Here we have the "WWE: Slammy Awards" and I checked and saw that the last edition of this event took place in 2015 and now they tried it with a reboot. Well, you can see from the title of my review what I am thinking about them giving this another shot. At least the way it turned out here. It certainly could have been better if handled in a different way and I like awards shows in general, so I don't think the enite concept is doomed. But if they come back for 2021, then I hope it will be very differently. Not sure though. I don't think I'd miss this event. Highly unusual anyway because other awards shows have been cancelled or took place in a virtual way or with very strict regulations during the year of corona, but here they even brought back an awards show for 2020. Of course, also in a virtual fashion. The best thing was perhaps that it ran for 80 minutes only. This does not include commercials though, so if you saw it when it was on the first time, it went longer. I must say I am not particularly into wrestling. I watched it years ago, but have lost interest considerably. And what I saw here sure won't resparkle anything. The host R-Truth was maybe the worst about the entire show. Literally unwatchable at times. The worst was maybe his constant "you know what I mean?" which either was due to his ethnicity or he was just very insecure as a host. Kinda good for him he did not have to host in a room full of people watching him. But isn't the entire wrestling worls all about make-believe and staged stuff? Oh well, I guess he is simply more a man of his actions than words which is also a good thing, but still it seemed kinda embarrassing when we saw some wrestling footage including him and how he runs around there. By the way, I am of course speaking about American wrestling here where everything is staged and scripted and not the actual sports discipline that is also present at the Olympics. A second very brief moment I found annoying about the host (in addition to his general behavior) was when he spoke to the audience at home and said "guys" and quickly added "girls" because this fully-grown man was apparently scared of offending anybody during the age of gender equality and demasculinization. Says it all basically, doesn't it? Guess what really needs equality: differences in wages for example. Or the role of women in certain parts of the world. But I guess if we give them the satisfaction to add "girls" to "guys", then that is sufficient. Like give the starving a fish instead of a rod. Okay, on a slightly more positive note, the hosts's short was not all shabby. Even if it was a bit boastful too. But this was not an uncommon thing from this show here. Like we have several characters brag during their acceptance speeches. Or also the one in the very last shot who is ungrateful although holding two awards in her hand and starts swearing. Or the one who calls herself the hardest working woman in any industry. Yeah, right. I know it's staged and acted, but still I don't like it. Luckily some guys seemed really humble too here when they thanked colleagues, the fans and others. This includes also the one at the very end who took home the big prize.
As for the names, there are still people in here I remember from back when I watched wrestling. Somebody I knew quite liked Trish Stratus back then I believe. Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Bret Hart (he has certainly aged, all the best to him), The Undertaker, Edge, Goldberg, Orton, Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena etc. the list is so long. Of course, most of them were only featured through archive footage and not actually part of the show. You can check out the full list here on imdb if you care. Directors and writers are not credited, but in terms of the ones in front of the camera, it seems pretty complete and somebody took a great deal of effort to include everybody. People here certainly like familiar faces as they do in every other entertainment branch. Kinda nice to see it is not all new folks. By the way, what was Ken Jeong doing here? I thought he was kinda funny early on in his career (or Hollywood career) when he was on the Hangover movie(s) for example, but by now he is really being overexposed beiing a judge in awards shows too, joining in on wrestling and even I feel so as a non-American and he is really not too famous here. Anyway, he still is kinda funny I'll give him that, but sometimes less can be more. Oh yeah and Rico Rodriguez was part of this show too. Maybe an indicator of what his future could be like now after the end of Modern Family? Will he go into wrestling? We'll see. I mean he is kinda building the body for that. Still really unusual to see him here and also with how he is in his early 20s now. I still remember little Manny very well. He grew up in front of our eyes. I certainly could watch on Modern Family at some point, still many seasons to go. Okay, I think this is pretty much it then for my review. I must say this was an awards show that I did not find one bit inspiring or entertaining to be honest. And it sure did not get me curious one but to go again and check out some wrestling anytime soon. It's difficult anyway because of the time zone difference compared to America and I think most of the events take place in the evening, which is in the middle of the night for us or even extremely eary morning, so yeah thanks but no thanks. Maybe it's an alright thing for everybody who is not comfortable with the violence in sports like boxing etc. but still like to watch the aggression and maybe some of the drama like here during something like most intense moment or so we see somebody announcing a pregnancy, somebody betraying a close friend, somebody being (re)united, others being separated etc. It may have been actually exciting if you know about all these characters. I will not deny there was some guilty pleasure element to how over the top it all felt. Big thumbs-down from me for the outcome here and I think you absolutely want to skip the watch. Maybe next year will be better, but please get a more capable host for that one. Until then, my suggestion is to watch the extraordinary strong Aronofsky/Rourke movie The Wrestler instead. It has all the heart and soul and tension that is missing here.
As for the names, there are still people in here I remember from back when I watched wrestling. Somebody I knew quite liked Trish Stratus back then I believe. Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Bret Hart (he has certainly aged, all the best to him), The Undertaker, Edge, Goldberg, Orton, Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena etc. the list is so long. Of course, most of them were only featured through archive footage and not actually part of the show. You can check out the full list here on imdb if you care. Directors and writers are not credited, but in terms of the ones in front of the camera, it seems pretty complete and somebody took a great deal of effort to include everybody. People here certainly like familiar faces as they do in every other entertainment branch. Kinda nice to see it is not all new folks. By the way, what was Ken Jeong doing here? I thought he was kinda funny early on in his career (or Hollywood career) when he was on the Hangover movie(s) for example, but by now he is really being overexposed beiing a judge in awards shows too, joining in on wrestling and even I feel so as a non-American and he is really not too famous here. Anyway, he still is kinda funny I'll give him that, but sometimes less can be more. Oh yeah and Rico Rodriguez was part of this show too. Maybe an indicator of what his future could be like now after the end of Modern Family? Will he go into wrestling? We'll see. I mean he is kinda building the body for that. Still really unusual to see him here and also with how he is in his early 20s now. I still remember little Manny very well. He grew up in front of our eyes. I certainly could watch on Modern Family at some point, still many seasons to go. Okay, I think this is pretty much it then for my review. I must say this was an awards show that I did not find one bit inspiring or entertaining to be honest. And it sure did not get me curious one but to go again and check out some wrestling anytime soon. It's difficult anyway because of the time zone difference compared to America and I think most of the events take place in the evening, which is in the middle of the night for us or even extremely eary morning, so yeah thanks but no thanks. Maybe it's an alright thing for everybody who is not comfortable with the violence in sports like boxing etc. but still like to watch the aggression and maybe some of the drama like here during something like most intense moment or so we see somebody announcing a pregnancy, somebody betraying a close friend, somebody being (re)united, others being separated etc. It may have been actually exciting if you know about all these characters. I will not deny there was some guilty pleasure element to how over the top it all felt. Big thumbs-down from me for the outcome here and I think you absolutely want to skip the watch. Maybe next year will be better, but please get a more capable host for that one. Until then, my suggestion is to watch the extraordinary strong Aronofsky/Rourke movie The Wrestler instead. It has all the heart and soul and tension that is missing here.
