WWE's coming fall

[PeteF3]

To say that there hasn't been a difference in baseball's steroid policy in the wake of its Congressional hearings is to say that you haven't been paying attention.

 

It took forever and a day for MLB and the Union to agree on an initial testing policy that was universally regarded as a joke--no suspensions until the second or third failed test, anonymous results before then, etc. Bud Selig's post-hearing proposal of 50 games/100 games/lifetime-banishment was hammered out in negotiations that were about as long and contentious as a trip through the Wendy's drive-thru.

[Guest Some Guy]

None of the divas have been outed as roid abusers yet. Somehow I think if diva showed up on Signature list it would have opened up another big can of worms.

If one of the divas were outed then it would get not only the anti-steroid crowd involved but it would get the feminists and the groups worried about self-esteem and eating disorders in young girls involved. Shit, I have a 7 year-old God-daughter who worships Trish Stratus, and the current crop of divas. I'm pretty much to a point where I don't think that her watching any wrestling is appropriate based on the well known drug abuse and activities of the wrestlers. It not only sets her up to have her heroes exposed as frauds but it sets her up to have her heroes exposed as frauds because they died of drug abuse. She doesn't live in the age where no one knew or really cared about Jim Duggan and the Iron Shiek getting caught with drugs like most of us did. She, at 7 is on the internet all the time and knows what is going on. She probably doesn't quite understand all of it but she does understand death and murder.

[Al]

They most certainly can, unless WWE decides to stop traveling from state to state or unless the Constitution is amended to get rid of the Commerce Clause.

It might run up against the 4th Amendment which cites unreasonable search and seizure. I'm not certain, a constitutional expert would know more than I would.

 

One of the problems is whether regulation is makes financial sense. Is it worth it to establish a commission to regulate wrestling given the expense and that there are really just two companies on the national map? Once that commission is established, will those in charge have real knowledge of wrestling. If they do, will they be cronies of the wrestling industry, or will they have the wrestlers' interests at heart?

 

As for the hearings themselves, this isn't addressing KCook in particular but I don't want too many quotations in this post. Many seem to assume Congress will have a vast array of knowledge about the issue. I'm afraid much of Congress will have about as much knowledge of wrestling as Nancy Grace. Many will come in with 1980s stereotypes, and I'm sure the company will be referred to as the WWF on more than one occasion. I think many here will be frustrated when Congress fails to ask some obvious follow-up questions.

 

To say that there hasn't been a difference in baseball's steroid policy in the wake of its Congressional hearings is to say that you haven't been paying attention.

 

It took forever and a day for MLB and the Union to agree on an initial testing policy that was universally regarded as a joke--no suspensions until the second or third failed test, anonymous results before then, etc. Bud Selig's post-hearing proposal of 50 games/100 games/lifetime-banishment was hammered out in negotiations that were about as long and contentious as a trip through the Wendy's drive-thru.

The written policy is different. The results of that policy are invisible. Either the testing is a sham, or the inflated home run and power totals of the last 12-13 years were honest all along.

[Bix]

As for the hearings themselves, this isn't addressing KCook in particular but I don't want too many quotations in this post. Many seem to assume Congress will have a vast array of knowledge about the issue. I'm afraid much of Congress will have about as much knowledge of wrestling as Nancy Grace. Many will come in with 1980s stereotypes, and I'm sure the company will be referred to as the WWF on more than one occasion. I think many here will be frustrated when Congress fails to ask some obvious follow-up questions.

According to all of the key wrestling reporters, Congress is way more on top of everything than people would expect, to the point of intentionally asking WWE and TNA for things they didn't have (studies and a drug testing policy respectively) to make them squirm.

[kjh]

I'm afraid much of Congress will have about as much knowledge of wrestling as Nancy Grace.

Well even Nancy Grace didn't fall for Fit Finlay's company BS, so even Congress having that level of knowledge would be very problematic.

[Loss]

Yeah, the Nancy Grace thing has been exaggerated. She had about the same level of understanding of this story as the rest of the media after a few days.

[Jingus]

That's why I point out the state athletic commissions, who do have the power to control sports in such a manner. The state of Oregon imposed testing on wrestling and it stuck.

Problem is, lots of state commissions have tried to regulate wrestling to some extent, and for various reasons it's never really worked. Some like Oregon impose tough standards, and were thus avoided as venues. (I think there might still be a regulation on the books in Louisiana that bans the piledriver.) Also, a lot of individual bias and corruption tends to creep in. I've heard more horror stories than I can count about the Kentucky commission's endless favoritism and cronyism in being draconian with the enforcement on some indy shows, including a goofy rule that forbids fighting outside the ring, while letting others completely slide. Also, remember some of the stories out of Philly over the last few years about how the commission was a real dick about stopping matches if bleeding occured? Yet somehow local boy Shane Douglas talked them into accepting a no-rope barbed wire match for the main at Hardcore Homecoming.

 

If one of the divas were outed then it would get not only the anti-steroid crowd involved but it would get the feminists and the groups worried about self-esteem and eating disorders in young girls involved.

Beyond just that: what if some feminist at some point notices just how high the percentage of women with breast implants is in this company?

[shoe]

I keep waiting for Vince to roll out The Body Jesse Ventura to show congress that wrestling also produces Politicians, not just people dieing young from steroids.

[Loss]

I await the video package where they show that such celebrities as Ozzy Osbourne, Gennifer Flowers, Mike Tyson, Kevin Federline, Pamela Anderson, Fred Durst and Pete Rose consider WWE a great form of entertainment, and that they've done great things for the community such as registering young people to vote under a false pretense of non-partisanship and forcing their wrestlers to enter a war zone for the sake of good PR.

 

If anyone remembers WWF TV in the early 90s, on an episode of WWF Superstars with 42-44 minutes of air time, 1/3 of that would be devoted to showing Vince McMahon at charity functions with guys like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage telling tearjerking stories about how when they just didn't have the energy to keep going, Vince would tell them to think of the children who loved them, and that everything Vince did was to make children happy.

 

I wish I was exaggerating. But prepare yourselves.

[Guest KCook]

 

"I had AIDS until the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels showed up at my bedside to pray with my mom. Now I have more t-cells than I know what to do with! Don't take my sunshine away, Congress! Look at the smile on my face!"

[Bix]

Speaking of the Divas and steroids, Keller posted this at the Torch site:

 

A number of WWE sources reportedly expressed surprise over the fact that no WWE Divas have shown up on the Signature Pharmacy client list. While there is no evidence linking the women to that particular pharmacy (or any online pharmacy), sources, as reported by The Torch, say that some do use banned substances that can be purchased over the Internet.

 

The alleged drugs of choice for some of WWE's Divas are Clenbuterol, an asthma drug similar to ephedrine (but stronger and longer lasting) that helps burn fat (it also has anti-catabolic properties), Cytomel, a synthetic version of the T3 thyroid hormone that burns fat very rapidly, and Anavar, a mild anabolic steroid that appeals to women based on its reputation of producing very minimal side effects (both masculine and general).

To which Victoria replied on her MySpace blog...

 

Two Rumors...

 

I'm sick to my stomach about a couple of things, and I want to address them. First, I get some emails today asking me if I'm one of the WWE Divas that "a number of WWE sources" claim are using drugs. Where did that information come from? Where did that quote come from? Wrestling websites. So I want to address those wrestling websites...

 

My mom is a wrestling fan. My nieces and nephews are wrestling fans. I have many girls and young women who look up to me. I do not, and have not ever violated the wellness program, even before it existed. For those who do not know, I used to work in the medical field. I know that the drugs that unnamed WWE Divas are accused of taking can cause anything from sudden death to organ failure to serious lifelong medical conditions. It's irresponsible to suggest to young women that they need to take drugs to look like a WWE Diva. We all have serious diet and training regimens. My trainer has trained over 100 professional athletes, and I train as hard as any of them. That's what it takes to look like a Diva. So I am giving three options to any website that suggested that any of the WWE Divas have violated the wellness program.You can choose any one:

 

1)Print a retraction and apology to the WWE Divas.

 

2) Produce any of your "number of WWE sources"

 

3) Contact WWE. Pay my WWE appearance fee. I will take a polygraph test saying what I have just previously stated. And if I fail, not only will I reimburse you for the WWE appearance fee, but I will donate $10,000 to your favorite charity.

 

And to any website that made that false claim that doesn't either want to apologize, pony up your source, or put your money where your mouth is, I say this...I will never grant an interview with you. I will go out of my way to make sure that no other WWE talent ever grants an interview with you. And I will make it my mission that should any indepedent worker ever grant an interview with you, should they make it to the WWE, they will get the most brutal "welcome to the bigs" in the history of sports entertainment.

 

Okay Gang, we're only halfway home. Here's my other rumor killer. Over the past couple of days, many, many fans and gamers have emailed me and asked if it were true that I asked not to be on the WWE video game, because I was left off for the third year in a row. This is absolutely incorrect. I have been with the company for seven years. I was on the game four years ago. I thought it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. You don't have to be a gamer to appreciate this, but it helps, but imagine how cool it is to play "you" in a video game. Your features, your moves. You! It was awesome. And you get paid for it too!

 

So would I request not to be on the game again? Heck no! Bottom line, I can't explain why I'm not on the game. I appreciate both your outrage and support.

 

Thanks for listening to my rant...I needed that...

 

Lisa Marie

 

Thankfully for Victoria, a lot of fans are too dumb or deluded to see what's right in front of their faces.

[sek69]

Notice she said she'd take a polygraph test, not a drug test. I know I'd be SHOCKED to discover someone who's spent years working in a con business could trick a lie detector.

 

So is Victoria the female version of Kennedy at this point, or maybe Rey with the "deny when there's proof in front of you" thing?

 

Also, wasn't the "official" reason WWF/WCW didn't go to Oregon something about a tax on wrestling events?

 

 

*edit* maybe Victoria's the female Bob Holly, since she pretty much threatened to beat up anyone who ever talks to the "sheets". I wonder if thats the ROID RAGE talking.

[Jingus]

The sad part is, she's pretty damned good at manipulating the fans and the situation to fit her cause. Her demands are mostly impossible for any of the newsletters. They aren't going to print a retraction of something they think is true, and they probably can't afford Victoria's appearance fee (and even if she took a polygraph and passed perfectly, it would only prove that she believes that she is clean, she can't speak for what any other Diva might be doing behind closed doors). And "name your sources"? That inspires in me such feelings as LOL, OMG, & WTF because it's such a ridiculously childish thing to say, journalism is founded on the principle of unnamed sources, plus it comes off as a subtle threat to anyone who might be one of those sources.

 

Finally, little girls "look up" to Victoria? They look up to a woman with breast implants who spent the majority of her career portraying a psychotic heel, and when she was a babyface wore stripper pants and did that jiggling ass dance? Really?

[Tim Evans]

Again, Everyone in wrestling is on Drugs. It's almost to the point that I could care less anymore. If they want to kill themselves for my enjoyment, Go ahead. Sad but true.

 

And nothing wrong with the jiggling ass dance. At least she knew no one gives a shit about women's wrestling but pervs and lesbians.

[kjh]

I know that the drugs that unnamed WWE Divas are accused of taking can cause anything from sudden death to organ failure to serious lifelong medical conditions.

It's a good thing that none of the current WWE Divas have ever suffered any health problems like that whatsoever.

[tomk]

I imagine the Torch could cover her appearance fee.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

I'm sure if some inquiring mind were to contact WWE with a request to have Victoria take a polygraph test regarding drug use, they'd sign right up! Great idea, Victoria. You got some guts, woman.

[Strummer]

that they've done great things for the community such as registering young people to vote under a false pretense of non-partisanship and forcing their wrestlers to enter a war zone for the sake of good PR

What makes this even more unbelievable is that Meltzer reported that the DNC was legit pissed off at the WWF for feeling they swayed voters towards Bush and very likely cost the Dems the (2000) election

 

Think about that for a second.

 

Vince is a hell of a promoter

[Tim Evans]

Yeah Isn't Vince a diehard Republican? And I beileve Flair campainged for the republicans in 04.

[Guest Some Guy]

Vince will sway his fans anyway that suits his best interests. Flair, HBK, JBL and Rock are all admitted Republicans. I believe that JR, Lawler, and Austin are as well. Foley is the only openly liberal wrestler that I can think of.

[Dan]

So, it's been three years, and the Benoit tragedies are practically forgotten (Who? Ben-what?) or forgiven by fans. Congress and the media long ago lost interest. A very successful WM took place last month. It's possible that Linda will at least win the primary for a US senate seat this year. So to modify Cook's original question a bit, if Benoit was little more than a speed bump for the company, is there any one thing that could happen that would actually cause the WWE to fall?

[Sean Liska]

Vince dying or them not being able to get any American TV clearance. Barring that, they'll be fine for a good while longer.

[sek69]

I don't even think Vince dying would affect things too much, since Steph already runs a lot of the behind the scenes stuff and for the most part can sway Vince to do things the way she wants if need be.

 

The only thing that would seriously hurt them would be losing TV clearance, which is why I think they are renewing interest in starting their own network. They have some pretty good TV deals in place now, but if Bonnie Hammer ever leaves NBC/Universal they may be fucked since they put all their eggs in one basket with Smackdown's latest move.

[kjh]

I'd imagine Spike TV would take Raw back and kick TNA to the curb in a heartbeat, if USA ever lost interest in having WWE programming.

[Sean Liska]

I don't even think Vince dying would affect things too much, since Steph already runs a lot of the behind the scenes stuff and for the most part can sway Vince to do things the way she wants if need be.

I think you're understating Vince's importance. The guy is an insane control freak that mico-manages every aspect of the company's operations. He's one of the greatest minds in wrestling history. He understands the psychology of drawing money in wrestling, which is such a lost art nowadays. It sounds to me like Stephanie has more of an administrative role in creative in terms of hiring and keeping things organized.