TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU! Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.
The Specialists
PARKER'S PENNY THOUGHTS: WEDNESDAY- 7/16: Live observations from last night’s Smackdown/ECW Tapings Jul 16, 2008 - 1:32:08 PM
This blog does contain spoilers, so if you are looking to avoid, read no further
Last night’s taping was fairly newsworthy in the sense that we got the next chapter in the Edge-Vickie saga, some decent wrestling throughout the three plus hour taping, and a Ric Flair “farewell” address to the folks of Charlotte exclusive to those in the arena.
A few general observations were that fans simply were not totally in sync with the product these days. I got the sense that the building was filled with a mix of people who follow wrestling closely, people who casually still watch when there is nothing else on, and people who have watched wrestling in the past 10 years and are going to the show because it is a circus-like attraction that comes around a few times a year. A lot of the people around me were familiar with some of the Attitude-era guys and not any of the newer stars and among the questions I heard were, “Where are all the jacked-up guys,” and “who is the white guy in the black trunks?” That being Mr. Kennedy.
I think that this goes back to something Bruce Mitchell said in his latest audio, in that fans have no real emotional investment in WWE storylines anymore because it is now, maybe worse than ever, gotten so far away from the typical structure that pro wrestling was built on. Not saying this is necessarily bad, as the people in the arena were treated to a good show overall.
One major thing I noticed, is the lack of a brand split definitely takes away heat from wrestlers who have already appeared earlier in the night on ECW. The tag match between the Hardys and Miz and Morrison was the standout match of the night with a good amount of heat behind it that made Jeff Hardy, other than Ric Flair, the biggest star of the night. By the time all four men came out for the Smackdown taping, fans really didn’t care too much as they already got to pop for their entrance and had seen all the signature spots. This day in age, where fans are most likely to pop more for the entrance than the actual match, wrestlers come out looking like less of a star because of the apathetic reaction later on in the night. This is another reason to adhere to firm brand separation.
The actual show was pretty solid all around with a memorable show closing angle involving HHH, Edge and Vickie where hidden camera footage (brought by HHH) showed Edge making fun of Vickie’s granny panties and hooking up with the wedding planner. It may be a little long for people’s tastes unless they edit it down, but I think that the length provided the optimal amount of tension and drama and sucked the crowd into suspending their disbelief and reacting to each twist and turn. As always, Edge and Vickie were both tremendous in their roles and the facial expressions from all involved parties were great. A very memorable segment that is worth checking out.
Other highlights included Ric Flair’s farewell address to the city of Charlotte which occurred after the cameras stopped rolling and was a very heartfelt speech about his history in the city and how much it means to him. He closed by saying that he still is a limousine, ridin’, jet-flyin’ son of a gun and that while the rest of the country wants to be like Mike, Charlotte wants to be like Ric.
Overall, a great show that sent the 8-10,000 people (in line with usual attendance) home happy and with all the complains that a lot of us have with WWE, this is the type of show that will turn tonight’s attendees into repeat customers the next time WWE comes into town.
Be sure to check out the audio Sean Radican, myself and James Caldwell did on the ROH 6th Anniversary show, available exclusively for Torch VIP members. If you have questions or comments, please send to torchparker@gmail.com
********
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
INCREDIBLE BENEFITS! Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...
Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?
AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?
