This is going to be a different edition of the News & Views. I'm going to come right out and apologize to those expecting the news in here. I'm not going to do that. Due to the column I wrote on the weekend about the angle involving Hassan/Undertaker and friends this past Thursday on Smackdown I've been swamped in emails for the past few days. The number of emails rivals that of any column I've ever written in my six years online. So what I'm going to do here is just post my recap for Raw, and then write some more about the Smackdown angle before leaving it for good. So I apologize for no news, no three count and no Q&A this week. It'll be back whenever I do the N&V again, which could be next week or the week after.
Raw Recap for 07/11/05
As has been my norm, I'll be brief. I don't mind using that line here, but not with the girlfriend. Or Lita. (Sorry, can't help myself.)
Fun promo at the start with Carlito wanting Michaels, then getting Jericho. Calling eachother fat when you're both in pretty good shape was a bit weird, but this was alright. Piper interrupting was a nice surprise. Good way to start the show and hype up Michaels speech for later on in the show. Chris Canadian Cool was a highlight, though. Of course, now that he's a heel he's Canadian again. Thank you America. We love you too, gun loving freaks!
Masters over Tajiri was pretty good. I like this a lot more than the Masterlock Challenge, that's for sure. Masters is decent in the ring. He'll get better. I like his potential. Tajiri of course bumps tremendously. A squash, but a competitive one.
Edge and Lita try to entice Snitsky to help them and we learn he loves toes. That's info we don't need. Anyway, they played the Matt Hardy mocking from the "wedding" so we kinda knew something was fishy later on.
They don't know when HHH is coming back. Probably after Summerslam. I kinda miss him. I think I will once the PPV hits.
Benjamin vs. Carlito was okay. The heel picking up the belt and leaving on the floor isn't exactly a new finish, but works with Carlito's cheap heel gimmick. Their Vengeance match was better. Call this one about ** or so.
I thought the Cena-Jericho-Bischoff segment was good at times and forced at other times. Jericho's promo was basically like what JBL said to Cena for like two months on Smackdown. Then Cena-Bischoff tried to hate eachother like McMahon-Austin, but didn’t really come close. I like Cena's promos a lot. It's just that this one, I dunno, seemed kinda dull. They're forcing it too hard.
Diva Search? That's the way. Act like strippers. That'll get you votes. I still vote Ashley even though she was unimpressive this week. What's the difference anyway? They're going to hire half of them once it's all done.
Angle over Matt Striker, the fake teacher. That story made me laugh all week. Anyway, this was alright, but I'd prefer Angle just feud with Shelton Benjamin now rather this.
There's Matt Hardy to attack Edge backstage. Hints are important.
The Boogeyman? Don't they already have Kane? Oh right, he's the lovable guy now, I forgot.
Kane vs. Edge for the millionth time doesn't really happen. DQ time, then there's Matt Hardy. Awesome. I loved it. I loved everything about it from the announcers not saying anything to the fans reacting to it and security treating it like he's some dude not under contract. Of course, they let him grab a microphone and cut a promo, but it was almost shoot like. Well done by all. I miss Brian Pillman. A lot.
It was not a work from the beginning. Lita cheated on him. He's moved on, she's moved on, Edge has moved on. They're doing business now. It's wrestling. This stuff happens. Kudos to them for putting whatever personal feelings they have aside and trying to make it seem like a "real" angle. It was well done last night.
Main event interview was all right. Piper's question was straight forward. It's kind of weird that the guy who hates Hogan more than anybody historically (Piper) suddenly wonders why anybody would turn on the guy. Oh well. I blame myself for having a memory, I guess. Michaels speech was okay, but it seems like there's more to it. The challenge to Hogan was cool and expected as was the superkick to end it. This won't be DX Michaels as a heel, obviously. It's going to be fun, though. I think. Of course I'm biased since he's like my all-time favorite. That's beside the point.
Pretty good show overall. Could have used some actual wrestling, but angle wise it was strong for the most part. Loved the Hardy thing a lot.
7
More on the Terror Angle
The range of feedback I got on my column about the Hassan/Taker angle from last week's Smackdown was all over the place. I'd say about 70% agreed with me or had similar thoughts while 30% felt I was in the wrong. I'd say about half of that 30% shared their views with me in a cordial, responsible way that I welcomed with open arms. Others simply hurled insults, telling me to shut up, fuck off or simply that if I don't like something to turn it off. Others said I took it too seriously, that it's just wrestling and they're simply trying to entertain. Maybe they are right. Maybe I did take it too seriously.
World Wrestling Entertainment has posted their own statement on the issue basically saying it's just entertainment. Of course, in said statement they spelled Muhammad Hassan's first name wrong twice. That's how official it was. In the statement they said "anybody that has followed Hassan's story knows he is from Detroit" while they spelled Hassan's first name wrong in the statement. I guess they haven't followed the story close enough either, huh?
They also had Hassan cut a promo on the Smackdown tapings that they've posted on WWE.com since UPN told them not to put Hassan on Smackdown this week due to all the bad press they generated with it. Basically, the promo criticized the New York Post article, which is also posted on WWE.com since they consider any press to be good press, for writing about Hassan as a controversial figure. Apparently they're fighting back against a guy who wrote an article in the NY Post that obviously has never watched WWE before because he doesn't know the gimmick is that of an Arab-American. For what it's worth, it was a great promo by Hassan, who is growing on me as one of WWE's best talkers.
What they didn't address in either case was the worst part of the whole angle, which to me was the part when Hassan told Daivari backstage that he was a sacrifice for the cause. That's essentially what is told to the members of Al Qaeda that flew those planes into the World Trade Centre and all of those suicide bombers that willingly kill themselves because their leader convinces them that it's for the greater good. Now obviously Daivari didn't kill himself, but with the way he was carried out of the ring by the men in the masks made it seem like he was some martyr.
The problem with WWE's handling of this situation is at times they expect us to play dumb. They say, "oh, those people weren't terrorists" and yes, I know that. They were wrestlers under masks, one of them being Val Venis. At the same time, we're supposed to act like what we're seeing is real too, so if we do take it to be some terrorist act we're in the wrong. If we see it as seven bad guys beating up one good guy then we're taking it the right way apparently. You can't have it both ways. You can't say "oh this part is real" or "oh this part is fake" when it's the same angle. That's the problem that WWE seems to miss. There's real, there's fake and there's just downright stupid. This angle is stupid. It's unnecessary and it's crossing a line that need not be crossed.
If you've read my work at all over the course of my six years of writing on the internet you'll know that I'm not the type to rip on something for the sake of it. I don't criticize things to get attention. If I criticize a Raw angle it's because that's how I felt at the time. I rarely write any columns ripping on the product because overall I like the product. I've been a fan of WWE since before WrestleMania. I got hooked as a young kid in 1983 when Bob Backlund's manager threw in the towel and he lost the belt to Iron Shiek, who then lost it to some guy you may have heard of named Hulk Hogan. I love this business. I just hated that one angle on Thursday. So I told you why. If you agreed, fine. If you didn't, that's fine too, but if you're one of those who want to dismiss me as a hater because I don't eat up a terrorist angle with a spoon then you're misjudging me.
Another point I wanted to address was with those who labeled me an American lover or something like that because I said what happened in London was not the issue. The issue was everything from 9/11 up until now. Before I move forward, I'm Canadian. My country has not had a terrorist attack in it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to keep my mouth shut about it. Terrorism is a global issue. It's six billion plus people against those thousands of terrorists who don't seem to care who they murder in order to help whatever their cause is. I think Americans and the British, as the leaders of this fight against terror, are obviously at the forefront of this war, so they're going to take it more personal with good reason. I'm not disrespecting either. I'm just saying this issue involves more than two countries. It involves all of us.
If you like every single thing that WWE serves up to you then by all means enjoy it. I'm sure some liked HHH humping a "Katie Vick" in the casket and I'm sure some enjoyed Mark Henry's sexual act with a transsexual. I know there are fans that are so in love with the WWE product that they're going to like everything. That's fine. Like I said, enjoy what you want to enjoy. I'm not telling you what to like and what not to like. I just think some issues, like terrorism, are a little too touchy to be dealing with on a wrestling show. I'm supposed to take WWE seriously when they've had characters like the goofy Heidenreich and the stuttering Matt Morgan (who is now fired, but run with me on this) on the show.
On a wrestling note, I like the Hassan character. I said in the last edition of For Love or Money that I think WWE is going to put the World Title on him at Summerslam. I thought that before this angle was shot and now that the angle is in the past I think it's even more likely. What Vince McMahon loves more than anything is attention. This character right now has that attention. Why do you think they protect Hassan so much? For him to lose? No. He's going to be a world champion, whether he's good enough in the ring or not. My only worry is how far do you take the gimmick and what point do you really have to worry about some fan taking the gimmick too serious, jumping the rail and doing something to this guy. That was a worry before the gimmick even made its way to TV. They didn't really cross a line with it, though. Not until now.
To end this, I thought I'd share a few emails about this that summarize the opinions of some of the emails I got. I still haven't replied to half of them, but I have a feeling that a lot of them are in the same tone as this. I'll put the reader comments in italics and my response in regular font.
I read your column on Rajah "Totally Classless" and I don't usually respond / post / email regarding these things, but as UK citizen who has close friends who are totally messed up over the things they saw on Thursday, I feel this line just isn't right:
"To me though, the problem isn’t that it happened right after what went down in England. The problem is that it reminded all of us of September 11."
Now don't get me wrong, you make very valid points. The angle should never have happened regardless, and I'm going to presume you are American and thus 9/11 meant more to you than it did to me, but I feel that the above sentence belittles what happened to the UK last Thursday. Sure the WWE didn't time this on purpose, but 9/11 happened in 2001. This is 2005. Since 2001 there have been bombings all over the world - particularly in Madrid, and as of last Thursday, the UK. I feel that for Americans to take all the focus away from these events, and back to 9/11, does not help. Frankly, I'm willing to bet that the Spanish WWE fans thought of Madrid before they thought of 9/11, and the UK thought of London (and, should in future similar angles occur, they would think of London, before 9/11). My problem is - yes, 9/11 was horrible, but the WWE aren't just rubbing your faces in 9/11, they are rubbing the faces of every country to suffer terror attacks in their own tragedies. 9/11 was an important event. However, it is less important outside of America. Much as Londons events would be much less important to Americans.
I guess I just wanted to vent my discomfort at your comment, and you'll have to forgive me if it feels aggressive. I just feel that drawing away from the very recent attacks in London, and back to 9/11, especially on an international wrestling website like Rajah, is silly.
Feel free to flame me back! And by the by, your columns are always great to read, and this is the first time I've ever disagreed with anything you've wrote!
Robert Barker.
First of all, I apologize if my one comment there did offend you or any other British people because that's certainly something I wouldn't do. That wasn't my intent.
If you'll recall, I said that the problem is that this angle was done in the first place. That somebody somewhere in WWE thought it was some genius idea. Terrorism has been a problem in the world for decades, but obviously it has escalated in the last four years in particular. I mentioned 9/11 because that's the day where the issue really became known on a global scale. Everything since then has made it a painful issue to deal with.
That said, Smackdown was taped prior to the London bombings. I would hope that WWE would have the sense to not do this angle if the bombings happened before the tapings, but we'll never know. I didn't mean to insult the people in London. I just felt like doing the angle in the first place was the real issue here, not airing it in America or Canada. Doing the angle is the biggest problem to me.
I'm sorry if you were offended or upset. I hope this explains it.
He replied to that with: Thanks for taking the time to respond, and you are right, this angle shouldn't happen, period. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Robert for the great email. Moving on…
Hey John,
I am an avid reader of your column and am always a huge fan of it. This particular column has somewhat jaded my image of your writing somewhat. I understand that your piece is an opinion column and I respect that, I just felt I had to have my opinion heard as well. Your statements like "They were dressed like terrorists" or "What do you think the terrorists wore when they hijacked those planes on that September morning four years ago? Don’t know? Watch Smackdown. That’s what they wore." greatly appalled me. Don't get me wrong, I am tremendously disgusted with the WWE's decision to run this angle, but you seem to have taken it to the extreme. Stereotyping these terrorists is wrong and is partially what causes racism in the first place. You say that all the terrorists were dressed in traditional middle eastern attire, but you cannot know that for certain. All you know is that they were middle eastern men. They could've been dressed exactly the way you are now. Hassan, when he started, while annoying, also brought out some profound truths. Arab-Americans and people of middle eastern decent have been discriminated against since 9/11. Sure, it was mid-eastern terrorists behind the largest human tragedy in recent history, but you can't go out into the streets and treat all people who share a common bond with them like you would a terrorist. Caucasians commit heinous crimes every day. Gruesome murders take a backseat to the terrorists some days, even if nobody was killed by them. Don't get me wrong, in no way, shape, or form am I advocating or supporting terrorism or threats to freedom, but I AM trying to stop the hate that is dividing North American society. Americans pride themselves on "Liberty and justice for ALL". Now why is it that somehow this gets turned into something different, where people of a certain race are afraid to leave their homes because of the torment they face for something that someone they've never met has done. Thanks for taking the time to read my rant, and I look forward to reading your upcoming columns.
Sincerely
Will Gormaly
I see what you're saying. Like I said, I've seen the news when they've showed terrorist videos when they capture an American troop, for example. The outfits they are wearing are similar to those that the men on Smackdown were wearing. Now, the men on Smackdown were likely not Arab, but that's not the point. Hassan is Italian more than he is Arab. I believe he is 1/8th Arab or something. Like I said, not the point. The point is what they are insinuating. What they are doing is making it look like it was an act that terrorists do. I wouldn't know what those acts looks like if it wasn't for the news that I watch daily. To me this whole thing wasn't about race. It's about the WWE portrayal of a race. My friends that are Arabs aren't terrorists. I know that. You know that about your friends too. It's just that WWE portrayed these people in that way on Smackdown. Val Venis was one of the five guys under the hoods. He was the one that choked Undertaker with the wire. My problem is not with anybody that participated in the angle, but the people that came up with it. The ones that thought it was a good idea. If you want to complain about racism then send it to WWE. They're the ones who did it. We're on the same page here, man.
I don't think Arabs are bad people. I don't think they're terrorists. I'm a Canadian with a Greek background. Two of the most loving countries you can ever think of. I treat people with respect no matter their age, race or background. I just hate that WWE does an angle like this. What's the point? Is it going to make them money? I don't think so. It's only going to lead to bad things.
One more:
Yet one more thing to complain about. Is this the first time WWE has "crossed the line?" No. Should we be surprised anymore if they do? No, because they are catering to people who are "American Fuckers." It was tasteless yes, but give it a rest already. I'm far, far from a red-neck, and far, far from American; but like a small portion of Americans, I have encountered terrorism. But if this one thing offends you, wow.
Chad
I get that. But what I don't get is the idea that this is entertaining. I don't think it is. Lord knows I've suffered through a lot of bad stuff in wrestling that they thought was entertaining and I still watch. I'm still going to watch through this too. I just didn't like it and thought it was a direction they had no business going in. People dying due to terrorism around the world on a daily basis isn't something that needs to be exploited for some wrestling angle that is going to draw no money.
There were others, some much longer and some much shorter. I just felt this was a good representation of what I've had to respond to.
Maybe I overreacted to all this. I don't know. It's not like me to get this upset over a wrestling angle. The only other time, really, was when Owen died. I thought that moment was the lowest WWE could ever get. I thought Katie Vick was just bad, I thought Mark Henry's angles generally suck, but neither of those was enough for me to get all pissy about it. Maybe in a year I'll look back and think "why did I write all that about such a minor thing?" It could pass or it could grow. I don't know. I just hope WWE realizes that this is a serious worldwide issue that maybe they shouldn't touch.
This is the last time I write about this angle, hopefully. If you want to email me about it or reply to me about it in the Oratory forums then by all means do that. Otherwise, I'll stick to the regular John C. type of column, which is usually of the positive variety. I'm still a fan, even after all this. And I probably always will be. I'm still marking out for HBK's superkick on Hogan, Hardy's surprise appearance and the imminent return of Brock Lesnar. That's the stuff I want to watch and write about. I'm not great at political commentary and I know that. I write what I feel and based on what happened last week that's what I felt. I'm just a fan like you. Nothing more, nothing less. Just another wrestling fan with an opinion. We may not all love and agree with everything about the business, but we're still fans.
Wrestling gives me too much joy and has given me so much as a fan of over twenty years that it's hard for me to hate it, even when there's ten minutes on TV that I dislike like what we saw a week ago on Smackdown.
Thanks for reading.
Smell ya later,
John C. - oratoryjohn@gmail.com
P.S. My blog is done. I might do another one come NFL season. Maybe not.
Links to check out:
The Oratory - The Best Wrestling Columns on the Net!
The John Report Archives - Missed something that I wrote? That's the place to go.
