It Begins…..Again: The Answer Right In Front Of Us
In the modern era of professional wrestling & sports entertainment, there is a simple element that exists that seems to always go over well. That element is the “teaser promo” that airs and lets the audience know that someone is coming back or debuting.
This element goes over even when we are meant to know who the promo is promoting. The current videos running that feature Kane are a great example. We know the videos are for Kane but are still excited to see how and when he returns.
The “It Begins” promos have dominated wrestling fans' conversations because of the wide range of speculation on who it could be. These promos are great. They create a buzz amongst the audience. They give the audience a target date to tune in. Ratings for 1/2/12 episode of RAW will be higher than average. On 2/21/11 they were higher, the night that we were to find out who the special guest of WrestleMania 27 would be, they were higher. It's so simple and it works.
Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Vince McMahon, Skip Sheffield, Kharma, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Kane, Matt Hardy, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho and Mike Adamle are all getting their names associated with the “It Begins” promos. I made up the part about Mike Adamle. His name is always good for a cheap pop from a wrestling audience.
The first deduction is that the promos are obviously promoting a return and not a debut. This is a given based on what is said from the little boy who is speaking.
There is only one logical choice. Chris Jericho.
Rumors have circulated for months that Jericho would return and suggested that a rivalry with CM Punk could be a possibility.
CM Punk who is “The Best In The World.”
All of the promos end with the little boy saying the same thing. “It will be the end of the world as you know it.”
That phrase and simple logic gets lost in the middle of wrestling fans wanting to be surprised. I think everyone has heard The Undertaker or Chris Jericho's name but that wouldn't be unprecedented. Both guys have made habits of having return videos and the “smart” fans want to be SHOCKED BEYOND BELIEF! So Brock Lesnar and his expiring UFC contract makes an appealing story. It isn't the most ridiculous story that I have heard from the wrestling community, but it's still wrong.
The language in which it is spoken is textbook Chris Jericho promo material. The kids, the swing on the playground swinging when nobody is there, this all has a mysterious feel to it that many associate to The Undertaker. The videos aren't dark enough for it to be The Undertaker. He is known for night time, raining, graveyards, religious symbolism, but not the class room/school.
It's a win for WWE, as it will be a highly anticipated and highly viewed episode. It's a win for people like myself, as it's material to talk about on my various shows and increased traffic on this site. It's a win for all fans, as the videos will likely result in a great rivalry between two greats.
Follow @JustinLaBar on Twitter
Continue to page 2 with a diary from a roast and night spent with wrestling legends.
All That I Learned From Wrestling Legends
Last weekend I attended roast and lunch with wrestling legend Dominic DeNucci. If you don't know who that is, go do your research. I say that because I have seen comments of a younger generation consider themselves “the end all be all” in wrestling commentary but yet have no clue who Dominic DeNucci is.
DeNucci was a big star in the 60's and 70's. He's worked matches in the ring over a span of four decades and is stepping in the ring for a special appearance in 2012. As impressive as DeNucci's in-ring career was, he has made himself just as famous if not more, by being a trainer. Mick Foley being the most recognizable name who was trained by DeNucci.
A list of stars from yesterday including George “The Animal” Steele, Irish Davey O'Hannon, Nick “The Bully” Busick, Larry Sharpe, Johnny DeFazio and many more. Current TNA star Matt Morgan was also in attendance. No, none of these guys with the exception of Morgan, come up today in daily wrestling conversation, but it was still a tremendous experience.
The stories to hear, the things I learned about the business from one on one conversations were fantastic. A book could be written from the stories told by those guys from the past and those stories that came from the day that included the roast, a local wrestling show and the bar that ended the night. You take in account all of the knowledge one can gain about the business from the individual conversations, it was a vault of information for any wrestling fan.
I sat back in the middle of lunch and thought about all of the matches worked, different opponents they worked with, miles logged, hotels stayed in, ladies met and alcohol drank during the era that was the setting for many of the stories during the roast portion of the event. I took in the fraternity that these guys are forever apart of, along with start of today like Matt Morgan paying homage to the legends. All of this combined gave me bursts of positive emotion that remind me why the wrestling business is so special.
Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer and any other sport all have a fraternal locker room with its own language. However, in my opinion none of them have it to the extent that pro-wrestling does.
During this event, it was announced for the first time to any audience that Dominic DeNucci would be inducted in the Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame in 2012. Not the WWE's HOF that you see every WrestleMania weekend, but the Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame, who I think does a tremendous job of categorizing the stars in each class. If you can get to Amsterdam, NY, in May of 2012, I suggest you make the trip. You will be there to see the induction of DeNucci, Junkyard Dog, Jim Cornette, Wendi Richter, The Wild Samoans and others.
A lot of things get said about the sport and entertainment genre that we all love from people who are uneducated on it. Its fake, its dumb, its gay, its a bunch of guys on steroids and many other phrases. I could go on for hours fighting back the detractors who question the legitimacy. I'll end with a simple statement:
A day around those legends, I dare you to question the legitimacy of professional wrestling's ability to spawn friends, memories and scars that are more important to you than any others and you will have all of them until you die.
Follow @JustinLaBar on Twitter
Read more…
Here is the original post:
"It Begins": Answer Is Right In Front Of Us, A Roast W/ Legends
Read more.
Elmira, NY will host the IMPACT WRESTLING World Tour on Friday, March 23 at the First Arena at 7:30pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 10 at?http://extremetix.com?and charge by phone at?607-734-7825. Fans that purchase a $50 ticket will receive a special meet and greet with the IMPACT WRESTLING Superstars at 5:30pm (redeemable with ticket the night of the show). Appearing live and in person will be Bobby Roode, Matt Morgan, James Storm, Mr. Anderson, Gail Kim and more. Go to?http://prowrestlingevents.webs.com?for info about upcoming wrestling shows worldwide.
You love wrestling? Defend it to anyone who talks bad about it? Purchase the brand new “Wrestling Reality According To LaBar” t-shirt!
Cole vs Lawler Raw Street Fight
