Opinion by Black Mike

Before the controversy gets started and the arguing begins let me first state that this piece is being written in response to an Opinion article here on WrestlingDB.com written by Korrosive entitled "The column that everybody is going to hate"

Just some points to add in defense of Chris Benoit (and yes I am, have been, and hope to always be a mark for Benoit just because he is a professional WRESTLER). Mention was made of the fact that ratings did not bolster upward following the WCW World Title victory of Chris Benoit in 2000. Well, anyone who was following the sport at the time knows that Benoit only appeared on WCW programming ONCE as the champion and that was at the very PPV where he won the title. There was not one Nitro, not one Thunder, not one Saturday Night, Worldwide, Pro, Power Hour, Main Event, or WCW cable/syndicated show at all that featured Benoit as champion. How could ratings ever have the opportunity to turn around with Benoit as WCW World Champ? You cannot dismiss Benoit's drawing ability as a World Champion based on that Title reign because it lasted less than 24 hours. If we were to measure the ratings increase over a 24 hr period of every world title holder in history then I think it safe to conclude that no wrestler's world title tenure has ever had an effect on ratings. But, that's a little too obvious.

I came to a quick conclusion, that you, Korrosive, obviously have what is in essence a "mark mentality." Now by "mark" in this case I'm referring to the casual fan who has no deep interest in this sport and is more of a shallow fan. Please don't be offended, it's just what your thought process seems to imply. An example of the "mark mentality" is this:

"Vader beat Hogan once, Edge beat Vader once, so naturally Edge can beat Hogan" or "Goldberg beat Rock once, and Rock beat Austin before, so it follows logically that Goldberg can beat Austin."

That is what I mean by having a "mark mentality" and I'm sure all of us, as wrestling fans, have encountered people who think that way. I know that since I became a fan some 13 years ago I've ran into people who think that way over and over again. Debating with them is useless because they look at the sport in this warped way. This same mentality is held by even Vince McMahon to a degree and has been exhibited throughout wrestling history whenever a WCW Top Star came to WWE. Prime examples include Chris Benoit (whom was jobbed to Triple H his first night in), Ron Simmons (who could have been pushed as a legit WWE main eventer based on his being the first Black WCW World Champion but never got the ball, and its funny because I can't remember one time his WCW World Title regin was ever mentioned since he's been in WWE), Scott Steiner (whom was jobbed to Triple H as well, and this is a guy that WCW fans always thought would thrive in the WWE because of their "Attitude" approach vs. WCW's Turner/Time Warner restrictions), Lex Luger (and I know he ain't popular right now and never has been but you must admit that fans were behind the Lex Express and the countout win over Yokozuna made no booking sense for a SummerSlam main event), and there are others that I'm sure WCW die-hards could recall. The point is that this mentality that if wrestler A can beat wrestler B and wrestler B beat wrestler C then wrestler A can beat wrestler C is just ridiculous. It has no place in a staged event such as a pro wrestling match where outcomes are always predetermined

Now, back to the matter at hand. Benoit has all the wrestling ability in the world and his ability to cut promos has made great strides since he got to the WWE. Korrosive, have you ever been there when Benoit has just finished putting on a 5 star performance and received a standing ovation from the live crowd? Have you? I've witnessed Benoit perform on numerous occasions for both WCW and the WWE and I can tell you that the respect live crowds give him tells a very different story. Also, the wrestling business is not, in actuality, driven by ratings. The revenue streams in this business come moreso from live events, merchandise, and PPV buyrates. I don't know how long you've been a fan or if you've heard of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, but I'll tell you the newsletter is like a bible when it comes to wrestling. It can truly serve to educate you as to what the ins and outs of the sport truly are from both a business and an entertainment aspect. Just because ratings are up that does not necessarily translate into a huge buyrate for the PPV. People can turn to your show on cable and watch the full two hours of what you offer, but that doesn't mean they'll throw down $35 to watch your PPV, nor does it mean they'll fork over $40 to see your product live.

Benoit has a lot to offer and if his talking were the only issue with him then they could just stick him with a manager like Heyman or Anderson or Flair that could talk and the problem would be solved. The fact is that Benoit is not a champion because he is not what management wants him to be. I understand that you were playing the devil's advocate and telling us the side that we don't hear a lot, but there is a reason why no one else is saying the things that you said. The casual audience turns to wrestling for entertainment moreso than wrestling. The IWC turns to it for wrestling primarily, and storylines secondarily. If that wasn't true then WWE's ratings would have plummeted by now because over the course of this year the storylines have been downright awful at times; if anyone were watching purely for that entertainment portion then no one would have stuck around. The key is to educate the audience to the point where they'll prefer athletics over silly antics. Again, I don't know how long you've been watching and I don't challenge your knowledge of the sport, but the things you wrote seemed a little uninformed to me.

Think about this, did you ever realize that you'll only draw an emotional connection to the characters who are presented to you as being meaningful? I mean, think about it, Steven Richards is scripted as an afterthought. His character is a joke by the design of WWE writers. Segments with him on RAW usually lose viewers on average, and that's because the audience has seen enough WWE TV and been trained to understand that when Richards is on the screen nothing important is going to happen. Therefore, they have no reason to keep watching his segments. Why miss the Atlanta Falcons on 3rd and long against the Vikings to see Richards and Victoria work a mixed tag match where the result has no true significance in the first place? People aren't going to care about guys that aren't pushed as serious contenders. Now of course Benoit is in a class far above Richards, but I think my point was made.

Now stop for a second and consider the following statement:
"Benoit is a "WCW" guy and so naturally he can't beat The Rock or Steve Austin. He may hang with them or get a fluke win, but a "WCW" guy will never be able to dominate a world of "WWE" guys."

That's the message that McMahon has always tried to send to his viewers and for years I've seen it and felt helpless. I watched his writers and bookers manipulate angles to make everyone else look inferior to the guys that are WWE "born and bred." I mean, why does Randy Orton get high profile wins over Shawn Michaels when RVD is super over and could use the rub after all his instances of being buried by Triple H? Simple, because RVD was "made" in ECW and to allow him to thrive in WWE is sacreligious in the eyes of Vince, Patterson, Pritchard, Hayes, and the like. It may sound oversimplified and almost ludicrous, but if you take an unbiased look back at all the WCW and ECW top guys who came through the WWE you'll see the same type of thinking in action. Vince feels that allowing anyone to come from the "outside" and dominate in WWE is doing a disservice to himself and the WWE boys who have been there all this time. I mean, for Christ's sake Bob Holly is being pushed on Smackdown over Eddie Guerrero! Guerrero had a "window of opportunity" a few months ago where the WWE could have started to book him as a character who actually mattered in terms of the main event scene. Instead they jobbed him to the Big Show and solidified his place in mid-card land leaving the US Title with less importance and Eddie unelevated in the eyes of the casual fan.

Even when it's bad for business the pride of Vince McMahon always prevails. The only exception I've really ever seen is Bill Goldberg. And who's to say how long that will last? Goldberg is benefiting from the fact that Austin is hurt, Rock is gone, and the brand extension has forced the elevation of at least some stars. Actually, had the WWE taken advantage of Booker T and RVD's growing support earlier they probably would not have needed Goldberg at all (I mean in terms of using him to boost buyrates and TV ratings, because if those two had have been used as fresh main eventers then fan interest probably, and this is only speculation, but it probably would have increased).

My bottom line is that at the end of the day it still says PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING on the marquee and no one does it better than the guys that the IWC raves about everyday: Benoit, Angle, Guerrero, Jericho, RVD, Booker, etc... I know this is only my opinion, but I hope I've given you a little clue as to why we all rant and rave day in and day out about our frustrations here on the internet. It can seem like a very bleak place at times but the world is bleak anyway. An old proverb states that "He who increases in knowledge also increases in sorrow." Simply stated, the IWC (Internet Wrestling Community, to those who were wondering) is a group of fans who look deeper into wrestling than the casual marks who may surf into RAW every now and then for a bra and panties segment. We study this sport and observe it very closely because we want a full knowledge of wrestling. Yet, the more you know about the sport the sadder it will make you because you see firsthand what politics are all about. If you don't like the truth then stop coming on the Internet because the fans on here, I feel at least, are telling the truth. Backing up what Vince McMahon and WWE managment does is just like voting in a Communist election where there's only one name on the ballot. You argue in their favor but you've only heard their side of the debate.

Disgruntled yet Loyal Wrestling Fan
Black Mike

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