TRIBUNE ARCHIVES

Nemesis "Sex, Death, and Money, sonny Makes this wicked world go 'round. Sex, Death, and Money, honey It's the gospel here in Dragontown." -Alice Cooper Everybody has a nemesis. In one form or another, everybody in this world has that person that is their exact opposite. Sometimes it's one of those quirky little 'sitcom style' opposites that makes everyone puke with sugary goodness, but usually you can't stand your Nemesis. I might not be able to stand Sammy Benson, but I'm smart enough to know that the CSWA broadcasts are going to be a little less without him in the booth. Who's gonna kick Eddy Love praise into high gear? Who's gonna make sure Buckley calls things down the middle? Who's gonna make us all feel a lot better about our lives when we realize we're not a fat, balding, alcoholic broadcaster. That's not really fair, but Sammy *did* coin the phrase "Feminazi" that has spread everywhere I've ever worked. But Sammy Benson was right about one thing - the fact that the CSWA New Season is rehashed crap. The CSWA used to be the undisputed master of professional wrestling. You wanted to see great wrestling, you tune in to Evan Aho and Shane Southern. You want to see the greatest talkers in the world, you tune in to the Professionals. You want to see the most beautiful, charismatic, ass- kicking manager in the world... Well... you get the idea. Is the CSWA still the number one wrestling promotion in the world? The argument could be made - and it would be a damn good one. But the nature of the besst - with its own good and bad points - is that the CSWA is only as good as CSWA Commissioner Merritt allows it to be. Somewhere between Sweetwater and this 'New Season' nonsense, Merritt has lost sight of what makes the CSWA as great as it once was. GUNS and the Professionals are running around as the Intruders, with verbal barbs toward Merritt and the rest of the CSWA staff in general, with an absolute contempt for everything that the CSWA has ever stood for, with goals that I can't even fathom and three CSWA title belts. Mike Plett, the GXW Turncoat remains possibly the only member of a GXW Invasion to remain in the CSWA. A new PLR has risen with the apparent aim of being even more overblown in their own importance. Commissioner Merritt has never stood for anybody obstructing the vision he has for the CSWA. He has never dealt kindly with those with no respect for the tradition of the CSWA. He tried to kill the Red Midget for bringing down ratings... yet he hasn't lifted a finger against the men who are trying to bring down the CSWA. That's the goal, mind you - to bring down the CSWA. When the second- rate promotions and wrestlers in this world realized they were unable to rise to the CSWA's levels of excellance, they did their best to bring us down. With Merritt apparently unconcerned with the cookie- cutter image his wrestling promotion has begun to take on, it might very well happen. And with Sammy Benson voluntarily off the air, giving him no reason to weasel his way back... a good number of fans will probably not even watch the ship go down. Am I premature in declaring the CSWA on life support? Probably. But every other time someone else has done so, Merritt has busted his ass to silence the critics. Well, my friend, right now, the critics are the only ones talking. Merritt has been my employer for eight years now, and I would consider him a friend for a large portion of that. And as a friend, I will defend the CSWA to my dying breath, but there is only so much any one of us can do. In the end, only Merritt can put the CSWA back on course. And if he doesn't do it soon, he might find very little of the CSWA will remain behind to save. This is Ivy. Back to TRIBUNE Main Main Event | UPDATE | Fan Interactive | Bottom Line | Ivy League Happy Hour | Grapevine | Insider | Spotlight