Rise and Fall of WCW Review

I finally got a chance to watch the documentary part on the WWE’s new DVD release “The Rise and Fall of WCW” and I wanted to share my thoughts on it without trying to give an exhaustive and comprehensive review of the whole thing. This DVD set has been highly anticipated ever since the WWE put out the “Rise and Fall of ECW” a few years back. Obviously, WCW had a much richer history than ECW and I’m sure fans were expecting a really great set chronicling the history of the company. And since WCW fought the WWE tooth and nail through the mid to late 1990’s, one had to wonder if there would be any revisionist history and would the documentary try to take any cheap shots or try to really bury their former rival. So the question is, did the set meet expectations?

For the most part, “The Rise and Fall of WCW” was a very good and well produced documentary, but I think it fell short of being something truly special. All of the documentaries that the WWE makes are a good watch in my opinion, but some stand out as being better than others. I feel this documentary was a notch below the ECW one and I believe it could have been more in depth. The documentary only clocked in at about 1 hour 45 minutes and I think it could have been much longer and more comprehensive. With that said, some areas of the history of the company were well documented and overall it was a nice stroll down memory lane.

The beginning of the documentary part was very good and the viewer was able to gain a good sense of how WCW was built up from the territory days. You were able to see how things slowly morphed from Jim Crockett Promotions to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and then finally to WCW. It was obvious how much talent was present throughout the 70’s and 80’s and you got a very good look at how WCW was instrumental in creating the “big time” wrestling event and also how they helped to shape Pay Per Views. The documentary made you realize just how big things were back then for the company and the sky seemed to be the limit. Many of the people interviewed made reference to the 6:05 pm to 8:05 pm time slot on Saturday nights and how that became required viewing for fans back in the day. I was pleased to hear this myself because even though I don’t have sharp memories of things, I know I used to tune into TBS and watch when I was a little kid. I can remember being mesmerized by the athletic skill of the wrestlers and the larger than life personalities of guys like Sting. And even though I did not have an appreciation for the talents of a legend like Ric Flair at the time, those shows did seem like a big time thing and something special for a kid.

After a really good telling of how WCW slowly grew into a phenomenon, the main theme (from my perspective at least) of the documentary was introduced, which was no matter how good things looked for WCW on the surface, there was always trouble brewing behind the scenes that threatened the company. The first of these problems was that the company tried to expand too much too fast, and even though the money was pouring in, the company could not keep up with expenses. So after failed partnerships with Ted Turner and even Vince McMahon, Jim Crockett was forced to sell the entire company and operations to Turner and allow him to take over. Once Turner got his hands into things, it was only the beginning of the major problem which plagued WCW: people with no knowledge of the product screwing things up and then later allowing the “inmates to run the asylum” even when you had smart enough people in power positions.

In the early 1990’s, WCW had a wealth of talent with the likes of Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Sting, the Steiners, Vader, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, and the list could go on and on. But sadly, extremely bad decisions and bad management held the company back. The people who gained control of the booking just could not find a way to gain any momentum at the best and didn’t know what the hell they were doing at the worst. The morale of the performers slowly started to disappear and the fun vanished. Many wrestlers just saw dollars and a paycheck and the ship was not righted until Eric Bischoff came along.

Bischoff was mostly portrayed in a positive light for what he did with WCW, and rightly so. He was a very smart and creative business man and he had enough sense to listen to other people and also channel Ted Turner’s money effectively. I don’t need to go into detail about how WCW was able to lure away WWE stars like Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, and Randy Savage. The WWE made these guys into stars and when they came to WCW, the company was legitimized and people took notice. The NWO was then formed and WCW took off like a rocket. The company dominated in the ratings for almost 2 years and WCW seemed to be unstoppable. They featured cruiserweights like Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and Dean Malenko, and these performers gave fans an exciting style that the WWE was not offering. Goldberg also hit the scene during this period and his rise to stardom only helped WCW along.

So, things were great for the company until the same old problems as before crept up. Bischoff and other management people within WCW started to become arrogant and cocky. They really had no longer term vision and they only cared about the ratings and doing whatever it took to beat the WWE. Bischoff foolishly thought that he could actually put Vince McMahon out of business. On top of that, the wrestlers were getting huge contracts and too much creative control. The hiring of Vince Russo, who was pretty much killed in this documentary, was the beginning of the end. As many people probably know, Russo slung every stupid idea that he could against the wall until nothing stuck anymore. We got to see the infamous “finger poke of doom”, Jeff Jarrett laying down for Hulk Hogan, and David Arquette: WCW World Champion, among other things. Truly, things just spiraled out of control and the company was forced to fold under the weight of horrible decision making and the amount of money that was being lost.

All in all, this was a solid timeline of events which did show the rise and fall of the company. In my opinion, I would say that the facts are pretty much accurate, but you can never assume that you are getting the full story. In fact, I would have loved to see more of the story. I think this could have easily been a more comprehensive documentary and should have clocked in at about 3 hours. WWE could have spent more time talking about how Ric Flair and the Horsemen carried the company in the mid to late 1980’s and how they were able to develop more and more big events. I would have also liked to have seen more about the feuds that bridged the gap from the early 90’s until the NWO came along. Even through the bad management, WCW had a great in-ring product and it would have been nice to see some of those feuds highlighted. I admit to being a big mark for the NWO, so I would have liked seeing a more comprehensive look at how the faction evolved and then how it basically devolved into a farce and a joke which hurt the product. A greater examination of the cruiserweight division should have been included in my opinion. And lastly, I believe the documentary should have discussed the major angle that WCW tried which pitted the “New Blood” against the “Millionaires Club”. This storyline was not even mentioned and I feel it should have been talked about along with more information about the final months of the company’s existence.

“The Rise and Fall of WCW” was a good documentary, but it could have been better. Maybe the brevity of the whole thing is just yet another “jab” that Vince McMahon likes to do sometimes. For a wrestling junkie, this documentary was not as big of a “fix” as it should have been. I haven’t gotten around to watching the matches yet, but there appears to be some really good stuff on it. I am sure the earlier matches from the late 80’s and early 90’s will be better than the later material, but that is to be expected. With all that being said, I do recommend a purchase of this set. While it may not be perfect, I feel that it does deserve a place in your wrestling DVD library.

The Game’s Quick Hits:

Monday Night RAWind: I thought that Monday Night Raw this week was much better than last week’s offering. There seemed to be a little more focus on building toward the Breaking Point PPV and it was nice to see a greater emphasis on in-ring action as opposed to pointless and stupid backstage segments and “comedy” bits. Now this makes sense since Dusty Rhodes was the guest host. I have to admit…I like Dusty and always was a fan of the “common man” shtick and there is no question that Dusty could talk on the mic and bring it to ya. The opening segment involving Dusty, Randy Orton, and Cody Rhodes, which set up the main event title match between Orton and Cody Rhodes with Dusty in his corner and John Cena as the referee, was infinitely better than last week’s DX birthday celebration for Vince McMahon. In fact, I think it was a good move to keep DX in the back with Dusty this week and only have them do a little harmless merchandise schilling. Yes, I did laugh at the Shockmaster segment which featured Arn Anderson doing the Shockmaster’s voice. I thought it was fairly funny and saved the segments as a whole. As for the “main event” itself, I was cool with it being a bait and switch.

After the opening segment, I figured that either Orton would just decide to attack Cena and make the match a no contest (and then Legacy would come help) or Orton and Rhodes would just stop the match mid-stream and go after Cena. So, I was pleasantly surprised that they had Dusty do the heel turn right away and Legacy went right after Cena. DX made the predictable save, but Dusty knocking out Triple H with his cowboy boot and then eating an RKO at the end for his troubles was a nice touch. This ending worked because Legacy was able to get their heat back from Cena and DX and the fact that Cody wanted to beat the hell out of Orton for dropping Dusty but whimped out will be effective down the road. At this point, Rhodes and Dibiase continue to look like puppets and totally under Orton’s control. So when they do turn and stand up to him, it will hopefully be a major break for the two and the audience will get behind them. Maybe the whole ending segment was not perfect, but I thought it worked.

The action involving the divas was not that exciting, but at least it was good to see an immediate payoff for a change and a greater focus on some wrestling. Beth Phoenix won a 6 diva battle royal early in the evening and then got a shot at Divas Champion Mickie James later in the night. Beth was booked to look like a beast again and it was pretty effective. The dead crowd did not help the match and the sudden win by Mickie off of a DDT seemed uninspiring to me. I actually would have liked to see Beth win the title. It would have been a surprise and they could have immediately cemented Beth as a dominant bad ass again. I have no idea what the longer term build is now since Gail Kim keeps losing, so I guess we will have to wait and see.

I thought they did the logical move of having Chris Jericho vs. MVP and Big Show vs. Mark Henry to try and build the Unified Tag Team Championship match coming up at Breaking Point. They needed to do something since this match was just thrown together, and opting for some matches instead of pointless bantering or brawling was nice to see. Jericho and MVP put on a good match and Show vs. Henry was a slow and plodding snooze fest as one would predict. But both matches did their job of trying to prove that MVP and Henry are capable of hanging with JeriShow.

The fatal four way match for the United States Championship was also a nice little affair that featured some good action and allowed the contenders to be showcased. Again, I think a sudden title change would have been awesome to see, but maybe they are saving that for Smackdown this week, when I fully expect Rey Mysterio to drop the Intercontinental Title to Dolph Ziggler. The match did a great job of making Kofi Kingston the plucky “underdog” champion who works hard and finds a way to persevere and win. I was glad to see The Miz in there trying to be a sneaky heel and also glad that Carlito, not Miz, was the one who took the pinfall. I still think The Miz needs to complete his quest and win the U.S. Title in the near future.

And finally, the Chavo Guerrero and Hornswoggle angle has just moved into being stupid and absurd. It was funny the first 2 or 3 times, but now it is total crap and I want it off my TV. And speaking of stupid…why in the hell is Bob Barker hosting Raw next week? That makes absolutely NO sense for the last Raw before a PPV.

ECW Thoughts: I didn’t get a chance to catch ECW live as it aired, so I am only able to discuss the results. I am seeing that Sheamus defeated Goldust in a no count out, no disqualification match. These two have meshed together surprisingly well in the ring and the matches have been pretty good. Sheamus going over is obviously the right result and hopefully he will get a chance to move onto a new feud. I think Sheamus has the potential to be a player down the road, as long as they don’t start putting him into stupid matches or involving him with Hornswoggle. Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov squashed two jobbers and then tried to beat them down more along with William Regal before Christian and Tommy Dreamer made the save. This set up a tag team match for next week between Christian and Dreamer and Jackson and Kozlov. I will be very interested in this match to see how Jackson and Kozlov can hang. The feud between Christian and Regal is heating up nicely, so hopefully it continues. Shelton Benjamin defeated Zack Ryder last night as well. I am hoping that Benjamin is somehow able to break out of the mid card and move up the ladder again. Of course he needs to either get on Raw or Smackdown to have a shot at a secondary title or maybe he can somehow challenge Regal if he takes the belt from Christian down the line. I think Benjamin has been working hard to improve and I would like to see him get a bigger push.

- Reports today are saying that PG Ricky Rubio backed out of an agreement that was in place to bring him to the NBA and the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Minnesota had reached an agreement with Rubio’s agent and his Spanish pro team, but then Rubio came to the Wolves and told them he would prefer to stay in Spain for 2 more years to better prepare himself for the NBA. I don’t know, but this could start smelling fishy. Who knows, maybe in 2 years he decides that he still wants to stay in Europe and tries to squeeze as much money out of Minnesota as he can. Timberwolves president David Kahn is saying that the team was always willing to wait a year or two to bring Rubio over and Rubio is on record saying he has a desire to play for Minnesota, so Kahn had better hope Rubio still has that desire in 2011. As everyone knows however, a lot can change in 2 years, so I’m sure we will have to deal with this in the news for a while to come.

- Brace yourself Canada and get some extra security at those nightclubs because Adam “Pacman” Jones has just agreed to a 1 year contract with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This was the next best option for Jones after the Dallas Cowboys released him in February and no NFL team even bothered to invite him to training camp. My short and sweet opinion on this guy? He is a total idiot. Here is another young player (still only 25) who is trying to flush his career and talents down the toilet due to stupid behavior. Since Jones was drafted in 2005, he has been arrested 6 times and involved in 12 instances that required police intervention. That is just plain stupid and it is amazing this guy is still getting opportunities out there. I am all for second chances, but Jones refuses to stay out of trouble and try to better himself. But that is what happens when you are an athlete and you have talent. If you can still play and a team has a need for what you can do, you will most likely get another shot. Maybe Jones can finally realize this might be his last shot to get to the NFL or else he will be stuck in Canada the rest of his career.

- Quick NFL notes: Patriots QB Tom Brady tested his throwing arm and shoulder in practice on Tuesday and showed no ill effects. Seems like the whole injury “scare” is now overblown and people in New England can breathe easy…Oakland Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha is expected to be sidelined about two weeks with a chipped bone in his left wrist. Asomugha is arguably Oakland’s best player and this kind of injury could very well limit how effective he would be in bump-and-run coverage this year. The Raiders didn’t need any more bad news since they will still be terrible this season…New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora returned to practice on Tuesday after going AWOL on Monday and giving no reason on why he did. This is just a strange occurrence and there is obviously more to this story and I want to hear it…Bengals rookie OL Andre Smith will be out a few weeks after fracturing a bone in his foot. This looks like a case of bad karma to me after Cincinnati tried to lowball Smith with his rookie contract. I read that they have a weight clause in it though, so maybe Smith reported to the team not in the greatest of shape. No matter how you slice it though, it is typical Bungles…

- U.S. Open Update: Women’s #1 seed Dinara Safina barely survived and avoided becoming the first #1 seed to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open by beating 147th-ranked Olivia Rogowska 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. As I stated before, I have no idea what in the hell they do to get these rankings but Safina should not be a #1 seed at these majors. It is one thing to rack up points at smaller events, but the major tournaments are where the best come through and she has proven nothing yet. The only upset of note on the second day was women’s #11 seed and former world #1 Ana Ivanovic losing in 3 sets.

Celebrating Summerfest: WWE Summerslam Thoughts

Well it is just about that time for the "biggest party of the summer" according to the WWE. That's right, it's time for WWE Summerslam...or Summerfest if you are recent Raw guest host Jeremy Piven. I have been a WWE fan for the longest time and Summerslam has always been a solid card and it should be considering that it is one of the "Big 4" PPVs along with the Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and Survivor Series.

Now in recent times, the direction of WWE storylines and angles have left some things to be desired. However, I am not one of those people who will constantly bash the product. I recognize wrestling for what it is. It is an escape. It is meant to be fun and over the top. It is meant to provide entertainment and mix in some great athletics and at times, really stir your emotions and provide some great memories. My opinion has always been that if you can't just sit back and try to enjoy what you can, then don't watch! It makes no sense to watch something and all you do is criticize it and say "this sucks". Do I like everything I see on WWE programming? Absolutely not. Creative drops the ball numerous times, match outcomes seem utterly stupid sometimes, and the comedy/humorous angles sometimes fall woefully flat. However, I still enjoy seeing great matches and there are great laughs and enjoyment to be had if you just allow yourself to let it happen.

So with that said, let's take a look at Summerslam coming up this Sunday. I think the card has some potential to deliver some good matches, although I will have to say that it does not feel like it is something extremely special. Cena/Orton has been done before...DX returning has been done before...much of the under card does not have a great amount of heat and build. I still expect some good wrestling and fun matches though and the TLC match between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk has the potential to be a great match. Here is a match by match rundown of the card and my thoughts on the outcomes:

Kane vs. The Great Khali - Ugh...I have absolutely no interest in this feud since it was seemingly thrown together for no apparent reason. It just feels like one of those things to satisfy Vince McMahon's "big man" fetish. Kane always has the potential to be higher up the card and he has deserved more than he has gotten over the years. He has always been a reliable worker and maybe a win at one of the "Big 4" will be his "reward". It is Kane's first big match back on PPV and considering that Khali is the face and they probably want to drag this feud on longer, I think Kane will get the win. Or we could get one of those wonderful DQs...
Prediction: Kane

Jack Swagger vs. MVP - This has the potential to be a great match if Swagger and MVP are given time for it. I unfortunately think it will be shorter than it needs to be, but both men are talented enough to give a good performance with what they will be given. Obviously, Swagger is one of the future players in the WWE and will most likely be given a run with a major belt in the future. MVP has continued to improve and has gotten much better in the ring and is entertaining on the stick. The feud has centered around Swagger wanting to fight on "his terms" and it seems the bright lights of Summerslam will fit the bill. It seems like these two have been jawing for a good 2 months or so at this point, but it feels like the feud has not run it's course yet. That usually has me leaning toward the heel getting the victory. I think MVP could be in danger of getting lost in the shuffle and it seems like something creative would do, so I give the nod to Swagger in this one.
Prediction: Swagger

DX vs. Legacy - I'm not sure it is worth going into any type of analysis for this one. Shawn Michaels is returning to PPV and the WWE and reforming DX with Triple H and you think they will lose at Summerslam? Yeah right LOL. I assume that Legacy got the bone thrown to them on Raw when they beat down DX during their usual antics. Honestly, I think Legacy needs to win this match to be seen as a more serious threat because WWE blew it by not making them the Unified Tag Champions and letting them "run the show" with Randy Orton. Rhodes and Dibiase are still treated too much like lackeys and I can only assume the plan is for one (most likely Dibiase) or both to finally get tired of it and turn on Orton. So anyway, DX cruises in this one.
Prediction: DX

ECW Championship: Christian (c) vs. William Regal - Again this match seems rushed out there and came out of the blue, but fortunately Regal is extremely solid and a bad ass and he should be able to have a good match with Christian. Christian's 2nd run with the ECW Title has not lasted that long yet and I don't think they will be taking the title off of him so soon. I could easily see this match ending in a DQ to extend things. I can also see a Christian victory and instead, Regal continues to come after Captain Charisma with his new henchmen, Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson. It just seems like Christian will drop the belt to one of those two and Regal is there as a placeholder to have a few solid matches and guide the two younger guys.
Prediction: Christian (or a DQ)

Unified Tag Team Championship: Chris Jericho/Big Show (c) vs. Cryme Tyme - Well the pairing of Jericho and Big Show has been interesting and I think it was a pretty good decision by the WWE after Edge went down to injury. Jericho is allowed to be even more cocky considering the back up that he has. Cryme Tyme has been solid and have done a good job to get themselves over with the fans and they deserve the match at Summerslam as much as anyone. However, I don't think that they should be getting the win. Jericho and Big Show still have room to run with this angle I believe and they should not drop the belts yet. There needs to be more tension between the two at some point and Chris Jericho being the Unified Tag Champ means more of him on both Raw and Smackdown and that is a good thing.
Prediction: Jericho/Big Show

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler - Well I am as shocked as anyone that Ziggler has been able to get this character over. He seems to getting more heat with the crowd and his in ring work has gotten better and better. He showed he could hang with Mysterio in their last PPV encounter and it seems like now is the time for him to take the belt at a big PPV like Summerslam. I really have nothing against Mysterio, but I feel his character really has no room to develop and he will always be over as a popular superstar. Ziggler could really benefit from getting the title and it will continue to move him up the ladder as a major player.
Prediction: Ziggler (New IC Champion)

TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. CM Punk - I have thoroughly enjoyed Punk's heel turn and it has been the best piece of work that the WWE has been doing over the past few months. These two have delivered some great matches in the ring and this match should be no different. However, the outcome of the match seems to be a foregone conclusion. It seems that there has been no news to break that Hardy has signed a new deal with WWE and he seems determined to take some time off. They ran the "injury" angle on Smackdown and are speculating that he might not be at 100% for the match. So to me, all the pieces are in place for Punk to really "injure" Hardy in this match, take the title, and then Jeff just disappears for a while and takes his time off. A Punk wins allows him to transfer into a title feud with John Morrison (more matches between those two would be welcomed) and possibly a feud with a returning Matt Hardy. All evidence points to this and it is what I would have to go with.
Prediction: CM Punk (New World Heavyweight Champion)

WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena - I'm not sure this match needs much analysis either. I expect Cena to be superman again and win the title. I like Randy Orton's character and think the half-psycho gimmick fits him great. He has gotten really good on the stick and can deliver a good match in the ring. I still believe he has more room to run with the belt and terrorize the rest of the roster. John Cena on the other hand...I just can not stand. Granted, I know Cena works hard and is a model employee and he always delivers when it comes to enthusiasm and interacting with the fans. But to me, his whole schtick is just so bland and feels old. I really would like to see a heel turn because it would freshen him up and be a shock and that would make for some interesting TV. That seems like a dream however, so expect Cena to "hulk up" and become Superman Cena by the end of the night and beat Orton to give the fans their "go home happy" moment.
Prediction: John Cena (New WWE Champion)

The Game's Quick Hits:

- Plaxico Burress reached a plea agreement and was given a 2 year jail sentence. Well good to see he was smart enough not to take this to trial and get the mandatory minimum of 3 and 1/2 years slapped on him. Just another case of bad judgement costing someone millions of dollars and it could have easily been avoided.

- Memphis Tigers are forced to vacate their 38 win Final Four season from 2007-2008. More stupidity and bad judgement. The sad thing is that this is now the 2nd time that John Calipari has had a Final Four trip vacated and yet he skips away to his cushy job with Kentucky now. So much for caring about your players being "student" athletes right John?

- Usain Bolt breaks his own world record again with a 19.19 in the 200m at the World Championships. Damn...is this guy human or did he mutate and escape from that District 9 compound?

- Fran Tarkenton has been running his mouth and calling the whole Brett Favre scene in Minnesota an "absolute circus". That's all well and good but the guy seems to be going out of his way to rip on Favre. Seems like someone still craves a little spotlight and attention, right Mr. Tarkenton?