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CALDWELL'S TAKE
CORNER CUBE MONDAY 3/17: DX - The Smartest Men in the Ring Mar 17, 2008 - 6:10:47 PM
Updated daily from the corner cubicle, Torch columnist James Caldwell's weekday blog focuses on hot topic current events and other items of interest from around wrestling.
Updated Monday, March 17, 2008
Yesterday afternoon's WWE house show in Beaumont was nothing more than just another day at the office for WWE's crew of weekend warriors. No major news came from the show. There were no qualifying matches or title changes or injuries, as far as I could tell. And there was nothing wrong with that.
WWE doesn't need to have a knock-out show heavy on wrestling to give fans their money's worth. With the focus on TV being more on characters than in-ring action, WWE can present basic wrestling matches that are heavy on "character recognition" that takes less of a toll on wrestler's bodies.
"Character recognition" goes along the lines of fans knowing that Snitsky lacks dental hygiene. They know that JBL is that stuck-up jerk who left for the bright lights of New York City. Fans couldn't tell you the last time Snitsky won a match, but they can tell you that his teeth stink.
If WWE is looking for solutions to keep wrestlers healthy over the long-haul while still making money, then WWE simply needs to give fans a reason to care about the characters, as that's the selling point. For better or worse, the wrestling isn't their selling point.
WWE house shows are an opportunity for fans to get a close-up look of the action and snap pictures of their favorite wrestlers. The kids (and there were a ton of them) had a story to tell at school on Monday to be the most popular kid in school for a day. They were able to see DX pull down Orton's trunks; while the other kids were at home doing chores because their not-as-cool parents didn't buy tickets.
For the wrestlers, it's a chance to work on some different things in a front of easy crowds to prepare for when it counts on TV. There isn't the pressure of packing a five-minute story into a two-minute TV match. They can have fun with the setting, the fans, and the opponents to create a compelling overall show.
That's a major plus when wrestling three or four times per week, and doing appearances three or four times per month. If wrestlers don't have to take as many bumps on a night-to-night basis, they can rest their bodies for the long haul. If they can get the same reaction to a match that's light on wrestling and heavy on "character recognition" as they can a five-star match, then it's common sense to save their bodies for the big matches on TV and PPV.
Case in point was DX - Shawn Michaels and Triple H. They were the smartest men in the ring on Sunday afternoon, as they worked a 23-minute match with hardly any wrestling involved. It didn't matter, though, as fans - especially the kids - enjoyed it and they went home happy. Michaels and Hunter know when it's time to "flip that switch" and tear down the house. Sunday afternoon wasn't the time.
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