WOLVIE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS
(Just your regular everyday highly biased and highly opinionated wrestling column)
Every Friday, report back here for my latest rant about the big-time pro-wrestling monopoly that is WWF-WCW-ECW. You may not agree with my views...but that's all right, since I don't always agree with yours, either.
WHEN REALITY STRIKES...
by Chris Wolvie
[Vented September 14, 2001]
To hell with the Alliance as pertains to the World Wrestling
Federation...we now know the TRUE meaning of 'invasion'.
On September 11, 2001 at 8:45am EDT, a hijacked American Airlines jet flew a kamikaze
mission into one of the World Trade Center's "Twin Towers" in New York City. 18
minutes later, a United Airlines plane rammed into the other tower. A third plane flew
into the side of the Pentagon building in Washington D.C...all within the span of an hour.
A fourth hijacked plane crashed outside of Pittsburgh and, though the death toll was lower
there, the plane had been intended to hit Washington as well.
The fires in the Pentagon kept burning throughout the day. The Twin Towers, the third and
fourth tallest buildings in the world, collapsed in a pile of rubble. Thousands were
killed...and hundreds of thousands injured. And everybody starts to point a finger at this
terrorist and that nation, wanting revenge in the worst way for the first major attack on
American soil since the LAST day that lived in infamy: December 7, 1941...the day Japan
attacked Pearl Harbor.
Everything was cancelled that terrible day. It started with the airports, closing down
until noon the next day and sending all flights in the air to Canada. All national
monuments and amusement parks were closed down, and all the stock markets halted trading
for the day. Major League Baseball, college football and the National Football League
cancelled all its games all the way through the weekend, and many other sporting events
were postponed and/or rescheduled.
The WWF was to be taping the next edition of SMACK DOWN! in Houston's Compaq Center that
fateful night. Like every other sporting event, they decided to postpone the event.
However, as you saw, they switched it to a live showing on Thursday night. This tragedy
may have effected the organization whose fans a decade ago thought the "Twin
Towers" were Akeem and Big Boss Man but, as the old show biz saying goes, the show
must go on.
No one would've blamed the WWF if they cancelled operations for the entire week...not to
start again until the next RAW on Monday night. Indeed, this has stunned the entire
country, and the fans would've understood perfectly if the wrestlers were as equally
stunned and unable to perform to the best of their ability.
But this isn't the first time Vince McMahon "let the show go on". Indeed, a few
years ago, a tragedy that hit closer to home rocked the WWF and, yet, the TV tapings went
on.
May 23, 1999. Kansas City. The pay-per-view OVER THE EDGE. Owen Hart, as the Blue Blazer,
was preparing to be lowered into the ring for a match against the Godfather for the
Intercontinental Championship. But the hitch in Owen's harness came loose and he plummeted
over 70 feet into the ring. The EMTs got into the ring and took him to the hospital, but
Owen was already dead. J.R. announced it to the PPV audience a few matches later.
Still, the show went on. Even with this tragic turn of events, the wrestlers in the later
matches continued to perform. From the 8-man Corporate Ministry vs. Union match to the
Rock/Triple H match to Austin vs. Undertaker for the WWF Title, they pressed on to finish
the PPV...even though it would never be shown again and, to this date, has not been
released on video.
The next night...Monday night. A live broadcast of RAW (back before SMACK DOWN! when
they'd show one RAW live on Monday, then tape the following week's show on Tuesday) had
been scheduled. But the normal array of matches was tossed away and a special
"tribute night" of matches was made (much like this week's SMACK DOWN! was). No
titles on the line, no glory, no bragging. The snippets of different wrestlers' memories
of Owen before each commercial break brought tears to everyone's eyes. And the final sight
of Steve Austin toasting Owen's image on the TitanTron with a beer has been etched in
fans' minds forever.
The next night...the RAW taping. It looked like business as usual for the WWF. Same
storylines, same grudges, same stuff they had before Owen's death.
After that, though, all house shows for that week were rescheduled for later dates. After
over 48 hours of fighting through the pain, the WWF wrestlers - and their fans - could
properly mourn Owen's passing. Everyone understood perfectly why this had to be done. We
didn't begrudge them in the least for this.
Why should this week be any different? Why didn't the WWF cancel SMACK DOWN! and show...I
dunno, some highlights or something? UPN has them scheduled for two hours on Thursday
night...certainly they could put SOMETHING there. Why not WRESTLEMANIA 13 or a similar
pay-per-view?
We would've understood perfectly. Why should WWF and E/WCW superstars be any less human
just because they appear to be super human athletes? Some of them MUST have family in
Manhattan, family that they needed to get in contact with and to join once the airports
re-opened. And, if those relatives had perished, they deserve time to mourn as well.
But, no...Vince pushed them on. I guess his remedy for getting over tragedy was to take
their minds off the World Trade Center by getting back to work. For some, this might
help...but it's not the cure for everyone.
Then again, though, isn't the WWF just an escape from the harsh reality of life anyway?
Don't we watch SMACK DOWN! and RAW to put our troubles away for two hours and watch these
athletes put their very lives on the line for our entertainment? Maybe, in that case, the
moving of SMACK DOWN! was a good idea after all. For the past three days, we've seen
nothing but reruns of the Twin Towers collapsing and President Bush's statements about
getting even with the ones responsible AND whoever's harboring them. We NEEDED the break.
President Bush said, "These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of
American resolve." In much the same way, the attacks on the World Trade Center and on
the Pentagon may have pushed the WWF far into the background but, deep down, the fans
needed to cheer our heroes in the ring in order to keep a firm grip on our sanity in the
midst of crisis. The WWF superstars may have been psychologically bloodied by theses
terrorist attacks, but they are far from unbowed.
It's the American resolve that, after such a serious shock to the system - whether it's a
7.1 earthquake, a stock market crash, a bombing, a hurricane or even a terrorist attack -
to pick up the pieces, put the matter in the hands of a higher authority (both politically
and religiously) and get on with our lives as best we can.
The WWF could've curled up into a ball and sobbed for a week in the light of the attacks
but they, too, got on with their lives.
I guess that's something we as Americans can truly understand perfectly.
(To donate
to the relief effort, whether by time, money or even blood, get all the information at
1-800-GIVE-LIFE [1-800-448-3543]. You can also look in your local newspaper for
places where you can donate.)
Chris Wolvie, the .netter who ALWAYS tells it like it is
Comments, detractions and general praise to cwolvie@go.com
The opinions are mine and do not reflect those of the Webmaster...although I'm sure both
our prayers are with those who lost their lives.
