Smart answers to a myriad of problems
By VINNIE BARTILUCCI -- For SLAM! Wrestling
In one day, every wrestling fan and internet geek's wildest dreams have all
become possible. Did you used to laugh and point at the guys who'd post on
the chat boards and newsgroups about how cool it would be to see Goldberg
fight Steve Austin? Laugh no more, it's now a possibility.
Coke just bought Pepsi. DC just bought Marvel. Microsoft just bought...no,
never mind, that happens every day.
Vince McMahon has the two biggest brands now. ECW is all done but for the
shouting. Save for the regional promotions, wrestling in North America
belongs to Vince McMahon.
WCW is supposedly going to remain as a spearate "company", with its own
wrestlers, shows and storylines. But we'll see wrestlers come from one to
the other, and storylines will weave from one to the other so that played
right, there won't be a single wrestling program you'll want to miss.
But it's not all the wonderful world fans are thinking it is. Here's a few
potential problems and issues to think about, and my own modest proposals...
Problem - Considering the WWF is right now much more popular than WCW,
there's a risk of WCW being treated as the "other company" the WWF used to
send wrestlers they thought needed more work (or a lesson in humility) to
Memphis, but that can't be done any more. Will WCW be viewed as the "farm
team"?
My answer - Spread the wealth. Both companies must be viewed as important
and separate companies for them both to survive. The WCW must not be seen
as the place where everything is happening. If both companies are doing
well, there's no problem with being champ of one and not the other. Bring
some people to the WWF, send some people to WCW. Steve Austin might
actually do quite well in WCW, really turning the company into something
immediately watchable. Pool the cruiserweights into one company (I'd say
WCW) and make that a division with some real excitement.
Problem - 24 Pay per views a year. NOBODY gets them all. People will be
forced to pick and choose, and the buyrates will suffer.
My answer - 12 pay-per views a year, six for each company. One of the
things that fans have been upset about monthly PPVs is that there's no time
to build up interest in a feud. Two months is enough time to make the
matches at the PPV MEAN something, not just be filler for the one or two
they've been able to allot TV time to.
Shows like Superbrawl, Starrcade, and of course Wrestlemania can become the
major events thet were meant to be. King of the Ring becomes the
All-Star-Game it's meant to be. And we never again have to see people
appear in a singles match, and AGAIN in the Royal Rumble the same night.
Problem - There are a few (okay, QUITE a few) people working for Turner that
have been fired, screwed, ignored, or otherwise dissed by Vince McMahon, and
vice versa. Vince Russo technically still works for WCW, as does Ed
Ferrara. Then there's Jeff Jarrett, Terry Taylor, Shawn Stasiak, both Dusty
and Dustin Runnels, and a host of others. Where will they go?
My suggestion - Probably nowhere. There's maybe five people in the whole
business that hate each other so much they won't mend fences and work
together for the promise of Lots Of Money. Bret Hart is about the only
person I can think of that will most likely never work with Vince.
Probably.
And let's face it, the question that everybody thinks about, but no one will
ask...What about Hogan? He's a friend of Bischoff, true, but Bischoff has
nothing to offer Hogan now. McMahon is the only game in town. Hulk as said
he'd like to end his career in the WWF. He now functionally has no choice.
Problem - Is there a demand for this much "attitude"?
My suggestion - No. That's the point. Look, all the soap brands are made
by like three companies. So when you choose between Spotzaway or
Houdini-Kleeni, you're most likely giving your money to the same company.
People like choice. Make the styles of the companies different enough that
people turned off by the angles in one company will be attracted to the
other.
Problem - Why do any more? Vince McMahon now has no competition. Will we
see the shows return to hours of jobbers, and nothing happening till the
PayPerView?
My suggestion - Highly unlikely. Twenty years ago, wrestling on TV existed
for one reason only -- to drive people to the house shows, where the real
money was made. Nowadays, the TV shows are a cash cow in and of themselves.
Advertising revenues for one week of television probably outgrosses a week
of house shows. So if the shows get boring, the audiences go away, and so
does the money.
Besides, Vince does have competition. Every other show on the air. He's
won the wrestling war, it's now time to open fire on the rest of television.
For Vince to grow now, he needs to attract new viewers, the ones watching
Charmed or Monday Night Football or whatever else is on against his shows. And that's going
to be harder than anything he's tried before. And he's gonna have to do it
with things he's never tried before. And that sounds more exciting than a
chair shot to the head anyday.
If we thought this Monday night was going to be crazy before, this just
turns it up to 11. People were going to watch the Last Nitro anyway (we're
ghouls, admit it) but now it's not "The Last Nitro", it's the "First
WWF-Owned Nitro" I was passably sure that WCW would get its best ratings in
two years this week, now I'm positive of it. Every question that used to
have the answer "no" now has to be "maybe"
Will Vince show up on Nitro? Probably not: he's got Wrestlemania to push.
But a video appearance? Maybe...
Will we see WCW people show up at Wrestlemania? Probably not, they've spent
too much time planning the card. But maybe...
Will people jump to the WWF, and will others go to WCW? Absolutely.
Willingly? Maybe...
Will this turn out to be the more exciting year in sports entertainment
ever? Well, maybe...
Vinnie Bartilucci was born on Prince Edward Island, kidnapped (okay, adopted) by
Americans, and has lived in New York ever since. He can be emailed at
vinnieb@2020webworks.com. He has written for us before:
