The Beauty of Wrestling

Volume 1 – The Beauty of Wrestling

There are two questions I want to ask up front with the hope that you’ll think about your answers as you read through the remainder of the column. The first one is what makes a good wrestler to you? And the second one is what makes a match good in your opinion?

If these questions were posed to a group of people individually and devoid of any influence from others, then there would be a wide range of answers. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the beauty of wrestling. It’s also why being a part of a community of wrestling fans is so much fun; there’s stuff to learn and silly arguments to be had over something that is totally subjective.

There are a million people who think that John Cena is the best wrestler in the world today. And you know what? That’s perfectly fine. John Cena may very well be the best wrestler in the world today; it all depends on what makes a good wrestler to you. It’s all subjective opinion that can be based on any criteria the individual wants to base it on. There is no “right” and there is no “wrong” simply because we’re not dealing with absolutes like “1+1=2” here. And that’s the way professional wrestling should be, because that is what makes it fun to watch and fun to write about or discuss on a wrestling message board.

Of course with any sport or form of entertainment there exist fanboys who think they are the “be all, end all” of wrestling fandom. That goes for both marks and smarks, and there’s really nothing wrong with that so long as it is kept in check. You should be proud to be a wrestling fan. Ideally, you’ll have an open-mind and be willing to experience different kinds of wrestling and understand another fans reason for liking it, but if not, argumentative discussion can always be fun too. That’s just the beauty of subjective opinions.

Someone who enjoys only ground based, technical wrestling likely wouldn’t enjoy a show with nothing but small guys flipping around the ring. On the flip-side, the fan of highspots would find that style to be exciting, and may find the technical stuff too boring. Some people enjoy ultra-hardcore, and that’s fine too.

Now that we all see that wrestling is subjective in every way, lets go back to the two questions that kicked us off. I can’t expect you reading this to answer them if I don’t answer them myself. So that’s what I’m going to do right now.

What makes a good wrestler to me?

There’s no simple answer to this, because I don’t have a criteria that says if wrestler A is good because he does this then wrestler B is bad because he doesn’t do it. The simplest way for me to answer that question is to state what makes a bad wrestler in my eyes.

The Great Khali is a bad wrestler. My reasons are clear and simple; he can’t move, he can’t sell, he can’t talk and he only has four moves. Khali has no redeemable qualities in my eyes. He’s obviously an extreme, but you get the idea. If a guy or gal cannot wrestle then they better be able to do something else substantially well. Talking is a lower on my totem pole, but there’s definitely entertainment in a guy who can cut an effective promo. Just as important as wrestling ability is storytelling. I don’t care if a guy cannot wrestle a technical or high-flying style; if he can tell a story in the ring and sell for his opponent then he is doing a fine job, and is thus a good wrestler.

Someone might say, “I agree about Khali. Mark Henry is a bad wrestler too.”

My answer to that would be a quick “no, he isn’t.” Mark Henry isn’t a bad wrestler at all. He’s quite good. Mark Henry understands psychology and has the ability to make his opponent look great. Mark Henry knows the art of selling, which is probably a good reason he’s been employed by WWE for 16 years. Mark Henry can’t do flippy moves, and he can’t do technical chain wrestling, but he can tell a story in the ring and that is something I can always get into. Watching some 175 pound guy’s bounce around the ring using highspots to set up other highspots may very well be exciting, but it involves zero psychology and ultimately does nothing to make this fan connect with what they’re doing.

Because of his selling ability, and his believable offense, Mark Henry is a very good wrestler who has had numerous good to great matches based on storytelling/psychology. He may not get the greatest opportunity to showcase is talents on a frequent basis these days, but anyone who saw his feud with Evan Bourne last year on ECW knows what I’m talking about (ditto to his matches with Rey Mysterio back in 2008).

The best wrestlers to me will always be on the level that Chris Jericho currently is. Jericho is excellent on the stick, is great at technical wrestling, can hit the high spots, can sell for his opponents and is great with psychology in general. That’s the total package where everything comes together exceptionally well, and unless “power wrestling” is your thing, then there’s something for everyone in a substantial Chris Jericho match.

And then of course there’s the big power wrestler, Scott Norton. I use to love Scott Norton back in WCW, and once I got the Internet and was able to view wrestling from around the world, I became an even bigger fan. Unfortunately, he was never used the right way in the United States or pushed in any significant manner to the degree that he should have been. But that’s fine, Japan was always the place for him and he was/is able to make a legendary career wrestling in Japan. Norton was thick as hell and a legit bad-ass in the ring, and everything about him was believable. Norton’s work in Japan was great for the style he wrestled and he was as believable as anyone.

I’m not the pickiest person in the world; I can find the good in almost anyone. And with the exception of ultra-violent hardcore, I can enjoy any style of wrestling from any country. I like the so-called WWE style. I like lucha libre. I like European wrestling, and I like Japanese wrestling. I love good joshi/women’s wrestling. I really love the old-school NWA and Memphis style. I like a good brawl that makes sense. I love technical wrestling. I love big man power wrestling. As long as it is in some way exciting, artistic or good storytelling, then I like it. Of course this lends itself right into the second question regarding match quality.

What makes a match good in my opinion?

There’s a common misconception amongst some that the more time a match is given, the better the match is. While I admit this is just as subjective as anything else, I’ll point out that the logic behind that thought is flawed. In the feedback to his latest column, Dr. Chad said this about the Jake Roberts versus Undertaker match from WrestleMania VIII, “Taker vs. Roberts was an 8-minute squash match where Taker no sold everything the Snake threw at him. They could’ve done in 3 minutes what it took them to do in 8.”

That’s completely true. The length of the match should be based on the story and circumstance surrounding it; i.e. longer when the match calls for it. More is not always better, and there comes a time even in sub-ten minute matches where the length is dragging the match down. Good wrestlers can manage the clock and tell a good story in eight to ten minutes (even less than that) when allowed too. The last thing a wrestler should want is for the audience to be sitting in their seats, either in the arena or at home, wondering when the match is going to end. When a match is five minutes but seems like fifteen, then there’s a definite problem.

I’ve heard plenty of fans say that Goldberg wasn’t a good wrestler, because his matches were no good. I disagree completely with that. Goldberg’s matches were good. They didn’t need to be longer than a minute and a half; the story behind them was that Goldberg was a mysterious badass who came in, kicked ass, and got out of there. Why drag everything down by having him compete in five to six minute squashes, when the story was better told in a minute? Anything more and you lessen it. That’s a classic example of how story should dictate length.

Many people clamor to see TNA deliver 15-minute X-Division matches, but the important question to consider there is “what style of match?” It may be exciting to see a 15-minute multi-man match filled with guys doing one high-spot after another and then setting up some tower of doom in the corner, but these matches lose their appeal when they drag on. The style itself already leads to hardly any psychology or selling, because the guys are scrambling to hit the next high-spot or get in position to take it/catch someone.

I’ve determined here that length isn’t always a good thing, although there are definitely times when some matches could have been better with a little more time. The most important thing is the story being told. Someone may look at Sheamus versus Evan Bourne’s two minute WWE Championship match and see a horrible squash, whereas I saw a good story being told in the right amount of time. When the story is good and the time fits it, then you have a good match.

Mr. Perfect versus Bret Hart from Summer Slam 1991 and Bret Hart versus British Bulldog from Summer Slam 1992 are both excellent matches, from a technical standpoint, length of match and again most importantly, storytelling perspective. The story is what brings everything together and makes the connection with the audience, makes it worthwhile so-to-speak. Without a story, a 40 minute match is just a 40 minute waste of time.

A lot of people laugh when I say that one of my all-time favorite matches involves Sean Waltman, but it’s true. Bret Hart versus 123 Kid from the July 11, 1994 Monday Night RAW is as good of a match that has ever happened on that show. You’ll be hard pressed to find a match that occurred on RAW that makes me go, “oh, yeah that blows Hart/Kid away”. It’s just not going to happen. This match really had everything; good technical wrestling, good highspots, good length, and above all else it told a fantastic story. I was eight-years-old when this match aired, and I still remember being on the edge of my seat throughout the match. I honestly thought 123 Kid was going to win the WWF Championship, and I was rooting him on as hard as I could. That match is storytelling perfection to me, and I’ll admit to watching it once a month for probably 10 years at one point.

Wrestling is a great art and sport. To me it comes down mostly to the storytellers. The story makes or breaks a match, in my eyes, regardless of length. I’m a sucker for a story and good style.

TNA iMPACT on Monday Nights

This is a great video from TNA Wrestling. Now lets just hope they mean half of the stuff that is mentioned in it, because the past month of TNA sure isn’t being described in the video…

HZ Wrestling OnDemand

In late February, we introduced a new sub-forum in the HeelZone.com Forums called HZ OnDemand. We currently have over 30 full matches, shows and documentaries posted (including Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows). Showcase threads for Dr. Steve Williams, matches from WWF/E, WCW, TNA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and more are waiting. This section as quickly become a favorite section of the members, and we’re constantly adding new matches to the forum. We’ll be focusing a lot more on Japanese wrestling and early WCW/NWA in the coming weeks/months.

So register today at HeelZone.com and watch some great wrestling in the process.

New Champions and Feuds I Want to See This Year

RAW

I’d like to see Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and Ted DiBiase all elevated to the main-event. RAW needs more fresh faces in the title scene, following what I’ll still classify a successful experiment with Sheamus. Jack Swagger tops my list just because he’s so good and should have already been on the path. William Regal and Christian, now that they’re on RAW, are two guys who deserve a run with the WWE Championship.

Feuds I’d like to see on RAW this year:

Mark Henry (heel) vs. Evan Bourne (face) – These two had a great feud early last year on ECW, and they deserve a chance to bring that feud to Monday nights. Say whatever you want about Henry, but he makes people look good because he’s a great seller and is able to tell a good story. Bourne’s matches with Henry were some of both men’s best matches in WWE. If done right, as it was on ECW (which did have better writers), then this feud could really put Bourne over in a big way. He’s the closest thing they have towards being “the next Rey Mysterio” on the main roster, so this would be a great mid-card feud to help launch Bourne to where he should be.

William Regal (heel) vs. Randy Orton (face) – Regal is one of the best wrestlers in the entire WWE, and Randy Orton is great in a completely different way. So I think these two could match-up very well and deliver a great 1-2 pay-per-view feud. On top of how good it could be, I really do feel like Regal deserves one more shot at a main-event program, and feuding with Orton would go a long ways in putting him back up there. Seriously, let Regal win the title on one of them RAW shows from London. I don’t even care if he drops it at the next PPV, he deserves to win the title at least once in his career and doing so in his home country would be a “RAW Moment”.

SMACKDOWN

Mike Knox, Kane and John Morrison. I want all three of them elevated to the main-event. Ship Batista to RAW, Undertaker go away, and Smackdown has the best main-event scene in main-stream wrestling. I mean any combination of Jericho, Punk, Edge, Mysterio, Morrison, Kane, Knox, Benjamin, Finlay and Ziggler is going to be great. No, those last three aren’t in the main-event scene, but could be as well. Mike Knox especially needs a run as champion this year. Is he seriously underrated in WWE. If the territories still existed, Knox would be a top level heel in every promotion he went to.

Feuds I’d like to see on Smackdown this year:

Edge vs. Mike Knox – This one for the World Championship. I don’t even think I need to explain how great this one would be after face Edge vanquishes the heel Jericho and the heel Punk.

Benjamin vs. Jericho – Shelton needs a top star to work a program with him, and I think it’s obvious that Jericho has shown time and time again that he’s willing to work with and elevate anyone. Benjamin should be getting a fresh start on Smackdown this time around, and working a program with Jericho is as good as any to push one up the ladder. These two, given the time, could steal numerous shows (be it TV or PPV), as they’re two of the best wrestlers on the roster. We’ve seen them go at it over the IC title years ago on RAW. Let’s rekindle it.

Punk vs. Finlay – This one writes itself. Finlay is from Ireland, the Irish like to drink… ALOT. Think Benoit/Regal, and that’s how good a program between these two could be. Punk would welcome and embrace the stiffness, just like Benoit always did with Regal. The only real limitation, and it is minor, would be the PG rating. Without that, these two could produce gold. I’d end it with a Belfast Brawl that finds itself into a bar.

I’ll post my wants for TNA later, but that covers WWE for now.

WWE NXT Weekly Recap – Week 2

Another week, another good episode of NXT. The show started off by finally letting us know, in part, what makes this brand a “competition”. All of the Pros will vote on the Rookies, but they can neither vote for or against the Rookie that they’re mentoring. That’s fine, would have preferred specifics like when the voting takes place and if people are eliminated from the show at some point. Also, why can’t the Pros vote against their Rookie? Sure they can influence the others judges just by talking to them, but who would know better if the rookie can’t cut it than the guy who is supposedly spending all the time with him and mentoring him? Whatever, it’s a start. On with the recap.

– Otunga and Young actually had a match this week, and I liked it. It went almost ten minutes, and the two young guys definitely maintained my interest in the match. Yes, both men still have plenty to work on and a long ways to go, but they did a nice job pacing a longer match and weaving a story. Young in particular really needed tonight’s solid performance, because they really didn’t let him start off on the right foot last week. A good showing here by both rookies, and I’m genuinely intrigued to see what happens next for both men. CM Punk actually helped Young to get the victory, which only furthers my belief that Punk ends up embracing Young who accepts straightedge and ultimately shaves that ridiculous hair. Meanwhile the heel Otunga is already showing signs of the big head, pushing R-Truth after losing the match. I like it. Truth and Otunga got into a little scrap backstage, so now Miz isn’t the only one fighting with his “student”. I’m pulling for Otunga here; hopefully he can shut Truth up.

– Loved the video package on Daniel Bryan, which included pictures of him holding Indy/foreign titles. It’s so simple, but it’s a story everyone can get behind. Lifelong wrestling fan has been in the industry for 10 years, only wants to succeed in WWE and main-event WrestleMania and knows that he doesn’t need to learn anything from The Miz. This will only help the people like Bryan even more. Speaking of, I liked the shot of Bryan getting his ribs taped up by the trainer backstage. It shows the people that he’s tough and how bad he wants it, plus getting slapped across the injured ribs by his mentor only draw the people more to him. He’s the sympathetic face of the show, and I so far love it.

– Wade Barrett and Daniel Bryan had a good two minute match. When I say good, I mean good story-wise, not in-ring technical wrestling wise. It was essentially a glorified squash, with the much larger Barrett dominating the injured Bryan. That’s classic booking. Daniel wasn’t hurt any by the loss and at this stage Barrett needed the win and would have actually looked weak if he would’ve lost. The injured ribs are the story of Bryan, and it’s a good story for the sympathetic wrestling character. Not sure if Daniel botched his spring from the top, but I’m going to assume (somewhat safely I think) that it was a planned spot if only because I don’t think Michael Cole is talented enough to react that quickly to cover something up. Jericho certainly is though, and Jericho did a wonderful job on commentary. He obviously played the heel cheering his student on, but in a roundabout way, he put Daniel over big and didn’t dump on his Independent and world experience the way Michael Cole did last week. Cole is still a douche by the way. I enjoyed this, and Barrett definitely has the look and character to be a top level heel. I’d say we’ll have to see about his in-ring work, but that hasn’t hurt Batista any has it? Jericho kicking Daniel while he was down after the match and then locking in another sick LIONTAMER was well done and added to the Bryan story even more. I dig it.

– Liked the filmed gym segment with Christian and Heath Slater. Slater is still one of my favorites early on, and Christian was his usual self, delivering some good lines. This is a fun pairing and the two seem to be one of the only pairings that are actually getting along.

– I don’t know what the hell Justin Gabriel calls that outfit he wore to the ring, but he needs to do away with that thing ASAP. And he needs to get some trunks while he’s at it, preferably some that doesn’t look like a diaper. The Skip Sheffield video was good and I like his dumb cowboy gimmick for the moment. I was hoping they’d bring up his time on Tough Enough 4 (the same “season” as The Miz) but I’m guessing he’ll get no mention of being Ryan Reeves since that contradicts his Skip Sheffield gimmick. Whatever. The tag team match with Gabriel/Hardy vs. Skip/Regal was a very good 10 minute plus encounter. Sheffield needs to do a little more, but he was entertaining. I worry about how much life the gimmick has though, because eventually the novelty will wear off. Gabriel was okay, and he can certainly become a good WWE-style wrestler. His 450 Splash finisher was cool, although I would have preferred that he pin Skip and not Regal. Regal is such an awesome wrestler, so much so that Regal “made” this match, and he deserves more than to be the first pro pinned by a rookie. Hopefully by the end of this, Regal teaches Skip and refines him; kind of like the Bluebloods did Beautiful Bobby Eaton back in WCW in the mid-90’s.

This second week featured more wrestling than the first week, and I liked it. I’m biased towards the first show simply because Daniel Bryan kicked it off with a promo and then wrestled Chris Jericho, but this was still a very good episode. We have some semblance of rules now, every contestant has gotten the opportunity to go out there and wrestle, and so far they’ve all done a good job. I’m already looking forward to next week’s show, because this really is my new favorite show.

I’ll be posting the full episode on the blog once it becomes available on Hulu. Also I will be premiering WWE Superstars Weekly Recap this Thursday night, because the show looks great on paper (Kane vs. Mike Knox AND Chris Jericho vs. Goldust, awesome).

Tin Man – Review

Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough, Kathleen Robertson, Raoul Trujillo, Richard Dreyfuss
Director: Nick Willing
Writer(s): Steven Long Mitchell, Craig W. Van Sickle
Studio: Imagiquest Entertainment, Sci-Fi Pictures Original
Runtime: Approximately 5 Hours
Rated: Not Rated
Official HZ Cinema Score: 5 Star Hall of Fame Classic

For starters, this review is not based whatsoever on the original The Wizard of Oz. As a matter of face, I haven’t seen the The Wizard of Oz in a number of years, nor did I enjoy it the last time I did see it (though I liked it as a kid). So just go ahead now and wipe your opinions of The Wizard of Oz from your mind, as Tin Man is being reviewed as its own story having nothing to do with old Judy Garland movie. Got it? Good.

The epic miniseries from the Sci-Fi Channel took Oz to a new level, a modernized and science fiction level attended for teens and adults. When you factor in commercial breaks, this three night event clocked it at six hours, making its actually length somewhere between 4 or 5 hours. That may seem tedious, but if not for the commercial breaks, it actually flies by pretty fast. That’s because it is a nice fantasy adventure where you can easily get wrapped up in the story and the characters (assuming you don’t view it as a bastardized version of The Wizard of Oz).

The miniseries stars the always cute and talented Zooey Deschanel (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Elf, The New Guy) as the curious and adventurous DG, who is brought into The Outer Zone (O.Z.) from the Other Side via a tornado (travel storm). DG quickly picks up a few allies along the way as she begins her journey to unlocking her past and her destiny. Joining her on her path is Glitch (Alan Cumming, X-Men, Son of the Mask, Goldeneye), the brainless former adviser to the Queen, Raw (Raoul Trujillo, Apocalypto, The New World), the courage-less Viewer, and the Tin Man, Wyatt Cain (Neal McDonough, Flags of Our Fathers, The Hitcher), the heartless ex-Tin Man on the Mystic Man’s protection squad.

All four have an ax to grind with Azkadellia the Sorceress (Kathleen Robertson, Hollywoodland, XX/YY, Scary Movie 2), the evil witch who rules over the O.Z., and her band of Longcoats (police/army). But in order to get on their way, they have to swing by Central City and speak with the Mystic Man (Richard Dreyfuss, JAWS, Mr. Hollands Opus, Poseidon), a drugged out “wizard”. Together, and at times separated, they make the long and difficult journey to the final showdown with Azkadellia, in a last ditch effort to save the O.Z. form the evil of the Witch and permanent darkness. They even pick up a shape-shifting Toto/Tutor (Blu Mankuma, Eureka, Look Who’s Talking, Stargate SG-1) along the way.

There are twist and turns throughout the film, a few of which are very important and really help make the show, so I’ll won’t spoil any of them.

Going into the miniseries, having seen the previews, I wasn’t really expecting a whole lot. Leaving all thoughts of The Wizard of Oz behind though, I was thoroughly impressed… especially for a Sci-Fi Channel original miniseries. So much so, that this epic miniseries event is now the newest inductee into the 5 Star Classic wing of the HZ Cinema Hall of Fame.

I am a big fan of Zooey Deschanel, and she preformed her role as DG exceptionally well, all cute and innocent looking yet witty and brave at the same time. The rest of the actors all did great, with standouts being Alan Cumming’s Glitch, Neal McDonough’s Wyatt Cain and Kathleen Robertson’s Azkadellia (the sexist witch EVER). Richard Dreyfuss’ brief time in the show was also well done and at times, funny.

If you’re looking for a great fantasy adventure, that’s funny yet very dark, then Tin Man is for you. An imaginative, well thought out miniseries based (loosely) on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book by L. Frank Baum. All around a great, captivating, story.

WWE NXT 03/02/10 Preview

Spoiler match listing for tonights show below (NOTE, no winners are reveals, so not full spoilers.)

Darren Young vs. David Otunga

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett

William Regal and Skip Sheffield vs. Matt Hardy and Justin Gabriel

Looks like a fun show, on paper. I am looking forward to seeing Sheffield and Gabriel, as well as seeing what Barrett can do in the ring. Week Two of the NXT Weekly Recap will be posted to the blog within an hour of NXT going off.

Ron Paul on “Broken Government”

From the Campaign For Liberty:

Congressman Ron Paul appears on CNN commentator Jack Cafferty’s “Broken Government” special to discuss the debt, what will happen if we don’t stop the federal government’s out of control spending, and the establishment’s reaction to the freedom message.

Wrestling VHS Collection

I am currently trying my hand at a rather daunting task: categorizing my entire wrestling VHS collection. Note that “entire” doesn’t include store bought VHS tapes, but rather many 6 to 8 hour VHS tapes that are packed with recorded wrestling TV shows, specials and pay-per-events. This categorization process includes dating every show and writing down every match on the tape, and then placing the tapes in chronological order (to the best I can given that some tapes contain events from different years).

All things that I really should have done as I recorded the events, but didn’t due to being young and dumb.

Once I finish the initial phase, I’m going to assign each tape a number and then write down all the events (by tape number) in a notebook for quick reference on what each tape contains. I have so far completed three tapes, so I only have a ton more to get too. We’re talking many, many hours of WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA, GCW, NWA, WCCW, AWA, UWF and specials (biographies, Untold History, etc) of wrestling action. So between college work, MAG on the PS3, and this categorizing project, my free-time to work on wrestling columns will be severely limited for the foreseeable future. Not saying I won’t be posting any new columns anytime soon, but they won’t be as frequent as they have been the past few months (with the exception of Sports Entertainment 360).

NXT – February 23, 2010

Vodpod videos no longer available.There’s the full first episode of WWE NXT (for American viewers). My thoughts on the debut show were posted in NXT Weekly Recap – Week One. Suffice to say, I love this show.