Black Widow
06-27-2008, 04:26 PM
VINCE McMahon overshadowed his own draft this week. That's nothing new.
He always aims a big stunt that people didn't expect. A shock, even for those who have come to expect the unexpected.
And Vince delivered on that concept, but in a completely different way than he anticipated.
Vince got some, but not a great deal of attention (yet) with the latest "Who Shot JR" remake with the chairman once again playing the assailed party.
What stole the show was the blockbuster announcement and behind-the-scenes secrecy of the drafting of the other JR to Smackdown.
Apparently, no one told Jim Ross that he was moving in advance.
He was, from all accounts, caught off guard by the graphic going up on the Titantron.
While surely the very top performers who were switching brands were given a heads-up over their change in assignment, not so for JR.
The former EVP of Talent Relations, one of the closest advisors Vince McMahon has ever let into the inner sanctum, was not given that simple professional courtesy.
Jim Ross was angry. He was hurt. Why couldn't someone have told him? Surely, he can't be considered to be just another "hand," could he? Doesn't the job he's done, and the popularity he's achieved, deserve at least the privilege of a "hey, just so you know..."?
So Jim Ross lashed out. He wrote a scathing blog, baring his wounded emotions, and publicly decrying the nature of the way the entire day was handled in retrospect.
"I am not happy with this surprise development," JR blogged, "I should have detected something with the demeanour of certain individuals either thru their plastic, poker faces or the perceived smirk that I thought I might have seen on some of their faces during the day."
No one is talking about Who Tried To Kill Mr McMahon (yet). But they're sure talking about JR going to Smackdown. And that's exactly what Vince McMahon wants.
He wants you talking about something. Anything, damnit. Just talk about WWE. Talk about Raw. Talk about Smackdown. Talk about Night Of Champions. Talk about anything, just make it about World Wrestling Entertainment.
I'm not surprised Vince McMahon didn't tell JR. I'm not surprised Jim Ross was disrespected. I'm not surprised they stuck a camera in his face to capture the real life turmoil going through his head when a bombshell just got lowered on him.
I'm surprised Jim Ross was surprised!
There's a lot to say about JR in this situation.
He knows Vince as well as anyone, besides Stephanie, Shane and Kevin Dunn.
He's been at the office at 7:30am when Vince wanted to handle something right away and not wait "til the lawyers get in".
He's been there at 10pm, still waiting for Vince to finish working out so they can conclude their 6 pm "end of the day" review of items. Jim Ross knows how Vince thinks, how he reacts to things, how the man operates.
So Jim Ross is surprised when Vince abuses him on live television?
What clues did Good Ol' JR miss?
Was it the way Vince dogs him on the plane and would encourage HHH to join in on the fray? Was it the way Vince has, on multiple occasions, demonstrated the desire to send him out to pasture?
Psssst... when they try to replace you three or four times, they don't all of a sudden change their mind and say: "Hey! He's our type now! We want him long term!"
Maybe I'm surprised that JR was surprised because I personally wouldn't have stayed if I was propped in a hospital bed with part of my colon in a medical waste container awaiting word on cancer and watching my boss do a 12 minute skit about pulling my head out of my arse.
So why is JR surprised? How could he be caught off guard? How could ever think a swerve wasn't coming, a curve ball being thrown, a disruption to any "normalcy" wasn't being contemplated?
Did Jim Ross dare Vince McMahon by publicly stating in advance "I have no interest in switching brands"? Maybe. It certainly didn't DISSUADE Vince from doing it. But I think the cross Jim Ross must bear is a little heavier than that.
Jim Ross, in my opinion, has cut a Faustian Bargain in life.
He wanted to be recognized as the greatest announcer of all time, and respected as such by the audience, his peers, his contemporaries and even his critics.
He wanted to be important, a major power broker, a senior advisor. A man of influence in an industry where one larger than life ruler calls every single shot. And he wanted to be compensated for his efforts, rewarded like no other announcer or talent executive ever has in the business that was, to him, still rasslin'.
From the Deliverance-esque backwater towns in Oklahoma to the multi-million dollar stock option package he pulled down as an Executive Vice President of a publicly traded company, the farm boy from the South lived every dream he could possibly have had as a kid in the pro wrestling industry.
And all he had to do was accept the fact the very ruler whose confidence he kept and whose decisions he lived by, would treat him like a total piece of crap at every turn imaginable.
Vince, of course, doesn't feel that way. He's like the owner of the horse-drawn carriages. "I feed the horse, give it water, brush its hair, wash it, and even give it a bucket to defecate in. Why doesn't the horse appreciate that?"
To Vince, he's given JR fame, fortune, security, and every dream imaginable.
Personally, I don't think Vince McMahon moved JR to Smackdown for any other reason except it's the right thing to do for WWE business.
Smackdown better become a priority right now, because the MyNetwork TV deal is as important a business relationship as there can be in WWE at the moment. While success on MyNetwork TV has its benefits, failure would be a cataclysmic disaster for WWE.
How many licenses are paying premium dollar because WWE delivers both cable and broadcast penetration? The cancellation of the broadcast part of that equation would send a ripple effect through everything WWE does to the point where its potential effect on the stock is simply frightening.
So there's only one thing to do. Make sure Smackdown does not fail.
Move Jeff Hardy over. He's popular. Audiences like him. His appearances drive numbers. Move an established “No1 guy” like HHH over. It had to be HHH, Shawn Michaels, or John Cena.
By moving HHH off Raw, the McMahon Family demonstrates its own personal commitment to the brand.
Moving over JR shows not only the audience, but the network execs: "We're taking this as seriously as we can.
“We kept the hottest heel in the industry, Edge, on the show. We kept our own legendary icon, Undertaker, on the show. We've brought over Jeff Hardy and even brought over HHH. And we assigned the show to the best announcer in the game, too!"
The next time Vince McMahon wants to do something, he's not going to think about your feelings, my feelings, HHH's feelings, Stephanie's feelings or anyone else's feelings in regards to what he wants to do.
If he thinks it's going to increase his business, he's going to do it. Don't like it? Do watch it or be part of it. He's doing it anyway.
Jim Ross cut a deal with the Devil. The good news and the bad news are the same.
The Devil delivered on his promises. I'm not saying people shouldn't be hurt by the way Vince does things.
Just next time, don't be surprised.
The Sun
He always aims a big stunt that people didn't expect. A shock, even for those who have come to expect the unexpected.
And Vince delivered on that concept, but in a completely different way than he anticipated.
Vince got some, but not a great deal of attention (yet) with the latest "Who Shot JR" remake with the chairman once again playing the assailed party.
What stole the show was the blockbuster announcement and behind-the-scenes secrecy of the drafting of the other JR to Smackdown.
Apparently, no one told Jim Ross that he was moving in advance.
He was, from all accounts, caught off guard by the graphic going up on the Titantron.
While surely the very top performers who were switching brands were given a heads-up over their change in assignment, not so for JR.
The former EVP of Talent Relations, one of the closest advisors Vince McMahon has ever let into the inner sanctum, was not given that simple professional courtesy.
Jim Ross was angry. He was hurt. Why couldn't someone have told him? Surely, he can't be considered to be just another "hand," could he? Doesn't the job he's done, and the popularity he's achieved, deserve at least the privilege of a "hey, just so you know..."?
So Jim Ross lashed out. He wrote a scathing blog, baring his wounded emotions, and publicly decrying the nature of the way the entire day was handled in retrospect.
"I am not happy with this surprise development," JR blogged, "I should have detected something with the demeanour of certain individuals either thru their plastic, poker faces or the perceived smirk that I thought I might have seen on some of their faces during the day."
No one is talking about Who Tried To Kill Mr McMahon (yet). But they're sure talking about JR going to Smackdown. And that's exactly what Vince McMahon wants.
He wants you talking about something. Anything, damnit. Just talk about WWE. Talk about Raw. Talk about Smackdown. Talk about Night Of Champions. Talk about anything, just make it about World Wrestling Entertainment.
I'm not surprised Vince McMahon didn't tell JR. I'm not surprised Jim Ross was disrespected. I'm not surprised they stuck a camera in his face to capture the real life turmoil going through his head when a bombshell just got lowered on him.
I'm surprised Jim Ross was surprised!
There's a lot to say about JR in this situation.
He knows Vince as well as anyone, besides Stephanie, Shane and Kevin Dunn.
He's been at the office at 7:30am when Vince wanted to handle something right away and not wait "til the lawyers get in".
He's been there at 10pm, still waiting for Vince to finish working out so they can conclude their 6 pm "end of the day" review of items. Jim Ross knows how Vince thinks, how he reacts to things, how the man operates.
So Jim Ross is surprised when Vince abuses him on live television?
What clues did Good Ol' JR miss?
Was it the way Vince dogs him on the plane and would encourage HHH to join in on the fray? Was it the way Vince has, on multiple occasions, demonstrated the desire to send him out to pasture?
Psssst... when they try to replace you three or four times, they don't all of a sudden change their mind and say: "Hey! He's our type now! We want him long term!"
Maybe I'm surprised that JR was surprised because I personally wouldn't have stayed if I was propped in a hospital bed with part of my colon in a medical waste container awaiting word on cancer and watching my boss do a 12 minute skit about pulling my head out of my arse.
So why is JR surprised? How could he be caught off guard? How could ever think a swerve wasn't coming, a curve ball being thrown, a disruption to any "normalcy" wasn't being contemplated?
Did Jim Ross dare Vince McMahon by publicly stating in advance "I have no interest in switching brands"? Maybe. It certainly didn't DISSUADE Vince from doing it. But I think the cross Jim Ross must bear is a little heavier than that.
Jim Ross, in my opinion, has cut a Faustian Bargain in life.
He wanted to be recognized as the greatest announcer of all time, and respected as such by the audience, his peers, his contemporaries and even his critics.
He wanted to be important, a major power broker, a senior advisor. A man of influence in an industry where one larger than life ruler calls every single shot. And he wanted to be compensated for his efforts, rewarded like no other announcer or talent executive ever has in the business that was, to him, still rasslin'.
From the Deliverance-esque backwater towns in Oklahoma to the multi-million dollar stock option package he pulled down as an Executive Vice President of a publicly traded company, the farm boy from the South lived every dream he could possibly have had as a kid in the pro wrestling industry.
And all he had to do was accept the fact the very ruler whose confidence he kept and whose decisions he lived by, would treat him like a total piece of crap at every turn imaginable.
Vince, of course, doesn't feel that way. He's like the owner of the horse-drawn carriages. "I feed the horse, give it water, brush its hair, wash it, and even give it a bucket to defecate in. Why doesn't the horse appreciate that?"
To Vince, he's given JR fame, fortune, security, and every dream imaginable.
Personally, I don't think Vince McMahon moved JR to Smackdown for any other reason except it's the right thing to do for WWE business.
Smackdown better become a priority right now, because the MyNetwork TV deal is as important a business relationship as there can be in WWE at the moment. While success on MyNetwork TV has its benefits, failure would be a cataclysmic disaster for WWE.
How many licenses are paying premium dollar because WWE delivers both cable and broadcast penetration? The cancellation of the broadcast part of that equation would send a ripple effect through everything WWE does to the point where its potential effect on the stock is simply frightening.
So there's only one thing to do. Make sure Smackdown does not fail.
Move Jeff Hardy over. He's popular. Audiences like him. His appearances drive numbers. Move an established “No1 guy” like HHH over. It had to be HHH, Shawn Michaels, or John Cena.
By moving HHH off Raw, the McMahon Family demonstrates its own personal commitment to the brand.
Moving over JR shows not only the audience, but the network execs: "We're taking this as seriously as we can.
“We kept the hottest heel in the industry, Edge, on the show. We kept our own legendary icon, Undertaker, on the show. We've brought over Jeff Hardy and even brought over HHH. And we assigned the show to the best announcer in the game, too!"
The next time Vince McMahon wants to do something, he's not going to think about your feelings, my feelings, HHH's feelings, Stephanie's feelings or anyone else's feelings in regards to what he wants to do.
If he thinks it's going to increase his business, he's going to do it. Don't like it? Do watch it or be part of it. He's doing it anyway.
Jim Ross cut a deal with the Devil. The good news and the bad news are the same.
The Devil delivered on his promises. I'm not saying people shouldn't be hurt by the way Vince does things.
Just next time, don't be surprised.
The Sun