In this weekly column, I will comment on the past week's goings-on in WOW, and whatever else it occurs to me to discuss :-) I also hope that a big part of the column will be printing and responding to your e-mails. So please send them in (the address is thatthing35@yahoo.com)!
For commentary on the events of the latest WOW episode, you can look at this recap of the updates I posted to the various character pages.
3/1/2001: Title Shots, and Shots from the Mailbag
There has been a lot of talk on the last couple of WOW episodes about who the #1 contender for Terri Gold's title is. It's very possible that the Powers That Be are trying to hype us for some sort of #1 contender tournament, perhaps culminating at the April "Spring Vengeance" PPV. My question is, simply, why should we care? It's not like you have to be an actual contender to get a title shot in WOW. Look at who Terri has fought:
And the sole title defense of the tag team champions, Caged Heat, was against a team (the Daughters of Darkness) that was, and remains, WINLESS!!
My point? Simply this. If you want "#1 contender" to mean something, you have to establish that the standard procedure is that you have to be the #1 contender to get a title shot. Then, if you break from the formula and give someone else a shot, it becomes interesting. But WOW has done the exact opposite. It has clearly established that getting a title shot bears no relation to anything that happens in the ring. You get a title shot if you punk out the champion, or maybe for no reason at all. So who cares, in that environment, who the #1 contender is?
'Nuff said on that. Before I get to the letters, one brief note. Bobby Heenan was on Dave Meltzer's show the other day, and said that he was treated very well by everyone at WOW and enjoyed his stint at the PPV a great deal. He also stuck up for Lee Marshall: They asked the Brain who the best commentator he had ever worked with was. While he was thinking about it, they sarcastically suggested Marshall. Heenan shot back "ok, I was going to say him, but I guess you know it already." Good for you, Brain! (I found what Bobby said after that to be interesting: He said that the other best announcer he has worked with is ... Vince McMahon.)
Unfortunately, the Brain also said that he wants to take it easy and has no interest in a full-time announcing job. Oh well. I thought he was very good at the PPV, and would be even better if he had more knowledge of WOW. And now, of course, there is a job open for a heel commentator at a significantly larger wrestling federation... Speaking of which, Meltzer also said that the Stephanie McMahon/Trish Stratus match at "No Way Out" was better than anything at the "WOW Unleashed" PPV. But Meltzer didn't actually watch the WOW PPV, so how can he comment? Scott Keith said the same thing, and he should really know better.
Anyway, let's dig into our mailbag! I love letters! Write me at thatthing35@yahoo.com if you want your words to live forever in this space.
Xenophobe writes:
"I suggested that Lana Star be a heel jobber. The Randi Rah Rah match is good proof that maybe that's what should happen. What do you think?"
Well, regardless of what I think, it seems pretty clear that WOW believes that Lana is too good-looking to be in anything other than a featured role. Although I personally don't find her to be all that, they are probably correct that the majority of people do. So I don't think we are ever gonna see her buried. As I mentioned in my last Lana update, as long as they do her stuff like wrestling angles instead of like sixth-rate sitcoms, I don't have a huge problem with it. And it's not like they're trying to sell us the idea that she is capable of wrestling on a level with Danger, Riot, Terri, etc. Now that would be sad.
Kolcsar Tibor writes:
"hey lay off BoomBoom just because you don't like her it doesn't mean she shouldn't be on WOW she happens to be my fav (grass skirt and all) i think she's way hotter than Riot that's all so please just leave her alone"
I would suggest that rather than write to me, you write to WOW. Maybe if they developed her character, I wouldn't have to complain about her not having a purpose! And you would get more Boom Boom, so we would both be happy! As I say every week, I am commenting on the characters, not those who play them.
Rich writes:
"I think the girls should step on each other more often, like Riot does all the time. I want to see the good girls get back at the bad girls by stepping and standing on them. If you could promote this it will be appreciated."
Well, I won't endorse it personally, but I'll print this letter and you can promote it yourself!
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(e-mail: thatthing35@yahoo.com)