Saddest Week of 2018?

This week has been awful. There’s no other way to phrase it. Several sad events have occurred this week that really have me bummed out. I will be talking about two of them in my article this week.

The first of which is the awful news coming from the world of professional wrestling. Arguably the biggest star in the WWE, Roman Reigns, revealed that he is being forced to step away from wrestling to battle leukemia. The news of this really hit me harder than it should. I’m not a regular viewer of new WWE programming anymore. I’m not a particularly big fan of Roman Reigns as a performer. However, this is a man who has a young family, who has tirelessly dedicated himself to the entertainment of others, and who clearly takes care of himself. More than anything, it is a sad reminder that cancer doesn’t care who you are. It’s a sad reminder that this horrific disease still effects people every single day. As someone who has lost multiple family members to cancer, it’s a sad reminder that this awful thing still exists. Roman’s going away speech on Raw this week was about as emotional as WWE programming gets and I eagerly await his return.

The other tragic event that occurred this week is the attempted bombing of several key figures in the Democratic Party. A significant number of prominent Democrats, many of whom I deeply admire, were the targets of attempted acts of terrorism. Those targeted by these attempted bombings are staunch critics of President Trump, the Republican Party, and conservative ideals. These are the people who think the way I think. I hope to one day be amongst these people as prominent, outspoken figures against Conservatism who are trying to promote a better America and a better world. The targets of these attacks are individuals fighting a battle of ideals, not weapons. It is important to note that in addition to several key Liberal figures, CNN was also targeted with a mailed explosive device. CNN has been repeatedly criticized and demonized by the President and other conservative figures. Logic suggests that a radical right wing person or group is responsible for these attempted killings. Those responsible attempted to commit mass murder directed at the left. The fact that this is the point we have reached in America is deeply saddening. I disagree with just about every conservative idea that has ever existed. However, not once have I ever considered the murder of anyone on the right to be a good idea. Even the thought of killing people for their involvement on the opposing side of the political spectrum is absolutely mind-blowing. This is where we are in America, apparently. It is just sad.

I’ll leave my overly depressing article with this thought….. Maybe some good will come from this. Perhaps Roman Reigns’s recent diagnosis will bring about more attention to cancer and increase funding for a cure. Maybe politicians on both sides of the isle will come together to help heal the wound that has clearly split the country. Maybe the President will do something to reverse the violent and hateful climate he has helped create in America. I believe that the first two could genuinely happen, maybe. The last one, probably not. Be we will see. I’ll be back next Thursday with hopefully a slightly less depressing article. Be sure to check out some of the other great content on Mid-American Culture!

The Art of the Wrestling Promo

Promos are a dying art in the world of professional wrestling. Gone are the days of countless charismatic wrestlers taking the time to simultaneously build themselves up as superheroes and belittle their opponents with nothing but their own oratory abilities. Frankly speaking, there are so few wrestlers in the current wrestling scene who possess the skills to even touch the promos of old. Microphone work, in my opinion, is one of the things that is beyond lacking in today’s wrestling product. So, today, as I yearn for the days of old when jacked-up dudes could be seen on any wrestling program eviscerating each other on the microphone, I will be discussing some of the greatest promos in the history of professional wrestling.

We’ll start with what I consider to be the greatest heel promo of all time. Shawn Michaels cut this masterpiece in Montreal, Canada in 2005. Capitalizing on the immense hatred Canada has for him due to his role in the infamous Montreal Screwjob, The Heartbreak Kid absolutely destroys Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, and the entire Canadian population. I am skeptical that anyone in the modern era of professional wrestling has ever had as much heat as Shawn Michaels had during this promo. It is truly a masterful example of one of the all-time great talents delivering an all-time great promo. I love it.

I would have to be delusional to not include the most charismatic man in the history of professional wrestling, and perhaps the world, Ric Flair. There are so many classic examples of the Nature Boy cutting world class promos to choose from. Ultimately, I had to go with the classic. This promo is an embodiment of everything Ric Flair is about. From the hilarious “spilt liquor” line, to the legendary rolex-wearing, diamond ring-wearing bit, to everything else in this relatively short promo, Ric Flair is at his very best here. You really cant argue when anyone says that Flair is the best promo of all time.

For my last example of classic wrestling promos, I turn to the greatest talker in the history of wrestling, Mr. James E. Cornette. Not only is Cornette the greatest manager in the history of wrestling, he also possesses one of the greatest minds for the wrestling business that has ever existed. It is no wonder he is such a good promo. Nobody has ever mastered the art of getting heat via a promo quite like Cornette. In this very short promo, Cornette absolutely buries the state of West Virginia, as well as rival tag team The Rock’ n’ Roll Express. This is just one of countless examples of a masterful Cornette promo. On a final note, look at interviewer Brian Matthews’ epic mullet. That is the stuff of legends.

This is exactly what the world of professional wrestling needs. Charismatic figures have driven wrestling for as long as it has been popular. If half of the current WWE roster had a quarter of the charisma and mic skills of these men, wrestling would be in an infinitely better place than it is now.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to check out some of the other great content here on Mid-American Culture!

 

Book Review: “The Death of WCW”

Hello everyone! For today’s article, I thought I’d share my thoughts on a book I recently finished reading: The Death of WCW, by Bryan Alvarez and R.D. Reynolds.

What is WWE Doing With Daniel Bryan?

Daniel Bryan is one of the greatest stories in wrestling history. From years of wrestling in the indie scene to the midcard of WWE, he eventually became the WWE Champion at WrestleMania XXX. Unfortunately, he then suffered a severe injury that sidelined him for about 8 months. And when he returned, he was shockingly a non-factor at the 2015 Royal Rumble and won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 31. Sadly, another injury forced him into retirement and appearances on Total Divas and Total Bellas. He eventually became SmackDown Live’s general manager in 2016, where he did a serviceable job. Then, in the spring of 2018, the unthinkable happened.

After three years, he was finally cleared by WWE to start wrestling again.

The Strangest WWE Game Ever

Notice in the title that I said “The Strangest WWE Game Ever” and not “The Strangest Wrestling Game Ever.” That’s because WWE Crush Hour is not a wrestling game. It’s a Twisted Metal rip-off. How are they connected? I’ll let the game’s intro tell you.

The Best Non-WWE Wrestling Match Of All Time

There have been countless phenomenal wrestling matches to have taken place outside of a WWE/WWF ring over the years. The likes of AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 and Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega from NJPW’s Dominion 6.11 event come to mind from recent years, as do a vast number of classic matches from the sport’s territorial days. However, in my humble (but correct) opinion, the greatest wrestling match to ever take place outside of World Wrestling Entertainment took place in Smoky Mountain Wrestling at their Night of Legends show in the year 1994. The show, which took place at the Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee, featured an incredible showcase of talent which was presented to a sold-out crowd. Smoky Mountain Wrestling is probably the most underrated and undervalued wrestling promotion to exist in the last 30+ years. The Night of Legends 1994 show is absolutely deserving of its own article discussing all of its greatness and, if I have anything to say about it, it will eventually get one. But ultimately, one match stands out above the rest from the super-card booked by Smoky Mountain. That match is, of course, the classic tag-team bout between The Heavenly Bodies (Gigolo Jimmy Del Ray and Doctor Tom Prichard) and The Thrillseekers (Chris Jericho and Lance Storm).

The match was the result of an angle built up by Smoky mountain in the weeks leading up to the Night of Legends show. The basic premise of the feud was that the Thrillseekers, the babyface team, were viciously attacked in a parking lot by The Heavenly Bodies, the storyline’s heel faction. This attack garnered instant heat with the fans, as at previous Smoky Mountain show, The Heavenly Bodies had come out on the losing end of a “Loser Leaves Town” match. Seeing the polarizing team back in the promotion loaned instant credibility, as well as an immense amount of heat. To allow The Thrillseekers to get their revenge following the attack, the Smoky Mountain promotion decided to lift the “loser leaves town” sanctions against The Heavenly Bodies for one night only: The Night Of Legends.

 

The Thrillseekers: Lance Storm (left) and Chris Jericho (right)

The match itself begins with The Heavenly Bodies entering the Knoxville Civic Coliseum with their manager, the great Jim Cornette. Before The Thrillseekers make their entrance, Cornette cuts a short, but epic, promo. After this short segment, a racecar pulls up to the entranceway, which is portrayed as being driven by The Thrillseekers. however, the lights go dark and the tag-team enters from the back entrance and immediately begins striking at The Heavenly Bodies. On commentary, the legendary Jim Ross is quick to point out that Thrillseeker Chris Jericho had suffered a broken arm in a “motorcycle accident” within 24 hours of coming to the ring to contest The Heavenly Bodies. While Jericho had actually suffered a broken arm within 24 hours of the bout, it was actually sustained while doing in-ring training prior to the Night of Legends event. Jim Cornette, who was also the owner and booker of Smoky Mountain Wrestling, discussed the utter shock and panic caused by Jericho’s injury in a later shoot interview with Kayfabe Commentaries years later. In what I found to be an immensely funny moment, Cornette addresses the added panic he felt when he realized that the arm Jericho had broken was the arm he would use to blade himself in the match, referring to it as his “juice gettin’ arm”. Regardless of how the injury was suffered, it added an incredible amount of drama to the match and Smoky Mountain was brilliant to use it to add to the Thrillseeker gimmick and to use it to enhance the storytelling of the match.

 

 

The Heavenly Bodies: Dr. Tom Prichard (left) and Gigolo Jimmy Del Ray (right) managed by Jim Cornette (middle)

The next several minutes of the match are characterized by a great amount of action. The Thrillseekers and The Bodies seem to trade the upper-hand back and forth as several tag-ins, spectacles of impressive teamwork, and of course, Jim Cornette shenanigans make this sequence immensely entertaining. Just shy of the 13-minute mark of the match, Chris Jericho is thrown into the ringside barricades by Doctor Tom Prichard. It was directly following that spot when Jericho bladed his forehead. What followed was one of the goriest, and yet most inspiring sequences of events in professional wrestling history. Unbeknown to the crowd, and most of those involved in the show, Jericho had taken an aspirin prior to the match. The blood thinner paired with a sloppy, broken-armed blade job led to unimaginably heavy bleeding from Jericho. As the bleeding continued, The Heavenly Bodies began to truly take the upper-hand as The Thrillseekers were seemingly reduced to hopeless underdogs. After a brutal beat-down of Chris Jericho, the referee stops the match out of fear for Jericho’s health. However, after impassioned pleading from Chris Jericho and epic commentary from Jim Ross about Jericho’s toughness, the referee decides to restart the match. Jericho, bloodied to the point of no recognition at this point, is quick to deliver a martial arts kick to Gigolo Jimmy Del Ray. Jericho covers the Gigolo and a 3-count follows. Jim Cornette and The Heavenly bodies are absolutely stunned by the turn of events as an almost lifeless Jericho is helped out of the arena by his partner, Lance Storm.

 

 

Chris Jericho being helped out of the arena following the match’s conclusion

I do not possess an adequate amount of words to describe my love of this match. The storytelling is simply superb. The underdog babyfaces being attacked by an iconic heel team and then being able to seek their revenge at the biggest show of the year is just great. The Heavenly Bodies are an absolutely iconic team and their pairing with the infinitely talented team of Chris Jericho and Lance Storm was a phenomenal booking decision. Lance Storm’s amazing talent can sometimes be overshadowed in this match because of Jericho’s legendary performance. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He is a spectacular wrestler and his abilities are showcased perfectly in this match. While the match may not be a technical masterpiece (one of the participants had a broken freaking arm, after all), it was still an amazing piece of entertainment. I can’t recommend this match enough to anyone who enjoys professional wrestling, or even just great entertainment. It truly is one of the better wrestling matches of all time.

 

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out some of the other great articles by me, as well as the rest of the guys at Mid-American Culture!

My Twitter: @BigRedAFerg

Mid-American Culture Twitter: @M_American_C

 

 

The Best and Worst of WrestleMania 34

Sunday night’s show was certainly a mixed bag. This year’s edition of the Showcase of the Immortals delivered some truly great matches, and, unfortunately, some definite disappointments. Here are what I consider to be the two best and two worst matches from Wrestlemania 34.

Top Five WWE Pre-Match Video Promo Packages

I’ve got another Top 5 for you all this week, and it’s one that I’ve wanted to do for a while. Nobody knows how to hype up an audience quite like WWE, and that’s best illustrated through their pre-match promo packages. Through their excellent editing, gripping storylines, and bad rock music, they show the buildup to a big match perfectly. These have always fascinated me, so I’m counting down my top five favorites today. Let’s begin.

Ranking WWE’s Current Championship Belt Designs

A championship belt should look the part. It should look cool and it should look like a prize. WWE has had some good and bad belt designs, but today I’m talking about the good ones. With WrestleMania approaching, there seems like no better time for me to talk some wrestling, so expect one or two more wrestling articles from me until then. With that said, here’s the ranking of WWE’s current belts.

Why Professional Wrestling Is Struggling In Today’s Culture

Professional wrestling has been a cultural staple in the United States, particularly in the South and Mid-Western parts of the country, for decades. Being a 90’s baby and the son of a huge professional wrestling fan, I grew up watching wrestling during what I believe to be the best time in the history of the sport. During a significant part of my childhood, wrestling was everything to me. I idolized the wrestlers. I collected the action figures (to this day, I still have literally hundreds of them boxed up in my garage). I proudly wore my replica championship belts. I watched WWE programming religiously. Wrestling was my greatest childhood passion.

However, wrestling gradually began to lose its appeal to myself and many other fans. At the time, I blamed my loss of interest on my discovery that the outcome of the matches were scripted and the departure of some of my favorite wrestlers from the sport. My recently rekindled love of wrestling has led me to reconsider this. I believe that a cultural shift and the industry’s attempts to keep up with said shift are more to blame than anything else.

 

Wrestling was arguably never more popular than it was in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. The sport was at its peak during the “Monday Night Wars”. The Wars were actually a competition between the country’s two top wrestling promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) for superiority over one another. The Monday Night Wars led to the beginning of the Attitude Era in the WWF. The borderline vulgar, often profanity-ridden, and violent storylines that came from the Attitude Era are some of the most entertaining content ever created by a wrestling promotion. Not only were the storylines great, but the characters were iconic and the viewer could really identify with them to an extent. Who didn’t want to give their boss the finger and pound beers like Stone Cold Steve Austin? Who didn’t want to have the charisma and swagger of The Rock? Who didn’t want to be as rebellious and controversial as the D-Generation X faction? No other point in wrestling history could even hold a candle to the Attitude Era.

However, the sport took a drastic decline in the years following. After the demise of WCW, World Wrestling Entertainment stood as the only major player left in the world of professional wrestling. This led to a noticeable decline in quality. The crude, bloody action sport that wrestling was gradually declined into a series of watered-down matches between mostly goofy, generic characters. The change was undeniable. Ratings and house show numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years. These loses cant be blamed completely on the decline in quality, however. Even the less violent matches between the lower card wrestlers during the Attitude Era were great. So what is the issue?

I personally believe that much of the problem is the change in culture in the last two decades. Ultimately, political correctness is a good thing. Simply put, it basically promotes common courtesy and respect being expanded to everyone regardless of who they are. It makes the community a better place. But, wrestling is not about that. Wrestling was so great during the Attitude Era because it provided viewers with an escape from all social norms. Fans could live vicariously through the wresters and experience things that are not plausible in the real world. As WWE became more mainstream and family friendly,    it strayed further and further away from what made it so great. While trying to move in a safer and more commercially acceptable direction is commendable, this alienates a vast percentage of the sport’s core fan base. The proof is in the numbers. The sport just isn’t the same.

With that being said, it is important to note that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. That light comes in the form of  a man named Paul Levesque. Better known by his in-ring name Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Triple H), Levesque was a focal point of the Attitude Era. As a member and eventual leader of, the D-Generation X faction, Triple H played a key role in some of the Era’s most controversial moments. Levesque is also the son-in-law of WWE owner Vince McMahon. Many believe that Helmsley will eventually take over the company. This could lead to an instant resurgence of the things that made pro wrestling the cultural icon it is today.

Only time will tell if WWE will return to its attitude-filled roots, but the future of the sport is certainly bright. Regardless of all of the flaws in the current WWE product I mentioned above, the current roster is arguably more athletically talented than ever before. With the right kind of help from the creative team, the wrestling promotion could easily return to its former glory. While the Attitude Era deeply contrasts what political correct culture is about, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Professional wrestling is scripted and predetermined. It is done for the sake of entertainment. Entertainment needs to continue to push boundaries. The world of professional wrestling can do that by bringing back what made it so edgy and exciting, despite pressure to conform to social pressure. While it does not need to turn to the gory, uber-violent, and often outright offensive content of a promotion like Extreme Championship Wrestling, WWE  does need to recapture some of the grit it exhibited during the Attitude Era. This kind of sports entertainment could succeed, and even thrive, in todays culture. It is time to bring the attitude back to professional wrestling and that’s the bottom line…….

Twitter: @ BigRedAFerg