So, here you have "Watch Wresslin' Wednesdays." Please feel free to suggest a better title, because we are woefully uncreative when it comes to naming stuff.
The idea of W.W.W. is we each send the other a video that is related to wrestling (a match, promo, interview, guest starring spot, etc.). The only restriction is that it cannot be user-created, so your how-to on making an Iron Sheik Halloween costume ain't going to fly here, pal. Neither of us know what kind of video we're going to get that day.
After viewing, we each write a response. This could be anything we choose: a straight commentary, a philosophical enlightenment, or classless ridicule. Just as we don't know what kind of video the other will select, neither do we know what the other will write or how they will write it. What you end up with is a mash-up of styles, which in our book equates to two-blogs-in-one, and we can take the rest of the day off.
Adam's video to Matt - Sami Callihan vs. the Airhorns
Matt's response...
I'll be honest: the only reason I'm familiar with CZW, or Combat Zone Wrestling, because it was featured in The Wrestler when Mickey Rourke's character wrestled a stand-up fellow by the name of Necro Butcher. What that means, I don't know.
I set out to learn some more about CZW by checking out their Wikipedia page, but it became clear that it was written by someone in their PR department, if they have one. Take, for instance, the entry titled "Zandig hanging incident," where someone was hung above the ring by meathooks during a show.
The aftermath of the incident was negative, many fans even vowed never to attend a CZW show again. The company remained successful that year and had a sold out crowd for their annual Cage of Death show.
Take that, you fans with a sense of decency!
They also have a tag team named "2 Girls 1 Cup." Ok, ok. I get it. You're disgusting.
I can't really talk about their quality of wrestling, since that's not showcased here. No, what we get is a look inside the mind of the CZW fan. I don't care much about this Sami Callihan character; he's a douchebag and he's just one guy. However, the fans demonstrate that they are, in fact, scraped up from the bottom of the barrel.
Apparently, the airhorn is a thing in this promotion. They blow it during a big spot, such as when someone gets smashed with a fluorescent light bulb. But here, they've turned the tables on the wrestlers! They're going to blow it during a promo, if you can call it that.
This is what really turns me off to this whole thing, and why WWE will always be better. Sure the fans get a little rowdy from time to time, but for the most part we respect the product and enjoy watching it. It seems these guys just want to come and screw with the show. A show that, no matter how "hardcore" you think it is, is no more than backyard wrestling moved indoors, and that's only sometimes. Whatever you all think about WWE wrestlers, they can do more with a mic and without throwing each other through a pane of glass or into an electrified fence. That's not cutting edge or trendsetting. That's an easy way out.
They did, however, have a moment where there were competing "Asshole" and "Shut the fuck up" chants, and that's kinda cool.
Matt's video to Adam- Bret Hart Drawing Cartoons
Adam's response...
Bret Hart must have had a stroke in 1993.
That's the only explanation as to why he thinks he can draw. It has nothing to do with the fact that he does cartoon art either. I collect cartoon and comic art. I commission it from artists in the industry. So I should be sympathetic towards the Hitman's "talents." However, I'm not because he's really just awful.
Take for example, his sketch of the Undertaker.
Is that the Undertaker or an Islamic newspaper's political cartoon depiction of a rabbi? How about some more racial sensitivity from the Excellence of Execution?
That's Mr. Fugi? Maybe in a 1940's Disney/Loony Tunes cartoon it would be, but not 1993. Now, I know Mr. Fugi is a heel, and WWF was/is not the fore front of racial relations, but really Bret? You think that's ok to publicize? Still, it's not just your intent that's awful. Look at these two:
You know (tm) how you can tell when an impression is bad? When it opens up with "I'm (X)!" The whole point of the impression is that the voice is immediately recognizable. So by writing "IRS" on a brief case, well, sort of negates the drawing, doesn't it Most Tragic Man Ever? Or how about, just in case someone misses the "Hulk" on the shirt, well it's also on the headband too!
Also, when you attest that Money Inc. doesn't like your drawings, well it's probably because they suck. Not because you're exaggerating Ted Dibase's nose.
Now, this is not to say that it's all bad. I give credit where its due (I am tough but fair!). First, you sketch in pen/marker, which is impressive. You also work off no photo reference, so the exaggerations can be expected a little. But it seems rather disingenuous when he's preaching that "everyone can do something" and for him that's art. I'm all for the sentiment that everyone can do something. Picasso can do art, I play a pretty mean bass guitar, Matt has his belly dancing, and Bret is a wrestler. Not an artist. Not a cartoonist. But a wrestler.
And possibly a doodler who could find a backup career doing caricatures on the Santa Monica pier.
5 comments:
Bret Hart actually did have a stroke, douchebag. Even if he hadn't, it ain't funny to make fun of stroke victims. How very classy of you.
Fair enough, Claire. You'll forgive us for being unaware of your position as a person with authority over what does and does not constitute internet comedy. Please do send us an email detailing which races, genders, and disabilities we are allowed to make fun of, and we will comply immediately upon receiving said email.
Also, we believe we can drop the use of words such as "douchebag"; it's quite pedestrian and, frankly, something a bitch would say.
Hi Claire,
As the author of the offending piece I feel obligated to discuss your opinion in a more straight forward manner. I feel the original response to you that Matt and I wrote was a bit too antagonistic and frankly, a little hack. It was a gut reaction and sometimes the Internet combined with our superior heel mannerisms can lead to a "Love it or leave it" attitude. Now that I've had a bit to process your criticism I would like to address it.
First off, I agree with you. Stroke victims are not funny. Bret Hart's stroke is not funny. It's just as unfunny as Jake Roberts's substance abuse, Scott Hall's substance abuse, and Jeff Hardy's substance abuse. It's just as unfunny as Jerry Lawler tendencies for young women. And it's just as unfunny as say, the man playing Hornswaggle having to pretend he's a leprachaun or the man who play Santino having to wrestle in drag. And it's just as unfunny as Jon and Kate Goselin. Or how stupid Hedi and Spencer are. Or any other thing you can think of.
So if they are all equally unfunny, wouldn't they all therfore be funny?
Take it from someone who works with the underprivalged and disabled. They hate being "special." From my experiences, most are very acerbic and realize that the only way to move past tragedy is to embrace it and be open about.
The minute you say "That's not ok" is the minute that you truely become a bad person.
Sure, this is an easy justification for me to make behind a keyboard. But I can assure you that I have enough personal constitution in myself to be honest in my real life. Would I say "Stroke, LOLZ!" if I knew Mr. Hart personally? Probably. If I just met him randomly? Probably not. But if he addressed me making jokes about his stroke. I assure you I'd own up to them and give him the same rationale.
I am sorry if this explnation is not good enough for you or if you do make distinctions on what is ok and what is not. If these things do upset then you than I feel that LOL, Wresslin' is not the site for you. There are sites on our blogroll which are less caustic than we are. But by no means will I ever apologize for the content on this site.
Besides all that though, no where once in the post did I make fun of Bret's stroke. I made fun of his cartooning ability, which I said looked like they were drawn by a person with a stroke. A thin line, to be sure, but an important one. So please read a little more carefully the next time, or you may make false accusations.
Thank you for reading and please remember to always LOL @ Wresslin'!
-Laugh Twin Adam
You're right- I owe you an apology. Who am I (or anyone else, for that matter) to have an opinion on what constitutes basic human decency. After all, who shouldn't be able to hide behind a laptop and ridicule victims of catastrophic health problems and then NOT be considered humorous? After all, YOU have a blog. I'd just love to hear any cancer jokes if you have any.
And I think I'll reserve the right to hang on to "douchebag" if I see a worthy candidate for the term even if if its something a bitch would say-although my guess is that you would have considerable expertise with being labled one by folks across the board.
Adam-
Humor is a gut reaction. Finding something funny or not funny is not something I think most people have to mull over. In that sense, yes- my response was a gut reaction. I did not find the line to be funny at all. I don't think that gives me a morally superior attitude. Everyone draws a line somewhere.
I don't buy the equally unfunny = funny argument. It just doesn't make sense.
As someone who has also had considerable experience with disabled and sick people, I can tell you that you simply can't paint everyone with the same brush. No, no one wants to be singled out for a disability or otherwise tough lot in life, but there's a difference between being open and mockery.
Everyone has a limit when they say "thats not okay". That doesn't make them bad people- that simply demonstrates differing thresholds for humor. Its something inherent to human nature.
While your honesty is appreciated, it doesn't change my mind about the joke. No matter how fine a line you might consider it, I think it was made in very bad taste (after reading it carefully the first time around) because whether people put two and two together in regard to Bret Hart, in the end, you are still ridiculing stroke victims.
And no apologies necessary, but I call it like I see it; and if you have a blog for public consumption, then you clearly must expect some level debate over what you post, otherwise you'd be content with simply having a Facebook account, right?
Incidentally, this happened the be the first time I've come across the blog. Point taken- LOL, Wresslin' is, like you say, not for me.
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