#Way2Real #LuchaUnderground extravaganza 04-28-16

#Way2Real #WWE Post #RAW podcast 04-25-16

#Way2Real Random talk with Angry Mark 04-23-16

#Way2Real #LuchaUnderground #LuchaKliq party with MAXXOUT 04-20-16

Mil Hustles talks about #WWE Legend Chyna #RIPChyna

#Way2Real #WWE After #RAW Party with Angry Mark and SuperUglyShow

Angry Mark from Under the Mat Radio and Ritchie from SuperUglyShow join Razor and Mil Breaking News on Roman Reigns Future in the WWE and #NFL scoop:reports of the NFL rules committee to announce $200 million concussion study, 42 player health/welfare rule changes, and support for legislation to end tackling in 14 & under football listen to the show for more

#Way2Real #LuchaUnderground episode 04-14-16

#NJPW Invasion Attack 2016 results

New Japan Pro Wrestling aired their “Invasion Attack 2016” event on the New Japan World service on Saturday night from Tokyo, Japan. Here are the results:

- Bullet Club’s Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi beat Ryusuke Taguchi & Juice Robinson.

- Kojima & Jushin Liger & Yuji Nagata beat Sakuraba & YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano in a six-man tag match.

- ROH TV champion Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto beat EVIL & BUSHI.

- RPG Vice (Rocky Romero & Baretta) beat IWGP Jr. Hvt. tag champions Matt Sydal & Ricochet to capture the IWGP Jr. Hvt. Tag Titles.

- IWGP Jr. Hvt. champion KUSHIDA beat Will Ospreay to retain the IWGP Jr. Hvt. Title.

- Tanahashi & Yoshi Tatsu & Michael Elgin beat NEVER Openweight six-man tag champions Bullet Club (Kenny Omega & Young Bucks) to capture the NEVER Openweight Six-man Tag Titles.

- NEVER Openweight champion Shibata beat Tenzan to retain the NEVER Openweight Title.

- Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa beat IWGP World tag champions Honma & Togi Makabe to capture the IWGP World Tag Titles.

- New Japan Cup winner Naito beat IWGP World Hvt. champion Kazuchika Okada to capture the IWGP World Hvt. Title. 

After the match, Naito’s faction beat down Okada until CHAOS members Ishii and Goto sent them out of the ring. While Okada was helped to the back, Naito started to get in the ring for his title presentation, but Ishii stood in his way. Lots of staring back and forth, with Ishii not letting Naito into the ring. But Ishii eventually gave way leading to Naito kicking him from behind. Naito got his title belt and trophy, and cut a promo  thanking the fans for their support very insincerely. He basically said his is an unstoppable faction taking over New Japan. Naito then threw down the title belt and left the ring, which seemed to disconcert the crowd, perhaps showing he’s not that interested in the title per se, but the position of power he has grabbed to make his faction stronger.

More amazing memes of #WWE superstar Dean Ambrose from @AmbroseDreamer

make sure to check out the fun Dean Ambrose memes on twitter @AmbroseDreamer

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#Way2Real #LuchaUnderground Show 04-06-16

Should Chyna be in the #WWE Hall of Fame?

Porn star. Reality TV star. Rehab Veteran.

Sure, that’s all true. Her post wrestling life has been a whirlwind of controversial choices, bad decisions, and worse publicity. But it’s also a story of redemption, of personal discovery, and of a woman taking charge of her life and doing what she wants with it.

Now lets talk about what really matters; her career in the pro wrestling.

• International Wrestling Federation
  • IWF Women’s Championship (1 time)

• Ladies International Wrestling Association
  • Rookie of the Year (1998)

• Professional Girl Wrestling Association
  • Rookie of the Year (1996)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked her #106 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2000

• World Wrestling Federation
  • WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)1[108][109][110]
  • WWF Women’s Championship (1 time)

How about we also mention how Chyna was the FIRST WOMAN EVER to be named the number one contender for the World Heavyweight title? Or how she was the first woman ever to qualify for the King of the Ring tournament? How about that Royal Rumble?

Lets talk about how integral Chyna was to possibly the greatest stable in WWE’s storied history, Degeneration X. Far more than just a valet, Chyna was an enforcer, the Arn Anderson of DX, whose actions changed WWE history time and time again. Her feuds with Triple H became legendary, as were her matches with Chris Jericho and her amazing work wth the late great Eddie Guerrero.

Chyna changed the landscape time and time again, not just for women in the WWE, but for all workers, with her physique and strong style. There have been very few wrestlers, man or woman, that have had the impact that Chyna has had, and continues to have, and for all she has accomplished she has truly earned a spot in the Hall of Fame.  Let’s get it done, WWE Universe. Let me know what you think, either in the comment section or on twitter @RazorCabrone

Racism in the #WWE : It isn't just history.

Most Americans are familiar living in a land with pervasive racism; some may want to deny it exists, others might want to live in the dream that it’s just a dirty secret of the past, but deep down we all know this is a racist, classist society. WWE throughout its history and many incarnations is no different. In fact, the insular, closed off to outsiders nature of the business may in part contribute to the problem of racism. Most wrestling fans know that the WWE has never really had a ‘black’ champion, for example. Yes, The Rock is indeed half black, but this is a fact the WWE and The Rock himself have gone to GREAT lengths to keep out of the conversation, harping on his ‘Samoan Heritage’ and only really mentioning his father, Rocky Johnson, when they roll out their cavalcade of tokens for Black History Month. In fact, according to Ahmad Johnson, the first African-American IC champ in the long history of the title, The Rock himself denied his black heritage, telling members of DX that ‘his mom slept with a white dude’ and that was how he was conceived. Now one doesn’t have to stretch the imagination too far if they grew up in America to understand the type of climate that could exist where a young black man might very well want to deny his heritage, knowing how many of these racist devils will treat them otherwise, and it is absolutely a testament to the atmosphere backstage and throughout the WWE that a young black man would feel the need to behave this way.
Speaking of Ahmad Johnson, lets review one of the many stories of racism he has had to tell about his tenure in the WWE. The Intercontinental title has a long and colorful history in the WWE, created in 1979 and bestowed upon Pat Patterson. The term “intercontinental” in the title originally referred to North and South America, but In 1985, the belt design changed, the centerplate now centered on the Atlantic Ocean, in a map including western Africa and Europe. It took nearly 20 years, however, for an African-American to win the IC title, when, on June 23, 1996, Ahmad Johnson defeated Goldust, making history of a sort. While normally this should have been cause for celebration, the historic moment was tarnished when, after the show was over, Johnson went out to the parking lot the talent used and discovered his car had been keyed, and not in some random maybe it’s unrelated manner, but with the words ‘Congratulations, nigger!’ carved into his vehicle. A witness eventually came forward to Johnson, who claimed that they saw none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin doing the deed, but nothing publicly ever came of it.  Ahmad has also stated that soon after that incident, he discovered a toy monkey that had been ‘lynched’ hanging in his locker.
Stone Cold is no stranger to racism charges, as his ex-wife Debbie has stated on multiple occasions that in between being drunk and beating her, Austin also would fly off the handle and demand she change the television channel whenever ‘blacks’ were on his TV. More recently, in discussing the Titus O’Neill incident, SCSA described Titus as ‘shuckin and jivin’, words that might not seem like much to white ears, but carry a weight of hatred and bigotry to any person of color who has suffered in the climate of racism that is America.
There are countless incidents of racist behavior backstage in the WWE and other promotions; from Cody Barbierri telling Alberto Del Rio to bus his tray because he is Mexican (and getting the taste slapped out of his mouth for it), to Vince McMahon telling Carlito to ‘spic it up’ for him, to Ric Flair calling Teddy Long a nigger to his face,  Bill De Mott telling Osmund Cherry to ‘go back to Africa’, the constant racism and homophobia of the Ultimate Warrior ( a hateful man who in death WWE has canonized), Michael Hayes (clearly feeling suicidal) telling Mark Henry he is ‘more of a nigger than you are’ (and not only getting promoted, but put in the WWE HOF this year), Triple H constantly calling Latino wrestlers ‘bumblebees’ (a simpsons reference, but isn’t everything?) and even the lovable legend, Andre the Giant calling Bad News Brown a nigger on bus ride (and being invited to step outside and settle the matter like men) and also calling Kamala a nigger so many times the ‘giant Ugandan’ pulled a gun on him, leading to an apology and allegedly a life long friendship (I would make friends to the guy with the gun, too). And how about Road Warrior Hawk, who allegedly said ‘fuck you, nigger’ to 2 Cold Scorpio after a rib, leading to the two brawling, and Scorpio feeling the need to carry a shank from that point on, ‘just in case’. And of course, Hulk Hogan, a guy who exemplified the comfort level some white cats feel when they are ‘among their own’ to throw the nigger word around and let their true selves shine, or fester, depending on your point of view.
Why are all these people so comfortable to be racist pricks, though? A climate, pervasive and from the top down, that exists in an organization that completely fails to recognize and promote talent of color. A history of racism from the top all the way across the board. For fucks sake, lets look at some of the gimmicks WWE has run in the not too distant past:
Exhibit A: Cryme Tyme

JTG is quoted as saying “I definitely experienced some racism in WWE, and no I don’t think they do a good enough job when the majority of the African American wrestlers are pigeonholed into being the angry black guys, shuckin and jivin or rapping and singing…”

Exhibit B:  One Man Gang becomes Akeem the African Dream

nuff said.

Exhibit C: Kamala and Kim Chee:

ugh.

Exhibit D: Vince:

Racism in the WWE is nothing new. Racism in America is nothing new. Racism is not going away any time soon, but that doesn’t mean we should give up the fight. What can we do? Support athletes and entertainers of color by talking them up and  social media, buying their merch, and showing the money guys, who may be white and hate black, but love green, that there is a market out here hungry for stars that represent ALL of us, stars that children of color can look up to and aspire to become, stars who aren’t tokens or stereotyped as thugs, rappers, or criminal tap dancers, but SUPERSTARS. Support groups like Titus4Champ.com that are working to support minority athletes. But most of all, tell these racist fucks NO MORE. Show them we support TALENT not racism.
Take a stand, and be better than the business we all love has been. We deserve better, wrestling deserves better, our children deserve better, and the future deserves better. Let me know your thoughts on twitter @Dante_Oblivion

Way2Real post #WWE #RAW and #WrestleMania show 04-04-16

#Way2Real Theater Presents: #WWE booking meeting for #WrestleMania by some chris jones guy

#ROH TV Results 03-24-16

Tomohiro Ishii vs Cedric Alexander
World TV Title Match

Your Winner: Tomohiro Ishii

Not a bad match, some decent spots and brutal moves.

The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) came out nd were really pissed that Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley have reunited The Motor City Machine Guns. Kaz couldn’t believe Sabin would turn on them. He called him “a silly little turd”, and said they made Sabin relevant and Sabin owed them an apology.

Christopher Daniels stepped in and said an apology wasn’t enough. He expected poor treatment by RoH and the fans but not from a so-called friend. Daniels said all wrestling begins and ends with The Addiction. Daniels said they are the Generation Killers and he and Kaz were going to end the reunion…before it even starts.

Out come Sabin and Shelley. “Motor City” chants boomed out from the faithful. Sabin said he knew The Addiction were confused,  insulted Daniels and Kaz and droned on incessantly before The Guns  ran to the ring but of course The Addiction bailed. Daniels said “Children don’t tell adults what to do. Adults tell children what to do”. Daniels said The Guns didn’t deserve The Addiction’s attention. 

Truth Martini cut a promo against Hirooki Goto, who will face Jay Lethal, next week. Lethal wasn’t worried about Goto.

The Reno Scum (Adam Thornstowe and Luster the Legend) vs The Briscoes

Your Winners; The Briscoes

Another pretty good match, with the typical show of respect after the match.

Dalton Castle said he asked The Boys to stay back so they didn’t have to witness what would happen in a “Fight Without Honor”.

Kenny Omega pushed his new t-shirt.

The Young Bucks vs “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin and Hiroshi Tanahashi

Your Winners: Michael Elgin and Hiroshi Tanahashi

If you like spotfests, this was your match. If you don't, well it's the bucks, what did you expect?

Lince Dorado joins already jam packed #WWE Cruiser-weight tourney

Lince Dorado announced he will take part in the WWE Cruiser-weight tournament. Dorado joins such luminaries as Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Zack Sabre Jr., Rich Swann, Chinese talent Hoho Lund, Noam Dar, and Akira Tozawa in the 32 man tournament which will begin airing July 13 on WWE Network for 10 weeks. Kota Ibushi , Ricochet and Bobby Roode have also been discussed for the series, especially after their recent appearances at NXT Takeover:Dallas.

BREAKING NEWS: Kota Ibushi HAS BEEN CONFIRMED!!!

Way2Real Does NXT Takeover and the WWE hall of Fame 2016

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Three Women the WWE needs if they want a true Women's Revolution

Recently I was asked to write some guest blog articles for  Worldwide Uncensored Wrestling regarding whom i would pick to perpetuate an actual Diva’s revolution in the WWE, and I thought I would go a little more in depth and share my thoughts with you here, as well. But before I make the reveal, let’s discuss why I feel a Diva’s revolution is necessary, and what it entails.
Women’s wrestling for the past two decades in the major promotions has been an after thought at best, base titillation at its worst. Women were being hired, not for their love of the craft, not for their talent in the ring or on the mic, but for a look. Fitness models, strippers, it didn’t matter; as long as you had boobs and weren’t afraid to flaunt them, you were golden, from Kelly Kelly to Nikki Bella to Eva Marie, talent was unnecessary as long as you were willing to slut it up for ratings. While it’s one thing to be comfortable in your sexuality, which is fine, these women were being exploited, by the promotions and by themselves, for a male 18-49 year old market. Occasionally they would even market these ‘divas’ to young women, as role models of ‘strong women’, like the Bellas for example, sending the message that talent and hard work didn’t matter, only looks did. And the storylines? Soap opera drivel, boy trouble, jealousy.. none of the more complex story lines men were positioned in. And the matches themselves were 3 minutes at best of hair pulling, slapping, and cat fighting in skimpy outfits. All of which may be fine, if there is also a balance of decent women having matches like the men were allowed to put on, showcasing wrestling talent and ability. But for the most part and with rare exception, that just doesn’t happen in the major promotions.
A true Divas Revolution needs to change not just the players, but the mindset; the paradigm itself. Treating the women as equals to the men; allowing them to do the same moves, if they can, have decent matches, participate in a variety of story lines. In other words talented women allowed to showcase their talent and love for the art. I feel these three women exemplify these qualities.
First is Leva Bates,or as many NXT fans know her, Blue Pants.


Leva was trained at the Team 3D Academy by Devon and Bubba ray Dudley, two superstars in their own right who have turned out some stellar workers in the past. Leva has won titles across the Indys, winning the women’s titles in CCW, SCW, USCW and WSU, and the women’s tag titles (with Mia Yim, whom you might also know as Jade in TNA) in SHINE, as well as many other accolades during her amazing career.  She has also appeared in TNA, where she answered Awesome Kong’s open challenge on May 26, 2008, but was defeated in the match. She  worked a dark match for TNA on February 5, 2011 in a losing effort to Isis The Amazon, and appeared on the September 27, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling as an evil stage hand who was in league with the Aces & 8s faction and helped them abduct Sting and Hulk Hogan. Some of Leva’s best work, however, was yet to come.
Bates debuted for Shine Wrestling on July 20, 2012 and competed in a losing effort against Mercedes Martinez at their first show. She would pick up victories over Portia Perez and Kimberly at the next two shows before losing to Jessicka Havok at SHINE 4. At SHINE 5, Bates volunteered to be Kimberly’s partner in a tag team match against Made In Sin, but they were defeated. After the loss, Bates was attacked by Kimberly, beginning a feud between the two. Bates was defeated by Kimberly at SHINE 6 on January 11, 2013, but she defeated Kimberly in a Last Woman Standing match at SHINE 7. At SHINE 8 on March 23, Bates lost to Kimberly in a Fans Bring the Weapons/I Quit Match, but at SHINE 9 on April 19, Bates defeated Kimberly in an Arkham Asylum Steel Cage Match to end their feud.
At SHINE 10 on May 24, Bates defeated Taylor Made to qualify for the SHINE Championship Tournament. At the tournament at SHINE 11 on July 12, Bates lost to Mia Yim in a first round match. Bates defeated Christina Von Eerie via DQ at SHINE 12. Bates entered a feud with Nevaeh after she lost to her at SHINE 13 due to interference by The S-N-S Express (Sassy Stephie and Jessie Belle). At SHINE 14, Bates teamed with The American Sweethearts in a losing effort to the Express in a six-woman tag team match. Bates defeated Nevaeh in a Friday the 13th Massacre Match at SHINE 15 on December 13, but she was defeated by Nevaeh at SHINE 16 on January 24, 2014.
Bates aligned with Mia Yim to form The Lucha Sisters and entered the SHINE Tag Team Championship Tournament at SHINE 17 on February 28, 2014. At the event, Bates and Yim won the tournament; defeating Made In Sin in the finals to become the first ever SHINE Tag Team Champions. At SHINE 18 on April 18, Bates and Yim defeated Kellie Skater and Evie in their first successful title defense. At SHINE 19 on May 23, Bates teamed with Yim, Ivelisse, Jessicka Havok, and Tracy Taylor in a losing effort to Valkyrie in a 10-woman elimination tag team match. Bates was eliminated by Allysin Kay. Bates and Yim lost the SHINE Tag Team Championship to Legendary at SHINE 20 on June 27. At SHINE 21 on August 22, Bates and Yim lost their title rematch to Legendary after Bates was struck with one of the title belts by Thunderkitty. At SHINE 22, Bates teamed with Yim and Kellie Skater in a losing effort against Valifornia. It was at this time that the WWE finally came around and realized the potential in Bates, and NXT beckoned.
Bates made her debut in WWE’s developmental territory on the October 16, 2014, episode of NXT, as an enhancement talent, losing to the debuting Carmella. She was introduced as “Blue Pants” by Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady because of her blue ring attire, and retained the name for her subsequent appearances. She returned at the NXT television tapings on October 23, losing again to Carmella; the match aired on November 27. Blue Pants earned her first victory on the January 1, 2015, episode of NXT, defeating Carmella in their third match. She made further appearances on the February 18, April 15, and June 10 episodes, losing to NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, Dana Brooke, and Emma respectively. Blue Pants made a surprise appearance to a massive pop at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on August 22, managing The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch), where they won the NXT Tag Team Championship. Blue Pants also had an altercation with Alexa Bliss during the match. Bliss would go on to defeat Blue Pants in a singles match on the September 2 episode of NXT.
Throughout her career, Leva has been known for her amazing repertoire of cosplay characters as well as her amazing talent. Here is just a sample of her amazing characters.
But far from being just another sexy gimmick girl, Leva can GO in the ring, with a fantastic hybrid style that is sorely missing from the women’s division on the main roster. She can hold her own with any current Diva with ease, and brings a wide variety of possibilities to the show.
A well trained, beautiful, versatile woman in MY WWE? Most people think this is just a fantasy, but I guarantee that given the nod, Leva can put the revolution on the map, and advance the state of women’s wrestling for years to come. As an added bonus, she used to come out to MC Chris as her entrance music, so for my money DONE DEAL!
Oh wait, you want to see what she can do when given the chance?

My next pick for a woman who would be a perfect addition to a real Diva’s revolution in the WWE, and not that sham of a hashtag that WWE currently pays lip service to. That woman is none other than the insanely talented Crazy Mary Dobson!

Crazy Mary Dobson

Trained by two legends in the industry, Mickie Knuckles and Mad Man Pondo, Mary Dobson made her debut in 2011 for IWA East Coast, but soon worked her way across the mid west, becoming known on the circuit for her amazing work in death matches, competing against men and women alike. The buzz about her quickly spread, and soon she was the veteran of several tours of Japan, constantly absorbing new styles, new techniques, and mastering her craft. Her work ethic and reputation have provided her with many opportunities, and she has made the most of them, having amazing series of matches with the like of Annie Social, Veda Scott, Lufisto, Leva Bates, Jessika Havok, Christina Von Eerie, Mia Yim, Mickie Knuckles and Athena, as well as Simon Sezz, Mason and Devin Cutter and many other Indy standouts, as well as working in promotions such as AIW, JCW, Ring of Honor, Shimmer, Shine, Resistance Pro, NJPW and most recently a few matches in NXT, including a main event match versus NXT Woman’s Champion Bayley on the WWE Network. Dobson as paid her dues across the globe, and both her charisma and talent easily could qualify her for a main roster slot where she would stand head and shoulders above nearly every ‘diva’ currently on the WWE roster. In fact she would be a perfect fit with Bray Wyatt as the oft mentioned ‘Sister Abigail’, with her combination of natural charisma, strong wrestling ability, capacity for violence, and a certain amount of dare I say ‘crazy’ that lurks just beneath her surface, and often boils over.

Not only could Dobson bring her amazing gifts to the ring, however, but some much needed credibility to the women’s division on WWE’s main roster. From her outstanding resume to the respect she has among her compatriots on the Indy scene, signing Mary would send a signal to the actual women wrestlers of the industry that WWE is finally taking it’s women seriously, and looking to provide talented workers the same stage the give the men; that the days of hiring a fitness model with a boob job to stumble around the ring for 3 minutes in between ‘boyfriend drama’ and ‘mean girl’ angles are coming to an end. That there is a true revolution coming, a time to bring back the glory days when women were not only allowed to perform at the same level as the men, but expected to. Crazy Mary Dobson would bring all this and more to a women’s division so desperately in need of a complete overhaul, and she has proven in the past to have the drive, the heart, the charisma and the talent to do just that. Whether its on the mic or in the ring, from Mid-West armories to legendary venues in Japan, Mary Dobson is a proven talent, and one that has earned the opportunity to showcase her abilities on the biggest stage in the world, and has the potential to prove that the Diva Revolution is MORE than a hashtag, or a not so clever marketing ploy, but an actual change of the status quo that has left so many shaking their heads and wondering how this all came to pass. For these reasons, and so many more, Crazy Mary Dobson is not just the woman the WWE should want; she’s the wrestler the WWE needs.

Ivelisse Vélez.

My final pick for the woman who could potentially lead a WOMAN’s Revolution in the WWE is none other than Ivelisse Vélez.  From the age of 14, Ivelisse was training to become the amazing talent she is now recognized as globally.  Debuting in the World Wrestling council before moving on to the Internation Wrestling Association, she worked and trained across America, honing her craft, until she was noticed by the WWE and brought on to appear in Tough Enough Season 5, where she impressed everyone who saw her until an injury forced her out of the competition. So impressed was the WWE with her talents, however, she was signed to a contract anyway, and her first television match was with WWE developmental in FCW, where she worked with such future stars such as Kaitlyn and Paige, and at one point she and Paige were teamed as the ‘anti-divas’, sowing the seeds for the current Diva’s Revolution we see now on social media, calling out for an end to the ‘Diva’ mentality and a return to “Women’s Wrestling”.  As Sofia Cortes, Ivelisse appeared on the July 4th episode of NXT where she defeated Paige, and the July 25th episode where she won her match against Natalya. The future looked bright indeed, until controversy hit. The accusations against then trainer Bill De Mott began to surface, and it is said that Ivelisse was the first to report his inappropriate actions to the ‘higher ups’ at the WWE. For quite awhile, the WWE seemed to be in denial and cover up mode regarding De Mott, and for her righteous whistle blowing, Ivelisse was released from her contract.

But far from slowing down her career, Ivelisse stepped up, working non stop on the independent circuit, and appearing in FWE, TNA, and Shine, where she eventually became Shine’s Woman’s Champion. Her ring work is fast paced, hard hitting, and embraces both a stron style, a lucha style, and a strong grasp of the psychological. She is always portrayed as the strong, talented woman she is, and her matches are always entertaining. Her talents have seldom been showcased as well as they have been recently in Lucha Underground, where she teams with Son of Havok and Angelico, eventually winning the inaugural Lucha Underground Trios Championship. Whether she is competing against women, like Sexy Star, or the men of Lucha Underground, Ivelisse always shines, and is a true veteran and inspiration to all who are lucky enough to see her perform. Her courage, drive, and professionalism are second to none, as exemplified in the Trios Ladder match she competed in at Lucha Underground, and when putting on an outstanding match against Cage, Daivari, and Big Ryck while ‘hampered’ by a legitimate foot injury.

If there is a weakness in her repertoire, I honestly cannot find it, as she is stellar on the mic, in the ring, as a face or a heel, and in every type of match she has thrown at her. Whether its a brutal inter-gender brawl or a fast paced high flying Lucha style match, Ivelisse has the talent and knowledge to pull off an amazing show and tell a real story between the ropes, as do all three of my picks. But enough words. take a look at Ivelisse at work, and then look her up, support her, because the most important person that can possibly change the way women are depicted in wrestling is you; your support, your wants and needs, when heard by the major promotions CAN change things. Each of us are the most important people when it comes to creating a TRUE revolution! GET AT IT!

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Why Ratings no longer matter, and the WWE knows better than you!

  If one were to dip into the murky, shark infested waters of the wrestling community on the internet, and I really don’t recommend it, they would think the WWE is the worst, most un-watchable, unsuccessful endeavor since the birth of the cathode tube. “The ratings!” is their rallying cry, followed by dozens of different and at times completely contrary complaints; “they don’t wrestle anymore!” “PG!!” “we want more gimmicks like they used to have!” “it’s too gimmicky! this is 2015!” “we want wrestlers who can wrestle!” “We love Sting!” “Stop burying new talent x,y, or z!” “we love Hogan!”… You know what I am talking about; you’ve done it yourself, after all.

But the truth is, the WWE has never been better at what they do, or more successful. Aside from the fact that they are more profitable than ever, and have the greatest top to bottom roster in history, they are a bigger, more powerful global brand than ever before. So why do people think otherwise? Well first off, its because most people don’t get how ratings work, what they are used for, and how they have trended historically, which I will get into momentarily (or an hour from now, depending on how slowly you read), and secondly and in my opinion more importantly, most people don’t understand the business model of the WWE.

Once upon a time, the WWE catered to a single demographic; 18-49 year old men, who liked rasslin’, tits, and cussing bad asses, not necessarily in that order. This demographic, it was discovered, watched a LOT of TV, liked beer, and wanted to feel they were edgy. They also spent a lot of money on stupid shit they really didn’t need, in order to make themselves seem cooler, more bad ass, or whatever the current commercials told them they needed to be. Television in general discovered this untapped mother lode as well, which led to the use of younger, bigger boobed women on tv, ending the tradition of 30 year olds playing high school students, more ‘adult orientated’ type shows, which is really just a code for ‘sex drugs and cussing’, and shows like Morton Downey and Jerry Springer had. The WWE, in the thick of a ratings war with WCW, picked up on this and ran with it. And the attitude era was born. Ratings were high, crowds were wild, and if you asked people who identified as wrestling fans how happy they were, most would say ‘PUPPIES!!’, which means very.

This is because the WWE at that time aimed high; they had basically a single demographic they were shooting for, and aimed to make them very happy indeed. And they were, for a time, very, very successful; the audience at shows was raucous, like the audience of the aforementioned Springer show, and felt they were almost part of the show. Because the demographic was very specific, it was easy to manipulate them into rapture, after all, and it paid well.

But then things started to plateau, and even peter out, as things are wont to do. The coveted 18-49 market shrank some, as they discovered other content to spend their eyeballs on, or ‘grew out of it’, and the pipeline of new viewers was running dry, because the most parents wouldn’t let their kids watch wrestling, so those kids never grew up to be 18-49 year old WWE fans. The W needed to change its business model.

Diversification is an age old business strategy, tried and true, and the WWE decided to switch things up and embrace it. Instead of aiming HIGH, with one demographic, they recognized they needed to aim WIDE; to diversify their demographic. They needed to appeal to kids, to the parents of kids; to girls and women, who were spending money of their own; to wrestling fans  in their 18-49 demographic, a demographic that itself had grown diversified between those who wanted old school, Bruno/Harley/Gotch style no gimmick wrestling, or those who loved the flippity flopping of high flyers. or those who loved gimmicks, or those who wanted storylines, or those who wanted brawls etc etc. By diversifying what they offered, the WWE reasoned, we can grow a broad demographic that might not be as single minded, but is an overall deeper pool of money to drink from. And remember, that is the goal of WWE; not to provide the best wrestling according to some fans, not even to entertain, which is simply a method to achieve their actual goal, which is to PROFIT. By casting a wide net to bring in diverse groups as well as attract corporate sponsors, they reasoned that profits would grow exponentially. And they were right. WWE is more profitable now than ever in history.

But there is a downside to diversification. You can NEVER make EVERYONE happy with EVERYTHING. The different groups have different things they like, and WWE needs to give them all some attention or risk losing them. For example, if you appeal to 10 different demographics, and include something in every show that appeals to that specific groups specific interest, you have 9 out of 10 of those groups potentially unhappy with that segment. Think about it; each segment of your content leaves 90% of your broad demographics dissatisfied. No group likes the entire product anymore, but they all should hopefully have SOMETHING they like. That’s the plan, and it has worked, as proven by the profits. Sure, it seems like everyone is unhappy, especially now that every chooch with a twitter account can run into the basement and whine about how everything sucks online now, and people do love to complain, but the numbers don’t lie, and the profits are rolling in for the WWE, which, as previously stated, is their top priority, far above all others. But what about the ratings, i hear you type furiously? Time to address that elephant in the room, and explain why most of you are wrong to think they matter, and why they don’t mean what you think they do.

What do ratings measure: the amount of eyes, as a percentage of population watching TV, that are attached to a specific show at a specific time. Once upon a time, in the glory days of television when the tv was pretty much the sole source of entertainment in households across the nation, advertisers knew they had a captive set of eyes to feed their products into. When, in 1941, the US government allowed TV networks to include paid commercials in their broadcasts, it was ON. Advertisers would pay networks to host their ads, based on how many households each specific show had watching it, based on ‘ratings’. In the early days, however, there were only 2 or 3 options of what to watch at a specific time, as there were very few channels, but as time went on the number of channels and options grew to a current slate of 1000s of options, as well as dozens of ways to deliver the content outside of the slotted broadcast time, or even options OTHER than television to watch on. THIS IS THE CRUX, so I will explain it again; The population of households with TV since 1999, the height of the WWE’s ratings, has grown slightly, about 30% higher in 2014. The number of networks and options to watch, however, has grown exponentially; THOUSANDS of percents higher. This means each show, each option, gets a MASSIVELY smaller piece of the household pie. This is shown most dramatically with this chart, which lists the highest rated shows by year. Note the fairly steady decline from a time there were FAR more limited options, to more recently when the options are numerous.

As you can see, in 1950-51, the highest rated show earned a 61.6 rating. This reflects how few options there really were, lol. In 2014 the highest rated show got a 12.5. More options, same basic population, equals a smaller percentage of the overall audience. For comparison’s sake, in 1999, the year of the highest rated RAW ever, the highest rated show got a an 18.6. That means that, loosely speaking, overall ratings have dropped by 33% from 1999 to 2014. Again, this is fast and loose, surely not an evaluation scientifically of all shows, all factors, etc. But basically the ratings of the highest rated shows from 1999 compared to the highest rated shows of last year are a third higher. This is a discrepancy that very few people factor in when they say how ‘terrible’ WWE ratings are now compared to the attitude era. In other words, there are far more factors involved than simply a show losing viewers. There is also the import of DVRs and torrents to consider, but the simple fact is not only is RAW viewership down, ALL TV RATINGS are down. In 1999, RAWs biggest year, ratings averaged about 5.5, and in 2014 RAW averaged about 2.95, or slightly below the average ALL television ratings dropped. Again, this is comparing THE BEST YEAR EVER for RAW to last year, and they performed only slightly below the industry average for the same period. So far from some massive ratings drop, it is in fact only a slight dip, possibly cyclical in nature, in comparison to ratings of all tv in the same period.

But what we also have to consider is how much less relevant ‘ratings’ have become over all. Advertisers, well aware of all the trends I have mentioned already, know how these numbers work. They recognize there are so many more content delivery systems now than there were, so many more ‘screens’ for eyes to be on, and that in fact the ratings system is archaic, especially the fetishistic love  of ‘overnights’. In fact most advertisers ignore the overnights, and instead focus on live7, live30, and live90 figures, which include dvr and other format watching of shows in a 7,30 and 90 day period. But even more important than that is the shows RANKING over the ratings. If a show is the most watched show in its slot, regardless of the ratings, and it attracts your target demographic to sell your product to, THAT is what matters. And RAW is consistently one of the top 3 show, if not THE top, in its time slot. That is HUGE. That is what matters most to advertisers; how many more pairs of eyes in our target demographic than the other guy. They don’t compare ‘how well did your show do last year compared to this year’ they care about ‘how well does your show this week do compared to the other options’, and RAW provably does very well.

So there you have it. The ‘what about the ratings’ whine is just a load of bull shit, not just for the reason outlined above, but also because for fucks sake what do you care about ratings, or how much advertising RAW makes? Its not money in your pocket! You like what you like. And you have a right to, and a right to whine or cheer, complain or credit, as you will. But perhaps when you realize that as I stated in the first part of this really fucking long article, that you and your ‘likes’ are just a fraction of the demographic WWE is trying to appeal in some small part to, you will at the least understand that is how it is, that is why it is how it is, and honestly since they are making money hand over fist, that is how it is going to stay. You can think you have a voice, and you do, but you are just one fraction of the many demographics WWE seeks to have something for, and they aren’t changing their business model any time soon just because one whiny fraction of their audience complains a lot on the internet. Sure, they listen to their fans, but your particualr demographic doesn’t carry the hammer it used to, and they know where the money is. Besides, they know bitch all you want, its all publicity and Social Media presence for them, and you will be back next week no matter what.

But there is hope, for all of you who feel hopeless. There are hundreds of wrestling promotions out there, each with a different flavor, a more specific demographic they seek to appeal to, than WWE. You can find one very easily thanks to the aforementioned hundreds of new content delivery systems, such as YouTube, streaming etc, and enjoy what it is YOU love about wrestling, whether its WWE, ROH, Lucha Underground, NJPW, AAA, PWG, CHIKARA or just your local indy with a monthly show in an armory or high school gym in your town. Support them. Support what you like. Love the art of wrestling in all the variations it offers, and let those you especially love know you do. SUPPORT WRESTLING.

My next long article will probably be about how WWE have butt fucked women’s wrestling into complete and utter shite, despite what Mick Foley and Paul Heyman are shilling for their corporate masters, so keep an eye out for that, and if you like or hate or whatever the shit I spew, hit me up on twitter @RazorCabron. See ya there, motherfuckers.

Way2Real Lucha Underground Show 03-30-16