No Formula for me, Thanks.

Greetings everybody. I hope 2008 is treating you great!

You may have caught one of my interviews I’ve done recently, to promote RVD TV. Fans that don’t read my blogs and only know the man with all the moves might be surprised at my honesty. That will be consistent, as I don’t lie. I’m not saying that I’ve never told a lie in my life, but that’s what growing is all about-looking back always shows a lesser you. If I enjoyed lying, I could have delivered the promos that the wrestling business wanted to here-about how my championship match next week meant more to me than anything else in the world and blah, blah, yawn. I couldn’t have cared less. Oh. don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the wrestlers are lying to you. They are that excited to be there and it really does mean a lot to them. They’re just marks! I was more of a black sheep, so when I talked about something I really DID care about- like ECW’s return at One Night Stand, or inducting the Sheik into the Hall of Fame, I delivered. Then, I was the mark. While my close friends appreciated the speeches, most of the others up there were shocked because they don’t know me. Work environment, pretentious place, untrust-worthy co-workers, homesickness, depression, resentment- sometimes you have a little guard wall around your true self, don’t you? I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m going to transition into how the only place to catch the real RVD is RVD TV but I’m not. Not yet.

I’m going to give you some insight above what most fans and wrestlers realize, because I have the brain to lay it out for you. Most wanna-be-wrestlers pattern themselves after their favorites. To that I’ve always said “why bother?” There’s already someone like that, and that position is filled. Maybe once your hero is inactive you can steal his position in the minds of the new fans that didn’t know him, but unless you have something special to offer the business, why do you think the business needs you? Okay, now there IS an answer. Ready for it? I think it’s fair to say that around 80 percent of the wrestlers in the dressing room don’t sell tickets. I’m not saying that they are unimportant, but their job is to fill up spots on the card. Ouch! That honesty probably hurt a lot of the boys, but here’s a way to check yourself. If no one has ever bought a ticket, just to see you (your cousins that you couldn’t get comp passes for don’t count) than how can you complain about not being paid enough or treated right? That makes it very hard to justify. Of course, these wrestlers still have to do business and like I said, they are important even if they are interchangeable. Here’s the formula they use. Put in enough time, put enough guys over, and your time will come and they’ll be putting YOU over. Of course, pushing an unmarketable identity is bad business so what happens when their time doesn’t come around? They become bitter. They feel that the business missed the boat with them. Next is the part of the formula that so many of my peers tried to apply to me when I was leaving, that it annoyed me. They meant no harm. They’re used to the formula. They don’t know what it’s like to be a legend. They’d say “Well, you have about 2 or 3 months after TV where you’ll hold your value and be able to get paid decent for bookings.” Those poor clueless bastards. Don’t they l know that nobody remembered them while they were still on television every week? That’s what relying on the formula does for you instead of thinking for yourself. I left WWE in June. In July, I heard wrestlers that had been gone for a long time equating time-since-tv directly to personal value! I’d hear “ You’re still like 4 weeks off TV so you got awhile to capitalize on it. I’ve been off for almost a year so I what I need is to get on TV again so I can make another run afterwards.” Uhh…yeah, sure. That’s all you need. It's not like you should bother learning how to work. Hey, I’m glad the formula is there for so many who need it. For those that stand out and know how to be superstars-may you inspire all who admire you!

See how that ended up being positive? Remember- everyone’s a teacher. Who do you want to learn from?

Hey-did I already move on from talking about my interviews? Nuts. I wanted to tell you about an upcoming…live…online…video stream interview I’ll be doing that you can all watch and even participate in…all…over…the world! That’s right! February 5th! Let’s make this TheStream.Tv ‘s biggest show ever!!! theStream.tv -

How’s the writer’s strike treating your favorite shows? I know. Still, we found some good ones to tune in to. The Sarah Conner Chronicles kick ass. Medium is back. We’re fans of the L Wod. Shut-up! We are! Lost is days away. Just found Breaking Bad and-wow! That’s set for season pass! Hogan looks awesome on American Gladiators. Yes, I love Ninja Warrior, too! Here’s a reality show for you that’s hard to look away from. I’m talking train wreck with bodies lying around, ya know? Celebrity Rehab. Oh my God! Watch Celebrity Rehab.

Anyone planning to go to my favorite vacation spot, Hawaii, stop and see my good friend Tommy Rogers at his new surf board rental booth at Waikiki-right behind the concession stand- and tell him you miss watching him and Bobby Fulton, tearing it up as the Fantastics.

RVD TV is membership based, and not everyone can see it, so I won’t be pushing it to death here on my blogs. However, you have to set aside at least a paragraph for it, especially when I creatively bring it up like this…

Several nights ago, Justin McCully (JMC), SVD and I went up to Big Bear to the Punishment Palace in stealth mode, with a night-vision camera. We thought it’d be a good idea to prank Kendall Groves while he’s up there training for his big fight. Plans fell apart- one after another, we got stuck in the snow, Tito – our inside man- left, and still, we persevered. Kendall, Solomon, Rude Boy, and the other Punishers all gave their stories of the night to our camera for a future episode of RVD TV and we are all laughing our asses off. That’s LMAO’ing for all you keyboard kats. We also filmed my friend ( not lover-no matter what he says) Jay Mohr at the Improv for an upcoming episode of RVD TV and were fortunate enough to get a cameo by his beautiful wife Nikki Cox!

I can’t believe anyone is doubting Brock Lesnar. Maybe they don’t know first-hand that Brock is ten times as strong as he looks. Maybe they just think of him as a pro wrestler, when in fact, he only did that for a few years of his life, maybe? He’s a shooter. He’s a physical freak of nature. Just because he doesn’t have a long MMA record does not mean he suffers from lack of experience. I saw him pummel that poor bastard at his MMA debut here in Los Angeles. I wasn’t surprised. Frank Mir is no push-over, but my money’s on you, Brock.

The blog’s getting kinda lengthy, but I want to leave you thinking about something. Obviously, it’s inhumane and sadistic to want to watch someone being tortured, right? To get pleasure from hearing someone scream in pain and maybe even enjoy seeing that person die is not a nice thought. We can all agree with that, right? So, what if this person caused you great harm and pain? This person killed someone you love, carelessly. You experience grief beyond imagination and have someone to point a finger at. Is it wrong to want to see that person get what they have coming to them?

I admit that when I watch America’s Most Wanted (best show on television) I want these ass holes- who rape little kids and then hide the bodies in hopes of getting away with it- to suffer so bad that I personally want to punish them. Are thoughts of brutal dismemberments okay in the name of justice? When I watch some idiot trying to escape a police car chase on tv, risking or hurting the lives of innocent people unfortunate enough to be in this idiot’s way, I often hope to see them crash into a tree or off the road. That’s not very zenful of me, is it? Is it okay that these thoughts come from a dark place if someone is held accountable? An eye for an eye isn’t always such an easy equation. It could be two positions on a cycle that never ends, but we can’t see the other side. Explore your thoughts. Do you wish people harm? Anybody? How do you feel about that? While you’re kicking this around in your head, remember- all actions have consequences.

Have a Vantastic week everybody!