Boy, I enjoyed the Piper’s Pit segment last Monday on Raw… Piper was awesome but when he complimented Cena’s generation for surpassing what Piper’s generation had accomplished, I threw up a little. I would say that Piper was lying but I’ll give it a pass because of the setting. He was trying to fire Cena up so he had to lie to John a little.

If there’s a reason why fans crap on the WWE today, it’s for moments like this. You can’t lie to your customers. No one believes that the WWE of the 2005 to 2011 is better than 1984-1990.  If Piper would have said, “John, you show respect to the forefathers who paved the way for the stars of today”, it might have served the same purpose but that wasn’t the narrative chosen.

Lying to the fans in the context of buttering up John Cena doesn’t help Cena either…

And if the WWE really believe that Cena’s generation was better than Piper’s, then why not let them show it?

I think when that line was written for Piper, it was designed to put over the WWE brand but fell short because no one cares how great the office is. No fan ever bought a ticket to see the office.

New York Mets’ General Manager said during a December 1st conference call with bloggers, “To grow revenue, we have to put a better product on the field.”

Isn’t that what all sports franchises need to do?

In wrestling, if crowds diminish and ratings diminish, then doesn’t it make sense to improve the product so crowds and ratings return?

It’s one reason why a strong talent development system is critical to put a better product for consumers and grow revenue. Ring of Honor recently held another Tryout Camp, a two-day teaching and evaluation camp in Bristol, PA. Over 40 athletes came out and there were quite a few standouts. Some will eventually make their way onto Ring of Honor cards and possibly the weekly television show.

One thing I never understood about the stars that do their best to hold new wrestlers down… don’t they know that top stars always need new opponents and fresh matchups to keep themselves interesting to the audience?

It was a lesson that some members of Piper’s generation learned but forgot… or perhaps those in charge of them allowed it to happen? Either way, some of the older generation forgot where they came from.

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I am interested to see how Gregory Iron’s campaign to get into the 2012 Royal Rumble goes. I first wrote about him a couple of years ago and think he’s great.

Good luck, kid!