A FAREWELL TO RICK LUDWIN ONE OF THE TRUE TV PROFESSIONALS

Let me start with a story which I’m sure has had many iterations over the years so here it goes:

Back in the early 80’s a bunch of NBC suits including Irwin Segelstein and Ray Timothy were in Irwin’s office at 30 Rock for a meeting when Segelstein’s assistant came barging in with a note. Irwin read it, turned ashen and told the room “Bob Hope is dead”.

In the 70’s and 80’s Bob Hope was the motherlode of ratings and advertising revenue with his NBC specials. Back in the day those Bob Hope Specials were really special and were always among the highest rated shows of the TV season. I remember as a kid watching the annual visit to the troops with Joey Heatherton, Lola Falana and, just to keep my hormones in check, Jerry Colonna.

This was devastating for the NBC executives until Segelstein looked at the note again which actually said “The Pope is dead”. A sigh of relief swept through the room.

Rick Ludwin would appreciate that story, I actually think he was the first to share it with me. Rick passed today.

He was the head of Specials and Late Night during my tenure at NBC….oh and SEINFELD.

Rick was the consummate professional and it was an honor to share a suite with him and his staff Betty, Todd, Christy and Lisa. My good friend Vince Manze who was the head of marketing and promotion at the Peacock was also part of the suite. Vince and I were the rowdy east coasters while Rick was the button-downed clean cut “kid” from Cleveland who would often come out of his office to tell Vince and me to tone it down.

I started with the Bob Hope story since Rick was the executive in charge of the Hope specials. Those specials meant everything to him and he would often visit the Hopes in their home which was not far from the Burbank offices.

In addition to overseeing the many NBC specials Rick had the responsibility for late night and devoted himself fully to The Tonight Show, Late Night and Saturday Night Live. Rick lived his job. I remember one Saturday early evening  when some emergency was going down (these were 24/7 jobs back then) and I needed to reach Rick. I had no idea what his home number was and I remember telling my wife “ I bet I know where he is”. I called his office around 6 on a Saturday night and he answered. He wondered how I knew he would be there and I said “Rick, SNL is original tonight. You’re not in New York so I assumed that you were at the office watching the dress feed.” That was Rick.

Right before I came out to Burbank from New York Johnny Carson announced at the upfront presentation that he was leaving The Tonight Show the following May. Because I shared the suite with Rick I witnessed first-hand the emotional and physical toll the Leno/Letterman battle took on him. He always handled it professionally but it was brutal. After I left he had to do it all over again with the Conan/Leno situation. I think that was what finally ended his outstanding career at NBC.

….and then there was SEINFELD. So much has been written about how Rick took money out of his specials budget to fund the Seinfeld pilot. I was fortunate enough to be in the pilot screening room when Rick, as only he could, sheepishly explained the pilot’s origins and never oversold it. Trust me I have seen development execs oversell pilots in that room. For me and others the heavens opened as we screened what was going to be one of the foundations of the “Must-See-TV” era.

To Jerry and Larry David’s credit they asked my boss Warren Littlefield not to give the show over to a current executive and allow Rick and his team play that role which they did for the life of the show.

I remember a retreat where we had a discussion of the role of Current Executives and Don Ohlmeyer asked Rick to describe how he handles SEINFELD. With classic mid-west demeanor Rick said “ I show up, shake everyone’s hand and laugh a lot during the table read and then I leave.” Classic Rick.

When it was time for SENIFELD to move on we were in the scheduling room. Rick was there and we were putting up the first post-SEINFELD schedule. I remember, like it was yesterday, Warren taking the magnetic SEINFELD tile off the board and respectfully handing it to Rick.

Towards the end of my time at NBC “reality TV” was becoming red hot thanks in no small part to my future partner in crime Mike Darnell who was over at FOX. Don Ohlmeyer wanted us to get in the game and, to Rick’s credit, he sort of refused to go there which afforded me the opportunity to oversee a few of our more dubious programs like “I-Witness Video”. Rick never complained that we were going there. He had enough on his plate.

When I got the text this morning from Vince that Rick had died I was deeply shaken and that has been the feeling among several of us who were fortunate to have had Rick as part of the MSTV team.

I wish peace to his soul and send love to his family and friends.

A real professional who contributed so much to the history of TV. Love to you Rick.

HELL IN A CELL - - WWE MAKING IT UP AS THEY GO ALONG

It’s sort of a strange time to have a PPV especially one as huge as “Hell In a Cell”. We’re one week into the “new era” of televised professional wrestling. Next week there will be a WWE “draft” to create a “hard split” between the brands. Sorry for all the quotation marks but this is the WWE. Not only does that lead to some confusion regarding championship matches but, as I write this, there are only four announced matches for the PPV making it feel more like an episode of RAW or SMACKDOWN than a big Sunday event.

No tag championships, mid-card titles nor (and unlikely) a Lesnar defense of that ridiculous end to Kofi’s run (watch him leap into Brock’s arms for the F5) have been announced. I cannot think of anything ever like this and this is the WWE where sense is left at the doorstep. I’m thinking the brand split lasts two months at best.

Well, here’s what we know so far with predictions and “Holy Shit” (💩 ™) expectations. I will update as more is announced.

SETH V. THE FIEND WYATT

I guess I’m in the minority on this. I don’t know how you give the belt to a gimmick like this and sustain it for any period of time. Wyatt has had many opportunities to take it to the next level and generally falls short. This probably won’t be a wrestling match as much as performance art with lots of effects and shit. My gut is there will not be a clean finish here. Seth winning clean sort of puts an end to this nonsense and might send Bray off on reforming the Wyatts or some sort of stable surrounding the Fiend. I’m going with schmoz in a 💩💩 ½  match.

BECKY V. SASHA

This could be match of the night and with all the changes I don’t see Becky dropping the belt. They will want her with the strap on RAW (or SMACKDOWN…she did open the show) for the foreseeable future and expect her to feud with Shaina Baszler pretty soon. 💩💩💩💩 ½

BRYANT/ROMAN V. BLUGBROS REDEUX

Somethin’ ain’t right here and the obvious is Daniel Bryant is setting up the Big Dog for a beatdown but what if….stay with me here…what if Roman makes the turn and factions with Harper and Rowan turning “the new” DB into “the old” DB who goes on a vendetta in the land of the giants DB needs to get through the ex Wyatts to get his shot at the Big Dog….just a thought. Harper and Rowen win this in a 💩💩 match.

BAYLEY V. THE QUEEN

I think it is time to give the belt back to Charlotte and leave Bayley and Sasha to get back into the tag team battle. They are a team that can go against both faces and heels and elevate other teams. Last time these two fought in a PPV it was a disappointment so I’m looking for the two of them to make up for it this time. 💩💩💩 ½

I will update the card as we learn more.

Before I sign off what did we learn from Week 1 of the new era of televised wrestling?

My big takeaway is that you dear fan have a choice between watching sports entertainment (RAW and SMACKDOWN) and professional wrestling (AEW, NXT and NJPW). Right now, the numbers are with sports entertainment although I prefer the later three shows.

AEW presented a solid first show and, in many ways, is a better version of WWE. NXT is, far and away, for me, the jewel of all these shows and I dread Vince looking at the numbers for the first head to head confrontation with AEW and panicking. No good ever comes from that. Stay strong Trips. The call down of Finn Balor and the return of Tommaso Ciampa elevated the first two-hour NXT show. Love to see Asuka and Kairi Sane return to the fold. It’s going to take a few weeks for this all to shake out. Let’s see what the draft looks like and where AEW is in a few months but away we go.

The Three Dimensional Chess That Is CLASH OF CHAMPIONS

With all that is about to go down in the WWE looking at CLASH OF CHAMPIONS feels a bit like what it would be like to play three dimensional chess. Trying to figure out this card gives me a headache:

Who do you want to hold the belts going into the draft before the alleged brand split becomes a reality again until it’s not?

Which wrestlers do you want on the two brands?

Do the WWE and Universal Championships and the two mid-card belts have to remain on their current shows and what about the Women’s Tag Team belts if we are going back to a true brand split?

How are we going to “strengthen” NXT as it takes on the challenge of confronting AEW on Wednesday nights?

Have we entered the era of NXT “call downs” and, if so, who goes back to their NXT origins and flourishes again?

All these questions and others have to be on the minds of the powers that be as they book this card. Ironically, a PPV which features all the belts in play is the perfect leadin to this transformative moment in the WWE and professional wrestling in general.

One clue as to what might go down on Sunday is how AEW put the belt on Chris Jericho going into their premiere on TNT. I think the WWE knows it’s not the time to start this new era of competition with the straps on some untested talent. You want your biggest stars with the gold and you want them on the right shows. I think RAW will continue to be the “big guy” show, SMACKDOWN will go for athleticism over size and NXT will be the most exciting “indie” with the story telling taking place in the ring.

All these things are going through my mind as I make my match and, of course “Holy Shit”™ predictions. Let’s figure this all out.

AJ vs. Cedric Alexander (US Championship)

Cedric’s getting the push but I think AJ retains and he’s headed over to SMACKDOWN most likely with his posse. SMACKDOWN is the house that AJ built and I think it will be a better fit and, down the road, set up a feud with Kofi and the New Day. This should be a solid 💩💩💩💩1/2 match.

BLISSCROSS vs. FIRE AND DESIRE (Women’s Tag Team Championship)

I have no idea what’s going to happen with this belt given the brand split. Will this remain a floater belt? No idea. What I do know is that, if she’s healthy Alexa Bliss is one of the top shelf performers and they’re gonna need her to be on her own. She’s helped build up Nikki Cross but it’s time and their opponents are solid wrestlers who will benefit from winning the straps. This feels like a 💩💩1/2 match. I think all four stay on RAW.

ROMAN vs. ROWAN

Daniel Bryan makes his presence felt in some way and we go from there. I think no contest or Rowan with shenanigans. 💩💩 and I assume Bryan and Reigns are on SMACKDOWN when the dust settles.

BECKY vs. SASHA (RAW Women’s Championship)

I find it hard to believe that they would take the belt off of Becky right now and I don’t think they would reward Sasha so soon after her return. Becky stays and Sasha goes over and joins her bestie on SMACKDOWN. I think they want to tear down the house so I’m guessing a 💩💩💩1/2 match.

NAKAMURA vs. MIZ (Intercontinental Championship)

The WWE wants the strap on the name talent and they (and COMCAST) want The Miz over on RAW so he can promote his show. Look for the mid card belts to switch brands. Also, here’s a bold prediction: Sami and Shinsuke join KO on NXT as part of a group of “call downs”. Both will benefit and they will elevate NXT. The match will be a quick and painless 💩1/2.

NEW DAY vs. REVIVAL (SMACKDOWN Tag Team Championship)

You’re just not taking the belts off of these dudes with all that’s going on. The Revival are solid wrestlers but they’re not the New Day. Few are and I’m a 69 year old guy who wears a New Day tee. Big E and X never disappoint and I’m going 💩💩💩1/2

Going to skip over the Cruiserweight and go to

KOFI vs. Randy (WWE Championship)

I feel there’s more to this story so Kofi retains in a 💩💩💩💩1/2 match.

SETH/BRAUN vs. ROODE/ZIGGLER

Have to believe that this match will go early in the card and set up the story for the championship match which will most likely close the card. Hard to see the boys retaining here. Question is who turns and what role, if any, is Bray “The Fiend” Wyatt gonna play here or later in the evening. This feels like 💩💩1/2 to me. Roode and Ziggler are solid workers and talkers. They can handle all shapes and sizes.

BAYLEY vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR (SMACKDOWN Women’s Championship)

More than any move on the roster, having Charlotte Flair with the strap to start the new era of SMACKDOWN on FOX is essential. She is one of the best all-around wrestlers and a dominant run while putting over some of the new talent (Toni Storm, Io Shirai) will pay off for the brand. Bayley is not going to make it easy and I think this is a minimum 💩💩💩💩 match.

SETH vs. BRAUN

This should be brutal and bloody and I think Seth retains. You don’t beat Brock Lesnar clean on two occasions and lose to a guy who Brock manhandled. The big questions are does Seth come out of this a heel , and, as mentioned above, is it Fiend Time. I’m going 💩💩💩1/2

The more I think about it this could be a solid PPV with lots that will start here and unfold over the next few weeks. I really hope NXT winds up with the three wrestlers mentioned above as well as Andrade Cien Almas (with his full name back) and Asuka who has been so mistreated on the main roster it’s criminal.

Interesting times.