It’s a special “True or False” edition of Gimme Five this week, as the team agrees or disagrees with five statements on everything from the return of the Anonymous General Manager, to the launch of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s streaming service NJPW World, to the allegations CM Punk made against WWE on the Art of Wrestling podcast, and more.
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1. The return of the Anonymous Raw General Manager is a bad sign for Raw going forward.
Dion:
False. I actually think it’s going to go somewhere this time. And I think the WWE have a legitimate plan.
Corey:
True. For the past year we have had The Authority in charge of WWE and now we are going back to Michael Cole and a laptop. I wasn’t a fan the first time and I don’t think I’ll be into it this time around. Wasn’t the Anonymous GM revealed as Hornswoggle anyway?
Blake:
True.
David:
True. I don’t really want to be reminded of the first time we had to suffer through the Anonymous Raw General Manager. And, as Corey said, we know who this is! Unless it’s not Hornswoggle any more? In which case, isn’t WWE’s rewriting of history even worse than it actually being Hornswoggle?
2. With the launch of NJPW World (its version of the WWE Network) New Japan Pro-Wrestling is now a legitimate competitor for WWE.
Dion:
False. The WWE will never have a legitimate pro-wrestling competitor again. There, I said it.
Corey:
False. NJPW is definitely in a boom right now in the non-Japanese markets but there will never be a true threat to WWE ever again. That said, I will be subscribing to NJPW World.
Blake:
False. It almost is, and all signs point to the fact that it will be very very soon.
David:
True. It won’t happen overnight, but this is exactly the sort of groundwork NJPW needs to establish itself as competition. I don’t see NJPW taking a step back here—this is a pretty safe move for them—so keep an eye out for slow and steady progress to be made over the next few years, which can all be traced back to the launch of NJPW World and the partnership with Global Force Wrestling.
3. WWE needs to re-evaluate its internal practices after CM Punk’s allegations on the Art of Wrestling podcast.
Dion:
True. Although we’ve only heard one side of the story and as much as I love Punk, I do wonder how skewed his version of events is. That said, I’m not really on either side of the fence on this one.
Corey:
True. Even though we have only heard the one side of the story WWE may want to tighten up so they don’t come under scrutiny from other disgruntled employees.
Blake:
True. It’s a business, it always needs to.
David:
True. If what Punk’s said has been 100 per cent true, that’s some seriously scary stuff. And, even if it isn’t, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to set everyone’s mind as ease with a rethink around the wellness policies in effect.
4. The strength of the WWE Network is in its archived content, not its live broadcasts.
Dion:
True. The live content gives WWE an incredible platform – case in point, the Steve Austin Show podcast. And the strength of that is undeniable. But on-demand archives are where it’s at.
Corey:
True. Having decades worth of archived content was the main reason I got the network anyway. I’ve only watched a handful of events live, so the majority of my viewing is on-demand.
Blake:
False. I’m not saying that its strength lies in its live broadcasts, just that the two add to each other. It’s like going to a video store and saying that only the newest releases mean anything… wait, does anyone remember what a video store is?
David:
False. It’s probably unfair to say so now after I’ve had months to get used to the archived content, but personally I find I get much more excited about a live broadcast than the ability to rewatch, say, the NWA back-catalogue from 1989.
5. 2014 has been the most significant year for pro-wrestling in the last decade.
Dion:
True. It has certainly been the one that contained the greatest WrestleMania of the last decade and one that has seen perhaps the most legitimate set of future stars put their hands up. The WWE Network also contributes greatly to this year’s significance. Although there is no real competition for WWE (which would be of greater significance), the industry is in an interesting and healthy state.
Corey:
True. With the best WrestleMania in recent memory, Sting finally setting foot in a WWE ring, the rise in young talent in the WWE, the ROH/NJPW shows and the announcements of Global Force Wrestling’s worldwide
partnerships, this year has been one hell of a year for pro-wrestling.
Blake:
False. We would never have reached 2014 had 2013 not existed.
David:
True. Not since 2001 have we had such an impactful year on the industry.
