It is time for a new Generation of Inside Pulse columns, ok maybe not, but I am new to the Pulse and I will be writing about Ring of Honor, for the most part, and I will let the already established pundits wax intellectual about the WWE. They already do a plenty good job without me mucking it up. I could begin with an introduction about who I am and what I think about wrestling, but I actually came up with something else to talk about, so that column will wait until a week or so. I will probably do reviews of RoH shows as well if you want to check them out.
I have rambled far too much so onward with the column…
I know what you are thinking. RoH does not nearly have the financial or reputational clout to be influencing the worldwide standard in sports entertainment. That is for the most part true, but I have noticed a few things that have bled over into the big leagues.
WWE has yet to adopt the RoH hybrid of highly technical wrestling, mixed with high spots, mixed with strong style that I love so much, although a lot of workers are using strikes more effectively on WWE TV and Josh Matthews has made mention of Strong Style on Velocity.
Oddly enough, the thing that WWE wrestlers have taken from Ring of Honor is not their in ring antics, but their catch phrases. RoH, for those who are not familiar, is not known for great mic work. There are a few exceptions of course, but that is a topic for another column.
I noticed it more blatantly on the most recent broadcast of RAW as HBK robbed from one of my personal favorite RoH workers: Alex Shelley. HBK in his interview segment said he had talent, “On loan from God.” That has been Alex Shelley’s primary catch phrase during his tenure in RoH. He usually says it while crossing himself in time with the speech. HBK however lifted it. Now I am almost completely sure HBK has not been watching Alex Shelley tapes, and it is just a coincidence an…Hey, this is my column. Why am I refuting myself… Anyways, the other example I have, I honestly believe is a lift from RoH.
It is no secret that Samoa Joe and his title reign was one of the biggest wrestling stories of 2004. People in WWE had to have noticed it, especially with Mick Foley making several appearances for the fed. Samoa Joe’s music began with the audience chanting, “The Champ is Here!” John Cena stole this. Now he may have gotten from the same Jadakiss song that Joe uses as his entrance theme, given that Cena is ya know all street and what not, but I think he caught wind of the story and saw how over it was and made it his own.
Am I faulting the WWE guys for using RoH catch phrases? Absolutely not. Wrestling much like any other creative expression is all about adapting other media and influences to best suit your needs, and that is all this is. It just makes a Ring of Honor fan like me happy to see, or even pretend that RoH has some effect on WWE.
That’s all I have this week. Feel free shoot back at me via e-mail bigandymac@yahoo.com.
Now for one little plug. I have a weekly radio show, Fridays from 5-6pm eastern, out of Binghamton, NY on WHRW 90.5 FM. If you are not in the area you can listen live on the Web at www.whrwfm.org.
My guest this week is going to be Wrestling legend Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. For those of you that don’t tune in, there will most likely be a transcript posted some time in the next week or so.
I’ll see ya next time (complete with Lavarr Burton hand gesture)
-Andy Mac
