Interesting Article from 411

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

I agree with a lot of what this guy says. Here's the article proper:

 

 

When it was first discovered that Chris Benoit had drawn the #1 entry in the 2004 Royal Rumble, I thought it made for a good little storyline. Paul E had said that after Benoit lost a WWE Title match to Brock Lesnar, Benoit would never get another chance at that belt. On SmackDown just a couple weeks later, Benoit teamed with John Cena in a handicap match against the FBI with the stipulation that, if Benoit and Cena won, they would both be in the Royal Rumble. The duo did indeed win the match, and Benoit had an opportunity to win the Rumble – and thereby a shot at the WWE Title. Upset that his plans went awry, Paul named Benoit the #1 entrant, theoretically making it much more difficult for Benoit to win.

 

Or so the story goes.

 

Since that time, many fans of Benoit (read: the online community) have speculated that their hero could go on to win and FINALLY headline WrestleMania. Now the only question in their minds was which Title Benoit would wrestle for – WWE or Raw’s World Heavyweight Championship (more on that in a moment). A myriad of possibilities and ideas were bantered about as the hype for the Rumble grew like wildfire. Feuling to the conversational blaze was the fact that John Cena might be moving to Raw. Not long after, Benoit’s name replaced Cena’s in the rumor mill.

 

And then, thanks to the Pro-Wrestling Torch Newsletter, it all exploded:

 

It is almost certain at this point that Chris Benoit will be moved to the RAW brand in a few weeks. The move may come as a result of Benoit winning the Royal Rumble and then demanding to face Triple H for the World Title at RAW.

 

Triple H hand picked Benoit for the RAW jump because he feels that he and Benoit can have high quality matches at the tempo Triple H is able to handle.

 

Benoit will not be pushed as RAW's top babyface (that spot is reserved for Shawn Michaels right now) but he will be given a main event program with Triple H and possibly the WrestleMania XX main event spot.

 

WWE management also feels that Benoit will be able to come in and instantly help Randy Orton and Batista, two guys WWE is pushing for main event spots but feel are lacking in the ring.

 

WWE considering moving John Cena to RAW but seemingly have decided on Benoit.

 

IMMEDIATELY after this “news” went public, the internet community went apeshit. The could win became a would win and all rejoiced. But then, the negativity kicked back in: Oh, no! He’s facing TRIPLE-H! He might win, but H will take it right back! Worse, he’s going to job to him outright! What do they mean “he’s gonna help Orton and Batista”?! This so unfair! He deserves more than this! He’s the best worker ever!! Why, why, why, why, WHY??

 

With a morsel from a newsletter taken as gospel around these parts, Benoit went from achieving his lifelong dream (the internet’s version, anyway) to getting screwed by The Best Damn Politician Ever. The Guy Who Married The Bosses Daughter, For Fuck’s Sake! The Guy Who Re-Invented The Glass Ceiling And Who Holds Down EVERYBODY!

 

Now, this isn’t directed to everyone who pervades the internet message boards. Quite a few – especially some here, again, on the 411 Forums - know enough not to take all this as the biggest news since the US Invasion of Iraq and, instead, plan on the enjoying Sunday’s show for what it is. Bravo to them. With that having been said...

 

 

Memo to those who want to ruin this year’s Royal Rumble by going out of their way to espouse the virtues of only one of its participants to prove that they know more than the company that is putting on the pay-per-view: SHUT UP.

 

 

You know, some us watch this shit because we enjoy it. Sure, performances are a part of it. We love watching two wrestlers put on a great match, and we would rather not see those who almost never perform well darken the apron of a ring ever again. But, for the most part, many of us (along with every casual fan that watches on Monday and/or Thursday nights) could give a rat’s ass about movesets and *****+ matches. Most of the people that watch and register those Holy Grail-like Neilsen ratings don’t give two shits about who’s pulling what political bullshit, who always “does the job”, and who always “goes over”. They probably don’t even give one, really. Hell, they don’t even know what that shit means!

 

And you know what? At one time, neither did you. And you enjoyed wrestling a lot better then, didn’t you? Face it, this stuff was a lot more fun before you discovered a computer and became an “expert”. And now that you have, you know everything. You know better than anyone – Vince McMahon, any of the boys, and especially that bitch Stephanie and her no-talent husband – who should be “pushed” and who “draws money”.

 

Get over it. If you’re not employed by WWE, Inc. and have no idea what happens backstage or behind the scenes to arrange 4-7 hours of programming a week, if you’re not even in the business at all, you know no more than the casual fan watching at home no matter how many rumors and gossip mongers you read and accept the words of as Gospel Truth.

 

Now, that argument has been made half a billion times. Still, no one seems to just let it go and enjoy that which they claim to be a fan of. Fine – let’s forego the general negativity of Joe Average Internet Wrestling Fan and, instead, argue specifics of why this could all be one big, fat, steaming, stinking load of USDA Grade-A crap.

 

It’s become accepted as fact that Benoit is going to win the Royal Rumble. Why? How the hell do WE know what’s being planned for Sunday? Just because it appears on a website doesn’t mean it’s true. ScoopTHIS.com’s slogan was meant to be taken as a joke, you know.

 

Has anyone stopped to think that there are 29 other possible outcomes for the Royal Rumble? Granted, some of them aren’t as strong as others (even yon casual fan would have a hard time buying either Charlie Haas or Shelton Benjamin as “immortal” material) but anything is still possible.

 

Now, as far as probable outcomes go, there’s still many different ways this can go. First of all (and this should go without mentioning, but since this Benoit = God and The Internet = The Bible mentality has such a strong hold on wrestling “fans”), there’s an entire other roster to consider! Several of Raw’s participants – Booker T, Kane, Goldberg (!), Rob Van Dam, Chris Jericho, or anyone of 10 other guys have just as good of a chance as winning as Benoit does from SmackDown. Looking at just the first three of those names, a strong case can be made for any of them to win the whole she-bang, “kayfabe” or not.

 

Secondly, what about the SmackDown guys? Benoit has some tough competition in his own backyard – Kurt Angle, John Cena, and The Big Show, to name a few, all have good chances of going to the main event at WrestleMania – again, “kayfabe” or not. My personal choice would be for John Cena to go on to the Granddaddy Of Them All and become one of these “immortals” we keep hearing about. Hell, as sick as I am of hearing Benoit’s name, I’ll laugh my ass off if he’s the first one to be eliminated. I’ll go into convulsions if he’s the last one eliminated! MAN, that would piss some people off!

 

Did you read the “newsbit”? The move MAY come as a result of Benoit winning the Royal Rumble and then demanding to face Triple H for the World Title at RAW. As in maybe. As in none of this is set in stone by any means because anything is subject to change. Hell, Vince may get a wild hair up his ass the day of the show and decide that the one and only Mark Henry is the future of his company, or that since Mark has 2 years left on a 10-year deal, maybe it’s time to reward him for all his loyalty, hard work, and shitty gimmicks with what every wrestler wants.

 

And what’s so bad about having Benoit help out two younger guys who could always learn the finer points of performance? If I were Chris, I would take that as a compliment that the Boss wants me to help train two of his guys.

 

Just to make a point clear now, I like Benoit. Ever since I saw him debut in WCW, I thought he was excellent, not to mention a bad motherfucker. Over the years, he’s been a consistent player and performer and someone I enjoy. But he isn’t the Best Wrestler Ever (that honor belongs to either Lou Thesz or Ric Flair, thank you). I couldn’t give a damn about the man’s “moveset”, but he’s obviously verey capable of holding his own in any wrestling ring. However, he’s barely World Champion material. He can wrestle the part, but a good Champion – the man chosen to represent his specific brand as a whole – has to be able to talk and carry the part as well. Benoit, to this day despite almost 20 years as a wrestler and 11 as a “sports entertainer”, needs some work in the talking department. As far as his stature goes, size may not be everything but it can help a heck of a lot. As the saying goes, a good big man can beat a good little man any day of the week. Benoit is a good little man, and there are plenty of good big men lurking about, which puts a damper on his credibility as a champion in the eyes of most logical observers. Granted, others have broken this mold before (Bret Hart), but the one chance Benoit had to prove himself as a World Champion, he abandoned the belt and left to join the competition, so the jury’s still out on whether or not he has what it takes.

 

As for the Scourge Of All Things Wrestling, Triple-H can do all of them. Granted, I’d like to see him be more consistent with his performances (as it seems that Shawn Michaels is the only opponent that he can have truly great matches with anymore), but he can definitely talk the part (I dare you to tell me that him knocking Austin’s position as “Sheriff” wasn’t hilarious and mean at the same time) and he definitely has the looks becoming of the best in the world. Triple-H also knows enough to know that a good heel champion is worth his weight in gold and the people that watch Raw week in and week out hate Triple-H with a passion. The “smart” crowd can’t stand his guts, either.

 

Do yourself a favor between now and Sunday: stop reading the internet. Right now. Turn off the computer. Go outside. Breathe. Call someone on the phone and talk about bullshit. Or school. Or your job. Or the latest CD you bought. Anything but wrestling. Go buy a few movies on DVD. Go on a date. Go to the park. Or the beach. Go see a movie. Or a play. Relax and enjoy yourself.

 

Then, come Sunday, watch the Rumble with a clear head and an open mind. Try to enjoy the show that a billion-dollar company is putting on for your entertainment. Watch the stories that unfold during the course of the three hours. Enjoy the matches, especially the Rumble.

 

And if Benoit is the first one out, don’t get up and leave. You might actually be pleasantly surprised at what other plans are in store for WrestleMania XX.

 

L8.

[Tawren 0]

Same old bitchy anti-smark nonsense I'm tired of reading.

 

I dare you to tell me that him knocking Austin’s position as “Sheriff” wasn’t hilarious and mean at the same time

 

Will he double dog dare me to tell him that WWE FUCKING SUCKS? There's a difference between being negative for the sake of being negative and being negative because there is nothing to be positive about. When you write that long of an article to get across the point that you basically hate the internet (despite the hypocrisy of him writing it on a prominent internet wrestling site), you need to re-think your priorities.

 

Or maybe that's just me.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

Same old bitchy anti-smark nonsense I'm tired of reading.

 

I dare you to tell me that him knocking Austin’s position as “Sheriff” wasn’t hilarious and mean at the same time

 

Will he double dog dare me to tell him that WWE FUCKING SUCKS? There's a difference between being negative for the sake of being negative and being negative because there is nothing to be positive about. When you write that long of an article to get across the point that you basically hate the internet (despite the hypocrisy of him writing it on a prominent internet wrestling site), you need to re-think your priorities.

 

Or maybe that's just me.

Both sides are bitchy in the Smark/Anti-Smark War.

 

Doctor, heal thyself.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

I like the points on Benoit, at least. Guess the IWC forgets the company isn't booking exclusively for them..

[Guest Brian]

I just see it all as Triple H, so infactuated with Flair, that he's putting himself in a position to get the title back however many times he needs to pass him up. So, anyone who gets the title becomes the meat in a Trips sandwich. But at least it poses an opportunity ot freshen things up, and sooner or later Trips is going to need fresh opponents.

 

WWE doesn't book exclusively for anyone but themselves.

[Guest Anglesault]

How "Anti-Smarks" find this any less annoying than Smarks baffles me.

 

He basically said "Shut up and like it."

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

WWE doesn't book exclusively for anyone but themselves.

Exactly. Except it's more of "for Vince"..

[EricMM 0]

Agreed, same old smark-hate.

 

Shut up and accept what you get, because you're not smart enough to decide what you want, you should take what we give because we know better than you.

 

If this was true then I would like WWE. If this were true, then WWE would be getting a 4 rating or higher at least once a week.

 

I don't even care about Benoit going to the rumble or the main event even. I mean hey, that's cool and whatever, but it's not going to save Raw. It might save the last twenty minutes, but not the show.

 

The tone of this article bugs me. Not because I must strive to post for 22 hours on this board about how the WWE sucks. I don't, I rarely post in the WWE folder. I just can't understand how I'm supposed to stop caring about good wrestling. To me, that would be like someone telling me to accept bad figure skating because all the figure skaters had to be 6'4 300 lb hulks. I'm sorry, that's just not how I feel, and whoever wrote this article obviously doesn't understand that.

[Tawren 0]

Agreed, same old smark-hate.

 

Shut up and accept what you get, because you're not smart enough to decide what you want, you should take what we give because we know better than you.

 

If this was true then I would like WWE. If this were true, then WWE would be getting a 4 rating or higher at least once a week.

 

I don't even care about Benoit going to the rumble or the main event even. I mean hey, that's cool and whatever, but it's not going to save Raw. It might save the last twenty minutes, but not the show.

 

The tone of this article bugs me. Not because I must strive to post for 22 hours on this board about how the WWE sucks. I don't, I rarely post in the WWE folder. I just can't understand how I'm supposed to stop caring about good wrestling. To me, that would be like someone telling me to accept bad figure skating because all the figure skaters had to be 6'4 300 lb hulks. I'm sorry, that's just not how I feel, and whoever wrote this article obviously doesn't understand that.

Deal with it.

 

 

[/idiot]

[AndrewTS 0]

Interesting Article from 411

 

False advertising.

[Guest Deebo]

Is there some fucking rule that one column like this has to come out every year?

[Guest Anglesault]

And the absurdity of a guy who quit another company as champion because he didn't think he'd be booked well being gung-ho about jobbing to a pair of heatless, poor workers in the midcard is laughable.

[spiny norman 0]

I think he is a lot of people's favourite wrestler of right now (though not mine) and becasue of that people are naturally rooting for him. He does have a good possibility of winning the Rumble, I'm picking him to be the winner, so naturally everyone who thinks he is the best wrestler going around (I can't think of many people who call him the best ever though?) is excited. Triple H almost always wins, and so they don't want to see their favourite lose to one of their least favourite. Fair enough.

 

I don't particularly agree with any of his article. I mean, if someone is as worked up as whom he describes, then yeah, get out a little bit. But I can't think of too many people who will boycott the company should Benoit lose.

 

I think he just wrote the column to get a rise out of people, and it's working.

[cynicalprofit 0]

I love how Vince and others like him tell us to just shut up and watch, as if we cant turn the channel and watch something else, or go outside perhaps. Lord knows the shut up and watch idea worked so well for WCW....oh wait it didnt. Fuck what you want Vince, in the words of Crockets dad, its what the fans want that counts. Are smarks just not considered fans anymore?

 

We're still fans, we just enjoy the show for different reasons and it wouldnt kill anyone in the company to make us easily happy. Sure that whole ego thing may get crushed, but remember, the goal in pro wrestling is NOT to win, its to have a good match. And if you can't do that, get the fuck off my tv. I'm looking at you Mark Henery.

[Guest Anglesault]

And on top of all that, he coudn't be bothered to give us a logical reason for Benoit to jump to Raw.

[AndrewTS 0]

You know, some us watch this shit because we enjoy it.

 

Freudian slip.

 

By the way, has Vince done coprophilia yet?

[Guest Anglesault]

You know, some us watch this shit because we enjoy it.

 

Freudian slip.

 

By the way, has Vince done coprophilia yet?

The HHH/Stuffany/Angle Love Triangle

[Cherry Blossom Viscount 0]

You know, for every ONE of these articles, we have about TWENTY-FIVE of the Typical Smark Bitching fare. I think you all win in the end. And as predictable as this article was, your responses were even more predictable. Like they were copy and pasted from last year. Oh well.

[Guest Anglesault]

your responses were even more predictable. Like they were copy and pasted from last year.

Like the article wasn't?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

In honour of American Idol starting up this past week...

 

"That was terrible, I mean just awful"

 

"If you've got a big mouth and you're controversial, you're going to get attention."

[The Mandarin 0]

In honour of American Idol starting up this past week...

 

"That was terrible, I mean just awful"

 

"If you've got a big mouth and you're controversial, you're going to get attention."

Also in honour of American Idol starting this week:

 

CHORUS:

She bangs, she bangs

Oh baby when she moves, she moves

I go crazy 'cause she

Looks like a flower

But she stings like a bee

Like every girl in history

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Holy Shit. I think I just found a subliminal message written in the first paragraph that tells us the same thing - a warning, if you will - that the whole article does. It's very subtle, but it's there and it's very true.

 

When it was first discovered that Chris Benoit had drawn the #1 entry in the 2004 Royal Rumble, I thought it made for a good little storyline. Paul E had said that after Benoit lost a WWE Title match to Brock Lesnar, Benoit would never get another chance at that belt. On SmackDown just a couple weeks later, Benoit teamed with John Cena in a handicap match against the FBI with the stipulation that, if Benoit and Cena won, they would both be in the Royal Rumble.

 

... the guy is pretty hard on himself, but as they say, the truth shall set you free. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I never read 411 columns (and, quite frankly, couldn't get through this one).

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

1. Chris Benoit is the greatest wrestler of all time.

 

 

2. Never complain about the internet on the internet. Complain to your one friend who does not care. (It's kind of sad how more people know about Hulk Hogan than Chris Benoit. It would have been more impressive if Chris Benoit would have body slammed Andre, but I digress.)

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

1. Chris Benoit is the greatest wrestler of all time.

 

2. Never complain about the internet on the internet. Complain to your one friend who does not care. (It's kind of sad how more people know about Hulk Hogan than Chris Benoit. It would have been more impressive if Chris Benoit would have body slammed Andre, but I digress.)

 

1) That's debatable.

 

2) How is that sad? Hogan is one of the guys that's drawn the most in the industry (besides Austin, Rock, and probably Flair)..and at one point, was the most well-known star in wrestling. He's at a level that Benoit will never touch. Is it sad because all the marks will never revere some gap-toothed internet cult hero?

[ChrisMWaters 0]

And on top of all that, he coudn't be bothered to give us a logical reason for Benoit to jump to Raw.

Have you forgotten how Heyman said that as long as he was Smackdown GM, Benoit would NEVER...EEEEEEEVER get another shot at the WWE Title?

[Guest Goodear]

Allow me to write the new Anti-Smark diatribe for the next year. At least it will sound different...

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

All through out the Internet we have a whole load of people who wish to call themselves a little something called 'smart marks'. They follow wreslting a little deeper than most and have what is essentially a different set of standards for what they might consider a good wrestler than the non-smart fan, but this in of in itself does not remove a prime component of what being a 'smart mark' is. It's being a mark. A rather huge one actually when you think about it. Sure, they don't come right out and say it all the time, but few people care quite so much about the pre-determined endings of matches more than a smart mark.

 

All you need to do to see this in action is look at the case of Chris Benoit. Widely regarded as at least one of the foremost wrestlers in WWE, Benoit's matches are watched with almost a fanatical determination that HE MUST WIN. But why is this the case? Why does it matter to us? Some might say that it is because a main event push demands that Benoit be put into important angles and be given longer amounts of time to put on his matches. The issue with that is simply that Benoit gets that all ready! Chris Benoit has been involved with major angles for years at a time now with only one month of consistantly bad losses in the entire span. He is often involved in longer matches than most anyone on the roster other than men on a similar level such as Eddie Guerrero and does so more frequently than even the current WWE Champion Brock Lesner. So ... I ask you, what does winning and losing actually mean to the career of Chris Benoit at this point?

 

We toss around such terms as 'buried' so often now that it seems as though some workers actually have about twenty miles of dirt on top of them with Chris Jericho being a prime example. But the facts of the matter don't carry over to a smart point of view. It only works if you concern yourself entirely with wins and losses. If you're a mark loud and true.

 

The only real difference between being a smart mark and a mark is simply the basis for which we determine who to cheer and who to boo. We boo Triple H not because he's a bad guy on the program but because he's a 'bad guy' according to backstage rumor and the fact that he is married to Stephanie McMahon. Honestly though, should those things really matter to us? So what if Triple H is the World Champion? It's a fake belt (they all are). It is not as though HHH really fills up a ton of air time anymore on a regular basis. It's not as though when he had twenty minutes to work a match with a good opponent and it blew because of him. But still we route for his downfall because of a whole lot of reasons that wouldn't matter if we were 'smart'.

 

So in the end, the real line between being a 'mark' and a 'smart mark' is about as thin as thin could be. It's just the line that connects your computer to the internet. You still want certain people to win. You still want certain people to lose. But in the end, its a phoney win. It's a phoney loss. The fact that you care who wins more than the quality of a match only goes to show just how 'smart' everyone is.

[haVoc 0]

Will he double dog dare me to tell him that WWE FUCKING SUCKS? There's a difference between being negative for the sake of being negative and being negative because there is nothing to be positive about.

There is nothing to be positive about? There isn't anything or anyone you like at the moment? You hate everything on the show?

[Guest Ghettoman]

So rather than actually debate his points it just gets written off as "anti-smark ranting" that holds no water? Hmmmmm.....

[Cherry Blossom Viscount 0]

Yeah, that's what happen to all of the yearly anti-smark rants. And if someone does dispute the point, they refer to the author by the name of idiot (as if he will rad the "rebuttal") an go on to curse up a storm, than somewhere towards the middle of the end say, "they don't care what some guys says, they ARE fans damnit!" Let's see if somone can INTELLIGENTLY rebutt both the original article and Goodear's excellent post. We shall see.

[Guest Anglesault]

So rather than actually debate his points it just gets written off as "anti-smark ranting" that holds no water? Hmmmmm.....

Okay.

 

 

His point that Benoit wants to be jobbed out to Orton and Batista is asinine.