Musashi - " Junie has created his own heel character, not Dana"
You give him far too much credit. The editors of that show created his character. He just showed up and acted like a douchebag. Big difference (imo)
I must protest ... having been a producer and having sat beside too many editors in too many avid bays to mention I gotta tell ya ... editors do NOT create footage ... they stitch it together compellingly with the help of producers. Had Junie not behaved in such a manner we would have no footage to watch of him acting like a "heel" ... Junie chose to act like a douchebag on camera, that was his choice to do so. To whom should I credit his behaviour choices?
I respect your opinion but I do not agree with it ... Junie chose to be a heel (and acted it out), not a babyface. Editors have nothing to do with that.
My previous post on "Junie= Coward, Cryababy and loser! " (by lazybjj)
Having cast several reality shows myself I can say that big personalities (good and/or bad) are what we look for. It is a fact of this genre that lacking a script, the show needs the cast to create and carry the drama.
I've had many potential cast say "I don't want to look like an asshole on TV" to which I always replied "if you act like an asshole on camera, you'll look like an asshole on TV ... it's not up to us how you come off, it's up to you."
Junie has revealed that he is an emotional infant, there's no two ways about it. We all now love to hate him both for his lack of skill and his immaturity. Frank Mir walking out of the room when Junie walked in was the first time I have actually applauded Mir on this show.
Bill Pharoni - The one flaw with this comparison is that GG was good at his line of work. Junie didn't live up to his own hype
... Gorgeous George never worked for WWE. That might explain it.
All forms of entertainment can learn from each other and none should be disregarded.
Bill ... I agree with both your posts ... GG was VERY good at his line of work and I find it a little odd that so many lump ALL pro wrestlers into the same heap.
jujitsujamo - After watching last nights TUF show (against my better judgment) and seeing Junie not get kicked off......again for stupid behavior - I came to the conclusion that MMA is where Pro Wrestling was 50 years ago. I continually argue that they are one and the same because they both use the exact same business model and both have the same background. But last night Dana proved my theory. Dana is finally starting to accept the entertainment aspect of the sport and embrace it over the integrity. He let Junie stay because he realizes that the fans hate him and will pay to see him get beat. Wrestling promoters did the exact same thing with Gorgeous George in the 50s and 60s. Expect this trend to continue and hopefully it wont take MMA 50 years to catch up.
That being said - I found Junie to be extremely weak mentally in last nights episode. When he had the opportunity to train with some of the best in the world, he claimed he would rather be home in Kentucky training (and he wonders why guys on the show dont want to work with him). He also complained that guys were catching him with subs that he would not normally get caught with - meaning he was getting tapped in training and could not handle it. I do agree with Dana that his intention was to get kicked off the show and go home and brag that he could have won the entire thing if they had not kicked him off.
Right or wrong we are all playing into Dana's sports entertainment oriented mind.
Devil's Advocate time, since no one else is presenting the other side of the discussion.
Why are you so surprised about the way MMA is being presented? This type of behavior has been applauded at the highest level of our country, yet it is not acceptable in MMA reality tv? Bill Clinton got his pecker sucked as the president of the United States by a woman he was not wed to and he is called the greatest president since FDR by the younger demographics. I guess its ok to disgrace the presidential office but god forbid if some hick kid from kentucky acts like a jackass on a reality show it sets the entire MMA world back 50 years and makes it a WWE clone. How soon we forget pissing in fruit bowls and jizz-bombing sushi rolls a few weeks earlier.
As for Junie himself, please let us know who exactly is "some of the best in the world" that he chose not to train with? Mir was no where to be seen. He heard about Junie giving up from someone else because he wasnt even helping Junie. Junie had issues in a prior episode where no one would help him train... granted it is most likely his own fault, but at that time he was willing to learn. Some of the best in the world werent offering to help him. Mir is a SHITTY coach. His ego will never let him be a great teacher and he will never be "some of the best in the world" with his condescending attitude towards all others in MMA. Its funny how Mir was slobbering all over the balls of the guys when they were winning, but the instant they lose, he turns his back on them. I wish his coaches would pull the same crap on him when he loses a match because he supposedly didnt listen to their game plan.
Dana is in this for the money. Anyone that believes he does this for the fans is ignorant. If you get to see some great fights in the process of him presenting the biggest money making matches, im sure thats fine with him. But you better believe his biggest concern is what match will garner the most buys, present and in the future. The success of the UFC where others are failing shows he knows wtf he is doing when it comes to a MMA business and like it or not, the UFC is a business first and foremost.