Putting The Sport Back In Sports Entertainment

Saw something interesting at my old stomping grounds at 411 yesterday:

One of the major reasons that Vince McMahon has been supportive of CM Punk keeping the WWE Title for so long is because of The Rock. McMahon was said to be very supportive of CM Punk holding on to the title at Survivor Series because he's worried if the title gets put on someone different, The Rock might have an issue with it.

CM Punk vs. Rock at Royal Rumble has been teased since the summer and is something The Rock agreed to do. Vince reportedly doesn't want to upset The Rock by changing things last minute regarding the creative plans for 2013.

The missive, which was credited to F4Wonline.com, could very well be true. I’m not there to know. But I think there’s more to it. Something I’ve noticed for quite a few months now.

In fact, to illustrate this, I can go back to 411 (and Monday News Sheriff Stephen Randle) and bring up some data regarding the length of title reigns available there at the beginning of every week:


WWE Champion: CM Punk
- 372 day reign, defeated Alberto Del Rio on November 20th, 2011 (Survivor Series PPV)

World Heavyweight Champion: The Big Show
- 29 day reign, defeated Sheamus on October 28th (Hell in a Cell PPV)

WWE Intercontinental Champion: Kofi Kingston
- 40 day reign, defeated The Miz on October 17th (WWE Main Event)

WWE United States Champion: Antonio Cesaro
- 99 day reign, defeated Santino Marella on August 19th (SummerSlam PPV)

WWE Tag Team Champions: Kane and Daniel Bryan
- 71 day reign, defeated Kofi Kingston and R-Truth on September 16th (Night of Champions PPV)

WWE Divas' Champion: Eve Torres
- 71 day reign, defeated Layla on September 16th (Night of Champions PPV)

WWE NXT Champion: Seth Rollins
- 89 day reign, defeated Jinder Mahal to become the inaugural Champion


Whils most people (including WWE themselves) are focusing on the length of CM Punk's reign, those are some pretty impressive numbers across the board, especially compared to what they used to be. The shortest reign there (at that time, Monday, November 26) was that of World Heavyweight Champion Big Show. Before that? Sheamus held that title for 210 days (04/01/12 - 10/28/12)

What this points out is that WWE, under the direction of Triple-H (I believe), is subtly putting more focus back on the sporting aspect of “sports entertainment.”

Many, if not all, of the titles listed above, used to change hands like Taylor Swift at a Hollywood premiere party. There was no real focus put on having a title and, as a result, no real meaning to having a belt. Now? That’s slowly and sneakily changing by having those titles - and those holding them - being treated with some import. Hell, even the Tag Titles mean something now!

And it’s not just the titles this is happening in. WWE’s newest show, “Main Event,” has one of the coolest formats on television. (It’s easily my favorite wrestling show on right now with the exception of NXT, which I’m not sure I can count since some bonehead made sure we can’t watch it in the States.) Two dudes are set for a feature match. They show videos on both guys beforehand. They interview both guys beforehand. They have the match. Cole and Miz/JBL focus on the match with play-by-play and color commentary about what the match means. Somebody wins, somebody loses - and we get comments from both guys afterward. Just like a regular sporting contest. Imagine that.

Even on Raw, the show where a lot of ridiculousness happens (no, I’m not discussing the AJ/John Cena/Vickie Guerrero/Dolph Ziggler storyline here...or at all, really), there are more matches! What a concept! Granted, the show is now 3 hours long (?!), but the thing about those matches? They’re actually good! And when they happen, there’s some semblance of urgency placed on who won, who lost, and why!

In my mind, I think we’re seeing Triple-H’s handiwork. For all his time in DX, Triple-H has always come across as a wrestling fan. He’s always had a passion for this business, maybe because he loves what it was, is, and - more to the point - could be again. I think that, as time goes on, we’ll be seeing more of this shift back to a product that can be taken more seriously. If that’s what’s going on here, I’m all for it.

WWE Walks Out - On Logic And Sense

How bad did the ending to this week's WWE Raw suck? Let me count the ways...





1) If the Board of Directors for WWE were the ones that gave Vince the Vote of No Confidence and had him replaced, why are they not doing the same to Triple-H?



2) How can WWE’s talent give him that vote when they’re not even technically employees of the company?



3) They’re all independent contractors, remember?



4) Why did this happen on live TV and not in the Boardroom? Name one other company that has televised a live “Vote of Confidence” meeting.



5) Wade Barrett railing against chaos and an “unsafe working environment” and being afraid of being “attacked in the parking lot”? Really?



6) Okay, that was actually pretty funny.



7) Mike Chioda is the spokesperson for the referees. The guy that just came off of a Wellness suspension. Because his credibility can’t be questioned.



8) Beth Phoenix? Of all people? Pulls the “we’re ickle pwetty girls and we could get a boo-boo” card? The girl who just recently had a Twitter profile pic of her holding an alligator>? Whose entire persona revolves around not being a Barbie doll but being tougher than the average Diva? Seriously?



9) And if you’re that concerned with getting hurt, ladies, then why on earth are you there?



10) I don’t know much about the “Vote of Confidence” procedure, but doesn’t everyone have to give their vote individually? And state their reasons for their vote?



11) So, hold on - everyone walked out? Isn’t that a resignation from the job? They just all quit, right?



12) Hell, buy TNA and replace them all! Not like they’re doing anything important!



13) What exactly happened to merit a “Vote of Confidence”, anyway? The place is an “unsafe working environment” and Triple-H “lost control of the company”?



14) Why wasn’t any of this done when the Nexus attacked in June, 2010? You mean to tell me a run-in from The Miz and R-Truth was worse that that?



15) I don’t think so. A couple referees and a few of the talent took a beating, but who else has been attacked?



16) Oh, but things were already bad before this? How? Name one instance that was worse than the end of the Hell In A Cell pay-per-view.



17) And no, the heels banding together to air their grievances doesn’t count. Claiming an “unsafe environment” for instances that you have done yourself isn’t even an argument?



18) Doesn’t all of this seem rather silly? Especially for a wrestling show? Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.



19) But, you know what? It’s their fault for trying to be more “realistic”. In doing so, logic has to be part of the equation. And it’s obvious that none was employed here.



20) If you want to be “more realistic”, try presenting WWE as an actual sports product. Focusing on the word “entertainment” isn’t working out for you.



21) Because all it’s lead to nonsensical storylines that are completely illogical. It may please the kids you’re coveting as an audience, but it’s driving long-time fans away who simply want their wrestling product to make some sense.



22) Oh, and please don’t give me the party line about how I’m a “hater” because I’m not willing to “see how this plays out.” I tried that once already. With CM Punk. And we see how well WWE followed up on that.



23) Speaking of CM Punk, where was he during all this? Isn’t he that guy that wanted “change” so bad? And he wasn’t there to vote?



24) For that matter, where were John Cena and Randy Orton, the two biggest stars in the company? Would this not concern them as well?

Punk Points Out A Problem

Nevermore to be held down
By the weights against me
Nevermore to be cast aside
This day is mine

If only I'd waited a week to start doing audio, huh? But then, really, would it have mattered?

CM Punk is in the news again. And the shortsightedness that has resulted is staggering.

The promo that Punk cut at the end of the 06.27.11 Raw completely detonated the internet. He said the word - *gasp!* - wrestling! He mentioned Ring of Honor! And New Japan Pro Wrestling! He name-dropped Colt Cabana...and then John Laurinatis! Wow! And, oh my God, did he go off on the McMahon family or what??



Needless to say, the resulting storm was almost as entertaining as the promo itself. Speculation and discussion has run rampant on whether the promo was part of the story (“herein known as “work”) or if Punk completely went out and freaked out the powers-that-be in WWE on his own (known from here on out as “shoot”, for those unfamiliar with “insider” terms). The eternal question of “work-or-shoot” seems to be what roughly 90% of that fallout is focused on. The other 10% is all about whether WWE can keep the story this fresh and exciting or if the promo is simply used to provide yet another family-friendly happy ending and thrown away within three weeks. Those angles are the only two being discussed because, again, hardly anyone is looking at the bigger picture.

How many guys have willingly called an audible and ventured outside the confines of World Wrestling Entertainment? Despite the fact that it is the largest and best company in the world marketplace for the pro wrestling industry (is that term even allowed anymore?), a lot of guys have walked away. Even when Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling was nipping at WWE’s heels or even overtaking them for a brief period, WWE was still the top of the mountain. Fast forward to now, where there really is no viable alternative and WWE is the top company in the world. That kind of stability and security is not available anywhere else...and yet, at least ten top stars within the last five years didn’t give a damn about that.

Since 2006, WWE has seen guys the company to pursue other dreams, while some simply hated working for WWE and didn’t want to be there anymore. We’re not counting stars that retired from wrestling altogether, such as Edge, Shawn Michaels, or JBL. Nor are we talking about also-rans like Zach Ryder who never got a chance in the first place; we’re talking major stars. Main-event players. Kurt Angle. Ric Flair. Mick Foley. Dave Batista. Jeff Hardy. Rob Van Dam. Chavo Guerrero Jr. MVP. Chris Jericho. All. Gone. Because they couldn’t stand being in such a sterilized, suffocating environment anymore.

CM Punk Could very well be the next to go. The word has been for months now that Punk was unhappy under the WWE banner and wanted out. His promo on Raw, planned or not, certainly shows just how miserable he is. On the June 27, 2011 edition of “Right After Wrestling”, former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas stated that, whenever it came for a talent to “shoot”, the talent in those situations were virtually given carte-blanche to talk with no restrictions. Korderas said that it would be fair to guess that Punk had that same leeway when he spilled his bile this past Monday. If that is the case, and what Punk said was truly from the heart...oh, yeah. He’s so leaving WWE.

Sure, the argument could be made whether or not Punk is actually leaving. If this is all a work and Punk has already worked out a deal to stay and WWE has the guts to run with such an edgy story as so many internet wrestling fans are hoping for? Great. Congratulations. I’ll be the first to admit ya got me. Show of hands - how many people actually think the McMahon family, Johnny Ace, and Kevin “The Beaver” Dunn the powers-that-be WWE would put themselves in a position to look weak for even a split second? They have families to cater to! And that’s because they have shareholders to please now! Who on earth thinks that WWE will carry through on a story this outside-the-norm? You really think they’d turn around the status quo?

Because, let’s face it, they have no real reason to. There’s no way they’d act on something this buzzworthy just to please guys that they don’t give a damn about despite having watched their lousy product for so many years like me. CM Punk called himself “just a spoke in the wheel”, and this is the first guy that’s gotten WWE mainstream attention (which they so crave) simply by doing a storyline. What does that make us, then? People that have worked in the business alongside us internet nerds who just write these stupid little blogs (because, let’s face it, that’s how they see us) who are on the outside looking in now are just that. Outsiders. Our opinion doesn’t matter whether we have a resume or not. If you think it does and they just might go outside of their little PG-Era, we-know-how-it’s-done-because-we’re-the-only-game-in-town box to make more money, then you’re as deluded as they come.

Now that we have all that nonsense, can we look at a bigger issue? Well, if you read between lines like so many have done this week with Punk’s promo, they you might realize we kind of already have.

What is it about WWE that is making so many top stars want to leave? How some guys are presented on television and treated backstage, in comparison to their overall worth to the company (or even perceived self-worth), seems to be a motivating factor for hauling ass. Backstage politics are an accepted part of the business, and not being used to full potential when it’s obvious the company is missing the boat on what talent has to offer can get frustrating in any line of work. Once egos get involved? Instant problem. Especially with a company that has every right to believe its way to do business is the only way because they’ve survived the test of time and competition.

There’s the frustration of company practices possibly in places, but that can also reach to encompass creative aspects as well. WWE produces a very specific product that has become stale and boring. Their pay-per-view numbers reflect that much. Yet, because they have several other revenue streams and no one’s even close to competing with them in the current marketplace right now, they have the power to produce their current product a very specific way. But what about those that enjoy more creativity and freedom than that stifling atmosphere is willing to give them? Guys like MVP, Chavo Guerrero, and Low-Ki? They were willing to give up the big guaranteed salaries in order to pursue that. The ethos of “do it yourself” is more possible, viable, and possible than ever thanks to new technology. To hell with wrestlers – more and more people overall are realizing that this is a prime time to strike out on your own without having to answer to anyone. Everyone from me to Colt Cabana to Dave Lagana are taking that route because we have all the freedom we need to say and do whatever we want.

The talent roster is as thin now as it has been in recent memory, and losing names like CM Punk have to come as a blow to the company’s ability to make money. For WWE’s sake, they should hope the talent bleeding stops soon. The company could possibly be less restrictive on policies and creative freedoms, but it is unlikely as that direction has led to more mainstream acceptance, which has always been Vince McMahon’s big fantasy. The trade-off seems to be that WWE is losing major stars that would rather be part of pro wrestling than an entertainment company. After this past Monday, it’s safe to say that CM Punk is among those stars that are willing to leave it all behind in the name of personal fulfillment.