Since the Poncho Man Sandy Ravage is obviously a pretty lame character I decided to not make some cool edited image etc. Or just the fact I don't know how to edit pictures.
Introduce myself to the readers who don't know me....I'm the Poncho Man. I've been watching professional wrestling at least since 91. Undertaker was my first favorite wrestler. He made his debut right around the time I remember watching wrestling. I sometimes watch old WCW/NWA and oddly remember things....so maybe that's just when I got into the WWE or really actually began to care. I'm 29 now....so something like 22 years of wrestling fandom.
Rusty made a comment in his last podcast about not knowing exactly why he should care about something, because he doesn't have the long history of watching this stuff. It really got me to thinking about the difference between a long time viewer and for lack of a better term a "newbie."
Honestly, I keep up on things by listening to you guys and reading news/spoilers on the internet. I'll do my absolute best to not spoil anything when I write anything. I have no problem with spoilers. This is a business that isn't real. Half the time spoilers never come true. I think Sting has been coming to WWE at least a billion times in the last 10 years. Spoilers for me act as a commercial for why I might actually care to watch an episode. But yeah, I don't really watch much anymore....the odd WWE or ROH ppv might end up on my radar, but usually only after I hear about how great a match was.
So, the difference between a "newbie" and me is exactly what Wrestlemania was all about this year. The Rock vs John Cena. The Attitude Era vs The PG Era. The era where you had to actually be some what awesome to get a push vs The Era Where everything is written for you and you're handcuffed by "Vince's Imaginary Rules."
This is the main reason that when I listen to you two talk about your favorites I sometimes get confused. Mark Henry Love, Sheamus Love, John Cena Love......Huh? I understand that we like who we like. I think Val Venis was awesome. His work was sharp and his promos hilariously stupid. He did as much as he could with crap storylines and a character that would never get him past mid-card status.
Mark Henry is a terrible wrestler. He's been active in WWE longer than everyone except Undertaker and Triple H. Yet every time they push him as a monster....he gets injured. Similar body type, similar style...VADER. THE GREATEST MONSTER IN WRESTLING. The guy could do moon saults. Everytime Mark Henry leaves his feet....he gets injured, and cuts a stupid promo about how angry and big he is. With that much experience....he should be like Kane by now....where we actually can believe he can compete with all the top guys, whether he's a good wrestler or not.
Sheamus....Triple H's work out buddy. Nuff Said. I've never been able to decide what's worse....his Heel persona of "I'm Angry because I'm Irish" or his face persona of "I have one move and smile."
So I might be rambling a bunch, but my point is this. The Rock came in and was given a crap character and made Ron Simmon's bitch. The crowd HATED him for the first year because they felt he'd been given too much too fast because of his family.Yet, you literally saw, over a two year period, that guy grow as a promo guy and as a wrestler. It was obvious. They had to start giving him more time on the mic and bringing him up in the ranks.
John Cena came along and was given a crap rapper character and has certainly came a long way. Problem was no legitimate wrestling fan understood why John Cena got pushed so fast. Suddenly he had an album out. Then the movies. Which is all fine...Hogan did the same thing. Problem was...who was he? Where did he come from? Why was he getting pushed when Christian was floundering. Sabu was tailor made for Vince to make into a radical cartoon character. Rob Van Dam only got pushed because the audience demanded it (Cena Wins We Riot). Too many guys who had payed dues and were over with the audience were just forgot about to push a handsome ripped dude with little experience and a decent promo.
I'm not a huge Rock fan. Never really have been. I usually cheered for the other guy. But I wasn't bored or unhappy with him winning. (See late 90s Triple H for being legitimately bored by someone always winning) He deserves his spot. He was never crammed down my throat. He put more people in seats losing to Stone Cold than John Cena did beating Randy Orton and Edge and Kurt Angle every month for years.
I really actually believe that this entire year has been a big thank you from Vince McMahon to all the fans that have never left and aren't 10 or younger. John Cena seems to finally be working in a more off the cuff nature....which I think is because he had a talent like The Rock to work with....and it wasn't just a match of two guys shoved down my throat.
Word Life!
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