I'm feeling a "work here". Hawk rumored to be dead for over a year, suddenly returns because he is pissed off at Heidenreich dressing like him. Next thing you know we'll have a "Faker-Taker" type match. What a great work!!
Seriously, all this "offensive" stuff IMO is great. I'm not easily offended and I don't see how others are. That's just me.
I refuse to get upset over these trivial matter's. If you can sit and enjoy Southpark, The Family guy, Team America (I don't know what there is to enjoy about Team America though) or any other similar shows that I can't think of at the moment, you should have no problem with what the WWE is doing. All of the aforementioned shows have pushed the same envelopes in some way shape or form. It's simply funny so take it for what its worth. A reaction of "oh my god, did he just say that?" would be fitting.
Durka Durka
"Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?" -Donnie Darko
I'm not going to quote anything off, but I'm right there with you with just about everything.
Matt, you're wrong to say that all they did was say that they couldn't fight the Road Warriors because one was dead. They made the challenge, and then stopped and pretended to correct themselves by saying "His partner is DEAD" and then broke into laughter. There were 100 ways to get the challenge out for Animal and Heidenreich, including what you wrote, but they chose to go with the most tasteless. Make no mistake, MNM was making fun of Hawk's death. And yeah, I do have a lot less respect for Animal now too.
Yeah, I get that people on messageboards say a lot worse things, but that doesn't really matter. Just because something CAN be justified doesn't mean that it SHOULD be justified. I couldn't care less if MNM are gimmicked as cocky teenage movie stars. It was still disgusting, and there was no need for them to do it. There's a lot that should be left out of wrestling, not justified because "Hey, we should do it because we can"
I'm not sure what they wanted to accomplish with this though. I mean, I know that MNM are so over that they risk fans turning them face, but the crowd didn't just boo them for going straight after Hawk's death. It's like last week with Hassan. People (for the most part) didn't tune in and say "Ooohh, I hate the Arabs. I hope that American Badass kicks his Arab ass". They were disgusted there too. I'd like to think that these are working against them, but there's no way to know.
I just have to wonder what goes through the head of the people that book this. Do they think making light of a wrestler's death is funny? Do they think that it's even close to appropriate? Sometimes WWE is just so fucking stupid and crass that it really pisses me off.
Originally posted by BigSteveI just have to wonder what goes through the head of the people that book this. Do they think making light of a wrestler's death is funny? Do they think that it's even close to appropriate? Sometimes WWE is just so fucking stupid and crass that it really pisses me off.
Didnt the Katie Vick storyline give you any idea as to what goes thru the writers heads? Its "wrestling". Its always been rude, crude, and offensive. If Hawk died ala Owen Hart, I doubt they'd have done that joke, but since Hawk died outside of the WWE, its fair game to them.
You shouldn't be pissed off unless you're related to Hawk and even then it shouldnt be a big deal. I'm sure Animal knew what they were gonna say, and he was prolly ok with it. And yes, I do think its funny. I also thought the Katie Vick storline was hilarious too. I guess I am just wired differently. If you dont take it seriously, it shouldnt offend you.
Originally posted by BigSteveI just have to wonder what goes through the head of the people that book this. Do they think making light of a wrestler's death is funny? Do they think that it's even close to appropriate? Sometimes WWE is just so fucking stupid and crass that it really pisses me off.
Didnt the Katie Vick storyline give you any idea as to what goes thru the writers heads? Its "wrestling". Its always been rude, crude, and offensive. If Hawk died ala Owen Hart, I doubt they'd have done that joke, but since Hawk died outside of the WWE, its fair game to them.
You shouldn't be pissed off unless you're related to Hawk and even then it shouldnt be a big deal. I'm sure Animal knew what they were gonna say, and he was prolly ok with it. And yes, I do think its funny. I also thought the Katie Vick storline was hilarious too. I guess I am just wired differently. If you dont take it seriously, it shouldnt offend you.
Well, I stopped watching after Katie Vick made her debut, and I didn't come back until after Mania XX. It wasn't that I was upset that the content was "adult-oriented" or anything like that. I was offended that WWE had such low regard for their audience that they thought people would enjoy a storyline that devoid of any redeeming value.
I'm never really offended by "risque" content, if it has a purpose. Back when DX was formed HBK and HHH did all sorts of crude stuff (mooning, HBK stuffing his jockey shorts, etc.), but I loved that stuff because a} it was funny and b) its purpose was to get DX over as degenerate anti-authority heels, and it succeed in that area. Making use of the death of a former wrestler to gain heat for a throwaway tag team match at a throwaway PPV pisses me off because it is crass and it has no upside - just like last week's terrorism angle (though Hassan did cut a hell of a promo on wwe.com - if anyone hasn't watched it yet, I'd recommend you do that).
Originally posted by JagWhat are the ratings like these days? Haven't a lot of people already done that?
Compared to 2000, yeah they have. But over the past three years or so, WWE's ratings have been pretty consistent. I think that they're down to their diehard, core audience right now that probably won't stop watching unless WWE really goes down the crapper (please folks, refrain from replying with "they haven't already?" :))
On Smackdown, I witnessed such a segment. For some reason, Heidenreich's new friend this week turned out to be Road Warrior Animal. Now, he looked okay, I'll admit. He had some juice on his moves and Nitro and Mercury sold quite well for him. Physically he looked awful, but he moved pretty good for an older guy. So an old man who doesn't look like he has exercised since Summerslam '91 runs off their current champs with ease. Fine, whatever. Then Animal picks up the mic and says that he heard there's a new tag-team in WWE who are claiming to be the greatest tag-team of all time. I thought, jeez, this is odd. MNM has never claimed this, but fine. Mockingly, they then say that they will prove it by facing the Road Warriors. But wait, says the other one, we can't do that, because your partner is DEAD. And they proceed to laugh.
Why didnt Animal attack "The Worlds Greatest Tag Team" Hass and Benjamin? Is it because they werent called "The Worlds Greatest Tag Team EVER"?
In all seriosity- maybe whichever one of the MNM's made the comment (though I swear I missed it) improvised or something- Its a cheap joke, but it doesnt cheapen Hawk's death unless you take it seriously. If someone spouts garbage, treat it like garbage- and ignore it, or throw it away (whichever makes more sense). Dont (please) try to pull garbage out of the trashcan and have a debate with it. Thats just asking for a headache.
"I came to Earth with a simple dream... To kill all humans. And THIS is how it must end? Who's the real 700 ton monster here? Not, I... Not.. I..."
Originally posted by Kane Is UglyIf there is anything to be offended about, its that WWE fires/breaks up all the good tag teams they had left, and gives us ANIMAL/Heidenrich? That pissses me off more than any terrorism angle or "dead" remark.
Same here. I've loved tag team wrestling much more than singles matches ever since I was a kid, and my most-loved and best-remembered characters from when I was a kid were the tag teams. The Hart Foundation, The Bushwhackers, The Rockers, and yes The Legion of Doom, among others. It saddens me that there are only about three actual tag teams in the WWE, and if the RAW champs weren't holding the straps, they would have been broken up a while ago. Is it really that hard to maintain a tag team division of actual tag teams? Is it really appropriate to have a random scrub and a random one-night-only "legend" team up to face the tag champs at a PPV?
I really hope MNM win. Not that I have any special love for them, but I really feel like they are the last hope for tag teams in the WWE (a sad fact in itself).
Well, apparently God has been pulled from the Raw match, which is now one on one -- but he's still Michaels' tag-team partner at Backlash. The only possible explanation for this, I figure, is that USA freaked.