Random thoughts on Matt Hardy, PWI Female 50 and Manami Toyota
Jaded pro wrestling followers often believe everything is a work until proven otherwise, so it’s no surprise that some are questioning whether the ongoing Matt Hardy saga is an angle. I have no inside knowledge as to whether it is or isn’t, but I seriously doubt Hardy and WWE are trying to fool everyone into thinking he is on thin ice with the company. It just wouldn’t make any sense. However, I wouldn’t discount the possibility that Hardy is working his own angle. With his tweets and YouTube videos, it seems that he is doing everything in his power to tick off WWE officials so much that they release him, which would then allow him to eventually join his brother, Jeff, in TNA. If that is what’s going on and WWE has figured it out, the company very well could keep Hardy under contract just to spite him. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. …
Even before the Hardy saga created a buzz this past week, Hardy had been the subject of criticism among wrestling fans and critics for his weight gain. I personally never understood what all the fuss was about. Yes, Hardy has noticeably put on weight around his midsection and it has slowed him down somewhat in the ring, but I certainly would not categorize him as fat. I get it that wrestling is a cosmetic business, but the reality is that everyone has different genetics, and as guys (and girls) in the business get older, it’s going to become increasingly difficult to maintain their physiques. Letting one’s physical condition deteriorate to the point that it’s embarrassing would be one thing, but Hardy hasn’t done that. Would it make people happier if Hardy started taking performance-enhancing drugs so that he could look the way he did 10 years ago? I just think it’s unfair that Hardy gets criticized for gaining some weight, yet guys with much worse physiques such as Samoa Joe and Husky Harris are revered by the Internet Wrestling Community. …
The Pro Wrestling Illustrated Female 50, which ranks the top women’s wrestlers in the United States and Canada over the past year, is currently on newsstands. WWE’s Michelle McCool took the top spot. I’m currently working on my own list (the second annual Ring Posts Female 20), and it’s definitely been more difficult to compile than last year’s. Thanks to several top stars disappearing from the national scene due either to getting released or injured, the past 12 months haven’t exactly been great when it comes to women’s wrestling. …
Speaking of women’s wrestling, I’m bummed that legendary Japanese wrestler Manami Toyota is making her American debut tonight in my hometown and I won’t be there to see it. Toyota, who was considered one of the elite workers in the industry regardless of gender in the ’90s while competing for All-Japan Pro Wrestling, is wrestling Daizee Haze on the Chikara show at Baltimore’s Du Burns Arena. Unfortunately, duty calls, and I am working late tonight at The Baltimore Sun. If anyone goes to the show, I’d love to hear how it went.
Comments
I wish I was only as "fat" as Matt Hardy.
Posted by: Josh | September 18, 2010 6:53 PM
Hey Kev do you think UnderTaker story line were he acts like he is weak and that he is playing mind games with kane and has been forming a plan to sucker Kane in .
Posted by: ryan | September 18, 2010 9:11 PM
So true on the weight issue, Kevin.
Posted by: Hank | September 18, 2010 9:13 PM
Re: "I just think it’s unfair that Hardy gets criticized for gaining some weight, yet guys with much worse physiques such as Samoa Joe and Husky Harris are revered"
Samoa Joe and Husky Harris are supposed to be bad-ass powerhouses and the fans have only seen them with such a look so they have been accepted as such from day one.
Hardy on the other hand is "supposed" to be a technical/semi-high flier in the same mold as a Bret Hart or a Eddie Guerrero. So seeing someone who is supposed to have the style that the Hardys have been known for putting on some extra weight warrants more criticism. If Hardy were a few inches taller and was accepted as a Mike Knox type power house, it would be a different story. Poor Matt, he doesn't fit in either category now and frankly doesn't deserve to be a WWE TV superstar any longer.
Posted by: Jason | September 19, 2010 2:37 AM
samoa joe does get stick for it. anyway all of those samoan guys are a little fat, its obviously in their genetics. they are normally pretty fast and impressive in the ring though so i think most fans have accepted it..
i see your point with husky harris. matts physique was good up until only a few years ago..
Posted by: ultimate_krang | September 19, 2010 5:07 AM
I think it says it all about the legitimacy of the PWI Female 50 when Michelle McCool is #1. PWI still uses kayfabe as facts. Here's a few more facts about Michelle McCool:
FACT: She is blonde.
FACT: She is pretty.
FACT: She has zero charisma.
FACT: She is married to the Undertaker.
She may be athletic and a hard worker but she pales in comparison to the likes of Beth Phoenix and Nattie Neidhart in WWE, let alone wrestlers like Cheerleader Melissa, MsChif, Daizee Haze, Nikki Roxx, Hamada, etc.
Posted by: Barry | September 19, 2010 8:23 AM
I am sick of Matt and Jeff Hardy .. neither one could wrestle themselves out of a paperbag .. yes they are marketable to tween agers but that is about as far as it goes .. I guess I am just too old or to old school to really understand what the big deal with either Matt and/or Jeff ...
Posted by: Brian | September 19, 2010 12:42 PM
I honestly feel bad that these wrestlers have to put their bodies on the line for years without the benefit of a union or benefits and the like. But sometimes, especially after seeing his videos, you see how much of a mark some of these guys are for themselves and you don't feel as bad. In 2010 Matt Hardy "working his own gimmick" won't sell 1 ticket, won't add 1 PPv buy, won't move a ratings point but I'm sure he's convinced himself it's big news what he's doing. I feel bad when I see another guy pass on due to wrestling related issues but sometimes if a guy can't look himself in the mirror and let it go, then he made his own bed.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 20, 2010 1:37 PM