AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS.com
A lots of news from WWE and Stamford this week; some good…some not so much.
If several years ago, someone had told you thatthe main event of a WWE PPV would be CM Punk vs. Bryan Danielson, you’d have called them a ROHbot, or at least suggested that they go somewhere for a nicelong rest.
Yet last night’s Over the Limit featured just that.
And it was everything you’d expect…but I’d still love tohave the “WWE Universe” see whatt hese towo could do…ala Ring ofHonor…even if in abbreviated form.
Meanwhile, the flagship television show of WWE, MondayNight RAW, is going to three hours beginning with their 1,000show (actually 999th by count) in July. John Cena announced the news onhis Twitter feed earlier this week.
So let me get this straight.
On more than a few nights, RAW seems to struggle to filltwo hours of quality wrestling. Mind you, we got the great build to Lesnar-Cenaand a PPV match that was ten levels beyond what anyone thought it would be.
But that’s not the typical. Instead, all too often we getskits with a guy wearing a pretend snake on his hand and arm…or Paul Heymanis playing Brock Lesnar‘s lawyer/agent/mouthpiece, or we get more of themis-adventures of the heel stumbling buffoon/general manager/authority figuretrying to show authority and send texts to some mysterious person, all at thesame time….or dance routines from the love child of 2 Cold…er, FlashFunk and PN News, Brodus Clay…and Kelly Kelly trying yet again to run theropes. Notice you aren’t seeing a whole lot of wrestling in all that.
So with all that… WWE storywriters are being asked togive create another hour of programming…live…each week? This, along witheventually (whenever clearances finally happen with major carriers), creatingprogramming for an entire niche cable network.
What makes WWE think people are actually going to watchanother hour of wrestling…entertainment instead of the NCIS reruns that weredoing just fine in ratings for USA Network? For that matter, what is USANetwork thinking?
I can’t be the only person who wonders if this 8:00 hour,or the announced interactive format (ala Cyber Sunday) is actually testprogramming for the WWE Network, when and if it ever takes place.
And of course…there’s Linda McMahon running for theUnited Senate again. This past week, she got the endorsement of the RepublicanParty Convention in the State. She does still have to win the partyprimary in August. So we can look forward to more Stand Up for Lind…er,WWE pseudo-ads sticking up for themselves (and Linda) during WWEprogramming between now and November.
Yippee.
Until next time…
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