Candle's Take On: The Positive Effects of WSX

On January 30th 2007, the first match ever wrestled within the rabid WSX Bunker was aired on MTV after a short show play-in by Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society (perhaps the best music MTV has played in over a decade). It was a spotty and short bout between Evan Bourne and Jack Evans, and it was like nothing any mainstream wrestling fan had ever seen. Shortly after this bout, another anomaly to the mainstream viewer came to pass in the form of a Battle Royal Ladder Match for two contracts insuring number one contender spots for the vacant WSX title. This would be the beginning of Wrestling Society X’s short life.

In truth, there was nothing epic about this first show. It was nearly one year in the can, the matches were chopped up and repackaged into spotty and barely fluid bouts, the ring announcer was more annoying than Don West on ether, and the unnecessary special effects were both cartoony and unnecessary.

Not to mention the rabid crowd was filled with nothing but paid extras instructed to act enthusiastic about what they were watching.

Indeed, the company’s death in mid March of the same year was viewed as being a mercy kill for this abominable experiment, and even though the company had spawned a cult following, most people didn’t miss the WSX when it disappeared from MTV’s programming schedule. After all of the hateful comments that have been made, and after all of the smarky jokes that have been told, one’s left to wonder…did the WSX make any impact on the wrestling business within it’s small time on national television? Did this alternative to the WWE’s product help turn the industry around? Was the short-lived Tuesday Night Battle between ECW an WSX an eye opener for Vince McMahon, along with other promotions like TNA and independents like Ring of Honor? Did WSX leave a positive mark on the world of wrestling? Or just the presumed skid mark that most fans are more inclined to make crude jeers about?

It’s obvious that WSX affected the independent scene. For one thing, for nearly two years, key independent stars were roped into an exclusive contract with the WSX. Even when the show was no longer on the air, the roster was caught in a contractual loop hole that stated that they weren’t allowed free agency until the last show taped was aired on MTV. As many fans know, the product was cut short before the taped season could fully air, therefore seemingly legally binding these workers to never wrestle again. Of course, this was worked out, but what kind of toll did this take on the independent scene?

Apparently a positive one.

Within the absence of guys like Colt Cabana and the newly E signed CM Punk, many other talents were able to work their way up the roster. Men like Nigel McGuinness and the Briscoes started to earn a star for themselves.

When the WSX contracts were finally sorted out, opportunity arose for the stars brought to light by the national exposure. Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs of DIFH (Do It For Her) returned to Ring of Honor as a misfit faction of recluses known as the Age of the Fall. The duo, along with the initial recruits, Necro Butcher and Lacey, became very over after debuting back with the company following an elaborate viral build. Since the inception of this group, Black has become a serious contender within the ROH realm, and Jacobs continues to draw a spotlight with his cerebral promos and constant angst that could be traced all the way back to it’s Do it for Her roots. While some could argue that Jimmy’s always been a little emo guy, one could argue that the gimmick never truly got over until it’s exposure on WSX, and who knows if Black would have ever been paired up with Jacobs if it weren’t for the WSX? And if he weren’t, it’s questionable to if he’d have the amount of indy star power and success he does today. Then you have the Human Tornado, a relative unknown prior to popping up in WSX. Now he’s considered by many to be one of the hottest indy acquisitions out there today, and one of the most over faces to ever grace a PWG ring, and one of the biggest draws in any promotion he lands in, so much so that PWG has crowned him as their champion on two separate occasions.

But let’s take our eyes off of the indy product and turn them north. After all, these could be viewed by some as farfetched ramblings of an insane WSX mark. Most independents get over with the fans by showcasing their skill and persona, not by being on television, so I’m sure the arguments made above will be construed as moot by some readers, and I’ll graciously accept any criticisms. I’m not the most indy savvy writer out there, but I do loosely follow these promotions, but I whole-heartedly follow the mainstream TNA and WWE products, so let’s delve into how the WSX could have theoretically affected the McMahon Monopoly.
It’s no secret that the WWE was threatened by the WSX airing on Tuesday in an opposing slot to their new ECW product. As a matter of fact, Vince seemed to be more concerned with the WSX than he ever has been about TNA. Then again, TNA’s never ran on the same night as a WWE product, much less in the same slot.

Keep in mind that around this time period, the ECW product was fairly unwatchable. Guys like Elijah Burke, CM Punk, John Morrison, and the Miz were just starting to fight for the main event reigns with a new blood stable. The washed up no-talents like Sandman and Sabu were just starting to disappear, and ECW was just beginning to become it’s own separate entity from the hardcore legacy of old. Looking at these drastic deviations from the product’s initial nature, one has to wonder if Vince was catching the reaction the WSX was getting from it’s growing fan base with it’s fairly unknown, yet talented and spotty young roster, because the ECW product did a complete 180 when WSX company came into fruition. Now it’s the highlight of the wrestling week as far as watching actual wrestling goes.

If you need any more convincing that Vince was watching his rivaled product, look no further than his fairly over new baby face talent, Evan Bourne, whom had the honor of christening the WSX with it’s maiden match against Jack Evans. And then you have Colt Cabana, whom shortly after the WSX finally closed it’s doors, began to pop up as a local jobber on numerous occasions on WWE television before finally being signed to a developmental contract, and then brought up to the main roster as Scotty Goldman. Keep in mind that around this time, ECW wasn’t only being affected. New blood began to rise to the surface with the electrifying pairing of London and Kendrick, the debut push of Montel Vontavious Porter, the sudden interest in talents like Gregory Helms, Shannon Moore, Kid Kash, Frankie Kazarian, Jamie Noble, Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, and even the return of Jeff Hardy. You could even trace this newfound interest in pushing and scouting younger talent up to now with the Talent Initiative constantly trying to find a new superstar to come up and make the product fresh, the current push of Brian Kendrick, the fresh Kofi Kingston, the title reign of CM Punk, and even the return of Chris Jericho. Sure, you could attribute some of these new pushes to the steroid scandal of recent years, but you have to think that on some level that WSX may have opened the WWE’s eyes to what fans wanted to see. The fans want risk, they want speed, they want a new style of wrestling, and some new young talent to watch. I’m no fool though, I’m no mark, I’m aware that all of this wasn’t directly, if even remotely attributed to the WSX, but theoretically it does make me wonder how closely the WWE followed their short-lived competition.

In the end, I suppose all we have left is speculation on how much of a footprint WSX left on the wrestling world. I mean, even TNA’s fate was slightly altered by the presence of WSX. They took in Ricky Banderas after the promotion closed, and in doing so, drew in some fans and alienated others, even though his time in the company was more short-lived than WSX’s time on television.

I suppose part of me just wants to believe that everything has a purpose, and that everything creates both positive and negative repercussions. I guess the whole point of this article/blog was to try and highlight some of the good that WSX may have instilled on the industry. Perhaps the bad will always outweigh the good in most people’s minds, but I hope after reading this they can at least consider the idea that there was some good to be found in the defunct promotion.
In late September of this year, Big Vision Entertainment, the same production company that brought us Wrestling Society X released an announcement that they are hoping to re-open the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) franchise, and are seeking out females to participate within the promotion. No ring experience required.

…Perhaps, in hindsight of this oncoming quagmire, people in the future will be able to look back on the WSX with fonder memories, and perhaps appreciate it more in comparison.

Here’s hoping for that silver lining.