Dr. Darin Davis

Back in July of 2008, I decided to keep track of my viewing time of WWE Monday Night Raw, ECW, TNA, and WWE Smackdown to see if I would be able to tell anything about the direction of the quality of the programming. This was assuming that if the quality (in my opinion) was better, I would watch more, and if the quality dropped (again based on my tastes), I would watch less.

I ended that tracking last summer. You can find the results of the that year-long experiment, including the charts, data, and a summary on the TV Viewership Stats page.

The New Method

In July of 2009, I started collecting some different data about the same wrestling programming. After a few months of dragging my feet I finally decided on how I want to show the data, so I’ve added the information to the website.

What I am measuring this time is the number of matches per hour, and the quality of those matches as judged by a simple rating system (1 Thumb Up, 2 Thumbs Up, 1 Thumb Down).

You can find out all the details on the new TV Match Ratings page. There is a new tab at the top of the main page for this.

I won’t be posting too much about it on the main page, other than the occasional reminder that it is happening, and maybe a summary every few months. Those that are interested can check out the details on the ratings page, and those that aren’t don’t have to look at it at all.

To finish out this announcement, I’m including one of the charts from that page that shows the total “Thumb” ratings for each of the four brands from 7/7/09 through 11/20/09. The idea is that the higher the number, the better the overall quality of the wrestling matches of that brand (click on the image for a larger view).

Total Thumbs Up Ratings Thru 11/20/09

As of this writing, TNA is ahead, followed by Smackdown and ECW, with Monday Night Raw trailing pretty far behind. If I remember right, the change in format where Raw has a guest host every week started sometime in July. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Former multi-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel used to say that while sleeping, he would occasionally lift one shoulder up to avoid a pinfall during the night. It’s a tough thing for wrestlers to deal with. You’re half conscious lying on your back and you aren’t sure if you are in a strange hotel room somewhere, or if you are lying in the center of the ring after taking a stiff shot to the head. Better lift that shoulder just to be safe.

Well folks, you no longer need to rely on veteran skills, ring awareness, or the muscle memory of Nick Bockwinkel to avoid a 3 count. Japanese gadget maker Banpresto is coming out with the GONG! Pro Wrestling Ring Bell Alarm Clock.

I’m not sure what the actual product name is (it’s all Japanese to me), but that’s what I’d call it.

When it’s time to get up, the referee starts the pin count. 1…2… If he gets to three before you lift your shoulder (and reach over, grab the hammer, and smack the crap out of the ring bell), your alarm will go off– ringing the bell for some unspecified period of time.

Hard to know what this thing is going to be like. The photo appears to be concept art, and this thing could be the size of my thumb for all I know. It’s only being made available in Japan, but apparently you can order from an importer like geekstuff4u.com for about $45 USD (I think that includes shipping from Japan to them, but not to your house). For those that have watched Japanese wrestling, you’ll remember that the referees count in English, so you shouldn’t have to learn a second language to use this.

They also have a boxing version, but everyone knows boxing is rigged, so why would you want that?

For the second time in the last six months, my childhood friend Carey lost another parent. His father Bernie passed away last week. Though he was 85, he was sharp as a tack right up until the end.

I remember summers when I was in high school our families used to take day trips out to a little known lake in northern Wisconsin. The typical outing would be swimming or using an inflatable raft, Frisbee, a picnic lunch, and a big dinner of grilled meat (no vegans in this bunch). Sometimes the kids would play touch football against the adults. Only touch actually meant tackle depending on the play.

The adults used to complain a bit over how sore they were the next day, which us kids used to laugh off. Not as funny now, since there have been days where I have to get out of bed in stages (like Terry Funk in the wrestling documentary Beyond The Mat) after doing something strenuous the previous day.

Even up until the last time I saw him, Bernie would still ask about the pro wrestling. He seemed to get a big kick out of it. He and his wife were living out of town by the time I started it, so he never got a chance to see me do it. It never occurred to me to send him a recording of any of my matches until now. Like a lot of things you should do, you don’t think about them until later.

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure they’ve got DVD players in heaven. Maybe not progressive scan, but for lower-quality VHS transfers that’s overkill anyway.

We’ll miss you Bernie.