7 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (June 2)
If a Cruiserweight dives, and nobody is around to see it, does Randy Orton still get triggered?
In a choice, hell freezes over wrestling moment this week, Jim Cornette appeared on the WWE Network (insane in and of itself, Hall of Fame speech be damned) and hashed out his wrestling philosophy with Eric Bischoff on Table For 3.
Cornette revealed that he once snotted all over the windshield of Bischoff's black corvette in a chillingly photographic rundown of his brief history with the man. From that point onward, they slowly reconciled in what was a tremendously insightful and entertaining programme. Once the bizarre image of Cornette and Bischoff in a cordial setting faded, their interactions were fascinating. "I'm beginning to love you!" Bischoff even said at one point.
In another, less insane development, it took Cornette just four minutes and six seconds to reinforce his hatred of Vince Russo, who he hilariously referred to as the "Archbishop of Talentbury". The afterlife may have frozen over, but life on planet earth went on as normal.
In a week in which it has been rumoured that Brock Lesnar is set to face the winner of Sunday's Fatal 5-Way Extreme Rules pay-per-view headliner on a throwaway episode of RAW, wrestling went even further backwards. Often literally.
7. 205 Live Is Aptly Named...
...because only 205 people bother to watch it.
News broke this week that WCW Halloween Havoc 1998 outdrew a live episodic wrestling show on the Network. That is madness. 205 Live is promoted heavily on RAW and SmackDown every week. Halloween Havoc '98 was promoted on the podcast of a man - Tony Schiavone - who hasn't been involved with mainstream wrestling in over a decade and a half.
What is to blame here?
Cynics argued that 205 Live was fated to fail because McMahon is incapable of presenting wrestling not aligned to his myopic vision of it. Its precursor, the Cruiserweight Classic, was some of the best wrestling witnessed last year. It was presented in a proper sporting framework, with rich literary threads weaved throughout. The actual wrestling was electric and unregulated. That relationship is symbiotic, funnily enough.
205 Live, in stark contrast, is a listless show presented when the real stars have left for the evening. The live crowd is already knackered. The performers are game, but tethered by the whims of a man who is clearly uninterested in the whole thing.
Is it any wonder this is all transmitted to the audience at home?