Innovator
07-11-2004, 05:57 PM
http://mattitude.wwe.com/040709.html
Greetings everyone! It’s that time again -- time for a double dose of Mattitude courtesy of The Latest Version. It’s my time of the year -- hot, hot July weather and long, long summer days. So enough with the warm introduction, let’s get right into it …
This Sunday live on pay-per-view, WWE RAW presents Vengeance from the Hartford Civic Center. On the card, I’ll be facing Kane in a No Disqualification Match where anything goes and anything is legal. This is my highest profile match as a singles competitor ever on a WWE pay-per-view, as Kane is a former WWE Champion and perennial top star. More importantly, Kane and V1 have a major issue to settle over Lita. Hartford, we have a problem. Matt Hardy and Kane have a major, major problem that is going to get very ugly and very violent on Sunday. I know that I’m in for a beating -- win, lose, or draw -- so I’m going in with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked about the status of my injured knee. So for the record, here’s an update. I had an MRI done on my knee recently, and not only is my MCL torn, but my meniscus is torn as well. My meniscus in torn in a way that causes it to catch inside my knee joint and force my knee to lock up. Not good. My knee has locked up six times in the last couple of months, and it’s getting worse. On top of that, I’ve got plenty of torn cartilage in there that has to eventually be removed. Not good. As you can probably guess, this injury isn’t something that’s going to heal itself -- it will have to be surgically repaired. I’ll most likely have to get my knee done sooner than later, as I’ve been limping and in constant pain for the last month or so. My knee is another obstacle I have to overcome this Sunday, not that it’s anything new to me. I need all the MFers behind their Sensei more than ever now to support me against Kane at Vengeance.
As a large percentage of all of you know, Matt Hardy is a firm believer in positivity. I believe in making positive situations even more positive, and I believe in turning negatives situations into positives scenarios. That’s a huge theme in my life’s journey and my daily life. It is a defining quality within me that has allowed me to be very successful thus far. Due to the fact that The Latest Version is an Internet column, I have a bone to pick with the negativity floating around cyberspace as it relates to my business.
I enjoy the Internet, but I’m not a fan of constant negativity when it comes to our business. I’m aware of the fact that the Internet wrestling community is slightly influential in the progression of the wrestling business. That’s cool by me -- it could and should help the business expand and get better. You would think anyone in the business or a fan of the business would do their best to build upon the positives. My biggest gripe is the negativity the Internet is breeding due to people being desensitized and one-dimensional when it comes to our product. I want the "wrestling negativity snowball" to stop, or at least slow down for the good of the entire sports-entertainment business. Too many people read someone’s opinion on the Internet and take it as factual information. It’s way too often that the majority of the Internet wrestling community takes a writer’s view and lazily allows that to become their view. My challenge to all of you is to question opinions. Don’t take opinions as facts; don’t even take them as good opinions. Come to your own conclusions. If you find something enjoyable that others don’t, that doesn’t mean you’re wrong in liking it.
A majority of Internet writers are one-dimensional when it comes to their opinions on the wrestling business. The main concern to many who cover or comment about wrestling on the Internet is the in-ring product. If the matches on a show aren’t long enough, aren’t athletic enough, or don’t score high enough on their ratings system, then the show was no good to them. That’s not the case. I’m a huge fan of the in-ring product, but I’ve learned that’s not the only thing our broad fan base cares about. The majority of our fans like wrestling, but they also enjoy the entertainment aspect that only WWE provides. Vince McMahon’s sports-entertainment theory obviously works because we’re the dominate force in the wrestling business that has outlasted every other organization.
Quick example: A portion of the Internet writers dislike the current Matt-Lita-Kane saga, but every week it is one of the most-watched segments of the show and gets a ton of feedback and reaction. As of this morning, myself and Kane were the most anticipated match on the show Sunday according to fan votes on WWE.com. Obviously, there is interest in our conflict that has people talking and watching.
Quick example No. 2: A portion of the Internet writers don’t think Lita is that great of a WWE performer or asset to the company. For whatever reasons, they aren’t Lita fans, whether it is her in-ring skills or character or whatever. You’re wrong. She is the most popular and successful woman currently in the wrestling business. Success isn’t measured solely by how great of a wrestler you are. Never has been, never will be. She is talented in so many ways that some people just don’t know and can’t see from the surface. Go to WWEShopZone.com, pull down the Superstars menu, and look how many girls have their own merchandise section. There’s only one, and that’s Lita. Do some research and find out which female has had the most action figures made of them. Look at the number of Lita signs in the crowd every week during RAW. I could give you examples all night. These are the things that ultimately determine how successful and popular you are. Lita attracts people far and wide, and has brought more new fans to the WWE than any other Diva.
Until someone has worked within the sports-entertainment business, they really have no idea how things work and what makes things successful. There are many aspects of the wrestling business that only people on the inside understand. It’s impossible to be on the outside of this business and understand how everything works within it. My main objective is to educate anyone who follows the wrestling business into being open-minded. Don’t be so narrowed-minded that you only see things from one viewpoint. To attempt to understand and fairly view our product, you have to be able to think outside the lines. You have to be able to see the full spectrum, the big picture, not just one point of view.
With all this being said, I would love for the Internet to be a place where positivity exceeds negativity. I want everyone who follows the sports-entertainment business on the Internet to form their own opinions, not copy someone else’s. If you don’t like something you see on our show, don’t say "it sucks," or "that was terrible." Offer a suggestion to make it better. Criticize in a positive way, not a lazy, negative way. If something’s good, say it’s good. Remember that everyone who steps into a WWE ring is a human being that gets hurt and is wrestling an incredibly heavy schedule. We strive to entertain you, but don’t desensitize yourself to the risk we take night in and night out.
If you disagree with everything I’ve said and you think you know everything there is to know about the wrestling business, I have a challenge for you. If you have all the right answers of what would make a wrestling company successful, start your own company. With your superior knowledge of the wrestling business, your promotion should be competing with WWE in no time. Put your money where your mouth is. And before you say that suggestion is ridiculous, I did it before I even knew how the business really worked. I started and ran the small OMEGA promotion before I worked with WWE. I’m sure I would have an organization of my own right now if I didn’t work for the McMahons.
Is everything about the WWE product absolutely perfect? No. I’ll go on record and say that. Is the WWE product good? Absolutely. Despite people’s criticisms, WWE is a hugely successful and profitable organization. The WWE Superstars are recognized worldwide, our events are watched throughout the world, and WWE is the biggest and best promotion of all time. Work with us, not against us, and the entire wrestling business and landscape will benefit from it.
A closing note for all my true MFers: There’s a new member of the family and his name is Lucas. Check out my personal pix for a shot of my new little buddy. See you guys on Sunday at Vengeance. Be well, and until then …
Matt Hardy
V1 and Only
I’m V-Oonnneeee-uuuuuhhhhhh!
Greetings everyone! It’s that time again -- time for a double dose of Mattitude courtesy of The Latest Version. It’s my time of the year -- hot, hot July weather and long, long summer days. So enough with the warm introduction, let’s get right into it …
This Sunday live on pay-per-view, WWE RAW presents Vengeance from the Hartford Civic Center. On the card, I’ll be facing Kane in a No Disqualification Match where anything goes and anything is legal. This is my highest profile match as a singles competitor ever on a WWE pay-per-view, as Kane is a former WWE Champion and perennial top star. More importantly, Kane and V1 have a major issue to settle over Lita. Hartford, we have a problem. Matt Hardy and Kane have a major, major problem that is going to get very ugly and very violent on Sunday. I know that I’m in for a beating -- win, lose, or draw -- so I’m going in with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked about the status of my injured knee. So for the record, here’s an update. I had an MRI done on my knee recently, and not only is my MCL torn, but my meniscus is torn as well. My meniscus in torn in a way that causes it to catch inside my knee joint and force my knee to lock up. Not good. My knee has locked up six times in the last couple of months, and it’s getting worse. On top of that, I’ve got plenty of torn cartilage in there that has to eventually be removed. Not good. As you can probably guess, this injury isn’t something that’s going to heal itself -- it will have to be surgically repaired. I’ll most likely have to get my knee done sooner than later, as I’ve been limping and in constant pain for the last month or so. My knee is another obstacle I have to overcome this Sunday, not that it’s anything new to me. I need all the MFers behind their Sensei more than ever now to support me against Kane at Vengeance.
As a large percentage of all of you know, Matt Hardy is a firm believer in positivity. I believe in making positive situations even more positive, and I believe in turning negatives situations into positives scenarios. That’s a huge theme in my life’s journey and my daily life. It is a defining quality within me that has allowed me to be very successful thus far. Due to the fact that The Latest Version is an Internet column, I have a bone to pick with the negativity floating around cyberspace as it relates to my business.
I enjoy the Internet, but I’m not a fan of constant negativity when it comes to our business. I’m aware of the fact that the Internet wrestling community is slightly influential in the progression of the wrestling business. That’s cool by me -- it could and should help the business expand and get better. You would think anyone in the business or a fan of the business would do their best to build upon the positives. My biggest gripe is the negativity the Internet is breeding due to people being desensitized and one-dimensional when it comes to our product. I want the "wrestling negativity snowball" to stop, or at least slow down for the good of the entire sports-entertainment business. Too many people read someone’s opinion on the Internet and take it as factual information. It’s way too often that the majority of the Internet wrestling community takes a writer’s view and lazily allows that to become their view. My challenge to all of you is to question opinions. Don’t take opinions as facts; don’t even take them as good opinions. Come to your own conclusions. If you find something enjoyable that others don’t, that doesn’t mean you’re wrong in liking it.
A majority of Internet writers are one-dimensional when it comes to their opinions on the wrestling business. The main concern to many who cover or comment about wrestling on the Internet is the in-ring product. If the matches on a show aren’t long enough, aren’t athletic enough, or don’t score high enough on their ratings system, then the show was no good to them. That’s not the case. I’m a huge fan of the in-ring product, but I’ve learned that’s not the only thing our broad fan base cares about. The majority of our fans like wrestling, but they also enjoy the entertainment aspect that only WWE provides. Vince McMahon’s sports-entertainment theory obviously works because we’re the dominate force in the wrestling business that has outlasted every other organization.
Quick example: A portion of the Internet writers dislike the current Matt-Lita-Kane saga, but every week it is one of the most-watched segments of the show and gets a ton of feedback and reaction. As of this morning, myself and Kane were the most anticipated match on the show Sunday according to fan votes on WWE.com. Obviously, there is interest in our conflict that has people talking and watching.
Quick example No. 2: A portion of the Internet writers don’t think Lita is that great of a WWE performer or asset to the company. For whatever reasons, they aren’t Lita fans, whether it is her in-ring skills or character or whatever. You’re wrong. She is the most popular and successful woman currently in the wrestling business. Success isn’t measured solely by how great of a wrestler you are. Never has been, never will be. She is talented in so many ways that some people just don’t know and can’t see from the surface. Go to WWEShopZone.com, pull down the Superstars menu, and look how many girls have their own merchandise section. There’s only one, and that’s Lita. Do some research and find out which female has had the most action figures made of them. Look at the number of Lita signs in the crowd every week during RAW. I could give you examples all night. These are the things that ultimately determine how successful and popular you are. Lita attracts people far and wide, and has brought more new fans to the WWE than any other Diva.
Until someone has worked within the sports-entertainment business, they really have no idea how things work and what makes things successful. There are many aspects of the wrestling business that only people on the inside understand. It’s impossible to be on the outside of this business and understand how everything works within it. My main objective is to educate anyone who follows the wrestling business into being open-minded. Don’t be so narrowed-minded that you only see things from one viewpoint. To attempt to understand and fairly view our product, you have to be able to think outside the lines. You have to be able to see the full spectrum, the big picture, not just one point of view.
With all this being said, I would love for the Internet to be a place where positivity exceeds negativity. I want everyone who follows the sports-entertainment business on the Internet to form their own opinions, not copy someone else’s. If you don’t like something you see on our show, don’t say "it sucks," or "that was terrible." Offer a suggestion to make it better. Criticize in a positive way, not a lazy, negative way. If something’s good, say it’s good. Remember that everyone who steps into a WWE ring is a human being that gets hurt and is wrestling an incredibly heavy schedule. We strive to entertain you, but don’t desensitize yourself to the risk we take night in and night out.
If you disagree with everything I’ve said and you think you know everything there is to know about the wrestling business, I have a challenge for you. If you have all the right answers of what would make a wrestling company successful, start your own company. With your superior knowledge of the wrestling business, your promotion should be competing with WWE in no time. Put your money where your mouth is. And before you say that suggestion is ridiculous, I did it before I even knew how the business really worked. I started and ran the small OMEGA promotion before I worked with WWE. I’m sure I would have an organization of my own right now if I didn’t work for the McMahons.
Is everything about the WWE product absolutely perfect? No. I’ll go on record and say that. Is the WWE product good? Absolutely. Despite people’s criticisms, WWE is a hugely successful and profitable organization. The WWE Superstars are recognized worldwide, our events are watched throughout the world, and WWE is the biggest and best promotion of all time. Work with us, not against us, and the entire wrestling business and landscape will benefit from it.
A closing note for all my true MFers: There’s a new member of the family and his name is Lucas. Check out my personal pix for a shot of my new little buddy. See you guys on Sunday at Vengeance. Be well, and until then …
Matt Hardy
V1 and Only
I’m V-Oonnneeee-uuuuuhhhhhh!