CB’s World: Taking YOUR Wrestling Pulse, Featuring flamingwombat

Columns, Top Story

Below is the second interview of an ongoing special series I like to call Taking YOUR Wrestling Pulse.

If you missed the first edition with sideshowbob, you can check it out right here. Also, if you want to join in on the fun, click on the ‘Email’ link above and send me a note, and I’ll add you to the list (*cough cough* Incognito and FDSwayze *cough cough*)

This week, I spoke with the one and only flamingwombat. As you will soon learn, his passion for professional wrestling — and his backstory — is truly worth the read.

In fact, I learned so much from him during our discussion that I just couldn’t wait to share the below interview with all of you, the Pulse Wrestling faithful. You guys and gals really do keep me going as I approach ten years of writing wrestling columns, and I am truly excited to give you flamingwombat, in his own words…

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flamingwombat, it’s great to have you here so we can take YOUR wrestling pulse in this special spotlight piece.

My first question for you, a standard one to break the ice, is:

Why does ‘wrestling matter’ to you?

I’d say wrestling matters to me in that it’s been a form of entertainment I’ve never grown out of. From the first time I saw it on TV as a tyke, through high school and college, even studying literary criticism in grad school, I’ve been an unashamed wrestling fan. I think it might be a factor of time and place.

Time, in that I became a fan as a young kid just as Hogan was pinning the Iron Sheik and the Rock n’ Wrestling boom was starting, not to mention the birth of the video rental business and the popularity of the syndicated shows on Saturday mornings. There was nary a boy my age in the 80s who didn’t spend Saturday mornings watching a couple hours of cartoons, followed by two hours of wrestling (squash matches, and we loved it!). Sadly, those days are gone. As I got older (i.e. the age when I might outgrow the product), the more adult ECW and Attitude eras began and kept me hooked. Now I’m at the point where I realize that I will probably never outgrow wrestling (nor do I particularly want to!)

As for being in the right place, I am referring to having grown up in eastern Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Hershey, State College, and Allentown/Bethlehem all lay within a short drive, so opportunities were plenty for house shows, then eventually TV tapings (Saturday Night’s Main Event, in its heyday! And, you didn’t even know in advance it was a taping; you get to the arena thinking it’ll be a normal house show, only to see the SNME banners and know you’re about to be blessed with awesomeness), and even Wrestlemanias (yes, I was at the second worst Wrestlemania ever, WM15), and of course because of my birthplace I was able to be an ECW fan when it was still a mere regional promotion. Now, my place is in Japan, so I have to work a lot harder just to see the Western TV product, let alone live action, but growing up in prime WWF territory during its 80s boom period probably resulted in me being hooked for life.

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I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments about time, since I am one of those 1980s kids who stayed hooked through the 1990s. Don’t forget though, we did have to endure a few of those lean years in between the eighties boom and nineties resurgence — Fake Razor and Fake Diesel come to mind :)

Speaking of place, I have to know: What brings you to Japan, and do you watch any of the Japanese product? I personally get a kick out of Albert being so huge in Japan as Giant Bernard.

Also, and this one is more directed to the western product we both love, what is your personal take on the state of WWE and TNA?

For WWE, specifically, how do you feel about the supposed end of the brand split?

For TNA, any thoughts?

I figure the WWF stayed fairly interesting up through 1993 or so (Rumble ’92, WM10), and I was lucky enough to be bailed out by ECW in 1995 so my lean years weren’t as long as for some. I consider golden age ECW the pinnacle of North American wrestling, and unless you were a fan at that time you can’t truly appreciate its greatness and significance, but that’s another topic.

As for Japan, it was a combination of a desire to teach overseas and a wonderful trip to the country with a Japanese friend that led me to decide to move here. It’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made, as I’m now here over 8 years and still loving it. Strangely enough, I was more interested in Japanese wrestling before my move. The decrease in the quality of the product, plus its relative lack of TV exposure (nearly all wrestling programs are shown on Samurai TV, a channel that’s part of an expensive cable package), means I still watch much more WWE than any Japanese feds. Obviously due to the time difference this means little to no live WWE watching, and I have to rely on next day downloads (don’t tell Vince!). That being said, I have been to some live Japanese shows, both NOAH and All Japan, and have been lucky enough to see 3 of the big 4 live (Misawa, Kobashi, Taue, but not Kawada). Pretty cool seeing them live and in Japan, instead of on a grainy traded video tape. I suppose Japanese wrestling crowds always skewed more adult than the western family-focused shows, and couple that with the degradation of the product in recent years, I’d say that the bulk of my students (elementary and junior high age) don’t watch wrestling at all and could barely name a wrestler (except for Inoki, who still regularly appears on variety shows and commercials). Interestingly enough, the couple of students that do frequently talk to me about wrestling talk about the WWE, not Japanese promotions. Albert is interesting, as just like Hogan and many before him, when working in front of Japanese crowds/for Japanese promotions who expect a higher workrate, he is more than capable of raising his game. It makes me laugh when people say Hogan was a terrible worker. No, he gave the American crowds exactly what they wanted to see, and if they had wanted a more scientific match out of him, he would have given it to them, just like he showed he could in Japan.

I’ve pretty much been in Japan for the entirety of TNA’s existence, and while I do check out the occasional raved about match, I don’t watch the product with any kid of regularity so really can’t comment. I have a feeling this is a definite case of ignorance is bliss.

I believe the brand split is, in theory, a great idea. With the demise of WCW and any real competition, WWE (man, I went years before I stubbornly gave up typing WWF) made the right decision in manufacturing their own “competition” with the two shows. Unfortunately, they’ve totally blown the split with too many crossovers and no true sense of animosity between the brands. So, in short, I think if they were using the brand split properly, ending it would be a bad idea, but since they aren’t, ending it won’t change much.

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That’s a very interesting take on Hogan, never really thought of it that way.

I also agree with you the brand split has run its course, and if anything perhaps this will make WWE get rid of the DREADFUL “Bragging Rights” PPV concept, where they try to manufacture animosity between the brands for a couple of weeks, which is not only horribly forced but also disrupts natural storylines within the brands between the heels and faces.

Moving on, I’d like to know some more of your specific thoughts on WWE, so with that said:

What is your full take on the entire CM Punk saga to this point?

Also, in general — and feel free to be as brief or as longwinded as you like here — who or what do you like about Raw in its current state, and who are what might you change and how?

The thing is, if the brand split had been done properly, Bragging Rights, Survivor Series, and the Rumble all would be been augmented by the split. Wasted opportunity.

My take on CM Punk is rather strange perhaps. He was probably my favorite active wrestler leading up to the current angle, and I, like everyone, liked his kick-off promo (although I think it’s a bit overpraised as he didn’t really say anything that Heyman or Styles didn’t say in their similar promos years ago). I find it interesting that although Punk is operating as a face during this run, he is essentially being a dickhead to everyone, and I find myself liking him a bit less. If it wasn’t cool to cheer the “bad” guy these days how could anyone realistically have supported Punk over Cena in the angle? It’s definitely been an exciting couple of months, mostly thanks to Punk, but I think they should have kept him out until after Summerslam to build his return. I also think they are rushing his feud with HHH (partly unavoidable due to Nash’s injury), as I would have loved to see Punk being the first to challenge Del Rio, since I believe those two could really tear the house down together.

Overall, I think RAW is doing fine. Four quality main eventers (five if you count HHH) including a world champion that is great both in the ring and on the mic and is fresh and over, along with a fairly strong mid-card. I’d refocus on the tag division and follow through with actual teams, with team names and finishers. Bring back male managers (Michael Cole!). Properly utilize veterans with plenty of gas left in the tank like HHH. Keep Miz out of the main event and in the upper mid-card where he belongs. Turn Morrison heel. Continue to use Santino as perhaps the greatest comedy wrestler in recent memory. Bring back Husky Harris and change his and Mcgillicutty’s names to reflect their pedigrees. Hire Matt Hardy, then fire him via Twitter just before his re-debut. In sum, I’d say that the Monday night product is in better shape and more entertaining than the “we hate everything but Punk” IWC members aver, but can improve by regularly creating sustainable episodic TV to get us tuning in every week, with protracted slowly developing feuds and angles. I’d say more, but I don’t want people to realize that I am, in fact, the anonymous RAW GM.

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Wow, so YOU are the GMail? Lost Storyline found!

That’s a very interesting take on Punk in terms of possibly siding with Cena from a logic standpoint. I felt the EXACT same way at the beginning of the Christian-Orton feud, where Christian was making extremely valid points to Teddy Long, and Teddy just didn’t care as Orton benefited.

As for your other points about Raw, I absolutely love Miz and Truth together in the upper mid card spouting off about conspiracies, and eventually I’d love to see this lead to Miz-Hunter at some point or M-Truth vs. DX at Mania as part of a stacked old guard vs. new guard card I proposed awhile back.

As for managers and tagteams, I think both you and sideshowbob and myself are on the same page here: Bring them both back and make them count. They’ve already started this with Air Boom and even the Divas of Doom, so maybe we will see more tag teams and tag team names.

And I love Vickie, I think she’s done amazing work over the past few years. I’d love to see her expand her clientele and yes, Cole should be a freakin’ manager already.

Moving to SmackDown, what are your thoughts on the Christian-Orton saga now that it looks like this incarnation of their feud has been wrapped up? Also, your take on Mark Henry’s latest run?

Also, as I did with sideshowbob, here’s a list of some specific names that I’d like you to offer your comments on:

Cody Rhodes
Ted DiBiase
Daniel Bryan
Wade Barrett
Booker T

And of course, what is the right way to apply a torture rack, in your opinion? ;)

It’s amazing how much genuine heel heat Vickie still garners despite the fact that fans actually like her. If she dropped out of character (say during an Eddy tribute) the fans would cheer for her instantly.

Although I have always really liked Christian’s work, I might be in the minority in thinking that he’s not main event material. I see his appropriate place as in the upper midcard. It was nice seeing Orton and Christian have a multiple PPV spanning feud, and the match quality was excellent, but the booking certainly did nothing to elevate Christian.

I’ve said a lot on the Mark Henry/Sheamus feud in the comments section recently and was pleasantly surprised that many writers and other commenters share my view that the Henry push is working and he seems to have earned it. This is how he always should have been used. When you compare him to past “strongman” wrestlers (like say Dino Bravo or Ted Arcidi) it’s easy to see how much better Henry is than many other powerhouse wrestlers, especially as a character. There’s definitely a place for his kind of wrestling on the card.

Cody Rhodes – Considering he’s built like Madonna and was very bland during his Legacy run, his work since starting the “Dashing” gimmick has been a revelation, improving greatly in the ring and on the mic. He’ll never be his dad, but he could realistically reach his brother’s level of success.

Ted DiBiase – This is a toughie. I fear he might be like Jack Swagger, damaged beyond repair.

Daniel Bryan – Love his work, but unlike many IWC members who think anyone not pushed to the top is being wasted (especially if it’s one of their pet favorites) I would have no problem with him never being World Champ. He could be the equivalent of WWF Ricky Steamboat, putting on the best matches at the IC/US title level.

Wade Barrett – Wade had a tremendous start, showing great charisma and poise beyond his experience level. Unfortunately, they wasted all the heat he built up during his feud with Cena and left him to flounder since. I sure he will be in main events again in the near future, he has “it” and I don’t think they’ll waste him.

Booker T – Seems like a waste to be paying him without putting him in the ring. He doesn’t need to be pushed high up the card, but he could certainly still add to the product as a wrestler and help some of the younger stars get some heat.

My preferred method for the torture rack is in reverse, with the wrestler standing on his hands and applying the hold with his feet.

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Okay, now time for the lightning round!

Favorite finishing move, both currently and all-time.

Favorite match of this year and all-time.

Favorite “era” of pro wrestling.

Favorite theme song and favorite ring entrance (could be together or separate).

Favorite storyline with the best payoff.

Bring the lightning!

Favorite finishing move, both currently and all-time. Currently, THE COBRA. All-time: Kick, wham, stunner. (Especially if sold by the Rock. Or Shane McMahon with a mouthful of beer).

Favorite match of this year and all-time. This year, Cena-Punk at MitB. All-time…Royal Rumble 1992. The Rumble is by far my favorite PPV every year, and I rewatch old Rumbles like my favorite movies. I can even (shamefacedly) remember the lines (Heenan: “Why do you think they call him the Barbarian? He’s not a hairdresser on his day off you know!” :) Perfect combination of story, build, stacked roster, and the greatest commentary team of all-time, Gorilla and Bobby.

Favorite “era” of pro wrestling. Golden Age ECW. You had to be a wrestling fan at the time to truly realize how great it was. Great booking and storylines written for adults, a product that treated the fans with respect (hear that Vince?), practically every member of the roster was over with the crowd and used at the perfect level of the card, and every type of style of wrestling you could want to watch. This being followed by the must-watch Monday Night Wars was a great time to be a fan. Of course, I’ll always be nostalgic for, and can rewatch regardless of match quality, 80s WWF and WCCW. Too many good memories.

Favorite theme song and favorite ring entrance (could be together or separate). Whew, finally an easy one. Gangrel’s song and Taker’s entrance.

Favorite storyline with the best payoff. Wow, tough one. The great storylines often didn’t have good endings (Austin-McMahon, NWO, ECW joining Alliance, etc.) but for a decent storyline that had an amazing payoff I’d say the climax to the Savage-Warrior feud at WM7, with the terrific match and the beyond wrestling post-match reunion with Elizabeth.

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flamingwombat, I must say you not only handled that lightning, you took it in your hands, boxed it up real nice, shoved that ‘sumbitch’ sideways and stuck it straight up those questions’ candy asses!

Seriously, though, great answers, although I must clarify: THE COBRA, really? I think I need further explanation on that :)

And, this just might be the toughest question of them all: Do you have any final thoughts? This is the part where you just let it all go as I thank you for letting me take YOUR wrestling pulse…

In the amount of time it would take me to explain the COBRA, you’ll already have been bitten.

Final thoughts…

One of my finest childhood memories was when my aunt and uncle took me on a surprise trip to see a WWF house show at the now long gone Philly Spectrum. I thought only other kids got to see wrestling live. AND the cherry on the sundae…the BRITISH BULLDOGS were in the main event!!!

The part of me that’s still that child is always looking for that next pure mark out moment, when you can suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the show. Bulldogs winning the belts at WM2, Hogan and Warrior showdown during Rumble ’90, Jericho’s RAW debut, Foley winning the belt.

Always looking for the next wrestler who’ll join the pantheon of my favorites, along side the Dynamite Kid, Curt Hennig, Shawn, Taker, and Stunning Steve. Looking for the next diva to join Lita, Gail Kim, and Melina in (censored by PG programming).

So many good memories just among the live events I’ve been to: Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation, Andre, Bad News Brown trying to use a snowshovel on Hogan on Saturday Night’s Main Event, the Blue Blazer vs. Ted DiBiase, a shitty Wrestlemania that ended with a match (Austin-Rock I) that rivaled the excitement of any “real” sporting event I’ve ever seen with these own eyes, ECW 10 minutes from my house, and many more.

Many in the IWC focus on the dreck (of which there is a lot, I admit) and already seem jaded despite their scant years. I choose instead to focus on those golden moments that still occassionally happen and let myself still be a kid sometimes. That’s what wrestling is for :)

Thanks so much flamingwombat, this has been fun and as my good friend Doris from Rego Park used to say, thank you for your time and courtesy.

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CB’s take: I told you it was worth the read, and it was a real treat for me to interview yet another Pulse Wrestling reader who deserves his own spotlight. flamingwombat, you are a revelation my friend, and thanks again for taking part in what was yet another enlightening interview and experience for me.

This has been Taking YOUR Wrestling Pulse.

That’s all from me — CB.

CB is an Editor for Pulse Wrestling and an original member of the Inside Pulse writing team covering the spectrum of pop culture including pro wrestling, sports, movies, music, radio and television.