The Big Guy Strikes Again

*** WARNING: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING A WRESTLING NERD DISCUSSION ZONE *** PLEASE KEEP EYES AND EARS INSIDE OF KAYFABE AT ALL TIMES *** There’s a (relatively) old episode of Raw, available on the WWE Network, where it’s announced that Mick Foley is going to be the Commissioner of the WWF(/E) to end the initial Reign of Terror from the McMahon-Helmsley Regime. As the first order of business, Foley doesn’t so much poke at the fourth wall as kick a hole in it,  hurling very specific (and very familiar) insults towards HHH and Stephanie regarding their heavy-handed booking style,  seemingly endless need to make themselves seem cool and, most importantly, their literally never-ending promos to start every show.

This, is, of course, a way to have the heels show ass without having them lose in the ring, where the real money is. But, as is often the case, it’s the face — as Jalen Rose would say — “giving the people what they want” with no regard for the long-term ramifications of their actions. That’s because, while boring to hardcore wrestling fans, these segments aren’t just ways to build heat for egotistical heels, but an integral part of allowing lapsed fans a refresher for any given week and setting the stage for new fans  Which is, outside of the actual matches, the most important thing that performers do every week.

You see, unlike NXT or Lucha UndergroundMonday Night Raw — which is, for better or worse, not just the flagship show of the WWE but professional wrestling in the United States — has more than one master (wrestling fans) to serve. Monday Night Raw, like SNL, is a weekly variety show whose primary goal is to get people interested in something that is more often than not the corner of far nerdier types. Which is to say that SNL (or Raw) is the thing that gets you to eventually to watch, for instance, 30 Rock (or NXT), a show designed for nerds, likely by nerds, that relies much more on a preexisting knowledge of the product and an appreciation of the tropes/conventions of the medium. In the same way that Jack Donaghy jokes about Hollywood liberals works significantly better when you take into account Alec Baldwin’s real life politics, knowing Rami Sebei and Kevin Steen’s history will make the feud between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens that much more exciting.

And any critic worth their salt should tell you that comparing the two shows — meaning the Monday Night Raw/SNL’s and  NXT/30 Rock‘s of the world —  is, to put it nicely, a fool’s errand. Although both types of shows focus on similar topics (the former, wrestling, the latter, comedy) they are trying to accomplish two completely different things and, nearly as importantly, in two different formats. The rigors of live television are completely different than those found in pre-taped shows, in ways that go far beyond there being no safety net.

All of this, of course, must be taken into account logistically before one even gets to the fact that these live shows are required to produce triple the amount of work each week in front of a different crowd each time, producing 15 hours in the same timeframe as the five one-hour shows taped in a single sitting surrounded by  hardcore fans. Which is all to say, that while this opening segment was –at best — boring,  the madness, there is method in it.  *** WARNING: YOU ARE NOW EXITING A WRESTLING NERD DISCUSSION ZONE *** PLEASE ENJOY YOUR COMPLIMENTARY SONIC CHILI CHEESE PRETZEL DOG MILKSHAKE ON YOUR WAY OUT *** 

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