Message-ID: 

http://www.charleston.net/stories/032104/moo_21wrestle.shtml

7:03 a.m. Sunday, March 21, 2004 
 
WWE still glowing after successful Wrestlemania XX 

BY MIKE MOONEYHAM 
Of The Post and Courier Staff 

Very little could have been done to dampen the rekindled spirit of WWE
fans and performers in the aftermath of Sunday night's Wrestlemania XX
success.

The show, attended by 20,000 fans, was the highest-grossing WWE event
ever ($2.4 million) at Madison Square Garden. An additional 2,900
people took in the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday night
and the company's traditional "Bacon, Bagels and Biceps" brunch the
following morning. Both events, held in the New York Hilton Hotel's
Grand Ballroom, generated an additional $365,000 in ticket sales
revenue.

Sunday night's Wrestlemania was hailed as one of the best in the
event's storied history, and the card's headliner closed the show in
memorable fashion.

Along with pay-per-view buy rates that are expected to soar past
700,000, commemorative DVDs and video games, the value of the
extravaganza could exceed $50 million.

Vince McMahon's major announcement Monday night on Raw, however, had
to be unsettling for the entire WWE crew. Declaring that the company
needed a radical change and that fans want new stars, new match-ups
and new rivalries, McMahon revealed that a lottery would be held the
following week that would change the face of Raw and Smackdown.

What that means for fans is that McMahon will be reshaping both the
Raw and Smackdown brands. What it means for many of the performers on
those rosters is that their schedules, and lives, could change
dramatically.

Some WWE stars, especially those working a Smackdown house show Monday
night in Manchester, N.H., were stunned to hear about the proposed
lottery. Some later privately expressed that they were disappointed to
hear of the news after the fact.

The jury's still out on whether the company even needs to reshuffle
the deck.

A "new WWE," as McMahon promised, wouldn't automatically be a good
thing at this juncture. From a creative standpoint, the company is as
strong as it has been in some time. With a new direction firmly in
place, WWE has two of its best workers (Chris Benoit and Eddy
Guerrero) as its world champions, a spot traditionally reserved for
chemically enhanced "big men." That alone constitutes a "new
WWE."
Tampering with the rosters, coming off a critically acclaimed
Wrestlemania, only threatens to disrupt momentum and sabotage current
storylines.

That's not to say some type of change isn't needed. Raw's clearly the
hotter show, with Smackdown being seen almost as a lighter version.
Much of that perception is based on the fact that Monday night has
long been established as appointment viewing for wrestling fans. And
since Smackdown is taped two nights prior to its Thursday air date, it
lacks the "live" feeling that lends itself to spontaneity and
surprise.

Most of the stars in McMahon's inner circle just happen to be on the
Raw side of the fence, and that's not a coincidence either.

There are a number of holes, particularly on the Smackdown roster,
that need to be filled. The brand is in desperate need of top-flight
heels. Brock Lesnar has left in quest of a long-shot career in the
NFL. Kurt Angle may need surgery on his once-repaired neck. Big Show
has been working through a number of injuries, including elbow
problems and bad knees, and needs to take time off to mend.

An overreaction to Lesnar's departure and Angle's career-threatening
injury isn't in the best interest of either roster. WWE has invested
too much time in establishing these brands to simply push the panic
button.

Reinvigorating the Smackdown creative team is probably a better
solution than any wholesale change in lineups. Shows have become bland
in recent months not because of a lack of talent, but because of a
lack of compelling storylines and characters. Two Smackdown performers
in particular, Rey Misterio and Shelton Benjamin, should have become
major breakout stars by now, but instead have become victims of an
unimaginative writing crew. Misterio's status rises slightly above the
cruiserweight level only when he works in large Hispanic markets.
Benjamin has all the credentials for stardom, yet he's cast in a
mid-card tag-team role that's dull as dishwater.

A better idea, and one which McMahon hopefully is leaning toward, is
to come up with a creative way to tweak the two rosters by swapping
some strong heels on the Raw roster for some talented cruiserweights
from the Smackdown brand. Smackdown also could benefit greatly by the
addition of some credible women performers to help bolster that
division.

One scenario that reportedly has been laid out is moving Steve Austin
to Smackdown and bringing back Stephanie McMahon in an on-air role.

-- Kurt Angle announced last week that the numbness and tingling in
his hands that plagued him in the past has returned. Pending further
examinations, Angle has been taken off all shows, inflicting yet
another blow to Smackdown's depleted heel contingent.

Angle chose a controversial surgery to repair a neck injury last year
that allowed him to drastically shorten his recovery time. The
experimental, quick-fix surgery is now raising questions about the
former Olympic gold medallist's future in the business. Officials are
now fearing that Angle may need to undergo surgery that could end his
career.

-- The Rock has finally come back to ... Knoxville.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his grand entrance Tuesday night in the
Tennessee town for MGM's remake of the movie "Walking Tall." The
premiere was held at the West Town Mall, where 700 fans paid $50 each
to see the new release.

"That's what I remember about Knoxville, lots of energy. I love it,"
said Johnson.

The Rock said he drew on his own hard times for his performance. "I
literally lived in a seedy motel in Murfreesboro, near Nashville,
that's when I first started and I was making $40 a night," he said.

The premiere raised nearly $100,000 for Variety, the children's
charity of Eastern Tennessee.

The Knoxville mayor proclaimed it "Rock Day." Johnson, a former Miami
Hurricane player, was presented with a University of Tennessee
football, which prompted him to say, "I know, Tennessee kicked our
(butt) last year."


--- Internet Rex 2.29