Starrcade 1997 was the culmination of year long hype between Hulk Hogan and Sting. I believe Starrcade 97 did the highest buyrate in WCW's history. Too bad when it was all over it would be one of the signs of the beginning of the end. What was a somewhat loaded card on paper turned out to be everything but and by the end of the night, you were not really cheering as much as you were eyerolling.
First thing off the bat was a great Crusierweight match between Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero. These two could have good matches in there sleep. Very good way to start off the show. Something that I didnt understand was that The Giant vs. Kevin Nash was a heavily hyped match and it didnt take place. Scott Hall came out and was beaten up by The Giant and that was it. No match or anything. Randy Savage had wrestled in a 6 man tag match with Scott Norton and Vincent against The Steiners and Ray Traylor. What I would have done is have Savage against The Giant and have Norton, Vincent and whoever else was in the NWO against the Steiners and Traylor. Now Kevin Nash was injured or not medically cleared to wrestle which is fine. I think a wrestlers safety comes first but not having a heavily hyped match left a bad taste in peoples mouth. At least have a replacement guy. Either Savage or Scott Hall who were not even on the card.
Now I cant complain about the US Title match between Curt Henning and DDP. No problem with that because I think Henning and DDP are two great wrestlers. They had good matches with each other and DDP won the US Title so a title change is good on a PPV. Now after this, it gets really interesting. Larry Zbyszko vs. Eric Bischoff. Another match that I was looking forward too. It was a match for control of Monday Nitro. Zbyszko fighting for WCW and Bischoff for the NWO. If Bischoff won, the NWO would have control of Monday Nitro calling NWO Monday Nitro. In fact, the week before Starrcade, the NWO took over Nitro. Not just any old take over but they changed everything. They changed the sets, the banners, the graphics, everything to the NWO. In fact, they must have spent about 20 mins. doing all this in fact, I believe they actually lost that quarter hour to Monday Night Raw. I believe this takeover was a dry run to see how NWO Monday Nitro would pan out. It didnt and the quarter hour. At the time Bret Hart who left WWE would be the special referee. Zbyszko won but it looked guy each guy was spent afterwards. I dont even think there was a pinfall, Hart just awarded the match to Larry. Bischoff hit Zbyszko with a steel plate and thats when Bret Hart attacked Scott Hall and Bischoff. The point is that Hart raised Larry's hand but you didnt know why. I dont think it was ever announced that Bischoff was DQ'd, thats what was a little confusing. I dont even think Bret Hart ever even saw Bischoff hit Larry with the steel plate. Just very confusing.
Now, the main event. Hogan and Sting had a big fight feel to it. You could see why as it was a year in the making. The ending might go down as one of the worst endings I've ever seen. First off, Nick Patrick makes a fast count to Sting only it was a regular count. There wasnt anything fast about it. Just a regular 3 count. No sooner does that confusing scenerio happen, Bret Hart is already at ringside. To me, he got there wayy to fast as he wouldnt let them ring the bell as a playoff of the Montreal Screwjob. So now, you have Bret Hart down at ringside way to fast plus the fast count which wasnt. Bret Hart was a legal referee that night and as soon as Sting got the Scorpion Death Lock on Hogan Hart rang the bell and I dont even think Hogan tapped out.Between the fast count, Bret Hart being at ringside and Bret signalling that Sting was the new champion happened way too fast. Something that might take 5 mins. to convey happened probably in half that time. Just a very lethargic ending to what should've been WCW in there finest hour.
So between:
1)Kevin Nash not wrestling and not having his scheduled match with The Giant
2) The confusing way the Bischoff/Zbyszko match ended.
3) The fast count that wasnt
4) And Bret Hart being at ringside way to fast
ruined Starrcade. And it left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm sure a lot of people who paid good money to see Starrcade. Now granted, WCW started Thunder and had good ratings for both shows in 1998 but I think a very successful Starrcade 1997 could have put the WWE further back and who knows what would have happened.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
How to help the NBC Sports Network?
It has come to my attention that the NBC Sports Network isnt doing well in the ratings. Now, not having the NHL did hurt NBCSN but considering that this NBC SPORTS NETWORK, you would think that just the name NBC would pull in some viewers. I mean on NBC Sunday Night Football, they do plug the NBC Sports Network with there shows "The Lights" and "The Dan Patrick Show" but nothing seems to be working. The ironic thing is that considering that how much people have turned off "SportsCenter" and how many dont like what "SportsCenter" has become you would think that the ratings for "The Lights" would be a little higher. Frankly, I would change the name of the show. "The Lights" really doesnt work for me. There not lights, there highlights. Its like if you want to tell somebody to watch ESPN, you wouldnt tell them to watch PN, you'd tell them ESPN. They have cancelled "NBC SportsTalk" do to lousy ratings and will replace it with a show hosted by Michelle Beadle and Dave Briggs called "The Crossover." It starts Jan. 28 at 6pm and hopefully it will be a rating success. They do have the NHL, College Basketball and College Football. I do wonder how the college football games do because they dont have the big conferences like ESPN or even FOX. Hopefully, the NHL and "The Crossover" will help NBCSN but if it doesnt, I do have a couple of ways to help them out.
1) Use the NBC Sports Vault. This too me is a no brainer. I would think that there are a lot of people who like the old days of NBC Sports with Curt Gowdy and Dick Enberg? How about the "NFL '84"? Who wouldnt like to see the old days of the NBA on NBC or the MLB on NBC? The MLB Games of the Week on NBC were events at that time. And lets face it, who wouldnt want to see the NFL on NBC from its heyday? Use everything in the NBC Sports Vault. They could air Super Bowls, NBA Finals. What about a history of the NFL on NBC? There is a lot of history that they could uncover. I mean I would think they would do the same rating as if they had live sports maybe even a little better.
2) Get the Sports Packages. Now they've lost the MLB package to FOX and ESPN and I dont think they could be able to get the NBA until 2022 or around there. I would really pay and even overpay for anything I could get my hands on. Problem is that I dont think anything is available right now. They did pick up soccer but I think that a niche sports, honestly. I guess they could get the Big East package although its probably getting less appealing by the day Maybe try to get a bowl game or two from ESPN. Obviously, not the BCS but maybe even some of the lesser bowls.
3)Bring Wrestling/MMA or both to NBCSN. I know that's a stretch and there might not be many fans of either sport out there but it couldnt hurt putting either wrestling/MMA or both on NBCSN. Even though I'm not a fan of MMA it does draw and there are a lot of fans. Pro Wrestling isn't drawing the ratings it did back in 1998 or 1999 but people do watch including yours truly. Pro Wrestling does draw and the WWE is already on USA Network and show 2 specials on NBC so I would think even though people might not respond to it, it would still do a decent rating.
4)Broadcast the niche Sport. What made ESPN have a cult like following when it first started was because they would broadcast sports that nobody ever televised or even heard of. How popular did Austrailian Rules Football become when it aired on ESPN? NBCSN should air some of that. Air some badminton or whatever niche sport has a cult like following. I dont know which sports do but I do some research on it.
So those are just a couple of ideas. Do you guys have any ideas as to help NBC Sports Network?
1) Use the NBC Sports Vault. This too me is a no brainer. I would think that there are a lot of people who like the old days of NBC Sports with Curt Gowdy and Dick Enberg? How about the "NFL '84"? Who wouldnt like to see the old days of the NBA on NBC or the MLB on NBC? The MLB Games of the Week on NBC were events at that time. And lets face it, who wouldnt want to see the NFL on NBC from its heyday? Use everything in the NBC Sports Vault. They could air Super Bowls, NBA Finals. What about a history of the NFL on NBC? There is a lot of history that they could uncover. I mean I would think they would do the same rating as if they had live sports maybe even a little better.
2) Get the Sports Packages. Now they've lost the MLB package to FOX and ESPN and I dont think they could be able to get the NBA until 2022 or around there. I would really pay and even overpay for anything I could get my hands on. Problem is that I dont think anything is available right now. They did pick up soccer but I think that a niche sports, honestly. I guess they could get the Big East package although its probably getting less appealing by the day Maybe try to get a bowl game or two from ESPN. Obviously, not the BCS but maybe even some of the lesser bowls.
3)Bring Wrestling/MMA or both to NBCSN. I know that's a stretch and there might not be many fans of either sport out there but it couldnt hurt putting either wrestling/MMA or both on NBCSN. Even though I'm not a fan of MMA it does draw and there are a lot of fans. Pro Wrestling isn't drawing the ratings it did back in 1998 or 1999 but people do watch including yours truly. Pro Wrestling does draw and the WWE is already on USA Network and show 2 specials on NBC so I would think even though people might not respond to it, it would still do a decent rating.
4)Broadcast the niche Sport. What made ESPN have a cult like following when it first started was because they would broadcast sports that nobody ever televised or even heard of. How popular did Austrailian Rules Football become when it aired on ESPN? NBCSN should air some of that. Air some badminton or whatever niche sport has a cult like following. I dont know which sports do but I do some research on it.
So those are just a couple of ideas. Do you guys have any ideas as to help NBC Sports Network?
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The New USA Today
I figured I would take a couple of minutes to review the new USA Today. As you may know, the USA Today recently turned 30 yrs. old on Sept. 14 and with that they decided to give there newspaper a new design. To be honest, I really dont like it.
It seems like that the paper itself has gotten smaller. I know in 2012 reading a newspaper seems like a foreign concept to people but people, like myself, still read them. In this day in age with I-Phones, I-Pads, and Apps, newspapers seem to be going the way of the encloypedia. I have also noted that the headlines are more bolder although I didnt have a problem with the old format. It seems like the print has gotten smaller as compared to the old days. I mean you really have to squint to see it now. I believe USA Today were touting at the fact that there was more color in the new USA Today but that doesnt mean its better. One of the sections that I like, the Life Section, seems to have gotten smaller in length as well. I have the USA Today paper for the weekend of October 5 to October 7. The Life Section is 6 pages. Thats not really a lot considering that the Sports Section is 14 pages. Also, when you look at the tv section giving you all the listings for the weekend, you could hardly see it. I mean you want to talk about squinting. I think its even smaller than before. If they wanted to expand there Life Section, they could expand there tv listings by giving a more detailed description of the tv shows your watching. Thats what I would do. Also, the headings for each section isnt really appealing. It will say "USA Today-Money" and it will show a person's hand inside of a circle. "USA Today-Life" just has a big circle which I'm assuming is the earth. The USA Today heading itself isnt really appealing. For example, for this weekend it will say "USA Today" 10.05.12 and it has a circle next to it. Thats not that appealing or catchy or anything.
Despite some of the negatives that I have described, I will still by the USA Today because they still do a lot of good things. I like there sports section. I love the NFL Preview section they have each year before a season starts. I like each week they go through the college football and NFL previewing each game. Even though you could get them anywhere on the internet, I have always loved when the USA Today would give you a preview of each NFL game with the announcers that will announce the game. For some reason, I've always liked that and they have always done a good job. Another old favorite of mine is listing the college football games with what channel they are going to be on. Now, I know I can find the announcers and the television listings anywhere on the internet but I think I do it out of tradition more than anything else. I also think I do it just to support newspapers.
They also do a great job with all there preview sections. NBA, NHL, College Football, College Basketball, MLB. They also do a great job previewing various championships. World Series, Super Bowl, NBA/NHL Playoffs, NCAA Tournament etc. Very in depth and very interesting. I dont think that part of the newspaper has declined at all.
But its not just sports previews. They do a great job with the Fall Preview section as well as the Academy Awards. Very in depth and interesting. Also a personal favorite of mine is they do have some nice stories about Black Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving. I find that interesting and they do a good job. USA Today previews holiday movies and its very good because they preview each season and everything about that season.
So in closing, even though Im not too keen on the new look, I would still buy a USA Today. I would do it because my Grandfather introduced me to the paper about 20 yrs. ago, to the point where I wouldnt have to even describe it, every Friday I would have to get "The paper." I would buy it to support newspapers considering that newspapers might be or are becoming more and more extinct. I would do it out of tradition of seeing what announcers are doing what NFL game even though I know a day and sometimes a week before in advance. I would buy a USA Today because they do very good jobs previewing just about anything that people will do or watch. It could be Holiday Shopping, Holidays in general or it could be the Super Bowl. To this day, they do a great job with it. I mean not only that, how can you go wrong? After all, it only costs a dollar.
It seems like that the paper itself has gotten smaller. I know in 2012 reading a newspaper seems like a foreign concept to people but people, like myself, still read them. In this day in age with I-Phones, I-Pads, and Apps, newspapers seem to be going the way of the encloypedia. I have also noted that the headlines are more bolder although I didnt have a problem with the old format. It seems like the print has gotten smaller as compared to the old days. I mean you really have to squint to see it now. I believe USA Today were touting at the fact that there was more color in the new USA Today but that doesnt mean its better. One of the sections that I like, the Life Section, seems to have gotten smaller in length as well. I have the USA Today paper for the weekend of October 5 to October 7. The Life Section is 6 pages. Thats not really a lot considering that the Sports Section is 14 pages. Also, when you look at the tv section giving you all the listings for the weekend, you could hardly see it. I mean you want to talk about squinting. I think its even smaller than before. If they wanted to expand there Life Section, they could expand there tv listings by giving a more detailed description of the tv shows your watching. Thats what I would do. Also, the headings for each section isnt really appealing. It will say "USA Today-Money" and it will show a person's hand inside of a circle. "USA Today-Life" just has a big circle which I'm assuming is the earth. The USA Today heading itself isnt really appealing. For example, for this weekend it will say "USA Today" 10.05.12 and it has a circle next to it. Thats not that appealing or catchy or anything.
Despite some of the negatives that I have described, I will still by the USA Today because they still do a lot of good things. I like there sports section. I love the NFL Preview section they have each year before a season starts. I like each week they go through the college football and NFL previewing each game. Even though you could get them anywhere on the internet, I have always loved when the USA Today would give you a preview of each NFL game with the announcers that will announce the game. For some reason, I've always liked that and they have always done a good job. Another old favorite of mine is listing the college football games with what channel they are going to be on. Now, I know I can find the announcers and the television listings anywhere on the internet but I think I do it out of tradition more than anything else. I also think I do it just to support newspapers.
They also do a great job with all there preview sections. NBA, NHL, College Football, College Basketball, MLB. They also do a great job previewing various championships. World Series, Super Bowl, NBA/NHL Playoffs, NCAA Tournament etc. Very in depth and very interesting. I dont think that part of the newspaper has declined at all.
But its not just sports previews. They do a great job with the Fall Preview section as well as the Academy Awards. Very in depth and interesting. Also a personal favorite of mine is they do have some nice stories about Black Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving. I find that interesting and they do a good job. USA Today previews holiday movies and its very good because they preview each season and everything about that season.
So in closing, even though Im not too keen on the new look, I would still buy a USA Today. I would do it because my Grandfather introduced me to the paper about 20 yrs. ago, to the point where I wouldnt have to even describe it, every Friday I would have to get "The paper." I would buy it to support newspapers considering that newspapers might be or are becoming more and more extinct. I would do it out of tradition of seeing what announcers are doing what NFL game even though I know a day and sometimes a week before in advance. I would buy a USA Today because they do very good jobs previewing just about anything that people will do or watch. It could be Holiday Shopping, Holidays in general or it could be the Super Bowl. To this day, they do a great job with it. I mean not only that, how can you go wrong? After all, it only costs a dollar.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Remembering Steve Sabol
Very sad news today as Steve Sabol passed away from cancer at 69 years old. Anybody who is a true football fan knows who Steve Sabol is. He and his father Ed, created NFL Films in 1962. There first game they ever filmed was the 1962 NFL Championship Game between the Giants and the Packers. Over time, NFL Films became a soundtrack for what pro football is. It could be the music that they used and was created by Sam Spence or just the dialogue said by greats like Harry Kalas and John Facenda. I think to this day, there are goosebumps whenever you hear Facenda, Kalas or any of the popular NFL music. Its a part of the NFL just like the Super Bowl is.
Now in the art of full disclosure, I owe a lot to Steve Sabol and NFL Films. For those who know me and for people that don't, in high school I had a special talent. I could name all the Super Bowls. I can name when they were located, where, what year etc. My high school was dumbfounded when they knew I could this. Hey, it even made me popular with the ladies. I'll never forget that I was in my keyboarding class, sophomore year, 1997. Now to make a long story short, one of the people in my class was in my science class the year before. He was a grade or two higher than me. Well, anyway, he knew who I was and he was friends with a lot of people in my keyboarding class. I made an overture toward him and his friends one day and just started reciting Super Bowls. The location, the date, etc. One of the people I recited the Super Bowls with did the morning announcements on tv. So the next thing I know, I'm on the school tv reciting the Super Bowls and it changed me forever because people knew me after that. I would tell 2 friends about the Super Bowls and they'd tell 4 of there friends, etc., etc. The point of this story is that NFL Films, The Sabols, John Facenda, Sam Spence made that happen for me. I would come home from school and I would watch "Super Bowl Highlights" hosted by Steve Sabol and would be in awe of it. I just love when NFL Network shows those highlight shows every year because I enjoy so much. That's how I learned about the Super Bowls by watching those shows year after year.
It was Ed and Steve Sabol who laid the groundwork for NFL Films. They came upon and thought of a gold mine like NFL Films. They both are truly geniuses for what they did for people like me and the NFL in general. All these highlight shows you see now on ESPN or NFL Network wouldn't be possible without Ed and Steve Sabol. Sam Spence who did a lot of NFL Films music is a genius because of how good the music is and a lot of credit go to the Sabols for hiring him for making John Facenda and Harry Kalas the voices of NFL Films. If you want to know about a game or team, NFL Films was there. If you wanted to remember a game from the 1970s or remember a team from the 1970s, NFL Films was there to help you. Almost like a cliff notes for an NFL fan.
In closing, I'm sure Steve Sabol is talking football now with Art Modell, John Facenda, Harry Kalas, Pete Rozelle, Lamar Hunt and the countless others that helped build the NFL into a powerhouse that it is today. Steve, rest in peace and we sit down and watch the NFL on Sundays, Thursdays and Mondays, we will think of you. Its because of you we are able to do that. RIP.
Now in the art of full disclosure, I owe a lot to Steve Sabol and NFL Films. For those who know me and for people that don't, in high school I had a special talent. I could name all the Super Bowls. I can name when they were located, where, what year etc. My high school was dumbfounded when they knew I could this. Hey, it even made me popular with the ladies. I'll never forget that I was in my keyboarding class, sophomore year, 1997. Now to make a long story short, one of the people in my class was in my science class the year before. He was a grade or two higher than me. Well, anyway, he knew who I was and he was friends with a lot of people in my keyboarding class. I made an overture toward him and his friends one day and just started reciting Super Bowls. The location, the date, etc. One of the people I recited the Super Bowls with did the morning announcements on tv. So the next thing I know, I'm on the school tv reciting the Super Bowls and it changed me forever because people knew me after that. I would tell 2 friends about the Super Bowls and they'd tell 4 of there friends, etc., etc. The point of this story is that NFL Films, The Sabols, John Facenda, Sam Spence made that happen for me. I would come home from school and I would watch "Super Bowl Highlights" hosted by Steve Sabol and would be in awe of it. I just love when NFL Network shows those highlight shows every year because I enjoy so much. That's how I learned about the Super Bowls by watching those shows year after year.
It was Ed and Steve Sabol who laid the groundwork for NFL Films. They came upon and thought of a gold mine like NFL Films. They both are truly geniuses for what they did for people like me and the NFL in general. All these highlight shows you see now on ESPN or NFL Network wouldn't be possible without Ed and Steve Sabol. Sam Spence who did a lot of NFL Films music is a genius because of how good the music is and a lot of credit go to the Sabols for hiring him for making John Facenda and Harry Kalas the voices of NFL Films. If you want to know about a game or team, NFL Films was there. If you wanted to remember a game from the 1970s or remember a team from the 1970s, NFL Films was there to help you. Almost like a cliff notes for an NFL fan.
In closing, I'm sure Steve Sabol is talking football now with Art Modell, John Facenda, Harry Kalas, Pete Rozelle, Lamar Hunt and the countless others that helped build the NFL into a powerhouse that it is today. Steve, rest in peace and we sit down and watch the NFL on Sundays, Thursdays and Mondays, we will think of you. Its because of you we are able to do that. RIP.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The WWE may have a solution to there tv shows right under there nose
What I mean is this. I have linked an article here: http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/259667-report-triple-h-expected-to-push-more-tag-team-a-less-divas-wrestling
saying that Triple H is going to push tag team wrestling and phase out the divas. Thats very good for the people, like myself, who grew up on tag team wrestling. The Midnight Express, The Road Warriors, The Hart Foundation etc., you know the rest. Lets face it, tag team wrestling, at least in WWE has gone downhill for the past 6, 7 years. Now, Im a fan of the Divas but the days of Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, Jacqueline and Mickie James are over.
My point is with Raw going to 3 hrs. and new show on Saturday morning and a show on Wednesdays on ION, maybe the WWE, with there thin roster, has made it work. If you focus on tag teams, divas and yes, cruiserweights, you can pretty much make a show out of these divisions. Or you can have one divison on each show, kind of like when the brand extension started when you had crusierweights exclusive to Smackdown and the divas exclusive to Raw. Superstars would feature the tag team titles and the divas title and WWE Main Event could have the cruiserweight title. For example, Superstars could have The PrimeTime Players vs. The Usos vs. Kofi/R-Truth and Beth Phoenix vs. Layla. If done right, with interviews and focus and match time theres your Superstars show for one week.
The WWE Main Event show could be your Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater for the crusierweight title and maybe have an exclusive interview from Raw or Superstars. What about a number 1 contenders match between Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara? Theres your WWE Main Event show.
The Saturday Morning Show, Saturday Morning Slam or whatever its called would be the guys that are left. You hate to be like that but its true. Probably Santino vs. Drew McIntryre, Alex Riley vs. Tensai and theres your Saturday Morning show.
Imagine on WWE Superstars you have a reginited tag team division and divas division? That can work. Your ION show would include your recaps, of course, and maybe the crusierweights. How about Tyson Kidd vs. Justin Gabriel for the cruiserweight title for 12 to 15 minutes? You wouldnt watch that? I would. And your Saturday show, which will be your kiddie show, would have everybody whos not on the other shows. The whole point of this is that at least you'll have direction. If you get the fans to care about the title, then your halfway home. Example. Look at the US Title. I like Santino as much as the next guy but the belt has become a prop. Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino for the US strap isnt that appealing. BUT, you have Cesaro vs. Christian, the interest of the US Title goes up. Maybe its not flashy or will headline a PPV but Cesaro vs. Christian for 15 mins. on Superstars or WWE Main Event(ION show) would put eyeballs to the set if done right.
I mean if your going PG and you have to emphasize something. And lets face it, its either wrestling or 3 hrs. of Hornswoggle.
saying that Triple H is going to push tag team wrestling and phase out the divas. Thats very good for the people, like myself, who grew up on tag team wrestling. The Midnight Express, The Road Warriors, The Hart Foundation etc., you know the rest. Lets face it, tag team wrestling, at least in WWE has gone downhill for the past 6, 7 years. Now, Im a fan of the Divas but the days of Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, Jacqueline and Mickie James are over.
My point is with Raw going to 3 hrs. and new show on Saturday morning and a show on Wednesdays on ION, maybe the WWE, with there thin roster, has made it work. If you focus on tag teams, divas and yes, cruiserweights, you can pretty much make a show out of these divisions. Or you can have one divison on each show, kind of like when the brand extension started when you had crusierweights exclusive to Smackdown and the divas exclusive to Raw. Superstars would feature the tag team titles and the divas title and WWE Main Event could have the cruiserweight title. For example, Superstars could have The PrimeTime Players vs. The Usos vs. Kofi/R-Truth and Beth Phoenix vs. Layla. If done right, with interviews and focus and match time theres your Superstars show for one week.
The WWE Main Event show could be your Tyson Kidd vs. Heath Slater for the crusierweight title and maybe have an exclusive interview from Raw or Superstars. What about a number 1 contenders match between Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara? Theres your WWE Main Event show.
The Saturday Morning Show, Saturday Morning Slam or whatever its called would be the guys that are left. You hate to be like that but its true. Probably Santino vs. Drew McIntryre, Alex Riley vs. Tensai and theres your Saturday Morning show.
Imagine on WWE Superstars you have a reginited tag team division and divas division? That can work. Your ION show would include your recaps, of course, and maybe the crusierweights. How about Tyson Kidd vs. Justin Gabriel for the cruiserweight title for 12 to 15 minutes? You wouldnt watch that? I would. And your Saturday show, which will be your kiddie show, would have everybody whos not on the other shows. The whole point of this is that at least you'll have direction. If you get the fans to care about the title, then your halfway home. Example. Look at the US Title. I like Santino as much as the next guy but the belt has become a prop. Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino for the US strap isnt that appealing. BUT, you have Cesaro vs. Christian, the interest of the US Title goes up. Maybe its not flashy or will headline a PPV but Cesaro vs. Christian for 15 mins. on Superstars or WWE Main Event(ION show) would put eyeballs to the set if done right.
I mean if your going PG and you have to emphasize something. And lets face it, its either wrestling or 3 hrs. of Hornswoggle.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Television, what are you doing to me?
The name of this blog? "Do you know what honks me off?" Well, this blog is about something that honks me off so much, I might need to write another blog. In this economy, people are struggling. We all know that. All people want to do is relax when they get home and watch tv. Now people, including yours truly, have wanted and pleaded to the networks to bring back classic tv. Obviously, we will never have another "I Love Lucy" or a "Dick Van Dyke Show" but theres nothing to say we cant relieve some of those classics, among others. Now, your saying, "Jack, they do have classic shows on. Look at ME-TV, Antenna TV, The Hub, RTV." Yes, they do. They have a plethra of classic shows. The problem I have with The Hub, MTV2, Hallmark Channel etc. is that they do a bad job of showing those shows. Look at what they do. MTV2 has Saved by The Bell and Boy Meets World on. Both shows air the episodes out of order. They cut out scenes and have about 3 commerical breaks, 2 more than there needs to be. 3 commerical breaks in a 30 minute show? I dont think so.
I was watching I Love Lucy on The Hallmark Channel and as soon as the episode came on the air, an ad for one of there movies came on and took 1/3 of the screen!! What the hell is that??!! Thats all they do, same goes for The Hub, ABC, NBC, FOX and all the other channels. If there not plugging there shows all over the screens, the crunch the end credits to the shows. That bothers me to no end. Im trying to see the end credits or see who was the show and they cut it up and end crunch it. And for what?? For some shows that I have heard about and advertised during the show I was watching!! I mean its getting absurd. I watch The Simpsons locally on the CW affilate here in Connecticut. Now, The Simpsons are on for an hour and I hear and see the same commericals, once every 15 to 30 minutes in one hour. So you figure, I watch The Simpsons 5 days a week for one hour a week, so thats 10 episodes a week, 5 hrs. a week. If I see the same commericals once every 30 mins., we'll say, that means in one week I see the same commericals 10 times. I mean thats just overkill.
I know, cut the cable and buy DVDs. True and valid point but DVDs are expensive and they do edit jobs too. They dub over music on almost all shows and lets face it DVDs don't come on the cheap. Some of the best parts of shows is the music. How about The Wonder Years theme? What about Married with Children's theme? Hell, even Dawson's Creek theme is iconic in a way. You delete that or over dub the music, its not the same. If any of you are wrestling fans, they do that with DVDs as well as they over dub entrance music etc. and its just not the same. But if you bite the bullet and buy DVDs, that's an expense and in this economy, who has that kind of money?
Finally, I think Television networks and the television shows screwed themselves. I mean they show endless marathons of shows all the time. I mean how many times can you watch Seinfeld, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Mash, etc.? There on all the time. Syndication and tv networks. And we are not talking one or two episodes. We are talking marathon blocks of these shows. I think when they do that they burn out the shows and people won't watch them and who can blame them? I mean I shudder to think about the shows that air on the broadcast networks now that are already in syndication. By the time the series ends on the broadcast network, you become pretty sick of it in syndication. I think I would. Look at a show like "Two and a Half Men" or "How I Met Your Mother"? The series have not even ended on CBS, yet its in syndication. So by the time the series ends on CBS, I think you'll be sick of it in syndication.
I don't know if there will ever be an end point to this. What is going to happen in a year? What about 5 years? What is the TV landscape going to look like? Will we even recognize it? Would you WANT to recognize it?
I was watching I Love Lucy on The Hallmark Channel and as soon as the episode came on the air, an ad for one of there movies came on and took 1/3 of the screen!! What the hell is that??!! Thats all they do, same goes for The Hub, ABC, NBC, FOX and all the other channels. If there not plugging there shows all over the screens, the crunch the end credits to the shows. That bothers me to no end. Im trying to see the end credits or see who was the show and they cut it up and end crunch it. And for what?? For some shows that I have heard about and advertised during the show I was watching!! I mean its getting absurd. I watch The Simpsons locally on the CW affilate here in Connecticut. Now, The Simpsons are on for an hour and I hear and see the same commericals, once every 15 to 30 minutes in one hour. So you figure, I watch The Simpsons 5 days a week for one hour a week, so thats 10 episodes a week, 5 hrs. a week. If I see the same commericals once every 30 mins., we'll say, that means in one week I see the same commericals 10 times. I mean thats just overkill.
I know, cut the cable and buy DVDs. True and valid point but DVDs are expensive and they do edit jobs too. They dub over music on almost all shows and lets face it DVDs don't come on the cheap. Some of the best parts of shows is the music. How about The Wonder Years theme? What about Married with Children's theme? Hell, even Dawson's Creek theme is iconic in a way. You delete that or over dub the music, its not the same. If any of you are wrestling fans, they do that with DVDs as well as they over dub entrance music etc. and its just not the same. But if you bite the bullet and buy DVDs, that's an expense and in this economy, who has that kind of money?
Finally, I think Television networks and the television shows screwed themselves. I mean they show endless marathons of shows all the time. I mean how many times can you watch Seinfeld, Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Mash, etc.? There on all the time. Syndication and tv networks. And we are not talking one or two episodes. We are talking marathon blocks of these shows. I think when they do that they burn out the shows and people won't watch them and who can blame them? I mean I shudder to think about the shows that air on the broadcast networks now that are already in syndication. By the time the series ends on the broadcast network, you become pretty sick of it in syndication. I think I would. Look at a show like "Two and a Half Men" or "How I Met Your Mother"? The series have not even ended on CBS, yet its in syndication. So by the time the series ends on CBS, I think you'll be sick of it in syndication.
I don't know if there will ever be an end point to this. What is going to happen in a year? What about 5 years? What is the TV landscape going to look like? Will we even recognize it? Would you WANT to recognize it?
WWE Class of 2013
Believe it or not, WrestleMania is almost here. We are near SummerSlam but the next thing you know Survivor Series will be here, then the Royal Rumble, then the big one, WrestleMania. I've been thinking for the past couple of weeks about the class of 2013 for the WWE Hall of Fame. Let's go through who I think should be in the WWE Hall of Fame.
1) Mick Foley. This really is a no brainer. I mean WrestleMaina is in Foley's home state and Metlife Stadium is near Foley's home on Long Island, right? I mean Foley deserves to be in. Look at all he's done in his career. I mean all the bumps and bruises hes taken over the years. All the injuries and the blood he's spilled. I mean he's been around forever. Go all the way back to when he was "Jack Foley" and he was a jobber against The British Bulldogs. I think the match is on youtube but even back then in the mid 80s Foley was around and he never quit. This guy was doing hardcore matches and doing ECW matches before ECW. King of the Death matches, Barbed Wire Matches etc. Nobody took as much punishment as Mick Foley. How about his WCW matches with Sting, The Nasty Boys and of course, Vader? Those matches still hold up today and they are and were brutal. What about the brutality in his matches against Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, The Sandman and Sabu in ECW? Some, if not most of those matches were some of the best ever. Is there anybody close to Mick Foley in today's business? And what about going to WWE and really making it. How about one of the best feuds ever with The UnderTaker? Buried Alive match. Boiler Room Brawl. Dont forget the epic Hell in a Cell match. For all the blood he's spilled, the pain he went through (including having his ear ripped off in Germany), the bumps, the bruises, who doesn't think he deserves it?
2)Paul Heyman. I think the WWE Hall of Fame needs to be taken to the Extreme. I think Heyman gets in for changing the landscape of the business with ECW. Remember in 1993 with the WWE and WCW? Buyrates were sagging, attendance was down, tv ratings were down etc. until ECW came along. With Heyman being the brains behind ECW and with Tod Gordon providing the money, ECW became the place to watch wrestling in the mid 90s. It was relevant, it was hip and it was cool. Very MTV style with MTV style videos (when MTV used to have music videos). Look at the ECW Alumni. Its a who's, who in the wrestling business.
2 Cold Scorpio, Cactus Jack, Raven, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Misterio, Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis, Konnan, Rhino, Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Terry Funk, Taz, Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Shane Douglas etc. I mean do you think WWE or WCW would've picked up these guys without an ECW? To be fair, Scorpio, Foley, Raven, Funk etc. already were in those companies but do you think if they hadn't gone to ECW, that WCW or WWE wouldn't sign them again? Even though, some people may not like it but he changed the business. Thanks to him, WCW got tons of crusierweights creating the crusierweight division which was a strength in WCW. Thanks to him, WWE had the Attitude Era with the lewd and violent and sexual nature that was ECW. Because of the crusierweights and the NWO and the Attitude Era, WCW and WWE became huge in the late 90s, and to this day hasnt been replicated. And oh yeah, he was great manager as well. The Original Midnight Express, The Dangerous Alliance, The Samoan Swat Team. How about his feud with Jim Cornette? How about when he busted Cornette on national tv in 1988? What else is there to say? I'd like to hear an argument why he shouldnt be in the Hall of Fame.
3)Randy Savage. We don't know the circumstances why he's not in the Hall of Fame already but it's time to put him in. I mean he's passed away now so whatever animosity there is gone. Not only was Randy Savage a great talker but he could wrestle. His classic against Steamboat at WrestleMania 3 is and will always be a classic. What about his feuds with Tito Santana, Jake Roberts, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, DDP? They were all good feuds and made money and tell me that if any of those matches came on today, that you wouldn't sit and watch. I know I would. I mean he was intense in the ring and on the stick and you know even if you hear but dont see him, who the "Macho Man" is. His flashy robes, flashy sunglasses, the matches he had, the interviews, he was a complete package. Do I think he goes to the Hall of Fame? Oh yeah!!
4)Vader. This guy I think is another no brainer. He, along with Yokozuna(RIP), were really the last two big men who could draw money and really suck the people in. I mean Vader was a monster. His interviews scared the hell out of you. He was intimating at 440 lbs. How many guys his size can do a moonsault? Vader could. How about his matches with Sting which are classics. The time he beat Sting for the World Title, The White Castle of Fear match, just to name 2 of them. How about Vader and Flair? The epic match they had at Starrcade 93? Mentioned above, Vader and Cactus Jack. Talk about brutality and Im not talking about Cactus Jack Lost in Cleveland, either. When Hulk Hogan and Vader were having dream matches and Hogan winning, of course, a year and a half earlier Vader and Cactus Jack were beating the hell out of each other. When he went to the WWE, he had a classic match with Shawn Micheals at Summerslam 96. Dont forget the fatal 4-Way with Vader/UnderTaker/Bret Hart and Steve Austin, where even though he didnt win, Vader lost a lot of blood. Also, what about the reaction he got against Heath Slater? People still remember Vader. They remember Vader time.
5) Regis Philbin. Obviously, I'm talking about the celebrity wing of the Hall. I can't think of a better wrestling fan than Regis. He was at Summerslam 1988 and WrestleMania 7 and he had wrestlers on his show for years. In fact, go all the way back to 1983, and there is a segment from his show with him, Fred Blassie and The Iron Sheik. Regis is a king in New York so why not put him in the Hall of Fame? I mean he more wrestlers on his show than anybody and if you listen to him interview the guys, he seems more of just a fan than anything else. I mean if you put William Perry and Drew Carey in, you have to put Regis in, right?
What do you guys think? Do you have any more people that should be in the Hall of Fame?
1) Mick Foley. This really is a no brainer. I mean WrestleMaina is in Foley's home state and Metlife Stadium is near Foley's home on Long Island, right? I mean Foley deserves to be in. Look at all he's done in his career. I mean all the bumps and bruises hes taken over the years. All the injuries and the blood he's spilled. I mean he's been around forever. Go all the way back to when he was "Jack Foley" and he was a jobber against The British Bulldogs. I think the match is on youtube but even back then in the mid 80s Foley was around and he never quit. This guy was doing hardcore matches and doing ECW matches before ECW. King of the Death matches, Barbed Wire Matches etc. Nobody took as much punishment as Mick Foley. How about his WCW matches with Sting, The Nasty Boys and of course, Vader? Those matches still hold up today and they are and were brutal. What about the brutality in his matches against Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, The Sandman and Sabu in ECW? Some, if not most of those matches were some of the best ever. Is there anybody close to Mick Foley in today's business? And what about going to WWE and really making it. How about one of the best feuds ever with The UnderTaker? Buried Alive match. Boiler Room Brawl. Dont forget the epic Hell in a Cell match. For all the blood he's spilled, the pain he went through (including having his ear ripped off in Germany), the bumps, the bruises, who doesn't think he deserves it?
2)Paul Heyman. I think the WWE Hall of Fame needs to be taken to the Extreme. I think Heyman gets in for changing the landscape of the business with ECW. Remember in 1993 with the WWE and WCW? Buyrates were sagging, attendance was down, tv ratings were down etc. until ECW came along. With Heyman being the brains behind ECW and with Tod Gordon providing the money, ECW became the place to watch wrestling in the mid 90s. It was relevant, it was hip and it was cool. Very MTV style with MTV style videos (when MTV used to have music videos). Look at the ECW Alumni. Its a who's, who in the wrestling business.
2 Cold Scorpio, Cactus Jack, Raven, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Misterio, Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis, Konnan, Rhino, Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Terry Funk, Taz, Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, Shane Douglas etc. I mean do you think WWE or WCW would've picked up these guys without an ECW? To be fair, Scorpio, Foley, Raven, Funk etc. already were in those companies but do you think if they hadn't gone to ECW, that WCW or WWE wouldn't sign them again? Even though, some people may not like it but he changed the business. Thanks to him, WCW got tons of crusierweights creating the crusierweight division which was a strength in WCW. Thanks to him, WWE had the Attitude Era with the lewd and violent and sexual nature that was ECW. Because of the crusierweights and the NWO and the Attitude Era, WCW and WWE became huge in the late 90s, and to this day hasnt been replicated. And oh yeah, he was great manager as well. The Original Midnight Express, The Dangerous Alliance, The Samoan Swat Team. How about his feud with Jim Cornette? How about when he busted Cornette on national tv in 1988? What else is there to say? I'd like to hear an argument why he shouldnt be in the Hall of Fame.
3)Randy Savage. We don't know the circumstances why he's not in the Hall of Fame already but it's time to put him in. I mean he's passed away now so whatever animosity there is gone. Not only was Randy Savage a great talker but he could wrestle. His classic against Steamboat at WrestleMania 3 is and will always be a classic. What about his feuds with Tito Santana, Jake Roberts, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, DDP? They were all good feuds and made money and tell me that if any of those matches came on today, that you wouldn't sit and watch. I know I would. I mean he was intense in the ring and on the stick and you know even if you hear but dont see him, who the "Macho Man" is. His flashy robes, flashy sunglasses, the matches he had, the interviews, he was a complete package. Do I think he goes to the Hall of Fame? Oh yeah!!
4)Vader. This guy I think is another no brainer. He, along with Yokozuna(RIP), were really the last two big men who could draw money and really suck the people in. I mean Vader was a monster. His interviews scared the hell out of you. He was intimating at 440 lbs. How many guys his size can do a moonsault? Vader could. How about his matches with Sting which are classics. The time he beat Sting for the World Title, The White Castle of Fear match, just to name 2 of them. How about Vader and Flair? The epic match they had at Starrcade 93? Mentioned above, Vader and Cactus Jack. Talk about brutality and Im not talking about Cactus Jack Lost in Cleveland, either. When Hulk Hogan and Vader were having dream matches and Hogan winning, of course, a year and a half earlier Vader and Cactus Jack were beating the hell out of each other. When he went to the WWE, he had a classic match with Shawn Micheals at Summerslam 96. Dont forget the fatal 4-Way with Vader/UnderTaker/Bret Hart and Steve Austin, where even though he didnt win, Vader lost a lot of blood. Also, what about the reaction he got against Heath Slater? People still remember Vader. They remember Vader time.
5) Regis Philbin. Obviously, I'm talking about the celebrity wing of the Hall. I can't think of a better wrestling fan than Regis. He was at Summerslam 1988 and WrestleMania 7 and he had wrestlers on his show for years. In fact, go all the way back to 1983, and there is a segment from his show with him, Fred Blassie and The Iron Sheik. Regis is a king in New York so why not put him in the Hall of Fame? I mean he more wrestlers on his show than anybody and if you listen to him interview the guys, he seems more of just a fan than anything else. I mean if you put William Perry and Drew Carey in, you have to put Regis in, right?
What do you guys think? Do you have any more people that should be in the Hall of Fame?
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