American Gladiator

When I was a little kid, I dreamed of being on three shows: “Legends of the Hidden Temple,” “GUTS” and “American Gladiators.”\nSince Nickelodeon Games and Sports no longer exists (and since I’m no longer allowed to participate in kids’ game shows), my chance of fulfilling my dream has dwindled down to “American Gladiators.” \nWhen the show went off the air in 1991, a dream in my life went unfulfilled. A space in my heart was left empty. I was only 4 years old and I missed my opportunity.\nIn 2008, I will have a second chance to live my dream. \n“American Gladiators” is back and it’s going to be better than ever.\nHulk Hogan is reportedly going to be the host and new technology will allow the show to do even more badass stunts. Add all of that to the fact that NBC has the rights and you have a primetime show in the making.\nTurbo, Nitro, Laser, Blazer and all other types of -azers will give up the reins to new gladiators and the show will make a comeback.\nIt was announced that the competitors will be given the opportunity to train for the event prior to the show and the show itself will display a more personal view of the competitors along with the competitions.\nBeyond that, not much else has been disclosed about the show. As a longtime viewer, a major fan and a potential competitor, I feel like I need to make some suggestions: \n1. Allow the winner of the show to take a few minutes in the ring with Hogan. Make it a bonus event where competitors can win a vacation prize package if they pin him. My first choice for host was Mike O’Malley because of his genius work on “GUTS”, but Hogan can be a huge asset to the show if it uses him properly. \n2. Make a new video game. To this day, I still love playing my Super Nintendo American Gladiators game, but it’s time for an upgrade. Put it on the Nintendo Wii. That will allow us to perform the stunts right in our own home. There is no glass ceiling with the Wii. The sky’s the limit and an amazing American Gladiator game can be made. Although I have recommended some changes, I hope they are kept to a minimum. The show still needs the Wall and the Eliminator. We still want the underdogs to be clear underdogs. We still need the gladiators to be extremely scary looking. We still need the show to be what it used to be. Creating a whole new show might work, but it won’t let us all relive the show we so greatly missed.\nLast week I bitched about how TV was going in the wrong direction. I bitched about how a “docusoap” was the worst idea ever. I was slowly losing hope for TV. But the revival of a great show like “American Gladiators” is a major step in the right direction and it’s something I want to compete in.\nWell, maybe just in the Nintendo Wii version.