$1 million giveaway no scam

Speculation over whether Vince McMahon was swerving the audience can be laid to rest as, just as advertised, the chairman of WWE gave away a million dollars Monday night on live TV, making several people, including a Greenville, Tenn., man who won a good wad of cash, very happy.
OK, I’m a skeptic myself and I’m one of those old school guys who watch wrestling for wrestling; however, I’ve got to admit the prospect, no matter how slim, of winning hundreds of thousands of dollars kept me on the edge of my seat with phone in hand each time he dialed a winner. How about that one guy who’s phone was busy? Whoever he was talking to will be out of his five for sure.
According to WWE, there were 1.5 million entries for the inaugural contest, which will continue this Monday with another million given away. Yes, you have to re-register at wwe.com to win (you can do that anytime this week) and they will be giving out a new password at the beginning of RAW this Monday.
Of course, this giveaway isn’t for folks like you and me who generally watch RAW every Monday night anyway. As Vince said last week, it’s to draw back the old viewers who left after Stone Cold, the Rock and Hulk Hogan moved on. He is hoping to get them interested in the likes of John Cena, Triple H and Undertaker (who will be coming to RAW shortly I’m sure) and increase the numbers of what is already the most watched show in all of cable television. The million dollars given away each week is chump change compared to what only a one percent increase in viewership would bring in to WWE and USA Network.
While the giveaway added a little something to the show for me, the highlight of the night was the Highlight Reel where, as I said a few weeks ago, Chris Jericho finally went heel, throwing the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels through the Jeritron 5000, shattering the flat screen television into a thousand pieces. Hey, even my wife, who despises wrestling, paused long enough to see the Show Stopper get his show stopped by the Jeritron.
You could really see this building for weeks, the temporary loss of Randy Orton to a broken collar bone likely hastening turning Y2J given the need for another top heel. This should also start a feud between Jericho and HBK, which should be over the top given their talent, and could really get interesting if, in a couple of weeks at the draft lottery, Batista gets drafted by RAW given his dislike for Michaels. The best part about this turn is that Jericho makes a much better heel than face and could later pose a legitimate challenge to Cena, Triple H or even the man he beat for the Intercontinental Belt a few months back, Jeff Hardy.
Now, to local wrestling. The FTW show at Mega Market Saturday night was great again. Whether it was the brutal main event double dog collar match between Extinction Level Event and Bad Company Incorporated, or Mary Kelly being put through a table, twice, by the Cult of Personality, the crowd of around 200 was popping in what may be the last match there, given the closure of the Westwood business. However, thanks should be given to Gordon McGee and his family for helping bring wrestling back to McMinnville using their building, as without that venue, we’d still be waiting for our first show. If anyone has an idea for a new venue give me a call because I know FTW wants to do some regular shows here if they can find a place.
Of course the highlight of the night was the inaugural Standard Protocol, hosted by yours truly, where I interviewed BCI in the ring prior to their tag match with ELE. It seemed they weren’t too happy with me getting the commissioner to make the double dog collar match and were about to give me a spinal adjustment when ELE came in and saved me a trip through a table. I’d say this bit of bad blood isn’t over since I’m being blamed for this whole mess and they are intent on killing the messenger.
Seriously, I look forward to continuing Standard Protocol at local events here, even if I do get roughed up a little from time to time. It’s worth it to give you readers the best coverage in and outside the ring. And, don’t forget to buy your No Holds Barred T-shirts. You can get them here at the paper office. Proceeds may end up helping pay for the insurance I’ll need to get into the ring with the likes of BCI.