Guest TSMAdmin Report post Posted October 3, 2002 *Disclaimer* I hate calling the WWF the WWE. Please excuse me if I don’t use the new name WWE in the following article. ---------- Even to the densest mark, it’s obvious that a new generation in wrestling is upon us. The “new generation” started taking effect the day McMahon signed the check to buy WCW. Forever, the wrestling industry was changed. A monopoly in the wrestling world… monopolies are never good for any kind of business. It’s fairly evident that show quality has subsided a great deal. The wrong guys are being pushed, and the same old angles are being shoved down our throats. 2002 has definitely been a lackluster year for all, despite the element of nostalgia. As a diehard fan of the WWF, and all wrestling, I still tune in hoping for something to come along and improve the shows, no mater how futile the attempt may seem. Visualizing the rest of this year isn’t a pretty thing. I see Hogan holding the title until Summerslam and dropping it to Steve Austin, personally, and half a year with the belt around grizzled old Hogan is not a good thing. Look into the future though, and bright days could be ahead, even as soon as 2003! Hulk Hogan is said to be on his “retirement run” with the WWF title. Hopefully the man will once and for all step out of the spotlight gracefully, and leave the world of wrestling. Another top line, but over the hill talent is also said to be retiring very soon, The Undertaker. Taker may have a little gas left in him, but it’s fairly obvious that he isn’t at the level he once was (which was never that high to begin with, if you ask this columnist). Even Steve Austin appears to be on his way out, even if he can still go, he doesn’t seem too happy with the way things are going, and who could blame him? I doubt Nash or X-Pac will last much longer, with Scott Hall now gone. The Rock may even be leaving to better fulfil his movie career. We’ll probably be saying goodbye to most of these over the hill wrestlers within a year. Where does that leave the WWF? With a huge lack of top-line stars, that’s where it will be. Sounds familiar? Yeah, the same thing happened in 1993-94 when big names like Hogan, DiBiase, Piper, etc all left the WWF. The golden age of wrestling was gone; it was time for a new era. The New Generation era saw the emergence of many new stars; in particular, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart inserted at the top of the card. I think this next “era” in wrestling will very much resemble the New Generation days. I'm a firm believer that wrestling runs in cycles, and this could be the continuation of it. Paralleling the New Generation age, is the logo change that the company has undergone. The WWF, unless you’ve been living under a rock is now called the WWE. In the original New Generation Era, the logo changed from the classic WWF logo, to a similar looking logo, but now diagonally inverted and colored in yellow. Just like in the New Generation era, ratings are dipping, buyrates aren’t as spectacular, but wrestling still maintains a core-base of hardcore fans. The WWF has a real opportunity to start with a clean slate here and start pushing the right guys. If they do so, we could be in for some great wrestling the next few years. Without Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, and the nWo on the roster, NEW top line stars will have to be pushed. New big names will have to be established. The WWF has the talent on their roster to usher in a new great era; an era based on workrate, with amazing wrestlers all at the top of the card. Think of it, instead of pushing Bret Hart, the WWF can push Chris Benoit. Instead of Shawn Michaels, keep Jericho around the top. Instead of Yokozuna, push Brock Lesnar. Instead of Owen Hart (RIP) push Kurt Angle (though he may be off to the Olympics *cries*)! If the WWF makes the right moves now, they can have Jericho, Angle, Benoit, Booker T, Lesnar, Rob Van Dam, Kane, and Triple H all at the top of the card. Match quality would be way up at the top of the card. I may sound like a delusional smark, but I don’t think this all seems too far-fetched. We’ll have Triple H and Kane around the top too, but hey, things can’t be perfect (though I kind of dig Kane nowadays). Of course, the WWF could “keep up with tradition” and drop the ball with something like this. Hell, they’re pushing Bradshaw to the moon it seems. RVD’s push almost seems halted, as he’s wrestled on Heat for two weeks in a row. I may be crazy, but I have faith in the WWF here, I'm counting on them to NOT DROP THE BALL for once! I believe the new generation will truly be rung in next year, at Wrestlemania 19. I predict Steve Austin walking into the event, as the reigning world champion, the king of the current era, the Attitude era. That night, he will job the title away; he’ll pass the torch, to the next great star in the world of sports entertainment. Maybe it will be RVD. Maybe Chris Benoit. Could be Chris Jericho. Who knows? I’m just predicting that Steve Austin will end the era he started, this time he’s in the role that Shawn Michaels played as the veteran in early 1998. Shawn, the Slammy award winning “Leader of the New Generation” lost the title to Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 14, effectively jolting the WWF into the Attitude era. Steve Austin will pass the torch, as the king of the Attitude era, to the next big star, the KING of the next era of wrestling. It’s obvious that when guys like Austin, Taker and Hogan step out of the spotlight, NEW top line stars will be needed. The WWF needs to realize the talent they have and utilize it properly. If they do, the next era in wrestling may truly be great for us. If not, we may be doomed for years of pure boredom. FakeRazorcolor> “Longfellow couldn’t have said it better” Feedback? Hate mail? Reach FakeRazor at [email protected] Make sure to check out whacked Out wrestling, the king of Delphi’s wrestling forums, owned and maintained by FakeRazor Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
