Hammer Tyme #13

What makes a match stand out? It is our desire to see if Hulk Hogan can actually slam Andre the Giant or can John Cena get Big Show up for the attitude adjustment.

Is it that we want to watch Randy Orton kick someone’s head off? This week that is the question…..what makes a great match?

My first thought is Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat. We sat on the edge of our seat as near fall got very stressful. It easily could have gone either way. So my first conclusion is excitement. Controversy builds excitement. Early in Hogan vs. Andre there was a 2 count that was it 3 and someone screwed up? Did Stone Cold really top out if he passed out? How is that possible answer me that. This brings up an interesting point and my second thought. OFFICATING of the match is a very important tool in heat building. The referee sometimes finds himself in the center of the action or storyline. There has been twin referee’s that confused things, a heel referee. A heel for a referee, believe it or not it happened. Hold it, Hold it, Hold it, and Hold it!! Hey it’s Fred Flintstone he was the 1st documented cartoon wrestling fan. But Fred’s wrestling used clubs. Hey extreme wrestling got its start? Nah Just a coincidence I think? If anyone knows let us know. Ok extreme wrestling has us glued to the TV. For some reason we love violence and seeing incredible feats of agility and stamina. Shane McMahon corner to corner garbage can drop kick or Jeff Hardy going 20-30 ft up delivering a Swan-Ton are great examples of exciting moves. Watching Mick Foley fall off a cage into a pile of Tacks or a Table is also an example of action. It’s more excitement, action. It brings us back to the old school circus sideshow acts. We make it that way and it sells. It sells so well that it has made millionaires and billionaires.

But what happened to World Championship Wrestling or American Wrestling Association. If that previous statement is true how did they fail? The matches had excitement and action and we bought tickets, merchandise and watched it faithfully. The rumors are many, bad management, loss of key performers, no TV contract or bad air times. Maybe it was a lack of interest. Ted Turner sold his company and walked away. Walking away from some is easier than others. Roddy Piper retired and came back. Hulk has retired and comeback. Speaking of Piper, he said something that is very true. Wrestling is in the blood, we live it everyday. We do it for the fans, we would crawl with one good arm to give the demanded one more match.

Before I gave myself a shout out there was a point to make. The success of a federation is having the big names. Being willing to offer a big payday is what makes or breaks a federation. When a key player reaches a certain level bidding wars get crazy. Hundreds of thousands are offered. Each trying to top the others offer especially if it is a big name and draws a huge faun following. These offers as Vince would say ‘an offer I can’t refuse”.

However don’t pack your bags yet. Unless you’re an established star you are most likely years from that point. There are exceptions. Wrestling schools help you get discovered and work to get you the break. I took the independent circuit and was trained by a promoter/trainer. Whatever road you chose the outcome is the same and be as exciting and give the most and best action possible. It shouldn’t matter if you fight a championship/main event or not. Give the caliber match every night. Push past 100% even 110% if you can. Challenge yourself to better and better.

Stay loyal to your fans, it is them that make or break you. Doing what is good for the show sometimes is not always what is best for the individual. It can lead to reward down the road or ending your career. I was taught that your home organization is your number one priority. Then do for others, it’s courtesy and shows respect. The problem comes with supply and demand. When a contract is up naturally we want or feel we need a raise. Show me the Money!!! That’s where the trouble starts. We get a dollar amount that we feel we deserve and then look to see who will give it to us. The world has changed, it use to be you went to a place and worked until you retired. You didn’t change jobs unless a place went out of business. It is common for that industry to move on to other projects like most soap opera stars have done movies or other projects. A few have even left one show to do another. The core however tend to stay and are kept happy. So I would say happiness is a factor then. You can tell if someone really enjoys what they do by how they do their job. When a group acts as a team and not individuals things run smoother and the end result is a great show. To have a great match you need two people or four if it’s a tag team. The fans nowadays can spot if it’s a performance or not. Giving them what they want is the newest catch phase.

I often criticize the new school wrestling for having too much drama. However looking at this article I see why drama is used in today’s wrestling. It is for adding action and excitement. Backstage attacks, getting jumped before or after a match or even just having a verbal exchange in the ring can create action, excitement and heat.

The old school began with the interview. Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan gave a lot of hype interviews. The built from talking to yelling. They made their point and fired us up. We couldn’t wait for them to hit the ring. Going even farther back I grew up watching Nick Bockwinkle and idolizing him, even wanting to be a champion like him. He had a very unique interview style. He would start off very mild mannered and spoke very elegantly. He used a “silver” tongue. However when he removed his glasses, you knew he had enough or was getting upset and he’s ready to make his point. He might speak louder but never yelled.

Bobby Heenan was a good speaker. He liked to refer to the fans as ham and eggs or speak very witty. He could sarcastically beat almost anyone down. Bobby Heenan also kept the aura of wealth and power. Often teased about being cheap not one to open his wallet very often. In all these men are examples of what it takes to be exciting and creating a reason to tune in. With the brain or Wesel as he was called got us training to see if his latest scam or plan would work and he’d end up managing a champion. We also loved watching our faces manage to get a hand on him. I am going to conclude saying that action and excitement is what has kept wrestling popular and its constant invention to keep fresh and draw new fans a well as retain the old fans. We now treat ourselves with a surprise appearance from Stone Cold or Hulk, some day will older Triple H or John Cena draw that energy. If we hype them now then yes they will be a force in 20 or so years too.

I leave with a suggestion. There has been question of my wrestling background. A few claim I am not real. Next week I will do a write up and show that I have done what I say I have. This should end speculation and show I am who and what I say I am. Hopefully this will end that conflict. It is very easy in today’s world to say that you are something or have done something. Sitting at a computer you can do or say anything. We are the kind of people who want proof. Our imagination or belief is based on facts and not just credibility of the person writing it. This is fine with me. I actually liked opening the photo file and reliving the memories that it contained. It also made for an interesting revelation. Normally I would open the book look at it and grab the phone asking to do one more match. This time however after looking at it I recalled what my friend Professor Larson said “You had a great run and no reason not to hold your head up high. “ After thinking about that he is right. I have found new opportunities in the sports entertainment business and have a chance to make a difference. To be larger than life sometimes you have to look out side the box. However I can’t say I am not excited thinking one more match. If I get the call it would be hard to say no. Remember there always is the offer you can’t refuse. Till next time