NoDQ.com > Columns > On The Mat with Matt Henry (Larry King) Posted by Matt Henry on 03/27/2008 at 05:12 PM
Hello everyone, welcome to another installment of "On The Mat" with yours truly Matt Henry. Today I thought I would give a little review of the WWE edition of Larry King on CNN. For those who missed it the show finally aired last night after being pushed back a couple of times.
First of all Larry King came off as a "dork" who knows very little, if anything, about the wrestling industry. He asked some silly questions that my 18 month old niece could have answered for him. The show started of with Vince and his son in law and number 1 contender Triple H. Both "Trips" and Vince came off as very intelligent and well spoken as they always do. They were then joined by John Cena on location in New Orleans filming his new WWE movie 12 Rounds. Cena had a little shot for Triple H, as he told him to watch his back at Wrestlemania and that he was coming for him.
King asked a few tough questions about steroids, drug testing, and even the late Chris Benoit. All subjects were answered without hesitation by the WWE panel, and they proved that they had nothing to hide. Chris Jericho then joined the show and also took a little shot at Triple H. Saying that it seemed he always lost in matches against The Game. It seemed to be a bit of a shoot as Hunter and Vince both looked somewhat uncomfortable. When asked about the WWE pay scale soon after his shot at Triple H, Vince was quick to pipe up and say that Jericho was perhaps being paid too much. Maybe a little shot at Jericho's less than stellar comeback. Cena had an interesting point when asked the same question, in that the WWE has a "sliding pay scale". Workers are paid based on their level of performance, their work rate, and their acceptance with the fans.
I was a little surprised when the subject of the effectiveness of the wellness policy was brought up that Vince did not mention the suspension of one of their top guys in Jeff Hardy. One would think Vince would have loved the chance to stick it to the media and show them that he does in fact suspend top level talent if it is needed. There was no mention of Hardy whatsoever, yet a clip of him in action was shown. Perhaps the show was taped before the suspension was handed down? Either way, all the WWE talent commented on their thoughts on the policy and how they thought it was working. All of them said the right things to protect WWE's image as is to be expected with the boss sitting 5 feet away!
Floyd Mayweather then joined the show and was much more subdued and likable than he appears on WWE TV. Still very confident and somewhat cocky about his accomplishments, but then again, if I had done what he has done, I would be cocky too! He was asked repeatedly why he was taking this risk. His response was that he was always looking to prove himself and he felt the WWE was the greatest show on Earth and he plans on being here for the long run. Earlier in the show Vince made it clear that WWE is entertainment and the outcomes are pre-determined, yet Mayweather did not break kayfabe and said that his match with the Big Show would in fact be a "shoot" and a very real fight. "Money" put over the WWE in a big way and I was actually happy for once to see him involved in the show. He really seemed very genuine about his passion for wrestling. One thing I noted was when asked about how much he was making he said the 20 million that we have all been hearing, yet Vince kind of rolled his eyes and responded by saying "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up taking that much home." That would imply to me that Mayweather is making far less, but may have been given a percentage of the gate. Vince did say that what ever Floyd ended up making he and the other talent agreed it was well worth it. I did hear a few jabs at Mayweather taken by both Triple H and Jericho. All said under their breath and more or less to Mayweather and not into the camera. The image I get is that some of the boys aren't comfortable with Mayweather being on their show, nor his huge payday, but they are going with what is good for business.
Big Show then made his appearance and right off the bat, put his massive fist against Mayweather's head. He told him, "This is coming for you on Sunday!" He also said he respects Floyd as an athlete and looks very forward to their contest at Mania. Show stayed mostly in character for the entire program, while the others appeared to be more or less themselves, yet still protective of certain aspects of the business. When asked about where certain matches would appear on the card and who would be the winner Vince's only response was "I don't know that yet."
I thought they did a nice job of hyping the event and showed a more human side of the industry. Perhaps some of the non-fans out there will tune in, if only to see the spectacle of Mayweather Vs. Big Show. All in all I enjoyed the show and thought all the guests did a great job of representing the company. Everyone seemed friendly and happy to be there, and all involved came out looking like intelligent professionals. Not the roided up muscle heads that they are often portrayed as in the media.
I guess that is all I have for this time folks. I hope to be back early next week with a Wrestlemania review, but I'm not sure yet if I will be watching the show Sunday night. I hope everyone enjoyed the read and that you all come back and catch me again next time. Until then take care of yourselves and be good to each other. Thank you for going "On The Mat" with Matt Henry.
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