By Mark Langseth
It's done. It's all over. And I, for one, am damn happy about it.
Oh, sorry. Didn't do the introduction. Mark Langseth here, former EMWC great and current RCW employee. Yes, I resumed my career for all those who didn't keep count and am enjoying life back in the ring again. Let me be the first to say, Danny Chayne? Ouch. He hits and does his moves as hard as it look on TV. A little bit overzealous in the ring, but a real good wrestler. However, I still don't like that he used steroids - really, that's not just a work when I say that. I really, really resent those who think that they've got to be some big huge 'roided out rock out in the ring to get over. I'm modest in size for a wrestler, yet let my abilities guide my career. BUT that's another article for another day [and trust me, I'll be back soon to write that one].
So what is it that I'm so happy about? What's over? What's done? I may be in the minority here, but it's the death of the supercard. The interfed events. Let me be the first to cheer for the death of the supercard. With the pathetic response that the latest "Master of the Ring" has garnered over the past month, the derailment of the R-Cup, and the lack of anyone caring about the Brothers-in-Arms tournament, one can finally declare the date of death of the supercard: July 24th, 2005.Now, you're probably asking, "Why the party-pooper, Mark? Why not just like them for the fun that they are?" Well, I can't. I've never enjoyed them. I've never participated in one and will never in my time on this planet. The reasons, well, they're numerous.
Well, first of all, for all those sticklers out there, yes I
was slated to actually appear in one of these things - the
granddaddy of them all. The first real supercard, International
Invitationals of e-Wrestling. While I wasn't in the tournament or an
interfed match, I was going to be in a match promoted by the fed I was
in at the time, NeCW. It was three-way match for the Light-Heavyweight
title where I would fight against Vampyro and Jinsei Shakanuzi
[Geez, Fletcher - I agreed to go BACK to a fed or yours'? Man, I should
remember some of that NeCW stuff next time...] Anyway, it was promoted
and all and I did my taped promos for it. And then... well, Clint
Fletcher and IIeW's promoter, Ronnie Deschenes, got into a bit of an
arguement. Ultimately it resulted in Fletcher pulling his matches - and
thus, me - from the IIeW event. So instead of competing at this hyped
up event, I watched at home like everyone else. At the time, I was
pretty bummed - I mean, it would've meant a way for me to
get some real high exposure and be backstage with some of wrestling
THEN greats: Casey James, Otto Verhoeven, Steve Kowalski, Brody
Thunder, J.W. Hardin, Joe Petrow, Rich and Infamous, among others. Not
getting to meet Lord Byron really bummed me.
But a week or so after, nothing really happened because of the show. In fact, the ONLY thing that happened from it was the creation of the career of Chris Myers. Now, Myers is a good enough guy and all, but if it wasn't for that one show? He might have made it to some of the big time federations, but ceratinly wouldn't have climbed to some of the heights he's experienced. But other than that one person, nothing ever resulted from the show and no one else really benefited from the show. The federations involved received a small bit of a bump, but looking back? Only two feds participating lasted past that year of 1998 - EMWC and UWF. I doubt they needed any help since they were built on big rosters. So, except for a little networking, I didn't miss much [and I was still able to make it into EMWC that year, so it didn't matter].
Then after IIeW, the World Cup of Wrestling was promoted [by yes, Clint Fletcher - not railing on ya!] and was... a flop. Not a big flop, but a flop. Neat concept, 'the world's best battling it out', but didn't have the same pop as IIeW in terms of hype and perceived impact. And then it was Night of Glory, which was a wreck and almost seriously injured one of the participants [Steven Spector]. Then IIeW re-ran the R-Cup tournament [not to mistaken with the Ralston Cup tournament]. And then... ugh, and then it just got worse and worse. More and more supercards: March to the Millenium, The Fan Site Supercard, Wicked Voodoo, Master of the Ring, Wrestlebowl, Rising Stars Living Legends, Superslam, Mark Adams Cup, Emperors Cup, and J*STAR, Brothers-in-Arms and about a billion others that were either in the development phase and fizzled [TSF Supercard] or were just held for no reason other than to hold them. Not one of those shows above means a thing. No one gets any "rub" from them, they're more workload for the wrestlers without the added benefit [they don't pay well], and they just plain rob the federations from holding those matches themselves.
And that's one of my biggest pet peeves about the supercards: it
takes away from blockbuster matches that the federations
themselves could put on. Instead of Thunder/Myers/Hansen vs. the Body
Shop, EMWC could've put on that blockbuster match and made it
mean something with a better storyline. Instead of the terrible
Thunder/Courtade Wrestlebowl match, we could have seen UWF or EMWC
lure Thunder back to put on that match at that time. Instead of
seeing Thunder/Petrow at J*STAR last year, RCW might've been able
to host the show for and maybe keep either around afterwards [hrm,
I'm seeing a trend here - is it just me, or is Brody Thunder a
supercard-whore? Survey says... YES!]. Those matches could've drawn big
money to some federation's PPV's, drawn in more viewers to the fed and,
most importantly, made for some epic feuds that would've lasted longer
than some hot-shotted angle drummed up for some half-baked supercard.So what's left? The entertainment factor? Fan enjoyment? Hey, the fans are important, but for me - as a fan - give me a built up angle with a top-notch storyline between two great workers over any meaningless tournament. I'd rather see a wrestler get built up through hard work and dedication to a federation than to whore himself out to every sort of tournament just to keep ahold to some "name" or to hotshot himself into the upper elite of wrestling.
And then we had the two worst of the worst of supercards - Wrestlebowl and Master of the Ring. Both were promoted by two dimwits who catered to their own ego-needs. Both featured mostly substandard wrestlers masking as top tier guys. Both wasted federation resources, possible "dream matches", and wrestlers' time. And, in pretty much every time they were put on, the participants and fans alike left with a bitter taste in their mouth and that terrible smell of stench wafting from the results of the show.
Now, before you start shooting me with poison-laced darts, let me get one thing clear: The federation-sponsored tournaments? Like EMWC King of the Deathmatch or the King of Cruiser type tournaments - even Crimson Glory I guess. Those are ok. They're mainly the feds' own guys with one or two outsiders given a chance. I still don't like them, but they can at least be wrapped into the feds' own storylines and works within the confines of the fed itself.
So it is with much glee that I proclaim the supercard dead, today, July 24th 2005. May you rest in peace and never, ever be dug up again!
From your "pal",
Mark Langseth
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