Vince McMahon: Losing Touch with Wrestling
Eric Schomburg
January 09, 2007
Personally, I respect Vince McMahon for changing the foundation of professional wrestling; however, it seems the mighty has fallen as far as entertainment value.
Wrestling fans were outraged on RAW last night and they let Vince McMahon know it. A boisterous chant of “boring,” “TNA,” and “We Want Wrestling,” surrounded the chairman of the WWE as his “idea” of Rosie O’Donnell and Donald Trump played out on a wrestling show. Go figure.
Personally, I didn’t watch RAW last night as I was watching the BCS fiasco between Florida and Ohio State.
Therefore, if Vince McMahon believes that wrestling fans coerce themselves to watch the WWE, or what I call, World Wrestling Ennui, then he’s dead wrong. Yes, wrestling is addicting. Yes, the WWE is still making money. But, sooner or later people will stop watching altogether.
Obviously, Vince McMahon will get word of this article and believe that he’s doing something right only because he’s getting attention on the internet. However, this article is not to give Vince McMahon publicity; it’s to give him a warning.
Despite I haven’t watched WWE programming in a couple of weeks I have, however, watched some vintage WWE DVD’s, and one of those DVD’s that I watched was the “Spectacular Legacy of the AWA.”
What is intriguing about this DVD is that everyone who has worked for the AWA has clearly stated that the reason for the demise of the AWA was because of the promoter, Verne Gagne, “lost his touch with wrestling.” Some even say that Verne Gagne was “burned-out on wrestling.”
How ironic is it that the man who put the AWA and Verne Gagne out of business is now in a similar position as Verne Gagne?
Vince McMahon is losing his touch with wrestling.
If you juxtapose the problems that both Verne Gagne and Vince McMahon have had, some of the problems are quite similar.
During the extras of the DVD, Michael Hayes once tells how adamant Verne Gagne was when Hayes was telling Verne that a Road Warriors vs. Freebirds feud would garner more revenue. However, Verne being Verne, said, “No way! I’m not having a heel vs. heel feud take place!” Hayes went on to say that he tried to reassure Verne that the fans were cheering for the Road Warriors and had more babyface heat than any other babyface, but Verne would be adamant and not make the Road Warriors a babyface team.
Think about what Michael Hayes said. Doesn’t it sound like John Cena? I respect John Cena, but even I can attest that when you’re a babyface and you’re getting booed out of the building it would behoove the promoter, Vince McMahon, to either do two things: 1) make him a heel, or 2) make him the biggest jobber there is, because it’s clear to me that John Cena isn’t getting over with the fans and it’s time for a change.
From what I’m hearing, the John Cena vs. Umaga match didn’t “roll up” so well, did it? Who the hell beats an undefeated monster with a roll-up? Did Hulk Hogan beat Andre with a roll-up? Give me a break, Vince! Did anyone really care about this feud to begin with?
Let’s return to the AWA. There was a point during the DVD when Bobby Heenan said, “The AWA failed because they lost Hogan.”
Hulk Hogan was a tremendous draw, but there was one problem. He couldn’t wrestle. During the AWA, Hogan and Nick Bockwinkle had a tremendous feud for the AWA Heavyweight Championship; however, because Verne, allegedly, wanted Hogan’s money intake from his tours in Japan, Hogan declined and Verne was forced not to give Hogan the title, which irritated the fans and started to go against the AWA. Thus, Hogan went to the World Wrestling Federation and the rest is history.
Think about the statement that Bobby Heenan said. Doesn’t it remind you of Kurt Angle leaving for TNA? Let’s be realistic, the WWE has tried to get John Cena over with the fans and they have failed many of times. There was even one time the WWE used Kurt Angle and it still didn’t work. Why? Because Kurt Angle was a wrestler that the fans respected unconditionally.
It was even risible to think that the WWE would get Kurt Angle over as a heel by besmirching the U.S. Armed Forces. It didn’t work. Fans were still behind Angle and wanted Angle to beat the pretty-boy champion in John Cena. However, the WWE would try to score by having Angle go to Smackdown and win the World Title, and guess what? It worked. Smackdown’s numbers were going up and the fans were revering Kurt Angle, a heel at that time, for winning the World Title.
Alas, the title wouldn’t stay on Angle as Rey Mysterio would win the title, and the WWE would demote Kurt Angle to the hapless and pejorative ECW brand of “wrestling.”
Angle would leave the WWE to go to TNA and did something that the WWE hasn’t done since 2001, and that was bringing the “surprise factor” back in professional wrestling. Angle going to TNA was talked about for months, and while the WWE tried to derail the attention Angle was garnering by castigating Angle and TNA’s decision to allegedly “ignore” any health issues Angle may have, it didn’t work. The WWE even tried to deter Angle’s attention by having Kevin Federline come to RAW and feud with John Cena. Once again, it didn’t work. Ratings were stagnant at best, and no one, except maybe the E! Channel, cared.
During the AWA DVD, Jim Ross made it known that the Super Clash between AWA and other brands like WCCW, or World Class Championship Wrestling, would never work. Ross was right. It didn’t work. “It was doomed to fail from day one.” -Jim Ross.
Think about what Jim Ross said. AWA collaborating with WCCW and other organizations in what was called, “Super Clash,” doesn’t it remind you of ECW and the WWE? Let me take Jim Ross’ statement and put it with ECW. “It was doomed to fail from day one.”
ECW has had a lackluster pay-per-view, a lazy champion in Big Show, and ratings plummeting faster that Ric Flair’s star-power. ECW is the travesty of all the brands in wrestling. Since the inception of the new ECW on Sci-Fi it usually garnered an average of 2.1; however, they have been garnering 1.4's. That’s a huge deficient from the norm.
It’s sad when you’re used to hearing people chanting “ECW” and yet the fans are chanting “TNA.” Don’t believe me? Watch the RVD vs. Hardcore Holly match again.
As I said before, ECW was doomed to fail from day one, but you would figure Vince would have known that from the mistakes Verne Gagne made. Apparently, he didn’t.
Vince McMahon has lost his touch with the fans and with wrestling in general. No longer is wrestling about big muscular men with an outrageous gimmick spewing out one-liners and can’t wrestle worth a damn, it’s about actual wrestlers who can wrestle. Gory Guerrero once told his son, Eddie, “It doesn’t matter what they call it, it’s still wrestling.”
Watch a WWE pay-per-view, and then watch a TNA pay-per-view, or an ROH match and you will see a huge difference in product value. Wrestling sells, and despite that TNA uses storylines, characters, etc., there IS wrestling in their programming.
This is what Vince McMahon isn’t getting. Vince McMahon still believes that what he did in the 1990's can still work today; juvenile humor, elaborate characters that insult the intelligence of any average person, and producing some of the most lackluster wrestling in history. What he doesn’t get are those who watched wrestling during the 1990's are all grown up now, and even have families of their own. The fans have changed, but WWE has not. It’s time for something different, and Vince is too adamant to deliver, which will be his ultimate demise.
So far, 2007 isn’t looking so good for the WWE or Vince McMahon. Wrestling fans alike are fulminating about the fiasco that was New Year’s Revolution. There’s even an inside joke about this PPV. “Well, I think the writers were eating way too many Fruit Roll-Up’s.”
Vince McMahon has lost touch with the times, despite he doesn’t think so. Just because you give your prestigious WWE title to a guy who is whiter than snow and yet acts blacker than coffee, doesn’t mean you’re “it” with the times.
WWE is to wrestling as MTV is to music.
Learn the mistakes of Verne Gagne, Vince. There’s your warning. Take it or leave it.
Wrestling fans were outraged on RAW last night and they let Vince McMahon know it. A boisterous chant of “boring,” “TNA,” and “We Want Wrestling,” surrounded the chairman of the WWE as his “idea” of Rosie O’Donnell and Donald Trump played out on a wrestling show. Go figure.
Personally, I didn’t watch RAW last night as I was watching the BCS fiasco between Florida and Ohio State.
Therefore, if Vince McMahon believes that wrestling fans coerce themselves to watch the WWE, or what I call, World Wrestling Ennui, then he’s dead wrong. Yes, wrestling is addicting. Yes, the WWE is still making money. But, sooner or later people will stop watching altogether.
Obviously, Vince McMahon will get word of this article and believe that he’s doing something right only because he’s getting attention on the internet. However, this article is not to give Vince McMahon publicity; it’s to give him a warning.
Despite I haven’t watched WWE programming in a couple of weeks I have, however, watched some vintage WWE DVD’s, and one of those DVD’s that I watched was the “Spectacular Legacy of the AWA.”
What is intriguing about this DVD is that everyone who has worked for the AWA has clearly stated that the reason for the demise of the AWA was because of the promoter, Verne Gagne, “lost his touch with wrestling.” Some even say that Verne Gagne was “burned-out on wrestling.”
How ironic is it that the man who put the AWA and Verne Gagne out of business is now in a similar position as Verne Gagne?
Vince McMahon is losing his touch with wrestling.
If you juxtapose the problems that both Verne Gagne and Vince McMahon have had, some of the problems are quite similar.
During the extras of the DVD, Michael Hayes once tells how adamant Verne Gagne was when Hayes was telling Verne that a Road Warriors vs. Freebirds feud would garner more revenue. However, Verne being Verne, said, “No way! I’m not having a heel vs. heel feud take place!” Hayes went on to say that he tried to reassure Verne that the fans were cheering for the Road Warriors and had more babyface heat than any other babyface, but Verne would be adamant and not make the Road Warriors a babyface team.
Think about what Michael Hayes said. Doesn’t it sound like John Cena? I respect John Cena, but even I can attest that when you’re a babyface and you’re getting booed out of the building it would behoove the promoter, Vince McMahon, to either do two things: 1) make him a heel, or 2) make him the biggest jobber there is, because it’s clear to me that John Cena isn’t getting over with the fans and it’s time for a change.
From what I’m hearing, the John Cena vs. Umaga match didn’t “roll up” so well, did it? Who the hell beats an undefeated monster with a roll-up? Did Hulk Hogan beat Andre with a roll-up? Give me a break, Vince! Did anyone really care about this feud to begin with?
Let’s return to the AWA. There was a point during the DVD when Bobby Heenan said, “The AWA failed because they lost Hogan.”
Hulk Hogan was a tremendous draw, but there was one problem. He couldn’t wrestle. During the AWA, Hogan and Nick Bockwinkle had a tremendous feud for the AWA Heavyweight Championship; however, because Verne, allegedly, wanted Hogan’s money intake from his tours in Japan, Hogan declined and Verne was forced not to give Hogan the title, which irritated the fans and started to go against the AWA. Thus, Hogan went to the World Wrestling Federation and the rest is history.
Think about the statement that Bobby Heenan said. Doesn’t it remind you of Kurt Angle leaving for TNA? Let’s be realistic, the WWE has tried to get John Cena over with the fans and they have failed many of times. There was even one time the WWE used Kurt Angle and it still didn’t work. Why? Because Kurt Angle was a wrestler that the fans respected unconditionally.
It was even risible to think that the WWE would get Kurt Angle over as a heel by besmirching the U.S. Armed Forces. It didn’t work. Fans were still behind Angle and wanted Angle to beat the pretty-boy champion in John Cena. However, the WWE would try to score by having Angle go to Smackdown and win the World Title, and guess what? It worked. Smackdown’s numbers were going up and the fans were revering Kurt Angle, a heel at that time, for winning the World Title.
Alas, the title wouldn’t stay on Angle as Rey Mysterio would win the title, and the WWE would demote Kurt Angle to the hapless and pejorative ECW brand of “wrestling.”
Angle would leave the WWE to go to TNA and did something that the WWE hasn’t done since 2001, and that was bringing the “surprise factor” back in professional wrestling. Angle going to TNA was talked about for months, and while the WWE tried to derail the attention Angle was garnering by castigating Angle and TNA’s decision to allegedly “ignore” any health issues Angle may have, it didn’t work. The WWE even tried to deter Angle’s attention by having Kevin Federline come to RAW and feud with John Cena. Once again, it didn’t work. Ratings were stagnant at best, and no one, except maybe the E! Channel, cared.
During the AWA DVD, Jim Ross made it known that the Super Clash between AWA and other brands like WCCW, or World Class Championship Wrestling, would never work. Ross was right. It didn’t work. “It was doomed to fail from day one.” -Jim Ross.
Think about what Jim Ross said. AWA collaborating with WCCW and other organizations in what was called, “Super Clash,” doesn’t it remind you of ECW and the WWE? Let me take Jim Ross’ statement and put it with ECW. “It was doomed to fail from day one.”
ECW has had a lackluster pay-per-view, a lazy champion in Big Show, and ratings plummeting faster that Ric Flair’s star-power. ECW is the travesty of all the brands in wrestling. Since the inception of the new ECW on Sci-Fi it usually garnered an average of 2.1; however, they have been garnering 1.4's. That’s a huge deficient from the norm.
It’s sad when you’re used to hearing people chanting “ECW” and yet the fans are chanting “TNA.” Don’t believe me? Watch the RVD vs. Hardcore Holly match again.
As I said before, ECW was doomed to fail from day one, but you would figure Vince would have known that from the mistakes Verne Gagne made. Apparently, he didn’t.
Vince McMahon has lost his touch with the fans and with wrestling in general. No longer is wrestling about big muscular men with an outrageous gimmick spewing out one-liners and can’t wrestle worth a damn, it’s about actual wrestlers who can wrestle. Gory Guerrero once told his son, Eddie, “It doesn’t matter what they call it, it’s still wrestling.”
Watch a WWE pay-per-view, and then watch a TNA pay-per-view, or an ROH match and you will see a huge difference in product value. Wrestling sells, and despite that TNA uses storylines, characters, etc., there IS wrestling in their programming.
This is what Vince McMahon isn’t getting. Vince McMahon still believes that what he did in the 1990's can still work today; juvenile humor, elaborate characters that insult the intelligence of any average person, and producing some of the most lackluster wrestling in history. What he doesn’t get are those who watched wrestling during the 1990's are all grown up now, and even have families of their own. The fans have changed, but WWE has not. It’s time for something different, and Vince is too adamant to deliver, which will be his ultimate demise.
So far, 2007 isn’t looking so good for the WWE or Vince McMahon. Wrestling fans alike are fulminating about the fiasco that was New Year’s Revolution. There’s even an inside joke about this PPV. “Well, I think the writers were eating way too many Fruit Roll-Up’s.”
Vince McMahon has lost touch with the times, despite he doesn’t think so. Just because you give your prestigious WWE title to a guy who is whiter than snow and yet acts blacker than coffee, doesn’t mean you’re “it” with the times.
WWE is to wrestling as MTV is to music.
Learn the mistakes of Verne Gagne, Vince. There’s your warning. Take it or leave it.
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