Ask X 9.5

Posted in Ask X by Jack at 17:00, Mar 31 2009

by Jason X

So I thought that since this week I wasn?t going to do answer questions, that I would take the weekend off and just kind of mellow out. Then I started to get the creative itch, and that brings us to Ask X #9.5, this is going to be more of an actual column than a question and answer style one.

I?ll start things off by covering last weeks ROH on HDNet show. Now I had to watch it on you tube because I don?t pay the extra money to get HDNet, but I will say that it was a very good debut show. The main event I thought delivered, as well as Jerry Lynn and Delirious in the opening match. Kenny King has come a long way since Tough Enough, and from doing jobs on TNA Impact during the Fox Sports year. I will say I was disappointed that ROH wouldn?t get the rights to Addicted To Love for Rhett Titus to use as his theme. Oh well you win some you lose some. After watching last weeks show, I was immediately excited to see the next one, and it has been a while since I could say that about a wrestling show. I haven?t been big into ROH since Punk, Joe, and Homicide left, but this show has me interested in their product again.

As far as what this show means to the business as a whole, I can?t help but think that things are going towards an upswing, what with TNA?s ratings continuing to go up, WWE trying to cater to a new audience, and now ROH on cable. I think that we are on the verge (maybe another year or two) from another boom period. With, that I want to go back to the ROH on HDNet show. A few weeks ago I had a discussion with a fellow IYH board member about ROH, their fans, and what this show could mean to ROH in the future. In that conversation I had mentioned that I thought ROH had to try and bring in the casual fan in order to survive. I might have come off negative in that statement, but I was and am a big fan of the original ECW. I don?t want to see ROH make the same mistakes that ECW made. However, I do believe their chance for survival to be much stronger than ECW?s were on the cable landscape. 1) ROH is on a network that promotes their show, and actively pursued a deal with them. 2) the network they are on, already caters to fight fans and wrestling fans, by airing MMA regularly 3) ROH waited longer (by a year) than ECW did to get on television. And finally 4) ROH might cater to a small sector of wrestling fans, but I believe their product can win over casual fans, who are getting tired of more promos and skits than wrestling. With that said I am eagerly awaiting to see this weeks show online so I can watch it.

Something I mentioned in the last paragraph, that I would like to cover is WWE?s decision to market towards kids again. I for one am actually all for it, and by saying that I hope I don?t have to eat my words when we start to see wrestling clowns and wrestling plumbers again. But hear me out, I think marketing towards kids, will steer them away from doing some of the over top angles that we have seen in the last decade. I hope that it will put an emphasis on the in ring aspect of the product. Also, it?s a smart idea for Vince. I?ll explain why, most of us who were between the ages of 1-10 who watched during the 1980?s boom period continued to watch during the down years of the early to mid 90?s, but we also were the ones who helped get our friends on board during the Attitude Era. By marketing towards kids, Vince is locking in an audience that will probably be fans for life, but will also bring in new fans when he hits another boom period in their teenage years. It?s a great idea on his part, I?m not going to knock it one bit. The downside towards his new plan, is that if not booked carefully, things can start to get hokey. We don?t need to see a modern version of Uncle Elmer, or Max Moon, or The Red Rooster. Stay away from things like that and just focus on the wrestling itself, it?s what has made kids fans ever since our grandparents were kids.

This weekend was a big weekend for Indy Wrestling here on the East Coast as it was King Of Trios weekend, and from looking at the cards so far, I have to say I like Team Uppercut and Team Unstable to make it to the finals. Honestly, I know Chikara gets a ton of hype on the net, but they deserve it, they put on some of the best all around wrestling shows in the world today. Every time I have been to a Chikara show, I have had a lot of fun. There is something there for every wrestling fan, no matter what style you like.

With that I?m out for the week, I hope to see you all next week with my regular question and answer format. I?ll end with some cheap plugs as normal, Listen to In Your Head every Wednesday night live at 8 p.m. and Watch El Santo Loco?s AAA in English as well. Give Without Your Head some love as well, alright till next week, Later