There's a lot going on in WWE these days, from Ric Flair's controversial new book to the latest Triple H allegations to the debacle that is Smackdown. So let's take a quick look at some of the big stories making headlines in this, the second edition of The Wizard's Musings.
Flair has no love for Hart
Earlier this week, Ric Flair was on "Off The Record," a popular Canadian sports talk show, to promote his new book. The topic of Bret Hart came up and Flair expounded on the opinion he puts forth in his book that Bret was good, but not great, and that the evidence lies in the numbers.
"Here are the facts," Flair explained on the show. "When Bret was with the company in the '80s when Hogan was running wild and drawing all that money, he was a mid-card performer with the Hart Foundation. When he got the title, he didn't draw any money. Vince, the genius that he is, couldn't figure out a way to fire him because they had signed him to this huge contract, you know the story, couldn't buy him out. Finally Bischoff, as dumb as he is, came along and offered him $2.5 million dollars. He went to WCW, didn't draw a dime, picked up his toys and went home. Does that make you a big star?"
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| If Flair's being controversial just to bring attention to his book, it's working. |  |
The thing Flair seems to leave out is the fact that WWE was in a tailspin when Bret was first given the championship. Bret held the title five times between 1992 and 1997, the same time Vince was distracted with a steroid scandal and much of the big-name WWE talent was jumping ship to WCW. Many fans either stopped watching or followed their favorites to Ted Turner's company, and none of that had a thing to do with Bret Hart.
And don't forget about the North American recession in the early '90s. When families are faced with a choice between buying WWE tickets or paying the mortgage, it really doesn't matter who's champion.
Another thing to keep in mind is that wrestling isn't boxing. Fans don't pay to see an event solely based on the main event. They want three hours of decent matches that culminate in a grand finale. It doesn't matter what the main event is if the rest of the card is crap. And that was the situation in WWE in the early '90s.
Think about it. Book the greatest main event you can think of. How about Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels? Ric Flair suggested himself on "Off The Record" that that would be a fantastic match. Now for the undercard, use the matches from last week's Velocity and Heat, and then offer the whole thing to people for $40. Think anyone would buy it? In this day and age, I don't think so, but apparently in Ric Flair World, it would sell like hotcakes.
(To view the entire Ric Flair interview from "Off The Record," go to tsn.ca/wrestling.)
Kenzo Suzuki left behind
Two weeks ago, the Smackdown roster took a tour of Japan, and I was curious what the reaction to Kenzo Suzuki would be. Suzuki had made quite a name for himself in New Japan Wrestling since his debut in 2000, but his transition to WWE has been less than stellar. Maybe it's his inexperience, maybe it's the transition to the WWE style, but it seems quite obvious that Suzuki is in over his head. He's so awkward in the ring, it's actually distracting.
So I wondered what Japanese audiences would think. Would they cheer him as the hometown boy, or boo him for selling out his culture to portray a walking Asian stereotype in North America?
We'll have to wait a while longer to find out because WWE left Suzuki behind. That seems kind of odd considering Suzuki is currently involved in a U.S. Title feud with Booker T, John Cena, and Ren
