Roller Jam

[Jack]

Anybody remember this show?  I was just going through my old video tapes last night and ended up watching a few episodes of it.  It started out really good in the first season, with great roller derby action and lots of sexy babes.  Unfortunately by the third season it had turned into a soap opera.  It was obvious they were copying professional wrestling, and the skating took a backseat to all the stupid behind the scenes shenanigans. 

A cool little slice of pop culture from the early 2000's 

[HappyGilmore]

I remember this.  I think it was copying pro wrestling, as a few other 'extreme sports' type shows were, like Battle Dome.  Roller Jam used to be on Friday nights after ECW, which is probably why it seemed to mirror wrestling.  I watched it , but didn't watch it often enough to say I was a hardcore fan or anything.

[Jack]

Yeah, as the seasons went by you could see it getting more and more like pro wrestling with each episode.  In the last season they had guys climbing up on ladders and dropping down on top of another guy laying on a board so that the board would break in half, people getting hit over the head with steel chairs (but somebody else would jump in the way at the last second, so they'd hit their own guy), etc.  Skating went from 10 minute periods down to 4 minute periods.  It was actually fairly amusing at first, but they had to take it way too far and make the actual game a mere sideshow to all the silly and boring behind-the-scenes crap, meh...  If it would have lasted another season I guess they were planning on putting a steel cage around the the track for grudge matches and stuff 

[HappyGilmore]

TNN had an odd mix of shows on Friday and Saturday nights.  It'd be like, ECW, Roller Jam, Rodeo/bullriding shows, Monster trucks, etc.

Why'd Roller Jam get cancelled anyway? Low ratings?  I wonder if it was on the network now, with them having UFC, TNA Wrestling, and various other sports if it'd last.

[Mr. DS]

I used to watch this frequently although they added more of a pro wrestling attitude to it.  I also enjoyed watching Roller Derbys although I can't remember now what station was on.  Roller derbys seems to be making a big comback nowadays. 

[odinn7]

All I really remember about Roller Jam is...Stacey Blitsch...

[raj]

Is that the one where they were using rollerblades instead of the old skates?  The first couple of seasons were fun, but yeah, then it got all pro-wrestling on me and I stopped watching.

[Jack]

Yeah, they used inline skates, except for one guy who was really old school, he was known as the King of the Quad for using old skates.  Kind of sad - the guy, Mark D'mato, was the main heel on the show, and he died of some sort of cancer soon after the show was cancelled.  Bummer, he always seemed in great health on the show, and he was one of my favorite characters.