Mark Madden on ROH/Sinclair, Macho Man, More

[badnewzxl]

source: wrestlezone.com

ROH: A BETTER MINOR LEAGUE

Ring of Honor got sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair reportedly has clearance across 22 percent of the nation, including many big cities.

It’s a big move for ROH, and a challenge for its bookers. ROH must now script a product accessible beyond hardcore Internet fans. ROH likes to get its brand over, not its wrestlers. That works as a niche promotion, but not in the mainstream. TV is about STARS. ROH must develop STARS.

If ROH develops STARS, it guarantees ROH’s demise.

Anybody who gets over, WWE is going to steal. Heck, WWE and Impact did that when ROH had minimal exposure. ROH will turn into a de facto developmental program for WWE.

ROH might be able to stump up enough money to keep a few stars. But will they keep the right ones? Can they keep enough of them? How long can they keep them?

In the old ECW, Paul Heyman was BRILLIANT at making the best out of quick, constant turnover caused by defections. But it wasn't long before he ran out of legit talent to bring in.

WWE is the big league. That’s the fans’ perception. That’s the performers’ perception. It won’t change. Wrestlers will always want to get to the big league. The best ROH can be is a better minor league.

MACHO MAN DIED FOR OUR SINS

The apocalypse was scheduled for Saturday.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage died Friday.

Saturday came and went...no apocalypse. Be grateful...and snap into a Slim Jim!

Randy would think that was funny. Once, with WCW's entire roster on a charter plane experiencing EXTREME turbulence - a few girls were CRYING, a few guys were SHAKING - Randy broke the tension by saying, "Just think of the rating the memorial show's gonna draw, boys - OOOH, YEAH!" That was Randy. He rarely broke character.

I worked with Randy for seven years. I can't say I knew him well. Randy was private, more so than most of the wrestlers. He spent most of his time in his dressing room, or his hotel room. Very cooperative. Very respectful, even to a nobody like me.

But he was GREAT. A true legend. Ring work, promo ability, drawing power: Randy Savage HAD IT ALL. Savage-Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III in 1987 still stands as 'Mania's best bout EVER. Nobody ever got a better match out of Hulk Hogan. Savage even made bums like DDMe look like a million bucks.

I consider myself honored by our time spent working together. Another one gone, gone FAR TOO YOUNG. "Macho Man" Randy Savage, R.I.P.

PUNK’D

I give C.M. Punk credit. He's fighting the good fight. There’s no reason for WWE to own Punk’s name. An employer should not possess the ways and means to damage or minimize an employee’s career after their relationship is over. A no-compete clause for a finite period is all the protection needed.

Furthermore, Punk brought his name, persona and gimmick to WWE. Why shouldn’t he be able to take it with him when he leaves?

WWE hasn’t advanced Punk’s career. If anything, they’ve impeded it. Punk could be the best heel in wrestling if WWE would let him. He could be Piper. No kidding.

COCK-A-DOODLE-DO

There’s a lot more to Terry Taylor’s departure from Impact than meets the eye. NO WAY a wrestling lifer voluntarily resigns from one of just two viable workplaces. Where is Taylor going to go? What’s he going to do? Work indies?

Terry’s a good guy, and excellent at his job. But he does not fit the corporate mold. There’s a major story there, perhaps one connected to ongoing legal action against TNA.

Let’s see if any of pro wrestling’s so-called “journalists” have the guts to go after it.

YAWN…

Former WWE writer John Piermarini disparaged me on Twitter, saying no one is knocking at MY door.

Never hoped they would, sweetheart, and certainly never waited for them to do so. Piermarini is LIVING IN THE WRESTLING BUBBLE. Success outside it doesn’t count.

Well, it counts for me.

Meanwhile, Piermarini tweets constantly about wrestling. I assume he’d do so even more if he wasn’t so busy running to the door to answer ALL THOSE DAMN KNOCKS.

This guy was in the biz 15 minutes, and he thinks he’s Pat Patterson. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Read his drivel. You can’t conclude otherwise.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM, Pittsburgh, PA (105.9). Check out his web page at WXDX.com. Contact Mark by emailing WZMarkMadden@hotmail.com.

[badnewzxl]

I find it hilarious that Mark Madden refers to himself as "the super Genius" despite being the worst commentator in WCW history (and boy that covers a LOT of ground).

ROH has survived for nine years with TNA and WWE snatching talent from them, while also picking up talent FROM those organizations. over their tenure, they've managed to get guys over in the process of getting their product over (you know, just like WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA did/does; it's not one or the other) just look at Punk, Joe, Daniels, Aries, Sydal, Dragon, etc. and how much ROH has grown more and more as the years go along. TV is def about getting your product over; if it were just about STARS (as Madden says) TNA would be the top promotion. Of course you have to have stars, but if they don't fit in with your product, your product looks like a clusterfuck (see TNA over the last year and a half). Madden needs to realize that this isn't the 90's; TNA (as WCW-esque as they may seem) aren't trying to steal all the talent they can bc they have PLENTY of talent (too much, really) to focus on, WWE isn't in dire need of new talent (they have a lot of guys in FCW they love; guys who have the "look" they prefer and enough ability to work their product) so they aren't gonna cut into ROH's roster just to slow ROH down, and ROH has continuously created more stars as they've lost them (much unlike ECW, whom after losing Raven, Sandman, Richards, etc., created almost NO new stars to take those guys' place. Justin Credible wasn't good enough, Steve Corino wasn't at the time, Rhino came off as too green, and no one else really stepped up beyond where they had already been). I think ROH will be just fine....

[Big Red Machine]

I find it hilarious that Mark Madden refers to himself as "the super Genius" despite being the worst commentator in WCW history (and boy that covers a LOT of ground).

ROH has survived for nine years with TNA and WWE snatching talent from them, while also picking up talent FROM those organizations. over their tenure, they've managed to get guys over in the process of getting their product over (you know, just like WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA did/does; it's not one or the other) just look at Punk, Joe, Daniels, Aries, Sydal, Dragon, etc. and how much ROH has grown more and more as the years go along. TV is def about getting your product over; if it were just about STARS (as Madden says) TNA would be the top promotion. Of course you have to have stars, but if they don't fit in with your product, your product looks like a *censored* (see TNA over the last year and a half). Madden needs to realize that this isn't the 90's; TNA (as WCW-esque as they may seem) aren't trying to steal all the talent they can bc they have PLENTY of talent (too much, really) to focus on, WWE isn't in dire need of new talent (they have a lot of guys in FCW they love; guys who have the "look" they prefer and enough ability to work their product) so they aren't gonna cut into ROH's roster just to slow ROH down, and ROH has continuously created more stars as they've lost them (much unlike ECW, whom after losing Raven, Sandman, Richards, etc., created almost NO new stars to take those guys' place. Justin Credible wasn't good enough, Steve Corino wasn't at the time, Rhino came off as too green, and no one else really stepped up beyond where they had already been). I think ROH will be just fine....

THIS (although I disagree with your comments about Corino and Rhino. Corino's gimmick was exactly what was needed to get him over huge, and I never thought Rhino looked green at all. And two names you for got who either stepped it up or would have barring injury: Jerry Lynn and Rob Van Dam).

[badnewzxl]

I find it hilarious that Mark Madden refers to himself as "the super Genius" despite being the worst commentator in WCW history (and boy that covers a LOT of ground).

ROH has survived for nine years with TNA and WWE snatching talent from them, while also picking up talent FROM those organizations. over their tenure, they've managed to get guys over in the process of getting their product over (you know, just like WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA did/does; it's not one or the other) just look at Punk, Joe, Daniels, Aries, Sydal, Dragon, etc. and how much ROH has grown more and more as the years go along. TV is def about getting your product over; if it were just about STARS (as Madden says) TNA would be the top promotion. Of course you have to have stars, but if they don't fit in with your product, your product looks like a *censored* (see TNA over the last year and a half). Madden needs to realize that this isn't the 90's; TNA (as WCW-esque as they may seem) aren't trying to steal all the talent they can bc they have PLENTY of talent (too much, really) to focus on, WWE isn't in dire need of new talent (they have a lot of guys in FCW they love; guys who have the "look" they prefer and enough ability to work their product) so they aren't gonna cut into ROH's roster just to slow ROH down, and ROH has continuously created more stars as they've lost them (much unlike ECW, whom after losing Raven, Sandman, Richards, etc., created almost NO new stars to take those guys' place. Justin Credible wasn't good enough, Steve Corino wasn't at the time, Rhino came off as too green, and no one else really stepped up beyond where they had already been). I think ROH will be just fine....

THIS (although I disagree with your comments about Corino and Rhino. Corino's gimmick was exactly what was needed to get him over huge, and I never thought Rhino looked green at all. And two names you for got who either stepped it up or would have barring injury: Jerry Lynn and Rob Van Dam).

The reason I didn't mention RVD & Lynn was just bc both guys had already been established before the mass exodus to WCW, and neither really got pushed towards the top spot. Even when Lynn was given the shot at being champ, Credible and Corino were already in the pic, seemingly overnight. RVD should have gotten the spot as soon as he returned, but they wanted to build to that point I guess (and what happened? they never got there. THAT was Heyman's fault).

At the time, Corino was nothing more than a bitch; all that ever happened to him was that he got the crap kicked out of him. When they had him, Lynn, and Credible passing the title around it didn't seem that either of them were strong champs. By the time Rhino won the title, he had built enough momentum to be there; but around the time everyone was jumping to WCW, I didn't see much of Rhino on ECW. Once Sandman came back, Rhino began to gain ground.

Justin Credible (imo) was NEVER top guy material; I knew he was hardcore, but he never came off as EXTREME to me. He was just Sean Waltman-Lite; he was too much like the "hardcore guys" in WCW and WWE. He didn't stand out enough in my book. Raven, Taz, Dreamer, Awesome, Douglas; these guys weren't like any other wrestler on the planet and each were extreme in their own way. Credible was like the generic hardcore guy to me...