Bleacher Report - Articles by James Triggs

Spotlighting The Indies: Sterling James Keenan

James Triggs — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:56:54 -0400

Matthew Hester invited me to get involved in a series called Spotlighting the Indies to expose up-and-coming talent and to showcase independent wrestlers. Evidently I accepted, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

As of now, Matthew Hester, Scott Beeby and I are involved and it is a pleasure to work with them on this. I encourage you to read their work on this series. You can read Matthew Hester's spotlight on Jack Evans here.

I first discovered this talent through Steve Corino’s LiveJournal a long time ago and I got interested, so I’ve been checking in on what he has done from time to time.

I found that he is one of the guys out there that has gone relatively unrecognised despite the number of big names he has faced and his general level of quality.

At 25, he still has many years ahead of him and Sterling James Kennan is one name set for the rise, especially now that he has an opportunity with Ring of Honor.

SJK is well known for his work both in the UK, notably in One Pro Wrestling and in the US, most notably in the International Wrestling Cartel.

From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, born on Feb. 24, 1984, SJK loved wrestling from an early age. No doubt his father, a big pro wrestling fan, helped SJK to not only get exposed to pro wrestling, but to embrace it as well. As a child, SJK was raised on Hulkamania, but became a big fan of the Ultimate Warrior when he appeared.

As he grew older, he moved away from being a fan of those wrestlers, instead being awed by The Great Muta, who was appearing in WCW at the time, as well as getting behind Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair, which may readers will be able to identify with.

He has trained under Dory Funk Jr. at the Funkin’ Conservatory, as well as under Boomer Payne and Mad Mike. SJK has said that he doesn’t intentionally be like anyone else, but he has seen himself use small elements from Randy Savage, Ric Flair and The Rock.

As a wrestler, he is very much an old-school style wrestler and is recognisable for his myriad tattoos. His persona can be described as a temperamental, frequently angry-at-the-world rock star.

SJK said he was terrified when it came time for him to make his debut but once he walked through the curtain, the terror just melted away. SJK has always been good at playing off the audience and this has allowed him to gain many fans.

He has wrestled against such names as Abyss, Steve Corino, CM Punk, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Sabin and 2 Cold Scorpio.

After pro wrestling training, he mainly appeared in NWA East, a.k.a. Pro Wrestling eXpress in Pittsburgh. After he had been wrestling there for just under a year, he felt it was time to move on because he wasn’t learning any more as a wrestler and wanted to be exposed to other wrestlers.

Since he had friends in the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC), he was able to get his foot in the door and was soon taken in.

The IWC is where SJK has found some of his greatest success so far. He has held the IWC Heavyweight Championship there three times and their IWC Super Indy Championship four times.

He also has had quite the feud with Fabulous John McChesney, which lasted for the better part of the year. The two had also feuded in 2003 in the Union of Independent Pro Wrestlers (UIPW) promotion in Canada.

At 1PW's All or Nothing Night 2 Show, held on March 5, 2006, he faced 2 Cold Scorpio, one of his toughest opponents, in a match that was very well-received by the audience. Some sped-up footage from that match can be seen here.

You can see his match against Necro Butcher from FNW Battle At Saddle Ridge, held on April 6, 2006, here.

SJK began making occasional appearances in Ring of Honor, partly due to his work with the IWC. At ROH's In Your Face event on June 17, he teamed with Jason Blade to face The Briscoe Brothers in an impressive showing.

WWE also began to take notice, with SJK being invited to train with Ohio Valley Wrestling, then a WWE Developmental Territory.

He never actually had any try-out matches, appearing as a jobber both in dark matches and on WWE Velocity, as well as working as a security guard and doing backstage work.

In October 2005, SJK debuted in One Pro Wrestling (1PW), appearing from their debut show. SJK teamed with Abyss, similar to James Mitchell/Abyss relationship the two had in TNA.

SJK did whatever he could to get the fans to boo him, but at 1PW the fans just kept cheering for him, indeed cheering him even more as time went on, in spite of, or perhaps because of, his heel actions. As Steve Corino, the then-booker put it,

“…SJK was the Stone Cold Steve Austin of 1PW. Hell, I even had him beat up a handicapped guy and the fans cheered.”

In 1PW, Steve Corino and Spud have been two recurring opponents, as well as Abyss after their partnership broke down. There’s also a bit of a story about a big match that was going to happen, but then didn’t.

In late 2006, 1PW promoter Steven Gauntley, wanted a big draw for the January 2007 show, as the TNA stars, which had been big draws, couldn’t make it. He wanted a Japanese star to be that big draw- and no less than The Great Muta, who is as big a star as it gets.

There was a bit of a mishap but things were worked out and The Great Muta agreed to appear. 1PW offered him what would be for most wrestlers a fair amount of money, which was all 1PW could afford, but Muta made more money doing autograph signings.

He agreed to appear so that the UK audience would get to see The Great Muta, accepting a substantial pay cut in the process.

Muta wanted to play a heel and elevate one of the younger talents. For Corino, there was only one person he immediately considered as worthy and capable enough in 1PW to face The Great Muta and that was Sterling James Keenan.

The match was announced via the titantron after SJK’s match at IPW’s Anniversary show. As SJK put it at the time:

“I wrestled a six man with Team Supreme, against Spud, Darkside, and Samoa Joe. I… pinned Darkside, and was in the ring, doing whatever the hell it is that I do, and the lights went out.

Assuming this was yet ANOTHER error on the part of the sound/video guy, I started to get out of the ring. This video is playing on the wall, so I figured I'd let the fans watch.

However, as I get about half way down the aisle, about 10 guys are screaming at me to get back in the ring.

So, I lean in the corner, watching the video, and his face appears. Muta. The Great Muta. My ****ing hero. I watch the video, wondering what the hell this has to do with me, until the end... ‘The Great Muta is coming to 1PW...He's coming for SJK.’

So yeah...I get to wrestle my all-time favorite wrestler, in England. And nobody bothered to tell me this. I legitimately learned about it in front of 1,800 people in the Doncaster Dome.”

As Steve Corino remembers, “It was magic to see his face.”

Unfortunately, 1PW soon hit financial troubles and went into liquidation, a week before the match was to occur. The show was replaced with a tribute show, though 1PW was restarted later that year on April 6, 2007. The Great Muta ended up appearing for Real Quality Wrestling instead.

On April 18th, 2007, SJK was fired from the ICW. Keenan believes this might have been due to personal grudges a certain promoter had with him.

SJK soon got some exposure in Japan, starting with a tour for Big Japan Pro Wrestling. On May 1, 2007, he realised one of his dreams by wrestling in the legendary venue, Korakuen Hall.

As a wrestler, he has put on some impressive stuff, and is generally at a high level, on the mike and with in-ring skills, but he is still a little inconsistent and needs to develop himself further. Still, even now he has the skills to become a big star at higher levels.

Sterling James Keenan has improved and should he continue to improve, he has what it takes to become a major star. He has already proved he can be popular with the fans.

His appearances in ROH, if they continue, could prove in time to be his chance to rise even further.

Sterling James Keenan is one of the independent wrestlers to keep an eye on.

Sources: Steve Corino's LiveJournal, Sterling James Keenan's LiveJournal, 4th November 2006

Interview by Wrestling Caricatures, which can be read here, 4th November 2006 Interview by The Wrestling Voice, which can be read here. Image Credit goes to Online World of Wrestling.

CvC: Jaguar Yokota for Greatest Women's Champion

James Triggs — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:48:00 -0400

Never heard of the name? I cannot blame you. Jaguar Yokota has not appeared in WWE or TNA. She made her presence known in Japan, in one promotion.

She demonstrated, in my opinion, that she is nothing less than the greatest women's champion in the history of pro wrestling.

What makes a good champion? They represent their company, they lead the company forward and are expected to produce great matches and ideally help the company grow and continue with a new generation.

Jaguar Yokota certainly represented AJW, All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, not just on the occasions she was champion, but in her time in the promotion in general. She represented the zenith of technical ability that all others were to strive toward.

At the same time, she sang. Yokota was clearly female, as many of the women in AJW strove to be. AJW was about women putting on a show on a par, or better than the men's promotions, but not at the expense of femininity.

In addition to her singing, for most of her career Yokota had long, sleek hair and even now she has not lost her athletic, slender figure. She was very much a woman and a divine and charismatic wrestler on top of that.

Technically, Yokota was as good as they come. You know a great representative of a company when you see that they are capable of carrying a great number of opponents in a great number of styles.

Yokota was a reliable performer and a reliable draw. Reliability is a crucial component for a good champion.

Yokota, in fact, is responsible for one of the most important revolutions in the history of wrestling. With her great ability, Yokota helped usher in a new style for AJW, an ultra-athletic style with the emphasis on work rate and psychology.

Yokota amazed people—as she still does today—with her repertoire of moves and her execution. This led to a shift in wrestling style, partly due to how effectively she used this style.

This style not only changed wrestling in Japan, but it influenced Mexico and the United States. It influenced the rise of the light heavyweights in Japan and the development of lucha libre itself.

This style has since become a vital element in pro wrestling; intermingled with elements introduced by others, including the movements she helped influence.

Today, the style Yokota helped influence continues on the Japanese wrestling scene, in SHIMMER and ChickFight, as well as everywhere you see a fast-paced cruiserweight style. It has shaped countless wrestlers.

Jaguar Yokota also has contributed many matches for the ages. Her matches with Lioness Asuka and Devil Masami (as The Queen's Combo), her brawls with La Galactica, which sometimes went hardcore, are among the many matches that are still very enjoyable today.

Some of these matches are still considered amongst the best matches of all time. Yokota was a very credible champion because she was evidently at such a high level that she could work such great matches with wrestlers who came close to her level.

How many great matches has The Fabulous Moolah been in?

Most of Yokota's matches were against opponents that weren't nearly as good as her. Yokota's ability to make her opponents look good—and her more special and rarer ability to make it seem like more things went on in the match than actually happened—made a considerable number of matches and wrestlers far more watchable simply by virtue of being in the ring with her.

She produced tolerable matches when—given the opponent—the match was expected to be dreadful. That is perhaps a greater feat than having great matches with a opponent where a great match is expected.

Yokota also shaped the next few generations not only of AJW, but of pro wrestling in general. She also invented the Suplex Powerslam, better known as Goldberg’s Jackhammer.

She stayed on as a trainer of the AJW Dojo after her first retirement in 1986 and later trained wrestlers independently, which she continues to do. Her students are a "Who's Who?" of Japanese women's wrestling in the 1990's as well as stars of today.

These trainees include: Aja Kong, KAORU, Etsuka Mita, Mima Shimoda, Megumi Kudo, Yoshiko Tamura, Sumie Sakai, Takako Inoue, Kyoko Inoue, Toshiyo Yamada, Manami Toyota, Akira Hokuto and Mariko Yoshida to give a few names.

Yokota was WWWA World Heavyweight Champion for close to five years in two reigns separated by a month (an extremely long time for AJW, where there was a early mandatory retirement age for many years).

She vacated the title due to retirement in the end. She was revered by everyone, fan and wrestler alike and still is revered by many.

The Fabulous Moolah reigned for an extraordinary amount of time. She also had few rivals that really had what it took to be champion.

On the other hand Yokota had to continually prove why she and not legends such as Lioness Asuka, Lola Gonzalez, Chigusa Nagoya, Irma Gonzalez, Devil Masami, Mimi Hawagari, Nancy Kumi, Jumbo Hori and Yukari Omori deserved to lead the company and women's wrestling as the champion of the undisputed biggest women's promotion in the world.

As World Champion, she made heaps of wrestlers look good, put on great matches, trained future champions and legends.

As World Champion, she led to the rise of Devil Masami and the Crush Gals, the most successful women's tag team ever. She championed AJW forth in developing a style widely used today.

Most champions, like the Fabulous Moolah, Sherri Martel, Awesome Kong, Trish Stratus, and Chigusa Nagayo are products of their time, however great they may be.

Wrestling today, is a product of Jaguar Yokota and perhaps this should be the main reason why she may be the greatest women's champion ever and indeed, a goddess in the truest sense.

Make No Mistake- Andy Roddick Returns As A Force

James Triggs — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:27:09 -0400

Unfortunately, due to time zones, I was unable to see the entire epic match between Roddick and Federer that recently took place. But what I saw was impressive.

I was impressed less with Federer's performance at Wimbledon than Andy Roddick's. Federer was doing what Federer normally did. Roddick pulled off something new and that caught my notice.

Everyone has been singing the praises of Federer and rightfully so, but Wimbledon 2009 is an important tournament for Roddick too.

He has slipped under the radar due to all the media attention on Federer's historic win but make no mistake, Roddick is back and better than ever. If he remains consistent, he returns as a force to be reckoned with.

It started with his quarterfinal win over Lleyton Hewitt, 6-3, 6-7 (10), 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-4. This is clearly a newer, improved Roddick. He pulled off some great passing shots and extraordinary half volleys.

Essentially, Roddick has diversified his game. He still has his serve, but he has added some new volleying weapons.

Roddick has been criticised in the past by some for a lack of diversity and thus, predictability. That appears to have been rectified, to some extent, at least and this shows in the performances he has put on. No longer is he losing to the mediocre players on the tour, as he has done for some time in the past.

In his semi-final match against Andy Murray, 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7) 7-6 (5), Roddick continued to play some great tennis.

He was able to keep up with Andy Murray's intensity after dropping the first set. Indeed, here he used his net approaches wisely, though he is still developing in this area.

This was a match the old Roddick would have had much more difficulty with and could very well have lost. The new Roddick not only kept up, but overpowered Murray in the face of his weapons using angles in a way he hasn't quite used before.

Then we have the final. The scoreline, 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-7(5), 6-3, 14-16, underlines the epic nature of this match. Roddick was not broken until the very end, but there were times where Federer was close. Roddick's new weapons could not overcome Federer, but they pushed him further.

Federer and Roddick had a hard-fought battle, which could be the first of a series. Forget the previous matches in the rivalry. The rivalry has yet to truly begin.

Now think just a minute. So Roddick has been this close. In your mind, has it yet to fully sink in just what this means? For some of us the answer is no. He is better, but so what?

Of course, it is old news now that he has improved. What has yet to sink in for some of us is that he is once again very capable of taking out a Grand Slam, not just again being very capable of putting on great pressure on players.

Now, we are talking about Federer as the opponent here. Having such a close game with him is quite the feat. Roddick might have won against a different opponent and even might have won against Federer if things were a little different.

Wimbledon 2009 means a lot to Federer, but also to Roddick. Roddick has proven he has what it takes to become a champion again. He can still play at the highest level and indeed, Roddick is better than he has ever been.

If Roddick improves his net game and learns when to use it for greatest effect combined with his groundstrokes and his superb serve, we might see a lot more in store for Roddick. His serve alone makes him a threat, but along with a greater arsenal, as we saw at Wimbledon, even the best can be hard-pressed to break him.

Roddick nearly beat Federer at Wimbledon. What's to say what will happen next time?

For all the focus on Federer, it is Roddick we have to take notice of. Federer is his usual self and his win confirms what tennis fans have long thought. There's nothing new in that department.

Roddick, on the other hand, is a new tennis player. He hasn't changed his game hugely, but the changes are filling in gaps in his game. Roddick is once more able to take out Grand Slams.

Wimbledon 2009 marks the start of a renewed Roddick and that means he emerges as a truly formidable threat on the circuit.

Prodigious Promoters: Giant Baba, the Promoter to Look Up to

James Triggs — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:01:42 -0400

Interested in the history of wrestling? Interested in promoters? Or just wanting to read something different? If the answer is yes to any of the above, join me as I explore a true giant of pro wrestling, Shohei "Giant" Baba. I will look through his life and then analyse how his experiences helped to make him a great promoter.

This is part of my series on Prodigious Promoters. What can make a great promoter? I aim to discover lessons for any promoter whilst at the same time celebrating the success and acknowledging failures of these promoters.

If you have any suggestions for promoters to be covered in the future, feel free to suggest them.

This is a bit long, but I hope that doesn't detract from this piece. If it helps, you don't have to read it in one go. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this...

Whoever has enjoyed RVD, get down on your knees and pay your respects to Giant Baba.

He was the man who had the idea of giving him colourful airbrushed clothes when RVD was touring in AJPW. The idea worked exactly as Baba intended: it helped RVD to stand out as truly, "One of a Kind."

RVD was not a major figure in AJPW. Still, Baba didn't neglect him and managed to prompt a lasting change which has proven to make RVD more memorable, however one feels about him.

That's the kind of man Baba was and this is one of the traits of this great promoter.

When we think of promoters, Shohei "Giant" Baba towers (literally and figuratively) over almost every other promoter.

He was truly something, one of the greatest promoters there has ever been.

For someone his size, he was a great wrestler and he was easy and enjoyable to watch, just as his promotion was.

On Jan. 23, 1938, Shohei was born in Sanjo City, in central Niigata Prefecture in Japan.

He died at 4:04 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 31, 1999, in Tokyo, aged 61.

Over his 40-year career as a pro wrestler and promoter, he kept puroresu, (Japanese pro wrestling) alive.

A high school dropout, his first passion was baseball. He became a professional pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants in 1955 (an extremely apt team for him) and briefly with the Yokohama BayStars.

Back in the day, they were known as the Tokyo Giants (which they are still unofficially known as by Western audiences) and the Taiyō Whales, respectively.

He was released from the then-Tokyo Giants in 1959 due to a lackluster performance and shoulder injury.

His frame made baseball difficult for him to play professionally and he was unable to adapt in the time he pursued it.

He gave up baseball and turned his eyes to professional wrestling due to the influence of Rikidōzan.

Fortunately for pro wrestling, Baba brought passion with him to his pro wrestling career.

At the time, Rikidōzan, the Father of Puroresu and the man in charge of the sole promotion around in Japan until 1966, the Japanese Wrestling Association, was looking for a successor in order to keep the business strong.

Just under 7 feet at 6 foot 10 and ¾ inches (209 cm), Baba made an immediate impact on Rikidōzan, who entered into his dojo in April 1960.

Now 22, Baba debuted as a wrestler at Taito-Ward Gym in Tokyo on the 30th September, 1960. His opponent was Yunetaro Tanaka.

From the outset, you could tell Baba has what it took to succeed. He had charisma and he moved well for someone his size.

His execution of moves was sometimes lacking, but he knew a lot and performed rather crisply for a big man most of the time. As Dory Funk Sr., a great NWA World Heavyweight Champion, trainer and technical wrestler who spent a considerable period of time in Japan, commented:

"His knowledge of wrestling was so great and I try and teach some of the techniques he used when I teach young people today,''

Also, as Billy Robinson, a British catch wrestling trainer and noted wrestler who also worked for quite some time in AJPW, remarked before Baba's 3000th match:

"Well, I gotta say first firstly, Baba has proven himself to be one of the leading wrestlers in the world, in any style, which is amazing, firstly, just because of his size. Most big men in sports...last a very short while."

"Baba is a different man, he's a man who has got a lot of technique, he's got a lot of knowledge, a tremendous amount of ability and has the respect of not just myself, but my peers, around the world, in all the countries that have pro wrestling."

Baba didn't have the winning streak Andre had, but developed a reputation as a highly dangerous wrestler by rarely losing. When he lost, it was a big deal.

As was the tradition at the time, every loss by a main event wrestler had significance, but Baba was later to take this further when pushing younger talent.

He made an initial team with another big student of Rikidōzan's, Kanji Inoki, later known as Antonio Inoki, who would go on to become the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as a gifted wrestler. They were known as the B-I Cannon.

They even reunited on Aug. 26, 1978 to the delight of the fans. Inoki and Baba were initially great friends, but gradually grew apart as they headed separate promotions.

Still, they allowed the occasional interpromotional matchup even though their companies were competitors in the same market.

Baba was a conservative promoter, not allowing with wrestlers to work with other promotions, but he recognised the benefits interpromotional matches would bring.

He may not have used a variety of match types, but the matches that did occur made that unnecessary, though it would have improved the product when used properly.

Baba was able to put aside the differences he had with others if it was better for the company.

In fact, the very practice of not allowing his stars to also appear in other promotions secured their association with the AJPW brand and this further added to the impact of the few interpromotional matches that happened.

It was simply, something you wouldn't otherwise see. It came across as truly special and memorable.From 1961-64, he was sent to an extended training tour with Fred Atkins and The Great Tojo in the US.

Fred Atkins was from New Zealand and had held championships in Australia before moving to America.

The Great Tojo was one of the earliest Japanese wrestlers to appear and succeed internationally, in North America.

Immediately upon his arrival, he was renamed Ishope Baba. Fred Atkins also became his manager.

He developed his skills and eventually became a big star. He was helped by the connections Fred Atkins and The Great Tojo had.

He faced the World Champions and big names around at the time, wrestling with such greats as Bruno Sammartino, Bobo Brazil, Antonio Rocca, Lou Thesz, "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers and "Classy" Freddie Blassie.

Baba thus came to have a deep understanding of American pro wrestling and the style there in addition to his close knowledge of the puroresu styles.

He also developed close relationships with a number of promoters, which paid dividends for him as a promoter as it allowed to utilise big name international talent in a way nobody else in Japan could.

When Baba returned, Rikidōzan was dead.

The industry in Japan was in turmoil.

There was doubt that without Rikidōzan puroresu would even survive.

Rikidōzan himself thought prior to his death that none of his pupils was yet ready to take his place, hence his not retiring. He had initially planned to retire earlier, which would have been prior to his demise.

Luckily, Baba was able to hold things together. Inoki was secondary to Baba in the wake of Rikidōzan's death but after a year with Tokyo Pro Wrestling, he took on a bigger role, nearly on a par with Baba.

B-I Cannon dominated the tag team circuit. Following disputes with management of the Japanese Pro Wrestling Alliance, he founded All Japan Pro Wrestling at Machida Gym on the 21st October, 1972.

He was greatly supported by his friends, including Dick Beyer, better known as The Destroyer, Bruno Sammartino and the Funks. Television station NTV (Channel Four) provided their support with a timeslot.

I believe Baba to have much in common in Cal Ripken Jr., ironic, considering Baba's first love.

For those that don't know him, Cal was a baseball shortstop who was larger and taller than any of his peers at the time.

He showed that the larger guys could be successful shortstops. He was slow, but compensated for this through increasing his knowledge and refining his technique.

Both are considered to be very skilled, especially for their size. Baba perhaps isn't one of the greatest wrestlers to have stepped foot in the ring, but in terms of entertainment value and the style of the time, Baba was one of the best around.

He certainly seems to warrant consideration as one of the best big men to wrestle.

Also like Baba, he wasn't flashy but had highly developed fundamentals and was renowned for his reliability in showing up during his entire career, despite any injuries he had.

Baba only ever missed one match and that was due to injury.

International support was what greatly benefited AJPW. AJPW stood out with extensive use of international wrestlers, mainly from the United States, known as gaijin.

His strong relationship with the NWA culminated in his becoming NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Baba was enormously popular and he appeared on mainstream programming. Quiz shows, commercials, variety programs, Giant Baba was there.

Baba began phasing himself out of the main-event scene when he turned 45 in 1984.

He continued to wrestle, but now only won against mid-card wrestlers, barring the occasional come-back to the main event.

Participating in many tag team and six-men tag team matches in the undercard, he gave the newer generation the spotlight.

This generation was led by Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenyru. Later, another generation emerged, led by Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada.

The crowd continued to love Baba in the ring, regarding him similar to El Santo in Mexico and Ric Flair in the United States.

In his twilight years, he was even slower and he could not compensate for it, but thanks to his booking himself mostly in tag team and six-man tag team matches, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.That was Baba's career as a wrestler. How has these experiences affected him as a promoter? What makes a great promoter?

There is no single answer as great promoters do not all act alike.

The case study of Giant Baba, however, showcases some of the factors involved.

Baba's approach was simple and straightforward, but nonetheless extremely effective.

Baba is perhaps the best person to start with for an investigation into what can make a great promoter.

Great promoters bring out the best their company and talent has to offer with what they have.

Resources mean little unless employed and developed effectively, which great promoters do.

Baba as a promoter knew what the American style could bring to Japan. After his death, gaijin have continued to be used, in many promotions.

The gaijin helped AJPW appeal to viewers by offering diversity not only with the wrestling itself, but in storylines.

The gajiin gave AJPW a range of different personas, not just a range of different wrestlers.

Gaijin may have been a great resource, but Baba's strength as a promoter was in his astute approach to talent management and character development.

This allowed the gaijin to have the impact they did. Baba's All Japan Pro Wrestling is renowned for the match quality, especially in the 1990's.

The quality of the matches in Baba's AJPW seems to derive considerably from Baba's management.

This supports the theory that talent management is an important factor for any promoter in getting the best out of his talent and employees (talent are not employees, but independent contractors).

Likewise, the case study of Giant Baba seems to indicate that proper character development is important in enhancing the quality of a promotion.

Giant Baba was a very likable and caring man and a mainstream star.

People evidently must have liked him as a person to invite him into their homes not just on a weekly basis through AJPW, but on a more regularly basis. This helped the fans to support the company.

Baba was and is so popular that in the Top 100 Historical Persons in Japan survey, which asked people to rate their favourite greatest person in history (not the most influential), with a third of candidates not being from Japan and mostly covering historical figures, Giant Baba came in at 93.

That doesn't sound like much, but it means a lot. This was a ranking of who was considered to be their favourite person, period. Just being on such lists is a huge achievement.

In another list, with the same concept, Baba came in at number 63.

There are big variances in these polls, which indicates that just being in one of them means you will variously be ranked from the top end to the bottom end. Anne Frank, was number 65 in this survey, but was number 16 in the one mentioned above.

Giant Baba was truly loved and respected and that was due to his actions and personality.

Great promoters may recognise that they are part of the identity of their promotion. If they make a favourable impression, it helps the company to get more viewers and a more positive response.

It is interesting to contrast this with Vince McMahon, who has had confrontational public appearances, and how the controversies promoters have been involved with have affected the wrestlers who will work with them and the level of support the fans give.Baba's personality helped with the backstage environment. It helped motivate wrestlers to do well.

Nobody wanted to let him down.

Baba knew what people wanted to see, due to his experiences as a wrestler and a very popular one at that.

Also due to his being a wrestler, he knew how he wanted to be treated and so treated them as he would treat himself.

It has been said that a handshake agreement with Baba meant more than a written contract with many other promoters.

Great promoters are trustworthy, which indicates that promoters should take care to avoid controversy.

Great promoters should also honour their agreements and reach an amiable conclusion to end it if all goes awry, rather than acting hastily to save face.

It is better to be embarrassed than to appear to have betrayed someone.

His caring for the welfare and career of those working for him engendered loyalty. Gaijin in particular were gratified by Baba's caring for them. As Frank Dusek, who had went on two tours with AJPW, said shortly after his death,

"You didn't have to worry about being a foreign wrestler who didn't speak the language when you traveled for Baba. He always made sure we had what we needed and were treated well. He made sure even little things were taken care of, like being able to find an English movie theater when we had time off."

His paying particular attention to the finer details was influenced by his experience in the United States.

He learned how being in a foreign country can make a huge difference. He realised there were language and cultural barriers and that he would get the most out of gaijin by removing these barriers as fully as possible, which led to some of these gaijin to live and work full-time in Japan.

Less stress means talent were better able to focus on their work. Baba and other staff went out of their way to put aside time to help their talent on such a level, and it paid dividends.

In addition, AJPW became known as a good place to work, if one could get a spot there. This reputation helped gaijin and native wrestlers to come to AJPW in the first place.

Promoters are busy people and so a number of promoters don't create enough time to ensure talent are without stress and as happy as possible.

Baba was known for his dedication to pro wrestling.

Even with a hectic schedule of wrestling as well as being charge of a large promotion, he made sure he had the time to look after others. He was willing to put whatever time was needed into AJPW.

Promoters don't always engage with talent and employees on a deep enough level to help propagate a friendly, positive and active atmosphere as well as loyalty.

Making the effort, though, is worthwhile. Doing so helped Baba to become an inspirational leader.

Having enough social interaction and coming off as a good person motivates talent to succeed and to be in the promotion.

It helps them to feel they can do great things or continue to improve. We all want to feel like we are worth something and are making a difference. Pro wrestlers are no exception.Character development seems to have been a crucial element in the success of Baba's AJPW. Big matches and big stars were the result of effective pacing and consolidated storylines with layers of meaning.

Effective character development appears to have kept characters fresh, the fans happy and interested and assisted match quality by providing atmosphere and significance.

Of course, character development starts at the beginning.

Giant Baba is known as having been a patient teacher.

He would get his teen-age students to perform chores such as tying and untying his shoes and carrying his belongings and messages, so they would never forget they got where they were (for those that succeeded and become pro wrestlers) due to hard work.

This is a very important lesson for pro wrestlers and Baba was wise in teaching it. He was a not just patient, but a fine teacher.

This extended past helping wrestlers backstage to getting comfortable with their roles to assisting with training wrestlers and improving their in-ring skills. Naturally, his experience as a wrestler assisted in this regard.

His being a high school dropout and not succeeding at baseball also helped to mould Baba.

He had faced adversity and he had made some tough decisions.

He understood that talent is constantly developed. He understood that people developed at different paces.

His experiences taught him not to be too hard on anyone and to give people chances to improve.

Again, this helped inspire loyalty and by contributing to the improvement of his talent, he helped the promotion stay strong.He always thought before he decided. This extends to all the decisions he made. Baba's AJPW had storylines that were clear and multi-layered, even though they simple.

They were just well-thought out, an approach Baba took to all of his decisions and is a major reason why Baba rarely made decisions and came up with ideas that failed to be a hit.

He had a no-nonsense attitude, not getting distracted by any particular wrestler. That has helped many of the careers in Baba's AJPW for they all received attention and not all in the same way.

I recall Baba once gave a rookie a boost by getting him to lose all of his matches.

He impressed the crowd with his perseverance and his unmitigated drive.

By the end of the year, he was fairly popular and through popular vote, received some sort of award. It was a Rookie of the Year award, if I recall correctly.

Backstage politics weren't prominent when Baba was in charge.

He was a clear leader and because he had the respect and faith of everyone in his promotion, people followed him.

When people left AJPW for other promotions, it was due to factors such as international commitments and being lured away by promises and/or money (especially those that left for the Super World of Sports) rather than disappointment with the creative direction.

Baba's consistency led to established characters that changed but lost none of their integrity.

They didn't lose when inconsistent for their characters. There weren't swerves. This meant that when stars where being put over, they received maximum benefit because their wins held greater significance.

Even going toe-to-toe and keeping up with the big stars in the ring helped build stars even without winning, because it was properly built as a difficult feat.

This was partly, however, the way things worked in Japan in general at the time. Rising stars got bigger pushes when they beat main-event level stars because the bigger stars just didn't lose to the younger talent easily.

This was shown best when Mitsuharu Misawa defeated Jumbo Tsuruta on June 8, 1990, at the Nippon Budokan in a very emotional match.

Tsuruta was reportedly shocked at being asked to lose to Misawa, as he was the top star and Misawa had yet to break into the main event.

Pro wrestling in Japan was quite hierarchical then- you just didn't see anyone not move up the ladder one step at a time- until this match, which transformed AJPW and would lead to one of the greatest periods of wrestling.

Baba's experience as a wrestler developed his instincts. He understood what the fans wanted and did that even when it was against convention at the time.

When Mitsuharu Misawa and Shiro Koshinaka had a match, one of the wrestlers was to be sent on a tour of Mexico. Since the match was so impressive, he sent both, even though that was against the original plan.

He was not perfect, however. He did bury talent which arrived from other promotions, which is justifiable upon arrival but not so justifiable as time goes on.

Baba also occasionally fell prey to his feelings, but for the most part of a sensible, sound promoter doing what was best for the company, not merely what was best for himself.

He was dedicated to the business, as shown by being able to work together from time to time with NJPW and the sheer amount of time he put in to the business.Part of Baba's success as a promoter can be attributed to a particular policy: clean finishes. Giant Baba insisted on them and this worked.

From 1990 until his death in 1999, AJPW had nothing but clean finishes. Before this time, there were a few matches here and there that didn't have clean finishes, but this was used sparingly and only when it would really help the product.

Not only did it keep storylines simple and understandable, but it also meant that if no matter which wrestler won, the effort of the losing wrestler was better appreciated.

The established star remained strong and the rising star got more respect out of it.

You would also be more inclined to get behind them as they came closer to the main event, making steady progress forward.

As they were built up and you became fans of a wrestler, you wanted them to take on the bigger stars, Nothing happened too quickly: fans always had time to get behind the younger talent.

Pace was truly something Baba mastered.

Since nobody was given too much to do, there was always more to be done as long as they were wrestling.

Time wasn't wasted and this is partly why AJPW was as successful as it was at its peak; along with the clean finishes and clear, logical storylines with consistent, motivated characters.

AJPW had consecutive sellouts for many years and subsequent shows would be sold out in the same night the tickets were released at.

These shows would also routinely earn close to and over, a million dollars.

That is very profitable. There were still a very high attendance of 58,300 at the Tokyo Dome show that occurred a few years after their peak.

AJPW maintained a consistently high quality and you were guaranteed to see a solid show. This generated high consumer confidence which in turn led to continued financial success.

The Baba era of AJPW, between 1972 and 1999 had its ups and downs, as with any product, but was quite consistent.

It was a reliable source of quality entertainment.

It arguably was simply the strongest product around in the 1990-1992 period and was among the best the world had to offer at other times during the Baba era.

Baba's strengths drew from his experiences as a pro wrestler and his personality, which was shaped from his early life and onwards.

You do not need to be a wrestler in order to be a great promoter. Wrestling gave Baba his knowledge of the business and understanding of it, but there are other methods that are equally effective.

Knowledge and understanding of the business, the fans and other wrestler's appears to be the most crucial aspect in Baba's success, as without it he wouldn't have been the trainer or the wrestler he was.

He wouldn't have had the wisdom he had in using talent and caring from them in the amount he did. He also wouldn't have had the great resource that was gaijin or his links with the NWA.

Baba was passionate, caring and dedicated, traits that any promoter should do well to develop. Baba was a public figure and led his company, rather than just making decisions.

He paced all the storylines and made sure everyone had something to do at any time. Everything had layers of meaning. He spent time with those working with him and was approachable, pragmatic and friendly.

Baba's approach indicates that a great promoter must know the product and those working for him. Great promoters need to be passionate and dedicated.

Great promoters need to understand the challenges and the stress pro wrestlers have and help them to bring out the best they have to offer.

Great promoters have to consider those around them and cannot be selfish. They have to listen to the fans and not just themselves and their circle of friends.

They have to be willing to put the spotlight on others and refrain from focusing too much on favourites.

Even if these favourites have the skill, overexposure is a dangerous threat. Familiarity breeds contempt, as WWE fans can testify about certain wrestlers.

Promoting isn't just about being a good businessperson and good with ideas; it is also about the human factor, being able to lead, motivate and keep morale high.

One approach to effective promotion is to have the traits of any effective leader or boss.

Promotion is about addressing the needs of those working in that promotion, whatever the capacity. It is also about addressing the wants of the audience, as with any form of entertainment.

Some promoters get too distracted with what they want personally and some neglect the human side of pro wrestling.

As these series continues, there will be investigation as to the effect of backstage politics. Is it unavoidable? To what extent does it hurt promotions and to what extent can it help promotions? In addition, further factors and alternate approaches will be explored.

If you wish to be updated when new additions in this series come out, let me know. If you would like to be updated on my new articles in general, let me know that too. Thank you for reading!

Mitsuharu Misawa: A Retrospective Tribute

James Triggs — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 07:18:31 -0400

Image credit: Neil Swint

The term "legend" is thrown about a lot. The original meaning refers to a story about supernatural beings or events. The fantastic and the larger than life.

Mitsuharu Misawa is a legend in the truest sense of the word.

On pro wrestling forums, Misawa achieved a sort of mythical status, a figure who purportedly did some of the finest work ever done inside a ring. Stories were and still are told about his feud with Kenta Kobashi, arguably the best fued of all time.

Misawa could put on such great matches that it did seem supernatural. Some of his matches are of such a quality that it can be hard to believe that human beings have been able to achieve it.

Even people who heard of him but hadn't seem him in action referred him to those looking for great wrestling.

Anyone with a passing familiarity with puroresu in the past two decades had to hear his name and would quickly regard him highly even without seeing his matches.

If you were looking to get into puroresu, that is, Japanese pro wrestling, or just wanted to see some great wrestling, Mitsuharu Misawa was one of the first names that would come up.

If you have never heard of Misawa until his recent death, then you have come to the right place. Here is a look back at Misawa's career and a tribute to one of the best to ever set foot into the ring.

Mitsuharu Misawa was born on Monday, June 18, 1962, in Yūbari, Hokkaidō. His family soon moved to Koshiyaga, Saitama, where he was raised.

In his youth, he longed to become a professional wrestler. Pro wrestling is all the richer because Misawa pursued his dreams.

As he grew older, he attended Ashikaga-kodai High School, in Ashikaga City in Tochigi. His potential as a pro wrestler was evident at the beginning: he was a successful amateur wrestler and placed fifth in the 85 kg division at the 1980 FILA World Championships.

He was trained to become a pro wrestler by three of the industry's biggest names: Shohei "Giant" Baba was the founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling and is considered to be one of the best promoters of all time. AJPW was to be the promotion Misawa was in for many years.

Dick Beyer, known as "The Destroyer", is a great wrestler who has been integral in the rise of pro wrestling in Mexico and Japan. Dory Funk Jr., is one of the best trainers of all time, a great wrestler and an excellent champion.

Mitsuharu Misawa could not have asked for better trainers and in paying our respects to Mitsuharu Misawa, so too must we thank his trainers.

In March 1981, he joined Giant Baba's All Japan Pro Wrestling. He made his debut not in an arena, but in the open-air, against Shiro Koshinaka at the Horse Race Course in Urawa City, Saitama. This occurred on Aug. 21, 1981. He lost the match but in retrospect, it was a moral victory.

Ever since he debuted, Mitsuharu Misawa proved he belonged. He was one of the most promising talents of the time and his skill was clearly at a high level and he would continue to develop.

He was soon given the name "Kamikaze" Misawa. He worked often with Shiro Koshinaka, given the name "Samurai" Shiro.

"Kamikaze" Misawa and "Samurai" Shiro were two rising stars when they were sent in March 1984 for a three month tour to Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre, a Mexican promotion. The fact that he was sent on this tour shows the faith AJPW had in him.

This experience was no doubt beneficial and soon after his return AJPW made the decision to entrust him with the Tiger Mask persona.

The persona had been created by New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1981 to attract younger fans of the popular anime, which had ended a decade prior.

Satoru Sayama was the first Tiger Mask and filled the role for two years, Sayama is the one of the most athletic performers and one of the best kickers there has ever been in pro wrestling.

He didn't need to use high-flying moves. You could see his athleticism in the way he kicked and the way he moved. That is how athletic he was.

Satoru Sayama was engaged in an excellent feud with The Dynamite Kid that produced some classics that rank among the best matches of all time. Sayama and The Dynamite Kid put the Junior Heavyweight Division on the map with incredible performances.

Tiger Mask was a nationwide phenomenon until Sayama left NJPW in 1983 and the gimmick was put on hold.

In 1984, AJPW bought the rights to the character.from NJPW. Giving Mitsuharu Misawa the opportunity to be the next Tiger Mask was asking Misawa to fill some very large shoes.

Misawa had proven how good a wrestler he was, but did he have what it took to become a true standout star? Giant Baba hoped and believed he did.

Giant Baba was to be proven right, perhaps even more than he expected.

Mitsuhara debuted as the new Tiger Mask at the Den-en Coliseum in Tokyo on August 26, 1984. He would go on to feud with Kuniaki Kobayashi, the "Tiger Hunter," due to his matches against both Tiger Mask and Tiger Mask II in numerous quality matches.

In addition, The Dynamite Kid, Chavo Guerrero Sr. and Atsushi Onita feuded with Tiger Mask II. Guerrero and Onita were the two big stars of the division in AJPW before Misawa. The Dynamite Kid had famously feuded with Tiger Mask.

Tiger Mask II's feuds included continuity with what Sayama had done as Tiger Mask in another promotion, something that went down very well with the fans and should perhaps be done more often with other wrestlers. This unique kind of continuity added to the depth of the psychology and storylines in Misawa's matches, which Misawa has since become renowned for.

Tiger Mask II didn't make the revolutionary impact his predecessor did, not that he could really be expected to, but neither did he disappoint in the role.

He managed to fill the shoes of Tiger Mask and held his own with Satoru Sayama's legacy. That was a huge accomplishment.

Until 1990, Misawa would continue in his role as the second Tiger Mask. He became the first Tiger Mask to get involved in the Heavyweight division for which he was to become better known for participating in. He was taken under the wing of Jumbo Tsuruta, arguably the best wrestler in the world at the time.

In the heavyweight division, the seeds of his future were evident, partly through his feuds and partly through his other matches against future rivals, such as Kenta Kobashi.

Though on the losing end of his first feud against Tsuruta, working with him helped Misawa to take up his mantle of the ace in AJPW after Tsuruta retired. His feud with the veteran Gen'ichiro Tenyru was also a helpful experience for Misawa.

The direction he would take later was also evident in his challenging AWA World Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig for the title at Korakuen Hall on Jan. 2, 1988 and his championship match against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat on March 8, 1989, at the Nippon Budokan.

A shocking turn of events occurred at the May 14, 1990, show at the Tokyo Gym. In a tag match partnering with Toshiaki Kawada, he ordered his tag partner to remove his mask five minutes into the match.

Two days later, he officially re-debuted as Mitsuharu Misawa, no longer Tiger Mask II (apart from some special Tiger Mask reunion tag matches).

It is this period of time that we start the era of Misawa's greatest triumphs. Shortly after, on June 8, Misawa finally defeated Jumbo Tsuruta in a thrilling match in the Nippon Budokan. This was no mere passing of the torch moment.

Tsuruta was like a fine wine, as his last few years were also his best years. Defeating Tsuruta at his peak as a wrestler (if not in age) established Misawa as a true top star of the company and proved once and for once he had what it took to carry a promotion.

In addition to his second feud with Tsuruta, Misawa would regularly challenge Stan Hansen for the AJPW Triple Crown, but would not be successful until Aug. 22, 1992 at the Nippon Budokan.

Misawa also lost the rematch against Tsuruta in September 1990, and it was this pacing of Misawa's success that made him truly popular and great.

For that we must thank Giant Baba, the booker at the time.

Misawa always had something to accomplish next. He always had purpose. You never felt that he had nothing to do. Whether it be in his personal feuds, being champion or his being in the title hunt, it always had deeper meaning than with many other wrestlers.

Misawa is synonymous with good storylines and good psychology and this is what made his classic matches classics, more than just the high-quality wrestling itself.

His feuds with Kenta Kobashi, Toshiaki Kawada, Akira Taue and Jun Akiyama led to a great period of wrestling in All Japan Pro Wrestling, with these four being the bastions of the promotion's main event scene, with a great amount of high-quality matches. There is so much that an be said about this period.

In his prime, Mitusharu Misawa was a great wrestler, definitely one of the best in the world. He was extremely consistent and in general, a joy to watch.

Many of Misawa's matches were multi-layered with psychological meaning and this made his matches mean so much more, though like anyone, it is more difficult to appreciate his matches unless you see his development in the storylines.

Almost everyone enjoys a good story. Therefore, almost everyone will enjoy a Misawa match. More than simple enjoyment, his matches are more powerful because the storytelling is coupled with a high-level of physicality and technical moves.

The intelligent way Misawa had been booked perhaps influenced Misawa's way of thinking. Perhaps Misawa's in-ring intelligence led to his intelligent booking. More likely, it was elements of both. Misawa's great strength was his intelligence in the ring.

He was the one that took the lead in how matches were structured and he excelled at that. A big part of the classics he was a part of was attributable to Misawa.

This also can be seen in the next stage of his career. In the wake of Giant Baba's death on Jan. 1, 1999, Misawa succeeded him as company president by virtue of his rank in AJPW.

As company president, he was in charge of booking. On May 28, 2000, he was removed in this position by the executive board.

Misawa had done nothing wrong, but there was a disagreement with Motoko Baba, Giant Baba's wife, over the company's direction.

A mass exodus occurred on June 13. Most of the talent joined Misawa in leaving AJPW, a massive blow. Toshiaki Kawada, Masanobu Fuchi were the only two natives to remain. Stan Hansen and Taiyō Kea were the two major gaijin that remained.

Some of these wrestlers have held senior management positions. Twelve office workers at AJPW later left to follow Misawa and the other wrestlers.

The television station that had aired AJPW for 27 years, NTV, confirmed on June 19 at a press conference, it was confirmed at AJPW would no longer be aired. NTV held 15 percent of AJPW's stock and they prevented AJPW from being aired on another network.

In a huge press conference on June 16, that had the nation's attention with over 100 reporters and photographers present, it was announced that they were leaving to start up a new promotion in a more 'modern style.'

That promotion was to become Pro Wrestling NOAH, after the biblical story of Noah's ark. This name was announced a day later.

A few days later, NTV announced they would be airing Pro Wrestling NOAH, under the title 'Colloseo.' The huge support for Misawa shows the sheer respect people had for him and his abilities.

Pro Wrestling NOAH has become one of the best promotions in the world thanks to Misawa, featuring outstanding matches and high quality shows, especially since 2005.

Misawa himself was declining in recent years, but he still entertained the crowds like before and he remained productive as a wrestler and a company owner to the very end.

The establishment of Pro Wrestling NOAH helped usher in a new era of wrestling in Japan that allowed for more leeway when it came to interpromotional matches. Pro Wrestling NOAH also is helping pro wrestling to recover from its state today.

Mitsuharu Misawa is dead, but his legacy will live on in Pro Wrestling NOAH and in through his classic matches that will be talked about and enjoyed for ages to come.

Raisha Saeed Needs to Take Off Her Clothes

James Triggs — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:44:15 -0400

In TNA, Awesome Kong has long been accompanied by Raisha Saeed, billed as an associate from her days in Japan. She has served as Kong's tag team partner as well as a manager, being her spokesperson in interviews.

Covered head to toe in clothing, she is completely different to the alter-ego beneath, Cheerleader Melissa. Melissa is one of the best active female wrestlers. She is well known for her work in SHIMMER and ChickFight, both of which she still regularly appears for, and has faced women from all over the world.

Raisha Saeed on the other hand, does not show her great talent. She is adequate in the ring, but stifled because of her complete transformation. Few wrestlers are that adaptive. Her charisma is also hidden by her Saeed persona.

Melissa is a talent that has not been used to her full potential in TNA. She is a background character, playing second fiddle to Awesome Kong, but she can do a lot more. She could be a major asset of the Knockout's Division as Melissa.

Melissa needs to reveal herself and step away from just having the Saeed persona in TNA. Saeed isn't true to Melissa's capabilities.

As Melissa, she is a much bigger name than Raisha Saeed and openly appearing as Melissa would help the prestige of the Division.

As Melissa, she would be able to compete more in the ring and with her normal style. This would result in some high quality matches.

With Ayako Hamada signed, Melissa's Japanese experience would make her an ideal opponent or tag team partner, perhaps before Ayako faces Awesome Kong, as she is slated to do in the future.

Not only that, but she has faced Sarah Stock in the past in SHIMMER. Sarah Stock's lucha libre style isn't something all the Knockouts can work with yet.

Melissa can work with her, which means the quality would be higher if they were partners or opponents. Again, this could ease Stock into a higher position.

Melissa can make Stock and Hamada look good. It is important that neither Stock nor Hamada are rushed into a feud with Kong.

Taylor Wilde is skilled, but when she was rushed into the spotlight, the crowd had yet to accept her. The same would happen with Stock and Hamada for the viewers who aren't familiar with them. Melissa could be a perfect opponent before they face Kong.

But this raises the question, if we introduce Melissa, what happens to Saeed?

Saeed does not need to be disposed of. She does play a role, but as her role generally does not involved strenuous activity, Melissa can continue to play Raisha Saeed. This was proven at the May 1, 2008, edition of TNA iMPACT! where she appeared as Cheerleader Melissa for a match and then reappeared as Saeed to manage Kong.

Christopher Daniels proved playing two roles can work on a regular basis, which he did when he filled in for Kaz as Suicide.

Saeed rarely interferes for Kong (she can manage just fine on her own) and since Kong is more of a babyface now even Saeed's promos aren't as needed.

She has matches here and there, but the Saeed role is rather small. Melissa is more than capable of playing both Saeed and her own persona.

She doesn't even need to do that. Backstage, for fun, Sharmell once dressed up as Raisha Saeed and impersonated her whilst she talked to another Knockout for 10 minutes. The other Knockout didn't realise it was Sharmell in the costume until later.

If Sharmell can do a good Saeed impersonation, she could potentially fill in her role as a manager of Kong, with Melissa only doing the matches. This way, Sharmell does more to contribute and Melissa would be able to put even more into her matches.

In the event that Melissa is in a match against Saeed, Sharmell can don the costume and just take a lot of the offense (which she does now anyway, so that the match isn't a Kong squash match) and otherwise not spending much time in the ring. Sharmell isn't a real wrestler, but she knows enough to play the role.

Besides, how many of you would be pleased at the thought of Sharmell getting her behind kicked again and again? Annoyed with Sharmell? Tune into a Saeed match and prepare to cackle evilly.

This approach might be particularly helpful at PPVs and it would also act as a safeguard if Melissa gets injured. Like Suicide, Raisha can be filled by another character and continue as normal.

At the May 26 iMPACT! tapings of this year, Melissa appeared as "Future Legend" Melissa Anderson in a dark match against Kong.

The "Future Legend" comes from the award given to her by the Cauliflower Alley Club in 2004: it's a huge honour and an indication of great potential.

She could very well become a centerpiece of the Division. TNA dropped the ball with Roxxi and ODB, who has lost the popularity she used to have. This started before the Deaner storyline, but that isn't helping.

Melissa would add more depth and wrestling skill to the Division as herself and along with Tara (formerly Victoria), Wilde, Stock and Hamada, could create a strong group of face challengers for Kong and enough challengers to prevent any from looking to stale or weak if TNA books them adequately, if not wonderfully (which we really cannot expect of TNA).

Kong may not always be dominant, but she will always be strong. A diversity of characters is needed to not only keep the Division fresh, but strong face challengers will allow Kong to believably lose and give others the spotlight, also stopping Kong from getting too stale.

Perhaps this recent appearance could mean that TNA management is in the process of realising the benefits Melissa has without the Saeed garb.

If not, TNA would do well to consider it more deeply.

Partial Sources: TNA Wrestling News, Cauliflower Alley Club

Pro Wrestling Is a Sport And Its Absence Will Hurt Us All—Part Two

James Triggs — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:10:42 -0400

Jeremy Kaufman, a columnist here on Bleacher Report, brought up the issue of pro wrestling being here. You can see it here.

This is the second part. If you haven’t done so already, reading the first part is highly recommended.

Nothing Is Certain in Pro Wrestling

"...we cannot allow any activity with a fixed conclusion into our athletic community."

Pro wrestling features displays of incredible athleticism. Any comprehensive athletic community is incomplete without pro wrestling being discussed.

In pro wrestling, things are planned, but nothing is fixed. Matches are mainly spontaneous as in most matches, not a lot is planned. On a regular show, nothing is planned until the last minute. The conclusion isn't fixed. That's why storylines and matches have to be changed due to contractual disputes, personal and health issues and continual changes of plans.

I recall Kevin Dunn, Executive Director of the WWE, who once noted that he had no idea that Hogan was going to return at WrestleMania IX. In fact, he thought that idea was ludicrous and impossible. He was then a line producer. He has since become WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production, and since last year has been on the WWE Board of Directors.

Even at the time, he was about as inside of the promotion as you could get. It was his job to know what was going on and even he didn't know this. Only Hogan and Vince McMahon did, if I recall correctly.

Due to the continual changing of storylines and the unfortunate backstage politics (another form of competition) nothing is truly fixed until it happens. That's why pro wrestling news sites are often wrong. That's why even many people inside the companies don't know what is happening a lot of the time.

Yes, the outcomes are preplanned, but they are never definite. They are dynamic and constantly changing. The future is always in motion, which is why no matter how research you do you can get caught unaware by things in any sport from time to time. Not many people expected Rafael Nadal's recent loss at the French Open, including tennis experts.

Pro wrestling isn't so different to other sports in some areas, as it first appears.

More importantly, these outcomes are not known to the general public, at least until tapings, making a lot of the articles here very relevant as far as discussing what could or should happen goes.

Pro Wrestling Possesses the Qualities of a Sport in Droves.

"Growing up, all of us who participated in athletics surely learned what playing a sport is all about: teamwork effort, selflessness, sportsmanship, fitness, and safety."

"...It certainly isn’t about teamwork, as teammates don’t bash each other over the head with a chair when they’re not looking so that they could steal his girlfriend."

The author has made understandable, though flawed arguments. Now, the arguments are not only flawed, but occasionally incomprehensible.

Indeed, my esteemed colleague has contradicted himself, having earlier said that, "Rather, they are simply trying to put on a good show for the crowd, essentially working together so that they both earn their paychecks at the end of the week."

Since when does working together not constitute teamwork?

Jeremy Kaufman seems to be confused between reality and what is seen on-screen. That is to be expected and is not something to be made fun of.

On screen, there is the illusion that they are foes. On-screen, most of them aren't—there are real-life rivalries and feuds, but these are in the minority. The very fact that they these wrestlers are in a feud onscreen proves that they are working together.

Furthermore, I feel quite sure that no one would try to argue that there is sportsmanship in professional wrestling, as they are more likely to pretend to strangle each other at the end of a match than shake hands."

I'm afraid my colleague will have to be disappointed.

"Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors." This is a definition from Wikipedia.

Pro wrestling epitomises fairness, respect and a sense of fellowship.

Pro wrestlers put other wrestlers over, even if it hurts them, out of fairness to other wrestlers, sharing the spotlight. This doesn't always happen, but it happens a great deal. Most wrestlers accept losses gracefully for storyline purposes or to push other stars.

Pro wrestlers spend so much time together, away from the rest of their friends and family that in some promotions there is a huge sense of fellowship and family, more so than in any other sport. Even in independent promotions where the talent comes from local areas, this holds true.

Pro wrestlers bond through working together. They also come to respect each other for the most part and respect each other on a deep level. This doesn't happen all the time either, but that's human nature.

Pro Wrestling Means a Lot of Sacrifice and a Lot of effort.

"Professional wrestling certainly doesn’t promote selflessness, as each and every actor is in it for themselves and the paycheck that they receive at the end of the week."

Most pro wrestlers, apart from those in the major promotions, are paid a pittance. You are lucky if you get a few hundred and most of that is used up by travelling and food expenses.

With all the sacrifices pro wrestlers make, I wonder how pro wrestlers could be considered to be selfish. Yes, some are egotistical, but all pro wrestlers give part of their lives to the crowds.

To say that professional wrestling doesn't require effort is an affront to MMA artists and freestyle wrestlers, to gymnasts, to boxers, to weightlifters—to anyone involved in combat sports anywhere and everywhere.

Not to mention actors, writers, businesspeople, anyone in the military, working class families, philanthropists, celebrities, comedians, and anyone working long hours.

As the moves are real, there is physical exertion. How do you fake running? Can you kick or punch for 10 minutes without sweating? Don't forget to throw in some running around. Twenty minutes? Thirty minutes? Some matches have gone for hours. The principles of physics do not change to allow the argument that no effort is required.

To say otherwise demeans anyone who does anything similar.

Whilst steroids are a big problem in pro wrestling, there are plenty of people who haven't taken steroids. Generalisations are rarely true. That would be like judging all people in the Tour de France to be on steroids.

Acting is not as easy as you might think. It takes effort. Speaking in front of any crowd does. Pro wrestlers in the independent circuit are in charge of most of their material. In the major promotions they are given things to do but they have input. They partly determine what is going to happen in terms of matches and storylines. Writing isn't the easiest thing to do, either.

Pro wrestlers, in the independent circuit on otherwise, have to make business decisions regarding to work for, any appearances in terms of movies or television, etc. Though people help them, they still make the decisions. What happens in the ring depends on what happens outside the ring.

Most pro wrestlers, especially those in the major promotions, travel a lot. Right now it is easier—four or five days a week, as opposed to 26 or 27 days a month like it used to be in some promotions. Some promotions have easier schedules. Even so, in addition to this traveling, there is training, promotional appearances, and meetings.

For most pro wrestlers, the hardest thing for them is them not seeing their families for long periods of time, sometimes months. As any soldier would tell you, it takes a lot of effort to keep doing what you are doing in such a situation.

Pro wrestlers also have to contend with a lot of criticism. Not just about what they do in the ring, but about their career choice. At first, it takes effort to withstand it.

Conclusion

Most of the sporting community shuns pro wrestling, out of ignorance, and to continue a trend that started when the sport was first exposed as choreographed.

If Bleacher Report aims to be an effective source of sports journalism, it is best for all that pro wrestling remains. Yes, a high standard of writing should be adhered to, and the community may decide that members of this group may need to improve before writing here again, but pro wrestling is a strong part of sport.

Not only is it a sport in itself, it is a complex one with multitudes of elements from a variety of sources, which really serves only to give it more to analyze. There is more depth, more history.

There are a myriad of interesting connections to analyse when it comes to why it is enjoyable, its impact and continuing relationship with MMA, the cultural implications of pro wrestling and what the storylines actually mean, etc, like how we can analyse why basketball is enjoyable and the effect of a home ground.

Pro wrestling isn't just about statistics or psychology. It is where sport is clearly connected with many different parts of life. Pro wrestling is where sport so clearly interacts with other areas- hence why it is often confused to not be a sport. Not only is there much to analyse, but this analysis extends to aspects of sport in general that are much easier to see in pro wrestling.

Sport is part of people's lives, and pro wrestling is where other aspects of sport come to the surface. We see a more personal element. We see also a more artistic side to sport, similar to the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games. A person's favourite sporting moments can lead to big decisions in a person’s life or just as important, smaller decisions throughout a person's life.

That's why sports writers have written about triumph over adversity, people who have put in so much effort to get where they are. Sport benefits in more ways than we have yet explored. We have yet to explore the similarities between sport and religion in depth, for instance and how our favourite sporting teams can determine who we make friends with. That is also why we have the "Sports and Society" tag here.

The pro wrestling community on Bleacher Report has yet to truly delve beneath the surface, but other aspects of sport harder to explore in other sports have been explored to some extent. I recall an article by Andrea Claire on sexism and a series by Jev Thorpe on connections to psychology, mathematics and biology in particular.

Is it too inconvenient for Bleacher Report to explore different aspects of sport and thus life?

If you have any comments, etc., don't hold them back. If you have not yet been convinced as to the nature of pro wrestling, I can provide you with more information and other materials to watch.

If you still have opposing views, I welcome your arguments.

Thank you for reading.

Pro Wrestling Is a Sport and Its Absence Will Hurt Us All

James Triggs — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:51:46 -0400

Jeremy Kaufman, a columnist here on Bleacher Report, brought up the issue of pro wrestling being here. You can see it here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/191557-why-professional-wrestling-should-be-banned-from-bleacher-report

I am not mad or concerned that this has been brought up. In fact, I am pleased.

I would like to take this opportunity to defend pro wrestling. Without these opportunities, the image of pro wrestling cannot improve.

Ab love principium- let's start with the most important, as they used to say.

Steroids are most visible in pro wrestling

Steroids are used in so many sports, but it is in pro wrestling that it is the most visible, especially after high-profile instances of use.

As long as pro wrestling is discussed, there will be mention and discussion of steroids.

This makes pro wrestling a launchpad for dealing with the problem as a whole.

If Bleacher Report is to become a widely read source of sports journalism, as Jeremy Kaufman says,

"Arguably, the greatest issue with our era of sports is the utilization of steroids by professional athletes."

Just look at the Tour de France, for one example.

Bleacher Report can be used as a forum to combat steroids. In pro wrestling, due to the schedule and the belief of some that you need to have considerable muscle mass to succeed, it is more likely that the issue will be raised in pro wrestling more than in other sports.

How would a person who has never watched pro wrestling be able to combat steroids in pro wrestling without failing to appear authoritative? You won't be very persuasive if you don't appear like you understand what you are saying.

Sports organisations and individuals won't be convinced to make appropriate changes unless the message gets through.

It’s not enough to say what should be done, but why.

Unless you know your stuff with pro wrestling, you won't be able to fully target the issue on a maximum of opportunities.

If pro wrestling is not featured on a site like Bleacher Report and so steroids are not properly discussed, the pressure against steroids won't increase.

Pro wrestling is unlike anything else, yet similar in a number of respects, so that you can only combat steroids in pro wrestling effectively by a pro wrestling approach and that means considering all the aspects of pro wrestling.

That cannot happen if pro wrestling discussion is banned or severely limited.

If the issue of steroids in pro wrestling is not combated, it does send a bad message to everyone else. Pro wrestling is the place from which to combat steroids, which has yet to fully happen.

It showcases athleticism without serious violence

"While athletes within the boxing and MMA communities spend years of their life learning the technique and philosophy behind their powerful attacks and counter-attacks, professional wrestlers fight their way to victory through fake punches, jumps off a rope, and by slamming their victim in the head with a chair that is oh-so-conveniently left available by the side of the ring."

That is an oversimplification.

You see, good pro wrestlers do study strategy and philosophy behind how they should develop their matches, calling moves in it, so that it is as entertaining and credible as it can be.

Unfortunately, that hasn't happened as often as it should, especially in recent years.

These attacks are not faked, but the extent of force depends where you are and at what time period.

In Japan, they work like MMA artists as a rule. I've seen matches where they kick harder than kickboxers. I've seen matches where they punch just as hard as boxers.

WWE is not Broadway. A more proper comparison is with Chuck Norris. The Chuck Norris jokes are known to all to be false, but we maintain a very high perception of him because of what we know to be true.

In pro wrestling, the moves are all real, though the force, or stiffness, varies. Those who perform the moves are athletes, under a number of definitions. They are vigorously active in terms of body movement and they are trained to compete in it, something I will come back to later.

Like other sports, there is a risk of injury; in sports like soccer and tennis, there is a grave possibility of ankle and knee injuries.

Before you argue that unlike those sports, you can die in pro wrestling, I would like to point out that is actually false.

In Soccer, people can die in riots or from a brutal collision with something. It is rare but it can and does happen.

Pro wrestling isn't any different. In Tennis, people can die from heat exhaustion, as has nearly happened in some of the Australian Opens.

In all sports, injury is not part of the sport and death certainly isn't, but it happens. Deaths related to pro wrestling rather than due to steroids or other illicit substances are rare.

How many can you think of? To name just three, I can name Mariko Plum, Brian Ong and Owen Hart.

There are more, but not a great number as with other sports. Yes, kids have imitating pro wrestling, but that is a not what is being debated here.

MMA fans could potentially do the same thing. They don’t, but the point is that the deaths of kids, though regrettable, do not determine what a sport is and what is not.

Indeed, in the future Bleacher Report can help address issues like this if pro wrestling remains here.

"However, professional wrestling tries its hardest to portray the very level of violence that boxing and MMA try so hard to avoid, through the utilization of ambushes, weapons, and attacks that would typically be life-threatening if they were real."

Surely you are watching WWE.

Yes they have ambushes and home invasions which are in bad taste and which the pro wrestling community condemns more than anyone else. The product of one organisation shouldn't be used to judge the sport as a whole, especially when said product is in a bad time.

To use your example, I don't judge baseball by the Black Sox scandal.

Does pro wrestling appear brutal and bloody? Sometimes, as does MMA and boxing, but for the most part it is friendlier.

Most of the pro wrestling product on the independent circuits throughout the globe is indeed family friendly. The major promotions are less so because they have more serious storylines.

In proper pro wrestling, serious storylines are handled well. Violence is not glorified. Entertainment of the crowd is. They put their bodies on the line in the name of entertainment, but not to the point of actual damage beyond minor injuries when done correctly.

In pro wrestling, the blood is appreciated by the audience out of respect for the competitors.

Any sport aims to entertain, but only pro wrestling has a specific focus on entertainment. On top of the sporting elements, there are entertainment elements. That doesn't change pro wrestling from being a sport.

Due to the different focus, a lot of pro wrestling fans have become MMA fans. The more pro wrestling has a presence; ultimately, the more MMA has a presence.

Pro wrestling benefits amateur wrestling as well. Discussing pro wrestling can lead to interest in MMA and amateur wrestling.

Pro wrestlers compete with themselves

The definition of a sportsperson or an athlete is widely accepted to mean an individual who is trained for a sport and regularly competes in it.

Pro wrestlers are trained at pro wrestling schools.

Pro wrestling is unlike anything else and has more elements of entertainment than any other sport. It is still a sport. A narrow minded opinion of pro wrestling is often the result of two things: a media which has felt embarrassed and thus aggressively negative towards pro wrestling since it was revealed to be choreographed, as well as personal ignorance.

Ask any athlete and they are likely to say they compete with themselves to be the best. That's not a mere sporting statement. In any sport, to succeed you have to push yourself. That is very true with pro wrestling.

Just because there isn't a ranking system like in other sports doesn't change that that there is competition.

Pro wrestlers work with their in-ring colleagues to assist each other, rather than fighting against them. They still do, compete with them to a certain extent for a position in a major promotion in the independent circuit and to impress enough people to become a champion.

In pro wrestling, a championship is no mere prop. It signifies that the individual holding it is talented enough that they can carry the company. They are reliable and consistent, in the eyes of the company.

Pro wrestlers aim to become champion and do compete with it through trying to do the best they can do with what they have to work with.

Any pro wrestler knows how hard it is to succeed in the pro wrestling world. In order to get known and reach major promotions, you need to stand out in terms of technique, in terms of charisma, in terms of attitude and in terms of creativity.

Pro wrestlers compete with each other while working with them, competing to get into a major promotion, or into a higher card, a higher spot. In pro wrestling, the majority of the competition is friendly. It is still competitive.

Pro wrestlers compete with each other to achieve fame and fortune, for there are limited spots in the major promotions. In a sense, they also compete for a place in history.

The articles here and throughout the web as well as discussions do analyse legacies and how good a wrestler is and these are essentially the same as analysis of any athlete and their legacy.

In addition, pro wrestling companies are business competitors. They compete with each other for the best talent, for the best TV deals, for the most viewers. Sound familiar?

Pro wrestling is a team sport. Promotions are teams and those in each team compete to prove they are worthy the spot they have and to prove they have what it takes to carry a company, like in other combat sports.

The promotions themselves compete as well, sometimes ruthlessly as some of the manoeuvres in the past have been.

Now, to some extent, MMA is another source of competition as well and this competition is between beliefs as much as it is about the actual product.

This is the end of the first part. Thanks for reading. Please read the second part before you comment: there may be a response there to any questions you may have.

TNA Sacrifice 2009 Review Part 2: Knockouts Monster's Ball

James Triggs — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:32:46 -0400

This is part of my TNA Sacrifice 2009 Review Series. If you have read the first part, welcome back! If you are new to the series, you will find a summary of my ranking system in the first part.

Wondering whether the event is worth it to see a replay or the DVD? Wondering about the effectiveness of the show? Not everyone sees PPVs, so the analysis here could be useful.

I don't state the result of the match because there are some who wouldn't want it. A review tells people whether its worth seeing and evaluates it. If I simply summarised what happened, it could be spoilt a little.

Continuation of Review:

They introduce the video for the Knockout’s Monster Ball. A fan behind them makes a loud exclamation and does some hand gestures. A friend of his joins him. He has his brief moment of fame.

Knockouts Monster’s Ball: Taylor Wilde vs. Daffney (with Dr. Stevie and Abyss)

Daffney has a great character. She makes this match relevant. She is a good contrast to the timid Abyss. Briefly seen is a braver fan with an Abyss mask on. I would have liked to see some interaction with him.

Taylor quickly starts putting in weapons in the ring. Daffney uses a “detour” sign pretty much after Taylor returns to the ring and then, in a nice touch, throws it harshly to the ground. Camera goes on a frightened looking Abyss, which has psychological value.

Daffney got loud when she psychotically accuses Taylor. I like her telling the crowd to “shut up!” in the same tone. Overall, Daffney uses her voice to great affect, for selling and to add some more personality.

A good crowd response for Taylor in particular and the hardcore nature of this bout keeps things interesting while slowing the pace from before, which shows good placement. If another match had been in this position instead, it would have been weakened.

Camera returns periodically to Abyss. This is minor, but Dr. Stevie isn’t putting in enough. He isn’t consoling Abyss like he could and doesn’t support Daffney enough, in my opinion.

His clinical calm is understandable, but if he was involved more, it would give the commentators something better to work with regarding his involvement and Abyss’s current character. He does do things, but not enough to make his presence worthwhile.

This match was over quickly. I didn’t like that, as I thought more time would have helped this match really entertain. It felt to me like a good start that abruptly ended. The match disappointed me as the ending seemed really bad in comparison to other Monster’s Balls.

The weapons were used well, but the match seemed incomplete. I wanted to see more even a few more minutes, wisely used, could have worked wonders. The end of the match negated the advantages in terms of placement as the ending halted the momentum.

The timing was the worst thing about this match. There was nothing else that was really wrong, which is why the score is what it is. This is just the tiniest bit below standard as an overall match, but had the making of a truly high-quality match.

Even without adding extra time, if there was a more obvious reason for such a sudden loss, it would have been understandable, though still disappointing. This match didn’t push the victor, but it did make the loser look bad.

This match had the makings of a great match and a worthy addition to the Monster’s Balls if it had been fully fleshed out.

Post match had value in advancing the storyline. The same thing could have been done after a longer match if proper time management occurred.

Thumbtacks were involved and Dr. Stevie does much better in his contributions post-match. Abyss gets slapped. Really good crowd reaction post-match.

Abyss goes for a Black Hole Slam onto the thumbtacks with Taylor Wilde, but then Lauren intervenes and gets pushed down by Dr. Stevie. Huge crowd response.

Spike TV's ban on male on female violence isn't all a bad thing; it helps TNA to conserve it for PPVs and live events.

Awesome Kong decimated a male jobber at a house show suddenly become a lot more interesting knowing it is something that can't happen on iMPACT! These things can make live events seem more special.

Abyss gets hit by Dr. Stevie’s belt. Quite a good post-match segment, that doesn’t make up for the lack of a great match, but makes it easier to forget about it and move on. Lauren gets threatened by the belt and Abyss snaps, hoisting up Dr. Stevie and slamming him down on the thumbtacks.

Whether you don’t like Dr. Stevie, like Abyss getting angry or getting involved with the storyline, the post-match is good viewing and the crowd really enjoyed it on the night.

The Score:

Placement: 5.0- Average

Crowd Response: 6.3- Generally average, but had some standout moments

Relevance: 5.4- Average

Pacing 5.3- Average

Selling: 6.1- Generally average, but had some standout moments

Cohesion: 4.4- Generally average, but went below at times

Timing: 0.7- So wrong that it ruined the match

Moves: 7.1- Well above average

Entertainment Value: 5.4- Average

The Test of Time: 4.2- Generally average, but went below at times

Overall: 49.9- Had potential, but wasn’t given the time to achieve greatness.

Any comments? Other opinions? Feel free to contribute. Everyone places different weight on what they see. The more opinions known, the easier it is for people to determine whether they want to see it.

The Impact:

Was this match worth it? Yes, for it advanced the storyline. Was it as entertaining as it could be? No. With proper time management, TNA could have done both.

This match was enjoyable while it lasted and only at the TNA PPV's is there man on woman violence, for now, at least, which is why the post-match segment particularly had to happen. TNA used to have the slogan, 'We are Wrestling.'

TNA has to be wary that they don't focus too much on storylines, for if they don't go down well with viewers, it can ruin the product. If wrestling is more of a focus, the storylines don't take too much away from the match. Overall, it is more enjoyable.

This match has a lesson. Potentially great matches can lose out due to too much emphasis on storyline aspects. In the long run, apart from great feuds (which have great matches), people are going to forget about this feud.

If you have great matches, more people remember and more people come back to the matches. When you have great matches, it can raise the prestige of a type of match, like the Monster's Ball. You want to have matches that create hype because you know quality is ahead. The WarGames is a perfect example of that.

Towards the beginning of feuds, an emphasis more on wrestling could be better, to judge just how much the audience want to see it. In addition, such a quick ending can bury someone to part of the audience.

That can lessen the impact of feuds before they begin, as the fans don't think that individual can win.

Jeff Jarrett package shown, the one any regular viewer has seen many times and then shifts to some new material.

Then we go to Jeremy Borash who reveals that the next TNA iMPACT! will see three people “you wouldn’t expect.”

Two are former World Champions and the other is the newest addition to the TNA Knockout. He plugged where you could get the info. Good to generate interest in next iMPACT!

TNA Sacrifice 2009 Review (Part 1)

James Triggs — Mon, 25 May 2009 07:43:16 -0400

TNA Sacrifice 2009 Review: Part 1

Why am I doing this?

In case you want a non-spoiler version of what happened— as I won’t reveal who won matches, just in case you want to watch it (by replay or by DVD) first.

The next iMPACT! will reveal what happened, but until that happens this could be handy.

I will also be doing reviews of matches and cards from years gone by. In addition, if you want some analysis of what happened, it's here. If you are debating whether it is worth paying for these PPVs, or seeing it on DVD later, this can help.

First off, we see Jeff Jarrett, Sting, Kurt Angle and Mick Foley arrive, with the Ultimate Sacrifice match hyped up.

Hey, Sting has a nice car!

This is a standard segment, except for Mick Foley’s arrival, which had a good dose of humour.

Mick Foley is not a serious champion and this lets him get away with light entertainment that may otherwise undermine the seriousness of the match.

Proudly displaying the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was befitting considering that Foley takes the title seriously on-screen. His talking in the background was a good touch too.

What I like best about Mick Foley’s arrival is his being charming and likeable, as with some of his other vignettes.

He is not a simple heel, but a complex character, in shades of grey. This is good as it fits what TNA is trying to do and this is the way to do it.

TNA should use this approach more. Show their other side in places where it doesn’t create confusion about their alignment.

Six Man Tag Team Match: IWGP Junior Tag Team Champions The Motor City Machine Guns and Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Eric Young and Lethal Consequences

In the entrances, there is an interesting lack of heel heat for Bashir: in fact, I heard rhythmic clapping for him. Lethal comes in a white, translucent robe.

This is the usual, good-quality fast-paced match from the X Division. These matches are great as preliminary matches (rather than matches in itself) as preliminary matches are actually benefited by using less psychology, or at least using it in a different way to ease into the show, pump them up and build up the rest of the card.

This match was no exception and it succeeded in its role.

That being said, there was purpose here beyond just being entertaining. For many minutes, Eric Young wasn’t involved except at the very beginning, which highlighted the Lethal Consequence/MCMG rivalry and Eric Young’s frustration with his lack of opportunities. The timing and cohesion of the match to suit Eric Young was done very well.

There were a lot of different moves being used, including double teams and there was never a dull moment.

Was it occasionally chaotic?

Yes, but it didn’t take away too much from the match. There were some slower paced moments in there as well.

Overall, the pace wasn’t overwhelmingly fast, though more contrast between the fast pace and a slower pace, especially as time went on would have helped the match became great.

Selling wise, it was nothing special; exactly what one would expect from such a fast paced match.

They could have stayed down longer to give more time between big moves and some smaller, more complex things but the absence is entirely understandable, especially as airtime best goes elsewhere.

It is difficult to have a fast-paced match and put in great selling without slowing the pace a lot. There is an art to selling and without mastery; matches in this style will rarely have great selling.

The match was action packed and used the time well, as expected in PPV X-Division bouts. The flow was good considering the pace.

A tad chaotic, this is good, but it was a little too chaotic once or twice when everyone was in. Execution had flaws, but that is natural considering the pace. There was a big move where you could clearly see a botch.

Crowd loved this match. You could see the crowd getting more into it as the match progressed- the mark of an effective preliminary match.

There was a “This is Awesome Chant” and a TNA chant both around the 11 minute mark. I loved the “Motor City” (Group 1) “SUCKS!” (Group 2) chant. There was USA chanting going on as well. There were spots that played right to the crowd and good use of posing, especially considering this being a prelim. match.

Even though there are many matches like this one out there, this match didn’t look any worse in comparison. It was fun, it showcased what the X Division had to offer and a good way (though not extraordinary) to start the night. Post-match was meaningful, unlike a number of other X-Division matches.

About the Score:

Note: I score out of 10 for 10 separate categories, with one decimal place used.

0.0 is the lowest value and 10 being the highest. An overall score is also given, with 100 being the highest possible score. I score on psychology within each category.

Placement: How well was the match placed on the card, how did it contribute to the rest of the card?

Crowd Response: How strong was the crowd response? Not just cheers or jeers, but chants which indicate stronger involvement. What did the wrestlers do in the match to generate a response?

Relevance: How much sense did it make for the match to happen at all? Were the right people involved? How appropriate was the match and the ending?

Pacing: Was there enough contrast in speed? Did the pace captivate the audience? Did it strength the match as a whole?

Selling: Facial reactions, sounds, staying down for enough time, technical touches like attempting and failing a move (not by botching). Did the match come across as brutal, or intense, or exhausting? Did the message come across?

Cohesion: Did the match logically flow? Was it easily followed by the audience? Did pre-match and post-match moments make sense?

Timing: Was enough focus placed in the right places? Was the match given enough time? How effectively was time used?

Moves: Variety of moves used, technical execution, selection of moves.

Entertainment Value: How good is it to viewers? This score is basically my opinion on how strongly I recommend the match, or warn you away from it.

The Test of Time: How does it stand in comparison to other matches? If a historical match, has time hurt it?

Score:

Placement: 5.9- Average

Crowd Response: 8.5- Well above average

Relevance: 5.2- Average

Pacing 5.3- Average

Selling: 5.2- Average

Cohesion: 6.2- Generally average, but had some standout moments

Timing: 6.3- Generally average, but had some standout moments

Moves: 7.5- Above Average

Entertainment Value: 8.6- Well above average

The Test of Time: 8.4- Well above average.

Overall: 67.1- High quality bout from the X Division

Any comments? Other opinions? Feel free to contribute.

Everyone places different weight on what they see. The more opinions known, the easier it is for people to determine whether they want to see it.

The TNA Announce team hypes up the main event, and then they go through other matches on the card.

Main event hyped again, pre-show video with Sting talking with some of the TNA talent, notably the younger talent. Very brief, highlighting the possibility of his retirement.

A John Cena Solution for Bedtime

James Triggs — Mon, 18 May 2009 05:53:38 -0400

John Cena is a highly controversial wrestler. WWE wants him to be he next Hulk Hogan. You know what? They've succeeded. John Cena is just like Hulk Hogan, except with better wrestling ability that some cannot see due to his character making some moves unsuitable.

But I'm not here to defend John Cena. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I'm not here to talk about his wrestling ability, but WWE's treatment of him.

Hulk Hogan's character didn't have depth. Neither does John Cena's. Vince McMahon was reportedly upset at how Cena was booed by audiences as he settled into his current gimmick.

That's understandable. He wanted another Hulk Hogan. All promoters want big stars. The problem is, a Hulk Hogan type character doesn't work anymore. Pro wrestling has changed with the times.

John Cena is a big inspiration and favourite of children. Just like Hogan. He is usually victorious in matches. Hogan again. He is predictable and as a character, represents a perfect good guy. One more, like Hogan.

The thing is, good pro wrestling characters have depth. They have imperfections which, ironically, bring them closer to perfection than starting of with a supposedly perfect good guy/heel.

Development and history, change like that of humans, brings them depth that we are interested in. Certain demographics have proved to appreciate Cena more and to be more faithful. But the majority aren't. Pro wrestling has changed.

By the same token, some things stay the same. A good promotion listens to their fans. A great promotion would realise their errors when they make them. The best promotions understand the value of time. Part of this means knowing certain tings cannot succeed like they used to.

Many have suggested and wanted Cena to turn heel. That caters to some demographics, but not to others and Cena is wanted by WWE to be a big face, a big draw. He does a lot of community work.

Some don't like that he is a "company man" but I see that as loyalty, something to be treasured in the pro wrestling business where it is deserved.

For those, I address a question. Please ask yourself: if WWE ran more to your tastes, would you still lament his being a company man? Maybe you just don't like his attitude because there you don't like the company approach. You might want one of their top superstars to criticise the business to suit your opinion. Perhaps, or perhaps not.

What's more important is that John Cena, if he can be a great face, loved by most, will make WWE a lot of money. WWE has a potential golden goose on their hands. What WWE needs to do is solve the Cena problem: How to make Cena loved by many without changing his character significantly?

Here is my humble, fantasy solution.

Cena cannot be a mere heel. he cannot merely revert to his rapper days. At the same time, he needs depth and attitude. He needs to be more human. Even The Undertaker is more human as he represents a bad-ass Gothic attitude many of us admire.

Cena is relatively plain. How can society fully appreciate and like him as a wrestler? Many can, but not enough for him to be a great face at the moment.

Here's my fantasy solution. get ready for a bedtime story. get cosy, go to the toilet if you need to...

Once upon a time, in a wrestling ring far, far, away John Cena had reached the breaking point. He had enough of fans deriding him. A man can only take so much and he had given so much to a business he loved. Yet, wherever he goes he got jeers as well as cheers.

John Cena had tried and tried and tried. Then, he came to a realisation. He came down to the ring and told the world that he wanted to give every member of the audience an Attitude Adjustment (with the exceptions of women, the US Military, children and some men for has no problems with his supporters and could not bear to hurt them anyway.)

Cena told the world as tempted as he was, he was a good man and could not do it. But, he could give himself an Attitude Adjustment. He told the world he had enough of the naysayers. He demands respect for the blood, sweat and tears, the sacrifices he has made.

Now, it is "My Life," he says and proceeds to tell his supporters to be wary of nasty people who hurt feelings. He informs the crowd they will learn to like him as he isn't going away, oh no. In fact, he plans to get a Championship once more to show everyone that when it comes to Cena, "You Can't Beat Me."

He demands an opponent and one comes to the ring. Just before he wins, Cena tells the crowd, "its time to upgrade" and uses a variant of his former finishing move (this new move would be a Standing Firemen's Carry Powerbomb, if you must know).

He proves his point, "You Can't Beat Me" and leaves the building. Over the next few months, he raps against those who don't support him, because in tough times one must get tough.

To all others he's the same old Cena, though Cryme Tyme and R-Truth tell him he's got new-found street-cred. As time goes on, the fans cheer. Cena doesn't stop as he feels they're just jumping on the bandwagon now that Cena is cool again.

Eventually, he mellows and Cena lived happily ever after as a face not afraid to be tough and be rough with rap when the time comes. The End.

What do you think of this fantasy? I personally think that this way, WWE gets the star they want, Cena gets to continue being what he wants to be on-screen and more fans get what they want. Cena gets more personality, more depth and as a result is more interesting to the general populace.

But, I want to know your opinions. How do you feel about this? Is this possible solution flawed? I hope you to think about Cena and the situation WWE is in with him.

A Chance for Change for WWE's Tag Team Division

James Triggs — Sun, 17 May 2009 07:38:03 -0400

At this time, Team 3D is running a Tag Team Invitational Tournament in TNA. They have made comments that tag team wrestling is alive and well in TNA.

Between their various tag teams and especially after Team 3D’s recent battle with Beer Money, I have to agree. They openly criticised WWE’s tag team division, something I would like to look at here in view of this recent comments.

What happened? Just two years ago we had London and Kendrick, the exciting young high flyers.

We had Deuce ‘n’ Domino, who had a thuggish appeal, we had Regal and Taylor, the veterans with power and skill, Rated R-KO and DX, main-eventing teams that were more than just two singles wrestlers paired together.

We had Cade and Murdoch, Jesse and Festus, the Major Brothers, Cryme Tyme, the Highlanders, all for variety, The World’s Greatest Tag Team, the Hardys, both teams which had a bit of nostalgia to it, and Miz and Morrison, the cocky tag team with talent to boot.

They all had good air time and the tag team division had depth. It didn’t have great wrestling, but it was certainly entertaining.

How many teams do WWE have now? The Hart Trilogy has reformed on ECW. We have Cryme Tyme and The World’s Greatest Tag Team on SmackDown!

We have the Legacy which team up with each other on RAW and the Colóns appearing on all three brands as they are Unified WWE Tag Team Champions.

That’s definitely not as many tag teams as before. Yes, we have tag teams of two singles wrestlers, but that isn’t the same. That’s not a real tag team.

At this point in time, WWE’s tag team division is lacking, partly evidenced by the tag team championship unification, which is a way of giving the illusion of depth to a tag team division by having challengers from all three brands.

WWE needs to put renewed focus on tag team wrestling, because a successful tag team pushes two superstars, not one. A successful tag team feud pushes even more.

Since WrestleMania, WWE have been emphasised younger talent, a welcome move, though the actions of Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at WrestleMania are proof that older talent can contribute at a high level and should be given the opportunity to do so.

My opinion is that a strong tag team division creates stars quicker than having all the focus on the singles division.

Tag teams can be popular and successful without needing the storylines singles wrestlers have. Take the examples of MNM when they first came in, or the Major Brothers, or even Primo, as part of the Colóns.

If the crowd likes what they see, those wrestlers will become more popular and eventually will become stars, especially if they wrestle with star tag teams. At the very least, they will have good exposure before getting into the singles division.

Not to mention the fact that there can only be so many people in the main-event of a singles division and if Tag Team Championships are promoted as equal alternatives to the singles championships, as opposed to subordinate titles like the Intercontinental and US titles, more people can get big boosts.

It is very understandable why WWE shut down the cruiserweight division. Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero were involved with other things and they just didn’t have enough things creatively to give the cruiserweights they had the air-time they needed.

It is also understandable why the tag team division has been deemphasised. WWE have priorities (which their viewers do not necessarily agree with) they choose to follow. They cannot do everything at once.

The point is that priorities have changed. Now is a prime opportunity for a strong tag team division as it will give the benefits WWE wants at this time: the boosting of younger talent.

Technically WWE should want a more varied product that engages a broader viewer base, but they also want to stay true to WWE’s creative vision, whatever it happens to be (and whatever the general public thinks of it).

Before you go criticising that, saying promotions should listen to their fans, understand the lure. If you were a promoter, you would book things your way.

That has been proven by history, as many wrestlers, when given booking power, have used it more to their advantage than the company, or the fans.

If the crowd wanted something different, it can be hard to listen to them instead of oneself. WWE Management are human beings with feeling too. They can be tempted just as we are.

The WWE Universe can get as vocal as they want, but unless they present logical arguments that are difficult to deny and in accordance with WWE’s priorities, as opposed to idealistic wishes which WWE Management can ignore as against their creative vision and representative of a minority of fans, it is unlikely the fans can create change.

There are many who want Cena to turn heel, for example, but that’s not going to happen as it isn’t part of their creative vision.

For those that want a stronger product, you need to work on their terms. Now is a perfect opportunity. There are WWE fans that want a stronger tag team division in the WWE and it’s a great way for WWE to achieve what is part of its creative vision- a company with fresher, younger talent having greater prominence.