I just finished watching WWE’s Randy Savage DVD. Lots of good stuff. Lots of myths perpetuated, too.
It wasn’t altogether kind to Randy. His bald spot was highlighted. It was made clear he was too short.
We were constantly reminded what a wonderful woman Elizabeth was. Which she was. The 911 call describing her death by drug overdose thus seemed out of context, to say nothing of unseemly. But hey, Luger – YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER SHOWN UP ON THAT FIRST NITRO!
The winners write history. I get it.
But the notion that WCW overtook WWE solely because Ted Turner bought and exploited WWE-developed talent is a stretch. Probably closer to an outright lie. WWE could have kept any/all of those guys. Just guarantee money. WWE is mom-and-pop, but never so mom-and-pop that money couldn’t be guaranteed to certain hard-to-replace performers. Just pick your spots.
WWE’s then-policy of not guaranteeing money wasn’t based on finances. It was based on keeping talent in line. Paycheck bullying.
I worked for WCW then. We kicked Vince McMahon’s ass. McMahon was out of ideas. His programming sucked. WCW had a more action-packed program based on utilizing cruiserweights. WCW repackaged former WWE talent in ways that were different and more realistic. McMahon never had the balls to turn Hulk Hogan heel. The nWo angle is the best long-term storyline in wrestling history.
True, it all disappeared in relatively short order. WWE regained control. But no thanks to McMahon.
Vince Russo bailed out McMahon and WWE with the Attitude era and Crash TV. You can debate what Russo did after. But there’s no debating that WWE was dead in the water until Russo stuck his oar in. For one of the very few times in his life, McMahon was desperate enough to listen to somebody else.
Russo needed an editor. But no more than McMahon needed fresh ideas. Besides the new Diesel and Razor Ramon, that is.
McMahon lucked out when Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock came along. Two once-in-a-lifetime talents blossomed at the same time. Long odds, mon ami.
McMahon dug a hole. WCW kicked his ass. Somebody besides McMahon rescued WWE. Put that on a ***king DVD.
Wrestling has had plenty of minds more creative than McMahon. Bill Watts and Paul Heyman come immediately to mind. McMahon’s success is based primarily on being a corporate bully with a vision, not booking acumen.
Now, like then, McMahon needs to be creative. But that tank is empty. If McMahon wasn’t the boss, he’d have been fired months ago. Years, even.
WWE programming stinks. I may have mentioned that previously. Common voice, everybody’s in the mid-card, PG-13, etc.
The decline in viewership has been masked by diversifying revenue streams. But now WWE’s biggest diversification has come up way short.
Fanboys still like WWE. Fanboys always do. But what about stockholders and advertisers? What are they thinking?
McMahon = Mike Ditka. Everybody remembers Ditka for winning Super Bowl XX in 1986 with Chicago. But he failed miserably with New Orleans in 1997-99. Football had passed him by. Now, on ESPN, Ditka is a cartoon character. An eccentric old man trading in on name value while offering nothing of substance.
No one will say that, because he’s Mike Ditka. Except he’s not really Mike Ditka anymore. Vince McMahon really isn’t Vince McMahon anymore.
On the Savage DVD, Savage’s failure to return to WWE after WCW folded was called “inexplicable.” Actually, I could explain it. So could a lot of people. Decorum prohibits. But don’t open that door.
Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkMaddenX
