Mark Madden Hits The Nail On The Head, Again...

[nightmare]

Too many times, bookers/promoters put performers in awkward situations to see how much they’ll take. To see how far a wrestler will go in the name of company loyalty or, more, accurately, to keep his/her job.

That’s clearly what’s happening to Jerry Lawler.

Keeping his feud with Michael Cole going long after interest had died down is one thing. Frequently invoking the relatively recent death of his mother is quite another.

If I’m Lawler, I don’t do it. It doesn’t matter if Lawler is “OK with it.” Lawler shouldn’t be asked to do it, period. Some things matter more than a friggin’ wrestling angle, or the greater glory of WWE. It’s not like the mention of Lawler’s mother sells one extra ticket or PPV.

This feud died once Cole wrestled. Once we saw Cole’s total lack of athleticism, that was the death knell. Plus, the citizens seem to have cooled on his character. Cole came out of the gate strong. But now it’s same old, same old.

You’ve got to watch for collateral damage, too. Spending too much time in a feud between two announcers isn’t doing anything positive for Jack Swagger.

WWE should have Natalya referee a match between Lawler and Cole. It would be the first-ever Nat King Cole match. I’m pretty sure I stole that from somewhere.

WHO’S THE LITTLE KID WITH P.S.?

Michael Hayes managing Tyson Kidd is a good idea…in theory. Kidd can’t talk; Hayes can. Kidd is inexperienced; Hayes is a legend. Kidd can work; Hayes can help refine that.

But once you see them together, it’s a joke. Hayes is too much bigger than Kidd. It looks like Hayes is taking his son to the playground. (They got playgrounds on Bad Street?) The last thing a manager should do is make his protégé look minuscule and less dangerous. Guilty on both counts.

Remember when DDMe managed Badd Company in the AWA? DDMe used to TOWER over Diamond and Tanaka. It looked SILLY, i.e., provided the template for DDMe’s career.

Anyway, Kidd needs more than a manager. He needs to be in a tag team, too. Vince would have to go REALLY old-school to make Tyson Kidd useful.

That said, Vince seems committed to giving managers a try. Arn Anderson is next out of the chute. Arn will be great. He can talk, he’s the right size, he can work, he’s still in shape. Arn could be one of the best managers EVER.

This is a part of Madden's recent column on the WZ main page. Spot on. The situation with Cole/Lawler has run its course. Cole will not benefit anymore from this and Lawler shouldnt have to tarnish his legacy with cheap jokes about his mom to keep his spot. Gaining heat for Cole didnt have to come at the price of pushing Lawler into the ground and making Swagger a 'lackey'.


I do like the idea of bringing back managers, but Hayes/Kidd isnt the combo to start with IMO. The idea/use of a manager in this version of the WWE will never work like it has before (Heenan,Fuji,Albano, etc). Given the circumstances it could have some benefit. Pair Sheamus or McIntyre with Finlay, or Ron Simmons with Ezekiel Jackson. The younger crew will gain experience and the crowds/viewers will eat up the nostalgia. The sheer presence of legends will envoke a positive response and help surround the newer talent with a 'buzz' from the crowds. NXT might have had a better drawing if the pro/rookie pairings made more sense. If done right, the much needed talent overhaul can have new stars made sooner rather than later. The idea of the manager is to enhance the talent, not overshadow it by a mismatched pairing.

Obviously Madden rubs folks the wrong way at times, but this is one of those editorials that hits the nail on the head.

Thoughts on the column? Lawler/Cole? Manager and Talent pairing suggestions?

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think its about time that the Cole/Lawler feud is put to bed, it is beginning to drag now. However, it has done a great job of establishing Cole as a major heel and making Lawler relevant for the first time in years. But I think Cole now needs to move on to something else, although I am not quite sure what. Is he going to become a manager at some point? Or a heel GM? Who knows?

I am not sure I agree with the Kidd and Hayes opinion though. Hayes towered over the Hardyz when he managed them after they debuted didnt he? I think Tyson Kidd has potential and I would like to see Hayes get a more permenant spot as his manager. Kidd has done nothing as a singles wrestler yet, so its good that he is getting some kind of a push.

Arn Anderson as a manager will be awesome. He is one of the best talkers of all time, and whoever he manages will certainly benefit. I am looking forward to seeing who Vince pairs him with. I bet there are alot of guys in the back who are hoping it is them.

 

[Calderownz]

I agree with him. However, I think that it finished up on Sunday. Considering that Madden has finally come out with this with less than a week before it probably ends really doesn't say much. It's probably ending at about the time it should have.

If it ended three weeks prior, I doubt anyone complains. However, I don't think that this has taken up too much time in the bigger picture. It was funny at first, then got a bit dull and is now finally ending. I don't really see the problem, to be honest. The pop for Cole losing and kissing King's feet will probably be a big enough finish to satisfy.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that Cole vs. Lawler is coming to an end this Sunday. I think it's gone on for a little bit longer than it should have but, overall, I've enjoyed it a lot. Both of them did extremely well in their roles and I think people are ultimately primed to see Cole really get his this Sunday. Jack Swagger won't be in his corner to help him out so all the cards are on the table for fans to watch Cole get smacked around for a while.

As to what do to next with Cole, I think he needs to disappear for a while from Raw, maybe even just be assigned to SD! exclusively.

 

[Trill Co$by]

If you follow the man who failed in being a WCW commentator and think he's a genius, then I honestly believe you're the more moronic one for following what he says... With this topic alone, let's take a look at what Madden mentions.

1. He claims that Swagger isn't getting a positive push off of this, and I can honestly prove that this is far more false than the theory of Elvis dying on the toilet. Swagger has been the center piece of Cole's victories, minus the Mania turn over, since the beginning. He's been getting MUCH more television time than he had in the past, and last Monday (as you saw) him breaking away from Cole set him up for either a solo heel run on Raw or a face turn. Sure, he faced Cena in the Main Event, but when the heel Henry came to Raw he faced a heel Orton and he too went face. If you ask me, I'd say Swagger is benefited greatly. THIS is one of many reasons why Madden isn't a booker.

2. He claims that Jerry shouldn't be ASKED if it's ok to talk about his mom, but here's the thing... Cole is a heel, and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Lawler make a career out of insulting dead relatives? Putting that with the inexperience of Cole, I would not be shocked if Lawler was the first to suggest that Cole should attack his mother. And why shouldn't he? That's the best cheap heat Cole can get and when Lawler DOES win, it'll make it even better.

3. Apparently MARK Madden doesn't remember what exactly Hayes did for two young kids from Raleigh, North Carolina. Sure, they faded to a negative roll years later, but as far as their careers go, putting them with Hayes was the best thing Vince did for them. And now, here Vince is giving a new up and comer the same treatment in what I believe is hope that Tyson Kidd can become the next Jeff Hardy, only without the drugs. Not to mention, Hayes probably will be able to teach Tyson some tricks of the mic and that will only further benefit him in the future. OH! And there's the fact that if this goes well, Tyson will get a big time face turn after Hayes drops Kidd for another "team player".

4. Why is your example of manager/clients about similar ethnicity and origins? How does putting Ron Simmons with Ezekiel Jackson work? How does Finlay with Sheamus/McIntyre work? Is Finlay even still around? Pretty sure he got pinked after talking during the national anthem. You really think that a manager of the same origin/ethnicity is completely fine just for that reason alone but putting Henry with someone like Nash wouldn't have the same "nostalgic" affect? Ric Flair wasn't Filipino when he managed/teamed with Batista to get him over in Evolution.


Seriously, MARK Madden is exactly what his first name claims to be and if you agree with anything that he says then I'm honestly going to throw it back at you.

 

[nightmare]

Managers throughout time have been a bit similar to their wrestlers, not all, but many. Afa\Headshrinkers- Fuji\Yokozuna , etc. It is a formula that works. Simmons & Jackson would work. A former Champ & a future star who needs help with the mic. Finlay could relate to Drew\Sheamus on a different level than say, someone from mexico\USA. Plus his style is tenacious & both have shown a mean streak.


Random pairings have worked in the past, but if it dosent make a lick of sense- then it dosent work. Nash being paired up with Henry makes no sense. Flair paired with Batista made sense. Why? B\C the company had them in a stable patterned after the 4 Horsemen- Flair makes sense in that regard.


Again, they were just some suggestions i thought might work.

 

[multiverseman.com]

I disagree about Hayes/Kidd.

This isn't 1986. Any fan with a brain can tell which one of them could whip your ass and it ain't the old guy with the extra height.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Bryan Danielson once said "what the fuck do you know about wrestling?" Which I have to ask that about Mark "fly fatass fly" Madden.

So...let's say Lawler suggested the use, and because he's a professional that doesn't take mixing wrestling and real life too seriously I find that plausible. What's wrong with that? It doesn't offend me, shit, call lawler's moma filthy white trash ****e for all I care, doesn't offend me. If it gets the storyline over and everyone is okay with it, do it.

As for the pairings, Madden sounds like a smark. Really, what the fuck? Tyson Kidd will get over with a mouthpiece, if he doesn't, it's not because he's shorter than Hayes.

Really, what the hell? Who publishes this guys' garbage? He's like Glenn Beck, it's so atrocious and nonsensical, yet it appeals to the ****** extremists and is so full of shit that it gathers interest. REALLY??? Someone agrees with him? Someone who has the brain power to operate a computer?

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

King vs Cole is something that should have gotten over at WrestleMania regardless of Cole's ability in the ring or the lack of it. This feud was all about creating a feel good moment at the biggest show of the year and the WWE surprisingly missed the boat with that. They don't do that often. Heel, annoying non wrestlers are not supposed to win at WrestleMania especially if the referree happens to be Stone Cold Steve Austin.

As for the comments on Lawler's mom, it's been done for storyline purposes and everyone involved understands that. None better than Lawler actually because involving families to add heat to a story is a very old school thing. It's supposed to make people hate the bad guy and it did it's job, I guess.

As for Hayes managing Kidd, I'm not worried about it because of their respective sizes but because Hayes has not been on TV for quite some time. I think that Hayes should be given some TV time before he starts managing Kidd on a regular basis claiming how he made similar sized wrestlers like Jericho and The Hardyz stars in the WWE. Of course, he did not do it but he should lie in classic heel fashion.

 

[HorsemenNo4]

I love Madden's columns. Most of what he says makes a lot of sense and I question why the WWE writers don't see these major flaws.

Arn Anderson as a manager would be incredible. My only fear is a stable forming and instantly being referred to as the Horsemen. There have been so many incarnation of the Horsemen and Impact Wrestling currently has one. If Arn becomes a manager, hopefully its with 1 or 2 guys so that reference isn't made.

Like many said, the Cole/Lawler feud should have ended at Wrestlemania. Nothing substantial has come from dragging it out. The ONLY good thing I can find is J.R. has been on RAW a few times since and that's always a good thing. Aside from that, it's plain annoying. I've gotten used to turning the TV on mute or watching something else when Cole starts talking or doing a segment. Hopefully it ends this sunday or I may just keep RAW turned off.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I read Madden's columns from time to time. He makes a number of points, I can agree with. He's right about Cole/Lawler. The feud was ok for a minute but for it to have taken place at WM at the cost of an IC, US or Women's title matches (I know the diva division sucks, but it should still be showcased at the biggest ppv), was the wrong call. To make it a staple of 3 ppvs is just pushing it. This feud between a WWE HoF now a colour commentator vs. his fellow commentator won't help the WWE in any serious way so WWE shouldn't be carried away with it.

As far as Hayes and Arn being managers, I like the idea. Perhaps it would help Nexus and the Corre to have them as their managers. Both factions have fallen off quite a bit. Randy Orton just ran through Nexus and Punk like they were nothing but a joke. Corre has very little value since they started. Ultimately though, a manager can help but it's the rivalries, storylines and matches that make the difference to how audience's respond to a performer. If the manager helps that it's a plus, but they need something to work with. I would love more stables, I'm not sure it's needed now, but if they added more I'm ok with it as long as the program is made more interesting.