Title: Major Conduct Issues Decimate WWE Roster
prof_plague - July 5, 2006 04:30 AM (GMT)
I got this from someone on another board, but the poster just about sums up what we've been saying.
| QUOTE |
WWE has been at a creative low for a while now, but can anyone remember a time in wrestling history when so many MAJOR stars went down and necessitated huge booking changes? Since November:
1. Eddy Guerrero dies, most probably because of the major steroid abuse he had put his body through years earlier, on the day he was supposed to win the World title.
2. Eugene ODs in a hotel room, is suspended and forced into rehab, and upon his return sees his fairly large push reduced to jobber-to-the-stars status.
3. This is a comparitively minor one, but Matt Hardy leaves the ring and refuses to be squashed at Survivor Series by The Undertaker, sending 'Taker through the roof and getting Hardy a major lecture from Vince and Johnnny Ace. Hardy's push is instantly dust and almost 8 months later he has trouble getting Velocity matches much less SD! time.
4. Dave Batista misses 6 months due to a clear steroid-related injury and is forced to vacate the World title.
5. Chris Benoit "takes time off" to heal up various injuries at a time when SD! is desperate for any talent, with the strong rumor being that he tested positive for steroids and is serving out his suspension while WWE protects his image.
6. Chris Masters gets suspended for steroids during a fairly big push and WWE doesn't bother to protect his image at all.
7. Randy Orton is suspended for 3 months for unspecified actions against a woman, only to be brought back early because so many others were going down.
8. MNM, the only real team that WWE pushed in years, are broken up due to drug abuse and their own personal soap opera, with Johnny Nitro and Melina being shipped to Raw because they had so much heat on SD! they couldn't stay and with Joey Mercury being suspended and possibly never returning.
9. Kurt Angle, 2 weeks after becoming the new face of ECW, decides to abruptly leave to go into rehab for painkiller abuse.
10. Rob Van Dam is arrested for possession of pot and as a result is forced to drop the World title the same day, probably will be stripped of the ECW title tonight, and will most likely be suspended (with an outside chance that he'll be fired)
11. Sabu is arrested for pot and painkiller possession, is taken out of the main event of that night's Raw, and will most likely be fired.
Did I miss anyone? The booking has been horrible, but that's a lot to overcome. Top stars are just dropping like flies. |
The Last Free Voice - July 5, 2006 05:53 AM (GMT)
This was bound to happen. The huge rise of Wrestling in the late 90's put it in the spotlight, so it's not like the 70's or 80's where Vince could make a lot of this stuff just go away...
Mad Dog - July 5, 2006 06:19 AM (GMT)
I guess RVD is suspended for 30 days. I call Sabu getting blamed for everything and then being fired.
SamoaRowe - July 5, 2006 04:40 PM (GMT)
This is all pretty depressing, but at least this will force the business to improve itself. As much as it sucks that Benoit, Batista, Angle, and others need to take breaks from the ring, at least it allowed some time for some fresh faces to emerge on Raw.
Mark Henry (for better or worse) gets a main event push on Smackdown.
Edge gets to become WWE Champion again.
Finlay and Lashley have managed to establish themselves as top tier guys on Smackdown.
Johnny Nitro gets a singles push and an Intercontinental Championship, which I would attribute to Mercury's rehab stint and Chris Master's leave of absense.
Randy Orton gets to switch back to the brand he never should have left in the first place.
Seriously, for all the booking hassles as of late, I've been really enjoying WWE programming in 2006, more than I have since 2000. And this is even with a lot of the stupid stuff that still goes on. That's saying a lot.
dynamite kido - July 5, 2006 07:29 PM (GMT)
Well, that's funny you should say that Rowe, because I think 2006 is one of the worst years they've ever had. PERIOD.
Mad Dog - July 5, 2006 08:04 PM (GMT)
This year is about on par with 1995 and 2002 IMO.
eStragand - July 5, 2006 08:28 PM (GMT)
WCW in late 1999/early 2000 had alot of top-level stars go down, forcing booking changes.
-Scott Hall who was holding the tag titles with Nash, along with recent runs as US and TV Champ.
-Bret Hart, the World champ, went down with a career-ending concussion.
-Huge star Bill Goldberg was on the sideline after punching a limo.
-Chris Benoit, back-up face now that Goldberg was down, left along with the "Radicalz".
-And most importantly...the Maestro left the company.
SamoaRowe - July 5, 2006 08:47 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (Mad Dog @ Jul 5 2006, 02:04 PM) |
| This year is about on par with 1995 and 2002 IMO. |
2006 has been worlds better than 2002. I say that because WWE in 2002 almost made me stop watching altogether and WWE in 2006 has my interest and attention.
prof_plague - July 5, 2006 11:11 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (dynamite kido @ Jul 5 2006, 01:29 PM) |
| Well, that's funny you should say that Rowe, because I think 2006 is one of the worst years they've ever had. PERIOD. |
Nowhere near it. This hasn't been a bad year, considering everything.
prof_plague - July 5, 2006 11:14 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (SamoaRowe @ Jul 5 2006, 10:40 AM) |
| This is all pretty depressing, but at least this will force the business to improve itself. As much as it sucks that Benoit, Batista, Angle, and others need to take breaks from the ring, at least it allowed some time for some fresh faces to emerge on Raw. |
It's about time in my opinion that the younger guys get a push and get their careers started now, along with some veterans who never got such a nice push.
(The push of Doane, Finlay, et cetera.)
SamoaRowe - July 5, 2006 11:14 PM (GMT)
Compared to recent years, 2006 has been a lot of fun. I mean, in 2004, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero won World titles and that year still has a sour taste in my memory.
prof_plague - July 5, 2006 11:22 PM (GMT)
That because 2004 didn't have the Boogeyman.
SamoaRowe - July 5, 2006 11:30 PM (GMT)
prof_plague - July 5, 2006 11:45 PM (GMT)
Or the McMahons vs. Shawn Michaels and God at a PPV.
dynamite kido - July 6, 2006 09:20 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (prof_plague @ Jul 5 2006, 05:11 PM) |
| QUOTE (dynamite kido @ Jul 5 2006, 01:29 PM) | | Well, that's funny you should say that Rowe, because I think 2006 is one of the worst years they've ever had. PERIOD. |
Nowhere near it. This hasn't been a bad year, considering everything.
|
What years are worse than 2006?
Real F'n Show - July 6, 2006 09:25 PM (GMT)
prof_plague - July 7, 2006 04:01 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE (dynamite kido @ Jul 6 2006, 03:20 PM) |
| QUOTE (prof_plague @ Jul 5 2006, 05:11 PM) | | QUOTE (dynamite kido @ Jul 5 2006, 01:29 PM) | | Well, that's funny you should say that Rowe, because I think 2006 is one of the worst years they've ever had. PERIOD. |
Nowhere near it. This hasn't been a bad year, considering everything.
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What years are worse than 2006?
|
You saying for only the WWE, or wrestling in general?
SamoaRowe - July 7, 2006 03:09 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (prof_plague @ Jul 6 2006, 10:01 PM) |
| QUOTE (dynamite kido @ Jul 6 2006, 03:20 PM) | | QUOTE (prof_plague @ Jul 5 2006, 05:11 PM) | | QUOTE (dynamite kido @ Jul 5 2006, 01:29 PM) | | Well, that's funny you should say that Rowe, because I think 2006 is one of the worst years they've ever had. PERIOD. |
Nowhere near it. This hasn't been a bad year, considering everything.
|
What years are worse than 2006?
|
You saying for only the WWE, or wrestling in general?
|
Well, I've been thinking of WWE strictly, because otherwise 2002 was a fabulous year (great X division stuff in TNA, the emergence of ROH).
In the 2000's, I'd say the years of WWE programming (in terms of overall enjoyment and quality) have been:
2000 (awesome, awesome year, with the last few months slowing down a bit)
2006 (entertaining so far, with most of the ppvs turning out good, though ECW has been a bust)
2001 (a year filled with great in-ring action, an awesome Wrestlemania, but a terrible Invasion angle that killed off any momentum the WWE had)
2004 (Benoit and Guerrero became world champions, but were mid-carders again by the end of the year, with Triple H back on top)
2005 (a nice year, but Raw really fell to shit again while going back to USA and a lot of the pay-per-views were weak)
2003 (the year of McMahon dominance on Smackdown, Raw was unwatchable until November)
2002 (Smackdown six era aside, this year was pure shit. The roster split was botched, WWF had to become WWE, Chris Jericho's world title run was botched, Hulk Hogan was world champion, Katie Vick, HLA, the gay wedding, Al Wilson, need I continue?)
Colcollazo - July 8, 2006 04:31 AM (GMT)
I've been noticing a lot of that stuff has been been happening often, but nonetheless I think it's done as much positively as it has done negatively. Enough people have been given the chance to be pushed due to all these occurences as it's made TV interesting. For example look at guys like Edge, Rey, Booker, Orton and Cena in 2004, and look at them now. Granted it took things like Eddie's death, Batista's injury, HHH's summer vacation etc., but it's allowed things to work out better.
| QUOTE |
| This year is about on par with 1995 and 2002 IMO. |
2002? Smackdown from July to December was great.
| QUOTE |
| What years are worse than 2006? |
Off the top of my head 1995, 1999 & 2003.
prof_plague - July 9, 2006 05:22 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| What years are worse than 2006? |
What about 1991 and 1993? Those years we were given the presents of Sgt. Slaughter and WM IX. And in '04, we had Triple H ruin show-after-show.