Well, I�m back with another commentary. I am done school until the fall and am currently working at a library for the summer. That�s right... I�m the �Complete� librarian. I basically get paid to read books. I have so much time on my hands at work that I just get to chill out and read. I�m currently reading �Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.� If anyone out there has contemplated reading this book, I definitely suggest it to you. It�s fabulous reading.
Anyways, with all this new time on my hands I have some more time to update the site. I have a new webmaster (Diane), who is terrific at putting updates up for me as soon as I send them to her. So I hope to see more frequent updates this summer.
A LOT has been going on in my personal life lately, and I thought about writing about it... but I decided that it is neither relevant to wrestling (this IS a wrestling site) and that you probably don�t care. So... I have decided to write about gimmick matches and later, shed some light on my upcoming NSP match with JC Owens.
In a recent post on the NSP message board, Robb the Reff wrote,�I've read all the comments on GMs on the board lately and thought I'd throw in my 1..2...3 cents worth on the topic.
I personally believe GMs should only be used as the culmination of a feud after a strong build up. Otherwise they become common place and serve no real value as an attraction to the show.
What sense does it make to have say Lazz and Fury start a feud by having a ladder match. You need to give the boys time to develop the story line, face-off against each other in WRESTLING matches, see what develops and then choose the GM to close it out.
Note: I do not consider hardcore matches to be gimmick matches. Some may disagree but I do see them as a "style�of wrestling. They used to be GMs back in the good old days but now they are common place and I'll rant more about that later.
Back to GMs. They serve a big purpose in the world of pro wrestling, but only if used correctly and at the right times. There is a big danger factor in these matches and by expecting talent to do these on a regular basis will cut back their careers. The boys are in the business to make it to the WWE or NWA-TNA and they will not get there by performing GMs all the time. The ability to tell a story, while incorporating some high-impact,
high-flying moves, and SELLING throughout a match is what will get them noticed. (Selling is another topic on which I have a strong opinion which I'll reserve for later).
Spot fest matches just SUCK and GMs used at the wrong times or for the wrong reasons SUCK too.
robbthereff.cjb.net - RTR
Now to throw in my 2 cents. Basically I only have things to add to Robb�s dead-on comments. Robb is not only a fabulous ref, but has a really good mind for the sport of wrestling. He is by far the best ref in Ontario, and any match I have with him reffing is that much easier because he opens the lines of communication in the ring so well. With that being said, I must say that I TOTALLY agree with Robb�s comments concerning gimmick matches.
�I personally believe GMs should only be used as the culmination of a feud after a strong build up.� Right on Robb. Too often promoters screw this one up. The problem that a lot of promoters run into in Ontario is that they only run shows every other month or every three months. So, it�s hard to build feuds and have fans connect with the wrestlers� personas. However, NSP DOES run on a regular basis and the fans diligently follow the storylines. Therefore, NSP has the opportunity to not screw this up. Let�s say the fans wanted to see my match with JC Owens this month be a �Last Man Standing� match. OK, that�s doable, but it not only doesn�t make sense, but it also has no build up. Yes I have been chasing the Independent title for months now, but I haven�t been directly involved with JC Owens. He and I have no history together in NSP. Actually, I have no history with him in any fed in Ontario. I�ve never been involved in a singles match with him in my short 2 years in the business.. I�ve been in a 3-way dance with him and TJ early in my career. (We knocked over an old lady in the process). And I�ve wrestled him in tag matches with Showtime in my corner vs. him and The Hippy. (Not to mention a duck-duck-goose contest). Now that I think of it, every time I get in the ring with JC I become involved in some of the funniest and stupidest moments in indy wrestling history.
Anyways, the point is that JC and I have no history in NSP. Sure a gimmick match would be cool, but it wouldn�t help NSP in any way. Gimmick matches (as Robb says) should be used as a conclusion to a feud. Me and JC are just beginning one. If we start with gimmick matches, where do we go from there? Gimmick matches work as conclusions to a feud because they both END the feud, making it final, and they help put people in the seats. That�s why Dangerboy and Showtime�s ladder match did so well. Fans keep saying, �Look at the ladder match, the Polish Hall was packed because they had a gimmick match.� NO! The Polish Hall was packed because the gimmick match had a build up. The history between Showtime and Dangerboy is known in Niagara AND the show before had an awesome mic spot by Showtime that had him tell the fans to come out to the next show because he was gonna giv�er. Also, the NSP management did an unbelievable job of advertising the show. A combination of all those things filled the Polish Hall, NOT the simple fact that there was a ladder match on the show.
�There is a big danger factor in these matches and by expecting talent to do these on a regular basis will cut back their careers. The boys are in the business to make it to the WWE or NWA-TNA and they will not get there by performing GMs all the time.
The ability to tell a story, while incorporating some high-impact, high-flying moves, and SELLING throughout a match is what will get them noticed.� Yes there is definitely a danger factor in most gimmick matches. But the most important thing that Robb mentions here is what he says about the boys getting noticed by the fed. The fed is NOT looking for people who can bleed. ANYONE can do that. They don�t want people that can hit people with trash cans or even fly off a ladder. They want people who can WORK. Plain and simple. (Well.... and people that look like a million bucks.) If you look good, and can work, the fed will take notice. Gimmick matches do NOT display someone�s work rate. You can�t send a gimmick match to the fed. Showtime can�t send that ladder match to Vinnie Mac. It doesn�t show why Showtime is such a great wrestler. It just shows that he and Dangerboy are too crazy Mo Fo�s. I can�t send a gimmick match to Vince because it�s not going to show my strengths. BUT, if I do send a gimmick match, Vince will think that those ARE my strengths (because you should send tapes of your strengths in the ring) and he will think I�m best at gimmick matches. A wrestler that can only be used for gimmick matches isn�t that usable. The fed has thousands of matches year. A worker has to be able to work ANY type of match that is called for as it pertains to his gimmick, size, style, etc. Basically the point is that although a lot of indy fans love to see gimmick matches, it�s because (if done right) they appear to be special occurrences. If the match is portrayed as being a special event, the fans will see it that way. There�s nothing special about a �Last Man standing� match between 2 guys that have never faced each other 1-on-1 in a wrestling ring before.
Therefore, gimmick matches are only good for one reason on the indy circuit... making $. Because the fact is that they DO NOT help workers make it to the fed. And that�s our goal.
I could continue on this subject, but I think I�ll end that subject here. I�m sure you will see this topic disputed many times on the NSP board and among other wrestling enthusiasts around the world.
Now let�s talk about my match with JC Owens at the next NSP show on May 24th. I don�t usually talk about my matches in my commentaries but I think this one is a little different. This is what I�ve been working towards since I started in NSP/FSPW 2 years ago. It�s funny when I look back at my first match with NSP/FSPW. A little known fact is that I was in the very first FSPW match EVER. It was me and Inferno vs. Magnus. I got completely killed in that match. Needless to say, I think I�ve come a long way since those days. Now I�m wrestling for the Independent title in the best indy fed in Ontario. And I�m wrestling one of the best workers in Ontario too. I�m really looking forward to it. I�m stoked about it mainly because I don�t get to wrestle in the BIG man vs. little man scenario that often. I can�t remember the last time I was in a match like that. And I see it as a great opportunity to tell a story. At the last NSP show I was talking to Dangerboy about my match with JC and he said he wished he could work JC. He wished he could work him because of the psychology involved in a match with a big man. It�s the classic big guy vs. little man contest. Good vs. bad, speed vs. power, underdog vs. the expected winner, David vs. Goliath. It�s a story as old as time itself and a situation that any crowd can get caught up in if done right. I hope I do it right.
I�ve studied lots of Shawn Michaels tapes from the mid 90's. He basically worked every big man in the business during that era and kept the WWF in business because of it. His matches with Undertaker or Diesel, or even the always sh*tty Sid are psychological masterpieces. To be able to get a crowd involved in a match based on emotion rather than cool moves should be the goal of every worker. It goes back to what Robb talked about in his comments, �SELLING throughout a match is what will get [workers] noticed� Michaels was so good because you believed him when he was showing you that he was hurt. He was just so damn good at making it look like the big man was beating him up. And it�s even harder in today�s wrestling world, with today�s wrestling fans. Most (if not all) of the people in the crowd at the next NSP show will know that JC is not �actually� beating me up. One of my personal goals as a worker is to make people forget that they are watching a �fixed� match. If I can trick the crowd (who knows that wrestling isn�t �real�) into thinking for even a few minutes that I actually AM hurt, I feel like I�ve done something unique. I�ve made the crowd forget that they are attending a pre-determined contest and are currently witness a grade-A butt whipping. Fooling the marks is always the best :)
Anyways, I think I�m gonna end this here. I have some more stuff to say about my match with JC but I don�t wanna talk about it here. I want to do my talking in the ring. So if you wanna see JC LITERALLY kick my ass on May 24th, be sure to come early and get a good seat. But I will say this, don�t be surprised if I have a few tricks hidden in my gimmicks :)
In conclusion, hopefully this commentary has made you view gimmick matches a little differently, AND opened your eyes to what a good wrestling match REALLY consists of. Let me know what you think via email or on the message board.
"Completely" yours,
Cody Steele