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HeadLocker — Jay Shannon

Why Adamle was a good choice for GM?

Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, gives his thoughts on why Mike Adamle may have been a good choice for Raw’s General Manager.

Mike Adamle’s appointment to Raw General Manager was met with the gnashing of teeth and groans from the fans. I initially felt that Adamle was a ridiculous choice to run Monday nights. After further thought, I feel that Adamle just might be the best man for the job. Let me explain.

A Fresh View

Raw has had a parade of wrestlers in charge. Sgt. Slaughter, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, William Regal and others have trotted out, made matches, cut ridiculous promos and basically made a nuisance of themselves.

Mike Adamle could do a better job than the others, because of his background. Adamle’s exposure to other sports may help him to provide input to the writers and WWE brass to take Raw in new and better directions. Even if Adamle has no direct contact with the writers, he could be used as the catalyst to try new ideas. If the ideas succeed, Adamle could be pushed as the Savior of Raw. If the ideas fail, Adamle could be the scapegoat. It’s a win-win situation.

Professional Feel

Most of the wrestlers that served as GM had other agendas. Adamle would be able to focus on the job without pushing his next battle in the ring. Adamle would likely never step inside the ring wearing lycra and kneepads. Splitting focus has always been the downfall of previous GMs. Look at William Regal. He was doing an adequate job in the office, until he wanted to become King of the Ring. He shot his credibility when he put himself in the middle of his own program. It’s unlikely that Adamle will get into the middle of a battle.

While Adamle has flubbed a few lines while behind the announce desk, he should do much better as GM. He would only have to speak a few times, instead of talking constantly. A focused Adamle could bring a new feel to the show. Raw has been in a state of chaos for some time. Adamle could re-align the chaotic situation into a more positive one.

Hated across the board

With past GMs, there were always fans of the wrestler-in-charge. Adamle is disliked by just about every wrestling fan. Fans might tune into Raw just to see Adamle fall on his face. That could be great for ratings. As Vince McMahon has stated, multiple times, that ratings are everything.

The hatred by the fans could also help push the faces. Viewers would tune in to see Cena, Batista and others try to get the better of Adamle. Again, this is another situation of ratings being the key focus of the show. Adamle’s bias towards the heels could help them, as well. It would be a perfect situation for all parties, including the fans.

Cross Market Appeal

Mike Adamle has fans from his days on American Gladiators. He also has tied to the football world. Adamle could play up those connections. Raw might be able to bring in former teammates of Adamle to help attract the football fans. With football season rapidly approaching, the WWE should do all they can to draw fans away from Monday Night Football and bring them to Raw. Adamle could help with that task.

Adamle’s connection with American Gladiators could also lead to new and old Gladiators making appearances on Raw. With the exception of Beast (Matt Morgan), the Gladiators would be free to appear on Raw. Since both Raw and American Gladiators appear for the Universal Network System (USA and NBC), it would be a natural for them to cross-promote. Adamle could bring in Gladiators, in their off-season, to serve as his personal enforcers. That could bring the Gladiator fans to Monday nights.

In Conclusion:

I’m still not a big fan of Mike Adamle. If he’s going to be a part of WWE, then placing him in the General Manager position is the best place for him. He could bring in new fans to the show. He could also boost ratings with his managerial actions. Another great benefit of the move is that it keeps him off the microphone, other than a few vignettes. That can only help the product.

— Jay Shannon
[email protected]
(8/7/2008)