So.... did Edge and Randy Orton actually have the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever last night? Of course not, don't be silly.
But
they certainly DID have the Greatest Wrestling Match of the COVID
Performance Center Era, and as we approach the halfway point of 2020,
also a match that appears a strong contender for Match of the Year.
Which is pretty damned impressive, and was a pleasant surprise to This
Humble Viewer (who was smart enough not to actually buy in the "best
ever" hype). And hey, maybe it helped even more that the announcers
went out of their way to lower my expectations even more just moments
before the match started, promising "unique camera angles," "enhanced
sound," and other "cinematic" add-ons.... oh the horror (especially
after having just endured the Street Profits/Viking Raiders skit)!
But
no worries. Turns out the most annoying thing was that they insisted on
dubbing in very fake crowd noise, but honestly, it was done way more
artfully than when canned crowd noise was Standard Operating Prodedure
for the better part of the 90s. Tip of the hat to all involved. And
best wishes to Edge, who reportedly suffered a triceps injury during
the match, which would obviously put a damper on the logical rubber
match in this feud..... here's hoping his remarkable comeback run isn't
put on hold for too long.
Meantime, there's nothing new to
report on getting the forums back. The last 3 weeks haven't necessarily
been super hectic or demanding on my time.... yet somehow, with the
entire country in a full meltdown, it's also been damned near
impossible for me to prioritize computer code over trying to process
the whole shit storm.
I will gladly take a moment, however, to give some credit where it's due. This was Keith Lee's ring gear for the most recent NXT Takeover:
WWE has a history of not getting anywhere near political or social
justice issues, not just in storylines, but going so far as to
discourage talent from speaking up too loudly. This is the company that
got all passive-aggressively testy when Lita dared to wear "Time's
Up/#metoo" gear at the Royal Rumble 2 years ago; they didn't dare
actually confront her about it, but they made sure everybody else got
the message that they had better not pull any of that happy crappy.
And
don't even get me started on the hypocrisy of WWE's happy shiny attempt
to be "anti-bullying" so long as Vince -- and the "Culture of Vince,"
resplendant in all its immaturity, shitty-sense-of-humor-having, and
love of public humiliation -- is still around.
But
this? This is good. Not only did WWE issue the basic public relations
blurb about how they condemn all racism and injustice, but it was
followed up by an internal email encouraging talent to speak up however
they want. And just in case some of the talent didn't necessarily buy a
corporate email, Triple H held an intense locker room meeting where he
put a very personal touch on it and basically swore that there would be
no trouble for anyone speaking up for Black Lives Matter or related
issues. So it has come to pass that over the past 10 days, we've seen
WWE performers making their feelings known via ring gear, gestures,
social media, and in the case of the New Day, a full 2 hour podcast.
As
a white man living in a world built for white men, I can't pretend to
fully comprehend the totality of the injustice that exists in our
society. But I like to think I've had a ballpark idea, and have always
done what little I could to be Not Part of the Problem. If I've picked
up anything the past 3 weeks, it's that there's another necessary step:
becoming Part of the Solution. I know I'm not there yet, but speaking
up and trying to change just one mind and offering full and
unconditional support for badly-needed reforms (some already being
implemented, even!) is a good start for anyone, and that includes WWE.
Now.....
if only we could get WWE to quit talking out of both sides of its mouth
with regard to the OTHER half of our national meltdown. The one where
most places that aren't New York are suddenly re-approaching record
levels of COVID-19, because people don't care and just want to pretend
like everything is back to normal. Reports are that not only will WWE
bring back fans as soon as they are legally permitted to do so in
whatever jurisdiction (because, hey, "legal" is the exact same thing as
"wise," right?), but they've also more or less scaled back all the
original precautions/procedures they put in place to the point where
it's just some light disinfecting and asking talent "you feel alright
today?" when they show up. Ooof.
I guess one out of two ain't bad, though.Till next time: Be Excellent to Each Other!