I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic this week, daydreaming back to a time when Raw’s main protagonists weren’t JBL and John Cena (and their ridiculous angle at the end of last week’s show). In particular I’ve been thinking about the small period of time between January and April 2001. During these months a number of events occurred that would reshape the wrestling landscape and throw it into an unknown future…

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In my opinion Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his technique in the ring was unparalleled and he was arguably the most committed, hard-working individual in the history of the sport. At Wrestlemania 10 he put on, what is to this day, my favourite ever match, against his late brother ‘The Rocket’ Owen Hart and I whole heartedly respect the professional career he has had. I mention these things because the comments I am about to make could otherwise be taken as some kind of vitriolic rhetoric aimed at taking a stab at Hart’s personality and public image.
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Much has been written about CM Punk winning the world title on Raw this week. I personally like to view it with optimism, WWE television has been so stale lately that anything that breaks up the monotonous daily grind in the promotion has got to be a plus. Still I do understand the concerns of those people who wonder if a man that was being beaten by the likes of The Miz and Matt Hardy just a couple of months ago can been taken seriously as the Raw brand’s top guy.
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WWE Draft RAW – June 23rd 2008

I have to admit to being mildly interested in this year’s Raw draft. WWE is in major need of a change and this was their chance to make those changes. I was convinced however that the creative geniuses behind the WWE would drop the ball again and provide us with an uninspiring set of roster switches which would barely affect the 3 respective rosters.
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Almost one year ago, news began filtering through that Chris Benoit, one of professional wrestling’s finest ever competitors had died at the age of 40. At first all of us, fans and the industry alike, mourned and wondered what exactly it was about professional wrestling that led to so many of it’s stars passing on before their time. The WWE themselves had little or no information on how he had died, but proceeded with the Benoit tribute show on Raw that evening as those men and women we love poured their heart out over the passing of ‘The Crippler’.
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My goodness, how long ago does Wrestlemania seem already!? Despite the WWE’s attempts to link everything they could at Backlash with WM24, the night felt far detached from the bright lights of the Citrus Bowl. It’s a shame that there is so little time to take in what happened at the biggest event of the year. Before you could blink, the following evening’s episode of Raw has happened and laid the foundations for the coming weeks programming. Even during the show itself, the WWE were promoting next month’s pay-per-view, already looking to their next big money event. As a consequence nothing lasts in wrestling anymore, one day JBL is just about beating Finlay in a ‘Belfast Brawl’ (denying poor Finlay and Hornswoggle any redemption over Layfield whatsoever) the next JBL is in a top line feud and on course to headline Backlash with Cena, Orton and Triple H. Worst of all for me though is the lack of closure you get from being a wrestling fan and this has led me to think maybe it’s time the WWE had an off-season?

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I’d like to make a survey asking fans of professional wrestling why it is that they watch it. I wonder how many of them would answer because it’s a form of combat? I only wonder about this because over the last 3 or 4 years I’ve become increasingly perplexed at the close proximity of sports-entertainment and the ever-growing world of Mixed Martial Arts. Now I admit to not knowing an awful lot about MMA just that, having given it a go, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not for me. I don’t have anything against its brutality or its violence and I have no other ethical or moral qualms with it. My problem with MMA is that it keeps infringing on publications, programmes, websites and other media outlets that were originally professional wrestling in theme.
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Ever since I was very young and watched my first WWE (F as it was at the time) pay-per-view, Royal Rumble 1994, I had always wanted to see it live. The way Vince McMahon would assure everybody that the arena had gone cold when The Undertaker came out and the fan reaction to Bret Hart’s entrance into the Royal Rumble were unforgettable, I couldn’t possibly imagine what it would be like to be at such a show. As I grew up I grew ever more cynical but that initial desire to see the WWE in the flesh always stuck with me.

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