Last spring I read a book written by James Guttman called "World Wrestling Insanity Presents: Shoot First...Ask Questions Later." It was a good read, filled with great stories alongside some hard-won insights. Guttman started the site World Wrestling Insanity and then went on to record "shoot" interviews with wrestling stars past and present. "Shoot First..." was basically a chronicle of what he did and, perhaps more importantly, didn't learn about the business after conducting so many in-depth interviews, many of them with industry heavyweights such as Eric Bischoff, Kevin Nash and Bobby Heenan, to name just a few. I picked this book off the shelf when searching for the Jake Roberts quotes I used here. Going through it again I became absorbed, and then all of a sudden these words exploded like shrapnel from the page:
Hunter is the male version of a blonde bitch going to Hollywood and fucking her way to the top...He's basically the Kevin Federline of Professional Wrestling. If it wasn't for who he's married to...he wouldn't be in the business. I mean, look where he started. He actually started in WCW as Terra Ryzin. And then he was doing 30-second jobs for the Ultimate Warrior. And all of a sudden he starts banging the boss's daughter and, all of a sudden, he's supposed to be the baddest man on the planet? I mean, come on...It's a joke.
Shoot First...Ask Questions Later p.88
Those words were uttered by none other than Big Poppa Pump: Scott Steiner.
You can listen to the entire interview here. It costs a small fee, but their library is extensive and impressive.
Now on to Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the only man on Planet Earth who can accomplish the impossible and make the greatest band ever somehow cringe-worthy by using them as an accessory during his stupid water-bottle spraying bullshit. Seriously, who told him that was scary, or cool, or impressive or whatever it's supposed to be? I've been torn over this guy, at times, but I have to agree with the general contours of Steiner's outburst. I definitely think he's a talented worker in the ring, but I just cannot and will not buy his supposed status as an all time "legend" which is incessantly promoted, hyped and pushed on viewers by the WWE. It gets to the point where they definitely "doth protest too much." One example would be when I recently watched an old match between RVD and Triple H from "Unforgiven" in 2002, and I'll be damned if I didn't hear Jim Ross (a man whom I respect greatly) earnestly compare Helmsley to Harley Race and Jack Brisco (two legendary, traveling NWA Champions who as far as I know never had their wives working in the front office). I was stunned.
Incidentally, Ric Flair interferes in the "Unforgiven" match and apparently this was the genesis of the Evolution angle.
Speaking of Flair, over whom my markdom knows no bounds, it gives me pause when I hear the amount of praise he heaps on Helmsley because I can't possibly claim, nor would I, that I know the business on the same level that people like Jim Ross and Ric Flair do, I can only speak and interpret events as a fan, but what they see in Triple H is vastly different than what I see, so I continuously try and look at him from different angles to see this "greatness" I'm missing.
In the deleted scenes of his mammoth Highspots shoot Ric Flair is asked who from the current era could've drawn money in the territorial era and without hesitation he names Triple H (along with Shawn and the Undertaker). I started thinking about this and I thought of a man like "Ravishing" Rick Rude who was able to get over in such disparate territories as World Class Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic (the Crockett era where he won the Tag Team belts with Manny Fernandez) completely on his own. I just don't see Triple H being able to that. How would he have done it? On the strength of his ring work? He's usually solid, rarely ever spectacular. After at least 10 years worth of endless hype and a multitude of main events, I can only think of 2 of his matches that I would consider great: the Hell in the Cell match in 2000 with Cactus Jack, and some random match he did on Raw against William Regal in 2004/5, which was the only time I can remember Triple H making me care enough to hate him: aka true heat
I give Mick Foley a lot of credit for making the Hell in the Cell match memorable as he put Helmsley over on a silver platter. The match with Regal was during one of his monster heel turns and he used the sledgehammer to good effect and, for whatever reason, this bloodbath achieved a level of drama and psychology that has stayed with me.
Triple H has had some good matches with Shawn Michaels, but I have to say a lot of that is due to Shawn's work.
Stay Tuned for Part II.
You can listen to the entire interview here. It costs a small fee, but their library is extensive and impressive.
Before I start writing about Triple H, I want to say a few things about Steiner.
He remains the only man in the United States badass enough to legitimately sport chain mail.
His promos, in the latter half of his career, have often been unhinged, hilarious mini-shoots that have damaged women, children and not-so innocent by-standers.
His wrestling career is long, storied and influential, so I don't believe for a second his above comments are motivated by jealousy (unfortunately a common accusation in our culture when someone says something against the current grain of popularly accepted wisdom).
The man has won major titles in both of the premiere promotions (including the WCW World Title) as well accumulating accolades in Japan, in addition to inventing moves like the "Frankensteiner" which have become part of many a young wrestler's arsenal.
And as Guttman notes "the thing about Steiner that makes him really stand out is how far he veered away from his original gimmick. Very few wrestlers are able to successfully transition into a radically different character and succeed." Scott Steiner did all that and then some; going from the All-American Michigan Mullet to the Big Bad Booty Daddy in less than two moves with ease.
As the sign proclaims: I hear ya Big Poppa Pump.He remains the only man in the United States badass enough to legitimately sport chain mail.
His promos, in the latter half of his career, have often been unhinged, hilarious mini-shoots that have damaged women, children and not-so innocent by-standers.
His wrestling career is long, storied and influential, so I don't believe for a second his above comments are motivated by jealousy (unfortunately a common accusation in our culture when someone says something against the current grain of popularly accepted wisdom).
The man has won major titles in both of the premiere promotions (including the WCW World Title) as well accumulating accolades in Japan, in addition to inventing moves like the "Frankensteiner" which have become part of many a young wrestler's arsenal.
And as Guttman notes "the thing about Steiner that makes him really stand out is how far he veered away from his original gimmick. Very few wrestlers are able to successfully transition into a radically different character and succeed." Scott Steiner did all that and then some; going from the All-American Michigan Mullet to the Big Bad Booty Daddy in less than two moves with ease.
Now on to Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the only man on Planet Earth who can accomplish the impossible and make the greatest band ever somehow cringe-worthy by using them as an accessory during his stupid water-bottle spraying bullshit. Seriously, who told him that was scary, or cool, or impressive or whatever it's supposed to be? I've been torn over this guy, at times, but I have to agree with the general contours of Steiner's outburst. I definitely think he's a talented worker in the ring, but I just cannot and will not buy his supposed status as an all time "legend" which is incessantly promoted, hyped and pushed on viewers by the WWE. It gets to the point where they definitely "doth protest too much." One example would be when I recently watched an old match between RVD and Triple H from "Unforgiven" in 2002, and I'll be damned if I didn't hear Jim Ross (a man whom I respect greatly) earnestly compare Helmsley to Harley Race and Jack Brisco (two legendary, traveling NWA Champions who as far as I know never had their wives working in the front office). I was stunned.
Incidentally, Ric Flair interferes in the "Unforgiven" match and apparently this was the genesis of the Evolution angle.
Speaking of Flair, over whom my markdom knows no bounds, it gives me pause when I hear the amount of praise he heaps on Helmsley because I can't possibly claim, nor would I, that I know the business on the same level that people like Jim Ross and Ric Flair do, I can only speak and interpret events as a fan, but what they see in Triple H is vastly different than what I see, so I continuously try and look at him from different angles to see this "greatness" I'm missing.
In the deleted scenes of his mammoth Highspots shoot Ric Flair is asked who from the current era could've drawn money in the territorial era and without hesitation he names Triple H (along with Shawn and the Undertaker). I started thinking about this and I thought of a man like "Ravishing" Rick Rude who was able to get over in such disparate territories as World Class Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic (the Crockett era where he won the Tag Team belts with Manny Fernandez) completely on his own. I just don't see Triple H being able to that. How would he have done it? On the strength of his ring work? He's usually solid, rarely ever spectacular. After at least 10 years worth of endless hype and a multitude of main events, I can only think of 2 of his matches that I would consider great: the Hell in the Cell match in 2000 with Cactus Jack, and some random match he did on Raw against William Regal in 2004/5, which was the only time I can remember Triple H making me care enough to hate him: aka true heat
I give Mick Foley a lot of credit for making the Hell in the Cell match memorable as he put Helmsley over on a silver platter. The match with Regal was during one of his monster heel turns and he used the sledgehammer to good effect and, for whatever reason, this bloodbath achieved a level of drama and psychology that has stayed with me.
Triple H has had some good matches with Shawn Michaels, but I have to say a lot of that is due to Shawn's work.
Stay Tuned for Part II.
I heard your fiance got you that book for Valentine's Day. She must be awesome.
ReplyDelete