It's the v2 Podcast! 29/1/13

http://v2journal.com/2/post/2013/01/the-v2-wrestling-podcast.html

It’s the V2 Wrestling Podcast!
Blowing my own trumpet here, but it’s a ruddy fantastic show this week, Part 1 has Adam, Gavin and myself discussing all things TNA including the recent Impact UK tour that we all managed to attend (though at different venues). We do our best not to give any spoilers away except myself who blurts out about the winner of a triple threat match I saw.
Part 2 is Rumble fallout as Chris replaces Adam, we discuss how the IWC in general and this forum have had huge mixed review of the Rumble, what we thought to the returns of Jericho and Goldust, the WWE Title match and then the following night’s RAW, was it wise to start the road to Wrestlemania 29 with a RAW Roulette show?
Last up in Part 3 all the gang are involved as we have our usual random musing, this week the Ultimate Warrior comes under the spotlight and if he should be inducted into the WWE HOF and then moves onto a brief discussion on Bret Hart, how he made peace with Vince and his autobiography.

As always, let us know your thoughts on the podcast, what you'd like us to discuss, any questions you have and compliments are always good! (any complaints please send to Adam via PM!)

Only listened to part 2 and 3, as I haven't watched TNA for a couple of weeks. I agreed with what was sent about the Rumble fallout. Reading this forum, it does tend to be the older fans who have less of a problem with the booking, whereas the hardcore Punk fans tend to be younger than 25.

Regarding part 3, I've tried to watch Wrestle Talk TV a few times, but find Joel Ross annoying I do enjoy Patrick Lennon's interviews though, might he be someone worth reaching out to as a potential guest of the podcast?

I've got to disagree with the thoughts on The Rock's promo. I thought the promo was very poorly delivered (surprisingly for The Rock), he looked straight past the camera, stumbled on all his words and I'm not a fan of the content. Particularly the idea of "beating" cancer. I understand that he wanted to say his mum didn't quit when faced with cancer, but I hate this idea as it suggests that those who do die of cancer are in some way weak, not good enough fighters so I think it's an area that shouldn't be used in that way.

I did say it was like he'd gone through an X Factor audition, dedicating the win to his mum with cancer and God. I was waiting on him saying how badly affected he was by the death of his neighbour's goldfish at the age of 17.

Crimey, I think you make really good points about The Rock's promo. I do think the cancer aspect was unnecessary, but in his defence it came from genuine emotion and personal experiences.

I usually hate it when people use that kind of thing to get over (X Factor being a prime example), but on this occasion I think it worked.

As I was watching the show, I couldn't get over how much The Rock reminded me of a very famous interview by Dusty Rhodes, which is known as the 'hard times' promo. It's easy to find on youtube.

The context of both the Rock and Dusty promos was that they care about the common man on the street and they are a conduit for that man to live his dreams. That a victory for The Rock or Dusty Rhodes is a win for the people.

I think that, in this context, the promo totally worked. Yes, The Rock is obscenely wealthy. Yes, he's a huge star. Yes, he's talented and good looking and worshipped wherever he goes. But he knows how the common man feels. He's been poor. He's been a nobody. And he's had to endure the harsh realities of life, courtesy of that great leveller, death itself.

And the way that he spoke, you were convinced that he'd sacrifice all his money and talent and fame if it would help his ill mother. But, in lieu of that, he wanted to do the next best thing, which is making her happy and proud by going out there and beating Punk for the WWE title.

I think that style of promo has been missing from wrestling for a long time. I found it so refreshing to hear a babyface unashamedly talk with passion about how much a title victory would mean to him that I will forgive the X Factorness of it all. I think that, ultimately, it helped to establish the importance of the match (and, by association, any future matches The Rock has) and in that regard it was a success.

I would take that style of promo any day of the week over John Cena's stand up routine or Sheamus announcing that he's not even bothered he lost the title!

crippledtart wrote:But he knows how the common man feels. He's been poor. He's been a nobody.

Sorry, when?
I mean, who am I to say what's poor or not. All I know is that if I was brought up by a pro wrestling father and a promotor mother, and that I got to travel from California to New Zealand to Hawaii to Miami and then Canada, hanging around all these amazing people that my friends could only dream of meeting, and then head off to play some College Football before the biggest wrestling promotion in the world snapped me up at only 24 years old, I wouldn't think I had such a poor childhood.

Sorry KV, I wasn't clear about that. I was talking within the context of the promo. The Rock said something in the promo, from what I remember, about turning up for wrestling training with 7 dollars in his pocket.

I'm not saying he's ever been poor, I'm saying that the message he was conveying was of somebody who had been poor and who was nothing before he became a famous wrestler. I believe the vast majority of the audience would have taken that at face value.

Ultimately, it isn't about whether he's telling white lies. It's about whether the character resonates. And I think the character he was portraying in that promo is something that resonated.

Ah, I get ya. But if The Rock showed up with $7 it's because he's forgot his bank card and had already spent $43 on lunch. The Rock reckoning he had a poor childhood smacks of #firstworldproblems.

He had to drop down sizes on his caramel frappuccino and do without a pot of houmous that week. People don't realise the suffering!

I'm younger than 25 and I was happy to see punk lose cos it freshens his character up.

I usually find its the opposite, the older crowd aligned with Punk and people like Nick were Rock fans cos of their age when Rock was in his prime

"Sniiiiiiiffff! The great one has come back to his roots! The Rock needs to tell the people his story. I know you look at The Rock and see a rippling oiled up body. I know you see the Hollywood smile and the $1000 shirt. You see the fast cars and the millions... and millions of women that want The Rock to eat a piece of their apple pie. But let me tell you, The Rock is just like each and every one of you. The Rock knows what it's like to get by on only $500k a year. The Rock knows what it's like to have to stay in a 4star hotel. The Rock knows what it's like to work 2 days in a row. So when some of you think The Rock has been away, lying on a beach, occasionally making a film and enjoying the fruits of life, know that you're wrong. The Rock embodies you. The Rock is you. So when The Rock signs a multi-million dollar contract to wrestle three times, become World Champion and main event two Wrestlemanias, know that in some way, it is each and every one of you that is doing that."

I was less bothered about the content of the promo than the shocking delivery of it. The whole time he just seemed distracted and I'm convinced he was reading a script from behind the camera.

Crimey wrote:I was less bothered about the content of the promo than the shocking delivery of it. The whole time he just seemed distracted and I'm convinced he was reading a script from behind the camera.

I completely agree with the points you've made regarding the promo. I thought there was someone behind the camera, maybe making him aware of the time he had to speak, rather than reading a script. Or maybe Tensai was trying bras on or something.

Brilliant again lads [/b]

If I can take a leaf out Heros book and use the "how my wife" reactioned to the promo then I think it had the desired effect, she got right behind the Rock and she said "Aw is that his mum?" Then she was complete shock when the rock got piinned and then cheered when he finally got the win!!!

Crimey wrote:I was less bothered about the content of the promo than the shocking delivery of it. The whole time he just seemed distracted and I'm convinced he was reading a script from behind the camera.

I made that point on the chatbox at the time as well, there's about 4 or 5 times he clearly is looking at something off screen which I presume were the autocue prompts.

VDT wrote:If I can take a leaf out Heros book and use the "how my wife" reactioned to the promo then I think it had the desired effect, she got right behind the Rock and she said "Aw is that his mum?" Then she was complete shock when the rock got piinned and then cheered when he finally got the win!!!

Has your wife though ever attempted to mock you with a poorly attempted 'U can't C Me' hand gesture?

Hero wrote:

VDT wrote:If I can take a leaf out Heros book and use the "how my wife" reactioned to the promo then I think it had the desired effect, she got right behind the Rock and she said "Aw is that his mum?" Then she was complete shock when the rock got piinned and then cheered when he finally got the win!!!

Has your wife though ever attempted to mock you with a poorly attempted 'U can't C Me' hand gesture?

its been a really long time since my wife vigorously shook her hand in front of her fave in my presence.

Hero wrote:

VDT wrote:If I can take a leaf out Heros book and use the "how my wife" reactioned to the promo then I think it had the desired effect, she got right behind the Rock and she said "Aw is that his mum?" Then she was complete shock when the rock got piinned and then cheered when he finally got the win!!!

Has your wife though ever attempted to mock you with a poorly attempted 'U can't C Me' hand gesture?

Not quite but once after a bottle or 4 of wine, she beat me at correct 4 and she attempted to say "you got beat the best there is, the best there was and....."

good podcast only listened to part 2 as the rest of it im not bothered about

I just remembered my awesome quote:

"He could get heat out of a ice cube"

Yeah we tried to brush it off at the time too.