WWE hires Mike Adamle!!!

[Jingus]

I think one big reason I'm so negative towards Vickie is that I'm beyond sick and tired of Evil Heel General Manager/Chief Executive Officer/Commissioner/Owner/So forth and so on. We've gotten these angles nonstop for the past dozen years, and they've just been done to death and there's not much new that can be done with them.

 

Plus, as noted, the company has had a bizarre obsession over the past few years with referencing Eddy constantly. Yeah, I realize that the circumstances of his death make that a little inevitable (died young but not as a way which could be publicly proven to be WWE's fault like Owen, was a main eventer unlike Pillman, didn't strangle his family, etc) but it still causes in me a kneejerk negative reaction. After this guy dies, you honor his memory by having someone say on national TV that he's burning in hell, and then subsequently turn his entire family heel? Yeah sure "Eddie would've wanted it that way" and stuff, but it's still tacky even by WWE standards and incredibly unnecessary.

 

Bottom line, Vickie Guerrero doesn't seem to sell tickets, draw ratings, or drive buyrates, and I don't see how she could even be capable of doing such things. Unlike most of these GM characters, she can't physically compete in the ring in order to further these storylines. She isn't even a decent talker, although I admit that's my own subjective opinion, but I think she's just a shitty actress in general. Yeah she "gets heat", but she apparently has zero ability to actually help the company make any money. So why do they spend so much television time on her, instead of on some actual wrestlers who might benefit from the exposure?

 

And, just restating it one more time: the top heel on this show is a widow in a wheelchair. What can you do with a widow in a wheelchair as your lead villain? Answer: what they're doing right now, which is not much. Anyone here really entertained by the eternal Vickie vs. Undertaker storyline, which not only seems to never fuckin' end, but occasionally calls for the giant badass babyface to assault and injure a helpless female non-wrestler while the fans hoot and hollar? And the reason she's kept in the wheelchair is because the company thinks that she's too fat for television! She's a completely untrained and inexperienced civilian who had absolutely zero background in this sort of thing before the company decided to toss her out there, she's the ex-wife of a dead guy who maybe got that way from the steroids he took in order to maintain his wrestling career, and this company thinks her biggest liability is that she has a fairly typical body shape for a woman of her age. Like, whoa, dude.

[Tim Evans]

When has Teddy Long ever been physical in the ring as a GM? He's more useless than Vickie cause at least Vickie gets heel heat. Besides Vince and Bischoff, when has a GM/authority figure ever "made money/Sold tickets"? It's not about them, it's about the wrestlers. Since Edge has been gone, I've been entertained by the Vickie/Taker feud. Now she's sending guys like Show, Kozlov and now Hardy to destroy him. I'm glad they don't put her in the ring. Really Jingus, do you really want to see a Taker/Vickie match? I think not.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

When has Teddy Long ever been physical in the ring as a GM?

When he had that match with Bischoff on PPV.

[kjh]

She's a completely untrained and inexperienced civilian who had absolutely zero background in this sort of thing before the company decided to toss her out there

Not unlike a large percentage of the women hired by WWE over the last decade, yet she's become more over than almost all of them, despite her lack of good looks and other limitations. Really she's the last woman WWE should be getting rid of.

[Bob Morris]

I personally agree with what Jingus has said about the "who's in charge" angle. It's played... you might get somebody who can draw plenty of heat, but it's the storyline itself that no longer interests me.

 

If Vickie Guerrero can get heat, make her a manager for somebody who can't talk. I know that will never happen in today's wrestling environment because managers are passe and all that, but I'd rather see her in that role than being the person in charge trying to screw her chosen target over at every turn.

 

McMahon/Austin was done 10 years ago and the WWE is still trying to capture that lightning in a bottle. It's time to put the bottle away, move on to something else, and if somebody draws heat, find another role for that person rather than playing up the same old storyline.

[Jingus]

It's not about them, it's about the wrestlers.

Yes, but apparently the WWE disagrees, considering the sheer amount of camera time they've spent on non-wrestler general managers and commissioners over the past several years.

 

I'm glad they don't put her in the ring. Really Jingus, do you really want to see a Taker/Vickie match? I think not.

Of course they should not put Vickie Guerrero in the ring, I never said that. My point is that if you're going to have someone who is effectively the top heel on your show, you might want the person in that position to be capable of taking a bump every now and then.

 

Not unlike a large percentage of the women hired by WWE over the last decade, yet she's become more over than almost all of them, despite her lack of good looks and other limitations.

How many of the others have been placed in her situation? A dastardly heel turn on the beloved Rey Rey, followed by what's felt like many many years of being pushed as the single top storyline on the brand. None of the other women in the company have gotten this shot. And once again, while she's over with the live crowds, she apparently has no ability to draw money, ratings, or anything which might actually help the company. I may hate watching John Cena, but I must (grudgingly) admit that he makes the company a shitload of bank. Why is Vickie there? What does she bring to the table? If you want a non-wrestler in this role, why not hire a professional actress who wouldn't look so wooden and unnatural in front of a camera?

 

McMahon/Austin was done 10 years ago and the WWE is still trying to capture that lightning in a bottle. It's time to put the bottle away, move on to something else, and if somebody draws heat, find another role for that person rather than playing up the same old storyline.

Yeah.

[S.L.L.]

I personally agree with what Jingus has said about the "who's in charge" angle. It's played... you might get somebody who can draw plenty of heat, but it's the storyline itself that no longer interests me.

 

If Vickie Guerrero can get heat, make her a manager for somebody who can't talk. I know that will never happen in today's wrestling environment because managers are passe and all that, but I'd rather see her in that role than being the person in charge trying to screw her chosen target over at every turn.

 

McMahon/Austin was done 10 years ago and the WWE is still trying to capture that lightning in a bottle. It's time to put the bottle away, move on to something else, and if somebody draws heat, find another role for that person rather than playing up the same old storyline.

itt, SLL rehashes old material that is relevant here:

 

One of the things I wanted to point out in my last post, but couldn't really find a good spot for, was that even tropes that have worn out their welcome can still be compelling in the right hands. For example, the "Evil Commissioner" trope is one of the most played out things in wrestling today. I fast forward through Vickie Guerrero interviews when I watch Smackdown. I'm not interested in what she has to say. But as tired as the trope is, how much of my disinterest is because the trope is played out, and how much is because Vickie Guerrero just isn't a very compelling screen presence? By contrast, I don't even watch Raw regularly, but I was going out of my way to see what Regal as doing as Raw's evil GM the last few weeks, and there were a lot of other people praising his work, too. Is the "Evil Commissioner" role still played out? I think so. Does that not mean it still can't be entertaining in the hands of someone who really knows how to do it well? I don't know, because I'm kinda thrown by the double negative I just wrote, but Regal was awesome, and Vince McMahon is still one of the most compelling characters they have whenever he's around.

 

But I've always believed that the idea isn't as important as the execution. It's not what you do, it's the way that you do it.

Which is to say, I basically agree with you and Jingus, with the caveat that a sufficiently talented performer can overcome the staleness of the formula.

[MikeCampbell]

Honestly, as much as I hate the role that she's in, I just feel thankful for Vicky that the WWE found a role for her, to help her continue to support her kids and family now that her husband is gone.

 

That said, I find this whole storyline of the evil GM/Commissioner/whatever beyond played out. I'm longing for the days of Jack Tunney, when he just showed up once in a blue moon to make a big announcement. I'm personally hoping that the RAW GM winds up being Steamboat or Anderson, and then they're just kept off TV unless they need to make some kind of big announcement.

[Tim Evans]

If you want a non-wrestler in this role, why not hire a professional actress who wouldn't look so wooden and unnatural in front of a camera?

Why would you do that when you know they probably wouldn't "take bumps" and I doubt would "make money". At least with Vickie, he's connected to wrestling somehow. I agree that she shouldn't be on tv but to say she's as bad as Mike Adamle was is unfair. At least they have learned to do more backstage segments with her that are taped in case she messes up.

[Jingus]

I fast forward through Vickie Guerrero interviews when I watch Smackdown. I'm not interested in what she has to say. But as tired as the trope is, how much of my disinterest is because the trope is played out, and how much is because Vickie Guerrero just isn't a very compelling screen presence? By contrast, I don't even watch Raw regularly, but I was going out of my way to see what Regal as doing as Raw's evil GM the last few weeks, and there were a lot of other people praising his work, too.

I would agree with that. These days, even the heels need to have something which makes them compelling characters whom you want to watch. What does Vickie have? She's just an ordinary person off the street, not much in the way of charisma or acting talent, zero ability to do anything in the ring. Why is she in this spot?

 

Honestly, as much as I hate the role that she's in, I just feel thankful for Vicky that the WWE found a role for her, to help her continue to support her kids and family now that her husband is gone.

I've heard this argument several times, but still don't buy it. Why does helping her support her family somehow translate into making her the top heel of the entire Smackdown brand, with more screentime than anyone else on the program? Vince couldn't have just given her a desk job, or better yet just paid her to stay home and raise Eddie's orphaned kids?

 

Why would you do that when you know they probably wouldn't "take bumps" and I doubt would "make money".

Yeah, but it would at least solve one of the several problems, which is that Vickie can't really act. She may draw heat from the live crowds, just because her character is an emasculating bitch who speaks with a shrill voice, and naturally your average wrestling crowd will despise someone like that. But I'd bet casual viewers and channel-surfers at home are laughing at her, not with her, when her acting and line delivery is below average even by wrestling's standards.

 

I agree that she shouldn't be on tv but to say she's as bad as Mike Adamle was is unfair. At least they have learned to do more backstage segments with her that are taped in case she messes up.

Yeah, Adamle was on the live show, they couldn't hide his flaws. Vickie gets off easier since they pretape the vast majority of her stuff. Admittedly, she didn't flub her lines as often as he did or seem quite so entirely braindead and clueless, but "not as bad as Adamle" isn't exactly a glowing recommendation.

[Tim Evans]

Why is she in this spot?

You really have to ask that question Jingus?

 

I've heard this argument several times, but still don't buy it. Why does helping her support her family somehow translate into making her the top heel of the entire Smackdown brand, with more screentime than anyone else on the program? Vince couldn't have just given her a desk job, or better yet just paid her to stay home and raise Eddie's orphaned kids?

I doubt she wants to move to Conneticut for a desk job and this isn't WCW, Vince isn't going to just pay you to sit at home. Especially if your a Guerrero and they can exploit you.

[Bix]

Vince does have precedent for paying the "job for life" types to to nothing.

[sek69]

Vince does have precedent for paying the "job for life" types to to nothing.

 

Those were people who worked for his father though. Has there been anyone with a job for life post Vince Sr?

 

(in before the inevitable Bob Holly jokes)

[Bix]

Harvey Whippleman.

[Tim Evans]

Well he's paid to be Brawler's bottom so I wouldn't say he doesn't do anything.

[sek69]

Harvey Whippleman.

 

Has he been on the payroll all this time? Checking Wikipedia (I know...) it states he's been a road agent all this time, which is news to me.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

Jim Barnett wasn't a "job4lifer" but Vince still gave him a "sit at home, do nothing, and call Alvarez to find out what happened to Raw in order to write your consultant report" job after WCW went down. And that was after they had that nasty split in '87. Of course, Vince has that weird habit of kissing up to those that shit on him. If Vickie had badmouthed him after Eddie's death or tried to negotiate with TNA, she'd probably have a better deal now.

[Bix]

Harvey Whippleman.

 

Has he been on the payroll all this time? Checking Wikipedia (I know...) it states he's been a road agent all this time, which is news to me.

 

He's actually the official WWE Concierge, which is a fancy way of saying "gopher."

[kjh]

I think it's unfair to say that Vickie has brought nothing to the table. She may be awful at acting (and most in the company are), but she takes her role seriously, understands how to play a heel well and helped to keep Edge's act fresh. A year ago I would have agreed completely with Jingus, but she deserves some praise for making something that on paper sounded like a horrible idea and executing the role fairly well.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

Smackdown Spoiler:

 

HHH’s mic wasn’t working at first, so you won’t see that on tv. HHH said it was an honour to be in the ring, and called this contract signing, ‘like the United Nations’. He said he represented the U.S., Chavo represented Mexico, Kozlov represented Russia, and Vickie represented ‘Bulge-garia’. Vickie was aghast. HHH corrected himself and said she represented ‘Chunky-slavakia’.

lolololol take that u fat biatch!!!!! :lol: :lol:

 

There was a time when Hunter's wife wasn't looking so svelte on TV. I don't recall anyone making light of that.

[sek69]

Smackdown Spoiler:

 

HHH’s mic wasn’t working at first, so you won’t see that on tv. HHH said it was an honour to be in the ring, and called this contract signing, ‘like the United Nations’. He said he represented the U.S., Chavo represented Mexico, Kozlov represented Russia, and Vickie represented ‘Bulge-garia’. Vickie was aghast. HHH corrected himself and said she represented ‘Chunky-slavakia’.

lolololol take that u fat biatch!!!!! :lol: :lol:

 

There was a time when Hunter's wife wasn't looking so svelte on TV. I don't recall anyone making light of that.

 

 

The Rock and Jericho both made jokes about Steph's appearance quite often. "LET THE BOOBIES HIT THE FLOOR" anyone?

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

There's a difference between making fun of her for getting breast implants and calling her a fatass.

[kjh]

Yes, and let's not forget the time Stephanie scripted John Cena to do a rap making it clear he fantasized about her in bed.

[sek69]

Well then what about the period where Jericho's catchphrase was calling Steph a bottom feeding skanky trashbag ho?

[Tim Evans]

That was when she was slutty during the McMahon/Hemsley eara.