Friday, October 21, 2011

WWE and TNA from Wilson's view

My name is Roger Wilson. I am the author of the highly-rated novel "Phantom Four: Children of the Grave," but today I write this as an annoyed WWE fan. Here's a little backstory: Since the days of Hulk Hogan back in the 80's, I have watched WWE (then WWF) almost religiously. The many great wrestlers then with a variety of character personas were great to watch. My favorite wrestler was Bret "Hit Man" Hart, the man who was the most real character. I enjoyed all of his many classic matches and feel that he is the best there is, was, and ever will be. After Bret Hart left the WWE to join WCW, I stopped watching wrestling for a long while, then returned around the time of Chris Jericho's debut in the WWE as "Y2J." Jericho is one of my favorite wrestlers today. I watched WCW on occasion during the nWo era. My favorite wrestler there? Diamond Dallas Page. He seemed real, had great matches, and I love his "Self High Five" theme.

However recently, I have been very annoyed at WWE's handling of storylines. John Cena has been the focus of the company's title picture for seemingly an eternity. When CM Punk gave that amazing promo on June 27, it was a breath of fresh air. Things became exciting again... but alas, that revolution has sank. Nothing has really changed. Cena is already over with the fans and doesn't need the title, yet he's constantly thrown in the title picture and gives out nearly the same promos for years. His character hasn't changed or evolved at all. I understand he's their #1 money-maker, but he's shoved down fans' throats way too many times.

Sadly, that's not even to the worst of it. WWE is mishandling some of their awesome talent. John Morrison for example (who performs innovative high-flying manuevers, and has a very original slow-motion entrance) should be in the main event title picture by now. Instead, he seems to be a jobber every single week. Drew McIntyre (one of my favorite villians who uses the ring creatively in his matches and has great entrance music) is a jobber as well and is hardly seen on TV. I still remember that they did not push Shelton Benjamin, who could have easily been a multiple-time World Champion and was at one point given props by the great Shawn Michaels. Shelton, along with the late Owen Hart in my opinion are the two most underrated WWE superstars of all time. In addition, there's hardly any tag team division. I was upset that the charismatic and popular "Cryme Tyme" never won the tag titles a while back. And the divas? Sadly, their matches are reduced to barely three minutes, only one major storyline, and seemingly feature the same girls. I'd like to see more of A.J., Maryse (when she returns), Tamina, and Natalya (not as a jobber), and though Eve Torres is seen a lot, she has a lot of potential as I've seen her do great moves. I still don't know what Rosa Mendes can do. When Gail Kim came back to WWE, she wasn't pushed at all! I can't blame her for quitting. They also got rid of Melina, who was my favorite diva since the Lita/Trish Stratus days.

Angered by the WWE lately, last night I did something I haven't done in over a year: Watch TNA. I once watched TNA back when they had a six-sided ring. It was a horrible show and I didn't watch TNA again... until now. Thanks to WWE's mistakes and the reports I've heard of a much-improved Brooke Adams (whom I've always found attractive, I'll admit), I thought I should give Impact Wrestling a second chance. Seeing some familiar faces like Hogan, Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, and some of the girls was great. I was impressed by the promos, although there was way too much talking. From the start of the show, 45 minutes past until I saw the first match! I'm old school and like to see more matches and less chatting. Hulk Hogan did seem like his own self again since the days of Hulkamania. Velvet Sky's promo felt genuine and heartfelt, the fight between Jeff Hardy and Jeff Jarrett was good. And seeing Gail Kim return was good - as she's finally in a storyline! There was also unpredictability, as "Cowboy" James Storm (whose catch phrase I like" "Sorry about your damn luck!") defeated World Champion and familiar face Kurt Angle to win the title. The title changed hands! That's rare for a television broadcast.

I also saw Winter (who I remember as Katie Lea Burchill - another diva WWE didn't push), Tara (formerly Victoria), and Brooke (who was once with Kelly Kelly and Layla as ECW's Extreme Expose.) I recall she was fired from WWE for some stupid reason regarding furry boots... Anyway, it was good to see her compete. She came a long way. It's nice to see female wrestlers compete in a match that didn't feel like a waste of time. WWE sometimes puts all their divas in a tag match, only for two divas to fight and one gets pinned VERY quickly. Impact is giving me the vibe that their slogan is true. For them, "wrestling matters."

That said, I'm still a WWE fan and hope that McMahon and company change the way they write storylines and promote talent soon. TNA is on the rise and I will tune in to Impact next week. Unlike last time, they've sold me. Dixie Carter and Sting look determined to take TNA to WWE's level. They got far to go, but they are getting closer. WWE needs to stop misusing their talent and start giving their attention to people other than John Cena and Randy Orton. To WWE's credit, they are promoting Mark Henry, Sheamus, and Cody Rhodes. I can respect that, as those three have made WWE watchable (besides CM Punk). Plus, the Bella Twins (who I find both VERY attractive) have nice charisma and have grown well on the mic. Now they need to promote John Morrison, Tyson Kidd, Drew McIntyre, Natalya, and A.J. I am a fan of A.J. I'll admit. She should have won NXT season 3 in my opinion. McIntyre can be a major heel if used right. He seems to be a Scottish amalgam of Randy Orton and Triple H. The first part of his theme sound ominous, like something bad will happen to Drew's opponent... It should invoke fear. They should also stop putting announcers like Michael Cole into their main events.

In closing, part of me will always like the WWE, but I have stopped watching it before. TNA is impressing me. If the WWE keeps giving the spotlight to the same guys like Cena, Orton, and Triple H, and misusing the superstars and divas who needs and deserves it, they will lose fans, guaranteed. Even though I'm a long-time fan, they're starting to lose me. The fact that they can lose hardcore fans should be scary to any company.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

1st Year Anniversary

One year ago yesterday, the revolution began as "Phantom Four: Children of the Grave" was first published. Since then, the franchise has gained some fans on our Facebook page, some high-ranked reviews, and best of all, a dream became reality. On behalf of the Wilson brothers, we thank you all for your support. Roger Wilson is halfway through writing the sequel, and we promise, the revolution against the same old boring stories will continue!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Phantom 4 on Facebook reaches 50

The Phantom Four page at Facebook (CLICK HERE) has reached fifty fans! We know that isn't much by Facebook's standards, but everything must start off small and work its' way up. We thank each and every one of those fans for their support. If you haven't join the revolution yet, feel free to "like" the page there, and you can also join this page as well. The revolution may move at a slow pace right now, but don't sleep. It'll kick full speed before you know it!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Still in construction

The second part of the series, entitled Phantom Four: Dark Evolution is still being worked on. Roger Wilson went through a recent "writer's block," but has recovered. He is trying to have the story finished and possibly released by the end of the year.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Wilson exclusive interview

Author Katie Salidas' exclusive interview with Roger Wilson is featured right now! Visit her blog site, Written In Blood to check it out.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Starting from the ground up

We at Phantom Four aren't bothered that this blog doesn't have that many fans yet. Everyone starts at the bottom and must work their way up. The number of fans at our Facebook page are growing slowly but steadily, and our video trailer has been seen around the world. Progress has been made in a short time. So while this particular site isn't popular yet, we know that one day years from now, we'll look back at this and laugh.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Interview coming soon

Next month, Roger Wilson will be interviewed by fellow author Katie Salidas. He will talk about Phantom Four and his inspirations. It will be featured at "Written In Blood" (www.katiesalidas.com) next month. Stay tuned for more details.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Help the Red Cross to help Japan

Phantom Four plans on making a donation to the American Red Cross in order to help Japan recover from a devastating tragedy. We urge you to do the same. Please text REDCROSS to 90999. $10 will be charged to your phone bill, but it's a small price to pay to help those in dire need. Our hearts go out to the people of Japan suffering from this horrific disaster.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Sequel officially announced

It is officially announced - Roger Wilson will begin writing the tragic, heart-breaking sequel to "Children Of The Grave." It will be entitled "Phantom Four: Dark Evolution." This time, the stakes are higher, and they will experience tragedy in a way that no one would wish on their enemy.... Will the darkness inside overcome them? Find out when "Dark Evolution" arrives! Stay tuned for details.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Video trailer reaches 150

The video trailer for Phantom Four has reached over 150 views and has been seen in the U.S.A, Canada, Australia, Columbia, India, Germany, Sudan, Thailand, New Zealand, and the U.K.! Although 150 isn't much by Youtube's standards, the revolution is slowly spreading to the masses, and we couldn't be more proud. (You can see it here under the "Media" tab.)

Monday, January 31, 2011

Spread the word

Those of you who have read Phantom Four: Children of the Grave and enjoyed it, feel free to tell us what you think. We appreciate any and all feedback as the series moves forward. Write a short review on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com, or just message us here, or at our Facebook page. More people must learn about the brothers of darkness and their awesome quest.

Our interview with co-creator Brian Wilson has been postponed for a later date. Author and co-creator Roger Wilson is currently collecting feedback as research before beginning to write the sequel! Stay tuned for more news.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Coming Soon: Interview w/ Brian Wilson

Sometime soon, we will sit and talk with Brian Wilson, co-creator and early storywriter for the Phantom Four! He will give exclusive insight on his brother's book, and interesting info into the foursome's origin. Stay tuned for it.