I recently had the chance to pick the brain of wrestling guru Mike Mooneyham as I attempted to figure out what's really going on in wrestling.
For those who aren't familiar with Mike's work, he's a NY Times Best Selling author (Sex, Lies and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation) and he has the longest running wrestling column in the country.
So over the span of 45 minutes, I continually drilled Mike with question after question until he had more answers than I had questions. Here's what came out of the conversation:
As I'm watching Raw, Smackdown and Impact I often find myself wondering what's wrong with wrestling. It's stale and missing the umph that it had in the mid- to late-'90s. I couldn't figure out why. But Mike knew immediately. NO STAR POWER.
The Bottom Line... No Star Power
Wrestling's missing that one guy who could take the mic and mesmerize the crowd. No longer can we turn on the TV and be captivated by the humor, anger, and fun-filled emotion that we received when watching the likes of Stone Cold, The Rock, and Ric Flair.
Don't get me wrong, Jericho's witty and MVP's cool but it's not the same. We're not overwhelmed with their presence.
Mike said it best, when fans see these guys they have to stand out. They have to seem larger than life. To me we've lost some of that appeal with the coming of MySpace and personal websites.
Development is Dead
But that's not wrestling's problem. As Mike pointed out, not only is there a lack of star power right now but there doesn't seem to be anyone coming up through the ranks because the territories aren't breeding new talent.
The few shining stars (Ted DiBiase, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne) are spending so little time in independents that they aren't as developed as they should be when they make it to the big leagues.
The Solution
So the obvious question "where does wrestling go from here?" doesn't have an obvious solution. WWE is working hard to harvest talent overseas in South America, China and parts of Europe. Maybe there's a fresh face out there who can sweep us off our feet.
But Mike warns about stretching your talent too thin. Both the WWE and TNA are touring overseas, and the WWE is even setting up headquarters in some places. But if they both aren't taking care of business at home, they could see their main product become diluted.
The more immediate fix is transforming the way fans watch wrestling. In the '80s it was introduction of nationwide PPV. The '90s had the Attitude era.
What is in store for today's fans? Vince is eliminating the term wrestling from World Wrestling Entertainment, partially so he won't have to pay the extra sport-related fees. And he's hiring TV actors to help the entertainers with their acting.
An End of an Era
This movement might be the change we need. Or it could be the destruction that is his own doing.
This raises more questions, like "Is Vince out of touch of what today's fans want?" and "Is it time to hand the ball to Shane and Stephanie?"
I'm not sure, but Mike called it an End of an Era. The wrestling world just lost its last big star when Ric Flair hung up the boots, and now it's starving for help.
Although the big two are hanging in there okay financially, viewers won't hang around and wait for them to get it straight. Both the WWE and TNA have forgotten what it took to get them to the game, and it's important that they realize this in a hurry. Because the State of Wrestling depends on it.
What do you think wrestling needs to get back in the mainstream once again?
comments (9) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
good piece. How the hell did you get to chat with Mike you lucky bastard.
my one gripe, you didn't put any quotation marks in the article except at the end. I think you need to go back and quote the parts Mike actually said unless you paraphrased everything. The only reason I bring this up is because you wrote things like "As Mike said" or "As Mike pointed out"
from about 1 month ago
Valid point. Yeah, it is mostly paraphrasing although the quotes are pretty close. Mike is actually a very easy going guy. I worked at the same paper he did, although it my stint was as a peon and it was only for a summer. We only actually spoke once (for a total of 60 seconds) so I knew he wouldn't remember, but he was very approachable.
about 1 month ago
definitely they need that "Go to Guy" that brings in NEW viewers. That is the problem...the loyal wrestling fans will always watch, but it is the casual fans that could make it popular and mainstream again like it once was. Cena was an okay go-to guy but he is not well-recieved by everyone. They need another Austin, Hogan, or Rock who made EVERYONE in the arena stand up and get into what they were saying or what match they were in.
from about 1 month ago
I couldn't disagree with that. But who's out there who can be that guy?
about 1 month ago
Great read my friend. I love when some solid work is done towards an article and it shows here. I couldnt agree more about Vince being out of touch. Its been publically noted in many instances by those who have worked around him that he is so headfirst into the wrestling business that he is out of touch with reality and what people want right now.
I think thats why we are seeing so much of Shane and Stephanie's influence on the shows right now and Vince is kinda sitting back. I truly believe that a guy like Shane McMahon (who was the driving force behind bringing Mayweather to Mania) is the guy they need steering the ship right now.
As far as someone to be the next go to guy, I am not sure who is ready. If I had to pick one guy to give the ball to and run with it, I would roll with Mr. Kennedy. He is probably the only guy with the personality that just draws you in. It would mean that he has to stay healthy AND they would need to take the leash off of him a bit.
from about 1 month ago
thanks.
Kennedy would be a great choice. The WWE Machine recognizes it also as they put him in the newest wwe films release to help add star power and his former money in the bank win. But you said it best, he has to stay healthy. Right now we're all on pins and needles waiting for him to complete a year without injury.
about 1 month ago
ya Daris you can tell now that Vince is starting to step down and hand it over to Shane and Stephanie as Vince's father did for him. And we are seeing this happen right before our eyes. I do disagree with him that we don't have that Stone Cold or Rock figure. Guys like Orton and especially Cena are two of the bigest draws because of what they do on the mic. Then you see them in the ring and love what they do. the new Stone Cold vs The Rock feud for me is John Cena vs Randy Orton. I like many of the guys on the mic too like of course Kennedy and even CM Punk is getting pretty good. Guys like Jeff Hardy need to stay of it as much as possible though. although I like his new image it still should be like a quiet insanity to me. Good interview though dude
from about 1 month ago
thanks.
But you have to remember, vince sr didn't just hand the company over vkm. Vince jr BOUGHT the company from his dad. but you're right, vince is letting go his grip a bit. but it might be time for him to let it go completely.
As for cena and orton, neither are close to being able to draw like the rock and austin. Too many older fans hate cena and if you'd mention randy orton to a non-wrestling fan all you'd get in return is a blank stare.
the rock and austin had cross-over appeal. you might not have been a wrestling fan, but you still knew who they were.
from about 1 month ago
Oh ya but they know Cena and what is so wrong with the guy?? I mean he is just as good as The Rock was on the mic, even has tons of catch phrases too, Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, You can't See Me. I mean come on what is wrong with him? Nothing! The older fans need to get over Rock and Austin leaving the WWE. Its OVER. Cena and Orton are the best for now. But remember when Rock and Auston had their feud onlyu the Rock had outside wrestling appeal, Auston hardly did comercials if any. Cena is Rock here. then you have the vendidctive Orton as Austin. We have great matches when they are together. Every single one of them are epic. At least that is my feeling
write a new comment