The Fonz, Mike Piazza, the
athletic teams of Pittsburgh, and numerous others have done
it. The prevailing question as it pertains to professional
wrestling is this: Has Stone Cold Steve Austin joined the
list of those people or groups in popular culture that have
reached the summits of their potentials and are now slipping
and sliding downhill?

In other words, Has Stone Cold jumped
the shark?

Before I continue, allow me to digress
for a few lines and provide a little background on what it
means to jump the shark. The term was popularized by
the creators of a pop culture/TV sitcom Web
site. The phrase is normally used to describe the
moment in a TV show that signals its impending downfall, but
can also be used to describe the same type of moment in a
celebrity’s career, pop culture event or political movement.
The name jump the shark is derived from a 1977 episode
of Happy Days when the beloved Arthur Fonzarelli jumps
over a shark in a horribly portrayed water-skiing stunt.

There is even one actor who has (allegedly)
caused the cancellation or downfall of so many television
shows that he has been labeled the patron saint of jumping
the shark. That would be none other than Ted McGinley, who
most people know as Jefferson D’Arcy in Married … With
Children. Personally, I feel like Ted gets a bad rep,
but at the same time there is a lot of proof offered up by
the Webmasters of the site, which you can access here.

Now that the necessary transmission of
background information has been completed, let me go back
to the point I was trying to make in the first place. The
truth is that I have a lot of appreciation for Stone Cold
Steve Austin as a professional wrestler, and I respect everything
he has done for the pro wrestling industry. In fact, I can
say without question that there was no other WWF superstar
who could have served as the pissed off, beer-drinking, working
class anti-hero that Vince McMahon desperately needed to perpetuate
the era of WWF Attitude in the late 1990s.

With that said, the problem I have with
Austin is that it is now 2003, yet his character has not really
evolved all that much. The Rattlesnake still has charisma
and personality, but he also lacks a lot of other traits that
made him such an indomitable and marketable force.

First and foremost, Austin can’t wrestle
anymore due to serious injuries, and – outside of a few stunners
– the energy he used to bring during his in-ring matches
is impossible for him to replicate.

As co-GM of Raw, Austin is merely filling
the same role that he occupied from 1997 to 1999. This time
around, the storylines between he and the “heel antagonist
in management” seem to lack overall freshness, as well as
that must-see aura that tends to surround successful angles
and vignettes.

The third reason why I believe Stone Cold
has jumped the shark is because of problems he has had in
his personal life. I know the wrestling world is filled with
people and characters that have performed unfathomable transgressions,
and with a superstar who was as popular as Stone Cold, any
egregious actions are inevitably magnified. Not only did Austin
walk out on professional wrestling at one point, but he also
faced domestic abuse charges.

I do believe that many fans still remember
these blemishes, and as a result they are most likely not
be able to buy into his character with as much heart as they
used to.

So, has Stone Cold jumped the shark? Probably
… but I’ll leave it up to you to decide just how much he has
left in the tank.

Remembering Two of the Best in the
Entertainment Business

I cannot put into words how much I loved
John Ritter and Johnny Cash. And, as my friend Adam put it,
“To have them both go on the same day is just awful.”

Even if John and Johnny passed away on
different days in different years, my feelings of loss and
sadness would resonate just as much as they do now. As a child,
I watched “Three’s Company” religiously, laughing hysterically
at Ritter’s physical comedy while the sexual innuendo merely
went over my head. I also remember hearing Johnny Cash songs
regularly, either on the radio in the car or in my home.

Over the past three years, I rediscovered
these two men as astute artists and entertainers. Johnny Cash’s
last two albums, American Man III and American Man
IV, are regular entrants into my CD rotation. His covers
of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” and Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”
are nothing short of haunting and brilliant.

I have always been a fan of John
Ritter. Not only did “Three’s Company” catch my eye as a kid,
it also recaptured my eye as a 20-something. One of my favorite
TV events over the past two years occurred when Nick at Nite
aired a “Three’s Company” marathon, and as I watched I felt
entertained in a beautifully simplistic way that just does
not exist anymore on television. It didn’t matter that the
plot-lines were virtually the same for each episode — Jack
wants to bring a girl home; the Ropers or Mr. Furley think
he’s gay; the girls overhear half of a conversation and think
Jack doesn’t like them anymore; Jack falls down a bunch of
times; the problem is resolved — because in the end,
John Ritter always managed to crack me up beyond recognizance.

It’s been a tough couple of days, first
with the two-year anniversary the greatest tragedy in American
history, and now with the passing of two distinct American
legends.

John Ritter and Johnny Cash should be
remembered for their unique artistic talents. Let me also
note that this saddened and shocked fan will cherish both
of their noteworthy contributions to the lexicon of American
popular culture.

That’s all for now … PEACE.

-Chris Biscuiti

Chris Biscuiti also writes for 411mania.
He occasionally updates his
own site, too, but that is more a rarity than the
norm.

Last 5 posts by Chris Biscuiti

• News Analysis: This is Not a Wrestling Story - June 26th, 2007
• Rime of the Super Mario - April 5th, 2005
• A Secret Crept - March 29th, 2005
• To Be A Protagonist - March 21st, 2005
• The Phone Number Attached - March 15th, 2005