Wrestling with Weddings

In my last post I talked a little about storylines so this time I'm going to recap my most favourite type of storyline: the wedding. So I'm sure you're now thinking why would there be weddings in wrestling. Well they're major storylines that always have a huge impact and they are always outrageous. When you know that there's going to be a wedding, it's a must watch situation. The following are my choices for the most note-worthy wrestling weddings:

Billy and Chuck

Chuck was a former WCW Tag Team Champion, but not exactly a big name. Billy, on the other hand, was one half of one of the greatest tag teams ever to grace a WWE ring. When put together as a tag team, they became the ambiguously gay duo of professional wrestling (but it's not like there's anything wrong with that...sorry, I just had to).

Before jumping to conclusions let's look at the facts: they had this entrance theme, they entered diva contests, they had a personal stylist, and last but not least, they planned a commitment ceremony.

As the night of the commitment ceremony came near all sorts of media outlets were picking up on the story. Sadly, as the ceremony was taking place it was revealed that the entire thing was just a publicity stunt conjured up by their stylist and that they weren't really gay.

Dawn Marie and Al Wilson

As you might be able to tell from the photo, this relationship was not exactly normal. Basically, Al was recently divorced and fell in love with Dawn Marie who happened to be a Diva colleague to Al's daughter Torrie. Eventually Al proposed and the wedding was to take place. However, Torrie would do anything to prevent this from occurring--she accepted a proposition of her own from her future step-mother. The deal was that if Torrie "spent the night" with Dawn Marie, she would call off the wedding. Of course this deal didn't go through because Dawn Marie was just that big of a scammer and well, it wouldn't have been a happy ending right?

So, Al and Dawn Marie got married and went to Hawaii for their honeymoon, but the fun stopped there. You see, Al wasn't in the best of shape and was kind of up there in age and Dawn Marie was quite young and energetic. Needless to say, the consummating of the marriage took place a few too many times and our dear old friend Al Wilson "died" of a heart attack (WWE used to enjoy killing off characters).

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

In November 1999 Stephanie McMahon, daughter of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, was supposed to marry Andrew "Test" Martin on Raw is War. As the nuptials were taking place they were surprisingly interrupted by Triple H--a major rival to the McMahon family. He then proceeded to show a video of himself and Stephanie visiting a drive-thru wedding chapel in Las Vegas and well, getting married (Stephanie was drugged at the time). Of course all hell broke loose after this. [click here for Part I and here for Part II of the entire segment]

At the Armageddon pay-per-view the following month, Vince and Triple H faced off in a match with interesting stipulations: if Triple H was to win, he could stay married to Stephanie, but if Vince won the marriage would be over. Things didn't exactly go the way Vince wanted as doting daughter Stephanie turned on her father to help Triple H win the match and therefore continue with their relationship and begin the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

This relationship made a huge impact on the shows and many storylines during the next few years revolved around Triple H and Stephanie until Triple H tore his quadiceps in May 2001. Upon his return to television the relationship continued with Stephanie announcing that she was pregnant. However, this pregnancy turned out to be a hoax and during their vow renewal ceremony in February 2002 Triple H ended the McMahon-Helmsely Era after its wonderful two-year run.

The Entertainment of Wrestling

The actual wrestling portion of sports-entertainment is meant to be entertaining, but it is the storylines and the gimmicks (or characters) that really give it the entertainment value.

In the past wrestling was only about the action that that went down in the ring, but now backstage vignettes and in-ring promos (that is, when a wrestler is in the ring trash talking another wrestler on the mic) are what contribute the most time in any given weekly telecast. Sometimes this can get overwhelming when you just wanna see some wrestling, but for the most part this adds comedy and drama transforming it from sports to entertainment.

Storylines are necessary because there needs to be a reason for those two guys (or girls) to be wrestling each other--a rivalry that can only be solved by getting into the ring. Wrestling storylines can definitely go from one extreme to another and although they can get predictable, they are still entertaining if done properly.

Promos and vignettes are used create build up for a match. They make you want to follow the story until it finally ends with the big match up. I think that showing the step by step build up is what makes a rivalry effective. Seeing the depth of the rivalry through dialogue helps establish the point of the feud itself. Also, since not all matches are considered good, it's also nice to have a great promo in between the mediocrity. The best promos are humourous, yet serious. There are certain points that need to be made which coincide directly with the feud , but sometimes statements are made that are so outlandish that they are laugh-out-loud funny. Seriously.

Now, wrestling gimmicks are what truly make the storylines. Sadly, not every wrestler nowadays has an actual character or gimmick. Many of them go by their real names and don't really have anything to set them apart from the rest. Those that do have a gimmick get to put on more unique matches as well as more entertaining promos. A lot of people would rather watch a match than hear a promo, but for myself, if the person has great mic skills and a good gimmick to execute them with I have no problem with promos taking over the show.

--Photos once again from WWE.com

The "Saviour" Has Finally Arrived

In one of my previous posts I discussed a "cryptic Save_Us" video that aired during an episode of WWE Raw. Each week when the video played it was edited to include more clues to help fans figure out who would be the "saviour". When those videos first started airing on Raw a few months ago, I knew who they pertained to, and let's just say they definitely got me excited. Finally, many episodes later, the "source" has been revealed (but it's not like there was actually anyone who didn't know who this was already).

On Raw Monday night Chris Jericho made his return to the wrestling world.

I must say that I had been looking forward to this day ever since he left the company in 2005. Though he wrestled in the now defunct WCW and ECW, I started following his career when he joined WWE in 1999.

At first his character was as annoying as could be, but over the years it developed into something much more. I give him a lot of credit for the fact that he could play such a role so perfectly--he was pretty obnoxious.

What I enjoyed most about his return on Monday was that it felt like he never left. The way he spoke and his mannerisms were just like they always were: over the top and energetic. He didn't skip a beat with his charisma and extreme flamboyance.

The great thing about when a fan-favourite, like Jericho, returns from an extended hiatus is that that person becomes a fresh face to the new wrestling fans but also makes the familiar fans happy once again. No matter which way you look at it, the return of Chris Jericho is beneficial to all.

--Photo from WWE.com

Perfect timing...

Only days after my last post regarding the Talent Wellness Program, CNN aired a special documentary entitled "Death Grip - Inside Pro Wrestling". This provoking documentary mainly focuses on the Chris Benoit tragedy, but also includes discussion on the deaths of many other wrestlers, steroid use in the industry, as well as interviews with the owner of World Wrestling Entertainment.

There is discussion regarding WWE's drug testing policies and the possibility that the company does not take the situation seriously. Over the years wrestlers have gone from having average body types to having bodies of steel. Fans have undoubtedly noticed this change, and perhaps have even adopted it as being a good thing.

What I don't understand is the fact that today's wrestlers see the effects of using steroids yet they often continue on with their lifestyle. It almost seems as though they don't care enough about themselves and their families to make a change. But on the other hand, if they believe they need to be big and brawny to compete in the industry that they love, of course they are going to do whatever it takes.

In order to combat this problem, WWE needs to start bringing in smaller guys and show that a bodybuilder's physique isn't necessary--merely being in good shape and being able to put on the type of show that the fans deserve is what needs to be promoted.

I definitely recommend at least watching the first part of the documentary as it is extremely interesting and gives a an in-depth look into what are seemingly the most important issues for the media to cover regarding the professional wrestling industry.

Part 2--Part 3--Part 4--Part 5--Part 6

A Step in the Right Direction

I knew it would only be a matter of time before I could mention WWE's Talent Wellness Program and have it be a current topic for discussion.

But first, what is the Talent Wellness Program?

On February 27, 2006 WWE instituted a program that involves "an aggressive substance abuse and drug testing policy" as well as "cardiovascular testing and monitoring". This came only a few months after Eddie Guerrero's sudden passing in November 2005 due to heart failure that was contributed to by his previous history of drug and alcohol abuse.

Important points:

• "The non-medical use and associate abuse of prescription medications and performance-enhancing drugs, as well as the use, possession and/or distribution of illegal drugs" as well as the "use of masking agents and/or diuretics to conceal or obscure the use of prohibited drugs is also prohibited
• All talent underwent initial testing that was used as a "baseline" for future tests--a positive test was not disciplined at the time
• Future positive test results would be disciplined based on the number of offenses a Talent has previously had
• A first offense would receive a 30-day suspension without pay
• A second offense would receive a 60-day suspension without pay or an in-patient stay at a substance abuse facility, also without pay
• A third offense would result in termination

Now, the reason I've decided to bring up this topic is the fact that as of November 1 any wrestler who violates the program will have their name made public. On November 2, two wrestlers were revealed as having violated the program. Chris Mordetsky (A.K.A. Chris Masters) and Harry Smith (A.K.A. DH Smith) were the first victims of the spotlight. This was Mordetsky's second offense, while it was Smith's first (Smith debuted on WWE Smackdown less than a month ago) and both have been suspended for the appropriate amount of time. Smith's suspension comes as a surprise since his father the late great "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith passed away at the age of 40 after suffering a heart attack who according to his brother in-law, had "paid the price with steroid cocktails and human-growth hormones".

One of the most common reasons wrestling has appeared in the news in recent years is due to the deaths of young wrestlers and the fact many of them have been caused by steroid and other drug abuses. I definitely think it is time for WWE to step up with the testing and attempt to show that there is some effort being made to put an end to the abuse. Taking the wrestlers off the road who have violated the policy, and now publicly identifying them, are definitely fair punishments. The new addition of making their names public creates a great deal of embarassment for those who have spoken out stating that they don't use any drugs or that they don't believe in the use of them. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

I totally support what is being done to correct the problem and hopefully the Wellness Program will further develop into something with more power to change how things are done.

My Favourite Matches--Vol. 2

Since the last installment of My Favourite Matches was about the first Pay-Per-View I ever watched, I've decided to continue on with another first.

Wrestlemania X-Seven was the first Wrestlemania I ever watched and it is still probably my favourite one to date (with the exception of the one I went to of course). The main event, one of my most favourite matches, saw Stone Cold Steve Austin face off against The Rock for his WWE Championship--the most prestigious title a wrestler can hold in WWE. This show took place in 2001 at a time when I was a different kind of a wrestling fan than I am now. At this point I was literally obsessed with wrestling. Seriously people. Anybody who knew me at this stage of my "wrestling fandom" probably thought I was absolutely insane.

Why it's one of my faves:
I was not only obsessed with wrestling in general in 2001, but I was also obsessed with The Rock. I thought this guy was pretty much a god. There was nobody better than him, not even Stone Cold Steve Austin--the guy who had been WWE's leading man for several previous years. I knew this match would make an impact and it certainly did.

Normally wrestling matches are between a heel and a babyface for that good vs. evil effect. But on that night the ultimate battle of the babyfaces was taking place. The Rock and Stone Cold were the two biggest fan favourites at the time so the fans were torn on who to stand behind. This is what made the match so electric. People didn't want to see either guy lose.

Thoughout the entire match the control went back and forth like I had never seen before. It was impossible to say who would be the winner. They put on one hell of an entertaining match that would end with a major twist that left me with a kind of bittersweet impression of it all.

Part 2---Part 3---Part 4

The Power is in Your Hands

In less than a week Cyber Sunday will be airing live on Pay-Per-View.

For the fourth straight year WWE is holding an interactive event in which every match on the card has been influenced by the fans in some way. The concept behind this unique show is that the fans are given different options for each match and then get to vote for what they want. Voting is easy--just go to the Cyber Sunday website and click on the match you would like to vote for.

This year's card includes matches for the main championships of each brand (the WWE television shows--Raw, Smackdown, and ECW). Title matches are supposed to be the most important of matches, so having three of them on a card that the fans get to choose is fairly exciting. For two of those matches the fans get to decide on the opponent for the current champion (Raw Champion Randy Orton is pictured at left). There are three possible opponents to choose from with two actually being potential candidates and one being someone who really isn't main event material. But hey, tt's all up to the other fans to make the decision on that one. The third title match gives fans the chance to choose the guest referee. Again, two out of the three are actual contenders.

The other three matches give options for the type of stipulation fans want to see in a match. For those three I really can't predict what the majority of fans will choose because, quite frankly, all three choices hold a relatively equal entertainment value.

I think that perhaps the most interesting idea about this kind of show is the fact that nobody knows for sure what the outcome of the voting will be. Sure, we can all have our predictions about the most likely candidates but there's still always the chance for a little surprise.

Giving the fans the opportunity to decide what they want to see is probably the easiest way to give back to them. Since the fans are what keep wrestling alive it only makes sense to let them have some solid input into what they are so diligently following. If there was more input allowed in other areas of wrestling there might not be so many people turning away from it.

--Photo borrowed from WWE.com