MAILBAG: Is The Wrestling Media Killing Pro Wrestling?

SEScoops Mailbag for August 18th

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: I would like to know the real reason for the Stone Cold Steve Austin heel turn at WrestleMania 17 when he joined Vince McMahon. Do you think that was a good move for business? – Troy

A: Austin has said that it was all his idea and he now regrets doing it. Instead of a handshake, if he could do things differently, he would have given McMahon a Stunner to close out the show. At the time, he felt his character was getting stale and needed a fresh start. As far as whether it was good for business, the numbers don’t lie. Ratings began a slow descent that they’ve never recovered from and thousands of fans who watched wrestling back then stopped doing so, never to return. It killed their golden goose and don’t think that it doesn’t play a role in why they’ve been so resistant to turning John Cena heel all these years. More than a decade later, WWE recently began conducting focus groups to see how they can work to get back what they refer to as “lapsed” fans.

Q: It is quite clear that Melina has a poor reputation with the locker room and just about everyone. My question: I believe in “Have A Nice Day”, Mick Foley was very complimentary of her to the point where it was a little creepy. Was this tongue-in-cheek or did Mick really see something in her? It just doesn’t add up. – Paul from Bangor, ME

A: Nope, Mick is a very big fan and thinks quite highly of her, not necessarily from an in-ring POV, but more as a nice, warm person. It’s not a gag. If you ask me, I think he probably just wanted to Bangor (get it? Because the person writing in is from a place called Bangor? Okay, let’s forget this ever happened).

Q: Is the [wrestling] media killing wrestling? Back in the day, WWE had better ratings and more fans then they do now. Could it be spoilers that ruin the surprises or the wrestlers’ personal lives getting on the internet or what? The fans used to love the Hardy Boys, but now people bash them for their mid-life crisis. Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior are disrespected because of their personal lives, but they used to be idols. – Austin N.

A: What a tired argument. The media is not killing wrestling, dumb wrestlers (and bookers) are killing wrestling. It’s like saying guns kill people – no, people kill people and just happen to sometimes use guns. Spoilers have been readily accessible on the internet since at least the mid-90’s and it’s never been proven that a live show consistently outperforms a taped show. The Hardys? People bash them because they’re a few fries short of a Happy Meal and bring scrutiny upon themselves by having their home raided by police, or by posting ridiculous YouTube videos of themselves eating grapes and tasering their girlfriend and running around their home with a gun pretending to chase ghosts. You can’t blame the media for that. As for Hogan and Warrior, they used to be idols to many fans because those fans were 10-years old and didn’t know any better. Now that they’re running around with iPhones cutting promos on each other every five minutes, it’s just sad. That hardly means I hold Steve Jobs and Apple responsible for their silly behavior.

Q: What if one day the WWE were to “really change forever”, as Triple H told us it would, and the company produced [more interesting] storylines and make ALL their championships seem important. Do you think WWE would be better off if they switch all of their programs from the USA network and SyFy to ESPN? And if they were to get a deal right now with ESPN, do you think it would mean anything? – Adrian Ramlochan from Trinidad

A: If only if it were as easy as you make it out to be. WWE isn’t in a position where they can just snap their fingers and shift their programming onto another network. As a matter of fact, wrestling is nowhere near as hot as it was a decade ago and TV executives have figured out the dirty little secret about wrestling fans –by and large, they don’t watch other programming on a promotion’s home network. UFC got lucky when Ultimate Fighter got a slot immediately after Raw and took off because contrary to what Vince McMahon would have you believe, there is lots of crossover between the wrestling and MMA audience. But that’s the exception, so if wrestling fans are only going to watch wrestling shows and wrestling isn’t the hot commodity it once was, then what other network would want it? WWE found that out the hard way when Spike ended negotations to bring them back and left USA as the only suitor. Nobody else wanted them, including ESPN. Besides, it’s a sports network and WWE thinks sport is a dirty word. They’re entertainment now, you see. It wouldn’t be a good fit.

Q: What was the fallout about between Goldust and his father, the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes that caused them not to talk to each other for 5 years? – Rory B.

A: It revolved around Dustin’s relationship with his future wife, Terri, who he first met in WCW. He talks about it in his book, “Cross Rhodes: Goldust Out Of The Darkness”.

Q: I remember earlier this year, Cody Rhodes said that when he wins at WrestleMania 27, he would unmask Rey Mysterio. When that time came and he won the match, he just grabbed his protective face mask and left. What’s up with that? – Chase Hawkins

A: Just another stipulation, much like John Cena getting fired, that WWE either forgot about or decided wasn’t worth mentioning again. Perhaps Alberto Del Rio remembered Cody’s earlier vow during the Raw Money in the Bank match last month when he ripped Mysterio’s mask off his face and threw it into the crowd. Another example of Mexicans taking jobs that Americans don’t want.

Q: Is there a RAW GM anymore? The computer seems to be around at all the RAW [shows] and Pay-Per-Views, but no annoying dinging sounds in the middle of promos. So do you know what happened to the GM? – Abbas

A: Victim of the recession. Lost his day job and couldn’t pay his internet bill anymore.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!