Lighting In A Bottle – Royal Rumble 2011

Quick little update based on things that happened in the last twenty-four hours. No, I don’t have any scoopz or new spoilers for you. But wanted to point out how little moments can turn into lighting in a bottle.

News broke over the last few days about two “surprises” coming for the Royal Rumble. These had the buzz factor not only because of where they were going but who they were NOT going to. Their arrival in Boston became news and gave a “tipping point” for this 2011 Royal Rumble. While you can debate if they still have value in the long haul, the impact of this new is worth it’s weight in gold. Look at all the buzz created by the following image and video by Wrestlezone.com.

Booker T arrives in Boston - Courtesy of Wrestlezone.com

Kevin Nash in Boston – VIDEO – Click to see Wrestlezone Exclusive

This news has really caught fire. It got posted on various websites, it was the talk of WrestleReunion, and caught fire on twiter. Two images made up for what some have questioned as a weak build to the Royal Rumble.

Want another example of lighting in a bottle that helps build buzz? Did you catch Saturday Night Live last night? I bet if you didn’t you’ve seen this already.

Yes. The man who created Facebook standing next to the man who played him in the unauthorized movie about him. This has been building since the movie was announced and spread like wildfire as soon as it aired. SNL is famous for finding ways to create buzz worthy moments that make you NOT miss the live show. We all remember the Sarah Palin/Tina Fey moment from 2008. These pay off in the long run for the show and the stars who know how to position themselves.

When utilized properly these moments are what #IWantWrestling. Agree with me? Disagree with me? Send feeback to Twitter or Facebook. If you’d like to contact me please Email Me . And don’t forget to voice your opinion on Twitter whenever you’re discussing what you want out of wrestling. #IWantWrestling

The Royal Rumble Changes Everything!

The NFL has a playoff system that leads to the SuperBowl.  The WWE has the Royal Rumble that leads to Wrestlemania.  It’s a chance for everything in WWE to change in one night.  Fans can really “expect the unexpected.  It’s the match that allows a new course, a new direction to be set.  Everything that makes wrestling amazing in one match.

My love affair with the Royal Rumble started when I saw it live for the first time.  In the winter of 1994 during my freshman year at Emerson College, I boarded a Greyhound bus with another passionate wrestling fan Chris Garcia and went from Boston to Providence, Rhode Island to see the Royal Rumble.  On that night, Owen Hart turned his back on his brother Bret, The Undertaker rose to the heavens after being destroyed by every bad guy on the roster, and a controversial decision in the Royal Rumble match left Bret Hart and Lex Luger “co-winners”.  Here we are nearly seventeen years later, I still remember three important things from that event.   It changed everything that year and set the tone for the WWE in 1994.

Eleven years later, I was lucky enough to be on the other side of the curtain.   And witnessed the power of the event and how everything in the WWE changed again.  I recently spoke about this event in detail with John Pollock of the LAW.  Hear it here.  The event featured one of the more unique commercials in WWE history.  Production note – the only superstar who didn’t wear a wig in the shoot was JBL.

This was a time back when certain things remained special in the company.  The Royal Rumble was one of the events that Smackdown and Raw talent could interact.  This is an example of that interaction when John Cena crossed paths with Christian.

The fate of the WWE for the remainder of the decade was shaped in one match.  You might call it hyperbole, but look at some of these things that happened during that match.

1. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit.

Just a year after they both ascended to the top in WWE to stand in the middle of the ring as champions at Wrestlemania 20, they started this Rumble match.  It was an interesting idea that was exciting to the fan in me because the year before Benoit had lasted the whole Rumble to win.  Both had so much to prove to get back to the mountain top.  It was a great story and started the match beautifully.  Sadly we know the reality that happened in the future and how tragic it became.

2. Edge’s ascension

Edge broke through in 2005/2006.  Winning Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania 21 and then cashing it to kick off 2006.  He caused an immediate spike in ratings and became a top guy.  But it was here in this Royal Rumble match that he eliminated the most superstars and started his career year with a bang.

3. Cena and Batista

When WWE decides to go with a guy and stick with them, it usually pays off huge.  In 2005, WWE decided to captain both of its brands with two heros. RAW was going to be led by Batista who the fans were clamoring to break away from Triple H.  Smackdown was going to be led by the brash anti-hero John Cena.  This Royal Rumble match was to crown one of them and stamp his ticket to Wrestlemania.   Later that year, when UPN decided to switch Smackdown to Fridays a decision was made to switch John Cena and Batista on their respective brands.  They would both be “the man” but just in new homes.

But on this night, a late decision was made to have these two face off as the last two men in the match.  Could it split the audience?  Was it the best thing?  It was a moment though.

4. Mr. McMahon

The moment between Bastista and Cena lead to an appearance from Mr. McMahon.  This was supposed to be Batista’s night.  Speculation has it that Batista had his bell rung by a punch by Cena and when he went to throw out Cena, they both tumbled to the floor causing chaos. The PPV time window was expiring quickly.  There was a call for either Eric Bischoff or Teddy Long, the respective GMs, to go out and restart the match but due to the size of the arena in Fresno they were not close enough.  Vince McMahon got up from the production table where he had sat for nearly three hours.

We all had stopped and looked at the screen not knowing what had happened; I don’t think we were alone with anyone watching that day.  He hadn’t stretched, he hadn’t warmed up.  And here he sat in the middle of the ring; the main event of Wrestlemania hanging in the balance and time ticking down on the broadcast.  From that position, Vince McMahon was able to render his decision for the live house and restart the match.  Batista quickly threw Cena out of the ring to make sure the audience at home saw the conclusion.  But what the audience didn’t see was Vince McMahon, full of pride, walk to backstage area.

Vince had torn both of his quads and in an instant was gone from the on-site WWE creative process.    Stephanie McMahon,  with no warning and her mind on her father, had to jump right in.  The next day, we produced the first WWE Supershow without him and then boarded a plane to Japan where WWE taped television for the first time ever. It was the fast-forward button on a time when WWE would exist without Vince McMahon.  Six years later, people still speculate when that will be and what will happen.

The Royal Rumble can truly change the course for the WWE.  I’m excited to watch the event on Sunday.  I’d love to hear more examples of Rumbles in the past that changed the course of WWE.

Please send any feedback via Twitter or Facebook.  If you’d like to contact me please Email Me .  And don’t forget to voice your opinion on Twitter whenever you’re discussing what you want out of wrestling.  #IWantWrestling

Royal Rumble Match with 40 Wrestlers – Want or No Want?

The 2011 Royal Rumble Match

Now with 40 Superstars!

Want or No Want?

It was announced on Monday that the 2011 Royal Rumble match would be expanding to include forty superstars.  It’s being called “The Biggest Royal Rumble Match In History”.  Is it just a marketing tactic or is WWE making a change for the better to one of it’s most historic franchises?  The first list of entrants can be seen here.  With more names to be announced, one can wonder if the rest of the field will come from the main roster, outside sources, or be left as a surprise.

The Royal Rumble match is my favorite match of the year.  With two men starting and a new man entering every 90 seconds to two minutes, it allows for a unique and unpredictable match.  I don’t think I’m alone in my love for this match.  People have pools where their own numbers and hope that the superstar associated with that number wins for them.  It’s a lot of fun and really a constant on the WWE schedule.  But is the expansion to forty something you want?

Before answering, look at this great video package that WWE aired on Monday during RAW to showcase how truly unique this event is.

With talk of numbers, is the expansion of of the Royal Rumble field from 30 to 40 something you want? Vote below and let your voice be heard if this expansion of the roster is something you want, don’t want, or it doesn’t matter.

 

 

You can share further feedback with comments below, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter.  Remember whenever you’re attending wrestling live or watching it – tweet your thoughts with #IWantWrestling.

David Lagana / IWantWrestling.com

“Hey Pal” What Does Vince McMahon Want From Wrestling?

Vince McMahon is the greatest wrestling promoter ever.   You can judge his journeys outside of wrestling from the WBF to the XFL to Hollywood, but no one can dispute the empire he has created inside the squared circle.  He has promoted, commentated, performed, and produced more landmark wrestling events then anyone.  He’s truly unique in every possible way but what does he want out of wrestling?

Vince McMahon - The Chairman of the Board

It was a very cold February day in Milwaukee, WI when I met Vince McMahon for the very first time.  I had packed my life up for a try out for my dream job as a writer for the WWE.  I wasn’t even seated for a minute in his small road office when he walked in and simply introduced himself as Vince.  My first response in my head, “I know.”  After years of hearing stories and seeing the Mr. McMahon character on TV, our working relationship began on a simple handshake and exchange of real names.  I’m proud of the work I did for him in my six years; including the time I interviewed to be his assistant on Smackdown in 2002 that made the Best 100 moments in Smackdown history.  Like everyone I learned this business from, I’m better because of them.  Here are three things I learned that Vince  “wants” from wrestling.

#1 – Know your Brand

Coke is a brand.  Tide is a brand.  You are a brand.  Vince would always make this one point very clear: “Perception is Reality.”  Vince McMahon is a brand.  From how he walks, to how he carries himself, to the speech patterns he uses.  What he does, works for him.  Don’t believe me?   Check out his net worth.

Vince would sit down with talents to talk with them, to get inside their heads and find out who they are.  The best characters always come from inside the person playing them.  Vince prided himself with finding a little nugget inside a talent and running with it.  All the great characters are a piece of themselves, with the volume turned up.

If you walk into work, complaining everyday; what are you?  How people perceive you is how they see you.
This is true in every profession, including wrestling.  The “show” doesn’t stop when the red light goes off.  Look what being mean to a a catering person did for Randy Moss.  The information (publicly and privately) you put out, every interaction you have; this is your foundation.  If you don’t know how to communicate, what will happen to your brand?  Look at the truly successful people and the brands they create for themselves.   It’s really the idea of personal responsibility.  You can blame others or take ownership in the things you control.

#2 – What’s your Finish

As talked about in a previous article, storytelling is key to all forms of communication.  No matter if it was a storyline being pitched to Vince or details of a match, he’d always ask “What’s your finish?”   He wanted to see if you had thought about where you were going, the goal.  While this sometimes could be perceived as a power game, it also made you prepare differently for the next time.

Every task you tackle, it has an order.  Putting thought into them before starting will save headaches along the way.  I have an IKEA desk that will agree with this way of thinking.  Know your plan, know your mission.  Write it down.  That way when asked “What’s your finish?”, you can properly communicate it and then execute it.   

#3 No Sneezing

If there is one thing Vince McMahon hates… it’s sickness.  “There is no such thing as sick”, was the usual response when someone would try to use it as an excuse.   Vince is a workaholic and if anything gets in the way of his work, it makes him angry.  Paul Heyman would joke that Vince would get angry with his own sneezes.  Perhaps it was because he couldn’t control it.   Like the famous quote from the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings”.  In the pro wrestling world, “Every time someone sneezes, Vince McMahon gets angry.”

If you liked this article and would like to give feedback, please comment below or via Twitter or Facebook.  And remember to always share what you want from wrestling on twitter with #IWantWrestling

David Lagana / IWantWrestling.com