THE BOOGEYMAN CHARACTER IS JUST HORRIBLE, REALLY

The Boogeyman: a really crappy and stupid character for now.

THE PRO-WRESTLING DRIVER SEAT
By Hub Pacheco

(This column was originally published in http//:nikonboy.livejournal.com on 13 Feb. 2006 and was reedited and now republished here for better referencing and for keeping the subject more up-to-date.)

When The Boogeyman first debuted last year on SmackDown, giving GM Teddy Long a shock when network exec Palmer Cannon introduced him, I thought to myself: WTF is this?!!?? What crap is WWE shoving to our faces now?

But as weeks went by, I was impressed with his mic skills. Of course, he’s just rhyming out some weird statements and/or nursery rhymes to intimidate the SmackDown! superstars. But he was entertaining to watch, even if he hasn’t had a single match inside a WWE ring. As a good friend of mine commented: “He’ll be a face soon because of his antics.” Yes, it seemed the Boogeyman was headed in that direction. Or was he?

Fast forward to Royal Rumble 2006. JBL vs. The Boogeyman. What can I say about the match? I felt sorry for JBL. I’m not really a fan of JBL, but I will say this: I feel sorry that JBL had to job to the Boogeyman. JBL wrestles great but to see him job to the Boogeyman, that’s just sad. I feel sad. To recap that match, it went like this: JBL pounds on Boogeyman. He twitches as if unaffected. A couple more shots from JBL and he fights back with a kick. Then as JBL recovers from that single kick, Boogeyman pump-handle-slams JBL for the win. A VERY short match. Now, I’m not judging The Boogeyman based on that match alone. Observe his other matches. They are VERY quick and VERY unimpressive.

Sure, Boogeyman needs credible wins to build his character’s credibility, but you see, that’s where the problem lies. His character, although entertaining and very over with most WWE fans, is very shallow for me. How will he rise up the ranks with his all-too-slow entrances, overly-disgusting worm-eating, and so-called wrestling “skills?” It will be difficult for him to establish great feuds if his matches are too fast and stupid and his only edge against potential opponents is his creepiness. I think it was the columnist Phantom Lord who made available a link to what the Boogeyman looked like before his WWE stint. I have seen the image and, as usual, he is a bodybuilder sculpted to near perfection.

Marty Wright is the Boogeyman’s real name. He was cut from WWE Tough Enough IV for lying about his age when he entered the reality show. He said he was 30 years old when he was actually over 40. His passion for getting into the business eventually landed him a WWE developmental contract with OVW. His Boogeyman gimmick debuted in June 2005 and was quickly jumped to WWE TV four months later. That was how over the Boogeyman character was in OVW. Now before I go on any further with my thoughts on the Boogeyman, let me just remind you that I am criticizing/booing Boogeyman the WWE character, not Marty Wright the man. I feel I have to say that since I am currently overwhelmed by the anti-Cena chants that was heard during this year’s WrestleMania Hall Of Fame induction ceremony and during the WrestleMania 22 main event. I think the “F—k you, Cena” chants was a bit overboard as I feel that they are vilifying Cena the man, not Cena the mismanaged WWE champion. I will publish my complete thoughts on the event as soon as it is broadcast here in Manila. I wouldn’t want to spoil anybody. Going back to Marty Wright, the man, I have no beef with him. It’s his WWE gimmick that I hate.

WWE has had great success with weird/supernatural characters in the past – from the Undertaker to Kane to George “The Animal” Steele. But unlike them, the Boogeyman will have a hard time to “evolve” his character. Yes. Taker and Kane also struck fear to opponents, much like what the Boogeyman is doing right now, but at least Taker and Kane backed those scare tactics up with great wrestling! Also, remember that Kane successfully went from masked monster to a face character to an unmasked monster and now, to an unmasked face killing machine. All right, The Boogeyman is currently a face, isn’t he? Well, how the hell will he contend for future singles titles if all he ever does is scare the sh-t out of his opponents by whacking big clocks over his head and eating mouthfuls of worms?

All right, let’s look at the current program The Boogeyman is in right now. He is currently involved in an angle with Booker T. Again, like JBL, I feel really sorry for Booker for he is stuck in a stupid I’m-really-afraid-of-the-Boogeyman-angle. I mean, the man is a five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion (and I’m not just saying that because it’s Booker’s famous catch-phrase. He is a great pro wrestler.). A man who should be in the main event or at least in the mid-card is stuck in a lame-a$$ angle with a comedy character like the Boogeyman. Much like JBL was. It was a good thing that after the Rumble, their angle was done. And wait ‘till their match at WM22, where Book and Sharmell will face the Boogeyman, that should be something. Yeah, something to change the channel for about a couple of minutes for. Now, after that “job” is over and done with, what’s next for the Boogeyman? Does every superstar have to be afraid of him just for the Boogeyman to have a decent program with? Do you really expect Chris Benoit, the WWE character, to be actually afraid of the Boogeyman when they are put in a program together? Yeah, right. Only the likes of Booker T, Sharmell, and JBL has the right selling skills to sell his fear of the Boogeyman.

If The Boogeyman, with his horrendous wrestling skills and lame scare tactics, plans to go on a lengthy run with the WWE, the creative team (yeah, I bet they really are THAT creative) should rework some aspects of his character. We fans are all to familiar of a superstar who when weak at something, will make it up with another aspect of his character (mic skills and mat skills to be more exact). Some obvious examples would be Shelton Benjamin, Batista and John Cena. No further explanations needed. It is a rarity nowadays for new superstars to have both skills like HBK, HHH, Kurt Angle, and Ric Flair.

The WWE is banking on too much entertainment and too little of wrestling nowadays. I’m not saying that entertainment is a bad thing. It’s just that when it comes right down to the essentials, for me it is all about the wrestling INSIDE the ring. If you have outstanding promos, well and good. But that should also compliment the actual wrestling, not the disgusting worm-eating.

Background info from: www.obsessedwithwrestling.com