Welcome to the John Report. This won't be a regular John Report on a single topic like I tend to do. It's an attempt at a new format. This is something I might try to do monthly in order to tackle some issues of the month without doing just one column on them. What I'm going to do this time is first talk about the new WWE Drug Policy and then take a look at Sunday's Survivor Series show. There was going to be some more, but I ended up not having enough time, so this is all you're getting for now.
Thoughts on the Drug Policy
As I'm sure you've probably read by now, WWE has announced a new drug policy that "will be implemented in which performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids, etc., recreational drugs, as well as abuse of prescription drugs will be banned." They also state that "there will also be an emphasis on cardiovascular examinations." I think it's a great sign, personally. When I watched the video of McMahon telling the wrestlers, he also pointed out that an independent agency is handling the testing. The agency would then inform the wrestler and then Mr. McMahon and from there they would handle the situation.
This isn't the first time WWE has had a drug policy. They had one in the early '90s that faded away pretty quickly once WCW was hiring away their talent and not testing wrestlers for any kind of drugs. Now, with no immediate threat in the business and with the passing of Eddie Guerrero in everybody's mind, it seems like the right time to do something. That's not to say I think this is just a PR move. I don't think it is. I think the Guerrero passing hit McMahon hard and he wants to do what he can to protect the well being of his wrestlers.
To me the best part about the statement is the emphasis on cardiovascular examinations as well tests on the wrestler's hearts. Every time you read about a wrestling dying it usually has something to do with an enlarged heart or some sort of problem with the heart. By testing that part of the body consistently, hopefully they will be able to prevent another wrestler from dying in a hotel room much like Pillman, Guerrero, Hennig and so many others have. History has shown that the use of drugs has caused enlarged hearts and other heart problems, so the drug testing policy and the cardio exams will hopefully go hand in hand in preventing any sort of future problems with wrestlers.
How strict will this policy be? Nobody really knows at this point. I wonder what happens if somebody like Batista (just an example, not saying he's going to get caught for something) fails a drug test. Does he get suspended? Do they stop his push? It's going to be an interesting situation to see if anybody of significance actually fails a drug test once they are implemented.
The other thing that has my interest is the size of the wrestlers. While I'm not going to speculate on who might use steroids or other muscle enhancers, I think it's fair to assume that more than half of the roster has used or does use those kinds of supplements. Guys like Bobby Lashley, for example, have put on between 30-40 pounds of muscle in under a year. Look at a picture of Rey Mysterio today compared to five years ago. You'll see a difference. The point I'm trying to get at is this new policy going to encourage wrestlers to get off of steroids or other supplements that they were on. And if so, does that mean we may see wrestlers go from 250 pounds to 220 pounds in a matter of say, six months? I think it'll depend on how stringent the testing is. If a guy tests positive for steroids or another supplement do they get a warning right away or a suspension or what? That's a detail we'll have to see in the future.
To summarize all of this, I think the idea of a drug policy is definitely a positive. It's a shame that somebody had to die for it happen because if this was in place years or even months ago then Eddie Guerrero would still be with us right now. Still, it's a case of better late than never. This is an ongoing story, though. While the initial news of the drug policy is encouraging, the implementation of it is what will either turn people off or make people realize that Vince McMahon is taking his company in the right direction. Personally, I hope it's a strict policy. Either the wrestlers learn and get better from it or they lose their jobs. I think that's all the motivation a person should need.
This is not a solution to the problem. It's just a big step in the right direction. The steps that follow are the ones that are really important.
Survivor Series Predictions
I'm going to be at Survivor Series this Sunday night in Detroit. I didn't plan on going a month ago, but then a friend of mine called me up to say he got free tickets. He works for a newspaper and since WWE tends to comp people in the press he got two tickets. The seats are right around the hard camera, which is the main camera that shoots the action in the ring. That means I won't be on TV, which is cool by me. I'm too old to be excited about being on TV. Sometimes I feel like I'm too old to be driving two hours in the freezing cold to see wrestling, but then I think about what it's like to be at a live event and I say "nah, it's still fun." It is still fun. Throw in the fact that I haven't seen a PPV live in several years and I think it'll be something that I will enjoy.
This year's Survivor Series doesn't strike me as some epic show. One of my biggest regrets with WWE is that they tend to make Survivor Series a show that's like every other PPV, rather than a special one like the Rumble, Mania and Summerslam. The selling point this year is the whole "Raw vs. Smackdown" feud, which has had its ups and downs. I think, though, the interaction on this week's Raw and Smackdown were encouraging after weeks of mediocre interaction. The 5 on 5 match should be great, but Bischoff versus Long? No thanks. I was hoping that they'd get a clue about putting Bischoff in matches. I guess not. Nobody wants to see him wrestle. It sucks that the GMs are in a match while talents like Shelton Benjamin, Rob Conway, Ken Kennedy and Matt Hardy, just to name a few, sit on the sideline doing absolutely nothing. How many people are really saying, "Boy, I can't wait for Bischoff vs. Long!" Nobody. That's right. Still, with the 5 on 5 match to go along with Cena/Angle, Flair/HHH and Benoit/Booker they have a pretty good card. Not epic, but it's pretty good. Here's a quick rundown of the card:
Chris Benoit vs. Booker T. in match 1 of a Best of 7 series for the vacant US Title
I'm not wild about a best of seven basically because I saw it in 1998, I enjoyed it then and I don't see it being topped here at all. Benoit's still solid and a very good performer, but Booker has slowed down significantly. Plus, just last year they had best of five with Booker and Cena that fell flat. I'm not saying that it will suck or that it's a horrible idea. It's just that if you think you'll be seeing seven classics then you're only kidding yourself. What I do hope is they do smart booking for it and have continuing storylines in the feud. Anyway, I'll pick Booker to win match one and Benoit to win the series in seven.
Trish Stratus vs. Melina for the Women's Title
I don't see Trish losing the belt to Melina. Doesn't make much sense although I do love both women. How about Victoria and Candice making a smooch in. That's like a run-in, except they come in the ring and kiss like they did on Raw. Damn, I lost my focus. Trish wins. Next.
Theodore Long vs. Eric Bischoff
I don't understand the desire of Vince McMahon to constantly put Bischoff in matches. He did it at Homecoming. He's done it at other PPVs. They play up the karate stuff like it makes him have some credibility in wrestling. It's just weak. I'd rather see WRESTLERS having WRESTLING matches instead of general managers having crapfests. I doubt it lasts longer than five minutes and that it is some clean match. I also doubt that I will care very much either way. The winner? Bischoff, I guess.
Ric Flair vs. Triple H in a Last Man Standing Match
If you think Flair is going over HHH twice in PPV matches then you'd probably fail the WWE drug testing policy. That said, it should be a pretty good match considering how each man has come up so huge in big time matches before and how close they are on a personal level. They're each going to want to do whatever they can to make the other guy look great. I think it's fair to expect each guy bleeding and also a match in the 20-30 minute range. HHH wins.
Raw (Michaels, Show, Kane, Carlito, Masters) vs. Smackdown (Batista, Orton, Lashley, Mysterio, JBL) Elimination Match
I think this is the match that is really going to "bring down the house" as the kids like to say. With nothing on the undercard that is likely going to bring the excitement level up that high, this one should get the crowd pretty excited. There's a lot of interesting scenarios and possibilities in this match that will have my interest. Like how do they utilize the so far undefeated Bobby Lashley? What about Masters, who is almost the equivalent of Lashley on the other show? How do you handle Kane & Show considering they've been pushed as dominant for weeks? How does Batista work with a legit muscle injury on his back? Then the most important question of all: Who wins? I'm going to go with Smackdown on the basis of that team having more star power in the match. Raw's top four guys are basically Cena, Angle, HHH and Michaels in some order. SD's top four guys are basically Batista, Orton, JBL and Mysterio in some order. So you've got one guy from Raw's top four in there against all four of Smackdown's top guys. I think that should mean a Smackdown victory. Since it's elimination style, they should make it a long match in the 30 minute range. Or they can just forget about the other eight guys, give me Michaels vs. Mysterio for like an hour and I will not complain one bit. If you want to get into specifics then I'll say Mysterio is the last man in the ring. He'll face off with Michaels one on one, but Shawn will be too bloody and beaten to over come it. Orton won't be the last guy because Undertaker is being heavily promoted and will take him out of the match. Still, I see a Smackdown win.
John Cena vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Title with Daivari as Referee
I thought Angle was going to win the title before. I was wrong. I think he's going to win it now. Will I be wrong again? Probably. I just think the title reign of Cena has gone on for too long and even the fans are getting tired of it. That's why they are trying so hard to keep Angle a heel by giving him Daivari as his personal ref. It's more fun for the face to chase the heel, not the other way around. With all of that said, I think this is the time Angle walks out with the title in some cheap fashion. Plus, the most important reason, Kurt deserves another run with the title. He's earned it with his performance this year. So my pick is Kurt Angle.
Final Thoughts on Survivor Series
I wouldn't be shocked if they added another match to the card like Hardy vs. Kennedy because they probably need another ten minutes to fill. As I said earlier, this isn't a PPV that's going to blow you away because it's awesome. It's average in a lot of areas. If I was at home on Sunday night I'd probably order on the basis of there being a horrible NFL game Sunday night instead of on the basis of how good this PPV is. I assume WWE is banking on people tuning in for the Raw vs. Smackdown idea, but I don't think there's enough here to entice people to check it out.
I don't want to be too hard on WWE. With Eddie's passing they had to change plans and lost a week of storylines. Not only that, but they're all working with heavy hearts. I think it's fair to give them some leeway considering all of that.
In Closing…
That's it for this time. Like I said at the top, I hope to do some of these types of columns on a more regular basis. I've realized that I still enjoy writing, but it's hard to find one topic to write about every other week or every month. So look for this type of column - two takes on two different issues - on a more regular basis. Basically I want to write more without going into longer columns. So this is my attempt at doing that.
My next piece is going to be a review of Bret Hart's DVD. I'm writing about it as I watch it. The review will probably be in two or three parts since it's a 10 hour DVD. I won't be doing play by play of the matches, but I'll summarize them and give star ratings to them as well. I've given myself roughly two weeks to complete it, so look for it around December 10 or the week that follows. Then before the year is out I'll give out the 2005 Johnny Awards.
Thanks for reading.
Smell ya later,
John C. - oratoryjohn@gmail.com
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