August 1, 2002
By Scott Bowden
Rey of Hope!
New Faces, New Direction for WWE
To cap off last week's hot night of SMACKDOWN!, new-arrival Rey Misterio (in his oh-so-subtle Spidey-like outfit) made like Sony's masked marvel and quickly scaled the cage surrounding the ring. He followed with a death-defying plunge onto those dastardly Canadian heels that would've made Superfly Snuka wince. The main event closed with Mysterio, John Cena and Edge standing tall in the ring. Don't look now, but World Wrestling Entertainment is born again. Testify! Cue Rev. D-Von's music and pass the plate, preferably to born-again Christian Ted DiBiase, the former Million-Dollar Man.
The WWE followed the strong Vengeance PPV effort with the best RAW in months and a SMACKDOWN! show that appeared to help set the foundation for the future of the company. In part, you can thank Steve Austin for all this. What?! Yes.
Backed into a turnbuckle with Austin's sudden departure and The Rock's limited schedule, Vince McMahon and the writing staffs have come out swinging chairs (and scoring with Mick Foley-like shots). The last time his company appeared ready to tap, McMahon pushed new talent to make up for the departures of icons Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and later, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, to WCW. He developed new stars, and, probably more important, a new ECW-like attitude.
No longer an incredible ratings success story, the WWE's only mainstream pub of late has been regarding The Rock's movie success, plummeting viewership among teenagers, Austin's departure and falling stock prices. But business is picking up. In public, if you will.
Here's a look at the strides the company has made over the last few weeks. And no, bringing back Mae Young and the Fabulous Moolah didn't make the list. Speaking of Moolah, she should be ashamed of her Bill Apter-like approach at telling her life story. Actually, back issues of PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED probably have more inside information on her. Guess we'll have to wait a few more years (or maybe not that long if she keeps taking bumps) for one of those thorough obits by Dave Meltzer to get the real scoop. She's probably got a great story to tell. Too bad she didn't.
1. Rock Solid: Although I still think Kurt Angle is the long-term answer, putting the WWE strap on The Rock makes sense for the interim. What better way to finally complete the transformation of Brock Lesnar into THE Big Thing than by having the young monster beat the People's Champ for the title at Summer Slam? Until then, The Rock's appearances on RAW should really liven up things when they need it most. Since The Rock is scheduled to take a sabbatical shortly after the PPV, there's a good chance that Lesnar will "injure" him, building up a hot rematch down the road-possibly at next year's Royal Rumble or even WrestleMania. Sigh: Remember how promotions, including the WWF of old, used to build toward a big match or rematch months ahead of time? But then that was before the ratings game, which has diluted the importance of most match-ups since fans have seen the same participants lock up too many times already on TV.
2. Brand-New Approach: When I first learned of RAW's Eric Bischoff feuding with SMACKDOWN!'s Stephanie McMahon over talent acquisitions for their respective brands, I applauded the concept but questioned the choices for GMs. I have to say though that Bischoff has come off as a wonderfully smarmy jackass-which some would argue he truly is backstage. Steph has been Steph-Lite, with less screeching and more sass...but with the same big tits. Oddly enough, seeing two of my all-time least-favorite TV personalities clash has been very entertaining. Maybe it's because they seem to be grating on each other's nerves...and I certainly empathize with both of them. The fact that Bischoff has only "flown" down to ringside once has helped. Besides, the two raiding each other's brands is a logical way to shake up the rosters occasionally without the fans thinking they're scrambling to keep things interesting or giving up on the split or pushing the restart button. Still, I can't help but think Mick Foley would have been a better choice for SMACKDOWN! GM, especially since he and Bischoff have a legit heated history.
3. About Face: In addition to the well-deserved pushes of Edge, RVD, Chris Benoit and Jeff Hardy over the last month or so, new faces like Cena and Mysterio have been involved in major story lines as well. You couldn't have asked for better debuts for both guys. The losses of Hall, Austin and Nash may have been the best thing to happen to the promotion because the WWE product, especially on the RAW side, was getting stale, a point McMahon acknowledged on TV (though he probably shouldn't have). With the exception of too much interference (and talking) by Paul Heyman, Lesnar's push has been effective. SPOILER WARNING: The following contains information about tonight's SMACKDOWN! Lesnar should cleanly pin Hogan on next week's SMACKDOWN! to further elevate his status and make fans believe he can beat The Rock. Not completely sold on the guy as a top draw, but a win over The Rock and a run with the strap might just be all he needs to get over the top. Hell, before you know it, there'll be steady main events with nary a sight of The Undertaker, Austin, Triple H and The Rock, guys who have dominated the top PPV spots for the last four years. These young guys are ready are ready to run with it. Now if they can only find something strong for Kidman.
4. Hollywood Ending: They've finally figured out the way Hogan should be used: as a midlevel guy who can still help make someone a star by putting them over. Giving him the occasional big win like the recent tag-title victory keeps his legend partially intact, making it all the more effective when he does a job for a guy like Lesnar. There's still some novelty in seeing him in situations once thought impossible: tagging with The Rock or Ric Flair, and even wrestling McMahon. But by year's end, he should fade from the scene and be brought back for emergency duty only like Bill Watts in Mid-South Wrestling and Jackie Fargo in Memphis years ago. And there's always one last big payday for another "retirement" match. (With any luck, Sid Vicious and Harvey Whippleman will be left out of this one.)
5. Oh, Canada: While the new heel faction doesn't exactly stir up Americans quite as effectively as say, Ivan Koloff during the Cold War era, the Un-Americans angle gives Lance Storm, Christian, Test and apparent leader Chris Jericho something to do. And with Sept. 11, 2002, fast approaching, U.S. flags may soon be reappearing on a vehicle near you, along with another surge of patriotism. ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT: More info about tonight's SMACKDOWN! to follow. Since Benoit and Guerrero are headed to SMACKDOWN!, the Canucks will have their run of the RAW brand. Some fans long for the classic heel groups of old-the NWO, the Four Horsemen, DX, Kevin Sullivan's Satanic Disciples (OK, maybe not that last one)-but the reincarnations often come as poor retreads to most people. The business keeps changing, and the story lines should keep up.
6. "Inter-" Mission: Remember when the Intercontinental title was the company's clear No. 2 championship held by the No. 2 or No. 3 guy? (Savage, Bret Hart, Rick Steamboat and Shawn Michaels come to mind.) With Benoit's recent title win over RVD, those days may be back. Uniting the title with the meaningless European belt was a nice move; a dominating 6-month run with Benoit as champ would be nicer. An Angle vs. Benoit feud over the strap could be classic, and just the trick to restore credibility to the championship. If they built this up right, a blow-off match with Angle finally getting the belt at WrestleMania could be an effective way to get the former Olympian back on track to chase Lesnar and the Undisputed strap. Could be. We'll see.
7. Effective "Book"ing: Although the skits are a bit much sometimes (much like The Rock's ever-increasing comedy bits), Booker T's push has been entertaining. Good to see the five-time WCW champ getting over like crazy as a babyface. (That's more than a lot of past WCW champs can say...even while they held the title.)
The next few weeks leading into Summer Slam are crucial for the company.
Fair-Weather Friend
Last week's column on Sid Vicious reminded me of how often my mouth got me into trouble in the business. Of course, it's also what got me my start, so no regrets. One person who didn't appreciate my inside comments and unpredictability on the live Memphis TV show was longtime announcer Dave Brown, who also served as the weatherman for the leading local news broadcast in the city. Because of his position in the community, Brown was always very concerned about his image. (Would you trust your weather forecasts from a man who trades barbs with the likes of pimp-character Reggie B. Fine?) Although I suspect Brown respected my talent, we clashed several times over "controversial" one-liners such as:
"I'll bet Rodney King didn't take a beating like that."
"Brian 'Too Sleazy' Christopher is only guy I know who goes to a VD clinic to meet women."
"Unlike Dave Brown's weather forecasts, I'm rarely wrong."
"Lance Russell's reputation as the biggest drunk in Memphis is safe because Jake Roberts no-showed his match with the King."
"I'm happier than a drunken Indian on payday."
"That guy's winning percentage is right down there with the accuracy rate of Dave Brown's forecasts: zero percent!"
"My tag team will take on anybody-even Dave Brown and his little pal Snow Bird (a penguin puppet that appeared with Brown when recapping the snow-related school closings).
"Ms. Texas' (Jacquelyn in WWE) hair is so nappy, she's got to take a pain pill in the morning to brush it."
"If you think I'm gonna hesitate to hit a woman, you just ask my girlfriend." (That one also went over REALLY well with my girlfriend's mom, who happened to be watching. My girlfriend tried to explain that I was merely playing a character on TV. Her mom responded, "Yeah, he's playing a character named Scott Bowden!" My girlfriend was ready to hit me with a kitchen chair when I got home.)
At least I never referred to him as "Dave Brown, the weather clown," a line Jimmy Hart often used in the early '80s. The worst exchange I had with Brown occurred in September 1994. I was working an angle with promoter Randy Hales, who I often referred to as "the Forest Gump of pro wrestling." I had come out on TV the week before with Florida State merchandise, explaining that my uncle Bobby Bowden (head coach of the Seminoles) had requested that I come to Tallahassee to give an inspirational talk to his players. I also boasted that Uncle Bobby had been so concerned with my protection in the ring that he had given me a Florida State football helmet. (It was actually a second-hand helmet that Jerry Lawler painted to look like those used by the 'Noles).
On this day, Hales and I got into an argument after Lawler threw a fireball at my Florida State Starter jacket, "burning" a hole through it. (Sidenote: After Lawler threw the fire-an old magician's trick-the King and I were in the back during the commercial break trying to burn a hole through the jacket. I was holding the jacket as Lawler put the lighter to it when a TV cameraman walked up with the camera directly on us. Lawler and I froze for a moment before we realized we were still on the break. Oh, the excitement of live TV.)
When we were back on the air, I called for Lawler to be suspended for ruining my jacket, citing the fact that the NCAA would immediately suspend a player on the Florida Gators if they threw fire at my Uncle Bobby. (Seemed logical enough.) After Hales refused, I called him a "figurehead," (a bit of a shoot) who only had a job because he was the illegitimate retarded son of former promoter Eddie Marlin. (Which may or may not have been true.) Since many fans probably suspected that something was wrong with Hales because of his odd presence on TV, it was thought this would get over huge. (Well, maybe not huge, but...)
After I called Hales "retarded" twice during my diatribe, Brown warned me to "stop using that word!" Thinking he was working with me, I proceeded to rattle off "retarded" and "retard" about 10 more times before I closed with the accusation that Hales was the result of Marlin impregnating an arena rat in Jonesboro years back. That was the last straw for Brown, who jerked the microphone from me just before Hales tackled me over the announcer's desk.
During the ensuing break, Brown cornered me; he was livid. "Why the hell would you keep saying that word when I told you not to?" I don't know what I found more shocking-the fact that he was mad or that he actually said "hell." Since I had grown up watching Brown, I did feel bad and tried to explain myself. "Dave, c'mon, I thought you were working." He shot me a dirty look and resumed his position behind the desk. From that moment on, he was always leery when he conducted an interview with me.
I didn't help my position weeks later when I was cutting a promo about Ms. Texas. During the interview, I claimed that prelim wrestler King Cobra had hooked up with the same wrestling groupie in Jonesboro as Marlin, and that Ms. Texas and Randy Hales were siblings as a result. I pointed out the fact that Hales and Texas looked just alike (well, not really) and that they were both retard...uh,...mentally disadvantaged. I felt Brown's cold stare as I finished. Before going to a break, Brown informed the TV audience that he was "going to have a few words with Mr. Bowden about his language" afterward.
We later talked things out, and I agreed to tone things down a bit. But I did notice that Lance Russell (the master) or Corey Maclin handled the majority of my interviews during the rest of my run. To his credit, Brown was a great-though unlikely-wrestling personality who with Russell formed possibly the best announcing duo ever in the business. His weather forecasts? Not so good.
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