wrestling / Columns

Hitting The Mark 10.19.10: From Smark to Mark – Part 1

October 19, 2010 | Posted by Len Archibald

Good Second-day-in-the-work-week…day. I’ve finally caught up on some well-needed sleep so let’s do this!

Apparently, Stephen Randle is in search of a new “black friend”. Sure, I’ll throw my name in the hat – PLUS, he should take solace in the fact that I also suffer from crushing disappointment in the form of The Blue Jays and Maple Leafs every year. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been a default Red Wings fan since birth. My father had foresight, he did.

I agree with a lot of this. Without the non-wrestling elements, Hogan would have been a guy who only wrestled when he had to, like in Japan. Dean Malenko, Ricky Steamboat, and others like them would have been considered the best ever.

Without making crowd want to see the show none of the ring work would be relevant. We wouldn’t have had the Monday Night Wars and wrestling would still be a carnival side show.
Interestingly, guys like Angle, Jericho, HBK, and Flair would still be considered among the best ever.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually prefer the guys who can wrestle, be it the high flyers or mat based wrestlers. The Angle-Benoit-Jericho mid-card of the early decade was the highlight of wrestling shows for me. But you aren’t getting national coverage, much less world coverage without the mike work, the charisma, or the ability to connect with crowds.
Posted By: Guest#0340 (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 01:54 AM

And I think that’s what a good chunk of the IWC in regards to the typical “favorites” need to truly grasp. I LOVE stiff, technically proficent matches as much as the next guy, but if none of the competetors inside the ring can’t SELL the match based on their characters, it’s not gonna matter a lick of beans. Again, CROWD REACTION is a major proponent to gauge a performer’s success. How do you think Santino still has a job, much less is prominently displayed on RAW, despite barely scratching the surface of any (lack) of in-ring talent? He’s over as hell. Cut and dry, that is it.

Why are Randy Savage and Ric Flair my two personal favorite pro-wrestlers of all time? Because not only were they marvels in the ring, but they knew how to push the right buttons to make fans want to either a) get their asses handed to them or b) rally around them to correct the doings of the dastardly heel that wronged them.

I have been making that argument about Mick Foley for about a year now. He’s more the people’s champion than the rock is. The people aren’t bodybuilders, the people are more likely to look like a Mick Foley or a Spike Dudley….(lol, they really missed the boat with Spike didn’t they?)

Sure he played some larger than life characters, but when he was Mick Foley, he was down to earth and passionate about the business and willing to turn his asshole inside out just for our adoration.

The Rock, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart…those are all people we want to be. Mick Foley is who we are. He’s one of us so to speak. I could make the same argument for Daniel Bryan (hate the fact that i’m getting used to typing that rather than Bryan Danielson). Anybody who used to be a backyard wrestler obviously has a legitimate interest in wrestling.

So yeah, there’s two cents for ya. Good column, you very well could turn out to be my new Geoff Eubanks.
Posted By: the danger stranger (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 02:02 AM

I am inclined to agree with you about the whole “People’s Champ” thing with Foley. Of course The Rock christened himself that as more of a condescending layer to his in-ring character. I think Foley is one of the few that truly understands how to project a sympathetic face character to the crowd.

I agree with Len. Sooner than later Alberto Del Rio is going to be headlining Wrestlemania in a few years. Alberto Del Rio is destined for greatness. Great column and I agree with a lot of what you said about CenaNexus and Smackdown.
Posted By: Dwayne (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 04:41 AM

As soon as I saw Del Rio’s ring announcer, I felt as I caught a glimpse of the future. The fact that even though he’s technically sound (from his luchadore days) he has easily adapted to the WWE “Main Event Style” (ugh, I hate that IWC term) and just oozes…Machismo – Del Rio is in my eyes, an easy lock for that coveted WM Main Event slot.

Miz needs to up his wrestling abilities before he gets in that group. His promos make you want to watch his matches, but once the bell rings he’s quite ordinary.
Posted By: Guest#0135 (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 12:43 AM

Well Orton is WWE champ and he cant wrestle for squat. There goes that argument.
Posted By: Rob (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 07:34 AM

Which is totally BS.

Mizanin has wrestled better than ever the past year and got excellent matches with the likes of Edge, Boreton, Cena, Danielson and Morrison to name a few.

He totally STOLE the show against Danielson TWICE and going toe to toe with his way more experienced opponent in both matches and made him looking like a genuine WWE Main eventer in the process.

Know your facts before claiming common biased IWC BS
Posted By: The Miz IS Awesome (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 09:15 AM

This was an interesting slew of opinions, here. Sure, The Miz is no Steamboat, Jericho or HBK when it comes to pure in-ring talent, but his character is golden right now in my opinion. Take into account that he is still young and has not been burdened as the “go-to guy” for the WWE. From what I’ve seen from him, The Miz is someone who has constantly evolved and grown better over the years. Who’s to say that he won’t be capable of a mat-classic in a few years time? Even Bret Hart started out as green as a head of broccoli at one point. Patience, my young pad-wan.

“TNA is just as campy and “sports entertainment” as the WWE.”

you’re missing the point. yes TNA has some crazy storylines, like all pro wrestling does, but they acknowledge their company as a Pro Wrestling organization. VKM has publicly stated ‘we are not wrestlig we are entertainment’. As a wrestling fan I’m offended by that. Could you imagine if the ‘E said ” we’re a wrestling company so we’re going to help out other wrestling companys because it would benefit ALL Pro Wrestling” instead they just care about being #1, but someone should tell them being #1 doesn’t mean you have the best product in your field of work
Posted By: philburttheturtle (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 07:30 PM

I’m not missing the point. I’m not going to be goaded into “choosing a side”. I’m a fan of TNA as equally as I’m a fan of WWE or any other fed. I’m just calling a spade a spade. When TNA does segments featuring J-Woww and devotes close to the entire show on segments and storyline progression – and TNA die-hards are all for it, it just doesn’t register to me why they call out the WWE on doing the same thing while at the same time proclaiming TNA as the wrestling company. Both promotions deliver the same goods to their fans. Both are “pro-wrestling” and both are “sports entertainment.”

I always preferred Rodimus Prime. You all just hate change…
Posted By: Guest#0570 (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 11:52 AM

I really dig this column except for one thing….dissing Rodimus F’N Prime like that…gotta agree with Guest #0570…where was Optimus when Unicron was destroyed? Oh yeah my bad he was dead…killed by Megatron…who, as Galvatron, was totally owned by Rodimus on more than a few occassions…so yeah…who’s the better Prime? My money’s on Rodimus…Transformers overload and total G1 blasphemy, I know…so sue me 🙂 Rodimus Prime FTW!!!
Posted By: Wil Webster (Guest) on October 12, 2010 at 02:31 PM

I didn’t think – of all things – my comments about Rodimus Prime would have sparked (HA) a couple of comments. I suppose I see it as this: Optimus Prime basically obliterated Megatron and the Decepticons single-handedly before he died. Rodimus may have been the “chosen one” to lead, but in ensuing episodes he always doubted himself and compared himself to Optimus. And who saved the day when all Transformers were going bat-shit insane at the end of Season 3? Yeah, Optimus Prime. Didn’t see Rodimus/Hot Rod really put up a fight to surrender the Matrix of Leadership back to him either.

Wow, I’m such a nerd. How the hell did I pull off earning my first kiss in junior high?

So I’m still trying to figure out some sort of expressive way to share my thoughts on the week without reading long-winded or giving the expression I’m trying to “pad” the column. So I’m going to try something a little new; hope you like it…

Yes, I’m aware that I’m a week behind on RAW.

10. If I wasn’t married I would be Katilyn’s official stalker. I will probably continue to make this statement until she is no longer a part of wrestling – and even then…

9. Daniel Bryan and Sheamus had a great little match. I wonder what a real extended feud between the two of them would be like?

8. AKSANA-DUST. It’s nice to see Aksana get a storyline where fans can invest in her character. Golddust has been on fire as of late and it’s nice to see him get some extended TV time.

7. Yes, TNA is re-hasing a bit of the nWo, but I am interested in Jeff Hardy as a heel. The “Anti-Christ of wrestling” is a strange name, but it could stick if his in-ring antics match.

6. The Swagger Soaring Eagle is nothing but win and has really established a concrete character for Jack Swagger. If he debuted with the SSE from the start, he may have been a bonified main eventer sooner.

5. No matter what anyone thinks in regards to Santino’s “limits” in the ring, one can’t deny how massively over he is with the live crowd.

4. Seriously, Cookie and Robbie E. are playing their Jersey Shore ripoff characters perfectly.

3. I can’t believe the progress Chris Masters has made since his debut years ago. The match he had with Del Rio was a phenomenal effort by both men, but holy hell – has Masters evolved into quite the worker! Even if he never gets any further up in the card, I can see him easily sliding into the “Val Venis/Tito Santana career path: a very good worker who does a great job at making up-and-comers look good. I’ve always been a fan of “The Masterpiece” so to see his in-ring talents improve so drastically since returning is a great bonus. I’m happy for any pro-wrestler who finds any semblance of success, even if it’s just bettering their craft.

2. CM PUNK, BITCHES~! Great return to RAW with a good match with Evan Bourne before taking him out with the Anaconda Vice. “Nothing personal…” Punk has a knack of getting little verbal gems out at random intervals. Remember “Fix him so I can break him again”?

1. Wade Barret has convinced me that he is a main eventer. That ending promo where he OBLITERATED Cena verbally (even turning his back on him!) was $$$. I’d love to see this extend all the way until WrestleMania.

I know that my views go against the grain of the vocal minority of the pro wrestling fanbase – even butting heads with some of the writers of this very website. That’s fine, and I won’t apologize for who I am or what I like. What I am willing to accomplish is to convey the point that professional wrestling is not the alpha-omega of the universe. It is fun, a form of entertainment and should be treated as such. I can remember when I was a younger lad, posting an insane amount of times about the typical grievances: Triple H holding everyone down, Vince Russo basically destroying everything great about WCW, how Japan, Mexico and the indies were the only saviors of wrestling and how everything sucked unlike the good old days when wrestling was popular and cool.

I took the words of my fellow Canuck – a writer who we all know but I will not mention – as gospel. I thought Dave Meltzer knew more than Vince McMahon. I felt WrestleCrap was a perfect reflection of the state of wrestling and how no one would be able to survive the monopoly that is the WWE. I went through a dark period where I was truly feeling physically ill at what I was watching on the television and was ready to call it quits. Then the light bulb went off. Here are the moments that turned me from cynical “smark” to optimistic “mark”.

The Catalyst

The absolute best starting point is the turn of the millennium. WrestleMania 2000. The main event of that evening was the now infamous “McMahon in Every Corner” elimination match where Triple H defended his WWF Championship against The Rock, The Big Show and Mick Foley. Triple H was by far the most dominant heel wrestling had seen in a very long time, winning matches left and right and gaining credibility as not just a great evil character, but a great in-ring performer as well. The Rock, on the other hand, was just given the ball as “The Man” in the wake of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s absence via injury. It made sense that the face that the crowd loved would defeat the evil heel in the main event. Sure, the road was bumpy to get there: Foley “retired”, but was reinstated; The Rock “won” the 2000 Royal Rumble but it was tainted and The Big Show was inserted, but eventually the match wound up between The Game and The Brahma Bull.

To say that the final moments of that main event was the most shocking thing in wrestling history at that time was an understatement. For the uninitiated: imagine living a life where your calendar year began and ended with WrestleMania for fifteen years. In every one of those years, you’ve been conditioned to believe that the “season” for the WWF/E ended and began at WrestleMania. The major storylines of the year culminated and the seeds were planted to start new beginnings for the pro wrestling landscape. There is usually an air of unpredictability, but the one thing that was always reliable was the fact that the main heel that wrecked havoc on the wrestling world would get his comeuppance, or we would witness the crowning of a new face champion to take into the next year.

Then Vince McMahon smacked The Rock with a steel chair. Triple H pinned him. The match was over.

I remember watching the pay-per-view at my friend’s house that evening. There were about ten or eleven of us in awe. We heard the chants of “Austin! Austin! Austin!” from the Arrowhead Pond in San Jose. We chanted the same, thinking that somehow, someway, the decision would be reversed, Austin would come down, raise hell and help The Rock gain what seemed to be rightfully his. That didn’t happen – and something seemed…off. Now I remember watching WrestleMania IX with my dad and almost committing murder when Yokozuna beat Bret Hart for the WWF Title. There was no way that the show was going to end with him winning. Thank God for Hulkamania (from the mind of fourteen year old.)

With Triple H walking away from WrestleMania as the WWF Champion, it seemed as if my world was shattered. Tradition was spat upon and the squishy good feeling I expected to have when the show ended turned into nausea. I expected to see The Rock hoist the title in the air as he met each turnbuckle. I expected a celebration along the lines of Savage shaking Hogan’s hand and raising Elizabeth on his shoulder, the fireworks after Warrior defeated Hogan, Bret being carried like a hero, HBK’s moment where he just kneeled and stared at the reality of his first heavyweight belt, or the rain of confetti as The Austin Era begun. The Rock was denied this moment. In fact, the only true “smarkish” theory I may take with me to my grave is that the events of WrestleMania 2000 was the catalyst that pushed The Rock out of wrestling for good. Despite having the popularity (or maybe even surpassing it at that point) of Steve Austin at this point of his career, I feel The Rock was never perceived as “The Guy” and never got that “heroes moment” that most achieve at WrestleMania. Beating Hogan two years later may have been some sort of consolation prize, but it was nowhere near the same.

That evening, I handed in my “mark” card, and would do everything in my power to justify the cancer of the WWF that was Triple H. Oh, it got worse – with the height of my HHHatred culminating at the events of WrestleMania XIX, but there are particular factors that chipped away at my “smarkiness” and brought me back full circle into the individual whose words you are reading today. I don’t know if these are listed so much in order of importance, since these events are all subjective to everyone else.

Brock Lesnar

Here’s an interesting one. As mentioned before, my HHHate hit its peak at WrestleMania XIX, with the whole “Your kind don’t win championships” angle with Booker T and beat him. As a “man of color” (ugh) and a wrestling fan at the same time, saying those events didn’t sit too well with me may be the understatement of the century. That could have ended my love affair with mainstream professional wrestling right there, but it didn’t. You see, the main event for the WWE Title was Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar – and I would curse myself if I didn’t bear witness to the crowning of who I thought at the time would literally be “The Next Big Thing.”

One of the time-honored post-WrestleMania traditions was introducing a new character – usually a heel into the WWF/E universe. A year prior to his main event push, Brock Lesnar arrived on Monday Night Raw the night after WrestleMania X-8 and destroyed everything in sight, including a poor and hapless Spike Dudley. Now, I had heard and saw some brief footage of Lesnar, but seeing him on this path of destruction was something else in the spring and summer of 2002. Brock was unlike anything ever seen in mainstream professional wrestling. He was built like Hogan in his prime. He had Goldberg’s offensive explosiveness. He had Benoit’s in-ring ruthlessness. He had Paul Heyman as his mouthpiece. He was the quickest 295-pounder I had ever seen. And he could WRESTLE. Not just the catch-as-catch can WWE “Main Event” style, but he was a suplex machine. He was a believable counter-wrestler. He had all the tools – and most importantly – he made me BELIEVE he could kill anyone on sight.

The universal defense for most wrestling fans when we’re met with the whole “You know it’s fake, right? They know how to fall” is to show Mick Foley being chucked off Hell in a Cell. When Lesnar arrived, he became my new go-to guy. Watch his performance at the 2002 King of the Ring against Rob Van Dam. I give credit to RVD for selling like a champ and making Lesnar look like an animal, but to the eyes of the uninitiated, it looks like Lesnar DESTROYS him for a good portion of that match. When Brock went up against The Rock at Summerslam for the Undisputed WWF Title, it was elementary that Brock would win – but not in a “storyline” way. No one would possibly believe in real life that The Rock could even compete in Brock’s league. I always remember when Brock won his first world title, his celebration included smashing his head against the gold in a barbaric fit of glee. It was almost clear that wasn’t Brock Lesnar the character, but Brock Lesnar the man. He probably would do that.

He would lay waste to Hulkamania, smearing Hogan’s blood across his chest. It was believable that Brock would do something so base. Lesnar annihilated The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell and NO ONE was shocked – when anyone else doing it at the time would have put the wrestling world up in arms. When he suplexed The Big Show on SmackDown and the ring imploded, for the longest while I remember the message boards being flooded by those who really believed that wasn’t planned. Brock was believable in every single way, to the point where even in my own “smark” phase, I was fully convinced that if Mike Tyson sneezed in Lesnar’s direction, Lesnar would have made mincemeat out of him. Brock was a performer, perhaps the last great mainstream wrestler who could make a crowd believe the punishment he inflicted. How is it that Eddie Guererro’s WWE Title win at No Way Out 2004 is seen as an epic, near perfect masterpiece? It’s because Brock was built up in such a way that whoever defeated him was made to look like a world-beater. Add to the fact that any other living creature would have probably died botching that Shooting Star Press (even think about a 6’6″ 295lb man doing an SSP~!) and one has to credit that Brock Lesnar – if he stayed – may have given the WWF/E its next true mainstream star in the mold of Steve Austin and The Rock. Don’t believe me? Ask Dana White. Brock’s ruthless in-ring persona made me forget about the “negatives” of the business.

The Benoit Murders

I am Canadian. I don’t think anyone other than fellow Canadians understand what that statement truly means. Yes, we are terribly serious about our beer. Yes, we practically worship at the altar of Tim Horton’s. Yes, we treat hockey the same as Americans treat football, or the rest of the world treats soccer – and in some parts of my great country – professional wrestling is serious business, and we treat our Canadian wrestlers – and the history of professional wrestling in Canada as a big deal.

Even though I lived in Toronto, I knew everything about Stampede Wrestling. Living in Toronto also exposed me to Maple Leaf Wrestling, promoted by former WWF President Jack Tunney. Us Canadians love to see our fellow countrymen and women succeed. One of those avenues where we’ve achieved a great amount of success is through professional wrestling. Andre the Giant (though not born in my home country) was a hero in Canada before he became the icon he would be. Roddy Piper and Bad News Allen were mainstays in the Canadian wrestling landscape. Bret Hart was named Canadian Sportsman of the Year. He was – and still is – just as beloved as Wayne Gretzky. Chris Jericho, Christian and Edge are our Canadian heroes. Trish Stratus is a living, breathing national treasure. We give props to Val Venis, Gail Kim, Robert Roode and Velvet Sky. Lance Storm and Petey Williams carried our flag with honor – but for a while, the future of Canadian wrestling rested on the shoulders of one man from Edmonton, Alberta.

Chris Benoit was seen as the second coming of Bret Hart. He had the acumen from The Dungeon. He had the tools, the toughness, the rugged aggression. He had Bret Hart’s technical prowess. He wore a toothless grin that became synonymous with famed hockey players – showing that he was willing to bear the scars of his craft to the world. While The Rock and Steve Austin would play the role of larger-than-life characters, Benoit was the silent assassin whose sole purpose was to inflict as much pain as possible. For years, I was on the Benoit bandwagon, praising his in-ring storytelling abilities and felt he wasn’t getting the recognition he deserved, whether in WCW or during his early run in the WWF. Then WrestleMania XX rolled around and gave me one of the great “mark-out moments” in my life as a wrestling fan as he made Triple H tap out in the middle of the ring to win The World Heavyweight Title. Eddie Guererro would then enter the ring followed by an embrace, confetti rained and quite possibly the most genuine moment ever filmed for a mainstream wrestling show was bare for the world.

Then June of 2007 hit.

I won’t go into detail of the events – if you’re a frequent reader on this website, you know what happened. What it meant for me was that I realized that I was living a lie. I walked around pretending that I knew everything about the wrestling business. I felt that my fellow Canadian writer was on the money in regards to booking decisions and pushes. I agreed with him. I was wrong – about everything.

The important things in life for me is family, my own personal sense of spirituality, purpose and place in the universe. My wife is the single greatest gift I’ve ever been given. I would never – ever risk anything to hurt her. Not for my career, not for a “fix”, not for anyone or anything, and by God, certainly not for professional wrestling. The business of wrestling is a catch-22, isn’t it? We worship men who play characters of men who are usually externalized versions of their true selves – but at the same time, we don’t know them. What we deem as important to us may not be as important to them. Professional wrestling is not life or death. Let me repeat that again:

Professional wrestling is NOT life or death.

Why would I rack my brain over the inner workings of a business I don’t understand? Why would I treat booking choices or pushes like my very existence hinged on it? It doesn’t. Chris Benoit showed me that even those who are perceived as the greatest of heroes are nothing more than mere men. Not only that, but that life is short and we make do with the hand we are dealt in this life. We are given a circumstance and make a choice. Benoit made his. I will not make the same mistake. It is just a show. Nothing more.

There have been, typically, two mindsets when it comes to Chris Benoit: there’s a contingent of fans who feel they can “separate the man from the character” and there are those who can’t bring themselves to watching any of his matches and believe he is burning in hell. My particular feelings on the matter is irrelevant in regards to the point of this column. I will say that I was deeply hurt and disappointed in not just Benoit, but myself for getting suckered into that myth of professional wrestling where the dirtsheets are gospel. What we read here, or on any other website are purely speculations and hearsay. Even if a rumor is confirmed as fact, why should it bother us? We don’t have any financial or creative stake in WWE, TNA or ROH…right? At least, I don’t.

I’ll leave the wrestling to the wrestlers and the booking to the bookers. I’m pretty content with being a normal “casual” fan. I have enough stress at home and work to find myself attached to people who I don’t even – or probably will never know.

Well, that was a bit of a downer…Let’s perk things up around here, shall we?