Fact: Monday Night RAW can be amazing just for half an hour

You might have seen on Twitter today that some of the folk in the British wrestling community have been posting only nice tweets – none of the negativity and bitching that we normally get on there.

And in that spirit, I’ve revised the blog I was going to write today.

Fact: win a copy of ‘Spandex, Screw Jobs and Cheap Pops’!

It’s now nearly six months after the initial release of ‘Spandex, Screw Jobs and Cheap Pops’ – so to celebrate, and to mark the end of 2013, The Void are hosting a competition to win a copy!

Their review says:

Reading like a who’s who of UK wrestling, barely a page goes by without a top name being quoted or a report from one of the country’s many independent companies, and it’s clear that this has been a labour of love for Dunn. The affection she feels for the industry pours from the page, and the relationships she has built over the years with the wrestlers themselves pays dividends here, as they open up and are unflinchingly honest about their trade.

And other reviewers have been equally kind.

We have named the book The British Wrestling Bible when discussing it on the show and it is every bit as good as we have been describing it. (The Wrestling Mania)

It is a book that is difficult to put down, is a pleasure to read, and will appeal to fans both old and new, casual or hardcore. (Screen Jabber)

Much more than just a catchy title, Spandex, Screw Jobs and Cheap Pops is a fascinating read for both ardent wrestling fans and those with just a passing interest in the sport…truly essential reading. (CollarandElbow.com)

Plus so have some stars of wrestling – cover star Magnus describes the book as “a well-researched book that shows that the author clearly has an enormous passion for this industry” and Nigel McGuinness called it “thorough and extensive”.

Enough shilling. If you haven’t got a copy already, get yourself over to The Void and enter the competition – or order it from any good book store as a perfect Christmas gift for a wrestling fan!

Question: are you buying Sunday’s Survivor Series PPV?

Well, we’re only two days away from Survivor Series, and now that John Cena’s back and a champion, the WWE hierarchy seem to be convinced that this is going to boost their PPV buys.

Remember – they were disappointed with the Summerslam figures, and are basically blaming it on Daniel Bryan.

So – are you forking out for Sunday’s PPV?

Fact: British wrestlers still hate imports

Last week, William Regal surveyed the crowd at the small Manchester comedy club The Frog and Bucket, and declared it to be the most people he personally had ever drawn.

He added that he’d never been a draw for wrestling fans – just a decent turn – and only the likes of John Cena and Hulk Hogan made any company any money.

On my re-read of Bret Hart’s excellent autobiography, he says something similar – about the midcarders thanking Hogan for being the one to put food on their tables and a roof over their heads. Only these big names – these special attractions – get people forking out their cash and ensure that the rest of the card get a decent wage.

And yet for some reason British wrestlers continue to gripe about the imports who are pulling in the big audiences.

Question: when is a rib a rib too far?

I’ve been re-reading Bret Hart’s book this week. He tells us that the hapless Virgil was named as a joke at the expense of Dusty Rhodes, aka Virgil Runnells.

I was reminded of that little anecdote watching Monday Night RAW, as Vickie Guerrero was punished by having to face Divas champion AJ Lee in the ring – and promptly fainted repeatedly, much to the amusement of the commentary team (and presumably supposedly us as well).

Facts from Friday Night Smackdown, Manchester Arena, Tuesday 12th November 2013

As always, a brief round-up of my reaction to the episode of Smackdown that’ll air this Friday, and which we saw filmed last night. Spoilers abound. (We also saw Main Event matches but I don’t care about that because if it’s not on Sky Sports, it doesn’t really exist.)

Facts from WWE Monday Night RAW, Manchester Arena, Monday 11th November 2013

You may well have seen the show by now, but just in case – spoilers within! Here are my notes from being live at ringside at Monday Night RAW…

Question: do WWE know what their fans want?

After today’s post from reader Mike, I thought I’d respond and put forward a few of my own thoughts on the plummeting PPV buyrates – and basically I’m starting to question whether the WWE powers-that-be know (or care) what the fans want.

Summerslam was a damp squib because of:

• The lack of titles being defended on the card

The failure to defend belts on the main card means a lack of glamour and attraction; throwing away the Shield and their duo of titles on the pre-show is ludicrous. AJ could have defended her title against Kaitlyn; Dolphin and Langston could have been the pre-show.

Fact: Summerslam’s low buy rate was down to WWE’s booking

I’ve been sent an interesting little opinion piece from regular TOWIS commenter Mike, and thought I’d post it here for your thoughts before responding to it myself later…

So it appears that recently WWE have been looking for a scapegoat (no pun intended) for Summerslam’s pay-per-view sales, which are apparently down considerably year on year. Vince McMahon has voiced his opinion that the fans “didn’t buy the attraction” of this year’s event, and that it was a “swing and a miss” – a comment which many WWE fans have taken to be deliberately aimed at one (or more) of the performers.

But let’s face it:– an event of Summerslam’s magnitude isn’t going to succeed or fail based on any single individual performer’s efforts.

So why WERE the sales down?

Question: Where will TNA go from here?

You’ve probably seen the rumours circulating about TNA Impact Wrestling’s direction in the future.

I don’t have access to their accounts; but I do know that while US audiences have been critical of the product recently, they still have a hugely loyal UK fan base, evidenced by their expansion of their 2014 tour over here.

I also know that the British Boot Camp at the start of this year created huge interest in TNA and the four contenders.

And I know that Ring-Ka-King was critically acclaimed and popular with fans worldwide, who managed to watch it despite it not being aired in their country.

So – is it time for TNA to try working as a UK-based promotion?