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Missy's Manor: Heel Factions, Looking Like A Star On TV, TNA, Indies and More

Posted: Nov 11th 2008 By: CMBurnham

I always believe heel factions can be a great asset to any promotion. Especially if the faction realizes that they need to get the baby faces over and still retain their heat. The Four Horsemen were one of the greatest heel factions ever. They could cut the big promos, get major league heat on their various beat downs, and they could elevate a baby face when it becomes the proper time. Hot Stuff/Hyatt International [pardon me for putting myself over] was able to elevate Sting & Rick Steiner by being associated with the great wrestling mind of Eddie Gilbert. We were able to have various programs ranging from myself feuding with Dark Journey [worst worker ever!]. Eddie feuding with Bill Watts. Sting & Rick Steiner's quest for the tag team belts. The bottom line was enough programs were booked that kept the television interesting. By lumping every person in a heel faction and running rough shot over every baby face is the wrong way to do business.

I remember how awesome and revolutionary the NWO was in the beginning of their 4 year run in WCW. The whole faction took a down turn when they added a million names [ex. Virgil] that watered down the act. It also got numbing when too many segments were booked that had the NWO demolish the baby faces. The show quickly became stale and killed plenty of baby faces. A great heel faction still must recognize that if they kill there opponents, than there will be nobody credible to work against. They maintain their heat by playing the numbers game on occasion. But the important lesson is to NOT KILL THE BABY FACES. When the fans lose faith in the baby faces, than you ruined the heel faction and the promotion. The worst thing you can have is by making the heel faction become the cool renegade heels and make the real baby faces look incompetent. Once you reach that situation, than you booked yourself in a bad corner.

I preferred WWE's Evolution as the sole purpose to elevate Dave [the other "Big Dave"] Batista & Randy Orton by linking them to a established headliner in HHH. Even Ric Flair got mileage by being a heel manager and tag team partner with Batista. The bottom line was HHH worked the hot main event programs. Randy Orton got elevated by working against the great promo skills of Mick Foley & The Rock. Dave Batista got to learn psychology by being linked with HHH & Ric Flair. I would consider them to be one of the last great heel factions in wrestling. Keep in mind that Randy Orton's heel faction is in the embryonic stage & The Main Event Mafia is only three weeks in.

The Main Event Mafia could have potential in having a focused program for TNA. But TNA's main objective should be in making Samoa Joe, A. J. Styles, Motor City Machine Guns, etc. to come across as superior to the Mafia & they have to be elevated for the long term future of the promotion. Samoa Joe is not going to come across as a main event player with a slip on the banana peel win. A.J. Styles is not going to be a superstar if he is constantly outsmarted and guzzled by the heels. The fans will lose interest in the baby faces and you run the risk of the fans turning on the baby faces and losing hope that they can beat the heel faction. The end result is business takes a turn for the worst, since nobody wants to pay to see a pay per view that got heels beating and outsmarting the baby faces.

The Main Event Mafia also needs to stop adding new members. Every wrestler in the Mafia was established before as a individual. By lumping every former WWE name in the Mafia, they will all start blending in to one entity. Four Main Event Mafia matches on a pay per view or house show can run the risk of coming across as the same program or getting stale very quickly. I would have left it as Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Kevin Nash. I'm still on the fence with having Sting as a heel. I just can see people booing him, unless you can find the correct personal issue. I would have had him team with the younger baby faces to combat the heels. Since my main goal is to elevate people by wins over established performers and by getting the rub by being with a established wrestler.

I was baffled when I saw Scott Steiner cut a promo on the baby faces on last week's Impact. Scott cut a promo that buried everybody and the promotion. He said how the baby faces that stayed with TNA from the beginning was due to them not being able to go anywhere else. If A.J. Styles was walking in Georgia with a sign board that nobody would recognize him as a wrestler. How the new generation of wrestlers are a bunch of marks who search the net to see if they had four star matches. Great promo Scotty! If you beat A.J. Styles, than you beat a nobody. If A.J. beats you, than you lost to a guy who could never make it to WWE. I would have edited out the promo, since it did not benefit anybody. I'm shocked that some of the veterans have forgotten the art of cutting a $$$$ promo on how to build interest in their opponents. Instead they are more concerned about getting themselves over at the expense of the promotion and every wrestler on the roster. I would have never aired that segment. It made everybody else in the promotion look inferior and made TNA look like a minor league promotion.

Hopefully I still have a vision on what draws $$$$. Hopefully TNA got a vision that will produce entertaining television and elevate new wrestlers. I will eagerly watch TNA Impact to see if they booked themselves a hot program. I hope they don't book themselves in a situation that will only elevate the established wrestlers that were already over.

A big pet peeve of mine was on how some of the TNA wrestlers presented themselves on television. Television is the ultimate platform in making yourself come across as larger than life character. You don't need to be a roided three hundred pounds- six foot person to stand out any longer. My gripe is how many of the wrestlers came out to cut promos in jeans and t-shirts. My suggestion would have been dress clothes or even wearing wrestling gear. You never want to come across looking like a person sitting in the crowd that could have been in your spot. It would be equivelant to a TNA Knockout coming out in sweat pants and no make up to do a promo. It totally kills the mystique, especially when they should be presented as a larger than life superstar.

I worked on the debut show for World Premiere Wrestling on November, 1 in Brooklyn, N.Y.. The promotion had video screens, which the fans could watch the taped interviews that were inserted on the show. They had lighting, a big production set up, and a kick ass building. I hope the promoter will be in the business for the long haul. Their set up was more impressive than a TNA or ROH house show setting. The promotion had more children at their show than most groups.

The promotion boasted a great mix of current and old school wrestlers for their first show. A list of talent consisted of Angelina Love, Taylor Wylde, Kip James, Spike, Little Guido, Balls Mahoney, Rhino, Highlanders, Tito Santana, Bruno Sammartino, Larry Zbyszko, MYSELF, and others. There was enough talent to draw a older fan base and a young fan base to the same show.

I saw Angelina Love in person. She is the best female heel in the business, at least until becky Bayless gets national exposure. I even had to tell Angelina how her tiara and the way she carries herself makes her the best heel on the show. Mark my words, Angelina is $$$. I also think Taylor Wylde is great as a pretty baby face that can get a live crowd to back her up. Kip James finally found a combination that he's compatible in by being linked with The Beautiful People.

I ran in to Balls Mahoney. Balls truly has given his body to the biz. Balls has really messed up knees, a cracked orbital bone, etc. and yet he still busts his ass on every show and is one of the nicest wrestlers. I'm glad to see that Balls has also became a devoted father.

I signed autographs with Spike Dudley earlier in the show. Spike is so cool on so many levels. Spike is now my favorite Dudley, since he used to own a Jack Russell. Spike showed me pics of his dogs that he had to leave with his ex wife. Spike told me that since he was on the road, he felt it was the dogs best interest to stay with the ex. SPIKE RULEZ! He even gave me a website that can help develop a perfect Jack Russell diet.

We also had a long discussion about 2001 Space Odyssey, since I watched it prior to the show for the first time. Somebody told me the movie was meant to be watched on acid. I dispute that point. Spike and I than had a discussion on what movies were supposedly meant to be viewed on acid [ex: Pink Floyd The Wall & Alice In Wonderland]. This was a totally weird conversation by us being a bunch of straight edge geeks.
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I ran in to Domenic Denucci at the show. He is one of the classiest wrestlers I had ever met. He told me so many old school stories about his wrestling school, charities that he participated in, and wrestling in Italy. I wish I had more time to soak up his stories. Domenic is awesome. I mentioned to Domenic that Eddie Gilbert and I worked on one of his shows in 1986 in order to scout talent for the UWF. That's how we discovered a young Troy Martin [I helped create the name Shane Douglas & I demand residuals] and almost hired a young Mick Foley.

I ran in to Bill Apter. Its no secret that I'm nominating Bill Apter for any wrestling Hall Of Fames. He made many regional wrestlers in to national superstars by gracing his magazine covers [ex: Kerry Von Erich, Road Warriors, Rick Martel, Lex Luger, Tommy Rich, and Mil Mascaras]. Too bad Bill is still denying to me that he did not create apartment house wrestling. Bill even claims that he didn't shoot the pictures. I'm calling SHENANIGANS! Until Bill writes a tell all book about being the brains behind apartment house wrestling and the details about how he found the women, than he will be excluded from all Hall Of Fames and wrestling gatherings. We demand the history of apartment house wrestling. Bill can't take the history to the grave. Don't kayfabe me that the photographer wasn't Bill!

Unfortunately I couldn't top the matches that Taylor Wylde, Angelina Love, Rhino, Balls, Spike, Nunzio, Jay Santana, and many others had that night.

I have no problems with green workers. Everybody got to start some where. The best way to learn is by working regularly, working in front of a big crowd, working with a veteran worker, and putting together a match that makes sense. I'm always available for advice on psychology, interviews, and putting a match together. Even if you don't agree with my advice, its still a veteran's perspective. There were several current names from TNA, former WWE stars, and old WWWF wrestlers backstage that were easily accesible. I wish some of the younger wrestlers picked their brains. They would have gotten advice that they probably would have not received on most indy shows. Plus many of those wrestlers were watching the matches from back stage. They could have gotten feedback on what to improve or helpful tips. I think this could have been a great opportunity for several wrestlers who are dedicated to their craft and want to learn how to improve. Just my opinion.

I managed Hawaii Allen [a fake Hawaian who is Isreali that lives in Brooklyn] against Jumpin Lee. The match was equivelant to anything you would see on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Wrestling. I hope both wrestlers realize their mistakes and learn from them. A shorter match that had moves that they were capable of doing correctly would have been much better. Hopefully both wrestlers learned what went wrong and can improve from there.

I want to plug the next WSU show on 11/29 @ 121 New Jersey Ave in New Brunswick, NJ, bell time is 5:30 PM. I'm psyched that Portia Perez will be wrestling against Mercedes Martinez in the main event. This match will be hard hitting and will kick ass. I will be announcing and doing a live Missy's Manor. Roxie Cotton & Annie Social defend their tag team belts against Soul Sisters. Plus Gorgeous George, Tracy Brooks, and the rest of the hardest working womens locker room. I'm already throwing my resume for the commissioner job. Hey, I can't be any worst than Mike Adamle!

Tags: Missy Hyatt, Hyatt & Hot Stuff International, Sting, Rick Steiner, Eddie Gilbert, Dark Journey, Bill Watts, WCW, WWE, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, TNA, A. J. Styles, UWF, Shane Douglas, Kerry Von Erich, Mil Mascaras