Hashtag IWA MeToo: Match 2 - Add a Pound Sign or Names of Jerks?

Do not look at your blogger stats when you are looking for motivation to write.

I am starting to think that writing maybe nothing more than practice. Too bad I need a better work situation to just take a day or two to devote writing my next work of fiction. If it is any comfort to my tens of readers, management positions at my day job are something that I am pursuing which is a first. As for freeing myself from the overnight drone work, that will have to wait for a relationship building trip to Vegas to pass, a long with my anti-anxiety and sleep aid.

May be I cannot do anything right. My third trip to Sin City is being planned, and yet again, I cannot enjoy all that the state of Nevada has to offer. Granted, I have out grown wanting to visit the adult entertainment facilities outside of Clark County, but they turn around and legalize cannabis. How do I always miss out, be it blogging or partying?

It is sad to say that it seems that you have to shock people to get a response to your posts. If memory serves me right, (and after checking out the stats from Harshside.com, it does) calling out pit bull owners in a title and referring directly to Peoria wrestling seemed to have resulted in my biggest numbers of views. On this website, people were not reading “Racism Can Play in Peoria. What About Your Local Wrestling?”, but they had a response…oh did they have a response. Either everyone’s social media feeds lean so far left or right that those people who defended the absolutely wrong ideology of Tracy Smothers are not aware of the last blog post (to my credit, I found out about Ian’s insensitivity), or they have just become too jaded to even think about somebody suggesting they are assholes.

Damn people basing philosophy from novelty tees (“Mom told me I could be what ever I wanted, so I became an asshole” for example). It may inspire me to take a motorboat engine to those GEICO matinees.

Or if I infer from Ian Rotten’s Facebook feed, the man who is excusing the awful, just does not produce enough interest for Twitter’s wrestling pundits to care about his reckless posting.

So after quite a few shows with unsatisfactory houses (meaning they did not pay the bills), we have to switch some things around in order to keep this Thursdays show at $15.

I am not saying he is being a bad promoter, he just does not have the resources to affect the business. That is something I can definitely relate to. Hence, when I thought about a shocking blog title to sell this, I came up with “Redefining Rotten.” That that may be redundant. His further digging of his trench with those who permit a sexually dangerous environment shows how he wants to be defined.

If I have to give more credit to Rotten, I have to acknowledge that he has a better clue of what his audience wants. But with fans like the ones who immediately responded to my first response, why would you want to keep them?

Tonya Heath: I don’t give a shit about who’s cheating on who. I wanna see someone get their ass kicked and bleed! If that makes me sick and twisted, fuck it.
Esequiel Mark Gonzales: That’s kind of why I don’t give a damn about what’s going on in WWE any more and prefer to support my local Indies. It’s pretty much the only environment I can just sit back and be a fan like it was meant to be

Some may say that these folks are just ignorant. If that is the case, they are impressionable, so they can be educated through your product to be transformed from not only being lost, but from being douche bags. I did offer an education to these two.

It’s kind of embarrassing to find out that certain Indie fans are feeling disenfranchised by WWE’s efforts to keep rapists and and domestic violence out of their company, which is still affiliated with Donald Trump. If an ally to the autocrat is more socially aware and concerned about safety than these fans, you know these marks are on the wrong side of history.

If a promoter plays to the marks on the wrong side of history, it is hard to call them a good person.

This is where I left off with my Facebook fury for that day. I should be more optimistic. It was already posted on THE social network, why would they need two “PgDn” of explanation to why the misogyny that dominates it is so messed up?

With that said, I wonder if there are collegiate journals dedicated to the online society’s bullshit? I may just have to get over the possibility of being a college student in my 40's. It does not seem to be a stretch from what I am doing with my life now.

Here’s hoping for a few good nights at the tables come May.

Drools MacDougal went to work on his breakfast, landing most of it in his mouth. helladamnsquirrels.tumblr.com

A Belt for the IWC? The Disgruntled’s Real World Champ - Part 3

It was a pretty good week of wrestling without the WWE Network or indie shows to attend. Sunday was spent in the old venue for Freelance Wrestling, The Bottom Lounge, to see Pig put on a great set. A woman actually was impressed by my industrial rock-themed vest and may be sending the materials to build her one. For something that I was hoping to use as ring gear someday (anyone have 12-grande to help me start a wrestling promotion), my indie credibility seems secured.

It is also proof that my creativity is there, so if you want to help me out in finding a way to promote my B-movie pro-wrestling zomcom, Main Event of the Dead, I would happy to send you a treatment if you e-mail me at russthebus07@gmail.com.

Only downer was the breakup of Okada and Gedo. Right after I had bout the shirt that featured both of them being very kawaii.

And speaking of Freelance, Muhammad Ali really impressed me for the first time on “205 Live (via Hulu)” since his bout with Buddy Murphy. Since he is someone who is ripping off DJZ and never a strong promo (at least on WWE TV), he left me hoping they will not ditch the brand. If only the Hulu version could cut out the non-match segments. I cut the WWE Network off because of the sexism, but I was not missing contract signings and championship-related, face-to-face verbal sparring.

NJPW World, Being the Elite, and sales at Pro Wrestling Tees: keep this formula up and it may lead to me never consider a WWE World Champion as the premier champion in the industry. Just wait till I tap into the Honor Club. Is the Highspots Network worth it?

Regardless of my thoughts on the future champions, when Puroresu was being established, I think most of us agree it was a totally different style. Besides for swapping your American World title to a Japanese wrestler on his soil to build another fan base, there was very little crossover. Story lines are what drives the American-style while an in ring athletic spectacle is what you watch Japanese wrestling for. You can just pick a NJPW match to watch and never need a video package to give you context.

So, what I am getting at is it may not be reasonable to put the IWGP Heavyweight, GHC Heavyweight, or the Triple Crown in the running as possible Real World Heavyweight Championship.

Fortunately, there was Samoa Joe and Chris Benoit who were there to make us not necessarily watch the majority of JBL’s title reign and to make things further interesting in regards to this narrative.

A Time for the Internet Wrestling Community

49th Real World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero - 2/15/2004 - 6/27/04.

50th World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit - 6/27/04 - 8/15/04

The Big Gold Belt finally headlined Wrestlemania and the celebration between the two most successful Radicalz can never be ruined. If the lack of WWE’s acknowledgement of long-term concussion trauma that led to the 2007 incident makes this moment uncomfortable, play the Gamecube’s “WWE Day of Reckoning” where a random star will recreate that moment with your avatar (mine was creepingly Charlie Haas, which might explain my attempt to change my ring name to R.C. Staley. I’ve got a funny Tyler Black anecdote about that, but I’ll digress).

It seemed like WWE was finally recognizing the desires of the industries most invested fans. But WWE is meant to fulfill the desires of the two most delusional McMahons not on Donald Trump’s cabinet. Benoit’s win may be a way to keep us from being too upset when JBL became WWE Champ via anti-immigrant sentiment.

51st World Heavyweight Champion - Ring of Honor’s Samoa Joe - 8/15/04 - 12/26/04

Randy Orton was not an accomplished wrestler when he got the title, and would the IWC appreciate Benoit dropping the title to JBL who was more character than he was wrestler? Samoa Joe was the hardest hitting heavyweight this side of the Pacific who was the first champion with a reign that had past the one-year mark since Randy Savage. Add the CM Punk trilogy, and you cannot argue this deserved recognition.

52nd World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ JBL - 12/26/04 - 4/3/2005

This may be a tribute to the storytelling rather than the man. WWE had got us back to Dusty Rhodes’s style booking. We were desperate to see JBL lose the title, and became more desperate with every successful defense as Vince McMahon desired. Austin Aries may have had all the tools, but was not larger than life at this point. The Big Gold Belt was also vacant at the time of this title change.

53rd World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champ Batista - 4/3/05 - 1/10/2006

John Cena may have been the most interesting story in the company, especially since the fans started turning on the one they initially chose. Despite the Triple H using the Big Gold Belt to get himself over again, he is a better performer than JBL. Batista won the BGB the same night as Cena won the WWE, but Batista was never defeated for his title.

Some would say that Edge cashing in Money in the Bank meant Cena was never truly beat for his title, especially when it was just a swap. I will just come out and say it, a Cash In will rarely make you the Real World Champion. Hopefully, as I further review my initial narrative, I may be able to avoid them all together (sorry C.M. Punk).

54th World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Bryan Danielson - 1/10/06 - 12/26/06

The heel American Dragon was a fully formed character in my opinion. It is the same story of how he turned from being an underdog to a heel in WWE in 2011-2012. He regressed as he went back to being a babyface, but that was after the reign. Bryan Danielson was successful in becoming a wily champion the likes of Ric Flair.

The only contention I can see is based on Kurt Angle winning the Big Gold Belt the same day Batista relinquished it. This would allow us to add Rey Mysterio’s first title reign and King Booker into the continuity. Who could legitimately beat Angle? Perhaps a few since he was awarded the title for winning a battle royale.

55th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ John Cena (1) - 12/26/06 - 10/2/2007

John Cena was in the midst of a title reign that would make him Hulk Hogan-esque. His WWE reign had lasted over a year and was ended via injury. In the meantime, The Great Khali had won a Heavyweight Championship.

56th World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Takeshi Morishima - 10/2/07 -10/6/07

You can appreciate ROH’s booking like ECW’s booking. Homicide had a brief two month reign, but he was definitely not cut of a cloth where he could be promoted as a Real World Champion. Morishima on the other was a strong style version of Samoa Joe. This is where I will bring up that Batista is an actor.

57th World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Nigel McGuiness - 10/6/07 - 4/3/2009

No question that he was the best wrestler with a world title during this span.

58th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ Triple H (4) - 4/3/09 - 4/26/09

Again, ROH gave the fans what they wanted with a Jerry Lynn title win. Lynn was a year older than Ric Flair was during his last reign as Real World Champ. Triple H defeated Edge for the WWE Championship during the McGuiness reign. Edge had won the Big Gold Belt after that, so if he could not keep the WWE away from Triple H, how could the BGB be more important than his previous belt?

59th World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champ Edge - 4/26/09 - 6/7/09

Randy Orton with Legacy as tag team partners took the WWE belt from Triple H who had Vince McMahon on his team. Edge had to defeat Cena in a last man standing bout. Which was the bigger accomplishment?

60th World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champ Jeff Hardy - 6/7/09

61st World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Jerry Lynn - 6/7/09 - 6/13/09

CM Punk cashed in Money in the Bank on Jeff Hardy, so Punk should not be the Real World Champ. Batista won the WWE Championship, but had to vacate it two days later. Lynn was still the ROH Champ who was about to lose it to Austin Aries. I was really tempted to recognize Blue Demon Jr.’s 505-day reign as NWA World Champion especially since Mexico is just as big a wrestling market. Still, the 10 Pounds of Gold may have been stuck in the limbo of many lawsuits.

There maybe 10 others from North America who were as great an in ring performer as Jerry Lynn in his era (Benoit, Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Lance Storm, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Rob Van Dam…) so Lynn definitely deserves to be in this narrative. If only for a brief time, the more qualified the champion, the better your potential franchise will look.

62nd World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Austin Aries - 6/13/09 - 3/14/2010

63rd World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Tyler Black - 3/14/10 - 9/11/10

64th World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Roderick Strong - 9/11/10 - 3/19/2011

Kane held the Big Gold Belt at the beginning of Strong’s reign, but won it by cashing in Money in the Bank. Sheamus was the WWE Champ and I find him to be more gimmick than wrestler. Strong may have been a quick answer, but still more qualified than WWE’s offerings.

65th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ The Miz - 3/19/11 - 5/1/11

Strong had been an established star with ROH since Aries was. Eddie Edwards had not broke out of the tag team wrestler mold. The Big Gold Belt had a great story with Edge as the holder, but featured the forgettable first Dolph Ziggler title reign. The Miz’s title reign featured no contenders till Cena, but that headlined the The Rock’s return to Wrestlemania, so all eyes were on him.

IF ONLY THE NWA HAD THEIR SHIT TOGETHER.