So earlier this week, myself and esteemed Inside Pulse writer James Alsop got into a debate about whether I needed to WATCH Raw to have an opinion on the show. Crazy, right? I know. I was going to do an article on that, and push back the original article I had for this week.
But then, the comments went way too long. That’s as much my fault as it is anyone’s. Plus, I thought we were just having a fun debate, but then James started claiming that I lost the debate, then called my points “bullshit”, and said that I’m either a “sheep” or a “liar”. Then those commenters who you’ve NEVER seen before started showing up and saying much weirder stuff at a convenient time to bash my argument. It’s not hard to see where that comes from, as it seems to happen often when I annoy certain writers on Pulse. Look back and you’ll find tons of examples. The same thing happens to Swayze and Shaw all the time. So that doesn’t bother me in the least, because remember, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before from people who had WAY less ground to stand on than James. Scott Keith doesn’t even respond to his trolls, which I should seriously consider before I bother to rise to their bait. Truth be told, I have fun with them, but you can’t win arguments with ignorant people.
But, I do want to state for everyone to read that I don’t think James is one of those ignorant people, and that I wasn’t trying to annoy anyone. And genuinely did believe what I was saying.
What it comes down to is something James said: “Only someone who ACTUALLY saw it could verify whether you were correct or not.”
And he’s right.
And Scott Keith actually saw the episode of Raw in question. That’s how I know what happened, and that’s how I know it was terrible.
Anyway, I decided that everyone had probably had enough of that subject, so my original article for this week, with a great question from Sideshow Bob is here!
Interinactivity
Sideshow Bob: So Blair, CB, and others.. Kind of wondering your take on this one… The fall from grace.. Miz vs Swagger… Differences, similarities, what if anything either ex world champ can do to stop their spiral…
Blair: There actually are some notable differences between JacKurt SwAngle and The Miz. Jack Swagger is better in-ring than The Miz is. Not by much, because while Swagger is competent, he’s not really all that good either. The Miz is better than Jack Swagger on the mic. Not much much, because while Swagger is terrible on the mic, The Miz is not anywhere near as good as people pretended he was. Jack Swagger would have had a tough time making it no matter what, given that they made him a Kurt Angle clone. Singlet, heel All-American Gimmick, moves… he even had the fireworks for a while. The Miz would have had a tough time making it no matter what, because he sucks a lot. Swagger beat Fatt Lardy for the ECW Title, then went to RAW and failed to do anything. So they let him win Money In The Bank, and cash it in to win the belt a few days later. There are articles on this very site from that time saying that Swagger could help bring legitimacy back to the title. Some people actually said he WAS the Kurt Angle for the “modern era”. Not everyone jumped on board, but some certainly did. He then barely escaped Jericho and Edge with his life, and couldn’t even beat Big Show, so got himself DQ’d beforehand. Then he lost to Rey Mysterio. Since then, he’s done nothing. Absolutely nothing. They put him with Vickie to help him out, but I don’t think that’s led to anything but a nothing US Title run and a tag-team with the Billy Gunn clone. He can’t even get on most PPV’s, only got on WrestleMania last year as a valet, and only got on WrestleMania this year as part of a 10-man clusterfuck.
The Miz did Tough Enough, then came in and messed around a while before teaming with Morrison. After they broke up, he stared a mid-card run that worked quite well, especially when Bryan came into the picture. People gave The Miz a lot of credit for that feud, without realizing why it actually worked – the premise of the feud was that Bryan was actually really good, and The Miz was actually really terrible. This led to Miz’s best work to date though, and that’s when, everyone started assuming he’d get a World Title run. People were also inordinately impressed by his promo style, which was “speak slowly”, and his ability to show up to multiple shows per week. EVERYONE (remember Wombat, context) wanted him to win this title. MANY people said he would be the next Cena or Orton. As with Swagger, this was completely unfounded, but this jerkoff also had a LOT more internet support than Swagger did. This was another level. When Morrison would nearly kill himself jumping off shit to make a half-decent match, people would say that The Miz made the match good. Stuff like that. Then Miz won his belt, and nothing happened until he lost it to John Cena. Then he was shotgunned down the card, and no one cared. Because The Miz sucks. Now, he can’t even get on PPV’s… and I don’t see anyone complaining about it.
One thing that really irks me about the Jack Swagger’s and Miz’s of the world is how WWE (reportedly) blames them for not getting over, when WWE are the ones putting them in the position without properly preparing them, or even making sure that the crowd will respond to them once they win the title. It used to be you wouldn’t get NEAR a World Title unless that was the case. Take The Miz for example – reportedly, the biggest reason that he’s in the doghouse was because they blamed him for a poor Survivor Series buyrate. The main-event of that show was The Rock and John Cena against The Miz and R-Truth. The Miz is the LEAST big star of that 4-man group besides R-Truth, so I have NO idea how they justify blaming HIM for something like that, especially since that was Rock’s first actual match since he returned, and remember, Miz was neutered MONTHS beforehand. The “internets” also reported that they were disappointed with Swagger for his run too, but again… THEY’RE the ones who put him there, with really no reason to do so. So how is it Swagger’s fault? You gotta feel bad for these guys sometimes. So, while there are some differences… they’re really just different aspects of the same problem.
The other fun thing about watching this stuff go down is watching reactions from people on the internet as it happens. Typically, people either give up or make excuses as to why it didn’t work, and why it SHOULD have worked. With Mark Henry, people said the ONLY reason his run ended was because he got injured. That’s the ONLY reason to some people. It’s not because he was walking to the back after matches screaming at the crowd and they were staring at him blankly for months on end. It boggles the mind. For Shaemus, people will say it was the 18-second match. He TOTALLY would have gotten that “cornerstone” status if that hadn’t happened.
Speaking of the Ginger Abortion, look at Shaemus. He’s the latest example of the problem, except after HIS first failed run, he’s getting another shot because of who he works out with. In between that first and second shot, though? He was at the bottom of the card and no one cared. But they’ve given up on guys for WAY less than what Shaemus is experiencing right now… yet they’re sticking by him. Good for him for working out with Triple H, I suppose.
Again, I reiterate – it’s not like the guy isn’t trying. I believe the biggest reason why WWE has problems making MAJOR stars is not only because they try to make guys who all look the same. I believe it’s because they don’t actively vet guys before pushing them to what is supposed to be the top level. They’re not able to really see what a crowd response will be to a guy when pushed to the top level beforehand, nor are they able to prepare a guy properly for being at the top either. So these poor scrubs get to the top, and they’re not as well-equipped as they should be to make it work. This is where guys like Swagger and Shaemus come in.
These guys who get to the top and fall immediately – I think some people assume that it’s my opinion that it’s all their fault. While they have to accept some of the blame, let me assure you, that’s definitely not the case.
The Miz, though? He can’t claim that problem. He had YEARS in the company before they pushed him to that level, which is exactly the way it should be. It just happened to be a sad coincidence that the guy sucks. But they had years to see that, and just never bothered to do anything about it.
Now take a look at Cody Rhodes. I am NOT a fan of that utter waste of a perfectly good AJ Styles robe, but the way they’ve built him has been much better, much more consistent, and, most importantly… they’ve taken their time with him. And if he does make it to the top, he’ll have a better chance of success for the company because of it.
They should probably keep him away from Money In The Bank, too. That shit doesn’t help anyone in the long run.
That’s all the time we have for Interinactivity this week. Let’s to go…
New Rules
New Rule #1: If WWE really wants to help Shaemus climb out of his Abyss-like abyss, they should consider having Jericho lose to the Ginger Abortion before he leaves. That guy needs that cred way more than Punk or Orton do.
New Rule #2: If the host of some douchey sports show is going to start any sentence with the phrase “Now, everyone loves Impact Wrestling, but…” then he needs to be prepared for the possibility that no one may ever listen to another word he says ever again.
New Rule #3: If Dixie Carter ever again claims that no one has ever done MMA and pro-wrestling at the same time, then anyone in the room with her at the time has a license to kick her in the box and call her a lying bitch. If that sounds harsh, just remember, that’s the exact same thing that Dixie has TNA Knockouts doing to each other.
New Rule #4: An 47-year old man in a track suit should not be laughed at by a 35-year old wigger in jean shorts.
And finally…
New Rule #5: People should stop speculating about what WWE is going to do with an extra hour of airtime, and start getting excited about the possibilities of TNA returning to live TV.
TNA doing live TV has produced some unforgettably hilarious moments over the years. Like that time Jeff Hardy showed up drunk and stoned off his fucking gourd for a main-event PPV title defense that lasted 30 seconds right before the fans in attendance almost rioted. And that time they lowered Orlando Jordan from the rafters dressed only in caution tape before he proceeded to rub fake / possibly real splooge all over himself. Then there was that little incident where they almost burned down their own building and killed the entire crew and audience at a PPV. And lest we forget basically everything from that infamous January 4th show in 2010 besides the Kurt Angle / AJ Styles match. I fucking LOVE TNA.
I recapped TNA for about 8 or 9 months combined on Inside Pulse, and those insane live shows were easily the most fun. The taped shows can just be frustratingly bad, but when it’s live, it seems like they attempt even crazier stuff than they would normally. Not only that, the production fuck-ups and how actually terrible the show is becomes a lot more apparent when they don’t have the ability to edit. It’s crazy entertaining, in a “so bad it’s good” kind of way. Maybe I’ll ask Justin Legacy (our 129th TNA recapper since I left) if I can split the recap of TNA’s first live show with him. For old time’s sake.
I mean, I may as well. I’m apparently going to have to watch it anyway, because I was recently informed that I can’t possibly have a valid opinion of the show from just reading a recap. It sounded crazy to me too, but the guy who said it obviously knows what he’s talking about, because he says things like “Shaemus and Wade Barrett could be main-eventing a WrestleMania one day.”
So, what do you say, Legacy? Can I fist-pump it up with you on May 31st?
Well, that’s it for this week.
If you haven’t done so already, check out Martin Shaw and CB’s latest offering – this week’s is about Hulk Hogan himself. You’ll also want to check out James Carter’s 5th installment of the “WWE-Vamping The Industry” series – it’s been a great series so check out the other 4 installments as well. I always remember to read them, but this is the first time I’ve managed to remember to link it.
Also, this is the typical time of year where I take a little break from writing about wrestling for the summer. I’ve got some correspondance post-grad finance courses to finish up, a house to renovate, some family stuff to look after, AND a couple trips on the horizon. Plus, doing this 12 months out of the year is a little bit difficult for me – I need a little time to recharge the batteries. Being right every single week is tough, you know.
While I doubt I’ll be missing much by not watching this white-hot John Cena / Johnny Ace storyline that’s headlining RAW right now, I do have some fun joint projects in the works. Me and my boy Martin Shaw are planning a joint article or two for his series on past wrestlers. Myself and James Alsop are working on a joint-article that should make plenty of people go cross-eyed with the amount of back-and-forth. And, hopefully Mr. Legacy lets me go halfsies on a couple of LIVE TNA recaps with him. Some other things might pop up as well, and who knows, I might still write the odd thing while I’m off.
I’d like to thank everyone for reading and keeping up with my articles for the past year or so since my last break, and rest assured I do appreciate any and all feedback… even from the twonks. And I hope that you’ve had as much fun reading the columns as I’ve had writing them.
This has been “Interinactivity”. I hope everyone enjoyed. Remember to comment or shoot me an e-mail at bdouglas@4sternstaging.com. Thanks for reading and have a great summer.
I’ll be in my trailer.
