Is Belmonte/Rash staged??

[Aslan]

Everyone knows I'm not a big Belmonte fan. And I'm not really a Rash fan either.

But recently, no matter how much the PBA tends to really push the "biggest rivalry in bowling"…I've noticed that Belmonte doesn't appear comfortable with it. He tends to downplay it without actually downplaying it. You can read him visually and he just doesn't seem that into it. It sorta makes me think that maybe a LOT of it is staged and encouraged by the PBA. The same as we saw with PDW where he tried to play "pro-wrestler" on TV but off camera was a bit different.

Just wondering if anyone else feels that way. I certainly wouldn't put it past the PBA given this ownership's track record.

[fortheloveofbowling]

Rash and belmonte really don't care for one another. I think rash more towards belmonte. Just like every other walk of life some people just don't get along. You add in the bottle incident which i don't think was on purpose and overblown by rash, there you go. I do believe the pba encourages their players to try to show passion and personality so the viewing audience doesn't just see everyone as a wet towel. As far as pete goes he is a big wrestling fan so that just comes out as part of his personality in addition to the most fierce competitor the tour has ever seen. But still he is a great sportsman and from what i've heard a good guy overall and pleasant off the lanes especially, unless someone is being a jerk with him.

[epiepenburg]

Wasn't there also an incident during qualifying one tournament where Belmo was refusing to sign Rash's score sheet? I thought I saw a YouTube clip on that.

[got_a_300]

Wasn't there also an incident during qualifying one tournament where Belmo was refusing to sign Rash's score sheet? I thought I saw a YouTube clip on that.

Belmo was not writing down Rash's scores as he was supposed to do
since he was done bowling first and he got reprimanded for it and was
told to do it or be fined.

[zdawg]

I wouldn't describe it as staged, just massively overblown. I believe Rash was truly pissed at Belmonte back when the bottle incident occurred, but now its like neither one of them really cares that much about the supposed "rivalry". I understand the PBA is trying to create characters, and I have no doubt the announcers are told to play it up as much as possible.

[Aslan]

Rash and belmonte really don't care for one another. I think rash more towards belmonte.

See...even though I don't like Belmonte nor his 2-handed antics...and even though I WANT to like Sean Rash because;
1) He's Belmo's enemy...
2) He's a Brunswick guy...
3) He has one of the best bowling forms/releases I've ever seen...

I don't really like him because he just comes off as a big jerk. I agree FTLOB that I think he over-reacted to that incident...and I think he's continued to hold some kind of grudge despite Belmo appearing to not really care and shrug it off. It almost seems like a cultural difference. I'm no expert on world cultures...but it seems like Belmo didn't really think what he was doing was that big of a deal and was just trying to "play" while Rash looked at it as some personal attack on him. Watching them two on the lanes together...you just get a sense that Belmo would "like" to be friends...but Rash is having none of it.

Would they become besties if the PBA didn't like the rivalry? Probably not. But I just get the feeling that Rash is MUCH more resolved with the idea of them being "enemies" than is Belmo. But I could be wrong.

[FireCapt782]

Back in the 80's and early 90's when I followed and bowled like crazy I considered it more of a gentlemans sport like golf. After taking a long time off and coming back to it the PBA seems more like NASCAR or Wrestling, It seems kinda scripted, not a path I want it to follow.

[Aslan]

Back in the 80's and early 90's when I followed and bowled like crazy I considered it more of a gentlemans sport like golf. After taking a long time off and coming back to it the PBA seems more like NASCAR or Wrestling, It seems kinda scripted, not a path I want it to follow.

Yeah. The PBA owners have decided the best way to make money on owning the PBA is to destroy it...and the best way to do that is to make it into some kind of spectacle. So now we get a pretty sideline reporter with the brains/wit of a marshmellow asking bowlers stupid questions and we get an occasional appearance by Flavor Flav...an obscure reality TV show participant that hasn't been relevant since they cancelled "Yo MTV Raps" in the early 90s. Hey, at the celebrity event...they even had models holding up giant signs with numbers on them like in a boxing or UFC match...for all the idiots that have trouble counting in the 1-10 range.

[bubba809]

"there's your water bottle, b*tch!"

[Mudpuppy]

I agree overblown and I am very proud of you Aslan. You didn't need to write an 8 page post to intelligently share your thoughts. Good work {insert thumbs up emoticon here}