I have an admission to make - I watch wrestling.
I use the term "admission" because I know that there are many people out there who loathe it. I am talking about TV wrestling and not the type that is featured at the Olympics for example - that is a proper sport.
A few years ago the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) was forced to change its name after a dispute with another WWF (the World Wide Fund for the conservation of nature - in short).
Since then it has been known as the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and the owner Vince McMahon does not even like the stars of the show to refer to themselves as "wrestlers" any more. The word "entertainment" is the key issue here as the action that happens is acknowledged as so instead of being an actual sport as such.
Many kids around the world love it and that is why the stars of the show repeatedly have messages for them - "Don't try this at home" being the main one. Wheras the kids can watch and believe its real, its the adults that watch and believe what they are seeing is real that is much more of a concern. I personally find much more of the behind the scenes stuff more interesting than the actual show and if you are one of those adults that do believe in all these crazy fights I strongly suggest that the next time you visit you tube you should search for shoot interviews of some on the key names in the industry. I have seen many that reveal real viewpoints regarding putting other wrestlers over and the reality of which colleagues they do and do not like.
I watch "Raw" on Monday nights and even though I usually fast forward through much of the show, the reason why I watch is lets say the same reason why many people watch soaps on TV. I want to see what stories they are coming out with next, which wrestlers will turn "heel" (the bad guys) or turn "face" (the good guys). What the WWE do really well is tremendous entries into the arena for stars that have been off air for a while. It is like going to a big rock concert and waiting for the main act to appear and with wrestling you can sometimes sense the same level of expectation in the arena when this happens. Some of the chat is done well but sometimes it is awful too - I guess there are some that just have a more natural gift for using the microphone than others.
The WWF/WWE has had some competition over the years from other organizations. In the late 90's the WCW was on a real roll and had many ex-WWF stars within its ranks including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Macho Man Randy Savage - three of the biggest stars of the 80's with the WWE. Turning Hogan into a heel proved to be a master stroke and he became a key member in forming the NWO (New World Order) that proved to be a ratings smash for WCW.
McMahon though saw through the threat and as WCW diminished he in fact ended up buying the company. Since then the only other threat of sorts has come from TNA a lot more recently but despite the fact that once again stars such as Hogan and Flair plus many other big names from the past are with TNA, they are not even close in the ratings war right now. I find the most confusing thing about TNA is that if you miss it for just a couple of weeks and tune in again you just don't know where you are as there seems to be a constant changing of faces and heels that is happening way too quickly and kids probably do not know who to cheer any more.
This weekend sees the 25th anniversary of the "Royal Rumble" - my personal favourite event on the wrestling calender. Wrestlers are numbered 1-30 and the match starts with the two wrestlers that have drawn the numbers 1 and 2. Every two minutes (this fluctuates yearly) the next numbered wrestler enters the ring. Elimination is only achieved when a wrestler has gone over the top rope and his feet have touched the floor. The winner of the event gets to headline "Wrestlemania" when they go up against the current champion.
Don't ask for an opinion as to which wrestler will win this year as it all depends on what the script writers have got up their sleeves. From what I know of this years entrants there are probably 9 or 10 that could win it, another 20 to 15 that are there to make up the numbers. The others are the most interesting ones and we could see some big surprises appearing at the sound of the buzzer as stars reappear that have been absent from the ring for a while.
I have often thought what would be the ultimate royal rumble match? If we could take thirty of the best wrestlers from the last 25 years and have them all at their prime which ones would be included? We have to have an even mix of faces and heels and some wrestlers have excelled in both rolls. But after careful consideration and try and get the balance about right these are the names that I came up with. (I have only included wrestlers that are still alive today).
Heels - Kane, Hogan, Flair, Kevin Nash, Scot Hall, Kurt Angle, Brock Lessnar, Batiista, Chris Jerico, Edge, Ted DiBiase, Scott Steiner, Sid Vicious, Mr Perfect, Randy Orton
Faces - John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, CM Punk, Ultimate Warrior, Jeff Hardy, Goldberg, Sting, Ray Misterio, Roddy Piper
I use the term "admission" because I know that there are many people out there who loathe it. I am talking about TV wrestling and not the type that is featured at the Olympics for example - that is a proper sport.
A few years ago the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) was forced to change its name after a dispute with another WWF (the World Wide Fund for the conservation of nature - in short).
Since then it has been known as the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and the owner Vince McMahon does not even like the stars of the show to refer to themselves as "wrestlers" any more. The word "entertainment" is the key issue here as the action that happens is acknowledged as so instead of being an actual sport as such.
Many kids around the world love it and that is why the stars of the show repeatedly have messages for them - "Don't try this at home" being the main one. Wheras the kids can watch and believe its real, its the adults that watch and believe what they are seeing is real that is much more of a concern. I personally find much more of the behind the scenes stuff more interesting than the actual show and if you are one of those adults that do believe in all these crazy fights I strongly suggest that the next time you visit you tube you should search for shoot interviews of some on the key names in the industry. I have seen many that reveal real viewpoints regarding putting other wrestlers over and the reality of which colleagues they do and do not like.
I watch "Raw" on Monday nights and even though I usually fast forward through much of the show, the reason why I watch is lets say the same reason why many people watch soaps on TV. I want to see what stories they are coming out with next, which wrestlers will turn "heel" (the bad guys) or turn "face" (the good guys). What the WWE do really well is tremendous entries into the arena for stars that have been off air for a while. It is like going to a big rock concert and waiting for the main act to appear and with wrestling you can sometimes sense the same level of expectation in the arena when this happens. Some of the chat is done well but sometimes it is awful too - I guess there are some that just have a more natural gift for using the microphone than others.
The WWF/WWE has had some competition over the years from other organizations. In the late 90's the WCW was on a real roll and had many ex-WWF stars within its ranks including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Macho Man Randy Savage - three of the biggest stars of the 80's with the WWE. Turning Hogan into a heel proved to be a master stroke and he became a key member in forming the NWO (New World Order) that proved to be a ratings smash for WCW.
McMahon though saw through the threat and as WCW diminished he in fact ended up buying the company. Since then the only other threat of sorts has come from TNA a lot more recently but despite the fact that once again stars such as Hogan and Flair plus many other big names from the past are with TNA, they are not even close in the ratings war right now. I find the most confusing thing about TNA is that if you miss it for just a couple of weeks and tune in again you just don't know where you are as there seems to be a constant changing of faces and heels that is happening way too quickly and kids probably do not know who to cheer any more.
This weekend sees the 25th anniversary of the "Royal Rumble" - my personal favourite event on the wrestling calender. Wrestlers are numbered 1-30 and the match starts with the two wrestlers that have drawn the numbers 1 and 2. Every two minutes (this fluctuates yearly) the next numbered wrestler enters the ring. Elimination is only achieved when a wrestler has gone over the top rope and his feet have touched the floor. The winner of the event gets to headline "Wrestlemania" when they go up against the current champion.
Don't ask for an opinion as to which wrestler will win this year as it all depends on what the script writers have got up their sleeves. From what I know of this years entrants there are probably 9 or 10 that could win it, another 20 to 15 that are there to make up the numbers. The others are the most interesting ones and we could see some big surprises appearing at the sound of the buzzer as stars reappear that have been absent from the ring for a while.
I have often thought what would be the ultimate royal rumble match? If we could take thirty of the best wrestlers from the last 25 years and have them all at their prime which ones would be included? We have to have an even mix of faces and heels and some wrestlers have excelled in both rolls. But after careful consideration and try and get the balance about right these are the names that I came up with. (I have only included wrestlers that are still alive today).
Heels - Kane, Hogan, Flair, Kevin Nash, Scot Hall, Kurt Angle, Brock Lessnar, Batiista, Chris Jerico, Edge, Ted DiBiase, Scott Steiner, Sid Vicious, Mr Perfect, Randy Orton
Faces - John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, CM Punk, Ultimate Warrior, Jeff Hardy, Goldberg, Sting, Ray Misterio, Roddy Piper
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