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Jan. 6, 2005 I have written many columns regarding the downfall of professional wrestling. I’ve received countless emails regarding this; both for me and mostly against me. Where does professional wrestling stand today? Young guns like Randy Orton, who I think is one of the most overrated wrestlers of all time, have completely ruined the image of professional wrestling. I’m sure Mr. Randy Orton is full of talent; otherwise, he wouldn’t be a wrestler, I’m not saying that he doesn’t have potential, but whatever happened to the wrestling I used to watch? I know what happened to it, it was bought. I remember when professional wrestling was a must watched event on Mondays. However, professional wrestling was also a must watched on late Fridays; I’m referring to the innovation of mainstream hardcore wrestling, ECW, or as it was known as Extreme Championship Wrestling. ECW was headed by Paul Heyman, a man who was famous for being Paul E. Dangerously, a manager who sported a long ponytail and an 80’s cell phone. Mr. Heyman brought new life to the world of professional wrestling. Mr. Heyman introduced us to talented wrestlers such as Chris Benoit, who is now a legend in the wrestling world and respected by many; Eddie Guerrero, who is also a legend in the wrestling world; luchadores, which is Spanish for “fighters” in which great talent like Rey Mysterio and Psychosis would use aerial acrobatic like wrestling to literally put their bodies on the line for one match; Rob Van Dam, who is probably the most innovative wrestler of the 20th century; and even reintroduced us to some great wrestlers that were maybe misused or misguided, wrestlers such as Terry Funk, Shane Douglas, Raven, and yes, even Steve Austin, or as he is known today as Stone Cold Steve Austin. What ECW really brought to the fans was an act of togetherness; the fans would literally chant the three famous letters as if God’s name was ECW. I remember watching the introduction to an ECW television broadcast and hearing the heartbeat sounds of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” and then kicking in with White Zombie’s “Thunder Kiss 65.” I knew from watching the introduction that this wrestling show was going to be brutal, dangerous, and entertaining. While watching it I knew I was right. I watched Tommy Dreamer choke slammed through 4 tables off a balcony. I watched Sabu and Terry Funk wrestle and literally get tangled in barbwire in which some of the crew members literally had to cut the barbwire off of the wrestlers. I watched Beulah McGillicutty, enough said. I watched Sandman use his infamous cane on Raven. I remember the Dudley Boys dropping Balls Mahoney through a flaming table. I remember watching the fans throwing chairs into the ring while two wrestlers were underneath it. It was the most unbelievable spectacle I have ever seen. It wasn’t just watching a wrestling show; it was experiencing it. Remember the greatest feud in wrestling history? Raven and Tommy Dreamer? I remember when Tommy Dreamer couldn't beat Raven, until their final encounter when Raven was "shipped" to WCW. The one person that sticks out in my mind that literally made ECW a spectacle to watch was the color commentator, Joey Styles. The man was literally a genius behind the commentating, his famous phrase was, “OH MY GOD!” What I liked about Joey Styles the most was he was the ONLY commentator, until Rick Rude came, for ECW; therefore, he would literally talk for Rob Van Dam’s 30 minute match for 30 minutes without a break. Joey would even do interviews with the wrestlers, do promos for ECW, and stick by his beliefs instead of switching them like some Memphis commentator wrestling fans know. However, in 2001, professional wrestling as we know it was destroyed along with two major organizations, ECW and WCW. It’s almost a fitting year in which two major companies were literally destroyed by the WWE’s power and influence. While the WWE tried to help promote ECW, money was the key issue in the demise of ECW. Today, only one major organization remains, and it’s really no surprise that the WWE is the winner, it has spawned some of the greatest talent ever, but today, even the WWE is a joke. I no longer watch professional wrestling, because of the fact that the WWE has made itself noticable for having overrated talent and leaving the real talent behind. I’m sorry, I hate Eugene, and Randy Orton is highly overrated; I think it takes more than a famous daddy and good looks to succeed. While the WWE still has great talent like Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Rob Van Dam, and even Triple H, I still miss the days in which it took balls not money to be in the wrestling business. It’s funny; I can still hear that chant of those magical letters. E.C.W. ------------ About the author Eric Schomburg: Useless-Knowledge Columnist of the year 2004. An Apocalyptic Dream is now out for purchase. Check out both books at http://www.geocities.com/schomburg2002. Email: schomburg2002@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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