Bleacher Report - Articles by Jack Windham

Behind the Scenes: Jamie Noble

Jack Windham — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:39:23 -0400

If you don't know why a guy like Jamie Noble still has a job with WWE, then you don't know very much about how the business works.

What Fans See

Browse around on various message boards across the internet, and you get a good feel of what the internet wrestling community thinks.

On the rare occasion that Jamie Noble's name does get mentioned, there's generally two types of reaction that you will see. Some are shocked that he's still on the WWE payroll, while others believe that he's just a "waste of space."

Very rarely do you see Jamie Noble being praised by the vast majority of the internet wrestling community.

Jamie Noble gets overlooked because he doesn't get a huge push. He also doesn't have the cool catchphrases or the comedic gimmick like Santino Marella or Charlie Haas (back when he was impersonating every wrestler under the sun).

He has a redneck gimmick, but it hardly gets any exposure on television nowadays.

To the casual wrestling fan, he's just another person on the roster.

What Jamie Noble Really Is

To the hardcore fans that understands the business, though, Jamie Noble is a lot like the Transformers. There's more than meets the eyes.

In basketball, you hear the term "coach on the floor" used pretty often when there's a veteran guard that understands the offensive system completely and knows what it takes to make it run like a well-oiled machine.

To apply the term to wrestling, Jamie Noble is a "coach in the ring."

Jamie Noble is the guy that you throw into matches against younger and less experienced wrestlers. He can make a new wrestler look credible in their television debut.

He can also spend weeks working with a lesser experienced wrestler on the house show circuit and help them improve.

It takes a special type of person to spend that much time working with someone else just to see them (and not you) being elevated to a spot on the weekly television shows.

Long Term

While so many people have Jamie Noble on their "Next To Be Released" list, he might have a lot more job security than you know.

The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion has a great mind for the business. WWE actually once entrusted the booking for the cruiserweight division to Jamie Noble. He was in charge of a group of wrestlers.

While it wasn't a major success (partly due to Vince McMahon not wanting it to be), Jamie Noble still received praise for the work that he put in.

The belief is that he will be available for a front office job after he retires from in-ring competition. Since he's still physically capable (Jamie Noble is only 32 years old), the company will keep using him to fill a role on the roster.

Closing Thoughts

Just wanted to give Jamie Noble some shine. He's a talented guy who does his job well. Unfortunately, though, we're in an industry where the majority of the fans aren't capable of seeing and appreciating that.

Jack Windham is the senior writer for WrestlingRevealed.com.

The John Cena-Vince McMahon Friendship

Jack Windham — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:25:23 -0500

The personal friendship between John Cena and Vince McMahon should clearly show you just how valuable of an employee the former WWE Heavyweight Champion is.

The Cena Hate

Anyone that has ever read a message board, stepped into a wrestling arena, or even talked with other wrestling fans will know that John Cena isn't the most beloved wrestler in the world. He has his fair share of detractors that belittle him at every opportunity.

It's a shame how far the hate has gotten, especially considering how he works so hard for the company. He also does a lot of charity work that gets overlooked by those who can't get past his television character.

I remember being absolutely disgusted with a few fans who celebrated the fact that John Cena had become injured.

Some are so blinded by the hate that they believe that John Cena will be out of WWE soon.

Well, that's not going to happen. Not only does John Cena make a lot of money for WWE, but he's also a close personal friend of Vince McMahon.

Rock 'n Rolling

Reports surfaced this week that John Cena and Vince McMahon were spotted partying in the front row of an AC/DC concert.

AC/DC is a legendary rock band, and they recently provided WWE with an official theme song for the Survivor Series pay per view. That should explain the invitation.

This is not the first time that these two have been at events together. Over the years, the two have formed quite a close friendship behind the scenes and outside of the arena as well.

It's well known that Vince McMahon does not have a lot of close personal friends in his life. With his obsession with the wrestling business, he doesn't have much time for friends outside of the industry. So, those that work closest with him end up becoming his closest friends.

It happened with Steve Austin. It happened with Triple H. Now, it's happening with John Cena.

Money Talks

When you look at those three names above, you'll realize that they all have something in common. Steve Austin, Triple H, and John Cena have all been the centerpieces of Vince McMahon's company before. They've all brought in quite a bit of money into WWE.

In the corporate world, the CEO is most likely to associate himself with the vice presidents of the company. He's not going to be hanging out with the data entry guy that was sent over from the temp agency or the guy in the mail room. No, he's going to associate with those that are closest to his level.

Like him or not, John Cena has a very high position within the company.

He doesn't have as much power as Triple H. Nor does he have as much power as the Undertaker. However, very few people are going to be on that level. Triple H is married into the family, while the Undertaker commands respect after all of his years of service to WWE. Nonetheless, though, John Cena does hold a lot of power within the company.

It's easy to get power within the company when you're able to sell merchandise, event tickets, and pay per views. While there are others that can do that as well, they're not necessarily like John Cena. He doesn't get in trouble for drugs. Nor does he embarrass himself when placed on national TV and other media covered places.

On a side note, he doesn't have the power to declare himself the world champion. A lot of wrestling fans are under the assumption that John Cena is the lead writer based on how much hate he gets for constantly being put over other wrestlers. No, that job still belongs to Vince McMahon. If anything, blame him.

Closing Thoughts

No matter how much you hate John Cena, you should just realize that he's here to stay. He's got friends in high places, and he's doing all of the right things that the company is asking him to do.

WWE Worldwide Tour

Jack Windham — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:26:25 -0500

With all of the success that the company has overseas, WWE should seriously consider touring the world during the entire year.

Financial Success

If you read Jim Ross's official blog, then you'll learn that WWE has been doing extremely well on their current overseas tour. In fact, a lot of companies out there would love to make as much money as WWE does at each night's show during their overseas tour. We're talking about millions of dollars being made in a span of two weeks here.

It seems that every single time WWE ventures outside of the United States, they end up coming home with their pockets a little bit fatter.

Since it's rare for foreign fans to be able to see the wrestlers, the arenas are generally packed since it becomes a "can't miss" show.

Less Interest At Home

A slow economy and a lackluster product have combined together to hurt WWE's bottom line.

People nowadays have less money to spend on entertainment items. They're going to be lot pickier about how they spend their money. With WWE not producing consistently exciting television shows each week, more and more people are turning away.

There was a time when WWE tickets were the hottest thing in town. Now, there are certain nights where WWE is unable to fill up half of the arena.

Go Global

One interesting method for WWE to bring in additional revenue is to constantly have an overseas tour going.

Sound crazy? You're right. However, keep in mind that WWE became as big as they are because Vince McMahon was willing to try crazy tactics. He's the one that ate up all of the territorial wrestling companies during the 1980s.

Vince McMahon is not opposed to thinking outside of the circle when it comes to his business.

My plan does not involve WWE solely doing overseas tours and abandoning the United States. No, my plan involves WWE rotating their wrestlers and have them go on month long tours in other countries.

Obviously, WWE can't afford to take an entire brand overseas for a month. However, they can take a handful of wrestlers from each brand, write them off television for a month (with the real explanation that they're overseas), and do shows all over the world. On one tour, you can take two main event wrestlers, some midcard wrestlers, some tag teams, some developmental wrestlers, and some divas. That should be enough to produce a quality show.

I know that it's a lot more difficult to travel in foreign countries than it is your own. However, these wrestlers are pretty used to living out of suitcases for weeks at a time. A month long tour shouldn't drain them too bad.

Plus, when the wrestlers do return to television, it will be a welcomed one for the audience.

Closing Thoughts

It wouldn't hurt WWE too bad to try this idea out. It does increase revenue, and it does increase foreign exposure for the company. Figuring out how to work with the storylines while these wrestlers are gone is an entirely different project.

Jack Windham is the lead writer for WrestlingRevealed.com

Marijuana Problems in WWE

Jack Windham — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:50:36 -0500

It appears that WWE is starting to crack down on marijuana use within the company.

Official Policy

After several wrestlers passed away, the company began enforcing stricter policies on drug use by the wrestlers. Since the company has stockholders to answer to, it was considered a very smart move.

There's a certain list of drugs that the company will consider a violation of their wellness program. Marijuana isn't one of those drugs that are on the list. If wrestlers fail a drug test because of marijuana, they simply pay a $1,000 fine as opposed to being suspended.

For a lot of wrestlers, some of whom make six figure annual salaries, that's a small price to pay to be able to enjoy marijuana.

A couple of the wrestlers who smoked marijuana have been told to completely stop, or else they would face stricter punishments. It wouldn't be a complete shock if the company modified their wellness program to include marijuana soon.

Repeat Offenders

There are several wrestlers who have been caught smoking marijuana.

In fact, one wrestler has been caught approximately a dozen times by the company. The wrestler's push has been halted each time that they've been caught.

What If...?

There's two very high profile wrestlers that are no longer with WWE that are known to smoke marijuana. They're both former world heavyweight champions, too.

Rob Van Dam hasn't been shy about being a fan of marijuana. While he was with the original ECW, he constantly made references to it. He's very public about it.

There were reports that Booker T was also a proponent of the drug. The rumors were that he left WWE because he was upset with how the company handled his drug suspension (he was also upset about other things as well).

If the $1,000 fine had been around while these guys were still under contract, one can't help but wonder if they'd still be with WWE. Surely, they can both afford the minor fine.

Public Reaction

The reaction from wrestling fans to this bit of news will be quite interesting.

There's a good amount of wrestling fans who smoke marijuana themselves. It's these very fans who will be most outspoken about the situation. They'll intently defend the rights of the wrestlers to smoke marijuana.

In my personal opinion, if it doesn't affect their work, then it doesn't really affect me. If it does affect their work, then I place no blame on the company for being more strict about the issue.

Closing Thoughts

I sure would love to know which wrestler it was that failed the test a dozen times.

Jack Windham is the lead writer for WrestlingRevealed.com.