arguing against this, that is for an entirely different column from an entirely different columnist. When (yes, when, not if) I begin to discuss the business aspects of the company in a future column, I’ll take that issue up. Until then, watch NWA:TNA where Double J agrees more with your thinking.
Secondly, it seems to me that the Gail Kim problem is related to a problem this column posited concerning the RAW announce team several columns ago. That problem is that the fed seems so concerned with the marketing aspects of the product that it either neglects or intentionally foresakes the traditional wrestling aspects of the product. In Kim’s case, it is evident that WWe had big plans for her when she first signed up for the gig. And why not? The lady is unbelievably hot, athletic and when packaged with the proper image, a dazzling sight to behold on camera. Given this, WWe undertook the usual costs to get this future star ready for prime time, including training her to wrestle a unique gymnastics-based style, crafting a look and costume for her, and running several fine video montages to get everyone ready for the new character. What is driving this? Marketing, marketing, marketing. A hot new diva for the key 18-35 male demographic that can move in the ring, keep the guys tuned in and maybe even sell a ticket or two.
However
Just as the RAW announce team tends to overlook what is going on in the ring for the sake of selling books, the next pay per view, the match in the final quarter hour or whatever else, WWe seems to have overlooked the fact that Gail needs a character, a raison d’etre, a gimmick. This is a fundamental aspect of a wrestler and a fundamental reason why fans watch the product. If the fans don’t have a reason to >care< about what they are watching, then they will stop watching. And yes, even the 18-35 year old males out there need a reason beyond "she looks hot†to watch something. The main reason for this being that reality shows, music videos, movies and so on all understand this concept as well and are competing for attention. Hell, even professional sports with its increasingly beautiful sideline reporters are in on it and if you don't believe me, you obviously missed Samantha Ryan at the Home Run Derby last night. When I heard the name itself I stuck around just to see what she'd look like and I was not disappointed, either. True story. Something fundamental beyond the exterior, which WWe has marketed well in the case of Kim, needs to be there for the wrestling fan to enjoy, be it a unique character, the ability to wrestle their butts off, a storyline, something! And this is why Gail is getting the lukewarm reactions she is getting – there just isn’t enough beyond her looks to pop the crowd yet. Normally, I defend WWe as a business entity. I understand that they are trying hard to market to the core audience and have reasons to believe that the Kim character as it is enough to keep their fans attention. I don’t think, however, that they see accurately the broad competitive landscape that exists. I also think that, once again, some attention needs to be paid to the actual product because that in the long run is what can truly differentiate WWe from other forms of entertainment. Afterall, there is no reality television star that can do or say things that the Rock can, there is no sport that allows for a one-legged man to do a moonsault and no television show that dares to air something as humorous as a man choking out another man with a sock. Period. Market the product, but market a product worth watching. Lastly, there exists another danger beyond neglect of the product that occurs when there is so much focus on marketing of the product and that is obscuring the current product. There difference here would be that the current roster of female wrestlers, the storylines they are running, the matches, etc might already be a fine product, but the audience may not be getting the drift because the fed is too concerned with glitzy costumes, bikini videos, or promotion of other things to tell them. Is this going on now? Well, ask yourself how many times Jerry Lawler has totally ignored a perfectly decent match between Victoria and Trish to point out that, yes, Trish has a nice set of puppies. This is time that could be used to promote a feud or a character. I know for a fact that WWe is guilty of this crime because the ads and very venue for WM XX stand out in my mind just as much as the ones for Vengeance as a result of current advertising and WM XX is well over SEVEN MONTHS away.
Anyhow, I feel much better about this column already. Let’s keep it going.
Readers’ Picks: Sunny Side Up
An easy pick this week. The unanimous choice from the readers was the fact that once Steve Austin resumed control of RAW from Bischoff, he added his own unique decorative touch to the office to signify the change of control. Since you were first, MegaJay738, you may do the honors:
I think you forgot something from The Little Five. In Austin’s office, where Kane was sitting, there were two portraits on the wall. Austin’s was left on the wall, whereas Bischoff’s was on the floor, upside down. I thought that was neat.
Pretty short and sweet, yet effective. Jeff (EarlyTimeVA) and Mike (monkey_o) also chimed in with this one. There were a lot of good entries this week and I plan on using some of them in the future.
But for now, it’s time for a look at the Little Five for the 07.14.2003 edition of RAW:
1. Reloaded
Thank you, Trish. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Taking an otherwise ordinary moment like ducking a clothesline and giving it a twist, matrix style, is what this column screams for! A very good way to demonstrate her athletic ability and to give the fans a little wake up call. Even if it happened at the expense of Victoria, I’ll take it.
2. The Big O
A lot of readers wrote me well in advance of the column to point out that Randy Orton really stepped up his level of effort during the Evolution vs. Dudleys elimination match. In particular, they liked his head shaking as he went down for the 3D and while he was up ready for the Dudley Device. And you are dead on, guys. This type of animated performance is what makes him different from the other young guys currently trying to break through. Besides, you know I’m not going to balk at funny facial gestures.
Mr. Orton did not stop there though. Other readers really liked the fact that he propped Spike’s head up before delivering a magnificent standing dropkick. The fact that he bragged about it afterwards made it even better.
Watch this kid, he actually is worth the hype. Readers Joe Cool, Richard Kim, Tony Bell and Mitch Foist all agree. Jeez, 4 votes before the column even came out save some for next week, guys!
3. Obscene Behavior
This just in: the Jeritron 5000 is now “obscenely expensiveâ€Â. Y2J is neck and neck with Test for his own section in this column. Speaking of Mr. Martin
4. Hearing Test
Test’s consistency, widely documented in this column, is really starting to pay off. The jumping jacks, push ups, cowardly retreats and enthusiastic taunting of his female antagonists has gotten the crowd’s attention to the point where they gave him a very audible “Asshole†chant during last night’s match. Not even during an interview segment, either. A great, great sign for a guy that has really stepped it up a notch recently.
5. Stomp A Mudhole
He doesn’t get a lot of pub from this column, but let’s give it to him while he is on the radar. I love it when Spike pounds his chest after a stomp to the chest or any move. It’s not quite waving to the crowd, but it’s still funny and the fact that he does it during the montages where matches are announced gets bonus points for consistency.
In fact, I’ve always liked Spike’s ability to come up with crafty moves given his relatively small stature. But especially the stomps, because they are a logical move for a guy that size, I believe.
Hopefully this column is a much better effort. I left plenty on the table, so let’s see some comments now that the column is actually up! See ya next week.
