THE STATUE SONG

Often when I think of wrestling, I think of music. Often when I think of music, I think of wrestling. I can't help it. My mind has been molded that way. When I think of one of my greatest passions, I think of how it relates to the other. One night, I was driving home while listening to Stew, one of my favorite songwriters. The song was a sad tale about being cast out and seeking refuge. It was around this time when word leaked into the wrestling rumor mill about the WWE looking to release several of its workers in the new year. I couldn't help but make the connection and feel sorry for these unfortunate fellows as Stew's golden voice told a story of regret and things lost and never to be found again.

I was sad. Briefly, that is. Then, when the music stopped and I thought it over more logically rather than emotionally, I became more and more optimistic. The silver linings in the clouds were becoming apparent. In recent months, many WWE stars have been let go or have quit: Nathan Jones, Chris Kanyon, Goldust, Ernest "The Cat" Miller, Kevin Nash, Spanky, and Zach Gowen. What I propose to do in this column, as Perry Como said, is to accentuate the positive.

--GOLDUST NO MORE--

Whether you call him Goldust, Dustin Rhodes, or Dustin Runnels, I call him one of the greatest ring psychologists of the WWE's old Attitude and now Monopoloy era. Dustin has such timing and knowledge of where and when exactly to make his move. How to express his actions. How to charm the crowds or make him hated. That, along with some obvious athleticism, technical skill, and the ability to do all this in what must be an unbearably hot, gold, skin-tight full-body suit, makes him one of the great underrated professional wrestlers on his time. Not underrated by smart wrestling fans but underrated by those who foolishly thought he was only a comedy act. I love him. Always have.

Late last year, Dustin was given an early release from the WWE rather than wait out his contract's natural end in January. The details behind his release are unclear, but whoever wanted Dustin out of the company, whether it was Dustin himself or management, got their wish. Obviously, the WWE owns the rights to the name and appearance of Goldust, which means Dustin cannot use this persona anymore, much in the way he couldn't during his time in WCW a while back.

The Good News: "Lonestar" Dustin Rhodes, as he wishes to be called now, recently made his debut on an NWA-TNA Pay-Per-View to challenge NWA Champion Jeff Jarrett for the title. He lost, understandably, but this shows that Dustin is still a name in this business and can realistically go for the gold. Not just in NWA but also in other big federations. Rumors abound that he will be working with the American shows of the Japanese promotion Zero-One. I am looking forward to seeing a Zero-One show later this year, and I hope Dustin will be there.

Now, I know that NWA and Zero-One are very different animals than the WWE. Dustin likely won't be paid as much as he was, but Dustin has been in this business a very long time. No doubt he has more than enough to pay the bills, but that is only my speculation. What is certain is this: He'll never have to wear that suffocating body suit again.

--FAILED EXPERIMENT--

Like many wrestling fans, I have had mixed feelings about Zach Gowen ever since hearing of the one-legged wrestler. Thoughts ranging from "I'll believe that when I see it," to "Wow, he can actually wrestle," to "I'm skeptical to his long-term appeal," to "He's not bad, but he will always be limited in most aspects." That is where I am now. The final thought.

Gowen is something special in terms of being able to work around his handicap, but judging him as a wrestler and not as a one-legged wrestler, he is only so-so. I'm afraid that even if he improves over time (he is only twenty years old right now), he'll never be well-rounded enough to be a big name or a great cruiserweight wrestler. The WWE probably knew this, but they looked at him as a short-term underdog who might bring a little attention to Smackdown if given a high-profile feud. They had him blow up real big and real fast as Vince McMahon's Pay-Per-View opponent.

In the short-term, it worked. In the long-term, it failed. What is more disturbing is that reports were flying around reliable wrestling news websites that Gowen was having backstage problems. It seems that when the WWE pushed him to the moon, they didn't realize that the seemingly humble Gowen would get an ego. I always take such reports, even from the big name wrestling journalists, with a grain of salt because we can never see it from all sides. Whatever the reason, Gowen was let go this month.

The Good News: I'm not a Zach Gowen fan, but I want to wish him good luck. I am still skeptical that he can be much more than an attraction for gawkers, but maybe he will prove me wrong, perform well, and learn from the independent shows. He is scheduled to have a match with the XWrestling promotion in England against Chad Collyer, a remarkable ring technician who I was fortunate enough to see live recently. Maybe some time away from the glamour of the WWE will do him some good and help him grow.

--SPANKTACULAR--

Of all who have been released by the WWE lately, Spanky is my favorite. A hard-working cruiserweight with talent, guts, and a thirst for creating memorable matches. A Ring of Honor color commentator once spoke of him highly during one of his matches. He said that if one would ask Spanky if he had a girlfriend or did anything for fun, Spanky would reply "No, I'm too busy wrestling, training, and watching tapes of matches to get better." It shows.

Spanky asked for and received his release from the WWE. Unlike most mentioned, this was very much the wrestler's idea. Spanky was tired of working five-minute matches on Velocity and never having the chance to showcase his enormous talent. He was shuffled away after being billed as yet another underdog babyface rather than a serious competitor. Spanky couldn't take it. He didn't want to work for a wrestling company that wouldn't let him wrestle. He packed his bags and hopped into a plane for Japan where he would be better appreciated and given serious matches. I felt a little bad about his departure from the WWE, because I was hoping to see him excel in the cruiserweight division and possibly give it a jump-start it so desperately needs.

The Good News: Spanky is wrestling again. Really wrestling. Not quick, toned-down matches. Bouts in Japan, where wrestling is taken more seriously. Don't worry, Spanky fans. We don't have to travel to the other side of the world to see him. Ring of Honor says that they are going to bring Spanky back to their promotion once his schedule in Japan is lighter. Rumors persist that it may be even sooner than ROH is saying in public.

--THE OTHERS--

As far as Nathan Jones, Ernest "The Cat" Miller, and Kevin Nash are concerned, good riddance. Beauty in Wrestling readers know how I feel about Jones, but to sum up, he sucks like a dust buster on meth. Unsafe, untalented, and unworthy of a WWE contract. Jones has done only one thing in his WWE career that has made me happy: he quit. Yes, the Colossus of Who Cares Anymore couldn't take the strain and went home to jail. I mean, Australia.

Kevin Nash has sufferred too many injuries that he can no longer wrestle. Of course, that was true years ago, but it is even more relevant today. His latest leg problem has put him on the shelf forever. Sorry, Diesel. I never much cared for him, but the good news for him is that he has a lot of money saved up from ridiculously high contracts. He is set for life. Nash has retired, and Miller should follow that example. His greatest contribution to the WWE has been getting Tazz to sing his theme music, "Somebody Call My Momma," at the Royal Rumble. Hit the road and don't come back. The good news for me is simply that Jones, Miller, and Nash are all gone from WWE, possibly forever.

Chris Kanyon, on the other hand, is an adequate worker (and sometimes better than that if given the proper amount of time and the right opponent), so I hope he finds a good wrestling gig or something else that makes him happy. He released a statement about his departure from the company, and he seemed upbeat about it. Good for him.

--CONCLUSION--

When all is said and done, the recent pink slips aren't so terrible for wrestling fans. The WWE now has some extra pocket change to give contracts to fresh talent. Good for wrestling fans. Some bad wrestlers are gone. Good for wrestling fans. Some unhappy wrestlers are now happy to be working elsewhere. Good for wrestling fans.

Bring on the termination announcements. Music to my hears.